( it isn't exactly a non-answer, but it is a sidestep to a branching direction, deliberately misleading. one of zhongli's many habits, painstakingly learned through walks along the harbor docks or evening dinners on teahouse balconies: he interprets questions how he likes.
childe doesn't call him on it, courteously quiet and attentive as he listens to zhongli speak. )
You felt robust enough to me.
( he slants a short, flickering glance at zhongli's profile, rays of honey-gold light dappling his hair like a burnished crown. childe is an unkempt, partially unbuttoned mess next to zhongli's polished exterior; they make a strange shoulder-to-shoulder pair as they walk the streets of liyue, from the bustling noise of the harbor into a lingering, intimate quiet that's both familiar and unknown.
they move in unison over a footbridge overarching a shallow pond, slats of sealed redwood groaning underfoot, and follow a stonework pathway that winds through a pavilion twined in blooming flowers. childe stops under the shade of the pavilion, snagging zhongli by the wrist. )
I'm poorly versed on the nature of the adepti, admittedly, but I've heard faraway tales of an adeptus' strength. ( mostly in passing, or in dusty books he pored over within his first few days in liyue. he turns into him, pulling his arm diagonal across his chest to force him a step closer. ) Your strength, especially. Are you afraid you'll hurt me?
no subject
childe doesn't call him on it, courteously quiet and attentive as he listens to zhongli speak. )
You felt robust enough to me.
( he slants a short, flickering glance at zhongli's profile, rays of honey-gold light dappling his hair like a burnished crown. childe is an unkempt, partially unbuttoned mess next to zhongli's polished exterior; they make a strange shoulder-to-shoulder pair as they walk the streets of liyue, from the bustling noise of the harbor into a lingering, intimate quiet that's both familiar and unknown.
they move in unison over a footbridge overarching a shallow pond, slats of sealed redwood groaning underfoot, and follow a stonework pathway that winds through a pavilion twined in blooming flowers. childe stops under the shade of the pavilion, snagging zhongli by the wrist. )
I'm poorly versed on the nature of the adepti, admittedly, but I've heard faraway tales of an adeptus' strength. ( mostly in passing, or in dusty books he pored over within his first few days in liyue. he turns into him, pulling his arm diagonal across his chest to force him a step closer. ) Your strength, especially. Are you afraid you'll hurt me?