Eccedentesiast

Chapter 3: Day Around Fontaine

Third Person POV: Furina

Furina crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatietly. Her bodyguard was supposed to be at the Palais Mermonia an hour ago. Sedene assured her that Quincy was on his way, but she didn't believe the Melusine. If she was to have a bodyguard forced upon her, she would prefer him to be punctual. Neuvillette's constant writing was also annoying Furina to no end. She let out a huge huff of annoyance and walked off. She burst open the doors leading outside of the Palais, and down the streets of Fontaine. She marched up to the front foor of Hotel Bouffes d'ete and knocked on it harshly. No answer. She knocked again. No answer. In frustration, she attempted to open it. To her surprise, the door was unlocked. 

When she entered, the scene she saw before her was not what she had expected. Quincy was being swarmed by his nieces and nephews. The younger ones were clinging to his legs and cane, while the older ones had jumped onto his back. Lynette had him in a firm hug, and Freminet was holding his shoulder while Lyney was on the man's back with a hand on his mask. 

"Don't go." Lynette said with a hint of desperation in her voice. 

"Uncle, please stay!" Freminet begged him. 

"Uncle!" Lyney yelled, followed by a chorus of yells from the other children. A few cicin were circling above Quincy, unsure of how to react to the desperate kids. 

"Guys, you know Lady Sedene will allow you to visit. C'mon, I was supposed to be moved in to the Palais an hour ago. What would my sister say if she saw you all acting like this? And Lyney, hands off my mask, please." He spoke with such calmness and authority, that Furina didn't know if she wanted to announce her presence. What would she even say? She watched Lyney jump off of Quincy as he moved the other children back. 

"Ah, Lady Furina, my apologies for being late. Thank you for coming to get me." Quincy said. She flinched a little, not expecting to be addressed. How had he known she arrived? Had she actually underestimated him? Of course not, that was impossible. She WAS the Hydro Archon after all. She laughed nervously before attempting to regain her composure.

"Well, I'll expect you to be on time when you actually start work! I can't have a bodyguard that's late to everything!" She declared.

"Of course." He agreed.

"Since I'm already here, you may accompany me while I go shopping."

"Sure." He agreed so quickly, Furina couldn't help but feel proud of herself. She must have made a strong impression on him. "I'll see all of you on a later day. Send my regards to my sister." He told the children. Я тебя люблю (I love you)." 

Third Person POV: Quincy

Quincy followed Furina as she kept quite a good distance ahead of him. After bidding farewell to the children, Quincy had been following the Hydro Archon around Fontaine. He had tried to walk beside her, but she would run along ahead of him to stay in the lead. So, Quincy resigned himself to the fact that his job would be difficult. However, following her was easier than expected. Her voice was loud and traveled far, and her footsteps were loud and boisterous. And of course, his cicin companions tugged on his sleeves to gently guide him when he strayed too far.

"Our first stop is Café Lucerne!" Furina announced, as they entered a building. The smell of pastry hit Quincy's nose and he could just imagine what the cakes looked like. The scent reminded him of when he was younger and his sister tried to make a cake for their birthday. 

"Quincy, Quincy, look!" Arlecchino cheered, running over to the boy that was reading on the couch. He looked up from his book, to find his sister holding a pan full of  something that vaguely resembled cake. "I made out own cake!"

"That's a cake?" He teased. She puffed up her cheeks angrily and pulled on his ear. "Okay, sorry." 

"Taste it." 

"Seriously?"

"I made it for us and I want you to try it!"

"Fine." He took a bite of the cake looking thing, really wanting to spit it out into a napkin. However, he swallowed it for his older sister. "Don't eat that."

"Is it really that bad?" She tried it anyway, despite Quincy's warning and she seemed to regret that decision. "Yeah, never mind."

"It's okay, sis. Maybe one day, the Director will remember our birthday. Or when we're grown up, we'll buy the best cake in the whole world."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Snezhevich! C'mon, there's a line forming!" Furina's whine took him out of his thoughts. He couldn't actually tell how many people were in line, but based on the sense of urgency in her voice, there were quite a few. 

"What are we in line for?" He asked.

"Ugh! Do you ever listen? Airhead." She grumbled and Quincy pretended not to hear her. "This café serves the best cake in all of Fontaine and they only serve 16 slices a day!"

"It's just cake, my lady." He replied. It was almost like he was talking to his sister. She loved deserts more than any person he knew. Furina didn't respond until she ordered the cake, so he assumed his comment had offended her in some way. "My lady-"

"Sh! I'm enjoying myself and ignoring your boring figure! Don't talk to me unless it's important!" She ordered. Quincy nodded as they began walking again. This time, he observed that she was walking at a slower, calmer pace. He really wanted to sit so he could rest, but it seemed Furina was constantly moving throughout the day and he was starting to tire out. 

"Lady Furina, you should really head back to the Palais." Quincy spoke. "Monsieur Neuvillette will most likely want you to finish some work." 

"Ugh! Boring! Why must you spoil my fun? Very well, one more stop, then we'll return to the Palais." They entered another building, and there wasn't anything that stood out for Quincy to figure out where they where. Although, Furina seemed excited. But she was excited about almost everything. 

"My lady-" 

"What now, Snezhevich? Can't you see we're in Chioriya Boutique, the most popular clothing store in Fontaine. If you insist on interrupting me, you may shop for yourself too." A clothing store. He'd only been here once with Lynette to help her find a new bow. 

"Of course, I see that." He remarked, walking around the store. Furina seemed to pay no mind to his comment. He ran his hand over the various fabrics and clothing varieties, until he stopped at a strange hat. It felt like a top hat with something pointy on top. An expensive lacy cloth hung off the side of the hat. 

"You have a good fashion sense! It seems you're not a lost cause after all, Snezhevich!" Furina's voice kind of startled him, as he felt Furina's gloved hands take the hat from him. 

"I'll buy it for you, my lady." He decided. 

"I'm fully capable of paying for one measly hat!" 

"I know. It's called a gesture of good will. I want us to be on good terms. This job would suck if we were always at each other's throats."

"Of course! Let's return to the Palais now."

The duo did return to the Palais, where Neuvillette dragged Furina into his office to complete some paperwork she had neglected. Sedene was kind enough to guide him through the halls of the Palais so he could create a mental map, and then she took him to his room. 

"Please, let me know if you need anything, Monsieur Snezhevich." The Melusine stated, closing the door behind her. Quincy sighed, plopping himself down on his bed. Furina was akin to a child. No wonder they wanted someone with the energy to handle her. But Neuvillette seemed confident in his abilities. 

"I miss everyone, already. He groaned, removing his mask. He traced his fingers over his eyes and let out another sigh. The burn scars were barely visible anymore, but he always knew they were there, even if he couldn't see them. He couldn't chance Furina or Neuvillette seeing them. Sedene had figured it out withing the first five minutes, due to her enhanced senses as a Melusine. But she promised not to tell, so there was that at least. 

If you make a pinkie promise, you keep it all your life, you break a pinkie promise, I'll throw you on the ice.