Away With Words

Scarlet

As the bright Sumeru sun flaunted itself across the city streets, Alhaitham found himself to be a bit overwhelmed. The bustling streets of the luxurious city had prompted him to want to take off the little device that allowed him to indulge in the noise. But the hellos and waves from the city folk kept him from doing so. It was early in the day so everyone was out doing their daily work. Shopping, carpentry, laundering, farming, just name it.

Instead of being inside and committing himself to his work as his other peers were, he was walking himself up to the front door of his home. A kiddie sized coffee in hand, why he bought it for his roommate he doesn't know. A way to make up for last night? He doesn't feel that he has anything to apologize for at all. He told his roommate upfront that he supported anything his Senior wished to do. Sure he has an opinion, but that opinion would be kept to himself and himself alone. The scribe couldn't have Kaveh making a decision based on him. It was Kaveh's life, not Alhaitham's.

The Junior scowled at the now room temperature milky liquid in his hand. He wouldn't have taken a sip of it even before, too much milk and too much sweetener. He preferred his coffee like he preferred his life.

Plain.

That's the main reason why he and his roommate so often fought. Alhaitham lived in an unchanging softly colored world, he didn't need the wears and tears of excitement and curiosity to fill his life. He was happy with the way it was, his home, his job and his books. Just like the life he had with his grandmother.

Kaveh, a man of many words. A reckless man who always seeked the new. A man who painted himself and his own world with colors of which you would only see in space. He hated the dull, always seeked to live out each day the best he could. A man who was bored easily yet excited easily all in the same moment. He never sat down, was always pacing forward. Alhaitham would never understand him, he always felt it was time for him to settle down. Felt the man needed to find himself, he supported the man's life choices but found them rather... silly.

For art wasn't seen as serious, the constant changing created instability and frankly, that was a frightening thing. Why change when life is already good? Why risk the possibility of hurt, sure the colors on paper may be pretty but what bizarre things were used to make those colors?

Life can't always be a bright splash of paint, it's more often a dull container of bleeding ink.

Alhaitham returned home, placed his book on the main table and walked his way to Kaveh's room. He gave a small knock before placing down the cup of coffee. "Something at the door for you, also when you get the chance do your dishes." He took a step back and looking at the cup then the door for a moment before letting out a small sigh and heading to his room.

Maybe Kaveh is sick.

Only when he's sick does he hide away in his room.

▽ ▽ ▽ ▽ ▽ ▽

Kaveh smiled up at the bright sun, enjoying the breeze and the warmth that soaked into his tanned skin. He wore the same gray sweater from yesterday, a pair of black sweats and his little white slip ons. You could look and tell he had rolled out of bed and walked out of the house. He was a mess maybe, but a free man. A man who did as he pleaded. All he had to do was pay for a place to live and food to eat. He enjoyed his work and overall his life. Everything is his life was seen as pretty. Especially the people in it. He loved life, even back when he slept on the streets, he was still happy. He always did what he could for his city's presence. He loved creating a happy city, but he would love creating a happy home even more.

He pushed open the doors of Sumeru's tavern. The air flooded in with him, pushing all his hair forward. He placed his fancy silver and green suitcase down as he took a seat. He enjoyed his drinks yes, but this place was also a great spot to people watch. It was early meaning not many would be here. But as the day went on many more would shuffle their way in.

All he needed was a bit of freedom and a distraction perhaps. The bartender stepped away from his post and greeted Kaveh, a big smile was exchanged between the two.

"You're quite early today. Are you taking drinks to go?" The tender asked, his left eyebrow crocked in confusion. He was then given a loud groan from Kaveh, a groan in which muffled into the tavern's wooden table as the blonde leaned over it, burying his face into the wooden fixture. "That bad of a day, huh?" The bartender rested a hand on Kaveh's back for a brief second before retreating away, back to his station.

Kaveh's eyes had lost their charismatic charm, now muddied by bleary ink stained circles. A sleepless man who loves a dreamless one. A man who lives his waking hours in a dream. Maybe now he's to have finally awaken. Maybe this is reality. Maybe Alhaitham's ideology's were right,

life isn't colorful.

"Bad night," Kaveh sighed, his nose bent sideways as his face was smooshed against the table. His blonde hair lay messily over his shoulders before fanning out onto the table. Not a single bright red hair clip in sight, leaving his hair completely down. His once full curls reduced to wavy knots. His bangs covered his face, nothing there to hold the strands back. Despite his messy look, his hair still shined like Sumeru's sun. Golden and bright.

His voice had a slightly tangible rasp, somewhere deep in his throat. From the yelling or crying, he didn't know. "How much would it be for me to rent a room tonight?" His eyes were heavy and his head was pounding. A throbbing pain that seemed unending like waves from the forest's waterfall.

The Tavern's worker walked himself back over, placing down two glasses. A rich scarlet color swished around in the clear classes. "Did you and your roommate fight again?" There was a screech that echoed around the room as a chair was dragged near.

"When do we not?" Kaveh sniffled, his hands in his lap as his nails picked at the skin around the tips of his fingers. The bar tender wrapped an arm around the blonde male and gave him a small shake before pulling a glass closer, allowing the sound of the glass sliding on the table to clearly be heard.

Kaveh sat himself up and picked up one of the glasses. He swished the glass for a second, watching the liquid spread itself up against the glass's walls. He then raised the drink to his lips and tilted his head back, taking the drink in with big gulps. He drank as though the forest had run dry and all that was left was Sumeru's desert. A moment passed before there was a clacking sound from the cup being swiftly placed back down. All that remained of the once scarlet liquid was the stain that seeped into Kaveh's lips.

He looked like a messy lover.

He looked like a bloodied fighter.