"Are you alright, darling? You seem like you're half a world away."

  The gentle in her partner's voice shook Fern free of her thoughts. "Oh! Yes, sorry, I was just... thinking about what you said."

  The journey north of Jun was far more pleasant than the first leg through the Woods had been. Clear skies, warm sun, the soft sounds of the river, and a well-traveled road beh their boots. It was a day that freed the mind to wander - and the fallen hero had beeing hers do just that.

  "And? What do you think of it?" Ravenna prompted. There was something less pyful than usual in her voice, but it was hard to figure out.

  Her brow wrinkled a little. "Holy? It sounds like a lot of trouble. Messing around with even one noble scares me, if I'm gonna be ho." She took a deep breath, a out befoing back to the usual walking rhythm. "It's easier tet on a day like today, but... Pinsgate was a miserable pbsp; Is miserable, I don't doubt. The city guard reports to the aristocrats; always has, from what I know. They're er than criminals - worse, actually. At least real criminals don't hide behind a fancy hat and pretend they're saints. I guess what I'm saying is, you push a noble and they're gonna push back - but not with their own hands, they have people to do that for them."

  The dark mage seemed to think on this for a while. "So... you're okay with things as they are?"

  "Gods, no. It's just - it's plicated, right? In a way that actually scares me." Fern looked over at her partner. "No matter how it's done - any way you go about it - people are gon hurt. Maybe even killed. A lot of people, too, if you're talking about some sort of... big, coordinated kinda thing. That's a heavy responsibility to shoulder; I don't know if I could ma at any point, let alone now." She looked down the road, into the distance, and sighed softly. "I could maybe do it if it was just my own stupid self at risk, but it's hat simple..."

  "No, I suppose it isn't. But that's why I've been thinking about it and w on pns for so long. And also-" Ravenna lifted a hand aly poked at her partner's temple with one finger. "Don't call yourself stupid, darling. You're very smart, and I won't have you being rude to yourself like that."

  She made a little 'weh' in response. "Okay, okayyy."

  They tinued down the road a fair distance, and the sun had already climbed to its zenith by the time Fern spoke again. "You're really set on this whole idea, though, aren't you?"

  "I am." The reply was gentle enough, but nearly immediate. "You said it yourself: Pinsgate is miserable. And it's not the only city, either; there are many pces in the world that suffer uhe weight of the nobility, pces that would be much improved for their... absence." The dark mage sighed. "... I shouldn't push all my hopes and dreams onto your shoulders so soon. It's not fair to you."

  Something in that really hurt to hear, even if it had only been a few months sihey'd met. She still doesn't trust me enough to tell me everything that's on her heart. "Am I just... not good enough for you yet?"

  "Darling-" Ravenna sighed again. "I don't want to say something that would hurt you, it's just..." She trailed off, though they tinued walking. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

  Fern's mouth curled downward with a rare note of frustration. "If it's important to you, it's important to me, even if I don't know how to ha right now."

  The rest of the day passed in silence.

  By the time the su down, Fern's heart simply hurt too much.

  She couldn't find the right words to say; they never came, even when she opened her mouth. She didn't want to pressure her partner, but she also hated the gap that had started to open, the awful emptiness and silence where before she'd heard Ravenna's voice, cheery and bright and sly and smug. She couldn't bear it any longer. It felt too much like the lifeless gray existehat she'd lived before meeting her.

  Ohe dark mage finished mixing the ingredients for the vegetable stew dinner and moved to lightly stirring the small pot, Fern moved to her side and slipped both arms around her waist, resting her forehead against the woman's shoulder.

  The dark mage didn't say anything for a moment, just kept stirring for a moment longer - then finally let the spoo and reached up to softly pat her partner's head. "I'm sorry, Fern," she murmured gently. "I haven't been asking the right questions."

  "Then ask me something, anything," she begged. "Please! Just... don't shut me out like this."

  Ravenna looked at the mess of broressed into her shoulder, and sighed softly. "I will, darling. But let's get some food in you first, alright? It's been a long day ah o recover from it."

  "... Okay."

  Ohe stew vanished and everything was again, the two of them id down on a b and gazed up at the stars together, all the tiny little points of light so very sharp and bright in the night sky. Raveended an arm and Fered her head on it, and for a while they just settled into each other and rexed.

  "Is it so hard to say something first?" the dark mage finally asked.

  She nodded slowly. "I could probably do it, given enough time, or the right circumstances, but... it just feels sn trying to talk about myself. No one seemed to care what I thought before, so I just kinda... stopped sharing. And now I don't know how to do it at all. Unless I get a direct question. Those are easy to ha least."

  "Hmmm. Do you want more direct questions from me? About... yourself?"

  "I-" Fern paused for a moment. "I do, but - it shouldn't be an obligation. I don't want you to do it just because it's something I want, it should be because you're actually ied in the answers, because-" Because you care about me as more than just a w partner, she couldn't say.

  Ravenna hummed softly again. "I see. At least - I think I see," she amended with a little smile, bringing her outstretched hand back to tangle iher woman's hair and rub gently. "I'm sorry I haven't been the partner you needed. But I want to be. My own... pns... shouldn't get in the way of that."

  She kept silent, ining her head just a little into those fingers as she looked up at the stars.

  "Tell me, darling - what do you need? What do you desire from this partnership, from life even? However much of that you want to answer. I should have asked you long before now, instead of just taking advantage of your pliance."

  Fern closed her eyes slowly, then opehem again. "That's... not something with an easy answer," she began, a little hesitantly. "Most of my thoughts are in terms of other people. Desires to be useful, to not be a burden, to be wanted. To not be lonely nored." She gnced over briefly. "To... have someohere when I reach out."

  "Ah..." Ravenna pondered a moment. "And that, I suppose, is why you didly protest at the idea out some... maid service?"

  She felt her cheeks warm up, even in the chill of the night. "... In part, maybe. That was the first time you ever blushed in front of me, though..." The fallen hero smiled a little, despite everything. "If anything, I guess I desire to see more of that. More of you. If that means I have to do some... ued things, for those ued views, it seems only fair."

  "Y-you-" The dark mage actually huffed at this, her fingers curling in Fern's hair. "I 't believe what I'm hearing. How is it possible that you're actually this- this-"

  "This what?" she asked, after a moment too long of silence.

  "Precious! Adorable! Sweet! Practically perfebsp; And- and just- so much more fiving than I deserve," Ravenna finished, her sudden outburst dwindling to a quiet, almost hesitant murmur. "How am I supposed to make my little jokes and puns when you're squeezing my poor heart like this?"

  Fern giggled softly. Now that's the partner I adore. "You're smart; I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out."

  A soft huff of breath was her only reply at first. "W-we should get some sleep, before the sun es up."

  She reached over with one arm and ed it across Ravenna's waist. "Mmm... not yet."

  "... Oh, fine. If you insist."

  And they watched the stars for just a little longer. Well - perhaps not just the stars.

  The m, Fern early once again, having slept through what remained of the night with no dreams she could recall. Crimson's spellcraft tinued serving her well; even with the emotional turmoil of the previous day, she felt pletely refreshed, a feeling like rising from uer and taking a first, deep breath.

  Once again she slipped stealthily from the sad out to make tea. Her movements were even more covert thaerday, a touch of shadow to smooth over where friight have made noise. Service is its own reward - in more ways thahe fallen hero mused with a sly little smile. Hmm... I wonder if Sapphire and Crimson have some special entments woven into their uniforms. As expensive as magical clothing be, it would make sense for someone who wears little else.

  Ravenna's head emerged from the tent with the most adorable little yawn, and again Fern was struck by how lucky the maids were to see this side of her. She wondered how they felt about her - whether their thoughts were purely professional. sidering how strong their devotion to her was, she had her doubts that they didn't have some sort of personal e - but what exactly it was, well, who could say? The maids certainly weren't going to tell.

  "Good m, sleepyhead," she teased with a little smile. "Tea's almost ready."

  "Mmh. Yetting too good at this."

  Fern just fondly regarded the groggy dark mage. "Well, I wouldn't want to disappoint you, Mistress."

  Ravenna made a soft little 'hmph' and disappeared again, only to reemerge a few mier fully dressed and almost entirely awake. She accepted the teacup with a nod and sipped quietly, letting out a soft breath. "This too is acceptable," she murmured, eyes closed as she took a quiet sniff of the aroma. "How have you improved again already? Why, it's only been a day."

  "Well, we passed by the filtering pnt this m, and I just thought to try something simir at a smaller scale..."

  The dark mage blinked, and stared at her again.

  "Is that not to your liking?"

  Ravenna squinted. "You're telling me you did this without any sort of devibsp; Just - raw aether?"

  Fern nodded slowly. "I didn't have anything else to work with, so it... probably isn't very good, is it..."

  "Do you always doubt yourself this much, darling?"

  The fallen hero opened her mouth, then closed it, frowning. "... Maybe?"

  With a little smile, Ravenna sipped at the tea again. It was marvelously smooth, which spoke to either ued skill or unon dedication to the craft, or some bination of both; and as much as she wao keep teasing her partner, yesterday had been more than enough trouble for both of them. "At this rate, I'm going to have to think of new ways to reward you." She draihe cup pletely and stood up. "What's your favorite color, darling?"

  Fern tilted her head to one side. "... Why do you ask?"

  The dark mage smiled brilliantly. "Because I don't know, and would very much like to."

  "Ah, well..." She shifted a little, suddenly nervous. "Please don't make fun of me, okay? It's a little embarrassing." Her head tilted back for a moment, her eyes closed. "Once, when I was young, I remember seeing one of the noble girls pass by with her little ente, and she was just... pink. Absolutely head to toe, pastel pink, even her shoes and hair ors, like a little princess. I was so jealous, she just seemed to glow..." A soft little sigh of recolle escaped her lips.

  Ravenna's eyes sparkled with delight. To think a simple question would strike such a chord. "Hmmm~. I shall be sure to remember that."