"E4 C5."

Smoke plumed from the corner of your mouth upon your rhapsodic remark. You were laying on the carpeted floor of Beth's modest Georgian home, a cigarette stacked between your slender digits. She was more than happy to move the pieces around the chessboard on her behalf and yours, and although you couldn't see her sitting on the floor on the other side of the coffee table, you imagined her perking up in interest, before the very soft sound of the wooden pieces moving across the board stirred in the otherwise comfortable quiet between the two of you.

"Morra Gambit just played," Beth replied simply, though there was a hint of enthusiasm in her tone.

You huffed and took a drag of the cigarette. "'Kay, um—"

The phone shrilling disturbed the competitive lull between the two of you. You sat up a little to find Beth looking slightly perplexed, and she rose to her feet, before she padded lightly across the floor to grab the landline receiver off of the hook on the wall.

She was quiet when she answered the phone, and a stretch of silence etched the room like stars threatening to go out. Her eyes widened a tad, and a hint of surprise colored her sharp features.

"...Benny," she said, her voice going a little bit coolly, "You're back in town, you said?"