Ask Toxic Draw

[Renfry]

Renfry had the goblet to her lips and was about to drink when he said that he wasn't going to drink and that she was going to make someone else drink. She lowered the goblet and set it on the ground, eyes unswerving from him. There was a moment's anger in her due to her already less than stellar mood, but she put it down immediately. In fact, it was almost Emryc of her in a way.

Great, a voice said in the back of her mind, noting how she was changing each day.

How badly do you want this holocron? she asked. She didn't expect that he'd answer, and she simply kept talking before giving him a chance anyway.

Because no one else on this planet wants it as much as you, so no one else is going to be able to see its location, she said.

The ritual shows you the deep desire of the heart, she said.

I'm already here to drink, but it requires two people, so you're either going to drink or you're not going to get what you want, she said plainly.

Don't let the spirits touch you on the way out of the temple, and you'll be fine, she said, hinting at the danger they would both face. And then she waited.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc glared as she asked how badly he wanted the holocron. Thankfully, he quickly picked up that she asked it to make a point. His jaw tightened and he gritted his teeth, but he couldn’t find a leg to stand on when she was also willing to drink it. However, he wasn’t without his difficulties. He asked several questions and she had to field them all.

By the end of it, he stood by the very edge of the entrance so he would simply have to take a single step back to avoid any kind of spirits. Though he never mentioned it, Renfry would begin to recognize signs of discomfort and unease in him. It would become clear that he still reeled from what happened here last time and he wasn’t prepared to put himself at risk again.

With a sigh he looked down at the goblet, grimacing at the foul smelling liquid. He looked up at Renfry and nodded before finally taking a sip.

 

[Renfry]

Insufferable! she thought to herself as they argued. Of course she saw none of this as her fault in any way. It was clearly his problem. She was so absorbed with the moment that she failed to recognize the discomfort in him at the time, but would no doubt reflect on it at a later time.

Finally, he decided to actually go forward with the ritual. Of course, he insisted the ritual be performed right at the edge of the temple, and she could only hope that it meant the ritual wouldn't somehow be lessened in its effectiveness. But this wasn't the battle worth picking. It should work in theory.

Please take the goblet with you when you leave, she said. It was the first time she'd ever actually said please to him. She hoped that saying it would trigger him to actually do what she requested. He seemed to be into that.

She locked eyes with him as they both began to drink. The waters of ichor had always had a bitter taste to her, but it was a taste she had adjusted to over the years. She downed it all in one smooth go, preferring to get it out of the way as quickly as possible.

The moment they had both finished their drinks their eyes would begin to glow green. A line of ichor passed from both of their eyes into a ball above where they stood and they would be staring into the very essence of the universe. Beyond the Veil, nothing was hidden to the Spirits and the secrets of the galaxy were laid bare before them.

She focused on what she wanted, glimpses of the holocron and its path. There were flashes of worlds, but more than the physical locations was the impression it left in the Force. There was a... trail in the Force. A trail they could both now see if they chose to follow it. Not unlike the ancient Sith wayfinders of old. It would lead to a world all its own beyond the edges of the known galaxy.

And then things became worse. The vision began to fade and out of the ball emerged the spirits of the Nightsisters of old. It was possible Renfry could have reasoned with them as kin... but she really doubted it, and she didn't fancy risking possession just to test the theory.

As it began to fade, one of the specters swooped down toward her and she narrowly evaded its "attack."

Without another moment's hesitation she bolted for the door, lunging beyond the door's threshold as it swooped in on her again. It stopped short with a sickening screech as it reached the edge which it couldn't cross and Renfry let out a heavy sigh.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

He drank from the goblet as he watched her do it, making sure to observe that they were from the same exact source. He highly doubted she would try to poison him, but he was suspicious by nature. It took moments before his mind exploded, and he was exalted into another plane of the arcane.

He suddenly felt very small and he saw the galaxy around them. It was not unlike one of his spice trips, but it was actually informative. He was high, his eyes rolling back as they glowed. It was pure ecstasy in a way, and he envied the Nightsisters for having this kind of power at their command.

Emryc could see the holoron in that vision, and a trail was paved out directly towards it. He saw it and he committed it to memory, and he couldn’t unsee it. It was more vivid than any of his research and charts. If his eyes didn’t glow, his irises would be seen rapidly shifting back and forth to drink it all in and perform tracking and calculations in his mind.

However, he was distracted from it when the spirits from that plane began to approach. He saw several coming, and he watched Renfry avoid them. He did the same, though he simply shifted to the side without stepping back out.

His hands reached out and he grabbed a hold of Renfry, gripping her tightly to hold her in place. There was a particularly ancient figure that walked behind her, a woman that had seen the rises and falls of many galactic powers. A woman that had mastered the art of her people and brimmed with powerful magic.

Emryc firmly held Renfry in place as the spirit continued on its path, washing over her like a splash of cold water. The spirit anchored itself to Renfry. Emryc stepped back so he stood outside the entrance, but he held Renfry an inch inside.

His silver eyes returned, but he gazed into the still green glowing orbs of Renfry. His hands traveled up her arms and came up to cup her face, and he wondered if she could even feel it on her skin.

“Who are you?” He asked, “Tell me your secrets in return for this one chance to breathe the air you have forgotten. Tell me and you will remember the taste of bread. Tell me and you will feel the softness of wind and the sound of trees. Tell me and you will remember your name.”

 

[Renfry]

She had made it just beyond the edge of the temple when she felt herself pushed back inside and held there for a moment. She was on the verge of bringing her knee up into Emryc's groin so hard his grandchildren would feel it, but before she could, everything faded. Darkness took her and she strained out of thought and time.

Instead her body was taken by the ancient Shaman. The most powerful of the old mothers. It might have been enraged at Renfry for bringing the outsider here were it not for the fact that they now had flesh and blood to hold again. They could reexperience the world, rebuild the Nightsisters to all of their glory, and thrive.

Renfry's eyes continued to glow green as she began to push against Emryc's grasp. It wanted to be free. It wanted to perform the rituals to finalize the possession: to once again be free of this temple.

I am Talzer, Mother of the Nightsisters, Guardian of Dathomir, and Shaman of the Beyond, it said, but its voice was not that of Renfry's at all. It was a wispy, hissing sound of the spirit as it spoke.

Secrets?! it said, followed by hissing laughter. What secrets would you know of me, boy? she asked of him, still straining against his grip.

His words still spoke to the spirits mind, the feeling of the air against her skin and flesh against flesh. It brought back memories long forgotten, suspended beyond the Veil.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc could feel Renfry struggling, but it was something he could easily overwhelm with the aid of the spirit. He ignored her for now, focusing on the spirit. When she introduced herself, his eyes glinted with fascination. She had the answers he sought, and he would learn every last bit.

“Tell me how you wield your power,” He asked, gazing into those glowing emerald eyes, “Tell me the cost of it. Tell me how I can wield it,” He made the demands as his grip on Renfry tightened. It grew from a delicate touch to something more forceful. He demanded answers, and he knew he had the spirit at his mercy. She had been deprived of her senses for thousands of years.

He could feel the spirit fighting and pushing to dig its claws further into Renfry. He saw the flash of yellow in between the green in her eyes. Emryc stared into them for a long time, his mind focused simply on what the spirit had to say. The glimpses of gold grew more and more faint, slowly beginning to be replaced by the green. Through her eyes as the windows to her soul, Emryc could see Talzer manifesting herself more and more.

Renfry was overpowered by both him and the spirit. If he continued holding her here, the transformation would be complete. He would have everything he needed. His hand slid down to grasp beneath her jaw, fingers digging into her throat. He saw Talzer more clearly, heard her voice through Renfry. She was only partially through telling him what he needed to know.

And then his own jaw tightened. He gritted his teeth and suddenly stepped back, yanking Renfry through the gateway. There was a shrill scream as Talzer failed to embed her very last hook. She was forcefully expelled from Renfry, repelled back into the temple. Renfry’s own mind was rapidly restored.

Emryc harshly released her with force that would drop her to the ground. He didn’t look at her, spikes of anger coursing through him. He had anger for not allowing the possession to complete. He was angry for pulling Renfry back. He was angry he didn't get to learn what he sought. He was angry at how angry he was to see the green start to replace the yellow. Her eyes were yellow. And so they would remain.

He curled his fingers into a fist and slammed it into the wall. He pulled back and did it again. And again. And again. His knuckles were raw and bleeding. And yet he kept going, hard enough to where the very wall began to crumble and crack from the force, his blood smearing against it.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry was drowning. A normal being might not have even been aware of anything that went on around them, but Renfry's realm was that of the spirits. She knew the Veil better than most as well as what lay beyond it. The noise of voices was distant, but Renfry clawed out. She fought tooth and nail against the presence now controlling her body: choking out words with her body.

Her body!

You seek the secrets of Dathomir!? it shouted and hissed all at once. Even in death the Nightsisters guarded their secrets, but it could taste freedom. So close. So very close.

Our power is drawn from this world, it began to explain.

But still Renfry fought. She cut through the grip and fought to free herself. The words of the spirits became choppy as Renfry's yellow fought to the surface.

It is... the... wellspring of power... where the Veil... between Spirits... and Flesh... are thin, it went on, fighting for each word.

And then she felt it slipping. Her attempts to escape his grip was weakened. She could feel herself consumed by the flood within her mind. She gasped for the air of freedom, but there was nothing. Nothing for her to hold onto anymore.

The spirit's voice became more fluent as Renfry's grip faded.

We use spells, gestures, words, and runes to... but the sentence didn't finish, turning into a screech as the creature was banished from the body it had begun to grow comfortable in.

The blackness was banished at once and Renfry was jolted violently back to reality. She dropped to her hands and knees, gasping for breath and clutching her throat where he had been strangling her only moments earlier.

Shock, confusion, betrayal, and fury poured through her.

The moment she'd caught her breath, her eyes flashed up to him with rage the likes of which she had never known. She saw him pounding his fist into the wall, but it didn't even register to ask why. She leapt at him.

She slammed her shoulder into him and then punched him hard in the face. She knew that he seemed completely unfazed by pain, but it was for her own satisfaction more than to cause him pain. Wait... he was unfazed by pain. Why was he slamming his fist into the wall? the thought rang out deep in her mind.

HOW COULD YOU DO THAT!? she screamed at the top of her lungs, grabbing him by the front of his shirt.

HOW?! I'VE DONE NOTHING BUT HELP YOU! she screamed. Her breathing was heavy, labored with rage, but her mind still held questions that began to come to the surface. He'd... not gotten what he wanted from the spirit. He'd... he'd pulled her out of the temple. She thought surely she would be left there forever, gone to this world, her body a tool of another creature.

Primal terror gripped her at the thought and she almost broke down right there. She released her grip on him and stumbled away, steadying herself against one of the hovels of the Forgotten's old thralls. WHY HADN'T HE LEFT HER?! She wanted to scream the question at him, but she didn't.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

He didn’t resist as she slammed into him, interrupting his own punches against the wall. He was abruptly pulled from the passionate place he had been. His eyes were vibrant with fire, and they were quickly settling back to their usual calm. All of this happened while she punched him. The only thing he did was tilt his face just so the punch wouldn’t land on his nose. His head whipped to the side, and he was entirely unfazed by it. His thoughts were elsewhere entirely, his eyes returning back to tranquility.

Taking aggression out on Emryc was the least satisfying thing for anyone that ever did it. Renfry simply had him calmly look at him as she screamed at him. He stood there with his hand at his side now, the skin peeled off bone and blood dripping down his fingers. His face was still red from the punch, pain rattling along his jaw. It was blissful and only worked wonders to pull him out of the place he had been lost in.

He silently stared into her yellow eyes. He could see the silent battle raging within her mind. His face had become an emotionless mask yet again, the one she had gotten used to seeing so much. When he spoke, he did so curtly and matter of factly.

“What do you want from me, Renfry?”

 

[Renfry]

She could see that his entire demeanor had shifted once again. He was cold as a mountaintop while she burned like a star. She could see the blood pooling under his hand when she turned back around.

Her mind was swirling, a mix of wild emotions and confusion. He drove her absolutely mad. She wanted to throttle him and be done with it, but... but why?! The question burned in her mind. She knew if she asked she wouldn't get an answer.

She was so distraught she almost didn't hear the question he asked.

She was silent. She didn't know the answer. She wanted... power? She knew she was gaining it from him just by working alongside him. A lover? That... had been of mixed success. Love? She was fairly certain she was more likely to get hatred.

But he'd pulled her out. WHY!?

The question caused agony within her.

Renfry. It struck her that... he used her name. It was the first time he had done so. Was it simply manipulation? Do I even care?

Should she even tell him? She had a feeling that information would simply be used against her later.

She hated him. She wanted him.

Would you give it to me if I told you? she asked.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc remained silent as she had her internal battle from his question. A thousand thoughts went through her mind. She was like an open book, and he could almost make out every word. And yet he stood there like a sentry to the point where it was questionable whether he was even breathing. The blood kept dripping from his fingers and pooling the ground.

His thoughts had already begun to drift to Talzer and her words. He had tidbits, enough to start his research. He was elsewhere as Renfry worked through her internal battles. For all his flaws, the lack of patience was not one of them. It was a blessing for him and a curse to others around him. He was measured, practiced and calculating. Even when he lashed out against the wall it had been of his own timeboxing. He was right back to clarity.

By the time she asked a question, he had held her gaze the entire time. His mind gently returned from thoughts of Nightsister magic and focused on her question. He still hadn’t missed it.

“I think by now you are aware of what you are capable of getting from me,” His gaze lingered on hers for a long time. She could try to find something in his silver pools. Anything. But it wasn’t there. It was a sheet of ice, “...And what you are not.”

He held her gaze for a bit longer. Normally this was where he would simply walk past her and back to his ship. However he simply stood there instead. In all his infuriating glory.

 

[Renfry]

He was the worst. There was just no question in the matter. He was positively infuriating in every way. His answer was absolutely unhelpful.

She expected him to just walk past her and leave. The fact that he didn't further caught her off guard.

She stepped forward, putting her fingers against his forehead. She manufactured an illusion for him to see. Or was it a vision? it wasn't entirely clear at that point: a possible future.

He would see himself standing before legions of Sith, bowing to him. He would see his eyes glowing yellow with rage and power. He would see statues erected in honor of the ancient Sith he served and he would feel his own power stretched far beyond his current level. A connection to the Force - no, a subjugation of the Force - the likes of which he could only crave.

And he would not fail to miss that she stood nearby. A secondary portion of the vision and by no means central, but ever present.

She pulled back her fingers from his head. She knew he had a connection to her - the ability to almost see through her - so she saw no point in hiding things.

You could be unstoppable. I want to help you get there. I know I'm a tool to you, but I want to be valued and not discarded, she said. One could say that she had shown her hand, but that would imply that what she had wanted was a great secret up until now. She had low expectations for any response received, but there it was. She wasn't even asking to be treated fully as an equal, simply a valued employee? That was a comical comparison, but perhaps true.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

She touched his forehead and he had a sudden surge of visions. He could see himself at the helm, carrying the weight that his idols once had. He could see the legions before him. He could see a new empire that stretched across the galaxy. And he felt the power through himself. The Force was finally his to command. He was the master of the Force, and he stood upon the apex. He could see her there too, but his gaze was trained forward. As it always had been.

As she began to pull back, Emryc reached up to grasp her wrist. He gazed at her, still reeling from the vision. Amusement glinted in his eyes for a brief moment before a faint grin appeared on his face. Her words entertained him, and she would know it. He knew she knew that he hadn’t discarded her. She knew that he wouldn’t have done it. But she wanted him to say it. She wanted him to reassure her. Wanted him to comfort her. And he saw that all too plainly as he held onto her delicate wrist.

“I am unstoppable,” He said quietly, only a small distance between them, “And I will get there with or without you,” Emryc reminded her. As he spoke, his hand slid slowly up her wrist to where his fingers grasped over hers, entwining them. The gesture was warm, but his eyes betrayed the truth. They were icy and empty as always, cold and hollow without any of the emotion to match the way his fingers laced with hers. He couldn't change it even if he wanted.

“But what does it get you?” He asked softly.

 

[Renfry]

She felt his grip on her wrist, solid as iron and unyielding. It was the same thing she had done during the last vision she had shown him and this time it came as less of a surprise or invasion. It was... almost invited. Almost a key to the floodgates of desire.

They were close. Close enough that she could smell that cologne he had put on before arriving. Close enough to feel the heat gathering between them. She knew he saw through her, but she didn't care anymore. She had shown long ago that she held little shame. Little she sought to hide.

As he said he was unstoppable she smiled, though for all his ability to read her, the emotion behind the smile wasn't clear. He was likely correct, though she didn't say as much. She didn't need to.

And then he felt her fingers interlace with hers. Her eyes went up to his, but the warmth of the gesture didn't match his eyes. There was no warmth or affection. She realized she had precisely what she wanted. She was... valued. Not loved, perhaps not even liked, but valued.

She paused a moment. She knew what she wanted. He knew what she wanted. Did he simply want to hear her say it?

Andraste had Kravos, she said, hearkening back to the history he had told her. She had been listening and closely. Andraste had ruled without question, the most successful ruler in history, and Kravos had been her right hand.

She leaned forward and let her lips brush against his chin.

I want to be your lover. I want to be your hands. I want to carry your will out into the galaxy, she said. She knew she was offering up body and soul to him as Kravos had done for Andraste, but she didn't hold back. The risk was there and she seized it.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc didn’t miss the smile on her face, but he didn’t question it either. He was guarded, and he expected everyone else to be the same. When she spoke again, he couldn’t hide the surprise. It was a faint glint in his eyes, the slightest twinge of something in the cold abyss.

He could feel her lips brush against his chin, teetering near his own lips. Emryc’s hand left hers to travel along the back of her hair. He grabbed fistfuls of her hair, but he didn’t move her head. She wanted to be a lover and his weapon. She was swearing herself to him. Did she understand the gravity of her own words? The grip on her hair tightened as a surge of anger coursed through him. She couldn’t have understood. It was a loyalty that could not be measured. It was a devotion that had no words. Could she so flippantly throw that out without understanding the value? Did she know she was speaking to someone that built his life principles around the names she casually threw out?

His rage didn’t manifest beyond the grip in her hair, and even then it could be mistaken for passion. He leaned in till his lips were against her ear, “Kravos had the love of Alais Drast since he was Kal Vox. His loyalty began before he was Kravos and that foundation remained unshaken through his transformation,” His warm breath fluttered against her ear, “I was born Andraste.”

 

[Renfry]

She could feel it within him. The shift. She knew she had treaded on dangerous ground by bringing in individuals he worshipped, and yet she had chosen it anyway. She could feel the grip in her hair, but she didn't resist him. If she was to be sworn to him, then she was to be his, for all the terror that may mean.

I didn't ask for love, she said. She knew she couldn't. She'd seen what lay beneath the veneer. She knew love wasn't something she was ever likely to experience from him.

If he would allow it, she would pull back to look into his eyes. She could see they were wild despite the calm mask he maintained.

And yet I've come back time and again, she said. She'd already given up a great deal of herself to him. Slowly. Insidiously. She knew what she'd been doing, and yet she pressed on. Holding back no longer seemed logical. She had picked a side, and now she left her fate in his hands.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

She gazed into his eyes, and he knew exactly what she saw in them. He knew his eyes glinted when the Sith of old were mentioned. They were his gods, and he idolized them with the core of his being. The marks on his back were a testament to his devotion and faith. It was that faith that kept him on his path and kept weakness at bay. It was that faith that would take him beyond what anyone before him had achieved. He had his ambitions, but he was a patient man. Every step was measured and calculated, and he was meticulous.

Emryc gazed into her eyes, her words lingering in his mind long after they were uttered. She didn’t realize how deep this spiral went and how much pain she would step through along the way. Kravos was living death by the end. He had been torn apart and stitched together countless times to become what he was. He anchored to a love he once knew and that became a sick devotion, the human nature of it entirely twisted and bastardized. He was a monster and here she was flippantly speaking as if she could ever take those first steps.

None of his thoughts ever passed his lips, and he simply gazed into those yellow eyes. His grip on her hair loosened slightly. He thought about the library on Drall and he thought about what she had done to him. It had been that show of defiance. It had left him flustered, more than she saw. And it lingered on his mind and caused surges of anger.

He released her entirely then, calmly gazing at her. They were standing in the holy sites of her people, where they had worshipped for centuries. He thought about her words and declarations. His face carried no smile, just a cold and fixed stare meeting her.

“Finish me off.”

 

[Renfry]

She could see through him in that moment. She knew he didn't believe her, and perhaps she didn't know what she asked for, but she was here nonetheless.

He released her and she listened to his words. She bit her lip, not in confusion or embarrassment but to stifle the smile. He saw it as power to say that to her, and it was. He was accepting her offer, and although she knew he would push her to her limits - beyond - and while it was almost inevitable that she would be difficult, she would still be his.

"You want to control someone who resists you," she had told him, and she still believed it to be true.

She knelt with a coy smile and words fitting of the Order. Words she knew would strike below the veneer.

Yes, my lord.

---​

Renfry sat in the copilot's seat as they punched in the data for the calculations to the Unknown Region. The holocron awaited and as Renfry compared the route with what she'd seen in the library, she was glad they had come to do the ritual. They may have eventually found the holocron without it, but now it was all but guarantee.

And she had no idea what to expect. Jumping into a Sith world or somewhere else to hunt the holocron of one of the greatest Sith - one who he worshipped - was no doubt going to be wracked with danger. And yet she felt confident. Sure. She didn't know if it came from herself, him, or more likely a mixture of both.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

He looked through his datapad on the information he had collected thus far. As soon as they had returned to his ship, he had rapidly begun to plug in everything he saw in the vision. He leaned back in his seat and put his feet up on the terminal, always reading and doing calculations. He was growing more comfortable with Renfry’s presence, and she would see him visibly relaxing around her.

His face was always devoid of emotions, but he was also not constantly cautious and suspicious. After some time, he finally set the datapad down, using the Force to bring over an earbud to pop in. He began to listen to his music, staring ahead at the stars as the ship began to coast and prepare for a jump.

“Did you hear what Talzer spoke of?” He asked after a while, still not looking at her, “Could you make sense of it?” He knew it was likely a touchy topic for Renfry, and he frankly didn’t care. He had half the answers and he wanted to save himself the extra work of having to go back to Drall.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry could sense that something was... slightly different about him now. He felt more relaxed around her, which felt odd but not unwelcome. That wasn't to say that she expected a great deal of familiarity between them but it was... well, it was something.

She simply stared out the viewport at the stars beyond. The galaxy was huge and she'd only seen a small part of it, now she was jumping to its edge to an unknown danger. Somehow it felt... appropriate.

She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, relaxing as he flew them to the jump point. The trip wasn't likely to be short and she wasn't really sure what they would do for the majority of it. He seemed to enjoy history, however, so perhaps he had books she could read.

Her line of thought was broken by his question. Her eyes opened and she turned her head to look at him, lazily failing to even lift it off the headrest. His eyes were still fixed ahead.

Yes, she said, and didn't say any more for a moment. She intended to simply say nothing more as was her wont. Answer precisely what had been asked and nothing more because she was difficult. But that didn't really fit with what she had just said on Dathomir. She wanted him to succeed. She wanted herself to succeed.

Even up until now, she had told him very little of her magick. She didn't enjoy sharing the secrets of her people... but this was different. She was invested.

She spoke of how magick... acts, she said. The Mother's words were the very introduction to Shadow Magick.

We don't tap into the Shado... the Force ...the way that you do for our spells, she said. While she could tap into it more conventionally, the spells of magick were different entirely.

Some of us can use it the way you do - people like me - but others can only harness it through ritual, she said.

There was much more to say, but that could go on for hours. If asked, she would tell him - the first and only outsider that could be said for - and he would notice she was being far more open with him than she had been up until now.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc floated his comlink over, fiddling around on it as he listened to her. Though this normally would come off as dismissive to most, she knew him well enough to know he was drinking in every single word. There were subtle hints like the way his pointed ears twitched just slightly when he heard something interesting. These were curious quirks he had little to no control over, but they would be picked up by anyone that observed him.

“What do the rituals require?” He asked as he kept fiddling on his comlink. He thought about the Nightsisters and their methods. A ritual sounded far too time consuming instead of simply wielding the power. He wanted to wield it the way he had seen Renfry do it.

“Is there a cost to it?” Prolonged use of the Dark Side corrupted and twisted the user over time. Did her magick prevent this and present a loophole?

Throughout all this, she would be able to see his comlink screen at an angle. There was a twitch in his jaw he often got when he was irritated and it was there now. He was playing a game called Qwent, but she would only see sets of cards appearing on the screen quickly shuffling in and out. He patiently awaited her responses while playing the game that was progressively making him furious.