ㅤ

you ... did.  [  his lips part in surprise,  scanning the picture more carefully.  he happens to remember this specific picture  –   the kamera had been held by a reporter,  if he remembers right.  ]   .. that's really nice of you,  cyno.  thanks.  i do look quite nice.  what other cards did you get?

@paradisaeas .     yes.   you've   mentioned   on   many   occasions   before   about   how   much   you   cared   about   how   you   looked   in   photos,   so   i   made   sure   they  modeled   the   card   based   off   of   what   you   deemed   as   a   "good   photo".   and...    you're   smiling   in   this   one.

huh?  / me /?  [  the blonde stares down at the card his friend holds out,  a little bewildered.  ]  ...huh.  it doesn't look too bad. 
            
            /  REAL

@cynomatras   /  @hayiscri!

/  + intro here if u don't mind!

/   angst perhaps...

@alkatibs .       your   criticism   regarding   my   humor   is   noted.   nonetheless,   it   is   alright;   i   can   still   deliver   them,   as   i'm   heading   to   tighnari's   home.

on  second  thought,    i'll  be  delivering  them  myself.    i'd  prefer  not  to  have  her  tortured  with  the  jokes  you  would  throw  in  her  direction..

@alkatibs .       yes,    of    course.    she   is   growing   so   quickly...   it   feels   like   yesterday   when   she   had   just   began   learning   how   to   read.   in   a   week,   she   will   be   an   amurta   student,   learning   "e.   collei"   and   "vibrio   collei-rae."

@hayiscri .       complication   is   laced   within   the   humorous   and    witty   nature   of   the   joke.   is   this   your   way   of   saying   you   don't   understand?   i   can   explain   it   for   you.

@hayiscri .      why  not?  you  do  a  good  deal  of  damage...  in  the  right  circumstances  and  setups,  that  is.  [  cyno  glances  at  his  limited  edition  card,  his  lips  curling  into  a  subtle  frown.  he  seems  reluctant  to  part  ways  with  it.  ]   i  am  not  saying  such  a  thing,  you've  won  fairly.   [  he  doesn't  wish  to  say  out  loud  that  he  has  regretted  the  deal,  as  a  bet  is  a  bet;  he  should  honor  his  words.  ]

@cynomatras 
            
            why  would  i  want  others  using  a  playing  card  with  my  face  on  the  front  cover  ?
            [  he  wasn’t  even  asked  about  the  artistic  decisions  on  these  cards..  why  did  they  make  him  look  like  that  ??  ]  are  you  denying  your  loss  ?  it  was  a  fair  game,  after  all.

@hayiscri .      [...]    [  never  has  he  felt  more  conflicted  with  his  morals.  it's  true,  alhaitham  did  win  fairly...  but,  he  also  does  not  wish  to  let  go  of  his  special  card.  ]   why....   would   you   want   such   a   thing   in   the   first   place?   it's   just   a   shiny,   laminated   version   of   an   alhaitham   card.

@hayiscri .       `  the  protagonist's  interest.  affection.  heart.  `  [  he  signs  all  the  words  he  knows  that  are  synonymous  to  love.  he  is  not  oblivious  to  the  soft  blush  on  the  other's  features;  he  has  always  been  observant,  as  it  is  part  of  his  job  description  as  the  general  mahamatra.  a  small,  but  subtle  smile  quirks  up  from  his  lips.  ]   ` and  also  for  future  reference. `

@cynomatras 
            
            [  thankfully,  his  lip  -  reading  has  always  been  similarly  great  to  his  signing—  but,  why  does  he  want  to  know  how  to  say  that  ?  if  you  squint,  you  could  perhaps  see  the  lightest  redness  on  his  cheeks.  barely.  ]  '  why  do  you  want  to  know  /  that  /  ?  '

@hayiscri .      [  his  brow  twitches  slightly,  perplexed,  though  it  quickly  settles  into  its  usual  nonchalance  when  his  hands  are  corrected.  ]  `  oh.   my   mistake.   i'm  still  working  on  my  sign  language.  how  do  you  say  — `  [  he  pauses  mid-sign,  mouthing  clearly  the  word  "love".  he  wishes  to  know  for  the  context  of  the  novel's  main  character's  love  interest.  ]

@dimliten /     PFFT  REAL  <3

@paradisaeas .       indeed,   you're   cornered.   [  he  doesn't   even   attempt  to  conceal   that   fact.   he   pours   a   reasonable   amount   of   wine   into   kaveh's   cup,   enough   to   allow   the   architect   to   make   rational   choices.   he   wants   to   win   fairly,   after   all.  ]   but   it'll   be   interesting   to   see   how   you   try   to   get   out   of   it.   or   don't,   that   is,   but   we   can   always   rematch.

i like to call it self preservation,  thank you.  [  he scowls,  but sits again anyways,  picking up his cards.  ]   i can't possibly win like this  –  must you make me suffer?  cruel.

@paradisaeas .      don't   go,   kaveh.   i'd   like   to   finish   the   duel;   you   are   an   interesting   opponent.   if   it   provides   incentive,   i   do   have   wine   in   the   cellar—-   for   some   reason,   i've   noticed   that   you   are   more   prone   to   alcohol   after   i've   told   a   reasonable   number  of   jokes.