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Scara sat atop a cliff overlooking the desert. Though a full moon was the only source of illumination, his non-human eyes could see perfectly as if night had not fallen upon Teyvat. A break from the Akademiya had been his request and luckily, Lesser Lord Kusanali let him go without a fuss. In fact, she had encouraged that he explore Sumeru however he saw fit.
Footsteps displaced sand along the incline up to his lounging place and it took everything in him not to attack right then and there. Whoever was approaching was a vision holder. He could feel the static of power in the air. He recognized the element as electro and grit his teeth.
“Heh, what are you doing out here all alone? The desert isn’t the most forgiving of places, you know?”
Scara clenched his teeth harder. That desert dweller was the last person he wanted to meet out here. “Shouldn’t it be obvious? To be alone.”
“That’s no fun!” Sethos told him, taking a seat beside the anemo user and offering an ajilenakh nut.
Scara waved him off, but the other man was insistent, opening his hand to deposit a few seeds into the center of his palm.
“Tch, I don’t eat.”
“Sure ya do!” Sethos smiled, popping a few seeds into his mouth and crunching. “Seems to me you can’t get enough of the gilded tajine in Aaru Village.”
“You’ve been watching me?”
Sethos shrugged with a lopsided smile. “You’re easy to look at.”
The anemo user rolled his eyes and ignored the statement, even if it made an odd feeling swell in his chest.
“So, where’s your next stop? There was Port Ormos, then Caravan Ribat where you took down a dozen Eremites single handedly – super impressive, by the way – then Aaru Village…but where to next?”
“Why does it matter to you? Going to track me through the entirety of this God forsaken wasteland?” Scara snapped. “You’ll just get in my way. And I’m not the type to lend a hand when you get yourself into trouble.”
The desert dweller grinned and leaned back on his forearms. “No need to worry about me. I know my way around the sands. You on the other hand? Well, let’s just say I wouldn’t be opposed to acting as your guide.”
“Don’t need one.” Scara huffed, trying his best to ignore the man staring at his profile. He looked out over the rolling dunes and caught a glimpse of a flicker of light. Orange and red, probably a fire in some camp, or maybe a pyro mage. Didn’t matter. As long as he was able to stare at it instead of Sethos. Maybe the annoying idiot would get the message and finally leave him alone.
“What about when you get lost and need to find an oasis to refill your water skin?”
“Tch, my body isn’t so weak that I need things like water, food or sleep.”
“Woah, that’s pretty cool. Wish I didn’t have to think about those things,” Sethos commented. His tone was light, but it grated on the anemo user.
“Small talk is a waste of time. Tell me something interesting or keep your mouth shut,” Scara growled.
Sethos made a motion, swiping fingers across his lips as if fastening a zipper. He laid back, arms crossed beneath his head as he gazed at the stars and moon above. The longer they sat in silence, the more annoyed Scara became. Couldn’t he just be allowed to enjoy his peace without distraction?
“Are you planning staying here all night?”
Sethos shrugged, eyes never leaving the stars above.
“Annoying.”
“I could show you someplace special if you’re interested,” the desert dweller suggested.
“Depends.”
“C’mon, it’ll be good. I promise, I’ll make it worth your while,” Sethos grinned lazily.
“How far?” Scara asked, a bit intrigued. He didn’t have anything else to do.
“If we leave now, we can make it by dawn. That’s the best time anyway!”
Sethos was on his feet in a flash, hand extended toward the anemo user. Scara made no motion to move, staring at the other man’s hand with disdain.
“It’ll be an adventure. A good one. Promise.”
With a sigh, Scara stood and fixed his hat, ignoring the other man. He took a few steps away from the cliff ledge. When he didn’t hear Sethos following, he looked over his shoulder, lips downturned in annoyance. “What are you waiting for?”
Sethos lit up, smile doubling as he jogged to catch up and fall into step beside him.
“So, you even wear the hat at night,” Sethos commented early on in their trek. “You really are a Hat Guy.”
“Shut up,” Scara rolled his eyes.
“Right, right, only interesting topics.”
Wind whistled and picked up sand from the top of the dunes. Old, dead trees reached out their crooked branches like deathly shadows in the darkness. Scara wasn’t bothered by the eerie sight and neither was Sethos. The desert dweller was much more interested in annoying his companion, flitting around and observing Scara from every angle.
“What now?” The Wanderer snapped.
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
With a sigh, Scara continued forward, trying his best to ignore the busy bee leading him to whatever mysterious place he had in mind. For all he knew, it would be a complete waste of time. Which had him wondering why exactly he’d agreed to follow the green-eyed man. It was true he really didn’t have anything better to do. Lesser Lord Kusanali had told him to be more open. To make connections with his peers at the Akademiya. Too bad those try hards had their heads so far up their asses making connections was physically painful. Always with their noses stuck in a book or looking for people to form an alliance with for another mediocre research project.
So what was it that made him agree to follow Sethos deeper into the desert? He was certainly a change from monotony. The jury was still out on whether that was a good or bad thing. So far he was just a general annoyance with his lingering eyes and useless anecdotes.
Scara slowed as they approached a fork in the road. They could traverse upward toward the cliffs or descend into the canyon below. His question was answered before he could even ask as Sethos took the lower path. The man turned to look over his shoulder, mischief reflected in those green eyes. It sent a spark down Scara’s spine though he couldn’t quite tell if it was a warning or something else.
“C’mon, it’s just a bit further,” Sethos waved him on. “We should hurry though. The cavers are usually crawling with fungus and hilichurls and I’d rather not exert too much energy or get into a battle that causes us to miss sunrise.”
“What’s so important about seeing whatever this place is at sunrise?” Scara huffed, moving forward and glaring at Sethos’ back.
“It’s a surprise! A good one,” the man grinned and turned forward before muttering under his breath. “At least I hope you’ll think so.”
The silence stretched on as Scara tried to piece together what exactly that was supposed to mean. He was aware that Sethos had been following him since his departure from Sumeru City. Always a few paces behind but never well hidden. He was a terrible scout.
“Why have you been following me? Be honest or I’ll cut out your tongue.”
“Hey now, what on Teyvat did I do to warrant that kind of threat?” Sethos laughed. “You’re an interesting guy, and I was interested in just how interesting. I’ve heard a few different stories on my own travels, but most of them are just born of people’s fear of the unknown. I mean, a new guy shows up at the Akademiya and the one who vouches for him personally is the Dendro Archon herself?” Sethos whistled low. “Pretty impressive. At least I think so. Others though…”
“I don’t care what any of those peons think of me.” Scara snapped a bit too quickly.
“Of course you don’t,” Sethos grinned brightly.
“I don’t,” the wanderer doubled down.
The other man raised his hands in surrender and shrugged. A beat of silence. And then he spoke quieter, tone serious. “But you seem lonely.”
Scara tripped, feet coming to a stop just as they breached the mouth of the cavern. His eyes were wide at the bold statement. If he had a heart, he was sure it would have skipped or started beating faster. The dark sky was being chased away by the early rays of the sun, inky black and blue lightening to purple and pale pink. The colors made Sethos’ skin glow in the gentle morning illumination, his face sincere as he stared back at the wanderer.
“I- tch, let’s keep going. The sun is rising,” Scara grumbled, shouldering past the other man and into the rocky passage.
He could feel the static vibrations in the air as Sethos reached out but was quick to sidestep him. The man didn’t try to grab for him, instead jogging ahead to lead the way through the labyrinth. Gray and purple stones blocked a few of the alcoves and paths, forcing them to follow the only accessible trail. The deeper they traveled, the clearer the rocks became, imperfections hammered out through pressure in their formation.
“For the record,” Sethos spoke, the first to break their heavy silence. “I don’t mind keeping you company…now or ever.”
“You’re a busy little bee. Annoying as ever,” Scara sniffed, tilting his hat and keeping his hand on the brim as he looked up.
The cramped tunnel walls opened up to reveal a massive cavern filled with sharp spires of clear stone. At the center was a pool of water, a few ripples disturbing the surface as pebbles of rock and bits of sand rained from the ceiling.
Scara fixed Sethos with a scathing glare. “This is what you wanted me to see? It’s just a bunch of rocks. What's so special abou-”
The sun’s rays flooded through the holes and crevices in the ceiling. Beams of light struck the clear stones reflecting every color imaginable across the cavern. Little shapes glittered and dances across the walls and lit up the cavern. Sethos approached slowly, reaching out for Scara’s wide-brimmed hat.
The wanderer jerked back, but relaxed when the other man showed he wasn’t trying anything funny.
“You’ll be able to see better without this obstructing your sight,” Sethos explained, fingers gripping the edge of the hat. He pulled gently and brought it to his chest with a smile. “There, that’s better.
“Tch,” Sacra clicked his tongue and ignored the way his cheeks heated at the other man’s soft tone and close proximity.
Still, he had to agree that the view was better without his hat. The colors had shifted slightly with the rising sun, elongating the beams. Looking up, he blinked the brightness out of his eyes as crystal flies fluttered above their heads. Sethos shifted beside him, pulling Scara’s gaze back down. He stayed still as the other man reached out once more, thumb caressing a rainbow streak that colored Scara’s cheek.
“Beautiful,” he whispered. “Never thought you could get any prettier, but here we are.”
“Me? Pretty? Heh, not a chance.”
Sethos offered a lopsided grin and leaned in. He pressed his lips to Scara’s, soft and tentative. The kiss lasted no more than a few seconds, but it still left the wanderer frozen and confused. He blinked once…twice, before grimacing and looking away, too overwhelmed to confront the intensely soft look reflected in Sethos’ eyes.
“Hey,” the desert dweller whispered, pinching Scara’s chin between his thumb and forefinger. The calluses were a testament to his skill with a bow and of his rough upbringing in the sandy wasteland of Sumeru.
Scara closed his eyes and sighed in resignation. He was ready this time when Sethos kissed him. It was an odd feeling, but not bad. Just new and unfamiliar. Those calloused fingers traced the line of his jaw until they reach his nape and threaded into the strands of hair that hung lower than the rest. Scara wasn’t sure what to do with his own hands, completely out of his depth in this particular instance. He knew how to be a force of destruction. A being of chaos capable of great and terrible things. But to be gentle and intimate?
“Hmmm, you don’t like it, huh?” Sethos hummed as they pulled apart.
“I didn’t say that.”
“Didn’t have to.” Sethos shrugged, his smile not reaching his eyes this time.
Something clenched in Scara’s chest then. He stopped the other man from retreating any further with a hand on his cheek. The warmth under his fingers reminded him just how different he was from Sethos. It made him shake with uncertainty. He wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted other than the voice screaming in the back of his head to keep Sethos close. Something told him that if Scara let him go now, there would be no getting him this close again.
“Teach me,” Scara demanded, voice clipped and tone a bit harsher than he meant.
There was that lopsided smile again. That expression eased the tightness in the wanderer’s chest a little, though his hands were still shaking. Sethos reached up to cover the smaller, paler fingers touching his cheek and leaned his face into Scara’s touch.
“I think I can do that,” he said, green eyes sparkling and grin widening. With a flourish, Sethos placed Scara’s hat on his own head and leaned in to capture his lips once more. His hand, now free to explore, settled on the small of Scara’s back and pulled him closer.
The little rainbow shapes continued to dance around them, shifting with the continuous rise of the sun just outside the cavern. Though he’d been skeptical before, Scara had to admit Sethos was right in his assessment of this place. It really was worthwhile.