[ kaveh blinks once, and feels the world change in the motion. he blinks again, and again, and the world remains anew. he understands the analogy, despite all, but finds it surprising that someone like alhaitham — who he has always just known of, for people love to talk, and kaveh fancies listening — would say something of the kind.
but kaveh knows better, too. knows well that there are layers to a person, that listening and watching are never enough. it takes knowing to truly see what is beyond what is shown. knowledge can be presented in several different ways, and that's what has always kept him from his kin.
the blood-red of his cursed eyes gleam in the dark, and kaveh rises to his feet. ]
Aarav won't walk by this area for another hour. [ is what kaveh replies with, matter-of-factly. ] Also, my answer wasn't wrong, you know. Feelings require a vessel. Isn't it obvious that one would remain by the river nonetheless? What matters is what one makes of it.
[ kaveh rises to his feet. the umbrella rises with him. from above, the rain. from below, the proverbial river. alhaitham holds his umbrella as if it were an extension of his arm. the steady stretch of it obscures the high, dark clouds that have gathered, and the mere sliver of moon that shows between drifting ships. the evening is murk, and wet, and the world is freshly-washed for it.
the answer transparently amuses him. it starts with the curve of his eyes. it ends there, like a truncated sentence fragment. alhaitham considers the premise, and cants his head in acquiescence. it is grace in acknowledgement, a point offered and accepted. ]
And? [ he asks, ] What can one vampire make of a river of sorrow?
[ what could one vampire make of it? what could one who has lived for so much longer than the average human know of sorrow?
kaveh smiles, in response. a weak, fragile smile, that could break upon touch. a smile that confesses such: the river, flowing with water built from tears of sadness, is one he would have filled himself. a river that would have been named after him.
the answer he offers, instead, is: ] The same as any other person. Do you think vampires fe— Ah.
[ about time, of course. without much explanation, the towel meets his head, and though it provides very little shelter, kaveh still takes a wide, broad step back, out the umbrella, into the rain. it is, still not cold.
that pungent smell has caught up to him. it is always naive of kaveh to think that it would not. it is always foolish to reject who he is, he knows. one's nature shouldn't be looked down upon, and yet. and yet. ]
[ alhaitham looks. rain falls. the fragility of kaveh's smile belies the steel in his backwards step, the one that takes him back out into the rain and the murk it brings. immediately, the droplets cling to the flaxen glint of his hair. he resembles, alhaitham thinks, a waterlogged bird, some golden species that take to branches but perhaps are a little too large for the protection of a tree's canopy. a little outsized, a little exceptional, perhaps with just a little too much pride to seek the eaves of a mere roof. it is behaviour that alhaitham cannot rationalise, but perhaps that is a condition of life: that all troubles begin with one's perspective on the world, and the trouble that you invite into your life by acting upon it.
alhaitham merely stands there as kaveh moves away. bloodless, without censure: ]
What made you choose, then, to sit outside a public institution well-known for its persistent foot traffic?
[ alhaitham says the word. vampirism has already been established; there does not seem any need to shy away from it.
he continues: ] If you were concerned about your lack of self-control, you should have stayed indoors. Or are you without home?
[ the accusations come in spades, and they're as sharp as the edge of a blade. he is the one with sharp fangs, but kaveh finds, here, that alhaitham's words bite until he bleeds. it is the irony of his existence, a man of a species that thrive on feeding on others, but a man who rejects it so.
it comes as it would, in any other world, to any other kaveh: a frown, a pout, a huff. ever so transparent, a book always so easy to read for those who understand his language. it says: ] The rain makes it more bearable. Besides, this is a city. If I lacked so much self-control, I would situate myself in a forest.
[ then, a sigh, and a shake of his head. ] I would rather just not torture myself further by being that close. Why would I put myself through more unnecessary hassle? You should feel grateful that I'm being this considerate, if anything!
[ keywords are spoken, but never addressed. they hang in the air, together with an accusation that holds true: that he is, indeed, without a home. that needs not be known, though the hints are obvious. after all, for what reason would kaveh be out in the rain, if not for his lack of a roof? ]
[ the slow rise of alhaitham's eyebrow says thus: ]
And I suppose that the library behind us would be grateful if you were more considerate, and did not loiter in front of the entrance.
[ what alhaitham omits: that this is his library, that nobody has ever complained, and that kaveh has made his choice. you are the choices that you make. this, alhaitham has known since he had been a child, and his grandmother had pressed her weathered hand in his, and asked - where is it that you would like to learn? the house had been bright, back then. it had steeped with the scent of old books, and the gentle drift of dust.
instead, what alhaitham says is this: ]
Come.
[ he begins to walk.
of course he does - this is the way that cats do it. through the rain bisected by the shape of a colourless umbrella, alhaitham takes the requisite steps that bring him to the end of the street. and then, in the way of all cats, he looks back with the expectant air of a man waiting to be followed. ]
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those are payment for tags idk what ur talking about...
Date: 2023-07-05 10:10 pm (UTC)but kaveh knows better, too. knows well that there are layers to a person, that listening and watching are never enough. it takes knowing to truly see what is beyond what is shown. knowledge can be presented in several different ways, and that's what has always kept him from his kin.
the blood-red of his cursed eyes gleam in the dark, and kaveh rises to his feet. ]
Aarav won't walk by this area for another hour. [ is what kaveh replies with, matter-of-factly. ] Also, my answer wasn't wrong, you know. Feelings require a vessel. Isn't it obvious that one would remain by the river nonetheless? What matters is what one makes of it.
my repayment for tags is your tags??? hello?????
Date: 2023-07-05 10:55 pm (UTC)the answer transparently amuses him. it starts with the curve of his eyes. it ends there, like a truncated sentence fragment. alhaitham considers the premise, and cants his head in acquiescence. it is grace in acknowledgement, a point offered and accepted. ]
And? [ he asks, ] What can one vampire make of a river of sorrow?
no subject
Date: 2023-07-06 04:41 am (UTC)kaveh smiles, in response. a weak, fragile smile, that could break upon touch. a smile that confesses such: the river, flowing with water built from tears of sadness, is one he would have filled himself. a river that would have been named after him.
the answer he offers, instead, is: ] The same as any other person. Do you think vampires fe— Ah.
[ about time, of course. without much explanation, the towel meets his head, and though it provides very little shelter, kaveh still takes a wide, broad step back, out the umbrella, into the rain. it is, still not cold.
that pungent smell has caught up to him. it is always naive of kaveh to think that it would not. it is always foolish to reject who he is, he knows. one's nature shouldn't be looked down upon, and yet. and yet. ]
Sorry, um. I haven't... you know.
[ eaten, that is. in quite a while now. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-07-08 11:12 am (UTC)alhaitham merely stands there as kaveh moves away. bloodless, without censure: ]
What made you choose, then, to sit outside a public institution well-known for its persistent foot traffic?
[ alhaitham says the word. vampirism has already been established; there does not seem any need to shy away from it.
he continues: ] If you were concerned about your lack of self-control, you should have stayed indoors. Or are you without home?
no subject
Date: 2023-07-09 07:45 pm (UTC)it comes as it would, in any other world, to any other kaveh: a frown, a pout, a huff. ever so transparent, a book always so easy to read for those who understand his language. it says: ] The rain makes it more bearable. Besides, this is a city. If I lacked so much self-control, I would situate myself in a forest.
[ then, a sigh, and a shake of his head. ] I would rather just not torture myself further by being that close. Why would I put myself through more unnecessary hassle? You should feel grateful that I'm being this considerate, if anything!
[ keywords are spoken, but never addressed. they hang in the air, together with an accusation that holds true: that he is, indeed, without a home. that needs not be known, though the hints are obvious. after all, for what reason would kaveh be out in the rain, if not for his lack of a roof? ]
no subject
Date: 2023-08-20 02:43 pm (UTC)And I suppose that the library behind us would be grateful if you were more considerate, and did not loiter in front of the entrance.
[ what alhaitham omits: that this is his library, that nobody has ever complained, and that kaveh has made his choice. you are the choices that you make. this, alhaitham has known since he had been a child, and his grandmother had pressed her weathered hand in his, and asked - where is it that you would like to learn? the house had been bright, back then. it had steeped with the scent of old books, and the gentle drift of dust.
instead, what alhaitham says is this: ]
Come.
[ he begins to walk.
of course he does - this is the way that cats do it. through the rain bisected by the shape of a colourless umbrella, alhaitham takes the requisite steps that bring him to the end of the street. and then, in the way of all cats, he looks back with the expectant air of a man waiting to be followed. ]