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Around the time when they’d started to finish up with their projects, Neuvillette gets secretive. He moves away from her side and begins working on a project that she can’t see, the ones that he’d finished already handed to their instructor to get the following touches and placed in the kiln.
He seems intent on this project and its secrecy- like it’s very important to him- so Furina allows him his privacy and continues to work on her own replica of Mademoiselle Crabaletta. It’s the final piece she needs to join the other two she’d already made of Gentilhomme Usher and Surintendante Chevalmarin, along with her slightly separate Singer of Many Waters figure. She’s looking forward to showing them to her summons’ later.
(She has another in the kiln. A small, carefully made dragon figure that she’d made while Neuvillette was busy with his codex’s. But that is her own secret, to be revealed to him once it’s time.)
She is so focused on her work that she barely notices when Neuvillette finishes his own project and speaks with the owner of the kilns for a little bit. He stays there for a time when he’s done talking- apparently putting the finishing touches on this project himself- before eventually making his way back to her side.
His latest project must be in a kiln now, for he doesn’t have it in his hand as he settles back down beside her. For her own part Furina is nearly done with Crabaletta, and after a few finishing touches she shows the finished figure to the dragon with pride.
“Isn’t it cute? I do hope that she likes it.” She chatters as she tilts it this way and that, and Neuvillette nods as he takes it in seriously.
“It looks very well done. You have captured her… ‘essence’ I believe is the phrase.”
Furina bites back the wide smile that wants to take over her face, still a little bit embarrassed over how strongly the slightest bit of praise from Neuvillette can affect her.
“Mmh, I’m going to go give it to the owner so he can put it in a kiln. I’ll be back in a moment.” She says, before heading off to do just that.
When she arrives, the owner tells her that some of her and Neuvillette’s earlier projects have finished, and Furina wraps the little dragon and carefully tucks it in a hidden pocket in her outfit before accepting the others. Neuvillette stands from his seat and helps her with everything the moment he sees she has it. Once she’s sat, she lines her finished figures up, smiling to see the finished products grouped together. They truly are very cute. Neuvillette gives more compliments and Furina still struggles to accept them, but it’s a little easier when even she can see she really has done well with them.
Furina herself coos over the ladle that Neuvillette had made for the Traveler, slightly wistful over the fact that the person that gets to keep it isn’t herself. Still- she knows that Lumine is a good friend of Neuvillette’s, and she’s grateful to the woman for it. She’d almost given up hope that he would have friends outside of her and the Melusine’s up until recently; he never used to seem interested in engaging in the human world unless she dragged him into it.
And overall, just the chance to spend so much time with him like this, creating things with their hands while they chatted or worked silently on their own projects has been a really good gift in itself. Archons knew how valuable Neuvillette’s time was.
She sighs contently and leans against his side as they waited for their final projects to finish.
“I had a lot of fun today. Thank you for coming with me.”
“I was very glad to do so.” Neuvillette replied honestly, wrapping his arm around her and holding her close. “It would be nice to have more days like this.”
“Yeah.” She agreed sleepily. She’d dragged Neuvillette out early; determined to show up before he could even think of becoming wrapped up in his work. So it is now that they sit in comfortable silence as Furina half dozes against his shoulder. It was so comfortable there, soaking in his strength and warmth and protection. Knowing that even though they weren’t in Fontaine no one could ever touch her as long as he was near.
After a time the owner was waving Neuvillette over to get their last projects, and he brushed a kiss across her hair before standing. She was happy just to remain at the table and wait, taking the chance to bring her little dragon out of her pocket and display it for Neuvillette to see when he got back.
Neuvillette’s expression when he saw it exactly what she’d hoped for. Surprised, pleased, slightly hopeful like he couldn’t quite believe it was for him.
“I don’t wish to be presumptuous, but I’m assuming he’s meant to be mine?” He asked as he slid back into the bench at her side, and Furina grinned up at him, accepting the little Crabaletta he passed over to free one of his hands. She’d turned out beautifully, and looked perfect when placed next to the others.
“Yes, of course it is. It isn’t quite as good as your ladle, but I did try and I like to think it didn’t turn out too poorly.” It really hadn’t. It’s face, in particular, was something that Furina was proud of. She felt she’d really captured the look Neuvillette got in his eyes sometimes after one of the Melusines had done something cute.
“No, I think it turned out much better than my ladle. You have real talent at this. It’s beautiful.” Neuvillette told her sincerely as he picked the dragon carefully up to admire.
Furina ducked her head with a blush and began fidgeting with her figures, feeling shy again. She knew that things would change after she agreed to his courtship, but she didn’t know it would come with quite this much sweetness. Honestly.
With a final hum, he put the figure down and began fidgeting slightly himself, clearing his throat awkwardly. “Ah, I actually made you something, as well. I was lucky that I wasn’t the first to request to make such an item; the owner both knew how to create it and had the items for it on hand. I suppose that it must be a more popular idea than I realized. It’s truly interesting how often humans decide to go against the mold on things…”
Furina raised her brows as she stared up at him. Was Neuvillette babbling?
Neuvillette cleared his throat again. “All that is to say, I hope you like it.”
Well, she was definitely curious now. He handed over a small package that Furina unwrapped carefully. The gold chain that was attached to the circular clay token draped down as she took in the design of it, smiling without even meaning to as she realized the likely reason for its creation. She ran her thumb over the glossy depiction of the familiar circles and lines, her heart thumping hard.
This was Neuvillette’s sigil, or the closest thing he had to one, anyway. She wasn’t obliviousness enough as to not have some idea as to the meaning.
“Feeling possessive, dragon?” She asked with a teasing grin as she looked up at him, and Neuvillette actually harrumphed a little grumpily at her in reply.
“I’m unfortunately going to have to make my way back to Fontaine after we visit the mountains, and while I believe that you’ll be safe, I can’t say I’m exactly fond of the way Mr. Zhongli looked at you when we met this morning. I simply wished to remind you that you already have someone who treasures your company so you can think of it when you spend time with him later.”
“Definitely possessive.” Furina concluded with a grin. Neuvillette sighed, looking wryly called out but not ashamed. Even with the grumpiness on his face he yielded to her touch easily when she reached out and pulled him down into a kiss for it.
It was a very lovely few minutes before their heated exchanges of tongue were interrupted by someone at a table near them clearing their throat pointedly. Furina jerked away from Neuvillette with a blush, avoiding everyone’s gaze- especially Neuvillette’s more intense look- until finally their neighbors were going back to their own tasks and ignoring them once more.
“I love it. Will you put it on me?” Furina asked after they’d both calmed down a bit as she gestured to the necklace, and Neuvillette’s eyes darkened before he did.
Furina smiled at him when he pulled away, lifting the little token from where it lay and slipping it under her clothes, next to her heart.
“It will be safer there.” She explained at his slightly confused look. Poor dragon, he looked a little disappointed. “Besides, this way I won’t have to deal with quite so many rumors about us. You’ll have to do something especially nice to get me to risk those this early in our courtship.”
It was a bit of a dangerous thing to say in public, with the mood Neuvillette was now in. But when next to fire…
“Hmmm.” Neuvillette murmured silkily as he placed his hand high on her hip. “I can think of a few things.”
…Actually, she better stop this before the dragon really did something that got them kicked out of here without the possibility of ever being let back in.
“Let’s go on a walk first.” She coughed.
For a second she thought Neuvillette was going to tease her more here, but the promise of increased privacy was apparently compromise enough to get him to help her gather up their things. Items gathered up and his free hand linked in hers, they said their goodbyes before making their way toward the more solitary mountains.