and I need that fire just to know that I'm awake

[adulte]

[It was really only supposed to be a small detour. A little investigation into some old ruins he'd heard about, hoping to find an enemy or two, work off a little of that ever persistent restlessness. It was nothing out of the ordinary for him, and nothing he shouldn't be able to handle. He had plenty of time before he'd promised to meet up with Zhongli.

He hadn't counted on part of the ruins collapsing in front of him.

He's pretty sure he's been there for hours already. It's impossible to tell. The space is dark, large enough for him to move around but otherwise empty, and there's not even a crack to tell him whether it's still daylight outside. He did manage to light a torch in one corner, and other than that he's been working relentlessly trying to shift the rocks that block the path ahead. He's sore all over, sweaty, filthy, exhausted, but he made a promise. He can't give up until he gets out, no matter how long it takes. His hands are bleeding at this point.

He shoes at the rocks, throws his shoulder into them. He tries to use his weapon to dislodge them, but only manages to cause another shower of rocks and dirt to fall over his head. He's completely stuck, with no other way out that he can find. He just hopes he's not too late for dinner.]

Comments

[xiansheng]

[Zhongli folds his arms over his chest. Like this, he looks quite imperious. Like someone who has been worshipped. There's the apology, but that hardly fixes things.]

How am I to trust you'll make it to dinner any of these other days when you have now shown me you have no problem standing me up once?

[The path to breaking agreements is a slippery slope; if someone is comfortable doing it once, and if he relents, they will likely do it again in the future.]

[adulte]

[If there was ever any doubt that Zhongli is - was - the god of geo, it's gone when he looks at Childe like that. He feels sparks of excitement just looking at him, though he knows better than to pick a fight right now.]

I do have a problem with it. I keep my promises, and if I fail then I make up for it.

[If there's one thing Childe has never been, it's a liar.]

But if there's anything you want me to do to prove it, I'll do it.

[xiansheng]

[It's been a long time since Zhongli needed any sort of authority, but right now, he feels like using it. He's slightly irritated, which is saying a lot for a man as easygoing as he is.]

How are you planning to make up for this? Dinner is already late.

[He knows Childe did not do this on purpose--he didn't expect to be trapped--but the fact remains that he did something reckless when he had made plans. There is no room for gambling when you make a deal.]

There are plenty of things I could have you do, but none of those will excuse the fact that you kept me waiting. I suppose fighting is more important to you than keeping a date.

[adulte]

[Childe hates disappointing people, getting them angry. While he can shrug off losing a fight on his path to get stronger, failing someone's expectations of him is completely different. His usual expression falters, just for a second, into something more sad.

But it's just a second, easy to miss. His next smile is clearly meant to diffuse the situation, trying to come across as self-deprecating. He's never one for letting those negative feelings show if he can help it.]

Dinner for a week? [A pause.] I'll buy tickets for the opera.

[He hates the opera. He probably would have gone with Zhongli anyway. He's trying to think of what else he can offer. Of course he wants a date. He needs to fight, too, to satisfy that constant itch at the back of his brain, but he'd prefer fighting Zhongli over literally anyone. And he wouldn't have fought at all if he'd known -- ]

It's not more important. I didn't even break a sweat. [Not relevant.] Dinner was hours away, otherwise I never would have risked it.