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It was just barely over an hour before midnight that is when the door of his house was knocked. By tomorrow, the plan that he and the rest of the group has rallied up in order to take down the Grand Sage will commence, so today, they needed to have a good night's rest first.
Alhaitham was reading a book in front of the couch when he heard the knocking. The one thing he knows for sure is that the person outside of that door wouldn’t be his roommate – as if it was him, that man wouldn’t even think to knock and would just barge himself into Alhaitham’s house as if he owned it.
The book in his hand was brushed aside, and then he shook his head. He let out a sigh. Who would be looking for him close to midnight like this? Hopefully, it won’t be anyone from the Akademiya. He would hate having the plan he’s carefully constructed to be ruined because of himself.
He stood from the couch and then he went to the door and opened it. He was caught by surprise when he realize that the person standing in front of his doorstep was the renowned traveller, his teammate. She looked up at him, and then she called out his name. “Hey, Alhaitham,” she said.
He looked at Lumine, startled. “...Hey,” he said, his fist lightly clenching on the door of his room. “How did you find this place?” he asked. As far as he remembered, he has never shared with his comrade where he was living, so how come she has found this house of his?
Lumine shrugged. “Simple,” she said, “I tracked down your steps, and then I followed you home.” He gave her a look of disbelief, and Lumine innocently smiled in response to that. “I learn many things in my endeavours as a traveler, you know? This was just one of them.”
Now that she’s in front of him like this, he couldn’t just close the door on her just like that. So, he asked her a question. “What do you want... with me?” he said.
“Sleep,” she answered, very straightforwardly. “May I stay at your home for the night? I would like to be able to have a good night's sleep before tomorrow comes,” she told him.
Alhaitham raised his brows. “Why would you—do you not have a place to stay of your own?” he asked.
She shrugged, and then she let out an exhale. “I do, actually. But, well... let’s just say that sharing a camp with Paimon tends to be a bit exhausting at times,” she told him. Lumine gave him a look that made it hard for him to refuse, and then she put her hand together. “Don’t worry, I’m a quiet sleeper. I promise, you won’t even notice that I’m here,” she added.
Alhaitham lets out an exasperated sigh. “What a bother,” he said, scoffing. When she’s saying it like that... honestly, how was he even supposed to respond?
Perhaps he should tell her that he doesn’t like having people in his house, but honestly... he doesn’t want to refuse her entry either. It was complicated. He doesn’t want her around, but he wants to give her a place to stay.
In the end, he’s made his decision. He opened the door wider, enough for her to slip in, and then he told her the two words. “Come in,” he said, and she brightened up immediately and didn’t waste time entering his house.
“Thanks,” she said, as she was in, and he nodded in response. “Now... where will I be sleeping, then, Alhaitham? Do I have to put out a sleeping bag, or do I just crash over right there?” she asked, pointing to the couch that he was sitting on before.
Alhaitham paused. He thought for a moment, and then he sighed. Well, it wasn’t like his roommate was going to be back, so he pointed towards the door of a room that was closed. He shook his head. “You don’t need to do anything bothersome or sleep on the couch. There’s a bed in the other room right there... you could just go to sleep there,” he told her.
“Is that so?” she asked.
He walked towards the door, and then he opened it for her. She walked in and took a good look at the room, and then she looked back at him.
“Have you not slept yet, Alhaitham?” she asked.
“Not yet. I like to read a book first to calm my head before I go to sleep,” he told her.
“What an interesting habit you have,” she said, before turning towards the room around her again. “Is this... does this room belong to someone?” she asked.
“It’s of nothing important. The person living here hasn’t returned home for a long time anyway,” he told her, and then she immediately throws herself up on the bed, laying flat upon it. He looked at her, curious. “Are you going to take a rest immediately?” he asked her.
She nodded. “Yeah. I haven’t slept an inch because of Paimon,” she said. “Although I do enjoy her presence, I don’t really find her favourable when we’re sleeping.”
Alhaitham was headed towards the door. “Well, I’ll leave you on your own, then, traveller. If you can’t find me out on the couch, you can just knock on my room if there’s anything you need,” he said, before leaving the room. He turned the lights of the room off.
“Goodnight, Alhaitham,” she said, just before he left.
He turned to look at her, smiling softly. “Night,” he said, and the door behind him closed.
Well... that was certainly unexpected. Having the traveller inside of his house, having her in his home—yeah, he didn’t expect that in the slightest. What a shame that tomorrow’s an important today. Had it wasn’t, perhaps he could’ve kept the girl awake a little longer so that he could get to know her a little bit more.
Alhaitham won’t lie – he wants to know more about the dearest traveller that he has very much grown fond of.