#but neuvi and furina do have a deep bond

[rga531]

[idyllic-affections]

About Neuvillette and Furina... I see them as two people, which awkwardly never called each other friends since it would be too "strange", bonding through these 500 years. I think Neuvillette must have learned a lot from Furina, about how to express himself and understand more about the humans.

I see Neuvillette as someone who can't quite grasp the concept of love, yet is understanding of it. While Furina as a person who understands it, but is kind of just there... She doesn't feel that need or appeal to be in a relationship herself but is one of those people who've never been in a relationship yet give the best advice ever like??? (more like "I'm not interested in that personally and don't see myself in a relationship in the future, but I can give you a few tips from what I've seen".)

ALSO MY THOUGHTS HERE. I really think they match "Things to do" by Alex G in some way...

"Hold on tight to this time, this place

'Cause everything you know will be erased"

Furina kind of had to be preparing herself for the worst, at any time the prophecy could go boom (I don't know which word I could use here ajhshshah) and she lose all of Fontaine without being able to do anything.

"You were born inside your head And that is where you'll be when you are dead"

Neuvillette??? My friend?? I think it matches him well 'cause he doesn't really know where he came from or where this journey of life will end at. He doesn't quite understand the humans but has a duty to fulfill and he'll do it well.

I love them so much alsisjwjhs TT

- 🦢 anon <3

ohh this is very neat!!!! i agree!!!!

neuvi understands love, but not in the way normal humans feel it. his emotions run far deeper and in a far more complex manner than a human's do. he understands love itself to a certain extent, but cannot really grasp human love. he is moved by it in some ways though (it's implied that he did feel great grief following navia's first meeting with him in the archon quest; she has such deep and complicated feelings about her dad and neuvi sees that). meanwhile furina understands what human love looks like and how compelling it can be (i think she would cry at tragic love story operas), but does not want it nor feel the need to have it for herself. but because she understands it so immensely deeply she can and will give you absolutely awesome relationship advice.

this is soo real, i love them so much too 🙏🙏

[lavenderchqn]

𝐶𝛨𝛢𝑃𝑇𝛦𝑅 𝟎𝟏𝟗 — HOUSE OF HEARTH (2,5K WORDS) 𝑅𝐸𝐷 𝐿𝐼𝑁𝐸𝑆 — lyney x f!reader smau

𝑆𝑌𝑁𝑂𝑃𝑆𝐼𝑆 —

Second year of university should've been everything you thought of it - more studying with human interaction sprinkled throught... What it definitely wasn't supposed to be was an investigation saga where one of your friends goes missing out of nowhere

𝑃𝑅𝐸𝑉𝐼𝑂𝑈𝑆 — 𝑀𝐴𝑆𝑇𝐸𝑅𝐿𝐼𝑆𝑇 — 𝑁𝐸𝑋𝑇 𝐸𝑃𝐼𝑆𝑂𝐷𝐸

“I refuse.” Neuvillette’s stern rejection shocks the group.

It’s the crack of dawn. After a long night, Wriothesley has shared the address of Lyney’s potential return. It’s a small orphanage, located in the heart of a city connecting Fontaine and Snezhnaya. You’d probably be on your merry way, if not for Neuvillette's persistent refusal to lend his car.

The male sighs. “Have you looked at yourselves?” His question hits deep.

Wriothesley is running on three cups of espresso, [Y/N] is falling asleep standing up, and well… Furina is throwing a tantrum. The three planned to head to the board alone, not wanting to drag Charlotte or Neuvillette into the mess any further. 

“Neuvi, you can’t be serious?!” Furina protests, clearly annoyed. She’s upset at multiple things — lack of sleep being one of them. You all stayed up throughout the night, trying to get anything you could that’d lead you to Lyney. “What if Lyney is truly there?!” 

Her eyes are glassy with tears. If Neuvillette had it in himself to come to her aid yesterday, what was stopping him from giving them his car for the day. 

“Neuvillette, ” Wriothesley comes directly in front of the other man. “I can swear to you, that I’ll be as careful as possible. Even if it takes me three hours to get there.” 

With another exhale from Neuvillette, he hands his car keys to Wriothesley. “I better see you get there safely and notify me the second you're there. No exceptions.” 

The atmosphere between the group changes completely in an instant.

“Yes, Sir.” Wriothesley salutes, with the girls mirroring the gesture afterwards. With access to a vehicle able to hold more than two people, the journey can finally begin. 

Neuvillette’s car is kept as you could expect from a man of his calibre. There are bottles full of water behind the front seat and not a speck of dust. It's the first time Wriothesley's behind the wheel in Neuvillette's car. Although Beverage Gang knew how to drive — except for Furina — Lyney was the one to lend his car. 

As of now [Y/N] is finally taking her well-deserved nap in the back seat. Furina sticks to her established role as a navigator and DJ, while Wriothesley is behind the wheel. The awake girl notices that — finally opening the question that has been bugging her for the entirety of the morning. 

“How did you learn that Lyney is well… uh…” She twiddles her fingers, whispering the last part of her sentence. “… an orphan.” 

“Trauma bonding and a lot of alcohol.” 

Furina’s face saddens as soon as she hears Wriothesley’s answer. Although her friend never hid the fact of his own experience as one, learning that Lyney — and by proxy his sister — was also a part of that group makes her heart ache. It also makes her brain run on wild thoughts, trying to process if something was keeping Lyney from saying that sober. Was she at fault for it? 

Her leg starts shaking from the sheer madness her head is going through.

“Furu, that’s not your fault,” Wriothesley says, not taking his eyes off the road. “I’m pretty sure Neuvi didn’t know either.” 

“—Is… that so?” 

“Sure is,” He takes a sharp turn, his eyes checking the rear-view mirror. As much as he appreciates all the help [Y/N] has provided, it would be best for everyone gathered not to have those conversations held in such a manner. Just having the girl know he’s an orphan should be enough.“I didn’t say anything, because it wasn’t my place to do so.” 

Furina mutters sounds of acknowledgement. She knows Wriothesley’s right. It wasn’t his place to say stuff regarding Lyney’s personal matters. Even if he learned of it due to Lyney being drunk, he must’ve sworn secrecy… Does Lyney even know that Wrio knows? 

There’s a slight chuckle. For an esteemed actress, or well… semi-retired actress, Furina is quite bad at pretending whenever her emotions hit rock bottom. 

“Cheer up, we’re almost there,” Wriothesley says as the car passes the sign informing of their arrival at the city. 

The main square is beautiful. The tenement blocks had been kept with utmost care and it shows. Despite being centuries old, the facade looks almost brand new. The early hours of the morning still show, as there’s not a single other person outside.

“Are we close?” Furina asks, taking a peek at Wriothesley’s phone. It’s currently open to a navigation app, telling them they are quite close.

“We should be,” Wriothesley answers, coming to a stand. He’s looking around for any indicator to confirm they are indeed there. As expected of a city square… there are all sorts of offices around.

“Is that not it?” [Y/N] points to one building in particular. Compared to the rest it’s hidden with its sign less visible. It’s made out of brick, with not a single fake balcony in sight. As soon as the three have a look at the supposed orphanage, the air changes. For no reason it feels a lot heavier… almost as if filled with dread. 

“S-Surely that’s not it…?”

“Don’t see any other orphanages around here.” 

“Looks like we have no other options…” 

[Y/N] gets in front of the door, preparing herself mentally to use the knocker. As soon as she notices Wriothesley and Furina standing behind her, she does so. 

The wait for a person from the orphanage to show up is agonising. Multiple thoughts are running through — most of them pleading for anybody to be there soon. It’s a working day… wait, do orphanages even follow the working weekend days thing? 

After a short while, the door opens with a creak. “H-hello?” A blond head peeks out of the door, his piercing periwinkle eyes staring the group down. “The… Municipal Office? We don’t know anything, I’m s-sorry.” 

[Y/N] is left completely stunned. Surely they don’t look like any officials. “S-sorry, what?” 

“Don’t know anything… we r-really don’t…” His voice is getting quieter by the second. Just what, on earth, is going on here. 

“We’re not from… the Municipal Office.” She tries to calm the boy down. By the looks, he’s on the verge of tears and that’s the last thing needed right now.

“Freminet.” A different voice appears. It’s deeper. More mature. Perhaps it belongs to the caretaker of the orphanage. “Does the situation require my attention?” 

“Nonono… It’s alright, Father… I think so...” 

From the way footsteps are getting louder, the blond’s statement surely did not convince said ‘Father’. Now that [Y/N] thinks about it… Lynette also addressed a person in such a manner.

The door opens further, showing the entirety of Freminet… as well as a tall lady. Dressed from head to toe in a smart outfit, her presence surely is imposing.

“Good morning.” [Y/N] continues her streak of acting as the group’s representative. She’s capitalising fully on her energy.

“Good morning to you three as well.” The woman replies, before turning to the boy next to her. “Run along now, Freminet. They are not from the Municipal Office. They are guests.” 

The last word sends shivers down Furina’s spine. For some reason, she’s not feeling as confident about the trip as she was, back when they were pestering Neuvillette to borrow his car. 

“You came to visit to ask questions, I presume?” She asks, inviting them to come inside the building. “Come in, the House of Hearth welcomes you with open arms.” 

The office the caretaker has led the group into seems to match its owner’s personality to a T. Following the ‘vintage’ aesthetic, an oak desk with intricate carving takes centre stage. The walls are lined with bookshelves filled with binders, with some showing signs of being well-used. 

As she pours a warm drink into teacups that match the set gifted to Lynette months ago, she tries to make a small chitchat. 

“I hope the journey was of no issue to you.” She says, taking her seat. “Sugar?”

“Could’ve been worse, and yes, please,” Wriothesley answers, before asking a question of his own. “The children regard you, M’am, as ‘Father’. Should we address you the same?” 

The woman chuckles slightly. “Not at all. Madame should be sufficient, albeit I tend to go by 'The Knave'.” 

The atmosphere in the room sounds quite strict. Much different compared to a stereotypical orphanage.

“Quite the tragedy…” The Knave sighs. “A child going missing on its own is no simple matter…,  a kidnapping however requires a different approach.” 

“So you know Lynette is missing?” 

“But, of course.” She takes a sip of her own drink. “The children tend to get anxious, whenever police officers come knocking at our doors.” 

The weight of her words settles heavily in the room. The Knave, exudes an unexpected air of calmness, with an unmistakeable edge of authority. Wriothesley, Furina and [Y/N] exchange glances, unsure of how much they can reveal… or where to begin with. 

Wriothesley clears his throat, leaning slightly forward. “Although we have filed a missing person report, we’re not working with the police, Madame. We’re here because… we believe Lyney might have returned to this orphanage. And we need to know if you’ve seen him.”

The Knave’s sharp gaze locks onto Wriothesley’s as if weighing his every word. She sets her teacup down with a quiet clink, fingers elegantly resting on the cup's rim. "Lyney," she repeats, her tone thoughtful. “Quite the spectacular child himself.” 

A heavy pause fills the air, the weight of the unknown hanging over the group. Furina shifts uncomfortably in her seat, her usual confidence rattled by the eerie calm of the Knave. She clutches her teacup, her knuckles turning white. "Please, Madame Knave, if you know anything about him… we need your help."

The Knave regards Furina with a cool, assessing look, before letting out a slow exhale. "I’m sure you know, this world is not kind to orphans. He… I assume he must have his reasons for leaving."

“We’re getting off-course here.” [Y/N] exclaims after listening to the Knave’s words cautiously. Her action gets the undivided attention of the caretaker herself. She pauses, taking a look at her fellow companions. “We believe there are multiple people to be kidnapped by the same person.” 

“Pardon?” 

“What do you even mean by off-course, [Y/N]?!” Furina asks — half whispering and half screaming. “We’re here because Lyney is gone!”

[Y/N] straightens in her seat, her expression stern despite the growing tension in the room. "Yes, Furina, we are here because Lyney is gone. But think about it—We’re at the only place where we could get information about them both.”

Wriothesley nods in agreement, his gaze steady on the Knave. "She's right. This has never been about just Lyney. We want to know if there’s any information you’re privy to but withholding from us.”

The Knave's eyes turn cold, her previously calm demeanour suddenly more ominous. She clasps her hands on the desk, studying the visitors individually before speaking. "I see. This is no longer just a missing person case in your eyes. You're chasing shadows, following a trail you barely understand.”

“Of course, it isn't,” Furina mutters quietly. 

The Knave's gaze softens, though her tone remains sharp. “It’s not as simple as you think. What I can make you aware of, is that whoever is behind Lynette’s situation… is not looking for money.”

“So there was no ransom note sent to the orphanage.”

The Knave sighs, before nodding. “As suspicious as multiple women going missing in quick succession having a common ground sounds… It could still be unrelated entirely. Whatever you decide on from now onwards, tread carefully.” 

Wriothesley as well as [Y/N] take her words with caution. No matter how much she has tried to conceal her knowledge of the situation up until now, none of them have mentioned the gender of the missing people. Nor did they say that there is the same dominator between them. 

“Let me get this straight.” [Y/N] says. “You had been made aware of Lynette going missing—most likely by the police.” 

“That would be correct,” The Knave answers, before taking another sip of her drink. Her eyes are looking for anything that the younger girl could be implying. “From my knowledge, the Police Department located in this humble city has taken the case reported in the main district.”

“Probably due to Lynette’s connection to the orphanage, is that so?” 

“Miss [Y/N],” Her tone pointed. “I do not possess such information. Making such assumptions is quite unwise for a clever girl you clearly are.” 

A heavy silence falls over the room after the Knave’s comment. Perhaps they are going too far? They are on edge, it’s been a long drive… maybe they are just jumping to conclusions? 

"I assure you," the Knave interrupts the silence, her voice low but firm, "I care for all the children who pass through these doors. There are, however, limits to what I can tell you without endangering more lives than you can comprehend.”

The tension breaks as [Y/N] rises from her seat, a sense of urgency pulsing through her. “Regardless, we still have to keep on moving. Time is key.”

“But of course.” 

Wriothesley and Furina exchange glances, before they decide on what to do forward. “Would you be willing to share any direct means to contact you, Madame Knave?” Wriothesley asks.

“Related to sharing information regarding Lynette’s situation, I presume?” 

“That’s right.” 

The woman exhales slightly, agreeing to their proposition. She jots down her email and phone number. “What I ask of you,” She says, handing it to Wriothesley. “Is to not share those with any others.”

“We can do that.” 

With the piece of paper in hand, both Wriothesley and Furina stand up. The Knave watches them closely, her enigmatic smile lingering as she rises to see them off her office.

She calls over Freminet, who’s by her side in an instant to join her in seeing the guests out of the orphanage.

"Be safe," she says quietly as they reach the door. "And remember—sometimes the truth is hidden in the most unlikely places."

As they exit the orphanage and back into the cold morning air, they are left with more questions than answers. Furina takes a deep breath, her confidence slowly returning. "So… what now?"

“We’re nowhere closer than we were before, ” Wriothesley replies. “At the very least we have gained an ally in our search for Lynette.” 

“A dubious ally.” [Y/N] corrects him. 

The door to one of the orphanage rooms opens with a slight creak, as Freminet enters with a tray. He’s carrying a small bowl of fish soup and a cup of tea. 

“I got you some food...” The blond sets it down on a table, before heading for the exit. “They left some time ago.”

“Is that so?” The person chuckles. “I guess, I could’ve predicted that… Shouldn’t have been such a lightweight bitch.”

“M-Mind your language… Father is on edge already.” 

“Alright, alright~” 

𝑇𝐴𝐺𝐿𝐼𝑆𝑇 — OPEN

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date of posting — september 18th 2024