Noah nodded and hummed to acknowledge Elann’s words. He thought it interesting she still wanted a shop, regardless of what it sold. He didn’t know how her experience in the deserts of Mizahar would transfer to the bustling civilization that was Zeltiva. That was mostly because he didn’t know if the Benshiran haggled with currency or bartered goods, the former being the most common form of business exchange in Zeltiva and the latter being for more personal exchange between neighbors, thus rarer, especially for those who needed the coin in order to trade in the markets of Zeltiva.

It wasn’t Noah’s intention to provoke Elann’s passion in any way. He simply meant to reenact the words and teach how they were to be said given the situation. He was really focused on the idleness of the conversation, the game, and their closeness. Fratava as a language just harbored much of the emotion he didn’t display easily and was a language he preferred to speak. As a language, each word had its meanings, or multiple given the context, and each word was said with it’s own flit of emotion, the tiny flares combining into the flame that was the language spoken in full fluidity. It could be loud, hot, and angry, or it could be soft, sensual, and romantic as just seen.

“I wouldn’t,” he replied, not thinking himself much of a predator if he couldn’t fight in the slightest.

In his mind, in order for a predator to reach old age they would need to be able to fight and survive to that age. As for people he revered in that regard, his mother and father were at the top of the list, both masterful hunters in their own regard, having yet to reach the end of their lives. Since they were the ones who taught him how to hunt, it was only natural to regard them so highly. He sought to be as valiant as they were, and even though he was accomplished in hunting, he was far from the mastery of his father or mother. None of his siblings had reached their mastery at all, especially now since they were all so involved with the workings of human society, Noah being the last to be fully dragged into it with the bonding to Elann.

Noah, looking down, waited for Elann to flip the card. Another point was scored for him and he smirked as Elann kissed the corner of his mouth. The card was a nine and she guess lower, to which he hummed as if saying it wouldn’t be her assumption. He brought his hand out over the deck and pulled at the card, hesitating to build whatever suspense would be - if any at all - before flipping it; a ten was revealed, to which he gave a closed-mouth chuckle.

“I told you I was going to win,” he reaffirmed playfully. “I’m going to guess lower too.”

Noah leaned in and kissed her on the corner of her mouth in reply, as if asking for her to remain affectionate despite the loss. He even lingered there, planting another peck in quick succession before pulling back enough to see her clearly, though his sights didn’t remain on her, flicking down to see the next card she drew.