Radeon and Fay walked back to their room, gathering the materials they had, along with their new equipment.
Radeon pulled something from his crafts, a set of new clothes, black and white, clean, unpatched. He handed it to Fay.
She took it and looked down at her robe, sky blue once, now faded and stitched until the fabric held more colors of thread than its own.
Everwritten Archivists Court colors. She gave a wry smile that never reached her eyes. All she had endured for them, for nothing.
Fay had knelt until her knees ached. She had pressed her forehead to the floor until the stone remembered her shape.
Still no one had accepted her. They said she had no talent. That she was crazy. That she was a stain to their reputation.
Now she held new clothes in her hands. A weapon sat at her wrist.
For the first time, she felt like she belonged somewhere, even if she did not yet know what the price of belonging would be.
She started to undress, then hesitated and glanced at Radeon.
