Lungs full of Roses

Chapter 4

The next two days were uneventful as Childe continued his simple Mondstadt routine without any interruptions. Lumine, Paimon, and Barbatos seemed to have disappeared into thin air which left Childe torn on how to react to that – while he mourned the loss of a potential fight with the traveler, he also wasn't particularly fond of the idea of seeing Venti and his smug little shit-eating grin again.

Still, the dull, perpetual routine was slowly but surely grating away Childe's already fraying nerves. He reveled in chaos and mayhem, enjoyed sudden twists and confusion, but that didn't mean he couldn't handle ordinary everyday life – after all, his years in Liyue were mostly spent as a kinda-but-not-really bank employee.

However, in order to endure the monotonous routine, Childe needed distractions – small irregularities and larger surprises that kept him entertained for some time. In Liyue, that had first meant exploring the unfamiliar wilderness, and later hanging out with Zhongli – which never got boring despite the countless hours they had spent together.

However, Mondstadt didn't have either of those things, and the ever-present presence of the knights made it difficult to... cause some distractions.

Childe sighed, running his hand through his hair as he roamed the cobblestone streets in search of something to catch his interest, even if it was for a short while. Even the female knight – whom Childe had learned to be Outrider Amber – was unable to amuse him with her antics, even though she was currently trying to hide behind several barrels, blissfully unaware of the fact that the tips of her bandanna were clearly visible to everyone.

Maybe he should visit Angel's Share, just to see if that provoked its grumpy owner, Childe mused, eyes drifting towards the direction of the tavern in question. Hm, perhaps not – he wasn't desperate enough to possibly get kicked out of the city for few moments of chaos.

Well, not yet anyway.

Instead, Childe made his way towards the forge – he had seen the blacksmith work on some sort of weapon for days and he was curious to see if it was finished.

As Childe passed the main gate, his eyes automatically wandered to the bridge, curious to see if that one boy was still staring at the birds. Oddly enough, the kid always seemed to be there from dawn to dusk.

Instead, a flash of red dashing towards the city caught his eye.

Childe blinked, eyebrows arching as he watched a small girl practically bounce across the bridge, alone and seemingly without a care in the world as she cradled something in her tiny arms. Seriously, what the hell was a little girl doing outside the city without supervision – in the wilds where monsters lurked in every corner!?

Suddenly, when the girl was about to reach the end of the bridge, she stumbled. This close, Childe could see her eyes widen with surprise as she fell, the object in her hand flying in the air in a wide arch.

That looks fragile was the only thought in Childe's mind when he started running, eyes locked on the object that was falling towards the gate. Shocked gasps and yelps rang through the air but Childe paid no mind to them as he jumped, hands reaching out to catch the small, round object.