"Do you get it? You know, since the Hydro Archon's name is Furina de Fontaine, and this is the Court of—"

"Yes, yes, I get it, General," Keqing grumbled; the joke was barely laughable but his explaining it just made it worse. "So… it's not just a rumour played up by the news?"

Cyno nodded and explained, "The scholars I met with told me Lady Furina had publicly announced that Aether and herself were in a relationship a few weeks ago. It's from the mouth of a god; there's no room for any confusion."

"…"

"There, there, Keqing. It's not the end of the world," Yelan tried to comfort her friend but Keqing was already burying herself in her work again. Well… it was better than her doing anything rash. "General, was there anything else of note you learned from your contacts?"

"A couple of them mentioned that there's a group Aether has been associating himself with since he first arrived in Fontaine: the Spina di Rosula." Yelan recalled Aether mentioning he befriended the president of that organisation, a young woman by the name of Navia. Cyno continued telling her his discoveries, "They're based out of a small underground town south of the city called Poisson but they also have a base in the city's sewers named—"

"Can you repeat that? What was the town's name?"

"Poisson, it means fish in Fontainian," he explained but Yelan didn't hear half of that. She instead recalled what Lynette said earlier; it was hard to follow but Yelan was confident the magician's assistant mentioned Poisson… unless she was saying she was going to buy some fish. Lynette was part feline after all; her own colleague's specialty was grilled fish and she only had fake cat ears. Still, Yelan couldn't ignore the coincidence… Right after her meeting with Lyney, he had sent his sister to (potentially) meet with two of Aether's close associates in Fontaine. It was hard to believe he'd be conspiring against them but trying to figure out where a Fatui's loyalty fell was like trying to roll double sixes, especially when his intentions were still vague. "Ma'am? Are you listening?"

"Hmm? I'm sorry, did you say something else?"

"I said there's another avenue we could try exploring," Cyno repeated. "Aether was sentenced into the Fortress of Meropide, correct? Perhaps there's something or someone there who could help us and, if the worse comes to worst, we'd have an inside man ready to stage a breakout."

"…Are you suggesting one of us purposefully get arrested?" It wasn't an illogical plan, just a dumb one. How was one of them supposed to get tried and sentenced to the Fortress before Aether did next week? And even then, how were they supposed to escape after that? The Fortress of Meriope was underwater with only one (known) way in and out. There were pipes that led out but those were guarded by both people and the elements.

Luckily, Cyno was not as stupid as she thought he was. "No, nothing of the sort. I'm sure there's someone from our homelands inside the Fortress who might be receptive to helping us if we promise them something in return." That was certainly a better plan; a difficult plan, but doable. They just need to find some documents regarding any inmates that might help them. Getting arrested was the last thing they needed anyway; it might cause a diplomatic incident which they were trying their best to avoid…

"Sir Kaeya Alberich, can you explain yourself?"

"This is just a large misunderstanding, Monsieur Neuvillette," Kaeya answered smoothly despite currently being handcuffed by the Melusines and brought before the Iudex.

Neuvillette resisted the urge to slap himself in the face at such a stereotypical defence. "You were going backstage— a restricted area, if you are not aware —shortly before two ropes holding the props above the central stage came undone. Nobody has been injured but unless you explain what you were doing, you'll be charged for deliberate acts of sabotage."

"Is it too much to ask for you to sweep this accident under the rug? I don't think we need to go to court for such a minor issue. Well, we are already at court but you know what I mean?" Kaeya continued smiling in hopes of lowering the judge's guard. "And I'm sure neither you nor Jean would want to deal with the outcome of such a trial. Both of you have your hands full already, isn't that right, Monsieur Neuvillette?"

After a moment, Neuvillette replied, "If you can convince me this was just an accident, I can overlook it. If not, justice will be done and you'll be joining your Honorary Knight in the Fortress soon."

"Simple enough. I ask that you check my pockets. That should clear the matter."

The Iudex nodded at the Melusine accompanying them, giving her the go-ahead to search the suspect. After a few seconds, she gave Neuvillette what she found. "…I didn't take you for a smoker, Sir Alberich."

"I rarely have the time to do it and when I do, I prefer doing so where no one can see me," Kaeya replied. "I believed the backstage would suit my purposes well but I might have accidentally leaned a bit too close to the hooks the props were tied to."

"…" Neuvillette stared at the unfettered cavalry captain, trying to deduce if he was lying. After another few seconds of silence, he made his decision. "You will be fined for trespassing and the damages will be reimbursed by the Knights of Favonius; no trial will be necessary. Does that punishment sound suitable to you?"

"It does. You truly have the wisest judgment, Monsieur Neuvillette. Now, can these handcuffs be taken off me now?"

After his near-arrest, Kaeya decided it was better to wait outside the opera house for Diluc. A part of him felt guilty for saddling Jean with more work but if it was for the good of their mission, she would understand. Kaeya was confident his salary was going to be cut for a while though…

Roughly a half-hour of waiting later, someone exiting the opera house and passing by Kaeya got his attention. He normally wouldn't pay it much mind but he realised it was the girl accompanying the Hydro Archon earlier; she stood before the fountain and even from behind, Kaeya could tell she was feeling down. 'I wonder what happened…' He'll find out soon anyway; eavesdropping on whatever conversation she was having with the Archon was Diluc's self-appointed mission.

"I see you're still not in chains. I take it you managed to talk your way out?"

"No, 'good work', Diluc? If you want this partnership to work, you have to be willing to congratulate me for a job well done," Kaeya jokingly replied which earned him an eye roll from his adoptive brother. "Did you learn anything then? Or will I be eating leftovers for dinner over nothing?"

"If you consider Aether sleeping with the Hydro Archon 'nothing,' then yes, enjoy leftovers."

"Excusez-moi ?" That was how the Fontainians say it, right? Kaeya knew Aether tends to attract gazes but he never expected the Honorary Knight to reciprocate any feelings towards potential suitors, least of all someone he had only known for a few months and an actual goddess at that. There'd be a lot of heartbroken girls back in Mondstadt, wouldn't there? "How sure are you about that?"

"That Archon was basically bragging how she managed to win Aether's affection," scoffed the redhead, completely unimpressed with her methods. "She went on and on about how Aether fell in love with her due to her 'divine charm,' 'unparalleled beauty,' and 'mastery of acting.' Then was fawning over him for the rest of her little tea party."

"Did you doze off in the middle of it?" Kaeya meant it more as a joke but Diluc averting his eyes made him think otherwise. "Is there anything else? Or did you sleep through everything?"

Diluc nodded and glanced in the direction of the fountain. He gestured for Kaeya to follow him and went ahead. The cavalry captain let out an amused sigh before going after him. As he thought, they approached the Inazuman; before Diluc could try getting her attention, Kaeya stopped him. "You have no tact. Let me handle this." Diluc clicked his tongue but allowed Kaeya to handle the talking. "Excuse me, miss. May we have your attention for a moment?"

"Hmm?" The young woman snapped out of her thoughts and turned around. It was instantaneous, but Kaeya quickly noted the polite mask she wore when addressing them. "Ah, you are…" she muttered upon seeing Diluc. "If you are worried about me informing the Maison Gardiennage, you have nothing to worry about, sir. At the moment, I have no interest in intervening in whatever plot you have."

"I ask you kindly not to say we're 'plotting.' It makes us sound like villains."

"Why not? You already look like one," Diluc couldn't stop himself from making a jab towards Kaeya who pouted. "Focalors called you Kamisato, is that right?"

"Yes, I am Kamisato Ayaka of Inazuma's Yashiro Commission. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, mister…"

"Alberich— Kaeya Alberich. And Mister Grumpy here is my brother, Diluc." The winery owner made an annoyed huff of acknowledgement. "Kamisato Ayaka, was it? Is it safe for me to presume you're the same Kamisato Ayaka our mutual acquaintance talks about? He talks highly of you; I dare say you're one of the closest people to Aether."

"Not close enough…"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Oh, don't mind my ramblings." Ayaka bowed in apology before saying, "Then you two are here for the same reason I am?"

"If that reason is to diplomatically negotiate for Aether's release, that's his job. I'm here on vacation," Diluc answered dismissively. A vacation that entailed breaking and entering but it was a vacation nonetheless. "Kaeya, you tell our new friend here what we've been up to— I can tell you want to bring her into the fold. I'll go find us some seats." He spun around and walked back towards the opera house, disappearing into the large entrance.

"He's… quite the character, isn't he?" Ayaka muttered after a moment of pause.

Kaeya replied with an amused grin, "He sure is but you'll grow to like him. Now then, you might be interested in what I have to say."

With that troublesome matter resolved and sufficient justice dealt with, Neuvillette resumed and soon completed his preparations for the upcoming trials. The defendant and plaintiff were soon to arrive and take the stand; the seats were also starting to slowly fill in, ready to enjoy the debating and arguments that would be taking place on stage. It was another day but everything remained the same anyway.

"Ah, Neuvillette! Are your preparations completed?"

"No, Lady Furina but I am nearly done," he replied, nodding respectfully to her as they passed by each other on their way to their seats. "Was your lunch with Lady Kamisato enjoyable?"

"Naturally so, I was present after all," nodded Furina with her usual smile. "And your dealing with… whoever it was that was running away, you've dealt with that interruption? Has appropriate punishment been dealt or will I be treated to an additional trial in the near future? I don't see how he could defend himself at the stand with such irrefutable evidence."

Neuvillette deliberated whether to tell her what happened— saying he let the diplomat go with only a fine might earn him a scolding for letting Furina's precious courtroom/stage get damaged with little actual consequences. He quickly settled on telling her just enough, "I assure you, Sir Alberich has been appropriately punished for his actions. You have nothing to worry about."

"Good, good. The fewer problems, the better," she nodded along without thought. After a moment, however… "Wait, Alberich? Where have I…" she muttered under her breath.

"Is something the matter, Lady Furina?"

"…No, I don't think so. Come, Clorinde. Let us take our places upstairs." Furina hurried along and nearly left her bodyguard behind, especially as Neuvillette stopped to ask the Champion Duelist something. Right before the props fell, Neuvillette had bumped into Freminet who was searching for Clorinde while clutching a letter close to his chest. After directing him towards the backroom where Furina liked to hold her meetings, Freminet thanked him before running off without allowing the Iudex to ask what he was up to. He had one theory but the only possible evidence for it was that time Clorinde rescued the diver from the Primordial Seawater.

Assuming the young man managed to work up the courage to knock on the door, Neuvillette asked Clorinde what he was doing to sate his own curiosity. "Lyney wanted to invite me to dinner as a thank you for helping him and his siblings during that incident," she answered quietly and calmly, her expression remaining the same as always. She then excused herself to follow after Furina, who was impatiently waiting for her to catch up.

Her answer made a bit more sense to Neuvillette although he questioned why now. The incident in the Fortress happened months ago; what made Lyney suddenly remember he hasn't thanked Clorinde yet? "Monsieur Neuvillette, it's almost time." His thoughts were interrupted by one of the Melusines coming up to him and urging him to go take his seat. He thanked her and went along on his way; he could think about Lyney later…

'And that's most of them done… a couple more left…' Aether sighed as he massaged his wrist. After a couple of hours writing several letters that essentially came down to the same thing— he was doing fine and not to worry —he needed a break before he lost total feeling in his fingers. It was time for a snack, he thought to himself.

Just as he sat up from his desk, a couple of knocks came from the door before it opened. "Excusez-moi de vous interrompre, monsieur Aether," the Garde apologised for interrupting him. "You have a visitor; your attorney wishes to speak to you more regarding your defences in your trial. She is waiting in the lounge as we speak."

"I see, thank you. Tell Yanfei I'll be out in a second." The Garde nodded before closing the door. Aether wondered why Yanfei wanted to talk about this now but saw no harm in doing so. In any case, he set aside his letters and exited his room.

A/N: I really want to continue working on my other fics but Aerina has such a hold on me, I could barely write any words not related to this fic or VH. But oh well, that just means I get to satiate my love for this ship which balances things enough. Anyway, Kaeya barely manages to weasel his way out of trouble and… that's basically all that happened plot-wise in this chapter. I think I focused more on character interactions but that felt more natural to write so no biggy.

Next chapter, we catch up with Aether and Yanfei which, spoiler alert, will have more Aerina stuff. We already had Neuvi's POV, let's see one of the actual couple's thoughts now.