It is the sacrilege of it all, maybe, he thinks: men like him are not meant to lay eyes on the Son of Heaven like this, in the quiet moments he strays too close to human.

Spring comes, and Nie Huaisang is seen with his sabre for the first time since— anyone's guess as to when.

A sabre is, by nature, forthright.

When the time comes to transfer a golden core to Jiang Cheng a different choice is made.

“Do you understand what this means? For me?” he asks, eyes flicking back and forth as he searches her face. “And you approve?”

She smiles as she reaches out and cups his chin. “Our XianXian is very brave,” Jiang Yanli says, not quite answering his question yet. “I knew you would find a way to save him but you cannot make this sacrifice.”

He shakes his head. “There’s no one else,” Wei Wuxian says, tears already forming in his eyes. “I promised I’d look after him.”

“You cannot look after him if you don’t have a core,” Jiang Yanli says, gently. “But I’m not doing much with mine.”

"Assume success," says Bruce unencouragingly. "Describe how it's achieved."

Mipha would go out with the Guard and take stock of the Domain. She would eat fish fresh from the river and feel the sun on her skin. And when the sun began to set, she would be ushered back to her rooms and told to stay the night, safely in the center of the Domain. Nobody noticed when she slipped out, dressed in armor meant for a man who did not exist, exploring the world around her.

Janet is there for the trial, and afterward.

Two exiles. Two deaths. Two resurrections.

“Tell me Mr. Holmes, what can you tell me about myself? Or better yet, can you tell me how I appeared in John’s bedroom without walking past you in the sitting room first?”