Notes: It's the start of Act Five! This chapter reflects the timeskip that happened during Dalston's side-story and brings us back to the Black Ravens three years after we left off from them at the end of Act Four.
"Are you leaving or what?"
It was a tactless call, directed from Roddy to Crow, who was still upstairs apparently putting the finishing touches on his packing. They all waited a few moments before Crow replied, sounding slightly irate.
"I'll be down in a minute! We're makin' good time, so there's no need to rush."
Roddy turned back to Badger; "He hasn't changed much, has he? Still just as much of a fusspot as I remember."
"Mebbe even more so than 'e were back then," admitted Badger, "But I'm glad 'e agreed t' this all the same. This is the first propeh trip 'e's been on since we moved 'ere."
"How long ago was that?" Umid asked.
"It'll be three years in a couple o' weeks. Kinda a shame that our shop's anniversary pops up while we're away, but it can't be 'elped," answered Crow. He'd finally made it downstairs, with more bags then they were ever going to need.
"We'll make sure to celebrate it extra hard on your behalf," Roddy snorted.
"Ya bettah, Rod. I've already told all the regulahs that we've got a special auction on that evenin'," warned Crow.
"What a pain..." Roddy muttered.
"I believe that a change of scenery will be nice," Umid said, probably wanting to downplay Roddy's rudeness without realising that him and Crow were more than used to it from each other, "The London auctions can be so hectic, so something quieter will be good for us."
"Don't expect anythin' too relaxed though or Mrs. Riddleton will take ya by surprise," said Crow. He was probably a little offended by the comparison between their two very different branches of the Black Ravens.
"We do appreciate the two of yer doing this though," added Badger, "Are yer sure that the othehs will be ah'reet with yer being 'ere fer so long?"
"Scraps is loving taking charge. Believe me," Roddy assured him, "And if they need us we're only a phone call away, so it should be fine."
"If somethin' does turn up an' ya do want us to come back at short notice though..." Crow mumbled.
"Crow, don't start. Go to Misthallery, see our friends, have some fun and forget about your worries for a while," stated Roddy.
"Okay, okay. Thanks, Rod," Crow replied, with a sheepish smile.
"Well, unless ol' Crowlo's got any more packing to do I reckon we're readeh to gan," said Badger.
"No, that's all my packin' done," Crow assured, "And I think I gave all the keys an' instructions to the two o' ya."
"Enough notes to fill up a small diary," Umid chimed.
"Can nevah be too thorough," Crow countered, though the wind was removed from his sails.
"Clear off then," Roddy concluded.
"Doun't need t' tell me twice. Come on then, Crow," Badger agreed.
He put a gentle hand on Crow's shoulder, having noticed that his gaze was a little distant. Crow might have been putting on a brave face, but Badger knew that this was a big deal for him. London had shaken him more than he admitted to and since then he'd stayed in the little shop that he'd built for them, safe and stable in his work, without leaving for longer than he had to. By contrast, Badger had been to Misthallery a few times to visit the others, though never further north than that, because he felt bad for leaving Crow like this for too long. When Marilyn had called with her news and it was Crow who insisted that they go to visit her, this was a big step for him and Badger wanted to help him through it as best he could,
Crow jolted at the touch, but then looked up at Badger and gave him a small nod. He was ready. They were both ready.
"Call me if ya need anythin'. Promise ya will," Crow asked Roddy and Umid.
"We will. Now go and have a safe journey," shooed Umid.
"See yer lateh," said Badger.
"Yeah, bye guys," Crow added.
And with that, the two of them were off. Badger had taken this journey enough times for the train trip to be second-nature to him now. He'd arranged most of that part of the trip and when they got there he even directed Crow to the correct platform to wait at, knowing the exact place to stand where their carriage would stop when the train arrived.
The train journey itself went without too much incident. Though Crow lacked the perkiness that he'd had the last time Badger had been on a train with him, when they'd first gone to Southampton. This time he sat and stared almost blankly out of the window. So after a while Badger tried to win him over with some small talk.
"It'll be nice t' see everyone again. Especially yer mam," he tried.
"Yeah, Mum was so 'appy when I called an' told 'er that we were both comin' up," Crow replied, "It's great that she let us stay with 'er, since I'm not sure exactly 'ow long we'll be there for. Not too long, mind. Wouldn't wanna put Roddy an' Umid out."
"Sounds like they'll be fine," Badger reasoned, "As much as I love Scraps and the othehs, they can all be a little... intense. So I bet they'll be glad of a break from them."
"Ya probably right about that," chuckled Crow, "So... wot's everythin' bin like in Mist'allery? I 'ear a lot from their lettahs, but it's bin so long since I've seen 'em all."
Badger smiled; "When yer get there, yer can find out the answehs t' that one yerself."
It was afternoon by the time they got to the station. Waiting for them there were Charlie and Gus. The former of them lavishly dressed, like he always was, with his hair styled up dramatically and the faintest touch of pale green eyeliner around the rims of his dazzling eyes. Part of Badger wondered if Charlie had dressed up even more impressively than usual, due to the dislike that he and Crow had of each other when they were younger. This was the first time that Crow had seen Charlie since he'd joined the Black Ravens and Charlie probably wanted to make the best impression.
By contrast, Gus looked tired and not nearly as well-kept. He still had the mohawk, but now it was joined by a few bristles on his face. Though it looked more like he'd just forgotten to shave than he was trying to grow a beard or anything. Regardless of how he might have looked though, Gus still smiled warmly at the sight of his friends getting off the train.
"Yer leadeh 'as returned," announced Badger, once they'd all reached each other.
"That's not our leader," Charlie dismissed.
"Oh yeah? An' who let ya in on my gang, Curly?" snorted Crow.
"Marilyn did. And you can't argue with her," Charlie huffed.
"Nah, wouldn't wanna argue with the real leadah. I trust 'er judgement, even if I wouldn't o' picked ya myself," Crow agreed, "Though I do admit that it took me by surprise when she first wrote to me about ya joinin'."
There was a silent exchange of knowing glances between the other three. In all this time no one had told Crow that the mantle of leader for the Misthallery Black Ravens had been shifted from Marilyn to Arianna. It might have been cruel, but both women had wanted to see the look on Crow's face and Badger couldn't deny them that.
"I take a lot of people by surprise, that's my hobby," Charlie bragged.
"Thought ya 'obby was sittin' up in ya room by yaself, readin' those comics," said Crow.
"Oh please, I have friends now," corrected Charlie, "And besides, I have much better comics to read these days than the ones I obsessed over back then."
"L-let's get your bags to the car. Bet you're both tired after the trip," Gus suggested, without giving Charlie a chance to elaborate on what he meant by that comic statement.
"Ya got a car?" asked Crow. He sounded impressed.
"No, the car is my father's. He begrudgingly let us borrow it to come pick you up. Provided I wiped 'that muck' off my face. Which I didn't, but here we are anyway," Charlie answered, "And Gus is the only one of us who has a license up to now, so he had to drive."
"That's great about the license. Congrats, Gus," Crow praised.
"Thanks. There's never been much call for one in Misthallery, since most of the town is cut off for cars. But I figured that it might be useful to learn anyway, since you never know when you might need it," said Gus.
"And I can tell yer that I'm glad not t' need t' take that walk from 'ere t' Mist'allereh," Badger cheered, "It's ah'reet sometimes, but fer now I just want t' get int' town and see everybodeh."
"You'll see them all soon enough," Charlie promised, "Now let's get a move on."
Between the four of them it didn't take long to get their bags out of the station and into the boot of Charlie's dad's car. Even with all of the needless extra baggage that Crow had brought. Charlie made a joke that there wouldn't be room in Maureen's house for all of this, but Crow assured him that it was nothing his mum wasn't used to. From when Badger had briefly lived there, he knew that this was indeed true. Crow's hoarding habit was nothing new to her.
Once that was out of the way, they all got into the car and made the short drive back to Misthallery. Thanks to the Golden Garden being made accessible to the public, there was now a decent car park just outside of town, with a dedicated residential area. So Gus merely pulled up into one of the spaces there and the four of them were set to go.
"This is it..." whispered Crow, as they got out of the car. He stared up at the misty town they'd once called home in a strange sort of awe.
"It hasn't changed much," Charlie assured him, "Same old restaurant, same old market, same old house on the hill."
"But the people 'ave changed a lot," Badger said.
"That's just life though," Charlie dismissed, "Most of the changes are probably for the best."
"I want to believe ya right about that," Crow admitted.
With that, the four of them made their way into the town and then through to their beloved market. Since they had so much with them, it made sense to go to Maureen's house first. Gus and Charlie helped them with the bags up to the door, but they knew that Crow seeing his mum again was personal. So after that they made an excuse to head off.
"Need to let everyone know you're here so they can get ready," Gus said.
"That Tony can be a real diva if he doesn't have time to prepare himself for guests," Charlie joked.
And with that they were off. Crow hesitated at the door for a moment, but Maureen pulled it open before he could even knock. She looked down at Crow, then up at Badger and her face broke out into a wide smile. She lurched forward to grab them both in a tight hug.
"My boys have come back to me!" she cried.
"Leave it off, Mum. Ya embarrassin' me," laughed Crow.
"I'll have none of that," Maureen sniffed, as she pulled away to look at them once more. There were tears in her eyes; "You leave me for more than three years, Thomas, and then dare to get in a mood about your old mum embarrassing you. Even Simon here has visited more than you have, bless his heart!"
"Ya told 'er that ya called Simon?" Crow asked Badger. He looked betrayed.
"She wormed it outteh me last time I stayed. Yer definitely got yer knack fer an argument from 'er, Crowlo," whined Badger.
"Simon is a lovely name," Maureen insisted, "I still don't understand why you insist on using these animal names at your age, but whatever keeps you boys happy. Now come in, I've got dinner ready for you both."
That made Crow's eyes light up, though Badger didn't exactly share his enthusiasm. It wasn't that Maureen was a bad cook, but her portions were always much bigger than stick-thin Badger could manage. Crow definitely didn't have the same problem though and was more than glad to get back to his mum's cooking after a few years away from home.
The three of them sat around the table together, Badger watching as Crow and Maureen chatted together, catching up on everything that had happened since they'd left. A lot of what Crow was saying she'd already heard from Badger on previous visits, but she was probably happy just to get to talk to her son in person again. He'd written to her and phoned her many times, but for him to actually be here was a big deal for them both.
Badger picked at the food, eating enough to be polite. Which wasn't an issue, because Crow finished off everything that he left. Maureen laughed and said that she had no idea where Crow put it all, a sentiment that Badger privately shared.
They must have been sat at the table for at least an hour, talking long after all the food had gone, before there was a knock at the door.
"You might as well get that, love. I bet it'll be one of your little friends," Maureen prompted.
With that, both Crow and Badger headed to the door to find out who had come to see them.
Trembling on the other side of the door was Sean, the other newest member of the Black Ravens besides Charlie. Over the years Sean had grown a bit, he was taller than Crow now, but not nearly as tall as Badger. However, in all the times that Badger had come here it seemed that he'd never gotten any less nervous. Even these days he still mostly clung to Tony and stayed in the background of what the Black Ravens did. So it was a surprise to see that he'd come here on his own.
"W-we're ready f-for you in the b-base now..." he stuttered.
"Thanks, Sean," Badger replied, "So who's there then?"
"Um, T-tony, Arianna, Gus a-and Charlie are there, I think," Sean answered.
"No Marilyn?" Crow asked.
The unintentional sharpness of his voice made Tony jump; "Not t-today, no... She wanted to s-stay at home and rest."
"Makes sense. I'll just tell Mum we're goin' out an' then we'll come along with ya," said Crow.
He ducked back into the house, leaving Badger on the doorstep with Sean.
"Do you th-think he's okay w-with me being a B-black Raven...?" Sean checked.
"Yeah. If 'e weren't then yer wouldeh 'eard about it by now. Just ask Curly," Badger assured him, "Sorreh that 'e weren't too chatteh with yer, but 'e's gotteh lot on 'is mind reet now."
"It's okay, I understand..." Sean mumbled.
With that, Crow appeared once again and stepped out into the street, gesturing for Badger to follow.
"Right, Mum know that we'll be out 'til late. Nothin' to worry about there," he told them, "So lead the way, Moley."
Sean's eyes lit up. It seemed that being given an actual Black Raven nickname from the actual Crow was exactly what he needed. He nodded so fast that it was a wonder his head didn't drop off, then he darted away along the route that both Crow and Badger knew very well.
"Weren't Moley the name yer were ganna give Gus before 'e told yer no?" Badger whispered, once Sean was far enough away.
Crow shrugged; "It's a good name. I wanted to use it for someone, even if Gus didn't want it. Besides, I think it suits 'im bettah than Gus."
It didn't take long for the three of them to reach the base. This evening it was Tony guarding the manhole that led to the underground, though this time he abandoned his post to come down with them into the base. None of them minded, since there were no auctions scheduled for tonight and they were unlikely to be interrupted.
All along the tunnel Sean talked excitedly about his new nickname to Tony, as if Crow and Badger weren't there. Tony just chuckled and nodded his head, congratulating him on it. A quiet smile Badger shared with Crow said what they were both thinking – that Tony had grown and matured a lot since he'd joined the Black Ravens.
At the end of the tunnel Gus was waiting for them in front of the large door. He pushed it open for them and let everyone inside, to where Arianna and Charlie were waiting on stage. Crow walked confidently towards them and Badger held his breath. Neither of those two were Crow's favourite people, after all.
"This wot they're lettin' on my stage these days?" he joked.
"Goodness, Arianna, look at what the sewer has dragged in," Charlie tutted.
"It's been a long time, Crow," said Arianna. She gave him a small bow, her eyes never leaving his.
"Wot's with the clipboard?" Crow asked.
"Got to keep everything in order. These auctions don't run themselves, you know," answered Arianna.
"I nevah needed no clipboard when I was 'ere. Seems too... official for my likin'," Crow sniffed.
"And yet your meticulous sales records are legendary," retorted Arianna.
"Fair point. So I'll stick to 'em an' ya can keep ya clipboard," Crow stated.
"That I will. Anyway, it's nice to see that you and Badger have come back to visit us. Will you be taking part in any auctions while you're here?" Arianna checked.
"If Marilyn will 'ave me, then sure," replied Crow, "Speakin' of... I don't wanna undahmine anyone else, but... 'ow is she doin'?"
"She's... she's doing as well as she can do," Gus said, "If you want, I can take you both to her place afterwards. I think she'd like that."
"Yeah, I'd like that an' all," Crow agreed, "But first I wanna check out the store room an' see wot kinda mess the lot o' ya 'ave left it in."
He hopped up onto the stage and disappeared through the back without another word. Everyone went quiet for a moment, then suddenly Charlie clutched his hands together in a begging position and stared at Arianna.
"Oh pleeease! Can we tell him? I've been waiting years for him to find out," he whined.
Arianna smirked; "No, patience is what's needed. We've waited so long that another day or two won't matter. If he doesn't find out about me my the time the next auction's over then we can just come out with it."
"Fiiine..." Charlie sighed.
It wasn't long after that when Crow's head popped around the door again. He was frowning slightly, an admission of defeat.
"All right, ya do 'ave some nice lookin' stock back 'ere," he admitted, "But it ain't wot ya 'ave so much as it's 'ow much ya can sell it for."
"You can find that out at the auction," assured Arianna, "If you're okay with watching one before you take part yourself."
"Sounds good to me. I wanna see 'ow all o' ya get on before I step in to 'elp," Crow agreed.
"We actually have a bit of inventory to see to before we head off for tonight," Tony said, "You're welcome to stay if you want, but it might be boring for you."
"Inventory's nevah borin' for me," corrected Crow, "But I do wanna stop in to see Marilyn, so maybe we should get a move on. Are ya all right with that, Badge'?"
"Sounds like a plan," confirmed Badger.
"Let's get going then," Gus prompted, "We'll see you guys later."
They all said their goodbyes to each other, then Gus, Crow and Badger left the hall. It didn't take them long to head back through the tunnel and up out onto the streets. Then they carefully replaced the manhole cover and made their way to Marilyn's house.
"We 'aven't talked to ya much about this, Gus. This 'as gotta be as big a deal for ya as it is for Marilyn," Crow said, as they walked.
Gus bite his lip for a moment. He seemed pale. In that moment Badger could see the quiet, nervous Gus he once knew bubble back up to the surface, replacing the confident Gus that had come from years of practise. But all the same, when Gus spoke he made it sound as if he was fine.
"No, there's no way this could affect me as much as Marilyn. O-of course it does affect me! This whole thing is huge a-and both of our families have made adjustments for it. But it's Mari I feel the most sorry for," he said, not meeting their eyes.
"Ya make this sound like it's 'orrible," replied Crow.
"It... wasn't planned," Gus answered.
"When it come to Marilyn, everythin' is planned," debated Crow.
"Well this wasn't," Gus firmly insisted.
"We're 'ere" Badger cut in.
With that, Crow bounded up to the door and pulled it open as if he lived there, leaving Badger and Gus to follow in his wake as he dashed into the house. Badger felt a tinge of embarrassment as they went by the living room, where Marilyn's parents were, but Gus just waved hello to them and they nodded, smiling warmly. They were probably used to Marilyn's friends coming to visit by now, so two from out of town wouldn't make that much difference.
Crow had gone upstairs now, so they followed him through to Marilyn's room. And there she was, sat up on her bed, as if she had been waiting for them. And knowing Marilyn she probably had been. When Crow climbed up on the bed to sit next to her she laughed at him.
"Anyone would think you haven't seen me for years," she said.
"I 'aven't seen anyone o' ya for years," answered Crow, "Sorry we didn't get 'ere soonah, but I wanted to check in with everyone else first."
"You wouldn't be Crow if you didn't do that," Marilyn dismissed, "But I'm glad you made time for me."
"Always would," Crow replied. He held his hands out above her stomach, "So... can I?"
"Might as well. Everyone else has," she said.
With that, Crow reached out to put his hands on the bump, rubbing at it softly. After a moment, his visible eye widened in surprise.
"I think it kicked me!" he gasped.
"He does that to everyone. Probable means that he's fed up with you," Marilyn teased.
"Takes aftah 'is mum then," said Crow, "So 'ow far along are ya?"
"Eight months. Could drop any day now," Marilyn answered.
"Then why did ya wait so long to call us about it?" Crow whined.
"We... knew that you'd make a fuss," Gus carefully replied.
"O' course I'd make a fuss! This is only the first Black Raven baby that we've evah 'ad. I've come up with a list o' nicknames a mile long for this kid," informed Crow.
"We'll be naming our own kid, thanks," Marilyn snorted.
"Just one little nickname..." whimpered Crow.
"No," concluded Marilyn, "We didn't take your nicknames and neither will our son. Have your own kid, then you can name it whatever you want to."
"Um, 'e gave Sean a nickname," Badger said, to distract from that line of conversation.
"Bet he was over the moon with that," Marilyn guessed, "He's been so eager to meet Crow and gain his approval about being a Black Raven."
"Sean seems to be all right," Crow said, with a shrug, "Better choice than Curly, anyway."
"You'll change your mind when you see him on stage," reasoned Gus.
"In that outfit?" Badger reminded.
"Wot outfit? Only the Black Raven is allowed to do auctions," warned Crow.
"Don't worry, he isn't anything but the Black Raven," said Marilyn. Technically, she wasn't lying.
"I'll see eithah way. But I didn't come 'ere to talk about Curly," Crow insisted.
"Might as well. There's not much more to say about me being pregnant," dismissed Marilyn.
"Not much more to say! Mal, this is only the biggest deal evah! That's a little bundle o' life changin' joy ya got in there," Crow wailed.
"Told you he'd make a bigger deal out of it than we did," Marilyn laughed.
"Never doubted you for a moment," Gus agreed.
"Badge', we're stayin' 'ere until this baby drops. Then we're gonna be the best babysittahs it's evah 'ad," Crow proclaimed.
"Wait a minute, Crow. This morning yer were saying that yer didn't want t' put Roddeh and Umid out more than we needed t' and now yer wanting t' stay 'ere until Mal's 'as 'er babeh?" Badger reminded.
"I don't have a due date, so you could be here for ages equally as much as you could only be here until tomorrow," Marilyn added.
"Won't be more than a month though, if ya eight months in. My mind's made up," insisted Crow.
"Badger, please talk sense into him," Gus asked.
"If I could do that then I'd 'ave done it long ago," Badger assured him.
"Ya make it sound like I'm bein' unreasonable," argued Crow, "Look, if ya dunno when the baby'll be born then it might 'appen as soon as a few days or a week. An' we'll be 'ere that long anyway. So it's not like that would change anythin'."
"Fine, do what you want. But the lot of you can clear off for now, because the baby says I need the toilet again and I'm not talking to you through the bathroom door," Marilyn huffed.
She went to pull herself up from the bed and instantly Gus was there. He helped her walk out, with Crow and Badger awkwardly trailing behind. Once she was at the bathroom, Gus backed away and she pulled the door closed behind herself.
"It's not that she means to be rude, but these things can come over very suddenly," Gus whispered.
"Nah, it's wot we'd expect," Crow assured, "Guess we'll see ourselves out."
"I'll come with you," said Gus.
"Not stayin'?" Crow checked.
"Mari would probably prefer it if I didn't, so I'll just head home for now. It's fine, we'll all see each other tomorrow. She's still along at the market most days," Gus replied.
"I 'ope she ain't workin' too 'ard with that baby in 'er. She should be restin' all the time," pressed Crow.
"She'd clout yer if she 'eard yer say that," Badger sighed.
"Probably. All right, I'll back off. But ya can't blame me for bein' excited," said Crow.
"Be excited tomorreh then. Reet now we're gan back t' yer mam's place t' get some rest," insisted Badger.
"Sounds like a plan," Crow agreed.
With that, the three of them headed out of Marilyn's house and into the darkening streets of Misthallery. Gus headed off towards his own house, saying goodbye to them quickly before disappearing. Part of Badger felt like there was more to this story than they knew, but at least if Crow was serious about staying until the baby was born they might have plenty of time to find out. It wasn't that he was nosy, he was just worried about his friends.
As they followed the route back to Maureen's house he looked at Crow, who was smiling brightly and walking with a swagger that suggested he was completely comfortable once more. It was a total contrast to earlier today, when he'd seemed quietly nervous about coming here. Even if he was being over-the-top about the baby, Badger was glad to see him in his element once more.
So as their first day back in Misthallery drew to a close, Badger could only wonder what the ones that followed would bring.
