Unique Scent

"...I'm actually shocked at how good Isaac is at hiding."

Furina said as she and the other two women took a break to eat lunch.

It was obvious that the cunning man was never gonna show up again anytime soon, as such, all three of them decided to stop chasing after him.

...for the time being.

Picking up a deep-fried onion ring, Chevreuse nodded her head.

"I've known a fair bit of criminals who are good at running away, but this Isaac... He might very well be the Clown if he's this good."

Furina smiled upon hearing this.

"I won't even be surprised if it's actually him."

Her tone without a doubt carried lightheartedness and is just trying to entertain Chevreuse's words, however, hidden in them was a hint of amusement.

Chiori, who was eating macarons, then joined in their conversation.

"I've dealt with a few clients like those myself. Still, it's rare to find someone who's not only quick to his feet, but also his mind."

The fashion designer shared her own experience regarding characters similar to Isaac. Well, with her controversial character, it was hard to not believe her.

Furina then turned to the fashion designer.

"Well, that's enough of that. I'll find him soon enough. Regarding the outfits... What do you think? Would you be able to make them soon?"

Chiori took her time chewing on her macarons before replying succinctly.

"To be honest, I've had designs specifically for you already at my disposal for times like this. You're a frequent client, Lady Furina, as such, I've gotten a grasp of your preferred style."

"But that Isaac... How do I put this? He seems like an empty mannequin. Everything suits him which makes it hard to pick which suits him the best."

Furina narrowed her eyes as she shot an eyebrow.

"Is that a compliment?"

Chiro shook her head as she grimaced.

"Hardly."

"..."

Furina lingered for a moment, seriously contemplating the fashion designer's words. She even waited a moment to see if she was joking, but she didn't.

The renowned unconventional fashion designer was seriously having trouble picking the right clothes for someone who fits any clothes he's in.

'That... I would have never thought that someone would come across such a dilemma...'

'However... Now that I think about it...'

Furina then delved back into her memories and recalled all the outfits Isaac had worn. In retrospect, Chiori was right— Furina had never once seen that sly bartender once appear in clothes that didn't suit him.

Be it in his cafe, running an errand, or even doing mundane things, Isaac has always appeared polished with the appropriate clothes.

Unknowingly, Furina had solved one of the reasons why Isaac was good at his disguises.

He was just... Too much of a blank canvas.

'Hm, then doesn't that work well for both of us?' She added to her thoughts.

Similar to him, she too always wore clothes appropriate for any occasion. As the biggest star of Fontaine, she always needed to appear confident and flamboyant both in the eyes of the people and to herself.

Her intricate dresses, and other outfits, were always of top quality. Additionally, Furina, too, never once appeared in mundane clothes even when she was by herself.

Not to mention her exquisite charm and flamboyant personality, she suited any kind of outfit she wore, able to blend in perfectly to any situation.

If both appeared together in public in pristine outfits, she wouldn't even doubt it if people suspected them to be starring in some kind of film or acting in a theater.

After pondering for a while, Furina curled up a smile.

"Well, since he isn't so cooperative, just pick him a suit that... well... compliments with what I would wear. That won't be much of a problem, yes?"

Chiori lingered for a moment before nodding.

"It's hardly a challenge. Still, I think it would be interesting."

Chevreuse shot an eyebrow when she heard her words.

"Chiori finding something interesting... Not often you'd hear such a thing."

Chiori scowled at her friend.

"To be honest, I wouldn't even consider doing such a tedious task if it wasn't Lady Furina."

"Nonetheless, I'll stay true to my words. They should be ready well before the event starts, Lady Furina."

After listening to her friend, Chevreuse lingered for a moment before finishing her onion ring.

"...forgive me for asking, but what event would you even be attending to go this far, Lady Furina?"

"I get that you're friends with that Isaac and all, but... He's still just a barista, right?"

As far as the public was informed, Isaac's cafe is a high-class gathering place where only the rich or well-off people can enter. Merchants, influential figures, and even government officials frequent his cafe, thus making it seem regal.

As such, it wouldn't come much of a surprise when even the Archon of the nation visits it frequently. Beyond this, they know nothing else about the barista and the Archon's clandestine relationship.

Furina heard her question and nodded her head. She had expected this question and had an answer prepared for it in advance.

"Well, you must have heard about this year's film festival, yes? It was a resounding success. This year had more participants than last year, and many new talents emerged."

"As such, with the end of the festival approaching, the organizers are holding a ball that invites everyone that participated, including all personnel."

"Needless to say, the spotlight for this ball would be to our team that won. That's why Isaac, the lead actor, and me, the Director, needs to look our best. That goes the same for the other casts."

Chevreuse digested everything Furina said and lightly nodded her head.

"I see. Thank you for the information. It seems like the Maison Gardiennage is just gonna send the Gardes, though. I'll make sure to send some of my members for extra measures."

Furina smiled.

"Thank you, Captain Chevreuse."

Chiori then scowled as she pointed at Chevreuse's hand.

"Chevreuse. The grease is getting on your uniform."

"Oh— sorry." Noticing this, Chevreuse cleaned her uniform.

As the three women talked amongst themselves, the thought of capturing Isaac slowly drifted away from their minds. And to be honest, they can't be blamed for it— if he didn't want to be found, then so be it.

Well, that was supposed to be how it would be if not for the fact that another person was approaching them.

"Hm? Why are you all... Oh! Lady Furina! You're here too."

The three women shifted their eyes and looked at the source of the voice and saw a familiar person.

Pale white skin, short blonde hair that faded to pink, and glasses that hung on her face.

Chiori was the first to talk to her.

"Ah, Emilie. You're here."

Chevreuse then followed.

"We're just taking a break. I'll go back to tracking once we're finished."

Lastly, Furina nodded at Chevreuse's words.

"A proper meal is always required before and after every activity, after all."

Emilie lingered for a moment as she observed the three women. She could imagine Chevreuse and Chiori teaming up together, but it was rare for their Archon to join in something like tracking down a person.

Nudging her glasses, she paused for a moment before speaking.

"Well... I didn't want to disturb your meal, but I've found a way to find that... rude person who bumped into me."

The incident earlier this morning was still fresh in Emilie's mind. She was just supposed to deliver a new pack of perfumes to Chiori, when suddenly, a rude man dashed out of the door and bumped into her, causing one of the perfumes to fall and break.

She could have forgiven him, but he only apologized for a second before running away once more. It didn't feel sincere.

That... That was unforgivable.

Furina's face brightened upon hearing Emilie's words.

"Really? That's great! But how?"

Emilie explained.

"Well, the perfumes I was about to deliver today were all new— their scent, I mean."

"This new scent gives off a rich wooden oud scent. It has a rich and smoky aroma that is suited for the mature audience and compliments evenings."

"And they just happen to cling on that man when one of them broke."

As Furina listened to the perfumer's explanation, her face couldn't help but change as more and more details of the perfume are mentioned.

'Why does that sound like...'

Furina then pushed these thoughts aside for a while and spoke.

"Hmm... I'm sorry, but how would this help? It sounds like a good perfume but how would we be able to find Isaac with this information?"

Emilie nudged her glasses.

"Well... To tell the truth, this is the first batch of new perfumes I made this month. Meaning..."

Seeing how she stopped her sentence there, Chevreuse decided to finish it for her.

"Meaning we can find Isaac if we ask around if anyone has smelled that unique smoky scent, yes?"

Emilie nodded. "Yes, that's right."

Indeed, it seemed like a good plan. Perfumes made by Emilie were regarded as good quality in Fontaine, and very few have the same quality as her products, making them easily distinguishable. With her with them, it wouldn't be too hard to find the man who ran away.

Furina smiled.

"That's great! But Emilie, I have a question. That perfume of yours... If you were to describe it in one word, what would its scent be?"

Something had been present in Furina's mind for a while now, and she needed the answer. She first thought of this earlier when Emilie explained her perfume.

Chiori looked at Furina for a bit and decided to ask with a raised eyebrow.

"...You don't know?"

Furina felt like she was onto something.

"What do you mean?"

Emilie, on the other hand, looked at her Archon and lingered for a while before nudging her glasses.

"Well, if I can describe this scent... I say it's..."

She paused then continued.

"Seductive."

Furina subtly scowled. Releasing a soft sigh, she mumbled something under her breath.

"Of course it is..."

---

The four women lingered for a bit in the restaurant before resuming their hunt for the runaway customer.

They started from Chiori's boutique and asked people if they smelled something akin to Emilie's perfume. Fortunately for them, quite a few people picked up the scent and pointed them in a certain direction.

However, Chiori and Emilie had to stay behind and attend the boutique, leaving only the Furina and Chevreuse on their quest.

But it didn't take long for them to finally track down the location of where Isaac was possibly hiding.

Chevreuse looked up at the hotel and spoke.

"That's it, huh?"

Furina nodded.

"Indeed. That's where our clues are pointing at. That's where that rude man is."

They had been running all over Fontaine for a while now just to find Isaac. Now that they found him, Furina was itching to teach her man a lesson.

Wait, man?

Furina shook her head lightly, as if taking off certain thoughts from her mind.

She then looked up at the hotel and said with a determined expression.

"Well then. Let's go—"

- Tud!

However, before they could step another foot, a window from the hotel suddenly opened and a figure jumped out of it acting without a care for the world— Free Bird style.

The floor the body fell from wasn't that high, but it would have surely injured the person a bit.

- Thud...

The body then fell in front of the two women.

There, on the hard ground floor, the body shuddered for a moment before lifting his head and meeting their eyes. Then, a wry smile appeared on his face.

It was Isaac.

"...good day, innit?"

A lot of explanation was needed.