[ the world falls back in place. he is back in alhaitham's room, alhaitham is awake, speaking, annoying. kaveh rejects this routine, rejects the idea of what is common, normal, because this is not it. the room is foreign to him. his divan is not his. the sketchpad, filled with drawings and notes, is not his. this life is not his.

kaveh does not want to remember. ]

I would trust your judgment of me and know that answer from my body language alone. Were you not so familiar with how I behave?

[ he finds, here, that he does not enjoy the way his name sounds in alhaitham's mouth. it feels wrong. it feels insulting.

i wonder why prince alhaitham is so nice to you. is he?

silence is telling, as it is deafening. thoughts could be crushing, could kill with the weight of their burden. kaveh bites back, bites the insides of his cheek, bites down on his lip. and then, quiet as a whisper: ]

... Thanks for letting me see Elham.