#starliit

"I-- I..."

The flames coating the surface of his weapon fizzle out, leaving naught left but smoke -- and the wild look in his eyes softens as he gazes down at the poor fellow he'd nearly crushed beneath the weight of it.

Embarrassment and shame floods his features as he looks around at their forest encampment, belongings still exactly where he'd left them, and no enemy in sight. When he realizes that it had been his turn to keep an eye out while the other slept, that shame only settles even heavier upon his shoulders.

Had he passed out?

Mateo just turned to look at Kaveh...and immediately shrugged and went back to his work.

"To you. To ME however...." He stopped talking for a moment to properly examine the paper in his hand before setting it aside. Looking at Kaveh with a smile, "It's a regular Tuesday.~"

The Sage finally pushed himself to his feet, pausing for a moment in order to let his body catch up to him, then grabbing his cane after it did.

"So I have zero issue in letting you in on the shit the Akademiya's doing, considering I have a feeling Alhaitham has told you absolutely nothing..." Mateo exhaled slowly before walking off, a grin starting to form on his face.

'i love you' prompts // accepting. @starliit // 'did you get enough sleep?' - for aether

FOR A MOMENT, Aether worries whether his lack of rest is obvious — not sleep, per se, for he seeks it out most nights ( except for when they can't, when they're busy enough they don't have a moment to spare for sleep, simply pushing forward until they're swaying on their feet & can barely distinguish the days ) but relaxtion was what eludes him, regardless of how much sleep he has had.

He has found that no cup of tea nor any amount of time staring up at the skies brings him peace any longer. Even his sleep has become restless, filled with memories he wishes he could hide away from & his daydreams are plagued with visions of ancient pasts he has yet to discover. No amount of attempting to unwind would ever take the lessons of this world away from him.

( no other world has left them feeling as if everything they have done was for everything & nothing all at once. )

Aether does not relay his train to thought of Kaveh — there is no place amongst friends to do so, for positivity is all he finds he can offer these days & so he will keep all emotion aside from joy under lock & key, not unlike an infection living within his very soul — & instead offers a small smile, the sort of which he hopes does not reveal his weariness.

❝I think I should be asking you that, really.❞ He points out, a softness to it that he hopes adequately displays some sort of care or concern in the midst of a bone-deep exhaustion he tries his best to keep out of his voice. ❝I've been getting more than enough sleep, recently, really. I'd hope I don't look that tired.❞ Then again, Aether wonders if there has ever been a time since he left Liyue that he hasn't looked tired in some form.

❝Have you been doing alright, Kaveh?❞

For Delta: He's prone to rambling about his most recent experiment or the most recent machine/technology he's built.

@starliit asked: ♚ - put a hand on my muse’s knee while sitting next to them, to discourage them from standing up ➠ manhandling symbol starters. | accepting !

that  may  have  been  just  about  the  last  thing  he  expected.  kaveh  was  typically  quite  clear  in  his  annoyances  with  the  scribe,  and  his  hot-headed  nature  and  unending  self-consciousness  tended  to  see  him  more  verbally  aggressive  than  generally  physical.  of  course  he  didn't  expect  any  altercations  between  them,  no  matter  how  heated  things  got,  but  he  equally  never  would  have  estimated  that  he  would  place  his  hand  on  his  leg  to  keep  him  in  place.  if  anything,  he  thought  he  would  much  rather  shoo  him  away,  or  at  least  would  refrain  from  touching  him.

Jae nimbly catches his gift, turning the weapon over in his hands.

kiss roulette | @blindfoldcd (Leo)

Akademiya parties were not his favorite thing in the world. Sure, he liked free food and drinks as much as a the next person, and there was always the chance to talk shop with some of the more popular (richer) benefactors of the Akademiya. But at the same time - it was just another arena where Kaveh found himself playing a part he never asked to play. A place where he had to hold himself higher, keep his mask from slipping. Still...The company wasn't horrible. "Mr. Greer...you flatter me!" he smiled, feeling the brush of lips across the back of his hand. A tingle flickered through his fingers as he pulled his hand away. "It's a pleasure to meet you too. I would recognize your name anywhere."

Though Leo wasn't big on parties either, he's had hundreds of years to learn the art of schmoozing his way through them, especially when it came to making profitable deals. It wasn't enough for him to simply work hard in order to get his restaurant business as big as it had become and, after almost being swindled or taken advantage of a handful of times, he had to be incredibly careful.

That's not to say that he intended to commission something from the most well known architect to graduate from the Akademiya as of late, Leo was simply a lover of beautiful things... and people.

He easily relinquishes the loose grip on the blonde's hand, raising back up to full height, a cheerful grin on his lips. ❝Ya deserve th' praise, genuinely! I've seen plenty'a yer work an' can't say I've seen an architect as impressive as yerself since th' one tha' built my home~.❞ There was no shred of exaggeration in the half-dragon's tone, an honest compliment he felt Kaveh deserved.

meta. / accepting

On one hand, the rain calms Decima. A reminder that better things are to come, and a reminder that the purity of rain can wash away one's sins for a day. It's calming, it's cold, and the soft patter of raindrops can easily lull them to sleep on even the most panic-stricken days.