The Vulture and the Paradisaea (Alhaitham x Kaveh)

S1 C9 - A Walk (Season Finale)

Kaveh stared at the door, perplexed. What the fuck... Why was he being so nice?? It was almost how Alhaitham acted before. Was it because of something that happened yesterday? All I remember is drinking with Cyno and Tighnari, and then I draw a blank. Kaveh rubbed his forehead. I shouldn't think about it too much. He's probably teasing me.

Mehrak, seeing his companion act so strangely, questioned him. "Beep-boop! Beep boop-boop-boop beep?" Kaveh looked to Mehrak and sighed.

"Sorry that I've been acting weird, Mehrak. After.... what happened, Alhaitham's been acting different. Like a good different, but I want to know why. Is he playing with me? It's messing with my head. Ugh, I maybe I should take a walk before I continue on the project." He sat up and attempted to grab Mehrak by his handle. Mehrak shook his hand off.

"Beep. Boop-beep boop beep." Kaveh nodded.

"Okay okay, I won't hold you down. Let's go see the Palace of Alcazarzaray. I haven't set my eyes on it in a while." Kaveh opened the door, took a peek if anyone was watching, and quickly got out of the house. After they had traveled a couple of meters, Mehrak beeped a couple of anxious notes. Kaveh looked at him. "What's wrong?" Mehrak simply shook and looked worried. "I don't know what you're worried about, but it'll be alright. C'mon, let's go."

As they were going to the famed creation, Mehrak continued to act strangely, shaking all the time and turning to look at whatever made a single noise. Kaveh felt a tad bit worried. Is he malfunctioning? He is a pretty old gadget. I probably won't be able to find a way to fix him, considering the fact that he's a creation from the older times of the desert. Oh archon, I don't think I'd be able to finish many of my projects without him. I shouldn't think about it too much. He's just being paranoid, and I'm overthinking. Although Kaveh told himself not worry, he still felt a pit in his stomach. Mehrak was probably the closet thing Kaveh had to a best friend at the moment. Mehrak knew almost everything about him, and he was always there when Kaveh when he needed him most. If Mehrak was gone, I'd be a lot less stronger than I am now.

He tried not to focus on such negative thoughts, and looked around the area. Sumeru was a very fertile place, trees and plants sprouted everywhere. Except for the desert, you could barely find life there. It's always nice trekking around Sumeru. It's easier to forget about... everything. Mhmm, if only everything would suddenly forget itself too.

When they made it to the Palace of Alcazarzaray, Kaveh had the sudden urge to start breaking down. Seeing this place gave him mixed feelings. Before it was build, he used to hang out a lot here, with Alhaitham. That's how Alhaitham knew he was going to be down there. He liked the place so much, he had sketched out a little "palace" made specifically for the it. Kaveh never expected it to actually become a place. But when Dori gave the request for a mansion, he remembered his old sketch and asked to switch to a location in the Lokapala Jungle.

Dori was skeptical, but she agreed. It was going perfectly when the Withering came in. It was so painful to look at, his beloved dream being destroyed. Dori told him to just leave it. The building was nearly impossible to fix. However, Kaveh sold the house he had grown up in, and used the funds Dori provided to create the beautiful mansion. He wanted to see that place built. It was a dream that he never though possible before. He did it, but at a heavy cost.

If someone were to ask him if it was worth it, he would shrug it off and change the subject. The truth was he didn't know. The debt was a heavy burden. He was never going to manage to pay it off. And he had to live with Alhaitham, with was definitely a difficult thing to do. But the Palace meant a lot to him. It was his dream that became a reality. And when people went there, it made them happy and impressed. That's what he always strived to do. And he had gotten his vision because of the experience. It helped when trekking around Sumeru.

Suddenly, Mehrak got all up in his face and started beeping, "Beep! Beep-Beep! Beep!" startling Kaveh out of his thoughts. He was furiously floating in circles around him, quite obviously panicking. What the... Kaveh looked worriedly at his mechanical companion. He grabbed onto Mehrak by his sides.

"Mehrak? What are you doing? Calm down!" Mehrak wouldn't stop beeping. "Mehrak, please. Just be-" Kaveh felt a heavy object, probably metal, wacked at the back of his head. "Augh!" It hurt so badly, he fell to the ground face-first, just managing to stay conscious. His vision was blurred. What the fuck? What- He could hear Mehrak's beeping become louder, but then there was a metal clang and Mehrak fell silent. His heart pounded with fear. What on Teyvat is happening?  He tried to get up. "Mehra-Mhmmp!?" He was stopped short of calling out to his friend when a piece of cloth was slipped over his mouth and tied to his head. He couldn't scream for help anymore. Huh?? A gag? Wait, am I getting kidnapped!? Oh fuck, there's no way this is happening. Kaveh winced in pain as someone yanked him by his hair. The pain was so intense, he felt himself blacking out. No... I can't black out... now... He passed out, but before he did, he heard an unfamiliar voice murmur, "Hmm. What a pretty little thing..."

END OF SEASON 1