Chapter Text
Recently, Collei has been extremely interested in Kaveh’s rants about Alhaitham. Normally, Kaveh’s completely rational and understandable complaints about his roommate are met with eye rolls and exasperated sighs (Kaveh is not incapable of reading the room, it’s just that Alhaitham’s so annoying that Kaveh can’t help but complain about it!). However, lately Collei has been quite enraptured by his stories, staring at him with bright eyes and a wide smile as he unloads his most recent grievance with the man, and even asking follow-up questions. If he’s to be honest, Kaveh finds the shift in attitude a bit… unnerving.
“How are things with you and Alhaitham?” Collei asks when Kaveh visits Pardis Dhyai to help Tighnari with Karkata’s maintenance. Karkata moves sluggishly behind her, tending to the flowers at a painfully slow pace.
“You’ve been very interested in my interactions with Alhaitham lately,” Kaveh notes, hoping Collei will elaborate without him having to directly interrogate her. After all, he should be happy to have such a captive audience, especially since it seems like he can’t stop talking about Alhaitham (which honestly is Alhaitham’s fault for being such a pain in the ass). Despite his attempts to sound nonconfrontational, Collei looks at him like he’s a matra who just caught her plagiarizing.
“It’s… it’s nothing really! Haha…” Collei’s eyes dart nervously to the ground and a hand comes up to tug her at the fringe. Kaveh feels a pang of guilt in his chest; it’s been a while since she’s looked at him with such anxiety. Before he can apologize for, well, he’s not actually sure for what, but before he can give a generalized apology, Tighnari walks into the greenhouse. Relief visibly washes over Collei as she drops her hand from her hair and rushes past Tighnari. She bumps her shoulder against Tighnari’s in her rush.
“Sorry Master! Ah, now that Master’s back I’m, uh, going to go on my patrol route now. Bye Kaveh!” And she bumps into the doorframe for good measure before finally making her escape. Tighnari’s gaze follows Collei out, confused. However, it only takes a few seconds for the shock to pass before Tighnari throws Kaveh an accusatory look, arms crossing. Under the scrutiny of Tighnari’s glare, Kaveh briefly wonders if this is how Collei felt just earlier. Or maybe how criminals feel under the glare of the General Mahamatra.
“So, what were you discussing with Collei?” Tighnari asks, tail swishing slowly behind him.
“Nothing out of the usual!” Kaveh exclaims. “Collei just asked how Alhaitham and I were doing lately! Promise!”
Kaveh expects more interrogation from Tighnari, so he’s more surprised than relieved to see Tighnari’s tail rests and his arms uncross.
“Figures, she must have just been embarrassed.” Tighnari shrugs and drops his satchel on the ground, preparing to open it. “So, about Karkata.”
“Wait wait wait!” Kaveh shakes his head, confused by the sudden switch in tone. “Why would she be embarrassed? If anything, I should be embarrassed, continuously getting lumped with that guy !”
“Now that the ban on printed media has been lifted, Collei has been getting her hands on all sorts of romantic light novels from Inazuma. That plus her excitement for the next Windblume Festival, it’s no wonder she’s been so curious.” Tighnari gives a warm chuckle. “She’s been asking me a lot of questions, too, and I assume she’s been hounding Cyno about it too, but Cyno says he’s sworn an oath of secrecy.” Tighnari shakes his head. “She’s not subtle about it at all, but I let her think she is so she won’t feel embarrassed. Don’t you remember what it was like to be that age? Embarrassed at just the idea of romance?”
Kaveh knits his brows in confusion.
“I still don’t get it. What does that have to do with Alhaitham and I?”
Tighnari deadpans, looking at Kaveh as though he’s an unruly child who can’t even figure out how to add with his fingers.
“She just wants to know what dating is like, I suppose.” Then, with a little more empathy, he adds, “I know you and Alhaitham are trying to keep things more private, I can assure you she won’t spread anything. And if it makes you uncomfortable, just let her know and she’ll stop.”
Kaveh’s eyebrows practically touch as he furrows them even more.
“I don’t get it. Alhaitham and I aren’t dating.”
Tighnari looks at Kaveh amused, like Kaveh is telling him a joke or something. However, when he sees Kaveh’s expression not falter, his expression changes to disappointment.
“I see.”
“What do you mean ‘I see’? Why do you look so disappointed?”
“I just thought that the days of watching you and Alhaitham dance around each other like uncoordinated dusk birds were over.” Tighnari sighs, turning his attention back to his satchel. The sound of rustling paper and clinking metal echoes in the greenhouse as Tighnari rummages through his bag. “Seems like Cyno and I will be subject to more of your… weird mating ritual or however you want to call it.”
Kaveh sputters, his face turning red.
“If I dance around like an uncoordinated dusk bird, it’s only because the other dusk bird keeps pecking at my feet at every step I take!” Kaveh huffs indignantly. “Anyways, Alhaitham and my relationship is nothing of the sort, so I’d appreciate it if you and Cyno kept your ridiculous speculations to a minimum.”
Tighnari shakes his head in defeat. “Alright, alright, if you say so.” Then he motions his hands towards his unpacked satchel to switch Kaveh’s attention. Kaveh gives one last huff as though to release his final reservations, then crouches down to where Tighnari has placed notes and mechanical pieces on the ground. “These are the notes that Madam Faruzan wrote for me regarding Karkata’s mechanics and possible layout based on writings from Deshret’s civilization. I ran into a couple constructs on my way here, so I brought the scrap pieces from that if it would help.”
Kaveh kneels down next to Tighnari to look over Faruzan’s notes. She had written about the constitution of Karkata’s Restitution Module in great detail. Kaveh has no doubt that the module itself has been perfectly repaired. However, according to Tighnari, though Karkata is now able to function again after Faruzan’s maintenance, its movements have been becoming more sluggish. It seems the issue may lie beyond just its mechanical makeup. Kaveh stands back up straight and faces towards Karkata again.
“Mehrak, scan.” Kaveh waves his hand in front of him and his trusty toolbox flies in front of him, bathing Karkata in a green light. As Mehrak scans, Kaveh can feel something resonating slightly with his vision. Kaveh flicks his wrist once and Mehrak stops scanning, gleefully returning to float at Kaveh’s side. “It seems the energy that’s used to power Karkata isn’t too dissimilar to our own Dendro energy. Cyno could probably give you a more in depth explanation as to why that is, but my guess would be that it’s due to the connection between leylines and Irminsul. It’s faint enough that I’m not surprised Madam Faruzan missed it.”
“So then the issue is with the energy itself rather than the mechanism?” Tighnari asks. Kaveh nods.
“Madam Faruzan described the Restitution Module as Karkata’s ‘heart'.’ Well, you can think of the leyline energy as its ‘blood’. The Restitution Module is still pumping leyline energy through Karkata, but since the leyline energy isn’t as potent, Karkata’s mobility has been severely hindered.”
“What do you suggest then? Should we just try to infuse Karkata with Dendro?
Kaveh shakes his head.
“Simply infusing Karkata with Dendro won’t work. It may cause unrelated malfunctions. I ran into a similar issue when figuring out how to power Mehrak with my vision. In the end, I was able to use a machine core from Deshret’s civilization to convert elemental energy to electricity.” Mehrak trills with pride. “Since Karkata is made with parts from that civilization, too, it might be possible to just send my elemental energy through Mehrak to Karkata.”
“Then following your metaphor, essentially you’re using Mehrak like a venturi mask.”
“Exactly!” Kaveh snaps his fingers to highlight his point. “Mehrak!”
Mehrak excitedly floats between Kaveh and Karkata and expands at its corner. Kaveh looks to Tighnari for approval, and after getting a nod from the forest ranger, Karkata is encased in a green rectangular prism. Kaveh holds arm out and focuses his Dendro energy into Mehrak, similar to how he does when battling, and Mehrak slowly begins refining and transferring the energy to Karkata.
As the process continues, Kaveh feels more and more resistance and pushes harder, expending as much energy as he possibly can in order to force his way through whatever is holding his energy back. He can see the effects already of the process, Karkata suddenly standing straight and beeping enthusiastically. He just needs to push a little harder…
Then, suddenly, Mehrak’s interface goes black and she clangs onto the ground. Kaveh recoils, both from seeing his baby fall to the ground and because he felt as though his Dendro energy had been shot back at him. Kaveh has never handled a gun before, but he imagines this is similar to the kickback a gunman feels when they shoot.
“Are you alright?” Tighnari exclaims, rushing to Kaveh’s side and cradling his shoulder. Tighnari pulls at Kaveh’s shirt to see if there’s any superficial wounds and Kaveh swats Tighnari’s concerned hands off him.
“I’m fine, just a little bit of muscle strain.” Kaveh rolls his shoulder back to prove it’s alright. Tighnari doesn’t seem fully convinced as it is within Kaveh’s character to lie about his pain, but steps away from him nonetheless.
“So what happened?” Tighnari asks, looking over to Mehrak and Karkata.
Unlike Mehrak, who still lies lifeless on the ground, Karkata looks better than before. It is able to fully carry its weight on its legs without sagging, and is walking with much more life as it circles Mehrak with what seems like concern. Kaveh momentarily awes at the similarities between Tighnari and Karkata before slowly walking over to Mehrak and picking it up by the handle.
“I’m not sure, but it seems like it worked.” Kaveh inspects Mehrak for visible damage. There’s a new scratch on the corner where Mehrak fell, but it’s nothing to worry about.
“What about Mehrak, is it alright?”
“I hope so…” Kaveh holds his hand over Mehrak’s face and focuses his energy to turn Mehrak back on. Slowly, its interface blinks back to life and Mehrak begins floating like normal, albeit a bit sheepishly. “Mehrak, can you try moving around?”
The toolbox circles around Kaveh with ease. Kaveh then summons his claymore.
“Can you pick this up?”
Mehrak easily levitates the claymore and even spins it for good measure. It trills proudly.
“It must’ve been a momentary shock; I’ve never used Mehrak this way so I must’ve pushed it too far,” Kaveh concludes. “It seems like it worked out though; both Mehrak and Karkata seem good, so I’d call this operation a success!”
Again, Tighnari seems unconvinced. Like how Kaveh noted the similarity between Tighnari and Karkata, Tighnari is probably also noticing the similarities between Kaveh and Mehrak, and worried that Mehrak was just bluffing.
“I do routine maintenance checks, so if anything is wrong I’ll see it,” Kaveh says.
“Alright…” Tighnari responds, still inspecting Mehrak. Then he turns to Kaveh. “Thank you so much Kaveh. Let me treat you to dinner as a show of my gratitude.”
Karkata beeps in agreement, but Kaveh shakes his head.
“I told Alhaitham I’d eat dinner with him today.” Kaveh looks at the sun through the glass panes of the greenhouse. “I probably should head back now. Knowing him, he probably forgot to buy groceries again, so I’ll have to get them before cooking. I swear, Tighnari, that man…”
And Tighnari sighs, steeling himself for another rant about Alhaitham.
When Kaveh gets back home, he neatly places his shoes by the door and then collapses on the couch. He leans his head against the sofa back and closes his eyes to think. Feeling guilty he couldn’t completely help Tighnari, Kaveh attempts to focus on a possible solution to Karkata’s battery issue. However, in the quiet of Alhaitham’s house Kaveh can’t help but let his mind wander.
Overthinking seems to be one of Kaveh’s favorite pastimes, getting stuck on minor details and inserting his conspiracies and insecurities until it blows up beyond proportion. What does it mean that Collei and Tighnari, who are not strangers but some of the closest people to Kaveh and Alhaitham, are under the impression that he and Alhaitham are… dating? Sure, Kaveh let slip a couple times that he is bumming at Alhaitham’s place, but plenty of people are roommates without any sort of romantic entanglements involved; plus, Kaveh may have been inebriated when sharing this information, but no matter how drunk off his a he was, he would have made sure to share that this situation is only meant to be temporary .
Plus, who could stand to be in a relationship with that damn unromantic oaf? Alhaitham is nothing but infuriating! Sometimes it feels like Kaveh can’t even handle a single conversation with this man without feeling like he’s about to burst at the seams; even now, just thinking about Alhaitham is enough to make his emotions and thoughts go haywire.
And the way that it seems like Alhaitham does the bare minimum to take care of himself! Sure, before Kaveh had moved in, Alhaitham would do some cleaning, eat three meals a day, and exercise, but sometimes it feels like Alhaitham was aiming to live as a goddamn ascetic! Alhaitham would clean just so there would be nothing in his immediate way, stacking stray items in unorganized piles at the corners of his desk and room. He would seem to eat food just to sustain himself, caring little for presentation and settling for “satisfactory” when it comes to taste.
Honestly, Kaveh should be offended that Collei and Tighnari think Kaveh would settle for somebody like that. If anything, Kaveh is too good for Alhaitham. He cleans the house, organizes everything in both a sensible and aesthetically pleasing way, brings life into what was originally a monotonous building and turns it into a home, cooks meals that are pleasing to both the eyes and the tastebuds. And what does he get in return? At best, no sign of thanks, and at worst, unwarranted criticism about the most inconsequential thing.
Kaveh would make a perfect partner. How could he stoop so low as to date somebody like Alhaitham ?
“You’re thinking too loud.”
Kaveh jumps in his seat, snapping out of his internal debate. He faces forward, finding Alhaitham leaning against Alhaitham’s room’s door frame.
“How long have you been here? Why didn’t you say anything when I came in?”
Alhaitham cocks his eyebrow.
“I didn’t realize that I needed to announce my presence in my own house. As for the first question, I’ve been home since about an hour ago.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be at the Akademiya right now, Grand Sage. ”
“ Acting Grand Sage,” Alhaitham corrects like clockwork. He pushes himself off the door frame and walks towards the front door. “And I decided to cut my work day short today. I finished what was necessary; those scholars with their ulterior motives and flawed proposals can wait another day.”
“I don’t understand how somebody so lazy like you could become the Grand Sage,” Kaveh says exasperatedly, purposefully forgetting to tack on the word “Acting” just to bother Alhaitham.
“You can call it being lazy. The way I see it, I’m respecting my own time and because of that, people respect my time, too. Perhaps instead of criticizing, you should try to incorporate parts of my work ethic into your life sometime.”
“You..!”
Kaveh swears that he had a very well thought out and articulate argument just about to roll off his tongue. However, at that moment, Alhaitham, with his back facing towards Kaveh, bends over to put on his shoes and all knowledge of language seems to leave Kaveh’s head. After a short pause, Kaveh’s eyes dart to the side and he forces a scoff, telling himself it’s not worth arguing with somebody who won’t even bother to look his way.
“And where are you headed dressed so fancily,” he sarcastically remarks. Alhaitham is sporting his usual skin-tight bodysuit and tight pants, but he is missing his signature hip scarf and cape, which leaves his backside completely visible.
Alhaitham might as well just wear body paint with how tightly his clothes clings to each dip and rise of his musculature, Kaveh thinks, face hot.
“I’m going to train,” Alhaitham responds, summoning his sword and spinning it in his hand to emphasize his point. “With the extra responsibilities that have been forced onto me, I’ve neglected training.” Alhaitham pauses, standing straight. “Also, I need to burn off some frustration after having to deal with incompetent scholar after scholar.”
“There’s that awful temper that people don’t seem to believe that you have.” Now that Alhaitham is facing him again, Kaveh finds it easier to look back at Alhaitham’s direction, glaring at him.
“It’s not my fault if people come to the false conclusion that just because I don’t show certain emotions in public that I don’t have them.” Alhaitham shrugs. “I’d say my temper is just fine. I work to release it in a healthy way instead of holing myself in my room and letting emotions fester until—”
“You know what!” Kaveh cuts him off, standing fast enough to feel dizzy. “Maybe I’ll join you! I also have some frustrations I need to let out; my roommate has been a pain in my ass lately, you know how it is.” Plus, he’s still frustrated from his earlier ruminations.
Alhaitham’s lip twitches, but Kaveh is able to read it as the smirk it is. “Resorting to violence, are you? How unfitting of a scholar of as much acclaim as you.”
“Oh shut it!” Kaveh grabs Mehrak and practically stomps over to Alhaitham. Alhaitham raises an eyebrow at Mehrak.
“Two against one?”
“I’m not going to risk my hands for no reason. What, are you so feeble that a toolbox is all it takes to threaten you?” Mehrak trills mockingly in Kaveh’s hand.
“It seems hypocritical of you to mock me for that when the real feeble scholar is the one who doesn’t pick up his own weapon.” But Alhaitham is opening the door and walking out already, which means he has no complaints.
“Hey! Wait up!” Kaveh cries as he shoves his feet into his shoes, folding the lip of his shoe. He jogs toward Alhaitham, heels sticking out, Mehrak closing the door behind her scattered owner.
Alhaitham has brought them to one of the forests on the outskirts of Sumeru City. Kaveh readjusts his shoe (the inconsiderate bastard didn’t bother to wait for him to properly put his shoe on) while Alhaitham does some basic stretches.
“Same rules as our school days?” Kaveh asks, pretending to stretch his legs. He’s not the most active person, so he doesn’t know proper form, but he feels awkward just standing while Alhaitham has his flexibility on full display.
“Are you talking about the signal for giving up?” Alhaitham mockingly cocks a brow. “I can’t believe the tenacious Light of the Kshahrewar is already throwing in the towel.”
Kaveh scowls at both the nickname and the purposeful misunderstanding.
“You should remember that signal, considering how often you had to use it back at the Akademiya,” Kaveh huffs, ignoring the fact that once Alhaitham started working out more Kaveh more frequently conceded early than not. “I mean you win once you hit the other on the top of the head.” Alhaitham nods and Kaveh ponders for another second. “Also, loser buys the winner dinner and drinks.”
“Funny, I don’t recall having lost to you recently, yet you still burn away at my mora pouch.”
“Well then prepare to spend extra tonight!”
Alhaitham gives a sharp exhale before standing up straight and summoning his weapon. He crosses the middle and index fingers of his right hand and cocks his hand outwards. Kaveh hasn’t seen this signal in a while, but he recognizes it from their Akademiya days (he forgets nothing from the time they spent together then). Kaveh summons his claymore and returns the same signal and Alhaitham immediately activates his vision and lunges at him.
They haven’t sparred since before they’ve parted ways after their joint project, and many things have changed. They are no longer young students, stiff in their movements and unable to improvise past what they have read. Their swings have been loosened with experience, their footwork moving more to the rhythm of the fight than mechanically following steps they’ve memorized. Kaveh is now able to fight less timidly, no longer fearing spraining a wrist with the help of Mehrak. Alhaitham, who has always fought with confidence, is now able to back his confidence with physical strength to match.
Yet, despite time weathering away the familiar, Kaveh is still able to find things unchanged.
Alhaitham still relies on his speed, using acrobatic movements to throw himself into his attacks and quickly jump back. Even with his multiple encounters with eremites—too many encounters considering his chosen profession, if Kaveh is being honest—there is nobody who dominates the battlefield with as much graceful ferocity as Alhaitham does.
And Kaveh finds himself melting into some old instinct built during his Akademiya years. He’s able to track Alhaitham’s movements, unflinching and easily blocking when the man suddenly appears at his left even though Kaveh swears Alhaitham was just at his right. For what the claymore-wielder lacks in speed, he makes up for with coverage. He makes wide, deliberate movements with his blade, taking into account any potential blind spots. Unlike Alhaitham, he doesn’t fly around the battlefield, but slowly moves forward, like a lion facing a bird; the bird can peck at the lion from every direction, but the lion will keep moving until it sinks its teeth in its prey.
When Alhaitham next lunges at Kaveh, Kaveh has Mehrak rotate his claymore slightly, blocking Alhaitham’s next attack with the edge of the blade instead of the flat. Alhaitham’s sword slides against Kaveh’s claymore until the claymore gets locked in the notch near the hilt of Alhaitham’s sword. Alhaitham lets go of the blade before Kaveh can properly disarm him and summons his second sword. Kaveh infuses his claymore with Dendro, hoping to speed Mehrak’s movements in time to block Alhaitham’s next attack.
However, Mehrak’s grip on the claymore loosens. Kaveh’s eyes widen as he watches the weapon float in front of him meekly. Mehrak as a machine should have endless stamina, so why is she faltering here?
Alhaitham also doesn’t miss this unsteady motion. In one move he uses the heel of his shoe to kick the claymore to the side and tackle Kaveh to the ground with his shoulder.
Despite his ego, Alhaitham is not one to savor a victory. As soon as the leg Alhaitham used to kick Kaveh’s sword to the side lands, he is already propelling himself forward, manifested sword in hand. Kaveh knows he can’t stand up fast enough. Without thinking he closes his eyes, practically baring his neck to his opponent as he turns to the side.
And Alhaitham smacks the top of Kaveh’s head with the flat of his blade.
“Ack–, hey!”
“I win,” Alhaitham says as he dismisses his weapon. “It seems your lack of self-preservation extends beyond your martyr complex. You should at least try to block a fatal blow.”
“With what, my claymore that’s 10 feet away from me?” To emphasize his sarcasm, Kaveh makes a gesture as though he’s trying to move his weapon with his mind, stretching his arm towards his weapon and furrowing his brow. Alhaitham rolls his eyes and taps the currently outstretched arm with his foot.
“With your arm. The human arm is quite thick in diameter. While it wouldn’t be ideal, it’s better than dying and might give you an opening to escape. You’re quite good at running away, after all.”
Kaveh ignores the insult. “Are you unable to retain any information that isn’t printed on a page in the most pretentious language? An artist’s greatest asset is his hands; I’m not going to risk them—or the arms they’re connected to—in a spar with you .” Kaveh emphasizes the “you” as though he values Alhaitham less than the dirt under his ass. “Plus, it’s not like you would actually hurt me.”
“Obviously.” Alhaitham holds his hand out for Kaveh and Kaveh takes it. Alhaitham pulls him up and Kaveh is almost taken aback by the ease with which Alhaitham is able to bring him to his feet. “But the purpose of sparring is to simulate real combat. If you practice skills like this, you’ll find yourself instinctively relying on them in a real situation, and then what? We’d be left with a decapitated architect.”
“A decapitated architect with impeccably intact hands!” Kaveh waves the hand holding Alhaitham’s as though to emphasize his point. Alhaitham’s attention has already left this conversation, however, as he releases Kaveh’s hand and moves to grab Kaveh’s claymore. Kaveh huffs at Alhaitham’s lack of response and picks up Alhaitham’s own forgotten sword.
“What happened just then? It seems like your lack of endurance is influencing your toolbox.”
Kaveh grumbles as he walks towards Alhaitham, practically yanking the claymore out of his hand before shoving Alhaitham’s sword into Alhaitham’s chest.
“I don’t want to hear about endurance from a grown man who naps on the couch just because the sun shines on him in just the right direction,” he complains. “But even so, my so-called lack of endurance you claim I have should have no bearing on Mehrak’s functions.”
Kaveh turns to his mechanical companion. Her display is completely fine—though her eyes are turned in a way that makes her look ashamed—and she’s still managing to float just fine.
“Mehrak, could you try to pick up this sword?”
Mehrak picks the claymore up easily, just as it did in the greenhouse. Kaveh attempts to infuse his sword with dendro, but Mehrak drops the sword before it’s completely infused.
“Interesting. It seems like the issue is the connection between your vision and Mehrak,” Alhaitham pipes up. Kaveh nods.
“That would explain why its display and movement are still fine. I did try to use Mehrak as some sort of battery to try to repower Tighnari’s mechanical friend earlier today…” Kaveh dismisses his weapon and motions Mehrak to go into sleep mode, turning into a simple (yet ornate) toolbox once again. “I thought because Karkata ran on leyline energy, sending power from my vision through Mehrak would work.”
“Perhaps you should bring it up with Madam Faruzan. She’s much more knowledgeable in this field.”
“I’m surprised you aren’t claiming that the answer to my problem is in one of those old tomes you love to leave around the house. Even the great Alhaitham doesn’t know everything, huh?”
“I know my own strengths, and I’m able to admit when somebody is more capable of a task than I, unlike certain people.”
“What are you trying to imply about me?”
“Nothing. It was merely a general statement. If you feel personally attacked by it, perhaps it means there is room for some self-rumination on your part.”
“Why you! You… you must be some kind of sadist! It’s like you get this sick pleasure watching me writhe!”
“Is that so?” Alhaitham pretends to think. “Hmm, as I recall, you owe me a meal senior. Since I’m such a sadist, maybe I should make you buy me a meal from that expensive restaurant that opened near our house recently.”
“If you want us to be kicked out for not being able to pay, be my guest!”
“Worst comes to worst, I’ll pay my portion and I’ll leave you there to work your debt off. It could teach you some restraint when it comes to your self-indulgence.” Despite his words, Alhaitham begins walking towards Lambad’s. Kaveh follows close behind.
“The irony of you lecturing me about self-indulgence!”