Under the Starry Sky
Chapter 01 – New Beginning
After the prophecy events that took place a month ago, Fontaine, the nation of Justice, and the Fontainian people returned to their moments of peace and tranquility. However, due to the flood, several places in the beautiful region had suffered damage and were gradually returning to normal.
Meanwhile, Furina, the former Hydro Archon, after five hundred years playing a role that wasn't hers and carrying the weight of protecting her people, left the Palais Mermonia and her post to live a peaceful life in an apartment on Vasari Avenue, where she could spend her days resting and being a free and normal person as she had always wanted.
However, despite her story ending as the Hydro Archon, Furina didn't know that a new story awaited her, a story full of new discoveries where she would experience things she hadn't had the chance to in those five hundred years of solitude, pretending to be an archon.
It was around nine in the morning. It was a beautiful sunny day. Two very familiar figures, a young man with long blonde hair and a floating creature, were running at full speed through Vasari Avenue's square. They were Aether and Paimon, heading to the Debord Hotel to buy macarons and that limited-edition cake served only sixteen slices a day.
"Hurry up, Paimon! Wasn't it you who wanted a slice of that cake?" Aether said, turning left on Vasari Avenue, passing a sales stall.
"Of course Paimon wants a slice. In fact, Paimon can eat up to six slices. No, sixteen slices! And still, eat many delicious macarons!" Paimon affirmed.
"I already knew you would say something like that," Aether said, going down the stairs and passing by a couple carrying bags. "I just hope there's at least one slice left."
They ran down the street until finally reaching the Debord Hotel.
"Geez..." Aether said, squatting with hands on his knees, catching his breath. "I think I'm getting out of shape." He added, letting out a long sigh.
"Paimon is exhausted too." She said, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her hand. "Oh my Archon, so tired. A bit more, and Paimon would have had a heart attack on the way."
"Come on, stop with the drama, Paimon." Aether said, crossing his arms. "You float all the time, how can you get tired? Well, anyway, let's go in because we've wasted enough time out here."
"Okay." Paimon said, following the young man. "And let me tell you, it may seem like I don't get tired, but floating takes a lot of energy. So, Paimon eats a lot to be able to float all day while keeping you company."
Inside Debord Hotel, they went to the counter to place their order with the attendant. Luckily, there were still some slices and macarons. Paimon was extremely eager to get her little hands on a slice of that delicious limited-edition cake.
"Paimon's mouth waters just thinking that we'll be able to eat that cake. Not to mention that the macarons here are super tasty!"
"Not eating my share, you can eat as much as you want."
"If you're not careful, Paimon will eat all your macarons without leaving any, mwahahaha." Paimon said, smiling mischievously. "And then I'll eat all the cakes and macarons in all of Teyvat, mwhahaha."
"Ever thought about doing theater at the Opera Epiclese?" He teased.
"No, but I'd be a great actress. And I'd put on fantastic shows that would leave even the Archons stunned." She bragged.
They bought the macarons and the limited-edition cake and went to a square, where they could be outdoors enjoying their delights while savoring a delicious tea recommended by Wriothesley.
"This cake and the macarons are delicious!" Paimon exclaimed, with her mouth full and her cheeks dirty with whipped cream.
"Indeed. I remember the last time we ate this cake. It was when we accompanied Furina to that tea party, where we met Knave." Aether said, staring at the small slice on his tray that was almost gone.
"What's up, Aether?" Paimon asked, noticing that the young man's cheerful face had changed from one moment to the next, as if something had bothered him. "If you're sad because your cake is ending, Paimon can give you a little of mine, even though mine is also ending." She said, smiling slightly.
"Thanks. But it's not that. It's just that I've been thinking..." Aether paused in his speech. "Is Furina okay? Since we had to try to force her to tell the truth about the prophecy in court and everything that happened afterward, we haven't seen her since then. According to Neuvillette, she's leading a quiet life in a new home somewhere here in Fontaine."
"Oh, so that's what you were thinking about. She's probably fine. Maybe we'll run into her someday."
"I hope so." Aether said, feeling a tightness in his chest. It was an uncertain feeling. Deep down, he felt a little guilty for what he did in court, even though he knew it was necessary.
Aether and Paimon finished eating. As expected, Paimon devoured everything, but in Aether's macaron tray, there were still some left, so holding it, he saved a macaron he had taken a bite of and closed the tray neatly. And they headed towards the Adventurers' Guild to accept some daily missions.
Although Aether and Paimon had been in Fontaine for so long, they were still not one hundred percent familiar with the nation. This ended up creating a complicated situation where they got lost because Aether took a path that led to Steam Bird, a dead-end location. But, due to the hurry, the young man didn't think twice and jumped from the top with Paimon screaming in panic.
They realized that they were at the Court Region Waterway Hub. Fortunately, passing through there led to another part of Vasari Avenue, which consequently led them to pass by Furina's house that they didn't know about.
"Quick, Paimon!" Aether said, looking back and seeing that the floating fairy wasn't floating as usual.
"W—Wait... Paimon..." Paimon said, trying to stay unstable while floating. She ate so much that she couldn't run.
"I'll wait for you there!" Aether said.
"Hey!" Paimon said, falling behind.
The blonde-haired traveler ran up the stairs when suddenly...
"Watch out!" Aether yelled. But it was too late, and he collided with a person in front of him, who was carrying several shopping bags.
The shopping bags went flying, accompanied by a blue hat with golden details that was very familiar. Aether and the person fell to the ground because of the impact.
"Ouch, that hurt..." Aether said, running his hand over his head. "Are you okay?"
"Hey, be more careful where you're going!" The person said, removing the shopping bag from in front of their face and revealing...
"Furina!?" Aether was astonished after seeing the girl he had been thinking and talking about moments ago.
"Traveler?" She didn't say another word for a few seconds while looking at the young man.
"Let me help you up." Said the young man, extending his hand gently.
"Hm?" She looked at the young man's extended hand and her face blushed a little. "No need to worry, I can get up by myself. Thank you." She said and did just that.
"Alright..." Aether said, smiling slightly. "So, let me at least help you with your shopping." He said, picking up the girl's hat from the ground and dusting it off with a few taps.
"Thanks." Furina said, crouching down to pick up her shopping.
Aether nodded, and so did he. While the two were picking up cans of tomato sauce, canned meat, packs of pasta, and some scattered vegetables from the ground, Furina occasionally glanced at the blonde traveler helping her with the shopping. She seemed to be admiring his company, even if it was for a brief moment.
Aether, as he placed the purchases in bags, also looked at the girl out of the corner of his eye, but before she noticed, he averted his gaze. He didn't even know why he was looking at her so much. It seemed like something about her was attracting him.
"Okay, this is the last one." They both said in unison, putting the cans of tomato sauce in the same bag.
As they did that at the same time, Aether and Furina accidentally connected their gazes for a few moments. They blushed immediately afterward. But, quickly, they looked away when Paimon suddenly appeared.
"Hey! What's going on here? Huh, what are you two doing? Why were you so close?" Paimon asked multiple questions, not even realizing it was Furina right in front of her.
"Hmph! The Traveler dropped my groceries, so he was just helping me pick them up." Furina replied, turning her face, which had blushed a little more.
"What was this sensation?" Aether wondered in his thoughts.
"Wait a minute!" Finally, it dawned on Paimon. "Furina!?" She said, astonished to see the girl again.
"Yes, it's me. Surprise." Furina said. "But why the shock when you see me? It's as if I've turned into a ghost." She said, putting her hands on her hips.
"It's just that..." Aether said, being interrupted by Paimon.
"It's just that Aether remembered you earlier today. He was worried about you." Paimon exposed, the chatterbox.
"W—Worried a—about me?" She stammered.
"Paimon!"
"Oops... My bad."
"I was just thinking about you because, after what happened, I hadn't seen you. Neuvillette told us that you left Palais Mermonia and were living a normal life in an apartment you rented."
"Hm... I just realized something. He said he was thinking 'ABOUT you' and not 'OF you.' There might be differences in those dialogues. Is Aether... liking Furina?!" Paimon wondered in her thoughts.
"Got it. Well, if you two will excuse me. I'm going to take my groceries home," Furina said, holding the bags with difficulty.
"Let me help you carry some bags," Aether said, taking two bags.
A can of tomato sauce dripped from one of the bags Aether took, and Paimon was quick to catch it before it hit the ground.
"If you insist on helping me, then fine," said Furina, smiling.
"No problem," Aether spoke.
"Yeah, no problem," Paimon said.
And so, the two followed the girl, who deep down was happy to be helped by the Traveler.
When they reached Furina's house, both Aether and Paimon were stunned because they realized they had passed by the house just minutes ago.
"Whoa! You live here?!" Paimon asked.
"Yes, of course. This is the apartment I rented. Why?" Furina replied and then asked.
"Well, I thought it would be something more... How can I say...?" Paimon thought for a moment. "... Closer to Palais Mermonia. But, it's just a simple apartment." She teased.
"Paimon! Those words shouldn't even be coming out of your mouth, especially since you don't even have a house," Aether reprimanded, indignant at Paimon's attitude.
"I don't know if you're aware, but I left Palais Mermonia because I was fed up and extremely tired of everything I had to go through. Now, I'm doing my best to live a quiet life where I can rest," Furina explained the reason for her move.
"Sorry, Furina," Paimon said, feeling down about herself.
After a brief disagreement at the entrance, the three entered Furina's residence.
"If Paimon starts with these antics again, you can just throw her off a waterfall without hesitation."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Hey! That's too cruel to Paimon," said Paimon, horrified. "Here, take this can. You guys must be plotting against me. I'll stay a bit away." She said, handing over the can of tomato sauce.
They headed to the kitchen to put the groceries on the table.
"And you, have everything been okay?" Aether asked.
"Yes, yes. As I mentioned before, I'm living a quiet life here in this house. It's not rocket science, as people often say to live alone. I wash my clothes, prepare my daily meals properly, and I enjoy cooking."
Furina continued telling about her new life.
"And in my free time, I like to read books. Just yesterday, I was rereading one called 'The Queen's Crown'; I wish it had a sequel soon. I also like to go shopping, although sometimes I go overboard buying unnecessary things."
Aether smiled, happy to know that the girl he had been worried about was doing well.
"It seems Neuvillette was right," he said. "And what do you like to cook? I noticed you buy a lot of tomato sauce and canned meat." Aether finally managed to ask a question that had been bothering him.
"Well, I usually cook various types of macaroni, like macaroni with tomato sauce, macaroni with cheese, and macaroni with Bolognese sauce," she said, proud of herself.
"..." Aether was stunned to hear what Furina ate every single day.
"What's wrong? Why are you so shocked?" She asked.
"You only eat macaroni? Doesn't that get boring?"
"Of course not. With various sauces, I can make different dishes with pasta, so it doesn't get boring," she asserted. "I've tried making other types of noodle recipes from Inazuma, like Soba Noodles and Udon Noodles, but they didn't turn out well," she lamented, disappointed with herself.
Soon after, Furina took out of the bag the tray of macarons that Aether had accidentally placed there when he was helping her.
"Oh, this isn't mine," Furina said, holding the object in her hands.
"It's mine. I had forgotten. Those are my leftover macarons," he clarified, scratching the back of his head.
Paimon suddenly entered the kitchen, remembering that they forgot to check in with Katheryne at the Adventurers' Guild.
"Aether! We forgot to go talk to Katheryne!" Paimon shouted desperately.
"Ah, what a shock!" Furina exclaimed, startled by Paimon's screams, almost dropping the tray of macarons.
"Wow!" The blond guy said, widening his eyes. "Right, and I didn't even notice the time! Katheryne must be worried by now."
The unexpected encounter with Furina made the young man completely forget about his daily missions. The day, for him, seemed to revolve solely around the girl beside him.
"We have to hurry, Paimon!" He exclaimed.
"Then let's go!" Paimon affirmed, leaving the kitchen.
Aether panicked and hurriedly left, bidding farewell to the young woman who shouted that he was forgetting the tray with the macarons. He replied that she could keep them. And just before they left through the door, the blond guy complimented Furina's new look, leaving her momentarily speechless and with slightly flushed cheeks.
"T—Toodle-oo...," said Furina."
After Aether left the house, Furina returned to the kitchen. She remained stunned by the compliment made by the Traveler.
"Stop dwelling on what he said. It was just a compliment. Nothing extraordinary," she thought, shaking her head to dispel the thoughts.
Then, delicately, she opened the tray of macarons. She picked a yellow one, probably passion fruit flavor. As she took a bite, suddenly, she remembered earlier when she and Aether locked eyes. And Paimon's words saying that Aether was worried about her echoed in her mind.
"What is this feeling... that I'm experiencing?" She whispered to herself, embracing the tray that Aether gave her, while her face blushed intensely. "Why can't he leave my mind?"
To be continued...