Chapter Text
Kaveh swallowed hard and clenched his fist. His client cancelled on him after he had just procured the materials he needed for a elementary school in Caravan Ribat. He had to buy all of them himself and now he wouldn’t be able to fall back on the money that would be coming from its completion. The client had sighed and apologized, but it just wasn’t in the stars anymore. Someone had come in and given him a more lucrative use for the space his plot of land occupied, so he no longer needed Kaveh anymore. Kaveh nodded and said it was fine, but deep down he wanted to throw up. He wouldn’t be able to pay Dori back this month and he wasn’t sure how generous she would be this time. He sighed and closed his book. He needed a distraction and alcohol might just do.
Kaveh stood, and began to put all of his books away when someone approached him with a, “Oh, I’m so glad I caught you Kaveh! I was afraid you were already on your way out.” Kaveh turned and saw the old Grand Sage and he resisted the urge to groan. Had he already learned about ANOTHER failure under Kaveh’s belt?
“Hello, Master Azar, back from Avidiya forest?” Kaveh asked, attempting to be polite. Azar nodded.
“Yes, temporarily so. I was on my way in to gather some research materials and buy some incense when I was stopped by someone looking for a member of Kshahrewar. Being the Grand Sage, I of course had you in mind immediately, but decided to hear him out first. Turns out, he was looking for the architect of the Palace of Alcazazary for a commission to build in Liyue. His Patron wanted your unique style to mix with the profundities of Liyue architecture to create and build a one of a kind dwelling. I thought this could be good for you, given the losses you incurred in your recent business endeavors.” Azar explained and Kaveh seethed for a moment before taking in the information fully.
“Did this person give you any other information?” Kaveh asked. If this was a legitimate offer
then he might be able to make his payment to Dori on time. He would have to play it safe however. He really couldn’t afford another loss.
“He didn’t tell me too much since I wasn’t who he was looking for but said if I happened upon you, to meet him at Lambad’s Tavern within the week to discuss the specificities of the contract.” Azar said and Kaveh perked up a bit.
“Oh, I was just about to head there actually.” Kaveh said, pushing another book into the empty space he had pulled it from originally. Azar snickered a bit and crossed his arms.
“Suprising who? Last I heard, you spend all your time there these days.” Azar said with haughty superiority. Kaveh held his tongue. He wanted to be the bigger person this time, but Azar slapped his shoulder and said, “At least this time you wont need to drown in a bottle right?”
“I suppose not, but at least I have a bottle to drown in. I hear Avidiya forest is fairly dry. How is it out there these days anyway?” Kaveh said, pulling away from the old Grand Sage who glared at him, teeth clenched.
“Quite right, we don’t have many amenities but I am still the Grand Sage and I deserve the respect that comes with that.” Azar said and Kaveh resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
“Of course, but I was under the impression Alhaithem and the Matra were in charge now.” Kaveh said and Azar slapped him.
“That Scribe isn’t worth the dirt he stands on and quite frankly, neither are you. The generosity I displayed to bring a job opportunity to you when you’re struggling is more than you deserve.” The Grand Sage said and Kaveh wanted to retort.
“You’re right. It was generous of you to bring me that job, but you’re wrong about Alhaithem.” Kaveh said, his tone apologetic. Azar made a “hmph” sound and spun around, his flowing robes billowing with him and left Kaveh alone who sighed again and put away another book. Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything, after all Azar was just like that. He held so much power for so long, could Kaveh really expect the man to act any different even after his exile? He put the last book back on the shelf of the house of Daena and then rubbed his cheek. He’d been slapped before but this time it stung worse than some of the others.
“Whatever…” Kaveh whispered, grabbing his things and leaving to get to the tavern. The walk was quick and the setting sun left a nice cool breeze that actually helped Kaveh’s mood. He took in a deep breath and allowed himself a second to look at the sunset before pushing into the tavern to find the foreign business man.
A quick sweep of the tavern found a man dressed in a long coat with feathers or fur around the neck, a heavy red shirt and thick pants that were stuffed into angry leather boots. Kaveh thought he looked aggressive and suspicious at first but then thought, “All those clothes must be sweltering” He shook the thought and walked over to the man and politely said, “Excuse me, I was told you were looking for the architect of the Palace of Alcazazaray?” The man looked up quickly, almost shocked before he righted his face to a smile.
“Yes, I am. Do you perhaps know where I could find them?” The man said and Kaveh smiled back.
“Yes, I’m actually him.” He said and the man stood up fast, surprising Kaveh.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my name is Vlad and I have an opportunity my boss had hopes you would take into consideration.” He said, putting out his hand to shake. Kaveh took his hand and shook it firmly before taking the seat across from Vlad in the booth.
“Kaveh, and it’s a pleasure to meet you too. So, can you tell me about this job at all?” Kaveh asked and Vlad nodded.
“Ready to get into it then? Alright.” He said and began pulling out some paperwork from his bag at his side.
“Essentially, I work for a company that is headquartered in Liyue and we happed to buy an area of land that is ripe with ore, specifically core lapis and the very rare Sunset Vermillionite. We don’t specialize in ore collection or mining at all, but we want to break into it as it’s very lucrative. However, the market already has many groups who actually do specialize in it so hiring people away from them would prove especially difficult unless we have some kind of perks that the other companies wouldn’t be able to offer. This is where you come in.” Vlad explained and Kaveh nodded along, so far it sounded rather good. Most jobs sounded good until the buyer pulled out…
“So, how can I help you then?” Kaveh asked, probing for more information. Vlad nodded, his red hair swishing against his face.
“Glad you asked. We plan to build a massive complex for the miners and their families to be able to live in that provides food, bathing, and other amenities to attract the people away from our competitors. This way, instead of being away from their families for the duration of the contract they can come home to them every night and not have to worry about food, housing, and sanitation since that will all be provided by us. I don’t have all of the details, but that’s the basics.” Vlad explained and Kaveh nodded.
“Alright. Do you know the timeframe for this project?” Kaveh asked and Vlad shrugged.
“I’m afraid not. My boss has all of that information.” Vlad said and Kaveh nodded again.
“I see. Is there a contract I could perhaps read over?” Kaveh asked and this time Vlad nodded.
“I brought a preemptive contract, one that is meant to be edited by you before we go back to Liyue to finalize everything.” Vlad explained and handed over a rolled up piece of paper that Kaveh unfurled and read over, his brows dropping into a hard scowl.
“I’m sorry, but I think there’s a few mistakes here.” Kaveh said after a few minutes of silence. Vlad cocked his head to the side.
“What’s wrong?” He asked and Kaveh put the parchment down on the tavern table and pointed to a few clauses in the writing.
“This says that I won’t be paid a commission fee?” Kaveh asked and Vlad nodded.
“That is correct. Typically a commission fee is paid after the fact and takes into account the price of building materials, travel expenses, etc. We won’t be doing that. We plan to pay you a fixed amount that won’t bring that into consideration since we plan to front the cost on all building related expenses. You’ll will receive half of your pay upfront and the other half will be in a trust that can be pulled from when you need to access it for any reason. We hope that you will bring receipts back to us so that we can decide whether or not it was a work related expense so that you can be properly compensated.” Vlad explained and Kaveh almost let his jaw drop. Instead he blinked then went back to the contract.
“Well, this also says that creative control in in my hands outside of select caveats? What does this imply?” Kaveh asked and Vlad perked up again.
“This is why we were looking for you specifically. My boss is actually a fan of your work on the Palace. He said that the organic design elements brought a regal feeling to buildings you worked on. He said that even a mere light house in Port Ormos was brought a feeling of luxury after you managed to refurbish it and that is exactly the kind of feeling he wants you to bring to our complex. The caveats are that, while we do want the style to be uniquely yours, we would appreciate it if the complex still resembled the ones found in Liyue Harbor so that the locals feel at home.” Vlad explained and Kaveh crossed his arms and leaned back.
“This all sounds too good to be true.” Kaveh said, point blank and Vlad rubbed his neck.
“Well, we have very lofty goals and if they pay off then what we pay you will be nothing compared to the profit we will make. Until now, Lady Ninguang has held the market over the Sunset Vermillionite and used it to build her Jade Chamber Palace. If we can do this, then she will have to come to us to buy it and if she decides not to then we can sell it to anyone at an exorbitant price. This isn’t an opportunity we can afford to waste.” Vlad explained and Kaveh scowled. He wasn’t sure who this woman was. Did she have control of the entire ore market in Liyue? Kaveh scowled harder, economics wasn’t his favorite subject and thinking about the ins and outs of the ore industry might give him a headache. Vlad saw Kaveh’s face morph into one of frustration and decided to reassure the architect.
“Listen, it’s all above board. We even have a lawyer who will be in the meeting with the boss and you to finalize the contract and help you work through any possible loopholes. She is there specifically to make sure neither party gets raked over.” Vlad said and Kaveh relaxed a bit.
“Alright, it does sound pretty good. I’ll consider it.” Kaveh said and Vlad nodded.
“I’ll be leaving tonight to return to Liyue, but if you decide you want the job you can meet with my boss at the northland bank, in Liyue Harbor.” Vlad said and pulled another group of papers and a very big purse from the bag at his side, sliding them across the table to Kaveh.
“What’s this?” Kaveh asked.
“That’s the first half of the payment. Essentially it’s yours to keep, a payment for your time today.” Vlad said then waved over the tavern keep. Kaveh stared as Vlad began ordering food. The amount of mora in front of him could possibly pay off his debt entirely to Dori. The other half could buy himself a home AND pay Alhaithem for his time living together. He almost felt struck and the Vlad spoke to him.
“What would you like to eat? I’m paying.” Vlad asked and Kaveh jumped.
“Oh, um, I’ll have the Shawarma wrap and some wine.” Kaveh said and the tavern keep nodded, dashing away to get the food and drinks. Vlad began talking again, this time not about the job, but just about how nice Sumeru was even if it was far too hot for his taste. Kaveh kept up with the conversation but his mind was on the money, on the job, and on the hope that his life might actually be better soon.
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Kaveh arrived back at Alhaithem’s house, almost totally sober for once. He had too much on his mind to drink this time and he walked into the house with thoughts rallying against him. As he slid off his shoes, Alhaithem came around the corner and looked at him.
“You’re back early.” He said and Kaveh nodded. Alhaithem crossed his arms at him, “You didn’t drink tonight?” He asked and Kaveh stiffened.
“I don’t always drink, Alhaithem. Sometimes I just go to the tavern to eat.” Kaveh defended but Alhaithem rolled his eyes.
“Sure.” He said and Kaveh bristled.
“I’m not a drunk, so I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t treat me like one.” Kaveh said, pushing past Alhaithem.
“I was told that you lost another job. If that’s true then you won’t have money to pay your debts this month. I highly doubt your creditor will be pleased with that. You’re falling into a pretty deep hole, Kaveh and I won’t be able to help you anymore if this keeps happening.” Alhaithem scolded
“I don’t need your help Alhaithem! I’m fine! My finances aren’t any of your concern.” Kaveh yelled.
“They are when you fall back on my financial stability when you can’t pay for things. How many times have I paid your tab? Or how many times have I bought things you needed for a job or you wanted for your room? Who paid to redecorate when you decided my house wasn’t to your standard?” Alhaithem retorted and Kaveh stuttered.
“That… I… It doesn’t matter! I was offered a very good job tonight so I’ll be moving out as soon as it’s done! You won’t need to worry about how pathetic you think I am anymore!” Kaveh yelled and stormed out of the room.
“Wait, what? Kaveh!” Alhaithem called after him, but when the door slammed Alhaithem decided not to follow.
Kaveh wanted to cry, but how stupid would that be. He was just given a great opportunity, one that could benefit him and everyone around him. He tossed himself on his bed and turned down the oil lamp on the nightstand. Maybe he just needed sleep. He covered his eyes with his arm and let the darkness and comfort of his room engulf him until sleep finally came.
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Avidiya forest was dark by the time Azar had finally returned. The other sages greeted him and began asking him questions.
“What took you so long, master Azar? Usually it doesn’t take you the full day.” One of them asked and Azar shot a look down his nose at him.
“I was held up looking for the great architect Kaveh.” Azar sneered.
“Whatever for? Does he perhaps owe you money?” Another asked, jokingly. The group laughed and Azar smirked with them.
“Aye, he seems to owe everyone in the city these days. But, no, I was asked to find him by an old friend of ours.” Azar said, sitting around the cook fire.
“An old friend? Who?” Another Sage asked, offering food to Azar.
“That doctor. Seems he has something up his sleeve that he needs Kaveh for.” Azar explained and everyone shared a look among each other.
“Is it a good idea to have helped him?” One asked.
“The last time we worked with him, we were banished here.” Another said.
“If this gets out, we won’t just be outcasts. This might fully ruin us!” A third said but Azar held up his hand.
“We aren’t doing anything wrong. A man asked me where he might find Kaveh, I found Kaveh and told him someone wanted to offer him a job. If it gets out I will say that I wished to help him get a job, as he has had so many struggles of late.” Azar explained and everyone relaxed a bit.
“Do you know what that doctor wants Kaveh for?”
“Hmmmm… I’m really not sure. He mentioned a grand building that only the ‘Light of Kshahrewar’ could build for him, but I don’t buy that. Its never as simple as that with him.” Azar said.
“Then why send Kaveh to him?”
“If nothing happens then Kaveh’s financial problems are over. If something does happen, his financial problems will be over then as well with the added bonus of that Scribe being at a loss, after all we are in This predicament because of him.” Azar said, “Either way it’s not really our problem. Kaveh needed work, someone asked for him to hire, that’s all I had a hand in.”
The sages again shared a look between each other again but relented. Azar was right. It wasn’t their problem. They went back to eating their food. Azar on the other hand thought back on his conversation with the doctor.
“I’m looking for a certain architect.” Il Dottore said and Azar nodded, knowing who exactly the doctor meant.
“You can find that boy at Lambad’s tavern almost every night now. I would send someone to look there.” Azar directed but the doctor shook his head.
“No, I won’t be finding him myself. If he finds out that I’m the one behind this ‘job’ then he won’t agree to it at all. I have one of my men in Sumeru City right now. Find Kaveh and tell him that my little lackey is looking for him. Mention the mora, say it will be very lucrative. I need him to not have the ability to say no to me. I’ve worked very hard to make his situation fall into desperation so that he comes to me organically. This is the last piece and I need you to put it into play.” Il Dottore explained and Azar considered it.
“What’s in it for me?” He asked and the doctor grinned behind his mask.
“Mora won’t satisfy you, that’s fine, but if all goes according to plan then you will have your position back. Lord Kusanali won’t be able to banish you again and that Scribe will never be a problem again.” He said and Azar’s eyes lit up before he composed himself again.
“And what if your plan, whatever it is, falls apart?”
“Then all you’ve done is attempt to get that leech a job that could sustain him. Its noble really. You lose nothing and gain everything.” Il Dottore said and that was worth more than Mora could ever buy.