A.T.: *Dodges tomatoes and eggs* I can explain. But read the chapter first.
Twenty reviews! Oh my freaking cow! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! Please keep reviewing and sending all your love my way - it makes me so happy, you can't even imagine.
Pinkdoughnuts, THANK YOU SO MUCH, AS ALWAY really look forward to your reactions to what will happen next.
emxun, I got your review AFTER I wrote the first couple of scenes, so I guess it's kinda fate that you'll get your dose of amebel first thing in this chapter. Thank you so much for your review!
TheEnglishMuffin, welcome back! I'm glad you're still keeping up with the story! And don't worry, there's more of that where that came from. ;)
Read, and enjoy!
.
Dorogoy - Rus - My dear
Chapter 17
Alfred, the Priestess. Go see her.
Alfred rolled in bed. What is it, Tony? It's the middle of the night, for God's sake.
Alfred, go see the Priestess. She is in distress.
Still half asleep, Alfred rolled to the edge of the bed, and planted his feet on the ground. Distress how?
I do not know. But she needs you. Go. Now!
Alfred rolled upright, eyes wide open at that yell of command. The sleep soon caught up, burning his eyes, drawing them close, and he yawned as he got up, the urgency in his head travelling to his limbs.
What was going on?
-o-
Every single time.
It was like this every single time.
She was in those clothes again. She didn't have to look down to see the torn, blood-stained white shirt, the gashes in her pants, the frayed threads hardened with crimson crust. Her side burned, the bullet wound still fresh, her lungs burned, and she panted. Her mind, however, didn't carry any of the fatigue her body had.
It was like this every single time.
Disconnectedly she thought of why she was having this dream again. It was a dream she'd had over and over ever since she got to know, but it had died down, after the two months of therapy with Om. It had to be all the faces of the past. Shree. Om. Raj. Køhler. Lukas. Emil. And now...Braginsky.
A branch cut through her shirt, just like it had at that time. With a strangulated gasp, she ripped that part of her shirt, and ran ahead.
" Dada!"
Her chest burnt, but no longer out of physical pain. That pain. It was so real. That pain hurt more than anything ever could. It was as if molten hot lava was slowly coursing through her brain, frying every neuron, hazing every memory in a hue of red until it burned like a blanket of hot coals over her insides. Her heart broke, again and again, even when there wasn't anything left to break. It broke and broke and broke.
"Dada! Come back to me! Dada!"
She stumbled into the clearing, and with the last gasp, she staggered forward and fell. She watched as the light dimmed and the skies swirled, and felt her breath leave her as she hit the ground. But that feeling left her with no breath left to release. She was already dead. She'd died with him.
She'd died with Dada.
Dada...Dada...I need you. Dada...Dada!
Her throat choked, and her breath weakened. Her eyes burned, and she felt them clouding over. Wetness trickled down onto her cheek, and fell onto the ground. She couldn't do anything. She couldn't save him. She couldn't make a fist and beat it to her ground. The pieces fell away, tlick...tlick...tlick...tlick...the pieces of her constraints. Small pieces which broke and fell away, washed down into a dark river of futility. Her life was futile. Without her Dada...she was worse than dead. She was worse than dead.
Dada...come back. Dada...come back to me...I need you...
One more piece was left. One more piece before she shattered forever into blackness, unable to ever bring herself back together again. And she wanted it. If it was anything like death, she wanted it.
"Alya!"
The piece remained stuck. Her eyes opened, and flew upwards. The pieces flowed back. His smile. His eyes. He was here. Dada was here.
"Dada!"
Her voice started as a shout, died in a whisper. Him. He was here.
Johnny Doe.
Her eyes widened even through the sting of flowing tears, and she tried to get up, to inch forward, to move, but she couldn't. Somewhere she knew she'd screamed out his name a million times, but none of it mattered. The screams died out, and she sobbed his name. "Dada! Dada!"
"I'll take care of you, Alya. Alwa" -
Bang!
His eyes smiled at her, but there was no life. His lips smiled at her, but blood poured out from between them. And slowly, slowly, just as slowly as his body fell, her mind realized.
"Dada!"
And the pieces fell away into a vortex of black.
"Dada!"
Her eyes flew open, and the first thing they saw was electric blue. Her heart was racing, her throat hurt, and her eyes were already wet with tears.
Alfred looked at her. Her eyes were wild with fear, brimmed over with sorrow so acute just looking at those eyes made whatever little was left in him die out bit by bit. When he'd come and sat by her bed, he'd thought that Tony just wanted Alfred to miss out on his sleep, but there was no denying the tightening of the bracelet around his wrist. She'd began thrashing around and crying, her lips moving, calling out to someone. The sobs intensified, and finally, she woke up, screaming.
Dada. Alfred recognized the term for father. Was she dreaming about her father?
But he didn't ask her - she had sat up. She was silently crying, trying not to make it apparent, but with each sob that shook her shoulders, Alfred felt hot needles pricking into what remained of his heart. He got up and stood in front of her, watching her watch his movements.
Those eyes of hers, that peculiar shade of blue. Tears didn't belong in such beautiful eyes. Fear didn't belong in such a strong woman. And sorrow...
He quickly pulled her towards him, until her head was resting on his stomach, and wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay, Nat," he soothed. "It's okay to cry, baby. It's okay. Cry all you want, darling. Cry all you want."
He felt her shake, the intensity growing until her body was wracked with sobs. The front of his vest soaked up her tears, and his heart soaked in her sorrow as her voice of pain pierced into him again and again. She clung onto his vest, and Alfred didn't know how long he stood there, cradling this proud woman, seeing into what circumstances had forced her into becoming.
He whispered, talked to her. What he said, he didn't know, but his voice seemed to soothe her. He stroked her soft hair, and stood there. Why he was there, and for how much longer he had to be there, he didn't know. What he could say to make things okay...he doubted anything he said would be able to scratch the surface even.
But, in that moment, he realised he would give her anything she asked for. He would give her everything she could ever ask from him, whether he could give it or not.
If he had to sacrifice his nighttime sleep just to stand her, soaking up her tears and holding her...
So be it.
"What would be your weapon of choice?"
Everyone looked at Matthew. It was his turn to drive - Nat finally trusted them enough to allow a rotational system come into play, where they took turns to drive. Nat sat in the front with Shree, and behind them sat Gilbert, Eliza and Alfred.
"I would pick...a staff with blades on either end!" Shree said gleefully, and Nat rolled her eyes. Honestly, at times she wondered whether her best friend could express sanity or not.
Oohs of appreciation ran throughout the car. "Is that what you use, Shree?" Eliza asked curiously.
"Well, no," Shree said, making a face. "Most people think I'm not careful with sharp things" -
"Not careful?" Nat snorted. "You nearly took off the instructor's head at the Academy!"
"Oh, please, that was so long ago" -
"You've nicked yourself multiple times with your own blades, and you've poked Raj a couple of times during fights, too," Nat reminded.
Shree turned back and glared at Nat. "Thanks."
Nat shrugged. "I'll stick to my guns and my knives. I know how they work, and they know how I work."
"You're so boring, Nat," Shree dismissed, to which Nat just raised an eyebrow.
"The awesome me would use an awesome battleaxe!" Gilbert yelled excitedly, and yelped when Eliza jabbed him in the side with her elbow.
"Battleaxe is good," Nat murmured appreciatively, and Shree agreed. "What about you, Eliza?"
"I would go with a...huge hammer," Eliza provided. "It'd be really handy, too."
"I know someone who wouldn't think graduating from a pan to a hammer would be funny at all," Matt muttered, and Shree laughed. "Poor Gilbert," she agreed, and looked at Matt. "What about you, Matthew?"
"Umm...I don't think I would wield a weapon, sorry," Matt said slightly sheepishly.
Everyone else in the car groaned, excluding Nat, who just smiled and looked outside the window. "But you asked the question!" Shree protested. "You must have something!"
"Umm...I'd go with...umm...I really don't know...I guess I'd go with a machine gun...?" Matt finished indecisively. "I think I'd go with a machine gun, yeah."
"That so does not suit you," Shree commented. "That's more Alfred's style."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!" Alfred protested.
"Now, don't get me wrong here," Shree explained, "But machine guns are too...flashy and make a lot of noise. Matt here is more of the...sniper type."
"What about you, Alfred?" Eliza asked. "What would you use?"
Alfred was quiet for a few moments. Then, finally leaning back, he said, "Anything that gets the job done."
"You just don't have an answer," Nat muttered, and Shree seconded her.
"No, no, it's not like that," Alfred said. "You give me a gun, you give me knives, you give me just brass knuckles, or nothing at all - I'll just do whatever it takes to get the job done. That's all."
Shree shrugged, but Nat continued to frown. And slowly, so did Shree. When Matt turned to the two of them to ask for directions, he saw them both concentrating on something. Shree turned to Alfred and asked, "Can Tony feel that?"
The merrymaking at the back paused for the three of them to understand the question. A moment later, Alfred nodded. "Yeah, he feels that."
Shree turned to Nat. "Natalya..."
"There's a lot of them," Nat whispered. "Matt, continue to drive."
"Nat" -
"Shree, it's okay," Nat said, and without turning around, addressed those seated at the back. "Listen up. An enormous energy is coming this way. There are many of them, and there are a few of them which have higher energy than the rest. You stay in the car and stay safe - the car is protected by inscriptions, and it can survive through...demonic nuclear bomb. Shree and I will handle it."
There was silence in the car, but it wasn't one of agreement, it was one of tension. Nat recognized it, and caught Shree's eye. She sighed. "But, if you must, you can use the perichko as target practice."
"Perichko?" Alfred asked.
"...Small fry," Shree offered in explanation.
"Stay close to the car if you want to join the fight, and don't do anything stupid," Nat completed.
The tension from the car drained out, and Nat frowned. Some of the energy sources that she sensed were weak enough to be taken out with the basic knowledge of mantras and inscriptions. A few of them, though...
They were getting closer. Nat pulled out her Keshi from the glove compartment. "Alfred. There is a button on the panel above you. Press that, and mind your head."
Akfred pressed the inconspicuous button, the same colour as the rest of the panel, and leaned back as the whizzing and whirring of gears filled the car.
"Matt, eyes on the road," Shree teased when Matt turned around to see the source of the amazed gasps from behind. "Alfred, select out something...appropriate for your brother, hmm?"
"Sure thing, doll," he said absently, and whistled at the array of weaponry in front of him.
The ceiling panel had lowered out in front of them, revealing weapons nestled in the cushioned surface. There were guns and blades, but they were different from anything Eliza, Gilbert or Alfred had ever seen. Sure, they had the rough body of a gun or a sword or a dagger or an axe, but the details...the details where something none of them could have ever imagined before that moment.
The bodies of the weapons were engraved with inscriptions, the grooves in the dull gold, bronze, silver or rust coloured metal filled in with black, dark blue and red liquid, giving a contrast that made the inscription stand out. In the space of a thumb were inscriptions enumerating nearly three mantras, all tiny, all bundled together to resemble an ancient, spiritual pattern.
The body of the guns, the handles of the swords and knives - in themselves, they were pieces of art. Tiny chains ran across the body of the firearms, similar to the Keshi, and the blade of the swords were superbly crafted. Even for Eliza's untrained eye, and for Gilbert's inexperienced eye, the weapons gallery before them held weapons, as deadly as they were gorgeous.
Gilbert's hand went to the axe, and slowly brought it towards himself, his fingers caressing the bumps and grooves of the weapon. Alfred pulled out a rifle - like firearm, and handed it to Shree.
"Good eye, Alfred," Shree complemented, and looked up to see Matt gawking at the rifle.
"That's huge!" Matt exclaimed, dividing his attention between driving and the gun.
"Yeah? That's what she said," Alfred said, and Shree chortled. "Eliza, use your pan," Shree said. "The inscriptions I've carved out on it, it's powerful enough to hold its own against any of the weapons before you."
"Priestess, where did you get a hold of these babies?" Alfred said in awe.
"Some of them she's made," Shree informed. "Some she's collected. She's an excellent weaponsmith and designer, you know."
"Shree...Alfred, close the panel. Press the switch again."
"Where is...ah, here," Alfred muttered as his fingers found the button which was now on the panel surface behind the weapon gallery. He pressed the button, and watched as the panel rose again.
"Are those...sheep?" Matt asked, and all their attention turned to the road before them.
Nat smirked, and Shree laughed, "My dear Matt," Shree said, pointing to the large flock approaching them, "those are demons."
Hey, Tony.
What is it, Alfred?
Do you know those demons?
No...they are not from my home, or my Realm.
How can you say, Tony?
Their energy.
What does that mean?
Each person - they have their own unique energy. The subtle difference between each individual's energy is how you distinguish two people. People from the same planet, from the same star, the same galaxy...as they grow further apart, their energy undergoes change. But when they come from different Realms, then their energy changes completely.
I...I really don't know what you mean.
Imagine our energies to be different colours. As two individuals drift apart in the universe, they take different shades of green. But when you take two individuals from two Realms, it's like looking at green and red.
Ohh. Okay. So you're green and I'm red.
I just gave you an example, Alfred. And why do you get to be red?
Because I'm the hero. And which hero wears green? It's retarded.
Well...anyways, you get it. But that's not what you wanted.
No...it's...not what I wanted. What I wanted is...you could lend me your powers?
What powers?
You know, your really kickass powers. The one that...got me locked up in that dungeon for seven years.
Alfred, you do not remember anything of that night.
No, I don't, Tony.
Why do you think that is?
...I don't know.
Your body may be able to store my energy, but your brain cannot handle the extra stress of functioning your body through the excess energy, so it shuts down. Which is what happened that night as well.
Okay, so don't give me all of it at once, then. Give it to me...bit by bit.
Alfred, I don't know how well -
Tony, please. I can't keep hiding behind her...or behind you, and wake up feeling like a fool, remembering nothing. I just need a little help from you. I can handle the physical part of it. It's just the other part...the...umm...
Spiritual, Alfred. The spiritual part.
Yes! That part. Tony. I can't use any of those guns, because they will hurt me - us - as much as they will hurt them. I can't touch any of those weapons. The only time I can use those guns are when I'm in my mind, fighting you. And we stopped fighting a long time ago.
...Tony, please. Just for a while. If I can't handle it, you can pull back - after giving me a warning. And I'll let the Priestess do all the work.
Oh, no, Alfred. We can't let the Priestess do all the work, now, can we?
Nat got out of the car, followed by Shree, her eyes on the flock of sheep, and the two teenagers who were managing the herd. Shree tapped the window twice after shutting the door, and smiled slightly when the purr of the engine died. The two of them walked towards the large flock, catching the attention of teenage girl, who alerted the boy by the time they reached there.
"Is that your car, ma'am?" the girl asked timidly.
Nat just raised an eyebrow, but Shree smiled. "That's right. We're on our way to the next town, so if you could please clear out some space for us..."
"But you've stopped your engine," the boy noted.
"We don't like to waste fuel," Shree said with a cheeriness that Nat recognized all too well. "What breed are your sheep?"
That seemed to take the teenagers completely by surprise, while Nat just stood there were a rock hard expression on her face - she knew Shree too well to be taken aback by anything she said while she was in her mood.
"We're just the shepherds, ma'am," the boy said. "We just take care of the sheep while they're out."
"Oh," Shree exaggerated her surprise, "So there's an owner?"
"Yes, ma'am," the girl said, and smiled at Shree. "You could ask the owner about them."
"Oh, so he's coming this way?" Shree asked.
"He will, if we don't come back," the boy said.
Nat's hands were around the handles of her Keshi. The signs were all there - the unnatural red irises with no pupils, the perfect features, the disproportionate limbs, their presence...even those sheep were unnaturally perfect. "Then I guess we shall be meeting him." Nat pulled out her gun, and even before she could take aim, the closest sheep jumped up at her.
Nat flipped the gun quickly and jabbed the back of the Keshi right through its chest, sending the sheep flying back in a trail of burnt wool and skin. The form of the sheep violently phased before turning into an indescribable creature that came up to Nat's knees.
"I recognized that coat," the girl said slowly, and Shree grimaced at the sight of the sheep rising to their hind limbs, their forelimbs arching backwards. Their forms phased, and before Nat and Shree were at least two hundred demons in various shapes and sizes, along with two demons whose energy was so powerful Nat and Shree had to stop themselves from grinning in anticipation of a good fight.
Nat heard Eliza step up behind her, and Shree felt Gilbert's presence next to her. "Where are the brothers?" Shree asked.
"Busy. But we came to the party," Eliza said, and Nat had to stop herself from both turning around to see Eliza's face and shuddering at the manic excitement in Eliza's voice.
"And you're just in time, too," Shree said, removing her overcoat to reveal her tunic and slacks, and the daijin strapped to her back. She flung her overcoat to the hood of the car, and within seconds got her staff to her hands. "So let's party."
Bang!
Nat shot down the first few unlucky demons who threw themselves at her, effectively creating a path for the rest of them to barge through. Eliza brought out her frying pan, spun around and smashed through demons, while Gilbert hacked his way through with grace that had even Nat and Shree admiring him for a few seconds. Shree's seemingly harmless five foot staff went through the demons like butter, even with no discernible sharp edges, and Nat didn't bother with weapons after the first four shots - she grabbed two daggers, and cut through them like the mutton they'd posed to be.
Nat slashed sideways, and bent down just as Shree's staff wooshed over her head, cutting down three demons who were airborne. Nat straightened as she pivoted around Shree, and took down three more attacking Shree from the back, both of their lips moving, both of their limbs moving to the rhythm of powerful mantras.
Nat dodged, drove her dagger right across the body of one demon; spun around, and staked the next demon right where its heart would have been. The black and red bodies of the smaller demon littered the ground, but only for a short while - the injection of spiritual energy through the priestesses' every blow seemed to dissolve their forms into slushy lumps. And Shree was positively enjoying herself - she waltzed with the grace of a leopard on a hunt, her staff cutting air pathways through the demons. Her staff glowed with the energy of Shree's spiritual energy, and Nat could hear Shree singing the incantations over the unholy screams of the dying demons.
"Hey, Nat! Look at those two!" Shree yelled out, resorting to punching the demon before her as she talked. "They've made this into a game!"
Nat looked up just in time to see Eliza whack a demon into midair, and continued to watch just to see Gilbert slash it into two. Nat sighed as she drove her elbow through the demon trying to sneak up behind her. "I don't know who's crazier - you, or them."
"Well, I am crazy, but" -
"Shree, look out!"
Shree turned to look at a demon, half her size, jumping towards her, a sword in its hand, poised to kill. But before Shree could raise her staff, the demon jerked in midair, and fell to the ground. And by the time Shree turned in the direction of the shot, three more demons around her fell down dead.
She grinned at the sight of Matt flat on the roof, the rifle cradled between his arms and shoulder. "Thanks," she whispered, and gasped.
"Shree, stop slacking!" Nat yelled to her in their common language, and growled in frustration. The larger energies were moving away from them, and she was sure it was those two demons posing as teenagers. If they didn't get through this hoard of madness and get to those two soon, then -
A flash of gold and bright red zoomed through the crowd of demons, and Nat felt the energies vanishing faster than she could comprehend. Her jaw slackened as she watched the blaze of fiery light zip through the demons, cutting their numbers to half in a matter of moments.
What the hell? Nat thought as she watched demons fleeing, the screams of pain turning into the screams of terror. She straightened from her predator-like crouch, and looked at the confusion on Shree's, Gilbert's and Eliza's faces.
"Natalya! Shree! The larger ones are getting away!" Eliza yelled, and they turned to her. "Go! We'll take care of this!"
"Leave a couple of them alive," was all Shree said as the two of them ran.
"Nat" -
"Got it," Nat said, and watched Shree run straight at a tree. But unlike most people, instead of slamming into it, she jumped, and almost impossibly scaled it without using her hands. And with Shree on the canopy, Nat felt them fall into their old routine.
Nat pulled out her Keshi, and stopped as she aimed.
Need a ride, Priestess?
Nat's focus shattered at the sound of Alfred's voice in her head. Huh?
I'll take that as a yes.
Nat felt incredible heat sweep her up, and felt the wind screaming in her ears. By the time she turned her head, she felt a sharp jolt, and the wind screeched in her ears again. She looked up, and saw his face.
In the stead of his hair were flames that flashed red and golden, and his face glowed with the pulse of an energy that refused to allow Nat's breath to pass beyond her throat. A thick red stripe ran down his cheek, and a thinner blue one ran down his chin, and red marked his eyelids, like a vivid brushstroke. But when those electric blue irises turned to her...it was him. She knew it was him.
She'd know that blue anywhere.
Hey, Priestess. You look well.
'How are you inside my head?'
The same way you were in mine. Now, look through my eyes, and take aim.
Her vision suddenly changed. Everything was in slow motion - it was as if the air that they were running through had turned to honey, but somehow it affected everyone except the two of them. Nat drew up her Keshi, and saw the two demons running before her. Only now, they were a lot closer than they had ever been.
Do you trust me, Nat?
'Dy.'
Then take that shot.
Alfred propelled Nat into the air, and she at once felt his energy removed from her. Her vision sharpened, her sense of time heightened, and her Keshi was still pointed at them.
Bang!
Nat arched her back as she flew through the air, spinning her body, her entire senses focussed on the source of miasmic energy.
Bang!
Nat felt gravity doing its work, and she knew he would catch her before she hit the ground. And the wave of that familiar, incredible energy swamped her, swooped her away back into the air.
Bang!
Nat frowned, but before she could question her ears, her feet were firmly planted on the ground, and waves of energy flowed out from behind her. She watched Shree spin through the air, and slice the second demon into two before landing like the cat Nat knew her to be.
"Wow, doll. You've really got some moves."
Nat turned to see Alfred - or at least what Alfred had become - standing some distance from her, but even then, the pull of his energy was amazing.
Shree looked at him, and clapped her hands gleefully. "You did it! You and Tony are working together now!"
The merge of voices, with Alfred's voice dominating, emerged from the being standing before her. "Well, kind of. Tony's lending some of his powers to me."
But before Nat could even begin to comprehend their conversation, her senses picked up another spiritual energy source, and it hit her like a nasty blow to the nose.
It was familiar. It was way too familiar to be true.
Nat grabbed her Keshi, and flung it at Alfred. He dodged it in a flash, but it hit its intended target and flew sideways - a bullet aimed right at Alfred's brain.
She pulled out her other Keshi, and aimed in the direction of the previous shot.
"What the hell was that?" Alfred yelled at her from behind, but got cut off by Shree. "Shree" -
"Alfred, stay behind," was all Shree said, and the urgency in her tone dampened his flash of anger.
Nat ignored the two of them entirely, her senses attuned to the being near the row of trees to her left. A figure stepped into the clearing, and Nat felt her eyes fooling her.
That cream overcoat. That white scarf. The silver blond hair, tending more to silver than blond. Those gorgeous purple eyes opening into abysses darker than black. And that smile. That cold, cold smile, worse than the deadening chill of winter.
"I never imagined I would see you here, dorogoy."
Nat's energy drained right out of her, through the soles of her feet, filling in their wake heavy, heavy lead. Her arms dropped, and all she could see was those violet eyes staring right into her soul. They could always stare right into her soul, bare it for all it was. Absently, she chided herself for having this reaction after all these years, but...after all these years, nothing had changed.
"Ivan," she breathed, the name rushing out of her like a dying man's prayer.
After all these years, nothing had changed.
A.T.: Okay, to be completely honest with you, it was a culmination of things.
First off, I'd like to say that every time I thank someone for reviewing, I really mean it. There might be people who write the story for the sake of the story, and I was that person for a really long time. But once I got the taste of people reading my stuff and knowing that people enjoy it, and it helps some people get through the day...honestly, there was no going back. So when I write the story, it's 45% for the story's sake, 45% for my sake, and 10% for the reviews' sake. If that makes me human or selfish or requiring some kind of returns for what I write and put up, then yes, I am all those things, and whatever else you accuse me of.
A part of me does write for reviews. I like to know that what I write makes someone's day, or it helps someone through a bad moment, or it just made them happy. And I'll thank Pinkdoughnuts here again, for reviewing EVERY single chapter on this EVERY time it comes out. And one of the reasons I didn't put out a chapter last week was because I had no way of knowing whether someone actually liked what they were reading or not. And in the middle of my decision to even write this chapter, I got emxun's and TheEnglishMuffin's reviews, which really made me happy, but I couldn't post a chapter because I was in hostel and I post chapters usually when I'm at home with a reliable WiFi connection.
This isn't me asking you to review. It's just me ranting to you, and I don't expect people to review off the bat. There's a reason I keep this section at the end of the chapter, so that you can skip it or just close the tab whenever you feel like it.
The second thing is me being exhausted at the end of each day. Plus, because of my periods, I've been experiencing PMS in the form of depressing thoughts, and that hasn't been helping at all.
The third thing is me watching Castle and playing the Deadpool game on my PC. I hit this hard spot in the game where there are two bosses than one, so I'll tackle that when I have more time, but as of the last two weeks, I only had enough energy to watch Castle. This semester is a hell lot more fun, but it's really exhausting, so I'll just tell you that although I try to do my best to give my 100% in my investments, sometimes I...just give up. And I'm sorry to anyone depending on me during such a time, but...I'm sorry. I need to drop all the stuff I'm juggling once in a while to just...breathe.
I love this chapter. I really love this chapter, because things are picking up, at least with RoJD. So please continue to keep supporting it, hopefully till the very end.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Love,
R. K. Iris.