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[sunmon]

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[morozova]

I just had the most fascinating conversation with Nina Zenik.

[sunmon]

[ why does it feel like she's a child about to get in trouble for sneaking out after curfew? she can hear ana kuya crowing for her and mal to return before dark. well, she won't implicate herself. ]

Did you?
She's been away on a mission, hasn't she? I hope she had good news to report.

[morozova]

She was captured, last any of us knew.
En-route to the Ice Court for trial.
Except that it appears that she never made it that far.
She escaped and she brought a friend with her.
One you've evidently met.

[sunmon]

[ he lays a pretty trap out, leaving out the important part of all this. briefly frustration flares in alina -- she had offered to go with nina, to help soothe kirigan's temper, and instead nina hadn't even warned her that she was on her way to tell him. but it's not nina's fault that alina is terrified of him. and it's not nina's fault that she's loyal to him. alina had been too.

but there is obviously nothing left to sidestep, so alina skips past it. ]

Matthias isn't a threat to any Grisha here.
Honestly, I think he's terrified of me.

[morozova]

Frightened men tend to be the ones to reach for their swords first.

[sunmon]

[ how does he do that? the very real lingering fear gets drawn out of her. like he's straining grapes and the water drips drips drips into the sink below. matthias and his fear do not assuage hers; they increase it. she isn't sure he isn't planning to kill her on the hunting trip. she's going anyway. oh, kirigan will hate that. ]

He hasn't done anything.
Captain Childe and her security force will blame whoever strikes first.

[morozova]

( it has a name. fantastic. )

How fortunate for him that he hasn't.

( because if he had he'd be lucky if the security force got to him first. nina must have realized that, and even then she had been hesitant to tell him everything. )

[sunmon]

And for us.
I trust Nina.
Sir.
She's your heartrender, isn't she? And she's certainly better at parties than Ivan.

[morozova]

Don't be facetious.
I'm well-aware of Nina's skills, just as I'm aware of how fond of him she is.

Even so, I don't plan to act against him unless provoked.
I am not a child.

[sunmon]

I never said you were.

[ he's snapping. it takes a moment for her to realize this brittleness is the sting of realizing alina had kept something from him. she should have told him. it would have bought her his confidence. she'd been stupid to think choosing loyalty to his heartrender would feel like loyalty to him. ]

Nina wanted to be the one to tell you.
I'm sorry.

[morozova]

How else was I meant to take your silence?

( but, all right. )

Be careful with him.

[sunmon]

And if I had said something?
I'm not going to meddle in your affairs with your Grisha uninvited.

Do you expect me to come running to you at the sign of every threat? I should be able to handle them myself.

If Baghra were here, maybe I could. But all she taught me was how to show off for the king.

[morozova]

( with an unnecessary frankness: ) I would have probably taken it badly.
Which is beside the point.
I don't need my nerves soothed, I need to know where the threats lie so I don't stumble onto them, myself.

( if he had found matthias before nina had told him, well... they can be glad that they'll never find out. )

I imagine she had plenty more planned for you.

( he's not bitter or anything. )

[sunmon]

If you don't need your nerves soothed, then don't expect me to soothe them over you being the last to know.

Because I for one am absolutely terrified that everything on this planet is trying to kill me, possibly including Nina's new friend.

And I realize you may be used to that, and maybe you think I should be too, given what. What happened to Marie. But I'm not.

[morozova]

Do want me to teach you?

[sunmon]

[ ask for something, nina had said. let them help you. that's how to win trust. the fear trembles in alina's chest. ]

Will you?

[morozova]

I'm not as practiced at it as my mother.

( but it's not a no. )

[sunmon]

Nina offered. But obviously she's a Corporalki. It's not the same. And she has even less experience, although she is quite good at what she does.

[ all these admissions trail off, weakening her case. it feels like she's failing to defend something. she swallows the stone sitting in her throat and flatters him. ]

I want it to be you.
We've barely gotten any time alone together, here.

[morozova]

And is that what you want, Alina?
To be alone with me.

[sunmon]

I thought we had already established that.
I know things have been chaotic. Neither of us has been our best. But I told you. My feelings are real.

[ and he had used that. she won't feel guilty for doing the same. even now they trouble and gnaw at her, making this hard. but she really believes that any alternative will be worse -- not just for her. for ravka. ]

I thought yours were too.

[morozova]

Then I suppose we will have to find a place to train
you.
Somewhere unlikely to draw the wrong sort of notice.

[sunmon]

There's an access door to the roof of the theater.

[morozova]

After breakfast, then.
You'll have to show me the way.

[sunmon]

Be prepared to climb.

[morozova]

How fortunate that I've had ample practice.