#apocryphis: alhaitham

[immobiliter]

@apocryphis sent a meme: ❛ where do you purchase your audacity from? ❜ (from al-haitham to dehya!)

       “ The same place you do, I'm just able to be nicer about it. ” The repartee rolled off of her tongue effortlessly, sparing her tall, learned companion scarcely more than a side-wards glance. Her arms were folded, tapping a booted foot impatiently on the tile floor of the main Akademiya building, knowing full well that she both looked and sounded out of place here in the halls of the educated, the bookish and the ambitious. A visionary or academic she was not, but if things here were to change for the better going forward, then she needed to be a part of it somehow. She owed it not to Alhaitham, who she knew would still prefer her to take up some Mahamata position sat behind a desk, filling out paperwork, nor even to Lesser Lord Kusanali herself, but to her people. She owed it to the children in Aaru Village and other settlements in the wilds of the Sumeru desert with few prospects and no voice.

       Dehya looked back at Alhaitham after a moment, wondering whether his enquiry had been serious, rather than barbed and indifferent. “ Out in the desert, there's no time for doubt or ambiguity. Something either is or it isn't — you either die of thirst or you live long enough to find water. ” No equivocation. No conjecture. It was what made her ill-suited to a life of bureaucracy and politics, she was sure. “ Besides, I'm here with Lesser Lord Kusanali's blessing. I doubt anyone still in their posts would like to risk upsetting her after what happened to those responsible for her imprisonment. ”

[lunaetis]

MY HOME HAS A HEARTBEAT ; IT SOUNDS LIKE YOURS eden & alhaitham ( @apocryphis ) // art commission by : wewxrp nus

your first meet with him was unconventional. you could never have anticipated him to become someone irreplaceable to you later on. there was something about him you cannot describe, something about him that gave you a sense of calm. you didn't remember when it started, either. when was it that you began to look forward to the day you could return to the world where he was in ? when was it that you felt as though the place you belong was no longer upon the astral express and within his arms ? you couldn't tell. but you find solace in his presence, in being held by him, in the sound of your name on his lips. the separation became more difficult. you wanted to go back. you had to go back. before you knew it, he became your anchor, your home, your everything. even with the seed of destruction within you, he embraced you fearlessly. he kissed your scars, and with that, he took your heart with him. you would do anything for him. the matching tattoo on your right wrist a reminder how he had left a permanent mark on you if the way your heart called for him constantly was not proof enough. sometimes, home is not a place, but a person. he was the one who taught you what this feeling means. he was your first love, and if possible, you'd like him to be your last, too.

[roleplay-abiogenesis2]

@apocryphis || Closed starter for Al-haitham~

Note: Time-skipped from this thread!

[A couple months later...]

His door knocked with confidence this time. He wasn't late like the first time he and his senior had met. This time... Cyno was completely unexpected.

A fact that the young Spantamad student suspected might cause irritation for the man in question, but his intentions were good. He had great news, and thought Al-haitham should hear them first.

It had been a while since their last formal meeting. The 'mentorship program' served mostly students who were underperforming and lost, which the desert-dweller had been in the past. But ever since finding this new direction, thanks to Al-haitham's advice, his performance at the Akademiya had caught up to that of his own peers. Not only that, but the Sage overseeing the Spantamad Darshan seemed to have taken a shine to Cyno, which in turn earned him a bit more respect than before. Enough to keep most of the more direct forms of bullying away anyway.

By all means, things seemed to be looking up. And Cyno felt he owed much of it to the book-lover from Haravatat.

So it was that the first thing he did upon being granted entrance was to gently place a thick leather-bound tome on Al-haitham's desk. A fairly expensive edition of a collection of legends from the desert that his mother used to tell him about as a child. It had taken weeks of savings and hard work around the city, but at last, Cyno had been able to purchase it from a traveling merchant.

"Master Cyrus has asked to meet my parents. He says he sees a lot of promise in me." He announces before anything else. Cyno is brimming with excitement, and even his typical stoic features struggle to contain the glow on his face. "We'll be leaving for the desert tomorrow, and if everything works out, it might be some time before I return."

It felt like the stars had finally lined up for him. He'd become a trainee Driyosh, and live the way he'd always wanted, outside where he belonged.

"... So, I wanted to make sure I'd give this to you first. As thanks."

[zorkaya-moved]

♦️ how about one for lyney and one for al-haitham

@apocryphis

LYNEY & ZARINA.

Lyney and Lynette have performed at the (decadent) masked balls of Mademoiselle Celine Richelieu in Fontaine upon Arclecchino's allowance. Naturally, the twins were masked as well as the guests to keep the identities 'anonymous' but such events were used for the House of Hearth to find certain individuals Arlecchino wanted gone or something different. Lyney himself have spoken and meet Celine Richelieu several times even without masks, but only recently did he found out from Arlecchino that the true identity of Celine is actually Zarina Sokolova herself - the famous and well-loved doctor and researcher from Sumeru and inventor of blood transfusion. With this newfound knowledge, Lyney now knows he's been fooled for around 2 years because he's met with Zarina several times in passing and only exchanged good-natured words as Sokolova praised his and his twin sister's performative skills. Arlecchino already told her that the cat is out of the bag for the twins, which made their next meeting after reveal to be rather... intriguing. Specifically, with offering the siblings an access to the black market if they so desire for their own little missions. With a discount since she's such good [friends] with Arlecchino.

AL-HAITHAM & ZARINA.

Al-Haitham - during their research - has personally witnessed a hint of Zarina's skillset as a hunter from Snezhnaya. Specifically, thanks to his knowledge and personal physical prowess, he was able to deduce that there is more to her self-defense skills than others may first perceive but it doesn't really get into any concerns or hidden secrecy since it is played off as them both simply having wonderful 'genetics' and being naturally athletic in battle. However, what Al-Haitham has also learned is that Matra refers to Zarina for toxicology reports and for any crimes that may be connected to poison or toxins within Sumeru as it has interrupted one of their meetings for their own research. Basically, Al-Haitham has insights into two several additional parts of Zarina's life that others may not be truly privy to as much. Zarina, on the other hand, quite often grumbles about being so busy all the time and says how relaxing their own research is... despite the occasional hardships and travels where they do need to protect themselves. But yes, for her, it is quite relaxing.

[daybreakrising]

WHAT KIND OF LOVE ARE YOU?

LOVE AS A THRESHOLD

Your love does not ask for much. Your love does not take. Your love is free, and unquestioned, and here for wherever needs it. When you fall in love, it is as gentle as a breath in the night. It is quiet, and it is effortless. It is tender. If your love was a house, it would readily welcome all who come through. If your love was a hearth, it would warm the hands of whoever stopped by, whether for a day, a month, a year, or forever. When you fall for someone, it is without strings, without conditions, without need. You love for the sake of loving, for the sake of caring for those who need it. You love with a giver’s heart and a giver’s hands and are made so much stronger for it. Being loved by you is to always feel at home. Your love may not always be well-received by those unprepared to linger, but it is unforgettable all the same.

LOVE AS A FORCE OF NATURE

Your love is like whiplash –– it comes in with the rain, it blows the doors wide open. When you fall in love, it is sudden and hard and immense. It is powerful. It is earth-shaking and world-ending. Nature is a force, and that force can be destructive if you're not careful. See how the world is doused in gasoline and set on fire –– your love consumes, your love takes, your love burns. You're hot and cold all at once, a hurricane and a wildfire bound together in skin, and when you're in love, it can feel like it's eating you alive from the inside out. When you love, it is with everything you have because it is everything you have. Be careful, darling, because not everyone survives the storm.

tagged by: @abyssl (thank you!! i did both bc i'm weak-) tagging: @yuexian, @resolutepath (diluc or alhaitham), @ofluminance (ayaka), @ccaptain, @ruinvessel, @basbousah (lisa), @apocryphis (rosaria)

[lunaetis]

@apocryphis replied to your post :

haitham wanted to finish his book >:T time to lean in and (very gently barely even a touch) bite her nose. chomp.

─「エデン」─  the slow lean and the softest of touch upon her nose didn't actually register for a while. amber orbs stared up at the other, taking a second, and two, to actually process what the feel on the tip of her nose was. a hint of a breath, and teeth —

                poof ! reddened raccoon spotted ! congratulations ! you have successfully performed uno-reverse on the space raccoon ! a point to the scribe !

[lunaetis]

@apocryphis asked :

there is a scribe laying with his head in eden's lap while absorbed in a book. when her hand, grazing the edges of his jaw, comes near enough, he momentarily takes his eyes off the page to leave a kiss in the cusp of her hand. and maybe follows up with the lightest of nibbles at her thumb. her fondness for teeth has not gone forgotten -

unprompted. || always accepting

─「エデン」─  it was a foreign but tender feeling to be the one whose lap was borrowed as a makeshift cushion instead of being the one doing it to him. the TRAILBLAZER found the angle to be quite pleasant, however, as it allowed her to openly gazed at him in a moderate proximity, watching the way his long lashes draped over his jade hues while they were fixated on the BOOK in front of him. other than the starry night sky and countless constellations dotting the ebony canvas of the GALAXY, he was the sight she found herself being completely fascinated by. it was calming, watching him. his presence made her feel peaceful and content. like home.

                it was a rare time that her hand wasn't covered with the dark glove she usually wore. her digits slowly tread themselves through his hair, the feel of his silvery gray locks against her skin a rare sensation she had grown to like each time she got a chance to experience. his attention was impeccable as usual, barely flickering despite how she was playing with his hair. they were so soft and well-cared for, while her AMBER HUES watched him with a kind of adoration one did not see from the usually chaotic trailblazer.

                almost curiously, she traced down the line of his cheek, down to his jaw. perhaps, the movement of her hand might've partially obstructed his view and broke his unwavering concentration. the STELLARON VESSEL watched in awe as his line of vision shifted from written words to her hand, so smoothly guided it towards his lips. amber optics burned the sight of those long lashes draping over his beautiful hues, causing her breath to HITCH in her lungs as she felt the softest of kiss within her palm.

                " altair ... " her heart skipped a beat, and for a moment there, the TRAILBLAZER felt a rush of warmth bubbling up from within, threatening to overwhelm her entirely. the sound of heart pulse echoed dully at the back of her mind, aureate orbs imprinting the sensation she had given countless of times but had never received. it came naturally for her to do so with him, to close her eyes and pressed her lips onto his palm or his pulse in promise, in utter devotion. it was like that ... she was to give her entirety to him who became not only her home but her reason of living.

                her star ... her altair ...

                her cheeks burned. it flushed, pink and then red, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from him. eden wondered if he felt something like this whenever she kissed his palm, too. if he experienced his entire body being engulfed in a sensation so foreign to have someone kiss him like he was EVERYTHING GOOD in the world. to have someone placing a kiss on her scarred and calloused palm from countless battles she had been in like she was the most fragile and precious thing to him.

                the nameless could still hear the sound of her HEART thudding against her ribcage even as he slowly opened her eyes. their gaze met when he playfully grazed his teeth in soft nibbles on the skin of her thumb. the adoring act to placate her penchant for biting earned him an airy laugh. it was light and refreshing, softening her expression as she couldn't help it developing into an affectionate chuckle. slowly, she finally leaned in, taking both their connected hands to the side as her lips hovered over his own in a breathy whisper just before their lips finally met.

                " ... only you. "

                no one else would do.                 for me ... there's only you.

[lunaetis]

@apocryphis replied to your post :

tosses her a snacky

─「エデン」─  it was like a practiced routine in a way, that the SCRIBE would instantly know the feed me look coming from the trailblazer and like reflex, the moment he tossed over one of her favorite snack without lifting his eyes from his book, she leapt slightly from her seat and CATCH the said treat snack with her mouth without fail. a cronching and crunching sound was followed by a happy whine from the now fed raccoon.

                " 'hank you. love you. " don't talk with your mouth full, eden.

[lunaetis]

@apocryphis replied to your post :

al-haitham, looking in silence, and taking off his shirt while maintaining eye contact. now nobody has a shirt. is this solidarity. challenge. appreciation. who knows. now what.

​─「エデン」─  one would think the trailblazer would be familiar with him, body and soul, by now, to not be too affected by the sight of him baring himself like that. truth is, however, the way the space raccoon literally FROZE in place, pupils wide at the majestic sight before her spoke otherwise. eden wasn't sure what sort of message he was sending.

                but she ain't complaining.

                and without a word, she just took a step closer. one. two. before literally plopping her chin onto his exposed chest, arms looping around his middle to prevent him from pulling away just yet.

                " five minutes. " muffled. best boyfriend. 100/10 will do it again.

[lunaetis]

▸▸ [ @apocryphis ( alhaitham ) || wishlist. ]

─「エデン」─  ' are you straying from your path because of him ? ' the usually saccharine voice held an edge of disapproval as those MAGENTA HUES bore into her golden orbs. no words were uttered from her end, teeth gritting so tightly that her jaw began to hurt. the fire in those AMBER OPTICS burned so fiercely as though it'd consume the figure before her. that smile didn't reach her eyes, eden could tell.

                ' he's an outlier. a distraction. ' it sounded like she was being LECTURED, like she was a child being scolded for misbehaving. eden refused to move, she refused to entertain this conversation. she was here for answers, and she had gotten none that was satisfying enough to accept. and THE STELLARON HUNTER could see it, how a mere mention of that man could bring out a sort of reaction never seen before from the TRAILBLAZER.

                ' is he that important to you ? ' silence. the golden tattoo upon her inner-wrist was pulsing quietly. that smile turned into a smirk. ' he is not a part of the script. '

                ' it'd be a shame if he were to be erased from existence — '

                " DO NOT TOUCH HIM. "

                eden had never felt such fury, she had never felt SO LIVID prior to this very moment. she had known anger, but not a seething wrath smoldering through her very veins like liquid gold that even THE STELLARON was roaring its might inside of her chest. it was responding to its vessel's emotion as she lunged at kafka, weapon immediately summoned into her gloved digits and she growled at the woman who had awakened her from deep slumber.

                for the first time, eden had attacked kafka with an intention to kill.

                she was, however, no match for the VERY WOMAN who taught her everything she knew even though she could not remember. pain seared into her mind as countless threads wrapped tightly around her very frame, digging deeper into her skin until ichor dripped onto the glowing strings themselves. a particularly sharp one pressed around the column of her neck. a choked gasp escaped her, fingers being forced to drop her weapon as gloved digits tilted up her chin. SCORCHING AURIC clashed against magenta. defiance. rebel. destruction.

                eyes that would burn the world for him.

                ' you're no match for me, eden. '

                ' if elio wanted him gone, he will be. '

                the TRAILBLAZER woke up with a throat-tearing scream.

[lunaetis]

@apocryphis asked :

vehicled races is not exactly something the scribe is all too familiar with, but there are two things he has already concluded from his observations. firstly, those flying vehicles go dangerously fast. secondly, eden... well. something about the standard equipment of a pilot looks inexplicably, ridiculously good on her. "looking like a professional already." he teases, without making much effort to hide the fact that he cannot quite take his eyes off her as he cradles her face between his hands. "do me a favour, try not to run into a wall. run the others into the walls." and al-haitham to lean and steal one kiss from his racer - for good luck.

unprompted. || always accepting

─「エデン」─  it was new. this feeling, the RUSH of adrenaline when you were behind the controls. eden wondered if this was what the pilots upon xianzhou luofu felt when they were flying the starskiffs across the vast sky. the SPEED these spacecraft could achieve was much more than one could imagine. she didn't know what she was expecting when she signed up. and it didn't take her long to understand the MECHANICS and the system. being upon the astral express and traveling from world to world was entirely different from actually controlling the spacecraft movement with her own fingertips.

                there was a rush, a sense of danger, the risk, and the THRILL as she watched her own craft ripped through the sky, hearing the whipping of the non-existent wind within the SPACE itself. her competitiveness was flaring, too. she wanted to go faster, higher.

                as she geared up in preparation for the NEXT RACE, the familiar figure of someone immediately caught her attention. golden hues instinctively softened at the sight of him, expression mellowed as a smile stretched across her face while her feet closed the distance between them. auric met rustic emerald. something about the way his eyes followed her made her HEART race, as well as a hint of pride to well up deep from within. she couldn't explain it. to know that he was looking at her brought a sense of calmness and delight. a sense of joy bubbling up to the surface.

                " can't be looking less than my best if you're looking my way. " cheeky, but nothing less than the truth. the TRAILBLAZER didn't wear any other outfit than her standard one all that often. it was a nice change of pace. and the fact that her beloved approved of it ? that was a nice little bonus if anything. his advice earned a quiet LAUGH from the trailblazing racer. run the others into the walls, he said.

                " don't let mister welt hear you say that. he'd accuse you of being an enabler for my chaotic ways. " her head tilted slightly as the words left her lips, head craning to accept the soft kiss placed to her lips while her gloved digits curled over his hand that was on her cheek a little tighter. a kiss to seal her victory, she felt. this was all the encouragement she needed. free hand placed over his chest, tugging at his clothes a little to prolong the kiss. could you blame her for not wanting it to end too soon ? if it weren't for the announcement on the sound system for the racers to get into position, she wouldn't have pulled back.

                their lips finally parted, and she finally took a step back. there was a renewed gleam in those AMBER HUES of hers. a sense of determination. eden was never the type who was hungry for recognition, however, she was someone who took pride in being worthy of him.

                " won't you give me another kiss when i win ? " not if. when. she can't lose. she wouldn't. not when he is watching.

                " keep your eyes on me — "

                " — i'll bring you that victory, altair. "

[lunaetis]

@apocryphis replied to your post :

boop -

​​─「エデン」─  there was no hint of hesitation in the way she immediately sought for his touch. the warmth of his partially gloved digits spread over her skin as she nuzzled her cheek into his palm. a content purr echoed from the back of her throat. the space raccoon scooted closer, silently demanding more after nuzzling a soft peck to the middle of his palm.

[roleplay-abiogenesis2]

Spantamad... the Darshan of elementalism and alchemy. They were both subjects that sounded out of his league, something only the brightest kind of people could muster. Cyno had assumed that out of all the Darshans, it would be the most complicated to access.

But when his senior student explained what the scholars of Spantamad did, it was like a puzzle piece had fallen neatly into place in his head. A travelling researcher. An explorer. Just the kind of man he could see himself become.

"Outside..." He whispered at first, looking up with realization and wonder, just trying to picture what that could be like. Of course, in his time in the ruins he'd seen a manner of things he considered strange if not outright fantastic. But a Ley Line, what could that be like?

Of course, there was still the matter of alchemy to consider. That word made him think of stinky basements, greasy substances and dangerous fumes. It made his stomach churn a little.

"Isn't that where that genius student is...? The girl from Mondstadt?" He asks reluctantly, losing some of that spark of hope in his eyes. "... I heard people say she can curse you and turn you into a pig, if she's in a bad mood."

He's a stubborn one, that boy. And were young al-Haitham ready and willing to do some more introspection, perhaps he'd realise his own stubbornness is not so different from his. No one had ever tripped him before, but the solitude of outcasts is one that is shared across a variety of forms and colours. Cold, heartless, friendless - too clever for his own good and too good for the rest of them. Al-Haitham may not listen but it doesn't make him deaf to the preconceived ideas his classmates so diligently share about him when they look for an excuse to procrastinate on their reading. And, just like Cyno barrels forward and ignores the provocations and jumps from one Darshan to another looking for his purpose, al-Haitham has barricaded himself behind stoic silence and the books he deems the only worthy companions to be found at the Akademiya.

... al-Haitham isn't sure he likes this comparison very much, but his grandmother taught him better than to give into the deceptive temptation of denial.

Absorbed in his contemplation of the sheet of paper before him, upon which a few scribbled notes had absently found place, al-Haitham finally snaps from his thoughts and looks up. Old tombs and runes? No wonder he had been sent to Haravatat, but... so he too, had been sent here on his family's wishes? Archons know he wouldn't be the first student under parental pressure, but... there is a difference, between following into a parent's footsteps out of tradition, and staying somewhere to fulfill their wishes for their child's... wellbeing? Happiness?

" ... " Al-Haitham remains quiet, and looks down from Cyno again. Is that what Cyno's parents had wanted for him, here, at the Akademiya? A better life, better prospects? Or were they like his grandmother, hoping to broaden his horizons, hoping to open a window for him once they would no longer be there? What had his grandmother hoped for, he often wonders, when she had registered him at the Akademiya before her passing? " ... what about Spantamad?" Al-Haitham asks, a little abruptly. If it were up to him only, chances are, he would long have abandoned his studies, opted for a quiet and secluded life somewhere all on his own, but... his grandmother, he knows, had wanted him to be there. She knew him, and she still wanted him there. Al-Haitham knows he won't leave the Akademiya before he figures out why... and he cannot help but wonder if Cyno is the same.

Emerald and rust-tinted eyes meet the boy's own again, arms crossing over his chest. "You haven't mentioned them yet, so I assume you haven't tried them out by now. It's the Darshan that studies elementalism, the Ley lines, and alchemy. In many ways, they stand out amidst the other Darshans. Because of the Darshan's connection to the elements and the Ley lines, they're often on the front line when strange natural phenomena take place. You're from the desert, and as you mentioned, you know how to get around difficult territory and survive... a lot of people from Spantamad go on to become travelling scholars. Explorers, if you will. And as you so aptly pointed out... you're a fighter." Al-Haitham raises his brow, as if to coax the boy into answering a silent question: what do you think? "Why lock yourself up in a dusty cage when you can rattle its bars while still following those rules you seem to hold so dear?" 

[daybreakrising]

HOW DO YOU VIEW LOVE?

DEVOTIONAL

to love is to kneel. to give your all in hopes of even a glance. to sit pretty with glistening eyes wishing that it is enough. to be a sacrificial lamb to the divine, your love. pliant beneath holy hands that wash away the sin that taints you whole.

tagged by: @yuexian (thank u for this pain) tagging: @resolutepath (diluc), @ofluminance (lumine), @ccaptain, @ruinvessel, @basbousah (alhaitham), @apocryphis (neuvillette)

[immobiliter]

 “⭐️” for whoever you want and as many or as few as you want: neuvillette and Furina, neuvillette and navia, Lyney and navia, al-haitham and dehya, kazuha and beidou! (Did I miss anyone -)

for each “⭐️” I get, I’ll write a headcanon about our muses / @apocryphis

ventium ily for naming all of our dynamics, i'm gonna try to give you one for each~

⭐️ i like to think that very early on in furina & neuvillette's working relationship, shortly after he was invited to fontaine, furina took a very keen — not controlling per se but definitely her brand of obnoxious — interest in how he was presented to the people and was responsible for the design and colour scheme of his first set of robes as iudex ( the concept of which she described in painstaking detail to the poor seamstress granted the honour ). it was partly a power play as she had to prove to the hydro sovereign that she was the one in control and pulling the strings, but there were some good intentions behind it as furina saw how much of an outsider he was ( particularly as he brought the melusines with him and we know the initial trouble that caused ) and wanted to help him assimilate into fontainian society as smoothly as possible. she became less overbearing over time but those first months involved a number of these "teaching" moments as she attempted to instruct him in the way fontainians dressed, ate, conducted business, pursued their hobbies etc etc. imagine it's like the princess diaries and furina is julie andrews lmaooo

⭐️being a social butterfly herself, navia does struggle, particularly early on in their partnership post-AQ, with neuvillette's solitary and emotionally distant nature, and i think she quickly deduces that this makes him a rather lonely individual, too. so she will try to counter this by spontaneously turning up at the palais mermonia from time to time ( without an appointment, naturally, and yes she will interrupt whatever business he has at that particular moment ), not on official business but just to bring him the newest batch of macarons that she has baked or to ask him about his day/tell him about hers. the palais feels like such a cold, lonely building so navia will try to fill it with as much warmth as possible whenever she is visiting.

⭐️ i think out of all three house siblings, navia gets on the best with lyney and as they bond post-AQ/during the poisson rebuild, they both instinctively recognise a kinship as being two young people who carry the burdens of their respective institutions and all of the pressure that brings. but navia is also not blind to the house's secrets and is capricious by nature so these two have definitely been awake until late playing cards or other tabletop-esque games trying to wheedle information out of one another. navia never ever succeeds in getting lyney to divulge his secrets, but she puts up an admirable fight.

⭐️ while it is true that dehya will rarely, if ever, compliment alhaitham to his face out of fear of inflating his ego and never ever living it down, if she is ever in a situation ( either with alhaitham present or in the presence of others ) where she feels he is facing unfair criticism, she will always stand up for him or back him up. his direct manner is something she greatly respects, even if it is a little harsh at times, and he has certainly done enough over the course of the AQ to earn her loyalty.

⭐️ beidou will always ensure that the alcor is a home and safe haven for kazuha for as long as he wants it to be, but a part of the kinship these two share is understanding that neither can be tied down permanently to one place. so if kazuha were to ever come to her and say that he wanted to leave and move on, there would be no hard feelings whatsoever and beidou would do whatever she could to make that transition as smooth as possible. her one and only condition for kazuha leaving is that he remains in contact with her by letter to save her worrying over him like a mother hen.

[daybreakrising]

@apocryphis: ❝ push yourself too hard and you become your own worst enemy. ❞ oooh and from al-haitham to baizhu!

With a smile, the doctor lowers the book in his hands, abandoning his perusal of the text to instead meet the rather stoic gaze of the man now hovering at his table. He marks his place with a piece of cloth tucked gently between pages and sets the book down, offering the scribe his full attention, as is polite.

A quick glance around the library tells him the hour is much later than he had anticipated. The House of Daena is virtually empty, with only a few scholars hunched over tomes at the scattered tables. He has, apparently, outlasted even the most overworked, sleep-deprived academics stressing over their latest research projects.

"Is that spoken from experience, perhaps?" He turns his pleasant smile upon the scribe, reptilian eyes studying his face, searching for all those little micro-expressions most people are unaware of making. A habit of his - reading people, their body language; discerning their emotions, their motives.

Now that it has been pointed out to him, however, he does feel the lingering effects of sitting in the same position for long periods of time. He ought to stand, stretch his legs, but he's not sure they'd hold him immediately, and he doesn't want to stumble in new, still somewhat strange, company.

So, he settles instead for a light stretching of the spine, a roll of the shoulders. "I assure you, good sir, I am very aware of the dangers of pushing oneself too hard."

"Hm." Upon his shoulder, Changsheng huffs. "He says this, yet still he ignores his own wisdom."

Baizhu utters a soft chuckle, gives a little shake of his head. "Ah, well, it is an established fact that doctors make the worst patients, no?" He is quick to change the subject - there is no need to linger upon the hard truth that he does avoid following the advice he will happily dole out to others. Another habit of his. Do as I say, and not as I do-

"Was there something you needed, Alhaitham?" It occurs to him then that perhaps he is only permitted within this library for a set time - he doubts the library itself ever closes, but he is a stranger here. The rules may be different for him. "I hope I am not outstaying my welcome in these halls."