Chapter Text
Charles’ Playlist:
The Clash – London Calling
Ramones – Blitzkrieg Bop
Billy Joel – We Didn’t Start the Fire
"Charles… I think there is a bird watching us.”
Charles – currently knee-deep in the closet and trying to rearrange things so he can somehow squeeze in the giant bonbon-glass full of crystal eyeballs they obtained during their most recent Case of the Crazed Candymaker (he was proper proud of that title) – did not look up from his task. “Right, don’t go mental on me now, mate. Not over thirty years into this whole ordeal.”
“I am certainly not. It’s on the roof on the other side of the road and it has been looking directly at our window for quite some time now.”
Charles surpressed a curse, as a heavy box tipped off the shelf and pretty much directly into his face. “Probably just some pigeons, mate. Nesting or shit. It’s spring. That’s kind of their whole thing.”
“It’s a corvid, Charles.”
He sighed and pushed the box back into its spot while trying to juggle the jar in the crook of his arm. “A what-now?”
“Oscine passerine birds, like rooks, ravens, crows–“
Charles did not remember losing his grip, but he did hear the crash as he quickly grabbed his new and improved cricket bat and basically slid out of the closet Risky Business style – followed by several crystal eyeballs. “Did you say it’s a bloody CROW?!”
Edwin furrowed his brow. He sat at his desk, the chair turned to look out the window. “I’m afraid it’s too far away to make it out clearly, but it could be one. Would you hand me my binocu- … You are not listening to me.”
Charles, indeed, wasn’t listening. Instead, he threw open their window and bellowed into the street. “FUCK OFF, MONTY!”
“Charles, I do not believe that particular bird would suddenly turn up in London.”
Charles narrowed his eyes, trying to see the offending bird on the roof – admittedly a bit frantic – but nothing. Must’ve flown of. “He’s a magic bird, mate.”
He didn’t see it, but he practically felt Edwin roll his eyes at him. “Not anymore, since he lost his mistress.”
“Well, we don’t know that for sure, do we?”
“I do, in fact, know that. For sure.”, Edwin said with his sufferingly patient tone that meant he wasn’t patient at all and rather exasperated with him. “It wouldn’t hurt you to pick up one of our books once in a while. He was the familiar of a witch. Ding-dong, the witch is dead. Thus, he became a regular bird. Or at least as regular as a bird with his backstory can be.”
Charles shrugged and turned to Edwin with a smile – however, he was met with a quite curious expression on his friends face. “Were you thinking of attacking a random bird with your bat, Charles?” He sounded genuinely interested. Charles stiffened a bit, leaning his bat against the wall next to the window. “What if I were?”
“I would’ve thought you rather foolish.”
Charles gawked at him, clutching his still chest and there might’ve been some real hurt mixed in with the mock-hurt. “Hey. I am protecting you and our home.” He gestured to the office and the eyeballs that now rolled over the floor like marbles and into every corner.
Edwin raised one elegant and judgemental brow. “By screaming at poultry?”
“By looking out for evil birds.”
“Didn’t Monty help you escape, back at the witch’s house?”
Charles shrugged, crossing his arms. “So what? That bugger was still a little shit. Crows can hold grudges, did you know that? Crystal showed me some TikToks about it.” He took the sleek black smartphone Crystal gave him recently out of his pocket and waved it in front of Edwins face to underline his point.
Edwin sighed the sigh of the forever-tormented, eyeing the phone with something akin to disgust. “I told her not to give you such a device. It hypnotizes you for hours and then you get a headache. Do you know how hard it is for ghosts to get headaches?”
“Oi, it’s for easier communication!” Although he mostly used it to listen to music. Still, Charles pointed a finger at Edwins face. “Also, don’t change the subject, mate. Are you certain there is no way for Monty to like… come and check up on you or something?”
Edwin looked at him indignantly. “And why, pray tell, old friend, would he ‘check up on me’?”
“Well, maybe he’s looking for someone to nest with, eh? It’s spring, innit?” He laughed at Edwins unimpressed expression and felt the tension lift from his shoulders. Only to swiftly return when there was a bang, an incredibly loud shout of “MAIL CALL!” and a bunch of envelopes and packages dropped on Edwins desk next to them. “BLOODY HELL, MATE–” But the postman was already gone.
As Charles grumbled about the sanctity of their office and how people should learn to knock, Edwin was inspecting the new delivery. He picked up a package, nicely wrapped in golden paper. There was an ivory card attached to it that he picked up, read with an unreadable expression (and there were very few of Edwins expressions that would still be unreadable to Charles) and put into his suit pocket. Before Charles could ask about it, Edwin had removed the paper from the package, revealing a dark fuchsia book, the cover embossed with a silver flower. “Charles!” His voice rose with sudden unbridled glee. “Look! I’ve been looking for this one everywhere!”
Charles leaned a bit closer, considering the title with some concern. “Stems, pollen, insects and further explorations of magi-botanical reproduction.”
Edwin basically vibrated with excitement. “You know how long I wished to get started on a collection of magical flora, Charles. This is the perfect opportunity! I shall ask Crystal for assistance in finding a garden center to pick up supplies!”
Charles was skeptical but it was so rare to see Edwin this animated, he couldn’t help but grin. “Brills, mate.” Before he could ask about the card or who the book was from, Edwin snatched the smartphone he had still been holding out of his hands and endeavored – with Charles help – to call Crystal. He wandered out of the office while pressing the book to his chest and bombarding her with questions about the local gardening infrastructure.
Charles let him be, smiling after him. Edwin had a new book to play with. The bird had just been a bird. Everything was well.
The other shoe dropped the next day. A day that, on the surface, had started out quite nicely – but Charles had felt that something was off.
Off thing number 1: Edwin didn’t wear his usual suit. Instead, he manifested himself in a soft dark blue jumper over a white dress shirt with a black bow on the collar. He looked – and Charles didn’t have a better word for it – darling. And wasn’t that suspicious?
Off thing number 2: Edwin was tidying the office – which wasn’t that strange in itself, but he usually did that on Mondays and today was a Saturday.
Off thing number 3: Around ten o’clock, Crystal and Niko showed up, asking Charles to escort them to get coffee and wander through Hyde Park. It was un-london-like sunny outside and they wanted to enjoy the rare good weather. They didn’t ask Edwin which – even for Crystals standards – was rude, but when Charles asked him to join them, Edwin just shooed them off, grabbing his new book. Charles again, hadn’t had the chance to ask about who it was from, because the girls had shown up to demand his attention.
As he walked with the girls, Charles forgot the off-ness for a while. It was really a nice day and he enjoyed the girls chatter about their new school, the friends they were making and their laughter about their milk foam mustaches. It was perfect. Or it would have been perfect, had Edwin been with them. However, after a few hours, he realized another off thing.
Off thing number 4: The girls were trying to keep him occupied. First coffee, then the walk, then they dragged him shopping, which took incredibly long – even for Nikos standards, who liked to try on a whole store all at once. It could’ve been normal – this wasn’t the first time he accompanied the girls on a day out in town. But today felt differently. The way Crystal checked the time a lot. The way Niko didn’t meet Charles eyes. The very obvious way they both grabbed him and shouted “NO” when he announced he would return to the office and then basically carried him into the next store to look at dresses.
So yeah, Charles was pretty sure something was going on and it had to do with Edwin and the office. And that realization unnerved him to no end – but he tried not to let it show. If Edwin was in some kind of danger, the girls wouldn’t keep that from him, he told himself and that certainty calmed him enough to decide, that he wouldn’t call them on their bullshit. Let them play distraction games. It was a nice day anyway.
However, the day turned completely sour, once they did return to the office in the afternoon. They had left Edwin lounging – as much as one could lounge while still having perfect posture – on their old sofa. When they walked back into the office, he sat on the same spot, his back straight and his face carefully crafted into a blank expression. And next to him sat someone Charles had wanted to have a word with for quite a while now. “FUCKING WANKER!”
Edwin and the girls jumped cartoonishly at his outburst but Charles ignored them in favor of grabbing this cricket bat from its place near the door. “Step away, Edwin. I'm gonna spay and neuter this fucker!” To make matters worse, he also now noticed a crow, sitting on the back of Edwins desk chair – a crow Charles also knew very well. “And who let in the bloody bird flue?!” The crow croaked indignantly.
Edwins brows knit together and he stood, holding up his hands as if to stop traffic. “Charles! Do be serious.”
“As a heart attack, mate.”
The Cat King just grinned, leaning back in a picture of pure unbothered leisure. He wore a black suit, more formal than his usual attire – with the exception of way too many undone buttons on his shirt. “Nice to see you again, kids. Edwin, put a leash on your lap dog, would you?”
“Sorry, Edwin.” Niko drawled with a slight smile. “We didn't mean to interrupt your date. I thought you would be done by now.”
Charles head snapped from the Cat King to Edwin, who fiddled with his cuffs and didn’t meet Charles eye. “Date?!” He looked at Niko, feeling slightly betrayed. “So that’s why you dragged me around all day?”
Niko shrugged. “Edwin called Crystal yesterday and told us to get you out of the office for a few hours. I thought he just had a booty call.”
“A booty– Edwin! Explain!”
Edwin scoffed now, meeting Charles gaze with defiance. “If you must know, Charles, when I received the Cat Kings calling card yesterday, I did not think you would appreciate his presence. Rightly so, as it seems.” He threw a pinched look at Niko, who just smiled back. “And this is not a date. He was just asking for a word in private.”
The Cat King grinned broadly at Charles. “I knew Edwin would prefer to handle this particular matter alone.”
Before Charles could muster a response (or a swing), he caught Crystals eye. And there was something in there. A sort of amusement but also a slight frown. And he took a deep breath to cool his anger. He didn't want to frighten his friends. Not again.
When he turned back to the Cat King it was with the best semblance of a professional smile he could muster. “So…” He gritted out through his teeth. “Is this about a case then?”
“Certainly not.” The Cat King smiled, his yellow eyes gleaming.
Charles nodded to the crow. “You need help finding him a branch to perch on?”
“Oh, Monty? The poor thing just stuck around since Esther vanished. I thought he would appreciate this little trip, so I took him with me.” The crow croaked and ruffled its wings but Charles was way more concerned with the sly expression on the Cat Kings face.
“So… if it’s not about a case, what do you want from us then?”
“From you? Nothing. I called on Edwin to propose a formal courtship.”
The silence was deafening. There was a rush in Charles ears that reminded him of the cliffside in Port Townsend. The Cat King, however, just stood and turned to Edwin, taking his hand in his, leaning in close. “Just think about it, dear. I know we left things back in Port Townsend quite… amicably. In light of how things started.” Charles scoffed, but he was ignored. “But I couldn’t really stop thinking about our last conversation. About… loneliness. And I think you know that feeling well.”
There was something in Edwins eyes as Charles sought him out, waiting for him to tell the Cat King to kindly fuck off – Edwin wasn’t lonely. Right? Right? But Edwin just solemnly looked at the Cat King and gave the slightest nod, which pretty much shattered Charles on the spot.
The Cat King smiled, his thumb drawing circles on the back of Edwins hand. “Since I know you did not really appreciate my approach to seduction … I would like to try a way that is more familiar to your sensibilities. With everything such a proper courtship would entail. I would like to call on you and promenade and take you on picnics and to the theater. I would like to send you flowers and dance with you. And seek any way I can bring you enjoyment. And maybe… you will begin to see something more in me than what I showed you before. Maybe even someone you would consider a partner.” The arcane trickster grinned his Cheshire grin. “And maybe I would like to acquire someone to share my kingdom with.”
“Oh my god, that is so romantic …”
“Shush, Niko …”
Charles barely registered the girls bickering behind him. He just stared at Edwin – and something like fear rushed through his cold, dead veins. Edwin was lonely. There was something he missed in his afterlife. Something Charles didn’t or couldn’t provide. Not something – he knew what Edwin missed. He told him on the steps to hell. And the Cat King was here to offer it. An entity that already tried to keep Edwin all to himself. That frequently whisked him away to places Charles couldn’t reach him. He couldn’t let that happen again. Still – his mouth was talking before his brain registered the words. “What about a chaperone?”
They all stilled and looked at Charles like he grew a second head, even Edwin. “You know…” Charles meandered weakly. “A chaperone. That’s part of the whole courting deal, innit? Someone to watch over everything, so guys like you” He shot the Cat King a dagger of a look. “keep their hands to themselves. And don’t kidnap people and force them to stay in your shithole of a town.”
The Cat King lifted a single eyebrow, an expression so full of amused contempt, Charles practically saw it dripping from his lips as he spoke. “Me-ow, aren't you quite the knight in shining armour. The courtship I propose is less about the reinforcement of arbitrary patriarchal standards but about making Edwin comfortable.” The Cat King turned back to Edwin, who seemed stunned into silence and whose cheeks now sported a very pinkish colour. “I know my past actions might’ve made you uncomfortable with the idea of being alone with me. If a chaperone would ease you into this idea, I understand, my dear.”
Edwins face was incredibly blank – meaning he was completely overwhelmed with everything going on. Usually a sign for Charles to usher everyone off or escort Edwin somewhere quiet. He itched to just drag his friend through the mirror and into the library or somewhere else that wasn’t in the presence of the Cat King. “Well…” Edwin blinked at the Cat King, the only outward sign of his confusion. “I will think about it.”
The Cat King bowed his head slightly. “That’s all I could’ve asked for.” He raised Edwins hand to his lips and gently kissed his fingertips, never breaking eye contact. “I will stay at the Ritz for the time being. Send me a note, once you make up your mind.” And then he left. Just like that. Shouldering his way past Charles and slightly bowing his head in acknowledgment of the girls. The crow followed without command, fluttering past them and perching on the Cat Kings shoulder as he walked down the hall. Charles watched him go, but the second cat and crow were out of earshot, he swung around and stared at Edwin. “You will think about it? You can’t be serious, mate.”
Edwin pressed his fists together, looking strained, not meeting his eye. “I’m not sure…”
“Edwin!” Charles faintly realized that there was way too much irritation in his voice but he couldn't help it. Just a few months ago Edwin had confessed to him on the stairway to hell. Charles had thought about that moment more often than he'd like to admit to anyone including himself. It was the way Edwin had looked at him. Vulnerable and open and desperate. The break in his voice. Like he thought the world would end if he said it but also if he didn't.
Charles, I am in love with you.
It had hit Charles like a truck.
Seeing Edwins tenuous flirtation with Monty had been strange, to say the least. Unlike Charles, Edwin had never shown interest in any romantic activities. Charles remembered very well how uncomfortable Edwin had been when Charles had brought up girls for the first time a few months after they had met. It did cross his mind that Edwin might not be into girls. It also crossed his mind what that would mean for a guy growing up a hundred years ago – hell, Charles knew that things weren't that much better in his time. Queer folks were dying left and right and most people didn't care. Some people, like his father, celebrated it. So yeah, he got why Edwin wouldn't outright say he was swinging the other way. However, over the decades, Charles did get the impression that Edwin wasn't swinging at all. There had never been a tiny crush on a client or even just a lingering look on a fit bloke walking by.
So yes, witnessing Edwin get flustered by the Cat King or going on walks with Monty had been ... unnerving. The Cat King as well as Monty had a tendency to remove Edwin from Charles proximity and he did not care for it one bit.
But then there was Edwins confession that punched the phantom air out of Charles. That turned everything upside down and put Edwin in a completely different light. Apparently, he swung after all, and Charles didn't know what to do with that information. So he told him the only thing he knew for certain at the time. That he loved him. And everything else they would figure out for the rest of their afterlives.
Well, there hadn't been much figuring out going on in the past few months. With the whole Esther Finch debacle in which they nearly lost Niko, the whole thing with the Lost and Found Department, restructuring the agency around the two mortal women and the infernal trans-dimensional being joining them, new cases and a bunch of avoidance on Charles part, they hadn't really talked about it. Things weren't weird between them, at least after some starting difficulties that had Edwin spend a lot more time hanging out with Niko instead of at the office. Especially when Crytal was there. But things had mellowed out and Charles was content in never touching a running system.
But now, he realized the mellowing was due to Edwin apparently deciding it was time to move on. And Charles didn't know what to do with that either other than looking at Edwin like he was crazy for even considering a bloody courtship with the wanker who trapped them in Port Townsend.
“Charles!” Crystal grasped him by the back of his jacket and maneuvered him a few steps away from Edwin. Which was ludicrous. Because Edwin obviously felt unsure and needed Charles closer, not farther away. But Crystals patented class A bitch look kept him at bay as she walked up to Edwin herself. Her voice was very gentle as she spoke to him. “Are you considering this, Edwin? It’s okay if you are.”
“It’s not-”
“Shut it, Charles! We are talking about what Edwin wants, right now. Not what you think he should want.” Charles snapped his mouth shut, feeling thoroughly chided. She was right. Whatever he thought, this wasn’t about him.
Before Edwin could gather his thoughts enough to answer, Niko chimed in: “I have a question: What does courting even mean, exactly?”
The question broke Edwin out of his stupor – he had knowledge to impart, so he did. “Back when I was alive it was a series of societal rituals used to find a spouse, especially in the upper classes. You would talk and dance at social functions. Spend time in many different ways, see if you find each other agreeable.”
“So it was like… dating, but for rich old-timey people?”
“I guess so… Yes. Although it was a lot less about finding love and more about finding a suitable partner to secure a good economical and social union.”
“Sounds like Bridgerton.” Niko smiled in a way that told Charles that whatever ‘Bridgerton’ was, it was most likely over the top and explicit, just the way Niko liked her media. “Oh, Edwin, where you like... royalty or something?”
Edwin gave Niko a small smile – Charles was quite sure he would have received a bitchy eye-roll had he had asked the same question. He would not ask anyway, since he pretty much learned in their first two weeks together, that Edwin wasn't keen on talking about his life. But Niko didn't seem to foster any such tact and Edwin indulged her like she was a darling little girl asking for candy. “No. However, my father was a high-ranking officer and thus welcome in most circles of the upper class.”
“So you wouldn’t have been called like… Lord Payne or something, then? I think that would suit you… Lord Panye.” Nikos smile turned dreamy.
Edwin chuckled lowly. “No, certainly no Lord Payne. I was simply ‘Payne’ or ‘Edwin’ to my peers. Well...” He frowned. “They prefered to call me other names I shall not repeat in the company of ladies.”
“And did you ever, like, court a lady when you were alive? I guess you wouldn’t have courted a boy back then…”
“Never. I was quite too young and there wasn’t much courting in a boys boarding school. Although we sometimes had dances with an all-girls school.” He looked over to Charles, his previous overstimulation forgotten in favour of clinging to something way easier to talk about. “I think that school was still there when you were alive. Did you still have those dances?”
Charles shrugged. “Yeah, there was this whole spring formal thing. Proper boring, to be frank.”
“Well, I always enjoyed dancing quite a bit.”
Niko took a step closer, grinning at Edwin. “And? Do you want to dance with the Cat King? And court him and all that?”
“Well …” Edwin cleared his throat and smoothed out his jumper. “It is certainly a … a flattering proposal. I can’t really say I was expecting anything of the sort. I thought our last conversation laid everything between us to rest. However… He seems to be genuine. And I don’t know if I have it in my heart to reject his more civilized advances.”
Crystals brows rose and she crossed her arms with a fierce look in her eye, reminding Charles why he had fancied her so much when they met. “You know, you don’t have to go out with a guy because you don’t want to hurt his feelings, right?”
Edwin nodded primly. “Right.”
“So … are you into him?”
Edwin considered this way too long for Charles taste. Then he simply said: “He fascinates me.”
It would’ve been easier if he had just bashed Charles head in with his own cricket bat.
Crystal grinned brightly and Niko made some sweet cooing sound. As the girls gathered around a puzzled Edwin and encouraged him to send a note to the Cat Kings hotel, Charles sat down on their dusty couch and stared into the middle distance. He only came out of his stupor, when he heard his name in the midst of Crystal asking if Edwin wanted her to accompany him on his first outing with the Cat King. “Charles is right, you know, even if the whole chaperone thing is stupidly antiquated. I don’t fully trust that cat, it might be better if you weren’t alone with him, at least in the beginning.”
“Well, it would be perfectly proper to have a friend accompany us–”
“I’ll do it!” The three turned to Charles, who gave his best effort to give a confident grin. “I’ll be your chaperone, mate. No big deal. You can have your little date and I’ll watch your back.” And the Cat Kings hands. And other relevant body parts.
Edwin looked like he wanted to protest, but Crystal nodded. “Great, if that will keep Charles from going crazy about all of this, then that’s settled. Congratulations on your very first courtship, Edwin. What could possibly go wrong?” It was always unnerving to hear such a thing from a psychic.
That evening, as the girls left, things became unnaturally quiet in the office. Charles was used to quiet when it came to Edwin. He could spend days not saying a word while deeply invested in his research. And there was the companionable quiet of them doing their daily tasks. Amiacably sitting near each other, not talking, just being in each others space as they worked – Edwin at his desk, Charles on the floor, the sofa or wherever his body took him in order to concentrate. This silence, however, was different. It made Charles skin crawl. He sat on the desk, watching Edwin sort through the post. The quiet was so loud. After a while, Charles couldn’t take it any longer. “So you’re being courted. What does that even mean?”
Edwin stilled, his hand in the middle of putting a letter on one of his organized piles, but he didn’t look up. In the low light, Charles could faintly guess at the rosy veil on his pale face. “I’m not quite sure. This is a unique situation, very unlike the kind of courting I knew when I was alive. But like I explained to Niko earlier, it basically means… dating. Much like you would today. Although my contemporaries had a stricter set rules. Like having a chaperone, to protect a lady’s modesty.” At this point, he finally looked up to Charles, a bit of a pinched expression on his face. “As you seem to be aware of.”
“Look, mate, if you don’t want me to tag along, just say the word. I don’t want to intrude. I’m just… I worry about you.”
There was a slight smile now playing around the corners of Edwins mouth. “You usually do.”
Charles grinned at him. “Kinda my job, innit?”
“It’s not. But that’s beside the point.” Edwin finally put down the letter, his fingers tapping on it as he formulated his explanation. “Courtship used to involve outings in public. Presents. Letters. And tended to end in hopefully advantageous unions for both parties.” He furrowed his brow. “Although I don’t think it always was quite that harmonious.”
“Not a lot of love there, was it?”
“There were love matches, certainly. But the higher you were in the economic taxonomy, the more probable it was for you to marry for profit. Or to marry for convenience.”
“So … this whole courtship with the Cat King…” Charles began carefully. He didn’t really want to hear the answer to his question – but he needed to. “The end goal is… marriage?”
Edwin fully laughed at that and shook his head. “Charles, I am not as naive as you seem to believe me to be in this matter. I am quite aware that the Cat King is a trickster who became obsessed with something he couldn’t have. Still, maybe that’s not that bad. I never expected a love match when I was alive either, for obvious reasons. If he wants to court me and play nice … maybe it’s time for me to give things a try. He’s gonna get bored with me eventually and I’m going to gather a few grand memories along the way.”
“Oi! Don’t say things like that.” Charles grabbed his shoulders, looking at Edwin intently. He hated that Edwin would consider anything other than the best for himself. “No one could get bored of you, mate. That’s why the Cat King is here in London, chasing your tail.”
Edwin raised a brow. “So you would prefer it if he was completely serious and intended to woo me into matrimony?”
“Well–… NO!” Charles cringed at the sudden image he had of the Cat King and Edwin in matching white suits, holding hands in Westminster Abbey. “But he better be bloody serious and then take it like a champ once you dump him.”
Edwin chuckled and shook his head. “If you say so. But I’m serious, Charles. It’s alright with me to give this whole thing a chance, even though I know it won’t amount to anything serious. As you know I only quite recently became aware of some things about myself. Things I wouldn't mind ... exploring in a manner that feels safe and familiar.”
Charles eyes widened and he pointed a stern finger at Edwin. “Oi, there won't be any exploring going on, right? Not on my watch.”
Edwin raised a brow, looking up at him through his lashes. “I would very much prefer you not to watch anyway, although I am sure the Cat King wouldn't mind.”
Charles sputtered and his mind went curiously blank. He must've lost a minute there, because in one moment, Edwin had been sitting right beside him, looking at him with, what Charles could only describe as a teasing smirk. The next, he had already sauntered smoothly around Charles frozen form, to settle on their couch with his new book. Rolling up his sleeves. Opening the topmost button of his collar.
“Well ...” Charles had to stop for a moment, concerned at how high-pitched that first word had been. He cleared his throat and tried again, somewhat more successful. “We are definitely picking up your self-defense lessons again if you want to hang out with that tosser.”
Edwin sighed, not looking up from his book. “Why would I, when I am sure you will be right behind me with your bat?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of that cursed crowbar we picked up during The Case Of The Rotten Mechanic in '98.”
“I can never really tell if you are kidding, when you are like this.”
“I'm not!” Charles stood, pointing at Edwin. “You want to promenade with a bloody beast diety? You better think I'm busting out the big guns.” And with that, he walked into their closet, to look for the crowbar – Edwin didn't allow him to carry it with him in his backpack since the Molten Face Debacle of '99. Charles only popped out his head once more, as a pressing question arose in his mind. “Edwin?” The other boy didn't look up from his book, only humming in acknowledgment. “What the fuck is a promenade?”