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Arlecchino never cries…
At least, that’s what Furina thought.
It had been a few months since her Archon status had be stripped away, a few months since she had moved to live in her own place within the city walls of Fontaine.
She had seen Arlecchino around from time to time, and they had exchanged a few words, but that’s about as far as they had gotten. Furina still had a gnawing fear at the back of her head whenever she saw her, but now…?
Furina’s eyes widened in confusion.
Arlecchino was currently sitting with her back up against the fountain, her head in her hands. She definitely wasn’t expecting anyone to be here, the night was calm, the only noise being the sound of rushing water and the quiet shaky sobs coming from the tall woman.
“K-Knave?” Furina asked in a hushed tone, not quite believing what she was seeing.
Arlecchino’s hands gripped her head harshly, her nails digging into her scalp. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sudden voice.
She released a shaky breath before clearing her throat, she quickly rose to her feet and immediately loomed over Furina, causing the latter to take a step back.
“Lady Furina,” Arlecchino’s voice was stern, Furina was shocked at how she could portray such little emotion after witnessing the literal Knave cry.
“K-Knave! I-I’m sorry for intruding, I was just taking a nightly stroll and-”
Arlecchino raised a hand, “Please. It’s quite all right. It is a nice night after all.”
Furina gulped, “O-Oh, yes. It is.”
With a deep sigh, Arlecchino turned slowly to look at the fountain, her eyes fixated on the running water as she tried to control the inner turmoil of emotions that were flooding through her.
Furina took a few cautious steps, moving to stand next to Arlecchino. She held her hand to her chest, not entirely sure on what to say… She had just caught Arlecchino in a vulnerable situation, a situation which she had never of thought would happen.
“I can hear your heart racing,” Arlecchino said, her hands clasped behind her back, her eyes still locked on the fountain.
“I…” Furina trailed off, daring to steal a glance towards the Knave’s face. The latter briefly looked down and caught her eye, Furina quickly looked back down and tried to cover her head with her hat.
Another sigh left Arlecchino, “You’re probably wondering why I was… not myself.”
Furina bit her lip, “I don’t need you to tell me. It’s not my place,” Furina was honestly surprised she hadn’t been killed where she stood. How was she even alive after seeing Arlecchino like that?
“Stop being so rigid,” she said in a demanding tone. Furina soon allowed her tensed shoulders to drop, “Better,” Arlecchino nodded, glancing down at the shorter woman. She looked back to the fountain, “As for what you saw… It was a rare moment of vulnerability. I apologise that you had to see me in such a state.”
Furina furrowed her brows in confusion. Why was she apologising.
“Knave-”
“Please, Lady Furina. Arlecchino is fine.”
Furina felt heat rise to her cheeks, “O-Okay. Arlecchino. And please, just Furina.”
“Furina,” she immediately corrected herself, a small smile appearing on her face.
“A-Arlecchino… If you don’t mind me asking. Why were you crying? I-It was quite a surprise to witness you like that.”
The silence was loud.
Furina was mentally preparing herself to run in the opposite direction, she momentarily feared for her safety.
But then, Arlecchino spoke, “I suppose I can tell you,” her voice was surprisingly soft, catching Furina off guard. As if Arlecchino hadn’t surprised her enough already, she held out a hand towards Furina, “Walk with me, Miss Furina?”
She didn’t know what paranormal being had possessed her, but she took the hand without hesitation and allowed the taller woman to pull her along. Furina had always been intimidated by Arlecchino’s height, but another part of her was intrigued.
“I-I don’t wish to force you, Arlec-”
“Nonsense,” she waved her off, slowly releasing Furina’s hand, “Lets head to the coast. Fontaine’s waters look rather endearing at this time of night.”
Furina walked by her side, “O-Oh, I’ve… I’ve never really ventured away from the main city or the Opera Epiclese. The last time I did that, we found out that some guy hired someone to murder his lover…”
“Hmmm… Now that’s quite an unexpected story. You should tell me sometime.”
Furina bit her lip, kind of surprised that Arlecchino was even indulging in her. She took a harsh gulp, almost deciding not to follow...
Arlecchino lead Furina down some steps, they eventually made it to a grass verge before heading down towards the sand. The trip was agonisingly long.
The two remained in silence as they peered out over the waters, lights from the nearby city of Fontaine reflected off the ocean.
Furina took a deep breath as the cool ocean breeze hit her face. A part of Furina absolutely hated the ocean… It always brought up bad memories. Five hundred years of trying to stop the Primordial Sea from consuming all of Fontaine…
“I apologise if the scenery makes you uncomfortable,” Arlecchino turned to her, “It was not my intention.”
“I-It’s okay-”
“Miss Furina. I can tell it is proving difficult for you. We can depart if you’d prefer?”
“No!” Furina shook her head, “It’s quite all right Kn- Arlecchino.”
Furina could’ve swore she saw a brief flicker of a smile flash across the Knave’s face, “If you’re sure,” she nodded, before taking a deep breath, “Now… Regarding my vulnerability. It’s quite a complicated story. Only a few people know of it.”
Furina was shocked. Why was Arlecchino so willing to tell her if it was something so personal and private?
“Please. Take your time,” she finally said.
“It starts with the House of the Hearth… Back when I was but a young child, before I became known as ‘Father’,” Arlecchino grabs Furina’s hand without warning, causing the shorted woman to squeak in surprise. She lead her over to a couple of rocks to sit down, Furina couldn’t help but shake as Arlecchino’s releases her small hand.
Furina stuttered, trying to hide her blush, “W-Why are you even called F-Father?”
“I’ll get to that…” Arlecchino nods, her eyes darted back to look out over the waters, “I used to have a friend. Clervie. She was my only friend in the house. We dreamed of running away together, abandoning the house. We didn’t agree with what was happening. We originally had a ‘Mother’. She was actually Clervie’s biological parent. She trapped us in an endless cycle of abuse and cruelty, both physically and mentally. Even Clervie wasn’t safe from her own mother’s hits and slices.”
Furina was shocked to hear Arlecchino talk like this. Her voice was strong but the pain in her eyes was clear. She never expected the Knave to show any sort of emotions.
“I actually tried to convince Clervie to kill Mother… Because I was indeed too weak.”
Trying to lighten the mood slightly, Furina chuckled awkwardly, “N-Not like you are today then.”
“Oh, trust me, Furina,” a chuckle of her own escaped her, “Everyone has weaknesses, myself included. I just choose not to show them.”
Why did that genuine laugh make Furina’s heart flutter?
Before she could speak, Arlecchino continued, “Mother would make everyone in the house duel. It was always a fight to the death,” the shakiness in her voice was evident, “And… Eventually, it became Clervie’s turn to duel… But her partner was me.”
Furina’s heart ached for the Knave, already catching on to what was coming.
“I… I killed her. I won. Well- I lost, technically. I lost the only friend I had. In her dying breaths she told me that she wanted me to win. She wanted to die. It was the only way to escape the house,” Arlecchino’s heart was pumping hard, her sharp nails dug into her thighs, “I lost control. I killed Mother in a fit of nothing but pure rage. To this day, I still regret not killing her sooner. Clervie would’ve still been alive.”
“Arlecchino…” Furina whispered.
Arlecchino smiled again, turning her head to look into Furina’s mismatched eyes, “She’d be proud. I know… After Mother’s death, it was my turn. My turn to lead the house. I refused the title ‘Mother’. I wanted nothing to do with her, so I took on the role of ‘Father’, instead. That was the day I also chose the name Arlecchino.”
“Y-You-” Furina raised an eyebrow in confusion, “Your real name is not Arlecchino?”
She shook her head, “No. I wanted a fresh start. I wanted nothing to do with who I was before I became Father.”
“Is it… Is it okay if I know your old name?”
“Peruere,” Arlecchino sighed, “Clervie could barely even say my name, she’d always call me Perry.”
“Peruere…” Furina whispered, a small smile appearing on her face, “It’s quite a beautiful name.”
“Hah, thank you, Miss Furina. Although I hope you continue to refer to me as Arlecchino.”
“O-Oh! I’m sorry. Arlecchino is pretty too! I mean- you’re name is pretty- I-” she said all that a bit too loud, causing a blush to spread across her face.
Arlecchino leaned forward and moved a strand of white hair out of Furina’s face, “Thank you. Miss Furina.”
“J-Just Furina…”
Nodding, Arlecchino retreated, “Apologies,” she paused briefly before continuing, “So now you know. The reason I was feeling rather vulnerable tonight, was because I have never given myself the time to grieve. Those were amongst the first tears I have shed for my dear friend.”
Furina could sense the pain in her voice whenever she referred to Clervie as just a ‘friend’. She suspected that the feelings actually ran deeper, but now was not the time to press.
“I… I’m grateful you trusted me with all of this, Arlecchino.”
“It’s the least I could do after how I treated you, Furina. I must admit, I was quite harsh to you. And all this time, you were carrying too much weight upon your shoulders.”
“Oh, it’s okay now. I did my part.”
“Please do not downplay what you did for Fontaine and its people, my dear. You have acted for too many years to continue to act now. I can feel your pain and sadness, and I think it's about time you allowed yourself to let it out. You were burdened for five hundred years, and yet that did not deter you. Your strength is admirable, and I’m sorry you had to go through all of this alone,” she reaches out to gently take Furina’s hand into hers.
“I… Thank you, Arlecchino. You’re the first person to…” Furina’s own eyes started to tear up.
“Surely, I’m not the first to acknowledge what you did?”
She sadly nodded, much to Arlecchino’s dismay.
“Hm,” Arlecchino frowned, “Not even the traveller?”
She shook her head.
“Unbelievable,” she scoffed, squeezing Furina’s hand in comfort, “I hope my words have meaning, Furina. Because what you did for Fontaine, nobody else would. I am proud of what you did.”
Furina turned her head, allowing the tears to fall, “I-I’m sorry, Arlecchino. Here I was to hear you out and comfort you but now-”
“My dearest, Furina. Please do not worry,” she leaned over, sitting on the very edge of the rock, intending to be as close as she could to the former Hydro Archon, “We were lucky to have you as our Hydro Archon. You are as much of an Archon as every other, if not more,” her free hand came up to cup the girl’s cheek.
Furina’s breath hitched in her throat as Arlecchino looked into her eyes. Furina’s fear of the Knave was drowned out by the genuine look in her eyes… If she was being honest, her fear had actually disappeared the moment Arlecchino had started to open up to her about her past.
“Thank you, Arlecchino…”
Arlecchino’s thumb brushed some of the tears away, her nail scratched deliciously against her skin.
On instinct, Furina couldn’t stop herself from letting her eyes flicker down to the Knave’s lips. The latter noticed, her lips parting slightly in surprise.
“Miss Furina-”
Furina’s own body moved forward, her lips colliding with Arlecchino’s, the pair both gasping at the contact.
Arlecchino’s eyes fluttered close as she continued to stroke Furina’s cheek, her other hand was still firmly planted in Furina’s.
The kiss was soft, yet desperate. Arlecchino couldn’t help but let out a satisfied chuckle as she pulled away.
“I-” Furina started, her eyes snapped open, ready to apologise for acting so impulsively.
“Lets meet for coffee,” Arlecchino said, cutting her off.
“H-Huh, wh-”
“Coffee. Tomorrow. At that little cafe you like.”
That kiss was without a doubt out of impulse, the atmosphere and the attention and the connection were key factors. So why did Furina want to kiss her again?
“O-Okay,” Furina nodded, “I’d love that,” she licked her lips, still trying to get over the fact that she had just kissed the Knave.
That was her first kiss. Five hundred years and she had finally...
“I’ll clear my schedule, Lady Furina~” Arlecchino noticed the laboured breathing from Furina.
Furina rolled her eyes, pushing away from Arlecchino’s grasp, “I-It’s just-”
“Just Furina, I know,” she let out the softest chuckle, causing the butterflies in Furina’s chest to flutter.
“E-Exactly...”
Eventually, Arlecchino stood and offered a hand, “I believe it is time for us to depart, Furina. Allow me to escort you back home?”
Furina blushed as she took her hand, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet, “My thanks, dear Knave.”
Furina’s eyes consistently darted towards their intertwined hands as they walked. She couldn’t quite believe what she was getting into with the Knave. The tall and scary woman who inflicted fear wherever she went.
But Archons, she was excited to find out.
-TLD-
“Hmmm… What about Clervie?”
Arlecchino’s eyes snapped up towards Furina’s as she lifted herself up, “You… You want to...?”
Furina smiled, still lying down on her back on the bed, “Yes, Arle. Clervie sounds perfect. If you’re okay with that?”
The taller woman had to take a moment, her fingers danced across the bare skin of Furina’s stomach.
A single tear managed to break past Arlecchino’s walls, dropping down her cheek.
Furina quickly sat up, not caring about her body being exposed to the air as the sheets dropped, “Arle? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-” the panic in voice was growing.
“It’s perfect, droplet,” Arlecchino’s voice was quiet, but filled with pure love and content.
Furina sighed in relief before she cupped her dear Knave’s face in her hands, kissing the stray tear away, “Then it’s settled. Clervie.”
Arlecchino moved her hand back towards Furina’s stomach, rubbing protective circles. She pushed the shorter girl down onto the bed before lowering her mouth to press kisses against her belly before resting her head there gently.
“Clervie…” Arlecchino’s voice shook, she couldn’t stop the smile from gracing her face. Soon, another tear fell as she felt a light kick against her cheek.
Furina’s own eyes shine as she looks down at her lover.
Arlecchino never cries…
Furina decides that’s not true.