Chapter 4.
The first thing Natsumi heard that morning was the sound of someone's voice echoing its way through the halls of the girls' dormitory. She had just woken up, enjoying the fact that she didn't have an alarm set—Sunday was a glorious day for that reason—when the unmistakably recognizable voice resounded through her open doorway. Isn't that Asuna? She thought to herself. How loud is she yelling for me to be able to hear it from my room? That crazy girl. Where does she get all that energy? She glanced over at the clock sitting on her bedside table. Well, time to get up… With a stretch, and a full yawn that threatened to send her back to sleep, Natsumi crawled out of bed.
Her morning ritual was well structured, if she said so herself. She was lucky enough to have one of the only dorms that had a bathroom in-unit, mainly thanks to the presence and heritage of her roommate, one Yukihiro Ayaka. Not that Natsumi could complain much about her: Ayaka was strict, bossy even, but she always meant well. In the end, the benefits of rooming with the richest girl on campus outweighed the drawbacks. Natsumi's natural tendency was to let her mind wander as she brushed her teeth, but that simple act reminded her just how capricious her roommate was. Just the other day, Ayaka had gone and bought herself this gaudy electric toothbrush, with all manner of bells and whistles. She herself was simply content with her manual one. It got the job done, that's all there was to it. Why buy something that expensive and intricate just to brush your teeth? It didn't make sense to Natsumi.
Forcing herself to think about something—anything—other than her roommate's oddities, she moved on to washing her face. Of course, the one person that came to mind was Kotaro. At Library Island…had he really agreed to them being boyfriend and girlfriend? She cupped the water coming out of the faucet in her hands, and splashed it over her face. It almost seemed like a dream, rather than reality. Kotaro was so caring, especially when she was in danger—which actually happened more than she'd like. One of her hand towels was sitting on the counter to her left. She gently washed her face with the cloth. Her cheeks heated as she remembered the feeling of his lips on her own. As she pulled the cloth down from her face, she looked herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were naturally a little flushed. Combine that with her freckles, and the added color from embarrassment, and the result was, in her opinion, a very undesirable countenance.
Why do I look like this? Just… So plain. Nothing about me screams beauty. She thought to herself. She could feel her eyes start to quiver ever so slightly as emotion welled up inside her. Does Kotaro even really like someone who looks like this? I know he said that he likes me, but how could he? A drop of liquid rolled down her scrunched up cheeks on either side. She brought the cloth up again to wipe them away. Well, I guess it's no use. She threw the washcloth down on the counter and stormed out of the bathroom. I'll just go ask him!
Throwing an outfit together in a huff and a hurry, she aimed to make it out the door in under ten minutes. Thoughts of Kotaro still bounced around inside her skull, but they swung wildly between delightfully positive, and distressingly negative. Her hair was somewhat unkempt from sleeping on it, but she didn't care. If Kotaro didn't like the way she looked, tough. She'd tell him so, too. The door to her bedroom very nearly slammed shut as she closed it more forcefully than she really intended. In an effort to regain some semblance of order she smoothed her skirt over her legs. Just as she restored her composure, the door across the hall from her opened, revealing a still half-asleep Chizuru. Natsumi's second roommate had gotten back from her travels late in the night. It's a wonder she's even up, Natsumi thought. Rubbing her eyes with one hand, Chizuru raised the other in greeting.
"Morning Natsumi. Where're you headed this early?"
It was no so much that Chizuru was motherly as that she was matronly. Spending much of her free time volunteering with the Mahora preschool did imbue her with much more parenting experience than any of her classmates, but that wasn't her real skill. Naba Chizuru could see through to the heart of almost every situation, even though she was exceptionally oblivious at certain times. Natsumi was actually rather shocked that she hadn't caught on to the whole magic thing yet. Or at least, if she had, she wasn't showing it. It was astonishing, actually. Natsumi herself had gotten dragged into Negi and Kotaro's strange world months ago, and yet, only about half of the girls in 3-A were directly involved. Natsumi was sure that if anyone was going to be left out, it would be herself. She was just so ordinary that it would be a no brainer that she would be overlooked, but somehow that hadn't happened.
"Natsumi, did you hear me? What are you up to?"
Natsumi snapped back to the present. Chizuru had wiped the sleep from her eyes, and was giving Natsumi a stare that was very nearly piercing, but veiled behind a warm, friendly smile. With definite effort, Natsumi shook off her gloom and answered her friend.
"Sorry, Chizu-nee, I'm just a little flustered this morning." To emphasize the point, Natsumi reached up and readjusted her bangs. Why can they never stay where they're supposed to? "As for where I'm going, I'm not sure yet. I don't have drama club practice until after lunch, so I thought I might see what Kotaro was up to."
"Kotaro, huh?" Chizuru leaned casually against the doorframe, folding her arms beneath her sizable bosom. She began staring somewhere over Natsumi's head, far off in the distance. "He's young, but growing by the day. Strong but gentle, aggressive yet protective. He'll make a great father someday."
Some invisible object seemed to trip Natsumi because she almost fell over at her roommate's remark. Despite the mysterious stumble, she caught herself against the wall, eyes close to popping out of her head. Why is she thinking that? I'm not even sure if we're dating yet?! Natsumi quickly checked to see if her roommate had noticed her slip, but she was still gazing off at the same space in the distance. Collecting herself once again, she attempted to respond, vehemently hoping her blush wasn't too noticeable.
"What…what makes you say that?"
With a half blink, Chizuru refocused on Natsumi and cocked her head in thought. Then she waved a hand as if to say that it were the easiest answer in the world. "There's a determination in that boy. You can see it in his eyes, in his posture. A yearning to be the best that he can. Yes, for his own goals, but also" Chizuru's eyes snapped to Natsumi's with uncharacteristic laser focus, "to protect those that are precious to him."
This time, Natsumi did lose her balance as she leaned against the wall. She caught herself before her knees hit the floor, but barely. She shot a look up to Chizuru, wondering how in the world someone so seemingly oblivious could be so acutely perceptive. To Natsumi's dismay, all Chizuru gave her was a warm, motherly smile. Growing increasingly embarrassed, Natsumi jumped to her feet on unsteady knees, said a hurried goodbye to Chizuru, and bolted for the door to the hallway. She vaulted over the low table in their living room and made for the door. Chizuru didn't make a move to stop her, but as Natsumi opened the door she heard her roommate offer one last nugget of wisdom.
"Oh, and Natsumi. Be patient with Kotaro, he's still young."
The door slammed as Natsumi stalked out of the dorm Chizuru shared with her and Ayaka. Still leaning against the doorframe to her room, Chizuru rested her head against the wood, closed her eyes, and sighed deeply. Murakami Natsumi was a lovable girl, and a loyal friend, but she could be frustratingly obtuse. When will she get over her embarrassment of their relationship? Those two would be so good for each other, why can't they see it? For that matter, when will she develop some courage in herself? I mean really…
Chizuru shook her head and turned back to her room. She wasn't going to solve Natsumi's problems for her, even if she was a friend. Plus, it was Sunday. Time to sleep.
Considering the time of year, the Mahora Campus was blessed with more than its share of sunshine and warmth on this particular Sunday. Under the beautiful rays of sunshine and the lazy sweeping of sparse clouds, Negi and Kotaro were hard at work enjoying a day off from the rigors of their daily lives. They had snuck their way to the roof of the high school building, both as a way to avoid the unnecessary attention, as well as to enjoy the view of the campus. At least, that was Negi's reason for being there. Kotaro had his own reasons for deciding against a more appropriate recreation spot. He was avoiding Natsumi.
As he swept his gaze over the landscape of Mahora Academy with its special blend of late Victorian and modern Japanese architectures, Kotaro couldn't help but feel conflicted. Just a dozen or so hours previous, he had just come off of one of the most productive training sessions he had had in a while, and yet had somehow ended up essentially dating his best female friend. Is that it? We're dating now? It did seem logical in a way. They were always together when they could be. The only things that kept them apart were school, Natsumi's drama club obligations, and Kotaro's individual training. Even that had been time they spent together recently. But what does this mean anyway? Confusion wasn't something Kotaro responded well to. He didn't like being unsure about something, and his usual response when something confounded him was to hit said something. Violence usually fixed things, and there was always something to hit. But he had been learning recently that he couldn't rely on that. Momentarily, Kotaro's mind flashed back to that moment in the hallway of the Gravekeeper's Palace where he had contemplated assassinating Fate Averruncus, only to realize the sheer immensity of their power difference. It brought Kotaro face to face with mortality.
So, Kotaro thought to himself as he leaned back against the warm tiles of the school building roof, watching the light of the sun glint off the water of the river that ran through the town of Mahora, what am I going to do? I'd like to find something to hit, but that isn't going to do any good… Kotaro looked over at Negi, who appeared to be deep in thought himself. He had turned himself around and looked to be staring at something off behind the school. Kotaro didn't have to move an inch to know what Negi was staring at: the World Tree. It was the single biggest thing on campus, and the most important. Negi knew more about it than Kotaro did, but something about the tree was connected to the old world. Mundus Magicus. Kotaro had enjoyed his time in the magical world mostly, but he had felt slightly out of his element. He couldn't put his finger on exactly what about it was disturbing, but when he got back to Mahora with the rest of the gang, a huge tension had lifted from his shoulders, one he hadn't realized had fallen upon him. Now though, he thought, a different tension seems to be settling in… Maybe Negi can help…
Propping himself up on one elbow, Kotaro reluctantly spoke up, making sure to avoid direct eye-contact. "Hey Negi, do you think you could—"
But before Kotaro could even finish his sentence, Negi interrupted him. "Ah! Why didn't I see that before?!" The look of studious concentration on Negi's face just moments before had changed into a glimmer of excitement. He looked to Kotaro only briefly before offering a quick goodbye and leaping off the roof. Kotaro watched him with surprise as he bounded off the edge of the administrative building, detached his staff from his back, and started flying, quickly, in the direction of the dormitory, leaving Kotaro alone on the roof of the school building, staring in the direction Negi had gone.
Initial shock and curiosity subsided quickly for Kotaro, however, when he realized that no matter what Negi had realized, the epiphany was unlikely to shine any clarity on Kotaro's own dilemma. So, instead of following Negi, Kotaro rose and jumped off the building in the opposite direction. His signature unzipped jacket flapped in the subtle updrafts of air as he descended to the ground. He landed with ease and immediately started moving in the direction of the train line with determined speed. He was going to meet Natsumi. I have no idea what I'm going to say to her, but I'm going.
For the first time in quite a while, Negi felt excited. In fact, excitement was probably an understatement. The near eleven year old was nearly bouncing on his broom with anticipation. Some of his incidental vertical motion was due to turbulence from the speed of his flight, true, but most of it was organic emotion. Negi believed he had hit a breakthrough in the hunt for his father.
He reached the dorm in record time and barely slowed as he touched down on top of the building at a run, quickly stowing his broom on his back. He reached the roof exit in a hurry and threw open the door. He didn't even bother with the stairs, opting to vault over the railing, landing with sure foot on the second level landing. Before many more moments had passed, he had reached the door he shared with Asuna and Konoka. Both girls had gone into town with Setsuna this morning, pointedly not inviting Negi to join them. Asuna had cited the need to spend some "girl bonding time." Despite being disappointed about not being invited, Negi recovered quickly and had caught up with Kotaro. I hope I didn't leave him too hastily. Even if I did, he understands how important this is.
In his hurry, Negi opened the door to his room a little too hard. The knob slammed into the wall, and while it didn't cause any damage, it did jolt awake the dozing form of Chamo the ermine, scaring him to the point of falling from his perch of luscious panties—most likely Asuna's. Most likely used. Luckily for Chamo, the ability of felines to always fall on their feet extended to the ermine family, despite their dubious genetic connection. Shaking off the last bits of sleep, Chamo propped himself up on his haunches and started interrogating Negi as he moved quickly toward his study-loft, leaving the door wide open.
"Aniki, what's up? Why're you in such a hurry like that? I could've died, I could!" Chamo said as he rubbed an imaginary bruise on his shoulder. When Negi didn't answer, but instead just sped up the ladder, Chamo was quick to follow.
The young wizard from Wales reached his desk and immediately starting rooting through the different maps until the found the one he wanted and unrolled it onto the flat surface of the desk. Placing things onto the corners to hold it down, he stared with fresh eyes at the map of the Mahora underground. The pattern he had happened upon while staring at the World Tree was confirmed with but a moment of study. Quickly, he pulled a second map from the shelf and laid it next to the first. Negi's attention darted between the two maps for a few tense moments before he said something aloud that he thought he would never have had to say.
"I need Haruna-san. Now."
The day was not going well for Setsuna. First, she had embarrassed herself near to death that morning after forgetting the fact that it was a Sunday, then after reconciling with her miffed friends, they had dragged her into town to do one of her least favorite activities: shopping. It wasn't that she didn't like buying things for herself, she did, but she was much more… direct with the experience. She liked to go in, quickly find something she liked, purchase it, and leave. Konoka and Asuna had a much different view of it. They both loved to spend time looking over each article, scrutinizing them on the tables or racks, putting them with other things from the shop, trying on each outfit… It was exhausting, even for someone like Setsuna who had stamina to spare.
Still, it was intoxicating to watch Konoka unveil each new outfit. She had impeccable taste. Each outfit seemed to not only match, but enhance her organic beauty in a specific way. Often Setsuna would catch herself staring at Konoka's graceful form twist and sway as she inspected herself in the mirror. Of course, Asuna was also there trying on prospective outfits, but Setsuna's eye always drifted back to Konoka. That's right. I almost can't believe it still. She is my girlfriend. Only a few days had passed since that night in the forest, but it still felt a little surreal to Setsuna. She was actually dating her best friend. Different feelings were still bouncing around inside of her, each on trying to take her over. She usually had a pretty tight control over her emotions, thanks to her Shinmeiryuu training, but anything involving Konoka tended to send her over the edge, unfortunately. Currently, fond affection was winning out. Nervousness was close behind, but she was relaxed enough at the moment to temper her anxiety.
"Secchan! How does this one look? Is the color too much?"
Flashes of yellow swirled around Konoka as she spun in a small circle before Setsuna. Konoka and Asuna were in the middle of trying on yet another pair of outfits, and Konoka had stepped out of her dressing room to show off. With a scrutinous eye Setsuna measured up the outfit. On first inspection, the halter dress she had on was probably too summery for the upcoming months, but it was most likely steeply discounted: always a plus for Setsuna.
"Must be a good price, considering the season. You should get it now before someone else does."
Konoka stilled from her twirl and looked at Secchan flatly. It was only momentary, however, because the next moment she was all smiles again, bouncing off her dressing room's raised floor and over to hang off Setsuna's arm, giggling even while chiding her.
"Silly Secchan, that's not what I asked! I was trying to see if you liked it." Still smiling, she ended the sentence with her bright brown eyes looking expectantly deep into Setsuna's, her lush brown hair flowing to cover her shoulders, bangs framing a doll-like face. A familiar heat surfaced in Setsuna's cheeks and ears, and she was sorely tempted to tear her vision away from the girl in front of her, but she fought the urge. If I can't talk to her more directly now, then do I really deserve to be her girlfriend? Setsuna swallowed and answered.
"Of course I like it. You look beautiful in it." Setsuna took a step back from Konoka, moving to hold Konoka in front of her gently but confidently by the arms. She looked the chocolate haired girl up and down, really inspecting how the soft material of the dress clung to her subtle curves. Konoka was certainly growing to be a stunning young woman. Her once childish face was gaining a shade of grown beauty with all her features growing just a hint more pronounced. Her bosom, which was certainly more impressive that Setsuna's own, was filling out, giving her envious proportions. Below her chest, the dress tightened with a drawstring tied in the back, which only accentuated what was above. From the drawstring the material was loose and flowed with fluid grace around her mid-thighs. The dress truly was a nice article, but Setsuna could not imagine it looking as spectacular on anyone else. "Well, the color really suits your personality. And the cut certainly leaves nothing to be desired. It really looks great on you." Setsuna looked from the dress up into Konoka's warm brown eyes. "But, you look great in almost anything."
Konoka giggled and slung her arms around Setsuna's neck in an embrace, pressing her body in close to Setsuna's. As Setsuna put her arms around the chocolate haired girl to reciprocate the embrace, she moved her head close to Setsuna's ear. Setsuna could feel Konoka's warm breath on her neck as she whispered, "Thank you Secchan. I liked hearing that." Konoka gave her a lingering kiss on the cheek before breaking the embrace, while letting her hands trace the curves of Setsuna's back through her shirt as she left, issuing a thrilling chill to shudder down Setsuna's spine and sending her heart racing. Konoka skipped joyfully back into the dressing room and tossed the curtain closed coquettishly. Setsuna could swear that as the curtain swung closed, she could see Konoka shoot her both a wink and another kiss. She felt a wide smile break across her face as a wonderful warmth flooded through her chest.
A hand on Setsuna's shoulder nearly made her jump, sending her heartbeat racing in a different way than Konoka had. Asuna had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. She was giving Setsuna a knowing look, paired with a devilish smile. With a firm grip on her arm, Asuna pulled Setsuna to a secluded part of the clothing store where she quickly surveyed the area for passersby then rounded on Setsuna with excitement in her voice.
"You two are together? Why didn't you tell me?!"
Shock deadened Setsuna's emotions. She had wanted to keep their relationship a secret until she felt more comfortable, but what was she to do now? Asuna was one of her closest friends. It made sense to let her in on things. She certainly wasn't as big of a chatterbox as certain people they associated with. Before she could say anything, however, Asuna continued, holding her hand to her head as if the revelation had shaken her world—which, maybe it had.
"Why didn't I see this before, it's all so obvious!" Asuna started pacing back and forth in front of the racks of bright colored clothing. "I mean you two are practically inseparable. Joined at the hip!"
Setsuna could see that Asuna was going to take this too far. She started waving her hands to get Asuna's attention, but she was summarily ignored.
"I should have seen this coming!" Asuna started gesticulating wildly with her hands. "This is bad. No, no no, this is great! You two fit so well together, it's amazing." Asuna froze and turned on Setsuna. "You have to tell Negi."
"What? Why do I have to tell Negi anything?" Setsuna wasn't all that offended by the suggestion, it was just that she didn't see why Negi needed to know about her personal life as it involved Konoka. Negi Springfield was a great friend, a determined teacher, and the most talented wizard she had ever known, but one thing he was not was a relationship guru. Like, at all. Talk about clueless… "Why does it matter if he knows?"
Blatant frustration bloomed in Asuna's features. Controlling her temper was not one of Asuna's strengths, but she was working on it. At the moment, however, she apparently didn't have a very good handle on it. "Because. He is Konoka's roommate! He's bound to figure it out eventually, and he'll be angry if he figures it out before you tell him what's up. He'll feel like you hid something from him, you know how he hates that." At the last she huffed quietly and blew her bangs out of her face and moved to absently rustle through the nearest rack of shirts. "Of course, I don't feel that way at all, because I know you too well."
Usually, Setsuna didn't have any problems figuring out what Asuna meant, even if what she said didn't make much sense, but she had no clue what Asuna meant by 'I know you too well'. She moved to put the rack between her and Asuna, challenging Asuna to meet her eyes.
"Asuna, what are you talking about?"
The ambient noise of the store bounced around them as they met eyes. Asuna's heterochromic gaze held Setsuna with a level stare. There wasn't any anger in it, but a muted look of sincerity. She still held a shirt hanger halfway off the rack in her hand. "Setsuna, you and I haven't been friends as long as you and Konoka have, but I've known you long enough to know that you aren't exactly comfortable around most people." She placed the hanger on the rack with a soft clatter. "And when you're not comfortable, you don't communicate. Especially now that you're dating your best friend, who also happens to be your classmate. It's kind of a problem." With that Asuna promptly moved around the clothes rack and grabbed Setsuna by the shoulders.
"Asuna, what…?"
Asuna put one of her hands up to quiet Setsuna. Her demeanor had changed from flippancy to focus in a manner of moments, and now her body language spoke of comfort and safe harbor. Green and blue eyes met Setsuna's questioning gaze with conviction and warmth. Asuna moved her hands from Setsuna's shoulders to grasp her by the hands. "I get it. I really do. It's going to be hard to open up about you and Konoka, but Setsuna, don't worry. We're you're friends. Me, Negi, the library trio, Eva (I guess)—even Chisame-san, despite how cool she can act toward all of us. All we want is what's best for you." Setsuna felt Asuna give her hands a reassuring squeeze. "And for Konoka. So don't worry so much." With that, the Twilight Imperial Princess gave Setsuna a firm pat on the shoulder and turned off back in the direction of the changing rooms without another word, leaving Setsuna speechless.
Mainly, Setsuna was shocked that Asuna had figured it out so quickly. Konoka and she had only been together for a few days, and this was the first real outing they had been on. She must have seen Konoka kiss me just now, but how did she jump all the way to the right conclusion? Setsuna wondered as she started following after Asuna. She watched her blonde friend jaunt her casual way around a corner of the store. Luckily, there was a floor to ceiling mirror against the far wall that Setsuna could use to track Asuna's movements in front of her without catching up. She watched Asuna cross the room back over to the changing area where a thoroughly confused Konoka was frantically searching for her lost friends, even enlisting help from several store clerks to shove aside racks and tables in their search. I guess it doesn't matter how she found out, she knows now. Deciding she wanted some more time alone to think over what Asuna had said to her, Setsuna lingered just around the corner out of sight. She did peer around the corner to keep tabs on her friends. She's right. My friends deserve to know, even if it's hard for me to tell them. So why does it have to be this difficult! I should be able to tell them anything…
When Konoka finally saw Asuna, she exclaimed loudly in delight, causing several of the customers nearby to stare, and making one of the clerks bump her head against the underneath of a table she was searching under. The chocolate haired girl quickly closed the gap between her and her roommate, and even though Setsuna couldn't hear the question on Konoka's voice, she could sense it was about her whereabouts. Setsuna decided it was time to rejoin the party, walking around the corner as if nothing strange had happened. Konoka soon spotted her and waved her over excitedly, barely waiting before launching into diatribe.
"I decided to get the yellow dress, it's going to look great! Thanks for helping me choose it Secchan. By the way, were you looking at something over there where Asuna was looking?"
Slightly surprised, Setsuna shot a glance at Asuna, who gave her just a hint of a wink. "Yeah, I was browsing while you changed back." Setsuna turned her attention back to her girlfriend. "I'm glad you decided to get the yellow one, but are you done now, maybe? I'd like to get back to the dorm. I have some other things to do today." She shot another look Asuna's way, but the blonde girl was already picking through her pile of potential wardrobe pieces for the keepers.
Without missing a beat, Konoka chimed a congenial assent and the three headed for the shop's checkout counter, the two studious shoppers leading the way mulling over the crucial failures of the rejected pieces, and complimenting each other on their selections, leaving Setsuna to her thoughts. Asuna is right. My friends have a right to know about us, and I shouldn't be worried about how they'll react to the news. I'll have to find them before my guard duty shift starts tonight. The purchasing went smoothly and the girls left the shop smiling and reveling in the excitement only unexplored possibility can bring.
The comfortable mid-afternoon air swirled around them as they headed away from the retail district of Mahora city, the quiet cacophony of life buzzing and droning on in the background. Konoka and Asuna were wrapped up in conversation more akin to gossip, mostly at Negi's expense, while Setsuna considered, planned, and choreographed each interaction she was likely to have that evening. As she was going through the plans, a voice reached out to her.
Silly girl, were you really not listening to your friend? It was Sicarius. You said you were, but you're still worrying. Setsuna, just let it be. Confront them, tell them the truth, and trust that everything will be okay.
Setsuna almost had to laugh as she walked behind her friends. She directed her thought at Sicarius. Aren't you the one advocating for practice? Control? His voice came back to her after a moment of pause. Of course, but that is martial. This is friendship. The two are quite distinct. In fact, let me tell you a story explaining how different they really are: Once there was a hero who lived in a small village where…
Setsuna began to tune him out. Of course, she could still hear his voice, he was inside her head after all. But there was a certain level of concentration she could divert away from listening to his monotonous droning. Unfortunately, there wasn't much else to focus on. Passing cars and pedestrians, sidewalk vendors, hawkers, they all provided distraction, but little intrigue. And still Sicarius prattled.
Finally, they came to the edge of the town where they could catch the train to the dormitory, and the surrounding noise level quieted a bit, forcing Setsuna to listen to Sicarius finish his tale. …banished to the sea for seventy days only to return to his land to find it in the hands of his once friend. Now do you see the importance of separating martial ideologies from relational ideologies?
This gave Setsuna pause. Not because she had stumbled upon some novel ideological paradigm, but because something else had occurred to her. Sicarius, I think you're getting easier and harder to hear.
Author's Note: Hello all! Thank you for reading chapter 4 of Shadows! I apologize for the long wait. With an 8 month old, it is a little hard to find the time to write, so I appreciate the patience. We are slowly, but surely making our way through Shadows, and I do want to express my commitment to it, even if it takes several years. Thanks again, and in the words of Glyph, "Have a pleasant day!"
-Grimbt