[ kaveh's eyes skim over the tight wound of alhaitham's bandages. they beg no comment. alhaitham, in turn, offers none. the flaxen blond of his hair trails as he turns back to alhaitham's room. kaveh sits first, and then jerks his head to follow suit. for once, alhaitham feels the bone weariness of exhaustion like the tug of a tether. this is how whirlpools begin, with the quietest of eddies along the slim edge of a waterfall, and then the perspective in which you view the world begins to turn. alhaitham looks, and then, because alhaitham never does anything he does not want to do, he follows.

it's safer to sit apart. alhaitham does not have the energy to execute precautions. kaveh is lucid, and the scent of heat has dissipated. and so the mattress next to kaveh dips as alhaitham positions himself in front of the spread of cold cuts. without ceremony, he takes a thin slice of carefully smoked meat and consumes it. he doesn't respond until he's eaten three more cuts. alhaitham's hand finds the handkerchief, and then the jug of lemon water. ]

Their meeting with you has been postponed. I thought it prudent to wait until your condition stabilised. [ alhaitham drinks. he takes for himself a handful of little carrots, and cups them in one hand as he eats. ] They will receive word when it's safe to meet.