[ When he opens it, he'll find a lacquered music box. The front is engraved with every type of Liyue specialty flower, and it plays a gentle Liyue medley when opened and wound. There are plenty of compartments for Zhongli to store his various gold and jewels. For now, though, the only thing inside is a piece of parchment rolled and tied with twine, with the following written in ornate script:
Where they finally came together Winged but foreign Feather and scale At the gap between eons
Where they finally came together They had no memories remaining of naive romantic love Nor the folly of relishing their having all the time in the world
Where they finally came together In the stark reality of all they had become They were too stubborn to hide yet secretly wondered if it was truly worth the trouble after all this time
Where they finally came together Their souls tread the edge of time as they removed the layers of long life Piece by piece shedding off what no longer served them until they discovered a place deep inside beyond the fleeting, the expectation, the duty,
Over the clouds and jagged mountains Over the rolling hills and towering trees Where bird perches And dragon nests
Where they finally came together -- A sanctuary to rest their weary heads
[ He folds the poem back and carefully and stores it back in the box for safekeeping.
Ah, Barbatos.
He is probably one of the few that know that this day is not truly Zhongli's "birth" but one he picked out of tradition. More birthday than the day he came into being. What could be more fitting then celebrating the passage of a year - to close old memories and welcome new one with open arms. ]
[ The urge to respond by asking if his knee has given out somewhere and he needs a rescue is very, very strong. It's not a birthday celebration without old age griefing, after all.
Still . . .
He refrains just this once, or maybe because of recent events, who's to say? Instead he simply sets aside whatever instrument he was plucking melancholy tunes on to follow the instructions.
He wanders to the location a little over an hour later, with no idea where he is. ]
[ Oh -- so you mean one of Venti's future favorite places?
He comes down the aisle slowly, thanks to the extensive rubbernecking he's doing to admire the venue. He pauses not far from the stage, though, clearly taken aback. ]
[ Zhongli's playing is (unsurprisingly) probably very true to the original source with very little innovation and addition on his own.
So when he moves to the chorus a second time, it might come as a little bit of surprise when he changes the key in which they are playing and moves his half of the playing to harmony - giving Venti the stage and spotlight he so rightly deserves. ]
[ Venti blinks up at him in surprise for a moment, but takes the cue -- he carries the next portion in a way that remains faithful to the original, but adapts it for the nuances of the flute. Well, and his own Barbatos quirks, of course.
It's lovely either way, and he's never been one to shrink from the spotlight. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
leaveofabsence) wrote2025-03-14 08:34 am
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He picks it up and brings it inside, taking the cecilia and tucking it behind one ear before carefully opening it. ]
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Where they finally came together
Winged but foreign
Feather and scale
At the gap between eons
Where they finally came together
They had no memories remaining
of naive romantic love
Nor the folly of relishing
their having all the time in the world
Where they finally came together
In the stark reality of all they had become
They were too stubborn to hide
yet secretly wondered
if it was truly worth the trouble
after all this time
Where they finally came together
Their souls tread the edge of time
as they removed the layers of long life
Piece by piece
shedding off what no longer served them
until they discovered a place deep inside
beyond the fleeting, the expectation, the duty,
Over the clouds and jagged mountains
Over the rolling hills and towering trees
Where bird perches
And dragon nests
Where they finally came together --
A sanctuary to rest their weary heads
Happy birthday, blockhead! ]
1/3
Ah, Barbatos.
He is probably one of the few that know that this day is not truly Zhongli's "birth" but one he picked out of tradition. More birthday than the day he came into being. What could be more fitting then celebrating the passage of a year - to close old memories and welcome new one with open arms. ]
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Still . . .
He refrains just this once, or maybe because of recent events, who's to say? Instead he simply sets aside whatever instrument he was plucking melancholy tunes on to follow the instructions.
He wanders to the location a little over an hour later, with no idea where he is. ]
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He comes down the aisle slowly, thanks to the extensive rubbernecking he's doing to admire the venue. He pauses not far from the stage, though, clearly taken aback. ]
Morax . . . ?
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If not, you should send for one.
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[ It's the most portable! ]
Am I performing?
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[ He pulls his flute from one of the many compartments in his sensitIV™ clothing, climbing onto the stage. ]
It's a little backwards, isn't it? Should you be the one performing on your own special day?
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It is also my special day. So I get to choose.
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Never turn your back on the audience, but -- there isn't one just now. ]
Alright, alright. As Mr. Zhongli demands~
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And begins to play Guizhong's lullaby. ]
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It only takes a few notes for him to know what Zhongli is playing.
He lifts the flute, playing in time. ]
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So when he moves to the chorus a second time, it might come as a little bit of surprise when he changes the key in which they are playing and moves his half of the playing to harmony - giving Venti the stage and spotlight he so rightly deserves. ]
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It's lovely either way, and he's never been one to shrink from the spotlight. ]
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And while the poem was lovely, what could be a better birthday gift than enjoying the passion and care of his oldest friend?
At the end of this chorus, he draws the song to a close and puts down the bow to his instrument. ]
A splendid rendition.
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A duet is only as good as one's partner.
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Being modest for me on this day of my birth. To what do I owe this honor?
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Can a musician not appreciate the talents of others?
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Perhaps.
But you are not always so straightforward.
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No? Well then, I can't account for it at all. You'll just have to make your own guesses.
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Thank you.
The gesture was incredibly sweet.
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