Forget Where We Were (reupload!)

Chapter 7

After a few hours at the nearest cafe, Alhaitham finally finished writing the letters.

He decided to stay for two more days in Petrichor as he needed to confirm something first before going back to Sumeru City. He thanked the mailman as he handed him the letters addressed to Gandharva Ville, Aaru Village, and the Sanctuary of Surasthana. The letters should arrive tomorrow.

The Scribe looked at his half-finished coffee - espresso with some milk and hazelnut - and took another sip. It was a bit different from how Sumeru brewed their coffee, but it kept Alhaitham focused nonetheless. There was just too much to think about.

Kaveh lost all his memories two years ago, but he definitely survived. He was found somewhere and was brought to Fontaine. If it were some scholars or even Eremites who found him, he would be brought to either Aaru Village, the Tanit Camps, or Caravan Ribat. None of those happened, though, so who found him? If he were unable to remember anything, it would have been obvious where he came from the clothes he wore and the accent with which he spoke.

Yet things failed to add up. K iran spoke of a Benefactor who gave him a name, a job, a house, and a roommate. Could it be someone from Fontaine? A traveling merchant? A member of the Court? There remained a lot to eliminate to arrive at an acceptable answer. That meant Alhaitham still needed to do a few things.

He could leave Kiran as he was, to let him live his life as he should, but the Scribe owed Kaveh's memories a proper farewell, to find out how he ended up where he ended up, to finally close that chapter and let them walk different paths from now on.

Alhaitham was halfway through his ponderings and planning his next course of action when the cafe doors opened, and a sunbeam stepped inside. He saw Alhaitham seated at the far corner of the room and waved happily.

"I thought you left!" Kiran sat opposite him, relief on his face. "I am glad we finished early today! Thank the Archons for Lukas!"

Alhaitham raised an eyebrow.

"Oh," Kiran giggled. "Lukas is one of the Fatui, and Theo really, reaaaaally likes him. But don't tell him I told you. Theo's crushing on him like a schoolgirl because the guy has abs and muscles and all that. Though I never saw the appeal."

"The appeal," echoed the Scribe, not sure if he was able to follow the conversation accurately.

"Yeah!" Kiran smiled at Alhaitham, "I have no idea of my romantic exploits before I lost my memories, but I think smart people are very attractive. Whenever they make me run my mouth as I explain my point even further, or when they were able to shut me up from their intelligent response, that's really hot, and I am not sorry."

Alhaitham blinked. How did they get to talking about romantic attractions? This person was once Kaveh, after all, who liked to flit around from one topic to another. Kaveh smiled at him again and Alhaitham's chest squeezed tightly. This was someone he could not dare to bring home or uproot where had just started to grow. He looked like he was happier here than he has ever been in Sumeru, where all he knew was neverending commissions and heavy debts.

If this person were to remember who he was and reclaim the identity he has forgotten, he could revert back to the miserable genius who kept on crying at his worktable, in front of a worried Mehrak, as ideas could not seem to flow to him as freely as they used to be. Instead of focusing on creating his masterpieces, the architect was deeply troubled, wasting all his energies on worrying about how to make ends meet and pay for his debts.

He handled Alhaitham during the Scribe's worst days, tolerating his junior's antics and stubbornness, and pride. They might never reconcile their opposing viewpoints, but they were perfect mirrors of one another, their glaring weaknesses and incompetencies all for the other to see.