Hello again, and welcome back to Don't Even Bother.
Before we begin, I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Here's to a fantastic 2016.
Anyways, regarding the story, I guess you could say we've pretty much reached the beginning of the end. In case you missed my previous announcement, I said in the last chapter there are only three remaining. Now that this has been published, the number's fallen to two. Two chapters left...
Disclaimer: I don't own Steven Universe. Steven Universe is owned by Rebecca Sugar.
Present
"Thoughts"
Author's Note
"Steven, are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Don't worry, Peridot, you'll be fine. We'll make sure of it."
Peridot slumped against the inside wall of the van, releasing a heartfelt groan as her eyes trickled to the rusted ceiling above. For once, being in the vehicle just didn't have the same thrill it usually did. "It's not that I don't trust you, but-"
"But nothing. If you were able to become friends with Pearl, then I have no doubt you can do it with Garnet and Amethyst, too." The young child looked to his right from his middle seat in the back of the van, earning a small, yet sincere smile from the blue and white gem as she gave him a pat on the shoulder. Peridot sighed.
"I guess..."
For the next few minutes, the van fell eerily silent, save for an occasional splash of water from the tires skipping through a puddle. Though nobody wanted to admit it, the atmosphere was rather tense; Steven knew that both Garnet and Amethyst could be very unpredictable if they wanted to be. Despite reassuring Peridot (and himself) that everything would be all right, was that really going to be the case? What were the other two Crystal Gems going to do?
"We're here," called Greg as the van slowly skidded to a stop, coming to rest on the beach in front of the enormous statue. They were about to find out.
Steven unbuckled his seat belt and yanked the side door of the van open, hopping out to the wet sands below. Pearl quickly followed suit, a noticeably sluggish Peridot trailing behind. She slid the door shut behind her.
"Okay, here's the plan," whispered Steven as the van began to pull away from the house, backing out onto the road once again. "I'll go in first and say I need the tape. Once I've healed my arm, I'll knock on the door from the inside of the house a few times. That'll be your cue to come in."
"Once you've healed your arm? Why does this have to be a process? Can't we just come in with you?" asked Pearl.
"No. If push comes to shove, I want my arm to be healthy so I can use my shield."
Pearl pursed her lips and shrugged her shoulders, her gaze turning away from the boy. Even if it was a little strange, she had to admit his strategy did make sense. He smiled at the gesture.
"Okay, let's go! Oh, and one more thing."
"What?"
"Pearl, make sure Peridot walks in behind you. We really don't want Amethyst's whip to grab her first."
BANG BANG!
Amethyst's head lazily shifted to the side from her spot on the couch, the sound of someone knocking at the door interrupting her power nap (for the second time that day, too). She couldn't help but groan at the not so pleasant experience of being ripped from dream land.
"Amethyst, get the door. It's probably Pearl," called Garnet from the kitchen counter. The purple gem rolled her eyes, secretly thankful the other didn't have eyes in the back of her head. Nevertheless, she stood up and dragged her feet to the entrance, pushing it open. "It's about time you got back, where have-"
Her eyes trickled down to the floor of the porch. It wasn't Pearl at all.
"Uh... hi, Steven."
"Hey Amethyst. Can I come in for a second?"
After a moment of dazed confusion, Amethyst snapped herself back to reality and stepped back into the foyer, making way for him to enter the house. Garnet stood up from the stool and walked next to her.
"Steven? What are you doing here so late?"
"Do you remember the tape that dad used to fix the Geode? I need to borrow that for a second."
"Borrow the tape? Why? You're not hurt somehow, are you?" To make sure, her top eye looked over the child. Nothing seemed wrong with him, at a quick glance; why would he randomly drop by and say he-
And then she noticed the blue cast on his arm. Amethyst saw it too.
"... Steven? When did you get that?"
"When did I get what?"
"On your arm!" Amethyst pointed to the cast on his broken wrist. "You didn't have that the last time you were here. What happened?"
"This? Oh, uh... it was a little accident, heh heh. That's why I need the tape. I'll be back in a minute." Sensing the increasing awkwardness of their conversation, Steven bolted up the stairs as quickly as he could manage. Amethyst's gaze trailed after him for a moment before turning to Garnet.
"... Garnet?"
"Not now."
Amethyst audibly gulped, her throat suddenly feeling dry and leathery. Her cracked voice barely trickled above a whisper as her breathing slowed. "Garnet, is that... is that what you saw in your future vision? With Steven and Peridot?"
The fused gem said nothing. But even through the cover of her shades, Amethyst swore she could see her eyes shoot daggers.
"This isn't good..."
"Now let's see, how should I do this...?
With the roll of tape in hand, Steven briefly glanced over his cast, searching for any sort of opening to slip the tape onto exposed skin. Deep down, however, he knew it was a fool's errand; Dr. Maheswaran and the others at the hospital were very, very good at their jobs. They wouldn't have allowed him to leave if his cast wasn't completely secure.
Grimacing as he poked and prodded the solid mold, Steven ran through his options. He knew putting the tape on the cast itself would be ineffective; it had to be applied directly to the affected area. "Maybe if I put it lower on my arm?" he mumbled to himself.
He shrugged. It was worth a shot.
Steven unraveled the smallest piece of tape he could manage, being careful not to waste any more than he needed. His hand hovered over his exposed lower arm, just below the end of the cast. He shut his eyes and applied the tape.
Almost at once, a strange sensation overtook his arm as it fell completely limp; he couldn't force it to move even if he wanted to. Unlike when it was first broken, however, it certainly wasn't uncomfortable. In a way, it felt like his arm wasn't there at all.
But it didn't last long. Almost as soon as it began, the numbing sensation disappeared as a euphoric wave of relief shook throughout his body, especially his arm. As the enlightening sensation began to take a firm hold in his mind, he could literally feel the bone shifting back into its proper position, the pain from his arm fading away as it went along.
And just like that, it was over.
Although he couldn't properly move with the cast still stuck to his wrist, Steven smiled as he waved his arm every which way, any semblance of pain or discomfort gone without a trace. It was a very gratifying experience, to be sure.
"Now then, time to get rid of this cast," he thought to himself as he hopped off his bed, his eyes trickling to the front door below. Once he did that, part two of his master plan could take effect.
"Hey, can one of you help me get this off?"
Amethyst and Garnet glanced up from the couch, their hushed whispers dying at once. Steven put on a smile as he finished his descent down the stairs and walked to the two, though he had a pretty good guess on what they were talking about. And it wasn't good.
"Help you get what off? The cast?" asked Amethyst, after a rather extended silence.
"Yeah. My wrist is all healed, so you don't need to worry about that. Can you help me out?"
"Yeah yeah, just hold still for a second..." mumbled Amethyst, nodding. Without missing a beat, she reached for her gem and summoned her whip. Closing one eye to aim, she waved her wrist as gently as she could manage. The weapon cracked through the air and struck his blue cast, shattering it to pieces.
"Thank you," said Steven as he waved his arm around, enjoying the newfound freedom the loss of his cast provided. Amethyst nodded and dissipated her whip. She glanced towards Garnet, her mouth hanging open as her eyes grew wide. She knew what was coming next.
"Steven."
The boy looked up. "What?"
Garnet said nothing as she stood up and slowly walked towards him. And although he didn't see it, her fists were tightly clenched behind her back, her expression as stone cold as ever. Amethyst gulped. The room suddenly felt rather chilly.
"Steven..." she said quietly, kneeling down in front of him. "You weren't injured when you visited us earlier today. How did you get hurt?"
"Um... it was an accident, I already told you that."
"Don't lie to me."
Steven's eyes shot wide open, his feet instinctively backing himself away from her. As soon as those final words escaped her lips, he knew exactly where this conversation was going. This wasn't a friendly chat or small talk. This was an interrogation.
"I-I'm not lying! I told you, it was an accident!"
"I know Peridot was involved in this one way or another. What did she do to you? Tell me!"
Peridot? Peridot didn't-" Steven stopped himself short of denying her involvement. He wasn't lying when he said it was an accident-he knew with 100% certainty that it was-but Garnet did have a point. It was Peridot who injured him, like she said. She was right.
"This is going to be more tricky than I thought..." he thought to himself. His gaze shot to the front door for the briefest moment.
"Steven, I'm not going to ask again. What did Peridot do to hurt you?"
Steven wiped a drop of sweat from the side of his face. He was cornered.
"... She broke my wrist during a game we were playing. But I'm not lying when I said it was an accident."
Garnet placed a hand on her chin, diverting her eyes away from the boy as she carefully processed his explanation. She couldn't detect any sense of deceit or trickery in his voice or body language; was he actually telling the truth?
"Steven, are you completely certain there wasn't any intent on her part? How do you know?"
Now it was Steven's turn to ball his fists. He had already given the honest truth, why couldn't she accept it? Why did she refuse to see Peridot in anything but a negative light? It was almost like the feud all over again, with her stubbornness.
And it was time to change that.
"You know what, Garnet? Why ask me?" Steven didn't take his eyes off her as he slowly backed to the front entrance of the house. He raised his fist. "Why not ask her yourself?"
He hit the door. Twice.
"But what did he mean when he said he I'd be grabbed by her whip? Does he know for sure they're going to attack me? Is this some kind of trap?!"
"Peridot, I'm sure he was joking when he said that. You'll be fine."
No matter what Pearl said to reassure her, it all seemed to fall on deaf ears. Peridot shook her head as she brought her knees to her chest, gently rocking back and forth on the steps leading up to the front porch. The other gem couldn't help but smile at the scene as she put her hand on her shoulder.
"Hey... don't worry. It'll be okay, I promise."
"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT! We have no clue what they're going to do when I go in there! But I've seen what the fused one-"
"Garnet."
"-Garnet can do, with those gigantic gauntlet things! She'll tear me to shreds! She'll shatter my gem!"
As the possibilities flew out of Peridot's mouth, Pearl's expression went blank as she thought long and hard about what the other gem was saying. And the more she thought, the more she realized she was bringing up a valid point. Garnet was as fearsome a fighter as any gem she ever knew, and Amethyst was no slouch either. Could she possibly hope to ward them off if it came to that?
But she knew it wouldn't get that far.
"Peridot... I'm completely confident we can change their minds, Steven and I. And besides, once they see you for who you really are, I'm sure they'll see differently." "Kind of like how I did..."
Peridot wiped the corner of her eye, her gaze deflecting to the gem next to her. "... Do you mean that?"
Pearl smiled.
Just then, their conversation was interrupted by two loud bangs coming from the front door. She stood up at once.
"That must be Steven signaling for us to come in. C'mon, let's go." Peridot said nothing as she clutched her legs tighter, immobilizing herself on the staircase. Pearl sighed. "Peridot..."
"I know... just give me a moment."
"Uh, Steven? Why did you just hit the door?"
The child in question didn't bother to look at Amethyst or respond to her question, his attention instead turning to the window. Hitting the door twice was the key; they should've at least been on the porch by now, what was taking them so long?
And then he saw her. First Pearl, and then Peridot. Exactly the order he instructed them to be in. He looked away from the glass and towards Garnet and Amethyst.
"Guys... be ready to hear us out."
The door swung open. Pearl walked in.
"... Pearl? What took you so long to-"
Garnet never finished whatever she was about to say. The next gem to walk in the house was the reason why.
"This is a catastrophe."
Steven's mind could process no other thought as he watched the scene in front of him unfold. It was almost like a train wreck: it's a disaster, to be sure, but at the same time, one can't look away.
When he formulated his strategy on the beach, he had a grand vision in mind: Pearl and Peridot bravely entering the house after he set the table for their introductions, pleasant greeting all around, and then eternal friendship. That's how it was supposed to go.
Nothing was further from the truth. In reality, what he got was... Pearl bravely entering the house after he set the table for their introductions, Peridot on the verge of a nervous breakdown, a murderous looking Garnet, and a too stunned to say anything Amethyst. The same could probably apply to himself.
"Yeah... not my best idea."
The silence was awkward to the point of it being painful. It took nearly a full minute before Pearl cleared her throat.
"Um... hello, Gar-"
"YOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"
In a very uncharacteristic bout of rage, Garnet summoned her gauntlets, their size at least twice as large as normal. Amethyst's whip materialized at once, it's length especially long so it could reach from her current distance. Her eyes spelled exactly what she wanted to do next.
At the sight of the summoned weapons, Peridot lightly shrieked and tightly grabbed the shoulders of Pearl, trembling furiously. The blue and white gem reached her hand behind her and gently came to rest on her shoulder, reaffirming her.
"Pearl, move!" shouted Amethyst, leaning over to catch a glimpse of the Homeworld gem. "I can't grab her with you in the way like that!"
"Amethyst, put your weapon away."
"Put my weapon away? What are you, crazy? Don't you know who's behind you?!"
"I know exactly who's behind me, and I also know I'm not going to let you hurt her! Now put your weapon away, and don't make me ask again!"
Garnet watched the scene in front of her with intense interest, her gauntlets still raised and ready to go. Before she could act, however, one question begged and pleaded in her mind to be released.
"Pearl, why are you defending Peridot? Don't you know she's the one who injured Steven?"
"That was an accident, Garnet." Pearl's stoic expression didn't move at the newest challenge from her teammate. "And what I just told Amethyst applies to you as well. Please put your gauntlets away."
Garnet's eyes blinked in surprise at Pearl's quick reasoning; she had been expecting a reaction of surprise and anger from her teammate. It seemed like the most logical outcome in her future vision. But she wasn't even close.
And then it hit her.
"Wait a second... Pearl, did you just say it was an accident?" She nodded.
In Garnet's mind, that one little gesture just made the whole scene in front of her infinitely more complicated. She could understand Steven claiming Peridot hurting him was unintentional-it was very obvious from their encounter in the Kindergarten that he would stand up for her (for some reason), no matter what-but to hear Pearl do the same? Why would she turn around 180 degrees from her previous stance on the Homeworld gem, one that viewed her as an enemy? A threat?
What was going on?
Steven couldn't make himself watch anymore. Not without doing something.
Before anything else, the young boy ran in front of Pearl and held out his arms to his sides, in a protective manner. Both Garnet and Amethyst froze at the sight, quickly lowering their weapons to minimize the risk of accidentally hitting him.
"Guys, stop! Just hear us out!"
"Hear you out? Steven, we've already heard everything we need to know!" said Amethyst. "Peridot's the one who injured you! Even if it was an accident, who's to say she won't do worse to you later? You can't trust her!"
"I know what happened, and I also know it was an accident, even if you won't believe it! But just forget about that for a second. You see... I don't think you're seeing the bigger picture here."
"The bigger picture? What do you mean by that?" Garnet gazed inquisitively at the child, hidden behind the protective covering of her shades. As far as she was concerned, there wasn't anything else they needed to know. Even if Pearl and Steven were defending her, there was no point in trying to change the truth. Peridot was dangerous.
Steven glanced around at each member of the room, his eyes finally coming to rest on Peridot. She hadn't moved since she walked into the house, and she was crouched low behind Pearl to keep out of sight of the other two Crystal Gems. He couldn't help but wonder what was running through her mind.
"... Yes, Garnet, the bigger picture. Like I said a minute ago, throw away the whole arm injury thing. Just look at her. Does she really-"
"Steven?"
The boy stopped talking at once, his gaze locking onto the gem who interrupted him. "Pearl, what do you want? This is important."
"I understand that," she nodded. "And what I want is..." Her voice trailed off as she made eye contact with Amethyst, only for it to be broken by the purple gem almost at once. She rolled her eyes.
"I want to be the one to talk to them."
"She wants to talk to them? About Peridot?"
"But... but why? Pearl, I get you two are on better terms now and all that, but what would you-"
"Steven, just give me an opportunity. I already know what I'm going to say."
Steven scratched the top of his head and took a deep breath. He knew Pearl was a far better speaker than he was, but he couldn't understand her eagerness to volunteer. Not even a day ago, she hated Peridot. Would she really be able to convince Garnet and Amethyst that her former enemy wasn't an enemy anymore, after such a quick turnaround? What was her plan?
Whatever it was, it probably couldn't hurt. Probably.
"Fine. Go ahead."
Pearl nodded and cleared her throat. Without so much as a second thought, she walked a few steps forward towards Garnet, leaving Peridot behind in her wake. Steven immediately ran to his friend's side, carefully watching the whip of Amethyst as he grabbed her in his arms.
"Steven, what's she going to do? And they still going to attack?" whispered Peridot as she brought him closer, holding him like her life depended on it. For all she knew, it very well might have.
"I don't know. But let's hear her out."
Pearl came to a halt and took a deep breath. She shut her eyes and collected her thoughts.
"Garnet..."
They blinked open once more.
"When I left the house earlier today, I was just like you, and Amethyst. I didn't trust Peridot. I'm sure you remember the little conversation we had earlier today, the one where you used your future vision?"
"I do. I foresaw something bad happening to Steven, and it related to Peridot. And I was right."
Pearl nodded, breaking eye contact as her gaze trickled to the ground. "Yes... you were. It was Peridot's fault Steven got hurt."
Garnet had to suppress a strange temptation to laugh. If Pearl was trying to convince her, or even Amethyst that Peridot was somehow good, or that she was redeemable in one way or another, she was failing miserably. On the contrary, it was almost like she was backing herself into a corner.
At least, until she once again looked at her teammate. And the determination in her eyes.
"But Garnet, despite the fact you can see ahead of us all, you just don't get it. Even though Peridot did injure Steven, I can say, with complete certainty, that it was an accident!"
"With complete certainty? How? What do you possibly know that makes you 'completely certain?'" snapped Garnet.
"... I'm not going to sugar coat it. It can be hard to admit you're wrong, and you and I know this better than anyone... but you're going to have to, because I know I'm right! And I know I'm right because unlike you, I actually know who Peridot is! Not just as a Peridot, but a living, breathing, gem with her own personality! And the Peridot I know would never do anything to hurt him!"
"What are you talking about? You know who Peridot is? What kind of a stupid thing to say is that?!" shouted Amethyst, jumping in for the first time. "We ALL know who she is, Pearl! She's a Homeworld gem who's here on a mission! Once she does that mission, whatever it is, she'll just drop everything and go! We already know exactly what she is!"
"Amethyst..." Pearl sighed, her eyelids drooping as a frown curled her lips. She looked down at the floor.
"It's like I just said. I used to think the same thing... I was convinced I knew, for a fact, that she loyally served Homeworld at all costs, and nothing else mattered to her. And I also thought she saw Steven as nothing but some tool to further her agenda."
Garnet's three eyes quickly shot to the child in question at the mention of his name: he was hugging Peridot tightly as they sat against the way, and she was doing the same. Her lips curled into an indistinguishable frown, her mind going to great lengths to keep it hidden. But Pearl saw it anyways.
"Garnet, do you agree with Amethyst? About what she just said?"
"... I do. And I believed you did the same. I don't understand why you've changed."
"About that..." Pearl's voice trailed off, the room falling dead silent as she did the same. Garnet and Amethyst hastily glanced at each other, their faces betraying their shared sense of anticipation. What was she planning to say next?
"Garnet, when I went to drop off Steven's jacket at the car wash, they weren't there. Their van wasn't parked in the driveway, so I let myself inside to leave it in there. I'm sure I don't need to tell you who I met."
At the unnamed mention of her presence, Peridot shut her eyes and lay her head on Steven's shoulder, as if doing so would somehow shut out the world. He responded in kind by gently rubbing circles on her back, whispering something into her ear.
Garnet dissipated her gauntlets, her eyes focused on the pair like a hawk. Amethyst didn't move.
Pearl continued. "I didn't know what to think. I mean, seeing your greatest enemy... crying her eyes out on the floor? What are you supposed to do during something like that?"
"I'm not sure, Pearl," sighed Garnet. "Get to the point."
"I AM at the point! IV'E BEEN AT THE POINT ALL ALONG!" snapped Pearl, startling the fused gem and causing her to take a step back in surprise. "Tell me, if Peridot's really as heartlessly evil as you say, then why would she be in TEARS, ON THE FLOOR, over breaking Steven's wrist?"
Amethyst gulped, her voice catching in her throat. The last time Pearl had such an outburst was when, well... when everyone wasn't exactly on the best of terms with each other. And much to her anguish, it seemed that was very much the case once more.
"B-but how do you know that's why?"
"Because it was something I learned, Amethyst. It was something I learned,when I actually had an honest conversation with her. With my friend..."
Pearl's head slowly turned away from Garnet and Amethyst as she spoke, her tightly clenched her teeth helping to project her voice from her throat in a strange, guttural growl. She didn't even need to directly look at her teammates to gauge their reactions.
"Your... friend?"
"Yes, Garnet. My friend. You heard me right."
Garnet felt a drop of sweat roll down the back of her neck.
Upon thinking it over, it didn't take a detective to see how Pearl and Peridot's relationship had substantially changed in the past few hours. After all, one simply doesn't go from worst enemy status to someone worthy of protection, and Pearl was one of the most stubborn gems she ever knew. A change as dramatic as this didn't just happen.
But in her mind, there was always a logical explanation to explain her odd behavior, an easy cop out. Wasn't Steven was putting her up to all of this? After all, what other reason would she have to defend her most hated nemesis? If he was completely adamant on making sure Peridot was okay, then how difficult would it really be to persuade Pearl to join his side? After the whole episode of him running away, there was probably very little she wouldn't do to guarantee his trust and cooperation.
But now the truth was out. This had nothing to do with Steven at all. She wasn't defending Peridot because she was tasked with it, almost like a commissioned job. It wasn't anything as simple as that, or callous.
She was doing it because she felt a personal obligation. An obligation to help her friend. The words came right out of her own mouth.
"But there's something I don't understand..."
Garnet paused. She knew she was about to sail into waters none of them liked to even go near. But there was no other option to get her point across.
"But, Pearl... Peridot's from Homeworld! How can you possibly form an alliance with a gem from there? After the rebellion?"
As soon as she finished speaking, both of Garnet's hands clenched into fists. Her mind put her senses on high alert, her limbs tightening to prepare to dodge an attack at any moment. Her eyes carefully scanned over Pearl like a hawk, focusing on her arms and her gem.
If there was one thing in the whole universe Pearl (as well as herself) absolutely hated to speak of, save for when it was absolutely necessary, it was her time on Homeworld. It was true she had many fond memories of their ultimate victory in the rebellion, as well as her time with Rose, but life on Homeworld itself was another matter entirely. To the best of her memory, she had hardly uttered a word about it since Steven was born.
It only made sense to be on guard. How was she going to react? Her future vision wasn't going to help her narrow it down.
"Still... if that's really the case, then why is she so friendly with Peridot? Why would she willingly put herself near someone that would remind her of everything she hates? Of what we fought to break AWAY from?"
Garnet's thoughts came to a screeching halt as Pearl moved her arms. She prepared to jump out of the way, or to summon her gauntlets to block a spear attack. She held her breath
But she wasn't reaching for her gem at all. Rather than looking like she was preparing to strike, Pearl instead crossed her arms. And then she started to... laugh?
"Oh, Garnet, if you only knew..." she mumbled to herself as she continued to chuckle. The gem in question's wariness immediately converted to frustration, all three of her eyes steeling into an angry glare from behind her shades.
"If I only knew? If I only knew what? Pearl, explain yourself!"
"If you only knew what she TOLD ME, Garnet!" Pearl's laughter died on the spot, her posture once again assuming the tenseness of a few moments prior. "All of this didn't just happen for no reason!"
"Then what is the reason? Quit beating around the bush and get to the point!" Amethyst didn't mean to blurt out and interrupt what she knew had essentially become a private conversation between Pearl and Garnet, but she saw no other way. Her teammate could truly be infuriating sometimes.
"... You know what? Garnet, go ahead and use your future vision to see what I'm about to say next. And I'll leave you two to talk it over."
Without another word spoken to either, Pearl's gem began to glow as she focused her glare to the temple door ahead. The stone entrance cracked open, revealing the water spouts constituting the interior of her room. She turned around.
"Steven, Peridot, you two can spend the night with me. If you'll come this way."
Needing no further encouragement, Peridot sprang to her feet, grabbing Steven in her arms with surprising strength. Cradling him almost like a football, she sprinted as fast as she could through the door, the child yelling something incomprehensible all the way through. Pearl covered her mouth and suppressed a laugh at her friend's silliness as she followed behind.
She stepped inside her room. But just before she ordered the entrance to close, she glanced back at Garnet. She hadn't moved.
Pearl's face fell into a frown. The door slammed shut.
Amethyst took a deep breath. Her gaze deflected to Garnet.
"Is she serious? She just led us along for all that time, only to leave like THAT? What the heck is that garbage?!" Much to her annoyance, her ranting seemed to fall on deaf ears; her companion hadn't moved a muscle since Pearl finished talking. "I mean, I get she was trying to be all dramatic, but... Garnet?"
The gem in question said nothing. But unbeknownst to her teammate, her eyes shot open wide behind her shades. She quietly gulped.
"So that's why..."
I'm not going to release the next chapter until I've written the rest of the story (two chapters). This is so I can give an exact date and time as to when the finale will be published.
So, two chapters left... it's kind of weird to think about. I mean, I've been writing this story for months, and now it's finally reaching its conclusion. I didn't have any doubts about the ending then and I don't have any now, but still... I'm going to miss writing this. It's been an absolute joy since day one, and I truly do mean that. 100%.
Well then, I'll see you all next time. And there aren't going to be many next times, so let's enjoy what's coming next.
Have a nice day.