"Oh, never mind him. Let's tell you about the event first!"
Venti clapped his hands, then said to Lora, "Anyway, the event itself is very simple. It's called Neighboring Nations Congenial Poetry Gala. You can probably guess the theme just from the name, right?"
"Poetry..." After hearing Venti's explanation, Lora understood. That made sense. The events he organized were either drinking contests or poetry contests. Perfectly normal...
Hu Tao continued, "It took us a lot of effort to get the Knights of Favonius and Yujing Terrace to approve this!"
When Hu Tao said it took a lot of effort, Lora pictured Venti and Zhongli each going to their nations' higher-ups to say a word, then Hu Tao running herself ragged everywhere else.
Sorry, it was a little funny...
"Come on. I'll show you the venue." Venti smiled and beckoned Lora over.
The main venue for the poetry gathering had been arranged by Zhongli. It was located at Stone Gate, where Mondstadt and Liyue met.
At some point, an enormous stone platform had suddenly appeared there, perfectly suited for holding an event. So Zhongli simply had the venue set up on it.
If anyone asked where that stone came from, Zhongli could only say it was nature's marvelous handiwork.
"Nature's marvelous handiwork..." Listening to Venti chatter beside her about some of the amusing things that had happened while Zhongli arranged the venue, Lora could not help smiling.
Hu Tao had gone to welcome the invited guests, as well as those who had come on their own. Only Venti and Lora were left here, so Lora asked him, "Where is Zhongli? Where did he actually go? Don't lie to me."
"He went to prepare a surprise for you," Venti said with a smile. "I wasn't planning to tell you at first, but since you put it that way, I suppose I'll give you a little hint."
"A surprise? What kind of surprise?" Lora asked.
Venti clicked his tongue and shook his head. "It's called a surprise. If I told you everything now, would it still be one?"
"With the kind of relationship we have, does that really matter?" Lora looked at him helplessly.
"Oh, don't be so impatient... Look, here he comes." Venti waved a hand and pointed ahead.
Lora looked in the direction he was pointing and saw Zhongli walking over from Stone Gate. Behind him followed a blue-haired girl.
When Lora saw the girl, she looked at Venti and asked, "Is this the surprise you prepared for me?"
"That's right. What do you think? Surprised, aren't you? This child has been hard to track down lately. It took us a lot of effort to find her." Venti nodded, smiling brightly.
"...Thank you, Venti." Lora sighed and thanked him.
Zhongli had already brought Callirhoe over. The moment she saw Lora, she was overwhelmed with emotion. She went around Zhongli and ran straight to her.
"Lady Egeria, it really is you! When this gentleman came looking for me, I thought he was joking..." Callirhoe stared at Lora in excitement. If not for their difference in status, she might have thrown herself straight into Lora's arms.
For Oceanids, Lora's embrace was simply too tempting.
"It's me, Callirhoe." Lora nodded, soothing Callirhoe's excitement. "Calm down first..."
"Right, right... I should calm down first." Callirhoe nodded, then smiled, embarrassed by her own impulsiveness.
Zhongli then said, "I found this lady in Cider Lake, across from Springvale. At the time, she seemed to have just finished writing a poem."
Lora looked at Zhongli and said, "Thank you, Zhongli."
"No need for thanks," Zhongli said, shaking his head.
Callirhoe looked at Lora and continued, "Lady Egeria, there are so many things I want to tell you..."
Lora gave a slight nod. "Let's walk and talk."
"Okay!" Callirhoe nodded and followed Lora along the water's edge. Neither Zhongli nor Venti disturbed them.
"Oh my, we should go too! The poetry gathering is about to begin." After greeting Zhongli, Venti started toward the venue.
But Zhongli remained where he was and said, "I will not be going. I told Hu Tao that I would not attend. If I appeared now, it would seem rather suspicious."
"Hmm... Fair point. Then I'll go. Keep an eye on Lora and the others." After thinking for a moment, Venti nodded.
Lora and Callirhoe walked far along the water's edge, talking as they went, from Callirhoe's era all the way to the present.
"Lady Egeria, I fell in love with a human. A human with a very, very short lifespan," Callirhoe said quietly as she walked beside Lora. She told Lora about Finch.
"Mm..." Lora nodded slightly, but did not give her opinion.
Callirhoe was a little surprised. She looked up at Lora and asked, "Lady Egeria, don't you think I'm wrong?"
"What have you done wrong?" Lora looked at Callirhoe and continued, "You simply fell in love with someone who happened to be human."
"Humans are wonderful," Callirhoe said. "Perhaps I can understand why so many of my predecessors chose to become human. Lady Egeria, what if I said... I want to become human too?"
"If that is your true wish, I will grant it." Lora stopped and looked at Callirhoe, her tone turning solemn. "But you must understand. This is a one-way, irreversible choice. Is becoming human truly your wish?"
"Hm?" Callirhoe looked a little lost.
"Becoming human means hiding secrets, enduring pain, and living with loneliness." Lora looked at Callirhoe, then continued walking forward.
"Do you want to become human because you yearn for humanity, or because of Finch? If it is because of him, then as you said yourself, he is old now. He is no longer the young man he once was, and he can no longer play with you in the forest."
Callirhoe followed Lora's steps and continued forward, lowering her head as she thought about the question. She was different from her predecessors. Was her reason for wanting to become human really just one person?
Callirhoe did not quite understand why that mattered.
"Finch is old. Even if you become human, how much time would you truly have with him? So if you want to become human for his sake, then there is no need, Callirhoe."