Ajax stops by the empty chess tables on the way home from dropping Teucer off at school, taking a seat on his side (arrogant to call it such when he'd only claimed it the one time) and painstakingly replaces all the pieces back to their starting positions. Narwhal curls at his feet, sensing the melancholy in his owner's mood and knows quiet companionship is what the other needs right now. Ajax is not waiting. He's not. It's not like he expects Zhongli to show. He'd actually be upset if the consultant tried to carry on as if nothing happened. Normal people weren't supposed to get tangled in that kind of bloodshed. But restless hands and a more restless mind turn useless worrying thoughts over and over in his head until they become a slurry of doubt— something that is so very unlike him.
Zhongli is fine. Zhongli had texted him back. It's better if Zhongli is somewhere resting. Somewhere safe and away from all this. So Ajax needs to be patient. Ajax needs to wait until the weekend. Then he can make sure that he's okay.
When he arrives at "work" later that day, Her Majesty knows just what to do to take the edge off. Each night, he's paired off with Harbinger after Harbinger, Regrator and Pulcinella using Yanfei's book to pinpoint where the Fatui had gained unfair ground and dialing up that pressure to eleven. It's an explosion of aggressive tactics to turn those resources into defecting to the Fatui by either handsome bribes or removing their leaders by force. And the Vanguard, Her Majesty's blade is oh so ever useful for the latter task, and he is so proud to serve her. A section of the Black Market in the Harbor and a pocket of influence in the affluent Feiyun Slope fall to the Fatui. The tension between the two factions builds like dry kindling, a single spark ready to set off an explosion.
Yet each night in the thrill of adrenaline (where Tartaglia always hopes that the leaders will say no instead of accept Regrator's bribes), the Eleventh keeps his eyes peeled for a certain consultant or any other affiliate from Wangsheng. As he's re-wrapping the still messy wound on his arm late into Friday evening, he breathes a sigh of relief that he didn't see or hear a trace of them. A small blessing in this tumultuous time. The Fatui cannot sustain such an aggressive maneuver for long. The syndicate is well known for weathering any conflict through attrition, bleeding the opponents dry before delivering the final purging deathblow. And with them now on the defensive, it would be an even greater force to deal with.
He should be thrilled with the challenge (he is), thrilled at the chance to get one more shot at Rex Lapis (he's over at the moon at a second opportunity). But all he wants today after such a grueling week is to pick up the order of shortbread cookies and a single silkflower accented by violetgrass (meant to be pinned to a lapel like a boutonniere to not interfere with their museum tour) and see Zhongli.
He really really wants to see Zhongli.
Ajax arrives fifteen minutes earlier to their appointed second date, appearing to casually lounge on a stone bench out front while he waits for Zhongli to arrive. ]
no subject
[ And so the week rolls on.
Ajax stops by the empty chess tables on the way home from dropping Teucer off at school, taking a seat on his side (arrogant to call it such when he'd only claimed it the one time) and painstakingly replaces all the pieces back to their starting positions. Narwhal curls at his feet, sensing the melancholy in his owner's mood and knows quiet companionship is what the other needs right now. Ajax is not waiting. He's not. It's not like he expects Zhongli to show. He'd actually be upset if the consultant tried to carry on as if nothing happened. Normal people weren't supposed to get tangled in that kind of bloodshed. But restless hands and a more restless mind turn useless worrying thoughts over and over in his head until they become a slurry of doubt— something that is so very unlike him.
Zhongli is fine. Zhongli had texted him back. It's better if Zhongli is somewhere resting. Somewhere safe and away from all this. So Ajax needs to be patient. Ajax needs to wait until the weekend. Then he can make sure that he's okay.
When he arrives at "work" later that day, Her Majesty knows just what to do to take the edge off. Each night, he's paired off with Harbinger after Harbinger, Regrator and Pulcinella using Yanfei's book to pinpoint where the Fatui had gained unfair ground and dialing up that pressure to eleven. It's an explosion of aggressive tactics to turn those resources into defecting to the Fatui by either handsome bribes or removing their leaders by force. And the Vanguard, Her Majesty's blade is oh so ever useful for the latter task, and he is so proud to serve her. A section of the Black Market in the Harbor and a pocket of influence in the affluent Feiyun Slope fall to the Fatui. The tension between the two factions builds like dry kindling, a single spark ready to set off an explosion.
Yet each night in the thrill of adrenaline (where Tartaglia always hopes that the leaders will say no instead of accept Regrator's bribes), the Eleventh keeps his eyes peeled for a certain consultant or any other affiliate from Wangsheng. As he's re-wrapping the still messy wound on his arm late into Friday evening, he breathes a sigh of relief that he didn't see or hear a trace of them. A small blessing in this tumultuous time. The Fatui cannot sustain such an aggressive maneuver for long. The syndicate is well known for weathering any conflict through attrition, bleeding the opponents dry before delivering the final purging deathblow. And with them now on the defensive, it would be an even greater force to deal with.
He should be thrilled with the challenge (he is), thrilled at the chance to get one more shot at Rex Lapis (he's over at the moon at a second opportunity). But all he wants today after such a grueling week is to pick up the order of shortbread cookies and a single silkflower accented by violetgrass (meant to be pinned to a lapel like a boutonniere to not interfere with their museum tour) and see Zhongli.
He really really wants to see Zhongli.
Ajax arrives fifteen minutes earlier to their appointed second date, appearing to casually lounge on a stone bench out front while he waits for Zhongli to arrive. ]