( closed ) original visual

[disagree]

Who ❄️ eula & childe
What 🐳 substory #2
When ❄️ sometime this month idk
Where 🐳 some seedy internet cafe idk either
Content Warnings ❄️ tba



can u believe they're not gonna do that, me neither

Comments

[disagree]

[ of all the times the printers at the offices had to break down... on one hand, eula appreciates any excuse to get out of the stuffy enma offices, but now she has to hunt down a place where she could print these important documents. you know, normal department things.

normally she'd know her way around enma territory by now, but let's say she took a wrong turn by mistake. let's say she pressed on anyway, determined and somewhat curious on where this road leads to. let's say she'd stumbled upon sutoku territory anyway and spotted the first internet cafe she sees, a sad-looking establishment that she normally wouldn't bother checking in in the first place. but she can't help it anyway, because it's a familiar face she wouldn't have imagine seeing around these parts. ]

Tartaglia.

[ after declaring a truce on the network, at first eula doesn't know what to do. but she may as well prove that she is the bigger person by approaching the harbinger first. ]

I didn't think I'd see you here.

[ you, instead of the likes of you. see, it's a start, ]

[narbrawl]

[In spite of his youth, the Eleventh Harbinger knows the value of patience. He's accustomed to biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike whether it's in a fight or at the climax of a grander scheme. As far as he's concerned, it's another discipline that must be mastered.

But Childe has been stuck in this tiny, nicotine-stained booth for seven hours. Seven hours. Anyone would start to lose their mind, right? When he'd taken on the job of mobster security guard, promising to not just catch the person responsible for the robberies but punish them, he'd expected a little more action than... well... this. As it turns out, the thief has yet to materialise and internet cafes are very dull places, particularly when they're as shitty as this one.

You'll forgive him, then, for starting to drift off at his desk. It's only when his forehead hits the keyboard and the computer makes a sound like a startled puppy- STICKY KEYS ACTIVATED- that he catches himself. Blearily, he stares at the screen. A previous customer changed the background to a heavily artifacted photo of a cat eating spaghetti and he's spent so long looking at it now that he doesn't even find it funny anymore. Or maybe it's even funnier than ever.

... he needs coffee.

Stretching his sore limbs, he makes his way out of the booth and towards the overpriced coffee machine towards the front. Turns out, it's the best decision he's made all day because who else but Eula Lawrence is standing by the printers? He even manages a smile.]

Likewise. [Yawning, he nods towards the machine.] Want one?

[disagree]

[ didn't think she'd encounter an exhausted childe, either. now that their respective bloodlust for each other is on hold for the time being, eula is starting to see bits and pieces of the harbinger when he's not... harbinging. it's very, very sobering.

at the offer, she even manages a short laugh as she shrugs her shoulders. ]

I doubt that it's any better than the weak ones we drink at the Department, honestly. But thank you for the offer regardless.

[ it's so bad.... she had to get her fix at hell starbucks every morning and everything ]

Since when did you work for the Alliance? [ it's such a strange arrangement... ]

[narbrawl]

[As Childe begins to feed coins into the vending machine, he eyes his options- that is to say, a basic coffee or an array of cans of offbrand Boss Chief. Yeah, Eula's probably right but maybe if it's bad enough it'll wake him up properly. Resigned, he grabs a paper cup and hits the first buttons. The machine groans and rattles in response, clearly not used to actually being used.]

I don't. [Is the machine growling? Should he be concerned?] But I felt sorry for the owner when I heard about his situation.

[Thunk.

Alarmingly thick coffee begins to pour into the cup. Oh no. Oh no. This is a bad idea. Half expecting the whole thing to explode, Childe presses the button for milk- and waits.]

Sounded like it might be fun to catch the guys raiding him in the act too.

[... still waiting for that milk.]

[disagree]

[ he felt sorry...? huh. she'd expect the fatui to take over this establishment or even raze it to the ground, but at the same time she figured that someone in childe's ranks wouldn't even bother doing just that to a measly computer cafe anyway.

she watches him deal with the coffee machine and bites her tongue in order not to lose it. she's petty enough to think that that's one form of silly revenge, in a way, but she'll keep her mouth shut about that. ahem. ]

I'd heard of some looting attempts in this area... I shall look into it and send someone to investigate. I could do it myself, but the ironic thing about modern law enforcement is that the higher you rise in the ranks, the more paperwork you'll have to do.

[ it's the WORST, and she's still waiting for the paperwork to be printed. don't tell her the printer's slow as molasses here too... ]

[narbrawl]

[Eula's pokerface does its job- that and Childe is too busy trying to get the coffee machine to work to notice how hard she has to work to keep it from slipping.]

No need. I've got it on good authority [a panicked text from the manager about a "guy who looked sus" hanging around like he was scoping the place out] that he'll put in an appearance today.

[And hey there are still a not insignificant number of hours left of that, even if the thought of being stuck in here literally all day and night makes him want to break a few windows himself. Regardless, he's committed to the job and he'll see it through to the end.]

Now that I can believe. One of our envoys in Mondstadt once told me about a meeting with the Grand M- [The machine gasps, whines- and then puffs out a small, powdery cloud.] ... guess I'll take it black this time.

[disagree]

[ no, sorry, that's a little too funny. eula's facade breaks a little as she stifles a laugh with a cough. ahem. well, she supposes that the fatui simply can't win them all. revenge has never been so sweet.

at the mention of an envoy, eula pauses in attention somewhat. it's probably some diplomatic matters that jean would usually attend to, but before she can get a question in, a certain ruffling noise coming from where childe was sitting at previous immediately snap her out of it, causing her to try and take a peek over childe's shoulder. ]

...Did you hear that?