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Chiori reclines in her chair, her legs crossed elegantly, and an ornate teacup clasped in her hands. There’s a single sip of tea remaining, barely warm now, and Chiori finishes it with a smile, enjoying the lingering floral note it leaves behind on her tongue. The moon is bright tonight, illuminating her shop without needing candles. It’s a rather romantic atmosphere, or it would be if somebody wasn’t working late again. Chiori places her teacup aside and rises with a stretch to retrieve her waylaid wife.
She walks down the street to Chevreuse’s Maison Gardiennage Office, opening the door to the, Chiori swallows the greeting on her lips at the sight of Chevreuse. She’s slumped over her desk with her eyes closed, the pen in her hand making a valiant escape attempt from her loose grip.
Chiori sighs in exasperation before she clears her throat loudly.
Chevreuse startles, almost knocking over her a small pile of paper in a desperate bid to appear awake. “Oh, Chiori,” Chevreuse says, stifling a yawn behind her hand, “I didn’t notice you come in.”
Chiori chuckles indulgently, “Well, darling, that’s probably because your paperwork put you right to sleep. I was afraid to let you sleep hunched over like that, so I woke you before you could strain your neck.”
Chevreuse flushes an adorable shade of pink and opens her mouth, likely to deny her sleepiness, but Chiori continues, “Sweetheart, do you remember the game of cards we played last month.”
A wrinkle appears on Chevreuse’s brow as she frowns at the sudden change in subject. “Yes, of course,” Chevreuse answers. “You beat me fair and square.”
Chiori stifles a grin. Chevreuse had been the only one playing fair that night, but she’s hardly going to correct her now. “A lucky hand,” she lies easily. “But more importantly, darling, do you remember what I won?”
“You won…” Chevreuse trails off, her lips tightening as she tries to get her tired mind to focus. “You won a day where I do everything you want.”
“That’s right, sweetie, and I’m claiming my prize today. We’re going home right now—” Chevreuse opens her mouth to protest, but Chiori talks right over her, “We’re going straight to bed, and when we wake up, we’ll take the whole day off.”
Chevreuse looks delightfully horrified. “You said you were claiming your prize today,” she says, visibly perking up, “So that means either we go home now or we take the day off tomorrow, but not both. I remember the stakes clearly, and you only get one day.”
“What time is it, sweetheart?” Chiori asks lightly and enjoys the widening of Chevreuse’s eyes as they take in the face of the grandfather clock against the wall.
“After midnight,” Chevreuse says in a dejected tone.
“That’s right,” Chiori agrees cheerfully. “That means my day has already started. Now, up you get.” She kisses Chevreuse’s pouty lips and then drags her towards their shared home with a smile on her lips.
In a pleasing turn of events, Chiori wakes before Chevreuse the following day. That means Chiori gets to snuggle closer to her wife, enjoying the warmth of her body and the warmth of Chevreuse’s deep, even breaths against her face until the light of the sun finally stirs Chevreuse. She wakes with a lazy stretch, eyes blinking sleepily open before they land on Chiori.
“Good morning, darling,” Chiori greets before kissing her innocently. She runs her fingers through Chevreuse’s unbound hair, smoothing back a few errant strands from her face. Chevreuse leans into her touch like a contented cat. “Are you ready to enjoy your day off?”
“I guess,” Chevreuse says, then frowns thoughtfully. “But I’m not sure what people do with a whole day off,” she admits.
“Well, then, it’s a good thing you have me to guide you,” Chiori responds with a small laugh. “Let’s get up then and start with breakfast.” Chiori slides from the warmth of their bed, and Chevreuse follows eagerly.
They walk hand in hand down Fontaine’s main street, returning the easy greetings from the shop owners before stopping at the Café Lutece. Chiori’s thumb draws random shapes on Chevreuse’s palm while she entertains them with the story of her latest bad customer. The server brings them their regular orders and makes small talk with them until another person calls her attention away.
When their plates are clean, and Chiori is enjoying the last few sips of her tea, Chevreuse finally asks, “So, what’s on the schedule for today?”
Chiori smiles indulgently, “Love… we don’t need a schedule on our day off.”
Chevreuse looks adorably confused, “Oh. I guess that wouldn’t be very relaxing, would it?” she asks, scratching the back of her neck. “So, I guess we just—” Chevreuse trails off and looks imploring at Chiori, who stares back guilelessly. “- go for a walk?” she finally finishes.
“A walk sounds lovely,” Chiori says fondly. “We could head towards that cliff near the Court and have a picnic while looking out at the ocean.” At Chevreuse’s nod, Chiori places enough Mora onto the table to cover their meal and rises, tucking Chevreuse’s arm under hers.
The two women stroll through the city's arches, enjoying the warmth of the midmorning sun on their skin and the soft cooing of the pigeons clustered on the bridge. The birds startle as they approach, flying away in a chorus of angry squawks.
“Captain Chevreuse! Miss Chiori!” Talvat cries out, waving his hand wildly to get their attention. Chevreuse raises her hand in greeting, and Talvat leaves his cart to jog over to them. “Are you heading out on patrol?” he asks.
“No, we’re just hedding off to the cliffs for a picnic,” Chevreuse explains. “It’s our day off today.”
Talvat shifts from foot to foot as he musses his hair. “Oh, never mind then. I don’t want to bother you on your day off,” he demurs, but even Chevreuse can read his disappointed body language.
“Please tell us,” she encourages him. “We’re not in a rush.”
Needing very little convincing, Talvat quickly explains the delay in his latest shipment. “Just one basket of apples and one basket of Bulle fruit’s would realy help!” he finishes with a pleading look. With a glance at Chevreuse’s expression, Chiori knows they’ll be gathering fruit for the next hour. Sure enough, Chevreuse readily agrees to help, and the two leave a grateful Talvat in the jealous clutches of Beatrice.
As soon as the pair is out of earshot, Chevreuse turns to whisper in her ear. “I don’t know how he can be so oblivious,” she says conspiratorially. “Beatrice is there every day trying to get a date under the pretense of buying fruit. I don’t know how he doesn’t realize.” She laughs, and Chiori turns incredulous eyes at her.
“Chevreuse, sweetheart,” Chiori says with a fond sigh. “I sat in your office for months to flirt with you for hours every day, and you never noticed.”
Chevreuse’s cheeks flush a light pink, and she clears her throat twice before responding. “Yes, well,” she says, “But I thought that was just how you talked to everyone.”
“Did you think I invited just anybody back to my apartment and offered to take free measurement for a new uniform?” Chiori teases. She’s rewarded with a darkening of the blush across Chevreuse’s face. Chiori delights in watching her stutter through a few aborted excuses.
Before long, they come across a grove of fruit trees, and Chiori makes herself comfortable on the grass, tucking her skirt underneath her. While Chiori settles, Chevreuse grips the thickest branch of a nearby tree and pulls herself up with a soft grunt. Chiori takes a moment to appreciate the flex of her arms and the display of them as Chevreuse scrambles up into the tree. “You’re not going to help?” Chevreuse asks from her perch.
“Climbing trees is more your thing, sweetie,” Chiori replies quickly as she slips a book from her bag and thumbs through the pages to find where she left off. “I’ll just sit here and enjoy the sunshine while you collect the fruit.”
Chevreuse plucks a few apples before twisting herself higher through the branches. “What are you reading today?” she calls down to Chiori.
Chiori puts her finger on the page to mark her place as she answers Chevreuse. “It’s a light novel about a poor Liyuan fisherman who falls in love with an Adeptus. Would you like me to read it aloud while you work?”
Chevreuse drops from the tree to stow her armful of fruits in the bucket before she walks over to Chiori. Pressing a kiss to her lips, Chevreuse nods. “I would love that,” she says before making her way back into the tree.
With a soft smile, Chiori flips to the first page, clears her throat, and begins. She reads while Chevreuse steadily fills the baskets. When they cannot hold more fruit, Chevreuse sits beside her, a shining, plump apple in her hand. Chevreuse cuts it into sections, alternating between slipping a piece of fruit into her mouth and interrupting Chiori’s storytelling by feeding her a slice. When the last section is gone, Chiori closes her book and leans forward to lick a drop of juice from the inside of Chevreuse’s wrist, delighting in the darkening of Chevreuse’s gaze.
The two make their way back to Fontaine, Chevreuse lifting both brimming baskets as she tells Chiori of childhoods spent practicing climbing in her childhood home. The late afternoon sun is hot against her skin, and she lowers the brim of her hat to keep the glare from her eyes. When they approach Talvat’s stall, Chiori notices a frazzled-looking Leone standing next to him, a frantic request for a delivery person on her lips. Chiori sighs when Chevreuse volunteers them.
The rest of their day goes much the same. They’ve no sooner delivered Leone’s order to Poisson when they’re approached by an anxious-looking Yvette and listening to her tale of a missing cat. Once the cat had been chased home, and they turn back towards home themselves, they come across an adventurer trapped by a crude Hilichurl barrier. The pair ran errand after errand, performing good deed after good deed until the sun had dipped below the horizon and the stars’ soft light is visible.
Although it wasn’t the relaxing day free from responsibilities Chiori had pictured, she can’t deny it’s been pleasant. Chevreuse’s cheeks glow with the satisfaction of a day well spent, and her body language is relaxed. Chiori doesn’t even feel disappointed as she lets go of her plans for a picnic. Perhaps they can pick up some ingredients and cook at home.
Chevreuse guides them, but not towards their house, and Chiori groans when she recognizes the well-traveled route toward her office. “Sweetie,” she begins, taking care to keep the exasperation out of her voice. “We agreed to no work for an entire day.”
Chevreuse tugs her forward by the hand. “Trust me?” she asks, and Chiori does. She refrains from asking as they pass Chevreuse’s office and the door to many other offices. She keeps quiet as Chevreuse leads her up the winding staircase to the roof, and she only politely protests when Chevreuse gestures for her to climb one of the towers. When she finally hauls herself up, she lets out a soft noise of surprise.
A checkered flannel blanket covers the grey bricks, and plates piled high with their favorite dishes from the Cafe Lutece cover a corner of the blanket surrounded by bottles of fresh fruit juice from Talvat’s stall. There are various other small trinkets of thanks from the people they helped today, and Chiori is overcome with the urge to kiss Chevreuse’s cheek. “How did you find the time to do all this?”
Chevreuse beams at her, proud. “Everybody we did a favor for asked what they could do for us in return. I mentioned we were having a picnic up here and could use help setting it up. I’m rather pleased with how it turned out.” Chiori sits down and pours them both a drink—Chevreuse talks, serving her wife with a smile.
“You know,” Chiori begins as they gaze up at the stars. “I thought I was teaching you how to take a day off.”
Chevreuse cocks her head, confused. “But we didn’t do anything special today,” she says, and Chiori’s heart clenches. Of course, Chevreuse would think spending her entire day serving others was nothing special. Chiori loves the beautiful woman more each day they spend together. “Well, shall we eat?” Chevreuse suggests, already reaching for the plates and setting a pastry in front of Chiori.
“I love you,” Chiori says helplessly and smiles fondly when Chevreuse returns the sentiment through a mouthful of food. As they eat under the stars with their shoulders pressed together, Chiori vows to herself that the next time she cons Chevreuse into taking a day off, they’ll spend the whole day in bed.