[sooner or later, kaeya will learn all about childe's, ah, presence—and he will be equal parts amused and annoyed, but for now: haha. well, sir! that's true enough, he supposes. it's certainly why they'd worked together after all that past unpleasantness? kaeya, a knight, sharing/comparing information with a former member of the order...]
Are you suggesting we work together?
[like, of course he is? and of course kaeya recognizes the value OF such an arrangement, which is why he's been hinting around it this entire time—but, well. you know. as he takes another sip of his drink:]
After all, you don't trust me. I don't even know where you're staying in your city.
... Where I'm staying doesn't matter. If you need me, you have a quick and easy way to get a hold of me.
[ where he's staying is... well, it's transient, at the moment. similar to those three years he was away from mond-- some skills you never forget once you pick them up. and Diluc wants to be difficult to find in some ways. but, that isn't the only thing Kaeya's said.
the other... well, impulsively, Diluc thinks it's at least easy to agree to? even though he's trying to figure out how it could possibly be a trap. but the answer isn't obvious to him, and so, ]
As for working together, I think it would make sense. Unless you've decided you love this place so much that you'd rather not leave.
[ which is... a weirdly frightening thought? but he knows that his intuition is correct on this. kaeya would want to return to teyvat, as he's still guarding those secrets so carefully. ]
[kaeya can't help but to make a face at that? doesn't even bother disguising it, because now, now. there's a difference between chatting with someone via medallion and showing up on their doorstep—but if that's how diluc wants to play it, then so be it. it's not like kaeya is easy to find... he's already bounced between, like, three places, just to be annoying...
...but as he'd be stupid to admit such a thing:]
Oh? [oh!] I wonder.
[spoken like a man who has everything to lose—which kaeya doesn't, really. viper isn't the same as jean; kaeya isn't as free as he'd like to be, so. as he just so happens to be very good at lashing out, he offers the deceptively calm statement that is:]
If we do work together, Master Diluc, you will need to trust me. Are you capable of such a thing?
[ he sees the face. but then, opts to pretend he doesn't see it, not acknowledging the emotion there. but, a good start, at the least for the second, far more difficult question.
at which, he frowns. visions dance in his head, always at the periphery of everything he thinks with regards to kaeya, of that night. and he frowns, deeply. kaeya had spilled all of his secrets to him, and diluc had done the polite thing and kept them to himself.
out of... maybe a misguided memory of their former life as brothers. and so, there's a pang of anger at the question. but he tamps it down, and stares at Kaeya, refusing to let him out of his sight. ]
[that is an interesting question, isn't it? a pointed question, though kaeya does his best to remain calm, to keep his smile in place. does he consider himself to be trustworthy...
...well, the simple answer to such a question is this: no. of course he doesn't. kaeya knows that he will do whatever is necessary to maintain his mission, nebulous as it is. even if he would like to be honest—oh, if only wishes were fishes! he'd be a very well-fed man.
but as this is how things are, kaeya simply offers diluc a smile.]
[ but yet, he's not surprised, and he sighs, bringing a hand to his temple. he already knows this is the sort of argument that's going to go around in circles.
the very sort of thing that is designed to make him angry. ]
... And I've worked with people I don't trust before. In limited ways.
[yes! well!! this is the price diluc must pay—hence kaeya's continued smile as down whatever is left of his drink. not much, really. time to signal for another.]
"Limited ways?" [hmm.] What do you expect of me, then? I won't lie to you.
[he says such a thing so casually, but it's honest? it IS. there's no point to lying to diluc, after all that happened; diluc knows the worst of him, so, you know. even if there's nothing between them, there's at least the knowledge that kaeya has nothing to hide.]
[ his eyes narrow as he watches him drink, worried for a minute that he might take it too far. Diluc had no clue how much he had drunk before he found him, and to be ordering another... but he doesn't say anything. ]
You won't? Well, that's a relief.
[ he's already mentally preparing to cut Kaeya off, if necessary. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Are you suggesting we work together?
[like, of course he is? and of course kaeya recognizes the value OF such an arrangement, which is why he's been hinting around it this entire time—but, well. you know. as he takes another sip of his drink:]
After all, you don't trust me. I don't even know where you're staying in your city.
[but he's looking 👁 he'll find it]
no subject
[ where he's staying is... well, it's transient, at the moment. similar to those three years he was away from mond-- some skills you never forget once you pick them up. and Diluc wants to be difficult to find in some ways. but, that isn't the only thing Kaeya's said.
the other... well, impulsively, Diluc thinks it's at least easy to agree to? even though he's trying to figure out how it could possibly be a trap. but the answer isn't obvious to him, and so, ]
As for working together, I think it would make sense. Unless you've decided you love this place so much that you'd rather not leave.
[ which is... a weirdly frightening thought? but he knows that his intuition is correct on this. kaeya would want to return to teyvat, as he's still guarding those secrets so carefully. ]
no subject
...but as he'd be stupid to admit such a thing:]
Oh? [oh!] I wonder.
[spoken like a man who has everything to lose—which kaeya doesn't, really. viper isn't the same as jean; kaeya isn't as free as he'd like to be, so. as he just so happens to be very good at lashing out, he offers the deceptively calm statement that is:]
If we do work together, Master Diluc, you will need to trust me. Are you capable of such a thing?
[well???]
no subject
at which, he frowns. visions dance in his head, always at the periphery of everything he thinks with regards to kaeya, of that night. and he frowns, deeply. kaeya had spilled all of his secrets to him, and diluc had done the polite thing and kept them to himself.
out of... maybe a misguided memory of their former life as brothers. and so, there's a pang of anger at the question. but he tamps it down, and stares at Kaeya, refusing to let him out of his sight. ]
... Do you consider yourself trustworthy?
no subject
...well, the simple answer to such a question is this: no. of course he doesn't. kaeya knows that he will do whatever is necessary to maintain his mission, nebulous as it is. even if he would like to be honest—oh, if only wishes were fishes! he'd be a very well-fed man.
but as this is how things are, kaeya simply offers diluc a smile.]
Do you have anyone else to trust?
no subject
[ but yet, he's not surprised, and he sighs, bringing a hand to his temple. he already knows this is the sort of argument that's going to go around in circles.
the very sort of thing that is designed to make him angry. ]
... And I've worked with people I don't trust before. In limited ways.
no subject
"Limited ways?" [hmm.] What do you expect of me, then? I won't lie to you.
[he says such a thing so casually, but it's honest? it IS. there's no point to lying to diluc, after all that happened; diluc knows the worst of him, so, you know. even if there's nothing between them, there's at least the knowledge that kaeya has nothing to hide.]
no subject
You won't? Well, that's a relief.
[ he's already mentally preparing to cut Kaeya off, if necessary. ]
... And that's all I can expect of you, is it?