Notes: This chapter features, in my humble opinion, the best character in all of PL. But then again I might just be very biased. If you're sharp-eyed then you might have noticed this character made an unnamed cameo much earlier in Grasping Liquid. I've been waiting for this part of the story for a long while.
The repair work needed for Crow's dream house we nothing to be sniffed at, so both Crow and Badger knew they had to put their noses to the grindstone to get on with it. Not that either of them were complaining. Their only deadline was to get a shop up and running at some point, so for the moment they didn't have to rush while they lived off the excess of Badger's savings. If it meant getting everything right then taking as much time as they needed was a small price to pay.
They'd also spent time getting to know Southampton, which turned out to be a beautiful city. Crow had taken it all in with eager eyes, especially the harbour. Though it turned out what he'd been most interested to know about was where the nearest post office was. Because since he'd gotten that letter writing idea into his head, Crow had begun to focus a lot more on keeping in touch with the others. He wrote to his mum, all their friends in Misthallery, the London Black Ravens, Wren & Socket up in Northumberland and even to Louis, though from what Crow said the scouser had yet to reply. It made him feel better to know they all seemed to be safe and seeing Crow feel better made Badger feel better in turn.
On one quiet day, Crow was sat writing up one of his letters while Badger was inexpertly sanding down one of the many display shelves that they hoped to use. The doorbell rang and the two of them exchanged confused glances before Badger decided to answer it, because he was closest. He timidly pulled it open and peered outside.
"Um... 'ello?"
"Ey up lad, can yer let me talk t' the felleh who put that costume in the window?"
Badger wanted to reply, but he was momentarily taken back with nerves. The man outside was very big and had something of a stern stare about his face. If he wanted information about the Black Raven then it can't have been for a good reason.
"Who wants to know?" Fortunately Crow was there in a flash, though his suspicion soon changed to surprise and then he grinned widely, "...Cor, nevah expected to see ya down 'ere!"
"Do I know yer?" the man asked. He raised an eyebrow at Crow.
"Kinda. In a roundabout way. Come in an' I'll explain," gestured Crow, "Can I get ya anythin' to drink?"
"Wouldn't mind a brew if yer got one goin'," answered the man, as he edged into the shop.
It took a few minutes to get settled at a work table with the tea, especially since they hadn't been prepared for company. But when Crow introduced the man, Badger was kicking himself that he hadn't recognised him sooner. Though he supposed any prior time that he'd seen him had been in very different circumstances.
"Badge', this 'ere is Alphonse Dalston. Came to the Black Raven auctions back in Mist'allery sometimes," informed Crow.
"Yer right about that," Dalston agreed, "And I were well surprised t' see that mask in the window when I got 'ere. Small world, I guess. So anyway, where is the mastehmind be'ind the Black Raven. Must be plannin' summit big, I reckon. To buy this old place."
Crow's face was the picture of smugness; "Ya talkin' to 'im. Or two o' the Black Ravens anyway?"
"What!" roared Dalston, "Yer mean t' say that all this time it were a couple of kids pullin' the wool oveh me eyes?" For a moment Badger was nervous about how he'd take it, but then Dalston began to laugh heartily; "Yer made so much money offeh me!"
"That we did," agreed Crow, "We were always 'appy to 'ear ya were in town, Mr. Dalston."
"Well, I don't regret it. Decorated mostly all me 'ouse with the gems I won at yer auctions. Looks real classy," Dalston assured them, "If the Black Raven's been some plucky young 'uns all this time then I'm glad that the next generation's got good business sense."
"Good to know there's no 'ard feelin's," chimed Crow.
"None at all, though I do 'ave t' ask what the plan is 'ere. Yer see, I did own this place, but I could neveh find the right niche to fix it up fer. When the estate agents told me it 'ad finally sold, I couldn't 'elp but be curious about the sorteh folk who'd want t' give it a try," Dalston said.
"Then I can let ya know that it is wot it looks like," answered Crow, as he gestured around, "Me an' Badgah 'ere want to set up a shop. We wanna run the auctions too, o' course, but the first item on the agenda is to get the shop up an' runnin'."
"That is a grand scheme," Dalston complimented, "But 'ow long 'ave yer been 'ere fer? Just a few weeks ago I were at one o' yer auctions in Mist'allery."
"Oh, those 'ave bin goin' on all the time we've bin away," confessed Crow, "There's a lotta us now. We went down to London to start up a branch there an' that's bin goin' well too, but me an' Badge' wanted to break off an' do our own thing."
That was basically the nice way to describe what had happened in London, skipping out all of the details about the frictions that had risen between the group there. But technically Crow wasn't lying – the London auctions had gone well and seemed to be continuing to do so, from what the letters Crow had been receiving implied. Also, there was no reason to get into all the details to someone like Dalston. He seemed like a nice enough bloke, though a bit loud for Badger's taste, but the Black Ravens hadn't made their name by telling too many secrets to the customers.
"Glad t' 'ear it! I'm sure I'll 'ave t' check out those London auctions sometime and 'opefully these ones 'ere too, when yer get 'em started up," praised Dalston.
"We'd be all too 'appy to let ya know when that is," promised Crow, "But first, could ya let me know a bit about the recent auction ya went to at Mist'allery? My associates there 'ave bin a little sparse on the details an' I can't 'elp but worry, as their boss."
"Sure, but it looked all reet from what I could see," Dalston answered, "I think there were a new young lad bein' the Black Raven. Least I didn't recognise the voice anyway, and-"
He was cut off by a frantic knocking at the door. This time Crow got up and went to see who it was, leading another man to the table to see Dalston only a few moments later. This person was stick thin and had a face that Badger's mind unfortunately thought of as looking a bit like a lumpy frying pan. He was panting, evidently having rushed here from somewhere.
"Gonzales, what's the matter?" asked Dalston.
"Mr. Dalston! There was a call for you at the hotel. It seems that Mrs. Ledore... well..." Gonzales trailed off.
Dalston abruptly got to his feet; "What, already? I thought we 'ad be bit more time before... Well, it doesn't matteh. We need t' get back t' Monte d'Or as soon as we can. Lads, I 'ate to rush out like this, but I can't stick around. Thanks fer the brew and I 'ope that next time I'm 'ere it's to attend one o' yer auctions."
"Can't wait to see ya there, Mr. Dalston," Crow concluded. Which may have had a little something to do with how much money Dalston was generally known to spend.
The two guests almost made it to the door before Dalston stopped and scratched his head, seeming to have suddenly remembered something.
"Bloomin' 'eck, Gonzales, I can't go back there without some kindeh present," he announced.
"Do we really have time for that?" asked Gonzale, hopping from one foot to another where he stood. The whole dance he was doing looked comical.
"Yeah, o' course we do!" Dalston boomed, "Yer don't go t' summit as special as this and not bring a present! ...Now that I think about it, this does count as a 'oliday. Ascot will whine if I don't bring presents fer everyone. But one fer the occasion is most important. If we see anythin' else then I suppose we can grab it. Old 'enry probably never gets tired o' paperweights."
"If it's gifts ya want, then we could 'elp with that," purred Crow, not one to miss an opportunity.
Dalston turned back to look at him and nodded, "If yer got anythin' then it might be 'andy. We don't 'ave much time t' shop around."
"The Black Raven is prepared for any occasion," Crow claimed, "And wot is the occasion we're lookin' for...?"
"...A baby," answered Dalston, "Some mates o' mine just 'ad a baby. The Ledores – yer might o' 'eard about 'em."
"I'll say. Who doesn't know about them?" Badger whispered.
Even without being able to read the newspapers and various gossip rags, Badger knew about the Ledores. Or rather, he knew what people said about them. Which was a lot. Most accounts were conflicting and almost all of them suggested scandals. Monte d'Or was a tourist city that gained a lot of notice some years back when someone called the Masked Gentleman had caused a lot of bother there. Apparently that had long since been laid to rest, but the public eye remained on the founders of the city, Mr. and Mrs. Ledore. A third person had come to live with them after that, so the stories said. One Randall Ascot. And since then every magazine had some sort of opinion about the complicated affair that may or may not have been going on between Henry, Angela and Randall. A baby would be big news once word got out.
"Yeah, well Angela's just 'ad a baby and I want t' get a good gift fer it," Dalston told them, "Mebbe a few presents fer the otheh three as well, though they're less important."
Crow was up in a flash and hunting through the crates. Admittedly, because they hadn't been here very long, there wasn't a great deal to choose from, but Crow had picked up a few shipments of unwanted stock by getting pally with the workers at the docks. Badger was sure that somewhere in them was a present that'd be suitable for a baby.
"Wot about this?" Crow asked.
He pulled out a stuffed toy weasel wearing a knitted jumper that had balloons on it. The toy looked well-made but was a little... odd. Part of Badger was disappointed that Crow was offering it, as he'd grown fond of the weird plush animal since they'd found it. But a sale was a sale. Assuming that Dalston would take it.
"That's perfect," replied Dalston, "Bet no one's gettin' the baby anythin' like that."
"An' for ya friends we got novelty sticks o' rock with Sout'ampton written in the middle. Everyone loves those, right?" added Crow. And Badger knew fine well he'd got those sweets with the intention of sending them to their own friends. Not that anyone in Misthallery would miss a few treats that probably weren't as good as Aunt Taffy's anyway.
"Sure, I'll take 'em," Dalston said, almost dismissively, "So 'ow much?"
"...Ya know, quality goods like this require a special price," Crow pointed out.
"Kid, I'll pass five shops that sell sticks o' rock on the way outteh this city," countered Dalston.
"Yeah, but wot about the cuddly weasel?" Crow reminded.
Dalston sighed, "Fine, let's 'ear yer price."
"Money doesn't matter, at least not right now," Crow commented, as much to Badger's surprise as to Dalston's; "What we need is somethin' a bit more useful in the immediate future. I know that ya own a lotta 'otels, Mr. Dalston. Must be doin' work on 'em all the time."
There was a grin from Dalston; "I see where this is goin'. Honestly, if yer needed my 'elp then yer just 'ad t' ask. Afteh seein' the pluckiness o' you two lads I'd be glad to lend some 'ands towards settin' this place up."
"Good, 'cause that's exactly wot I'm askin' for," confirmed Crow, "Just gimme ya details an' I'll let ya know when we need the 'elp. I can see ya in a rush right now though, so I won't keep ya too long aftah that."
As much as Badger couldn't believe the cheek of Crow, it seemed to have impressed Dalston, who gladly wrote down his phone number before he took the gifts he'd 'bought' and headed off with Gonzales. It was hard not to stare after the strange pair in disbelief as they disappeared down the street.
"Didn't see that coming..." mumbled Badger.
"Gotta take opportunities as they come, Badge'," Crow assured, with the pride of a job well done.
The two of them got back to work after that, with little thought about the Yorkshireman or the Ledore baby. If anything of interest happened there then Badger had no doubt that they'd hear a probably unfaithful account of the events from some magazine.
It was a while later when a postal worker came to the door to drop off some letters for Crow. This wasn't unusual and all of the regulars were getting to know both of their faces from how much they had to stop here. Because sure enough, once Crow had started writing, many of his friends wrote back.
Badger watched idly as Crow sifted through today's letters and noted at how Crow's eye widened to one of them. It must be something interesting. When Crow caught Badger looking he waved the letter at him with a smile.
"This one's from Louis! Looks like 'e's finally written back," Crow announced.
That was all Badger needed to hear to make him stop working and scramble over. Back in the old days, Louis had been what Badger could almost class as a best friend, the two of them bonding over being fellow northerners who'd come to Misthallery when their dads had gotten jobs in the old factory. Though they were very different, Badger had always gotten on well with Louis and had felt a little sad that they hadn't heard much from him since he'd moved back to Liverpool with his family.
"Says wot ya might expect," relayed Crow, as he skimmed through the letter, "That 'e's doin' well an' just 'asn't 'ad time to write. Ya know wot Louis's like, I bet 'e's bin out partyin' it up an' wouldn't remembah to write at all if we didn't prompt 'im. But I'm glad it's goin' well."
"Anything else?" Badger asked.
"Yeah, there's a note at the bottom about 'ow we could go stay with 'im. Almost gonna be a shame to let 'im down," hummed Crow.
"Why do we 'ave t' let 'im down?" Badger queried, "There's no reason we can't go see 'im."
"We're far too busy 'ere, Badge'. Got so much to do with the shop an' soon enough I'll need to sort out details with wotevah 'elp Dalston can send," dismissed Crow.
"Come on, Crow, we both know we can afford t' relax a bit about getting the shop up and running," Badger argued, "This is our Lozza. We 'aven't seen 'im in donkeys."
"We're not goin'," stated Crow, without so much as an explanation as to why.
"Yer might not be gan, but mebbe I want t' see 'im," countered Badger.
"Ya won't go without me," Crow insisted.
"Mebbe I will," Badger challenged.
"...Would ya really?"
There was a melancholy look in Crow's eye. Whatever the reason he didn't want to go was it came down to more than just stubbornness. So Badger softened, put a hand on top of Crow's and tried again.
"What's the problem, Crowlo?" he asked.
Crow looked away and quietly answered, "I messed up in London, Badge'. Yeah, I know we don't like to talk about it, but I did. An' that showed me that startin' a new life... it's not somethin' I can do by relyin' on my cockiness alone. I don't wanna let anyone down again. Least o' all you."
"But yer not letting me down by taking a break," assured Badger, giving Crow a warm smile.
"Maybe not, but I'm still scared to leave this before we get a foot in the door. This time we need to make it work. Then I can think about goin' anywhere else. Even to visit friends," Crow said.
"Yer realleh scared of leaving, eh?" checked Badger.
Part of him knew how Crow felt, since he'd been there himself all too many times. It wasn't that long since it had been Badger who spent each day worrying that Crow would leave Misthallery. While by contrast Crow couldn't wait to get out into the world. Oh, how the tides had turned...
"I am. I'll be honest," Crow confessed, "An' I 'afta admit that I'm surprised ya not agreein' with me. I thought ya wouldn't be up to somethin' like this."
"Neitheh did I," chuckled Badger, "Reet now I'm surprising meself even. But it's been so long since I've seen Louis – since I've seen a lotteh our friends, fer that matteh. I want t' do this, Crowlo. I want t' see 'im again."
"Then maybe ya should," Crow suggested.
"With you?"
"No. Without me. I'm sorry, Badge', but I'm stayin' right 'ere for now."
The inner Badgers struggled over this one. Of course he was always reluctant to leave Crow's side, but part of him realised in that moment that he wasn't scared to do so any more. That he could do this, even go half way up the country on his own, and it didn't make him feel the fear that he would have once felt. Ideally it would have been nice for them both to go, but if Crow genuinely didn't think he could then...
"...Write back to Louis and tell 'im I'll be coming," Badger told Crow.
"That's a good choice, Badge'," complimented Crow.
And that was that. It was weird. Part of Badger had expected an argument from Crow, that maybe he wouldn't think Badger was up to doing something like this on his own. But it turned out that Crow had every confidence in him and that made Badger feel good about himself. If Crow believed that he could do this then he could definitely do it. No doubt about that. As much as it would be a shame that they couldn't both go, the excitement of seeing an old friend again outweighed any negative emotions. On top of that, Badger wasn't too worried about leaving Crow with all the work – Crow loved work and it sounded as if he might soon have a hand with it anyway.
So Badger spent the rest of the day distracted from what he was doing by the warm, fuzzy feeling that he'd soon be setting out on his very own travels for the first time. And that was a big step for him.
