ミ 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 | 𝘒𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘩 彡

𝟎𝟕

August 18, XXXX

Sir Kaveh is quite the interesting knight. This morning, I found him sitting cross legged in the grass frantically scribbling in a notebook.

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In the mornings, you had a habit of taking Tatsu with you for a stroll through the castle. Today, your walks brought you to the garden. Tatsu, who happily walked ahead of you, wanted to be outside. The bell fastened to his neck jingled with every step. With a smile, you opened the doors that led to your mom's garden.

Flora native to Mond grew in her garden. Rows upon rows of calla lillies grew next to cecilias. Further into the garden, if you were observant, you could spot a few silk flowers given as gifts from our allies in Liyue.

In the center of the garden, was a large tree, whose branches hung downwards. Whenever the winds would shift, the tree would dance.

Tatsu took off running in the direction of your mom's tree, his bell violently shaking as he did so. "Tatsu," you called after him. The cat didn't listen. You sighed as you went after him.

When you caught up to Tatsu, you realized you two had company. Sitting at the base of your mom's tree was a familar blonde. His brows were furrowed as he focused on sketching glaze lilies. "Good morning, Kaveh," you greeted him.

The blonde looked up from his work. When his ruby eyes met yours, his expression softened, melting into a smile. "Ah, good morning Y/N." His pencil stopped moving and he placed the notebook flat in his lap.

"Mind if Tatsu and I join you?" you asked.

"Not at all," he responded while patting the grass next to him. You sat in the space next to him and smoothed out your skirt on the grass. Tatsu lazily sat down in between you and Kaveh.

"Your mother's garden is lovely," he said.

"Thank you." You smiled. "It's like an oasis for me."

"How so?"

"When things in the castle get too chaotic for my liking, I'll come here with Tatsu or a good book and unwind."

"I understand you. When things in Sumeru get crazy, I'll go to my oasis, too," he said with a chuckle. "By that, I mean the forest. I usually run off to Avidya Forest and take a moment to myself." His scarlet eyes drift down to Tatsu, who was rubbing his head against the blonde's leg. The cat let out a gentle mew before jumping on top of Kaveh's notebook. "Is he usually like this?"

"No," you shook your head, "not really." Tatsu grabbed Kaveh's pencil in his mouth before jumping off his lap and running.

"Hey!" Kaveh yelled. The man raced to his feet, ready to chase after your cat.

"Wait," you said as you reached out for his arm, "give him a minute. He usually returns the things he steals."

"Usually?" the blonde asked.

"Yes, he just likes to play with things, but when he's bored of it, he'll come back." The blonde nodded. As he did so, his ruby hues caught a glimpse of your hand, which was still no his arm. His eyes widened slightly.

"Uhh."

"What?" you questioned as you followed his line of sight. Once you realized what he was looking at, you removed your hand in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry. That's very improper of me," you quickly said.

"No," Kaveh replied, "it's alright. It was just unexpected."

"I'm still at fault. I'm supposed to know better."

"You don't have to be too hard on yourself, Y/N. Besides, it's just us here. I've already said before that you don't have to worry about formalities with me."

"Sorry," you mumbled, "I'm just so used to every little movement I make being scrutinized by those that don't even know me." A small frown formed on Kaveh's face. "I don't even know why I'm telling you that," you sighed.

"I don't mind," he replied with a genuine smile. "I can only imagine how much you've had to put up with these past few years. It must have been very difficult to deal with such an absence and the responsibilities that came with it." You stayed silent, opting to look at the man in front of you. "Listen," he said, "if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for you."

"Thank you," you responded. "The same goes for you." You took a breath, wanting to say more, but before you could, the sound of Tatsu's bell danced in the air.

Both you and Kaveh turned your heads in the direction of the sound. The two of you saw your ivory-colored cat with Kaveh's pencil in his mouth. "Tatsu!" you called. The cat trotted to you and let you carry him.

"I'll be taking that," Kaveh said with a smile as he removed his pencil from your cat's mouth. Tatsu raised a paw at the blonde, attempting to swat away his hand.

"Ignore him," you told the knight, "I promise he does actually warm up to people. It just takes some time." The sound of Kaveh's laughter floated in the air.

"I trust you."

His ruby eyes notice how Tatsu snuggled up to your chest. You shifted his weight in your arms to give yourself a free hand, which gently rubbed against the back of Tatsu's ear. A soft purring sound was heard. "If you're okay with this Y/N, could I perhaps draw you and Tatsu? You two just seem so cozy together."

"I don't mind," you chirped. The smile on Kaveh's face grew.

"Awesome," he beamed, "can you sit down right there?" he asked as he pointed to a place at the base of the tree. You complied and put Tatsu in your lap.

"Like this?"

"Perfect."

"What do you want us to do?" you asked.

"Just keep playing with him," Kaveh replied. "I'll try to make this sketch quick."

With a nod, you turned your attention to Tatsu, who looked at you with cerulean eyes. "Tatsu," you cooed while rubbing behind his ears. The cat let out a loud purr before pressing his head into your hand. A giggle left your mouth at your cat's antics. After a while, he happily snuggled into your chest.

The two of you kept playing while the blonde's pencil moved across the surface of his notebook. Despite having to keep your attention focused on the cat in front of you, you found your gaze travelling towards the knight.

His ruby eyes narrowed as he concentrated on capturing every detail with his pencil. A slight smile formed on your face as you saw a bit of his tongue sticking out while trying to add details to the sketch. Once he was satisfied with his work, his face lit up. Kaveh turned the notebook towards you. "It's a bit rushed, but what do you think?" he asked.

"What do I think?" you repeated.

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Well, I told him his work was beautiful, but he doubted it. He even went so far as to say I pitied him and his sketch is nothing compared to the artists that do my portraits.

The truth is, it's better than any artist's work I've seen before.

Kaveh took the time and effort to capture not just mine and Tatsu's likenesses, but our characters as well. I could see in his sketch the glint in Tatsu's eyes, the one that makes you question if he's planning something or not. In his depiction of me, I saw gentleness and care, elements that get lost in all of my portraits.

He truly has a gift, one that needs to be nurtured.

It truly is a shame that he, as well as the rest of our coronation guests, leave in two days time. Maybe I could make the most of the remaining time.