As the crew continues north toward Fjerda, Jesper grows restless aboard the small ship. With days still left at sea, he prowls the deck, cleans his guns, misses Ketterdam, and passes time watching Wylan study the Ice Court plans. Wylan’s ability to reason through gates and mechanisms impresses Kaz, though Wylan resists being compared to a criminal.

Jesper needles Wylan, but Wylan challenges Jesper in return, asking why Kaz needs a sharpshooter for the plan and whether Kaz truly trusts him. Their argument exposes Jesper’s insecurity about his place in the crew. Wylan also shows genuine curiosity about Jesper’s guns and the Ice Court’s ice moat, while Jesper dismisses questions that do not seem immediately useful.

Later, Jesper finds Inej awake, dressed, and ready to leave the cabin for the first time since being wounded. Nina fusses over Inej’s recovery, threatening to keep Inej unconscious if she does not take care of herself. Inej sincerely thanks Nina for saving her life, and Nina deflects the emotional moment by demanding waffles in Ketterdam.

Jesper helps Inej onto the deck, where the cold sea air revives her. Crew members greet her warmly, calling for the Wraith’s return, and even Matthias awkwardly thanks Inej for helping them escape the harbor. The attention surprises Inej, who admits she has never felt fully at home among the Dregs, but Jesper points out that risking death for the crew has made her valued.

At the rail, Inej asks whether Kaz came to see her while she was unconscious. Jesper admits Kaz did not, though Jesper says Kaz seemed shaken and went nearly wild when Inej was first hurt. Inej interprets Kaz’s reaction in practical terms, saying Kaz needs her for the incinerator shaft, but the conversation leaves Kaz’s feelings unresolved as Kaz watches them from the wheel.

Inej then shares what she knows about Wylan’s estrangement from his father: Wylan appeared near the Barrel under another name, rumors about him were unreliable, and Jan Van Eck still writes letters begging Wylan to come home. In return, Jesper admits his reason for taking the dangerous job: severe gambling debt, worsened by a loan tied to his father’s farm and the lie that Jesper is still a university student. Inej comforts Jesper, and the two recognize their shared foolish loyalty to Kaz and to the mission.