"And you need her, and she needs you."

As Dryya was tightening the armor over her shoulders, trying to keep it from tugging against her white dress, she wondered when Isma would be getting back.

She looked at herself in the mirror, holding her arms up, and huffed. She looked ridiculous. This was the outfit the Palace tailors had picked out for her, so she was required to wear it to parties and other performative appearances. She needed to be both dolled up and looking lethal on behalf of the Crown, who of course wanted to show off the majesty of their Great Knights to the kingdom. A frilled, flowing white dress, overlaid by plates of glistening silver armor, the outfit was meant to be part functional and part beauty.

Of course, nowhere in that description did it allocate for comfort.

"Ahhhh, take care, Le'mer," she heard a voice over her shoulder as Dryya yanked on her armor. "You do realize that outfit costs more than some commoners' homes, yes?"

Dryya didn't need to turn around, seeing her fellow Knight's face in the mirror behind her. "Ze'mer," she said, her voice tired. Ze'mer never needed such expensive and uncomfortable gowns; being a foregin bug, her species was unknown even among the Palace's innermost circles, and it was that exotic flair she had that waived the need for such a frivolous thing.

Dryya would openly and proudly admit she was jealous. "What have you been up to, while I've been struggling to put this rag and sheet metal on?"

Ze'mer suppressed a soft chuckle, walking over to help Dryya with the laces on her back, straightening the shoulderplates as they both looked through the mirror. "Why, che' has had some spare time to myself, so I believed I could assist a transfer guard from Dirtmouth."

"Dirtmouth?" Dryya parroted. "What does a soldier need to do to get a promotion from a rural town all the way up to the Palace?" She'd spent her whole life climbing these same ranks, and if this guard had done anything short of single-handedly holding off a full-scale invasion, the jump in rank would be insane.

"Ahhh, not a promotion, Me'hon. He is a witness."

"Oh?"

"He was transferred to the Palace temporarily for questioning, and I've been helping him settle in for the time being. He thinks he saw Valleri enter Hallownest."

At the mention of Valleri's name, Dryya scowled. Even incarcerated, she caused endless problems for the Palace. While under accusation of having caused an international incident with murder, she nearly started another incident with Deepnest within a day of her transfer to the Palace. And despite everything, she still had the audacity to keep a tongue on her that disrespected orders from the King himself.

"Ai, che' can see your expression, Me'hon. Remember, che' wast there, also," Ze'mer spoke up, referring to the Deepnest Queen's visit the other day. "Did it not seemst like the Valleri wast merely caught up in a mess of the Princesses' craft, monia?"

Dryya would admit it; she hadn't interacted with Princess Hornet much, since Great Knights had better things to be doing than babysitting, but the small Spiderling could be devious when she wanted to be. Thankfully, it seemed some food and attention was usually enough to sate her, but Dryya always made sure she had a spare vacation day to use if the Princess was inconsolable.

"Perhaps…" Dryya said, furrowing her brow, "But she's still a troublemaker."

"Valleri, or Hornet?"

"Both of them," Dryya half-laughed, half-seethed. "But between the two, Valleri needs to be tried and punished already. Her bail alone is five million Geo, is it not? She's a problem that must be dealt with." And what were Knights but expert problem solvers?

Ze'mer tugged on a strap around Dryya's waist, making her jump at the sudden constriction. She laughed, "Nahlo, Nahlo. Don't you know it is bad to rush such things, Le'mer?"

"Will you be attending the ball as well, my son?"

"No, father."

"Ah, that's a shame," Hurley said, standing up on a high stool to look at himself in the mirror. "Though, I understand you have duties as a Knight. Very honorable of you!"

Behind him stood a taller Bee, one who came up to just above eye level with Hurley without the need for a stool. He stood regally, arms behind his back, shoulders square and firm. He nodded at his father's praise, turning to look at himself in the mirror.

"You know, Scallon, most would kill for a chance to attend a Palace Ball, and here you are, turning down the opportunity to focus on yourself and your kingdom. As much as I'd wish to go with you, I'm proud of your decision, my boy."

"Thank you, father," said Scallon.

Hurley stopped fiddling with his outfit - he'd look woefully underdressed among nobles and royals no matter what he did - and sighed. He turned away from the mirror to look up and down his son. "...You've grown so much in your time, you know that?"

"I…" Scallon turned away, embarrassed. "Thank you."

"No need to be so cold! I'm your father, you don't need to be a soldier around me."

Scallon tensed up and looked to the floor, but said nothing. Hurley paused, sighing. "Say. You've always been interested in theater plays, no?" Scallon blinked, looking back up, but said nothing. "When this whole mess is over, before we go back to the Hive, why don't we go see one of those big fancy plays in the City? Just you and me."

"I…" Scallon tensed up further, his gaze averted, needlessly trying to keep up his Knight visage. "..I'd like that."

Hurley smiled warmly at his son through the mirror. "You deserve good things every now and then, my boy."

Herrah put more time into prettying up her needle than herself.

These childish balls were nothing more than Hallownest's pompous high society trying to show off to each other, seeing who could flaunt their wealth the most. Always trying to insult each other through honeyed words and sugar-coated lies.

Well, Herrah wasn't having any of it. If this was all about image, then the only image of herself she wanted in those rich fool's heads was of a proud queen who was not afraid to skewer them on the spot.

"My Queen, what are the odds of another 'diplomatic incident' occurring at this ball?"

"It's just a ball, Ramones."

The blind Deepnest Knight crossed his arms, observant as ever even without his sight. "That doesn't answer my question."

Herrah gave a resigned sigh. "...It's almost guaranteed." There were just too many conflicting parties at play here. Aside from the ballroom packed with arrogant nobles, there was the Wyrm, for one. She wondered if he had a tight enough leash on his Great Knights, or if she should consider those five a separate issue. The Root would be present as well, so would representatives of several other prominent monarchs, particularly those interested in the current murder mystery at play.

And not to mention…

"You're thinking about Valleri," Ramones noted. It was like he was a mind-reader. Interestingly, despite having been defeated by her amateurish hand, his tone held no venom or even dislike. If anything, there was only a keen interest.

"Of course I am," Herrah hissed. "Five million bail, fifty million bounty, and under suspicion of murder and causing one of the worst diplomatic catastrophes in years." She almost felt bad; the feisty girl's situation seemed hopeless. With no substantial evidence, but a lot of pressure for a conviction, it seemed she was headed down a slippery slope towards a false charge. "Almost everyone in that ballroom will have a reason to want her dead, Ramones."

"So we should keep her away from the ball, then, yes?"

Herrah paused. She didn't think of that, but also… "Why are you trying to protect her? She might be the one who blinded you."

Ramones shook his head. "It's not something I could put into words, but… consider it a gut feeling. She's not the one. I'm positive."

Herrah huffed, regarding him silently in the mirror. Gut feelings were valued much more highly in Deepnest than they were in Hallownest proper, but even then, it seemed like a stretch. But she dropped it; if Ramones was certain, then who was she to argue?

"On another subject, who will be watching Hornet? I'm expected at the ball, so I will be unavailable."

That was an issue. She didn't trust her lower guard with babysitting her, only with escorting her. She obviously couldn't do it herself. Was there someone else?

...Herrah felt something light up in her mind. A sharp, menacing grin grew on her features in the mirror.

"What if I told you…" Herrah started, turning towards Ramones, "...that we could impale two morsels at once?"

Ramones uncrossed his arms, confused.

"But there's no other high-ranking guards available! Who else could be trusted with protecting Hornet?"

Valleri was trying to entertain herself by playing both sides in a game of chess.

"Uh… weird fly-thing to… E5."

Or some Hallownestian equivalent to chess, anyway. None of the pieces looked like kings or queens or bishops or pawns or knights. It also didn't help that Valleri had zero clue how to play human chess; she was pretty sure she had the initial board setup right, though. Like, eighty percent sure.

"Okay, uhh… That thing with the funny horns can go to… Let's say G4. Wait, is that legal…? It's the bishop that can go in an L, right?"

Seventy-five percent sure.

Valleri was never good at these types of brain games, but she still appreciated the time she could waste on them. She remembered reading an article on chess; in classical games of chess, players are allowed 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, and then 30 minutes for the rest of the game. It gave players all the time they needed to make calculated decisions, while also ensuring that games didn't last all day.

That was classical chess. There was also another ruleset called blitz chess, in which all the rules were the same, but each player gets less than ten minutes for the entire game, and usually only three. Some players were better with the thought-out planning of classical chess, and some players were better at making split-second decisions under pressure in blitz chess.

This is basically how people work in general, too. But we'll get back to that later, because right now, something is trying to break through Valleri's window.

She started at the thump on the glass, spinning around to see two familiar faces hanging outside by a silk thread attached to the awning. The large Deepnest Great Knight, Ramones, was rappelling down her window like some secret agent, and bundled in his arms was…

"Hornet!" Valleri smiled, her lips curling into a smile. But then she paused; this was the child of two powerful monarchs. Was it… safe, to be anywhere near Hornet? Even without her clever nature, just being near her could put her in deep trouble.

She shook her head, deciding she was already in deep shit, and unlatched the window for Ramones to clamber through before he wound up breaking it.

"You are Valleri, yes?" Ramones said, not turning towards her. He stared off into empty space as he held Hornet in his arms, who was tugging towards her.

"Yeah, that's me. You're not here for a rematch, are you?" She joked. She hoped he wasn't here for a fight, she barely won their previous one. Ramones, hearing her voice, turned to face her general direction, but still didn't look her straight in the eye. Valleri had never met a blind person before. Should she be more careful around him?

"No. Queen Herrah has asked me to deliver Hornet to you for safeguarding during the Kingsday ball," he explained. He let Hornet jump out of his arms and skitter across the ground and up Valleri's bed before jumping on her back with a giggle. Valleri smiled at the small princess's antics, but gave Ramones a funny look.

"'Safeguarding'?" she asked. "The Queen wants a convict to babysit for her?"

"Essentially."

Valleri stopped to consider this, when Ramones moved to climb out the window. "H-Hey!" she called out, grabbing his cloak. "This girl's cool and all, but you can't just… drop this on me out of the blue. At least give me some more details!" It took some effort not to curse openly in front of Hornet, but she managed.

Ramones looked at her. "...Queen Herrah is currently attending a ball within this Palace," he eventually said, "in which many other high-profile guests will be present. As she is unavailable to watch over Hornet for this time, she has turned to you."

"What?!" Valleri said. Now things made even less sense. "A literal Queen can't find a better babysitter than an alien locked up in another king's castle? Why me?!"

The Deepnestian Knight was silent for a long moment, before he turned his entire body to face Valleri. "...I couldn't begin to fathom why myself. However…" He sighed, as if internally debating if this information was worth sharing while he was still saying it, "It seems she sees something in you after the events of yesterday. Potential, perhaps."

Valleri shook her head, still confused. Ramones kept speaking, "You jeopardized her daughter's safety, resisted her closest guards, and stood against myself. And yet, she is not angry."

He climbed back up through the window. Valleri didn't move to stop him. "Somehow, it seems you have fallen into the Beast's favor. ...Try to keep it that way."

And with a toss of his scissors, he swung away, and he was gone. Valleri and Hornet were alone, staring out the open window.

…

"...Uh… So Hornet, do you know how to play chess?"

Down in the main hall of the White Palace, the ball was in full swing. Pale lights shone like diamonds, guests were talking and laughing, food and wine flowed like a river, and Dryya was sick of every second of it.

Maybe she was just being overdramatic. In a getup like this, anyone would be. Still, she was never a people-person, and ballrooms were nothing but people. On the bright side, her main purpose here was just to stand around and look impressive; while it infuriated her to no end to be reduced to some fashion display, it at least made her job simpler.

You just had to keep your posture straight. Don't scowl. Know when to nod, know when to curtsey, know when to say basic pleasantries until whoever is talking to you goes away.

"It's a party, you know. There is no need to look so tense."

Dryya turned to see Ogrim standing beside her, wearing his shining white armor. She wished she was allowed to just wear her armor to these parties. Unlike this dress, it was her armor, and she had painstakingly taken the time to make it as comfortable as possible, without sacrificing effectiveness.

Dryya huffed as politely as she could manage. "I can't understand the excitement around these parties. They seem more political in nature than anything."

Orgim laughed. "Well, that I won't deny. It stands true for the ones in the Palace at least," he said as he looked out over the crowd of royals and nobles and politicians. "But where I came from, we used to have smaller parties among only ourselves and a few friends. Those are some of the fondest memories of my time before being a Knight."

"I know," Dryya sighed. "You mention it every time we do one of these things." She didn't want to be mean, sounding like she was being dismissive of Ogrim's happy memories, but she was getting fed up with this place. Not that any of it was Ogrim's fault.

"...Sorry," she mumbled after a few seconds.

Ogrim only laughed again. Somehow, he always found a reason to laugh, and she envied him for it. "It's just a friendly reminder. Not everything has to be work."

"I know, but…" Dryya was repeating herself. She liked Ogrim, she really did, but sometimes it felt like their conversations could go in circles too easily. She supposed that was what happened when an optimist like him met a pessimist like her. "I'll be fine," she sighed dismissively. "It's only once a year."

"Things don't have to be this way," Ogrim smiled. "It's all about your attitude!"

Dryya couldn't help a smile that rose to her face. He always had a way of bringing up the spirits of everyone around him, even herself.

Someone bumped into her.

"O-Oh, forgive me!" they said. Dryya turned; they were wearing a heavy blue cloak, not unlike the ones found in the City, which covered their whole body. They donned a white mask with two eye-slits, tilted downwards in a mournful expression.

"Oh. Hello," Dryya said. She stared into the sad mask of the figure, "Have we met? I do not recognize your voice."

"U-Uh, no, my Lady, I do not believe we have!" Their voice sounded slightly feminine, but also had a gravely tone to it, as though the bug underneath had a cold. "Ah, might I ask, do you know where I can find Herrah?"

"The Beast?" Ogrim asked with a cocked eyebrow. Was this person on a first-name basis with the Queen of Deepnest?

"Q-Q-Queen Herrah, yes!" They corrected themselves. "I wish to, ah, make an inquiry to her!" They held their cloaked arms out before them pleadingly. Dryya sighed; there were bound to be royal goofballs in a place like this. This world was governed by almighty idiots.

"I believe she's near the back. You can't miss her."

"T-Thank you!" And with that, the figure turned away, stumbling over their own cloak which seemed a size too large for them.

"...Funny one, aren't they?" said Ogrim, leaning in to whisper to Dryya.

Meanwhile, under the same cloak that just passed by the two Great Knights, Valleri was beginning to panic.

I get I'm not the most interesting person in the world when there isn't a horde of spider knights for me to beat up, but why did Hornet have to run off?! Valleri let the thought toss and turn in her mind. No, HOW did she run off? I turned away for a second!

Whatever, Valleri thought, steeling herself. She'd find Hornet down here and take her back up to safety. And if it kept the Princess entertained, Valleri would tear down half of the whole damn Palace for her. But for now, she needed to go anywhere but here, because this place was dangerous for a small girl like Hornet.

And… it was dangerous for Valleri, too. Tenfold what it was for Hornet.

Fifty million bounty, five million bail, and a lengthy list of accused crimes. And someone like her was sneaking around in a political ball in the White Palace. She was surrounded by some of the most powerful people in the kingdom, and every single one of them wanted her dead.

If anyone finds out who I am, I'm dead on the spot.

Nobody was looking. Go.

Hornet shot out from under the table and scrambled up the cloth to where the pitcher of juice sat. If she tried to pick up this thing, she'd hurt herself, or worse still, draw unwanted attention.

Grabbing a cup, she forewent pouring the drink into it and simply dunked the cup into the pitcher. Careful not to spill it, the spider princess climbed back down the table and darted off, weaving between the legs of partygoers to find a new hiding spot.

Valleri casually sidestepped nobles, muttered out apologies to ambassadors in a fake voice as she walked around them, trying to dodge the crowd. She could only pray that nobody here would be set off by a figure in a blue cloak stumbling past them, or that anyone would give her a second thought.

"Ai? Me'hon, stranger."

Valleri froze before the figure before her. She stood about a head taller than the human, long trails of silvery hair flowing off of her. She looked like the most majestic mop in the world.

"You appear lost, Me'hon. What is your name?" She asked.

Valleri stammered at the question. "M-M-My name? Uahh…" Shit, shit shit shit. Why didn't Valleri think this could happen? She hadn't bothered to prepare a name for herself before wandering in here, and now she was paying the price for it.

But after she stammered for a few seconds, the tall silver woman laughed. "Che' doest not believe this ball ist meant to be a masquerade, but che' respects your anonymity. Che's name is Ze'mer; I am one of Hallownest's Five Great Knights, ai."

...OH. FUCK.

"I notice your mask, stranger. Che' has a friend who wearst a similar disguise, a blue cloak and a mournful mask. Ai, she recently caught a villain with it!"

"D-Did she now…" This Ze'mer seemed nice enough, but Valleri needed to get out of here. Now. "W-Well, perhaps I ought to meet them a-another time! I-I'm here on business, unfortunately, so-"

"Nahlo, nonsense! Nobody comest to a ball on business, and especially not in a mask!" She turned to a pitcher of some red drink, pouring herself a glass, before turning back to Valleri. "Can che' fancy you a drink, Le'mer?"

"N-No thank you," Valleri peeped out.

Ze'mer shrugged. "Ai. Suit yourself." She raised her glass and downed the entire thing in a single gulp, much to Valleri's surprise. "...Meleno, that friend che' mentioned who donst that disguise. I would love to introduce you, however… it appears Lady Isma ist not present at this ball, wai."

Valleri perked up at the name. It seemed like her captor, Great Knight Isma, vanished off the face of the earth ever since she was arrested. She didn't know the small plant-being well enough to even fathom why, maybe her colleagues might know?

"O-Oh? Why is that?" She didn't know why she bothered; the affairs of the Knights were none of her business, and she wanted nothing to do with them, being a wanted criminal. She reasoned to herself that it was just a way to evade suspicion by keeping the conversation going.

Ze'mer sighed. "I am uncertain. Lady Isma hast never been one recluse. ...Ai, but perhaps che' oughtn't say too much. It wouldst be rude of me to gossip."

The other Knights didn't know either? Or maybe Ze'mer was just tight-lipped. "A-Ah, I don't mind you sharing." ...Shit, was that the wrong thing to say? Ze'mer was looking at her funny now.

She set her glass down on the table, a knowing glint in the Great Knight's eye. "...Alright. Che' shall lay all my cards on the table." With only a quick glance to either side as a warning, Ze'mer leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

"I willst leave you alone, so long as you do not make a scene, Valleri."

Her blood ran cold. She knew.

"After the summit the other day, che' knows I'd be a fool to try and apprehend you here. Che' only wishes to ensure one thing, nemeno: You aren't here to cause any problems, are you, Le'mer?"

Valleri quickly shook her head. Ze'mer's tone was still light and friendly, but she did not want to do anything to set off the Great Knight. Ze'mer gave a soft laugh, "Che' trusts you not to do anything foolish in this crowd. So many here wishst to see you found guilty, Me'hon."

She was sugarcoating it; they didn't care what the court did, they wanted her dead. "...I know," she spoke quietly, not bothering to disguise her voice anymore.

Ze'mer stepped back with a smile, but Valleri couldn't tell how genuine it was. "Che' ist glad we share an understanding. Though che' must ask, why arest you down here if you understand such dangers?"

Valleri's mouth felt dry, but she wasn't about to take off this mask to take a drink. "H...Hornet-" she choked out, helpless.

Ze'mer's gaze hardened as the cogs turned in the Knight's head. Luckily, with that word alone, she seemed to understand everything. "...Che' understands." She looked around them, "Then perhaps che' willst help you search, Me'hon. For both our sakes, of course."

Valleri blinked. She… wasn't expecting any actual help. "T-Thank you," she said. The two parted ways wordlessly, each searching for the elusive Deepnest Princess.

Hornet stumbled underneath the table, the chatter of nobles above her sounding so muffled and distant.

It was dark down here. Darker. She kept running, was someone following her? She could feel something was off, but that feeling felt so muted…

She tripped and fell, but didn't feel herself hit the ground. It was getting darker. What was happening? She felt sick. Her limbs weren't moving how she wanted them to. She could see the adults walking past just in front of her, but none of them could notice her. Where was her mom?

Where was her mom?

Where was mom?

"M-Mom…"

"Valleri."

Shit. Sneaking by didn't work, was she this bad at stealth? She froze in place, looking away from the voice that addressed her; maybe if she didn't react, he'd think he just made a mistake and let it go.

"We know that is you. Come here."

Valleri cursed under her breath, and slowly, guiltily, turned to face Lateralus, the Pale King of Hallownest. He was glaring at her, arms diplomatically behind his back, but the rest of his body language spoke of his distaste. He was still shorter, but standing up on a slight pedestal, so Valleri shrunk under his blinding gaze.

She probably deserved to be on the King's shit-list, if she was being honest. Thanks to her case, her mere existence was a headache to him. Not to mention how she interrupted a tense diplomatic meeting and jeopardized the kingdom's state of peace. Oh, and the fact that she had decked him.

"What, in the name of the Gods above, do you think you are doing." He seethed as she approached. His tone left no room for disobedience. It pissed her off how she couldn't just deck him again in front of all these people, but that was practically suicide.

But before she could respond, another voice from behind Lateralus spoke up. "Oh, is that you under there, Valleri? Haha, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to see you here!"

Valleri looked down, and smiled when she spotted the short bee who was talking to the King just a moment earlier. "Hurley!" Finally, an actual friendly face! Hurley and Hornet were probably the only people in this entire Palace, if not the whole Kingdom, who didn't want to see her dead. How depressing.

Lateralus looked between Valleri and Hurley. "Ah… yes. We had forgotten you had already met," he noted. "Though, that still does not explain your presence." The King glared back at Valleri, who was silently glowering under her cloak.

"I'm looking for Hornet," Valleri said. Surely, with the Pale King's help, they could get this sorted quickly and quietly? He owned the damn place, after all. "I think she's somewhere in this room."

"H-Hornet is-?!" Lateralus's eyes widened in horror. "...This is… a cause for concern. We will see to it immediately. But you," he stepped forward towards Valleri, "Are returning to your room immediately. We will not allow a criminal to walk so freely among Our halls."

Hurley stepped forward. He was wearing a small black suit of some kind, and his fuzz was combed and well-done, with a blue, bubbling drink in his hand. "O-Oh, worry not, Your Majesty! I can vouch for Valleri here; had she intended to cause trouble, she would not be sneaking around, no?"

Lateralus blinked at the unexpected interjection. "T-That is true, We suppose, but why are you…?"

"I thought I told you? I intend to testify in her defense." This information seemed to floor the Pale King into silence. Hurley continued, "The culprit was a male human, and before us we see a woman. And I am willing to speak as much before the court."

"I… I see…"

Valleri wanted to change the subject. "S-So do you have balls here often?" she asked the Pale King. She wasn't entirely sure how to address him. She couldn't be fucked to use Your Majesty or Your Highness, just calling him Pale King was a little weird, and she felt like she'd get killed on the spot for using Lateralus.

Lateralus recovered quickly, nodding. "N-Not frequently, no. Events such as these are to be cherished for their rarity." It sounded scripted, but believable enough. She heard rumors about the Pale King being a recluse monarch, but his line of action figures she found in that church and this party seemed to counter that point.

"A-Are the balls you host here big?" she asked.

The Pale King nodded proudly. "These balls are quite impressive in size," he said.

Valleri couldn't suppress a snicker. God, she was still just a stupid kid. "W-Well, I aha," she awkwardly tried to hide her laughter, "I should get back to looking for Hornet. She can't be far."

If Lateralus realized the joke that he was just the brunt of, he didn't show it. "Make haste, and do not cause any further incidents. You're on thin enough ice as it is." He gave her one last harsh glare to make sure she got the message.

Valleri raised her hands placatingly, "I get it, I get it! Hornet's safety comes first, and I'll make sure to get her out of her quickly and quietly." She wasn't just saying it to get the Pale King off her back; she did honestly worry about Hornet's safety, and she wanted to get the Princess (and herself) out of here as soon as possible.

The Pale King nodded. Hurley raised his glass high with a beaming smile, "Best of luck to you, Miss Valleri!"

The glass slipped from his fingers and shattered on the floor.

Lateralus, Valleri, and a few surrounding party-goers went silent, turning to the source of the noise. Hurley wavered a bit, looking down at the shards of glass by his feet with confusion.

He stumbled. He looked up at Valleri, and she could see foam frothing out of the small bee's mouth.

Hurley collapsed on the ground, and the screams started.

Chapter name and summary are a reference to Dance Hall Days by Wang Chung.
Other musical references in this chapter include:
Rob Scallon (artist)

i hate ze'mer for being french. i hate team cherry for making ze'mer french. i hate french.

this is probably the fastest i've gotten a chapter out (minus that 1k word intermission chapter i did in Ethno once). it's a fair bit shorter than usual, being only just over 5k words. which is a perfectly normal chapter length but i'd gotten so used to making 10k word mammoths that a normal chapter leaves me worried that i didn't write enough

"Scallon", while being an artist i love, was also a placeholder name that ended up sticking, so i may or may not change that in the future.

Anyway, this may disappoint some, but I'm planning to blitz through the rest of Midnight Rider's "introduction arc"(Yes, we're still in the prologue) before returning to write Deepnest in Ethno. Luckily, that's only 2-3 more chapters that should all be fairly short like this one, so it's not gonna take the rest of the year, don't worry. We'll get back to Chance's suffering soon enough :)

And we'll also get back to this cliffhanger soon enough, once i figure out how to choreograph action scenes. Please leave a comment and we'll see you again soon :)