The Chief Justices Assistant (Neuvillette x Reader)

Coffee and Cake

Neuvillette stirred, waking up to the sound of a Melusine skipping through the hallway in the Palais Memonia after she ended her shift. As he regained consciousness, his foggy vision cleared to see a plain paper bag with a navy bow with swirls of gold detail wrapped around one of the handles. A note hung from the end of the bows tail:

"How was your sleep, Monsieur? Here are some sweets and refreshments as a small gift because your trial went so well. Have you ever tried filtered Snezhnayan defrosted water?" A small heart and a few illustrations of fireworks were dotted around the note.

Neuvillette smiled. Very few people in Fontaine, let alone Teyvat, treated him with the kindness he deserves. The two most notable now were the Traveler and his assistant. How did she know my favourite colours are navy and gold? It must have been a coincidence surely... Neuvillette speculated.

He carefully undid the nicely wrapped bow and rewrapped it around a crystal wine glass stem before turning his eyes back to the paper bag. Inside were the assortment of macarons with different colours and different flavours of fillings to try. Two small bottles of foreign water were in there too, with one of them being a Snezhnayan bottle of water Y/N thought would be a good idea to try.

He took the glass water bottle labelled "Snezhnaya" out of the bag to drink and stood up to place the bag on a nearby surface, but then he heard his stomach squeal and squirm, and decided to grab a plate to place some of the treats onto. Neuvillette didn't really have a taste for certain foods as he was known to not indulge in different cuisines, but he was happy that Y/N had thought of him, nonetheless. His room was uncomfortably lit, so he took a stroll outside.

~ ~ ~

The crisp, cold air filled Neuvillette's lungs as he inhaled to the fascinating sight of the Central Laboratory Ruins. It was not a sight he was unfamiliar with, but it surprised him every time how it looked so peaceful at night. Usually, his thoughts on it were overall negative, as it was a disruption to the forces of nature, but somehow to him it felt just right when the stars twinkled behind the floating bodies of water.

Feet draped over the edge, and hair just touching the ground of a platform to the side of the Palais Memonia he thought of how grateful he was to have someone on his side who thinks about his needs outside of the workplace.

And then it clicked.

He hadn't realised before that the pillow that was on his desk was placed by Y/N, he had only had the fleeting thought that he placed it himself in a sleepy state that he could not remember, but for him to not remember would be near impossible as the pillow was originally situated by the door of his office, and he would not have made the effort himself in that state.

Thinking about this fact made a warm buzz grow inside of his chest, something that was very unusual to feel for him when facing kindness. He would have thought about it more, but the feeling was interrupted by Sedene waving him over.

"Monsieur! It is much too late, why are you out here! It's past midnight."

"Sedene, do not worry about me, I am perfectly fine out here. While you are here, have a look in this direction. Isn't the old central laboratory just perfect at night?"

"Might I remind you Monsieur, I am a Melusine, I have different tastes when it comes to aesthetics, so to me, it just looks darker to what it is in the daytime."

"Ah I see. I would assume it is the same for other humans too. Also, do you have somewhere to be? I am sorry for holding you up. I was just interested in how other beings viewed it at night."

"I apologise, Monsieur. I am to be seen at Poisson in half an hour, and the rail is down so I have to make it by foot. But I appreciate this talk with you."