@pyriic sent: ❝ i’m a fan of your work, actually. ❞ / consider sarcastic diluc for childe 👀
The words pull a small chuckle from Tartaglia, the sarcasm dripping from every syllable not going unnoticed. He didn’t need to hear the other’s (clearly insincere) compliment to guess his true feelings since he knows exactly who he’s dealing with. It took them longer than he’d like to admit to figure it out but no man can be a thorn in the Fatui’s side for so long without eventually being discovered. “I’ve noticed. You’ve kept busy getting a good impression of what is is we do, haven’t you?” Tartaglia replies, smiling.
Red Death. One of the names they started calling him before rumors about his identity slipped through to the higher-ups. Like a vengeful spirit he haunted them, chasing down leads to something, leaving dead bodies and bloody destruction in his wake. He decimated entire camps, stole valuable information and made an infamous reputation for himself in a short amount of time. Needless to say he quickly rose in the ranks of the Fatui’s Most Wanted but perhaps no one wanted to find him more than Tartaglia did.
Learning the truth behind this bane that befell the Fatui was almost disappointing - just another blood feud caused by their side, brought on by Pantalone’s machinations to expedite some convoluted plan Childe was only mildly interested in at the time. He can display a taste for schemes and manipulation when he’s in the mood for it, but he much prefers the dirty work. Much to his delight, however, this particular feud brought about a quite formidable foe - one who’s mere mention makes some of his men more than a little uncomfortable, and, most curiously, one who uses their own weapon against them.
A delusion, a prototype - not unlike Tartaglia’s own and yet very different, the element it taps into not known to him yet. Very intriguing indeed. What a waste it would be to let him go without seeing what it can do with his own eyes. “I admit, I am quite a fan of yours as well,” he says, his smile finally fading and the tone of his voice taking on an undeniable edge. “What do you say we exchange some notes?”