Tak...
Tak*
Outside, rain started pouring down on the quiet night of Fontaine.
As each drop fell on the roofs of each building, the sounds of each fall echoed throughout the city.
Soon, the cold breeze started gushing over the streets.
Inside Isaac's cafe, however, contrary to the outside, it held a warm and cozy atmosphere.
The small tinge of yellow light emanating from the kitchen paired with the two small lanterns lighting up two tables inside the cafe created a sort of cozy environment.
It was as if one had finally found warmth after a long period of cold.
Or perhaps waking up to a cold morning only to be met with your warm safe blanket.
It was comforting.
Furina, who was sitting on one of the chairs in front of the lit tables, looked outside the glass pane.
She seemed to be pondering something as she rested her chin on her hand.
Just then, Isaac's voice drifted over.
"It's really pouring hard, huh?"
Furina turned around to see Isaac approaching with two silver plates with similar silver covers on top in each hand.
Isaac wasn't wearing his barista uniform. Right now, he was just wearing a casual dark blue long-sleeved shirt.
"I wonder..." Placing down the silver plates with covers on top, Isaac commented with a light smile. "Is it because of the Hydro Dragon?"
He was referring to a famous children's fairy tale in Fontaine.
"Oh? You believe that fairy tale?" Furina heard Isaac's remarks and couldn't help but turn her head. "I didn't think you were the type of person to believe such a children's story."
"It can't be helped," Isaac shrugged with a leisurely smile. "That tale has been around for ages now. Every child in Fontaine more or less knows it."
"Every time the Hydro Dragon wept, it would rain..." Furina mumbled. "That was the tale, yes?"
"Indeed," Isaac nodded before looking at the glass pane Furina was looking at. With a smile, he spoke,
"O Hydro Dragon, O Hydro Dragon... Don't cry."
Hearing this, Furina scoffed as her heterochromatic eyes glanced at Isaac's figure. "Hah, how ludicrous..."
Isaac heard her remark and chuckled internally. He naturally knew who the Hydro Dragon was, as for the person in front of him, she too knew who he was.
And the two of them know that singing the fairy tale in accuracy can, in fact, make the Hydro Dragon stop "crying."
Such is the oddity of the Iudex.
Isaac merely shrugged and didn't retaliate at her claim. Instead, he nudged the silver plate to Furina.
"For you, Miss," Isaac said before pulling the cover away. After the covers were removed, what appeared before Furina was a plate with the most appetizing aroma.
The plate was divided into three sections.
Sliced medium-rare rib-eye steaks were placed along the curve of the upper right plate, while a pot of macaroni and cheese was placed on the adjacent side. Finally, at the bottom, some mixed greens were added.
'This is...' Smelling the aroma of what was being presented in front of her, Furina was momentarily pleased. 'It looks like a very easy dish to make... Yet it looks and smells great...'
"Would you like some gravy with those steaks?" Isaac asked as he also took off his plate's cover. He held a gravy boat in his other hand.
"Just a bit, thank you." Furina didn't reject his offer. "But not too much."
Isaac nodded before lifting the porcelain gravy boat and pouring it on top of Furina's steak.
"Bon Appétit." Isaac stopped pouring the gravy and smiled at her.
"So-so do you..." Seeing his up-close smile, Furina was stunned for a second before turning her head to her plate. "My many thanks, my dear... servant."
Isaac amused himself before taking a seat. He sat opposite from Furina.
There were already glasses and a wine bottle on the table, as such, Isaac didn't have to trouble himself to go back to the kitchen.
He poured himself some wine before taking a sip. After drinking, he smiled. 'I said that I won't sell alcohol... But look at me now. Enjoying one not even long after I said that...'
He was amused by his hypocrisy. Amused, but not disappointed.
Taking his fork and knife, he first started with the 12 rib-eye stakes. He took one slice, sliced one off with a knife, and took it with the knife.
Chewing on the steak, Isaac analyzed it thoroughly before gulping it down. 'As I thought... I should have cooked it to rare...'
'I'm sorry.' Sighing, he looked up as if he was apologetic before returning to his meal. How he hoped he had headphones at that moment.
'Scrumptious... Not bad.' Furina, meanwhile, was also enjoying her dish. However, she couldn't help but glance at the macaroni and cheese on the plate.
"This is certainly an odd combination, is it not?" Furina said as she took some mac and cheese.
Hearing this, Isaac smiled faintly. "But it's a great comfort food."
"Moreover, it blends the extravagance of a rib-eye steak with something as common as mac and cheese..." Saying this, Isaac's deep-amber eyes couldn't help but look at Furina.
As if remembering something, he shook his head with a smile. "Yes... The combination of cooking mac and cheese is... quite simple, in my opinion."
"?" Furina didn't know what Isaac was talking about, but she vaguely understood what he was trying to convey. "So it's all to feel... simplicity?"
"Indeed," Isaac nodded his head before taking a sip of wine. "It's these simple and mundane serene things that I love... In my opinion, that's what makes me love the simplicity of things."
"It's the simplicity that resonates with my humanity— or self." Isaac smiled.
"How about you, Lady Furina?" Isaac pointed his fork at her. "As a God, how do you enjoy your... Godhood?"
"That's... I..." For a moment, Furina didn't know what to say. But in just a second, bursts of thoughts appeared in her mind. After a second, she composed herself, "Well that's simple! It's by enjoying my role as the God of Justice and caring for the people. Oh, and watching over the trials."
That's right.
She was the God of Justice.
A symbol of Godhood and one of the Seven Archons of Teyvat.
She couldn't possibly enjoy mundane things a normal human can have.
...after all, she still must uphold the end of her promise before anything else...
"..." Isaac listened to her and nodded his head. His deep amber eyes reflected her figure, 'It seems like I can't pierce through her shell... Oh well.'
Curling up a smile, Isaac sighed inwardly. "In that case, wouldn't this be a first good try?"
"Come on, Lady Furina! Let's eat to our heart's content tonight!" Isaac raised his glass of wine at her.
He could never save her from her fate.
Nor could she abandon her role to fight against fate itself.
But at the very least, he could provide her a sort of place for tranquility.
A place where she can rest and wind up.
Where the true "Furina" can put down the mantle of the God of Justice for just a moment and find refuge here.
That was, after all, Isaac's main purpose for a while now— providing a tranquil space for all troubled minds.
Furina was stunned for a moment as she looked at Isaac. She watched as this human raised his cup with a soft smile on his face, waiting for her to toast with him.
For a moment, her ahoge seemed to have swayed for a bit.
Her head lowered as if she was contemplating something before looking up. In her mind, she had just fought with her inner monologues in just a fraction of a second. 'Perhaps... Perhaps I can experience being human, without putting down my role as the God of Justice...'
'Yes, as long as I still maintain my persona, nothing will change.' Making up her mind, Furina took her glass cup and raised it, toasting Isaac. 'I can still fulfill my part...'
Ting!*
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Both Isaac and Furina said at the same time with smiles on their faces as the wine in their glass cups spilled a bit.
On this rainy day, inside Le Souffle du Silence, a hearty dinner occurred, and laughter emanated from the cafe from time to time.
Isaac and Furina ate and drank to their heart's content. Isaac even set up his smart TV and started singing along with Furina.
Soon, the two of them started a singing competition.
"My dear servant, might I remind you! To truly serve me, you have you give it your all!" Furina laughed as she watched Isaac sing.
"I'm trying!" Glancing at Furina, Isaac sang with more emotions laced in his voice.
Isaac sang to his heart's content with passion as he slowly unwinds his stressed mind.
Soon, Furina took the microphone from Isaac and started her turn.
"Woah, as expected of you, Lady Furina..." Isaac clapped as he listened to Furina. "Your high notes are amazing!"
"Hehe, it's nothing new to me, of course." Furina giggled as she held the microphone. "But yes, shower me with praise!"
The two of them continued to sing together as they both drank wine Isaac had on the table.
Neither of them wanted to lose.
Soon, time ticked by in a blink of an eye. It was already midnight.
"My dear... Servant..." Furina slowly said with a slurring voice.
"Lady... Furina..." Isaac also said with he similar slurry voice.
A moment of silence appeared between them before being interrupted by their loud voice.
Both of them yelled at the same time as they pointed at each other. "You drank all the wine!"
On the table, three bottles of wine were present. It seems like both of them had drunk a lot.
Both were very drunk.
Their competition, now slowed down by the wine, had already been dragged on to the late of night.
"..."
"..."
Before they knew it, both of them had already fallen on the couch asleep. Isaac was still holding his microphone, while Furina was sleeping on his shoulder.
It was truly a night to remember for the human and the god.
---
Morning.
The morning light of dawn started basking Fontaine with its golden blanket.
Puddles were present all around the Court of Fontaine because of the torrential rain that occurred last night however, it didn't stop the Fontainians from going with their everyday lives.
In Le Souffle du Silence, the golden light of the sun also shined on the cafe.
Beams of light pierced Isaac's bedroom window.
However, Isaac, who was usually asleep at this time, was sitting up.
More precisely, it was as if he had lost his soul.
'Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god...' Isaac panicked as sweat beads fell down his face.
His deep amber eyes moved and glanced over to the pillow next to him.
This side of the bed, which was usually empty, now had someone in it.
And that someone had grayish-white hair and fair skin.
It was none other than the God of Justice, Furina herself.
She was curled up and hugging Isaac's arm!
Looking at the person who was sleeping so peacefully on his bed, Isaac felt a looming danger as a shiver ran down his spine.
Isaac panicked as he felt his death sentence hanging over his head. "Will I... Be sentenced to the guillotine?"
What a predicament.
* * *
A/N: My internet is slow in the area I'm at right now, so I can barely open anything. But the chaps will keep coming, lads.
"Erm..." Furina's slightly moist eyes softly opened, revealing her heterochromia eyes.
Currently, she was only wearing her white shirt. As for her overcoat and skirt, it was hanging on a clothes rack not far away.
She slowly sat up and lay on the soft bed below her as she looked at the window in a daze. She then yawned, "Hawn~"
"Who opened my window blinders..." Furina said with a slightly annoyed tone. Her eyes were still half-closed.
She then rubbed her eyes softly and looked at the source of light which was the window.
"?" She then noticed something. "That's odd... I don't remember having this design..."
Her fuzzy eyes then moved around and inspected her supposed room. "...huh?"
It was then that she noticed that something was off. She quickly recovered from her half-asleep state and looked around frantically. "This... This isn't the Opera House nor the Palais!"
With a panicked expression, she tried to remember how she got here, or perhaps if she was abducted.
"Ah!" She then remembered what had happened last night. Memories of her singing with Isaac flashed across her mind. "That's right... My assistant and I were competing for the best singer in Fontaine... But..."
She then looked down at her shirt. She just realized that she was only wearing her white shirt.
And nothing else.
A few seconds ticked by in silence as Furina processed this information.
"Wait—!" Instantly, the information went through Furina's head and she finally made sense of things. Her face instantly turned a flushing red hue. "Hold on...?!"
"Th-This is..."
* * *
"Hm?" Hearing a yell upstairs, Isaac, who was cooking breakfast, got startled. "Is she awake...?"
Currently, Isaac is cooking shrimp fried rice coupled with fried fish. It was a good start to the day.
"Thankfully..." Isaac sighed with a wry smile. "Nothing happened to us last night other than getting dead drunk..."
"Otherwise, I might've found myself in either Wriothesley's fortress or an improvised guillotine..." Isaac joked as he stirred the rice in front of him.
It was true.
Isaac first panicked that Furina would execute him if he had touched her, but thankfully, that didn't happen.
If he were to "violate" the God of a nation, not even the cold rationality of the legal code can save him.
Tap*
Tap*
Soon, the sound of muffled footsteps reached Isaac's ears. He turned around and looked at the door of the kitchen.
"Y-You..." Furina, who was now wearing her overcoat, looked at Isaac with a flustered expression. Her face deep were red.
'Hm? Does she think...' Isaac saw her appearance and instantly recognized her expression. In half a second, a devious thought sprouted in his mind. Chuckling internally, he thought, 'Oh now this needs a little teasing.'
"Good morning, Lady Furina." Isaac smiled warmly at her as if nothing had happened. His smile was so warm and vibrant that it looked ALMOST innocent. "Did you have a good sleep?"
"I just finished cooking, come, let's eat." He continued smiling and took the pan off the stove.
With the same casual attitude, he poured the shrimp-fried rice on the plate on the table.
Isaac washed his hands, took off his apron, and sat down. He then looked at Furina who was still hiding behind the door frame, "Well? Come on in, Lady Furina."
"You wouldn't want to be weak all day after last night, right?" Isaac smiled casually but was laughing like a madman internally.
"I suppose... you're right." Furina glanced around as she slowly moved from the door frame where she was hiding.
She looked at Isaac who was eating so nonchalantly as if he cared for nothing else in the world.
'Why... is he acting so normal?' Furina felt that it was unnatural of him. After all, he just slept with a god! That's not something easily brushed off.
'Does he think...' Thinking of something, Furina slowly sat down and looked at Isaac.
The latter, who was smiling gently the whole time, noticed her look and decided to push forward.
"You were great last night." He said casually as he picked up a small shrimp. "Your rhythm was... perfect."
"H-Huh?!" Furina, who was just about to eat, suddenly jolted and looked at Isaac with an agitated smile. "W-Well..."
'What's he thinking?! Suddenly saying something like that!' Furina's inner self started battling inside her mind. 'And why is he so comfortable talking about it?! What should I say?'
Panicked, Furina decided to return the compliment. With a sincere expression, she nodded, "So were you! You erm... did well too last night?"
'Haha!' Isaac almost spat out the good he was eating as he tried his best to conceal the grin that was about to form.
"I'm glad," Sorting his emotions, he controlled his expression and smiled. "It was my first time with a god... I'm glad that Lady Furina felt the same."
'It was his first?' Hearing this, the red hue forming on Furina's face started to deepen. With a heavy breath, she spoke hesitantly. "It was... the same for me..."
Hearing this, the smile on Isaac"a face widened a bit. "Really? Well..."
"I thought Lady Furina would have collaborated with other singers by now." Isaac decided to drop the bomb with a smile.
"S-Singing?" Furina heard Isaac and couldn't help but ask again. "You... You were referring to singing?"
"Why yes, of course." Isaac smiled softly. He prevented his smile from turning to a shit-eating grin. "Last night, I just couldn't help but admire Lady Furina's voice."
"And to sing with a god, why, it's the most memorable thing I've done." He added.
His deep-amber eyes then looked at her face. "Why? Were you perhaps thinking of something else?"
"..." Furina was momentarily silent. It took her a few seconds before she processed Isaac's words. "You mean... nothing happened last night?"
"Other than passing out from the wines we drank, then no, not at all." Isaac tilted his hand as he spoke.
"I-I see... Phew, that's a relief!" Furina exhaled a sigh of relief as she smiled brightly. She then picked up her spoon and fork. "For a second, I thought—"
"Why?" Just then, Isaac's overall vibe changed. Soon, the evil grin he had been keeping finally revealed itself. "Were you perhaps thinking that we did something more erotic?"
"Huh?" Furina, who was about to indulge herself in Isaac's cooking, suddenly stopped. "Wh-What do you mean?"
Isaac smiled lightly while eating. He then hummed in amusement. "I'm sure you're no stranger to these kinds of developments, my lady."
"A man inviting a woman for dinner, only for the latter to find herself intoxicated with alcohol and carried to bed by the former..." Isaac continued to tear apart the fried fish he cooked as he spoke. He then tasted the fried fish before continuing, "That's certainly a plot commonly found in opera plays, no?"
"You... Was this planned by you?" Furina gripped her hand as she spoke. She looked at Isaac with caution. "I didn't think you were that kind of person... my servant."
"Ah, don't worry," Isaac scoffed lightly. "I didn't have such intentions. I still value my life."
Hearing this, Furina's eyes slightly widened before she laughed. "Haha, I see, so you still have a bit of consciousness for your god."
'That, and avoiding the guillotine,' Isaac lampooned inwardly. "Certainly. Only a lunatic would take advantage of a weakened god, after all."
"And I, for one, am a gentlemanly soul." Isaac lied as naturally as he breathed. But then again, lying is no stranger to him.
"Hmph, well that's only to be expected of someone who should be close to me," Furina smirked. She then cleared her throat, "And uhm... About what happened last night..."
"I'll keep them a secret, Of course, of course." Isaac nodded in agreement.
What? He wasn't gonna use what he saw to blackmail her someday. Isaac might be opportunistic, but he has standards.
He then returned to eating the meal he prepared. Whilst eating, he simultaneously busied himself with the system.
Furina, meanwhile, looked at Isaac and the food he made back and forth. Her hand gripped her utensils a bit before silently muttering something.
And so, the human and the god both enjoyed their breakfast. Once again, due to Isaac's cooking skills, the taste was enjoyable for both parties.
Soon, Furina was about to depart once more.
"Farewell, Lady Furina." Isaac, who was now in his barista uniform, stood at the door of the cafe. "Have a great day today."
"You make yourself sound like a housewife bidding their husband..." Furina turned around and teased Isaac. "But yes, have an outstanding day today too."
"Well then, toodle~oo!" Furina then walked out of the cafe while looking at Isaac with a bright vibrant smile.
Isaac waves at her with a soft smile before turning to the system window floating in front of him.
"3 more days until Furina's quest ends..." He muttered. He then moved on to another thing he noticed.
"A new main quest... I didn't know they could be stacked on top of one another." Isaac said to himself. "But alright, let me see what it is."
Isaac opened the system quest window and read the new quest.
"Huh?" His jaw then dropped after reading it. "Hold on... Are you serious?"
[A-Rank Quest]
[Name: Fatui]
[Type: Main Quest]
[Objective: Help the House of the Hearth and build a relationship with 'The Knave']
Reading the new quest he received, Isaac was momentarily silent before uttering a few words.
"I'm meeting... Arlecchino?"
He was doomed.
* * *
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