A rather simplistic chapter this time. Simplistic compared to the recent chapters, that is. Either way, let's get started.

Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 31: Missions

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.(Chapter Start)

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September 11th

Wednesday

Clear

The orange sky of early twilight illuminated the JNPR dorm as Azura watched from the window, playing with the switchblade. He could hear Jaune and Pyrrha talking while Nora was explaining something to ren, but he was a bit busy with his own thoughts. Thoughts on if he should have agreed to help Neo and if he had, by proxy, helped the White Fang?

He knew that Neo wanted to be out of it, and by default, wanted Torchwick to get out of it as well. But why?

One could say that criminals working together shouldn't be questioned, but that it should be stopped. But what was in it for Neo and Torchwick? Safety? Power? Not that it mattered too much to him, but the questions still remained. What mattered to him was the fact that something big was being planned, and they were involved.

Yes, the looming 'evi' or whatever was bad, and he agreed that the White Fang must be stopped, but his bleeding heart made him wonder how he could help the dynamic duo of crime.

A loud ping rang out, snapping him from his thoughts, and he stood up from leaning on the window, putting the switchblade away. Turning back to the dorm, he saw everyone looking at their scroll.

"Professor Goodwitch sent a message to all first year Beacon students, requesting that we go to the ampitheatre." Pyrrha said, looking up with a smile. "We're finally taking on our first missions!"

"Oh, that's so exciting!" Nora said in a singsong voice, jumping up from her position on her bed. "What do you think we'll get? What if we get to choose?"

"Only one way to find out, Nora." Ren said, getting up more slowly. "We were told that this would happen today."

Jaune nodded, a smile on his face. "Once again, Ren is right. Come on guys, grab what you need, and let's get going."

The four of them moved about, and Pyra watched from the side. Azura, already having his gear on him, moved over to her side, her spear in hand. He glanced at JNPR, watching them conversate, then turned back to Pyra.

"Not that excited?" He asked.

Pyra looked up, her blue eyes looking up at him. "Oh, I am. Just thinking."

He tilted his head. "About?"

She shook her head. "Nothing too major, I promise."

"I'll trust you on that." Azura responded. "You ready to go?"

Pyra smiles this time, getting up and grabbing the spear. "Ready as ever."

Azura nods, and moves off to join everyone with six of them shuffled out of the door, meeting team RWBY in the hall, and moving up to join them.

"Heya! You guys heading to the ampitheatre as well?" Jaune said, greeting them.

"You betcha. I'm excited for this!" Yang responded with a grin.

Morphing to fit JNPR, Azura, and Pyra into the four of them, they continued on their way outside of the dormitory. Again, the twilight sky blazed on, and Azura finally thought about how late it was to be getting assigned to a mission. He assumed that one of two things would happen, that they would get the info and get going by tomorrow, or actually head off for the mission overnight.

"Probably going through the night for most cases. Assuming we get a mission in the southeast, we'll get shipped out there by nightfall. Since we'll likely be entering the sector on foot after a bullhead transport, I mean." Summer said.

Azura nodded, taking in her words. It made sense to him. "What was your first mission, anyways?"

"Extraction of a nearby village, west of Vale. Took two weeks just to get it finished and everyone to safety. It was...an interesting time, really."

"An interesting time?" He asked.

"Yeah." Summer said. "Lots of the older people were...persistent to stay. It was frustrating, at the time. I swear Qrow and Tai were going to explode from the anger they had towards the people, but the two of them were nice enough to not get mad."

"Knowing you, they were forced into it." Azura responded jokingly.

"Shush, you. Don't you have a team to talk to?"

Azura rolled his eyes, but left Summer alone for now. And it was a good time to do so, it seemed, as he tuned back into the conversation going on around him as they walked.

"Say, you think Azura and Pyra will get their own mission or something?" Jaune asked.

"They should just come with us!" Nora exclaimed. "It would be great."

"Well, they could possibly be separated, I think. Didn't you guys say something about how Headmaster Ozpin could put them elsewhere for these things?" Yang asked in return.

"Yes, that was said." Ren agreed. "And while it is possible, it would make sense for both Azura and Pyra to be with us. I mean, they are counted as members of team Juniper by the school itself."

"True, but you can never quite know with Headmaster Ozpin." Weiss said. "I mean, he's not known as a bit of an oddball for nothing."

"I'd prefer for the two of us to stick together." Pyra commented quietly, frowning.

Azura stepped in, hand on Pyra's shoulder, looking at everyone with a smile. "Whatever happens, we'll get through, yeah? No need to worry too much about these things right now."

Ruby nodded gladly. "Yeah. I'm sure everything will go fine for everyone."

Azura felt Blake glance at him, and he thought about whether or not he would be with team RWBY on whatever possibly brought them to the southeast of Vale. He shook his head, letting it drop from his mind. Whatever happens, happens, he supposed. His thoughts drifted away, and that was when he noticed a peculiar bag on one Ruby Rose.

"Uh, Ruby?" Azura asked, having moved over to her side.

"Oh, hey. What's up?" She asked, a smile on her face.

He glanced at the bag. "What's that for? You don't usually carry luggage around school grounds."

"Uh...nothing?" Ruby responded, her voice slightly nervous.

That was when a bark was heard from the bag, startling Azura for a moment. He looked around, noticing JNPR wrapped up with talking, though Pyra was watching him with a raised eyebrow, and he could see Yang looking back at him as well, a knowing grin on her face. Azura frowned, confused, then looked to Ruby for an explanation.

"Just look in it, I suppose…" Ruby said, sighing in defeat.

As awkward as opening a bag on someone else while walking was, Azura eventually undid the clasp and blinked in surprise when a corgi popped its head out, barking again.

"What." Azura said it as a statement, as if too stunned to really phrase it as a question.

"Well, that's new…" Summer said.

"What?" Ruby said, before it dawned on her. "Oh...right." She shakes her head, speaking again. "This is Zwei. Dad got him after a little while, even trained him to be a certified Huntsman companion!"

"That's…" Azura started, trying to think of the right words.

"Cute." Summer said, distracted.

"Cute." Azura finished, having said it with Summer.

"I know, right?" Ruby said, grinning. "Though, put him away, quickly! Before I get caught with him!"

Azura rolled his eyes, but did so, closing the clasp and leaving an open hole at the top to make sure Zwei could breathe. "I mean...Huntsman companions are a thing, I guess, so wouldn't it not matter if he is seen?"

"But he's not mine, he is dad's companion under name." Ruby explained. "So I don't know how that would go."

"I see." Azura said, shrugging. "I suppose that makes sense."

The rest of the walk was done in silence for Azura, simply content with listening to the others talk. They quickly entered the amphitheatre together, moving to a position near the center of the room. Plenty of other students were in the room, the buzz of conversation going on all around as they waited. Goodwitch was standing on a raised platform, a microphone to the side, and watched the students with her narrowed gaze. She was waiting for Ozpin, it seemed.

"I guess it isn't just Beacon students, then." Jaune stated, looking around the room at the students. "The other kingdoms have their students here as well."

"That's true." Pyrrha said, glancing about. "Maybe all first year students on Beacon grounds were called here. It might explain why they are using such a large room for this."

Azura saw Ozpin come out onto the stage, his cane out as always. As he stepped across the stage, Goodwitch called out loudly.

"Please, quiet yourselves. Headmaster Ozpin would like to share a few words before anything."

As the noise died down and RWBY and JNPR grouped up next to each other, Ozpin looked out among the students in silence. A few moments later, he spoke.

"We stand together today, united as one. Mistral, Atlas, Vacuo...Vale." He paused, nodding. "Four kingdoms at one point. Eighty years ago, on this very day even, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of darkness, of the worst we can do. Of greed, and ignorance. Of racism and oppression."

A murmur among the students started, and Ozpin waited patiently to speak once again.

"It was a war that went beyond mere border placements, or who had what land. It was about individualism, and the very idea of being a person. They were dark times indeed." He said, shaking his head lightly. "Self-expression and art was to be destroyed, if this war continued. Luckily, many people could not stand for such a thing to rock the world to its core."

Azura looked at the people around him, noticing Pyra looking at the ground. He frowned slightly, unsure of why she would seem so unfocused at this moment. He reached out, pulling her slightly closer, and she let out a quiet noise of surprise, looking up at him. He smiled at her, tilting his head, and she gave him a brief one back. He felt her hand brush his arm and hold on lightly, and while confused, he let her do so and turned back to Ozpin.

"Of this large group who opposed it, many of them started to name their children after colors and other such personifying traits. Names of color, names that were based on flowers and nature, names of courage and love, or even the seasons themselves. Whether it be color or gem, sun or moon, heart or soul, It is something that has held tightly, even now. The idea at the time was to breed unity through diversity and individualism."

He smiled, then. Small, but visible. "But it is something that would not be there without bonds between people. Friends. Family. Lovers. While the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work very hard to maintain that peace. And that is why, on this very day, you will all be sent on a mission while shadowed by a Huntsman or Huntress."

See-through screens started to pop up around the room, the sound of several screens turning on going through the air as Ozpin continued to speak.

"You may work within the walls for the week. You may be outside of the kingdom for several days. But, no matter what path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do the best that you can do." He said, finishing his speech and starting to walk off.

The clapping of students could be heard around the room for several seconds before quieting down for a moment, then being filled with the excited chatter of students.

Nora was bouncing excitedly, grinning. "Come on, come on! We get to choose our mission!"

"On your lead, Nora." Jaune said, laughing.

He then turned to Pyra and Azura, waving them over. "Come on. Even if Headmaster Ozpin says anything to change the six of us taking a mission, I want it to be all of us looking around for a mission to take."

Pyra looked at Azura, talking quietly. "We should follow."

Azura could feel the burning gaze of team RWBY, and smiled awkwardly at Pyra. He found it difficult to say no to Pyra as she was, but he promised team RWBY that he'd be with them if possible.

"You go ahead, okay? I just need to talk to Weiss for a moment about my glyphs." He said, lying.

Pyra frowned, but nodded. "Okay. Don't take too long."

She walked off, and Azura sighed after she was a decent distance away. "Lying sucks."

"But, it did work. And yes, I would indeed like to see the glyphs at some point before the mission." Weiss said, nodding her head.

"Before anything, we need to find a good mission in the southeast of Vale!" Ruby said, her eyes bright as she adjusted the bag on her back.

"Shadowed by a huntsman, huh? We'll be all buddy buddy during the day, then slip on out like a ghost by night!" Yang said, keeping an eye on Azura.

It took a moment, but he cringed back as he thought about it. "Ghost puns, Yang? Why?"

She laughed, waving him off. "Anywho, where to start?"

Weiss frowned looking around the room. "Hmm...why don't we try 'Search And Destroy'? The southeast is rather known for dangerous things that need to be taken care of, Grimm or otherwise."

The five of them nodded, and they began to look for any board that had the thing they were looking for. Only a minute later, they managed to find a proper board with what they needed. Searching through the small list of missions to take, they found one that would take them to the same area that they needed.

"Here we go. Quadrant Five, Southeast Vale. Heavy Grimm Activity." Ruby said, pointing to it.

She stepped forward, selecting that mission and typing their team name in to take the mission. As it loaded it up, a beep was heard, denying them access to the mission in the first place.

"Wonderful." Weiss said, sighing.

Blake looked among them. "Any other ideas?"

"Perhaps I could offer my own idea." Ozpin said, coming around the board and speaking to them.

"Headmaster Ozpin! Hello." Blake exclaimed.

"We deemed that the area had too high of a Grimm count to deem it safe for first years." He explained, holding his scroll in hand and waving to the board. He turned back to them, smirking. "The area is quite popular among people, even Grimm. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that you would make your way there, no matter the mission."

"Oh dear." Summer commented. "Not wrong, though."

"W-What makes you say that?" Ruby asks, trying to seem innocent, but failing poorly.

"I'm still curious as to how you all made it to the docks, not just as a team, but with a tag-along in Azura, last semester." His smirk grew. "And I'm certainly interested in how you learned about this White Fang activity in the southeast. You five do have a knack for trouble, you know."

"Uh...well...I mean…" Ruby said, waving her arms in front of her as she tried to find an answer.

"Well, that is part of life's mysteries, is it not?" He said, speaking over Ruby. "How about this. I shall bend the rules in your favor, coincidentally, and not have my rules be broken." He tapped his scroll a few times, and the denial that they were given was then approved.

RWBY smiled among each other, excited. They turned back to Ozpin, and Ruby spoke.

"Thank you, sir."

He shook his head. "Do not thank me. Your teamwork and...curious persistence has carried all of you far. In fact, I'll throw in something a little extra." He looked at Azura. "Mister Heart will be allowed to join you four on this mission. Consider it a safety measure."

"And Pyra?" Azura asked.

"She will stay with team Juniper for their mission. I'm sure you do not need to worry about her." Ozpin said.

He nodded, and then looked at RWBY with a smile.

"But, if I could have a word, Mister Heart?" He looked at RWBY. "A private one, actually. About your team situation in this scenario."

"Uh oh...that's not good." Summer said, a hint of anxiety in her tone.

Azura kept a straight face, nodding again, then followed Ozpin off to the side, away from any other student. After a few moments of Ozpin looking around the room, he looked at Azura and spoke.

"Let me keep this straight, Mister Heart." He started. "I have a task for you."

"A...task?" Azura asked, trying to ignore Summer's building paranoia.

Ozpin nodded. "Yes, a task. The region you are going to is known as Mountain Glenn. I am sure you know of the events there?"

"A failed civilization, an off-branch of Vale itself. Built a city, but was overrun by Grimm." Azura stated, listing off the main points of it.

Again, Ozpin nodded. "Correct. However, do you know why those events transpired in the first place?"

Azura frowned, trying to recall. "Someone brought the Grimm in?"

"Mostly, yes. But, he was a scientist of Vale, Doctor Merlot. Was head of the charge for a branching city away from Vale, even." Ozpin said, his expression growing dark. "However, he ended up experimenting on Grimm in secret. Made them stronger...more dangerous. He ended up dying anyway, but it was too late by then. The Grimm were already taking over the city."

Azura looked down, not wanting to seem disrespectful of the tragedy.

When Ozpin coughed into his hand, Azura looked back up. "Now, I tell you this for a reason. This task I want you to fulfill involves Merlot's work. There is an unmarked building that leads into his office and, corny as it sounds, secret lab. While I do not have the exact location of such an office or lab, I am certain that it is in the northern parts of the fallen city itself. I am asking you to recover any data he left there, if you accept."

"Azura, please...think about this." Summer pleaded, nervous concern evident in her tone.

Azura breathed out heavily, as if venting Summer's air out for her. "Why me, Headmaster?"

Ozpin placed a hand on Azura's shoulder, looking at him in the eyes. The vision of those other bodies once more appearing in his sight behind Ozpin, but vanishing as a barely noticeable green light sweeps through Ozpin's hand. "Because I am trusting you with it. Summer is the most capable person to protect you, and I wish to alleviate some of the anger and emotion you no doubt feel from Summer."

Summer didn't say anything to that, but Azura could feel her calm down slightly as she tried to rationalize the idea. He looked down, trying to show to Ozpin that he was thinking while talking to Summer.

"Summer, listen to me."

"Listening." Summer said after a moment of thought.

"I know how you are feeling right now. I...I understand why you would feel that way. Remember, I saw...I saw the whole reason for your death play out."

"Yeah, I know." Summer responded softly, seeming to retreat to a quiet corner.

"You may not trust Ozpin at all. And I barely trust him myself because you don't trust him." He said, letting her take in his words. "But I trust you, Summer. Do you trust me enough to be okay with me accepting?"

Summer remained silent for several long seconds, one that Ozpin was clearly patiently waiting for to end, before speaking. "Yes. I do trust you, Azura. I will support you if you accept it. I will keep you safe from anything, if I have to."

Azura smiled, finally looking up at Ozpin. "I'll do it, sir."

"Thank you, Azura." Ozpin said, smiling. He then grows serious. "The only other information I can give you is that you do not touch anything other than the data that will likely be there. I am serious, Mister Heart. If you have any reason to doubt your safety on touching any suspicious objects, do not touch them. Understand?"

Azura nods. "Of course. Thank you for trusting me with this."

"And thank you, Summer, for trusting me this once." Ozpin said, bowing slightly. "This data could be very integral. Now, I must talk with team Juniper and Miss Sol about your status with team Ruby."

He walked off, heading back into the mess of students among the room. Azura watched him go for a moment, then walked over to where team RWBY was still standing, watching him return.

"Is everything okay?" Ruby asked, concern in her voice and eyes.

"Yeah, it's okay." Azura said, feeling the guilt of lying come up again, but shoving it down to continue. "The Headmaster just wanted to make sure I would know the situation of how this will be done. Stuff like how I'll be marked down as a member of your team while on mission."

Yang grinned. "Perfect then! You get to start your track record of missions on a high note!"

Azura rolled his eyes. "I'm sure team Juniper will be perfectly fine for my track record or whatever you call it."

"Speaking of team Juniper, are they still looking for a mission?" Blake asked, taking a look around her.

"No, they've found one. I think I saw them walk outside." Weiss said, waving a hand to the entrance. "Though, should we even try and find them? Our mission starts within the hour."

Ruby shook her head, a quiet bark heard from the bag on her shoulders. "We should at least talk to them before we go. I'm sure they'll walk with us to...uh...where are we going?"

"The airship docks, Ruby." Weiss said, sighing. "Since we'll be going by bullhead, considering the location of our mission."

"Isn't it already kind of late?" Yang asked.

"I mean, despite the sky, it's not actually too late." Azura said, then paused and looked at Weiss. "Did you see an estimate for how long it would take to get there?"

The heiress shook her head. "No, I did not. But it should only take an hour at most. It's not too late already."

"Well, let's get going." Ruby said, moving forward and waving an arm for them to follow, a smile on her face.

They all followed after her, Blake and Yang discussing the mission while Weiss walked with Ruby, leaving Azura to round out the end. As they left the amphitheatre and came out into the open air, they found team Juniper waiting for them. The five of them joined the group, and they stopped to talk.

"So, what mission did you guys take?" Jaune asked.

"We get to search and get rid of Grimm over in sector five of Vale." Ruby said, excited. "It'll be fun!"

"Kicking ass will always be fun." Yang said, a wide smile on her face. "What did you guys choose to go with?"

"Ren and Nora wanted to do some patrolling with an officer of sorts west of Beacon." Pyrrha said. "I think it will be quite interesting."

"Sounds pretty cool." Azura said. "Are you guys leaving as soon as we are as well?"

"Not quite." Ren said, shaking his head. "We leave a week from now. Why?"

"We leave in just about an hour, though I am sure our Huntsman taking care of us might have us leave earlier." Weiss replied, waving a hand in the direction of the airships. "We're going to the airship docks now, just in case we need to leave earlier than that."

"Well, we should leave you guys to it, then." Jaune said, scratching the back of his head with a quick laugh. "Don't want to be wasting your time." He looked at Azura, smiling. "And the Headmaster explained what's going on with you, Azura. I'm sure you'll be fine, but be careful out there."

"Yeah, I will be." Azura said, pointing to his head. "Or the Huntress in my head will be rather displeased."

"Wait, before we head off!" Yang exclaimed, looking at JNPR. "Was Pyra pulled aside by Ozpin too?" She jabs a thumb at Azura. "This guy was, said it was mainly what will consist of working with another team."

"No, I wasn't." Pyra said, glancing at Azura as she spoke. "Though, that might be because of the fact that he isn't working with the team he and I were assigned too."

Yang shrugged. "True. I was just curious, anyways."

"Do you mind if...we had a few moments with Azura?" Pyrrha asked. "Not long, but we should bid a teammate farewell for a mission, I feel."

"Go for it." Ruby said, before speaking to Azura directly. "Just don't take too long, okay? I wouldn't want to leave you behind!"

"Never, Ruby." Azura said, joking. "You go on ahead with your team, small leader. I'll be right behind you, promise."

"Small?!" Ruby exclaimed, before sighing heavily in a mocking manner and muttering. "I drink milk, you know."

They all shared a laugh before the team RWBY left, leaving Azura with the what Beacon considered his team.

"Well, how are your goodbyes, huh?" Azura said, smiling.

Nora was the first to take action, making her words known through a blitz right into him and hugging him tightly. He grunted at the hug, stumbling back a step or two. He hugged her back lightly, chuckling.

"I'll miss you too, Nora. You and your antics both."

She moved back, grinning. "You better, Mister! Or I'll be very disappointed."

Azura rolled his eyes, and Jaune was at his side as Nora backed off, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Again, take care of yourself out there, Azura. I'm sure you and team RWBY will be fine out there, watching each other's backs, but you know how it goes."

"With practice comes consistency." Ren said, nodding slightly. "Better to be told to be safe a thousand times than to never be told to do so. Be safe out there."

Azura smiles again, nodding. "You guys worry too much, you know."

"For good reason. We are your friends." Pyrrha said, moving to be in front of him. "And we wouldn't be good friends if we didn't care for each other."

"Of course, Pyrrha. I know you're a good friend." Azura said, laughing. "Probably the best friend someone could ask for."

She smiled back warmly, holding a fist out for him. He returned the fist bump and nodded. She backed off, waving everyone over to her, though Pyra stayed where she was near Azura. "Give the partners a bit of space."

"Pyra." Azura said, tilting his head at her. "Have fun with them, alright? The five of you should be able to do that mission with ease."

She nods, stepping closer. "I will. But, did the Headmaster truly pull you aside for nothing other than a few pointers about what will happen with team Ruby?"

"Yes, I promise." Azura said, feeling the natural sense of guilt for the lie. "Nothing too important beyond that."

Pyra studies his face for a moment, then sighs. "Okay."

Azura rolls his eyes, bringing his partner in for a hug. "Come on, you don't need to play the emotionless girl. I know you like hugs, probably as much as Nora does."

Pyra squirms for a moment before settling down and laughing lightly. "Yeah, yeah. Maybe I'm just huggable."

"Don't tell Nora that." Azura commented, pulling back and smirking.

"Come back soon." Pyra said, looking up at him.

"As soon as I can." He responded.

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.(Line Break)

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The bullhead flew along in the sky, taking RWBY, Azura, and their Hunter, Doctor Oobleck, to their mission zone in sector five. Mountain Glenn to be more precise.

Azura was holding on to the strap on the inside of the bullhead, looking out of the open entrance and into the sky, watching it. A moment later, however, he talks to Summer, feeling a semi-strong feeling of anxiety from her.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah...I'll be okay. It's just...the last time I took a mission from him," Summer sighs. "I can't stop thinking about it right now."

Azura glances at the four girls in front of him, the idea of the mission being secret feeling wrong. But, Ozpin was clearly suggesting that he do it alone. Or, well, to do it with only Summer's and Luna's help. Lying aside, he also felt it was better to keep the four of them out of it, if only for their safety.

"Dangerous area full of Grimm and a mission to fulfill." Azura said, thinking on the memory of watching Summer slowly bleeding and choking on her own blood, shuddering for a moment. "We can back out, Summer. If you don't feel ready, I will not force you to be."

"And I'm grateful for that, Azura. I truly am." Summer said, then continued. "But I almost saw you die because I wasn't there and ready, back on the docks. I almost saw Ruby and Yang die that day…" She trailed off, thinking for a moment. "I was helpless, unable to get help or to be the help as a ghost."

"Summer?"

"But, this time is different. I'm able to help, and well," She chuckles softly."I'm kind of stuck with you, and you are stuck with me. I'm not letting my fear get in the way of doing what I promised to do."

"And that is?" Azura asked, if only to get the answer from her.

"Protecting you, if that is all I can do."

Azura smiled, watching the environment zoom by. It was rather touching, that Summer was so willing to protect him, and he couldn't help but feel like his situation with Summer was not just an unfortunate event, but a great boon, maybe to both of them.

"And I will protect Ruby and Yang, if they need it. If that is all I can do for you, Summer."

Azura heard Summer chuckle, glad that he managed to break her anxiety and nervousness for the mission to come. The mission to clear Grimm, the secret mission with team RWBY, and the mission Ozpin sent him on. It seemed that secrets were going to be something that continued to grow.

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.(Chapter End)

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Not much to say here, but I'm excited to get writing the next few chapters. Have a nice day/evening!