Phew, I'm glad to be getting back to this story.

The twin's house

Later that evening, Aether and Lumine are back home after visiting the House of the Hearth. The two of them are in the kitchen, making dinner together. Lumine wastes no time.

"Sooooo," Lumine started, "What did you think about Arlecchino?"

"What a strange thing to ask about..." Lumine could have asked about the kids, the work he'll be doing on the orphanage, or just about anything else. Instead, she wants to know his opinion on the matron of the home.

Putting her hands on her hips, Lumine scoffed, "It's not wrong for your sister to wonder about such things, especially if there might be something going on between the two of you!" Lumine moved her eyebrows up and down at the end of her statement.

"...what?" Aether stared at his sister. He just met Arlecchino, and already his sister's playing matchmaker. Lumine shrugged, erroneously believing that two people meeting each other for the first time would immediately be in love with each other. "What are you, some kind of shipper?"

*Mmhm!* Lumine flashed him a thumbs-up. When Aether rolled his eyes, Lumine complained, "Oh come on, there must be something you want to say about her!" Trying to focus back at the dinner-making at hand, Aether mumbled something in reply. Lumine exclaimed, "So there is something!"

"It's not what you think." Lumine's attention was focused fully on her brother, so he continued and sighed as his words got deep. "I was just wondering... why is Arlecchino dressed so fancy?" His sister had a surprised look on her face at that question. "The kids at the House are almost in rags, while she's so glamorous? I dunno, it just seems like she might be keeping all the funds for herself..."

Lumine then yelled, "Hey! Arlecchino's not like that! She really cares about those kids!"

"Yeesh, take it easy."

"Anyway," Lumine continued, "Arlecchino doesn't have much for herself, from what I've seen. Just the same outfit."

Aether frowned, "Wait, does she wear the same thing every day?"

"Nope! She has several of the same outfit, they each just have minor differences." Lumine then thought out loud, "She must know that seamstress from Fontaine."

"How convenient..."

"Still," Lumine giggled, "'Glamorous?'" Aether's mouth fell open, perhaps revealing more than even he wanted to admit.

He was a bit embarrassed, so Aether grumbled and pointed at the food Lumine was supposed to be fixing, "Get back to work." Lumine did, but was happily humming to herself. Her brother shook his head, her ideas are ridiculous to him, right?

The House of the Hearth

The next day, Aether and Lumine are back at the orphanage.

"Oh, you're back." The twins see Arlecchino standing at the entrance of the house, leaning up against one of the fragile walls.

"Tadaa!" Lumine glowed, sparkles floating around her. Both Arlecchino and Aether rolled their eyes, almost in sync.

Aether then questioned Arlecchino, "You're surprised?"

"Well, yes."

Aether chuckled, "Sorry, I guess I couldn't turn down some needy kids."

"No need to apologize." Arlecchino smiled just a tiny bit, then gestured for the two of them to follow her inside.

As they walked through the halls of the orphanage, Arlecchino explained a bit of the history of this place. She said this mostly to Aether, since Lumine already knew all of these things, constantly hanging around here. Kids were running around as well, stopping to either wave to Lumine, or see the new man, Aether. Most of the kids were pretty curious about him. And Aether was pretty impressed that despite the poor state of the orphanage, the kids seemed pretty happy. Arlecchino must be running a good home.

When the group reached the main room, Arlecchino called out to all of the children to gather. She then introduced Aether. "Children, you already know Lumine." She got a few boos, which made her huff at them, as Aether chuckled. He likes these kids even more. Arlecchino continued, "And this is her brother, Mister Aether." He waved hello to the kids, as they "ooh'd" at the sight of him. She then ordered them, "Mister Aether will be here to work on the House, so please do not interrupt him or get in his way."

There was a orderly reply, "Okay, Father!" Arlecchino then dismissed the children, letting them get back to whatever they were doing earlier. Although a few ran off while taking a final look at the new blondie.

Aether whistled, impressed by the way she has everything so orderly. "You've done some great work here, the children here are so well-behaved, Arlecchino!

When she heard him say her name, Arlecchino chuckled rather darkly, "Arlecchino? Sorry, that's not my real name." And with that, she turned then away. She had a smirk on her face, as Aether watched her strut away. A grin then formed on his face before he followed after her.

"Huh, is that so..."

Lumine, watching the two of them interacting with each other: "OMG!" *Squeal!*

- Later -

Aether and Arlecchino are walking through the House, and he's jotting some notes down on a notepad that he's carrying. As they walk around, Arlecchino expresses a few things that she'd like fixed first. He's got some ideas as well, but will respect her wishes as well.

Things are going well, for now.

Before long, they see Lumine playing with some of the kids. Aether pauses, and chuckles. "Lumine's taken a real shine to this place, huh?"

Arlecchino nodded. "While I'm not a fan of her butting in and wanting to help out, I must admit that she is very helpful." Arlecchino then went onto describe some of the ways Lumine has been a positive for the orphanage.

Lumine is the big sister of the home. She helps cook and clean the place, and is proficient at minor first aid and sewing. Being able to patch up the kids and their worn clothes, is an important skill. She also reads to and plays with the kids, being like a big kid herself. Her personality is something the kids find comforting and safe. In her own way, Lumine is a Jill-of-all-trades, doing many things that Arlecchino would be hard pressed to be without. And as Aether listens to Arlecchino talk so positively about Lumine, a smile grows on his face, proud of his sister.

"Ah, hello, Father." The duo soon ran into a certain trio of children. The two boys and one girl did a courteous bow to Arlecchino.

"Children, say hello to Aether as well."

Lyney was turned away from Aether, mumbling, "Hello." A question mark popped over Aether's head, confused by Lyney's reaction. Arlecchino closed her eyes, not saying anything.

Lynette was friendlier, greeting, "Meowdy-do."

Freminet nervously said, "H-hello..."

"Huh." Aether blinked, looking the kids up and down.

"Is something wrong?" Arlecchino had an eyebrow raised, curious by Aether's reaction.

"Uh, n-no."

Arlecchino glanced at Aether with a suspicious look on her face, but he was saved by Lumine suddenly clapping her hands, getting everyone's attention, and possibly bailing her brother out. "Okay, kids! Should we get started on lunch?" The trio shrugged, but agreed. It takes a while to cook for so many children at once. She then leads these heads of the children away. Lyney is the leader of the trio, often being the spokesman for the group, while his sister and adopted younger brother will almost always follow whatever Lyney says.

Now alone, if Aether thought Arlecchino was going to let his reaction from a moment ago pass, he was wrong. "What was that earlier?"

"Well," Aether started, "I was just thinking about what you said before, about breaking away from Fontaine. These kids are all of the orphans from the city?"

Arlecchino nodded, "Yes."

Still, there seems to be something off about all of this. "Did everything go okay?"

"Yes."

"All right."

Aether's not getting much information from Arlecchino. She's keeping things close to the vest, or coat, as it were. But to break the uncomfortable ice, she lightened the mood with some humor.

"I guess you could say that I got the kids in the divorce."

It worked, as Aether laughed. His laugh immediately trailed off as he thought about something. "Wait, you were married?"

Arlecchino stared at him for a good while, confused. "What is he talking abo-." It took her a moment, but then it dawned on her. "Oh." Still, a moment like this shouldn't be wasted. "Hmmm..." A devious smirk then grew over her face. She could correct his question, and answer him properly, but why not have a little fun with him? The red 'X' pupils of her eyes seemed to glow brightly as she replied to him, "Why so curious about my relationship status?"

He was not expecting that. Gaping and caught off guard, he had no reply for her. Feeling victorious, Arlecchino left him alone to get started on his remodeling, but not without confidently strutting away, making the blonde-haired man flustered. After Aether recovered, he had a grin on his face. And both of them then had the same thought:

"This is going to be interesting."

There we go!

Cappuccino teases Aether a little bit, as they get to know each other a bit more.

I'll be back to this in the future, lol.