Tartaglia(Childe)xreader: The Last Time

One

All I could think about was wanting to fly away. Out of this world where it feels like I don't belong. Although it was also true I did live in and love liyue harbor, it was just hard to fit in. Especially when I hailed from Snezhnaya. Liyue was so warm, and Snezhnaya, the opposite.

I worked for the Wanmin restaurant as a waitress. That was the best I could to to make a little money on the side. My hobby I guess you could call it came in the form of hunting monsters. From hypostasi to ruin guards. But of course, there wasn't too much money involved in monster hunting. Every once in a while I'd get a commission from a town or villager who's heard of my deeds. But it wasn't like I was in the adventurer's guild. In all honesty, I believed them to be pretentious and I didn't need guild members staring down my back. I didn't need any friends. It wasn't like I had family anymore.

. . .

I was supposed to be out getting ingredients for wanmin but instead I found myself somewhere I shouldn't have been. Somewhere I didn't belong. But that's where it all started. I wish I knew that this day would change my destiny forever.

Instead of searching for ingredients I found myself facing the qixing and countless townsfolk on yujing terrace for the rite of descension. I knew I didn't belong here. I wasn't from liyue, I had no business in its traditions. Especially after what'd I'd been involved in prior.

My life in liyue and my life monster hunting was just a diversion from the truth. I was a murderer. I'd always be a murderer who couldn't decide where their loyalties lie. The fatui has been pursuing me for quite some time, the tsaritsa herself even bowed her head after hearing of my deeds. Who knows maybe they'll get me one day. But for now I was content. Content as a part time waitress, taking her ruthless pyro powers out on monsters.

The rite was just about to start when I noticed someone out of the corner of my eyes. A traveler it seemed with his floating pet. I wasn't too interested, this is the infamous merchant town of liyue harbor, we get new travelers every day.

Just then the infamous tianquan herself Ningguang comes walking out to the center of the terrace, ready to meet Rex lapis. She says a few words and the sky opens. It almost felt as if that moment could last forever. It was the moment when Rex Lapis's corpse fell from the sky and graced us with something so heinous as a death of the divine.

I was beyond startled. But I could instantly pick up on the feeling that something was at work here. This moment was all too perfect.

"Guards! Seal the exits! Rex Lapis has been murdered!" Ningguang shouted and within seconds, guards had shut all the exits. That's when I saw him. The traveler, bolting from the scene and I couldn't help but closely follow. I knew I could get out of sight of the guards easily. So that's what I did, I slipped out of sight and became hot on the traveler's trail. After all, why would they be running? I had my suspicions about this whole Rex Lapis being killed thing. But the story seemed to unfold all to perfectly. A new traveler appears on the one day a year where the geo archon descends liyue harbor. The tianquan immediately sealing the scene even though it was quite obvious no one there was capable of killing a god.

I was right behind the traveler when a man appeared. A ginger with dull blue eyes. He was most definitely fatui. No, was he here for me? Normally they just sent cronies after me. Not actual members. But he stuck his hand out to the traveler and then he saw me.

"Well come down now, won't you?" He smiled as he spoke. It was now or never. This one move would hinge my involvement and investment into the whole Rex Lapis situation. Was I okay with being involved in something this huge? Especially with the fatui.

So for a moment I waited, I waited for some defining moment that would call for me. Some second where it made so much sense to go along or so much sense to stay. Then I waited a second more.

Then I let myself go.

Perhaps this troublesome situation needed a defining heroine to get to the bottom of this. Or perhaps I was getting too far out of my comfort zone.

Was I really so used to hiding in the shadows, living a normal life that this might be too much for me? No. I wasn't hiding in the shadows. I was hiding from them. Would this get me noticed. Was it my fate to be noticed. Or would I simply continue to wonder the lands aimlessly like a match that's been burt out.