( open ) summer/fall catchall.

[scriviner]

✿ who ✿ Alhaitham and you!
✿ what ✿ intro with open prompts!
✿ when ✿ latter half-ish of summer
✿ where ✿ around
✿ warnings ✿ n/a!

a. scavenger hunt

[ Games like this don't really interest him, when they're nothing more than contrivances to get people to learn things about others that they didn't really care to know in the first place. However, if it's to get seeds, he'll go along with it.

More seeds means he can give them to Kaveh and keep him out of the house more, which means more peace and quiet indoors for him. This is a flawless plan. If Kaveh doesn’t want the seeds, Alhaitham will simply have to point out to him how the seeds will go to waste if he doesn’t plan them, and that should hopefully to the trick.

To that end, he hands passersby in town a clipboard with a list of scavenger hunt questions on it. ]

Fill this out, if you will.

[ It’s not too far off from collecting surveys for research. Not his favorite academic pursuit, but it makes the task more palatable. ]

a. in the library

[ After becoming aware of a library in town, it’s where Alhaitham begins to spend most of his time. Relatively quiet and away from the hustle and bustle with plenty of new literature to get his hands on. A lot of it is pointless fluff, sure, but even that can grant him insights on this island and its goddess.

Anyway, if you happen to be there, too, he eventually starts piling books on the desk you’re reading at. He offers a quick explanation: ]

Ran out of room on my own.

[ Indeed, the desk he’s been sitting at is piled with books, and instead of putting any of them away, he’s just going to use someone else’s space, too, natch. ]

c. happy hour

[ Another Alhaitham book reading prompt…but this time he’s at the bar! It’s Happy Hour, but he doesn’t seem keen on socializing, even if the drinks here are decent.

Should someone sit down next to him at the bar, he’ll lift his gaze from his book just enough to give them an appraising look, as if deciding whether or not to say something and strike up a conversation…but no. He just goes right back to reading. Don’t take it too personally - the god of wisdom herself could sit down next to him and he would be hard-pressed to start a conversation.

Then he fiddles with his headset - turning up his music, perhaps? ]

d. wildcard

[ Bingo card is here and he is available for any gen prompts. He will put up with a little socialization to fix his roof, thanks. Feel free to reach out to me if you want to plot something specific! ]

Comments

in the library

[meowst]

[ Faust had expected to have a quiet, peaceful day in the library. He's not about to go out and socialize... yet. He plans on it; his magic depends on it, after all.

Instead of reading alone, there's someone piling books on his table. Faust looks at him, eyes narrowed with displeasure. Actually, he's more than offended, akin to someone snatching the book of his hands and tearing it to shreds. ]

Hey, if you're running out of room, you should put some of those away instead of bothering other people.

[scriviner]

No, I don't think I will.

[ He responds, already cracking open another book and peering at the stranger from over the binding for just a moment. He looks annoyed, but if anything, he should be grateful. Now he has more things on his table to read. ]

I might need to refer to those again later.

[meowst]

[ He's lucky that Faust respects the library and its books enough to not simply knock the books off his table, not unlike a cat. ]

Then I suggest you find a bigger table. It'll be distracting if you keep coming over to grab a book. Do you have no respect for your fellow readers?

[scriviner]

Then I would need to move all of my books, and that's time consuming.

[ He makes it sound so perfectly logical and reasonable. Alhaitham crosses his leg over his knee, clearly not intending to stand back up right away. ]

You weren't using that space. I fail to see how that can be considered disrespectful, unless you were the owner of that desk.

c

[hearthwarming]

[ Well, with a roll of 11, she's not hopelessly drunk, but she might be before the night is over.

As it is, she's pleasantly tipsy. Okay, maybe drunk, but not enough to be a complete embarrassment. She makes her presence known to him by sliding a glass of ale over. She has no idea what that headset does or what it even is, so she will talk at him anyway. ]

You must be new! I haven't seen you around here yet. Call this a welcome drink!

[scriviner]

[ Oh...he shouldn't have looked up. It's the international sign of "I'm looking to talk", when he, in fact, is not. The drink doesn't look too bad...

But he isn't convinced yet. He makes a show of lifting his book closer to his face. See how much he's not here to make friends? He'd rather talk to book-chan, thanks. ]

[hearthwarming]

[ bitch.....


She's gonna slowly try to take that drink back, then. Yes take backsies? ]

[scriviner]

[ How about no, no take backsies?!?

As she reaches for the drink, he presses two fingers against the napkin it's set on, to hold it in place. ]

[hearthwarming]

—!? So you're going to take the drink without even talking to me?

[scriviner]

[ He glances up, and opens his mouth - but catches himself, before shooting her a simpering look that says "nice try".

He reaches for the glass... ]

[hearthwarming]

[ Oh, so he can hear her!

Alright, well, she'll pull her hand away from the glass and just sit there and watch him.





Because if he ever decides to drink from it, she's going to wave her hand and cast Shape Water to make the liquid hold its shape in the glass, so the beer will never make it to his lips no matter how much he tilts the glass. :) ]

wildcard

[alcazarzaray]

( guess which new arrival is stressed about their current situation and is pacing around the farm? ✨✨✨ this disaster of a man! ✨✨✨

while Kaveh loves himself a bit of romance, being whisked away to a mysterious ""marriage farm""" with Alhaitham is, hmm ... how shall he put it ........ NOT IDEAL

like!! who is this harvest goddess? what was she thinking!? at least she could've brought them separately. or housed them separately! it's bad enough that people in Sumeru are slowly clicking on to the fact that they live together when Kaveh has tried as hard as he can to hide it. (alas, he would drunkenly tell everyone within a hundred miles who his housemate is. even the god of their nation knows too. it's fine. everything's fine.) (💀)

the blonde man pushes out a loud groan mid-pace while he rakes his fingers through his long locks of blonde hair. )

Why this! Of all the things! Why are we now farmers in some strange marriage place!? And while I do appreciate the outdoor forest scenery, the buildings in this place are so ... peculiar! I haven't seen a single stained glass window pane since we got here. They could certainly learn a thing or two from me! ( he's so good at multitasking, stressing about architecture and their living situation simultaneously. )

If I don't come across any kind of outstanding building or get an answer as to why we've been brought here, I may just explode!

rubs my filthy hands together

[scriviner]

[ Ah, well, there are at least a few things they can agree on. Namely, that this is not ideal in the least, and that he would have taken anyone else as a roommate at this point. He's so tired of Kaveh's...Kaveh-isms. Alhaitham has no intention of playing at romance, either. It's all a good deal of trouble he didn't ask for, and a way out isn't so clear to him this time.

He already has a book with him (of course he does) though he's not making a show of reading it to tune out Kaveh's ranting and raving - for now. Of course, engaging means arguing, and that's more of the mood he's in right now. ]

Would you stop yelling like a lunatic? The windows and buildings are the last thing you should be worrying about right now. Then again, the joke's on me for thinking you might have more common sense than that, I guess.

[ He lifts a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. He has a headache already... ]

Our roof has holes in it. Maybe stop to worry about that for a moment.

[alcazarzaray]

( yes, of course, the scribe is just sat there reading while Kaveh complains. once Alhaitham points out their roof hole situation, the architect stops his mid-pacing endeavour and turns to him with his hands on his hips. EXCUSE U. )

You think I don't know that? I can criticise a building for its unappealing aesthetics just as much as I can criticise it for its practicality, you know!

( when he says that, a heavy droplet of water falls from the ceiling and lands on his head, which makes Kaveh glance up at it while patting down his blonde hair. )

... Hmph. Well, if we can't escape this place, you had better believe I'm going to sort this building out. That's the number one priority. While I do not wish to deny the request of a Goddess, the idea of getting married in such a short space of time is preposterous. Even still, I want to fix this place up and make it habitable while we're stuck here. ( priorities!!!!!!!! )

What about you? Are you just going to sit there reading all afternoon, Mr. Bachelor?

[scriviner]

Yes. Is there a problem with that?

[ Comes his automatic response, even if in reality, it’s a bit more complicated than that. This is…rather inconvenient. In Sumeru, he was the one letting Kaveh stay in his house, in the end he had the final say as the landlord, but here…they’re on uncomfortably even footing. Alhaitham doesn’t like the idea that Kaveh has just as much say as himself on what they should do with the house.

At last, he looks up from his book. ]

Or were you hoping I’d play bingo and till the fields?

[ His tone makes it clear just what he thinks of that idea. He is…not going to acknowledge that they could get things improved twice as fast if they worked together. That’s not on the table. ]

[alcazarzaray]

Well, it would certainly teach you a thing or two about getting close to people, wouldn't it?

( Kaveh takes his own bingo card out of his pocket to look at the squares he has. )

Maybe this could provide a revelation for you. About how, I don't know, being completely isolated from people and keeping your nose buried in a book isn't beneficial to anyone? ( apart from himself!! ) Some of these aren't too obscene. One of mine requests that I give someone a "surprise gift." Another one says to "compliment." That's not so hard, is it? Basic human decency?

[scriviner]

[ With a soft noise of annoyance, he reaches into the back of his book for his own bingo card. It seemed prudent to keep in on hand, in case someone brought it up - some of them wouldn't be too terrible to do in order to improve things around the house, while others...

Well, he'll do the bare minimum he can get away with. ]

Oh? Care to enlighten me how something like "spoon-feeding" or a "watergun fight" [ wtf is a watergun ] will teach me how to get closer to people?

[ How asinine. As if it's a matter of lacking knowledge, instead of lacking interest.

After a moment, he reaches forward to try to snatch Kaveh's card away from him. Gib. He wants to pry. ]

in the library

[pactmarshal]

[ The sudden addition of a stack of books in Trahearne's peripheral vision has his head snap up out of his own reading. It takes a moment for him to shift gears and take in what he's seeing before his attention settles on Alhaitham. ]

It's rare to find another dedicated to their research here.

May I ask what has you so interested?

[ The library is...hm. yeah. So that someone has literal stacks of books has piqued his curiosity. ]

having fun isn't hard when you've got a library card

[scriviner]

[ Evidently, Alhaitham hadn’t paid close attention to whose desk it was he was stealing real estate from, but this plantlike individual has actually managed to catch his attention once he speaks.

Huh…how fascinating. He’s never seen someone quite like him before. Alhaitham gives Trahearne an appraising look, and makes no attempt to hide it. ]

I’m newly arrived, and I find that the best way to see the strings that hold a culture and its history together is by reading its literature.

[ Does he believe everything he reads here? Of course not. But it’s still insightful, regardless. ]

hell yeah

[pactmarshal]

[ Oh? What is this?? A man after his own scholarly heart??? Trahearne visibly lights up at that remark, and he sits back in his chair. His full attention is on Alhaitham now.

He doesn't mind the look--he's used to it. ]

Then you've come to the right--and only, admittedly--place. I could not have said it better myself.

[ this guy is lucky. the library was...conspicuously lacking when they first arrived. ]

Welcome. [ His book on...livestock or whatever can wait. He has a new friend now. He extends a hand. ] It's a delight to meet a fellow scholar.

[scriviner]

[ A kindred spirit, perhaps...but Alhaitham is used to being flanked by scholars, and most of them get caught up in academic minutia that contributes little to their knowledge. He doesn't know yet which camp this fellow falls into--

And he doesn't intend to find out. Still, he can at least be cordial, if begrudgingly... ]

Likewise. [ He reaches out to give Trahearne's hand a solid shake. ] If you're familiar with the catalogue, maybe you could recommend me some titles to look into.

[pactmarshal]

[ Straight to business.

It's like slipping into old routine, or a worn, comfortable jacket. Trahearne gets up from his chair, placing his own book down, and begins to scan what Alhaitham has collected in his stacks. And as he speaks, he begins to pull some out and arrange them into a new stack. ]

Besides the obvious--I trust you've looked into those already--I've found these particular texts to give a rich insight into the island's cultural values.

It may sound trite, but I also suggest you look into the children's books as well. If you've not already, of course.

[scriviner]

[ He's not one to waste time. While he's not a particularly social or gracious creature, he can appreciate his companion's responsiveness.

Alhaitham peers closer at the books, running a finger delicately along their spines. ]

The children's books too, huh? Alright. There's value in the stories that get passed down when people are young, too.

Anything that explains why this place is so obsessed with love and marriage?

→ childe

[scriviner]

[ After learning what his chocolate does (thanks, Kaveh), Alhaitham has decided to do the unthinkable and actually make an effort to go meet some new people. Not for any reason such as getting to know his neighbors - oh, he couldn’t care less about that - but he does want to learn more about the things they may not talk about so readily. These chocolates get right to that point, don’t they?

So at some point in his questionable crusade for information, Alhaitham passes by a redhaired man in town, and gives him a second look - in particular if his Vision is visible.

He grabs the other man’s attention with a wave. ]

Hey, sorry to interrupt. I got some of these chocolates in my mailbox. You want to try one?

[ Polite enough, not overly casual, not overly formal. ]

[sluice]

[ Perhaps inadvisably, given his muddy reputation as of late, his Vision is entirely visible. It's gleaming on his hip, refulgent and glimmering, unlike Childe's goofy dead eyes. Congratulations on the misfortune of meeting him. Haphazardly waving back, he wanders on over. ]

As long as you sample one of mine. Don't think I could eat these all on my own.

[ Maybe this guy can taste-test for poison... as if, but Childe comes bearing a chocolate box of his own, unopened by the looks of it as he breaks the seal and offers one up. You first, good sir? He was on his way to the Arco Lunar, but that trip can wait for now. No rush to arrive when he's got not one but two dates in a row lined up. ]

Every bit of help counts, right? A little goes a long way.

[ Farmer or not, no one wants to live in squalor. Completing one of the task board clearly benefits them both. ]