A/N: A Birthday Fic for a good friend of mine, Poliwhirl42. This story plays of my latest obsession of a relationship between all three Striaton Brothers and Burgundy, the object of their affections (a nameless ship that I've dubbed Spicedwineshipping). The story proceeds onward in the established canon of my previous two Sommeliershipping stories: 'This Doesn't Change Anything' and 'Beyond the Shroud of Contempt', though this story itself is not canon. Rather, this is an experimental AU of sorts to the previous two fics. While it may be beneficial to read the two stories I've just listed, the important thing to remember here is that they've established two things:
That Burgundy is now the Apprentice to Cilan (who himself has been recently promoted to an S-Class Connoisseur), and that Burgundy has, through trials and tribulations, discovered that she doesn't hate Cilan as much as she once believed, given his generous and comforting nature. With this in mind, I hope you enjoy this strange fic I've written.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any affiliated properties or references in this work of fiction.
Le Mélange
"Qu'est-ce que cette merde? I think I'll need another drink before I can watch any more of this tripe..."
Chili gladly obliged the young, purple-haired lady he sat beside, pouring another helping of wine into her glass before deftly granting himself the same favour by refilling his own. The Carbernet Sauvignon held quite the bold flavour, but it between the two of them, it was deemed necessary.
"I know! Can't we just skip to the duel scene! It's the best part of the movie!" the red-headed gym leader agreed readily, quickly taking a sip of his newly poured drink, earning annoyed looks from his two brothers who occupied the opposite end of the couch.
"A climatic battle of such proportions would lose much of its flavour without the preceding context of this remarkably heart-gripping drama!" the grass-haired member of the fraternal trio lectured, motioned his arm towards the television screen with gusto.
"Personally, I prefer the witty banter and roundabout plots to the action anyway. It lends an air of grace to movie that keeps it from being a simple blockbuster," the aqua-haired member of their quartet remarked smoothly.
"I swear, Cilan! If it weren't for your gym battles and training with Burgundy here, you'd never have anything even resembling excitement in your life! How can you sit through this?" Chili countered, motioning to his second brother afterwards in an exasperated tone and adding, "Do you really want to be as dull as Cress?"
Cilan narrowed his eyes at the first comment, and Cress scoffed at the second, choosing to ignore this clearly purposeful bait to engage his fiery brother in an argument. Burgundy, sandwiched between Cress and Chili, couldn't help but let out a quiet bout of snickering at Chili's comments. Sure the choice in entertainment wasn't great, but she found her own form in entertainment in witnessing and even fostering conflict between the three brothers' contrasting personalities. At least, that had been the original intent.
Truly, a few months prior, she didn't know how or why she continued to live with the three of them. Well, at the very least she actually knew the reason why. Her continuing membership in the Connoisseur's Association of Unova depended on her living in the home of her rival-turned mentor. The results were, to put it lightly, tumultuous. Of course, Burgundy had anticipated tension in her training with Cilan. Her expectations were not betrayed in the slightest, as day after day of training sessions with the recently promoted S-Class Connoisseur left her both exhausted and frustrated with him. Even as she came to realize that her ebbing hatred of him was not worth throwing away her career, it didn't mean she couldn't find him obnoxious. After all, old habits die hard.
So it was that nights spent in the company of Cilan and her brothers were the key to evening the score between them.
"Please, let's just finish watching this. Watching a movie only half-way through is one of the worst feelings in the world..." Cress reasoned, asserting his role as peacemaker, regardless of how often he ended up being the one targeted by Chili's teasing tendencies.
Chili let out an exaggerated sigh, and relented, letting himself sink back into the couch beside Burgundy, once again tightening the already snug fit the four of them had somehow achieved in a couch meant for only three people.
The proximity had made Burgundy somewhat uncomfortable in her earliest months in residence of the living area of the dual Gym/Restaurant. But since then, she had grown to almost appreciate the closeness that came with their rather cozy living conditions. The building may have been large, but most of its area was dedicated to the gym and the restaurant, leaving only a small rec room, three undersized bedrooms, and one guest bedroom. The only plus side was that they had a world class kitchen and dining room in which to eat once the restaurant closed for the day.
The result was, of course, that there was limited space for furniture; hence the presence of the three-person couch and the coffee table being only decor in the room apart from the entertainment system.
But, despite there being far more physical contact between the three of them than most would deem appropriate, all three had adapted to the situation, though some awkwardness did ensue. However, it wasn't due to the snug accommodations that they now found themselves in (and on several nights prior as well), but rather due to various exploits of the only female living in the household.
It started only a few weeks into her training with Cilan. She had been performing particularly poorly that evening and she grew quite upset, both at herself and her coach who had been repeatedly correcting her form in etiquette as a connoisseur and her technique as a battler. She fled the battlefield in a fit of rage whilst Cilan pursued her into her bedroom to try and remedy the situation, as the argument had left a bad taste in his mouth. He tried to inform her that he meant no insult and was trying to merely guide her to being a top tier connaisseuse. Of course, she only saw his disapproval, and it hurt her too much to have failed him so many times in an evening; not that she'd admit that openly.
Instead, she rushed into him, raggedly pulled him down to her level, and kissed him in an attempt to stifle his explanations. Barely anymore words were spoken that evening, nor were they needed. They didn't go much beyond kissing and cuddling behind the closed door of the guest bedroom, but it was a memorable experience for them both. Much like the night at the hotel some two months prior, Burgundy simply needed him to hold her and reassure her that she was good enough. That she would be able to grow into a connaisseuse that they could both be proud of.
The following morning was much less tranquil, however. While Cilan certainly couldn't deny certain feelings that he harboured for his apprentice, he remembered what he was. He was her teacher. He was directed by the president of the Connoisseur's Association himself to shape Burgundy into a potent connaisseuse. He awoke to this sad realization, and realized that the evening prior that he had committed something both ungentlemanly and unbecoming of his position. As Burgundy awoke beside him and attempted to gift him with a drowsy morning kiss, she found her lazy motion halted.
The ensuing exchange was not one that the rest of the house was not ready to hear quite so early in the morning. The result was a stubborn Burgundy who was in a perpetual bad mood for days, and refused to speak or train with Cilan, believing him to be a devil-like figure once again who had used and tossed her like piece of trash. Even in the face of his explanations and appeals to reason, Burgundy shunned Cilan for nearly a week before finally agreeing to resume her sessions with him, as was her responsibility in order to remain a member of the association.
Her immediate and frothing anger subsided, but she still felt vaguely contemptuous towards the S-Class Connoisseur; which was why she turned her attentions to his much more vibrant sibling: Chili. She decided that the best revenge was one flaunted right in front of Cilan's face. She easily persuaded Chili into a date with her, despite his initial reluctance, given that he had been well aware of her and Cilan's encounter just a week earlier. Chili couldn't help but be charmed by Burgundy's spitfire personality; especially because they often found themselves complimenting one another in their tag team teasing rounds when Cilan was the target.
Of course, initially, Burgundy's sole purpose in her efforts to forge a relationship with Chili was simply for the benefit of the dumbfounded look on Cilan's face as she kissed his brother right in front of him. It was too late when she realized that she found herself actually starting to care deeply about this hot-headed pastry chef. At first, the thought appalled her. She honestly thought that she might've been betraying Cilan in some form. Teasing Cilan was one thing, but developing legitimate affection for Chili was something she had not anticipated nor intended.
Yet she couldn't exactly deny what was happening between them and even allowed herself to sleep in the Chili's bed many a night, something that she had originally thought herself incapable of doing. To make herself vulnerable to one man in such a way was one thing, but to do so for two, especially when those two lived together in the same household, was something she had never thought she would ever do. But she bonded with Chili in ways she had not thought possible. Beneath his overbearing confidence and fiery enthusiasm, she found a kindred spirit. Where once she saw a sibling who often asserted his vaunted sense of superiority by indulging in a bout of good-natured teasing with the other two thirds of the trio, she saw a man who was fraught with insecurities when placed next to those same two individuals. She saw just the same fears of inferiority in both battle and the culinary arts that Chili possessed compared to his brothers that she saw in her skills as a sommelier with Cilan.
Their relationship grew and sustained itself for another month. However, their relationship was fraught with bickering and the head-butting that came with naturally two overheated personalities. They were usually able to mend it quickly and without too much damage done, but eventually, things came to a head in a particularly bad argument regarding a misunderstanding in something Chili said about a fellow female fire-type trainer he admired. Her dormant insecurities re-awoke as she felt that Chili's affection may not have been as true as she realized. Worse yet, the whole conflict brought up Chili's worst fears as he accused her of loving Cilan over him. After that accusation, she couldn't even bear to look at him and broke up with him on the spot.
The vicious argument marked their breakup was followed by a lengthy passive-aggressive campaign on both sides. The unbearable tension in the building forced them reconcile. They came to an understanding and Burgundy realized that neither of them had meant anything they said. However, the extent of the conflict made them realize that, at least for now, that a relationship wasn't in their best interests.
Burgundy's escapades were put on hold for a few weeks after that, as she decided to focus on her studies with Cilan to keep her mind from going back to their freshly ended relationship. It was only on a night involving plenty of alcohol that Cress found Burgundy strangely appealing to look at. Or at the very least, he was willing to divulge such information due to the copious quantity of wine involved. Burgundy found Cress, even while intoxicated, to be quite charming and was just a smooth a talker as his reputation led people to believe. Cress worked his magic, for whatever little was needed in their current alcohol-addled states, and they entered into a full make-out session before finally passing out in a messy tangle on Cress' bed.
Even after the night prior, Cress awoke first, and with an apparent lack of effort, despite his pounding head, while Burgundy was soon roused by his movements in the confines of his bedroom. Burgundy cursed herself inwardly, and immediately fled from his room to her own. It was only half an hour later with gentle coaxing from Cress across a firmly locked door that Burgundy allowed him entry. Cress managed to offer his comforting and soothing tones to reassure her that, despite the act taking place whilst being drunk, that the alcohol merely stripped away the walls of anxiety that held one another back due to propriety and social expectations.
Not wanting to forge another relationship in the wake of the one she had with Chili so quickly, she was still apprehensive. However, Cress' romantic gestures and soothing presence seemed to put her at ease, even when she wanted to be her usual barbed self. Even in the face of the immense displeasure of both Cilan and Chili, who both thought that absolutely nothing good could come of this, they persisted; Cress finding her frankness and wit refreshing while she couldn't help but love to be treated like a queen by him.
However, it was only a week into their relationship that Cress found himself far too often in the awkward position of having to sidestep any topic linked to Burgundy, causing a strain in the familial relationship he shared with his brothers. While he did care for Burgundy – a lot more than he realized he would after their rather unexpected and improper debut to their relationship – he decided he cherished his continuing kinship with his brothers, and decided break up with her. Of course, Burgundy didn't take it well.
She ran away from the gym for a whole week after that, only to return cold, wet, and fuming – an oddly familiar sight for Cilan to greet her in as he recalled the incident at the hotel months ago. She merely pushed past him, cursing at him in her native tongue as she tramped straight into the guest bedroom that had essentially become recognized as her own by this point.
Since then, the fact that all three brothers had at one time or another become quite intimate with Burgundy, both emotionally and physically, hung in the air of their home like a lead weight. Sure, no one was currently 'dating' her, so the remaining two brothers couldn't focus their veiled jealousy on a single target. Instead, it simply permeated the residence.
Burgundy was of mixed feelings on the matter. On one hand, she found the idea of all three of them being aggravated with one another over the fact they had the audacity to pursue the object of the other two brothers' affections so readily and so quickly after each break-up immensely amusing and satisfying. Being something so desirable as to reduce all of them to a mess of muddled attractions and dismay was flattering to say the least.
But on the other hand, she had actually come to care for all three of the boys... including him.
Which was why now, it was much easier to notice and grow tense due to the physical contact in the confines of the undersized couch. Moreover, the subject matter of the movie didn't lend itself to helping her. How Cilan had managed to outmaneuver all three of them in an argument for the movie choice was beyond her. But in the end, they had acquiesced to his decision, though at least two of them were regretting that decision already.
As the two lovers on screen pressed to each other in the most explicit of ways, by accident of course, Burgundy felt herself almost squirming with a strange mix of unease and excitement. As much as she outwardly denied it, she loved this romantic drivel. But the reactions it provoked in her were not the ones she wanted to be feeling around this trio of men at the moment. She easily downed her wine glass, only to find the bottle empty. Her scowl was one that no person or object, much less a fragile glass bottle, would want levied on it.
The lack of alcohol failed to dull her senses to the reality around her, which was only made worse by the fantasy unfolding on-screen, which caused Burgundy to change her posture more often than she would've liked. She just couldn't find a way to relax. The wine was not enough to calm her nerves, but it was plenty to allow her mind to make connections that made her body warm at the every touch and motion of body against Chili and Cress'. Her consistent shuffling in her seat did not go unnoticed by the adjacent brothers, for which every movement caused a brush of their clothes against the young connaisseuse.
"Burgundy? Are you ok?" Cress inquired tentatively, noticing her slightly wound-up state.
Burgundy growled, the mix of Cress' soft words trickling into her ear, having forgotten how close his mouth was to her head in the confines of their accommodation. All the while, she saw the hunk of a movie star on screen speaking. The movements of actor's mouth and the sounds of Cress' delicate inquiry almost matched perfectly. It was unnerving, but not in the way that made her want to get away.
"Bur-" Chili began, growing concerned at her actions as well, having been prompted to pay more attention due to Cress' question.
"I can't stand this anymore!" Burgundy shouted, interrupting Chili, launching herself up from the couch at a speed that jolted even Cilan from his cherished romantic tunnel-vision, causing him to look at Burgundy in alarm, "I can't sit on this couch anymore! It's too small! It's uncomfortable! And I'm squashed in between all of you!"
"Well, we can-" whatever Cilan's proposed solution was going to be was quashed only seconds after he began speaking as Burgundy shot him a peeved expression.
"Non! I'm sitting on the floor! I'm tired of being so crowded by the three of you..." Burgundy only solidified her statement by immediately bending her legs and sitting cross-legged on the carpeted floor.
"C'mon Burgundy, I'll sit on the floor, this is ridiculous!" Chili interjected, trying to appeal to Burgundy through charity. She wouldn't have it though as she merely huffed and pointed her head in the opposite direction. At this point, she didn't want to sit anywhere near them.
"If not that, then you can sit on my lap," Cress proposed, not a hint of sarcasm in his soft voice.
"Quoi?!" Burgundy exclaimed, her head snapping back towards the trio of brothers on the sofa.
"I won't mind. And you won't find yourself squashed between any of us," Cress explained calmly, motioned to his lap, then to the two brothers on either side of him.
"Ridicule!" Burgundy spat in her mother tongue.
"I don't imagine the floor is that comfortable a place to sit, especially with another forty-five minutes of the movie yet to play. And I'm certain it's not terribly inviting with its temperature either," Cilan posed, trying to show Burgundy the lack of reason in her actions.
As Cilan said it, she seemed to become acutely aware of both these issues. The floor was quite cool, as it was winter and the floor was naturally unheated compared to the rest of the room. Moreover, the carpet was not the plush variety that it could've been, feeling rather hard to sit upon. She gritted her teeth angrily, not wanting to succumb to his reasoning. However, the prospect of spending another forty-five minutes of this moving on the floor next to the couch was not appealing. And she was not quite yet ready to retire to her room.
"Pour l'amour d'Arceus... fine, have it your way," she accepted, trying to make sound as if it were a chore for her to accept the offer rather than for Cress to accommodate her. She gradually eased herself onto Cress' lap, and saw just much more of a gap there was between the three brothers. Cress, for a moment, fumbled with his hands, almost by reflex wrapping his arms around Burgundy's lower abdomen before catching himself and restraining the movement that would've surely been noticed by his brothers. Cilan, remote in hand, resumed the movie, allowing the quartet to finally being losing themselves in the film once again.
The movie progressed, moving from the romantic pre-climax to the action-packed fight scene in which the hero was attempting to rescue the damsel in distress from the villain. Despite earlier objections, all four viewers found themselves enraptured in the grand spectacle.
What they didn't realize, however, was during the course of the movie, a number of subtle, though unconscious actions occurred on their part. As the hero began his great climb up the tower to the villain's lair, Burgundy instinctively snuggled backwards into Cress. He registered this on some level, but his mind chose to dismiss it in favour of continuing the movie experience.
As the tension mounted, and the protagonist persevered in his climb to the peak, the villain narrated his devious plans, and worst of all, his intentions for the woman he now held captive. By sheer protective will, Cress's arms wrapped around Burgundy's waist and lower stomach as he almost did earlier. This time, he didn't even realize he performed the action, and Burgundy subconsciously welcomed the gesture, finding the comfort easing her through the mounting suspense.
A clash of lightning in the film marked a near fatal blow for the hero as he fought the villain's most fearsome henchman. As the young daredevil hung for dear life on the edge of the tower with the tauros-sized man advancing on him, Burgundy and Chili's hands found one another and clutched tightly as though for dear life; finding that the grip somehow assured them that the protagonist would cling to life as surely they did each other.
Through all this, Cilan had edged closer and closer to Burgundy as she leaned slightly to the left of Cress to accommodate his view of the movie. By the time the villain unmasked himself, revealing that he was in fact, the hero's brother long thought dead, Cilan and Burgundy joined shoulders as he latched onto her free arm. Chili too found himself nestling into Burgundy's side, grasping her arm with both his hands as they held on with no intent of letting go. Meanwhile, Cress' head was now firmly fixed on Burgundy's shoulder, brushing with her own hair with his as he held her tight against him, for fear of losing her to the on-screen antagonist if he let go.
The final battle sequence found the four of them huddling closer together than they had ever before during any previous movie they had watched. And Burgundy was in the middle of it all, split yet somehow shared by all three, as though she were some source of comfort that fed them all. And though she didn't consciously think or realize it, the heat drawn from all three of them made her feel safer than she ever had before. Even with every single one of them individually, she had never felt so... valued. So protected... so...
"...loved," the on-screen maiden spoke to the hero who now caressed knelt by the villain who lay wounded atop the crest of his tower. Lightning painted the night sky in white flashes as rain poured down on them in sheets.
The word seemed to hit Burgundy at exactly the right moment for her to snap back to her senses. Unconscious feelings and waking thoughts merged as she ever so slightly turned her head left and right to ensure she wouldn't disturb this strange transformation that had taken place over a mere forty minutes. Burgundy was locked in place between the three of them, all holding her intimately (though not inappropriately, as it would seem that even their instincts acted on a gentleman's scale).
There was a small piece of her that demanded this uncalled for act immediately cease. Yet, for some reason she could not comprehend, she could bring herself to listen to that nagging voice. Instead, she listened to what her heart and body was telling her. No heavy weight pressed down on them anymore. No awkward tensions. No complaints. No anger. No conflict.
This was peaceful. She somehow loved all three of these young men, and they all somehow loved her. She didn't know what world or reality would permit such a thing, yet here she sat, in perfect harmony amongst the loving touch of three men who cherished her, despite her transgressions and attempts at petty manipulation. And she couldn't help but be moved.
On-screen, the brother, a man who once called himself villain and tyrant, called out to his brother in his dying breath, asking for him to live his life not in despair of his passing yet again, but for the one he loved. The one they both loved. And as the last vestiges of life left his eyes, the hero wept as the maiden came to his side to bring some comfort to him.
Burgundy could feel a tear slide down her cheek. In her ear, she heard a suppressed sniffle from Cress. She felt both grips on her arms and shoulders tighten with both Chili and Cilan feeling the emotion purge begin as they too began to feel the impact of the movie's bittersweet end.
This was the first time since her break-up with Cress that they had all spent an evening together. And the fact that they all missed her, and her them, showed immensely. She returned their emotionally charged grips on her with ones of her one, and leaned her head comfortingly against Cress, and he her.
The scene soon changed to a vista of a great grass plain, whereupon the hero of the movie and maiden whom he saved were being married. In the distance, the great tower loomed, but no longer as a threat, but a memory. They even as they spoke their vows to each other, they looked to the horizon and took in the view of the monument to the brother's memory. Each remembered his last words, and his final request was honoured in their vows.
As the credits rolled once the camera panned away from the sun-struck wedding, they all exhaled a deep breath of relief. None of them were sure when they each became well-aware that Burgundy was bound to each of them. They had grown into a tangle that they didn't know quite how to unravel, both physically and emotionally. Yet they continued to remain together like that, not quite wanting to let it end either. It was something so unique and so rare that they weren't sure if it would be lost completely if they severed the connection now.
"So... umm..." Chili began hesitantly. Of course he would be the first to speak. He was always the fastest to react. Yet, true to form, he was also least prepared to actually address the problem. That was where Cilan came in next.
"This is an interesting melange of flavours," Cilan commented with difficulty in choosing his words carefully, turning his gaze to Burgundy as he spoke, "For once, I'm not entirely sure how to evaluate something."
Cress let a smile grin cross his face as his glance darted between Chili and Cress, "I don't think words are needed here Cilan," he mused. His gaze shifted to Burgundy and he spoke out quietly and almost reverently, "At least not our words."
His last statement was almost whispered into Burgundy's ear and she froze. It was what she needed to finally loose herself from the three brothers and she stared at them incredulously as they all sat, regaining their normal poise on the couch.
"I- uh, mais..." she fumbled over her words in both languages. She felt herself shrinking under their combined gaze. Did they expect her to choose? Did they expect her to say she loved one when she loved them all.
"Je n'ai pas un réponse pour vous..." Burgundy heaved out, "Je vous aimez..."
Chili's forehead wrinkled as he tried to comprehend the language he had still yet to grasp, while Cilan and Cress stared at her wide-eyed.
"You all love me? Right?" Burgundy asked timidly.
They all nodded silently, unable to form their own vocal responses, certainly a first for these three men.
Burgundy shuffled on the spot, unsure as how to continue but she just began speaking, hoping that the right words would find their way out, "I mean... I've been with all three of you. And I love all three of you because of that. But there was always something in the way. Every time, we had to stop because of the other two. I hated it. I've had to have my heart broken three times to realize it."
"What are you saying then?" Chili interjected, trying to get Burgundy to finally make her point as he stood up from the couch. Cress quickly moved to calm his brother by laying a hand on his should, but found it shrugged off by the impatient redhead.
Burgundy couldn't believe she was saying words as they came tumbling out of her mouth clumsily, "I think the only way I can be with any of you... is if I'm with all of you..."
Cress nodded sagely, and considered for a moment before adding, "And if this doesn't work? I mean, I don't think I've ever heard of something like this being done successfully before."
Burgundy gulped. She knew the only alternative, and it did not appeal to her at all, "Then I can't be with any of you. I don't want any of you to hate me. I don't want to destroy a family."
"Burgundy, this is a most peculiar evaluation, and because we're all... emotionally turbulent at the moment, I don't believe this is a decision we should make so quickly and so lightly," Cilan advised, an astonishing amount of uncertainty clinging to his voice.
"Well, I know one thing, and that tonight, during last part of the movie, I felt better than I have in all my months of being here! And I know you're lying to yourselves if you didn't feel the same!" Burgundy shot back, growing agitated at her perception being questioned, "I have never felt so loved in my life! I have never felt so valued in my life! And if you're afraid I don't feel the same way about each of you, then I've given you all way too much credit for how well all of you can see."
In the wake of her declaration, they could only sit slack-jawed as she looked on them. She huffed and let out a dismissive, last word before strutting from the living room towards her bedroom, "Connards... vous tous! Don't know a good thing when you hear it. Bonne nuit..."
They only seemed to be jarred back to reality once they heard her bedroom door slam.
"Wait... did she just..." Chili breathed out in disbelief.
"There's no way she thinks that we could all..." Cilan spoke with just as much confusion.
"I think she does," Cress confirmed, a sly smile crossing his face.
"Wait... Cress, you're not serious!" Chili exclaimed.
Cress' choice of response was to simply hoist himself of the couch and begin marching to Burgundy's room.
"He is..." Cilan acknowledged, quickly getting up to pursue his brother.
"Not without me!" Chili yelped, jumping to his feet and meeting his two brothers at her door.
They pushed open the door to find Burgundy brushing her hair in front of her mirror. Upon seeing all three brothers at her doorstep in the reflection, a satisfied smile crossed her face as she gave a cheeky comment that only she could ever be confident enough to say to these three men.
"Glad to see you have good taste, boys."
Tension in the air was never quite a problem in the Striaton Gym after that.
A/N: I thank you for reading this fic. It was quite the complex challenge for me to put my love of this odd quartet into words, and I hope I succeeded in portraying in a way that at least gives a glimpse of what I see in it. At the very least, I hope you found the work interesting. For note, any of you who follow me or the Pokeani RP (and the associated people therein) on tumblr, you will probably recognize a number of elements drawn from that. It was my intent for the fact that the ideas there are quite brilliant. Moreover, it was a celebration of Poliwhirl42's participation in it, and I couldn't resist incorporating it into my canon (granted this story itself is not canon).
Once again, Happy Birthday Poli. And thank you all again for taking the time to read this. I hope this was as much a journey for you to read as it was for me to write it.
Happy Reading,
~ UndercityRezident