Chapter XXXVIII: Noble Allies

"...God I needed this…" Ragna muttered to himself as he laid in his wooden tub, giving a deep and content sigh as he allowed his body to sink further into the water. The tub itself wasn't large enough for his entire body to be submerged, so he had to settle for leaving his legs sticking out of the water while the rest of him rested in the water (truthfully he was only bathing in the servant's tub, but for now it was all he needed). He'd already scrubbed himself down quite thoroughly and rid himself from the smell he'd acquired from yesterday's sparring. Now he was staying in the water simple to enjoy the heat and relaxation it gave off… though it was starting to grow cold. Figuring he could stand a little more relaxation in his life, he channeled magic into his BlazBlue and cast a weak fire spell that quickly heated to water and made it as warm as when he'd first gotten in. He gave a relaxed sigh, enjoying the water as its warmth relaxed the knots in his muscles he'd developed from yesterday's training and his sparring match with Sully.

Not long later he was in his library wearing his black hakama set as he looked through the selection of books that had come with the estate. Part of him was looking for something to read certainly, but he'd also thought that it wouldn't hurt to take one last look to assure himself that he hadn't missed any of the… suggestive material that the library had held. With all of his searching, he figured that he wouldn't have missed anything but if it would spare him from an embarrassing explanation it would pay to be thorough. He hadn't found any of the books, but something did catch his eye; a small piece of parchment that was poking out of the corner of his bookshelf. It was barely visible and would have been impossible to see if you hadn't known where it was or had gotten lucky like Ragna had, but it was there. Curious, he leaned the bookcase upward with a single arm and took the dust covered parchment out with his other. Though it was badly ripped and dusty, the words were oddly readable.

Don't hate me for giving you these books, it's just a joke in good fun. Keep them, sell them, burn them, do what you will and I shant judge you. I still don't think it changes the idea that you need to get out more. You've scarcely joined us for a meal and your research seems to be taking a toll on you. Don't make me force you to the banquet table in shackles old friend, none of us want it to come to that. My little flower and I hope to see you at dinner within the week.

-A

"A?" Ragna repeated the letter as he read and reread the note a few times. "It sounds like he's the guy that put those perverted books in this place, but I don't have a damn idea who this is he's supposed to be… or even how old this damn letter is… and that little flower…"

Yet another mystery for the Reaper where he hadn't a damn idea of how to start looking for clues or leads… aside from asking who the previous owner of his estate had been. Giving a short sigh, he stuck the letter in a nearby drawer, figuring he'd have to ask Chrom about some time when the prince wasn't busy. A knock at the door reminded him that even if this was a peace time, he too had his fair share of things to keep him occupied. Giving a sigh, Ragna headed down and opened the front door, prepared to be kidnapped for most of the day.

"Bonjour, mon ami," Virion greeted in the language from his homeland (which happened to match up with our French). "How does the day find you?"

"Fine I guess…" Ragna said, trying to keep himself from sighing. While the Reaper could scarcely complain with the company, he was hoping that things would start to calm after the ball. "What brings you here?"

"Ah! Are you saying I'm required to have an excuse prepared to visit an ally and one of my dearest friends?" the blue haired noble asked him with his usual dramatic tone.

"Excuse no, but knowing you there's something that you need my help with," the Reaper decided.

"Ah, but that is where you're wrong my dear friend, for today I have arrived to help you." Ragna tried to remain calm at the suggestion; he knew this wasn't going to end well. "For I see that you've yet to prepare for tonight's soiree."

"Soi… Soy… Oh, Maribelle's party…" he remembered, rather than keep attempting to pronounce soiree. "I mean, I've been thinking about going, but I haven't really decided on anything…"

Y-You haven't?" Virion responded, leaving Ragna to raise an eyebrow at his sudden outburst. "B-But did she not mention that she would be unveiling her new tea tonight? And she asked you there personally! Don't you think you owe it to a dear friend to show support?" Ragna's accusatory gaze at the foreign nobleman didn't disperse in the slightest. "And it's not like have other plans for toni-"

"Spill it, what's got you so nervous about me not going?" Ragna demanded. Virion gave a shrill shriek as he'd realized he'd just been found out. "You must've screwed something up; it's the only reason that you'd be acting this way…"

"Well, I…" Virion paused, slowly taking a few steps back as if he needed to get a decent distance between himself and the Reaper, something that made him seem all the more guilty. "In… In the past Maribelle had told me that you've given her help in creating her teas, and tonight will be the culmination of her work thus far. It would be a shame if you missed it. As her friend, I think you owe it to her."

"Then why the hell are you acting so nervous?" asked Ragna, who clearly wasn't buying it. "And stop trying to make me look like the villain… I've had it done to me enough times to where I don't feel a damn thing when someone tries it."

"I assumed it had been common knowledge that you were to be attending… so I may have brought it up in conversation…"

Ragna was trying really hard not to pound Virion's face in at the moment; REALLY hard. "That's… well… okay, who in Naga's name did you tell?" he demanded. Though he already knew it was a bad idea to lie to Reaper, the look of terror upon Virion's face made it seem as if he wanted to do anything but.

"I've… been speaking to the other folk of the nobility attending this event when I've divulged said information…" the archer admitted, not appearing very archest at the moment. "...Exclusively." Ragna was silent for a long moment… then around him small clumps of dirt and pebbles seemed to be shaking on the ground. Virion wasn't the only thing trembling as the entire area around Ragna began to rumble with his rage. Reeling his right arm back and forming a fist, his target gave a cry of terror as-

"Excuse me?" a feminine and unfamiliar voice cut through. All at once the rumbling stopped, as did Ragna's fist which was a mere hair's width from Virion's face. Even with the blow stopped, Virion felt a painful tug on his hair from the force. Ignoring the paralyzed Virion, Ragna turned his attention to the archer's apparent savior.

It was a new woman that Ragna hadn't seen before. She was tall and seemed to have a rather attractive frame and face, which was made all the more eye catching by her unique dark colored armor. Her hair was long and bright pink and her face carried narrowed features. With such uniqueness to her Ragna knew that this was their first time meeting; he would've remembered a woman that looked like this.

"Am I interrupting something?" she asked, looking at Virion who only seemed to look at her with a sigh of relief and thankfulness. "...I can always return once your business is concluded."

"N-now now dear Cherche, surely you aren't cruel enough to leave me to my unjust demise?" Virion said, though by his tone Ragna could tell it was more of a question.

"You do have a point," she admitted as she turned to Ragna with a smile. "I would appreciate it if you forgave him, perhaps only breaking an arm this once?" Virion's had his answer and the confident expression he'd just managed to find once more faded quickly.

"...On second thought, you kind of killed the mood," Ragna told her before glancing at Virion. "That help you offered earlier better damn be pretty friggin' amazing."

"O-Of course, I intend to deliver," he told the Reaper, trying to regain his noble facade. "But now that the… unpleasantness has passed us, allow me to introduce you to Cherche my personal vassal back in my lovely home in Roseanne. She's been relaying information back from my homeland." Virion hesitated, his expression darkened and it looked to Ragna like he was getting oddly serious. "News is… mixed at best."

"Indeed, and I'd love to fill you in, but I'm afraid that this is a private topic," Cherche said, her eyes narrowing as she tried to make sure that there wasn't someone listening in as they spoke to each other. Ragna knew in with his heightened sense that it was just the three of them in the immediate area… though he still had to hand it to Cherche with her caution.

"I doubt that it will be the ideal place to hold such a conversation, but perhaps the two of you will speak at the Themis Soiree tonight? I'm sure that the two of you have many stories that you could tell one another," Virion suggested, for once his attempt to lighten the mood was appreciated by the Reaper. "Beside that Cherche, have you already situated Minerva in the barracks stables?"

"Oh, not just yet," she told him, leaving Virion to pale.

"Minerva?" Ragna could only ask as a familiar horrible feeling started to form in his gut.

"My Wyvern, who accompanies me whenever I'm in combat or anywhere else for that matter," Cherche explained to him with a pleasant smile. "The truth was I'd already showed her to the stables, but with you know how excited she can be when she visits an area for the first time. I couldn't say no to those big, adorable eyes of hers, so I said she could explore around the forest lands as long as she behaves."

"You… you let a Wyvern loose and now it's flying around the outlands with no one keeping an eye on it?" Ragna asked in disbelief. 'Maybe this chick's not as together as I first gave her credit for…' "Go and check on her, yeah? Chrom's already got enough paperwork to deal with without getting anyone jittery at the sight of a Wyvern."

"If you insist… perhaps I'll find the time to introduce the two of you on another occasion," she said to the Reaper before turning to Virion. "I take it you can prepare yourself for the event without my help… at my standards of course."

"But of course," Virion said confidently, leaving Ragna unsure if he'd heard the underlying threat in his vassal's words. Cherche then gave the two of them a respectful bow before heading off to… hopefully fix a problem before it arose.

Games to Play

"Okay, either you give me some damn good advice to get me out of this mess you put me in or I'm going to clean that damn clock of yours," Ragna threatened as he turned his attention to Virion to remind the man that he was still in trouble.

"I do think I can be of some help to you dear friend, I ask only that you keep an open mind in this process… I think I've earned that much of your trust."

'His trust with me is on thin ice at the moment,' Ragna thought to himself before sighing and deciding to go against his better judgement and put some faith in his friend. "Alright you got my attention at least, what've you got for me?"

"I was thinking that we would fix something about your outward appearance, namely your clothes." Virion had expected Ragna's glare, as he knew this was something of a stubborn topic with the Reaper. "Now, now, I'm only giving you this advice as your friend and you know I'll of course let you have a final say in this matter."

"Still, I want a good reason for why the hell I shouldn't just keep wearing what I've always been," Ragna demanded with a scowl.

"Despite the fact that it seems a little… downgrading to be only seen in one outfit?" Virion suggested, trying to remain neutral enough to where Ragna wouldn't hit him. "The Reaper's apparel that you've been wearing is an amazing look, I won't deny you that my friend, but you can at least admit that you've gotten more than a little unwanted attention whenever you've worn it."

"...Maybe," he had to reservedly agree. "Still, I don't think that with my hair and eyes that a simple wardrobe change is going to make all that much of a difference."

"Perhaps, but I do think that you should at least take the precaution; even with your new promotion most of the nobility see you as something as an outsider. True they may be afraid of you for now, but it could unify them if they share a common enemy… It will surely make your life a little easier if you could show that you aren't completely alien to their standards."

"...Fine, I'll give it a shot just this once… to make things easier on Maribelle," the Reaper promised. Virion gave a rather satisfied smile as the two began walking off, Virion leading his friend into the city. "But unlike you, I'm not okay wearing a bib."

"B-B-Bib!? Scandalous! This is called a cravat! A CRAVAT!" Ragna couldn't help himself; he could only have a laugh at Virion's all too comical outburst. "First your sister makes light of my choice apparel and now you follow in suit… Sacré bleu."

Later

On the way to the town store, Ragna could at least admit that Virion might've had something of a point. Whether it was that they were finally starting to grow used to his presence (he doubted it) or the fact that was missing his eye catching red coat and sword, he got significantly less stares directed his way than he normally did. That didn't mean that there weren't people that saw him and were frozen by their own nerves… but there was a noticeable decline at least.

'Maybe hearing the guy out isn't as idiotic of an idea as I thought,' the Reaper thought to himself. He usually hated to be without his coat to the degree that he felt naked without it, but ever since he'd returned to the Shepherd's he started to notice his old cynical and hard ass edge slowly waning away, true he never thought it would vanish completely, nor did he want it to… but he could at least accept a little of the change that came his way.

"Ah, and here we are," Virion said to the Reaper, snapping him out of his thoughts reflecting his old life. The shop that they were in front of seemed large enough on the outside and carried a large sign on the outside that read 'Janine's Tailor'. Already emerging from the shop was a man that Ragna identified as a lesser noble who was dressed in clothes that while decorative, didn't seem nearly as flashy as some of the other clothing he'd seen. "I am all but certain that we'll find something here that suits you perfectly."

"I'm only agreeing to look," Ragna told him as the two entered the place. Getting his first good look at the establishment, he could tell that most of the clothes were similar to the last patron's apparel. Clothing made from finer materials to be certain, but was rather conservative in their choice of decorations. While there were a few suits with cravats (bibs), it wasn't the main form of dressing for the men.

"Ah, Virion!" came the call from behind the racks of clothing. Ragna had to assume this woman would be Janine, the owner of this establishment. She seemed pretty enough (enough to where her face would be enough to lure Virion back for repeated business), but there was nothing especially telling about her. In fact she looked like your typical village maiden, save for the fine lavender corset and petticoat set that she wore. "We were wondering when we'd be seeing you again."

'We?' Ragna thought to himself as he took another look around the store. Now several young maidens each dressed in similar garb to owners were approaching, each of them with a friendly smile on their face directed towards Virion. 'Not a big surprise that he shops here then.'

"And you Janine look just as radiant as ever," Virion complemented. "How much I have longed to gaze upon your radiant appearance, surrounded by your just as lovely helpers. The very image of beauty."

"Charmer," she said with a laugh as her assistants giggled with the slightest of blushes upon their faces. Ragna facepalmed and shook his head, hoping for both of their sakes that this didn't turn out to be another Hostess Bar situation.

"But alas, I am afraid I haven't come here just to pay you all deserved compliments," Virion continued. "My friend here is in need of new clothing and I am afraid it's on something of short notice."

"I was about to ask who it was that you've brought with you," she said, turning her attention to Ragna. "Hello there, my name is Janine, owner of this humble little shop."

"Call me Ragna," the Reaper told her, leading to a heavy pause in the air as the shop owner and all of her assistant stared at him with some surprise. 'Dammit, might need to start showing some tact or some shit like that whenever I gotta bring my name up.'

"S-Surely you don't mean you're that Ragna," one of the girls said, looking at him with a sense of awe. The new Grim Reaper of Ylisse that Virion's told of stories of, like how the two of you stood side by side against a never ending sea of Risen, or how you both slayed a thousand bandits in a single night?"

"That's exaggerating it…on Virion's side anyways," Ragna said with a bit of a smirk, earning the slightest glare from his blue haired friend. "But yeah, I kinda need some new clothes as soon as I can get them, so anything you can recommend?"

"O-Oh! There's plenty we can offer," Janine promised, trying to smile pleasantly as she dealt with an important (she thought) customer. "Is there anything in particular that you're looking for?"

"A full suit, maybe some shoes to go with it… though as specifics go I don't have much," Ragna admitted. Looking over what clothes he would hope would be a solid addition, the Reaper could at least tell what he liked. "Nothing too flashy I guess, I'm hoping to blend in best I can with a crowd of nobles. Try to make sure the material's dark, not light and faded… also it needs to go well with my gloves."

"You're wearing your gloves to the event?" Virion asked, a bit uncertain about such decision.

"Virion… that's one part not up for negotiating with either of us," he said, hoping that the foreign noble would at least partly understand what he meant by that. It appeared that Virion at least got part of the message, though Janine and her assistants were still confused by what he might've implied.

"In that case, might I recommend something in blue?" the archer advised, leaving Ragna to shoot him a look of heavy skepticism. "Oh don't trying and act innocent; when have you ever worn anything other than black and red?"

"It means I know what looks good on me," the Reaper argued back.

"The color blue is fairly common in the nobility in the first place, such a thing would blend in well enough and that's what we're trying to accomplish, is it not?" Try as he might to argue, Virion was making some sense. "Come now, you can at least try the color on. We may as well see what comes as a result."

"...Make sure it's dark blue," the Reaper instructed to Janine, who bowed as she and her assistants went off to find a possible new apparel for the Reaper. "So… come here often?"

"As often as the need arises, though I'll admit I have occasionally popped in just to give a short hello," Virion told him before chuckling. "The company here is certainly pleasant enough."

"...I guess." Ragna wasn't in the mood for denying the archer, but he'd be damned if he gave him more gossip to get his ass in trouble with.

"One question I've had though… outside of our dear friends from the Shepherds, have you noticed that you've been getting any attention from the womenfolk of the capital?"

"Can't say that I have, and for once I doubt that it's my denseness talking," the Reaper said, knowing that he had a something of a habit to receive attention from women and not put two and two together.

"Odd, and here I would've been approached by several of them by now," Virion said, his expression not teasing, but rather curious. "I'm sure Robin and Chrom have told you that I've been spreading the good word about your new position?"

"What about it? You think that some chick would try to cozy up to me just to get a shot at political power and an easy life?" The Reaper sighed. "You know how off putting of a guy I can be. I'd kill any chances of a first impression with a single bad look."

"...The fair maidens of the Shepherds don't seem to mind," the noble recalled. If Ragna didn't know any better, he might've thought that Virion was proud of him.

"Why the hell are you even bothering with it in the first place? People are going to find out sooner or later anyways, but you seemed convinced as all hail to make sure that the word gets out…"

"...That… may in fact be a selfish play," Virion admitted, though Ragna noticed that for once he did not seem guilty. "If I spread words of your power and heroism if will prove to be a huge boost to Ylisse's moral. You may not have noticed, but ever since your return more and more brave men and women have enlisted in the rebuilding of the army… more than a few were inspired by my honeyed words of your deeds."

"So you want to get our army stronger…" Ragna summarized. "And then-"

"And then your improved army can aid me in the liberation of my homeland," Virion told him. "Respect from kinsmen may be nothing but a pipe dream for now, but I'm afraid I shall have to damned before performing at anything but my best to restore their freedom."

"Heh… Maybe I haven't been giving you enough credit," Ragna said with a chuckle. "Godspeed Archest of Archers."

"The same to you, Grim Reaper," his friend said in kind with an understanding smirk.

Support Rank A Obtained with Virion

Later: Ragna's Residence -One Hour Before the Party-

Shopping didn't take half as long as Ragna had figured and by the third outfit he'd found something that he'd thought suited him well enough. As promised, the jerkin he wore was a deep azure blue with stained bronze clamps to keep it closed. He had a dark shirt beneath it that went up to his wrists and worked well with his gloves like he had requested. His black leather pants felt a bit tighter on his legs than his hakama ones had, but it was an overall good match with his new dark brown leather boots and the rest of his purchased clothing

Virion had told him that he had his own clothes shopping to take care of and promised to see his friend at the ball that night… though Ragna got the impression that most of it was just to spend his time flirting with the girls. He didn't find it in his heart to fault him though, that was just who Virion was and it's not like it made him a bad person… not if his underlying goals told Ragna about the Noble's true character.

He'd left his friend at the store and walked home wearing his new outfit, somewhat curious to see what the results would be. Surprisingly enough, it seemed like his friend had indeed been correct in his advice, he'd barely received a stare at all in his walk home (though he figured his hair still helped him to get a passing glance). The material proved to be easy enough to move in during his walk, so it least wouldn't be unbearable to wear later.

At the moment, the Grim Reaper had retired to his library in order to (finally) catch up on some of the work he'd been trying to accomplish with his spellcraft. At the moment he wasn't desperately practicing the arcane workings or even attempting to conjure the spells with his BlazBlue. All that was happening was an attempt to calm his mind a little and try to remember the knowledge that had become somewhat muddled during his crusade as the Black Knight.

As he'd come to expect by this point however, all of that would come to an abrupt close when there was a careful knock on the front door. Giving a small grumble, he rose from his chair and headed to the front door to see who was trying to get his attention now… Only to look out and see an empty porch.

Debts to Pay

"Heya Red," the roguish face of Gaius greeted him from the shadows cast by the building. It wasn't the most natural place to stand, especially not if someone simply wanted to come over to talk. Before the Reaper could respond in kind, he swiftly made his way past the Reaper into his home and forced the door shut behind him. "Sorry to barge in, but this is pretty damn important."

"Really, with the way you were acting I thought you were playing hide-and-seek with Nowi," Ragna muttered as he shook his head. One look at Gaius's complexion though told him that the thief wasn't in any mood for joking. "...There aren't any windows in the cellar, we'll talk there."

"Lead the way then," Gaius said as Ragna did so. The thief didn't offer the Reaper any form of small talk in their small trek to the cellar leaving the two of them in a heavy silence. Once they reached the cellar however, Gaius wasted no time in beginning to talk. "I need your help and I don't have long to fill you in before Twinkles' party, so let's get down to it. There's going to be a noble there that I want your help getting even with."

"Get even with? You mean you've got a history with them?" Ragna asked.

"I… I'll get into that part in a bit," Gaius promised with a touch of hesitation. While everyone in the Shepherds was open about their past (even Ragna at this point), Gaius was one of the few exceptions. "Listen, for starters this guy's name is John Olswald; he's a low ranking noble that runs a territory pretty far to the west, in fact he's practically on Plegia's doorstep."

"Okay… and you said he's coming to the party tonight," Ragna said as he tried to get into Gaius's thought process. "Dammit… kind wish you'd just asked me before I got this promotion. I don't care as much if they get me in trouble, but if I try anything tonight Chrom and Maribelle are-"

"Twinkles is the reason I'm asking you about this," Gaius interrupted. "This Olswald guy has a serious bone to pick with the entire Themis family. He's done a lot of shifty crap to try and discredit them however he can… he tried to use me for as much before." Gaius sighed. "Look… the truth when Chrom met me breaking into Ylisse castle, that was my second time trying to get into the vault." Gaius sighed. "I feel lower than scum having to ask you for help without being straight up about it from the beginning, but-"

"Save your apologies for later; I can't do anything without context and I gotta leave soon," Ragna told him. "What's the full story?"

"...Truth is I've actually been a thief for quite a while now. Started off small, just grabbed what I needed to in order to survive. I had to; I'd lost my dad during the Blood Crusade and my mum died shortly I'd been born. After a couple of small scores I started to get cocky, going after bigger and bigger targets… My attempt on the Olswald's treasury was a complete mess; the team I was working with was found out almost immediately and they left me behind to make sure I was caught and get the guards off their scent."

"This team you were with, whatever happened to 'em?" Ragna asked, though he know he might be prying.

"Honestly I couldn't tell ya; Olswald actually thought I broke in as far as I did by myself. I got no clue what happened to the others, but none of us had the easiest lives to go back to anyways," he admitted. "I was expecting torture, but Olswald made me a deal. I'd try to go for the biggest in the kingdom alone… If I made it I was in the clear, but if I got caught all I'd have to do was lay the blame at someone's feet and he'd get me out of there. I knew if I said no he'd kill me, so I went for it. The person I was supposed to blame was the Duke of Themis…"

"Let me guess, that break in went just as sour." Ragna decided.

"In my defense I got pretty far; in fact I might've made it in the clear if I didn't grab so much treasure… I got caught and they put me on trial; so many wanted my head to roll that if it wasn't for our Former Exalt I'd had been killed immediately. I can't say I'll ever know what the hell she saw in me, but I knew that laying the blame wasn't going to get me anywhere. I'd almost switched the blame back around to Olswald, but…" Gaius hesitated. "He managed to stop me… said if I didn't lay the blame at his feet, then he'd kill the Duke's only daughter."

"You… you saved Maribelle's life then," Ragna could only say, a little awestruck at the lengths his friend had gone to.

"It wasn't much, but it was all I could do… that and send a letter their way with enough proof to keep her father alive," Gaius admitted. "Olswald got me out of jail and as expected he tried to kill me himself, but I managed to get away. I ran off West and managed to make do in Plegia for a while… before I got caught and was forced to raid the castle a second time under that bastard Validar. Same old song; same caged bird."

"Damn… Well Olswald guy sounds like trouble. He's probably been mad dogging Maribelle's family for…" The Reaper paused; he'd just gotten hit by an idea he did NOT like.

"I know that look, what're you thinking?" Gaius asked with a bit of a glare.

"Hypothetically… do you Olswald would be able to get a force of bandits over the border if Plegia paid him enough?"

"Considering how close he is it's almost a given, but at all of the gatherings he's done nothing but try to play a patriot," Gaius said. "It's just not his style."

"What if he could decide where they attacked? Could he get them to Themis?" Ragna demanded. "It's probably just me seeing the absolute worst that this asshole is capable of, but-"

"But it makes too much damn sense..." Gaius growled.

"One thing at a time though, what's he going to be trying tonight?"

"That's the problem Red, I don't have a clue," Gaius admitted. "I thought about breaking into his place a second time… but one look at it and I knew there was no way I'd be getting in in time. I know damn well he can't be going tonight for the tea; he likes his damn wine too much to drink anything else… I know I'm asking the impossible, but..."

"Don't worry, Maribelle's my friend… I'll figure something out," Ragna told him before heading for the front door. "But…"

"But?" Gaius repeated.

"...Next time you should just come straight to me," the Reaper told him. "I don't care how damn dark your past is; I don't leave my friends out to rot."

"...Thanks Red," was all the thief could say.

Support Rank B Obtained with Gaius

Later

Ragna had finally made his way to the Duke of Themis' capital city estate. It was a large property, every bit as big as his own and much more decorated. There were plenty of Nobles arriving in carriages or walking to front gate. The Reaper took a deep breath and steeled himself before heading into an unknown lion's den.

To Be Continued…

Author's Note

Hey guys, short chapter, but my life… No wants to hear my excuses I know, but let's just say that the past week of my life was busy as all hell. If this chapter looks short, it's cause I had less than A QUARTER the usual time I usually get to work on an update.

At any rate, I think it still makes for a good set up chapter for the next one. Keep in mind we've only got two left in this Arc and then I'll be taking another break.