Childe always woke up at the same time every day. It was a habit of his, and an important one. He was determined to keep his routine as precise as possible, at least when possible. Back in Snezhnaya, he had an important reason for doing this. Every morning at six o'clock, he would wake up and go downstairs. There, he would try and throw some sort of breakfast together for his siblings. Often, Tonia would come down and tell him it was all wrong and start fixing it, but he tried nonetheless.
Here in Liyue, he didn't have anyone to feed, but he still woke up at six.
His alarm was a charming one, quite a relaxing sound if he did say so himself, and all-natural. In truth, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to wake up on his own here, but luckily, he didn't have to. Every morning, at six o'clock, he would hear the restaurant next to him getting ready. Soon after that, the smells would start coming through his window, and it was impossible to ignore those. Such sweet, savoury smells, enough to tempt even the Adepti to come out of hiding. Although, he often did miss the smell of food from Snezhnaya. The place he stayed at while in business in Liyue was a small little room, it was on the first floor of the house, so he could always walk right outside in the morning. His bedroom was right near the side door, so as soon as he got dressed he would pop outside for some fresh air. The air always felt so nice on his skin, and today was no different.
Tartaglia sighed as he took a deep breath in, admiring the quiet morning. He was close enough to the harbour that the morning mist had yet to rise from around him. He liked when it was misty, it reminded him of home. He had a big day ahead of him, so he couldn't enjoy the peace for long. He was supposed to pick Teucer up from the dock later that day, but before that, he had a meeting he needed to attend. Although he was glad Teucer came to visit him, it always made him worry. He never wanted to seem indifferent in front of his younger brother, but sometimes it was hard being two-faced.
"What a pitiful day this might turn out to be..." he muttered under his breath before walking off.
As he walked around the city, he couldn't help but make a mental list of things to do. If Teucer was coming, he wanted it to be the best visit yet. Although it was still early, the streets were already getting lively. Perhaps he'd go down and check the harbour before it got too hot. Before that, however, he wanted to make a stop.
"Hello, Granny!" Childe said cheerfully as he approached the old lady's shop. Granny Shan had been selling toys for a long time, and he could confidently say she had the greatest items in the market. Sometimes, when Childe had some time off, he'd come to watch her shop from a distance. She was a real Toy Seller. He would often daydream about what his life would be like if he was really just a Toy Salesman. A life where he hadn't joined the Fatui. A life where he hadn't fallen... No matter, his childish dreams were long since lost, and there was no point to dwell on the past.
"Oh my, dear, you seem like your head is in the clouds today, are you feeling alright?" Granny Shan asked kindly. Although she never mentioned it to him, she knew of the times that he came to watch her. She wasn't sure why a young man would be so interested in her shop, but he caused no harm so she never complained. Besides, she could tell it meant a lot to him.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I just got a bit distracted!" Childe exclaimed, blushing a bit from embarrassment.
"It's fine dear."
Childe bent down and inspected the supply. Lots of kites, as usual. They were so pretty though, he wondered if he could get lost in their colours. He loved watching them, as they flew high in the sky, it was always so peaceful.
"Are you looking for anything in particular?" Granny Shan asked with a kind smile. Childe looked up and nodded.
"I'm looking for a gift," he replied softly as his eyes drifted back down toward the kites. Now, Granny Shan knew a bit about this man, but she decided to stay quiet as he made his choice. She was surprised he was looking at kites today, usually, he went straight to the ruin hunter toys, (something she'd started making on his request). She knew these gifts were from his little brother who came to visit him every once and a while. She was pretty sure from his appearance and voice that he was from Snezhnaya, but she hadn't bothered to ask.
