Chapter Text
—
Liyue, one week after the Rite of Descension and Rex Lapis’ death…
—
It was always exhilarating, the feel of a blade in hand, and that scrabble for victory that battle brought. More poetic types would describe it as a push-and-pull, like the tides of the sea, but Childe disagreed. No, battle was not a dance, a performance of your most showy skills. True battle was a fight to the death, you and your opponent with only one thing in mind: to win at any cost. No holds barred, teeth bared, and the beast thrumming underneath your skin unleashed to growl and bite.
Unfortunately, ‘Tartaglia’ did not have much chance to experience such high-stakes battles as a Harbinger, chiefly because his recruits and underlings were all far below his skill level, and the other Harbingers were either too occupied with their little schemes and games or so much more powerful than him they barely noticed him or refused to entertain a spar with him.
So, no, Childe rarely experienced such wonderful bouts. So when the Traveller battled him in the Golden House, their dull blade drawn and a look of pure conviction and part-rage ensnared on their features, Childe knew he had to savour the fight.
And how invigorating it was! For once, a powerful opponent had bothered to fight with him, and with the fate of Liyue on the line they did not approach him with a lax boredom characteristic of anyone with enough power to rend the world at their feet, but with a fire in their eyes and just as much vigour as he did.
Flighty lightning clashed against sturdy rock, and his Hydro blades were matched evenly in fluidity by the Traveller’s Anemo. They fought with the speed and skill of one who had been a warrior for many years, but they were just unfamiliar enough with the world’s powers that Childe could still overpower them from time to time.
And oh, the very fact that they wielded not one, but two elements, just as he did, evened out the fight very well. He was quite envious of them, actually, for they needed no Vision to utilise the elements, while his Delusion cost him a part of his lifeforce to use. If not for the fact he wasn’t fully human anymore, or also that his Delusion was one of Dottore’s best, with as little cost to his life as possible for something made out of the corpses of dying gods, Childe would have been way dead by now. Not in the way he wanted to be: out in a blaze of glory during a battle, but withering away to old age.
Unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end. Though ‘Childe’ enjoyed having to fight as all-out as possible against the Traveller, ‘Tartaglia’ still had a duty to fulfil, and the Tsaritsa to please. Mournfully, he had to draw himself from the floor, and after saying several words extending friendship to that delightfully strong Traveller— it was time for the ‘show’ to begin.
Never let it be said Childe did not understand that some fights could be also a performance— no, it was not what he would call ‘battle’, not in the slightest, not in the way he looked for, but it was a valid form of offence, and for the oldest and grandest nation in Teyvat, it was indeed a poetic way for it all to come crashing down.
So, using the last dredges of energy he had to withdraw the Sigils of Permission, he summoned Osial to drown Liyue.
—
Fontaine, three years later…
—
“Ah, Fontaine. Such a marvellous nation to spend a vacation in! I will take my leave here, agents, and you may continue on your business here in Fontaine with The Knave .” Childe said, sweeping his eyes over the undulating waters of Lumidouce Harbour. It had been a long journey, taking the caravans through Liyue to Chenyu Vale, before boarding one of the Fatui’s state-of-the-art steam tankers onward to Fontaine. Thankfully Childe had grown up on the coasts of Snezhnaya, and seasickness was not much of an issue on the weeks-long journey. Many agents onboard had not been as lucky, and each day an unfortunate agent unwillingly expelled the contents of their stomach overboard and onto the sea.
Those very same agents bowed lightly in deference as they disembarked the ship— an acknowledgement of his rank only, as they were Arlecchino’s Snezhevichs and Snezhevnas in actuality— and shuffled away to their tasks.
Fontaine really was beautiful. It had a different quality to it compared to Liyue or Inazuma, despite their similar climate. He appreciated Liyue and Inazuma’s scenery, but Fontaine was like a breath of fresh air— a wide, open world for him to explore, and a new nation completely without the judgemental stares of citizens who knew very well you were the one trying to drown their country using the sealed corpse of an ancient sea god. Inazumans were equally wary of him, especially further west— the ‘Delusion Factory’ debacle and the way Signora had pranced everywhere on Narukami Island and disrespected the Shogun had firmly instilled the Fatui’s untrustworthiness in their minds.
Fontaine was an untouched beauty of a nation, with sprawling fields, and deep blue waters, and he vowed to make the most of this nation before the Fatui enacted the next stage of their plan for it. Childe knew it was only a matter of time before Arlecchino’s division started moving out.
Of course— vacationing was not his only goal in Fontaine. It was merely an additional bonus— no, the real goal of him travelling all the way to Fontaine was to answer the ‘call’ of the abyss.
Or well, something similar, of the same ilk. It was not the corrosive Abyssal Realm, that black sludge land he called his prison for three months in his childhood, but rather, the shard of the Abyss that had cored into his heart and made its home in it in exchange for Foul Legacy ’s heretical powers. Like that wonderful Fontainian Telefone invention— it was connecting, responding to the call of something else in the grand cosmos of the dimensions Childe was woefully too human to really see, but knew existed.
The point was, for some reason, it called him to Fontaine. And who was he to really deny it? He was rather curious, actually. Perhaps it was something that could enhance his powers, to boost that Abyssal core of his. Perhaps it was an otherworldly monster— he could experience a wonderful battle against it, as anything Abyssal meant powerful meant that fight for his life and the brushing with death he loved battling for. Either way he knew he was meant to be in Fontaine.
Unfortunately, the ‘calls’ were very much vague, as characteristic of anything interesting in Teyvat. He knew he had to be in Fontaine, but where exactly in the vast waters of the nation, nor when he would come face-to-face with the thing calling out to him, was completely unknown to him.
“Damn mysterious heretical Abyss powers,” he muttered under his breath as he chartered his course to the Court of Fontaine. “Why can’t you be specific for once? How about a giant arrow in the sky pointing right down to where you need me to be?”
But Childe still had some intelligence, unlike what his coworkers insinuated— that incident with Signora in Liyue was still fresh in his mind, that conniving smirk playing upon her lips as she swept away with the Gnosis in hand, or Zhongli Morax’s stoic amber eyes trained on him as Childe marched out in rage. He knew a little about the ‘rules of the world’— being a Harbinger and his little stint in the Abyss had taught him that things like ‘fate’ very much existed, and if anything, somehow it would all lead him to where he needed to be.
So he might as well make the most of it. Inazuma was a wonderful vacation spot, but this was Fontaine. He had never stepped foot in it before, but as a Hydro Vision wielder he felt a certain sense of home in it. The air was saturated with Hydro moreso than was normal in Teyvat, and the waters, he heard, were different. If one was a Vision holder one could simply dive beneath the surface without much of the consequences of not breathing air .
Cool.
He had to try it— chiefly because a little water-diving couldn’t hurt, and secondly because Tonia had been the one to inform him, excitedly, when she heard he was visiting Fontaine that he could attempt it. He had promised her he would at least test it out, and he never broke a promise. So that was item one on the agenda.
Secondly, he had heard of the splendour and prowess of the Champion Duelists, and as a little battle-hungry sprite who needed a good pick-me-up to flex his muscles a bit and warm up before the main event– a.k.a whatever abyss thing was calling him – how could he not put ‘fighting a Champion Duelist’ on his itinerary? The whole onmyoudou chamber business in Inazuma was extremely thrilling and all, but it had already been a year! Childe needed to seek out new experiences to challenge himself, or he might as just call it quits as a warrior based on pride alone. He had no idea how exactly to set up a fight with one— hopefully he could just track one down, point a sword at them and call it a day. And if they worked only with criminals, well, Childe could very well just commit a teensy little crime that would land him a duel. He wasn’t past crimes! He was a happy, healthy Harbinger and he needed some occasional murder to keep him well sated.
No, ever since his stint in the abyss he was never slated for a leisurely life. And, well, perhaps he could have been an adventurer in another life, but in this one his bloodthirsty ways had set him on the path squarely to become one of the most proficient assassins in Teyvat. Or well— killer would be a better word to describe his profession. Assassins snuck in the shadows and hunted in the dark like sneaky, slimy bastards. He was, well, more of a chase your enemies down to face off in a glorious battle kinda guy. So maybe—
‘Warrior’ was what he chose to describe himself, really. Though most of his debt collection jobs were just one-sided massacres.
He was getting distracted.
Looking through his map of Fontaine once more, Childe decided— why not stretch his legs with a little dive? Sure, he could take the conventional route to Erinnyes through a steam boat, or a waverider if he wished to go solo. But where was the fun? Childe had been stuck on a boat for weeks! Whyever would he take another boat?
To be entirely fair, Fontaine was the Nation of Hydro. The Source of All Waters on the continent. He should have expected to have to take many a boat, as it was the only way to cross water efficiently. (Although, he had heard of those special ‘upgraded transport balloon’ machines that cruised the air. Those…Antoine-Roger aircraft? He wasn't quite sure of the name.) Still, he was bored. And, it would cross one thing off his to-do list.
So, mind set, Childe called over one of the hapless agents milling around— they seemed listless and with no tasks to do, so Arlecchino…. probably wouldn’t mind him using them to his own end.
“Hey, Agent!” Childe waved over genially.
The Fatui Agent, who looked swelteringly uncomfortable in the humid air on Fontaine underneath all his furs, looked up and paled, before hurrying over.
“Yes, Lord Harbinger? Is there anything I can be of assistance with?” They ask stiffly. How uptight. Childe resists the urge to laugh. Out of all the many agents he’s worked with in his career, this is one of the most respectful. Most barely seem to remember basic formalities before gawking at his age, his cavalier attitude, or gossiping about his reputation and bull-headedness. Their Harbingers have primed them to mock him, and outside of his own troops, who all still act quite casually around him for different reasons, this agent is one of the rare ones to take him seriously at first meeting. Usually, it takes a few battles, a little murder, and a show of his skills before the gossip quiets down.
Still, Childe appreciates he won’t have to endure the derision of people ten years older than him who think they are superior grumbling everytime he asks them to move a muscle and help him.
“You are one of Arlecchino’s kids assigned to the Northland Bank branch in the Court of Fontaine, yes? Could you assist me by helping my luggage along to the transport arrangements you have? Just get it delivered safely to the Northland Bank branch, they’ll know what to do there.” He says, rummaging through his pockets for a piece of paper.
The Agent hovers awkwardly as he scribbles a note onto the paper and signs off with his signature.
“Ah– yes, take this, and show it to the secretary at the branch, yes? They’ll know it’s me.” He says, and hands the note off to the Agent, who bows and readies to move out.
“Ah, sir!” They call out suddenly.
“Yes?” He looks back.
“Ah– do you have any other transport arrangements already planned? We are heading to the Court of Fontaine, after all, we may arrange for you to come along with us.”
Childe laughs, and brushes it off.
“No need, agent. I have my own travel plans. I’m sure my items will be safe and sound in your hands. And if I find they have been tampered , well, I have my own ways to…teach a lesson to those who break deals with me, yes?”
They nod hurriedly. “Rest assured, sir, we will ensure its safety until it reaches its destination.”
He flashes a smile. “Good. Well, I’m off! Toodle-loo. Good luck on your mission in Fontaine, Glory to Snezhnaya, yes?”
Childe turns his back, tucks his hands in the pockets of his pants, and starts heading off in the other direction of Lumidouce Harbour to prepare himself mentally for his little diving sesh to Erinnyes Forest. His mind slowly wanders to his thinly-veiled threat to the Agent. It’s not peculiar in the sense— threats like these are common and Childe often uses them to keep Agents in line. However…
…those who break deals…
His mouth turns up in a deranged sort of half-smile. It seemed that his time in Liyue had throughly tempered him, whether he wanted it or not. A few years back, a hardened native Snezhnayan as he was, he would have used the word promise. And he would have implied loyalty and trust. After all, the Snezhnayan promise was not a cold deal, its very core was the implication: ‘ I trust you, do not sunder it.’— despite the many confusions foreigners tended to make about it. He still did, somewhat, in his threat, but now…
…it seemed that Liyue’s ‘ contracts and deals ’ got to him more than he thought. Less of the ‘trust’ part, and more of the ‘clause of punishment’ part in his threat.
It was such a subtle and useless nuance. Still, it brought Childe’s mind back to Zhongli.
“It is said, Childe, that in the ancient days, Rex Lapis would end contracts with a vow that if any part of the contract was broken, the ‘Wrath of the Rock’ would come down upon them. This, of course, came down most often in the form of a heaven-shattering meteor. Nowadays, in modern Liyue, most still invoke the ‘Wrath of the Rock’ in contracts, though without much expectation that Rex Lapis might actually personally bring down a meteor upon the offending person. Usually, this means that the person is entitled to reimbursement or ‘dealing’ with the offender in the way they see fit to punish those who break the contract. One notable example of this that you may see often is in your own line of work. Have you ever wondered why the Liyue Qixing can do naught but watch and obstruct your dealings with unnecessary paperwork despite your organisation’s rather… clandestine work in debt collection?”
“Unlike other nations, in Liyue, the ‘Wrath of the Rock’ is an acceptable clause to place within a contract’s wording, and thus the Qixing may not take legal action directly against the bank for choosing to deal with their debtors in a more…physical way, since it is covered under the ‘Wrath of the Rock’ clause placed in loan agreements with the Northland Bank. Many have complained that the ‘Wrath of the Rock’ clause should be banned or outlawed, as it may be used by bad actors who may take advantage of innocent people by trapping them in impossible conditions and then cashing in on the ‘Wrath of the Rock’ clause. In this case, there are indeed ways to get reimbursement for unjust and cruel punishment. This, of course, has to be argued on a case-by-case basis to determine if the ‘Wrath of the Rock’ invoked was at a level suitable and equal to the true damages of the other party breaking the contract. This, of course, also dates back to how Rex Lapis used to dole out the ‘Wrath of the Rock’ as well. It would not do to punish civilians with little to no martial experience with the full force of divine power, and thus, he had many ways to dole out the ‘Wrath of the Rock’, which could vary from rescinding benefits offered to the other party, to restricting them from enacting any other contract with Rex Lapis furthermore.”
Zhongli finished off his spiel with a hearty sip of his oolong, which Childe matched by sipping out of his fruitier jasmine green tea. He had long found he could not take the bitterness of most black teas, being a born and bred Snezhnayan used to red teas with a dollop of jam and perhaps biscuits. Zhongli had looked aghast at first, but then he had taken on a thoughtful expression before agreeing that it was simply a difference in culture. Quickly, he had commented that he simply found it wonderful that more people across Teyvat could enjoy the wonders of tea, no matter how different they were in their methods from the original nation they hailed from. He had inquired some more, then, about other Snezhnayan food customs, and Childe was wonderfully surprised. He had understood Zhongli as a staunch Liyuen traditionalist, quite ensconced in his own customs, but it seemed he was quite open to new ideas— it was just that he had already found his perfect spot in his own.
Childe smiled from behind his cup, and tucked his hand underneath his cheek before asking:
“So, is that why… when you met up with me in the middle of a debt collection and that poor man was screeching at you for assistance to fight against this ‘horrible Harbinger’, you simply gave him your lovely, ever-so stoic expression, and replied: ‘Those who break contracts shall suffer the Wrath of the Rock.’ and turned away to go on a walk to wait out until I was done?”
Childe laughed a little, taking another sip.
“That poor little guy was screeching and screaming under my blade, and all you did was ignore him to go stare at rocks and flowers. What a cold and heartless man you are, xiansheng, ignoring the pain of a fellow citizen. I didn’t take you for such a man!”
Zhongli fixed him with another one of his stately stares. It didn’t hold much emotion behind it, but the intensity in his amber eyes drew Childe in.
“...It is not that I am heartless, Childe. Rather, that man was a Treasure Hoarder, and a particularly notorious one at that. He is the leader of one of the bigger Treasure Hoarder gangs in Liyue, and while most of his ilk would stick to historical artefacts or ruins, which are entirely suitable to pursue in order to make revenue off, he has stolen and scammed from many a hapless citizen. Did you know, Childe, that he was the one behind one of the largest scams uncovered this year? He targeted empty-nesters in quiet villages in Liyue’s outskirts and posed as their children, begging for money through letters and overall syphoning more than a few million Mora over the past three years. He, of course, posted for bail, and it seems that he dabbled in even more unscrupulous dealings during it, breaking the contract he had made with the courts. Such a despicable man who breaks contracts and utilises deception to relieve helpless elderly of their precious savings clearly deserves the ‘Wrath of the Rock’. And I suspect that the Qixing agree with me on this as well. You had rid them of a man that they would have had to take at least a year of trials before they could lock him away.”
Childe laughs again, and shakes his head.
“You are incorrigible, xiansheng. But that’s what I like about you. No one else would entertain a killing machine for as long as you have. And you don’t run away everytime I take a step towards you. Some of the harbour residents who are…more aware of my profession can get very wary.”
For a moment, when Zhongli cocked his head, Childe swore he saw his eyes flash.
“What is there for me to be wary of?” Zhongli murmured. “You do not pose a threat to me.”
Childe shakes the memory away.
He sighs. In hindsight, Zhongli had never been very subtle about his true nature. Childe had simply been enamoured deeply with the enigmatic, imperturbable and knowledgeable funeral consultant who paid attention to this lowly Harbinger. He had, admittedly, never formed many lasting interpersonal relationships amongst the Fatui, mostly due to how quickly he rose up the ranks from rank-and-file soldier to a full-fledged Harbinger. The other reason was due to his severe bloodlust— many in the Fatui, including fellow recruits and higher-ups, were disdainful of his battle-hungry nature, mostly due to jealousy and partly due to fear. Most avoided him, and thus Tartaglia spent most of his seven years in the Fatui in solitude.
It was…fine. He was used to it. And besides, he could spend all the time wasted on gossiping about girls and body counts (not in the fun way!) on practising and honing his skills instead. When Alexei the Pyro-Agent-in-training from the next squad over bragged about having slept with three different girls in the same week, Tartaglia spent those days hunting rifthounds for fun. When Boris, the Anemoboxer with the weakest punch Tartaglia had ever seen in his life in the Fatui, talked loudly in the canteen about his new girlfriend’s assets , Tartaglia had already finished his breakfast fifteen minutes earlier and started on his morning drills.
He just…never saw the appeal in chasing down women for romantic or sexual pursuits. To him, women were simply… there. They were just other people that did people things. Women , to him, simply had a different set of junk down there (and later on, he found out, may had the same junk— look, rural Snezhnaya was not the place to learn about gender nuances— and that he accepted was normal but still very much did not understand), but otherwise fulfilled the same roles. So he had never really gotten himself any sort of fling or girlfriend, either.
And so, yes, in a rather roundabout way, Childe had to admit, Zhongli was his one and only friend in the world at the time. While he had… acquaintances in the teenagers from Liyue, as well as that pretty sweet rocker girl who had a really sick beat going down, and of course, the Traveller, later on, Zhongli had always been his one, first and true best friend.
Of course, their emotional connection was torn to threads the moment Zhongli had betrayed his trust.
Admittedly— Childe wasn’t one to blame it all on Zhongli on the matter of ‘ deception ’– Childe himself had also played a little of his own deception that ended in the Harbour almost drowning under the weight of Osial’s divine wrath. He had taken the risk. And now, that all their cards were face-up, on the table, Childe could admit he too had played a large deception upon everyone. After painstakingly gaining the trust of the Liyuens slowly over the course of two years, playing the part of Zhongli’s rich patron, a noble son with cash to burn and an easygoing personality— he had torn it all down and revealed his true nature to Liyue. That he was nothing more than a monster that hid behind genial smiles and a brotherly nature to conceal that raging inferno that was his soul. That, given the chance, he would heartlessly throw away the lives of thousands in service of power and the Tsaritsa.
Tartaglia…was fine with that. He was used to it. In Snezhnaya, he had already experienced it once: his own family thought he was a monster. And he was…fine… with it. As for the rest of the country, they had long since accepted that the Fatui would always act a certain way in order to protect and help Snezhnaya thrive, and thus he was still a partial celebrity there. But there was still an undercurrent of fear , of not messing with him. So if another nation were to come to the same understanding, then… he accepted that he had long since stopped caring.
“Why the long face, sir? I’m simply here for my meat buns. Really, I’m not going to cause any trouble.” Childe grinned, fishing out a couple of mora as payment. He was starving like crazy and hankering for a char siew bao, and he had decided to take a walk to the stall. And he was serious. He had just finished recovering from the strain of the Foul Legacy transformation. He was in no shape to provoke anyone.
The merchant scowled at him, a dark look crossing his face. “Get out, you filthy Harbinger. Didn’t you already cause enough trouble for the Harbour already? I didn’t expect for you to show your snivelling face here with such audacity! I’m not serving you anything.”
Childe’s grin fell. He…was not expecting that. The merchant had been friendly to him previously, and the whiplash of this sudden change in behaviour struck him at his core. Why had the merchant acted so…cold and angry towards him?
Childe felt his mouth dry as he realised.
Ah. Osial. Though the Qixing had no actual evidence of him unleashing the god from the seal, he had very openly flaunted his Fatui association in the Harbour, and with the rumours of Fatui soldiers attempting to obstruct the duty of the Qixing and the Adepti in re-sealing the god aboard the Jade Chamber… it did not paint a pretty sight.
Defeated, Tartaglia sighed and turned away, resigning himself to home deliver orders once more. He really was craving some Liyuen street food right then, but it seemed that no one in the Harbour was favourable towards his existence anymore…
Childe pinched his brow and groaned. Why did now, of all times, his brain choose to recall the events of Liyue? It had all been a long time ago, all set into the past he could not change. He was done with Liyue years ago, and he had left it, along with Morax and the rest of his time there, to die in his memory unceremoniously.
He shook the thoughts out of his head once more and readied his Vision. He had reached the edge of the pier, where it seemed there was a perfect spot to dive into. Readying himself, he took a breath just in case and plunged into the warm waters of Fontaine.
—
His thoughts diminished, when he entered the waters. Serene, calm, and peaceful. He could almost let himself drown in it, if not for the perpetual blessing of water in Fontaine, where he would always be able to breathe under it.
Even when targeted very rudely by cannons— the weathered remains of useless shipwrecks underwater— he dodged them with ease and grace.
It was just so…soothing, being underwater. It felt… right .
Childe swum westward, following the brightly coloured school of fish towards Erinnyes, and went with the flow of the water, forgetting almost entirely about Zhongli, Liyue, and Signora.
—
Erinnyes was a vast plain dotted with shaggy hills and a dense forest in the far distance. At the borders of the region, where Childe pirouetted with graceful skill out of the water and onto, were the pale sandy beaches of Erinnyes. Though not as picturesque and idyllic as the Court of Fontaine’s beachfront as Childe had seen through Kamera photographs, it was still vibrant and very beautiful. The sand was dotted with fragile shell fragments and seaglass, and occasionally, a poor dried out sea star.
The dock he had landed near on, it seemed, was currently occupied by a little girl in a plaid dress, dangling her legs over the little wooden dock and conversing with what seemed like a cat in a hat, and a dog in a dress.
He tried to be as inconspicuous as possible, avoiding the dock as he removed the moisture from his clothes with his Vision and hurried past it. No use in seeming as if he had any untoward intentions to the little girl, especially with his reputation as a Harbinger.
Unfortunately, that damn cat was just too observant. It seemed that Childe had been dragging his feet and being complacent since it was merely two animals and a little girl, and he was a Harbinger and a warrior trained in a hundred different concealment techniques. His payback came in the form of an insistent meow from the cat that seemed to tell the kid to turn her head round and catch Childe sneaking off in the act.
“Mister!” She called out bravely. Her cheeks were ruddy and she seemed to have confidence in droves. “What are you doing over there? Don Quijano here says that you are acting ‘suspiciously’, and I need to prove him wrong! Come over here and prove that we can form a friendship!”
She said it so imperiously that Childe was struck momentarily by how uncanny she was to his siblings. Her personality was obviously strikingly different, but that unabashed demanding hand-in-hand with wide-eyed innocence reminded him so much of his younger siblings. This was probably what possessed him to actually stride over to the little girl and squat down onto the dock to talk to her better.
“Suspiciously?” Childe grinned, cocking his head. “I was simply enjoying a dive in these cool waters. They are ever so crystal clear, and they are so different from my homeland.”
The girl furrowed her brow for a moment, and whispered to the cat, who seemed to nod its head and meow back a response.
“Don Quijano here says that you seem to hail from Sness-naya. Where is Sness-naya? I have never heard of a place like that in Fontaine. Is it from somewhere else in Teyvat?”
Okay. So the cat could actually. Talk. To the girl , that was, to Childe he was still kind of meowing. And it had enough intelligence to connect Childe to Snezhnaya, though something clearly got lost in translation of ‘meow’ because the pronunciation was a little messed up.
That was fine. Talking animals were normal. Just like in Liyue. The Adepti. The, uh, Illuminated Beasts.
Shut, up, brain. Stop thinking about Liyue, he told himself.
It smartly stopped thinking about Liyue, because that would mean to think about Zhongli, and wasn’t he an Adeptus as well? If Childe remembers correctly he often presented as a ‘dragon’— would that make him an Illuminated Beast as well? But oh, then again, Zhongli had mentioned that Rex Lapis only took the form of one, it did not necessarily mean that he was an actual dragon, so he was more of a….dragon-shaped adeptus-
“Your good friend Don Quijano is right on the mark there. It’s pronounced ‘ Snezhnaya ’, though, perhaps meows cannot describe it phonetically accurately.” Childe says instead, ignoring the thoughts that run back to back without a filter in his mind. “As for where it is… say, have you heard of Mondstadt? Snezhnaya’s right next to it, and it’s its own nation.”
“Ah you mean the wine city?” The girl asks, scrunching up her nose. “Autumn got really obsessed with Mondstadt wine when she turned into an adult, since she could start drinking it. She got really weird about being able to do adult stuff now. I don’t quite understand it, is adult stuff really that boring, that drinking grape juice is the most fun thing an adult can do?”
“Ah, perhaps that is something that can be explained by your parents when you get older. As for now, I wonder, where are they? Is sitting at a dock alone with only a cat and a dog really that fun? When I was younger, I wanted my parents to go everywhere I went.” He commented.
The girl’s face took on a complicated expression. Then, she wrinkled her nose.
“That’s what they always tell me. When I get older they’ll tell me this and that. But what if I don’t want to grow older? Can I know these things without having to grow to be an adult?” She muttered, and the dog (in a dress! And the most ostentatious bonnet he’d ever seen!) placed its front legs onto the girl’s lap in consolation.
“Ah, maybe, but it’s more fun, isn’t it. Like a present. Once you complete being ‘an adult’, you get to unwrap the present and solve all of the mysteries you had as a kid. But you don’t have to ‘grow up’ so soon, don’t worry. You can take all the time you want. Don’t rush it.” Childe settles on an answer.
She looks pensive, and then thoughtful.
“I guess you are right, mister.” She turned to the cat and the dog once more, and started whispering hurriedly. Then, she stood up, straightened the pleats of her skirt, and fixed him with her gaze.
“What’s your name, again, mister?” She asks.
Name.
What name should he give? Ah, he could still go by ‘Childe’ still, but…
“You can call me Mister Ajax.” He blurts out.
She blinks thoughtfully, then sounds out his name.
“Mis-ter A-jax, my name is Penny. And for accompanying us, Don Quijano and Nana here have told me I should give a gift to you.
From the pockets of her skirt she extracts a little lace handkerchief, and unwraps, delicately, a soft blue shell. It’s fanned out and slightly curved, and there’s a darker lining of blue staining the edges that tells a story Ajax has none of the expertise to understand.
Still, he gingerly takes the shell, and smiles.
“Thank you, Penny. Should I take my leave now?”
She nods. “May we meet again in the future, Mister Ajax!”
Then, she turns away, leading Childe with a blue shell in hand and a strange feeling of fondness.
He tucks it safely into his inventory before heading off to the Opera Epiclese, all the way thinking of the strange little girl Penny and her feline and canine retainers.
—
When he reaches the Opera Epiclese, in all of its glory, he walks to the Fountain of Lucine, and despite not being any sort of devotee to the Hydro Archon, nor Fontainian, he runs his fingers underneath the jetstreams of cool and clear water that spouts up from the fountain and hopes .
What does he hope for?
Even he cannot quite tell.
—
Author’s Note:
Since AO3 hates first-chapter notes, here it shall go. Here’s a couple explanations to stuff I mention about in-game lore, and thoughts.
- Most of the timing in between events in Genshin, especially in the earlier quests, are very vague. ‘One week from Rite to Battle in Golden House’ is just based off my personal gameplay, where I took a week to level up my AR to the required level (>-<) It was a painful experience. Thusly, ‘two years’ in between Fontaine and Liyue is actually more like two and then almost three? For the Traveller, at least. I’m assuming that when the Traveller went to Inazuma Childe actually kinda hung round Liyue (but not the Harbour) for a year or so before hopping off to Inazuma. He might have actually stayed vacationing there throughout the Sumeru AQ, considering we see him with Yoimiya earlier last year. For my purposes, at least, he did go back to Snezhnaya a couple of times, but you do have to remember that a part of his family is still quite estranged and cold to him, so he didn’t stay too long.
- The ‘Snezhevichs and Snezhevnas’ are the children of the House of the Hearth. We find this out, if I’m not wrong, through an Inazuma questline where we meet a former instructor from the House trying to plot against our Arlecchino, who kicked out the previous one. She’s the one we meet in Fontaine. I’m not actually sure why Lyney and Lynette don’t get the patronymic of ‘Snezhevich/Snezhenvnas’— perhaps this Arlecchino does not subscribe to the same tradition. This could also be a way of how Hoyoverse shows her shaky loyalty towards the Tsaritsa, how she doesn’t attach ‘daughter/son of snow’ onto the orphans names, though this is just a theory…
- The Miraculous Antoine Roger Aircraft is its full name. I have never been able to remember it. This is just me projecting.
- The thing about Zhongli and the whole tea thing is I’ve never been able to see Zhongli as an uptight traditionalist who hates modernity. That’s just…not him, and I had to tread that fine line. He’s very specific and nitpicky about tradition and customs, yes, but that’s because he hates inaccuracy, not change. He’s actually pretty fine with innovation, considering he once tried to invite Xinyan to play at a funeral.
- Childe is Snezhnayan, which is like Eastern European inspired, methinks. I remembered long ago someone told me people there sometimes drink tea with jam. I might be wrong on this.
- The thing about Childe here is that he’s not actually that innocent, he does know what they mean about sex and romance, he just doesn’t quite get it. Partially because in Snezhnaya (which I based off like… Imperial Russia…) any other sort of relationship that’s not straight and composed of cis people is pretty rare and sort of trivialised. It’s ironic because their Goddess (who is not actually confirmed to be the God of Love but it’s a popular headcanon that has enough merit) holds the domain of Love and they’re pretty uptight about it. This is mostly because the Tsaritsa holes herself up in the Palace and doesn’t interact much with her people to the point they don’t share her ideals anymore, and that includes free love.
- The other thing is also because Childe is asexual. He understands the use for it but doesn’t quite want to do it himself. This provides an extra struggle for him in recognising how whipped he is for Zhongli since his whole life he’s been shown that ‘sex and romance’ have been one inseparable thing, and so to recognise that he is in the ‘romance’ part is hard, since ‘he’s not fucking zhongli, so he’s not in love!’
- I still had to acknowledge that though Zhongli has indeed done an even worse deception, Childe was also ready to kind of…drown the Harbour along with his ‘civilian’ good friend (which might not actually be the case but that is for another chapter) Still, Childe is actually quite the reactive one, and though he may seem cool on the outside he takes things really deeply. And for him, his only best friend seemingly only accompanied him to ensure a contract fulfilled. I’ll try to go deeper into this later on in the story. Another motivation to subscribe ;)
- If you haven’t explored that particular side of Fontaine yet, just off the coast of Erinnyes, then yes, the new shipwreck Autocannons are indeed very annoying. And unlike Childe, I am no tadept enough to manoeuvre my characters out of the way fast enough not to get hit. RIP furina.
- The bit about Childe being a celebrity in Snezhnaya is all about the fishing stabiliser Lore. He’s literally a fishing celebrity this man is funny as fuck.
- The little girl Penny is one you actually meet once again, on the coast of Erinnyes, the side facing Lumidouce Harbour. You start the quest ‘Free Verse’ with her, and find out, amongst other things, that she struggles with ‘growing up’. Her pet cat, Don Quijano, is actually both a reference to Don Quixote (named Alonso Quijano) and Puss in Boots, since he has a feathered hat and calls himself a knight. I added one more reference to cat-in-the-hat, a.k.a that Dr. Seuss character that gave you nightmare when you watched the live action.
Alright, I’m done. See you guys the next time I update, where Childe will settle in nicely to the city life in Fontaine, explore the Court of Fontaine, and annoy a certain duelist ;)