As soon as they walked through the door, the warmth of a warming tea cabinet and the smell of meat hit their faces.
Looking around, they saw that the waitress had already taken their orders for them, which meant that Childe instinctively knew they would agree beforehand which already made him out to be cunning and calculative.
They got to sit at a corner table that was out of the public's reach and let Childe talk without interruption.
With the flash of a smile, Childe threw a coin pouch to the waitress, his posture becoming more assertive than before, as he glanced back at Lumine and winked
Lumine gave him a puzzled look
(What does he mean by that wink? Is that some sort of encoded message?)
The poor girl had no idea that Childe was openly flirting with her.
(Does he have something in his eye? Or maybe he has some sort of eye tick?)
This misunderstanding came to be, simply because he winked repeatedly and gesticulated towards her to convey his meaning, yet she had no idea how flirting even worked so that failed miserably.
After giving money to the waitress, he turned back to the girls and faced them head-on.
Childe scanned over the girls as if he wanted to check each one individually. His gaze lingered on Paimon, watching her fidget and hide behind Lumine. He wondered what kind of race she was from. Her appearance stood out despite being so small, and those accessories she wore...
(She doesn't seem to be combat efficient, and yet...what is this strange feeling i'm getting...)
Then he scrutinized Hu Tao, squinting slightly.
She was fairly cute and smaller in stature, which reminded Childe of a dog he used to feed when he was still in his hometown.
But her temper and weirdness were a complete turn-off. She was just plain annoying, her immature personality was completely unnecessary and all of her character traits were just plain wrong.
(Disappointing. Her strength is only so-so, I can take care of her.)
As he moved his gaze, he widened his eyes at Iris.
A beauty truly worthy of marriage.
Her appearance was perfect. Her curves complimented her slender figure with ample bosom nicely, making every man drool in his seat, her hair contrasted with the white of her skin perfectly. The symmetry of her body perfectly matched the youthful yet mature look every man would only dream of and yet, there was a fierce determination lurking in her slit-like orbs that hinted at strong willpower and capable fighting prowess. It almost felt as if she was going to devour anything that stood in her path.
Not to mention the two large horns that protruded from the top of her head, making for a fearsome sight indeed.
(Was she here this entire time? Who is this? How come I didn't even notice someone like that was in the Traveler's group?) Looking over at her horns, he concluded, (Is she perhaps, an Adeptus?)
Childe was quite sure about his guess. It would also explain why he didn't notice her presence at all up till now.
(Magical beings have the ability to cast a spell that makes them very well hidden from the rest of the populace. If this is indeed an Adeptus, then the plan might be foiled prematurely...oh well, who cares.)
Iris was the least affected by his gaze and simply didn't care about what he had to say at all. All she was waiting for at the moment, was food.
(I will have to look into her later.) Childe mused as he lifted a tea cup to his lips.
Finally, his gaze drifted towards the girl that piqued his interest from the very beginning.
A woman that led her party to defeat Stormterror, the fearsome dragon. In the whole Fatui organization, there was only one person that managed to defeat a dragon, moreover, he fought it alone.
This woman had the potential to grow like "that person", she had the potential to grow into something that might endanger the future of Fatui and their goals, therefore, there were two options to take.
First, he would eliminate her, and her party members afterward. It should be a walk in the park. The only strong members would be Hu Tao and that Adeptus but even a godlike being can fall.
Second, he would bring her to their side by a nice "bait" in a form of an offer...
"As you've guessed correctly, I am here to gather intel. To see whether the famous Traveler girlie is any threat to us, the Fatui." Childe informed the girls, grinning widely, "So let us begin. Traveler. I want you to join Fatui."
Lumine blinked, "Fatui?"
Childe nodded.
"No! Lumine is not joining Fathui!" Paimon protested while glaring at Childe furiously. "Paimon won't allow it!"
Childe gave Paimon a flat stare, "It's Fatui, not Fathui...in any case, you have no say in the matter, piss off before I clog you."
His sudden proposal did not make much sense to Lumine.
(Why would he want me to join an organization like Fatui? What do they gain from it?)
From what Lumine knew, Fatui were known as the bad guys. Pretty much an equal to an evil organization that tried to occupy Mondstadt and lurked behind shadows. She would never join. They should be aware of this.
"Oh! Oh! I forgot to mention...We know the whereabouts of your...precious brother," Childe added as an explanation with a sinister smile.
He saw no point in hiding his intentions.
Letting her know that by joining, she would gain valuable info.
