#and now with clervie i can see that happening

[d-thwish]

let me put on a tin foil hat here for a minute. natlan is the nation of war and pyro and the quest for it is "incandescent ode of resurrection". this patch (4.6) has mentioned war (ei and yae talking about what if the "bigger war" happens) and resurrection through flames (clervie didn't come back to life but the spirit of her six year old self appeared due to arle's flames that killed her).

it kinda feels like they're alluding to someone possibly being resurrected or maybe even reincarnated...it could be what project stuzha is about?

[deathbxnny]

So, this is another addition to our Arlecchino x Wife!Fem!Reader series, and I had to make a separate post from the ask due to formatting issues. You can see the inspo of said post HERE, tho!

Thank you otherwise to our dear X Anon for another great request, and I hope this is to your liking!!<33

(Also, sorry this took 5 years to make X Anon... life hates me-)

(Part one) (Part two) (Part three) (Part five)

Content: Female reader, fluff, slight angst, established relationship, actually wholesome for once!

Reader is afab and uses she/her pronouns

((Not proofread))

Sweet strawberry cakes and stitched together teddy bears. (Arlecchino x Fem!Reader)

You only vividly remember the last time you celebrated your birthday. You had just turned sixteen, and whilst no one usually ever put much importance on this day for you, Peruere and Clervie always did. You recall the pink haired girl approaching you in the darkness of your room as she crawled into bed with you carefully. Peruere stood at the door, unmoving and still, but she was there. Just for you.

Placing a clumsily made cake onto your lap, Clervie leaned her head against yours, her voice quiet and hushed in fear of being heard. "Happy birthday." She whispered into your ear, and it meant the world to you. Peruere delicately held a small gift in her clawed hands, her emotionless face partially illuminated by the moonlight filtering in through the window. It was a teddy bear they had made themselves, or maybe Clervie stitched it together whilst your wife found it's pieces. Either way, it was lost to time eventually, just like your dearest friend was.

Now, many years later and far away from the past that still haunts you, you forbade Arlecchino to ever mention that day again. Or, well, you never had to say anything. Both of your birthdays meant nothing to you after your previous "mother's" fall and so, you took your rebirths into your own hands.

Your past life wasn't a part of you here.

But on this day, in which you are forever reminded of your mere mortality and the fact that many of your companions never got older than the last birthday you remembered, you find yourself rather somber, even more than usual at that. And despite your wish to forget about it, your wife still acknowledged it with a kiss on your wrist in the morning. You felt bitter every time she did so, even of you knew she meant well.

Thankfully, however, this day would usually pass every year without anyone even thinking about it being your birthday. You often forget it yourself, too, anyway.

But today felt... different.

Perhaps it was the way Arlecchino's gaze seemed sharper and more focused even in the home, or the way Freminet was practically sweating buckets as he asked you to come along with him and his other two siblings for a "short" outing. But you could tell something was off.

"... You want to go run errands with me?" The question was asked carefully, yet the three siblings could immideatly tell that you were suspicious. It wasn't often that you left the home and everyone knew that you would rather not if you could help it. You were always worried about everyone's well-being, considering your past and its hardships. So your son's request was definitely quite odd. They usually never bothered to ask unless the errand runs were absolutely necessary. And you couldn't necessarily remember anything out of the ordinary happening this week either.

Lyney gave you a sly smile as he pressed a hand against your back and practically pushed you towards the front door with a tip of his hat. "Yes indeed, mother! Now let's get going before the bread at the baker sells out for the day!" He chimed as happily as always, yet that just earned him a raise of a brow from both you and Lynette for similar reasons. It was 12 pm... the bread had most definitely run out by now.

Deciding not to question it, you concluded that they may have just wanted to spend time with you outside. Fair enough, you supposed that you could grant them a small outing. Surely everyone will be fine for an hour or two. Arlecchino just gave you and the three siblings a silent nod in approval from her seat in the kitchen as she flipped through her paperwork with mild interest. The Father of the Hearth house being home certainly quelled your worries as you finally allowed Lyney to drag you out with no further complaints.

--

The streets were rather busy at this time of the day. You usually stayed clear around these hours and preferred to go out at night if there was ever the need for it. But Lyney was ever so determined to complete this errand run and if it was the last thing he did. Lynette had yet to say a word about it, whilst Freminet clinged to your side, often glancing at his pocket watch in near worry for a reason you couldn't figure out.

"Lyney, child... are you sure this is absolutely necessary?" You asked just as you were about to reach the bakery. "Ofcourse! We just ran out of bread after all... and you know how the younger kids get about that, mother." That was a flat-out lie, you noted swiftly. You were pretty sure that you had more than enough at home. But once again, you didn't say anything more. Perhaps they really did want to just spend time with you... but why couldn't they just say that outright?

As expected, however, the baker not only had no bread left but had closed shop early too. Lynette gave her sweating brother a deadpan, as he clearly was trying to come up with an excuse. One glance at Freminet, who was quickly shaking his head behind you whilst holding up his watch, made it clear that they couldn't turn around yet. They doubted that everyone was done setting everything up and needed to buy time. But you were always so hard-headed when it came to spending too much time away from the house. So what should they do now?

Clearing his throat, Lyney turned to you with a strained smile. "Ah! My, my... quite the bad luck, right? No matter, we still have other things on the list we can get for todays dinner!" Your brows furrowed at that. You don't recall even mentioning what you'd make today to anyone yet. Lynette swiftly elbowed her brother in the ribs knowingly whilst you were deep in thought, which made the man quickly straighten up and take off his hat. "Oh ah! Because we wanted to cook today! Together!" "... You've never done that before." "Ahahaha... you're so funny, mother! Now let's get going before the other shops close too!" He quickly grabbed onto your arm and pulled you along, his head turning to give his other two siblings a silent nod to proceed with their plans.

Since the two were trailing after the both of you, they were quick to pick up any small gifts when you weren't looking. They already had plenty for you at home, but with you watching everyone intensely every day, hiding anything from you was near impossible. It was a blessing and curse alike, yet you taught them well as they began practically hoarding anything they found under their clothes or making them disappear through some little magic tricks. Freminet was shaking like a leaf throughout all of this, yet hoped you didn't notice it too much.

Thankfully, you were more preoccupied with your oldest son dragging you around for his imaginary ingredient list that you were by now convinced didn't even exist. The more time went by, the more anxious and irritated you became. Sure, you appreciated that they wanted to go out with you, but unfortunately, your excellent perception was beginning to make you restless. You just wanted to get home already and resume your schedule with the other children.

"Okay, next up is-" "-Lyney, enough of this boy. Let's head home." You said as the setting sun bathed the world around you in its last sun rays. Freminet hid behind Lynette at the finality in your voice, which made it clear that you were very much done with their games. They knew that you were catching on and that hiding everything from you was impossible. It was truly impressive yet expected from the Mother of the House of Hearth.

Said young man gave you his usual smile, yet you could tell how nervous he was. "But Mother-" "-I'm unsure of what you're doing, all three of you." You began as you crossed your arms with a frown. "And I appreciate it if all you want is to just spend time with me. I really do. But you can also just say that, children. I know how busy your father and I can get, so I can understand... but you also have to also understand, that I have alot to do at home and can't stay out for long." You gently scolded the three, who just glanced at eachother in response. Well, this was not necessarily their goal... but it did hold you up for longer anyway!

After your lecture, you dragged the three back home. You were very tired from the outing, and whilst you found it nice to leave the house for a bit, today just felt so awfully wrong for you. Stepping into the dark and silent house, however, you couldn't help but freeze. The house of Hearth was never silent. It was always moving one way or another, even into the late hours of the night. It never laid still, never truly slept. Your anxiety shot through the roof, as many possibilities ran through your mind at once. Years and years of loss, torture, and pain always made you fear for the worst in moments like these.

Yet when you quickly rounded the corner to the grand living room in absolute terror and worry, the lights suddenly came on and a deafening yell of "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOTHER!" rang through the vast house. Confetti flew into the air, and you blinked in surprise, as the three siblings, including the rest of the children and even your wife, stood in front of you around a large table filled with a beautiful cake and plenty of endless gifts. You opened your mouth in surprise, yet were left speechless in shock, as the fear melted away in relief.

Suddenly, everything made sense, and you nearly felt proud that your children were able to sneak past you and organize such a grand party... but only nearly. A sob suddenly shook your body as you pressed a hand against your mouth. That was definitely too much for your heart to handle. Everyone stopped for a moment, realising that they maybe had gone too far, yet Arlecchino approaching you made them all relax again.

She took hold of your hands and wiped away your tears with her claws so delicately. "My apologies. We may have gone overboard." The party wasn't necessarily her idea, nor did she truly understand its purpose, but she had hoped that it would bring you some joy on a day that had been soured forever. And thankfully, when you gave her a weak smile, she was glad to learn that it indeed had done exactly that. "No, I... am just very happy. That's all." It was a partial lie. But it melted into the truth when you looked at all of your happy children in your home. You had made it so far in life. Who would've ever thought that you would ever find yourself happy on this accursed day? "However, give me another heart attack like this one, and I am kicking you all out for a day." You huffed, making everyone giggle before dragging you over to the table to celebrate.

Arlecchino calmly watched you from afar, her gaze calm and gentle. Especially when you opened your wife's gift to find a certain teddy bear in it that instantly moved you to tears once more. You met her eye, an expression on your face she understood well.

You both hoped Clervie was celebrating with you from above, just like she always would.

[knavesflames]

“Promise”

Just a little thing about Clervie and Arlecchino that lowkey apart my heart thinking about it. Again, very sorry if this is not good!! Am new to writing things down other than in my notes sooo bear with me as I get better pls 😩

Contents: angst, the tiniest mention of self harm. It isn’t graphic, it is mentioned in passing only once, and very vaguely, but thought I’d put a TW anyway🥰

Word count: 2453

Writing under the cut!!:D

At age 9,

Peruere sits in the garden, holding the small box. The lid is open as she places a small lumidouce bell next to the spider. The lumidouce bell will die and wilt underground, but at least the spider won’t be lonely, she thinks.

“Peruere!”

The loud childish voices rings out in the garden once again. A sigh leaves Peruere’s lips. She isn’t in the mood to talk to the person she secretly calls sunshine. Looking down at the splayed out body of her pet spider, her lip quivers. Once, twice, before a tear falls onto the wood of the makeshift coffin. The dread rising in her as she sees her hands changing doesn’t go unnoticed, but she pushes it down. ‘What is that? Why am I changing?’

Her thoughts are interrupted by the sunshine once again, the voice now muffled with chewing.

“I brought cake. Want some?”

Peruere’s now charcoal hands take the cake, pausing as the sunshine (or Clervie, but Peruere prefers sunshine) takes it from her hands and places it on a leaf in front of the small grave.

“You must know spiders don’t eat cake.”

“Yeah, I know! They can’t eat cake here, but in spider world they can.”

Her voice is almost irritating to Peruere, who is only trying to be angsty and sad. But how can she be sad when the sunshine is right there?

“Clervie, I want to sit in silence.”

Clervie can’t help her eyebrows furrowing before she sits down with a small thud.

“I’ll sit with you, then.”

Peruere sighs as her eyes, eyes that are unlike any others in the house of the hearth, glance towards the sunshine. She doesn’t persist. Secretly, she’s glad for the company. Clervie smiles back as she plays with the small patch of lumidouce bells.

“I don’t care that you’re different. I think you’re cool.”

Her eyes narrow, eyebrows furrowing before she responds.

“Why? I’m completely different from you.”

“I like that. Even our teddies are different. I think everyone being the same is boring. They won’t be the king because they are all the same. You will be king one day, Peruere. Can I sit with you when you are?”

Peruere feels just a small amount of dread at those words. The words that remind her that one day, she indeed, will have to do what Mother says and fight to be king. Something is off about Mother, she thinks. She is too kind, too caring. She doesn’t like it. Not just because she doesn’t deserve it (that’s what she tells herself in the mirror before she sleeps), but because Clervie, the sunshine, is falling for it. In that moment, she makes a silent vow to protect the sunshine always, even if it is cloudy.

“We can be king together.”

“Do you promise? I don’t want to be left behind.”

“I promise.”

At age 11,

Peruere and Clervie, the sunshine and the moon, sit in a deserted part of the house of the hearth. Their favourite part is the room with the wide window, where they sit and stare at the sky, talking about their dreams. Or rather, Clervie talks, Peruere listens. Though this time, the roles seem to be reversed. Next to them, a tray of medical instruments. Scissors, bandages, gauze, disinfectant. Peruere sits, her blackened, gentle but clumsy hands tying a bow on one of the bandages. The look on Clervie, I mean, the sunshine’s, face was much brighter than ten minutes ago. This is the first of many times, unbeknownst to them. Peruere speaks softly.

“What happened? Your wrists looked like they got hurt.”

“Nothing, Peruere.”

Alarm bells ring in Peruere’s head. Clervie was never this closed off, not with her.

“Did you do this to yourself? Like Céline? She got upset at herself so she hurt herself. I don’t like that, tell me you didn’t do that. It’s dangerous, Clervie.”

Her eyes, shining black, filled with worry. Her hand grabs the sunshine’s, giving it a little squeeze, encouraging her to talk.

“No, that isn’t it. I argued. With Mother. I don’t want to fight everyone to be king. I want to be friends with everyone, I want to eat bulle fruit with everyone. Why do we have to fight?”

“I do not like it either. I want to run away sometimes. Do Mothers always argue with their daughters?”

“I don’t know.”

Clervie’s hands, still trembling from the adrenaline, push open the window. They stare at the stars for a while, before her voice rings out once more, soft, quiet, always optimistic.

“I heard that in Snezhnaya, coloured lights dance in the sky at night. When we grow up, shall we go see it together?”

Peruere wonders if they’ll ever go and see it, or if it’s just another empty promise. Just like how Mother promised her spider wouldn’t die, how the fish she caught wouldn’t be eaten.

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

At age 13,

The sun shines. Both the actual sun, and Clervie, Peruere thinks. Her fingers are splayed out on the picnic blanket, the wet paint on her nails shining in the light when her fingers twitch. Painted black, like her skin on her arms, and red, the colour of the lipstick they stole from Mother a few weeks ago, the colour of Clervie’s hair. She makes a noise of satisfaction, secretly looking at Clervie through her fingers. It looks like she’s looking through prison bars, she thinks. But Clervie is the sun. If anyone should be in prison, it’s her, not Clervie. She doesn’t like the way she thinks about Mother, but Mother harms the sunshine. Her sunshine. Her eyes widen, just slightly as she realises that maybe feeling so warm and fuzzy inside whenever she sees Clervie isn’t exactly a usual way to think of people. She doesn’t feel that for anyone else. She stares a bit longer. How the red of Clervie’s hair reminds her of the burning sun. Of the fire in the lounge of the house of the hearth. Fire is good, she thinks. She could protect her sunshine with fire. In a split decision, she takes the red nail polish in one hand, a strand of her white hair in the other. Snow and blood. Blood on snow. Those colours seem to be awfully present in her life as of late, and her heart begins to twist as she thinks of what it means for her future. Before she can think any harder, Clervie’s giggle cuts through her thoughts.

“What are you doing, silly?”

Red paints on the snow coloured hair.

“I’m like you now. I have red hair. That way, we will stay friends forever.”

“I like you too much to leave you, silly. It looks good with your hair. The red. You should paint it every day, and that way, you can—“

Words are cut off by clumsy lips meeting clumsy lips. Only for a second, a second that feels forever. Peruere’s cheeks flush the colour of the painted strand as she mumbles apologetic words.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, I-“

“It’s okay. I liked it. I want to do it more. You should still keep the red strand. Promise you will?”

“Yes, I promise.”

At age 16,

Mother has been increasingly cruel, to both her and Clervie. Especially to Clervie. How could someone be so evil to someone so kind is something Peruere cannot fathom. She despises seeing Clervie cry, to hear her quiet sobs at night. Her eyes are always bright, always happy. If not for her own sake, for Peruere’s. But the sun has been hiding lately, hiding behind clouds and avoiding words. The red strand of Peruere’s hair, once painted every day with nail polish to match Clervie’s, now permanently dyed, retouched every eight weeks, hidden under most of her hair to avoid Mother’s wrath. And now? They stand in the field, Clervie, facing Peruere with resigned eyes.

“You know it’s the only way. Mother will kill us both if you are not king. Have you not noticed the children disappearing?”

“I have. It does not mean your life has to end. You cannot take your life—“

“No. That will not satisfy Mother, and you know that. You must do it.”

Hate, fear, dread and sadness twist Peruere’s gut so hard she feels as if she will throw up. She fight the urge to retch at the very suggestion that she dulls the sunshine she has grown to adore so.

“I cannot. I will not. You cannot ask me to do something like that.”

“You must.”

She hates that Clervie is right. She hates that Mother is so twisted and sick that this is the only choice. She begs anyway, something she told herself she would never do.

“Please. We were supposed to go to Snezhnaya together. To see the coloured lights in the sky. There is no ‘we’ without you.”

A chuckle is heard, the familiar chuckle that lights up Peruere’s heart, the chuckle that feels like it’ll reverse her curse entirely. She can’t deny the sadness she hears in it though, especially not when she sees a tear slip down Clervie’s face. The sight brings tears to her own eyes and she looks away, unable to stare at her any longer. The longer she stares, the harder it will be. She knows this, but her eyes move back to her anyway.

“You will look at the coloured lights, and you can trust I will be there in them.”

“No! This is not fair.”

“You know I’m right, Peruere.”

“And I hate that you are. You’re always damn right. Stop that.”

Another chuckle is heard behind tears.

“I plan to.”

“Don’t joke.”

“I’m sorry. And I’m sorry you have to do this.”

Peruere feels like her breath is being sucked out of her, like she can’t inhale enough and yet, exhaling is impossible. Her brain is telling her she has to. She has to give the sunshine a merciful end, lest Mother give her a far worse fate. But her heart is screaming. Tears drip down her face, her body wracked with silent cries. Her hand goes to the hilt of the dagger she always carries.

“But I love you. You are my sunshine.”

“I love you, too. And so I will always be here when the sun is shining. I am not afraid.”

“I am.”

Peruere is not one to be scared. She never has. But now, her hands are clammy, she feels a sweat gathering. She feels her heart thumping in a completely different way than when they share small kisses and giggles. She feels like she’s killing herself instead of her love. The dagger is unsheathed now, the blade glinting with every tremble of her hand. Oh, God, there it is again. That smile, the one that melts Peruere every time. Images flash in her mind of every time she bandages Clervie after an argument with Mother. Images of what could happen should Mother take Clervie’s life into her own hands, and before she can think twice, the dagger has pierced her skin. Clervie’s clothes are staining with blood as red as her hair.

“No. No, no— please. Clervie, you can’t. Why did you tell me to do this?”

Red ‘X’ irises stare into blue ones. A beautiful bluey green, one that Peruere has always admired. Has always adored looking into. Not now. Not while she watches the life drain from her eyes. Watching the sun burn.

“You will make a great king.”

“Stop that.”

Anger boils inside Peruere, anger like she has never felt before. She swears she will kill anyone who threatens to hurt the ones she cares about. She won’t let this happen again.

“I’m sorry. Thank you.”

Clervie’s soft words fill her ears for the final time before her body drops to the floor with a thunk. Peruere stares down at her, anger filling her so greatly, she becomes blank. She decides she will never feel again. She will never love again. The sun was a star, but the sun has burned and died.

“Do you promise you will be with me in Snezhnaya? Promise?”

“..Clervie?”

She is met with only silence, and the sound of the lumidouce bells waving in the wind.

At age 28,

Arlecchino walks through the halls of the House of the Hearth, watching stoically as the children play, as they watch the two children perform their magic show. She calls out, her voice strict, unfeeling.

“Meet in the dining hall when you are finished. Dinner is served shortly.”

Met with a chorus of “Yes Father”, she nods, satisfied, before turning away. Her heels click against the tiled floor as she walks through the halls, her hair flowing in her ponytail behind her. She takes the long route, avoiding the west wing of bedrooms, something she has avoided for many years. Her footfalls come to a stop as the sun hits her as it shines through the window. She feels a tug at her heart, and she clenches her fists tightly before sighing, turning quickly on her heel. She walks with purpose, walking past the many bedrooms until she slows, coming to a stop in front of the bedroom door she has kept locked. The ring of keys in her pocket makes a sound as she pulls them out, and she listens to the way they jingle as she unlocks the door and slips inside. She blinks back heartache as she stares around at the room. It has been well preserved, it looks like it’s still very much lived in by a sixteen year old girl. She goes about, dusting the surfaces in silence, cleaning up any signs that it hasn’t been touched in such a long time. She opens the window, watering the lumidouce bells that sit on the windowsill outside. She stops by the bed, where two teddies sit— one pink with a white ribbon, one black and white with red ‘X’s for eyes. Her hand, now black with darker patterns all over from how far the curse has advanced, softly pets the pink one, swallowing down a shaky breath. Her nails, painted red and black, like they always have been, gives a gentle scratch under the chin.

“Good morning, Clervie. The children are doing well today.”

Her hand slides into her pocket, pulling out a small, gift wrapped box, placing it by the teddy.

“Happy birthday. I told you I would not forget. The sun is shining brightly, and the colours in the sky at night have been vivid lately. You would have found them beautiful, I am sure. I would have loved to look at you as you stared at them in wonder.”

The birthday gift joins another 11 on the bed, each one in different phases of aging. She stands again, smoothing down the bedsheets before placing a small kiss on the pink teddy.

“See you next year, Clervie. I promise.”

[anotherandomcollection]

[prologue] Dear Diary...

──────────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────────────── ≻─ ⋆✩ pairings: arlecchino x gn!reader ≻─ ⋆✩ warnings: some angst?, childhood friends to strangers to lovers, canon typical violence, mentions of death, slowburn - not beta read ≻─ ⋆✩ spoilers?: 4.6 (Arlecchino's story quest) ≻─ ⋆✩ synopsis: this is a series I'm writing - its in the form of dairy entries written from the reader's POV through the years.

this is just the prologue of how it all begins and provides insight on the background (on the reader) I made up :) There's no date for the diary entries but they progress forward.

≻─ ⋆✩ author's note: this was an idea that came to me in a dream (shower thoughts) /j I'm not too sure if this is a format that would be enjoyed, but I hope it is <3

≻─ ⋆✩ word count: 1.4K

[prologue]

──────────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────────────

Dear Diary,

I'm leaving. I'm leaving this godforsaken house - I'm probably going to sneak off during my next mission. It's a solo mission, though I think it's just a ploy from "Mother" to get rid of me. My left leg is still injured and the Doctor says I may never fully recover, I have a barely noticeable limp, but anything short of perfection is frowned upon in the House of the Hearth (of course it is; the "Marelle" games should be enough of an indicator).

I don't know why either, I've been good - though perhaps she doesn't approve of the friendship Clervie and I have forged (not that she has any motherly rights to decide that). Or perhaps with Peruere - she is probably the next "King", with the highest potential or whatnot.

I'm scared to leave as well, just the idea of leaving is heavily frowned upon and is punishable with death. Even if I don't die on the mission, if I am caught, I will die. I'm not sure if even Archon's can tell me what happened to the other's who tried to leave. "Mother" keeps a strict tab on everyone and who knows what in the house. Any secrets being spilled… I pray for them. I pray for mercy, because I know the Doctor has none.

I'm scared to leave, scared about the future too. I don't know how to leave when this house is almost all that I remember. "Mother" clothed me, fed me and has given me a roof over my head. No matter how hard I had to work for it, I was given a shelter. It scares me that I don't hate this place as much as you would expect me to… It scares me to leave everything I know and all the people I cherish for this.

The battle for "King" starts soon, I probably won't be around for it. I'll either be long gone or dead, if the mission from mother goes according to my plan, I'll be on my way to Sumeru. If it doesn't… then I suppose mother's plan to get rid of me would have succeeded (archon's know I am not in mission ready condition).

I know its selfish to leave Clervie and Peruere but I cannot stay. I will die. Perhaps I could have stayed in another time or another universe where this "orphanage" didn't exist.

I'm leaving them a letter, but I have planned to make it look like I have died, or imply it, at least then I won't be the villain in their eyes for abandoning them here to suffer at the hands of "Mother". Painfully Hopefully, we will never cross paths and I will never have to explain myself. I'm not sure if they would understand.

I don't know how to live with myself anymore, not with the things the house has made us do. We are children and… I miss my family. I see glimpses of them in my dreams and memories - it was so warm. It had actually felt like a home. I think I had an older sister and a younger brother but I cannot clearly remember. I wonder what happened to them (if they even exist). I hope that I could have had that in another universe, but alas, I cannot in this one.

──────────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────────────

[there is a letter left to Clervie and Peruere, hidden in a spot only the three of you know about]

Hi Clervie and Peruere,

It's me, I'm sure you know my writing by now and I'm sorry that I cannot see both of you one last time. I'm leaving on my mission and I will likely not return. "Mother" plans for me to die - I know it so because I am not currently mission ready and she's been sending me on so many. I'm barely pulling through as it is and I don't think I will make it back from this one.

I will miss both of you and I'm sorry it will end this way.

I will miss watching the sunrise with you, Clervie, and I hope that you see the aurora you so wish to see one day. I'm… sorry that it has come to this and I hope you continue going to watch the sun bleed orange-red in the sky and turn the horizon into a mix of orange and purple and pink (like your hair!).

Peruere… I will miss our shared love for insects. I left you some sketches I made of Bambi. I will miss our walks in the garden trying to insect-watch and then having to hide when our caretakers come looking for us. I really did enjoy them.

[in the same envelope, there are some old sketches of the spider - several sheets of the insect in several positions and all carefully drawn and the pages carefully preserved]

I'm sorry. [next to it is a scribbled out line, too scribbled to even make out what the words mean]

[the letter is only read by one of the people its addressed to before it is thrown into the fireplace and turns to ash]

──────────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────────────

[the writing in this entry is shaky, tear drops are splattered on the page]

Dear Diary,

I heard Clervie died through the grapevine. I don't know what happened and I hope Peruere is doing alright. I only know she died in the battle for "King".

I don't know how to unpack this yet.

I'm scared

I thought I could maybe see them in the future. I don't know how to live knowing one of us will never get to grow up. It hurts so much. It hurts so much more than I thought this would...

──────────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────────────

Dear Diary,

I got into the Sumeru Akademiya - under the Darshan Amurta and it specialises in biology. Particularly, I'm going to study insects! Which is probably more accurately called Entomology.

There's a new harbinger, Arlecchino. I don't know who that is, but I hear they are the new head of the House. "Mother" is dead. I hear the house has been taken over by a new "Father". I pray for the children each night. I hope the "Father" is nicer but the archon's know that is a stretch too far past reality. "Mother"… The Doctor… All the harbingers do is hurt and hurt.

I know first hand what both "Mother" and the Doctor does. Sometimes I wonder how they live with themselves. Perhaps both of them are crazy.

Perhaps it should satisfy me, that the person who tormented me and all the children is gone but there is none. It feels hollow and as terrible as it sounds, I… miss the house. It wasn't home, no, but there was some semblance of family, forged through sheer fear and understanding. I suppose it stops no one in the battle for King, it stops no one for the battle of recognition and the sheer desperation to survive.

But we all know why we do it.

I suppose we all understand. Understand enough to die without hatred. I wonder if Clervie felt the same. I hope her death was swift and as painless as possible. Archon's have mercy on her soul.

I've changed since the last time, I've changed my hairstyle and hopefully no one will recognise me. My injuries have been progressing well as well and my limp is almost gone. There's still the stress that weighs on me that someone will recognise me. I fear that someone from the Fatui recognises me - especially when they have their claws in every nation.

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[years later...]

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Dear Diary,

I'm going back to Fontaine. There has been an exchange in between both the Akademiya and the Fontaine Research Institute so I'll be going to study the Subdetection Units. They are these small units created by the Institute that monitors all sorts of environment data. It is extremely interesting and I wonder exactly what the units can record. Not only that but they are in the shape of insects!

I think these units are interesting and with some tweaking, it could be possible to track even more data from them. Particularly, underwater. These could also possibly monitor the area by the Fortress Meropide for escapees- The possibilities feel rather endless and I am probably being too ambitious, especially with little knowledge in the engineering behind these specific units.

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Dear Diary,

I think I saw her again today.

[the writing is shaky on the page and this entry is startlingly short.]

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[e-steamedtea]

I played the Arlecchino story quest- it's yappin time! Or time for a kinda long post.

I'll fix the spelling eventually

Spoilers ahead

More analysis! Except we're going through sequentially because that's how I remember it!

1. Lyney is the big brother to everyone in the house

The way he could talk everyone so easily was cute to see. He seems so unbothered by everyone's little quirks. Like- taking to those kids and dropping the most diabolical lore? Kinda scary I'm not gonna lie. Even if unintentionally, a lot of people look up to him. Although, there is the question of how much of his interactions are masking because he does have a silver tongue. Either way, he's definitely the ring leader.

2. Lyney is the cooking sibling

This one isn't actually all that important but I think it's cute. His big brother energy is strong.

3. Lyney hates having secrets kept from him

I think that this one is kinda ironic, but then again, it could be because he keeps secrets he knows how it feels. Also- that line about Freminet lying to him was disrespectful. My jaw hit the floor when he went "You're not like me- your lying skills still need some work." Even if it's true just damn. It's very clear though that the fact Fremi was hiding something hurt him. It seems that at moments like this his passion can be the downfall as we witness the world's most awkward argument. Which resulted in Fremi crying and I must wonder how often this happens.

4. He has the entire roster memorized.

I for one, am still not over this fact. When you ask about Clervie's name he's instantly like: Nope! Not in the roster. It's the same with Perrie. Perhaps this is just me, but that seems like a lot of people to just know of the top of your head.

5. Lynette is almost as good at stealth as Arlecchino.

When they do the first bump and Lynette scares the soul out of everyone involved made me realize something. Maybe it's a combination of her cat features and personality, but she's quiet. The way she made her entrance was so reminiscent of Arlecchino earlier and she was definitely trained in it by her. It's absolutely adorable how much she emulate her "Father."

6. Lyney's voice rises when he breaks composure.

This is possibly just because of the amazing acting of his English VA but I'd like to think it's true. So you can able this one more of a headcanon with evidence. It happens a few times, mostly towards the end but this it the first time it happens. He was so surprised by Lynette that he just completely loses his composure for a second and practically squeaks for a second. He then obviously fixes it but it's a nice moment. Later, he's just desperate but we'll get to that.

7. A lot of the stories we hear about Arlecchino are misconceptions.

This woman is so freaking scary. I just have to say it, I could feel the tension through the screen as we talked. Thank god for child because I was stressed. What we do learn from this besides the fact she's not one for conversation is that they're a lot of half truths about her. This woman would let you call her by the wrong name of it benefits her so everyone saying she's a backstabber and crazy is far from the full story. Childe got his information from the Rooster which uh- was phrased in a weird way. However, she saw no reason to really correct it, so she didn't. Scaramouche however, I'm starting to wonder if he's speaking from personal experience. He's clearly witnessed something and now I wanna know what.

8. Lyney's lying skills were definitely improved by Arlecchino.

Miss Girly is the queen of misinformation and it's clear Lyney learned from him. Like I'm talking to this woman and she's so manipulative I'm doubting myself- AND I WENT IN KNOWING THE STORY! The way she side steps and misdirects is so reminiscent of Lyney that I got deja vu. The main difference is Arlecchino is so much colder so she doesn't break easily. Lyney is an absolute softy and can break way easier.

9. Arlecchino is not fond of the other harbingers.

This is pretty clear in her voice lines and is also obvious because of her personality. However, this is something about watching her shit talk her coworkers in front of me that I'm just living for. Especially with the new plan Project Stuzha? Girly pop isn't having that shit. If she pulls up, I wanna witness this.

10. Lynette is Lyney's voice of reason.

I feel like I've said this before but it deserves to be said again because she's the second baddest bitch alive. Arlecchino is the first.

11. Lyney's angry eyes are unnerving to me.

Maybe this is just me but then is eyes narrow it makes me wanna back away. I don't know if it's because of the way he presents himself but it just gives a certain vibe. I find that vibe slightly terrifying.

12. The reason Lyney is the next king and his passion.

Now, this was a question I had ever since Lyney came out. Seeing him in the Archon Quest had me wondering why he was the next director. Then during the last part of this quest I realized something. It was like a moment of recognition. I think when he stood up to defend everyone. The way he was so determined was really touching. It's also something I already knew. In the Fortress when he charged at Wriothesley was a moment of desperation. Then here, he stands to duel the freaking Knave. He obviously knew the was no way he could win but he wasn't gonna give up with his family on the line. His passion and conviction for his family know no bounds, after all, it's how he got his vision in the first place. Every part of his character and lore just screams family man. The way he's so dedicated to the big brother role and protection those close fits perfectly for what the Knave hopes the House becomes. However, it's this same damn passion that has him disregarding his health and jumping in front of Lynette with no way to parry and his squishy ass body.

[edgeray]

Hello Ray! 🍅 anon here! (Again, because life has finally gotten a bit easier now and I have spare time!)

Very happy that you liked the TL’ed piece! I originally put it in a word document, hence the page number, and the formatting.

Since you can’t read chinese, you Might have missed out on a subtle yet telling part of Arlecchino’s story quest.

WHOEVER THE HELL TL’ED “来生再见” AS “may we meet again someday” SHOULD HAVE THEIR TAIL KICKED ISTG.

There’s a lot. And I mean. A LOT. of meaning lost in translation! EVEN THE JP TEAM DIDN’T FLOP THIS HARD?????? HUH????

For everyone’s sake, the general gist is correct. But the more accurate translation would be “May we meet again in our next life.”

There is a HUGE difference. Just that small phrase already tells you a few things. First, it tells you that Arlecchino, logical as she is, has definitely NOT recovered from Clervie (which is why I ship them. Still.) and yearns for a life they can lead TOGETHER. Second, it shows just how much Arlecchino cares! She’s known to be very cool headed and logical and if she cares about something THIS much to verbalise it as such, you know that it’s. Beyond important.

Honestly, I had no words when I saw the English translation (I use cn dub). Just that someone really, REALLY, butchered this subtlety on the most important part of her SQ. STEM student or not, if any of my bilingual teachers saw me translating it like that I would be slapped to the next timeline on Irminsul.

(Also yes I use windows that tip is going to come in handy xD)

Looking forward to more of your writing! Domestic!Arle…. Hehehehehehehhe

She deserves it! All the fluff and softness and happiness!

Hey 🍅 anon! Sorry this response took so long... did a lot of traveling for vacay today. And oooh... yes I agree "may we meet again someday" and "may we meet again in our next life" is SO different, like I fr got a gut punch from reading the second one. the fact that arle is hoping in their next life that they're together makes me tear up... that's so much more impactful and meaningful than meeting again.

it seems like poor TL for ENG is a common complaint about the ENG dub, though I don't know too much since I rely on ENG solely. I heard that also happened in the Arlecchino animation, with the part that Arlecchino says "Mother... my answer is no." I don't remember what the actual translation was, but I remembered it being vastly different.

glad the windows tip worked hehe

once i come back from vacay, i will be GRINDING on these requests because i'm behind the schedule I said i would do. just tryna finish a request at this point before my vacay ends. once it does, i'll go back to my 1-2 requests done per day. let's see how long the daily streak goes >:D

cannot wait to get to these requests... especially that arlevie request i got... heh heh. <333 am super pumped to write your domestic arle request bc arle deserves everything. :DDD

[joshy-tomato]

so things happened and Opal has a sibling now. She has a little sister named Clio. Clio looks really similar to Arlecchino, it's like Arle mitosised with Furina's help. Also Clio can't see ghosts like her sister can but she does have a habit of just. Staring. She'll just stare at a random spot and while she can't see her, Clervie is 100% staring back at her, having a staring contest.

She's also really quiet and doesn't talk a lot

~ Arlefuri Anon

I love how arlefuri are just, extremely weird. Weirdgirl just like their father.

Is hereditary, the weirdness.

[phantomiaou]

"whatever."  she turns up her nose and tilts her face away, little hmph belying the pleased flick of her ears. she cannot forget herself lest she lose herself in the perfect honey of lyney's words. everyone else may, and everyone else does, but not lynette. not even a little.

(it doesn't mean his praise doesn't make her happy.)

(lyney always makes her happy, except when he doesn't. except when he thinks he must leave her behind.)

lyney is more than entitled to cheat and pull out the puppy eyes, just as lynette is entitled to cheat and give him a hard time for it. maybe that is their god-given right as siblings—sweet older brother and squinting younger sister—and lynette would let nothing short of death rip that away from them. maybe not even death. while infinitely more reserved than her star-of-the-show brother, she too would stop at nothing to protect what they share. does he see that, she wonders? he might, but does he really? the winds, though invisible, are they any less cutting for how they do not shine in their destruction the way flame must?

she must act before the lizard's tail grows back.

because i spoke to father, says lyney, and she sets down the spoon, bowl of soup near empty. lynette stares at him unabashed, an all-seeing gaze that only lyney could deem worth loving. if he is as scared as his sister, he hides it remarkably. she expects nothing less from a master of illusion, a bearer of secrets, a hotel of lies and little lives in his care. the heat of every expectation is tremendous. no wonder he faltered in front of the flames.

"lyney," she starts. "no... brother."

because he will always be family, yes, no matter what she may call him—but lynette likes the sound of brother, too. lynette isn't ready to let go. lynette isn't ready to accept that she might have to. and she will do anything—anything—to ascertain that she will not have to. even if that means fighting him for them both.

her hand reaches for lyney's. let me speak this time, it says in the warmth of its squeeze.

"father told me and freminet about the house, too. if my guess is right, i don't think she'll change her mind about the succession."  her voice lowers, laden with thought.  "she wants to exterminate the idea of that throne being something easily transferrable."

all of this would mean nothing otherwise. clervie, crucabena, the move to poisson, the revelation of the hearth and the history it is trying to shed. even the 'freedom' extended to filliol and the others was nothing gained at the drop of a hat, if that could even truly be called freedom and not death of the self—and all of that, still, was withheld and granted solely on their father's terms.

"if you're doubting your capability, don't. if you're doubting whether or not you'll be enough, don't. what i'm more worried about is you thinking you'll have to be alone..."  but how? how can she convince lyney with his flawed sense of duty? if their positions were reversed, how would she begin to convince herself? violet eyes continue to pin him where he sits, unwilling to yield and heedless of how unsettling her stare always is. everybody wants charming, dazzling, romantic lyney's eyes on them—the same eyes she has right down to the lash—but not lynette's, for good reason.

she cannot afford to care how she must look, though. doesn't he see he's already begun to leave her, thinking like this?

"it'll be a long while from now, of course. you have time. we have time. but, brother... whatever happens, please don't keep shutting me out."  the curl of her fingers tightens. if it doesn't, they might quiver.  "i'm not a dove to be kept in a comfortable cage, only brought on stage with you as you please. tell me. are you scared i'll get hurt? what did father say?"

she does not ask lyney if he is scared of anything else. if they share even half of the same mind she can already guess.

        home is the first grave.

🌢 gravity breaking our kneecaps just to show us the sky ★

[val-bananatine]

Post nightmare moments (Fanfic)

Title: post nightmare moments

Pairing: Amicia x Melie (Melicia)

Genre: Comfort/ Romance

Rating: T

Word count: 3.874

Disclaimer: I don’t own any of these beautiful characters, they’re all Asobo Studio’s property. This one shot is in an altered version of the game and can be set in between chapter 12 and 13. So Amicia was not waken up by Melie about Rodric’s victory here and got a nightmare after falling during her search, but in the night before.

It’s up to you whether you see this story as an AU of Hugo not running away, or see Amicia’s nightmare as a vision for the next day. So enjoy your stay and reading experience~

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Almost everyone was sleeping as peacefully as possible this night.

Hugo and Lucas were leaning against a wall while sleeping; Lucas has been so focused on developing more useful alchemy products and Hugo couldn’t help but to watch him very fascinated until they fell asleep on the spot.

The more grown boys of the little group, Rodric and Arthur, were sleeping a bit farther away, almost as if they were guarding the others.

Amicia slept in her usual bed, but she was stirring and starting to mumble from time to time.

Only Melie couldn’t find any sleep. No matter how long she kept her eyes closed, she just couldn’t feel any sleepiness rolling over.

But it had a good aspect too. She quickly opened her eyes when she heard a quiet sound similar to whining, but she didn’t hear it again and so was about to close her eyes once more when she heard a whiny mumbling, coming from Amicia’s direction:

“No… no...”

“Something wrong over there?” The thief blinked and moved her head a bit up to look over to the other girl, seeing her visibly distressed and stirring in her sleep.

“Don’t tell me...-” Melie sighed when she realized that Amicia seemed to have a nightmare and carefully crouched over to her, silently cursing to herself on her way:

“Now what to do against that shit… can’t let her suffer from that nightmare and possibly wake the others up in panic.”

_________________________________________

“Hugo? Hugo?!”

Amicia ran through the foggy, dark woods, screaming her brothers name over and over. He suddenly disappeared without a trace, his necklace around the tree branch was gone; and she knew that she had to find him before he was caught by the inquisition.

She was surprised that no one else was there anymore as well, but she guessed that they already were looking for Hugo before running into the woods.

The very next moment she suddenly stood in front of a village. But she saw that it was only one oddly, familiar village street which ran through the entrance. And at the end of that street, there was the familiar and helpful lady, scolding her for how she shouldn’t argue with Hugo.

The girl felt more hopeless and guilty the more she tried to convince Clervie and herself of that she did nothing wrong. But she couldn’t let that feeling win, she had to find Hugo at all cost and so she walked past Clervie.

Only to now be scolded by Laurentius in front of his house, guilt building up in her again.

“Why did he leave you then?”

“I don’t know!” That question made her tremble slightly; she could only guess why and she knew that it was a mistake in case it was true:

“I’ve done everything for him! Even… horrible things...”

She couldn’t explain herself further. As soon as she heard Hugo’s voice inside the house, she practically sprinted towards the door and internally thanked the old doctor for moving aside.

But the view inside made her heart skip a beat. There was her mother, standing in front of a door with a disappointed look on her face.

“You didn’t tell him the truth..”

“He doesn’t want to see you.”

“He doesn’t need you anymore.”

Every single sentence felt like a dagger in her heart, but especially the last sentence made Amicia want to cry out.

But her heart truly broke when Hugo pushed her away, showing her that he doesn’t need her anymore.

“No… no...”

It couldn’t be true. He was her little brother after all, who she will protect at all cost. But she couldn’t protect him now.

Now where she was fully surrounded by darkness until his scream echoed through the air. Where he stood in front of her, surrounded by sheer endless waves of rats, panic and fear in his eyes.

And the moment she attempted to run towards him, she felt the waves crushing her and making her fall.

_______________________________________ 

But much to Amicia’s surprise, she didn’t suffocate nor felt a painful meeting with the floor.

Instead she shot up from her sleeping place with a scream and heavy breathing, looking right into Melie’s confused but equally worried face. And in the very next second the still shaking De Rune felt Melies hand slamming over her mouth while said thief shot a glance to the sleeping rest of the group:

“Shhhhh”

Not that Amicia cared much about being quiet now, she had a far more important issue to solve and tried to look around the room:

“Hugo? Where is Hugo??”

She asked in a low voice but with so much panic in it that Melie turned to her with an even more confused look than before “He is right there- next to Lucas. Why the hell d’you scream anyway?”

It was not the kindest way of checking up on someone you care about, but Amicia knew deep down that that tone wasn’t out of annoyance, she hoped so at least.

“I...”, the brunette woman attempted to speak but the very thought of what she just dreamed of made her shiver again.

A soft sigh was heard of Melie while she carefully sat down next to Amicia, holding her arm a bit out for any needed comfort as well.

“Hey-… it really messed you up, huh?”

Amicia just silently nodded and felt herself leaning against the other woman, immediately feeling a wave of calmness and comfort coming over herself.

“I see...” Melie was not sure what to say and so stared into the fire pit while holding Amicia close to herself:

“I mean… you don’t have to talk about it. But could end shitty in case you fall asleep again and it comes back.”

“I know...” Amicia whispered so softly that she was almost overheard and pressed herself a bit more into the hug to try stopping any tears from falling, “I just… am so scared now… Hugo-”

The thief stiffened a tiny bit at the sudden closeness, but the moment she turned her head to the clinging woman and saw the fear radiating of her, she immediately turned her body around as well to fully embrace Amicia in a hug.

“Hugo, huh? So the nightmare was about him… and something happening?”

Amicia at first didn’t realize Melie’s question as she tried to calm down and hide the decent blush coming from the position she now was in, her face carefully resting against the other woman’s chest; both at the same time.

So it took a few moments until you could hear a shaky whisper:

“H… he left… a-and when I searched for him…”

“What happened then?”

Melie whispered as quiet as Amicia while encouraging her to talk more about it. But she had the urge to comfort the De Rune daughter even more. Seeing her in this state and not as the adventurous lady she often flirts with, made her heart uncomfortably heavy and she wanted to see the other woman’s smile again.

It lead to the thief feeling her own hand slowly and softly running down Amicia’s back, hoping that it will calm her.

And it seemed to work;

Amicia’s breath steadied a bit and she slowly started to relax into the hug. Even though she was still shaking at the thought of Hugo disappearing and her voice still cracked a bit while speaking, she still felt safe to speak.

“When I did… I felt guilty. People started to appear… Clervie, who saved us in the village… Laurentius… m-my mother too. And they scolded me… for making Hugo run away… for not telling him the truth… and he got attacked by the rats.. I- I couldn’t save him…! I- I- it’s my fault…!-”

Her voice broke more the more she spoke, and when she stopped whispering at the end, almost yelling out in pain, she was pulled closer by Melie.

“Shh… shh… It’s not...-”

“It is…! I- I should have told him the truth, shouldn’t I…? I just want to protect him… He would run to her if he knew… but I can’t- I can’t be honest with him… I’m horrible…”

“Don’t say that, you did what seemed right in your eyes,” Melie shook her head while speaking in a low and soft voice, she wasn’t sure if it would help, but it was worth a shot to ease that pain, “You’re not horrible, got me? He deserves to know of course, but protecting is first. He’ll surely understand, just need to remember that you do your best. And you can’t do more anyway.”

The knight’s daughter silently nodded while sighing sadly and resting her head against Melie, who carefully put a hand on Amicia’s head while whispering again:

“Just try forgetting that nightmare, will you? Was nothing more than that, a nightmare. Probably ‘cause you feel bad for not telling him after he asked. But it won’t happen, nightmares don’t come true.”

“I hope so…” Amicia nodded slowly and wanted to close her eyes, but looked up when she heard a soft ‘Hey’ directed at her, and saw a confident smile on Melie’s face.

“Won’t happen. Nothing will happen to your little brother, you will protect him after all. And so will we others.”

Amicia couldn’t help but to give a soft, small smile back at the confident look and the words of the thief: “Yeah… we will.”

“See?” Melie let out a soft chuckle, visibly relieved to see a smile again, and carefully ruffled her hair: “Just have to be confident to forget about a stupid dream. Look at you smiling again, the glorious Amazon is back”

The last words made Amicia giggle softly and she smiled a bit more:

“The glorious Amazon? Did the magnificent Fury miss the Amazon and her smile?”

“Maybe she did,” Melie grinned softly at the other girl, which earned her a joking roll of eyes of Amicia, but the De Rune was visibly happy again and that was the most important to her.

“You so did,” Amicia giggled once more before turning a bit around to lean her back against Melie, “But we’re even now with the missing, aren’t we?”

“Yeah yeah,” The thief nodded and let out a soft laugh, but was rather focused on the change of position than on finding a comeback “All comfortable down there, milady?”

“Huh- eh-” Amicia felt her cheeks burning at the observation and she struggled at finding any words to say. “I- honestly am comfortable…”

“Hope you’re not just talking about my chest there,” Melie grinned even more when she saw Amicia’s face burning up more at her comment while completely losing the ability to speak proper words and the thief had to use every bit of strength to not bust out laughing and waking everyone up with it.

“I- I wasn’t…!” Amicia buried her face into her hands in an attempt to calm her blush, and the fact, that Melie’s chest was unusually comfortable after it was pointed out, did everything but help her in that attempt.

“Sure thing, your highness,” Melie laughed quietly while leaning her head against Amicia’s, “D’you want to tone that blush a bit down maybe? I know that you weren’t, so calm down. But your reaction was too good to miss that fun out.”

“You’re something else really…” The brunette shook her head, but didn’t seem to be upset or angry in any way. Instead she relaxed more against the thief; and even slowly put her hands down again after a few minutes when she was sure that her blush has toned down to a light level.

“’Course I am,” The orange haired woman nodded proudly before leaning against one of the quadratic stone columns, careful to slowly lean back to not move too quickly or uncomfortable for Amicia.

_________________________________________

Time didn’t seem to pass at all for the two women. They were comfortably close and spent minutes, maybe even half an hour, just silently watching the fire in the pit burn.

Melie took that silence as a good sign, guessing that Amicia might be slowly falling asleep again and closed her eyes to relax.

And so she was quite surprised when she heard the brunettes quite whisper:

“Hey…”

“Hm..? What’s wrong?” The thief whispered back, a hint of worry in her voice due to the concern of the nightmare being back in Amicia’s mind again.

The questioned woman was quiet for a few seconds, making the thief worry even more, before she carefully cuddled her head into Melie’s shoulder with a small and gentle smile:

“I’m glad that you’re back, you know..?”

Melie blinked a bit at those words, slightly irritated by the sudden bringing up of that. But it also made her smile and she couldn’t help but to giggle quietly:

“D’you miss this thief here? Told you I’ll be all safe and come back.”

Amicia sighed quietly before moving around to face Melie.

“Three weeks…”

Her eyes were clouded with sadness and worry when she thought back to how she felt: “You were away for three weeks… without anyone of us knowing if you’re well. I was so worried… that something might have happened to y-”

She wasn’t able to finish her sentence as Melie carefully put a finger over her mouth and shook her head.

“But nothing happened to me, Amicia. Arthur and I came back safe. Don’t you worry about that now.”

Amicia carefully pushed Melie’s finger a bit aside while sighing quietly once more. “I didn’t know that back then though…”

The thief didn’t even have the chance to say something in return because her conversation partner carefully leaned her head against the thief’s before continuing with a soft whisper:

“And each day I spent hours on the tower… looking for just one sign of you and your return with your brother. I- even wanted to run back and search for you… But I didn’t want to leave Hugo alone- or could have taken him with me. So- I had to wait for you to come back safe… “

Now it was Melie’s turn to blush and her mouth gaped slightly open as she tried to process how much the noble woman seemed to care about her.

And once she fully realized it, the thief’s blush got a shade darker and she mumbled more to herself than towards Amicia: “Holy shit… you… did miss me...”

The De Rune watched Melie’s reaction with a surprised look on her face before she started to laugh softly: “How couldn’t I? Especially in such a long period of time~”

Melie felt a bit of guilt creeping up when she got reminded of the long time she needed to return, but it quickly vanished again through Amicia’s soft laugh, which showed no sign of any reproach.

And that, in her ears beautiful, laugh gave her confidence again that she showed in an amused grin.

“Yeah yeah, I know I’m such a bad girl for leaving m’lady alone for such a long time.”

“Totally-” Amicia laughed more at the hilarious reply and had to press her face against Melie’s shoulder to muffle the sound.

The thief had to laugh as well, but she covered her mouth with her hand to almost completely mute the already quiet laugh.

Both kept laughing and giggling for minutes, really enjoying the moment and the other ones company to the fullest. And once they calmed down from their giggling, the room fell into a comfortable silence again.

But that silence only lasted for another few minutes.

Amicia, whose upper body was fully leaned against Melie’s again, turned her head a bit into the looters direction. “But really…”

Melie looked back at Amicia with a tilted head, but showed her a soft smile as well: “Hm?”

The noble woman kept her head against the thief’s shoulder, only moved it a tiny bit to get more comfortable, while showing the other a gentle smile in return:

“Please don’t be so long away again… alright? I... really would miss you.”

A soft chuckle escaped Melie’s mouth and her smile got even bigger:

“You really don’t want me to leave, huh?”

“Of course not..!” Amicia was confused about why Melie would ask that after she told her that. But she couldn’t ask her why, she stopped speaking when she noticed Melie leaning a bit forward.

What she didn’t notice was the soft grin on Melie’s face instead of the happy smile from before.

“Looks like…” The thief grinned a bit more and stopped right next to Amicia’s ear, the soft breathing giving the said woman a shiver down her spine, before she continued in a whispered voice, “I won’t leave my princess alone ever again then~”

Amicia blushed lightly just from the simple gesture, the words Melie said fully reached her ears a few moments later and those made her grin softly, but also gave her a weirdly happy, almost proud, feeling:

“Your princess?”

“Mhmm,” Melie nodded proudly and chuckled quietly, being even prouder of Amicia’s increasing blush when she gave her cheek a light peck, “Mine.”

The brunette’s blush didn’t derive from feeling embarrassed, but rather from the rising and increasing happy feeling which made her smile and laugh softly.

“You can’t just claim people, you know?”

“But I don’t claim anything or anyone, you know that,” The thief grinned at her and chuckled even more when she saw Amicia jokingly rolling her eyes like before.

Amicia laughed softly after rolling her eyes and poked Melie’s cheek lightly “You still can’t do that~”

Melie blinked a bit confused at first, taken a bit off guard by the poke, before she regained her grin.

“Oh I can. I’m a thief, princess~ I take what’s mine. And you-”

The thief purposely paused to pull Amicia into a tight hug and whisper into her ear again to provoke another shiver: “are mine.”

“Guess it can’t helped, huh?” Amicia laughed softly and cuddled herself against Melie, showing that she didn’t mind what the thief said at all, “It’s adorable in a way.”

“Thought I was Melie the Fury? How does that go together with adorable?” Melie shook her head while starting to laugh quietly.

Amicia gave her a soft grin in return and jokingly shrugged her shoulders “It just does with you~”

The thief didn’t give her an answer, instead she simply buried her face into Amicia’s hair to contain herself from laughing more. But instead of a louder laugh, there was a soft yawn escaping from Melie’s lips.

“You should go to sleep if you’re that tired,” Amicia carefully tried to turn around to smile at the sleepy thief; gladly said thief loosened her hug to be faced by her personal princess.

“Mhm- but you too. Guess we both need to get some sleep, hm?”

The De Rune woman nodded in agreement, being silent at first as she was thinking about something before answering her partner: “It must have gotten very late, I really forgot the time… but if you want- then you… could sleep here next to me.”

But much to the brunettes amazement, Melie didn’t seem to be surprised by that offer  at all. The thief actually showed her a confident smile and pulled Amicia down with herself on the improvised bed while chuckling softly.

“D’you really think I’d move up and go to my own place if I can stay comfortable with you right here?”

Amicia was slightly flustered at lying on top of Melie and carefully rolled down next to her to ease the upcoming blush, making sure to face the thief’s happy face: “I could have guessed that at least. But I like it really.”

“Come here then,” Melie chuckled quietly and wrapped her arms around Amicia to pull her close to herself; getting a proud smile on her face as well when she felt the other woman hugging her tightly back.

But Amicia couldn’t sleep just yet; she still had one last thing on her mind.

“Melie…” She moved a bit closer to the thief and looked at her, internally sighing relieved when she saw Melie curiously looking at her to show that she’s listening, “What does this… make us now?”

The thief immediately understood what she meant and got a small smile:

“What do you think?”

Receiving this question return gave Amicia a thoughtful look on her face and made her silent for a while to think about the answer. She felt conflicted; while there was a deep hope burning inside of her, there also was an equally deep worry of that her hope might not come true.

So her answer was a simple and quiet “I’m… not sure...”

Melie watched her counterpart with a curious and examining look on her face and sighed softly at her answer.

She guessed that Amicia did have an idea and simply was too afraid or embarrassed to say it. But she didn’t want to see Amicia so worked up about that inner conflict, so she decided to encourage her with straight up telling her own hope, also hoping to make her less thoughtful and more cheerful with it:

“I think lovers sounds pretty accurate, doesn’t it?”

The moment Amicia heard the word ‘lovers’ leaving Melie’s lips, was the moment where a deep blush crept on her face. She had to admit that it did perfectly fit all her hopes the more she thought about it. But it still sounded a bit odd in her ears for a reason.

“Doesn’t it sound a bit scandalous…?”

Melie laughed quietly and shook her head before reaching her hand out to cup Amicia’s cheek.

“Not to me. Try concentrating on the ‘love’ in it, that’ll definitely make it sound better if the thought alone doesn’t.”

The noble woman laughed softly as well and nodded, making sure to still whisper despite being so joyful: “If you think of it like that… then it really sounds marvelous…!”

“’Course, milady.” The female thief watched her lover with a proud smile and nodded, her hand moving to Amicia’s back again “Just have to trust me in being right sometimes~”

“Of course-” Amicia giggled softly and nodded once more, before a thought crossed her mind “Even though we could probably seen as something scandalous by others, but still-”

Melie shrugged with her shoulders and kept on smiling at her “D’you mind that though? ‘Cause I don’t, at all.”

“Not even one bit,” Amicia smiled proudly back at the thief while stretching a bit to get more comfortable.

“Good. Can’t let anyone take that from us,” The orange haired woman chuckled quietly before she started to relax a bit into the fur on the floor.

“Of course,” there was a soft giggle coming from the brunette before she placed her head right next to Melies, “Melie the Fury and Amicia the Amazon won’t let anyone take their joyful relationship.”

“Never ever,” Melie nodded happily in agreement and pulled her lover close before slowly drifting into sleep.

The last things you could hear in the room were only whispers, barely noticeable:

“Good night… my lover.”

“Mhm… good night, princess.”

Before it got quiet. And before a new day was awaiting the small group.

The end

[edgeray]

Hello Ray! (The anon who sent over the mad scientist! Reader + Arlevie and domestic Arle req here)

I realised that I forgot to put an emoji that you can use to ref to me, apologies (am too used to disappearing into the background irl). Can I be 🍅 anon?

The fluff on your work made me scream. Arle pouting? (Though I imagine it’s only visible to reader and the children from how subtle it would be, she’s not very expressive to begin with) Arle being soft?? Yes please, oh my goodness. She needs a lover, therapy, and proper rest (Have you seen her eyebags? 😭 They were there on young Arle too post Clervie death, she needs sleep)

“Let Mother take care of Father” I AM SOBBING. CRYING. TEARS OF JOY- it’s so soft!!!! She definitely deserves the care and oh boy is reader intending to spoil Arle. Especially with the children around. Loving parents who care for their children and nurture them properly? Sign me up!! Even if said children have to look the other way or pass the eye bleach around from their parents being soft around each other.

Though I do imagine it’s reader who starts the bathing together routine and not Arle - she might be conscious of her hands (which reader would absolutely not mind but treasure instead). I was thinking that it took a while before Arle felt comfortable enough to wear anything less than formal attire around reader, and the first time is when reader joins in on Arle working out. If reader were from HotH and saw Arle from young, it might have taken less time to get less formally dressed, but the bathing part is definitely reader initiated. Can totally see this becoming a habit of reader’s to ask if Arle’s ok with it/wants it though! It probably takes longer still for Arle to initiate it, but they definitely have it like in the fic. Just toothrotting fluff and adoration for one another.

Did I tell you I love the way you write Arle and reader? I love your characterisation of them!!! Although Arle is soft here in the way she isn’t really in canon (soft from romance I mean not soft as a character) it isn’t in an ooc manner!

On the Arlevie, my original hc was that reader is a homunculus similar to Albedo, and that they were from Khaenri’ah and were well versed in Khemia (that they then use to make the body that Clervie now is revived in, similar to how Albedo was created). To be honest, I based the Irminsul idea heavily off of the Aranara saying “We shall meet again in Sarva (Irminsul)” so my guess was that that is where the spirits of Teyvatians ultimately congregate when they die.

As for why reader did it, it’s based heavily off Frieren, that reader wants to learn more about humans and thinks that living the life of one would help them understand. And since Arle runs an orphanage as a single parent (effectively), reader revives Clervie to use as a bargaining chip to enter the HotH and live as a human child with both parents. As for the “mad” part of “mad scientist”, I was thinking more mad as in “not caring what the heavenly principles does to them and willing to try anything” than the “clinically insane/batshit crazy” interpretation, though I really do love to see it being explored (I might submit more hcs here, once irl life stops tying me down)

I absolutely love your idea of childhood friends!Arlevie and reader that you mentioned though!!! It gives a lot of meaning to why reader went insane - Clervie being the only person who could hold down and convert two borderline psychopaths would be a very Clervie thing! Though I would assume reader in this case would come under Dottore as an experimental subject (one who just happened to survive his experiments, albeit not being very human anymore) Reader totally seeing the gay before Arlevie even did, and when they come back from getting lobotomized by Dottore to find Clervie dead and Arle going feral they just snap.

This one is a bit long, it’s not a request but just some thoughts, feel free to build on it or stash it elsewhere for later use (idm, it’s always lovely to read, and that goes for anyone else who sees this)

But please rest up Ray! It’s always nice to have you around so do take care of yourself! Stay safe, hydrated, well nourished, and may the pillow be cold and the covers snug!

🍅 anon, hi, nice to meet you!!!! I'm glad you liked the silly little thing I wrote at like 3AM. I agree with you on the fact that reader does start the bathing together routine! The idea of Arlecchino slowly becoming comfortable with you, exposing her cursed body to you after months of insecurity and hesitation... makes me so soggy 🥹. I'm eating this up. I really want to write another piece of just this. Arlecchino deserves more hurt/comfort fics. Guys, she's fucking daddy and hot af but she is also a sad little meow meow, and we should better take advantage of this. 🥺

I'm glad you love the way I characterize Arlecchino and reader!!! I'm such a sucker for soft Arlecchino... of course, I will always love mean arlecchino (if the mafia au oneshot wasn't telling enough).

And ooooh for the arlevie, I love your ideas, especially the Frieren part. Thank you for the clarification on 'mad' for reader. I love your ramblings even though some of the lore flies by my head. 🫶

Thanks for the ask 🍅 anon!