Just a little fun! Enjoy!
Faruzan watched them fight. Personally, she wasn't entirely sure if they always fought like this, but she had certainly heard plenty about it from others. In fact, their closest friends ignored their bickering while those who didn't know them as well looked on in interest.
She had come to know Kaveh through the Inter Darshan Championship. As much as she wanted to win, she was quite happy that it was Kaveh who had come out on top. He was a truly kind person, but obviously not used to luck being on his side. She actually rather enjoyed the excitement he held just by winning their drawing lots.
Alhaitham, on the other hand, withheld nothing, even if it would offend someone. From Faruzan's point of view, he may not have meant something he said to be mean and may not have even realized being so blunt was, in itself, mean. Still, when he spoke to Kaveh, some of the things he said seemed to have other meanings. There was an underlying softness that she'd seen before in her many years. It was just well disguised.
Kaveh was far too emotional and young to see this.
As she watched their most recent fight end, she heard Kaveh mutter sadly under his breath, "We'll just never understand each other."
This gave her an idea. She sat in front of her workbench, fiddling with the inner workings of a small robot she had made years ago. She had a plan.
~xxxxxxxxxx~
"You've already started on another project. Have you even made repairs to Mehrak after you were both thrown, or have you been too busy trying to please your new client? I would think your toolbox would be a priority, as it's an important aspect of your trade." Alhaitham said flatly.
Kaveh glared at the other man, "Mehrak is fine, and not that it's any of your business, but having a job is also an important aspect of my trade. If I don't please my clients they'll take their job and leave! Honestly, Alhaitham. If you ever want me to pay- o-oh, never mind!" He cut himself short as he saw Faruzan approaching them. "Madam Faruzan, how have you been?"
She smiled and greeted the two, "I've been quite well, thank you. It seems you youngsters were having a tiff. I've made something," She said, holding up a small square object, "it's a translator, of sorts, to help you understand each other better. Well, I must go. Let me know how it works!" She said, pressing a button on the object and letting it float between the two as she walked away.
Kaveh stared at the object for a moment.
"W-why would she think we need a translator? We speak the same language… It's very intriguing, though." Kaveh said, stepping closer.
Kaveh looked back at Alhaitham, who hadn't spoken a word since before Faruzan had shown up. He was watching Kaveh looking over the robot. Kaveh started to cross his arms, until he felt the painful pull on his shoulder and ribs. If Alhaitham had noticed him wince, he didn't say anything about it.
"I'm going home. Don't even think about hammering away at your projects all night. Not everyone has a need to feel sleep deprived, Kaveh." He said as he turned to walk away.
The floating robot beeped and a slightly mechanical voice began to speak. "Translating: You still don't look well, you need more rest before you go back to work, Kaveh."
Alhaitham had stopped in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder at the small floating machine and mumbled "Fascinating" before walking away.
Kaveh rolled his eyes and turned back to the robot, "I'm sorry, little guy, but you don't seem to be working quite right. Besides, I don't think anything can translate Alhaitham. It's ok, you can still come home with me. Hmm, I believe I'll call you Polly and I think you and Mehrak will get along quite nicely!" He said, looking for his key. "What, where is it? …Oh no, not again! I don't have my key, we have to get home before Alhaitham! He'll be insufferable if he has to let me in."
After being held up by a client who had spotted him and insisted on chatting, he didn't beat Alhaitham home. Bracing himself, he knocked on the door and jumped when it was answered immediately.
Alhaitham let him through and closed the door behind him. "Considering how worried you are about anyone from the Akademiya finding out you're living here, you don't make much of an effort to ensure you won't be seen sleeping on the nearest bench." He said evenly.
Beep! "Translating: You could have gotten sick sleeping outside all night and you shouldn't worry so much about what others think, anyway. I don't mind that you live here and these are our lives, not theirs."
"Y-you!..." Kaveh began, fists clenched at his sides, "You could have just let me in and kept your mouth shut about it, Haitham!" He huffed.
Alhaitham raised an eyebrow at the robot, but continued to address Kaveh. "I'm not the one who forgets basic needs, like their house key, or eating." He said in his usual matter-of-fact tone as he sat on the couch and opened a book.
Beep! "Translating: I worry about you not taking care of yourself. There are leftovers on the table for you."
Kaveh shook his head at the little robot as the scribe continued, "You're the winner of the Inter Darshan Championship and you have yet to consider the fact that you are still an architectural designer who is still working himself to death just to get a smile from his client when you could likely have your choice of jobs. I'm nothing but a scribe and yet I live quite comfortably, no need to overwork myself with things like meeting deadlines." He said, now looking directly at the floating translator, as if waiting for it to speak.
Beep! "Translating: I'll say it again, Kaveh. You hurt yourself during the championship and you are hurting yourself for people who don't appreciate you while you should be resting. I know you enjoy your job, but you are too kind to people and it's exhausting you. Maybe there's a way you can keep your career without killing yourself. I make more than enough to support both of us, if only until you figure out something different. You are the Light of Kshahrewar, you deserve better."
Kaveh shook his head, "Poor Polly is trying so hard, but the little thing is so confused. I should take it back to Faruzan." He said, looking at it with sympathy.
"It's doing just fine." Alhaitham said simply, putting his book down.
"W-what?! Have you not heard a thing it's said?" Kaveh asked with a short laugh.
"Of course I have. It translated perfectly." Alhaitham stood and took Kaveh by the shoulders, directing him to the kitchen.
Kaveh stared at the food sitting on the table, just like the robot said.
"How… how could Polly have known you left food out for me?!" Kaveh put a hand to his head and plopped into a seat . "I must be dreaming. T-there's no way what that bot said was right!"
"Kaveh," He said, sitting next to the architect, "It translated everything I said perfectly. I'm not concerned with others and what they think of our lives. I'm concerned with those who live in this home. Now eat." He sat back and didn't say another word.
Kaveh ate, lost in his thoughts. If what Faruzan's translator said was true, he certainly didn't mind, although he'd never admit that, but- "I've thought for so long now, that you hate me and want me gone from your home. We fight all the time and we're so different, how am I supposed to believe otherwise?"
Alhaitham sighed, "Kaveh, I enjoy our banter. It's nice to have someone who can keep up with and even challenge me, yet be so unlike myself. If I truly didn't want you here, I wouldn't have asked you to come."
"Archons, Haitham… And thank you."
"Hmm. That wasn't so hard, was it? Perhaps you should try it again." The corner of his mouth turned up slightly at the sight of Kaveh's face turning red.
"What?! Not this again!"