Let's face it: we're probably at the point where if I take a month off from this story, someone's going to propose killing me. Also, this is the Internet. I'm not going to bet against their sincerity.
This is the first of what I'm hoping will be two new sections for July: about 7200 words on this one, which basically serves as a status check on a couple of characters while kicking in some worldbuilding and setup for the next chapter. Because, y'know, me. Also, I've been working on this for hours and 'because, y'know, me' is about as coherent as I'm currently capable of being.
For now, let's just say that I'm preparing the stage for the next fight scene.
Because there's going to be a fight scene.
The hardest part may be getting them to stop.