Ben had survived his duel that morning, and he'd won. He could still remember the way Macmillan had looked, collapsed on the hillside with magical arrows sticking out in all directions. It hadn't been pretty, and it wasn't something Ben was eager to repeat, but it was over now. It felt a little surreal, as he went home and sat down to write out letters. One for Aldous, one for Dionisia, just to let them know it was over and he was alive. The letters were brief — Macmillan hadn't gotten his dominant arm, but his left still didn't feel right and it was uncomfortable to try and poise the quill the right way when his left hand, which he usually used to hold the parchment in place, didn't seem like it was working that well yet.

He'd gotten out with just conjured bandages and a recommendation for a healing potion to follow it up with, since Macnair had his attention pretty steadily devoted to Macmillan's far more extensive injuries. He hadn't gotten his hands on a potion yet (he probably could have asked Art, but he'd already asked so much of Art this week that it felt strange to add another request, even a minor one), but now that it was over he didn't feel hurried. He could just sit in this for a moment. Alone in his room, just him and the knowledge that this was over.

After a while, he decided to take the bandages off to inspect the damage. He'd just told Dionisia and Aldous that he was going to be fine, but his left hand was still numb and the fingers weren't responding as well as they should have. He didn't really know what it looked like, because he'd been a little dazed in the moments immediately following the duel, but now he wanted to see it. He stripped his coat and shirt off (a fresh pair; he'd changed as soon as he got home and discarded his torn and bloody outfit), then gingerly started to unwrap the bandage on his shoulder. He had only just started, however, when he glanced into the mirror nearby and saw Melody's silhouette in the doorway.

He froze, looking immediately guilty. "You're up," he said after a moment. He hadn't expected her to be, but he should have thought to shut the door regardless. Stupid.