Hafsa had taken twenty capsules of ibuprofen over the past week. If you do the math, that averages around three a day. If it were up to her, she would have taken much more. Because being the president of the student council of Noah's Arc Academy for the past week has been the most hellish experience of her life.

Right now, she's seated at her usual place, behind her desk, comforting a sobbing female anteater.

"A-and they just kept p-pulling my tail!" She weeps. "An-and saying 'bug breath, bug breath!' An-and, and then, they pushed me down and I got all d-diirtyyy!"

"There, there…" Hafsa reaches over to hold the young insectivore's hand.

This has become more or less a common routine over the past couple of days. As if the mysterious mauling of George the tapir had been an omen of what was to come, a sudden and disastrous wave of violence had crashed into the school. It started with alleged attacks by carnivores, with most of the victim's being DAVID members. Suspicious to say the least, in the student council's eyes. As Solomon insisted, these were no doubt false accusations made to tarnish carnie reputations even further. The worst part is that it worked.

After a couple of days of very active and very loud gossip mongering, the news of carnivore bullying reached just about every herbie on campus, setting them into high alert. Carnies got more defensive, and increasingly more pissed off at the slandering. That's when the actual fights broke out. Tension eventually exploded. Some carnies actually did begin to pick fights with mouthy herbies, and some herbies began to harass easy targets like the poor anteater in front of Hafsa, who was only technically carnivorous.

Most fights were petty, resorting to only verbal name-calling and a few scuffles. But some students, particularly of larger build, took things a little too far. George's was not the only blackened eye. Needless to say, the student council office has had lines of animals waiting to tattle to dear president Hafsa.

"Tell me who these bullies are and I'll file a report to the principal." The serval assures the long-snouted female in her gentlest tone. "And I'll give them a good talking-to myself, okay?"

The anteater sniffs, scrunching her entire nose like an accordion. "O-okay…"

After a couple of more minutes of name-taking and calming down, including a sitdown with the other student council members over a warm cup of tea, the first year is sent on her way. Mercifully, she seems to be the last victim of the day, and not a moment too soon. The autumn sun is already halfway down.

Hafsa leans back against the sofa and rummages through her pants pocket until feeling the crinkly aluminum casing of medicine. She pops another ibuprofen capsule free and swallows it with the remaining sips of tea she has left.

The female sighs miserably. "Unbelievable…"

Missy takes her cup from her. "You should rest now, President. I'll handle the rest from here."

"That's sweet of you, but I need to sign off on some more reports." Another sharp pain stings her temple. "Ugh, and there's still the Fun Run paperwork…"

"Leave that to me." Solomon chimes in, already reaching for some binders on the bookshelf.

"I still need to revise them." Hafsa protests.

"You can do that tomorrow. I'll make sure everything is accounted for. You'll just need to sign them." His voice is almost pleading.

Hafsa's eyes soften. "Sorry."

"Don't be!" Brian chirps, jumping up from his seat. "You've been doing three times as much work as the rest of us! We're starting to feel like decorations!"

"Th-that's right!" Missy agrees. "You gotta spare our pride, Pres! Let us help too!"

"You guys…" The serval's voice falters. Her eyes water, but are soon ignited by a more determined expression. "You're right. We're a team, after all."

"Best team there is!" Brian pumps a fist in the air. "This Fun Run is gonna be the best in Noah's Arc history!"

The student council exchanges some hoo-rahs. Finally, Hafsa acquiesces and retires for the day. With Solomon escorting her to her dorm, the two birds of the stuco are left on their own until the caracal's return.

"Poor Hafsa…" Missy remarks, cupping her cheek pensively. "She's been working like a dog these past days."

"Despite all the chaos around, she still gives everything she's got to be a good president." Brian says. "She's really amazing."

"Ooh, someone's got a crush." Missy smirks.

The rock dove smiles, waving his hand. "No way, it's not like that."

"I know, I'm just teasing. Besides, she's already spoken for." She ambles over towards Hafsa's desk, picking out half-finished forms to complete. "But I do wish I had a boyfriend half as considerate as Solomon. Or half as handsome."

Good thing I already do. Brian thinks to himself quite smugly. "He'll show up soon enough, don't you worry."

"But who can deny the heart that is yearning?" The sparrow leans the back of her hand on her forehead, striking a dramatic pose.

"Yearning is essential."

Missy chuckles, straightening a pile of paper. "Well, this looks like the worst of it. If I get started, I should be done in an hour. You guys should have warned me how much paperwork this whole Vice President thing comes with."

"It's always more than you expect." The pigeon nods. "But the Fun Run is always one of the worst offenders, since it's outside school property and all that. I was almost relieved it got cancelled last year, except you know… for why it got cancelled."

"If we're lucky enough, there will be another predation to save us."

Brian frowns. "Don't joke about that."

"Sorry, sorry… But you gotta admit, things aren't exactly peaceful right now."

"Those DAVID jerks…" The male bird grumbles. "Riling everyone up like this…"

"Please, it's not like DAVID invented the intertrophic conflict." Missy scoffs.

"They're actively making it worse, though."

"Fair enough." The sparrow shrugs. "Let's hope they behave for this Fun Run, at least."

"I wouldn't bank on their goodwill…" Brian replies, his voice quiet. "Solomon suggested splitting the run into herbies and carnies. As much as I hate the idea, maybe we should play it safe this year."

"There's a lot riding on this." Missy agrees. "But I doubt Hafsa would say yes to that."

"She might not get a say in it this time. House gets the last word in, and he's… conflict-avoidant nowadays." Brian flops back down in his chair with a resounding whump. "I just want it to be Rexmas already."

On the first weekend of October, Noah's Arc organizes an annual fall Fun Run in the city. It's one of the academy's more elaborate and well-known events, with a handful of sponsors, charities and prizes involved. Thanks to the student council's handwork, coupled with a handful of all-nighters, the Fun Run graces the students once more, much to the elation of those who missed it the previous year due to a certain incident regarding a white tiger. Because of this, sign-up rates are at an all-time high this year.

Hafsa breathes in the fresh air of the city's public park, the venue in which the run is being held. It's certainly not the most lavish location compared to some previous sites, but the student council and board of directors both begrudgingly came to the conclusion to not push their luck; it's best to strive for simplicity now. That being said, the park is far from a dump. With the help of sponsors and volunteers, a handful of tents were installed the previous day to provide water breaks, towels, shade, first aid, and other necessities typical of races. The route was carefully planned out to cover five kilometers, looping back to a wonderful finish line complete with a painted banner courtesy of the ever-diligent art club.

The student council congregates with other administrative characters in the central and largest tent, which serves as the Run's hub, while the racers mill around the starting line, stretching and chatting amongst themselves.

"Ah what a beautiful day it turned out to be!" Principal House declares, adjusting his glasses atop his bill. "And what a turnout! Excellent job, student council!"

"Thank you, sir." Hafsa smiles, desperately trying to avoid looking at the middle aged water fowl's rather tight sportswear. He always insists on participating in the Fun Run.

"A much needed break in between academic endeavors!" He muses. Hafsa knows what he really means is it's a break from the active destruction of the academy. Despite the goose's merry disposition, his sanity seems to be slipping. "Isn't that right, Superintendent Prince?"

He looks at a humorless-looking fallow deer, who nods sternly. "It is a time-honored tradition of our academy." Unlike the principal, he is not dressed for running.

Hafsa had only seen the superintendent a handful of times, and only spoken to him once. He typically kept away from the academy and dealt with matters from afar. She prefers it so; the buck is large and intimidating enough to scare any carnie.

"Well, we should be ready to begin in a few minutes." House says. "Why don't you lovely students go off and chat amongst your classmates? Enjoy the fruits of your labor, oh ho ho!"

With his blessing, the student council is dismissed. They assimilate into the crowd of teenagers and begin to do some warm-ups of their own.

"House is as lively as ever." The serval remarks.

"Charming it up in front of the superintendent." Solomon smirks. They sneak a glance at the goose, who tries to touch his toes while talking to an extremely unamused Prince, to little avail.

"Let's hope the run will be good for his health, at least." Brian quips. "It might end up killing me."

Suddenly, his eyes widen. He looks past Hafsa with an excited smile and waves erratically. The others follow his gaze and are met with a Humboldt penguin trotting up to them.

"Hey guys!" Humbert greets, sporting a brightly colored t-shirt to match the other runners. "Ready to rock?"

"I'll only be rolling!" Brian jokes, patting his belly.

"Give yourself some more credit, Bri," the penguin winks. "With me as your running partner, five kilometers will pass by like nothing!"

"That's actually giving you the credit."

"Oh, I don't think we've met before." Missy interrupts. "Are you from Noah's Arc?"

"Silly me! I'm Penguin Humbert. I go to Barnum High. Go Apples and whatnot." He chuckles. "Brian invited me and I happen to be a huge fan of sweating and dehydration."

"Oh, he's funny." Missy goes to whisper in Brian's ear. "Please tell me he's single."

"He's not." The rock dove replies a little too quickly.

"Damn."

"Well, we're gonna go do our own thing now!" Brian moves to Humbert's side. "We'll catch you on the trail!"

"Yeah, look for us in first place!"

With that, the feathered duo walks off to the outskirts of the crowd. Solomon and Hafsa smile to each other; it's always fun to see the couple together. With their departure, the student council more or less dissolves for the day: Missy excuses herself to meet up with her flock, but the felines stick together, now as lovers instead of coworkers. Hafsa spots Toma some paces off with his usual CHAMP posse, but other animals seem to keep a notable radius of distance from them. Unsurprising given the less than flattering rumors around the panther and a certain tapir.

Toma happens to glance at her, doing a quick double take. He offers a lopsided smile, and Hafsa gives him a curt wave. She knows from the paperwork he's not here to run (his collar makes that impossible) but rather as a volunteer for one of the pitstops. The serval doesn't spot Desmond among them… perhaps he didn't sign up. Ignoring the mild disappointing churning in her stomach, she returns her attention to Solomon, who has been going on about the importance of stretching your arms for footraces.

"You'd think warming up the arms would be irrelevant for a race, but it's actually crucial for activating a more holistic blood flow, and improves your overall circulation—"

"Sweetheart, I'm already stretching my arms, you don't have to convince me."

Solomon blushes. "Ah, sorry. I can go on, can't I?"

"It's cute."

A honking voice interrupts them. Principal House, standing inside the main tent, clears his throat into a microphone emphatically.

"Good morning, my dear students!" He greets, quieting the nearby chatter. "Welcome to another marvelous Fun Run, a time-honored tradition of our academy!"

Superindendant Prince narrows his eyes at his words being plagiarized.

"We're here in this lovely park to complete the five kilometer race. I hope everyone is all warmed up, hydrated, and ready to do their best! Fabulous prizes await the very best runners, but of course, the most important rule of the Fun Run is…"

He aims the microphone towards the crowd.

"Have fun…" The crowd moans.

"Yes, quite right, ho ho!" He honks, wiping sweat off his face. "Now, I will leave the rest of the announcements to our very talented AV club!"

A round of applause goes by as House passes the mic to a spirited capuchin monkey, seated at the long clothed table peeking out of the tent.

"Wwwelcome to the fifty seventh annual Noah's Arc Fun Run, bucks and does! Brought to you by Farrier's Sporting Goods, Ucellini's Bistro, and Be*stars Landscaping!" She announces, riling up the crowd far more successfully than the principal. "It's your favorite monkey on the mic, the AV club's own 'Cebus imitator' Zoe here!

I'll be the eyes and ears for all our lovely spectators today, so while you hang back and enjoy a nice brunch, I'll be keeping you up to date on the latest developments of our Fun Run thanks to our scouts at the checkpoints. By the way, scouts, that's your cue to get going!"

A handful of animals jog off, Toma included.

"It's a lovely twenty four degree out today, with a mild breeze to keep you runners cool, but not too cool! A tremendous thank you to everyone who signed up and donated, thanks to you we've hit record donations, which will, of course, all be given to the St. Assisi Foundation!"

"Now, with that out of the way, let's get to the fun stuff!" Zoe declares. "Runners, line up at the starting line!"

The animals do as they're told, lining up in a total of four rows with the coordination of teachers and volunteers. Despite being separated from Solomon, Hafsa further admires the hodgepodge of animals present: students from Noah's Arc and even other schools of all shapes and sizes. Since the Fun Run is not meant to be competitive, there is no size or species segregation, meaning the diversity of the student body is on full displays. Tortoises to hares, cats to dogs, the veritable menagerie exchanges some competitive places while settling into their starting positions. The nearby crowd of onlookers, ranging from family to friends, shout out random names, giving a final cheer for their loved ones.

"Allllright!" The capuchin shouts into the mic. "On the count of ready, set, go, we will begin! Racers, start your engines!"

Hafsa trains her eyes to the track in front of her. As proud as she is of the event, she's still a participant like any other, and a competitive one at that. She intends to give the other students a run for their money.

"Ready…"

"Set…"

"Go!"

The ground trembles with the jogging of animals. Some more athletic specimens, cheetahs and antelope, zoom ahead of the slower competition, while others keep to the tried and true rhythm of long-distance running. After a couple of meters, the stampede is met with two teachers, each holding a sign:

"Herbivores this way!"

"Carnivores this way!"

The students obey, splitting the sea of animals in twain. From there, they follow completely different tracks on opposite sides of the park. Hafsa frowns; she had fought against this decision but nobody else was wiling to risk a possible altercation today. Nevertheless, she runs down the left path where other carnies join her.

The serval has done her fair share of races in the past, and her legs are practically built for the stuff, so it isn't long before she gains a comfortable lead from most of the animals. She finds herself more or less alone, so she allows herself to slow down a bit, catch her breath, and appreciate the park's scenic landscape. The pond she circles around is lit up with vibrant yellows, oranges and reds, reflecting the crimson foliage of the nearby vegetation. Dragonflies zoom around the water's surface, occasionally sending little tremors that blur the watercolor painting beneath. Their little dance motivates her; she used to love chasing dragonflies and butterflies as a kitten.

She approaches a pine tree, one of the few plants that retain its signature green. Under it, the first checkpoint sits; a signature white tent with two volunteers at the helm. To her surprise, Toma is one of them. Makes sense he would hang around the first pitstop, at least.

"You're making good time, Hafsa." The panther says, handing her a small plastic cup of water. "Only a couple of other animals have passed by so far."

"I'm just getting started!" Hafsa laughs, and waves at the other volunteer who mutters something into his walkie talkie.

"Keep it up!"

"C-can we maybe slow d-down a bit?" Brian wheezes.

"Bri, it's been like ten minutes."

"Stuh… Still…"

Humbert rolls his eyes and stops jogging, prompting Brian to jolt to a stop and collapse into a panting fit.

"Yikes, Bri…" The penguin rubs his shoulder. "Maybe let's start running on the weekends or something?"

"D-don't p-patronize me…" The pigeon hisses.

The two give up on running for a while, instead just strolling through the racetrack like a walk in the park (which it technically is).

"I'm really glad you signed up for this," Humbert says. "And even gladder you invited me!"

"Pleasure's all mine!" Brian chirps.

"You know…" The monochrome bird starts. "I'm happy we're spending more time together. Now that your parents know and everything."

Brian touches his boyfriend's hand for a moment. "Me too. Meeting you… I feel so lucky. I mean, I don't think I've ever met anyone so wonderful."

The white patterns on Humbert's face burns red. "You… you know how to make a guy feel special."

"You are."

"Bri… I'm trying to win a race here, you're gonna make me pass out."

The rock dove laughs. "Now you know how I feel!"

Soon enough, they reach the first tent. A rabbit and sloth volunteer wave them in and hydrate them.

"How you holding up, Brian?" The sloth asks from her seat.

"We take PE together, you tell me!" The pigeon banters.

The sloth holds out a long-distance high five. "Team Walk-The-Mile!"

He returns it. "Team Walk-The-Mile!"

Humbert raises a brow. "You walk the mile?"

"Is that really surprising at this point?"

"You have other strengths." His partner offers, earning a smack on the ribs.

"Hey!" A hostile voice rings out.

The birds whip their heads around. A white rhinoceros, one Brian immediately recognizes as Ezekiel, points an accusing finger at them. Or rather, at Humbert.

"Where do you think you're going, carnie?!"

This grabs the attention of nearby racers.

Humbert puts his hands up, immediately surrendering. He chuckles nervously. "Woah, easy there. I'm just—"

"Why aren't you with the other carnies, huh?!" The ungulate snaps. "This track is for herbies only!"

Brian nearly forgot. Humbert is a carnivore, technically speaking, but penguins tend to have such a low prey drive that socially, they're as good as herbivores.

"Hey, sorry, I didn't know the rules were that strict." He explains calmly. "I just wanted to run with my friend and didn't think it was a big deal. Nobody seems to mind, so let's just drop it, kay?"

The horned male doesn't drop it. "Like hell I will! You need to leave and get back with the others, or else I'm calling security!"

"S-security?" Humbert repeats, scoffing in disbelief. "That's a little much, don't you think?"

Brian speak up, putting himself between the two. "H-hey, look I'm in the student council. I can tell you this isn't a big enough deal to involve anything like that."

Ezekiel snaps out of his irate expression, realizing something as if he were only seeing the pigeon now. "You're…!"

He suddenly snickers, his expression darkening to a haughty sneer. "I should've known the little queer of the student council was behind this!"

Every single animal freezes.

Brian's face is of abject horror.

"Wh-what…?"

"Wow, you got some balls on you, bringing your little boyfriend to the race!" The rhino cackles, stomping up to Humbert. "Yeah, I remember you! Giving your lovebird a little kiss on Lupercalia!"

The gathering crowd surrounds the three males, blocking them like a murmuring wall.

"I… I don't…"

"Aw come on, don't deny it! You'll hurt his feelings!" Ezekiel taunts. "Half the school already knew!"

Humbert's beak is frozen open, but he glances at Brian. The pigeon flashes a panicked gaze back before speaking up.

"He!" He chokes. "He is."

The penguin's eyes grow even wider, horrified.

The rhinoceros cries out in laughter once more, slapping a hand to his forehead. "God damn, he actually said it! Good for you, coming out of the closet like that! Come on, folks, round of applause!"

Nobody claps.

"Well now I doubt he's a danger! Except to the other males, that is." Ezekiel sighs contentedly.

Brian sees red. "Shut—!"

He bites his tongue.

Ezekiel flicks his ears towards the bird, interested. "Huh? What was that? Shut what, quee—"

Humbert's fist crashes into Ezekiel's eye socket with a crack.

The rhinoceros immediately drops to his knees, clutching his wounded eye.

Humbert shakes his wrist and takes two steps back. "Fuck, that hurt."

"Holy shi—" Brian exclaims, running to his side. "Humbert, oh my god!"

"What?"

"Oh my god!"

The surrounding crowd gasps, some herbies scampering to help Ezekiel back up.

"Somebody call the nurse!"

"Call the teachers!"

Ezekiel lurches towards the penguin sneering, having regained his balance.

"I've give you that one." He breathes. "That was pretty good."

Humbert only glares daggers back.

"Who knew fairies could sting…?" The rhino mutters.

He takes another step.

"Aaaand it looks like our dear student council president miss Serval Hafsa has just made it to the final checkpoint!" Zoe announces in her typical gusto. "She may be a serval but she's running like a cheetah! Perhaps our more long-necked spectators can already see her rounding the bend?"

She chortles. Suddenly, another crew-member scurries up to her and whispers something in her ear.

"Huh…? What?!" She accidentally gasps into the microphone."Wuh— really, right now?! Uh, o-okay, okay!"

She snatches the microphone from the table. "Jennies and jacks, the race has been, uh— temporarily suspended! D-Due to unforeseen circumstances!"

The audience cries out, perplexed, but the capuchin has already tossed the mic to the side. The nearby staff, Superintendent Prince included, scurries off deep inside the tent, huddling around a nearby walkie talkie.

"Suspended?!" Hafsa exclaims.

"Yeah, I just got the call in!" A platypus manning the final checkpoint tries to explain. "They said something about a disruption and said to stop all runners."

The increasing swarm of buzzing students behind the serval shout out questions and demands. Hafsa sprints to the volunteer to prod for more info.

"What the hell happened?"

The platypus flinches. "I don't know! They didn't elaborate!"

Fuck bitch shit motherfucker.

Hafsa nearly bites the poor platypus' head off.

Can I have one fucking day where nothing goes fucking wrong? What fucking now?

Humbert crashes to a sliding halt, getting dirt in his mouth.

Ezekiel stands over him, hunched proudly as bystanders gasp.

Brian shrieks, rushing towards the penguin.

"Now we're even." The ungulate growls. "Call the fucking teachers or something."

"Birdie, are you okay?!" The pigeon shakes his dazed partner.

"O-oof… yeah." A drop of blood trickles down his nostril. "D-don't worry."

"You bastard…" Brian snarls at Ezekiel. He launches himself towards the rhinoceros, and punches as hard as he can. It feels like punching a brick wall.

"Shit!" He grabs his wrist, contorting his fingers in pain.

"Hah, w-was that a punch?" Ezekiel sputters. "God, that's embarrassing! Don't tell me you broke your wrist?!"

With a single uppercut motion, the larger male grips Brian by his shirt, lifting him up until he's dangling in midair.

"Go be close to your Big Daddy, won't you?" He flings the pigeon into the air and onto the Humboldt penguin. Both birds exclaim in pain.

"E-Ezekiel, maybe chill out…?" A nearby cow suggests tentatively.

"J-jeez, someone call the nurse."

"Are those two okay?"

The rhino's grin falters. "Wh-what? Look, they're fine."

They don't appear to be very fine. Brian clambers off of Humbert, who struggles to regain his breath.

Ezekiel raises his brows, before steadily gaining his composure. "Just teasing 'em. M-maybe I can slap 'em straight, heh heh."

The mumblings of other students turn sour, and they soon walk past to gather around the two birds. In the distance, an unsuspecting Principal House jogs towards them.

"And you're certain they're okay?"

Superintendant Prince glowers down at Nurse Ellie, who shrinks under his scrutiny. "Yes. Just a little bruised."

"Hm…" The fallow buck considers this. "Very well. If they are indeed okay, let's resume the race."

"Okay, I'll alert the others." She trots off.

Principal House exhales. "Thank my pinfeathers they're okay…"

"House…" Prince growls. "Is this the kind of student body developing under your watch?"

"I-i-it's a most unforeseen development!" The goose squawks. "I-I swear this is u-unprecedented!"

"I shall go see these students myself." The cervid strides off, leaving House to bumble after him.

"Y-yes, of course."

They arrive at the nurse's tent, where two birds lie on parallel cots and a formidable male rhinoceros with a black eye leans against the portable metal cabinet.

"So." Superintendant Prince fastens his brow, immediately assessing the scene. "Explain everything."

"Just confronting a potential threat to my fellow students." Ezekiel drawls.

"The bloodied up bird there is the potential threat?" The buck's voice is low and unamused.

"Well, I know how it seems."

"It seems very bad for you indeed…" Prince pauses, expecting a name.

"Ezekiel."

"Ezekiel."

"That one there has a history of starting these things…" Principal House stretches his neck to murmur into the deer's ears.

"And yet this type of development is 'unprecedented'?"

The goose gulps.

"You lads…" The superintendent calls to the two feathered males. "Are you well?"

"It scared me more than anything." Humbert waves him off. "We'll be okay."

Prince seems unsatisfied with that answer. He cranes his head to better see Brian. "And you? You're the student council treasurer, no?"

"Yessir." Brian says miserably.

"Who began this fight?"

"Ezekiel. Humbert and I weren't doing anything to anyone, just ask."

"If that is the case, I apologize. I'll look further into the matter." Saying that, his eyes dart down at House, who flinches.

"Farewell."

With that, the buck exits the tent, with a whimpering goose in his wake.

Hafsa is in such a rush to figure out what happened that she ends up placing first in the Fun Run. She ignores the cheering at her breaking of the finish line (which is incredibly hard for Hafsa to do) and darts into the main tent.

"What happened?" She demands to no one in particular.

Mrs. Cally ends up answering her. "There was a fight between two students. But luckily, no one was seriously injured."

Fuck shit motherfucker I knew it!

"Where are they?" Hafsa asks immediately.

"Nurse's tent, dear."

The serval is already out the tent by the time she says 'dear'. She is not even surprised when she sees Ezekiel slink out of the infirmary with a battered-up eye, trudging past her with a look of… acknowledgment? Which she chooses to ignore in favor of seeing who the victim is this time. To her dread, it's her treasurer and his boyfriend. They greet her with an embarrassed wave.

"Sorry for all the fuss." Brian offers.

Hafsa wraps an arm around both of the birds' necks, tight enough to suffocate.

"I'm sorry…" She sobs.

The two cross their arms around her as well.

The entrance flaps open with a whipping sound. Solomon scans the scene, his chest heaving. His pupils lacerate when he sees Brian and Humbert atop the cots.

"Brian!"

"Hey, Sol."

AN: Thank you for reading. I'm proud of this chapter but in a way that only I will get because of how it interplays with the themes of the story, especially around Ezekiel's character. Authorial intent is a bitch.

Desmond wasn't in this chapter because he would have killed Ezekiel on the spot when he found one he hit Brian. Just kidding, there is a reason he wasn't here today. Stay tuned!

Take it easy and stay safe.