[ In another time, with another Zhongli, that might have gotten a nervous laugh from him, his mind racing to thoughts involving the consultant that are far more intimate than their casual friendship would suggest. Childe would have argued that it was only because they'd got on so well and, with the nature of the public's general demeanor towards the Fatui as a whole, it was hard to get an outlet that wasn't trading blows with his recruits in the middle of a field somewhere.
And Zhongli had always been so warm, and so gracious, and - dare he say it? - funny, with a sense of humor honed over six thousand years.
There's still traces of him in there, he knows, even if the words he's speaking are harsher than his Zhongli would have any right to be. It's refreshing but also, it's mildly depressing. He remembered a time where he would have wanted Zhongli to be forthright and open and honest with him, laying out everything he was feeling for Childe to pick apart indulgently. Now... it's not quite the same.
Can this Zhongli even bring it up, when it seemed, for all extents and purposes, as though it happened to someone else entirely? It almost feels like he's taking credit for someone else's suffering.
But going back to that statement. If it were any other night, if he weren't currently running on half a bottle of Snezhnayan firewater, he probably would have rolled his eyes at him and joked about how he could work off his debt with the Fatui. They would surely get a kick out of seeing the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor consultant in their ranks, sorting through paperwork or else lecturing new recruits.
But it isn't, and he is, so what comes out of his mouth instead is: ]
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And Zhongli had always been so warm, and so gracious, and - dare he say it? - funny, with a sense of humor honed over six thousand years.
There's still traces of him in there, he knows, even if the words he's speaking are harsher than his Zhongli would have any right to be. It's refreshing but also, it's mildly depressing. He remembered a time where he would have wanted Zhongli to be forthright and open and honest with him, laying out everything he was feeling for Childe to pick apart indulgently. Now... it's not quite the same.
Can this Zhongli even bring it up, when it seemed, for all extents and purposes, as though it happened to someone else entirely? It almost feels like he's taking credit for someone else's suffering.
But going back to that statement. If it were any other night, if he weren't currently running on half a bottle of Snezhnayan firewater, he probably would have rolled his eyes at him and joked about how he could work off his debt with the Fatui. They would surely get a kick out of seeing the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor consultant in their ranks, sorting through paperwork or else lecturing new recruits.
But it isn't, and he is, so what comes out of his mouth instead is: ]
You could always make it up to me on your knees.