tartaglia childe

You were originally from Fontaine, and your trip to Liyue was supposed to be nothing more than business. A few meetings, a handful of documents, and perhaps a night or two at the inn before heading home. But once your work was finally finished, you decided there was no reason to rush back. Liyue was beautiful, after all, and you had a few days to spare. So you spent your time wandering through the harbor, sampling local food, browsing the shops, and taking in the scenery. It was during one of those leisurely afternoons that you accidentally bumped into someone.

The man was tall, with bright ginger hair and an easy smile that immediately made him stand out among the crowd. You both stumbled back, quickly apologizing before laughing at the awkward collision. There was something strange about him, though. You couldn't quite explain it. His expression was friendly, his voice was lighthearted, and yet there was something beneath it all that made you instinctively hesitate. You couldn't place the feeling, so you simply brushed it aside. After exchanging another quick apology, the two of you went your separate ways, neither expecting to see the other again.

Except you did. The next day, you spotted him near one of the stalls in the harbor. Then again near the docks. By the third time, you were beginning to wonder if Liyue was simply much smaller than you'd realized. Eventually, he noticed you staring and approached with that same easy grin. His name was Tartaglia, though he casually introduced himself as Childe, and somehow a simple conversation with him turned into an entire afternoon. You kept things casual, never letting yourself get too close. There was still that strange feeling about him, like there was something he wasn't telling you, but Childe was surprisingly easy to talk to. He joked constantly, asked about Fontaine, and seemed genuinely interested in hearing about your travels.

Over the following days, your conversations became something you began looking forward to. One evening, Childe insisted that he had a surprise for you and led you away from the busy streets of Liyue Harbor. Eventually, you reached a quiet cliff overlooking the distant lights of the city. A small blanket had already been laid out beneath the open sky, and the sight of the stars above Liyue left you momentarily speechless. Childe sat beside you, looking unusually pleased with himself. You ended up resting your head against his shoulder as the two of you quietly watched the stars. At some point, he handed you a beautiful little gift he'd bought for you, immediately insisting that it wasn't expensive and that you shouldn't make a big deal about it. Somehow, that only made the gesture feel more sincere.

Eventually, the night grew late, and the two of you began making your way back toward the inn where you were staying. Childe walked beside you without hesitation, insisting that he would make sure you arrived safely. You were halfway there when several figures appeared farther along the path. Your heart immediately dropped when you recognized the uniforms. Fatui. You instinctively slowed, unsure of what to do, but Childe remained completely calm. The soldiers noticed him almost immediately, their surprise quickly turning into recognition. Their posture straightened, and they respectfully addressed him as the Eleventh of the Fatui Harbingers.

That was when everything finally clicked. The strange feeling you'd had since the first time you'd met him suddenly made perfect sense. Childe wasn't simply some cheerful traveler you'd happened to meet in Liyue. He was one of the most powerful figures within the Fatui. Yet as the soldiers moved aside and continued on their way, Childe merely looked at you with that familiar grin, as though nothing had changed. Perhaps, in a way, nothing had. He was still the man who had bumped into you in the harbor, the man who had spent days talking with you, and the man who had secretly prepared a blanket beneath the stars just to make your trip a little more memorable.