Chapter Text
“I presume that is to be our boat.” Al-Haitham hummed, standing at the harbour in Port Ormos with Kaveh beside him.
“Hm?” Kaveh looked up from his sketchbook. “Oh, yes it does appear to be.”
”They should offer us a discount,” Al-Haitham drawled, earning a confused look from his partner. “On account of sheltering in a Port held up by your handiwork and all.”
”Haitham, you…” Kaveh shook his head, turning his head to hide the flush on his cheeks. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
”Of the two of us, someone is and it’s not me.” Al-Haitham muttered.
“Good morning you two!” Paimon’s cheerful voice broke the momentary silence they had fallen into and both of their heads snapped up to see Aether approaching with her floating by his side. He lacked the adeptus who had been by his side just the previous night, and came with a half-hearted smile and messy hair instead.
“Good morning.” Kaveh greeted.
”You stayed in Sumeru City, didn’t you? Did it take too long to get here?” Al-Haitham asked.
“Ah no, Xiao teleported us to just outside the outskirts of the Port before he had to head back to Liyue.” Aether shook his head, his voice unmistakably hoarse. This was a feeling Al-Haitham was all too familiar with, that feeling of parting with the one his heart treasured most, knowing that he would see him again soon but not just yet. He couldn’t fathom how Aether must be feeling after parting with his beloved so quickly after a major crisis. It must have felt very jarring.
“We didn’t keep you waiting too long, did we?” Paimon asked.
”No, no, it’s quite alright,” Kaveh shook his head. “We were just admiring this beautiful ship. Is it to be ours for the journey?”
”Yeah,” Aether nodded. “Ideally, I would have liked to hitch a ride on one of the Crux but I think they’re docked in Nod-Krai at the moment, or else on their way back to Liyue from the North.”
”The name is familiar…” Al-Haitham hummed.
“The Crux is a Liyuean fleet of ships captained by Beidou, slayer of the leviathan and all that,” Aether waved his hand off-handedly. “She’s a good friend.”
”Traveler, I think you might be the most well-connected individual in all of Teyvat.” Kaveh sighed. tucking his sketchbook into the bag he had slung over his shoulder.
“It comes at a price,” Aether grimaced. “Come on, let’s board.”
Aether set them up on the ship with frightening efficiency, and no sooner had they settled in their cabins did the boat start moving. The journey was not a long one, much shorter than it would have been had they gone with the Northern route all the way through Chenyu Vale, despite it being more picturesque. Al-Haitham got the feeling Aether would not have come with him on that route.
The trip felt like it went by in a flash, and Kaveh spent every moment he possibly could on the deck of the boat, enjoying the sunshine and sketching whatever manner of animals fly or swam by the ship. There wasn’t much else to draw so he took to sketching portraits of the other passengers and some of the sailors. His favourite subject, however, remained Al-Haitham. Those sketches had their own sketchbooks, with pages dedicated to his jaw, his lips, his eyes, his arms, and every bit of his body. Al-Haitham would be lying if he said it didn’t inflate his ego.
When they docked in Liyue Harbour, Al-Haitham had to keep hold of Kaveh’s arm to keep him from getting lost as he gazed at all the buildings and rich colours. Aether smiled in amusement, gesturing for them to follow him through the crowds around the docks and into the city proper.
“They’re all so colourful,” Kaveh whispered in awe when they got away from the loudness near the ships. “I wish Sumeru was like this too.”
”In all fairness, Sumeru City is basically built on a tree. That appeal is enough to compensate for the lack of red and gold,” Aether chuckled. “Hungry?”
”Starving!” Paimon groaned.
“Well that’s just normal for you, Paimon,” Aether sniped, tugging her along gently through the winding streets until they got to a restaurant. “Wanmin Restaurant, a staple in Liyue Harbour.”
”Is that the Traveler’s voice I hear?” A late teen with dark hair dressed in brown, yellow and orange popped her head out of the restaurant, beaming when she laid eyes on the group. “My favourite customers!”
”Xiangling!” Paimon waved enthusiastically. “We’re showing some friends around, it’s their first time in Liyue.”
”And you came to Wanmin… excellent choice.” Xiangling nodded seriously.
“These are Al-Haitham and Kaveh, Xiangling,” Aether introduced. “From Sumeru.”
”Archons, really?” Xiangling gaped. “Man, we were all so worried when the borders dropped. I’m glad you’re okay! I’m Xiangling, a chef here. This is my dad’s restaurant.”
”It’s nice to meet you, Miss Xiangling.” Kaveh smiled at her warmly.
“Smells good.” Al-Haitham nodded.
“Thank you! Any allergies I should know about?” They all shook their heads in response. “Find a table at the back, Traveler, I’ll whip you up something good.”
”Nothing too spicy for Paimon, please!”
”Give me her spicy portions.” Aether shook his head, amused.
No sooner had they settled on a table in the back, Aether greeting all the familiar faces he saw, had Xiangling piled their table with laden plates filled to the brim with delicious, steaming food. She handed out chopsticks and promised to come back with drinks.
“Liyuean food is incredible,” Kaveh declared. “Before we leave, we need to find a recipe book.”
”There’s a bookshop here, but I’m not too sure which books it holds. You’re better off consulting with Xingqiu, he’s the book expert.” Aether said, finishing off his bowl of noodles and downing the broth remaining by lifting the bowl to his mouth.
“I heard my name.” A smooth voice interrupted, and Paimon screamed. Aether didn’t even flinch.
“Hello, Xingqiu. Chongyun.” Aether smiled at them. Al-Haitham noted they both appeared to be the same age as Xiangling. Xingqiu had dark blue hair and was dressed in dark fabric with rich embroidery and jewelled buttons, while Chongyun had light blue hair and clothes to match, all in white with light blue embellishments. They were both armed, the former with a sword and the latter with a greatsword.
“How lucky… to run into you at Wanmin.” Xingqiu smiled.
“We just got here, and Xiangling mentioned you were in the back,” Chongyun said. “It’s good to see you.”
”You too. These are my friends from Sumeru, Al-Haitham and Kaveh.”
”Sumeru…” Xingqiu’s eyes sparkled. “I’ve always wanted to visit.”
”Xingqiu loves books,” Chongyun said as an explanation. “I’m Chongyun, an exorcist.”
”Apologies for my manners, I’m Xingqiu, second young master of the Feiyun Commerce Guild.”
”Lovely to meet you.” Kaveh nodded.
“The Traveler mentioned you might know where we could find a book of Liyuean recipes.” Al-Haitham got straight to the point.
“Hmm, that shouldn’t be too hard, yes,” Xingqiu hummed. “Might take a while to secure. I can send it to where you’ll be staying when I find it.”
”Wangshu Inn,” Aether chimed in. “Send it there, I’ll set them up with a room.”
”Sure.” Xingqiu nodded.
“A-Qiu, we need to go.” Chongyun nudged him.
“Oh, we do, don’t we?” Xingqiu sighed. “Apologies, we were only stopping by to pick up some food on our way out. We’ve taken some commissions… well A-Yun has, I’m just accompanying him.”
”Best of luck,” Aether replied. “Come by Wangshu and have dinner with us sometime.”
”Will the Conqeuror of Demons be there?” Chongyun asked, eyes wide.
“I can ask.”
”I have some questions for him.” The exorcist said earnestly.
“Then, I’ll ask. If he doesn’t come, I’ll pass your questions along myself.” Aether assured him.
“Thank you, Traveler!” Chongyun smiled. “Come on, Xingqiu.”
”Coming, coming. You’re going to rip my arm out tugging me along like that, Yunyun. I’m delicate.” Their bickering faded out as they left the restaurant. Their own group finished up their last bits of food and stood after Aether dropped several gleaming, gold coins onto the table.
“Xiangling never lets me pay, so I have to sneak around to leave money,” Aether sighed. “Come on, let’s head to Wangshu Inn. Those days on the boat tired me out.”
Paimon floated beside Aether while the two Sumerian’s followed behind him as he led them through Liyue Harbour and out of the city. They passed beneath a large gate and into large, grassy plains that stretched as far as the eye could see. Jagged mountains jutted out from a distance and Kaveh could see something floating in the sky.
“What is that?” He asked.
“The Jade Chamber, home of the current Tianquan… Ningguang,” Aether explained. “It’s not the first Jade Chamber, that one was sacrificed to stop Osial. This one is the rebuilt version.”
”What an incredible thing…” Kaveh breathed, eyes wide in wonder. “A marvel of engineering and architecture.”
”I’ll send Ningguang a letter and ask if someone can give you a tour.” Aether said.
”Aether, you’re incredible.” Kaveh said seriously.
“It’s no big deal. She constants asks me for favours so she owes me a lot.” Aether laughed.
“Being owed favours by powerful people is always a good thing.” Al-Haitham nodded.
They continued travelling further from Liyue Harbour, more towards the North. To the East, a large snow-capped mountain surrounded by clouds could be seen in the distance, a nail-like device hovering above it. Dragonspine, Aether called it, a place in perpetual winter because of the Celestial Nail cast down upon it, not unlike the one in Sumeru’s desert, and the one in the Chasm. Eventually, they came to a stop outside of an Inn in the middle of the grasslands. It was positioned high on a tree with an elevator leading up to it. Aether urged them into the elevator and they rode all the way to the main floor, where he disappeared to speak with the lady behind the reception; a woman with a warm smile who patted his cheek and handed him several keys.
“Here,” Aether handed one of the keys to Al-Haitham. “We’re on the same floor, so I’ll show you where it is. Paimon…”
Paimon took the proferred key he handed her and disappeared down a flight of stairs. Kaveh’s eyes followed her curiously before Al-Haitham tugged him to follow.
“Is Paimon not rooming with you?” Kaveh asked as Aether led them upstairs.
“In Wangshu Inn, no. Xiao has his own permanent room here so I stay with him. She spends half her time mooching off the kitchens, so she has a separate room.” Aether shook his head, pointing at a door.
“Ours?” Al-Haitham asked, getting a nod from Aether. “Thank you.”
”No worries,” Aether smiled. He seemed lighter being in the Inn, as though a weight lifted from his shoulders. “I’ll leave you to it.”
Kaveh snatched the key from Al-Haitham, opening the door and dropping it on the table to the side before he toed his shoes off and continued in. Al-Haitham watched him approach the window and look out at the vast landscape that could be seen from this height, taking his own shoes off at the door. Kaveh flopped onto the bed, spreading his arms out and closing his eyes.
“Tired already?” Al-Haitham asked.
“A little.” Kaveh admitted.
“The sun’s going to set soon,” Al-Haitham mused. “We should get some dinner and then an early night.”
“There’s a restaurant downstairs, isn’t there?” Kaveh sat up, stretching his arms above his head and wincing when his bones cracked. He dropped them and individually cracked each of his fingers.
“I hate when you do that.” Al-Haitham sighed, grimacing.
“I know.”
They got dinner downstairs with the shade of the Inn shielding them from the last remaining glares of the setting sun. Paimon was at a table not too far, striking up a conversation with some of the other guests she must have been familiar with. Al-Haitham even saw Aether’s golden hair peeking out from behind a pillar, where one shaded table sat alone. He didn’t say anything, especially when he noticed the adeptus – his partner – was sat with him.
“You’re going to be busy when we get back, aren’t you?” Kaveh asked, sipping on some tea after they finished their main course.
“Unfortunately. I’m considering writing a paper for Nahida to convince her to let me return to my Scribe position.” Al-Haitham sighed.
“She hasn’t found someone she can trust yet.” Kaveh sighed.
“You don’t want it?” Al-Haitham asked, knowing full well what Kaveh’s answer would be.
“Archons, no,” The architect snorted, a disgusted look on his face. “Me, a Sage? Not in your wildest dreams.”
“On this, we agree,” Al-Haitham nodded. “In any case, I will be busy. You won’t be though, will you?”
“Actually…” Kaveh winced.
“Kaveh.”
“Listen!” Kaveh protested. “A letter came from my mother the day before we left Sumeru. She wants me to come to Fontaine… she was worried. I didn’t reply, told her I would be travelling for a bit but I’d let her know when I was back in Sumeru.”
“Fontaine, huh…” Al-Haitham hummed. He knew Kaveh wasn’t very fond of visiting Fontaine. It was a mixture of the odd prejudice some of the residents of the Court had towards people from the outside, but also seeing his mother happy with her husband and kids in a way she hadn’t been with him after his father passed… it wasn’t a pleasant feeling, as Kaveh had once explained to him.
“And then! I’m going to survey the desert for a potential new project. I do need to find investors but surveying is important to draw up the blueprints. No one will want to be involved if I haven’t planned it all out,” Kaveh sighed, slumping in his chair. “I need a drink.”
“Save it for another night when you’re not about to pass out.” Al-Haitham quipped.
“Ugh.” Kaveh dropped his head onto the table with a thunk… or he would have, had Al-Haitham not anticipated it and placed his hand right where Kaveh’s forehead would have thudded onto the wooden surface, shielding it.
“I’ll take time off to go to Fontaine with you. Just… leave it until I can sort the most pressing issues.” Al-Haitham said after a pause, almost hesitant.
“But you hate Fontaine.” Kaveh lifted his head, surprise evident in his eyes.
“Not enough to let you endure it alone.”
“Haitham, you softie,” Kaveh’s expression went all fond, and he reached out to pinch Al-Haitham’s cheek gently. “Okay, we’ll go to Fontaine together.”