As Furina's former bodyguard, Clorinde was no stranger to Furina frequently gushing over a particularly delightful tea party she had just had or an exciting display at the Opera Epiclese, whether it be a trial or any kind of show. She was also very familiar with Furina ranting about boring trials or voicing her displeasure after a lacklustre performance.
Since stepping down as archon, Furina had become understandably withdrawn and quiet and Clorinde had assumed a lot of her previous behaviour was simply Furina exaggerating her reactions to make herself seem larger than life.
Yet, when she arrived to see Furina, the last thing she expected to see was Furina barely able to contain her excitement in sharing the stories she had apparently heard from Aether's travels on the day before.
"What else was there? Oh! He told me about these little forest spirits called Aranara. They don't show up on a Kamera so there weren't any pictures but he had a carving of one and it looked so adorable! I simply have to see them for myself. Apparently, they usually only appear to children but if he could see them and considering my good intentions, I should be able to as well."
With no real input on the story, Clorinde merely smiled as Furina seemed content to share as much as she could remember. It brought her back to the moments following an opera or trial where Furina would often express her extensive review of what she had just watched.
While she was always present for trials, Clorinde had on occasion accompanied her to other events at the opera house. It had started with Furina begrudgingly dragging her along when she had been told she couldn't spend so much time in the watching shows without any kind of security detail. Eventually, it turned into Furina outright inviting her so she could watch the performance with someone and while Clorinde remained vigilant as per her role, she did catch a good amount of what was being shown to share some of her thoughts.
Now that Furina was free from the burden of her masquerade, it was quite fascinating to hear her talk at length about something other than a trial, opera, dessert or even about something where she herself wasn't involved.
Furina had spoken plenty of the traveller venturing throughout Teyvat shortly before his arrival, wanting nothing more than for him to reach Fontaine so she could face him in what she was sure would be an epic duel. Clorinde found it amusing to compare those times to the current enthusiasm in recounting Aether's adventures and desire to experience a fair amount of it for herself.
"… and then we went shopping and I got all these things to put around the house." Furina swept her arm over the ornaments and trinkets she had sitting around to liven up her home.
"I'm glad to see you've added your own personal touch to the place but I was meaning to ask about a few of your choices," Clorinde replied. "Far be it from me to criticise but what use is a saddle for a seahorse to you?"
There was no immediate answer from Furina though she didn't seem to regret her purchase of it. "Oh, I'm sure it'll come in handy at some point. Perhaps once our local wildlife stops being so hostile towards me for whatever reason."
"And the surfboard?"
"I can take up surfing. With all my free time these days, I can afford to expand my horizons and try new things. Look, I even got a wetsuit to go with it."
Chuckling to herself, Clorinde was just happy to see Furina resembling her old self without any of her previous burden. She looked to be fully enjoying herself as she carried on, saying that Aether said he was happy to go exploring with her again.
"Maybe I can show him more of Fontaine. I'm not sure if he's been to Erinnyes Forest yet so we could go there." Furina tapped her chin. "Or we could just go shopping again since he didn't complain no matter how much I bought and then we can have a lovely tea time where I can show him how to conduct a proper tea party."
Furina had clearly put a lot of thought into her potential next outing though Clorinde couldn't help but notice something about all of Furina's stories now that she thought about it.
"Was Paimon around during the day yesterday?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes, she was. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious," Clorinde shrugged. "You've only been mentioning Aether and considering they're practically inseparable, I thought it a little odd that she hadn't come up once is all."
"W-well, I assumed it was obvious." Furina coughed into her hand and her eyes darted to one side. "Where one goes, the other follows as you say but since Aether was the one who arranged our outing, I thought it natural to have him front and centre in my retellings."
Clorinde allowed a smirk to cross her face, considering asking if Furina would be just as enthused if she took her shopping. She decided against it, feeling Furina looked embarrassed enough as it was.
They talked for a while longer with Furina attempting to reduce the amount of times she brought up one of Aether's adventures. As Clorinde stood to get back to work, she handed Furina a letter she had been intending to give her when she arrived before being interrupted by hearing all the details of the previous day.
"Neuvillette wanted me to deliver this to you," Clorinde said. "I let him know that I've been stopping by and he asked how you were doing. I thought it wasn't my place to say so I didn't go into any detail."
Furina took the letter and looked over the familiar handwriting. Something about it made her feel uneasy and not want to read its contents. The last time she wrote back was before Clorinde brought Aether and Paimon with her. Her response then hadn't contained any lies about her situation but she hadn't told the full truth of how she had been spending her days at the time either.
"There's one other thing as well," Clorinde continued. "A friend invited me to a gathering coming up. They're all old friends you'd remember as well so I thought maybe you'd consider it."
Her attention taken away from the letter, Furina was lost for words. The thought of attending a party was something she had always politely declined. There was always an excuse at hand and, as the Hydro Archon, none could argue with her being too busy.
She would have liked nothing more than to attend, to forget about her role and just have fun but the more people would get to know her, the closer they would come to discovering her secret. Letting others in was unthinkable. She could manage continuing her deception to the masses and it was hard enough to keep the truth from Neuvillette for so long. If it meant everyone else could have their fun and be saved from the prophecy one day, she told herself it was fine for her to be alone.
What was stopping her now though? There was no burden that she had to carry in silence. Thanks to Clorinde and Aether's efforts, she was beginning to enjoy her newfound freedom. Aether had told her everyone wanted the best for her and Clorinde must have been confident that she would enjoy herself otherwise she wouldn't have invited her.
Gripping at her sleeve, Furina met Clorinde's eyes. "Are you sure? The invitation was for you so won't I just make things awkward?"
"It's not for a few days so you still have time to think about it. I don't want you to force yourself to go if you're not comfortable with it."
Furina hesitated. Since the party wasn't happening just yet, she could afford to push back thinking about it for another time.
"…Alright, I'll think it over."
They said their goodbyes and Furina was left staring at the unopened letter. She knew she shouldn't think the worst of whatever Neuvillette wrote. She told herself it would be just like when she was worried about Aether visiting her.
Taking a deep breath, she tentatively opened it revealing Neuvillette's elegant script within.
Miss Furina,
I trust this letter finds you in good health and spirits. Please accept my sincerest apologies for the delay in writing to you; my responsibilities both old and new have demanded much of my time recently.
When Clorinde told me she had been keeping in touch, I rewrote much of the letter I had been intending to send to you.
Your previous response was welcomed and I have made it a point to find time to take a break whenever possible from my duties. I was reminded of the many times you told leave my office once in a while to be amongst the people and I almost expected you to burst through the doors to reprimand me for it. That said, it does feel unnaturally quiet when I'm working these days.
While the free time I have ends up being shorter than I would like, the time spent away from my duties allows me to truly appreciate all that has been done for our fair nation.
To borrow a line you wrote to me recently: 'the human world isn't too bad'.
Clorinde tells me you are finding your voice once more which I am glad to hear. I asked what you have been up to but she told me that it would be better if I heard it from you. I trust that you have found an enjoyable pastime as Clorinde told me you were unavailable recently. However you might be spending your days, I'd be happy to hear about them.
Though you may consider yourself to be an ordinary citizen of Fontaine, the Palais Mermonia remains a place of welcome for you and please do not hesitate to let me know if there are any ways in which I can offer my support or assistance.
I hope that the transition into this new phase of your life continues to be kind to you.
Neuvillette
As she read the contents, Furina's apprehension softened into a sense of warmth. She closed the letter and set it to one side. Despite the workload, Neuvillette was doing well and was managing to guide Fontaine through the uncertainty since her abdication.
Considering he was the one she had been lying to about her godhood the longest and as the one constant throughout the majority of her years as archon, he had every reason to feel betrayed by her actions but, much like Aether, he was offering her his full support. He even looked back on their interactions with some degree of fondness.
To know that she could still count on his support after it all only made her more thankful for what Aether had done for her. Fontaine was changing and though she was still trying to find what her role would be, there were people who cared about her.
"Maybe I should see about visiting one of these days," Furina thought aloud. She didn't have anything in particular in mind to talk about but with how well her encounters with Aether had gone, she thought it might be nice to see Neuvillette again. Provided there were no trials going on, she imagined her best bet was to show up to the Palais Mermonia and given their history, she doubted she would need to schedule an appointment if he was around.
Furina considered her options for the near future. She could hardly consider herself busy, seeing as she still didn't leave her home often, but there were a few things she could plan for. As Aether had told her was meeting with others for a commission the other day, her plans for another outing with him would have to wait. The same went for visiting his home in the teapot as, depending on the commission, he could have been camping out. That left her to find time to see Neuvillette and consider how to respond to Clorinde's invitation.
It felt good to have some options, limited as they were.
"Any luck today, Sedene?" Furina asked, stifling a yawn.
With trials running, Furina hadn't had the chance to see Neuvillette and she didn't want to bother him during a recess. It had been too late in the day when she came up with the idea and she had slept in the day after, which left her disappointed. Knowing how long trials could take, she didn't see the point in waiting around and opted to try again the next day.
Her last option, she decided, was to make an effort to get up early. With no responsibilities she had to wake up early for, she had quickly adjusted to sleeping in. It took her longer than she expected to actually pull herself out of bed but she hoped this time, her visit wouldn't be for nothing.
"You're early today, Miss Furina. Let me take a look," Sedene replied as she took out the planner she kept under the desk. Furina watched as Sedene found and pointed to the current date. More trials and meetings were scheduled just like every other day.
"Oh, well look at that. Monsieur Neuvillette isn't expected to be at the Opera Epiclese for another hour." Sedene closed the book. She folded her arms and hummed. "While this is highly irregular, I suppose Monsieur Neuvillette would also be willing to make an exception for you, Miss Furina. Provided he still makes it in time, it should be no problem."
"Thank you." Furina turned to face the door to Neuvillette's office. Approaching, she noticed that she didn't quite feel the same need to compose herself that she expected to have. Furina simply told herself that there was nothing to worry about and Neuvillette would be happy to see her.
She knocked on the door. The reply came mere moments after knocking.
"Enter."
As she opened the door, Furina caught the brief surprise on Neuvillette's face before it settled into a warm smile.
"Good morning to you, Miss Furina." He piled up the documents he had been reading through and put them to one side.
"Good morning, Neuvillette,"
"Regrettably, I don't have much time to spare but please make yourself comfortable." He gestured to the seats before him.
"That's okay, I know how busy you are," Furina nodded and made her way over to sit down. "It sounds like you're managing though."
Neuvillette sighed. "Indeed. I've been keeping on top of the most pressing matters but there are always smaller ones that spring up; loopholes to be addressed with some of our reworded laws for example. We've all been kept occupied until the late hours.
"But I'm sure you didn't decide to stop by to hear my recounts of my busy days." He chuckled to himself lightly. "Tell me, how do you find yourself spending your time? I was pleasantly surprised by what Clorinde told me, though she was light on the details."
Furina fidgeted with her hands. She was happy to tell of how much she had enjoyed her recent days but there was the matter of what she had said in her letter. It wouldn't be right to ignore it and lie to him. Her eyes fell to looking at her hands in her lap.
"Things have been great recently but… you should know that it wasn't always like that." Furina hesitated as her mind had already brought her back to the first days of living in her apartment.
She exhaled. She couldn't leave Neuvillette with only that much. Now that she had started, she felt she had to continue on.
"It was hard at first. I… couldn't even bring myself to leave the house. Clorinde was trying to help me but I just- I didn't want to bother her with any of my problems." She balled her fists. "I kept telling myself that it was just out of pity. She was moving on like everyone else and I wasn't needed anymore."
"Furina," Neuvillette stood. Furina shook her head.
"One day, she happened to run into Aether and brought him to see me. I ended up lashing out at him but…" At the memory, her hands slowly unclenched. "He just listened. He knew everything about my past and he told me he wanted to be there for me. In that moment, I started to feel like I wasn't so alone anymore."
With tears beginning to form in her eyes, Furina brought her hand to her heart and smiled. "I can't remember the last time I felt so happy. Just being able to let someone in after all this time… I could finally choose something for myself."
Neuvillette sat down next to her and handed her a handkerchief. "And I hope that you will have many more opportunities to experience such joy." As Furina dried her eyes, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You have your freedom."
"Things have been much better since." Furina nodded. "I went to his home and he took me shopping. Clorinde's even invited me to a party."
"I'm glad that you've found people to confide in," Neuvillette said. "As to your experience in the early days of your new life, I feel that I must offer my own apology. I have to assume that as a result of my role in the events of your trial, I made myself appear unapproachable in your hour of need. For that, I apologise."
"What? No, I-" Furina stammered. "You did what you had to and you had the whole of Fontaine to take care of. I-I couldn't ask you to put everything aside just for me."
"Putting Fontaine above yourself even now," Neuvillette murmured. "You're too kind, Furina. However you also deserve your own happiness. You need not shoulder the burdens of the whole nation by yourself anymore, nor do you need to feel like you are a burden to others. Knowing Aether, he has likely told you words to similar effect."
She nodded.
"He's done so much for me already. I've really enjoyed his company."
A chuckle came from Neuvillette. "I should have expected your fascination with him to remain. I recall many a time when you would barge in here demanding to know how much longer the traveler would be in Inazuma and what was keeping him in Sumeru."
"Well, why wouldn't I let my curiosity get the better of me? All of the articles in The Steambird made his travels sound so fascinating." Furina huffed, folding her arms. "And they are, he told me all about them and more."
Appearing to notice the spark in her eyes, Neuvillette held up a hand to cut her off before she could begin.
"Please allow me to decline hearing about them right now. We have little time and I'm getting a familiar feeling to whenever you would return from the opera."
"…maybe just one?"
Agreeing to the compromise, Neuvillette felt a familiar wave of nostalgia as Furina went on to share everything she had heard of one of Aether's stories. He wasn't familiar with the Golden Apple Archipelago but by the time she was done, he felt that perhaps it was something worth looking into when he had the time.
Furina sighed as she left the aquabus station.
She wasn't fond of how quickly time passed as of late. She hadn't even gotten to tell Neuvillette about everything she bought on her recent shopping trip before he had to leave. At least she could accompany to the station so he could still get to the Opera Epiclese in time.
Since her chat with Neuvillette hadn't taken that long, it was still early in the morning. Being up so early was unusual for her and her first idea had been to return to bed but on the way back to her home, she felt it'd be a waste to go to sleep again. If she was going to be awake this early, she thought she might as well make the most of it and to do so she thought she'd need more coffee.
Walking back, she cast a glance over at the Adventurer's Guild at the top of the stairs. Furina stopped in place. Aether had said he was busy a few days ago. Maybe he was finished with that commission now. It couldn't hurt to ask if he was around, she thought. With the whole rest of the day ahead of her, another day out sounded like a good idea.
Climbing the stairs, she had to wait a moment for some adventurers at the desk.
"Good morning, Lady Furina," Katheryne said as Furina approached. "Is there something you need from the Adventurer's Guild?"
"Can I ask about one of your adventurers? Do you happen to know if Aether is available?"
"He was on a commission recently and he did tell me he wouldn't be around yesterday." Katheryne took a moment to think about it. "I imagine then, that he should be here at some point today. Should I let him know you were looking for him?"
With how early it was, Furina imagined he'd have stopped by the Guild already. Perhaps yesterday he had been spending time with those he had completed the commission with. She recalled him saying he was meeting others for this one in particular.
Deciding to simply leave a message with Katheryne saying she stopped by, she headed back home.
Enjoying her coffee, Furina thought about what Clorinde and Neuvillette had said about her spending time with Aether. Maybe she was a little overeager to share all the adventures she had heard about but it wasn't her fault they all fascinated her. She had never had the chance to travel to the other nations and many of the stories were more entertaining than a number of performances she had sat through.
There was also perhaps the fact that he was one of the few people she could truly consider a friend. The people loved her as their archon but her act meant there was always a distance between her and others. She couldn't afford to risk forming close relationships. Her whole persona was based on a lie. It wouldn't be fair for others to get to know who she had forced herself to be.
But now she could be herself, whatever that meant for her. Clorinde and Neuvillette could be more than bodyguard and Chief Justice to her and Aether had gone far beyond the traveler she had wanted to have an epic duel with.
He'd be moving on from Fontaine in future and she just wanted to make the most of the time Aether had left in Fontaine and if he chose to spend some of that time with her, all the better.
There was a knock at the door that caught her attention and listening closely, she could hear Aether and Paimon's voices.
Regardless of what they ended up doing, today was going to be another good day.
AN: Drawing on several of Furina's character stories and voice lines for some bits in this one. I did make a slight change to the part with the party Clorinde invites Furina to since in the character story, it happens on the same day Clorinde first shows up and tells her about it. Kinda wanted to extend the time frame a bit.
I really would like to get more concrete info on Clorinde but she's taking her time showing up on banner. I'm already going for Neuvillette on rerun since I skipped him to save for Furina so hopefully I'll have enough primos for Clorinde whenever she shows up!