The ride to the opera house was uneventful; Ayaka minded her own business and spent most of it enjoying the sights of the blue sea. The clear blue water was unlike the sea she sometimes looked out from her estate in Inazuma but that was to be expected. The nation of Hydro would naturally have the most beautiful water in all of Teyvat. Once they neared the station, she heard Clorinde attempting to wake the sleeping Archon.
"Nggeh… Five more minutes…"
…Was she really the Hydro Archon?
Clorinde, however, seemed used to this and whispered something into her ear. Whatever it was, Focalors immediately snapped to her feet. "Where?!" She cried while looking around for something. "…You lied to me, Clorinde. How could you?" The hurt look on her face was nearly convincing but it was clear Focalors was acting. Her bodyguard took it in stride and told her to simply ask him if she really wanted it. Ayaka didn't know who "he" was but she figured it was someone close to the Archon.
More than likely, it was someone Ayaka didn't know or should care for at the moment.
"Ah, Monsieur Neuvillette, I didn't realise we were sharing an aquabus. It's been a long time since we last… um… who's this?" Focalors tried to address the chief justice, whose look of exhaustion seemed to have gotten worse, before noticing Ayaka. She then realised what she said wasn't "Archon-like" and cleared her throat. "I mean— greetings, my dear… visitor. It is I, Fontaine's most beloved star, Furina. It is your lucky day as you get to bask in my presence; not many have gotten the chance to be so close to me as you may tell from my reputation."
…So she was full of herself. That was a rude description but that was the impression Ayaka got from Foca— er, Furina. She would go as far as to say her attitude was unbefitting as Furina was an Archon; having that much self-confidence might just be natural. However, Ayaka could best compare her to a star actress who let her fame get to her head. The Inazuman hoped that that was not all that she seemed and was much less vain than she appeared behind closed doors.
In any case, she should introduce herself. "It's an honour to meet you, Lady Furina. I am Kamisato Ayaka of Inazuma's Yashiro Commission." She bowed respectfully as always.
"Kamisato…? That name…" Ayaka heard her mutter. It wasn't out of the question for her to be recognised, but she didn't expect the Archon to know who she was. After a couple of moments, Furina placed where she knew Ayaka from judging from her facial expression. The best Ayaka could describe her smile was it made her look like she was plotting something which briefly confused the Inazuman. Moreover, Furina further confused her with what she said next. "I'm assuming you will also be watching today's trials? There is still some time until then so why don't you join me for teatime?" At her offer, Clorinde tried to say something but Furina waved her concern before a single word escaped her lips.
Now that she thought of it, Ayaka hadn't eaten much other than a quick snack Thoma gave her before they arrived in Fontaine. And seeing as it was Fontaine's own Archon who was inviting her… "Thank you for your offer, Lady Furina. It is my pleasure to accept your invitation."
click. click. clink. ding!
Charlotte let out an exhausted but relieved sigh as she finally finished her next article. She still had one more to write— concerning her interview earlier that day —but she can finish that later tonight. For now, she deserved a break from the mind-numbing task of converting her notes to full sentences to write with the typewriter; why haven't they hired someone to do just that? It'd let her be out on the field more too.
In any case, the reporter went from her desk down to reception, said hi and goodbye to Beatrice the receptionist, and left the office. "See you later, Arthur," she waved goodbye to the mechanical bird on his post outside and flew down the stairs when— "And where do you think you're going, missy?" She wasn't sure how she missed her boss standing on top of the stairs but her Chief Editor was giving her an unamused face.
"Ur… I was going to lunch?" And that was the genuine truth this time unlike her usual attempts to sneak out to do some investigative journalism. Fortunately for Charlotte, her boss bought her excuse and let her go with the condition that she brought her back a snack.
'Alright, I could finally—' "Excuse me, are you by chance the famed Steambird, Charlotte? I have some information that may interest you." …On the one hand, she was getting recognised for her work. On the other hand, why now and today of all days?! Well, it's not like she could turn away from a potential story. She'd kick herself later for increasing her workload.
Fortunately, the woman and her companion were willing to talk over lunch. Charlotte thought she recognised who they were but couldn't quite place from where (probably due to her exhaustion). After ordering, the reporter was quick to start their discussion and took out her notepad, "Let's start then. What story do you have for me?"
The woman had the most friendly smile on her face as she mentioned a particularly notorious case from Liyue— one that Charlotte wanted to investigate but got tied up with… other… matters. In any case, it was something she was interested and the woman and her companion certainly looked like they were from Liyue. Of course, the natural question was whether this woman was a reliable source.
"In exchange for what I know, there is some information I'm interested in." …Alright, that was a bit suspicious but Charlotte was willing to listen her out. "There's a particular case going on here in Fontaine that my friends and I are interested in; I was told that, as one of the Steambird's greatest reporters as well as someone well connected to said case, you'd be able to help."
'Ahh… Don't think I didn't notice…'
Journalism 101: pander to the interviewee's ego to persuade them to give answers. Even if it was something as simple as "one of the greatest", it was still a manipulation tactic. Well, she won't fall for that! "And what case are you talking about? Is it… the Traveller's case?"
"Precisely."
"What else is there to know that anyone else doesn't? Aether is suspected of kidnapping Lady Furina, and is now being held by the Maison Gardiennage." That was common knowledge among everyone in the Court of Fontaine, if not the entirety of Teyvat at this point.
"Oh, I know that but no one seems to be talking about important things like his motive for doing that or why he was suspected in the first place. In the short time I've been here, I've overheard Fontainians talk about the crime in general, yes, but nothing beyond that. For Fontaine's biggest star on top of its Archon, you'd think her citizens would be talking more about this vile crime against her."
Ooh, she had an eye for looking at the bigger picture… "Rest assured, we were talking about what would make Aether kidnap Lady Furina when the story first broke, but we've come to a consensus before all you visitors came to watch the trial. Now things like 'motive' is not as interesting as say… whether he is actually guilty or not."
"And what is this motive the people of Fontaine came to? I'm sure if I go ask someone else, I could get the answer but I'd rather hear it from you."
Charlotte mentally frowned at what the woman said. The play she was making was obvious; either Charlotte continued to give her information or she'd leave, depriving the reporter of what she wanted to know. They've barely started and she has already fallen for the trap… "I myself don't completely subscribe to the theory but it's the general belief that it was a crime of passion," Charlotte answered. "I'm not sure how well it is known outside the Court of Fontaine but you see… the Traveller and our Archon might be… Only tabloids had made any public claims but it is undeniable that they are close and have been seen frequently together leading up to the supposed crime."
It was not a complete lie; only the tabloids ever talked about whether the famed Traveller was courting their beloved Lady Furina… before she announced it outright a while before the whole kidnapping debacle happened. It was the talk of town and it surprised Charlotte that it didn't make headlines anywhere else. 'Maybe it did and people wrote it off as fake news…' Either way, Fontainians have concluded that more likely than not, it was a crime driven out of dark love— Aether disliked all the attention and eyes Furina was getting. He eventually got fed up and resolved to take her away from the spotlight.
That was the working theory for anyone who didn't know Aether that well.
"…That's it?" Charlotte wasn't expecting that reaction; the woman looked both disappointed and amused at the information.
"If that isn't actually the motive, then the real one will surely be revealed during his trial. Until then, the people of Fontaine will believe what they want to believe." Or until Charlotte's interview makes the front page tomorrow~
The woman had a calculating look on her face for nearly a whole minute before she opened her mouth. "But are Aether and Lady Furina invo—"
"There you are, Charlotte." To Charlotte's surprise and confusion, the person who came up to their table and interrupted the "interview" was the ever-quiet and aloof Lynette. But why was she looking for her? "Oh, you two are…" And she also knew who the two Liyue visitors?
"I see… you're Lyney's sister, aren't you? I don't believe I saw you earlier," the woman said with the tiniest hint of suspicion underneath her friendly tone.
"I'd rather avoid talking to people when I can," Lynette bluntly replied and from the corner of her eye, Charlotte saw the Anemo boy give an understanding nod. Regardless, the magician assistant turned back towards Charlotte and asked her a rather confusing question… in Fontanian. "Lyney m'a envoyé vous demander si vous veniez toujours chez nous pour cet entretien."
'Huh… what inter— oh…' "Oui, je pense que je peux le faire. À quelle heure sera-t-il disponible ?" Charlotte replied without missing a beat. She didn't understand what Lyney was up to but she'd find out soon.
Lynette nodded. "Nous devrions être prêts à partir au coucher du soleil. J'ai encore des courses à faire à Poisson et je serai de retour d'ici là." The assistant gave a polite bow as a goodbye before leaving. As soon as she disappeared, Charlotte groaned inside as she realised she'd added yet another thing onto her plate. Damn her natural curiosity.
"Anyway, where were we?" The reporter grinned as she stirred the topic back onto its path while silently screaming about her deadline.
Opera Epiclese…
As the two Mondstadters continued waiting for the trials to begin, entertaining themselves in their own ways, the sound of cheers outside caught their attention. The large doors of the opera house opened to welcome two of the most famous stars of Fontaine— the neutral-faced Iudex Neuvillette and the diva enjoying the limelight, Lady Furina. They were of course accompanied by guards but it didn't escape either of their notice that there was an Inazuman with them.
Kaeya's eyes briefly met that of the Iudex and he could tell he was hiding something… probably sheer exhaustion. From the way the Hydro Archon carried herself, he could tell she was a joy to be around for extended periods of time.
"Kaeya."
"Hmm? What is it, Diluc?" Kaeya glanced at him and followed his gaze— his brother was solely focused on both Lady Furina and the Inazuman girl accompanying her.
"I need you to make a scene. Not now, but at my signal."
…Why was he getting the feeling he would soon be getting arrested?
A/N: So… 4.2. Sorry, but I don't think Genshin could get any better than Fontaine's Archon Quest. Just kidding, that's just my opinion but you can't deny how amazing Act V was. Of course, with how it ended, I can now confidently say that I've settled on a general timeline for this fic. Surprise, surprise, it takes place before Act V. Let's just say this fic takes place in a slightly deviating timeline where Aether did get released but the incident at Poisson has not happened quite yet. Perfect placement if you ask me!
…except now that I can't use my favourite part (and not just as an Aerina shipper) cries. The scene where Aether sees Furina's true self is absolutely heartwrenching. Act V as a whole really made me love Furina as a character for all that she went through simply with the hope the prophecy could be denied. Her Story Quest was also good, especially the ending, but not gonna lie, I felt Traveller and Paimon were a bit insensitive for a good chunk of it. Paimon was also rather annoying for a good chunk mainly for the scene at the graveyard (like, read the room). A more minor thing I found annoying was her just explaining why Furina ran to Poisson. I think it would work a lot nicer if it wasn't outright told why she ran there and let the player figure it out themselves.
Anyway, that's my general thoughts as a Genshin player. Now for my thoughts as an Aerina shipper? I find the crumbs I could get to be great. Aether was the one who sees Furina as she truly is in Act V while Furina at first thinks of Aether as someone she could confide in (before you know…). From her Story Quest, his first thought when looking for an actress was Furina was nice, Hoyo blueballed us by censoring their handholding, the heart-to-heart in Poisson was great, and the scene where Furina essentially hid behind Aether at the prospect of fighting was funny and cute. And as for her voicelines, good god did they cook. TLDR, Furina needs lots of hug and love, and is starting to find it with Aether.
TOO BAD I CAN'T USE MOST OF IT IN THIS FIC. Oh well, that's what my new one is for. Go read that if you haven't. And don't be surprised if certain character dynamics in this fic subtly change in the future.
Also, I find it funny that here I was about to set up Lyney gathering Aether's Fontainian allies and then Act V had something similar happening (and if the 4.3 event rumour I heard was true…). Anyway, see you all next time!