![The true reason Alhaitham & Kaveh joined the desert mission [hint: they missed the Traveler]](https://preview.redd.it/e08prj69u32h1.jpeg?auto=webp&s=b9a9c12840fd99ef1edf8ab47248cc30426c3f2d)
The true reason Alhaitham & Kaveh joined the desert mission [hint: they missed the Traveler]
Note: Usually I make it known that the post isn't strictly about romance, but this time it's different. This one is 100% intended for shippers. You can read it or skip this one, whichever you prefer. The Traveler will be Aether this time around, but everything applies to both twins (as always).
And just to be clear, even though I'm discussing romantic implications this is still within the domain of shipbait. I'm not saying Kaveh and Alhaitham make out with the Traveler off-screen, but the devs sure don't mind if we think that.
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Point one: Shady introduction
The way our dynamic duo got introduced in Layla's event was...different. We saw their shoes while Alhaitham mumbled something about wanting to nap on the job. Then we got a view of their backs before finally getting to see them properly. Flashy much?
The rest of the gang didn't get such a dramatic introduction, so these two immediately grabbed my attention. Furthermore; if we take a look at Alhaitham's previous appearances we notice that he often enters our screen this way. The camera tends to linger on his body parts - his torso, his arms, his legs - anything except his face, honestly.
This indicates a hidden agenda.
After all, avoiding one's gaze is cause for suspicion since it hints at the presence of secrets. As social beings, we look to a person's face to gauge their intentions. Hiding their expressions from our view causes a bit of unease and suspense.
It also sets up a secretive tone for their presence, which means we have to look past the surface and pay attention.
Point two: Jingling keys
The writers think we're cats (kinda).
They love to use "chaos" and bickering as a way to distract us from something deeper that might be going on in the scene — as if they're jingling keys in front of a cat to divert its attention. Of course, that's not the only reason Kaveh & Alhaitham act disruptively. Yet once they start acting childish we should pay attention since it's usually a cover for something else.
Such was the case during this event.
Point three: The lies
If bickering was used as a distraction, then what were we being distracted from?
To put it simply: their lies.
Alhaitham is usually the one who can't stick to honesty, but this time Kaveh wasn't very forthcoming either.
We all heard Kaveh say that he had lots of free time, right? But if that were the case, why would he clown on Alhaitham so hard? If Kaveh had "time in spades" as he claimed, he would be living just as leisurely as the scribe.
But was that true?
Well, no. It wasn't.
He was genuinely offended when Alhaitham called him sedentary.
Kaveh replied by saying: "Excuse me? I've been going about work as normal, thank you. And — might I add — you do way less work than me!"
This implies that Kaveh didn't have much free time because he'd been busy with traveling and projects, presumably in the rainforest. In other words, Kaveh lied about having free time just so he could join the desert mission.
As for Alhaitham's lie, well, he lied about the reason for appearing at the café. If you believed he was there to buy coffee, congratulations — he tricked you. [Me too though, it took me a while to realize...]
It was already odd to see them buying coffee together since the guys have a roster, and judging by the way Mehrak acted it seems like it was Kaveh's turn to go shopping. We know Kaveh lets Mehrak fetch coffee quite often, so seeing Alhaitham do it probably caused some confusion.
Yet even if we assume it was Alhaitham's turn to shop, he did not give a single flip about the coffee beans. He left them behind like they were dirt. We know he's not distracted by Kaveh's ranting so he didn't accidentally forget them. He straight-up left the purchase without a single care — knowing that Kaveh is probably gonna forget to take it (which would've happened if Paimon hadn't reminded him).
So why was Alhaitham even there?
Like Kaveh, Alhaitham was looking for an excuse to see a cherished friend. These goofballs couldn't be open and honest about missing Aether terribly. No no, they had to act all suspicious and weird because they're hopeless (affectionate).
Point four: No care for the mission
They didn't care about the desert mission.
At all.
They pretended to care, sure, but we have several hints that tell us otherwise.
To start, Alhaitham expressed his interest in the expedition by eavesdropping on the group and even questioning Layla directly, yet he was a pain in the 🍑 during the trip.
Very contradictory.
Mind you, that's not how this man acts if he's truly invested. We saw him take things seriously during the AQ and his SQ, so much so that his attitude impressed even Paimon.
No one had to drag him into Deshret's ruins or beg him to do something. In fact, he often took initiative when he deemed something to be important. Now contrast that to his utterly infuriating attitude during Layla's event.
That man did not care.
Kaveh wasn't any different, he just hid his disinterest quite well. If we look back though, he lost track of his thoughts two times during their bickering at the café.
Do you remember which things he forgot?
Coffee beans and the problem in the desert.
A pattern is emerging.
If a topic is easily forgotten, chances are that it's not that important. So when we look at everything collectively, we realize that neither of the guys cared about the coffee or the mission. That's not why they appeared, and it's not why they agreed to come along.
And really think about this.
Kaveh was raging the entire time about being overworked. Not to mention that he would need to take time out of his busy schedule for this unnecessary trip. Quite a tedious and inconvenient task, to say the least.
On the flip side, Alhaitham would rather slack off and stay at home than go anywhere, yet suddenly he had the motivation to do extra work out in the desert (even if he dragged his feet).
Both men would have every reason to sit this one out — especially since no one asked them to tag along — yet they still went, right as the Traveler appeared in Sumeru again.
Not subtle at all, guys.
And to drive the point home how little they cared about the mission compared to the rest, just look at how their inner thoughts differ once the group meets Thoth.
Tighnari: "Quite the one-sided conversation."
Sethos: "Is this what the Ibis king was like?"
Cyno: "He seems quite eloquent. I wonder if he plays cards..."
Paimon: "That all went over Paimon's head..."
Traveler: "So, when the notes mentioned something being "off" with the Ibis King...It was because he's in the form of a cat."
While the rest are musing about the talking cat they had just met, this is what these two goofs are focusing on:
Kaveh: "Hah! I knew Mehrak was a great name. Go me!"
Alhaitham: "Let's see...What page was I on again? Should've brought a bookmark."
One is praising his own taste in names, and the other is lamenting his missing bookmark. Can't you tell how invested they are in this whole ordeal?
[heavy sarcasm]
And speaking of sarcasm...
Point five: They knew
While fans didn't think twice about their curious behaviour during the event (aside from thinking it was a bit ooc and gimmicky), the guys themselves knew what was going on. After all, they know each other too well to be easily fooled.
We see this through their jabs and sarcasm.
For example, Kaveh called out Alhaitham's lie right in front of us: "Oh please, I know you. Half the battle was over the minute you said you were "curious." We couldn't stop you from joining if we tried."
What was immediately noticeable (at least in the EN version) was Kaveh's extremely sarcastic tone. We also saw his annoyed expression and heard the way he mocked Alhaitham's supposed "curiosity."
All of this indicates that he knew Alhaitham's true motive, which had nothing to do with the mission. I mean, think about it. Kaveh was yapping about Alhaitham being lazy and "unemployed," yet when the scribe wanted to participate in the mission he was met with even more sarcasm.
Huh...?
Shouldn't Kaveh be glad that Alhaitham took his nagging to heart? Well, he would've been glad if he hadn't seen through Alhaitham's nonsense. The scribe continued to slack off in the desert until Kaveh was close to crashing out (as expected).
In other words, Kaveh was right to mock Alhaitham's "interest." This wasn't about his curiosity, the gods, or the ruins. Alhaitham just wanted to be close to a certain someone.
Not to worry. Alhaitham "returned the favor," but that happened a bit later in the desert. Once their groups reunited in the ruins, Kaveh and Paimon were kinda yelling back and forth in a large chamber.
To that, Alhaitham stated: "(...) You don't have to shout...Of course, if you're expressing your excitement at being reunited, by all means...pretend I never said anything."
Alhaitham acted as if this was directed at Paimon, yet he gave a pointed look in Kaveh's direction afterward, suggesting that he was actually addressing the blonde.
Chances are that he wasn't talking about one singular moment either. He was insinuating that Kaveh became louder and more expressive due to seeing the Traveler again.
All that joy had to get out somehow, right?
In fact, the first thing Kaveh apologized for at the café was for being kinda loud. So this was a theme since the start. Then in the desert, Alhaitham hinted that he knew all too well what got Kaveh so excited.
It's quite funny to view the entire situation with this in mind. Like, imagine being Kaveh and trying to get Alhaitham out of the house for once, only for the scribe to willingly travel for a blonde twink without being asked. And you can't really say anything because you dropped everything to do the same thing.
These two are frying me 😭
I know the devs won't do it, but we should get a scene where the Traveler gets squished between their chests while they argue over who gets to spend time with their friend.
Point six: Framing reveals everything
This is the part where we look at the composition of the scenes.
A lot can be communicated without words simply by adjusting the framing. It's a useful tool in visual storytelling, and unsurprisingly, several shots reveal just how laser-focused the guys were on Aether.
The relevant screenshots will be in the comment section, as always. I'll explain the basics here, and then y'all can take a peek below to see what I'm talking about.
1) Alhaitham's coat [romantic]
In a few frames, we can see Alhaitham's coat (and body) enveloping Aether, almost like a shield. It looks somewhat possessive in its execution. The Traveler is "boxed" into the corner of the screen while Alhaitham's presence, which is frankly overwhelming, acts as a barrier between Aether and the rest of the world. It's rife with romantic undertones.
2) The umbrella [romantic]
We have a similar situation with Kaveh, but in his case, it's the umbrella at the cafe that visually separates Aether from the group, thus highlighting him as the center of Kaveh's attention.
While Kaveh talks about helping his friends there's an unnatural pause as he glances at Aether, which is when we notice the unusual framing.
That odd little pause suggests that this focus isn't caused by platonic friendship, but by something else. I'm sure people know that hesitation implies how there's something more to this, since a strategically placed pause changes the context.
If it were truly platonic, surely Paimon would be included in the framing as Kaveh's friend, but she simply isn't. Neither was she included in Alhaitham's example. Hint hint.
And before you assume I'm reaching, I'm really not because the devs included platonic framing as well; which does include both Aether and Paimon.
3) Count on your friends [platonic]
While Kaveh was yapping about the importance of relying on your friends, Paimon and Aether were the focus of the shot while Layla was outside of the frame.
No one is surprised at this point.
I'm not saying that Kaveh hates Layla, but Paimon and Aether were the friends Kaveh came to support. And this time there were no odd pauses that would indicate that he meant something romantic.
So in conclusion; if Aether is the focus of the frame, there are odd pauses and insinuations of something more than friendship. If Aether and Paimon are the focus, the context is platonic.
The message is crystal clear, and the same sentiment is repeated with Alhaitham. If it's only Aether, the vibe is protective, possessive, and yes, romantic. Yet when Paimon gets included the vibe mellows out into something platonic.
4) Goodbye, you three [platonic]
Alhaitham wasn't saying goodbye to three people before packing for the trip. What I mean by that is: his words may have addressed three people, but the framing revealed his true feelings.
Once he moved away from the group, the shot focused only on Paimon and Aether as they waved him goodbye, excluding Layla who was standing right there next to them. In reality; the scribe was concerned only with two people, not three.
This also isn't me saying that Alhaitham hates Layla. I'm simply saying that when it comes to their motives for joining the mission, Alhaitham and Kaveh were there for the Outlander. Layla just happened to be there as well.
Point seven: The symbolism of coffee
I won't go too deep into this, but I'd like to point out how there's something strange going on with coffee (as a symbol).
This is the second time coffee beans have somehow brought Aether and the guys together. If we recall, Kaveh was busy with shopping in Cyno's quest when he stumbled on Cyrus and the gang, which is how he and Alhaitham got involved with the mission.
Kaveh was buying coffee beans back then (among other things), and Cyno's entire quest was oddly coffee-themed. Even this time around, shopping and coffee were somehow "responsible" for bringing these friends together.
Very interesting.
In fact, the first time we ever heard of Alhaitham and Kaveh working together (successfully) was when they picked out a gift for Aether. It was revealed in Kaveh's first birthday letter, and do you remember what the gift was?
Yeah, coffee beans.
So not only did these two agree on which coffee beans to send despite their differing tastes, but the letter seems to imply that their collaboration went smoothly. Bickering is less important than gifting your cute friend, huh?
There's a curious connection there.
Anyways, that's it for now.
I'm excited for the upcoming quest! 🫶
