Mable didn't say anything, not a single word. She had done all she could without digging a bigger grave, and she knew that perfectly well. All she could do now was accept punishment if needed, and get to a bed. What she didn't expect, however, was not Carolyn's firm hand on her shoulder, guiding her away from Ashlynn and Leo. It wasn't the lack of guilt she felt for being exempt from punishment. No, it was something she hadn't experienced before, a strange feeling in her heart that she didn't understand at the time, but had been yearning for years.

Mable glanced over her shoulder at Ashlynn and Leo as she was guided away, and gave them an apologetic look, mouthing the word "Sorry!" to the two of them. She felt like she had, in amongst the blood and the violence and the horror of the evening, made two friends - true friends. Something she hadn't experienced properly in her usual cushioned life.

The journey to the guild buildings passed in silence. Mable continued to weakly fight off waves of exhaustion with each rhythmic step she took, and despite Caroyln's clear sadism and lack of compassion for anyone past curfew, it was really helpful to have her hand on her shoulder because she felt like she was very, very close to flying forwards onto her face.

Once she reached the confines of the infirmary, the rest of the night was a bit of a blur, but one memory stuck out clear in her mind - throwing off the bloodied bodywarmer and colliding, face-first, into the clean linen sheets of the infirmary bed, finally getting the sweet release from the troubles of her life for a few hours at most.