#…….hmmm yoimiya and kaveh as good friends

[ballads-of-breeze]

Yoimiya has the vibes of a girl who stops to sit with people in the library while they’re having a breakdown, gives them a water bottle and helps them calm down, and says a lot of kind and sensible things that make them feel better and helps them plan how to deal with whatever caused the breakdown. And then when they ask her what she’s majoring in expecting her to say philosophy or art they find out she’s a chemistry major.

[beyondthefirmamentum]

@pertinasities

"Hmmm, well maybe, I guess, but I don't think it's that simple." Yoimiya took a drink from the mug of beer in front of her, taking a moment to gather her thoughts as she listened to the boisterous banter of the tavern. She hadn't really known Kaveh that long; she was on a return trip to Sumeru, this time for a meeting with the Sabzeruz festival planning committee to discuss a commission. She had decided to check out some of the local shops to find more souvenirs to bring home- when she had overheard him talking about the traveler. Any friend of the traveler's was a friend of hers she had said, and apparently that's all it took to win Kaveh's trust.

It had been a few weeks at this point, and Yoimiya had gotten a pretty good idea of what kind of man Kaveh was; not like he hid it particularly well. They had gotten along well from the start- Kaveh was a kind man, and Yoimiya loved to meet someone she felt liked to make other people happy like she did. But after multiple nights of drinking together, it had become pretty apparent he had a lot he was trying to forget- and avoid. This wasn't the first time their drinking banter had turned to Kaveh drowning in misery and self-flagellation. Usually it seemed that he just appreciated having an ear to borrow, and a shoulder to lean on. But it looked like tonight something was weighing on his mind extra heavy.

"Mmm- so get this; a few years ago I got an idea for a new firework. I wanted to make something that would spin and emit sparks as it flew up from the ground. I had all sorts of plans, like rainbow colors, some noises, different spark patterns; just TONS of ideas. It was the first things I wanted to try to design all on my own, so it was really important to me. I just knew it was gonna be soooo pretty, and I spent days working on drafts and drumming up excitement from the locals. When time for my first test came around I was sooooo excited. I might have... kinda forgot to follow the safety rules my pops had spent years drilling into my head in the heat of the moment." She let out an awkward laugh. "Anyways the test, uh, didn't go great. The timing was off. So when I lit it, the force of the sparks pushed it right over, and then it flew RIGHT at me instead of up."

She pulled her right sleeve down, exposing the starburst-like burn scar across her upper bicep for a moment, before putting her sleeve back in place. "It ruined my favorite kimono... I was pretty bummed. But I wasn't ready to let go just yet. So started working on adjustments," she shimmied to the side to bring her legs out from under the table, pointing to another scar on the side of her left thigh. "This is from the second test. The third one went up! Aaaaand then plummeted right back down, setting a nearby field on fire... I was in a whooole lotta trouble for that one." She pulled herself back into a correct sitting position, leaning over the table with her head in her hand and a sigh. "The fourth round didn't go much better. neither did the others. In the end I had to give up on it, and I still get frustrated thinking about it. The one that got away."

Her finger traced swirls into the side of her tankard, the mental image of one of her dream designs still strong and vibrant in her mind's eye. "At the time I wouldn't say I gained much from the experience; I was so upset about the failure that I ended up going in a completely different direction for my next projects- I didn't even want to look at my old drafts. My first few works were all pretty rough for different reasons, and a few were just downright boring. For a little while I thought that maybe I wasn't actually cut out for the family business, no matter how much I waned to be. If it hadn't been for my pops pushing me and refusing to let me quit, I might have ended up being, oh I don't know, a farmer or something. I am definitely worse at farming."

She finished her drink in a few, fast gulps, setting the tankard down before gesturing to the bartender for another round. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... Well you aren't the main character of some light novel who's got some big, grand, incredible moral to learn at the end of your current journey. People just... Kinda have to keep going and stumbling, and hope they learn from their experiences over time. And sometimes you need someone else there to bop you over the head. That first failed firework wasn't the last to give me bruises and scars- and I know there will be more ahead. Pops still lectures me when I forget to be careful sometimes in my excitement. But you wanna know what I have gotten better at?" She laughed as she grabbed her next drink. "Ducking for cover!"

“You are human, are you not? You are allowed to make mistakes.” [Yoimiya to Kaveh. time to remind this bitch of childish wonder lets go-] | @beyondthefirmamentum

"I- well, yes, I suppose I am." Kaveh huffs out, slumping back against the booth he's taken residence in. Still, it doesn't feel fair - he doesn't feel like he's earned the right to make mistakes. Or, more so that he's made all the mistakes he should be allowed to already. And yet he cannot stop making them.

"But aren't you supposed to- to learn from them?" That's what Tighnari always says, anyway. He's heard the words repeated soothingly to Collei on many occasions. And a few times in his own direction. But as far as Kaveh can tell, he seems to be best at making the same mistakes - and doing so over and over and over again. And as if he isn't perfectly aware of it, Alhaitham goes out of his way to make sure he knows it.

With a sigh, he drops his chin onto his crossed arms on the table.

"Do you ever..." Kaveh frowns, furrowing his brows as he tries to put his words together. "What if you never learn? What if someone who makes silly mistakes at every turn is just - is just who I am?" There's a laundry list he could name off the top of his head, and twice that if he thinks a bit harder about it.