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Boring. That’s truly the best way to describe the Teapot that the traveler uses. Though their friends are free to come in and out, very few choose to stay there for long periods of time.
Furina is one of them. After everything that happened to her, it was a serene place for her to go to avoid people who would bombard her with questions or aggressive stares. The only people from Fontaine that could come here were people who’d forgiven her and understood her. Not to mention she’d get to meet all kinds of new people from different nations.
For now though, she was relaxing in her room. A cup of tea next to her bed and a blanket over her lap. Her salon members lay next to her, sleeping peacefully with their own blankets. As Furina turned the page in her book, a gentle but firm knock echoed through her room. Her salon members awake at the noise, unwrapping themselves from their cuddle pile.
“Come in!” Furina calls, grabbing the bookmark from her night stand and sliding it in place.
A woman she hadn’t yet met here walked in. She stood tall and proud, walking into the center of the room. As she took each step, the bells on her mask jingled, yet her feet made no noise as she padded across the floor.
The woman gives a deep bow as she stands in front of Furina. “Hello. My name is Kujou Sara.” Her voice is beautiful. Commanding but soft, able to lead an army but comfort a child.
Furina sets her book down on the nightstand and moves the blanket off of her so she can sit on the edge of her bed. Furina’s salon members get up from her bed too, approaching Kujou Sara.
“I’m Furina.” She smiles as Kujou Sara stands up straight once again. “Is there something I can help you with?” She asks, watching as the salon members look over the Inazuman.
“Not exactly. The traveler has decided that you and I will be joining them for a while. I’m already acquainted with our other two party members, so I would like to learn about you before we fight together.” Despite the salon members poking and prodding at her, she doesn’t acknowledge them or even seem bothered by them.
“Oh! Well in that case, of course!” Furina’s face lights up a little. “What would you- Crabaletta cut that out! What would you like to know?” She yelps, watching as Crabaletta readied up to attack Kujou Sara.
“Nothing in particular, I think simply having an umm… A chat would suffice.” Kujou Sara says, like she doesn’t quite know if chat would be the right word to use.
Furina stands up from her bed, nodding. “Alright. Well, make yourself at home. Would you like a drink?”
Kujou Sara looks at the small table on the other side of the room, analyzing the seats before taking a seat in the stool. “If you’re offering, I’ll have black tea. Thank you very much.” The general offers an awkward smile at Furina.
“Nothing in it?” Furina asks, pulling out a kettle.
“I’m not generally one for sweet things. They make me less alert.” She explains.
Furina lets out a noise of acknowledgement. “I guess I can’t offer you anything to eat then. My apologies.”
Kujou Sara thinks for a moment. “Well, what do you have, Lady Furina?”
“Sweets, mostly.” The hydro user giggles. “But I love a good cake, so I have some of those. A few Fontainian specialties too. Hmmm… Maybe dark chocolate macaroons would be something for you to try?”
Furina turns around, the tea bag resting in the hot water as she walks over to Kujou Sara, taking note of her seating choice.
“Dark chocolate macaroons? Sounds interesting; I think I’ll try a few if you wouldn’t mind.” Kujou hums, nodding a little.
“Ah okay! It’s quite bitter so it won’t go the greatest with your tea but I’ll get you some!” Furina trots over to her kitchenette and opens a cupboard and pulls a dark brown box out.
Pulling out a dessert plate, she places a few macaroons onto it in a cute stack, two on each other and one against the small tower. Picking up the plate and box, she’s careful to walk to keep the macaroons from falling off the plate.
Placing them in front of Kujou Sara, Furina claps her hands together gently and smiles at her. “Here! And if you do like them, you’re free to have the rest of the box. Bitter things aren’t exactly my style.”
Kujou Sara nods, a small smile gracing her lips before she picks up her tea and takes a small sip as Furina grabs her drink from her nightstand. Making her way to the table, she sits in front of Kujou sara, taking a drink of her own tea.
They both sit there, awkwardly staring at each other and drinking their tea. After a point, Kujou reaches for one of the macaroons, taking a bite out of it before her eyes light up. Swallowing the macaroon, she speaks.
“This is quite good. You said they were a Fontanian specialty?” Kujou Sara asks.
Furina nods. “Yes, they’re sold at my favorite bakery. I’m glad you like them. And as I said before, you’re free to have the rest of them.”
As Kujou Sara eats, a question pops into Furina’s head.
“Also, you’d mentioned that the traveler wants us on a team. Who’re the other two joining us?” Furina asks, tilting her head a little.
Kujou Sara takes a moment to swallow the food again before speaking. “Lesser Lord Kusanali and Bennett.” She states.
“Oh I’ve been with them before. It’s interesting that they didn’t have the Raiden Shogun join us instead.” Furina muses. “With our abilities, it would make more sense for her to join us.”
Kujou Sara’s face scrunches up in distaste at the mention of the Shogun. Furina takes quick notice and covers her mouth, eyes widening.
“Oh, I’m sorry! Did I upset you? I don’t mind you being on the team, I just thought it was an odd-” She’s cut off as Kujou Sara shakes her head and begins to speak.
“No, I understand what you meant, do not worry. I am just not fond of the Shogun.” She begins, taking a sip of her tea.
“Any reason why?” Furina asks, tilting her head.
“I was a general in her army during the Vision Hunt Decree. Her familiar - Yae Miko - had found me as a young Tengu in the forest and raised me as a warrior. I was groomed to be the perfect soldier and devotee for the Shogun, adopted by the Kujou clan to become nothing but a warrior.” She shook as she spoke.
“I was not allowed to be a part of human society, and punished when I had made friends. I spent every single day devoting my entire life to her. And even with that, the Raiden Shogun doesn’t even know who I am! I had dedicated my life to her and her idiotic ideals and all I’d ever received in return was abuse!” She slams her hand down on the table, shaking it and scaring Furina’s salon members as her voice raises.
“I was never able to experience normal human society because of her and the Kujou clan and I never will! I was indoctrinated into a cult made for her to preach her idea of eternity! I hope to never see that woman agai-” Kujou Sara’s eyes widened when she realized she had been yelling. She covers her mouth before standing up from her seat.
Taking a long stride, she quickly kneels on Furina’s floor, folding her legs under her. Touching her forehead to the floor, Kujou Sara talks once again.
“Please forgive me, Lady Furina. Such an outlandish outburst was completely uncalled for and I am deeply sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken out of line. I will accept any punishment you deem necessary.” She apologizes, her head still to the ground.
Furina sits there, stunned for a moment, staring at the woman in front of her.
“I- You’re perfectly fine, Kujou. You clearly needed to get that off your chest. I couldn’t dream of punishing someone for speaking their truth.” She explains, her voice soft as she slides to the ground in front of Kujou Sara. “Please, sit up.”
Kujou Sara slowly lifts her head from the ground, though still remaining partially bowed. She looks up at Furina, mild shock wove its way onto her face.
“Are you sure? As an Archon, I would have to assume you would be close to her. I’ve just insulted a god in another’s presence, surely it would be blasphemous.” The electro user says, confusion clear in her voice.
Furina laughs, shaking her head. “Oh goodness no! I was never an archon. I only acted as one in place of Focalors. I hold no ill will against Ei but it is not my place to tell you how you should feel.” She smiles softly.
Kujou Sara is quiet for a moment, thinking.
The Tengu finally nods after a beat, sitting up properly. “If you insist. Thank you deeply, Lady Furina.” She bows again, deep still yet far from touching the floor.
“You don’t have to call me lady. Furina is just fine. Besides, while that outburst was startling, it did let me get to know you just a little. So all was not in vain.” She giggles, standing.
She offers a hand to Kujou Sara, and the warrior takes it, standing up too. They both take their seats at the table once again, as the salon members reenact the scene that just unfolded next to them. Furina finishes what’s left of her drink before speaking again, looking over to Kujou Sara.
“Well, since you’ve shared all of that with me, I think it’s only fair that I share something myself.” She remarks, setting her empty cup off to the side.
Kujou Sara nods a little. “Only if you’d like. What I shared was deeply personal and I don’t expect you to match it.” Another macaroon is eaten.
“It’s alright. Some things need to be said to be able to put them to rest. I won’t delve deep, seeing as we most likely don’t have the time for it right now, but I will still tell you some of it.”
Furina takes a deep breath. “I am the human half of Focalors. Brought to existence by her to defy the heavenly principles. I played the role of Archon for about five hundred years, with absolutely no one knowing the truth. Only Neuvillette, my closest friend, knew the truth. I was cursed with immortality to continue the performance for however long I needed to.”
“It all came to an end when the public found out that I wasn't the real Hydro Archon, and Focalors was sentenced to death. The only time someone was to be executed.”
Furina's shoulders shake. “I also never got to experience being a human, and with the entirety of my home knowing that I was a false god I don't think I will.”
Kujou Sara looks at Furina, eyes filled with understanding. She looks around a little, thinking about how to word what she wanted to say.
“Perhaps,” Kujou Sara starts. “Perhapse we can experience being human together. Neither of us ever will be truly human, but maybe that would mean doing it together would be easier. We'd understand each other better than anyone.” She offers, an awkward smile on her face.
Furina's eyes light up, and she gasps. Grabbing Kujou Sara's hands, she speaks excitedly. “That would be amazing! Having someone who truly gets me to spend time with!” She smiles widely, and Kujou Sara can't help but return it.
Furina's smile falls, not in sadness but in thought. “Pardon my asking, but what exactly is a Tengu?” Furina asks the other woman.
Kujou Sara's eyes widen slightly and a small blush creeps up her cheeks. “Oh, I guess I didn't really explain what it is. Tengu are a yokai from Inazuma, a supernatural being of sorts. There's a lot of nuances but in the very easiest way to describe being a Tengu, I'm sort of a hybrid of a human and a crow.” She explains.
“That's so interesting!” Furina smiles.
“Like I said, there's much more to it but I don't think you want to hear about that right now.” Kujou Sara shrugs a little.
“I would love to hear about it at some point!” Furina beams, eyes practically sparkling. “Wait! Does that mean you have wings?!” Her grip on the Tengu's hands tighten.
“I do.” Sara nods a little.
Furina looks over Kujou's body, eyebrow quirked. “Hold on, then where are they?” She asks.
Kujou Sara glances away, cheeks dusting a soft pink. “They're always there. I just hide them to blend in to humanity a little more.”
“Can I see them?” Furina asks gently, seeing the mild discomfort of the woman in front of her.
Kujou thinks for a moment before nodding. “Sure.” She stands up and Furina's eyes follow her body excitedly.
Taking a breath, Kujou Sara closes her eyes and flicks her arm out. In an instant, two sets of wings open from her back.
Furina gasps, covering her mouth in excitement, eyes glittering as she stares at the black wings. “They look stunning!” Furina praises, standing up.
“May I touch them?” She asks, looking up at Kujou Sara.
Her blush deepens as she looks at the false god, nodding a little. “You may.”
Furina's hands gently reach to the feathers, running her finger tips along the plumage. Kujou Sara shutters at the feeling, but does nothing to stop the hydro user.
Furina examines the wings for a minute, gently opening and closing them with the permission of Sara.
“They're absolutely stunning.” Furina smiles, standing in front of the Tengu again.
Kujou Sara smiles a little. “Thank you.” She says softly.
“Oh yeah, when are we supposed to join the traveler?” Furina asks, sitting back down.
Sara clears her throat a little. “Tonight at sunset. So about four hours.” She states, taking her own seat, leaving her wings visible.
“Lovely! That gives us more time to get to know each other.” Furina smiles widely. “Would you like some more tea?”
Kujou nods. “That would be nice.”
Three people stand outside the teapot's house, chatting idly between themselves. Nahida sits on her swing as Bennett excitedly rants about all of the things that could happen, with the traveler echoing his excitement.
The sun had begun setting a couple of minutes ago, painting the sky in beautiful yellows and pinks. Despite the excitement, their attention is split between each other and glancing at the doors. It was rare, if ever, for Kujou Sara to be late, even if by a minute. So when she wasn't standing at the side at the moment of sunset, they began to worry.
Yet, it all washed away as Kujou Sara opens the door for Furina, with the shorter woman giggling and chatting about this and that with the Inazuman.
“What the…” Bennett mumbles, confused.
Nahida tilts her head. “I hadn't expected them to get along so well.” She says.
“Neither did I.” The traveler spoke. “But you know what they say; Opposites attract.” They chuckle a little.
“I guess you're right.” The Dendro Archon hops down from her swing. “It'll make things easier. They won't be at each other's throat, though I wonder if Furina might talk to Kujou Sara too much.” She suggests.
“Why do you say that?” The traveler asks.
Nahida giggles a little and looks up at the blond. “How else would someone like Kujou Sara be so late to something?”
“That's fair enough.”
Furina smiles widely and waves to the rest of the party excitedly, grabbing Kujou Sara's hand and running to them, the smallest of smiles left on Kujou's face as she follows closely behind.