bridgescribble | Better call Lassie

[ Alhaitham is never going to go on a walk with her again is he. :( It'll just be 'That Nilou should pay more attention to her surroundings, we wouldn't be at the bottom of this hole if she hadn't fallen in.

And while that was true.. it's not like she knew the wood was rotten when she ran across it! Who puts rotten wood over a path anyway? ~~Intelligent hilichurls, thieves, trappers, pranksters...~~ long story short she's a little guilty over getting him stuck with her. It was okay if she sprained something by herself, but now that someone else is involved... ]

... Are you sure you aren't hurt, Alhaitham?

(Although he is not quite thrilled, the scribe in question has a migraine already. On one hand if this were Kaveh the two of them would be heavily arguing the entire time that he were busy trying to form some manner of way out; since it's not on the other hand, his mood differs drastically. With momentary silence and him making sure that he kept his book he was reading safe, as well as tucking it away in his pack, he isn't too fazed by the turn of events.

He'll figure out something then.

Digging might be out the question but he can handle the heavy lifting of it if he must; though with a degree of care since if this hole were to collapse... that would be that for them, not an outcome he suspects the dancer would desire either, mind you.)

I am. I am but a feeble scholar perhaps, but I am not necessarily injured or so I believe. (Nothing about him says feeble by the way.)

[ Well at least he had his book, so he wouldn't be bored waiting for help with her. She was content to let him sit in quiet, not one to prattle on for hours herself. Though she did pipe up now and then to see if he had any ideas or to ask a question. But he's right, the hole caving in on them further was definitely not an outcome she wanted. Although Alhaitham saying he was a "feeble scholar" ... the definition of feeble must have changed recently! ]

Okay, that's a relief.

[ She glanced up towards the hole opening thoughtfully. ]

We fell pretty far after all. [ But maybe climbing out would be an option if they had to. ]

(Oh Nilou, you sweet summer child, it did in fact not change and it's more a lazy streak speaking in him just a little. If they climb then the hard part would be digging into the dirt he thinks ways to latch on to it; they have their weapons which he knows, but there is a limit to how much weight blades can handle and they both didn't know just how sturdy the 'cliff' part of the hole is.

That leaves them with the thought of trial and error then, something he can surely handle with care as he mulls over first what approach to go with.) For the time being since I am assuming neither of us desire it to cave in, if it starts to grow late I'll make the test climb to try and see if it's sturdy enough to hold us. (He can deal with being laid out in bed in comparison to her from what he vaguely recalls. She is still the star of the dance troupe and he needn't risk her injury because he didn't test it thoroughly first.

Going with that as an option is enough for him, throwing himself in some manner of danger though cautiously to prevent any other unforeseeable problems arising.)

[ Is it laziness or is it.. actually, if Nilou were to think about it.. Alhaitham was kind of like a cat. Conserves his energy giving off the appearance of laziness, doesn't care about what other people thought of him, highly intelligent, .. heck, even the fact that he agreed to come on a walk with her was the equivalent of a cat's affection ~~Well, some cats. He's aloof stereotype, not the cuddly stereotype.~~

... she's so not telling him she just thought of him as a cat.... ]

Yeah, I definitely don't want that to happen. But someone should come looking for us before then, I hope..! [ He's important to the sages (even if they don't wanna admit it), and yes, her troupe would definitely come looking for her. She considered his suggestion of testing the climb. ]

Alright. Um.. I might also be able to reach the top of you were to give me a boost if it comes to it?

[ He is much taller than her - though even with that, it might not be enough. But if it were, then she could find some vines to help pull him up - or at least run back and get some help. Though she didn't like the idea of leaving him behind. ]

(Had he known she was comparing him to cats of all things he probably would have looked at her like she had grown a second head. The thought aside, Alhaitham is already scanning the hole for anything else that could be an issue knowing that if unlucky there's the possibility of the eremites stumbling upon them too; though he would not be mentioning that for the time being. Not unless he starts to hear them of course.

He didn't need Nilou to potentially start to stress further than necessary. His rationality can be a blessing and curse to others in that regard though the sages would be remiss if they did not dare come to find him knowing he's not only excellent at his work, but, he also does get results even with their grievances amongst one another.

With that aside he frowns at her words, boosting her too? He is looking it over to see if he can do that now as well; he'd have to have tight timing on the throw and execution if he's seeing this correctly. Enough that Nilou would have to move quickly unless she wanted to near fall which would be its own set of problems if that occurs.)

Mm... if I do that the problem is making it to the top as well, unless we use our resonances applications to cause vines to grow themselves and carefully keep applying it which is another thought. That being of course if anything dangerous were to stumble upon us.

(Eremites and other things still coming to mind but that goes without saying on his part.)

[ ~~...kitty Alhaitham. Heehee. *bricked* (cough) Sorry.~~

Oh dear, Nilou hadn't considered that. She'd definitely start worrying then. Fortunately with as calm as Alhaitham was, she wasn't stressing out any either. If HE started worrying, then they were really in trouble. Catching that slight frown, she pouts a bit, shuffling a foot. ]

You don't have to worry, I'm not heavy. I've been on a diet the past few weeks.

[ And even if he calls himself 'fragile' she still believed he was strong enough to boost her up! Though.. she didn't realize the frown wasn't from thinking she might be heavy. ]

Oh... Hrm. I guess it would be a risk of getting attention if someone started noticing our resonances causing vines to grow into the hole. Do you think that someone dug this on purpose to catch animals..?

[ Or careless travelers. ]

(Nilou... that wasn't his worry, his worry was throwing you up knowing the timing would have to be accurate and precise or else the possibility of falling was strong. A fact which he thought would also go without saying but alas, that was not the case given that he did look at her quizzically after the remark on her diet. Alhaitham near thinks if Kaveh were there he'd genuinely gape at her saying that.

(Maybe for the best Kaveh isn't there or else he'd feel the urge to dig a hole of his own to bury his head into.)

He'll correct her on that after he has a moment to consider things first off. First off there is also the possibility someone dug it to catch and trap the local wildlife as she mentioned; second off, there is the possibility that the eremites did it for easy enough prey which comes to mind too.

Two factors that both are making him feel something of a migraine knowing not only their value as targets, but, also knowing that the two of them did have some manner of cross-hairs on their backs even without that taken into consideration for them.)

It was more about if the timing would have to be tight, too soon can result in unintended injuries, too late could also be an issue depending on how far the throw would have to be on my part or the lifting.

(To get that out the way first. He isn't the type exactly to focus on someone's weight unless it meant expending more energy than necessary about it.)

Possibly, I would rather save our resonances blooming vines and the like as a last resort knowing the risks. Especially if this was dug by Eremites in an attempt to make good mora on hapless fools and wanderers.

(Them ironically included.)

Oh..!

[ She thought for a second, and decided... yeah it was pretty silly to think he might have been concerned she was too heavy. Someone else might have made that comment, but this was Alhaitham. That being said.. ]

I wasn't worried about that part.

[ She was confident in his skill and ability. Maybe that was giving too much credit to him, but she trusted he would have been able to manage just fine if they did resort to tossing her up. ]

Hm, all right. Then it seems that our best option will be to wait for someone from the Academy or from the troupe to come looking for us? [ She hoped that this wasn't a trap dug by Eremites, that would definitely compound their issue by a lot. Though she also felt a little guilty getting them trapped like this in the first place. Still, she wasn't determined not to give in to that guilt and tried to keep things upbeat. In that she gave him a cheery little smile and half joke. ]

You're not going to want to come for a walk with me again after this are you?

[ It could be worse though, someone might repeatedly point out her distraction making them fall into a hole in the first place every time she asked them out for a walk to get some fresh air! ]

(Somehow that comes off as a small surprise, she wasn't worried about it due to knowing his skill then? Interesting. He knows he can just as easily cause those words to be something that she'll regret saying knowing that miscalculations are always there in some manner. His math may be superb typically but that didn't help if something were to go wrong of course.

He'll have to think this over more to figure out a good way of helping her up without resorting to their resonance also cushioning the attempt too if she finds herself unable to catch the edge of it. Knowing the applications of bloom, it can come off as more risky from using it to enhance his own vines growth. Especially if it were to catch the attention of others.

For the time being he'll focus on her next comment, well, next comments but he'll start with one at time obviously.) It's the best we can do currently, as it stands now if I must then I am prepared to fight through Eremites who attempt to come down here at seeing us. (As well as the more aggressive wildlife and fauna but he isn't taking those into consideration at the moment. Those were also another given to his logic but he'd have to hope that it doesn't turn out to be the case; expending energy unnecessarily would not do them any favors either.

As for the next part however, that raises a brow. She thinks that? Ironically this wasn't the worst walk he's had; bringing back Kaveh during his drunken stupors was more than enough to top this.)

I will still accompany you, I have dealt with far worse than traps from Kaveh.

(He just may or may not bring up a remark every now and then if she doesn't pay attention to the road; which is a given knowing Alhaitham himself is prone to doing that.)

[ Alhaitham you wouldn't intentionally miscalculate just to prove a point would you? Nilou glanced up to the opening again - though she was definitely not going to mention another potential problem. Like, the weather. If it started raining that would make the need to climb out a little more urgent. But fortunately for now it was nice and sunny as always! ]

Right.. it's a good thing we both have our swords. [ She absently touched her weapon just to reassure herself. A very brief thought came to mind - maybe they could use their swords to step on to get out...! But just as soon as the thought came to mind she dismissed it - after all, how would they reclaim them afterwards? ]

Really? [ Even after getting them trapped in a hole? She smiled brightly at that. ]

I'm glad to hear that. I enjoy chatting with you. [ Even if some of the topics were a little...difficult to follow. She'll never be a brainiac!

As far as Kaveh, she was plenty curious - but she wasn't going to pry. Alhaitham making a remark now and then - well she was fine with that! ]

(Oh, he wouldn't, unless it was Kaveh complaining in which case he'd happily throw him hard enough to hit the ground on top of this hole to prove a point. With the weather however not changing for the time being likely by the grace of the Hydro Archon, he does start to contemplate if there's anything else that they could do in the meantime.

So far nothing so their current objective works with him making certain to sit in a way to enable her to have room with; he himself knows that he takes up quite a fair bit of space given his physique and tall stature. If there is one thing he's always heard comments on in Alhaitham's case it was generally about how built he is amongst the populace, as well as chatter about wistful thinking involving his attention due to his looks. All of which he would ignore, music and book first over the prattle of others.)

I would be more worried if we didn't, although I can get creative in the application of certain things. (Like his resonance, causing the land to grow and thrive as needed outside of his typical applications of it in a fight. For now he's not too worried about it but it did catch him off guard she enjoyed listening to his explanations.

A first. Normally as a creature of logical and rational thinking not many enjoyed it or quite honestly his educational explanations due to finding them too dry. Or too over their heads amongst other things on the matter.)

... a first actually, many tend to avoid me, especially if we were to be locked in debate on some manner of subjects.

[ Aw, well she appreciates the consideration. He can't help his height though, and it had to be more cramped for him than her. So while he tried to settle in a way to give her more room, she almost instinctively tried to make herself more.. compact? Sitting with her knees tucked up to her chest and her arms curled around them absently, she leaned back a little in thought.

She had nothing but respect for people like him, even if that intelligence could be incredibly intimidating. But even if she didn't fully understand the explanations, she did often try to follow along, sometimes going quiet to think lest and process at a slower pace.

Part of her understood why some people might not get along with him, given his curt nature, but it never bothered Nilou any. ]

That's so strange - you know so much, I would have thought that people would seek you out most of all.

[ Though at mention of debates, she almost gave a small shudder. Just remember that one - and hopefully ONLY - debate she had with one of the Akademiya's people still gave her night terrors. Being locked in a debate with that guy was bad enough - being in a debate with Alhaitham?? ]

Oh gosh..No offense, but I hope that never happens. [ She held up her hands in a defensive gesture, only half serious. ]

Debating someone once was more than enough for me..! [ Not because she lacked conviction towards her values, but because it was absolutely terrifying! ]

Mm, I do not think the same way others do and it does lead often into disagreements. Like for instance my arguing with Kaveh.

(All of which multiple people across Sumeru have seen and wondered just how the two can stand each other enough to be under the same roof. Then again he isn't going to answer that naturally, the thought aside he does seem to notice that she seems to not be interested in debates. There's a small vague recollection as to why that might perhaps be the case; not that he'd on one hand blame her for her dislike of doing so since it can be draining to those who are not ready for it in any shape.

Or quite truthfully are interested in debating ones convictions and beliefs passionately beyond what they must. He won't ask further on it but he near wonders if she's thinking of him locking into one with her. Though he would entertain the thought, that isn't the case.

Not with this instance of it mind you. He has no reason to do so with debating some manner of issues with her but there is enough of an idea that he could step in if that does seem to be an underlying possibility to happen to her; only to be nice for a change before returning to his normal behavior without a second thought about his actions if it comes down to that.

For the time being however there's other things on his mind once he settles enough in his makeshift space on the dirt.)

It is not as if I am going to for one thing, another thing is that I do have enough of an idea as to why they avoid me. (As well as his own knowledge that Kaveh has in fact decided to commentate on Alhaitham not having friends, actual friends mind you, outside of the Traveler at most. Any others that sprung to mind were simply seen more as acquaintances to begin with as is.

But this didn't stop Alhaitham from carrying on and not quite bothering to give the notions much attention either.)

Edited 2023-01-23 22:18 (UTC)

[ Well.. a lot of her dislike of debating likely came from her having to mediate arguments between her parents in her earlier years too. Debates could get very heated and felt too much like an argument, which left her overwhelmed and uncomfortable, unless it was something she truly felt passionately about, like with what happened with that sage that tried to shut the Zubayr Theatre down. ]

Ah, y-yeah.. I did hear that you have a lot of arguments with your roommate.

[ That was one of the questions she had wondered herself. Maybe he owed Kaveh a favor.. or maybe Kaveh was blackmailing him into letting him stay! GASP. ..well it's not her business either way, at the moment, and she wasn't close enough to Alhaitham to ask something so personal. ]

That's one of the things I like about you. You tell people exactly what you think, whether or not they want to hear it. I worried once that I might be bothering you when I invite you out to come on a walk with me, but .. you'd tell me if I was being bothersome, right?

I couldn't do that- I mean, be as up front as you are. I worry too much about what people think.. and there's my reputation at the troupe to consider.

[ She was always genuine, make no mistake, but even she knows that people expect that cheery nature of her, if they aren't a close friend or family. It -can- be tiring. ]

(The truth of their cohabitation is stranger than fiction really. Alhaitham won't say anything outside of it being partly the cause of their friendship fracturing into what it is now; although he fully intends to not reveal anything more than this for that matter. All that has to be known in his opinion is that Kaveh is there due to more complicated reasons in addition to him needing a place to stay. That and Alhaitham didn't in particular want to kick him out on the streets as shocking as that is for the remarks Kaveh makes and then some.

Even if they fell apart he still cares enough to not want that happening, so he deals with it and pretends he saw nothing after her words start to register. It's not something he's use to, being told that someone likes him being to the point. Odd. Alhaitham himself is quite truthfully in his opinion doing what he must do; telling others that he's caught mistakes or that he's discovered something unusual to the point it's rather concerning. As well as enforcing it all and reporting the mismanagement and more.

If there's something he gained from this encounter it is in fact that she is an odd woman, not that it's bad, he's dealt with Dehya after all, but he can safely say that he thinks Nilou is an oddity regardless. He'll just keep this thought to himself for the time being just like he's always done with these matters once he briefly looks up at the top of the hole again in thought.)

You're right. Although I make it clear I'm not paying attention or interested, typically by blocking out any sort of noise around me.

(This is said of course with him tapping his ear piece. He does still use that to block out surrounding noises, others really who are in his opinion invading his peace and quiet to the point he is irritated.)

[ Probably a lot of people would have kicked Kaveh out for all the arguments that have been had. That Alhaitham hasn't - well that's proof he's not a horrible person, right? Of course Nilou suspected as much. Though she'd be just as perplexed at him thinking of her as odd, as he would be for knowing she pictured him as a cat. Was it really that odd to like talking to him? ]

Ah, I forgot that you had that..! [ That's actually really clever. ]

They must be pretty expensive though.

[ She doesn't see a lot of them, at least. Alas - that would be pretty convenient to have when she was practicing her moves out in the desert. Or in the forest. Or.. wherever the whim struck her, to be honest. ]

Better call Lassie

I'm sorry ._.;

Don't be: I am sorry for him tho ^.^;

LOL There's worse people he could be stuck with?

That is true tho; I think his worse would be Kaveh still with their arguing

Very true. Even if people would hear them for miles lol

It would also be a big spectacle for the eremites too

Oh true, true~!

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