Work Text:
"Kaveh, are you doing okay?"
Kaveh blinked out of his thoughts at the soft voice next to him, humming absentmindedly as he continued looking out through their carriage window. The towering mountains of Liyue were finally giving way for the rolling hills of Mondstadt territory, and he could already imagine the warm breeze rustling through the trees and grass outside. The steady sound of hooves hitting dirt and gravel outside together with the rocking motion of their transport was almost enough to lull him to sleep.
Almost.
"I am, just enjoying the scenery. It's not something you see every day," he hummed, smiling slightly when he felt Alhaitham lean over to also look out of the window over his shoulder.
"We just passed through Stone Gate, the Dawn Winery should be up ahead. After that should be Springvale, and then Mondstadt proper. We're almost there."
Kaveh nodded, leaning back against Alhaitham's chest and shoulder before leaving a small kiss on his partner's cheek. He let a small sigh slip when he felt Alhaitham's hand running through his hair and undoing his many carefully done braids, before gently swatting Alhaitham's hand away when it came too close to his earrings.
"I can still throw you out of the carriage, Haravatat. See if I care that you have to walk the rest of the way."
Behind him, Alhaitham let out a disgruntled noise before the hands retreated for now. Who could blame him? They'd been on the road for a few days now, with only a pitstop at Wangshu Inn in Liyue. The only reason they had to take the carriage was because taking a boat meant either having to go past Fontaine or having to go all the way around through Dornman Port. Neither felt like a good idea at the time, so here they were now.
Who knew Alhaitham was the type of person to start fidgeting as soon as he had nothing to do?
"And I thought you had enough to read to entertain yourself for the full round trip. Did you finish your books that fast?"
Alhaitham nodded, and Kaveh couldn't help but snort in amusement. He tried turning around to offer his partner a few gentle touches to make him feel better, but a particularly rocky patch in the road shook them around enough that he almost fell out of his seat. Alhaitham stopped that from happenng by catching him just in time.
A certain pari was not so lucky, being rudely woken up from its nap by hitting the hard floor of the carriage.
"Yasnapati, what is the meaning of this?!" It cried as it scrambled into what resembled a sitting position, before still getting tossed around by the rocking motions of the carriage.
When it looked up, it was only met by a very apologetic Kaveh and a glare from Alhaitham, the younger setting the older back down in his seat before finally bending down to pick up the little fairy by the scruff of its neck. The pari matched his glare as soon as they were on eye level, chirping angrily.
"Zahak, stop yelling. There was only a bump in the road, you're getting worked up over something that was no one's fault."
Zahak hissed in response, still not very happy about the whole situation. The only thing that stopped a fight from breaking out was Kaveh reaching inbetween them with a rather sharp look in Alhaitham's direction before he pried the pari out of his partner's grip with his own, much gentler one. "Alhaitham, I know the roadtrip is getting to you but please don't take it out on the people around you. We're almost in Mondstadt, and we only have to get ourselves checked in at either an inn or a hotel before we can do whatever we want. You don't even have to see Zahak as soon as we're there."
Alhaitham seemed pretty unhappy about the scolding, but said nothing as he crossed his arms with a small huff and glared off to the side. Kaveh sighed in defeat in response, setting Zahak back down in his lap now that the carriage ride was getting more smooth again. At this point they had passed the winery, a left turn through a canyon taking them in the direction of Springvale. In about an hour, they would arrive at their destination. Hopefully Mondstadt's atmosphere could lighten this tension a bit, but he had no clue if that would be the case.
"Architect guy, you're here!"
Well, what a warm welcome.
Not even a moment after the three of them had left the carriage- with Zahak settled comfortably in Kaveh's lap as Alhaitham helped him into his wheelchair- a familiar face had come to greet them just past the front gate. A rather loud familiar face, with a bright grin and a lyre in hand and everything.
"Venti, you know I have a name. So do these two here," Kaveh groaned as soon as they were all settled, their carriage driver busying themselves in the background with unloading all of their luggage. Well... mostly Kaveh's luggage. Alhaitham travelled surprisingly light for someone who would eventually be on the road for at least a few months.
Venti didn't seem to mind at all, the bright smile never once leaving his face as he and Kaveh shook hands in greeting. "I know, I know, it's just fun to greet new visitors to this humble little nation even if I know them already. Welcome to Mondstadt, Kaveh and Alhaitham!"
Mondstadt itself was exactly as lively as their Archon, it seemed. Now that they were finally out in the open, it left nothing to the imagination as Kaveh looked around the large city with nothing but awe and wonder in his eyes. Even as Venti offered to give them a small tour, he could barely pay attention. Not even Alhaitham was immune to the atmosphere, his partner looking around at the shops they passed with a surprising ammount of interest. There was an almost constant warm breeze in the air, carrying with it laughter and chatter of the people going about their daily lives. It even carried a faint scent of cooked food that had Kaveh's stomach grumbling, and their guide didn't seem to mind at all.
If anything, Venti looked like he expected this sort of reaction. His smile never once faltered as he lead the pair through street after street, every single corner of the city bringing with it a new angle and aspects to like. Even Zahak looked impressed, flitting around and letting out small trills and happy chirps as it took in this new environment.
Of course, there had to be a block in the road somewhere.
"We don't really have any accommodating ramps, I'm afraid. Sorry about that..."
Ah yes, his old enemy: stairs.
"That's alright, I don't mind carrying him."
Wait what?
Before Kaveh could so much as ask what in the Abyss he just heard, he was promptly whisked out of his wheelchair seat by a very smug-looking Alhaitham. His expression must have been quite something, because he glanced over at Venti and was only met with very poorly held-back snickers from the disguised Archon. He was so stunned by the whole thing that he only reacted when Alhaitham was already halfway up the flight of stairs, Mehrak beeping in response where she sat attached to the back of the wheelchair as she powered the entire thing to roll up the stairs on its own. Zahak followed right behind at its own pace, seemingly curious of Venti with how closely they were sticking to eachother.
Not that he cared much. Alhaitham hadn't even bothered to ask first!
"Hey, put me down! There has to be a better way to go about this, you brute!"
Alhaitham, meanwhile, didn’t seem to mind at all. If anything, he had the audacity to laugh as he carried his partner up the last few steps. It was of the soft kind, more in the direction of a warm chuckle, but it made Kaveh’s face heat up all the same as he hid it behind his hands.
“And yet you allow it, so I’m just doing my job as your partner. Seems a little unfair then, no?” Alhaitham retorted as soon as he gently set down the blonde on a bench nearby, closely followed by Mehrak rattling loudly as she helped the wheelchair up the stairs and Venti and Zahak engaged in small talk. Venti especially looked about ready to burst out laughing, snickering into his hand at the scene.
“Now, now, let’s not bicker like an old married couple-”
The two of them sent the Archon matching unimpressed glares.
“- and let’s enjoy the tour. We’re close to the Adventurer’s Guild headquarters from here, as well as the main building of the Knights of Favonius. Should I go get anyone while you two sort this out between yourselves?”
“Actually-”
“Yes, we made a reservation at the Grand Goethe Hotel as our place of stay for the duration of work, can you go on ahead and tell them we’ve arrived? That would save us some trouble,” Alhaitham cut in just as Kaveh was about to protest, accompanied by a sharp look that had his partner quickly snap his mouth shut. Instead, Kaveh just hung his head low in defeat.
“What he said…” he grumbled softly, making Venti laugh as his grip on his lyre shifted a little bit.
He strummed a small tune, probably one without a name, and hummed a melody to match.
“What a lovely pair of lovers, not one for kisses but one for quarrel~”
“They bicker and argue but dare not to part, for they embrace eachother and bare to each their hearts~”
“These lovers are one of a kind, I wonder what tonight’s festivities for them will find~?”
By the time the last words left the bard’s lips, it was no surprise to see both Alhaitham’s and Kaveh’s faces glowing a matching bright red. They didn’t dare look at eachother, completely oblivious to the fact that they were still holding hands. Zahak didn’t help either, letting out a chirping noise so bright it may as well have been laughing. At them or about them, who knows.
“Anyways, I better get going then to claim you two that reservation. Try not to get arrested, and if you see a small girl in red, run for your life.”
With that, Venti winked playfully and disappeared in a gust of wind faster than they could blink.
“Well…” Kaveh mumbled after a few seconds of awkward silence, “That was weird. Did he just sing out a warning, or is it just me?”
Alhaitham was silent for a moment, staring at the spot Venti had stood in not even a few seconds ago, and mutely shook his head. “No, I heard it too. He’s telling us not to get in trouble and to avoid children for some reason.”
“Small girl in red? Must be Klee!”
At the new voice, all three heads shot up in surprise. What they were met with was a younger boy, with shaggy blonde hair, a messy set of adventuring clothes, and a bright smile on his face despite the many bandages and band-aids covering him from head to toe. The last detail that let the information click into place was a bright red pyro Vision sitting on the boy’s hip.
He was accompanied by a girl with a darker shade of blonde hair, decked out from top to bottom in what had to be a costume dress of some kind. It looked rather fancy and intricate, somewhere on the level of Nilou’s Sabzerus festival outfits. She seemed to be carrying around an electro vision and… was that a giant chicken of some kind flying next to her?
The boy must’ve caught on to their confused stares, because he immediately dropped the energetic tone in favour of an apologetic one as he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Ah, sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Bennett, leader of Benny’s Adventure Team. Though… that team is just me at the moment,” he explained quickly, before Kaveh waved his hands in dismissal and shook his head.
“No, no, it’s alright. This is just our first time here in Mondstadt, we don’t know all the rules and regulations just yet. We’re from Sumeru, and we’re here for wo-”
“What ho, travellers from afar! This day’s meeting must have been strung by the fates themselves for I, Fischl, Prinzessin der Verurteilung, have arrived to grace my thanes with mine presence. Surely you must be in awe, but fret not! My illustrious self is more than willing to elaborate on anything that might require an inquiry or two. Surely you two must be so kind as to let I, Fischl, Pinzessin der Verurteilung, assist you in your time of need, no?”
“What Mein Fräulein means to say is that she’s happy to meet visitors and that you can ask her anything if you’re lost,” the… chicken? translated for them rather quickly. Next to him, the girl in question started posing rather over-dramatically.
Wait… did it just speak?!
Alhaitham beat him to it, the focussed expression on his face all too telling as he knelt down in front of the giant bird and looked it over with maybe a bit too much curiosity for Kaveh to stop him. He tried reaching out to touch the chicken(?) and Kaveh’s attention was suddenly fully on the intricate pattern of the brick pavement.
“Fascinating. How does it work?”
The girl–Fischl– seemed rather offended at the comment, breaking character so fast it left Kaveh staring in shock. She grabbed hold of the giant chicken, hugging it close with a death glare that got zero reaction out of Alhaitham.
“Oz isn’t some ‘thing’, he is my most trusted servant! Behave yourself, outlander!”
Kaveh was quick to intervene at that, acting without really thinking. He tried to push himself off of the bench he was sitting on, completely forgetting why he was sitting there in the first place, and was strangely shocked when his legs didn’t function and he instead tumbled straight to the ground with a cry of surprise. Bennett stumbled back in shock, and he was only saved by a strong pair of arms flying to catch him in time before his face smacked into the stone pavement.
When he was helped to sit down on the ground more comfortably, Alhaitham had the audacity to look embarrassed as his partner let go of him. Behind him, Bennett and Fischl traded confused glances, but they couldn’t say a word before Kaveh beat them to it.
“Haiyi, I swear to Celestia– You can’t just be that blunt with people you literally just met! Have some tact, Haravatat!”
The words were accompanied by Kaveh’s cheeks puffing up in anger as he angrily poked his partner’s chest where he knew that strange little gem sat, putting a little more force into it than strictly necessary. Not that Alhaitham seemed to mind.
“Right– my mistake. Don’t go throwing yourself on the floor for my sake though, senior. I’d rather you’re not covered in dirt the first day we come here.”
“And whose fault is that?” Kaveh bit back, punctuated by another sharp jab, this time at Alhaitham’s forehead.
“Habibi, we’re in the presence of strangers right now.”
That got Kaveh to shut up, his cheeks flaring a bright red at the pet name as his focus shifted back to the two strange teenagers and their fat chicken… Oz, right? He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck as an equally embarrassed laugh slipped from his lips. Next to him, Mehrak came rolling up with the wheelchair and let out a loud beep as a reminder that he shouldn’t be sitting on the pavement.
“Right, sorry about that,” he excused with a wince, letting Alhaitham pick him back up for a moment before he was set back down in the wheelchair. Only once he was seated more comfortably again did he finally turn his full attention towards Bennett and Fischl. He pointed to every person with a small smile as he did his share of the introductions. “Sorry for not saying it sooner, but I’m Kaveh, an architect from Sumeru. This peabrain over here is Alhaitham, a scribe, and this little floating creature is Zahak, a pari. The thing steering my wheelchair is my trusted companion, Mehrak.”
Mehrak beeped happily at being mentioned, disconnecting from her docking station against his backrest and shifting her face plates into a happy expression as her form of a greeting. After that, she floated back into her position before going back into standby.
“We’re here on official business. That bard–Venti–welcomed us earlier and is fetching us our keys for our hotel reservation. Do you two by chance know how to get to the main office of the Knights of Favonius from here?”
“Oh, I can help with that! I may only have bad luck, but I can show you around with no incidents as long as I don’t stay around you for too long?” Bennett offered after a moment of silence, his eyes wide in wonder now that the introductions were done. Even Fischl looked excited, nodding along excitedly while Oz looked like he was trying not to sigh in defeat.
The mention of bad luck did seem to make Alhaitham perk up, but he said nothing. The pair shared a look at the offer, before they both nodded. Though…
“Please tell me there are no more stairs from here on out…?” Kaveh asked softly, and immediately the air became a lot more awkward.
Well shit.
…
Getting to the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius ended up being… a challenge, to say the least.
Bennett ended up tripping over his own feet several times, tumbled down the stairs twice, and almost got a flower pot thrown at Fischl’s head along the way. How that happened and where he got it from, nobody knows. Even Kaveh and Alhaitham hadn’t been safe from this bad luck streak, with Kaveh almost getting splashed by a bucket of water someone had been tossing out of their window, and Alhaitham’s back almost gave out on the way up the last set of stairs because he also had to drag the wheelchair up due to Mehrak sporting a sudden pathway tracing error.
By the time they were dropped off at the front door of the building, Bennett had all but sprinted away from them at top speed and called several heartfelt apologies over his shoulder. Fischl left not long after, ramling something incoherent that Oz translated to ‘her needing to get an escort mission done soon because of how late it was getting’.
Clearly an excuse, considering it was only somewhere barely past noon.
But still, the guards at the door were kind enough to help Mehrak up the stairs so that Kaveh could actually get into the building himself. A few minutes of Kaveh fawning over the architecture and admiring the interior design later, and they were pointed in the direction of the Grandmaster’s office.
It was surprisingly small and cozy for what was supposed to be an office, and the lady in the main chair looked rather happy to see them. Maybe it was because of the practically ceiling-high stacks of paperwork littering her desk.
“Ah, welcome. I heard that you two arrived safely earlier, I was just about to send a few Knights to come pick you up in case something happened,” the blonde woman in the chair explained with a tired sigh as Alhaitham made himself comfortable on the nearby couch and Kaveh parked his wheelchair next to it.
“It’s alright, Venti went ahead to confirm our reservation at the Grand Goethe Hotel earlier, and some… eccentric people from the Guild pointed us here,” Alhaitham clarified with a wave of his hand, eyes already raking over the many full bookshelves littering the office with barely disguised interest, “I just wasn’t aware they employed a boy with notoriously bad luck.”
The blonde lady sighed at the mention of Bennett, and Kaveh winced slightly as she pinched the bridge of her nose before grabbing some more paperwork from the stack. “Bennett, of course… I will write a report about it after we are done, don’t worry. Though right now we have business to discuss, yes?”
Kaveh nodded, tapping one of the armrests of his wheelchair. Mehrak responded with a happy beep, shooting back out of her docking station and immediately shifting to work mode. Her face plates moved aside to let her projector function, displaying a long list of tasks that her owner scrolled through quickly.
“Indeed, Venti asked us about the contract initially, but we had to discuss it with the people in charge of the Knights of Favonius first before I would be able to get to work. You’re Acting Grandmaster Jean, correct?”
Jean nodded, managing an exhausted smile as she set her quill down for now. “Yes, that’s me. I’m filling in for Grandmaster Varka while he is away. And you’re Scribe Alhaitham and renowned architect Kaveh if the paperwork is correct?”
Both of them nodded, and Kaveh paused his scrolling to focus on a specific detail on the barrage of text. “Yes, and from what I could gather of the initial request, you’re looking for… renovations and repairs after the recent Stormterror attacks? Some parts of the city were destroyed or damaged in the chaos, and you need someone to help fix up the place?”
“That’s right,” Jean confirmed with a hum. She shuffled through a few more papers, likely to find her own copy of the request and the attached contract.
“The Knights of Favonius barracks suffered the worst of the damage, and I had Eula, Amber and Kaeya assess the specific areas around the city that needed to be fixed or replaced. Your expertise and guidance are always welcome when it comes to renovations and hands-on experience, and you’re welcome to roam around Mondstadt as freely as its citizens if you need anything.”
Alhaitham looked about ready to say something about a permission that broad, but Kaveh beat him to it with a bright grin on his face. “Oh, don’t worry about that. Though… we did run into a bit of a… problem, on the way here if it’s not rude to bring it up?”
Jean raised a questioning eyebrow, and Alhaitham filled in the missing information. “As you can see, Miss Jean… My partner is bound to a wheelchair. From what we gathered of the city layout though, it’s almost all stairs.”
Kaveh agreed with a quick nod, expression suddenly very sheepish as Mehrak beeped sharply in agreement. Zahak didn’t seem to care, having taken to napping in the blonde’s lap until negotiations were over. “While I love this nation and the first impressions so far have been wonderful, the lack of accessible ramps makes it rather difficult. No offense, madam…”
Jean let a small chuckle slip at the absurdity of the comment, but shook her head as she tapped the quill pen against the table absentmindedly. “I’ll have to factor that in with the renovations then, thank you for bringing it to my attention. Until then, feel free to ask for assistance at any time. The Knights on duty are always ready to help.”
With that, the two of them were dismissed for now.
That was how they spent almost an entire hour just browsing the Favonius Library, with Alhaitham looking through all the literature they had available while Kaveh pored over any and all blueprints and architectural works he could find as a head start for the work he would be doing starting tomorrow. Time flew by so fast, neither of them noticed the evening was creeping in until the candles were lit in the building and the main doors creaked open to reveal an amused Venti peeking in to check on them.
By then, Alhaitham had already holed himself up in a corner with several stacks of books tall enough to reach the ceiling, while Kaveh had an entire table covered in old schematics and blueprints while he was furiously taking notes. Zahak looked utterly bored at the whole thing, having resigned itself to playing with a spare pencil. It made the Archon snicker in amusement, the sound loud enough to make the two scholars lose their focus and look over at him with matching looks of dawning realisation and awkwardness.
“Am I interrupting something? I was looking all over Mondstadt for you two because I got a reservation at Angel’s Share, and here you two are, buried in books. Are all of Nahida’s people like that?”
“Ah–no, of course not! I just wanted to get a head start on work!” Kaveh immediately defended himself, quickly trying to cover up the evidence by shoving several scrolls and papers off of the table and sending it all tumbling to the floor. Alhaitham sent him an unimpressed look from his own reading nook, but shook his head in disbelief.
“And I suppose I lost track of time. Literature from other regions can be quite fascinating, especially if there is no obligation attached to reading it all,” the scribe reasoned, snapping his most recent book shut and getting up out of his plush chair to stretch a bit.
“I guess that makes sense,” Venti noted with a hum. “The nation of Wisdom values exactly that, much like Mondstadt values freedom. So what do you say, care to join me for a drink? It’s the least I can do for being an irresponsible tour guide and leaving you two alone for almost half a day.”
Why did it feel like he wasn’t being entirely honest with them? It must’ve been their imagination.
Sometimes it was just better not to question an Archon with what they do in their free time.
“So, what do you think of joining me?” Venti asked again, a mischievous glint in his eyes where he leaned casually against the doorframe, waiting for the pair to collect their things and come with him. “The sweet, sweet smell of Dandelion Wine is calling–and trust me, it’s well worth leaving the books alone for a few hours.”
That was the only thing Kaveh needed to hear. He must have perked up a little too fast, because he spotted Alhaitham’s expression shifting into one of mild concern from the corner of his eye. Not that he cared much, suddenly very interested. After all, this was Dandelion Wine they were talking about. The most famous and expensive brand in Tevyat, known worldwide for its high quality and almost impossible to get your hands on in Sumeru because of the transport costs attached. To get to drink some in the very region it’s made in is a luxury, and he was not going to pass up this opportunity.
Nahida wouldn’t want him to, right?
“Deal,” he immediately cut in, grinning from ear to ear, “You can give us the hotel room keys after we’re done there.”
Alhaitham sighed as he picked up his bags, before wandering over to where Kaveh was motioning for Mehrak to use her grab function to pick up the papers he dropped to move things along a bit faster. His look was one of pure resignation at his partner’s eagerness to get going already, and he sent Venti a small warning glare. “Of course, all it takes is the promise of alcohol to distract you from work. Why am I not surprised…”
Venti just winked in return, waiting patiently with a very innocent smile on his face until the pair finally had all of their belongings together and they were all gathered by the door. The twinkle in his eyes was a particularly devious one as he finally motioned for them to follow, leading them out of the building and back into the busier parts of the city.
As they passed several shops that were on the verge of closing for the night, Alhaitham and Zahak shared a small look. Ahead of them, Venti and Kaveh were so deep in conversation about the arts that their volume didn’t matter much.
“Why is Yasnapati so excited about drinking?” Zahak asked as it leaned in closer, trying to imitate covering its mouth with one of its large brown wings.
Alhaitham shrugged in return, glancing around to make sure there were no threats nearby. There shouldn’t be, but you were never quite sure. He couldn’t really shake the habit after what happened back then with Sachin and Jiwani. “He’s a fan of alcohol, outside of the fact that it helps him drown his sorrows. Let’s hope it’s not that as a reason for tonight, we already left that period of his life behind months ago.”
And they didn’t want a repeat of what happened back then. The Championship itself had been fine, but the month-long wait after had drained him both mentally and emotionally. Hoping and praying to whatever Archons were listening for Kaveh to wake up and not wither away to nothing in that bed… that was something he never wanted to experience again.
All of their friend group would have to agree—even Hat Guy.
As such, he wanted to make sure Kaveh didn’t have a negative reason to drink anymore. He didn’t deserve to be tormented by that mindset again.
Zahak nodded along, seeming to understand what he meant. The pari had seen most of the action on the outside at the time too, even if it never intended to actually help. So to hear such words from Alhaitham… it couldn’t really help but be curious.
“I see… so Yasnapati used to drink to achieve what I could with my gifts?” It asked, and Alhaitham’s brows furrowed as he gave another small shrug.
“I suppose that’s one way to explain it. It’s similar enough.”
Ahead of them, Venti seemed to perk up a little at their conversation topic, but said nothing. He made sure not to show it too subtly, but Alhaitham noted they now had someone listening in. Kaveh, meanwhile, remained oblivious as both conversations continued separately.
“You know how it went, Zahak. You took his Vision, and the fallout was severe enough that most of Sumeru’s social structure fell apart,” Alhaitham continued, now more mindful of his words. Venti seemed rather interested in what they were saying, considering the other conversation seemed to devolve into nonsense. “Not everyone has the luxury of ‘gifts’ or dreams or whatnot, so something like drinking alcohol is the next best solution. We all have to escape reality somehow.”
“That’s not what we’re here for tonight, Alhaitham,” Venti suddenly commented over his shoulder. He didn’t look back as their little group continued their walk, if anything he was still engaged in animated conversation with Kaveh. Said blonde looked up curiously at his partner’s name being mentioned, pausing in the middle of some story he’d been telling. Not that the Archon among them seemed to mind.
“We’re here to celebrate two important guests and the invaluable work they will provide for this nation and its people for the next few months to come. Morax and Beelzebul will likely do the same for you after you’re done here. So for tonight, let us drink and raise a glass in thanks to Buer and her children. That doesn’t seem so bad, no?”
That was… not the kind of tone they were expecting.
Kaveh blinked in surprise at the strangely soft tone, his gaze shifting between Venti, Alhaitham and Zahak. None of them dared to look at him, and the realisation suddenly hit him that it was him they were talking about. They were talking about that time. While the thought made something sour tug at his chest, he understood why. They were just looking out for him.
This was normal for them. Alhaitham cared about him. This was his way of showing it.
“It… doesn’t,” he admitted softly after a moment, taking a deep breath as they reached the ramp behind the alchemy shop and Kaveh eased the wheelchair down with a lot less effort than with all the flights of stairs today. The others followed at a more leisurely pace, seemingly contemplating the statement just as much. They were almost at the tavern now, rowdy chatter, laughter and faint music echoing off the walls along with the sweet smell of cooked food and alcohol wafting through the air in a way that could only be described as home. Comfort.
“It sounds kind. It’s kind of your people to do something like that for someone as small and unimportant to the grand scheme of things as us.”
Alhaitham hummed in agreement, and even Zahak chirped happily at the statement. It made Venti’s earlier bright grin soften into something more melancholic. Almost sad.
“That’s the thing about being an immortal being then, I suppose,” the bard hummed as he tiptoed his way down the ramp in a way that looked like he was almost dancing. A light breeze followed his every step, as warm and gentle as his voice. “You see the value in every person and action, no matter how small. You may think it’s inconsequential, but I see it as a gift for the future. People will look back on what you have done for us and be thankful, because what you did was a good thing. It deserves to be celebrated, because everything has an impact, no matter how small.”
Venti paused in front of the tavern’s front door, turning to the pair with that bright grin once again plastered on his face as he summoned his lyre back into his hands. “After all, we have a saying for that here. ‘Seeds of stories carried by the Wind and cultivated by Time’. Isn’t it a true expression of freedom to let you choose your own definition for it?”
And with that, he threw the door open for the pair to enter with enough energy that they were met with a chorus of cheers and greetings from all the patrons also taking part in the celebration. It seemed like they had little choice in the matter, then.
Not that Kaveh minded at all.
He didn’t waste a second to roll his wheelchair over the door threshold, greeting the tavern goers with a bright smile to match their company and a friendly wave. Alhaitham could do little more than follow him, sighing deeply as Zahak settled on his shoulder with a soft chirp. The pari didn’t seem to want to stick out like a sore thumb tonight, and that was okay.
Venti stuck to their side the entire way to the bar, where a young man with flaming red hair was busy polishing a few empty glasses. He greeted them with a surprisingly deep sigh at spotting Venti, but he seemed nice enough.
“Good evening, bard. I see you brought a whole entourage to share your unpaid bar tab this time?”
Kaveh looked confused at the question for only a second before Venti dramatically waved off the red-haired man with a wave of his hand and a dramatic eye roll. “Master Diluc, please. You know I pay with performances. It wouldn’t feel right to make the guests of honour pay for their own party. I’m sure Barbatos would disagree just as much.”
Venti winked rather obviously, and it was no surprise when Diluc, Alhaitham and Kaveh all sighed in defeat. For an Archon, Venti was honestly not very subtle. Thankfully, the moment didn’t last very long as the bartender set his polished glass down with a sigh.
“Alright, fine. You went through the trouble of making a reservation this time, so I will treat you like any other guest tonight. Kaeya and that shady nun are already here, maybe you can go entertain them.”
Kaveh looked confused at the descriptions, tilting his head to the side a little. “Kaeya and a shady nun? Quite the company you keep here, Master Diluc.”
Diluc, in turn, sighed, before one of the patrons called for another round of drinks nearby and he quickly got to work. He did give Kaveh and Alhaitham a slightly friendlier smile and a nod towards the main seating area of the building. “It doesn’t matter. I have a bar to run, so go take a seat somewhere. Have fun tonight I suppose, parties this grand don’t happen every day.”
Alhaitham hummed in agreement, cracking a small smile as Kaveh tried—and failed—to wheel his way past a few rowdy people as soon as the bartender was done speaking. Not even Venti seemed to mind, already having climbed onto a table nearby with lyre in hand to start the party properly. Nearby, the ‘shady nun’ Diluc had mentioned wasn’t too hard to spot either. She was seated at a mostly empty table, accompanied by a man with blue hair and an eye patch as they drank and watched the people coming and going.
“Come on, maybe they have some room for us,” he hummed as he grabbed the wheelchair handles, Kaveh pouting at him over the backrest for a moment and muttering something about how he wasn’t that helpless. When Alhaitham steered him around the bigger crowd though, he gave in with a soft sigh.
“Alright, fine. But you do the talking today, Haravatat. Celestia knows you only know how to communicate with books,” Kaveh commented with a playful little lilt in his voice just as he was brought to a halt by the table, the two occupants looking up over their pints to greet them with a nod.
Alhaitham nodded in turn, sighing when he took too long and Kaveh sent him another sharp look. He turned to the two people already occupying the table, and made a deliberate show of turning up the noise cancelling on his headphones. He greeted them with a nod in return. “Are these seats taken? We can’t exactly go to the upstairs area.”
The nun shook her head in turn, waving a dismissive hand as she lifted her pint back to her mouth for a few more sips with the other. “No, we’ve got room. Make yourselves comfortable, it will probably only get more rowdy from here on out. That bard sure knows how to throw a party.”
“Tell me about it,” Kaveh agreed smoothly with a roll of his eyes and a small smirk as Alhaitham helped push him closer to the table. When his partner sat down in the chair next to him, only then did he lean his head in his hands with his elbow on the table to look back at the bard in question.
At this point, Venti had already launched himself into a tale about distant lands, no doubt familiar to his audience. The cheers said enough, even though neither visitors knew the story in question. Kaeya seemed to notice their hesitation, because he set down his own pint with a small, amused hum.
“He’s telling the story about Dragonspine, it’s a classic. I’m sure neither of you know it?”
Alhaitham was the one who caught on, shaking his head as he leaned back in his chair with a sigh and crossed arms. “No, the histories themselves are usually more informative. Stories serve little purpose when most of it is not even factually correct.”
The nun snorted into her drink at the flat delivery of the statement, and even Kaveh had to roll his eyes in annoyance. “Haiyi, not everything has to be all facts and logic. Let people indulge in fantasy sometimes, that’s the point of stories. It’s about having fun and stimulating imagination.”
Kaeya nodded, leaning his face into his hand to regard the pair with a more casual smirk on his face. “Spoken like a true scholar. You two don’t bother hiding that you’re from Sumeru, hm?”
Kaveh blinked, taken aback for a moment. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Rosaria was quick to come between them, whacking her mug against Kaeya’s head as a warning before she calmly took another sip. “Don’t bother questioning him, he’s a smooth talker. Most of what he says is just meaningless flattery to get you to spill some secrets.”
“Rosaria!”
She sent her friend an unimpressed look, accentuated by yet another sip of her drink.
“What? I know your habits, Alberich. Don’t cause an international issue just because you can’t resist the urge to fish for gossip.”
Kaeya gasped dramatically at the accusation, with the hand on the chest and all, and Kaveh couldn’t help but laugh at the display. In a way their dynamic reminded him slightly of Cyno and Tighnari. Maybe he could invite them here sometime after work was over. For now though, just Alhaitham would have to do. That, and the noise, the people, and the smell of food surrounding them wasn’t helping very much.
They were at a tavern, it wouldn’t be proper etiquette to not at least have something to drink. He leaned over to his partner, and used the sweetest voice he could muster as he all but draped himself over Alhaitham’s side.
“Haiyi, how about a drink~? It’s not fair that we’re still sober when this party is supposed to be for us,” Kaveh practically purred, mentally counting it as a victory when Alhaitham immediately avoided eye contact with him and he spotted his junior’s cheeks heating up just slightly. Just for good measure, he tried reaching for Alhaitham’s headphones, but his hand was quickly swatted away.
Still, he knew he’d won when Alhaitham sighed and pushed back his chair to get up.
“Alright, fine. What do you want me to order for you?” Alhaitham asked, poking Kaveh’s forehead with no real force behind it in retaliation before he dug around in his pocket for his wallet. Kaveh took it in stride, leaning back too with an innocent grin that had Kaeya and Rosaria trying to hide their laughter behind their beer mugs.
“Considering your habit of constantly helping yourself to my drinks, just choose whatever you like. It’s likely I will enjoy it too.”
“Actually,” Kaeya suddenly cut in, holding up a hand to catch the group’s attention. Alhaitham paused where he stood, and even some nearby patrons stopped their conversations to listen in. “Can you tell Master Diluc to prepare several rounds? I would like to initiate a drinking contest.”
The deafening silence that followed immediately had Kaveh shifting in his wheelchair, glancing at his partner both in confusion, worry, and excitement. It took a moment to form the words. Was this really okay for them to do?
“I can take you up on that if you’d like? Don’t expect me to go easy on you though, Sir Kaeya.”
Alhaitham nodded, and with that he was off back towards the bar with Zahak on his shoulder. He returned a few minutes later, a tray in hand stacked with pints of various drinks. Judging by the smell, there were several kinds of beer and nothing else. Zahak didn’t seem to like them, with how its face scrunched up at the smell and it let out a disgruntled little chirp.
“Well, I guess this is happening,” Alhaitham commented dryly as he set the tray down, just in time to see Kaeya stand up and lean out of his chair to clap Kaveh on the shoulder with a sly smirk on his face.
“It’s not every day I find an opponent who’s not afraid to face me,” the cavalry captain hummed cheerfully, before sliding Kaveh a pint and sitting back down with his own. He raised it in a mock cheer, looking just a little too cocky. “So, what do you say? Care to represent Sumeru?”
Kaveh blinked, torn between laughing at the absurdity and rising to the challenge. He caught Alhaitham’s slight frown, though the man said nothing, instead sitting down with his own drink.
“Oh, come on, Haiyi. Lighten up!” Kaveh hummed, before taking the pint and raising it high with his own cheery little smile. “For the glory of Sumeru, I accept!”
Matching cheers erupted around them as onlookers caught on to the challenge about to unfold, and even Rosaria rolled her eyes with a faint smirk. Kaeya’s grin widened, and he raised his own glass to match.
“Very well. First to drop out buys the rest of us a round. Agreed?”
“Agreed!”
The first round went down easily enough, though Kaveh already felt the warmth spreading through his chest. The second went down just as fast, accompanied by the clinking of glasses and cheers from their audience. By the third, his head was buzzing, and he’d started recounting a tale from his Akademiya days, gesturing grandly with his half-full mug.
“...And that’s when I told him, ‘No, and I will kick you in the nards again if you so much as dare to insist that stained glass is a girly hobby!’” he finished with a triumphant laugh, slapping the table. It earned him a lot of laughter from the people too drunk to really understand the story, but that was enough. Kaeya, in turn, chuckled, though it was clear he was still pacing himself better than Kaveh.
“Careful, Kaveh,” Alhaitham grumbled next to his partner, leaning back with arms crossed. “You’ll run out of stories before you run out of drinks.”
“Oh, please,” Kaveh shot back, swaying slightly. “I have plenty! Isn’t that right, Kaeya?”
Kaeya raised an eyebrow, clearly entertained. “I’m sure you do. But how’s your stamina holding up, dear architect?”
Kaveh’s face scrunched up in response, and he had to squint to make everything stop duplicating for a moment. He tried pointing in Kaeya’s general direction, unaware that he was instead jabbing an accusatory finger at a nearby potted plant. “Ssssssshhhhut up. I can drink you under the table if I want to, don’t test me.”
“Sure you do,” Kaeya hummed as he finished his own third pint. That meant they were up for round four.
The fourth round turned into the fifth, then the sixth, and by the seventh pint, the tavern was positively roaring. Kaeya, still smiling, looked noticeably slower as he raised his mug for what might have been his final drink. Across from him, Kaveh was barely upright, propped against Alhaitham’s steadying hand. Yet, despite the sway in his posture, Kaveh had the look of someone who wouldn’t quit if it killed him.
“I-I got… this,” Kaveh slurred as he lifted his pint high, before chugging it down in one go to the chorus of encouraging chanting from their captive audience. The crowd erupted into cheers when he slammed down his pint with a deep sigh and a loud bang, triumphant.
Kaeya, on the other hand, didn’t look so victorious. His smirk faltered as he set his mug down, blinking once... twice... before his head thudded unceremoniously onto the table. A moment later, he slid off his chair entirely, landing on the floor in a heap of blue and black.
Rosaria leaned down with a raised eyebrow. “Yep, he’s out. Good luck dealing with that later,” she commented dryly before returning to her drink.
Kaveh, oblivious to the fallen cavalry captain, blinked rapidly at the realisation. “Wait… I-I won…?”
Alhaitham nodded, sighing fondly as he used that chance to run his fingers through his partner’s hair as a small show of affection. He ruffled Kaveh’s hair gently, completely taking advantage of the situation to quickly unclip the huge earrings the blonde wore and slipping them in his pocket. His actual clothes might be next.
“Indeed you did, it’s quite the surprise. Congratulations, senior.”
Kaveh’s face flared a bright red at the praise, but it seemed he got the hint. He hesitantly raised an arm in victory, and Alhaitham helped steady him, but that was okay. With how much the room was spinning and the lights were starting to blur and hurt his eyes, he knew he’d probably be feeling the hangover for the next few days.
Right now though, he revelled in his victory as the entire tavern erupted into hollering cheers and applause, echoed by the faint ringing of mora bets being exchanged and people raising their cups in turn. The only thing he could focus on was a blur of white and teal making its way to their table, followed by laughter and the faint tune of a strummed instrument.
“Well, well, well, you were having a party all without me?” Venti chimed in, looking almost offended as he leaned to sit on the edge of the table, crossing his legs casually as he strummed another tune on his lyre. The only thing that gave away his amusement was the faint smirk tugging at his lips and the mischievous twinkle in his eyes as Rosaria looked away with a bored look and a groan.
“Kaveh drank Kaeya under the table, bard. If I were you I wouldn’t test your luck,” she grumbled, only to be drowned out by even more laughter.
“No, I’m not here to get wasted tonight. It’s about celebrating, so why not play a song for the victor?” Venti offered in return, nodding over to a now half-asleep Kaveh who was now clinging to Alhaitham like his life depended on it. Considering none of his drunk ramblings were coherent and Alhaitham looked terribly fond as he held his partner close, it was to be assumed he’d defaulted to Sumerian to complain about something or another.
“I don’t mind, he deserves it. I know quite a few tunes that would fit this sort of situation well, sister Rosaria.”
“Venti, with all due respect. Don’t encourage even more wild behaviour,” Alhaitham added in with a sigh, in the middle of rubbing soothing circles into Kaveh’s back as the architect was busy chewing on his cape in his drunken stupor. “If he wasn’t so… limited, in his mobility, he probably would have already been dancing on tables with you. We’re not that young anymore, so maybe something calm would help.”
“Right!” Venti grinned, pushing himself back upright and wandering off back towards the main crowd of the party. He did stop next to Kaveh for a moment, whispering something into his ear that had the blonde’s eyes light up and his demeanor sober up somewhat enough to get him to turn the wheelchair around and follow after him. Alhaitham just sat back with a sigh, watching the pair go.
“Are you not going to stop them?” Rosaria chimed in.
“No, he deserves to have some fun. He will regret it tomorrow either way.”
Meanwhile, on the other side of Angel’s Share, Venti was already in the middle of pushing an instrument into Kaveh’s hands as they made themselves comfortable on a vantage point for the crowd watching them. It looked similar enough to his old dutar, with a few more strings than he was used to and a hole in the middle, but it shouldn’t be too hard. He strummed a few chords, happy to note that it even sounded similar too.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Venti announced to their audience, snatching an unattended beer mug off of a nearby table to raise a toast. “I bring you one last song for tonight, together with one of our guests of honour for this party. I hope you will all sing along, because this is a classic anyone should know. Are you ready?”
Cheers rang out with several more toasts, and Kaveh got the go-ahead. He strummed the few chords Venti had whispered to him earlier, and the immediate effect it had was all he wished for. Venti shot him a wink, before strumming the accompanying chords on his lyre and belting out the beginning of the song at the top of his lungs. Kaveh himself wasn’t far behind.
“Country Roads, take me home-!”