"Yao?" she asks, curiously, but they have reached the long, glossy wooden bar – Bar, she supposes – and she follows Lan Wangji's lead, curtseying as best she can in trousers and with Zireael still sheathed on her back.

"Lady Bar," she says, politely. "It's a pleasure."

She's not sure exactly what to expect by way of response, but after a moment something materializes on the bar's surface. It's a parchment envelope with Zireael written in neat script; she takes and opens it, pulling out a fanciful wrought iron key and a note, written in the same hand.

Welcome, child of surprise.

Touched, she puts the note back into the envelope and looks at the key. "I suppose this means I can stay?"