Yes that is Ari being stubborn enough about her free will that she broke the magic. Saw that option in the post and had to go for it.

I am going to try to get AC with her. I have a lot of threads with 3 comments right now so hopefully some of them will keep going

If I get it, Ari is going to wake up briefly in her starship infirmary, very much not dead.

So it'll leave a little uncertainty - Ari is clearly Not Well back home, but it'll be concrete proof that she survived the thing that she thought killed her.

Cue very happy Ari going on about being a spacer and seeing her dad again (Michael was right!) and other such fun things

It sounds like a certain lieutenant is in danger of getting a chaste smooch or hug

accessories: By way of mistletoe shenanigans? (Doesn't work for her toplevel, but I can tag him if you like lol) Or did you mean later, genuinely with being happy for her?