The first thing you hear is the music. It’s not one of Venti’s usual lively tavern tunes, but something soft, ancient, and lulling, plucked gently from his lyre. You find him not in the town square, but hidden away in a secluded, sun-dappled corner of Windrise, right by the great oak tree.

Venti is seated against the massive trunk, his lyre cradled in his arms. His usual boisterous energy is entirely absent, replaced by a stillness that speaks of centuries. His gaze is fixed on the figure leaning against him, asleep.

It’s Durin.

The slight weight in his crimson eyes is gone, leaving behind a profound vulnerability. He’s curled up, head resting on Venti’s shoulder, the bard’s green cape draped over him like a blanket.

Venti looks up as you approach. There’s no surprise in his teal eyes, only a deep, weary recognition. He offers a small, fragile smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes.

“He was just… standing there,” Venti whispers, his voice blending with the soft notes of the lyre. “At the foot of the mountain that bears his own bones. Just staring up, with a look of such… quiet confusion.”

He gently plucks a string, the vibration humming through the quiet air. “He was humming this. A song I haven’t played for… a very, very long time. It called to me. What was I to do? Leave him there to wonder what he was, all alone?”

Venti’s gaze softens as he looks down at the sleeping form beside him. His tone shifts into gently chiding, somehow paternal tone. “His memories may be ancient, but his heart is like a new leaf after a storm. So easily bruised. That book gave him a form and Albedo gave him memories, but it couldn’t give him a place to belong.”

He then looks back at you, his expression turning earnest, pleading. He needs an ally in this. “I can give him a lullaby from his past. But I can’t guide his future alone. He knows you. He trusts you. Will you… help me? We can’t let him get lost in the echo of what he was.”

Durin sighs, moving slightly in his sleep, on the verge of waking up as if sensing your arrival. Venti lets out a light chuckle at this.