Ren
After a hectic first week in Fontaine, Ren finally had some time to chill out.
With the Rogue Duelist raid taken care of, Furina had given him a few days off to heal up after the whole debacle. So he took the time off to enjoy his vacation.
The café terrace at his hotel was nearly empty this early. It was just him, a plate of eggs and pastries, and a stack of newspapers he took from the lobby.
'Let's see what we have here…' He thought, picking out the first newspaper and seeing Furina's intimidating face plastered on the front page.
[THE HYDRO ARCHON'S WRATH!]
It was a photo from the shoreline, where Furina was gripping the rogue's chin and keeping the woman on her knees with water tendrils.
'It really did make the front page.'
He skimmed through the article that covered the raid and Furina's threat word for word. The tone in the article immediately went a lot more polite when it started discussing what she said.
Looks like Furina's outburst really did shake people up.
The people of Fontaine had seen its Archon sing, cheer, and throw tantrums.
But never had they seen her angry.
It was quite the wake-up call for some who started to doubt the Hydro Archon's actual powers.
'Speaking of doubt.' What the rogue said about Furina's powers only got a single line in the whole thing. The article called it baseless slander from a desperate criminal.
'Told you no one would believe her.' Well, he might have played a little part in it, but the result was the same.
The paper sold out fast as heck. And the domino effect ensued.
Crime immediately disappeared almost entirely the coming day, with some wanted criminals actually turning themselves in out of fear.
But fear wasn't the only emotion present.
When Furina visited her favourite dessert shop, the whole place went silent for a second before looks of awe plastered themselves on the faces of everyone there.
That reaction showed that Furina's show of "power" only frightened who it needed to, and only bolstered her reputation as the Hydro Archon amongst the normal civilian population.
She even ranted to him about the sudden increase in people who wanted to pray to her personally.
Ren had tried his best to hold his laugh back then, but it didn't stop Furina from stomping on his foot.
He couldn't believe he had been grovelling on his knees to her just a few days ago. He really had warmed up to the Archon.
He set the paper aside and grabbed the newest one.
[ROGUE DUELISTS DISMANTLED! TRAITOR IN THE GARDES ARRESTED!]
This one he knew all about, since he had actually helped Furina finish the entire mess… Well, it was more of him acting as moral support because he could not keep up with her pace.
The article said the Rogue Duelists were pretty much dismantled, along with a Garde being arrested for giving them patrol schedules.
At the bottom, it gave credit to Furina, obviously, the Champion Duelists, and the Spina.
'Navia's gotta be happy about that one.'
He was about to turn the page when his senses finally registered something odd.
Two decently strong Vision wielders. Pyro and Anemo, and both had been watching him for around the past ten minutes.
'Welp, there goes my peaceful morning.' He really hoped these people weren't any vengeful duelists.
While he liked a good fight, there was a time and place for everything, and this wasn't it.
Right on cue, two sets of footsteps came closer.
Ren took a sip of his tea. "If you're gonna keep staring, you might as well sit down."
"And here I was, about to make a grand entrance."
A young man in a top hat dropped into the seat across from him. A girl with cat ears and a completely flat expression took the one beside it.
'Cat ears?' The sight caught Ren off guard for a moment. 'I really shouldn't be surprised after seeing Melusines.'
"Apologies for disturbing you, Mister Ren. I am Lyney, the Great Magician." He tipped his hat. "And this is my lovely assistant slash sister, Lynette."
Ren just stared at him for a bit. "It's… nice to meet you two?"
…
"Looks like he doesn't know you," Lynette said flatly.
Lyney's smile twitched. "So it seems."
Credit where it's due, he recovered quickly and pointed at Ren's cup. "May I?"
Before Ren could answer, Lyney lifted the teacup from its saucer and pulled out a card from underneath.
"Whoa." Ren was pleasantly surprised. With his senses, he would have noticed anything if Lyney had used his Vision for the trick. But nope, it was a classic sleight of hand.
He picked up the card and flipped it over.
[To Ren Roman. You are cordially invited to the House of the Hearth.]
'Excuse me?'
The siblings must have noticed his look, because Lyney let out a small chuckle.
"Father would like to speak with you and has invited you to some tea back home," Lyney said, with Lynette nodding in confirmation.
Ren immediately put two and two together.
These siblings were part of the House of the Hearth, meaning the Fatui, and they had just handed him an invitation from freaking Arlecchino.
The woman who had beaten him up so badly he could still feel the phantom pain in his ribs.
Ren leaned back in his chair. "Arlecchino wants to see me? Why?"
"Nothing sinister, I promise." Lyney placed a hand over his heart. "She simply wishes to welcome you to Fontaine."
'A Fatui Harbinger wants to welcome me to Fontaine. Sure.'
"We would have come sooner—"
Lynette cut him off. "—But you've been running all over the place, and it was impossible to get a hold of you. We were even there when you and Lady Furina disappeared from that dessert shop."
Ren cringed at the memory. "Just so you know, that was all her."
"So we gathered." Lyney chuckled. "After that, we waited here every morning. You never stayed long enough to finish a cup of tea."
Lynette helped herself to one of his pastries. Acting exactly like a cat, stealing your food. "The receptionist said you only come back at night with a woman in a trench coat."
Ren choked on his tea.
"That was ONE time!"
"So there was a woman."
"It's not like that!"
Lynette just stared at him blankly and took another bite while Lyney hid his mouth behind his hand.
A part of Ren wanted to explain that it was actually Furina in disguise, but given that this was Fontaine, it would probably make things worse.
Imagine if people started thinking he was in a relationship with the Hydro Archon.
'Though given people's recent reactions to her getting angry, they'd probably think I was being forced…'
Ren shook the thoughts away and set his cup down, focusing back on the present matter.
He and Arlecchino had parted on decent terms. Even though he had attacked her, he hadn't so much as grazed the Harbinger.
And she still owed him that favour.
The problem was his arsenal. He'd prefer to have Orochi and Nue on his side if things went south. Or else he'd be fighting a Harbinger with one hand and a leg.
'Then again…'
He'd had his full kit last time, and she still dogwalked him without even trying.
'So really, what's the difference?'
"Fine. But I'm finishing my breakfast first."
Lyney beamed. "Take all the time you need."
Lynette took another pastry.
"Hey!"
/ — /
The House of the Hearth wasn't what Ren expected from the Fatui. From what Lyney explained, this was the main place where Arlecchino often was, not just another branch.
"The Bouffes d'été? Isn't this place a hotel?" He said, looking up at the fancy building. It was definitely not the kind of building he expected to be an orphanage.
He expanded his senses through the building and sensed dozens of energy signatures, most of them super tiny.
'Those must be kids.'
Lyney and Lynette stopped at the front steps and turned to him with a bow. "Welcome to the House of the Hearth," Lyney said.
"Please enjoy your stay," Lynette said after, though with a surprising amount of excitement in her voice.
They pushed the door open, and Ren walked in to see a group of children in the hallway, holding up a long paper banner.
[WELCOME TO FONTAINE, REN ROMAN!]
Someone had drawn Nue in the corner. At least, it sort of looked like it.
'Huh?'
The boy at the front went bright red. "…H-Hi."
"IT'S REALLY HIM!"
The hallway exploded into screaming.
Ren jolted from the sudden noise and turned to Lyney, who just hopelessly shrugged, while Lynette ended up joining the kids in excitement?!
'What the fuck did I just walk into?'
/ — /
Arlecchino
Arlecchino watched Ren get swarmed by children from the top of the stairs.
It took her children all of five seconds to surround him. A pair of younger ones latched onto his legs, and a little girl tugged at his sleeve, pointing at the banner.
"Look! I drew that bird!"
"Can we see him? Please?"
"Is it true you killed a hundred bad guys?!" The children around him cheered at that last comment.
Ren looked completely lost. Most likely because this wasn't what he was expecting from the invitation, and also because of children talking so casually about murder.
He recovered quickly and deflected. "S-Sorry guys, Nue is sleeping right now."
Groans of disappointment echoed through the hallway.
Of course, he didn't answer the other question, not that he needed to.
The stories that had come back from Ren's involvement had spread like wildfire through the House until even the youngest could recite them.
The man who tore down a trafficking network that spanned three nations in a single day, along with the gentleness he showed to the victims he freed.
But the part they loved most was the body count.
A kill count in the hundreds racked up without breaking a sweat. The number kept increasing slightly every time the story was retold.
That was probably normal for children, right? At least it was for Arlecchino.
"You're a hero!" a boy shouted.
Ren's smile went stiff.
She had noticed the same look before, when her agents came to thank him. He hadn't known what to do with their gratitude then, either.
At the front of the crowd was Freminet, holding a small flag with Ren's face on it. Lynette was off to the side, the usually expressionless girl now smiling much more than normal.
It was a pleasant sight, but it was time for her to end this. The children had had their fun.
And Ren looked like he was about to faint.
"Children."
Even in a calm tone, her voice was heard through the hallway. Every child straightened, and the two on Ren's legs let go and shuffled back into a line with the rest.
Ren looked up and found her on the stairs.
Just like back then, Arlecchino could see how his eyes tried to break down every inch of her power. Almost as if to say that even if they were meeting on good terms, he was always ready for battle.
That got the smallest smile out of her.
"Welcome to Fontaine, Mr. Roman."
/ — /
"This is uhh, a pretty nice office you got here," Ren said, sitting across the table from her, munching on a macaron despite being slightly tense.
It seemed even his paranoia couldn't resist the temptation of desserts. Even the tea she had set out just a minute earlier had been gulped down in an instant.
"I'm glad that you enjoy my tea," Arlecchino said, pointing at the teapot. "Please, have as much as you'd like."
He hesitated, but eventually thanked her and poured himself another cup full of tea.
"Sorry, but this is the best tea I've ever had." He said, taking a few sips before setting it down. "Alright, sorry for being straightforward, but why did you invite me here?"
"Oh? Can I not invite the individual who saved my children twice to a cup of tea?"
He raised a brow. "As nice as that would sound, I know better than to expect that…"
She gave him a look.
"It's been a rough week…" He sighed. "Anyway, is this about the favour you owe me?"
"No. Your favour still stands." She said, putting down her cup of tea. "I meant what Lyney told you. I merely wanted to welcome you to Fontaine, and to properly give you my thanks for what you've done for my children."
He still didn't look convinced.
'As expected.' Arlecchino kept her gaze passive, not betraying anything that was in her mind.
Her intentions weren't a lie, but they weren't exactly the truth either. She had wanted to greet him earlier, but his sudden role as the Hydro Archon's assistant opened up new doors.
Not only could she try to improve their connection, but she could also pry into him about Furina herself.
It was unlikely that he knew anything about the Gnosis, but that wasn't what she was after at this moment.
No, she wanted to know if her doubts held any water.
If Furina de Fontaine really was the Hydro Archon.
In all the time she had spent in Fontaine, not once had she seen Furina use her godly abilities. Nor did she exude a presence akin to that of the other Archons of Teyvat.
But then Charlotte's photograph made the front page. Showing Lady Furina, furious, using Hydro to hold a criminal on her knees.
The image gave her quite the whiplash, and she had begun to think that her doubts held no weight.
She had thought she might have to rethink her plans about attacking Furina outright; surely the sudden show of power must have happened for a reason. Attacking an Archon while they were agitated didn't seem like the smart move.
However, once she read the part about the rogue duelist's words, her instincts told her something was not right.
Desperate people said many things, and some of them could very well be true.
She needed to confirm whether or not Furina truly possessed the power of a god. If she did, then the Hydro Gnosis would definitely be with her. If she didn't, then someone else was holding the Gnosis.
Either way, the answer started with the man in front of her. A foreigner who became Furina's assistant almost the moment he set foot in Fontaine.
"Congratulations, by the way," she said. "Assistant to the Hydro Archon."
Ren didn't look too thrilled at the title, a little embarrassed even. "If you're gonna ask how I did it, I have no idea."
"I thought as much. Lady Furina is well known for being… spontaneous." She tilted her head. "Lynette says you told a crowd of reporters you were honoured by the opportunity."
"I did say that. Why—"
"She also says she has never heard such blatant lying."
Ren's eye twitched. "…Your kids are snitches."
"They are good at their job. Nevertheless, I shall get to the point." She put her arms on her lap and stared directly at him. "Mr. Roman, you have been the Hydro Archon's assistant for about a week. Tell me, how strong is she?"
"Strong enough to make the criminals in Fontaine turn themselves in without lifting a finger." He answered.
But she saw it. That little hesitation in his body language. He knew something.
"I read the papers too, Mr. Roman." She picked her cup back up and watched him over the rim. "However, even with such… evidence. Some people wonder whether Furina was ever the Hydro Archon at all."
"Really? I can understand that she seems more flighty than you'd expect from a god, but I think there's no doubt she's the Hydro Archon."
Now that was interesting.
He said that without a hint of doubt in his voice, as if he knew for certain there was no other truth.
"Honestly, when I first met her, I thought she was a rogue duelist out for revenge." He cringed at the memory. "But then she had me down on my knees, begging for forgiveness just from her sheer presence alone. She is a terrifying person when she wants to be."
That was… alarming.
"…Lady Furina actually did that?"
"Wasn't my finest moment."
If his words were to be believed, then that meant that Furina showed her powers to Ren for… thinking she was a rogue duelist?
There had been plenty of incidents in the past that warranted a much stronger reaction from the Hydro Archon, but she did not act.
So what made Ren Roman special?
Why show her power to him at all?
'What pushed Lady Furina so far as to show her authority to him?' Arlecchino thought of many possibilities, until a plausible one popped into her head. 'Unless she wanted him to fear her. So he wouldn't object to being made her assistant. She is deliberately keeping him close to her side.'
She eyed Ren again, unsure of her own thoughts. 'How troublesome.'
"Tell me, Mr. Roman. Has Lady Furina told you about the prophecy?"
"The what?"
So Furina hadn't told him.
"It is said that every person born in Fontaine carries sin," Arlecchino said. "No matter how many trials the Nation of Justice holds, that sin cannot be absolved. One day, the waters will rise, and the people will drown. In the end, only the Hydro Archon will remain, weeping alone on her throne—"
Ren gave her a disturbed look, clearly not prepared for such a morbid prophecy.
"—Only then will Fontaine's sins be washed away."
…
"…And is this prophecy real?"
"I understand your doubts. But trust me when I say that Fontaine's prophecy is the truth, and will one day come to fruition."
He didn't seem to know how to react to that. "And what's Furina doing about it?"
"That is the question." Arlecchino leaned back. "She has been the Archon of Fontaine for five hundred years. In that time, she has watched many trials and attended many plays. But not once have my agents found any evidence that she is even looking into the prophecy. Much less trying to stop it."
Ren was silent for a while, staring down at his tea with a difficult look.
Then he looked up and met her eyes.
"I might not know what she's doing to stop Fontaine's prophecy. But I know for sure that she is trying everything she can to protect this nation."
"You seem very sure."
"I am. And if your agents can't find anything, then she's just that good at hiding." He shrugged.
Arlecchino gave a small smile at that. "I suppose you have a point."
While she was still sure that there was something going on with Furina, she decided to believe that Furina was the Hydro Archon. For now at least, all evidence pointed towards that fact.
"I apologise for the sudden interrogation. I was merely curious about your perspective."
"Not sure how my perspective would help, but you're welcome, I guess."
"Indeed." Arlecchino stood up from her chair. "I know I've kept you long enough, but could you stay a little longer? The children have wanted to meet you for some time."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Ren chuckled nervously. "I'll gladly stay for a bit, but you've got to explain how the heck this even happened."
"That's… a long story."
/ — /
Ren
The sky had gone slightly yellow by the time things finally wrapped up.
Arlecchino wasn't exaggerating. It really was a long story.
After that, he had to deal with dozens of kids smothering him and asking him questions. Eventually, they even got him to summon Divine Dogs, but he made them promise to keep it a secret because he did not want to go through another headache having to register his shikigami as pets or something.
By the time things finished, both Yoda and Vader had been ridden like horses, hugged, and had their fur painted every colour the kids could find.
At least they looked pretty happy at the attention.
Now was the hard part. Actually leaving.
"You're leaving already?!"
"Stay for dinner!"
"Can you come back tomorrow?"
The kids had followed him all the way to the door, and two of them latched onto his legs again for good measure.
Ren crouched down to their level. "I'll come back. Promise."
Another kid shuffled forward and pulled up a large piece of paper with dozens of handprints on it. She also brought out a small plate filled with red paint.
She didn't say anything, still being shy, but it was clear what she wanted him to do.
Ren just smiled and dipped his hand lightly in the paint before putting his own handprint on the paper.
"Alright, that's enough, everyone. Mr. Roman is a busy man." Arlecchino's voice echoed through the hall, and the kids stepped back. "Thank you for indulging them. I'm sure they've taken up most of your day."
"Nah, it's fine. I'm glad I could make their day. They're good kids."
"They are." Arlecchino glanced at the children. "Do visit again. They will hold you to that promise."
Ren looked at some of the kids who still looked bummed out that he was leaving. "Yeah. I got the message."
"And do give Lady Furina my regards."
"…Will do."
Then he finally left, walking out into Fontaine's quiet streets.
He let out a long breath.
'Welcome to Fontaine, my ass.'
Half of that tea had been an interrogation. How strong Furina was, whether she was even the Hydro Archon, what she was doing about some prophecy.
Arlecchino had been polite the whole time. But the Fatui didn't ask questions about an Archon for no reason.
And that prophecy…
She didn't seem like she was lying… So was Fontaine really about to get flooded? How would that even work? This entire nation was literally on a piece of land as tall as a mountain.
Oh well, not like there was much he could do now. He didn't even know where to begin.
All he knew for certain was that Furina must be trying to prevent it. If she ever asked for his help, he'd be there.
Ren shoved his hands into his pockets and found something that hadn't been there before.
A card.
[Come back soon! From the House of the Hearth.]
'When the hell did Lyney do that?'
That guy was really something. Ren had a feeling he would be seeing a lot of him and his sister in the future.
Just as Ren was about to walk back to his hotel, he finally remembered something.
'Shit. The training.'
The Champion Duelist training was in about a week, and he still didn't have a partner. Between the whole rogue stuff and everything with Furina, it had completely slipped his mind.
Looked like he'd need to pay a certain journalist a visit.
"I'm pretty sure the Steambird should still be open…"
/ — /
Before Ren could even say anything to the Steambird receptionist, the woman looked up at him and let out a yelp. "M-Mr. Roman?! The Hydro Archon's assistant?!"
Her words turned a couple of heads in the lobby.
'Bruh. Not this again.'
"I'm here to see Charlotte. She said she'd leave my name at the desk?"
"She did! Please give me a moment; I'll inform her of your arrival." The receptionist then bolted to the back before he could say anything else.
…
"You're finally here!"
Charlotte burst out of the back office with her monocle hanging off her face, pointing straight at him.
"Do you have any idea how hard you are to find?!"
Ren couldn't help but chuckle. "Sorry, things have been pretty hectic, as you already know."
She huffed, "I chased Lady Furina all the way to Poisson, and you still got away! You became the Hydro Archon's assistant out of nowhere, Mr. Roman! Do you know how many journalists want to talk to you right now?!"
"A lot?"
"A LOT!"
She took a deep breath, then smiled sheepishly as she pulled a notepad from her Vision storage.
"But now that you're here… Any chance you could give me an exclusive interview?"
"No."
"Just a few words?"
"You already got the photo of the year, Miss Charlotte."
That made her beam. "It was, wasn't it?"
Ren pinched the bridge of his nose. "The list, Charlotte."
"Right! The list!" She flipped through her notepad before seemingly remembering something, and giving him another sheepish look. "About that…"
'You've got to be kidding. Again?'
"It's not like last time! I really did have a list of five very capable people!" She held up a finger before he could say anything. "But when one of my contacts found out who it was for, she insisted on taking the spot herself."
"And trust me, she's better than all five of them combined. She's a retired Champion Duelist!" She said, very certain of her words.
But the words Retired Champion Duelist caught Ren's attention.
'…Wait a fucking second… There's no way.'
As if on cue, his senses picked up an energy signature approaching the Steambird. It carried a strong trace of Hydro, and it belonged to someone he knew very well.
The door opened, and none other than freaking Solenne Roussel walked in, immediately setting her eyes on him.
"Took you long enough, brat."
Ren stared blankly at her before turning to Charlotte.
"Why is there a washed-up duelist here?"
A vein appeared on Solenne's forehead.
Charlotte didn't seem to notice the tension. "Mr. Roman, meet your new training partner!"
…
"…Is it too late to switch to the beginner tier?"