Chapter Text
“So this is how justice is done in Fontaine.”
Childe’s voice echoes through the courtroom.
“What a joke.”
He glares daggers at the archon.
Lumine mentally facepalms.
She knows Childe. She’s known him for much too long to know exactly what he’s going to do. She eyes him, trying to flash any sort of signal to stop moving, stop talking, stop breathing dammit but he’s not paying attention.
He’s not fucking paying attention.
He has the glint in his eyes.
Lumine curses under her breath, shaking her head ever so slightly as she plops herself down on a nearby chair.
He’s gonna fight his way out. He’s already preparing his delusion.
And now she has front row seats to a drama that’s unfolding right before her eyes.
Neuvillette’s eyes narrow. He rises from his seat. The hydro archon gazes idly from above, with nothing but a curious sparkle in her eyes.
“You’ve got your rules…” Childe growls, electricity starting to crackle around him as his fatui mask materializes on his face, “well, I’ve got mine too..!”
He summons his electro blades, charging for the attacking guards as purple electricity sparks explode around him with every step he takes.
He leaps into the air, aiming both electro blades, fully extended, at the nearest Meka and Lumine swears she can see a feral smile on Childe’s face.
The poor machine doesn’t stand a chance.
It crumbles into pieces in mere seconds and electricity sparks begin to fizzle around it, causing small-scale overloaded reactions when it reacts with the pyro-wielding guard in front of it.
The room fills with the sound of mechanical whirring and the horrified screams of audience members, either scrambling to the exits or cowering on the floors in fear.
Lumine leans into the back of the seat, crossing her legs nonchalantly. She brushes a lock of blonde hair behind her ear and adjusts the flower in her hair.
Paimon pokes at her arm from behind the seat. “Uhh, Lumine? Shouldn’t we be doing something about that?”
Lumine blinks her eyes innocently. “About what?”
“That,” she gulps, pointing to the killing machine dressed in fatui harbinger. “Paimon’s not very good at reading people…but Monsieur Neuvillette doesn’t look too happy right now.”
Lumine looks up. Neuvillette is standing by the railing now, looking at the sight below with furrowed eyebrows, a complicated expression painted on his face. Furina is watching in awe, a spark lighting up in her eyes as she gazes below with an expression not too different from a child opening a Christmas gift.
Childe rips his blade through the next one, the glint not once leaving his eyes as he tears through machine after machine. The guards shatter one after one, filling the courtroom stage with countless broken gears and bolts that only add to the cacophony of disaster.
Lumine would be lying if she said it wasn’t impressive.
Childe is strong, there’s no doubt about that. The fact that he could, single handedly, break through the entire first wave of Meka of nearly 10 units in seconds makes Lumine all the more interested in the ginger.
Childe is strong with martial arts. Even stronger with his delusion.
But utterly deadly with his transformation.
And when Lumine sees Childe’s mischievous grin, she knows exactly what his next course of action is.
It’s a terrible decision.
First off, it’s the courtroom of Fontaine. The fucking courtroom.
He’s going to get himself killed. Hell, he’s going to get all of Snezhnaya in trouble. Lumine doesn’t know why he was in Fontaine, nor does she really care, but the guy was a harbinger for archon’s sake. He’s not someone who can simply stroll into another archon’s territory unnoticed. Focalors might have something to say to the Tsaritsa, especially when the guy was mere seconds away from destroying their nation’s precious courtroom.
There’s no need for me to get involved, Lumine reminds herself. It’s not her job to clean up after the guy.
Childe got himself into this mess, he can get himself out of it.
But when she sees Neuvillette disappear in a flash of blue that’s heading straight towards the distracted harbinger with an intent to kill on his face, Lumine couldn’t help the shout that escaped her lips.
She can’t lose him.
Not this soon.
“Childe!”
He whips his head around at the last second, just narrowly enough to dodge the incoming strike from the other man.
The ground explodes into pieces but Neuvillette is unbothered, his stoic expression not once wavering. He simply stands, brushing the dirt off his shoulders before turning towards the harbinger, a piercing gaze from his dark blue eyes.
He snaps his fingers.
The crowd goes silent. Dead silent.
Childe stumbles out of the way, clutching his chest with a pained expression as his foul legacy fizzles away, leaving but a few sparks of electricity around the harbinger’s mask. He takes a few steps before collapsing on his knees, gripping his chest with knuckles that were turning white. He coughs, hacks, and Lumine sees red on his palms. It’s one of the worst sounds she’s ever heard in her life.
She doesn’t recall rising from her seat but she’s there, by Childe’s side, with one arm extended protectively in front of him. She doesn’t hear Paimon’s shouts, she doesn’t even see her.
“That’s far enough, Monsieur Neuvillette,” she declares, trying to stabilize her voice.
Hundreds of eyes are staring at her. It’s eerily quiet in the courtroom.
Lumine isn’t scared. Lumine can’t be scared.
She’s defeated too many gods to be scared of a human, but there was something about the man’s presence that made her…back down. When he spoke, she listened. He carried himself with such a fine demeanor with little unlike the gods themselves. It was daunting.
“Miss Lumine,” the man starts, planting his cane firmly on the ground as he approaches her with sophisticated steps, “are you aware of your current predicament? Monsieur Childe, whom you’re standing before right now was found guilty by the Oratrice Mecanique d’Analyse Cardinale.”
Lumine has no idea how the people of Fontaine remember such a ridiculous term.
How did they even come up with something like that?
“Should you choose not to allow our personnel to move forward, you shall too, in accordance with our nation’s laws, be put on trial and receive an appropriate sentence. Knowing this, do you wish to continue shielding the guilty?”
The Chief Justice is meters in front of her now and Lumine is doing all in her power not to tremble.
Don’t falter.
Hold your ground.
But when Neuvillette takes another step and is seconds closer to closing the distance between them, Lumine summons her sword.
The Oratrice spins and hums.
It was a terrible decision, really, but she was desperate and desperation causes you to do desperate things.
To hell with staying innocent.
“Don’t come any closer,” she hisses.
A piece of Meka gear drops from the defeated guard and clatters against the ground. The sound reverberates through the room, producing an ear-piercing sound as it rings in Lumine’s ears.
Neuvillette only stares at her with that damned neutral expression. Lumine can’t read him at all. Is it going to fight her? Throw her in jail? Both?
“You are in no position to be dictating orders.”
He takes another step.
Childe groans from behind her and Lumine’s grip tightens around her sword. She could feel the sweat already. Why is she so nervous? She casts a glance at the harbinger. His eyelids flutter. His pupils are unfocused and glazed over.
There is absolutely no way she is going to let Fontaine take Childe away. Not when their entire justice system is a complete joke. The archon thinks it’s all a game to be toying with peoples’ lives like this. She watches people lose their only wills in life with a smile and a bubbly giggle.
Childe is no saint, but he most definitely isn’t a devil.
And Lumine is not letting Childe die because a fucking machine said so.
When Neuvillette is within arm’s reach of her, Lumine has had enough.
She materializes geo with her palms and smashes it to the ground. Two giant geo constructs arise instantly, appearing out of thin air. Golden light explodes from above it and Lumine takes this time to haul Childe up on his feet, supporting the majority of his weight on her shoulders. He wobbles, slightly, but fortunately luck is on Lumine’s side today and the man isn’t so injured that she would have to carry him out of here.
Though…his face is a little paler than Lumine had remembered it was.
The action receives several startled gasps from across the theater. Even Neuvillette’s eyebrows twitch the slightest bit. The archon strains her head to see, nearly toppling over the edge. She still has that smile plastered all over her face. Lumine is utterly baffled as to how the people of Fontaine were okay with their archon treating a trial as an opera, but really, why should it be any of her business?
I can’t save every nation, alright? I’ve got my own stuff to worry about too.
Lumine lets out a sigh before making a beeline for the teleport waypoint with Childe stumbling clumsily beside her. She winces as Childe coughs painfully. His breathing had quickened in pace. It sounds like wheezing now.
Is his foul legacy really that taxing on his body?
Lumine doesn’t even have a chance to think about her desired teleport location before Neuvillette shouts something and the Meka began to charge towards them.
An entire army of them.
Lumine panics and shuts her eyes, thinking of any place except for here.
They disappear with a flash of light.