sempiternals | How could your heart be stolen by a human?

I doubt you have that bad of a taste in tea anyway.

( Kaveh bleeds luxuries even when he’s troubled by finances, not that Wriothesley has an idea of how deep his debt goes.

The sudden shift in his curiosity has Wriothesley silent for a moment, and feels the weight of urgency in his pocket. He regrets keeping Navia out of the loop, and he does in fact miss seeing her. But Kaveh’s presence is temporary. He’ll make it up to her. )

Hm. It’d be easier to show you than tell you.

Follow me.

( With that, he rises out of his chair and turns off Darya, gulping the rest of his tea.
He does have a wide range of interests, from mechanics to academic topics. All of which he has had to teach himself during his time in the Fortress.

He leads Kaveh down to the first level, lifts a latch that slowly exposes another set of stairs leading down. He glances at him. )

Are you spooked easily?

[ Well, don't mind him while he preens a little at that. Despite attempting not to make it too obvious, he certainly smiles to himself as he stands from his chair to follow Wriothesley— after all, it's high praise coming from a man who likes his tea as much as the Warden does.

He's not really sure what he's expecting when the other triggers that latch, but it's not a set of stairs going downwards. Aren't they already at the bottom of the ocean? How can they possibly go further down?

(Of course he knows "how", but admittedly the idea is a little...)

well. Yes. Spooky. Even so, he levels Wriothesley with a Look. ]

I'm a grown man, Your Grace, I'm not about to be spooked by a set of stairs. [ He knows that's not what Wriothesley means, and also it's kind of a lie because he is spooked, but he refuses to admit as much under the circumstances. Especially when the other was teasing him just a few minutes ago pretending forest fires destroyed an entire source of tea. ]

( Air closes in on them as they spiral downward. Every detail of this area is dressed with intricate symbols along the metal wall beside them. It must have taken years to complete the original establishment digging deep into bedrock for what would become the seabed. )

Perfect. We’re far from Sigewinne’s office after all.

( Only he can make that sound like a threat.

The next room they land in is large and rectangular, but empty. There’s a small desk that doesn’t look like it has value, it’s for his staff to clock in and out.

Because ahead is a large window overseeing a chasm, where a ship as large as a city rests for maintenance.
There’s no people working currently, but lights are on. )

This was my latest project. Want to check it out?

[ Unfortunately for Wriothesley, it's around this time he loses Kaveh, threats and all. The blonde's eyes are on the symbols in the walls, wondering at their meaning, trying to take in every last possible detail as they spiral down. His lack of focus in the moment is bad enough in fact that when they reach the large, empty room at the end of the trip, Kaveh blinks, only then realizing that the other was talking at all.

His eyes lift from the walls, start to move across to the Duke— but freeze halfway on the beauty of the ship sitting on the other side of the window.

It's almost childlike, the way he rushes to the window and presses his hands to the pane of glass, eyes wide and full of wonder as he peers out into the chasm. And Wriothesley is saying something, talking about his project, and it's all Kaveh can do to gape, unable to force himself to take his eyes off the thing. ]

You built this?

( He thinks Kaveh is simply too spooked to say anything but when they reach the point of the ship, he realizes it wasn’t the case.

He’s a complex one, that Kaveh. The brisk flip of emotions are still a phenomenon he has yet to get used to.

His footsteps near beside Kaveh until they’re next to each other, gazing over at the expanse of space and engineering resting ahead of the glass. )

It was my idea but I didn’t build it, exactly. I hired others to help me with it.
You wouldn’t see much of me at all if it were all up to me.

Are you familiar with the prophecy?

[ Despite his amazement and the temptation to just stare at the ship in front of him, he manages to keep enough attention on Wriothesley to hear him speaking. The comment the other makes— "you wouldn't see much of me at all" is a curious one, and he almost wants to press him on it... but that's something to file away and revisit later, he thinks.

Instead, he addresses the question asked of him, looking up at the Warden with a quiet, serious nod. ]

Of course I am. Even if it wasn't well-known in practically every corner of Teyvat, my mother lives in Fontaine, remember? We argued back and forth about it for years.

( The logic is simple: As talented as Wriothesley is leading the Fortress for what it is, he can’t be everywhere at the same time. Normally, his staff and laborers report to him with concerning matters while he sticks to performing day to day tasks. A lot of the time this means plenty of free time. He does visit the ship often, though.

He wonders about Kaveh’s family life. Each time his mother comes in conversation he gets a sense that there’s more. Like an iceberg rifting across the water, drowning his truth in the underside.

Wriothesley’s attentiveness is heavy on him as he keeps drawing theories about him in his head. He’ll have to ask him eventually, if Kaveh allows. )

I remember, did she tell you what happened last year? When the prophecy came to pass judgment on all of us and the city flooded, I used this ship as an emergency vessel for people to board. It would have been able to sail for months, but luckily it didn’t come down to that.

Hopefully her residence didn’t sustain too bad water damage. It took months for most places to recover.

[ He has no idea how closely Wriothesley is watching him. Realistically, even if he did notice, he'd have no idea how to handle it. There's a certain amount of wall he's had to put up between them in order to protect himself from what he knows he wants, after all— and perhaps it helps too that he's being given questions to answer, and about his mother too, which only ever serves to distract him.

Also, there's the part about the Duke being an entire goddamned hero—

He nods, the expression thoughtful and slow... and perhaps there's a certain amount of schooling of his features to something more neutral. ]

She told me what happened. She never mentioned this ship, though. Even from here, it's magnificent. [ And in response to the question that follows, he makes a face. ] She's an architect. She restructured her interior to protect against flooding, just in case. So nothing was affected too horribly. She lost some books, I guess, and some blueprints she was working on. I'm sure other people had it far worse. She just...

[ He sighs. ]

She's just grateful that whatever was happening with the primordial seawater didn't happen with my step-father and their kid.

Ah, that would be due to the fact it wasn't in the publication on the Steambird. Best to keep it that way.
( He crosses his arms proudly and sounds cryptic for no real reason other than to protect his privacy. Soon enough, the ship will be rumors among myths, and legends to come.
From reservations to sly humor, a set of keys dangle from a hooked finger as he walks over to a side door leading out into the chasm before them. He doesn't have to say it, does he? Kaveh knows to follow. )

So architects run in the genes, then. No wonder you're so dedicated. If she hadn't reconstructed she definitely would have been caught up in a bigger mess. Now that I think about it, she should submit the idea of those blueprints to Palais Mermonia. Who knows when the next big flood will come?

What's most important is that everyone, your mother and family included, are safe now. They shouldn't have to worry about primordial seawater ever again, according to Neuvillette.

( The general public probably doesn't know this, though. He doesn't mind handing Kaveh free information like this, in a place where their voices could echo in the vastness of the construction area and deck. )

Do you get along with your stepfather? Ah, you don't have to answer if you don't want to. I'll show you the inside of the ship.

[ Kaveh frowns his confusion in response to that. What, Wriothesley doesn't want the recognition of helping to rescue the people of Fontaine? He understands more than anyone he thinks the desire for privacy, but people should know who rescued them, who spent hours planning something of this magnitude purely for the benefit of his people. It's not his place to argue as much though, so he doesn't, instead just following him to the side door and out into the chasm.

(And he'd be lying if he said he wasn't thrumming with excitement at the thought of getting to admire the beauty of the ship up close, anyway.) ]

Yeah, I definitely gained my interest from her. I don't know if she has but... I'll tell her she should. She probably didn't even think about it— she can be kind of single-minded. [ A wry grin. ] We have that in common.

[ And then Wriothesley asked about his step-father, and Kaveh's heart turns itself inside out on the spot. He tries his best to keep his expression schooled, but if the other man is watching closely enough, he'll see the hints of myriad emotions as they play themselves out: grief, frustration, guilt, irritation. And maybe the other does see it, he realizes, because much to his chagrin (and yet also to his relief), he's offered an out of the conversation. ]

It's complicated. [ He doesn't even realize his teeth are clenched. ] I'd like to see the inside.

( The instant hesitation speaks for it all and those are wounds he doesn't wish to pour salt into if he can avoid it. Family is a delicate matter for most people, he knows that better than anyone. The way his emotions manifest across his features reaches deep into Wriothesley. Whatever Kaveh has gone through wasn't easy and he will never judge him for whatever it may be.

The entrance of the ship is on the side of any vessel. Keys get inserted into the latch and he opens the metal gate into it. Like a man of true values, he steps aside so Kaveh can take watchful steps inside. It's not true luxury, but it's made with living in mind so it's nothing like the rooms in the Fortress.

He closes the gate behind them. There is plenty to be seen, though most of these are cabins. He stuffs metal keys in his pockets and glances at Kaveh. )

I'm not sure what any of this means as far as architecture goes, but you can decide for yourself. There is a small ballroom with a large arch. We've been having renovations on it to keep up with the times and to make sure nothing is rusting too quickly in these conditions. Not that it will sail anytime soon, but it is an ongoing project and as it stands, it is part of our history.

[ He's sure, given the way Wriothesley moves on, that he's read right into the expressions Kaveh was trying not to let play out too obviously on his face. But he doesn't complain; rather, he's grateful that the other seems content to just let them move on from the topic in question. It allows him to turn his attention to the ship itself as the Warden lets them inside.

(He tries not to focus on how Wriothesley steps aside to let him go first, a gentlemanly gesture usually saved for a female companion.)

Somehow, it looks even more spacious on the inside than it did out. ]

Permission to look around?

[ He'll spend the next several minutes doing exactly that, wandering in relative silence from one part of the ship to another. He looks at the design, the points of construction, the way all the different little parts come together into a cohesive whole. ]

She's amazing, [ is his eventually analysis, turning back to Wriothesley after some time. ] It's properly weight-loaded for more people than I could have predicted just looking at it, and the insulation is good enough that it would serve as a proper living space for a while in the event of another flood. I assume there's storage somewhere where preserves and the like can be kept, in order to feed the people?

[ Realizing that he's started to pontificate a little too much, Kaveh halts his rant on the spot, and he has the grace to look a little ashamed. ]

Are you sure you haven't studied some form of architecture yourself, Your Grace?

Permission granted.
( Offering Kaveh the tour so he can sate his architecture dreams is worth sharing some secrets. He's not sure how it would differ from the concepts used when building homes for people to live in, though.

He starts guiding Kaveh up a twin stairway, then down a long hall leading to the captain's quarters. )

Yup. She has everything one could need for long-term survivability.

( Everything has a wooden finish inside, with remnants of the same steel skeleton. His office has a few bookshelves, and a desk large enough to roll blueprints over. He opens up a cabinet so he can take one of them out. )

Ah, nah. This was all done by the people I hired years ago. I read some notes they do and I'm familiar with some of the math involved, but that's so I can communicate my opinions to them.

Do you like Firewater? I have some imports here.

[ Wriothesley might feel that there isn't a lot for Kaveh to take away from the interior of the ship. He'd be wrong. In Kaveh's mind, there's something to learn from every type of architectural design, no matter how foreign it might be from what he's usually concepted. And in this case? A ship like this relies on fitting many things into a small space, something about which he's never really had to think before— the rainforest and the desert are extremely large, after all. But who knows when it may come up in the future? Kaveh takes careful mental notes as he looks around, appreciating everything the ship has to offer.

Before long, they find themselves in the Warden's office within the ship itself; Kaveh's eyes widen all over again at the sight of the blueprints, and when the other man takes one out, the blonde rolls it out over the table, peering at it with such great interest he almost misses the offer.

(And perhaps if he were less attuned to alcohol, he would have.)

He looks up, a smile on his lips— and then he cocks his head, something playful in those red eyes, even as his words come in something of a scandalized, hushed tone. ]

Firewater? Of course. But Your Grace, isn't that considered contraband down here?

( Whether or not Kaveh agrees to the offer, Wriothesley already made up his mind. Mahogany cabinets slide open with a collection of rare teas and liquors. Assuming the chance of spending a prolonged period here, of course, he made sure to equip the ship with things other than tea.

He brings two glass cups and a bottle to the table where Kaveh is. )

It is.

( He smiles at him directly in his eyes while popping open the bottle. )

So you'd better keep this a secret, yes?

[ Kaveh's eyes widen to see the collection inside the cabinets. He's enough of a drinker that he can recognize even the rarest of the liquors at a glance, and—

Mm, there are a couple of things that are self-evident, actually.

First, for someone presiding over a prison deep in the ocean, Wriothesley really lives the high life.

Second, the rumors about him being just that little bit bad? Definitely true.

He offers a playful raise of his brow even as the other man smiles right at him, and together the knowledge and the look on his face do something awful to Kaveh's stomach. Archons... ]

Lucky for you, Your Grace, I'm fantastic at keeping secrets.

[ Until he gets drunk. But even Kaveh doesn't realize that. ]

( Besides some reservations about the surface, he has all he needs down here. It's truly become a real home by now and he can't imagine settling above anytime soon, if at all. That's why people rarely catch a glimpse of him, or why most people know him by name rather than by face.

He pours Kaveh a cup and sits comfortably on a sofa there. If Kaveh wants to keep admiring his blueprints or taking mental notes, he's free to do so.

He's mostly teasing about keeping all this a secret, though. Some rules simply don't apply to him. He's the boss, after all. He paid his debt to justice long ago. )

Good to know. Maybe I'll tell you everything there is to know about this place, after all, huh.

( His gaze is still on him when he tilts back the cup for a tasteful swig. With humor as dry as his, it's obvious why most of his teasing goes unnoticed by most people. )

[ With the cup in hand, he moves to join Wriothesley on the sofa— there are plenty more blueprints he wants to look at, but he figures he can do that after, once they've had the time to sit and enjoy a drink together.

(Because there's no chance at all of him resisting that particular siren call, not when the Duke is sitting spread out and comfortable and Kaveh can imagine—)

Gods he hasn't even started drinking yet. Maybe the firewater is a bad idea...

But he still moves to sit next to the other, still takes a sip from his own cup— his nose wrinkles and his face contorts— before he laughs at what the other man says, shaking his head. Despite having fallen victim to Wriothesley's sense of humor before, now that he understands it (something much more like Alhaitham's than his own), the comment doesn't seem quite so out of place as it might have before. ]

The only people who should know the secrets of a place are its owner, and its architect, [ he points out primly, and then there's a pause before a sly grin tugs at his own lips. ] Ideally, it would just be its owner, but I'm obviously not about to advocate for murdering your architects. You know?

( Plenty could become of the fate of this couch in a place so secluded, none other soul in the entire Fortress would ever imagine let alone hear. Wriothesley drinks to the idea and he smiles at Kaveh. It has some ring to it: The architect of the Fortress, even if the ones credited to the design have long passed. It's a hefty title to carry even if Kaveh is simply joking about it.

When it comes to his ship, though, he laughs. Morbid humor is a way to cope with everything lying dormant beneath the waves and past the rims of his eyes. Harmless as Kaveh is, he still holds something of a warning when he glances at him as he sips again from his cup. )

Wow, Kaveh. I didn't think you could be so violent. If you wanted to work down here forever, I could revise your contract.

Heh.

[ If Kaveh knew what was going through Wriothesley's mind in regards to the couch, they'd be having a very different conversation, probably. Then again, they would have had many different conversations recently in general, if he had any idea. But of course he's in total ignorance, and it shows in the way he sits comfortably— although somewhat more demurely than Wriothesley— on the couch, drinking another sip, and cringing once more at the taste.

Wine goes down so much more smoothly.

And when the other keeps speaking, the blonde finds himself torn: torn between how sexy it is to be threatened with a contract revision that would keep him down here, a prisoner— and he doesn't really want that, but the threat is sexy nonetheless— but also... ]

...Hey, I wasn't advocating violence, I was advocating the opposite of it! I'm the architect here, and I'd really prefer not to be killed to protect your secrets— or anyone's, thank you very much!

Really? Sounded like you were threatening my staff. The real question is, would you kill to protect my secrets?

( Perhaps this is the first taste Kaveh gets of Wriothesley's morbid humor. It could cut through the bones of people who may not be used to his commentary, but he finds it hilarious. Seeing Kaveh's reactions to him, always so expressive and easily riled up. He could tease him until the end of time and not tire of it.

He sips up the liquor tastefully, cherishing the strength. Now and then Wriothesley will enjoy these fine things, though tea is still a strong preference. Nothing like letting his mind crumble away, loosening up from his usual barriers. He sits closer to Kaveh so he can pour some more Firewater into his cup. )

You worry too much. Relax. I was kidding.

[ There's something almost like panic on Kaveh's face when Wriothesley asks that question. He's not a killer; while he will fight to defend himself, Mehrak is always under strict instructions to disable to otherwise knock enemies down, not to kill them. Even when the same band of Eremites tried to rob him for a third time in a row, he didn't kill them. He's hardly about to start murdering people for the sake of Wriothesley's secrets, and...!

But the warden makes it clear that he's joking as he sits closer and tells him not to worry, pours more Firewater in his cup— that Kaveh, in all his anxieties, very promptly downs in a single gulp right before he fixes the other man with the sort of tired, annoyed look he would give Alhaitham— or that Tighnari would give Cyno. ]

You know you're impossible, right? I'm not gonna threaten your staff, Your Grace. Nor would I like to be threatened.

[ The burn down the back of his throat... He closes his eyes, and hums. And maybe it's the courage of the alcohol behind him, but he can't help himself from asking: ]

So is this apart of the normal tour, or did I luck into the deluxe package somehow?

( One thing to consider is how he still can't bring himself to respond to Navia's message on his phone. Surely Kaveh has allowed himself to move on after their mishap. Even alcohol subdues part of Wriothesley's thinking, so he places his cup down on the table and angles himself to fully give Kaveh his attention. )

On the contrary, I wouldn't want to find myself in court again with your sudden disappearance. I guarantee your safety as long as you're down here.

( His arm loosens over the back of the couch and grazes towards Kaveh's side. The veins right underneath his skin feel hot with the sudden warmth of alcohol pumping through his system, but he's a lot more coherent than Kaveh. He just can't help but keep his gaze on him. Suggestive as Kaveh is, he doesn't think it's wrong to answer his question truthfully. )

It's a one-of-a-kind package. You've been working hard lately, it wouldn't be right if I didn't reward you with deluxe treatment.

I also noticed you weren't going to the surface lately.

[ Oh, Archons. This is dangerous— the way Wriothesley guarantees in so calm a voice his safety, follows it up by slinging a casual arm over the couch, grazing his side in a way that is surely meant to be casual, but to which attraction and alcohol draw a sharp focus from Kaveh. The blonde finds himself biting his lip, gaze dropping as he realizes that those ice blue eyes aren't leaving his face.

Archons be damned, why does Wriothesley have to be so fucking attractive?

Kaveh offers him a shaky smile, something meant to be teasing but failing along the way, possibly— definitely— due to the alcohol. ]

I've worked hard for many clients before. Not a single one of them has treated me to a tour of their facility's secrets and expensive alcohol. You're certainly unique, Your Grace.

[ And then, of course, comes the revelation that the other knows Kaveh has not been to the surface recently— the younger man sighs, and shakes his head. ]

Yeah, I... guess I haven't felt the need. I'm sure I'll go up for some fresh air any day now but... my room is comfortable enough.

[ And when he's in the Fortress, he has a chance of seeing him. ]

( Dangerous is still better than holding up the barrier he’s been keeping with him. Wriothesley wishes to hand over his trust in hand, he wants to unite in a way he knows it may not be possible with Kaveh. Treating him so blatantly to nicer things in the Fortress is as far as he can go.

But even the alcohol is changing his mind. )

I have to keep your spirits up. It’s not easy adapting to life down here.

( He smiles and takes another swig of the firewater, veering his gaze away. )

Glad you like the room.
I worked hard on it, you know.

Anyway, were you going to visit your mother in the surface? You know, you can tell me things. I won’t tell anyone.

( His fingers linger over his shoulder, barely touching the blond sprawling out on it. He can hold his alcohol well, but this is his reason, his excuse. Blue eyes flicker up to his eyes and he pulls away. )

I’m just glad you ended up staying here in Fontaine.

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