Droplets that fell (for you) [Wriolette]

Tears shed for another, unfortunate soul

"I don't think the culprit can be distinguished just by a glance," Neuvillette responded as calmly as ever, though the inside of him was a mess. "It was a delightful dance either way. You're very skilled, Wriothesley," Neuvillette complimented, which was not was Wriothesley was expecting at all.

"Likewise," Wriothesley gave a smile and continued, "Never knew the Chief Justice had a thing for dancing." He felt like something had switched and could not be switched back for better or worse. It was eating him alive and tearing his organs open. As the Iudex looked away from him and gazed at the crowd Wriothesley couldn't help but curse to himself. He glanced at his poised figure sitting ever so elegantly. The texture of those white strands was carved into his mind, the look of his shining eyes, the feel of his hands, of his waist...

 'I don't want you to... I don't want you to...' I don't want you to what? Would he ever get an answer? He had the answer already but was in complete denial. His lashes cast his gaze down to his hands, quite sad. Wriothesley wasn't scared of anything except one thing...

I don't want you to be the person I so adore.

"Wriothesley? Everything alright?" Neuvillette asked as he looked back at the officer. Wriothesley nodded while not meeting his eyes and kept cursing inside his head. He needed an out, some kind of distraction. Where the fuck did Clorinde go?

Wriothesley abruptly stood up and pointed towards the toilet, "I'll go to the bathroom. You should probably check on Vautrin before the appointment." His tone betrayed him as he tried hiding his awkwardness but Neuvillette didn't question his odd behavior. He just smiled and nodded. After that, Wriothesley was walking faster than ever and quickly closed the door behind him as he entered the men's bathrooms.

The stalls were empty but someone stood in front of the sinks and mirror. It was Vautrin who was trying to make his dishevelled hair look better. Wriothesley didn't actually plan on entering any of the stalls so he struck up a conversation, "Vautrin! Nice seeing you here. Are you nervous?" Wriothesley entered the view of the mirror and Vautrin glanced at him through it.

"Yes, of course I am. There's so many people out there but despite that, I'm still happy to be granted a position next to Carole," Vautrin said and smiled to himself a bit. Wriothesley found the two quite endearing. He had never had siblings so he didn't know what it was like but Vautrin and Carole definitely shared a strong bond like siblings. 

A silence fell upon them and somehow the air seemed to shift. Vautrin's smile faded and he focused on his hair again. After a while, he asked, "I saw you dancing. Was it just for fun or do you seek favors from the Iudex?" 

So that was it... Wriothesley knew something was off with Vautrin's behaviour towards him after that one meeting he had at Palais Mermonia. He was still curious why this was and why was Vautrin so bothered despite them being on good terms before. "We tried to look for the culprit among the crowd. We couldn't possibly just walk around being in the way of others dancing, could we?" He chuckled. Vautrin stayed silent so Wriothesley continued, "Did I do something that provoked you? Even Navia has turned her back on me."

Vautrin sighed and turned around to face Wriothesley, "What did you do to Neuvillette?" The question was odd and it made Wriothesley look like a lost puppy. The sight irritated Vautrin further, "Whenever I enter his office for meetings he keeps muttering something nowadays. He even acts like he's constantly hiding something. It's hard to see that but I've known him long enough to know." Vautrin seemed a bit exhausted, which was probably due to stress and anxiety but somehow it all showed stronger now.

"Vautrin. I just want to clarify that I would never do anything to Neuvillette that would cross boundaries or hurt him. He has put so much trust in me that it makes me overwhelmed to keep it all inside, which he said not to tell anyone, including you, Vautrin. I know you know something was up since that one meeting and yes, Neuvillette made me participate in a secret investigation. I'm willing to trust you as much as to tell that to you but nothing more. Any more will hurt him..." Wriothesley said getting a bit pissed off himself. Why were all these people suddenly so blind around him? He felt his anger well up in a sudden burst and it would take some time to cool off. He didn't want to do anything rash just because it happened to be a 'bad mood day'.