[ she only offers a tiny smile, at his comment; an acknowledgment that she hears him, but just as easy a dismissal. it is not as simple, as being told she does not need to fix it. of course inej does not need to, but she wants to, and removing the simple pain caused by her actions will help kaz thrive.

but as he begins to fiddle with the buttons, and undo them, she feels a sudden rush of emotion -- relief, at his silent agreement, and inej is almost stunned, that he actually seems to have finally given in. finally, she can fix this, and kaz can be free to enjoy the city without having to deal with that pain...

but the victorious moment soon fades away, because inej knows what happens, when kaz is touched. with permission or not, he tenses, and loses himself in his head. what he sees when someone touches him, inej has never asked, but she has a feeling she knows. the harbor. the bodymen. jordie. and pekka rollins, who (without knowing it, at the time) creating kaz brekker, the character. the boy made out of lies.

that thought causes her to pause, and inej watches him undo the buttons before she seems to realize that staring at him is probably just going to make his anxiety worse, and so she turns evenly on her heel, to give him the same privacy he granted her, her arms still crossed loosely over her chest. and her eyes wander around the room, scanning it curiously, before she comments: ]

She gave you a bigger room.

[ ruefully, shifting her weight from one leg to another. ]

I must have done something to aggravate her... you could fit another bed in here and still have room for a desk.