#iimpacts

"You're so bitter all the time, though. What, was I supposed to watch for the signs of you beginning to ferment into a sour wine? Or something else unpleasant?"

Jabs came easily to the two of them, especially since they were naturally so bitter and condescending to one another that it was difficult to imagine a civil conversation between them that wasn't riddled with sarcasm and animosity of some sort or another. If one thing stood true, stepping down as Acting Grand Sage meant one less foot on his back currently occupied by a certain blond whenever he stamped around childishly, day in and day out. While his work had petered out to its prerevolution levels, the daily irritations were ceaseless.

she has a point... such blunt questions regarding one's voice aren't the sort anyone should ask regardless of who they are directed towards. alhaitham would be plenty miffed if the same happened to him, too. but really, could anyone blame him for being confused? it isn't every day that he runs into people that sound like they've been ripped straight from a film. sue him for being curious.

a visit from tighnari isn't unwelcome, exactly; it's just that alhaitham expected only a serious issue to bring him into the heart of the city, or at least to him. it doesn't even cross his mind that he's just there to be a good friend, and honestly, it should have. he fully expects to hear bad news or for tighnari to update him on some new discovery, but no. instead, he's given a simple slip of paper, and the explanation for it brings a rare ( albeit, small ) smile to his face. of course tighnari would know to get the perfect gift, why is he surprised?

@iimpacts asked: ❝ i know you want to sleep, but you need to stay awake for me. ❞ albedo and uh. diluc? // hurt/comfort starters

DILUC IS NOT OFTEN CAUGHT IN THIS KIND OF STATE, one to keep any injuries entirely to himself when he does sustain them— and, quite frankly, it's been a LONG while since he's ended up with any wound so severe. It was a mistake he should have been able to prevent, one he has countless times after all the CONFRONTATIONS he's had with members of the Fatui. Just his luck that this one time, he happened to be with Albedo as well.

"I am— ... fine, I've... dealt with much worse before." Diluc grunts in pain as he tries to sit himself up more, though it helps keep him awake. He has SLEPT ON much worse before, too, memories of his time hunting through Snezhnaya flashing through his mind. He is not intentionally careless with himself, he simply prefers to treat his own mistakes on his own. Though he isn't the most capable of DOING so when his eyelids are heavy and the pounding in his head keeps beckoning him towards closing them and drifting off against Albedo's warning, is he?

whoever this woman is, she's right in assuming that. he is difficult to find, unless he's needed for something. no one looks for him just because they can. someone always needs something, and he doesn't expect her to be any different. though, from the energy she brings to the table, he can't quite figure out what she could possibly need. perhaps she can surprise him.

damn it. of course he'd mess up now. he'd done well so far, ducking into rooms and avoiding kaveh before any questions could come his way. and yet, a minor miscalculation has them meeting right in the entryway as kaveh comes home, and haitham attempts to leave. given his behavior and silence as of late, it doesn't take long for kaveh to question him and then put the pieces together. trying to leave now, mid-conversation, isn't going to work if he can't give any excuse other than " i don't want to talk about this. "

" i didn't tell you because you didn't ask before now. " and maybe it was because kaveh literally couldn't thanks to the avoidance, but his point stands. well, that, and he just didn't need people fussing over something so trivial. especially not when he's still under the weather; they're just more likely to insist he needs to be taken care of.

he's recovered a little bit so far, but he still looks as bad as he feels, and it sounds like he's struggling to push down the sick, gravely sound of his voice to get it back to normal. hopefully, he won't have to do too much talking. his throat already hurts.

at long last, their plan has come to an end. their archon is safe, the corrupt sages have been stopped and exiled, and people of sumeru are at peace, at least for now. haitham can't quite recall who initially posed the idea of a celebration, but he does remember thinking he'd much rather just go home and rest. turns out carefully navigating around the akademiya's higher ups, pretending to go mad with knowledge, and giving the performance of the era can actually wear a person out. go figure.

unfortunately, everyone is significantly more insistent than he anticipated, and he ultimately decides to join them just so they'll stop asking. maybe it wouldn't be all that bad... at least he doesn't have to go home to kaveh just yet.

over the course of a few hours, everyone makes their way through the food and talks their way into exhaustion. eventually, most decide to head home, and he wants to do the same. but once everything has fallen completely silent, haitham glances to the only other remaining people with a sigh. aether and paimon, both of them out cold not far from where he sits. not entirely unexpected... with how much work aether has put in as of late, they deserve the rest.

( he can't really sing the same praise for paimon, but then again, he never really expected to get a reason to. )

as much as he wants to head out and retreat to his room, leaving the traveler asleep and unaware doesn't quite sit right with him. not to mention the silence here was more than anything he'd get at home. so, he decides to stay. again. aether should feel lucky that he's making exceptions for them. problem is, there's nothing to keep him occupied for the moment, and there is no point in getting up to look for something to do. so be it, he can just rest his eyes here for a bit.

night falls not long after, and the only sound aside from their barely audible breathing is the faint chirping of crickets alongside the distant twittering of tired birds. ironically, as the world around them begins to properly settle down for the night, the traveler begins to stir. they clearly note that they have been out for a long time—and maybe they had even expected to end up like this—because their immediate response isn't ' where did everyone go? ', it's ' how long have i been asleep? '