(psl) we all got secrets, so are you gonna keep it

[indolentaxe]

Everybody’s got something they're hiding
And the best secrets are the ones you don’t keep

[x]

Comments

[cicle]

I was hoping you’d say that.

[ Even as the air between them seems to clear while they fall back into old habits, something like nervousness buzzes in his stomach. He’s definitely not used to that. No matter the situation, Kaeya does not get nervous. This is likely a sign of just how far out of his comfort zone he’s about to step, but his mind is made up.

He cannot think about this more than he already has, or he’ll never go through with it. ]

Care to take a walk by the fountain with me?

[ Oh, he’s definitely up to something. He’d wink at her to suggest as much, but… you know. ]

[indolentaxe]

[The wink is implied.]

I would love to take a walk with you. Responsibility can wait.

[The clearing of the air between them is equal parts a relief and a lie. He's up to something, and there's no way for Hilda to know what he's planning--and no way for her to ask him, given the very public nature of their meeting. She has no choice but to go along with him, and that's a level of trust she's not used to giving him. Part of her supposes she deserves to be thrown off like this, given the bombshell she dropped on him a few days prior.

Even with all of the inner nervousness, she doesn't miss a beat with him. She'd be a poor schemer after all these years if she dropped the act now.]

Lead the way, my dearest Kaeya.

[cicle]

With pleasure, loveliest Hilda.

[ He doesn’t hurry them to the fountain – the route they take is winding and leisurely, and he takes that time to engage in conversation with her like he hasn’t been avoiding her for the last several days. It’s nice, in its way, but there is still something lurking under the surface. An air of uncertainty that someone could only spot if they knew them just as well as they know each other.

Kaeya can think of only one other person who might fit that description, and his erstwhile brother isn’t here right now. Good. Diluc would ruin the whole thing, anyway.

Once they reach the square, they find it’s quite crowded. It is a lovely day, after all, and the citizens of Mondstadt are all out and about on various errands and other business. Kaeya guides Hilda to the fountain, all the while keeping up their casual banter. All the while trying not to think about what a huge mistake he’s about to make. ]

Have I ever told you how happy I am that you decided to come to Mondstadt?

[indolentaxe]

[If he weren’t literal countries away, Claude would also see right through them both as they breezily chat during their wandering of the City of Freedom’s streets. At least he wouldn’t be a cranky asshole about it like some people.

Hilda often wonders what her friends back in Fódlan would think of of the people here in Mondstadt. To that effect, she’s almost positive that Claude wouldn’t like Kaeya. They’re too alike, and Claude would see Kaeya’s icy edges and secretive nature for what they are: warning signs.

Hilda isn’t blind to them, or course. She’s just pointedly not heeding them.

The question Kaeya poses at the fountain gets her to raise her eyebrows slightly. That sounds like it could be a lead-in for… no, that can’t be it. Can it?]

I mean, not directly. But I choose to believe that’s what you mean when you buy me drinks and say I’m pretty.

[Her role in this is to keep playing herself, and so she will continue to do so even as she starts silently piecing things together.]