Back in his room at the Moon-Thread estate, Kaiden sat bloodied and exhausted in the chair Nyx had pulled behind him. Alexandra's restoration light still warmed his ribs when Yunohana came to his side.
"May I?"
She offered her hand beside Luna's. Kaiden turned his wrist into it, letting her examine the silver cord.
The braid was dark with dried blood. Yunohana touched the knot with her thumb, and her face tightened before she looked back at him.
"I would like to wash this. And replenish it, if you still wish to wear it."
"Of course I do."
Her fingers paused beneath his wrist.
"It served you poorly today."
"It kept me alive. We already had this argument."
"We did," she conceded, with a smile that made him want to hold her hand properly. "Perhaps we could spare your family a second performance."
She loosened the knot and laid the cord beside the basin.
