The Most Important Gear

Chapter 8

you yawned, stretching your limbs and resting your head on the table. al haitham sat next to you, watching you with slight amusement. "you seem so tired these days. did something happen?"

"no it's not that," you hummed. "today was just long. what kind of scholar decides to try and create his own damn universe just because he's too much of a pussy to face reality?"

"someone like him does," al haitham retorted, taking a sip of his drink. "i do admit, today was quite draining. however, tomorrow will likely be worse since we need to investigate."

"speaking of which... why aren't you heading back home? aren't you tired?"

he sighed, "it's because kaveh is there. i can never have peace when he's around."

you laughed, "why can't you just stop pissing him off intentionally? you two need to learn to get along, i'm sure that kaveh would like nothing more than to just be your friend."

"he gets under my nerves," al haitham grumbled.

"you shouldn't talk about your senior like that," you said jokingly.

"tch. like that even matters," al haitham scoffed. "he's living in my house."

"that was originally made for the two of you," you corrected him, sighing. "just give the poor guy a break. he's trying his best."

"letting him live with me is lenient enough," he muttered, then finished his glass. "i'm getting tired, i think i'll head home."

"if you need, you can stay at my place," you offered. "i wouldn't mind hosting you for a night or two."

"i think i'll be alright," al haitham said. "i have to go pick up my order and bring it home as well."

you smiled, "you care a lot more about him than you let off."

he rolled his eyes, "if he eats my food, he'll be your new roommate."

"sure," you half-assed an agreement. "just go sleep now."

he shook his head and stood up, "alright. i'll see you later. sleep well {name}, we have to go catch him and his hive. do you want me to walk you home?"

"i'll be alright. i was actually going to stay here for a bit longer."

"if you say so," al haitham nodded. he got up and went to the front, grabbing his order and promptly leaving afterward.

you sighed, raising your hand. "boss, can i get a drink?"

"which one, miss," the owner responded.

"wine would be nice, any will do."

"coming up!"

"it's quite sad to be drinking alone." you turned your head toward the voice, seeing the man from earlier. "you look like you could use some company."

"oh! it's you from earlier. kunikuzushi, right?"

"i'm glad you remember me," he said with a small smile. "what a coincidence it is to run into you here."

except it really wasn't a coincidence... this is one of your favorite spots to hang out at after all. even though this is a different incarnation, you still were the same person after all. he made a mental promise to himself, that you would never find out that he may-or-may-not have seen al haitham leaving so he decided to go inside and see if you were there.

"this world is quite small after all," you smiled at him. he sat down in front of you, making himself comfortable.

he could feel butterflies in his stomach, however he felt a bitter taste in his mouth. and for once, he didn't like it one bit.

"{name}! i have your drink! did you want something for your friend as well," the boss said, making you stand up to collect your wine from the front.

"kunikuzushi, would you like anything," you asked him.

he shook his head, "no thanks. i'll just keep you company."

"that's sweet of you," you smiled at him. "don't feel forced to, after all we just met a few hours ago."

"a friend of the traveler is a friend of mine," scaramouche said, inwardly grimacing at how sweet he was being. well... i promised myself that i'd turn over a new leaf. here i am being extra sweet to try and win back my girlfriend. this is such a mess...

"where did you and the traveler meet," you asked him. "i've never seen you around sumeru before."

"we ran into each other a few times here and there," he said. "i've been wandering around teyvat, so i suppose it was fated. when did you meet the traveler?"

scaramouche was curious; he erased the fact that he was the balladeer, so he wondered how much changed since his absence.

"ah, that's a fun story," you smiled at the memory. "i was working under the former grand sage as his head of engineering, even though sumeru doesn't really like mechanical studies. eventually, a harbinger by the name of the doctor and azar had commissioned me to create a god. i didn't quite agree with the plan, so al haitham, the grey-haired guy you saw earlier, proposed that we should overthrow the sages. that's when i met the traveler. i assisted by giving them the blueprints of the machine and the weak points. now i work for lesser lord kusanali."

right... it's the same course of events. it's just that i wasn't involved because i was never the balladeer.

"i see," scaramouche hummed, remembering all of it. so she never really wanted me to become a god? well... she was quite honest with me when i asked her about her loyalties to lesser lord kusanali, so this is to be expected. it hurts a little more than i was anticipating though. "it's very admirable. you have such great amounts of talent that you were commissioned by the doctor himself. he's a very high ranking harbinger."

"he may be high in rank, but he seems like a very calculating person," you hummed, taking a sip of your wine. "his whole demeanor is very sinister. i don't like him one bit."

"fair enough," scaramouche agreed with you. "from what you were describing, it sounds like he's an awful individual."

"there's a friend of mine who lives in gandharva ville, her name's collei. she was kidnapped and experimented on by him a while ago until another one of my friends brought her here. i could never forgive those who do those types of things," you said, shaking your head. "i find people like him despicable."

scaramouche couldn't help but smile, "i'm glad we share a similar opinion."

"anyways, that's enough about me. tell me a bit about yourself."