"Hey, are you listening? Watch where you're walking, Aether!"

He was only vaguely aware of Paimon's warning as he descended the stairs. His eyes felt heavy and his mind mushy after a long day's work for the Adventurer's Guild. It was only mid-afternoon but after running (and swimming) all over Fontaine for his daily commissions, all Aether wanted to do was collapse in bed and sleep till the next morning. Unfortunately, it was increasingly looking like he'd fall asleep then and there on the street in front of Furina's place.

'Oh, it's been a while since I last visited…' About a week now if he was keeping track correctly. She'd appreciate him dropping by, right? "Come on, Paimon." Paimon initially expressed confusion about why they were coming here but Aether told her not to ask too many questions. Furina's landlord was nowhere to be seen so Aether just let himself in and went up the stairs.

—knock knock

"Just a second!" Furina's muffled voice came from the other side. The door soon opened to reveal the tenant's surprised face. "Aether? Oh, and Paimon…" The disappointment in her voice was hard to miss but she continued speaking in a polite tone. She welcomed them in and told them to take a seat. "You really need to tell me when you're coming by. I would've cleaned up early." Her living room wasn't that dirty, at least not in Aether's tired mind. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"I'm—" Aether tried to say but let out a yawn instead. The two sat down on her couch as Aether explained what he had done that day. "Sorry, I just finished reporting to Katheryne. I was sent all over Fontaine today…"

"I told him to just go back to our place in the sewers but he wanted to stop by here first," Paimon added with a sigh. She glanced around Furina's room for a few seconds before giving her opinion. "So this is how the great Hydro Archon lives now? Paimon would have thought someone as prestigious as you would be living it up a bit more."

"I appreciate the compliment but do you really have to say that," Furina grumbled at the floating companion. However, her obvious annoyance immediately disappeared the second she turned towards Aether. "Oh, before I forget, thank you for the eclairs from the other day. They were delicious."

"AH?! They were for you?! Why wasn't Paimon informed of this?! Have you been keeping secrets from Paimon, Aether?!"

Aether naturally ignored his companion's screaming and said to Furina to think nothing of the gift. "I bumped into Clorinde at the shop and she mentioned she was going to visit you," he explained, easing into the couch's soft cushions. "So how've you been?"

"I've been doing the same as always. I actually went out to see a play a couple of days ago. It wasn't a large-scale production but I enjoyed it," Furina smiled as she remembered the play. Aether was not sure why but seeing her happy couldn't help but make him feel at ease. "Clorinde dragged me to watch it… Well, it was Navia who dragged her to watch me and Clorinde wanted me to come along instead of staying cooped up inside my home."

"And you didn't refuse them?" He asked after another yawn.

"I wanted to at first but I felt bored that day."

"I see why, this place doesn't have that much to off— Ow! Hey!" Paimon crossed her little arms at Aether slapping her in the side. "Paimon is just saying, you know…"

"Other than…othing. I've got…letters…" Furina's voice felt more distant the more she spoke. "Um… Aether?"

"Yes…?"

"There's some… ask?"

"What?" Aether replied. He didn't actually know what she said but made an educated guess.

"Why…" Furina trailed off at first, her eyes glancing towards Paimon. "Never mind. You can ans… time. But if you wan… stay and nap, I don't mind." All Aether picked up was 'nap' and just like that, a switch flipped in his head. His vision darkened and before he realised it, he had dozed off.

When he woke up, it was already nighttime. It must have been late already as the lights were out and Paimon was also floating around sleeping, mumbling something about eating eclairs. There was a blanket wrapped around him which was certainly not there earlier. 'Furina must've done this,' he concluded. His body still felt sluggish but decided to get up anyway. He had no idea how long he was asleep and thought it would be best he didn't intrude on Furina's private space any further.

"Eh? We're going now…? Can't we go in the morning? Furina promised she'd cook breakfast for us," Paimon groaned upon being shaken awake. While that sounded nice, they really should get going. "Alright, alright— yawn…"

As Paimon floated over towards the entrance, Aether lightly knocked on Furina's bedroom door. There was no response, prompting him to knock again. "Furina?" He gently opened the door to see the lights also out. Still, he could hear her faint snoring confirming she was asleep. "…I'll write a note again…" He muttered and almost closed the door. However…

"…leave…" "Huh?" A mute cry made him pause. "Furina?" There was no response again. After a moment of consideration, Aether quietly entered her room and went to her bedside where he confirmed she was asleep and simply sleep-talking.

"…n't leave…" she muttered in a small voice again.

For a few moments, Aether stood there before letting out a long sigh. "…You're very needy, you know?" He complained under his breath as he sat down on her bed. He could stay until he felt sleepy again. Paimon wouldn't complain, right?

A/N: The third visit and already staying the night. Going a bit fast, right? Eh, I don't think anyone would complain. It would certainly be easier for Aether to get to Katheryn when staying on the adjacent scene rather than climbing several floors every day and night from the sewers.

In any case, more crumbs for now but slowly building up to what we're all hoping for. See you all next time!