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The light directly above the cafeteria is uneasily flickering when the Traveler and Wriothesley sit down. The Duke glances up, his mouth set in a grim line, like he's already committing to memory another thing he has to take care of. Aether watches him tensely for a few seconds before deciding to break the silence.
"So… how is everything in the Fortress?"
The Duke's attention snaps from the lightbulb to Aether. His face relaxes slightly. "You can be rest assured that Dougier's been taken care of and won't be able to hurt anyone again, and that all his victims are healing nicely."
Paimon frowns. "Paimon's concerned… when you say that he's been take 'care of'..."
Wriothesley smiles slightly. "He's still alive, Paimon, if that's what you're implying. However, he won't be very happy once I figure out how to punish him."
"Death would be too kind of a punishment for someone like him," Aether mumbles, then flushes when he sees Wriothesley look at him curiously. He clears his throat. "Paimon, why don't you go see what's happening in the kitchen with our meals?" He still has some questions he wants to ask the Duke.
As Paimon flies away, Wriothesley leans forward on his forearms. "I'm guessing you want to talk to me about my reaction to Dougier."
"Perceptive," Aether smiles. "No wonder you're the Duke."
Wrtothesley's expression turns pensive. "I suppose I've learned to be, in this job. I wasn't always, though." He sighs as he seems to steel himself to do something. "Aether… " Aether starts a little at the use of his actual name, but leans in nonetheless. "What I'm about to tell you might change your perception of me. I'd just like to warn you of that."
"Okay," Aether says quietly. The Duke was gearing up to something big, he could feel it.
"I believed I had a very good childhood for a long time. My parents took care of me and my siblings and were loving and attentive. It was not until I was older that I realized that my perfect 'family' was a front for child trafficking. We were either sold or… disposed of. When I found out the truth, I could only think of one way to save my adoptive siblings." He pauses for a second, closing his eyes and exhaling slowly. "I… I will spare you the details, but I permanently took care of them one night when they were sleeping. I then took myself to the Opera Epiclese and turned myself in. My trial was the next day and I pled guilty to all charges. I have been in the Fortress since. It was only through Neuvillette that I was able to stop resenting myself for not being perceptive enough sooner, and come into this position. That was why I was so… incensed, for lack of a better word, when I found out about Dougier's plan. I had vowed never to be so blind once more to someone's cruelty, and yet it had happened right under my nose… again."
"Oh, Wriothesley," Aether whispers, unaware of his hand reaching out to clasp the Duke's until he felt his calloused palms under his own.
Wriothesley looks down at their joined hands, a little bemused. "I don't tell you this for pity, Aether. Only so that you understand why this has transpired." He hesitates, then forges on. "I am in the Fortress of Meripode because I am a criminal, make no mistake."
"No," Aether says. "No. You killed two people who deserved a whole lot worse than a quick death, Wriothesley. And even if that weren't the case, I'm hardly in a position to judge." He swallows, hard. "I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of ever since I've come to Teyvat. There are a lot of deaths on my conscience. Focalors, for example… even if she was always prophesied to die, I'm still the one who led Furina to that court. People have sacrificed themselves for me. There are so many others who I don't even know the name of. I should probably be in the Fortress, too," Aether tries to laugh but it comes out a little short and broken.
They both stare at each other for a second, and in a rush to make the moment less charged and tense, Aether fumbles around for something to say and lands on—"Do your adoptive siblings ever… come visit?"
Wriothesley's expression shutters, and Aether immediately knows that was the wrong thing to say. "They… have all since moved out of Fontaine. It was difficult to adjust to living here after everything, so I believe they found solace elsewhere." He laughs once, short and bitter. "I can only imagine."
"Do you wish you could leave?" An idea is forming, half-baked and silly, even for Aether's standards. But he's looking at the Duke and all he can think about is him being 15 and sitting in the stupid opera house, being punished for something he did to save his siblings. Wriothesley, alone as a child in the Fortress, when it was a much worse prison than it is today. Wriothesley now, still doing his best to save people from a similar fate even when he was punished so harshly for it.
"Not Fontaine. Never Fontaine. But the Fortress… " Wriothesley sighs. "Well, who doesn't want an escape from their life sometimes? Especially when mine is literally in a prison." He snorts. "Well, you wouldn't understand. Your whole life is traveling."
"It can be lonely, not having a place to call home," Aether shrugs. He's trying to lay the bait subtly, but subtlety has never been his strong suit.
Screw it
, he decides, and he sends it. He brings out his teapot, and a silver teaspoon, a key of sorts that he is able to give to friends who want to access his home.
Wriothesley instantly brightens at the teapot, and Aether sighs in relief. So he already knew what Aether was going to offer, and he didn't appear weirded out in the slightest. That was good news—
"A spot of tea," Wriothesley says happily. "That is absolutely what we need to lighten up this conversation. I have several blends in my office—Neuvillette gifted me way too many not too long ago. Do you always keep an entire teapot on you? It's quite impressive."
Aether groans. "Oh no. No, no. That's… not what this is. It's, um. Well. It's actually my house."
Wriothesley levels him with a dry stare. "The teapot. Is your house."
Aether rushes to explain, blushing. "It's a little difficult to understand, but it's actually an adeptal realm. As in, there's a lot of magic within it to make it an actual space and not just, well, a teapot. I mean, you can take a look… but what I was getting at is that I have a lot of empty rooms, so…" Aether starts floundering here. "And that teaspoon is a key. To, um, my teapot house. Like, if you just wanted a break from the Fortress. Or something."
Wriothesley just stares at him.
Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea. "I actually just finished redecorating my Fontaine realm and it's really nice. Like, not to brag. And I mean, it'd be kind of a waste to let those rooms go to waste." His entire face is flushed pink now. I'm not… asking you to like, live with me… not really… " he trails off as Wriothesley reaches over and plucks the teaspoon out of his grasp.
"Do I get to pick my room?" he asks, grinning. There's a suspicious mist in both of their eyes, but both of them politely do not acknowledge that.
Aether huffs out a laugh, in disbelief. "Yeah, sure. I mean, Childe's… oh man. I didn't mention. Childe has a key too. He probably already has one picked out."
Wriothesley laughs at this, a real, mouth wide open laugh that has Aether almost pinching himself to see if he was dreaming or not. "You have a thing for taking in strays, don't you?" the Duke asks.
Aether ducks his head. "Only the cute ones."