shellphones | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Type: Video
Sender ID: paradisaea (Kaveh)
To: public
Subject: free book available!
Warnings: just a very, very poorly written book! Possible mild spoilers for genshin impact up to patch 4.8 in comments, but nothing huge.

[Oh, it's Kaveh, waving at the camera. He looks...slightly damp? And Shadowlily appears to have burrowed into his shirt and is still grumbling at him LOUDLY the entire video.]

So I don't suppose anyone would be interested in a one-of-a-kind, annotated copy of a novel from another world, would they?

[Please. Please dear god take it from him.]

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[Guess who is currently resting his head on Kaveh's lap and letting out a snort as soon as he's done making that post.]

You're giving away that special, one of a kind, out of print book that has been penned by the most influential figures in Sumeru?

[He's not counting himself in that, by the way.]

What, don't want your autograph distributed to the public, Alhaitham?

[PINCHING HIS EAR gently but still. >:< don't you sass him!!!]

[He will be taking that ear pinch with a smile. You kind of asked for it by putting this book in the spotlight, dearest senior.]

If a simple circle is what counts as an autograph these days, then I suppose so. You, on the other hand...

[That permanent ink isn't going to go away anytime soon and they both know this.]

I wasn't the only one who used ink, don't you start.

[AGGRESSIVE HAIR RUFFLING.] Seriously, are you that hungry for my irritation? You teased me plenty all year.

[Well there was already no saving the book the moment Kaveh scrawled on it, so why bother.

But also that is some mostly nice hair ruffling. Mmmn, Kaveh's fingers in his hair...]

You know what people say about sugar and spice.

[Can't have one without the other... so why not just get it himself right.]

You are ridiculous.

[Yeah the ruffling is pretty quickly just turning into scritches. He enjoys spoiling Alhaitham too much.]

Surely you don't actually want the book either?

[It's always easy to want to spoil instead of tease or bicker. Alhaitham knows this because that's what he feels for Kaveh 25/8.

The question, though, draws out an almost exasperated huff for him.] You already know about my opinion of the book.

[It's worse than trite, senseless and utterly nonsensical. Even calling it mediocre would be an insult to all the other books. He's almost convinced that Yae Publishing House made it happen as a satire, if it wasn't for all the other books that exist in their catalogue...]

Then we're in agreement on where it belongs.

[IE: not in their house.

Kaveh is more than content, now that the intial shock is wearing off, to run his hands through Alhaitham's hair, just taking in this peace.

There is comfort in knowing that their path will lead them here anyway. That they were always going to take that road to repairing what they'd lost, and traveling the rest of the way. But to have forgotten they'd already done it...

...He's glad to be able to indulge in this intimacy again.]

You're the one who's going to have to explain any of the details of the book if they ask about it.

[Never mind the fact that Alhaitham was the one who actually read it between them. It's still Kaveh's job to explain anyway.

He closes his eyes as Kaveh continues to run his fingers through his hair, relishing the touch and the comfort that it brings. Their life back in Sumeru in the last year has been nice, and its not like they were left off worse than where they are now, but he won't pretend to not have missed this, now that he knows that they already had this before.

It's very, very nice.]

I was drunk, how am I supposed to explain that godforsaken novel?

[He huffs a bit, but he continues running his fingers through Alhaitham's hair, and sighs.]

I swear you're going to start purring, at this rate.

You're the one trying to advertising it to give away.

[So yes, its your responsibility to see it through. He knows you can do it, senior.

But also he is not going to confirm or deny any notions of purring, but he will make a very pleased hum when Kaveh happens to work his fingers at just the right spot on his head.]

Whatever happened to not a cat, huh?

[Kaveh laughs softly, but he'll get both hands in on the action now. Yes, yes, he'll pet this overgrown cat.]

Not a cat.

[He says it, since he'd been prompted to, but the words are definitely coming out as more of a sleepy mumble. It's been... quite the exciting few hours, to say the least, and he is never against the idea of a much needed nap.]

Mhmm.

[Kaveh snorts, but it's at this point Shadowlily peels out of his shirt to come carefully walk around the couch to curl up near Alhaitham instead, purring softly.]

I see someone agrees with your napping plan.

Why not? It's a good plan.

[Naps are always a very good thing, senior. Surely you know this well enough by now, and if not... well, that just means he needs to impress this very important lesson onto Kaveh once more.]

Didn't say it wasn't.

[His hands pause for just a moment, before he leans down, pressing a kiss to Alhaitham's forehead.]

I'll wake you up when it's time to eat

[Alhaitham registers that the kiss is coming moments before it happens, and if there's one thing going back and coming back here has given him, it is this new burst of warmth that manifests within him at every gesture of affection that Kaveh now gives him. They weren't any better or worse back in Sumeru, but what they have here... its something that finds himself treasuring much more now.]

No fish. [He says as soon as Kaveh pulls away. Look, its going to be a matter of time before they do have to contend themselves with fish here again, so he wants to enjoy the life of not regular seafood before it starts once more.]

Yes, yes, no fish for His Royal Highness. Anything else?

[In some ways, they'd about reached this comfort back home. The easy bickering and the gentle trust that they could understand each other--these were true in Sumeru now, too.

But the love...Kaveh hadn't admitted it. And given how it had gone here before...he's not sure if Alhaitham knows the name of his feelings yet, at home.

Here, they know. They know.]

Mmn... I think you know the rest.

[Spice, senior. All the spice.

And really, even as he says that it does occur to him that this is something that isn't as obvious between them yet back in Sumeru. They'd gotten closer, sure, and there is already that tacit and implicit understanding that they already hold for each other—yet on some level all of that pales in comparison to what they have managed to establish here towards each other.

There is perhaps something to be said about how they managed this in months where even a year back home didn't seem to accomplish, but he is also aware that the circumstances here are vastly different. Still, he's not worried—things may not proceed as quickly back in Sumeru, but it was clear that they were on their way. It was always going to be just a matter of time—being here simply expedited the process.]

You're lucky we weren't gone long enough for the dried harra fruits to go bad, you know.

[Which is strange. 10 months here, returned to the moment he left, and then a year there, to return only half a day later.]

[There's a hum of agreement here, even if there's a part of him that's definitely going to try and puzzle this out down the line. The fact that they did go back and then return here, only to see that the length of time is so different compared to before... it truly makes no sense at all.]

We would have much more to be concerned about if the length of time that has passed here truly was the same as we had back in Sumeru.

Like this poor cat...

[Shadowlily makes an aggrieved 'mrrow' of agreement before cuddling herself closer to her favorite father. After all, it's already happened to her once...]

Ugh. If I think about it right now I'll get a headache.

[Alhaitham takes the cuddling without batting an eyelash, at the very least. But he does remember now that all these cats did have owners before the rifts sent them back...

It probably would be nice if they actually could get some kind of control over this. Not that he thinks its possible at this juncture, but perhaps in time... something to keep in mind, at the very least.

But for now he'll just snort lightly and then reach up to give Kaveh's nose a brief pinch.]

No need to stress yourself out. We just got back, after all.

[They'll get to it when they get to it.]

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