escordvi | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Who: Kaveh and YOU
Status: Open
Where: Surasthana Cafe on Eltrut!
What: The grand opening of a book cafe.
Warnings: God I hope not.

[Kaveh hasn't talked much about what he's been working on for a few months now, because he wanted this moment to be a surprise (and because he didn't want to be scolded for overwork). It has finally paid off, now, with the grand opening of the Surasthana Cafe, just in time for the deep end of the fall season. The cafe is cozily furnished and warm, the smell of lovingly brewed coffee floats through the air, and soft music plays from Mehrak.

Kaveh isn't expecting a huge rush on any given day--this was done for his own sake more than anything, but now on weekday afternoons, the little book cafe can be found and people can stay a spell, enjoying expertly made coffee drinks and some light reading in a ridiculous plant paradise.

If you have any requests for new kinds of books, or wish to purchase various accessories, stop by the front counter! The owner is happy to accommodate you, after all.

ooc: you may also treat this post as a mingle and toplevel accordingly, just mark if you are doing so! Otherwise, Kaveh will be coming for you!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

(They can't remember if they go back home?

Alhaitham might notice the sudden pause in their reach for the black knight. The intake of breath. The game forgotten for a fleeting moment.

They already know if they go home they'll lose Turo, and Ranma. But to forget them entirely?

They grab the knight. Make their move. But their hand is shaking as they do so.)

[Alhaitham does indeed pick up on this rather abrupt (from his point of view anyway) reaction from Sidestep, and its enough to have him pause for a second himself as he silently observes the way the other suddenly becomes so shaken for no reason. From what he can see the chess game is going fine enough—the match is going well and Sidestep is holding his ground well enough despite what Alhaitham is throwing at him.

...well, he does look a little gaunt there, he supposes...]

You're free to ask for a break if you need to eat or use the bathroom. [He says somewhat casually as he makes his own move after, noting afterwards that the move that the other just did was... not great. Clearly something has wavered their focus, but he has no idea what that might be.]

I'm fine.

(They snap, refocusing on the game. Their next play is overly aggressive, sloppy, leaving an opening that Alhaitham could use to destroy them if he wanted.

Fuck! They hate this world and everyone in it.

Should have known better than to let themself care.)

[People being snappish at Alhaitham isn't anything new, so he takes it without batting an eye. But that being said, this sudden shift of demeanor is curious, and its getting Alhaitham wondering a lot more. The last time he played chess with somebody and they got this shaken up....

His mind immediately flashes back to his meeting with Xehanort, and how the other was also just as rattled by what Alhaitham told him of this world. This reaction feels similar enough, but its not as if he'd said anything out loud—

...

Hm.

Alhaitham doesn't say anything, but the next time Sidestep attempts to read his mind, they'll instead get a recitation of a certain Light Novel plot synopsis.

At the same time, Alhaitham does indeed take advantage of the mistake that Sidestep has done and swiftly move in to start ending the game.]

(They notice the shift in focus without noticing, a sudden bolt of terror that startles them badly, so that instead of figuring out how best to escape the very precarious check that Alhaitham has pushed him into they instead stare at him for a moment with eyes as confused as they are colorless.

It takes a moment to realize that wasn't his terror, but their own.

Huh.

They reach out to poke his mind, find out what had startled them, but ...huh. There's a shield now. A stupid shield--seriously, what is this crap--but still a shield.

Did he...?)

[Well if that staring isn't enough to clue him in, then the strange... poking sensation that he feels is more than enough. He huffs, bemused, but it doesn't hide his thinly veiled annoyance that can be felt from how dry his voice gets when he speaks.]

Usually, one asks for permission before they start rummaging through the thoughts of another.

[Granted, his only other experience with a mind reader has been Nahida, but she is very polite about it.]

And usually people who don't want their thoughts read don't blast them everywhere.

(The mind reading is kind of always on regardless, they can't stop. Even if they want to.)

[If it were possible Alhaitham's expression flattens even more. Falling back to excuses now, he sees.]

Our thoughts are no more open than a book that has been left out. The choice to read it is still squarely on you.

[Alhaitham certainly would have known before if he was blasting his thoughts as so eloquently described, but the fact that past experiences have not suggested as such tells him otherwise. As far as he's concerned, its still the other's choice to go about reading minds.]

(And both Sidestep's fist and teeth clench at that, because people always like to think they know how telepathy works when they don't actually have a clue.

And maybe if it were someone they knew they might try the patient explaining things route but man, fuck this stranger.

They make a very exaggerated eyeroll.)

Sure, because some random norm knows how my powers work better than I do. Just because I can try not to listen doesn't mean I don't end up hearing things anyway.

(And maybe they don't want to spend all their time doing the psychic equivalent of jamming their fingers in their ears so they don't accidentally pick up on any conversations people are having nearby!)

Edited 2024-11-30 12:09 (UTC)

[All Alhaitham is getting from this is skillissue.jpeg.

Just making a careless shrug now, clearly unphased by what the other has just said.]

Sure I don't, but from the sounds of it, neither do you.

[After all, if they know their powers as well as they said they do, then clearly this should not have been an issue at all. The fact that it is thus proves otherwise.]

(What the fuck?!

What. The. Fuck?!

Look. It's really hard to describe the actual combination of completely bewildered by this seemingly intelligent man's total lack of anything resembling logic in his reasoning and the building furious rage.

It's much easier to describe Sidestep launching themself across the table. It's a stupid decision, one that will draw attention to them or get them put in jail, but what is anyone going to do? Send them back to the farm? Can't fucking do that here, assholes.

Hey Alhaitham, Sidestep's fist is now coming toward your face.)

[Compared to the Eremites that Alhaitham's dealt with a scrawny young person-thing that is Sidestep is barely even a blip on his radar, especially given the fact that they're also attacking him in blind rage.

Thus it is an easy enough task to catch the fist that comes his way, and Alhaitham grips it tight, using that momentum to sharply twist Sidestep's arm and then use the distraction caused by that to expertly pin them down right onto the table without even batting an eyelash, even as the force of it causes the chess pieces to fall off the table and clatter noisily onto the floor.]

If a physical bout is how you want to settle things, then I'm perfectly happy to do so. [He says easily while continuing to put his full weight onto the other.] We'll just have to do it outdoors so as not to disturb the patrons here.

[Or make his husband mad, but that detail doesn't need to be said.]

[The first warning something is wrong (besides the fist fight ensuing) is that the chess pieces bounce and then don't hit the floor again.

The second warning is that Mehrak is here and making a >:< face at both of them, a green bracket closing around the back of Sidestep's shoulders and Alhaitham's wrist equally. He hasn't started to yank them apart yet, but there is a very clear warning in those brackets.]

Oh, I think it's a little late for that.

[Kaveh's fuckin' pissed.]

(Yeah, the rage is a problem, because the rage puts them out of touch with their senses, with their ability to sense intentions, with their ability to read his mind.

They'd made fun of villains who succumbed to their rage in the past, and yet here they are, doing exactly that.

How far have the mighty fallen?

And yet, still there's further to go because before they can even fully react the man is grabbing them, pinning them against the table. Beaten.

Shit fuck shit-)

(They struggle. It's not very effective because Alhaitham is right: they're small. Weak. Frail. Not made for combat, no matter how much they bend their body to fighting and physically they're actually pretty muscular for their size, a small and wiry thing and yet that sense of smallness and weakness builds and builds and builds because now that it's getting more intense it's clearly something not originating in the mind of the people forced to feel it but coming from Sidestep itself, a building telepathicly broadcasted pressure of weakuselesscaughtagainnonononodon'tdon'tpleasenoscsredscaredscaredscared...

They don't notice that they've been grabbed by Mehrak. The building terror isn't even directed at Ahaitham. It's not even a feeling really, more a physiological response triggered by a domino effect of events. Words. Actions. The position of their body.

They struggle harder.)

Edited 2024-12-02 19:10 (UTC)

[Bring subjected to Mehrak's abilities is nothing new to Alhaitham, but it is uncommon enough that it has him pause and glance over to the toolbox in question—alongside its owner who has come around quickly enough, making it abundantly clear his dislike of what is going on.

In any other situation Alhaitham might perhaps be a little apologetic about causing a scene in his husband's beloved coffee shop, but right now its hard to feel sorry when he wasn't the one who suddenly tried to go and punch his face.

He opens his mouth, ready to tell Kaveh exactly that, only to be cut off at the sudden feeling of fear that permeates his senses. Despite it being easy enough to recognize that the feeling does not come from him, its still sudden and intense enough that it has him let out of the other struggling underneath his grip, a deep frown coming onto his face at this inexplicable sense of discomfort. Just what is going on here?]

[Kaveh had a whole speech prepared, about expecting a higher standard of behavior from Alhaitham because he knows him best, and also needing to determine what the hell happened here before he can decide what to do about it. That speech vanishes to the wind as that wash of fear hits him.

It's not as though Kaveh's unfamiliar with fear--he's intimately acquainted with it, actually--and for an ugly moment the image of silver hair vanishing under dark water flickers through his mind. But this isn't his--there's no reason it should be his, and he knows that.

Knowing that doesn't help much.

So he pulls Sidestep further away from the table and Alhaitham with Mehrak, depositing them back in their chair (perhaps not as gently as he'd have liked, but he's a little panicked) and turns, grabbing for Alhaitham's hands, trying to ground himself. Remind himself that Alhaitham is here and dry, and not sinking beneath the waters (it would have been Kaveh's fault). Mehrak's grip loosens a little as Kaveh's concentration wavers, but he's hardly paying attention to that right now.]

What--what is--Haitham?

[He's still here, right? Kaveh isn't alone?]

(Alhaitham lets go and Chris thrashes violently as Mehrak lifts them away, body twisting around in their clothes the way a Honey Badger twists in their skin.

It's violent enough to knock over the chair and, once the grip is loosened, they break free and collapse to the floor then lay there, hyperventilating.

The intensity of the fear begins to die down, but now you've got a fucked up telepathic ticking time bomb of a person just laying on the floor leaking fluids out of their face, because it really can't be called crying when it's just a stream of tears and drool and snot and they've ruptured a vessel in the eye so there's some blood leaking out with the tears too and... yeah. Yeah this is pretty gross.

Already unsettled by the realization provoked by Alhaitham's thoughts, it wasn't hard to rile them into a blind rage, then a blind panic when they were pinned like that and were suddenly back in their worst memories.)

Edited 2024-12-04 08:33 (UTC)

[Alhaitham can only let himself be tugged around by Mehrak, still too distracted by this foreign sense of fear that is not his. It'd taken a second, but it finally occurs to him where he'd felt something similar to this before—back on the island with all the moogles. Was this person there, too? The person back then did have a coat over him and all if his memory serves him right...

Regardless, it doesn't matter. Those questions don't matter because what does matter is Kaveh, who now holds his hands, clearly having felt the same thing that he did, as shown by the shaken expression on his face and the tremble of his hands that grips around his own almost desperately.]

I'm here. [He says, simple but no less firm, twisting his own hands around so that he can grasp back onto Kaveh in turn, squeezing once to help keep his senior grounded.] We're fine.

[For Alhaitham, at least, he doesn't have as much difficultly segregating his feelings in this, which allows him to glance over to the one currently hyperventilating on the ground. Funny how all their bluster earlier had been so quick to fall apart; a better man might have felt sorry about it, but Alhaitham has never once considered himself as such a person.

Seeing that they're too wrapped up in whatever is affecting them to be able to do anything else, he returns his attention back to Kaveh. He gives their linked hands another squeeze and then tugs him in closer, other hand cupping the side of his husband's face, seeing if the added touch will help ground the architect better.]

I'm here. [He repeats himself, voice coming out steady despite the sudden chaos of what had happened.] I'm here, Kaveh. We're alright.

Edited 2024-12-06 10:45 (UTC)

You're alright...[Air is still tight in his lungs but--Alhaitham's here. Alhaitham's here. Kaveh's not thinking clearly enough to hope that wash of relief and sense of safety helps the...current situation, he simply leans into his husband's touch and hopes his racing pulse will stop.

Not that he's forgotten Sidestep, but...that's a difficult problem. Kaveh turns his head slightly to look and--ohhh. Oh dear.]

Haitham, we...[He trails off. They do have to do something, but what? Simply levitating Sidestep out the front door and onto the street would be crueler than Kaveh's capable of, even if attacking the owner's husband is pretty solid grounds for removal from the premises. Touching them seems ill-advised. They don't seem to hear much of what's being said right now, either...

An idea flickers through his mind, and he puffs out a breath of air.]

Lily!

[The cat is not less affected by all this, but she is a Warrior Cat, and she is brave...and kindhearted. She twines around her parents legs and cautiously mmrews at Kaveh, peering at the person at the floor, but takes the nod as encouragement to approach, coming just within reach and chirping at the fallen psychic. Mehrak hovers nearby, prepared to rescue the cat if Sidestep reacts...poorly....to Shadowlily's approach.

...Archons, Kaveh hopes this works.]

(Look, no one is gonna blame Alhaitham for not feeling particularly sorry for the fucker who just tried to punch him in the face. Even if they hadn't done this to themself, it's not like he could have known what would happen.

Sidestep obviously didn't.

Shadowlily's approach, thankfully, doesn't get much reaction from Sidestep. This is also unfortunate, as she doesn't get much reaction from Sidestep. They twitch at the chirping, and one of their very bloodshot eyes flicks to focus on the cat, even as they struggle to get their breathing under control. If this were a human approaching, they'd probably pull away or maybe even swat at them, but ...they aren't gonna hurt an animal, man.

It's just... they're fucked up enough right now that they're not super inclined to reach out and pet the cat without prompting, either.)

[Unlike Kaveh Alhaitham can't say that he has any level of concern for Sidestep now, especially after what just happened—and the fact that they've affected Kaveh so only encourages him to hold on even less of his sympathy, if he even had any in the first place.

Still, between the two of them Kaveh has always been the far more kind-hearted one, and while Alhaitham certainly isn't that all keen to help out the mess of a mind reader now twitching on the floor he'll let Kaveh do his thing if that means they don't remain here. There's enough annoyances as it is for him to want to entertain any more than he already has.

Shadowlily heeds Kaveh's command and encouragement, making her way over to where Sidestep is, and while its clear that they are reacting to her approach they also don't do much more than that. It suggests a number of things, none of which are particularly useful to the current situation.

He glances back to Kaveh, giving him a look that basically asks the question for him: Now what? Alhaitham, of course, has a few suggestions in mind, but he knows that none of them will be taken particularly well, and so he refrains. Not that it'll stop Kaveh from figuring them out anyway, considering how well his husband knows him.]

[Now what is a pretty good question, as Kaveh isn't entirely sure who to call. Has he even ever seen Sidestep interact with other people? They seem more like some telepathic cryptid who turns up now and then at the Conservatory--

Aha.]

...Let me call someone. They might--be able to help.

[If the Professor can't...maybe Valiant or Bundle can help, does the mind-reading work on Pokemon?

It's worth a shot. Time to go make a call.]

[A call that hadn't been expected in any capacity, to say the last of it; did mean that Turo left in a bit of a hurry, possibly easy to spot the creature that Turo rode in on waiting outside at the door. Mariposa and Iron Valiant walked in just behind the man as he made his way inside—]

Apologies if I took longer than expected to get here.

[Mariposa already making her way over to Chris, calm as could be and apparently focused on whatever task she felt was at hand.]

-- Hello as well.

(And well, maybe Chris picked up from Kaveh's mind that he was calling Turo and not, say, some random medical doctor, which would typically have them at least trying to run. Or maybe they're too out of it to even notice anyone was being called. Or maybe they've just given up.

Or they can't move. That's also a possibility.

They seem to be at least vaguely aware of what's going on, because their eyes do focus on Mariposa, though after a moment of looking at her they squeeze them shut again. That post telepathic exertion headache be hitting hard now.

...It's entirely deserved.

What isn't deserved is Kaveh and Alhaitham having blood and spit and tears leaking out onto their nice floor... though at least at this point they've closed their mouth and stopped drooling.)

[Kaveh seems to know what to do here, so Alhaitham is more than fine with letting his husband handle the situation. As Kaveh calls for... whoever it is he stays exactly where he is, arms crossed over his chest as he continues to stare down at the mess lying on the floor. As terrible as it all looks, Alhaitham still can't say that he's willing to extend any level of sympathy; as far as he's concerned they wanted trouble and they got it.

For better or worse it doesn't take long for Kaveh's call of help to arrive, which does in the form of somebody who Alhaitham can't say he's familiar with. They seem polite enough, at least, so Alhaitham regards the newcomer with a nod and steps back, Shadowlily hot on his heels as she is perhaps a little spooked by the abrupt appearance of all the strange... creatures she wasn't quite prepared for, to say the least.

Though it's obvious enough that this new person is who Kaveh called, he glances again at his senior anyway, more or less asking for confirmation on the matter.]

(no subject)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

jaws theme intensifies

CW idiot is having an extreme panic attack

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)