Chapter Text
Pale light shone on the duelist's face. It was moonlight, and only moonlight. In the dimness of her unlit room, Clorinde lay in bed, silently waiting for a slumber that refused to come. She could feel the thumping of her heart echoing in her chest, brought upon by thoughts of a certain white-haired lady.
Clorinde sighed and pulled away her duvet. It was obvious she wasnt going to fall asleep anytime soon. The night was deep, but her mind was all but uncluttered. Perhaps a cup of hot tea would do some help.
While the kettle boiled, Clorinde looked out the window, her gaze resting upon the white moon. White and pale, just like Furina's hair.
What could she be up to right now? Sleeping, most likely. But perhaps she was looking up at the same moon, her mind deep in thought under the same starlit sky...
Clorinde scoffed at her own lofty thoughts. She shook her head, though admittedly idea made her heart flutter. Now with a cup of hot herbal tea in hand, she sat down on the sofa, mind full of naive, wishful imaginations.
She awoke not because of the harsh sun that poured in between her curtains, but because the sound of the letterbox flapping open and shut caught her ears. And to no surprise, a single letter on the floor greeted her as she approached the front door.
The envelope was a bright white, a blue wax seal stamped in the center. Clorinde picked it up, a slow realization creeping in. This was from...
She hurriedly cut open the envelope. A neatly folded piece of paper fell into her hand. Adorned in elegant handwriting, it read:
Dear Clorinde,
I hope this letter finds you well. I've decided to write to you to tell you that I think I'm ready to give an answer.
Clorinde gulped. Her eyes rushed to the next passage.
I could've just told you in this very letter, I suppose. But I didn't think that was right. So I propose that we meet each other in person to have a conversation. The beach where you first told me your feelings—meet me there when the sun begins to set.
The letter enclosed a date and time, ending off with her name—Furina.
Clorinde took a glance at her calendar. That was two days away. She looked back down at the letter, but found the words impossibly hard to read with her hazy vision. Her heart was beating louder than ever, ringing through her head like heavy bells nonstop.
In the midst of it all, the negative thoughts rushed to the front like crashing waves. Was she going to reject her? Faced with the sudden path of possible rejection, Clorinde found it hard to think straight.
She leaned against the sofa, rearranging her cluttered thoughts. After much thinking, she came to a conclusion—
Just go. Don't overthink it. And besides, what else could she even do if Furina decided to reject her? If that happened, as much as she hated to imagine it, there was no other option than to suck it up and wish her the best.
Clorinde looked at the letter again and again. All she could hope for now was for Furina to feel the same way about her.
Clorinde thought two days would pass in the speed of a snail, but she found herself standing on the sandy shores in the blink of an eye. It was early evening, the sun illuminating the sky a bright blue-orange. She was alone, bearing the coastline winds in wait of her white-haired lady.
She noticed her figure immediately. She emerged from beyond the horizon, her dress waving in the breeze.
"Furina," Clorinde whispered.
Furina approached slowly, giving Clorinde a slight smile. Soon they were right in front of each other, standing with only silence between them.
"Um—"
"So, I—"
Their voices collided. Furina's eyes widened. "Oh, sorry, you go first."
"No its alright, please go on—"
"But—"
And they were back to silence.
"Haha..."
Furina broke out in soft laughter. "I thought you were the smooth talker, Clorinde. What's got your tongue in a twist?"
Clorinde could feel her face redden. She hoped the setting sun masked the color arising on her cheeks.
"I have my answer Clorinde."
The duelist felt her heart drop. She stayed quiet, waiting for the other to continue speaking.
"Love is such a funny thing. I felt love for a lot of things—sweets, animals, the people of Fontaine—but never for a single person, the way normal lovers would."
She hesitated, looking down at her fidgety fingers. Clorinde didnt dare say anything. She was breathing out shallow, rapid breaths—and in her vision was Furina and Furina only. Her fluttering white dress, her lips parting to speak another word...
"I never knew... until recently."
Clorinde felt a warm hand overlap her own.
"This time it's my turn to tell you."
Furina held Clorinde's hands tightly, as if praying to the stars.
"I think I love you, Clorinde."
Her voice shook, but every word was uttered with a sense of resolution. Clorinde stared. Was Furina's face red, or was it just the setting sun?
"... Aren't you going to say anything?" Furina quietly asked, the silence having proceeded for more than a few seconds. Her uncertain blue eyes and lightly quivering lip was so cute, Clorinde couldn't help but breathe out a chuckle.
"Hey!" Furina snapped, flustered. Her face was indeed a bright red, almost like a perfectly ripe tomato. "I'm sorry Furina, it's just," Clorinde laughed, "you think you love me? Is that uncertainty I hear?"
"Huh? No, I—okay, okay! I LOVE you! I'm sure!" Furina blurted out. But the sly smile stayed plastered on Clorinde’s face. Furina was almost about to combust—and in a moment of desperation, she pulled the duelist closer by her shirt and slammed a kiss on her cheek.
"Wuh—"
Furina let the shirt go, leaving Clorinde stunned. A clear pink print of lips stained her left cheek. The sly smile was long gone.
"How about it. Do you doubt me now?" Furina asked, she herself a little surprised by her own actions. But whatever, she supposed. What's done was done, and at least Clorinde was now just as red as her.
"You—"
Clorinde opened her mouth to speak, but Furina cut her off after one look at the horizon. "It's getting dark. We should start walking back to the city."
After a moment of hesitation, she added: "... Would you like to stay over at my house for a while? Y'know, to chat..."
"If you'll allow me," Clorinde responded at the speed of light, "I'd love to."
The walk back was quiet, only the chirping of crickets filling the air. By the time they arrived, it was complete night.
"It's so dark. It's also really cold. If you don't mind you can stay over the night?" Furina questioned. Clorinde nodded nervously.
She was nervous out of her mind. Staying over the night she confessed? And they both felt the same way for each other? Was she... was she justified for thinking the thoughts that arose in her head? Should she mentally prepare herself?
Alas, her hopes quickly crumbled down before she could. "I hope three blankets is enough. Good night!" Furina yawned and retired to her own room. Clorinde, freshly washed and changed into a clean set of borrowed pajamas ("I bought them because they looked pretty but I never thought to try it on myself!") lay comfortably on the sofa. Oh well, Clorinde thought to herself, I knew it was too good to be true.
She looked around, at the little trinkets decorating the shelves, the landscape photos hanging from the walls. It was a cozy home, especially so with Furina's presence in every corner.
Moments passed and sleep refused to grace Clorinde's mind. She lay still with her eyes closed, listening to the occasional tick of the clock.
creak—
The door opened. Furina's door, to be precise. Clorinde kept her eyes closed but ears alert. Did she come out to drink a cup of water?
But contrary to her expectations, Furina turned away from the kitchen and slowly closed in on Clorinde. She bent her knees and creeped up closer, soon only a hair's breadth away from each other's face.
Clorinde never intended to stay silent, but hearing Furina crawl up to her like a hamster amused her. What was she planning? She decided to comply with whatever she had in store.
"..."
Several minutes passed. Clorinde was starting to feel antsy. Furina sat quietly in front of her face, not making a single sound. Soon enough, Clorinde decided to end her act. Just as she was about to peel her eyes open—
chu
she felt softness against her cheek, a warmth fuzzy like soft peaches. Her eyelids snapped back, shocking Furina and causing her to fall back.
"Wah!"
Her bottom fell against the carpeted floor. "You! You were awake?"
Clorinde didn't respond. Her hand moved up to her face, to her cheek.
"You just let me do that? Wh–why?" Furina was fuming with embarrassment. She couldn't believe it. She thought she was perfectly silent! Mortification painted her face red. "I–I really thought you were asleep, I didn't— woah—!"
Furina never manged to finish her sentence. An arm pulled her towards the sofa, her knees lifting off the floor and her body landing against Clorinde's own in a show of great strength. She felt a rapid heartbeat on her back, seeping through the layers of thin cloth.
Clorinde's heartbeat...
Furina looked up at the girl lying down behind her. Their eyes met. "Can we... stay like this for tonight?"
The heartbeat had no sign of getting any calmer. Furina nodded. Clorinde pulled her in tighter, letting the other press against the curve of her body. She could hear a sharp breathe in—she thought her reaction was ridiculously cute.
Meanwhile, Furina was astonished at the sudden contact. She was so nervous. The little peck on the cheek was purely out of impulse. Never planned—all she had wanted to do was take a good look at Clorinde's face. She wanted to analyze the face she had fallen in love with. And suddenly she was now in bed (a sofa, to be precise) with her...?
Oh goodness, Furina thought, how can I even fall asleep now? Clorinde is so close, her skin smells so good, the silk from her gown is tickling my neck...
Clorinde used the same shampoo as me didn’t she? Almost... almost like the way couples do... Oh goodness, is a thought like that still too early to think of? Out relationship just started, after all. We still have so many milestones to achieve as partners, like... like... hm, my mind is all hazy... like...
Clorinde watched the woman slowly ease into drowsiness in her arms. Soon she was completely asleep, her head heavy against Clorinde's arm.
She snuggled against Furina's head, feeling the white hair slide on her cheek. If happiness had form, it would be this very moment.
Weeks passed. Though Clorinde and Furina never exactly intended to reveal their relationship, the people around them started to get a general idea. It wasn't an immediate realization though.
When the two were walking home after some grocery shopping, their hands interlocked, the passersby noticed and adored the relationship between the ex-Archon and her ex-bodyguard. The loss of divinity would never tear apart their longstanding friendship, they all figured. But when they started noticing the two sharing small kisses on the lips and cheeks, confusion spread.
"Do friends usually kiss each other on the lips?" someone had wondered aloud. The residents of Furina’s street had stood outside, gathered together to discuss this new gossip. Suddenly, a child had piped in—"don't kisses on the lips usually mean they're a couple?"
Realization struck the people, and soon enough the word had spread like wildfire. The ex-Archon and the Champion Duelist were dating!
It wasn't long before the word reached the ears of the Palais Mermonia. "Have you heard?" one of the gestionnaires whispered to her colleague, "Lady Furina and the Champion Duelist are dating!"
Neuvillette, passing by with documents in hand, paused in his tracks.
So, that was her choice.
If that was what she truly desired, there was nothing he could do but look from afar. These feelings of love—burning painfully in the corner of his heart—he would silence them, only bearing best wishes for the two lovers.
It hurt. He walked to his office, steps quickening in hopes of hiding his expression from the others. His face was probably... strange, different from his usual demeanor.
Work was piled on his desk. Neuvillette sat down, his hands reaching for the closest document. What better than work to take his mind off distractions? He lowered his gaze to the printed words.
He couldn't make the words out.
His vision blurred. Neuvillette breathed in, and out, and the tears were gone.
The office was silent. Only the scratching of a pen could be heard for the days following.
"Honey!"
Clorinde’s head snapped back. Her lovely lady was running towards her, collecting the gazes of passersby to her. Clorinde slid her arm by Furina’s waist as they met.
"Honey? Last time you called me sugar."
"Sometimes it's nice to switch it up! Why, are you embarrassed?" Furina asked teasingly. Clorinde sighed and shook her head.
"You know, I heard something about theater troupes making a play about us. Something about lost divinity and dedicated love..."
Clorinde frowned. "Does that fare well with you, Furina?"
Furina shrugged. "I don't mind. As long as it's accurate, and they make you as cool as you really are." She grinned, poking a cheeky finger at Clorinde's nose. Clorinde chuckled and wrapped Furina in her arms.
"Hey, not so in public—"
"Why, are you embarrassed?" Clorinde asked, her eyes crescents of mischief. Furina felt her face growing hot.
"Save it until we get home. Then you can continue, my duelist." They smiled, leaned in to share a small kiss, and walked down the street.
Time would go on, and a play would be indeed created in likeness of their story—
But that was a tale for another time.