"I-I don't know anything!"
Navia cupped her chin, "Hmm, but that is a rather big bag of mora you're carrying though."
Charles laughed nervously, making an aborted attempt to hide the bag behind his back. Silver and Melus stood on either side of him, not looming per say, but definitely making their presence known as they blocked his exit from the alley.
"I was, uh, going to the bank?" Charles tried. Unlike the first time Navia had seen him, he looked a lot less confident without a big group of protesters to back him up.
"This early in the morning?" Navia raised a brow, "I don't think the banks are open yet. Are you sure?"
"Will you believe me if I say yes?" Charles winced.
"You might as well come clean, young man," Melus told him, "You are facing the boss of the Spina di Rosula herself after all."
"The Gardes will be very interested in your transactions," Silver added quietly, holding up a Kamera.
Charles slumped, holding his hands up in surrender, "A-Alright, I'll tell you everything! Please don't report me to the Gardes!"
"We'll see about that," Navia folded her arms, "First, you need to tell us who paid you off!"
Charles licked his lips, looking around nervously for a moment, then he said hurriedly, "It was the Bavière family. I, uh, borrowed a lot of money from them to pay off a debt!"
Navia turned to Melus. The old man was in deep thought for a moment before he made an exclamation and snapped his fingers.
"Ah! I have not heard of the Bavière family in a while, Demoiselle," Melus mused, "An old family, I believe. Certainly wealthy too, but the heir was sentenced to death some years ago."
"An old grudge?" Silver suggested.
"You mean that perhaps the family is trying to take revenge on Neuvillette for sentencing their heir? Why would they wait for so long to settle the score if that's the case?" Navia frowned, turning to Charles, "Are you sure you're telling us the truth, Charles?"
"Yes, yes! I swear I'm not lying!" Charles nodded vigorously.
"However, no…that can't be right," Melus was still thinking, "I believe the current head of the Bavière estate is…Lady Isabeau."
Navia blinked, "The president of the Iudex Appreciation Society? But she loves Monsieur Neuvillette!"
"It could be someone else in the family," Silver pointed out.
"Monsieur Philippe could potentially have a connection to the Bavière family as well," Melus rubbed his chin, "Old families do talk, after all."
"In any case, the Palais will likely have more information," Navia nodded decisively, "Let's go there now."
"W-what?! Uh, c-can you let me go first then?" Charles pleaded, "I've heard there are a lot of protesters at the Palais now! W-what if they turn nasty?"
Navia winced. Yes, she'd heard about that in the news. The headlines this morning read:
Protests at Palais Over Oratrice Oversight!
"Whose fault is that?" Silver patted Charles on the shoulder forcefully.
Charles grimaced, rubbing his shoulder, "I-I was just trying to make a bit of mora! What's wrong with that?!" he folded his arms defensively, "B-Besides, Monsieur Neuvillette is, well, Monsieur Neuvillette! He'll definitely make sure things work out just fine in the long run, right?"
Navia stared at Charles in amazement.
"You're a real piece of work, aren't you?" she said.
The sheer irony… The leader of the protesters who accused Neuvillette of failing Fontaine was in actual fact fully convinced that Monsieur Neuvillette would surely be able to settle the public unrest somehow. The mental gymnastics involved here was certainly something to behold, that was for sure.
"It's not my fault things got a little out of hand!" Charles complained, "I- I was just following orders!"
"Be that as it may, your presence may be useful so we would appreciate it if you could come with us," Melus told Charles firmly, "Rest assured, you will be fairly compensated for the inconvenience."
"C-Can I refuse?" Charles whimpered.
"No," Silver told him bluntly, holding on to Charles' shoulder so that the man couldn't run away.
"The situation at the Palais could be dangerous, Demoiselle," Melus warned.
"I know," Navia sighed, "But we still need to get this information to the Palais as soon as possible," she glanced out of the alley, up at the distant structure of the Palais and narrowed her eyes, "The Spina di Rosula are heading out!"
"The Chief Justice is corrupt!" "The Oratrice is broken!"
Clorinde sighed, standing to the side with the Gardes as she watched the protesters. The weather was miserable, a light rain falling across the entirety of Fontaine as the skies churned above, threatening to break at any moment.
She raised a gloved hand before her eyes, looking at it and clenching it slowly. For all her strength in the arena, there were still so many things that were beyond her ability to do. For the sake of Fontaine, being the best Champion Duelist…was still not enough.
"Clorinde!"
"Navia?" Clorinde looked up, spotting Navia's golden curls amidst the crowd.
The leader of the Spina di Rosula had a look of determination on her face. Her two assistants nudged people aside to make way for her. They were hauling someone along with them too, a familiar looking man that looked less than happy to be there.
"I need to speak with Monsieur Neuvillette," Navia told her, "I have information about the people behind the protest!"
Clorinde looked back at the entrance of the Palais. It was going to be difficult to get Navia inside to see Neuvillette, especially with certain people rousing the crowd.
"It could be a bad look if the Spina di Rosula is seen visiting Neuvillette at this time," Clorinde murmured.
"I know. I'll be careful," Navia bit her lip, "Can you help?"
Clorinde nodded sharply, "There's a passage around the back. I'll distract the protesters. You can all sneak in on my signal."
"What signal?" Silver asked.
Clorinde rolled back her shoulders and strode purposefully towards the protesters, "You won't miss it."
"Defend our rights!" "Justice! Justice!" "Answer for the Oratrice!"
People waved placards, shouting noisily as they strutted back and forth in front of the entrance of the Palais. At the large plaza in front of the front doors of the Palais, Monsieur Philippe stood on a box with his posse surrounding him, grinning smugly as he egged on the crowd, occasionally shouting out statements to denounce Neuvillette. As was typical for Fontaine, there were also bystanders who were standing around gossiping and watching the excitement like it was a show. The noise was incredible, the shouts of the protesters drowning out all other sounds.
Clorinde shoved her way to the front of the crowd, drew her pistol and then fired once into the air.
At the sound of the gunshot, people hurried away, almost tumbling over themselves. A wide circle of space opened up around her. In the stunned silence, Clorinde locked eyes with Philippe.
"You are making a nuisance of yourself, Monsieur Philippe," she declared.
Philippe's fearful expression gave way to a smirk when he realised that there was no danger. He glanced meaningfully at his companions and then looked down his nose at her.
"Look who it is, Neuvillette's lapdog!" Philippe sneered, "Are you here to stop our protests, Clorinde?"
"No. It is not illegal to stage protests," Clorinde said, "However, you are obstructing traffic and disturbing the staff of the Palais. Carefully consider the consequences of your actions."
"Ha! You think I'd bow to empty threats?!" Philippe scoffed. He grinned triumphantly, "Clorinde…you must be a capable woman to have accomplished so much at your age. Surely you understand that you should stand on the side of the righteous here?"
Clorinde tilted her head. Ah, so Philippe was trying to position himself as an elder who knew better than her and at the same time he was trying to appeal to her future career prospects. He probably assumed that she must have been an ambitious person to have accomplished what she had and was now trying to persuade her to jump ship.
Basically, he didn't understand her at all.
"The Oratrice's review is still ongoing," Clorinde said coldly, "Kindly refrain from idle speculation, Monsieur Philippe."
Philippe's grin fell. He snarled at her, his face red, "You'll regret sticking with Neuvillette! He's done for this time!"
"We'll see," Clorinde narrowed her eyes as she turned to leave. She should have bought enough time for Navia and company to get in by now. It was time to withdraw. Clorinde ignored the jeers of the crowd as she walked back to her original position amidst the Gardes, stoically looking out at the plaza.
Some time passed and then the doors of the Palais abruptly swung open. The crowd hushed in anticipation of a good show. Clorinde's eyes went wide as an unmistakable figure emerged.
"My dear people! I, Focalor, the God of Justice has arrived!"
At long last, the Hydro Archon had made her appearance.
Charles stood before Navia and Neuvillette, squirming.
"-um, so then after that I would collect the- the, uh, flyers from the Bavière estate and uh, mail them out to my associates to distribute in the morning," Charles finished miserably. He glanced pleadingly at Navia.
"And?" Navia raised a brow pointedly.
"A-And that's all I know, I swear!" Charles stuttered, eyes wide and terrified as he stared at Neuvillette's expressionless face, "I am so, so sorry for all the trouble, Monsieur Neuvillette! Please-don't-hurt-me!"
Navia chanced a look at the Chief Justice. He had seemed a little surprised when she had burst into his office with Charles, but as usual, he had simply allowed her to explain without interruption.
It was very difficult to read him. Even now, with protesters chanting outside the Palais, he looked perfectly composed.
"Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention, Miss Navia," Neuvillette said. He walked to the doors of his office and called out, "Sedene?"
His Melusine assistant popped over, "Yes, Monsieur Neuvillette?"
"Please escort Mr Charles here to the holding cells to await questioning by the Gardes," he said.
Sedene nodded, "Yes, Monsieur!"
The Melusine smiled cutely at Charles, pressing her paws together as she leaned towards him, "You wouldn't dare to cause any trouble along the way, would you? It would be such a shame if you tripped and fell a number of times."
Charles stared at the Melusine in horror, completely gobsmacked, "I-I won't cause trouble!" he whimpered.
"Good, good! I'll be going then, Monsieur Neuvillette, Miss Navia," Sedene nodded at them as she led Charles out of the office.
Navia stared after Sedene, "...there's something deeply wrong with that assistant of yours'."
"Sedene was merely reminding Mr Charles to be mindful of his steps on the way to the holding cells," Neuvillette's brows furrowed, "She has a very caring heart."
Navia looked at him wryly, "I suppose you would say so." She hesitated and then added, "How…are you holding up lately?"
"I am well, thank you," Neuvillette replied. He paused, then added, "My apologies, it occurs to me that you meant to ask that question in relation to the current context. In which case, my response would be that I am currently reviewing the workings of the Oratrice and will put forth a public statement at the soonest."
Navia shook her head, "I wasn't asking about what you're planning to do about this whole mess. I'm sure you've got enough of that from everyone. I just…hope you're doing alright, I mean."
Neuvillette fell silent. His eyes seemed to scan her face carefully for a long moment before he finally said, "I do not deserve your concern, Miss Navia."
Navia sighed, already sensing what he was about to say, "And why is that?"
"I am responsible for your father's death."
There it was. He said it so plainly too, like he wanted her to lash out at him because of that.
"Has anyone ever told you that you are too responsible, Monsieur Neuvillette?" she fixed him with a glare.
Neuvillette blinked, "My apologies, I-"
" Stop apologising already . You may be a powerful man, but you really need to let other people take responsibility for their own actions," Navia huffed. She took a deep breath, eyes fluttering close for a moment, "My father…Callas chose to do what he did at the end of the day. You couldn't have stopped him back then, because you didn't understand his actions then."
Navia looked up, meeting his gaze steadily, "You need to stop taking responsibility all the time."
Neuvillette paused in thought. Finally, he offered her a wan smile, "Thank you for your advice, Miss Navia. I shall think carefully on your words."
"You'd better, Monsieur Neuvillette," Navia smiled lightly, "Now, about the Bavière family-"
Navia was cut off as Silver slammed open the doors of the office, skidding to a halt before them, panting. Navia had never seen him so agitated before.
"There's a situation! Lady Furina is addressing the people in front of the Palais!"
"It has come to my attention that there are those amongst you who question the judgement of the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale!" the Hydro Archon announced, enunciating each syllable of the Oratrice's full title with relish.
Clorinde tensed, watching Furina's figure carefully. Dread mounted within her.
The Hydro Archon continued, as people began to murmur, "You all must be desperately hungry for an answer by now! The tension-! The anticipation-! Your emotions are just about ready to boil over! So, my dear people," she spread her arms theatrically, "Do you yearn to hear my answer?!"
People had begun to smile in the crowd, Furina's lively expression and cheerful movements causing them to unconsciously relax. Clorinde's instincts were screaming at her.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" excited cries came up from the crowd, "Tell us, Lady Furina!" "What happened with the Oratrice?!"
Something was wrong here. Something bad was about to happen. Clorinde had to do something before all was lost.
Clorinde began to push her way through the crowd towards the entrance of the Palais, but she couldn't get to the front quickly enough as other people were surging forward around her trying to get a better view of the Hydro Archon.
"Lady Furina-!" she tried to call out, but her voice was drowned out by the noise of the crowd.
The Hydro Archon put her hands on her hips, "Well that's too bad! Questioning the Oratrice is as good as questioning me! You frail and sickly mortals! How dare you question the wisdom of the divine!" she said, flourishing a hand in the air.
It took a moment for people to actually register what she had just said. The mood began to turn, resentful mutters spreading through the crowd like a wave. Philippe stepped forward and Clorinde could only think that he was either braver or even more delusional than she had ever imagined.
"But you owe us an answer, Lady Furina!" Philippe shouted, "How is it just to condemn an innocent man?!"
"Yeah, Monsieur Philippe is right!" "Childe is obviously innocent!" "Lady Furina, answer us!"
A chilling look appeared in Furina's eyes. A twisted smile slashed across her face, cold and alien.
It all happened so quickly that Clorinde did not have time to react. Furina's sword appeared in her hand, glittering as it flashed through the air with inhuman speed. Philippe's eyes widened in terror as he realised what was about to happen-
-there was a flash of blue light and an explosion of dust as the pavement shattered.
Neuvillette stood between Furina and Philippe, his hand gripped tightly on the blade to arrest its descent.
It was a nightmare.
"What have you done, Lady Furina?"
Neuvillette looked down at the upturned face of his god and found that he did not understand what was going on at all. A sweet, beautiful smile bloomed on Furina's face at the sight of him and he was transfixed.
"Neuvillette!" she said softly, "My Neuvillette!"
It felt like he couldn't breathe.
"I will ask you again, Lady Furina, what do you think you are doing?" he said.
The crowd had fallen silent, not daring to interrupt the spectacle that was playing out in front of them. Neuvillette's words rang out, echoing in the tense silence of the plaza.
Furina's expression cooled, "Don't overthink it! I was just showing that human his place!" she leaned towards him, reaching up with a gloved hand to gently caress his jaw, "I've missed you so much, my dear Neuvillette!"
Neuvillette flinched back at her touch. The edge of her blade sliced into his palm, drawing beads of blood.
"That human is one of your people," he managed after a moment, "One of the people of Fontaine-"
"The people of Fontaine, you say?" Furina glared. She spread her arm to the side, gesturing broadly at the gawking crowd, "What have the people of Fontaine ever done for you, Neuvillette? They turned on you at the merest hint of a rumour! They slandered your name despite the centuries of toil you've endured for their sakes! They are guilty! Guilty and worthless, Neuvillette!"
Neuvillette couldn't respond. The rain began to fall harshly, droplets splattering against the ground around them. He forced himself to speak.
"I am the Iudex of Fontaine," he breathed out heavily, "And you are the Hydro Archon who loves her people. I cannot allow you to betray your own convictions."
Furina's hand fell from his jaw. She took one step back from him, and then another, lowering her sword. Her eyes were half-lidded, staring at him with a strange intensity.
"So it's like that, Neuvillette? You would choose them over me?" her lips pulled back from her teeth, "I thought you cared for your precious Lady Furina more than anything in the world!"
He shuddered. The hurt and anger in her eyes, directed towards him, was almost more than he could bear. There were so many words he wanted to tell her, so many things he should have spoken with her about before this had all happened.
"Furina," he began, "I-"
Her sword flashed. Instinctively, he raised his arm and the blade speared through his forearm, catching between his bones. The tip of the sword rested over his heart. Neuvillette looked up from the sword to Furina, stunned.
"If I can't have you, then Fontaine can't have you either!" a foul, purplish energy began to pour from her form. Corruptive energy burned down the length of the sword. Neuvillette wrenched the blade away from his arm before it could reach him, taking a step back warily.
"The Abyss…" he narrowed his eyes, "What has happened to you?"
Furina laughed darkly, flicking the blood from her sword, "Stop me if you can, Neuvillette!"
"Furina-!"
She ran towards the crowd. People screamed and ran away from her. A trail of black mud followed her every step, brimming with malevolent corruption.
Neuvillette looked between her departing form and the wailing crowd.
Philippe crawled up to his feet, babbling incoherently, "Monsieur Neuvillette, you are the guardian angel of Fontaine! I- I knew all along-!"
Neuvillette ignored him. He had to go after Furina before she did something even worse, but the panicking people-
"Neuvillette!"
He glanced up to see Clorinde rushing up to him.
"We'll deal with matters here," she said.
Navia appeared alongside Clorinde as well. She nodded to him, "You can trust us. Go after her."
Neuvillette took a deep breath and said, "You have my thanks, both of you."
Then he took off running in the direction that Furina had gone. Towards the Opera Epiclese. Towards the Oratrice.