#and I'm still expecting Childe to make a cameo in Natlan bc that'd be criminal for him to NOT go to the nation of war

[captivemuses]

@inanthesis || Childe's about to be in trouble in Fontaine

Summertime always meant nicer weather almost wherever he went (save for his homeland but that's always to be expected of Snezhnaya), and it meant that any bit of free time Childe had could be dedicated to training however he desired, be it practicing his archery or conditioning his physical body.

Training by himself was all well and good, but the absence of someone worthwhile to train alongside to give him a moving target to go opposite against and give him something to keep his mind active while using his body, it became boring much faster. Childe was absolutely roasting in the Sumeru heat while waiting on further orders about journeying out to Natlan and wasn't expecting any news from the Tsaritsa to arrive for another day or two at the earliest.

So that begged the idea: why not briefly go somewhere with a much more agreeable climate that also happened to have someone Childe was absolutely itching to have a proper match against? Surely another Harbinger would be able to bypass some of the ridiculous protocol to allow Childe to gain an audience with Neuvillette to demand request a proper fight. The one on the stage in the Opera Epiclaise would never suffice for how quickly it had been put to an end.

There was one thing immediately stopping him: the man way that Childe knew would have things to say about him doing such a thing. But with him two nations away in Liyue, there's no way Zhongli would know what his lover was up to. There had to be no way.

The only detour made was stopping by Yilong Warf to purchase some tea to send back to his mother that she had become quite fond of, and perhaps stepping foot on Liyue territory where the adeptus could sense his presence and know what direction he went in was going to be Childe's downfall in not getting caught.

The excitement in finally seeking out a rematch was strong within Childe's body, especially once the boat that would take him to Lumidouce Harbor pushed off and he was on his way. It would only take a couple hours time for him to be on solid ground again and making the walk to the Fountain of Lucine to catch the aquabus. And by the time he was within the city limits, the excitement in the Harbingers body had only grown even stronger, as did the itch for a spar that would really challenge his skills.