Enslaved To A Flame
Chapter 17
Snapped
William was calmer than he thought he would have been. Normally he'd be seething with rage. Today he was just boiling with it. He hated he'd given in. That he'd ended up giving Roman more things to pile on him, more to keep him loyal. He'd given him three people. Nearly presented them on a silver platter.
But that didn't matter in the short run. William would pay back his debt. He'd clear it up and escape. And if he managed to keep Victoria, Leo and Sandra alive, then he'd be all the better for it. For now, it was just a matter of making sure the plan went off without a hitch.
A hitch named Solemn Archernar.
Solemn had a brother, also attending Beacon, and somehow all in the same team. Further, her parents owned and operated a breakfast/brunch café. William had even heard of it by name, from Coco no less. She's insisted that he accompany her to it the next time she went, but she wasn't sure when that would be.
William hadn't wanted to wait that long. According to her classmates Solemn worked weekday shifts when he classes allowed. Which gave William enough time to come to the little shop named 'Archernar Alchemy'.
Solemn apparently used a musket as well, an old-fashion fire arm for the time, but William couldn't exactly diss that since he used a bow.
It had taken him a day and a half to comb through the information and dig up some other things about her. Not a spot on her criminal or permanent record. Clean as a whistle. Her Beacon evaluation mentioned she was protective of friends, rating her among the highest in that category. She worked strategy and marksman for her time. According to her combat record she tended to act as a scout as well, which often got her into trouble.
William looked up as the waitress returned to his table with a sterling silver tray in her hand, on top of it, his order. She set the tea on the table gently, along with a small dish with sugar and creamer.
"Solemn." William greeted, setting her profile to the side.
She bristled but offered him a small smile. "Yes sir?" All façade, but business façade. An acceptable compromise.
"I didn't know such a cute little shop existed." William said with a small smile. "You should have told me about it in class. I would love to go to a shop that uses home-grown leaves." He reached out, drinking the tea plain.
Admittedly it was good. A rich brew, with a soft hint of bitterness. What had he ordered? He forgot, too busy scanning the shop.
She gave him a tight smile before looking around. Her brother was at the counter. William couldn't remember his name. Something with an D. Darious? Dalinar? Dennis? Denal. That was it.
William followed her gaze. It was a slow day, but also rather early in the morning. The only other patron was an elderly woman in the back corner, looking out the window. She had a kettle and a crossword puzzle in front of her.
"Why are you here?" She hissed, leaning down and glaring at him. Her expression was somewhere between shock and annoyance. As if he were an unwanted flirt.
William gave her an easy smile. "Miss Archernar. I just wanted to seek you out and smooth over the altercation last night." He picked up the cream, pouring just a dash of it into his tea and adding a cube of sugar. He idly stirred, watching the emotions brew inside of Solemn's eyes.
She seemed to weigh that statement. She was trying to figure out if he was a threat. He'd already shown her that he was dangerous. Now she was trying to figure out if he was dangerous to her family.
"I'm not here for anyone but you Solemn." William said, adding a square of sugar into his tea. "I'd hate to give an attractive lass like you a bad first impression. I'd lose any shot I had of wooing you."
Unlike Victoria, he had no problem pulling the wool over Solemn's eyes. She didn't mean anything to him. A passing face. A momentary acquaintance.
She blinked, "Eh?" A moment of confusion. Then she moved on as if William's comment hadn't been there. "But you were out past curfew. I was interested in why."
"So were you." William shot back, setting the stirring spoon aside and giving her a pointed look. Maybe she just wasn't good at recognizing flirting. A pity.
Solemn's lip quirked. Could have been a frown, could have been a smirk. "Touche…"
William hummed, shrugging. New topic. They did share a class, but William hadn't noticed her until then. He'd combed through the class email list to check. "Professor Port mentioned we'd have a pop quiz today."
She nodded, shifting to the new topic easily. Possibly gratefully. "It shouldn't be to hard. Did you study? You were out late last night."
The switch was flipped. No longer a threat. Just another classmate. Now it wasn't a hostile environment, just an awkward conversation. William hummed, giving her a small nod as he took another sip, savoring the taste before swallowing.
"Just a bit." He assured her. "I just wanted to let you know I'm not one of those unsavory individuals." William gave her another smile as he set his cup back on the saucer, the dregs still swirling around in the bottom millimeter of liquid. "Thank you for your time."
Solemn nodded, meeting his gaze for the first time. Deep blue eyes. Like uncut sapphires. William blinked, but she held his gaze for a long moment.
"Something wrong?"
She shook her head. A moment more passed, then she picked up his finished tea, a tinge of pink on her cheeks and ears. William couldn't tell if he'd embarrassed her, or she'd embarrassed herself by staring.
But either way, he'd diverted another set of eyes. At least partially. No doubt he'd cling to the back of her mind, and if Roman's plan went off without too many hang-ups, his name would be at the top of her list for suspicious individuals. She seemed smart enough to connect the dots at least, and Neo's hair was far from common.
William got up, waving briefly to Denal, her brother at the register, before leaving. They seemed an interesting pair. Their semblances especially…
Another thought for another time. William had classes he needed to be late for. Or perhaps classes he needed to miss. His calm façade could only go for so long. His shoulders were still tight, and he knew he kept having to relax his hands from fists.
He called Roman on the way back.
It rang twice before Roman picked up.
"What?"
"Got a leak. Or rather, just someone to keep an eye on. Solemn Archernar. Family. Brother also at Beacon. Got a whole run down on her."
"How'd the leak happen?"
"Coincidence. Area was secure. Neo untangled my web. Flies got in. She thinks it's just a case of Neo being my ex, and having to get something to me since she'd not allowed on campus."
"Decent cover." Roman acknowledged. "Don't let it happen again. What else?"
"What do you know?"
"Sandra Carmine is in your team." Damn! William thought he could hide her for longer. Roman must have a bug on him somewhere. Or the lab security was salvaged.
"I want her collar deactivated." William replied.
"No chance. She's a new card in my hand. I won't give her up kid." Roman shot back.
William mulled that over as he rounded the street corner. The station was in sight. Not a lot of time. "Then rig her collar so an EMP can't kill her. The last thing I need is to explain why a teammate lost their head."
"He knows you got her from the lab?"
"Ozpin seems to know a lot about you and the lab. Might have a few more holes in our system that we thought so."
"Ozpin doesn't find holes. Ozpin makes his own damn holes. Man's a monster." Roman grumbled. "I'll get it done. But don't you touch her collar. Or one will end up on you. Did you tell her about it?"
"No." The lie slid off William's tongue easily. Readily. If there as any advantage he could get on Roman, he would use it.
"Good. Keep it that way. I doubt they'll X-ray her but keep a close eye on it. I don't need them actually taking that chip out successfully. It has too many leads pointing back to us."
To him actually. William wasn't tied to anything. Both so that Roman could keep him all to himself, and so that William appeared and disappeared like a ghost.
In fact, Beacon was the first public role Roman had used him for. He even used his real information for it. At least mostly.
"Station. Headed back to Beacon." William said as he eased into the station, flashing his student ID to the ticketmaster.
"Did you skip class?" Roman seemed genuinely perplexed.
"Yeah?" William frowned. "Why? Did you suddenly care about my academic success?"
"No. But I don't need Glynda or Ozpin trying to call your parents numbers. Not right now at least."
"Who has the-"
The line went dead before William could even finish his sentence. William snarled, shoving his scroll back into his pocket.
It buzzed immediately. He pursed his lips. If it was Roman he was going to-
He blinked, rereading the name as Victoria's face appeared. Why was she calling?
"Yeah." He asked as the transport came into station.
"Where in the five kingdoms are you? You missed two classes! And you're late for Glynda's!" Victoria hissed. "When you get back I'm going to skin you!"
William had the decency to feel embarrassed. No doubt Victoria had to cover for him. Which no doubt incited a situation she was less than comfortable in. Especially with Glynda.
"Sorry partner." He huffed. "I had something I had to do for my uncle."
"And this takes precedence over Glynda because?"
"Because he said so." William shot back. "Look. I'll be there soon. I'm on the transport to Beacon right now. I'll get there. Don't worry about it."
"Don't you dare hang up on me Will-"
He ended the call. He paused, staring at the screen for a moment. She called back immediately. He answered.
"Will-"
He hung up.
She called back, a video call this time. Seething violet eyes burned into him. He answered with a smug grin.
"Something wrong?" He asked. He was messing with her. Burning off his anger with pure shenanigans. It wasn't exactly working, but it was helping.
"You're dead to me." Then she hung up, leaving him with one last image of her violet eyes, narrowed into a glare that shot right through him.
He chuckled. He would pay for that. Likely as soon as she saw the opportunity. But it had been worth it.
His shoulders were relaxed until he stepped off the transport. Burdens dropped onto his shoulders as he took the steps down the ramp.
Deceit. Hidden goals. Murder. Death. Missions. Blood on his hands. Victoria's father. Roman's targets.
William shook his head, deciding that it might be best if he didn't go to class. He needed to blow off some steam. And the best way to do that was physical activities.
A snarl curled William's lip as he struck, twin Aura Blades carving through the air, slicing racquetballs in half as they shot out of the machine on the far side of the room. Others skidded by, reflex and instinct letting him dance between the ones coming towards him and the ones bouncing back.
He carved a path through them, leaving shredded rubber in his wake. A double cross, duck, spin, pair of wires anchored in the wall corners to slice the next ball as he got the one on his left. He reached the midpoint of the training room, a footpad on the ground.
He stepped down on it, a buzzer going off and the balls stopped. He remained combat ready for a moment, sweat tricking off his skin, gathering at his elbows and back.
He'd thrown his jacket off as soon as he started. Now his button up was clinging to him. He didn't mind it though, he'd already rolled the sleeves up, leaving his arms free. His boots and pants weren't terrible either, even if they were hot.
He let out a slow breath, trying to calm down. This was the fifth round he'd kept up with. If he recalled the ball speed was floating somewhere in the 35s. Meters per second. That was almost as fast as a pro baseball throw. His lip quirked.
He could do better.
He headed back to the terminal by the door. He checked the speed, then raised it to 40 m/s. That was a little fast but… He shook his head. He needed it.
Absently he noted it was past lunch now. He glanced at his scroll, set in a corner for safe keeping on top of his jacket. He'd missed three calls from Victoria. One from Leo. One from Coco.
He hit the start button.
He almost got hit as the barrel spat out three balls rapid fire. He dodged two, slicing the last in half and getting back into rhythm. It was harder now. The balls whizzing towards him, barely giving him any time to check the direction. He had to feel it instead of see it.
William swung, his blades curving slightly, bending into spirals to catch an additional ball. He smiled, glad he was finally getting control of them. Roman would be sorry he gave them to him.
The thought of Roman soured his expression immediately.
Damn. He had more cards in his hand to play against William now. Now more than ever William was under his thumb.
The training room door slammed open, banging into the terminal. It startled William enough that he missed the next two balls. One skipped across his cheek, the other hit his thigh. Both stung, but the one on his thigh made his leg skid back, screwing up the rest of his rhythm.
"William Faolan Lance!" Coco.
Damn it!
William snarled, anger flaring as he tried to set up his rhythm again.
"Don't you ignore me!"
William gritted his teeth as another ball slid through, bouncing back and spitefully hitting his knuckles. His Aura Blade slipped from his grip towards the ground.
"William!" Coco barked, her foot stomped on the ground, ruining any rhythm he'd set up in his head.
"WHAT!" William roared, his semblance coiled around him, dicing the next two balls like chopped vegetables before it exploded out, smashing into the corners of the room. Absently he noted that it coiled around Coco, but minced both the barrel and the footpad.
Good enough. It had stopped at least.
Coco smirked at him, his semblance coiling around her, but the angle was wrong. Even if he constricted, the wires were centered on him. He'd have to fix their loop to shut her up.
"You've been ignoring us. Don't you shut us out."
William stalked towards her, hands clenched in fists. She didn't know a damn thing. She wanted him to talk about this! Like homework? Like any normal happenings? Like it wasn't someone's life he was ending!?
His hand closed around her throat as his semblance coiled back around him, dissolving into Aura.
"Shut up." He warned her.
She glared at him, on edge now. She should be. William was seconds away from squeezed and not letting go until that pretty little smirk was a flat line with drool hanging out.
"Make m-" Coco found the rest of her challenge stuck in her throat as William slammed her against the wall and tightened his grip.
He leaned in, and Coco suddenly realized just how dark William's eyes looked when light wasn't reflecting on them.
"Don't you try me." He hissed. "I'm not a charity case. If I want to be left alone. Leave me the hell alone. I'm here so I don't hurt them." He snarled.
Coco's hands strained against his, coiling around his fingers, trying to find purchase and failing. William let her struggled, a dark satisfaction creeping through his bones as he watching Coco's struggling get more desperate.
A moment longer, letting her nails dig into the skin of his hands, blood start to well up and her attempts at freedom to dwindle. Then he dropped her.
She hit the ground like a wet sack, knees crumpling into the ground, a jagged cough and a hurried gasp of air bursting from her lips.
Her hands wrapped around her throat. He'd left a mark. He flexed his hands, feeling the stinging bite her nails had left on the back of his hand. Pain was nice sometimes. It brought him back to reality.
He looked down at Coco, gasping for air with ragged, damaged breaths. He'd hurt her, not just physically, but likely emotionally as well. He really should apologize. Tell her he was sorry. That it was just nerves and rage.
But he wasn't sure if it was just rage. He hated her. She had started picking apart his masks. Making him toe the line between truth and lies. Easing him into a sense of security that made him take down-no- tricked him into letting her in. And she had weaseled the door open enough for Victoria, Fox, Leo, everyone else.
She had made the crack. It didn't matter Victoria had been the sledgehammer to break the rest of the wall down. Coco had made the crack.
William leaned down, flexing his fingers.
"William!"
He froze. Ice in his muscles. Coolant in his veins. Death in his wires. Hate in his eyes. But shame in his heart as he turned to the voice. The open door.
Victoria stood in the doorway, her face red, just starting to sweat. Soft puffs of breath. She had just stopped. How'd she know to be here? Who told her? Coco.
"Don't you touch her." Victoria snarled, stalking through the room.
William didn't make any attempt to block the painful kick Victoria delivered to his chest, knocking him on his back.
He laid there, reaching up slowly and using his arm to cover his eyes. Of course she was here. Of course she saw.
Damn it! He wanted to scream, yell his frustrations to the world but she was here and it kept that cry tucked inside of his chest.
Damn it!
He heard a scuffle, likely Victoria picking Coco up. The door closed, but he knew she was still here. Her lavender shampoo and mint conditioner still perforated the air like a fine wine. Or maybe it was more of a deadly gas.
He wasn't sure yet. The line was muddled.
"Why?" She asked. Her voice was hard. Unyielding. And damn it he didn't want to tell her.
Why did she do this to him? How did she do it? Slip through his masks, make the truth squeeze through his grasp and slide through his lips. Why was it her of all people! Anyone else William could lie to. Sandra, Leo, Coco, Fox, Ozpin even. Hell. He'd take a shot at cheating Roman before he took a shot at lying, cheating, tricking, deceiving Victoria.
"Because she's the one who started this." William whispered. "She's the one that broke my masks and opened the door for everyone else."
"So you were going to kill her?" Victoria yelled. Her boots stamped out a furious pace across the floor, stopping by his chest.
"No." He paused. "Maybe." He shook his head, unwilling to remove his arm and face those piercing purple eyes. "I'm not sure. I wanted to. But I knew it was too late. You had already snuck in. Too late to throw you out. You were too good to make another mask." William rolled, putting his back to her.
Her boot nudged his back. Not a kick. But not a forceful hit.
"Let me in William."
For some reason he wanted to. Maybe because he felt like if she accepted him after everything, after killing her father, ruining her life, after murdering every opposing cop, crime boss, delegate and thug that Roman felt was a threat to his empire, that he might be redeemable.
He wasn't sure what he would do with himself if that were true.
"I can't. Kill me."
A pregnant pause. Something on the tip of her tongue. A question. A want. A need to know.
"Why?"
"Because Beacon would be safer if I was dead in the next few days." William replied. Teasing. Tight. Dangerously close to the end.
He had to tell her. Need to. Why? What about her drove him past the edge of faking? What made him want to be honest with her.
"William. We're partners. You have to be open with me."
It hit him like a greatsword. A cleaving slash straight through his chest, tearing through flesh, muscles and shearing his heart in half. It burned his throat, stole the oxygen from his lungs and squeeze his throat shut, impossible to say a single word.
Partners. He'd damned himself. He'd made a leash to remind himself of how terrible he was, unwittingly tying it to the one person capable of redeeming himself.
Or condemning him for the rest of his life.
"I can't!" He barked out, squeezing it past the lump in his throat and the blaze in his chest. "I can't! Please!"
"William!" Her voice was harder now. "You just attacked Coco! You haven't really talked to me since that night on the roof! You haven't done anything but chain-smoke and go to class! Talk to me!"
"I cant tell you because then you'd be involved!" William snarled. Oh he wanted to. But he couldn't. She'd pushed too far. He just couldn't. "I told you. There are some burdens I have to keep to myself Victoria." He eased his arm back, sitting up but refusing to look her in the eye. "This is one of them. Not because I don't trust you. Not because I don't want you to know." He hesitated. "But because I can't risk putting you and everyone else in my uncle's path by knowing."
"Your uncle knows about us?" She trailed off.
He risked looking at her know. He read the surprise, the shock. "I didn't tell him a word. He knows his way around the spy network. I wouldn't be surprised if he called tonight to ask about my spat with you and Coco." A lie this time. Roman's spy network wasn't that comprehensive, but it was good. Electronics, a few general questions. Any oblivious person could be an information source so long as they were in the right place at the right time and asked the right question.
"How much does he know?"
William simply shook his head, watching Victoria flinch. He sighed, elaborating. "I'll get you the letter he sent me. When it all boils down to it. You're just another chip he can use to keep me in line." Sandra specifically. She was a chip Roman could play anytime, anywhere.
Victoria seemed taken aback by that. William wasn't sure if it was the information, or that she was just shocked William's 'uncle' had researched them all.
William got to his feet, picking up the Aura Blades. He wasn't sure when he dropped them, likely in his outburst against Coco, and tucked them into his pockets.
"Are you… going?" Victoria asked, not having moved.
William nodded. "I'll get you the files tonight. For now…" He trailed off.
"Going to smoke?" Victoria asked. "No weaving?"
William shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Smoke." He agreed. "Nothing with my hands is going to get this out." Nothing shy of murdering Roman and squeezing her still-beating heart into paste.
Victoria nodded. Then she gave him a smile, reaching into her back pocket and producing a pack of cigarettes. "Here. You have the lighter right?"
"Always." William lamented, taking the pack from her hands. He shook it, then looked at her. "Thank you. I mean it."
She smiled, but it was a tight expression. "I got your back partner." She reached forward, cupping his hand in hers and giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'll be here when you need me. For whatever you can need me for."
William tried to smile back, though he wasn't totally sure how successful his expression turned out to be.
"Smoking is illegal on campus grounds."
William grunted, casting his gaze back to vibrant green eyes of one Glynda Goodwitch. He took a look mournful drag on the cigarette before letting it waft out of his mouth.
"Look Witch. Either I smoke. Or I jump." William explained, pointedly swinging his legs over the edge of Beacon's platform. "I picked the option that doesn't end in a wet floor sign."
She narrowed her eyes, then huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Is something the matter Mr. Lance?"
William snorted, turning back to watch the skyline as he took another drag. The nicotine buzzed softly in the back of his mind, easing his frayed nerves. "Nothing you can fix." He shot back.
"Nothing with Torchwick?"
William snorted. "It's always Roman." He wasn't surprised Ozpin told his little pet witch about William's fake background and his true purpose here. "But even if I told you, you couldn't fix it. Because even if you tripled security, he'd still get through and pull his little stunt."
"We have Torchwick locked up. He's not escaping." Glynda replied firmly.
William laughed openly at her. He knocked the ash off his cigarette before he took another puff of it. He blew out a smoke ring, then another hit. He took it away from his lips, examining the stub before flicking it off the edge. He picked up the pack, shaking out another into his waiting lips. He produced the lighter, cradling it as he carefully lit the edge.
"You make the mistake of assuming Roman is a common thug." William muttered. "He might be a dirtbag and a scum sucker, but he has the resources, the skill, and the drive to pull some of the trickiest schemes you can imagine. He's not just a criminal. He's a mastermind, a genius. He started with nothing and clawed tooth and nail into the position he holds. And the reason he's managed to do that is because he knows how to manipulate people."
"Oh? Really? You don't seem that manipulated to me. He hasn't laid a finger on Ozpin. Or me. Or any of the other students here." Glynda smirked. William didn't even have to look at her to know that. The expression was blatant in her words.
"You must be daft." William spat. "He's been manipulating me the moment my father took out a loan from him nearly twenty years ago. He's got White Fang working for him. He's got goons, beggars, thieves. He has contacts and officials in every police force in Veil. You think your school is so high and mighty he can't weasel a few fingers into here? He's got enough here that he knows I picked up Sandra, Victoria and Leo. He's got everything from their birth certificates to their doctor's notes from the fifth grade on file."
Glynda didn't seem that perturbed.
William snarled. "He's not just a man you can lock up. He's an empire."
"You overestimate him." She replied coolly.
"No. I just work for him. I know his habits. I know his ques." He glanced at Glynda. "And I know just how hard Beacon is going to fall if everything in his little plan goes right." William took the cigarette out of his mouth, letting out a lungful of smoke.
The pack shot out of his hand and over the edge. He glanced at Glynda, raising an eyebrow at her. She scowled at him, but said nothing as she stalked off, leaving him the half-finished cigarette to cope with.
He leaned back, back to the ground as he stared up at the sky. He finished off the cigarette, flicking the stub over his feet and the edge.
An idea burned in the back of his head. Something new for the Aura Blades. Keeping them in his pockets were inefficient. He needed something faster. Something that added to their flexibility and rapid-response. And he had just the idea.
So he headed to the armory, working out the specifics of the holster he was contemplating. He shoved open the doors, ignoring the few other occupants in the building as he made his way over to the CNC, picking up what he needed as he went.
He set up the CNC, programing the cut out before he zeroed out the program. He set it to run, then got started on the leather straps that would hold the spring-locked holsters in place at his wrists.
He spent the better part of two hours rigging the holsters up. It was past dinner now, but he didn't seem to notice as he set to testing and tuning them. Making sure that the Aura Blades sprung just where he needed exactly when he wanted them.
He headed back to the room, the sun down and the moon already rising, perhaps even at its peak. He hadn't been checking. He should have been. Roman had another mission for him soon.
Well. William had until the tournament. A week or two away. A mission at the primaries. Then Roman's main plan at the finale.
He made it back to the room, finding Leo and Sandra asleep in their bunks, likely lulled to sleep by the soft strum of Victoria's guitar. She kept playing as he walked it.
She didn't look up, nor did she shift as he sat down by her feet, leaning back against the bedframe. He leaned his head back against the mattress, looking up at her.
The strumming slowed but didn't stop. "How do you feel?" She asked, her voice soft, careful.
"Tired." He replied.
She stopped playing, setting her guitar in the corner between her nightstand and bed. She shifted over, moving her legs so he was between them. He glanced back at her but didn't' comment as her hands set on the top of his head, tangling in his hair.
He flinched, wanting to pull away, wanting to run. But he didn't, pushing through the shock and terror of having her touch him.
Her fingers wove through his hand, not truly doing anything at all. Not like weaving. Not she was just… letting her fingers roam.
It was unsettling at first. Exciting the paranoia in the back of his mind. She was close to his neck. His back was turned. But her hands were gentle. Soft and tender against his scalp.
He relaxed into her, closing his eyes. He had to trust her this much. Needed to.
"Better?" She whispered.
William hummed softly, unwilling to voice his thoughts, but also unwilling to risk what might startle the others awake. Gradually he felt the tension ease out of his shoulders, leaving his muscles tired and sore. Then came the tiredness. He was emotionally tired already, but the collapse of his physical tiredness sent him crashing towards sleep.
But he wasn't willing to let it go. The tender touch. The softness. Before he knew it he'd fallen asleep, Victoria combing her fingers through his hair.
Alright. So I know I uploaded a drabble, but I actually finished this the day that I did. So as long as I don't forget, this is coming out like. The next week or so.
I wanted to add some friendly bonding between William and Victoria. But also ratchet up his stress levels. I tried.
Also I'm sorry if this is getting too…detailed. Tell me if it is. Let me know if you don't like the way that I'm writing things now. I'll revert back as much as I can. I know seeing the inner workings of William's head aren't always something necessary, but as the writer who is basically his head, it's naturally something I feel is important.
Timelines are hard. Getting William's timeline with the inconsistent RWBY timeline is terrible. But. I may just say "Screw continuity!" And forget specifying dates certain events happen. I've been trying to get it right. But I likely have been failing.
Also these chapters are getting longer. In truth, based on the old version. This was chapter 13. As you can see. This is Chapter 17. Furthermore. This isn't even the END of chapter 13. I had an entire other scene built for this chapter in Chpt 13. That'll be next chapter, along with a HELLA awkward timeskip.
An important note. Things will get darker. Slightly in the coming chapters, but a bit more so in the later. Should I swap the rating from T to M? I'll update the first few chapters and talk with Solemn's character owner about this as well. Not for… smutty crap. But for dark/angst reasons. I'm starting to feel like this is crossing the line… William specifically. Other scenes that I have in mind as well. We'll see.