Eccedentesiast

Chapter 10: Quincy's Truth

Third Person POV: Furina

Furina felt the tingle of electricity flow through her body as her and Quincy teleported away from the Knave. It was certainly a strange feeling. They safely ended up in her office, far away from their attacker. Furina could hear her heart pounding in her ears as her breathing began to slow down and return to normal. She slowly loosened her grip on Quincy's arm, realizing they were no longer in danger. 

"Are you alright, My Lady?" Quincy asked, facing the doorway in case Arlecchino had followed them somehow. His voice was laced with concern, understanding the severity of the situation. Someone had tried to kill Furina. And not just anyone, but his own sister. 

"Y-Yes, I'm alright." Furina told him. "I barely got hurt since you protected me." She noticed his tension and spoke again. "I don't think she followed us here. We disappeared pretty quickly after all. Nothing is faster than lightning." 

"You're right." Quincy agreed, turning to face her. The hand that wasn't holding his cane was covering the upper half of his face, keeping it hidden from Furina. She was unsure why, but it most likely had to do with the mask that had broken in the fight. Quincy wasn't as injured as she thought, seeing only a few scratches. Good. That was good. She would hate for him to be terribly wounded because of her. 

"Quincy, your sister, she wants the Hydro Gnosis?" Furina asked curiously, recalling the words the Harbinger had yelled. 

"Yes. She believes it's the only way to save Fontaine from the prophecy. I tried to..." Quincy trailed off. "I tried to tell her that you didn't have it. I didn't give away your secret, but..."

"I see." Furina stated. He had tried to protect her by lying to his own sister. But Arlecchino clearly had not believed him. "Quincy, why did you join the Gardes?"

"To do something with my life." Quincy answered. "I was sick and tired of being treated like nothing in the Fatui. I'm only the Tenth Harbinger because no one knows where the real one is. Physically, I'm far weaker than my sister. But in terms of finding weak points and observing my opponents, I'm superior."

"But there is another reason, isn't there?"

"Yes. There were people here, bad people, that ruled over the House of the Hearth before my sister took over. I have been doing some secret surveillance on those people to determine their whereabouts. At first, the idea of them in the Fortress of Meropide was pleasing to me. But I want them to suffer for everything they've done."

"Quincy..." Furina couldn't help but notice how angry he sounded. These people must have wronged him drastically for him to wish for their deaths. But it seemed, he didn't want to talk about it anymore. His facial expression made it look like he was in pain. But she couldn't find the source. His face maybe? "Quincy, are you hurt?"

"What? I'm fine." Quincy replied quickly. The response was so sudden, it made Furina pause for a moment. 

"Is there a problem with your eyes? Are you hurt? I can get Neuvillette or Sed-" 

"NO!" Quincy cut her off harshly with a yell. "No." He repeated himself, this time a lot quieter. 

"If you need help just ask for it. Stop being so stubborn!" Furina argued, trying to move his hand away from his face. 

"Just stop it!" 

"I won't!" Furina would not back down this time. Even though Quincy was angry with her, she would not falter. If something was wrong, she had to know. Had to know if it was her fault. 

Quincy's strength soon failed him, and Furina was able to get a good look at his face for the first time. His jackal mask was always covering it after all, except for his mouth. And she soon found out why. The skin surrounding his eyes was black from the effects of a fourth degree burn. His eyes were the same as Arlecchino's, black with red x-shaped pupils, but the colors were faded and clouded over. An old injury. However, Furina was not scared. Perhaps that was why he tried to hide it, to avoid the stares and harsh words. She gently ran over the darkened skin, wanting him to understand her intentions.

"You know I can't feel your touch, right?" Quincy told her. "The nerve endings were all burned away."

"Oh, sorry." She retracted her hands immediately, watching his expression. Sorrow and regret filled his facial features. "Quincy, what happened?"

"You don't want to know. It...It's a long story." He said quietly.

"Quincy, I told you before that I will listen and keep your secrets. You listened to my story, so now I want to hear yours." Furina told him, holding his hand. "If you want to."

"My sister and I were born here in Fontaine. We belonged to a rich family, but our parents didn't want us. Our mother tried to kill me because I was sickly, and Arlecchino killed her to protect me. The old Director of the House took us in. We were trained as soldiers." Quincy began, taking a deep breath. "One day, I tried to escape with another one of my sisters. We didn't succeed and I was severely injured. That's how this happened."

"So, you could see before?" Furina asked, wanting to confirm her suspicion. The male nodded and she continued. "That's terrible. What happened to the Director in the end?"

"Well, my sister killed her and became the new Director of the House. She loves those kids so much. She would do anything to protect them. However, we don't know what happened to her subordinates. So I do secret investigations to find her and anyone conspiring with her so that she will never bother my family again."

"I'll do anything I can to help." Furina said. "I promise."

"Thank you." Quincy breathed, finally relaxing. "Are you going to tell Neuvillette?"

"No. I think Sedene already knows, but Melusines are more advanced than humans. I'm not sure if our dear Chief Justice knows already since he's very observant. But I won't say a word about this." 

"Hmm. Do you happen to know where my mask went?" Quincy wondered. "I won't cover my face around you, but I don't want to scare others." Furina thought for a moment, trying to think back to the fight. It had broke and fallen, but she lost sight of the mask after that. Quincy's concern was understandable after all, he must've frightened one of the House children with his face.

"I don't unfortunately. But don't despair my dear Quincy! I shall make you one!" Furina declared.

"Seriously?"

"Indeed. Rejoice, dear Quincy! I shall craft you a mask worthy of someone who serves their "Archon" and in addition, I will find a spot for your Electro Vision."

"Then, I await the results of your hard work." Quincy agreed. He took the Vision out of his pocket and handed it to her. It was a shining purple color like amethyst, and gave off a mildly bright glow. The casing was not a bronze color like other Fontainian visions, but silver like Snezhnayan ones. A sign of split loyalties. 

"May I borrow this?" Furina asked, referring to the Vision in the palm of her hand. Quincy nodded again and Furina got to work. 

Quincy appeared cold and calculating at times, but also with a hint of warmth. He purposely distances himself from others to be more practical and efficient. His ferocity in combat reminded Furina of a dragon. Clever, proud, and strong. When she was done crafting the mask, she attached the Vision to its side, so it could be seen by all. 

"Here you are." She handed the mask to him and his fingers carefully traced over the design. He smiled faintly before putting it on. "It's a dragon mask. The slots for your eyes are covered by red x-shapes while the mask itself is dark blue with purple sprinkled into it. Your Vision is on the right side. Don't worry, the mask is sturdier than your old one."

"Thank you, Furina." Quincy told her. "I really appreciate it." As he finished speaking, the door to Furina's office opened. Sedene. The Melusine looked at the two of them a little before speaking.

"Lady Furina, Monsieur Snezhevich, Monsieur Neuvillette would like to speak with you in his office." She explained, leaving as quickly as she came. 

"Ah, geez." Quincy sighed in annoyance. "We never get a break, do we? Might as well appease the Iudex." 

He held out a hand for Furina, patiently waiting for her. 

Furina did not hesitate. Without a thought, she took his hand in hers.