Tidal | Neuvillette

IX

- shameful walk home -

Y/n walked through the quiet streets, clutching the mysterious box tightly in her hands. Suspicion lingered in her eyes as the dim glow of streetlights cast long shadows around her. Every step felt deliberate, and she couldn't shake the unease that accompanied the unexpected gift. The air seemed charged with uncertainty, and her senses were on high alert as she navigated the quiet path home, the box's secrets weighing on her mind like a puzzle waiting to be unraveled.

"Why.. why are you back?" She mumbled to herself, feeling a pain in her stomach as she realised this was a domino effect into a fate of uncertain future.

Her footsteps quickened, her curiosity battling with caution. The box felt strangely heavy, and a sense of foreboding lingered in the air. As she passed beneath flickering streetlights, shadows danced ominously, casting fleeting doubts on the intentions behind the unexpected gift.

With each step, her skepticism grew, the rhythmic tap-tap of her shoes now echoing a suspenseful beat. Her imagination ran wild with possibilities, and the quiet neighborhood seemed to hold secrets, amplifying the mystery of the box. Her senses were on high alert, attuned to any subtle clues or sounds that might hint at the nature of this enigmatic package. The journey home had transformed into a suspenseful odyssey, the answers locked within the mysterious box urging her to unravel its secrets.

She was alone. Isolated in a state of something only one could call confusion.

"Don't open the box..."

Don't do it.

Who are you..?

"This is a lie. It's another one of his games."

Who's talking to me—?

"Don't let what happened to us happen to you."

My mind is playing tricks on me.

...

I'm sorry, mom.

She snapped out of it as fast as she could, realising she's still walking home and didn't have time for lucid dreams and momentarily distractions.

The chief of justice wondered the streets of Fontaine, cussing to himself silently. That couldn't be true? No way. Maybe, nothing makes sense to him now.

He didn't want to believe she was working with the fatui...

She didn't want to believe that all this was happening now..

She turned a corner, looking down at the box with an ominous shadow of curiosity lurking over her with every step she took.

He turned a corner, looking down at the pathway with a sense of unjustified disappointment creeping up on his every thought.

Eyes locked.

Recognition flickered in both their eyes as a complicated mix of emotions surfaced.

The atmosphere shifted, tinged with an awkward tension. The chief of justice had been warming up to her, sure , but the discovery of the villainous connection shattered the fragile trust that had been building. Suspicion clouded the chief's gaze, replacing the warmth that had started to grow.

Words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken questions. Y/n grappled with the conflicting emotions of nostalgia and betrayal, while the chief of justice confronted the stark reality that trust could be fragile, easily broken by the revelation of a hidden past. The once-promising acquaintance story now stood at a crossroads, uncertainty coloring the path.

"Ah.. Monsieur Neuvillett—"

Interruption.

"I don't want to see you."

Her eyes widened in surprise, her guard momentarily dropping at the unexpected directive. Confusion and hurt flickered across her face as she processed the abrupt dismissal from someone she had hoped to trust. The weight of the mysterious box in her hands seemed to grow heavier as the chief of justice's words hung in the air.

He looked furious for some reason...

A mixture of emotions played on her features – disappointment, betrayal, and a touch of defiance. She bit her lip, suppressing the flood of questions and emotions that threatened to spill out.

"I'm.. sorry.. wh-what?"

"You heard me."

"But—"

"I don't want to see you right now."

Her expression shifted from surprise to a deeper sense of hurt upon hearing the chief of justice's words. She swallowed hard, attempting to conceal the disappointment and confusion that welled up within her.

"I'm sorry—"

"How couldn't you tell me you're good friends with Tartaglia? Were you going to keep this from me forever?" He sighed to himself, seeming.. more sad than annoyed.

She froze in her tracks, the weight of the revelation hitting her like a sudden gust of cold wind. Her eyes widened, locked onto the chief of justice with a mix of shock and vulnerability. The mysterious box slipped from her momentarily lax grip, clattering against the pavement.

"Wait—" Her throat tightened, making it difficult to find words as she grappled with the realization at how untrustworthy she seemed to him now. The trust she had dared to rebuild shattered in an instant, leaving her standing there, exposed and wounded by the unexpected bombshell dropped by the chief of justice.

"I—"

"Don't bother"

"Please let me explain—"

"I think I know what's going on."

"No... you don't.."

"I don't like liars, y/n. And I thought you wouldn't either."

"... after everything."

He walked further up the path with a sigh, almost like he had boulders on his shoulders.

"Go home, y/n..."

"...at least get home safe."

...

And just like that.. it began to rain.

womp womp tbh
I'm so sleep bro exams r killin