[Navia goes on and Neuvillette listens. He will not correct her where she's wrong, simply because the things that she has wrong are not things that will cause her harm by being incorrect.]
Miss Navia... I am quite sure I have never known you to take quite so long to get to the point you wish to make.
[Not that seeing the way she is working towards her conclusion is not fascinating in its own way but Neuvillette has known for some minutes already just what it is that she intends to ask him, and already knows what his answer will be.
His being the Sovereign Hydro Dragon has never been a secret, not really. It's just something that never gets talked about, something Neuvillette does not talk about, and certainly not a thing that anyone ever asks him about. How would someone begin a conversation like that with Fontaine's Iudex, after all? Surely it would be the epitome of disrespect. It is wearying though, sometimes... Wearying, and isolating.]
But yes, you are once again correct in your assertions.
[ Navia feels her cheeks heat up a little when Neuvillette points out how exceptionally long it is taking her to come to her point. He knows her quick wit just as well as anyone else who has seen her argue in court, after all. But this somehow feels bigger than anything else she's ever addressed with him before— perhaps because it's about him, and something she technically has no right to ask of him, something that were they still in Fontaine she wouldn't even be considering asking him... ]
U-um. Yes, I apologize, I just wanted to be sure I covered all the bases properly—
[ And truth be told, there are actually more points she could make, more thoughts she could assert before asking that one final question. But she understands the implication in his words, to some extent, and so she's silent for a moment, breathing in a deep sigh as she hesitates over the right way to say the words. ]
Monsieur Neuvillette, what I mean to ask is—
[ But the problem is, there's no right way to say it when you're asking something so personal; for a moment, Navia flounders, her voice making small sounds with no follow-up, her hand fluttering in hesitation. Perhaps this is wrong of her to ask—
(But he saved her. He saved the Court. He would have saved them too, if he could have.)
[It's a far cry from how direct the Traveller had been in questioning him about his origins. Neuvillette had been surprised by the ease with which Lumine had pinpointed exactly what he was and had not moved to deny it when he was asked and it doesn't bother him that Navia asks him about it now.
Perhaps it might be time, even if it's only in this place, to allow a few more people in on the 'secret'.
Even now, though, she asks rather than asserts. Although he is sure that she already knows the answer to the question, she still gives him the opportunity to deny it without argument. Neuvillette exhales a soft breath through his nose and chuckles as he turns his body to angle it more directly towards his companion. His hands clasp loosely in his lap. He wonders if she is truly prepared to hear it, despite her being the one to open the topic.
"Dragonheirs of the Depths have evolved to wield the power of other elements and have hence lost their purity. As such, the Dragon of Water will no longer be born from among their ranks."]
I am.
["Prophecy holds that the Sovereign Dragon of Water will be born in a human form."]
[ It's strange for Navia, too— not the fact that she's asking, but the fact that she's been so round-about in how she's asked. It's like Neuvillette said— he's never known her to take so long to get to the point. So she asks, even though she's sure she knows the answer already, and when he answers, there's no surprise on her face or in her form.
Nor is there the immediate gratitude that she thought would follow, the answer to a suspicion long held of the ways in which he was her— their— savior.
What she feels instead is a deep, bone-wrenching sorrow, a feeling that comes quite out of nowhere to assault her heart, leaving her sitting in silence for a moment or two as she considers what it means— ]
I'm sorry. [ Of course, she knows nothing of the prophecy, nothing of why he holds a human form and walks among them rather than among his own kin, but— ] It must have been terribly lonely.
[ Then, of course, if one adds together all those little moments— when she accused him of having no feelings at all, right before it started to rain... when it rained the day her father died, and for a week after he was exonerated... all those other times that the skies have opened after a sentencing...
She takes a deep breath, and then reaches out, covering his clasped hands with one of hers. ]
Was it lonely? Could he really say that it was? The early years of his life are hazy and vague, though not so much as what came before, but he does not really recall a time when he noticed what humans would call loneliness until recently. He had thought for a while that it was because he did not understand humans and their emotions, the way they experienced life, but it had been his own carefully constructed isolation that had kept him from becoming truly cognizant of such things.
In more recent days... People call on him, he has what he might even venture to call 'friends', and he does note their absence when he does not see them for a while. He does not have to be alone anymore, and in knowing that... he has come to realise what loneliness actually is.
His thoughts churn, then abruptly still when he feels the warm touch of Navia's hand on top of his. Neuvillette looks down, surprised, and then back up at Navia's face.]
My isolation was mostly of my own design. [He tells her carefully, quietly, so aware of the way his skin is tingling under her palm.] There were many reasons why I could not allow myself to grow too fond of the people of Fontaine... though it would seem that I did, regardless.
[He did, and then he saved them all. Just as Focalors had always known he would.]
[ Her head tilts, a curious expression on her face for a moment— before she nods. ]
You were our judge first and foremost, our Chief Justice, our Iudex.
[ And then in the end, he'd had to judge them all.
She noticed, of course, the momentary surprise on his face. She says nothing of it, though, instead just offering him a small smile, her hand staying put and resting over his. ]
I suppose, if we were in Fontaine, that would still be true. [ Especially for someone like her. The Spina operate mostly within the law, but they've been known to bend it here and there as needed to get results, something by which she knows the Chief Justice could not and would not abide. ]
But we're not, so...
[ A breath as she considers the words. They feel hard somehow, more weighted than she would like for a question so ostensibly simple. ]
Monsieur Neuvillette, will you allow me to be your friend? I have found myself terribly short of them, you see— [ a soft, wet laugh ] —and so it seems we may have something in common.
[As the Iudex, Neuvillette was bound to uphold the letter of the law no matter how much it might pain him to do so. With the loss of the Oratrice that duty now weighed even more heavily upon him, even if the people of Fontaine trusted him to be fair and reasonable in his judgements, and he would be lying if he said it had not been something that troubled him at first.
He watches Navia's face as she speaks, easily seeing the emotion behind her words. She has never been one to hide her feelings even when speaking with him, even if he has often struggled to interpret her actions towards him, but he still finds himself a little surprised by her question.]
I would be honoured to have your friendship, though I had been under the impression that it was something we already shared.
[Had he misinterpreted..? Perhaps, but he had felt a sense of camaraderie with her since the true resolution of her father's case.
His head cocks just slightly, curious.]
But if you need it to be put into words, consider it done.
[ His words make her smile; he may be surprised at the genuine fondness in the expression as her fingers squeeze gently over his hands, as she shakes her head.
Then, when he clarifies, she laughs, her expression somewhat abashed. ]
Mm, I suppose that's more what I meant. Truth be told, I have considered you among my friends for a while now. But...
[ It feels silly for her to admit, but she wanted him to know it as much as she wanted it confirmed out loud for herself. Something nice for each of them to know for certain. ]
It makes me glad to know that you consider us friends already, Monsieur Neuvillette. Especially here, I think... it's nice to know that we can stick together.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2024-02-03 02:12 am (UTC)Miss Navia... I am quite sure I have never known you to take quite so long to get to the point you wish to make.
[Not that seeing the way she is working towards her conclusion is not fascinating in its own way but Neuvillette has known for some minutes already just what it is that she intends to ask him, and already knows what his answer will be.
His being the Sovereign Hydro Dragon has never been a secret, not really. It's just something that never gets talked about, something Neuvillette does not talk about, and certainly not a thing that anyone ever asks him about. How would someone begin a conversation like that with Fontaine's Iudex, after all? Surely it would be the epitome of disrespect. It is wearying though, sometimes... Wearying, and isolating.]
But yes, you are once again correct in your assertions.
no subject
Date: 2024-02-07 01:05 am (UTC)U-um. Yes, I apologize, I just wanted to be sure I covered all the bases properly—
[ And truth be told, there are actually more points she could make, more thoughts she could assert before asking that one final question. But she understands the implication in his words, to some extent, and so she's silent for a moment, breathing in a deep sigh as she hesitates over the right way to say the words. ]
Monsieur Neuvillette, what I mean to ask is—
[ But the problem is, there's no right way to say it when you're asking something so personal; for a moment, Navia flounders, her voice making small sounds with no follow-up, her hand fluttering in hesitation. Perhaps this is wrong of her to ask—
(But he saved her. He saved the Court. He would have saved them too, if he could have.)
—but she has to know. ]
Are... are you the Hydro Dragon?
no subject
Date: 2024-02-12 01:44 am (UTC)Perhaps it might be time, even if it's only in this place, to allow a few more people in on the 'secret'.
Even now, though, she asks rather than asserts. Although he is sure that she already knows the answer to the question, she still gives him the opportunity to deny it without argument. Neuvillette exhales a soft breath through his nose and chuckles as he turns his body to angle it more directly towards his companion. His hands clasp loosely in his lap. He wonders if she is truly prepared to hear it, despite her being the one to open the topic.
"Dragonheirs of the Depths have evolved to wield the power of other elements and have hence lost their purity. As such, the Dragon of Water will no longer be born from among their ranks."]
I am.
["Prophecy holds that the Sovereign Dragon of Water will be born in a human form."]
no subject
Date: 2024-02-19 11:22 am (UTC)Nor is there the immediate gratitude that she thought would follow, the answer to a suspicion long held of the ways in which he was her— their— savior.
What she feels instead is a deep, bone-wrenching sorrow, a feeling that comes quite out of nowhere to assault her heart, leaving her sitting in silence for a moment or two as she considers what it means— ]
I'm sorry. [ Of course, she knows nothing of the prophecy, nothing of why he holds a human form and walks among them rather than among his own kin, but— ] It must have been terribly lonely.
[ Then, of course, if one adds together all those little moments— when she accused him of having no feelings at all, right before it started to rain... when it rained the day her father died, and for a week after he was exonerated... all those other times that the skies have opened after a sentencing...
She takes a deep breath, and then reaches out, covering his clasped hands with one of hers. ]
no subject
Date: 2024-02-27 09:24 pm (UTC)Was it lonely? Could he really say that it was? The early years of his life are hazy and vague, though not so much as what came before, but he does not really recall a time when he noticed what humans would call loneliness until recently. He had thought for a while that it was because he did not understand humans and their emotions, the way they experienced life, but it had been his own carefully constructed isolation that had kept him from becoming truly cognizant of such things.
In more recent days... People call on him, he has what he might even venture to call 'friends', and he does note their absence when he does not see them for a while. He does not have to be alone anymore, and in knowing that... he has come to realise what loneliness actually is.
His thoughts churn, then abruptly still when he feels the warm touch of Navia's hand on top of his. Neuvillette looks down, surprised, and then back up at Navia's face.]
My isolation was mostly of my own design. [He tells her carefully, quietly, so aware of the way his skin is tingling under her palm.] There were many reasons why I could not allow myself to grow too fond of the people of Fontaine... though it would seem that I did, regardless.
[He did, and then he saved them all. Just as Focalors had always known he would.]
no subject
Date: 2024-03-30 10:46 am (UTC)You were our judge first and foremost, our Chief Justice, our Iudex.
[ And then in the end, he'd had to judge them all.
She noticed, of course, the momentary surprise on his face. She says nothing of it, though, instead just offering him a small smile, her hand staying put and resting over his. ]
I suppose, if we were in Fontaine, that would still be true. [ Especially for someone like her. The Spina operate mostly within the law, but they've been known to bend it here and there as needed to get results, something by which she knows the Chief Justice could not and would not abide. ]
But we're not, so...
[ A breath as she considers the words. They feel hard somehow, more weighted than she would like for a question so ostensibly simple. ]
Monsieur Neuvillette, will you allow me to be your friend? I have found myself terribly short of them, you see— [ a soft, wet laugh ] —and so it seems we may have something in common.
no subject
Date: 2024-04-06 09:50 pm (UTC)He watches Navia's face as she speaks, easily seeing the emotion behind her words. She has never been one to hide her feelings even when speaking with him, even if he has often struggled to interpret her actions towards him, but he still finds himself a little surprised by her question.]
I would be honoured to have your friendship, though I had been under the impression that it was something we already shared.
[Had he misinterpreted..? Perhaps, but he had felt a sense of camaraderie with her since the true resolution of her father's case.
His head cocks just slightly, curious.]
But if you need it to be put into words, consider it done.
no subject
Date: 2024-04-25 09:03 am (UTC)Then, when he clarifies, she laughs, her expression somewhat abashed. ]
Mm, I suppose that's more what I meant. Truth be told, I have considered you among my friends for a while now. But...
[ It feels silly for her to admit, but she wanted him to know it as much as she wanted it confirmed out loud for herself. Something nice for each of them to know for certain. ]
It makes me glad to know that you consider us friends already, Monsieur Neuvillette. Especially here, I think... it's nice to know that we can stick together.