They ate, tended to the horses, and stretched out, tired after two days of constant riding. Ren laid out his blankets and Niklas rolled up in them and fell asleep almost at once.

Despite his silence, Anik's mood seemed to have improved. He hummed a quiet tune to himself as he smoothed out his blankets and then grabbed his sword. Loneliness must be as cathartic to him as company was to Ren, as odd as it seemed.

Sunset was still over an hour away and Ren wasn't tired, so when Anik wandered off to practice, Ren followed him to watch. It was the same style Anik always used, slow and focused. Precise. He had taken off his shirt and Ren was close enough to see his ribcage expand and contract, seemingly to the same rhythm as his steps. Had Ren not known that the man performing this strange, serene sword-dance was such an asshole, he would have found it beautiful.

As Ren watched him, he couldn't help the nagging feeling growing in his gut. That feeling of inferiority and lacking he could admit to himself, but to Anik? Surely, he could stand Anik's mocking glares if it meant he wouldn't die at the hand of a Skarlan soldier. Like with any exchange, you had to be able to put up with a certain level of discomfort to get what you wanted. Ren had done it so many times before.

Bracing himself, Ren stood. “Is that dancing thing what makes you so good at fighting?” he asked as he approached, head tilted slightly.

Anik turned slowly, lowering his arms. He looked Ren over. “Part of it.”

Ren looked at the scar on Anik's shoulder, then further down at his tattoos. Anik saw him staring but said nothing.

“Can you teach me?” Ren asked, searching Anik's expression. He wasn't scowling, instead regarding him with a furrowed brow as if what Ren had asked didn't quite make sense. Maybe Ren really had caught him in a rare good mood, or maybe he had simply surprised him.

“Why?” Anik asked warily.

“You said it yourself,” Ren said with a casual shrug. “I'm bad at fighting. I don't want to have to rely on you to save my ass if it comes to that, so I might as well train. And your way seems to be the best way.”

The furrow between Anik's brows deepened, his lips parting in subtle confusion. Ren wasn't sure if his request counted as surrender or not, but at least he got the satisfaction of surprising the grouchy Lowlander for once.

“I can't teach you something like this in a few days. It takes months, maybe even years to learn. You're better off working on what you already know how to do,” Anik said, taking a step back.

Ren raised an eyebrow. “Is there really something Anik, the great warrior, can't do?” he teased. “I'm shocked.”