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It's safe to say that the Opera house is almost never silent. There's almost always some sort of … performance… within the walls of the magnificent building, whether that be some form of performance such as a magic show or concert or simply a trial (which the people of Fontaine also saw as entertainment).
But at this moment it is oddly quiet. It is missing the usual hushed whispering and odd exclamations of audience members who want to make their point heard by all and draw a bit of attention to themselves.
They had already done all that just a while ago and now everyone's eyes are trained towards opera box on their right awaiting the defendant to speak out.
Within the opera box there are two figures standing, or well one standing and the other floating. Most of the people of Fontaine already know who these two odd figures are, for their stories have already spread throughout Fontaine a long time ago. And of course the Fontainians are so desperate to hear entertaining stories, fact or fiction, but they hadn't expected their homeland's debut in this odd traveller's tales to be so soon.
The opera house is always seated at maximum capacity, but upon hearing that the famed traveller had already managed to end up in one of the opera boxes during the first day of his visit spurred the curious Fontainians on to sit in on this trial, and that's how the opera house ended up being completely overcrowded.
There are people sharing seats, sitting on each other's laps, leaning on the armrests of the chairs and even a row of people sitting down each one of the stairways. It most definitely is a strange sight to see the opera house so completely and utterly full.
Of course the two figure standing in the box are none other than Aether, the famed traveller from another nation who has a notorious reputation for dragging chaos along wherever he goes, and his equally as famed companion, Paimon.
~
But not to worry my dear friend, going to court in Fontaine is not necessarily seen as a bad thing (unlike some other places). Sometimes one merely wants to settle an argument/ disagreement in the most logical and correct fashion. Other times people visit the court to get and outsiders and professional opinion on their messy scandal. And then, of course, sometimes it is bad.
But not today! Aether ended up in the defendant's opera box merely because he stood up for a friend who was falsely accused mere hours ago, and all he wanted to do was clear the air and help his new friend.
And now that we have settled the matter of our esteemed traveller's morals, we continue…
~
Aether only has basic knowledge of how court trials in Fontaine normally proceeded, he had previously heard stories about them. And after his friend had placed trust in him to offer his help, he had very passionately agreed to help his friend and represent them in trial.
He diligently inspected the crime scene, investigated the witnesses, played the scene through a dozen times in his own mind and of course discussed the matter with Paimon to try and gain some clarity.
But he was not prepared for the sheer intensity, depth, and utterly dull experience that is a Fontainian trial.
After doing his best to keep up with, and contribute to the trial Aether could only think of how bored and tired he was, and so that's how we ended up in our current situation of the eager and excited crowd gazing up in anticipation at a tired Aether.
Aether was completely lost in thought, his mind wandering to lands far away as his gaze remained fixed on the handsome face of the man in the judge's seat.
In fact his mind is had gone to a land so far away that the voice of the beyond attractive judge, Monsieur Neuvillette, never reached his ears.
And the more Neuvillette tried to get his attention the quieter the audience got and the more intense Aether's gaze grew. He merely gazed on, eyes trained on the handsome face, lustrous, moonlight-coloured hair and captivating eyes staring back at him.
It wasn't until he felt a strong and sharp jab in his ribs that Aether's mind started to return to him once more, abandoning the developing thoughts just as is. It was Paimon, naturally, she had furiously kicked Aether in the ribs to awake him from his trancelike state.
Her voice at last managed to reach him, "Aetherrrr!! Wake. Up. What's wrong with you!?"
Aether withdrew his eyes from the charming sight he had been fixated on and looked at Paimon in utter confusion. He then heard a mumbling frenzy breakout in the audience below him and as he looked at them saw that all eyes were turned towards him.
He truly had no idea that Monsieur Neuvillette had asked him the same question thrice and even gave him time to think about his answer. In all honesty he didn't even remember when his mind had started wandering and where he had mentally left the trial.
As he carefully turned his eyes back towards the charming judge with the captivating eyes, he saw a bizarre glimmer within them.
He felt his cheeks flush a soft pink as he cleared his throat, "Ah… my apologies. What… was the question?", his soft voice bashfully echoed through the opera house.
At this the whole audience groaned and Paimon's furious voice exclaimed, "Seriously!? What is wrong with you, he really can't repeat the question AGAIN! Ugh." Aether didn't know how to respond, and truth be told, he felt a bit embarrassed because he truly had no idea how much time had passed.
Aether nervously glanced between Paimon and Neuvillette as he tried thinking of any way to respond to this unknown question.
Just as he opened his mouth to mumble out an apology and give a very vague statement hoping it would answer the question, Neuvillette beat him to it. "It seems as though the defendant is unwell and unable to proceed the trial for now…", his powerful voice boomed though the opera hall.
"…Given the circumstances of our foreign defendant I deem them unaccustomed to Fontaine's rigorous trials", his mythical eyes met Aether's for a brief moment before returning to the general audience, "Therefore, I deem the defendant in need of a recess. We will resume tomorrow giving the defendant enough time to rest and recover from their travels and adequately prepare themselves for the trial. Trial adjourned."
Aether breathed a sigh of relief as he saw his freedom open up before him but just as quick that same breath was snatched from his lungs when he saw Neuvillette hold out his hand towards him in a 'wait' gesture as his serious eyes bore into Aether tired ones.
He almost immediately felt the nerves in his body start to spike up. What could this ridiculously attractive judge possibly want with him?
Would he reprimand him for not paying attention and disrespecting the Fontanian court rules? Would he help him? What on earth would he want to discuss at this time?
Paimon also saw the gesture and blabbed on about her conspiracies as to what the meaning behind his action could be. As she continued explaining her odd theories to Aether he leaned his arms on the railing of the balcony connecting the opera box to the wall while he languidly watched the audience leave.
He watched the flow of their joint movement as they all made their way to the back of the opera hall, it was a very colourful spectacle to behold with all the different coloured garments of the audience members.
As they left a few people threw him glances of utter distastefulness and others of sympathy. Some gave him nothing but blank expressions, making him feel like a project being analysed, although most simply chatted amongst themselves paying him no mind.
He then saw a few remaining seated here and there, probably waiting for the crowd to disperse before they leave he guessed.
Aether was still unsure as to how to feel about the Fontainians way of holding trial. He didn't know how to feel about completely removing the seriousness of the situation in exchange for more audience members and more entertainment, even at the expense of the parties involved. He felt that their methods were all too dramatized and exuberant for his own liking.
But naturally, being a seasoned adventurer, he was able to adapt and participate in their odd trial to the best of his abilities, although it would seem that his best might not have been enough in this situation.
And after all he could understand the people's enthusiasm and interest, the trials were most unusual indeed and allowed the people to test their reasoning and problem solving skills as well.
It was only as he watched the last striking azure gown and golden-yellow suit disappear through the doors to the opera house that Aether had become aware of two things.
The first was Paimon's voice that had disappeared, she was no longer mumbling on about Neuvillette's intentions and how embarrassed Aether had made her today.
And the second prominent thing that stood out, was the cool energy that abruptly surrounded him.
He had previously thought that the opera box was quite hot, and the stress spike he felt did nothing but to help his body in cooling itself down. It was uncomfortable and made him feel even worse about the whole situation.
But now he felt a cool energy embracing him.
It felt calm and kind as it creeped up his back and spread towards his arms and legs. He wished it could always surround him and comfort him at all times of the day.
It was odd how content this strange coolness was able to make him feel. He closed his eyes and stood upright again, resting his hands on the railing he had previously been leaning on.
The energy wasn't freezing or uncomfortable, just cool and calm. It aided him greatly in calming his mind and gaining clarity.
After taking a few deep breaths to try and inhale the calmness surrounding him, he spun on his heel prepared to search for Paimon and wait for Neuvillette in the foyer of the Opera Epiclese.
Unexpectedly however, as he spun around he was met with Neuvillette's charming appearance standing right behind him and his captivating eyes staring right at him.
In less than a second Aether's mind had connected the dots. It was him who gave off the cool energy, he had been here, standing behind Aether and observing him for who knows how long.
Aether had gotten such a big fright from this unexpected encounter for which he was wholly unprepared that he stumbled back a bit and nearly toppled over the edge of the balcony.
Thankfully Neuvillette's senses were sharper than most and he stretched out his arm wrapping his big, strong hand around Aether's body to support his back, slightly tugging him towards his own body.
Aether's cheeks were now a proper shade of red as he studied the enchanting man before him. He truly was an ethereal being, there's no other excuse for his devilish yet angelic beauty. He allowed his eyes to wander over Neuvillette's face and body, soaking up every detail of his being. His intense eyes, soft face, flowing hair and much more.
Aether had no way of knowing what Neuvillette thought of him, or how he felt about this situation but he could've sworn he saw Neuvillette's eyes scan over his features as well.
Neither of them made an attempt to increase the distance between their bodies, on the contrary it felt as though they were being pulled closer together by some unexplainable invisible force.
Closer,
and closer.
Their breaths started mingling and the tension between them rising.
It felt like they were fated to come across one another, there most definitely was an external force shoving them towards one another and causing their lives to become intertwined on purpose.
Aether could feel his body being pressed against the taller man's firm and cool body and he knew that this would not be the last time.
"ah..", Neuvillette let a soft sigh escape his lips, "mon chéri, I will have to ask you to join me in my office… to discuss the trial of course…", his gruff voice whispered into Aether's ears.
'Definitely not the last time', he thought again.
