[ childe doesn't believe in things like 'fate' or 'destiny'. is it really destiny that had brought him to the maw of the abyss all those years ago? is it truly fate that had led him to liyue, to things that had transpired there, to everything else thereafter? and if all of those things had just been coincidences in the midst of senseless disorder, how could he then explain the way zhongli now stands near him, the amber of his eyes muted in the glow of the dim lanterns lighting the bar? ]
Zhongli, [ he cannot quite mask his surprise, and the name tumbles out before childe can take a breath, take a break. it's a surprise, clearly. it's something a little more complicated, something that rankles and stings in the deep of his chest. the burnt licks of his pale lashes blink, the open, unguarded stagger in his gaze settling underneath the sweep of them in the next moment.
the ghostly barkeep (seems to) contemplate a little, before pouring out two shots of some colourless, unidentifiable liquid into tiny glasses that they push in front of childe. for all the appearance it looks like water, but the sharp scent is unmistakeably alcohol ... well, might as well give it a try. at least you can't say the service is impatient for him to leave, right? if anything, the impatience is all his own - the itch to leave sits just under his skin, making him antsy, but childe quashes it down and instead smiles blandly at the other man. ]
But it's not your preference, is it? So the disappointment is just solely my own.
[ carefully taking hold of one of the shot glasses between forefinger and thumb, he sets it down on the stretch of the bar between zhongli and himself. the indication, at least, might be clear enough. ]
https://i.imgur.com/KCQ1WqR.jpg
Zhongli, [ he cannot quite mask his surprise, and the name tumbles out before childe can take a breath, take a break. it's a surprise, clearly. it's something a little more complicated, something that rankles and stings in the deep of his chest. the burnt licks of his pale lashes blink, the open, unguarded stagger in his gaze settling underneath the sweep of them in the next moment.
the ghostly barkeep (seems to) contemplate a little, before pouring out two shots of some colourless, unidentifiable liquid into tiny glasses that they push in front of childe. for all the appearance it looks like water, but the sharp scent is unmistakeably alcohol ... well, might as well give it a try. at least you can't say the service is impatient for him to leave, right? if anything, the impatience is all his own - the itch to leave sits just under his skin, making him antsy, but childe quashes it down and instead smiles blandly at the other man. ]
But it's not your preference, is it? So the disappointment is just solely my own.
[ carefully taking hold of one of the shot glasses between forefinger and thumb, he sets it down on the stretch of the bar between zhongli and himself. the indication, at least, might be clear enough. ]