AN: I was hoping to post this a little sooner but things got kinda busy on my end. Either way, here's chapter 3!
"Thank you for your contributions Traveler!"
Aether smiled and waved goodbye to Lepine-Pauline who eagerly reviewed the sample pictures she had been given.
Another day, another set of pictures for Lepine-Pauline's algorithm. It all still seemed ridiculous. He doubted there had really been a group of thieves disguised as blubberbeasts and actually gotten away with it. Even Gardemeks could make mistakes but to imagine them making such a glaring oversight didn't quite seem right.
Either way, it was time to head back to the Adventurer's Guild to see if any other commissions were available. It couldn't be anything that sent them too far outside of the city. They needed to be at Cafe Lucerne in a few hours for their temporary shift.
"We've gotta do everything we can to help clear the blubberbeasts' names," Paimon said as she floated alongside him with her hands behind her head. "The nerve of those thieves. Pinning their crimes on those guys is unforgivable!"
"Somehow I don't think people are blaming blubberbeasts themselves for the thefts." Aether shrugged. "I'm pretty sure people won't start to associate them with thieves."
"Hmm, well Paimon hopes the Gardemeks will learn to tell the difference between a costume and a real one." Paimon brought a hand to her chin. "If not, we should see Neuvillette and get him to make a bunch of laws like 'No costumes of Blubberbeasts or any similarly adorable creatures that'll mess with the Gardemeks'. Let's see, what else can we suggest?"
Aether chuckled as Paimon continued to come up with further ideas that quickly became more beneficial to them than for the good of Fontaine as a whole. He carried on walking, half listening to his companion and nodding every so often until he noticed he saw a familiar figure with an Electro Vision down the stairs opposite the Adventurer's Guild.
"Hey, isn't that Clorinde?" he nudged Paimon with his elbow, cutting her off.
"Huh? Oh yeah, it is! Hi Clorinde!" Paimon waved to her before flying on ahead.
"Oh, it's you two," the Champion Duelist gave them with a short nod when Aether caught up and greeted her.
It was a surprise to see Clorinde but he hadn't planned on striking up a conversation with her. They were on good enough terms but they hadn't really spoken without a third party and she never seemed like she had much to say.
"So, you're back in the city now, huh? How're things in Poisson?"
"I returned a few days after your last visit," she said. "The reconstruction of Poisson is almost finished. I would have seen it through to completion but Navia insisted I had done more than enough for them and that the Spina could do the rest themselves."
"That's great!" Paimon turned to Aether. "Let's go see them sometime. Paimon wants to see everyone again now that it's all fixed up."
"Sure, we can do that."
"Anyway," Clorinde turned her head briefly to look in the direction of Beaumont Workshop. "I have a prior engagement to attend to so is there something you needed me for?" She held up a bag that he had only just noticed her holding.
"Oh, no sorry, we just wanted to say hi," Aether admitted.
"What've you got there?" Paimon chimed in gesturing to the bag. "Been shopping?" Aether sighed, unimpressed. Hadn't Clorinde just said she was busy?
To his surprise, Clorinde didn't shut Paimon down as he had expected and instead took a moment to respond. She looked to be considering whether she should let them know something important. Aether thought he could feel a slight change in the air.
"I suppose you ought to know," she finally said. "Since I came back from Poisson, I've been visiting Miss Furina. I'm on my way to see her now. This is just some tea that I thought she would enjoy."
Aether's eyes widened. It had almost been a week since he saw Furina at the station. She hadn't been to the Serenitea Pot yet which he thought was understandable. He didn't imagine she'd be willing to visit just yet. After everything she'd been through, he acknowledged that she needed space but he was beginning to think he should have done more to try to see how she was doing.
"How is she?"
Clorinde sighed and closed her eyes. "She doesn't say much but it's clear she doesn't want to be a burden. From what I gather she doesn't often leave the house so I've been making time each day to check up on her."
Paimon deflated at the news and turned to Aether. Aether clenched his fists.
"Let us come with you." He couldn't let things continue as they were after hearing what Clorinde had said. He knew he should have at least asked Neuvillette to let him know where he could find her.
He didn't doubt Clorinde's assessment, he just wanted to see how she was doing for himself. He didn't intend to force her to talk about anything she didn't want to but Furina needed to know there were people she could turn to.
Clorinde studied them before giving an answer.
"Very well."
Furina lie on her bed staring at the ceiling.
She thought she should probably eat soon. It wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience. It would only be macaroni after all, just like it had been yesterday and the other days.
Thinking back to yesterdays meal, she remembered she was running out. If she ran out, she would need to buy more. That meant she'd have to leave the house.
She rolled her head to the side to look at the window. It was still bright outside. There would be a lot of people around. She suddenly didn't feel like she had the energy to go shopping.
Maybe she wouldn't eat until later then. She wasn't that hungry.
Her gaze returned to the ceiling.
The first time she went shopping had made her uncomfortable. She had just minded her own business but she felt eyes falling upon her. That was normal she told herself. They weren't used to seeing her doing something so mundane but even then there were only so many stares and people giving her wide berths that she could put up with before making a hasty exit and letting others carry on with their day undisturbed.
Any time she went outside was a similar experience. As a result, she'd stay at home all day and only leave if it was absolutely essential to.
There was plenty she could do at home though. When she was hungry, she could cook. When she was bored, she could read. If she didn't feel like doing either, she would stare at the ceiling.
More often than not she found herself doing the latter.
Her thoughts eventually landed on what she thought the time was. Clorinde would probably be around soon if her visits were following a pattern.
Clorinde's visits were nice. Her former bodyguard helped get everything unpacked after she saw the piled up bags that had barely been touched since she moved in. Clorinde told her she intended to check up on her whenever she could which Furina had used as an excuse to get up and keep the place tidy. It might have Clorinde not worry about her so much then. There was never that much to tidy so it never took long and she would go back to staring at the ceiling straight after but it was something.
Her eyes left the ceiling to quickly scan what she could see of the apartment. She had already tidied up since Clorinde had stopped by yesterday so she decided she didn't need to get up. While looking around, she stopped on the letter she had received a few days ago.
Neuvillette had sent it to her and she had read through a good many times. There wasn't much to it but he had asked how she was doing and apologised for not being able to visit. He had been much busier than before just as she had imagined. In addition to his regular duties which already took up a huge amount of his time, he had taken on all of her former responsibilities as well as taking over the Oratrice's role. He'd also mentioned having to look into adjusting the wording of many laws and practices so she couldn't fault him for not having any time on his hands.
Furina had taken her time when replying. The last thing she wanted was to interrupt his workload. She hadn't lied in her response, saying she was settling in as well as talking about her ventures in cooking and how much free time she had. She made sure to tell him to take a break every now and then as well. He'd be happy to hear that.
He'd find a way to make time for it all. After all, she wouldn't be there to distract him with anything. Without her around, he could stay focused on his work and he'd be done in no time. Neuvillette would be fine on his own. With him taking on her previous duties, she wouldn't be needed anymore.
She was finally free after all. She wasn't needed at all anymore.
As much as she enjoyed Clorinde visiting and reading Neuvillette's letter, they were still reminders of how empty her life felt now. She didn't talk much when Clorinde was around but she appreciated her presence. She always wanted her to stay for longer but she knew Clorinde had her own responsibilities. While she was happy to hear from Neuvillette, his letter also brought to mind how often she'd go to him whenever she was bored. It wasn't as if she could do that anymore.
Furina sighed.
She had her freedom now so why wasn't she happy?
There was a knock at the door.
"Miss Furina, it's me."
Furina slowly pushed herself up so she was sitting on the edge of her bed. She would have liked to spend a little longer lying down but Clorinde would suspect something was wrong if she didn't let her in. Fixing her hair, Furina walked towards the door only to stop when she heard Clorinde talking again. She couldn't hear what was being said but it sounded like Clorinde was talking to someone else.
She didn't know if she could bring herself to talk to anyone else. Clorinde at least knew of her situation and didn't press her on anything which she was happy with.
Furina cleared her throat before speaking.
"Is someone else there?"
"Yes, I met Aether and Paimon on the way. Is it alright for them to come in?"
Furina froze. Her eyes shot open. Aether was outside her home.
If Aether was here, he would ask her about how she was dealing with everything since the trial. She already knew she didn't have an answer. She didn't want to talk about it, she was trying to move past it. He could also ask her why she hadn't accepted his invitation to visit which she didn't have an answer to either.
But hadn't she convinced herself that she had hope that he'd be able to help her?
She looked over to her kitchen where she had originally left the Realm Dispatch. It wasn't there. Had she accidentally thrown it away? Did it have anything to do with the intrusive thought she had earlier in the week that told her to look at what she was doing with herself and ask what Aether would think if he saw her living like this?
No, it couldn't be that.
She must have just misplaced it. Maybe she had absentmindedly put it away somewhere while tidying.
Yes, that must have been the case.
With each passing day, she found it harder to bring herself to act on his offer. Surely she'd taken too long to indicate that she wanted to visit and he assumed she was ignoring him.
"Miss Furina?"
She snapped her attention back to the door. How long had she kept them waiting? They surely thought something was wrong now. Maybe she could ask them to stay outside and they could talk through the door. No, that wasn't any better. She might as well have just admitted she didn't want to see them right there.
The only other option was to let them in. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Clorinde was there and had seen how she had been for the past few days. She could then shut down anything that made her uncomfortable.
Her hand hovered over the lock on the door.
"Just focus on Clorinde," she muttered to herself. She took a deep breath to make it look like she hadn't just been panicking.
Furina opened the door. Clorinde didn't look concerned about being kept waiting.
"Good afternoon, Miss Furina," Clorinde nodded. Furina offered a slight smile before casting her eyes down. She had noticed Aether standing to the side with Paimon floating just beside him but hadn't seen their expressions.
"Hi Furina."
"Good to see you again."
Her response was to stand to one side to let her visitors in. Clorinde stepped inside with Aether and Paimon following. Keeping her gaze locked squarely on the ground seemed to work in not inviting anything further. Clorinde led them to the sofa and chairs waiting for Furina to take a seat.
Furina took another deep breath to compose herself before joining them and sitting down on the sofa. Aether and Paimon took their seats on the chairs while Clorinde remained standing.
"I brought you some tea today," Clorinde said, gesturing to the bag that she had left on the kitchen counter.
"Thank you," Furina replied.
"I can make some for you if you'd like."
"No thank you."
Clorinde said nothing further and took her seat next to her.
Furina folded her hands in her lap and looked down at them.
"I apologise for not telling you I was bringing company," Clorinde admitted. "I just happened to run into them on the way."
"Yeah, sorry Furina," Paimon admitted with a nervous laugh.
"Sorry." Aether at least sounded more apologetic than his companion. "Clorinde said she was going to see you and we just wanted to see how you were doing."
"It's fine," Furina muttered. She found it easier to imagine she was only answering Clorinde. It helped that her response was applicable to everything said.
She was happy to leave the conversation there which Clorinde usually wouldn't follow up on however Paimon seemed to have other ideas.
"It's a nice place you've got though. Paimon was worried when we heard you were gonna be in a smaller place than the Palais. I mean, that doesn't really narrow it down and you could have ended up somewhere super small."
"I did offer to pay for something better but I was told repeatedly that this apartment was acceptable," Clorinde said. Though she was still looking at her hands, Furina could tell Clorinde was smiling at the memory.
"That's good to hear. Sounds like you like this place."
Furina felt the corner of her mouth turn up briefly. She didn't think she'd ever seen Clorinde so shocked on her first visit. The fact that there had been many unpacked bags lying around hadn't helped the case that Furina thought the apartment was fine and it took no small effort to convince Clorinde that she didn't need a larger or more luxurious home. It was the most animated Furina recalled herself being since moving in.
She'd be lying if she told herself she wasn't getting used to her home. It was just everything else that she was struggling with.
Paimon had continued to talk to Clorinde about the expectations she had had for her accommodation while she was lost in thought. Furina didn't mind that she had been left to her thoughts though she had only just noticed she hadn't heard Aether contribute.
What was he doing? Was he gauging how she reacted? He was perceptive. He'd soon have her figured out if he was keeping an eye on her.
Not wanting to risk making eye contact, Furina silently hoped he would be brought into the conversation so she would know for sure that he wasn't focusing on her.
Paimon reacted in shock to something Furina hadn't heard, bringing her attention back to the others. Based on the following rant directed at Aether, it had something to do with the cake Clorinde had brought recently. Aether merely listened and waited until she was done before giving a list of what sounded like rehearsed responses to her demands.
She was grateful when Paimon continued further directing his attention away from her.
"Have you eaten yet?" Furina had to stop herself yelping in surprise when Clorinde snapped her out of her thoughts.
"N-no, not yet. I need to go shopping." She didn't see the point in lying. It would have been easy to tell.
"If you need anything urgently, I can get things for you if you want," Clorinde offered.
That didn't sound like a bad idea. It meant she didn't have to go herself. But if Clorinde left now then that would mean…
"Oh, let Paimon go with you!" Paimon sprang up, putting her hand up and waving it around in the air. "Paimon wants to get a home warming present and we can get all the best cakes and sweets to share!"
Furina opened her mouth to respond but couldn't find the words. She'd be left alone with Aether. She knew she had no logical argument against it and if she did, it would only result in her having to go shopping herself. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad, she thought. Aether hadn't said much of anything yet and there was a chance that could continue. Surely an awkward silence couldn't be any worse than any of her other shopping trips.
"There's a list on the side," she slowly lifted her hand and pointed toward the kitchen, finally accepting what she believed to be the lesser of two evils.
Clorinde stood and Paimon followed suit once Aether had handed her a pouch of Mora. Furina looked back down at her knees.
"We won't be long," Clorinde said, opening the door. Furina couldn't help but notice the door stayed open for longer than it should. She then heard Aether shift slightly before Clorinde and Paimon finally left.
Furina didn't need to see it to understand there had been some sort of agreement between Aether and Clorinde. They couldn't have planned this could they?
No, they were leaving because she said she hadn't been shopping. Clorinde couldn't have known that. Even during her previous visits, Furina hadn't mentioned how well stocked her kitchen was.
"Can I take a look and see what you have?" Aether asked. "I don't mind making something if you want to eat anything now."
Furina hesitated before nodding. He wouldn't find much. At most, he'd make something with the macaroni she had left. He said nothing further and made his way to the kitchen.
For a short while, she was happy for the silence that followed.
Furina eventually looked over and watched as Aether glanced through what little she had in her kitchen. She wondered what he thought of the current situation. He didn't seem any different from when she had last seen him and he had to know how his presence was making her feel.
She felt tense and she didn't know why.
This was what she wanted wasn't it? He was talking to her naturally and not drawing attention to anything she would rather avoid. She'd wanted to be treated like a normal person ever since she moved in but for some reason it was different with Aether.
Was it because of what he'd said to her in Poisson and at the station?
She still couldn't understand why he was doing so much for her. The more she tried to think about why, the more the thoughts she had been pushing aside crept back into her mind.
He had every reason to never want to see her again. She'd been nothing but an obstacle to him since he arrived. He'd come to Fontaine to seek an audience with the Hydro Archon and she'd greeted him personally making him believe she could provide him with whatever answers he was looking for. She'd wasted his time dragging him into trials just to prove her apparent divinity. She'd done so little to stop the prophecy in his eyes that he conspired with people she trusted to expose her secret.
Yet despite it all, he still gave her a gift that he only handed to close friends.
What had she done to deserve his kindness?
He couldn't have known how much the trial had affected her or how much him telling her she didn't have to be alone meant to her.
He had done all he could to reach out to her but she had done nothing in response.
The hope that she had been trying to cling on to seemed to slip further away.
He was a traveller and he'd soon be heading to his next destination. She couldn't be selfish. She couldn't expect him to put anything aside to help her.
It wasn't fair to him.
Maybe that was really why she hadn't used the Realm Dispatch. She felt she didn't deserve to.
Furina wrung her hands together.
Aether returned from the kitchen and was about to speak before she let herself say the first thought on her mind.
"Why are you doing this?"
Aether looked at her confused.
Furina lowered her head. She wondered why she had said anything. She was just making things worse.
Aether took his time before answering.
"Furina, I'm doing this because I want to help-"
"But why?!" Furina finally looked squarely at Aether. He had been taken aback by her outburst. She flinched at his reaction and lowered her voice. "I don't deserve any of it. I'm… I'm just a fraud."
Furina tore her eyes away from him and hunched her shoulders.
"You came to Fontaine to speak to the Hydro Archon and I-" She felt her eyes start to water. "I'm not and I never was. Even in the end, you helped save everyone from the prophecy while I did nothing. All these years, I only looked for ways to keep myself entertained while everyone else suffered."
Furina bit her lip to stop it quivering.
She shouldn't have said anything. Why couldn't she have just kept it to herself?
She had told herself that all that she went through didn't matter anymore. Why was she forcing herself to relive it?
Her words even brought the recent conclusion to the missing persons case back to mind. The man responsible had said similar words to everyone in the courtroom but she realised now that his accusations were all a reflection of her.
"It's just like Vacher said," she whispered.
"That's not true."
Furina couldn't hide her gasp. Aether hadn't missed a beat in responding. Despite trying to convince him of what she had talked herself into believing, he earnestly believed in what he had said.
Aether seemed to struggle to add anything further. She dared to look back at him, worried that his expression would reveal that he had only said it to make her feel better and didn't believe it himself.
No, he wanted to say more. He looked like he was debating whether to continue.
Eventually, he muttered an apology to Clorinde.
"You're nothing like that," he affirmed with the same conviction as before. "You did everything you could possibly think of to save everyone. Day in and day out, you kept everyone's belief in their Archon alive. You might not have been a god but you did everything a true god would have."
Furina was left stunned. She stared at him in disbelief. There was no way he could have known anything he had said, let alone sound so sure of it but at the same time he didn't look to be lying.
The look in her eyes must have told Aether her unspoken questions.
"I don't know how exactly but at the end of the trial I saw your memories," Aether admitted. His expression softened considerably. "Five centuries worth."
She continued to stare at him not sure what to think. She opened her mouth several times in an attempt to respond or to ask any of the many questions running through her mind though the words never came.
He had seen everything; her entire performance and all of her pain. All of it came rushing back to her.
Her self in the mirror telling her what she had to do to save Fontaine.
The day she had to hide her true self and become the god the people needed.
Every report that told her there had been no progress in finding an alternate solution.
Meeting her people and generations of their descendants to listen to their concerns.
Every day she spent alone wishing for some sign that her act could finally come to an end.
It all hurt so much.
Neuvillette had told her everything he had heard from Focalors not long after the prophecy had been averted. At the time, she had just felt empty. His words reached her but she had had no energy to respond apart from saying she was tired. All she had wanted was to get away from it all. She had played her part and thanks to everyone's efforts, Fontaine could move on without fear of the prophecy. But where did that leave her?
Fontaine was ready to move on without her. There was no place for her.
She choked back a sob and tried to blink the tears out of her eyes.
"Furina," Aether continued.
Furina heard his voice but didn't respond.
"I owe you an apology," Aether continued, stepping closer.
She froze.
"I believed you when you said you had a plan to stop the prophecy but I couldn't understand why it looked like you were letting it play out. We thought Fontaine didn't have much time left so we… tried to force it out of you. I didn't expect everything to turn out the way they did but that's no excuse for it. Fontaine was saved but what we- no, what I did wasn't fair to you.
"And for all of it, I'm sorry Furina."
Furina slowly turned her head to look at him once more.
"You suffered the most out of anyone and you did it all for your people. If not for you, there would be no Fontaine."
She met his eyes. He meant every word. She saw his genuine desire to share her burden. It was just like when had spoken to her in Poisson, no, even more than back then. He wanted her to be able to rely on him. He knew what she had been through and wanted to do whatever he could to help her.
Furina felt the tears she had been holding back run down her cheeks. Habit dictated that she cover her face with her hands. She couldn't let anyone know she was crying. Over the years she had lost count of how many times she had cried to herself. It was hard to tell when at times she couldn't feel her own tears. She had her excuses for why it might have appeared to a human that she was crying but no matter how she felt, she had to put on a smile.
A god couldn't show weakness. If she showed herself to be vulnerable, they would doubt her and Fontaine would be lost to the prophecy.
So lost in trying to maintain any sense of composure, she was only reminded that she wasn't alone in the room when she felt herself being drawn into an embrace. Her breath hitched and her sobs stopped momentarily.
Aether hadn't said anything. He just held her.
How many times had she wished she could tell someone anything of her pain? How many more had she spent wanting to be selfish just once?
Furina could no longer hold back her tears. All of her pain, the isolation and loneliness she had kept to herself over the centuries streamed out in her cries. She wrapped her arms around him, digging tightly into his clothes as if her life depended on it.
Aether let her pull him in as close as she wanted. She wanted to know someone was there.
Furina didn't know how long she cried for. Her sobs and tears gradually slowed and her hold on him loosened when she realised how tightly she had wrapped her arms around him.
Aether appeared to take it as a sign that she wanted to back out of the hug and gently let go of her. In truth she would have been happy for it to continue a while longer.
"I… I'm sorry you had to see that," Furina said, wiping away the last of her tears. She must have looked terrible.
"You don't have to apologise." Aether placed a hand on her shoulder. "You've already done so much for everyone and you've been strong for so long. I'm not going to think any less of you because you cried." He smiled warmly at her. "It's not just me either. Paimon, Neuvillette, Clorinde and everyone else, we all care about you."
Furina felt a genuine smile cross her face.
"Thank you." Her voice cracked as she spoke but she felt she had never been happier. "Thank you so much."
Aether stood and went to sit back where he had before.
Furina sat up a little straighter. It wasn't just a hope anymore. For the first time, she'd let someone else in and she knew she wasn't alone.
She knew she still had to find her place in the new Fontaine and she had only taken the first step in moving on but it was a start.
"Alright then," Aether sighed as he sat down. "Back to what you have in your kitchen, what have you been eating exactly? I can throw something together but there's not a lot there."
Furina blinked. She hadn't expected him to return to something so mundane so quickly. While she wasn't fully back to her usual self, she felt comfortable enough to respond to him in more than a handful of words.
"I- I've been keeping things simple. I'm getting used to making my own meals after all."
"I can give you some recipes if you want to try making something a little different. I didn't start off the best cook myself."
That could be helpful. As much as she enjoyed macaroni, some variety would be nice. She chose to ignore the rest of his comment. She could cook. Macaroni and sauce counted as cooking.
Clorinde and Paimon returned a short while later. Paimon had spent more or less all the Mora Aether had given her and shared the selection of her favourite Fontanian snacks with them. Furina had been given more than her fair share as Paimon was overjoyed to see she was in better spirits.
Furina then noticed Clorinde watching her with interest, her eyebrow raised. Clorinde didn't comment on it and simply turned to Aether, who only gave a nervous laugh. Furina looked back and forth between them. She'd have to ask what that was about.
Time seemed to pass much faster than Furina was used to as it didn't feel like they had been there long when Clorinde said she would have to head back soon. Aether and Paimon also said they needed to go, panicking and saying they had taken temporary shifts that started a while ago at the cafe.
Furina showed them to the door.
"I'll stop by tomorrow as well," Clorinde said. Furina smiled.
"Thank you. I'll look forward to it."
"See you some other time Furina!" Paimon waved as she made a hasty exit.
"Sorry to cut things short," Aether scratched the back of his head. "We'll be around so we'll keep an eye out for you."
Furina nodded.
"You're welcome to come back. It'd be nice to see you again."
His eyes widened slightly and his voice caught in his throat.
"Right, I'll… keep that in mind. A-anyway, gotta go. See you Furina."
Furina and Clorinde watched him sprint down the hall to catch up to his companion. Before she left, Clorinde turned to her and seemed to want to ask something.
She shook her head and decided to keep it to herself.
"Until tomorrow then, Miss Furina." Clorinde bowed and walked away.
Furina closed the door when she was out of sight and leaned back against it.
Her mind replayed everything that had happened. Even though she was by herself again, she didn't feel nearly as empty inside. She had people like Aether that she could confide in. She didn't have to suffer in silence.
She felt that she could finally tell herself with confidence that she would be fine.
Without having to force herself to, Furina smiled.