the pre-battle episode and one of the best in the entire series. everyone on edge, everyone going through their own rituals, everyone thinking about what comes next. the show slows everything down to a near standstill and somehow makes it feel more urgent than any action sequence. the conversations are small and real — not dramatic speeches but the kind of quiet things people say when they're not sure what tomorrow looks like. Jinto and Lafiel's exchange about fear is particularly good. Jinto admitting he's scared and Lafiel — after a pause — admitting she is too is such a small moment but it lands with enormous weight given how controlled she always is.