[ Something does soften about Ange's expression as Peter says that. Not fully - she still doesn't quite look the way she usually does when she softens, which is something the boy has definitely seen before - but there's no doubt that the witch is pleased to hear those words. There's not even any protest to the idea of Peter leaving, since it's pretty clear to her that he really does want to stay here. That he sees the merits behind her ideas and actions, unlike certain other people who came here before him. ]

Thank you, Peter.

[ It's why no word of that is a lie, nor manipulation. She's genuinely glad, even if it's expressed in a way that's a little more inhuman than her usual ways. ]

I knew you'd understand. [ Maybe because all of the things they've shared in the past. There's certainly ways in which she and Peter are very similar, ways Ange has discovered over the years of knowing the other. But it's also just-- ] You've always been an important friend to me.

[ And it's a little easier to say stuff like that when Ange doesn't have her usual inhibitions when she's in this state. Why bother holding things back or worrying about reputations when you're a witch? ]

Some people have been.. very unkind about my ideas. [ Okay, maybe that's a little bit of an understatement, at least.. Compared to the way Ange felt about hearing their rejection, anyway. ]