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[ Kaveh is far too gentle, too kind. To what he knows is a mechanical creation, he still offers the dignity and privacy of a human. To what he doesn't know is a vicious, broken, scheming murderer, he offers his friendship.

He isn't worthy of it. ]

You can't pretend not to know something that you do. Just use it. You already know, anyway.

[ And knowing was what mattered here, since it wasn't information Kaveh could use besides this little game of guessing what he was. ]

[ kaveh looks. and then, finally, he allows his head to dip. because this, too, is pride, kaveh thinks. there is dignity to acquiescence. this young man, kaveh thinks, must choose honesty because there has not been enough honesty given to him. his heart aches for it. ]

Alright. [ kaveh's gaze lingers on the young man. then: ] I once roomed with a Haravatat who went on a six month exchange to Inazuma to study ancient Inazuma typology. He brought back with him a pair of Inazuman dolls, amongst other things. Your joints remind me of Inazuman puppetry. You are a mechanical creature; you were likely created to mimic humans down to the last elemental particle, weight included, but that would explain why you don't need food. You sustain yourself on something else entirely. I'd hazard elemental energy, or you may be a rare example of a near-perpetual machine. Either way, food doesn't help sustain you.

Am I close?

[ So Kaveh acquiesces, because doing otherwise would be to disrespect the drifter's wishes, and he could never choose that. He's far too kind, even to this empty shell of a doll that only held the sins of a puppet that was deceived and made to dance a waltz of madness.

It's a good guess. Well thought out, using every bit of information Kaveh has at hand. It's as close as any mortal will ever get to learning what he is—because the rest of what he is lay in the realm of the divine.

He smiles at Kaveh, heavy with the weight of over four hundred years. ]

There's only one thing you're wrong about: I wasn't created to mimic a human.

Edited 2023-11-19 11:56 (UTC)

[ And then, abruptly, he sits down and leans back, crossing both arms and legs in a relaxed pose, in complete juxtaposition to his previous bearing. ]

That's enough for now, don't you think? The food's going to get cold.

[ To go any further would be to offer his entire life to Kaveh. And that is something the architect should not be made to bear. ]

Edited 2023-11-19 11:55 (UTC)

[ kaveh looks. it sometimes is so, that knowledge is fuel for the mind and a burden on the heart. isn't it so, that forbidden knowledge once brought down the minds of so many? i wasn't created to mimic a human, the young man says, and kaveh's heart sinks to the soles of his shoes, where they remain, amongst the shrapnel of what was lost. there are so few other existences in teyvat who resemble humans but who are not human. not really, no matter how much they yearn for it. and kaveh has always known: that the archon of inazuma has purple hair.

kaveh breathes in. he offers a wan smile. he sits once more, and then, because he's kaveh, once again gestures for the young man to sit with him. ]

It is, isn't it? You'll still eat with me though, right? Food tastes better with company, and food tastes better when shared. [ kaveh's smile softens around its edges, ] Let me have a selfish moment and enjoy the flavours you've prepared in the best light possible.

[ Perhaps he'd said too much, but the words had cried to be spoken. He's not human, and he never will be. Made in the image of a god, but never given a chance to fulfill his duty. He is in between both, and because of that, he will never find his place with either.

Yet Kaveh still extends his hand in friendship. Perhaps it is simply pity for what he is and what he will never be. Perhaps he sees the drifter and finds an existence so terribly alone he cannot bear to leave it be. ]

You just don't know when to give up, do you?

[ And yet he acquiesces, reaching out to plate food for himself. He hadn't wanted to eat the food here. Who knew what the kidnappers put in it. And who knew how long the supply would last? It was an easy decision not to partake of it.

Kaveh is right. Food tastes much better when enjoyed in the presence of good company. ]

I do, sometimes. [ kaveh says, with a glint of rue, because it's not always true. kaveh has always believed that eventually, he will see something truly impossible in this world, something that the limited reach of his hands cannot wrap themselves around and bend to his will. when that day comes, he would like to think that his experience will allow him to concede with some level of grace. but that day has yet to come. perhaps that's what it means to not know when to give up - when others would have. kaveh simply has never met anything he ought to have given up on.

he shakes his head. ] But this is not something that I am willing to give up on. After all, the food is good, and the company is promising.

[ kaveh takes a bite of the fatteh. he beams. ] Ah, this takes me back. It's delicious. You soaked the chickpeas for just the right amount of time. Even Alhaitham has trouble with it, though that's because he's as impatient as they come.

Something tells me those times are few and far between.

[ The man is determined in a way he rarely sees from humans, but perhaps that was why he had a Vision. He doesn't think the architect will ever give up if he thinks he's got a shot. Maybe even if he thinks he doesn't have one.

In a bygone day, he would have laughed at him, calling him an undignified, desperate fool. These days, he thinks it might be a trait worthy of admiration after all.

And it's certainly not worth the drifter being stubborn over. He has no desire to upset the few people he has some modicum of respect for. ]

You think me promising company? How flattering. I think most find me difficult to get along with.

[ Somehow, it doesn't surprise him to learn that Alhaitham isn't the greatest cook. The man seems like the type that'd leave it in someone else's hands or make the most basic dish that would fulfill his nutritional needs. In other words, someone who valued efficiency over taste. ]

You make it sound like it's difficult.

[ kaveh smiles, because perhaps there is something correct in what the young man says, because kaveh has never found a challenge that he did not wish to see through to the end. if you start something, should you not finish it? in what world could you bear not to?

so of course, kaveh laughs. ]

You are as difficult to get along with as chickpeas is to soak, I suppose. Each person has their own preferences, strengths and weaknesses. And really, some people hardly try. Alhaitham is one of them.

Tell me, did you find Alhaitham difficult to get along with when you spoke with him?

[ He should be miffed that his surly attitude is being compared to chickpeas, because really, chickpeas are not that hard to work with. He can think of a lot of other ingredients that are more finicky, that would better describe him, but the food analogy is much in the way of Nahida's habit of inserting analogies into her sentences, and he feels warmth instead of irritation. The curl of his lips comes unbidden, subtle though it might be. ]

If I said he's like a pepper, what would you make of it?

[ Because when does he answer any question posed to him in a straightforward manner? Maybe this is a habit he's picked up from Nahida, now that he thinks about it. Perhaps he should be embarrassed how easily she's rubbed off on him. ]

[ the young man's lips curl. it's a little thing, much in the way of a flower at dawn, canting towards a distant sun. who is the sun for this young man, kaveh suddenly thinks. there must be. you would only smile like that for someone like that.

a pepper, however. kaveh considers this moment. of course, he begins to laugh. ]

Oh, I rather like that analogy. He's a pepper alright - perfectly benign so long as you don't poke at him too hard, an explosive temper when put anywhere near a heat source or oil, the overwhelming taste in any dish you put him in, and near-impossible to get rid of once he's decided he wants to be on your hands. I'd choose a pepper that's of a greener shade, however. You never know that's the one that will strip your tastebuds from your tongue until you bit into it, and realise that it has bitten you back in the throat.

How about it? Did you find yourself bitten?

[ The way Kaveh interprets the drifter's statement is far more of an indication of how the architect feels about Alhaitham than anything else. He describes the Scribe so scathingly, yet there's no mistaking the fondness that exudes from his every word. The pair are close in a way he knows he will never experience for himself, but it doesn't bother him. Instead, it's interesting to look at, and study. How humans could connect so closely, and yet still be so harsh in their evaluations of each other.

It's trust, he thinks, that allows Kaveh's tongue to be so loose. He trusts the Scribe will not take offense to his words. ]

I merely think that he's straightforward and easy to understand. You'll always know what you get from a pepper, after all. Spice. All you have to do is create a dish that works with it, and you'll have a good result.

[ straightforward and easy to understand, the young man says. kaveh brightens with something like wonder. of course he does. it is, after all, the first time he's heard someone describe alhaitham like such, in a way that kaveh has always found intuitive. ]

Yes. [ kaveh says, and brightly too. ] You know, you really are the first person that I've met who's understood him. I'm glad that the time you spent with him up until now has giving you an accurate impression of who he is. At the core of his character, Alhaitham is simple. You let him go off and explore his own interests, give him enough space to be himself, and he will inevitably think up something brilliant and unique. You can attempt to bully him into eating his metaphorical vegetables once in a while, but let it go if it doesn't work the first time around, and when he thinks he needs to, he'll loop back in time. His work is also impeccable, but only because if he doesn't do it right the first time around, someone's bound to complain and he'll waste more time having to correct it.

[ then, kaveh gives this young man a strange look. ] Now, exactly what sort of trouble have the two of you been through together for you to have such an accurate impression of Alhaitham? Were you a part of the government coup as well? He's never mentioned you, but Alhaitham never mentions anything unless you know what to ask - and I didn't know to ask about you.

[ Really, Kaveh doesn't even try to hide his fondness for Alhaitham. How was it that so many people thought the two couldn't get along when it was just the opposite? They're blind, which is about what he expects from many of the scholars of the Akademiya. They cling so easily to their preconceived notions and never let go of them.

Funnily though, here Kaveh is making an assumption about him. That he's stuck around Alhaitham for a while to come to the conclusion that he has. Was he part of the government coup? Hah. What kind of face would Kaveh make if he said he was on the opposite side—one of the perpetrators? Maybe he wouldn't be so friendly then.

But that's not the case in this reality. No one but Nahida knows his true role in Azar's plot. And for now, he doesn't feel inclined to share the truth with Kaveh. ]

You make it sound like he's difficult to understand. That was the impression I got only from interacting with him here. Good to know my read of him was accurate.

[ He has spent no small amount of his life observing humans, even when he hated them in the aftermath of the betrayals he suffered, and Alhaitham was among the ones that were easier to understand. ]

[ just here, the young man says. kaveh's eyebrows disappear into the blond of his hairline. ]

That is impressive. [ he says, with a grin, ] You must be quick on the uptake, and with a special sort of empathy. [ and kind, too, kaveh thinks - only those who are kind are good at picking up these little things; only those who have kind disposition will take the time to notice, though whether they use their kind dispositions for the sake of kindness is up to them. ] Yes, most individuals find him terribly difficult to get along with, and impossible to understand. Did you know that he's called the Lunatic of the Akademiya? Though I'll bet he has a few new and far less flattering monikers now that he's successfully overthrown an entire government.

That reminds me - what should I call you? [ ... a hesitant beat. kaveh looks. ] I hesitate on 'Hat Guy'. That just seems...

[ His eyes narrow. Him, empathetic? Kaveh must be joking. He is the furthest thing from empathetic. And if he knew Kaveh thought of him as kind, he would be angry. ]

I'm merely observant. That's more than you can say for most of the scholars of the Akademiya. The Scribe, a lunatic? Hah. They haven't met a real lunatic if that's how they describe him.

[ Those scholars clearly haven't met him yet. ]

Hat Guy is fine. Lesser Lord Kusanali is the one that chose that name. But if you don't like it, call me whatever you please.

[ kaveh makes a face. ]

Oh, don't tell me. Lesser Lord Kusanali has the same sense of humour as Cyno.

I wish I could say I was surprised, but...

[ He raises an eyebrow at that. ]

I never took the General Mahamatra to have a sense of humour.

[ Boy, if only the drifter knew. ]

Ah, that's a joke and a half. Listen here, young man [ kaveh leans in, all red, glinting resignation: ] - the General Mahamatra has too much of a sense of humour. And you'll know when you've witnessed it for yourself!

[ but despite it, perhaps his tone is just a little fond. he can't help it, after all. it's cyno. ]

[ There's a sort of long suffering sentiment in Kaveh's words that has both of his eyebrows raising. Clearly, the architect has dealt with Cyno's sense of humour for a long time now, and though he speaks fondly, there's a hint of exasperation that suggests the General Mahamatra's jokes not the greatest.

Interesting. ]

I'm sure I'll get a chance to here.

[ It's not like he has a reason to avoid Cyno, or anyone else here. ]

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