Chapter Text
That morning, once finding out Furina and Neuvillette had left caused a generally mellow Zhongli to start taking care of parlor business as Hu Tao seemed to have collapsed in on herself. The normally cheerful director shut herself away, seldom coming out to talk with clients leaving Zhongli to do the heavy lifting. Zhongli told himself that as soon as he had the chance he would pull his boss aside and chat with her. He was sure they could figure something out. Neither he nor Neuvillette knew what happened between Furina and Hu Tao that night and neither had yet dared to ask. Sure they knew the two had fallen asleep in the same bed but they had no clue of the events that had happened before or followed their abrupt leave. To say that he was worried was a heavy understatement. Closing down the parlor for the day, his shoes leaving soft clacks on the hardwood, Zhongli made his way to Hu Tao’s room.
Zhongli’s hands, roughened and calloused by time, rapped softly on Hu Tao’s door.
“Miss Tao,” He paused, “I’d like a word please.”
Hu Tao gently let the door creak open staring up at the wise face in front of her, “Yes?”
“I’d like to talk about what happened with you and Miss Furina.”
He saw Hu Tao’s masked cheerful face shift into a mixed expression of anger and hurt.
“It was nothing Zhongli, It’s none of your concern.”
“It is of my concern if you are unable to perform your daily tasks due to the change.”
“Last I recalled I’m your boss.”
“Last I recalled I care for you like you are my daughter.”
“I never asked you to, you aren’t and never will be my father,” With that she slammed the door. That was the moment Zhongli decided he needed to get into contact with Neuvillette as soon as possible and either get them to Fontaine or Neuvi and Furina back to Liyue. He knew Hu Tao would not be up for it at this moment so he needed to get some outside help. Regrettably an old friend was in town.
Zhongli, with a heavy hand, pushed open the door to the tavern with a huff. He was immediately able to locate the teal braids from across the bar, Venti was nursing a bright red wine. Zhongli walked up to Venti and grabbed the wine from the table where the drunk bard had placed it.
“Heeyyyyy,” Venti slurred, “Thass mine.” Venti pouted up at Zhongli.
“I need your help,” Zhongli’s neat and calm demeanor almost broke at the tone he used.
“Ahhh, the great and mighty Mr. Zhongli asking me for help?” Venti smirked.
“Yes, now come here you drunkard.”
Zhongli nearly dragged Venti out of the bar and without wine to the bard’s dismay.
“Whaat,” Venti mused, “Could possibly be more important than my nightly bar crawl?”
“Hu Tao has practically broken down and my insufferable partner has taken his unofficial daughter back home due to a misunderstanding between her and Hu.”
“Ohhh so you want me to fix emotional damage huh? That’ll cost ya’ Zhongli.”
“Yes I am very aware.”
“Isn’t this more of a Nahida issue?”
“Why would it be a Nahida issue?”
“She rules over dreams and she has like all the knowledge in the world ever.”
“I suppose I must make a trip to Sumeru then.”
“Yeah yeah, you owe me a wine Zhongli,”
Zhongli tossed a single mora to Venti, he didn’t have any more than that and he set off. When he got back to the funeral parlor he filled out an official notice of use of his vacation days and slipped it under Hu Tao’s door. It was now something she would have to worry about as he left for the chasm’s path through to Sumeru.
The journey was absolutely awful and it alone took up two of his week of vacation days. He fell a few times on the way and cursed his old bones but he had made it up the path and into the Sanctuary of Surasthana. Their monthly archon meetings had shed light on how the traveler had saved each region and the hope that he brought to their nations. Nahida’s story was one Zhongli felt strongly about. She was young, only five hundred years of age but she held a wisdom in her eyes that Zhongli almost feared as he explained the situation to his young friend.
“Ah, I see, I have some insights as well as some people that will be of great help to you, If you’d kindly wait here i will return with the correct help momentarily,” she flashed him a smile as her feet patered against the cold stone off to go find these apparently helpful people. After about twenty minutes she came back with two men, both tall, one blond with well kept hair and even better makeup the other’s hair brushed back with one stubborn gray strand sticking straight up. The blonde looked apprehensive whereas the man with the unruly gray hair seemed calm and calculating.
“Zhongli these are two of my most favorite citizens, the Acting Grand Sage and a player in the role of saving me from imprisonment, Alhaitham,” She motions to the grey-haired man, “And out very own Light of Ksharewar, designer of the Palace of Alcazarzaray, Kaveh,” She finished their introductions by motioning to the blonde.
“A pleasure to meet you Mr. Zhongli,” Kaveh walked over to shake hands and Zhongli obliged.
“Nice to meet you,” Alhaitham was curt and used as little words as he could, “Ms. Nahida-”
The little archon interrupted, “Just Nahida is fine Alhaitham.”
“Nahida, why did you call us here?” The man in green continued to say.
“Ah my friend here has a ‘daughter’ who is having similar relationship issues as the ones you two had,” Nahida’s tone was playful, a reminder that at heart she was still a child.
Zhongli watched in amusement as Kaveh’s face changed to a bright shade of red and he almost spit some words out but under the Archon’s gaze he was unable to.
“All I ask is that you answer any questions our guest may have about ways to help his ‘daughter’.”
Alhaitham nodded curtly and Kaveh looked a slight bit exasperated. Nahida sat on her dendro swing leaving a couch to Kaveh and Alhaitham who gladly took the chance to rest their feet.
“Mr. Zhongli what is the main issue as far as you can tell?” Nahida’s voice echoed throughout the large domed chamber.
“Hu Tao, My ‘daughter’ as Nahida called her, had been pining for Lady Furina, the past Hydro Archon and actress as well as famous director. I found that Furina had been feeling unwell and Hu Tao wanted to look after her. However a night with each other in the same bed served to have pushed them apart. Hu Tao left not wanting to make Lady Furina uncomfortable and Furina took that as a sign that Hu Tao did not reciprocate,” His long winded explanation left a surprised expression on the blonde and Alhaitham deep in thought.
“I can see why Miss Furina left, I would feel that way too if she wasn’t around when I woke up,” Zhongli was surprised when he heard Kaveh’s voice first.
“However, Hu Tao seemed to have made the decision she thought would lead to the least consequences,” Alhaitham chided.
“You should see this from both sides, Alhaitham,” Kaveh fired back.
“Everything has to be an argument with you, senior,”
“You love it, Junior,”
Nahida cleared her throat to get things back on track.
“They need to be in the same place to talk things over,” Kaveh offered.
“As long as both parties have thought over what needs to be said,” Alhaitham added.
Zhongli nodded along taking mental notes on everything the two said, about needing a way to get all the feelings out, about needing to communicate why actions were taken, and most importantly thinking before things that might be regretted were ever dared uttered.
Armed with this new knowledge, wisdom dare he call it, Zhongli made the trek back to the funeral parlor thinking about how he would word his letter to Neuvillette.
Once again it took the man two days to make it back, finding Hu Tao in the process of breaking apart and a stressed intern.
“Miss Hu, A word.” Zhongli was stern, no room for argument.
Hu Tao followed him down the hall to her office.
“What is it you need?”
“We are going to have a trip to Fontaine,” Zhongli began, only to be interrupted.
“I bet she doesn’t even want to see me Zhongli, why go,”
“So you can talk with each other and mend this issue so at least you are not wallowing in the leftover sadness of the once god of Hydro, she will not make a ghost of you under my watch Hu Tao.”
Hu Tao’s eyes went wide at the fear and care in Zhongli’s tone. He was second guessing his wording, he knew Hu Tao would not appreciate his insinuation that Furina was a bad influence but it was the only way he could think to get the funeral director to listen. He thought it funny, this girl before him surrounded by death and the pain of others, always so needlessly joyful only able to be broken by the loss of something she never had.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Neuvillette had no clue what to do. Clorinde had come to him the day after he dropped Furina back off at her home to report that she had not slept, eaten, or even talked to Clorinde. He was beginning to wonder if leaving Liyue so soon was a good idea. Furina was miserable, even more than she was when she was playing as the archon. Neuvillette had one idea of why.
Furina was finally herself, finally her own human and able to be herself but here she was, being rejected for that humanity. It ate at Furina’s insides, he knew.
That's how they ended up in this situation: Furina curled up on the floor with Sigewinne and Navia while Neuvillette wrote letters to Zhongli about how they were going to go about handling the issue that they found themselves in. Furina was crying, he knew based on the hushed whispers of an increasingly worried Sigewinne: He’d have to apologize to Wriothesley later for any emotional turmoil Sigewinne brought back to the fortress of Meropide. Navia was sitting up and being a support for Furina, handing her sweets when she asked and ready with a bowl of Furina’s favorite Mac and Cheese at all times.
Neuvillette couldn’t have asked for better people to care for Furina but he knew that in Furina’s head all she could think about was this care coming from the one she truly loved. It pained him to see her like this. After finding out about the pain that Focalors had put the young actress through, he had taken it upon himself to do all he could to make what remained of Furina’s life as pain free as he could.
Here he was, basically a failure. He cursed himself for not seeing it sooner, for not noticing that Furina was having nightmares, for not warning Hu Tao of how clingy his Oceanid daughter got when she had these nightmares. He cursed himself for not fully understanding how strongly Furina had latched on to her muse. For not understanding how she longed for someone other than him to understand. He hated to see this ghost of her left behind in the wake of her own twisting angry thoughts, because that is where Furina was trapped. A thicket of her own imagination, keeping her from moving forward. Furina was trapped by the thorns she blanketed herself with and unfortunately for Neuvillette, the only thing that had the power of breaking his daughter out of her trance was the passion of pyro.