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Before, Furina was dynamic. She was a sight to behold, truly. She could command the attention of everyone around her, capture it with complete and utter ease.
Clorinde had never thought much about it. That’s just how Furina was. That was the beginning and end of it. The Hydro Archon was a performer, and Clorinde had a permanent front row seat. It was her duty to protect her. Of course, as a Champion Duelist, Clorinde had many duties, but there was a reason she followed Furina so closely. She might not officially be considered a protection detail, but that was what she was.
Clorinde did not pretend to be close with Furina, but then… she did not think that anyone could be considered close with Furina, aside from perhaps Neuvillette. Even then Clorinde would caution a guess that not even Neuvillette saw her outside of her constant performance. No one did.
Until one day… the performance ended.
Magnificent and brilliant, Furina’s performance came to its amazing and yet brutal end.
And Clorinde finally saw the truth of Furina, laid bare now that there was no one to perform for, no one to keep up the act for.
Fontaine was saved, the flood halted.
And Furina lost the role she had played for hundreds of years.
At first, Clorinde was not certain she would have considered the role lost. No, Furina had been freed from it. Clorinde could not fathom performing as Furina had for so very long, guarding earth-shattering secrets as fiercely as possible. Surely—Surely it felt as if she’d been freed.
But then…
It was as if the life itself had drained out of Furina, as if with her role gone, she no longer knew what to do with herself, how to live.
And then Clorinde thought about it again.
If she played a role for hundreds of years, disappeared into it, and then that role was washed away, leaving behind nothing in its way but a person you no longer remembered how to act like…
Perhaps Clorinde would not know what to do with herself either.
Which was why and how she found herself outside the apartment building that Furina currently lived in. She’d gotten the address from Neuvillette, who had seemed rather relieved that someone had asked for it. And Clorinde had to admit, she was not impressed with this building. It was not the worst accommodation she had ever seen, but it was nowhere near the best. The building was in desperate need of some upkeep, and Clorinde got the sense that leaks would be common based on how old the windows were, which of course meant it would be sweltering in the summer, and freezing in the winter.
But there was nothing Clorinde could do about Furina’s choice of living quarters.
She did not have a key to get into the building, and while she had the skills to force her way inside, she did not attempt to do so. Despite her desire to see Furina, she wasn’t so impatient, and it would do the court’s reputation no good if its Champion Duelist was caught breaking into apartment buildings for no discernable reason.
So she waited. And she waited. And she waited.
About an hour and a half into her impromptu vigil, the door to the building creaked open, squeaking as loudly as Clorinde would expect from such an old building.
Furina stepped out, her expression strangely blank. Such an odd thing, to see her face devoid of emotion. Once upon a time, Furina was the most emotive person Clorinde had known, even moreso than Navia.
But now she had learned that much of that emotion had been overexaggerated, heightened for the sake of the one-person show she performed.
How freeing must it be, to not have to constantly worry about the emotions you projected…?
Regardless, that did not mean that Clorinde liked seeing such a dull and blank expression on Furina’s face.
In a smooth movement, Clorinda rose from her place sitting on her bench across the street from the apartment building. “Furina.”
The former Archon startled, her eyes blowing wide as she whipped around to find the source of her name, and Clorinde could not help but smile at the surprised shock on Furina’s face.
So not all the emotion had been wrung out of her.
“Ah. Clorinde.” Some of the tension flowed out of Furina’s body, but not all of it, leaving a crease between her brows and harsh line to her shoulders. “What are you doing here?”
In swift strides, Clorinde crossed the street, meeting Furina on the doorstep of her building. “Forgive me, I asked for your address from Monsieur Neuvillette.”
The tension in Furina’s shoulders somehow managed to double, which was not the reaction that Clorinde had been hoping for. “Why?” she asked, the suspicion practically dripping from the word.
Clorinde tilted her head, confused by the suspicion and hostility. “I wished to see you, Lady Furina.”
Furina scoffed and turned her head away. “You do not need to call me that, Clorinde. I am not to be considered a lady in that sense anymore.”
“You are still my Lady,” Clorinde insisted. Even if Furina was no longer considered Fontaine’s Archon, that did not change that Clorinde had worked closely with her for years. “What you did for Fontaine—”
Furina held her hand up. “It doesn’t matter Clorinde. I’m sure you have duties to be attending to, and I am no longer one of them.”
“I am here during my personal time,” she said.
Furina blinked, seemingly surprised that Clorinde would wish to spend her free time with her, before she let out a small breath and shook her head. “Well, I’m sure there are plenty of things you could be doing with that time. What was it you wanted from me? I’ll try and make it quick so you can get on with your evening.”
Clorinde’s fingers twitched, and she resisted the urge to reach out and touch Furina in some way, lay her hand on her shoulder, or perhaps take her hand. She had never touched Furina outside of emergencies before, and she doubted it would be welcome now. “I’m not here because I need something, nor was I hoping for this to be quick. I came to check on you, Lady Furina.”
Furina’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
Why? What kind of question was that? Clorinde had watched and observed her for how long? Of course she could tell immediately when something was not right with Furina.
And now, something was incredibly wrong.
“Because I was worried about you,” Clorinde said simply. “In the wake of everything—”
“I’m fine,” Furina hurried to say.
Clorinde stared at her, certain the disbelief was obvious in her expression. “You’re certain?”
“Quite!” she exclaimed. “I’ve landed on my feet.”
“No one has really seen much of you since… everything,” Clorinde said, doing her best to make her voice soft rather than accusing. “We are… worried.”
Furina stared at her, her blue eyes glinting in the fading evening light. “Why?”
“Why wouldn’t we be?” Clorinde asked. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I’m not who I said I was,” Furina said, her voice wobbling.
“That’s not quite true,” Clorinde argued. “Even if it was, there’s more context than that. You don’t deserve to fade away in obscurity after everything you’ve done for Fontaine.”
“No one would have me after what I’ve done,” she said.
“Done what?” Clorinde challenged. “Saved the nation? Never mind that, I am here, am I not, Lady Furina?”
“And why are you here, Clorinde? Truly?”
It was strange, to be challenged like this. Clorinde was not used to having to explain herself. She merely did what she set out to do, and everyone around her trusted her enough to just let her do it. She was not often questioned. She did not often have to explain herself.
Honestly… she was not the best at it.
“Because I care about you,” she said, unsure of what else she could say. Was that much not obvious? Had she not made it clear enough that Furina meant more to her than her role as the Hydro Archon of Fontaine?
“I don’t understand,” Furina said as she shook her head. “I’m not the Hydro Archon. I’m not—”
“I am not here for the Hydro Archon,” Clorinde interrupted. “I am here for Furina.” Clorinde took a step closer, leaving mere inches between them. “Wherever you are planning on going tonight, let me accompany you?” she requested.
Furina opened her mouth, hesitated, then closed it, before eventually nodding. “I would like that very much, Clorinde.”
The duelist held her hand out.
Delicately, Furina took it.