Chapter 5

"Anyway, are you going to stay for a while?" asked Furina, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"We don't have anything planned for today, but we'll go if you're too tired."

"No, no! I'd like you to stay... if you want, of course.

"Sure! Just be careful with Paimon; she already ate half your cake," remarked the Traveler.

"Hey, Paimon's only eaten three pieces!" protested Paimon.

"Relax; I have plenty more," laughed Furina.

Once again, Furina was surprised at how easy it was for her to talk to Aether. The conversation was flowing as well as with Navia and Clorinde, whom she had known for years, albeit in a different light, and with whom she shared many more common topics. The Traveler seemed to somehow... understand. Not that he could understand what she went through; nobody could truly understand that, but he seemed to be carrying a great weight on his shoulders. Maybe he had lost someone dear to him? Or many people. Furina noticed that, when Paimon was doing most of the talking, he steered the conversation away from some topics. When Paimon started telling a story about a time Aether was a captain of some brigade on Watatsumi Island, which he quickly diverted. When Paimon mentioned that they had descended deep down into the Chasm, Aether immediately cut her off and completely changed the topic. And when Paimon mentioned a friend of theirs called Jeht, a painful expression appeared on his face, and he again steered the conversation in a different direction. But Furina didn't want to pry. After all, they weren't asking questions about her past, so she wasn't going to start asking about theirs. Just like with Navia and Clorinde, it seemed better to avoid topics that would bring her bad memories and pain.

The thought of Navia and Clorinde gave Furina a thought she wanted to share with the Traveler. "Aether... you're helping me a lot, and I want to somehow return the favor," she said. "With Navia and Clorinde, it was easy because I could help them pick clothes. But I don't know what I could possibly help you with; you seem to be able to do everything on your own."

Aether was a bit stumped. "Furina, I already told you; I am doing this because-"

"I know," interrupted Furina. "But I just want to return the favor because that's also something friends do for each other, right?"

The Traveler smiled. "... sure, if I think of something, I'll tell you alright?"

"Splendid!" smiled Furina back. "Oh, look, it's time for afternoon tea. There's an idea: I can teach you proper tea party etiquette if you want! Tea parties are a must for the well-mannered, after all. More cake, Paimon?" Furina stood up to bring tea and yet more cake.

"Of course!" immediately jumped Paimon.

Aether scratched the back of his head. He really didn't want to wipe the smile off Furina's face, but he had to say, "Yeah... I don't think tea parties are my thing, Furina. Let's just think of something else instead, okay?"

As he expected, Furina seemed a bit saddened by this. "Oh... well okay. Do you mind if I put some music on? I always love to listen to music while drinking my afternoon tea."

"Not at all, Furina!" answered Paimon.

She went to some device in the corner and put some beautiful Fontanian music on. Aether was sure he had heard it somewhere but couldn't quite remember where.

"It's a nice tune; we've heard it somewhere, didn't we, Paimon?"

But Paimon was already busy stuffing her mouth with cake.

"Of course it's a nice tune! I have excellent taste in music after all! Ah, doesn't it just make you want to dance to your heart's content?" said Furina, and started dancing gracefully around the room.

"Well... to be honest, no. I don't really dance," answered Aether.

Furina stopped in her tracks and turned to him, absolutely shocked. "You don't dance? How could you not dance? Everyone dances sometimes, right? How else would you be able to express yourself when beautiful music is playing?"

"Well, I just... I never... I mean..."

Furina approached him, even more shocked than before. "You can't dance, can you?"

"I mean... a little bit," stuttered Aether.

But Paimon immediately betrayed him. "He can't dance at all, Furina."

"This is simply appalling! Everyone should dance, at least a little! Come on, this is something I can show you!" said Furina, and she extended her hand to him.

Aether was about to refuse, but then he looked at Furina. She was so excited and so enthusiastic that his heart simply did not allow him to say no. So he took her hand without knowing what he was getting himself into.

"Okay, you put one of your hands here," she said, putting his right hand on her waist, "and the other in my hand, just like that. Now we listen to the rhythm of the music. Do you feel it? And now slowly repeat the steps after me. I will lead, since you don't know how."

They danced for hours across the house. Aether never imagined he would enjoy it so much. But was he enjoying the dancing itself, or was he enjoying dancing with Furina? Many songs were played, most from Fontaine and some from Mondstadt, but he found that the ones he loved the most were the slow ones, where he had to hold Furina close and tight. She would sometimes rest her head on his chest, and her expression would become sad and pensive. Maybe she was reminded of something? Regardless, Aether would then press his cheek on her head and simply focus on the moment. As a result, he often messed up the steps or even stepped on her toes, and she would jump back in pain. But that didn't seem to matter to her; she greatly enjoyed teaching him.

After some time, when they couldn't stand on their feet anymore, Furina, still holding Aether, looked up in his eyes and said, "That was wonderful!"

"It really was," agreed Aether.

"That was beautiful," pitched in Paimon, who had been watching them the entire time. "At the end, Traveler, you almost stopped crushing her toes after every step. Hehe, you guys are such a cute couple!"

Aether and Furina immediately let go of each other, and both blushed.

"What? Did Paimon say something bad?"

"No, Paimon, not at all. But look at the time; we should really go already. Sorry, we can't stay for dinner, Furina," said Aether.

"It's okay," answered Furina as she saw them at the door. "So... I'll see you soon?" she asked, as Aether was giving her a goodbye hug.

"Of course," he smiled. "I'll drop by for another lesson when I have some time."

This evening, the macaroni with tomato sauce tasted far better than usual, and Furina couldn't quite understand why. Maybe she was just getting better at cooking.

As she lay in bed, she let out a deep, long sigh. The intense pain in her toes was nothing compared to the emotions she experienced.