[ oh, so he's willing to tell her the truth today. except the more he rambles, the less it makes sense. it's still not at all clear to her as to what truly drives him into pursuing these ridiculous events, dragging her along the way; all she can get is the fact that this is something he considered an opportunity (for what?), an entertainment for himself (see?) and something that could have real-life implications on them and other people.

and that—that pisses her off, truth be told. making him wonder if he truly is being honest and not at all manipulative to her about all of this, because why is there a need to namedrop aether during this conversation? he could've mentioned his family, his siblings, but instead, he opted to mention someone who could very much sway her into doing things.

her lips pull to a thin line, hands clenching into fists once more. it could've been convincing for her—it would've been—but he just had to say aether's name.

sharply: ] You are not allowed to say that you're slowly getting influenced by Childe or whatever his feelings are for the other Lumine.

[ because those feelings are not theirs, and she can tell that this is where this conversation is heading. ]

I already told you that this didn't need to continue if we were to just go our separate ways and forget about this, because it's only becoming more and more complicated as we continue to chase it. And who knows if next time it's the Millelith who catches us? Or the Knights of Favonius?

[ she doesn't want to risk her life, freedom, or her brother's safety for something like this. ]