CONTENT WARNING: The first scene of this chapter contains a mention of eye trauma. Please take breaks or skip sections as necessary. Stay safe.
10/3 – Monday
Morning
Cafe Leblanc, Attic
Ren was halfway through changing into his uniform when Morgana finally poked his fuzzy head out of the bag on the couch, looking both woozy and grumpy. "Hey," he said, grinning towards the cat. "Morning sleepyhead."
Morgana grumbled something incoherent back and climbed out of the bag, stretching himself out along the couch. "Parcel," he mumbled, and shook his entire body as if to rid himself of lingering sleep.
"Opened it last night," Ren replied. "I had a lot of energy anyway, seemed like the right time." At the cat's raised eyebrow – or a motion that implied a raised eyebrow that he didn't have – he continued. "Uh. So I dunno how to preface this, but Haru and I are dating now. As of last night."
The feline blinked. He sat back on his haunches, as if carefully mulling over the news, staring at Ren the entire time. "Good," he decided. And then he hopped down and onto the bed, pacing back and forth in that excited way he did. "What was in the parcel? More clues? Anything cool?"
Ren couldn't help but laugh at Morgana's very honest priorities. Utterly understandable, but it still tickled his mirth. "A note from that iteration's Haru, actually. I'm happy to show you, but it's like...super sappy."
"Oh," Morgana said, curling his little nose at the news. He sat down again, tilting his head back and forth. "Did it say anything we didn't already know?"
"Yeah." Ren sat on the bed next to the cat, leaning over to tie his shoes. "She said Anachronism saved someone important to her. Wouldn't tell who, but she said 'him' so that at least narrows it down a little. And that person had something to do with a difficult decision she had to make."
"Someone important," Morgana echoed. "What's your instinct say?"
Ren just shrugged. "I mean, you and me both came to mind immediately. Other than that, there's Ryuji, or maybe Yusuke."
"Might be someone outside the Thieves." Morgana began pacing again, humming thoughts under his breath. "Someone we haven't met at school maybe? Or someone she ends up meeting from the SRU?"
"Might be." Ren sat back up, leaning back and resting his weight on his hands against the bed. "As far as the memories go, there's only the Thieves we've got right now, and Black Mask. I don't remember anyone else who might fit that description." He quirked the corner of his mouth. "And I think we might be able to cross Black Mask off the list anyway. Unless his secret identity is Haru's long lost brother or something, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't apply to him."
Morgana nodded, but paused. "Important doesn't always mean good," he said, slowly, thoughtfully. "Maybe Black Mask was important to her in a different way."
"Sure," Ren ceded. "I guess then, we shouldn't write off anyone Haru might have considered an enemy." A name came to mind immediately, and it soured in his throat. "Saving is a strong choice of words for that. Sorta implies that person was protected from someone, or–"
Something sharp, acrid. An echo like thunder, his finger curled around unfamiliar metal. Someone yelling through static, panicked and confused, a cacophony of voices. A boy in black, falling at such an odd angle, pivoted in midair, his hand reaching into his jacket. Blood; no, not blood, red glass, scattered and splintered in every direction. And the boy grabbed his broken mask, and he screamed. A furious, agony-laden note that was almost swallowed up by the celestial void in the near distance, as a faint glow nearby shimmered out of view and the very world cracked under–
Ren blinked away the memory. His heart was shallow in his throat. He felt the cold metal in his hand, on him and in him, an echo as loud as the gunshot that still rang across his skull.
"Ren?" Morgana's little fluffy face, full of concern.
"Anachronism didn't save Black Mask," Ren said, as his mind whirled towards possibilities – no, inevitabilities. "He saved someone from Black Mask." He leaned forward, interlocking his fingers in his lap, right heel idly tapping a rhythm against the floor. "Anachronism told the Thieves about the parcels in October. But if he'd kept it secret for that long, revealing them must have been something he didn't have a choice in. He must have been found out, somehow, even though he had his Futaba and his Morgana's help hiding it. Most likely, he tipped his hand in a way that he couldn't excuse somehow."
"It's October now," Morgana said, brow furrowed, like he was just trying to keep up. "If those Thieves were doing the same things we were, then..." His eyes widened. "Haru's dad."
"Yep," Ren said. "I'm not positive, but it feels correct. And I should trust my instincts, right?" Logic said he didn't have all the evidence, but he had never felt more sure about anything in his life. That was the ploy. That was the trap. That was what the Thieves were meant to avoid.
"Futaba's message," Morgana muttered, probably following the same mental path towards its natural conclusion. "If Anachronism saved Haru's dad from Black Mask, that means Black Mask must have been there in the Palace."
Ren nodded. "When we send the calling card, Black Mask is going to attack Kunikazu Okumura. And unless we can stop him, he'll cause a mental shutdown." He should have felt scared. Mortified and scrabbling at such a threat, at having to face a man who'd caused dozens of deaths already, the man who'd shot an SRU member and matched strengths with Ren's strongest Persona. But he wasn't scared. Black Mask had killed his sister's mom. He was about to try and murder his girlfriend's dad. Whoever he was, Ren was not about to sit back and allow the fucker to do what he pleased. He felt fucking ready. "But that's not going to happen. I'm not going to let it happen. No matter what, we'll stop him. If Okumura dies, it won't be at his hands." Ren didn't know what Haru would decide, when they faced the man again. He didn't know if she would spare her father's life. But ultimately, it was her decision. And he wasn't going to let anyone take that away from her.
10/3 – Monday
Late Morning
Shujin Academy
Ren
I hope you're all sitting down
Cause I opened the second to last parcel last night
Kasumi
Oh wow. :O
Ryuji
kinda melodramatic dude lol
Makoto
Anything imprtnt?
Ren
Just a note, same cryptic stuff as usual
But me and Morgana have a pretty solid theory about what it meant
So, I'd like to call a meeting
All Thieves on deck in Leblanc, after school Saturday
Ann
Shouldn't we meet sooner?
If this is really that important, I mean. Why wait?
Ren
This isn't gonna be a short meeting, might end up going pretty late
I want to make sure no one's gonna end up missing school the next day if we do
And depending on what we decide, we might want to make our next move right away
Setting aside Sunday for that makes sure we get that chance
Besides, I've got some prep work to do beforehand
Futaba
And who's being cryptic now?
Ren
Sorry, just don't want to overload you guys
Haru
Take as much time as you need!
Saturday is soon enough for me. (✿◡‿◡)
Makoto
U sure?
This is ur dad we're talking abt.
Haru
I'm sure. (^-^) b
But thank you for your concern Makie!
Makoto
Oh np Haru.
Futaba
Where's your concern for everyone else Makie?
Thought you were supposed to be our benevolent advisor. ;)
Makoto
No comment.
Yusuke
I do believe that Makoto is doing wonderfully at her role within the Thieves.
I for one have no complaints as to her council.
Makoto
Ty Yusuke.
Futaba
No one asked you Inari!
Kasumi
Is there anything we need to do before Saturday?
Maybe we could help with the preparations? :)
Ren
I'll get in contact if I think of anything
Otherwise, just hold tight
Ryuji
now you're speaking my language renren
sitting around is what i do best
Ann
Lmao how am I not surprised?
Ren's phone was halfway to his pocket before it buzzed in his hand. Just in case, he quickly glanced at the screen. Ah. Yeah, he wasn't about to ignore that.
Haru
I hope I'm not distracting you, but when you have a chance, may I ask you a question?
Ren
Yeah of course
I'm already pretty distracted anyway
Haru
Oh, good! (≧∇≦)
That you're available, I mean. I'm sure the distraction is less than optimal.
Ren
Haha yeah
I mean, I'm doing fine, just prep stuff on the mind
What's up?
Haru
To start, I wanted to apologize.
I completely forgot you were slated to open the parcel yesterday, and I did not consider how my prying might have affected you!
I'm very very sorry if I caused you any undue stress. (__)
Ren
Haru it's totally fine
I'm like actually way less stressed than I was?
Cause I mean
I was just a little bit freaking out about how much I was messing things up with you
So the fact that everything worked out how it did is like
Good
And I'm really glad, I wouldn't want to take that back or make you feel like you did anything wrong, cause you didn't
Haha I'm rambling sorry sorry
Haru
I see! That is quite the relief. (^/^)
You have nothing at all to apologize for. Your rambling is quite endearing.
Ren
Oh
Cool
:)
Haru
(≧∇≦)
But onto my true question!
While I understand the relationship between yourself and Ryuji is open information within the Thieves, I would not want to assume that the same should be applied to the two of us.
Which, now that I realize, is not as much a question as a statement.
Perhaps I mean to ask, would you wish our relationship to be something kept between the two of us?
Ren
Haha
Haru
(´・ω・`)?
Ren
Sorry sorry, I wasn't laughing at you
You just said my rambling was endearing so like
Kinda funny that yours is too
Haru
Oh!
I see, I see! (* ̄︶ ̄*)
Ren
But yeah, I mean, I'm cool with telling the Thieves
I'm not ashamed to be dating you, and I don't want you to feel like you have to hide that
I know I'm gonna tell Sojiro and my therapist and some of the friends I trust, if that's cool
Haru
Of course!
I have no desires to keep my affections secret either.
You are a lovely person and I am quite glad to be your girlfriend.
And since that's been decided... (¬‿¬)
It didn't take more than a second of confusion before his phone pinged with a message to the Thieves' group chat. Oh. Oh fuck. Ren felt a cold sweat prickle across his neck.
Haru
And on the subject of announcements! \(^0^)/
Yusuke
Oh?
Kasumi
:o
Ren
Oh my god
Haru
I would like to formally inform you all that, as of yesterday, I am officially dating your leader.
I hope this does not negatively affect my working relationship with the Thieves. (✿◡‿◡)
Kasumi
:O
Ann
LMAO HOLY FUCK.
Makoto
Oh wow.
Futaba
YOU'RE WHAT?!
Ren
Brb dunking myself in the nearest trash can
Ryuji
HAHAHA OMFG
but hey yooooooo congrats!
happy for ya!
Yusuke
As am I! What wonderful news indeed.
Futaba
HEY SORRY CAN WE ROLL IT BACK A SEC?
YOU'RE SMOOCHING MY BROTHER?
Haru
(❁´◡`❁)
Ann
IM GONNA FUCKIN DIE LAUGBIN G HOLY SHIT
Futaba
Betrayal. How dare. All of you are Judas.
Judging by the stifled laughter from the seat in front of him, Ren could at least take solace in the fact that Ann was in indescribably good spirits. He could only hope Sojiro would take the news with any proximity of that grace.
The moment the lunchtime bell sounded, Ann spun her chair around to face Ren's desk, grinning up a storm. "So," she began, and Ren found himself sinking further down into his own seat. "Who'd you get to help you this time? Kasumi? Futaba?" And her brow furrowed. "Tell me you didn't rope Ryuji into this."
Despite his overwhelming embarrassment, he felt a smile creep onto his lips. "Okay, first off, can you dial back the gossip-mongering a bit?"
"No promises," she replied with a little smirk.
"And second, I, uh..." Wow okay that sounded awful. "I did get some advice from Ryuji and Morgana. And my therapist. But, uh, I didn't really ask anyone for help, specifically."
Ann blinked at him. "Dude," she said, a firm deadpan.
"Yeah, I know. I should have." He let out a long breath. "I mean, it worked out? But that's only because Haru's way smarter than I am. First time I tried to tell her went...bad."
She just nodded. "On a scale of one to total disaster?"
"Um," he mumbled, "eight? Maybe eight and a half. I kinda accidentally implied that – cause I let her know I was having memories about Anachronism dating the Haru from his world – like, that us being together was comparable to Anachronism hiding the parcels from everyone."
Ann whistled, like she was almost impressed. "Fuck, Ren." She fiddled with her ponytail. "Lemme guess, you beat yourself up a bunch over that?"
"Yes!" Morgana grumpily confirmed from within the desk.
He bit back a wince. "Yeah. I mean, I'm not beating myself up anymore? Still feel super dumb, but at least...Haru thinks my stupidity is charming or something." A little awkward chuckle bubbled out of him.
"Yeah, sounds about right." Ann snickered. She leaned back, something almost like admiration shining across her expression. "You told her about the memories first though? Dude, gotta say, that's pretty gutsy. Kinda running the risk of her getting super weirded out."
"I know," he said. "I was worried that finding that out after the fact would make her feel like I was just going through the motions or something. And I got really in my own head about, like, not wanting to hurt her."
"Color me unsurprised." She laughed again, grinning with her eyes. "Ren, you're the biggest softie I know. You don't wanna hurt anyone."
He just shrugged again, as shattered red glass tore across the back of his mind. "I dunno about anyone, but I don't wanna hurt the people I care about."
"And you care about her," Ann finished.
"Yeah." Ren found himself smiling again. "Kind of a lot."
"Me too!" Morgana chirped. "She's really nice."
Ann beamed first at the desk, then at Ren. "Next time," she said, firm and yet soft. "If there is a next time; don't try and leave this to yourself. Like, you don't have to tell me, or any of us, but at least actually listen to the people you ask for advice. I know it's scary, but you're not alone." She reached across the desk, and Ren gladly allowed her to take his hand. "You've got people who care about you too, you know. The only way you're getting through this alone is if you shut them out."
Ren squeezed her hand, and nodded. "Yeah. Thank you." He offered a little smile. "Next time, I'll tell you. I know I don't have to, but I want to." He reached up with his other hand to twist a strand of hair around one finger. It was a little embarrassing to admit, even to himself, but fucking up the way he had, self-sabotaging that badly without even realizing it? It felt like a hell of a wake up call. It wasn't just him that could end up hurt by shouldering this sort of burden. It was his friends, his partners, his family. "I can't really afford to keep secrets. Not anymore. So I won't, not with anything important." He chuckled. "I can at least be smart enough to know what matters, right? Or what might matter."
She nodded, still smiling at him. "Yeah. I've trusted you with that up to now, and you haven't let me down." Ann's grin was almost a smirk, for a moment. "You're, like, stupidly brave. You know that, right? Cause, you didn't choose to deal with all this stuff. The memories, the parcels, all of it. And keeping it to yourself is safe. Letting go of control? That isn't." She squeezed his hand tight. "So it means a whole fucking lot that you're trying to. Cause I know how hard it is to let go of scary stuff. The fact that you trust us, trust me, with that? It's just...shit, Ren. It's kind of unreal."
"Yeah," he said. "Feels unreal for me too. But, I'm glad for it. You're one of the most important people in my life, Ann. I wouldn't ever want to do bad by you."
"Good," Ann said. "Cause you never have. And far as I'm concerned, I don't think you ever will."
10/3 – Monday
After School
Cafe Leblanc
"How dare!" Futaba near-shrieked from a booth in the thankfully patronless cafe, the instant that Ren walked through the door. Sojiro still glanced between the two with the most perplexed expression he'd ever seen on the man. "Betrayed by my own brother! The humanity!"
"I," he said, blinking at her. "I'm sorry? Still not sure how this qualifies as a betrayal." Ren slipped the bag off his shoulder and let Morgana spring out and stretch across the nearest table.
"If he sheds, you're cleaning it up," Sojiro said, gesturing towards the cat with his head.
"You could have told me you were crushing on someone!" Futaba hopped out of the booth and stormed up to Ren, jabbing a finger into his chest. "Why do I have to find out at the same time as Inari?"
"Ow," he mumbled, lightly pushing her hand away, trying to ignore the both surprised and pointed look Sojiro was giving him right now. "Okay, granted, yeah."
"Like, come on." Futaba spun away, arms crossed, raising her nose up at him with such force that her hair smacked against her back. "What's the point in being your little sister if I can't mercilessly tease you about your crushes and then tell you 'I told you so' once everything works out so I can be your emotional support person for once?" There was a little spark of genuine hurt across her breath. Not a vast pain, but a little honest offense.
"Oh," Ren said. "Yeah, okay. Sorry. I'll..." Breath in, breath out. No catastrophe, just fix. Easy peasy, nothing to it. "No promises that this'll come up again, but maybe I can make it up to you?"
"Hm." She rocked side to side, arms still crossed, lowering her head every so slightly to squint at Ren. "Go on."
"I'm planning a little bit of a project I need some help with," he said. "You won't be the only one helping out, but it wouldn't work without your part." He smiled. "You're really the only person I could ask for this."
Futaba held her resistance, but it only took three breaths for it to drop away and her expression to melt from sternness to excitement. "Count me in! I'll blow your fucking socks off, bro." She bounced in place. "When do we start?"
"Today, if you're available." And Sojiro's gaze continued to burn its way through the side of his head. "Uh, would you...wait for me upstairs? Is that okay?"
"Yep!" Futaba scrambled back to her laptop and scooped it up, practically sprinting up the stairs to the attic. "Come on up when Sojiro's done chewing you out!" Her voice echoed down across the cafe.
Morgana gave Ren an almost apologetic look, and then bounded after her. And then it was two. Just Ren alone with Sojiro's undeniable 'you've got a lot of explaining to do' face. "Okay, so," Ren began, "I, uh...I might be in...I dunno the word. Dating two people."
"Uh huh," Sojiro said, one eyebrow still raised, slow and careful like he didn't know how to respond. "Have I met this other person?"
Ren swallowed hard. "Haru Okumura," he mumbled.
"The nice young woman who rescued your cat?"
He just nodded.
"Does your boyfriend know?"
Another nod. "I told him before I told her, and he said he was cool with it. And she knew I was with him before I told her."
Sojiro let out a long, hesitant breath. "I can honestly say, that is...something I have no experience with whatsoever." He sighed, running a hand back through his hair. "Firsthand or secondhand. But I suppose...if you've all agreed to that, then I won't meddle. Can't say I understand it, but I guess I don't really need to." He gave a little smirk, almost a smile. "If you need advice, or help, or just someone to talk to about this, I'll be here. I know I'm kind of a hands-off guardian, but that doesn't mean I don't care about what you're going through." Sojiro sighed. "I still wish I knew more about how to help with some of those things, but I promise I'll do my best."
Ren wasn't sure what to say to that, not for a little while. "It's nice," he said, finally. "I mean, just telling you stuff." He shrugged. "Even if you can't speak from experience or anything like that, you're...good at feeling out situations, if that makes sense. And it helps." He wanted so badly to spill about all of this, about the Thieves and the parcels and the riptide that was his life this year. But it wasn't the right time. It didn't feel right. "You did a lot when I was struggling before. And I'm gonna be trying to ask for more help, if that's okay."
Sojiro smiled, something almost like pride shining in his eyes. "Of course it is," he said, the world's softest grumble. "I'm your dad, aren't I?"
"Yeah," Ren confirmed with a chuckle. "That you are."
Despite Futaba's excited prodding, Ren waited to speak until he'd settled onto the couch. "This is gonna be a joint project," he began. "I'm gonna be pretty busy this week, so I won't have too much time to help out. If it's alright, I'd like you and Morgana to try doing as much as you can without my assistance, so I can help more optimally with what time I do have."
"Huh?" Morgana tilted his head from his spot next to Futaba on the bed. "I'm working on it too?"
Ren nodded. "You're both our experts on the Metaverse, Futaba has some experience integrating cognitive psience with technology, and you've got the know-how to design infiltration tools. We'll need all of that for this project to work."
"We're making a tool using cognition and tech," Futaba said, typing something out rapidly as she spoke, fingers faster than her breath. "Neato burrito."
"Does this have to do with what we talked about this morning?" Morgana asked. Ren was incredibly thankful he hadn't name dropped Black Mask out of nowhere.
"Yep," Ren confirmed. And to Futaba: "I'll fill you in on Saturday when we actually plan the change of heart for real."
She hesitated, but nodded. "That's okay. I am kinda curious, but I guess being your sister doesn't give me all the special treatment." Futaba pouted in a way he could tell was forced.
Ren laughed. "I'll tell you what we're gonna use it for, at least. But before I give more details, we need to figure out if it's even possible. No point planning this out if it's not."
"Lay it on me already," Futaba groaned, glancing away from her screen for long enough to glare at Ren.
"I've got a plan to potentially avoid the craziness that future Taba warned us about," Ren continued. "But it's going to require something kinda crazy on its own." Alright, this was definitely going to sound insane, but he wasn't about to back down. "I'd like to try to open an exit to the real world from deeper within a Palace." Morgana's eyes widened, and Futaba even paused her typing to stare at him.
"Oh wow," the cat mumbled, sounding somewhere between awed and mortified.
"Heck," Futaba concluded. She stretched her arms out over her laptop, fingers interlocked. "Not about to back down, though. Alrighty Mona, you heard our leader." She grinned with her teeth. "Let's work some cognitive magic."
█████
Evening
Odaiba
"Alright," said the well-dressed woman, vivid red hair flowing gently in the breeze of the evening sun. "I'm curious. Why reach out to us again, why now, after all this time? I understood your mistrust of us to be fairly determinative."
The Trickster forced a pained smile, running a shaking hand carefully through his hair. "Yeah," he said, simply. "To be honest, I still don't know if it's the right choice to trust you. But it wasn't really fair to give you the cold shoulder the way I did."
The woman shook her head, offering a smile that felt somehow stern and gentle at once, like a teacher scolding you for a mistake made with good intentions. "I'm not offended," she said. "My allies and I are willing to respect your choice and defer to your group's own agency. As long as you remain in the business of hunting Shadows, your autonomy remains our priority."
A wave of relief washed over the Trickster, and he slowly moved to take a seat next to the woman on the bench, staring out into the distance, a far-off sun ducking behind the horizon, bringing in a night sky as it slept. It was beautiful to watch the sun set, but the night was cold, and dark.
"I've made some mistakes, I guess," the Trickster began, voice shaking on each word, and not from the cold. "I've been kind of standoffish to a lot of people. I know that, before, you wanted to reach the Thieves as a group. But reaching out to you this time was kind of my personal choice." He turned and faced the woman, in her eyes some mix of concern and curiosity. "I've been rejecting the help of a lot of good people, and I realize that's not fair to them, even as I still have to live with my mistakes." He sighed. "I want to do what I can to rectify that, while I…while I can." He mentally removed the still from that sentence that was biting at his subconscious.
She closed her eyes, seemingly deep in thought, or perhaps in recollection. "We all made mistakes," she began. "The life you are living isn't easy. It's mercilessly cruel, uncaring and unforgiving. How are you to know what the best decision is at any given moment, walking an untrodden path?"
The Trickster grimaced. Untrodden, huh? That wasn't exactly true, not for him. He knew the risks, the potential mistakes, the possibilities. He had done what he thought was best at every opportunity, always weighing the best choices. But maybe he wasn't seeing straight.
"Our group, back when it was first founded…we made a lot of missteps." The woman clutched tight at her jacket, like she was being attacked by a memory. "We trusted the wrong people, and we were betrayed. The man who headed our operations attempted to trap us and take our lives." A spark of hesitation across her face, and she continued. "While our team survived, his betrayal did cost my father his life."
The Trickster felt the breath escaping his lungs, leaving him with only a gasp. "I'm…so sorry that happened," he said, barely a whisper. He wished there was more he could say, some assurance that would fix that years-old hurt, but he found himself at a complete loss.
"It's quite alright," the woman continued, seemingly unbothered in her tone despite the shaking of the hands in her lap. "He took quite a lot from us, but we persevered." When she opened her eyes, they were soft, almost vulnerable. And then the sharpness returned. "I never wanted you and your group to go through that same process. Even if I had the best of intentions in offering my help to you, it was pointless if you didn't want it. To ensure the mistakes of the past weren't repeated, I wanted to give you all complete agency." She spoke quickly, faster than the Trickster was used to, even from her. As if the words were tumbling out. "I'm sorry," she said with a smile, a look of rare bashfulness. "That probably doesn't make a lot of sense to you."
The Trickster shook his head. "No, I…think it makes more sense than you'd expect. I guess…that's been a fear, too. That if I let too many people in on," he motioned at nothing in particular, frustrated, "these secrets…then something bad might happen. I thought if it was just me carrying the burden, it was safe."
He looked up, cautious eyes on the well-dressed woman who met his gaze with an acceptant solemnity. "I understand," she said. And then she righted herself, sitting upright with a deep breath. "That aside, I know you mentioned coming here for a professional request, and I'm all ears. If there's nothing else you'd like to say first, I am ready anytime."
He nodded, happy not to dwell on his own swirling internal cocktail of emotional distress, guilt, and self-doubt. "I think…I will need your help after all, in the near future. I think you might be able to offer assistance with stuff that's…beyond us."
The woman nodded. "And do you think you can trust us with this plan?"
The Trickster smiled, reaching a hand up and twisting a lock of hair between two fingers. "I hope so. But I'm not exactly the best judge of character."
Enormous thanks to Jane for beta-reading this chapter, and for writing the ending scene! She did an amazing job with it, despite the tough week she's been having. And as always, I'm so incredibly grateful for her assistance and support.
Reminder that the best way you can support this story is leaving some feedback, it helps a whole bunch and I appreciate each and every comment. Even if you never comment, I'm still very grateful for anyone who's continued to read this story, thank you so much for sticking with me through this journey so far.
