Jin lowered the katana and let his arm hang loose at his side, chest rising and falling in slow, even pulls. The light had gone amber across the yard, the sun sitting low enough now that his shadow stretched long and thin across the cracked stone in front of him.
He walked a few steps to the low wall bordering the yard and sat, letting his back rest against the warm stone, legs stretched out in front of him. His forearms throbbed steady, a dull, honest ache he didn't bother fighting anymore. He closed his eyes for a moment, just breathing, letting the evening settle around him.
A door creaked somewhere behind him. Footsteps followed, unhurried, crossing the gravel.
Jin opened his eyes to find Haneul walking out from the main building, a water bottle in one hand, staff slung over his shoulder on a strap. He didn't look surprised to see Jin there. If anything he looked like he'd expected it.
"Still out here," Haneul said, more observation than question.
