Ren read the last page first because Lina had written Important on the folded edge. The important part concerned a pair of boots.
She wanted to know whether he had bought them. If he hadn't, she wanted to know whether the ones he kept repairing now contained more thread than leather. Beneath that, she had drawn what appeared to be a boot with a man's head coming out of it.
Ren turned the page sideways. It did not improve the drawing. He smiled, then checked the door. His room was empty except for him. Nobody needed the smile explained.
He set the letter on the narrow table and took off the boot in question. The patch beside the sole had held through the last wet stair. A pale thread was beginning to show near the heel. He could answer that it remained useful.
Lina would recognize the answer and ask again. Ren put the boot down and started at the first page.
