discrepancy | genshin impact | lumine & childe

departure

They leave for Liyue after two days, just as agreed. He doesn't see her again during that time, and when they do leave, he meets her outside the Mondstadt gate, wholly excluded from the unofficial goodbye party that seems to be gathered for her. Mondstadtians chatter to her as though nothing was ever wrong, and the casual ease with which she replies sets his nerves on edge. It's quite convincing, if he's being honest, and he wonders if he can tell because he has spent so much time with her or because he has long practiced the same skill.

But it is unnerving to hear, now that he knows it is fake. Even she cannot recover from such distress in a mere two days, and he suspects this will either end in tears, shouting, or both. For now, though, she presents a cheerful mask to her friends, assures them that she will visit for the upcoming Windblume Festival, declines once more an escort for the journey, and takes her leave.

They don't speak right away, instead falling into step beside each other. In the past, Childe had only known the rhythmic pounding of a military march by his side. After their journey, he finds the out-of-sync drumming of their mismatched strides—owing primarily to their vast height difference—to be a comfort of its own. He has never liked silence, but if it is a comfort to Lumine, he can endure. They pass by a small village, where friendly hunters offer Lumine fresh catches. They pass by the famous Dawn Winery, where an old man encourages Lumine to nick a few grapes from the vine. She passes one wordlessly to Childe, and just as he bites down on its sweetness, he gives an involuntary shudder as he feels like someone is watching them with unpleasant eyes.

Lumine casts a longing and guilty glance back at the mansion atop the hill, and Childe stops in his tracks at the realization.

"Your 'friend' that we avoided on our way was Diluc Ragnvindr?" he asks, unsure if he is incredulous or just plain shocked.

Lumine raises her eyebrows. "Do you know him?" she asks.

"I know of him," Childe replies, which seems to satisfy her. She is probably thinking of the man's status as a wine tycoon—which Childe does also know, of course—but his own thoughts were of the legendary man who traveled Teyvat while Childe was only just stepping into his role as a Harbinger. He overheard his fair share of Harbinger activities even as his colleagues were reluctant to include him, and he knows that Diluc Ragnvindr narrowly escaped death at their hands after poking his nose in the wrong business.

He almost feels like apologizing to Lumine—telling her he's sorry for ruining whatever friendship she has with the winery owner. If he doesn't already know of their association, someone in Mondstadt will certainly tell him, and he certainly won't be happy about it. A sigh escapes him, drawing Lumine's attention—which he waves away. Perhaps she's right; their friendship is only a hassle for the both of them. The more time she spends fraternizing with Fatui, the less her other friends will trust her. The more time he spends with her, the more reason his colleagues will have to target her.

Their association is foolish and reckless, but he has always been a little bit of both, so maybe it makes sense that he wants it so bad.

They reach Wangshu by nightfall, and Childe pretends not to hear her ever so slight hesitation before she asks for two rooms. As they separate for the night, a lingering thought forces its way to the front of his mind.

"Wait," he calls across the hallway, causing her to turn around. "I meant to ask you something."

Mild curiosity crosses her face. "Ask away," she says.

"You can purify things, right?" he asks. "I heard you did with Stormterror."

She nods, curiosity turning to confusion.

"Is it something you do on purpose?" he asks.

This time, she shakes her head. "No, it just happens," she answers. "Why?"