Chapter Text
There is a very particular saying that floats around the Fortress of Meropide. This saying is a very simple one:
Never mention how “quiet” things are beneath the waves.
Wriothesley could swear it was an unspoken curse. Especially to those who knew better.
Like the head nurse.
Therefore, when she leisurely strolled into The Administrative office, a sinking feeling rooted itself within the Duke’s stomach. After she’d personally dropped a letter on his desk with no aforementioned intent whatsoever, he knew something was out of the ordinary. When he reached for the envelope, he could swear the cool feel of pristine parchment against his fingertips stung just the smallest bit. A gentle bite of burn as he flipped it over.
Oh.
A letter from the Palais Mermonia.
He recognized the clean wax seal all too well, one he’d seen a hundred times in his term. This particular letter was one from the Iudex of Fontaine himself. Pristine and clean. In neat, dark calligraphy, the words “Wriothesley” stood proudly against the pale paper. Wriothesley’s nerves slowly melted away as he reached for the letter-opener on his desk.
Letters from the Palais were never an odd occurrence, he received plenty during the work week. In fact, he even received a plethora of letters off-the-clock. Neuvillette and he often penned each other, whether for situations in which one needed the others’ expertise, or even to chat about a friendly ten boxes of tea.
Friendly, Wriothesley told himself.
Neuvillette and he were friends.
Wriothesley wasn’t exactly sure when that had happened. When had he managed to weasel his way within the tall, unshakable figure that was Neuvillette? Nevertheless, friends.
Wriothesley was content with being his friend.
Maybe they’d grown closer after the prophecy…Neuvillette came out of the nation wide tragedy much different than he went in. Wriothesley could swear he hadn’t heard the phrase ‘No personal relationships’ in quite a while… He supposed every Fontanian came out of the prophecy different, Neuvillette was no exception…
It wasn’t too long after the fact when they’d begun speaking more over repairs. The Fortress was wrecked and Wriothesley knew he needed the help. Neuvillette offered the funds and restoration of the Seiluce gate, in return for help Neuvillette unintentionally got an ear, someone to listen to his troubles of essentially being thrown into the whirlwind that was becoming Fontaine's new de-facto ruler.
Being put up on a pedestal of an Archon was a draining transition. Neuvillette would never admit to his troubles, knowing no other experienced the typhoon of power and emotion that coursed through his veins. It felt as though the moment the blade fell to Folalors, he was caught within the crossfire. The very same blade angled itself for his neck while all he could do was stand and attempt to understand why.
None other understood Neuvillette’s pain. None other except Wriothesley. Well—Maybe.
Even Wriothesley struggled to grasp how someone as steadfast and unmoving like Neuvillette was struck by the loss of the nation’s Archon. Little did Fontaine know exactly how much they lost.
Nevertheless, Wriothesley listened. When Neuvillette strung topics of payment to deep-sea divers patching a tear in the age-old metal of the Fortress onto topics of Inazuma’s finest sakura-roasted waters, Wriothesley listened. He also spoke. When the room grew quiet Wriothesley discussed Sigewinne's latest antic or one of her despicable recipes she’d beg him to try,
Wriothesley filled silences with informed conversation of his never-ending tea cabinet, or tall tales of fish the size of boats outside the reception floor.
With Neuvillette, quiet was never bad.
They were good friends.
…
Friends.
Wriothesley shook his head, swiftly clearing his mind and slicing the seal of the envelope. Unfolding the paper inside.
Sigewinne meanwhile, plucked another pastry off of the tray in front of her. Little cupcakes with pretty little fish heads peeking out the top of the bright blue frosting. She called them her Super-Melusine-Healthy-Carrot-Cake-Delights…Wriothesley simply called them desolation.
Wriothesley laid back in his chair, casually glazing over the formal greeting, expecting a run-of-the-mill work related letter. Perhaps a letter regarding the Rag and Bone shop ordeal? A checkup on production? Whatever the contents, Wriothesley was sure it was a simple matter.
—
Dear, Duke Wriothesley.
I hope this letter finds you in good health,
You have been formally summoned by myself to personally accompany me to the Nation of Geo, to temporarily act as my escort. Please bring any regards or questions directly to my office.
“…” Wriothesley paused, staring at the letter as if it was the paper’s fault he’d been summoned.
This was not a simple matter.
“What.”
Sigewinne stopped herself as she opened her mouth to bite her cupcake. “Hmm?” She placed the pastry back on its tray. “Is something the matter, Your Grace?”
Wriothesley abruptly stood up, pulling his coat off of his chair and slinging it over his back, clipping each strap of his harness into its place. “I’ve got a summons, work related stuff.”
“Okie Dokie!” Sigewinne got up, skipping her way over to his desk, picking up the discarded letter and reading its contents. “Don’t take too long, our tea is gonna get cold!”
“Tea can wait Sige, I’ve gotta take this.” Wriothesley adjusted his tie, making a beeline for the stairwell. “Have Estinne send a notice to the rest of the guards to let them know that I'll be occupied for the rest of the day.”
“Oh!” Sigewinne kept a smile plastered on her face, the corners of her mouth pulling up ever so slightly as she gave a polite wave “I’ve got everything handled here. Have a safe trip!”
As Wriothesley descended the stairs, she turned her attention back to the letter, reading the remaining contents.
It is advised that you arrive at the Palais Mermonia as soon as you receive this letter so that we may discuss its contents further.
…
Yours,
Iudex Neuvillette
-
Wriothesley could say he enjoyed the sunlight. He for one enjoyed doing things in the sunlight. Fishing, having a leisurely picnic, drinking tea at the cafe Lutece. All things he enjoyed doing in the sun. Being surrounded by noisy Fontanians and maneuvering his way around the press occupied with the Gestionnaires?
Those had to be some of his least favorite activities to do in the sun.
Upon entering the Palais he noticed two things out of the ordinary:
One, The workers of the Palais seemed to have a work load that stacked up taller than themselves.
Two, Sedene was walking back and forth between the shelves of case files along with books and her own station, picking up different documents here and there.
Yeah, not normal
Wriothesley leisurely strolled his way up to her desk, waiting patiently for the busybody melusine to notice his presence. Upon noticing the Warden, she stopped in her tracks.
“Ah, Duke Wriothesley. A pleasure to see you this afternoon!” Sedene stood up straight, chatting as she placed down a stack of books Wriothesley was convinced weighed more than her.
“Good Evening, I received a summons from the Monsieur, is our Chief Justice in today?” Wriothesley rocked on his heels as the melusine gestured over towards the large looming doors of the Iudex’s office. “He should be having a glass of water right about now, should you need to see him.”
Wriothesley nodded and bid the melusine farewell before striding his way over to Neuvillette’s door, opting to knock twice and wait for him to say “Enter” before pushing the doors open and taking his first few steps across the azure carpet. His steps slowed down as he took in the sight before him.
Neuvillette rarely greeted anyone with a cold demeanor. Impartial? Yes. But never cold.
Wriothesley stared forward as he was met with the sight of Neuvillette staring out the window. Not caring to meet Wriothesley’s eyes as he walked across the room. “Duke Wriothesley, I assume you received my letter?” Ok so, Neuvillette wasn’t talking coldly, that's a good sign he wasn’t about to lose his job.
“You called for an escort, Monsieur?”
Neuvillette turned, a small smile on his lips as he sat down.
So he’s not mad, good. That's a start.
“Please, sit. I had Sedene brew some tea in preparation for your arrival.” Neuvillette motioned to the couch.
Wriothesley walked over, sitting comfortably as he poured a cup for himself. “So, a trip to Liyue Harbor, huh? Seems a bit far from home.”
Neuvillette pulled some papers in front of him, rereading the text printed towards the top. “I was summoned by a Monsieur Bao Zheng.” He took a moment to swirl his water in his chalice. Not sipping it, but placing it down as he neatly folded his hands in front of him. “He’s in need of my assistance with a case of his.”
“Wow, a Liyuean Judge has the ability to summon the Iudex of Fontaine at his beck and call, I wonder…what authority must he have to do that?” Wriothesley crossed his arms, offering a teasing smirk towards the Iudex.
In which he was met with a glare that pierced through his very being. “Wriothesley, that is no laughing matter. Monsieur Zheng is a very respectable man. I am merely taking this opportunity to firsthandedly observe a trial in Liyue and expand my own knowledge of their justice system.”
“Oh now I see…Monsieur Neuvillette is disguising the request of a poor judge for his own personal gain, what a devious one you are, Monsieur.” Wriothesley could only chuckle as Neuvillette's glare dug into him further.
“Wriothesley.”
“O-kay, I know when to back down.” He raised his hands in defeat. “That being said, you mentioned that your little visit involves me.” Wriothesley sat himself up, taking on a more serious tone as he continued. “You know you’re not a weak man, Monsieur. Is there any reason you require me to personally be your bodyguard?”
“I am. However, as Chief Justice I have a reputation to uphold.” Neuvillette glanced in Wriothesley’s direction, meeting his gaze. “It is unbecoming of the Iudex to engage in physical combat unless absolutely necessary.”
“That still doesn’t tell me why you specifically need me, Monsieur.” Wriothesley spoke. “You’ve got multiple resources, certain connections to real bodyguards. I’m nothing special. Surely there's someone more qualified in the Palais that you’d rather have tag along with– Perhaps…The Champion Duelist?"
“Miss Clorinde has far too many duties in the Court of Fontaine, she referred me to you.” Neuvillette sighed, “You speak far too lowly of yourself, Your Grace. You are a very capable man. If you do not wish to.. Come with me… I suppose…” Neuvillette trailed off, taking a deep breath before continuing on. “In reality, there is no other I trust for the job. Another person may very well steal from me, or have an alternative intention. You, however, I wholeheartedly trust.”
Trust..
Trust.
Trust is a funny word, one Wriothesley knew the ins and outs of. He had trusted, he had his trust broken, then again his trust was repaired, then surely it was broken once more.
Here though?
Neuvillette trusted him.
Neuvillette trusted him...
“Well,” Wriothesley started, taking a pause to sip his tea. “The Fortress is in stable condition, the smuggling cases in the Rag and Bone shop have been dealt with and the production zone has been up by a whole twenty one percent in productivity as of this month alone.”
Wriothesley nodded thoughtfully, placing his teacup down and scratching his head.
“I’ve got time for a trip.”
Wriothesley watched as a gentle smile took Neuvillette's features as if that was exactly what he’d been wanting to hear.
“So, exactly how long do you intend to be in The Harbor for?” Wriothesley questioned.
Neuvillette tapped his finger to his desk, a curious habit Wriothesley had taken note of. Usually he’d do it while in thought. Either that, or furrowing his brow.
Wriothesley noticed many of the melusines shared this curious habit. They’d tap their foot– or hoof? Paw? whatever— when asked a question. They’d take a moment to think, then respond with a chip in their tone, which usually showed their truthful belief in what they spoke.
Unless it was Sigewinne, that little menace could lie on the spot like no other.
Wriothesley’s train of thought was cut short as he heard the tail end of Neuvillette’s words, “—wards of a week, if not a while longer to review the case in between dates.”
“A week? Huh…” Wriothesley crossed his arms, clicking his tongue in thought, “Not bad, I suppose.”
“However, I’ve got another question, Monsieur.”
“Hm?” Neuvillette turned his attention away from his papers. “If you’re concerned about any paid time-off, those matters are already in order. I have taken the liberty of arranging your leave regardless of if you chose to accompany me or not.”
So Neuvillette was expecting him to just say yes. Wriothesley distantly wondered if that was an assumption on his character, or a courtesy for inconvenience. With Neuvillette, either was a possibility.
“I appreciate the liberty, but no. My question is exactly what will I be doing at the harbor while you work?” Wriothesley took note of the way Neuvillette's brow furrowed.
“I hadn’t thought of that…” He took a quiet tone, allowing Wriothesley enough time to pour and sweeten another cup of tea before the other man started up again. “I’ve heard Liyue Harbor is famous for its countless tea houses, perhaps you’d like to indulge in the array of those?”
That caused Wriothesley to let out a laugh. “Monseiur… You don't seriously expect me to spend my entire week at Liyuean tea houses, do you?”
Neuvillette fell silent, he hadn’t thought much past that suggestion. That caused Wriothesley to chuckle again.
“Forgive me, it was a foolish suggestion…” Neuvillette mumbled.
Wriothesley waved his hand freely, “No harm done, besides it's not the worst idea. The Head Nurse won’t be there to scold me, so I get to indulge as much as I want.”
That caused Neuvillette’s bashful expression to turn into a glare, he parted his lips in what Wriothesley could assume was preparation for a lecture. So, he raised his hands in defense. “I’m merely joking, Monsieur. I don’t intend to use this opportunity to make unwise decisions with my health.” Wriothesley doesn’t miss the quiet hmph that came from the other man.
“That being said, exactly when are we due to head out?” Wriothesley sipped his tea.
“Ah,” Neuvillette gave a smile, straightening his posture to a more strict position. “Tomorrow morning.”
Wriothesley choked on his tea, fixing his gaze on the Iudex.
“T...Tommorrow..?”
—
Tomorrow came slower than Wriothesley would like.
Yes, he got to get his own work in order. Yes, he had time to brief the staff. Yes, he also had time to appoint someone to maintain order in his absence, and yes, he also had time for tea with Sigewinne.
“So how was the surface?” The chipper melusine’s voice pierced his thoughts.
“Hm? Ah, it went well.” He sipped his tea, offering no other response.
The melusine in front of him smiled as she urged him to continue on, “and?” Wriothesley looked at her, confused. “How was the Monsieur today?”
“The better question is how do you know that's what I went to do today, Miss Sigewinne?” Wriothesley raised a brow, glancing at the nurse across from him who was all too happily swinging her legs off of the plush red couch.
“Weeeeeeeell…” She started “First of all, you told me you were leaving for ‘work related matters.’ Second, I read the contents of that little letter!”
“Oh, did you now..” Wriothesley muttered into his cup. “It…went well. He invited me on a business trip to Liyue Harbor as I'm sure you know…We leave tomorrow morning.”
“Buissiness trip, huh?” She chirped, cutting herself off as if she were about to continue with a separate thought, instead she merely sipped her tea once more. “Sounds fun!”
“I’m glad you think so, Miss Sigewinne.” Wriothesley offered a textbook response, leaving it at that. Sigewinne seemed to take the hint as she began her tangent into her own personal thoughts, infirmary updates, intel on the latest melusine drama that included a food fight in Merusea Village, and of course a lovely long lecture of his own well being.
By that time Wriothesley had decided to turn in for the night.
Mostly meaning he needed some alone time with his thoughts.
Wriothesley made the decision to retreat to his quarters for the night, opting to begin packing for his departure. Everything was in order with the Fortress, all of his paperwork was in order and no issues required his attention. So why were his thoughts still running rampant in his mind?
As he grabbed each of his necessities and put them together in a modestly sized travel case, Wriothesley began to think back to his conversation with Neuvillette.
You, however, I wholeheartedly trust.
Those words rang in Wriothesley’s ears. He kept playing them on repeat as he packed away his garments.
Neuvillette trusted him. What kind of trust was it? Was it the standard workplace “Oh, I trust you’ll get this report to me by noon” kind or trust..? Or was it different? Could it be the kind of trust you could only entail to a… a friend.. Yeah, a friend. That had to be it.
Wriothesley had only snapped out of his train of thought as he packed his seventh tie.
As he re-evaluated his travel bag’s contents, he attempted to keep his mind clear of the sea of questions he found himself drowning in. He couldn’t afford to dwell on hopes of something he believed could never come to be.
Neuvillette and he were on completely different pedestals, he told himself as he laid down on his suddenly-too-big bed.
For now, he was content with this trust. He had to be content with this trust because this is all he can afford to have. As Wriothesley let his eyes drift shut, he let out a heavy sigh. It was wise for him to get some rest,
They had a long trip to Liyue Harbor the next day after all.