"Hey Katheryne, we're done with today's commissions" Aether called out to the ever present receptionist.
"Thank you for completing today's commissions. Here is your reward." As per usual, Katheryne handed him a sackful of mora and gems. Aether thanked Katheryne and bid her farewell.
"Mora, mora, mora. Even though we get tons of mora everyday, Paimon still gets happy whenever mora comes in, hehe" Paimon cheered. "The weather's really good right now, Paimon's loving it already. Anyway, what do you want to do next, Aether?"
He wondered, the weather today was pleasant, and he had pretty much done everything he needed to do. So what else could he do? His mind went back to one Furina. Strangely, she had been on his mind everyday ever since they helped Lauwick and crew. As to why that was the case, he had no idea. He had begun hanging out with her more often, going on walks through the city, eating desserts in cafes, and more. He could honestly say that hanging out with Furina was fun. He enjoyed her now livelier self and was happy that she could find a new lease in life. So, what he wanted to do was simple, he wanted to hang out with Furina.
"Hm, why don't we go see Furina?" Aether suggested. As he continued to walk to no particular destination.
Paimon looked at him suspiciously, "You want to go hangout with Furina again? You two sure have been hanging out quite often, haven't you?"
"What do you mean? She's a good friend of ours. Besides, Neuvillette is probably busy, Wriothesley should be occupied right now, Navia said she was busy too." Aether argued.
"Uh huh. Paimon believes you." Paimon said.
Well he didn't really know whether or not they were actually busy. For some reason, he just wanted to go see Furina again, and no one else.
"Anyway, let's take a detour to Hotel Debord. I hope they still have that limited edition cake Furina likes." Aether said as he turned his body around.
"It's been a while since I last had cake", Furina said to herself - by a while, she meant a day. Furina realized that she had just finished her shopping spree, and her ever loyal Surintendante Chevalmarin already warned her of overspending. She sighed. "I really have to lessen my shopping sprees."But how could she do that? There were tons of things that interested her. Today she tried on a couple of top hats, the design was exquisite and the material was of high-quality, there was no way she could resist. So, she didn't buy just one, but two!
She was walking back home with shopping bags in both hands. She wondered what she should be doing after. Yesterday Clorinde invited her to go out for drinks again, and as it was for the first time she went with her, she got tipsy - not drunk, a lady such as herself shant get drunk - and apparently she even laughed at her own words. But today, what else could she do?
There weren't any musicals of interest scheduled, or plays that she could help direct. And as per Aether's suggestion, she shouldn't stay in her home all day, going out and enjoying the day was one of life's greatest joys, and she had to agree. Again, her thoughts drifted back to the blond traveler. She had grown fond of him after their several outings. He had been there for her ever since the crisis, and had become her close confidant. She was happy to have him as a close friend.
She opened the doors to her apartment and set down her groceries and things. She let out a breath of satisfaction. She still was amazed at how tidy and clean her apartment was now. Clorinde and Aether came together and helped her sort things out a few days ago, which she really appreciated. A sudden knock made her turn towards her door.
"Who is it?" She called out.
"It's Aether and Paimon!" Aether called from the other side.
She quickly made her way to the door and opened it. The form of the blond traveler appeared in front of her.
"Hey there. Are you busy?" He asked. He wore a small grin. Seeing her again made him feel delighted, somehow. He didn't know why.
"Not really. Hehe, are you trying to sell me something? You sound like a door-to-door salesman." She giggled. She liked joking around with Aether. Being with him somehow made her feel at ease and drop down her guard. She didn't know why.
"Hey now, don't go putting us salesmen down. If you do, they won't bring you cake, see?" Aether showed her the boxes of cake he bought which were wrapped neatly with napkins.
"Y-You brought me cake?" She blushed lightly. It felt like the gods were hearing her deep desire for cake and brought Aether here to deliver it to her.
"Yeah, I was thinking of you when we were done with our commissions. We figured we could spend some of our earnings on cake. And someone here wanted to reward themselves for cheering me on." Aether eyed Paimon teasingly.
"Hey, being a travel guide is serious stuff. Besides, you were the one who wanted to buy it in the first place. Paimon won't stand for such slander."
Furina giggled at their banter, it was always refreshing to see them act like siblings.
"Anyways, I wanted to know if you'd like to go out for some coffee and cake with me. We can go to a cafe, if you'd like to." Aether asked, as he offered his hand.
"I'd love to." Furina smiled, as she took his hand.
"I know you like cake but I didn't know that you really like cake." Aether chuckled as he saw Furina munching down on her cake like her life depended on it - only a third of the cake remained. "Careful Paimon, you might have found yourself a rival."
"Hey! I haven't eaten cake since yesterday, you know." Furina mock-complained. "Besides, you already know my stance on cakes and desserts. One simply cannot live without them." She took another piece of her cake and ate it - her face beamed in satisfaction.
"These limited edition cakes taste so good. So excuse us for enjoying it!"
"Alright, alright. Please enjoy the cake ladies." Aether laughed.
To his surprise, Furina managed to finish faster than the airborne glutton. Aether couldn't help but smile at her fondly, the warmth in his heart grew as he witnessed how she had gradually regained her confidence despite the challenges she had faced. Lost in his admiration, he didn't realize he was staring until Furina called him out.
"Aether, is something wrong?" she asked, breaking him from his transfix.
Aether's face flushed with a hint of pink after he was caught. "Oh, it's nothing. I'm just glad you're enjoying your cake, that's all." Furina gave him a gentle smile. "It's delicious. I'd eat cake for the rest of my life were it possible."
"Do you want to have mine? I don't feel like eating right now, so I'd like for you to have it." Aether offered.
"W-What? Are you sure?" Furina asked.
"I insist. You'd enjoy it more than me." Aether pushed his plate to her.
"Alright then. Thanks a lot!" Furina beamed. She proceeded to cut a piece of her cake.
"Aether, Paimon's going to go to the teapot for a while. Paimon forgot to water her plants." As she said that she dematerialized into thin air.
"So, how's your day going, Furina?" Aether asked, trying to make conversation.
"Great. I went on another shopping spree today, hehe, and I went out for a pleasant walk. To top it all off, a special someone brought me cake. I'd say my day's going swimmingly."
"That's good to hear." Aether leaned back on his chair as he took a sip of his coffee. "Any interesting plays going on?"
"Sadly, only the boring and mundane ones are on show. I've gone to see a couple musicals in the Opera Epiclese, but similarly, they weren't all that entertaining."
"That's unfortunate. Oh, I just remembered. When I passed by the cinema today, I saw a poster for the movie I acted in. I've been meaning to watch the finished product, so I was wondering if you want to watch it with me." Aether revealed.
"I didn't know you acted in a movie before. Why didn't you tell me?" Furina's eyes widened. "I don't usually go to the movies but since you're starring in it, count me in!"
"Alright, so that'll be two tickets for tomorrow evening?" Aether asked. Furina nodded gleefully. She wanted to see how her friend would fare in acting.
Aether smiled warmly, "Great, I'll come pick you up tomorrow, then we can go…"
"Oh…Furina, you seem to have a little cake on your face." Aether observed, he noticed the piece of frosting adorning her cheek.
"Huh. Where?" She attempted to locate the sweet culprit.
Aether, leaning in, extended his arm toward her face and asked, "May I?"
Blushing slightly, Furina nodded. Aether gently wiped the frosting from her cheek. However, a mischievous idea sparked in his mind before disposing of it.
With a sly grin, Aether playfully smeared the frosting onto her nose. "H-Hey! Why, you!" Furina's face flushed. "Come here!"
Without a second thought, Furina seized a fingerful of frosting from the cake and lunged at Aether. However, just as she was about to retaliate, Aether swiftly held her hands back, narrowly avoiding the incoming frosting. "Unhand me, you! It's my turn now."
As they wrestled for control, they couldn't help but laugh at each other's antics. What made it worse for Aether was the sight of a vengeful Furina whose nose still had frosting stuck on it. It was too adorable.
The wrestling continued, and as Aether's strength waned, he gradually relented, his laughter weakening him with every passing second. Meanwhile, Furina's strength seemed to grow with the same rhythm.
However, in the midst of their lighthearted playful bout, they failed to consider the balance of the chair. Just as Furina was gaining the upper hand, the chair surrendered, and with shared laughter, they slipped and tumbled to the floor. Furina managed to finally smear her fingerful of frosting on his face.
"Ugh... Are you okay?" Aether inquired with genuine concern.
"I'm alright," Furina replied, her body inadvertently finding its place atop his. In that unexpected moment, they found themselves face to face, and a simultaneous blush painted their cheeks. Petrified by the sudden closeness, neither dared to move. Their eyes were locked as they stared into each other.
"I…uh…" She struggled to find the words. "I…"
"How long are you two going to stare at each other?! Paimon's been waiting here for a while now!" A sudden high-pitched voice of the fairy interrupted their moment. They both scrambled to pick themselves up, breaking free from the captivating trance that had held them captive.
This chapter was inspired by this art from Twitter from user LENS_colorful
Check it out! The title might also change, because I'm bad at naming things, haha.