Zhongli left the Funeral Parlor and headed towards the main street to wait for Childe. He couldn't help but catch the eye of the treasure store attendant, who approached him offering her latest acquisitions. It didn't take much persuading for Zhongli to end up buying a set of handcrafted jewels with various minerals, a set of typical Liyue porcelain decoration figurines and a handmade vase with gold-plated elements. It was a bad moment for him and he had to ask the merchant to keep his purchase for another time so that he would not have to go back to his room. Even so, the merchant asked him for payment in Mora to make sure that he would come back for his purchase at any time. And, in case he didn't drop by, she already had full payment.
It wasn't long before Childe showed up again. He was without his Fatui jacket or the mask hanging in his hair. Zhongli watched him thoughtfully but guessed it was because of the heat still apparent on Liyue nights. Childe left anything that could link Zhongli to the Fatui, he didn't want to cause him trouble especially with the Seven Stars of Liyue, who he guessed would be going to the opera of the renowned Yun Jin. Not that they didn't already know him, he used to attend public events but he also did not want to wear the badges like "Hey look, here's the Harbinger!". Surely they wouldn't know that the Funeral Parlor did business with the Fatui or, rather, helped hide certain information from the deceased. He thus opted to enjoy the opera as Ajax.
They both walked towards the opera chatting about trivial matters. Zhongli explained everything in absolute detail and Childe listened attentively with a smile. When they arrived at the ticket stand, Zhongli was about to invite his friend when he remembered that he had spent all the Mora he took for the tickets.
"That's 3000 Mora, sir," the vendor announced.
"3000 Mora...," Zhongli repeated. Childe had already assumed he would pay when Zhongli said, "Childe, I had taken a good amount of Mora but I don't have it anymore..."
"What?" asked Childe stunned. He didn't know whether he was more surprised by the fact that he had spent it when all the expenses for the afternoon had been at his own expense or the fact that he had taken Mora.
"They showed me some very good merchandise in the treasure store while I was waiting for you." While waiting for me? How long had he been waiting for me?, Childe wondered. Zhongli could see a faint hint of disbelief in Childe's eyes.
After a moment of silence looking at Zhongli, Childe began to reach for his Mora bag to grab the tickets. Not that he cared either, he took it for granted before leaving the Bank. Zhongli took the tickets and smiled, "Thank you, Childe."
Childe replied with a smile. And he followed Zhongli towards the entrance of the great hall. There were already a few people present, though he couldn't distinguish anyone of interest. They looked like ordinary citizens. Zhongli sat down in one of the seats allotted to them and gave the right one to Childe.
"I'm going to the bathroom, Zhongli. I'll be right back," Childe advised before sitting down. There was still time left for the show so he quietly made his way to the restroom. It was right in the large main lobby, decorated with a large red carpet. The bathroom was empty and with no music on, the conversation in the entrance hall could be heard.
"Of course they're going to pay for it," one man said.
"Neither with the Sigil of Permission nor without it," added another male voice. Childe rested both hands on the long countertop of sinks to hear who they were referring to.
"Keep in mind that in the end the business is not in the Teahouse. People are going to do business with other merchants, it's not a feasible business even with the blessing of the Adepti."
Childe's eyes widened in surprise, since when had they possessed a Sigil of Permission at the Yungsheng Teahouse? He could think of forgiving their debts in exchange for it.
The door suddenly opened and a man in a suit, very neatly dressed, entered. Childe jumped in surprise and hid his face by washing his hands. The man gave him a sidelong glance and closed a toilet door behind him. Childe took the opportunity to get out of there and find Zhongli. He couldn't stay much longer listening as show time was approaching and there would be more movement, he would be suspicious.
"Is everything all right?" asked Zhongli when he saw the serious look on his friend's face.
"Yeah, yeah," Childe replied, "I'm just a little tired."
Zhongli gave him a worried look and Childe began to feel a little guilty. "The daily bread, I'm used to it, Zhongli." And he smiled at him to reassure him.
He was a little nervous about what he had just heard. He had to do more research on that Sigil. Maybe it was fake. There was no record of one for a long time. Anyway, he wanted to relax and focus on the opera. If he didn't forget about it, he wouldn't be able to pay attention.
To his surprise the opera captured his full attention. And he could even say that it had made him reconsider the idea he had about the Geo Archon. The way he had been portrayed he was a very powerful warrior but at all times he fought to protect his people. Admirable. They must have exaggerated it to make it look nice in the play, he thought.
With this he came to a conclusion: if his people are in danger, will he show up to protect them? The plan to have Rex Lapis find him made more sense at every moment. According to the history, the sea monster of the Guyun Stone Forest seemed to have a grudge against Rex Lapis. Perhaps there was a way to free her from the seal that held her back.
On the way to the Funeral Parlor and the Bank, Childe asked Zhongli if he knew more about this monster which unveiled a glimmer of interest in the amber eyes. "It is said to be sealed under the Guyun Stone Forest with rocks and lances thrown by Rex Lapis with the help of the Adeptus."
"Is it safe? There is no way for her to escape and take revenge?"
"By itself it couldn't get out. Adeptic energy keeps it in the depths of the ocean. Still the Sigil can be broken with the strength of the Sigils of Permission. Nowadays it is already complicated to find one, as to gather enough energy to release the goddess."
"Only Rex Lapis or the Adeptus could, in theory," Childe thought aloud.
"That's right." Zhongli couldn't help but smile. Childe had spun everything just right according to Zhongli's plan, he was pleasantly surprised by his intelligence. The Tsaritsa knew how to choose her soldiers.
Childe continued to walk beside Zhongli in thought. If he obtained the rumored Sigil of Permission and somehow cloned it, he could free the monster from the ocean. Dottore surely had machinery or knowledge on how to clone adeptic energy. The rest he was able to do on his own, not that he needed Dottore, best not to give him much thought because he had strange practices when it came to cloning. It was said that he had created a copy of his state at different stages of his life for future cloning, and with all the samples he had taken from the rest of the Harbingers, Childe was doubtful that he didn't have a clone of each of them. Childe shivered at the thought. One being of each was enough.
As they reached the corner of the Funeral Parlor, Zhongli grabbed both of Childe's hands. Childe was shocked and felt the heat rise to his cheeks and ears. What was his friend's intention? He had never done this before. When Zhongli saw the tone of Childe's face change, he gave him a brief squeeze on both hands to calm him down. He could tell his hands were tense. Childe raised his eyes and met the amber eyes, which made his stomach tickle again.
"Thank you so much for joining me at the opera, Childe. I really appreciate it," Zhongli said giving another brief squeeze. He stared at Childe, who was looking at him shyly. He was not used to seeing Childe act so shy. With Zhongli Childe had always been close and playful. He was very handsome with his messy hair and his red shirt. He looks good in red, Zhongli thought.
Each squeeze sent tingles down Childe's arms but he was enjoying the warmth Zhongli's hands conveyed. "Thank you very much to you, Zhongli."
Another squeeze from his friend's hand. Childe tried to return it but his hands remained pressing Zhongli's hands.
Zhongli said nothing, it felt good and, although it gave him a strange feeling in his stomach, he considered it pleasant. The warmth his friend was transmitting was comfortable, he liked the feeling. He could also feel a warm sensation appear on his cheeks.
Childe smiled when he saw his friend's cheeks turn slightly crimson and Zhongli smiled back. The street lights made the shade of Zhongli's eyes, darker, more warm. His heart was beating like a drum and his stomach was doing backflips. It was as if it blocked his mind or rather his sanity and he began to say, in an excited tone: "Zhongli, you are invited to Snezhnaya. I'll introduce you to my family and my brothers, they are going to like you very much!".
Zhongli imagined Childe's brothers, just like him: red-haired, with blue eyes, freckles and a beautiful smile. Surely it would be a good experience to meet his family, he found Childe to be a very interesting person so was his family. "It would be a pleasure, Childe. I'm looking forward to it," he replied to his friend. He could notice a subtle sparkle in his blue eyes.
Childe didn't know whether to scream or cry with excitement. "I'm on an important mission right now but when I'm done we'll set up the trip," he said excitedly. "We can go ice fishing - it's so much fun! I'll show you!". Childe was one of those people who when excited about some topic couldn't stop talking. " We will have to go warmly dressed, of course. I can leave you some clothes. Here in Liyue you don't need so much shelter so don't worry about shopping. If not I am sure my brothers have left some coats around the house that you might like." He wasn't aware of it, neither did Zhongli who was listening attentively seemed to care.
Childe would have continued talking if it were not that his friend Zhongli freed himself from his left hand and touched him on one cheek with his index finger. Zhongli wanted to caress the freckles on Childe's face that stood out more with the reddish color of his cheeks, he thought they were cute. Childe's cheek blushed even more in response to his friend's touch. Maybe it was because he hadn't brought his jacket but he felt shivers all over his body.
Zhongli dropped his hand and smiled at him from ear to ear, closing his eyes. The warm street lights brightened her eyelashes and highlighted his eyeliner. His smile was beautiful and sincere. Childe died and resurrected in the same place. His stomach was full of butterflies. No, Childe, no, you have to take the Gnosis to the Tsaritsa, he reminded himself. It was a feeling akin to the excitement before a battle but he knew it didn't mean the same. He couldn't lose focus. He let go of Zhongli's hand carefully.
"Rest, Childe," Zhongli said goodbye. Before heading towards the Funeral Parlor.
"Same to you, Zhongli." Childe had to wait a while longer until his brain reacted again and he remembered where the steps to go up to the Northland Bank were.