[ Tartaglia lingers just long enough for Zhongli's footsteps to fade (good, no one has attempted to obstruct him yet) before he turns and sprints in the direction of Lapis's new leaders to make up for lost time.
Preoccupied with the hunt, Tartaglia does not allow the encounter with the consultant to occupy another second of his thoughts. His pursuit is brutal, both for any guards that try to stop him and for the entourage themselves when he finally catches up. Yanfei herself will probably be in the hospital for many days, her life spared by a combination of Keqing's quick thinking and Xiao's acute martial prowess. It's been a long time since Tartaglia's own blood has been spilled, and he would have relished to see the fight come to a proper conclusion if not for Ganyu bringing reinforcements and her pinpoint accuracy with a firearm.
Tartaglia is forced to retreat with the bloodied book tucked under one arm. But his mission is successful and secured once he meets up with a group of Fatui Skirmishers who tangle with the reinforcements long enough for both sides to make a getaway. Pantalone is even mildly surprised at Tartaglia's success as he does his best not to get any blood spatter on his finely pressed suit.
And thus the all-out turf war between the Fatui and Rex Lapis begins.
Many hours later—
Ajax finds himself soaking in the tub, the purples and oranges of another beautiful Liyue sunrise filtering in through the distorted glass. He's been in here much too long, long enough that his skin is wrinkling from the water and the blood that he meant to rinse off has long since spiraled down the drain. One arm is propped up against the marble of the tub, self-bandaged around a nasty wound on his bicep. He should be feeling victorious and yet that lingering feeling of dread is still lodged in his throat. Not that Zhongli had not managed to make it out safely (a meandering backtrack through the halls had turned up no sign of the consultant before he met back up with the other Harbingers), but that he might not be so fortunate the next time.
But there was no way to even approach such a conversation with Zhongli because "Ajax" didn't know this information. Nor were they close enough for Ajax to even begin to entertain such an idea. At least not in any sort of straightforward manner.
He stares at the phone in his hand — opened to his conversation with Zhongli as it had been for the last half hour and finally begins to type: ]
Hey! Mister Zhongli~ Morning! Did you know Liyue has a chess museum? Well, not just for chess but for shogi and go and a whole bunch of games that I've never even heard of. I bet you have though. 😉 Want to go this weekend?
[ And then dumps the phone off the side of the tub with a distinct thud and submerges his head under the water completely.
no subject
Preoccupied with the hunt, Tartaglia does not allow the encounter with the consultant to occupy another second of his thoughts. His pursuit is brutal, both for any guards that try to stop him and for the entourage themselves when he finally catches up. Yanfei herself will probably be in the hospital for many days, her life spared by a combination of Keqing's quick thinking and Xiao's acute martial prowess. It's been a long time since Tartaglia's own blood has been spilled, and he would have relished to see the fight come to a proper conclusion if not for Ganyu bringing reinforcements and her pinpoint accuracy with a firearm.
Tartaglia is forced to retreat with the bloodied book tucked under one arm. But his mission is successful and secured once he meets up with a group of Fatui Skirmishers who tangle with the reinforcements long enough for both sides to make a getaway. Pantalone is even mildly surprised at Tartaglia's success as he does his best not to get any blood spatter on his finely pressed suit.
And thus the all-out turf war between the Fatui and Rex Lapis begins.
Many hours later—
Ajax finds himself soaking in the tub, the purples and oranges of another beautiful Liyue sunrise filtering in through the distorted glass. He's been in here much too long, long enough that his skin is wrinkling from the water and the blood that he meant to rinse off has long since spiraled down the drain. One arm is propped up against the marble of the tub, self-bandaged around a nasty wound on his bicep. He should be feeling victorious and yet that lingering feeling of dread is still lodged in his throat. Not that Zhongli had not managed to make it out safely (a meandering backtrack through the halls had turned up no sign of the consultant before he met back up with the other Harbingers), but that he might not be so fortunate the next time.
But there was no way to even approach such a conversation with Zhongli because "Ajax" didn't know this information. Nor were they close enough for Ajax to even begin to entertain such an idea. At least not in any sort of straightforward manner.
He stares at the phone in his hand — opened to his conversation with Zhongli as it had been for the last half hour and finally begins to type: ]
Hey! Mister Zhongli~ Morning! Did you know Liyue has a chess museum? Well, not just for chess but for shogi and go and a whole bunch of games that I've never even heard of. I bet you have though. 😉 Want to go this weekend?
[ And then dumps the phone off the side of the tub with a distinct thud and submerges his head under the water completely.
Ugh. What was he supposed to do? ]