Some things were resistant to change, and Ren was, if nothing else, stubborn as all hell. Giving Phillip--a man he'd eventually learned to call his friend--a raised eyebrow, he asked, "Violin this week?"

At thirty-five, he was still keeping up the fight, though between the long ten years and the restored memories of the Time Vents, burnout hit him hard. For the time being, he was on a forced hiatus, taking out his deck only when he needed to maintain his contract with Darkwing--since the only way the Monster could eat was through fighting. But Eri's ring was always visible around his neck, his personal symbol of why he'd started the fight and every promise he had to uphold.