ACT 2 - Chapter 20

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You freeze. Childe's voice echoes back inside your mind.

​​​​​​​​​​"Wait. Does he even know what to look for? You said it yourself. I'm not the only one rich out there."

Childe takes a more comfortable position on the bench and you follow his lead.

"Look, I'll be honest and forward with this, doll. This man has the resources to send out and hunt down anyone he wants. I only heard a rumor or two about what happened in Mondstadt overnight with all that-" he choughs "... ahem, mora."

You squint your eyes at him. "What does that mean exactly?"

"To me, it's veeery coincidental that you have this much to spend in Liyue, yet you do no commissions in the Adventurer's Guild and I couldn't find anything about you in the records. Now, I don't care if you are or not that sponsor and where your finances come from."

He gestures with his hands and you can do nothing but sit there and listen to him as he explains how he came to the current conclusion. You start dissociating, feeling like you just got played by fate this time.

"I must confess, I was lucky to make this connection thanks to doing fieldwork, but it still would have not been possible if you didn't allow me to grow closer to you, doll." He leans towards you and cups your cheek in the palm of his hand. The act brings your attention back to him, which visibly pleases him. "Don't start daydreaming when I'm talking to you, doll."

"...Mhm." You mutter a weak apology, not really caring about the proximity at this point. You're just trying to figure out if you should try and - silence him - or continue with living.

Childe smiles and rubs your cheekbone with his finger, after which he retreats to his previous position and clears his throat.

"And seeing how the traveler is famous back there, I asked myself; why would someone so ordinary-looking travel with him when my comrades said you two were not seen together until after the Stormterror incident and when leaving the nation's walls? Well, now I know you are anything but ordinary, doll."

It should have been obvious, but considering that you spent a good amount of time avoiding those two in Mondstadt and sleeping in Venti's realm, people didn't think much of it when the four of you left the nation right after the busy night orchestrating a massive mora shower. And you weren't exactly public about your relations to the Knights of Favonius either.

In fact, the most people have ever seen of you and them together is when Kaeya plucked you up right from the middle of the street for interrogation. You doubt they would think someone who had not one, but two bounties on their head could have any positive relationship with the respectable Knights. But now that he knows you are connected to the traveler, there's no doubt in his mind you're more than what you present to the world.

You're gobsmacked. Your plan of avoiding the two most of the time worked, but it backfired once Childe came in the picture and somehow wiggled his way into your small circle of unusual friends. Luckily, by the time he figured out you and Aether were connected ever since the beginning, he had already made his decision regarding you, even without your knowledge.

"Anyway-" Then, he digs his hand into his pocket and pulls out one of the wanted posters of you. "look at you, I would have never guessed you were a criminal in Mondstadt!"

Mortified, you snatch the drawing from his hand, to which he laughs.

"What the- How did you even get this?" You crumple the paper and throw it over your shoulder. It sinks into the dark water below the docks.

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