[ If Zhongli had not been forged in the fires of war and conquest, he probably would have dropped Childe's shard when that scream rips through both their shared communion and physical space. It's hard to distinguish one from the other at the moment anyway. Instinctively, he wipes away the blood dripped on Childe's shard with his sleeve as if such a pitiful act could slow down whatever had gone wrong. His own voice is pained and desperate as he minds races through half a dozen plans (he's not good at this, he's not good at spontaneous planning) of what he could do to fix this.
And one awful looming thought of what should be done. ]
I've stopped, Childe. I have stopped.
[ That shouldn't have happened. Zhongli had traded energies before, had witnessed countless exchanges between people— so why did this happen?
It is more instinct than active thought that has Zhongli reaching out for Childe, attempting to grab him so that he cannot crawl away. No. No. He had just promised Childe that he would stay, but that also means that the other cannot be allowed to leave.
(For Zhongli himself is not immune to the effects of the Meridian energy. Unlike others who may have been repulsed by the energies of the opposing faction, Zhongli had welcomed it like an old friend. A friend who had taken a different path from him so things could never be like they were before - but oh, how Zhongli wanted it anyway. A craving that could never be sated. An itch that would never be scratched. A part of Zhongli would always desperately want to hold on to that which he had lost even if he knew he had to let go.
Was he not allowed to grasp then this one thing that gave him comfort?)
Zhongli's fingers tighten around Childe's ankle. ]
Please— do not move. You will only further exasperate your injuries.
[ Not that Childe can move with how Zhongli is gripping his leg, though he's not pulling him back. Not yet anyway. Curled up on the floor of this wretched cavern probably provides as much comfort as any other position could give at the moment, delirious with pain as Childe is. But if Meridian energy was making him ill, and Zenith energy only caused him pain—
The shard still held in Zhongli's hand feels heavy indeed right now.
Childe did not deserve to suffer like this. (Zhongli did not want to watch Childe suffer like this.) ]
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And one awful looming thought of what should be done. ]
I've stopped, Childe. I have stopped.
[ That shouldn't have happened. Zhongli had traded energies before, had witnessed countless exchanges between people— so why did this happen?
It is more instinct than active thought that has Zhongli reaching out for Childe, attempting to grab him so that he cannot crawl away. No. No. He had just promised Childe that he would stay, but that also means that the other cannot be allowed to leave.
(For Zhongli himself is not immune to the effects of the Meridian energy. Unlike others who may have been repulsed by the energies of the opposing faction, Zhongli had welcomed it like an old friend. A friend who had taken a different path from him so things could never be like they were before - but oh, how Zhongli wanted it anyway. A craving that could never be sated. An itch that would never be scratched. A part of Zhongli would always desperately want to hold on to that which he had lost even if he knew he had to let go.
Was he not allowed to grasp then this one thing that gave him comfort?)
Zhongli's fingers tighten around Childe's ankle. ]
Please— do not move. You will only further exasperate your injuries.
[ Not that Childe can move with how Zhongli is gripping his leg, though he's not pulling him back. Not yet anyway. Curled up on the floor of this wretched cavern probably provides as much comfort as any other position could give at the moment, delirious with pain as Childe is. But if Meridian energy was making him ill, and Zenith energy only caused him pain—
The shard still held in Zhongli's hand feels heavy indeed right now.
Childe did not deserve to suffer like this. (Zhongli did not want to watch Childe suffer like this.) ]