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     "Yes?"

     The lips barely opened at all. Despite that, Morris perceived the small movement frame by frame, mesmerized by each one.

    From the slit of the mouth escaped smoke like a materialization of his single word. In his dumbfound, Morris involuntarily eyed the smoke until he reached the sight of the smoke alarm.

     It was ripped out of the wall, hanging by its cables.

     As still as before, he moved his eyes back on the man.

     Two long fingers, bumpy from the defined ligaments, brought the cigar back to the lips.

     Something clicked.

     "You aren't supposed to smoke in here..."

     The man made his lips round and jerked his jaw, blowing circles of smoke. That's when Morris saw it, and scrunched up his face.

     Black braces...

     Why would him, from all people, do that...

     Once the smoke, glowing along with particles of dust in the light from a desk lamp, dispersed, the man swung his arm wide and put out what remained of the cigar.

     The loud hiss faded away and in faded the hums of the many devices around.

     "Is it often that you barge into peoples' offices and stare at them for long periods of time?"

     Morris changed his posture and leaned on the door he closed. "No. It's just... I've never..."

     "Yeah. Guessed so." he nodded, his expression a mixture of annoyance and boredom. "Check this out."

     He spun the desk lamp so that it'd be above his head and Morris just about lost it.

    The bright light made it so that his pupils and the contour of his irises were red. He'd read somewhere how because of the lack of pigment the blood vessels in their eyes could be seen as red in the right light.

     "That's..." Morris took a deep breath.

     "U-huh." he moved it away before facing the computer screen and leaned his jaw on a hand, scrolling down.

     "I'm sorry for staring. Albinism is really rare."

     "Is it? So that's why mom insisted that I join the circus..."

     Morris knitted his brows. "Oh, I'm sorry..."

    Mat white, barely there eyelashes raised, letting those transparent eyes offer him an equally transparent glance. "That was a joke. Why are you here?"

     Morris straightened up as he remembered. "Right... I'm Morris Kentson and I'm here to talk about a surveillance footage I'd like erased."

      Noah hummed, rolling his chair to the right of the long desk, where another screen was placed. "Surely not many are glad about anyone seeing them pick their nose but I can't do shit."

     He scoffed a little, his black braces flashing morbidly, what with the literal white around them.

     "...Of course I can do shit, I just won't." he took the mouse from the other side of the desk and got on clicking. "Aside the fact this stuff's amusing, the HR wouldn't be pleased if footage went missing."

     "I work at HR." Morris paced towards him, arms crossed. "I'll make sure you don't get in trouble. Besides, I'll make it so that the cameras will be taken off soon anyway. So, just..."

     Noah was even more dazzling up close. The way his head was tilted back ever so slightly and his eyes raised so much... It just sort of made Morris want to see him from every angle, which was a weird thought.

     "I have an idea, it'll be a win-win situation." the man announced and placed a foot up on his chair, chin on his knee.

     "I leave everything as it is and keep my job, you leave everything as it is and have that footage on your mind for the rest of your life."

     Morris frowned. "How's that a win for me?"

     Noah tilted his head and scratched his messy hair, as distractingly white as all else. "Oh. Right. Didn't think that one through. Oh well."

     Morris opened his mouth to protest.

     "Kent..." Noah said. "I know the consequences of using such footage, especially of 'someone upstairs'. You think I'm dumb enough to?"

     Someone from IT just flattered Morris.

     Someone from IT... Flatter...

     Noah was onto something.

     "I'm the last person you want to pull that stuff on. I've had countless people come to me because of leaked material on the network and so I know you guys are tied because no one seemed cooperative in finding the culprit!"

     Noah made his lips thin, clearly trying to keep from smiling, but he gave up and even chuckled. "You just used 'culprit'..." he laughed, exposing the entire length of his black braces.

     Those braces next to the mauve dark circles, easily visible because of his condition, he looked so... so... evil! Just evil! It didn't suit him and his fluffy hair like countless feathers sticking out of his scalp!

     "Just you see. If anything happens, I'll know to blame it on you." Morris threatened, and Noah lightened up like a Christmas tree.

     "That's right, just blame it on the boys won't you."

     Morris spun around and left.

(those were lyrics from song he danced to)

     "I don't have an opinion on this..."

     Morris looked at him bluntly while moving the king piece. "You don't have an opinion on anything, Victor." (From story Vincent)

     The man, lying on his side on the modern couch that was just big dark grey pillows with brown edging, looked up from his book.

     "I don't believe in opinions."

     "Why's that." Morris leaned back on his sofa of matching fashion and sipped his lemonade.

     "Well..." Victor began, looking over the chess pieces. "It's not right. How can I believe in something 100% knowing that someone believes the opposite just as intensely?"

     He made a move and resumed reading. Morris sighed.

     "I don't see the problem."

     "Well there is a problem. I can't sustain my side of things entirely while knowing they reflect my ambition. The truth can only be one, so then why do we both believe in two opposite things? Hence, I decided to be neutral on all aspects."

     "Sorry to let you down but that in itself is an opinion."

     Victor looked up from his book. "Hmm?"

     "See, I believe that not having opinions is dumb. It's my opinion, whereas your opinion is the opposite."

     Victor grinned and returned to his book.

     "Now that that's out of the way..." Morris started playing with one of the transparent pieces, the knight. "What should I do?"

     "I know..." Victor sat up. "Be happy for yourself."

     Morris pulled a face. "Why."

     "Because at least you weren't wearing that top hat."

     Morris grunted, looking to the left at a tall cabinet with a mirror. "I look awesome."

     "So that's why you only wear it indoors."

     "The world isn't prepared to handle this." Morris murmured, poking it into a better position.

     "Isn't prepared anymore. Was, decades ago."

     "I'm telling you, Victor, all you have to do is ask and I'll give you one for your birthday. Jealousy is unattractive."

     Victor smiled in a straight line. "Just make your move."

     Morris glanced at the board and sighed, flicking a pawn forward.

     "Are you sure of that decision?"

     "You said you would stop doing that! Every time we play you just control my movements, might as well play by yourself!"

     "That way I'd have myself a challenge." Victor flipped a page, placed the book aside and took Morris's queen using the bishop.

     Morris glared at him from underneath the brim of his top hat. "So you want a challenge."

     Victor scoffed.

     However, half an hour later, it was Morris that returned the scoff, just before murmuring "Checkmate."

     His friend was no longer spread on the couch but sitting with his elbows on his knees, chin on top of his interlocked hands. He consumed the board with his forever half-closed eyes trying to find a possible error, but soon realized his defeat.

     "Thing is..." he started faintly. "I don't know what to be more surprised by: the fact you defeated me or the fact you use your head for something other than wearing stupid hats."

     "Oh you are such a sore loser." Morris smirked. "And a literal bully... I insist that you meet my secretary, you both manage to make me feel equally shit while claiming to be my friends."

     "Sounds like a lovely person." Victor said with a lazy smile and tilted head. With that, he turned his focus back on the chess board, most likely looking for his mistakes.

     While his friend was distracted by that, Morris toyed with his hat a little more, admiring his reflection. Once that lost its fun, he took a sip from his lemonade and glanced at the table between them.

     His eyes caught sight of Victor's pack of cigarettes. He smoked Kent, and he'd felt the same smelt in Noah's office.

     "Noah also smokes Kent." he said, then trailed off thoughtfully. "And he called me Kent, from Kentson. Think it suits me?"

     With that, he proceeded to check his reflection once more, this time doing the routine of arranging his tie.

     Victor glanced at him without raising his eyebrows. "Hmm." was all he answered.

     "That would make him... Vin. From Vinson." Morris said.

     "Not that you plan on keeping in touch once you get that video erased..."

     It was more of a question.

     "Well, it depends on what approach I'll make in order to accomplish that." Morris relaxed on the backrest and looked outside the big window by their seats, admiring the evening city view. "How do you think I should proceed?"

     "Hmm..."

     "Right, opinions." Morris sighed. "You're weird you know that?"

     Victor started undoing their chess moves one by one. "Top hat."

     Morris snatched it off and darted it away.

Did you expect that? I suppose the cover and description made it obvious :c the albinism deal, I mean.

Soooooo yeah. Here's a poem for you:

The way your eyes reflect the screen

As you flip on virtual pages,

Makes me feel inside a gleam,

While I write my virtual stages.

How you comment full of joy

As you finish virtual chapters

Causes me not to avoid

Writing more virtual disasters.

:/ well that was chessy af XD

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