Yeah! Well, I dunno if Envy's been stabbed since then but they seem to be staying out of each other's way for now. And besides, you saw it yourself. He came back just fine.
...it's kind of interesting to think about. There are a few different legends where I'm from about it, like the one about this shrine I like to visit sometimes. The old texts say that one day, a man sent one of his followers on an urgent quest to find a mysterious magical fruit. It was a fruit that would grant you immortality if you ate it. The journey took forever, but by the time the fruit was located the man who had requested it had died. The follower mourned for the loss of his idol, and he gave half of the fruit to the man's wife instead while leaving the other half on his idol's grave. After that? He died.
But they say that the fruit is still in the shrine. It's a shrine to the gods, so I guess it makes sense. I've always wondered about it though.
[Well, his very first thought is "Zhongli wouldn't have eaten it, he's too picky even when I'm not around to buy his meals for him" but he's not about to get into that, so.]
[...Hm. He carefully sets the cup down, leaning back in his chair.
First, because it's relevant--]
How much do you know about my abilities?
["Truthfully, please," he doesn't say, because he figures that his feelings on all this are well-established by now. The more truthful an answer seems, the more likely he is to at least try and believe it, though he'll never promise his full trust. But this, in a way, is how he shows trust--by not pretending to be any less on-guard than he truly is.]
I know enough to kind of understand them, but probably not as much as you think. How much do I need to know to understand what you're about to tell me?
...Apart from my Vision, I have two other forms of power.
[It's not something he's made public, which is precisely why he's so willing to spar and demonstrate his Vision abilities in the simulation room. The memory nonsense was difficult to deal with, but Childe is ready, at all times, for the truth to come out about him. To work with the same level of distrust and vitriol he encounters back in Teyvat--it would have been inconvenient to lose what he's built up, but nothing he's not used to.
People seeing his big villain speech about unleashing an ancient god to destroy a city? Meh. People seeing his secret Triple-Layered Consommé of powers? NYET.]
But my Vision is the only one that I can use without consequence. My Delusion, like any other, has a chance of backfiring and killing me at any time. And my Foul Legacy Transformation [(pictured: me sitting on my hands about localizations)] takes an enormous toll on my body every time I use it. Back home, I'm more likely to die from either of them than I am to be defeated by another.
[It sounds arrogant, and perhaps it is. But he doesn't seem like he's trying to brag about his strength. This is just the relevant viewpoint he's working with, the perspective of a man who brushes against death all the time--and not only his enemies'.]
Mm... it depends. [If his opponent was worth it? Most likely. Zhongli, at full strength, probably would've killed him easily, and he'd desperately craved that fight. That he didn't get it bothers him far more than becoming Public Enemy Number 1 of Liyue.] But I haven't accomplished my goals yet.
[He uses those abilities sparingly, because he can. The vast majority of the time, he never has to worry about revealing the layers of his power. To find someone strong enough, not only to challenge him, but to force him to use his full strength, and even then be uncertain of his victory--there's little else that truly satisfies him. A peaceful life is no longer an option for him, and even if it was, he wouldn't want it.]
But accomplishing those goals, and doing what I want to do, requires that kind of immense power. [As did surviving, back when he was a teenager, both in the Abyss and in the Fatui. He knew another way of living, once, but those memories feel like they belong to a different person now. There are many reasons he doesn't use his old name, and that's one of them.] I don't mind the risk, but I'll accept nothing less than being slain by someone strong enough to warrant it.
...thank you for being honest. [is that really all they have to say? they seem kind of distracted.] I get the risk to accomplish what you want, but I also think...I don't know. Life's pretty important. That's all.
It's not something I expect anyone else to understand.
[After all--
"You shall ever be the eye of the storm," "And the clashing of steel shall ever accompany you." "The pitch-black memory of stepping into uttermost darkness," "Shall, at last, become the strength by which you will overturn this world."
--who else would understand something like that?]
In any case, that's what makes immortality a tricky subject, from my perspective. [That, and he's seen firsthand the effects of its melancholy. It's just one of so very many things that complicates his feelings about what happened with Zhongli.] But I do enjoy stories from your world. Thank you for sharing it with me.
Sure. Of course. [still contemplating on things...and they think it may be best to let the subject go in spite of the fact they'll remember this later.] You know I don't mind sharing things with you whenever you want.
[It's true--enough talk of grand ideals. He's not here for immortality, and thinking of it draws him too close to trains of thought he'd rather not board.
So he smiles, nodding knowingly in their direction.]
Except your face, hm? [But his voice is light, and he lifts a hand before they can respond.] Don't worry, I'm just teasing.
[He literally wears his Fatui mask in his hair all the time, he has no room to talk.]
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Speaking of Pride--Envy's fully recovered, yes? No further incidents?
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[He looks so wistful... imagine how great fights would be if you could just pop back to life at the end of them... (no)]
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Trust me, I know.
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But they say that the fruit is still in the shrine. It's a shrine to the gods, so I guess it makes sense. I've always wondered about it though.
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What happened to the wife?
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He's quiet for a little while, taking a drink of his tea. His face is unreadable, and his eyes are, as always, lacking the light of life.]
That's a complicated question for someone like me.
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First, because it's relevant--]
How much do you know about my abilities?
["Truthfully, please," he doesn't say, because he figures that his feelings on all this are well-established by now. The more truthful an answer seems, the more likely he is to at least try and believe it, though he'll never promise his full trust. But this, in a way, is how he shows trust--by not pretending to be any less on-guard than he truly is.]
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[It's not something he's made public, which is precisely why he's so willing to spar and demonstrate his Vision abilities in the simulation room. The memory nonsense was difficult to deal with, but Childe is ready, at all times, for the truth to come out about him. To work with the same level of distrust and vitriol he encounters back in Teyvat--it would have been inconvenient to lose what he's built up, but nothing he's not used to.
People seeing his big villain speech about unleashing an ancient god to destroy a city? Meh. People seeing his secret Triple-Layered Consommé of powers? NYET.]
But my Vision is the only one that I can use without consequence. My Delusion, like any other, has a chance of backfiring and killing me at any time. And my Foul Legacy Transformation [(pictured: me sitting on my hands about localizations)] takes an enormous toll on my body every time I use it. Back home, I'm more likely to die from either of them than I am to be defeated by another.
[It sounds arrogant, and perhaps it is. But he doesn't seem like he's trying to brag about his strength. This is just the relevant viewpoint he's working with, the perspective of a man who brushes against death all the time--and not only his enemies'.]
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But you keep using them anyway. Why?
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Because they make me stronger.
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[He uses those abilities sparingly, because he can. The vast majority of the time, he never has to worry about revealing the layers of his power. To find someone strong enough, not only to challenge him, but to force him to use his full strength, and even then be uncertain of his victory--there's little else that truly satisfies him. A peaceful life is no longer an option for him, and even if it was, he wouldn't want it.]
But accomplishing those goals, and doing what I want to do, requires that kind of immense power. [As did surviving, back when he was a teenager, both in the Abyss and in the Fatui. He knew another way of living, once, but those memories feel like they belong to a different person now. There are many reasons he doesn't use his old name, and that's one of them.] I don't mind the risk, but I'll accept nothing less than being slain by someone strong enough to warrant it.
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...thank you for being honest. [is that really all they have to say? they seem kind of distracted.] I get the risk to accomplish what you want, but I also think...I don't know. Life's pretty important. That's all.
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[After all--
"You shall ever be the eye of the storm,"
"And the clashing of steel shall ever accompany you."
"The pitch-black memory of stepping into uttermost darkness,"
"Shall, at last, become the strength by which you will overturn this world."
--who else would understand something like that?]
In any case, that's what makes immortality a tricky subject, from my perspective. [That, and he's seen firsthand the effects of its melancholy. It's just one of so very many things that complicates his feelings about what happened with Zhongli.] But I do enjoy stories from your world. Thank you for sharing it with me.
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So he smiles, nodding knowingly in their direction.]
Except your face, hm? [But his voice is light, and he lifts a hand before they can respond.] Don't worry, I'm just teasing.
[He literally wears his Fatui mask in his hair all the time, he has no room to talk.]
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I wouldn't have minded taking it off for you, but then you kind of asked if I had murdered a totally innocent person and blew your chances.
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