Greetings everyone!
Welcome back to the third chapter of "The Arcful Dodger: Reboot Edition."
Now, I just want to be clear that I am not at all upset from your criticisms and in fact I greatly appreciate them on a great level. They've helped me realize that I was messing up my story and that I needed to get it back on the right track. It's also what made me realize just how much damage my stress was getting to me due to working on so many stories at once.
Which is why I've updated this chapter, along with the fourth chapter, with the new direction. And it's also why I've decided that afterwards this and my other stories will be placed on a temporary hiatus until my two selected stories are completed. But I didn't want to just leave this story off on a bad note, which is why this chapter has a new ending.
I promise, I'm not cancelling this story at all. I hope that clears things up and that you all enjoy.
Next Scheduled Release Date:
On a temporary hiatus until further notice. Next chapter will be a rewrite of chapter four.
Please check out my two selected stories that I'll be working on in August.
"The Master Huntsman" & "Operation: Jaune's Ex-Girlfriend".
Make sure to Favorite, Follow, and leave a Review.
Till next time!
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Chapter Three
How did it all go down hill?
It was supposed to be an "easy" heist, security would be focused on the rowdy crowd that was hopped-up on a new experimental drug, alarms were meant to be disabled from all sections in the western part of the facility due to "complications" thanks to his source, and then he was supposed to slip out back through the entrance along with the retreating crowd. But instead his source sets him up and now here he was trapped in a dirty, cesspool room strapped to a chair with only a "domesticated" Grimm to keep him company.
If someone had told Dodger that this was how he was gonna spend his saturday night he would've opted to stay in bed dressed in his onsie and watch cartoons.
Hey, say what you want about him being a professional thief that didn't mean he didn't enjoy watching cartoons from time to time. Or that his life only revolved around stealing. Maybe in the past it did but now he was comfortable enough to avoid starving for more than a month at a time. Now, he only stole because of the thrill it gave him and the fact that he could still honor his "knightly code" made it all the more better.
But that didn't solve his current situation now did it?
"Think Jaune! Think! What was it that Roman always said about being tied to a chair?" thought Dodger as he tried to wrack his brain for any kind of advice his former mentor taught him during his stay as Roman's protege.
...10 Years Earlier...
It was 10 years prior that Jaune was making his way as a lowly pickpocket in the slums of Vale. He never went to the nicer part of the city, too many eyes watching his actions and if there was one thing Jaune learned as a pickpocket it was the less eyes watching the better. What he wouldn't do to avoid going hungry for just one night. Still, he made due with what he could obtain, no matter how much it pained him to do. He wanted to be a hero, a symbol of justice for the little guys but now here he was stealing from those just like him in order to survive another night in the cold.
But now, he wished he could take it all back. He wished he could return home to his family and sleep in his bed or go back to the orphanage and play with the boy with the pink stripe and the girl that always hung around him. He'd do anything to avoid the man that was chasing him right now. He was supposed to be sleeping at this exact time and Jaune would pick his pockets of any Lien the man had earned through his less than desirable means. But it hadn't happened the way it should've as evident by Jaune running down the alleyways of the slums, using every trick he had to escape from the raging man that chased him down like a rabid dog.
Jaune ran as fast as his little legs could take him, thankful for the man's lack of stamina and overweight body. He made twists and turns and even U-turns to avoid the man's grasp and just as he saw the bright streets of Vale's market place, tears streaming down his face, the cold, calloused hand of the man's grip covered his mouth, preventing his screams from being heard as the man pulled Jaune away from safety before knocking him out.
He awoke several hours later, tied to a chair in a dark room with a silver adhesive patch taped over his mouth, preventing his cries for help. The man returned later with a hacksaw and a tub of unknown liquid. The sight alone caused Jaune more distress as he thrashed in his restraints while the man went about his business in silence, blatantly ignoring Jaune's cries and pleas.
It wasn't until the man squeezed Jaune's cheeks that his cries turned to whimpers while the man remained silent. With an aggressive shove, Jaune was tossed to the floor along with the chair while the man went back to sitting in his chair while Jaune cried.
"I work hard for what I earn and people like you leech off of me for your own personal gains." the man said in a very aggressive tone. "I wasn't a bad man...I had a job and a family that I loved until you people stole from me! I lost everything because of thieves like you!" he shouted, kicking Jaune's ribs and ignoring his painful cries. "Well, I've had enough of leeches like you...It's time someone did something to prevent you from leeching from anymore kindhearted people." said the man, holding the hacksaw in his hands menacingly. And as the jagged edges neared Jaune's exposed arms, his tears flowing like a waterfall down his cheeks, the sound of heavy knocking on a door drew the man's attention away from Jaune along with a shout.
"Asshole, we know you're in there! You still owe us from all that money you borrowed!" shouted a man from behind the door, his tone of voice caused the man to growl in aggravation.
The man placed his heavy boot on Jaune's face, pressing down onto it with heavy pressure.
"You stay quiet, got that? If you mutter a single sound I'll-" the man began as another knock and shout halted his threat.
"HEY! Get the fuck out here, you druggie!" shouted the man outside, causing the man to growl again, taking his boot off and stomping off towards the door, leaving Jaune alone on the floor with the hacksaw close to his fingertips.
Jaune, seizing a way out, reached out for the handle of the hacksaw with all his might. His skin just barely grazing the handle but luckily with a silent shift of his chair, his fingers managed to latch onto the hacksaw's handle and with slow dexterity he was able to direct the jagged edges towards his restraints. As quickly as he could muster, he sawed through the restraints and a portion of his skin, causing him to bleed from his forearms but luckily avoiding to release any painful screams as he sawed the remainder of his restraints before standing and searching the room. The man was still speaking with the man outside, giving Jaune a prime opportunity to make his escape but his horror, it seemed that the only exit from this nightmare was the front door where the man currently was.
He had to come up with a plan before the man made his return. He eyes narrowed on the tub of unknown liquid and the hacksaw that given him his freedom. And with what little information he had, Jaune speculated that the man was planning to cut him into pieces and dump his body in acid to get rid of any evidence. Jaune sent off a silent prayer to his father, thanking him for teaching about criminology and detective skills. Jaune wracked his brain as he began to search the rest of the room, finding a length of rope, used to retrain him, a hammer, and some nails. And with swiftness he had never had before, Jaune went to work, hammering the rope between the doorway with the nails as quietly as he could and spilling the acid on the floor before hiding away behind the man's chair just as the door opened to reveal the man in a heavy sweat, his eyes glazed over but still full of rage as he swiveled his head in search of Jaune.
"Where the fuck are you leech!?" he shouted, moving his foot forward only to be caught by the rope, sending him toppling down towards the pool of acid. His skin burning and melting at the touch as he palms, chest, stomach, and face met the pool, causing the man to scream out in pain and giving Jaume ample time to escape. Jaune ran towards the door, jumping on the man's back as he attempted to get up and shoving him back into the pool of acid as he released another painful scream. Jaune ran down the darkened hallway and out the door as the man, now with a half-melted face chased after him sluggishly. And breaking through the door, Jaune escaped into freedom, only to have it dashed away as he ran into the body of a man with bright orange hair with a bowler hat and a cane.
Jaune fell to the ground due to the collision while the man staggered, turning his anger onto Jaune but stopping once he had seen his tears and bleeding arms. Standing behind the man was a girl with pink, brown, and white hair and discolored eyes. Jaune began to cry as the man drew closer as he planted himself on his knees before the stranger, begging him to save him from the man inside. The stranger looked to Jaune's crying eyes before his jawline clenched and his eyes became hardened. The stranger stepped over Jaune's kneeling form as he planted his crane firmly on the ground before turning his head over his shoulder to address the girl standing beside Jaune.
"Neo, take the kid back home. I've got some business to attend to." said the man, entering the house with a darkness looming over him. And as the girl, named Neo, took his hand and dragged him away from the nightmare, Jaune released more tears.
Not of sadness but of joy.
It was hours later that Jaune met the stranger in his place of home, an old and abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Vale, safely tucked away from the prying eyes of the lawful and a safe haven for the lawless. And now here Jaune stood in his dirtied clothing with bandaged arms while the man sat on a couch across from him. Neither spoke nor moved a muscle and instead chose to remain silent and watch the other while Neo sat off to the side watching cartoons and eating ice cream.
"So, kid. What's your story?" the man asked, leaning back in his spot as Jaune shifted about nervously, shrugging his shoulders. "You've got a family?" he asked again, getting another shrug from Jaune. "You at least go a name?" he finally asked, watching as Jaune's head nodded. "You gonna tell me what it is?" he asked again only for Jaune to shake his head as droplets of tears escaped from the edges of his closed eyes.
And then the stranger did something that Jaune never expected from a man such as him.
Jaune's eyes widened to extremes as he felt the man's arms wrap around him in a comforting embrace.
"It's okay, kid. You're safe. No one's going to hurt you anymore." the man continued to say comforting words that soon began to overwhelm Jaune as more tears streamed down his cheeks and his arms wrapped around the man, trying to absorb the comforting warmth the man presented him. Eventually, the man pulled away with a cheeky smirk and said, "Kid, I've got a proposition for ya."
And so began the next few years of Jaune's life as he was taken under the wing of the man who saved him. It was later on that he learned the man's name was Roman Torchwick, the expert thief who was making a name for himself in the seedy underworld of Vale. And while Jaune hated that he was learning unlawful trades from a criminal, he knew that he only end up starving in a gutter without them. He and Roman would discuss a variety of topics from politics to slight of hand to weapon gadgetry. Anything to give Jaune and ace against his opponents, these ranged from persuasion to escape artistry; which brought him to his current situation of being tied to a chair while Roman gave advice from the sideline and Neo watched TV.
"Alright, kid, first rule when in restraints, always have a key. It doesn't matter what kind of lock they may have, so long as you have a key to it you're guarantee to get free. Now on the off chance you don't have a key, you can always use your gadgets such as your Dust gloves. A little spark and some oxygen and you'll have a fire at your fingertip or a little electricity can short circuit any electronic lock. But if you're without all of those well then it's time to get creative."
...Present Day...
"Get creative." thought Dodger as he search the room he was in. "Jackass, had to the knives, huh? Dammit, there's nothing here that could cut me loose...Except for..." though Dodger, twisting his head to stare into the glowing red eyes of Jack's "domesticated" pet Grimm, Mayor Hare. A sigh escaped his lips as he twisted his head to stare into the glowing bulb. "I'm so fucked..." he said before wiggling in his chair, causing it to shake about until finally falling backwards towards the cage, the edge of the chair landing on the steel bars with a dong, alerting the Grimm to his actions. A hard snarling growl escaped between the gaps in Mayor Hare's jagged teeth and with a powerful bound of his muscular hind legs, the Grimm launched itself at Dodger. But reacting quickly, Dodger was able to shift his position just in the nick of time. The Grimm's gaping maw taking out a chunk in Dodger's chair, allowing him to break free of his restraints.
Shaking from the adrenaline in his body, Dodger stood back on his feet as the Grimm latched his massive clawed hands around the bars, staring into Dodger's eyes with it's own red ones. But before Dodger could make a single quip at the beast the creaking of the door brought his attention to Jack, who stood in the doorway with the angriest look possible. The mad man threw out his bladed throwing cards, each symbol glowing a certain color. But thinking quickly was what Dodger was trained to do as he flipped the table, catching the bladed throwing cards and allowing Dodger to escape the room as Jack released a raging shout.
Dodger ran and ran as fast as he could down the lengthy corridors of the facility. But soon enough the bounding sounds of a certain large Grimm were all the incentive Dodger needed to book it ten times fast. And so he ran down the corridors, breaking through a door labeled "exit" and found himself in one of the large sewage pipes that lined most of Vale's sewage and water systems. Dodger racked his head as he tried to remember the map of Vale's sewage line Roman had him memorize until his eyes landed on some markings on the wall next to him, "SEV-2496".
"South-East Vale...I'm in the waterfront district. And if I'm near the waterfront then that means..." he thought to himself as the sound of Mayor Hare's bounds grew closer, causing Dodger to begin running down the sewage pipe. And then came the loud crashing sound of rubble hitting sewage and the subsequent roar from Mayor Hare. "Oh come on!" shouted Dodger taking off down the pipe as the monstrous Grimm made its way down the pipeway and sitting atop the monstrous beast was a crazy-eyed Jack Topper.
Now finally in the light, Dodger was able to get a clear view of the so-called "Mayor Hare". The Grimm was unlike anything he'd ever seen before, it was almost an amalgamation of several different types of Grimm, from the sheer size of an Ursa, the claws and hind legs of a Beowolf, the maw of a Creep, and the stinger of a Deathstalker.
Forget Mayor Hare, this thing should've been called a nightmare!
Swiftly, Dodger raced down the pipe followed by the ever-bounding Grimm and it's master. His years of training with Roman were finally paying off as he dodged the various bladed throwing cards from Jack and the thrusts of Mayor Hare's stinger, always keeping himself afar from their grasp as he ran down the pipeline, stopping only briefly to make a turn down another pipe, seeing more markings on the wall.
"SEV-2500! This is it! Just down this pipe is the area where all waste in separated from the sewage line!" thought Dodger, racing down the pipeline as he neared a massive clearing where many alternate pipelines intersected, all leading to a large chasm leading deeper underground where the sewage as processed. His brilliant blue eyes searched the room finding a bright red exit door that would lead him to freedom but before he could make a single step the sudden appearance of Jack and his pet Grimm halting his progress. The massive Grimm quickly wrapped his clawed hand around Dodger's form, pulling him towards it's gaping maw but a swift bonk from Jack stopped it's motion, releasing a whimper before raising it's arm, and by extension Dodger, to eye level with Jack, who glared at Dodger like a disappointed step-father.
"I'm disappointed in you, Jaune." said Jack, glaring into Dodger's eyes. "I worked hard to make you feel comfortable and what do I get in return? An ungentlemanly attitude from someone I thought was the pinnacle of gentlemanly nature. And to make matters worse, you deliberately attempted to harm me for simply trying to do my job. Now, will I would wish for nothing more than see you judged for your actions, I'm afraid that Ms. Lancaster has a few choice words she'd like to speak to you." said Jack, watching with hidden glee as Dodger swallowed his bravery before tapping his foot on Mayor Hare's neck. "Pumpkin, take us back home." he commanded, crossing his arms as he prepared himself for his pet to transport them home. But strangely the Grimm remained unfazed by his owner's actions, causing Jack to, once again, tap his heel on the Grimm's neck with added force. "Sweetie, I know you're excited to be out of your room but daddy is in no mood for whatever it is you're doing." said Jack, snarling as he pressed down on Mayor Hare's exposed neck with more pressure.
And then from out of nowhere, Jack was thrown from the Grimm's backside via it's stinger, releasing a massive roar that reverberated throughout the are, bouncing off the cement walls and causing the various hanging pipes to shake due to the vibrations. Jack landed with a thud across the circular chasm, leaving Dodger in the Grimm's grasp. The Grimm then launched itself towards it's master, who struggled to get up only to be trapped between a rock and a hard place as the Grimm latched it's clawed tips into the cement wall, trapping Jack in it's grip before raising it's stinger to strike at Jack's exposed head.
In that moment, Dodger, using his what little freedom he had, reaching into his breast pocket, pulling out a handful of bladed throwing cards he managed to swipe from Jack's person when he made his escape. From the looks on the cards and their signature glow, Dodger had to guess that each card had a corresponding Dust element. And so, as he plunged the bladed tip of a red hearts card into the exposed arm of Mayor Hare, the wound soon caught fire, causing the Grimm to release a scream of pain before throwing Dodger across the chasm, slamming his body into the wall. Dodger groaned in pain, his hand clasping his right side as he sent out a curse at Roman.
"Dammit Roman! You couldn't be bothered to unlock my Aura during all those training sessions?!" he shouted, shaking his fist at the ceiling before climbing to his feet as he watched the Grimm poise it's stinger to kill Jack. And while Dodger would love nothing more than make his escape from this hell he was dragged in, he knew his father would chastise him for allowing someone to die when he could've helped, even if they were complete assholes. So, with a sigh of exhaustion and a pump of heroism, Dodger ran towards the Grimm, using his dexterous hand to throw another bladed throwing card, this one marked with a cyan diamond at Mayor Hare's tail. The instant it struck the card exploded, freezing the tail instantly, it's added weight causing the tail to fall to the ground.
When the Grimm's head turned his way, he tosses another card at it's gaping maw, this one marked by a green club. The moment it drew close the card released a massive amounts of gusts. The force alone was enough for Mayor Hare to release Jack from it's grip before Dodger used the opportunity to use the curved wall to wall run towards the Grimm and with a leap and a bound Dodger was able to plant himself on the Grimm's chest as it teetered on the edge. With the grace of a swan, Dodger calmly placed the last card on the Grimm's chest, his hand moving to reveal a black spade card. The card having an immediate effect as the Grimm quickly plummeted down the large chasm an into the pool of sewage that lined the bottom.
But Dodger's troubles didn't end there as Jack, with bloodshot eyes and a maniacal laugh tossed the gentlemanly thief to the side before making his leap down into the chasm after his pet. But Dodger, not wanting to see another person's death, reacted quickly, managing to catch the mad man's ankle at the last second. Jack's head twisted to glare at Dodger's hand, which saved him from his pet.
"What are you doing?!" he shouted at his savior, who struggle to keep his flailing form from falling to the same demise. "Can't you see he needs me?! I'm all he has! He's lost without his daddy!" the mad man continued to scream, his hands reaching down in futile attempt to save his pet Grimm as tears flowed down his cheeks and dropping down into the chasm.
"What the actual FUCK is wrong with you?!" Dodger shouted back, struggling to hold Jack's weight with his rib in pain. "It's just a Grimm! It has no emotions! It feels nothing for you! I mean, it was literally just about to kill you not like 5 seconds ago!" he continued to shout at the deranged man before seeing his hands a singular bladed throwing card with a cyan diamond. "Stop! You don't have to do this! I can get you help! I promise! I promise on my name as an Arc!" he pleaded with the mad man, his eyes widening at Jack's smile.
"It's true what they say, Jaune. You may be a thief...But you're no villain...Thank you for attending my tea party." said Jack' stabbing his leg with the card, freezing his leg before using his fist to shatter the chunk of frozen flesh, freeing him from Dodger's grip and sending him into a free fall towards the bottom where his only family remained.
Dodger watched as the mad man who held him captive just moments ago, ready to torture him with all sorts of gadgets but now here he was practically crying over his death. But sadly there would be little time to mourn as the tell tale sound of ringing alarms brought his attention away from the chasm. Those rings while ear-numbingly loud gave Dodger an idea that the other pipes were about to open to release their collected sewage down the chasm. So, with great haste Dodger slowly made his way up the metal stairs towards the red exit door and just as his fingers curled around the brass doorknob, the sound of creaking metal drew his attention back towards the pipes. And there he stood, watching a tons of sewage and dirty water were dumped down into the chasm. Solemnness overtook Dodger as he took off his top hat and made a bow in honor of his fellow well-dressed host before exiting the sewage system all together.
It has minutes later when Dodger found himself standing just outside his own hideout, his head sweating from exhaustion but before he could muster a single step, the sound of heels clacking behind him caused his head to twist around, seeing Neo standing just behind him with his cane in hand.
"Hello, love. Glad to see you made it out safely." said Dodger, smiling to hide his pain over failing to save a life.
But Neo knew him even better than he knew himself as she wrapped her tiny arms around his frame, snuggling her face into his chest while he held her in his arms. Though she has never uttered a single sound throughout the years he's known her, Dodger never had to guess just what she was feeling and he was forever thankful to the love and care she showed him.
Both as a child and now.
Soon their shared moment was cut short as the sound of police sirens drew their attention to a massive column of black ashy-smoke climbed into the sky, exactly where the infamous underground club was located. Dodger's eyes widened at the marvelous sight as the white fluffy clouds sailed overheard, completely oblivious to the fiery destruction that was below them. Instantly, Dodger knew exactly what had occurred to the club as his cerulean eyes drifted onto the impish smile on his lover's innocent face.
"I take it that's your doing, love?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. Didn't make her silent giggling any less adorable to him as they both watched the beautiful fire that raged on across the skyline of Vale. As they sat upon the pile of rubble that rested outside his secretive hideout, Dodger slowly wrapped his right arm around his cute little psychopath's shoulders, drawing her closer into his side when she rested her delicate head against the side of his chest.
Suddenly, a sparkling light caught his attention as his eyes locked onto the object that had very nearly turned him into a dominatrix's toy, a torturer's captive guest, and a Grimm's eventual pile of gutter shit. The pristine ruby heart of Scarlet Lancaster and his object of affection, resting comfortably in the palm of his sweet tri-colored dessert. His face split into a smile as he wrapped his arms around Neo's little body, lifting her up into the air as laughter expelled from his mouth.
"Ahaha!" he laughed, smiling as Neo silently laughed along, clearly enjoying the affection Dodger was showering her with. "You sneaky little minx! I should've figured you'd take the heart once Shiro and his gang of grunts appeared." said Dodger, slowly taking the ruby heart from Neo's hand before raising it into the sky, smiling as the sun's light made the red jewel sparkle.
Immediately, Dodger lowered his arm and reached into his pocket, feeling nothing as he remembered his scroll had been taken. Only to glance at Neo, pursing her lips in an effort not to laugh as she held up not only his scroll, but his hat, cane, and even his wallet. Seeing this, Dodger's expression shifted in a deadpan as he took his desirables back.
"Ok, now you're just showing off." he said, placing his trusty top hat back where it belonged on top of his head before turning his attention back to his scroll. After in putting a sequence of numbers, Dodger was able to unlock his scroll and enter in another sequence of numbers until his scroll's screen bloomed to life, revealing another handsomely dressed fellow with multi-colored hair and crystal green eyes. "Greetings, Mr. Hemlock." he said aloud, smiling as the man on the other side hopped to attention with a widening smile.
"Why, if it isn't the Arcful Dodger?" the gentlemanly fellow exclaimed, practically mashing his face against the scroll's camera before pulling back to reveal his two feline ears that rested atop his cranium. "And how many times have I said to PLEASE do call me Sardonyx or Sardie or even Onyx?" he asked pouting his lower lip in fake saddness while Dodger remained unfazed by the man's weirdness.
"Apologies, Sardonyx." he apologized, bowing his head slightly at the Faunus on the other side of his scroll. "But, you'll be happy to know that the Ms. Lancaster will be of no threat to you any more. And I must thank you for the tip on her jar of hearts." said Dodger, lifting the ruby heart for Sardonyx to see, his eyes widening at it's beauty. "Though, it seems the information on the security was unfortunately false." he said, slightly frowning at his source.
"Ah, Mr. Dodger, but my information is never false. I make absolute sure of that" said Sardonyx, taking his seat as the scroll's feed continued on. "I merely thought you'd desire a bit of excitement in your mission."
"I suppose I should've expected nothing less from a man descending into madness." said Dodger, sighing with his face resting against his hand while Sardonyx bellowed out in laughter.
"Ah, but in order to be descending into madness, one to be sane first, Mr. Dodger." said Sardonyx, smiling his trademark sardonic smile. "And as you can no doubt see, I am neither sane nor insane. I am simply a little bit mad." he said, pulling out a collection of papers. "Now, I must be going or else Shiro will throw a fit over why his "loyal" agent is missing. If you require my services once again, do remember, Mr. Dodger, that madness is just a hop away. Tootle-loo!" he exclaimed, ending the call and allowing Dodger to sigh in relief.
"I swear that man descends further and further into madness each time I speak with him." said Dodger, sighing as he ended his call and took Neo's hand in his. The two of them continued to watch as teams of firefighters raced to extinguish the towering inferno while squadrons of police worked tirelessly to round up the various criminals that once called the smoldering underground club home. "Now, my dear sweet little dessert, I believe I owe you a treat." he said, cupping her delicate cheek in his soft palm before pressing his lips against her own. The two sharing in a loving embrace as the music of cackling fire and sirens echoed in the distance.
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And there we have the new ending of Chapter Three and the start to the rebooted story. I am currently working on my "Don't Mess With An Arc" story but do not worry the fourth-rebooted chapter will be coming once this story has been chosen.
And what's this? Dodger's source was in actuality one of Scarlet's own loyal men? What are the odds of that?
And if you've no doubt already figured out, Sardonyx Hemlock alludes to the Cheshire Cat. I chose the name Sardonyx mainly because it sounds similar to "sardonic" which is closely associated to the Water Dropwort Hemlock plant that is deathly poisonous to humans and for some strange reasons causes it's victims to smile sardonically upon death.
What sort of trouble will the Arcful Dodger get into next time? Who knows, but make sure to keep checking back to see the rebooted chapter four that will put this story of thievery and romance back on track in the next chapter of "The Arcful Dodger"!
Till next time!
