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Eliza had been sitting across from him for a few hours now, playing cards. The office was dimly lit, the scent of forgotten wine and cigarettes staining the air. Shelves with old books and purposely turned around photos decorated the place, and the desk was littered with papers that had been ignored. Instead, Eshrin was seated across from her. He was looking over his own cards, but when she played he’d watch her.
They were playing poker. No bets, just cards. A cigarette hung from his mouth and his fingers faintly trembled as he held his cards. Each time she’d get closer to winning or do something witty, a ghost of a smile would touch his face.
Eliza was focused, but that wasn’t why she refused to break the silence. She wouldn’t break it because she didn’t know how; she still didn’t entirely know how to talk to him. He led the faction of this academy that she was placed in, but the more she played cards with him the less intimidating he became.
He took a drag of his cigarette, laying down his failed hand with a slight smirk.
“You finally beat me. Fun to watch.”
He chuckled, it was raspy and held a bit of pride that he refused to outwardly admit. Eventually he looked back at her, placing his unsteady hands in his pockets.
“Tell me, why do you come and play cards with me?”
His head tilted, eyes genuinely curious and lacking his usual sharp and partially unhinged expression. He waited, expectantly, for an answer. He felt a bit of blood on his sleeve but he ignored it for the moment.
“…You asked me to play, right?”
“Well, yes. But I don’t think any other student would’ve agreed, even my own daughter. So why did you? Why do you keep coming back?”
His tone wasn’t accusatory, just uncertain. It reminded him of someone, as well as a time he buried long ago. But…it brought him some comfort, and a distraction from his thoughts. A reason to do something other than stare at papers he didn’t want to work through.
Eliza paused, really thinking about her answer. She had a clear one, but hesitated because she didn’t know if she had the courage to admit it to his face. Eventually she sighed and placed her own cards down, open handed.
“You look lonely.”
“Perceptive as ever, Liza.”
He muttered his response, surprised that she’d caught onto it, and even more surprised that she’d admit it. But it didn’t truly shock him—she’d always been observant, very conscious and caring of others.
“I used to play with someone else a long time ago, but now I have a witty student instead.”
He smiled barely, a deep sense of melancholy layered beneath it that he didn’t show. Eliza could sense it, and for some reason it made her heart ache. Her eyes glanced down for a second, but she offered a small smile in return.
In spite of all the rumors, to her he simply seemed…broken. Harsh, but not truly cruel.
“I like playing, so it’s fine.”
He huffed, almost rolling his eyes at her predictability. It was rare for him to smile when it wasn’t meant to frighten someone, but he gave it to her. When he heard her say that, and thought about how she treated him…she almost felt more like a daughter than his own blood-related one. He could almost laugh at the irony of it.
“Good.”
Eliza knew it was his way of thanking her, and it made her pick up the cards again and mix them into the faded deck on the table, reaching over to grab his failed hand as well. She shuffled swiftly with practiced movements that made it easy for her to quickly deal. While she put the deck down and Eshrin retrieved his new hand of cards, he looked them over with a blank expression that told nothing. Once Eliza picked her own cards up, he broke the silence again.
“Where did you learn to shuffle like that? That’s rather skillful—and I don’t think I taught it to you.”
He said the last part as if he wasn’t entirely sure if he’d taught her and simply forgotten, though the way she shuffled didn’t look like how he did it. It reminded him of someone else, though he wasn’t sure exactly who.
“The academy has card nights occasionally, so one night I decided to go and when they paired me with an opponent he taught me how to shuffle…then I lost.”
She muttered the last part, seeming to both accept it and still be slightly embarrassed by how easily she had lost—which she purposely didn’t mention. Though, she did look away for a brief moment, as if anticipating a laugh from him or some kind of tease that would make her regret telling him, even if it would amuse her slightly.
“Ah, overestimating your skills, eh?”
He leaned back in his chair, almost full on grinning now, and failing to bite back a laugh when heard the smallest of sighs from her. Eventually he leaned forward again, temporarily placing his cards down as a result of his newfound interest towards the topic.
“Did you know who he was?”
Eliza thought about the question, remembering who he was after a moment. She hesitated for a second but eventually told him—she wasn’t sure if she should’ve or not.
“Fiorona, the house leader.”
Eshrin seemed surprised for a moment, but unlike what Eliza had been subconsciously preparing herself for he only scoffed slightly—it didn’t seem negative, more amused.
“He’s the only house leader to do things like that. And the only person I knew who could shuffle so gracefully. He was kind to you, yes?”
“He liked to talk, and didn’t care what classes I took.”
She muttered the answer, seeming uncertain of it now that she’d said it. The lack of ridicule from Fiorona had shocked her from the start—as did his kind smile, his warmth.
“That is how he is. No other person in this entire place could match such acceptance, such warmth. He’s a soft hearted fool.”
“But, a good card player. Good soul. The only other leader here who can actually tolerate being in the same room as me.”
Eshrin chuckled, but there was something a little vulnerable in how his voice had just gotten the smallest bit quieter towards the end. Eliza hadn’t thought that he had any positive connections, but now she was starting to think that the two might be friends.
“If you were supposed to be in any house, I’d argue you should’ve been one of his kids. You’re smart, quiet, a bit brash, but you have that same patience and kindness. I’ve never been able to comprehend it.”
Eliza’s jaw nearly went slack when he continued, his words hitting her like a hammer to the skull. Despite the slight slur that now infected his words, she could hear the sincerity in his voice and see the way he watched her—with a slight bit of pride, and understanding.
“Not that I don’t like having you around, you know.”
He laughed, waving a hand dismissively at her expression. Soon enough he swept his cards back into his hand and sighed, looking at the clock.
“One more game or are you going to sit there like a frozen deer until the time runs out, fawn?”
There was the slightest twitch in her jaw as she fought the urge to retort, knowing he was deliberately trying to mess with her. His free hand pried free from his desk, leaving scratch marks on the wood as he moved to fully encompass his cards—which trembled slightly in his hands.
“Fine.”
Eliza lifted up her own cards, sighing again as they began to play. The two were silent, focused as each one made their play. The silence was only broken by the occasional word or two, and eventually after about thirty minutes had passed Eshrin won the game, grinning as he stood up and ruffled Eliza’s hair while she grabbed her bag. It was a little rough and his claws left her with the slightest sting, but that didn’t cause her to not find some warmth in the action.
“Go on. It’s too late for you to be here. You should get dinner or something.”
He muttered the response, giving her a final smile that lasted half a second before she waved slightly and left the office, the light of the hallway and its scent of cedar hitting her like a flashbang when compared to his office.
She walked through the halls, wood tapping beneath the feet of her boots and echoing across the silent hall—which lacked any students. Eliza found that to be enjoyable, finding it nice to be left to think over what she’d learned and not have to deal with anyone she wasn’t fond of.
As she walked, she decided she’d head out to at least grab a small coffee or something, and maybe find herself seated at the small coffee shop within walking distance of the academy while she sketched, the warmth light of the place framing her sketchbook beautifully. Imagining it brought her comfort, and led her to telling herself she’d mull over everything her mentor had said later. She knew some of it was important, so she would come back to it.
Once she reached the outdoors, she felt the slightest bit of cold from the fall and heard the chattering of various students—many different accents, even different languages, each taking different classes beneath the eye of a different house. The liveliness made the crisp fall air fell that much more lovely, reminiscent of the fall festivals that took place in smaller towns. The trees gently swayed, leaves falling occasionally and littering the ground with red, yellow, orange, and brown. Eliza would catch a word or two from some of the conversations as she walked—talks of the end of the semester, of weekend plans, high expectations for classes, and rumors. Most of the students had the seals on their uniforms visible that made what house they were under obvious, worn with pride, yet Eliza kept hers beneath her coat; the house of Verinska never attracted good attention.
As she got closer to the coffee shop, she could smell cinnamon and hear most of the conversation fade as she left the busier area of the academy. She was thinking about the rumors of her house and its rotten reputation, but the more she learned about her mentor who led its combat-based classes, the more she thought the reputation was garnered because of the students and who they seemingly looked up to—which wasn’t him.
Yet, she’d heard plenty of rumors about him as well—so she didn’t rule anything out. A part of her wanted to look into things more, yet what stopped her was the fact that some doors are better left unopened. She was broken out of those thoughts when she arrived at the coffee shop—the sun had just finished setting and left the soft glow of the coffee shops to illuminate the surroundings that were now blanketed by the night and the few stars that glimmered like dreams.
Its sign read “The Bookworm”. It was a small coffee shop near the academy that many students used to study as they left campus or during study hall that sold its own books.
Eliza walked inside to find it quiet—unsurprising given it was Friday night—and sat on one of the bar stools before a barista came up to her as she laid her sketchbook down.
“Hey! It’s Eli and her sketchbook—“
“Huh?”
Eliza looked up with a bit of surprise to catch a familiar face, then gave a lopsided smile.
“Hi Zuni. I forgot you work Fridays.”
“Wow. I am INSULTED, Liza! You forgot that your own friend works at your favorite shop tonight? I thought you just came to see me!”
Eliza chuckled, rolling her eyes as she took a moment to look over her friend, who was standing there with a bright smile and even brighter pink hair as she slid a cookie over to Eliza.
“I was just busy, Zuni, jeez.”
“Whatever—I almost wasn’t working tonight anyway. I mean, I almost took off because Kirigana’s semester exam is honestly terrifying. I wanted to practice for it because she’s doing some complex exam and—oh yeah what coffee do you want? Was it that pumpkin thing we have in the fall? Or white mocha? I can’t remember…”
“Pumpkin, it was pumpkin. My exam isn’t the worst but it isn’t the best either. Do you have any interesting plans after the semester ends?”
Zuni paused after grabbing a cup, thinking, then she gave a wry grin that caused Eliza to sigh as she flipped her sketchbook to a blank Page.
“Probably drinking, doing stupid stuff, I’ll need it after whatever I do for my exam…”
“Uh-huh.”
Zuni laughed, finishing up Eliza’s drink with just a hint of extra cinnamon for her friend. Every grin revealed her shark teeth, which only added to her wry appearance. She had her work outfit on—black tank top, an oversized black sweater with a few patches on it that she’d crafted herself, most of them for her favorite bands, and a pair of basic black pants paired with black sneakers that were slip proof so she wouldn’t slip face-first into the floor. Her hair, a bright coral pink, was mostly down with two messy buns at the top, and her glasses were crooked. Though, her appearance only seemed to add to her chaotic charm and left her out of place in a house like Krigana’s, where most of the students held professionalism at their cores in exchange for personality—they usually didn’t make connections with students outside their house, either.
“You look like you’ve already gone drinking…but thanks for the coffee.” Eliza mumbled, jokingly, before pulling out her wallet and sliding her friend a twenty dollar bill—which was both for the food, and an extra ten for her friend. She could practically see Zuni’s eyes light up at the little extra cash that she could use to fund her shenanigans.
“Yeah, yeah, thanks for the tip, dork.”
Zuni gave a final grin before going back to work—she probably didn’t want to get in trouble again for slacking off—which left Eliza to sketch. Without her friend talking to her, her thoughts returned to the card game from earlier. It just now became seven, an hour seemingly breezing past her since then. She was thinking about the things he’d said, and began to draw as she sipped her drink and began to eat her treat. She was careful not to get anything on the pages while she sketched, a playing card framed by thorny vines and roses beginning to roughly form on the page. As she thought of what suit and card to do, and how to twist it into a unique form, and idea flickered on in her mind.
She settled on drawing a joker card, its finer details taking form on the page. As time ticked by and the coffee shop got closer and closer to closing, she’d hear people walk in and out, many conversations briefly passing her by. She’d listen sometimes, but usually the soft music of the coffee shop was the only thing to catch her attention. Once her sketch was finished, she retrieved some supplies from her bag, colored pencils, and began to fill in the roses with a deep purple color.
She was halfway finished with her coloring before Zuni interrupted her trance.
“Hey! Liza! Earth to Lizaaaa-“
Eliza had looked up when she heard her friend, placing the pencil down.
“Hm?”
“We close in like ten minutes, it's almost nine. I don’t feel like working overtime.” She joked, leaning on the counter with her head in her hands while Eliza glanced around the now empty shop, somewhat surprised by it, not realizing how long it’d been.
“Oh, wow, didn’t notice.”
She began to pack up her supplies while Zuni spoke.
“Yeahhh, it's been a while now. You were super focused. The drawing is so pretty though, honestly. The way you color reminds me of how I color my drafts for class.”
“Thanks…idiot.”
Zuni gave a look of mock offense as Eliza stood, swooping around the counter to pull her into a familiarly crushing hug. Eliza could’ve sworn she stopped breathing for a second, her breathing hitching, but the whole thing still made her want to laugh—the fact that Zuni was at least a foot shorter didn’t help. Zuni spoke in a mock offended tone after she left Eliza go
“You’re a prick, y’know that? Me, an idiot? Please-“
Eliza smirked mischievously, almost smug, as she opened her mouth while slinging her bag with her now packed supplies over her shoulder.
“What about-“
Zuni quickly put a hand over Eliza’s mouth, giving a pointed glare.
“No stories. Nope.”
Eliza chuckled, and the two talked for a little longer before Zuni pried herself away to close up shop. Eliza walked out and debated whether to go for a small walk now that the cold had hit her again or if she should catch a train to her apartment building. She was sure she could go for a ten minute walk, the train didn’t show up until ten—the last train.
But instead she chose to walk towards the train station, a little further out, and sat on a bench. Eventually the train would show up a few minutes after she arrived, and pulled her away from staring at the empty area and falling leaves. She was one of maybe five to six people on that train, a couple of students coming back from a late study session or getting off of work that were among the small minority of students who didn’t live on campus like herself. She set up her headphones and turned on some music from her phone, watching the trees pass as the train moved towards her stop. The train stopped a few times and eventually she was the last to get off, stepping on the sidewalk of the city she lived in—which was a twenty minute train ride away without any stops.
She walked to her apartment building, passing a few stores she liked on the way, which were now all open a little later than usual thanks to the weekend hours. She eventually reached her building and headed up through the stairs, walking to the seventh floor and entering her apartment a few doors down. She placed her bag on the counter and flopped onto her couch, suddenly feeling more tired than she’d thought she was.
She decided she’d deal with whatever she had to do tomorrow, and let herself shut her eyes. The couch felt softer than a cloud.
Right before she fell asleep, the card game replayed in her mind.
But theorizing was for tomorrow.