Lungs full of Roses

Chapter 7

Childe spent the rest of the day in a somewhat dazed state.

Lumine's meddling – no, her betrayal – sat heavily in Childe's stomach for the rest of the day. An unwelcomed companion that lingered as a constant reminder of what had transpired the day before.

However, Childe had earned his reputation as being adaptable for a reason, and by the time night fell on the Anemo Archon's Domain, the storm of resentment and bitterness that had raged in his mind the whole day calmed down into a mild breeze, allowing Childe to finally focus on other matters.

Inside the safety of his hotel room, Childe leaned against the window, eyes fixated on the night sky. It was a new moon, and darkness shrouded Mondstadt like a thick fog, making it difficult to separate a man from a statue.

The ideal circumstances for a quick midnight stroll.

A smirk spread on Childe's face. Straightening his back, he left his spot by the window and turned off the lights. Darkness engulfed the room, creating long, haunting-looking shadows on the walls but Childe paid them no mind. Instead, he grabbed the long dark gray cloak he had hidden in the closet – something he had ''borrowed'' from the Fatui supply storage – and donned it. Much like the standard Fatui uniform, the cloak was itchy and way too thick for the mild Mondstadian weather, and Childe immediately wished that he could go on without it. Alas, wandering off without any sort of camouflage sounded like the best way to receive the first-class tickets to Favonius HQ dungeons in case someone spotted him.

Sighing dramatically, Childe fastened the clasp on the front and rechecked his supplies.

Vision, checked.

Delusion, checked.

Other necessities, checked.

Childe straightened his back with a satisfied hum and left his room, the cloak billowing behind him. Just as he had hoped, the corridor was empty aside from the portraits that decorated the walls. Even though no Fatui agent would dare to question the actions of a Harbinger, Childe wanted to keep a low profile. After all, the Fatui intelligence department worked hard but the Fatui gossip mill worked even harder.

Childe descended the stairs to the lower floor and marched to the room that was located at the very end of the corridor. Jangling the key between his fingers, Childe quickly unlocked the door and slipped inside. The room was unused – which was why he had managed to snag the key so easily from the reception – and in the optimal location for Childe to sneak away from the ever-present gaze of the Knights.

Childe pulled the hood over his head. He had to grudgingly admit that the Knights knew how to optimize their small and inexperienced troops. The knights that patrolled the Hotel area had a cleverly formed routine so that there was always someone who had a clear sight to the main door of the Hotel, ensuring that no Fatui could easily slip away to do mischief in the cover of darkness. There were also some ordinary-looking people keeping an eye on the Hotel, some hidden in the shadows and some pretending to be poor drunken fools.

It was probably Kaeya who had planned that, Childe realized. That type of scheming tactic seemed like something he would come up with.