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"M-morning already…?"

Letting out a restless sigh, the young girl gave her annoying alarm clock a good smack and pressed her pillow further against her head. It was a futile, desperate attempt to block out the incessant sounds which had more or less plagued her the whole night... this time, the unusually aggressive wind was her great nemesis. Truth be told its whistling didn't really bother her—quite the contrary in fact—but the sounds which inevitably came with such troublesome weather was a completely different story. The windows rattled, the woodwork creaked and whined; even the front door managed to make enough noise to bother her despite it being shut and locked securely… not to mention the merciless waves of little noises her constantly growing collection of rare junk was making due to the wind. No way… not another sleepless night…

Yawning in defeat, the little witch tiredly pushed herself up from the bed, instinctively running her fingers through her thick blonde hair. Needless to say she felt completely exhausted and her eyelids weighed like anchors, but she needed to collect another batch of phantasmal mushrooms before the bowls of soup she had already mixed and blended solidified… otherwise the witch wouldn't be able to perform as many experiments as she had intended for the week—having already put off collecting yesterday morning due to lack of rest. From what she could tell however, that effort had gone down the drain as well.

"Could have just collected those mushrooms and accomplished the same thing, ze… nice going Marisa," The blonde girl known as Marisa muttered to herself, obviously a little irritated. She didn't really mind botching an experiment which, more or less was quite a frequent occurrence, but the simple thought that she couldn't function at a hundred percent bothered her immensely. Rubbing her eyes and letting out a good stretch, the witch willed herself to get out of bed… but just as she had finally mustered the strength to stand her right knee buckled under her weight and, with a dull thud, the girl found herself on the ground.

"Ah, ouch…" Marisa winced, curiously yet carefully poking her aching knee. She had completely forgotten about her little mishap during training yesterday… a bad fall from her broom. Still, she's had worse bumps than this one… which was exactly why she was now far more irritated than she had been moments ago. After all, an injury like this should have already healed by now! Or at the very least, healed to the point where it didn't hinder any of her daily activities. Perhaps she was simply caught off guard… Yeah, that's probably it.

Trying her best to ignore the pain, the girl pulled herself back together and stood straight, a stubborn frown on her face. It most definitely hurt… but it didn't feel like anything she had to be concerned about. It probably just needed more time to heal, which meant she would need to limp around and try not to place too much weight on it. Sighing deeply, Marisa paced back and forth in an effort to find the best way to do so—which in other words meant being able to limp whilst retaining the image of being free of injury. However, the pain just seemed to piss her off even more, and she ended up placing even more weight on her injured leg than usual, making the pain worse out of spite. It didn't last however, and before long she was limping helplessly over to the sink. Damn it!

"…Ng, cold," The witch whined, splashing her face once more with the running water despite the complaint. It couldn't be helped; frigid weather always meant cold water… but that didn't mean she was going to punish herself by bathing in water this cold. In fact she had already left her prized mini-Hakkero to sit under her tub overnight, and since she didn't amplify the heat which normally emanated from her little furnace, the temperature of the water should be just right. The more she thought about it the more she wanted to just get out of her underwear and jump in… "The bath'll do me some good, ze."

But before Marisa could relax in the tub, she needed to check on the phantasmal mushroom soups first. It was always best to convert it into blocks of magic fuel just as soon as it had solidified; otherwise it simply wasn't as effective in her experiments. Slowly limping her way to the kitchen, the witch finally stopped in front of an old wooden table with bowls of the aforementioned concoction lined up in rows. Each bowl of soup had a different color, and each color had its own unique effect. With a keen eye, Marisa already knew exactly what the finished blocks could be used for, as well as combinations she hadn't tried yet… nodding to herself, the witch grabbed an old book with a green cover resting on a chair next to the soup table and quickly flipped the pages until she reached her last entry, which was dated last week.

Season 121, 4th of the Long Month

Weekly experiment no. 3: Cure for a sprained thumb

Minimum requirement for success: Decent painkiller for a sprained thumb

Sprained my left thumb during a danmaku session with Reimu two days ago… she bandaged it up for me, but it hurts a ton and hasn't gone away yet. It hurts when I hold stuff too, so the experiment will probably take longer. Most of the soups I've boiled and blended for today have medicinal uses, except for a mix which I normally use to repair the house, 'cause it makes strong glue. All in all I'm pretty confident in the blocks I've collected. I'll definitely get a good result.

Weekly experiment no. 3 result: Success (?)

As I predicted, the experiment took longer than usual. But my thumb feels great, and smells a little like mint. This is great stuff. Problem is, only my right thumb was affected. Left thumb still hurts a lot, and doesn't even smell like mint, which sucks. As always, applications directly to the affected body part have no effect, it must be ingested.

Side effects: My stomach feels a little unsettled.

Notes to remember: Perhaps direct application is best for these kinds of stuff. The mint smell is nice and relaxing… consider making tea, herbal oil or shampoo with this scent. It'll definitely sell.

Nodding once more, Marisa closed the book and gently dropped it back on the chair. Feeling the need to move her left thumb around after reading the entry, she noted that even though there was still a little pain, she could barely feel it now—not to mention she'd gotten rid of the bandages days ago. At the time she had actually considered returning it to the shrine maiden, since she might want it back or something… but Reimu probably wouldn't have appreciated the gesture. In fact the witch had a feeling she'd be sporting more than a sprained thumb if she had actually tried.

"…" Having successfully stared into nothing for the past couple of seconds, Marisa blinked and shook her head, frowning. Eh, spaced out again… been happening a lot lately.

Peering once more at her soon-to-be blocks of magic fuel, the witch leaned forward and gently dipped a finger on one of the bowls. Cold and thick, but still quite wet. Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding; the witch felt a weight lift from her shoulders as she limped back towards the sink. She was afraid the chilly weather sped up the solidification process, but it seemed as though everything would still be ready late this afternoon, maybe even later… which gave her just the time she needed to collect more phantasmal mushrooms and perhaps mooch off a free meal at the Hakurei shrine. With her leg acting like a complete jerk though, who knew how long it would take to gather enough mushrooms… which was also very troublesome, because if she didn't gather enough edible mushrooms soon she'd be forced to shop in the village. After all, Reimu won't always be able to accommodate her. Well, that and she needed to give Alice a few more days; otherwise she'd still be fuming about the latest grimoire she 'borrowed'. I don't see how she can be so mad… I mean she can have it back when I'm dead right?

"When I'm dead, huh…" A few more seconds passed in thoughtful silence as the witch let out a lop-sided smile. She always threw that word around so casually, but really… who in their right mind would ever want to die? She supposed it had to happen sometime; she was a human after all… in fact that was probably the reason why she was so carefree and on the move. There was still so much she wanted to do, so many things waiting to be discovered and collected, magical experiments she wanted to perform… fortunately she caught herself before the seemingly downward spiral could take her any lower. Sighing out an exasperated sigh, the witch gently clapped both sides of her face twice in annoyance. "Gah! Why the hell am I even thinking about this…? Geez I'm morbid today, ze…"

That's it, no more stalling! Shaking her head (violently) in an effort to banish such thoughts from her head, the witch quickly limped over to the bathroom, removing her nightgown on the way and carelessly tossing the stripped clothing toward the edge of her bed—she was going to do the laundry soon anyway. "Bath-time, ze!"

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Unconventional Peace in Everyday Gensokyo (Ordinary Witch Saga), Stage 1: "Under the weather."

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"Ah, it's already dark out…" The Hakurei's only shrine maiden stated quietly, having snapped out of another one of her daydreams as she sat on the wooden floor on the edge of her house drinking tea, like she always did in boring days like this. The only thing today that was even remotely interesting was the wind, which had picked up quite a bit this week… but even then that was nothing too unusual. Summer had ended, fall was beginning, and winter would come soon enough; the early nights were already a telling sign. Of course with autumn came the nasty falling of leaves… which, thanks to the wind, now littered the empty grounds way ahead of schedule. And if there was something the miko hated more than boredom, it was work. "I'll sweep up tomorrow, I guess."

Instinctively reaching for her cup, Reimu brought the beverage close to her face and took in the tea's subtle aroma… already cold. Letting out a sigh, the shrine maiden placed it back on the tray beside the teapot, no longer up to finishing the cup. Honestly, what a depressing situation this was… leaves falling, darkness creeping in the horizon, no new incidents, cold tea, no donations (again). She had to admit though, even if this weather blocked her view of the stars, it was certainly nice out. Sure enough it was pretty darn cold, but there was always something about the night she appreciated. For one, on cold nights like this she had the perfect excuse to enjoy her kotatsu. Speaking of which… the charcoal should be nice and toasty now.

Getting up and taking the tray with her, Reimu turned and walked toward the shōji of her house, looking back at the falling leaves one more time before taking off her shoes, sliding the door and letting herself in.

"Is it just me or is it even colder in here?" She said to herself, more out of irritation than surprise. Like the shrine itself, her house was never really any good at keeping the cold out. But then, all the more reason to enjoy her kotatsu really. Reimu seemed to smile at that—her first genuine smile today, as she headed over to her little kitchen and placed the tray on her table. The shrine maiden was just about ready to go relax when the sight of unwashed dishes caught her eye, the ones she remembered being too lazy to clean. "What I wouldn't give for dishes that washed themselves…"

Finally resolving to at least get everything cleaned up before taking it easy, she was about to do just that when her heightened senses picked up a small thud just outside her door.

"Oooi, Reimu…! Are you there, ze?"

Like I'd be anywhere at this hour… besides, my shoes are right there, The miko thought amusedly, shaking her head. It was a little strange for her to come over at this hour. Couldn't say she was too happy to have her around either, but… she supposed it was all right. Nobody had stopped by today anyway, she could use some company. Go ahead and barge in like you always do.

"I'm coming in…"

The shrine maiden heard the shōji slide open and smirked. She knew that girl all too well. However, her amusement quickly turned to annoyance when she heard the footsteps… the teeth grinding sound of shoes on her clean tatami flooring. "Hey, hey! How many times do we have to go through this, no shoes in here Marisa…!"

"Woops, sorry about that… I'll take'em off now, ze."

"Yeah…" Reimu replied, returning her attention to the dishes. That witch could be such a scatterbrain sometimes. Having instantly calmed down, she began scrubbing her bowl when a wince of pain followed by a small thump echoed from the living room. A spark of worry flashed across her eyes for a split-second, but she immediately quashed the feeling and went back to what she was doing. A few seconds later however she had already put the bowl down, wiped her hands and casually walked towards the living room to check up on the blonde girl. The shrine maiden found her slowly getting up with the help of her broom, before tossing her shoes out and sliding the shōji closed. The witch then turned to look at her with the same trademark grin plastered on her face. Reimu's eyes widened at the sight.

"Konnichiwa."

"Konbanwa," The raven-haired girl corrected, crossing her arms disapprovingly… she looked terrible. That carefree grin of hers wasn't fooling anybody tonight, the dark circles under her eyes and fragile looking form betrayed her prideful aura completely. Was she sick? Reimu didn't want to trouble herself by pondering about such things, but… for some crazy reason she couldn't help but worry when it came to this idiot. "How's your thumb?"

"Much better," The witch replied, proving it by switching her basket of phantasmal mushrooms to her right hand and giving Reimu a thumbs up, moving it around in circles for good measure. It probably would've taken longer to heal had she not bandaged it up… but then it was only fair, she was the one who gave her that sprain in the first place anyway. "Feels like it never happened, ze."

"All right," Reimu nodded, her eyes resting at the girl's basket. She must have spent all day picking them if she visited her at this late hour with the mushrooms still in hand… she was shivering as well, from the looks of it. The shrine maiden didn't even have to ask, but she was going to anyway. "Hungry?"

"…Yeah."

"Okay… I'll see what I can fix up. And stay on the kotatsu, it's biting cold tonight," Reimu's eyes softened as the witch nodded gratefully and took off her hat, wordlessly heading toward the aforementioned table. Seemed like she was trying her best to hide it, but she was sporting quite the limp as well… that would explain her fall earlier, then. "What happened to your leg?"

"Eh… nothing," Marisa replied, trying her best not to look her friend in the eyes. She should've known that Reimu would see through it… stupid embarrassing injury. And she was hiding the limp pretty well too. But then again, spending all that time picking mushrooms made the pain a little harder to bear so… "Just a little bump, that's all."

"If you say so," Reimu shrugged, not entirely convinced, but dropping it for now. It didn't seem like the witch wanted to talk about it anyway, and she was never really one to force anything out of anybody unless it was absolutely necessary. Turning back to the kitchen, the shrine maiden realized that she didn't have much left in the way of food either, and turned her head to look at Marisa once again… "I know you don't like nattō, but that's all I have left over tonight."

"Ah… it's fine, ze," The witch replied, just happy to have something to eat… of course she tried her best not to seem too enthusiastic; it was embarrassing enough to come at this hour expecting some food. Reimu was right though, she wasn't too fond of it… but right now she could think of worse things she would probably still eat at this state. Gingerly squatting and sliding her legs under the kotatsu's blanket, Marisa couldn't help but close her eyes in comfort as the warmth spread like a godsend from her legs to her stomach… another little detail she decided against telling the shrine maiden was the fact that she'd been freezing cold. Placing the basket of mushrooms on the edge of the table and her hat beside her, the tired girl leaned backwards, resting her elbows on the ground for support. "Thanks."

"Mm…" Reimu nodded, saying nothing more as she walked back into the kitchen. This wasn't a good sign… picky Marisa, agreeing to eat nattō without a word of protest? Not a very good sign indeed. She had her doubts earlier, but now she was convinced the girl didn't have a single bite to eat today. What the heck was that witch thinking anyway? What if the shrine maiden didn't have any food left over? Well… there was always Alice she supposed. Still, she should really think ahead. Sighing for the hundredth time today, Reimu checked on the amount of rice she still had. Thankfully there was more than enough, though she recalled it being a little too sticky for her tastes… probably just didn't soak it enough before boiling. Still, it tasted okay, and now all she needed to do was heat it a little. As for the nattō, she didn't really order too much of the stuff, but there was enough for a single meal at least. All in all, it shouldn't take too long to prepare, especially since she already had some tea ready on the table. "It'll take about ten to fifteen minutes, all right?"

The shrine maiden didn't hear an answer, but that was fine.

A little over ten minutes later, everything was ready. She had decided to just put the nattō on a separate plate instead of on top of the heated rice, which she had scooped up onto a bowl. A simple meal at best, but it was quite healthy. Since she didn't bother preparing a tray for the food, Reimu took the tray holding the tea first and walked back to the living room, only to find the witch on her side, sleeping soundly on the ground. Once again the shrine maiden's eyes softened at the sight, quietly walking over to Marisa and placing the tray on the kotatsu, before walking back to the kitchen and doing the same thing with the food, which of course had the all-important pair of chopsticks already separated and stuck on the rice. "Marisa? Time to eat."

The blonde girl replied with an unintelligible murmur.

An unreadable emotion flashed across Reimu's face as she knelt beside her, gently moving some of the stray hair away from the witch's face and resting the back of her hand on the young girl's forehead. Not too hot fortunately, but still enough to be considered a fever. Part of the shrine maiden was content to just let her sleep, but at the same time she needed to eat something today. She considered shaking the witch awake when her eyes opened slowly; most likely because of the raven-haired girl's hand still on her forehead… needless to say she snatched it back in an instant lest things became awkward. "I… don't mind you sleeping, but at least eat what I made for you first."

Nodding drowsily, the blonde witch complied and slowly sat back up, rubbing her eyes. That was the first time she'd been able to get a wink of sleep in days… why was it so easy to just fall asleep on the ground in Reimu's house, and so difficult to do so in her own bed? Looking at Reimu, it was easy to tell that she was worried… did the witch really seem that helpless? Deciding not to dwell on it too much, Marisa's face lit up as she saw the simple meal laid before her… eagerly taking the cup of hot tea, she breathed in the aroma and smiled contentedly. "It smells great, ze."

"As it should," The shrine maiden nodded, unable to help but smile herself as she took a seat across Marisa on the kotatsu, enjoying the warmth that emanated from underneath the table immensely. Curiously, she found herself watching intently as the blonde girl took the chopsticks, used it to get a little bit of nattō and some rice from the bowl before finally eating. "How is it?"

"Not bad," The witch replied, swallowing the food. Just like she had remembered, the nattō smelled a bit like cheese and had an annoyingly overbearing flavor to it… but for some reason, she found herself enjoying it tonight. Maybe it was the cold, or more likely, the fact that she was starving, but it was good. In fact before the witch knew it she had bit into her chopsticks again, chewing and swallowing another mouthful—blissfully unaware of the smile the miko was giving her. "The rice is pretty sticky too… I like it, ze."

"Oh? I guess I'll keep that in mind next time," Reimu said thoughtfully, placing an elbow on the kotatsu and resting her cheek on her palm, content in just watching Marisa eat. The fact that she was clearly enjoying such a simple meal made the shrine maiden want to do something a bit… more for her. Truth be told this really wasn't like her at all, but then, she rarely saw the witch this exhausted either, so… "Hold on, I think I have something else that'll go with that."

"Mhm…?" Marisa mumbled through a mouth full of nattō and rice, looking strangely at the miko as she stood up and went back to the kitchen. She didn't really have to… she'd already done more than enough really. Suddenly, the blonde girl found herself eating a little slower, a blush of embarrassment creeping up her cheeks. She wasn't really the type to worry about these kinds of things, but deep inside she hoped she wasn't giving Reimu too much trouble. Her worries were eliminated in an instant however, replaced by a watering mouth when she saw what exactly the girl had brought back for her. "Oho! Hanami dango!"

"Bocchan dango—flower viewing's long finished after all," Reimu smirked, placing the plate of colored treats skewered on sticks onto the kotatsu before sitting back down. She knew all too well how wonderfully addicting this type of wagashi was when eaten with bitter tea—exactly the reason why she had intended to keep it all to herself… but this was just fine as well. Taking the teapot, she was just about to pour some on her cup when she heard a slight pattering noise and curiously looked up to find Marisa no longer there. Her peripheral vision quickly caught the witch crawling over to her right, though before the miko could say anything, she was already in front of her. "Huh? What are you—"

The witch interrupted her by wrapping her arms around the shrine maiden's neck in an affectionate hug.

"What…"

"I… I know I don't usually say this, but…" Marisa whispered, squeezing her just a little bit tighter. "…I really appreciate what you do for me. I always have, ze…"

Usually? More like never, Was what the shrine maiden wanted to say in a dry, sarcastic tone, but she couldn't seem to find her voice. Her eyes wide as saucers and a deep blush forming on her face, she did the only thing her mind would allow… she lifted her arms, and hugged back. Truth be told she could resolve catastrophic incidents and stop looming terrors from plaguing Gensokyo without feeling the least bit afraid but… this was different. This… this was a feeling completely new, utterly terrifying… yet strangely euphoric, all in one confusing package. Needless to say, several seconds would pass in silence before she found the strength to speak again. Ah… sick people do such weird things… "W-well… you can appreciate me more productively by leaving donations y'know."

"Donations, huh?" Gently breaking off the hug, Marisa stared thoughtfully into Reimu's eyes, the blush still warm on their cheeks… but with a snicker that cut through the tension like a hot knife on butter, the situation quickly returned to normal, with the witch crawling back to her spot on the kotatsu to finish her meal. "Hah, that's why humans don't visit the shrine anymore… you're always going, 'Osaisen! Osaisen,' ze!"

"I'd like to think it's the fact that just about every human who tries to make the trip here from the village gets eaten by youkai," Reimu smirked, total relief flooding her senses. Had the situation escalated any further, things would've probably gotten really, really weird. Of course, that was as far as she would allow her thoughts to go on the subject… but despite the overall awkwardness concerning what happened, the shrine maiden was genuinely happy to be appreciated. In fact, she hadn't felt this happy in a long time. "And I don't sound like that! Baka."

Marisa replied with a toothy grin and went back to hungrily eating her food, her spirits back up and running. The hug certainly went far better than she had expected it to… it was so refreshing to see Reimu smile like that. Perhaps certain well-timed hugs in the near future could prove quite useful—if only to see her smile the way she did now. A full minute passed in thoughtful silence, and the witch was focused on eating the last couple grains of rice on her bowl when the booming sound of thunder erupted from outside and made her jump. "O-oh crap… if I don't get back soon it'll probably start raining hard, ze. Not to mention the soups waiting at home…"

"Sounds like it's time for you to head back then," The miko nodded, trying to hide her disappointment whilst at the same time wondering why she was even disappointed in the first place. Ah, that girl was really rubbing off on her if she was enjoying her company this much. "Remember the last time you went out in a storm?"

"Well… nobody really forgets being hit by lightning, ze."

"I suppose not," Reimu giggled as Marisa gulped down her cup of tea and put on her hat, quickly getting up with her basket of mushrooms in hand. Taking a stick of dango, the shrine maiden stood up and went around the kotatsu, offering the treat to the witch. "Hey… one for the road at least?"

Caught off guard by the sudden act of kindness, Marisa made a pretty good impression of a goldfish as she found herself staring at the dango. Eventually the long pause got to the miko, and she placed her free hand on her hip, pouting.

"Do you want it or not? What's wrong?"

"Ah, nothing… you really want me to start giving those donations don't you?"

"I see, so you don't want it then."

"H-hey, I didn't say that, ze…"

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Stage 1 – Closure… (Spell Card Obtained!)

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Season 121, 11th of the Long Month

Weekly experiment no. 1: Mint-scented mushroom-based tea to enjoy with Reimu

Minimum requirement for success: Drinkable mushroom-based tea to enjoy with Reimu

Went to Reimu's to get something to eat today… she was trying extra hard to be nice, which got me thinking that I should really pay her back for my extra special treatment. The soups boiled and blended today should have far more than what I need to brew some decent tea… well, it isn't really tea since I'm not using leaves but whatever, magic doesn't need to explain itself. I've also blended the same bowl of soup I used to get the minty scent for last week's experiment, so that should increase my chances of success. I won't stop until I get a good result… I want my visits to the shrine to be more like my visit today.

Closing the book and placing it on the table, Marisa yawned and stretched on her chair, steeling her resolve. It was going to be a long night—that much was certain—but the girl had a feeling she'd be sleeping like a baby after this, annoying wind or no.

"Okay then," The witch nodded; gently touching the tip of one of the mixes with her finger… the viscosity was just perfect. Instinctively cracking her knuckles, she stood and picked up her wooden wand which had been resting on her desk, tapping it gently to life. "Here goes, ze!"

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M/N: Hola! Nice to meet everybody, ze. I'm just an ordinary witch, writing to everybody from the far away land of Gensokyo (I'm prolly gonna put this on my profile too).

Now that we've got that outta the way, onto my notes concerning the story, ze.

The point of this story is… well, there isn't a point really, is there? I just felt like I should write something and have fun doing it, and I did, ze. Eheheh, it's kinda odd, but my head was completely blank when I started this, with stuff just coming to mind as I wrote… but that's probably more realistic isn't it? …What? It's careless? Well, I suppose. But life's pretty careless too, yeah?

Certain terms used that may need a bit more explainin':

Long Month/Long-lasting Month – September, ze.

Konnichiwa – G'day / Good afternoon!

Konbanwa – Good evening, ze.

Bocchan dango / Hanami dango (Wagashi) – Traditional Japanese dumpling that has its roots with the tea ceremonies in Kyoto. Both types of dango are colored, but the latter is only made during the sakura-viewing season (hence the name, hanami). The sweets were made primarily to offset the bitterness of powdered green tea (matcha), which is why it's the perfect treat to hog to oneself if you have a tea pouch lying around, ze. Still confused? Well… Anko from Naruto eats the stuff a lot, and she shares the name with that type of treat (which means red bean paste)… it's called anko dango—an-dango, for short ze.

Nattō – Traditional Japanese food made from fermented soybeans… strong smell, strong flavor, and real sticky—it's healthy, but probably an acquired taste for most (myself included).

Shōji – Slidin' door, ze. Not to be confused with fusuma which pretty much means the same thing, but uhm… yeah.

In any case if you didn't understand the title, then to put it simply, this story will act as a diary of sorts for everyone's favorite ordinary witch in a time of relative peace, ze. Anyway, more to come soon! Reviews are welcome of course, and suggestions are great too (in fact, it's probably what'll get me started on the next stage). Hated it, ze? You can vent out your anger, I promise you won't find hallucinogenic mushrooms in your beef stew *crosses fingers*.

Update (11/09/09): Started work on chapter two, ze. I was waiting for a review that gave a little suggestion on what to do next... but since that's likely not to happen anytime soon I figured now's as good a time as any to get started ze! I'd also like to thank everyone who read this chapter to the end, since well... I hate to admit this, but it's not likely that many did.

So, until next time then! And remember: it's not magic if it's not flashy, ze!