𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 ⸺ genshin impact

DUELIST ; neuvillette

✧ chief justice :: neuvillette.
✧ warnings :: not really yandere, but it could be read as that if you squint

 countless court trials held every week, their processes repetitive yet are all individual spectacles in their own right. the same sorts of stories play over and over again, but the eager onlookers never seem to tire of a new drama to witness. to fontainians, the lines between seeing justice be served or watching theatrical performances often intersect — heated accusations disproven or guilty charges ruled, a flick of the wrist and fantastical acts showcased. no matter which of those events are being held at the opera house, there's little difference to the people.

 and the moment they hear that a desperate defendant had chosen to put their life on the line in order to redeem their honour — asking for a duel with one of their nation's best fighters — the excited rumours spread faster than their archon's whimsical mood changes. neuvillette used to look upon them with the belief that only those who were undoubtedly guilty would willingly select that route — the route where the final outcome was almost always death, rather than being put under trial. he, too, would observe these duels. the opinions of the chief justice would no longer have substance the moment the countdown to the duel begins.

 it's been many years since he had taken up the post of chief justice, and thus has witnessed many of these duels over the years. each extraordinary triumph, each bitter defeat. he remembers the first time he saw you in action — a newcomer amongst the ranks of the champion duelists, already rising in fame (or infamy?) due to your streak of indomitability in many consecutive battles even before you had been given the title as one of fontaine's champion duelists. he's watched your steady improvement, the growth and change of your character.

 the heat of the battle sharpens your senses, but you never let the rush of adrenaline blur your judgement; if anything, you're set into a new state of focus. weapons drawn, defence stable, counterattacks calculated — and before you know it, it's over once more, with you emerging as the victor. each duel you've participated in has gradually worn away that flicker of pity you used to hold towards your opponents. now the fight is just routine, a second nature. that shine in your eyes dulled, but your blade sharpened.

 you feel the chief justice's particularly focused gaze set on your figure as you fight, but you don't pay much attention onto it. the fight requires your focus more than anything. like the acts that the audience love to watch, a duel is, in a way, a performance of your own. a dance of strategy, the crossing of swords. your reputation as a near-undefeatable fighter must not let you give way to complacency.

 he admires your form and tenacity — he isn't even sure about what interests him so, what sort of thing sets you apart from the rest, but it simply draws him in and evokes an indescribable feeling that he isn't familiar with labelling. it bubbles and it festers, it lets his imagination loose for a few fleeting moments as he imagines ever speaking to you outside of a professional setting, wishful thinking of getting to know you deeper. it makes him uncertain, but it makes him wonder.

✧ note :: my perception of yan!neuvillette concepts before and after fontaine is so drastically different