escordvi | (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!]

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[ Hands go up! Completely defensive, he'd like to think. Claude had just found that Kaveh saying that immediately had been interesting. Also talks about how close these two likely are. Now he won't get into what else Kaveh said as a follow up but - ]

I also made it very clear I wasn't interested in that way. Though right now I'm not sure which one of you sounds more like my mother.

[Alhaitham raises a bit of an eyebrow at the way Khalid instantly backs off, and if he wasn't sure then he becomes certain very quickly once the other mentions his mother. It seems like such behavior isn't new to him after all, like he'd thought.]

I'll take that as a compliment. [Because who wouldn't be fiercely protective over the person they love? Alhaitham certainly wouldn't have it any other way.]

Oh absolutely. It would've taken a very... Unique individual to have tied down my father like she did.

[ Since he has a lot of siblings and well. Almyra only had one queen. That says a lot about Tiana von Riegan, honestly. Though she's also known as the Demon Queen. Not that Claude will say anything regarding that. ]

Seriously, though. Kaveh looked like he wanted a dance and I wanted to get to know people a little better since I had just arrived. No ulterior motives, promise.

[It certainly sounds like Khalid has quite the colorful family life, and perhaps at a later time it might be something that Alhaitham is actually interested in hearing about. But for now he's perfectly fine with letting the topic drop there—after a fashion, seeing as how Khalid goes on to elaborate the context of what exactly happened.]

I see. [A dance... so the end of last month then, considering the timeline. They did end up being separated for a while after first arriving, so he supposes it had to happen around there, considering the fact that they didn't leave each other's side again once they were reunited.

That aside, Alhaitham really doesn't have a reason to suspect Khalid's words here—Kaveh probably would have mentioned being hit on if it were actually an issue, so the fact that he hasn't and would even be willing to get the other to come and talk to him says enough. As always, he trusts Kaveh's judgement for things like these. But with that being said...

He gives Khalid a bit of a sideeye here, accessing him for a moment before speaking.] I don't know how often you get away with it back in your world, but this sort of insistence isn't going to help you come off as somebody to be taken at their word.

[Just a hunch, of course, but the way Khalid is going about this does seem to suggest that this is something that the other has been through—not so much the exact specifics, but rather the idea of trying to pass himself off as somebody without ulterior motives. Perhaps it is just Alhaitham, but for him its hard to not have his suspicion piqued the more specific people get about their denials.]

Oh, I ended up getting away with a lot more than what people realized.

[ His fingers are playing along the rim of the teacup. There are... Not as many reasons now to hide things as there used to be. He's doing fine holding Almyra together, though some of his scheming is reserved for keeping his siblings at bay. Khalid doesn't want to put them down, of course, but he will if he needs to. Changing the warrior-like culture of Almyra isn't going to work, so he needs to restructure how that can look.

Though the next task is to talk to Teach in Fodlan. See if those borders between Almyra and Fodlan can be opened up a bit. Khalid has big plans. ]

Though no, I don't often insist on my sincerity. Usually I just allow people to think what they want since that would, ultimately, benefit me. Though that has no bearing here.

[Hearing Khalid admit everything that he just did is not exactly something that Alhaitham had been expecting. Experience after all has shown that most people would rather keep their cards close to their chest, and Alhaitham himself is no exception. So to hear this means one of two things: either he's confident about his own standing, or revealing those cards mean little to him at this point. Of course, given what he'd just said, it sounds very much like the latter.

Alhaitham hums his acknowledgement of the other's, words, taking a moment to sip at his coffee as he muses over this. He can definitely relate to the desire of letting people make assumptions of him that is to his benefit, though unlike Khalid it's not really something that he has ever actively aimed for.]

I suppose it's something you'll have to get used to. [He remarks as he puts his coffee cup back down after having drink from it.]