Ever the Eye of the Storm | Chilumi

An Invitation for Disaster

The fountain pen hung suspended in the air, another ink drop splattering on the page. Childe watched in pent-up boredom, no longer caring about the mountains of unfinished papers rising to either side of him on his desk. Despite being the one in charge around these parts, he'd ended up locked in his own office, outwitted by his subordinates' schemes. Having ignored the dull office work for weeks, his exasperated and quite desperate Fatui members had all made bets with him until, at long last, he finally lost one... only due to a random bit of slime secretion causing him to lose his footing. The consequences of losing such a bet required him to perform his regular duties and lighten the workload he'd placed on his fellow members.

Childe exhaled in defeat and plunged the fountain pen into the ink, unable to resign himself entirely to this awful fate. With a low groan, the man leaned back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose in contemplation. He wanted to do nothing more than to leave, find himself a worthy opponent, and release the torrent of energy inside him, the energy that was constantly writhing just beneath the surface... energy that was never satisfied. Still, being forced to do his work for the day, he did feel a bit of remorse for having just left it to his subordinates. They had enough to deal with without him adding to their plates for a job he was supposed to be doing anyways.

Hmmm... A new batch of firewater had come in from Snezhnaya just that morning. Perhaps he could bribe them. He could buy a few hours with that... and then come back to his office... to be imprisoned by his work once more.

"Master Childe?"

The harbinger roused himself, sitting up alertly as a masked recruit poked his head around the office door. A moment of silence stretched between them as Childe kept himself from cursing under his breath. The recruit had noticed the lack of progress on his paperwork. Wisely, he chose not to comment on it and instead cleared his throat. "You have a visitor, Master Childe."

Childe narrowed his eyes. A visitor? Curiosity hummed through him as he wondered who would want to visit a Fatui harbinger. But after a glance at his ever-growing mounds of paperwork, he sighed. "Please let the visitor know that I am currently unavailable." He gave the man a curt nod, begrudgingly leaning forward to once again pick up his weapon, the fountain pen. He paused in his movements as his eyes flickered to the recruit who still stood in the doorway, albeit nervously.

"It's the traveler, sir."

"Oh?"

All thoughts of paperwork were instantly forgotten. That small stream of curiosity had grown into a roaring river, and to say he wasn't interested in what she had to say to him, would be a lie at best. He leaned back in his chair, thoughts racing. Despite his acknowledgment of her prowess and her help with his brother, things between them were... tense. She was a fine warrior and a friend, as far as he was concerned. He'd tried to make as much known to her when he'd last seen her in Inazuma. But he could see doubt and distrust lingering in the depths of her brilliant eyes. Ever since their little fight in the Golden House, she'd refused his help and avoided his path as much as possible. So just what could she be doing here?

"Let her in." The harbinger said absentmindedly, now twirling the fountain pen as the recruit left hurriedly. It seemed quite likely she'd want information of some kind. That was the only reason he could think of for her visit. And he'd give it to her. He'd give her anything she asked for, in fact... for a price.

The creaking of the wooden door notified him of her entrance, and he immediately grinned at her. "Comrade! What a welcome surprise! And just how are you fairing these -"

"Childe, what the hell is this!" Before he could even finish his sentence, the furious traveler had marched across the office and slammed her hands on his desk, narrowly missing the stacks of paper.