[[I literally started this chapter as soon as I put up the last one so YEAH. I had way more fun with this chapter than I should. Hope you all don't mind a little break from all the ~intense drama~ because I do enjoy these two together. (oh and if you don't recall, Harry is Don Whitehorse's failiure of a grandson.) AND ALSO, I forgot to say at the beginning of the last chapter, yes, Stella is from Tales of Legendia. Coincidentally Senel shouting her name is also my favorite unintentional(?) reference to a play in a video game ever.]]

"Is that really how you answer the door?"

"Hey, I knew it was gonna be you! No one else I know knocks like that." Raven laughed, opening the door wider to allow the visitor in. "How ya been, Harry?"

"Busy as hell, of course. How do you think?" The young man walked in, and sat down with a sigh, running a hand through his shaggy blond hair, smudging the war paint streaked across his nose, "I swear this is my first evening off in a month."

Raven trotted into the kitchen, returning with a pot of tea and two cups in hand, "Ya seem ta be handlin' it all pretty well, Boss."

"No thanks to you, old man," Harry paused, and then amended his statement, "I mean... We're doing fine without you around." He crossed his arms over his chest, assuming a resolute posture as if to assert his sincerity.

Raven smiled as perched on the couch across from Harry. He poured the tea, offering one cup to Harry before he took the other for himself. "I knew ya would be. Ya really are all grown up now, Harry, it's just about enough ta make ol' Raven start ta cry!" his voice quavered as he wiped away a single tear.

Harry just rolled his eyes, taking the cup as his muttered his thanks. Even so, his already ruddy face did turn a bit redder, "Oh shut up. I've known you too long to fall for your ridiculous antics, ya know." He adjusted his position slightly, scratching his chin, clearly still unused to the thin layer of stubble that now grew on it. It was true though, over the past few years, the young boy had grown into a man, and now sat relatively comfortably atop the guild union as the new Don. He looked a great deal like his grandfather now, though he had a different, almost volatile energy to him. Perhaps it was just his youth. Raven was never sure. He leaned forward, resting his arms on the top of his legs, "So, how about you? Any news on your front?"

Raven blinked for a moment, "Actually yeah, funny you'd mention it. Yuri just spoke. Wasn't much, but he definitely said somethin'"

Harry's face registered surprise, and then suspicion, he took a drink from his cup before asking, "ya sure you're not imagining things, Raven? I mean, it's been like what, a year since he last spoke? Sure you're not going senile on us?"

"Hey now, I'm old but I'm not that old!"

"Right."

"Ya better watch yer mouth, Harry. Else I'll have ta tell yer girlfriend all a th' embarrassing stories I know from when you were little~" Raven teased, his usual grin on his face.

Harry's face turned bright red, "Y-You wouldn't!"

Raven took a torturously slow sip, his eyes twinkling, "Wouldn't I? You know, I think my favorite one was th' time you escaped from yer bath right when th' union heads were meeti-"

"Would you stop!" Harry seemed rather flustered at all of this, and when Raven proceeded to comment on the color of his face just then, he silenced him with a swift kick to the shin. "A-Anyway, you said Yuri spoke? Have you told anyone yet?"

"Jeez ya sure don't hold back, do ya? Yer lucky I didn't spill any tea..." Raven mumbled as he rubbed his leg a little, then looked up, "Not yet, I kinda want ta wait and see what happens tomorrow, ya know? No reason ta get th' kid all excited right before his bedtime."

"You mean Karol?" Harry asked, getting a nod in return. "Wasn't he there too? I'm surprised he's doin' as well as he is... Gramps sure was right about him, he's a strong kid."

Raven nodded, a soft smile on his face, "Judy says he doe still have nightmares sometimes, but I'd be more worried if he didn't, really," he let out a halfhearted laugh. "I mean after what he saw happen, at his age... it's a miracle he's not more messed up."

Harry looked down into his cup, quiet for a moment, "It shouldn't have happened. If Altosk hadn-"

"You can't blame yerself fer what happened, Harry. Ya made the right decision."

"But if I hadn't-"

"There was no way fer you ta have seen that comin'. Hell, I don't think anyone could've seen that comin'. Fer somethin' like that ta happen ta someone like Yuri..." Raven lowered his eyes, his brows furrowing.

"Yeah... I mean for him to get r-" Harry faltered as he received a stern look from Raven. "...Sorry," he added. A rather strained silence followed.

"So how about that girlfriend of yours?" Raven asked innocently, as he poured himself a second cup of tea. "She let you into her pants yet?"

Harry's face took on a bizarre pained expression, as the tea he had just been drinking spurted out of his nose. Any embarrassed or offended response he may have had was forgotten in the ensuing fit of coughing and sputtering.

"Now that wasn't a very smart thing to do, boss," Raven remarked, clearly using every last bit of restraint he had to not laugh, "Ya alright over there?"

"Not really! Hot tea just shot out of my nose because some idiot who's old enough to be my own father insists on asking me about my lovelife!" Harry wiped his face with his sleeve, significantly less amused than the older man.

"I'm sorry ta hear that. Yer life is just so hard, ain't it?" Raven remarked, hiding a grin behind his cup as he took another sip.

"Oh shut up, old man," Harry put down his glass, clearly no longer in the mood to drink any tea.

"Ya still haven't answered my question," Raven added.

"That's because it's none of your business!" Harry seemed quite indignant, "and you ask why you're not allowed to meet her? That's why!"

"Harry, why ya always gotta say such hurtful things? Who was it who taught ya how ta be a proper gentleman?" Raven flourished his speech with an overly dramatic gesture.

"I have no idea, but it certainly wasn't you," Harry responded flatly, clearly immune to Raven's theatrics. He paused before getting to his feet, "I should get going."

"Aw, but I thought you said ya had th' evenin' off?" Raven said, frowning for a moment before he switched to a knowing smirk, "what, ya got a hot date?"

Harry started to angrily respond, but faltered, before cautiously responding, "as a matter of fact I do. Not that it's any of your business."

Raven smiled warmly, "well have a good time then, an' don't do anything ol' Raven wouldn't do."

Harry nodded, a hint of a smile creeping across his face, "of course."

"And make sure ya come back and give ol' Raven all the juicy details"

Harry groaned, "You're unbelievable. You should know by now that's never going to happen, why do you even try?"

"Wouldn't you be worried about me if I didn't?"

Harry stared at the other man for a moment, before letting out a short laugh, "Yeah, I suppose if you weren't acting like an unrepentant lech that would be a bit troubling." He paused, almost as if he were reluctant to continue, "I'm... glad to see you're doing fine."

Raven got to his feet, following Harry over to the door, "good ta see ya too, Harry." He patted him on the shoulder, then added as Harry started to respond, "hey now, ya don't want ta be late do ya? Anyway, this old man is up way past his bedtime."

"Well goodnight then, Raven," Harry opened the door, then turned his head, "oh, and tell Yuri I said hi."

"Will do, boss," Raven said with a salute. He closed the door behind Harry, and slumped against it with a sigh. He looked up, remarking to the ceiling, "Y'know, different as he is, talkin' to yer grandson is just as tirin' as as talkin' with you, old man." He shook his head, laughing a little. He then yawned, stretching his arms above his head. And with that he set off to bed, a quietly content grin on his face.

[[I apologize for my unnecessary whoring out of my favorite minor character in all of ToV. There will be more plot in the next chapter, I promise. Thanks for reading, hope it was enjoyable!]]