[ Zhongli is not nearly so unkind or uncharitable as to be pleased by Furina's reaction. Even so, after Venti's utter lack of surprise at learning he was still alive there's something almost refreshing about Furina's comparative shock.
And she does an admirable job keeping her composure. So Zhongli, at least, doesn't feel that his trust in her has been misplaced so far—an assumption that's only reinforced when she starts to confess to the intricacies of her situation. He doesn't go so far as to interrupt her, but he does interject as she trails off. ]
I have some understanding of the circumstances surrounding your tenure as Archon.
[ News from Fontaine tends to spread far and fast, given the dedication of the journalists at the Steambird. That's without even considering a certain mutual acquaintance of theirs. ]
Such a complicated discussion can be saved for after dinner, if you wish.
[ Or saved for never, frankly. It's not like Zhongli is planning to give her all of the prolonged details leading up to his decision fake his death any time soon. ]
[ Realization dawns upon her features more pronounced and apparent than before. Not only did he know of her situation, but he knows and is still willing to even speak with her about it? That leaves her with more to process than perhaps it rightly should, but she still hardly sees herself as anything of an Archon at all. Is he doing this out of some sense of goodwill towards the god of justice? Yet as far as she knew, Focalors had never met any of the Seven.
How complicated she has already made the matter in her mind is a clear sign that they probably should wait until after dinner to speak of it more, and that's what polite etiquette would have her do. Still, this is an opportunity she could have never expected to be afforded, so before they close the book on the matter— ]
No, I...I don't mind, really. To be honest, your perspective on matters might be rather refreshing, after enduring the backlash from my dear Fontanians. [ She bears them no ill will, for they only saw what was before them, a sham, and not the drama that played out behind the masquerade. ] It's more that I...
[ Hm. How to put it... ]
I am only due so much credit in a plan that was laid out masterfully by Focalors herself. She was the still the authority, the Archon, while I was a figurehead.
Furina is correct that Zhongli never met Focalors, and he's never so much as heard anything about her secondhand. Even before the Cataclysm Zhongli rarely had need to leave Liyue. Afterwards he had even less cause to depart, and his contact with the new and remaining Archons had been sparse for a variety of reasons. It's really only Barbatos that could have been a reliable source of information, and 'reliable' isn't a word that belongs in the same sentence as his name.
The point is that his impression of her thus far has him expecting a response with more ego and bombast, even given how sedate she's behaved during this conversation thus far. Curiosity flickers across his expression when she immediately sidesteps taking credit for any part of Focalor's scheme. ]
I see. So your actions in that time were directed by her?
That's correct. I only spoke to her once, when she first created me, but — ahaha. I suppose she would know better than anyone, just what to tell me so that I would play my part to perfection.
[ And so she had, though it nearly was not so. Had thought it not so, and had feared she had failed Focalors, failed everyone until the moment she stepped out of the Opera Epiclese to clear skies a purified people. At the very least, she can allow herself a small kernel of pride, of having stayed fast to her path until the bitter end.
Her stubbornness has always been noteworthy, after all... ]
Now, I am no different from any other human. [ A little flourish of her hand. ] The curtain fell on the greatest drama Fontaine has ever witnessed. Are you familiar with Monsieur Neuvillette? The authority of Hydro now resides with him.
[ As it always should have been, though many of the details of Focalors' plan and Neuvillette's power remain lost on her. She suspects Zhongli must at least be familiar with him by name, as one of the dragon sovereign. ]
[ Furina says, That's correct, and then immediately follows up by admitting she's spoken to Focalors all of once in 500 years. Which is not quite what Zhongli had meant when he said 'directed'. It seems his understanding of Furina is even less complete than he'd realized.
He wants to press further, but before he can the conversation turns to the subject of the new Hydro Archon. And that, too, is a subject he very much wants to dig into. Compared to his understanding of Furina and her situation he actually knows very little about Neuvilette. Without his Gnosis any information he wants to gather on him will have to be done the hard way. Though perhaps not so hard with such a willing conversation partner. ]
I've never had the opportunity to meet the Chief Justice in person, but I have heard a great deal about him. Given the length of his tenure as a judge, I can't imagine there's anyone more suitable to inherit the Hydro authority.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
for precipitous
[ Zhongli is not nearly so unkind or uncharitable as to be pleased by Furina's reaction. Even so, after Venti's utter lack of surprise at learning he was still alive there's something almost refreshing about Furina's comparative shock.
And she does an admirable job keeping her composure. So Zhongli, at least, doesn't feel that his trust in her has been misplaced so far—an assumption that's only reinforced when she starts to confess to the intricacies of her situation. He doesn't go so far as to interrupt her, but he does interject as she trails off. ]
I have some understanding of the circumstances surrounding your tenure as Archon.
[ News from Fontaine tends to spread far and fast, given the dedication of the journalists at the Steambird. That's without even considering a certain mutual acquaintance of theirs. ]
Such a complicated discussion can be saved for after dinner, if you wish.
[ Or saved for never, frankly. It's not like Zhongli is planning to give her all of the prolonged details leading up to his decision fake his death any time soon. ]
no subject
How complicated she has already made the matter in her mind is a clear sign that they probably should wait until after dinner to speak of it more, and that's what polite etiquette would have her do. Still, this is an opportunity she could have never expected to be afforded, so before they close the book on the matter— ]
No, I...I don't mind, really. To be honest, your perspective on matters might be rather refreshing, after enduring the backlash from my dear Fontanians. [ She bears them no ill will, for they only saw what was before them, a sham, and not the drama that played out behind the masquerade. ] It's more that I...
[ Hm. How to put it... ]
I am only due so much credit in a plan that was laid out masterfully by Focalors herself. She was the still the authority, the Archon, while I was a figurehead.
no subject
Furina is correct that Zhongli never met Focalors, and he's never so much as heard anything about her secondhand. Even before the Cataclysm Zhongli rarely had need to leave Liyue. Afterwards he had even less cause to depart, and his contact with the new and remaining Archons had been sparse for a variety of reasons. It's really only Barbatos that could have been a reliable source of information, and 'reliable' isn't a word that belongs in the same sentence as his name.
The point is that his impression of her thus far has him expecting a response with more ego and bombast, even given how sedate she's behaved during this conversation thus far. Curiosity flickers across his expression when she immediately sidesteps taking credit for any part of Focalor's scheme. ]
I see. So your actions in that time were directed by her?
no subject
[ And so she had, though it nearly was not so. Had thought it not so, and had feared she had failed Focalors, failed everyone until the moment she stepped out of the Opera Epiclese to clear skies a purified people. At the very least, she can allow herself a small kernel of pride, of having stayed fast to her path until the bitter end.
Her stubbornness has always been noteworthy, after all... ]
Now, I am no different from any other human. [ A little flourish of her hand. ] The curtain fell on the greatest drama Fontaine has ever witnessed. Are you familiar with Monsieur Neuvillette? The authority of Hydro now resides with him.
[ As it always should have been, though many of the details of Focalors' plan and Neuvillette's power remain lost on her. She suspects Zhongli must at least be familiar with him by name, as one of the dragon sovereign. ]
no subject
He wants to press further, but before he can the conversation turns to the subject of the new Hydro Archon. And that, too, is a subject he very much wants to dig into. Compared to his understanding of Furina and her situation he actually knows very little about Neuvilette. Without his Gnosis any information he wants to gather on him will have to be done the hard way. Though perhaps not so hard with such a willing conversation partner. ]
I've never had the opportunity to meet the Chief Justice in person, but I have heard a great deal about him. Given the length of his tenure as a judge, I can't imagine there's anyone more suitable to inherit the Hydro authority.