I'm less concerned he'll get swindled or stabbed, honestly.

[ He could definitely take care of himself, if it came to that. Because while his time on the streets had been relatively short, she knows he had never forgotten the lessons learned. Nor had he let them get rusty, that sharp mind of his retaining everything like a sponge soaks up water. ]

I know. [ She says with a bit of a frown, soon indulging in an old bad habit: chewing on her lower lip as the anxiety welled up. ] I just—I'd hate to see him clam up again and think he's too broken.

[ Not that she thinks he'll spurn them, if he did. They'd finally leapt over those hurdles a few years ago. It's him pushing everyone else away, if they weren't already in his circle, that she's worried over.

Shaking her head, she blows out a sigh and a stilted laugh. ]

I don't know why I'm worked up over this. Poor Inej, I only know her name and I'm already casting her in a suspicious light.