Chapter 9: Let Sleeping Birds Lie

"The headmaster of Haven Academy is a crime boss?" Raven said incredulously. "This has to be some sort of tasteless joke."

Carnelia lit a cigarette, exhaling a large puff of smoke that quickly enveloped the storage room where they now sat. "You're treating me as though I'm some villain," she muttered, her eyes staring at the ceiling. "I assure you this is just a front for us members of the Order, to exert our will over the underworld. Before I...interfered, the Oni really were a group of worthless criminals. Think about it logically, young lady...you can't deny that this is preferable to letting them run amok in the streets uncontested."

The headmistress frowned as she noticed Raven's disgusted expression hadn't changed. "For the record, this was Ozpin's idea from the start. Of course, he suggested it because he knew I would agree to the plan, but that's beside the point. So, if you have a problem with my methods, take it up with one of your own."

Qrow was silent. Of course, he was just as surprised out that a headmaster, of all people, would have such deep ties to the criminal underground. Questions of morality aside, it seemed so risky that the danger outweighed any possible benefits. If this secret were to be exposed, there would be terrible consequences. Questions would be asked - how many of those corrupt, incarcerated Huntsmen had been on the headmistress' payroll? Had she been assassinating her chief detractors? Then the rumours would begin, and then everything would spiral downward until all faith in Haven Academy had been crushed like wheat in a field.

And yet...he could see the logic behind it. Considering the rampant crime scene in Mistral compared to other Kingdoms, it made sense that more desperate measures would be taken in order to keep things under control, as best as they could be. With the sheer number of connections Carnelia had, amassing a group of business partners and spies in the underground would be child's play.

Besides keeping criminals in check, it would also be incredibly useful in the conflict against Salem and her followers. The Order of the Emerald Tower could gather weapons, Dust and other supplies that would be difficult or even impossible to acquire legally, they wouldn't have to worry about funds, and any suspicious individuals could easily be...dealt with.

Keeping down crime by taking over the whole thing, Qrow thought. All things considered, it was a good plan - join an organization, rise through the ranks, and use your gained authority and skills to make everyone else your puppets without them even knowing. It also helped if your ideals were, to an extent, similar to theirs - for Qrow had no doubt that Carnelia Stein had a criminal's mind, if not their heart.

"Hey. We're not asking you to like this," Crowley said, his arms folded. "Just making sure everyone's on the same page here. At least you can't say we keep secrets from you guys, right?"

Qrow narrowed his eyes. I'm not so sure about that. I'm willing to bet that someone here is still hiding information.

"Mr. Cloake is correct about one thing," Gray Poirpeau said. "It is paramount that all parties involved know the truth - only then can we come to a logical and reasonable conclusion. And it is for that reason that I ask you, Madam Stein - what brings you here today, of all days? Not buying something from your own shop, I presume."

"Well, I do need to restock on water Dust for some combat classes," Carnelia chuckled, reaching for another cigarette. "But no, I had an intuition that you would return here once your mission was complete. It was Ozpin's suggestion that I debrief you all personally."

"The new guy and Mr. Split Personality went to negotiate with the chief, and the three of us waited in the shadows to attack," Flare Nebula said. Qrow noticed that his companion Winona was nowhere to be seen. He wondered when she had slipped out of their sight. "Peace talks broke down, Crowley shot him, we fought, and then we all came here. Debriefing over."

"Very well said, Mr. Nebula," the headmistress said sarcastically. "I'm glad to see my public speaking classes had such a profound impact on you."

"Oh yeah, I only learned from the best, Professor," the redhead replied. "We all know that out of the four of us, I had the best way with words. Everyone says I light the flames of a conversation like no one else!"

Qrow rolled his eyes. Turning to his sister, who was now staring silently at her sheathed sword, he whispered, "Hey for what it's worth, I didn't know any of this before, either. Believe me, I've got mixed feelings on all this too, but right now let's just go along with it, okay? That's pretty much the only way to put up with their crap."

"...Right," Raven muttered. Qrow wasn't sure she'd even heard him.

"Anyway, now that the Branwen tribe has been dealt with, I think it's time we moved on to our other problems," Crowley Cloake said. "Considering Thoron had two of Salem's little brats acting as his bodyguards, I think it's safe to assume he wasn't the only egg in her basket. And we all know that in Mistral, there's plenty of chickens ready to lay." He looked up at his former headmistress. "Hey Professor Stein, you got any idea what-"

He was cut off by his Scroll ringing. "God damn it, what the hell-" the archer muttered, clumsily retrieving it and glancing at the screen. "Oh, it's Winona." He accepted the call, and sat in silence for a few moments, nodding as his face grew more agitated. Everyone was watching him with curious stares.

"Okay, so I...have no idea if this is at all related to what we were talking about," he finally said as he put the Scroll away. "But she says some idiot's causing a rampage here in the district - and he's putting up quite a fight, too. She's requesting backup."

"An irritating distraction, at best," Poirpeau said dismissively. "I simply refuse to end this meeting before we've properly finished."

Carnelia rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm, I wouldn't be so sure about that. Ms. Highlander was one of the finest students I've ever taught, so if she's asking for help, this person must be a genuine threat." She nodded at Qrow and Raven. "Why don't the both of you join Crowley? Consider it a form of family bonding."

"Uh, what about me?" Flare asked.

"You are staying right here," Poirpeau snapped at him. "There are three rows of boxes here, and I need at least one more of you to keep the balance." And that was the end of the argument.

Qrow, Raven and Crowley made their way out of the Hunter's Bounty, and for the first time Qrow saw the outside of Mistral's red light district. It...really didn't seem any different from the rest of the main city, other than looking slightly more dilapidated, and a couple suspicious folks walking around. And Qrow had a habit of finding everyone suspicious, anyway.

"Hey, can you give me a signal that works around here?" he asked Crowley as they ran. "I need to make sure Tai's alright."

"No," he said bluntly.

They soon knew they were on the right track, because they could hear the sounds of a scuffle in the distance. Qrow looked up to see the figure of Winona flying above a small building, flinging her lance at something below.

"I'm going ahead," Crowley muttered, quickly overtaking them as he readied his bow mid-run. The Branwen twins picked up the pace, struggling to keep up with the older Huntsman.

When they turned the corner, what they saw was pretty much the last thing they could have expected.

Stumbling around in the alleyway, clothes dirty and tattered, was a single young man, wielding a sword as he fought off the bird Faunus. Despite her superior mobility and agile movements, he was putting up a surprisingly good fight.

"Just one person?" Raven asked, perplexed.

"I...hold on a moment," Qrow said, his eyes narrowing. "Wait, don't we know that guy?"

Crowley was running towards the swordsman, firing off two arrows in quick succession. Twirling around at the sudden sound, the mysterious foe deflected both shots, switching the angle of his blade with lightning-fast speed. His youthful face had a sudden look of panic, clearly surprised by the Huntsman's arrival.

At that moment, Qrow recognized the swordsman. "Isn't he...from Team PLSM or something?" He looked closer, and sure enough, it was undoubtedly the face of Locke Silverstein, the Huntsman-in-training who, a couple years ago, and given quite possibly the worst performance in Vytal Tournament history.

Yet here the guy was, fending off two fully fledged Huntsmen - not without trouble, but he was certainly putting up a good fight. As Crowley fired another arrow, Locke swiftly dodged it, while backhandedly blocking Winona's lance with his blade. The sheer change in skill level was staggering to watch.

"G-get away from me, you evildoers!" Locke shouted, thrashing his sword in the air. "I'm gonna smite you all!"

Qrow transformed, flying towards the swordsman before quickly changing back, striking him in the chest with his greatsword before Locke could even react.

"Gah!" He stumbled backwards, and Winona swooped down behind him and grabbed his shoulders tightly, restraining him. "Let go, damn it!" Locke yelled.

Qrow scowled at the former Huntsman. "Okay, pal. You've got a lot of explaining to do, putting it lightly. You'd better come quietly-"

Suddenly, a flash of light surrounded Locke's body. Qrow had just enough time to register that it was his Aura before he, Crowley and Winona were all blown away by a sonic blast. He felt a sharp pain in his back as he hit the ground.

"Brother!" He heard Raven call out to him, through the ringing in his ears. Damn...he's discovered his Semblance, too?

Locke was trying to escape now. Raven pressed a switch on her weapon, and the sword rocketed out of its sheath, towards her target. A burst of ice Dust erupted from the blade's edge, encasing Locke's legs up to his waist. He desperately struggled to break free, but to no avail.

"I'm assuming you used up all your remaining Aura to use your Semblance," Raven said, walking over to her prisoner. "If I had to guess, you haven't had it for very long. Clearly you're still a novice."

Locke was still thrashing, waving his arms around in circles as if he thought it would help him. His sword had fallen to the ground, out of his reach. "I'm not a novice!" He screamed. "You're a novice, you…" His eyes widened as he got a closer look at the dark Huntress. "Uhh, wait...don't I know you, lady?"

"Have you met this clown?" Crowley inquired, as everyone else gathered around the captured former Huntsman.

"His name's Locke - a member of Shade's Team PLSM," Qrow replied. "He got taken out in one hit at the Vytal Festival Tournament."

Winona frowned, confiscating Locke's sword as her wings fluttered weakly, still dazed from the sonic blast. "Team PLSM? The Huntsman's Association's told us nothing but bad things about them. First, they only passed initiation due to bribery. Then, they all suddenly vanished in their fourth year, around the same time as the Soulcage incident in Vacuo."

"Huh? Huntsman's…" Locke blinked in confusion, looking around at everyone. "Umm...you're the Branwen chick, I remember you...are all four of you Huntsmen?"

They all nodded. "Oh. Oh!" The young man's eyes widened, and for some reason he began smiling brightly. "I thought you were all criminals! Thank the gods, I've been looking for you!"

"..." Silently, Qrow turned to Raven, his face filled with disbelief. "...What?"

"...That is quite the interesting story of yours, young man," Carnelia muttered, a bottle of rosemary wine in her hand.

They were all back in the Hunter's Bounty storage room, with Locke trapped in the centre of them, his arms tied back with a pair of electric cuffs. Every so often, the unfortunate young man would receive a sharp, painful shock, preventing him from regenerating his Aura. He was glancing feverishly at everyone in turn, as if afraid of being shanked at any moment.

"It would seem we have a unique - and thoroughly unexpected - asset on our hands," Poirpeau said, his hands clasped together. "An agent of Salem herself in our custody, willing to cooperate with us? I must admit, I never thought I would see the day."

"I-I-I don't know anything!" Locke stammered. "I mean, I do know some things! Stuff you wanna know! I'm useful, so please don't kill me!"

"Calm down, asshole," Qrow snarled, narrowing his eyes at him. Yeah...I definitely remember him now. He had never liked him back then, either. The guy was basically Tai except ten times more arrogant, with none of the strength to back it up. "Lemme get this straight: Salem sent you to Mistral to help out the White Fang? With what?"

Locke nodded nervously. "W-well, it was Harriet's idea. The four of us barely ever see Salem herself, anyway. Th-that rabbit lady and the twins put us on a ship and brought us here - me and Moss. I-I wasn't told many details...just that she wanted the Fang's help in attacking the city." He let out a high-pitched yelp as his cuffs shocked him again. "A-and don't ask me why she'd get a human to help the White Fang, cuz I don't know! I just went along with it!"

"Perhaps the rabbit wanted to feed you to the Fang as a sacrifice - to earn their trust," Carnelia mused. She grinned maliciously at Locke's suddenly sheet-pale face. "That was just a joke, dear."

"So why did you run away?" Raven asked.

"Why do you think?! All this Salem crap, her realm, the whole damn thing...it's just too crazy, man! I didn't want any part of it! And I sure as hell don't wanna be one of the bad guys! S-so I ditched them first chance I got. Would've taken Moss with me, but I could tell she was already fully on board by that point." He paused to catch his breath. "Th-then I got lost here in the city. Figured I'd wander around the red district and beat up some evildoers while I was at it...then this happened."

Now this is just a special brand of stupid, Qrow thought. Still, he couldn't fault Locke too much - in the end, the guy had done the right thing. "Anything else you want to tell us? Literally anything would help."

"Okay, well...I also know that the twins had been talking to some other people. Some guys they called 'the tribe". Apparently the Fang and this tribe are gonna be working together when the attack happens." He gulped. "Th-that's as much as I know."

"The tribe…" Crowley muttered. "Only one thing that could be. Seems like things are finally falling into place."

"Indeed," Poirpeau agreed. "We must contact Phoebe at once and tell her this new bit of information. As our spy in the Fang, she can investigate and determine how many of them are, as they say, 'in on it'."

Locke looked up hopefully. "Then...I've been useful? You won't kill me or anything?"

"It's less that you've been 'useful' to us and more that you've been utterly useless to our enemies," the headmistress said coldly. "Nevertheless, your intel is appreciated, and we have no intention of getting rid of you."

She raised her hand towards Crowley, Flare and Winona. "Keep this young man somewhere secure," she told them. "I don't particularly care where as long as he's safe, no one can find him, and he has no hope of escaping."

"Yes, Professor," Crowley said. The three of got up and, with Flare and Winona each grabbing one of Locke's struggling arms, made their way towards the door. "...Oh yeah, here," the archer muttered, tossing a large vial of Dust in Raven's direction.

"This is…?" she asked, her eyes widening as she recognized the mixture.

"Use this for your portals, lady," he replied, flashing her a small grin. "We've got plenty of it in stock, so come back to me if you ever need more."

Poirpeau sighed, rubbing his belly. "It seems this meeting has finally come to an end," he announced. "Honestly, I'm famished. But alas, the proper hour for dinner is still yet to come. I must find some other activity to keep myself occupied before that time." With a heavy breath, he pulled himself off the box.

Crowley activated his Semblance, and once again the calming aura of the white vortex filled the air - only this time, there were two of them. "Qrow, that one'll take you and your sister back to the place Ozpin arranged for you," he said, nodding toward the rightmost portal. "And Professor…" he flashed a peculiar smile at the headmistress. "Take care, alright?"

"Same to you," Carnelia replied.

Crowley, his companions, and Poirpeau walked over to the left vortex, while Qrow and Raven went over to theirs. Without another word, the two of them stepped through into the light.

When they emerged, they were inside the house. "Oh yeah, you haven't been here before," Qrow said. "It's pretty alright. Got a nice training ground outside, too…"

"So what do we do now?" Raven asked suddenly.

"What do we do?" Qrow repeated, surprised by her question. As he thought about it though, he realized it was something he should be asking as well. Carnelia and the others hadn't exactly told them what they were supposed to be doing from here on. Not even a vague 'keep on investigating', which would have at least been something.

"I guess...we just stay here and wait for them to contact us," he finally said. "It sucks, but there's nothing much else we can do at the moment."

Raven slowly nodded. "...Okay," she muttered. "Let me...just go out and walk for a bit, brother. I haven't had a chance to explore Mistral yet, and...this is still a lot to take in."

Qrow nodded back. "Yeah. No problem, sis."

Once she was gone, an idea suddenly popped into his head. They were now out of the red light district, so his Scroll's connection should be back to normal. Which meant he could finally contact Tai, and make sure his teammate was alright. He didn't even know where the guy was right now.

I shouldn't worry, he thought, smiling as he raised the Scroll to his ear, waiting for the answer to the call. Knowing Blondie, he's probably just laughing off that injury of his as we speak…

The Birds of Gwen were not used to cleaning up the messes they made. But now that their own camp had been reasonably damaged, they were forced to do the best they could.

In the chief's tent, Thoron leaned back and sighed as he felt the warmth of his tea in his stomach. It was a refreshing sensation after what had been, by all accounts, an extremely stressful day. He was beginning to wonder if this whole Salem business was more trouble than it was worth. The only thing he'd gained from their partnership so far was a painful arrow wound in his right shoulder.

Grimacing, the chief rubbed his arm, deciding that the arrow must have gone far deeper than he'd initially believed. How irritating...to be caught off guard like that. He'd simply been so overwhelmed with emotion at seeing his children again that he hadn't been at the top of his game. A mistake, yes, but one he wouldn't repeat.

"So…" he said, smiling as he took another sip of tea. "You decided to return. I knew you'd make the right choice."

"I'm only visiting," Raven replied, sitting on the opposite side of the table. "I still have a few more questions I need answered."

"Of course. Anything for you, my precious Rae. Although...I'm a bit surprised you decided not to bring your brother along after all."

Raven looked downward. "...I doubt he has any intention of seeing you anytime soon. And after what you did to Tai, I almost considered not coming back after all."

Her father frowned, as if not quite understanding her point. "He had to be used as an example - a warning to those loathsome Huntsmen," he growled. "And it worked, didn't it? My daughter, there's no need to hold onto any feelings you might have had for that boy. He's probably lying dead in the forest, his body rotting as we speak."

"No. Tai is alive," Raven said sharply, her red eyes practically glowing as she stared down her father. "He wouldn't die from something like that. Specifically, he wouldn't allow himself to - he's simply too stubborn for that." Her voice softened as she spoke about him.

Thoron sighed. "I see...so you still aren't ready to come back to us, Rae. But you will be - I promise you that." He rose to his feet and began pacing around the tent, his every footstep causing the ground itself to shake. "...Speaking of which, I trust you kept your promise," he said, looking back to her. "You did not tell any of them, did you?"

"I didn't...not that it matters now," she replied quietly. "They already know. They know you plan to lead the entire tribe into the city, and bring down Haven Academy itself. And that you intend on allying yourself with the Fang to accomplish this."

Her father didn't seem concerned. "Oh, I'm sure they would have found out eventually...the Huntsmen are not stupid, to have been such a thorn in our sides for so long. But do they really know was much as they think? I wonder…"

He opened the tent flaps, and gestured to Raven, who went to go look. Outside, it seemed as though every warrior in the tribe was gathered in the clearing, practicing with their weaponry. To her, it seemed as though the chief had gathered an entire army's worth of fighters, each of whom was worth five regular soldiers.

"This is what they'll be up against," Thoron said proudly. "If Fenrir's mission had been successful, I would have had a tenfold more brothers and sisters, but even so, they are more than enough to strike terror into the hearts of Mistralians - or anyone, for that matter! Add the radical Fang to our ranks, and we'll be unstoppable!"

The chief turned to his daughter. "You still have some time to decide your path," he told her almost gently. "But remember that the being chief of our people is your birthright...your destiny. Our clan is our family - without a leader, it will crumble like sand in the sea. And only you are worthy to succeed me when I pass from this world."

"...And what about Qrow?" Raven asked.

"In time, he too will realize his loyalty is to his bloodline," Thoron replied, though his tone had suddenly become more dismissive. "I'm afraid it might take him a bit longer than you, however - after all, he was far closer with my traitorous brother than myself. I suppose I should have seen the warnings, back then."

"You couldn't have known...what Uncle was going to do," Raven assured him. "And I'm certain Qrow knows that Luka isn't considered part of our family anymore. Ever since he tried to destroy-"

Suddenly, all the light faded from Thoron's eyes. "That's enough, Raven," he hissed. "I don't want to talk about that wretched worm of a man any more than I have to, and I have already heard his filthy name too many times today. So let's not speak of that anymore, shall we?" His fatherly smile returned. "Let's let the past...stay in the past."

"...Alright." Raven nodded. She turned away, hand on her sheath. "I...I should return to my brother's side. If I'm away for too long, he might suspect something. Goodbye, Father-"

She was cut off as her father reached out and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a tight embrace. It was so sudden, and such a foreign yet familiar sensation to her, that her final wall of defence was immediately broken down. She had resisted when she'd first seen him at the camp, and even when they'd sat down to talk as family, for the first time in as long as she could remember.

Yet now, the floodgates finally burst open, and Raven began to weep uncontrollably, her tears streaming down onto her father's ceremonial cloak. "There, there," Thoron murmured, patting her head like she was just a little girl. "It's all right. I look forward to seeing you again, Rae...and I have faith that you will make the right choice in the end. You're my daughter, after all."

They separated, and Raven found herself wiping away her tears. That too, had been something that felt so unnatural for her, something she'd never expected to feel again. Still, it was...rather nice. But now...it's time to go back.

She swung her sword, creating a portal in the air. For a moment, her attention was caught by something moving in the trees nearby. It seemed to be the shadow of a particularly large bird. Dismissing it as nothing, Raven walked in, but she was glancing back at the camp the whole way.

The main city of Mistral, when seen from above, was truly a breathtaking sight. But most airships wouldn't allow you to get so close, where the view was at its finest. At this distance, you felt the exhilaration of the wind, while also taking in all the pretty little details.

Flapping her wings, Winona Highlander adjusted her altitude and lowered herself onto the roof. Climbing down the wall until she'd found the right floor, she lightly tapped on the window frame. A few seconds passed, but there was no response.

The bird Faunus sighed and opened the window. Sure enough, it was unlocked. Inside were her teammates, completely oblivious to her entrance. Her old partner lay down on his bed, headphones blaring loud punk music in his ears as he played with his handheld. She felt a twinge of annoyance - Flare Nebula was a fine Huntsman, but his attitude often left her wondering how he had even graduated.

Crowley was sitting at their desk, flipping through a large photo album. Photos of their days at Haven Academy, back when they had been part of Team CHRN. Back when they all had far fewer things to worry about.

"You're less attentive than I thought," Winona said, catching her leader's attention.

"Hah, sorry," Crowley chuckled, jumping just a little as he closed the book. As he turned to her, his eyes narrowed. "So…? What did she do?"

Winona smiled humorlessly. "It's just as you expected. She used her portal to meet with the chief in secret. And it looks like they had a very heartwarming reunion."

The room went dead silent. Even Flare had removed his headphones, and was now leaning forward, listening intently to the conversation.

Crowley nodded slowly, a cold smile spreading across his face. "...Interesting," he muttered.

The Tian Shan Clothing Shop in Mistral was somewhat of an unrecognized jewel in the grand kingdom. As it stood on the outskirts of the main city, it did not receive quite as many customers as the owners might have liked. Nevertheless, it had managed to make sizable profits, all things considered, and many well-to-do Mistralians were indebted to their wares.

The shop stood above a large supply of raw Dust that had somehow stabilized by natural means over many centuries, which made them rather useless for most normal purposes, but it could still look pretty. And looking good was what many Mistralians wanted more than anything.

The people at Tian Shan had made a very reputable name for themselves over the years, fashioning fine clothing out of Dust-made fabric. But all that had suddenly come to a screeching halt, as the shop's workers now found themselves to be...permanently retired.

"...Phew," Ragna Branwen muttered, casually swinging around his massive scythe. He winced as a small drop of blood flicked off the weapon's edge and onto his cheek. Kneeling down to grab a handkerchief from the dead tailor that lay at his feet, he began wiping his scythe clean.

Ragna didn't usually care about cleanliness, but he had no desire to get his beloved Apocalypse dirty - not when things were about to get so very interesting indeed. Sitting around in a house got boring extremely quickly, and he couldn't be happier to be back out in the fray.

He stopped to admire the texture of his new outfit - a lean black robe, which he'd snatched fresh off the assembly line, carefully avoiding getting any of the workers' blood on it. He had to admit, the trip to Mistral had already been worth it. It seemed like everyone they made here was of the absolute best quality!

No, no, no, no. Dad hates it when you get sidetracked like this, Ragna thought to himself. He made his way to the table, where a large rectangular device had been placed, trembling with some bizarre energy. On the device was a single button, in the shape of a round medallion that seemed to depict a lily.

"Attempt number...ah, whatever, I've lost count," he muttered, activating the device. As he had done countless times before, he stood back, hating that he knew the exact distance he would need in order to be safe, and watched as the same thing happened yet again.

A sphere of that bizarre energy burst out from within the device, covering everything in sight. Then in that next instant, the surrounding paraphernalia, along with heaps of the Dust that had been long buried beneath the building, shot up into the sky, piercing straight through the roof before remaining there, hovering as if stuck in space and time.

And then, something entirely unexpected happened. Without warning, everything came crashing back down the earth, as if the spell had suddenly been broken. Ragna let out a surprised yell, shielding himself from the falling debris. "Wh-what the hell…?"

When he went to check on the device, he saw that the surface was now glowing with a bright light, which seemed to be running in lines along the metal like electricity in circuits. As he watched, a rare sensation of wonder building in his chest, the various lines began to merge together into a grid shape. And on that grid, small dots began to appear...just like Luka had said they would.

That was what his father had said would appear once they had found it. For these were no ordinary flashes of light - they were coordinates. X marked the spot where the treasure lay - the treasure that, despite Luka's insistence, he'd doubted was even real. Yet now all doubts had instantly been erased, and all that remained was a feverish excitement.

"So it isn't a myth after all," Ragna murmured. "The lost kingdom of Eden - it really exists."

So yeah, one more chapter before life gets busy yet again! Hopefully you enjoyed these last three chapters, even though they've been admittedly more slowly paced than what you might have expected. I don't know when I'll write the next chapter, but hopefully when I do I can get all the way to the end of this volume without going through yet another hiatus.