shipwrecked || furina & neuvillette

🫧 8 🫧

Furina can feel the eyes burning into her as they enter Liyue. There are two dogs that greet them on the wooden bridge as they arrive, and she can't help but kneel down and give them cuddles and kisses.
Neuvillette does not urge her forward, does not tell her that she is silly for wanting to pat them. Instead, he stands there, watching.
"Come and give them a cuddle," Furina looks over her shoulder with a smile.
Neuvillette shakes his head. "I'll leave it to you, Miss Furina."
"Come on, look how adorable they are!" Furina encourages him. "I always thought about getting a pet when I was acting as the Archon."
"Why didn't you?"
"It was just another thing that I would lose," Furina stands up joining Neuvillette and continuing across the bridge. She clears her throat, shaking her head. "Liyue certainly is beautiful."
Neuvillette smiles, looking over at her.
"I have not been to Liyue in many years," he admits as they continue walking onwards, finding their way to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. "We cannot give too much away, with our stay here." Neuvillette glances over his shoulder as she listens. "Whether the news of your attempted assassination has made its way here or not, it must be evident that this funeral has no ties to that."
"You are worrying far too much," Furina laughs.
"Miss Furina!" A whispy voice calls in front of her. Hu Tao skips towards her, and Furina can't help but smile in return. "What brings you to Liyue?" She can feel herself slipping into the act of a confident, extroverted woman again.
"You, actually." Furina tells her, Hu Tao's face gleaming with shock for a moment. "Word of your impeccable funerary services have reached us in Fontaine."
Hu Tao grins. "I'm at your service."
"Thank you," Neuvillette speaks. "Miss Furina and I have been meaning to travel to Liyue for some time now."
"Unfortunately there's just been so much to organise in Fontaine recently. Have you heard of the show I directed?" Furina asks, knowing that she must come across as carefree and confident as possible. She acted like this for five hundred years - it comes naturally to her now.
"I have heard many things about the shows that you are involved in," Hu Tao nods. "Would the two of you like to walk with me to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor? I have tea - only the best kind of tea for my clients," she giggles.
"That would be lovely," Furina nods. "Unless, of course, you are incredibly busy right now."
Hu Tao waves her hands in response, shaking her head. "I am never too busy for new clients! Particularly ones like you two!" She laughs, guiding them to the funeral parlor. "There are always people dying, so I am never without the excitement of meeting a new client," she sighs with a smile. "I half expected to be working with you in other ways, Miss Furina." Hu Tao giggles, and Furina feels Neuvillette tense beside her. "With the tragic nature of the prophecy, Fontaine has kept me in business the past few weeks and months."

Furina's act falters. The mention of the prophecy catches her off guard - it is, and always has been, the one thing that can get that mask to fall. It's the one thing that can make her masquerade crack.
"Yes," Neuvillette's hand moves to rest on her back, a comforting gesture. The gesture could be taken as a guiding one - but it calms her down. "It was quite a tragedy. We are just lucky that it wasn't any worse." His voice is calm, he is gentle. But Furina can't help but get stuck in her thoughts. She wishes that she could turn back time, perhaps she could have done something... anything to stop it completely. She knows that the people of Poisson still don't trust her. She knows that most of the people in Fontaine still think that she flitted about her quarters eating cake and doing anything other than facing the prophecy.
"How can I help you?" Hu Tao asks.
"Is the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor good enough to hold a funeral for a god?" Furina asks as Hu Tao pours them both a cup of tea.
"A god?" Hu Tao giggles. "Why of course! It would be such an honour."
"Focalors deserves the best funeral we could possibly provide," Furina nods, taking a sip of her tea. The liquid soothes her throat. "I want only the best for her."
"What sort of grand occasion would it be?"
"She always was a fan of the dramatics," Furina tells her. "So it must be an event worthy of a god. I want it to celebrate the arts."
"The arts?" Hu Tao exclaims. "This is going to be great!"
Furina tries not to be put off by her excitement.