Eyes of Perception

Chapter 6

"Zhongli!" Childe grinned, straightening himself out. "I thought we agreed on dropping the formalities?"

"My apologies," the consultant replied with a shrug. "I just find it rather entertaining that your own staff calls you a title as long as Lord Tartaglia, is all."

Childe let out an easy laugh. "Yeah, I've mentioned that I'm fine with just Childe, but they're a rather stubborn bunch." After a quick glance over the office to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything, he turned to Zhongli again. "So, what're you doing here? It's quite late. I didn't take you to be someone who carried out business meetings at night."

"Well then you'd be correct," Zhongli replied. "This isn't a business meeting. Rather, I was worried about you and thought I should check in on you."

For a few seconds, Childe only stared at him in confusion. Then, bewildered, "At one in the morning? Zhongli, any sensible person would already be asleep. What are you even doing awake?"

"I... don't sleep all that much." For once, there was hesitation in Zhongli's voice, as if he wasn't quite sure if he was saying the right thing. Or maybe Childe was just tired and imagining it? Yeah, that seemed more right. "I was taking a stroll in hopes that I might grow more tired when I saw your office light was still on, and then Nadia filled me in on how you haven't left your office in hours." 

"Aw, that's so sweet! You really didn't have to," Childe said with a smile, leading Zhongli out of the room and down the hall of the bank. Zhongli followed along, his gaze curious. Right, he'd only stopped by a few times before...

"I wanted to," he replied simply. "I heard you had to deal with Hu Tao today. To be frank, I was worried about you. She didn't try to sell you another coffin again, did she?"

Childe let out a laugh that was far too loud for this hour. "Not this time, no. She did come up with some new nicknames, though."

A moment of silence as they exited the bank, the night air cold in comparison to his office's atmosphere. "...I don't want to know, do I?"

"No, you probably don't," Childe said with an impish grin. 

He looked up to the sky, stilling for a moment to stare at the moon. Though the night was clear, the sky was almost... light despite the late hour. The sky was a grayish color, and although most stalls were already closed, a few merchants still stood open, their lights flickering. It cast a faint glow into the sky, hiding the shine of the moon and the stars. Had it always been like this in Liyue? He'd never paid much attention to it.

"Something on your mind?" Zhongli asked, his tone quiet on the silent street as they walked mindlessly.

"Just thinking," Childe shrugged. "Liyue's different from Snezhnaya. We've always got a clear sky there, and the night's pitch black. It's almost like the sky swallows any light back home."

"Hm. I believe this is because of the constant fumes from the lanterns," Zhongli explained. "The smoke rises into Liyue Harbor's atmosphere and makes the sky appear lighter at night. Though this pollution is not something I am proud of, it allows for the streets to at least appear safer at night. I do admit, though, I miss the days when the stars were more clear."

"Oh?" Childe followed Zhongli as he walked absentmindedly. "Did you come to the city from afar, then, if you remember the stars?"

Zhongli paused in his tracks, looking to the sky as if it was a dear friend. "No. I've just spent a lot of time here. The sky was more clear when I was younger."

"You must be pretty old then," Childe teased.

"You could say that," he replied with a shrug.

Another few minutes of silence as they walked, simply enjoying the rare silence of the harbor. Childe wasn't sure if he'd ever actually seen the city be this quiet. It was a change, to say the least. It almost reminded him of Morepesok right now, though the little seaside town held a spot in his heart no matter what. Morepesok's silence was a constant. Liyue's was temporary.