Work Text:
1.
It was an unusually quiet day in the Akademiya. Normally the hallways were filled with scholars that filled them even more with endless chatter over various things- usually everything but research related things.
But not today, today there were only a few people around as Alhaitham traversed through the familiar hallways on his way to the house of Daena. He did not mind the lack of people in the slightest, in fact, he highly enjoyed the fact that there was no excess noise around to bother him.
Some researchers greeted him politely when he passed by them, others looked away as soon as they saw him and then proceeded to ‘whisper’ behind his back when he was ‘out of earshot’. Alhaitham nodded to the former batch of researchers and ignored the latter batch.
Alhaitham hadn’t really been paying much attention to anything the students of the Akademiya were saying. He simply did not care, even if they might’ve been talking about him. “How can you just- ignore everyone talking shit about you?” Kaveh had once asked- Alhaitham had proceeded to make fun of his fragile ego- which the architect had definitely appreciated.
Alhaitham reached for the handle of the door to the house of Daena and stepped inside- where there were even less scholars, but that was nothing out of the ordinary. Only a selected few could enter, and out of those few even fewer people usually had any actual business in there.
Alhaitham walked straight to the elevator and took it up to the grand-sages office. While he may no longer be the acting-grand-sage he still had some leftover work in the office that needed to be done before he could fully go back to his job as the scribe.
He sat behind the soon-to-be-not-his desk and picked up a file containing info on the new possible sages for the schools that needed them. Those schools being all but Amurta and Haravatat. There were a lot of worthy candidates for the other schools- most of them were suggested by the schools themselves. Some of the candidates were people he knew and some of them people he’d never even heard of.
Why was he in charge of this again? He wanted to go back to being a scribe again, back to his way more manageable workload that he’d actually somewhat cared to do.
Alhaitham pushed away the files of Spantamad and Vahumana, shuddering at the mere thought of the two pages of nothing but names that both schools had submitted. Alhaitham would have to do ground work on all the people before he could even begin to think about who he could recommend as a sage.
He then proceeded to look through Kshahrewar’s list- a much more manageable file. Only containing four names with a moderate amount of groundwork done of them by the school itself. (Moderate meaning nothing but their achievements in the school, but it was at least something.) The four names in Kshahrewar’s list of suggestions were Judar, Narendra, Sasani… and Kaveh.
Alhaitham had already done his own little investigation on all three.
Judar was crude and easily swayed by objectives more important to him than to Sumeru, but at the moment he was the oldest Kshahrewar scholar with ongoing research, which is most likely why he was even considered as a candidate. Alhaitham hadn’t found many people that actually liked or even tolerated Judar.
Narendra had excelled in his studies, but that was about everything he had going for him. Not many people had heard of him when Alhaitham had asked. Sasani had been an exceptional student as well, but unlike the other two she was fairly liked amongst her colleagues in Kshahrewar.
And then there was Kaveh, the Light of Kshahrewar. A genius, a star-student, loved by many, liked by more and disliked by little, empathetic, understanding and kind to a fault- living life for others more so than himself. All these qualities could make him either an excellent or a terrible sage.
Between the four scholars the choice should be obvious, Judar was obviously out of the question as seniority hardly had any weight, Narendra’s only winning quality was that he had been an excellent student- and Sasani’s list was not much longer, in fact the only difference being that she was a bit more well liked.
Yet still, Alhaitham hesitated. Kaveh was too kindhearted, wearing his heart on his sleeve and having it be used against him. He was too easy to take advantage of, Kaveh wasn’t stupid by any means- far from it actually- but he was kind and would rather suffer the consequences himself than have someone else suffer. Even if that suffering was deserved.
Perhaps, just to be safe, he should recommend Sasani. The final decision isn’t his to make after all- though his opinion will be greatly considered. Making half-assed decisions isn’t a true solution and will only lead to a catastrophe. Alhaitham pinched the bridge of his nose and pushed aside the files of both Sasani and Kaveh. He glanced at a clock- his shift was ending, he could, should and would leave.
As the soon-to-be-scribe-again stood up his hand brushed against something- something that definitely wasn’t a part of the files he’d laid out on the table the day before. The ‘something’ was an envelope- that upon closer inspection was addressed to him. Alhaitham grabbed it and opened it in one swift motion using his fingernail as a make-shift blade.
Inside the letter was a singular piece of paper- which he took out and turned around twice to confirm that there was text only on one side of it- and what a boat load of text it had, the writer had even had to start making his writing smaller about halfway through the page.
Acting grand-sage Alhaitham.
As it is your job to find the next sages for the six great schools of Sumeru, I find it to be my job to ensure you make the right decision regarding the school of Kshahrewar.
Now you must be considering recommending the Light of Kshahrewar, Kaveh as our next sage- but I must warn you that this is a foolish decision that should not be made. The only one truly deserving of the position of a sage is Judar as he is not only the oldest but has the most experience as well. The rest of the candidates can not even begin to fathom just how knowledgeable our most senior researcher truly is.
Oh, so it was one of these letters again. It was clear that the writer of this paper was Judar himself, seeing as how the whole text was practically licking his ass. Alhaitham nearly threw the thing out, but found himself reading the rest of it upon seeing that Kaveh was mentioned on the paper more than once-
Of course, I do not expect to alter your decision via a simple piece of paper, so allow me to make this reading worth your precious time, acting grand-sage.
I shall lay this out to you simply: If you do not recommend Judar and make sure he is picked as the next sage of Kshahrewar- then I promise you that I will extinguish the light of our great school.
I look forward to seeing your decision, acting grand-sage.
The corners of the paper crumbled under Alhaitham’s tightening grip. He smashed the paper in his fist and speed-walked practically ran to the elevator.
I will extinguish the light of our great school, the Light of Kshahrewar, Kaveh.
Alhaitham got off the elevator immediately once it hit the floor.
Why would they bring Kaveh into this? Why him? Why would they expect that endangering Kaveh would be enough to sway his decision- just what had brought them to that solution?
(Kaveh would always be reason enough for Alhaitham. Endangering him would get Alhaitham to do anything. Harming Kaveh in anyway was a sure way to get the scribe on his knees.)
Did they know Kaveh lived with him, even with how careful his roommate was? Though, if they did know then it would all make sense- and Alhaitham hadn’t done much to hide their living situation no matter how much Kaveh had begged him to. If Judar knew all that then using Alhaitham’s only weakness Kaveh as a ‘motivator’ would be easy.
Someone was bound to have found out about their living situation eventually, but why like this? Alhaitham had always expected someone would find out through Kaveh spilling the beans while drunk.
Alhaitham rushed out of the Akademiya. He was trying to keep his face neutral and both his body and mind relaxed. Kaveh was working from home today and it wasn’t even dark yet, kidnapping someone from their home in the middle of the day would be incredibly stupid- especially when the house was dead-center in Sumeru city. Someone would notice and stop it, someone would. Right?
Still, it wouldn’t hurt to go straight home and check. Just to be safe and all.
Some people greeted him as he went by, but he ignored them- keeping his eyes and mind on his goal- his home that he could finally see when he turned one final corner. He dug out his keys while walking and then unlocked his door- looking behind him and closing the door when he saw no one suspicious around.
Immediately once the door closed he took a deep breath- “I’m home.” He called out, holding his breath as he waited for an answer-
one, two, tree, four, five-
…
“How many times do I have to tell you to organize those damn books?!”
Kaveh’s annoyed voice sounded like a choir of angel’s to Alhaitham. He nearly ran to the living room and fought hard against the urge to hug the other man sigh in relief upon seeing him sitting on the couch while drawing. Instead he smiled- “If it bothers you so much, why won’t you just do it? In fact, why don’t you do it and I’ll consider it this month’s rent.“ He could practically see a blood vessel pop in the other mans head.
But before the blonde could start a long rant about how he wasn’t Alhaithams personal maid (which he’d already memorized by this point)- “Did anyone stop by the house today?” Kaveh shut his already open mouth and raised an eyebrow, surprised. “No? Were you expecting someone? I wouldn’t have opened the door for them though.”
Alhaitham knew that, but he had a feeling that these people wouldn’t care about that.
Kaveh’s brows shifted to display slight worry as he leaned forward and shut his sketchbook. “You look pale. Did something happen at work?” Was he pale? “No, it’s nothing like that. Just a long day at work.” Kaveh gave a small laugh, worry melting right off of his face- “That I can relate to.”
It had all been an empty threat, no one would come for Kaveh.
…
Right?
On Saturdays Alhaitham simply refused to work. His hours didn’t oblige him to so he simply didn’t. Kaveh’s situation was somewhat similar- the deadline his client had set for him didn’t necessarily require him to work during the weekends. Yet he did so anyway.
Today was yet another Saturday, a rainy one in fact. On this particular Saturday Alhaitham had simply decided to stay at home and read the books from the pile Kaveh so badly wanted him to organize. He picked up a random book and sat down onto the couch, beginning his read from where he’d last left off.
…
The soft and continuous sound of the rain hitting the roof was disturbed by someone harshly knocking on their front door. Alhaitham placed his book upside down and open onto the couch before walking toward the door as he knew Kaveh wouldn’t open it, not unless it was Lumine or Tighnari or someone else who knew his ‘terrible secret’.
Upon opening the door Alhaitham saw a tall and muscular man with pale skin and short black hair. His clothes were ragged, dirty and old, but what was the most off-putting to Alhaitham were the man’s gentle and kind eyes that still shined with something… sinister.
“Can I help you?”
“Yes, you can! I am looking for someone- and I heard from some scholars that I might find him here.” Even his voice was gentle- was he looking for him? “Who are you looking for?” Alhaitham asked, his grip around the doorknob tightening just a tiny bit.
“Oh yes- I am looking for Kaveh, the Light of Kshahrewar, you know him, right? Everyone does!”
Alhaitham tensed.
I will extinguish the light of our great school.
“He does not reside here, nor do I know where he does. Try asking around the Akademiya again.” Alhaitham tried to close the door in the man’s face, but he quickly grabbed the handle on the other side- “I did! And rumor has it that he lives here with the acting grand-sage- who I assume is you.” He made a gesture to Alhaitham while simultaneously pulling the door open wider. How is he so strong?
“At the end of the day rumors are rumors. If I were you, I wouldn’t trust everything I hear on the streets.” Alhaitham did not like the vibe of this guy at all. “Why do you wish to find him in the first place?” He did not miss the way the man’s eyes lost their kindness for a small moment, the sinister shine taking over. “My boss wants something built, and he wants Kaveh to be the one to design it, so he sent me to find him.”
I will extinguish the light of our great school.
“Mhm, and who is your boss?” The man tried to pull the door back even more, but Alhaitham held his ground- even if it was a struggle, and the door was left halfway open. “That is hardly important, now could you tell me if Kaveh is home?” Alhaitham’s gaze grew colder- “He does not live here. Now I would advise you to leave- this is private property, and you are currently breaking in.” The man let his grip loosen just a tiny bit, and that was all that Alhaitham needed to close the door completely. Nearly slamming it on the stranger’s fingers.
He immediately locked the door and waited until he no longer heard the man on the other side. Only then did he allow himself a moment to breathe in peace.
And that was when Kaveh decided to finally exit his room, having undoubtedly heard the entire exchange. (Alhaitham could only thank the lesser lord that Kaveh only left his room now.) He peeked his head out the doorway and looked at Alhaitham with a questioning look. “Who was that?”
I will extinguish the light of our great school.
“No idea.” Alhaitham answered and went to look through a window in the living room to make sure that the man was really gone. Once he confirmed that no one was out in the pouring rain he let himself relax completely. The danger was gone. For now.
Kaveh had followed him, leaning against the doorframe. His tone had a tint of fear to it: “He was looking for me. Did he know I live here?” Yes, he did. He knows exactly where you are at all times. Alhaitham shrugged, “He’d just heard a rumor, don’t look so bothered.” Kaveh groaned, “Of course it bothers me! You know quite well why.” He did, and he’d be lying if he said it didn’t bother him as well.
“Well, he’s gone now- whoever he was.”
“It still bothers me you know?”
Alhaitham did not want to think about what might’ve happened had he not been at home today and Kaveh had answered the door inste- no, he wouldn’t have. Kaveh is way too careful with stuff like that.
…But would that have stopped the man? Or would he have forced himself in regardless?
Alhaitham forced the thought out of his mind and went back to his book. The rain felt just a little louder.
Usually, the bars in Sumeru were filled to the brim with people- and usually Kaveh was among those people. Today was a half-unusual-half-typical day in Sumeru, the bars were strangely empty- but Kaveh remained.
The architect groaned and leaned his head back while dragging his hands across his face. “I don’t understand why you had to come along, aren’t you always complaining when I get drunk? Here to make sure I don’t have ‘too much’ fun?”
I will extinguish the light of our great school.
The scribe swiftly changed the topic: “You don’t have your keys, do you?” He watched with amusement as Kaveh tried to hide how he searched through his pockets, the stoic expression on his face melting into annoyance. “Exactly.” The architect tried to glare at him but smiled politely instead when the boss appeared at their table.
After he’d written down their orders the boss walked off with a smile, leaving them alone at the corner table Kaveh had picked for them. Alhaitham was quite glad that his position as neither the scribe nor the acting grand-master was brought up. Those conversations were always tiring and more often than not hiding some kind of hidden agenda.
A somewhat tense silence fell between them. Kaveh had tried to talk about the man at their door multiple times, but Alhaitham had brushed him off each time. He’d wanted to avoid telling Kaveh anything about the letter- fearing it may affect the way the man acts. The more you try to avoid something, the more likely it is to eventually happen.
Each time his roommate asked Alhaitham had simply told him that it was nothing either of them should worry about. But that feeble lie had broken the moment Kaveh had mentioned going out:
Kaveh stretched his arms and groaned as he exited his nearly pitch-black room. To Alhaitham he sort of looked like a creature of darkness emerging from its mother.
“Urghh- I need a drink.” Alhaitham’s fingers dug into his palms, Kaveh was going out? Alone? This late?
I will extinguish the light of our great school.
“You look like shit you know? Just go to sleep.” He didn’t need to look to know Kaveh had given him a rather universal hand sign. The blonde whined- “I’ve been working throughout the weekend- I deserve a drink or two!” Then let me get you the three beers you need to pass out, don’t go out for them.
Alhaitham wanted to argue, but instead shut his mouth when he saw the dark eyebags under Kaveh’s eyes. He instead sighed, it’s not like he could keep Kaveh locked up in their house forever. (He would if he could) “Then at least let me come with, you look like you’re about to pass out anyway.”
Alhaitham had noticed the weird look Kaveh had shot his way when he’d made the suggestion. His roommate was no idiot and by now he must’ve figured out that something was off. Now Kaveh was most likely just trying to get Alhaitham to tell him what was wrong.
He’d considered telling Kaveh about the letter he’d received, but in the end, he’d decided against it. Yet still there was still an inkling of doubt in his mind about his decision. Would it truly be for the best to not tell Kaveh about it all, or should he-
“Okay your silence is normally irritating, but now it’s even more so. Just what is bothering you, Alhaitham?” Kaveh wasn’t looking at him, his arms were crossed, and he was staring at a faraway wall. When he didn’t answer immediately Kaveh groaned and shut his eyes- yet still didn’t turn to look at him. “It isn’t me, right?” Alhaitham panicked a little- “No!” He said a tad bit louder than intended, taking Kaveh by surprise.
The blonde recovered quickly- “So then it’s about that man.” He finally looked at Alhaitham, staring right into his eyes. It was completely silent. Kaveh stared at him and Alhaitham could feel himself getting lost- both in his troubles and in Kaveh’s red eyes.
“Alhai-“ Kaveh was cut off by the boss returning with their requested drinks. The blonde flashed a bright smile that would make anyone’s heart skip a beat while thanking the man. Once the boss was gone, Kaveh’s expression morphed back into a serious one- his eyes once again locking on to Alhaitham’s.
The scribe looked at his glass and took a sip- trying to avoid eye-contact from his roommate. Something he knew Kaveh hated- but instead of getting “whisper-yelled” at, the blonde just... gave up. He sighed, looked away and took a large swig of his drink. “Alright then, I won’t push.” He muttered afterwards.
Alhaitham glanced at the man with slight surprise, an idea morphing in his mind- “…What were you working on?” First, Kaveh’s eyes widened- then they lit up as he went on a long ramble about all sorts of details and colours and materials he was planning on using in his newest structure. Simultaneously Kaveh was taking sips from his drink. Alhaitham had to silently admit that he’d gotten lost during the very start, but seeing Kaveh happy was enough to calm his nerves- at least a little.
From the corner of his eye Alhaitham caught a glimpse of the bartender- who caught his cold gaze and looked away immediately. What? He looked away for a few seconds, then glanced back again- catching the bartender staring at them once again. Alhaitham repeated the motion a third and a fourth time- and got the same result for each one.
I will extinguish the light of our great school.
“Kaveh- have you been to this bar before?” Kaveh didn’t answer, and when Alhaitham turned to look he was holding his head with one hand with his eyes tightly closed. “Kaveh?” The man flinched a little, blinking rapidly. “Huh? Oh, yeah, I frequent this place…” He seemed out of it. Really out of it.
Alhaitham made a small gesture at the bartender with his head- “Does that man work here?” Kaveh didn’t look, instead he let go of his drink to hold his head with both his hands. “Kaveh? Are you alright?” No answer, Kaveh’s grip on his head tightened. His fingers pulled on strands of his hair.
The bartender was full on staring now.
I will extinguish the light of our great school.
“Kaveh!” Alhaitham leaned over the table, trying to grab onto Kaveh’s shoulder. “M-My head, it, it hurts.” Kaveh groaned, his breathing becoming heavier and heavier as his hands gripped on tighter and tighter. Alhaitham looked over to the bartender- he was gone. The bastard, he-!
“-Akgh…! Al-Alhaitham-” Kaveh was grasping at his throat and digging into his head- “C-Can’t… breathe…” He gasped, wheezed and groaned. His right hand fell to the table, clutching at the tablecloth like his life depended on it- the other continued to scratch at his throat as he struggled for air.
Then his right hand swiftly moved to his mouth as violent coughs began to brutally torture his body. Something seeped through his fingers and onto the wooden table, something red. Blood.
Alhaitham acted fast.
He slung the hand around Kaveh’s mouth around his own neck and scooped the man up into a bridal carry. The couple other people in the bar were too drunk to even notice that something was amiss, which somehow both relieved and infuriated Alhaitham at the same time.
He took one final look at Kaveh’s now much paler face and ran out the door, almost slamming it through the wall behind it. He’d later realize that the bartender had already left by then.
Rain poured down on Alhaitham’s head and exposed shoulders and he leaned forward a bit to shield Kaveh. Should I go to Ghandarva Ville? No, it’s way too far away. But the hospital in Sumeru city was definitely worse than anything Tighnari would be able to do… He’d just have to force someone to get him.
With his destination set Alhaitham massively picked up the pace. The few people that were outside during the rain jumped out of his way as he ran past with Kaveh hanging limply from his arms.
Alhaitham kicking down the door of the hospital took at least a few years off everyone’s life span inside. Two nurses reacted immediately upon seeing Kaveh and ran to take him from Alhaitham’s arms who didn’t want to let go. A doctor followed the two nurses, and they rushed into a room while a third nurse ran to Alhaitham himself. He recognized the young man as an Amurta alumnus from the Akademiya.
“Do you know what happened?” The man dug out a notebook. “He was poisoned, I’m sure. Your people won’t be enough so send someone to get Tighnari of the Forest Watcher’s from Ghandarva Ville.” The man seemed offended- “I assure you mister that our doctors will quite enough to deal with the situation.”
Alhaitham, or rather Kaveh, did not have time to deal with the ego of these doctors. “As the acting grand-sage I have a right to issue this command. Get Forest Watcher Tighnari.” The nurse first stared at him in shock, then recognition- and then he ran off and relayed Alhaitham’s order to someone else.
Once he saw that person run out of the hospital Alhaitham allowed himself to collapse onto a chair and drag his hands across his face. He was going to kill the man that did this.
Alhaitham watched the door, watched every single person that entered the building. He stared, made notes in his head, calculated the possible danger each and every one of them could pose, watched which of them went even close to Kaveh’s room. Nothing went past without him noticing, nothing.
That’s why he was already by the door the moment he saw Tighnari’s ears enter the building. “What happened?” Tighnari was always so efficient. “It’s Kaveh, he was poisoned. You need to cure him.” Tighnari’s ears reacted with his eyes that shined with worry. The fox then nodded and was led to where Kaveh resided.
Alhaitham could trust that Tighnari would keep potential threats away from Kaveh. He left the hospital, his destination being the general Mahamatra’s, Cyno’s, office.
…
Cyno had put out a nation-wide alert for the bartender and by the morning the entire city was littered with wanted posters of the man drawn from Alhaitham’s description. Despite it all, it seemed like no one had seen the man anywhere- it’s like he’d disappeared of the face of the world.
His plan must’ve been to poison Kaveh and then get as far away from Sumeru as he could, he’s probably well into Liyue- possibly even Mondstadt- by now. Alhaitham didn’t care how much distance was between them, whether the man was on the cliffs of Mondstadt, the colds of Snezhnaya or hiding in the dark of the abyss Alhaitham would find him and he would murder him.
Or he would once got to the hospital to see how Kaveh was faring. After that he could check back with Cyno to see how his nightly investigation had gone and whether he’d gotten anything more useful than “Never seen him.” or “That could be anyone.”
Alhaitham opened the door to the hospital, got the key and room number from the lady at the desk, assured the guards posted by Cyno that he was a friend of Kaveh’s (he’d had to use the “I am the scribe card to get in) and entered the room his roommate was staying at.
Kaveh was awake, and he somehow managed to look ethereal and dead at the same time. His hair was as perfect as even- even if Kaveh definitely wouldn’t describe it like that with the number of knots and split ends it had now. His eyes were shining, but the skin around them was pale, dark and dead. Achieving that “ethereally dead” vibe that Kaveh so clearly was going for.
“You look like shit.” Alhaitham opened with a smirk, wanting to bring the mood up a little. But Kaveh wasn’t smiling- as expected- but he didn’t look comically infuriated either- which was unexpected. Instead, he was staring away from Alhaitham with his hands on his lap. He seemed distant.
”Kaveh-”
”You left, I was poisoned and you fucking left.”
Kaveh glared at the wall, which somehow made the situation worse. “Kaveh I was looking for the culprit.” The architect scoffed, offended. “I don’t care what you were looking for, couldn’t you have just stayed for one night?” The tension was rising, the thread between them close to snapping.
“And let whoever did this to you just walk away?”
“Well did you even find him?”
The silence between them told Kaveh everything he’d expected and needed to know. Alhaitham’s search had resulted in nothing, he’d found nothing. He’d left for nothing. “Exactly.” Kaveh still wasn’t looking at him, why wasn’t he looking at him? “Kaveh you’re being unreasonable, I had to go and look for hi-“
Now Kaveh was looking at him, rage glowing in his gorgeous red eyes- “You’re a fucking scribe, Alhaitham. It’s not your duty to search for or apprehend criminals, that’s Cyno’s job which I’m assuming he would’ve done even without your help.” His voice was desperate, cracking at points- yet still determined, furious.
And he was right. It wasn’t Alhaitham’s job, nor had he ever cared about doing any more than what his job required for. He’d certainly never cared about doing someone else’s job for them. So why? Why was this particular criminal and this particular job such an exception to that rule Alhaitham so rarely crossed?
Because it was for Kaveh. Because everything around this job revolved around Kaveh.
But Kaveh was right, even if Alhaitham hated to admit it. He never should’ve left for a search that he’d known would end up in nothing. He could’ve guessed that the man would’ve had some kind of escape route planned already. He should’ve known as much. And he should apologize for it.
Yet, this is how their relationship worked. They both fuck up all the time, realize they fucked up- and play it off with half-assed insults and arguments to avoid having to admit that they’d made an actual mistake with actual consequences. This is how it has always been, and how it shall always remain.
Even now when Alhaitham fell silent when he should’ve apologized.
And then Kaveh asked the one question he did not want to answer. He sighed, depleted. All anger draining out of his body. “Why me? Forgive the morbid thought but I’d understand poisoning you, you’re the scribe an all- I’m just some architect.”
I will extinguish the light of our great school.
Alhaitham managed a smug smile. “Perhaps they tried just that, and you were simply unlucky, I wouldn’t be surprised.” Kaveh let out a noise of pure frustration and waved his hand toward the door- “Just get out. I don’t have the energy for you.” Alhaitham hesitated for a moment, watching Kaveh’s blonde hair fall over his face- covering his eyes and the emotion that resided in them.
And then he left.
I will extinguish the light of our great school.
4.
Kaveh had finally been let out of the hospital. The only problem Alhaitham had with that is that he did not learn this from Kaveh, he learnt this from the hospital staff that told him Kaveh had left the hospital early in the morning.
Which was quite concerning considering how Kaveh had not shown up at their home. And it was the middle of the day.
I will extinguish the light of our great school.
Alhaitham had ran through basically every bar in the entirety of Sumeru city, all of which told him that Kaveh had not shown up that day. He’d checked the palace of Alcazarzaray, hoping that its creator might have gone to admire it since that was something Kaveh did quite frequently when trying to gain inspiration.
Yet Kaveh was nowhere to be found. Alhaitham had for a moment considered searching through Ghandarva Ville, but both Tighnari and Collei were visiting Cyno in the city for the day- which took out the only motivation Kaveh would’ve had for visiting the place.
The only place left in Sumeru was the desert, which would’ve been impossible for Kaveh to have already reached- and their home, where Kaveh had not been at- at least not in the morning.
I will extinguish the light of our great school.
Alhaitham pushed a particularly terrifying thought out of his mind and decided to go back home, perhaps Kaveh and him had not yet crossed paths because Kaveh had returned home while he’d been running around Sumeru looking for him. The thought was both mildly annoying and immensely relieving.
There were no lights on, probably. It was hard to see inside since Kaveh insisted on keeping the blinds closed and having the curtains be in front of the windows just in case someone would look inside and see Kaveh. Alhaitham walked over to the door and took out his keys, unlocking and opening it in one move.
On the other side was the man from their doorstep- now extremely shocked, carrying a very out-of-it and tied-up Kaveh on his shoulder.
…
“You should be fine now, Kaveh.” Tighnari told him two days after the incident. He’d stayed with Kaveh throughout his days in the hospital, unlike a certain someone. Tighnari had even been more worried about him than Alhaitham, and that worry had created a question in Kaveh’s mind- why him?
According to Alhaitham, it was simply bad luck. But Kaveh refused to believe that. Tighnari had told him that the poison was something extremely rare, something no ordinary person could even hope to get ahold of. Kaveh seriously doubted that someone like that would make the stupid mistake of poisoning the wrong guy.
Alhaitham knew more than he was telling Kaveh, that much was obvious. But just how much did he know and why couldn’t he tell Kaveh about it?
“I can’t thank you enough, Tighnari.” The fox simply smiled with relief- “I’m just glad that you’re alright, you gave all of us quite a scare you know?” ‘Us’ meant him, Cyno, possibly Collei, and him- Alhaitham. “Well, now that I’m back on my feet- are you returning to Ghandarva Ville?” Tighnari shook his head- “I think I’m gonna go see Cyno for a bit, Collei’s here too. We’re probably going to play TCG, want to join?”
Kaveh nearly refused, he was tired and he just wanted to lay down and rest- but refusing meant he’d have to go home, to him. To Alhaitham.
“Yeah sure, I think my ego can take another loss.”
…
And what a humiliating loss it was, but it was all in good taste. No one had been expecting to win against Cyno, and Kaveh had only beat Collei and Tighnari out of pure luck once- but it had still been fun.
Though, the longer they’d played the clearer Kaveh’s exhaustion must’ve been. “I think we should end for the day, Kaveh’s ego might but mine certainly can’t take another loss- even against Cyno.” Tighnari was being masterfully subtle, but Kaveh knew he’d only made the suggestion because of him.
It made him feel quite bad, being the sole reason Collei and Tighnari had to cut their pressured time with Cyno short. “I think you can manage, ‘nari- but I think my precious ego has taken too many hits these past days-“ Collei giggled a bit at his exaggerated tone. “Besides, I need to catch up on my job.”
Kaveh exchanged his goodbyes with his friends and set out to get back home and back to work, praying to the lesser lord that Alhaitham, for some ungodly reason, was not home.
And apparently, the lesser lord was quite pleased with Kaveh today- because not only was his roommate not at home- evident by how there was no light shining through the still shut curtains, but Kaveh actually had his keys with him to enter said home. He was truly shining today.
Only takes a little bit of poison to turn my luck around. Kaveh tried the door handle, it was open. But Alhaitham isn’t supposed to be home? Why would he be sitting around in a dark house? “Alhaitham?” Kaveh called out after he’d closed the door behind him, no answer. “Alhaitham are you ignoring me?” Nothing.
Kaveh checked Alhaitham’s room, the living room and the kitchen- yet his roommate was nowhere to be seen. And only one room remained, his room. “Alhaitham are you snooping around my room again?” He opened the door- and froze as a cold shiver enveloped his spine.
Someone was in his room, and it definitely wasn’t Alhaitham.
The strange man was huge. He turned to look at Kaveh and smiled, Kaveh did not like that smile one bit. He dropped to a more defensive position- “Who the hell are you?” The man chuckled and walked closer to him. “Stop, don’t come any closer!” Mehrak- where was Mehrak, he couldn’t fight without-
Kaveh nearly crashed into the doorway as he dodged the punch thrown at him.
The fight between them grew into a competition of who would mess up first- would the hunk of a man screw up his punch or would Kaveh screw up his dodging first.
Kaveh’s foot slipped on a book laying on the ground and his head hit the armrest of their couch. The man took the opportunity and lunged, catching Kaveh by the throat and bringing an odd-smelling tissue to his nose and mouth- pressing down hard and cutting off Kaveh’s breathing in more ways than one.
My limbs, I-I can’t move them.
Can’t breathe, I need to- I need to get him off-
How… is he so- strong-
What- What’s happening…? What’s around… my wrists…?
Why, why’s he carrying me…? Where- Where are we… going…?
Light… is that, is that the door? He’s taking, taking me away?
No, no I don’t- I can’t… stop…
…Who’s that… in the light…?
…
…Alhaitham?
…
Alhaitham watched as the man fell back onto the ground with his nose bloody, dropping Kaveh down in the process as well. The blonde hit the ground painfully hard, but Alhaitham was more focused on making sure this guy did not make it out in one piece.
…
Fuck… my back…
What’s… Happening?
…
Alhaitham searched through the man’s pockets, trying to find whatever he’d used to make Kaveh… like this. Bingo. A bottle of some simple drug from some shitty underground merchant. Alhaitham took a tissue from the man and practically lathered the thing in the drug, using way more than what was necessary.
…
My vision’s getting… clearer… I think-
Alhaitham… He’s… What the hell is he doing…
…
The man passed out like a baby. Hopefully he’d wake up again and hopefully not in their home, but Alhaitham could now worry about what was his actual number one priority- Kaveh- who was absent mindedly struggling against the ropes bounding his wrists together.
…
The ropes, they’re gone… Alhaitham…
…Alhaitham…
Kaveh rapidly blinked his eyes- Alhaitham was leaning over him, his sword vanishing out of his hand as he pulled Kaveh up to his eye-level- though his head was drooping to the side a little. Alhaitham looked him up and down- his hands digging into Kaveh’s shoulders, but it didn’t hurt at all- and wordlessly picked him up.
“Wh-Wha- Alhaitham!” Now Kaveh was definitely awake- what the hell was Alhaitham doing! “Put me down you oaf!” Alhaitham continued to carry him toward something- presumably his room. “Looks like the drug wore off, the idiot didn’t even use enough to fully knock you out.”
Alhaitham kicked the door to Kaveh’s room open and laid him down onto the bed. “Still, you should probably sleep. You look like shit.” The bastard tugged him in like a child, wearing that stupid smug smirk on his face as he did. “Alhaitham! We need to talk!” Kaveh struggled against his nemesis, the blanket, but to no avail, his limbs weighed at least a ton and his head even more.
“It can wait till tomorrow, sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite~”
I’m going to murder him.
Kaveh’s eyes slid close.
5.
Alhaitham, the absolute bastard, had left in the morning before Kaveh had woken up. Just how badly can a person want to avoid A SINGLE CONVERSATION? Kaveh felt like pulling his hair out as he looked at the note left by his dear roommate Alhaitham- “Went out, will be back later.”
“Will be back by night” meant that he’d be back when Kaveh had already fallen asleep so that he could avoid the damn conversation for just a tad bit longer. Sometimes Kaveh couldn’t help but wonder just how he managed to live with the other man.
Kaveh crumpled the note and threw it on the floor behind him- Alhaitham could pick that up when he decided to come back.
The architect groaned and flopped down onto the couch unceremoniously. Spending days in the hospital had held him back on his projects by a whole lot. He’d have to work nonstop for days to even have a slim chance at finishing his workload before the deadline hit.
But… As much as he hated to admit it, he was so so exhausted. The poison, the hospital, and whatever the hell had happened yesterday had certainly taken a significant toll on Kaveh. And to top that all off, Alhaitham still refused to tell him anything regarding each of the incidents- including the man at their door.
Kaveh groaned loudly and pulled at his hair, Alhaitham’s and his ‘little secrets’ would one day be the death of him for sure.
But not today. Today he had to work his ass off because as a teen he’d thought it was a brilliant idea to enroll in Kshahrewar and become an architect. What a fool he had been. (Alhaitham would tell him that he still remained a fool to this day, the prick.)
Kaveh grabbed Mehrak from the living room table and opened a recent unfinished three-dimensional drawing of a building he’d been working on. He grabbed a pen and begun working on it, drawing more pillars, roofs, floors, finer details as well as coloring some important things in- all the while taking notes on what he needed to remember about the houses structure.
He’d been trying to put off finishing this building in particular for a long time now because it’s requester was extremely difficult to work with, but now that behavior was coming back to bite him in the ass.
Had he finished this last week when he’d initially decided to hold off on it then he wouldn’t have to be in such a rush now. And he highly doubted that the man would take “I was poisoned and nearly kidnapped.” As an excuse for being late with his floor plans and models.
Why had he ever even decided to take this job in the first place? The guy had been a pain in the ass from the very get-go. He’d needed the money, that’s why- everyone knew that, and he certainly was no exception. No matter how much Alhaitham insisted on the opposite, Kaveh was quite aware of the urgency of his monetary struggles.
The guy would pay him well should his work satisfy him. But Kaveh was running quite late, his deadline was Sunday morning, and it was Friday now. He had two days to finish the entire project in a way that would be enough for the man’s extraordinary (and quite odd, at least to Kaveh) tastes.
Kaveh had a habit of losing track of the time when he worked. He’d sometimes forget to eat appropriate amounts and appropriate times, which would give Alhaitham another reason to think that Kaveh was not competent enough to lead his own life. He’d usually voice these thoughts- which’d lead to yet another argument between the two.
Today seemed to be yet another day where Kaveh’s sense of time got lost in his humongous workload. When he finally stretched his limbs and looked at the time, he realized that three hours had passed since he’d begun working- and he’d hardly made any significant progress.
Both Kaveh’s strength and his weakness were his perfectionism. It allowed him to make near perfect works that more often than not left his clients speechless and gawking in awe. But it also made him notice every single small mistake he made, and even if he knew that only he and his trained eye could catch said mistakes he’d still always take the time to correct them or improve them- taking up precious time.
Kaveh’s hands were still a bit shaky from the poison’s lingering aftereffects and yesterday’s forced drug intake had done no wonders to that. This had caused him to make a huge number of mistakes in the few hours he’d worked for, and each time he’d had to go back and fix those mistakes.
Which is why he’d hardly made any actual progress in the floor plan nor the model (which he’d been working on at the same time to speed up the process.)
Kaveh slammed Mehrak close- and instantly felt bad and apologized to the machine. I should probably take a break, at this point I’ll just keep making mistake after mistake. Kaveh stood up and wobbled a bit, his leg having fallen asleep. He hissed a bit, stomped the foot on the ground to wake it up- and began walking.
There was a pain in his stomach. A pain so different from the one caused by the poison that it nearly made Kaveh relieved. Eat, I should eat. I wonder if Alhaitham has any leftovers. Oh Alhaitham definitely did, the pantry was nearly filled with all kinds of food.
Alhaitham must’ve left it full on purpose, most likely guessing that Kaveh would be too tired to cook something for himself. Whatever, he was still mad at him for leaving.
…But the food was appreciated.
Kaveh leaned against the kitchen cabinets with a bowl of freshly heated food- and stared at it. It was still too hot to be eaten and Kaveh didn’t feel like sitting down or doing anything- so he just stared at the soup in his hands like his gaze would make it cool down faster.
…
Someone knocked on the door and nearly made Kaveh drop his bowl in alarm. Was it the man from yesterday? Or the man at their door? Or the one that poisoned him? Or was it a friend? Someone like Tighnari, Cyno, Collei, Madam Faruzan (wait no, she didn’t know he lived here), Lumine and Paimon…
Kaveh’s hands shook just a little more. Should he call out and ask? His friends did usually call out to him first though. But if it was a foe then he should pretend he wasn’t home. Mehrak-! He needed to get Mehrak, just in case. He couldn’t fight, if necessary, without that damn suitcase.
Kaveh set his bowl down and carefully sneaked back to the living room, another knock on the door. Definitely not Lumine- Paimon would’ve already yelled at him to come and open the door. He grabbed Mehrak and hugged it close, listening to the machine come to life.
A third knock. Even if it was unlikely that Madam Faruzan would come to Alhaitham’s door, she would’ve given up by now. He’d told Tighnari, Cyno and Collei to just come inside if no one opened the door.
The one on the other side of the door was no friend.
Kaveh grabbed Mehrak in his right hand and with its help summoned his claymore. The huge weapon materialized out of thin air and floated to Kaveh’s side effortlessly. Sweat trickled down his skin and he forced his dominant hand to stop shaking, taking just a few more steps back away from the door.
No more knocks, he began to silently count the seconds.
One…
Two…
Three…
Four…
Five…
Six…
Seve-
Kaveh gasped out loud as the door was burst open by a thin man wearing a mask that covered the entire top half of his face- only little of his eyes were allowed to peak through. The man locked those covered eyes with his and charged forward, avoiding staying on the same path to confuse Kaveh on which side to guard.
He picked the wrong side.
As Kaveh raised his claymore to the wrong side only its tip caught the blow of the twin-knives of the attacker. The force of the blow threw back half of the blade against Kaveh’s chest- ripping the fabric and making a tiny nick in his skin.
Mehrak glowed as Kaveh attempted to strike his attacker. Despite his weapons size, his foe was too small and nimble to be caught in his attacks- he even managed to throw a few of his own attacks as he effortlessly dodged Kaveh’s. Despite his best attempts at dodging, over half of the attacks managed to nick his skin.
Still, he wasn’t totally useless in a fight. His strikes were slowly pushing his assailant back and Kaveh was starting to gain the upper hand. As long as he could dictate where the fight would happen, he should be able to manage against an opponent like this.
But still- Kaveh had never been fit nor physically capable, and now he not only had the remains of the poison and drug to fight off- but this fucking speedy little shi-
The blade cut deep into Kaveh’s dominant hand. The sharpened blade easily tore through both skin and muscle- Speedy (as Kaveh had dubbed him) grinned maniacally as Kaveh cried out, dropped Mehrak (his claymore clattered down at his feet) and held at his ruined hand that screamed in pain.
“Don’t look so proud of yourself- is winning against a weakened man the best you can do?” Sometimes Kaveh wished he had the ability to shut his big mouth. As Speedy charged forward and kicked him down onto the ground Kaveh wished he would’ve done just that.
Kaveh’s back ached and his hand cried in pain, Mehrak had been kicked away from him and there was no way he’d be able to raise his claymore without it.
Speedy stomped down onto his ruined hand.
Kaveh screamed.
Tears trickled into the corners of his eyes. Speedy did not relent, he pushed his foot down harder. The heel dug into the fresh wound and tore apart the muscle even more- pulling it apart and away from its place as Kaveh continued to cry out in agony.
Speedy pulled his foot off, blood dripping down from the heel. Kaveh curled around his hand as a lone tear rolled down from his eye. “Wh-Why the fuck does everyone want me dead so suddenly!” Kaveh screeched with his voice cracking as his hand flared up in pain.
“It’s nothing personal. Orders are orders, boss has a problem with the scribe.”
Alhaitham. Of course. Of course, all of this was because Alhaitham had gone and pissed someone off and now he was paying the price for him and his inability to shut the fuck up.
Yet somehow, Kaveh couldn’t find it in him to be mad at Alhaitham.
Speedy turned Kaveh onto his back with his foot. He kept the architect in place by pushing down on his ribcage with his foot, his fingers mindlessly twirling around a knife. “Y’know, boss is really pissed with the scribe. He’s been trying to send a message to him by harming you, but nothing’s been working so far.”
…So Alhaitham not telling me anything must’ve been his idea of ‘protecting’ me.
Well didn’t that end just wonderfully.
“So now I’m supposed to kill you to make him see how much of a fool he was.”
…Kill him? This man was going to kill him? No, no no no no-!
“And like, he totally is a fool- leaving you all alone when he knows the danger? Fucking idiot.”
At least that Kaveh could agree with- or he would if his mind wasn’t in the process of shutting down in panic. I don’t want this please just go I don’t- no, no no, please-!
Speedy lifted his foot and dropped down on top of Kaveh with his thighs locking against Kaveh’s sides. Speedy wrenched his left hand away from his right and pinned it down to the floor next to him- he lifted his knife up and-
WAIT- NO- STOP-! – “STO-!”
Kaveh could do nothing but cry out like a tortured animal as the metal of the knife sunk through his hand and into the floor below. Every slight move Kaveh made to get out, to get away- was met with indescribable agony as the sharp edge of the knife cut through more and more flesh each time he moved.
Speedy dug out two black gloves from his pocket as Kaveh continued to choke on his half-sob-half-screeches. He slowly pulled them on, wiggling his fingers to make them fit just right. He stretched his fingers against each other and spun his wrist in a way that made the bones in them snap.
Then he turned his cold gaze back to Kaveh-
-And locked his gloved fingers around his throat like they were keys to a lock.
Kaveh gagged. His bloody hand clung to his attacker’s fingers as he tried to pull them away from his delicate neck. His impaled left hand twitched, fingers grasping onto nothing but air as he struggled to suck in a breath through the tight hold around his windpipe.
Speedy simply stared at him as he gasped, gagged and choked. Both of his hands twitched and shivered as he tried to struggle against the ones around his throat. His mouth hung open as he tried to gasp in a breath.
He needed air, he needed to breathe. He had to breathe, he had to get air.
I can’t breathe.
Darkness ate away at his vision as he continued to struggle. The movement of his hands died down and his gasps and gags quieted out- but he still continued to fight even if it was useless. Speedy only pressed down harder, his fingers tightening and his palms laying down even more pressure. Kaveh choked on a gasp.
Alhaitham…
Kaveh’s eyes began to close, all the ache in his body numbed down to a dull sting. He lost control over his limbs. Only bits and pieces of his vision remained. He was dying. He was going to die. Strangled to death on their living room floor because of some asshole that didn’t like Alhaitham.
A lot of people didn’t like or disliked Alhaitham- but at least they were normal about it and didn’t send someone to kill his roommate when he was out on town.
Kaveh hoped that someone would take over his legacy of complaining about things to Alhaitham when he was gone. Perhaps Lumine? A job passed down from one blonde to another.
His head drooped to the side, his fingers lost their grip and fell to his chest uselessly. He continued to wheeze, but it only sounded pathetic now.
…Haitham.
As Kaveh’s mouth hung open for his one final struggle- his eyes drifted close, and numbness spread throughout his entire body.
+1
Cyno had found the man responsible for the poisoning. He’d been found by the Cavarly Captain of the Knights of Favonius of Mondstadt when the bastard had tried to enter into the City of Freedom. According to Cyno, the captain had visited Sumeru and seen the wanted posters- he’d then made the arrest immediately upon laying eyes on the culprit.
Said captain, alongside two other knights, had then immediately crossed back through Liyue and into Sumeru to bring the culprit back into the nation where he should (and would) be punished. Alhaitham was honestly pleasantly surprised that knights, and a captain, all the way from Mondstadt were so willing to travel to Sumeru for this. Especially since they were having trouble with lack of manpower.
Alhaitham had decided to join Cyno in his office when the culprit had been brought in. If he could personally make sure that he received the highest form of punishment Sumeru had to offer, then he could finally relax- knowing that Kaveh would be safe.
I will extinguish the light of our great school.
Though… He’d still have to figure out how to prove that Judar was behind all of this. He was the instigator in all of this and had to be locked behind bars- or worse. Hopefully the poisoner had no sense of undying loyalty to Judar and would be happy to spill the beans on him if it meant lightening his own sentence.
If Alhaitham bared to lighten it that is.
…
The cavalry captain, Kaeya Alberich, and Cyno exchanged a few private words regarding the poisoner’s crimes and likely punishments before the knights took their leave back to Mondstadt. Cyno and Alhaitham were left with the criminal that seemed to be in actual fear for his life.
Good.
“I’ll make sure that he’s locked away in a cell, we can begin questioning at a later time.” If it were Alhaitham’s decision, then they would begin the questioning immediately so that the bastard could receive his punishment as quickly as possible- but he understood that Cyno had his duties to attend to as well.
Besides, the meeting with him, Cyno and captain Alberich had taken a lot longer than he’d initially expected. He should return home to check on Kaveh who was still recovering from all that had happened. He could also bring the good news that the poisoner had been caught and would be dealt with.
Alhaitham exchanged his goodbyes with Cyno and left the general’s office. It was a bit of a walk back to his home- but luckily the weather was nice enough for it to not be a pain. Kaveh would probably be holed up inside though, missing out on the warm sun. Maybe he should force his roommate outside a bit more often.
As Alhaitham rounded one final corner his home began to slowly reveal itself to him from behind cover- but once he saw the door he froze, a cold sense of dread washing over him.
The door was open.
He ran inside- a loud ring singing in his ears. His head felt heavy with dread. Kaveh. The house was a mess, the walls were filled with slashes from something sharp- a clear sign of a fight. Carpets and paintings were messed up, but the trail of the mess led Alhaitham to his destination. The living room.
A small, thin man was on the ground. Blood pooled around him; he was straddling down someone. He was straddling down Kaveh. His hands, his hands were around Kaveh’s throat.
Kaveh wasn’t moving. The man slowly pulled his gloved hands away from Kaveh’s neck. Kaveh didn’t react.
He wasn’t breathing.
…
…
…
Alhaitham got up from on top of the small man and blinked his eyes to clear them. The mask covering his eyes was shattered but small shards of it were embedded into the man’s bloodied face. His mouth hung open to reveal his cracked and broken teeth. Blood covered nearly every inch of his face.
Blood dripped down from Alhaitham’s knuckles as he breathed heavily.
Panic settled into his eyes as he turned back to stare at Kaveh’s broken figure. He was pale like a porcelain doll, but his fair skin was ruined at his throat. Horrible red blotches littered across his fair complexion and stained it like blood on snow. The red circled around in ways that clearly drew fingers around Kaveh’s throat.
Alhaitham dropped down to the ground and checked for a pulse, his hands were still bleeding and pumping out fresh blood- he couldn’t be dead yet. He picked Kaveh’s head up onto his lap, careful not to have the knife in his hand do even more damage.
“Wake up Kaveh.” He demanded, but his voice betrayed him. It shook and cracked with every word. His throat felt tight, his head was heavy, his limbs shook. Yet Kaveh remained still as a corpse. Alhaitham cradled Kaveh’s face with his hands, pulling their foreheads together. “Please.”
And there they stayed. Blood pooled around them like a protective fence as Kaveh continued to pale by every passing second. This was their intersection; this was the point where their meeting would end, and they would forever drift apart. Never to be together again.
…
…
…
…
…
Lumine walked down the hallway slowly and silently. Not even Paimon had dared to say a word since they’d gotten the news. Their whole trip from Liyue to Sumeru had been nearly entirely silent, and now that they’d finally made it to the assigned building in Sumeru city the silence was constant. Neither dared to speak.
Lumine’s steps echoed through the equally silent hallway, her heels clanked against the floor with each step- and then stopped as they made it to the door. Behind the door was Kaveh, or whatever remained.
…
“I can’t believe you would just stay there hugging me when you could’ve done something to help!”
“Well I- I was just, listen here-”
“Some knight in shining armor you are! I would’ve died if Tighnari hadn’t come at the perfect time.”
Lumine smiled, relief washing over her entire body. Despite how absolutely horrendous Kaveh’s voice sounded- it seemed like he was energetic enough to still have fights with Alhaitham. Paimon knocked on the door and both men inside called out – “Come in!” at the same time. Though Alhaitham didn’t yell and Kaveh started coughing a lung out immediately after.
Lumine closed the door behind her and smiled warmly- “I’m glad to see you’re okay, Kaveh.” Said man flashed a bright smile that turned into a smug smirk- “No thanks to him.” Alhaitham groaned loudly and Lumine couldn’t help but giggle. It was the most relaxed she’d ever seen both men.
Paimon floated next to Kaveh, worry shining in her eyes- or maybe it was the unshed tears. “Are you sure you’re alright?” He smiled and nodded- “According to Tighnari it’ll take a while for my hands to be fully functional again, but I should make a full recovery if I just train them hard enough.”
Kaveh whined- “But all my current work will have to be shut down, there’s no way I can finish any drawings with these-“ He emphasized by lifting his bandaged, violently shaking hands in front of his face.
Lumine gave him a look of sympathy, she would’ve said something along the lines of “I’m sure they’ll understand.” But knowing the kind of people Kaveh tended to work with she seriously doubted they would.
“You should focus on getting better first, your work is not that important.”
“Oh, I know you’re not talking after what happened.”
“Just let me live in peace…”
They’d be fine.