"Uh."
Listening to what Mobius had just said, Childe found himself wondering whether he ought to say something.
After turning it over for a while, though, he ultimately decided against it. There was nothing he could think of that wouldn't risk setting her off, so he figured silence was the safer bet.
Besides, none of this was really his business. There was no reason to wade in.
Better to just wait for her next question.
"So they're all living together now, I take it?" Mobius asked.
"That's right, they are." Childe nodded quickly.
"Then do me a favor," she said, fixing him with a look. "Keep an eye on what that guy gets up to with those girls of his."
"That's no problem at all, but I—"
"Do it first, talk later. Or feel free to say no." Knowing he was about to lay out his own terms, Mobius cut him off.
She knew full well that she held the stronger hand in this arrangement — and that Childe would almost certainly go along with whatever she asked.
"It seems Miss Mobius still doesn't have much faith in the Fatui's capabilities," Childe said, a note of resignation in his voice.
That said, since everything she was asking for was fairly straightforward, he found it easy enough to accept — even with no firm promise of cooperation on her end.
At worst, if things fell through, he'd only lose a bit of time. Nothing too dire.
"So what's your answer, Childe of the Fatui?" Mobius asked him directly.
"My answer is yes, naturally." He gave a small smile and nodded. "If I said no to something this simple, that would be embarrassing, wouldn't it?"
He was essentially doing all the work with nothing guaranteed in return, but the tasks themselves were easy enough. He'd accept first and see where things went.
"Good. Then I look forward to what you find." With that, Mobius turned and walked away without another word, leaving Childe standing there watching her go.
Should I ask for her contact information?
He found himself thinking it as he watched her retreating figure.
Then he recalled the strange flying object from earlier, and decided he probably didn't need to worry about it. If Mobius wanted to reach him, she'd find a way — just like she had tonight. He had no reason to fret over how to track her down.
Of course, that also meant he had no way to reach her first. That was the catch.
Not that he could blame her. She clearly wasn't ready to be easily found.
For now, he just had to do what she'd asked. Everything else could wait.
Alright then.
Time to head back.
Might as well use it as an excuse to invite Kaito out for lunch...
With that thought, Childe turned and headed back toward the city.
It was around noon, so lunch seemed like the natural move.
He knew, of course, that Kaito probably had someone cooking for him already — and that he'd most likely already started eating.
But that was fine. Dropping by under the guise of a lunch invitation was as good an excuse as any to check in and see what Kaito and his girls were up to.
Kaito's place.
Come to think of it — why doesn't Miss Mobius just come look for herself?
Is she worried Kaito might spot her? Or does she just want to know what he gets up to with Miko and Lumine through someone else's eyes?
These were the thoughts running through Childe's mind as he arrived at Kaito's front door and knocked.
It didn't take long for someone to answer.
"Are you here for Kaito?" The door opened to reveal Lumine, who looked at him and asked.
"That's right. Is he around?"
Childe nodded quickly.
"He is. I'll go get him." With that, Lumine turned and headed back inside.
Hm...
Should I just go in?
Childe stood there in the doorway, watching her disappear inside, and found himself wondering.
In the end, he stayed put. Nobody had invited him in, and letting himself in uninvited would just be rude.
Tap, tap, tap—
After a moment, he heard footsteps approaching from inside. Kaito's, by the sound of them.
Right, but...
What if Kaito says no?
Do I just leave?
The thought suddenly occurred to him, sending him spiraling into his own head. After all, the lunch invitation was only part of why he'd come. What he really wanted was to get a look at how Kaito spent his time with Lumine and Miko.
"Oh, Childe." Kaito stepped out while Childe was still lost in thought. "Don't tell me you're here to drag me out for lunch?"
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