Chapter Text
“If Kaveh were a sculpture, he would be one that appeared all but flawless, but which would suffer utter destruction if the weak point in its core were to be found.”
*
At the end of the day, after endless hours of work, Alhaitham looks forward to nothing more than going home and settling down in the peace and quiet with a good book. Sometimes he stops for a coffee if he feels like it, which today he does not. So straight home it is, where he knows he’ll have exactly one hour and eleven minutes before the cacophony that is Kaveh arrives.
All of Alhaitham’s plans come crashing down when he steps through the front door to find an open suitcase lying in the armchair—his armchair. Clothes are draped over the back of it, while Mehrak transports even more clothes from Kaveh’s room to the living room and back again.
Alhaitham presses his lips into a thin line, staring at the mess, right before Kaveh decides to make an appearance.
“Oh! Alhaitham! Didn’t know you were home already!” Kaveh says, carrying an armful of sketchbooks and other tomes into the living room. He dumps them on the couch, in Alhaitham’s second favorite spot. Alhaitham’s lips thin even further.
“What are you doing?” Alhaitham asks, keeping his tone as level as possible.
“Packing!” Kaveh says.
“I deduced as much.”
“Then why did you ask?” Kaveh pauses from folding his clothes to put his hands on his hips and glare at him.
“Why are you packing?”
Is Kaveh finally moving out?
“I’m going on a business trip,” Kaveh says proudly, puffing out his chest a bit.
“A business trip,” Alhaitham repeats.
“Yes.”
“I thought you were too broke to do any business.”
“It’s a research project,” Kaveh scoffs. “A research project with funding. It was just approved today, so we’re planning on leaving first thing in the morning! It’s so exciting!”
“Hmm.” Alhaitham finally toes off his shoes and sets them in their spot by the door. Then he goes into the kitchen, deciding he wants coffee after all. His plans are already ruined, might as well ruin them further.
“Yeah, and get this, I’m one of the senior scholars on the project!” Kaveh continues. “They specifically asked for me! Me! About time someone recognized my genius.”
Alhaitham barely manages to stop himself from rolling his eyes. “Well, you aren’t called the Light of Kshahrewar for nothing.”
“Exactly! Thank you, Alhaitham!” Kaveh sounds genuinely touched. “They said they wouldn’t be able to do the project without me.”
Alhaitham doesn’t even bother asking what the topic is, because he’s sure Kaveh will tell him in a moment. He simply continues measuring out the correct amount of coffee and water. Soon the smell of freshly brewed coffee begins to fill the air.
“It was a bit short-noticed, but I’m not particularly busy, so it was easy to free up my schedule,” Kaveh goes on. “I spent all day finishing the blueprints for some of the projects that I couldn’t otherwise postpone or give to someone else. There are a few I’ll have to work on while I’m in the desert, of course, but I’m sure I’ll be able to—”
“Hold on,” Alhaitham interrupts, turning from the counter to face him. “You’re going to the desert?”
“Yes!” Kaveh sounds ecstatic. “I know it’s dangerous, and not to mention hot, but that’s the thrill of it, isn’t it? And the incredible architecture I’ll be able to witness…”
“You’re going into the desert,” Alhaitham repeats. “You.”
Kaveh scowls at him again, stopping from folding one of his fancy shirts to glare at him. “Yes, I’ve already said that! Are you not listening to me? Are your headphones cancelling me out again?!”
“What, exactly, is this project?” Alhaitham asks.
“It’s researching a combination of ancient runes and ancient architecture,” Kaveh says, looking pointedly away. “Specifically, how writing and architecture were both tools King Deshret wielded to control the masses, how the use of both commanded authority.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Why would I kid about this?”
“I don’t know, I just thought you had more original ideas for a research project other than plagiarizing the thesis we worked on together.” Alhaitham crosses his arms.
“A thesis that we never completed or published, you mean?” Kaveh shoots back. “There are plenty of topics that deal with ancient runes and architecture, Alhaitham.”
“You’re right, there are. So why didn’t you choose a different one?”
“It is different! It focuses on sociology instead of just runes and architecture,” Kaveh says. “Really, it’s a cross-disciplinary topic that involves many different Darshans—”
“Choose a different topic,” Alhaitham interrupts.
Kaveh lifts his chin. “No.”
“Fine. Then I’ll just have to bring the issue up with the Grand Sage.”
“The Grand Sage has already approved of it,” Kaveh scoffs. “I would have thought that you’d be glad to have me out of the house for two whole months, but no, you just have to make this all about you.”
“I’m not making this about me, I’m just stating a fact. And the fact is that your topic is too similar to a past research topic, to the point where it might come back to ruin you.”
“Since when have you ever cared about anything ruining me?!”
“Postpone the trip,” Alhaitham orders. “Change your research topic. If you act now, you might be able to plead your case as one done out of ignorance. You’ll still be punished and might be dropped from any current projects, but it will be better than being outright blacklisted.”
Kaveh clenches his jaw. “No. Like I said, in case you weren’t listening—which you obviously weren’t—the project has already been approved. It’s different enough from our original project which was never published that it doesn’t count as plagiarism.”
Alhaitham just stares at him, while Kaveh stares back, his jaw clenched, eyes bright. His hair seems to swell in volume, like a peacock getting its feathers ruffled.
“Fine,” Alhaitham scoffs, turning sharply on his heel to focus on the fresh coffee instead. He pours a cup, then turns back to face Kaveh again. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He starts to walk for his room, and Kaveh scoffs behind him, always trying to get in the last word.
“Yeah, that’s right, just take your stupid coffee and go off to hide in your room!” Kaveh snaps. “I don’t even know why you’d make it this late in the day when it will do nothing but ruin your sleep schedule!”
“Considering the amount of noise you make every night, I never get any sleep anyways,” Alhaitham retorts.
Kaveh splutters and manages an annoyed, “You—!” before Alhaitham goes into his room.
He lets out a sharp sigh as he sits down at his desk, still deeply annoyed. Kaveh is making a huge mistake, but, as always, he’s too proud to admit it. Always rushing head first into the first thing that crosses his mind, always convinced that things will be alright due to his idealistic views. Alhaitham truly hopes that Kaveh will come to his senses and alter the project’s topic. But he doubts Kaveh will consider that anytime soon.
Whatever. Some time in the desert will do Kaveh well. That is, if he doesn’t put himself into too much danger.
Alhaitham shakes his head and pulls his current read towards him. Flipping it open, he picks up his coffee and gently blows on it so it doesn’t outright burn his tongue. Outside, he can still hear Kaveh moving about, talking to himself or to Mehrak. Alhaitham simply rolls his eyes and turns up the dial on his headphones, further cancelling Kaveh out.
He supposes Kaveh does have one thing right: Alhaitham is indeed looking forward to having the house to himself for two whole months.
*
Kaveh is gone the following morning, as promised. Surprisingly, Alhaitham doesn’t hear him leave. The house is blissfully silent. He goes into the kitchen to make his coffee.
Thus begins the first month.
Alhaitham carries on with his work as the Akademiya Scribe, changing up his routine every day to keep people on their toes. Most people would assume that he thrives off of a rigid routine, but he actually enjoys the chaos of never living a day in the same way. Not only does it make things somewhat interesting, but it also keeps people from finding him and bugging him in a timely manner. Alhaitham lives according to his own rules, not those of others.
Of course, somehow, Kaveh would always find a way to wriggle into his chaotic routine. He would be able to find Alhaitham no matter what, sometimes knowing Alhaitham’s train of thought better than anyone. But now that he’s out in the desert, there’s less of a chance of that happening.
The days go by and turn into weeks, and Alhaitham starts to become…unnerved by the quiet stillness of his home.
So he decides to play music on speaker instead of through his headphones, and that helps substantially.
Weeks turn into months, and Alhaitham hasn’t heard a thing about or from Kaveh. He supposes it’s difficult to send a letter from the desert, and yet he always figured Kaveh would find a way. Not that Kaveh would want to write to Alhaitham, and not that Alhaitham would even want to read a letter from him. But still…it’s strange.
One month turns into two, but by then, other situations have arisen…and Alhaitham finds himself in Port Ormos, crossing paths with a certain Traveler, chasing after canned knowledge.
*
It is suffice to say that after that, Alhaitham forgot all about Kaveh. After all, he had other things to worry about. Like rescuing the damn Archon, for one thing.
But now the corrupt Grand Sage has been overthrown, Lesser Lord Kusanali saved, and the Akasha turned off. And Alhaitham finds himself sitting in the same seat that the Grand Sage once sat in, only slightly confused at how he got here.
He’s the Acting Grand Sage. Acting. This is not a permanent position, only a temporary one until Nahida finds another Grand Sage. Alhaitham hopes she finds one quickly, because he’s already sick of his job.
Kaveh will certainly have the shock of his life when he returns from the desert. Alhaitham amuses himself by imagining all the different ways Kaveh might react. He’ll be jealous, for sure. He’ll probably make a lot of noise, some of which only dogs might be able to hear. But maybe Alhaitham can even use his authority to order Kaveh to clean up after himself…
Not that there has been any mess to clean up. Not since Kaveh left for his research project…four months ago?!
When Alhaitham realizes that Kaveh has been gone for twice as long as originally planned, he doesn’t worry. Not right away, of course. No, instead, he leaves his office (the Grand Sage’s office, that is) and goes in search of someone from Kshahrewar, figuring the research team might be in contact with one of their graduates.
He asks three people. One student, one graduate, and one professor. All of them know about Kaveh’s research project; none of them have heard from him or anyone on his team for that matter.
Oh well. That’s not the end of the world. Lots of research teams forget to keep in touch with their Darshans.
So Alhaitham goes to the Matra instead, because if anyone knows the ins and outs of scholars at the Akademiya other than Alhaitham or the Archon herself, it’s them.
As luck would have it, he finds Cyno, who’s currently standing on a balcony, overlooking the city, arms crossed as he scowls.
“General,” Alhaitham greets, stepping up beside him, but making sure to keep plenty of space between them.
“Acting Grand Sage,” Cyno responds. “How can I be of service?”
“It seems my roommate has run off into the desert for a research project and hasn’t kept in contact,” Alhaitham says, also crossing his arms. “I was wondering if you had heard anything from his team.”
Cyno frowns. “No. But I have noticed that Kaveh has been gone for quite some time. He’s missed weekly dinner at Gandharva Ville and drinks and duels at the tavern for the past few months or so. Tighnari is starting to get worried.”
“Oh? Just Tighnari is worried?” Alhaitham can’t help but smirk.
“For your information, I had curated the perfect TCG card deck to duel against him, and then he went on that research project.” Cyno sighs. “I spent weeks building that deck…”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were pouting, General Mahamatra.”
“Not pouting, just…pondering.” Cyno flicks his eyes to the side to shoot Alhaitham a look.
Alhaitham smirks. “Sure.”
“I’ll send word to Candace in Aaru Village,” Cyno says. “Ask her if she’s heard from Kaveh or his research team since then. It’s possible that he just got sidetracked and lost track of time.”
Alhaitham gives a curt nod. “Good.”
Then, with that, he turns and walks away, leaving Cyno to his…“pondering.”
While Cyno sends the message to Candace, Alhaitham digs up Kaveh’s research proposal. He doesn’t read it in the Grand Sage’s office, no; he brings it home with him, first stopping at the cafe to enjoy a cup of coffee, since he knows he’ll need it. Then, once he’s seated in the comforts of his house, he looks over the project proposal.
First of all, it wasn’t Kaveh who submitted it; he’s not even the head of the project. Instead, it’s another scholar, from Spantamad, named Akil.
Strange; Alhaitham doesn’t see why a Spantamad scholar would be interested in runes and architecture. But he does remember the Traveler mentioning that there were some mechanisms within the ruins that required elemental abilities and seemed to be powered by strange energy sources. Alhaitham makes a mental note to do some more reading on that topic.
According to the project proposal, the team should have kept in touch with someone at Aaru Village, checking in at least twice throughout the duration of the project in order to restock supplies and have someone be aware of their general location should something go wrong. Alhaitham makes a note of the contact names and decides to send word to Cyno, just to keep him updated.
He’s sure that Kaveh just lost track of time. Worst case scenario, he got stuck in an underground ruin. But Alhaitham knows him; Kaveh can get out of anything. He’d probably be ecstatic to get stuck, if it meant he’d have more time to ogle some specific pillar or whatever.
Alhaitham shakes his head. It will be fine.
*
It is not fine.
The next day, Cyno somehow manages to catch Alhaitham in his office, right when Alhaitham was going to sneak out to get a cup of coffee. All of a sudden the General Mahamatra is just there, blocking Alhaitham’s path, and it unnerves Alhaitham only slightly.
“I saw your message,” Cyno says. “Candace said that she hasn’t seen or heard from anyone on that research team since they passed through a few months ago, at the beginning of the project. I doubt they’ve checked in with their contacts in the Village either.”
“I see.” Alhaitham hums to himself, thinking.
Cyno watches him, then crosses his arms. “Perhaps we should send a search party to their last known location. See if we can find any clues.”
Usually Alhaitham wouldn’t want to be hasty. He would want to stop and consider all possibilities first before he wasted precious time and resources on something that could have solved itself with time. But in this case, there might be lives at risk. He can’t afford to be hesitant.
“Alright,” Alhaitham says. “Send a search party. I want to be notified the moment they return.”
“Yes, sir.” Cyno gives a salute. Alhaitham isn’t sure if he’s mocking him or not. He decides that Cyno isn’t, because this is a serious situation. And Cyno can be nothing but serious when he needs to be.
So now there’s nothing to do but wait. Alhaitham is good at waiting. In fact, patience is one of his strong suits. One needs patience to survive and thrive in an academic life—patience and perseverance—because learning takes time and energy. Knowledge will not simply sink into someone’s head after a few moments; it takes time and dedication to commit such things to memory.
Well, to be fair, Alhaitham has always had a quick grasp on even the most abstract of concepts. Knowledge does actually happen to sink into his head and stay there. But he still takes the time to slow down and truly absorb as much as he can—
The point is, he can wait for the search party to return. And when it does, with Kaveh in tow, Alhaitham will have plenty of knowledge about ill-fated expeditions and the follies of idealism to spew at him, because he’s going to spend his time until then reading anything he can get his hands on about those exact topics.
*
The search party doesn’t return for days. And when it does, Alhaitham immediately knows that it doesn’t bring good news.
The leader of the team, a Matra named Aarav, reports to Alhaitham right away, a grim and serious expression on his face.
“Let me guess,” Alhaitham says before Aarav can open his mouth. “You didn’t find anything. Or anyone.”
“It’s like they vanished off the face of Teyvat,” Aarav says, lowering his head. “We searched for days, but there were no traces. The sand made sure of that. We talked to everyone at Aaru Village. Then, when none of them knew anything, we went to the mercenaries. They had seen the party from a distance, camping at an oasis, but when we went to that oasis, they were long gone. No idea where they went.”
Alhaitham presses his lips into a thin line, trying to ignore the way his stomach pitches, how the nausea is rising in his throat. He’s sure there is a logical explanation for this, one that isn’t the explanation that everyone is clearly thinking. The desert is vast, full of shifting sand and underground caverns and ruins. There are so many places a person could hide. To search it all would likely take weeks, maybe even months. As Acting Grand Sage, he technically has the resources to send out such a search party, but it might all be for naught. All of that manpower and funding should go to more important things, like research projects. He has to think of what’s best for the Akademiya as a whole, not just the fate of a few scholars.
With a sigh, Alhaitham nods. “Thank you. You are dismissed.”
Aarav and his men hesitate, clearly not expecting that from him.
“What are our next steps, sir?” Aarav asks.
“Your work is done,” Alhaitham says. “You have better things to do. In the meantime, I will write to Candace, Dehya, and the Eremites and ask them to keep an eye out for any sign of the research team.”
With that, he turns back to the paperwork on his desk, a clear dismissal if there ever was one.
And yet Aarav and his men linger, staring at him in shock.
“But sir,” Aarav says, “we can’t just leave them. They might be trapped—”
“There has been no word from them for months,” Alhaitham says, his voice completely level even if the nausea threatens to choke him. “In all likelihood, they’re all dead. It would be a waste of time and resources to continue searching.”
His words ring through the cavernous office, reverberating in everyone’s heads.
Dead. Dead. Dead.
Kaveh, dead.
Alhaitham almost winces.
“We could…we could put in a commission in the Adventurer’s Guild,” one of the Matra speaks up. “They have enough experienced adventurers to search for them.”
“No, doing that would get more people killed,” Alhaitham says, though his mind does go to one adventurer in particular, one that has more than enough experience finding people and saving them. But he has no idea where Aether and Paimon are, and he doesn’t want to waste their time on something so trivial.
“Leave it,” Alhaitham orders the Matra, his voice stern. “This case is closed. You are dismissed.”
Aarav knows when to not push it any further. He bows, murmuring, “Yes, sir.” His other Matra follow suit, then shuffle out of the office.
And only once he’s completely alone does Alhaitham throw his pen down and pinch the bridge of his nose, inhaling deeply.
He supposes his house will be very quiet indeed from now on.
*
A few days pass, and Alhaitham receives an unexpected visitor in his office.
He admittedly doesn’t appear to be doing much, simply gazing out the window with a distant look in his eye, but if anyone were to ask, he’d claim he was thinking. And that would be the truth, because he is thinking. He’s always thinking. It just so happens that at this moment, he’s thinking about Kaveh.
He sees movement out of the corner of his eye, and then Nahida hops onto the chair positioned directly across from his desk.
“So,” she says. “Something has been weighing on you, recently.”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific,” Alhaitham replies. “Many things are weighing on me at the moment.”
Nahida smiles. “I think you know exactly what I’m referring to, Alhaitham.”
Alhaitham shrugs and tears his gaze away from the window, where he can just barely see the cliffs within which the Palace of Alcazarzaray is nestled. He tries to focus on the paperwork on his desk in front of him, even if it seems rude to avoid the Dendro Archon’s gaze.
“What I’m feeling doesn’t matter,” Alhaitham says. “What matters is well-being of Sumeru and the Akademiya, both of which I am currently second-in-command.”
“Funny you mention that, because Sumeru and the Akademiya do not exist without the individuals that make them up,” Nahida says. “Just like a forest is not a forest without individual trees.”
“Sometimes the forest has to lose a few trees,” Alhaitham says. “That’s the nature of life.”
“Yes, but before that happens, the forest does everything it can to support and aid that dying tree,” Nahida says. “Did you know that trees actually communicate and care for one of each other? They do it through their root system and a fascinating use of a fungal network. There’s evidence of tree stumps continuing to live and thrive for years and years after being chopped down because those around it are still taking care of it.”
“I want to help him,” Alhaitham says, a bit of an edge to his tone. “But I can’t. I don’t know where he is and it would be a waste of resources to go after him.”
“I know, and I respect your decision,” Nahida says. “I’m just here to make sure that you are okay. I know this is not easy for you.”
Alhaitham shrugs, decides the paperwork is beginning to look like one of the few languages he hasn’t yet mastered. So he sits back in his chair and crosses his arms, finally looking at his Archon.
“He knew the risks before he went,” Alhaitham says. “Although I’d like to think that he’s not foolish enough to get himself killed, I know that his idealism can blind him to the truth of his reality.”
“I don’t think you give him enough credit,” Nahida says gently. “He’s much more resourceful and perceptive than he lets on.”
“I suppose.” Another thought occurs to him. “Could you find him? Can you sense him somehow through his Dendro Vision?”
Nahida sighs, and Alhaitham already knows her answer. “Usually I would be able to, but…the desert has always been just out of reach. While technically it is a part of Sumeru, it also isn’t really my domain. Um…” She fidgets.
“You can tell me,” Alhaitham says. “I can handle it.”
Nahida sighs yet again. “I did try to find him regardless, but…it’s like he completely vanished. I can’t sense him anywhere.”
Deep down, Alhaitham still had a bit of hope, but now that he’s heard these words from the God of Wisdom herself, that tiny seed of hope shrivels and dies. He feels even sicker to his stomach, and there’s a horrifying burning sensation behind his eyes, almost like they might produce tears.
He shoves all of those emotions away, buries them deep under his typical expressionless mask.
“I see,” Alhaitham says. “Well. I supposed as much.”
“I’m so sorry, Alhaitham,” Nahida says. “Even if you and Kaveh bumped heads more often than not, I know you still cared for him, deep down. I understand if you want to take a few days off.”
“To do what?” Alhaitham retorts. “Get his affairs in order? He has no family. And I doubt that idiot had the foresight to produce a will. Everything he owns will likely just go to the Akademiya.”
“He has a mother in Fontaine,” Nahida says. “She might want to know about her son.”
Hearing that just reminds Alhaitham of Kaveh’s father, passing away in the same gods-forsaken place. He feels even sicker to his stomach. This whole situation is wrong.
“You know what? I think I will take the rest of the day off.” Alhaitham stands.
“Take all the time you need,” Nahida says, regarding him with sad, pitying eyes that remind him that she’s still centuries older than he.
Alhaitham leaves that office feeling worse than before.
*
One full month passes, marking six months since Kaveh left for that project. Six months during which Alhaitham has been going home to an empty house, six months without being nagged, without hearing Kaveh’s voice. Alhaitham is honestly starting to wonder if he’s forgetting the sound of it.
He hasn’t gone into Kaveh’s room. He opened the door, once, and just stood in the doorway, staring at the messy drafting table and the unmade bed and the plant that he clearly forgot to water. Like Kaveh never left, save for the layer of dust covering everything.
Alhaitham closed that door and hasn’t touched it since. The painting Kaveh selected still hangs crookedly in the hallway.
For the most part, he can ignore his thoughts of Kaveh when he’s at work. If he buries his head in paperwork and meetings and so on, he can become completely engrossed.
But the moment he goes home, it all comes rushing back, and he can’t seem to stop himself from staring at the mismatched furniture in the living room, where Kaveh used to sit and complain about how Alhaitham’s single armchair was throwing off the aesthetics. Alhaitham thinks he might give anything to hear that again, which sounds insane even to himself.
Nahida thankfully doesn’t check in on him again, though when he has meetings with her, he can tell she’s still concerned. Tighnari invites him to dinner at Gandharva Ville, but Alhaitham respectfully declines. The only thing he can’t get out of is a drink at the tavern, where Cyno tells him that he will be playing Genius Invokation TCG with him whether he likes it or not. Alhaitham figures it isn’t worth trying to be more stubborn than the General Mahamatra when it comes to his favorite game.
On top of that, Candace writes him letters asking how he’s doing, keeping him updated on any news in the desert. Dehya even pays him a visit, dragging him out for coffee with her and Nilou. Alhaitham goes along with it, but he knows they are doing it out of pity, and he tells them to stop.
Eventually, people leave him alone, which he tells himself he likes. But that was before he had an empty house.
Then, one day, Alhaitham receives news of a certain visitor, and he drops everything to go meet them.
Alhaitham spots that annoying, white floating thing before he spots the long, golden hair, and he can’t help smirking as he strides into the outside seating area of the local cafe.
“Well, well, well, look who it is,” he says, and Aether and Paimon both spin to look at him. “I thought I heard a familiar high-pitched noise, even from my office.”
“Alhaitham!” Paimon shrieks, and Alhaitham resists the urge to fiddle with his noise-cancelling headphones.
“It’s good to see you!” Aether greets warmly.
“Likewise. Mind if I join you?” Alhaitham asks.
“Please do!” Aether gestures to the empty seat across from him.
“Thank you.” Alhaitham sits. “What brings you to Sumeru? Just passing through?”
“Yeah, we were back in Mondstadt for a bit and then went to Inazuma, but now we heard that there’s an unexplored section of the desert, so we’re heading there next before we head to Fontaine,” Aether says.
Alhaitham’s gaze snaps to his when he hears that. “Oh? You’re going to the desert?”
“Yep! We got a commission to explore a bunch of new ruins! And you know us—where there’s ruins, there’s treasure!” Paimon rubs her greedy little hands together.
“I just enjoy exploring, actually,” Aether says.
Alhaitham nods, trying desperately to remain calm. “The desert is certainly fascinating. Full of places to explore. But it’s also extremely dangerous, so please be careful. And tell someone where you’re going.”
Paimon and Aether both tilt their heads to the side at the same time, regarding him suspiciously.
“You okay, Alhaitham?” Aether asks. “You’re acting a bit…strange.”
“Yeah, are you sleeping okay? Is any of the Acting Grand Sage stuff exhausting you?” Paimon adds.
“I’m perfectly fine,” Alhaitham says. “Can’t one be concerned over his friends’ wellbeing?”
Paimon brightens at that, but Aether narrows his eyes a fraction. Alhaitham always felt that Aether was much more perceptive than people gave him credit for; he’s like a bloodhound that can smell a lie and insincerity a mile away.
And somehow he also knows exactly what to say.
“You know, while we’re in Sumeru, it would be nice to meet up with everyone,” Aether says. “After we’re done exploring, we might head to Gandharva Ville and have dinner with Tighnari and Collei and Cyno. You should come with us and bring Kaveh along. How’s he doing, by the way?”
“Oooh, yeah, has he found another place to live yet?” Paimon pipes up. “Or are you guys still driving each other insane?”
“We do not ‘drive each other insane,’” Alhaitham retorts, crossing his arms. “If anything, it’s me who drives Kaveh insane. But we’ll see if I have time for dinner. Anyways. Did you see that book list I sent you a few months ago? I thought those titles were most intriguing, for Paimon in particular. That is, if she can handle such abstract concepts.”
“Paimon can handle plenty of abstract concepts, thank you very much!!” Paimon stomps her little foot.
Alhaitham just smirks.
Thankfully, after that, the conversation diverges from Kaveh completely. They talk about Aether and Paimon’s travels instead, or any upcoming events in other countries, and if Alhaitham would ever consider traveling with them. Alhaitham admits that he does want to travel, but he has too much on his plate right now.
Besides, traveling just makes him think of all of the unique architecture around the world, and that of course makes him think of Kaveh. Kaveh once rambled on and on about how badly he’d love to travel outside of Sumeru to study architecture, and yet the opportunity never arose. He always claimed he was too busy, but Alhaitham knew the real reason was that Kaveh couldn’t afford it.
And now he’ll never get to travel.
Alhaitham senses his mood souring and his social battery dying, so he clears his throat and says, “Well, it’s getting late. I should head home.”
“Yeah, we should be heading out too,” Aether says. “We’re going to stay the night here and then start off early tomorrow morning for Aaru Village.”
Alhaitham hums at that.
“Hey, Alhaitham,” Paimon says, “since you’re now the second most powerful person in Sumeru, you must have a nice paycheck, right?”
“Yes, I do.”
“So then you wouldn’t mind paying for our yummy meal, would you? Or perhaps a snack for the road?”
“Actually, I would mind.”
“Oh come on!” Paimon stamps her foot. “Paimon’s hungry and you’re wasting all that Mora by not spending it!”
“Paimon,” Aether scolds. To Alhaitham, he says, “Ignore her. We have plenty of Mora.”
“Still, I suppose I can buy you something for the road,” Alhaitham says. “Pick something from the menu. I’ll ask for it to-go. Only one item each,” he adds, giving Paimon a stern look.
Paimon just laughs sheepishly.
After paying and receiving their food to-go, they walk out of the cafe together and part ways just outside it. Alhaitham waves after them, watching the two of them stroll down the moonlight streets, like nothing could ever bring them down. All things considered, Alhaitham supposes nothing can bring them down. Though, that is hardly logical.
Shaking his head, he turns to head back to his own house, thinking he might as well go read.
He doesn’t see Paimon or Aether for another week or so.
Then the letter comes.
*
Cyno is with him in the Grand Sage’s office when the letter from Candace is delivered to Alhaitham’s desk. Alhaitham glances at the letter and opens it, just like he has done numerous times before.
“Shouldn’t you be working?” Alhaitham asks Cyno as he opens the letter, who is sitting in the chair in front of the desk with a TCG deck spread out in front of him.
“I’m on break,” Cyno replies in his deadpan tone, still staring at his cards.
Alhaitham just shrugs and looks at the letter. It begins as it always does, with Candace asking how he’s doing and updating him on whatever desert flower or fruit is in bloom or something.
Usually she closes it by inviting him to Aaru Village for some coffee or even a meal. This time, she still invites him, though the invite has him sitting up straight from where he was reclining in his chair.
By the way, we have some news on Kaveh’s research team. Aether and Paimon found clues. They’re waiting for you in the village. Please come as soon as possible—time is of the essence.
P.S. It might be helpful to bring the General Mahamatra with you for this one.
Alhaitham reads those words over and over again, though his eyes linger specifically on one word. Kaveh. Aether found something. He actually found something. Alhaitham is not much of a religious man, but he prays to Celestia in this instance that they didn’t find a dead body. He’s not sure if he’d be able to handle that.
“Cyno,” Alhaitham says.
Cyno just grunts in reply, still studying his cards.
“Clear your schedule for the rest of the day. And potentially for tomorrow as well.” Alhaitham sets down the letter and looks at him. “We’re going to Aaru Village.”