Drewells976
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Chapter 250 - Nosy Officers
🕑 Added 2024-06-15 01:43:48 +0000 UTChttps://www.patreon.com/file?h=106228398&i=19339784
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The more Kai studied him the more certain he became. Lou had grown as tall as Flynn and twice as muscular, but behind his short beard, his studious gaze was the same—especially when he looked at him disapprovingly.
Hmm… maybe I should stop staring at him.
Kai hung his head low, his ears burning for such an embarrassing mistake.
It’s normal to stare at strangers if they’re so freaking huge. Why did no one warn me he would come here? Is he not part of Valela’s plan?
He searched Lou’s face for an answer, but what he saw was a visage of cold professionalism. There was no hint of recognition or common understanding.
I guess his silence is already confirmation, though it wouldn’t kill him to flash a smile after two years. It’s nice to see you’re doing well.
Whatever awkwardness Mat showed, it would fit with the image of the timid young alchemist he was trying to cultivate. His supposed father had kept him hidden from the world since his mother tragically passed away. It would be strange if he acted like an ordinary teenager.
The leading enforcer snapped his fingers in front of his face. “Are you listening to me, boy? You’re really mage Cyrus Veernon’s son?”
Mat mutely nodded, hands nervously crumpled the hem of his shirt.
The struggle between the political and military wings of the Republic had continued to simmer during his disappearance. While the council guards had taken over the security of towns and cities, the military enforcers held the jurisdiction over major investigations—such as the passing of a third circle mage.
I just have to hold on till Valela can take over my case.
“Can’t you speak boy? Why were you never registered?”
Bel threw a scolding glance at the officer. “There is no need to shout. Matthew has always been a bit shy. His father didn’t let him out of the property for his safety.”
“It’s okay…” Kai mumbled, still focused on his hands. “Father saw no use in registering me. Said the clerks wanted to get him out of the house, so they could steal his work.”
“What…?” The officer looked unsure of how to react to the nonsense.
“Master Cyrus was always a bit of an eccentric man.” Bel smiled with a look that said eccentric didn’t even scratch the surface. “Is there anything else you need to know? Matthew has already lost his family. I can show you where we buried his father.”
“Do you have any proof he’s mage Cyrus Veernon’s son?”
“What more proof do you need?” The old woman waved at Kai’s face. “He’s right in front of you, the spitting image of his father.”
“Unfortunately, we don’t possess any description of the deceased, ma’am. What about his mother?”
“What do you think?” Bel pursed dried-up lips in disapproval as if in front of a particularly dumb child. “Do you want me to spell it out in front of the boy?”
“Ehm, it’s my duty to investigate every possibility.” The officer lost some of his certainty. “The Republic can’t let the boy inherit the estate without verifying his claim and the proper documentation.”
At least they don’t suspect the truth.
No one would ever imagine Kai impersonated a fictional boy to acquire a background free of scrutiny. A sham to steal the inheritance was a much easier motivation. Or maybe the Republic just wanted to use the lack of paperwork to confiscate everything.
“I don’t have anything…” He bit his lip. “But Father taught me to brew…”
The man looked at him dumbly. “Brew…?”
“Yes, alchemical potions.” Kai wore what he hoped was an embarrassed smile. “He said I was quite good and had taken after him.”
It wasn’t orthodox proof, but what were the chances a mixed kid also knew Alchemy? He just had to get over this nosy officer to let Valela take charge.
The enforcers headed back to the porch to convene among themselves. Lou stood aside for a while before leaning in to whisper something that made them splutter.
“You’re only here as an observer,” the second enforcer hissed.
“You can check for yourself,” Lou said before returning to his impassive position.
What’s that about…?
Two clumsy skills touching his aura answered the question. Instead of retreating, the officers grew more insistent double and triple-checked, disbelief growing on their faces.
Well, this works too. I’ve got a higher grade than them at half their age.
Even if they thought Cyrus had used elixirs to enhance his grade, that was already proof that Mat was his son. No one else could have reached that level.
“How old are you, boy?” The lead enforcer weighed him, suspicion swapped for a mix of surprise and greed…?
“I— I’m fourteen, al— almost fifteen.”
“If that’s everything, why don’t we get going? I can answer any more questions.” Bel thumped her gnarly cane between them with an air of finality. “Matthew has been through enough.” Then her tone softened at him. “Why don’t you go grab your things, dearie? It’s not good to stay in this big house alone.”
Seeing that none of the officers complained, Kai bobbed his head and headed upstairs to his room. He slumped on the dusty bed, while Mana Observer discreetly kept track of their position.
Why is this so stressful? I hope Lou knows what he’s doing.
The reveal of his grade erased any doubt about his identity, though that would attract a different kind of attention. The old housemaid led the group to Cyrus' burial. The enforcers glowed with a series of skills before nodding, satisfied.
Time to leave.
Kai rubbed his eyes red and went to wait by the main entrance with his bags.
“My condolences for your loss.” The investigator offered an empathetic smile that stank of fakeness. “It must be hard for you.”
“Uhm… thank you.”
“You can come with us to the precinct. You need to be registered and have proper documents to inherit the estate. Just some routine paperwork, it won’t take long.”
Yeah, I’m sure you find teenagers isolated on an island every other week.
“I…” Kai looked at Bel with wide eyes. In the mad rush to get him here, Valela’s instructions couldn’t cover every detail and eventuality.
“Don’t worry, dearie. I’ll stay with you till the situation is resolved.” The old woman gave him a motherly smile.
Perhaps put off by the state of disrepair, the officers showed no interest in the house. They headed down the dirt trail to the beach. Mat threw frequent looks back at the place of his childhood, letting himself get consoled by Bel. He was leaving behind the only home he had ever known with a bunch of intimidating strangers.
How do you act like that? I can’t exactly cry on command.
There were two boats docked at the crumbling pier. The larger one sported the soaring hawk of the Republic, while a tanned young man with a wide nose sat in a rowing boat.
“Grandma, is everything alright?”
“Yes, I’ll be accompanying young Mat to Pearldive.”
“If you already have passage, you should sail with your nephew.” The officer barred her path. “Our vessel is for official duty only, I can’t let you on board.”
“You— Matthew can ride with us. We’ll follow your boat to the port.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible. He’s an unregistered individual of considerable power. By law, we must watch him until that is rectified.”
“The boy’s still recovering from mourning his father.” Bel stubbornly stood her ground. “He needs a friendly face, I can’t—”
“He’s an adult, I’m sure he can manage a short trip alone.” The man sneered. “Now, I wouldn’t want the situation to get more unpleasant, ma’am.”
Great, my granny shield is gone.
Kai stood frozen like a deer in the headlight with his bags. He had no idea if the man was speaking truthfully or making stuff up. His only notions of law were from years prior and related to his alchemy business and taxes.
“It’s fine, Auntie Bel.” He wore a courageous smile. No point in arguing when they couldn’t change the outcome. After some more reassurances, the old maid threw a dirty look at the enforcers and joined her grandson.
“This way.” Lou grabbed his bags, addressing him directly for the first time since they met. “It’s a short journey. Watch your feet.”
Kai stumbled aboard, playing up his nervousness. He was made to sit in the only cabin, while the vessel glided on the waves. His feeble hopes to spend the journey in silence were dashed when the door creaked open.
“Oh, it’s just y—”
“Hi, Matthew. I forgot to introduce myself, I’m Officer Denule. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?” Lou sat across from him, brushing his ear.
They must be eavesdropping…
“Uhm… okay.” Kai raised a questioning eyebrow but didn’t get any response.
Are they watching us too?
“I need some information about how you grew up. It’ll be much easier to process your case that way.” He pulled out a notebook and pen. “When did you move in with your father?” The question already implied he hadn’t always lived there.
“Since my mom died… I think I was about four or five. I— I don’t remember well. Father didn’t like to talk about it.”
“When did your father decide to teach you Alchemy?”
Lou grilled him on every detail. It was remarkably easy to recount his life when the interrogator knew the story better than him. His bulky friend scratched his stubble whenever a question presented a dangerous pitfall. The most exhausting part was having to nervously hiccup each word, though that also offered an easy excuse for any incoherent answer he might give.
The journey lasted far longer than it should, they must have taken a circuitous route to wring more information out of him. Kai was relieved to finally touch land and gawked at every building and passerby on the way to the precinct.
Compared to Sylspring, Pearldive maintained a rural appearance. A jumble of cozy little houses stretched along the bay, there were no large galleys or hordes of tourists crowding the port. Ele had told him the water around Katol contained the most beautiful and precious pearls in all the archipelago, and she hoped to visit one day.
He didn’t get to do much sightseeing before he was stuck again in a windowless room, signing a bunch of paperwork. Even without practice, his Dexterity helped him create a believable signature. The puny wards protecting the building couldn’t stop his skills from spying on the argument outside. Some nonsense about jurisdiction between the enforcers, Lou and another clerk.
Apparently, the interrogation on the boat helped him avoid one here.
Bored out of his mind, Kai was about to tamper with the enchantments when the quarreling parties reached an agreement. His aloof friend entered together with the main investigator.
“Can— can I go now?”
“Soon, son.” The man said with a salesman smile. “It will take some time to process your registration given your peculiar circumstances. In the meantime, we can offer you accommodation here in Pearldive.
“Or you could come with me.” Lou butted in, still coldly professional. “A generous patron has offered to represent you. She’ll take care of filing your documents and inheritance papers on your behalf. You won’t have to worry about anything.”
“You’d also need to leave your home and cross the sea for an island miles away.” The enforcer remarked. “The military can hire a lawyer to help your case, right here in Katol. You’ll just have to sign a simple contract to keep using your Alchemy. You like brewing, right?”
Is my acting so good that they think I’m dumb?
He was about to laugh in his face when Lou scratched his jaw. Kai suppressed a groan and hesitantly asked for more information. Apart from having no social skills and being ignorant of the world, Mat was still supposed to be a genius.
Spirits, spare me from this torment.
An excruciating half an hour passed with the two officers pitching their proposals to the naive Mat. “I— I want to see the capital. Are there really tens of thousands of people living there?”
“Why don’t you give this some more thought? You don’t know her intention. Trust me, boy, people don’t give something for nothing.”
And I should sign your shady contract instead? One time was enough, thank you. People really have no shame.
“He has made his choice.” Lou didn’t betray any triumph. “The courts in Higharbor will take care of his case. If you continue to hold him, I’ll be forced to file an official complaint.”
Kai marched outside the precinct, blissfully ignoring the enforcer’s dark looks. His shoes crunched on the warm pebbles, the afternoon sun kissing his face.
I’m free!
Someone had gone through his luggage and had sewn a gift in the inner pocket. “I don’t think this is mine.” He marveled at a small sheet of enchanted metal. “Maybe I should bring it back?”
Lou furrowed his brows and snapped it into steel confetti. “Just a piece of junk. How did you find it?”
Hey, I wanted to study…
“It sparkled.” He went along with the acting in case anyone had followed them in the streets.
“It was enchanted against Perception skills.”
Kai shrugged. “Not particularly well. Where are we going anyway?”
“We have a ship to take,” Lou said tersely.
Is he angry with me? I mean I did promise him I would be safe before disappearing for two years…
A brig set to leave for Higharbor with space for two people was conveniently docked at the harbor. Lou paid the captain fifteen silvers after a little haggling. In less than an hour, they were sailing for the capital.
It’s done.
The crystal waters of Pearldive left space to the darker shades of the open sea. Kai had had his fair share of doubts during the last day, but Valela knew what she was doing. Her reach in the archipelago must have grown considerably since she was paraded around to promote the scholarship program.
Going to their cabin, Lou hurriedly hid a miniature communication cube. “Can you knock, please?”
“Yeah, sorry,” Kai closed the door behind him and waited for him to finish. “Can we talk?”
“Are there more sparkly pieces of metal?”
“Nope, I chec—” He didn’t get the chance to finish. Lou lifted him off the floor in a crushing hug.
“How could you not tell me you were alive? I found out about you from Valela.”
Ehm… Well… I wanted to see you face to face, but then things happened…
Flynn had told him Lou wasn’t in Higharbor, and the thought of meeting him had slipped his mind once he got busy with his family.
“Sorry, I’m just a jerk.” Kai squeezed out of his lungs.
“You are.” The lumbering giant agreed without showing any intention of putting him down. “I— I thought you were dead… What happened to you?”
“It’s a bit of a long story.”
“Longer than a three hundred miles journey?”
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A/N: Hi, I know the updated have reached a new peak of lateness, though I always deliver. I've been busy with publisher stuff and getting book 2 ready. And my sleep schedule moved more and more into the night, waking up later and later XD
Anyway, I hope you're half as exited as me for launch of Book 1 - A New Dawn next week :)
See you on Monday!
Comments
Fortunis
Now my question is does he get to keep the property and will he use his money to restore it?
Silver Beard
I like this a lot better; but again he's trying to establish a new ID- if he had to prove ownership of the land that would be really bad. An Island he can go nuts on with enchants and such; without witnesses; and he can arrange transport to the mainland off the grid. It's perfect in so many ways. Plus Fynn wouldn't be around to haze him. Fynn on a desert island with nobody but Kai?! Fynn would shave his own head to get free!
An Than
I feel like if he can’t secure it then he can use the property/land that Virya left him in the veeryd jungle
Immutably Empty
Kai also used to have Processing- Plants, so I imagine other alchemists have similar skills that help with plants or other materials. Maybe 'Cleaning - Ingredients' or something like that. Skills to help control heating/cooling the cauldron. Efficiency skills to do more with less.
George R
Thanks for the chapter
Draega
Yeah those might be good ones. Kai has enough skills now that it just feels less clear on what he’s missing out on, he’s got magic, two crafting skills, and sword fighting and we haven’t really had many examples yet of ‘pure’ fighters/mages/crafters to compare him to.
Diego Urbina
Alchemists also grow their own herbs so they usually have Advanced Botany/Farming skills. I think regular people also tend to have social/Quality of life skills. General Merchant skills etc.
Diego Urbina
Specialized Alchemists can probably work with all regents, like ores, monster parts. They can likely purify lower grade materials into higher grade ones. Eg.) make a stage 1 yellow mat produce a stage 2 Yellow potion. They can likely use less of an ingredient, get 2 potions from one regent. Probably more stuff as well, and i can come up with other ideas, but isnt super important. Our progtag is going for a survivalist battlemage build.
Draega
It’s been mentioned that Kai has a broad skill set instead of a specialized one, but I wonder what all of the other skills even are. What are the skills that a dedicated alchemist might have alongside their alchemy skill. Is a mage just someone with mana manipulation/mana sense/elemental magic skill? Or does a proper water mage have a half dozen skills all boosting water magic.
Silver Beard
Kudos for keeping the cat away for that meeting. Still waiting for the 'bond' to grow
Silver Beard
That is NOT a good idea. (using the fate fulcrum) The military is going to be watching the area. He can get away with some small turbulence but anything major will be the fiasco he was trying to avoid.
Morog T Tiny
There are a couple series i would pay the difference for, so I could ensure I had them long term.
hello there
They can also publish it using kdp.
Silver Beard
It's not that he's oblivious but that he still thinks himself as an old man in a kid's body. I think once they both reach maturity he'll be more likely to ignore the 'age' between them. Though I agree, she's likely to run out of patience soon
Morog T Tiny
The sad thing is... I only buy paper copies of books nowadays. Most people publishing web serials publish them on Amazon and I stopped buying digital properties from them. If I can't pass it on or can't sell it, then I don't really own it.
Gopard
Thanks for the chapter! Really like that Kai finally has a more direct connection to Valela, honestly I was thinking the romantic tension between them could develop further the moment I read their dialogue after he saves her and her Group's live from the spatial tears. Now I wonder wether or not this is just a little crush she has, because Kai is literally the first young man more talented and strong than here and his oblivious attitude will lead to the crush petering out rather quickly once the "mystery that is Kai" gets more normal with regular interactions between them or if it will only grow until either Kai gets off his Arse and realizes or she makes a move herself.
visigoth
Maybe reread the chapter? One of the last things Kai thought was essentially, “oh fuck, I’m going to die,” before Lou was profusely apologizing
Gopard
Are you so stupid? Kai could have at any point slapped Lou down during that Spar... losing yourself and going a bit harder than you planned is not "almost killing him". Literally 90% of Kai's "dramatic exthaustion and injury" was faked for the ruse of the weak orange 1 kid to work lol.
Saltymen
Also, it seems like a brilliant isolated spot to test out the fate fulcrum.
Silver Beard
I figure he needs to elevate his class to at least orange before he hits the mainland. And he's going to need to train his butt off in this mana deprived area.
Silver Beard
I still think Kai should secure the 'family' holding for training. He's got a lot of skills that will be practically impossible to sort out amongst others and a remote Island with no 'witnesses' would be perfect. And then there's the greenhouses. Who better to cultivate those than Kai.
Silver Beard
Kai is one of Lou's first Masters. He's always going to soft with one of his oldest friends on this world. I might agree with your assessment, but between Master and student there's a bond that not easily broken. They share this thing. Is what it is. Accept it. Lou would not be where he is without the knowledge and patience Kai provided when they were still 'infants'.
visigoth
What are you talking about? He almost killed him during the spar.
Doug Wills
He didn't "try to kill him" and Kai was the one who came in lying his ass off about everything out of nowhere, of course Lou was suspicious. There isn't a link for them to discover between the two. Kai is dead. The Republic has absolutely no reason to think otherwise. You are thinking far, far, far too Kai-centric. The world, and the Republic, do not revolve around Kai. That's the whole point of this plan. Kai will no longer exist, and nobody will have any reason to believe he does, as soon as he gets his new ID. There's not really a risk of anything at all. And again, with how the soul things work, he doesn't HAVE to spill it all. He knows how to work around it reasonably well, and we also know Lou is an absurdly loyal person. He's just as likely to let the soul bond kill him as he is to betray someone. I don't understand this, "If Lou was truly his friend," bit, he clearly is. He has gone out of his way to help Kai multiple times JUST in this chapter. And there is nothing Kai is going to tell him that Lou wouldn't be able to guess (other than some specific random stories that won't give any extra useful info). As soon as he knew Kai was alive he'd have known he was trapped in the hidden realm. There is nothing Kai will tell him that is any more useful than that. The world doesn't revolve around Kai.
visigoth
Do you not remember when they had their first reunion? How he tried to kill him, then essentially threatened him into telling him everything? That's the thing you do not do to someone who's supposed to be your friend. Furthermore, telling all that to someone who literally cannot refuse orders from people due to a soul contract is beyond dumb. If Lou was truly his friend, then he should know that he's a massive risk factor for Kai's safety. As soon as the Republic discovers the link between the two, Lou will have no choice but to spill it all.
Doug Wills
Order him to talk about... what? And also, we know those things aren't as strict as that. They'd have to ask reasonably specific questions for Lou not to be able to work around it. We also know Lou is a pretty loyal guy. To the point where to tell Kai something previously he put himself in ridiculously intense pain. So the odds that Lou would "talk" about anything are pretty low. Also, in what world is Kai supposed to be mature, especially socially? He literally never has been. He has almost no real socialization in either of his lives. He's book smart, but he's always been pretty bad with understanding people. Lou doesn't "think himself more trustworthy" he knows that he has issues with the government that the twins and Ana don't necessarily share. Which is why he trusts him. He wouldn't have no choice but to betray Kai because that's not really how the contract works. And chances are pretty high that Valela is the one currently in charge of his soul contract since he's the one there, and Valela clearly has no interest in trying to harm Kai. As far as Lou being overbearing: Of course he's a bit overbearing. He spent like 7 years being the "adult" taking care of his friends and making sure bad things didn't happen to them after Kai left. The guy basically had to stop being a kid when he was 7. I also don't see how he acted or acts like an "interrogation officer", the story explicitly states that he basically walked Kai through answering all the questions on the forms he had to fill out. Then he got Kai away from the actual officers, and had to do this all while pretending he didn't know a person that's important to him who he thought was dead for over 2 years. Lou went pretty out of his way here to help Kai out, both with selling his own situation (the paperwork) and with getting him away from prying eyes. You're thinking of the story too centrally on Kai. Kai isn't that important. And anyone in the Republic who thinks Kai is not this dude's son don't think he's Kai. They think he's some random kid trying to collect on an (essentially) unclaimed estate and is lying about being yellow at a young age. Nobody is going to ask anyone a question about the Hidden Realm. We also know that Kai is smart enough to leave out details, and he surely will for Lou as well. There is nobody that's going to ask the "right" questions of Lou that he couldn't easily get around the soul contract with, because the questions would have to be very specific and there's just no reason, again, for anyone to think to ask questions about Kai that Lou would be able to betray any more or less than literally any other questions.
visigoth
Well doormat is how he lets himself get treated by some of the characters, so maybe it's more on the nose than anything else.
visigoth
I'm going to be completely honest. I hate how Lou treats Kai and how Kai simply accepts it. It's nice that he wants to be friends but the dude is so overbearing it's not even funny and Kai just lets him roll all over him. When Lou was reintroduced, it was even more ridiculous. Imagine telling an undercover agent - who's soul-bound to the very government you're trying to escape from - literally everything. All they have to do is order him to talk and **all** of Kai's secrets would be bared. That can't be dismissed as immaturity or youthful negligence. The dude is supposed to be smart and mature but ends up a sputtering child spilling his guts to his friend that acts less like a friend and more like a disapproving interrogation officer. If Lou was actually his friend, then he would ensure Kai told him as little as possible so that he couldn't be forced to betray him. Oh, I forgot to mention that Lou seems to think himself more trustworthy than the other kids and requests Kai keep it between them. How absurd is that? So you trust everything to the least trustworthy person but ignore the others lacking a soul contract? It's less that Lou is a treasured childhood friend and more that he would have no choice but to betray him given the circumstances.
Kris Piskorski
Great chapter and can't wait for book 1
SAB
@Gromaul, I specifically take issue with the shortening of Matthew to Mat. If it was shortened to Matt, like you argue, I wouldn't have mentioned it because that is the normal spelling. You're arguing something that doesn't exist.
whoknows
It’s not a matter of it making sense or not, it’s just jarring and doesn’t flow well imo.
Gromaul
It was absolutely not weird. Matthew is a long name, Matt is an extremely common shorthand. Basically everyone I know with a similar name, including the 2 Matthews I know personally, prefer to be called with via a shorthand. Think you are on better ground with switching back and forth with Kai. It should be consistent throughout a chapter.
Stephen Pearson
Thankns for the chapter! :-)
Sam A
Excited to see him start a new life on the mainland!
A B
Edit suggestions: to temper with the enchantments -> to tamper with the enchantments
Andrew
Thank you!
wanderer117
He was made sit in the only cabin, while the vessel began gliding on the waves. suggeted edit He was made to sit in the only cabin, while the vessel began gliding on the waves.
Bosparan
Thanks for the chapter! Lovely reintroduction to the old conflict :)
Deathhead
You're a wizard Matthew :) I actually have a friend like Lou
Abe 7
For a sec, Lou reminded me of Hagrid hugging Harry from the Harry Potter Series. Don't know why though
Timothy Pressey
Tftc!
Rylie Harris
tftc!
SAB
And it was unusual then as well.
Doug Wills
The shortening to Mat is to match the early chapters when he went by Mat. Not shortening to that wouldn't actually make any sense.
SAB
Definitely not a fan of shortening Matthew to (door)Mat, or the alternating usage of his name. I've taken to making my text-to-speech app pronounce 'Mat' as 'Kai', which helps. I get that Kai needs to believably acknowledge/see himself as Matthew Reece in order to pass truth-telling skills, but forcing readers to awkwardly juggle both names now in such a mature story is annoying.
George
true hahaha he seems to love 3 letter names
zeke hustwit
I like the idea of using his old name, works against truth detection. But I really don’t like the name change in internal monologue. It would be neat if he could throw a middle name in there, like Kaiser. And then he goes by Kai for short once he gets to the main land.
Derze
If only I had friends like these…
Ottstop
Happy quarter-thousand!
Matthew Cooper
I’ve met my fair share of Matthews in my day and I’ve never seen it shortened to one t. Was it to keep his name the same length as Kai?
saltyApple
so bromantic
Hammy
TFTC, still don't like Lou. But that my opinion
Louis Cypher
Ngl, while Lou and Kai started off on the wrong foot after the reunion, he’s been a great friend after that.
TheAverageNerd
Thanks for chapter! There was never a promised time if chapters so while i may joke in the discord I very much am fine with them. Gotta have a healthy author if we want chapters after all!
YUMYbread
Apple air tag
David Bordelon
I'm looking forward to buying the first book!
Aceluke
Crush him in your arms Lou! The power of friendship keeps them together
Doctor Black
First Tftc! Lou still disapproves smh
