The rescue and the trip back is a blur, and she’s sure she lost some hours to utter exhaustion, but when he comes to see her, Inej is awake and sitting up, her whole demeanor brightening a little when she sees him.

The tea is nice. It’ll give her something to do with her hands. But the thought is abandoned when he says he has something else for her. A curious frown pinches her brow, but it almost immediately fades into something softer. “Are you sure?”

The question isn’t a hesitation in accepting the gift, however. She takes the blade and inspects it curiously. It’s solid black, and clearly none, two things that don’t really make sense in her head, but his instruction will not go unheeded. “Thank you,” she whispers softly. She’ll tuck it away with the few things she’s gathered since her arrival back in Nocwich and tell her boys about it later.