Ah, it appears to be working now. I wasn't able to message you before, though I am not sure why. A quirk of the app, I suppose.
We need to speak about a matter of grave importance when you are free. Our first conversation felt... a rather inappropriate time to bring it up. I'm sure you would rather I didn't speak to you at all, but I am the only one who remembers... and so it falls to me.
This concerns Azhdaha.
It may be easiest to meet in person. There is something I can give you, in that case.
You have my word that I will bear neither weapon nor element against you, if that is your concern. We can meet on neutral ground-- somewhere public. Using my powers would draw unwanted attention seeing as the veil is still thin.
Are those terms acceptable, or would you rather I mailed you the item?
The method matters little to me. I am more concerned with recounting what happened to your... brother.
[it takes him a couple of minutes to reply. he almost wants to ask him is the non-violence a contract, but he doesn’t actually want to antagonize morax. not when he might have crumbs about neuvillette’s long-dead, nebulous family that neuvillette could hoard.]
No, we should meet.
attachment:gmaps_pin_link
[the maps pin is on a large gothic cathedral on- where else, cathedral hill.]
My schedule is free at ten-thirty in the evening. That cathedral does not have closing hours, so it should be fine.
[he is actually going to take the rest of his day off, sit down at his kitchen island, and enact violence upon a box of croissants, pretending it was the hells-damned geo archon.
afterwards he would make bread pudding. maybe morax would like some.. .? this series of thoughts were all very distressing.]
[That's pretty late for his grandpa ass, but it's not like Zhongli sleeps anyway. It works for two dragons meeting clandestinely to talk about ancient grudges.]
Then I shall see you there tonight. Thank you for agreeing to meet on such short notice.
[If he shows up to the docks tomorrow morning looking like he lost a fight, well, that's just what he deserves and he knows it.]
[He attaches a picture. Brass, blue topaz for the jewels, and something unidentifiable for the scale-like formations on the main piece. It's possibly very thinly-cut lapis lazuli.]
Also, I got my hands on a pile of magical ore called iridium. It holds magic better than steel, and it's stronger. It should be suitable for your cane.
I trust your judgement. I will have someone pick it up from your address. My apologies for the mix-up.
Do you have experience in weapons repair as well?
attachment: h.png
[attached is a wrought-iron canesword, cane and blade laid out next to each other on a couch (?). the cane is a little battered. the blade, however, aside from the blood sunk into the filigree of it- it seems to be partly corroded with stone.]
I can repair just about anything. It's how I'm learning magical materials.
[He looks over the picture.]
... The last time I saw this kind of damage, the blade had been stuck in the dirt for twenty years.
If you drop it off at the end of the day I can get it back to you first thing in the morning. It's a walking aid. Shouldn't be without that too long.
[He sends over instructions and notes regarding the cane Neuvillette had wanted. Blade has already sketched a draft of the design. It's extremely intricate for a concept-- a serpentine dragon curling around the cane itself to eventually form the handle. The notes say that the metal has to be worked during the new moon, and has the date of the next one (mid November).]
If you still want this, I can see about enchanting it to help with water magic.
[at this point the cane was less of a walking aid and more of an emotional support god-stabbing weapon, but blade's right. he's loathe to be without it for long.]
Thank you, I will have it dropped off with the same courier. Please be careful handling it, I am not sure what [typing bubble] the exact type of corrosion it is but it is from a powerful source.
This design is beautiful. I can give you more time to work on it if you need it?
The corrosion looks severe. I may need to melt the blade down and reforge it-- but only the blade. If I add a kind of magical ore to it, it will be stronger. Is that all right with you, or would you rather I tried to repair the blade as is with mundane materials? It could end up with weaknesses in the core without a full recast.
[Oh, Neuvillette likes the draft. That's good. If he didn't, Blade would have scrapped everything and started over until he got it perfect.]
Glad you approve. I might need a short extension after all, seeing as something came up. No matter what happens next month I will be working that metal as the magic demands, but I'd like to take more time with the details before the final hand-off.
I've recently started building a mechanical suit for the defense of the city. The prophecies have me concerned, and I want to be proactive.
I was including that in my previous estimate. It will be done by sunrise.
[Who needs sleep???]
Mechanical armor. The kind that comes with a basic program... Like Gundam. Iron Man. That sort of thing.
[... He attaches a picture.]
In my past life I was an engineer. We maintained something like this. I won't be able to match what they did with the technology available to me here, but I'd rather have something than nothing if disaster strikes.
[There is no return address on the small blue box, and he certainly doesn't deliver it himself, but it makes its way into Neuvillette's hands through some helpful acquaintances in Undertown. It's very small for a package and wrapped impeccably with fancy silver ribbon. Somehow it escaped being covered in blood the other night.
Inside is a jade bracelet with gold dragon embellishments. It's very old, though it's obviously been maintained.
There is also a note written in ink with a refined flourish, as if the sender is more accustomed to writing letters with a brush rather than a quill or pen.]
Azhdaha wore this for many years. As his next of kin, it rightly belongs to you.
[At some point during the month of December, Neuvillette will receive a package from Blade. It's wrapped tastefully in blue and silver wrap. Inside is an intricate white gold keepsake box inlaid with lapis lazuli and sapphires.
There is also a note:]
Your cane is finished if you want to come by and see it. I wanted to make sure you had something for the holidays, too.
[Zhongli sends an apple basket trimmed with blue ribbon along with a small gift box. Inside is a handmade blue jade and sodalite bracelet. There is a note written in familiar handwriting.]
Blue jade is a stone of dreams and visions, closely connected to both the element of water as well as the moon. Jade is also associated with new beginnings. I hope that next year brings you many blessings.
[The text comes at the appointed time, outside the courthouse:]
Look up and to the left.
[And there’s Edward on the rooftop of a nearby building, waving hello before he jumps off, doing a flip in the air. A few seconds later he pops out of the alleyway with a cheery whistle, none the worse for wear, and jogs up to Neuvillette.]
So I’ve a lovely collection of rings right here in this pouch. [All of them look rather antique, and none of them are bloodstained. Edward checked. He promised Jun he wouldn’t tell Neuvillette shit about his crimes and so he’s been much more careful than he usually is.] Just pick the one you like best.
[Neuvillette regards him with a look that's very similar to how the neighborhood busybody looks at the trainwreck of a fight happening next door: a grimace of vague concern, but also deep fascination. He's not sure if what Edward did was legal, but today he endeavors to, as people have urged him to, loosen up.]
Antiques? [Why do you have so many? Is this a style thing? Neuvillette comes closer and peers over them, picking out a pair of plain gold rings - practical.] You are a collector?
Aye, I work at Vergil Vittore's antique shop. He's been quite helpful.
[Both of these are true statements. Edward simply doesn't tell him that these statements are not in fact related to how he acquired a not insignificant number of these rings. He told Jun he'd be as innocent as a blushing bride on her wedding day, and while that's not a level he can reach, he's still gonna try anyway.]
I used to have more than these, and a far more robust collection of works of art, but I left them in my time and my world, and there's no easy way for me to return there.
[He should probably beg off and say no. He likes to collect antiques, he's not an expert in them, unless they're weapons from around the 18th century, in which case he has had personal experience with them.
He should do that.]
I would be very glad to take a look at your collections!
[He is not doing that.]
Although I do believe your best bet is to consult Vittore. [See, he's even sneaking in a little promotion on the side.] He's more of an expert than I am, as I only came here directly from 1721. Any antiques from later than that, I'm not certain I can identify with any surety.
[That being said, he holds his hand out for Neuvillette to take. Neuvi might notice that he wears a bracer, and strapped under his arm is a little contraption known as the hidden blade, currently snug in its housing. He's not going to spring it on anyone, though, and indeed just gives Neuvillette a little smile.]
Another antique that I was given a few years back. It's good for opening cans and cutting into cakes.
Majority of my collections are older than that, do not fret.
[Considering he's been collecting Stuff since what, the Roman Empire, the only problem he can see here is trying to get things shipped to Kaisou...
He slides the ring onto Edward's ring finger, and peers curiously at the contraption. Now, Neuvillette is certainly not lacking in knowledge in the weapons department, having carried concealed sword-canes most of the time, but he also takes a lot of things at face value.]
Fascinating. [Humans truly are ingenious creatures.] We can use it later at the bakeshop.
[Neuvillette smiles at him, full of sincerity and longing for cake.] It is not far - we can go through the courthouse and come out of the other side. Shall we?
[Oh boy it's a good thing he works for Vergil because he's going to need lessons in how to sound like he knows antiques older than he is.]
That's exactly why I brought it! [The time-honored traditional blade of the Assassins, used to...cut a wedding cake that doesn't even belong to Edward. Altaïr ibn La'Ahad is spinning in his grave.
He nods, and offers his hand once more. You know, for holding. Thankfully for Jun's sanity, Edward has left his other hidden blade at home, in the dim awareness that most people don't actually walk around armed to the teeth.]
From my own memory of when I went courting, you linked your arm with your fellow so that the nature of your relationship would be obvious. So shall we?
[Neuvillette stares at that hand for two more seconds further than polite before realizing oh. Yes. Holding hands. Arm? It has been several hundred years since he had gone courting. The Furina of this world had foisted upon him Tinder, Grindr, and several more single-word apps, all of which had only required Neuvillette dropping an article of clothing in the way of courting.
He reaches out - to straighten Edward's collar - before linking their arms together. Several people around them stare. A runner holding coffee nearly hits a lamppost.
Neuvillette does not seem to notice any of this. When they start walking into the building, he inclines his head at nearly everyone.]
[There’s an intimacy to getting his collar adjusted by a fellow who’s really quite easy on the eyes that still makes Edward’s breath catch right in his throat for a second. This is not going anywhere, of course, because Edward has been upfront about his intentions if not his past—this is business, nothing more. Still.
Everyone around him gawking at him and Neuvillette makes him preen a little bit, as he walks arm in arm with the man. Then Neuvillette springs that question on him and Edward considers possibly throwing down a smoke bomb and booking it in the direction of a rooftop no one can reach.
He does not do this, because Four Hundred Dollars An Hour.]
I’m afraid not! The closest I’ve come is signing a few papers, taking care of some messy legalities. [He hasn’t been in this courthouse, this is true. He simply doesn’t mention he has been sentenced as a pirate in a different court, one a few hundred years back and a thousand miles away.]
I’d be pleased to see it, though. [So he can figure out where best to climb and hide from sight.]
[Neuvillette pets his hand like how one would pet a dog. It is clear that he is Kind Of Weird, but earnest, and well-liked. The way he talks his way through the 'tour' is reminiscent of one pointing out rooms in his own home. Here is the foyer, here is the guest bathroom, here is Archival Room 44, here is the sunroom, here is Courtroom 5 where we are going to try someone with 236 charges of syndicated fraud.]
I have not seen someone with such a great number of fraud changes levied against them in a century, or so. [He doesn't say any identifying information, of course, but he muses on it out loud. Small talk, and everything.] Curious.
[Edward briefly tries to recall if he knew anybody who could’ve committed that much fraud. Probably one of the Templars, fraud on that scale requires resources and knowledge that the pirates of Nassau didn’t have access to and usually wouldn’t bother with anyway. Why bother, after all, when you could terrify someone into submission instead?
Neuvillette is so bloody strange, but in a way that doesn’t make him feel uneasy. He’s a sweet fellow, obviously well-liked, and he loves his job and believes in it, in the rightness of the law. If Edward were a better man he’d feel guilty and call off the whole con here and now.
Alas, he is not a better man, and he wants to be paid.]
Oh? When was the last time someone was arrested for that much fraud? I’ve not seen many trials myself, and those that I had seen tended to be quick, and ended in the defendant hanging in a gibbet on the docks.
[This is true. He simply leaves out many, many details.]
[ it is close the midnight when furina wakes in a cold sweat, eyes wide and gasping a hand held to her neck. the flower... the flower she bought from the goodwill was supposed to keep nightmares at bay, but it did nothing to stop the dream of that sword hanging above her neck. it hung there for years and years and years growing larger with each passing day, with each trial, all to carry out the greatest sentence of all.
she leaps out of her before she truly realizes it feet carrying her to neuvillette, to the couch they so often find him passed out upon. ]
Neuvi... [ her hands shake as the image of that giant sword hanging flashing across her vision and she reaches down to grab his shoulder, shaking it gently. what good will this do? won't it only make things worse? she shouldn't bother him with such things when so much already sits heavily on his shoulders, she shouldn't ─
but he has always been at her side, always supported her regardless of all her lies, he has always been the solid ground beneath her feet. and now it is crumbling away from beneath her. ]
[He'd been chastised time and again for sleeping on the couch, but Neuvillette will not admit to either of them that he did not like sleeping in his room because, like this, he would wake to either of his housemates' voices more often than not, which was a comfort he could not deny himself.
He wakes in stages. Pushes his face into a throw pillow, rumbling low in his throat, blinking once, twice, and Furina will be able to see in real time how his eyes immediately focus on her face, pupils constricting into slits.]
Focalors? [He struggles to sit up, unsure if he's awake or dreaming still. His hands tremble violently as they come up to try and grab her by the elbows.] What--
[ focalors, focalors, focalors. that is who she is now, isn't it? with all these memories swirling like a whirlpool in her head. she is focalors and she is furina, two halves of a whole once again merged. she wants to laugh but all she manages is a broken sob, allowing his own trembling hands to curl around her elbows. ]
I'm sorry I─ [ she is falling, falling, lost in a combination of panic and despair. how is she to be simply 'furina' now? can she still be 'furina'? can she still live as was wanted of her? ] I don't know how but I can feel it... that right that made the God of Justice, that made me Focalors. It is like a weight around my heart.
[ hot tears fall from those mismatched eyes, trembling hands reaching out for whatever they can latch onto. it feels as though she is falling into an endless abyss, it feels as though there is water in her lungs and any moment now she will drown. ]
If this is what it feels like to be whole again, I do not want it.
[There are no words to describe the deluge of panic, making him lightheaded. Broad hands curl over Furina, heavy on her shoulders, her collarbone, pulling her into his arms immediately, all of his distant politeness vanishing, like he's trying to determine if she's real.
He cups her face. Presses their foreheads together, breathing ragged.]
No. No. Let - give it to me. Let me take it from you. You were supposed to be free, no. Look at me. Who are you?
[ she goes easily, pulled into his arms as one might do a doll. immediately she curls herself into him gripping onto his shirt as though it was the only thing keeping her from being swept away by the waves.
distantly she can't help but notice how human he is in this moment. how her own anguish is reflected back at her, as he presses their foreheads together. furina inhales shakily, catching his gaze with her own. ]
Furina. I am Furina. [ free to be and do whatever she wants -- is she still that with the weight on divinity etched into her bones? ]
[Distantly he thinks, did this have anything to do with the gift Kaisou had given him, on his chosen birthday, left on his bedside like a trinket, now tucked into his drawers, under bedclothes he never used: the lightless Hydro Gnosis, which he had personally seen into the Knave's hands.]
Are you? [Neuvillette draws back, but only enough so he could look at her. It made no difference; that divinity shone through, like light dappled through water. He can't not see Her. They were one and the same.] I watched you die by a blade wrought by your own hand. I had already known the cruelty of Celestia's children but you made me watch.
[ she smiles despite herself the memory flashing before her very eyes as he speaks. the blade above her head (her head, focalors' head) as her plan is laid out plain. five hundred years of work to return what was always rightfully his.
how cruel of her to make him watch her execution, how cruel of her to demand that he bear witness to the destruction of the divine. ]
Those memories are like a hazy dream I cannot forget. [ and it hangs heavy around her neck. ] Like a movie playing out again and again in my head. She may have wanted you to bear witness to the final curtain call, but I...
I don't want to be her, Neuvillette. I want to be Furina, I want to live as I have, I don't want to lose everything that I have. [ her grip on his shirt tightens, her head dropping just enough to obscure her face. ]
You will not lose anything. If I have to remind you every minute of every hour of every day of who you are then I will do so.
[Maybe she'll miss the dark, possessive look in his eyes, but she probably won't miss the way he cages an arm around her shoulders, tucking her against him. He'll have to start looking into the circumstances of her restoration; have to go through what other gifts this city has bestowed. She is part of his hoard and dragons are greedy, protective creatures.]
I will not lose you, as you are, Furina. I will not allow it.
You will stay by my side then? You won't leave me?
[ of course he won't, he stood by her side for so many years and did his best to support her even as she fled for him. still the fear sits on the edge of her mind, as if the divinity settling deep within her is some sort of stain or corruption. a silly and stupid fear that is made even worse when she thinks what she is going to tell wriothesley once morning comes.
she may have missed the dark, possessive look in his eyes, but the way he cages her in and tucks her against him is not lost on her. it is welcomed more than she can possibly express, burying herself against him as much as she can. ]
Solitude would be something you will decide on your own terms, not imposed on you.
[Five centuries is a very long time to be with someone - enough for him to know that he would always want a place by her side, human or divinity or anything in between. Unfortunately he isn't exactly sure how to say this in a Nice and Reasonable Manner, because he is very ??????? at the enormity of this realization, having only known when she'd left the Palais.
He lifts a hand, to stoke her hair, tucking her head under his chin.]
You already know what I was like - what I am like. You have me for as long as you want. What you are does not matter. [He makes an amused sound.] You would filch my share of confectionery all the same.
[ it is like water rushing from a burst dam, the relief that washes over her, sudden and all encompassing. briefly she forgets how to breathe and lets out a long, trembling exhale as all the tension bleeds from her limbs.
'you have me as long as you want. what you are does not matter.' it is hard to put into words how much it means to hear that, how quickly to eases the fears running rampant in her head. somewhere in the back of her mind she already knew and chided herself for her doubts. no matter the world or life, neuvillette will always be neuvillette. her closest ally, her dearest iudex, her sweet dragon.
slowly, slowly the trembling leaves her and her breathing begins to even out. ]
Forever, then. [ she does not want a world where he is not by her side. if she is doomed to live out her days in this city, better it be at his side (at wriothesley's side) than alone. ] And you buy too much and it is waste to leave such sweets uneaten.
That much sugar is not good for you. Feed it to Wriothesley.
[There's no heat behind it, though, as he pets around for one of the blankets (He has about five scrunched up on the couch.. One of them has cartoon otters on it.) to drape over her shoulders. This is to distract from the inane urge to ask her to marry him.]
This city gifted me the inert Hydro Gnosis on the day of my birth.
Well if you won't savour them with me, I might just have too.
[ it goes without saying that she would regardless, with how close they have gotten since their arrival here. she is relieved for the blanket he drapes over her shoulders, relieved that he isn't trying to shuffle her back to her own bed. there is no way she'd be able to sleep if she went back now, anyway.
she'd much rather be here, enclosed in neuvillette's warmth where it is safe and the world makes just a little bit of sense. ]
Oh, it did? [ leaning back she tries to get a good look at his face, her eyes a little red and puffy from tears. ] I wonder why, it is of little use now.
[ you can find a lot of stuff if you're willing to bribe the right people and creature equivalents to people, you know?
a wicker picnic basket turns up on the Fontaine household's doorstep somewhere in the wee hours of the 21st; don't sic your dog on the moogles, they're only doing what they were paid to do with apple hooch. the inside of the basket is a homesteader's wet dream--several jars of fruit jams, jellies, and preserves, several more jars of pickled vegetables, a half carton of eggs, a couple of bunches of dried herbs, and a whole apple pie with a fancy little lattice on the top are fighting for their lives for space. whoever packed this wouldn't last the winter at Target.
the card on the top is a different story, though; the penmanship is impeccable, like. you could call on a lady with this card, that bitch belongs in a regency museum. somebody made eyes at their boss to use his dip pens, because of course a certain Sparda has dip pens--what erratic rich man doesn't have dip pens? the card reads: ]
Love and harmony combine, And round our souls entwine While thy branches mix with mine, And our roots together join.
A friend of mine says there's a Blake verse for every occasion, and while that's usually just his pretentiousness talking, it probably applies here. Thank you for knocking a few things into perspective for Needlenoggin. He wouldn't have gotten there in my lifetime without the change of view.
I hope your endeavors of the heart are just as kind and fruitful.
Nicholas D. Wolfwood
By the way, the boss suggests hydrangeas for togetherness, freesias for loyalty and friendship, delphinium for chasing dreams, and larkspur for love.
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text; un: freelancer; slightly backdated to 10/15
Ah, it appears to be working now. I wasn't able to message you before, though I am not sure why. A quirk of the app, I suppose.
We need to speak about a matter of grave importance when you are free. Our first conversation felt... a rather inappropriate time to bring it up. I'm sure you would rather I didn't speak to you at all, but I am the only one who remembers... and so it falls to me.
This concerns Azhdaha.
It may be easiest to meet in person. There is something I can give you, in that case.
no subject
but he drops that name, and neuvillette drops his phone.]
Subterfuge was never your style, Morax.no subject
You have my word that I will bear neither weapon nor element against you, if that is your concern. We can meet on neutral ground-- somewhere public. Using my powers would draw unwanted attention seeing as the veil is still thin.
Are those terms acceptable, or would you rather I mailed you the item?
The method matters little to me. I am more concerned with recounting what happened to your... brother.
no subject
No, we should meet.[the maps pin is on a large gothic cathedral on- where else, cathedral hill.]
Is this amenable?no subject
The meeting place is interesting, and oddly fitting. There's a statue of Barbatos somewhere up there. It did not get vandalized with nipple tassels.]
Yes. When is a good time?
no subject
My schedule is free at ten-thirty in the evening. That cathedral does not have closing hours, so it should be fine.[he is actually going to take the rest of his day off, sit down at his kitchen island, and enact violence upon a box of croissants, pretending it was the hells-damned geo archon.
afterwards he would make bread pudding. maybe morax would like some.. .? this series of thoughts were all very distressing.]
no subject
Then I shall see you there tonight. Thank you for agreeing to meet on such short notice.
[If he shows up to the docks tomorrow morning looking like he lost a fight, well, that's just what he deserves and he knows it.]
text; un: blade
[He attaches a picture. Brass, blue topaz for the jewels, and something unidentifiable for the scale-like formations on the main piece. It's possibly very thinly-cut lapis lazuli.]
Also, I got my hands on a pile of magical ore called iridium. It holds magic better than steel, and it's stronger. It should be suitable for your cane.
1/2
Hello. These are very beautiful, but my apologies, I believe you are mistaken?
I did not order anything of the sort, this is the wrong contact number.
2/2
Are you Monsieur Blade?[ok! he may have indiscriminately fed this memory to his spirit possessor. oops. good thing he has like. blade’s name on a sticky note.]
no subject
That's me.
I tested them. They're not too heavy.
no subject
I trust your judgement. I will have someone pick it up from your address. My apologies for the mix-up.
Do you have experience in weapons repair as well?
[attached is a wrought-iron canesword, cane and blade laid out next to each other on a couch (?). the cane is a little battered. the blade, however, aside from the blood sunk into the filigree of it- it seems to be partly corroded with stone.]
no subject
[Which is one way of putting it.]
I can repair just about anything. It's how I'm learning magical materials.
[He looks over the picture.]
... The last time I saw this kind of damage, the blade had been stuck in the dirt for twenty years.
If you drop it off at the end of the day I can get it back to you first thing in the morning. It's a walking aid. Shouldn't be without that too long.
[He sends over instructions and notes regarding the cane Neuvillette had wanted. Blade has already sketched a draft of the design. It's extremely intricate for a concept-- a serpentine dragon curling around the cane itself to eventually form the handle. The notes say that the metal has to be worked during the new moon, and has the date of the next one (mid November).]
If you still want this, I can see about enchanting it to help with water magic.
no subject
Thank you, I will have it dropped off with the same courier. Please be careful handling it, I am not sure what[typing bubble]the exact type of corrosion it is but it is from a powerful source.
This design is beautiful. I can give you more time to work on it if you need it?
no subject
The corrosion looks severe. I may need to melt the blade down and reforge it-- but only the blade. If I add a kind of magical ore to it, it will be stronger. Is that all right with you, or would you rather I tried to repair the blade as is with mundane materials? It could end up with weaknesses in the core without a full recast.
[Oh, Neuvillette likes the draft. That's good. If he didn't, Blade would have scrapped everything and started over until he got it perfect.]
Glad you approve. I might need a short extension after all, seeing as something came up. No matter what happens next month I will be working that metal as the magic demands, but I'd like to take more time with the details before the final hand-off.
I've recently started building a mechanical suit for the defense of the city. The prophecies have me concerned, and I want to be proactive.
no subject
How long would it take if you were to reforge the blade? Can you provide me with an interim replacement?[also. long typing bubble.]
Sorry, you are building a what for the city's defense?no subject
[Who needs sleep???]
Mechanical armor. The kind that comes with a basic program... Like Gundam. Iron Man. That sort of thing.
[... He attaches a picture.]
In my past life I was an engineer. We maintained something like this. I won't be able to match what they did with the technology available to me here, but I'd rather have something than nothing if disaster strikes.
special delivery; 10/22
Inside is a jade bracelet with gold dragon embellishments. It's very old, though it's obviously been maintained.
There is also a note written in ink with a refined flourish, as if the sender is more accustomed to writing letters with a brush rather than a quill or pen.]
Azhdaha wore this for many years. As his next of kin, it rightly belongs to you.
[There is no signature.]
christmas;
There is also a note:]
Your cane is finished if you want to come by and see it. I wanted to make sure you had something for the holidays, too.
holidays;
Blue jade is a stone of dreams and visions, closely connected to both the element of water as well as the moon. Jade is also associated with new beginnings. I hope that next year brings you many blessings.
[Again, there is no signature.]
text > action
Look up and to the left.
[And there’s Edward on the rooftop of a nearby building, waving hello before he jumps off, doing a flip in the air. A few seconds later he pops out of the alleyway with a cheery whistle, none the worse for wear, and jogs up to Neuvillette.]
So I’ve a lovely collection of rings right here in this pouch. [All of them look rather antique, and none of them are bloodstained. Edward checked. He promised Jun he wouldn’t tell Neuvillette shit about his crimes and so he’s been much more careful than he usually is.] Just pick the one you like best.
action
Antiques? [Why do you have so many? Is this a style thing? Neuvillette comes closer and peers over them, picking out a pair of plain gold rings - practical.] You are a collector?
no subject
[Both of these are true statements. Edward simply doesn't tell him that these statements are not in fact related to how he acquired a not insignificant number of these rings. He told Jun he'd be as innocent as a blushing bride on her wedding day, and while that's not a level he can reach, he's still gonna try anyway.]
I used to have more than these, and a far more robust collection of works of art, but I left them in my time and my world, and there's no easy way for me to return there.
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[He slips the ring on his own hand, and holds out his hand afterwards, for Edward's, expectant.]
I admittedly have not been organizing them as I like.
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He should do that.]
I would be very glad to take a look at your collections!
[He is not doing that.]
Although I do believe your best bet is to consult Vittore. [See, he's even sneaking in a little promotion on the side.] He's more of an expert than I am, as I only came here directly from 1721. Any antiques from later than that, I'm not certain I can identify with any surety.
[That being said, he holds his hand out for Neuvillette to take. Neuvi might notice that he wears a bracer, and strapped under his arm is a little contraption known as the hidden blade, currently snug in its housing. He's not going to spring it on anyone, though, and indeed just gives Neuvillette a little smile.]
Another antique that I was given a few years back. It's good for opening cans and cutting into cakes.
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[Considering he's been collecting Stuff since what, the Roman Empire, the only problem he can see here is trying to get things shipped to Kaisou...
He slides the ring onto Edward's ring finger, and peers curiously at the contraption. Now, Neuvillette is certainly not lacking in knowledge in the weapons department, having carried concealed sword-canes most of the time, but he also takes a lot of things at face value.]
Fascinating. [Humans truly are ingenious creatures.] We can use it later at the bakeshop.
[Neuvillette smiles at him, full of sincerity and longing for cake.] It is not far - we can go through the courthouse and come out of the other side. Shall we?
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That's exactly why I brought it! [The time-honored traditional blade of the Assassins, used to...cut a wedding cake that doesn't even belong to Edward. Altaïr ibn La'Ahad is spinning in his grave.
He nods, and offers his hand once more. You know, for holding. Thankfully for Jun's sanity, Edward has left his other hidden blade at home, in the dim awareness that most people don't actually walk around armed to the teeth.]
From my own memory of when I went courting, you linked your arm with your fellow so that the nature of your relationship would be obvious. So shall we?
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He reaches out - to straighten Edward's collar - before linking their arms together. Several people around them stare. A runner holding coffee nearly hits a lamppost.
Neuvillette does not seem to notice any of this. When they start walking into the building, he inclines his head at nearly everyone.]
Have you been inside the main courthouse before?
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Everyone around him gawking at him and Neuvillette makes him preen a little bit, as he walks arm in arm with the man. Then Neuvillette springs that question on him and Edward considers possibly throwing down a smoke bomb and booking it in the direction of a rooftop no one can reach.
He does not do this, because Four Hundred Dollars An Hour.]
I’m afraid not! The closest I’ve come is signing a few papers, taking care of some messy legalities. [He hasn’t been in this courthouse, this is true. He simply doesn’t mention he has been sentenced as a pirate in a different court, one a few hundred years back and a thousand miles away.]
I’d be pleased to see it, though. [So he can figure out where best to climb and hide from sight.]
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I have not seen someone with such a great number of fraud changes levied against them in a century, or so. [He doesn't say any identifying information, of course, but he muses on it out loud. Small talk, and everything.] Curious.
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Neuvillette is so bloody strange, but in a way that doesn’t make him feel uneasy. He’s a sweet fellow, obviously well-liked, and he loves his job and believes in it, in the rightness of the law. If Edward were a better man he’d feel guilty and call off the whole con here and now.
Alas, he is not a better man, and he wants to be paid.]
Oh? When was the last time someone was arrested for that much fraud? I’ve not seen many trials myself, and those that I had seen tended to be quick, and ended in the defendant hanging in a gibbet on the docks.
[This is true. He simply leaves out many, many details.]
action, feb 18th. roughly midnight.
she leaps out of her before she truly realizes it feet carrying her to neuvillette, to the couch they so often find him passed out upon. ]
Neuvi... [ her hands shake as the image of that giant sword hanging flashing across her vision and she reaches down to grab his shoulder, shaking it gently. what good will this do? won't it only make things worse? she shouldn't bother him with such things when so much already sits heavily on his shoulders, she shouldn't ─
but he has always been at her side, always supported her regardless of all her lies, he has always been the solid ground beneath her feet. and now it is crumbling away from beneath her. ]
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He wakes in stages. Pushes his face into a throw pillow, rumbling low in his throat, blinking once, twice, and Furina will be able to see in real time how his eyes immediately focus on her face, pupils constricting into slits.]
Focalors? [He struggles to sit up, unsure if he's awake or dreaming still. His hands tremble violently as they come up to try and grab her by the elbows.] What--
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I'm sorry I─ [ she is falling, falling, lost in a combination of panic and despair. how is she to be simply 'furina' now? can she still be 'furina'? can she still live as was wanted of her? ] I don't know how but I can feel it... that right that made the God of Justice, that made me Focalors. It is like a weight around my heart.
[ hot tears fall from those mismatched eyes, trembling hands reaching out for whatever they can latch onto. it feels as though she is falling into an endless abyss, it feels as though there is water in her lungs and any moment now she will drown. ]
If this is what it feels like to be whole again, I do not want it.
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He cups her face. Presses their foreheads together, breathing ragged.]
No. No. Let - give it to me. Let me take it from you. You were supposed to be free, no. Look at me. Who are you?
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distantly she can't help but notice how human he is in this moment. how her own anguish is reflected back at her, as he presses their foreheads together. furina inhales shakily, catching his gaze with her own. ]
Furina. I am Furina. [ free to be and do whatever she wants -- is she still that with the weight on divinity etched into her bones? ]
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Are you? [Neuvillette draws back, but only enough so he could look at her. It made no difference; that divinity shone through, like light dappled through water. He can't not see Her. They were one and the same.] I watched you die by a blade wrought by your own hand. I had already known the cruelty of Celestia's children but you made me watch.
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how cruel of her to make him watch her execution, how cruel of her to demand that he bear witness to the destruction of the divine. ]
Those memories are like a hazy dream I cannot forget. [ and it hangs heavy around her neck. ] Like a movie playing out again and again in my head. She may have wanted you to bear witness to the final curtain call, but I...
I don't want to be her, Neuvillette. I want to be Furina, I want to live as I have, I don't want to lose everything that I have. [ her grip on his shirt tightens, her head dropping just enough to obscure her face. ]
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[Maybe she'll miss the dark, possessive look in his eyes, but she probably won't miss the way he cages an arm around her shoulders, tucking her against him. He'll have to start looking into the circumstances of her restoration; have to go through what other gifts this city has bestowed. She is part of his hoard and dragons are greedy, protective creatures.]
I will not lose you, as you are, Furina. I will not allow it.
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[ of course he won't, he stood by her side for so many years and did his best to support her even as she fled for him. still the fear sits on the edge of her mind, as if the divinity settling deep within her is some sort of stain or corruption. a silly and stupid fear that is made even worse when she thinks what she is going to tell wriothesley once morning comes.
she may have missed the dark, possessive look in his eyes, but the way he cages her in and tucks her against him is not lost on her. it is welcomed more than she can possibly express, burying herself against him as much as she can. ]
I don't want to be alone again.
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[Five centuries is a very long time to be with someone - enough for him to know that he would always want a place by her side, human or divinity or anything in between. Unfortunately he isn't exactly sure how to say this in a Nice and Reasonable Manner, because he is very ??????? at the enormity of this realization, having only known when she'd left the Palais.
He lifts a hand, to stoke her hair, tucking her head under his chin.]
You already know what I was like - what I am like. You have me for as long as you want. What you are does not matter. [He makes an amused sound.] You would filch my share of confectionery all the same.
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'you have me as long as you want. what you are does not matter.' it is hard to put into words how much it means to hear that, how quickly to eases the fears running rampant in her head. somewhere in the back of her mind she already knew and chided herself for her doubts. no matter the world or life, neuvillette will always be neuvillette. her closest ally, her dearest iudex, her sweet dragon.
slowly, slowly the trembling leaves her and her breathing begins to even out. ]
Forever, then. [ she does not want a world where he is not by her side. if she is doomed to live out her days in this city, better it be at his side (at wriothesley's side) than alone. ] And you buy too much and it is waste to leave such sweets uneaten.
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[There's no heat behind it, though, as he pets around for one of the blankets (He has about five scrunched up on the couch.. One of them has cartoon otters on it.) to drape over her shoulders. This is to distract from the inane urge to ask her to marry him.]
This city gifted me the inert Hydro Gnosis on the day of my birth.
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[ it goes without saying that she would regardless, with how close they have gotten since their arrival here. she is relieved for the blanket he drapes over her shoulders, relieved that he isn't trying to shuffle her back to her own bed. there is no way she'd be able to sleep if she went back now, anyway.
she'd much rather be here, enclosed in neuvillette's warmth where it is safe and the world makes just a little bit of sense. ]
Oh, it did? [ leaning back she tries to get a good look at his face, her eyes a little red and puffy from tears. ] I wonder why, it is of little use now.
in the wee hours of February 21st
a wicker picnic basket turns up on the Fontaine household's doorstep somewhere in the wee hours of the 21st; don't sic your dog on the moogles, they're only doing what they were paid to do with apple hooch. the inside of the basket is a homesteader's wet dream--several jars of fruit jams, jellies, and preserves, several more jars of pickled vegetables, a half carton of eggs, a couple of bunches of dried herbs, and a whole apple pie with a fancy little lattice on the top are fighting for their lives for space. whoever packed this wouldn't last the winter at Target.
the card on the top is a different story, though; the penmanship is impeccable, like. you could call on a lady with this card, that bitch belongs in a regency museum. somebody made eyes at their boss to use his dip pens, because of course a certain Sparda has dip pens--what erratic rich man doesn't have dip pens? the card reads: ]
And round our souls entwine
While thy branches mix with mine,
And our roots together join.
A friend of mine says there's a Blake verse for every occasion, and while that's usually just his pretentiousness talking, it probably applies here. Thank you for knocking a few things into perspective for Needlenoggin. He wouldn't have gotten there in my lifetime without the change of view.
I hope your endeavors of the heart are just as kind and fruitful.
Nicholas D. Wolfwood
By the way, the boss suggests hydrangeas for togetherness, freesias for loyalty and friendship, delphinium for chasing dreams, and larkspur for love.