Stargaze | Tartaglia (Childe) x Reader (Genshin Impact)

Chapter 11 Discretion

Chapter 11 - Discretion

When you gazed upon a rain-soaked world, the clouded descension of sullen tears drifted with such grace that you might have mistaken refractions of light for reality. Sink together in a pool of memories, for water mixed with lilac turns crystal into periwinkle.

You were accustomed to periwinkle locks of hair falling barrenly around your face when you met the foreign fingertips of a familiar girl in the mirror, but in the reflection that same periwinkle gave way to h/c at the roots, and when ripples of water cascaded down a perfectly smooth surface, the only solution was to disguise it as a different color. Oh, how beautiful a lake of which nothing penetrated an impeccable screen, yet beneath the flawless surface was a world of cold reality sheltered from outside influence. Peering into the cracks would lead one to enlighten oneself, but only of another.

Perhaps it was the whim of a careless decision that lead you to be negligent, but regardless, the dull eyes prying into your own wondrous fallacy were meddling below where most light met the eye. Like a riptide, he may have concealed ulterior intentions within a reasonable inquiry, but indulging cluelessly could lead to deeper waters.

Thus, answering enough to satiate curiosity, but not divulging enough to allude to a less simple story was the safest conclusion, "Yes, I've always loved the color, although I suppose I'll have to find some way to dye it again soon."

Tartaglia gently traced his hand along a tress of your hair, seemingly studying the color; you could tell from the look in his eyes that he was contemplating your response. Eventually, his hand reached the end and he looked back up to you, "Your natural color is very beautiful."

It was then you understood two separate identities, mouth slightly agape as you felt your heart cross a lovely river guided by red strings. How could he have known the true weight that incarcerated your heart in a prism of memories. If only he was aware of what stained your hands when you closed your eyes. Yet, it was the simplest of gestures that made your heart race and turn away from the girl reflected, but her voice would always call you back and the guilt was too much to bear.

"I...No, we have bigger problems to focus on," your empty words stumbled out of your mouth as you backed away and changed the topic. "I need to go."

You didn't give him the chance to object before quickly exiting the room, and although you could hear his voice reaching out to you, it merely fell upon deaf ears. It was only when you stumbled into a forest brushing the edges of the town that you realized you had ran; you were out of breath and panting into the frozen atmosphere.

It hurt.

Had you been blessed with a naïve narrative your heart might have skipped a beat in joy, but you knew that reality was not so benevolent.  Once upon a time, you knew a sky where glittering lights could lead one to wish for something feasible, yet the only sky you wished in the present was one that did not exist. Was it a selfish desire? Then why did you long to see it every night where clouds shrouded it in darkness?

How contradictory.

A sharp cold tore at your cheeks and you realized tears had fallen from your eyes. You silently cursed at yourself for allowing yourself to be at such a state of weakness in ruthless territory. Perhaps you brought more to Snezhnaya than just your physical body.

A soft crunching of snow gradually became louder as a pair of footsteps approached your melancholic form. "What are you doing out here all by yourself?" the voice asked as you hastily wiped the traces of salinity from your face.

You turned around to recognize the source as Kodiak, the same boy who had flattered your ranged-weapon prowess earlier that day. His eyes were vibrantly green with an inquisitiveness not unlike Tartaglia's, though you noted it to be strange that he was alone in the wilderness as well. The sensation felt heavy like a rock in your stomach, but he could have just seen you leave.