Chapter Text
The first time Collei sees Alhaitham, she has no clue who he is. Considering the short time she’s been back in Sumeru, it’s not overly surprising - she knows few people at all outside of Gandharva Ville. Her wariness of people is still too ingrained, even as Masters Tighnari and Cyno do their best to “re-socialize” her, like she’s one of the injured dusk birds the Rangers rehabilitate. Or perhaps not a dusk bird - many of the others refer to her as “the fox kit” when they think she cannot hear them. She can’t really argue too much with the comparison, considering she did bite a number of them on instinct before they learned not to touch or sneak up on her.
So, Collei is not surprised when a stranger casually strolls up the road and into the village. The stranger himself is a bit surprising, though. For one thing, he apparently came alone through the forest. While the surrounding areas are well patrolled, she has no way of knowing how far he’s travelled, and it was strongly advised everyone travel in pairs or groups for safety. As Master Tighnari strides over to the stranger with alert features, Collei assumes it is to scold the man for being reckless in the wilds. And he might have - they are just out of earshot from where Collei perches with her practice sewing on the porch - but if so the stranger does not outwardly react with any of the chagrin or remorse generally expected in response to a scathing “General’s Lecture”.
Instead, the man simply nods and holds out a package he’d had tucked beneath his arm. Master Tighnari accepts the bundle with a pleased tail wave. They speak a bit longer, and Collei takes the opportunity to practice her observation skills in a setting that isn’t life-or-death. The stranger does not have an elderly face, but his hair is a faded gray with only some color remaining (Teal? Or light green? Collei’s ever-bleeding heart spasms at the whimsical fancy he might be kin.) He has a strong body and sure stance - perhaps his travelling alone is truly confidence, not cockiness.
His ears are covered by something metallic. It puts Collei in mind of earmuffs, which would make no sense considering Sumeru’s considerable heat. Regardless, the reminder of a place much colder encroaches like a hornet threatening to sting.
With a huff, Collei gives herself a physical shake to chase off the dark memories - and then freezes as the stranger’s attention snaps to her.
He stands too far away to really tell his eye color. All Collei can see is that they are bright and locked on her with all the sharpness and weight of a rishboland tiger. Fear numbs and stiffens her as badly as an Eleazar flare up, and Collei knows this man is powerful. Is dangerous in a way that Collei’s only seen in monsters and the people who hunt them. But which is he?
Before her panicked thoughts can whirl further out of control, the stranger blinks. He lowers his gaze respectfully and gives a small nod of acknowledgement before turning his attention away.
The tension in the air shatters and swirls away on the breeze. Collei takes deep breaths as the stranger retreats back into the jungle and Master Tighnari strides towards her.
“You alright?” Her master questions as soon as he is close enough to be heard without raising his voice.
“I’m fine.” Collei dismisses on reflex. “Who was that man?”
“Hm.” Master Tighnari narrows his eyes in doubt. “That was Alhaitham. Did he do something?”
“N-no!” Collei blurts out. She really doesn’t want Master Tighnari to go hunting anyone just because she gets nervous easily. “He just had intense eyes. Like General Cyno. It startled me, is all!”
“Oh?” Master Tighnari studies her for a few more heartbeats before relaxing and sitting down beside her. “That’s fair, I suppose. Kaveh has certainly complained a time or ten about his namesake being too fitting. Ah- in the main language of the desert, ‘haytham’ is a word for birds of prey, usually eagles or hawks.”
“Oh, that is fitting.” Collei muses. She tucks the offered bit of knowledge on her heritage close in her mind. Relearning the culture she was stolen from too young fills her with equal parts wonder at the accomplishment and fury that it is necessary. She likes to imagine her parents truly thought they were sending her away to be cured, but… Here she is, years later, with a body primed to die any day and no real memories of the people meant to soothe and comfort her. She can’t even remember what side of the Wall she hails from. Then, belatedly, her thoughts connect the two mentioned names. “Wait- you mean that was the Grand Scribe? Master Kaveh’s Alhaitham? The - um. Roommate?”
Her master laughs, whether at her surprise or way of describing their relationship she isn’t sure. “Not quite what you expected, huh?”
“Does he benchpress crates of books or something?” Collei blurts. Master Tighnari laughs even harder. “I kinda wondered if he was some powerful Eremite with red-green colorblindness, not a scribe!”
“His official job supposedly has little to do with books. He’s not a librarian, and our ever wise overlords saw fit to restrict the flow of knowledge outside of the Akasha System years ago.” He stops giggling long enough to shoot a disdainful look in the direction of the Akademiya. Collei makes a face in solidarity.
“That said,” Master Tighnari continues, pulling the package he had received earlier out and placing it on his lap, “As a hobby he does maintain a collection of definitely completely legal books!”
Collei looks on in surprise as the wrapping is pulled away to reveal a small pile of books. Most of them were thin, but one tome was intimidatingly thick.
“These ones are the beginning readers I was talking about before.” Master Tighnari gestures to the more numerous stack. “Most are in both Common and Sumerish, but learning two languages at once is a bit of a nightmare. We’ll focus on literacy in Common, unless you feel strongly about trying it.”
“No, one language is enough for now!” Collei hastens to cut off that idea. She barely keeps up with her studies as is; she hardly needs another subject to disappoint her Master with. “What’s- what’s that giant one?”
“Ah, I’ve noticed you learn easier when you have images to use for association. It’s called ‘visual learning’, and it’s pretty common. This is a picture dictionary, see?”
Collei cautiously accepts the offered book. Flipping it open with all the delicacy of rolling a log that might be hiding a venomous creature beneath, her breath catches at the array of colorful pictures, all painstakingly drawn and labeled.
“It’s… beautiful.” She says honestly. Master Tighnari’s tail flicks in delight. “But what if I mess it up? It looks so expensive…”
“It might be, but Alhaitham is firmly of the opinion that books are meant to be read, and I agree. If he was really worried, he wouldn’t have offered it for children's education in the middle of a wild jungle.” He says dryly.
Collei stays quiet for many breaths, skimming her fingers over the golden lines of a flower apparently called ‘acacia’.
“But… why was he willing to do this?” She finally asks so softly a person with normal ears might not have heard her. “I didn’t see you give him anything in return. He doesn’t even know me. From what Kaveh said, he wouldn’t walk through the jungle to deliver anything unless he thought it was worth his time.”
“Hm,” Master Tighnari glances up at the birds flitting through the branches, head tilting slightly in thought. Collei is ever so grateful that he doesn’t judge her for her wariness in regards to other peoples’ intentions. He could just tell her to stop being ungrateful and accept the help, but he never does. “There’s a few things to consider when answering that:
“First, always remember there’s two sides to every story and that Kaveh wouldn’t be happy if he didn’t have something to fuss over or complain about. It’s how he is. Consider what people say about others, but also remember to form your own opinions. It’s true Alhaitham wouldn’t do something he thought was a waste of time, but Kaveh would have everyone believing his priorities are all selfish and self-indulgent.”
Collei feels herself flush at her master’s explanation. It was not a true rebuke - everyone in Gandharva Ville knew the tone and body language that signaled his upset or disappointment - but somehow Collei couldn’t help but be embarrassed.
“The scribes of the Akademiya are the ones responsible for collecting information from the studies and researches of scholars and disseminating it via the Akasha. It’s a less directly social role than teaching, but it’s still a role in public education. So really, his bringing over the books could be seen as him making sure his job is done to the best of his ability in a place where the Akasha signal is spotty at best.”
“So he’s really just a…” Collei floundered for the phrase she had heard Master Cyno use. “A dedicated civil servant?”
Master Tighnari’s sudden bark of laughter startled the birds away. “I’m not sure that’s the way I would word it, but please refer to him as such to his face where I can see it.”
“No thank you,” Collei decides. Not with that reaction.
“But really,” he continues, chuckles trailing off, “Alhaitham helped because he cares about education and he had the means to assist. If you asked him directly, he might claim it repayment for the ‘favor’ of the times I’ve let Kaveh crash for the night instead of letting him head home drunk, but that’s just the way he is. He’s done his best to deflect attention as long as I’ve known him - longer, if you can consider Kaveh a reliable source in this.”
“Oh… how long have you known Master Alhaitham? You never say anything when Master Kaveh is on a rant.”
“That’s because if Cyno knew we semi-regularly interacted, he might go on a protective bend and decide to investigate further. And if there is one thing I firmly agree with Kaveh on, it is that those two are not allowed to meet.” Master Tighnari says seriously. It makes Collei nervous in the way unidentified mushrooms do.
“Why?”
“Alhaitham thinks Cyno’s ‘jokes’ are funny.”
Collei gapes in horror. “How?!
“Not sure. I made the mistake of mentioning them to him once, and he thought it was clever.” Master Tighnari shakes his head in despair. “Thankfully he doesn’t make those kind of ‘jokes’ himself. Otherwise I might’ve just strangled him back when I was a student and he was the baby scribe I preferred to have look over my research due to his complete indifference to my not being human.”
“Well now I’m even more confused than earlier. I don’t know if I want to meet him myself or sprint in the opposite direction if I ever see him!” Collei stresses. Master Tighnari grins, flicking her arm with his tail in their version of a comforting nudge.
“You know, that’s a pretty normal reaction to him.” He muses. Oddly, this does not reassure Collei in any way.