Things at Liyue Harbor were still settling down. The recent disaster with Osial had wreaked havoc upon the city and it would take time before things went back to normal. Nigguang and the Qixing were working overtime to bring some calm to the city. The story of Nigguang sacrificing the Jade Chamber and the Adepti helping to defeat Osial had spread quickly. Lumine's participation in the fight was also well known, and she was being heralded as the Savior of Liyue. Everywhere she went, people thanked her for helping to save Liyue from "those evil Fatui".
Speaking of the Fatui, Lumine was mad. They were power hungry and immoral, but destroying an entire city just to get the Geo Gnosis was a new high for them. Did they not care at all about people's lives? Osial could have leveled Liyue to the ground if the Adepti hadn't stepped in to help the Qixing and the Millelith. Even so, it had taken all of their abilities to keep Osial at bay. The only one who could have and had defeated him was Rex Lapis. That was another person Lumine was mad at. She understood his desire to disappear. She understood faking his own death to do so. But how could he leave Liyue to fend for itself in the face of such a threat? Even though he said that he would have stepped in if the situation had gotten out of hand, she wasn't sure what to think. She wanted to believe him but she had learnt not to blindly trust the gods of this world. She didn't doubt that Rex Lapis's (or Zhongli's) intent was good, but his execution left a lot to be desired. How he thought that a secret contract with the Fatui was a good idea, she would never understand.
Lumine's anger had spiked when she saw Signora at the Northland Bank. How dare that woman show up after the Fatui caused such destruction? What's more, she was talking to Zhongli like nothing had happened. Zhongli had called it the "contract to end all contracts". Lumine didn't know what he meant by that but she still didn't agree with his decision to give up his Gnosis. The only reason she hadn't sputtered in indignation was because someone else had been doing it for her.
Lumine scowled at the thought of Childe. She was right; he cared about nothing but the Fatui agenda. When he couldn't get the Gnosis, he settled for destroying Liyue Harbor. He had used Adepti Sigils of Permission to loose Osial upon the city. What was more, he had sent hordes of Fatui to stop the Adepti from defending Liyue. If not for herself, Keqing, and the Millelith, the Fatui would have destroyed the Guizhong Ballistae. It took all of Lumine's willpower to not go to the Northland Bank and stab him. She was a fool for trusting him. The cheerful young man who had helped her was mere pretense. His friendship was fake and his goodwill was deceit. He was a two-faced liar and he had used her for his own ends. He was willing to destroy Liyue if that was what it took to get the Gnosis. He did not care about a stupid girl who had stumbled into the midst of his plans. She thought they were friends; he clearly had no such misconceptions.
She squared her shoulders. She would not make the same mistake again.
This was the sixth time in half an hour that Childe wanted to punch something. He had been played for a fool by Signora and Zhongli. To add insult to injury (literally), he was now hated by all of Liyue Harbor. He had never been in favor of involving civilians in the hunt for the Gnosis, but Signora had made him agree to the plan. Granted, they still got the Gnosis, but Childe wasn't happy about how they got it. No end could justify the means this time.
The staff at the Northland Bank was equal parts scared of and annoyed with his terrible mood. He couldn't step outside the Bank for the first few days because it would have caused a riot. He couldn't go out to beat up the new recruits, he couldn't go out to train, he couldn't go out to take out a Lawachurl or two; he was enraged. What's more—the Traveler hated him. It was difficult enough for him to earn some semblance of her trust last time and the Osial stunt destroyed whatever he had. The scathing look she gave him after their fight at the Golden House had made it clear that she hated him. He had heard that she had to fend off an entire unit of Fatui skirmishers while the Adepti used the Guizhong Ballistae. Damn Signora for sending them. He was certain that the Traveler blamed him for that too. He had no way of explaining to her that he had no intention to cause mass destruction. He believed in honorable combat, not whatever this was.
The only good thing that came from this debacle was that he got to fight the Traveler. Although he had been livid at the time, he couldn't deny that the fight was the most thrilling he had had. He finally had an opponent with whom he could go all out without fear of breaking them. He wasn't trying to kill her during the fight, but he knew that she could take whatever he threw at her. He was entranced by how she fought. Passionate about her cause and completely involved in the battle; she was beautiful. He loved how her eyes shone with resolve. He loved the strength behind every clash of their blades. He loved her agility and quick thinking. Archons, he could die by her hand and know that the battle was worth it all.
And then, quick as a flash, his mood worsened. What good was an opponent who never wanted to see his face again? She hadn't shown up for their weekly spar for the last two weeks. Damn Signora, damn Zhongli, and damn this whole plan of getting the Gnosis. For the first time, Childe wished the Fatui agenda didn't exist. Thanks to it, he lost a worthy rival and whatever friendship he had with the Traveler. He had enjoyed talking to her and hearing about her adventures. At this point, he even missed Paimon. He could just hear her whining about how "Mr Moneybags" was up to no good. Those two and Zhongli were the closest thing to friends that he had. After this episode, though, he could say goodbye to all of them.
Breaking out of his thoughts, Childe decided to find Ekaterina. He might as well tell her he was going to be out for the day. It's not like he was going to get any work done in his current condition. Now, to convince her that taking a break was a good idea...
"Don't you think that's a little inappropriate, sir?"
"Relax, once in a while can't hurt. It'll be fun."
"My brother! I found you!"
Childe nearly fell over from the shock as he recognized the voice. What in the world was Teucer doing here? How did he even get here? Their parents must be worried sick. How did he know about the Northland Bank? A hundred other thoughts raced through Childe's mind. He saw his brother running up to him. Behind Teucer, he saw the Traveler and Paimon. This day was getting weirder and weirder. Why in Teyvat would they decide to visit him? How did Teucer run into them? What was going on?
Five minutes later, Childe had some answers. He was pleasantly surprised by Teucer's impromptu visit, but he was also concerned about his little brother's safety. Childe made a mental note to tell Teucer that Mr Cyclopses were dangerous in real life and to stay away from them. Thank Archons that the Traveler had found Teucer before anything happened. Speaking of the Traveler, she seemed less than pleased to see him, and understandably so. It was evident that she hadn't forgotten or forgiven him for the disaster. He was grateful to her for taking care of his little brother but he wished she would take that frosty look off her face. He wasn't any happier with the situation than she was. Both of them were pawns in a much bigger game and both of them had been manipulated. The only difference was that she came out as the savior of Liyue and he came out as the destroyer. It was sheer circumstance that led to this state of affairs. He never meant her any harm nor did he have anything against her. He just wanted to go back to how things were before—being cordial friends and occasional commission companions.
But that was a matter for another time. Right now, he had Teucer to deal with and a charade to keep up.
The man was a damned idiot, and a sentimental one at that. Lumine almost couldn't believe that he'd pushed himself this far to protect a child's innocence. Hours ago, he admitted that he still hadn't fully recovered from using Foul Legacy during their fight at the Golden House. Now, he decided to use it again, even though for a short while. It didn't seem like instantly manifesting the transformation had done him any favors either. It was plain good luck on his part that Lumine found him before Teucer did. His brother would have been anguished at seeing him so bloodied and battered.
A part of Lumine's heart broke when Childe mentioned her brother. He was right about the fact that she wouldn't kill him but he was wrong about the reason. Lumine wouldn't kill him because another part of her heart was breaking for the boy in front of her. She knew what it was like to love your family and to be apart from them. She knew what it was like to defend a dream. She knew that, just like her, Childe would do anything and give up anything for his family. She also knew that, just like her, Childe wouldn't give any thought to his own safety when it came to his family. He could die in the process and he would die a happy man knowing that they were safe.
Lumine wanted to shake some sense into him. Why couldn't he see that his family would be heartbroken if he died? Why couldn't he see that his life was more than just being the Tsaritsa's weapon? Why couldn't he see that there were people he mattered to? Why couldn't he see that he mattered to her?
She stopped short. When had he become important enough that she cared whether he lived or died? The last time they met, they had blades at each other's throats. He had nearly destroyed all of Liyue. He was a manipulative liar who had used her to get to the Gnosis. He betrayed her trust and betrayed their friendship. She should hate him and yet she didn't. Without her realizing it, she had forgiven the Harbinger. She was mad about the attack on Liyue, but she wasn't mad at him, personally. He was just the face of the disaster. She knew that Childe wasn't someone who would hurt innocents. He had fought her to get to the Exuvia but she knew he hadn't fought to kill. The Golden House fight had been a temper tantrum more than anything.
She didn't want to admit it to herself but she cared. She respected him as a person and as a warrior. He had been a good friend to her, despite them being on opposite sides. He had looked out for her when she first came to Liyue, with no ulterior motives. He had been genuinely interested in her adventures, and had badgered her into taking him along for her commissions. He had even managed to convince her to spar with him weekly. She had initially agreed just so that she could blow off steam and pummel a Harbinger at the same time. Now, however, she secretly enjoyed it. She could be honest about loving the thrill of the battle. She didn't have to hold back or worry about others thinking that she was too rough. Now that she thought about it, Childe was someone that she could be herself with, even outside the arena. She didn't have to be the famed Traveler. With him, there was no Hero of Mondstadt and no Savior of Liyue. It was just Lumine.
"H-hey, you should go. Take Teucer and get back to Liyue."
Childe's weak voice brought her back to reality. Her only response was to raise an eyebrow.
'Really? You are moments away from collapsing and that is what you're worried about?'
Childe seemed to understand as he shook his head.
"I don't want him to see me like this. You need to take him back to Liyue Harbor and get him on a boat back to Snezhnaya. Ask Ekaterina to arrange passage."
"And what do you plan to do?"
"I'll manage. I've been through worse."
Lumine sighed and shook her head at his obstinacy, even as she turned to go get Teucer. She prayed that Childe made it out alive.
Childe was pacing around inside the Golden House. It wasn't like the Traveler to be late. Apart from those two weeks when she didn't show up at all, she was always on time. He had been waiting for the better part of an hour when he heard the door open.
"Ah, it took you long enough..." The words died on his lips.
For lack of a better word, the Traveler looked drained. Her usual energy was nowhere to be seen as she trudged towards him, with Paimon following her. That was new; the fairy usually preferred to disappear into her pocket dimension whenever they sparred. Paimon had an anxious look on her face and was waving her hands wildly. He didn't catch what she was saying, but he heard the Traveler's response loud and clear.
"I said I'm fine, Paimon!"
She most certainly did not sound fine.
"Hey, if you're not up to it, we can postpone our spar. It's not like I won't be here tomorrow."
The Traveler drew her sword and leveled it at him. "Too scared to fight, Tartaglia?"
He raised an eyebrow. She usually wasn't one to provoke him, and she never called him by his Harbinger title. Something was up and he was determined to know what it was. However, it didn't seem like he would get anything out of the Traveler until she calmed down. For him, the best way to blow off some steam was to fight, and fight he would.
"Ooh, fighting words. Bring it on, Traveler. Let's see what you—"
She didn't let him finish as she lunged at him. He barely managed to manifest his bow in time to block her. She attacked him again and again, pushing him back with every blow. He flashed backwards to put some distance between them, before releasing a shower of arrows. She dropped a Geo construct on him, which he leapt away from. Taking advantage of his distraction, she darted towards him and stabbed at him. He was matching her blow for blow. The clash of steel against Hydro resounded in the chamber.
He fell back a bit, quickly analyzing her as he caught his breath. He could tell from the aggressive, haphazard way she fought that she was upset about something. The frustration was evident in the way she was letting out her anger with every strike. She was oddly quiet, with none of the verbal quips that they usually exchanged. She seemed interested only in beating him, and to a bloody pulp at that. For her, at the moment, he was nothing more than a punching bag. Fine, if that's what she needed, he would give it to her. He activated his Delusion, Electro sparking around him. He intended to push her until she exhausted her anger, her energy, or both.
Two hours later, both of them were battered and bruised. The Traveler had a wound on her upper arm, blood dripping down her fingers. Childe had a cut above his eye and scratches all over. They were sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall.
"Feel better, girlie?"
Her eyes widened. "What?"
"I asked if you feel better after venting all that rage."
"How did you know?"
He shrugged and immediately winced at the pain in his side. "I could tell something was wrong by the look on your face. You were clearly upset and this was the only thing I could do to help."
"But why?"
"I couldn't possibly leave a friend upset and alone now, could I?"
She was silent for some fine, before speaking. It was so soft that he almost missed it. "Thanks, Childe."
"Anytime, comrade."
They sat together in silence, patching themselves up. He was cleaning the scratches on his hands when he saw her struggling to secure the bandage on her arm. He shifted closer to her, reaching out to take the bandage from her, before tying it into a secure knot.
"Not too tight?"
She shook her head. "It's alright."
She closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was looking at something far beyond him. She took a deep breath before speaking.
"Childe, would you ever leave your family?"
The question caught him so off guard that he was silent. "No, I wouldn't. I might go away from time to time because of work, but I would always come back."
There was silence until he decided to break it. "Is this about your brother?"
He didn't know what he expected, but he didn't expect her eyes to well up. Alarm bells went off in his head as she curled up into herself. Her shoulders trembled in silent sobs but no tears came. Out of instinct, he shifted next to her and rubbed her back, the other hand on her shoulder. Years of comforting his sisters came in handy sometimes.
"Hey, it's okay. You can let it out. No need to hide it. You're safe, you're okay."
"But it's not! It's not okay!"
His heart broke at hearing her ragged sobs. She was so strong that it hurt to see her so weak and broken. The poor girl was probably always hiding her feelings because of the front that she needed to put on as the strong and brave Traveler. Now, all that hurt was pouring out. It had nowhere else to go,
"How could—I don't—leave me! He doesn't—understand—pain!"
"Slow down, girlie. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. Come on, deep breaths with me."
He pulled her into his side and rubbed soothing circles on her back. Slowly, her sobs subsided and she rubbed her eyes, wiping away the moisture. After a few deep breaths, her breathing evened out. She was still leaning on him and she made no attempt to move. He moved his hand from her back to her other side, putting his arm around her shoulders. He picked up both her hands in his much larger one. The fact that she let him do it spoke volumes about her distress.
"What happened? You can talk to me. I promise I won't tell anyone."
There was a long stretch of silence before she spoke, so softly that he almost didn't hear it.
"I found my brother."
Childe was shocked. He knew that she was looking for her brother, but he didn't know that she had any leads. He'd thought about offering to use his own connections and the Fatui's resources to help her, but he didn't think she would agree to it. However, from her current state, it didn't seem like she was happy about finding her brother.
"And then? What happened?"
She looked up at him, tears shining in her eyes. "He left. He left me all alone, yet again. He just came to save his Abyss Lector and then he just left me there. Why would he do that?"
His first instinct was to hunt down the brother who made his sister cry. He had several questions, the main ones being about how her brother was connected to the Abyss, but he decided to save those for another time. Right now, she needed comfort, not interrogation.
"Hey, I'm sure there's more to this... No brother would ever abandon his sister."
"But he did! I begged him to come back with me and he just walked away! He said that I would understand but first I had to complete my journey. What am I supposed to do? How will I ever find him?"
"Slow down. Take things one at a time. I know you'll find him again. You'll go on your journey through the nations and you'll find out more about what's happening. I believe in you."
She looked at him, seeking something. It looked like she found whatever she needed as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She ducked her head down and hid her face in his shoulder. "... thanks for this, Childe."
He smiled, although she didn't see it. "Anything for you, girlie."
Standing at the edge of Northland Bank's roof, Childe scanned the passers-by looking for any sign of blonde hair and a floating fairy. Where was the Traveler? He had dropped his work, leaving papers scattered all over his desk, as he scrambled to find her. He had overheard some of his subordinates discussing the Traveler and her latest exploits.
"We should finally get some peace. She'll be gone and won't be interfering any more. Thank goodness Inazuma is so far away"
The Traveler was leaving for Inazuma? When? How? Why didn't he know? Reading those obnoxiously boring reports could wait. Right now, his priority was the Traveler. Speaking of which, he spotted Zhongli walking down the road. The consultant might know where the Traveler was. He was still annoyed with the consultant for deceiving him, but they were friends.
Childe sped down the stairs and almost skidded to a stop in front of Zhongli.
"Ah hello, Childe, it's a pleasure meeting you."
"Skip the formalities. Where is the Traveler?"
"I think she went to do her commissions. From what I remember, one was in Dihua Marsh and another on Mt. Aocang. I don't quite recall where the others were. Are you looking for her?"
"Yes, I am. Why would I ask you otherwise?"
"Ah, I take it you two made up, then? It's good to know that your relationship is still intact. I was quite worried that the Osial incident would have soured it."
Childe blinked. Was this man completely oblivious? How was it that he didn't know that the Traveler had hated him with a passion until Teucer's surprise visit? Even now, Childe wasn't sure where he stood with her. She had been concerned about him after he overdid it with Foul Legacy, but that could just be because she was genuinely concerned about everyone she met. Then there was the incident with her brother. He still didn't know how she felt about it.
"... sad to see two people part."
He was so lost in thought that he heard nothing that Zhongli had been saying. He had a Traveler to find and she seemed to be traveling across half of Liyue. He was wondering how to track her down and if he should just ask the Adventurers' Guild. It was probably best to go to her commission locations and see whether she was there. Leaving Zhongli hanging, Childe set off towards Dihua Marsh.
He was crossing Luhua Pool when he heard the sound of steel clashing. Changing course, he sped towards the fight. He hoped that he was right about it being the Traveler, and his wishes were answered. The Traveler was fighting a small group of Treasure Hoarders. She had already dealt with half of the group and was making quick work of the rest. That was when Childe saw the Fatui Skirmisher sneaking up behind her. He saw the man aim his rifle at her, planning to attack her while she was distracted. Quickly, he summoned his bow and fired off an arrow. It hit the Skirmisher's arm, knocking him off balance. His resulting shout made the Traveler notice him and she promptly created a Geo barrier. By the time Childe reached her, the Treasure Hoarders had been chased off and the Skirmisher had gone back to wherever he came from.
"What are you doing here?"
"What, no 'thank you'? You wound me, comrade."
Before the Traveler could reply, her fairy companion was floating in front of him.
"Paimon bets that you sent that Fatui after us. You're always up to no good."
Childe raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, I did nothing. If anything, I was the one who stopped him from attacking you. Where do you think the Hydro arrow came from?"
"Paimon, let it be. I don't think he was responsible for that Skirmisher. But that still doesn't answer my question: What are you doing here?"
"You didn't tell me you were leaving!"
The Traveler looked confused for a second.
"Why would I tell you?"
"But we're—"
"We're what?"
Childe didn't know what they were. Friends? Enemies? Nothing? He couldn't put a word to the shaky equation they had.
"But we're comrades! How could you not tell me that you were going to Inazuma?"
"... you came all the way here just to ask me that? How did you know I was going? Scratch that, how did you even find me?"
"Some of my subordinates at the Bank were discussing your departure. Zhongli told me you had commissions at Dihua Marsh and Mt. Aocang."
The Traveler looked even more confused as she blinked at him.
"You were planning to race across half of Liyue to find me so that you could ask me why I didn't tell you I was leaving?"
"Yes?" Childe realized how stupid it sounded now that she voiced it.
The Traveler sighed as she dragged a hand down her face. "Seeing as you're already here, you can tag along. I'm done with my commissions and I was going to make lunch."
Within minutes, she had a steaming Calla Lily Seafood Soup ready. Paimon took her portion and floated away. The Traveler divided the rest into two and handed Childe his half. She sat down on a log with her food and patted the space next to her. Childe joined her and took a sip of his soup. The flavour hit him hard as he was transported back to Snezhnaya, sitting next to the fireplace with his mother smiling at him.
"Your cooking is really good. This is almost like how my mother makes it."
The Traveler looked surprised and then smiled at him.
"Thank you. I picked up the recipe in Mondstadt. I didn't know it was popular in Snezhnaya, though."
"Not in all of Snezhnaya. My hometown, Morepesok, is near the sea. It's a popular fishing area and we have a lot of seafood dishes."
"It sounds like a great place. That reminds me, how is Teucer?"
Childe laughed. "He misses you. Everyone in my family has heard of you and now they're curious. Tonia is especially excited to meet you."
"I'd love to meet them. If they're anything like Teucer, I know it'll be great." She turned to him with a small smile. "You're not half-bad either."
Childe was stunned. He hadn't expected to hear that from her. He knew that she didn't hate him, but this was something else. Did that mean she would answer his question? Look at him, a Harbinger worrying about whether a slip of a girl thought poorly of him.
"Hey, I know we haven't been on great terms lately, and I'm sorry for that. I know it's probably not my place to ask you anything and you don't need to answer me. It's just that... why didn't you tell me you were leaving Liyue?"
'Why didn't you tell me you were leaving me?'
She sighed. "Childe, I wasn't hiding anything from you or anyone. Whatever I do just becomes common knowledge because everyone loves to gossip about me. It's not like I didn't want you to know. I would have come to say goodbye to you. I know we had our differences but you were right that day, in the Bank. We do get along quite well, 'apart from a few minor quibbles'. I saw you with Teucer and I know there are some redeeming qualities there." She poked his side playfully. "Besides, I still need to kick your ass each week."
"You're still going to come for our spars? Isn't Inazuma too far away?"
"I have my ways."
Childe couldn't stop a smile from creeping onto his face. "I'll hold you to that." He stuck out his hand with the little finger extended.
"You make a pinkie promise, you keep it all your life"
She hooked her own finger around his. "You break a pinkie promise, I throw you on the ice. Oh, that reminds me..." She fished around in her inventory pack for a few minutes. "Here. This is a Realm Dispatch. You can use this to enter my teapot."
He blinked. "Your what?"
"It's a sort of subspace maintained using Adepti magic. It's essentially my house, but in another dimension. You can only enter the realm if you're with me or you have one of these."
He took the small tag that she offered him. He was speechless; did she trust him this much, to give him a key to her home?
"So I can come see you whenever I want?" His lips widened into a grin.
The tops of her ears and cheeks went red. "I'm only giving you that so you don't look like a kicked puppy."
Archons, he would miss her.
