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"I'm gonna go chase these up with Euphrasie," the Traveller said, patting Alhaitham heartily on the back. "Thanks for your help!"
Alhaitham muttered something about not needing thanks and watched as the Traveller (with Paimon in tow) ran off, deeper into the city. Now that he had a moment to rest - without needing to worry about keeping the Traveller's latest bounty from crushing him into a fine paste - he took in his surroundings properly.
Fontainian architecture was about as far from Sumerian as it was possible to get. Idly, he thought that a good friend would probably get some pictures for Kaveh to study. Could he be bothered to be a good friend right now, though?
Well, he didn't have a Kamera on him. And he hadn't brought his wallet, either - though most would view an excursion to Fontaine as an opportunity for some tourism, Alhaitham had only seen it as a brief work trip to do a friend a favour. Nothing more, nothing less. The only thing stopping him from heading straight back home was the fact that he still wasn't sure how the Teleport Waypoints the Traveller used to zip around Teyvat worked, and he didn't feel like accidentally zapping himself to Inazuma or something.
Of course, had he been given ample time to prepare, he was sure he'd have enjoyed the holiday. But he hadn't had an opportunity to do any research, plan an itinerary, familiarise himself with the scenery. It was enough that he'd suddenly had to go diving into the ocean, compounded as the experience was by how foreign it felt to move; the noise of the Court of Fontaine only made it worse, with the near-constant whirring and clicking of gears everywhere he went.
At the same time, though, he didn't quite dare use his noise-cancelling headphones to their full capability - this was still unfamiliar territory, after all, and it wouldn't do to let his guard down. So it was really quite the dilemma.
The Traveller had bought him Paimon's favourite detective novel earlier, and it was still safely tucked into the pocket in his jacket. Fiction novels weren't really his style, but a book was a book, and Alhaitham supposed now was as good a time as any to get a taste of some foreign literature. At least it wasn't an Inazuman light novel; he wasn't sure he could take that kind of cultural leap so easily.
He'd seen a cafe earlier. Perhaps he'd go find a seat there? Or maybe that'd be rude, considering he had no money and no intention of buying anything, coffee or otherwise. Though he had to admit he was curious as to how the local brew would compare to his usual order from Puspa Cafe...
Ah, well. If it came to it, he could always subtly pressure the Traveller into getting him a cup. They owed him that much for needing his help in battle on such short notice, anyway.
He headed in the direction of the cafe nevertheless. Even if he didn't plan on taking up a table anymore, perhaps he'd be able to find a wall or something nearby to perch on... though maybe that'd only draw attention. A stranger in foreign clothes sitting around and reading in the middle of this bustling city was probably just as bad as putting a great big colourful sign on his head. That, or he'd get mistaken for a beggar.
Although that didn't sound like too bad an idea. Maybe he'd get a little loose change out of it? No, no, that'd be undignified... his clothes were opulent enough to denote his status, anyway.
Cafe Lucerne was clearly popular, but mercifully devoid of the clamour of chatter. This was a benefit of being an open-air establishment, it seemed... perhaps he'd been unwise in always choosing to sit in the furthest corner of Puspa's indoor spaces. Even if he was more likely to get noticed and hounded outside, at least it'd be quieter.
He looked around. It wasn't quite at capacity, but it seemed busy enough that he'd definitely be taking up a potential patron's spot if he took a table now. And the longer he stood here contemplating the area, the more Fontanians were beginning to stare... that beggar idea was beginning to sound more appealing now.
He gave the area one last sweep, mostly intending on turning and walking off in search of a different spot. Then he spotted something that seemed like an opportunity.
One of the tables near the back was occupied, but only by one - a young lady with grey hair, carefully slicing her cake into uniform chunks with a fork in one hand, and idly warming the other around a cup of tea.
She was very carefully avoiding the eyes of every other customer at the cafe, clearly determined to keep to herself. Alhaitham knew the look very well, and normally this would be a sign to leave her absolutely alone. He'd want the same in that situation, after all.
He turned to do just that, then paused. Something told him she wouldn't mind if he sat with her and simply said nothing. This was the kind interaction Alhaiham specialised in - and, now that he thought about it, he'd offered a similar favour to a blonde-haired and blue-eyed stranger in Sumeru once, who'd silently taken the other chair at his table, then done nothing but drink a cup of coffee and leave. (If only all tourists could be so pleasant.)
Deciding to test the waters, he walked over and sat down. Moving with purpose and confidence was the best way to shake off suspicion; sure enough, at this, several of the more nosy civilians turned away again, clearly under the impression he was here to meet a friend.
Still, there were others who seemed even more puzzled now. He could hear a few whispers, feel a few questioning glances - "Who's that with Lynette?" "I've only ever seen her talking to Lyney..." "Don't tell me she's started courting?"
Lynette, it seemed, was the name of the young lady whose table he'd was tentatively sharing. He was sure she'd noticed him by now, but - as he hoped - she didn't pay him any mind, and simply began eating her cake piece by methodical piece. Neither of them said a word.
Ah, now this was more like it. It was nice to know that not everyone in Fontaine was a chatterbox looking to deplete his battery in one conversation. It'd been bad enough when that pink-haired reporter had recognised him as the ex-Grand Sage and current Scribe...
He flicked open his book and began to read. The noise around him dulled to a low hum, and he found himself quickly absorbed in the story.
It was surprisingly engaging. He'd been expecting something more juvenile from Paimon, but it seemed her recommendations were sounder than he thought. Sounder than her fashion sense, at least, if those faux glasses-and-moustache were anything to go by.
He expected Miss Lynette to take her leave after finishing her cake and tea, but instead she simply sat there, eyes half shut, staring at nothing in particular. She was braver than him in that respect - when Alhaitham felt the need to switch off and space out, he had to save it for when he was alone at home. How admirable it was to be able to simply do it in public...
After a while, when he was well into the second act of his novel, Lynette suddenly stood up. He chanced a glance up, but quickly returned to the book. He got the feeling his presence had only been tolerated because he'd completely ignored her thus far.
"Customer mode activated," He heard her mutter to herself. "Be polite."
Then she padded up to the counter. From the looks of it, she was ordering another dessert. Wait, was that a tail? And, now that he looked closer, those protrusions on her head didn't seem to be hair at all, but rather a pair of twitching ears...
Alhaitham found his attention drifting. He quickly fixed his eyes on the book again.
His concentration was only broken by the sound of porcelain clinking nearby. Lynette had returned from the counter, balancing a cup and saucer in one hand, and two plates in the other. Wait, two?
Alhaitham, despite himself, could only stare in surprise as she set one in front of him. Lynette sat down once more, returning to her cup of tea - which he only now noticed had still remained undrunk. And now the new cup and saucer were sitting in front of him as well, even though he didn't recall seeing - or hearing - that happen.
Lynette wasn't looking at him, but rather contemplating her own plate of golden biscuits. After a moment, deciding that it'd be poor manners to maintain the ongoing silence, he said, "Thank you very much."
Lynette's eyes flickered up to him. Her ears twitched; she nodded. Alhaitham, meanwhile, wondered if he should've appended a 'mademoiselle'. His Fontainian was far from fluent, though - he'd only briefly studied it as a Haravatat scholar, but Madam Faruzan had a far greater knack for this particular foreign grammar system than he did. Far from Sumerian as it was, it'd probably be better if he stuck to the common Teyvat tongue.
He closed his book, carefully memorising the page he'd been on, and set it aside. As he leaned forward to take in the aroma of the coffee that had been set in front of him, he realised suddenly that Lynette was watching him.
And yet, somehow, her eyes had barely wandered to him even once thus far. It was quite unsettling, now that he thought about it. Something about her piercing violet eyes seemed capable of dissecting things right down to a micro-level.
But Lynette had provided him with cake and coffee, and in his eyes both these things were more than enough to make up for it. It wasn't like she was definitively analysing him, anyway; Alhaitham had a habit of self-magnifying any attention he found on himself.
The cake he'd been given was quite pretty - a quaint little chocolate pattern in the icing, and rich-looking cream that was just shy of being too decadent for his taste. Unlike anything he was used to, though the shape was somewhat familiar to those children's Candied Ajilenakh Nut treat that Lesser Lord Kusanali liked so much. He picked up the fork.
Alhaitham, contrary to what the public might think, was fond of sugar in moderation. Cake didn't tend to hide any secret textures he couldn't glean from a glance - it wasn't like he disliked crunchiness, but it was nicer when he'd already spotted the pieces of almond in the pastry, rather than when it came out of nowhere mid-way through a rice dish. He eyed the cake critically, wondering how best to approach it. He hadn't been given a knife, but the pastry looked rather too fragile to simply slice through with his fork...
Lynette took a slow sip of her tea. Her ears twitched again, and when she set the cup down again, she finally seemed to have enough energy to speak. "That's Mille-Feuille."
"Mille-Feuille," Alhaitham repeated, finding that the foreign sound rolled off the tongue more easily than expected.
"It's a little brittle," She said. "I like to split the pastry layers apart. The layer with the icing is best, so I leave that for last."
Truly a process after his own heart. Alhaitham nodded and did as she said.
The Mille-Feuille was delightful. Lynette's method, he decided, was the perfect way to eat it as well - this way, he didn't end up with too much cream in one mouthful (which was liable to make him feel ill), and it made sure he didn't get crumbs everywhere trying to get a multi-layered bite. He wasn't sure if the baker would approve, but Archons forgive him, he didn't particularly care.
He left the iced layer for last, as advised, and paused to take a sip of the coffee. It wasn't quite what he had come to expect from Puspa - creamier, and definitely less bitter. But it wasn't bad.
Lynette had finished all but one of her biscuits. Her teacup seemed to have drained quickly for someone who hadn't taken a single sip before she'd come back to the table.
Alhaitham, finding that the sugar had loosened his tongue, asked, "Which drink is this?"
"Milk Coffee," She replied. "I wasn't sure what you'd like. Monsieur Arouet said it was the best all-around for beginners."
Beginners? He supposed the manager had spotted a foreigner and assumed he was new to the scene entirely. Well, he supposed the coffee culture was completely different here. "Ah."
He wanted to ask what had prompted the gift, but it seemed Lynette was already a step ahead of him.
"People are usually trying to bother me when they sit with me," She said. "It was nice that you didn't. And it's good manners to offer welcome to newcomers."
Surely 'good manners' would dictate you greet a visitor, too? Alhaitham thought, amused. Though he was glad she'd opted not to. "I see. Would you like an introduction?"
Lynette's eyebrows lifted, just a little. Her tail swished, and then she nodded. "Entering chat mode... ahem. I'm Lynette. Pleasure to meet you."
"Alhaitham. The pleasure is all mine, Miss Lynette." He didn't attempt to shake her hand, instinctively knowing that neither of them would like it. "My apologies for joining you presumptuously."
"Oh, it's alright. I could tell you had a reason." Her eyes flickered around the other patrons of the cafe, who'd started whispering again now that they'd actually started speaking. "You were looking for a place to sit down, but you didn't want to take a table on your own if you weren't going to buy anything. That's what it looked like, anyway."
Right on the Mora. He hadn't even noticed her observing him, uninterested as she seemed in her surroundings. Alhaitham would have been unnerved if he was Kaveh - or if he hadn't already realised he and Lynette had a lot more in common than first appeared.
"That's completely correct," He admitted, though he had a feeling Lynette knew that already. "I'm not well-acquainted with this city."
Lynette's eyes flickered over his attire. "Where are you from?"
"Sumeru. I'm here at the request of a friend, but I'm on break at the moment."
"Request?"
"They needed someone with a Dendro Vision for a fight. I didn't have any outstanding work due, so I came with them."
Lynette nodded slowly. "...if you need tourist information, you're best off asking a Melusine."
"There's no need for that. I'm in habit of planning any out-of-country escapades on my own." Alhaitham carefully broke off his first piece of the last pastry layer, balancing it on the end of his fork. "The trip was rather unexpected, so I'm not prepared for any outings. I'll probably head back to Sumeru once I've let the friend know where I'm going."
Lynette was quiet for a moment. "Would that be today, then?"
"I don't have any deadlines set, but ideally..." He paused, wondering if he'd said something wrong. He was used to doing that, but usually he didn't care. "...well, I'm not opposed to the idea of staying for a little longer."
"Oh." She seemed to cheer up a little. "My brother and I have a show tomorrow. I can give you a ticket if you want to come see."
"A show?" Now that he thought about it, her attire didn't seem particularly suitable for everyday life. It looked more like a costume for a play - though it wasn't in any fashion he was familiar with.
"We're magicians." Lynette said, then paused to consider her words. "...well, Lyney - my brother - he's the magician. I'm only his assistant."
A brother and sister called Lyney and Lynette. Their parents can't have been very creative. "What kind of magic?"
"We make things disappear and reappear." She said, and he realised with a blink that her teacup had vanished. "We make things swap places without moving them, and pull things out of hats that weren't there before. I can escape from any lock, and Lyney can make cards fly like birds. No Visions, no Ley Lines. Just magic."
It wasn't a brand of magic he was familiar with. He'd been thinking of something the likes of Spantamad might study, but no Visions meant this would be out of their field. Though he'd noticed that little Anemo gem on Lynette's back when she'd walked up to the cafe counter...
Lynette seemed to know what he was thinking. "We take them off before the show begins."
"Take them off?" Alhaitham's eyebrows lifted. True, he didn't place much value on his own Vision, but he still felt uneasy when it was removed. It was, after all, his primary method of protection, fragile scholar that he was. "Then how...?"
"Seeing is believing." She tilted her head at him. "Check under your plate."
Alhaitham blinked at her, then did as she said. Sure enough, there was a little slip of paper - lined with gold-foil, with great big letters declaring 'ADMIT ONE' across the front. "What... how did you...?"
"Lyney's better at this sort of thing than me." Lynette had what he imagined was a rare smile on her face. "If you're interested, you should come see."
"Hmm." Alhaitham didn't particularly like theatrical settings like he imagined this would be. Noisy, dark, crowded... but if Lynette saw fit to invite him, he should at least entertain the idea. "Where's the show?"
"Opera Epiclese. It'll be our first show there since we got arrested for murder."
A pause.
Alhaitham glanced at the book he'd been reading, wondering if he'd somehow hallucinated the words. "...I'm sorry, you what?"
"Arrested for murder," Lynette repeated patiently. "It's alright, though. We got acquitted, and they figured out who actually did it."
He set down his fork. Now this was a story he wanted to hear. "What happened?"
It was only once Lynette had reached the tail end of her story that he realised he might have been pressing his boundaries. Lynette clearly wasn't one for words, and if her state when he'd first arrived was anything to go by, she wasn't particularly lively. He could tell that they were both the sort for which conversation was an energy-intensive activity; only once Lynette had finished did he finally realise he might be sapping her battery.
Apart from that mild guilt, though, it also brought the mild surprise that she was already acquainted with the Traveller, who was the attorney who'd proved her and her brother innocent in the first place. Somehow, Alhaitham couldn't even bring himself to be surprised. That golden-haired hero spelled trouble wherever they went. They were lucky they had such a charismatic smile.
"I suppose we have that in common," He said at last, fighting the strange urge to add an 'as well' on the end. "We've both had adventures with that troublemaker."
Lynette's ears pricked up. He could tell she was curious.
Well, he might as well return the favour. "I could relay the story, if you wish. But it's a long one."
She nodded seriously. "Entering power-saving mode. Don't worry, I'll make sure to listen."
Somehow, he didn't doubt that. Draining the last of his coffee to the dregs, he began his own tale.
It was odd. Normally, even if he were pressed, he wouldn't be bothered sharing the story. There were plenty more spirited people far more willing impart it - like Paimon, or the Traveller themself. Yet today he'd offered to tell it himself. It didn't even feel like the drag he'd always imagined it to be.
This was the whole reason he'd never bothered to tell Kaveh the full thing. He felt a little bad about that now. If it had been this easy all along, he'd really left him in suspense for no reason... then again, it was pretty funny.
Lynette was quiet for a good while, even after he finished his story. Then she said, almost monotonously, "Wow."
Anyone else would've thought it sarcastic, but Alhaitham took no offence. After all, Lynette was in 'power-saving mode'. She couldn't waste energy on affecting emotion - he could already tell she was intrigued by the story based on the swishing of her tail.
"You're good at telling stories," Lynette said after a moment. "Well-spoken."
Alhaitham didn't normally care for these compliments, but he could tell she meant it. "Thank you. You're not bad, either."
"I can't be. Lyney gets hoarse sometimes, so I have to do the talking on stage." She shuddered a little. "I don't like it when that happens."
He could sympathise with the feeling. "It's important in my field of work, too. It'd be a disgrace for a Haravatat scholar to be anything less than eloquent."
"Ha-ra-vatat?"
And then they were off again. Alhaitham was a curious person, yes, but he tended to reserve his information-gathering for when he had books to reference. He wasn't in habit of asking these things of someone else.
Lynette's answers were clear and concise, just as her questions were. Soon enough they moved on from questions of work; Alhaitham spent quite some time at length complaining about all the hounding he got from the Akademiya's students and scholars alike, and Lynette followed with an (albeit much shorter) grievance about being asked to do chores. Both had rather strong opinions on how one should be left alone during lounging time, and while they didn't share much taste in literature, Lynette certainly appreciated Alhaitham's need for peace to read better than most of his friends.
It wasn't a particularly animated conversation. Neither of their faces moved much, save for the occasional smile, and even when amused, neither laughed. The only indication that this was anything more than a workplace chat was just how long they went on for, and even when they stopped, they sat there in silence for even longer.
Alhaitham returned to his book, while Lynette murmured something about standby to herself and half-closed her eyes again. He hadn't questioned the modes thing thus far, and didn't start now; only glanced around every now and then to make sure he didn't have to dissuade anyone from interrupting her... nap? Daydream? Either way, it wouldn't do for it to be disturbed.
He did eventually begin to wonder if the Traveller had forgotten about him after having seen Euphrasie - but it was at that moment that he spotted a familiar golden figure just down the street, already beginning to wave at him.
Lynette's eyes had almost closed. Alhaitham shut his book and stowed it away (left pocket as always, or else he'd feel all out of balance), then cleared his throat softly.
"I believe I'll have to leave now," He said. "Thank you for the coffee and cake. I'd reimburse you, but I don't have any change on me."
He was only half-expecting to be heard, but Lynette's response - while sluggish - wasn't particularly delayed. "It's fine. We've got funds to spare."
He nodded and stood up. "...then I suppose I'll see you tomorrow at the show."
Lynette stood up as well. He felt a little bad disturbing her, but he supposed she wanted a change of scenery after this as well. "Yes, see you tomorrow."
They nodded at each other. Alhaitham allowed himself a short smile, then turned to leave - the last he saw of Lynette was a boy in a top hat and matching cape hurrying up to her.
Opera Epiclese, He thought to himself. I'll have to check some travel guides.
"Who in the world was that?" Lyney asked his sister as the green-clad stranger disappeared down the street.
"He's from Sumeru," Lynette replied, as if that helped. "I gave him a ticket to our show tomorrow."
"Is that so..." Lyney contemplated this for a while. After a moment, though, any caution he might have felt was cut off by a burst of pride. "Ahh, you're making friends all on your own now?! I'm so proud...!"
"Too much, Lyney," She muttered as he srubbed her ears affectionately - though she wasn't particularly displeased, if her tail was anything to go by. "I think he's going home afterwards, anyway."
"Then we'll have to make sure we send him off with the most fantastic thing he's ever seen! Though... it'll be a shame if he doesn't get to see his new friend in centre stage..." Lyney paused, and gave his sister a sly look.
"No," She said nearly immediately. He deflated.
"I keep telling you, you'd be an absolute showstopper if you let me do the assisting for once."
"And I keep telling you that I like doing the assisting," Lynette said plainly. "I don't like being looked at the way everyone looks at you."
Lyney paused. He seemed to come straight back down to earth in an instant.
"...yeah, I know," He said, voice suddenly much softer. "I'm not trying to push. But, really, who can blame me for wanting everyone to see what an absolute star my sister is?"
"Lyney."
"I'm joking, I'm joking." He gave her a playful tap on the back. "Well, I'm sure your new friend will be happy to see you anyway. Hey, instead of staring off at the back wall again, why don't you try waving to him?"
Lynette didn't respond this time. But she looked as if she was contemplating it - which was well and enough for Lyney.
He was on cloud nine for the entire rest of the walk home. It was difficult to find people Lynette could connect with - unlike Freminet, who was often just too afraid to speak, Lynette simply didn't find many people worth turning off standby mode for. But today - even though, from afar, neither his sister nor her new friend had seemed particularly enthused, he knew Lynette had had a lovely time.
And, though Lyney had no way of knowing this - so had Alhaitham.