[ fraternal twins. retired guard, and emotional guard. inefficient, alhaitham thinks. it is not the first time he has had that thought. the ali qapu, crimson jewel of the vissudha, is a machine run on inefficiencies. neither individual were screened for their skills upon entering slavehood; both were simply assessed based on their physicality and presenting gender, and not for what they were capable of contributing. azar has never seen slaves as anything less than animal. it had not been worthwhile to ask after their immediate strengths; moving more than just elham through the channels into an appropriate role had already been just within alhaitham's risk tolerance. that does not mean long-term adjustments can't be done; they simply must be done with intentionality.

but he listens. kaveh's assessment of his people always follows as thus: their skills, their temperament, his opinion. ]

Akram has been assigned to the stables. Kurash to the kitchens. [ kaveh will learn this later. there would be no real detriment towards him doing so; there is not, as a matter of fact, anything he can do with the information, nor will it be conducive to him sleeping at night. so alhaitham does not say: that akram has been taken to the lash on the regular, for his temper. he is gentle with the horses, but not with the rider of the horses. he lives with that deficet. instead, what alhaitham says, is this: ] The Lokapalan desserts, or so I have gathered, is Kurash's suggestion.