AN: Throwing my hat into the Aether/Furina ring.
This takes place during the final quest in Act 5 just after talking to Lyney and the gang. I'm keeping close to canon but with with a 'Furina should have been there' perspective. Assume everything else happened as normal!

Life in Fontaine was beginning to return to normal. The damage caused by the flood was almost fully repaired and the people were hard at work making sure Fontaine would be fully up and running again. Aether couldn't help but smile upon seeing everyone come together to do their part all over the nation.

He'd also contributed through requests from the Adventurer's Guild despite often being told he didn't have to. That combined with most of the friends he'd made being scattered over all corners of Fontaine meant he hadn't had the chance to catch up with any of them to see how they were doing.

Fortunately, Charlotte dragging him along for interviews was the best excuse he was going to get to and thankfully everyone was in good spirits.

It wasn't until he heard an off-handed comment from Wriothesley that Aether felt a sense of unease. It had made him realise there was an issue that he had neglected to address. He had hoped to find out more from the Duke himself but Charlotte was insistent they were done at the Fortress and felt that, if Wriothesley did know more, he would have shared the information with him then.

Now that he had seen Lyney and the others off, he had one final stop in mind. The sun was already setting and if his gut feeling was accurate, he needed to get moving as soon as possible.

"Whew, Paimon doesn't think she'll ever get used to the Knave." Paimon breathed a sigh of relief as she looked down at the lower level of the Harbour. "Paimon still can't believe the Fatui helped us out this time, can you?" She turned to see Aether already boarding the aquabus. "Aether! Wait for Paimon!"

Aether was snapped out of his thoughts by her yell. His companion was just able to grab on to his scarf before the aquabus began moving.

"Sorry… thought you were right behind me." He gave a slight chuckle and scratched the back of his head. The gesture and his expression fell shortly after. He'd make it up to her later. Right now he needed to get to the opera house.

Just as Paimon looked to be preparing to give him the scolding of a lifetime, she caught the look on Aether's face. Paimon had travelled with him for long enough to have an idea of what Aether was thinking and feeling near enough all the time at this point. He was never in this much of a hurry unless something big was on his mind.

"What is it? Did we forget something?" she asked.

"We're going to the opera house."

"Oh right, the Knave has the Gnosis now. We need to find out why Neuvillette gave it to her." Aether hummed in partial agreement which only left Paimon confused. She was certain another Gnosis being in the hands of the Fatui would be the first thing on his mind he would want answers about. "What else is there?"

Aether clenched his hands together.

"Furina."

"Oh. We… didn't see her after the trial did we?" Paimon's face fell.

Wriothesley and Lyney had both mentioned their former Archon, with both making similar comments about her supposed departure. They hadn't elaborated further but it was highly likely that they didn't know much else as neither of them would have had any direct dealing with Furina. That left going to the opera house to speak to Neuvillette or, if he could find her, Furina herself.

Since leaving the Fortress of Meropide following Charlotte's interview, Aether continuously mulled over what Furina's departure could have entailed. He could only assume it meant that she was stepping down from her position as Hydro Archon which was more than understandable. He only needed to recall what he had seen of her memories to see why Furina would come to that decision.

There was also the other thought that had crossed his mind after what Lyney had said. Lyney had simply said that Furina had 'left'. Aether willed the aquabus to move faster, hoping 'left' didn't mean Furina had left Fontaine entirely.

He couldn't blame Furina for that decision either but he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he wasn't able to set things right with her.

The desperation in Furina's voice as she pleaded with anyone to believe that she was their Archon and how broken she looked as Neuvillette announced her verdict were burned into his memory. She had stayed strong for her people for so long and thanks to their trap and the trial, they had taken it all away from her, even having her believe her suffering was all for nothing. Everyone in the group knew before the trial that, to find the truth, it would undoubtedly be cruel to Furina but Aether could never have imagined just how great the burden she had had to carry for the last 500 years was.

Even after the prophecy had finally been broken, he didn't even think to check on her.

"I want to make sure she's alright," Aether finally said. "She needs to know she's not alone anymore. She has people she can talk to."

Paimon nodded firmly but said nothing else.

The rest of the trip passed in silence.

"Ah, Lady Furina…" Neuvillette's stoic expression softened. "The people are only aware that her death sentence has not been carried out. She abdicated the post of Hydro Archon and left affairs related to that title to me, before leaving the opera house."

"She'll… still be around, right?" Paimon asked. "She hasn't left Fontaine has she?"

Neuvillette shook his head.

"I have arranged lodgings for her in the main city. It is much smaller than what she is used to but I was regrettably unable to find much of anything else on such short notice. Nonetheless, I will see to it that Lady Furina has everything she needs for a life free from her previous burden."

Aether sighed in relief and felt like he could finally breathe again. Furina wasn't leaving entirely and at least Neuvillette was looking out for her. It didn't sound like she was here right now though. Still, Neuvillette would be able to let him know how she had been doing since moving out.

"Has she settled in at all?"

"She has yet to move in actually." Neuvillette looked over in the direction of Marcotte Station. "I requested she stay here until her home was ready. She left moments before you arrived here."

Aether spun around looking in the same direction. Considering they were standing at the entrance to the Fortress of Meropide, the only way they could have missed her was if she took the opposite passageway they did around the opera house . He cursed his luck. The station was close and the aquabus ran regularly. They had been talking to Neuvillette for a little while but there was a chance she was still in the area.

"Maybe I can still catch her."

"You intend to speak with her?" Neuvillette asked. Aether looked back at him, the answer evident on his face. "While I know I cannot stop you, I would caution against discussing recent events with her."

A look of bewilderment that crossed Aether's face.

"I can't just-!" He stopped himself from finishing, cursing the fact the he already had let Furina continue to suffer in silence. He knew Neuvillette had good reason for his warning, he just wanted to hear his reasoning for it. "How's she been doing since the trial?"

Neuvillette sighed and closed his eyes.

"I related Focalors' words to her faithfully and completely. After hearing them, she seemed neither saddened nor comforted. She simply said that... she was tired, and needed to rest."

"Oh." Paimon cast her eyes down. "Paimon wants to help but it doesn't sound like Furina's going to feel better any time soon."

"It will take time for her wounds to heal," Neuvillette agreed. "I will do what I can for her, though at the time when I spoke to her, I did not think it was my place to have her relive such events so soon. After all, I played a significant role in exposing everything she had kept hidden for all these years."

Aether let his words sink in. Though Neuvillette had always admitted he was still learning the ways of humans, Aether felt that he had made the right choice. He wanted to give Furina the time and space she needed until she was ready to speak on her own terms. They had all done their part in drawing out the truth from her by any means necessary and it had devastated her. He was possibly the last person she wanted to see. He was the one prosecuting her.

As much as Aether wanted to say to her, whether it be to apologise or show his appreciation for her actions, she most likely wasn't ready to hear it from him just yet.

"I just…" He exhaled in frustration. "I just want to make sure she's alright."

"I understand." Neuvillette studied the determination in Aether's eyes for a moment and nodded. "We can continue our conversation when you return. I thank you for all that you have done for Lady Furina."

"Thanks Neuvillette." Aether smiled. "Wait here Paimon, I won't be long." Somehow, he didn't think his companion would be much help this time.

"You mean Paimon can't come with you!" Paimon stamped her foot in the air before finally conceding. "Fine but you better tell Furina that Paimon's on her side too."

"Will do."

Aether didn't think he could run any faster than he had on the way to the station. It was a relief to know Furina would still be in Fontaine but he didn't know when he would have another opportunity to see her.

All the while, he found himself continually coming up with and then dismissing ideas of what to say to her.

Neuvillette was right. He had to be careful in what he spoke about. Furina's wounds were still fresh in her mind and he could only imagine how she was holding herself together. As Neuvillette told him, after it all, she just wanted to rest.

If that was the case, then maybe there was something he could give her. It was a gamble but it couldn't hurt to try.

With Marcotte Station a short distance away, he stopped just outside to catch his breath, hoping he wasn't too late. He recalled the aquabus' guide mentioning journeys heading back to the main city were rarely full meaning there was a good chance she was already gone. Craning his neck to get a better look at the interior of the station, he could see someone sitting at the far end.

It was Furina.

He breathed yet another sigh of relief.

Though her outfit was slightly different, it was still hard to miss her. The station was empty and Furina sat alone on a bench by the water. She hands folded in her lap and was looking out across the waterway for the aquabus. In front of her was a much smaller bag for her belongings than he imagined her carrying.

Based on the time, she must have just missed the aquabus. While he initially considered himself lucky that he was able to catch her before she left, he could already guess why she was hadn't taken the previous bus. If there was even one other person boarding, he imagined she would just wait for the next one and hope it was empty.

Again, he couldn't blame her for it. The questions, hushed whispers and glances that would arise from a journey to the main city with just one other person on board would be one of the last things she would want to deal with. He wasn't sure what the consensus of the general public was regarding their their former Archon. To them, Furina had been exposed as a fraud. Not many beyond himself and Neuvillette knew the true extent of what she had done for her people.

He couldn't let her believe all she had been through was for nothing.

Taking one final deep breath, he made his approach. It wasn't exactly helpful that he was standing in the way of her only reasonable exit route but he made sure to stand a fair distance away to avoid looking like he was cornering her.

"Furina."

Furina reacted almost instantly. She jumped slightly and faced the voice calling her name and upon realising who it was, couldn't bring herself to maintain eye contact. She kept her eyes locked on the ground and hunched her shoulders, making herself look even smaller than she already was.

"What do you want?" she finally spoke, her voice barely audible.

Her voice was a far cry from that of the person who came to greet him back when he first arrived in Fontaine. It was the voice of the Furina behind the mask he saw in her memories. The Furina her people had rejected as their new Archon until she put on the guise of a god for the first time. It was no less painful to hear it now than it was then. Though his mind brought back memories of how he felt as a spectator to her never ending performance, she clearly wasn't ready to talk about any of it now.

"I heard you were leaving." He gestured to her bag even though she still wasn't looking at him. She said nothing and stayed where she was. "That's all you're taking with you?" She shifted in response only to bring her knees up onto the bench and hug them against her chest.

"Just say what you have to and go." Furina hid her face in her knees. It was muffled but he could still her voice cracking.

Of course she wouldn't want to hear anything from him. He suspected his much and he was pushing his luck enough as it was.

"Right," he muttered. He thought it best to do as she said. She was only going to close herself off more.

He held out his hand and materialised his bag, rummaging through it briefly. Finding the item he was looking for, he placed it on the bench next to her and stepped back.

Furina tilted her head slightly to see a wooden talisman with a picture of a teapot carved into it.

"It's a Realm Dispatch," Aether said. "It's up to you if you want to keep it or get rid of it but it'll let you visit my home." He paused, looking fondly at the talisman.

"It's let me stay connected to all the amazing people I've met in Teyvat. Some of my friends in Liyue came together to give it to me and it just reminds me that, even though I might not be from this world, I'm not alone."

Furina didn't take her eyes off the Dispatch beside her. He was fine with her not being able to look at him. She hadn't moved at all but to him it looked like her arms now had a slightly looser grip around her knees.

"I know you've got a place in the city but you're always welcome to come by." Aether dismissed his bag and took one final glance at Furina. He had said his piece and now she could decide what she wanted to do.

"Take care Furina," was all he said as he headed back to the Opera Epiclese.

He might not have been able to tell her everything he thought she deserved to hear but he was willing to wait until she was ready.

He hoped one day he could let her know how much he respected her for all she had done.

As Aether walked away, Furina let go of her knees. She watched him walk down the pathway towards the opera house until he was out of sight. Once he was gone, she went back to looking out for the aquabus. There was one on the way. She quickly checked to make sure she had everything ready until her eyes fell on the talisman Aether had left for her.

Why was he being so nice to her, she thought to herself. Surely he didn't care about her that much, right? She reached out to pick it up. It wouldn't hurt to take it with her especially if he really mean-

"He just wanted to see how far I've fallen."

She pulled her hand back as if it had just been burned, shying away from the object. It was merely the first of many similar thoughts to suddenly race through her mind.

"Why would he ever want to see me again?"

"All I've done is cause him trouble."

"He came here to speak to the Archon and I just wasted his time."

Furina felt her eyes start to water. She'd finally gotten her emotions under some semblance of control and he had to come by and remind her of it all again.

She just wanted to be alone. Why couldn't he just forget about her?

Furina stood and turned away from the Dispatch, fully intending to leave it behind and think nothing more of it. If such a brief meeting was enough to set her off like this, she didn't want to see it or Aether again.

"You don't have to shoulder this burden alone."

She froze. That was his voice. It was faint amongst and hard to hear over her own voice that repeated her doubts about his intentions but it reached her all the same. It was what he had said to her when they were hiding in Poisson. He was trying to reach out to her. It was the first time she had truly thought that she could ease her pain, to let someone in after so long.

She clutched at her head, trying to block out the retort that her mind was beginning to come up with. She wanted to hold on to the feeling his words had given her then: the hope that there was someone who could stop her feeling so isolated.

She couldn't risk it back then but maybe now that the prophecy had been averted…

Furina turned back. She recalled the fondness in Aether's words as he spoke of what the people he had met meant to him. From the reports she had read about him before his arrival, he could always be spotted with an eclectic group from each nation and he had done the same in Fontaine, making fast friends with many people.

She wanted to believe that he was willing to be there for her as well.

She slowly reached a quivering hand out to the talisman.

The aquabus signaled that it was ready to depart, snapping her out of her thoughts. She hadn't even noticed it arrive and it was about to leave.

Furina took hold of her belongings, grabbing the Dispatch and stuffing it in her pocket before boarding.

Sitting down on the aquabus, Furina felt the weight of the talisman in her pocket. There was still so much that she wasn't ready to face but there was some comfort she could gather from the gift. She didn't think she'd be ready to use it any time soon. She thought she needed to settle into her new life a little first.

While she was still filled with uncertainty about her future, she would try to hold on to the hope that for the first time in centuries, she really didn't have to be alone anymore.

AN: Sad Furina makes me sad. More chapters to come.

The title's referring to a KKB song of the same name. Check out the lyrics! Or if you're gonna listen to the song, go for the radio edit version if you're a first time listener.