Frieda smiled softly from within.
"Let's help her."
Taking over Orion's steps, she walked forward and knelt beside the little girl, lowering herself gently.
"Hey there," she said, voice kind. "Can you help us? We're new here. We'd love your tour."
The girl blinked.
As if no one had spoken kindly to her in a long time.
Her lips trembled, then curled into a shy, fragile smile. Tears slipped out despite her trying to hold them in. She wiped them with the sleeve of her oversized coat.
"Th-Thank you…"
"My name is Elynas," she sniffled.
"…It's after a monster. One that's really big. Mama said it eats sadness. Said I was like it."
She let out a nervous laugh that didn't sound like a laugh at all. Then she grabbed Orion's hand with tiny fingers that felt too cold, too small.
"Where do you wanna go, mister?"
Felix tilted his head and said bluntly, "Who named you that? It's a terrible name."
Elynas flinched.
"My mom," she muttered. "She said I ruin everything."
Her hand twitched. She didn't meet Orion's eyes.
"Please don't talk about her…"
Orion gently squeezed her fingers.
"…Alright," he said quietly. "So—can you show us where the Hydro Archon is?"
Elynas perked up a little.
"Oh! You wanna see Lady Furina?"
She sniffled and wiped her face again.
"She's always at the opera place. The big one. Um… Opera Epicle-something. I forget how to say it."
"Opera Epiclese," Frieda murmured from inside Orion. "Got it."
"But wasn't Lay Egeria the Hydro Archon?" Orion asked with a raised brow.
A frown came upon Elynas face,"Lady Egeria is not with us anymore..."
"But we have Lady Furina now...She's really loud," Elynas added. "Talks a lot. She wears big dresses and says weird stuff. But she's… um. Kinda funny."
Felix groaned.
"An Archon that lives in a theater and gives speeches? Fantastic."
Elynas blinked up at Felix.
Then blinked again.
"…Can I ride the dragon?"
Felix narrowed his eyes. "I'm not a pony."
Elynas turned to Orion, already halfway stepping into a puddle.
"Can I pleaaaase ride the dragon?"
Orion looked at Felix.
Felix looked at Orion.
Frieda, inside, was laughing her ass off.
"Just one good deed," Orion reminded him gently. "You'll survive."
Felix made a low groaning noise like an old man whose nap was just canceled.
"Fine," he muttered, turning and crouching so his back was low to the ground. His wings flicked irritably, feathers shaking loose a few droplets of mist.
Elynas squealed with joy—not the refined squeal of a noble child, but the raw, chaotic one of someone who hadn't been this happy in weeks. She scrambled up Felix's side with zero grace, tiny boots slipping, arms flailing as she tried to mount him like an oversized sofa that occasionally twitched.
She made it onto his back—barely—and spun around with a grin that could melt glaciers.
"WOAH! He's soft like a bird but strong like a boulder!"
"Glad I can be your emotional support furniture," Felix grumbled.
Orion climbed on behind her, sliding into place and pulling her gently into his lap to make sure she didn't fall off mid-flight.
"Hold on tight," he said.
"I don't have to," she chirped, leaning back against him. "You're already doing it."
He blinked—caught off guard by how naturally she said it.
"…Right."
"Aw, she likes you," Frieda teased. "You're like her weird older brother-slash- accidental dad figure."
Felix snorted. "More like her very unlucky taxi."
He extended his wings slowly, shaking off the last drops of harbor mist. People below watched again in awe—some pointing, some clapping, others just staring as this odd trio took flight.
With one graceful push, they rose into the air.
Wind wrapped around them like a dance partner. Mist swirled below. The sea fell away into blue-gold light as Lumidouce Harbor shrank beneath their feet.
"Where are we going again?" Elynas called out.
"To the opera house," Orion replied.
The child leaned back into him again and whispered, almost sleepily,
"...This is the best tour ever."
The wind curled around them as Fontaine unfurled below—marble canals, crystalline arches, golden bridges spilling into the cerulean basin of Erinnyes.
Mist shimmered in the air like stage fog.
And there, rising from the heart of it all, was Opera Epiclese.
A towering structure of white stone and stained-glass spires, perched like a crown above the city's river-laced veins. Massive aqueducts curved into it like arms into a sacred robe. Glistening banners danced in the wind—each embroidered with the scales of justice, comedy masks, and the Hydro sigil flowing like water made law.
Elynas sat upright in Orion's lap, leaning forward with wide eyes.
"That's it!" she pointed, voice filled with both awe and authority. "That's the Opera Epiclese!"
Then, as if remembering something practiced a thousand times in her head, she cleared her throat.
"It is a large opera house situated in Erinnyes," she declared proudly, "that also serves as the symbol of trials and judgment. The true and the fantastical, the comedic and tragic… find a stage here equally."
Orion blinked. "That was… very specific."
"I heard a fancy lady say it once," Elynas admitted, cheeks pink. "I remembered it 'cause it sounded pretty."
Felix glanced back mid-flight. "You memorized a marketing pitch?"
"She crushed it," Frieda whispered admiringly.
Below them, the city stirred—curious eyes following the dragon's descent. Gasps rose. Even from this height, they could see citizens gathering near the opera house entrance, cloaked judges and masked performers peering skyward with narrowed eyes and parasols.
"Are we gonna get in trouble for this?" Elynas whispered.
Felix snorted. "Please. This country can't throw us in jail for having flair."
"They can, actually," Orion muttered.
"Oh come on," Felix groaned.
The wind curled around them as Fontaine unfurled below—marble canals, crystalline arches, golden bridges spilling into the cerulean basin of Erinnyes.
Mist shimmered in the air like stage fog.
And there, rising from the heart of it all, was Opera Epiclese.
A towering structure of white stone and stained-glass spires, perched like a crown above the city's river-laced veins. Massive aqueducts curved into it like arms into a sacred robe. Glistening banners danced in the wind—each embroidered with the scales of justice, comedy masks, and the Hydro sigil flowing like water made law.
Elynas sat upright in Orion's lap, leaning forward with wide eyes.
"That's it!" she pointed, voice filled with both awe and authority. "That's the Opera Epiclese!"
Then, as if remembering something practiced a thousand times in her head, she cleared her throat.
"It is a large opera house situated in Erinnyes," she declared proudly, "that also serves as the symbol of trials and judgment. The true and the fantastical, the comedic and tragic… find a stage here equally."
Orion blinked. "That was… very specific."
"I heard a fancy lady say it once," Elynas admitted, cheeks pink. "I remembered it 'cause it sounded pretty."
Felix glanced back mid-flight. "You memorized a marketing pitch?"
"She crushed it," Frieda whispered admiringly.
Below them, the city stirred—curious eyes following the dragon's descent. Gasps rose. Even from this height, they could see citizens gathering near the opera house entrance, cloaked judges and masked performers peering skyward with narrowed eyes and parasols.
"Are we gonna get in trouble for this?" Elynas whispered.
Felix snorted. "Please. This country can't throw us in jail for having flair."
"They can, actually," Orion muttered.
"Oh come on," Felix groaned.