"Clorinde!" A panicked Furina called out to her former bodyguard, disturbing everyone in the process as she barrelled towards her.
Clorinde sighed lightly though didn't put down her sword. She had her usual weapon maintenance to attend to and she was no stranger to Furina interrupting her during it.
"Yes, Furina?" she said, not missing how Furina couldn't seem to stand still. Whatever was on Furina's mind must have been urgent, at least according to her own priorities.
"You have to help me!" Furina looked like she was looking for an opportunity to grab Clorinde's arm and pull her away when it looked like she was done cleaning her blade. "Aether's birthday preparations took up all my time and I was going to show him how much I've grown with wielding a sword."
That caught Clorinde's attention. Paimon had brought them all together before to discuss plans for Aether's birthday this year and she expected Furina to do something extra, given their relationship, but this was news to her.
"An interesting choice of gift," Clorinde commented. "How are you progressing?"
Furina felt the wind get knocked out of her sails. She looked elsewhere and traced a circle with her foot.
"Oh, well, funny story about that, hehe. I... haven't started... and I don't have a sword."
Everything fell into place at once for Clorinde. Having been busy or simply having forgotten, Furina expected to learn swordsmanship from her in the remaining days before Aether's birthday. Knowing Furina, she also wouldn't be satisfied with just learning the basics either.
"You're aware of the time you have and the time it takes to become truly proficient in swordplay, correct?"
"Yes! We have enough time, don't we?" Furina nodded rapidly, her eyes wide. "You're the Champion Duelist and if anyone can teach me that quickly, it's you."
"Furina," Clorinde began, trying to remain diplomatic, "becoming an expert in swordsmanship takes years, not days. Even for someone as... determined as you. Four days won't be enough."
Furina's face fell, her previous confidence cracking. "But... I've been meaning to do this for so long and kept putting it off. Do you know how hard it is to find the motivation to look into the art of the sword after tea time?"
Looking at Clorinde's expression, it appeared she didn't have the same issues.
Furina swallowed hard. For a moment, the impending deadline was all but forgotten to her.
"I just... I want to show him that I've actually changed after everything. Recently, I've had all that I could have ever asked for and I wanted to show my appreciation for it all."
Realising how she must have sounded, she blushed and looked at the floor. "J-just as a friend, of course. Nothing to be read into outside of that."
Setting aside her sword, Clorinde placed a hand on Furina's shoulder. "We'll see what we can do with your sword skills another time but you still have time to come up with something meaningful. Something that you can do in the time you have."
Furina took a deep breath, nodding slowly.
"There's still time." Clorinde gave her a nod in return. "Preferably before our next gathering. I trust we can expect you to be there this time too."
"Oh, absolutely. I wouldn't dream of missing it."
On the day before Aether's birthday, Hotel Debord was a whirlwind of activity. Furina busied herself along with Navia, Clorinde, Lyney, Lynette and Freminet making sure everything went according to plan. They could count on appearances from the others on the day itself and had made the effort to help out when they could. Neuvillette, Wriothesley, Siegwinne and Chevreuse had cleared their respective schedules on the day and were working on finishing off what duties they could.
Paimon could only make brief appearances to not give anything away to Aether. He might have known she was planning something but her disappearing for extended periods of time would have given a little too much away.
To keep Aether busy, Chiori had roped him into serve as a living mannequin under the excuse that she was preparing for Fontaine Fashion Week.
Aether didn't need to know that Fashion Week wasn't for a few months.
Everyone's efforts were making the whole thing progress swimmingly, but with the tomorrow being the day, Furina was almost convinced that there was more she could do.
"Staring at the oven isn't going to make it go any faster, Furina," Navia laughed as she encouraged Furina to move from her perch directly in front of it. "We've done all we can for now so try to relax a little. Aether's not going to want a stressed out Furina for his birthday."
Furina felt like she was going to combust. She stumbled over her words trying to form a response that addressed the situation while also dismissing any implications Navia may have picked up on, regardless of how true it might have been.
By the time she did, Navia had already sauntered off.
Still there was truth to her words. She had already done all she could and the cakes would be done in time.
Hoping to calm herself, Furina took to pacing around. She'd already found her own gift for Aether but doubt started to creep in the closer his birthday got.
"What if he doesn't like it?" she thought to herself. "What if he thinks I'm just dragging him along because it's something that I would want? Oh no. What if he thinks I just see him as my chaperone?! Ahh! I-is it too late to find something else?!"
"You seem tense, Furina," Lyney chuckled, producing a flower from his hat and handing it to her. "Try some of Lynette's tea. It always helps before a show."
Lynette stepped forward and offered the already filled cup on a saucer. "Unfortunately, we have no magic trick to make worries literally disappear. Tea is an acceptable substitute for your situation however."
"Thank you." Furina took the cup, restraining herself from making it disappear in a matter of seconds. "Is it that obvious?"
"Ahah, just a little."
"Very."
The twins spoke at the same time though only Lyney said what Furina wanted to hear.
"A-anyway, there's nothing to worry about," Lyney continued, gently nudging Lynette with his elbow. Lynette didn't appear to see the problem, especially since Furina looking nervous was why she had brought the tea over in the first place. "It's not about the gifts and I think we know Aether isn't the type to demand we all make grand gestures. As long as we throw him a Fontanian birthday he won't soon forget, I'm sure he'll be happy."
True, Furina thought. In the grand scheme of things, Aether brought her gifts without any fanfare and it was just one part of what made her own birthday so special to her this year. Still, her situation was different. Aether had had birthdays in all of the other nations so far and with the relationship between them, surely there were higher expectations now.
"I'm sure he'll like it," Freminet's quiet voice cut through her thoughts. He looked up from his tools. "I'm sure your gift comes from the heart so it'll mean a lot to him."
Furina felt a sense of ease, his words sinking in. He was right, she hadn't just chosen something at random. She'd wandered Fontaine, trying to come up with the perfect gift when it suddenly hit her outside of the Opera Epiclese. She'd stood in line for ages and insisted she didn't get any special treatment.
She didn't care how much of a hassle it was, she wanted to share what she enjoyed with him and spending time with him would never be a waste of time in her eyes.
If that wasn't a gift from the heart, she didn't know what was.
Though that raised the question of how Freminet knew how special she thought she had to make her gift, not to mention, there was what Navia had said earlier. She'd been extremely careful with how she was acting, or so she told herself.
In an effort to stop her face heating up again, she turned to Freminet only to find he had hidden his face with his diving helmet.
With his time as Chiori's living mannequin at an end, Chevreuse came to collect Aether and Chiori to bring them to the party. It was hardly a secret to Aether. Paimon kept disappearing and he hadn't seen Furina much in recent days so he knew they were planning something.
"You'll have to consider hiring him, Chiori," Chevreuse commented as they approached Hotel Debord. "I haven't had a single report of someone being thrown out of your boutique since he was there."
"Is it really that regular an occurence?" Aether asked "I didn't really see anything that would warrant that kind of reaction."
"It happens often enough and let's not pretend like I never have reason to." Chiori waved off the concern. "Still, I appreciated the assistance so I'll call on you again some time. For now, however, you have a birthday to get to and I don't doubt that someone would have my head if you were late."
"Oh, it can't be that bad-"
"My 'orders' of 'Do not tarry, Chevreuse! He must be brought here posthaste!' beg to differ."
Point taken, he supposed.
As they reached the front doors of Hotel Debord, Chiori and Chevreuse stepped aside to let Aether do the honours. It might not have been much of a secret since Mondstadt and he had a feeling of what to expect as soon as he opened them but he would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to it this year.
As soon as he opened the doors, there was the flash of a Kamera, followed by a loud pop which had confetti showering down around him.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
Aether couldn't help but smile at the sight of everyone gathered. It said so much to him that even with the busiest and highest ranking roles his friends held in Fontaine, they all made the effort to celebrate his birthday.
"Hehe, Paimon feels like it was a given that it'd be at Hotel Debord this time." Paimon zipped over and took his hands, shaking them firmly. "Were you surprised this year?"
"Just that you somehow do this every year without letting anything slip," Aether smiled and faced the group. "I know you've all had to take time out for this, so I really can't thank you enough."
"Hey, we all wanted to be here," Furina approached, taking his hands once Paimon let go. She looked like she was fighting the urge to throw her arms around him. "Don't think of this as an inconvenience at all."
"We've been in talks about this one for a while," Navia winked. "Just look at the crowd you've managed to bring together. Who else can say they've had this kind of a guest list for a party in Fontaine?"
"Indeed, my friend," Lyney commented as both he and Lynette made a show of placing their hats back on, which caused the shower of confetti to suddenly come to a stop. Freminet stood by them, giving him a friendly nod. "Lady Furina, our Chief Justice, the Spina di Rosula's president and even the Duke of the Fortress of Meropide. It goes to show how much you've done for all of us."
Wriothesley chuckled. "Believe me, a bunch of the guys back in the Fortress would have wanted nothing more than to be up here for this. I can trust 'em to behave while I'm part of the festivities as long as I pass along their well wishes, of course."
"So it appears even your imprisonment was a net positive experience," Clorinde commented.
"Oh, no doubt about it. They've been on their best behaviour since they found out." Sigewinne chimed in.
"For what you have done for Fontaine, I can make an allowance for myself to make an appearance," Neuvillette added with a warm smile. "I trust you have found the day's weather most pleasant thus far."
Charlotte marched over to Aether, Kamera at the ready. "Come on, come on, we can discuss the weather after the group pictures. Just lemme know which ones I can use for The Steambird tomorrow."
"Alright, let's get these done first then," Aether laughed. Furina grinned and took his hand, pulling him over to the group where they stood in the middle.
"Happy birthday," Furina said to him simply.
Several photos and the Fontaine wildlife inspired set of cakes made for him later, Aether was told to stay seated while the others brought their gifts.
Neuvillette offered a selection of various regions' water, assuming that his travels would allow him to appreciate their finer aspects.
Freminet brought him a mechanical armoured crab, saying it was a loyal friend of Prince Thelxie once he returned with his crown and that he hoped that it would remind them of the story they wrote together. Charlotte had given him the first copy of The Steambird she could grab as soon as it began printing, emphasising that she fought tooth and nail to get everything she wanted to write included on the page.
Chevreuse and Chiori had collaborated on a more portable musket and holster, with Chiori providing the measurements that she had taken during Aether's temporary job. He looked forward to see what Chevreuse had in mind for him at the shooting range in future.
Sigewinne and Wriothesley had originally joked that their gift was that they had kept his room in the Fortress of Meropide just the way he had left it in case he decided to return or until he was sent back, whichever came first. With their joke made, Sigewinne gave him a skincare kit she had put together herself suited for all the travelling he would be doing and Wriothesley had handed him a Welfare Meal that he was certain would surprise him.
Clorinde handed him a handmade short-sword necklace that she explained was a Marechaussee Hunter's tradition and even though he may not have been a hunter himself, she believed he still carried their values.
Navia stepped forward holding a small case in her hands.
"Since you're headed to Natlan next, I got the one thing I felt you were lacking for the trip," she started and she handed it over to him and opened it. "Ta-da! Your own Spina di Rosula certified sunglasses! Whether they're just keeping the sun out of your eyes or you want to travel in style, we've got you covered."
Aether inspected them, a grateful smile on his face. "I feel like these are going to see a lot of use. Thank you so much, all of you."
"You're too kind," Lynette said, pulling him from his seat. "Now, you're needed on stage for our show."
"Much appreciated, Lynette" Lyney began. "The celebrations continue with our exclusive magic show for this momentous occasion."
"Go Aether, you've got this!" Paimon cheered.
Aether leaned over to Lyney. "Can I request a trick to turn someone into emergency food?"
"Or, might I suggest, a balloon?" Lyney laughed. "We shall see, but my volunteer as of now is your good self, my friend."
Following the show and the twins teaching Aether and Paimon some sleight of hand tricks that they were certain would come in handy some day, Furina looked on nervously, her hands behind her back.
She fidgeted, clutching the small envelope in her hands. Since the day before, she was feeling more confident about her choice. Everyone else had given him something that would help him on his journey or a keepsake to remind him if the bonds he had made with them. But now, seeing the variety and effort the others had put into theirs, she couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Now that she was the only one left, she felt the pressure to end the gift giving on a high note, yet now she was unsure she could live up to the expectations set by the others.
Unable to delay any longer, Furina took a deep breath and stepped forward, her face flushed with a mix of nervousness and determination.
"Aether," she began, trying to keep her voice steady but unable to mask the slight tremble. "Here's... here's my gift to you."
She swallowed hard and handed over the envelope. Inside was a pair of tickets. "They're... for an opera. It's... well, it's something I thought we could do together." Her eyes darted nervously and before she could stop herself she continued. "I-I know you might not have been to an opera here before, and I know it's more like something I would enjoy, but... I thought it might be... nice to share that experience together."
The silence that followed felt like an eternity. She clenched her hands behind her back, waiting, her nerves on edge as she wondered how he would react.
Aether stared at the tickets for a moment, then looked back at Furina with his usual kind, understanding gaze. "Thank you for this, Furina. I'd love to go with you."
Furina blinked, her heart skipping a beat as relief washed over her. "Y-You would?"
"Of course," Aether replied, his eyes meeting hers. "I've seen a performance in Liyue before and since I've been here, I've heard a lot about the opera. If it's with you, I know you'll have chosen something you'd like me to see." He smirked, a light teasing tone to his voice. "After all, I'm sure Furina de Fontaine has high standards for her operas."
Furina's heart soared and her earlier fears seemed distant.
"W-well, yes, I mean- I suppose... but, this is something for you, so my opinion shouldn't really be a factor," she said, looking at the floor with a shy but content smile.
"I'm sure we'll enjoy it together," Aether gave her an appreciative nod and took her hand. "I'm always glad to spend more time with you, Furina."