Another story

Volume 3 act 3 part 1, a 'normal' perfumer

As the sun rose over Fontaine and the city slowly came to life, Guizhong awoke to find Sans sitting at the desk, his eyes fixed on the note he had shown her the previous night.

"Good morning," Sans greeted, shifting his gaze toward her, trying to seem as though he'd slept. "Did you sleep well?"

"It was nice, but... did you even sleep?" she asked, her voice soft but steady. "You know, it wouldn't be great if you started running yourself ragged over this."

"I did. Just woke up early, that's all. If I hadn't slept, you'd see dark circles under my eyes, right?" He replied with a lighthearted grin.

Guizhong studied him for a moment and smiled. "I suppose you're right,"

Sans tucked the note away and glanced at the door. "Looks like it's about time."

"For the meeting with Chevreuse, right?" Guizhong asked, already rising to follow him.

He nodded. Guizhong fell into step beside him. Though no one else could see or interact with her, she had come to terms with it. The one thing that mattered was that Sans could, as if she were as real as anyone.

As expected, Chevreuse soon arrived with Aether and a new face in tow, while Sans was calmly sipping his morning coffee. smirking as he saw another unfamiliar face with them.

"Who's the new girl?" Sans chuckled, casually greeting them. "

"Emilie," the girl said, stepping forward with a calm but serious air. Her pale skin almost glowed under the light, and her choppy, shoulder-length blonde hair, fading into pink at the tips, framed her face in a slightly unruly manner. Her pink eyes, flecked with light blue, watched him intently, their sharpness suggesting she didn't waste words or time on pleasantries.

Sans, however, only smiled, undeterred by her serious demeanor. "Pleasure's all mine to meet the perfume maker," he said, his voice light, as if the tension didn't reach him at all.

"So, can I see the crime scene details?" He continued, his eyes now fixed on Emilie with an intensity that contrasted his earlier nonchalance.

"A bit strange of a question to ask a perfume maker, don't you think?" Emilie countered, her voice even but guarded.

Sans shrugged. "If that were true, Chevreuse wouldn't have brought you here." He leaned back in his chair. "A 'normal' perfume maker invited by Chevreuse herself? That sounds a bit off, doesn't it?"

Though Emilie didn't mind revealing her occupation as a forensic cleaner, it wasn't something most people would easily guess without prior knowledge. The fact that Sans—who had only been in Fontaine for a day—seemed to deduce it so quickly sent a flicker of unease through her. She kept her face impassive, but her fingers tightened ever so slightly around the edge of her sleeve. Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she straightened, forcing herself to maintain her composed exterior.

"If I had to guess," Sans said with a slight smirk, "you're a forensic cleaner."

"You knew I'd bring someone along," Chevreuse interrupted, crossing her arms as she observed the exchange.

Sans simply grinned. "The crime scene image you showed me had already been tampered with deliberately. I'd wager Emilie here found the symbols during her cleaning, not the original investigator."

Both Emilie and Chevreuse exchanged baffled glances. Here stood an outsider, yet he had accurately pieced together details about their investigation, details that should have remained confidential.

"Last night," Chevreuse continued, her tone growing sharper, "you withheld information from us on purpose. You knew if you did that I'd bring Emilie here, didn't you?"