Archive of Our Own ^beta

Nahida

As much as she genuinely trusts Wanderer, Nahida is starting to worry.

It isn’t anything noteworthy, at first. There are a lot less grumbles about “useless human essays” when she’s around, which she just attributes to him finally seeing the bright side of attending the Akademiya. They’re not completely gone, but she hears them less. Initially, she believes it’s just like a cat who stops struggling in the middle of a bath. Wanderer starts finishing all his assignments without her prodding him about it, which does get an eyebrow raise out of her. But well, no matter, if he suddenly likes putting effort into academia it will make things easier in the long run!

The true concern comes after he stops complaining when Nahida asks him for favors. He’s never said no, but a remark along the lines of “I’m not your messenger dusk bird, Buer” is always part of the process. Now he just nods and takes the instructions with no issues. If anything, he looks like he’s thinking of something else most of the time. She starts keeping a careful eye on him, worried that his tampering of the Irminsul might be showing delayed effects. Nothing much jumps out as odd for a few days, so the archon starts to relax.

However, the alarms start blaring one seemingly normal afternoon.

“Buer, do you need me to deliver these books back to the House of Daena?”

Is… he offering to do me a favor? All on his own?

Now, Nahida may be unaware of some things to a certain extent due to her centuries of being locked away, but she knows he has affection for her. She knows his denial and attitude are often a front for that. But he has never, never, offered to do her a normal favor without any push.

Feeling a sudden rush of fear, Nahida skips right up to Wanderer and starts making dendro energy flow through him to seek any anomalies.

“Do you remember your name and land of origin?”

“What,” Wanderer looks at her like she grew a radish out of her head (really, it was just once, he didn’t need to exaggerate). “Buer, did you hit your head? I’ll have you know that if you revert back to a branch I’m not watering you.”

Ok, he’s giving her cheek. That’s more like usual, but she can never be too cautious.

“Just answer me! Do you remember your name and land of origin?” Wanderer can see she’s starting to get a bit agitated, so he complies.

“I come from Inazuma, and I’ve been called many names. I go by whatever people call me. As you already know, I also had a less-than-lovely stint in Snezhnaya. Happy?”

Nahida hums, finding nothing out of the ordinary on her first pass. She pushes more energy through for a second pass, determined to not overlook anything. Her efforts are rewarded with a shudder from him.

“That feels disgusting, Buer. What is bothering you so much?”

Nahida knows he’s lying to her. The perk of her abilities is that she gets to feel what those on the end of it feel to an extent. She knows her energy feels like comfort for him. Him lying about it is a comfort to her, in turn, as that is definitely his normal behavior.

“Bear with it for a little bit. Did you sustain any hard hits or injuries during your last trip to the rainforest?”

“No, unless you count your General Mahamatra destroying me in that card game as an injury.”

Oh Celestia, he’s admitting he lost with no sarcastic or insulting comments. This may be worse than she thought.

“I see… Did you get too close to the Irminsul by any chance?” Nahida refrains from asking questions that may sound insulting, she knows his body is very sturdy. Only major events would really affect him to the extent she suspects.

“Do I look like a bumbling and naive idiot again? No, Buer, why even ask?” Wanderer looks like he’s starting to lose patience, but Nahida is not convinced yet. Something is up.

“Because you’re behaving strangely! Did you get hit by any lightning?”

“... That’s not funny, Nahida,” Wanderer seems more upset now, and interrupts her with a sigh even before she attempts to speak. “Save the apologies, I already know. Do you need those books delivered or not?”

The reassurance she sends before cutting off the flow of energy makes Wanderer’s lips twitch up for a brief second. It’s enough to know he’s not really upset.

“Well, I do, but-”

“Fine, then I’m off,” he picks up the pile of books and exits through the window.

Nahida is left feeling that something suspicious is definitely going on. Once she carefully analyzes all the weird occurrences, she notices that the common denominator in all of them is the Akademiya. But she sees no possible reason for Wanderer’s drastic change of attitude towards the place.

What an interesting puzzle.

Knowing that her presence would be noted all too easily if she tried to tail him, Nahida makes herself comfortable and closes her eyes. She instinctively goes for a somewhat familiar body, and the next time she opens her eyes she’s staring right at the people walking the road in front of the Adventurer’s Guild local headquarters.

Katherine is a very convenient person to run around as. No one really blinks if she needs to be elsewhere for a bit. So long as she seems appropriately focused, no one will suspect anything. With an enthusiastic nod, Nahida steps out and heads for the Akademiya.

Just as she’s strolling near the Akademiya’s side gate, she sees someone approaching at top speed. It seems Sethos is out and about on errands again. It warms her heart to see him happy in the city, and she hopes his new friends are helping him while he’s here.

Nahida is about to keep going until she sees Sethos pause in front of the gate. He looks towards the nearby treetops and then smiles.

“I just need to drop these off, I’ll be right out!”

“Who said I was here to see you?” The voice makes Nahida duck behind a nearby pillar. She was not aware Wanderer and Sethos already knew each other.

The bored reply somehow only makes Sethos smile wider before he goes into the building.

While waiting for him to come back out, Nahida is deep in thought. She’s not surprised at the mere idea of Wanderer befriending someone. He has a good amount of friends in their circle, despite his best attempts at denying it. No, what trips her up is his change in attitude. Something has to be different in this situation. Either that, or his friendship with Sethos is not what is prompting the change.

Sethos emerges from the building while Nahida is deep in thought, and she looks up to see him jog up to the tree Wanderer is resting on. She sees him pause, and only then notices that his right hand is bandaged. Before she can wonder what happened to it, Sethos attempts to climb while using mainly his left hand.

A long-suffering sigh echoes from the spot Wanderer is resting on. She sees him float down to where Sethos struggles to climb. Wanderer gently picks him up, putting special care on not hurting his bandaged hand.

“Are you stupid? Your hand is still healing, if you slip with the other one you’ll only injure this one further,” Wanderer’s tone is surprisingly soft even while he scolds Sethos. He sets both of them on the same branch he was laying on, and makes sure Sethos is in no risk of losing his balance by steadying him with an arm around his back.

Nahida can’t stop looking. Wanderer is not exactly rough when handling others normally, but she’s never seen him be so careful when touching someone else.

“Then isn’t it a bit counterproductive to carry me all the way up here? I could slip at any time,” Nahida can’t see Sethos’s face from this angle, but his tone makes it hard for her to imagine anything but a bright smile on his face.

The puppet just stares at him with a blank expression. He leans back on the tree trunk.

“You’re too fucking stubborn for your own good. If I didn’t do that, you would risk messing your hand up again just to come here and bother me. I don’t want to deal with that Forest Ranger if that happens, it’s safer if you’re already up here.”

“Because you’d make sure I’m ok, right?” Sethos’s mischievous question is accompanied by him leaning forward over Wanderer, almost laying on top of him if he wasn’t holding himself up with his arms. “I don’t know, taking a nap while you carried me to Gandharva Ville wasn’t bad at all…”

Wanderer’s face is a shade of red Nahida has never seen on him.

“Shut up, bothersome little bee,” he grumbles as he pulls his hat completely over his face. The teasing on the tip of Sethos’s tongue is completely thrown to the side with a delighted gasp.

“Wait, I’ve never seen the top of your hat so clearly before! This is such a beautiful design…”

As he keeps rambling about the hat and asking a ton of questions, Sethos lays completely on top of Wanderer to free his hands for better hat-appreciation. Despite having his face still completely covered and only answering maybe half the questions, Wanderer immediately lays a steadying arm over Sethos to prevent him from falling in his excitement.

Nahida stares for a minute longer, returns Katherine to the Guild’s booth, and then opens her eyes in her own body again. She spends the next hour silent, fully immersed in her thoughts. Finally, she gets up to contact Alhaitham. She will need all the help possible in her research.

Some books on romantic love will surely help, and she also needs to look up how to best address a family member’s new partner to make him feel welcome.

*****

Faruzan

Honestly, Faruzan has been a little tilted with the Akademiya’s current students ever since she made it back to Sumeru City with 100 years somehow under her belt.

A lot of them work hard, but there’s some of that old passion that is simply missing! Where has students’ endless curiosity gone? So what if she teaches Haravatat courses, back then most would listen to an interesting professor’s lectures with a desire to learn despite their darshan!

Her thoughts for the general student body (and frankly, some of the professors) aside, she does have some diamonds that caught her eye. One she’s fascinated with is Layla, whose research and dedication are always a point of interest for Faruzan. A few cross-darshan projects here and there have done nothing but convince Faruzan that she wants to keep working with her whenever possible.

Then there’s Collei. Such a sweet and dedicated girl! So polite and smart, even if a little awkward. No matter, she just knows Collei will thrive at the Akademiya. It would be preferable to have her under her wing in Haravatat, but she knows Collei is more likely to choose Amurta or maybe even Spantamad. Whatever, that’s hardly an issue. She can just do as she does with Layla and get her on interesting cross-darshan projects!

And there’s a mysterious new addition around lately. Faruzan keeps seeing that Sethos boy all the time, but she has no idea what darshan he’s even in! He goes around helping everyone he can with errands, and there’s just something about his eyes that tells her he has one of the most interesting brains to poke around here. Oh, how she hopes he’s a brand new Haravatat student. Surely she can convince him to appreciate her research focus!

However, before fantasizing about having a new mentee, she first has to find what she can about him. All the students and peers she asks tell her they either don’t know Sethos, or they’re not even sure he’s an Akademiya student. But surely he is, he spends so much time around there! Her suspicions about him being very new continue to grow.

Eventually, she comes across the notorious Hat Guy in her quest for answers. She still doesn’t know why everyone calls him that, but it’s the only name she knows for him. She’s a lot more frustrated by his lack of manners than she is by his name. Honestly, such a smart student with such disregard for his seniors! She knows he has a good heart beneath that attitude though, and she’s never been put off just by someone being a bit of a tough nut.

He seems to be running errands around the Akademiya, and who better to know about another boy running errands around here lately?

“Hat Guy! Wait a second!” Faruzan calls out to him just as he’s preparing to fly off (she’s still upset he refuses to show her how he does it. They both have anemo visions, some solidarity would be nice).

She decides to be very gracious and ignore his disrespectful sigh.

“Is there anything you need, Faruzan?” The infuriating kid puts special emphasis on her name, or rather, the lack of her title.

… She will be very gracious and not call him out for it. Answers are the only thing that matters right now.

“Actually, there is. I’ve been asking around and no one has any concrete answers for me! Do you know of that new kid, Sethos?” Faruzan isn’t sure if he’s confused by the question or somehow trying to not laugh at her. Hmph.

“He’s hardly anywhere close to a ‘kid’, but even then, why does it matter if I know him or not?”

Well, at least he confirmed he knows him, even if it is in the most unhelpful way possible.

“All of you are kids to me,” Faruzan crosses her arms and turns her nose up as she replies, fortunately missing Wanderer’s massive eye roll. “Besides, I’m interested in him as a potential pupil! He looks like he has a good brain in that energetic head of his. Do you know which darshan he’s in?”

Alright, now she’s pretty sure that’s confusion in Hat Guy’s face. And maybe some irritation at still being kept here.

“He’s not in any darshan,” he says before just up and leaving through one of the nearby windows like he’s in a hurry.

Ugh, seriously! She won’t let him just get away without some specific answers. She has seen Sethos everywhere around the Akademiya lately, why else would he be here so much if not for studying? Faruzan climbs over that window sill, expertly ignoring the yells of concerned students behind her.

Heh, kids these days worry too much.

She uses her vision to safely land, and then takes off in the direction she saw him going in. It’s exam season, so there are barely any students in this section of the Akademiya. When she’s close to the platform leading to the Sanctuary of Surasthana, she hears familiar voices.

“Come on, it will just be for a little bit!”

“I fail to see the appeal of this arrangement, Sethos.”

Oh?

“Really? I think there’s plenty of it actually…”

Interest piqued, Faruzan carefully inches her way to a position that will allow her to see what is going on with those kids without being spotted. Just as she thought, she sees Hat Guy and Sethos completely alone on that platform.

They’re both terribly close. Do kids these days not leave some space between them? Oh well, who is she to judge? Archons know she did way more scandalous things with her girlfriends back in the day.

Sethos has his arms around Hat Guy’s neck, and he’s clearly trying to seem seductive. It’s a little funny from Faruzan’s point of view, because the man has such puppy-like energy that it almost completely nullifies the attempt at seduction. That wide smile and intelligent green eyes still look plenty flirty regardless.

Oh dear, Faruzan has rarely seen the shade on Hat Guy’s face in nature. One of Sethos’s hands (is that a bandage?) comes up to run his fingers through the hair on the back of Hat Guy’s head. The way the foreign student’s eyes narrow is almost a little dangerous, and she’s tempted to intervene in case there’s violence on the horizon.

There’s no need to worry, though. The only thing Hat Guy does is quickly wrap his own arms around Sethos’s waist, which seems to startle him. Then he shoots up into the air, which makes the man in his arms scramble to get a better grip around his shoulders. Some fear peeks out initially, but then those green eyes widen to take in what Faruzan supposes is a wonderful view of Sumeru all the way up there.

From all the way down where she is, the details are harder to make out. However, she can clearly see Hat Guy turn his head enough to say something directly next to Sethos’s ear. Whatever those words are, they cause the kid’s face to take on a dark red hue.

Oh well, she’s seen enough. Faruzan makes her way back to the main building to give the two some actual privacy.

She’ll still be trying to get the recent admissions list just to confirm, but she thinks she now has a very good idea of why this Sethos boy is around the Akademiya so much.

Actually, this just works in her favor in the end! If she can convince him to join and pick Haravatat, she’ll surely have a new pupil. Plus, she’s not heartless. She won’t make the boy work so hard that he doesn’t have time for his little boyfriend.

*****

Layla

Layla is used to little rest and academic stress, but this new project is making her reach the very end of her rope.

She does not understand why her calculations aren’t working. She has reviewed these star maps again and again and again.

(The issue is that we’re missing information, stop blaming yourself.)

Hat Guy finds her in one of her despair spirals while she’s surrounded by all her notes in the House of Daena late at night, and gives her work a quick once-over. She looks at him with all the sad energy of an abandoned, exhausted and anxiety-ridden puppy.

“I can’t get the right answers… I don’t understand what I’m missing.”

Before he can comment on the reality (or lack of) of the stars, she lets her head fall on the table to lay there in her current bout of academic misery.

She hears him hum before he heads out. Flies out? She’s still not sure how he does it, but it’s likely because of his vision. An anemo vision would be useful for her right now, maybe then she could fly away to look at the stars from every angle she can think of. Maybe then her calculations would not be a disaster.

(We’re perfectly good with a cryo vision, thank you very much.)

She’s almost falling asleep a long while later when she hears the distinct sound of Hat Guy flying back in, but what throws her off is that there are… two voices? She rarely sees him as is, she’s fairly sure she’s never seen him willingly spend time with anyone.

A sudden knock on the table startles her, and Layla sits up straight only to see a bored-looking Hat Guy, and… someone she doesn’t know. It’s a man around Hat Guy’s height, and his clothes and accessories indicate he may be from the desert. He has green eyes so alert and full of energy they make Layla feel even more tired just by looking at them.

The cheerful man drops a positively massive amount of old scrolls and books on the table in front of her, and then extends his hand for a firm handshake. His hands are just rough and scarred enough for her to know he’s likely very skilled as a fighter.

“Sorry for the mess, we had to bring a lot of them. I’m Sethos, nice to meet you!” Sethos’s smile is very warm, and he mostly keeps his voice down despite them being the only ones here at this ungodly hour. Layla appreciates it; she’s not sure she can take any loud noises right now.

“Oh, um, hi. I’m Layla, nice to meet you too… if it’s not a problem to ask, what is all of this?”

She sees Hat Guy sit on the table facing away from her, and Sethos looks at him with teasing green eyes. She feels like she’s missing something.

“Our mutual friend here saw that you were in a bit of a pickle with your research, and he asked me if I had anything that could help,” Sethos arranges the books in two neat piles, and grabs the scrolls and what she now recognizes as very old rolled-up star maps. “These all come from the collection in the Temple of Silence. I can’t guarantee it’s all of them, but as you can imagine it was rather short notice. However, it would probably be better to read them after some rest.”

Layla appreciates the barely-subtle concern, she really does, but her sleep-deprived brain is a bit stuck on how casually this guy said that he’s lending her books and scrolls from the Temple of Silence.

“Th-the Temp- the- what?” Layla squeaks, and she feels like her brain is at risk of frying itself. She doesn’t know if the tears prickling at her eyes are from pure exhaustion or from gratitude. Just from a cursory glance at some of those books’ titles she can already tell they’ll be massively useful for her. “Oh dear gods… thank you so much! Sethos, Hat Guy, th-this may just be exactly… what….”

She suddenly feels an intense wave of exhaustion wash over her, swaying a bit where she’s sitting. Sethos reaches out to her with a concerned look in his eyes, only to turn to Hat Guy in confusion when he stops him from trying with a gentle grip around his forearm.

Layla wants to say thank you, and she also wants to apologize. She’s grateful Hat Guy is here, it means both her and the research are safe, because right now she’s feeling… so sleepy…

And it’s time for her to take over for all of their sakes. She swears, Daytime will stress both of them to an early grave.

A look up shows her that Sethos is blinking owlishly at her change in demeanor, and Hat Guy lets go of his arm to direct a lazy wave at her.

“Welcome back to the surface, ‘Layla’,” Hat Guy is still not looking at her, and she’s pretty sure he’s somewhat embarrassed at showing he cares. It’s kind of cute. He turns only enough to face the man next to him. “Sethos, this is Layla’s less anxiety-ridden half. The smarts are present in both of them, but this one is more likely to get things done.”

“Huh,” Sethos seems intrigued by her, but he’s not freaking out about it. Good. “Is Layla aware of…?”

“No, and I’d rather keep it like that,” Layla replies as she starts organizing all the books by topics, and separates the scrolls and maps to go through them more effectively. “Also, that’s not an accurate description. Daytime does everything by herself, she just gets… overwhelmed. I only put all her ideas and work together. Besides, I am her.”

Sethos’s confusion seems to only increase.

“But… won’t she notice you wrote the essays? Or read the books and left notes?”

“For the first one, yes, she does notice. She seems to think she’s ‘blessed by the stars’ or something along those lines,” Hat Guy explains, and Layla doesn’t need to see him to know he’s rolling his eyes.

As much as she likes him, the man can be quite the chore to get along with. So what if Daytime still believes in the stars?

“And for the second one,” Layla takes over, looking for some paper to scribble short notes, “I don’t read things for her. The project is not due for a few more days, so I’m just going to sort all of these in a way that will make research easier.”

“I see… so, do you need any help with these?” Sethos motions to the material on the table. “I’m no Akademiya student or star genius, but maybe my perspective could help on some of these. I can just leave it on notes for when she wakes up.”

Layla considers him, her luminous golden eyes narrowing in thought. What a peculiar person for Hat Guy to befriend.

“Sure,” Layla accepts with a shrug, and sits down to scribble notes. She sees Sethos eagerly sit down and open star maps to analyze. “Do make sure to leave a note with the leader of the Temple’s approval for the use of the material, or Daytime will get a nervous breakdown.”

She can feel Sethos pause, probably surprised by her having put that together. A second later he picks a larger piece of paper to presumably write that approval note.

They work in silence for the next hours, with only the sounds of writing and flipping pages to fill the air between them.

At around 4am, Layla pauses to rest her wrist and looks up.

Oh, that’s unexpected.

It seems like at one point while they worked, Hat Guy abandoned his perch at the edge of the table to basically blanket himself over Sethos’s back. His signature hat is on the table, probably to make him resting his chin on the Temple leader’s right shoulder less awkward.

Layla almost thinks he’s paying attention to the notes being written, but then she notices his eyes are firmly fixated on the hand writing them instead. Some of Sethos’s fingers are lightly bandaged, maybe an almost-healed injury. When the writing pauses for a few seconds, Hat Guy swiftly catches that hand before it starts writing again.

The brunet turns to look at him, and their faces are very close. A tired smile blooms on Sethos’s face. Hat Guy does not move an inch.

“Rest, I can finish this map’s notes,” Hat Guy whispers, and then turns back to the papers scattered on the table and starts to write. His face blushes a little more the longer Sethos stares at him.

Finally, with a soft laugh, Sethos kisses his cheek and then leans back on him with his eyes closed.

“Wake me up when we’re leaving.”

With that, Sethos falls asleep very quickly. Layla thinks there’s no way that position is comfortable for Hat Guy: leaned over the chair, with his arm fully extended to write and a grown man practically sleeping on him. But he makes no move to change it, and even prevents himself from moving in ways that would jostle Sethos hard enough to wake him up.

That last note is done by the time the sun is barely peeking out, and Wanderer quickly scribbles something else on one of the smaller papers before putting the pen down. He looks up to see Layla staring directly at him while resting her chin on one of her hands, her own work finished over half an hour ago. She’s under no illusions that he didn’t know she’s been staring for a while.

“You two are cute.”

“I didn’t ask,” his moody response loses all its venom by the simple fact that he’s whispering to avoid waking Sethos up. “It’s done, with just enough suggestions for her to not feel spoonfed. Anything else?”

“No, it’s way more than I could ask,” Layla assures. She’s silent for a bit as she considers not asking, but she knows that dancing around it would probably annoy her friend more. “What happened to his hand?”

Hat Guy pauses, his own fingers gently tracing bandaged ones.

“He was being an idiot. Doesn’t matter, it’s almost healed now,” he grumbles as he very, very carefully picks Sethos up. It seems he managed to not wake him up. “You should sleep too. Just because your mind is mostly fine doesn’t mean that weak human body of yours can stand it.”

Ah, classic Hat Guy. He shows her that he cares a bit easier because he knows Daytime won’t remember any of it.

“Don’t worry, I will. I do find it ironic for a man in a puppet body to lecture me on human needs when he rarely sticks to them, but I appreciate it,” Layla points out as she moves some books to the side to make for a comfortable spot to rest.

Hat Guy eyes her with suspicion. He knows her comment isn’t malicious. The issue (and likely the reason for it to be said at all) is the fact she knows. His questionable humanity is hardly a difficult conclusion, but the exact nature of what he is…

“Hmm… tell me, do I even need to worry about basic human needs for her?” His tone is cautious, and it upsets her a bit. She’s not some sort of demon, for Archon’s sake.

“Of course you do! A ‘blessing’ is not a miracle,” she lays her head on top of her arms, preparing to recede back and let their body sleep before Daytime awakens. “And knowledge does not make me less of a friend.”

“Alright, alright, just shut up and sleep.” Hat Guy’s resigned sigh almost makes her laugh.

Right before her eyes close, she sees a bleary-eyed Sethos wave goodbye from over their mutual friend’s shoulder and then settle down to continue sleeping. She drifts off not long after.

What a curious little pair.

Two hours later, Layla wakes up to the sun shining right on her eyes from a nearby window. She sits up, groaning in pain from sleeping in such a back-killing position. Archons, she’s really not a teenager anymore.

Upon seeing the neat piles of books and scrolls around her, that groan morphs to one of mortification. She fell asleep on Hat Guy and his friend and could hardly thank them properly…

Before she can sink all the way down that shame spiral, she notices a note on top of the book pile closest to her. After skimming over it, her own squeak makes her jump and almost drop the note. That approval note looks official enough that even Layla’s anxiety at being potentially lied to is mostly dealt with. This Sethos is, indeed, the leader of the Temple of Silence.

On the back of the official permission there’s a shorter, more personal note:

This is all that I could reliably find in short notice. If these are not enough, please inform either of us next time you see us. There’s more where these came from.

(Some of them are too fragile or valuable to bring them out of the Temple, though, so you may have to take that trip.)

Either of us can bring them back to the Temple once you’re ready to return them. Good luck!

-Sethos

Layla is immediately flooded with even more gratitude, and carefully puts the note away somewhere she knows it will be kept safe. The minute her research is done she will make sure to return the books and scrolls as soon as humanly possible.

In her haste to start reading everything in front of her, she almost overlooks a small, folded note under a star map. The only reason it catches the student’s attention is because all other notes around her are carefully organized.

The writing is neither hers nor Sethos’s, and the note gets to the point immediately:

Check the line between the biggest constellation and its closest star cluster in the 300 year old Inazuma star map. The rest is up to you.

Immediately, Layla reaches for the mentioned map. She knows better than to think Hat Guy served her the answer to every problem in her project on a silver platter, but a starting point is all she needs. Something tells her that he knows the competitive side of her would hate a direct answer anyway.

*****

Collei

Happiness and support are things that Collei only learned to fully treasure later on in life. After going through hell as a child, it was somewhat difficult for her to understand that some people were genuinely good. That their help didn’t come with hidden motives.

Once she got it through her head that she is loved now, things became easier. Not everything is magically healed, and even with her Eleazar gone some wounds remain. But life is easier, and she’s happy. She has a family and friends that love her, awkwardness and occasional moods included. And that love is part of the blocks that helped her build a “Collei” she’s proud to be all on her own.

And if there’s something she likes, it’s to learn interesting skills and knowledge from her family. Which is why she asks their new addition, Sethos, if he can teach her some moves from his particular style of archery to add to her repertoire. In exchange, she will teach him as much as she can about the rainforest. Sethos is immediately very excited about the idea. After consulting with Tighnari and Cyno to make sure that it doesn’t clash with any established activities, they set the date for their training trip.

A mysterious hand injury put a bit of a hiccup in their plans, but in the end they set out only 5 days after the date they originally established.

(She knows Sethos still tried to keep the original date. The massive scolding Tighnari lays on him for it reaches all the way to her hut.)

So, with a freshly-healed hand and enough supplies, they venture deep into the forest. Collei becomes more and more confident when she can answer almost all of Sethos’s questions, and he seems more comfortable now that he has more information.

They left Gandharva Ville first thing in the morning in order to make the best out of the two days their trip would last, so they reached a good camping spot near the river pretty early on. Collei takes charge of setting the fishing rods in order to have enough food for lunch, while Sethos prepares their training area and gives their bows some maintenance before getting started. Her bow is usually well cared for, but she wouldn’t be surprised if he hasn’t used his own in a little while with that hand.

After they have lunch, the first day’s schedule starts. Following Tighnari’s advice, they leave this day purely to less hands-on learning in order to rest from their long walk there. Which means that it’s Collei’s turn to shine, as Sethos’s lessons for her are mostly physical training.

Just as Collei is done teaching Sethos how to quickly set up a tent Forest Ranger-style, she notices he’s squinting up at some trees off to their left. When she turns to look, most of what she can make out among the leaves is bright blue fabric and a big, round hat.

“Oh, Wanderer! Come down here, we have some extra fish!” Collei calls out to him with an enthusiastic wave. He used to make her very nervous, but after seeing how the rest of her family interacts with him she concludes he just resembles a geo slime: squishy and caring with a tough shell.

“... ‘Wanderer’?” Sethos tilts his head in confusion. Collei thinks he looks a lot like Cyno when he does that. “I’ve never heard anyone call him that.”

“Oh! Well… I figured he maybe would get tired of everyone just calling him ‘Hat Guy’ all the time, so I asked if he had any other name he likes,” Collei bites her lip after a not-so-happy thought makes itself at home in her head. “But… maybe I shouldn’t have said all of that without asking him first.”

The rustling of leaves signal’s Wanderer landing near the camping spot.

“Not that it matters anymore, but I don’t particularly care,” Wanderer sounds bored. Once he’s close enough to them, he makes a beeline towards… Sethos? “I did tell you, you can call me whatever you want and I’ll hardly care. And I’ve also mentioned before that I don’t need to eat.”

Wanderer hands Sethos a pair of gloves that Collei recognizes as Tighnari’s. Ah, so he’s here on an errand. Sethos has a slight frown on his face, but wastes no time to take the gloves and make space for him to sit at his side.

Weird.

“Just because you don’t need to, doesn’t mean that you can’t. Sethos prepared them, and they came out great!” Collei gets some of the leftovers to share with him. He’s always stubborn about not needing food, but she knows he eats what she gives him anyway.

The silence is beyond awkward while Wanderer eats, so Collei excuses herself to put away the rest of their cooking supplies and check the stability of the tents. She has the feeling Sethos is a bit upset, but she can’t tell why. Every once in a while she sneaks a look at them as she checks their supplies again.

Over the course of her tinkering with everything in their camping spot to avoid the awkwardness, they somehow get so close they’re practically glued to each other’s side on the log they’re sitting on. At one point she catches Wanderer lightly knocking his knee against Sethos’s once he finishes the leftovers. They seem to briefly communicate with just their eyes, and then Sethos sighs and finally offers him a smile.

Collei quickly looks away. The way they’re acting reminds her a little of Tighnari and Cyno when they think no one is looking… and Kaveh and Alhaitham… oh dear.

How is she even supposed to act? She’s very happy for them, but are they even actually together yet? Are they just testing the waters? Is she seeing things? Collei would hate to ask anything that puts all of them in an extremely awkward situation. She’s awkward enough on a good day!

So, logically, she decides to simply not say anything. This is a training trip anyway, not a romantic trip! Soon enough she’ll forget all about whatever those two have going on.

Except, that doesn’t quite work like that. Because when Wanderer announces he’s leaving, Sethos stops him by gently grabbing his hand. So with a final exasperated complaint, Wanderer joins them for the rest of their training trip.

It doesn’t really change the dynamic that much: that first day, Sethos and Collei put effort into learning survival skills from each other, but now with an audience. Wanderer keeps mostly to himself, occasionally taking to the air to patrol the area for any danger lurking nearby. When he’s not doing that, he either rests on branches close by or entertains himself watching them. He even uses anemo to help dry Sethos’s clothes when he takes an accidental tumble into the river. Collei is sure he heard him laugh for a second when it happened, but she’ll probably never know for sure.

After they call it for the day and eat their dinner (which she, again, makes Wanderer join them for), they say their goodnights and head for their tents. Collei is tempted to offer help with setting a tent for their unexpected companion, but she’s pretty certain Sethos pulled him to his tent after she closed hers behind her.

So, with a final thought to hoping the rest of her family is sleeping well, Collei drifts off to sleep.

The great problem with her early life trauma, as well as her Forest Ranger training, is that Collei has a very sharp ear. And is also a very light sleeper. Which means that she wakes up because of the midnight conversation in the tent next to hers.

“It would be better if you get it out and over with now instead of letting it fester.”

… Oh no.

“... There’s nothing to ‘let fester’, I’m not angry.”

Oh nooooooo.

She should not be hearing this! This is a private conversation! She squeezes her eyes shut in a futile attempt to go back to sleep. Never before has she wished for a pillow to put over her head like she does now.

“I never said ‘angry’, but something is bothering you and I’d rather not deal with it if it snowballs later. Is this about Layla’s comment the other night?”

… Collei curses her own curiosity. She can tell Wanderer wanted that to come out plain and unbothered, but there’s a hint of nervousness somewhere in those words.

“Hah, so you knew I was already awake?” Sethos’s laugh is light and breathy, but it does nothing to dispel the heavy energy in the air. “I think she’s right, we’re cute. You in particular.”

“You know that’s not what I mean,” Wanderer’s voice is menacing in a way Collei is not used to. It makes the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, and her anxiety rises.

The silence is so thick Collei can barely breathe through it.

“Why would it bother me? I already knew you’re not a regular human.” Sethos whispers, and the sounds of rustling are loud. She can vividly picture him pulling Wanderer into a hug. “I’ve known from almost the very beginning.”

“Knowing what I’m not is very different from knowing what I am,” his voice breaks on the last word, and it makes Collei feel like her heart is being squeezed. She doesn’t want someone she treasures to sound so pained.

A soothing hum fills the space between all of them.

“I think I should be more exact. I’ve known what you are from almost the very beginning,” the brunet’s words are met with an almost inaudible gasp. “In the Temple of Silence we guard and learn information about a multitude of topics and technology. I’ve come across records of what you could call a ‘prototype’. I know… Wanderer. If I’m being honest, what bothers me is that I feel you should be the one upset with me.”

The silence now is tinted with confusion. Collei figures Wanderer is at least a little confused, because she’s completely lost. It doesn’t go past her that Sethos sounds a bit awkward when saying that name.

“... What?”

Yeah, what?

“What Collei mentioned before… I did not think to ask about if you’re bothered by that name,” the sad tone to his words makes her think he must look like a kicked puppy right now. In fact, she could bet mora on it. “I know, I know. You said you don’t care about what people call you. And you told me before that you don’t really have a name you cling to like that, but…”

A little snort cuts through that line of thought.

“Sethos, it really doesn’t bother me,” Wanderer sounds remarkably more relaxed now. Even content. “However, I’m curious… Why don’t you give me a name? Maybe I’ll get attached to that one.”

The sound of a soft kiss is barely audible, but Collei’s unfortunately great hearing still catches it. Now she’s left wondering. Was that a kiss to the cheek? Maybe a hand? Or was it…

“Wh- You can’t just spring that on a guy out of nowhere!” Sethos’s embarrassed whisper-shouting almost makes her laugh. She bites her lip to avoid clueing them in that she’s awake. “A name is important. I can’t just come out with one for you as if I was naming just anything!”

Unlike her, the other man in that tent certainly doesn’t stop himself from laughing.

“Oh? So this is what gets shameless, little you to blush? Take all the time you need, and call me what you like best in the meantime.”

A muffled “shut up” marks the end of that conversation, and the newfound peace allows Collei to slowly fall asleep again.

She closes her eyes with a smile. The thought of those two cuddling and talking things out with no issues is a relief that eases her way to dreamland.

The next day the energy is way better overall. Collei is woken up by Wanderer laughing for maybe 5 minutes straight. When she sticks her head out of her tent to see what the ruckus is about, the reason for his laughter becomes obvious.

Apparently Sethos’s long curls make for a glorious bedhead. It makes him look more like a lion than a puppy. At least he’s taking the whole thing fairly well, shaking his head with a big smile to make his hair fluff out even more. Collei is so sure he’s only doing it because he likes Wanderer’s laugh. That, or the ridiculous bedhead he’s also sporting. Having pin straight hair certainly didn’t spare Wanderer in that department.

After a hearty breakfast and some hair brushing for all of them, come the best archery lessons of Collei’s life. Don’t get her wrong, Tighnari has been nothing but a great master and teacher for her, and she treasures all lessons Amber helped her with. But this time it’s special.

She’s not learning one style, she’s learning two.

Once they get started on the lessons, they quickly discover that Wanderer knows a thing or two about Inazuma’s standard archery style. So, instead of just Sethos teaching Collei, all of them teach each other. She even has an advantage, because she has experience with the Knights of Favonius’ hunting style thanks to Amber. It’s fun to see Sethos struggle with that one for a while.

Collei’s attempt to learn from Wanderer is fun too. She’s not used to her posture being so strict, so her shots are a bit wobbly most of the time. He tells her not to stress about it, because the strict form is “a pain to learn”.

Wanderer himself has trouble with both the Knights’ style and Sethos’s particular style from the Temple. She expected him to have issues with Amber’s quick style, as it has a lot less focus on strict form. They all thought he’d do better with Sethos’s, but apparently the sudden changes in bow orientation trip him up. Sethos helps him by guiding him from up close, so Collei is sure he’s not too upset about it.

By the end both her and Sethos’s arms are so sore that Wanderer takes up dinner duty. Since they’re going back to Gandharva Ville first thing next morning, they all agree to go to bed early.

That night Collei sleeps like a baby, without interruptions. She wakes up at dawn, and gets breakfast ready since both her trip companions are still asleep. After they’re all awake, well-fed and clean, they put the tents away and make their way back.

She pretends to not see them lag behind when they’re almost in Gandharva Ville. She keeps walking, and only turns around for a second to see Wanderer place a shy kiss on Sethos’s forehead before flying in the direction of Sumeru City.

Oh, she can’t wait to tell Amber all about this training trip in her next letter.

*****

Candace

It takes some time for Sethos to take up Candace’s offer of hosting him with his new friends for dinner in Aaru Village, but he finally makes his way over a couple of months after he started venturing into the rainforest. So she’s not puzzled by him being there.

What surprises her is that he brought only one person, and one she did not expect to see at all.

“Oh, I was not aware that both of you were friends. It’s always nice to see you, Hat Guy,” Candace smiles softly as she welcomes them to her home. Most of the dishes they’ll eat are already on the table. She turns to Sethos. “I know you said Tighnari, Cyno and Collei are on a family trip, what about the rest?”

“Ah, well, yeah you could call us friends,” Sethos looks uncharacteristically nervous, and Hat Guy snorts at his reply. It’s a bit confusing to her, none of that was particularly funny. “Alhaitham and Kaveh had a last-minute emergency, they send their apologies. Dehya said you already knew she couldn’t make it.”

“Yes, she had to help guard a caravan. Are those two alright?” Candace pauses from fussing over the food to ask. If someone has hurt them…

Her thought is interrupted by Hat Guy’s sharp laugh.

“Hardly anything to worry about. Some idiot from Spantamad lost control of a project focused on pyro energy,” he explains, taking Sethos’s bow and placing it far before she could remind them that no weapons are allowed at the table. He gets a lovely smile from him for his trouble. Huh.

“Unfortunately, the disaster spread to part of Alhaitham’s office,” Sethos continues for him. When they both sit down, they’re very close to each other. So close Candace is sure there’s barely a couple centimeters between them. Huh. “No injuries, don’t worry! But it did burn away the equivalent of his entire week’s work and some blueprints Kaveh left there before they went out for lunch together.”

“Oh… oh no, I can’t imagine that went well,” Candace can already picture it. Alhaitham, who values his routines, being forced to work overtime to replace the burned documents. Kaveh, prone to anxiety, having to redraw blueprints he probably had to deliver soon.

“No shit,” Hat Guy replied, though not unkindly. He grabbed the empty plates near him and put one each in front of the other two, before rolling his eyes and grabbing one for himself at Candace’s stare. “Yes yes, ‘in my house you won’t go without food’, whatever. Anyway, the point is that they’re in no condition to make the trip. They said they’ll make it up to you later.”

While he was talking, Sethos wordlessly grabbed his hat and carefully placed it propped up against the table. The action earned in response the quickest flash of a smile Candace has ever seen.

… Huh. Guess I’ll have to observe them more closely.

“Tell them they can do that by coming to the next one,” Candace happily states before passing the different dishes around for everyone to take their fill.

Once they’ve all eaten they move to the living room to catch up. Sethos keeps complaining that he can barely move from how much he ate, but otherwise he’s a very energetic conversation partner. Hat Guy stays mostly out of anything they talk about, content with closing his eyes in silence and supporting the weight of the man next to him when he leans closer.

At one point they hear the wind pick up, and the frightened voices of the residents of the village as they rush to their homes or nearby shelter. A sandstorm is almost upon them, and it sounds like an ugly one.

All of them go for their weapons without so much as a look at the others. They’ve each had experience with sandstorms, but it still makes Candace anxious when they offer to help. Both are formidable warriors, but it’s technically also her duty to protect them when they’re in Aaru. Neither of them take well to that sentiment, so she’s learned to just accept the help.

Before they head out, Hat Guy pauses and grabs Sethos’s arm with a frown. There’s a far away look in his face, and she figures he’s getting a feel for the wind in the storm.

“Candace, do you have a spear you can spare?”

With a nod, she quickly makes her way to the closet she keeps her well-maintained weapons in. As she looks for a fitting one, she can hear their hushed conversation.

“Not arrow-friendly weather, huh?”

“They’re not completely useless, but the wind is picking up too much for them to be reliable. I’d rather you don’t get hurt when it can be prevented.”

The poorly-disguised concern in his voice amuses her.

How awfully sweet of him.

She makes her way over and hands the spear to a faintly flushed Sethos, and then they step out into the storm.

The little they can see of the streets through the sand tells them that they’re empty. Still, she sees Hat Guy take to the air with a bit of difficulty for a lap around the village.

“Not that the visibility is great, but it seems everyone made it inside,” he has to shout in order to be heard over the roaring of the wind. It’s taking him some effort to keep flying steadily. “Different beasts are coming from two directions. A pack of very lost rifthounds this way, and two consecrated vultures that way. Big ones.”

The consecrated beasts are one thing, but the mention of rifthounds concerns Candace. There should not be rifthounds anywhere near Aaru Village.

“Rifthounds!?” Sethos’s scream may be either from surprise or necessity with all that noise. She wouldn’t blame him for either. “Those are supposed to be deep inside the ruins in Hypostyle Desert, not here.”

“Not-so-fun fact, there’s a few packs to the north of Khaj Nisut too. I don’t think any of them care about where they’re supposed to be,” Hat Guy loudly snarks back as he keeps frantically looking to the west. She guesses it’s where they’re approaching from. “Both of you, take the vultures. They’re coming from the northwest. I’ll take the hounds.”

Candace can see Sethos preparing to argue, but she knows Hat Guy has the better plan.

“Sethos, we’re not equipped to deal with rifthounds as well as we are with the vultures. He can withstand the worst effects from them better than us,” the words are bitter on her tongue. She hates the idea of leaving him without backup.

“That’s not-!”

“However,” and this she levels directly at Hat Guy. “The second we’re done with the vultures we’re helping you.”

She knows he viscerally hates the idea by the withering glare thrown at her, but she’s also with Sethos in this. It’s smarter for them to take the vultures first, but she won’t sit back and watch anyone get hurt just because it may be a bit dangerous to her.

“Suit yourself,” he spits the words at them before flying to intercept the rifthounds. Sethos frowns at that, but quickly shakes his head and takes off with her to find the consecrated vultures.

Hat Guy can be angry at them all he wants, they’re not leaving him alone.

With a bit of teamwork and some precise shots, Candace and Sethos take both vultures down with only some scratches. She can barely make sure both are down for good before Sethos hurries her to go help their friend.

Once they get there, it is obvious that Hat Guy’s estimation of “a pack” of rifthounds is more along the lines of “a bunch of packs”. There’s plenty that he managed to take down littering the ground, but he’s getting swarmed by the remaining hounds.

Candace jumps into the fray only a second behind Sethos, and they manage to distract some of the rifthounds nearby from getting closer to either the village or Hat Guy. With some distress, she notices that he prioritizes taking down those closing in on the village instead of the hounds surrounding him.

This fight takes longer, all of them making an effort to not get even the slightest scratch lest they get too weakened to keep going. Just as she dispatches one of the whelps, Candace hears Sethos’s frightened scream of “Wanderer!”

Wanderer?

There’s a sickening crack and startled swearing from behind her.

She turns around to see the last of the older hounds sink its teeth more firmly in Hat Guy’s (or is it Wanderer’s?) right leg and pull. That leg looks unnaturally stiff, and Candace can swear she sees the knee joint glow a faint teal. Wanderer’s expression turns panicked, but she can’t tell if it’s because of the state of his leg or the 5 remaining whelps crowding around. Waiting for him to be pulled close enough by the adult hound. A well-aimed anemo blast takes out one of the whelps, but there’s still enough to potentially overwhelm him.

From her peripheral vision she sees Sethos pull his spear out of a nearby hound’s ribcage and rush to him. Candace readies her own spear, throwing it as hard as she can directly to the adult hound’s head. It’s a perfect hit, and the hound hits the ground dead when Wanderer uses his other leg to kick himself free. Between his stiff leg and the storm wind, he loses his balance and falls between the whelps.

Sethos is faster than her, and reaches Wanderer’s side just in time to run his spear through the whelp about to bite his shoulder. She gets to them and defeats two of the remaining hounds with her shield.

There’s a blast of anemo aiming behind her, as Wanderer kills the last whelp trying to ambush her.

They all take one second to breathe. Candace gives a cursory glance around them to ensure they’re safe. The sandstorm is weaker now, and she can better see the sheer amount of rifthounds already defeated before they joined. Some of them are already dissolving into the sand, but she can’t trust that to be enough. The cleanup this time will be a long one.

Sethos is anxiously trying to figure out what to do with the injured leg. The joint is still glowing, almost like parts not meant to be exposed shifted when the rifthound pulled.

Wanderer doesn’t seem to be all there, but she’s unsure if he’s just checking the wind or trying to process what happened.

“I can- I know- Wanderer, hey?” Sethos’s tan hands delicately cradle his face, turning him away from blankly staring at his knee. “How can we help? Can we fix it?”

Something about the word “fix” makes Wanderer curl in on himself, his vacant expression only interrupted by a slight wince when his injured leg shifts. Candace decides to take the reins then. Neither of them are calm enough to be outside with the storm not completely over.

“Sethos, take him back inside,” Candace instructs as she places a warm hand on his shoulder. “I can handle the cleanup. Go.”

He nods, and carefully lifts Wanderer to head back to her home. It’s a bit of a relief when she hears a half-hearted grumble come from him. They can both benefit from some quiet time somewhere safe.

It takes her a couple of hours to get rid of what’s left of the corpses. She knows they’ll disappear on their own soon enough, but children sometimes play on the outskirts of the village. It’s better to not risk it.

It’s already past midnight when she goes back inside. The lack of general panic and noise is a good sign in her books. Whatever happened to Wanderer’s leg can probably wait for tomorrow to get properly fixed.

Candace puts her weapons away and then heads to her living room to check on them.

They’re both resting on the couch they were seating in before the storm. Sethos is tucked in the corner, fast asleep. His eyes are red-rimmed, and his arms are tightly wrapped around Wanderer. On the other hand, the man in his arms is wide awake, and seemingly back to normal. It looks like they managed to get what remained of his shoe off with little trouble, and his injured leg is propped up along the length of the couch. He’s laying back on Sethos, casually caressing one of the arms around him.

She carefully walks in to avoid waking the younger man, but Wanderer just beckons her over.

“Out like a light. He won’t wake up unless you actively try,” to prove his point, he unwraps one of Sethos’s arms from his waist to play with his hand. The man doesn’t flinch or show any signs of stirring.

“He got quite upset, didn’t he?” Candace’s question goes unanswered. Azure eyes shift to meet hers, and she can tell he’s exhausted. Maybe not physically, but even for him it’s been a long night. “We’re lucky you’re so sturdy. I’ve seen rifthounds tear people apart with less effort before. Is there a way to get your leg back to normal?”

The question is careful, as she wants to avoid sending him right back to the headspace he was in a few hours before. He huffs in response.

“Buer should be able to fix it, don’t worry. You don’t have to tiptoe around the topic.”

Candace offers a nod, and makes herself comfortable on the couch across from theirs.

“You should sleep,” she suggests. It’s testament to how tired he probably feels that she hears none of his token protests; he just closes his eyes and slowly leans back to cuddle Sethos. “I’ll help both of you get back to Sumeru City tomorrow.”

A soft “sure” is her only answer. With that, Candace settles down to keep watch over them for the night.

The following day is what Candace thinks Dehya would call “a bit of a circus”.

All the soft compliance Wanderer (and she did ask if she could call him that at one point) displayed the night before is completely gone. It takes them 20 minutes to try to convince him that carrying him on her back is, indeed, the better travel choice. They don’t exactly succeed, but it’s not like he can do much once Candace grabs him and slings him on her back anyway. Not without hurting her, and she knows he won’t.

Sethos gets a minor heart attack out of the experience, but calms down once they reassure him the leg is fine. They discovered very fast that the joint is stuck, so as long as they don’t forcefully try to bend it everything’s fine.

The rest of the trip is completely unremarkable, and they manage to make it back to the Sanctuary of Surasthana by mid-afternoon. Nahida grills them for information on what happened while she examines Wanderer’s leg, but she doesn’t look too worried.

“Hmm… I’m gonna need to call for someone familiar with mechanics to help with a couple of steps, but otherwise it’s easily fixable,” Nahida’s clear green eyes glow as she sends Sethos to get Kaveh.

Unfortunately, Kaveh is sleep deprived from having to redraw all his urgent blueprints. Which means that his anxiety skyrockets when he sees that Wanderer’s leg is pretty messed up. Candace is certain he almost cries in panic when he sees how close it came to being ripped at the knee. Nahida quickly takes control of the situation and gives him tasks to help her.

“I- Lesser Lord Kusanali, I don’t-”

“Nahida, please.”

“Wh- Nahida, I didn’t specialize in the type of mechanics that will help you here, I’m an architect. I design buildings,” Kaveh rambles on, yet he’s still putting Mehrak to use in order to see what mechanisms may be compromised around that joint.

“Don’t worry, Kaveh. All Kshahrewar graduates know how to handle the basics, it’s all we need. I need you to help me set it without damaging any important parts. I’m too small to do it myself, and it’s safer overall if it’s you,” Nahida smiles at him, already at work on repairing what she can.

Candace knows she’s refraining from saying that Kaveh is the only Ksharewar graduate Wanderer trusts. Their patient probably knows that too, if the red tips of his ears are anything to go by.

It all goes perfect after that. Nahida was right, even if it did take Kaveh a fair bit of force to set the knee back in place. The loud crack startled Sethos, but aside from that he paid close attention to the whole process. He never moved from Wanderer’s side during it unless it was necessary.

“We’re done! Good as new,” Nahida states. Kaveh had to leave right after he helped, not without plenty of fussing and a promise he’d visit as soon as he could. So, the remaining steps are all completed by their archon’s hands. “You need to have complete rest for two weeks, however. The whole area was strained pretty badly, and if you put too much pressure on it too soon it can weaken. I can work magic, not miracles.”

Candace decides to say goodbye and take her leave then. She loves her friend, but she’s not going to stay here for that argument after these eventful 24 hours. She hears Sethos enthusiastically offer to take care of Wanderer while he’s resting. Well, maybe he won’t complain nearly as much as she thought, then.

On the way back to Aaru Village, Candace dedicates a blessing to those two with a smile.

*****

Dehya and Nilou

When Candace tells them what happened in the latest sandstorm, Dehya feels mildly guilty. She feels she should have been there to help. Nilou, on the other hand, tells her to abandon that thought and help her make Hat Guy’s recovery more fun. Besides, both of them are very interested in the other highlights of Candace’s story.

So that’s how they end up in the Sanctuary of Surasthana with a bag filled with snacks, makeup, and other things they thought they might need for the night. Nahida is happy to see them, and enthusiastically leads them to the room where Hat Guy is (confined) resting.

He’s laying in bed looking tragically bored. It only takes a second of his eyes landing on them, then the big bag in Nilou’s arms, for him to give the most exasperated groan known to man. He’s been a victim of their “girls’ night” shenanigans before, and this time he can’t just up and fly away.

With a giggle, Nahida tells them to have fun and leaves. Nilou places the bag on the bed, and then looks around the room with a frown.

“Doesn’t look like there’s anywhere else for us three to get comfortable…” she points out. Aside from the bed, there’s only a wardrobe, a desk and a single chair. “Well, we’re not going to put an injured man on the floor, so! Bed it is.”

Hat Guy gives both of them an unimpressed stare.

“I’m completely fine. What are the chances I’ll get both of you to leave?” Hat Guy asks with the tone of someone who has fully lost hope.

(They both know he enjoys these nights. He’s just being dramatic.)

“Zero,” Dehya cheerily replies. She takes some clothes out of the bag and gives half to Nilou. “Don’t worry, we won’t get on your bed with our outside clothes.”

They’ve been through this routine a few times, though never in his room in the Sanctuary. Usually they barely convince him to come to girls’ night at Nilou’s, and he flees early when he feels embarrassed or like he’s being too vulnerable with them. So, nebulous feelings of vulnerability aside, they’re pretty comfortable with each other. None of them bat an eye when they both start changing into their pajamas right there, but the usual banter does follow.

“Some people have something called ‘shame’, you know?” Hat Guy complains, but there’s amusement in his voice. “Not everyone wants to see you strip.”

“I know at least three women who think otherwise, gay boy,” Dehya retorts with a grin as she pulls her shirt on. Nilou blushes slightly, but chuckles as she gives her a soft playful push. It turns into a full-fledged laugh when Hat Guy throws a crumpled piece of paper right at an old scar on Dehya’s ass cheek with perfect accuracy. “Nice to see you can still throw, dipshit.”

Both her and Nilou are now dressed in soft shirts and shorts, and they make their way to the bed.

“I fucked up my leg, not my arm,” Hat Guy says as he scoots back carefully to make space for them. All of them sit facing each other, and Nilou starts to rummage through the bag. “What torture are you two going to subject me to today?”

“No torture! But I want to see if I can finally style your hair, I’m not giving up!” Nilou takes out a comb and a variety of accessories. The whole display makes him sigh, but he moves forward a little so she can settle comfortably behind him.

“It’s pin-straight and short, Nilou. The last time the accessories literally slid off,” Hat Guy’s words fall on deaf ears. Nilou is already combing through his hair to get rid of any knots. “All your hard work will be for nothing.”

“Nope, you’ll look pretty with it and that’s what matters,” the determination in her voice shuts him up. No use trying to convince her at this point.

“Plus,” Dehya adds, looking up from the face powders she’s going through to smirk at him. “I’m sure someone will appreciate it if we manage to recreate a nice look once you’re out of baby jail.”

Hat Guy glares at her, but the effect is somewhat lost with Nilou messing with his hair. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you don’t.”

“Fuck you.”

“No thanks, I’ve heard you have Sethos to help with that now,” she laughs when her comment earns her a weak kick to the leg, which she returns. Nilou freaks out for a second before they both quickly reassure her his injured leg was not involved.

“Disgusting. Absolutely shameless. It’s not like that,” Hat Guy grumbles. His face is red, and this would definitely be the moment he flees on other nights. Tough luck this time.

“Riiiight, that’s not what Candace told us. How long have you lovebirds been a thing?” Dehya can immediately tell her words hit a sore spot. His eyes lower to his hands, and Nilou sends her a warning look over his shoulder.

“That’s none of your business,” even his usual moody reply is a bit muted. Oh dear, don’t tell her she’s going to have to kick someone’s ass.

“It kind of is, you’re our friend. We want to know what happens in your life,” Nilou reassures as she gently combs her fingers through his hair. They have both noticed by now that he’s a bit weird about the word “friend”, so they try to save it for very happy or important situations. “Everyone can benefit from talking about their troubles with friends.”

“If you need anyone to kick his ass, I’m game. Might need reinforcements, though. He’s a tough one,” playful tone aside, Dehya is only half-joking. She genuinely likes Sethos, he’s a solid guy. She just can’t stand when someone gets their heart played with.

“What? No,” his answer is rushed. Well, that’s a good sign. Hat Guy is definitely not the type to defend someone who has wronged him. “It’s just… we’re not together. I think. Not formally? It’s complicated.”

“You’re… not sure?” Nilou’s eyebrows furrow, and only half her attention is on the hairdo she’s working on. “How does that even work? From what we heard you guys are so mushy it’s adorable.”

“Candace can’t lie for shit, what she described is very much couple behavior. Established couple behavior if you will,” Dehya points out, wisely choosing to ignore him bitching about the use of the word "mushy".

“We just haven’t talked about it! Happy!?” Hat Guy’s outburst is a bit unexpected, but at least they’re getting somewhere. It’s progress! “There’s just this… this pull. He seems so fascinated with me, and it should make my skin crawl. I should hate it. Nothing good has ever come from someone being fascinated with me. But I’m… just as interested in him.”

They’re both silent, giving him space to get his thoughts out. Nilou pauses her work on his hair to give him a brief hug, but aside from that they just sit and listen.

“I feel the urge to take care of him. He’s not the first human I care about, but it feels different. His smiles are the most beautiful ones I’ve seen. The amount of knowledge he has and the way he interacts with it is intriguing. I want to bury my hands in his hair whenever he takes a nap on top of me. I love when he looks at me like he’s seeing the moon in the sky. And it all feels pathetic,” he pauses, taking a breath he doesn’t even need. He ignores the knowing looks the other two are giving each other.

“Have you ever been in a relationship before, Hat Guy?” Nilou asks, and the wince he tries to hide is answer enough. “Ah, so that’s it! You’re afraid you’ll mess up if you try to ask.”

“I thought you were better with tact.” The annoyed grumble makes her laugh. She can’t see his face, but the heat when her hands brush near his ears gives her a good clue of what he looks like.

“Don’t need that here! But being serious, you guys should talk,” Nilou’s attention is partly on the piece of hair she’s artfully pinning up with a technique an Inazuman merchant taught her a couple of days ago. She feels victorious when it stays in place. “I don’t really know Sethos well. But from what I’ve heard, with you he’s a bit… puppy-like.”

“Hell, I do know him. He’s head over heels if he’s behaving like that with you,” Dehya picks up some pigments she had put to the side. They’re all shades of red. “What Nilou was getting at, and I have to agree, is that you can probably fuck that conversation in the most spectacular manner and he’d still be the happiest guy around. I’m surprised he’s not here glued to you as is.”

That observation earns her an eye roll, along with a fond smile that really softens Hat Guy’s expression. They both think to themselves that it would be lovely if he let himself smile a bit more often.

“He was, I sent him away for a couple of days because he was being an idiot,” the smile vanishes in exchange for pursed lips and an annoyed sigh. “He has Temple duties to attend to lately, and has been running himself ragged to complete them all and come here to keep me company. He looked sad when I told him to go complete everything and rest there. He’s so tired he almost ran into the fucking doorframe when he got here.”

All of them pause and then laugh at the mental image. Sethos, newly-appointed leader of the Temple of Silence, sleep-deprived and bumbling around like a dazed bee because he wants to see his crush. It’s cute.

“Well, you might as well do something nice for when you see him again,” Dehya eagerly tells him. She holds three slightly-different red pigments next to his face, and nods before putting two away and opening the one left. “Believe me, this exact shade of red will look perfect on your eyes. Even better than your usual one if you ask me.”

“Oh, I love that one! Dehya’s right, it will really make your eyes pop,” Nilou’s happy tone and the lack of swearing are proof that for once the hairstyling is going well. She really needs to thank that Inazuman merchant again.

He agrees to try the pigment later on to avoid wasting makeup he’ll just have to take off before bed. The conversation shifts to more daily life topics. Nilou’s collaboration for the new shows at Zubayr Theater, Dehya’s more insufferable clients. Hat Guy even shares some of his academic nightmare stories with them over some snacks.

Eventually they reach spicier topics. Dehya and Nilou are very candid about their respective recent stories, though Hat Guy shuts them down when they ask him.

“We haven’t even properly talked about what we are, you perverts. I’m not talking about taking him to bed when we haven’t kissed properly yet,” he gets moody again, but they know he’s just very embarrassed. They drop it, but not before a final jab from Dehya.

“Alright, alright, no sex questions!... And hey, not to motivate you or anything, but I just think those gorgeous curls of his would look great spread on a pillow,” she winks at him, and her grin grows a bit more the redder he gets at that suggestion.

“... I’ll kill you.”

Chaos ensues. After a couple of minutes of play-wrestling and Dehya’s laughter, they eventually call it quits when Nilou reminds them that Hat Guy can’t horse around quite yet. It takes one of her very rare glares for them to stop elbowing each other after the first warning.

Once they put everything away, Hat Guy gives Nilou the approval for that hairstyle as they prepare for bed. Nilou wonders about how he seemed to pale when he saw the comb accessory on the right side of his hair, but liked the whole thing much better once she took it off. A bit odd, but maybe he just hates comb accessories.

They end up sharing the bed. Moody as Hat Guy can be, they know he won’t just kick them to sleep on the floor. He settles in the middle, and motions for Nilou to lay down to his right.

“Oh? Why do we get assigned sides now?” Dehya yawns, laying down on her stomach to his left.

“My right leg is fucked, and Nilou doesn’t kick in her sleep,” his deadpan statement earns him the last sleepy laughs of the night, and soon enough both women are out like a light.

In the safety of the dark and the light snoring around him, Wanderer allows himself to smile gratefully at them. He wiggles slightly into a better position, and then follows his friends’ example. He may not need it, but sleeping more often isn’t all that bad.

*****

Alhaitham and Kaveh

Contrary to what many believe and despite their respective ways of seeing life, Alhaitham and Kaveh do agree with each other on many things. A more recent example is their confusion about Sethos. They don’t dislike him or anything like that, the man is just a bit of a mystery for them. Once they get over their reservations after the whole debacle with Cyrus, they’re still left with an odd picture of him.

Summed up, aside from his relationship with Cyno, most of what they know about Sethos is:

-He’s the leader of the Temple of Silence and yet seems to thoroughly enjoy going around Sumeru City running errands.

-For some reason he has a habit of staring at them when he sees them in public together. It’s not bad, just a bit odd.

-The most mind-blowing of all, and courtesy of Nahida herself, apparently he and Hat Guy are in a romantic relationship.

The day Nahida calls Alhaitham for some advice on how to handle that situation, Kaveh gets home somewhat late to an unusually dark home. He’s confused for a whole of 5 seconds, before turning the lights on and getting a minor heart attack in the process. Alhaitham, the little shit, is on their couch with a book in hand and so lost in thought he didn’t notice he was sitting in complete darkness. He only snaps back to attention at the shriek Kaveh lets out of fright.

They take some time to let Kaveh recover from the scare. After an explanation of just why Alhaitham was so distracted he apparently didn’t even notice the sun setting, it is now both of them deep in thought on the couch for a good 20 minutes.

“... I’m just confused, how did that even happen?” Kaveh asks. He’s not against it, they’re probably cute together. It’s just maybe the very last combination he would have thought of for a couple among all their friends.

“I know as much as you. Nahida’s description made it seem like they’re at a stage where they’re pretty comfortable with displaying affection in public,” Alhaitham answers as he clears the table so they can have dinner. Knowing Kaveh, he probably either forgot to eat earlier or decided to wait to eat with him. “We can probably ask Hat Guy more about it the next time we see him.”

Kaveh agrees, and they drop the topic for the night. Later on, a perfect opportunity presents itself when Sethos invites them all to Aaru Village for dinner at Candace’s request. That same opportunity burns away with a chunk of their work thanks to a rogue Spantamad experiment, so they forget about it temporarily for the sake of scrambling to complete everything that was burned. Then Kaveh comes home the next afternoon from helping fix Hat Guy’s leg, and both of their stress is so high that someone else’s relationship is the farthest thing from their minds.

During the next few days of hell, they keep hearing about their friends’ new relationship from others. Alhaitham is still a bit skeptical as he wants to talk to at least one of them before just assuming they’re together, but Kaveh? After he sees how much of a mess Sethos was that day he got called to help with the leg, he’s convinced.

Life starts calming down a little over a week later, their work is back to normal levels, and they have some peace. Which of course, means that Sethos comes knocking at their door in the very late afternoon looking like he hasn’t slept in 3 days.

“Oh! Hi Sethos, what brings you here? Is… everything alright?” Kaveh asks, noticing the very dark circles under those bright green eyes. He feels Alhaitham walk up behind him, probably to see what had him sounding so unsure.

“Hmm? Ah, yes it’s all good!” Sethos puts on something approaching his usual cheer, but the exhaustion must be getting to him. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you both if it’s ok.”

The couple look at each other. This is the perfect opportunity.

“It’s no problem. Have you had dinner?” Alhaitham inquires as he steps back, giving enough space so Sethos can come in.

“Oh. Uhh. No, I think? I can go get some takeout, I’ll be right back!” Sethos quickly turns around as he speaks. He doesn’t make it a single step forward, and Kaveh sees him sway to the side from his own sudden movement. Alhaitham rushes to support him before he faceplants on the street, and they both guide him inside before closing the door behind them.

Kaveh worries for a second that Sethos may have blacked out momentarily, but he looks perfectly aware. And very embarrassed. It was likely just pure physical exhaustion.

“We have more than enough food here, it’s fine,” the blond makes an effort to not make Sethos feel awkward about what just happened. He guides their guest to sit on the couch for his own safety.

Alhaitham has less qualms about any potential awkwardness.

“Food is probably the least pressing matter here. How much have you slept in the past week?” the words make Sethos wince, and Kaveh sighs in exasperation. He was trying to ease him into the conversation, for crying out loud!

“That’s… a very good question,” Sethos pauses, and it takes him a bit to do the mental math. “Maybe… 7 hours?”

“Seven!?” Kaveh throws all his cautious wording to the wind. That number is way too concerning. “You- Listen Sethos, I don’t care how fit you are, at our age you can’t just run on 7 hours of sleep a week. Why would you do that?”

Sethos pretty much deflates, leaning back on the couch with a tired sigh. Alhaitham slips away to go bring their dinner.

“Temple duties, things have been a bit complicated on that side. But I…” Sethos trails off, and his skin flushes. “I wanted to keep Wanderer company while he recovers, so I’ve been running back and forth when I can.”

Now Kaveh is even more puzzled. “Wanderer?”

“Hat Guy, he also goes by that name,” Alhaitham pipes up from where he’s entering the room again. He places three full plates on the table and motions for them to start eating. “More importantly, he agreed with this?”

Their guest blows some air in frustration, but he looks more lightly bothered than actually upset. He starts digging into the food, and Kaveh is relieved the lack of sleep isn’t affecting his appetite.

“No, he sent me away until I finish everything and get a good rest.”

Alhaitham doesn’t look satisfied with the answer, and Kaveh just silently labels the tactful approach as a lost cause. At least dinner is nice.

“And instead of doing that, you’re here with us because…?” Alhaitham crosses his arms. Kaveh privately thinks it’s hilarious that Sethos is being chastised this way by Alhaitham of all people. They’re probably close, if not the same age.

“Oh! Well, I actually need to ask both of you for some advice,” Sethos gains a bit of his energy at the question.

Well, it seems Kaveh and Alhaitham did not need to worry about how to approach the topic of their relationship at all! He even came to them for advice on his own, it’s cute.

“I’ve been thinking about maybe joining the Akademiya, but up until now it hasn’t been something I was fully invested on,” oh, maybe it’s not about their relationship at all. Pity, but they’re both still interested in this line of conversation.

“Why come to us specifically? If rumors are to be trusted, Madam Faruzan is very interested in your potential academic pursuits,” Alhaitham is a lot more content with the turn this conversation has taken. It’s always nice to see people find their own motivation for learning.

“Actually, that’s the exact reason it’s a bad idea to ask her,” Sethos brings up his right hand to scratch the back of his head. Kaveh picks up on the fresh-looking scars on it. “I think Madam Faruzan will be quite upset with my pick, and honestly, it’s probably a better idea to ask Kaveh in this situation.”

A better idea…? Oh. Ohhh.

Kaveh’s joyful squeal brings a soft smile to Alhaitham’s face. It startles Sethos a bit, but to be fair, the poor guy would probably jump at the sound of a breeze with his lack of sleep.

“You want to join Kshahrewar?”

It only takes Sethos’s enthusiastic nod for Kaveh to launch into the different topics and branches he can specialize in, as well as tips on how to handle projects. Neither Alhaitham nor Sethos stop him: the former loves to hear him talk about what he loves, and the latter can tell the news make him happy.

It’s only near the end of his excited rambling that Kaveh thinks about an important point.

“Oh, wait, why choose Kshahrewar? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great choice, but I’ve seen you do well in areas suited to other darshans too, so. Any particular reason?” Kaveh asks from a place of genuine curiosity, but the way Sethos’s expression falls has him reconsider the question. “Ah! Not that you have to have a specific reason. Not at all! You don’t need to tell us if it makes you uncomfortable, really-”

“No, no, it’s ok,” the brunet reassures him, taking a short second to cover up a sleepy yawn before he elaborates. “It’s mostly because of what happened in Aaru Village. I guess it suddenly hit me that, as durable as he is, if something actually happened to Wanderer I’d be… a bit useless. I’m curious about him, how he works. I want to be able to help him when he gets hurt or parts of his body are damaged. I want to be able to understand how he functions.”

Kaveh is struck by that sentiment, so much so that he can’t quite find the words to explain why it also concerns him. Thankfully, Alhaitham is there to voice them for him.

“Sethos, not to rest importance to your reason, but picking a darshan to spend potentially years upon years of your life studying and working under is a decision that should not be taken lightly,” Alhaitham’s tone is not particularly gentle, but he does speak without any intent to infuriate their guest. “This is not me patronizing you. I’d be extremely foolish to think you, of all people, are incapable of weighing the pros and cons of big decisions. It’s just a reminder. Many pick a darshan that speaks to them for a lot less, but… it’s a big commitment.”

If things fall apart between you two, this is a hard step to undo or trace over, is what Alhaitham doesn’t say, but Kaveh knows he’s thinking it.

“... So what if it’s a big commitment?” Sethos doesn’t look taken aback, or offended by Alhaitham’s words. No, there’s full honesty behind that gaze, and a certainty that Kaveh has only seen on very remarkable people, on very select occasions. “Wanderer will likely be here long after I’m gone. If this means I can help keep him safe for as long as I’m able, I think this commitment may just be the right size. Hah, it may even fall short.”

Both of them are speechless. While Sethos casually grabs a piece of sunsettia as dessert, Kaveh elbows his boyfriend hard. This level of commitment… the absolute sureness that he will not regret it because he’ll be there until the day he literally can’t…

… Oh dear archons, are these two getting MARRIED?

The thought won’t leave Kaveh’s head. He knows it’s way too soon, and neither Sethos nor Hat Guy are really the type to jump into something like that without a lot of thought… but he’s heard of couples who click so well they move at lightspeed. Sure, it doesn’t always go well, but it does happen.

He just hopes if they do that they let him participate in the planning… he has a great eye for venues!

The starry look in Kaveh’s eyes hint Alhaitham as to what direction his thoughts have taken. He decides to spare Sethos from what is sure to be a lengthy questioning session in his sleep-deprived state.

“Well, we’ve had dinner and you asked what you came here to ask. I think it’s time for you to get some rest.”

“Oh! Of course, I’ll get going,” Sethos makes a move to stand up and go to the door. “Thank you so much for the help, this was really… helpful…”

He trails off at Alhaitham’s raised brows, and the fact that both of them are very much not moving to open the door.

“What do you mean ‘get going’? You’re barely able to walk straight!” Kaveh scolds him, hands on his hips. “Not to mention that you just ate. Who can assure us that you won’t faceplant in the middle of the desert?”

“We have a spare room, Sethos,” Alhaitham points to one of the doors near the end of the hall. “You’re more than welcome to stay the night. In fact, consider it a very strong suggestion.”

Their guest looks at the door, gives a very slow blink, and then turns back at them with a happy little gleam in his tired eyes.

“Oh… thank you so much!” Sethos says as he heads in the direction of the room. He pauses and looks back at them with a smile. “And thank you for dinner and the advice too, I had a great time.”

The gratefulness in his voice warms both of their hearts, even if only Kaveh outwardly shows it.

“Of course, you came to the right people! And if you need any relationship advice later on, you can ask us too. Well, you can also ask Cyno and Tighnari, but I understand that talking about relationship matters with your closest friends can get awkward,” Kaveh is so busy getting another bite of his food while he speaks that he doesn’t notice Sethos tense up. “What do you need to talk about, date ideas? Gifts? I don’t think Hat Guy would appreciate us weighing in on intimate matters, but I can give you some general tips… are you okay?”

Kaveh’s excitement loses a little steam when he looks up to see Sethos straight up covering his flaming face with his hands. Only mortified green eyes are visible through the gaps between his fingers.

“Wh- I- We’re-,” the brunet’s nervous energy is off the charts. Kaveh thinks it’s endearing that talking about his boyfriend gets him so flustered. “We’re not- uhhhh-.”

Alhaitham can feel Sethos turn to him in desperation, but this is just too funny for him to want to intervene. The betrayed expression he gets from the brunet is arguably even funnier. Eventually he decides the man has suffered enough.

“The bathroom is the door opposite the spare room, feel free to use it too.”

Sethos grabs that opportunity as quickly as physically possible.

“Perfect! We can… maybe talk about that later then. Good night!” Sethos loudly states as he books it in the direction of the bathroom.

Kaveh turns to Alhaitham in confusion. He doesn’t know what parts of Sethos’s weird behavior he can chalk up to just lack of sleep. His partner just shrugs and slips one arm around him, pulling the blond man closer. Kaveh’s face flushes a faint pink color, but he’s confident when he uses his hand to caress Alhaitham’s face, slowly leaning in for a short kiss.

It gets interrupted by the sound of footsteps going back to the living room.

“Oh! Sorry, sorry! I forgot something,” Sethos apologizes immediately, and he seems a bit sheepish about walking in on them. The scribe nods for him to continue. “Alhaitham, do you happen to have any books on Inazuman language and names I can borrow?”

“Ah, yes,” Alhaitham finds the request somewhat strange, but figures it has to do with something between him and Hat Guy. Hopefully something that will push them to make it official before Kaveh warms up to the idea of them being together a bit too much. “I can pack them up for you to take them with you tomorrow. Take as much time as you want before giving them back.”

After Sethos thanks him and finally goes to bed, the couple finish cleaning up any dishes left and then go to their room. Kaveh excitedly talks about his thoughts on the potential new couple, and his hushed tones and smile make Alhaitham happy in turn. After his rants get interrupted with kisses a few too many times, the architect just rolls his eyes and cuddles closer to the man-shaped octopus he shares a bed with. Both of them fall asleep with a nice feeling of contentment.

Sethos sleeps the entire night and well into the following afternoon. When he finally wakes up with the most glorious bedhead Kaveh has ever seen, they wave away his apologies and give him a very late breakfast before sending him on his way. He promises to take care of Alhaitham’s books and to give them back soon.

It’s a nice realization for both of them that they feel comfortable having Sethos over in a similar way to their other friends. The idea of hosting him overnight again someday could even be called appealing. It is also nice to think of having both him and Hat Guy over. Neither of them would mind it one bit.

*****

Tighnari

Tighnari loves both Hat Guy and Sethos, he really does. They’re good friends, and pretty helpful in their own ways. But they’re also starting to get on his nerves a little.

He’s not blind, there’s something going on between them. Sethos is the only person Hat Guy is that soft with, even if he tries to be mildly asshole-ish about it on principle. And Sethos tends to grace Tighnari with all his lovesick and mushy thoughts on how gorgeous and thoughtful Hat Guy is. Even without all of that, Tighnari would have to very willfully ignore the whole show they put on when Sethos’s hand was injured.

So, what drives him insane is not them being together. It’s that they aren’t. For some reason both of those dumbasses seem almost afraid to actually talk about the obvious affection between them, even though it’s so obvious it’s reciprocated that anyone who has seen them lately just knows.

Collei tells him about them, as well as telling him of both Layla and Faruzan gossipping with her about it. Candace, Dehya and Nilou also gush about how lovely they are together. Thanks to Alhaitham he knows that Nahida is very supportive of them in her own awkward way, and Kaveh won’t stop rambling about Kshahrewar and romantic choices and potential marriage for some reason.

The only person who seems blissfully unaware is Cyno, and it will not be him who informs the General of that development. Tighnari refuses to be held responsible in any way for Cyno’s reaction, positive or negative.

With all of this considered, Tighnari decides to give the new lovebirds a little push. He takes advantage of a new work and research request, and invites both of them to join him on his trip to Pardis Dhyai. It’s hitting three birds with one stone: he gets a bit of help from them, Sethos gets to meet Karkata, and he supplies both of them with one of the most beautiful places to spend some time together.

He also intends it to serve as a bit of a break for Sethos. Temple of Silence affairs can get particularly stressful, and even if the brunet was raised to be able to handle a lot of them, the way he thinks of them as a duty instead of a job can really add to that stress. Both the girls’ comments about Hat Guy kicking Sethos out to make him rest and Kaveh’s concerned comments about how little he slept in one week are enough to convince Tighnari that he needs some downtime.

That nice action ends with the Forest Ranger sorting through papers and seeds outside of the greenhouse, trying and failing to not pay attention to what those two are doing inside. It’s pretty hard when most of what he hears are Sethos’s excited rambling about Karkata and Hat Guy pacing around the place.

Tighnari’s sensitive ears are both a blessing and a curse.

“Why are you so fascinated with that pile of metal?” Hat Guy doesn’t sound all that amused to be here. Tighnari thinks the greenhouse is a great date spot, but maybe their friend isn’t fond of flowers…

“This ‘pile of metal’ has a name, Wanderer,” Sethos does not sound bothered at all by the comments. If anything he sounds cheery as ever. The Forest Ranger can just bet it pisses Hat Guy off that he’s unable to infuriate Sethos on a normal day. “And Karkata here actually has some mechanisms that are likely similar to some of yours! Plus, it’s the cutest and calmest Ruin Defender I’ve ever seen.”

The sound of Karkata’s happy mechanical noises reaches Tighnari’s ears, followed by a loud clang and the sounds of metal collapsing. He runs in only to see Karkata in a sad heap, and Hat Guy in the air with Sethos held with his arms around his torso like he’s a big cat.

Brilliant indigo and green eyes turn to look at him with various levels of panic, though Hat Guy’s quickly narrow. He protectively holds Sethos closer.

“He didn’t do anything.”

Oh dear Nahida.

“I already know he didn’t do anything,” Tighnari’s eyes roll as he steps closer to Karkata. He feels them land next to him as he helps the automaton stand back up. “And I know you didn’t either. Karkata has been struggling with one of its front limbs for a couple of days now, and I haven’t figured out how to fix it.”

He feels more than sees Sethos perk up like an excited puppy at that.

“I can help! If you’ll let me,” he offers as he leaves his comfortable place in Hat Guy’s arms to get closer to Karkata again. “We have a lot of information on different Ruin Sentinels in the Temple’s collection, and I’ve read through a good chunk of it.”

The idea makes Tighnari clutch the tools he took out a bit tighter. Cyno often jokes about it, but his protectiveness of Karkata is very much a real thing.

“Sethos, please don’t take it the wrong way, but…”

“Ah, don’t worry, I understand,” Sethos reassures him with a sweet smile. He seems to have caught on to the fact that Tighnari is wary of anything going wrong while fixing the machine. “If what is wrong with Karkata is what I suspect, I won’t need to do anything that invasive. I can even guide you through it if you prefer!”

They all fall silent as Tighnari weighs his options. His eyes go from each of his companions, to Karkata’s happy wiggles. If he’s going to trust anyone to fix it, this is his best option.

“Fine,” the fox concedes with a sigh. Sethos is beyond happy as he accepts the tools handed to him. “You’re going to be a student, not a professor, so you might as well get practical experience now instead of trying to guide me.”

That statement earns him raised eyebrows from Hat Guy and a nervous glance from Sethos, and he belatedly realizes that the brunet may not have informed his worse half of that decision yet. A thoughtful hum is all Hat Guy gives as he resumes pacing around the greenhouse. Tighnari winces and mouths a “sorry” at Sethos, but it gets waved away with a shrug and an awkward smile.

He goes to busy himself on the other side of the greenhouse to give them a semblance of privacy while still being close enough in case of a problem. Their entire friend group knows by now that Hat Guy is touchy when it comes to trust, but he can’t be certain of how much that comes into play with Sethos.

“Goes to show you can never really know someone,” the words carry considerably less venom than expected. Tighnari would almost think he’s fully joking if it wasn’t for the faintest trace of upset to the mockery. “I thought you’d want to go to Spantamad or maybe even Vahumana, if you wanted to enroll in the Akademiya at all.”

Sethos pauses his careful handling of Karkata’s metal plates, but doesn’t turn to look at the puppet. It’s only then that Tighnari notices how tense his shoulders are, enough that he can tell even from the spot he’s in.

“... Neither of those will give me the skills I want,” the sentence starts as any other, but gradually turns to whispering, like he’s afraid of the effect his words will have. Brilliant green eyes finally meet indigo. “I can learn all of that at the Temple, but I don’t want to sit there and do nothing if you get hurt again.”

“You’re being an idiot,” Wanderer is quick to claim (and Tighnari does know this name, he just saves it for serious matters). There’s an undercurrent of what may be fear to his voice, but it mostly comes out annoyed. Sethos looks away from him, but Wanderer is quick to gently grab his chin and make him turn back. “Don’t do that. I know you’re aware of the weight of this decision. Why the fuck would you choose based on what will help me?”

Tighnari is impressed by the difference between Wanderer’s almost angry words and the carefulness of his touch. A dark tan hand comes up to grab Wanderer’s wrist.

“I think my reason is pretty obvious,” Sethos answers before turning his head just enough to kiss the palm of that hand. He then levels a playful gaze at Wanderer’s bright red face, and his tone takes on a more teasing quality. “And you can’t make me rethink that choice. Now let me finish, it’s almost done.”

With that, Sethos turns back to keep working on a happy Karkata. If Tighnari squints, he can make out the dark red at the tips of the brunet’s ears. He sees Wanderer mechanically turn around to keep pacing, and doesn’t miss how his hat is tugged down to cover his flaming face.

Wonder if they even remember I’m still here.

Wanderer pauses as he notices that Sethos keeps pushing some longer curls out of his face as he focuses on the repairs. He gives the entire greenhouse a searching look (and makes an awkward stop when he spots Tighnari), before he steps out. A few minutes pass, and the fox is tempted to check on Sethos and Karkata. He seems to be so focused on his task he didn’t notice the puppet leaving.

As Tighnari decides to check on the progress, Wanderer flies back in. He’s carrying five Padisarahs in his arms, and wastes no time to sit slightly behind the brunet. There’s a brief surprised pause when he starts braiding the longer loose strands, using the Padisarahs’ long stems to secure them in a way that also decorates his hair.

At Sethos’s curious gaze, Wanderer grabs one of the flowers and puts it in his hand for him to admire.

(Tighnari should really chew him out for picking the Padisarahs in Pardis Dhyai, but he’ll make an exception because at least it was those outside the greenhouse.)

“... I didn’t take you for the flowers type,” Sethos teases, but his voice is soft as he caresses the smooth petals. It occurs to Tighnari that this may be Wanderer’s apology for referring to him as an idiot for a decision that means a lot to him. “They’re nice.”

“Stop moving or I’ll leave this half-done. And well… that shade of purple suits you,” Wanderer states honestly. He finishes the last short braid, letting his hand linger on the way down to caress Sethos’s flushed cheek. “It’s only fair to get flowers for the annoying, pretty little bee.”

… Have they seriously forgotten I’m here?

For each second that Sethos looks at him with genuine affection, Wanderer seems to gain more and more confidence. Tighnari sees him wrap an arm around Sethos to pull him closer. Their faces are so close it would just take a few centimeters-

The Forest Ranger decides right then that he really doesn’t need to see more, and tries to sneak out stealthily enough to not interrupt their moment.

“Sethos… can we-” as the puppet speaks, Karkata perks up when it notices Tighnari moving and snaps its plates closed. Wanderer’s quick reflexes let him pull Sethos’s arm away to prevent an injury the fox would likely have to treat again. Karkata hurries out of the greenhouse, leaving only an air of awkwardness behind it as the lovebirds make direct eye contact with Tighnari. The amount of frustration Wanderer is capable of radiating is somewhat impressive. “Fucking fantastic.”

Tighnari hurries out after Karkata. Natlan will freeze over before he’s scared of Wanderer, but he does feel a bit bad for unintentionally ruining the moment. Turning this way and that to look for the machine, he finally spots it near his usual night corner. As he draws closer to it, the automaton is a happy bunch of mechanical noises and wiggling, with no sign of the issue giving it trouble for days. Tighnari can’t help but think that Sethos may really be suited for Kshahrewar.

In the dimming light of the sunset, the greenhouse lights make it so that the fox can see the faint outlines of his friends inside. They’re as close to each other as they were when he stepped out, and his sensitive ears coupled with the silence outside let him hear their conversation.

“What, giving up that easy?” Sethos uses a finger to flick Wanderer’s hat up. “Let’s talk about it later. In a more private place? I have things I want to tell you too.”

The shadow with the long fluffy hair freezes when the other one gets too close. If not for the awkward angle, the Forest Ranger would have confused the kiss he hears for something other than a cheek kiss.

“Yes. It’s a date,” the cautious confidence in that statement is honestly sweet. Leave it to Sethos to somehow make a powerful being with considerable elemental power sound like a whipped man.

The puppet’s reward for those words is a lapful of a very happy man. Tighnari can just picture the puppy tail wagging as the shadow of strong tan arms wraps around an awkward Hat Guy.

Karkata’s confused whirring only gets a playful eye roll out of him and some pats to its nearest metal plates. Tighnari thinks these two would be way more trouble than they’re worth if they didn’t make such a cute couple.

(He has a lot of affection for both of them on their own too, but that’s neither here nor there.)

*****

Cyno

Cyno thinks age may finally be getting to Cyrus. He knew it would probably happen sooner or later, but he truly didn’t think it would be like this.

“I’m telling you! I swear those two have to be together!”

Oh merciful gods, the old man is truly losing it.

“So, let me get this again,” Cyno starts, leaning over the table where their cards lay forgotten. The skepticism practically drips from his pose and tone. “You want me to believe that, not only are Sethos and Hat Guy in a relationship, but they’ve somehow been for weeks now?”

Cyrus looks like he’s barely restraining himself from pulling out his hair. If nothing else, Cyno gets some satisfaction from annoying his old guardian. It never gets old.

“Yes, you distrustful kid!” Cyrus throws one of his eliminated character cards at him. “People see them together around here all the time lately. Even that old dog Naphis has come to me with gossip of some date in Pardis Dhyai. Naphis, of all people!”

“Alright, first, I’m a fully grown man,” Cyno points out as he holds up one finger. He puts up a second one right after. “And I’m supposed to believe Sethos has found time for a relationship between adapting to Sumeru City, Temple of Silence duties going haywire, and the admission process at the Akademiya?”

The only reason Cyrus seems to be refraining from throwing anything other than cards at him is because he’ll likely get yelled at by Zaha Hadi from across the road. The old man takes a deep breath.

“Why, exactly, is it so hard for you to believe that those two could be a thing?”

Seeing the General Mahamatra awkwardly shift around like a teenager again must surely be a funny sight for anyone, Cyrus in particular.

“... He didn’t tell me anything about it.”

Cyno is relieved that his mumbled answer wasn’t met with laughter. Though one must say, a deadpan stare is hardly an improvement.

“... Cyno, my boy,” Cyrus says to him slowly. It reminds him of when he’d get upset as a child. “Can you please tell me what you have been doing for the past weeks on end, with barely any time to go home and crash, if you even get home at all?”

The silence extends for a few seconds, but eventually he answers with a sigh and arms folded.

“Cracking down on a band of treasure hoarders attacking merchants heading to Liyue.”

“Correct! And now, tell me. When would Sethos have the time to tell you when you’ve barely been able to see the family you live with lately?” Cyrus does have a point, but he also sounds a bit too smug about it.

“Fine, fine,” red eyes roll in a manner distinctly reminiscent of Tighnari’s, but Cyrus refrains from drawing attention to it. “I’m still doubtful, that’s… an odd pair.”

“Hah! Unexpected for sure,” Cyrus laughs. The retired scholar recognizes that he probably won’t get Cyno to finish the game, so he starts putting the cards away. “That bitter little Hat Guy from Vahumana certainly looks like a handful. But I guess if anyone is going to be his odd match, our Sethos is a great candidate.”

Distracted humming is his only answer, so Cyrus just finishes clearing the table and sends Cyno on his way with a basket of seeds Naphis dropped off for Tighnari and some gifts from Zaha Hadi for Collei. He knows that look in Cyno’s eyes all too well, and he certainly hopes Sethos is prepared for a round of Cyno’s peculiar brand of showing care.

The keys to any successful investigation are patience and careful planning. Cyno generally doesn’t have a problem with either, but personal matters are… a little different.

He decides to start by inviting Sethos to Genius Invokation matches again. He gets a lot more apologetic rejections than before, but it doesn’t bother him. They’re both busy people every once in a while, and honestly most of the reasons he gives are expected.

Temple of Silence duties? Sethos is their leader, of course he’ll put them before anything. Meetings or deadlines for his admission to the Akademiya? Cyno remembers how much of a headache those were, even with Cyrus to help him navigate them.

(He’s a tiny bit sad that his friend won’t be in Spantamad, and somewhat confused at the darshan he picked, but most of all he’s happy Sethos is making his own choices.)

No, his suspicion grows with the other excuses. He knows Sethos can be a fantastic liar even if just by omission, so the way he fumbles these ones is truly spectacular.

He promised to help Zaha Hadi water her garden? She's been on a trip to Port Ormos with Cyrus to search for special fertilizer, for 3 days now. Collei needs help reorganizing her plants? In his defense, it is her who fumbles this one instead of him. She looks at Cyno in confusion when he asks about it, before realization dawns on her and she scrambles to overcompensate for it.

The funniest one is when Cyno informs him that there is no actual cat that Nahida needs his help searching for. For some reason his face goes dark red, and he mumbles something along the lines of “in a manner of speaking” as he leaves.

So, one can say that Cyno is a lot less skeptical of the idea that Sethos is currently dating now. Still, seeing is believing, and the idea of the partner in question being Hat Guy is still a tough one to picture.

Taking a page out of Sethos’s “totally not stalking” handbook, the General Mahamatra tails his friend in secret after the latest ridiculous excuse he pulls.

He sees his curly-haired friend subtly tense up the longer he’s observed. Sethos’s instincts must be screaming at him that he’s being watched, but Cyno is a bit too good to be actually spotted during the quick once-overs those green eyes give.

Nothing much happens for a while, just Sethos making conversation with the merchants in the city as he makes some purchases. A pretty blue tassel bracelet, the most bitter blend of tea Cyno knows of, and an expensive calligraphy set that seems to hail from Inazuma judging by the carvings on the box. Everything gets neatly wrapped up in a pretty indigo package and Sethos says his goodbyes to the merchants.

It’s only when he follows the brunet to a more secluded spot near the Akademiya that he realizes his mistake. With little to no people around, Sethos can pinpoint exactly where his well-meaning stalker is. Focused emerald meet startled ruby from where he’s hiding behind a cluster of branches, and the relieved recognition in Sethos’s face is instantly replaced by panic.

Cyno curses as his prey takes off at full speed in the direction of the Sanctuary of Surasthana. He runs after him, thinking about how refreshing it is to chase after someone in a more playful manner. Most of the time when he chases someone it’s not a light-hearted matter, nor are they nearly as fast as Sethos is.

(He feels someone following behind him mid-chase, but pays it no mind for now.)

When he finally catches up, Sethos is standing on a branch near the ledge of the platform. It doesn’t look weak, but it’s definitely not particularly safe.

“Ok, the chase was fun. Get down before you hurt yourself,” Cyno stands in the middle of the platform, which he deems a good enough distance while Sethos calms himself a bit. “I just want to talk!”

“You could have said that before stalking me and chasing me!” Sethos yells in reply, the indigo package clutched in his arms. Cyno raises his eyebrows, staring at him unimpressed. “... Ok yes the stalking bit is hypocritical, whatever, the chase was still unnecessary!”

“You ran first. Besides, I know you love running,” Cyno’s statement earns him a smile and a shrug, so he considers himself forgiven. “Now, mind coming down here and giving me some context for you acting weird lately?”

He sees those sparkling green eyes look at something slightly above and behind him, before an expression the General can only describe as pure mischief takes over his face.

“Actually, I think it’s better to show you.”

With that, Sethos closes his eyes and lets himself fall off the branch.

“Wait-!” Cyno only has a fraction of a second to consider diving after his friend before a blue blur speeds over his head right in that direction.

A few seconds of honest fear pass before he sees a happy Sethos float up, safely held in Hat Guy’s arms. It would all be well and good, except Hat Guy looks like he’s between terrified and pissed. Cyno himself would probably be a bit mad if he wasn’t focused on breathing again.

“What the fuck is wrong with you!?” Hat Guy shrieks as he puts his smiling charge down, delicate-looking hands quickly checking him all over. They pay special attention to his hands (and oh, now Cyno has more context for that injury) and then finally stop at his face when Sethos leans into his touch.

“Alphabetically, or chronologically?” Cyno dryly asks, feeling a headache on the horizon now that his heart isn’t threatening to leave his chest.

“Rude, I only took an opportunity to shoot two birds with one stone,” smug green eyes look at him from where their owner is enjoying Hat Guy’s touch, and Cyno thinks his puppy-like friend looks more like the cat who got the cream. He points at Cyno. “You have been trying to poke into my maybe-relationship and gave me a fright, I only gave you one back.”

Cyno grumpily accepts the trade, though not without complaining about the fright difference between a chase and a fall from the Divine Tree.

“And you,” Sethos continued, turning his finger to a still-angry Hat Guy. The effect of that anger feels muted with him still lovingly holding the brunet’s face. “I’ve been asking you what your birthday is for weeks, and now I only found out because Nahida asked me a couple of days ago if I would come for dinner. If I hadn’t planned for a gift a lot of time in advance, I would have nothing to give you!”

The rant makes the anger drain out of Hat Guy, replaced by a healthy amount of surprise that he tries to mask with annoyance. Not quick enough for Cyno to be fooled, and definitely not enough to fool the man in front of him either.

“And I told you it’s not important, you didn’t have to get me anything.”

Before Sethos can argue back, Cyno decides he’s seen what he was there for. Lingering any longer will just make all of them awkward, and he does have plans with his family at Lambad’s. He waves at them as he starts walking.

“Well, I’ll be going then. Happy birthday, Hat Guy, let’s play later. And Sethos, do take care and use protection if you both end up in…” the pause is enough to clue Hat Guy as to where this is heading, but Sethos is naively paying close attention, not yet completely used to Cyno’s ways to expect, “your birthday suits.”

With that exceptional joke, Cyno walks away to the sounds of Hat Guy’s mortified groan and Sethos’s embarrassed yelling. Despite his initial skepticism, he really is looking forward to seeing those two together more often.

*****

Sethos

Once Cyno leaves, Sethos tries to calm himself down. A flaming red face won’t help him in his talk with Wanderer.

His efforts are thwarted by a hand pushing his hair away from his face, piercing indigo eyes looking right into his.

“Please don’t do that again,” Wanderer looks a lot calmer now. They’re both completely alone, and that allows him to be a bit more honest. “Not without warning me first. You could have hurt yourself even if you didn’t hit the floor.”

“Please don’t hide important information from me again,” Sethos knows his reply is petty, immature. He just would have liked to have more time to prepare something nice for his… friend. It’s still something they need to define. “And well, I’m fine, no? I trust you.”

Something painful flashes in Wanderer’s eyes before he can mask it with indifference.

“Hah, you’ll probably regret that at some point.”

“I won’t. What do I need to do for you to understand that I’m not going anywhere?” Sethos feels genuine frustration well up in him. Usually it’s hard to bother him, but the way Wanderer keeps implying this is not something he actually wants is getting to him. “It’s been, what, how many weeks at this point? Hell, how many months now? I understand being hesitant at first, I understand protecting your own heart. But you won’t even let us try and talk about it. You keep pushing back the date we agreed on to talk, and you keep trying to push me back. I need you to get that I’m not going anywhere.”

He sees the beautiful man in front of him prepare to argue with him, so he gently places a finger over his lips. It’s not a forceful gesture, but does surprise Wanderer into not saying anything yet.

“I know. At some point it won’t be up to me whether I leave you or not,” Sethos whispers, and the pretty face in front of him contorts into a pained grimace at the idea. Carefully, he places his forehead right against Wanderer’s. He wonders how much loss those eyes have seen in such a long time. “Divine traces or not, I’m still human at the end of the day. But that day is likely still far off, so isn’t it better to enjoy our time before that? If you’re not interested that’s fine, but if you are…”

Deceptively strong arms wrap around Sethos, trembling hands clawing at the fabric on his back. Wanderer pulls him down so his own head is resting on top of brown curls. It’s a bit uncomfortable, Sethos is a couple centimeters taller than him after all.

“Heh… how could I not be interested? Have you met yourself?” Wanderer’s voice is shaky, and everything about his response is confusing. It’s hard to pinpoint whether he sounds happy or scared. Sethos feels something wet hit his hair, and now understands why the uncomfortable position. “I don’t… I have a history of not handling loss well. Do you have any idea of what losing you would do to me?”

“... Have to really have me before you lose me, no? You can’t go through life denying yourself things or companions just because you may lose them. That’s not living, not happily,” Sethos leans back, and wipes away the trail that lone tear left behind on that beautiful face. The man in front of him always calls him a bee, and seems to overlook that he’s the flower that bee circles around. “And at this point I love you so much, I want you to be happy. Even if not with me.”

From so close he can see how much joy and sadness are warring behind those blue eyes.

“You don’t really know what you got attached to,” Wanderer’s trembling voice almost makes Sethos try to argue, but his own tactic is used against him. Slender, pale fingers softly place themselves on his lips. “I can’t guarantee that I won’t push you away. I can’t tell you for sure that I will never doubt you. You know I’m particularly difficult even if you don’t usually care, and I can’t promise to never turn that on you.”

Sethos grabs the wrist closest to him, and takes advantage of the fingers on his lips to place a kiss on them.

“Well, I’m not known for backing down from a challenge. Especially when the reward vastly outweighs the work put in.”

A loud and short laugh leaves his love’s lips, equal parts relief and mockery. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Gods… you’re an idiot. Against my better judgment, I love you too.”

The strong surge of happiness that rushes through Sethos is probably enough to kill any other person of joy alone. Carefully, he takes Wanderer’s hat off and carefully leans it against a nearby railing. Before he knows what’s happening, pink lips are on his in a somewhat desperate kiss.

Delicate hands bury themselves in his hair, both guiding him to a better angle and simply enjoying the feeling of those fluffy curls. One of his tan arms wraps around the puppet’s slender waist, his other hand going to his partner’s nape. Wanderer’s lips may just be the softest thing he’s ever felt, the timid hints of tongue here and there just enough to spice up the kiss.

Eventually they separate, both looking more than a little disheveled. Sethos is fairly sure Wanderer just stopped for the sake of letting him breathe.

Honestly, death by suffocation in such a great kiss is probably the best way to go.

“Don’t get too carried away, little bee. Can’t have you gone so soon,” Wanderer smirks as he tightens his hold on his curls a bit, which makes Sethos let out a frankly embarrassing sound. That hand quickly lets go, which is probably for the best. They are in public, and there’s more important matters to attend to.

“Always looking out for me,” Sethos teases, so happy he doesn’t even care about the momentary embarrassment. He quickly pecks those soft lips, before reaching for the wrapped gift he left next to the hat. “In case you decided to forget, it’s still your birthday! And I’d like for you to open your other presents before anything else.”

Raised eyebrows meet his statement, amusement radiating from Wanderer as he accepts the gift. They walk over to the nearest bench, and the puppet carefully starts unwrapping the indigo cloth.

The blue tassel bracelet gets a fond smile as he puts it on, and content blue eyes sparkle when they recognize the bitter tea blend. The gifts are a success so far.

It’s on the third one that Wanderer pauses, but not because of what it contains. No, he’s entranced with the carvings in the box itself. A pale finger traces over the characters on top, forming a name.

“... ‘Hasumi’?”

Now comes the moment Sethos has been dreading since he first started planning this gift.

“Right, uhh. I don’t know if you remember, but a while ago you told me to give you a name,” his answer startles Wanderer, who probably thought he had forgotten about it already. “I didn’t want to give you just any name, so I… spent a lot of time thinking about it. I borrowed some books from Alhaitham, and thought a name with the character for ‘lotus’ would be perfect for you.”

Both of them turn to the hat still propped up on the railing, the pattern on the top facing them in bright gold.

“However, there were so many options in the names book, and all of them were written in our script instead of the original characters,” he quietly continues. Wanderer hasn’t said a word so far, only tracing the characters on the box lid again and again. “So I asked around. Apparently Collei has a friend who is an assistant for an illustrator, and this guy works with Inazuman authors sometimes. Eventually I got a list with potential names, characters and explanations, and this one… it seemed perfect. The character for ‘lotus’, and the one for ‘sea’. Your eyes do remind me of particularly deep water…”

A droplet hits one of the characters Wanderer keeps tracing. Sethos panics for a moment, but no more tears come, and his partner still won’t look at him.

“That’s a lot of effort just for a name…”

The soft voice trails off. It gives the brunet some hope that he doesn’t sound upset at all.

“Of course! I told you, I won’t just give you any name without the proper care for it,” Sethos can’t help but be bothered at the mere notion. A name is important. “I wanted to put effort into it. A pretty name for a beautiful man. I think it’s nice, though you don’t have to accept it if you don’t like it. It’s yours to do what you want with it… Hasumi.”

His immediate answer is a deep breath, and then a content sigh. His flower finally turns to him, and this is probably the first time he sees this much peace in his expression. The smile he gives Sethos fully reaches those piercing eyes.

“Hmm… I’m keeping it,” Hasumi replies. He caresses Sethos’s face with such tenderness it makes him want to cry, and finishes it by lightly holding his chin to draw him in for a kiss. “It would be a pity to throw out a new name picked with such care.”

Sethos barely lets him finish the sentence, immediately chasing after him for another kiss. If they’re not careful he might get addicted to this, maybe even more than all the affectionate gestures they’ve shared for longer.

After a while, they notice the sky is growing dark with the sunset well on its way now.

“We should go inside,” Sethos presses a last deep kiss to his partner’s lips before standing up to pick up his hat. “I did tell Nahida I would join you guys for dinner.”

“Of course you did,” Hasumi’s eyes roll, but his token attempt at irritation is even weaker than usual. “Buer is ridiculous sometimes, I don’t even need to eat.”

A strong tan hand slips into Hasumi’s slender one, and Sethos places the hat back on that pretty little head. They both start walking to the entrance of the Sanctuary.

“Take it as a show of love from her,” Sethos feels every bit the love-drunk puppy Tighnari keeps comparing him to. He’s probably smiling like an idiot. “By the way, do you want to tell her about the new name?”

Hasumi pauses while he thinks, and eventually reaches a satisfying answer.

“Nah,” Hasumi pulls Sethos by the hand. “I’m a selfish guy, Sethos. I like my new name, and I want to keep it all to ourselves for a good while longer.”

That night's dinner is delightful. There’s no sweet dishes in sight, and Nahida gives them both a laugh when she gets a sip of a very strong cup of the new tea and instantly scrunches her face up. Sethos notices that Hasumi can’t quite hide how happy he is, no matter how many complaints he tries to come up with.

He looks at those blue eyes rolling in response to one of Nahida’s stories. He can’t help but think that an entire life admiring the little private smile Hasumi tends to hide sounds like a fulfilling one.

*****

+Aether and Paimon

Aether is incredibly sure that if he and Paimon kept a bingo sheet with all the most bizarre occurrences they can think of, they'd complete it all and still not reach the extent of weirdness they’re exposed to.

Fighting a dragon and winning on his first day in Mondstadt? Check.

Help Rex Lapis organize his own funeral? Check.

Witness Beidou invite Yelan to her and Ningguang’s bed with a very bad chess metaphor? Somehow fucking check, not that Paimon needs to know that.

He’s so used to shenanigans of ridiculous proportions that very little fazes him now.

Unfortunately, nothing can possibly prepare him for what awaited them when he looks for Nahida in one of their visits to Sumeru. They arrive at the Sanctuary of Surasthana, but they don’t find Nahida.

No, what they find in a corner is Wanderer with his tongue down Sethos’s throat and in the process of trying to get his shirt off.

Everyone freezes. Aether only barely has time to shield Paimon’s eyes from the worst of it, but it's too late for his own. He never asked to know what Wanderer between Sethos’s (thankfully fucking clothed) legs looks like, and now it’s in his brain.

The puppet quickly covers his boyfriend (?????????) with that massive hat he always wears right before Paimon bats away the blond’s hand and starts screeching at them about proper behavior in a Sanctuary.

The true tragedy here is that Paimon forgets Wanderer lives here, and Aether is all too aware that his current predicament is all their own fault. This will probably finally teach him to knock. He didn’t even know these two knew of each other’s existence, let alone that they’re a couple.

Without a single word, Aether grabs a still-ranting Paimon by the back of her clothes and turns around to seek the exit.

“W-wait!” Sethos calls out to him, but makes no move to leave the hat’s cover. “Where are you even going? Is there something you need help with, Aether?”

Wanderer’s disbelieving expression leveled at Sethos is one Aether can entirely relate to, even if his own is currently stuck in an exhausted deadpan.

“To Alhaitham’s. I need a drink and I’m not in the mood to try to convince a bartender to give me one,” his flat response makes Sethos wince, but Wanderer is clearly trying not to laugh.

I’m glad I let you fall head first from that robot, little shit.

“Ah, that’s fair,” Sethos nervously waves goodbye at them before a blast of anemo shuts that room’s door in their faces.

Paimon puffs out her cheeks before vanishing in an indignant shower of sparkles, and Aether makes good on his words and makes a beeline for Alhaitham and Kaveh’s home.

He needs a lot of wine before he even begins to unpack what he saw. Once he’s good and drunk he will maybe go around and ask about the new couple in town.

As much as he didn’t want to see them in action, he feels happy for them. Past clashes of varying severity aside, he can’t lie and say that it’s not nice to see those two find their match.