Backbone II: Scourge

LIBERATION

CHAPTER V - LIBERATION

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Following ten hours of consistent slumber as well as the dawn of the morning routine, Howard and Renee both initially awoke much closer to one another than they had remembered. Renee had been the first one to notice as her morning routine consisted of using the bathroom, having a brief shower inside of the facilities provided long before Howard awoke himself before searching through the documents.

Meanwhile, Howard had merely mumbled a gentle "Good morning, Renee," to his partner in crime before dozing off to sleep once more. Fortunately for Renee, her companion would soon find himself awakening mainly due to the brightly shining sunrise which blanketed the room as well as blew out the windows, lighting up virtually everything as the lights inside of Howard's room finally shut off from their dim state.

As he rolled over from his left side, he found himself surprisingly comfortable since being taken off painkillers in the middle of the night by Caresworth. Naturally, Renee was already busy working on the case and had yet to peer back at Howard for her minutely check-in. The more she scanned the documents whilst rubbing her eyes and attempting to fixate her gaze, the more she found herself mystified by the contents and the exact nature of their intentions.

Before his eyes, he was greeted by a vixen who was wearing her forest green suit with its golden buttons like always. Not only that, there was a disturbing lack of medical equipment hooked up to his chest like there had been the last couple of days. For once, he was laying there, his robe mostly shed off by the fidgeting of the night alongside his more permanently standing bandages wrapped around the top part of his shoulders and neck cleanly.

For once, he found himself confident with his form yet he didn't wish to be all too inappropriate around Renee. Ironically enough, his first action was to bring his robe back over his chest after it had been in her view for a long time. He wasn't exactly proud of his outfit, considering a mere cotton robe which was royal blue was the only thing he had known for the past week; at least it wasn't all too uncomfortable or scratchy against his fur.

His eyes shimmered and fluttered several times as the jade pot housing the rose he had come to know and love eclipsed none other than Renee's face with its foreshadowing nature as he shook his head, fully drawing Renee's attention. Not wishing to procrastinate for too long and in need of using the restroom as well as brushing his teeth, he lifted himself up with the same familiar grace that Renee had come to know and love about him as he waddled forward; letting off a stretch before he continued on his great pursuit of cleanliness.

"Good morning, Howie. Did you rest well?" She greeted him with a rather simple question as he wandered into the bathroom, closing the door for most of the way as he gave her question some thought.

"Actually, I think this is the best I've slept in years. I don't know, something about the company is relieving... I guess it cures my insomnia or something. Hold on, I'm gonna shut up for a second 'cause it feels inappropriate of me to talk whilst using the commode," Being the multitasker that he was, he also leaned over to the hospital-issued toothpaste alongside the nearby sink, soaking the bristles before drenching it with toothpaste as he shoved it in his mouth.

"Classy as always," Renee quipped, taking time to finally stretch herself out as the clicking of her bones alerted Howard from within the confines of his relief zone.

"Jee, ever tried stretching or yoga once in a while?" He remarked, seemingly returning to his same witty self. Or, at the very least, returning to the style of attitude that Renee had known him for carrying atop his shoulders other than him having a mildly gentlemanly side.

"Huh, never been into it. I guess I'm not one for compromising stretch moves, plus I don't know what I'm doing. If you're suggesting yoga then I assume you know your fair share of exercises, right?" She replied, clicking her pen against her notepad several times as Howard finished brushing his teeth.

"Uh, I used to be an amateur. As it turns out, I'm not really into the spiritually awakening part of it as much as I am into the thought of not feeling like I could slip over and feel my body collapse faster than a skyscraper made from hay. I know a few basic exercises, it might be interesting to teach you some of them when we get out of here," He soon finished his business, flushing the laventry before emerging under the glow of the morning sun. "I've never really been the type for views but I will admit, this is the one thing I am most likely going to miss about the place... That and that sandalwood incense they use which probably costs too much to get for my own home," Howard took a moment to bathe in the glory offered by the warm summer sun blending together with the mildly air conditioned environment which was his hospital room all before turning to Renee with a blissful smile staining his face.

"I think they have some in Granville, I believe they're housed in a store a few blocks down from where The Bite is. Clarissa's payments are ludicrously large to say the least and I wouldn't mind assisting you with getting back on your feet," Howard swiftly lost his smile, deadpanning and letting off a dismayed sigh. "I know, you probably just want to get back to your life and get back to being an independent detective but at least let me buy you something as well as pay your rent for a bit," Renee offered, to which Howard begrudgingly accepted that without Renee's support, he would've been dead a long time ago or depressed; most likely both.

"I know you're being kind and all but I'm not really... Used to all of that. I'm not used to anyone having my back or working with me so I apologise if I suck at repaying you later down the line," Howard wandered over to his drawer, which is where he found his trench coat and its accompanying clothes.

"Awh, Howie. You don't have to concern yourself with repaying me, consider it an act of good will or a gift, if you will," Renee attempted to reassure him, which only further cast him further into a pit of doubt.

"I'm still thinking about how I'm going to repay you for saving my ass that night I ended up face down in a soggy puddle with blood pouring from my nose, I'm not exactly the type of guy who has a favour handed to him and forgets it. I don't think any guy truthfully forgets a favour unless they're snorting Monkeybutt or sniffing ape ass," Howard noticed that his trench coat alongside clothes had been replaced with identical replicas, which was probably for the better considering his prior situation. "Huh, looks like my clothes have been replaced... Hold on, is there a suit in here? Whoa. Who got this for me?" Renee played a beat against her lap a few times as she whistled whilst staring off into the abyss all the while Howard furled his brow.

"Sorry, I couldn't just let you leave naked. Your clothes were completely ruined. We went back to search your apartment for clothes but we found identical trench coats, undershirts and jeans. I decided to get you something nice as I was compulsively shopping at the time. I... Didn't know whether or not you'd make it out alive and I will admit, I started questioning fate itself for a while," Renee felt herself becoming a little too in tune with her emotions for a second as her sincere gaze morphed to one of sorrow. "I-I don't even know how to explain the whole deal with Clarissa- I just- reacted and-"

"Relax, Renee. You haven't got anything to worry about. Listen, I don't know what you went through entirely, and I doubt you're an open and shut case to talk to emotionally. However, the one thing that I've figured out between us and this crazy world that we live in is the fact we finally found someone who truthfully cares for us. You made a deal regardless of its nature because you'd see me alive again and I cannot truly, you know, thank you enough for that... Damn, I really suck at this whole emotions thing, don't I?" Oh, Howard, wise and brutally honest as always through his dry perspective of life.

"Are you disappointed in the decision I made? To, you know, work with the butcher and put us on her payroll to guarantee your survival? Was it selfish of me to hunt you down and to revive you from the clutches of death..? - Shit! I don't know, Howard! It feels like I made a regrettable decision here I-" Renee instantly felt her mouth snap shut as Howard brought his arms around her, allowing his warmth to envelop her whilst she felt a quiet sense of peace fall over her. Although shaken and frozen in place, her soul very clearly melted into it and her mind was filled with nothing but tranquillity and resolve.

"Listen, I didn't have a lot to live for before you came along. I was handling misdemeanours, people cheating on their wives, the occasional grand theft auto. Most of these people I worked for were on the spectrum of evil at some point... Like, who the fuck doesn't go to the police when they had their expensive car stolen unless it was stolen itself or something. I'm used to working with people who see me as a slave, you're one of the first people who actually came along and treated me like... An equal? Knowing I got to wake up and see your emerald eyes worrying over me was all I needed to see to forgive anything that came from this, and part of me suspected that a deal had to be made to bring me back to life from the beginning," Howard reassured Renee with his sweet whispers as she sat there, frozen in place, unable to move her arms. "I never had anyone but myself to depend on, now I have you to lean on the same way that I'd let you lean on me. We're in this together, as friends, as partners... I wouldn't go too far just yet considering we've got a lot of lost time to make up for but as Anatoly would say, usually it's a recipe for a little something-something but I'm not going to push it," He soon pulled away from his hug, merely patting Renee on the head as he lifted himself up from his position.

"Man, I still feel bad for Anatoly but that memory is blurred. That dude was like, one of my closest friends- if not my closest friend. I guess it hasn't really hit me yet," He reminisced as he lifted his stacked clothes up onto the bed before carrying it into the bathroom. "I promise not to be too long, I just need to wash up a little bit, reapply the bandages and get changed... Then we can think about relaxing until it's time to check out."

"Need some help with wrapping your bandages, partner?" Renee inquired, still somewhat shaken by the warming embrace alongside the comfort that Howard's hug gave her.

"Let me wash up first and then you can think about it. I'm not about to give you an excuse to see me butt naked when we're trying to keep things as formal as possible," Howard's voice echoed from within the bathroom once more as Renee was left to contemplate her feelings upon exclaiming an "Understood!" from atop her own bed.

Not wishing to be a liability, Renee soon occupied herself with folding up her own bed to her own ability as well as continuously searching through the rest of the documents that she had organised. Knowing full well that she'd be taking the day off to tend to Howard as well as finally amuse herself with some leisure for the first time in who knows how long, she confidently folded up the documents and placed them back in her briefcase.

However, her peace as well as her relatively productive routine was not destined to last considering following the making of Howard's bed, the ringing of the phone pierced through her ears as she rushed to answer it. At first, she felt as if she had been set up or made a fool out of considering nothing but crackles emerged from the other side all before none other than Science City's top experimentalist cracked through the line.

"Who am I speaking to?" Eddie's youthfulness clearly had seen better days and that was amplified even further by the fact he sounded as if he'd been unearthed from a pyramid. It was clear thanks to the slurring of his words alone that he was tired as well as had neglected sleep for the past forty-eight hours.

"Renee Wilson, this is Edd, right?" Renee confidently answered back as Eddie physically widened his jaw from across the line. "Enlighten me as to why you're calling, please."

"I'm informing you that Belle is ascending the elevator as of this very moment and is determined to assess Howard, his wounds as well as his psychological capacity for one final time until he checks out of the medical establishment. It also saddens me to announce that in spite of all scientific processes, we were unable to study the effects of The Artifact as the data mysteriously vanished from our terminals-"

"Wait... So you're saying you put Howard through those barbaric experiments only to have your scientific results vanish alongside The Artifact itself? And you're calling it unfortunate?" Renee was irate upon hearing such savagery accompanied by a clear lack of moral judgement.

"Well, the scientific data would've assisted us with determining the effects such specimens have on individuals if they are to be directly possessed by them. I also do not consider these experiments barbaric considering they were conducted as humanely as possible," Eddie replied, further infuriating Renee with his senselessness. "It is unfortunate that we lost this information considering we are now at square one with The Artifacts and their counterparts. We are relieved to see that Howard is alive and well, but we are saddened by the sudden vanishing of information pertaining to his condition of suffrage in the first place."

"May I remind you that you're talking about an animal with emotions as well as a life here that you're regarding as a guinea pig and an experiment? Do you understand how much that man has been through and yet you continue to harass him like this? The fact that your experiments were all for nothing only proves how truly immoral you are. Boohoo, you lost your experimental material. We all lose things. Perhaps you should think twice about experimenting on so-called specimens and instead regard their feelings, you sound like you could do so yourself-"

"May I remind you this man held me at gunpoint and insisted that I show him The Artifact?" Eddie fired back, enraged by Renee's harsh way of illustrating the truth. "It's truthfully his fault, you, him and that case. If our scientific processes had been left undisturbed, we would've never been put in this situation to begin with. Also, I was enlightened as to the nature of your scrap with Belle. You best not let that happen again, Renee."

"Or what? You'd dare tie me up in a chair and experiment against me? You know, I would understand if Belle, your rabbit lover, would love that sort of foreplay but that's not for me. Sorry, Edd, your threats are empty as well as unjustified; she had it coming to her anyways. If you want a lesson in composure then allow me to restrain myself when Belle walks in here shortly to assess Howard," The rage that festered within both individuals could have snapped and prompted an earthquake thanks to the amount of power behind both perspectives. "Also, before you douse your nonsense over my mind, just be informed that working in Science City doesn't guarantee your immortality. One could make the argument that your facility was insecure and that's how Howard became infected or possessed by The Artifact. If that case ever reaches the press, your career is over. I suggest you cooperate with your overlords or risk having the strings on your measly career pulled, got it?"

"I-I-I... I understand," Eddie unleashed a sigh of defeat as he felt himself drained of his dignity. "We cannot afford to have private inspectors assess our testing facilities. Our funding is awful and we've been trying to get by using makeshift holding centres for a while now," He elaborated, attempting to hide the fact that he was very much guilty for intentionally allowing Howard passageway into The Artifact's chamber without accompanying him.

"Then I suggest you keep your muzzle shut regarding your empty threats. It's been a torturous experience speaking with you, Eddie. I expect to see Belle shortly but let us hope we don't come into contact with one another again," Renee hastily hung up the phone shortly thereafter, turning her attention to the tall door standing between the room alongside the corridor outside as she sought to close her briefcase. "Let's just hope that Belle doesn't do anything too irrational, I already have enough justification to turn her into a jacket," She bitterly remarked, witnessing the door open to reveal none other than Belle herself.

"N-now now! I'm not here to cause any trouble! I-I'm uh- just here to- ahem- assess Howard for the final time and I shall be out of your hair until tomorrow," Belle's entire body shook in response to Renee's presence as the irascible vixen halted her with her paw wrapped in white and coated in crimson.

"Take a seat, I'll inform him that you're here and get him out of the shower," Renee did her best to play ball with Belle, she didn't wish to frighten her to the point where she was too intimidated to do her job. Meanwhile, she averted her gaze and instead knocked on the washroom door, eventually poking her head inside to hear Howard whistling.

"Hey, Howie! Sorry for intruding on your private matters but Belle's here to assess you. I suggest making your shower quick so you can get out here once you're done," Renee politely informed Howard as he merely stuck a thumbs up from beneath the curtains.

"Wonderful, the woman responsible for experimenting on me now wishes to assess me in depth when I'm insanely close to earning my freedom. I'll be out in a few," Howard dryly responded, putting an end to his shower and soon climbing out, destined to dry himself up as well as dress up in the snazziest outfit possible.

"He'll be out in a few minutes. I'm going to read a newspaper and I don't want to hear a sound from you unless absolutely necessary, got it?" Belle nodded, understanding that she wished for her hide to be spared until another day as Renee sat on the edge of Howard's empty bed whilst entertaining herself via reading the wacky headlines contained inside of the newspaper.

"Renee... Why do you have a problem with me, exactly? You do realise that my interest in Howard's health lines up with your own desires, right? What's with the cold shoulder and the attitude?" With Renee in a docile state, Belle attempted to open up about the mistreatment she'd been forced to put up with primarily due to Renee's emotions. "I know I did some experiments that are regrettable but I didn't harm him in any sort of way, if anything, I came close to being harmed when Howard had the opportunity to knock me out yet instead chose to be a gentleman and to merely plead with me for the keys."

"You know what? Part of me believes the gentlemanly part of your story but I have a feeling you're downplaying the nature of your experiments. Experimentation is inhumane, Belle. I have a tremendous amount of mistrust for what you scientists do yet respect for unearthing some of the things that should've remained buried; I just don't respect you in particular due to your rather short-sighted way of viewing things in life, especially those who you're experimenting on who wield personalities yet you label them as specimens," Renee shot back, already dealing with enough considering Belle dared to speak against her personal wishes.

"I'm just trying to get to the bottom of why that thing jumped onto Howard to begin with, let alone how it managed to excavate itself from him after seemingly running out of resources to syphon. One thing I have yet to have explained to me was how Eddie was able to construct a grenade and weapon capable enough of atomising its mere lifeform, that's something I'm interested in above all else yet I am attempting to solve each mystery one at a time."

"I just don't understand why you insist on inspecting Howard. Are you hoping that it'll just magically manifest and that you can continue your barbaric assessments? Your buddy informed us that your information about The Artifact has long been disintegrated quite like its lifeform for an unknown reason. You have no reason to be here other than to allow your own curiosity to enslave you," Renee's ears fluttered in irritation as she readjusted her grip on her newspaper. "When he gets out, I want you to be considerate and I don't wish to see any mediaeval weapons of destruction appear from the confines of your pockets, got it?"

"They're only basic assessment tools. I'm more or less here to say my final goodbyes as well, at least until Monday considering we're destined to meet once more then-"

"Unfortunately," Renee concluded her conversation with her adversary by merely letting off a snarl, considering the fact that she was almost six foot tall; she was able to get away with that sort of treatment without people questioning her authority due to height being a fairly compelling and commanding force.

"Hey, Renee? Is it a good idea to keep my shirt on or should I worry about putting it on later? I mean, Belle wants to do some sort of examination, right?" Renee felt as if she was being teased by the mere prospect of witnessing Howard's shirtless form outside of the hospital bed.

"Are you asking that question because you lost your common sense or are you genuinely curious? It's probably best to keep your shirt off."

"At least you're willing to admit to that cleanly," Howard soon burst out from the bathroom with his fur still somewhat humid thanks to the shower as a wave of steam followed him. With his muscles relatively relaxed, he frisked his hand against the lightswitch and took a seat next to Renee. Following that, Belle ascended from her chair and immediately scanned the scars that lined his shoulders. "I know, it's probably not the most flattering sight in the world but hey, a guy can occasionally rock out with his shirt off whilst looking stylish," He joked as Renee frantically attempted to lose eye contact with Howard or at the very least, peer away from his form as she was admittedly feeling herself getting a little hot under the waistline at the sight of such magnificence. One thing Renee wondered above all else was how on earth he balanced a fine line between being chiselled as well as being subtle about it.

"Your wounds are healing up remarkably nicely, Mr. Lotor. Do not stress, this isn't an assessment that involves some strange test or biopsy, I'm just here to assess the stitching and to determine if you'll ever need to be examined by the science team again," In Renee's mind, she was wondering whether or not she should genuinely gut Belle and turn her into a fur coat at that point as she was thoroughly convinced she was attempting to get a direct feel of Howard's body without being weird about it. "Mhm... Okay... Interesting, very interesting. Raise your arms up for me... Wonderful. Twist to your left side, uh huh... And the right side? - Well done. I cannot take any samples of your fur nor your skin, it is already growing back remarkably quickly and I do not wish to interrupt the healing process. Whatever logged results we have demonstrates that your skin is healing as expected, as if nothing was ever attached to your body which is most likely for the better. I am not a doctor, I am a scientist. I cannot truly analyse everything," Belle awkwardly paused as she eyed up Howard's scarred ear.

"How did you lose the ear?" She attempted to make small-talk, which only made Howard even more uncomfortable considering the fact he wasn't too optimistic about his past. "You were wounded pretty badly, I can tell by the molecular structure that you had part of this surgically corrected... The whole of your ear could not be reconstructed but part of it could be, what sort of incident caused this? I am interested because your wounds' origin points seem rather precise."

"Oh, uh, that? Not my proudest moment, I won't lie to you there. I got into a scrap with one of Larry's ex-boyfriends... University was a mess mentally, physically and sexually for me. There was a rumour floating around that I was dating Larry, and I will admit; I am bi so that's plausible but we were just really good friends. Turns out, his dickhead ex didn't like the thought of me spending a lot of his time with his former lover, ambushed me and stripped me of one of my ears in a back alley. Larry fought him off and won, he tended to my wounds, I visited the hospital and they did their best. If you're wondering how he cut me, it was with a pair of scissors from art class, that's why the line is pretty clean cut," Howard honestly responded, offering some insight as to his wound. "What's it to you?"

"I could probably bring together a team and have your ear surgically reconstructed and operational to its fullest extent. It's a relatively new technology and I think you would be an ideal candidate for it," Belle chipperly stated, which is when none other than Renee opposed her with a slight growl from the confines of her throat.

"I would appreciate that opportunity but I kindly decline. I actually don't mind missing part of my ear, it's not like it's damaged me anatomically. Plus, I'm not exactly looking for beauty to attract a woman. Besides, I'm enough of a mess on the inside for that stuff. I think the fact that one of my ears partially missing warns everyone that I was a little bit irresponsible and I paid the price for it. It's sort of become part of who I am, like a note that you'd write on your fridge that stays with you through fridges; it's a scar that stays with you for life and reminds you of a lesson you learned," Yet again, he surprised both Renee and Belle with his insightful abilities as Belle backed up from analysing him.

"Well, I can understand that and I respect your opinion. I won't press you on the matter, it's clear that you have quite the sentimental reason as to why you wish for your ear to stay that way. However, the same offer goes for any unsightly scars that stay with you once you heal nicely. It may not be a surgical procedure but I am curious to see how it goes-"

"Curiosity is not justification for your experiments. He said no," Renee warned, to which Howard backed his partner up.

"Renee's right, Belle. I appreciate that you're trying to lend me a helping hand and I am pretty sure that you had mercy on me when you performed your experiments considering I am alive and not horribly disfigured... But I'm done being an experiment. I had a solid four-day date with whatever that thing was that stripped me of my energy and tried to break away with my soul. You've done all that you can do, the best thing for us to say now is goodbye," Howard was confident in his statement, raising his hand to shake Belle's own. "Thank you for everything, Belle. Goodbye," There was no sentiment behind his expression as he shook his hand, if anything, it was rather blank; as if his spirit alone was able to remember the experience even if his mind forbade him from doing so.

"Farewell, Belle. Let us hope we meet again under far more favourable circumstances," Renee refused to shake Belle's hand, instead waving it away as Belle made a break for the exit carrying nothing more than her clipboard filled with her logged information. "Sorry if I seemed a little controlling there, I just really don't like her."

"Credit where credit's due for honesty, Renee. Now, I hate to be a pest but I could do with some assistance. I can't wrap my bandages fully by myself as I'm a little stiff and I need to be careful of the stitches, I was hoping you could help me out a bit?" The anxious raccoon was never given the sort of stability nor assurance that asking for help wouldn't result in him being looked down upon as a weakling before Renee showed up and it showed inside of the delicate trembles of uncertainty that slipped through alongside his words.

"Alright, I'll wrap you up but only because it gets us out of here sooner rather than later," Despite being awake for a grand total of two days, Howard was already vaguely grasping the ability and power Clarissa has to read people considering he saw through Renee's ruse. If anything, she enjoyed the fact that she was able to assist Howard compassionately and lovingly as she delicately wrapped bandages around his shoulders before he slipped on his shirt as well as his trench coat. "There we go, all dressed and ready to go! Now, I think it's time we said farewell to this place, wouldn't you agree?" Despite wielding a rigid exterior, Renee had quite the way with passion and softness on the inside as she tucked her arm around Howard's own to guide him; to accompany him on his victory walk.

"Truer words have not been spoken, Renee. Let's get the hell out of here," With her briefcase now by her side as well as Howard's bed fully made, his assessments concluded for the day and his optimism shooting through the roof, Howard made his way out of his ward door for the very first time since he had been wheeled in. As promised, greeting him was a gigantic parade of various nurses, doctors as well as some fellow patients who clapped him on as well as cheered in spite of the rather early timeframe for him to be setting himself free.

"Congratulations on your recovery and best wishes, Mr. Lotor!" An elderly beaver emerged from the room on the right, clapping away with glee filling his eyes.

"'Ay, my speaking skills ain't the best but 'ya did good, Lotor. Ye survived the grip of death and came out swingin'!" A reclusive leopard emerged with his arm still in a sling, choosing to bow as opposed to applaud.

"Glad ya could live another day, buddy," A female ocelot with pink eyes clapped all the while the nurses cleared their throats. "Woohoo! We get to sing that song again!" It was clear that some of these people had been inside of the hospital a long time, practically having made it their home for the past few months.

"What song?" Howard anxiously inquired, his interest piqued as the cheering fell silent before none other than Caresworth herself emerged from beneath the shadows.

"It is with grace, honour and rigidity, that we gather today and cheer for you are finally free, Mr. Lotor. Many of these patients have been sitting here, anxiously hoping for your recovery. You've been doing a lot to keep this world a better place, one case at a time. Some of our patients will unfortunately never depart these walls, yet they are happy for those who recover. Now, we gather in your honour and celebrate with a sendoff song! - I promise, we won't make it long. I know you probably wish to leave more than ever; Renee sort of let me in on the fact that being the centre of attention isn't really your thing but you've earned it, Howard," Caresworth dimmed the lights a slight bit as the applause came to a close, many patients cleared their throats as well as lit candles if their arms were operational; holding them out in a gesture of hope to Howard. "Three, two, one..."

"By Shepherds grace, you walk so silently; exchanging words with the world so politely. May you stand, wander and run so free, celebrating graciously and carelessly. We may wander a path less travelled, we stray cautiously; our worries unravelled... Yet we shall remain the vessel of beauty and tranquillity. Wounded you were, our dear Howard; saved by hope in your most desperate hour. The path towards the future shall remain uncertain but you'll wander hindered by no curtain. We thank you for your presence and hope your life shall be blessed by endless leisure; your journey shall always endure within our hearts. Valleys of forests await your arrival, streams and rivers accompany you on your travels; the fortress as your heart shall stand secure and your body shall heal, so gentle and pure," Howard was left awestruck by the poetic performance before him as those words echoed within his mind the same way that they bounced around the vast corridor before him. Many faces of those he didn't recognise didn't regard him for who he was or his achievements, they merely saw him as someone who had been liberated from their sickness and their troubles.

It didn't take long for Howard's state of shock to turn into one of emotional turmoil as he found himself shedding a tear thanks to such a beautiful performance, merely standing in front of Renee for she herself had silently stepped back to sing alongside the patients. He allowed several tears to stream from his cheeks as he tried his best to wipe them aside, which is when Renee walked forward and ever-so-gently wrapped her arm around his shoulders once again, naturally mindful of the bandages and stitches.

"I-I- ahem... Thank you, everybody. I wish you all the best, too. I know some of you may never leave but some part of me knows you'll depart eventually under your own terms. For those who are hurt, may that candle in front of you shine as your light, your spirit if you will. Gah, I suck at poetry! That was beautiful! I can't really- express my gratitude in words," Howard stuttered out his sentence as Caresworth spun the dial belonging to the lights, brightening them up to aid with his exit.

"My advice? Go out there and live, friend. You've earned another chance, another opportunity. I say you go and buy yourself a beer or light a cigar if you're into that stuff to celebrate" The elderly beaver smiled as he gently carried his candle back inside, touched by Howard's rather simplistic yet elegant philosophy.

"Or spend some time with 'ya lady friend there. She looks like she cares for 'ye a lot," The leopard suggested with a chipper attitude. "I mean, she heard about our little tradition; decided it would be a fun idea to play along, 'ya know? It's been too long, heck, I might be the lucky one to get outta here next, we'll see!" This leopard wasn't all too good at hiding surprises as Howard turned towards Renee with a furious blush on his face.

"Wait... You asked them to do this for me?" His voice was as silent as a whisper and his shyness was reflected within his curiously dilated pupils as Renee nodded with pride. "You really know how to leave me indebted to you, don't you? Heh~ I'm just kidding, I can't thank you enough. I would give you a hug but I already surprised you with one of those today-" Renee surprised Howard by wrapping her arms around her raccoon companion, leaning her muzzle against his shoulder as practically everyone along the hallway gaped their mouths open whilst gasping in shock. Admittedly, even Caresworth was caught off guard considering she didn't see Renee as the affectionate type.

"Surprise, Howie," She soothed him with the velvet fluttering of her voice as she maintained her hug for ten seconds up until opening her emerald eyes, noticing that practically everybody was staring at her in shock. "Alright, partner; I think we should get going. For real, this time," Renee remarked with a chipper grin lining her face, a rare occasion for Howard to witness as she tucked his arm underneath hers once again.

"You haven't got any more unexpected surprises for me, have you? Should I be looking out for Shepherd himself?" Howard already started bantering with Renee as the pair of them walked amongst the crowd, nodding at Caresworth as they pressed the button to the elevator together.

"Maybe we are our own Shepherds in our own light. However, I did get you something that might intrigue you; that's to be revealed when we get out of here, though," Renee cryptically alluded to her next surprise for Howard, she had never considered being a sentimental person ever since she had met him and admittedly, she saw no shame in it. Sure, she felt part of her dignity rotting away but for once... She was comfortable with what she was doing and understood that work wasn't everything in this instance.

"Seriously, you're spoiling me with this many gifts and surprises, Renee. You're going to make it a bitch to surprise you, considering- y'know, you've arranged for all of this cool stuff and you've cared for me closely."

"The fact you're alive and walking alongside me is a big enough surprise, Howie. All I truthfully need to feel safe is knowing you're alive and walking on the same world as I am, regardless of how massive of minuscule that world might be," Renee poetically summed up as the both of them climbed into the carriage which was the elevator, heading for the ground floor together for the first time.

"And all I need in this great world of suffering is knowing that you're by my side. You being here is enough for me but damn, part of me is convinced you have a sentimental side that you're ashamed of. Didn't you say that you were married at some point?" Howard heard his voice reverb inside of the elevator as it smoothly carried them down from their current floor all the way to the bottom.

"Unfortunately, yes. Well, I wouldn't say unfortunately, it was more of a learning experience that led to me being a puppet for a while. Ironically, it led me to where we are today as partners. If it weren't for Lukas, I admittedly wouldn't have reached as many people as I did and therefore it wouldn't have sent me on the course to meet you. So, I guess in all, everything did work out for me. Nothing goes to plan, of course," Renee sharply replied, it was clear that she was a little uncomfortable talking about her past but to amuse Howard's curiosity, she was more than comfortable opening up a bit as the elevator continued to move down.

"If you don't mind me asking or intruding... What exactly did you learn from that relationship and marriage? Sorry if I sound like a journalist right now, I apologise I'm not building a case on the guy that broke your heart or anything," Howard mouthed that with such uncertainty blanketing his own words that Renee found it hard to believe his words, tilting her head whilst sternly humbling him with her gaze. "Okay, I'm not plotting to kill him. I'm just curious, you're not exactly one for small talk and I still know very little about you," As the elevator doors opened to a somewhat silent floor, Renee sought to reply to Howard one final time before her grand plan for the day was officially set in motion.

"I learned that you should find someone you work well with whilst they're quite flexible. That they can balance personal and professional whilst remaining themselves. I know, it's rather vague but Lukas wanted children from me and tried to earn that right of way by being kind to me whenever I wasn't working. However, he never asked questions about my work, which is something that irked me considering he had gotten me down that path to begin with. As more time went on, I sort of figured out that he wasn't there for me as a person, nor my work. He just wished for me to remain loosely attached to him considering he opened up those doors for me and, furthermore, he wanted to ensure that I was indebted to him permanently and tried to convince me to have children with him to pay off that debt," Renee made sure to keep her voice silent as they walked through the corridors leading to the receptionist's office and waiting room, gazing upon the glistening sunlight that warmed the world outside. "To put it short, beyond the manipulation, that was when the cat escaped from the bag. He didn't want me, he just wanted a suitable mate. The more I put things together, the more I realised that I was right about my assumptions as much as I had to regrettably delegate some of my attention to praising myself. I realised that out of many vixens in that university, I was quite attractive. I have no genetic flaws, my mentality is only affected by anxiety. I was treated quite well as a child, I was isolated... I had to admit, back in my earlier days, I considered myself quite beautiful but never gloated. That's when it hit me, he realised I was smarter than your average vixen and saw a trait. He wanted to improve my intelligence and reap the benefits from it, eventually producing the most suitable litter possible with me despite being deeply flawed himself. I guess that's the price of vanity and beauty, although I do somewhat applaud him for his efforts and for shaping me for the better... Sometimes I question if there's no me without him or if I am my own independent self."

"I mean, you were big into journalism and uncovering the truth before you two met, right? I guess you're your own self, but no stone goes unturned in this city; not since the apes took over. Now you're spied on whenever you use the restroom and your newspapers are deeply localised. Don't even get me started on Nexum and the technology that involves connecting terminals. I'm glad you found your balance, Renee, and you found your place. I guess it doesn't matter what others see you as, more or less as what you see yourself as. Want to be a journalist? Go ahead, don't let the world pin you down. I didn't exactly let it do such a thing when it came to becoming a private investigator," Howard remained rather rigid with his reply, not wishing to involve his emotions too much as he wandered through the double doors leading to the outside world. "It's a shame that animals still think mating is the big thing about life, though. The Bite exists, relationships can work without needing to reproduce. Hell, this city is crowded enough and the last thing I want to do is spill my seed into some raccoon lady and add to the gene pool. I'd rather have my fun and ironically, in this crazy world, I'm actually not too opposed to dating someone who isn't of my own species... Sorry, slight overshare," Howard apologised as he felt his fur graced by the gentle breeze of the outdoor world, raising his arms up as he looked onto the small parking lot and the distant street that accompanied the exterior of the large quartz hospital building.

Renee affectionately gazed on as she watched Howard scan his environment for the first time, noticing the massive birch trees that stretched into the sky alongside the gates that lined the walls of the establishment, not to mention the distant region of Granville that Howard had unfortunately gotten used to considering he lived on the outskirts due to it being rather strategic. It felt as if regardless of his location, The Bite would always serve as a beacon of how he got roped into this mess to begin with yet ended up meeting the partner of his life whilst also outrunning death.

"Don't worry about sharing your opinions with me, Howie. If anything, it's actually rather insightful and I have to agree with you. As for now, however? I think it's time we look towards the present. You said you wanted to get to know me a little more, right?" Renee reached into her pocket, pulling out two tickets to The Rogue for a performance scheduled for Sunday evening. "I've always been a bit of a theatre girl. Hopefully you don't mind clearing some time to meet me there later this evening. I know movie dates are lame but with a twist of theatre? I can see it being exciting."

"Hang on a moment, did you just say... Date? - I haven't been on one of those in ages! I'm not really your romantic type," Howard sputtered as Renee summoned a taxi by holding up her hand and waving.

"Relax, I'm not expecting anything romantic. Consider it a date for hanging out, if you will. Plus, you'll get to see me wearing something that's not this green suit. I don't do business on a Sunday," Renee swore she felt herself flirting with someone for the first time since Lukas as the taxi pulled up alongside her. "I'll drop you off at your apartment, let you tidy up and get reacquainted with everything and I'll see you this afternoon... Besides, we've got a lot of time to talk in the taxi if you're a little nervous about the details. Apologies if you wanted to just relax today, though," Renee even courteously opened the door for Howard as he took a seat inside of the black and yellow taxi.

"I was actually planning on stressing out about the future but you know what..? I think this is a more pleasurable endeavour," He dryly joked as Renee rushed around the other side of the taxi, taking a seat beside him as they both ensured their seatbelts were positioned correctly. "Now, I had a point to make about you being yourself that I don't plan on missing out on," Howard smugly smirked as Renee handed a fair portion of her loons to the taxi driver as she instructed them as to where she wished to go all whilst mentally preparing herself considering her anxiety was bound to be a hindrance when talking to Howard about something as humbling as the past... Let alone any compliments that may come from his own perception of her resilience.

...