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A few months after the "final" trial, Court of Fontaine
"Sorry, did you just say one hundred, but with like, three extra zeros?!" Paimon spoke, flabbergasted at the absurd amount of mora that had just fallen into the Traveler's pocket.
"Yes, indeed I did. This is nothing though, really. After all you kids saved me much more money by retrieving that stolen package. That's taken a load of stress off my back." the older man, Philippe, responded, handing over a large sack over to the Traveler, who eagerly accepted the reward.
It was only by coincidence they had picked up the commission. Aether had recently returned to Fontaine to meet up with some old friends, only to find Phillipe absolutely distraught, head in hands after he discovered that the convoy transporting purpose-built parts for his toy factory in the Court of Fontaine from the metalworks in Poisson was raided by treasure hoarders who were now holding the parts ransom for five times the cost of production. He refused to negotiate with thieves, but the soonest he could get new parts would've been the following month, which would leave his business in dangerous waters. So he was left with a difficult decision - take out a loan to repay the ransom, or risk going out of business entirely.
Fortunately enough, Aether had stumbled upon him in his time of need, and with little trouble at all managed to dispatch of the treasure hoarders, safely retrieving the parts and finishing the delivery for the convoy. While this was nothing new for the dynamic duo to do, they usually received paltry rewards for their efforts - this was by far the largest commission reward they had received in months.
"Ohh this is amazing! We should totally go and reward ourselves!" Paimon said, mouth watering as she stared a hole through the large bag of mora Aether held.
"Yeah, we should" Aether nodded.
As the duo were deciding what to spend the first of their freshly earned mora on, Aether noticed a poster on a nearby noticeboard - a poster for a show hosted at the Opera Epiclesse. Usually he wasn't one for spending money on these types of things, it was frivolous, and saving for more practical items proved much more useful for their travels, but something about this particular poster caught his eye.
"Wait, isn't that Furina?" Paimon asked, the poster catching her own. Indeed it was - front and center on the poster was Furina's distinctive visage. It seemed that she was the main actress for this particular show. Not that it surprised Aether, given her fame she'd very rarely take on supporting roles in these acts, even those that made it to the prestigious Opera Epiclesse.
"Wait, it's on today!? Oh we totally gotta go! Paimon heard that if you get one of those fancy booths above the regular seats you get a full catered meal with the show! Come on lets go Traveler!"
"Ahh I'm not sure..."
"We should have enough money, and you said we were going to get something nice!" Paimon spoke, egging the Traveler to hurry.
"That's true, but I think it'll take pretty much all the mora we got for that commission, I better not hear you complaining about us being out of money until I can earn us more!"
"Paimonnn won't, Paimon has never done that before!"
Aether gave her a side-eye, before giving a nod in agreement.
"Very well, lets get tickets now before they run out then" he responded.
"Yay!"
The night of the performance, Opera Epiclesse
The show was beautiful. The acts flowed seamlessly into each other, and it was clear that the routine was finely rehearsed - the actors, director and backstage staff worked in perfect harmony to weave together the narrative. It was a simple but provoking story about a young girl who was cursed by an evil witch - whoever she became friends with was damned to die within a few days. Because of this, she refused to make any friends, and to those who approached her she acted dismissive and snooty in order to deter them from her, all in an effort to protect them. She was incredibly lonely, spending many solemn nights crying herself to sleep, but at least she wasn't the cause of anyone's death, and that thought kept her strong.
The final act closed with a certain group of individuals who refused to bow to the curse, and fought against it, eventually defeating the source of the curse before the curse could take their lives and restoring the young girls life to normalcy, a life that she could once again enjoy with her new friends.
In a way it reminded Aether of Furina's life, almost scarily so. Perhaps Furina had worked a bit of her own magic on the script? She tended to do that for acts she was a part of, often doing a lot of heavy lifting for the director whether they wanted her to or not, though they always ended up happy with the result regardless. He wiped a tear from his eye, giving a standing ovation as the cast did a bow. The applause of the audience drowned the auditorium, they clearly wanted to convey their impressions of the show.
The audience hung around a while, talking between each other, though were slowly shuffled out of the auditorium so the cleaning staff could go through, and they could pack down for the night.
"Ughh Paimon doesn't want to move... that was so much food!" Paimon stated, her speech slurred and sluggish.
"I didn't realize there was a end to your appetite Paimon, I was beginning to think your stomach was a bottomless pit" the Traveler retorted.
"Hey! Paimon requires a lot of fuel to feed her Paimonial Power Engine!"
"Sure, sure", the Traveler laughed, "though we do need to leave soon, if you don't want to go back to the Flueve Cendre now, we can rest by the fountain for a bit so you can digest."
"Sounds like a plan to Paimon!"
So, they walked out of the theatre. There were a few folk in the front of the building still mingling, discussing the show, but most of the audience had already departed for the night, it the perfect time to chill out by the fountain. Paimon and Aether chose a quiet bench facing the fountain to rest at.
The water of the fountain elegantly sprayed out in a beautiful pattern, gently falling to the floor with a light splash. It is said that all the waters of Fontaine converge at this one point - a fact that Aether experienced during his journeys in Fontaine. Though the cries that once came from it had mellowed, and the feeling of loneliness that once pervaded it had dissipated.
"Hey! I've been looking all over for you, why didn't you greet me after the show?" a boisterous voice broke through the serene silence of the night, pulling the attention of Aether and Paimon.
It was Furina, now changed back into her regular attire (if what she usually wore could be called regular), though she looked a bit ragged.
"Oh hey Furina, how are you?" Paimon spoke in a friendly tone.
"Don't 'hey Furina' me! Hmph" she snooted.
"Sorry about that, we assumed you'd be busy with acting stuff"
"I was... buuuuut I always make time for friends. Speaking of, how come you didn't come to see me to get tickets!" she was progressively looking more and more annoyed.
"I-I'm sorry I-" Aether tried to speak, but Furina spoke overtop of him, "If you ever want to go to a show that I'm in, I'm more than happy to provide front row tickets to my friends so that you can see me in all my magnificence!"
Furina giggled, the annoyed expression left her face and in its place was the smug, confident look she was most often associated with.
Aether spoke up this time, "Well, I'm glad to see you're doing well, Furina. The show was amazing."
"Of course it was! I was in it after all, hehe~ Though yes, the director and cast did an amazing job too, the whole team pulled through and the script didn't need tooooo many fixes to get across the line~"
There was a short moment of silence, quickly broken again by Furina.
"Soooo, had any interesting adventures lately?" she asked.
"Funny you mention that, just earlier today..."
They talked for a while, chatting about recent events, anything interesting really. But time continued to pass on, the moon raised higher into the sky, and before long it was time for them to go their separate ways.
"Well Furina, it was good to chat but we need to head back to the Flueve Cendre before our motel shuts so we can get our room-"
"Wait!" Furina interrupted, "I uhh... have a proposition for you"
"Shoot"
"Sooo as you know I'm nothing more than a human actress nowadays, a bit of a uh... fall from where I once was status wise. Not that I mind of course! I much prefer this life, but it has undeniably come with its own issues..."
"One of which being that as the young famous beautiful bachelorette I am, I tend to get a lot of... undesirable folk approaching me intending to earn my favor and woo me."
"That wasn't really a problem when I was an archon because of the distance between humanity and the divine - nobody really attempted to approach me in that way, but now that I'm just a regular human many people see me as being "in-reach" for their desires now. A lot of people would love to be the "one" to the amazing ex-archon superstar Furina. Though they only care about the status that comes with that, of course, nothing more."
"I've had a lot of practice in the past dealing with these sorts of people but it becomes irritating after a while and I'm tired of dealing with it. So I thought of an ingenious plan to solve it once and for all." she spoke with conviction.
"You need me to take someone out? I don't like beating up folk who haven't done anything illegal but if they're being mean to you..."
"Woah woah woah woah. Nothing like that" she spoke, gesturing to calm down, "I just meant that well..."
"Our show is running for the next two weeks, and at the end of it, after the final night, we'll be hosting a ball at the Hotel Debord for the cast, family, partners, friends and some high profile members in Fontainian society. With this type of event comes the media of course, and I was thinking what better time to deal with my problems than then!"
"Since we're allowed to bring partners, I just need to bring someone along, we can pretend that we're... romantically involved, the tabloids will publish all of their awful celebrity relationship articles and I don't have to deal with random people trying to sweet talk me constantly!"
The two thought for a moment.
"Wait a minute, that sounds like a lot of work to Paimon, what do we get in return?"
"There's no limit to the number of dishes you can order at the ball"
"We're in! Lets go Traveler!"
"Don't I get a say in this..."
"Nope!" Paimon hastily responded, mouth already watering.
"Thanks you two, I did invite some others first but Clorinde ended up being busy, and Navia is already attending the party representing the Spina so I'm really glad that you're able to go, I was running out of trusted friends I could propose this plan to... Now I just have to sort out plans for getting our outfits tailored - should be no problem I just need to chat with Chiori about that."
"Hey hey, tailoring? I'm pretty happy with my usual outfit so..."
Furina's expression quickly changed from happy to sad, showing off her puppy doll eyes.
"B-but its a formal attire event, you have to! Please, I really need this..."
He could never tell if it was genuine or not, her shaky voice and expression would make the average person say that she was, yet being an expert actor...
He signed, "If its just for the one night... I guess its fine."
Once again a wide smile graced her face, and she grabbed Aether's hands.
"Oh thankyou-thankyou-thankyou! This is going to be so amazing, I promise. I'll let you know more details later but... it is quite late so I need to head back to my apartment, let's chat again tomorrow. Au revoir!" letting go of his hands, she gave a short wave before heading toward the aquabus.
Paimon and Aether followed.
"Oh you're uh... also heading this way, huh? I guess we can just talk about it on the aquabus then, heh..."
A week before the ball, Chioriya Boutique
It was about a week later when Chiori finished designing the outfits for the duo, as well as one for a "small child" (despite Paimon's protests).
As per usual when it came to her outfits they were very eye catching, and were sure to be the talk of the party, they accented each other well, though were equally designed for practical use.
Furina had arrived this day during the afternoon for a fitting to allow Chiori to do the final adjustments on her dress.
"Now, hold still, I'm going to stick some pins in". Chiori spoke with remarkable accuracy, given the pins she was holding in her mouth, and with measuring tape around her neck she truly looked "in the zone".
"Yes yes. So anyway, I had to invite a partner to this event to sort out my "problems". I was stressing out a bit because everyone I knew was busy or already attending but then the perfect opportunity landed on my lap when- OW!"
"sigh I did say to not move, lets try that again"
"Ah... yes -sorry. Anyway, as I was saying, the Traveler randomly showed up at one of my shows, I didn't even know he was back in Fontaine! Fortunately I was able to catch him after it and ask him if he was available. Thankfully he's going to be in Fontaine for a while, so he agreed to come along and help me out! I'm so glad that I'm not going to have to deal with any annoying suitors trying to pursue me and- Ow!"
Chiori's unimpressed look flawlessly mimicked one of her Tamotos.
She sighed, "You know, I don't think I've ever had this much trouble trying to fit an outfit for you before. You've been here more than a handful of times over the years so you should be used to the process by now. But I don't think I've ever seen you this nervous before."
"Nervous?... Well, now that you mention it I guess I do feel a bit more... "excitable" than usual. But that's just because we're so close to finishing the show, of course!"
"Mhm, I doubt that's the case for a seasoned professional such as yourself Furina but if that's the explanation you want to go with don't let me stop you. Regardless, if you don't stop fidgeting we will never get this dress fitted, so please do try to stay still."
"W-what I!... Ah yes, my apologies... hehe~" she laughed awkwardly before shuffling herself back into a neutral, still posture.
1 hour until the ball begins, Court of Fontaine
For some reason, the past two weeks had felt longer than usual. Like time stretched into infinity the closer it got to the day of the ball. At least that's how it felt for Aether.
He had spent most of the time in between catching up with old friends. Travelling around to Poisson, the Fontaine Research Institute, the Fortress of Meropide - he'd even taken a trip to Merusea Village to say hello to the melusines he had become friends with during his travels. All of that was fine, yet he couldn't shake that pervading stress lingering over him. Paimon had noticed too, pointing out that he seemed different from his usual chipper self. Why was that? He thought, it's not like he hadn't been to fancy events before.
Was it because of who he was going with? Furina was a good friend, there should be no worry there.
He chalked it up to being in an unfamiliar outfit - one with no connection to his dearest sister, but was that really the case?
Paimon assistance on the matter was super helpful either, her advice was retail therapy - "eat as much as you want and your worries will go away!"
Whatever the case was, the day had arrived. Aether had spent most of the morning thinking about what to do, and making sure his suit didn't get scuffed.
He never was one for the spotlight, usually liking to work in the background - though through his travels he had gained a lot of fame and adoration from the citizens of Teyvat, and had more often than not ended up at the center of a nations crisis, being part of the force pushing each nation forward.
He still wasn't what one would call a "celebrity", now Furina on the other hand... she may be able to handle the incessant interviews and adoring fans with ease, but Aether had no practice in that realm.
He wondered if Furina was going to rely on him more tonight, or if it would end up being the other way around.
He walked down the alley toward her townhouse, the sun was setting on the city of Fontaine and the sky was a beautiful red. The lamps that paved the street were soon to turn on, to keep the city bright even without the light of the sun.
Before long he was there, Furina's apartment - a much more humble abode than her previous accommodation at the Palais Mermonia, though he knew she preferred it here. Sometimes he wondered how she coped with the noise of that automatic hammer going on constantly from Estelle's workshop directly opposite from her building.
He gave a light rap on the door, three quick knocks.
"Coming!~" a melodious voice sung out, from behind the door he heard the light clacking of heels going down a stairway.
The door opened, and behind was the more-than-familiar Furina, smiling brightly.
"Hello "dear", how are you doing this fine evening? hehe~" she giggled.
Aether stood stunned for a moment, he hadn't seen her outfit before tonight - they had been fitted at different times due to their conflicting schedules, and despite asking Chiori if he could get a sneak peek she said that it would be far more "rewarding" to wait until the night of the ball to see it, whatever that was supposed to mean.
He had seen Furina in various costumes for her acts before, and she looked great in all of them, but there was something... different about this. She wore an elegant black dress, patterned blue underneath and frilled from below her thin waist. The skirt was longer on the back than the front, and the front opened to show off her beautiful long legs. The chest above her cleavage was patterned with an intricate pattern, leading up to a black frilled choker with a blue tear-shaped gem embedded in the front. As to be expected with Chiori, who was always pushing forward fashion in Teyvat, Furina's newly acquired vision was also a part of the outfit, adorning the right side of her outfit along with a blue bow - the vision shining bright as usual. Her head was left plain, he had to admit she appeared almost naked without her signature hat on her head, but it would've taken attention away from the rest of the outfit, and Aether admitted that it was cute to see her uncovered head, her fluffy white and blue hair bouncing around as she stepped forward.
"Hehe stunned are you?~ Well that's good, if this outfit works on you then I'm sure I'll easily be the star of the show at the ball. Though admittedly you might give me a run for my money, you're looking pretty handsome yourself~" she grinned.
Hearing that caused his heart to pound. She was blatantly flirting, though he calmed himself, knowing this was all part of the "act".
She held out her left arm to him, her hand covered by a satin glove. He simply stood there for a moment.
"What? Don't tell me you forgot the corsage!"
"Oh no no, sorry, sorry. I did bring it" he spoke awkwardly, finally snapping back to reality.
He pulled the corsage and another flower - his boutonniére out of one of the pockets in his jacket. Gently he wrapped the bracelet around her wrist. The bouquet was made of a unique arrangement of flowers, the centerpiece being the lakelight lily, it matched the blue and black theme of the outfit perfectly. She took the other flower he gave her, pinning it to the lapel of his jacket, just below his blue bowtie.
His outfit was much more down to earth, he thanked Chiori that it wasn't too extravagant - a simple black jacket and waist coat covered his white shirt, and simple black suit pants adorned his legs. There were blue tones with his bowtie at the flower to match her dress, though overall it was a fairly practical outfit, more-so than the ones he saw she prepared for the Fontainian fashion festival. It was more flashy than his regular outfit, but it would suffice.
"Ah- one final thing" she spoke, she stepped forward, bringing her face awkwardly close to his own.
If he wasn't stunned before, he was now - he stood frozen, a rosy blush gracing his cheeks.
"Sorry, your collar wasn't done correctly, just had to give it a quick fix" she said, taking a step back.
"Geez now you're blushing! Just remember, this is a pretend night, you're not supposed to fall for me for real! Hehe~" she giggled again, that cocky yet loveable smile shared once again.
"I-I'm not" Aether spoke, taking a step back himself.
"Hehe I know, sorry - I'm just teasing you a bit. Now, do you want to head to the party "my love"?"
"Hey! Can you two stop pretending like Paimon isn't here!" Paimon herself was dressed in a cute white pant suit in a similar style to her usual outfit - she also wore a lakelight lily, though it very much came off as a child's outift, despite Paimon's protests.
"Sorry Paimon, I was just a bit... distracted. But yes - let's head to the party."
As he was taught - Aether held out his arm. Taking Furina's, their arms interlocked, pleased by this she gave a nod of contentment as they proceeded to the party venue.
The Party, Hotel Debord
They arrived on time, or at least what Furina defined as "on time" - a few minutes after the party started. She said that by then, the reporters would be all set up and most of the attendees would already be present to see the couple of the night enter - instantly becoming the center of attention.
She was right of course, as expected of the star of Fontaine. As soon as they entered the hotel they were bombarded by reporters who were curious as to why the famous Traveler was accompanying the even more famous Furina de Fontaine.
"Woah, is that the golden haired traveler with Furina?"
"They're wearing matching outfits does that mean...!"
Bright lights from the kameras bombarded the pair - Furina who was well acquainted with it, despite it being an emerging technology, kept her posture pristine as she elegantly strutted past the reporters, ignoring their probing question.
Aether on the other hand wasn't faring nearly as well, his pace falling behind hers and eyes knowing not where to look when bright flashes covered his range of vision.
Fortunately - given their arms were still tightly interlocked, Furina was able to gracefully guide him to their assigned seats.
"I don't think I've be attacked by that much light since the first time I entered Enkanomiya..." Aether groaned, sparkles still flitting around his eyes from the over-exposure to light.
"You get used to it, though yes those new kameras are especially annoying, back in my time it was just the loud reporters."
"Oh hey you two!" a familiar bright voice spoke. The two turned to a bright pinked haired woman in a dark red dress - the reporter, Charlotte. Even Monsieur Verite was dressed up for the occasion, with a matching red bowtie and top-hat.
"Speaking of loud reporters..." Furina spoke under her breath.
"Hey Charlotte! How are you?" Paimon asked.
"I'm doing well thanks, I didn't expect to see you two here though, Traveler and Paimon"
"Oh yeah, Furina invited us because..." Paimon started, thinking for a moment - Charlotte was a reporter, right? So surely she was the best person to tell this to.
"Furina and the Traveler are a thing now! So she invited him as a plus one, of course! And Paimon is uhhh... the plus two!"
"Oh, how wonderful! I'm so glad you two got together, you seem like you'd make a great couple, don't tell anyone but I was secretly rooting for you two behind the scenes" Charlotte spoke excitedly.
"Yeah we're... "together"" Furina spoke, giving a very obvious wink to Charlotte.
"Oh?... Ohhh! I see, sorry about that", Charlotte quickly picked up on what Furina was implying, "Ah, in that case maybe this can help deal with your suitor problem" she winked in response.
"Those tabloid writers are so pesky, and they never report the real meaty news! Just celebrity puff pieces, but that's why people like me have to exist, to get the nitty gritty details on the actually important stuff!"
"Speaking of, why are you here Charlotte, surely there aren't any super breakthrough stories here of all places" Paimon asked.
"Well, actually, I was here to interview the director of the show... I'm not sure if you two know, but this particular show has broken more than a few records for ticket sales. So, I was going to write a column about the show and any juicy secrets behind the successful production of it"
"Speaking of it now that I'm here though, how about that exclusive interview I've talked to you about previously Furina - now would be the perfect time for it!"
"Hehe might have to take a uh... raincheck on that one"
"I'll get you someday, Furina! Anyways, I need to find the good director - I think it will take a bit of convincing to get an interview with him, but they don't call me an ace reporter for nothing! See you three later, enjoy the party!" Charlotte replied, scuttling off.
After an elongated, yet well deserved speech by the director and a couple of other high profile Fontainians, dinner commenced, much to Paimon's delight. Aether and Furina were seated with a few of the other cast members, as well as the cast's partners. Some supposedly Remurian-inspired music was being played by a live band, and light chatter filled the room.
They had just been served their mains - Aether had gone for a fairly meaty steak, whereas Furina had chosen to go for a light salad, Paimon on the other hand got the "mixed meat delight", a platter of different meats and potatoes usually intended for two.
Unlike the other tables in the hotel, where the groups seated chatted amongst each other, their table was fairly quiet, awkwardly so. If one were to listen in to the murmurs of surrounding tables, they might hear a few different things.
"Hey, is that Furina's new boyfriend?"
"She didn't even think about dating anyone for centuries! What's so special about this guy?"
"I mean, I haven't even seen the two together in public, she's probably just doing it for clout."
"Just ignore it, and it'll go away eventually, like it always does."
Furina spoke as she continued eating. She didn't look Aether in the eye as she said it, and her expression seemed normal, but he could feel that she was... sad?
"Ah... yes, sorry."
They finished their mains soon after, bringing on the third course - the dessert. It seemed that Furina's mood picked up as contrary to her humble salad before she had chosen a rather extravagant dessert.
"You simply can't skimp on dessert - its the most important meal of the day, after all!" she giggled boisterously. Contrarily, he had gone for a simpler cake for dessert, it didn't pay to indulge in sugary treats when he knew he'd have to burn it off later adventuring.
After dessert, the guests were left to mingle. The reporters from various outlets began filtering back in to interview anyone they thought would answer - instantly the couple were bombarded by reporters asking all kinds of questions.
"So, how long have you been together?"
"Sir, sir! How did you get to know Furina de Fontaine?"
"So, when are you getting married?"
Largely inappropriate questions, though not unexpected.
Aether couldn't handle how rapidly they were fired at him, while Furina glanced them off like it was nothing - either giving non-answers or simply refusing the basis of the question.
"Long enough" "We met through my acting" "No plans for the immediate future - though you'll be the first to know once we do"
Paimon had already nope-d off to the leftovers table, enjoying the company of food. Aether wished he could do the same.
After, the dancing began.
The tables were cleared from the first floor of the hotel by now, and those conversing kept to the edges of the room, leaving ample space for those who wanted to dance to do so.
The music started out fast, with high tempo songs to fit the energy of the room, though over time the music slowed.
Furina insisted that they dance - despite Aether's protests.
His wealth of knowledge in different areas unfortunately didn't cross over to the art of dance, yet Furina gave him her hand, and she led him in dance.
It was surprisingly easy, though he trusted that it was her carrying the performance, when she moved forward, he moved back, then she prompted him to move forward as she moved back - they did a spin as they looked deep into each others eyes.
He was glad to see Furina so happy, her blue, heterochromic eyes glistened in the light, and her smile was gentle, ever so gentle. Once again his body was on autopilot - simply following the motions, his mind was stunned in the moment - such an unfamiliar, yet enjoyable experience.
After a while the music grew quieter, the dancers returned to their seats and the setting once again returned to quiet chatter.
Aether had enough of the party, at least for the time being, and so took a step outside the venue to get a breath of fresh air. Soon after, Furina followed to check up on him.
"Hey, are you alright?" she asked, a concerned look on her face.
"Yeah, sorry, its just a bit much for me. I just need a moment to rest before I can get back into it" he responded.
"Haha I understand, this is my environment so its easy to forget that others can struggle with this kind of social event. I guess how you're feeling is a bit like how I first felt when I got my vision - absolutely overwhelmed with everything going on, and not sure what to do or how to do it... I ended up taking on a foe much stronger than I could handle and well..."
"Yeah... I guess it does feel a bit like that, haha..."
They sat together for a moment, feeling the crisp night air. It wasn't long before Aether was ready to go back in, he steeled himself, preparing to return back to the party, though before they could return.
"Hey! What the hell are you two doing out here?" a loud, voice rung out.
A few men approached the duo, wearing fancy tailored outfits Aether assumed that they too had come from the party.
Their gait was awkward and stunted - these men were drunk, heavily so.
"We've been looking for you all over the place Furina, come back to the party and have some drinks with us! Hehe-hic" another one of them spoke.
"I'm alright, thanks, I'm not drinking tonight"
"That's a lie! I saw you with a glass of wine earlier!" the third spoke.
"No-nooo, grape juice. Definitely grape juice for me."
"Surely someone as high class and refined as yourself would realize that grape juice isn't served in a flute Furina! How far you've fallen, it must be the fault of that wild, unrefined man next to you... But don't stress, if I was your partner instead, I'm sure you'd be back on the right path in no time at all!"
"Hey, what are you saying?" Aether started, standing up, walking aggressively toward the man.
"Wait, just let me handle this" Furina whispered to him.
"Truly I appreciate the offer, though I believe you simply don't see the hidden class in the Traveler - sometimes a gem's true value isn't obvious at face value, after all."
"Hah! Gem? That brute of a man could only be called coal! Only worth anyone's time for manual labour. Every region he goes to is plunged into chaos, hell, he's even a criminal in at least four!"
"Ex-criminal!" Aether interjected.
"A criminal none-the-less!" the man took a step toward Furina, forcefully grabbing her arm.
"Lets head back to the party, why don't we. I can even treat you to a dance mademoiselle!"
"Hey, back off!" Aether said, shoving the man away.
The drunk mans grasp was weak, and he stumbled back awkwardly, almost tripping over himself.
Aether, unbuttoned his cufflinks - pulling up the sleeves of his suit, this wasn't the best outfit to fight in, but if it came down to it, he was more than prepared to take them all on at once.
"Hey hey hey, this is a night for celebration, no need to fight after all haha~" Furina let out an awkward laugh, trying desperately to de-escalate the situation.
"Let this brute throw a punch to show off what a neanderthal he really is! The only thing unrefined savages understand is violence, after all!"
"Hey, Aether, you realllly don't want to mess with these guys - you might be able to beat them in a fight but they'll make it their life's mission to make both your and my life hell from this day forward."
If it was him alone, he wouldn't care about his status - he only had one goal in this world after-all, and that didn't rely on him being in the good graces of the aristocracy.
But the other part of him was torn, he didn't want to ruin the status one of the few he could call "friend" during his time in Teyvat.
So, he looked for other options. It was clear that these men couldn't be calmed down, they were goading him into a fight, though if he didn't throw the first punch, he knew one of them would in an effort to get him to retaliate.
That only left one option - flight.
The four men surrounded them in a semi-circle - there was no clear route back into the venue where they could slip back quietly into the crowd, and going through them wasn't an option... So he'd just have to make his own path. Grabbing Furina's hand, he dragged her away from the party, running into a nearby alleyway.
"Hey! Where are you going? Follow them! He's trying to kidnap her!" one of the men shouted.
"H-hey slow down! I'm wearing heels, I'm going to trip!" Furina spoke, awkwardly trying to keep up with the Traveler who grasped her hand so tightly.
That was an issue, though perhaps not the biggest one with his plan. The alleyway he had entered was one way, ending in a tall brick wall. An impossible barrier to get past.
At least, that's what the average person would think.
Acting as soon as the thoughts entered his head - he picked up Furina in both arms, preparing to unleash his elemental powers. It had been a while since he had last used them, having a pretty peaceful time in Fontaine, he was glad to finally have the chance to use his powers once again.
Utilizing the power of geo, he created small platforms to launch himself off using anemo - powerfully leaping up to the roof of the nearby building.
"Get down from there you thief! Do you even know who I am? You better come down this instant!"
Ignoring their cries, he leapt from building to building. Doing so without his glider was dangerous, but he had confidence in his athletic abilities, and that confidence was well placed. Furina on the other hand was not nearly as confident, clinging on for dear life, her arms hung tightly around his back, her head firm against his chest - eyes closed which she preferred to looking at the ground metres below.
Before long, they had made it to the west wall of Fontaine, separating the city from the sea. Along the wall was a broken aquabus line, one which once headed out to Elynas in the Beryl region. There they chose to rest, Furina finally relenting her grip as he put her down.
The two sat down on the edge of the bus line, legs hanging off the side.
The moon glistened, diffusing and bouncing off the waves. The noise of the city had all but dissipated - they were too far out to hear the cheers of the party, the gardes walking the streets at night. And the air was crisp - clean, and fresh, unlike the "dirtier" air in the city.
Aether looked over to Furina, who herself was looking across the water, mesmerized by the ebb and flow of the waves crashing against the walls of the city. He had yet to say it out loud, he didn't know why - it would've been a good cover for their fake date, but she really did look gorgeous - ethereally so. The way her eyes glistened, reflecting the light from the water, her soft hands he had felt not long ago holding onto the edge of the concrete, and how her legs kicked back and forth off the edge of the line hypnotized him in a way that he hadn't felt in a long, long time. It didn't help that the outfit Chiori had made accentuated all of her best parts, she was a damned devil, that seamstress was.
Though as he gazed at her, he noticed something about her dress.
"Oh Furina - your dress, its... ripped. Are you hurt?"
"No-no I'm fine, its just superficial damage" she said, still looking to the sea.
"That's my fault I'm really sorry, I was rash and..."
"It's fine, Traveler, seriously", Furina turned around, facing Aether - she had that same gentle, beautiful smile from their dance on her face, putting his mind at ease.
"Are you sure? I should have enough mora left over from my commissions to pay for repairs-"
"Hey! If I say its fine, it's fine, okay?" she said, now lightly pouting, "It's not like I was going to use this dress again, I was going to return it to the boutique to be recycled into other outfits - one outfit, one event is the norm when you're as famous as me, after all."
"Oh is that how it works?"
"Maybe you'd have known that if you didn't wear that one outfit all the time! You should come shopping with me sometime, I can already think of plenty of outfits you'd look dashing in hehe" she giggled.
He scratched his head, "yeah, I might need a raincheck on that one haha".
The two laughed.
"You are a bit rash though, aren't you" Furina started.
"Eh?" Aether responded in surprise.
"I remember when we first met - you'd crossed the sea from the Sumeru desert, which in itself is crazy, and a pilgrimage that few have successfully completed. But back when I personally greeted you - the Archon of the nation, and challenged you to a duel, you pulled out your sword! That scared the heck out of me for... obvious reasons, nobody had ever done anything like that to me before!"
"Haha yeah... sorry about that, I didn't quite pick up that you weren't meaning "duel" in the traditional sense"
"And then soon after, during the trial of the magicians - Lyney and Lynette, you stood up for them, pro-bono, without even knowing if they were truly innocent, you just trusted in your friends that much!"
"Well, I ended up being right! Though it was a bumpy ride..."
"Oh, and lets not forget when you came in place of Neuvilette to that... "tea party" I had with the Knave. I know you have bad blood with the Fatui, and coming to help me who had been nothing but awful to you up that point... I can't explain how relieved I felt when you walked through that door, though I couldn't tell you or show my relief outwardly at the time."
"And then finally, when you reached out to me at the final trial... I know we've talked about this before, and you said that you had entirely selfish motivations - wanting to know more about your sister but... I'm not too sure about that. I mean, in the moment I felt betrayed, like there was nobody on my side but looking back - all of you were just looking out for me and the greater Fontaine"
"I guess I just felt in those moments that I had to do the right thing, no matter what obstacle I'd have to pass"
"That's what I mean. You're rash, but that's not always a bad thing. And you know what? I'm appreciating this peace and quiet a lot right now hehe~".
Her words had a way with him, melting the last of his heart down to a gooey liquid. It truly was peaceful.
"Do you get to do this often?" Furina asked.
"Do what?"
"Just sit outside and look at the stars"
"I guess I do, yeah. Being an adventurer and all I've had to spend more than a few nights in a tent in the wild. Though not so much now that I have my nifty little teapot realm."
"I like the stars... I didn't get to see them much, I rarely left the city back then and even when I did it was never unattended, usually a member or two of the Maison Gardiennage would escort me if I ever left the bounds of the Court. So moments where I did get to sneak away were precious."
"I didn't realize just how important that could be to someone Furina... my sister and I we've always been free spirited, never being tied down to one place - or really letting anything at all tie us down."
"Haha, must be nice... though, I myself am not really tied down by my previous life now either. I really appreciate the newfound freedom I've been given. I think I'll still continue to live my life the way I am, it's just part of my nature to be in the spotlight, but at the same time I also really appreciate that I don't have to have my "mask" on at all times anymore, sometimes I can take it off... like now, with my dear friends."
She looked him dead in the eyes, her gentle smile once again piercing his mind.
Then it slipped.
"You're so beautiful..."
It was said lightly, he didn't even realize that the words had left his lips before it had reached her ears.
"W-what!? Where did that come from?", her previously calm demeanor had all but disappeared, replaced with a bright crimson blush, flush across her face.
"Sorry it just kinda... slipped out" the Traveler scratched his head.
"You can't just say things like that out of the blue! Geez, you've got me all flustered... and I thought I'd prepared myself for this at the party... why'd you save it until now?"
Aether laughed, "like I said it really did just slip out... but I mean it, Chiori did a fantastic job with your outfit"
"Oh, so its the outfit you like, not me?"
"That's not what I mean-"
"I'm teasing Traveler, I really aught to teach you on how to pick up on social cues sometime" she giggled.
"Anyways, its about time I head back to my apartment. I think the party is well over by now, and we probably wouldn't want to head back there anyway. You don't mind uh... helping me back down to the city, do you?"
"Not at all, mademoiselle."
A short leap and jump back down to the streets of Fontaine was all it took. Furina clung even tighter to Aether than before, though outwardly she didn't seem as scared. Even after they had safely reached the ground, she refused to be let down stating that "her feet hurt from walking around in heels all night". He suspected that was a half-truth.
Before long, however, they had made it back to her apartment. Fortunately Furina had informed the landlord that she'd be back later tonight, so the key the front door of the block was left inside one of the potted plants beside the building. Finally Aether could let his arms rest as he let her down.
"Thanks for showing up and following along with my crazy little plan and all... I really hope it paid off. I think the act was pretty convincing, though, you did a good job."
"Really, it was all you, I didn't do much - it was no problem at all."
"It was! I was super selfish, and wasn't really thinking of you... now that you've annoyed those rich men they're going to look for revenge on you too..."
"Seriously, Furina, I don't care about my reputation - as long as they don't go after you, all is good in my mind. It wouldn't be the first time I've had poor reputation in a nation."
"That's true I guess but... thanks."
"Say... Are you going to stay in Fontaine for a while?" Furina asked.
"Unfortunately not, I have plans in Sumeru, so I've booked a ticket to Bayda Harbour tomorrow morning. Guess that'll also help with the whole "reputation" situation until it calms down."
"That's a pity... you know its kind of funny, we were supposed to be "dating", but at the end of it, we didn't really get to spend that much time together huh..."
"Yeah... sorry about that."
"Say, do you want to crash here tonight? I have a couch set up in the lounge you can sleep on. It's very comfortable - trust me, I may or may not have accidentally slept on it a few times during some late night reading sessions..."
"Nah, I have to get Paimon, she's probably awoken from her food coma now and is freaking out that I'm not nearby."
"That makes sense... well then, at the very least then you could promise me that the next time you're in the Court of Fontaine, we'll hang out for a whooole day~"
"I promise."
"Hehe, I'm looking forward to it. One last thing though."
"What?"
"Could you... close your eyes?"
He wasn't sure why she was asking, but he trusted her, so, he closed his eyes.
He could feel the brisk cold air of the Fontainian night on his face, and soon, a light press on his cheek.
She didn't tell him to, but he opened his eyes as Furina snuck behind the door of the apartment complex, only her head poked out from the side.
"I'll see you next time, Traveler dearest~"
"Where the heck did you go!? Paimon was freaking out! Paimon thought you died! Wait, you aren't dead, are you?"
"I didn't die Paimon... I'm as flesh and blood as the day we first met."
"Phew, well Paimon's glad to hear that. Still, Paimon doesn't forgive you for ditching like that, what were you even doing!? You owe Paimon at least five lunches for the amount of trauma you put me through! Do you know how many reporters came up and swarmed Paimon? And they weren't even asking questions about Paimon herself, it was all about you and Furina!"
Aether patted Paimon on the head, "Sorry Paimon, I promise I'll buy you the biggest lunch you've ever had tomorrow once we're at the harbor".
"Hmph! You better! Though hey... what's that mark on your cheek?"
"What mark?" Aether asked.
"There's a bright blue mark on the side of your cheek, it almost looks like... paint?"
It didn't take Aether long to figure out what the "blue paint" on the side of his cheek was.
"Oh yeah... paint, yep, that's paint. Crazy accident, you wouldn't believe me if I told you the story..." he spoke, spitting on his hand and hastily rubbing it against his cheek to try wipe the mark off.
"Oh really? Well, Paimon is a very trusting person, you can tell me about everything you did as we head back to the Flueve Cendre."
"Right..."
A while later, Court of Fontaine
As Furina walked through the city, the streets were rife with chatter. The sun shone brightly down on the city, and all was well. She'd been bombarded that morning by reporters looking for an exclusive interview. They had done so for all of the past week, it had been a while since it had been this bad. Some part of her missed the entourage she used to have to protect her from the rabid reporters, though as she walked through the streets in a more discrete outfit, to avoid bringing attention to herself, she took a moment to appreciate the freedom she had once more.
"Feeling like you want to keep up with the news, Miss Furina? You almost never buy the paper!" Hubel, the owner of the newstand said.
"Not especially, no" Furina responded.
The newspapers at the store were filled with click-baity headlines, almost all featured pictures of the duo on the front page. Some were negative, though not as many as she expected.
Next, she headed to the Steambird, with one goal in mind.
"You want one of my photos from the event? Oh I'd be more than happy to!" Charlotte spoke, showing Furina the many, many pictures she took last night using her trusty Monsieur Verite.
Furina picked out one she liked before heading home.
On one of her tables, one that had been sorely neglected for a long time - previously covered with the "useless crap" she'd picked up in droves soon after she had left the Palais Mermonia. There she put that picture in a frame, and next to it left the newspaper as a reminder. Both of the night, and the promise.
She smiled.
"Stay safe, Traveler. I hope that we'll meet again soon."