Chapter Text
All things considered, it should’ve been a typical day for Childe. Wake up, get breakfast, head to the bank, beat up people with debts, pine after bother Lumine for a bit until he got her pissed off enough to spar him, take her out to dinner, rinse and repeat. It had been routine for a while, considering he couldn’t cause too much trouble in Liyue, he knew he was already on thin ice as it was with the citizens. Despite how it may appear, he didn’t like random people cowering away from a conversation with him because they’ll fear he’ll slit their throats. Enemies yes, random people he’s just trying to buy dinner from, no thank you.
That was beside the point however, the first strange thing occurred just as he woke up in his hotel room. He actually slept in for once, staying out a bit too late after getting a bit wasted on some Snezhnayaian firewater sent from home. Childe very much regretted this decision, considering now he had a raging headache.
Pulling himself out of bed, he lazily got dressed, knowing no one dared yelled at him for showing up late, reaching to grab his mask on his nightstand to finish his uniform. Simply to be met with an empty space where his mask would usually lay, “What in the Tsarista….”
He could’ve sworn he put it on his nightstand like always last night. He didn’t think he was so drunk he wouldn’t remember losing it if he did. He groaned to himself, hopefully, he just left it at the bank or something, Ekaterina would’ve held onto it if that was the case.
It was a quick trip to the bank, despite him trying to act normal, he couldn't help but be a little concerned something he always had on him could’ve gone missing so easily, “That’s the last time I’m drinking for a while if this is what happens”, he muttered to himself as he entered the bank. “Ah, Master Childe, you had a visitor here earlier,” Ekaterina stated, bowing respectfully in his direction. “And they didn’t wait around?”
“They introduced themselves as your sister Tonia.” Tonia? He thought she was more responsible than Teucer was, what was she doing in Liyue? “She had your mask on her head, I’m assuming you lent it to her?”
“I couldn’t find my mask this morning. I wasn’t even aware that Tonia was in Liyue,” he stated, and even behind the mask, he could tell Ekaterina’s eyes widened in alarm. “She said that you were already aware of her arrival and that she sent you to get some funds for Mr. Zhongli.” That immediately set off alarm bells in Childe’s head; he’s never mentioned Zhongli in his letters before. “What did she look like?” He asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. “Ten to twelve? Ginger hair, just like yours Master Childe. Dutch braided with your mask sitting on the head where you usually keep it. Though now that I think about it, I think I also saw a feather stuck behind one of her ears, similar to the Traveler’s.” Ekaterina commented, “Anything else?” He asked, that sounded a bit like his sister, besides the feather thing. “Amber eyes, freckles, and a Sneznayan Anemo vision hanging from her neck.”
“Ekaterina…..Tonia’s eyes are blue. None of my family members have amber eyes.” Ekaterina’s mouth opened in shock, before quickly closing and seeming flustered, “I am so sorry Master Childe, I just assumed, she looked so much like you and had your mask, I had no reason to doubt her!” Chile could only put his hand up to his face in exasperation, annoyed, but he couldn’t exactly blame her. Whoever this girl was, they seemed to know an awful lot about his family to impersonate his sister and fool his employees. “How long ago did this girl leave?”
“Not long, only like half an hour ago,” Ekaterina stated, and Childe pretended to not notice her shaking. “I'm going after this girl. She has my mask and information about my family. I don’t want to believe that she could be a child spy but it’s looking like a possibility. Hold down the fort while I’m gone.”
“Of course Master Childe, it’s the least I can do after my mistake. Take care.”
Lumine would like to make it known she was having a fairly alright day. Her daily commissions weren’t too bad, taking out a few hilichurls, running around doing a few chores, reported to Katherine, all was fine and dandy. Then a battle-hungry Harbinger appeared in her path, looking frazzled as she’s ever seen him, bedhead and his mask missing. Lumine elected to ignore how unfairly attractive his bedhead was because of said reason of being unfair and frankly, she didn’t want to think about the jerk being attractive. “Lumi, just the person I need. Have you seen a little ginger-haired girl, apparently looks like me, wearing my mask?”
“.....no?” He muttered what Lumine was 99% sure were Snehnayan curses under his breath, “Why?”
“Some little girl was pretending to be my sister Tonia and took out a big sum from the bank for Mr. Zhongli-”
“Then why haven’t you gone to Zhongli to check if he was her excuse?” Lumine interrupted, for which Childe seemed to be momentarily stunned. “I didn’t….think of that?” He said awkwardly, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else than discussing his own stupidity with her. “Parlor is just round the corner, maybe the girl is there.” Lumine replied, feeling unusually helpful. She couldn’t deny being curious as to whoever pretended to be Childe’s sister, and this was the most interesting thing to happen so far today, so why not?
“Thanks for the help girlie, now come on,” he said, grabbing her hand and rushing towards the Parlor, “Childe! I can walk on my own thank you very much!”
“No time printsessa, you’re in this now and I’m not willing to waste any time with my family’s safety possibly on the line.” He replied, a low growl in his voice at the possibility of anyone hurting his family. Lumine also elected to ignore how that tone of voice made her feel, or the fact he grabbed her hand and was pulling her along. That was future Lumine’s problem, she can deal with all the traitorous emotions, right now, Lumine had a feeling she wasn’t getting out of finding this little girl.
Childe threw open the doors to the funeral parlor to find Zhongli sitting on a couch across from the entrance, drinking tea and chatting with a little girl who perfectly matched Ekaterina’s description, mask included. “Zhongli, can you please explain to me why you are sitting with a girl who seemingly stole my mask and impersonated my sister?” He tried to keep his voice calm, but he was a bit at his limit with the worry about his family’s safety being compromised. The little girl stared at him, amber eyes wide as she stared at him before seeming to realize something, “Shit.” She suddenly spoke, to the shock of everyone else in the room.
“Langauge Aster” Zhongli chided, sipping his tea once more, “Gavno?” She supplied instead, seeming guilty. “That still means shit,” Childe deadpanned, giving the girl a look of disappointment to see someone so young cursing. “Fuck, no wait, I’m sorry, GRANDPA I CAN’T DO THIS!” The girl suddenly cried, starting to tear up. “What is even going on?” Lumine asked, suddenly appearing at Childe’s side. Looking and now seeing the little girl start to tear up, “Childe, did you make that girl cry?” She spoke with a sense of calm that leaves you more in dread than any anger could ever manage, “I didn’t mean to! She just started cursing, I scolded her, and then she called Zhongli grandpa-” Childe cut himself off. “Zhongli, why is that girl calling you grandpa?” The girl seemingly froze in alarm and looked at Zhongli, putting on the biggest puppy dog eyes Childe’s ever seen (even Teucer can’t compare to those, and he’s his baby brother!), “She is not my biological granddaughter.” Zhongli spoke slowly, “She just….seems to see me as one.”
“Do you even know her?” Lumine asked incredulously, seeming to find this situation more and more ridiculous, “No. But I apparently will,” He spoke with a glint in his eye. Lumine recognized that glint, Venti often had it when he was about to fuck with everyone around him. Lumine had never seen that look in Zhongli’s eyes before and suddenly felt very, very afraid. “I uh…..I fell through an abyss portal and um…ended up here,” the little girl spoke, “I know Daddy said not to go near it but I was so curious! I wanted to be a great adventurer just like him and Mommy! I fell through and it was dark and scary but Uncle was there! He led me through the scary place and I ended up in Liyue!”
Lumine blinked, “Why would um…your Uncle be in a scary place through an abyss portal?” Lumine did not like where this was going if her suspicions were correct, “I’m not too sure actually…he didn’t seem to recognize me at first, but then I told him ALLLLL about Mommy and Daddy, and how they were waiting for him to get back from his trip from Fountaine with Auntie Keqing! How he said he was gonna give me souvenirs and stuff!"
“Keqing isn’t with anyone to my knowledge….” Lumine spoke slowly, trying to figure this out and really not liking where this was going.
The girl seemed confused, “Is this before…?” She looked to Zhongli, who nodded, “Ohhhh…..”
“Will someone please explain what is happening? And why you pretended to be my sister?” Childe said, seemingly frustrated at how absolutely nothing was making sense. The girl gave him a deadpan look, “Well I couldn’t exactly tell Ms. Front Desk Lady, “Hi! I’m your boss's future daughter and I need Mora while I wait for another creepy portal to come take me away back home so I don’t starve!”
A moment passed. Then another. Then another. The only sound was Zhongli sipping tea, watching the drama unfold in front of him like it was some sort of soap opera. Childe finally seemed to collect his thoughts while Lumine suddenly grew pale in the face, “What?!” He asked, his voice much higher pitched than normal, while Lumine kept whispering “No no no no no” under her breath, trying to not freak out at what she was starting to piece together. The little girl giggled, falling back against the couch, looking at them with those bright amber eyes, “Nice to meet you, Daddy! And Mommy too of course! I always wanted to see what you two were like before I was around, so I guess I got my wish!” She smiled the brightest goddamn smile possible at them, “Now if you’ll excuse me, Grandpa, Momma, Daddy, I need to go terrorize Auntie Paimon while I'm here! Haven’t banned me from doing so here yet!” She was laughing as she activated her Anemo vision, jumping above their headings, shrieks of joy sailing above, and out the door, she went, like she didn’t just upend their entire world.
“.....I think I need to lay down a bit,” Lumine meekly spoke, before summoning her teapot and vanishing inside, leaving a shocked Childe behind to deal with the mess.
Zhongli sipped his tea, and he knew he didn’t have to go to the opera house today, for all his entertainment would be right at his doorstep, as soon as little Aster appeared at the Parlor’s doorstep. “I think you may want to go after little Aster,” He helpfully commented, “She was apparently quite the handful before she got here. Apparently was terrorizing the local children with her ‘wind blades’, trying to see if they could cut through wooden boxes where other children were hiding from her.”
Childe just gaped at him, unable to respond. “She seemingly takes after you in that regard, though her joy in every little thing is much more reminiscent of Lumine’s disposition.” He supplied, hiding an easy smile behind a teacup.
Despite the noise of chaos that both Childe and Zhongli could now hear in the background, Zhongli had a feeling it was going to be quite a bit before Childe’s mind was functional enough to go after her. Perfectly fine for him, Childe can certainly afford to pay for all the damages his spawn will cause.
Zhongli idly wonders if he should invite Venti to watch this show as Childe sat down beside him, lost in his own paralyzing world of the future and what was supposed to come.