hydrangeabloom | (no subject)

Precisely. She has shown herself capable when she helped prove Lyney's innocence and solved the serial disappearances case, and since she is already acquainted with Tartaglia she may discern things that others would miss.

[ Out of everyone Neuvillette knows of, he believes her to be the one most likely to figure out the truth behind Childe's sudden disappearance. Briefly, he wonders how their investigation is going; it's only been two days since he brought them to the elevator behind the opera house so realistically they haven't made much process yet, but he is hopeful. At the question, the Iudex brings a gloved hand to his chin in thought as he mulls over such a possibility. ]

...Such a scenario cannot be ruled out. The Fortress is as big as a city, with several abandoned zones and arkhium mine shafts. Even the most thorough search might miss something, whether by mistake or by malicious intent.

[ For example, if Childe was brought to a part of the mine people didn't go to even before mining operations halted and one of the guards on the search team deliberately misled the others to prevent him from being found... he trusts Wriothesley fully, but it's entirely possible that someone working under him might have reason to get rid of the Harbinger. ]

I see. I suppose there is little to be done from here if he is still somehow within the Fortress, and the Traveler is best equipped to handling that specific scenario.

[ There's no point in worrying about an edge case that probably has not occurred. It was best to assume that Tartaglia had succeeded in whatever he had planned to do and was where he wanted to be.

Though that brought about its own questions. ]

Should we focus our attention outward then?

Tartaglia was as loyal as they come. And from my discussions with the man, did not take many vacations outside of Snezhnaya. If he did manage to leave the Fortress but not return to the Fatui, then perhaps finding why he chose to come Fontaine in the first place would be the most illuminating about his current whereabouts.

Yes. I believe that is the best course of action. [ Neuvillette nods, extending his gloved hand toward Zhongi once more. ]

Although that wasn't the correct memory, I believe we were on the right track. So let's continue the search whenever you are ready.

[ Thanks to the flow of Geo helping him chart a course through the vast sea of memories, he had found the memory belonging to one of the three individuals involved in the specific conversation they're after—what might've otherwise been akin to finding a specific grain of sand on the shore now feels entirely possible to locate as long as they do not give up. As soon as Zhongli puts his fingers around his hand, the Chief Justice steps back toward the fountain, causing its waters to brighten to a blinding white a second time as the metaphorical tide pulls them back into the deep.

An indistinguishable blur of emotions and memories swirls through him a second time as he dives deeper, moving to the rhythm of the water and the pulse of Geo. He finds a memory; another irrelevant one, of Lumine doing some mundane task for the Adventurers' Guild. He does not let go of Zhongli's hand and moves onward to the next one without interrupting the session. The next one belongs to Childe as he steps onto the coastal elevator at one of Fontaine's harbors to enter the nation.

A few more irrelevant memories belonging to either Lumine, Paimon, or Childe play out before their eyes—this goes on for maybe twenty minutes in total, before they finally find the right one, seen from Childe's point of view. They learn of Childe's Vision malfunction and that he's been in a terrible mood every now and then, and that he fell into the Abyss when he was a boy, where he met someone named Skirk.

"Because I had awakened "it," and traces of "it" remained on me. She said that all my combat training would be useful in the future."
"But what is "it"? What did you awaken?"
"She never explained that, but my guess is that it's related to a dream I saw when I had just fallen into that abyss. In my dream, I was in the deepest depths of the sea, and the boundless seabed was all around me. But in front of me appeared a whale that was so massive I felt like I couldn't breathe." ]

[ At first, Zhongli finds the memories of Lumine, Paimon, and Childe to be quite soothing. He has not seen his friends for quite some time and to see and know they are doing well warms his heart. That even though they are apart, they are writing their own tales and spreading their own wings to take flight to heights that only few can aspire to. He even chuckles a little at Childe's insistence on challenging Clorinde to a duel and the Traveler and Paimon helping a young artist unhappy with the Adventure's Guild puzzles strewn across Fontaine.

Zhongli is not an impatient man, but a sense of urgency wells up within him when he sees Childe call out to the Traveler outside of the blacksmith. Ah, it seems they are getting closer to unravel one more thread of this mystery!

But the information they find is quite, well, shocking to say the least. To hear that Childe's vision is mysteriously malfunctioning— what does that mean for him as Zhongli himself had heard few instances of Celestia recalling a boon from their chosen considering the benefits they reaped from it in the end. To hear that Childe had fallen into the Abyss at such a young age, awakened some sort of creature that likened to his constellation burning in the sky, and had been forged into a weapon long before the Tsaritsa had ever taken him under her wing is solemn news indeed. Not anything anyone would guess with his usual carefree demeanor. ... And Zhongli had only added to the list of difficulties with their encounter in Liyue.

It's— a lot. And there's a tingling sense of something within Zhongli, an emotion he only recently started making time for in his life. (Guilt. The emotion is guilt.) These were Childe's secrets entrusted to the Traveler and Paimon and they were viewing them in a very unconventional and prying manor. Even if it was for hopefully Childe's own good.

And the overall question remains. What does "it" have to do with Childe's current disappearance, though Zhongli's mind is already racing with the potential possibilities. ]

Monsieur Neuvillette...

[ He says after a long pause, brows knitted together. ]

Have you heard of such a whale before?

[ Well. That was... interesting to say the least, and in the span of thirty minutes Neuvillette has uncovered a veritable treasure trove of information more valuable than anything else he's found during his investigation. He'd wondered about that surge of Abyssal energy he felt in the courtroom back then as he moved to stop Childe from completing that disgusting transformation of his (anything that comes to out of the Abyss is highly corrosive to his kind—he still remembers that cut across his cheek and how it had felt as though toxic sludge clung to his face for nearly an hour after the cut itself had healed) and where a human had learned to use such a power; it seems that Tartaglia must've learned it during the time he spent in the Abyss. Perhaps it was taught to him by this Skirk.

But more importantly, they've learned about this "it" and a mysterious whale. The fountain dims, the water returning to normal, and he turns to Zhongli with a shake of his head. ]

Nothing matching what Tartaglia described comes to mind, and no whales have ever been sighted in Fontaine's waters. [ The closest thing to a whale would be the behemoth-sized Elynas, but he has been dead for over four centuries and his remains are now home to the Melusines. There is a pause as he follows this line of thought. If this whale has left the Abyss but hasn't been seen in Fontaine, and Childe came here to find his master and the whale that haunted his dreams... ]

...Perhaps it lives in the depths of the Primordial Sea.

The Primordial Sea—

[ It was a location that had been thrown around heavily in recent issues of the Steambird considering all that had happened with Marcel's trial. Waters capable of dissolving anyone from Fontaine was rather a terrifying prospect after all. Theoretically, it should be accessible from somewhere in Fontaine, but for very practical reasons that had been kept a secret from the general populace (or so Zhongli assumed. That is what he would have done as Rex Lapis anyway).

Good things that Monsieur Neuvillette was not part of the general populace. ]

Do you know if the Fortress of Meropide somehow connects to the Primordial Sea? Perhaps that is why we've not seen him appear in more conventional places after his disappearance.

[ And since Childe was from Snezhnaya, that means he should be immune to the effects of the water. But ah, Zhongli can't imagine it's good for anyone to linger in such a place for too long, Fontainian or no. ]

[ Normally, Neuvillette might've been more hesitant to share such information—Wriothesley trusts him not to share information confided in him, after all—but given current circumstances, he decides to speak: ]

...It's highly likely. Wriothesley told me that the Fortress was originally built by exiles to guard Egeria's secret underneath the waves, which he speculated to be an entrance to the Primordial Sea.

[ The sluice gate. He and Wriothesley had talked about it several times over tea and he had given updates on the needle slowing inching away from its original position after it had been unmoving since he took up the position as administrator and saw the forbidden area below his new office space for the first time. And that it's very likely that the waters will break through the gate in the near future, if his theory is true. ]

A year ago, the concentration of Primordial Seawater in the waters around the Fortress started increasing. [ His brow knits slightly, the note of concern evident in his voice. ]

Given that the water has to come from somewhere, an opening must have formed somewhere on the sea floor. One that might be big enough for an adult man to fit through.

[ Wriothesley would've known if someone broke into his office, and Childe couldn't possibly have gotten past the sluice gate even if he got into the forbidden zone without being seen. So a different route to the ancient sea below Fontaine is more probable, if that's where he went. ]

Egeria...

[ Zhongli gets lost in his own memories for a brief moment, remembering his dear friend from times of old. Even among the Archons, her reign came with its own tragedy. Not only was there the prophecy to contend with (one that Zhongli does not know how he would handle if something similar was ever leveled against Liyue) but Celestia seemed particular stubborn on keeping her actions under their careful scrutiny.

Up until that time where the Archons could not ignore.

What had her final thoughts been as she passed away in the Cataclysm, returning to the waters from whence she came. ]

It seems that many things are starting to converge here in Fontaine.

[ Understandable since the Traveler's arrival heralded change for every nation that she visited. ]

Assuming that to be true, considering the very crime that Childe was found guilty of, does that not mean all of those who are held within the Fortress could potentially be in danger? That there is potentially a leak that has escaped notice up until now.

[ Convicts or not, it seems rather cruel to trap Fontainians there knowing that the increase in Primordial Seawater could potentially dissolve them. But perhaps in these turbulent times, there was just no safe place to be found. ]

As long as a leak is outside the building itself, the prisoners aren't in immediate danger.

[ Even Primordial Seawater cannot simply get into a building designed to be waterproof and that has never seen a leakage in its long history. However... ]

But if the sluice gate at the bottom of the Fortress were to fall, all of Fontaine will fall with it.

[ He says, looking up at the night sky—or more specifically, in the direction of Celestia—with a pensive expression. He knows that in the near future, it will be up to him to stop the tide from swallowing their citizens once the sluice gate is no longer able to hold it back. But this will only buy them time, nothing more; as long as his full power remains in the hands of the usurpers, anything he does can only delay the inevitable. ]

[ Curiouser and curiouser.

Since that catastrophe 500 years ago, Celestia had made itself mostly a silent observer to life on Teyvat. Zhongli remembers the days back near the end of the Archon War where that place and its "blessings" were discussed often even among mortals. He remembers the tales of brave and strong Vernessa (one of Venti's favorites) ascending, and how the people of Mondstadt reveled in such a tale even a thousand years later.

But now, Celestia seemed to be no more than a quiet relic in the sky, often overshadowed by the many marvels of the various countries. After all, who had time to look up when so much was happening down on the earth below?

(Neuvillette does. But somehow that makes more sense than if he did not.) ]

Does that also fall within the Fortress's jurisdiction? If so—

[ Red tape ties their hands yet again? Well, rules were made for a reason and the prison's autonomy seemed to be an important one. But unless they could somehow exchange information with those in the Fortress, what else can they do with this information? ]

The Traveler knows as much as we do and has a way of getting to know the right people. We could send a correspondence to her, but chances are we might be telling her things that she already knows.

If it is outside the fortress, is there no way for us to investigate it personally?

[ Neuvillette's gaze lingers on that floating island for a few seconds before he turns his attention back to the other man, adjusting the grip on his cane slightly as he responds. ]

Unfortunately, it takes at least two weeks for a letter to reach an inmate. Furthermore, most incoming and outgoing mail to and from the Fortress are checked by staff, and what I've told you is currently considered confidential.

[ In other words, there isn't a lot from their conversation they're having that they could actually write in his hypothetical correspondence and even if confidentiality wasn't an issue the slow delivery would likely render the information rendered useless by the time it reaches its intended recipient. His fingers tighten minutely around the handle in frustration; they've come up with a plausible theory for where the Harbinger went but their ability to pass it on is held back by secrecy rules and the sheer inefficiency of the mail delivery system. ]

I will arrange to deploy underwater meka in the Liffey region tomorrow. They'll survey the terrain around the Fortress for any irregularities such as openings in the sea floor; if they find anything, I'll let you know and we will work out the next step from there.

[ As for what this next step might be, he isn't sure yet. Some kind of rescue operation, maybe—but they would have to carry it out themselves, because he's not going to send any of his and Furina's citizens into the ancient sea below. ]

[ Zhongli listens carefully, nodding his agreement to Neuvillette's next course of action. All things considered, even with this new information, he cannot say they are worse off than they were before. At least the reasoning behind everything was slowly starting to come into focus even if nothing could be done about it presently.

The Fortress itself would have to be left in the hands of the Traveler and the friend of the Chief Justice — both of who seemed capable of the task. The Court of Fontaine would handle the scenario of if the breach existed outside of the underwater prison. Which left nothing for Zhongli to do except wait for things to unfold. Understandable, and he could be patient enough to wait, but still—

Still perhaps there was one thing he could do. ]

You have my thanks though I know it is not needed.

In the meantime, I will write a letter to a few friends and prior associates who might have a better idea of whatever it was that was calling out to Master Tartaglia in the event that we are forced to confront it directly. Perhaps they know something that we do not.

[ While they had yet to meet in person, Zhongli had sent a few correspondences to the Goddess of Wisdom upon hearing from the Traveler that she had been freed from her unfortunate circumstances and was now taking a more active role in guiding Sumeru. The chances that the being was from the Abyss or something otherworldly entirely was high, meaning that Irminsul may not have any information on it at all. But still— any bit of knowledge could be useful in the coming days.

Would Alice write a return letter to her Liyue travel guide as well if kindly prompted? Well, there was really only one way to find out. ]

Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

You have my thanks as well, Monsieur Zhongli. [ Neuvillette gives the other man a slight dip of his head to convey his gratitude. ] I will let you know posthaste if your assistance is needed for anything.

[ As much as he finds the ex-archon's presence in Fontaine to be a source of irritation, he is now immensely thankful to have him around—his assistance has proven valuable and if he hadn't come here to stick his nose in foreign affairs, Neuvillette is certain he would be wasting his time chasing dead ends at this very moment and not have made any meaningful progress in his investigation.

He files away a mental note to tell Sedene that Zhongli is to be given the earliest possible timeslot and to rearrange his other meetings if necessary, should he come to the Palais with valuable information from those friends and associates of his. ]

...I'm starting to think that perhaps the Oratrice sensed whatever "it" is on Tartaglia and returned a guilty verdict to prompt me into investigating.

[ That statement gives Zhongli pause, his brows furrowing slightly as he looks back toward the fountain's waters. As one of the least technologically advanced nations of the seven, the idea that a machine could make such decisions is— well unsettling for Zhongli as much as he tries to embrace the ever changing world through his very stubborn nature. ]

Are you implying that the Oratrice may have come to develop some sort of sentience?

[ Zhongli is not sure of the origin of the Oratrice just as there is a sense of— something he cannot place regarding the construction of the Akasha. Deja vu, one might call it. Maybe even superstitious.

One thing he does know that Neuvillette is not the creator. Logically, that would make Lady Furina it's creator (as seems to be the common thought among the people of Fontaine), but Zhongli had never met an engineer who was neither proud of their work and intellect or willing to explain at length every detail of its composition. Lady Furina seemed to be neither — seeing the Oratrice as a mere tool and not being any more curious beyond that. Perhaps that was just a facet of her showmanship that she liked to flaunt at court. But still, it seemed more of a hassle to act so indifferent to it especially in light of current events.

Was it a construct of the original Hyrdo Archon's then? Perhaps complete or perhaps something half-finished that the successor finished without full understanding of the underlying work done. That seemed to be the most logical conclusion considering Egeria was attuned to life more than anyone else Zhongli has ever known. Perhaps from that vantage point, newborn sentience was not an impossible feat. But the thought is a bit chilling all the same that some other third party may have sentenced his friend to quite an unfortunate fate. A rebuttal sits on the tip of Zhongli's tongue, ready to debate how such practices are not within the spirit of fairness or justice as the Harbinger is not to blame for that either. But it seems like a moot point at the moment, all things considered. The Oratice had made its choice and the world had kept on moving. It's only because Tartaglia is Tartaglia that he has managed to—

Well, they're not sure what Childe has managed to do, have they? ]

Edited (clarification that Zhongli is making a bad assumption) 2024-01-08 01:29 (UTC)

Yes. [ Neuvillette nods, folding his arms across his chest. ] For many years, I have been quite aware that it likely possesses self-awareness.

[ He has presided over tens of thousands of trial over the past several centuries and observed how the Oratrice responds to the proceedings as they unfold; when one side of a trial presents their version of events or points out a flaw in the opposition's reasoning, the scales will tip towards the side it currently favors. Those who aren't familiar with it or have only watched a few trials may think it's merely designed to parse certain keywords (that's how the gardemeks follow verbal commands given to them; they do not comprehend human speech beyond their programming) or that it's attuned to tip its scales in accordance to what the audience and the judge are feeling, being a representation of the people's faith in justice. But on rare occasions, it doesn't behave as expected—he's presided over trials where it suddenly tips to the opposition even though one side made a seemingly flawless argument.

Seemingly being the operative word here. In those cases, it was as though it had picked up on a contradiction that neither the prosecution nor the defense had realized at the time. As though it's drawing its own conclusions based on the information presented and trying to communicate that one of the puzzle pieces in a case doesn't quite fit in with the rest. That and Tartagalia's verdict suggest something beyond the limitations of a machine that only follows preprogrammed instructions. ]

Lyney, the defendant in the other case the Traveler was involved in, allegedly heard a voice from the room where the Oratrice's core is stored.

[ A brief pause. ]

But it's possible that it was an auditory hallucination caused by exposure to Indemnitium; I heard nothing when I went down there to investigate.

[ He had spent nearly thirty minutes talking to no one, asking various questions in an attempt to prompt it into saying something. But all he was met with was an eerie silence and a sense of nausea, likely caused by being in the immediate vicinity of a large stockpile of Indemnitium. If Lyney wasn't lying or imagining this voice, did it simply not want to speak to him? But why? ]

[ Ah. Well who would know better about the workings of the Oratrice than the Chief Justice himself (outside of the nation's archon)? No one, of course. But Zhongli does not know if he should be concerned that Neuvillette does not seem bothered by this information.

Curious.

Curious in the fact that Neuvillette did not hear the Oratrice core speak when another defendant did. It could be an auditory hallucination as suggested, but what if certain conditions needed to be met in order for the Oratrice to have a voice. This whole affair would be so much simpler if they could just determine what the machine was trying to do in declaring Childe guilty.

... Perhaps there was a way— ]

Are private trials allowed in Fontaine or by definition are they required to be open to the public?

[ At the question, Neuvillette lifts an eyebrow and cants his head slightly to the side in mild confusion; that came out of nowhere, what does this have to do with the Oratrice's sentience and supposed capacity for speech? ]

The majority of legal proceedings are public and anyone can attend, but there are some instances where trials are held behind closed doors—cases involving confidential information, for example, but it's also sometimes done to protect the integrity of sex crime victims and child victims.

[ Or to maintain the safety of court personel and witnesses when a case involves organized crime... Neuvillette could explain at length about all the potential reasons to exclude the public, but opts to keep his explanation brief so Zhongli can tell him where he's going with this question. ]

Perhaps this is not a feasible proposition—

[ And it is a very long shot. Bending the definition of a trial to the very limits of its definition, especially in a country with such sharp and defined rules as Fontaine. ]

But is it possible to put "it" on trial for the same crime as Master Tartaglia was found guilty of and see what verdict the Oratrice decides?

I know the request is rather unconventional— having no defendant present, a private trial, and with very little evidence to make our case. Do you think the Oratrice would place judgement on such a trial?

[ Uncrossing his arms, Neuvillette considers this for several moments. Now that's an interesting proposition, one he hadn't considered; technically speaking, it is allowed under the law. A trial can be held in absentia in certain circumstances, and this is a nation where a tree can be sued for blocking the sun so "it" can certainly be tried in court as well. And as the case would involve confidential information pertaining to the Fortress of Meropide, there is grounds for excluding access to the public. ]

I would only consider that a legitimate trial in the loosest interpretation of the law. In ordinary circumstances, the Oratrice would simply issue a blank ticket with no verdict written on it.

[ It has happened a few times over the past centuries—cases so flimsy they never should have made it to the courtroom to begin with. Neuvillette would declare that no verdict can be rendered at this time, and the Oratrice would concur with the blank slip of paper. ]

But these are no ordinary circumstances. A trial may be our only way of getting something resembling an answer out of it, since it's either unable to or refuses to communicate through other means.

Edited 2024-01-09 21:05 (UTC)

[ That poor tree. What did it ever do (besides block out the sun, of course. And be unfortunate enough to be on land next to those who were shameless in their application of the law)? ]

In that case, there is little to lose, is there not? A blank verdict keeps us at the status quo while any answer might bring us closer to the mystery behind the Oratrice.

[ There are many other variables to consider such as prosecutor, defendant, and even if Neuvillete would be allowed to preside as judge over such a trial considering he is participating now in this investigation. In addition, any other person they bring in risks exposing what they have found and casting further doubt upon the Oratrice. Unfortunately, as an foreigner, Zhongli can offer little help in these regards which just means more work for their Chief Justice.

However, there is at least one thing he can offer his assistance and expertise with. ]

For "it" to go on trial, you will need an accuser to bring them to court, yes? If it convenient to do so, then I shall offer myself to fill that role and prepare any documentation as necessary.

[ For how different could the forms in Fontaine compared to Liyue? And Zhongli was no stranger to bureaucratic paperwork. ]

[ Neuvillette nods. In his capacity as the highest judge, he can't exactly say he likes the idea of allowing such a bogus trial to take place because it goes against the principle of the law, but the Oratrice is forcing him to resort to unconvential methods in his pursuit of an explanation to one of the many mysteries surrounding the Harbinger. ]

Excellent. I will handle everything else, then, and act as the prosecutor at the trial; the Iudex has always been expected to recuse themselves as judge for cases they're personally investigating.

[ A rule he will unerringly follow, even for what he could barely consider a trial. He's not entirely sure who should take the judge's seat in his stead, but he'll figure something out in the next couple of days as he makes preparations for the trial. ]

[ If Monsieur Neuvillette says that it will be done, then Zhongli has no doubt that the rest of the logistical details will fall into place by his careful hand. A small step — one that might not lead them anywhere. But a step taken is still one step further from the dead ends they had encountered previously.

Zhongli inclines his head in both appreciation and understanding: ]

Then with all our combined efforts—

[ His own. The Chief Justice's. The Traveler's. The rest of Fontaine. And yes, probably even Childe was up to something even if it was only to prove his own innocence. ]

I hope that a resolution that benefits all may come decidedly and swiftly.

[ Zhongli turns to the fountain waters one more time, admiring the sheen that they take under both the moonlight and the lingering elemental powers of someone very adapt at manipulating hydro. ]

Shall we continue any future preparations tomorrow?

[ Zhongli has to be well rested for his brand new job starting tomorrow, after all. ]

Yes. The hour is late and I believe we've accomplished all we can today; again, thank you for your assistance.

[ Truly, they've made a surprising amount of progress in the span of a single evening. Even if all they have is Childe's conversation with the Traveler and a theory based on what they've discussed, coming here was well worth it. Despite his personal dislike for the man, Neuvillette will admit that Zhongli has been very helpful in several ways and he's grateful for that.

The fountain of Lucine shimmers like liquid sapphires, the lingering Hydro pulsating outward like waves from a stone plopping into a pond; each time one such pulse intertwines with a golden mote of residual Geo, they coalesce into a Crystallize shard. One such shard seems to glow brighter than the others, as though beckoning for Zhongli to touch it. And the second he does, a memory from a long time ago washes over him like a tidal wave:

Who it belongs to is not immediately obvious as it's experienced in first person view, but it takes place on a summer day, the sky mottled with light cirrus clouds with the blue coming through here and there; their shadows marble the blue-pink grasslands that Watatsumi Island is known for. In the distance, Sangonomiya Shrine can be sighted, nestled in what looks like massive pink seashells.

The owner of the memory appears to be a young child, judging by their height in relation to the dark-haired woman they're trailing behind like a duck following its mother. Said woman is in her early thirties; she is dressed in clothes that were commonly worn by peasants in Inazuma around 600 to 700 years ago, and there is nothing remarkable about her appearance. If Zhongli is paying attention, he may notice that the hands and bare feet that occasionally come into view are covered in blue scales. The person who experienced this memory is not human.

A marketplace at the outskirts of Bourou Village comes into view, crowded by people noisily bargaining for fresh fish and squawking chickens. The woman stops to speak with another woman. A friend, perhaps. Their conversation blurs into white noise. A scaly hand tugs at the woman's sleeve; she turns and says "Mommy is talking, dear. Please be patient," before resuming her conversation.

The child quickly gets bored of listening and glances around for something to entertain themselves with. They spot a large puddle from last night's rain and walk over to it; that's when the reflection in the water reveals the child's identity. Neuvillette appears to be around six years old, with shoulder-length white hair and clothes too large for his small frame. Hand-me-downs from an older sibling or a cousin, maybe. With a splash, he drops down to his knees in the middle of the puddle and bends down to drink from it like a dog would.

In the background, the women's conversation can be heard more clearly:

"Your... child is drinking from a puddle. Again."

"I know. I've given up on trying to get him to stop; it's like trying to teach a cat to whistle. I don't know what I'm supposed to do with him."

"Return him to the youkai? Sooner or later they're going to come for their child, you know. And they're going to be furious at you for taking him, Sumire-san."

"For the last time, he came from my womb. I did not steal someone's youkai child." ]

[ Being able to draw memories from stone is not an ability that Zhongli ever had. He often wondered — as Azhdaha spoke so vividly of what he had seen— what such an ability would feel like. It was true that working with Monsieur Neuvillette meant that Zhongli experienced a taste of what that might be. But this.

This is something unintentional. Something deeply impersonal.

And while Zhongli does not feel guilty for having seen it, he does know that it was something that he should not have seen.

It also invites more questions than answers. Zhongli knows that Neuvillette is a long-lived species. Of what though — he is not exactly sure but nor does he consider himself an expert on all life in Teyvat. What he is an expert on, however, is history. And this is the story of a boy that is distinctly not mortal being born to a mortal woman. This is the story of a boy being purposefully born into obscurity in a nation far away before finding his way to Fontaine. This is the beginning of a legend. Such things are usually labeled miracles. They are products of fate.

And Zhongli knows first hand how cruel and unkind both things can be.

The quickly disintegrating crystal is shoved discreetly into his pocket, not because Zhongli believes he can hold onto such a memory, but because for some nagging reason he thinks it is best that Neuvillette does not know that he saw it. Despite their cooperation, there is something lurking underneath the surface of their interactions. Something that first Zhongli dismissed as disdain for a foreigner meddling in Fontaine affairs (of which Fontaine was both known for and very understandable considering the nature of the current political circumstances). But the longer that the two of them stayed together, the more Zhongli was convinced that it was something even more than that.

Zhongli clears his throat discreetly into his hand, turning to head back to the aquabus so that he might return to his hotel for the night. ]

Thank you again, Monsieur Neuvillette. I shall keep an ear out for your summons and let you know if I find out anything else that might be useful.