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It started as a silly little dare. Wriothesley didn't often get to spend time on the surface, so when the Iudex of Fontaine himself invited him on a picnic, well, who was he to say no?
So here he is, laying on a blanket in the warm autumn sun, laughing as Neuvillette complains about his water being too cold. Wriothesley honestly hadn't meant to chill the bottle when he passed it over, but he'll gladly take credit for his little slip-up if it gets Neuvillette to relax a little. After all, they're here to enjoy each other's company.
He's laying there, his wrist tucked under his head, staring up at Neuvillette's gorgeous face with what has to be the dopest grin ever on his face, when he gets an absolutely terrible idea. He's been listening to Neuvillette talk about that Fatuus they sent down to the Fortress– the one that went missing– and that terrible idea starts nagging at him, pushing him up onto his elbows so Neuvillette looks at him.
"Is something the matter?" Neuvillette asks.
"No, it's nothing serious. I just realized I've never seen you fight."
"Ah. I suppose you're interested in making that happen, then?"
"Well, there's probably some crabs or something around here we could dig up." Wriothesley points out. "Only if you want to, of course. I'd never drag a gentleman into a fight against his will."
"Well, I suppose the exercise would be good for us." Neuvillette smiles. "But my overcoat will need to stay here. I don't want it to be damaged."
"Weren't you just complaining about feeling cold?" Wriothesley hauls himself to his feet, hooking his thumbs in his pockets.
"A slight chill. Nothing I will permanently suffer from. It's a warm day in any case. I'll warm up soon enough"
Wriothesley frowns as Neuvillette sheds his coat, and his frown only deepens when Neuvillette gives a slight shiver. No, this won't do at all. Archons forbid that Neuvillette gets sick or something. He takes extra care when he notices Neuvillette straying closer to him than he ordinarily would– probably for the warmth. With Wriothesley's dark shirt and heavy coat, he practically absorbs sunlight.
And there's an interesting thought in its own right. Wriothesley has a perfectly good coat that he's not using right now, why doesn't he just…
"Neuvi! Hey!" Wriothesley catches Neuvillette by the shoulder. "Here, take my coat. That way, you won't be cold."
"I'm sure I'll be fine, Wriothesley. I just need a moment to warm up."
"Oh, c'mon! I'm not using it right now, and I'm not even that cold." Wriothesley sheds his coat, hooking his fingers under the collar and holding it up to Neuvillette. "C'mon, Chief Justice. Don't disappoint me."
Neuvillette hesitantly takes Wriothesley's coat, and Wriothesley gives a smug smirk. He scans the surrounding area for an easy path to the beach, and turns back to find Neuvillette wearing his coat– which was the point of handing it over, but seeing Neuvillette engulfed in his coat is kinda doing something for him. He looks so cute…
"Wriothesley? Is something wrong?" Neuvillette interrupts his thoughts, a concerned look blossoming in his face. "You're staring."
"Uh, yeah. Sorry." Wriothesley glances away quickly. "Just wanted to make sure you were warm enough. Anyway, you think there's an easy way to the beach from here?"
"Oh, yes. There should be a path this way." Neuvillette strides forward, leaving Wriothesley behind with ease. Wriothesley takes a moment to appreciate Neuvillette wearing his coat– his coat, oh Archons he looks so cute– then catches up with a light jog. He keeps up with Neuvillette pretty well, since they're pretty much the same height, but Neuvillette carries himself with this kind of elegance that makes it hard to focus on conversation. Wriothesley could honestly spend all day just looking at his face. And if nothing else, he's glad he's friends with such a smart and caring person. Maybe if more people were like Neuvillette, the world wouldn't be so messed up.
"You're staring again, Your Grace." Neuvillette teases.
"Yeah, well, makes sense." Wriothesley shrugs. "I was thinking about you."
"Oh? Please, tell me more."
"I was thinking about your ideals. Your morals, and how they govern your actions. About how you hold onto those morals, even after everything that's happened to you. Your definition of justice has never changed, even when society's has. It's kind of inspiring, actually. Not many people can stick to their guns like that."
"Your praise is flattering."
"No, no, Monsieur! Not praise. It's an objective fact." Wriothesley playfully pokes Neuvillette in the ribs– Neuvillette responds by laughing and swatting at Wriothesley's hand. "You are impressive. What's that you're always saying about taking pride in your work?"
Neuvillette huffs a laugh, drifting closer to Wriothesley. He doesn't give any more response than that, and he doesn't need to– Wriothesley knows when he's been heard. And he also knows that Neuvillette knows he isn't the type to exaggerate or embellish. At least, not when it comes to Neuvillette.
Perhaps he is a bit more prone to dramatics than he'd ever care to admit, but he'd never exaggerate about something important.
A splashing sound interrupts Wriothesley's train of thought. They've reached the beach, and there's already a couple crabs scuttling around on the sand. Neuvillette reaches out his hand, generating enough Hydro in his palm to knock back the crabs and flip them over. Wriothesley watches as he tosses the crabs around, eventually holding his cane up and blasting a stream of Hydro at the crabs until they scuttle back into the ocean. A low whistle escapes Wriothesley as Neuvillette turns to face him– he really does look good in that coat.
"Impressed?" Neuvillette asks, smirking when Wriothesley laughs.
"You look like a supervillain."
"How flattering."
"No, no, it's a good look on you." Wriothesley insists. "Very flattering, trust me. You should wear dark colors like this more often."
"Is that so? I shall have to keep that in mind the next time I need new clothes." Neuvillette laughs. "Though, now that we've started this little exercise, I must admit I'm curious to see the reverse."
"How do you mean?"
"Well, you've seen me fight in your coat. I would be rather interested in seeing you fight in mine."
"Ooooh, that's a terrible idea. While I'd be more than happy to model for you, I don't think your coat would survive my style of fighting."
Wriothesley trots back over to the blanket, scooping up Neuvillette's coat and trying to hand it back to him. Neuvillette, however, merely looks at the coat, then back at Wriothesley.
"You're kidding."
"I assure you I am not. I am very interested to see how this turns out."
Wriothesley laughs, turning the coat over in his hands. Slowly, he figures out that he can detach the capelet from the coat proper, and spends the next few minutes getting it free. He puts it on and does a little twirl for Neuvillette, which earns him a small laugh.
"If you wanna see me fight, it'll be in this and this alone. I'm not gonna be held responsible for destroying the Chief Justice's coat."
"It suits you." Neuvillette smiles, approaching and running his hand over the thin fabric of the capelet. How this thing is supposed to keep Neuvillette warm is beyond him.
"Meh, if you say so. I don't think it's really my style." Wriothesley is about to crack a joke when a snapping sound comes from the bushes.
Both of them whirl around, and Wriothesley's gauntlets are out before he processes that he's ready to spring into action. Best case scenario, it's an fox or some other small critter that got too close to their picnic blanket. Worst case scenario, it's a possible assassination attempt– improbable, but definitely possible.
A white mask with red streaks pops out of the bushes, accompanied by a menacing "Hyah!"
"Oh, it's just a hilichurl. I can handle that." Wriothesley grabs the hilichurl by the face as it rushes at him. "Yeah, no. You should have turned around and walked away."
He throws the hilichurl a good distance, stunning but unfortunately not killing it, and even worse, its friends figure out that Wriothsley is causing problems for them. So they all come charging at him. Well, then. Bring it on.
Wriothesley hasn't had himself a good fight in a while, so he probably puts a little more behind his punches than he should. He feels himself leaning into the punches, throwing with his shoulder and getting really involved in the fight. And just like that, the hilichurls are dead. Wriothesley pulls himself back upright, sighing in relief as he puts his gauntlets away. He reaches up to adjust his coat, but rather than worn cotton and fur, his hand brushes smooth silk. Right, he's still wearing Neuvillette's capelet.
"Wriothesley? Is that a tear?" Neuvillette asks, holding up the torn section. "Oh, dear."
"I tried to warn you!" Wriothesley blurts out. "I told you so!"
Neuvillette gives him an exasperated look, but doesn't argue. As he continues to inspect the damaged fabric, Wriothesley becomes aware of the fact that it's getting dark. Given that there were already four hilichurls by their chosen picnic spot, staying out after dark is a bad idea in its own right.
"Hey, I'll pay for the replacement, ok? Now, we should pack up before it gets dark."
"Hmm? Oh, the coat. No, don't worry about it. I can mend it myself." Neuvillette replies. "Though, I'm not sure I want to. I sort of like it like this. What's that thing you're so fond of saying? 'It gives it personality."
Wriothesley laughs the whole way back to the Palais Mermonia.