smdh | [closed] with kia

[ Primrose just stares at him, rather flatly, and pauses to take a much longer sip of her drink before she deigns to answer him. ]

Wear a mask and bow my head to you as a subordinate? I see your penchant for humor hasn't diminished, Tartaglia.

[He laughs, leaning back in his chair.]

Who's bowing heads around here? [PLEASE. But he looks genuinely amused, swirling his drink around.] I said "with", not "for"--though it's true you'd technically have to answer to someone, and I assure you you've no interest in any of the other Harbingers. They're terrible.

[what a great sales pitch, childe]

Anyway, there's far more to what we do than I could possibly show you in one evening. But I assure you, if you can imagine it, it's within our grasp. [A light shrug!] It's just a suggestion. The Fatui helped me find my purpose, too.

[He wasn't always the man she knows, after all. Only one person was privy to that knowledge at the station, and Childe knows with more certainty than he should really possess that such information won't be shared on his behalf.]

[ Childe really formed such strong and intimate bonds at the station, clearly. Amazing. ]

I will admit, you don't strike me as someone who didn't have a purpose before.

[ But similarly to him, there's no judgment there. She's known Childe for-- two months. It isn't as though that's any amount of time that would unlock anyone's multitude of secrets, let alone his. ]

And you truly believe I would be one to find a place among your fellow, ah... "terrible" Harbingers?

[He did something alright.]

Haha, well, I wouldn't say our experiences are the same. But I was a very shy child, you know.

[Which sounds unbelievable, but why would he lie about it? And, well--she would know just how much a person can change over the course of a life, wouldn't she.

His amusement softens back into something more thoughtful, though, as he looks at her.]

Is that a genuine question, or an indulgence? [His answer could change, depending on how serious she's being.]

[ She would indeed. Rather, she knows just how much a person can change over the course of half a year. Several months. A day. She doesn't begrudge Childe for seeking to protect his brother's innocence for as long as he can-- because once it's gone, there's absolutely no way to retrieve it.

There's a story there, but she doesn't ask it. He'll say things on his own terms. ]

I suppose not all of us can maintain the same demeanor we had as children.

[ SHE WOULD KNOW. But also, she gazes back at him, frown subdued into a more steady expression. ]

But my question is about as genuine as your offer.

[ Had she been joking? Had he? ]

No. We can't.

[It's just an agreement--nothing bitter, nothing proud. Naïveté must be lost someday, and that's simply the way life is. They both know that.

There's a lull, then, as he observes her, clearly deciding what he wants to say.]

...You said that a person who leaves behind bloody footsteps isn't suited to a hopeful new life. Perhaps in some instances, that's true. But not everywhere. I have far more blood on my hands than you do.

[But here he is anyway, living proof that that isn't necessarily a permanent black mark.]

It's not as simple as that, of course. If you were truly interested, there would be much more to discuss. [He's not nearly as immature and careless as he seems, after all. He wouldn't want her to upend her entire life so quickly, even if she wanted to. She's barely even been in this world for a few hours.] But I see no reason why there wouldn't be a place for you. Not as a Harbinger, I don't think you'd want that anyway--but as a position uniquely your own.

[If there isn't one already, then they'd simply make it with their own hands.]

The door is there, if you ever wish to open it. That's all I'm saying.

[ Primrose continues to observe him, keeping her thoughts carefully to herself after spilling out so much-- cautiously as she'd done it. So it hadn't been a joke, after all. He speaks far too seriously about it for that, and the way he had spoken of the one he had chosen to follow... well, she had suspected if he was to suggest anything about joining, it wouldn't have been entirely in jest. ]

... I would have to see much more before I would want to have that discussion. [ Which. Means she'd probably have to visit more. To see this world. To truly see and understand Childe, the one who didn't have to pour everything into achieving his wish in the only way he could have, if he'd wanted it granted.

And to see more of the Fatui.

He offers a door. She'd just like to learn what she can before she places her hand on the knob. ]

[He smiles, tilting his glass towards her in a gesture of acknowledgment.]

You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like. [He has his duties, sure--but he also has a great deal of freedom. He gives no indication that such an offer would be a problem.] I travel often, but I take it that would pose no challenge for you.

[Considering she was a traveler until just recently.]

I find it rather confining to remain to one place now. Perhaps time will tell whether I will settle once more.

[ Which is to say that-- yeah, she is absolutely not going to protest traveling. ]

I have a feeling you wouldn't dance so beautifully if your feet could stay still.

[Light, playful. But also valid, perhaps?]

What climate suits you best? I can't imagine it's one like this. [He loves his country, but he also knows it's definitely not to everyone's tastes.]

[ Well. He's not wrong. ]

I've traveled through many different climates. The one I would be most acclimated to... would likely be similar to a desert.

[ She'd spent ten years in Sunshade, after all. ]

Hmm. That can be arranged, if you don't mind a few wild things along the way.

[Maybe there is a desert area in Sumeru or Natlan we just don't know. I'm making it up. In the meantime--]

How do you feel about beaches?

I'm no stranger to wild things.

[ Please. Though she arches an eyebrow at him, because he asks about beaches when they're currently in a place he had to bundle her up heavily for. ]

I'm also not against beaches. I do enjoy the sound of the waves... that too, to me, is music.

[What, she doesn't wanna go skinny dipping in arctic ocean water?

No okay. Rather--]

We'll have to visit Liyue, then. It's lovely there, especially in autumn. I think I have some pictures, if you'd like to see it.

[Thanks fake France for inventing Kameras.]

Inazuma's beautiful too, so I've heard, but... [He makes a face.] It's a bit of a mess over there at the moment. Best to save that for another time.

[ Are you prepared to go skinny-dipping with Primrose in any climate, Childe. Are you really. ]

... If you're saying that and intending to avoid it, it must be quite a mess indeed.

[ Wow. Even Childe wants to swerve from a challenge. Or maybe it's just that the mess isn't fun? ]

But you needn't show me pictures. If we're going to see it, I'll let myself be surprised.

[LOOK. Let him believe in himself.]

Just trying to avoid some unpleasant company.

[He wants to spend as little time around Signora as possible, please and thank you.]

I'll reach out to my contacts over there, then, and let them know when we're coming.

[ in the next thread: Primrose calls Childe's bluff ]

... [ She closes her eyes, sounding a little amused. ]

Has anyone seen fit to inform you that you're rather similar to the ocean?

[LMFKSHGKJ STOP HE'LL BRING HER SWIMWEAR PROBABLY

But her words seem to catch him off-guard, and he blinks at her, tilting his head slightly.]

What brought that on?

Just a thought. I come here to answer the faint call of the waves, just to observe... and I find myself wading deeper as the tide pulls me further in.

[ Rather poetic. She huffs a little at herself for that thought alone. ]

[For a minute, he seems to turn that over in his head, as if he's trying to figure out whether it's a compliment or not. Whether even Primrose herself knows if it's a compliment or not, honestly. He covers the pause with a drink, turning his gaze towards the far window, even though the curtains are drawn.]

Well, I was born by the sea, you know. I suppose it's no surprise that it left a mark.

[ Truthfully, she really doesn't know whether it's a compliment or not. More of an observation. A truth, from her, which she'll grant him because there's no further reason to lie.

She doesn't try to get him to look at her. ]

Is that your preferred climate? Somewhere by the ocean?

I don't have much of a preference, really. [He goes where he's sent, mostly. He hasn't really traveled anywhere just for fun in a very long time. But if he had to choose...] But I suppose I am quite fond of the water. Hydro isn't quite the same.

What you use to form your weapons? I suppose that could be considered vastly different. The way you use the elements is different from what I'm accustomed to, as well.

[ Vision users are weird. ]

Right. [He lifts his hand, water coalescing to form an arrow. He twirls it around his fingers once before letting it dissipate.] It's a bit different from mother nature, though. I can't use it without my Vision, and my ability to tap into natural sources of energy is limited.

[So he can't, like, go out there and make it rain naturally, or harness the entire ocean or anything.

...Well, okay, maybe he could if he really tried--but the energy cost likely wouldn't be worth it.]

You'd be an entirely different type of fighter if you could. [ And honestly, she doesn't think it would suit him. ]

We can use spells without a catalyst, so long as we take the time to learn them. Dancers primarily deal with darkness, though the majority have never fought.

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