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Crystal crouched down, Niko leaning over her shoulder before wrinkling her nose and stepping back.
"That's... Eugh."
Her voice didn't do much to hide her discomfort.
"Not a pretty way to go," Crystal murmured in soft agreement.
Curses could be grisly, even lethal, and this one had been both. On top of that, the only thing they seemed to have learnt from their gravedigging adventure was that Niko's textbooks had been right.
It had been fairies. Crystal had been sure it wouldn't be - Look, Niko, I've been a detective for the longest, and I promise you, it's never fairies - and had all but dragged Niko through the forest to unearth a rotting corpse and prove it.
Crystal pushed herself up out of the ground-cover, turning back and trying to meet Niko's eyes. Niko kept them firmly down.
"I'm sorry," Crystal admitted.
"It's fine."
"It isn't. I should have listened to you."
Niko glanced up. She was silent, looking like she was one word away from bursting into tears. Crystal draped her arms carefully round Niko, and guided her into a hug.
"We'll leave the case, for now?" Crystal offered.
Niko nudged her head thankfully into the curve of Crystal's shoulder.