The momentary eye contact makes his skin crawl, avoidant gaze trailing to the documents.
… When was the last time he ate? He hadn’t thought about it in some time, but he didn’t 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 hungry.
"Ah, I wouldn’t want to intrude— I can get something down at the markets… But thank you."
𝙕𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙠
"Kaveh made it. Says it's his mother's recipe. Nothing much I can do to stop him once he's started."
Alhaitham's eyes stop for a few seconds on the boy's, then blinks and gazes away, back to the document he's redacting.
"Of course I didn't think you died. Welcome back."
𝑨𝑳𝑯𝑨𝑰𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑴.
"… You thought I died?"
Says the boy who disappeared for… a while. But in his defense—a round trip to the nation’s edge is difficult!
Staring down the other, a small crease in his brow.
“I thought you didn’t like stew…”
𝙕𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙠
"Oh, you are alive."
Passes a page of his book.
"There's stew in the pot, if you are hungry."
