Sorry for taking so long to update, I really struggled to write this chapter. Hope you enjoy :)
Chapter 7
Furina had never felt this way before in her entire life. She was so happy, it felt unreal. She would sometimes wake suddenly at night, wondering if it was all a dream and expecting something bad to happen, only to find Aether sleeping beside her. Her heart would then fill with joy; she would hug him and sleep calmly again. Even though they slept in the same bed, they still hadn't had an intimate night. Furina simply wasn't ready for it. She had no idea what she was supposed to do after 500 years of avoiding any and all serious relationships. Aether, being his typical self, didn't pressure her, and she was glad.
Now that he was spending so much time in her house, Furina could get much more physical contact with him, which she enjoyed every second of. Before, she would only touch him while they were dancing and otherwise avoided it because she thought it wasn't proper. But now she could sit on his lap, caress his neck, play with his hair, rest her head on his chest, and kiss him all she wanted.
Aether, on his part, seemed to never get enough of her. He always pulled her as close as possible, pressing her chest against his. He liked to feel her heartbeat; he liked it when they were breathing in unison, their chests moving up and down together. He liked putting his head between her hair and shoulder and gently kissing her neck. She would start playing with his hair while he felt like he was resting from the world, like all the weight on his shoulders had disappeared.
They also thought they looked very cute too, until Paimon pointed out that sometimes they looked like they were wrestling. Not that they stopped doing it, though.
The only thing that wasn't perfect for Furina was that she couldn't accompany him on his journeys. Being a top adventurer, the Adventurers' Guild often gave him lengthy, difficult commissions, and he was out for days. She didn't mind the time he was absent itself; in fact, she enjoyed having some time to herself (she still had a lot of self-reflection to do) or time that she could spend only with Navia and Clorinde. No, she just wanted to see him in action, to be there for him sometimes, and to go on an adventure with him.
Even with their best efforts combined, Navia and Clorinde still couldn't manage to get her out of the house more, outside of shopping for necessities and clothing. The most they could manage was to have a coffee at the nearest café, which they celebrated as usual by eating a lot of cake. But even there, Furina wasn't feeling comfortable. People did notice her, but they never talked to her. They were just looking at her and whispering to each other. Furina interpreted it as a positive sign, though: no one said anything bad to her directly, and no one was aggressive. Although that could have been because Clorinde was there as well and everyone knew who she was. Her anxiety about going out did reduce a little, but still not enough to go on a walk or visit any kind of event.
One such day, when Aether was out on commissions and Navia and Clorinde were busy with their duties, Furina was alone at home, listening to a favorite chanson and pondering what dance to teach Aether next (preferably one less energetic, as last time he nearly overturned the table), when a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She knew straight away it wasn't Aether or her girlfriends, so she peeked through the window. To her dismay, it was none other than Neuvillette. Furina slowly opened the door.
"Lady Furina," said Neuvillette, and smiled. "It is good to see you in good health. May I come in?"
"Of course, Neuvillette, welcome," answered Furina, unsure of how she should behave and what she should feel.
"It's been almost a month since we last met. Truth be told, I was sincerely hoping you would come and visit me. But now Clorinde tells me you are in good spirits, so I decided to see you instead, Lady Furina."
"Neuvillette... you don't have to pretend to respect me anymore, so drop the "lady". It's just Furina now."
Neuvillette turned to her with a somewhat puzzled expression. "Very well, Miss Furina. But please know that I never simply pretended to respect you. Although I must admit, I now respect you much more than I did before."
Furina tried to smile, but she wasn't sure it worked. Not that she didn't appreciate his words (even though she didn't fully believe them), she simply didn't know how to act around him now.
Neuvillette looked around the house. "I see things are working out fine for you, Miss Furina. Not that I ever doubted that. I am sure that someone with your strength of character can overcome anything."
"Well, to be honest, I did have a lot of help."
"So I hear. I understand you are becoming quite close with Clorinde, Navia, and the Traveler. That truly makes me happy for you, Miss Furina."
"Thanks... but you didn't come here just to tell me that, did you, Neuvillette?"
"Indeed, seeing how you are was only one of the reasons why I came. There are some things that I wanted to say to you as well. First, I wanted to give you my thanks. The work you have done over the centuries is truly immense. Now that I have taken on some of your roles, I understand that more clearly than ever."
"Thank you, Neuvillette. But Aether already thanked me on everyone's behalf."
"I see. Quite the foresight he displayed. Very well, I also wanted to extend my apologies-"
"Yes, he already said that as well." Furina didn't want to appear rude, and she did appreciate Neuvillette's words, but she didn't want to hear it again from him for some reason. Plus, she didn't really feel that apologies were in order in the first place.
"... Nothing much left to say for me then. Well, the last thing, Miss Furina, is... I need your advice."
"My... advice? Neuvillette, I am no longer anyone of any importance; surely you don't need my advice."
"Please do not say this, Miss Furina. You will always be important to me and to all of Fontaine. And I truly do not believe my judgment was erroneous. You are the exact person who can give me the council I need."
Furina couldn't help but feel touched. "Okay, I'll... I'll try. What is it?"
Neuvillette sighed. "How did you manage to see and help so many people during your visiting hours? And, more importantly, how did you deal with... let us say less savory people?"
"Less... savory people?" Furina wasn't sure she understood him.
"Indeed. Some people come to visit me in order to ask for help with a sick relative or, generally, with a problem they are unable to solve for reasons beyond their control. I understand and accept such requests. But others... others want me to procure a magical cure for their behavior, which is completely their own fault. Or even worse, they make unreasonable demands. How can I give a person 20 million Mora in order for them to open a restaurant in the center of the city? Why, if I did such a favor for every citizen that asked, would the Fontaine treasury not be empty in days? Surely, they understand that, but then why bother waiting in line for 6 hours?"
Furina couldn't help but laugh out loud. When she caught her breath, she answered, "Oh, Neuvillette! These visits aren't in a courtroom, you know. Not everything needs to be black and white, proven and disproven, just or unjust. Surely, you've realized by now how humans are. A lot of these people want some advice and some encouragement, and they believe they need an Archon to give them that. Naturally, if their demands are ridiculous, you should just deny them. But you should still offer a word of advice; you should still tell them you understand their hopes and dreams and wish them success. How did I deal with all these people, you ask? Why, I simply accepted them all. An Archon should not discriminate against their own people, should they?"
"You simply accepted all of them? You truly are too kind, Miss Furina."
"Well... not that kind, really." Furina just couldn't take the compliment. "I just had a sense of responsibility. But it shouldn't be a problem for you. In one day, I managed to see... probably about fifty people."
An expression appeared on Neuvillette's face that she didn't often see. His eyes were wide open, and his jaw was about to drop on the floor.
"Fif... fifty people?!"
"Well yes, more or less... less on a bad day," said Furina as if she were excusing herself. "Probably around sixty on a good day."
"Miss Furina... I barely manage to see ten people a day."
"Ten people?! But Neuvillette, the line must extend for days at this point!"
"Indeed, it does," sighed Neuvillette. "It seems I truly am not fit for some of your old responsibilities, Miss Furina. But, you see, I was right in asking you for help. Very well, then. I shall handle the matter differently. I think I will create a new branch of the Palais Mermonia administration specifically designed to handle citizen visits. Only the most important ones shall be delegated to me; the rest should be handled by friendly Melusines, I suppose. My sincerest thanks, Miss Furina."
Furina was happy that he could think of a solution so quickly, but she expected nothing less from Neuvillette. But now she felt awkward. What more could she say to him? Even though they worked for so long in tandem, in her heart, Furina thought that Neuvillette never truly held her in high regard. And since he was always the one with power and authority, which Furina right now did not possess at all, she felt like there was a huge, thick, impenetrable well between them.
"Is there anything else, Neuvillette?" she asked, staring at her feet.
Neuvillette understood that his admiration would not reach through to Furina right now. After all, the scars on her soul still needed a lot of time to heal. Being patient and collected, as a Iudex should be, he decided not to press her any further.
"No, Miss Furina, that was all I wanted to discuss with you. I am truly glad to see you are doing fine. Please know that you can come see me at any time you wish, and no matter the reason you might have, I will always make time for you. You know my schedule by heart. And you are always welcome to the Palais Mermonia, at your convenience."
"I... appreciate this, Neuvillette, I really do, but... I am no longer needed there, and we no longer work together... us having some time apart... I imagine that this is good for both of us, right?" Was she trying to convince him? Or herself? She knew she bothered and annoyed him quite often when she was still there, and they often had disagreements. Especially with the addition of his new duties, he certainly didn't need that kind of distraction.
Neuvillette didn't answer. He just smiled politely and walked toward the door. "Oh, there is actually one more thing, Miss Furina," he said from the door. "If you were to ever return to the stage, I shall personally attend your performance and give you my heartfelt applause."
"No, Neuvillette. I am not sure I'll ever be able to return... and I don't know how people will see me now."
"Miss Furina, please know that we, the public, never feigned our adoration of you on the stage simply because you were the Archon. Your performances were simply always mesmerizing and enthralling. We all miss you very much, Miss Furina. But of course, it is your prerogative as to when or if you return to the stage."
"You think people... miss me?"
"Indeed. And... sometimes I miss you too, Miss Furina."
"... Sometimes I miss you too, Neuvillette."
Neuvillette nodded, understanding. "Please take care, Miss Furina. And like I said, I am available for you at any time."
As the door closed, Furina sat confused in her room. How was she supposed to feel about Neuvillette, the Hydro Dragon Sovereign? A Sovereign of a nation, which now had no Archon. She thought a long time about him, about Focalors, about Fontaine... and about herself.
And as all the negative emotions from the past flooded her mind, she suddenly felt like she had never been so useless. Neuvillette certainly intended to lift her spirits, but his story reminded her that she was no longer of any use to the people of Fontaine. As painful as her past was, her only consolation was that she was doing everything she could to help the people in need. She thought about Aether, but that only seemed to add to her pain. She could no longer help Fontainians; she could no longer help Neuvillette; she could not even truly help her friends. And she could barely help herself.