Author's Note: I really don't want to spend too much time talking because I know you guys want to read, but I have a new goal: I want to see 100 people following Amnesia :) I know it's a bit of a stretch but I wanna get there and I think it'll be a cool thing to do together, don't you think so? A reasonable time could be before my 1st anniversary on April 29 so let's get started! :D Alright, that aside, I have to get back to celebrating my birthday! (that's why I posted earlier than usual...) So thanks again and happy reading!
A Previous Summary: The Titans are forced to defend themselves from a classic enemy. Their idea was to distract him so Raven could flee, but she ends up staying. Raven refused to leave the Titans at a time like this. They then decide to abort all together but the plan quickly goes wrong. After Beast Boy is knocked out, Raven realizes that she is the prime target and Cinderblock advances onto her. Just before he could have easily attacked Raven, Cinderblock stops fighting and he is taken down by a single blow. Back at Titans Tower, Raven is conflicted about her feelings towards the Titans. Using her powers for good was a thrilling experience, but it concerned her to know that the Titans were preparing her for this the whole time, even though they refused to get her involved. As a final move, Raven demands to know the truth. No one dares to share anything and Raven storms away to her bedroom, never wanting to speak to the Titans ever again.
Amnesia
Chapter 21: My Own Worst Enemy
The very moment I returned to my bedroom and closed the portal, an orchestra of complaints arose from my head.
Raven! scolded my Emoticlones all at once.
Now, a massive war raged in Nevermore. Each Emoticlone was competing for dominance and they struggled against one another. I could only catch bits and pieces of their sentences as they fought to be the voice heard above them all.
I can't believe you would...
...only made it worse…
...and we could've helped you and now…
...mistake and you know it! We-!
Hey! What-?
Back off!
No! I was here first!
I was just going to-!
Wait your turn!
I wanna say something too!
The fight was getting more and more intense and instead of directing their speech towards me, they were now verbally arguing with each other. It certainly created a painful headache, much alike a migraine, but I was more annoyed than upset. I was in no mood to argue but apparently they were.
"Calm down," I remarked, kicking off my shoes. "Can't everyone just shut up? Wait until I get everything all set…"
I tossed my messenger bag aside and fumbled to prepare a spot on the floor for the ritual. It took me a while to reconstruct the circle and light each individual candle, meanwhile, my Emoticlones were still buzzing like an agitated hive of bees. I centered the mirror within the ignited ring and muttered my mantra to enchant it. The glass became foggy and the red jewel on the demonic relic started to illuminate. Distressed, yellow-tinted eyes were the first to appear.
"Well there you are!" I exclaimed sarcastically. "Now where have you guys been? I didn't hear anything from anyone for‒what?‒half a day?"
"You needed us," said the pair of yellow eyes. "Intervening would have only made it more difficult for you to enable your powers, which were in dire need. Despite everything, we tried to remain focused for you but Raven? What you did back there was-"
"-STUPID!" Brave barked before the eyes blinked again.
"-unacceptable," Wisdom finished, obviously stressed that she had been interrupted. "It was highly inappropriate."
"No, it was stupid," Brave continued. "Raven, how could you do something like that?"
"And what exactly did I do to upset you?" I countered back.
"We're all mad in here. Everybody's pretty pissed and it's all 'cause you threw a dumb tantrum."
"I'm the one throwing a tantrum?" I repeated, almost chuckling. "Really? I'm the most calm out of all of you. I wouldn't be saying anything about that, Brave."
"Alright, that is enough," said Wisdom, putting herself between me and Brave. "In all seriousness, Raven, not everyone is satisfied by your actions."
"I am!" announced Rude, but that didn't make me feel any better. "I don't see what the big deal is: so she decided to ignore those lying freaks...so what?"
"Raven needs the Titans," objected Affection. "We all need the Titans. We're making things worse by pushing them away. How is that supposed to help us?"
"I'm not speaking with them until they tell me what they've been hiding," I clarified.
"So you're going to boycott them?" asked Affection. "Just like that?"
"Why are you so against this?"
"Why are you doing this?!"
"Raven doesn't know the first thing about getting what she wants," muttered Brave. "And that's all she wants: for someone to give in to her."
"I'm fighting for what I think is right," I argued back defensively. "I thought you'd want to fight. I thought, out of all the others, you would be the one there for me. You would be the one to stand up and fight!"
"Not when I'm on the wrong side," she retorted.
"Then what side are you on? Theirs?"
"I'm on your side, Raven, but you're on the WRONG side!"
"Everyone, please!" Wisdom commanded but Brave wasn't willing to submit.
"You know what, Raven? Why do you hafta be so selfish? Have you ever considered us at all? Do you ever think about how we feel?"
"Too much so," I answered plainly. "As far as I'm concerned, everything I've ever said and done was because of you guys. I don't even know what I'd be like without any of you!"
"Man-up, will ya? You're stuck with us and you gotta deal with it. You can't hide from us."
"Don't tell me to man-up," I barked at the mirror. "How the hell is that supposed to make me feel any better?"
"Looks like the princess' feelings are hurt," Rude snickered.
"Stay out of this! I don't need any comments from you!"
"Woah there! Where did all this emotion come from? You should be like this more often…"
"I said STOP!"
It took every ounce of self-control to not obliterate the mirror into a thousand pieces. Furious, I broke the circle of sand and extinguished all the candles with the sweep of my dark energy. Instead of hurling the beauty tool across the room, I picked it up and roughly discarded it in my nightstand drawer, slamming it closed so it couldn't influence me anymore.
Hate being told off, huh? stalled Brave.
Shut up, I shot back.
C'mon now: you can't block us out that easily, Raven. You gotta stand up and talk it out!
I'm not going to hear this anymore. I'm done.
I marched over to my bookshelf and withdrew a bubbled flask filled with a grey powder. My hands fumbled to uncork it and using a wooden spoon, I scooped a portion of the enchanted particles into the glass of water on my nightstand. As the mixture stirred, it started to glow very lightly and I replaced the jar back on the shelf I had found it on.
Are you serious? asked Brave in disbelief.
I'm done now, I mentally announced. I'm going to bed so I don't have to listen to you guys.
As if that's going to stop us...
I then brought the cup to my lips and tipped my head back, guzzling the drink until none remained. Afterwards, I collapsed onto my bed and sighed into my pillows and thick comforters. All I had to do now was wait for the magical elixir to knock me out.
I bolted into an upright position, fully-awake now. No trace of the spell seemed to exist within me anymore, despite the heavy dosage I had ingested. The clock on my bedside read 6:43 AM and I became enraged. The spell had worked for several hours but I had been dreaming, which wasn't supposed to happen. It was the disturbance of a nightmare that woke me up and the spell wasn't responsible for it. My Emoticlones were the only ones to blame.
What was that for?
What?
Why did you do that? I cried. Are you guys really that mad at me?
Relax, Brave groaned. What's got into you?
I was just trying to sleep. That was completely unnecessary!
Hey! There's no need to point fingers, she snapped.
It was you, wasn't it?
What makes you think that?
Because it's ALWAYS you! You're the one who's getting in the way!
That doesn't mean it was me!
I covered my ears with my hands and curled forward: "Oh Azar, I can't take this anymore!"
Why? Rude taunted, joining our vulgar discussion. Because you know you were wrong?
That's not it, I said quickly but Rude was gathering her strength.
You can't lie to yourself, she continued and I sensed her revealing a grin. We know that you can't stop us. You're just too weak! You can't control us, therefore, you can't control yourself. Isn't that right?
No, that's not it!
Yes. It is.
I said NO!
What are you going to do now, Raven? Huh?! How do you expect to handle the situation when YOU CAN'T EVEN HANDLE YOURSELF?!
I flinched when I heard someone knock on my door. I looked up and watched it, almost in disbelief. Nobody should be around my bedroom so early into the morning anyway. Not to mention the bad-timing.
"Hey, Raven?"
Beast Boy's voice was as clear as day. I didn't say anything at first, hoping he would go away, but the Titan was persistent and knocked harder and more frequently, becoming worried.
"What is it?" I called through the door. "It's too early to be up."
"I could say the same to you," he answered.
"What, Beast Boy?" I groaned as I crawled out of the bed and approached the door. "I'm not in the mood for this."
"I- I know it's early and everything but I just wanted to come by and check up on ya. I thought I heard you say something too so…"
"I don't want to talk to you right now so just please go away."
Beast Boy seemed disheartened and I could sense his disappointment but he continued to offer his support: "Well, if you ever need somebody to talk to, I'll always be here. You can see me wherever."
"Okay," I said, wanting to end the conversation.
"Anytime, alright? Day or night doesn't matter. You know where we'll be."
"Okay, Beast Boy."
"Just up the stairs, okay? Right-side door of the Main Ops room. Go through there."
"Okay okay now please leave me alone!"
"Can you come by later today?" he insisted.
"What?"
"We need to talk about this soon. How about sometime after lunch?"
"I don't know!" I cried. "I just can't right now, Beast Boy! It wouldn't be good for me!"
"Well, I'll be waiting with everybody," the green changeling reminded me. "I'll be there for you."
"I know," I sighed, my voice falling to a whisper. "I know you'll be."
Beast Boy lingered outside my bedroom for another moment. He sighed, wishing he could say more, but he couldn't muster his courage. The pea-green boy turned and padded softly down the hallway, trying to hid his distress. I turned my back to the closed entrance and slid down to the floor into a heap. My knees curled into my chest and I pinched my eyes shut.
Raven...
Why are you bringing this up again? I thought hotly. Can't I take a break? Why can't I get some rest from this?
Because Brave is right: you cannot get rid of us, Raven, Wisdom said slowly. We shall forever exist so we must learn to cooperate as a unified team.
You call this cooperating? I thought back.
You must listen to me. If this is ever going to get better, we need to work together.
Yeah? What makes you think you're the one in charge here?
I did not mean it like that. We-
Wisdom could read my thoughts and she became worried, as did all of the other Emoticlones. Right now, the only thing on my mind was to be alone and I obviously couldn't do that with my Emoticlones present. Even though I was only considering it, they grew fearful, especially Wisdom.
No. Raven, do not do this. Raven! Please listen to me! You cannot do that! You will be doing something horrible to yourself! Please stop and listen to me!
"No! I've had enough of listening to you!" I shouted, rising from my seat on the ground. I was physically straining to amplify my voice: "I can't stand it anymore!"
You cannot isolate us like this, begged Wisdom. It is dangerous! You will not have any powers or magic: you will be utterly vulnerable to anything!
"Then it would be worth the peace and quiet."
No, Raven! That is not what would happen!
"This is my mind!" I said aloud. "This is my body and I'm not just going to sit here and let everyone fight over me. Nobody should be told what to do or how to think. How come I'm the one who has to deal with it?"
There came the consoling voice of Affection but I shooed her away.
"I don't want pity!" I cried helplessly. "I don't want people always swarmed around me. I don't want decisions being made for me; I want freedom! I want to be myself! I don't need to put up with the constant reminder that I'm broken, that I'm a failure, that I'm different from everybody else...and all because of my amnesia. All because of this damned amnesia."
I had to stop myself so I could breathe properly. My inhales were coarse and they barely helped me calm down.
"You guys and the Titans...everybody does this to me. Telling me what to do, restricting me, hiding the truth...does everybody really think that's what I want?" My Emoticlones remained silent. "People should let me decide for once. I don't need to be lied to and locked up like this; everybody should ask me what I want instead of only thinking of themselves."
We are all on the same page here, Raven, whispered Wisdom. We know what you are feeling, trust us.
"No, you don't," I muttered. "Everybody thinks differently about everything: that's why I'm so torn up."
You think you're the only one like that? said Brave. Raven, look at us: WE'RE the ones asking to be ourselves. WE'RE the ones wanting to be heard too. You're not the only one being bossed around.
"I know," I moaned, pinching my eyes shut to evade the humiliation. "I know that. I get it. Look, it's complicated to explain because you're all me and-"
We know, cooed Affection. But we are together on this, remember? Everybody feels like this too. I'm pretty sure the Titans feel the same way as well.
"What makes you think that?"
Think of it like this: what are they doing now? Right now as we speak?
"Probably talking about me," I replied with a little shrug. "About what they're going to do with me, how they're going to deal with this..."
Yes; they're making the big decisions here. They're stressing out over you. They're doing everything in their power for your sake, Raven. You must realize this.
"Why do you think I feel so horrible?" I wailed. "I'm just a burden to them. They're bossing me around because they have to; I'm just dead-weight here. They're stressing me out and I'm stressful to them."
But it does not have to be this way, informed Wisdom. This problem is something we can resolve, but you must speak to the Titans about this. You must tell them.
"I already did," I replied. "I tried that, remember? I was literally screaming at them about this but they wouldn't budge."
You have Beast Boy, said Wisdom. Right?
"Yeah, I guess."
Raven, he knows, said Affection. If you tell him, he'll understand He'll want to help you.
"You really think Beast Boy would do that?"
Yes! He even came by to tell you so himself! Just tell him everything, Raven. You need to talk to him if you ever want to resolve this.
"Alright," I agreed reluctantly. "I'll do it."
Good, she said. Now, you should probably clean up and go change yourself. Those clothes don't seem very fitting…
I was so distracted last night that I hadn't bothered to change out of my ripped jeans and filthy shirt. I had slept in them too, which wasn't very comfortable, but at the time, I couldn't have cared any less. I took my time to shower and clean myself in the bathroom. New clothes were pulled from my dresser and the old ones were discarded into a pile. By then, it was nearly 8:00 and I decided to head to the Main Ops room. I had nothing better to do anyway so I might as well go see him now.
As instructed, I arrived at the side-door of the multi-purpose room, peeking in to look for the green changeling. All of the other Titans were present and currently busy, including Beast Boy. He was competing against Cyborg in a challenging video game. Nobody noticed me lurking by the door until Beast Boy happened to glance over his shoulder.
Beast Boy faced away and gave me a side-ways glance, trying to be discreet. I started to enter the room but Beast Boy urged me back with disapproving eyes and the violent shake of his head. In fact, he seemed panicked that I had come earlier than planned. My quizzical look wasn't answered because the pea-green boy started talking to the other Titans. It was obvious that he wanted me to hide and listen but I couldn't figure out why he summoned me here indirectly in the first place. All I could do now was crouch in the shadows and give their conversation my full-attention.
"Hey, so uh, I was thinking about what you said last night, Cy…"
"We already discussed it, remember, BB?" Cyborg reminded it. "Don't bring it up again."
"But it's important!" Beast Boy squeaked. "I never had the chance to say anything!"
"You agreed to it, didn't ya? No more arguing about it now."
Their conversation paused as their focus returned to the video game. Cyborg's player had Beast Boy pinned against the wall and started to punch him repeatedly. Beast Boy's health was deteriorating fast but he couldn't get his player out of Cyborg's grasp. When he died, the green changeling faced his competitor again.
"I'm serious, Cy. Listen to me!"
"I am, BB, and I'm telling ya there's nothing I can do," he replied. "There's no use in fighting about it now."
"But you're not even listening to me!"
"C'mon, Team. Keep it down," the masked leader reprimanded them from the kitchen.
"I'm trying to make a point here, Robin!" said Beast Boy. "I can't do that if nobody listens!"
"What are you trying to say?" drawled Robin, examining the projected screen with disinterest.
"Well, it's about yesterday and I wanted to bring it up again because-"
Beast Boy dropped his controller and fell back against the couch with a groan. Since he kept losing, he didn't want to play the game anymore. Cyborg had to stop playing too.
"...because I'm not happy about yesterday."
"And you think we are?" asked Cyborg.
"No but there's more to it."
"Why must we argue about this now?" asked Starfire as she was observing the conversation. She was seated on the opposite side of the couch: "I thought the matters had been clarified quite specifically."
"Well I had time to think and now I'm disagreeing with you guys," the pea-green boy stated firmly.
"Ya can't do that," replied the mechanical man. "Star's right; it's already settled. No changing anything unless we all agree to it."
"Then can I debate or something?"
"About what, Beast Boy?" sighed Robin. "Haven't we talked enough about this already? I can't help what's happened. Raven just needs some time alone and bothering her would only make it worse. I told you not to go after her-"
"I know, I know," Beast Boy groaned, although I was the only other person who knew that he had disobeyed.
"Yeah, man. Besides, I'm sure she'll warm back up eventually. Just give her some time."
"But we don't exactly have time," Beast Boy emphasized quite dramatically.
"Raven's amnesia cannot be cured so quickly," Starfire commented sadly.
"What I'm saying is maybe what we're doing isn't helping her at all."
"And what do you think will help her?" Cyborg questioned the green changeling.
"We tell her." At this, the Titans were all showing physical signs of disagreement so Beast Boy continued faster: "We'll tell Raven everything. That's all we gotta do! Start with what happened a couple months back on the mission and-!"
"No," Robin declared firmly. "No, that won't work, Beast Boy."
"You don't know that!" he screeched. "C'mon! Like I keep telling you: Raven has to know this and she will find out eventually. Why not tell her now?"
"You know why. We've been over this dozens of times and I'm not in the mood to go over it again…"
"Well somebody needs to agree with me! Someone has to have the right mind! Anyone? Star? Please, Cy? Robin, I-"
"Look," reasoned the masked leader in a darker yet persuasive tone. "Beast Boy, I know you mean well but this is out of the question. That's something I don't ever think we're going to do."
"We should at least try it!"
"We did, remember? Raven had a good look at her old stuff and that didn't even help."
"Then we have to keep pushing," the pea-green boy concluded. "We'll hafta try harder!"
"What do you think she's going to do with this kind of information?" Robin said, challenging Beast Boy's claim. "Beast Boy, she's confused. Telling her more could be helpful‒trust me, I've thought about that too‒but there's a bigger chance of it turning for the worst. What if she decides to run away from us again? Remember the last time?" His hand gestured to the large window and I had to swallow the lump in my itchy throat. "What if we can't catch her again and she's really lost forever?"
"Then I'll stay with her 24/7. I won't leave her side for a second."
"And I believe you, but what makes you think Raven will be okay with that?"
"I'm just trying to do what's best for her!" cried Beast Boy.
"And what do ya think we're doing?" Cyborg intervened. "We're trying to help too!"
"Besides," Starfire added quietly. "Raven would be so upset…"
"Don't say that," muttered Beast Boy in a warning voice.
"She is going to be mad at us if we tell her," Robin informed him. "You can't expect her to immediately understand."
"Well lying isn't any better."
"We aren't lying to her," Cyborg argued in defense. "But I won't lie about us not telling her anything."
"Don't you think it's wrong?!"
"We all do," replied the tangerine girl and the other Titans nodded mournfully. "And if Raven shall truly recover, we must provide her with the utmost comfort and patience. Time shall mend if it is in plenty."
"We want her back as much as you do," Robin told Beast Boy, who responded with the annoyed roll of his eyes. "Yeah yeah. We may not show it like you do but that doesn't mean we don't care."
"Since when is this about how I feel about Raven?" burst Beast Boy, obviously offended.
"Hey! You started this! Don't act like it wasn't getting personal."
"I'm not doing this for me: it's for Raven!"
"We know, BB," said Cyborg. "We get it."
"Say what you want: nobody‒and I mean nobody‒will ever understand Raven like I do."
In the shadows, I was straining so hard not to cry out on them. Beast Boy had staged everything for me to witness but I watched realization flicker through his emerald eyes, as if he had remembered something. I knew that he had forgotten about me up until now. I guess the discussion was so heated that he disregarded the whole reason why he was there: I was still trying to figure that out too.
Beast Boy then spoke in a quieter tone: "Someone should go check on Raven."
"It's okay. I got it," the masked boy assured him. "I've been meaning to talk with her again anyway."
"Fine," he growled. "Whatever. I'm going back to my room."
"Ya sure ya don't wanna play another round?" asked Cyborg as they stood up.
"No. I'm not in the mood the play anymore."
Beast Boy left the couch‒and the bewildered teenagers‒and went up the flight of stairs, heading towards me. His head hung low to glare at the floor as he stomped away and he walked right past right me without a word. I stood and silently hurried after him but Beast Boy never acknowledged my presence until we were a safe distance away from the other Titans. I had to put a hand on his shoulder to coax him to stop.
"Beast Boy, why did you-?"
"I couldn't tell you," he said quickly. "So someone else had to say it."
"Why can't you just tell me now?" I inquired.
He looked like he wanted to say something but he hesitated. Beast Boy only shook his head.
"I- I dunno I just...Raven, I don't know how to put it…"
"You're making it worse for me. You're not telling me anything!"
"I gotcha proof, didn't I?" he asked me hopefully. "Now you know I'm telling the truth: about you and what happened before your amnesia so you hafta believe me, right? Isn't that what you wanted?"
"Yes. Thank you for that, but I still don't know everything."
"I tried to get them to say it."
"And they didn't so now you can say it. You can tell me, Beast Boy! Don't do this!"
"Just go," the green changeling interrupted me, giving me a light shove in the other direction. "Robin's gonna be there soon so go! Before he gets there!"
"We're not done here," I stated firmly. "I'm still mad, Beast Boy."
"I know," he answered tiredly, watching me with weary eyes. "I know."
I teleported back to my bedroom, trying not to appear too guilty. The stress and frustration from everything was starting to take a toll on me. I didn't know if I was being helped or not. I didn't know if what I was doing would turn out to be good or bad for me. Beast Boy is trying and I know the Titans are trying too, but they both conflict with each other: two different methods to solve the problem and only one can be used. To make it worse, I don't have any input in the final decision. The Titans are deciding it for me and they're apparently oblivious to my disagreement.
As expected, not two minutes after teleporting, Robin knocked lightly on my door and asked for me to answer. I didn't want to talk to him because all I could think about was what he and the other teenagers were saying about me in the Main Ops room. However, continuing to isolate myself in my bedroom would make him suspicious, perhaps even more worried about me. I opened the door so it was slightly ajar: all I wanted was for this conversation to end quickly‒and painlessly too.
"Hey. Sorry that I'm bothering you…"
"It's nothing," I lied with the shake of my head.
"Look, I know you're still upset about yesterday, Raven. I've been talking to the Titans about it all last night…"
That's not the only thing you were talking about, I thought hotly.
"We feel really bad about it so we were thinking of ways to help."
"No, it's okay," I assured him. "You really don't have to…"
"Well, anyway, we need to make it up to you," he told me. "After all, we messed up on our part…"
"Please, Robin," I insisted and he sighed.
"We can't start over‒that's not an option‒but we can do something new. As far as I'm concerned, once you master this, we won't have anything else to teach. Star even admitted that you've exceeded well-beyond than what we imagined."
"What do you mean?"
"You need to keep training, Raven," he explained. "But after this, you'll be right where you were some months ago, minus the experience in missions. You're getting closer and closer to it each day!"
"Really?" I asked him, clearly astounded.
"Yeah! Of course, you'll need to exercise regularly," he said quickly. "Star's done with you but you'll wanna stay in shape so you can keep up with us."
"Alright then. I guess I can do that."
"Great. So when do you wanna start? We're fine if you wanna take a day off or whatever. Just ask!"
I couldn't have been more confused. I didn't know whether I should be mad at the Titans or happy. It was questionable whether I should either go along with what they were saying or bring up whatever I heard in the Main Ops room too. The Titans' secrets were bigger than I had imagined, and Beast Boy helped reveal that to me, but there was still so much more to discover. And now Robin's here to not only apologize but to offer me one more series of lessons. After weeks and weeks of the daily routine, my training will dissolve into simple workouts and exercises. This was a big deal for me!
I stuttered to say anything. What was there to say? My options contrasted dramatically: I can play along with Robin and pretend I didn't know anything about their private discussion, or I turn everything around‒make it worse for myself‒and demand that Robin and the other Titans confess to what they've been hiding. It would ruin everything; Robin looked so happy for me and I was excited about this too! But I reminded myself that these unsupervised teenagers might not deserve my trust. After all, they don't trust me with their secrets.
"Can we start tomorrow? You know, if that's okay…"
"Uh, yeah! Yeah, sure!" agreed Robin, who seemed a little surprised by my inquiry but was no doubt pleased. "Normal time, I guess?"
"Uh-huh. Well, I haven't eaten anything all day so I am kind of hungry…"
"Alright. I can make something, if you want. How about some leftover pizza?"
"Sure. That sounds good."
"Great! See ya upstairs in a bit."
"Okay," I mumbled as I turned away from my door and allowed it to shut.
Half of my Emoticlones supported my final decision while the other half of them seemed disapproving. Brave was one of the frustrated ones, along with an irritated Rude. She seemed more surprised than upset but after everything, I had no energy to argue. I had wasted it all on the effort to learn the truth, and I gained nothing in return. I was just too tired.
What was that? Brave demanded. Why didn't you say anything?
"Honestly?" I whispered. "I don't even know."
I guess they're not the only ones keeping secrets, echoed a sly, unidentifiable voice.
Author's Note: Alright, this chapter is a little smaller than usual. It's not that I'm lazy (I swear) but it has a lot of dialogue in it. I didn't want to put more blabbing in it because‒honestly‒it took me the longest time to complete this and it would probably bore everybody to death. Either way, the upcoming chapter should be better :) Cya in 2 weeks!