Genshin Impact One Shots

Kavaitham #1 -Part 2-

The roar of water was something Kaveh hadn't anticipated upon arriving to Fontaine, feeling the air itself become misty as the boat cut across the ocean towards the harbor. Strange gulls honked and fluttered along the nearing shoreline, some fighting for food while others played with starfish or floated along the waves. The architect cast his eyes upwards to the tower of beautifully sleek stone that would soon carry him up to the high sea, marveling its design. Sweeps and curves gave it elegance while its mere stature made it seem daunting. Kaveh internally thanked the heavens there's an elevator within it, for the amount of stairs needed to ascend would be horrendous torture.

As the boat began docking, the blonde noticed several other boats arriving and departing. Some were merely for a few people while others were large merchant vessels, all of which were either Fontainian or Sumerian. "We've arrived everyone, please watch tour step as you get off!" The captain announced while his workers moved to accommodate their passengers off the boat. Kaveh grabbed his luggage -double checking he had everything that was his- and soon made his way towards the looming stone tower that was Romaritime Harbor.

He entered the illuminated interior, unable to hide how mesmerized he was. The lighting and its fixtures were about to take over his thoughts but he stopped himself. Kaveh knew he would have plenty of opportunities to examine the Fontainian designs later, so he continued on. To his right he saw a staircase curving upwards and followed it to the lift, which he hesitantly stepped into. Immediately its doors slid closed and began to move upon sensing his weight, much to Kaveh's surprise. He didnt have long to think about it for within a minute, it stopped and the doors opened to reveal a long waterway that seemed to stretch into the far distance.

"Wow.." The blonde stepped out of the elevator and noticed the scenery behind him. A statue of the Hydro Archon stood there but what he found odd was the giant glowing tree that seemed to be randomly in the middle of the desert. "What the hell..?" He walked past the statute and halted at the railing, gazing out at the sandstone cliffs that bordered the mysterious tree. "Is it even really a tree? It looks like it's made of water and clouds??" Kaveh questioned to himself. He snapped a wuick picture before turning and heading towards the waterway. "I'll show it to Alhaitham when I get back, maybe he'll know something about it.." He muttered, noticing an odd Fontainian boat was now accepting passengers. The architect hurried to catch up, then stepped aboard and chose a seat as the guide began an announcement-

"Welcome to the Clementine Line! I'll be your Melusine guide, Aeval! The aqua bus will soon depart for the Court of Fontaine, so please stay seated and keep all luggage and arms and legs within the bus at all times please!" After she paused, the boat soon started moving and Kaveh eyed the scenery that surrounded them. The guide continued to speak and the blonde listened intently while many seemed bored. Kaveh figured they were returning locals or long time visitors but for him, it was all new and he couldn't deny being excited.

The experience was over quicker than he wanted but  Kaveh thanked the small girl before approaching yet another elevator. "Huh, this one has buttons this time-" He mumbled as he read the text inscribed next to each one, "1F: Station Main Hall...2F: Clementine Line..3F: Navia Line...and 4F is Palais Mermonia.." He noticed a yellow light was on beside the 2F button, so he reluctantly pressed F1. He had no clue exactly where he was going but common sense told him to go down.

Kaveh eventually navigated out of the station hall, being sure to grab a brochure of the city's map. Luggage aching in-hand, he sighed in the midday sun as he took in the marvelous structure ahead of him. It was surrounded in small fountains and it's two central layers beheld a multi-rotating mechanism. Its energy flow and graceful movements calmed him as he rested for a moment. "Living here doesn't seem so bad..maybe my art would finally get the appreciation it deserves." Kaveh stated as he looked around, seeing high stone walls and staircases and paths leading to multiple places. "Uh..huh, where is hotel..?" He hummed, gazing at the map, thinking.

. . .

After several wrong turns, too many stairs and giving in to assistance from a local, the architect sighed out with exhaustion, "Finallyyy..." He trudged his way to the building and a kind lady opened the door for him, to which he tiredly thanked her. And once inside, he approached a man at the front desk, acquiring the key to his room with no hassle. He heaved his luggage with him into the elevator and sighed. Soft music played from a speaker above him and if he hadn't been standing, he was sure he would've fallen asleep.

The door opened and closed, followed by the lock clicking in place. The blonde groaned as he dropped his bags. He let his hair down, kicked off his shoes, tossed his cape somewhere and tiredly fumbled to remove his earings. And then flopped face first onto the puffy cloud-like bed dramatically, smelling fresh linen and feeling painful jab in his left thigh. He grunted in discomfort and rolled onto his side to see his vision still connected to his belt. It glowed softly in the dim room as he grabbed it, then set it down near him on the bed before resuming his sprawled out position...

. . .

"Heading home, Alhaitham?" Cyno questioned casually even though he knew the answer. The Scribe glanced at him and hummed as he locked the door to his office, "Yes." They walked side by side out of the Academiya, then separated with calm goodbyes when they'd reached Alhaitham's house. He watched Cyno leave for a moment before entering, the familiar smell making him sigh. He flicked on the lights and headed towards his bedroom, removing his usual clothes to wear something looser. With headphones off, Alhaitham cooked himself dinner and read one of his several books before retiring for the night.

Soft sheets and a decent pillow gave his body warmth and comfort while he settled down. His eyes closed, his ears caught the low hum of silence, and he breathed deeply. Alhaitham laid there for a while...minutes turned to an hour..and an hour rolled over into two..and three. He'd shifted and turned, attempted meditation, and even opened a window for fresh air. But to his growing annoyance, nothing was working. The Scribe lifted himself back out of bed and walked to the kitchen. He began to heat the tea kettle at the stove and decided to busy himself while he waited.

The silver-haired man eyed the bookshelves, noticing how organized and clean everything was. "Did he do that before he left?" Was his first thought, which daisy-chained into certain memories being recalled. He moved his attention to one of the paintings on the wall, remembering the day they'd argued about it. The face the blonde made when he got angry always amused him and despite sometimes trying to hide that fact, his roommate would often catch his stifled chuckle or hidden grin. Alhaitham glanced at the door to the other's bedroom, seeing it was wide open.

He strolled in -more so bored than curious- and noticed a glint of light coming from underneath the bed. The Scribe bent down to draw the item out, only to realize there was more to it. Several small photos scattered to the floor in front of him as he inspected the large photo held within the golden frame. It was of young Kaveh and his parents. The more he stared, the more memories cropped up of those school years in the Akademiya. Kaveh always bragging about being older -by one year- while he casually spoke of his better grades. The banter they shared back then was always something he'd looked forward to. The days of their youth were so fond..until it wasn't anymore...

Alhaitham sighed, setting the picture on the bed before retrieving one from the floor. It was a group photo of him, Kaveh, Tighnari and Cyno at graduation. At the time it was taken, he hadn't noticed the look in Kaveh's eyes but now- it puzzled him. Was there sadness or disappointment hidden behind his smile..? Despite how gullible the blonde has always been, he couldn't quite understand him fully when it came to his emotions. Sometimes he'd let something slip when he's drunk but then sober Kaveh would act like nothing happened.

Before he could pick up another photo, the sharp whistle of the kettle caught his attention. The silver-haired man stood up and soothed the noise, making himself a cup of tea before returning to his roommate's room. His interest in the photos had heightened and his desire to solve the mystery behind the blonde's past emotions was prominent now. He was off tomorrow anyway, one late night wouldn't hurt..

--- End of Part 2---

(I swear, it wasnt meant to be this long- but details are too fun to sacrifice~)