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You listened attentively as your adoptive mother told you stories of dragons around Teyvat for the thousandth time.
Snuggled up, comfortably leaving your weight on a set of sheets that acted as a mattress, while a thicker, softer blanket hovered over your petite figure. You stared with bright eyes, reflecting the reddish-hued candle that was arranged in a corner of the room. Bright eyes staring at your mother while she talked about your favorite dragon: the Hydro Dragon.
"...The rain falls thanks to him, so we should always show our blessings and show him how much we love him. He returns those genuine gestures with his pure tears in the form of rain."
She said using a soothing tone, caressing your cheeks. She noticed that it was getting quite late, so she tucked you in again, gave you a little kiss and blew out the candle, leaving the small place where you rested.
"Hydro Dragon..."
You muttered to yourself, in the little trance of thoughts you had while you were on the verge of sleep. You felt remorse by the possibility that the Dragon would weep all alone. At least you had your adoptive mother by your side, and it felt good to be comforted by her. You didn't believe at all that the Dragon's tears fell as an exchange of the blessings that he receives, but because he was going through a bad time.
Your mental exhaustion caught you up and you finally succumbed to dreamland after one last wish, a blessing offered to your Dragon.
(...Hydro Dragon, don't cry. I'll be there)
★
Neuvillette was going back to his home after a trial. The horrible case he had to deal with brought tears down his face, so imagine how must the sky be like right now. The black clouds wanting to cast thunders.
He stared at the sky for a second, watching the way his feelings were materializing until a shiver ran through his body, interrupting that activity.
[...Hydr drag... - on't cry... I'll be there]
He heard a breathy, rather faint voice. But he could hear the final part perfectly.
...You'll be here?
He echoed. He could feel a warm feeling through his blood, causing him to stop feeling the burn of the cold rain for a short period.
Yes. Only for a short period.
He doesn't know where did that come from exactly, but it scarred him. It really marked him a lot. His heart was already longing for that little comfort he just received, but his cold mind instantly cut it off, denying it as an attempt at self-care to himself, which he thought he didn't need. But little does he know what he needs.
★
Your adoptive mother died in your late teens. Since you had no other relatives, you were left completely alone.
She used to survive with an orchard that gave her more than enough to live comfortably. You continued to take care of the garden and live from it.
Luckily, the fruit you sold was in high demand, and the neighbors who knew you also had an affinity for you and bought to help you survive at your young age.
You also took care of them in your own way, through your powers. You would put away the nightmares of the little ones so that they could have a complete rest during the nights and overflow with energy during the days. Driving away bad thoughts that some people suffered, whether they were self-harm towards themselves, attempts to hurt others, any action outside of morality.
You dealt with this anonymously, as the reason of you being abandoned was because of your supernatural powers when you don't even have the reason to be evil.
On the other hand, you were able to learn about nursing, care, health and more thanks to the changes that the Dendro Archon was making in the country. Enjoying the feeling of being also able to assist physically.
Once you built up a solid base of knowledge, you decided that taking a small step and exploring wouldn't hurt. This is how you learned about Sumeru in your young adulthood, gaining even more experience and knowledge on your adventure. Your name wasn't mentioned, but at least you had a root of contacts that gave you different opportunities.
★
"Fontaine has just gone through a serious situation, so I would appreciate if you could come and help us a little. We'll even pay you for it!"
A man in fine clothing told you, showing a big concern. He clasped his hands abruptly, making it echo through the small room they were in.
"...Please!"
You heard about the flooding of Fontaine. At first you didn't believe that the entire city had been flooded to the top, as it sounded like the biggest lie humans could say with their vast imagination. But the frequency with which you heard that news made you feel a little uneasy. So you decided to go. Take a step and leave Sumeru to take care of those who needed it most.
You were also somewhat scared of the remote possibility to see your real mother, but you ignored it, prioritizing the emergency situation.
You looked at your friend, the one who introduced you to the man. Silently accepting the proposal. You turned back to the man and took his hand.
"Of course. You don't need to beg me to do the thing that I most like."
The man's eyes sparkled and you couldn't help but smile.
"T-thank you! We will make preparations for the trip shortly. Get the belongings that you consider a priority"
And you made preparations to leave immediately.
★
You didn't stop worshipping your beloved Dragon, offering your blessings whenever it rained or you prevent a rain approaching. For you, the Dragon was the only family member who didn't leave you, and he showed it to you every time it rained.
Even on the way to Fontaine, you showed your kind words to the Dragon. Without being aware that you were approaching him.
Aside from that, Neuvillette never heard that voice again. Which made it possible for him to go back to dealing with life as he did, without being sidetracked by feelings. Although he didn't hear the voice that comforted him, he knew that voice was still taking care of him, as a warm feeling always came to him in the rains.
In the last few days, he was able to hear that voice again after several years. It was still It choppy, but he could hear the gentle whisper telling him things that only a pure heart could say.
Even though he told himself he wouldn't succumb to the voice, he was unable to. He even spent his time off work looking for the source of it, but there was no success.
The good thing about this is that the voice usually appears at night, so it wouldn't distract him from his duties in the day. It only appears when he cries, but he only cries at night, except for crying after trials that could be held at any time.
So... What's wrong with enjoying the nights wrapped in warmth?
★
We cover it with this bandage and... Ready!
You secured the bandage around the kid's leg with a slightly red face after crying. He seemed to calm down when you lied to him that with your magic "liquid" and "bandage," the wound would stop hurting. You actually used a disinfectant with numbing effects so I could rest from the pain. He had an infected wound, caused by a large branch that scratched his skin under the sea, so you understood the pain must run down his leg. Besides, the poor child had to stay for days until he got medical attention.
"Thank you very much! Mommy, look!"
The boy exclaimed happily, showing his leg, moving it as if there was no pain anymore. The mother, meanwhile, tried not to bring tears to her eyes, while she thanked you again and again.
★
Your days usually ended late, but you liked the atmosphere at Fontaine. They provided you a housing which is likely to be long-term. And even though you declined payments, they gave you day-to-day supplies.
There wasn't much leisure when you finished work, just some places that were about to close. So you only took walks around the city. it felt different from Sumeru, but you didn't hate it.
Something you noticed odd was the rains. They were not only strong, but frequent and unpredictable. It could make a sunny spring sky and in a 5 second transition it could change to a summer shower.
At first I thought it would be some kind of side effect of the flood. But the times you brought up the topic of conversation with some curious citizen, they told you that it was something normal here.
A thought flashed through your mind, indicating that it might be the Hydro Dragon, you would like to believe it, but that has a low probability of being true.
Well, that belief you had crumbled the first time you communicated with the Dragon.
It was night, you were in your bed, taking care of people through dreams. You jumped from dream to dream until you fell into a rather peculiar dream.
The dream was located in Fontaine, in front of the Opera, the Fontana Lucine. There was a tall man in the rain, looking up at the sky. You approached, but he didn't seem to notice you. You saw how his stoic face had tears on it, which were hard to notice because they mixed with the rain.
You moved closer, moving your hand toward the dragon's face, bringing the tear away with the heat radiating from your thumb.
"Don't cry. I'll be with you soon."
You said, even thought you were sure at all that you'll met him.
This startled the Dragon. First of all, because there was never anyone but him in his dreams. Secondly... Because he knew that warm feeling. And thirdly, because the words were familiar.
He couldn't see you, but he could feel you, so he knew there was a presence, one he'd known for a while.
The rain stopped, and the clouds allowed visibility of the dark sky dotted with small points of light.
This made you frown your eyebrows. Did the rain literally end when he ended crying?
You were going to talk, but the dream was cut short. The man awoke.
Neuvillette awoke with dry tears placed down his cheeks, rubbing the dry trail.
"You'll be... Soon here?"
...
...
...
Here?!
★
After working intensively for several weeks, the situation was brought under control and you were able to relax for a few days. You spent this time exploring the city. The typical things to do: visit places and have a belly full of local foods.
During your walks around the city, one thing that caught your attention from the beginning was the other race that inhabited Fontaine: Melusines. You thought they were cute, especially when they jumped around the areas where they worked.
One of the melusines you mostly interacted with was Selene. You crossed paths with her one day. Selene was going out a store after buying a cake, but she tripped and hurt herself. You immediately went to check on her. Luckily the fall only made a small scratch, but you could see that he was sad because her cake fell abd destroyed on the floor.
You dealt with her wound, but she was still sad and you noticed the reason.
"Your name was Selene, right? Wait for me here for a second."
You went to buy another piece of cake, lucky enough that the last piece remained. And when you came back, you offered it to her.
"Don't cry anymore."
★
"She said 'Don't cry anymore' and gave me another piece of cake!"
Selene was ranting to Neuvillette about the "super-friendly" human she bumped into.
"She also drew a symbol on the bandage. I don't know what it means, but I think that it was a beautiful detail."
(Don't cry anymore)
...
Those words left a mark on Neuvillette. You were definitely here, and that was getting him off his feet.
His mind keeps telling him to forget that woman, but as time goes by, she seems to get closer and closer. And he's worried that this will lead to his instability. He's got a whole country to lead, and if you distract him like that...
"It feels good to be taken care of."
Selene said. Giving the same opinion as Neuvillette's heart. He should be taken care of too, right?
...
He will also come to you.
He definitely will.
★
Another thing that caught your eye was the Opera Epiclese.
Again, you were interacting with citizens, and they started telling you about the Opera and the things they did there. You were pretty curious about trials being held there.
One thing they didn't specify was that the trials were real. You thought it was pure fiction. And without knowing it, you went to one of the trials as a spectator.
At first you didn't notice anything strange. The show hadn't started yet, it was just the spectators talking to kill time. You included yourself in one of the conversations and they were talking to you about the case that was going to happen.
"I'm glad Neuvillette is finally judging that man on trial. Who in their right mind takes advantage of the flood to steal other people's goods?"
The lady sitting to your left complained.
"I agree. I'm just assisting to make sure he gets his punishment. Imagine the disappointment I got when all the mora I saved were gone, I have children to feed."
You thought it was quite strange how they were talking. This was fictitious. Why did they act like it was real-
?
???
"Wait, is this real-"
You were silenced by the sound of the judge's baton echoing throughout the courtroom. Both the spectators and those involved in the trial remained silent. You, on the other hand, had your eyes wide open.
There was the Hydro Dragon.
Or at least that's what you assumed, since you don't believe that what happened in that man's dream was something unreal.
It looked exactly the same, but unlike the dream, he imposed a strong aura that immobilizes you.
The trial passed quickly for you. Your eyes were only on the Dragon without paying attention to anything else.
As soon as he finished after giving his verdict, people left immediately because it was a long trial, to the point that it was already midnight.
You went outside to get some air, staying outside the now-closed Opera. You sighed, tired of the scorching feeling that was on the room. You wish you had known it was all real, if you had known what these trials were really like, you would never have come to see it. You wonder how people are able to enjoy it.
Your thoughts fell, and after your thoughts the rain began to fall.
You offered the Dragon another blessing, along with the familiar words.
You took out your umbrella, not because you hated the rain, but you had to be okay to take care of those who were not.
You continued to walk forward. Seeing a blue figure from afar, which was in front of the fountain.
(Oh gods, you'll get sick.)
You thought, as you ran under the rain towards the figure.
The closer you got, the more convinced you became that it was a certain person. You were starting to feel nervous, but your heart was telling you to comfort him.
Neuvillette didn't even notice you, the rain silenced your splashing shoes, and you weren't in his field of vision either.
You finally caught up with him. You raised your umbrella to cover his size, and that's when he noticed you.
Just as in the dream, he was surprised. But the shock was greater because now he could see you. He couldn't help but shed tears, it felt so good, and you barely did anything.
You couldn't help but shed a few tears too, it was beautiful. You moved your hand to appreciate his features, gently running the tip of your finger from his sin to his cheek, and from his cheek to the falling tear. Then your hand took his whole cheek and he left the weight of his face on it, while you stroke his cheek with your thumb. Just as he enjoyed it.
The warmth flooded his body, it was no longer momentary, which gave him a feeling of peace. He's made the right choice, he belongs here, and he's going to stay in this heat.
"Don't cry Hydro dra-... No, Neuvillette. You don't have to cry alone anymore, because I'm here."