"There's an inn not far from here," she said. She hadn't talked to him all day. "We have to stop there. It's hardly out of the way, and they'll have drink for you, and good food, and a real bed."

So now she wanted to talk to him, because she wanted something. "Inns are crowded. I like it better outdoors. Even in the cold."

"I don't care. I want to go." She was quiet for a moment, then explained: "My friend's there – or at least, he was. I want to see him if I can. I really don't have many friends."

He waited a second to see if he felt like fighting about it… but he didn't. Resigned and indulgent was all he felt; he would have to find his edge again before they reached the capital but for the moment it didn't matter. He sighed. "How far out of the way?"

The girl relaxed. "Thanks." Still short and scowling, but it was clear a thaw was coming.

…And sure enough, she was soon chatting again. "It's more peaceful here than last time. We haven't been bothered once, but last time we traveled, we were fighting for our lives about every other day."

"Mm." He'd noticed too. "War cleared out some of the scum, I guess." But on second thought, that likely wasn't it. Scum tended to survive the wars, and plagues, and everything else. "And what scum is left, isn't about to bother us now." He chuckled. "Last time I looked like a drunk vagabond, and you were a little girl."

"You still look like a drunk vagabond," she deadpanned. Then gave that satisfied little smirk of hers. "You're right though, that's probably it. Everyone can see that we're no one to fuck with." She was quiet for a bit, thoughtful, then: "For a little while, a girl was no one at all." He gave her a questioning look, so she explained. "That's what we said of ourselves at the House of the Black and White. A Faceless Man is no one."

She didn't seem to be joking. "I heard people say you're a Faceless Man. Wasn't sure if it was true."

"It was." She smiled a little. "I wasn't very good at it, though. I wouldn't give up my sword. Or my list. I was never really no one. I think that's why they threw me out."

"Threw you out? That's nice of them. I always heard that when you fail the Faceless Men, they kill you. Chop you into pieces and peel off your skin for the next person to use."

"They did send someone after me. Promised me to the Many-Faced God." So calm she might as well have been talking about what she liked for breakfast. "But it turns out you can satisfy the Many-Faced God if you turn around and give that person to him instead. Which is what I did. It was the fight of my life. I'll tell you about it sometime."

"Chopped him into pieces, did you?"

"It was a her." She snorted. "I think. Anyway no, we don't chop people into pieces, that's a myth." Her smile was strange. "But we do take the face. We can do things with it."

He regarded her silently.

"What?"

Finally he shrugged. "And you wonder why you don't have any friends."


TBC.

I'm going to go ahead and assume Hot Pie is still alive and still cooking. I have to believe somebody is getting a happy ending!