Could this be an ambush?
Having followed the thing all the way outside the city, Childe scanned the deserted surroundings and couldn't help but wonder.
Even so, he had no intention of backing down. Whether someone was gunning for him or trying to frame him, they were welcome to give it their best shot.
Hm?
Where did it go?
Just then, Childe suddenly noticed that the flying object that had led him all the way here had vanished. He instinctively swept his gaze around in every direction, but found nothing.
Here it comes...
The moment he registered the thing was gone, Childe understood — whoever had brought him out here was about to show themselves.
He hoped, with everything he had, that it would be Miss Mobius and not someone else.
Once upon a time, he wouldn't have cared either way. Whoever it was, he could handle it — he wasn't afraid of anyone. But things were different now. Having learned of Miss Mobius's existence, he desperately wanted it to be her.
He couldn't help it. She was, without a doubt, the person he most wanted to see right now.
Schlorp. Schlorp.
Hm?!
Without warning, a sound rose from somewhere around him — something wet and viscous, like a creature pulling itself free from thick slime. Childe snapped to full alert in an instant.
He locked onto the direction the sound was coming from almost immediately.
Behind him.
The realization hit, and he spun around on the spot, a weapon already condensing in his hand — ready to fight at a moment's notice.
Hm?
This isn't...
The moment he turned, he saw it: a pool of dark greenish liquid, sitting not far away, that had appeared at some point without him noticing. The sound had come from it.
He recognized it. He remembered — the last time he'd seen Miss Mobius, her pet had emerged from a puddle just like this one. Though back then, only an enormous claw had surfaced; the creature itself had never fully shown itself.
So it really was Miss Mobius who led me here...
Staring at that pool of dark green, Childe finally felt certain of who had summoned him. His mood lifted considerably.
Still, he was a little curious — would Miss Mobius herself appear in person?
Here it comes...
The pool of dark green liquid began to churn and roil, as though something was about to push its way out from within.
He knew it had to be connected to Miss Mobius somehow — but even so, watching that seething mass of liquid, Childe took several involuntary steps backward and braced himself for whatever might come.
He couldn't exactly guarantee that Miss Mobius's pet had no opinion of him whatsoever.
And more importantly — the thing just looked deeply, genuinely wrong. He wasn't about to drop his guard.
"Scared, are we?" Just as Childe kept retreating, a teasing voice drifted out from within the dark green liquid.
Miss Mobius?
He recognized the voice the instant he heard it, and blinked — he hadn't expected to hear Miss Mobius's voice coming from inside that pool.
Then, under Childe's wide-eyed stare, Mobius slowly emerged from the dark green liquid, her silhouette rising into view.
He had to admit — the sight made his skin crawl. There was something deeply unsettling about it, something that sent a creeping sensation across his scalp.
He'd assumed whatever came out of there would be Miss Mobius's pet. He'd clearly been wrong. It was Miss Mobius herself who stepped out — and that was so far outside what he'd expected that it left him staring in silence for a long moment.
Finally, once she had fully materialized before him, Childe spoke. "'Scared' isn't quite the right word. 'Surprised'... no — 'stunned' would be more accurate. I thought it was going to be your pet coming out of there. I really didn't expect it to be you in person, Miss Mobius."
"Oh? Would you like to meet it, then?"
Something in Mobius seemed to perk up at his words. The smile that crossed her face, though — it put Childe on edge immediately. Something about it felt very wrong.
"I'll pass, thank you — Miss Mobius, if the reason you're here isn't just to show me your pet."
He laughed, a little awkwardly, and made clear he was far more interested in the matter of their potential cooperation than in a face-to-face encounter with a creature that was obviously not to be trifled with.
Though if he was being honest with himself — he was genuinely curious what the full form of that pet looked like. He'd only ever caught a glimpse.
But he had more pressing things to deal with right now. That would have to wait.
"Is that so? Then what do you think I'm here for?"
Mobius smiled and turned the question back on him.
"I'd guess," Childe answered, "that it's because of what I never finished saying — the last time we spoke. I think it left you with something to look into, Miss Mobius."
He had a feeling she wasn't going to bring up the topic of cooperation on her own, so he nudged it gently instead.
Then he pressed on. "So — Miss Mobius, would you be willing to cooperate with me? Or rather, with us — with the Fatui? I think there's someone among us who you'd find a great deal to talk about with."
Worried she might refuse, he deliberately brought up Dottore as a potential draw.
Of course, Mobius didn't yet know who he was referring to — not unless she already knew of Dottore's existence.
"Is that so? There aren't many people who manage to interest me."
Mobius's response carried a faint edge of cold amusement, as though she were almost scoffing. She made it clear that genuinely interesting people were a rare commodity in her experience.
But that wasn't really the point right now. What she wanted — for the moment — was simply to have Childe play along with her little game. As for Dottore, that could wait.
"Well... that's..." Childe trailed off, weighing whether to try and summon Dottore to meet her on the spot.
But he also knew there was no guarantee Dottore would actually come — and Miss Mobius might not be interested regardless.
"So then — what was it you wanted to say, back then?"
Just as Childe was starting to feel the awkwardness settle in, Mobius said that.
Childe: "!"
The moment he heard her ask, he snapped to attention and answered without hesitation. "Actually — I wanted to discuss a cooperation with you, Miss Mobius. What do you say?"
Now that she'd brought it up herself, he was going to respond as fast as humanly possible. If he dragged his feet and she lost interest, that would be a disaster.
"Cooperation? And how exactly do you envision this cooperation working?"
Mobius tilted her head and asked, as though she had no idea whatsoever that this was what he'd been building toward all along.
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