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The Start to Reconciliation

Once again, LittleBadWolf was available on short notice for this incredible piece illustrating this story, back in January of 2024. There were a few lingering plot threads to resolve, one of them being the relationship between Edmund and Azurium.

The Case of the Titan Syndicate drew ever closer to its end with this.

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“Good work today, Bartholomew.” The commander, a lithe, wiry rabbitkin with a bow and quiver strapped to his back, wearing tanned leathers, spoke to the newest captain of the Magistum City Ranger Corp.

Following up his salute with a polite bow, Azurium replied to the praise. “Thank you, sir.”

Putting his hand up to stop the tigerkin, the commander politely reprimanded him. “I keep telling you. There’s no need for all the pomp and circumstance. We have a clear chain of command, but we’re rangers, not the army you’re used to.”

“Sorry, sir. Force of habit.” He stood up straight with a bashful, apologetic grin, gently rubbing the back of his neck. Though the commander was just over half Azurium’s height, he still had the air of authority that came from long years and experience working to maintain the city’s ecosystem, and the old titan could sense that.

But as the tigerkin was quickly coming to grips with, the experience and skill his boss had earned did nothing to dull his good nature, nor sense of humor. Unlike his old superiors back in the Oplentian army, this one had no problem letting out a chuckle in front of his subordinates.

“It’s quite alright. We’ll break you in eventually. But for now, you’re good. See you tomorrow.”

“Have a good night. And sir?”

Raising his eyebrow at the implied question, the hare motioned for him to continue. “Yes, Bartholomew?”

“If we’re okay with bein’ less formal, could you call me ‘Az’? It’s what I’d prefer.”

“Sure, Az. I’ll make a note. And good night to you too.”

The two of them both waved each other off as the rookie captain exited the office, heading through the lobby to the entrance of the Ranger Corp headquarters just inside the city wall. When Azurium first took the job, he was shocked to learn that the men and women posted at the city gates were rangers, not guards. Rather than keep the “wrong” people out as he’d done in a previous life, their responsibility was to make sure travelers and citizens could find their way to safety.

While the change in assignment brought him joy, this was one of his evenings off and he knew that the other rangers were more than adept enough to handle things. And yet, that meant there was free time he didn’t know what to do with.

At least, not until his standard-issue communicator started beeping. When he saw who it was from, a tear started to form in his eye, one he quickly wiped away.

“Ed?”

Following the instructions laid out for him, Azurium quickly found his way to one of the Greens, recreation areas placed across the city where citizens can relax or play surrounded by nature’s bounty. As the message stated, Edmund was sitting by himself on one of the benches, with a chessboard laid out in front of him, waiting for a game to start.

“Son?”

“Dad?”

The two of them stared at each other, Edmund sat on the bench and his father stood upright. Both of them, enhanced by Volpes’s titan formula, had the sensory perception to detect the subtleties in each other’s behavior. Normally, this would make it easy for both of them to read how they felt, but the complicated and nuanced mixture of emotions was difficult to wade through.

Eventually, Edmund broke the silence. “Are ya just gonna stand there? C’mon. Have a seat.”

It was enough to break the old man out of his stunned silence. He spoke as he took his seat across the table.

“I just… I didn’t think we’d ever talk like this again.”

“Fuck off, old man. You left me. You don’t get tah feel self-pity!” Even Edmund himself was stunned at how cold he sounded to his own ears.

“I… I suppose yer right.” The father held his head down, unable to defend himself.

“No. No, I’m sorry. It’s just complicated.” Though both of them knew it was difficult, Azurium could feel the sincerity in the way his son was trying to cheer him back up. “Look. I ain’t about to just pretend like all of it never happened, dad. But I want to try to move past it. Figured the first step would be a game. Y’know, like we used to.”

Of the many jobs that Azurium took in his long career, being a father was the only one he had ever truly failed at. That was then, and now he was being offered a second chance.

He would not repeat the mistakes of his past. A smile crossed his face as he resolved himself.

“You’re on. I see you’ve already taken black.”

Was that a chuckle coming from his son? “Yup. White’s always first. Make yer move.”

And the game was on. They took turns, moving their pieces on the board. The old officer’s skill had not dulled during his time as both a guard captain and revolutionary, drawing first blood as he captured a pawn. It was, unfortunately for him, a feint.

Though he couldn’t bring himself to be upset by it. “I’m glad that you’re still playing, Ed. And you’re even better now than you were back then.”

Looking at the board, contemplating his tactics while his father made the next move, he opened up. “The chess club meets on the reg. I like tah show up fer a few rounds when I can. Even got Morty to go once, but he’s not a fan.”

The elder tigerkin cocked his eyebrow. “Morty?”

Realizing his mistake, Edmund elaborated. “My boyfriend, dad. He’s dah guy who helped me settle in when I first got here, and we kinda hit it off.”

“Is he good to you?” The question nearly took Edmund off guard as his father moved his knight forward. Almost, but not quite.

“He’s the best thing that ever happened tah me.”

“Good.”

As the match continued, Edmund slowly, surely began to gain the advantage, eventually leading to-

“Checkmate, dad. That’s game.”

Looking at the board, Azurium couldn’t hide his surprise. “You were always a quick learner, but I didn’t realize I had gotten so rusty.”

A smirk crossed the younger tigerkin’s features. “Ya didn’t. Picked up a few tricks from Teac- Professor Rabrandt.”

“Figures the Great Detective plays.” Azurium shook his head as he started mentally filling in the gaps.

“Kinda. You should ask him more about it if yer curious.”

“Maybe I will. If he can teach you, maybe he can teach me.”

“Doubt it.” The reply was given without missing a beat.

The soldier tilted his head in confusion. “What do ya mean by that, son?”

“You’ll see. It’s a surprise. But this was fun. Wanna make this a thing again, Dad?”

It was Azurium’s turn to be caught off guard. “Ed… Yes. Yes, of course!”

“Then shoot me yer schedule and I’ll figure out a good time.” He motioned to his communicator, and his father nodded.

“And Ed. Thanks for this. I know this is hard on you-”

With an outstretched hand, Edmund interrupted the train of thought. “Dad. Stop. We can’t move on if we’re gonna keep reliving it.”

“You’re right. Of course you’re right. In that case, I’ll see ya next time.”

“You too. Until then, old man.”

Both of them gave each other a sincere, understated smile, before heading off in opposite directions. Working his way back to the Rehabilitation Center, Azurium looked to the sky. He reflected, not just on his time as a loving father, but before.

“Our boy’s all grown up, Clara. And he’s a fine young man at that. You’d’ve been so proud of him.”