CHAPTER- 6Ad Meliora
Today had been a bearable day, thought the Hydro Archon.
Furina was of the same mind. She had been craving some extra dessert in the morning, and luck had smiled upon her- the bakery had prepared an extra batch of sixteen on an offer today.
Furina had been feeling lucky, so she had gone to see if the ever-grumpy Gardien would finally agree to take her to the plays in the evening. And lo! He agreed! She could finally tick off going to plays with each of the most-important-mortals-of-the-decade from her do-this-decade bucket list.
As they walked to the Opera, the Hydro Archon was already making plans to test Alfonso's mettle. She would try her level best to annoy him- Clorinde had been impassive to her taunts, and Allard hadn't even let her get a word in before he started rambling about the play they had gone to. So she was curious about how Alfonso would react. If she had to take a guess, he would break somewhere in the middle, say a few heated words, and then apologise of course, because no one had the gall to say something bad to the Hydro Archon of all people. She would laugh it away, then they would be on better terms with each other than before.
Then she wouldn't have to worry about him stabbing her in the back.
Alfonso kept a lookout as they walked to the Opera Epiclese. Hmmm… how should she proceed…
Okay, let him talk himself into a corner then.
"I demand we make lively conversation, Gardien! Say, do you have a dream?"
He stopped looking around and turned to her. He looked surprised. Did he expect her not to even converse with him? Pah! There was nothing more boring than a silent journey.
"Dream? Do you mean the dreams we see when we sleep?"
"No, no. I mean those that don't let you sleep."
Alfonso's iconic frown disappeared (she was surprised- she had thought that thing was permanent) and his lip twisted in thought.
He answered in a slightly nostalgic tone. "Ah, if you wish to know, I used to have one. I wanted to become the Champion Duelist, but-"
"That dream died when you lost to Clorinde in the Duelist Trials, did it not?" She interrupted.
The Hydro Archon studied Alfonso's face for any sign of discomfort- a twitch of irritation or exasperation, but she could find none. Drat, she'd have to think of another way to make him mad.
Instead of an angry harrumph, he hummed and smiled. "You are correct, my Archon. I was not able to fulfil my dream- but that is okay. The purpose of that dream was fulfilled anyway."
" Oooh, don't hide it from your Archon then. Pray tell me what purpose it served."
Alfonso was silent for a minute. She saw him become tense as he tried to choose his words. So it was likely an uncomfortable topic. Good, it will make her work a lot easier.
She heard Alfonso mumble. " An …incident in our childhood had left my brother scared of his own Vision. He'd thought that it could only be used to hurt others, despite him always wanting to be a hero that saves people. So when Sir Neuvillette appointed me as Gardien, I'd showed him how even a Visionless like me could rise to the top through just swordplay and violence. It told him that's why there is nothing wrong with his vision- violence is a consequence of mankind, not strength."
He exhaled. She observed him as his hand palmed the pommel of his sword- he was stressed. " I must have said something correct that time, because he went to the Gardien trials the very next day and won. I worked out a deal with him- I'd handle the dirty, violent work, and he could go about saving people. He got his chance to be a hero. His dream got fulfilled, and that is enough. So the position of Gardien is enough for me." He finished.
"Oh, so you consider the post of Gardien a consolatory prize, huh? Becoming a Gardien to further your own ends. So selfish. This wasn't expected of you, Alfonso. Perhaps I will have to speak to the Iudex for a replacement..."
Surely this would be it? Anybody would be infuriated if their life-story session was ignored by their audience, and if said audience turned around and attacked their character. He would get annoyed at her and refuse to answer, and would later apologize for his supposed misdeeds. The Hydro Archon would be ecstatic for days!
He laughed, and her hopes shattered. "You jest well, my Archon. However, the truth is entirely the opposite- I now covet the position of the Gardien more than even that of the Duelist."
The Hydro Archon turned away, finally accepting defeat. This man's patience and cordiality was something to be beheld.
"Why is that so, Gardien?"
"Because here I can witness the results of whatever good deed I do for the people with my own eyes. I have seen many people who crave to see what good they have wrought upon the world. My brother loves his job- he's overjoyed whenever he returns home. As for me, I'm happy as long as he is."
The Hydro Archon was moved. There was no world in which this man would ever betray Fontaine or its people. No further tests of character were required.
A moment passed, and the Hydro Archon retired as they entered the Opera.
Furina sat on her throne as she watched the play begin. Alfonso stood on guard by her side. She'd asked him to sit down, but he'd refused every single time. Well, it was his loss.
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The Hydro Archon laughed and swatted Alfonso's offered hand as she got up from her throne after the play ended.
Furina had thought the play had been absolutely wonderful. The Hydro Archon agreed- the Hulchette group were a masterpiece to behold.
The night was silent, with only the winds whistling as the aquabus raced over towards the Palais. She could see the destroyed Fontaine Institute of Kinetic Energy Engineering in the distance. There was a lovely full moon in the sky, peeking from between the clouds. She watched as she passed over the waters of this beautiful nation she loved so dearly.
Waters that, as fate decreed, would one day drown Fontaine.
"Lady Archon, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
The Hydro Archon snapped out of her reverie and turned to look at Alfonso. He was gazing off into the distance, his hat in his hand to prevent it from blowing off. His frown was still not back, and the Hydro Archon could hardly recognise him without it.
"I don't mind at all, dear Gardien. You have been a magnificent host, so consider this a repayment. Ask your question."
"Lady Archon, do you too have a dream?"
The Hydro Archon disappeared suddenly. Furina was shocked just for a moment.
" Wuhahahaha! What a silly question! Of course I do. I wish that each, and every citizen of Fontaine lives long, happy lives. Lives filled with laughter and joy. Lives in which they could be the best version of themselves."
A previously unused answer rehearsed in front of the mirror a thousand times came out of her mouth effortlessly. A splendid first.
Alfonso glanced at her for a split second, and she knew that he had sensed a half-truth. She turned her gaze to the rapidly approaching aquabus station. It wasn't an issue- it would only become one if he called her out on it.
Just for a moment, she allowed herself to think of her dream. Five hundred years... was a little too long.
A dream that would never be heard by the world. A dream that she would take to her grave, if her end ever came.
The Hydro Archon had gone quiet, and retreated for the day. To Furina, it was obvious why. Gods cannot dream- only humans could. And for the Hydro Archon to admit she couldn't do something was unthinkable.
The streets they walked through were unnaturally empty tonight. The pigeons cooed and the crickets chirped, but she could not see a single person in the distance. It unnerved her a little. Nothing bad could happen, of course- A Gardien was here with her, and she was playing the part of the all-powerful Archon. Nobody would dare attempt anything dubious.
"Do you mind if we sit here for a while?"
"Of course not, Lady Archon. Please have a rest while I stand guard."
He turned so that he stood with his back towards her, and leaned against a tree to her right. She sat down on a bench, and stretched her legs a little. She wanted to ask him to sit down- he had been standing for four hours, at least! But he would not accept anyways, so she didn't.
She stole a glance at the Gardien. He was looking resolutely ahead . The frown was back, and he was keeping a strict lookout.
Furina wondered if he remembered her. Probably not. He was just a kid then, after all.
She couldn't believe it herself, when she had first heard their names. But such is the story fate spins, it seemed. Still, she needed to make sure the Gardiens really were those kids.
" You said your brother… had been going through a bad time. And judging by how old you are, it must have been a few years at least. How… did he manage to hold onto his dream for so long? Most people give up on theirs by adulthood."
If he was perturbed by her attempt at conversation, he didn't show it. He didn't reply for a while, and she questioned herself if he was even paying attention.
His voice was solemn when he spoke. " Allard would never admit it, but he repeated and lived by your words ever since the day we met you. He had been extremely lucky- very few people had had a God to inspire them."
He turned back towards her, and her breath hitched. Alfonso looked a lot better when he smiled. " I was a child, so I didn't understand then. But now I know, my Archon. Thank you, for giving my brother the strength to keep holding on to his dream all these years."
His voice had been perfectly level, yet Furina could see the unbounded gratefulness in his eyes. She was stumped, lost for words.
So he did remember. She smiled. At least she had done something right in these five hundred years.
"You're welcome, Alfonso."
(Alfonso would later think how strange and different the Hydro Archon sounded when she said his name, instead of addressing him as Gardien, almost as if she was another person. Nevertheless, as strange as it sounded, the God felt a little more human to him when she used his name instead of his post.)
It was slightly jarring to hear herself speak nothing but the truth, even if it was just for a moment. It had happened only a few times since her ascent as a false god. She wanted to laugh and giggle and squeal. She chose not to- she'd rather not scare Alfonso off.
She dismissed him after, no matter how much he insisted to escort her to the Palais. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts. She returned to familiar embrace of loneliness. She spotted a few cats in the distance, and walked leisurely towards them. Cats were a surefire way to banish stress!
The little kid had finally become a Gardien, huh? It was the perfect plot for a play! 'An orphan bound by his poverty and terrible circumstances dreams big, beyond his limits. A chance meeting with his God gives him all the motivation he would ever need to overcome a threat to his dream, and he rises to the top against all odds.' It was the cliché hero's journey. The one thing missing was tragedy, but that was alright. The world had more than enough of it to compensate.
She chased after the cats as they ran. She called out to them to stop. Being the spawns of the Devil himself, they did not obey.
"I demand you come here this instant, feline!"
She reached out towards it, and-
'Danger'
She had a moment of clarity, when she could see everything around her. She saw the hand emerging from the flying cloak towards her chest- a dark, scaled hand. Red, crossed eyes beneath the mask, mouth twisted into a sneer, sheer hate on that woman's face, her heart giving out- she couldn't even scream. She closed her eyes. Her legs gave out and her knees scraped against the ground. She waited.
Her end did not come.
Clang!
The sound of two swords clashing screamed into her ears. Someone was here! Her eyes shot open, and her hands acquired strength she didn't know she had as they moved her backwards, away from the fight.
Alfonso stood there with his back facing her, and his sword guarded her prone body. The assassin had jumped back, now with a sword in her left hand.
(The assassin's face was hidden by the cloak, but Furina had seen, she had seen!)
The assassin's blade lit up with fire. A Vision! Red, hot fire that she felt on her skin, even twenty metres away. The woman lunged again, but Alfonso was ready this time. Her heart hammered as sparks from their swords flew around her, and as the grass burned around that assassin.
Why was this happening? She wanted to scream.
All of Fontaine adored her. Who was this then? Who sent the assassin? Who wanted her dead and why?
The hand, now on fire came for her again from above, but Alfonso kicked the woman in the stomach to send her flying away. His sword sang as he deflected the knives she threw his way as she landed on her feet. Furina's gut churned.
She was still lying on the ground. She didn't have any strength left to even get up on her feet. So cowardly. She needed to get her act together- no God would let this slide, especially the one whose character she played.
And now Alfonso had seen how weak she truly was. He'd seen how she had cowered before what she'd thought to be her end. He had seen none of the power she had claimed to have. Did he think she was a fraud? Now he would reveal her lies to everyon-
"Lady Furina!"
He was by her side, stomping on his boot to put out the fire that clung on to it. He was still not looking at her, but at the monster in front of them. Her chest felt hollow.
" This fucker is skilled, and going against them without a weapon is suicide. Your sword isn't with you, ri-"
A clang interrupted him. He parried a stab to his throat, and Furina's heart came to her mouth again. She killed it in her throat, and tried to get up again. She failed again. She refused to let her eyes tear up- Alfonso was close enough to see.
Allard knew she didn't have her sword. It was a prop sword, but Alfonso didn't know that. She could use this. She had to.
The sound of swords screeching stopped. Her eyes swung upward- was he dead?
Alfonso's face was red, and his hair was matted with sweat. She could hear and see his blood sizzling as it flowed from a stab wound in his arm that had been partially sealed by the burning blade, but he still held his sword over her. The assassin on the other hand, was walking towards him with a deadly grace, looking as unwinded as she first was. She looked like the Grim Reaper of legend- her sword was on fire, and her mask was terrifying.
This was a losing battle. Alfonso may be the best swordsman in the country, but he was still human.
There had been nothing close to human in those red eyes. She was a monster. Furina would die here, no matter how much Alfonso struggled against that fate.
Maybe that was for the better, but then Alfonso would die too.
She could not let that happen.
This weight of Fontaine's fate was hers to bear alone. No other person would die for her.
Even one life is too much.
Her hands found a stick lying near her, and she used it as support to get up on her legs. Her legs shook, but she would stand. She walked forward, and swung the stick back and forth. It completed a vertical circle, and she tapped it on a rock on the ground
The assassin stopped walking. Alfonso gave her a quick, frantic glance.
" Stay back, Lady Archon! The others from the Palais must have heard the commotion. Reinforcements will be here soon!" Alfonso was shouting between his rapid breaths.
He was on his last legs. He would not last that long.
Despite herself, a surge of relief rushed through her. She would only have to stall until the Ordalie got here. Somehow, she had to convince Alfonso that she was powerful as a God should be, and she had to hold back this demon too, all in one act. Their best fighter was injured and dead tired, and the other one was a fraud. This was impossible.
Number one rule of acting- to fool the audience, you must first fool yourself.
"You do not have to tell me what to do, Gardien. I don't have a sword because I won't need one. This is just another mortal with a blown up ego, thinking they could compare to my greatness. Follow my lead."
Alfonso did not turn, but he followed her every step out of the corner of his eye. She walked up to him, keeping the fountain between them and the witch.
Every step of hers faltered, but Furina was the best actor in all of Teyvat.
False bravado in the face of impossible odds is what she ate for breakfast every day.
The churning in her gut grew. She threw back her head, and laughed uproariously. " Wuhahahaha, assassin! Well played, well played! To strike when the target lets down their guard in a moment of compassion speaks volumes of your experience. But you will fail here. Gods do not die so easy, mortal."
She swung her arms out, her makeshift cane still swinging. The taunt worked.
The assassin lunged towards her, her hand outstretched and on fire, hotter than ever.
Her knees shook imperceptibly, but she stopped herself from running. She hoped he'd be quick enough.
A sword appeared less than a finger's length from her face, slashing away the hand and giving the assassin probably her first wound. Furina's heart felt like it would burst. The assassin swung her sword with her left hand again, and Alfonso's intercepted her once more. Furina's skin burned from being so close to the burning sword, and Alfonso's hands were already blistered. His sword made worrying sounds as it strained against the assassin's. Sword and sword stayed in place, testing each other's strength.
The air turned sweltering hot. Her instincts were screaming at her to run, but Alfonso was right there-he would see if the almighty Archon ran away from a fight with a mortal. What would he think? The people's trust in her was much more important than her life. She would either die, or win back Alfonso's belief. So, going against each and every fibre of her being, she leaned towards the interlocked swords, and whispered.
"Tch, assassin. You couldn't even best my subordinate. What hope do you have of killing me?"
Many things happened at once.
Alfonso's sword snapped, and the assassin stumbled. The assassin's sword came flying towards her, and Alfonso dove towards Furina. A purple bullet zipped through the air beside Furina's head, striking the assassin in the shoulder, and sending her flying back. Four flying rocks came flying from each direction and crashed into the monster. The sword clattered on the ground beside Furina. She snapped to her senses and caught Alfonso by the shoulders before his head touched the ground.
A twenty-something regiment of officers rushed out of the shadows towards them. One went to the rock structure that encased her attacker.
"The target's gone!"
"Officers, spread out in the garden. Keep an eye out, and on each other. Don't let that person get away." Ah, Allard was here too.
Furina wanted to scream and cry from the utter fear and stress of the past few minutes. Furina wanted to yell into the air happily. She wanted to thank Alfonso for saving her life. She wanted to hug Clorinde for giving that witch one more wound to lick.
But she didn't. Because she was playing the part of a God, one that didn't need saving.
She laid Alfonso's head on the soft grass. He had passed out in the middle of his dive, probably due to the sheer stress and exhaustion. She sat down on the grass.
Two pairs of footsteps rushed towards her. Allard slid on the grass towards Alfonso, tearing off a part of his shirt to make a makeshift bandage for the numerous wounds on his body. Clorinde shook her about as she checked her for injuries- she would find none. She allowed herself just one sigh of relief.
Everything would be alright. The cavalry was here.
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Two minutes to seven.
Alfonso tried to meditate as he sat at the desk in his office. It was useless.
His lack of sleep was hitting him hard. He had tried to do one of those six-hours-of-sleep-in-twenty-minutes meditations he had seen some Forest Rangers do when he'd been to Sumeru, but it hadn't worked.
Something big was going to happen soon. Allard and the others could hope the prophecy would not come to pass.
Alfonso was not so optimistic.
As much as he wished it wouldn't, Fontaine would drown- he was sure of it. So it fell upon him to prepare for the worst. There needed to be plans in place for after the flood, for the people that remained. Not everyone in Fontaine was Fontainian. Some would survive the Primordial Seawater. They would need help. Help he intended to secure.
None of that now. He had a job to do.
The clock struck seven, and in walked a manwhose face bore astriking resemblance to that of a cat'sthat had just tasted a lemon. Frown lines had been etched onto his face due to years of displeasure, though he had certainly not shown his displeasure towards eating over the years.
He stompedinto the office and sat down on the couch in front of his desk. Said couch groaned in protest, and sagged under his weight. A huff of air escapedhim.
"Mr. Gardien, I have been looking for you for ages! I have been stuck here for twenty days, twenty days! No ship at the docks, and no response from the Ordalie at all! All I have done is rot inside my room all day long. I demand instant transport to Liyue, or you all will be very sorry!"
This was going to be a long day.
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Navia sighed. " Seriously, Allard?"
" Seriously, I swear! I'm here to help because Sir Iudex called me. This was HIS idea!"
Said Iudex turned away, suddenly very interested in tasting the water in the air that he had probably tasted a million times by now.
Lynette spoke slowly, enunciating each word. " The. Door. Is. Right. There."
She pointed to the forgotten door at the far side of the room. It seemed to wave back as the ship rolled.
Allard asked her sweetly. "Kid, please lower your sword."
Lynette didn't back down. "Uncle, Father told me not to trust shady men."
Allard's face twisted, and Navia had to beat down a chuckle. Serves him well for calling her a child.
A shrill voice shrieked. "Mr. Jailer! You gave Paimon a nasty fright! What are you doing here?" Paimon asked.
'Mr. Jailer' 's palm found his face. " I just announced it, Paimon…"
Paimon looked dumbfounded. " Huuhh, but it's Paimon's jo-" She got gagged again by the Traveler before she could continue.
"Please don't mind her. She has a problem of echoing everything." the Traveler supplied.
Why was everything so… so.. chaotic? Navia had thought that the meeting to make a plan to save Fontaine would be a little more serious.
She banged her head on the table.
"Alright everyone, stop pointing your weapons at this idiot. That's enough." She said, her face still on the table.
Lynette grumbled, then pushed down Freminet's sword with her own. Lyney put away his bow and gave Allard a smile.
Allard jumped off the table with a totally unnecessary flip and landed directly in front of the Hearth trio.
Lynette caught Freminet as he stumbled back, and she gave Allard a glare. Lyney stepped in front of them, his smile never faltering.
"You three are the Hearth kids, aren't you?" Allard asked.
"We're twenty, Mr. Allard. It's a pleasure to meet you too." Lyney replied.
Allard chuckled. "Still kids to me. You're mother is a real piece of work. Give me a shout if you need any help."
He sauntered off. " Why does he have to be so… forward?" Freminet mumbled. Paimon and the Traveler snickered, and Navia massaged the bridge of her nose.
She didn't understand. Miss Arlecchino was the first one to have lent help to Poisson when it was flooded. What did Allard have against her?
Allard headed over to the Iudex, and Navia sighed. Maybe things could get back on track now. She coughed.
"Now that the introductions are over, can we get on with what we were meeting for?" She announced.
Everyone in the room subconsciously straightened. Navia smiled uneasily- this was going to be rough.
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Mr. Hwang was the ambassador from Liyue. He was actually a very nice man, but the current situationhad driven him over the edge. Understandable, really. He too wanted to tear his hair out over the calamity sometimes.
"I will see you at the docks the day after tomorrow then, Mr. Hwang.
"Of course, Mr. Alfonso, of course! When you come to Liyue, I would be rather cross if you don't visit my mansion. It doesn't seem like you get enough to eat here. I assure you, I'll send you home full!"
"It will be my pleasure, Mr. Hwang"
He saw Hwang off and sat down on his seat again. He stacked the papers scattered on the desk into a neat pile, and shoved it inside his drawer. He let his head loll, and it hit the back of his chair. He groaned.
The talks didn't get anywhere. He had tried to hint at the impending calamity's aftermath, and how he was trying to deal with it, but Mr. Hwang, due to either ignorance or out of willful ignorance, would just not breach the topic. He had not been able to secure help. His fist tightened under his desk.
He didn't want to negotiate with the Snezhnayans. The Fatui had their fingers in every single pie there, and to make a deal with them was akin to making a deal with the Devil. He hoped he could work something out with the ambassadors of Inazuma and Sumeru.
He heard some people talking in the hallway. The next ambassadors were here. He put his Gardien face on and rose to greet them.
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Clori's analogy was hard to digest.
A hunt felt too impersonal, too… removed from emotions for what they had planned to do to the Hydro Archon.
It was wrong, yes.
One could argue it was immoral too. She would agree.
But if it got them even a step closer to preventing the prophesied flood, she would do it in a heartbeat.
Everyone had the right to keep their secrets, but if her secrets held the means to save the people of Fontaine, extracting those secrets became a duty.
The soft pitter-patter of the drizzle outside almost succeeded in entirely bringing her mood down, but Navia would never falter in her optimism. The rest of the room wasn't so successful.
The Iudex was looking out of the window into the night. His cane's butt rested on the ground. He wasn't a man of many words, but Navai could see that he was conflicted too.
Allard and Clorinde sat on opposite ends of the room. Both their faces were impossible to read. It came with their job. But she knew Allard held the Archon in very high regard. If there was anyone who was as doubtful regarding the plan as the Iudex, it would be him.
The Hearth trio (why was she referring to them like that? They had names!) on the other hand, were talking rather animatedly among themselves. If she ignored the fact that they were devising a means to kidnap the Archon, they looked rather cute.
The Traveler sat at arm's length from Allard, with Paimon sleeping on her shoulders. The Iudex had asked Allard to put his unnatural empathy to the test, and he'd nodded just once. The Traveler was to play her part in this twisted play by helping to capture the Archon. They both sat with a an elbow on their knee, and their faces in that palm, contemplating something.
But something else was long overdue.
She grabbed Clori and Allard by the wrists. They looked up at her in unison.
"What?" Allard asked.
She shushed him and lead them both by their hands out of the room. She pushed them into an adjacent room, and shut the door.
They looked at her quizzically.
Hah, how dumb could they be?
But if she admitted that she had been missing them, Allard would make fun of her, and Clori would smile at her like she knew everything that was going on inside her head. Graaahh…
Let's take it slow. It'll be fine- what could go wrong?
"How long have your shifts been lately, Allard?" Navia asked. That seemed fairly innocent, right? Surely he couldn't divine anything from that.
Allard's eyes widened. He smirked. Shit.
"You pulled us aside because we haven't met together for a long while. You've been missing us!"
No, Navia. Do NOT punch Allard in the stomach, even if he is being an ass.
Blood rushed to her face, and she saw Clori smiling at her out of the corner of her eye. Damn you, Allard!
"She's brought macarons!"
Her head whipped towards Allard. He'd gotten to her bag in a matter of seconds and now held her bag with one hand, and the packet of macarons she'd gotten from the local bakery in the other.
Unacceptable. Navia cursed. She leaped, and Allard ran.
They dashed through the empty corridors, the boat's old metal floors creaking beneath their feet at every step. "There are-" Allard dodged a wrench thrown at him by a hair's width, "-better places for a picnic, you know?" Allard said as he rushed through the passageways.
"Give the macarons back, you bastard!"
"Okay." Navia stopped dumbfounded, and only just managed to catch the packet that flew at her face. There had to be a catch, right?
He sat down on the metal floor, his back leaning on the wall, and sighed. Clori caught up to them, walking leisurely and standing by Navia. His hat got pushed over his eyes by the wall, and he made no attempt to remove it.
" Thanks, Navia. I really needed to get my mind off of things- all the planning has been eating away at my sanity. I missed you both too, dorks. " Allard said.
Clori chuckled and replied. " It's a shame that Alfonso isn't here, but that's alright. We'll just have to plan to meet up later when this storm blows away." She walked to where Allard had sat down, and sighed as she slid down to the floor with her back against the wall. " We'd have all the time in the world after the flood, if we survive it."
"Hah, was there any doubt? Of course we'll survive it! The plan will surely succeed. Three of my friends are probably the best fighters in Fontaine, and I, Navia ,need no introduction. If there's anyone who will survive, it's us."
Allard groaned. "Well done, Navia. You've gone and jinxed us now. If one of us dies…"
Navia's chest tightened, and she turned away from Clori and Allard. That was a joke, of course- Allard didn't mean anything by it. But even the thought of one more friend dying…. it was enough to knock her out of her game.
A whack sounded, and Allard whimpered. That was probably Clori, heh.
Knowing him, he'd be apologizing in three, two, one-
"Navia, hero-daughter of Callas, I ask you to look at me!" Allard announced, his flamboyant voice echoing in the empty passageways of the ship.
Navia turned around, a smile on her face. Allard was standing ramrod straight at the other end of the corridor, the forgotten bag of food held in one hand. Clori had whipped out a Kamera and was pointing it at him.
"I am aware that I have a committed a grave sin, be it unintentionally or otherwise! My words have caused you unneeded strife, something that I deeply regret."
The exaggerated flair, the nonsensical titles, hell, even her and Clori giggling together at Allard- this was all too familiar from when they were children. Even if Allard had been an ass, she'd been right to meet up now.
Allards voice turned grave, almost as if he was serious. "To repent for my crimes, there is one thing I must do."
He threw his arms out. Navia's mind focused. He was going to do something grand.
" I'll keep the rest of the food! " He shouted, and bolted.
The illusion shattered. There had been a catch. Something primal raged beneath the surface.
(Strangely, she felt a little happy even under all her vindication. They should plan these picnics more often. It doesn't matter if they're all grown up now.).
"AaaAAAAGGGHHH!"
She gave out a cry as she lowered her head and charged.