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[leaveofabsence]

[ The default voicemail message greets you. ]

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[outofoffice]

[ He settles there easily, a puzzle piece slotting into place for the first time in far too long. ]

Hehe . . . I like this new agreeable Morax.

[leaveofabsence]

Many people have found me agreeable before. This is not something new.

[outofoffice]

I see, I see -- you were merely holding out on me, specifically.

[leaveofabsence]

[ Huffs ]

Perhaps I was not the one being disagreeable in the first place.

[outofoffice]

Surely you're not accusing me? I'm always agreeable! To a fault, even!

[leaveofabsence]

Oh. Is that what this has been the whole time? Faulty agreeability?

[outofoffice]

. . .

[ Harrumphs and starts crawling his way out of Zhongli's lap ]

[leaveofabsence]

[ He does not move to stop him but nor does he move himself so that Venti can return if he so wishes ]

I see you are not in the mood today.

What do you need exactly?

[outofoffice]

Someone to be nice to me!

[ PITY HIM PROPERLY ]

[leaveofabsence]

[ He holds out his arms to Venti again ]

Come then.

Let me make it up to you.

[outofoffice]

[ He's WEAK, so of course he scoots right back over. ]

[leaveofabsence]

[ He pulls Venti back into his lap, one arm wrapped warmly around his waist.

And then begins to gently stroke his hair, humming something low under his breath. ]

[outofoffice]

[ Now these tactics are successful.

He immediately relaxes, constant tension seeping out in favor of slumping his full weight against Zhongli. Practically burrowing against him. ]

[leaveofabsence]

[ It's simple enough for Zhongli to shift enough to shed his outer coat, draping it over him like a blanket even though he knows that Venti rarely uses one.

And then he leans back against the trunk of the tree, fingers still carding through his hair as he watches Venti finally unwind a little.</small. ]

[outofoffice]

[ It seems that the whole time, the secret was just for Morax to hold him! Weird.

After a while, he closes his eyes. ]

You have a nice voice, Morax.

[leaveofabsence]

Nice enough to soothe you to sleep? I think you're well overdue some rest.

[outofoffice]

[ Rumbling his disapproval at this idea. ]

If I'm asleep, I'm not spending time with you.

[leaveofabsence]

Ah? That's twice now. . .

Have I been neglecting you?

[outofoffice]

[ Craning his neck a bit to peer up at him ]

What? No . . .

You even wasted all that time following me around.

[leaveofabsence]

It was not a waste, Barbatos. I do not want to think about what might have happened if I had not been accompanying you when you encountered Hiroto.

But---

Spending time together in times of conflict and in times of peace are different experiences. And it is the latter that I am speaking of.

[outofoffice]

Oh.

Well, it doesn't really matter much. You were always like that.

[ There's a reason he smeared himself all over Liyue to the point that he ended up in all of their lore books. ]

[leaveofabsence]

But I do not have to be like that here. My duties are finished. The responsibilities I choose to take can now be whatever I wish.

[outofoffice]

Leave it to you to worry about picking up more responsibilities . . .

What is it you want to do, then?

[leaveofabsence]

Hmmmm.

[ He tilts his head to one side as he considers this. ]

Instead of protecting and guiding a whole country, I think I would like to try to enrich the lives of those I love for as long as they are in my life. That is a very human way to live, wouldn't you agree?

[outofoffice]

Hmmm . . . you still don't quite understand humans, I think.

Most would be a little more selfish, Morax. You should enrich your own life, too.