The Paradisaea and the Vultur

2

The sky has begun its transformation from blue to deep purple outside, and most of the candles have gone out. In the half-light brought in from the twilight, a man sits on the edge of his bed. His legs are spread slightly as he places his elbows on his knees, lifting his upper body by keeping his fingertips on his forehead. His eyes are half-open but entirely unseeing. The pants and boots he's put on blur inside his mind, and he wouldn't be able to determine what color either of them was without a moment of pondering. He doesn't particularly care what color his outfit is one way or another, but he acknowledges that he should be able to know without a second thought. Color is one of the first details an individual notices even if they are not partaking in intense analysis like he frequently does.

Despite his eyes failing him, his ears do not. He hears the pittering of quick footsteps, heels clicking against smooth tiles. When the noise grows closer, the door creaks open. He picks his face up momentarily as the golden light of the hallway floods into the room. A long shadow covers his body, however, and he looks at the source of the disruption. His housemate, Kaveh, is standing at the threshold. He has one hand on his hip and a frown pulling down his painted lips. He is wearing a long white jacket and pants with a red undershirt and golden accents. There are patterns threaded into the capelet he wears, and the fabric flares out like a pair of wings as Kaveh marches into the room without asking for permission.

"I cannot believe you! How many times have I told you how important today was? Are you doing this to spite me? The one time I need you to be your same punctual self, you decide that you want to try out something new?" Kaveh's admonishment is downplayed significantly by the airy quality of his voice. Kaveh is a bundle of nerves marching towards Al-Haitham, a tenseness in his expression that Al-Haitham doesn't understand. The gathering they are going to today isn't that important. They shouldn't be late, but there isn't a set time to show up. It is only a party where the sages and regents are going to interact with the nobility, a rather common affair. Kaveh has never been nervous about any of these parties before, so what is different about today?

"Al-Haitham," Kaveh says his name with a sigh. He stands right in front of Al-Haitham. His shadow continues to fall across Al-Haitham's body, but from this proximity, Al-Haitham can clearly see Kaveh's face. Kaveh is trying very hard not to look nervous, but he has always been more expressive than he wants to be. Al-Haitham has chronicled most of Kaveh's expressions at this point, using context clues to assign emotions to them since Al-Haitham isn't nearly as expressive. Right now, Kaveh's eyes are narrowed very slightly. His eyebrows are drawing closer together, and he has to force them apart with a hissing breath every few seconds. The red on his cheeks could be blush, but it is also a sign of his nervousness.

Al-Haitham pushes off his knees. Kaveh steps right into his personal space. Kaveh sighs once more, saying nothing as he starts buttoning Al-Haitham's coat. His fingers continue trailing upward until he's tying the cloak Al-Haitham only wears to gatherings such as this. Kaveh's expression twists with focus, using Al-Haitham's lack of care regarding his outfit to distract himself. When Kaveh is finished, he wears a small smile, and Al-Haitham notices a new emotion in Kaveh's eyes. Well, it isn't new, but Al-Haitham hasn't gathered enough evidence to determine what it means.

Kaveh pushes Al-Haitham's gray hair back, directly meeting his eyes. His smile grows a little wider, but that look in his eyes doesn't fade. He whispers softly, "There you are."

He says it as if Al-Haitham hasn't been here the entire time. Al-Haitham frowns minutely, leaning forward. He presses his face into Kaveh's stomach, closing his eyes. They could skip the gathering today. Al-Haitham has always thought of them as a waste of time, and Kaveh seems to be antsy about whatever is going to happen today. If they don't show, their friends might come by later to check up on them, and that might be better for Kaveh's mental state than going to spend time with them under the harsh eyes of the nobility. Until those friends arrive, Al-Haitham could just hold Kaveh.