Time had dilated to the point where Furina believed half a day had already passed, yet it had been only an hour ever since the attack occurred. Time measuring was the least of her worries. Biting her nails, Furina had been transfixed on Clorinde's skewed expression ever since she had sat down. Her mind was focused on many things, none of them useful for anything besides making her stress worse. Every now and then she became obsessed with her bodyguard's breathing, going as far as to place the candlelight close to Clorinde's nose to check whether air was circulating or not. But as feeble as it was, she was alive.

The reassurance was in no way comforting for the Archon, but of course, she'd never let that show. Instead, eyes fixed on Clorinde, she'd try to whisper sweet comforting words. Perhaps she was listening. Perhaps she was scared. Furina didn't want her to feel that way in that state.

However, she had to stop sooner than later. The blood trail outside wasn't going to clean itself…

"Oh no. The hat and sword."

When they were attacked, Clorinde's sword and hat were blown away.

The sword was common, the duelist did not use her favourite weapon on bodyguard duties, but the hat was not. That hat was definitely Clorinde's. If someone found it, they would try to give it back to her. Furina could perhaps make up a lie, but the fewer threads strung on the web of lies, the better. Taking the hat now would be childsplay and save her a lot of trouble.

And to do that, she had to go outside. Where she had been attacked. Where the assassin could still be waiting.

Her eyes inadvertently moved towards Clorinde's face. It filled her with dread and disgust. She couldn't just leave the poor woman alone, especially when she was suffering so much. If she passed away while she was outside, Furina could never forgive herself.

But if she didn't go outside, then Fontaine…

"Argh!"

Crafting a quick plan on the go, Furina took Clorinde's gun and hid it below the white cloak covering her bloody clothing.

"I'll be back in a minute!" She moved the chair closer to the champion and placed her hat on it. "I am leaving… part of my being here! So you are not alone! Stay strong!"

Fueled by pure anxiety, Furina gripped the hidden gun like her life depended on it and slowly walked backwards towards the door. Poor Clorinde did not move, so it gave her the final push to open the door and leave the room.

Much to her surprise, there was not that much blood in the vicinity. There was certainly a trail, but Furina imagined a bloodbath going from the backdoor entrance to the backstage room. The wooden floor would not be that hard to clean, right? There was bound to be a mop somewhere in the Opera.

"H-Halt!"

Furina froze on the spot, yet immediately regained her composure upon recognising who it could be. It was a pinkish Melusine, Rusalka, who was a night watch of the Opera Eclisse. They hadn't interacted much, but Furina recognised her. Making an excuse should have been easy if she wasn't draped in a white sheet with a bloodstained face. Besides, Melusines had enhanced senses, so the screw-up was even worse.

However, the Hydro Archon was in her element. Lies and manipulation were second nature at that point in her life. They were as easy to deceive as any other human.

"I'm surprised you saw through my disguise, little Melusine!" Furina fully turned around, the cloak fluttering in the air momentarily. "Yes, it is I, the magnanimous Focalors. Not just about anyone would have been able to see me through my cloaked state, you must be a special case."

"L-Lady Furina?! Why are you… Blood! And…! Electro…!" Rusalka was even more nervous than Furina, and who wouldn't? There was blood all around, and her Archon looked like a wraith.

"Is something wrong with that?" Furina calmly answered like it was the most normal thing in the world. "You see, I intended to finish cleaning up this mess before anyone noticed. For you see, mon petit Melusine, you have nothing to fear anymore. I was protecting the nation from an evil entity! The dastard evilry had taken human form and… Yes, I had not expected this entity to attack me with blood. Thankfully, my great abilities allowed me to defeat them, not before drenching me!"

"Evilry?! Are we under attack? Should I call Monsieur—"

"NO! I mean, no need." Furina circled around the Melusine. "And now that you have shown me your sensory prowess, I assume you can see the magic blood on the floor? Alas, I need your help to clean this up. All that blood in the corridor. Just mop it up before we open back up."

"But… Is it cursed blood?"

"What?"

"I sense electro and… some strange energy…"

"Pfft. A pointless question. If you were in any danger, I wouldn't give you this mission. But if your mind craves the knowledge, it's because this entity was made out of electro. You need not worry about such details. Do what I say. Clean it up. I will go out for a moment to ensure that this… beast is dead." Furina started to walk away, trying to seem as cool as possible.

"But if it was made of electro why is there blo—"

"You clearly do not understand this." Furina heaved a sigh. "The fewer questions you ask, the more time I can spend protecting Fontaine. You wouldn't want me to endanger Fontaine, right?"

Rusalka trembled for a moment before straightening her back. "I apologise!"

"Accepted! So clean all this, my favourite Rusalka. And do not open that door under any circumstances." She pointed to the room Clorinde was staying at. "Have you told anyone else?"

"No… It's just me tonight. Should I call for backup?"

"Why need any backup when I'm here? You go after the mop. I'll check around as well. But if there's any danger, be quick to run away. I wouldn't want you to see any more bloodshed."

The Melusine quickly saluted in pride before running off in the opposite direction. And with that, Furina heaved the heaviest sigh of the night. A timewaster, but at least now she wouldn't have to mop all of the blood on her own. That was the least of her concerns. She had to go outside, where danger laid everywhere.

As soon as her sigh was over, she sucked up as much air as she could and followed the blood towards the side entrance. It was not too far away, twenty or so metres from Clorinde's temporary room.

Arming herself with the gun, Furina creaked the door open and peeked outside. It was raining.

No blood to clean. And no sound to warn her.

Furina glanced around, but there truly was nothing in the vicinity. From that point, she couldn't see the spot where they were attacked, just part of the Fountain of Lucine.

She was going to run.

That was the plan.

The less time outside, the better. Less time to be murdered, yes. If it wasn't because she had a gun, and someone to take care of, she was quite sure she'd never go out of her bedroom for an entire week.

Yet no. She had to think of Fontaine and push through.

And push through she did!

With a mad dash, she darted out of the side entrance! She cut close the corner and then… Stopped.

A diluting pool of blood was being drained into the Fountain, pushed on by the falling water. And nothing else. No hat. No sword. Furina spent a few seconds glancing around, but between the night and rain, she saw nothing. There was no wind, no nothing to take away the hat, much less the sword. So where? Where were they?

That was enough. Armed as she was, she couldn't stand outside any longer.

Furina was inside the Opera in the blink of an eye. Less than a minute, yet the ragged breathing and shaky legs were not fit for an Archon.

"Maybe some birds took them… Yeah…" Furina tried to lie to herself, slowly taking back control of her breathing. Because the only person who could have taken that hat would be the same assassin who tried to kill her.

Clorinde.

The almighty Hydro Archon just had to think about her bodyguard. Nothing would go wrong as long as she was on her side. She just had to survive. Everything would be right when she healed up.

With those words muttered as a mantra, she slowly made her way back towards Clorinde. It didn't take too long before she saw the Melusine hard at work, mopping like her life depended on it. At least she took Furina's words seriously.

"Lady Furina, please don't stand where I mopped." The Melusine said as she held a mop taller than her.

"Uh, right," Furina muttered before perking up. "I mean, I'll stand whenever I please. How else will I purify this?"

"Oh, of course!" Rusalka somehow started mopping even harder.

Regardless of her words, Furina scantly stepped away from the wet floor. "You haven't seen anyone around, have you?"

"Huh? Well, I saw your personal champion leave the facilities. But besides that…"

Then that meant the assassin was still outside. It didn't matter. If Clorinde denied everything then nothing would go wrong. Furina saved her life, she just had to keep silent. It had to happen.

"I see. Then, who has sneaked alcohol into the Opera?" Furina continued, as to keep up the all-knowing front. "Not just any alcohol. Absinthe, which has been banned in Fontaine for quite a while now."

The eyes of the Melusine went wide, like a child who had been caught with their mouths full of cookies. Rusalka stammered an incomprehensible excuse as Furina internally sighed in relief.

"Are you trying to lie in front of the God of Justice and perform such a criminal offence? Do you want to skew my judgement and bestow upon you a most heinous punishment?" Furina's words flowed so smoothly that she had to commend herself.

"It's not mine!" Rusalka immediately replied, hiding herself behind the mop. "It's from a friend, I just hide it for her!"

"Oh, so you are aiding someone else's crimes. Not a good outlook for you." Having made her point, and now in a position of strength, Furina triggered her trap. "I sadly cannot look away from such breaking of the law. However, since you are a most commendable citizen and guard, you've been aiding your Archon after all, I am willing to simply revoke your access to this room and its alcohol. So bring me the key to the room. And it goes without saying that you shall not talk about this blood incident to anyone either. Not even to the Iudex! To the eyes of the Hydro Archon, you shall be no different from your peers."

The Melusine was tittering between relief and fear, but in the end the relief gave a final push and determination poured through. After all, it was better to not be acknowledged by the gods. "Y-Yes, Lady Furina!"

Rusalka placed the mop against the wall and hastily ran back through the hallway into the main entrance of the Opera. Furina, meanwhile, could not properly enjoy her superb acting enough as her mind quickly remembered her bodyguard. She instead ran towards the private saloon of the Opera, where besides tea and diplomatic meetings, also housed some spare clothes for herself. And ambrosia in the form of a first-aid kit. Perhaps it would have some minor painkillers, anything to help Clorinde.

There were some proper bandages as well as some gauzes and ointments. There was also a healing potion from Mondstadt, but she wasn't quite sure of how it worked. They wouldn't magically close such big wounds, and neither would they replenish her blood. But perhaps it would alleviate the pain. That being said, she did remember that misuse of such potions could be dangerous, and there were court proceedings for manslaughter…

"Oh well. In for a penny."

After changing clothes, she arranged a few more supplies such as a high quality glass water bottle and some snacks. Then, she draped the first-aid kit and supplies with the white blanket to hide what it was. She didn't want Rusalka to grow suspicious, though it seemed she had utmost respect and trust for her Archon.

A few minutes later, she inconspicuously walked back towards Clorinde's room. She spotted Rusalka still mopping away down the hallway, but Furina carefully opened the door and left the first-aid kit inside the room before closing it tightly. Then, after a bit of magnanimous acting, she received the door key from the Melusine and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Now, all she had to think about was moving Clorinde after the wound closed up.

The moment the Melusine looked away, Furina darted inside the room and locked it in haste.

It took some moments for Furina to calm down and put the mask back on. Then, she turned around to see something unexpected.

The amber candlelight glimmered and sparkled, reflected in Clorinde's eyes as she tried as hard as she could to get up from her lying position. There was a quick succession of emotions surging through Furina, her face locked into a neutral expression. What was Clorinde doing? Leaving? Running away to tell everyone what happened? Was she trying to hunt down Furina, now that she knew her Archonship was but a lie? She was not ready yet to have this confrontation.

Those thoughts were quickly shoved aside. Though Clorinde's eyes were open for a moment, her eyelids seemed too heavy and slowly closed. She was not fully aware of her actions, perhaps teetering between consciousness and deep sleep. Waking up in a lonesome room with nobody around must have confused her, hence she tried to move.

Or at least, that was Furina's quick explanation that was overridden by shock.

"What are you DOING?!" Furina immediately rushed to Clorinde's side, carefully but firmly forcing her to lie down again. "You have to stay down! Your wounds will open back up if you move! What were you thinking?!"

Furina knew Clorinde was unable to answer, yet that just envigorated her response.

"Listen, Clorinde! You can't do things unless I tell you to do so! I'm the Archon, you have to listen!" Unable to endure any more anxiety, Furina's emotions resurged in the form of daunting anger. "I didn't tell you to do any of this! You shouldn't be trying to get up, or dying, or throwing yourself in front of assassins. You should be at home, or with friends… or both…"

Furina pulled down the sheets covering her bodyguard, noticing a slight red stain on the makeshift bandages on her chest. In her agitated state, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Her wavering emotional state was on the verge of breakdown.

"Oh, what am I saying? It's my fault, isn't it? I could have been faster. I shouldn't have left you alone. I should have told the Melusine to bring all things here. I shouldn't have been outside at night either. I shouldn't be blaming my saviour either…"

Dizzy, tired and once again completely downhearted, Furina rushed to get the few objects she had managed to bring and sat beside Clorinde again.

Everything was going awry. From her senses to earthly events. Yet, there was something about her bodyguard's breathing that calmed her down. It was proof she was alive, yet that was just part of it. That motion of breathing and exhalation only existed because Furina acted when she did. Clorinde was breathing because of her. That sole positive realisation brought some lull to her nerves.

The more she watched her chest go up and down, the more Furina's own breathing tried to match Clorinde's. She found herself unable to follow her dear bodyguard, Clorinde had quite the lungs after all, but it further helped to rein in her crumbling stressful state.

After a few minutes of pure silence, the Archon perked up and spoke up.

"I… I brought a bit of water. And a potion too. When you wake up you can drink a bit. I couldn't find a straw so I brought a few rolled wafers." She nervously nibbled on one of the wafers unconsciously. In such a hectic moment, their flavour was sorely lacking. "I'm sorry for what I said, I hope you weren't listening. Your Archon is eccentric, as you know. She loses her grip on reality. God stuff. You wouldn't get it."

The string of short sentences left a bad taste in her mouth, which turned out to be literal as the wafer was actually quite disgusting. But Clorinde was breathing, so everything was alright. And without meaning, her thoughts started to think of the future.

Tomorrow the Opera would be up and running. She was not worried about the people who could be traipsing around, but of Neuvillette. The Iudex could be too sharp in the worst of moments! But if she made it through the day, she'd be able to arrange some preparations to move Clorinde out as soon as possible. If Furina could get her to the Palais Mermonia, things would be peachy. That was her turf, after all. The hat, the melusine, the disappearance… It did not matter, because Clorinde would appreciate all the things her Archon did to save her. She'd keep quiet. She just had to.

A groan of pain brought Furina towards Clorinde's face. Her consciousness had resurfaced momentarily, but her link with reality seemed almost non-existent.

"I'm here," Furina whispered mellowly, trying her utmost to not scare her as she held Clorinde's hand again. "There's nothing to worry about. I took care of everything. Just sleep, my champion."

Clorinde's consciousness flickered and disappeared, her breathing returning to normal. She looked in peace, as much as you could be with such wounds at least. Furina almost envied her moribund bodyguard's position.