Fern tio eat for several more bites, then finally broke the awkward silenbsp; "Ravenna, could you pass me the juice?"

  "Oh! Yes, here you are."

  She accepted the gss and brought it to her lips, with some difficulty. It was heavy, and she said as much; her partner apologized softly and took it away again. Her hands curled back around the bowl of oatmeal, feeling the lingeri soak through and warm her a little more.

  "Is it such a big deal to know about that?" she asked, after a moment. "The gods of the west, I mean."

  Ember looked over at her, with an expression that she still couldn't quite decipher. Was it frustration? Curiosity? Disgust? At least part of it was guarded, heavily - as were her words. "Knowing that they existed is perhaps less important than knowing what happeo them. But generally, if you know the former, the tter is implied - in part. It was, after all, a... formative thing."

  Fern looked over at Ravenna, questioningly.

  She sighed quietly. "Well, I suppose I brought this upon myself by enting, didn't I? But I should preface it by saying that my information is several steps removed from an inal source, so taking it at face value might not be the wisest course of a." The dark mage csped her hands in her p, and looked over at Ember. "The way I heard it, there was a great battle fought one day, between the assembled gods and the armies of humanity. A... heavenly war of sorts."

  Ember's eyes narrowed slightly, but she said nothing.

  "Anyway, a lot of people died, as you might predict; but so did all of the gods. Their flesh and blood sank into the earth and sea, enrig it beyond imagination. And so the armies that had drawn together fell to pieces, fighting over the scraps; and they fight even now, turies ter, for wealth and resources that exist nowhere else in the world. And we are better for it, for those armies have hoheir battle-craft so far beyond the match of aside the west that if they ever turheir eyes beyond their coastal borders, no for the world could stop them." Ravenna paused for a moment. "Or... something along those lines, anyway."

  The healer kept her silence for a moment lolden eyes fixed on the dark mage. "There are additional details, of course," she began after a moment, "but none of what you have said is incorrebsp; Almost unily so, for someone who lives oher side of the world, and - unless I've misjudged you terribly - is far too young to have wit herself."

  "Why, I didn't know you were proo fttery, Ember dear," Ravenna purred, in a tohat made Fern's ears perk up as little sparks crackled inside her brain. Now this was the woman she remembered, the partner she... was very fond of. And maybe, she mused, a little more than just that. Maybe.

  "Not what I'd call it. You're suspicious, and that's simply a fact." Ember leaned ba her chair with a little creaking noise. "Even the west barely remembers its own history, for the most part. That you would - that you do - raises some fgs for me; but I'll be ho, I'm not sure what to do with them, other than keep an eye on you."

  Ravenna grinned, a little fsh of white iherwise dim room. "Well, watch me all you like, darling. I'm sure Fern tell you I'm anything but shy."

  The healer's golden gaze slid over to her, inquisitive, and Fer her cheeks warm underh the attention. "Undoubtedly," Ember murmured after a moment. "But that suits me just fine. inally I came here to get away from everything, but maybe some ties are just to to be broken so easily. I'll be traveling with you two for the time being. At the very least, I'll stay until I'm certain my patient hahings on her own. It would be irresponsible of me to do anything less."

  "That's ever so generous of you, darling! Especially sidering I haven't even paid you for your services yet," the dark mage purred, a sly little gleam in her eye. "One might even say suspiciously generous. Hmm~?"

  She just sighed. "Whatever. I'm sure you'll figure out some way to pay me what I'm worth for saving yirlfriend."

  "She's not my-" "I'm not her-" The two voices mixed almost perfectly before they both stopped mid-sentence, mildly flustered.

  Ember just smirked, tossing her arms behind her head and closing her eyes.

  The day, after another simple meal, Fer well enough to get on her feet for a while. She even mao walk bad forth across the room a few times, before the dizziness and fatigue set in too heavily and she ended up almost toppling over. Ember helped her back to bed afterward. "You're doing fine," she remarked after a brief examination, "and so long as you don't push yourself too hard, you shouldn't have any plications or other problems. The healing process just takes time."

  "Yeah, well, I wish it didn't," she grumbled quietly, turning her head to one side. "I'm slowing her down, right when we were supposed to be w together on this."

  The healer settled into her ary chair with a faintly mencholy smile. "I've heard those sort of words before, you know, and rarely do they produce results that any party involved finds satisfactory. But I'm sure she mahe day's haggling and bartering on her own."

  Fern huffed quietly. "I know she . She's so much more capable than I am - than I've ever been. It feels so shameful to want to hang onto her like this. But still... it would've been o be there by her side, just to see it. To experiehings with her, even mundane ones, instead of being stu here trying to recover."

  "... How well do you know her? You two look very close; to my eyes, at least."

  The question gave her pause. "Well enough, I suppose. Enough to trust her with my life, more than a few times by now. She's certainly had me at a disadvantage... from the very start, e to think of it, ever since I stumbled through her front door." She smiled, closing her eyes and indulging in the memory of that first meeting for just a moment. "But despite that, she's aken advantage of me; even though she could have, many times over."

  "Hm." The answer seemed to satisfy Ember, who closed her own eyes. "How very odd."

  "Aren't we all, though? At least a little?"

  The healer smiled faintly. "You're n."

  The day after, Ravenna came in while Fern and slowly walking about, already breathing heavily after being at it for a while. "Don't push yourself too hard, darling," she cooed sweetly, though she couldn't quite hide the in her voibsp; "There's still plenty of time in our schedule."

  Fern leaned on the windowsill to steady herself for a moment. "Yeah, I know... but I still..." She took a few more breaths. "Still want to spend it... with you."

  "That's very sweet of you," the dark mage murmured, pg a hand on Fern's aly stroking it with her fingers. "But don't worry. I'm saving the fun parts for when you're well enough to enjoy them. All you o focus on is gettier - at your own pace - and paying attention to what Ember tells you."

  She just sighed, looking away from the window, but keeping her hand still.

  "... Is there some way I help you, darling?" Ravenna asked, her voice even mentle.

  Ferated for a moment. "Buy me something," she finally mumbled, cheeks flushing a soft pink.

  "Oh! Well... did you want anything in particur?"

  Another long pause. The fallen hero was clearly struggling with the words, but they eventually came, as they always did. "Something you... want to see me wear," she mumbled, even quieter this time, looking away. "So... when you're out shopping... you'll be thinking of me."

  Ravenna stepped closer fentle embrace, one arm ing across Fern's back to support her, just in case. "You haven't been out of my mind at all these past few days, darling, I promise you that much," she whispered softly, her lips almost toug the now red-faced woman's ear... before drawing back with a little giggle. "But I'll be sure to get you something pretty today. You've been w so hard, after all; I daresay you've more than earhat third little star."

  She slipped out with a noticeable spring iep, and Fern struggled her way back to bed, the simple act of standing up for that long having draihe rest of her stamina. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, taking deep breaths, she looked up to see Ember watg her with that smug little smile.

  "Whatever you're thinking, don't say it," she grumbled, with what little energy she still had, and rolled bato the bed with a quiet wheeze.

  The healer stepped over and moved Fern's leaden legs and arms, getting her into a more fortable position. "Fine, fine. Just don't drag your affairs out forever. No one has that long, and most of us have a lot less time thahink."

  The w of the statement brought a few questions to mind; but by the time she could start thinking of how to word them, the exhaustion shut her eyes and demanded she rest - and she wasn't in a position tue.

  "I do it myself, if you want," Ember offered, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

  Fern blinked, fused. "I thought you said you were a healer."

  "ly. Do you know what a fleshcrafter is?"

  She shook her head - still slowly, though more as a precaution now. "'t say I've ever heard the word before, but I guess at the meaning well enough. What about you, Ravenna?"

  The dark mage nodded, still holding the little wooden box from the market in one hand. "Fleshcraft is... well, it's certainly a type of healing, but not oen practiced around here. It's not exclusive to the west, but it's more prevalent there than anywhere else. That said-" She looked over at Ember. "I didn't know that sort of procedure was your line of work."

  The healer - or fleshcrafter, perhaps - sighed quietly, her expression darkening somewhat. "I'm... unlised. So my 'line of work', as you put it, is rather broader than you might expect."

  Fern paused for a moment. "Well... if you don't think it'll be a problem, I'd definitely appreciate it."

  Ember smiled smugly, immediately back to her usual self. "Problem? Hardly. Pierg your ears is like, the most basic shit out there. Lay back for a moment and I'll fix you up."

  She id ba the pillow, and tried not to flinch as she felt two fingers gently grasp her earlobe. After a moment, the same thing happeo her other ear. It was... strangely intimate, having another woman h over her like this, looking at her so closely. Not Ravenna, not one of the maids, but someone else. She couldn't avoid the flush that spread on her cheeks.

  The healer didn't react to her blush, at least not that she could tell. "Breathe out for me and don't move. You'll feel a slight pinch, that's all."

  Ferhed out - then gasped at the two little spikes of fiery sensation. They faded after a moment, followed by a dull heat that turo an icy cold, theually normalized until the whole thing seemed like a daydream. At least, until Ember pulled a little pocket mirror out of her coat and showed her the two new holes - already perfectly healed. Her eyes went wide.

  "Satisfied?" Ember murmured fidently, bag away after a moment.

  "Absolutely! You're amazing, Ember! I mean, I already khat much, but... wow."

  Ravenna smiled, and offered the little wooden box. "Then it's time for yift."

  Fern's eyes lit up as she took the box in hand and opehe lid. Inside, on the bck velvet lining, rested four silver earrings: two small studs and twe hanging diamond frames, eae adorned with a sparkling pink gem. She felt the tears start to build as she looked up at her partner. "You... remembered."

  "Of course I remembered your favorite color, darling," the dark mage purred softly, gazing back at her, starry-eyed. "I wouldn't dare fet something so important."