𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄, neuvillette.

Prelude: What is Love?

The three times Neuvillette asked what love is, and the times that he lost its meaning, too.

—

"Lady Furina, may I ask you a question?" Neuvillette started, one cloudy day in a once distant past of Fontaine as both the God of Justice and the Chief Justice sat inside one of the receiving rooms in Opera Epiclese, relaxing after a long day full of trials.

Furina softly blew the steam from her tea, testing its taste before humming in satisfaction. "Hm? Well, since I'm feeling generous today, out with it, then, my dear Iudex." 

"Very well," he paused, thinking how he could properly arrange his words that are both coherent and not outwardly foolish. "...Could you tell me what love is?"

The magnanimous Hydro Archon then, respectable God of Justice, and the proud pioneer of performing arts, almost choked on the tea she's slowly sipping a moment prior to his question. She immediately set her cup down and dabbed her mouth with a napkin, acting as if nothing had happened.

Furina gave him a look that he can describe as 'flabbergasted' before she burst out laughing in hysterics. "Oh my me, is our dear Iudex, the most impartial and impeccable judge of Fontaine, curious about love, of all things?" She teased, picking up her fork with such finesse befitting her status and taking a bite of her favourite cake.

"Yes, I am indeed quite curious about the kind of emotion that could obsessively drive a human to either a brink of insanity or the edge of salvation." Neuvillette replied in a matter-of-fact tone, crossing his legs over the other as he looked expectantly at the god before him, patiently awaiting her explanation. "Which is why I seek your...guidance, seeing you're more adept in human emotions than I."

He noticed how she seemed to start sweating, but Furina coughed to clear her voice. "A-Ahem. Let's say, if I were to give an example, did you remember that opera we watched last week?"

"Are you perchance referring to the opera of Roméo et Juliette? " 

"Although I myself am no fan of tragedies, that, my dear Chief Justice, is a form of love, too." Furina huffed haughtily as she continued on with her desserts, a little awkwardly this time. "Especially when...ahem, Juliette kissed Roméo on the mouth. That."

"If I may digress," Neuvillette found himself frowning in contemplation as he stared at the silver chalice containing spring water from Apam Woods in Sumeru. "...was that not merely a form of suspension bridge effect? Or perhaps Roméo's perspective of having recently broken off with his former lover? I do find it quite debatable how easily he would...fall in love with Juliette in his moments of vulnerability."

"Ever heard of love at first sight?" Furina rolled her eyes, seemingly giving up on him. "Never you mind. Why are you even asking this in the first place?"

Neuvillette hesitated. Would she even believe him when he says that he was highly curious about this rather...strong emotions that could provoke humans into doing the unspeakables when time calls for it? 

It has been nearly a year since he had taken the mantle of being Fontaine's new—and frankly, the only one so far—Chief Justice. While he was still adjusting to his new life, new role and duties, Neuvillette found himself a little curious, if not wary, by the deluge of emotions in the Court. 

He does not concern himself with human lives and their feeble thoughts, at first, and one could even say he's extremely aloof and indifferent with the people he is supposed to be serving. Neuvillette did, however, get remarkably overwhelmed by the sheer torrent of emotions he felt from the waters the moment he stepped foot in Fontaine, even more so once he started presiding over trials in the past months.