Chapter Text
Sumeru City was sweltering. Typical of the late afternoon, when the sun had time to heat the sidewalks and rooftops in its golden glow. The so-called city of Wisdom was quiet today. A few stray passerby’s walked along the walkways, talking amongst themselves, or glued to phones. One was walking a dog, Kaveh noted. He had always loved dogs, he thought.
“Loved?” He mused to himself aloud, sitting upon the bench near a small well-kept garden. “I speak as if I’m already dead.” Glancing now at his left hand, which shook with a great violence, and his right hand, which, no matter how hard he tried, he could not move, he, not for the first time, wondered if perhaps he truly was already dead.
After all, an architect with no way to write or draw was basically dead.
Or, at least, that's how Kaveh felt at this moment. It was six months and a year to the day since a house break-in had left him unable to move his right hand, and left his left shaking uncontrollably and barely able to grip anything.
He grimly thought back to who he had been before it happened. Twenty-seven, a budding Architect, so often helping anyone with anything, so much so he barely had enough to feed himself. But he had a home, a life, a dream, and now…
And now… what?
Well, he answered his own question. Now he was Twenty nine, living off of the six hundred Mora he was given monthly, and sleeping in his car. His life had ended before he even had the chance to start it. He had nothing but the debts of his student years, and the unused sketchbooks and pens collecting dust in the back of his car.
“You’re back here again?” The new voice, a soft, high one, cut through his consciousness and he glanced up at the pretty red-head in a blue dress who stood there, smiling with something he hated more than anything. Pity.
“I come here to watch the birds, they bathe in the fountain, it gives me new appreciation for the beauty of nature!” Kaveh said. It was partially true, of course.
“I always loved the birds, they dance so gracefully!” The woman sat next to him on the small bench placed next to a beautiful garden spot. She sighed with a quiet delight.
“I’ve always wished to dance as beautifully as them, but with the new ban on public performances, I don’t think I ever will now.”
“Right, you’re a.. Dancer, aren’t you?” Kaveh asked, vaguely recognizing the woman from performances he had watched online in the hospital so many months ago.
“I am! Was ..” She rescinded, with a hint of sadness. “My name is Nilou, and you’re.. Kaveh, right? I’ve seen you come here a lot!”
“Well, I just enjoy the beauty of the city from this spot.” He responded, then added: “It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Nilou, but.. How did you know my name?”
“I saw your sketches for the grand palaces! They were beautiful..” Nilou confessed. Kaveh felt a sharp knife through his heart. Those sketches were the last things he had completed before…
“They were amazing! I saw you coming here so often, and just had to come over and talk!” Her voice was kind, but the words stung. Kaveh felt the empathy, the pity, the concern in her voice. She was so caring, yet all he felt at that moment was sharp bitterness.
“As much as I appreciate that kindness, Miss.. I assure you I’m fine!” He realized after he spoke he had a sharp edge in his voice, but Nilou seemed undeterred.
“Oh, this isn’t just a kindness actually!” She sounded mildly apologetic as she produced a pile of pamphlets. “I wanted to give you one of these, it's a petition to unban performance arts, I thought, since you were once an Architect, you’d understand…”
She trailed off as she saw his expression change. She realized she had made an immense blunder of some sort, but she couldn’t for the life of her understand what she had done. Even more apologetically than before, she carefully put one of the pamphlets and a few papers next to him on the bench, and stood.
“Sorry for interrupting you, Mister Kaveh..” She said hurriedly.
“It’s fine, thank you. I’ll be sure to look over the petition.” He spoke numbly, forcing a smile on his face.
She nodded a little, gave him a quick smile, and left abruptly. He watched her go, bouncing his foot erratically off the ground. Good going, idiot. He thought with some venom to himself. She had just been kind, there was no reason to be so sharp to her, or to anyone. This was so unlike him.
Then again, when was the last time he had truly been himself?
He glanced down at the pamphlets and papers as he ran his one hand through his hair. More out of boredom, and to distract himself from the guilt bubbling up in his chest he grabbed the papers, having to focus and work hard to awkwardly scoop them up with a flat hand and drop them onto his lap.
He flicked through them. The petition pamphlet was on top. Sponsored By Zubayr Theatre, it read in big black letters on the front. He vaguely recognized the name, and carefully moved the pamphlet to the side. The other papers were just advertisements that perhaps she had forgotten to put on the doors of the now closed theatre.
And then one particular caught his eye.
“Flatmate wanted one person in a three-bedroom/two bathroom flat in a good location. Price to be discussed. If interested, please go to 221 Baker street, Sumeru City. Ask for Nahida.”
Kaveh stopped and stared at the small flier with renewed interest. Price to be discussed? What an odd way of phrasing the rent agreement. Something about it couldn’t help but pique his interest. He carefully flipped the small sheet of paper, and to his surprise there was a small hand-drawn map on the back.
He sat there, musing. He had been saving up his money as much as he could so he could rent a flat somewhere. But he hardly had enough. Then that “Price to be discussed” floated back off the page. It.. couldn’t hurt to just go take a look, right? He could dream?
Standing up slowly, he held the page between two fingers of his left, focusing hard to keep them together. Carefully he wound through the streets, he knew it wasn’t far from where he was. It couldn’t be.
And so, it was a sunday afternoon when Kaveh reached the doorstep of a small two-story house outside of the famed Akademiya of Sumeru City. He looked at the small Plaque which sat by the door. “2-2-1 Baker Street”, it read in glittering letters. He swallowed hard, rethinking this hasty decision. He was just about to step back when the door opened, as if he had been expected.
Who stood before him was a short young woman, a child. A child. She had a bright smile and clever, quick eyes. Her white hair faded to a deep green, and she wore a simple Jumper and skirt. She must have been no more than ten. Eleven, maybe?
“Hello, did you see my notice?” She asked, looking over him in some curiosity.
“I.. ah,” Kaveh stammered, at a loss by how young the girl was, yet how confident she held herself.
“You must have! I’m glad someone finally called, "It's been out for a week now, but no one has shown up yet!” The girl continued, ignoring his hesitation, then holding out her hand for him to shake. “I’m Nahida, and.. What would your name be?”
“Kaveh.. A pleasure to meet you ma’am?” Kaveh managed a smile, taking her hand with his left hand, the one he could move, and shaking it gently. He, then, politely as possible asked: “Where.. Would your parents be?”
Nahida crinkled her nose as she seemed to consider this question. There was a hint of amusement in her features, and Kaveh had the sudden realization that she was no ordinary child. And with that realization, he thought he already knew the answer to his question.
“I don’t have any. Oh, but don’t worry.. I’m very much capable of taking care of myself and others.” She responded slowly, piecing the words together carefully as she reassured him of her capability.
Kaveh nodded. That had been the answer he had suspected.
“Right. So… you’re the one who advertised for a flatmate?” He asked her, and she shook her head quickly.
“No, well, yes.” She explained “But not for me, it's for a friend of mine! Please, come in and we’ll discuss the price! You can have a look around the place too if you’d like!”
Kaveh was now even more confused than he had been when he had first met the young girl. She was advertising.. For a friend? What does that mean? But he couldn’t linger on the thoughts as the girl eagerly ushered him into the warmly lit Verandah and the cool interior of the cozy house.
She wasted no time showing him to the kitchen and its connected dining room, and to the table with beautiful satin cushions placed around it.
Kaveh sat on his knees upon one of the soft cushions and watched Nahida move around with the elegance of time, but the bounce in her step youth could only give you. What a curious young girl, he mused.
“So.. how does.. Two hundred a month sound?” Nahida offered cheerily as she pours steaming tea into a cup and places it in front of Kaveh. He smiled politely, but didn’t dare pick up the cup.
“Two hundred? Thousand?” He asked, a little surprised at the height of the price. “For this place? Isn’t that.. high?”
“No, of course not! Just two hundred.” Nahida responded, sitting peacefully opposite to him. “Two hundred a month sounds good, doesn’t it? Surely you have the Mora to afford that?”
He gaped at her. Two hundred? Two hundred Mora? That was so immensely low.
“You’re kidding, right?” He asked, then, hastily he added to not sound rude: “I mean, that's so low, I can’t.. Believe you’d only ask that much?”
Nahida put her chin on her hand, looking at him with a keen eye. He suddenly worried that he may have offended the young Lady, but before he could stammer any apology or worry out, she spoke over him.
“You must be suspicious of that price, right? I can tell you have a keen wit and a sharp mind. You have a love for beautiful things, and can see the beauty and potential in everything.” She smiled at him as she spoke.
“That's a good thing to have, think of this place as.. A fixer upper! Plus.. the price you’re paying isn’t entirely Mora, if you live here!”
Alarm bells immediately rang in Kaveh’s head. She was going to ask him to do something. And even for her, a plain stranger, well… How could he refuse? He swallowed hard as asked carefully.
“What would I.. pay the rest of the price with?”
Nahida spoke seriously, but with a gentle smile nevertheless.
“With friendship and companionship, of course!”