Chapter 9 – Soul's Excess

-Pyrrha Nikos(Lancer)-

"You know I'm really starting to get tired of her kicking me to the curb." Jaune voiced his complaints as we strode along the empty sidewalks, the morning chill nipping in the air as the earl morning sun struggled to reach over large buildings surrounding us. "I mean twice in two days is just getting a bit…I mean I saved her life right? Shouldn't that…I don't know, count for something at least?"

I tore my eyes away from the brightly colored signs and murals adorning the walls of many of the buildings, "advertisements" or so the Grail described them. They may have lacked the majesty of Mistral's grand mosaics or the peaceful air of its monuments though it did certainly catch the eye. Amazing how the world could be so…different to how I remembered it, the clothes were certainly easier to move around in. Still I had my priority, giving my bedraggled Master what I hoped was an encouraging nod he appeared to sorely need.

"There is little doubt indeed of that, your will gave me the strength to not only match Berserker but force her and the sorceress back. Even before that you stood in her defense while her strength flagged."

In fact I could almost say it was most disrespectful for the other Master not to have at the very least provided her protector with food and drink beyond simple morsels. In Sanctum such an act of bravery might have necessitated a blood debt on the behalf of her family and perhaps even offer an oath of service or request for marriage to repay it if the two are agreeable. More than one ruler had been crowned in such a way at least, including my Grandmother, and had been a bond we Mistrali held dear. For her to turn him away in such a manner…

His face flushed though from embarrassment, happiness, or merely an effect of the cold, I couldn't quite be certain. Either way his eyes still fell to the ground avoiding my own as he rubbed at his blonde hair nervously.

"I-I don't know Lancer, when you say it like that it sounds cool and all, but to tell you the truth I was so scared I couldn't keep my legs from shaking, even just thinking about it…" he shuddered, raising the hood of the ratty black sweater he wore as if it were just the cold causing him discomfort. "You and Rider though, you two were amazing. Archer too before…well…"

He lowered his head and I was left to stare at his downcast expression which I noticed was fixed on the back of his hand and the Command Seals he still bore. Jaune was certainly a strange man I decided, though not entirely in a bad way. Completely unlike the battle-brothers I'd served alongside of course, or even the boys I had known back in Sanctum as a child who even then had carried themselves with the weight of their city's future on their shoulders.

The blonde however, seemed to defy almost every ingrained stereotype one would compare to a Magic user, lacking the over-bearing self-interest, ruthless ambition, and general aloofness that his kind thrived upon. The Lady Schnee had said much to the effect that Jaune Arc was near consummate failure as Magus, or had thought it enough times for it to show like a beacon on her face, and to my own relief I'd discovered that so far she had been proven correct, at least where mindset was concerned rather than his ability.

I had only ever had sparse contact with the likes of Mages and their ilk before now, even over the course of my many adventures, as the art had still been relatively rare and those skilled in its use even more so. Those I did encounter however had always held two traits in common above all others, qualities they all seemingly held to a soul.

Firstly each saw themselves as wholly superior to the "lesser mortals", seeing warriors such as myself as little more than primitive brutes swinging sharpened metal sticks in comparison to their more civilized "arts". And of course then there was their nature, each one constantly scheming to advance themselves at the expense of others all while keeping their precious secrets close to their chest.

It wasn't an inaccurate statement to say that those few sorcerers I had met, even those later chronicled as heroes in their own right, would never be more than tentative allies at best simply based on our clashes of personality. Hard to find comradery when each was willing to sell their own mothers to the Grimm if it would see them into power and prestige.

'But not my Master…'

Jaune was selfless to a fault, even to his own detriment, unable to turn away from someone in need or in danger no matter how much he claimed to regret it afterwards. He was also humble, too much so even, unaware of the fact that the young man's innate potential, if what I felt through the bond was correct, was actually something to be feared almost…

'Though I do have to wonder over his strange obsession with Lady Schnee. She obviously holds little affection for him.'

"You must be disappointed." the mage spoke up after a minute or so of awkward silence, hands in his pockets kicking the ground as he walked, wincing slightly as he stubbed his toe, "Barely more than a day into this thing and I've already screwed up big time…" he rotated his palm, gazing at the used sigil, "and by accident too, bet I'm the first idiot who managed to pull that one off."

"Disappointed?" I was taken aback by the assertion, wondering if I had done something to offend him or make him think I was displeased. 'I suppose my attitude towards my new…charge, may have been cold however I didn't mean to insinuate…' I told Jaune as much and he seemed just as shocked as I that I wasn't furious.

"But I messed up didn't? Doesn't losing one of these hinder you or something? What if we need…?"

"Jaune, your will is the will of my Master, my liege." I told him firmly, grabbing the boy and spinning him around to face me again as easily as a mother to an unruly child, the strength of a Heroic Spirit overcoming his reflexive attempts to resist the sudden motion. "You chose to make that command even though you may not realize it fully. It is my role as your Servant to follow your lead, a role I have found no fault in."

"But if you had a better Master, someone like Weiss or Ren, helping you out then wouldn't that make things easier for you to win the Grail?"

"Did the Lady Schnee have an artifact related to my legend lying about when I was summoned in your ritual?"

"Uh…I don't think so, she seemed pretty surprised when you…!"

"Did you possess such a thing?" I asked him directly this time, searching his reaction both physically and through our bond, finding only nervous confusion.

"No, of course not. But what does that have to do with anything? Does that matter?"

"It matters Jaune, because whether or not you believe it so the Grail itself has placed me in your charge for a reason, has judged you worthy in mind, body, and spirit to assist me in my quest to claim it." I smiled warmly, pleased to see a glimmer in the white knight's eye, a strange nickname Rider had referred to him by as reflecting a remnant of Vale's history though I found it fitting given the context. "Destiny itself has chosen me to act as your Servant, and you my Master."

"Destiny must have a weird sense of humor huh?" Not exactly the confident proclamation I'd been hoping for but at least he was happy enough to joke around, small victories but more than satisfactory in my mind. "Killer assassins, insane monsters, power mad witches even before all this started…" he shook his head, glancing off in the direction of Weiss' mansion back the way we came, "Pretty sure meeting you was one of the best breaks I've ever…?" his face reddened suddenly realizing what he was saying before coughing into his fist. "Uh…well, anyway I can't keep blundering my way through this. I need to get serious, especially with Saber still running around out there gunning for me."

Mention of the murderous Faunus sword-wielder wiped the smile from my face. "What did you have in mind? I do possess some knowledge provided by the Grail however my knowledge of the magical aspects and any additional rules those running the war may wish enforced is limited."

"Then that's where we start." He said, more to himself than to me, an encouraging sign as it meant he was weighing options in his head for himself rather than depending on my input. "I need to learn more about the War's exact rules and not just the bits Weiss throws my way, what the other Servants can do, not to mention I still need to meet with the Headmaster to register apparently if we want to be officially recognized as competitors."

"I will be able to assist with your second request, as for the others it seems we have a destination in mind then?"

Jaune nodded, a new spring in his step as he led on through the slowly waking city. "Why don't we pay Beacon a visit, what do ya say Pyrrha?"

"Lead on then Master, I'll be right behind you."

-Lie Ren-

"Hey Ren!"

"What is it Rider? Breakfast will be just a…"

"Nora."

I looked away from the boiling pot on the stove, a hearty stew bubbling within, and froze simply staring at the orange haired girl sitting before the television currently wrapped in half a dozen blankets like the Servant had been for most of the morning as she oohed and awed at the cartoons dancing across the screen.

It was a strange thing, having to remind myself just what Rider could do as a Heroic Spirit, what she had already done in the annals of history for both her people and her kingdom when she still walked Remnant during the Age of Hunters.

For someone like that to look so…domestic…and now here she was staring at me with puffed cheeks looking exasperated while she hung off the side of the couch kicking her legs in the air idly. It was adorable, and contrary to all of the legends in relation to the mad Queen that I had used as research during my training.

"I'm sorry?" I said in honest confusion, raising a thin eyebrow at the Servant. "Did I…?"

She groaned, resting her head against the plush cushion arm eyes narrowing. "Nora, you promised me that you would call me by my true name whenever we were alone together. Remember?"

"R-Right, sorry." I bowed my head in apology before a steaming whine brought me back to the stew that was currently threatening to bubble over, wincing as I burned my finger on the pot by accident. "Ah…yes Nora, did you need me to change the channel for you again?"

Despite the her many assurances that she had received a basic knowledge of Remnant's recent history and advances courtesy of the Grail and the Pantheon it drew from, the Servant had still showed a near miraculous lack of understanding in regards to modern technology. 'At least basic commodities and cooking at any rate.' I corrected myself, not wishing to do the familiar a disservice by disrespecting their abilities.

Behind the wheel of a car for example, or essentially any vehicle or means of transport for that matter, Rider…Nora boasted skills equal to any experienced professional and in fact likely superseded even them. I must've had the rather unwanted honor of being one of the few humans to ever sit in an automobile as it raced past traffic on only two of its of its wheels for an extended period of time, an experience I didn't envy anyone. With something as simple as a television remote however…

"I require no such assistance, this…"X-Ray and Vav" was it? They make for entertaining jesters indeed." She motioned to the television currently showcasing a popular cartoon that had been sweeping across this kingdom's youth in recent months, something related to a famous band if I understood correctly, not having much knowledge on the subject myself. "I merely wished to ask why you're supporting Jauney in the war?"

"You mean Arc?" The girl nodded, resting her chin on her arms with a curious frown, "I've told you, I have no desire in this war beyond that the Grail ends up in the hands of a suitable owner." No matter if the rest of the Lie Clan, or what little remained of it anyway, and the World Council, might've disagreed. "I feel that Jaune Arc is that person. You disagree?"

"I'm not saying you're wrong. Just wondering why though? He's not exactly very…impressive, you know? Not that he's bad or anything it's just…"

She had a point, from outward appearances Jaune was little more than a second rate magus at best who, according to what sources I had operating at Beacon, was simply a no name scholarship project of the enigmatic Ozpin.

While I could see the headmaster's reasoning, though the chances of actually finding a pure-blooded descendant of THAT line was close to zero, if you had put Jaune's file in front of me months before I would've concluded him a nonfactor in a heartbeat. Just another of the hundreds of "talented" souls capable of picking up enough about mage craft to maybe act as an assistant to a more celebrated person of note, if he were lucky of course and broke a few eggs along the way.

'Monty knows how many Academy dropouts Schnee and his SDC pick up as surveyors and alchemists for their mines.'

"I guess the simplest answer would be that I can appreciate his dream." I said carefully, smoothing out the front of my apron as I reached over for some more sliced vegetables, "He…hmm, I guess reminds me of how I used to be." Another frown, this one almost apologetic.

As a child I too had wanted to be a hero, like my honored parents, defending the good people of Remnant against the dangers of magic unguided by morality and reason. Someone who could save the lives of anyone who needed aid, one with the strength to make a difference. Time and experience had killed that dream, especially with the slow realization of just how few "good people" there were in the world, at least in a profession like my own.

Day after day I hunted the worst of the magical community, men and woman who had committed crimes and acts that still haunted me in my sleep to this day years after a bullet, knife, spell, or explosive had ended their threat. And for what purpose?

Before I knew it I'd grown cynical, at such a young age too...very rarely did I actually save anyone. In fact, for the most part I was a glorified watchdog, someone to clean up the inevitable aftermath of magic gone wrong, spook the magi and keep them in line line, and fetch anything my masters so desired.

'What's worse is I'm actually necessary.'

There would always be another, like Cinder Fall, always a need to push the boundaries of what was possible, what was right, forcing me to view the corruption of their souls through my talents. Jaune still had a chance though, an innocence and hopefulness that I now lacked, one I only could hope would survive this war.

"He's different than most Mages certainly, but you saw him last night. What did you make of him?"

Nora tapped her chin absently for a moment, lost in thought before shrugging her shoulders. "I've known boys half his age who can fight better but have met hardened warriors that lack his innate courage." The Queen said in a voice markedly more mature than the one she usually adopted, "Problem is he's his own worst enemy, but when his true potential shines through it glows brightly. He panicked but he held his ground against dark sorcery and did not falter, more than I can say of most."

"High praise." I nodded, turning back to the stove, "Now how much did you…?"

"We interrupt your scheduled programming to issue an important public safety bulletin and update."

I was caught off guard as the cartoons suddenly vanished replaced by an emergency public announcement, a light haired woman speaking as imaged of destroyed city blocks and streets flashed across the screen. I recognized more than a few of the locations as sites of recent battles between the Servants, including the construction site where we had encountered Berserker and Lancer had utilized her Noble Phantasm.

According to the reporter all of it the work of a series of recent Dust related accidents due to an impure SDC shipment which was now being recalled while the damages were handled personally by humanitarian and visiting diplomat General James Ironwood of Atlas. Obvious ploys by Beacon to shift attention away from the magical possibilities and keep the public from panicking. Already they were showing the General himself assisting with repairing the damage, organizing steel golems to assist grateful city workers in the reconstruction.

Unfortunate but necessary for the war to continue, what captured my attention however was what came afterwards. A mysterious trend of disappearances over the last few days, people vanishing right off the streets in broad daylight according to some witnesses. The cause was unclear though authorities were urging citizens to stay indoors especially at night as the rate only increased.

There were seemingly no similarities between those that vanished aside from the fact that most were young adults, entering their prime, both physically and in regards to…other less obvious abilities. The stove was off and the apron discarded in moments, hand already checking the concealed pistol at my back and the knife up my sleeve.

The timing was too perfect though, with the first battles of the war having been fought the masters would be starting to feel the pressure of maintaining a Heroic Spirit on this plane. For a class like Berserker this was practically doubled, and with the servant having sustained such serious injuries only hours before then perhaps the Red Witch was pursuing less…tasteful methods of supporting her monster rather than depending on her own all too human limits.

'In fact, if the power she was able to draw from Berserker was anything to judge by than its almost a guarantee.'

Those people weren't vanishing, they were being harvested…

"Ren." Rider was on her feet now as well with an angry fire in her eyes, the white shorts and patterned pink t-shirt she had worn gone in a flash of light replaced by heavy plate and leather. "The enemy has made a move?"

"The worst they could have made." I replied coldly, sliding a black suit jacket over my shoulders as I moved to my room to arm myself, "They've involved innocents." Rider needed no other motivation than that, her fist clenched in a grip that could've broken steel like a twig.

With a final clack of a chambering round I reached out with my power, seeking disturbances I might have missed. It took a minute, the signature surprisingly well hidden even to my senses but soon enough I was able to detect the telltale sign of some sort of magical field present within the warehouse districts of the city near the edge of the population centers. Then I focused, only to discover to my shock another source of power already on its way towards it, brash and prideful in its own ability, an Aura that could only have belonged to…

'No, not even she could be THAT arrogant!?'

-Mercury Black-

"She's going to get away if you don't hurry."

"No, she isn't." I countered Emerald's stern voiced concerns in my ear with a snarky grin, racing along the rooftops overlooking the alleyway with nigh contemptuous ease. "Shouldn't you be focused on your own job."

"Which is leading them to you, idiot!" I winced slightly, smacking at my ear with a gloved hand.

From this vantage point with my eyes enhanced little short of Assassin could've escaped my gaze, certainly not the terrified blue haired woman sprinting down the darkened pathways screaming her lungs out for someone, anyone, to save her from well…me.

"There's an art to this you know? Gotta bag em' at just the right moment for the best results." I had to admit this one wasn't too bad looking actually, well built, nice long legs I could appreciate…

My prey's screaming did her no good of course now with the bounded field Torchy's sadistic little assistant had erected around this district this doing its intended work brilliantly, letting no sound escape and keeping the mundane populace peacefully unaware of our activities while simultaneously drawing in those nearby that fit our criteria. A neat little system that took a lot of the pain and effort involved in the work and brought friends like our little tourist here wrapped up in a nice bow.

What's better is that it was all entirely on the level at least where the supreme authorities were concerned. Such methods were needed to keep up the war effort, and the pursuit of the Holy Grail meant people were more than willing to turn the other way to a few broken eggs here and there and content to let the public think they were all domestic accidents.

Can't have people blaming the Mages after all, no sir. That would lead to too many questions, in fact if anything we're only helping the war effort, keeping the mundane sheep inside while the wolves get to play.

"I swear if you let another one slip away just because you were staring at their ass I'll…"

Ooh, she was really starting to freak out now, stumbling about like dad after a few too many. I had to struggle to contain a laugh as the woman peered over her shoulder at the wrong instant, careening headlong into a row of trash bins in front of her with an echoing crash that sent her sprawling to the hard floor.

"You worry too much Em; don't you know it's bad for the skin?" The familiar in my ear wriggled sickeningly, likely reflecting its owner's reaction to the words. "Don't get mad at me, I'm trying to look out for you."

'Poor girl, so easy to rile up. Almost makes it not even worth the effort…almost anyway.'

My partner growled something unintelligible to herself before letting the comment go with a sigh, "Just stop playing around will you, the Mistress commanded us…"

"I get, I get." I sighed melodramatically snapping my fingers, a flicker of runes shining about my legs as I stepped off the ridge of the roofline and fell the few meters through the air to land light as a feather in front of the woman, no…teenager I realized, who was currently in the process getting to her feet with some difficulty as she clutched at a twisted ankle, a shame that it had been such a nice one too. "Can't keep the Lady Taskmaster waiting can we? Not when she's got a war to fight no sir."

"I will never understand why she puts up with you."

"Ah c'mon, you know you love me babe. All part of the charm." I didn't realize it was possible for familiars to scoff and snarl at the same time, wasn't exactly pleasant.

"P-Please…" The woman stammered, eyes wide and pleading as she took a limping step backward almost falling over again, "Please d-don't Master Mage, I-I don't know what I did to anger Beacon b-but I swear I didn't…!" she mercifully stopped her begging as I raised a finger to her lips, shushing her gently while I stared deeply into the quivering violet pools.

"Really sorry hot stuff." I told her softly, moving my finger away as I slowly raised my other hand with a quickly murmured incantation, the air splitting before my palm in a whistling sea of roiling red as black and white insectoid creature formed into existence before her eyes. She tried to turn and run, I could see it on her face, the numbed shock of realization that she couldn't move flickering across her pale features as the hypnosis I placed on her a moment before came into full effect. "Pretty sure this is gonna hurt a lot."

She didn't make a sound as the insect spat a sort of black tar like substance on her face, a glistening purple glow emanating from the girl before being drawn slowly but surely towards the creature.

I'd learned the consequences of what happened when I didn't the first go around and didn't need my ear drums rupturing again. Still silent or no, it was still easily apparent from her bulging eyes and the way her mouth worked in a tormented rictus of emotion ranging the whole spectrum of pain as spasms nearly overrode the suggestive mage craft.

This carried on for a few more long seconds before the purplish glow faded from the woman entirely consumed wholly by the creature which snipped the line connecting it to its victim with a satisfied click of its pincer like mouth. The tarlike substance faded as if it had never been in an instant, leaving the now glassy eyed husk of a human being to slump to the ground limply like a puppet with its strings cut just as all the others had, alive but not really, tears and drool sliding down her expressionless face.

'Pity, she had some potential this one.'

At least she was if this things mood was anything to go by, chittering and clacking like a damn buzzer practically glowing with contained energy. It should be practically ecstatic, this afternoon actually presenting quite the potent haul.

I let the little bug enjoy its triumph for a moment longer before releasing the summoning with a chilling shiver through my circuits, closing my fist and letting the beast slink back to its master with another whistling chime before it thought to turn on me next. Not sure exactly if that were even possible but I for one wasn't too keen to find out.

A soft tap of heels on concrete sounded from behind signaling the arrival of one partner, while a bored sounding voice signaled the other. "Took you long enough, was the warning really necessary?"

I turned raising a hand in greeting as Neo clicked forward closing her fancy umbrella with a flick of her wrist, tossing her strangely colored locks over a coat clad shoulder as she glared back at me silent as ever. Meanwhile my mint haired waif of a partner stepped around the corner of a nearby bend, massaging her head gingerly as she went.

"Of course, you heard the boss, "Take them at the moment of utmost terror, when their innate power practically screams for release" sort of like knowing when a fruits ripe enough to pick right?"

I nudged the lifeless doll lying behind me with my heel, not even bothering to look down at my handiwork. I was almost surprised her Aura hadn't awakened any time beforehand she'd been so out of it, then she might've been a problem, wild magic and all that...

And now all of it would be used to feed the boss' pet monster's appetite as it recovered, what a "glorious" honor and a pain in my ass. Still it would be better than having the sorceress throwing around fire again, my wounds still prickling somewhat from the night before despite the red eyes girl's best attempts at healing.

Emerald merely sighed and started holding her head again, likely communicating our success through one of her familiars and tattling on me in the process. Neo however was staring at our victim with something akin to disgust and even a bit of fear in her mismatched eyes, one pink and the other a chocolate brown, like her hair.

I remembered this was the first time she'd actually been assigned to help us with this little side job, having been more than happy to deal with any renegades and loose ends Torchy or Cinder had wanted out of the way for the War in her own way, one that usually involved a lot of screaming and bodies afterwards.

According to what I'd been able to worm out of Torchwick, the mute was some sort of renegade enforcer or something to that effect that had run with him back during the old days. No idea what that amounted to exactly seeing as the Lolita appeared about mine and Emerald's age, as little as that amounted to with magic and Aura treatments on the rise. I was guessing her usual temperament with others had been a major factor in this Council dog's turning to our side of things.

'Though I Guess even little Miss Sadist has her limits after all.'

For some reason the though just served to bring on another smile to my lips.

"She doesn't bite you know? Actually I don't think she'll be doing much of anything anymore." she scowled, rolling her eyes though I noticed she'd turned away from our victim with the motion, seemingly intent on some street art adorning one of the surrounding building's sides.

Em nodded once seemingly to herself before rejoining us in the here and now, "Seems Berserker's calmed down for the most part, one or two more and we might just be able to sleep without her screaming, more than usual anyway…"

'Hooray.' I thought sarcastically, making my own feelings on the subject perfectly clear by my expression alone. The screaming was one thing, at least that was somewhat fun to listen to whenever we introduced the mad Servant to one of the Staff not performing up to par, it was the crying afterwards that bugged me to no end. 'Pretending like it has feelings, just creepy…'

Neo's head twitched to the side all of a sudden, drawing both our attentions away as we felt the disturbance as well a moment later. The telltale feeling of someone or something probing the barrier we had erected, divining its purpose, trying to find a way through perhaps…

Thankfully it didn't seem as if it were a Servant or nothing we could've done would've been enough to stop it from doing whatever it wanted. This meant that whatever was almost literally knocking on our door at the moment had to be the work of a Mage, perhaps one of the other Masters?

'A powerful one too by the feel of it.' Certainly something to break up the monotony I supposed.

"I'll check it out." I told the pair, already moving away despite the mint haired girl's obvious look of wary disagreement, "Who knows, maybe I can get Blondie something to snack on for later. You can handle the cleanup right?"

"No! Cinder said…!" I blocked out her complaints with a rush of displaced air, kicking myself back up to the rooftops before making my way towards where we'd last felt the disturbance with Emerald's renewed voice cursing me out the whole way in my ear. "We aren't supposed to draw attention yet, not until…!"

"Sorry! You're breaking up, there's a buzzing in my ear or something!" I cut her off before I removed the wormlike creature curled up in my ear and crushed in my fingertips, sprinkling the dust that remained behind me as I went.

Within moments I was at the edge of the barrier, looking over the ledge as I scanned the street below, my target easy to pick out considering she was the only one not being lured away by some imagined thought or sudden need to be elsewhere. A flawless white dress accompanying hair the color of snow…easy enough to tell who she was, frankly I couldn't believe my luck.

'Little Miss Schnee.' I sneered gleefully, preparing to pounce as the heiress mindlessly tapped away at the barrier completely unaware of my presence 'Let's have some fun.'

At least I would have if a pair of hands hadn't wrapped around my ankles and pulled me bodily from the rooftop in a giant leap. My mind had barely registered the shock of the two metallic humanoid creatures dragging me down before I lashed out on instinct, ripping my limbs from their grasps and blowing them to shrapnel with two might kicks reinforced by anger, Aura, and good old desperation. I even managed to stick the landing, almost anyway, still ending up sprawled looking up the lacy skirt of a shocked and indignant Weiss Schnee and the giant of a man in a pressed white suit that had stepped out of the shadows beside her, hands clasped behind his back examining me curiously, looking almost bigger than life just through sheer presence alone.

"Uh...General Ironwood right?" I laughed weakly, giving him a friendly upside down grin and a wave, "It's um...an honor to meet you and all that. Big fan of your work."

Okay in retrospect, MAYBE my partner might have had a point.

-END

A/N: Bit of a slow interim chapter this one and an end on a bit of a cliff hanger at that, really sorry about the length of time it took to write this. Graduation's been taking up a bit of time and now it's all job hunting and interviews. This story can be a bit tough at times to write.

Will also admit to trying to keep my other story AMBR on track since it's coming close to its finale, so the focus has been a little split between the two. If any writers with a full time job can offer advice I'd be more than happy to hear it.

Thanks for all of your support and for giving this story a chance. Hopefully one day soon I'll be able to give this story the love it deserves.