[Heizou finds himself knocking on Kaveh's door before he's even really aware of where he is. And he'll wait there for as long as it takes for the older man to open it, whether it's in answer to his knock or just because he's about to head out.
Whenever Kaveh answers, though, he'll find Heizou out there looking... lost. He's a bit of a mess, like he hasn't slept in days, and his usually bright, sharp eyes are dull and hollow. And he's also not quite meeting Kaveh's gaze.]
[Kaveh has often been called a genius, but no matter how he feels about the term, it doesn't take being one to look at Heizou and know something is very, very wrong.
He stares for a moment, shocked by the way Heizou looks, then leans forward and grabs him by the wrist to pull him inside.]
Come sit down. I'll get the kettle on.
[He prefers coffee to tea but looking at Heizou....yeah, time to give the Inazuman boy some chai.]
[Heizou is momentarily disoriented by the way Kaveh pulls him into the house, but he doesn't have the presence of mind to resist. He simply follows the other's lead, letting his gaze fall to the floor as they walk. He still feels... kind of numb.]
[Kaveh leads Heizou over to the couch and gently nudges him to sit down. He is very shortly joined by a very small (well, for a warrior cat) black cat, who chirrups at him.]
Here, I'll be right back. Lily will keep you company, okay?
[He doesn't sit just yet. He just kind of stands there and stares indifferently at the couch. And even when the cat calls for his attention, Heizou just kind of... looks at it for a moment, confused.]
Her original owner...isn't in this world anymore. Gale entrusted her to me when he had too many of them to care for.
[Kaveh does vanish into the kitchen, both to start the kettle and dig around for some booze (he has sent Mehrak to alert Alhaitham so the man can decide for himself whether or not to involve himself in this.) Shadowlily, for her part, gently taps her paw against Heizou's arm with another small chirrup.]
[Very slowly, Heizou lets himself pay more attention to the cat. He doesn't sit on the couch; instead he opts to kneel on the floor by the cat and reach up to pet her head with one hand. And that's... just what he does while he waits for Kaveh to return. Quiet in a way that might seem thoughtful if it weren't for the heavy air around him.]
[He seems sort of spaced out by the time Kaveh comes back, only looking up when he hears his name. He blinks slowly, then shakes his head a little and tries for a small smile.
[Kaveh sighs a little, and uncorks the bottle before pouring it into a glass and offering it to Heizou. If he's in this bad a state...He thinks it'd be better for Heizou to speak on it, but the trick is getting him to feel able to.]
It's alright. You don't have to smile if you don't feel like it.
[Heizou eyes that drink for a moment, letting the forced smile on his face slowly fade. And then he does eventually reach for the glass and start to sip at it.
Sorry, Kaveh. He'll get back to you in just a second.]
[The thing about Heizou is that he never talks about himself. He kind of hates it, and that's why he prefers to ask questions and make deductions. Sometimes it feels like he doesn't even remember how to talk about his personal life, his feelings, his troubles.
So he just drinks. Drinks and pets the cat and then occasionally ends up staring blankly off into space for a while.]
[It becomes clear after a while that Heizou won't start talking on his own. Kaveh mulls this over and sighs, but vanishes back into the kitchen, only to return with a couple of mugs of a deeply fragrant tea.]
Here. I don't know how chai will suit Inazuman tastes in tea, but.
[He sets the mug down, and then takes a seat on the couch.]
Then why tell me first? Why tell Alhaitham first? That has nothing to do with his family. That has to do with his cowardice.
[It might be the first time Heizou's seen Kaveh truly angry. Fury is something bright and flickering in his eyes, but he cuts himself off, takes a deep breath, sighs.
It's not unnerving to Kaveh. he knows what it means, for someone like Heizou to stop smiling.]
--That's hardly the point. It does matter. Your feelings matter, and if he was so scared of losing you, they should have come before me.
[Heizou frowns a little, turning back to his drink (not the tea) as if it'll give him some solace.]
Telling you two costs him nothing. You're kind and likely to forgive him, and will soften any blow from Alhaitham who poses the greatest physical threat because of his active dislike for him.
[He doesn't talk about how his feelings matter. Because clearly they don't.]
Don't I? You're standoffish and you don't trust people easily, but you're also inquisitive, and kindhearted, and you get invested in helping even strangers.
[He sighs, and leans down a little, to be at eye level.] But even if none of that were true, I still would say you didn't deserve this.
[Fuck it. Heizou downs the rest of his drink in one big gulp before putting the glass back on the table. Time to keep petting the cat.]
It- It doesn't matter, Kaveh. It's already done. And now everyone from Teyvat knows, so. [He shakes his head a little.] He doesn't have to hide anymore.
[He's just. Going to keep very focused on watching the way Shadowlily's fur parts around his fingers as he pets her. His expression very carefully blank.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shortly after Lyney drops the bomb
Whenever Kaveh answers, though, he'll find Heizou out there looking... lost. He's a bit of a mess, like he hasn't slept in days, and his usually bright, sharp eyes are dull and hollow. And he's also not quite meeting Kaveh's gaze.]
...Hi.
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He stares for a moment, shocked by the way Heizou looks, then leans forward and grabs him by the wrist to pull him inside.]
Come sit down. I'll get the kettle on.
[He prefers coffee to tea but looking at Heizou....yeah, time to give the Inazuman boy some chai.]
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...I'm sorry. I didn't know where else to go.
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[Kaveh leads Heizou over to the couch and gently nudges him to sit down. He is very shortly joined by a very small (well, for a warrior cat) black cat, who chirrups at him.]
Here, I'll be right back. Lily will keep you company, okay?
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...I didn't know you had a cat.
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[Kaveh does vanish into the kitchen, both to start the kettle and dig around for some booze (he has sent Mehrak to alert Alhaitham so the man can decide for himself whether or not to involve himself in this.) Shadowlily, for her part, gently taps her paw against Heizou's arm with another small chirrup.]
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Kaveh is back shortly, and sets a bottle of wine down on the coffee table.]
Heizou.
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It's not all there.]
Ah, sorry. Were you saying something?
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[Kaveh sighs a little, and uncorks the bottle before pouring it into a glass and offering it to Heizou. If he's in this bad a state...He thinks it'd be better for Heizou to speak on it, but the trick is getting him to feel able to.]
It's alright. You don't have to smile if you don't feel like it.
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Sorry, Kaveh. He'll get back to you in just a second.]
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Someone did it for him, didn't they? He can do it for Heizou, now.]
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So he just drinks. Drinks and pets the cat and then occasionally ends up staring blankly off into space for a while.]
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Here. I don't know how chai will suit Inazuman tastes in tea, but.
[He sets the mug down, and then takes a seat on the couch.]
...He took this long to tell you, did he?
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And then he finally looks at Kaveh. His eyes look hollow and cold again.]
...It seemed like I was last on their list.
[And he's including Freminet in that statement. Since that's who he actually heard it from.]
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[Kaveh hisses, and pinches the bridge of his nose. Of all the...]
They told me a few days ago. I think I was the first. But I told him it should always have been you long before it was me. I'm sorry.
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It might be a little unnerving when he isn't smiling for once.]
...It doesn't matter. The House is his family. That will always come first for him.
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[It might be the first time Heizou's seen Kaveh truly angry. Fury is something bright and flickering in his eyes, but he cuts himself off, takes a deep breath, sighs.
It's not unnerving to Kaveh. he knows what it means, for someone like Heizou to stop smiling.]
--That's hardly the point. It does matter. Your feelings matter, and if he was so scared of losing you, they should have come before me.
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[Heizou frowns a little, turning back to his drink (not the tea) as if it'll give him some solace.]
Telling you two costs him nothing. You're kind and likely to forgive him, and will soften any blow from Alhaitham who poses the greatest physical threat because of his active dislike for him.
[He doesn't talk about how his feelings matter. Because clearly they don't.]
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[Kaveh crosses his arms, staring at Heizou.]
Heizou. Listen to me. You did not deserve to be treated this way.
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You don't know that. You don't know me.
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Don't I? You're standoffish and you don't trust people easily, but you're also inquisitive, and kindhearted, and you get invested in helping even strangers.
[He sighs, and leans down a little, to be at eye level.] But even if none of that were true, I still would say you didn't deserve this.
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It- It doesn't matter, Kaveh. It's already done. And now everyone from Teyvat knows, so. [He shakes his head a little.] He doesn't have to hide anymore.
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[Shadowlily is doing her best here.]
What do you really want?
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...I don't want anything right now.
[He wants to stop hurting.]
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