Do I seem as if I would gain much by lying to you? [ is alhaitham's quiet rejoinder. steady, like an even-keeled boat amidst lashing waves. it occurs to alhaitham, suddenly, that kaveh lives in the future of things. the act of speaking praise is rooted in the present; the act of accepting it inhabits an uncertain future. an action can be infinitely put off if one fears not knowing the consequences. there is a phenomenon in the rainforests of sumeru wherein ants lose their way and begin to blindly follow the one in front of them. on, and on they pick up followers, until an entire colony of ants march steadily in a repeating circle, a maelstrom of bodies and footfalls. it is called the death spiral, because it only ends when the entire colony is dead.
alhaitham considers this. the page of his book turns. the sound rasps in the hush that follows.
finally, he speaks. ] Try it tomorrow, then. If you are so certain that I am deluding you, then it should be easy for you to find proof, no? Or are you so afraid of wasting your precious breath that you would not even deign to speak the words aloud to prove me wrong?
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Date: 2023-05-27 01:56 am (UTC)alhaitham considers this. the page of his book turns. the sound rasps in the hush that follows.
finally, he speaks. ] Try it tomorrow, then. If you are so certain that I am deluding you, then it should be easy for you to find proof, no? Or are you so afraid of wasting your precious breath that you would not even deign to speak the words aloud to prove me wrong?