The next morning came in clear and a little cool, the kind of weather that made the training courtyards feel sharp and awake — the air carrying that particular edge that didn't ask if you were ready, just arrived and expected you to be. The sky was pale at the edges and brighter overhead, and the stone of the east block cast long shadows that hadn't shrunk yet from the low angle of the early sun. It was the kind of morning that felt like a beginning, which was either a good sign or the universe setting something up.
Tongen was already outside when they arrived. He stood near the open stretch of ground beyond the east block's far wall, hands in his pockets, looking out at nothing specific with the expression of a man who had been thinking something through for longer than he wanted to admit. He turned when he heard them coming.
