It was only visible, for the moment, because he had been working with the ointment. A pile of bandage wrappings lay next to the ointment, and he picked them up to wrap his hand where his shard lay embedded, effectively hiding it. It was a habit now, more than anything, a touch of caution especially when he went to work down in the refugee camp. No one outright assaulted Rifters, but tensions ran high and the better to avoid that if he could.

Kirk snorted and shook his head. "Horses are pleasure animals in my world, or used by those who want to keep to old ways for their own reasons. Before coming here, I'd never even ridden a horse, much less worked with one."