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It was late into the evening when Lisa entered Puspa Café again. Her feet hurt from walking around Sumeru City all day, but she didn’t grieve over giving this little sightseeing tour a go. Watching how things have changed after she left Akademiya turned out to be immensely fun and even a bit nostalgic. The woman never came to regret her decision, however some things she did miss bidding Sumeru goodbye.
The tastes. The sounds. The scents. The aura of knowledge hanging in the air.
But it was different now. Similar yet novel. Renewed. Old with a tinge of new.
The people passing her by on the streets seemed a bit more joyful, independent and open to new possibilities, quite a contrast to what she remembered. While the town itself bustled with commerce and even, Archons' forbid, arts!
The café itself, also humming with life, was almost full of clients from various backgrounds playing cards or just socialising together. It resulted in a happy atmosphere that wasn't as easy to find here before, but also created additional problems. In Lisa's case: the lack of free sits in particular. However as the woman grabbed a glass of wine at the counter, she spotted a solitary table in the far corner of the hall that miraculously didn't seem occupied.
Lucky~
At least that’s what she thought up till the moment she finally managed to squeeze her way through the crowd and reached the magical promised land.
Two glasses simultaneously clinked on the wooden table.
Lisa's eyes narrowed. She looked up at the tall guy suddenly obstructing most of her vision with undisguised annoyance.
Broad shoulders, well-sculpted muscles his clothes couldn’t hide and sharp, hawk-like features. He didn't seem particularly friendly, yes; that impassive face of his probably didn't earn him many fans, but at the same time the stranger managed not to trigger any warning lights in the librarian's head and that was at least something.
You’re quite my type. A shame, really.
Because this particular evening she wasn’t in the mood to make friends, not to mention something... more. “I’m sorry, handsome, but as you can see this table is already taken,” Lisa answered with a well-trained smile.
The same one she always used on people who couldn’t be bothered to return books by the due date.
“As far as I’m concerned, we got here at the same time.”
Sadly, the man either couldn’t read between the lines or spitefully refused to use that skill at this particular moment.
Really? That's how you want to play, huh?
“So what?” Lisa lifted her eyebrow and crossed her arms. “Are you saying you would like to join me?” she cooed mockingly as if what the woman truly meant to say was: ‘aren’t you a shameless one?’
But yet again the shot completely missed its target.
“Yes, that would be ideal,” the stranger stated simply and not sparing her another glance plopped down opening his book. It was some thick volume with a way too long title.
Lisa blinked taken aback. Did he just... completely ignore her? Decided all on his own that their conversation was over and done?
The nerve!
The vein on her temple began to throb, but the woman forced herself to take a slow calming breath and with pursed lips sat down across the intruder. What else was she supposed to do, yell? Splash him with the wine (this was actually very tempting)? Or just stand there like a scarecrow?!
Making a scene on her first day visiting Sumeru wouldn’t be the best idea, right?
Ahhh that's why she didn't like socialising too much - social conventions were such a pain.
The minutes ticked by as the two sat in silence. She sipped her drink, he read his book. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. It wasn't an entirely unpleasant experience, especially with the café providing some background noise, but in the end, Lisa couldn’t bare it. This whole situation was just absurd!
“Since you decided to crash my evening like that, handsome,” and somehow this time the word ‘handsome’ sounded almost like an insult, “shouldn’t you at least introduce yourself?”
The man’s turquoise eyes stopped scanning the page for a second. “True,” he admitted surprisingly easily. “I’m Alhaitham.”
“Alhaitham what?”
“Just Alhaitham.”
“Hmmm,” she mused, but frowned hearing no further explanation or inquiry of his own. ”Don’t you want to know what my name is?”
“No, not really,” came the instant reply.
Despite the ever-present smile on her lips, Lisa’s fingers dangerously squeezed her wine glass.
This guy... He was so frustrating! Even Diluc wasn’t that hard to deal with and that said a lot.
Alhaitham resembled a mountain. Something rigid, with an overwhelming aura, and absolutely unmovable.
Or to be less poetic: he was a stubborn mule.
But before the librarian could figure out how to get rid of the punk ruining her pleasant lazy evening, something else caught her eye.
There was a commotion nearby. Raised voices and a shuffling of feet. It looked like some guy had too much to drink and tried to flirt with a very unwilling waitress gaining himself quite an audience.
Poor girl. You should just kick him where it hurts the most.
At least that's what Lisa would do. No mercy.
As time went by the whole scene was drawing more and more attention, yet because the perpetrator was a mercenary it seemed that the clients were too scared to intervene. Who would want to throw themselves at someone twice their size, armed with a huge sword and a mean face?
Lisa shook her head and dramatically sighed.
“At some point, every man should learn to respect women. Don't you agree?”
And looking Alhaitham straight in the eye, the witch snapped her fingers releasing a thin, almost imperceptible electric charge. The small purple line zigzagged through the air avoiding the onlookers with deadly precision and mercilessly zapped the rowdy thug in the neck. It was over in seconds. The bastard collapsed to the floor out cold with a loud thud, something he will definitely feel in the morning.
Her companion glanced at the unconscious man and... was it a smile tugging at his lips? No, impossible.
“I can’t say I disagree,” he answered raising his glass in acknowledgement before taking a sip. His first this evening. Did he perchance forget about ordering a drink? It was a funny thought.
“Yet you’re not exactly full of humility, either, you know?” The librarian leaned back and allowed herself to relax on this surprisingly comfortable settee.
“I’ve been told I’m not the best conversationalist there is, yes. But now I can see that you are certainly a scholar worthy of respect, Miss Lisa.”
“Oh?” The woman crossed her arms. “So you know who I am? Isn’t that an interesting turn of events Sir Acting Grand Sage, hmm?”
His lips twitched, stronger this time.
Ah, she was so close to getting that chuckle out of Mr Stone-faced!
“Just so you know, I have no plans to return to the Akademiya.”
“I am aware,” Alhaitham nodded putting down his book – after pushing and pulling and probing she finally had his full attention, didn’t she? And Lisa had to admit, there was something immensely intriguing hiding behind his piercing gaze. “But as long as there was even a slight chance you would be willing to accept the position of the Grand Sage, I had to try.”
“Grand Sage?!” she giggled in delight. “You’ve got to be joking.”
“Your credentials are perfect and you’re a well-known and well-liked scholar.”
“So I’m ticking all the boxes?”
“And some more, yes.”
“But isn’t this your position?”
In Lisa’s opinion, this whole conversation was just silly, however Alhaitham didn’t seem to see it that way. Yet a Grand Sage? A laugh bubbled in her throat again! Some would probably get tempted by such a proposition. Becoming the Grand Sage didn't only mean returning to the Akademiya, but also came with the opportunity to shape the whole institution according to one's own vision.
A wisely chosen new Grand Sage could bring about a change this country truly needed.
...but it also meant shouldering so much responsibility, Lisa's head hurt at the mere thought.
“I plan to resign as soon as a suitable candidate appears.”
“What? Too lazy to be a big shot?” she joked, but then—
“Heh, you could say that.”
Success! A full smile! She finally coaxed it out of him! Unbelievable. And now that she did, Lisa had to admit, it was quite lovely. Softened the man’s sharp features and added more life to his almost robotic aura. He was handsome, yes, but also witty and, Archons’ forbid, maybe even a bit charming in this weird straightforward way of his.
Lisa quietly snorted to herself.
She must have drunk too much to have such ridiculous thoughts. Yet—
“How about moving to Mondstadt, then?” the woman couldn’t stop herself from teasing. “Our library is quite understaffed and I could use an assistant.”
“A library, you say?” He lifted an eyebrow.
“That’s right.”
It was quiet, peaceful, and far from experiments that could potentially destroy the world.
Her castle. Her fortress. Her safe space.
Her... home.
But the vision of sharing it with someone like him didn’t make her instantly cringe and that was a promising start. Not many got such privileged treatment.
Honestly? It was almost too easy to imagine. The two of them seating together by the desk, reading books and drinking tea. Doing only as much as was required and closing up right on time bidding the overtime a satisfying farewell.
It really wouldn't be so bad, would it?
Suddenly a scholar burst into the café snapping Lisa out of her thoughts! The noise he made instantly drew to him all the clients’ attention, but surprisingly that didn’t make the man falter. Instead, he frantically looked around apparently searching for someone.
Alhaitham sighed and rolled his eyes.
Ah.
Now it was clear to Lisa who the newcomer was trying to find and why Mr Acting Grand Sage wanted to quit his job. It was Friday evening for Archons’ sake!
Alhaitham tiredly got up but before walking away lifted his glass, clinked it with hers and downed the wine in three big gulps.
“That offer of yours? Let me think about it,” he smirked and left, yet Lisa’s eyes couldn’t help but follow him to the door.
Maybe her first impression of the new Acting Grand Sage wasn’t the best, but—
What an interesting man, the librarian thought absentmindedly tracing the rim of her glass with her finger. It made a pretty whistling sound.
And only a moment later she spotted a book still laying on the table, exactly where Alhaitham left it.
Lisa picked up the thick volume and chuckled.
Of course it's some old tractate on a theory no one cares about anymore.
The most boring stuff under the sun.
She came to this café to relax and enjoy a peaceful evening but instead got to meet one of the most influential figures of the new Sumeru Akademiya. Not exactly a desirable outcome in any other circumstances, but...
“I wonder if I should pay Mr Acting Grand Sage a visit tomorrow?”
Who if not her knew how important it was to return books to their rightful owners?
And maybe later she could ask him to go on another drink.
*~*~*
If there was something Alhaitham hated more than overtime, it was an overtime and all-nighter.
Walking up to a window, the man stretched and leaned against the windowsill. Let the pleasant breeze ruffle his hair and refresh his tired mind.
It was sometime around noon and he still couldn't go home, because some idiots decided to experiment with carnivorous plants last night and cleaning up their mess took much longer than expected.
"Truly a wonder how they didn't end up eaten by these damn weeds," the Acting Grand Sage muttered under his breath not even trying to hide his contempt.
He was having such a surprisingly amusing evening and it got ruined in seconds - in such a situation he had every right to abandon any pleasantries! At least that's how it worked in his book.
And speaking of books.
"Library, huh?"
For anyone else, especially someone in such a high position, the proposal to give up all this for a job in the library might even seem like a disguised insult. But the truth was, that woman, Miss Lisa, she simply understood.
Knowledge can be had without abandoning your whole life in the process. Throwing yourself into the research oftentimes dark and dangerous, chasing some barely attainable goal and not giving yourself room to simply breathe.
To read a book. Drink a cup of tea. Or meet up with someone interesting.
As unbelievable as it sounded, that last part was somehow tempting Alhaitham at the moment. Him, the very antithesis of a social butterfly. But Miss Lisa... she piqued his curiosity. Her sharp mind hidden behind the laid-back attitude, swift decision-making, mastery of her Vison and that funny way her eyebrow twitched when she was trying not to let her anger show on her face.
"Heh."
Yes, she was immensely interesting... Or maybe he was just going mad from the lack of sleep.
A sudden knock broke Alhaitham out of his thoughts.
"Enter," he yelled not bothering to turn around. He was too pissed and too tired for that.
"Acting Grand Sage, sir." His secretary quickly bowed. "There's a woman downstairs who wants to meet you."
"She should get in line, then." It's not like half the Akademiya constantly troubled him with every little problem they could easily solve on their own.
But the secretary shook his head. "The thing is, sir, she's not a scholar."
"Hmm?"
"She said she's here to return a book."
And then a miracle happened! ...though for the intellectual who came to deliver the news that day was later marked as the scariest in his life. Because his boss actually chuckled. No, it wasn't an evil laugh of a crazy maniac, nor the sarcastic snort. Alhaitham laughed. Genuinely. Out loud.
It was absolutely terrifying.
"S-So what-t should I d-do, sir?" the secretary barely stuttered out, but the Acting Grand Sage seemed to be in too much of a good mood to admonish him.
"What do you mean? Tell her to come in. And better be fast" Alhaitham smirked "or she might want to educate you on how to treat women."
Who would have thought they would get to meet again so fast? But for once the man decided to embrace that unplanned social interaction in stride.
And maybe later he could ask her to go on another drink.