leaveofabsence | Imeeji Inbox

[ He just smiles fondly at Venti, tilting his head to give him better access to his ponytail. It's a surprise his hair is not always slightly wavy consider how often Venti does that. ]

Did everything come to a--- I hesitate to use the word satisfactory, so how about livable conclusion?

[ Silence stretches on for a long moment, and then, thinly: ]

We locked her up. Chains and all.

[ His fingers continue to work, almost feverishly ]

[ One hand cards through Venti's hair ]

I suppose knowing that is only a temporary measure does not ease such a burden.

Not particularly.

Was it right for us to make this choice for her on her behalf? I don't know. It's something we should have spoken about before it came to this, but we never did.

. . .

You often speak of the illusion of choice. A tactic that the producer's use to maximize guilt among its idols.

Are you sure this choice is not one and the same?

Ah . . . ehe, maybe so.

I know that does not make the situation any easier.

Oh, but look at me, feeling sorry for myself when I'm not even the one done wrong by.

[ Sighs, letting the finished plait drop ]

I'll be fine. I'm just . . . very tired. That's why I came here.

[ Morax can fix anything ]

You are being forced to choose between multiple bad outcomes for loved ones who have been hurt.

How are you not wronged?

. . .

[ He's not really sure how to argue for what amounts to a guilt complex, so he opts to say nothing at all, just leaning his head more heavily against Zhongli's chest. ]

If you came here to rest, then we do not have to speak of such things.

But know that needing a safe space after such a tragic event is not feeling sorry for yourself.

. . . Alright.

It does sound so very reasonable when you say it, after all.

Distance is what allows us to see the moon and the stars so clearly.

Give it a night's rest and see how you feel in the morning.

Ehe . . . and I thought I was the poet between us.

It's philosophy, not poetry.

[ But Zhongli does try to lower both of them so they are lying down rather than propped up against the headboard. ]

Semantics.

[ He curls up almost entirely atop Zhongli, fingers tangling in his shirt, and lets out a long sigh as some of the tension leaves him. ]

. . . Thank you, Morax.

You are very welcome, Venti.

[ He pulls up the sheets to cover the both of them ]

You will always have a place to rest your wings here, whether you believe you need it or not.