Aether liked to distract himself. Having lived through several eons of life, he had already experienced a lot of things. There were many things he'd forgotten. There were many things he remembered. But he found that rather than specific memories, it was easier to remember feelings. He couldn't tell you what food he made last week, but he could definitely remember the joy of seeing Paimon enjoy it.
Maybe it was for that reason Aether didn't like tragedies. They were sad, and brought up painful feelings in him, some of them bringing back unpleasant experiences.
Just recently, Aether had a front row seat to one of those tragedies. 500 years of loneliness compressed into a theater play inside Furina's mind. 182376 scenes, probably around three to five minutes each. He watched it all for what felt like a year. Maybe longer, even. However long that was, that sadness had ingrained itself in him. Furina's sadness. Maybe even regret in how it went down. How he pushed her to the edge. Her catatonic look when the Oratrice had sentenced her. It made him feel guilty.
And even weeks since then, he couldn't get those old feelings out of his head. Maybe that was why he had put more effort into doing commissions recently. Their 'Natlan funds', he reasoned. It wasn't that out of the ordinary. Part of the reason he explored so much of every region was to adventure his worries away.
"Hey, Katheryne, it's us! Got any new commissions? Specifically, one with a huge Mora tag, perhaps...?" He heard the floating fairy beside him say.
"The more lucrative, the better!"
It was a good thing Paimon did most of the speaking for him, Aether wasn't putting too much attention on what the receptionist was saying. He understood the gist of it though. An acting troupe was looking for an actress.
An actress.
"Got it... Oh... This one's a doozy. What do you think, traveler? Any ideas? Even if we took the commission, neither of us have any experience starring in musicals."
The mention of his title brought him back. "Very true."
"Hmm... If you're interested in helping, why not start by having a chat with the requester? He's right over there."
And so they did, and talked to the person in question, 'Lauwick', his name was. Aether very quickly realized he did not like where the conversation headed. But since Paimon did most of the talking, and they had already accepted the commission, he had no choice but to go along.
"Uhh... Did Katheryne really give us the right address? She lives... here?"
Aether expected something like this. Having seen inside the former hydro Archon's mind, he figured she probably wouldn't want to be anywhere luxurious. Usually, Aether would've said something too. He didn't.
"N—Not that there's anything wrong with this place, it's just, uh... a bit of a step down from the Palais Mermonia."
"You know, it's common courtesy to make sure the homeowner isn't in earshot when you're denigrating their abode," a voice came from out of the blue.
Hearing that voice made Aether flinch. Of course. She was the homeowner. The one they came for. Aether thought she'd change up her look. Maybe she would've wanted to blend in with the crowd more. She didn't. Not by much, anyhow. She still looked pretty blue. Maybe in more ways than in just choice of wear. She was carrying a basket with bags of macaroni in it.
"I was just out on a shopping trip. I ran out of macaroni, so I went to grab a few more bags. I used to have a much wider range of choices when it came to food, but now, I'm finding that simple, traditional home cooking can be quite delicious too," the lady said.
So she'd been eating macaroni every day. That must get tiring. maybe unhealthy too, depending on what she put on it.
"Don't you get sick of macaroni every day?" he asked.
"Not at all. As long as you have different kinds of sauces in, you can have macaroni and tomato sauce one week, macaroni and Bolognese the next..."
Aether didn't know when he'd become such a judgmental person over food choices. Maybe it was another form of distracting himself.
Paimon and the blue one continued to talk about food for a bit. Aether had to step in to tell her Paimon wasn't trying to taunt her.
"Yeah, exactly. What the traveler said! Paimon wasn't trying to make fun of you... Hang on a sec, you weren't exactly holding back either!"
Aether didn't know why Paimon was trying to take him down with her. He hadn't said a lot since they'd gotten to the apartment.
"That's not important," he said, "we actually came here to ask you for your help..."
"My help, hmm? Well, maybe you're forgetting that I'm no longer the mighty Hydro Archon. I don't even have a Vision, you know," the macaroni woman said.
"Don't worry, it's nothing that serious! It's just very specific, and you're the one with the power to help," Paimon said.
"You're the only person for the job." Aether said without thinking. That's what he would usually have said in other commissions. He knew that wasn't the best way to put it. It was almost as if he were-
"Oh? Well, if that's the case, then... fine, I'll spare you the lecture about your attitude just now. So tell me. What, specifically, makes this matter so... specific?"
-trying to push her into the role. Well, now the tone was set. He just had to go with the flow. He explained to her what was happening. She refused. Obviously, she would. Good. They could find someone else then. Aether could continue to avoid-
"It's alright, Furina. Paimon just wanted to make sure we tried everything." She made a concerned noise. "Everyone in the troupe will be so disappointed..."
-her. Paimon was getting annoying now. And pushy. She was always pretty bad at reading the room.
"Let's try to come up with a plan B," Aether said. He made sure to leave before he or Paimon could say anything other than her goodbye.
Lauwick was arguing with someone when they got back. Apparently, it was the lead actress. She could still play the role. Good. Looks like they didn't have to reach out in the first place. It probably would have been better had they not gone in the first place, though. Apologies were probably in order. Maybe in a month or so. Maybe when 'that' was no longer stuck in his brain. Furina's…
"Imagine if we had managed to convince Furina to join, only for her to find out she's no longer needed." Aether did not mean to bring her up. That just came out.
Aether caught something in the corner of his eye. He blinked. He blinked again. No, what he was seeing was real. He should apologize for bothering her. He approached the woman in question.
She stared at him.
He stared at her.
He grabbed her by the arm.
That wasn't an apology.
The apology wouldn't come out. The right words wouldn't form.
He stared at her.
He couldn't say it. 'Hey, Furina, sorry for telling you to come with us, we didn't need you.'
Those definitely weren't the right words. He needed to say more. Less?
"...Alright, alright, I'm coming. No need to drag me!"
Oh. He took too long letting her go. Now he had taken her hostage. Aether brought her to the group, unable to explain why he grabbed her.
"Uh... Ahem, hello one and all. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation just now..."
That was awkward. Aether felt awkward. The lady in the hat explained what it was she was doing there.
"Then why didn't you just show yourself?" he asked. Again, that wasn't an apology.
"...You really have a knack for asking the most uncomfortable questions, don't you..."
Aether decided that maybe he shouldn't say something anymore unless he was specifically prompted to.
The woman in blue answered anyway. It was because she felt shy, or something. The conversation continued forward with the two troupe members explaining what was wrong. Their director had passed during the serial disappearances case. Loss. Something Aether was all too familiar with, whether it be from the previous worlds he'd traveled to, or in recent-
"—the unresolved emotions of the parties involved? What happens to them?"
-events. Aether didn't hear the rest of what she said. Only the last part. What he did know was that nobody was answering. Were they asking him?
"They come pouring out, and flow away into infinity," Aether said. At least, that's what he had hoped would happen.
"An interesting answer. But if you ask me, I think all emotion shall ultimately return home to the heart, and slowly settle with the passage of time."
That meant the same thing, he hoped.
Paimon and she were arguing again. Something about swine.
"Would you be willing to join me? C'mon, take a break from adventuring to listen to a story."
"Since it's you," maybe he could spend that time figuring out how to apologize for Paimon's attitude earlier. That was it. Yeah.
"Especially since it's related to the serial disappearances case." Did not need to add that. Aether did not know why he felt the need to justify it.
Somehow, they ended up in Poisson, of all places. He felt a pit in his stomach. Reminded him of the Poisson disaster… And the things he'd put her through. Aether tried not to think about it. Tried to put his mind somewhere else. The metallic clangs of their shoes hitting the sheet metal floorboards. The sounds of rushing water. Not that he had lured Furina into the big magic box—
"Hmph, nice try... Look, just gimme some time, okay? I'm just wrapping up this last part of the script. I'll be out once I'm done."
The person who was writing the ending, 'Pauleau' hadn't yet finished the ending. That seemed important. Was important. That's why they were here, after all. He expected that, with the way things already were with the group.
He heard an extra pair of heels walk towards them. It was Navia, who kindly allowed them to take a stroll.
"—et over here, you! How oblivious are you?" Dulphy said, pulling Lauwick away. The theater troupe was a rowdy bunch indeed. Looked like Navia and The former hydro Archon had something to talk about.
Judging by the threads the two had in common, Aether could hazard a guess.
"We all have painful memories, but we don't have to let them cloud everything we do," Navia said, after the other spoke her regrets about Poisson. It wasn't directed to him, but Aether felt that. He glanced towards the subject of his most recent regrets.
"Thank you for your words of comfort. You make a very good point. But for now, at least... I think I should stay with the way I'm feeling for a while longer."
"It's okay. These things take time. Moving on from a painful experience is easier said than done… Which brings me to why I'm here." Of course, the people of Poisson hadn't completely forgiven the hydro Archon yet.
"Anyway, that was all. Look after her, now."
Ah. Aether made a glance towards Navia. Could she tell? If she could, surely Navia wouldn't just dump her right on him.
"Got it… Navia."
Aether couldn't distract himself.
"Off we go then... Let's take a look up there."
And so they took a walk.
"I don't have any friends that I can be frank and honest with, so maybe she's right. You're the closest thing to friends that I have."
The words stung a bit. Aether didn't really know. Could Furina really consider him to be a friend? After what he'd done? After he pestered her into helping him with a commission, ignoring everything that had happened weeks before.
"I'm so grateful that Miss Navia was so understanding. To be perfectly honest, I didn't know if I was ready to meet her. It's always easiest to just run away from your problems. But that never fixes anything. You can't get around the obstacles without facing them."
'I wish it could,' Aether thought.
"So that's why you were nervous when they brought up Poisson..." Aether almost forgot Paimon was there, and was a bit surprised when she spoke up.
"- I'd be overjoyed if the people here could find it in their hearts to forgive me. But they're more likely to unleash a tirade of vitriol against me, which of course I completely understand and accept."
Aether looked around. People were staring already. No doubt, they were there to verify if she really was just an actress. "I'm sure some people didn't buy Navia's lie."
"I used to be terrified of the gaze of other people, especially when they had suspicion or resentment in their eyes. I guess I wasn't quite ready for this after all."
She sounded defeated.
"Paimon's surprised you're making yourself go through all this."
"Maybe you've taken on a bit too much in one go?" Aether asked.
"I can't let myself see only the things I want to see. How would that make me any different from before?"
After seeing that the crowd was getting larger, the trio moved faster, up towards the big ship. At least there was some peace and quiet up there. It had a view of the entire settlement. Everything always looked so nice from afar. Aether wished he could just be a spectator.
"I'm sorry, you probably just wanted a relaxing stroll, and here I am dumping all this heavy stuff on you."
Furina sat on the side of the of the ship, her legs swinging over the edge.
" We don't mind! It's actually refreshing to see a different side of you," Paimon nodded.
Aether sat down next to her. Just as a way to tell her he was there. He hadn't quite found the words yet.
"Great. Well, I appreciate your company, so please don't disappear just yet."
Furina talked about her past. Aether didn't need to listen. He was there. He watched. He had seen her suffer, and seen her endure.
"But then the flood waters finally came. And the 'Hydro Archon' did nothing."
Of course she didn't. She couldn't. Aether almost said something about it but decided not to. He didn't think Furina knew that he'd seen a moment for every single day of her 500 years. He was sure she needed her privacy. "Don't be so hard on yourself," he offered instead.
"I've had to go through so many moments like that for the sake of protecting the truth. As time went on, it got harder and harder to bear, and I became more lonely and isolated."
As Furina went on, Aether felt sympathy for her. He couldn't relate with having put up a façade for 500 years, but he knew how it felt to hold in his emotions. In many worlds, he kept himself an arms length away from other people. Making friends was easy. Losing those close to him was hard. Not getting too close was something he and his sister learned quite early on.
"So that's where you were coming from... Paimon totally thought you were just a bit of a diva at heart." Paimon's sudden comment pulled Aether out of it. He sucked in his breath. But that was just how Paimon was.
Furina, understandably, was upset, "Could you please get off my case!? I don't know what's gotten into you today. I'm making an effort here, you could at least try to do the same."
"What Paimon meant to say was, she doesn't like to see you so down," Aether explained. "Do you feel better, having gotten all this off your chest?"
"I do. I once had nothing but the truth, and now, I'm finally free to live my own life again. And even though I have no idea where I'm going right now. At least the choice is in my hands."
They shared a smile. The trio shared a moment of silence. Nothing but sitting (and floating), until Furina spoke up once more.
" Alright, it's about time to head back. Pauleau should have finished the ending by now."
Furina and Paimon got up and started walking, to catch up with the other group. Aether decided to stay for a moment longer.
He didn't get to apologize to Furina. Not just for his and Paimon's actions earlier, but also for the trial. Though he still felt some amount of guilt and regret, he also felt some semblance of closure.
Furina.
Despite all her hardships, despite her humanity, Aether saw something in her.
She was strong.
Aether felt something else tug at him. Respect? Admiration? Love? Nah. he'd only known her for three days at most, not counting the time he spent inside her head. So, he quickly crossed out that last one.
He hoped he could get as emotionally strong as she did.
With a sigh, he finally stood up, and jogged to catch up with the two.
A/N
My first written work! I made this after reading a bunch of Aether/Furina stories. A lot of them went the route of changing what happened during her story quest since Aether and Paimon were being a bit insensitive. I then wondered if I could fix it without changing the quest. I also didn't want to force readers into just re-reading the quest lines, so I tried to skip a few of them. Overall, I have mixed feelings about what I made here. Is there enough romance for me to use Aether/Furina as a ship, or do I just list it as Aether, Furina? Criticism welcome!