Chapter Text
"I heard she's just returned from Fontaine; something about meeting a Harbinger."
There are hushed whispers blowing through the air of Sumeru - Kaveh experiences this first hand. All he's been hearing since he's left his house are compliments and fearful remarks about some girl from the Akademiya. He's trying to drink his coffee and work on his newest blueprints but he can't do that if people are talking so damn loud.
He's gathering his papers, going to head home soon; Al-Haitham's probably at the Akademiya now so the house is going to be dead silence. Perfect. The documents are his last chance to gain a temporary well-paying job, one that aids him with his debt so he can finally move out of that horrendous household. Though, he'd admit, a small part of himself doesn't want to live alone again, especially in a surrounding where Al-Haitham isn't as frequently a part of.
He's unbothered and uninterested in their conversation. He's walking away when he pauses in his step at a mention.
"She might be dating that Scribe, the one that refused the position." At first, he's angry. He does not know why but he balls his fists, nails digging into his palms lightly while scrunching up the papers in his hand.
"Hey, there's no way he'd pull someone as pretty as her!" He replies, raising his eyebrows because who are these people to start throwing around vague assumptions.
"Mister Kaveh. Don't let your jealousy show." One of the two men answer, smugness in their tone while the other just hides a chuckle.
"What jealousy?" Kaveh is about to ask but he already knows the answer. They think he fancies the girl; what a joke! He hasn't even met her! Without another word, Kaveh tilts his chin up, holds the documents in his hand tighter, turns on his heels and starts walking away.
He hears the slight mutter of, "I told you they were dating," and the first assumption is that it's about Al-Haitham and that sage girl. But some part of Kaveh's mind starts nagging that they're talking about him.
He's heading home, documents now clutched to his chest but he feels a tap on his shoulder. When he turns around, it is the gossiping men from before. He's about to ask them what their problem is but before he does, the man says, "Why don't you try the new machine?"
He wants to brush this man off and get back to work in the comfort of his - actually, Al-Haitham's - home but the curiosity in him forced him to ask, "what machine?"
"The new one just released. It's to celebrate the return of dreams. It transports you from your real life here to your wildest dreams." Kaveh nods in understanding but he doesn’t understand why the man is telling him this.
"And this concerns me, how?"
"You can get moved to a world where you and your little crush are all kissy-kissy. Everyone's trying it nowadays." The invention sounds unbelievable but interesting, even if people are using it for a rather useless purpose. But, he really does have to get home; he doesn’t remember turning off the sink.
"Ugh, let me think about it." Kaveh sighs, pushing past the man and running towards their house, leaving the gossiper bewildered and insulted.
When Kaveh reaches their front door, coated in a layer of green paint, he's grateful it isn't fully flooded. Ready to start his work in peace, Kaveh turns the knob of the door, only to find it locked. Swiftly searching for his keys, Kaveh unfortunately realizes that he does not have them.
So, begins his journey to find his roommate.
Luckily, Al-Haitham had informed Kaveh about his location beforehand, mumbling all morning about working on Akademiya affairs at the Grand Bazaar. As Kaveh marches through the streets, documents crumpled in his hands, his ears technically fuming as he slams the door of the Grand Bazaar open.
His eyes search around, analyzing every face till he spots the familiar shade of gold and green, leaning against a building in the corner.
"Al-Haitham, you bastard! You took my keys!" Kaveh screams but nobody turns their head to look at their quarrel; it's happened way too many times for it to be unusual. He marches straight up to Al-Haitham, stops when he's right in front of him and brings his palm out.
Al-Haitham stares right at Kaveh, has the audacity to look smug and dangles the keys right in front of Kaveh's face. "Well, I hadn't realized." Kaveh immediately tries to snatch them with his document-free hand but Al-Haitham just shoves Kaveh's keys back into his pocket. Immediately, Kaveh turns away, frowning. He will not give Haitham the satisfaction of knowing he riled him up.
Al-Haitham is still leaning against the wall, paying almost little-to-no attention to his roommate, readily expecting the other to continue the conversation. When Kaveh does not retort or insult, with an unseeable concerned glance, he asks. "Now, you look grumpy. Might tell what's bothering the amazing Kaveh?"
Ignoring the obvious sarcasm, Kaveh thinks. A surprisingly good question. But, he really does have no clue. He's been mildly upset, ever since that encounter with those two gossipers. Even more so at the assumption that Kaveh has a crush on some sage girl that just returned from abroad. He doesn't stoop that low!
Instead of what he's been wondering about, Kaveh bites out. "The stupid invention, machine, whatever! I can't believe people are shifting universes to date some girl!"
Al-Haitham fakes a gasp and claps lightly. "This deserves a celebration; you've finally said something reasonable."
Kaveh flinches back, absolutely astounded at the insult. "What? Everything I say is reasonable!"
"Whatever helps you sleep at night."
"Back to that horrible attitude! Why are you always like this?"
Al-Haitham gives him a soft, sarcastic smile and proudly says, "I really do hope you slip on the stairs while trying to get to our front door and die."
"I hope your house blows up. I'll make sure it does."
"Please do. Then, I no longer have to live with someone as stuck-up as you."
"Stuck-up? You wanna know who really is stuck-up?" Kaveh waits for an answer, only to be replied by pure silence. When Al-Haitham has the audacity to fake a look of confusion, Kaveh points his finger right at his roommate and screams a loud, "you!"
"Yea, yea. Now, leave me be. I'm already so bothered with that new Fontaine-sage-girl; don't add any more trouble to me." Al-Haitham does a shoo-ing away hand signal to Kaveh and sighs.
"Sage girl? What? You're working with her?" Kaveh raises his eyebrows and folds his arms across his chest. Again, the mention of this new foreigner.
"She's actually really tolerable. Not irritating like a certain someone." Al-Haitham replies, not bothering to spare Kaveh a look. In the mean time, Kaveh is astounded at how Al-Haitham's voice softened. Archons, does his roommate of all people have a crush on her, too?
"Now, what do you mean by that?" Kaveh questions, his stomach having this horrendous ache, similar to this morning. He's starting to really despise this sage girl.
Come on! There's no way she's as bright as the stars or as intelligent as knowledge capsules. That's just preposterous!
When everyone in the Bazaar immediately goes silent with only the clacking of boots on marble flooring to be heard, Kaveh instantly meets the light shades of blue, coating the eyes of someone who's just entered.
Kaveh's mouth instantly drops.
Okay, perhaps the rumors were true.
She looks almost mystical; her hair flows down to her waist and she's walking in a posture that literally screams dominance. She glances up only once, staring at Kaveh for not even a second and looks back down at the book in her hand. She does not look at where she's going or if anyone is in front of her - it is almost as if she knows she is feared.
She has a flower in her hair and a puppeteer-like tattoo on her arm. Kaveh recognizes it from somewhere but his mind is too scattered to figure out where. She's dressed in gold ornaments, a geo vision tied with a rope around her waist while a polearm is draped across her back.
She is stunning and everything about her shows that she knows it.
She comes to a stop, right beside Al-Haitham. "Scribe, do not keep me waiting." Her voice is just as powerful as her looks; she is not soft-spoken like Kaveh expected her to be.
"Hah, I apologize. I did not think you were worth my time." Al-Haitham replies, with the same sarcastic tone he only uses with Kaveh. Never in Kaveh's life has he seen Al-Haitham treat someone but him like that.
"Usual mood, I assume. And this is?" The girl turns to look at Kaveh, eyes interlocking and she brings one hand out to shake his. He's about to grab her hand and introduce himself until Al-Haitham cuts in.
Al-Haitham pushes Kaveh behind him, almost shielding him from her view while blandly saying, "Kaveh. Nobody special."
"Hey! Who are you calling-" Kaveh argues but both Al-Haitham and the girl stare at him at the same time. He immediately realizes that he's embarrassing himself so stops talking.
"Are you going to participate in our business or do I find someone else?" The girl blatantly ignores Kaveh and turns the conversation back to her with Haitham.
"Don't be so petty. I'm going."
Al-Haitham turns and walks away, side-by-side with the girl as they exit the Grand Bazaar. He does not even turn back to look at Kaveh; he's too focused discussing whatever topic he has with his new 'friend'.
She might be dating that Scribe.
Kaveh suddenly remembers that opinion and his stomach almost bursts from anger. The blood beneath his chest twists and turns; it almost makes him feel wobbly. He clenches his jaw and bites his cheek to keep himself from speaking any further. He fully ignores the sting that comes with it.
When the silence that overtook the place comes to a stop, the muttering and conversing of people returning, Kaveh feels surprisingly upset.
Why is he so angry about Al-Haitham's relationship status?
Probably because he pulled a pretty girl first, right?
Suddenly, Kaveh remembers something.
"Wait, my keys!"
Although all Al-Haitham does with him is banter, he really does feel empty without their usual arguments. Haitham is already way ahead and Kaveh doesn't want to chase him for his keys. He'll just ask for them later. He wants to talk to someone but if Al-Haitham's busy;
There's only one person he can go to now.
"Stupid Haitham! Who does he think he is!" Kaveh groans, walking in circles around the room as he tries his best not to knock the ornaments off the table in the center. This is the fifteenth time he'd ranted about the situation but it gives Kaveh some form of relief to keep repeating it. On the table is a dainty flowerpot and the documents Kaveh has been carrying around since this morning.
"I hate him so much! You don't understand!"
"Every time I'm around him, I get these horrendous aches in my stomach. Archons, I hate him!"
"He always makes me nervous, speechless and embarrassed. How dare he!"
"He thinks he's so attractive; flaunting all those hot muscles out all the time."
"If he wants to find and date some girl he just met, might as well go out with me! I could treat people way better."
"You agree with me, right?"
Sitting at the nearest chair was Tighnari, ears drooping with the most judging stare on his face. "I don't even want to say anything anymore. Get out." Kaveh is ushered to the door and is pushed outside. Tighnari takes a deep breath and asks, "can you spend even ten minutes without mentioning him?"
Kaveh is about to retort but his voice dies in his throat. Now that he really thinks about it, he can't really imagine his life without Al-Haitham in it anymore. When he wakes up, it's to the same green he's been arising to for the past few months. There's a few splatters of red paint when Kaveh had tried to redecorate the room but Haitham had walked in on the process, forcing Kaveh to return the walls to that horrendous shade of green that Al-Haitham loves so much - for reasons Kaveh can't even understand.
Whenever Kaveh leaves the room he woke up in, with his disheveled hair and his more-than-messy pajamas, he's always greeted to Al-Haitham. He's either working on another contract or drinking that bitter coffee he enjoys, even if it tastes like mud and water mixed together; or he's reading a boring book about historical literature, perhaps even halfway through getting ready to leave for the Akademiya. Whatever Al-Haitham is doing, he doesn't forget to yell at Kaveh to wash the dishes, make the bed, fold his clothes, blah, blah, blah.
On good days, there's only a few arguments over the little things. But, on bad days, there's doors slamming and voices yelling which by evening, Kaveh intoxicates himself to slumber at a nearby tavern. Al-Haitham always does come by to drag him back home though; Kaveh wakes up in his own bed the next day.
Sometimes, they have breakfast together but other times, they both have it at the restaurant a mile away. Sometimes, Al-Haitham takes Kaveh's keychain, just so they can talk more later because he knows Kaveh would come look for them. Sometimes, they're both too busy, returning home hours past midnight. But, they still have dinner together, where again, there's disagreements about the stupidest things. Come on, there is no correct way to slice your vegetables - even if the way Al-Haitham told him to use was a lot easier. Sometimes, Kaveh sees the curve of a smile form on Al-Haitham's face after he returns from long expeditions and Kaveh's there to greet him first.
Al-Haitham may be insufferable, annoying, disgustingly perfect, irritating, nerdy and of course, annoying. Though, Kaveh doesn't hate him; he would never. It's never crossed his mind before but maybe Al-Haitham does not harbor the same fondness Kaveh does. Every irritated glance, every rude word, every threaten to kick him out; Kaveh comes to a conclusion.
Maybe Al-Haitham really does hate him.
"I know that look. You realized something?" Tighnari asks and Kaveh almost forgot his friend was standing right in front of him. Tighnari almost looks relieved, a smile plastered on his face. "Please tell me you realized your feelings about Al-Haitham."
"I did. He hates me."
Tighnari's smile falters and dies down as he slams the door shut so hardly that Kaveh heard the hinges break, even if they're made of pure metal.
Now, what was that about? Perhaps his reasoning was correct; Al-Haitham might be bothered by Kaveh's presence.
If what everyone is talking about is true about the new machine that transports people to their desired worlds, Kaveh could get to a world where Al-Haitham doesn't hate him! Perhaps he could go to one where he's not six-feet under dept. A world where he's a famous architect and Al-Haitham praises him on a daily basis.
Okay, perhaps he should give the invention a try - just to see if it works, definitely not to go to a world where he's three-hundred thousand times smarter than Haitham.
He's been going around Sumeru all day; first, the Bazaar, then, to Gandharva Ville and now, back to the main city in hopes of finding an honest merchant.
"My loyal customer! I knew you'd be here for the invention!" is the first thing Dori says to him when he arrives at their usual area. Kaveh is about to ask her how she knew but that'd just be a waste for both of their time.
"How much is it?" Kaveh sighs - the machine better be worth increasing his debt.
"For you, Kaveh, only 3 million mora!" Dori exclaims, almost as if 3 million is almost nothing when it could feed a family of four for a month.
"Only 3 million? Are you insane?"
"Not at all! It's even discounted. The actual price was 3 million and five."
"What?" Kaveh counts his money and hands the desired price to her, already feeling the emptiness of his wallet.
"You've already gave me the money! Too late to turn back; I'll just program it for you. Wait a minute." Dori takes out one of the knowledge capsule lookalikes and starts turning the side gears. "I'd ask you why you need this invention but I think most of Sumeru already knows."
Kaveh looks away, embarrassed that everyone in Sumeru thinks he's spending this much mora because he wants to be smarter than Al-Haitham. "Was I that obvious?"
"I deserve a paycheck for the tension!"
"What tensi-"
Dori cuts him off and hands him the machine. "Anyway, here you go! I'd try to get more mora out of you but even I know about your debt so I'll be nice." She puts each of her arms on different sides of her hip and smiles. "Don't forget! You'll be asleep for only 7 days; no need for food and water but you will need a shower when you wake up."
She waves at him gleefully. "Bye! Come back soon!" Kaveh can't help but think she's cheated mora out of him.
Shit, he forgot his documents at Tighnari's house. He'll get them later.
Kaveh takes his way home, ready to get to his bed and sleep for a full week of his dream world. Only when he turns the knob, he remembers that Al-Haitham still has his keys.
"I'll just sleep on the damned porch then. The sooner I get to this new world, the better."
Without any hesitation, Kaveh turns on the machine the same way he uses a normal knowledge capsule. At first, he doesn't feel anything, just a second of his vision blurring. He looks at the sidewalk again; there's nobody around. It is currently the busy hours and everybody is probably at work.
He's about to swear the machine out but the next thing he knows is his vision blacking out and the crash of his head on Al-Haitham's favorite flowerpot.
Kaveh opens his eyes but he feels as if he hasn't gotten an ounce of sleep. He's wide awake, immediately noticing his bedroom ceiling and the comfort of his own bed. Well, technically, they were Al-Haitham's but they're currently his until he's not drowning in debt.
There are the rays of morning sunlight entering through the gap of his curtain. Similar to this morning, there is a stack of unfinished architecture drawings and messy ink splatters on his corner desk.
Nothing has changed; did the machine not work?
As Kaveh walks to the hanged mirror in the corner of his room, he notices two things. First, his unusually loose pajamas are falling off his shoulders. Two, there is a word floating above his head in a black type-writer font.
It reads, 'MainCharacter,' and Kaveh almost screams from joy.
It worked? It worked! Kusanali, it worked!
He's immediately sprinting out of the house, taking a peek at Al-Haitham's room to find it empty. He must've left for the Akademiya. Without even bothering with breakfast or changing his clothes, Kaveh takes the nearest route to find Haitham.
When Kaveh bumps shoulders with someone, he reads the name, 'NoImportance', above their head. There's 'ShopVendor' and 'SideCharacter', too. It's all bland, unimportant titles till Kaveh stumbles right into Tighnari.
Kaveh bumps into Tighnari so hard that all the documents in Tighnari's hands scattered around on the floor. Immediately, Tighnari looks at Kaveh and gives him another judging glare. "Why are you walking around like you've just woken up."
"It doesn't matter! I'm in a dream!" Kaveh replies, helping Tighnari up, quickly picking the papers on the floor.
"Are you drunk?"
"No, not yet!" Kaveh replies, shoving the papers into Tighnari's hands while still excited that the machine worked. He takes a quick glance at the title above Tighnari's head and almost shouts in glee when he reads, 'BestFriend'. "Also, Tighnari! You're my best friend!"
"What in Teyvat are you talking about?"
"Nevermind that. I have to go find Al-Haitham. I bet he's mortal enemy or something like that.” Kaveh pats Tighnari on the shoulder and continues on to find his roommate.
With that, Kaveh is sprinting up the stairs, admiring the way there’s a title above everyone - shop vendor is still his favorite so far. Tighnari is still staring at him from the distance with a puzzled expression.
When he enters the Akademiya, he meets two people.
One is the person he was looking for and the other is, well, the pretty girl. Kaveh thinks his heart skipped a beat, two beats, no, three.
Instead of what Kaveh was expecting, he immediately reads the 'LoveInterest' above Al-Haitham's head.
Unsurprisingly, the next thing that meets is his face to the floor. And, he passes out for the second time that day.