Sunlight spilled across the dining table, where Kaveh gesturing wildly nearly knocked over his teacup, while Alhaitham read without looking up.

"—and honestly, how can you say symmetry doesn’t matter? It’s the backbone of every good design!" Kaveh huffed.

"It’s only important if it serves a purpose. Aesthetics without function is just expensive clutter," Alhaitham replied evenly, turning a page.

A soft knock cut through their bickering. No one was expected. Alhaitham opened the door to find a wicker basket sitting on the mat—no messenger in sight.

"Who is it?" Kaveh leaned over his shoulder.

"Delivery. No note." Alhaitham set it down. Inside: warm padisarah pudding, a brand-new set of precision drafting tools Kaveh had been eyeing for months, and a rare, leather-bound linguistics text Alhaitham had mentioned wanting ages ago.

Kaveh blinked, picking up the tools. "These… this is exactly what I need. Who would send this?"

Alhaitham ran a finger along the book’s gilded edge. Something about the choice felt familiar—too perfectly matched to both of them, like someone who’d watched them for years.

'I don’t know,' he thought, 'but it feels… like someone familiar with us would do.'

The next day, Kaveh groaned as he looked out the window subtly with Alhaitam pressing on him.

"Just stop putting your weight on me! Are you—"

"Shush" Alhaitam shushed Kaveh as they watched a figure place some items on their doorstep, they barely read a name on the person's embroidered name on his jacket: {{user}}.