It was jarring, avoiding Valdis for so long -- however unconsciously -- and then finding a direct message from her asking if they could meet. It wasn't something X could have predicted, which meant -- what? Maybe something happened. Maybe she had a sincere change of heart. Maybe she heard about what happened with Bobby. Maybe she met Bobby.

Either way, refusing to meet didn't even occur to X as a viable option.

When he arrived, he definitely hadn't dressed for a spar, though it would do in a pinch; and his hair, at least, was braided back. He took one look at the wooden blades Valdis had brought, and his expression morphed into bemusement. "You can't be serious," he said, knowing full well that she was. "What did Devin tell you?"