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whitercraze · 6 months

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Mais maintenant je suis seule

˚⁺‧ 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨: 𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘰 𝘹 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘢! 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 (𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘰 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵)

˚⁺‧ 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦: 𝘧𝘪𝘤 (𝘴𝘧𝘸), 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥

˚⁺‧ 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴: this was an idea I had for awhile before 4.2 dropped. i originally wanted it to be long, but I just couldn't manage the length i wanted, and then the last aq dropped and made half of the story i imagined pointless with the plot twist lol. but I still like this idea a lot, so in the end i decided to write it, albeit it came out a little silly. but since I had to shorten the length and cut off half of the plot that was meant to be here, this might feel rushed and have weird pacing, especially in the second chapter where reader will actually meet with arle, i hope you don't mind ♡ (sorry to the french speakers if there's a mistake in the title)

part one. part two.

"Ughh..."

You groaned as you stretched your tired body. Sitting for several hours straight playing Genshin definitely was nice, but not for your health. You opened your Battle Pass menu to check your weeklies: you've done everything for the most part, except..

"Damn it, I forgot weekly bosses again..." you thought. You were currently saving for the Hydro Archon's release, and most of your favorite characters were already built in a way that satisfied you enough, so you didn't have any point of doing the weekly bosses, since Furina is going to need the next one. Wasn't surprising that you were constantly forgetting about them.

You opened the Teyvat map, only to discover that your resin was spent, save for the few regenerated ones. Spending fragile when the new weekly (and regular) boss was just a few days away wasn't a smart decision, you supposed, so you just decided to leave it for tomorrow.

Tomorrow was also Sunday, so you could make a few runs in the Talent or Weapon materials Domain. With these thoughts you logged out of Genshin, turned off the device you were playing on, and made your bed for the night.

The thought of scrolling your feed was prevented from being performed by the fact that your phone was currently charging. Sighing and realising that there probably weren't much interesting things going on, you finally gave up and lied down.

...

... Only to remember about the Transient resin that you haven't bought from the Tea pot. The feeling of dissatisfaction suddenly appeared, filling your mind. Well, at least you didn't forget to feed your fish: one thing less to worry about, that's something...

You remembered about the upcoming banners, just a couple days away. When the thoughts of pulling Furina, ascending and building her appeared in your mind, you gradually calmed down. She was coming home next week. You just have to wait a few more days.

You were saving for Furina since she was first leaked, and other than her there were only a few more characters you were interested in. Mainly, Arlecchino.

Last year, she caught your eye immediately in that Fatui trailer, and now, after playing the recent archon quests you couldn't help but feel even more attracted to her. These two quickly became your most favorite characters in the game, everyone else looking barely as good compared to them. But it seemed like Arlecchino's banner was still far away, however on the other hand you could save for her some more primos.

Thinking about your favorite characters you calmed down completely, the tiredness from today catching up to you, and you didn't notice how you fell asleep.

***

Knock-knock

The sudden sound woke you up. The bright morning lights hurt your sleepy eyes, so you hid your face back into the stuffed animal you slept with.

"Lady Furina, your breakfast is ready!"

...

"Lady Furina?"

Wait... what the hell did the person behind the door talk about? Is that one of your relatives pranking you, and you just can't recognize their voice because you're sleepy?

You quickly remembered how bright the lights in the room were. You rose from the bed, tossing the sheets away, but when you did so, you almost tripped on your own hair, its length being right between you and the mattress. This wasn't right! Your hair was never that long! You took one of the locks in your fingers and brought it closer to your face to look at it, and, just like you expected, it was unnaturally silver-blue coloured.

What the actual hell!!

The voice behind the door called for you again:

"Lady Furina, are you awake?"

"Y-yes, I am," your shaking voice sounded completely foreign. The fact that it now sounded so different from your own scared you to death.

The door opened, revealing a maid with a food tray. She entered the room, and placed "your" breakfast to you. Her concerned gaze scattered all over you, as if she was trying to understand what was happening with you, but when your eyes met with hers, she quickly averted her gaze and walked away from the bedroom. Your eyes never left her figure, until she had completely disappeared from your view.

You looked down at the tray.

A bunch of sweet desserts, decorated with various little sprinkles and edible glitters, complete with a cup of tea.

...

You didn't know what to think. Did someone drug you while you were asleep? Drugged and kidnapped you, because this whole room wasn't in your house!

But then again, you did hear about some people sometimes having very hyperrealistic dreams. You tried pinching yourself; of course, nothing happened. Not like it ever did in any of your dreams, anyway. You also remembered that some people's dreams could be so realistic, they were unable to tell them apart from the actual reality. They were waking up, living their day, falling asleep, waking up, and all over again, and it was still a dream. A dream inside of a dream was also a possibility you don't want to exclude.

And Furina's banner was just a few days away!!!

Yes, yes! Your brain just got so overstimulated with thinking about her, that now you're having a hyperrealistic dream about being Furina. This explanation of the situation didn't sound half bad, and even excited you a little.

You remembered every street in the Court of Fontaine, probably even most of the parts in the rest of the nation, at least the released parts of it. Strolling down the street, getting a ride on an aquabus, watching a trial from Furina's throne? Yes, please! The possibility of living a day as Furina, albeit in a dream, now got you hyped, you quickly finished your breakfast (it tasted divine!) and got up.

A very fancy night gown, with lots of frills and a few bows here and there, was rid of. In the closet that you supposed was full of clothing, you fetched yourself a resemblance of Furina's outfit. Strangely, you couldn't find exactly the things that she was wearing in the game, but you didn't pay much attention to this detail.

You looked in the mirror at Furina's vanity. You really did look just like her now! The weird jellyfish haircut, heterochromic eyes, a silly ahoge... Well, now the only thing that you needed was to meet all of Fontaine's playable characters, and you're good to return back to the real world, even if you didn't like the idea of it.

Another maid came soon enough, this time to take the tray away.

"Lady Furina?"

You glanced at her.

"Here is your schedule for today," she said. You took the piece of paper from her, scanning it, only to...

... Find out that it's written in fontainian language.

The maid seemed to notice your confusion, so she tried to help you: "Lady Furina," she started sheepishly, "are you feeling unwell?" You looked at her, trying to figure out if there was a way she could help you. She took it as a sign to continue, "You've slept in this morning, and now you are much less lively than usual. Is something wrong, Lady Furina?"

"Yes, you are very observant!" You did your best to imitate Furina, but it still fell flat, lacking proper emotion. "Your Archon is feeling unwell today, but rest assured, it is nothing that I, Focalors, can't endure!"

...

Does Furina even talk like that?

"...But I would appreciate a little help!"

The silence was too loud.

"Would you like me fetching an assistant for you, Lady Furina?"

Thank goodness!!! You didn't have to ask anything too specific yourself!!! Furina's servants were, just like you said, very observant, probably used to Furina's antics.

"Yes, an assistant would suffice! Thank you," you once again imitated what Furina might say, still not sure if you're in character or not.

But in any case, some time after, an assistant came to you, while you were having another cup of tea in another room that you supposed was Furina's study.

"Good morning, Lady Furina!" He politely bowed to you. You bowed your head slightly in return, asking him after:

"And what your name should be?"

"My name is Yves, Lady Furina. I was sent to assist you for today," he said.

"Of course!" You shoved him your schedule, looking expectedly, resting your chin on your hand.

Yves looked back and forth between you and the schedule, but in the end just gave in:

"W-well, you are mostly free for today. You have two trials today, and after that you are expected to attend to the opening of Hotel Debord," he said.

... Well, that's a bummer.

But a question appeared in your head:

"Is Clorinde busy with something today?"

Yves: "Excuse me, Lady Furina, but.." An obvious struggle could easily be seen on his face. "Who's 'Clorinde'?.."

...

"A-haa, w-well, if you don't know, never mind! I'm sure we can work just fine!" You gulped your remaining tea down and got up. You asked Yves where you two would be going right now, he said that the trials were scheduled earlier. So, the two of you headed toward the exit of Palais Mermonia, took the elevator to the station, and took an aquabus to Opera Epiclese. Of course, not without a few quards by your side.

While you were riding towards the Opera, there were many questions inside your head. First of all, when exactly were you? Where was Clorinde? Why didn't people know about the champion duelist? And while you were on this topic, what did "opening of Hotel Debord" mean?

You supposed the Fontaine in your dream wasn't the same Fontaine from the game; it was numerous years prior the game's events. This was the most logical conclusion. It puzzled you, why would you dream about being Furina in the past, instead of present? Well, dreams were weird like that sometimes, and this isn't even the weirdest you had, so you didn't give too much attention to this detail.

The interior of the aquabus was simply exquisite; it was obvious this wasn't just a typical one, but one made specifically for the Hydro archon, inclusive of all the comfort and convenience. Several pasties were placed on the table next to the comfortable couch, although you have already had your fill in the morning.

So instead, you moved around and pulled the curtains away, revealing the sight of Fontaine's landscapes. The clear skies, crystal clear waters and emerald spiky mountains fascinating you. It was truly an enchanting painting, the sight from your window.

You spent most of the ride looking at the various landscapes. You even went out from the cabin to look at everything without any glass limiting your view. But alas, you arrived at the Marcotte station all too quickly for your liking. But on the other hand, wasn't this where Furina was working? So it only made sense that the ride shouldn't take too long. You should try taking a ride from Court of Fontaine to the station near Sumeru, if that's how long you'd like to ride.

The scenery in the little park was really nice to see in person as well, though! You quickly arrived at the Opera Episclese, and oh god, it's was breathtaking. The huge walls of the building, the little Melusines that were walking and running all over the place, busy with their work, and of course the beautiful fountains. The little fountains in front of the building, and the Fountain of Lucine in the center of the square. You've probably never seen anything more beautiful.

You were accompanied by the guards, so the curious people and fans stayed away, letting you peacefully enter the building. But as soon as you were about to get to the second floor, Yves stopped you.

"Lady Furina, why are you going there? I thought this is the way to your personal seat?.." his voice was very careful and pretty quiet, as if he was afraid to accidentally offend you.

"Oh, right," you laughed a little, "it seems I didn't have enough sleep last night!~" You made a little showing off movement, one that you supposed Furina might do in order to bring the conversation from a weird topic, and proceeded to the room Yves asked you about. You asked him to wait for you after the trials were over.

The first trial in itself was!!...

...

Now it wasn't really polite to call it boring, right?..

But you really couldn't help it. Maybe it was your problem that you played Ace Attorney and Danganronpa too much, now every trial you could possibly attend wouldn't bring you any excitement or make you interested. You supposed you had something in common with Furina...

The second trial was after a short intermission, and it was nothing better than the first one. Both cases weren't anything worth of remembering, just typical boring cases of people's problems. Weren't even murder mysteries. Was this the best your brain could generate for you?...

The walk back to the aquabus station was quiet and, you had to admit, quite nice. The trials took most of the day and the sun was nearing the horizon by now; just a few more hours and it was going to be hidden. Although, you were quite curious to see Neuvillette in action! His presence was very powerful and authoritarian, yet very gentle and caring at the same time. He was the most interesting thing you've seen so far. He was definitely very intriguing, and if there's anything you'd attend another trial for, that's Neuvillette for sure! You liked him, but he was never your most favorite, pretty far behind the Hydro Archon and the Knave...

Arlecchino...

It was quite sad that this dream was set before the game's events. Maybe if you could meet with her, you'd actually have a chance?? The thought made you giggle a little silly, and Yves gave you a look even though he tried his best to appear the most polite... You quickly returned back to a calm expression, and soon you arrived back at the Court of Fontaine.

The rest of the evening you couldn't keep yourself focused. Paparazzi surrounded you, as you gave a short pre-prepared speech that you were asked to give, and you of course tried some of the desserts at the Hotel's restaurant. You quickly noticed that they had a cake they promoted as their specialty, and what caught your attention immediately was the fact that.. they only sold 16 slices a day!

The textures blend perfectly together, and the sweet and fruity cream were like nothing you've ever tried back home! This little cake, it was just perfect. Each bite made you want to grin wider as you savoured this little slice of heaven. After you were done with the slice, you asked Yves to pack some additional ones to take back to Palais.

You returned back to your quarters.

Today way... something. Definitely not what you initially expected. You didn't even get to see Charlotte among the paparazzi !! Was Neuvillette really the only playable character, other than yourself as Furina, that you would meet?.. You didn't even get to talk to him, only exchanging a brief greetings with him during the first trial, and then, after the second one, he quickly retired from his judge duties for today, probably burying himself in papers.

You asked a maid to serve you another one of the special cake's slices for today's dinner, and you smiled to yourself: getting in Furina's shoes was easier than you thought it might be! She was really fun to roleplay as, even if you weren't always sure what she would say or do.

You really didn't want to wake up. Going back to the boring real world? After not even meeting with your favorites? It saddened you, but you finished your cake, smiling as you tried to accept your fate. The bed seemed to be made by your servants, the sheets changed and a nightgown prepared.

Well, at least you would depart Teyvat with comfort!~

You hugged as many stuffed animals as was possible, and closed your eyes, your mind drifting off to dreams.

***

A knock on the door woke you up.

You hid your face in the sheets, trying to hide from the disturbance.

"Lady Furina, your breakfast is ready!"

...

Did you hear it correctly?

You got up as quickly as possible, and rushed to.. somewhere, where you spotted a mirror. Silver hair, blue strikes, heterochromia, someone else's face... How was it possible? Was it a dream inside a dream? And how many more cycles of this would you have to endure before you would wake up??

"Come in!" you answered the maid, and she stepped inside your bedroom, with your breakfast on a tray.

...

You thought, this day would be just a dream inside a dream. But when you woke up for the third time in Furina's quarters, you started panicking. What the hell was going on?!

Your brain was playing tricks on you and you didn't like it.

The fourth time made you anxious. Were you in some kind of coma? No, that's definitely not a coma, the dream is too hyperrealistic and portrayed surroundings way too believable for anyone to say it was just a dream. You had physical feelings, needs, and could sense everything; even things that were usually missing in your typical dreams.

When you woke up in Furina's bed for the seventh time, marking a week, you lost your hope.

This was a Sunday. Ironic, because around 2am on Sunday was the time you fell asleep in your home. Well at least, you were free today. Yves really didn't lie that day when he said you would be mostly free... The days following your first one were filled with even more trials, private meetings, and various events... Those five days exhausted you beyond any limit you had back home.

So... This didn't seem like a dream anymore. You really became Furina, the Hydro archon. But if that's the case, where did Furina go? You were scared, scared very much, but there was nothing in your powers, you were able to do nothing. And the worst thing, you were alone. Completely. Nobody would believe you if you said that you got isekai'd into the Hydro archon, into Teyvat, and if you so as tried to tell so, you wouldn't get away from various accusations.

You spend most of the day in "your"... no, in your bed, thinking about what to do next.

Well, first of all, you didn't have to think too much about the prophecy, because you knew that it would definitely be resolved with the traveler's help. Even if you didn't know the full story. This, at least, crosses out one of the things you have to worry about.

Next... You didn't do anything specific to end up here, so you didn't know how to escape. So the best and most healthy thing would be, just accepting your new life. Worrying about getting back would only lead to so much stress that you might not be able to endure it, especially paired with the stress you were bound to get from your new job. It scared you. You didn't know anything about Furina's life. You experienced a tiny bit of it, but just how much more you were about to experience next? This made you want to cry, but you felt too exhausted to do so.

You quickly thought about the things that you needed to do while you are here. First and most importantly, you needed to learn Fontainian language. You'd get nowhere without it. Then, you must find out just how many years ago from the main story were you. And then, you probably should do something about your position as the archon. People weren't treating Furina seriously due to her antics and theatrics, as well as silly laws, so you will have to do something with it. But this was a goal for the long run, and not something you could do right now.

You found a notebook somewhere in Furina's... in your study, and took a book from the library on the first floor of the Palais Mermonia. With those two (and a pen), you headed towards the streets of the Court of Fontaine. You really needed some fresh air.

You remembered lurking on some social media, and seeing how the writing in Fontaine is, actually, a simple english but written in different characters. Using this information, you were about to decipher the alphabet. On the other hand, you could always just take a children's book and learn from it, but you really didn't want to put your image in danger like this. What if someone sees you?? You couldn't allow it. It also made you excited a bit, the idea of trying to understand the thing on your own; and you needed to get something except trials and private meetings in your head.

You took a seat outside a cafe, and ordered some coffee. While drinking it, you got to work. It wasn't as hard as you initially thought it might be, given it *is* english. First, you were looking for one letter words, "I" and "A", and you quickly found the corresponding characters. You didn't know which was which yet, but that was easy to check. You now searched for three letter words, "and", "was", "did", etc... you found a word with a letter you recognized in the middle, with the same two letters in the beginning and the end of the word, so you supposed this were the letters I and D, with the third known to you letter seemingly being A. Then, using this info, you found the character for N, and now you knew at least four letters.

Like so, you continued to decipher the rest of the alphabet, but you grew tired quicker than you'd like. The process wasn't as hard as was it tedious. When you were looking around or blinking, you could still see black and white lines before your eyes... This was probably enough for today. You stretched and took left the cafe, deciding to take a stroll through the streets.

The meka-guards were a little scary at first, but you quickly got used to hearing the metal steps and cogs ticking. The streets were bustling with people, and you couldn't help but feel jealous. They had somewhere to go to, they had people who were waiting for them at home.

You? You had nothing. Nothing and no one. Not anymore.

This realisation was devastating and drowned you all too sudden. First you were simply walking, enjoying the sunset, and now the emptiness was eating you from the inside. The change caught you off guard so badly that you froze in the middle of the street, your face completely empty and looking through the people and things that were around.

Sigh

This isn't how you should be... Feeling like this, it won't get you anywhere. You must be strong.

Maybe someday you would find someone who you would trust enough, but when would that day come? And would it come at all? You didn't know. You didn't know anything.

You returned to Palais Mermonia, had your dinner and retired for today, not a single coherent thought in your head. You weren't sure if you were ready for tomorrow.

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