Chapter Text
Sandrone
Sandrone took the bouquet of roses back to the House of the Hearth. There wasn’t anything else she could do, because there was absolutely no chance she would trudge through mud and vegetation to get to her laboratory on the far side of Erinnyes (though today was sunny and Fontaine barely has forests, let alone jungles of vegetation).
Does that kid… like me? Romantically? She wondered, almost cringing at the very thought. No. There’s no way.
Suddenly, a brisk rap on the door yanked her from her thoughts. Sandrone braced herself for the interrogation Arlecchino was sure to give her.
“Explain,” The Knave demanded as she walked in, somehow sounding politely confused and coldly commanding at the same time.
“I have nothing to explain,” The Marionette told her haughtily, crossing her arms.
“Sandrone, as your friend, I believe you should be forthright with me once in a while. Clearly, you and Monsieur Theta are in a rather peculiar predicament, and I would like you to delineate it,” Arlecchino said.
“... Fine. I don’t know what’s going on either. He’s just been unbearably cheerful, overtly sweet, and now I think he likes me. Romantically,” Sandrone stated in a dry, unhappy tone.
“I suppose there is a premise for the assumption of romantic attachment. After all, he did specifically offer you Rainbow Roses… or was the selection just a product of circumstance? Regardless, if he were not trying to convey romantic feelings, he should not have given you flowers that represent passion and romantic encounters,” Arlecchino told her.
A small giggle came from The Marionette, “Y’know, it’s hilarious listening to you dissect drama so methodically, like it’s a game of politics instead of love.”
“On occasion, your actions bring to mind Lady Columbina.”
“What? That singing balloon of a friend we have? You have to be joking.”
“I meant the antagonistic personality, not the lack of gravity in her immediate surroundings.”
“Arlecchino! I hate you!”
And with that, The Knave was promptly chased out of Sandrone’s makeshift laboratory.
Theta
Rainbow Roses, you just had to give her rainbow roses. Digging your own grave, are you, Theta? He thought to himself glumly, as he sat in a little cafe. Twilight was setting in, and he still didn’t have the courage to return to their lodgings for fear of encountering Sandrone again.
Fontaine was truly glamorous at this time of day, with the lights of the city flickering to life all around him. The cafe itself was a cozy, unostentatious place, with twinkle lights and adorable floral decor. Theta had yet to stop marveling at Fontaine’s lovely architectural style, and the incredible engineering casually scattered around the city.
Cafes like this one were unobtrusive, quiet adornments in the ever bustling resplendent city, and Theta wished he could fully appreciate its beauty without thinking about Sandrone.
Just as his little cup of jasmine tea was beginning to cool, the glass door swung open and admitted Arlecchino. She gave a small, coldly polite smile to the bartender, who shivered slightly and backed up. Then she sat down opposite Theta.
The segment had always found her creepy, and in the first few days of his ‘new life’ (right after his creation, when he was disoriented) he had a theory that she was a vampire. In fact, he had only been disabused of that notion when he called her ‘Miss Vampire’ in a very memorable conversation with Tartaglia. All in all, she was scary but cool.
“You should talk to Sandrone,” Arlecchino said in a silky contralto voice.
“Uh…” he managed, forcing down the apprehension. Their last encounter had been embarrassing for him. Also, he wanted to disagree and explain, but she didn’t seem like the compassionate type.
“She’s been thinking about you as well. I simply suggest that you make your standing clear on this matter… For your own good, of course.”
How does she make even that sound like a threat, Theta pondered briefly. Out loud, he said, “Oh, um, ok.” Then, pushing his luck, “Uh… What do you think I should say to her?” Wow. A full sentence without any uhs and ums, to Miss Vampire too!
“I doubt I’m a good person to ask for relationship advice. The best counsel I can give you is that should Sandrone be antagonized, you can pacify her with candy.”
Maybe Miss Vampire isn’t so bad after all, Theta considered. “Oh, um, thanks.”
Then he blinked, and she was gone. Prime did tell me she had a habit of vanishing. Theta drank his tea in an effort to steel himself from the highly dangerous operation (with a small risk of death) he was about to undertake. Then he took a deep breath and left the cafe, on his way to talk to Sandrone.