Levi accepted the analogy. He could argue that Erwin had a tendency to pick from trees whose growth and nurturing were well beyond his care, but in those cases, he often paid a more than fair price. Regardless, Levi would leave the symbol-laden retorts to him. His only response was to continue to match Erwin's drinking, and did so with another ample sip.

His next play didn't take long; as preordained, he moved his bishop so that its path of attack cut directly across the board. As for the question, if there was indeed something specific, his pause did not reflect the notion. Allowing the break to persist was a cheap psychological tactic, but if there stood more of an actual motivation, it was that issuing a risky challenge to Erwin Smith could not be done lightly.

"Even when I was learning this game," he said, "there were stakes. 'Free time' was even more of a fucking joke than it is here, but I like wagers when there aren't lives on the line. What about you?"