Arlecchino folded her arms over her lap.
A folder lay on the coffee table between them. It was supposed to contain the details of the trade agreement that Arlecchino had set up this meeting to discuss, but neither of them bothered to check the empty folder. The so-called trade agreement was just a pretext to arrange a meeting after all. Instead, the two of them locked gazes, staring each other down like two circling tigers, each waiting for the other to bare its fangs.
Arlecchino slowly reached for the other item she had brought in with her- a newspaper which she pushed towards Neuvillette on the coffee table without breaking her gaze. The headlines on the front page shouted in a large, bold typeface:
Opera House Opposition: Hydro Archon and Chief Justice At Odds
"Is there something you wish to say, Lady Arlecchino?" Neuvillette said at last.
"The Fatui are not responsible for the rumours that have been spreading regarding you and the Oratrice," Arlecchino said flatly. She pursed her lips, brows furrowed as she waited for his response.
Neuvillette had not come to this meeting empty handed either. He retrieved a crude paper flyer from his coat, setting it down atop the newspaper. The four-eyed symbol of the Fatui stood out starkly on the rough, discoloured paper.
Arlecchino took a deep breath, visibly pushing down her annoyance, "What purpose would it serve to stir up these rumours?" she growled.
"If you recall, our last meeting ended on a somewhat acrimonious note, Lady Arlecchino," Neuvillette said dryly, "Would it truly be a stretch to assume that your position towards Lady Furina and I has not changed since? You were rather…forthright with your opinions after all."
Arlecchino's clawed gloves bit into the couch she was seated on. The Fatui Harbinger glared at him, "My opinions haven't changed at all. Nonetheless, it would serve me no purpose to undermine your rule at this time. Throwing the existing political structures into disarray and engendering widespread chaos would only hamper the time and effort the Fatui have put in to set up operations in Fontaine."
"'At this time'," Neuvillette repeated thoughtfully.
Arlecchino met his gaze fearlessly, "I will do what needs to be done to save Fontaine, Monsieur Neuvillette, just as I always have."
He held her gaze for a long moment, searching the depths of her eyes. In the course of his long life, Neuvillette had met all manner of humans, but Arlecchino was in a class of her own.
Was she mad? He was fairly certain that she was, by human standards at least. But it wasn't the madness of a bloodthirsty beast, like Childe, who hungered for the clash of claw and fang. Arlecchino's madness was a deeply planted seed of obsession that had bloomed quietly in the darkness of her heart, pitch black petals slowly staining her soul with each passing day.
"I believe you," Neuvillette finally said.
Mad or not, Arlecchino would never go against her own principles. Of that, he was almost certain. While he was not the best at interpreting the nuances of human behaviour, he was at least able to recognize similar patterns repeating themselves after so many years spent amongst humanity. When it came to Arlecchino…Neuvillette had to admit that he was impressed by what he had observed, even if he disliked her personally.
Arlecchino leaned back in her seat, releasing a breath.
"Thank you, Monsieur Neuvillette," she said softly.
Neuvillette took a sip of tea, reflecting that this was probably the most cordial conversation that they had ever had thus far.
"You did not come here just to tell me this, did you?" Neuvillette continued.
Arlecchino grimaced, "You may not believe me, but I came to offer my assistance."
"You are right, Lady Arlecchino. I do not believe you," Neuvillette nodded, "Nonetheless, I shall hear you out. What manner of assistance were you prepared to offer?"
Arlecchino's lip curled. She spread her arms to the side, "My agents can easily cull the leadership of the protesters and spread disinformation about Monsieur Philippe to quell the rumours. It would not be difficult to call his character into question so that it appears like he was spreading rumours to make a bid for power."
"I see," Neuvillette sighed, "Then it is just as well that I would not accept that form of assistance in any case."
Arlecchino frowned, "It is the most logical and efficient way to resolve the current situation since you are not able to provide any answers to the public regarding the Oratrice," she said scathingly, "Additionally, should our movements somehow be detected, the backlash would fall onto the Fatui, not the Palais Mermonia."
"Even if I believed that this was not an attempt to gain leverage over me," Neuvillette replied firmly, "I would still be unwilling to employ such underhanded tactics towards the people of Fontaine."
Arlecchino stared at him. Finally, she sighed and dropped her gaze. When she raised her head once more, a complicated mixture of emotions stirred in her eyes.
"Do you not understand that disobedient children require discipline, Monsieur Neuvillette?" she raised a brow, "For a Dragon Sovereign, you are far too soft on humanity."
Neuvillette felt a tinge of amusement at her words. Arlecchino just sounded so bemused, like she couldn't believe what she had had to say to him.
"I cannot speak on behalf of others of my kind," Neuvillette said, "But I will not change my mind regardless of their respective stances towards humanity."
Arlecchino frowned, "In that case, then there is only one thing I can offer- a word of caution: Be quick to resolve the rumours lest the stability of Fontaine is threatened."
Neuvillette was a little taken aback, "I am well aware of the current situation-"
"Perhaps you needed the reminder nonetheless, Monsieur Neuvillette," Arlecchino's eyes flicked to the newspaper, radiating annoyance.
"I shall take your advice into consideration," Neuvllette replied tonelessly.
"Then I'll take my leave first," Arlecchino rose briskly. As she turned to leave, she paused, looking back at him. When she spoke again, her tone was reserved, a far cry from the impassioned tone she normally adopted, "You may not believe me, Monsieur Neuvillette, but I have always held the best interests of Fontaine at heart."
Neuvillette did not reply. Arlecchino also did not wait for an answer, her footsteps fading as she walked away.
The Knave's words pricked at his conscience. Neuvillette closed his eyes.
"Furina…" he murmured her name softly under his breath like a prayer.
Navia walked down the street with Silver and Melus following her on either side. The leader of the Spina di Rosula listened carefully as she made her way towards the public square. To the discerning eye, the atmosphere about town was already very different compared to just a week ago.
People walked down the street hurriedly as if they did not want to stay out in the open too long. Shopkeepers scanned each passerby with a wary gaze. It had been raining persistently for days at this point and the sky above was dreary and grey. The air was filled with a strange tension, as if a storm was about to break out at any moment.
Navia shook her head. All she could do now was keep doing what she could to deal with the situation, just like always.
"So, how's the investigation going?" she asked.
Melus cleared his throat, "It seems you were right on the mora, Demoiselle. Many of the leaders of the protest groups seem to be men who are down on their luck and have monetary concerns that require immediate financing."
"Gamblers or in debt, he means, Boss," Silver added, "They've been paid off by someone."
"I knew it wasn't a normal protest!" Navia slapped her fist into a palm, "Do we have any leads on who is financing the protests?"
"Not as yet," Melus said. The old man adjusted his glasses, "It is quite likely Monsieur Philippe might be involved however. It seems that the judge is determined to make a push for promotion. He has since been spotted hosting rallies across the Court of Fontaine to campaign against Monsieur Neuvillette."
"He's delusional," Silver said dryly.
"I'll say," Navia laughed, "Trying to take over the position of Chief Justice while Neuvillette is around? He can just keep dreaming. Still, the Pétain family won't be easy to deal with," she chewed her lip, "They have a very extensive network. It doesn't seem prudent to test how deep their war chest is with how stretched the Spina di Rosula's finances are at the moment."
Melus coughed delicately, "If I may, Demoiselle, you seem rather determined to handle this situation personally. Pardon my indiscretion, but are you…ahem, and Monsieur Neuvillette…?"
Silver's head whipped around. He looked at her, alarmed, "B-Boss?"
"It's not what you think," Navia rolled her eyes, "Sure, he's nice to look at, but Monsieur Neuvillette is still the Chief Justice of Fontaine after all. The Spina di Rosula operates on the other side of the law. It wouldn't work. If you're wondering why I want to help him even so, well…"
Navia sighed. The days after Marcel's trial had been cold and filled with heavy rain. She thought back to how she had found Neuvillette alone on the hillside where her father was buried. Standing there with a lost look in his eyes, he did not even seem to notice at all how the heavy rain had completely drenched him as he began to speak to her of his regrets in a quiet, thoughtful voice.
Whatever he was, human or not, Navia couldn't turn a blind eye to the current circumstances since she now knew that he had a heart.
"...let's just say I like helping people," Navia shook her head.
Much like how she felt towards Clorinde, thinking about Neuvillette was also…complicated. Navia preferred to just focus on the idea that it wasn't wrong to help someone in need.
"As you say, Demoiselle," Melus dipped his head.
"We'll help," Silver added quietly.
Navia nodded, smiling gratefully. She cupped her chin thoughtfully, "Anyway, even if we can't go after Philippe directly, we can still investigate from the other end of the mora trail, can't we?"
Melus smiled, "May I presume that this is why we are headed to the public square, Demoiselle?"
Navia laughed, "You've read my mind! If we can find someone important amongst the protesters, we can tail them and find out more information."
"A simple but effective plan, Demoiselle," Melus nodded. As they neared the public square, he exclaimed, "I say, is that Miss Charlotte over there?"
Navia looked around the public square. There were quite a lot of people milling around, bunched up in groups. Some were protesters carrying wooden placards and waving banners or flyers at people, others were merely passersby who were trying to get through the square without being harassed. A few Gardes could be seen at the edges of the square, carefully keeping their distance.
Charlotte was standing by one of the protest groups, speaking animatedly with a noble woman dressed in white. The reporter looked around, perking up when she spotted Navia. She waved at them to come over.
"Navia! Melus and Silver too!" Charlotte greeted them, "Fancy seeing you all here! Are you here to join the protests too?!"
Navia laughed, "Slow down, Charlotte. Me protesting against Monsieur Neuvillette? Where in Teyvat did you get that idea?"
"We are n-not protesting against, but for Monsieur Neuvillette!" the woman Charlotte had been talking to interrupted shyly. She flapped her gloved hands, gesturing vaguely at the other people nearby- mostly women now that Navia noticed.
"Lady Isabeau here is the president of the Iudex Appreciation Society," Charlotte grinned, "You could say that she is Monsieur Neuvillette's number one fan!"
"I-I wouldn't dare to go so far," Isabeau pinked, "But we are all admirers of Monsieur Neuvillette!" she said, waving happily at the group of ladies behind her.
"Yes, that's right! We support Monsieur Neuvillette!" "The Chief Justice can't be corrupt!" "He's so handsome he's obviously a good person!"
"Uh, wait, what was that last one?" Navia stared at them. She must have misheard, right?
"N-Nevermind them," Isabeau smiled nervously. She meekly handed Navia a beautifully printed piece of paper. The top half of the form was printed with a close-up candid photo that someone had taken of Neuvillette, probably without his knowledge. It was even bordered with lilies and hearts.
Isabeau pressed her fingertips together timidly, "W-would you care to join the Society?"
Navia shot Isabeau a tight smile and grabbed Charlotte by the shoulders, "Excuse us for a moment, I just need to borrow my friend here to go over there and...discuss something."
Navia dragged the reporter a short distance away, hissing, "Charlotte! What did you just drag me into?"
Charlotte laughed sheepishly, "They really, really, reallylike Monsieur Neuvillette. They don't mean any harm though! A lot of them are just like Lady Isabeau, rich widows or noble ladies. I-I just thought it might help if I get some material from them to write an article about some of the positive feelings that the people of Fontaine have towards Monsieur Neuvillette, you know?"
"I'm not sure you want to take quotes from the Society," Navia said somewhat dubiously, "They seem a little…" she tried to think of a positive word and then gave up, "Unhinged?"
"Miss Charlotte may be onto something though," Melus said thoughtfully, "Demoiselle, perhaps it would be a positive signal to others if you were to join-"
"No." "No!" Two voices rang out at once. They all turned slowly to stare at Silver, who blushed brightly and adjusted his sunglasses.
"Is there something you would care to share with us, Silver?" Melus smirked.
Silver cleared his throat and looked away, "N-no, why?"
"Uh huh…" Navia shrugged and turned back to Charlotte, "You don't usually handle opinion pieces for the Steambird. What's up?"
Charlotte looked away, "W-well, that's true. But…it's my fault, isn't it?" she sighed, casting a glance around the crowded public square, "Monsieur Neuvillette was targeted by someone after my interview with him went out. I should have, oh, I don't know, written more carefully about him or something. The least I could do now is try to…minimise the harm," she finished guiltily.
"Charlotte, you couldn't have known that someone would target Monsieur Neuvillette," Navia patted her shoulder, "You did your best to put out a truthful report, didn't you?"
"Yes, of course!" Charlotte perked up, then she sighed again, "I-I didn't think this might happen though…"
"If you wrote honestly, then it isn't your fault," Navia told her firmly, "Someone just had the nasty idea of taking advantage of your article to attack Monsieur Neuvillette. But don't worry, Charlotte, we're all working hard to find out who's responsible and to bring them to light."
"Exactly so, Miss Charlotte," Melus added kindly, "Don't be too hard on yourself for doing your job."
"T-Thank you," Charlotte smiled gratefully at them. The reporter brightened, "Oh! You sometimes talk to the Chief Justice too, don't you, Navia? Would you like to provide a quote too?"
The fancy form with Neuvillette's face printed on it flashed before her eyes. Navia thought about her quote floating amidst the quotes from the Iudex Appreciation Society...
Yeah, no. No way was that ever happening. Navia shuddered from head to toe. She might just shrivel up and die of embarrassment if Neuvillette ever found out she had anything to do with the Society.
"M-maybe another time," Navia hastily replied, "We've got, ah, Spina di Rosula business to attend to! We're very busy, right?" she looked at her men desperately.
Melus came in clutch as usual, "Indeed, Demoiselle. Time is of the essence."
"Oh, that's too bad," Charlotte shrugged, "I guess I'll try to get more quotes from the Society then."
Navia pasted a smile on her face.
"Good luck with that!" she waved goodbye to Charlotte, absently passing the form she'd been carrying to Silver. Navia made a hasty retreat, hurrying towards a group carrying placards with the symbol of the Fatui. Silver and Melus trailed behind her as she went. Somehow the protesters seemed far easier to deal with compared to the Society.
Silver stared at the form that Navia had handed to him.
"...damn ikemen!" he grumbled.
"Did you say something, Silver?" Navia looked around suspiciously.
"Uh, ahem, no I didn't…"
"Lonely, so lonely…"
The name she had won was Focalor, and she was dreaming.
She dreamt of a vast, inverted tower, reaching downward from a dark cavern. She dreamt of a great, crying beast within, pierced by golden chains. She dreamt of kneeling by its side, singing a song of forgiveness as she rested her hand against its head.
"...when will it finally end?"
******** above was always watching. There was only one way she could hide them from their gaze, so she grasped the ****** tightly. She split the pure waters, pulling the corruption into herself. The world before her eyes divided into two inverted images-
"I promised you, didn't I, ***?" she said triumphantly. Gentler, she added, "You will see much in the human world…"
Furina gasped, waking abruptly. She found herself sitting on the floor, leaning against the door of her bed chamber. There was something tightly clasped in her hand. She uncurled her fingers slowly…revealing a plain white bishop. She frowned, turning to look at the chessboard she'd left by her bedside table. She had been dreaming about something, something important, and then she'd woken up because…
Furina was wide awake in an instant as she heard footsteps nearing the door behind her. Without thinking, she stood up and quickly locked the door. She heard the footsteps stop at the sound of the lock snapping into place, their owner taken aback.
Neuvillette cleared his throat.
"Lady Furina," he said after a pause, "May I speak with you?"
Furina leaned against the door, chewing her lip anxiously. The last time she had seen Neuvillette…
She had stood alone at the top of the stairs in the Opera Epiclese, facing Neuvillette standing amidst the people of Fontaine. His tall form was illuminated from behind by the lights of the stage, reaching out towards her with a gloved hand. That expression on his face as he looked up at her…what was it? Would he demand an answer from her too, one day, like the people of Fontaine? Somehow, even though she swore to herself after the last time that she would stand by his side, she'd ended up leaving him drowning alone in her troubles again…
"Lady Furina…?"
Furina wiped her eyes. No, she couldn't bear to see him, not right now at least.
"What do you want?!" she said, "It's late! I'm tired."
Furina shut her eyes tightly. Ugh, she hadn't meant to say that at all. She fiddled with the bishop piece in her hand, annoyed with herself. Whenever her mouth opened, cruel words just flowed out. Why, why did she always end up lashing out at him? Why couldn't she just talk to him without starting a fight?
She waited for Neuvillette to speak. Would he condemn her like she deserved? Would he question her about the Oratrice at last? Demand an answer that she couldn't provide?
"I came to wish you goodnight, Lady Furina," Neuvillette said quietly through the door.
Furina deflated, her knees wobbling as she leaned against the door. She imagined Neuvillette standing in the darkened drawing room beyond, always waiting patiently for her. She covered her mouth, muffling the hysterical laugh that threatened to spill out of her.
"...are you still there, Lady Furina?"
She had been avoiding him all day, yet here he was waiting for her to speak to him. It was so absurd. Neuvillette was everything she wasn't…so perfect and composed in everything that he did, the one she prayed to and depended on above all others.
"Goodnight to you too, Neuvillette," she said curtly.
Furina closed her eyes, pressing a hand against the door. She wished that he would just barge in and force her to face up to her mistakes.
But she knew he wouldn't. Sure enough, after a long while, she heard his footsteps fading away.
"Neuvillette…" Furina felt tears come to her eyes.
It was so easy for her to perform for the crowd, to put on a mask and be the Hydro Archon. Furina didn't mind performing, she even enjoyed it. But when it came to Neuvillette…
Furina slowly raised her head. From the stained glass windows of her bed chamber, there was a soft blue glow coming from the Statue of herself below.
That's right, she was the Hydro Archon after all, wasn't she? The Oratrice was her responsibility at the end of the day. Now that Neuvillette was facing criticism because of the Oratrice, it was her responsibility to do something about it. Furina clenched her fists, excitement surging within her.
"I am Focalor, the God of Justice! The Hydro Archon of Fontaine!" she whispered to herself. She knew what she had to do now. Furina walked over to the balcony attached to her bed chamber, and after taking a quick look around, she slipped outside.
The Oratrice! That was what she could do to make things better! As long as she could figure out what had gone wrong with the Oratrice, then they would have an answer for the people of Fontaine. Furina made her way to the Opera Epiclese in the dead of night and tried not to think about how she was still avoiding Neuvillette.