By mandate of the new emperor, the walls between every Upper and Lower City in the Dynasty were dissolved.

Jin personally toured the Dynasty to see it done properly. He saw the war, and its end, as a chance to make something new, something better, from the ashes of the old. The nobles grumbled, but there was little they could do. The Lower Cities, bolstered with Ruyi’s elixirs, were too passionate and too strong to be denied. Change was in the air—the nobles saw what happened to the Emperor. They were forced to cede land, and take on higher taxes, but better this than nothing.

The strata between the Inner and Outer Clans dissolved too. In the Li Clan Headquarters of Dragonspire Province, much construction was underway. Huge ditches were dug out that ran the span of the mountain all the way down into the valleys, and artificers scribed runes controlling their flows all along their beds—some up, some down. These would site new rivers linking the top of the mountain to the bottom. Anyone could float up and down as they pleased.

***

Sen thought life would settle down after the war. She was wrong. They wanted her to lead reconstruction efforts. They offered her a seat as Grand Elder. They wanted her to oversee the trainings of new disciples. As the weeks went on, her headache grew worse.

It was so much easier being a general. She could just tell people what to do, and they would do it. She didn't have to suss out intentions, figure out what people meant when they smiled this way or that, or played games with their words, made her agree to things she hadn't meant to.

She didn't understand why people couldn't just say what they meant. It stressed her to no end, in a way battles never did.

But she did sense the Mistress wanted this from her. She couldn't be a soldier forever. She had to be a leader too.

Tingting was away at the Capital, doing that kind of thing. Sen knew she should be too. But this morning, she couldn't bring herself to puzzle through another meeting and all the things those smiling elders said. They were playing a game she didn't even know the rules to. She was so tired. Just the thought of going back made her chest tighten up.

So instead, she was here, in a small room on the highest floor of the Sword Pavilion. Straw mats blanketed the floors. The walls were bamboo and smelled of crisp forests. Warm sunlight flushed through the clear glass roof. Set against the walls were racked upon racks of swords—swords of all shapes, sizes, and ages, polished to mirror shines.

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Swords were simpler than people. She brought one out, this grand old blade, thin and regal, etched in neat script at the hilt. She brought out a so-can kerchief and wiped it down. Then she sat down crisscross, brought out a wet stone and a little table, and started whittling. Back and forth, back and forth. She heard the soft rasp of steel and stone, felt the firmness of it under her fingers as she worked to bring out the shine of the edge...

Hours passed like this. She lost herself in the rhythm of it. She could have gone on forever, if not for a sharp knock at the door.

She jerked up, then narrowed her eyes in irritation. "Who is it?"

Ruyi poked her head through—“Oh! Sorry. Am I interrupting?”

Sen blinked. Like that, her irritation melted. "No," she said hastily. "Come in."

Ruyi did, hesitantly, almost shyly. It wasn't like her at all—Sen was used to a Ruyi who strutted her way into every room as though she owned it.

"I just, uh, came to say thank you," Ruyi said softly, scratching the back of her head. "For coming to help.”

"It's nothing," said Sen. It was astounding to her that Ruyi was even here... she stared at Ruyi, and Ruyi stared at the floor.

Sen didn't know what to say. She wasn't ready for this, not right now. She found she had to be in a certain frame of mind to really open up to someone. Usually, she had to psych herself up for it, sometimes for hours. But Ruyi had sprung on her so suddenly... she had so many feelings she wanted to tell her, so many thoughts bottled up over the years, but she couldn't get any of them out. She could only stare like she was seeing a ghost. She couldn’t find the words.

“I missed you, you know,” said Ruyi. “Even… even just as a friend.”

“...Me too,” said Sen quietly.

"Can I hug you?"

Sen nodded, and Ruyi did, nestling her head in Sen's chest. She felt so soft.

It had been so long... a strange melancholy started to well up in her. For a while, she was so hurt she wanted nothing to do with Ruyi. But that was years ago, and the pain had faded to a dull throb... she mostly just felt happy seeing her friend again. Sen had so few, even now, that every one of them was precious to her.

She just wanted her friend back again.

Ruyi stepped away. "...Well," she said. "It was really nice seeing you."

She made to leave, but she must’ve seen the stricken look on Sen’s face.

“…should I stay a little longer?”

Sen nodded.

"Do you wanna talk, or…?”

"No. Just... stay. Please.”

Ruyi seemed to understand. She came closer. "Are you sharpening your swords?"

“Mhm.”

"Can I try?"

Sen gave her a stone of her own, and a sword of her own too. The sun burnished the room warm gold. For a long while they sat there in perfect silence, side by side, brushing steel on stone. And that was enough.