Furina gazed at the watery words on the rainbow, memories flooding back as tears she had barely held back threatened to spill over once more.
Yet when she looked at Lucian and noticed the exaggerated "JOJO lines" on his face, she burst into laughter instead. "Pfft—so silly!"
The melancholy that had weighed on her earlier had completely dissipated in the company of Lucian and the others.
"Lucian, why aren't you praising me too?" Lumine waved her hand.
Her voice wasn't loud, and with the curtains already drawn, the audience out front remained unaware of the backstage happenings.
Lumine insisted: Sure, I only appeared for a brief moment, just pulling Furina up, but this was my debut performance! My very first stage appearance!
I was so nervous my lips twitched and my hands shook—how could you not encourage me?!
"Lumine was amazing too!" Lucian naturally didn't withhold his praise.
"Then you have to write a song for me next time!" Lumine grinned.
"Uh..." Lucian rubbed his temples. Composing songs really wasn't his forte.
Blame it on his habit of humming while writing—everyone who spent time with him assumed he was some musical genius.
"Nuh-uh! If anyone gets a song first, it should be the Big Boss!" Hu Tao interjected.
"Then I'll take second place," Navia chuckled.
"Does that make me Third Boss?" Ayaka pondered.
During his time in Inazuma, Lucian had stayed at the Kamisato Estate. To justify freeloading, he'd taken on the honorary title of "Kamisato Clan Strategist."
Lucian's stance: I collect salaries from three wealthy lady bosses but do zero actual work.
"Hey, I did most of the heavy lifting! Why wasn't I included in the benefits?" Mona protested.
"Wait, isn't Furina the Hydro Archon? Why couldn't she manipulate the water herself?" Mona spotted the inconsistency.
Ahem. "T-that's obviously because—because—" Furina's eyes darted to Lucian for help.
Lucian smoothly covered: "Because Furina channels most of her power into the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale."
"Right, right!" Furina nodded vigorously, pointing as if to say Exactly that!
"Oh?" Mona accepted the explanation—it made sense, given the Oratrice's miraculous nature.
Most of Fontaine's energy indeed originated from that device; it was clearly no ordinary artifact.
"THE ORATRICE MECANIQUE D'ANALYSE CARDINALE!" Fischl struck a JOJO pose learned from Lucian, visibly thrilled by the grandiose name.
Arms crossed asymmetrically, hips cocked, head tilted with a dramatic sidelong glance.
"THE MACHINE THAT ADJUDICATES FATE AND PASSES JUDGMENT UPON SIN! AH—! THE HYDRO ARCHON OF FONTAINE, SO YOU TOO ARE ONE WHO CAN RENDER VERDICT!"
Furina: "Huh?"
Pretty sure I'm the God of Justice...?
Mona sighed. "Little—ahem—Your Highness, perhaps temper your enthusiasm before the Archon?"
Though they'd all grown close these past days, they were still in Fontaine, and offending an Archon—even accidentally—could land them in trouble.
"Mm. The benedictions of Magister Monet, this Prinzessin shall heed." Fischl complied, dialing back her theatrics.
No more JOJO poses—instead, her small hands fidgeted before her chest, fingertips tapping together nervously as she stole glances at Lucian.
Noticing this, Lucian couldn't resist teasing: "Does Your Majesty have a decree?"
"Eh?!" Fischl startled at being addressed as "Majesty"—a leap from "Prinzessin" to full-blown Empress!
Ahem. "Lord Shikikan... hast thou composed a hymn of benediction for this Prinzessin?"
Lucian fell silent. Another song request? "Your Imperial Majesty's glory outshines this lowly subject's meager talents. How could I possibly craft a worthy hymn?"
"!" Fischl stiffened, torn between protesting and basking in the elevated title.
Her hesitation cost her the chance to retort—Arlecchino and Neuvillette had arrived.
Having watched from the audience seats, the two took longer to reach backstage.
"A splendid collaboration, Mr. Lucian. I'd welcome the chance to partner for a magic performance next time," Lyney said first.
While the stage design was his and Lynette's brainchild, its flawless execution owed much to Lucian's team's skill and synergy.
"Next time, definitely," Lucian brushed him off—though Teyvat natives couldn't detect sarcasm, so Lyney took it to heart.
Meanwhile, Furina had hidden behind Lucian, praying the "Dark Version of Eula" wouldn't spot her.
Arlecchino noticed immediately. That towering "blueberry cupcake" was hard to miss—even with Lucian blocking her, her ahoge bobbed conspicuously.
"Lady Furina's performance was... profoundly moving," Arlecchino said, softening her tone as much as possible.
Furina's ahoge shot upright—she'd been caught.
Ahem. "Good day, Harbinger of the Fatui." Furina mustered polite decorum.
Arlecchino nodded. She'd genuinely loved the performance, especially the finale, which stirred old memories.
Had she any interest in theater, she might've even joined Furina onstage.
Thankfully she didn't—imagine the sheer horror if Furina, sinking into the "abyss," saw Arlecchino's hand reaching down instead.
Those crimson eyes locking onto her as she "rescued" her—the hilarity would be unmatched.
...Ahem. I mean, the terror would be unmatched.
Then again, if anyone needed "saving," it'd be Arlecchino herself. Maybe they could recruit Yae Miko for a cameo—both were pink-haired, after all.
Picture Yae extending her hand while cooing: "Repeat after me: One-two-three, three-two-one, ah-ah-ah~"
Now that's a seamless narrative.
Neuvillette, who'd arrived with Arlecchino, offered no lengthy commentary—just a nod of approval to Furina.
"Mr. Lucian, I'd like a private word when convenient," Neuvillette said.
Arlecchino sighed. Hey, that's my line.
While the Tsaritsa hadn't yet decided on Lucian's proposal, all the Harbingers knew its contents.
As the executor of Fontaine operations, Arlecchino had intended to discuss it—especially since Lucian's terms practically demanded her future compliance.
P.S. Clorinde also played a vital role—as the lighting technician.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice: Clorinde – About 'Deep-Sea Girl'
"Sinking into the depths, swallowed by darkness... What would I do? Hmm. Reminds me of what Lucian once said when wielding Electro: 'Shatter the darkness with thunder.'"