"Yeah. ...Thanks."

"You're welcome."

He can't help shooting Yellow a dirty look through a wall.

"...what'd Yellow do?"

"Keep you for twenty years, if I remember correctly."

"...I mean, yes, but frankly by comparison it was a recovery period."

"I don't think I can loathe Thorn any more than I already do and shooting him dirty looks through the camera feels less meaningful but you have a point." He shoots the monitor a dirty look.

He shrugs, smiling a bit. "We've won. I'm not exactly one to want revenge, but gods do I feel tempted to rub it in a little bit, maybe snark at him since he keeps doing it to me."

"Not worth it. Tells him how to get to you."

"It'd be more for my amusement at the look on his face than anything, the thing he'd need to do to get to me was getting my mum and he's already done it, but in any case you won't actually see me go there and do it."

"You shouldn't do it when I'm not looking either."

"That was a figure of speech, I'm not going to do it full stop."

"Good."

"I may not get everything right the first time but I'm a fast learner and I pay attention."

"I noticed."

He grins.

They continue to wrap up the courts and perform interviews, determining loyalties and desires. Most of the vassals can be released with security orders, some light, some not so light, but a number of them (like the torturers) might not be as easy as that to deal with. Some of the fairies they do release choose to stay in the court sites, under somewhat stable tangles of master-vassal relationships, due to liking each other or just out of sheer habit. Mortal pitches the idea of helping out with Science, and a couple of fairies are actually interested in this, which delights Mortal to no end.

And eventually only Thorn and Blossom are left to be interviewed.

The interview turns up no surprises from Promise's perspective. They want to stay together, they would rather not be sparrows but aren't thrilled about ways of crippling them in their normal forms either.

Mortal's curious about a couple of things, though.

First, how did Thorn... become so powerful? How'd he build his court?

"Slowly."

She furrows her brows. Of course.

"And—why? Why all of it? Why torture people who do stuff you don't like, you're already their master, why—that?"

"It's useful for maintaining their attitudes and I find it pleasant."

"You—find it—pleasant—" She closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths before continuing. "Between becoming a sparrow and keeping crippled normal forms you prefer the latter, yes?"

"Yes."

She opens her eyes. "What steps should I take to ensure you will not escape?"

Because if he has a better idea she's all ears, although he'd probably have mentioned it if he had anything better than sparrowing or equivalent.