[ Yes. Good. Praise Ajax more. He basks in it like a cat rolling around in a sunbeam. It's warm— warmer than the icy pride the Tsarista has for her youngest Vanguard. Warmer than his parents' thanks as he puts food on the table with a smile even if in hushed whispers they doubted the credibility of his occupation. Could a toy salesman (even the world's finest as Teucer liked to proclaim) earn that much? (No. No they could not.) Not quite as warm as the unending affection he has for his siblings and his siblings for him, but—
Zhongli's warmth was dangerous in its intensity. In how it quickly had caught Ajax's attention. If not for the fact that he had approached Zhongli first (and the crushing, er, stalking capabilities of a talented hitman like himself), Tartaglia would certainly doubt its authenticity on principal. But oh, lucky for him, that Zhongli had turned out to be exactly as presented — an old fashioned old soul of a funeral parlor worker.
Childe grins like a student who was just told they received full marks on their test: ]
A student is as only good as their teacher.
[ The words are corny, cliche and predictable— yet Ajax offers them eagerly anyway because the feedback loop the two of them have found themselves in. Flattery for praise in an endless circle even if it was obvious how much more thirstily Ajax drank from their interactions.
And speaking of corny and cliche—
With the next piece of vegetable clutched within the grasp of slightly trembling chopsticks, Ajax lifts it up to Zhongli's mouth so that he might taste the fruits of his teachings. Quite literally, in fact. ]
no subject
Zhongli's warmth was dangerous in its intensity. In how it quickly had caught Ajax's attention. If not for the fact that he had approached Zhongli first (and the crushing, er, stalking capabilities of a talented hitman like himself), Tartaglia would certainly doubt its authenticity on principal. But oh, lucky for him, that Zhongli had turned out to be exactly as presented — an old fashioned old soul of a funeral parlor worker.
Childe grins like a student who was just told they received full marks on their test: ]
A student is as only good as their teacher.
[ The words are corny, cliche and predictable— yet Ajax offers them eagerly anyway because the feedback loop the two of them have found themselves in. Flattery for praise in an endless circle even if it was obvious how much more thirstily Ajax drank from their interactions.
And speaking of corny and cliche—
With the next piece of vegetable clutched within the grasp of slightly trembling chopsticks, Ajax lifts it up to Zhongli's mouth so that he might taste the fruits of his teachings. Quite literally, in fact. ]
See for yourself.