Welcome back dear reader to the 15th chapter of 'The Darkling Thrush'!
As always I'd like to thank those who left a review, noone297, winddemon199, Baoh joestar, jin0uga, Bagration and Gamewizard2008 (sup homie). Thanks for the reviews guys!
I'm not sure if everyone liked the Velvet stuff. When I read the reviews I honestly couldn't tell if you hated it or liked it. It was a mixed reception kind of thing.
Well, enough with my yapping on with the chapter!
XV
The Tyger and the Lamb: Conclusion
From The Desk of Author X
As of yet published contribution to the Shining Beacon
It's at twilight, or in the early morning, when I remember my home at its best. The times when it was loved. The scent of fine dew on the ground and in the air carried by the wind. I watch the sky preform its ordinary miracle and breathe in.
This is Vale, the country, not the city.
The most progressive of all four nations. With our people waging quiet wars on the streets of our capital city. Where the likes of the superstitious and cowardly lot like Roman Torchwick run wild, breaking into dust shops and stealing the livelihood of hard working people.
Amongst our sky streaking Ferries, down below it's the people at play. Where the White Fang jack containers and kill the innocent for not sharing their ideals. The twilight I loved watching is no longer there to hide the cracks in the pavement. That lovely scent of morning dew is no longer capable of hiding the odorous smell of the scum who plague us.
Can you hear us, those who perpetrate evil? We want nothing to do with you. Attempt to sway our minds with your hurtful tactics, the slaughter of innocents and acts against our property.
By our own words we reject you. We reject your methods and we reject your messages of hate.
And then night falls and I can no longer see the cracks. The faults are hidden away by dazzling lights, far off stars I wish I could cusp. And then we reach twilight once more. The closest star emerging over the horizon. A glimmer of hope of a brand new day arises with a lovely scent I welcome.
This is Vale, the country, not the city. We are the people who inhabit it. The working class, the huntsmen and anyone else in between.
We could do without your hate. We get enough from the Grimm as it is.
Dying by torture doesn't seem so bad now that he thought of it. Unbearable, yes, but compared to the alternative, it was the preferred option. Even getting cooked alive he could deal with, even if it did take a long time, Russel would still have gone for it.
Now, buried under several layers of clothes, confined to a tight space bound and gagged, Russel was forced to listen in on Team RWBY's explicitly descriptive conversation about each of their individual menstruation cycles.
Maybe this was just another one of Blake's torture methods? Team RWBY had to be in on the whole thing. There's no way anyone would be able to go on talking about this for so long in the company of others. If it wasn't for the fact that his mouth was taped shut and there was a sock trapped inside, Russel would've gladly thrown up. Drowning in his own puke wasn't exactly the way he wanted to go.
But it was starting to sound tempting.
"So, Blake, what've you been up to?" Yang asked her partner as she sat on her bunk beside Ruby, who was still fuming over not being allowed to see a rated R film.
With the topic finally changing, Russel was able to breathe a sigh of relief. Maye when this is all over he could bleach his brains out, wipe the last couple of weeks out of memories. Once the thought about time popped into his head, Russel once more was left with the question of exactly how long he'd been here.
It was noon last time he'd checked, but that was before he'd been knocked unconscious. Rough estimates placed him about a couple hours in Blake's company. But then after getting tossed into the closet, he'd begun counting the moments as they passed him bye. It was easier now under the grueling heat created by the clothing. It gave him something to focus on, other than what Team RWBY was talking about.
But it didn't matter really how long it had been since he'd been strapped down to the numbing wooden seat he now sat on. What mattered was how long it had been since he last ate. Breakfast was hours ago. And everybody knows what happens when you haven't eaten in quite some time. Your stomach feels the need to voice its opinion.
A low growl caught Team RWBY's attention. The girls looked to each other in wonder. But it was Blake who really knew what was going on. While the rest of her teammates were puzzled by the foreign sound, trying to figure out what it was, Blake was busy making death threats in her head.
A man's got to eat, you know? Russel thought as his gut made yet another audible noise. Who knows, maybe this was exactly what he needed. He tried to smirk, but with the tape firmly planted to his mouth, Russel almost wound up swallowing the sock in his mouth. Mental note, no smiling when kidnapped, it may prove hazardous to your health.
"Did you guys hear that?" Yang asked finally as she looked around.
"Yeah, I heard something too." Weiss muttered, sitting up from where she lay on her bed.
"Sounds like someone's stomach." Ruby said, eyeballing Blake. "Blake, did you spend all day doing White Fang research instead of eating again?"
Russel's stomach, cried out once more.
"Oh yeah, I'm sorry guys." Blake said, attempting to cover up Russel's audible gut. "Where has the time gone, you know? You girls want to get something to eat from the dining hall?" Blake asked, hoping she could use the opportunity to get her teammates out of the room.
"Dinner sounds rather nice about now." Weiss smiled at the suggestion.
Oh no you don't Blake. Russel thought as his stomach made another attempt to be heard. The only reason he wasn't being force fed his teeth was the rest of Team RWBY's presence. If Blake were to manage to send them off, there would be no stopping her from doing who knows to him.
So with all his might, Russel dug deep inside himself. His stomach made another low growl demanding to be heard.
"Jeez, Blake..." Yang shot an accusing look her partner's way.
"Wait I don't think that was Blake." Ruby said as her eyes glanced across the room at their wardrobe.
"No that was me." Blake laughed and patted her exposed gut. "C'mon guys, let's go and get something to eat." Blake stood up from where she was seated and walked over to the door, opening it and gesturing for the rest of her team to follow. "C'mon Ruby, I think they've got cookies for desert tonight."
But even the promise of delicious sweets wasn't enough to dissuade Ruby's curiosity. Russel gave it his all and force another grumble. Ruby jumped up from her seat and cautiously began to approach the wardrobe.
"What's up sis?" Yang asked, raising a brow at Ruby's actions.
"I'm way too hungry for this." Blake said in one last ditch effort to get her team out the room. Internally Blake's mind was racing as with every step Ruby drew closer and closer to closet.
"I think there's something in our closet." Ruby said as she now stood before the wardrobe.
"If there's a snowy forest I blame Weiss." Yang said jokingly.
"Hey!" Weiss folded her arms over her chest, taking offense to her comment. "I will not be compared to another one of those fantasy novels you read as a child, Xio Long."
Ruby pressed her ear against the closet, the mere sight of her actions causing Blake to freeze entirely. Russel's gut let out one more growl, causing Ruby's eyes to widen in surprise. "There's someone in our closet!" She shrieked.
"Wait what?!" Yang exclaimed, her eyes darting at their closet.
Well, if there was ever a time for Blake to panic, it was now. "What? Something's in our closet?!" She exclaimed half convincingly. Blake then drew Gambol Shroud out of the back of her pocket and then repeatedly discharged weapon fire into their closet.
Ruby yelped as she leapt out of the way. One by one the bullets riddled the closet, Blake fully intending to murder Russel. It would be easier to explain the situation to her friends if they all assumed Russel was just creeping on them. After the earlier affair from this morning, it would be easy enough to sweep him under the rug, while Blake went on investigating his White Fang connections.
Blake lowered her weapon, and dropped the clip, digging into her pocket and slamming in another. "I'm sorry." She said, feigning fright. "I was startled."
Her teammates just looked on, bewildered at Blake's actions. Ruby then got back up onto her feet, walking back to the closet. Through the multitude of bullet holes with jagged wooden pieces hanging off, Ruby was able to make out some sort of person inside. Cautiously, Ruby reached out for the door.
Yang and Weiss, now on their feet approached the closet as well, each of them wishing to get to the bottom of just what was in their closet. So Ruby grabbed one of the doors and pulled it open. The three RWBY girls peered inside, what they found was enough to make Weiss cry.
"No!" Weiss cried out as she reached into the closet. "My jacket! No!" She sobbed as she held the torn fabric.
"Aw." Yang reached inside, pulling her own jacket out. It too had been riddled with Blake's bullets. "A little too trigger happy weren't you?" She shot a disapproving look at her partner. Blake merely shrugged, quietly apologizing.
"Pfft. This is why you guys have to shop at Luna's Weapon Emporium." Ruby reached inside of the closet and pulled out her jacket. She closed her eyes and turned to her teammates to present her clothing to them. The shocked gasps she heard brought made her smile ear to ear. Ruby's jacket was completely spotless. The bullets had simply bounced off the fabric as if it were nothing.
"Combat Jacket. Stylish. Functional. And easy to get blood stains out!" Ruby smirked. She then opened her eyes and still found shocked looks on Weiss and Yang's faces. "Oh come on guys, it's not that shocking." Ruby raised a brow. Yang then raised an arm, pointing to something behind Ruby back in the closet.
Ruby slowly turned around and gasped at the sight of a bloodied and bruised Russel sitting in a chair in their closet. "Oh my Monty!" Ruby exclaimed, dropping her Combat Jacket and placing both of her hands on her cheeks as she took in Russel's beaten form. "Russel are you okay?!"
"Don't ask him if he's okay he's White Fang!" Blake blurted out, quickly raising her gun and leveling it at Russel.
"What?!" The rest of Team RWBY said in unison.
Ruby looked at Russel in shock. The tied up Thrush witness a sudden shift in facial expression on her face as it had gone from a look of concern to anger in an instant. The much younger girl reached out and tugged at the tape covering Russel's mouth. Yanking off the tape, along with some of the skin of his lip, caused Russel to shout in pain. "You! Explanation now!" Ruby demanded.
"Yeah why're you creeping in our room?" Weiss leaned forward, pointing a finger at Russel accusingly.
"And how exactly is he a member of the White Fang, Blake?" Yang asked, cocking a brow at her partner.
Russel spat out the sock and turned to Team RWBY with a contemptuous look. "Why am I creeping?!" He said as he licked at his bloodied lip. "Look at me, I'm tied up!" He gestured to his restraints with his head.
The three girls then glanced at Blake, looking for an explanation. "Blake, did you know Russel was in there?" Weiss demanded.
"You did didn't you?" Ruby folded her arms over her chest and pouted. "If my jacket wasn't covering him he'd be dead."
"That I would." Russel nodded as the flow of blood from his mouth began to slow. He was going to be tasting copper for weeks.
"Shut up." Blake directed at Russel, quickly raising her gun at him. "He's White Fang." She glanced to her team. "Who knows what his intentions are."
"Just because you keep saying I'm White Fang doesn't mean I am." Russel said as he stared past the barrel of the gun pointed at his head and into Blake's eyes.
"I'm still waiting on an explanation." Ruby grumbled, turning her attention to Russel.
"What? Really?" He raised a brow in surprise. "You're asking for me to explain all this?"
"I know Blake. I don't know you." Ruby said, sounding deceptively mature. "If she says you're White Fang, I'll take her word for it. Now talk."
"I'm not White Fang." Russel stated firmly, glaring at all four girls in front of him. "I was just minding my own business, going to see Ozpin and then next thing I know I wake up in some chair getting the snot kicked out of me."
"Blake?" Ruby turned to her gun wielding teammate, looking for her side of the story. "How exactly is Russel a member of the White Fang?"
"Yeah, last time I checked he was just one of Cardin's goons." Weiss said, causing Russel to scoff at the accusation. "Quiet you, you're still in the hot seat."
"No, I'm sitting on the wooden pain in my ass seat." Russel rolled his eyes, gesturing to the chair he was strapped to. "Like c'mon, you could've at least given me a pillow or something to sit on."
"I had my suspicions." Blake said, opening up to her friends. "This is Beacon, where future Huntsmen and groomed. No one here should be acting the role of a bully. And yet Russel and all of his team do. I needed to get close to confirm my suspicions, but I finally did. Every White Fang agent has a secret sigil on their weapons, as to let others know where their loyalties reside."
"You're saying Russel's daggers have the same marking?" Yang asked, glancing at Russel out of the corner of her eyes.
"The very same." Blake held up Gambol Shroud, pointing to the side of her weapon with what appeared to be claw marks. She'd gone and clawed off the White Fang sigil on her weapon. "He's White Fang, and probably so are the rest of Team CRDL."
"We should tell Ozpin." Weiss suggested.
"I was thinking we interrogate him and find out what he knows. But you all showed up." Blake shrugged. "I must confess you're all taking this surprisingly well."
"Russel's a very bad guy? Meh, I was actually hoping he would be." Yang shrugged. "Give us a legitimate reason to hate him."
"For the last time. I'm not a member of the White Fang." Russel droned on. If his hands weren't tied up behind him he'd be pulling on his hair.
"You refused to answer my questions earlier. Now that we've mentioned seeing Ozpin, you're suddenly willing to talk?" Blake glared. "The situation speaks for itself doesn't it?"
"Why didn't you cooperate Russel?" Ruby asked.
"Because I don't owe you anything." Russel sneered.
"Suddenly afraid that you're master plan's fallen apart, Russel?" Blake spoke intensely. She took a step forward with Gambol Shroud trained at Russel's head. "The White Fang was once a peaceful movement. Now look at you. Infiltrating Beacon and for what? Something nefarious I bet."
"You got issues, Blake." Russel muttered as he met her stare.
There was something Russel had learned very early on as a child, especially when living in the environment he did. It was never the weapon that was pressed to your face you looked at, it was what was past it, the person whose hand was on the trigger. A gun was a gun, if it fell and went off it was an accident. But it was the intent of the man or woman holding it who decided when and who was going to get it.
It was foolish of Russel to think of relying on the likes of Blake's teammates. This was still a matter between Blake and himself. After all, while they would gladly go to Ozpin and have him ejected for something he most assuredly was not a part of, it was Blake who was willing to actually kill him.
"It's over Russel." Blake said, her finger still on the trigger. "Tell us everything you know."
"Just skip to the end Blake." Russel said, still looking past the gun aimed at his forehead and into Blake's eyes. "Still won't change the fact I'm not White Fang. Nor will it change the fact you still are."
The rest of the RWBY girls looked to their teammate, unsure of how Russel had come into possession of that kind of knowledge. "Still going with that story are you?" Blake laughed. Not the kind of laugh where you laugh at something funny, but the kind that was made out of sympathy, pity. "The Iron Nail is dead? That's impossible."
"Everything dies Blake." Russel scoffed. "But I'd rather not die today. Got too much to do before that happens."
Weiss, Ruby and Yang just watched on as Blake and Russel were interlocked in a stare down the likes they could sell tickets to. "I'm not White Fang." Russel said once more. "And that's the truth."
"But your weapons…" Ruby spoke up, before trailing off after catching sight of the look Blake was giving her.
"I don't even know how to use them." Russel laughed. "But you know how to use yours, Blake. Go ahead. Shoot me, we all know you have it in you." A familiar shit eating grin found its way back onto Russel's face, causing his wounds to open up once more. "Do it, do the White Fang proud. Show them you still got it in you."
Blake's eyes widened at Russel's comment. "You don't know me Russel."
"What's not to know?" Russel's smile faded, leaving only a tired look on his bloodied face. "You obviously feel guilty for the White Fang. You couldn't stomach it when they were blowing up homes and people huh? That why you left? Isn't that why you've got me tied up like some prisoner of war or something. Because you feel like you're making a difference? Why else would you be doing this?"
The gunshot rang loud. Gambol Shroud fell beside Blake as she just looked on. It was a blink and you'd miss it kind of thing. The rest of Team RWBY was left wondering at what had just happened. Russel was on the floor unharmed and there was now a fresh bullet hole in their wall.
One of the legs of Russel's chair had finally given way, seemingly damaged after Blake's earlier attempt to kill him. Had it not broken apart, Blake surely would have killed Russel, a fact none of them would forget.
Russel pulled himself off the broken chair. Now that it was in pieces he could slide himself out of his restraints. Standing up, Russel met Blake's stare and wiped the blood off his mouth with his fist. "We done?"
"Yes." Blake muttered, meeting Russel's stare.
"Alright." He said before heading to the door. "Later."
"Wait, what?!" Ruby, Yang and Weiss exclaimed in unison.
"What just happened?" Yang asked.
"We aren't turning him in to Ozpin?" Weiss raised a brow as she watched Russel leave.
"Blake, what's going on?" Ruby asked her teammate, a look of concern on her face.
Blake just let out a heavy sigh and switched on Gambol Shroud's safety before placing in her back pants pocket. "He's not White Fang." She said sounding almost disappointed.
"Are you sure?" Yang said, folding her arms over her chest. "He sounded guilty to me."
"Yes. Positive." Blake said almost frowning. She looked to her friends, unsure of what to say. So Blake dug deep to find the words. "I'm sorry guys. I messed up." She glanced to the chair she'd tied Russel to. She'd gone to extreme lengths to ensure that he couldn't simply break free of his restraints, but had never considered the strength of the chair itself.
Blake wasn't the best shot around. That would be Ruby, her and her sniper rifle. Blake was more likely to spray and pray, but she was smart enough not to shoot wildly, lest she hurt one of her friends. She never shot below Russel's shoulders. It would've been a headshot if it weren't for Ruby's Combat Jacket.
The leg of the chair wasn't damaged by her, but by Russel. It was when he'd wiped his mouth with his fist when Blake realized his innocence. His finger nails were scraped and worn with light amounts of dried blood beneath them. He could have left anytime but stuck around to clear his name.
"Hey, you okay Blake?" Yang asked as they got to work cleaning up their room.
"Yeah." Blake sighed. "It's just been a long day."
Halfway across campus in the Arcady Building, Velvet was still hard at work fine-tuning The Shining Beacon's contributor columns. Just this afternoon she'd received all but one of her contributor's articles. With Coco on fashion, Iliad talking about upcoming school events all that remained was the Author X contribution.
"Knock, knock." Velvet looked up from her desk to the doorway. There stood Russel Thrush, his thumb drive in hand. "Sorry if I'm a bit late. I had a scheduling conflict." He said, making light of today's events.
"You look like crap." Velvet commented on Russel's appearance.
"That I do. Got a blistering headache too." Russel walked up to Velvet and placed the thumb drive onto her desk. "Alright. I quit." He said before walking to the door to leave.
"Wait, what?" Velvet jumped out of her seat. "You can't quit! People love your Author X articles! I'd never tell Coco this, but no one reads her fashion advice unless it's on the same page as Author X."
"Eh." Russel shrugged as he leaned on the doorway. "I was never going to do this forever, you know."
"So that's it, no more Author X because you don't feel like it?" Velvet asked, sounding somewhat disappointed in his reasoning.
"When I came to you with the idea of Author X, I decided to go with a pen name for a reason." Russel said as he glanced up at the ceiling. "It's like therapy, you know? Anyone can get behind it and write out their feelings without the scrutiny of putting a face to a name. Anyone can be Author X."
"You have anyone in mind?" Velvet asked as she sat back down and inserted the thumb drive into her computer.
"Blake Belladonna." He said without taking his eyes off the ceiling. "She needs the outlet. I'm sure if you asked her she'll think about it. Might have to buy her a drink before
"I'm not old enough to buy alcohol." Velvet deadpanned.
"Really? I can fix that. I got a guy in Vale who sells great fake IDs." Russel laughed. "Want me to set it up, just ask."
"No thanks. I have a conscience, I might feel bad if I did such a thing." Velvet said jokingly. But then she froze in her seat, her brilliant smile fading from view as she reflected on earlier today. When Cardin had come to apologize she'd gone on to dump so much on him, one step away from claiming he was everything wrong with the way the world worked.
So yes, Velvet's conscience was speaking to her. Telling her to feel bad. She looked up over to Russel, finding he was still standing there. "Hey, Russel?"
"Yeah?" Russel turned his attention away from the ceiling to Velvet.
"Cardin keeps trying to apologize. Last time I said some things that I'm not sure that I meant. Hurtful things." Velvet admitted. "You're his partner, I don't know him very well. Would you say I would be justified in my actions?"
"You're essentially asking me for permission to hate on my partner." Russel frowned. "You really want my opinion, you're going to have to blackmail me."
"What?" Velvet raised a brow, looking away from her computer screen and to the young man over by the door.
"You heard me." Russel crossed his arms over his chest. "Do it."
Velvet just stared at Russel in disbelief. But she bunny girl just shrugged, why not. "If you don't give me your two cents on the matter, I'll tell everyone you're Author X."
"Alright, seems fair." Russel smirked. "Cardin's sister committed suicide after he left for Beacon. He didn't even get to attend the funeral." He said, causing Velvet to gasp. "His parents thought it would be best if he stick in with his studies. He hasn't been given the chance to mourn, Velvet. That's why he's been acting like an ass. He needed an outlet. You were just one of the many ways he got his feelings across."
"Oh." Velvet mouthed.
"Everyone needs an outlet." He said shaking his head. "Cardin's just working on how he does things. He's got a code you know, that's why he's gone to such extremes to make things right. It's how he can live with himself."
"I now feel really bad for what I said to him." Velvet slumped down in her chair. "I should apologize. That was awful of me."
"Apologize or not. It's a free country." Russel shrugged. "Also, does Beacon have a yearbook?"
"What?" Velvet raised a brow.
"Does Beacon have a yearbook?" He asked once more.
"No, no not for some time." Velvet said as she eyed the boy skeptically. "I answered a question from you, mind answering one of mine?" Russel nodded. "You know, even Dove and Sky apologized. I still haven't got one from you. Why?"
"That's just the thing, Velvet," Russel turned and walked out the door. "I'm never sorry."
With that taken care of, there was only one thing left on Russel's to do list. Just like how he had earlier this morning, Russel now found himself heading to Beacon Tower. Along the way he ran into Cardin, the guys were doing their best to cheer him up about today's events.
"Oh, hey Russel." Cardin waved over to the soul remaining Thrush. "You missed it. I made an ass of myself."
"What else is new?" Russel said, earning a hearty laugh from the rest of the team including Cardin.
The laughter died down. Now that Russel was here, Cardin decided to make good on a promise. "Pyrrha's been asking for you. Says she needs your help."
"Alright. I'll see what she wants in a bit." Russel said before walking off. "I'll see you guys in a bit. Got something to take care of."
Up the elevator of Beacon Tower, Russel ascended into the sky. The elevator stopped, reaching Ozpin's office. There seated behind his desk, with a mug of coffee in hand was the gray haired man, looking over such documents about school funds and something related to a dance.
Ozpin looked up from his work, spotting Russel approaching. "To be frank, Mr. Thrush, you look like shit." Ozpin lowered his mug, setting it on his desk. "I must say, I wasn't expecting you so soon. Last time we spoke I remember we discussed not wanting to see you in here again for quite some time."
"I'm not here to play games Ozpin." Russel muttered as he pulled up a chair and sitting in front of Ozpin's desk.
"You seemed to be playing them earlier." The Beacon Headmaster leaned forward. "What changed?"
"Today a friend of mine dug up a yearbook in the library." Russel said, causing Ozpin to freeze. The soul remaining Thrush dug into his pants pocket and withdrew the sheet he'd torn out of the yearbook from earlier and placed it on the desk for Ozpin to see.
Ozpin's eyes widened. On the page was him as he appeared now, unchanged despite the years that had clearly passed in-between the photo and now. "I don't know what to tell you, Mr. Thrush, but I don't like where this conversation is going." Ozpin said as he discretely reached for his cane behind his desk.
"I'm not here about you, Headmaster Ozpin. Sorry, but you're not what brought me up here tonight." Russel said tiredly as he reach out and pointed to the photo on the page. "Do you know the woman in the photo with you?"
Ozpin looked at the photo once more, recognizing that it wasn't just a photo of him, but of him and a female student he'd known once upon a time. "Yes, I do." Ozpin said, his hand on his cane. "What's it to you?"
"She's my mom." Russel said on the verge of tears.
Ozpin froze, he removed his hand from his cane and placed both arms on his desk. "Come again?"
"She died in childbirth, I never knew her. Not even a name." Russel said, holding back the urge to cry. "I've got her eyes. My dad said I had her eyes. She was on the same Team as my Father. I'm certain she's my mother."
"Why exactly are you here, Russel?" Ozpin asked, leaning forward.
"To ask a favor." Russel answered quietly.
"And if I indulge this favor would you remain silent about this photo?" Ozpin asked as once more one of his arms reached over beneath his desk and for his cane.
"I don't even know what you're talking about, sir." Russel said, pointing to the photo. "It's just a photo of my mom. That's all I know."
Ozpin chuckled. He removed his arm from his cane and placed it back onto the desk. "The favor then, Russel?"
Russel's face brightened. "Would you mind telling me about my mom?" He asked, almost choking on the words.
Ozpin couldn't help but smile. Call him old and sentimental, but he was a man of his word. "Where to begin?" Ozpin wondered aloud. And then they talked for hours. And the smile on Russel's face was not one of disdain or contempt. But it was one of joy. He finally learned his mother's name.
Oy this was a bit more difficult to write. This was the longest chapter I wrote so far. But I think it came out alright.
I was playing the long game for the Author X reveal, not like it was much of a reveal. I'm sure one of you thought about it.
I always liked thinking of Ozpin as Father Time. He's older than we know, never ages. And I wanted to play with that idea because he would be the only one who would know Russel's parents. I hope that gave you guys some feels.
The stuff with Cardin might seem a little throwaway line, but I think I built up on that with the previous arc and this one. There was always something up with Cardin, never went into it, but the characters like Russel was aware of it.
I also recently narrowed down the number of Arcs I'm going to do for this story. Hint: It's a double digit.
So, until next time dear readers. I hope you liked this chapter.
Next Arc: The Dance
Later Days!