Work Text:
Financier was never a fan of change.
So when the paladin academy told her that she would leave the patrol team to be the consul’s bodyguard, she wasn’t exactly happy.
“Could you believe it? My bestie is the bodyguard of the consul!” Madeleine beamed, polishing his dear armor after a friendly 1v1 against her
“First of all, I'm not your bestie.”- She carefully places her sword in her bag as he scoffs -“Secondly, I haven’t even met him. If I don't like how he is, I'm asking them to change me back.” She huffs as she takes a sip of her water bottle. Madeleine chuckles and pats her back.
“Whatever you say, Financier. I’m going home”
She huffs again, rolling her eyes playfully -“Goodbye, you big himbo.”
After packing her stuff, she takes the bus to where she had agreed to meet with Elder Custard Cookie, the one who had the wonderful idea of her serving the consul. The elder starts walking towards the mansion with her following silently behind. Once they entered the mansion, Financier looked around. It was enormous with golden decorations and plenty of portraits. It wasn’t as tacky as mansion Madeleine, but it still kept its elegance. It seemed like she had zoned out, because before she could notice, they were at the door to the consul’s office. Elder Custard Cookie opened the door, making the young consul look up startled.
“Clotted Cream Cookie, this is your new bodyguard…” Elder Custard Cookie stares at her, not knowing nor wanting to know her name.
“Financier Cookie, at your service.” She politely bows at him. He stands up and approaches her.
“I’m Consul Clotted Cream Cookie, pleasure to meet you too.” He smiles at her with his signature perfect smile and shakes her hand.
———
“So Financier, what made you want to be my bodyguard?” He grins, looking at her while calmly sitting down on the small couch of the airship. She looks at him while standing up besides him
“Well, the council of Elders decided it. With the threat of the white masks, it is considered safer for you to have a bodyguard sir, but my input does not matter.” She looks back at him, her expression still stoic and unreadable.
“I am quite capable of defending myself, so I don’t understand why.” He looks out the window, his expression also unreadable.
Once they arrived to their destination, they were greeted by the powerful smell of vanilla orchids. Seems like they were in the vanilla kingdom. Financier looked around for any threats as Clotted Cream practically ignored her presence. As they walked through the Vanilian streets, she couldn’t help but feel like something would go wrong, maybe it was just her, but it felt like he was walking through the sketchiest streets just to test her.
“Sir, may I suggest not heading through these streets? They may be full of threats and it is not recommendable that we get into trouble.” She asks him, remaining behind him.
“And? Didn’t you say that your input doesn’t matter?”- He glares at her still walking - “Besides, you're just a lowly paladin whose only job is to-” He suddenly bumps into a group of cookies that grasp him by the collar and shove him into a wall
“Look what the cat brought us. A selfish little weak blondie.”- One of the cookies chuckles as another one grasps Financier. -“And look at this other cookie!”- The cookie takes her sword - “Such women like you belong in the kitchen, not with swords as if they were brave men. Disgusting.”
This makes Financier snap. She could bear the consul sub estimating her, but some freakish cookie that wants to beat her up telling her she belongs in the kitchen? Never. She immediately grabs the cookie’s neck and kicks them in the stomach, freeing herself and her sword. She immediately grabs her sword and heads towards Clotted Cream.
“Sir!” She rushes towards him, shoves the cookie that was holding him away and stands in front of him grabbing her sword tightly, not afraid to swing it if the cookies tried to approach. Instead, the captors fled and left them alone in the sketchy street.
“I apologize, Ser Financier Cookie.” He looks at her, his smile faltering.
“It’s alright.” She sighs and looks at him “I forgive you.”
It is hard to surprise the consul, but she had just managed to bewilder him.
———
Awkward first meetings don’t last forever. Sooner than later, they became very close friends.
Financier would protect him every day even though she wasn’t demanded to, and he would take her to special places he knew she liked, like the small humble tea shop near the republic’s bay. One day, while they were having a late-night walk through the republic, Clotted Cream announced something.
“So, Financier, I heard House Oyster is having a ball next week. Would you like to come?” He smiles. Financier may not hate many things, but she absolutely despised balls.
“I’m going to have to decline sir.” She sighs looking at him.
“Why? Is it because you don’t have a dress? Lucky for you, Elder Oyster Cookie gave me this dress for you, as well as a matching suit for me. So?” He smiles again, now using his practiced perfect smile. Dammit. How could she say no?
“Alright.. I’ll go.”
Preparing for the ball wasn’t the worst part. After trying to give the dress back for how expensive it looked, she finally accepted to wear it. It was a long white dress with what seemed like real oyster pearls and some real fishnets around the waist, and it looked as if it were out of a mermaid film. Financier looked at herself in the mirror, trying to take her appearance in. She barely wore dresses, and even less of this quality and expense. As she was placing her usual hair piece, she heard a knock at the door of her apartment, and when she opened it, Clotted Cream stood at the other side.
“Looking beautiful as ever, Ser Financier Cookie.” He smiles at her. He was wearing hits typical consul suit, but his cloak was adorned with blues, pearls and fishing nets.
“Thank you sir. You too” She nods at him
“So, are you ready to go?” He extends his hand towards her. She nods, takes his hand as they go.
Just like all of the years, the House Oyster ball was an occasion for politicians, models, kings, queens, presidents and important people to bond and form alliances over expensive champagne and waltz music. Financier stood behind Clotted Cream the whole time, thus she had no one else to spend time with. When some waltz music started playing, all sorts of cookies got together in pairs to dance in the center of the ballroom. Financier looks at Clotted Cream, expecting that he’d go his way to ask someone for a dance, but much to her surprise, he turned around and looked at her.
“Care for a dance?”
Financier looks at him, shock in her face. She then frowns and shakes her head
“I’m afraid I’m not much of a dancer sir.”
“Please call me Clotted Cream.” He extends his hand towards her. After a brief sigh, she accepts.
“Only this one.” She softly smiles, as he takes her to the center of the ballroom and places a hand on her hip, as she places hers on his shoulder.
“Just follow my lead”
The pair dance peacefully, Financier carefully trying her best as Clotted Cream smiles at her effort. Just as the song reached its end, the lights of the ballroom go out and a cookie yells.
“The white masks are back!”
———
Running.
She never thought she would be where she is right now. Running through the forest in high heels, a dress and her sword chasing the white masks down. She had swore that she had found them and captured them before, but it seems like there were more. Damn it. Chasing them down the forest of the republic, she discarded her heels, since they were preventing her from running faster.
Running.
Suddenly, she gets cornered. Right in the entrance of a now blocked cave, the 5 white masks corner her. She grips her sword tightly, the sound of footsteps approaching only making her more nervous. Then, the cookie behind all this reveals themself. Mille Feuille Cookie.
“You…”- Financier looks at her, anger and shock staining her face -“You’re supposed to be in prison! Y-you fraud!”
“Calm down there Financier.”- Mille Feuille grins -“What is this hello to your “mommy” as you called me?”
“You’re a traitor. You created the white masks just to steal the soul jam.”
“Oh please. I came to make a deal. You join the white masks, and I spare your life”- Mille Feuille approaches her. Meanwhile, some white masks grab her and hold her against the wall. Once Mille Feuille is close enough, she grabs her sword and inspects it. -“What a beautiful sword. I wonder who gave it to you… Oh right, it was me.”
“What are you doing.” Financier furiously looks at the cookie she once thought was a saint, turned out to be a demon. Being held against the wall and not being able to break free was getting on her nerves.
“Wouldn’t it be a pity that it was the one to end your life, wouldn’t it?”- Mille Feuille grins, placing the sharpest bit of the blade in Financier’s stomach. Financier gulps, fear now taking over her body. -“So? What do you say?”
Financier shakily exhales, her whole life passing in front of her eyes. All of those moments when she visited those little kids in the orphanage only for them to be turned into soulless thiefs. All those times she trained with her friends at the academy so she could become the best paladin, only for it to go to waste in the blink of an eye. And all of those feelings she held back. She would never, ever be able to tell him her real feelings. She looks back at what used to be her idol and shakes her head.
“Never.”
Without second thought, the ex-elder stabbed the sword into her stomach, making her yell in pain, then took out the sword and fled from the scene alongside the white masks. Financier dropped to the ground, grasping the wound and starting to feel dizzy. She looks up at the sky, trying to enjoy the last few minutes of life she had before she crumbled as she heard a familiar voice and some steps rush towards her.
———
And so, like any good story, hers met its end.
Laying on the ground, Clotted runs towards her, yelling un-understandable words while sobbing. He sits down beside her, carefully cradling her so as not to harm her further.
Tears.
Emotions.
Sadness.
Financier took note looking at him. In all of her years, she’d never seen him like that in public.
“Please don't leave me.” He hugged her close, mumbling.
She carefully cups his cheek and manages a weak smile.
“Smile for me.” She softly smiles at him. Through tears, he manages a smile, repeating to himself that everything will be okay, only to notice that after a sigh, she is gone. Financier, was no more.
No more paladin.
No more best friend.
No more shoulder to cry on.
No more cookie to be happy with.
And definitely,
No more love.
“Financier!”- He yelled, now sobbing and hugging her close - “Finny!… Please don’t leave… please…”
All those moments spent together now are sad memories that would haunt him eternally. He hugs her tighter, remembering all those walks with endless chats around the republic, the times when they went to her favorite tea shop, whenever they visited the orphanage… now sad reminders of her passing.
And so, unspoken feelings were no longer meant to be said. The memory of carrying her as a joke as she blushed uncontrollably now replaced by the one of carrying her lifeless body as he wept, for no more he will have someone like her.
No more sweet smiles.
No more early chats.
No more midnight calls.
No more love.
No more Financier.
One last dance, first denied, now their last memory together as he carries her to her grave.