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Who: Kaveh and the Cafe Regulars
Status: Open
Where: Surasthana Cafe
What: catch-all
Warnings: the chaos gays are here and doing PDA, but we'll keep it at a solid T. Probably.

[A. Day to Day at the Cafe]

[Life is fairly simple, currently. Kaveh and Alhaitham open the cafe most afternoons and Kaveh helps serve coffee and putters about with his other work, small mechanical things and bits of jewelry. Lately, he's been talking to local bakeries about serving their baked goods here, so there are some small pastries in a case available for purchase! Right now it's largely just croissants, muffins and cookies, but he has hopes of expanding that selection someday. If only for some naan.

Either way, for your relaxing, day to day needs, the Surasthana Cafe is here.]

[B. Chaos Gays; Public Menaces]

[...On the other hand, where Kaveh is, Alhaitham is almost certainly not far. A non-exhaustive list of what one might walk in and catch them doing is as follows:

1. Holding hands while leaned over the front counter, right next to the register, instead of Alhaitham actually picking up his coffee. They are likely engaged in debate.

2. A large pile of adult men cuddled up together and fast asleep in the middle of the afternoon on one of the couches. Bonus points for Kaveh being too tall for half of these and his legs dangling over the side. Maybe have Azul or Mehrak take your order?

3. They are straight up kissing behind the counter. At least it's fairly chaste but it is right in front of your muffin.

Good luck.]

[C. March Madness]

[Kaveh regularly gets new books in to stock, because it is a book cafe and new reading material is part of the point. Here is the problem; most of the sellers on Eltrut are under the (correct) assumption this cafe is 85% built to woo Kaveh's reclusive husband, and the additional (incorrect) assumption the man is a connoisseur of the romance genre. There's also the factor that the period after Dragon's Gale and up to First Tide is a very lucrative period for new romance books to come out, and so when Kaveh puts in an order for hot new releases, well...

The upshot is Kaveh now has two or three crates of newly released romance novels to shelve and most of them are of the non-human romance variety. A lot of dragons. a fair amount of bird and snake people. A bit of mermaids. A great deal of this has to go on the shelves marked EXPLICITLY not for the younger clientele.

Kaveh has sighed sixteen times in the last ten minutes. He's not impressed. He has to shelve all these. He's suffering.

Come laugh at him.]

[D. Wildcard]
[DM me or taso if you want a different starter, or just make up your own! live freely!]

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[Unfortunately Azul is talking to the champions of divorced before marriage. Kaveh's shoulders are shaking a little bit because he is trying so hard not to laugh. Oh Azul. Oh Azul you sweet summer octopus.]

...Still, you'd rather keep tabs on someone from home than nothing, hmm? [Kaveh does let out a small chuckle.] I know someone else who has a habit of making himself impossible to find until he turns up in the strangest places. Though I suppose in either case, the easiest way of making them easy to track down is just make an irresistibly comfortable spot for them to relax in.

[Kaveh don't shake your shoulders so much because your dear husband is still resting his head on one of them. Not that Alhaitham can really blame him, since its also just as hard to tamper down his own surge of amusement. Just show your whole ass hand there, Azul, why don't you.

But with that being said, it doesn't stop him from wrinkling his nose at Kaveh's less than subtle remark, and he gives his husband a pinch to his side with his other hand for that cheeky comment. It's not as if Kaveh himself is innocent in this! He makes the so-called 'irresistibly comfortable spots' so that the man himself can find him in the first place after all.]

[Azul squints in suspicion at this response.]

While it would certainly be more helpful having a means to find him when I am reluctantly forced to do so, Leona-san is not going to be amicable to accepting anything from me in particular, even as a gift. Just as I am not his biggest fan, so to speak, the same can be said for him not liking me as well, I'm sure, given how often we end up fighting.

[... Although, they have been fighting a lot less in this place lately, or at least not as bad as some of their past fights were...but surely that doesn't mean anything...]

[Azul you're killing him. He's going to crack a rib. Or at least he was before Alhaitham very rudely pinched them.]

...Well, I'm sure that was the way it felt for you both at home. But this is a strange place we're all in...it's very terribly lonely, to be here without a familiar face. I doubt even your Mr. Leona is immune to that feeling.

A change in circumstances has a strange way of changing perspectives. Though, Azul, isn't it possible he doesn't particularly want to accept gifts from you because you insist that even gifts must have a reciprocal price, even when you receive them?

[CALLIN' YOU OUT.]

[Honestly hearing Azul what he does (and Kaveh reframing it the way he does) is lowkey kind of interesting, since it does kind of vocalize a part of what Alhaitham has experienced in his time here. He's always been aware, of course, but its still something to recognize it from a wider perspective. This place, where he has nobody else but Kaveh to depend on... he would be lying if he said it wasn't a catalyst for a lot of the things that had since transpired between them. Even if things between them would have naturally developed as they know back home, its still different from what they have now.

Anyway, none of that really matters, because clearly Azul's problems lie elsewhere.]

At that point its hardly a gift. More like a barter and exchange.

[A debate, if you will—]

[At that, Azul blinks as if both men have said something particularly strange to try to make sense of.]

That's just how the world works: if someone does something for you, it's proper and expected of you to do something in return for them. It's only fair.

[But yes, that is in fact the reason Leona does not want anything from Azul if he can avoid it, in the event it leads him to be indebted to the octopus after thanks to Azul being Like This about it.]

[...Where does he even start with this. Alhaitham you're the egoist you sort this out--]

In this case, isn't being able to rely on one another mutually beneficial? You'd already be gaining something.

[Nah he can't be bothered.]

Not all things can be tracked in such a manner, anyway. It ends up being far too much of a hassle.

[Alhaitham says that but he has no problem picking at Kaveh... then again its Kaveh, so.]

Of course I can track something like that, I have a near perfect memory when it comes to business, or any exchanges and debts that need to be paid that I owe to anyone or vice versa.

[That's... that's not the point Azul--]

Speaking of which, that reminds me: when is your birthday, Kaveh-san?

[He needs to be prepared to get you a gift in exchange for the birthday gifts you got him!]

Edited 2025-04-05 18:39 (UTC)

Huh? My birthday?

[It's like you can literally hear the record scratch in his brain.]

[Hmm... to help Kaveh here or to use this window of opportunity to force Kaveh to accept repayment from other people...]

July 9th.

[Yeah he didn't even hesitate.]

Oh, thank you Alhaitham-san, I'll be sure to remember that now.

[Get gifted on your birthday when the time comes, Kaveh.

~~Fun coincidental fact: Leona's birthday is also in July, but Azul doesn't know that yet.~~]

W-wait, now hold on now, when did this become about my birthday?

[BETRAYAL. BETRAYAL ON ALL SIDES.]

Since he asked, obviously.

[Catch up now senior, come on.]

Indeed, and since we are on the subject, if there are any suggestions you would be willing to share with me regarding what Kaveh-san would like the most as a birthday gift, I would appreciate hearing them so that I can plan accordingly.

[Rip Kaveh. Your only hope is to try to bring this conversation back on track somehow instead of letting it continue to derail like this.]

Alhaitham don't you dare--

[Don't DO this to him! Kaveh is scrambling to find a way out of this.]

No, no, hold on. Aren't we talking about getting Leona to accept something useful from you? Can't you think of something you'd want from him besides his location?

[Wow way to interrupt him like this, Kaveh. So rude.]

Maybe he would have an idea of what to ask if you tell him what you'd like as a present.

[:)]

[wow, thanks for the assist alhaitham--except, Azul doesn't quite realize what direction this could go in here, even if he does tactfully not acknowledge that mention about Leona at first...]

Yes, so if you don't mind...

[He makes a little gesture as if to say "go on", to encourage Kaveh to answer. We're waiting!]

Wha--hey!

[Okay Alhaitham's getting an elbow to his ribs.]

Why would my tastes be helpful? Unless I am somehow exactly like this Leona?

[Well if you're gonna treat him like this senior then no more hugs from your husband!! He's gonna just pull away and keep his arms to himself now. Hmph!!]

You don't need to have similar tastes to give ideas.

Plus, I want ideas so that I don't get you something that you wouldn't like on your birthday, Kaveh-san. I would feel terrible about it otherwise...

[will guilt tripping you a little help kaveh]

[Kaveh wilts in real time when his hug priveleges are revoked, and it's not hard to see the sad puppy eyes he shoots Alhaitham's way, before he turns to Azul with an equally betrayed look.

But it's not like he can really explain why turning 32 isn't something he likes to celebrate...]

...If you're really going to insist, then...jewelry? [Ugh, he never really knows what to say about this when asked...] Or something for Shadowlily, I suppose.

[Wow why are you the one wilting here Alhaitham is the one who's suffering!! What do you think he feels not being able to hold his adorable, pouty senior in his arms because he's being rude...]

A present for the cat is not a present for you. [Spoiling the wrong cat there senior, try again.]

[Azul agrees with Alhaitham, a present for your cat is not something Azul would be good at picking out. ~~Not without thinking something stupid about whether or not a lion beastman like Leona gets distracted by the same things cats do.~~]

Jewelry it is, then. I'll try to keep an eye out for something that I hope will suit your tastes.

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