[ not former, he would have had half the mind to reply, but kaveh does not. he takes the paper, eyes the inks. none of them will serve their purpose. kaveh huffs through his nose, and returns to his divan.

there, between charcoal and graphite, he fetches the later. it will work on parchment, and would cause no harm. he lays it on top of his sketchpad for support, and sets to write. it is, after all, a short message of gratitude for the flower. kaveh makes a promise to return it to elham once the flower blooms, which it will, he promises as well. he would tend to it until it does, and waxes poetry on its meaning. it seals the reassurance he wanted to provide her with.

in typical lokapalan dialect, at the bottom, he adds: burn this letter at your earliest convenience, and if you are not able to do so, tear it and swallow it. do not give room to others to find it. i will be speaking with akram and kurash. you may rely on them. linen paper wouldn't do, nor would ink or charcoal.

he stands again. ]

Send for Azadeh. As long as this letter makes it to Elham unintercepted, it should be fine. You know I wouldn't dare put her in harm's way.

[ that is to say, it is not a letter he wants others to read. ]