Fifteen minutes earlier before Fischl ran away from Yomite...
"Phew...Paimon's exhausted." She puffed her petite chest out and straightened her night-blue cape flecked with stars as she took a moment to massage her small arms. "We sure could have used at least two more hours of sleep…"
"Just what muscle does magical floating use exactly? How come you are tired when you are flying?"
Lumine asked the little fairy who had been floating around her and trying to keep her balance from time to time.
Paimon looked at her like she was mad before answering, "So insensitive! You have no idea just how tiring floating around is!"
Lumine giggled and saddled Paimon around her neck. "There, there. You've worked hard."
Her hands smoothed over the soft material of Paimon's jumper, running them over the rose-gold embroidery attached to it. Lumine hadn't actually felt very tired, but now that she put Paimon's warm weight against her own certainly made her feel sleepy all the same
"Yo-You! Are treating Paimon like a child again!"
Much to the protest of Paimon, the group moved along at a swift pace and soon arrived at a restaurant.
"I'm hungry." The dragon girl looked at the sign hanging above the doorway. It had a symbol of a giant steak.
"It looks delicious."
"No wait, Iris, that's not food!" Tiredness washed over her brows as Lumine gazed at Iris helplessly. The dragon girl tore apart the sign above the door and chewed on it.
(I will have to...pay for that...)
Lumine was starting to piece together how Yomite felt when he looked over them.
Both of them agreed that if the time comes when he won't be around, she would take charge as the most responsible person in their party.
But controlling these individuals was no easy task.
"Okie Dokie! Let's go eat! Wait...Who is paying? This Honorary Director is currently broke..."
Ever since Yomite and Lumine were branded as Honorary Knights, Hu Tao started adding "Honorary" in front of her title as well because she felt it sounded cool.
"Usually it's the party leader that pays... but now that he isn't here... I can fit th—..."
Luckily, Lumine managed to stop herself.
A picture appeared in her mind, a clear picture of what would happen the moment those words left her mouth.
(... Iris... I can't afford to be the one who has to pay...)
She knew very well the dangers of footing the bill when Iris was around, and it wasn't a pretty sight... Every time, she despaired at the sheer amount of Mora Yomite had to dish out when they went out to eat.
(She eats way too much...I might not have enough Mora...)
She acknowledged that she and Paimon were both gluttons, but not to the extent that Iris was...
As she walked slowly, Lumine's thoughts began repeating themselves, narrowly ignoring her companions' expectant glances that seemed to be screaming, (Will you pay for the food? You will, right? You will, right?)
"Hey girlie, you seem troubled over there."
Lumine jumped slightly, startled by the sudden intrusion into her thoughts, snapping her out of her trance.
"Who are you?"
She looked up in surprise as a young, tall man with messy ginger hair stood in front of her.
His eyes were dull blue, making him appear lifeless as he looked at her curiously.
She blinked, surprised by the fact that she didn't even see where he came from or how he ended up in front of her. She did however, take notice of something akin to a blur appearing in front of her, but she thought it was just her eyes playing tricks on her.
"Ah, a cute girlie asks my name the moment we meet, how fortunate I am! Call me Childe."
Lumine looked at him with narrowed eyes, her expression not changing one bit. "Childe?"
"Yep! That's me!" He grinned cheerfully.
Was that his true name? Didn't seem like it. He seemed way too suspicious.
Lumine was on guard, but Paimon simply commented without shame.
"A Child? So, we are supposed to dote on you? You don't seem like a child to Paimon...Lumine, Paimon thinks this man is a weirdo..."
"Haha, no no, not at all. It's an alias of sorts...In any case, you guys seem hungry, why don't you come with me? I will pay for your lunch." He nodded enthusiastically towards Lumine, drawing her attention back onto himself.
"What's in it for you..."
Lumine didnt like his smile and scrunched up her nose. There was no sincerity in his eyes or words whatsoever, only cunning curiosity as if his request was nothing more than a simple method to get them to enter the establishment.
But for what?
(Party Leader mentioned we should be wary of an assassin of some sort...could it be...)
They needed to stay vigilant against him.
Childe smirked and opened his lips, yet closed them quickly. He chuckled to himself, wondering if he should explain or not. "Smart girl, no worries, I just want to ask a few questions, nothing suspicious at all!" He grinned cheekily and nodded towards the restaurant. "My treat!"
Lumine looked alternatively between Childe and her friends, confusion written on her features. The mention of being treated for free made her extremely apprehensive, especiallly since Iris was with them, but seeing her gaze linger on Hu Tao, who was staring at Childe with a frown caused her to bite her lip.
Did she know this man who introduced himself as Childe?
She didn't have to guess for long, as immediately, Hu Tao confirmed her guess.
Most people of Liyue knew about him, yet Hu Tao was more than familiar with him.
He was a pure warrior with an insatiable lust for battle.
Each bloody conflict, each life-and-death struggle was like a delightful trial for him. He was a complete maniac.
People said that the young Childe was famed throughout the land for his battle prowess, and while that was true, many didn't know about his true sadistic nature.
