#while neuvillette is just so... LOST about what it means to be human and to razor focused on what's right in front of him

[inundatae]

i do think it is exceedingly frustrating that we don't have a lot of information on the governance of fontaine. and in particular how much of an active role neuvillette has in it. especially in regards to the missed opportunity of what this leadership means to neuvillette.

we have this man who, while human shaped, is so far removed and isolated from humanity, placed in a position of having to rule them. especially when neuvillette at the start of his tenuredisdained humanity and likely would have been glad to see them removed from the equation or at least have nothing to do with them.

how lost in the weeds can he be focusing on merely the administrative aspects of ruling fontaine? he doesn't leave his office as we've had several instances of his own people being excited and shocked to see him and furina herself trying to push him to go out and interact with people more. then we have navia who straight up says that neuvillette has such a black and white view of the world, that he cares more about following the letter of the law than anything else. it's no wonder his lens of fontaine is through whatever crosses his desk. that he overlooks so much since this man just does not read between the lines.

but with the conclusion of his sq and fontaine aq, i have a small hope that moving forward he takes this opportunity to make fontaine better. he has people at his side who have experienced the ugly parts of fontaine and i truly hope that he sets up a system in which said people are given more power and influence to set up the change that fontaine needs, basically for neuvillete to stop being the one man gonverment that he's become and for that power to be spread a little more and for him to step away from tasks that shouldn't require his personal attention and allow him to focus on actively ruling.

quite frankly i really don't think he should remain as the chief justice as that's such a time consuming role for someone who is supposed to be ruling a nation. or at least he shouldn't be presiding over too many trials unless they're very super critical and necessary for his attention.

[yuellii]

“Your eyes are very pretty.”

In the incandescences of the night, Neuvillette feels heat rush to his cheeks in a matter of seconds. The sense was not quite unfamiliar, but it was certainly inexplicable considering it only came from your compliments alone. Perhaps it was the words you used, so casually thrown at him in a manner like this. He always felt this way when you were alone together.

Watching as you lean forward against the railing of the bridge, he chooses to reply: “You’re pretty, too.”

Your eyes widen. The moonlight mirroring the sea before you instantly illuminated the surprise in your expression, and he panics. Was he not supposed to say that? Should he have used a different word?

At this rate, he’s lost control of his heartbeat.

But then, you smile so brightly, it rivals the sun that has already set so soon. He feels the beating in his chest calming ever-so slightly, because your smile centered the notion that you weren’t upset with him. “Is that a compliment?” you lead with lingering laughter. “Did I just receive a compliment from you, Monsieur?—from the ‘heartless’ Chief Justice Neuvillette?”

At first, he was a little saddened at the fact you would believe such rumors that spread around the Fontainian citizens. Because they hurt him, inevitably—being deemed stone-cold and apathetic while he tried his hardest to understand human emotions. And those words coming from the mouth of someone he secretly loved—someone he truly wanted to understand him—well, it may have hurt him a little more than it should’ve.

“Does my outwardly presentation…” he began quietly, solemnly staring down into the calm water, “really look so unkind?”

The smile was swiped from your face immediately once you realized he took offense. “No, no, I was only joking, good Monsieur!” you quickly assured. Neuvillette found it difficult to swallow—if it was just a joke, why did he feel a sting in his chest? Perhaps this was yet another section of human speech he had to learn. “I just felt it was rare,” you looked up so kindly concerned at him, “to hear you say something like that. It was really nice, actually.”

‘Really nice?’ You were satisfied with him just speaking his thoughts? Because truly, he’s thought about how pretty you are, and every synonym to rival beauty—every day, he’s thought it. And today was the first time he’s ever voiced it.

“But,” he looked back at you next to him, confusion clouding his face, “you should know it. You’re very pretty.”

He watched as embarrassment flooded your face the moment he spoke those words. And now, he was even more perplexed. He was not even trying to get you flustered; he was only explaining why his compliment wasn’t necessarily a compliment ( but instead, a fact ) in the first place, so why were you suddenly so shy?

“I mean it,” he reinforced when you shoved your face into your hands. Did he have to explain more? “I’m sure everyone who knows you thinks the same way, so it should be common knowledge that—”

“Oh, Monsieur,” you cut him off in pure self-consciousness, “you’re such a sweet-talker even when you’re not trying to be!” Was he really? And then you laughed, staring up at him with a joyous little crease under your eyes. “And to think, here I was, trying to compliment you first...”

He cleared his throat as he cast his gaze down to the water again. “Ah, you don’t need to do that…”

What was this bubbling feeling in this stomach? His head, his abdomen—all felt so light, like he was sparkling inside and ready to float to the heavens. But his throat was dry and his lungs felt plugged, as if he could not utter another word without choking himself. This was all so unfamiliar to him, but he didn’t think he hated it, at least.

“Oh?” you raised an eyebrow at him. “But I do think your eyes are pretty”—he looked away shyly once more—“and it should be ‘common knowledge’, as well.” Using his own words against him, how cruel… Could you not see how red his face was getting? How fast his heart was pumping? He could only pray that you couldn’t hear how loudly it was beating in his chest. You thought his eyes were pretty… His eyes, the very same ones people thought looked cold and emotionless. But you thought they were pretty.

Oh, he might just dissolve right now.

“You should know it, good Monsieur,” you grinned up at him. A grin that held a glint of mischief granted from the moonlight, and yet, he could not ignore the gentleness of genuineness that also radiated from your expression.

The more you look at him with such tenderness… He might just finally learn what human love really is.

[baeshijima]

u know what would be a cool genshin fic idea? isekai/transmigrated reader, but instead of appearing within the general timeline, you come into the genshin world 500 years prior to the start of the storyline in khaenri'ah.

honestly it could be either a little before the cataclysm, giving enough time to delve into some relationship building + explore some world building with characters like dainsleif, traveller's sibling (which would probably be lumine bc i actually do like her as abyss sibling & aether as traveller), and npcs like halfdan (still crying over him to this day ;w;) and possibly the khaenri'ahn royal guards (assuming you either join them or have a good enough relationship with them), OR it could be you appear during the crisis, completely and utterly lost as to why you were brought amidst the chaos and bloodshed as you watch everything you barely knew about this nation crumble before your very eyes.

either route will still result in reader's existential crises and constant "why am i here? just to suffer?" monologues because really, who would be fine after going through that after coming from /our/ world? and not to mention you've had to endure the next 500 years wandering with no real set path because you don't know this world— this era of teyvat or of genshin. you're merely stuck, unable to die, and forced to live a life of uncertainty with no clear direction for you to go to.

despite it all, you've at least been able to see dain during this course. while your meetings pass far too quickly for your lonesome, and his solemn demeanour is something you're yet to be accustomed to after having been with him before the fall of khaenri'ah (assuming it's the route where you appear before the cataclysm), you're glad to see a familiar face every now and then. after the messy departure with the lumine who left for the abyss order, you've come to appreciate his quiet presence more and more each time.

and then you decide it might be time to settle. you soon realise it's difficult to do so when your lifespan has become far more than that of a human's — of a mortal's — and so you find yourself becoming used to staying in one place for a few years before setting off for the next. rinse and repeat. over and over. it's come to a point where you've witnessed the nations undergo various changes each time you visit. you know change is inevitable, and yet your heart stings each time you witness it; a testament to how the world is ever-changing, yet you're stuck in place as a bystander.

one thing you're grateful for, however, are the bonds you've established amid your back-and-forth over the centuries. from archons like zhongli and venti to long-life beings such as neuvillette and the adepti to regular mortals who have showed you kindness as if one of their own... you've grown to cherish those memories, often reminiscing them when the nights get too long and surroundings too quiet. it was difficult at first, and still is, but you've become used to the inevitable change and the passing of those you once knew.

and after 500 years, you find yourself face-to-face with one you haven't seen since before you appeared in this world; the protagonist of this world, and the one you eventually join in hopes of finally finding a means to an end, aether.

little side notes/extras:

from /our/ world, you would probably know the storyline from up to around current (5.0) or maybe a little after the fontaine aq conclusion. it gives a lot to work with, but you definitely won't remember a lot of the lore after so long other than some main events, especially since most of your knowledge is pretty irrelevant for the next 500 years,,,

i think it would be cool if you had an inteyvat on your person as a little homage of khaenri'ah, which may or may not invoke some opinions from certain characters (*cough* aether immediately being reminded of lumine and having an existential crisis *cough*)

post-cataclysm you would go through a, uhm, long phase of helplessness, wondering why you were even brought to this world so far back if you couldn't even make any contributions. it does eventually morph into a resolution to do what you can to help those you come across if it's within your capabilities, but the nightmares and helplessness come back every now and then as a reminder for what you can't do :D yippee :D

honestly i'm on the fence whether you would have a vision or some other type of abilities (think on the similar lines of aether/lumine's and dain's), but i think having some type of purification mechanic would be a must in your arsenal !! would definitely lead to some moments between you and characters like dain or zhongli who suffer from the erosion as you give them a slight reprieve from what rages within and corrodes them

a little self indulgent, but i'd like to think your first /proper/ meeting with zhongli happens during a lantern rite festival, wherein you're admiring the lanterns in the sky after making a wish of your own and he comes up from behind with "they're beautiful, wouldn't you say so?" and !!

also as for love interests, as much as i would love for human/mortal characters, a part of me feels like this story would be better suited for the immortal/long-life characters as love interests?? idk i feel like considering that 500 years is, well, a long time, the bonds you would have with them compared to characters like, say, alhaitham or diluc would be way too different ?? though i would definitely still add them as love interest bc i am a sucker for so many of the human characters ;w; it would also add to the angst and hurt/comfort ahahha...

anyway thank you for reading this massive brain dump of a fic bc i absolutely would put this as a long term project, and if u made it this far then i would like to say that dain solos—

[kingconia]

ROOK, JADE, LEONA AND MALLEUS WITH S/O, WHO IS LIKE NEUVILLETTE FROM GENSHIN IMPACT

(AKA. IT RAINS, WHEN THEY WANT TO CRY)

Malleus Draconia. 💚

— Everyone seemed more or less intimidated by you and your appearance, but Malleus thought that both of you were a lot of alike actually! You acted similarly, and even Lilia joked you being soulmates;

— Your personality and origins were a big mystery for others, and the only person you spoke about it was the headmaster himself. Only after that he decided that it was logical for you to become the housewarden of the Ramshackle, a new opened house just for you;

— Hiding your true identity and being away from your homeland and the same time was hard. Missing something was a challenge already, but not being able to speak with others about that made it even worse. And since you couldn't cry like other humans... The rain started;

— Malleus didn't connect dots instantly, rain wasn't necessarily a rare occasion in their world after all. But, well, it was strange how more often and often it rained now. And, somehow, the weather always matched your mood. So, he decided to investigate himself. By threatening headmaster. Of course, it worked.

•

”I guess, we are more similar than I originally thought,” Malleus offered you a short smile, sitting down on your right side, shoulders pressing together.

”Lizard and dragon, what a wonderful match,” you muttered, but your voice seemed weak. ”I lived a thousands of years, Malleus. I know what grief means. Yet, grieving dead people is one thing, but the lost world of yours is... Another. That is not something I know how to deal with, for now.”

He couldn't relate, but he found it strangely comforting how similar both of you were. The way you were created, the way you thought.

So, squeezing your hand, he said quietly:

”Then, cry, my little dragon. Cry, while it hurts.”

And the rain continued.

But this time it felt lighter. And so did you.

Jade Leech. 🩵

— He found it intriguing how easy you felt under the water, how much you knew about his world, and how quite comfortable you felt, when he was in his true form;

— Though, he might or might not, missed out a lot of strange quirks of yours—for example, staying under water for hours, without needing to breath—due to his poor understanding of humans;

— But as soon as he realised it, he started watching you more closely. That was when he decided to pay attention to frequent rains and storms, too. How strange... He even went that low to provoke you in a fight, to see if it rains now, when you are sad;

— It did. Jade completely ensured himself that whoever you were, you weren't human.

•

”A water dragon?” He looked at you curiously. ”And not a mere one, but the original one?”

As you nodded, Jade felt the corners of his lips curling in a small smile. Somehow, he was more proud of you than he felt anything else. To think, that you practically seemed to be the Underwater Ruler in your world!

”It must be tough,” he commented, stroking your cheek gently. ”To become nothing in our world, when you were everything in yours.”

You shrugged, leaning in his touch eagerly.

”When you live thousands years, statutes stop bothering you, Jade. But I do miss times, when I were allowed to be in my dragon form freely. I miss the ocean.”

”That is why it rains so much recently, love?”

You nodded, and Jade made sure to kiss both of your cheeks gently, before giving a promise:

”I know, it is not replaceable, dear. But I will take you to our ocean. And then, you will be free for a while again. Will that make that?”

And when it started raining again, right after these words, gentle drops changing with more intense ones, Jade knew: this time, it was the tears of happiness.

Leona Kingscholar. 💛

— He felt that something was wrong with you from the first seconds, because the smell was off. It was reminding him of Malleus, but not really? Slightly like Azul's, too, but once again, not too much alike;

— Anyway, Leona had his own suspicions, but he ignored it, because at first you really wasn't that close. For him, you were another minion, and when he realised that you are powerful enough to beat him, he was too mad to care;

— Then, both of you became close, and only then Leona started examining you more closely with each day. He did a lot of researches about sea creatures, trying to understand what he missed out, but couldn't find anything in particular in their world to fit you;

— Much like Malleus, annoyed the headmaster for an additional information, but wouldn't use in against you directly...

•

”This rain is annoying,” Leona hissed, eying you with a poorly hidden expectance. ”I can't nap in the most of the places, because the grass is wet, now.”

You didn't even bat an eye.

”You can always find peace in my arms,” you said in your usual calm tone, not really catching his hint. ”No need to sleep on the ground, Leona.”

”Isn't that strange, though?” He tried again, trying to look as careless as possible. ”You know, in the Afterglow Savanaclaw we have this old saying...”

You raised your brows in a silent question.

”They say, if it rains, then it is the water dragon who cries.”

It was a lie. There was no such saying not in the Savanaclaw, not anywhere else, because his world was lacking a water dragon at all. You knew that, of course. You already sought for finding your own kind here, but failed miserably.

So, your eyes widened in the shock as you stared down at him, gloved hands gripping your cane tightly.

”Well,” Leona looked away awkwardly. ”The water dragon can find their comfort in the lap of the lion, by the way.”

Your breath hitched, when you realised what had he meant.

Leona didn't ask you to start spitting all confessions aloud. He didn't want you to tell stories about your past, unless you wanted to do it yourself. He just offered his company.

”Is that an old saying too?” You asked, trying your best to smile.

”...Yeah. I think so, anyway.”

As you slowly fell on his lap, a forehead pressed to his shoulder, Leona felt first drops of the rain falling on the top of his head again.

Helplessly, he hugged you tighter.

At least, you weren't alone anymore.

Rook Hunt. 💜

— Rook understood that you are an animal from the beginning, he just couldn't understand which one. And that was intriguing;

— It was clear for him that you owned some habits that was animalistic. But whose it was, that he couldn't tell! He only realised that you had a long tongue—sometimes, you darted it out—and missed your, presumably, long tail. You were a water creature in his eyes, too. That's for sure. Rook even started to wonder if you were an alligator...

— As a good hunter, he keeps track of the weather as well, noticing everything. So, yes, another strange thing was the fact that with your arriving it started to rain madly;

— In the end, Rook came to conclusion that whatever you were, your kind didn't exist here. So, he decided to confront you directly. When he realised that you were a special one even in your home... Oh, Rook was so excited.

•

”The most special ones are the most lonely ones, mon doux miracle,” Rook muttered in the crown of your hair, kissing it gently, almost in the motherly way. ”But, oh, don't you worry, mon amour éternel, I would be by your side.”

Both of you soaked in the water completely as it rained terribly. Rook didn't mind. Instead, he dragged both of you in middle of the forest, under the gloomy sky, allowing you to feel every single of your emotions fully, without hiding it.

”Do you hear me?”

”I do.”

You hugged him tightly, and he couldn't help but sigh in the strangest awe, when he realised how much power was hidden inside you all the time. How you restrained yourself all these months.

His dragon. His little, perfect dragon.

”Thank you, Rook.”

”You are welcome, ma belle catastrophe.”

And then, the rain stopped suddenly. Instead, the sun came out, kissing Rook's cheeks lazily as if rewarding him for being able to tame such a terrible thing as you.

He smiled, hiding himself from the sun's rays.

He didn't really need them, when he had his midnight rain already.

[thirteenducks]

rest for the weary

(neuvillette x fem!reader) [sfw]

༻❁༺ content: fem!reader (reader is referred to as 'girl'), no established relationship

༻❁༺ word count: ~1.9k

༻❁༺ tags: sickfic? sort of?, mild hurt/comfort, gentle and tender Neuvillette, being overworked, fainting, neuvillette is sexy in a paramedic kind of way, crimes against gloves, almost-crimes against pastries, "you will be taken care of So Help Me" neuvillette, very self indulgent, can you tell i'm a college student

༻❁༺ author’s note: blame my mutuals for putting talk about neuvillette being gentlemanly and kind on my twitter feed. this is their fault and also the four glasses of sangria i drank before i wrote this

Neuvillette would like to believe he understands human behavior quite well by now. What he does not understand is their tendency to be self-sacrificial to the point of exhaustion. When your stress reaches a fever pitch, he steps in.

You don’t remember if it was the fatigue or the hunger that you noticed first. Both have been on the fringes of your consciousness since you left your bed early this morning. Right now, they’re kept at bay only by a lingering headache that worsens as you step out into the clear day.

The beautiful azure of the morning sky above. The flocks of pigeons that dapple the steps of the Palais Mermonia like sunlight through leaves. The hum of the Court of Fontaine as coffee sales begin for the morning. All are lost on you as you forge ahead, feet barely clearing the cobblestone below them.

The papers on your desk, stacked high and demanding attention, are all that your bleary eyes register at the moment. Anything else is secondary.

As much as your conscience would contend it, your current predicament isn’t entirely your fault. Sure, you had procrastinated a bit when the pile of records was first assigned to you, and maybe hadn’t chipped away at it the way you could’ve if you planned ahead. 

For a gestionnaire, though, it’s also just that time of year when the clouds pour rain daily and the opera house sees a never-ending rotation of cases.

So if that means some sacrifices on your side are required, you’re willing to make them for the good of the Court. You’re certainly not the only one, either. The circles under the Chief Justice’s eyes always grow darker during the rainy season; you hope he’s taking better care of himself than you are.

Once you’ve gotten rid of this batch of paperwork, you’ll be free to rest for a while, you tell yourself. You can take a break. Maybe you could walk to that cafe down the street with the nice cashier and get yourself breakfast, if the rain isn't too bad by midmorning.

Your knees waver under you as you carry the precarious stack of records to the threshold of your office. On second thought, maybe you should ask if they offer delivery.

The low murmur of a familiar voice, a pleasant bass melody, reaches you as you step out into the plush carpet of the hallway. It floats through your dizzy head like syrup.

Good. You won’t have to walk far to give these to Neuvillette, then. You’re not sure your feet would carry you all the way to his office anyway, and you’d rather not field any uncomfortable questions about your health from such an esteemed man. 

Assuming what you hope is a pleasant expression, you approach the Iudex and Sedene as he bends at the waist to inspect a bump on her antler. 

There’s a very becoming look of concern on his face, you notice. It must be nice to be the focus of such care.

The unfazed voice of a Melusine comes from somewhere below you: “I promise it’s just a mosquito bite, Monsieur. I must’ve stood around the docks for too long this morning.” 

“Even so... I would administer some anti-inflammatory soon, Sedene. Please don’t neglect your health,” he chides as he pats her head affectionately.

Neuvillette rises again to his full height, catching your eye as you draw near to him.

A fetching smile upturns the corners of his mouth. He greets you with a stately nod, holding out his right hand for your stack of records. Your gaze flits to his other hand, currently engaged by an apple turnover.

Ah. A gift from a Melusine, no doubt. You hope he enjoys it, even if a part of your brain wants you to snatch it for yourself.

If Neuvillette catches the way your eyes linger on his breakfast, he doesn’t mention it. What he does is quirk his head to the left in a silent question as he continues to stand with his hand outstretched.

Oh, archons. How long have you been standing in front of him with a blank look on your face? Too long to be appropriate, certainly.

Clearing your throat and forcing a smile, you take a step forward to hand off your pile of papers to him. Only, instead of making contact with the floor of the hallway, your shoe falls into thin air as your other knee buckles and your back falls towards the carpet.

As your consciousness slips, you feel a cool hand snake around your waist.

Your head goes limp, bouncing a bit with the impact until the pastry drops to the carpet and Neuvillette’s other gloved hand comes to cradle the back of your neck.

He’s caught you. He wishes you were awake to instruct him what to do next.

He lowers you to the ground softly, brow creased with worry. Sedene stands next to him with a similar expression, holding the turnover she saved as it fell. 

“Sedene. Bring me a pillow from the sofa in my office, please. Quickly.”

The Melusine salutes and she darts off. His eyes never leave your face as he kneels, large frame bent over you protectively.

Releasing your waist, he brings a hand up to his teeth and tugs off the glove in a smooth motion before resting his bare fingers against your forehead. A curse in a tongue unknown to all but him breaks the quiet air and his brows knit together. Humans and their damned self-sacrificial nature.

Sedene returns holding a cushion. He eases it under your head with care, ensuring your neck is supported before he retracts the hand underneath.

There in the Palais hallway, the Iudex of Fontaine strips himself of his judge’s coat, uncaring of decorum at the moment. Gentle hands graze your bare skin as he wraps the garment around your shoulders. Were you conscious, you would feel the softness of the silk lining against your cheek and the scent of the ocean it carries with it.

He knows from his extensive observations of human behavior that you’ve probably only collapsed from fatigue, not sickness. And yet… and yet he cannot keep himself from stroking your forehead, cool fingertips resting there as he meditates.

Another moment passes before he makes up his mind. Your body rises from the carpeted hallway floor into strong arms, seldom-seen muscles flexing under his white undershirt. 

The change in altitude brings you halfway out of your daze. Through hazy vision, you catch the sight of pale skin moving above you. His slit eyes meet yours and you don't manage more than a small sound of confusion before you’re pulled back under by sleep.

With a brief nod to Sedene, Neuvillette carries you to his office in a few quick strides. The door slides shut behind him.

Your hands unconsciously tug on his lapels and you curl your body closer to the warmth of his chest, making his ears burn.

Every time he thinks he understands your species, something like this happens. 

He had certainly noticed your energy waning over the last few days, but he worried about the propriety of mentioning such a thing to you. Would you resent him for asking about something so personal? Should he send someone closer to you to step in before you hurt yourself?

In the end, he had settled for bringing you breakfast from a nearby cafe. He glances at the turnover, now sitting innocently on his coffee table courtesy of Sedene. It taunts him.

The silence in his office is deafening as Neuvillette lays you carefully on the sofa next to his desk. He runs through the list of human vitals in his head.

You’re breathing quite deeply. Your pulse is healthy and strong as his fingers press against the side of your throat. The color in your face is returning to its normal shade. Surely all you lack is a good meal, which he can certainly provide, and some rest. 

Then why do his hands shake as he pours tea into a cup on the table before you?

Why can he not keep his eyes from you as you sleep, chest rising and falling in a gentle rhythm? 

Why does he find it impossible to return to the paperwork that calls his name just a few feet away?

A clap of thunder shakes the building.

He doesn’t realize how long his eyes have been trained on yours until you’re staring back at him through lowered lids, awakened by the noise.

It takes about a half second for you to remember the circumstances of a few minutes prior and gasp, sitting up with a speed that makes Neuvillette reach towards you in concern. His coat falls from where it was draped across you and you stare at it, unblinking. 

Your gaze flits to Neuvillette, bare to the wrist. He watches silently as you register the sofa you’re laid upon and the lavish office around you.

The Chief Justice makes a strangled sound in the back of his throat when you rush to stand up, face burning. Your head spins - whether from fatigue or embarrassment, you’re not sure. A million apologies threaten to spill from your mouth at once.

With your head bowed and your feet unsteady below you, you don’t see the hand rising to your face until a cool sensation spreads over your flushed forehead. The surprise of it shuts you up immediately. When you do dare to raise your eyes, you hardly trust what you see in front of you.

There is no anger in the face of the Iudex, in the downturned curve of his mouth or the crease of his brow. Only tender concern presents itself as he addresses you.

“You appear to be feverish. Please, sit back down. I won’t have you fainting again if I can help it.” He removes his hand from your skin, leaving behind a burning sensation that you can't attribute to a fever.

“Mon- Monsieur?”

He tuts, raising the cup of tea to your hand and folding it into your grasp. “Drink, please,” he murmurs, face etched with care. 

You blink a few times, sipping the drink as if compelled by magic. It's sweeter than you’re expecting.

“Good girl.” 

You nearly choke on it.

If possible, Neuvillette looks even more distressed by your sudden coughing fit. “You’re far redder than when you awoke. The fever reducer in this blend should help with that, but in the meantime, please take some of this…”

The minutes pass quietly. Periodically, Neuvillette instructs you in a gentle tone to drink your tea or eat a bit of pastry. He absolutely forbids you to stand after the second time you attempt to excuse yourself.

When he's been assured that you're comfortable, he speaks again.

“May I ask why you believe those papers you were attempting to bring me were worth working yourself to exhaustion over?” 

His words are authoritative, but his voice carries such softness that you can’t help but be honest with him.

“I’m so very sorry, Monsieur. It won’t happen again. I’ve just had a lot on my plate this week.”

Neuvillette's violet eyes are melancholy as they meet yours. “Of course. It’s a busy time of year for us all,” he says, shifting his gaze to the steady rain outside. “I do hope you know, however, that I would far rather your work be late than your health to fail on my account.”

You duck your head. “...I understand, Monsieur.”

The man’s stately expression fades into something unreadable at that.

“...Please, call me Neuvillette.”

You were unaware that his voice, so commanding in the courtroom, could sound so tender directed at you.

Your gaze darts up from the floor. The Iudex is not meeting your eyes. His are fixed instead on the light drizzle pattering the windowpane. A faint swathe of color decorates his lofty cheekbones.

As you smile and nod your head, pronouncing his name with a few words of thanks, the morning sun streams into the room behind you.

It’s getting to be quite the lovely day outside.

[mixiury]

Always remembering you - Genshin x GN reader

Characters: Wanderer, Itto, Kaveh, Neuvillette

Summary: You have to leave for a long period of time. What do they do after it? (Basically them missing you)

A/N: I am alive!! Sorry for not posting in a while. Honestly I haven't been very motivated to write but I randomly got this idea so I hope yall like it! (I edited some parts and typos I noticed so hopefully now it is better :)

Wanderer has no need for things as transitory and insignificant as the attention of others— specially if it comes from an human being— so what makes you believe that you would be an exception?

It's been decades since he last sought companionship after all. The only reason why he asked you to accompany him is to complete the tasks Nahida assigned him. It is just easier for you to do all the hard work instead of him. Don't try to read between the lines.

Yes. Of course it was necessary to stop in the middle of Sumeru's forest to contemplate the surroundings for the past hour. It is part of his job to ensure that there are no potential dangers near the city.

Actually, the fact that the path you were taking was blocked by a tree that mysteriously collapsed in front of you due to a strong blown of wind has nothing to do with him. Why would you think he did that in the first place? You're imagining things.

The only reason he's holding your hand right now is so you don't get lost or delay him by this absurdly long new path he's chosen. Yes, it's clearly the only option you two have, so don't complain and keep walking.

But if you need a moment to rest he won't refuse. And if at any point you decide to lean your head on his shoulder, he won't push you away either. Just don't get used to this, he only allows it because he knows how fragile human bodies are and he prefers to avoid Nahida's scolding for leaving you in the middle of nowhere.

And if you still have doubts, that's right, the fact that all these things happen after not being able to talk to you all week is totally a coincidence.

Itto, on the other hand, doesn't seem to know the word discretion.

What do you mean you have another important commission to do? But didn't you just finished one yesterday? How about you join him in a beetle tournament instead? Or maybe you can spend time with the gang? Come on, he knows you can't refuse this unique opportunity!

Hmm? That you always spend time with them..? But this time is different! This time they will do something so different and so incredible that you just can't loose! Trust him. Arataki Itto always keep his word!

And it is just that it seems like the entire universe is sending you signals to spend time with him. From Itto posters that mysteriously appear on paper airplanes to his name in the alphabet soup you eat.

But if all that is not enough to convince you that it is the destiny the one putting you together, somehow you both end up meeting multiple times a day. No matter where you look, he will be there.

Do you have to collect different flowers from Inazuma for your commission? It turns out that floristry is one of his hidden talents! Do you have to give them to someone? How curious! He was just talking to that same person! Are you saying he is brothering them? Of course not! He would never do that... On purpose.

There's no point in questioning him, somehow he always has an excuse- (although it doesn't mean they make sense). It's only until you look up at the sky and see fireworks with Itto's face, his signature, and the words "I miss you" that he finally tells you the truth behind all the coincidences that has happened during the day.

However, the moment does not last long, because shortly afterwards different guards come running to capture Itto for alleged harassment and "illegal use" of fireworks without authorization. Complete defamation if you ask him.

At the end, you and Kuki have to visit him in jail and take care of all the paperwork for the damage him and the gang caused. But hey, at least that means his plan worked?

Kaveh directly doesn't seems able to function properly.

Don't get him wrong, he knows better than anyone how hard it must be for you to be so busy. After all, he has found himself in the same situation as you multiple times in the past.

It's just that he had never noticed the influence you have on his life until that moment, where instead of having breakfast together at the same place as always he finds himself eating preheated noodles from the microwave.

For the first time in a long time he's having trouble concentrating on his work, unable to finish the commission he's been putting off for the last week— not so surprisingly— the same amount of time since you traveled to Fontaine.

Because every time he looks at the paper on the desk he can't stop his hand from drawing sketches of you, his mind clouded with questions about your safety and how you are doing.

Kaveh doesn't really know how to control that feeling so he does the only thing he knows in situations like this; Overwork himself. Going from basically doing nothing all week to creating almost a month's worth of work in a few days.

Of course, it doesn't take much for his friends to notice, trying to reason with him more than once. However, if there is something to recognize from Kaveh it is his stubbornness, reassuring them that everything is completely under control.

It's only until he ends up falling asleep during a conversation with Tighnari that he decides to take action into his own hands, sending you a letter telling you about the situation because your boyfriend can barely stay awake during the day and has been living of coffee.

And despite his reproaches towards Tighnari, he can't help but feel glad the moment you return to Sumeru a few days earlier than anticipated, updating you on every little detail that happened while you were gone and sleeping for almost a full day no long after. He may thank Tighnari later.

Unlike the others, Neuvillette feels totally fine after you left.

Of course he notice your absence and perhaps your name has appeared in his mind more than three times in the day but that's all. There is no need to worry about it, Take all the time you need.

He continues with his routine as always. He is also a very busy person so he doesn't think a lot of it. He's just walking around in the same place where you met because he's taking a short break. Nothing more than that.

In fact, you might even be able to see him ordering at the same coffee shop where you had your first date, sitting at the same table he sat at back then. But that isn't related to this situation, so please continue what you are doing.

But if you notice how Fontaine has fallen into heavy rain this last month, he will just reassure you that it's completely normal. Probably is just the weather that hasn't been stable lately. Nothing to worry about. Everything is under control as it always has been.

Yet, even if he manages to fool himself, all the melusines notice the way his gaze wanders from the documents on his desk to the empty seat next to him. His eyes shining every moment he hears the door of his office open just to met with the disappointment in them when he realizes it's not you on the other side.

Because despite his attempts to distract himself, it's simply impossible when every place he goes has some memory of you. He knows you won't be away for long so why does he feel like something is missing when you're not around?

Melusines try to talk with him, even requesting help to Furina, but it doesn't seems to be an end of the countless rains that has been occurring since you left.

He will just continue denying his feelings over and over, completely oblivious of them and the attempts of others to cheer him up.

It's hard for Neuvillette to understand the reason for his the emptiness he feels, but when he sees you once again he can't help but notice the great sense of relief that comes with you, immediately asking you how you are doing and making sure you feel welcome.

Maybe with the pass of the time he will be able to come in terms with his feelings but for now all he wants to do is to spend more time with you.

[justaghostingon]

In which the Tsarista wants Friends And Furina is the Unfortunate Target

A silly genshin au

So i was thinking, u know how every archon has nothing but respect for Furnia?

What if the Tsarista did too? After all, the tsarista wants to defy the heavens, ancthe only person to get away with that and live (that we know of) is Furina.

And its so hard to find archons to hang out with. She’s still not talking to Venti. Morax has to many shady contracts with celestia, Nahida is a child by archon standards, Ei scares her, and frankly the less said about Murata the better.

So when word gets to her through whatever highspeed knowledge that the archons a seem to have about what Focolors and Furina did, she instantly wants to bring her in as an ally.

But alas! Arrlecino has made an absolutely terrible impression on Furina! So much so that Furina refused to meet her without othwr parties present!

This is a huge failure!

She proceeds to tell Arrlecino that while she’s not in trouble, as she did bring back the gnosis, couldn’t she have been a little nicer?

Just look at Childe! He managed to make a good impression on Morax, and he didn’t even realize it was Morax he was hanging out with!

They still get drinks somwtimes!

If Childe can befriend a god by accident, surely Arrlecino could at least mend bridges with Furina? Furina would be sooo useful after all.

Arrlecino, who has jetted off after getting the gnosis with a sick Childe and most certainly doesn’t have connection to whatever instant gossip communication that the Tsarista has, is very confused

She’s still under the impression that Furina was a cursed human, archon impersonator, and all around waste of space.

Now her boss and archon she respects is passive agressively trying to get her to introduce her to Furina and mad she’s not in her good books?

WHY????

Her general attitude is to point agressively at Furina eating her cake and going “This is the ONE u want? THIS one?”

Tsarista, sighing dramatically, “She’s perfect”

But Arrlecino is a harbringer, and what her archon wants, goes. So she goes back to fontain and tries to arrange a meetinf with Furina

This is of course, completely rejected, and accompanied by a sternly worded letter from Neuvillette saying that Furina is retired and not to bother her anymore.

Arrlecino tries to just go directly to Furina, but is chased away by some very agressive melusines. Arrlecino didn’t even know Melusines could be agressive

At this point, Arrlecino is getting annoyed. Did all their personal meetings mean nothing to Furina? She spent so much time and money on her favorite cakes!

Sure she tried to kill her, but that was one time! She should be over it by now!

But she hasn’t lost her head yet. It’s tiem to use her trump card. The magic siblings!

Lyney is a bit dubious on their new mission: “make nice to furina at all costs.” After all, their last two interactions with with her were Furina putting lyney on trial, and lyney and the gang putting her on trial. Not exactly easy to bounce back from.

But orders are orders, so they give it a shot.

They start with trying to ask Furina for help on stage management, give her invitations to their shows, etc.

Shared interests are important after all.

Bur Furina is not biting. She’s not good at magic she points out, so she won’t be much help to them and their better off seeking others to aid them.

She does go to their performance, but spends the entire time sandwiched between Navia and Clorinde. When lyney and lynette try to approach her, navia drags them into conversation instead as Clorinde escorts Furina out.

So that’s a no go.

Lynette then decides to take the more direct route, of breaking into Furina’s apartment to reach her. This goes understandably terribly, as Furina does not take well to a cloaked figure standing over her bed, saying “the Tsarista wants to talk to you”

She sends her water familiars to chase lynette away.

At this point Furina is getting very paranoid and the magic siblings are at the end of their rope. They break out their last hope: Freminet.

Sure he’s not the most social, but he’s by far the most adorable (in the twins opinion) and definitely nonthreatening.

Freminet’s turn goes as thus: Furina is sitting on a bench with her water familiars playing around her

Freminet sits next to her on the bench with Pers. He doesn’t look at Furina, instead staring at his feet.

Pers goes over to the water familiars and they start playing together. Furina and Freminet watch

Finally Freminet blurts out. “The Tsarista thinks your cool and wants to be your friend.”

Furina is startled, then switches into celebrity mode. Freminet doesn’t seem to mean any harm, but she doesn’t want to agree. So she sets an impossible task. She informs Freminet that she is a very popular person and if the tsarista wants to see her, she must come in person to Fontaine instead of sending minions.

Freminet nods and thanks her, saying he’ll pass on the message. He tells her Pers had a good time, and Furina smiles, certain that she’s handled the situation perfectly.

Exactly one week later, there’s a knock on her door. Furina opens it to see thr Tsarista dressed like a tourist with a bag of luggage. She informs Furina they are having a “girls” week.

Next thing Furina knows she and thr tsarista are sitting at a super fancy cake shop where the tsarista is piling Furina with all her favorite cakes with a beaming smile on her face.

As she resigns herself to her fate of lots of cake and spa activites with Tevats number one most controversial archon. Furina realizes she now knows where the Fatui get their crazy from

The end

[decayical]

@ — you might be a sinner . . . !

❛ being wriothesley's assistant ❜

01 notes: 💥💥💥

02 tws/tags: vibrator, oral (m receiving), pet names (dear, darling, love), wriothesley is lowkey a little shit, afab reader

03 mdni blogs do not interact!

you sat on the ground uncomfortably, your hands digging into his thighs as you moved your hips against nothing.

"sir... i don't see how this is supposed to help you with your work."

ever since you moved to fontaine, you were mesmerized by how much technology had advanced in the county compared to others. even the fortress of meropide, which was buried under the sea, had technology you had never seen before. it was brimming to the edge with potential, every single machine catching your attention before you were whisked away to your duties again.

"well you'll have to trust me darling, because it will."

even this small thing, located inside of your pussy, was something you had never considered before.

a whimper escaped from your mouth as wriothesley turned up the settings just a smidge, you heard him scoff as you gasped and teared up.

he chuckles. "my my, can my pet not even handle a bit of pleasure? seems we might have to stop now before it gets too much," he hummed, resting his head on his knuckles.

"mister wriothesley," you whine. you press your lips together in an attempt to stay quiet as you struggle to keep your eyes open and your head up.

the tent in his pants moved and caught your eye. nervously, you brought up your hands to his hips, looking up at him as you bit your trembling lip.

he stares down at you with a blank expression, only leaning down to wipe a tear—or maybe a drop of sweat—off your cheek. "are you enjoying yourself?" he asks simply, his thumb rolling up the settings of the thing inside of you even higher.

you gasp and jolt, rocking your hips into thin air as you throw your head back. "ahh—mister wriothesley—y-your turn."

his voice is slightly mocking. "hmm? what was that? i can't hear you." he brushed a stray strand of hair away from your forehead, watching carefully as you lost your composure.

it was only when you managed to lift a shaky hand to his bulge did he suck in a breath, his grip on his chair and the remote getting tighter. you felt his dick jump in its confines, and tugged on his zipper as much as you could while your brain struggled to think about anything but the sweet feeling inside your walls.

"wriothesley, wriothesley, wriothesley—ahn!" your vision momentarily blurred out and you could barely make out the expression on wriothesley's face—one that seemed bored. or at least, he would seem unaffected if it weren't for the drops of sweat falling from his temple and the way he tried so hard to control his labored breathing.

he stared as your cum fell down from your sticky thighs and onto the floor and he frowned. he'd have to get a human janitor to clean this mess up; surely monsieur neuvillette wouldn't appreciate it if his dear melusines discovered what he was doing with all this time in the prison.

your nails dug into his thigh as you bunched up your shirt in your other hand, breathing heavily as you came down from your high.

with half lidded eyes you look up and smile clumsily when wriothesley finally unzips his pants and lets his cock spring out. greedy hands make their way to the base of it and despite your delirium, you can't wait to choke on it just like you did the last time you were here.

wriothesley lets out a low groan as you lick a stripe up his dick, a gloved hand falling on top of your head with a thump.

"fuck, yeah just like that—"

he doesn't mean to, and you know he doesn't, but he thrusts his hips and the tip of his dick reaches the back of your mouth. you jolt, sucking in air through your nose as the tip nudges your throat.

despite his boring and simple exterior, despite his one word answers to questions and the way he goes about his day with no complexities, somehow when he's with you he loses his entire demeanor and turns into a puddle of mush. every word he doesn't say out suddenly spills out of his lips as soon as he manages to get his dick inside of you—why, you must be magic.

his hand leaves your hair to caress your cheek, the back of his finger lingering on your cheekbone. "shit—shit. sorry, love, i…" he runs his hand across his face as he sighs. hurting his plaything wouldn't be good at all, now would it?

you take the opportunity to envelop his dick in your mouth again, taking as much as you can before moving to leave only his thick tip in your mouth. with a pop, you look up at him with fluttering eyes.

carding a hand through your hair, he asks breathlessly, "what a good toy you are… everything about you, from your mouth to your holes were made for me, weren't they?" you bend down to continue sucking him off and he moans loudly. he groans, throwing his head back. "fuck… you're amazing."

he hides his bleary eyes with an arm, allowing himself to become fully vulnerable towards you as he lets out pretty moans and soft breaths. somehow his free hand wanders back to the control of your (your) vibrator, even as he thrusts weakly into your warm and wet mouth.

your overeager hands and mouth make him nearly drop it, but he gets to turn the vibrator back on and get back to fixing on your pretty face.

as you feel the toy turn on again, you gasp and whine around his dick. a hand that had wandered to one of his balls drags its nails across his thigh, and you have to force yourself to focus on the length in your mouth to stop yourself from becoming weak as jelly again.

wriothesley, of course, notices your struggling. "don't—don't tell me i'll have to pull you jo by your… your um, hair to get you to suck me off properly," he jokes weakly, tugging on your hair lightly. his words got sloppy and rough as his brain began fogging up.

your lips glaze over his tip again, your tongue following right behind it. you rub small circles into his inner thigh as you start sucking on small, specific parts of his cock to make his hips jerk up into you.

a hand races up to your head. "ah, haah, ahhn—love, please, i'm so close, fuck, please, please, i—"

he gasps, and at the last second you swallow his dick again and he's pushed over the edge, his load spilling into your mouth and just a bit falling off your lips.

you catch the drop of cum before it falls onto the floor and stick your finger into your mouth happily. "you taste good," you hum, closing your eyes and smiling.

wriothesley sighs and rests his head on his knuckles again, looking down at your disheveled form. his expression has returned to serious, stoic, and unreadable.

seems like you won't be getting demoted anytime soon.

[mossstep]

I set the poll for too long, so anyways,

SAGAU ARCHON HEADCANONS!

I am a minor, don’t be weird

For those not in the know: Sagau means self aware Genshin au!

Gonna test out some formatting with this one, so yeah!

Nahida’s is strictly platonic, while the other archons are up to interpretation!

4.2 archon/story quest spoilers

VENTI

For Venti I think he’d be one of the more chill archons. He’d always try to be by your side, but would give you space if need-be. He obviously wouldn’t want to out his secret as the archon, so the people of Monstadt assume you just like his songs, or pity the bard for his lack of money.

Venti wouldn’t be mad if you outed him as an archon, he’d understand that the creator’s will is far more important than his wishes, but he’d still be disappointed.

Venti would almost immediately recognize you as the creator even if you were trying to stay hidden. After all, it’d be embarrassing if one of the original seven didn’t recognize you.

He’d always try to write you into his songs after you arrive in teyvat. He’d stop if you asked, but If you say nothing he’ll just keep going.

ZHONGLI

Zhongli, being one of the oldest, if not the oldest still living god on teyvat. Because of this, he, like the tone deaf bard, recognizes you immediately.

He is very reverent and respectful towards you after so long, but he does loosen up over time.

Zhongli would come out of retirement immediately (much to Liyue’s shock and surprise) as to properly serve your every need.

Zhongli can be a bit overbearing but will back off if asked.

Zhongli respects you as the people of Liyue respect him. If you vanish for even a few hours without giving him a heads up he will send out a search party. You’re too important to be out on your own.

RAIDEN EI/SHOGUN

Arriving in Inazuma you are able to lay low for awhile, before an accident reveals your golden blood. The tenryou commission is immediately alerted and drags you straight to the almighty shogun whether you like it or not.

Ei is incredibly overbearing, refusing to let you go anywhere without the shogun or at least ten people to protect you. She doesn’t mean to be controlling, she just doesn’t want to lose you like she lost makato.

If you were to arrive during the vision hunt decree she would either become way more strict, or completely end it depending on your reaction.

While making the shogun Ei programmed her to follow whatever you say, since you’re the almighty creator, you must know the way eternity is heading.

NAHIDA (PLATONIC)

Nahida and you likely meet by chance while you two are on a walk around sumeru city. Nahida probably assumes you’re a human, because having been locked up for 500 years she doesn’t have enough experience with gods to be able to tell one apart from a human.

So you probably end up telling her on one of your chance meeting, because as an archon, she should probably know. Nahida doesn’t make such a big deal about it, on the condition that you tell her what you know about teyvat AND earth. Of course the god of knowledge would try to learn as much as possible.

You two probably have sleepovers (which nahida drags Scaramouche into) after you tell her. At said sleepovers you two likely trade knowledge back and forth. (Scaramouche would likely butt in with facts about inazuma’s fucked up flora)

FURINA (IDC SHE’S NOT THE ARCHON, SHE’S AN ARCHON IN MY HEART) and Neuvillette

Furina, as a human, doesn’t realize you’re the creator until you tell her that you know she’s a human. She swears you to secrecy and you agree for the sake of Fontaine, she confides in you about her struggles, and you promise to make it up to her once everything is done.

Neuvillette recognizes you immediately and asks you about what’s up with Furina, you obviously don’t tell him, and he accepts that.

After the prophecy you and neuvillette, and Furina hang out on occasion, because the two likely wouldn’t speak often without you.

Also you smack the shit out of the traveler and paimon during Furina’s story quest because they deserve it <3

[pokemxxn]

SPOILERS FOR NEUVILETTE STORY QUEST, ANCIENT COLORS WORLD QUEST

Just finished Neuvillette story quest and since I'm very normal about him I'll share some thoughts I NEED to get out of my system about his links with other fontaine characters.

First, the relationship between the melusines and him makes so much since. I think it was pretty explicit in his story quest but he helped them out of pure empathy because they're the same as him. They didn't know the cause of their existence and what to do with it, which is exactly what Neuvilette feels/felt about himself. They also had basically the same developpement, Fontaine was wary of them so they had to stood up for each other as they were treated as aliens by the people of Fontaine in the past.

For this reason, I think it was easy for him to communicate and understand them (they have the same upbringing). All of this makes his father and childs relationships with the melusines so wholesome and understandable.

I cried so much for the acceptance of melusines and Neuvillette at the end of the quest, it made me insanely emotional you can't even imagine. It means that Neuvillette was right to invite the melusines and that he has somewhere to call home after feeling like an outsider all this time.

We know where the melusines are from but I don't know if Neuvilette is aware of Elynas or not. I know it's unlikely but I'd like to imagine that it is the case because him having a relationship with Elynas and deciding to take care of the melusines for him would be peak angst, it would also be ANOTHER very strong relationship with another man where he takes the role of one of the caregivers (Old dragons yaoi my beloved istg). HOWEVER, I'm still reluctant with this because I feel like Elynas' way of speaking was really childish so idk but we can say that it's an after effect of dying... ?

Let's talk about another man with which he was very close to and where he took the role of a caregiver... I agree with the fact that there isn't a whole lot to work with to interpret their relationship as romantic but I think it makes everything hurts more and their relationship paralleles my favorite pairing with Neuvillette so... Yeah. I like the romantic interpretation (+ it's very romantic coded for me to have two father figure to a child coded character, like that's homosexual adoption to me lmao).

Okay, i'll share my vision now. We know that Vautrin was (most likely) the only human friend to Neuvillette at the time. It's so insanely beautiful to me that, he believed in him when no one was ready to trust him yet in Fontaine. I think Vautrin wasn't too fond of the Melusine idea at first but choose to believe in Neuvillette while keeping his distance to not get too hurt when it goes bad (he was convinced that it wasn't possible). Carole touched him but I think Neuvillette was also responsable for his slow character growth. I think they were pretty much a familly with Neuvillette and Vautrin being fathers for Caroline. Thinking about them having this kind of relationship makes the ending of the story where he has to sentence him all the more heartrenching. He lost the only human he was close to and he was the one who was responsable (as a Judge but also for bringing the melusines to Fontaine). I think Neuvillette is a character full of guilt, he believes in what he is doing but he's still the one who has to take most responsability in the end.

DO YOU GUYS SEE THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN VAUTRIN AND WRIOTHESLEY ?? Please, it's so there !! First, both of them has been sentenced to prison by Neuvillette. I can only imagine what it must feel like to sentance a literal child to jail (especially in Wriothesley situation, it was very much deserved). BUT THEN, this child who he never really forget about becomes the most important figure in the very same jail he was sent to. Neuvillette didn't see Wriothesley growing up but when he did become a man, he became very important to him and they learned to trust each other deeply. After all, they're two part of the same coin (while Iudex IS Justice, it's the official justice, the Law. Wriothesley is personal justice and the application of said law, he is the one who does while Neuvillette is the one who gives order). I can't help to imagine Wriothesley and him getting closer while he is striked by the memories of the day he say him as a child covered in blood maaaaaaaan. Vautrin was sentenced after he and Neuvillette formed a bond while Wriothesley is reversed... Also they have the same dynamic with Sigewine that Neuvillette had with Carole and Vautrin.

Just imagine, Neuvillette with his guilt and grief over loosing Vautrin and Carole, getting approched by Wriothesley who reminds him of his lost lover... With him, he learns to redo his life even when he felt like he didn't belonged and wanted to stay as far from other as possible to not be too emotionally involved (to make his work doable and to protect himself).

Also I love how Neuvillette acceptance doesn't come just from Wriothesley and Fontaine's people but he is also freed in a way from the guilt over what happenned to Navia's father. She was angry at him (rightfully so) and he always thought it was deserved, he says in his voice line about Navia that he has guilt about this event. But Navia still goes out of her way to help him, knowing how much the melusines and him are connected. That's very touching to me and show him how much he is accepted and forgiven for his mistakes.

This character is so very dear to me, I relate to his struggle with his emotions and the way he seems to study humans through trials to better understand himself and humanity. When he says that he feels that he changed throughout all these years and traveler says : "He is already very human" makes me tear up... And all the scenes where he is ankward with others are so djsbdizj I love them so very much

Anyway, I love this silly dragon man !! Hope all of this was interesting to you...

[marragurl]

ICE UMBRELLA

LISTEN. TO. ME.

ICE

UMBRELLA

WRIOTHESLEY MAKING AN ICE UMBRELLA FOR NEUVILLETTE

SHUT UP - NO - I CAN’T -

This thought just hit me and I am writing this out of pure mania at like 2 am

We all know that the rain brings comfort to Neuvillette but is also a metaphor for his emotions yea? And everyone and their great-grandmother knows about the Umbrella Scene™ between Wriolette, I DON’T NEED TO EXPLAIN IT AGAIN-

SO PICTURE THIS

Pre- or Post- relationship, doesn’t matter, but Wriothesley knows about Neuviellete’s relationship with the rain, and how he can be found standing in it after long, difficult days in the court, but never really finds the rain itself to be a bother.

Now, he came up to see Neuvillete a bit last minute, a bit of a spontaneous choice for that day. He gets to the Opera Epiclese to try and catch Neuvillette after work before he heads back to his office. However, he’s not there, even though Wriothesley knows that the day’s trial has long gone overtime and it is nighttime already.

And then suddenly, it starts raining outside.

Aight, Wriothesley knows the drill by now, and he’s ready to get his umbrella and go out to find Neuvillette - except, drat.

He forgot it.

He can see Neuvillette’s silhouette in the dark outside, he knows where to look after so many times of this happening.

But Wriothesley didn’t get to his current position of power without some creativity on his end, a forgotten umbrella wasn’t about to stop him from reaching Neuvillette.

Cut to Neuvillette just outside in the rain, lost in his thoughts. It was a long hard trial, another gruesome showing of humanity, and he’s just trying to get his bearings under the rain.

He’s lost in thought enough to not hear the heavy boots coming up behind him, but not enough that he isn’t brought back to reality once he realizes he can’t feel the rain anymore.

It’s familiar to him, he’s gotten used to Wriothesley finding him in the rain and providing shelter with an umbrella. He finds comfort in the action, and so he turns around to once again politely thank him, even if he was perfectly fine in the rain unlike humans. He stops though when he sees Wriothesley holding what seems like a frozen handle of ice.

He follows it up only to see the thinnest layer of ice connecting it and forming a delicate canopy over the pair.

He can see the faint swirls of frost patterns at the top, as well as still see the raindrops forming and sliding off the edges.

A beautiful umbrella made of ice is above them, sheltering them from the rain yet still allowing Neuvillette to enjoy the weather.

The rain clouds cover just enough of the sky for it to be dark while they also stand quite away from the Opera to be out of the light. It’s not the same sort of privacy as Wriothesley’s usual dark umbrella, but there’s something enchanting in being able to see the rain from above as light bits of snow fall off from the edges of the umbrella, surrounding them in a different barrier from the outside world.

They spend a while in comfortable silence under the umbrella, taking in the sound of nature as the rest of the world seems to fall away.

Idk wtf just happened. I blinked and suddenly this was all written.

I JUST WANTED TO RANT ABOUT HOW PRETTY AND THOUGHTFUL IT WOULD BE IF WRIOTHESLEY ACTUALLY USED HIS POWERS FOR A PRETTY ICE UMBRELLA, I DIDN’T MEAN TO WRITE A FICLET!!

I guess if we’re here-

I just like the idea of Wriothesley still wanting to keep Neuvillette company in the rain, but he’s still a human who can catch a cold under the rain. But he also knows Neuvillette likes the rain and the cold, so he makes an umbrella made of thin ice, so it still allows Neuvillette to feel the cold and see the rain while keeping Wriothesley dry (AND I’M A SUCKER FOR WATER AND ICE PAIRS USING THEIR POWERS TOGETHER. NEUVI AND WRIO DANCING ON WATER WHILE WRIO MAKES ICE FLOORS AND NEUVI MAKES PRETTY WATER MOVES AROUND THEM??? YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS)

Give me Wriothesley and Neuvillette using their powers to be thoughtful of each other while still keeping their boundaries, give me loving verbal AND non-verbal communication showing how well they know and care for each other!

[iustitians]

ooc; headcanons - on Neuvillette's abilities, power, combat ability and fighting style

Ah yes, hello, it’s me again. The person who can’t shut up about an old man with a jabot who's also a dragon.

So I’ve wanted to talk about Neuvillette’s combat ability and style as well as his power for a while now, both to chat about some of my headcanons and theories for some of them, and to just kind of sort them out for myself. This is going to be a whole lot of rambling (by which I mean 8 Google Doc pages), so proceed at your own risk. Fontaine and Natlan Archon Quest spoilers below.

Combat prowess

So here’s a fun thing for me to start with: I don’t think Neuvillette is that great in a fight. Which I feel like many don’t think about at first, but actually makes sense when you consider his life, or what we know of it at least. Dude’s essentially a divine judge. Mostly dwelling in the seas without a purpose for who knows how long, and then running human trials and doing paperwork for 500 years. Where would this guy have gained any substantial battle experience?

Throughout the Fontaine AQ, we see him in combat situations three times. The first time is at the end of Act II, where Childe is about to go bonkers in the Opera, only for Neuvillette to jump in and oneshot him. Which looked impressive and all – except we shouldn’t forget that Neuvillette caught Childe off-guard from above and behind while he was mid-transformation, and broke through his defenses with sheer power, not necessarily skill. I highly doubt it would have gone like this had Childe had a chance to prepare. Neuvillette didn’t walk out of that one unscathed either, receiving a scratch from Childe during the very brief struggle they had. And as an extra note, I can’t help but look back at the moment in the cutscene where he looked at his own blood with what looked like both anger and surprise - it very much gave off the vibe of someone who isn’t used to being hurt.

The second combat situation was his first encounter with the Narwhal, which… when you think back to it, he essentially lost that one, didn’t he? It shrugged off his attack, shattered his protective barrier like glass, and would have devoured the people he attempted to protect had it not been for Childe’s intervention. Neuvillette was only able to deliver a decisive hit after Childe attacked and distracted it, causing it to turn its back to him and allowing him to unleash a powerful blow when he was prepared, undisturbed, and at a safe distance. It wasn’t exactly his best showing.

And it really was the only time we’ve actually seen him straight up actively participating in combat, because the third time to mention is the Fontaine AQ’s final battle against the Narwhal. Except the thing is… Neuvillette doesn’t really fight in that battle. We do. He supports us from the sidelines, separating the Primordial Sea’s power from the whale and sharing his power with us.

So really, he’s been in an on-screen combat situation once and, arguably, lost. Great.

… Of course, I’m not saying he’s weak. The first two situations I mentioned were with his Authority shattered, and nowadays may have been a different story. And even before he was restored, his power was very formidable. It’s just that power doesn’t have to equal combat ability – and the latter I do believe he lacks.

In fact, we can even extend this logic to him as a playable unit. He’s a very powerful DPS, which is great and all, but when you look at it more closely, you realize that he really doesn’t do much. I’ll discuss his fighting style a bit later, but he has exactly one trick up his sleeve: the Hydro Pump. When people criticize Neuvillette as a unit, the main point brought up is that he is boring – and honestly, however much I love him, I can see some players feeling that way, because… yeah, that’s all he does. He floats in the air and waterboards his enemies from a distance, overwhelming them with sheer power, while requiring little skill to use. He is incapable of anything more fancy than that. He’s a gorgeous, majestic and powerful one-trick pony.

And again, it all makes sense when you consider who he is and what kind of life he has led. He’s not a warrior, he’s an official – whether a Fontaine one, or a divine draconic one – who only displays his power as a last resort, in a way meant to end whatever strife is threatening peace and stability once and for all. He is not meant to engage in long combat, he’s probably just about never done it, and in that sense it’s normal that he actually doesn’t really know how.

Power level

… But as I said, combat prowess and power level are two different things, which can make answering the question of how strong someone like Neuvillette complicated. Because on the other hand, for his lack of combat experience and skill, his sheer power level is through the damn roof. Which of course makes sense. This is a Dragon Sovereign, now with his full power reforged, that we’re talking about here. Possibly the most powerful being we’ve met in Teyvat so far, and for sure at least one of them. 

For those who are caught up with Natlan’s Archon Quest, you know how Mavuika destroyed the wacky Abyssal thing and also punched a hole in the sky in the process? Well, she said later that the power with which she did it came from the Divine Throne. And an Archon’s Divine Throne is where the stolen Dragon Sovereign Authority is held. So in other words, Mavuika did what she did using a fragment of the power Neuvillette now holds in its entirety. So yes, I do in fact believe he can also punch a hole in the sky. I don't think he can completely destroy it, because it seems to restore itself, but also I think he wouldn't want to even if he could, since he has grown to care about and appreciate humanity, and he knows that the firmament protects it. 

But in addition to that, let's not forget that this guy:

Turned an entire nation of unfinished Oceanid people into fully fledged humans with a single Super Duper Charged Attack – doing in the process what Egeria was literally incapable of – and wasn’t even slightly tired afterwards

Hands out Visions because he decided he wants to, and unlike the Archons, has full control over the process

Has full control over Pneumousia, which is essentially a latent type of life force. Not only is he using it to singlehandedly battery all of Fontaine now, but also I mean. Combining them can lead to an annihilation reaction, so… idk I guess he can also make an atomic bomb if he wants??

Doesn’t even need a constellation because he exists outside of the fate system but then decided “ah whatever why not” and got one, then proceeded to?? reshape it I think?? so his daughters can have fun with it?? Peak dad behavior right there but also what the fu

Of course, there’s the whole part about how the Hydro Sovereign has full control over the Primordial Sea, which makes him essentially Teyvat’s original “God of Life”. I attribute his ability to turn Oceanids into true humans to that connection, as well as his control over Pneumousia, as, again, from what we know of it so far (which is not much but that’s a rant for later) it seems to be a sort of latent type of life energy. Of course, I can only imagine that he could do a LOT more with it than what we’ve seen. And on the topic of Oceanids, I’ve also noticed that he seems to hold authority over them as well, considering how easily he made them back down during Navia’s “trial”.

Basically what I’m trying to say here is that he’s freakin’ powerful and writing him in a way that avoids turning him into an ultra strong Gary Stu sort of guy can be a hell of a challenge sometimes lmao. I try to get around it with the idea that he has to load up Fontaine on a sufficient amount of power before he leaves and surely that has to weaken him at least a bit.

Fighting style, symbolism and other funky tidbits

As I mentioned earlier, Neuvillette doesn’t fight much, and when he does, he doesn’t really do much either. In fact, he actually literally barely moves. This includes his Normal Attack chain – not only is it among the shortest in the game with only three strikes (in comparison to characters well-versed in combat such as Wriothesley and Zhongli, whose chains consist of 5 and 6 strikes respectively), but also he practically doesn’t move from the spot he was standing on while performing it. Many characters will charge forwards or move backwards while attacking; Neuvillette takes about half a step. That’s it.

Other than that, there are four main characteristic to him in combat:

Cane

Glowing and expanding his… let’s call it fins

Floating

Triquetra

Neuvillette’s cane is the most interesting element of those to me, because it seems to be his actual catalyst. It’s interesting when you notice that he only summons his in-game weapon for his Normal Attack chain – which is, by a long shot, the most worthless part of his kit. For all his other, much more useful moves, he does not manifest it at all. He does, however, use or at least hold his cane for all of them, and the gem and blue ornaments on it glow as he does.

This applies to cutscenes, as well. When using a Charged Attack during a cutscene, he also holds his cane, summoning it specifically for that moment. It’s especially interesting in the cutscene where he and Childe fight the Narwhal, and the exact frame where he uses Equitable Judgment is the only moment in that entire cutscene where he holds his cane. He doesn’t have it immediately before or immediately after, and yet he went out of his way to summon it specifically for that attack – which leads me to believe that this cane is his real catalyst.

At the moment my idea for it is that in his human form, the Hydro Dragon is something of a staff user, and this cane is how he adapted its appearance to fit into Fontaine’s setting, much as he did with his own.

Glowing is another commonly seen aspect for Neuvillette in combat. When he uses his power, he glows. As a playable unit, he lights up when using his Burst and Equitable Judgment, as well as when his passive ability is fully charged up (so basically when he’s at max power). Notably, and I actually only recently noticed it, not only do the light blue elements on his outfit glow, but so do his eyes.

And again, the glowing is something the animators went out of their way to include in the cutscenes. When he takes down Childe in Fontaine AQ Act II, he lights up before leaping from his seat. In the All-Devouring Narwhal cutscene he also glows and surrounds himself with blue aura while attacking, and in addition, if we look closely, we can see his eyes glowing as he charges for his first strike. It’s an interesting small detail that’s very easy to miss – I only saw it properly while watching that cutscene in slow motion. In general, all of his attacks have a natural glow to them as well. Overall it gives him a sort of divine feel, which I consider to be the point.

For certain attacks, in particular Charged Attack: Equitable Judgment and his Burst, Neuvillette also expands his horns (at least that’s what I call them because I hate that we are never given a word for the thingies on his head) and his… I guess tail?? Whatever the case may be, he displays them when unleashing his power and promptly hides them immediately afterwards, as a bit of a reminder that his true form remains hidden to our eyes.

Then there’s the floating. I kind of don’t have much to say about this one, the ability to levitate seems to be a common one among Teyvat’s deities and other powerful entities. Local man is too cool to walk like a normal person. My only observation to it is that floating seems to come very naturally to him, as during all his attacks (minus the Normal Attack chain which as I said no one cares about) his feet very quickly and easily separate from the ground, as opposed to some other characters who we know can float but who still remain firmly grounded in combat. Again, it ties back to how he is not at all expressive or aggressive in his movements during battle, but rather intends to simply overwhelm his enemies with his sheer power and authority.

And finally we have the triquetra, aka the emblem he commonly uses. It’s the mark he summons for Equitable Judgment, as well as during cutscenes. Its meaning is largely symbolic.

This one is both extremely interesting and very funny to me because, well… IRL, triquetra has major religious significance in multiple cultures. It can mean many things and is used in various belief systems, including christianity, where it symbolizes none other than the Holy Trinity. Which is actually pretty accurate for Neuvillette considering his role in the story – the original creator and guardian of life, and the judge of all who condemns or pardons everyone’s sins.

The triquetra also flashes above his head when you switch to him in your party, and the intensity of the flash as well as the sound effect it makes when appearing become more intense with each stack of his passive. The more stacks he has, the more the sound resembles a church bell – also heard during his Elemental Burst, as well as the music for his trailer video, which overall sounds almost like a religious hymn (well. once you take out the dubstep moments lmao), complete with the organs, bells and a choir singing in Latin. It all plays into his symbolism of a divine judge, and in a way, it also shows that he very much implements trials into combat. He fights for justice, by bringing justice.

… But it’s also kind of hilarious considering Neuvillette also references the biblical Leviathan of all things, with his constellation named after it and his character introduction (he who looks down on all that are haughty) literally quoting the Bible. And the symbolism of him looking down on sinners is also very much visible in his media, with how often he is seen literally glaring down on people – between his art, his Elemental Burst, his and Clorinde’s teasers and many moments in the game’s story, he is very often shown deliberately from an angle that has him looking at others and judging them from above. He himself also comments on that, saying that this is part of what keeps him separated from those around him and unable to bond with and understand them.

How tf they put Jesus and the Leviathan into the same person and made it work is beyond me but it’s kind of amazing and honestly I love it.

List of currently known abilities

This is page 6 of this damn Google Doc so I’m gonna try to be brief here, but I wanted to also compile for myself the things we’ve seen Neuvillette do.

Full control over Hydro

Well, duh. In short, now that his power is fully restored, Neuvillette has full and complete control over the Hydro element. In lore, anyway, as this is where we have to implement separation between lore and gameplay (such as his ability to drown outside of Fontaine or inability to casually OHKO enemies by stopping their blood from flowing, just to name a few). In lore, his control over both regular water would be near absolute. Under this power is also where he categorizes his ability to turn Oceanids into true humans by granting them proper “blood”, so this is also where we put his potential power to create life, as his power over water includes the Primordial Sea – his connection to which he is now fully aware of now that his Authority is back. (This may be demonstrated by how the pattern inside Sourcewater Droplets kind of resembles DNA strands, symbolism also used by the boss enemy inside the body of Apep, another Dragon Sovereign.) Of course it also means that he is a fantastic swimmer, and can breathe underwater, both in and outside of Fontaine in lore.

Hydro resonance

Neuvillette is known to have extreme sensitivity to the Hydro element and the movements of water. Sigewinne states that he knew of the crisis in the Fortress before we ever told him due to sensing the waves when the water level rose, and during “The Wild Fairy of Erinnyes” we also learn that he was able to sense trouble at Loch Urania by resonating with water there (yes, Neuvillette is the “visitor” Pahsiv speaks of). He appears to be able to read the memories and information contained within water at will, even from a distance, allowing him to learn about trouble within his territory in an instant. This is also where we’d categorize his ability to taste emotions and impurities in water, distinguishing the history of what it had gone through by coming in contact with or drinking it.

Emotional resonance

One of Fontaine’s plot points is that water carries emotions, especially particularly strong ones, and by resonating with water, Neuvillette can read them and search for extra information that way. This one gives him trouble, however, as between literally sensing the emotions of all of Fontaine at once, and his own limited understanding of emotions, it’s very overwhelming for him to do, leaving him rather shaken afterwards. For that reason he doesn’t do it more than necessary and deliberately suppresses it on a daily basis. He can also sense the emotions of others just in general, as mentioned in both his and Arlecchino’s character stories, but with emotions being fickle things that he doesn’t really understand, it’s more than possible to mislead him, as both Vautrin and Arlecchino successfully hide the truth of their emotional state from him.

Causing rain

Not gonna yap about this here because I already have.

Control over Pneumousia

This one makes me rage because of how woefully underdeveloped it is and the way it’s literally mentioned in one sentence just to go “oh yeah Fontaine’s energy crisis is solved now” and never brought up again, but. Yeah. I’ve mentioned it earlier already, but Neuvillette has control over Pneumousia now that his Authority is fully restored, allowing him to serve as Fontaine’s current power source. Again, lore and gameplay separation, because it should probably also technically mean that he could avoid fighting rogue Gardemeks by just turning them off, but it is what it is.

Distribution of Hydro Visions

I know some people (including characters in the game) have wondered whether Visions are distributed by the governor of a nation or of an element. With Neuvillette now granting Visions, I consider the latter to be officially the case, because I don’t see how he would hand out Visions other than Hydro. In any case, yeah. He is now the one giving out Hydro Visions, having chosen to do so out of respect for humans, with the first Vision we’ve seen him grant going to Furina – characterized by allowing her to control both Pneuma and Ousia, and by the little claws seen on it, proving that it was given by a dragon. I consider his criteria for granting someone a Vision to be fairly similar to the Archons, where someone’s wish or ambition has to reach his Throne in a way that inspires him to respond, with the main difference being that he is aware and in control of the process. I like that his character story compares this to a dragon’s treasure hoard, except you don’t need to steal anything from him – you receive a reward just for reaching him.

Creating seals and barriers

We’ve seen him do it twice, because in my personal headcanon, the seal he created at the bottom of the Fortress and the shield he attempted to use against the Narwhal are more or less the same type of power, and the ease with which the whale shattered his barrier is something of a display of just how powerful that thing had become by absorbing the power of the Primordial Sea. But yeah, not much more to say here, he knows Protect.

Teleportation

… And he also apparently knows Teleport. We’ve only seen him do it once, in the Narwhal cutscene, where really he could have just jumped off, but he warped to I guess look cool. We know nothing more about this ability of his, in my personal headcanon I imagine he only warps across short distances when necessary and on a daily basis prefers to swim or walk.

The part where he did Something to his own constellation

idk what to put here lmao. Look. He is a god who exists outside of the Heavenly Principles’ rules and basically does as he pleases because Screw Those Guys. He doesn’t even need a constellation, due to being free of Celestia’s system of fate, which the fake sky’s stars are being used to control. But since he found his calling, “the skies had left a special, ennobled place for him”, with his constellation actually being a reflection of his own image, the same as the Traveler and the Archons. And then the guy went and either reshaped it or made himself a fake one?? Because a constellation reflecting its owner’s visage can’t be used to read their fortune in astrological charts (something we know from Mona) and some Melusines are into that. Again, as I said earlier, peak dad behavior but also What.

—

I think – and sincerely hope – that I talked about everything I wanted to and didn’t forget anything. Surely 8 Google Doc pages are enough yapping.

If you made it to the end, congrats and I’m sorry (but also not really) for being insane.

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

in jadeite do the characters still have the same eyes? like hutao with her flowery eyes and zhongli with his....serpent-like? ones

genuinely good question, i haven't really stopped to think about it? because in genshin as far as i know, the only eyes that really matter in terms of- what they look like? are the khaenri'ah star eyes. so like- we have people with wild-ass eyes but they never seem to factor in to the overarching lore of the game. with the exception of childe i guess? but his' are more like- they matter because he's an outlier (doesn't have the little anime shine), not because he has a particular shape in them.

also ngl i think you might be missremembering zhongli's eyes thanks in no small part i assume to fanon, bc i would not describe that man's eyes as serpent-like. neuvillette's? i can get behind. baizhu's and chongyun's? even more than neuvillette's. maybe even shinobu's but given her mask i guess hers are supposed to be more cat-like. but zhongli's...? like yes they're among the more non-normal eyes of the cast, but like- these:

next to these:

you see what i mean?

like not to get tinfoil hat on you but if i had to pick another character with eyes like zhongli's i would not pick the serpent men, but rather

you know? like they're the same shape, the colors are just inverted in the sense that her eyes are lighter with darker marks while zhongli's are darker with lighter marks, but other than that: rhombus in the middle with a ring around it. not sure there's any other character with eyes like those. xiao's look the most similar but on closer inspection he just has a semi-circle, not a full ring. so uh 🤷‍♂️

anyway- sorry about the tangent. i guess my answer to the actual question would be- maybe? i guess we can keep the eyes as they are, but just treat them the same way genshin seems to treat them. as in- most eye shapes are nothing more than a nod to the character's unique quirks rather than teyvat lore-relevant. again, teyvat lore-relevant i think is only the khaenri'ah star, maybe childe's eyes, and i guess baizhu's technically? and maybe neuvillette's. oh and arlecchino's of course. and i guess alhaitham can sit on the ?????? corner. but other than that hu tao having flowers isn't because of some long lost bloodline, but because she has plum (?) flower motifs. i think (inb4 it is about some long-lost bloodline lmao). you get what i mean? same goes for other characters with unique eyes. nahida has the four-leaf sigil bc she's connected to sumeru and the akasha and all that. kokomi has weird eyes because she's a fish. dori has an X in her eyes because money shines. like their eyes are unique but they don't have worldwide lore connotations the way the others seem to do. faruzan maybe has her eyes like that because she was stuck in some ruins for 100 years. i haven't read candace's lore but her golden eye can see stuff?? maybe she's lore-relevant too idk

so i guess bottom line is the people in this reality just have wild-ass eyes sometimes and it's no different than finding someone with albinism 🤷‍♂️ like you just go huh. neat. you're a genetic minority. anyway, and move on.

TL;DR: yeah the eyes are the same bc the only wacky eye-shapes that seem to REALLY matter in genshin's overarching lore are the khaenri'ah star ones, so i'm just not gonna bother w it.

if that bothers you we can also just say that they all have normal human-shaped eyes and keep the same color. like i guess what i'm trying to say is that only the khaenri'ah star will matter in the fic? and even then i'm unsure if it will matter all that much. so really whether hu tao has flowers in her eyes or not is irrelevant (using her as an example, but this applies to the others)

[elysiaishere]

Genshin Nonsense — Fontaine Edition (Spoilers)

I'm overwhelmed and I'm stressed. So, here I am again with more Genshin Nonsense—Fontaine edition!

Since 4.0 dropped, I've been swept up in all the themes and biblical references that are prevalent throughout Fontaine. So, on this episode of Genshin Nonsense, the theme is...

Okay, maybe not quite. But, we are going to deep-dive into one particular theme: duality.

In fiction, duality is often described as a tool or a theme used to contrast two opposing perspectives, characters, etc., to showcase the complexities of a particular idea and/or issue. A common example of this is "the duality of human nature," which often explores our capacity to commit great good or to commit great evil.

In Genshin's case, dualism seems to be everywhere in Fontaine. So much so that Hoyo's writers obviously want players to take notice of a particular idea. However, what would that idea be? Let's consider the evidence:

The Arkhe

The Arkhe is an energy system exclusive to Fontaine, used to power the elaborate machines and various automatons found throughout the region. It is composed of two parts: Ousia and Pneuma. Most notably, Ousia and Pneuma are opposing forces. This reflects in their appearance too: Ousia is a dark blue, almost purple, while Pneuma shines bright like gold.

Beyond that, our information about Arkhe is extremely limited. We still don't know what creates this energy or where it initially originated from. In fact, the only other additional information we have (that seems relevant here) is that when Ousia and Pneuma come into contact with each other, they create an energy reaction called "Mutual Annihilation."

The Primordial Sea

In short, the Primordial Sea seems to have two primary abilities: to create life and to take life.

Neuvillette confirmed as such in 4.1, stating that the Primordial Sea is where all life on Teyvet evolved. However, during the court cases we explored in 4.0, we're well aware that the Primordial Sea can also dissolve the people of Fontaine—and this process, unfortunately, is permanent.

The Hydro Archon and the Hydro Dragon

Furina and Neuvillette are often presented as polar opposites.

Furina is theatrical, lively, and expressive, while Neuvillette is reserved, thoughtful, and cautious. If anything, they're each other's literary foils. Her surface confidence, public speaking, and social intelligence showcase an individual able to connect with the people around her. Comparatively, Neuvillette struggles with this. On the other hand, his confidence is innate, and he demonstrates a stability that is at complete odds with Furina's chaos.

Nonetheless, I believe the parallels between them run much deeper, still. Not only as Furina and Neuvillette, but as the Hydro Archon and the Hydro Dragon.

In our conversation with Neuvillette at the end of 4.1, we learn that the Gnoses were, in some part, created from the stolen power of the original Dragon Sovereigns. To me, this means that, by nature, Furina and Neuvillette should be mortal enemies. She encompasses all that he's lost, after all, and in turn, he represents a bygone age that poses a severe threat to her already tumultuous rule. However, our in-game experiences with them suggest that their personal relationship is nothing of the sort.

If anything, Furina and Neuvillette showcase how two contradictory forces can instead be complementary.

Furina

Furina is a living, breathing dichotomy. Even her visuals showcase this: her mismatched gloves, her inverted eye colours, her hair length, etc. Symmetry, it seems, is the real enemy of Fontaine.

Nonetheless, I think the most interesting contrast about Furina is her personality.

As I implied earlier, Furina is a study in contradiction. Her outward bravado masks an anxious mind, and intense, overwhelming worries. But, that isn't to say that Furina is all bravado. No. I believe her enthusiasm and charisma is just as much a part of her as her apparent insecurities are.

She's a person, with dreams, ambitions, worries and fears. If anything, she is the most human Archon we've met thus far.

Conclusion

Duality. Parallels. Contrasting perspectives.

Whatever it's called, Fontaine evidently demonstrates these ideas in abundance—including a few additional points I didn't touch upon here. Nonetheless, I think one possible message Hoyo's writers are foreshadowing is this: there are always two sides to every story.

Not only does this particular message fit with the duality theme, but it also nestles quite nicely with Fontaine's philosophies around law and justice. After all, we are unable to pass judgement until we have all the facts, and presently, our picture of the ongoing happenings in Fontaine are far from complete. And I suspect, even when we do have the whole story, it'll be complex, and full of dichotomies.

Meaning, there will be no "right" answer. Just the consequences of the decisions Furina, Neuvillette and wider Fontaine make.

[helly-watermelonsmellinfellon]

Genshin stans on Twitter are calling Ei a 'colonizer' because of what happened to Orobaxi.

They're equating her slaying him to Remus throwing a fit over being colonized by Deshret and going and colonizing every tribe of people in the sea and beyond to make his grand empire.

And when this falls apart because Narukami has been there for as long as Ei and Makoto have been, and Watatsumi appeared in the ocean out of nowhere, they go on to say that because she's on the side of the Usurpers, by not being indigenous to this world and by becoming an Archon, that makes her a colonizer by association.

1.) There is a consistent need to make Orobaxi and the people of Watatsumi/Enkanomiya into perfect angels who can do no wrong.

Orobaxi is not Inazuman. He's a god from Liyue who actively and willingly participated in the Archon War. He lost his land and people and fled to the Dark Sea. After a time, he fled to the depths of the world and found the remains of Enkanomiya. He agreed to become their god, began telling them about the Narukami culture, and got sentenced to death for finding out the truth of the world's 'creation'.

He bartered for the lives of the Enkanomiyans because they didn't know the truth and didn't deserve to die with him. He was given time to take them above ground, find them a home, and teach them how to survive. In that time, he led torturous experiments on the local vishaps to try and graft growths he'd obtained in the Dark Sea, into their forms so they could be harvested routinely to make certain the island he created from those growths would be sustainable.

To end his own life, because gods can't kill themselves, he took a group of soldiers and invaded Yashiori Island under the pretense of needing supplies. After he, a loser of the Archon War, and his people who came from who knows where, popped up out of the ocean and were allowed to stay in Inazuman territory and keep their religious beliefs unchallenged, he suddenly turns and attacks the humans on Yashiori instead of asking for help? And Ei isn't supposed to go and handle him on behalf of the dying people?

I get that he was backed into a corner, had no time to think of a better solution, and needed something guaranteed to work while NOT spilling the truth of everything, but he DID invade another land. HE made that choice. Ei taking out a threat to her people on their land does not make her a colonizer. That's not how colonizing works. Her people were there first and these strangers would rather attack and arrogate land than just ask for help. Ei does not know the truth of what happened. She doesn't know the full story still. From her perspective, a straggler of the Archon War appeared out of nowhere and harmed her people for the sake of his own people.

2.) Enkanomiya and Orobaxi are ALSO colonizers.

They are not native to the world. Enkanomiya's people worshiped the First Who Came and were part of the first unified civilization that was created. They clearly sided with the Usurpers. They even went so far as to experiment on the vishap race to corrupt their bloodline and make it impossible for the Hydro Dragon Sovereign from ever being reborn into that race, which is why Neuvillette is humanoid. All because they hated the dragons so much based on what they'd been told about the war.

Orobaxi is a god who is not a vishap or of the dragon race in any way. He is a colonizer by this unique definition Twitter is using, as he is not a native. He also not from Inazuma in general so trying to take land that wasn't his to take, and harming other people in the process, is literally colonization. His end being tragic doesn't make that fact untrue.

The Shogunate being filled with corrupted officials, does not mean that certain people on Watatsumi Island aren't corrupted either(as shown by Kokomi's Story Quest). Both sides participated in such grievances. From the Watatsumi people violating Narukami's little shrines all over the islands, to the Shogunate using Orobaxi's corpse to make weapons. Both sides are wrong, even if the Shogunate is more wrong.

This is still not comparable to what Remus did in the midst of a tantrum.

Orobaxi's death and the distrust Watatsumi faced because of his hasty plan and the damage it caused, is nothing like Remus using his fancy boat to sail around and threaten people on the high seas into submission under his rule. Anyone who didn't submit was dehumanized and wiped out. Two different situations and what inspired them is very different as well.

There are plenty of examples of colonization in Genshin. It's not hard to pick the canon ones and complain about them.

[plumblossomcafe]

Ch.106: The Truth, Lost With the Rain

Sedene: Halt! Please state your business here. The Chief Justice is presently occupied with official matters.

Paimon: Huh... This place does look pretty heavily guarded. Guess that proves that Neuvillette's files are really secure!

Navia: Hey, don't you recognize us?

Sedene: Huh? Who are you? Just to be clear, I don't care who you are or who you might be related to. Our rules make no exceptions.

Navia: See? They've got great discipline, too.

Paimon: Yep, yep, Paimon can tell!

Sedene: ...If you're just here to crack jokes, I can point you towards the exit. Unlike some, we're busy, so please leave if you don't have a reason to be here.

Navia: No, no, what I meant to say is, shouldn't you remember us from a few days ago? We were at the trial of the Great Magician Lyney.

Sedene: Ohhhh! Yes, I remember, I read about it in The Steambird. You... You must be Lyney's attorneys. It's all coming back to me now.

Navia: We're here today to report and archive some information on a follow-up case.

Sedene: Huh? Is that even a thing...

Y/n: Of course! Don't worry. We're here on official business. You can trust us.

Sedene: Alright, then I'll let you through. The Chief Justice is just inside.

Navia: Thanks so much!

After finding and entering Neuvillette's office with permission

Y/n: Um... Sorry to barge in, Monsieur Neuvillette. We only lied to get in because we didn't know any other way...

Neuvillette: It's alright. Please let me know how I may be of assistance to you.

Paimon: Uhh, so you're not mad at us?

Navia: We're looking for a man called "Vacher." He may have been an eyewitness in the serial disappearances case. If we can find him, we may be able to unearth some key information on the case.

Neuvillette: Ah, I see. In that case, please wait here a moment while I browse through the files. *browses through the filies*

Paimon: Who knew that Neuvillette would be so easy to talk to...

Neuvillette: Unfortunately... I'm quite certain that no one by the name of "Vacher" has been involved in any case, criminal or civil, in the past several years. There are no records of him either in the files or in my memory.

Y/n: So we're back to square one...

Paimon: Aether, Y/n, what if it was really all just a dream?

Navia: Is that so... Alright then, thank you so much, Monsieur Neuvillette. We'll take our leave now.

Before the group left, Neuvillette decided to stop them

Neuvillette: Ahem... Miss Miss Navia, I can understand how you feel.

Navia: *stops walking*

Neuvillette: Your father, Callas, was a truly exceptional man. We deeply regret his passing.

Navia: ... And what are you trying to say, Monsieur Neuvillette? Are you trying to console me? Extend your sympathy? Or just express some tendril of regret... No... You are not trying to do any of that. I can hear it in your voice. There's no emotion behind your words — you only said those things because you felt like you should.

Y/n: Navia...

Neuvillette: ...

Navia: *walks back to Neuvillette* It's just like last time. After my father took his place in the Duelists' Ring, I pushed through the guards to talk to you as a last resort... You even told me then that you thought there was something fishy with the case, yet you still allowed the duel to go ahead. In your eyes, the value of a human life is nothing compared to those cold laws you hold so dear.

Y/n: Navia, cut it out, please...

Navia: If you truly regret my father's death, then why didn't you call a stop to the duel!? Why didn't you... give me the power to stop him from throwing his life away. Why did you just let him die, despised and hated by all... Everything was hanging on a thread at that moment... Just the tiniest effort could have changed everything. There are still so many things I never got to tell him... So many questions he still owes me answers to... If you really have no heart, then just look me in the eyes — I, Navia, will show you the true meaning of "regret"!

Neuvillette: ......I'm sorry, Miss Navia.

Navia: You and my father are truly alike. You'd keep all kinds of things in your heart and never say a word to anyone. It's not so much that you can't feel, but that you would never express anything. Oh well... In any case, everyone already knows full well the apathy of the Chief Justice.

Y/n: *clenched her fist*

Navia: My-

Y/n: Navia, can you please look at me for a moment?

Navia: *looks at Y/n* Is there-

Before Navia could finish her sentence, Y/n slapped Navia across the face with all her strength, leaving a huge bruise on her face, shocking everyone, especially Navia

Y/n: I've had enough of your complaining! Neuvillette didn't stop the duel because he was bound by duties that you don't have a choice to follow, but no, the only thing you understand is complaining and blaming others! Even you, Melus, and Silver agreed that your father intended to die in that duel! I tried my best to support you, but I've had enough! You deserve what happened to you!

Before Navia or anyone else could answer Y/n immediately ran out of the room, not bearing to see or hear what Navia had to say anymore

Navia: *came back to her senses* Y/n wait!!! *ran after her*

Everyone but Neuvillette then followed along, but once they reached the entrance, Y/n was nowhere to be found, so they had no choice but to split up in order to find her

Paimon: Where could Y/n be!?! We looked everywhere!!

Aether: Let's look-

Their conversation would be cut off when a scream was heard in the distance

Y/n: HELP!!!

Aether: That's Y/n! *ran to the source*

Paimon/Navia: *followed him*

Once they reached the source, nothing was left there.

Aether: Y/n... *dropped to his knees* No...

Paimon: Let's immediately inform Neuvillette!!!

They immediately returned to the Palais Mermonia and informed Neuvillette about Y/n's disappearance

Neuvillette: We'll immediately put up a search warrant on Y/n's disappearance. Though I don't want to believe it, Y/n may as well be counted as a new victim for the serial disappearances case

Paimon: But why would they decide to target Y/n? She's not even Fontanian. She's Liyuean!

(A/N: Since there is no official demonym for the people of Liyue, I'm going with Liyuean, correct me if I'm wrong)

Navia: I don't know either...

Neuvillette: I know this isn't the best situation, but I suggest to calm down and wait until further notice.

Outside

Navia: Ah... rain... It's raining. I didn't even notice before.

Paimon: You're right... Wasn't it still sunny when we went into the building? And there shouldn't be any active trials today. How strange... And it's even raining harder now...

Navia: Now that I think of it... On the day my father was convicted of murder, it was also raining.

Paimon: Aether, are you alright?

Aether: How could I be alright? Y/n's been kidnapped again, all because of you *glares at Navia*

Navia: I...

Aether: Forget it, you wouldn't understand anything like Y/n said... "If I had the chance, I would kill you right here, right now"

Paimon: Aether...

Aether: Your father's case... Was he outside when it happened?

Navia: Yeah, he was outside... It was uncovered, and the rain could fall there. Why? Do you think the rain could have affected the crime scene? That thought has occurred to us before. We've even expanded the search area to try to account for that but didn't find anything of value.

Aether: But there was something you didn't know at the time.

Navia: Oh? Wait, you don't mean...!

Aether: The fact that people can be turned into water.

Paimon: So you're saying that the true murderer could have been turned into water? And then got washed away with the rain... Yeah... And if that's what had happened, then no one would have believed your dad even if he explained what he saw to the authorities!

Navia: I really think I've found a true genius for a partner... You're completely right. How did I not connect the dots earlier... Alright, let's go to Poisson! With this new lead in mind, we'll get to the bottom of my father's case for sure!

Paimon: Yeah! We're gonna make progress for sure this time!

Navia: Do you want to go with me now, or do you want to head over by yourself later?

Aether: We should go while the idea's still fresh "And before I lose it"

Navia: Great. Let's go, then.

Paimon: Woah, what a huge ship! Why would a ship be anchored at a place like this?

Navia: Hehe, there's no need to be so surprised. While it may look like a ship, it's actually Spina di Rosula's headquarters. My father was the one who asked for it to be built like this. Perhaps our taste in exterior design is the only thing we occasionally had in common. A gigantic and glamorous ship embodies discovery, opportunity, ambition, and conquest. It symbolizes Spina di Rosula's bright and limitless future.

Paimon: And Paimon thought you were bluffing when you said Spina di Rosula had a glorious past! Paimon was confused why a group with such a history would live in the sewers... But now that Paimon has seen this ship for herself, she's been convinced!

Navia: Well, Poisson is where Spina di Rosula began, after all. It's our main base, our home. *sees Melus* Melus, we're back!

Melus: Apologies for the wait, Demoiselle, and our most important partners. You said before that you still had some business at the Court. What brings you back to Poisson so quickly? Is it fine if I also ask where miss Y/n is?

Navia: Well the thing is..

Navia explained how the two got into an argument, Y/n's disappearance after she ran from the Opera Epiclese, and how she ultimately became a new victim to the serial disappearances case

Melus: I see... I deeply send my condolences to you, Mr. Aether, I hope she gets found soon.

Aether: ... *nods*

Navia: Uh, also, we found some new evidence on my father's case... it's because my Aether here reminded me of something really important. You see, what if my father's case had something to do with Water from the Primordial Sea? You still remember, right, Melus? On that night, it was raining...

Melus: Oh, yes, the case was quite similar to that of Mr. Lyney's. Both were what you'd call "impossible murders."

Aether: Could the mastermind be the same person?

Paimon: Could you tell us a bit more about what happened before?

Navia: Yeah, of course. Many years ago, something called "Sinthe" began to gain popularity in Poisson. At a glance, it was a kind of drink that could excite your mood and produce many pleasant hallucinations.

Paimon: Wait, didn't that Garde guy who turned into water also mention that the Primordial Water could be used to produce some kind of potion?

Navia: Yes, he did. Considering what we know now, it's almost certain that Sinthe is created using Water from the Primordial Sea. If you drink Sinthe for an extended amount of time, you'll suffer many side effects, such as losing the ability to focus or control your emotions. And if you were to stop drinking it completely... you'll experience flashes of paranoia and anxiety while lacking energy to do anything. It's an extremely dangerous substance. As he oversaw Poisson, my father was compelled to put a stop to Sinthe abuse and called for a complete ban of it.

Melus: Boss' uncompromising attitude incurred the Sinthe vendors' wrath, but no matter how much they threatened or bribed him, he refused to yield. Not only that, Boss became determined to find the mastermind behind the Sinthe operation and put an end to the problem once and for all.

Navia: Yes, but the enemy was very cunning, so he could never get anything out of the dealers, all of whom only sold the stuff and weren't privy to the rest of the operation. Recognizing that, my father decided to contact the dealers in secret and cultivate personal relationships with them. Finally, he was able to convince someone to become his informant. The man's name was Jacques. He felt greatly ashamed about his work after seeing many families destroyed by Sinthe abuse.

Aether: What happened next?

Navia: That night, my father hosted a banquet at this countryside estate. He planned to meet up and exchange information with Jacques over some food. But then we heard two gunshots from the courtyard. We raced to the scene and found my father, still holding a gun, and Jacques, who was already dead on the ground...

Paimon: Huh!? How did that happen? Weren't they on the same side?

Navia: Sounds just like Lyney's case, doesn't it? In both cases, the culprit seemed obvious, but neither appeared to have any motive at all. Looking back on it, though, I now believe the most important clue was something we all overlooked at the time — there were pieces of clothing left at the scene.

Aether: So they could have belonged to someone who got dissolved?

Navia: Precisely. It's all thanks to you that I made the connection now. Back then, we all just thought they were some costumes that Jacques used to disguise himself at the banquet. But considering it now, it's almost certain that they belonged to a third person at the scene. With one extra person, we'll also need to reconsider why the two shots were fired.

Aether: Maybe your father got into an argument with Jacques...? But it's also possible that the third person was to blame.

Navia: You're right, we still don't know what happened, but my intuition tells me that we're on the right track to figuring it all out. I'm finally headed towards the truth...

Melus: Jacques was an empathetic man who was infinitely remorseful for his past actions. It's unlikely that he turned on Boss with zero warning. I think this "third person" is probably the key to the full truth. On that note, however... Even though this will not please you, Demoiselle, as your and your father's butler, I must still offer a word of warning.

Aether: Which would be?

Melus: Our opponent is insidious and cruel. They are extremely difficult to deal with, and Boss has already lost his life trying to bring them to justice. Even though Spina di Rosula has lost most of its former glory, Poisson has welcomed a new time of peace, and we have been allowed to live out our lives... There's no need to follow your father's path. It would be both wise and in line with Boss' wishes to step back and give up on the case.

Navia: If that's indeed what he wished for, then he should have told me that himself. Was I not the closest person to him? And yet, I was the one most kept in the dark. What was the point of him dying without sharing any of the secrets he knew? Did he manage to protect anything in the end? Sinthe is still here, "Callas the Unfaithful" is still his epithet, and Spina di Rosula is barely getting by. Nothing has changed. Did he think I'd just accept his meaningless death and live out my life just as meaninglessly?

Aether: "Her complaining is getting annoying, no wonder Y/n got fed up"

Navia: I've never accepted that, ever. Not since that day, and certainly not now. I want to find out the real answer for everyone's sake. For the missing girls... for the victims... and for myself.

Paimon: Navia...

Melus: This is indeed the best moment to act. Your partner appears to be quite reliable, and more importantly, Demoiselle, I think you're also ready to take this on.

Navia: So you do know something else, Melus.

Melus: Yes, I do. In fact, even before that banquet, Boss already knew of the connection between Sinthe and the serial disappearances case. But what drove all the tensions to the boiling point was the revelation that you, Demoiselle, had been selected as the next target to "disappear."

Navia: What...

Melus: Boss also didn't tell you that he had been diagnosed with a rare illness. The doctors told him that he had no more than five years left to live... And the serial disappearances case caused him great anxiety. Five years was nowhere near enough time to resolve this long-standing conflict, but once he passed away, all the danger would pass onto you. Knowing all of this, he decided to use one final intimidation tactic before his death. He claimed to have already gotten his hands on some key incriminating evidence for the other side and even told some members of Spina di Rosula about the details. But as long as you remained safe, he would not share the evidence with the public. If something were to happen to you, then he and all those he had told would immediately expose all they know about Sinthe and the disappeared victims.

Paimon: Right, so nobody would be able to get off scot-free...

Melus: As we've seen, Boss' tactic has worked. Even though Boss has been gone for a long time, the other side has not tried to take Demoiselle's life.

Navia: No, I don't believe it! He never appeared to look sick to me!

Melus: No father wants their daughter to see them weak and haggard, especially someone as proud as Boss. To him, dying in a duel and suffering lasting dishonor as "the Unfaithful" were still far preferable than losing face in front of his daughter.

Aether: "Now that I think about, I remember Greater Lord Rukkhadevata explained how Zhongli tried protecting Y/n in his own way, could his love twords his daughter be the same as Cowell's love twords his daughter?"

Navia: Argh!...So he chose to die in silence so that he could protect me?

Melus: I'm afraid you're not understanding this correctly, Demoiselle. What Boss wanted to hand to you was not a parasol but a sword. If Boss' spirit could hear you telling me that you want to find the answer for the sake of everyone involved... I'm sure he'd be extremely proud.

Navia: That fool, couldn't he have just given it to me straight... No, he might have set up everything precisely because... he never thought I'd be able to understand him... Is that the amount of confidence he had in me? And what if I was never able to make it to where I am now...?

Aether: He gave you the choice to live how you want.

Navia: Yeah, I suppose that's true... With the way he'd set things up, if I had wanted, I could have just lived out my life without a care in the world. Thankfully, he rarely talked to me about complex matters and thus understood little of me as a person. In this case... he really didn't need to give me an easy way out. Melus, what was the key evidence that he shared with you?

Melus: It's the location where Sinthe is produced. Essentially, it's the enemy's headquarters. When he was threatening the enemy, Boss didn't share the specifics of the incriminating evidence he found. But if you want to use it against the enemy, you'll still have to take several things into consideration.

Paimon: Why? If we know where the place is, can't we just go storming in?

Melus: You mustn't forget that we're fighting against a mysterious and dangerous organization that's been in operation for decades. There's no telling what might be lying in wait at their headquarters. We also have no idea what kind of evidence we may be able to find inside, nor what people we may be able to capture. But a single visit to their headquarters would be tantamount to a formal declaration of war. The worst case would be that we leave empty-handed but also open ourselves up to full retaliation.

Paimon: Then, in that case, why not work with the Fontaine authorities?

Melus: Well, you saw one of them dissolve during Mr. Lyney's case. We have no idea just how thoroughly they may have been infiltrated.

Navia: That's true... Seems my father really had no choice... But things are different now. It should be a lot easier to prove the other side's guilt now that we've connected Sinthe with the disappearances case.

Paimon: You sound like you've put a lot of thought into this, Melus!

Melus: I am the butler, after all. I live but to serve the Boss and Demoiselle's will. I've always been willing to take on any kind of risk for your sake, but considering my relative lack of ability, I've spent my time keeping secrets, performing basic investigations, and waiting for the right time to come.

Navia: Thank you for all of that, Melus. Have you discovered anything new in the past few years?

Melus: Let me think... One conclusion I came to was that the enemy must be quite familiar with Spina di Rosula, or at least, have an informant planted here. When I announced orders to the organization's members on Demoiselle's behalf, I used to deliberately keep a few people in the dark and observe the reactions of the Sinthe vendors. If the vendors didn't change their plans, then the individuals informed of our orders must be innocent. If the vendors packed up and fled, however, then someone must have given them the news. After several rounds of testing and investigative tracing, I've narrowed the suspect list down to three people.

Aether: Perfect, can you tell us who the people are?

Melus: The first is Florent, Spina di Rosula's senior adviser.

Navia: Huh? Florent?

Melus: Yes. Surprising, isn't it? He was one of the people Boss trusted the most, which also means that he was someone who understood Boss really well. Thanks to his position within Boss' innermost circle, he always knew our upcoming plans and could thus avoid capture this whole time. There's someone else like him, too. Marcel, the head of Confrerie of Cabriere.

Navia: Uncle Marcel...

Aether: What is this "Confrerie"?

Melus: It's a guild in Poisson. Boss helped it to grow to its current size and prominence. In the beginning, they were only reselling some daily goods, but now, they're one of the richest guilds around with a lot of business connections in the city.

Paimon: So, they're like a sister organization of Spina di Rosula?

Navia: Yes, you can say that. When we were fighting against the Sinthe dealers, they provided us with plenty of support. It's a bit difficult to imagine someone using their own money to hunt down themselves...

Melus: The final suspect is Thierry, the man responsible for coordinating information between Spina di Rosula and the Gardes. Although the Gardes mostly leave us to our own devices, there are still many activities we have to report to the local authorities. Since Thierry is always in the know about our current activities, he could theoretically always plan one step ahead.

Navia: I see... These are all people who I communicate with quite regularly. To think that the enemy we've been fighting against has been right next to me all along, among those I trust the most... It's almost too hard to believe...

Melus: If you want to investigate them, please take every precaution to not alert the quarry. Judging from our experience, the enemy is extremely cautious.

Navia: Of course, and thank you, Melus. You've provided us with a lot of great information.

Melus: You're too kind, my lady. I'm just doing my duty. Ah, and before I forget, proving Boss' innocence would also mean clearing him of blame in Jacques' death... After that incident, Jacques' wife and daughter were taken into the Spina's care. They still live in Poisson today. If it might help, you could also pay them a visit. I can make the necessary arrangements.

Paimon: Aw, thank you so much, Melus! You really are the best!

Navia: A new case awaits, my dear partner.

As the new trio decided to head twords the three suspects, Aether dropped a notebook with a pen inside, to which Paimon noticed and picked up

Paimon: Aether, you dropped this.

Aether: Huh? *grabs it* Oh, it's the notebook and pen Y/n used to write down clues when we were helping Lyney.

Paimon: Hey, why don't we use it to write down notes for this case?

Aether: *nods*

Melus: It is settled, then. Please excuse me, and enjoy your conversation at your leisure.

Navia: Thank you for arranging everything for us, Melus.

Coralie: Excuse me, Miss... Do you need anything from us?

Adele: ...

Navia: Huh!?

Paimon: Hey, Navia's all quiet... This isn't like her at all.

Aether: Let's not bother her for now.

Navia: I'm sorry that I only came to visit after all this time. After what happened... I didn't know how I was supposed to face the two of you.

Coralie: Ah, if it's about that, there's no need to apologize. After my husband died, Spina di Rosula sent us a lot of Mora and support. I understood your guilt and apology to be genuine.

Navia: But aren't all of those things nothing compared to the loss of Jacques? I can understand the kind of pain that comes with losing a father so needlessly.

Adele: ...You don't understand at all.

Navia: I didn't know how to face you because I didn't know what I could possibly bring as a consolation gift. I know only the full truth could bring closure to you — and to all of us.

Adele: Mhm...

Coralie: I'm sorry... I appreciate the sentiment, but you don't have to carry all that guilt. On the matter regarding my husband, my daughter and I have more or less found our answer already...

Navia: Would you mind sharing it with me? I really can't believe that my father could ever bring himself to shoot Jacques.

Coralie: I always knew that my husband's money was earned through others' suffering. He told me countless times that if he could turn back the clock, he would never go into the Sinthe business again. He had many regrets and felt that he took the idea of providing for his family too literally. For the longest time, he thought Mora was everything. So when Mr. Callas came to him with a proposal, he accepted it almost immediately. He tried to be as careful as he could, but even so, he was still found out by the higher-ups...

Navia: They found out about his betrayal?

Adele: Papa didn't say that exactly, but Papa did tell me that I should never be ungrateful.

Coralie: Before he left that day, he told me that he had no choice. It was only later that I realized it was his final farewell to the two of us.

Aether: Someone ordered Jacques to take out Callas?

Coralie: I don't know that for sure, but you could say that's... the conclusion I eventually came to. Which is why I'm the one who should feel guilty. Callas had always taken great care of us, both when he was still alive and after he passed away... Even if he fired the shot that killed my husband, it was likely in self-defense. It is impossible for me to hate him for what he had done.

Adele: But Mama, why is Papa still the bad guy if he did the right thing? Papa always wanted to be a good man, so why did he have to do a bad thing in the end?

Navia: Well, things aren't always as they seem. You still feel like your Papa was a good man, right?

Adele: Yeah, Papa was a really good man. The best in the whole world...

Navia: Then you should hold onto that. If a good man had to do a bad thing, then he must have had his reasons. Regardless of whether he left you a parasol or a sword, he must have done so to give you a better life.

Adele: Oh...

Navia: Thank you for everything you've told me. I will definitely find the truth. The current state of things is not something I'm willing to just sit back and accept.

Coralie: Thank you. I'm very grateful to hear this from you. Even though your personality is quite different from your father's, your determination when you speak is really similar...

Navia: ...You really think so? That's the first time anyone's said that to me.

• 𝐉𝐚𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐬'𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫-𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐬, 𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐬. 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬' 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐬. 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭?

Florent: Greetings, Boss. How may I be of assistance today?

Navia: I'm sure you've heard about what happened at the opera house? Someone got turned into water right in front of us...

Florent: Yeah, I've heard... With something that dramatic, I'm sure journalists will milk it for all its worth, and it'll be all the talk for the next several weeks.

Navia: It also reminded me... On the day that the incident happened with my father, it was raining outside, and we found some clothes left at the scene... After my partner here put the dots together for me, I feel like we should try to reopen his case. Can you do me a favor and try to recall what happened that night?

Florent: Hmm, let me think... Mr. Callas was feeling pretty upbeat that day, so he was drinking and bantering away with us at the table. After that, he told us that he wanted to go get some fresh air, so we let him go without thinking much of it. Who knew that we would hear two gunshots ring out right after... My first reaction was that Mr. Callas' life was in danger, so I grabbed my holster and made a mad dash towards the scene. But when I got there, it was already too late. Mr. Callas was standing over a dead body with a gun in his hands. All we could do was look back and forth at each other, not knowing what to say...

Navia: So you also remember two gunshots, then?

Florent: Indeed. The Gardes said the first shot didn't hit anyone, while the second killed Jacques... but I've never really bought that explanation. The reason being, Mr. Callas had left his gun on the table. I even made sure to confirm that before running to the scene. But according to the Gardes, that doesn't mean he couldn't have had other guns on his person. About the clothes left at the scene that you mentioned... Do you think there was a third person there who was turned into water?

Aether: It's very possible.

Navia: At least from our perspective, my father had no reason to kill, so he would also have no reason to bring an extra gun with him. The gun he was holding probably belonged to Jacques, or a third person on the scene.

Florent: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. So you're saying... Mr. Callas ended up with the gun because he seized it from one of the other guys? But hold on, if that's what had happened, then why didn't he share the truth with any of us? He didn't even want to face the Oratrice Machine and chose instead to prove his honor in a duel... Did he lose all faith in the courts after seeing someone dissolve right in front of his eyes?

Navia: About that... Melus told me a thing or two, so I think I can understand why he committed to the duel. I'll tell you everything once the whole truth has been revealed.

Florent: I understand. Then, I'll leave Mr. Callas' honor in your hands, Boss. And if I may just say one more thing... The whole "Callas the Unfaithful" epithet has been a thorn in my side since the day it was invented. Many people have laughed at me for still calling him "Mr. Callas" even after so many years have passed. But it was Mr. Callas' trust that allowed me to rise through the ranks of Spina di Rosula and live the life I lead today. No matter what others might say, he'll always be the man I respect the most, and he'll always be my Boss.

Navia: Don't worry, I will definitely find the truth. You and all our other comrades at the Spina deserve to know the truth as well.

• 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐝𝐢 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐚, 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐚 𝐠𝐮𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭.

Thierry: Oho, now what brings you here, Miss Navia? I've heard that you made quite the name for yourself at the opera house.

Navia: Haha, so you've caught news of that already?

Thierry: Oh, okay... Hey, I'm also a member of the Gardes, you know. The way you make it sound, people would think I was sent off to Poisson because I had done something wrong.

Navia: Are you sure there isn't a little bit of truth in that? Under normal circumstances, shouldn't you have been called back to the city already?

Thierry: Haha, I mean, where I work is really up to me. Let's just say I enjoy the ambiance of Poisson. Callas did a fantastic job running the town, building Spina di Rosula from the ground up, and clearing many obstructions in my way. It would be next to impossible for me to find a similarly easy but high-paying job in the city. Anyway, enough chitchat, are these two friends of yours? You here for some formal business?

Navia: Ah, yes, these two are my partners. What happened at the opera house made us realize that Lyney's case and my father's may be related. We're trying to re-investigate the details of my father's old case.

Thierry: Ah, I get it. You think there might be more to the case now that we know people can be dissolved into water, right? I was also flabbergasted when I first heard of it. If you want to go through the original files from your father's case, I can help you look for them.

Navia: That'd be much appreciated, thank you. Actually, I have another question — do you have the authority to dispatch Gardemeks?

Thierry: Of course! Without them, I couldn't possibly handle Poisson on my own. Why do you ask? We definitely can't use them to forcefully get more evidence for your father's case.

Navia: Well, you see, just recently, we were attacked by a horde of unnumbered Gardemeks in the city. So if you hypothetically wanted to do something against me, all you would need to do is get rid of the meka's serial numbers and send them after me...

Thierry: Hahaha, then you think too highly of my abilities. "Dispatching" meka is very different from "controlling" them. If I had to make an analogy... when you order a dish, the chef will make it for you. You can ask the chef to cook, but not to massage your shoulders or carry your baggage. If you try to make unreasonable demands, the chef would just think you're out of your mind and ignore you completely. The same goes for me and my Gardemeks.

Aether: Which means?

Thierry: Removing a serial number is also not as easy as you might think. There are a lot of complex steps to it, and it's almost impossible to keep it a secret. So I can promise you — those meka were definitely private units. They're certainly not cheap, so whoever their owner is must be super rich, powerful, or both. Now that you mention it, though, being in the Sinthe business would definitely be profitable enough to afford this...

Aether: Makes sense.

Navia: Haha, then you're officially in the clear, Thierry.

Thierry: Ahaha, thank you for the vote of confidence, Navia. Jokes aside, I'd like to wish you all the best with your investigation. I'll be staying in the city for a little while, so just come find me if you need any support from the Gardes.

• 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐝𝐢 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐬. 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐤𝐬.

Calcagni: Hello, how may I help you?

Navia: I'm here to see Marcel. Could you please let him know? You can just say Navia is looking for him.

Calcagni: Sure, I will let him know right away.

After waiting for a while, Marcel arrives in a hurry.

Marcel: Navia, hello! Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm not as young as I used to be, so my legs are giving out a bit.

Navia: It's alright, Uncle Marcel. There's no need to stress. I just wanted to talk to you briefly about what happened in the opera house. I'm sure you saw everything too, right?

Marcel: Yes, I've never seen anything so strange.

Paimon: Oh, you were at the opera house, too?

Marcel: That's right, I went there with Navia to see the magic show. Who knew it would turn into a whole murder mystery... I also witnessed your marvelous sleuthing work. Quite impressive. To beat the Hydro Archon at her own game on her home turf... I can already imagine everyone in Fontaine discussing your exploits over a few glasses of wine.

Paimon: Oh, Paimon doesn't want to become the talk of drunkards...

Marcel: Hahaha, apologies, it's just how Fontaine is as a nation. Everyone loves drama and theatrics.

Navia: Uncle Marcel, you've also noticed that other thing, right? The fact that humans can dissolve in water...

Marcel: Yes, I was reminded of your father's case right away. Is that what you're investigating now?

Navia: Exactly. I still don't have much solid proof, but I can sense that the other side has already begun to act.

Marcel: Oh, and what makes you say that?

Navia: We were attacked on Erinnyes by some unnumbered Gardemeks, and there was also an attempt to get me to drink Water from the Primordial Sea. If not for the vigilance of my partner, I probably wouldn't even be here talking to you right now.

Paimon: You're giving us too much credit! Wasn't it you who protected us?

Marcel: Alas, it seems things are heating up again. The peace that Callas sought so dearly will soon become a thing of the past. But rest assured, Navia, Poisson will always remain a safe haven for you. If you're scared, you can always return there. If anyone dares to lay their hands on you there, the Confrerie of Cabriere will use its funds to the last Mora to bring them to justice.

Navia: Thank you, Uncle Marcel. But I don't intend to go into hiding. I'm going to strike while the iron's hot. Do you have any new thoughts on my father's case?

Marcel: Hmm, about that... Sorry, my age's catching up with me, so it'll take me a while to recall my memory. The Confrerie was responsible for that banquet, so I was out and about the whole time making sure things were running smoothly. I didn't even have the time to drink with the guests. Then I heard the sound of a gunshot, and the rest was history.

Navia: It's okay. There's no need to push yourself. We'll ask around some more and see if there are any valuable clues elsewhere.

Marcel: Sounds good. Just let me know if you ever need Mora. All my wealth comes from Callas' patronage and support. I'll spend however much it takes to clear his name.

• Marcel is the leader of the Confrerie of Cabriere and was the organizer of the banquet years prior. The Confrerie and the Spina di Rosula have always maintained a close working relationship. Though his recollection of the events of the case is quite foggy, he is willing to defend Navia.

Navia: We've talked to all three suspects, purely based on their conversations with me...

Paimon: None of them sounded particularly suspicious.

Aether: None of them really stood out as a suspect.

Navia: I suppose that's to be expected, though. If a single conversation's all that's needed to find them out, then my father wouldn't have needed to investigate the case for so many years. Anyway, even though we didn't make a breakthrough, let's still compile what we were able to find.

Paimon: Hmm... But where should we start?

Aether: Jacques' motive.

Paimon: Ah, you're right! Florent mentioned that Callas probably only ended up with the gun because of circumstance. Hmm... that makes sense.

Navia: According to Jacques' family members, he already told them that he had been discovered and that he had no choice before he left home that day. Hmm, if I had to guess, he probably received an order from the Sinthe boss to kill my father. Had he refused, he and his family's lives would have been forfeit.

Paimon: So, Jacques fired the first shot?

Aether: If I was Jacques, I wouldn't have fired a shot at all.

Navia: Oh? And why is that?

Aether: Could he guarantee his safety after killing Callas? Could he guarantee his family's safety after killing Callas?

Paimon: Ooh, that's a good point! Jacques probably already knew that he was just being used as a tool for murder. And once he had completed his mission, he'd be of no more use to his boss...

Navia: So, what would make more sense from his perspective would be to turn his back on the order and seek protection from my father.

Aether: Seems the third person was the one who derailed everything.

Navia: Makes sense, but without evidence, that's still just a theory... Besides Jacques, the attack from the Gardemeks has been bothering me quite a bit as well. It's obvious that our enemy has become more antsy after the secret of the Primordial Seawater was revealed.

Paimon: Do you think he knew, even then, that we'd follow this lead to the end?

Navia: Given everything that's happened since... it's quite possible. But who among the three suspects would have the ability to control privately owned Gardemeks? Ugh, who could it be...?

Aether: I think it was Marcel, think about it. If we just consider the incident with the Gardemeks... only one person really fits the bill.

Navia: You know, if you think everything through, Uncle Marcel is indeed the most suspicious of them all...

Paimon: Could we be missing other suspects? Melus didn't know about the people turning into water thing when he narrowed it down to these three, did he?

Navia: Melus has always been very reliable, and his judgment of others' trustworthiness has been fair and well-considered. When he laid out his case for the three, the rationale he gave me made a lot of sense as well. The suspect is knowledgeable about the Spina's internal affairs, has the means to dispatch meka to assassinate us, and possesses significant intellect and foresight... Even if I don't want to believe it, I'm starting to see how things could all tie back to Uncle Marcel.

Aether: He is someone who's very close to you, after all.

Paimon: Well, we still have another trump card on top of all the theorizing and speculating!

Aether: The Sinthe production base.

Navia: Yes... Melus did say that charging straight in there would be extremely risky, but we don't have any other options right now... We'd need far more solid proof before we can hope to go charging in on our enemy.

Thierry: Navia, here you are... *panting*... I've been looking for you.

Paimon: Huh? Aren't you the guy from the Gardes? Did something happen?

Thierry: Yeah, news came from Erinnyes just after you left! We've got another trial on our hands!

Navia: Wasn't that place built specifically for holding trials? What's so newsworthy about this one?

Thierry: I know, I know, but they said the person they're putting on trial is a Fatui Harbinger called Tartaglia!

Aether: Childe!?

Navia: What? Is that someone you know?

Paimon: Yeah, we know him, maybe even a little too well...

Thierry: Well, he's been accused of being the true culprit behind the serial disappearances case. It's absurd, don't you think?

Navia: Wait, how? None of our investigations have had anything to do with him.

Thierry: That's what I thought was strange about it... So I came to tell you the news right away. If the charge against him stands, then it'll be next to impossible to get the Gardes to support any of our planned investigations.

Navia: Right, because they'll think they've already found the culprit...

Thierry: Yeah, and it'll be a lot harder than to clear Mr. Callas' name.

Navia: I understand. Well, partner, what do you think we should do? We still haven't found any conclusive evidence...

Paimon: Uh... Erm...

Aether: Let's split up.

Navia: Hmm, split up? What do you mean?

Aether: You can go to Erinnyes, while I'll go investigate "that place." I'm confident in my combat abilities.

Navia: Hahaha, just as expected of my partner! Since this is a trial about the serial disappearances case, the culprit's attention will be focused on Erinnyes, leaving his home base wide open... You're right. This is our best opportunity. Alright then, let's do this. I'll stall them at the opera house and charge Marcel as the true culprit. I won't have any chance of making that charge stick, though, unless we find more evidence. It'll be up to you to make it back in time and hand the decisive evidence to me.

Aether: *nods*

Paimon: We'll help you just like you helped us in Lyney's trial!

Melus: Demoiselle, please allow us to accompany you.

Silver: I'm ready.

Navia: Melus, Silver... when did you two get here!?

Melus: We heard that you'll be leaving Poisson and figured that you might require our assistance. It's our hope that your confidence will be bolstered with the two of us by your side.

Navia: Hahaha, thank you so much. Then, let's make haste for Erinnyes! Paimon, Aether, I'll see you at the opera house!

Paimon: See you then!

???, Fontaine

I hear voices again. Why am I here? I'm tired...

???: The new subject you say?

???: Yes sir, from what our informants say, she reacted to the Sinthe in Hotel Debord. Though she may not look like it, she may he Fontanian.

???: Very well then, get the items ready, we have a new subject that will either succeed or dissolve

No, I'm not Fontanian, I'm Liyuean. I want to scream, but I can't..... Aether...Paimon... Navia.... I'm sorry....