After leaving the healing pool, Raeve follows Kaan back up the red-stone stairs and notices the strange copper grass of The Burn. On the way, Raeve secretly finds and hides one of Rygun's shed Sabersythe scales between her bound wrists, treating it as a small victory and a possible future advantage. A storm gathers overhead as Raeve reaches the plateau and sees Rygun launch into the sky. Kaan explains that he has just removed a dangerous tick from the dragon, warning that its toxin can drive a dragon rabid and leave death as the only mercy, which unsettles Raeve because it clashes with rumors about Kaan and his beast.

Kaan leads Raeve to a small, crooked stone dwelling surrounded by gardens and tells her he is gathering food so they can travel to Dhomm without stopping in villages. Raeve, still considering escape, studies the fertile land and imagines surviving on her own if she can get free of Kaan, her ropes, and her nulling iron. Kaan loads her arms with roots and herbs from the garden, then brings her inside after making a dry joke about her following the sound of his voice. Raeve is struck by how warm, handmade, and carefully loved the house feels, from its organic furniture to the small Sabersythe carvings on the windowsills.

When Raeve asks what the place is, Kaan tells her it was Mah's retreat, revealing that it belonged to his now-dead mother. That knowledge makes Raeve hesitate to stay there, because the house feels deeply personal and she does not see herself as someone who belongs in a family space. Remembering that shelter should be repaid, Raeve says she has nothing to offer. Kaan answers that her name will do, so Raeve gives him only "Raeve" and suppresses the other name that rises painfully in her mind. Kaan reacts with visible shock and then formally invites her into Mah's dwelling, giving her name unusual care.

Inside, Kaan washes and chops the vegetables, starts a soup, and notices Raeve's discomfort around fire. Raeve deflects with hostility, and the tense exchange settles into a watchful silence. Kaan then takes tools from a smaller satchel and uses them to remove one of Raeve's wrist cuffs, but he leaves the ropes and the other cuff in place because he does not trust her not to attack him. After a brief argument, he also removes the iron cuffs from her ankles, though only after making clear that he expects violence if he gives her too much freedom.

As Kaan packs away his tools, Raeve glimpses something silver and shimmering inside the satchel, along with an unnatural waft of cold. When Raeve presses him, Kaan shuts down the conversation with a hard stare. Raeve connects the color and appearance to the rare silver shards left by the fallen Moonplume and concludes that Kaan may be carrying one. Recognizing that this secret is dangerous and likely important, Raeve chooses not to push further and lets the silence stand.