I'mma be real the only reason Childe hasn't broken into Scara's room to steal his gnosis is because even if it is in there and not on Scara's person, the second it goes missing Scara will hunt him down anyway and he's still trying to figure out what to do at that point
BUT ANYWAY what is this weird fucking text. WHY DID HE GET STUCK IN THE GYM. HOW DO YOU EVEN DIE WHEN YOU'RE ALREADY DEAD. God.]
[YEAH BINCH DON'T LIE!!! Childe doesn't bother pointing that out because if """Scaramouche""" actually knows anything about him (or the harbingers in general, like he says) then he'll already know Childe knows he's full of shit
Anyway that makes him laugh because Childe has a death wish ig]
You know, I was starting to think you hated me specifically, but it's obvious now that this is just your personality.
[ALSO WOW for once there's an instant mood shift on his end, too. Granted, not that he hadn't been serious before--but he'd maintained at least a little of his carefree lightheartedness even during their interrogations. Now, however, any hint of humor drops off of his face. He doesn't stiffen, exactly, or move in any particular way, but there's a notable tension to his demeanor.]
You shouldn't know about that. [Even the best spies wouldn't know about that. For years, the Tsaritsa herself was the only person he'd mentioned it to, and it was on her orders alone that he'd mentioned it to some of the other Harbingers. Even then, he'd kept most of what he'd seen and done to himself; out of all them, Dottore knew the most, and that was only because they'd needed to be sure his Delusion and his Foul Legacy Transformation wouldn't clash and kill him immediately.
It was one thing when Scaramouche's claims could be brushed off as the work of an extremely dedicated spy. This, however, is something else entirely.]
[Meanwhile there's this punk who's like THIS IS WHAT IT TAKES???? THIS??? There is a vibe of exhaustion to him even though he maintains his usual prickly expression.]
I thought we already established quite some time ago that clearly you took out your last working bit of brain on your way out.
[Maybe he just knows things! He is a god after all! The everlasting lord of arcane wisdom in fact!]
[us like "well it COULD have been dottore, however, childe stimky"
Which is to say: he arches a brow, head canting just slightly to the side.]
Who told me? [AND THEN HE LAUGHS. As with nearly everything he says or does, it is unpleasant.] As if you didn't reek of the Abyss from the moment they brought you back.
You're obviously not the Electro Archon. You can't be an Archon at all, or else you would've had no reason to pretend to work for Her Majesty.
[Because--sure, Childe's willing to believe that Scaramouche is some kind of god--Inazuma's full of all kinds of gods and creatures and shit, albeit not quite as many as Liyue. But even if that's true, and even if Scaramouche is somehow telling the truth about being some kind of long-lost Harbinger... what would be the point?]
Anyway honestly he still hesitates for a second with his jaw set at a stubborn angry angle because he fuckin hates Childe and he hates sharing information and he hates sharing information with people he hates, which is almost everyone, but, like. On the other hand, he's tired of being vague and getting bonzo the bear looks about it, so.]
Obviously not. [ECHOING HIS WORDS imagine if he did try to pass himself off as some AU electro archon just to fuck around. But no, he hates Ei too much for that.
INSTEAD:] I'm not an Archon; I was the next step. [GOD 2.0, THE BETTER GOD.] But even before then, I came from their hands. From hers.
[No okay. HE DOES LOOK OPENLY SURPRISED because, well, duh--but the remnants of his previous hostility melt away and his surprise morphs into interest and curiosity.
"Hers"--well, it's obvious from his clothing that he came from Inazuma, and given that he's got the electro gnosis, it's pretty likely that he means the Shogun. He leans back against the wall and crosses his arms, considering.]
So you left her to... [...Ugh, he doesn't want to act like Scaramouche might be RIGHT about his memories being fucked up, but] ...work with us?
But yeah! Accept your brain trauma, Childe. Scaramouche already has! Even if he's probably also chewing on some theories in the back of his mind as they speak... He scoffs at that, imperious as ever, sharp as he always is when talk turns to the Shogun.]
Not exactly. [Obviously he's not going to tell Childe about his abandonment issues, so. A half-truth:] I set off to see the world and it was a miserable place, over all the hundreds of years that I wandered. Nothing changes no matter where you go or what you see. Joining the Fatui was just one step out of the many I took, but I thought that it would be entertaining, at least.
[You know, hilariously, after this whole ridiculous song and dance they've been doing, this is the thing that actually gets Childe to relax. It truly is a quintessential Harbinger answer, and considering he, too, views the Harbingers as a stepping stone, he's inclined to believe this over everything else Scaramouche has said thus far.]
Alright. [As in--alright, he believes Scaramouche. Maybe not about everything--he's not that naive--but he's willing to concede that the likelihood of Scaramouche telling the truth is higher than the convoluted spy scenario he'd been running on thus far.
Still:] If we get out of here, will you still help Her Majesty burn down the old world?
[THIS IS SO FUCKING FUNNY IT TOOK A WHOLEASS WEEK TO FINALLY LAND HERE AND THE LANDING PAD WAS "lmao i was here for shits and giggles". It makes him want to perish. But also, he should have fucking known, because what bigger ID for a Harbinger exists than "we're all just here to do whatever the fuck".
The question has him laughing, though. This, by comparison, is a surprisingly airy sound.]
I have my own business to finish, and I've left the name "Scaramouche" behind, anyway. [FUCK THE HARBINGERS!! Though, there's a brief little pause as he considers.]
...But I guess our goals aren't dissimilar. Humans disgust me and I have even less tolerance for the divine. Those comfortable gods and their precious Heavenly Principles make me sick. I've torn the false stars from their skies before, and I would do it again.
[Scaramouche really out here like "fuck literally everything to ever exist actually". So, like. Not a yes!! But also not a no.]
physically see the temptation to say "obviously you didn't because it's on your profile lmao" just to get scaramouche to fight him again
But MIRACULOUSLY he holds back... good job Childe. This may or may not be because he's thinking about how he wants to fight Celestia and even though Scaramouche is fun to fight here, he is so tragically nerfed. Sad.]
...For now, I'll accept that. [If only because there's no actual proof that they have any way out of this place; though he isn't entirely convinced that they're all dead, either.]
[Childe is so fucking stupid and he entirely assumes that whatever he's holding himself back from saying would involve fighting and that his reasons for holding back also probably involve fighting. Just out here pointing at this fool and assigning him one single fighting braincell.
His shoulders rise a little.]
It is what it, whether you accept it or not. I still won't give you my gnosis, either.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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I'mma be real the only reason Childe hasn't broken into Scara's room to steal his gnosis is because even if it is in there and not on Scara's person, the second it goes missing Scara will hunt him down anyway and he's still trying to figure out what to do at that point
BUT ANYWAY what is this weird fucking text. WHY DID HE GET STUCK IN THE GYM. HOW DO YOU EVEN DIE WHEN YOU'RE ALREADY DEAD. God.]
Why, didn't you?
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ALSO, HE JUST LAUGHS. There is nothing here to laugh about, he's so fuckin tired, life is hell and death is hell.]
Unfortunately, being stuck with a loud, rocks-for-brains nuisance isn't very conducive to sleep that isn't forced.
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Also he was going to say something about the message but now he's sidetracked]
Aren't you a god? You don't need sleep. [He doesn't know that]
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STOP GETTING SIDETRACKED THOUGH. He just gives Childe an imperious look.]
Do you think I want to be conscious around you people constantly?
[He says this like he isn't always on his guard...]
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Anyway that makes him laugh because Childe has a death wish ig]
You know, I was starting to think you hated me specifically, but it's obvious now that this is just your personality.
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I do hate you specifically. [Thanks, Scaramouche.] But I don't exactly find anyone else here worth sending time with, excessively or otherwise.
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What I'm hearing is, you prefer my company.
*spending..... listen,
Every day I regret not shoving you back into the Abyss.
I didn't even notice tbh
You shouldn't know about that. [Even the best spies wouldn't know about that. For years, the Tsaritsa herself was the only person he'd mentioned it to, and it was on her orders alone that he'd mentioned it to some of the other Harbingers. Even then, he'd kept most of what he'd seen and done to himself; out of all them, Dottore knew the most, and that was only because they'd needed to be sure his Delusion and his Foul Legacy Transformation wouldn't clash and kill him immediately.
It was one thing when Scaramouche's claims could be brushed off as the work of an extremely dedicated spy. This, however, is something else entirely.]
help
I thought we already established quite some time ago that clearly you took out your last working bit of brain on your way out.
[Maybe he just knows things! He is a god after all! The everlasting lord of arcane wisdom in fact!]
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Who told you?
[Just say it was Dottore]
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Which is to say: he arches a brow, head canting just slightly to the side.]
Who told me? [AND THEN HE LAUGHS. As with nearly everything he says or does, it is unpleasant.] As if you didn't reek of the Abyss from the moment they brought you back.
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Okay well he was super on edge a minute ago but now he's back to (jenna marbles voice) what are this vibes]
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Do I have to spell everything out for you?
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No, I was just thinking that nothing about you makes any sense.
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I've heard that before, but the context is certainly new.
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You're obviously not the Electro Archon. You can't be an Archon at all, or else you would've had no reason to pretend to work for Her Majesty.
[Because--sure, Childe's willing to believe that Scaramouche is some kind of god--Inazuma's full of all kinds of gods and creatures and shit, albeit not quite as many as Liyue. But even if that's true, and even if Scaramouche is somehow telling the truth about being some kind of long-lost Harbinger... what would be the point?]
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Anyway honestly he still hesitates for a second with his jaw set at a stubborn angry angle because he fuckin hates Childe and he hates sharing information and he hates sharing information with people he hates, which is almost everyone, but, like. On the other hand, he's tired of being vague and getting bonzo the bear looks about it, so.]
Obviously not. [ECHOING HIS WORDS imagine if he did try to pass himself off as some AU electro archon just to fuck around. But no, he hates Ei too much for that.
INSTEAD:] I'm not an Archon; I was the next step. [GOD 2.0, THE BETTER GOD.] But even before then, I came from their hands. From hers.
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"Hers"--well, it's obvious from his clothing that he came from Inazuma, and given that he's got the electro gnosis, it's pretty likely that he means the Shogun. He leans back against the wall and crosses his arms, considering.]
So you left her to... [...Ugh, he doesn't want to act like Scaramouche might be RIGHT about his memories being fucked up, but] ...work with us?
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But yeah! Accept your brain trauma, Childe. Scaramouche already has! Even if he's probably also chewing on some theories in the back of his mind as they speak... He scoffs at that, imperious as ever, sharp as he always is when talk turns to the Shogun.]
Not exactly. [Obviously he's not going to tell Childe about his abandonment issues, so. A half-truth:] I set off to see the world and it was a miserable place, over all the hundreds of years that I wandered. Nothing changes no matter where you go or what you see. Joining the Fatui was just one step out of the many I took, but I thought that it would be entertaining, at least.
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Alright. [As in--alright, he believes Scaramouche. Maybe not about everything--he's not that naive--but he's willing to concede that the likelihood of Scaramouche telling the truth is higher than the convoluted spy scenario he'd been running on thus far.
Still:] If we get out of here, will you still help Her Majesty burn down the old world?
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The question has him laughing, though. This, by comparison, is a surprisingly airy sound.]
I have my own business to finish, and I've left the name "Scaramouche" behind, anyway. [FUCK THE HARBINGERS!! Though, there's a brief little pause as he considers.]
...But I guess our goals aren't dissimilar. Humans disgust me and I have even less tolerance for the divine. Those comfortable gods and their precious Heavenly Principles make me sick. I've torn the false stars from their skies before, and I would do it again.
[Scaramouche really out here like "fuck literally everything to ever exist actually". So, like. Not a yes!! But also not a no.]
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physically see the temptation to say "obviously you didn't because it's on your profile lmao" just to get scaramouche to fight him again
But MIRACULOUSLY he holds back... good job Childe. This may or may not be because he's thinking about how he wants to fight Celestia and even though Scaramouche is fun to fight here, he is so tragically nerfed. Sad.]
...For now, I'll accept that. [If only because there's no actual proof that they have any way out of this place; though he isn't entirely convinced that they're all dead, either.]
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His shoulders rise a little.]
It is what it, whether you accept it or not. I still won't give you my gnosis, either.
[Binch.]
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