"When... are you planning to leave?"
The question clearly took the wanderer by surprise.
Afraid he might misunderstand, Ji Huan quickly explained:
"I'm not trying to kick you out. It's just that you seemed so anxious to leave before, so I assumed... I remember telling you that while it takes six months to walk normally and a full year to recover completely, the tendon is actually mostly healed three months after the surgery. Walking, at least, shouldn't be an issue. And even though your left foot was in worse shape, you're young and strong, so you're healing much faster than the average person. That means in another week, you should be able to..."
When she finished, a heavy silence fell over the room.
Outside, the sky had grown completely dark. The flickering candlelight danced across the wanderer's scarred face, casting it in shifting, inscrutable shadows.
Ji Huan sensed something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was.
