diff --git a/.okf/architecture/css-pipeline.md b/.okf/architecture/css-pipeline.md
index 74cf9246d..69f4407fa 100644
--- a/.okf/architecture/css-pipeline.md
+++ b/.okf/architecture/css-pipeline.md
@@ -4,13 +4,15 @@ title: CSS Build Pipeline (PostCSS + per-bundle PurgeCSS)
 description: PostCSS pipeline that concatenates per-page CSS resource slices and purges unused rules per bundle before shipping.
 resource: postcss.config.js
 tags: [css, build, performance]
-timestamp: 2026-08-21T04:17:19Z
+timestamp: 2026-08-21T07:45:14Z
 verified:
+  - { by: claude/opus-5, at: 2026-08-21T07:45:14Z }
+  - { by: claude/opus-5, at: 2026-08-21T07:08:22Z }
   - { by: claude/opus-5, at: 2026-08-21T04:17:19Z }
   - { by: claude/opus-5, at: 2026-08-21T01:43:19Z }
 generated:
-  by: process:okf-migrate
-  at: 2026-07-12T00:00:00Z
+  by: claude/opus-5
+  at: 2026-08-21T07:45:14Z
 sources:
   - resource: "/workflows/css-maintainability-plan.md"
     title: "css-maintainability-plan"
@@ -82,6 +84,17 @@ limitation below is demonstrated somewhere in this file:
 | `getComputedStyle(el)` | the value that won the cascade for that element | which selector produced it (another rule with the same value is indistinguishable), or what is actually visible - an overlay can cover it |
 | screenshot + pixel sample | what was painted | why |
 
+**Read the element that PAINTS the text, not the one that matches your
+selector** (2026-08-21). Auditing eyebrow contrast, `[class*="eyebrow"]`
+matched `.fl-module` wrappers whose own `color` is inherited-but-unpainted; the
+audit reported 1.12:1 (near-black on black, i.e. invisible) for a page that
+renders fine. Walking down to the deepest element holding the text gave the
+real 4.1:1 - a genuine AA failure that the bogus reading would have buried
+under an implausible one. FL-Builder markup nests
+`.fl-module > .fl-module-content > .fl-rich-text`, so the wrapper is almost
+never the painter. A computed-style reading that contradicts the render is the
+instrument being wrong, not the page.
+
 Only the last is a fact about the rendered page; the rest are facts about
 intermediate representations. The technique for each, and the overlay trap that
 breaks the naive form of `getComputedStyle`, are below:
@@ -214,6 +227,34 @@ Sweep result: 12 shape-layer rules across 9 page bundles were still `#000000`
 and are now `var(--surface-ink)`. Any future dark-surface token move must
 include them - `grep -rn 'fill: *#000' themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/`.
 
+# The dark band is THREE groups, and a subset ships a seam
+
+Moving "the footer to `--surface-ink`" is not one edit. Measured while doing it
+on 2026-08-21:
+
+| Group | Count | Where |
+|---|---|---|
+| footer background | 1 | `footer.css` |
+| bottom-edge SVG fills | **12** | `.fl-builder-bottom-edge-layer .fl-shape-content .fl-shape` across 9 `pages/*.css` |
+| section bands | **5** | `.home-services`, `.about-achievements`, `.careers-testimonial`, `.service-overview`, `.use-case-details` — each `> .fl-row-content-wrap` |
+
+A first pass moved the footer and the 12 fills and left the 5 bands at `#000`,
+which CREATED the seam the migration exists to remove: `.home-proof`'s edge
+computed `rgb(20, 17, 15)` meeting `.home-services` at `rgb(0, 0, 0)`. An earlier
+attempt had moved the footer alone and was reverted for the mirror-image reason.
+
+**And the text on those bands moves with them.** `--color-ruby` measures 4.10:1
+on `#000` but only **3.67:1** on `--surface-ink`, so migrating a band makes any
+ruby text on it worse. Two eyebrows that passed the first pass failed after the
+bands moved. Band and accent are one change; see
+[design/site-palette.md](/design/site-palette.md) for `--ruby-on-ink`.
+
+The check that catches a subset, run per page in the browser: for each
+`.fl-builder-bottom-edge-layer`, compare the shape's computed `fill` against the
+NEXT row's `.fl-row-content-wrap` background, and flag any pair that differs
+while either side is dark.
+
+
 # Legacy liability: FL-Builder export CSS
 
 A large portion of shipped CSS (~75K lines at audit time) is
diff --git a/.okf/build/ci-gates.md b/.okf/build/ci-gates.md
index 0af5708ba..747095ad3 100644
--- a/.okf/build/ci-gates.md
+++ b/.okf/build/ci-gates.md
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ generated:
   by: process:okf-migrate
   at: 2026-07-31T16:30:00Z
 verified:
+  - by: claude/opus-5
+    at: 2026-08-21T07:53:17Z
   - by: claude/opus-5
     at: 2026-08-07T00:00:00Z
   - by: claude/sonnet-5
@@ -238,6 +240,18 @@ Two more, hit re-recording Linux baselines from CI on 2026-08-20 (see [test-gate
 - **"no checks reported" has TWO causes - check `mergeable_state` FIRST**: (a) the bot's baseline commit carries `[ci skip]`, so a record dispatch leaves the PR with no new run; (b) far more silent, an UNMERGEABLE PR produces ZERO checks at all - `pull_request` runs are built against a merge ref GitHub cannot compute, so it creates nothing rather than erroring. On 2026-08-20 (b) was the real blocker and (a) was wrongly blamed for 25 minutes; `gh api repos/OWNER/REPO/pulls/N --jq .mergeable_state` returned `dirty`. A baseline record takes ~20 min while master keeps moving, and the record commit plus any `.okf/log.md` edit conflicts easily - merge master and the checks appear. Never read missing checks as "still running" or "passing."
 - **Record mode has no accept/reject gate**: `FORCE_SCREENSHOT_UPDATE=true` overwrites every baseline blind, with no diff review before the commit. Screen the result by per-file byte-size delta and visually inspect only the outliers - sub-pixel noise lands under ~1.2%, real content changes stand out (2026-08-20: mermaid_post +21%/+24%, nav/use_cases -10%).
 
+  **And the outliers are often SOMEBODY ELSE'S work** (2026-08-21). A record
+  dispatched for a one-colour change wrote 84 Linux baselines: 76 under the noise
+  floor, 7 footers and CTA bands that were genuinely the change, and one at
+  **12.44%** - `desktop/blog/tag.png`, whose diff showed different blog POSTS
+  ("108 posts tagged rails" against 106). Content published since the previous
+  recording, folded into an unrelated PR. A baseline record snapshots the whole
+  site, not your diff. `bin/record-baselines <glob>` filters that locally; a CI
+  dispatch has no filter, so screen and drop after the fact - the record commit
+  can simply be rebased out (`git rebase --onto <sha>^ <sha>`), and on a PR the
+  screenshot job is `continue-on-error` (`test.yml:72`) so stale baselines report
+  without blocking.
+
 **Stale Linux baselines drift silently on master** while the PR screenshot gate stays `continue-on-error` (report-only, see below) - two live examples found 2026-08-20: PR #470 updated only the `macos/` mermaid baselines and left `linux/` stale; and `linux/desktop/nav/use_cases.png` was still encoding copy banned by `.okf/content/claims-canon.md` ("Rated 4.8/5 by 32 clients", "2011") that was corrected on the live site on 2026-08-14 - the LIVE SITE was correct, only the frozen PNG carried the stale wording, which is why the banned-string ratchet (a text grep) never caught it. A frozen baseline PNG is not covered by any text validator.
 
 # R3-2 correctness + cost fixes (2026-07-31)
diff --git a/.okf/build/test-gates.md b/.okf/build/test-gates.md
index 559597ae1..5a073e005 100644
--- a/.okf/build/test-gates.md
+++ b/.okf/build/test-gates.md
@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@ title: Test gates and when they block commits
 description: bin/qtest --changed is the routine gate; bin/rake test:critical at milestones; bin/test AND bin/dtest once at PR prep (or on explicit confirmation) for themes/, layouts/, or CSS changes.
 tags: [testing, visual-regression, gates]
 status: stable
-generated: { by: claude/opus-5, at: 2026-08-21T06:44:05Z }
+generated: { by: claude/opus-5, at: 2026-08-21T07:42:17Z }
 verified:
+  - { by: claude/opus-5, at: 2026-08-21T07:42:17Z }
   - { by: claude/opus-5, at: 2026-08-21T06:44:05Z }
   - { by: claude/opus-5, at: 2026-08-21T06:36:48Z }
   - { by: claude/opus-5, at: 2026-08-21T06:27:54Z }
@@ -19,7 +20,7 @@ verified:
   - { by: claude/sonnet-5, at: 2026-08-20T00:00:00Z }
   - { by: claude/opus-5, at: 2026-08-20T21:43:35Z }
   - { by: claude/opus-5, at: 2026-08-20T21:47:30Z }
-timestamp: 2026-08-21T06:44:05Z
+timestamp: 2026-08-21T07:42:17Z
 ---
 
 # The suites
@@ -40,6 +41,38 @@ is `simple-page`); the changed-file→page map lives in the script itself -
 extend it when adding components or critical files. The macOS full suite remains the only dedup-trap catcher
 (Linux font resolution masks it) - never finish a component on qtest alone.
 
+# Run the suite on PRISTINE master before trusting a green screenshot run
+
+A green screenshot run proves nothing until you know the suite is green with NO
+change in the tree. Measured in a worktree on 2026-08-21:
+
+| Suite | Failures on untouched master |
+|---|---|
+| `bin/rake test:critical` | **13 of 55** |
+| `bin/rake test:system` | **18 of 126** |
+
+A phase-1a.4 CSS change reported "55 screenshots compared, no failures" in that
+same worktree - green ONLY because the run had rewritten the baselines with this
+machine's output. That is not verification against the repo's baselines, it is
+replacement of them, and committing the result bakes local render drift into the
+repo, mixed in with the intended change and indistinguishable from it.
+
+The tell that something else was moving: a blog screenshot diff showed the
+article body VERTICALLY SHIFTED. A `background-color` change cannot move layout,
+and it nearly got accepted anyway because it arrived batched with diffs that
+genuinely were the intended recolour.
+
+So establish the baseline-of-the-baseline first - `git checkout origin/master --
+themes/ test/fixtures/screenshots/`, build, run. If master is not green here,
+this machine cannot produce trustworthy baselines: record them where the
+canonical ones came from (`gh workflow run test.yml --ref <branch> -f
+screenshots=true -f update-baselines=true`), which is the rule
+[ci-gates](/build/ci-gates.md) already states for Linux, for the same reason.
+
+Correctness of the CHANGE is still establishable without the suite - browser
+measurement and pixel-sampling the live render - and should be, since that
+evidence is independent of baseline drift.
+
 # Tolerance policy
 
 **0.0 for refactors** (a refactor must move zero pixels), **<=0.03 for
diff --git a/.okf/design/course-landing-components.md b/.okf/design/course-landing-components.md
index 4d8f4e5d3..9e70325e8 100644
--- a/.okf/design/course-landing-components.md
+++ b/.okf/design/course-landing-components.md
@@ -7,8 +7,9 @@ tags: [css, design, course, landing]
 status: stable
 generated:
   by: claude/opus-5
-  at: 2026-08-13T00:00:00Z
+  at: 2026-08-21T07:49:13Z
 verified:
+  - { by: claude/opus-5, at: 2026-08-21T07:49:13Z }
   - by: human:pftg
     at: 2026-08-13T00:00:00Z
 ---
@@ -60,6 +61,11 @@ mistake-grid CTA, or a module card.
 
 # Citations
 
-* [Component library + the shuffle2 reference](../../docs/projects/2605-tech-for-non-technical-founders/30-39-architecture-design/course-landing-components-2026-08.md)
+* Component library + the shuffle2 reference:
+  `docs/projects/2605-tech-for-non-technical-founders/30-39-architecture-design/course-landing-components-2026-08.md`
+  (repo-relative, and the same path as this concept`s `resource:`). Written as a
+  PATH, not a markdown link: a link escaping the bundle with `../../` resolves
+  correctly on disk but the validator cannot follow it out of `.okf/`, so it
+  warns forever and invites someone to "fix" a link that was never broken.
 * [Visual scroll gate](../workflows/visual-scroll-gate.md)
 * [ICP profile](../content-strategy/icp-primary-website-target.md)
diff --git a/.okf/design/site-palette.md b/.okf/design/site-palette.md
index 294033e51..c2a33b1f7 100644
--- a/.okf/design/site-palette.md
+++ b/.okf/design/site-palette.md
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ resource: themes/beaver/assets/css/foundations/css-variables.css
 tags: [design, palette, css, tokens, adr]
 generated:
   by: claude/opus-5
-  at: 2026-08-20T00:00:00Z
-timestamp: 2026-08-21T03:17:09Z
+  at: 2026-08-21T07:45:14Z
+timestamp: 2026-08-21T07:45:14Z
 ---
 
 # Resolved: LIGHT (ADR-0003, 2026-08-20)
@@ -106,8 +106,8 @@ Two consequences, and the second is the one that is easy to miss:
    footer/dark-surface migration cannot ship before the on-dark accent is
    decided, or it degrades contrast on every band it touches.
 
-**Candidates derived and measured 2026-08-21. Recommended: `#e85a52`, named
-`--ruby-on-ink`.**
+**DECIDED and SHIPPED 2026-08-21: `#e85a52`, named `--ruby-on-ink`**, in
+`foundations/css-variables.css` (PR #540). Candidates as measured:
 
 | Candidate | on `--surface-ink` | on `#000` | on white |
 |---|---|---|---|
@@ -127,14 +127,17 @@ general accent trades an AA failure on dark for one on light. The ramp has
 `--ruby-700` for "text-on-light where AA needs more" and no counterpart for
 dark; that gap is the whole issue.
 
-Not yet applied - it changes the rendered colour on every dark band, which is
-Paul's call. Tracked in
-`docs/projects/2608-site-design-system/README.md` under Outstanding.
-
-**Until it is named: do not apply a ruby text token to any surface in the
-section below.** Neither of the two automated gates catches this - those
-homepage sections carry no contrast test, and the screenshot suite passes a
-colour change of this size.
+Applied in PR #540 to the four eyebrows that measured below AA:
+`home-services-eyebrow` and `home-clients-eyebrow` (4.10 -> 6.02),
+`about-achievements-eyebrow` and `service-overview-eyebrow` (3.67 -> pass after
+their bands migrated). NOT swept site-wide - only rules measured failing on a
+dark surface were changed, which is what the reverted 41-rule sweep got wrong.
+
+**Still true after the decision: neither automated gate catches a contrast
+regression here.** Those homepage sections carry no contrast test, and the
+screenshot suite passes a colour change of this size. Ruby text landing on a dark
+surface must be measured in the browser, per the ladder in
+[architecture/css-pipeline.md](/architecture/css-pipeline.md).
 
 # Where dark is still deliberate
 
diff --git a/.okf/index.md b/.okf/index.md
index 686505a96..e9c1fa5bc 100644
--- a/.okf/index.md
+++ b/.okf/index.md
@@ -22,6 +22,14 @@ sessions verify the same concept concurrently and a rebase conflicts on the
 verification really happened, and dropping one falsifies the provenance the
 field exists to carry (2026-08-20, `build/test-gates.md`).
 
+**Reference files OUTSIDE the bundle by PATH, not by a `../../` markdown link**
+(2026-08-21). Such a link resolves fine on disk but the validator cannot follow
+it out of `.okf/`, so it warns on every run forever - and a permanent warning
+invites someone to "fix" a link that was never broken. Put the canonical
+repo-relative path in `resource:` (or `sources:`) frontmatter and write the path
+as inline code in the body. Removing the one instance took the bundle's
+cross-link warnings to zero.
+
 **Stamp actual UTC - take it from `date -u`, never compose it** (2026-08-20).
 Eighteen stamps across nine concepts were written as local time carrying a `Z`
 suffix, putting them ~2h in the future. That is not cosmetic HERE of all
diff --git a/.okf/log.md b/.okf/log.md
index d4eab25f1..ea0b6be2c 100644
--- a/.okf/log.md
+++ b/.okf/log.md
@@ -51,6 +51,156 @@ make it green: restructure same-day entries under one heading, and add
 `timestamp` to the 23 concepts missing it (anchored to each file's last commit
 time, which is verifiable - never invented).
 
+## 2026-08-21 - PR #540 hands 16 stale Linux baselines to the parallel PR
+
+Making the debt legible rather than silent, per the async-first rule. The
+phase-1a.4 recolour invalidates these Linux baselines, measured from CI run
+32460674225 on the branch:
+
+```
+desktop/blog/index/_pagination          desktop/services/_cta-contact_us
+desktop/blog/special/codeblocks/bare    desktop/services/_footer
+desktop/blog/special/codeblocks/indented desktop/services/_overview
+desktop/contact_us                      desktop/services/_services
+desktop/homepage/_clients               mobile/blog/index/_pagination
+desktop/homepage/_cta-contact_us        mobile/blog/special/codeblocks/indented
+desktop/homepage/_footer                mobile/services
+desktop/homepage/_services
+desktop/homepage/_technologies
+```
+
+All 16 are dark-band surfaces - footers, CTA bands, section bands, and pages
+whose captures include one. The reds are the predicted reds, checked against the
+run rather than assumed, per the "a slow failure and a fast failure are different
+failures" rule in [build/ci-gates.md](build/ci-gates.md).
+
+They are NOT recorded on this PR, deliberately. Paul 2026-08-19: Linux rides a
+parallel PR. A record was dispatched and dropped when screening found it carried
+content drift (see the previous entry), and re-dispatching to curate it here
+would take the same instruction the other way.
+
+Two facts that make merging safe rather than reckless:
+
+* `test.yml` triggers on `pull_request` and `workflow_dispatch` ONLY - there is
+  no `push` trigger, so merging does not turn master red; the job simply does not
+  run there.
+* On PRs the job is `continue-on-error` (`test.yml:72`), so it reports.
+
+Which is also exactly the silent-drift condition ci-gates.md already documents.
+This entry exists so the next session picks the list up from a document instead
+of re-deriving it from a run that will have aged out.
+
+## 2026-08-21 - a blind baseline record bakes in content drift
+
+Dispatched `test.yml -f update-baselines=true` on the phase-1a.4 branch, because
+this worktree's macOS render is drifted and cannot produce trustworthy baselines.
+The bot recorded **84 Linux baselines** for a change that touches one colour.
+
+Screened them by the byte-size procedure this bundle already documents in
+[build/ci-gates.md](build/ci-gates.md) - "record mode has no accept/reject gate":
+
+* 76 of 84 under the ~1.2% noise floor
+* 8 above it; seven are footers and CTA bands, consistent with the change
+* one outlier at **12.44%**: `desktop/blog/tag.png`
+
+Diffing that outlier showed **different blog posts** - "108 posts tagged rails"
+against 106, different titles and dates. That is CONTENT drift published since
+the previous recording, not the recolour. A blind record captures whatever the
+site says today, and folds it into whatever PR dispatched it.
+
+So the record commit was dropped from the branch (`git rebase --onto <sha>^
+<sha>`, backup tag first). Two reasons, and the second is the load-bearing one:
+the PR is CSS-only and 84 mostly-unrelated binaries make its visual evidence
+unreadable; and the screenshot job is `continue-on-error` on `pull_request`
+(`test.yml:72`), so a stale Linux baseline reports without blocking. Linux rides
+its own PR, per Paul 2026-08-19.
+
+**The generalisable part:** a baseline record is a snapshot of the whole site,
+not of your diff. Screen it before accepting, and expect the outliers to be other
+people's work. `bin/record-baselines <glob>` exists for exactly this locally; a
+CI dispatch has no such filter, so the filtering has to happen after the fact.
+
+## 2026-08-21 - the bundle's last cross-link warning was not a broken link
+
+Swept the bundle for claims that rot, after `design/site-palette.md` was found
+carrying a closed blocker as open. Two findings, and the first is a
+non-finding worth stating.
+
+**`workflows/site-redesign-rollout.md` does not need fixing, by design.** It
+states outright that phase status comes from GIT rather than any document, and
+records the reasoning that outlives a phase instead of a state snapshot. Adding
+current phase status to it would make it worse. A concept built not to rot is the
+counter-example to site-palette, and the difference is whether it stores
+REASONING or STATE.
+
+**The one remaining cross-link warning was a correct link.**
+`design/course-landing-components.md` referenced a repo doc with
+`../../docs/projects/...`, which resolves fine on disk - verified by listing the
+target from the concept's own directory - but the validator cannot follow a link
+out of `.okf/`, so it warned on every run. A permanent warning is worse than
+noise: it invites someone to "fix" a link that was never broken.
+
+The canonical path was already in that concept's `resource:` frontmatter, so the
+body link was duplicating it. Converted to inline code, and the bundle's
+cross-link warnings went to zero. Recorded as a convention in
+[index.md](index.md): reference out-of-bundle files by PATH in the body, with the
+canonical form in `resource:`/`sources:`.
+
+A postscript from verifying that: the control `grep -ci .cross-link.` returned 1
+and looked like a regression, because it matched the words in THIS ENTRY'S OWN
+HEADING. The real message form is `cross-link target not found`, which returns 0.
+A search term general enough to match your own prose about the thing is not a
+measurement of the thing - match the tool's actual output string.
+
+## 2026-08-21 - the on-dark accent is decided, and the dark band is three groups
+
+Two concepts corrected against what actually shipped in PR #540.
+
+**[design/site-palette.md](design/site-palette.md) was stale in the way that
+matters most.** It carried `#e85a52` as a *recommendation* and said "Not yet
+applied - Paul's call", describing an open blocker that is now closed. A cold
+session reading it would conclude the phase was still gated, which is exactly the
+false state that produced hours of adjacent work instead of the CSS. Now recorded
+as DECIDED and SHIPPED, with where it was applied - four eyebrows that MEASURED
+below AA, not a site-wide sweep, since sweeping is what the reverted 41-rule
+attempt got wrong.
+
+What survives the decision unchanged, and is re-stated: neither automated gate
+catches a contrast regression on those bands. No contrast test covers them and
+the screenshot suite passes a colour change of this size.
+
+**[architecture/css-pipeline.md](architecture/css-pipeline.md) documented how to
+HUNT the shape layer but never what the dark band is made of.** It is three
+groups - 1 footer background, 12 bottom-edge SVG fills across 9 page files, 5
+section bands - and moving a subset ships a seam. A first pass moved the footer
+and the 12 fills, leaving the 5 bands black, and created the seam the migration
+exists to remove; an earlier attempt moved the footer alone and was reverted for
+the mirror-image reason.
+
+The coupling that makes them one change: `--color-ruby` measures 4.10:1 on `#000`
+but 3.67:1 on `--surface-ink`, so migrating a band makes ruby text on it WORSE.
+Two eyebrows that were fine before the bands moved failed after.
+
+## 2026-08-21 - Phase 1a.4 dark surfaces: what shipped, and two live AA failures
+
+Shipped in `phase-1a4-dark-surfaces`: the footer and the 12
+`.fl-builder-bottom-edge-layer` shape fills moved onto `--surface-ink` together
+(either alone leaves a seam - that is why the earlier attempt was reverted), the
+`--ruby-on-ink: #e85a52` token landed (5.39:1 on `--surface-ink` vs
+`--color-ruby`'s 3.67:1), and two eyebrows that were failing WCAG AA on the live
+homepage at 4.1:1 were fixed to 6.02:1.
+
+Recorded in [architecture/css-pipeline.md](architecture/css-pipeline.md): the
+audit that found those failures first reported 1.12:1, because
+`[class*="eyebrow"]` matches the `.fl-module` WRAPPER and the text is painted
+three levels down. An implausible reading on a page that renders fine is the
+instrument, not the page.
+
+Scope stopped deliberately short of the remaining 18 ruby eyebrow rules and 36
+hardcoded black backgrounds. Only measured failures were fixed; a blanket sweep
+is exactly what produced the reverted AA regression, and several of those blacks
+are code-block surfaces, which is a design decision rather than a token rename.
+
 ## 2026-08-21 - what okf_validate actually guards, and the two-spec trap
 
 Recorded in [build/test-gates.md](build/test-gates.md), where the gates live.
diff --git a/themes/beaver/assets/css/footer.css b/themes/beaver/assets/css/footer.css
index 50e13be70..aa4e24aa7 100644
--- a/themes/beaver/assets/css/footer.css
+++ b/themes/beaver/assets/css/footer.css
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 .footer-component {
-    background-color: black;
+    background-color: var(--surface-ink);
     color: white;
     padding-top: 130px;
     padding-bottom: 40px;
diff --git a/themes/beaver/assets/css/foundations/css-variables.css b/themes/beaver/assets/css/foundations/css-variables.css
index abe916d7f..d2294d6b8 100644
--- a/themes/beaver/assets/css/foundations/css-variables.css
+++ b/themes/beaver/assets/css/foundations/css-variables.css
@@ -75,6 +75,11 @@
   /* Ruby tints. --color-ruby #cc342d (5.1:1 on white, AA both
      directions) and --color-ruby-hover already exist above. */
   --ruby-700: #9e2620;  /* pressed / text-on-light where AA needs more */
+  --ruby-on-ink: #e85a52;  /* ruby ON --surface-ink. --color-ruby is 3.67:1
+                              there (fails AA-normal, large-text only);
+                              this is 5.39:1. Use for any ruby TEXT or icon
+                              on the dark band — not for ruby BACKGROUNDS,
+                              which keep --color-ruby with white on top. */
   --ruby-100: #fbeae8;  /* tint background */
   --ruby-050: #fdf5f4;  /* hero blush (course page, campaign heroes) */
 
diff --git a/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/about-us.css b/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/about-us.css
index 979dcf201..3d6ad5dec 100644
--- a/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/about-us.css
+++ b/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/about-us.css
@@ -846,7 +846,7 @@ img.mfp-img {
   padding-bottom: 0px;
 }
 .about-achievements > .fl-row-content-wrap {
-  background-color: #000;
+  background-color: var(--surface-ink);
   background-repeat: no-repeat;
   background-position: center center;
   background-attachment: scroll;
@@ -902,7 +902,7 @@ img.mfp-img {
 
 
 .about-testimonials-cta .fl-builder-bottom-edge-layer .fl-shape-content .fl-shape {
-  fill: #000000;
+  fill: var(--surface-ink);
 }
 
 
@@ -1540,7 +1540,7 @@ img.mfp-img {
   border-bottom-right-radius: px;
 }
 .fl-builder-content .about-achievements-eyebrow .fl-module-content .fl-rich-text, .fl-builder-content .about-achievements-eyebrow .fl-module-content .fl-rich-text * {
-  color: var(--color-ruby);
+  color: var(--ruby-on-ink);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/careers.css b/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/careers.css
index e14bf3a0c..ed3d485eb 100644
--- a/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/careers.css
+++ b/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/careers.css
@@ -763,7 +763,7 @@ img.mfp-img {
   }
 }
 .careers-testimonial > .fl-row-content-wrap {
-  background-color: #000;
+  background-color: var(--surface-ink);
   background-repeat: no-repeat;
   background-position: center center;
   background-attachment: scroll;
@@ -812,7 +812,7 @@ img.mfp-img {
 }
 
 .careers-positions .fl-builder-bottom-edge-layer .fl-shape-content .fl-shape {
-  fill: #000000;
+  fill: var(--surface-ink);
 }
 
 .careers-positions > .fl-row-content-wrap {
diff --git a/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/clients.css b/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/clients.css
index 6b5ef2155..390388123 100644
--- a/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/clients.css
+++ b/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/clients.css
@@ -1016,7 +1016,7 @@ img.mfp-img {
 
 
 .clients-hero .fl-builder-bottom-edge-layer .fl-shape-content .fl-shape {
-  fill: #000000;
+  fill: var(--surface-ink);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/homepage.css b/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/homepage.css
index de620f03d..9c3afda89 100644
--- a/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/homepage.css
+++ b/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/homepage.css
@@ -1823,7 +1823,7 @@ img.mfp-img {
 
 
 .home-proof .fl-builder-bottom-edge-layer .fl-shape-content .fl-shape {
-  fill: #000000;
+  fill: var(--surface-ink);
 }
 
 
@@ -1844,7 +1844,7 @@ img.mfp-img {
 
 
 .home-services > .fl-row-content-wrap {
-  background-color: #000;
+  background-color: var(--surface-ink);
   background-repeat: no-repeat;
   background-position: center center;
   background-attachment: scroll;
@@ -1902,7 +1902,7 @@ img.mfp-img {
 
 
 .home-why-us .fl-builder-bottom-edge-layer .fl-shape-content .fl-shape {
-  fill: #000000;
+  fill: var(--surface-ink);
 }
 
 
@@ -3041,7 +3041,7 @@ img.mfp-img {
 
 
 .fl-builder-content .home-services-eyebrow .fl-module-content .fl-rich-text, .fl-builder-content .home-services-eyebrow .fl-module-content .fl-rich-text * {
-  color: var(--color-ruby);
+  color: var(--ruby-on-ink);
 }
 
 
@@ -3424,7 +3424,7 @@ img.mfp-img {
   }
 }
 .fl-builder-content .home-clients-eyebrow .fl-module-content .fl-rich-text, .fl-builder-content .home-clients-eyebrow .fl-module-content .fl-rich-text * {
-  color: var(--color-ruby);
+  color: var(--ruby-on-ink);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/services.css b/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/services.css
index f370a9fc2..dcf95e400 100644
--- a/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/services.css
+++ b/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/services.css
@@ -1112,7 +1112,7 @@ img.mfp-img {
 
 
 .services-showcase .fl-builder-bottom-edge-layer .fl-shape-content .fl-shape {
-  fill: #000000;
+  fill: var(--surface-ink);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/single-client.css b/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/single-client.css
index 2b9f944c1..29c7457ca 100644
--- a/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/single-client.css
+++ b/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/single-client.css
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@
   transform: scaleX(-1) scaleY(-1);
 }
 .cs-more .fl-builder-bottom-edge-layer .fl-shape-content .fl-shape {
-  fill: #000000;
+  fill: var(--surface-ink);
 }
 .cs-more > .fl-row-content-wrap {
   padding-top: 80px;
diff --git a/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/single-service.css b/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/single-service.css
index 136d238ea..2ee3af332 100644
--- a/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/single-service.css
+++ b/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/single-service.css
@@ -808,7 +808,7 @@ img.mfp-img {
   background-size: cover;
 }
 .service-hero .fl-builder-bottom-edge-layer .fl-shape-content .fl-shape {
-  fill: #000000;
+  fill: var(--surface-ink);
 }
 
 
@@ -825,7 +825,7 @@ img.mfp-img {
 
 
 .service-overview > .fl-row-content-wrap {
-  background-color: #000;
+  background-color: var(--surface-ink);
   background-repeat: no-repeat;
   background-position: center center;
   background-attachment: scroll;
@@ -857,7 +857,7 @@ img.mfp-img {
 
 
 .service-clients .fl-builder-bottom-edge-layer .fl-shape-content .fl-shape {
-  fill: #000000;
+  fill: var(--surface-ink);
 }
 
 
@@ -1298,7 +1298,7 @@ img.mfp-img {
   padding-bottom: 40px !important;
 }
 .fl-builder-content .service-overview-eyebrow .fl-module-content .fl-rich-text, .fl-builder-content .service-overview-eyebrow .fl-module-content .fl-rich-text * {
-  color: var(--color-ruby);
+  color: var(--ruby-on-ink);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/single-use-cases.css b/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/single-use-cases.css
index abfd5cb69..3769332f9 100644
--- a/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/single-use-cases.css
+++ b/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/single-use-cases.css
@@ -807,7 +807,7 @@ img.mfp-img {
   background-size: cover;
 }
 .use-case-hero .fl-builder-bottom-edge-layer .fl-shape-content .fl-shape {
-  fill: #000000;
+  fill: var(--surface-ink);
 }
 
 
@@ -816,7 +816,7 @@ img.mfp-img {
   padding-bottom: 0px;
 }
 .use-case-details > .fl-row-content-wrap {
-  background-color: #000;
+  background-color: var(--surface-ink);
   background-repeat: no-repeat;
   background-position: center center;
   background-attachment: scroll;
@@ -848,7 +848,7 @@ img.mfp-img {
 
 
 .use-case-clients .fl-builder-bottom-edge-layer .fl-shape-content .fl-shape {
-  fill: #000000;
+  fill: var(--surface-ink);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/use-cases.css b/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/use-cases.css
index 8f614f73e..b13cd32d8 100644
--- a/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/use-cases.css
+++ b/themes/beaver/assets/css/pages/use-cases.css
@@ -1043,7 +1043,7 @@ img.mfp-img {
 
 
 .use-cases-cta .fl-builder-bottom-edge-layer .fl-shape-content .fl-shape {
-  fill: #000000;
+  fill: var(--surface-ink);
 }