ONE OF TWO. - razor

Afterword

"As you proceed onward, night settles, and with it you are shrouded in shadows and mist," Cyno's singular eye drifts along the crowd of faces all immersed in the scene he painted, listening attentively with anticipation of what was to come. "In the dead silence of the dark, you suddenly hear a distant howl. You attempt to discern whether it's a friend or foe; however –"

"Are they Lupical?"

The man hummed at Razor's inquisitive look, schooling his features to be as deadpan as possible.

"You will have to roll to find out," Was all he vaguely replied, and Bennett restlessly squirmed where he sat with folded legs on the hut's blanketed floor.

"Maybe it's an enemy," He whispered to the party, as though the Game Master could not hear him speak, "We should try to avoid them, right?"

Kaveh huffed in disapproval and crossed his arms over his chest, head held high as he turned to Cyno bearing a look underlined with some sort of message.

"Can you just let it be our Lupical?"

Cyno wordlessly shook his head no but Alhaitham had already taken the matter onto himself to expand upon.

"Actually, based on our location, pack movements and delineated territories, it's quite impossible for the visitor to be a member of our Lupical at all," He straightened his posture, rolling his dice in the palm of his left hand, "I say we prepare to enter battle. It's best to strike first rather than to let the enemy get the upper hand."

"Oh really?" Kaveh scoffed, leaning forward with a suspicious glare, "And since when do you know so much about wolves?"

"Logically, since a wolf boy joined our party, I'd say," Was Alhaitham's instant retort, tone flat but a twinkle of mirth present in his cerulean eyes that watched as Kaveh seemingly processed what he'd said with seriousness.

"Spending your precious time off work reading about wolves? You care a lot about him, huh?"

All snark had left Kaveh's voice, his expression taking on a shade of fondness, and Alhaitham's frame tensed as he uncharacteristically was the first to break eye contact with his partner. He feigned disinterest by instead glancing over the map of their current game splayed out on the floor, the markers symbolising each of their characters neatly set in position on it.

"It's merely a scholar's desire for knowledge," He finally said, persistently putting on a show of strategising their next move rather than concerning himself with the conversation any longer; but Kaveh had already lovingly sighed and Tighnari's tall ears flicked as he shared a knowing glance with Cyno, the both of them thinking, He totally cares.

"Uh, so are they Lupical or not?"

Razor's question felt to pin everyone back into the present and, at the sight of Collei's mildly pouted lips and pleading eyes, Cyno's resolve crumbled like barracks of sand when collided with a hurtling ball.

He let out a breath and smiled in surrender.

"They're Lupical."