You know, where I'm from, we have something called Irminsul--the World Tree. Through the Ley Lines, it collects and records almost all information about the world. I'm hardly an expert on it myself, but something like the power you describe--I bet you could do almost anything.
[watched a documentary about women turning to virtual love and companionship and the girl interviewed was in love with luke since he's the perfect man]
The World Tree... [He hums, glancing around.] I would like to see something like it, if I could.
[It would be really neat.]
It sounds similar, in a way, to... the Luxon. The deity my people worship. Supposedly the beacons we have are pieces of this deity, but... I think there is more to them than only that. The beacons, with the right ritual, can establish... rebirth into another life after death, if you are within its field when that occurs. A handful of people have gone through this for several lifetimes.
Do you think about how they're still holding hands as Childe just interrogates this poor man about his world lore.]
Those beacons--is it only spellcasters like you who can perform such rituals? [And, more interestingly--] What would you do if you gained the power you seek?
[Yes. They should. Why wouldn't you hold hands as two criminally ambitious masterminds?
His smile is amused, but a bit sharp.]
The ritual - consecution - is a heavily guarded secret. Typically, Umavi oversee the ritual; that is, those who have gone through enough rebirths to become a perfected soul, someone who supposedly has met the Luxon.
[He peers at Childe, then glances away.]
I'm not sure. Correct past mistakes perhaps...? I'm not sure what I would do other than... learn the secrets I wish to know.
Somehow I have a hard time believing that. [Aimless ambition, with no end goal or guiding purpose? It's not impossible, but it seems unlikely, to him.] But we've only just met, so I won't push.
[Well, that's fair enough. Even if it's only shades of the truth, like Childe suspects might be the case, it does make sense--it's not like Childe could've dreamed up the Abyssal techniques of his master before he knew they existed, after all. He wants to ask more, but he just said he wouldn't push, so instead he tugs Essek around another corner.]
You know, I bet you'd really like an old acquaintance of mine. He's not so interested in pursuits of strength and power, but he's a never-ending font of knowledge. If he were here, he'd be talking your ears off about all sorts of things.
[Ironically he does not know that Zhongli was in heaven]
Essek follows the tug around the corner in a flutter of robes. They were supposed to be investigating, and they are, but now they are commiserating over ambitious grabs for power and strange, alien artifacts.]
Oh? Perhaps. What is he like? Aside from being a big chatterer for various things.
[WELL LISTEN it's week 0 so there is nothing interesting to investigate unless they find some fancy toe rings in the trash I guess]
He's the god of contracts, with dominion over Geo--stone, in other words. [Close enough.] He used to be the ruler of his nation, but he retired a few years ago. Very dramatically, in my opinion...
[He's mostly over it, especially after Fontaine, but dunks on Zhongli while he's not here anyway, just because he can.]
He's lived for thousands of years, so as you can imagine, he knows a lot of things that have been forgotten by humans. Generally, he lets knowledge flow as it will, but if you get him started on something, he can talk your ear off for hours about it.
[They can find some fancy toe rings in the trash. Maybe one on his feet during body check was one they both found together....... :pleading_face:]
I am not inclined to like gods necessarily; however... I would not be unwilling to have a chat with him. God, ruler, or no... I suppose there is something to be learned from conversations with those who have lived through many lifetimes.
[WOW... GAY BEHAVIOR... I GUESS THEY'RE HEADED FOR THE TRASH ROOM well they were technically always headed there because that's the only place there is to go right now. Wow. Romantic]
Really? No gods at all? [Why are you a god anti, Essek]
[You are really making this true and real. Picking toe rings out of the trash, peak romance.]
No. I'm not a religious man. I am tired of those who use religion as... a crutch, who worship gods they have never seen or met, covet artifacts they have attributed to these gods when there is undoubtedly more to them than initially thought.
Something about this amuses him, though--not in a mocking way, but simply because of what it means for him to say this to Childe, personally. Essek has no way of knowing that, of course, but still.]
Sounds like you have personal experience with those types. [Wow Essek would hate it in Mondstadt so bad.] But if that's the case, then it's the worshipers you dislike, isn't it? Or is it the mere fact that the existence of these gods--or belief in such--spurs them on?
It is funny he is saying this to childe. Him and Scaramouche also had hilarious conversations........ He would hate Mondstadt, and yet, Mondstadt is so much like Exandria... Funny again.]
Both. I just think the worshippers are fools. They aren't looking for any truths, just accepting whatever for faith. Blind. The gods have made us all their playthings. It's insulting.
We should be free to carve our own paths. But I understand it is a controversial topic. I was never liked for my opinions, however.
[WHAT THE HECK!!!! 🥺🥺 I'M JUST BEING A DESCRIPTIVE WRITER FOR YOU!!! 🥺🥺]
And what ways are we different?
[Since it is very clear from their other conversation what awful ways they are similar. Look. Sometimes, you are just ambitious. God forbid a man have ambition!!]
Also yeah, listen, sometimes you are simply ambitious? Sometimes you just want to crush the thrones of gods beneath your heel on your never-ending quest to grow strong enough to venture out into the greater universe. Sometimes you are a child of prophecy caught up in the whims of fate, and it also just so happens that you really like to stab things. Let boys have hobbies!!!!!
He eyes Essek, contemplating; typically, this early on, he would simply laugh again and deflect the conversation in another direction entirely. But affection week makes him ever-so-slightly more inclined to open up--and beyond that, his own circumstances have loosened some of the rigidity with which he guards his secrets. It'll take much, much longer for him to become a trusting, open person, if he ever does, but... certain events are long past by now, and others probably will be, by the time he claws his way back out of hell again.]
At home, I'm the 11th of the Fatui Harbingers--that's where my name and alias come from. [Since it is obvious on his profile and also "Childe" is not even a name.] I serve Her Majesty the Tsaritsa, Cryo Archon and goddess of ice, in her war against the heavens. It's a choice I made out of respect for her, and because she's always allowed us to tread our own paths, as you say. I've always had the freedom to pursue my own agendas, so long as I lend her my strength when she needs it. That's one way we differ.
But in serving her, I've found myself... tangling with other gods in ways I wasn't particularly thrilled about. I've seen plenty of the blind worship you speak of, as well. So in those ways, I don't disagree with you.
[SOMETIMES THE PLOTS OF LIYUE AND FONTAINE HAPPEN... he will not share the details more than this, but he does offer up a wink.]
To put it simply, you could say that I don't mind being a pawn on the chessboard, so long as I agreed to play the game in the first place.
[Childe really is the Hisoka of Hoyo... Everything is just Hisoka... If you want to know how Hisoka functions, all you have to do is think about Childe...
Both of his brows rise, a curious sort of encouragement, a waiting to see if Childe will answer his question. Honestly, he doesn't expect Childe to do so if only because he was (and still is a little) a very secretive and distant individual. Better that way and all.
But a slow smirk comes to his lips as Childe obliges him. He returns the favor some - since things have changed for him as well:]
I don't believe we're so different after all. Gods' pawns are something rarely consented in my world outside of the devout following one; however... I have spent a very long time playing my part for Her Majesty, the Bright Queen, Empress and Umavi of the Kryn Dynasty, and her court because it meant having access to things I otherwise wouldn't.
I did not mind so much. I was one of her Shadowhands, those who delved into the mysteries of subterfuge and the arcane. The ones who deal with spies and other investigations. It was something I pursued for more knowledge and more power.
I also don't like that every tag you send me makes Childe even more interested in this man. My god. I say again that you are so lucky Essek was victim and not killer, otherwise this would be a nightmare. Fortunately we are forever trapped in week 0, or perhaps safely cocooned by it.
For now, though, Childe simply tilts his head slightly, studying him.]
[HAHAHAHAHAHAHA AAAAAAAA. I should have killed. Maybe I am killing in the graveyard...? Idk, maybe you should just die.
A wry hum escapes him.]
It's a long story. [He seems a tad hesitant to say anything to Childe, much like Childe had to think about what all to divulge to him a few moments ago.] I believe my... fugitive status needs some context to understand.
My desire to... learn all I could about things related to dunamancy made me interested in my dynasty's religious artifacts. The Luxon Beacons I mentioned before. As a Shadowhand, I, of course, had access to these protected and guarded beacons. However, I did not have the means to study them. Any tampering would have been sacrilegious; no one would have been interested in conducting research or allowing such a thing to happen.
[He hesitates again, frowning, but glancing at Childe.]
I, let's say... made a transfer for research's sake.
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You know, where I'm from, we have something called Irminsul--the World Tree. Through the Ley Lines, it collects and records almost all information about the world. I'm hardly an expert on it myself, but something like the power you describe--I bet you could do almost anything.
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The World Tree... [He hums, glancing around.] I would like to see something like it, if I could.
[It would be really neat.]
It sounds similar, in a way, to... the Luxon. The deity my people worship. Supposedly the beacons we have are pieces of this deity, but... I think there is more to them than only that. The beacons, with the right ritual, can establish... rebirth into another life after death, if you are within its field when that occurs. A handful of people have gone through this for several lifetimes.
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Do you think about how they're still holding hands as Childe just interrogates this poor man about his world lore.]
Those beacons--is it only spellcasters like you who can perform such rituals? [And, more interestingly--] What would you do if you gained the power you seek?
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His smile is amused, but a bit sharp.]
The ritual - consecution - is a heavily guarded secret. Typically, Umavi oversee the ritual; that is, those who have gone through enough rebirths to become a perfected soul, someone who supposedly has met the Luxon.
[He peers at Childe, then glances away.]
I'm not sure. Correct past mistakes perhaps...? I'm not sure what I would do other than... learn the secrets I wish to know.
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Though the last makes him laugh.]
Somehow I have a hard time believing that. [Aimless ambition, with no end goal or guiding purpose? It's not impossible, but it seems unlikely, to him.] But we've only just met, so I won't push.
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My goal had been to extensively study the beacons first. That was my initial hurdle. After... It depends on what secrets I could uncover about them.
Without knowing that first, I had nowhere to begin. Only speculation. For now, all of that has been put on hold.
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[Well, that's fair enough. Even if it's only shades of the truth, like Childe suspects might be the case, it does make sense--it's not like Childe could've dreamed up the Abyssal techniques of his master before he knew they existed, after all. He wants to ask more, but he just said he wouldn't push, so instead he tugs Essek around another corner.]
You know, I bet you'd really like an old acquaintance of mine. He's not so interested in pursuits of strength and power, but he's a never-ending font of knowledge. If he were here, he'd be talking your ears off about all sorts of things.
[Ironically he does not know that Zhongli was in heaven]
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Essek follows the tug around the corner in a flutter of robes. They were supposed to be investigating, and they are, but now they are commiserating over ambitious grabs for power and strange, alien artifacts.]
Oh? Perhaps. What is he like? Aside from being a big chatterer for various things.
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He's the god of contracts, with dominion over Geo--stone, in other words. [Close enough.] He used to be the ruler of his nation, but he retired a few years ago. Very dramatically, in my opinion...
[He's mostly over it, especially after Fontaine, but dunks on Zhongli while he's not here anyway, just because he can.]
He's lived for thousands of years, so as you can imagine, he knows a lot of things that have been forgotten by humans. Generally, he lets knowledge flow as it will, but if you get him started on something, he can talk your ear off for hours about it.
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I am not inclined to like gods necessarily; however... I would not be unwilling to have a chat with him. God, ruler, or no... I suppose there is something to be learned from conversations with those who have lived through many lifetimes.
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Really? No gods at all? [Why are you a god anti, Essek]
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No. I'm not a religious man. I am tired of those who use religion as... a crutch, who worship gods they have never seen or met, covet artifacts they have attributed to these gods when there is undoubtedly more to them than initially thought.
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Something about this amuses him, though--not in a mocking way, but simply because of what it means for him to say this to Childe, personally. Essek has no way of knowing that, of course, but still.]
Sounds like you have personal experience with those types. [Wow Essek would hate it in Mondstadt so bad.] But if that's the case, then it's the worshipers you dislike, isn't it? Or is it the mere fact that the existence of these gods--or belief in such--spurs them on?
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It is funny he is saying this to childe. Him and Scaramouche also had hilarious conversations........ He would hate Mondstadt, and yet, Mondstadt is so much like Exandria... Funny again.]
Both. I just think the worshippers are fools. They aren't looking for any truths, just accepting whatever for faith. Blind. The gods have made us all their playthings. It's insulting.
We should be free to carve our own paths. But I understand it is a controversial topic. I was never liked for my opinions, however.
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He can't help the laugh that escapes him, and he presses the back of his free hand to his mouth for a moment, shaking his head.]
An unfortunate side effect of sticking to your values, in my experience. But don't worry, you won't find condemnation here.
[Even if his own thoughts and feelings aren't exactly the same--but it would it be boring if they were too similar.]
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ALSO, DON'T JUST LAUGH!!]
What's so funny? Don't laugh.
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Telling him not to laugh makes him grin again... HE CAN'T HELP IT]
Nothing, nothing. Just thinking about the ways we're similar and different, that's all.
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And what ways are we different?
[Since it is very clear from their other conversation what awful ways they are similar. Look. Sometimes, you are just ambitious. God forbid a man have ambition!!]
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Also yeah, listen, sometimes you are simply ambitious? Sometimes you just want to crush the thrones of gods beneath your heel on your never-ending quest to grow strong enough to venture out into the greater universe. Sometimes you are a child of prophecy caught up in the whims of fate, and it also just so happens that you really like to stab things. Let boys have hobbies!!!!!
He eyes Essek, contemplating; typically, this early on, he would simply laugh again and deflect the conversation in another direction entirely. But affection week makes him ever-so-slightly more inclined to open up--and beyond that, his own circumstances have loosened some of the rigidity with which he guards his secrets. It'll take much, much longer for him to become a trusting, open person, if he ever does, but... certain events are long past by now, and others probably will be, by the time he claws his way back out of hell again.]
At home, I'm the 11th of the Fatui Harbingers--that's where my name and alias come from. [Since it is obvious on his profile and also "Childe" is not even a name.] I serve Her Majesty the Tsaritsa, Cryo Archon and goddess of ice, in her war against the heavens. It's a choice I made out of respect for her, and because she's always allowed us to tread our own paths, as you say. I've always had the freedom to pursue my own agendas, so long as I lend her my strength when she needs it. That's one way we differ.
But in serving her, I've found myself... tangling with other gods in ways I wasn't particularly thrilled about. I've seen plenty of the blind worship you speak of, as well. So in those ways, I don't disagree with you.
[SOMETIMES THE PLOTS OF LIYUE AND FONTAINE HAPPEN... he will not share the details more than this, but he does offer up a wink.]
To put it simply, you could say that I don't mind being a pawn on the chessboard, so long as I agreed to play the game in the first place.
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Both of his brows rise, a curious sort of encouragement, a waiting to see if Childe will answer his question. Honestly, he doesn't expect Childe to do so if only because he was (and still is a little) a very secretive and distant individual. Better that way and all.
But a slow smirk comes to his lips as Childe obliges him. He returns the favor some - since things have changed for him as well:]
I don't believe we're so different after all. Gods' pawns are something rarely consented in my world outside of the devout following one; however... I have spent a very long time playing my part for Her Majesty, the Bright Queen, Empress and Umavi of the Kryn Dynasty, and her court because it meant having access to things I otherwise wouldn't.
I did not mind so much. I was one of her Shadowhands, those who delved into the mysteries of subterfuge and the arcane. The ones who deal with spies and other investigations. It was something I pursued for more knowledge and more power.
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I also don't like that every tag you send me makes Childe even more interested in this man. My god. I say again that you are so lucky Essek was victim and not killer, otherwise this would be a nightmare. Fortunately we are forever trapped in week 0, or perhaps safely cocooned by it.
For now, though, Childe simply tilts his head slightly, studying him.]
And that's no longer the case?
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A wry hum escapes him.]
It's a long story. [He seems a tad hesitant to say anything to Childe, much like Childe had to think about what all to divulge to him a few moments ago.] I believe my... fugitive status needs some context to understand.
My desire to... learn all I could about things related to dunamancy made me interested in my dynasty's religious artifacts. The Luxon Beacons I mentioned before. As a Shadowhand, I, of course, had access to these protected and guarded beacons. However, I did not have the means to study them. Any tampering would have been sacrilegious; no one would have been interested in conducting research or allowing such a thing to happen.
[He hesitates again, frowning, but glancing at Childe.]
I, let's say... made a transfer for research's sake.
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He could say a lot of things to this but because he is a brat, he decides on an immediate response of--]
Wow, a troublemaker.
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He is holding your hand, buddy.]
You are the last person I want to hear that from.
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He puts his free hand to his chest in mock offense.]
I've been perfectly well-behaved.
[He literally popped out of the rubber tentacles and dragged Essek in here like 20 in-game minutes ago]
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DIE
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