[ alhaitham's gaze is even as he stares back at kaveh down long lashes, expression unreadable despite the state he was in. unlike last night when his defenses had begun to crumble, not enough focus or energy to maintain the nonchalance that he wears like a protective skin, the scribe had gone back to being his usual stoic self. it's somewhat of a relief to him really, because despite his inscrutable expression he's deeply uncomfortable at the question.

talking facts was easy - they were inarguable. rolled off the tongue like reciting a script, because there was nothing to question. this question? was hard. ]

I'm unsure what else there is to say about it.

[ alhaitham starts, his voice still somewhat hoarse from his escapades the previous night. fine araq was delicious, but it certainly burned on the way down. ]

It was something that had bothered you for some time, and seemed to intertwine with other issues you'd mentioned in the past. Mora isn't a particularly large concern of mine, so paying it off presented itself as an ingenious idea; one less thing that irritated you, and a litmus test for whether or not your old complaints were genuine.

[ either he doesn't think the 'why' is relevant to the explanation, or he's purposely avoiding it - either or, he seems satisfied with his answer. ]

Obviously, the results were not what I expected.

[ a pause, as his eyes flick between their entwined fingers and then back up to kaveh. the discomfort of the topic has obviously made the scribe physically shut off at least to some degree, the awkwardness of having to explain emotive, subjective matters causing him to stiffen slightly. ]

If we're asking searching questions, why did you immediately move out if you didn't feel obligated to stay here?