“Of course not,” she shakes her head. “Doesn’t make it any less true.”

Inej is very, very aware of the illusion he pushes to maintain. The armor he wears with everyone. She’s one of the few (the only?) who has ever seen a chip in the bricks, and she only hopes he can learn to let more of them go, at least sometimes, at least with her.

“Rude,” but she’s grinning the whole while.