Kara turned the hilt once and put the blade down.
"No."
Liora hadn't finished explaining the appointment.
"You haven't heard the date."
"The hilt hasn't heard it either. It's still loose."
Kara laid the blunted practice blade across the bench and held the guard still while she moved the grip. The play was small. Liora could feel it during a hard bind, though she had been pretending it came from the worn wrapping.
The bare fitting made the difference difficult to pretend around.
"I tightened it last week."
"You tightened what you could reach without taking it apart."
Kara pulled the lower wrap aside. A thin dark line showed beneath it where the grip had shifted against the fastening.
"This needs refitting. You can borrow a blade while I do it. You can't ask me to mark this one suitable because you have somewhere to be."
