"You know," Fern began as the gears in her mind began whirring rapidly, "there is a way you could try again, if you really wanted to give it a shot. If you're willing to give up the nobility that's causing you so much misery, that is. A chance to live, not as a Peacebuild, but as your own person."

  "You want me to live as a commoner?" Angelisse grumbled, but her expression said she was at least considering the idea. Understandably, given the alternatives she could expect.

  Fern just put her hands on her hips. "Well, you can die as a disgraced noble if that's what you prefer. I'm sure someone can arrange that easily enough, even if it isn't one of us; though you'll probably have to wait for a while until the executioner can-"

  "Fine, fine, I get it!" she huffed. "But... could you at least let me down from here?"

  Fern looked at Bernie. Bernie looked at Ember. Ember looked down at Ravenna, who was still facedown, then back up to Bernie with a sigh. "I suppose it's alright. But fuck around and it's back to the wall for you, and I'm not in the habit of giving second chances."

  "Before you make any deals under the table," Ravenna's voice came, still sounding a little unsteady, "can I, um. Have my clothing back? It's kinda cold now that I can feel things again."

  Fern looked at Angelisse, who Bernie had by now let down to stand on her own two feet. At the question, she froze, tense all over. "That... could present something of a problem."

  "Well, just be honest about what happened, then," the fallen hero returned with a little sigh. "It can't be worse than what's already happened here, now, can it?"

  For the first time since they'd seen her, the woman's face actually flushed a little; just a faint pink coloration in her pale cheeks, but it was unmistakable. "... The witch's stupid wasps poked a hole in her robe during the fight, then shredded most of the rest of her outfit trying to carry her here without dropping her. They were never meant for that sort of purpose, but I didn't want to wait any longer than I already had, so I told her to just... make it happen." She looked to one side. "There were a few things that survived, I suppose from being inside her pockets, but the clothes themselves are... not really wearable now."

  Ah, that would expin how the battery-gem fell out on the way, then, Fern mused. Extremely fortunate event, that. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" she returned, brightly; then, almost as if it was an afterthought: "Good job."

  Angelisse's face colored ever so slightly more.

  This might actually work, she thought. Imagine, me maneuvering a noble into a position that's actually better for them. What a bizarre adventure this has become. "Of course, that still leaves the question of what she can wear. If only there was some noblewoman, roughly about the same measurements, who had the foresight to bring a few changes of clothes along on her... escapades." She paused for a beat. "You did, didn't you, Lady Peacebuild?"

  "I-" For a moment it seemed like she might actually protest the point, and Fern wondered if she might've pushed too far too fast; but then she sighed. "... I'll go and bring her something."

  "Wonderful. Bernie, if you could, be a gentleman and escort the dy, in case she needs an extra pair of hands for everything she'll be bringing back. Including all of Ravenna's belongings, of course."

  "Yes ma'am," he returned with a little chuckle, and the two of them went out the door, Angelisse with a quiet sigh of resignation to her fate.

  The cell remained silent for a moment, then Ember finally spoke up. "Since when did you grow cws, little kitten?"

  Fern just grinned brightly at the way she sounded almost impressed. "Someone has to manage that girl, and it might as well be me. After all, Ravenna's indisposed, and still drugged from that medkit, I think-"

  "... only a little bit..."

  "-and you're busy putting her back together, and Bernie - well, I'm not sure he really wants to do much besides take orders, now that I think of it." The grin faded somewhat as she continued. "And if I'm being honest, being creative and trying to make the situation work out - for everyone involved - is a lot better than stewing over ideas of vengeance and making her pay for everything she's done."

  "Even though she deserves it?"

  Fern nodded firmly. "Especially 'cause she deserves it. If I wasn't here to step in and be a buffer, I bet you'd have made a real mess of her. And in your own words, since you like doing that - would that have filled your void? Destroying her, just because she deserves it? When you could be creating possibilities instead?"

  Ember smiled wryly. "Ah, yes, that's what that feels like. It's been a while since I had to taste my own cooking." She remained silent for a few moments. "I... probably would have, yeah. I've been thinking about it a lot. How easy it would be to show her what real pain is like. And without leaving any marks, either; anything I do I can just heal, so long as I avoid the brain and the eyes." A long, heavy sigh. "The only thing that stays is the trauma. It wouldn't be justice for what she's done to Ravenna, but it would be an answer."

  "That's not a conversation that needs continuation," Fern returned quietly.

  "You're a lot more merciful than I am. Maybe I should take lessons from you."

  She smiled, a little. "If that's what it takes to fill the void in you, to bring some of that sunlight into your life that you've been missing for so long, then I'll happily teach you everything I know. Everything you want to hear about."

  Ember's faint smile had a little tinge of mencholy to it. "Those are some awfully nice and personal words to say over the head of someone you got along with so well, until recently."

  Fern's own smile faded, and she walked over and rested a hand on Ravenna's head, sliding her fingers into the soft white hair, gently rubbing at her head and neck. "I haven't forgotten about you, partner," she murmured. "I would never be so cruel. You're the one who pulled me out of the bottom of a well to begin with, after all."

  "Oh... good," the dark mage murmured, drowsily. "I definitely wasn't gonna start crying or anything. Probably."

  She suppressed a giggle, with effort. "Of course you weren't."

  Thankfully there was no need to pursue the retionship complexities any further than that, as Angelisse chose that moment to show back up with Bernie in tow, the two of them holding an entire outfit and a little collection of trinkets. "This should be everything," she announced, "if you're ready to try it on."

  Fern backed up a few steps, and Ember gently helped Ravenna turn over and get her feet on the floor before carefully sitting up and then, even more carefully, standing. She was clearly a little wobbly, though with a hand to steady her, she could at least support her own weight. But not much more than that - and that is an opportunity too good to pass up, the fallen hero thought with a little sparkle in her eyes.

  "Seeing as my partner isn't in much of a shape to care for herself, I think you should dress her, Angelisse."

  The Peacebuild shot her a look somewhere between confusion and offense, but she persisted. "It's a good skill to have, and a praiseworthy one, too. And if that's not enough, consider who's responsible for her situation, hmm?"

  Once again Angelisse looked like she was moments from protesting, but she gave in and set her armful of trinkets on the sb - with maybe a little excessive care, though that was understandable enough - before taking the innermost yer of the dress and turning to face Ravenna. She was silent for a moment as if pondering deeply, then: "Can you raise your arms for me, Lady Direfrost?"

  And Fern just leaned back against the wall of the cell and watched the entire process with a keen eye. This is how you dress someone. How you serve someone. She mostly wears outfits she can get into and out of on her own, but if she needed to - for some reason - it would be the maids who do this, wouldn't it? Unless I learn how.

  It was something to think about, certainly.

  Three yers of dress, matching leather gloves up to her elbows, stockings, and a pair of elegant yet sturdy kneeboots ter, Ravenna's ensemble was complete. It was also all white, to the point that it matched her hair, with little bits of light blue trim and accents here and there. Angelisse stepped back from her handiwork, awaiting the verdict with a mild touch of apprehension.

  The dark mage tilted this way and that - carefully, with Ember reining her in if she went too far - and looked at herself as much as she could. "Ooh, this is nice. I haven't been dressed all pretty since... since... wow, probably since before I left the capital st time. Not that I need to or anything, there's no reason to, but..." She made a fist, then rexed her hand. "These are decadently elegant clothes you've brought me."

  "Is it a bit too much, then?" she asked, only a hint of nerves to be heard in her measured and controlled words.

  "No, not at all! I think you made an excellent choice, in fact." Ravenna's smile fshed brightly; she was almost her usual self, if not for the slight unsteadiness and the odd look in her eyes that kept surfacing occasionally. "And I noticed you took the time to adjust everything to fit properly, too; why, I'm perfectly comfortable in this, even without a dressmaker's services. Thank you, Angelisse."

  The woman's mouth opened slightly, then closed, her cheeks coloring again.

  Gods, she really is too easy to figure out. I almost feel a little bad pulling her levers like this. "Attention to detail like that is a valuable skill in any undertaking," Fern began thoughtfully, though she was smiling a little already. "But more than that, bringing someone else genuine happiness through your efforts is always a worthwhile pursuit. Well done, indeed."

  Angelisse's face reddened, even though she tried to ignore it. "L-ying it on a little thick, aren't you...?"

  "Not at all! I'm quite serious when I tell you these things. You see, I've been thinking about what to do with you," she continued, her voice calm and soothing, "what sort of options could help you the most. How to set you free from your problems. Not necessarily to forgive you, because I'm not the only one you've wronged, so that's not my pce; but to put you in a position where you can prove you're simply better than the Angelisse Peacebuild who first came down here. A position that won't just be penance and suffering."

  She crossed her arms, the skepticism obvious on her still-flushed face. "And what have you thought up?"

  Fern smiled brightly, and not without good reason; she was proud of this solution, after all. "First, whatever holdings you have left - which you've already said aren't much - transfer them to House Direfrost. Second, give up your cim to any title or authority, and take on a completely different name. Those two things take care of the chains binding you, I think. And third..." She paused for a moment. "Offer your services, as a maid in training, to Lady Vivian Direfrost."

  Angelisse's arms dropped to her side as she stared, absolutely lost for words at the idea of it all. Ravenna, on the other hand, squinted. "You want to send her to my sister? Seriously, Fern?"

  "Of course! She's already proven she can do what she's told and do it well," the fallen hero began, holding up one finger. "You've also told me how the Lady Vivian is unique in treating her servants like people instead of sves, as other houses do. And perhaps most importantly," she continued, raising a third finger, "no more burdensome expectations. No more family pressure, no aristocratic nonsense; she can just be a simple maid doing simple work. Work that I'm sure will be appreciated and appropriately rewarded in House Direfrost, unlike anywhere else."

  "... Huh. You know..." Ravenna tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Those are some very good points, darling."