I don't own RWBY
Trigger warning for abuse, and mentions of self harm
The next several days dragged on at a hellish rate. Weiss watched everyone she had worked so hard to make things right with fall away once more. Coco had heard what happened, and ran up between classes to ask, but upon seeing Weiss no longer presenting as female, just turned away and hadn't spoken to her since. She had started to feel as though all she ever brought her "friends" was drama. Surely even if she could fix all of this, she'd be stuck as Warren, or end up even further gaining the reputation of lying about her identity. No one trusted her and she wished she could blame them. May seemed to have calmed down, usually looking at her with worry and pity over anything else. Her friends didn't all share this reaction, however. Joanna and Fiona seemed partial in the middle, trying to hold the group together. Robyn, as Weiss had guessed, was under the impression that Weiss had never been trans and had just been trying to manipulate people.
Weiss could never admit it to anyone, but she paid special attention to Robyn's words when she caught snippets of them, as they reminded her of her mistakes. It always put her down, but she couldn't stop herself. In a way, she saw it as facing justice for the ways she had treated people for years. For that reason, she couldn't even bring herself to be angry with her. From where Robyn stood, it was a perfectly reasonable conclusion to come to, especially after watching Weiss bully Neon for years.
Aside from her closest friends, the only people that didn't look at Weiss with a seemingly newfound disdain were Emerald and Mercury, not that Weiss had any clue as to why.
The only thing that kept Weiss feeling sane were the few minutes a day that she and Blake were either on the bus, or at the bus stop. It was the only time Weiss felt as though she could be honest, and the only time Weiss didn't feel surrounded by loathing. Several mornings, Blake simply held her, reassuring her that everything would eventually be alright.
For every great moment with Blake, however, there seemed to be a moment of torture throughout the day to counter. Between Henry, Melanie, Miltia, Robyn, and small interactions with students Weiss had hardly met, each day was exhausting.
"It's like everything I've been working on for months just went away," Weiss muttered, with her head in her hands. She shivered in the frigid air of January, the dark sky still looming overhead. Today was more bitter of a day than any other. If the date of the case had taken place just a week later, Weiss could have at least had today with her friends. She had never been able to spend a birthday with anyone other than her family, Henry, and the Malachite twins. She had been so excited to finally spend it surrounded by genuine affection, and it had all been torn away before her eyes. Blake's arm held her close, sharing warmth as the two of them sat atop of the rock bench at the bus stop. "Everyone hates me, I have to be Warren again, and when it all ends for the day I go home to father, who I can't fight back against now, and I'm stuck with all of his rules from earlier. I can feel things going back to how they were, Blake. He's piling more and more personal assignments on. I didn't get to sleep until one thirty last night, and at this rate, it's going to catch up to how it was in a week or two at most."
"I really wish I could get you out of there," Blake said, her voice worried and slightly bitter at Jacques. "You deserve better than him."
"I'm sorry about everything," Weiss said, shaking from both the cold and her own emotions. "You're the only thing keeping me going. If I didn't have these mornings with you, I don't know what I'd do."
"I'm not going anywhere," Blake reassured her. "I'm so sorry that this all happened." Blake turned, holding her tighter. "I'll stick with you no matter what. I promise."
Weiss pleaded with herself for her ears to be mistaken as she heard the bus come around the corner. She took a deep breath, pulling away to grab her backpack.
"Thank you, Blake," Weiss said. "You have no idea what that means to me."
"I'm so sorry you couldn't have today with your friends, with your real family," Blake said. Weiss wiped her eyes, doing everything she could to breathe deeply and keep her emotions in check. Blake grasped her hand, holding on as if for dear life. "I love you, Weiss. I always will."
Weiss' mind spun. She had told Blake that she loved her back at the courthouse, but that was panicked and chaotic. It was desperate and rushed. This was calm, and intimate, and Weiss felt unsure of what to do. She took another deep breath, eyes shut to keep herself from crying.
"I love you, too, Blake," she said, unsteadily. "Please don't leave."
She held Blake's hand like a lifeline, as if Blake was keeping her from falling off of a mountainous cliff. Blake held on with just as much intensity, refusing to let Weiss slip away.
The bus pulled to a stop in front of them, and they both reluctantly stepped on. Weiss felt herself desperately wishing she was brave enough to run away from everything. As the they walked down the aisle of the bus, and took a seat, all Weiss could do was fantasize about Blake and herself living hundreds of miles away, outside of Jacques' reach. She saw an apartment, not quite as luxurious as the one Winter had lived in, but still comfortable. Perhaps in Seattle or Portland, with a bookshelf that took an entire wall for Blake's collection. She saw the two of them, watching romantic comedies, curled up on a couch together. She could almost feel the warmth of the living room, she could almost see the decorations.
She longed for this life, to the point of desperation. Resting on Blake's shoulder, ignoring the bumps in the road and the hum of the bus, Weiss did everything within her power to forget about her harsh reality, even if it was just for the few minutes that she could. Blake's hand still held hers protectively. The only people sitting nearby were Nora and Neon, the only people on the bus they trusted to keep this from making its way into school gossip.
Weiss could only stay within her fantasy for so long, unfortunately, before she heard the bus screech to a stop at the school. She held onto Blake's hand as long as possible as they walked towards the front of the bus, before she had to let go, and watch Blake grow away from her in the crowd to prevent the two of them from being seen by Jacques's spy, wherever they were.
The comforting warmth of Blake's hand was quickly replaced by the harsh atmosphere that followed her through the lunchroom. She took her usual spot alone, and for the second day in a row, was immediately confronted by Robyn. She actually thought to herself that Robyn reminded her of Blake, back before Blake knew that Weiss was... well, Weiss.
"I need to have a talk with you," Robyn said, taking a seat across from her.
"Again?" Weiss sighed.
"Well, you weren't exactly helpful yesterday," she said. "What are you going to do with the information you got from the people that trusted you? You lied to them. Why?"
"Robyn, I've got nothing to say to you," Weiss said. "You're free to want to know, but I don't have to tell you anything."
"Now that's where you're mistaken," she hissed. "You lied to so many people to find out intimate secrets of theirs. Neon, May, Yang, Velvet, and so many others. We both know you wouldn't just throw away your friendship with Henry and the Malachite twins on a whim. You had popularity, you were seen as one of the school's elite. The people you lied to deserve to know why you'd throw it away in trade for their trust."
"I didn't do it for their trust," Weiss snapped. "I can't talk about my reasoning. It's not something I can do. Not because I don't want to, but because I can't. Please, just back off."
"Why can't you?" she asked. "Because what I see is a boy who convinced the whole damn school he was some kind of hero to them, for a couple of months, just to take it all back. And I'd always care, but you got May tied up in this, so now it's really damn important to me to find out why. I don't understand how, but even now, you somehow have some people willing to trust you. Illia, of all people, trusts you, and I don't understand why."
"I can speak for myself," Illia said, sitting down by Robyn.
"Illia!" Weiss hissed. "I told you, I can't be around you!"
Weiss began to stand.
"I'm not done," Robyn snapped. "You stand up and walk away, and I get louder. So if you want this to be drama for the whole school to hear, you're going to sit back down."
Weiss felt herself become even more pale than she usually was. She knew that if this became schoolwide gossip, not only would it make its way back to her father, but it could further jeopardize her chances of salvaging the situation if she ever made it away from her father. She hesitantly sat back down, nervously.
"Relax, Weiss. I'm not stupid. A cafeteria's a big place. It's hard to get specific details. I doubt they're combing over you that relentlessly," Illia said. Weiss was unsure, not wanting to take the risk, but she didn't have much of a choice.
"Why?" Robyn said. "Why do you trust him? Why are you still calling him that?"
"Look, you two can sort this out if you want," Weiss hissed. "But every second I spend here, now, is more of a risk for me, so what do you want from me?"
"I told you what I wanted," Robyn said. "You've never been trustworthy, and I don't trust you now. You had a reason to do all of that, so why?"
"Oh, for fuck's sake," Illia sighed. "Weiss, are you sure you'd rather just handle this? If you really want to be alone right now, I can tell Robyn everything she wants to know, and she'll back off."
"Not here," Weiss said, gesturing to the populated room around them.
"Fine, then Robyn drop it for now and we'll explain it all in a few minutes when the rest of the school opens. Got it?" Illia offered. "It's the only way you're finding out any of this."
Robyn sighed, crossing her arms.
"I don't really have a choice, do I?" Robyn asked.
"Not really," Illia said. "Weiss, library in ten minutes. We'll be there."
Weiss nodded, letting her forehead rest on her hand. The couple stood and walked off, leaving Weiss once again on her own.
Weiss made her way through the library, to the quiet corner that Illia usually took refuge in, and came to an unpleasant shock at the amount of people waiting. Illia and Robyn were there as predicted, but May, Coco, Velvet, and Mercury were also waiting at the table.
"What is this?" Weiss asked, irritably.
"Robyn can be a bit difficult," Illia sighed.
"Whatever you have to say, everyone here deserves to hear," Robyn said.
"I'm honestly fine either way," Mercury said. "I just wanted her to get off my back about this."
"Then you can go if you really feel that way," Coco snapped. "The rest of us deserve an explanation."
Weiss sat down anxiously.
"You're sure there's no surveillance?" she asked.
"Like I said," Illia said. "Basically a ghost zone."
"Okay," Weiss said. "Then I'll tell you all anything and everything you want to know, on one condition. It doesn't leave this table. More people know than I'd like, and I need to know that this won't lead to everything being in the open."
"You lost the chance to bargain here," Coco said.
"That's not fair," Velvet interrupted. "I'm sure there's a valid reason for wanting secrecy here. If you all want to know so badly, then you need to be willing to compromise. They don't have to tell us anything at all."
"They?" Robyn scoffed. "He's not exactly-"
"I don't know what's going on," Velvet interrupted once more. "So until I do know, I'm not going to misgender someone I consider a friend."
"You'd still call him a friend?" Robyn asked.
"Yes, I would," Velvet said, then turned to Weiss. "I promise, anything said here stays here."
Coco sighed.
"Alright," she said. "If Velvet agrees, so do I."
"I'm not exactly a gossip," Mercury said.
"You took a concussion for me," May said. "You deserve that much trust, at least. So I'll agree."
Everyone looked expectingly at Robyn.
"I can't promise that. Everything I do is for the marginalized communities in this school, and if they need to know anything you're keeping from them-"
"Robyn," Illia said. "You're worried about something that isn't relevant, and if you want her to have enough time to actually explain, you need to come to a decision."
Robyn looked around the group of people waiting for her to make a decision.
"Okay," she said. "I really hope I don't regret this."
"Alright, then what do you want to know?" Weiss asked, hoping she wasn't making a fatal mistake.
"Who are you?" Coco asked without hesitation. "I mean, honestly. I always accepted you as Weiss, and I legitimately believed that you were telling the truth."
"I am," Weiss said. "I wasn't lying when I came out of the closet as transgender."
"So were you wrong?" May asked. "You said you were detransitioning. Was that the truth?"
"No, it was a lie," Weiss said. "I mean, I guess in a technical sense, yes I'm detransitioning. But not by my own choice."
"That doesn't make any sense," Coco said. "Why would you destransition against your will?"
"Oh my god, it's like none of you know anything about her," Mercury rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, your father?"
Weiss nodded, wincing slightly.
"My father sued the school after I refused to go back to his house. He blackmailed me after the lawsuit to force me to come back. He has people at the school that are feeding information back to him. He's forcing me back into the closet. I never wanted any of it," Weiss said, fighting with all she had to keep her voice steady. She saw Coco's expression change from hostility to sympathy.
"Oh god," Coco said. She leaned in towards Weiss. "You're back with him?"
"Just like before," Weiss said. "And it's just as bad."
Before Coco had a chance to apologize, Robyn cut in.
"How could he blackmail you? What does he have on you?" Robyn asked.
"A really ruthless attorney. He bribed and blackmailed the jury and he has one of the best lawyers money can buy. The court case was a one sided slaughter. And I don't think he did it for the sake of actually suing the school. He was showing me what he could do out of spite if he felt like taking the effort. And once it was done, he made threats to bankrupt all of my closest friends, and even my sister, if I didn't do everything he wanted," Weiss said.
"Jesus," Mercury said. "I knew he was a scumbag, but I didn't know he'd take it that far."
"Blake?" Coco asked.
"Blake and her family, Ruby and Yang and theirs," Weiss said.
"And Winter," Illia added.
"How am I supposed to believe any of this?" Robyn asked. "Are you seriously expecting me to believe you still have everyone's best intentions at heart, and that you're the victim here?"
"Robyn!" May hissed. "You've seen how these rich families act, or do I have to remind you of how the Marigolds do things?"
Robyn took a moment to consider May's words, and during this time, Coco spoke up.
"I'm sorry, Weiss. You're a good friend and I should have had more faith in you than that," Coco said.
"No," Weiss said. "You shouldn't have. You had no reason to trust me and I don't hold that against you."
"I'd like to apologize, too," May said.
"So would I," Robyn said, and everyone turned in a stunned silence. "You mean it, right? You had no choice here, and if it was up to you, you'd never side with Jacques Schnee?"
Weiss pointed at her eye.
"Jacques Schnee gave me this during an argument because I told him I didn't want to work in his company," Weiss said. "I lived on the streets for a week, in the freezing temperatures, just to get away from him. Because of the shots he calls, I'm hardly able to sleep or eat because I'm too busy trying to do everything he wants. And he sees no problem with any of that. I would never decide to side with him, ever."
Robyn nodded.
"Then I'm sorry. I was so protective of May that I didn't think about the fact that the Schnees and Marigolds are practically identical," Robyn said. "And I'm sorry I misgendered you as well. I know you said to, but even so, I understand how much that hurts. I just wish you had let Illia tell me."
"Remember how I said that father has people relaying information back to him?" Weiss said. "Well, if I'm seen with any of my friends, if I'm seen with my girlfriend, or anyone that he doesn't want me talking to, then he's going to transfer me to a boarding school. A men's boarding school."
"Shit," Mercury said.
"If he even thinks about it," May growled.
"Look, fuck that," Mercury said. "That happens, get yourself out of there and find me and Emerald. We'll make sure you're alright."
"I can't just leave," Weiss said. "Remember, I try anything at all and he'll just use his legal power to hurt everyone I care about. And if he knows that I'm close to any of you, you could end up on his list, too."
"He can sue the Marigold family, I don't care," May laughed.
"He won't. He'll sue Robyn and her family," Weiss said. May's confident laugh turned to worry.
"Yeah, well, neither Em or I have anyone to really worry about but each other. I don't care what happens to my old man and I figure food out myself. If I needed him to take care of me, I would have starved out years ago. He can't directly sue a 17 year old to the same extent, and I'd love to see him ruin my old man's life."
"How did you know?" Weiss asked. "You didn't look at me different like everyone else did."
"It doesn't take a genius to have seen the difference in how happy you were when you were out of the closet as opposed to when you were in. Whatever was causing this, you obviously didn't choose it. And I've got some experience with pathetic fathers," Mercury said.
"And Ruby, Blake, and Yang, do they know all of this?" Velvet asked, worried.
"Yes. They were the first ones to find out. They are, after all, the ones he's currently threatening," Weiss said.
"Have you been able to talk to them?" May asked. "How did they find out?"
"Well, I've had to be more careful with it since, but I share a bus route with Blake that father has no ability to monitor. As for Ruby and Yang, they confronted me at the bus stop the first day it happened," Weiss said. "I haven't talked to either of them since. I only get to talk to Blake on the bus route. That's it."
"That's cruel," Coco said, her words seething with dull anger. "Does he just want you to be alone, always?"
"He doesn't want me talking to "disreputable people", which unfortunately includes all of my friends. If he had his way, he would have me back in good terms with Henry and the Malachite twins. I can't be willing to do that, though. I worked so hard to leave them behind."
"Did he make you hang out with them before?" May asked.
"Kind of. He required that I avoid people he considered a bad influence. He was a bit strict about it, I guess after what happened with Winter," Weiss said.
"What happened with Winter?" Mercury asked.
"I happened to Winter," Illia said. "I came out."
"Shit, so it goes back years," Mercury said.
"I chose them specifically, I guess because I could tell they were toxic and awful from a mile away and knew that would mask my gender identity," Weiss said. May looked in her eyes, sympathetically.
"So, how are you handling today?" Illia asked. Everyone except for Weiss gave Illia a confused look. Weiss took a few seconds to consider her words, during which Robyn spoke up.
"Was there something even worse today?" she asked.
"You could say that," Illia said. "Really shitty to have to spend your birthday away from all of your friends and your girlfriend."
"That would accurately describe it, yes," Weiss sighed.
"Shit, it's your birthday?" Mercury asked. "Scumbag couldn't even wait until that had gone by?"
"Why would he care?" Weiss scoffed, rubbing her forehead. "He actually thinks he's doing what's best for me."
"Bullshit," Coco said. "You'd have to be blind to think that this actually helps you."
"Yeah, well, not every parent shares that mindset," May spat.
The bell rang, signalling the beginning of the day. Weiss slowly stood, gathering herself.
"I'm sorry," Mercury said. "I wish you could spend today with Blake."
"So do I," Weiss said, taking a deep breath, then leaving the library quickly to make it to class.
Pyrrha Nikos was in the library during the 15 minute break between third and fourth period, studying for an upcoming history test, when Weiss urgently rushed over to her and took a seat.
"Pyrrha, I'm sorry to bother you," Weiss said. Pyrrha gave her a skeptical look.
"It's fine... are you going by Warren right now?" Pyrrha asked, genuine concern in her tone.
"Yes," Weiss said, immediately wishing she could have just spent this time alone.
"I see... I don't like to assume based on gossip, so I'd like to hear it from you," Pyrrha said. "People are saying you're no longer associating with many of the people you recently called friends. Some have even gone as far as to say... all of the people you recently called friends."
Weiss sighed, worrying that the bridge between herself and Pyrrha had been burned.
"It's true," Weiss said. "I'm sorry, I don't want it to be. I'm not making that choice of my own volition."
"I'm not sure I understand," Pyrrha said. "Recently you've gone to incredible lengths to be considered an ally of those marginalized here."
"Yes, I have. And if I had the ability to choose, I'd still be going to those lengths," Weiss said.
"I guess I'm just not sure what's stopping you," Pyrrha said.
"As much as I wish I could explain, I can't," Weiss said. "And that's not why I'm here right now. I haven't been keeping up to date with student government, but recently I've had to reorganize my priorities, whether I want to or not, and it is now very important to me that I rejoin SGA."
Pyrrha cocked her head, confused and worried.
"You sounded very sure of your decision," she said. "Either way, right now Marrow holds the Vice President position, and Arthur is still the President. You could probably take up an entry position, perhaps representing one of our committees or clubs."
Weiss could practically hear her father's disapproval once he learned that she had given up her position in the student government. The retaliation that he may have in store seemed too much to bear.
"I understand that," Weiss said. "Is there any way I would be able to try to get my old position back?"
"Unfortunately not," Pyrrha said. "If, for whatever reason Marrow was to step down, you could enter your name in the running, however, if you no longer have the support of any students, it would be very unlikely that you could be reelected. You could, on the other hand, try for the position after Marrow's term ends, once the next school year starts. That may give you time to build a foundation for a campaign."
Great, I might as well just tell father to sign me up for Chronos Academy, Weiss thought to herself.
"Thank you," Weiss said, admitting defeat. "I understand."
"Warren," Pyrrha said, worried. "You knew that this would be the cost of surrendering your position. It's very unlike you to act without considering what that action will cause. Why would you step down if you weren't sure that you wanted that?"
"Because I was sure," Weiss sighed. "And I still am. What I want just can't really be my priority anymore."
"I still don't think I understand," Pyrrha said.
"I'm sorry," Weiss said, standing up. "Thank you for hearing me out. I understand that you offered everything you could."
Weiss turned and walked away, trying to find a quiet spot to come up with a plan.
"Warren," Pyrrha called, standing. "You'd called us friends. If that's no longer accurate I'd like to understand why."
Weiss simply kept walking, trying to drown out Pyrrha's words.
When Weiss got onto the bus, she saw Blake sitting towards the back and hurriedly joined her.
"Hey," Blake said, a nurturing embrace wrapping around Weiss. "Illia told me about this morning. Are you alright?"
"I'm really trying to be," Weiss said. "I've always tried to be strong and keep fighting, but it just feels like I'm stuck in a scenario with no solution."
"You're not fighting alone," Blake said. "I promise that much."
Weiss smiled, despite it feeling partially hollow and lifeless, and rested her head on Blake's shoulder.
"It really means the world to me that you haven't given up on me," Weiss said.
"I know things are really bad," Blake said. "We'll find a way. What's important is that we don't give up or stop. It's important that we just keep moving forward."
Weiss nodded, letting Blake hold her.
"I'll try," Weiss said. The bus pulled out of the school's parking lot, and Taylor High began to shrink away into the distance. "How do you handle it when things get stressful, Blake?"
"Honestly, I have a tendency to try to distance myself from the stress. It's not a great way of solving problems, but it's what I'm used to," Blake said.
"I wish that was an option," Weiss said. "It feels like I'm locked in a cage with my problems."
"I know you wanted some space," Neon said, leaning over from the seat next to them. "But I can tell that you're having a hard time, and I wanted to offer my help if I can."
"I don't think you can," Weiss said. "What do you do, to deal with stress?"
"I sing," Neon said. "It helps me get everything out."
"I exercise," Nora said. "Nothing helps me like getting some sets in at the gym."
"Those don't really seem applicable to me, either," Weiss said. "I don't really have anywhere to sing alone, and exercise isn't my thing."
"Well, I know Emerald draws," Neon said. "And Mercury listens to music at full volume."
"That sounds really painful," Blake said.
"Yeah," Neon said, lacking her usual cheery ring in her voice. "I'm pretty sure that's the point."
Blake winced, worry in her eyes.
"There's one other option," Nora said. "Relying on those that care about you. Your friends, Blake, we all love you and we want to see you happy."
"As much as I'd love to accept your help, I can't," Weiss said. "It's not my choice."
Blake furrowed her eyebrows, thinking.
"At the very least," Neon began, empathetic concern filling her eyes. "You need to stop detransitioning. Don't even try to tell me you're actually happy as Warren. It's so obvious that isn't who you are."
"Neon," Weiss sighed. "That's not an option."
"Can you honestly tell me you're happier now?" Neon asked. "Can you honestly tell me that presenting as male feels right to you?"
"No, okay, I can't!" Weiss said. "It doesn't matter, though. It isn't my decision to make. It should be. But it isn't."
"He can't choose this for you," Nora said. "The only thing he legally can do is stop you from medical changes."
"Well, not all of his power comes from the law," Weiss said. "He has more than that."
Nora and Neon looked to each other, confused.
"What does that mean?" Nora asked as the bus stopped at one of the many stops on the route.
"It means Warren's too scared to stand up to his father. Not surprising," Melanie said, standing up from the seat behind them.
"What happened to you not talking to them?" Miltia asked, smirking. "I guess you can't keep your word to anyone, can you?"
Blake glared up at them, standing.
"Move along, Miltia," Blake spat. "Or this will get ugly. Hate for you to break a nail."
Miltia scoffed, following her sister off the bus.
Weiss became pale as snow, burying her face in her hands.
"What?" Nora asked. "Is there something no one's saying?"
"Yeah," Blake said, pulling Weiss in for an embrace. "I'll make sure they don't breathe a word about this."
"If they do," Weiss said, shaking. "Then that's it. Then I'm out of Taylor High."
"What do you mean?" Nora asked.
"Her father's threatening to make her switch schools, unless she doesn't talk to any of her old friends anymore," Blake said. "If he finds out about any of this, he's moving her to a male boarding school."
Neon, for the first time in Weiss' life, actually looked angry.
"That's not going to happen," Nora said. "Weiss, none of us will let that happen."
"How would you stop it?" Weiss asked. Nora and Neon fell silent, lacking an answer to give. Blake held Weiss for the rest of the bus ride, and far too soon, their stop arrived.
Weiss rose from her seat, her hand almost painfully tightly grasped by Blake's. They began to move down the aisles, coming to the front of the bus, and down the steps. Weiss turned to Blake, as the bus drove away into the distance.
"Weiss, this is all going to be okay," Blake said, squeezing Weiss' hands. "None of us are going to abandon you to him. I promise."
Weiss wished she could have stopped them as they walked, getting closer and closer to the point where they'd have to part ways. She knew, however, that her father wouldn't make an exception to the time constraints he'd placed on her just because of what day it was. And as they came to that point, Weiss stopped, taking a few seconds to close her eyes and pretend things were different. She squeezed Blake's hand for dear life.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Blake," Weiss said, forcing herself to let go. She felt Blake's hand fall away, and Weiss gritted her teeth. She began walking, fighting back the tears.
"I love you, Weiss. I'll see you then," Blake said, before turning away. And by the time Weiss looked back, Blake was gone, around the corner.
Thank you for reading chapter 29. I'm working on chapter 30, and it'll be out soon!