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The Primordial Seawater incident gave the House of the Hearth quite a heart attack. One of the youngest, Freminet, nearly drowned because of that godforsaken water. If it wasn’t for Clorinde, he wouldn’t be here.
In the many weeks that came after the incident, Freminet has been making more of those little mechanical penguins and gifting them to Clorinde. He doesn’t feel like saying “thank you” is enough to repay her for saving his life.
It weighs on his mind more than he thought it would. It’s noticeable too; Lyney and Lynette have been more worried about him lately. Oddly, so has Arlecchino. Of course, Freminet, being terrible at expressing himself, always brushes them off, saying that he’s fine.
The same old lie he always tells whenever he’s nowhere near “fine”. He’d hate for anyone to worry too much about him. He’s not exactly the most useful or interesting person.
He talks to himself, and a mechanical penguin that doesn’t understand a word he says. Somehow though, he feels seen and heard in Pers’ company. He feels safer underwater, where there’s no people to talk to, and there’s just the sea-life.
For Clorinde, she’s appreciative of Freminet’s gifts, but she’s also worried about the kid. She knows how shy he is, how often he hides himself away from the world just to feel safe.
She often overhears him comparing himself to his brother and sister. He admires the two, that’s for certain. He loves his siblings, but doesn’t seem to love, let alone care for himself. He’s the tragic kind of selfless.
She didn’t save him because she had to. She did it because it was the right thing to do. She wasn’t going to let Freminet drown in the Primordial Seawater. That’d be cruel, and Arlecchino would likely murder her, if Lyney and Lynette didn’t get to her first.
Nonetheless, Clorinde knows that Freminet needs closure, but she’s not going to force him. She’ll wait patiently until he decides to talk to her.
[…]
The nighttime breeze rustles through the bushes near the beach. Though the Court of Fontaine is right behind him, Freminet feels far enough from home. The salty smell of the ocean gets stronger as he continues to wander towards the water.
The bags under his shimmering blue eyes are proof that he doesn’t sleep properly. He sets Pers down beside him as he sits down on the sand. It’s smooth and cold, just like always.
He doesn’t expect anyone to find him, let alone come looking for him, which is why the sound of footsteps startles him half to death.
Thankfully, it’s not a bandit, and it’s just Clorinde. He glances up at her shyly, half tempted to put his helmet on.
“Good evening, Freminet.” Clorinde says flatly, though her voice seems to soften a bit.
“A-Ah! Miss Clorinde…good evening to you too…” Freminet manages with a nervous smile.
An awkward silence hangs in the air for an uncomfortable amount of time before Clorinde speaks again.
“Freminet. I know there’s something you want to talk about. But I won’t force anything out of you.” She says flatly as ever, sitting next to the young diver.
“Uh…right…I-…I just…” He starts speaking but trails off, like he usually does.
Clorinde doesn’t say a word, knowing that Freminet has got to say something before it completely overwhelms him. She doesn’t look in his direction, knowing that most autistic teens like himself don’t like being stared at.
She knows just how much Freminet doubts himself. He always compares his own skills with that of Lyney and Lynette’s, as if he’s nothing special.
She knows for a fact that isn’t true. If Freminet wasn’t special, then why is he one of the very few people capable of fixing complex mechanical issues? Clorinde is genuinely confused as to how he came to the conclusion that he’s not special.
The silence seems to get louder the longer that he holds back. Eventually, the quiet is too loud for him.
“…Miss Clorinde? Why did you save me?”
“…Because it was the right thing to do.”
“Oh…I still don’t know how I could ever repay you for that…empty “thank you”s don’t feel good enough…”
A few seconds pass, with not a word from either of them.
“There’s no need. A “thank you” is enough for me. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“R-Really?”
Clorinde just nods firmly as she stands back up.
“You should head home, Freminet. Your siblings are worried about you.”
Is all she says before heading back to the Fortress of Meropide, leaving Freminet alone with Pers.
[…]
The front door creaks quietly as Freminet pushes it open, a solid thunk following as he lets go of it. The gentle sound of the fireplace crackling calms his nerves a little.
Almost instantly, Lyney pulls him into a tight, warm embrace, followed by Lynette. The two always seem to know how Freminet’s feeling, which makes him feel better.
“Are you alright, Freminet?” Lyney asks immediately, always worried about his sister and brother.
“…mhm…I’m alright…” Freminet mumbles softly.
“I’m going to make tea soon. Do you want some, Freminet?” Lynette inquires in that ever-present blank manner.
“Mm…yeah, that sounds nice.” He answers quietly.
Arlecchino, who was passing through the hallway, glances at her children. For just a moment, she softens, letting out a fond huff of light amusement. She continues with whatever she was doing, feeling a little less colder than before.