Nill gives Storm a nod and pulls her hood back, then unwinds the scarves and sets the whole bundle carefully aside. Beneath them, she wears a plain black shirt, leaving the metal collar fully exposed. The skin around her neck is raw and discolored, and older scars trace faint lines along her collarbone and across her back where the fabric shifts.

Her small wings flutter once, betraying her nerves, before she steps up to the table as instructed. She stands rigidly straight, fingers twisting together in front of her. Her gaze flicks over the objects laid out there, studying each in turn, before lifting to the woman.

“I have the ready."

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