Chapter 37: Arrivals and Arguments

AN: So it turns out that the story got something like 1200 views in twenty four hours when last chapter got put up. Seems like you guys are really enjoying it, here's to hoping I can keep providing the entertainment.

Also, I'd like to extend a massive thanks to kaiju62 for being willing to proofread several of my chapters. Shameless plug alert, you might know him from his stories like Clubbin', Friends and Loved Ones, and more recently Just Across the Hall. If you're into the slice of life types of fanfics, I highly recommend checking him out.

Back to the main story! Preparations for the Vytal Festival are in full swing, and the girls decide to head to downtown Vale to take in the sights. Yeah, I'm pretty sure you can guess what's going to happen this chapter. Or can you? *cue Twilight Zone intro music*

(Perspective: Kassidy)

Festive music. Balloons freakin' everywhere. Some old shopkeeper hanging up a sign declaring 'Welcome to Vale'. Whatever this Vytal Festival was, it was pretty darn important to the city. Heck, it wasn't even here yet and there were so many decorations she had given up counting a few minutes into their trip to the town. As Team RWKY continued down the streets, Kassidy had to suppress a yawn. The worst of her insomnia was returning in full force, making the past two weeks a haze. Seventeen days without sleep. Starting to get close to my record. Wonder how much longer I can keep everyone in the dark for. Suddenly, she noticed her eyes had started drooping, and she failed to fight back another yawn.

An elbow softly dug itself into her ribs, and Kassidy looked to see Yang giving her a small smile. Yang has been really going out of her way to do what she thinks would make my life easier. Hell, she even managed to talk everyone into dropping that damn rumor finally. Really, it's times like these I'm glad to have gotten her for a partner.

"The Vytal Fesitval! Oh, this is absolutely wonderful!"

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much, Weiss. It's kinda weirding me out." You and me both, Ruby. You and me both.

"How could you not smile? A festival dedicated to the cultures of the world!" Well, at least with Weiss taking up her role as the team's walking infomercial, learning up on this Vytal Festival should be a breeze. "There will be dances! Parades! A tournament! Oh, the amount of planning and organization that goes into this event is simply breathtaking!"

"Pfft, you really know how to take a good thing and make it sound boring." While some people might say Yang had a more direct and crude definition of entertainment (with those some people possibly having the last name of Schnee)… the brawler was right. I mean, sure, I'm as big a geek as the next girl. Doesn't mean I get all excited about background paper pushing.

"Quiet, you." The girls rounded a corner and arrived at the Vale docks.

"Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon at the stupid docks?"

"Ugh, they smell like fish." Well, that's what happens when you are at a location that fishing boats tend to offload their catches at.

"I've heard that students visiting from Vacuo should be arriving by ship today. And as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom." Yeah, sure you do Princess.

"That sounds… rather fishy. You sure it's not to do with your desire to gain an advantage over our competition in the tournament by observing them?" Yang and Kassidy shared a high five as Weiss wheeled on her.

"Ugh, you can't prove that!"

"Hey, I didn't say that I blamed you."

"Woah." Ruby's simple statement caught everyone's attention as they were drawn to a busted up storefront. "What happened?"

"Robbery. Second Dust shop to be hit this week. This place is turning into a jungle." The investigator in question walked back to the storefront to continue his search. Could it be that my old friend Torchwick is back in business? Or has he remained in business these past few months and I simply haven't been paying attention? Yang made an offhand comment about how terrible it was, before the other investigator exclaimed how all the money got left again. "Yeah, it just doesn't make a lick of sense. Who needs that much Dust?" Kassidy's eyes went wide at hearing that. Stealing Dust instead of money… this isn't a petty robbery. There's something else going on here.

"Yeah, I dunno. You know what I mean?"

"You thinkin' the, uh… White Fang?"

"Yeah, I'm thinkin' we don't get paid enough."

"Hmph, the White Fang." The girls all turned to Weiss' unexpected outburst. "What an awful bunch of degenerates."

"Alright, just to clarify: White Fang is that Faunus rights organization that's started taking to more criminal means in the past five years, right?"

"They're criminally insane, Kassidy."

"That's a rather bold declaration. From what I've read, 'misguided' is a more apt descriptor."

"Misguided? They want to wipe humanity off the face of the planet!"

"So then they're very misguided. Either way, that doesn't broach the real issue here: why is a group like the White Fang robbing Dust stores left and right, and just leaving the money?"

"Hmm… Kass has got a point. Besides, the police never caught that Torchwick guy we ran into a few months ago. Maybe it was him?"

"That doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum. Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat and steal." I'm sorry, what?

"Woah there, Weiss. Way to define an entire goddamn species by its worst examples."

"Hey, stop that Faunus!" Alright, that wasn't even ironic foreshadowing on my part, Mr. Mystery Shouter! The girls ran in the direction of the shout, to watch as a blonde guy with a monkey tail got chased off a boat. "You no good stowaway!"

Kassidy watched as the Faunus in question climbed a light pole, hung from it by his tail, and started eating a banana. Wow, way to reinforce the stereotypes there. "Hey, a no good stowaway would've gotten caught. I'm a GREAT stowaway!"

"Well," Kassidy shrugged, "he's not wrong."

The two detectives from earlier walked up to the boy. "Hey, get down from there this instant!" The bearded fellow got a banana peel tossed into his face for his trouble, before the Faunus started running up from the docks. Oh, lovely, he's coming this way. Eh, not my problem, I've done worse than be a stowaway after all. Here he comes, and…

Did he just wink at me? Did that seriously just happen? Kassidy stood stunned for a moment as the detectives passed them to chase after him.

"Well Weiss, you wanted to see the competition. And there it goes."

"Quick, we have to observe him!" With Weiss' bold declaration, the team took off to follow the scene. So engrossed was she in the chase that Weiss completely failed to notice the pedestrian she bowled over as she rounded a corner. "No, he got away!" And apparently still so engrossed she ignored the fact that she just ran someone over.

"Salutations!"

"Um, hello."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm wonderful! Thank you for asking."

"Do you… want to get up?

The girl in question… or was it a girl? This seems very familiar… thought for a moment, before declaring, "Yes." She shot up and stared unnervingly at them, causing the team to collectively take a step back. "My name is Penny. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Hi, Penny! I'm Ruby."

"I'm Weiss."

"Kassidy."

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Nice tact there, partner. A quick elbow jab made Yang remember her manners. "Oh, I'm Yang."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"You already said that."

"So I did!"

Kassidy stepped away from the group for a moment to whisper with Bob. "Bob, you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That this particular AI's speech protocols are worse than mine are?"

"Something along those lines."

Weiss barging in front of her brought her out of her ruminations with her computer. "Now, where did that Faunus riffraff run off to?"

Suddenly, that Penny girl materialized in front of them. "What did you call me?"

Yang rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't think you heard me." Alright, what the hell happened back there for the five seconds I wasn't paying attention?

"No, not you." Penny stepped forward to come face to face with Ruby. "You!"

"Me?" Ruby started squeaking quickly as her brain tried to process the situation.

"You called me friend! Am I really your friend?"

Oh boy. No, Ruby, don't be friends with the poorly programmed AI masquerading as a teenage girl. Weiss and Yang obviously had similar thoughts. Ruby, of course, ignored them all. "Umm… yeah, sure! Why not?" Ugh. You are far, far too nice for your own good.

"Sensational! We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!"

"Oh… was this what it like when you met me?"

Weiss, for her part, appeared next to Ruby. "No. She seems far more coordinated."

Yang elected to defuse the newly created tension. "So… what are you doing in Vale?"

"I'm here to fight in the tournament!"

"Wait, you're fighting in the tournament?"

"I'm combat ready!" If this AI is simply roaming the streets with zero social skills and no handler, I'm actually inclined to believe that.

"Forgive me, but you hardly look the part."

Kassidy decided to take the bait. "Says the girl wearing a dress."

Weiss remained unfazed. "It's a combat skirt." Unexpectedly, Ruby of all people came to her defense, and the two shared a low five. They've certainly been getting along better than since the start of the semester. "Wait! If you're here for the tournament, then do you know that monkey tailed… rapscallion? That filthy Faunus from the boat!" WOAH, WOAH, WOAH! That's it, I've heard enough racism for one day.

"Penny, dear, if you wouldn't mind leaving us be, I need to have an argument with my teammate right about now." Blatantly ushering the suspected android away, Kassidy wheeled on Weiss. "Alright, Princess, what's your problem? 'Filthy Faunus', really?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Should I stop referring to the trash can as a trash can, or this lamppost as a lamppost?"

"Those arguments aren't equivalent. Not all rectangles are squares, and not all Faunus are criminals."

"He clearly broke the law! Give him time, he'll probably join with those other Faunus in the White Fang."

"Hitching an illicit ride on a boat is hardly on the same level as robbing Dust shops in the heart of downtown. What is your problem with the White Fang? So what if they have a couple bad eggs? That doesn't change the fact that, publically at least, they're a force for equality." So focused on the argument was she, that she failed to notice a certain black and white clad girl across the street stop and sit at a park bench, watching them as the bow atop her head twitched in their direction.

"My problem is that they're terrorists!" Weiss, showing an unusual amount of emotion, took a few steps forward and sighed. "And, contrary to your little explanation earlier, they've had criminal tendencies for more than the past five years. The Schnee Dust Company has always been a target for violent extremists, almost all of whom came from the White Fang. Trains would get robbed. Mines and processing plants would get bombed. I've seen family friends disappear, and board members executed." Drawing up to her full height (which barely crested Kassidy's chest even with the assistance of heeled boots), Weiss did her best to snarl in her face. "You want to know why I hate the White Fang so much? Because they're nothing but a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers!"

Kassidy closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and kept a calm and even tone. Need to get this right to get Weiss to see the point. Especially when she's more right than I'm willing to admit. "You have every right to hate the people that have been targeting your family. I know I would. But don't take the actions of a couple radicalized terrorists using a larger organization as a useful scapegoat, as the behaviors and desires of an entire species."

"But it is the desire of all the Faunus! You have no idea-"

"Does Velvet Scarlatina want you dead?"

"What?"

"Does Kurt from Applied Chemistry want you dead? Does Kojak from Grimm Studies want you dead? How about Fayette or Stark from Combat Training?" Weiss' glare lessened as she thought, and Kassidy continued her argument. "Weiss, if an entire species wanted you dead, then you wouldn't have made it longer than a week here. I understand where you're coming from, I really do. But don't extrapolate the actions of some psychopaths to an entire species." Putting a hand on her shoulder, she concluded, "I'm not asking you to suddenly be every Faunus' best friend ever, hell I'm not even asking you to like the Faunus. But if you're going to hate someone, then dear god please find a better reason than 'someone that shares vague physical traits with them is a bad person'."

"I hate to put a damper on this lovely conversation, but we've started to attract spectators. Perhaps we could continue back at Beacon?" Bob's announcement caught the girls by surprise, but sure enough more than one pedestrian had ceased their travels to witness the argument.

"There's no further argument to be had. Unless you have anything to add?"

"Yeah, we've conveniently ignored the Goliath in the room: who's been stealing all this Dust, and what would they need with it? I've got a really bad feeling about this…"

"I'm sure it'll be fine, K. The police have it handled. Probably."

"Well I'm not so sure, Yang." Kassidy dug her computer out of his perch on her back. "Bob, establish new task."

"New task established. Awaiting pertinent information."

"Gather all information on all Dust robberies as of my arrival to Remnant on March 5, and try to draw what conclusions you can. I want a full report by the time I'm done with dinner."

"Task set."

"Alright, then. Are we good, Weiss, Kassidy?"

Kassidy shrugged. "I've said everything I needed to."

Weiss' brow furrowed for a moment. "I… still have some things I'd like to discuss." Kassidy was about to argue some more before Weiss brought her hand up. "I'm done arguing, for what it's worth. You've given me a lot to think about; I'm not so arrogant as to insist I'm right if I happen to be completely wrong. I just need some time."

"Well, that's good enough for me."

"Okay, Team RWKY is back to its normal self!" Yang winced at Ruby's declaration, before shooting a glance over at Kassidy giving a large yawn. "Let's head back to Beacon and get some dinner!"

At this point, Bob got her attention from her earpiece. Apparently there's something he doesn't want everyone else knowing about. "You see that black and white girl with the bow across the street?"

Glancing out of the corner of her eye, Kassidy easily made out the girl resting on a park bench. "Yeah, what's up?"

"From what I could make out whenever the iris cam passed over her, she's been rather intently watching the argument from the beginning. And not just staring at you either, this one's good at hiding where her attention is at. Should I be concerned?"

"Probably not, but I wouldn't be me if I weren't paranoid."

"What're you whispering with Jarvis about, partner?"

Kassidy at this point didn't even bother rolling her eyes at Yang's pet nickname for Bob. "Nothing much. Hey, you girls mind holding up for a bit? Something caught my eye across the way, want to go see what's what."

"Alright, let's go, then."

"Not necessary Ruby, I shouldn't be long. Go ahead, I'll catch up." Her teammates grumbled for a bit, and Ruby and Yang shared concerned looks, but they did start slowly making their way down the street.

Kassidy crossed the street, taking care not to outright look at the girl that's apparently been watching her. Alright, let's establish some basic facts. Female, a good three to four inches shorter than me, only slightly more muscle than me. Eyes are… strange. Heeled boots with an outfit that allows ease of movement. A Huntress, maybe? She seems ready for a fight, despite being unarmed. Nose buried in her book, except for how she still has great field of vision by peeking over the top. Whoever this girl is, she's almost as good as I am about being sneaky. Almost. Alright, let's see how she reacts to a bit of contact.

"Hey, is that you? It's been a while, huh? How've you been all these years?" Okay… and she's the one who initiated contact. Wants to talk. Smile is forced, vague mention to knowing me. She's real good. The woman cleared a bag off the bench and cleared space for Kassidy to take a seat, which she took.

"Well, Kassidy Smith is the same as she ever is. Mostly referring to herself in the third person." They laughed at the inside joke that they most definitely did not share. Kassidy leaned back mostly to ensure her pistol was where it always was; if this girl was as good as she let on, then anything as obvious as moving an arm to pat her back would give the firearm away. "And how is my friend?"

"Changed my name, believe it or not. It's Blake Belladonna now." Leaning in, she was now talking barely above a whisper. "Didn't realize I was so obvious with my interest in your conversation with the heiress."

"Don't fret, dear. I'm just a bit paranoid is all." Stretching her arms behind her, Kassidy decided to get to the bottom of things quickly. "So to what do I earn the pleasure of your attention?"

"It was really admirable, how you stood up for the Faunus. Not many are so open-minded."

"Not really open-minded. I just have a low tolerance for racism. In my opinion, if you're going to hate someone, then chances are there's a better reason for you to hate them beyond 'they look different from me'."

"It's really refreshing hearing from such a like mind, you know that right?" Blake shook her head, her smile having long been schooled into a neutral expression. "I'm also surprised you know so much about the White Fang. Not everyone is so accommodating towards them."

"I've actually heard scarce little, I'm afraid. But equal rights is a worthy goal, as long as they can keep the nutcases in check."

"Yeah, it's such a shame that there are those willing to muddy the reputation of not just the White Fang, but Faunus everywhere by committing such cruel and senseless acts." That was the slightest bit forced. You might be good, Blake, but I'm better. So what are you hiding, I wonder?

"Well, just goes to show that being a scumbag doesn't depend on which species you are, doesn't it?"

"That it does. Did I hear right you're a student at Beacon?" Kassidy nodded, and Blake smiled softly. "I'm visiting for the tournament myself. Perhaps we'll be good friends after all."

"Perhaps indeed. Sorry to cut this short, Blake, but I better get going before my partner blows something up. Again." The two girls shared a quick laugh, before getting up. "Another time?"

"Of course. It's been great catching up!" The two went their separate ways, each wondering who got the most out of that probing conversation.

"Ugh, this day was sure a handful. If I can't get some sleep after this, then I'll probably accept my fate of being permanently awake until I die from exhaustion."

Kassidy found herself in the library after dinner, double-teaming with Bob to sift through the information the computer had managed to acquire. Was it illegal to break into Beacon and Vale Police Department servers to get every last bit of data? Eh, it's only illegal if I get caught. And as far ahead as Bob is… I'm not getting caught.

"Document number 074 has yielded no new information," Bob reported. "Hold on, receiving message. Ruby wants you back at the dorm for a team meeting."

Ugh, Ruby's been trying to corner me all week. Alright, get ahold of yourself, Smith. More than enough has happened today that this probably isn't the reason for it. C'mon, you got this. "Keep working in the background. Let's go see what Lady Reaper wants."

"Lady Reaper?"

"My new little nickname for Ruby. Hey, it fits."

After padding up to the dorm, Kassidy paused to rub the fatigue from her eyes and yawn before unlocking the dorm. I really do hope I can get some sleep tonight. I don't think I'll be able to keep a lid on this much longer.

The door opened to… Ruby, Weiss, and Yang in their pajamas, waiting on the lower beds expectantly. Ruby tossed her nightclothes at her before saying, "Change, then sit." You don't do a very good job of sounding stern, you know that right? And I knew I shouldn't have come up here. After doing what she was told, Kassidy took a seat on her bed.

"Alright, what's up?"

"What do you mean what's up?" Weiss glared at her from across the room, arms crossed. "You've been a wreck these past two weeks, and we want to know why. You're always tired, you barely stay awake in class, you've fallen behind Jaune of all people in Combat Training, and you're yawning constantly!"

"I dunno what you're-"

Yang placed a comforting hand on Kassidy's shoulder before speaking softly. "K, remember when I told you that you don't have to deal with this alone? I'm not kidding. We're your team. You can talk to us. Please, as your partner, as your friend, please tell us what's bothering you."

"Nothing's bothering me. I just don't sleep as well as you guys do. I never have."

"Sleeping for six hours and being up by four thirty is not sleeping well. Not getting any sleep at all for seventeen days is a really big problem." Ruby's knowing that shocked Kassidy, and the team leader poked her fingers together. "It takes me a bit to get to sleep. I've heard every time you left the room."

"Alright, so I haven't slept well for a while now. What's the big deal? I'm still getting everything I need to taken care of and then some."

"Except you're not. Do you not remember when you nearly got flattened by that Boarbatusk during our last training mission because you were too tired to get out of the way? You're lucky I put that glyph up when I did."

"You're not doing okay, so don't even try to tell us that you are." Yang wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a quick side hug. "If we go out for our missions tomorrow and you collapse from exhaustion, what are we supposed to do? Dust, I've getting better marks in class than you recently. I mean, I'm not stupid or anything, but let's not even try to pretend I'm anywhere as smart as you."

Kassidy shook her head and sighed. "Look, guys, I appreciate what you're trying to do. But I just can't get to sleep. And I don't know how to get me to go to sleep. Trust me, if I knew how, I would've dropped like a stone weeks ago."

"We know, which is why we took the liberty of setting up an appointment with Doctor Narud."

Kassidy looked incredulously at Ruby. "Alright, first off, why? And second off, when?"

"Well, we've already talked about why. And for when, it's, uh, tonight."

"His office closes at eight, right? We'd better hurry."

Bob corrected her perception of time. "It's 9:45, actually."

"That's a perfect example! You can't even keep track of what time it is!"

"Alright, Weiss. Since we've already missed his office hours, surely you have a grand plan for how we're supposed to have a meeting with him tonight?"

As if in reply to Kassidy's question, someone knocked on the door. Ruby bounced up and opened it to reveal the man in question. "I suppose it's a good thing I still make house calls." After being welcomed into the room, he pulled out a chair and set a carpet bag on a nearby desk. "Alright, I've been told you've been having a serious case of insomnia. How serious are we talking about?"

"Nothing too bad-"

"It's been seventeen days since she last slept."

Narud's eyes widened to comical proportions, before prompting Kassidy to confirm it. "It's not like this is the longest I've gone without sleep before. Twenty three days is my current record."

"Dear Oum, this has to be the most severe case of insomnia I've ever heard of. Give me a moment." He got up and put a palm on top of Kassidy's head, which freaked her out a bit before he started talking again. "A combination of minimal levels of prolactin and severely elevated levels of cortisol." Taking off his hand and seeing inquisitive glances, he added, "My Semblance allows me to identify physical maladies with great ease. I was training to be a Huntsman before extenuating circumstances pushed me into medicine."

Yang nervously asked, "Is there a way to help her sleep, doc?"

"It's funny, Kassidy's body has taught me more about how human biochemistry works than all my classes on the subject. You really are a strange one, you know that?"

"Yeah, figured it out a while ago actually."

Narud got a good chuckle. "Alright. I do believe I've figured out how your chemical resistance works, and how to sneak past it. I have a sedative here that should work well for tonight." Kassidy's eyes widened and she tried to hide behind Yang, which prompted Narud to laugh more. "No needles this time, I promise. Just a couple pills here. But still." He paused, and got their attention to show how serious he was. "The chemical imbalances you're currently experiencing can only be caused by extreme stress. I don't know what the source of that stress is, and I won't ask. But you need to do something about it. That level of stress does more to the body than just make it hard to sleep." Finishing his lecture, the good doctor left the girls alone in their room.

"So, are you going to take them or not?"

"I dunno, Weiss. Even assuming it does work like he says it will, being forced unconscious? What if something happens and I can't wake up to respond to it?"

"If that happens," Yang boldly declared, "First off I'll tell you to stop being paranoid, and second off I'll punch it. Nothing's going to happen to you if I can help it."

Kassidy looked at Yang as she said it. She actually means it, doesn't she? It's incredible, really. Just being around her makes me feel safe. Well, safer. "Oh, I guess." She was about to get up for a glass of water before rose petals delivered one to her. The water sloshed dangerously but remained in the cup.

Ruby giggled, before standing up in a not-quite-authoritative pose. "Alright, that settles it! You'll get some much needed sleep tonight, and after tomorrow's mission we'll make sure you relax properly!"

Not wanting to interrupt the girl's wild train of thought, Kassidy barely paid attention to the wild ramblings of spas and shopping trips and a bunch of stuff that definitely wouldn't happen. Well, she's certainly excited about this. At least there's a decent chance I might actually get some sleep this weekend.

Wait, is Ruby whispering now or is it just me? No, just me, things are getting darker. What did Narud even put… in… these…

Falling unconscious, Kassidy had no chance to correct her position of falling asleep right into Yang's lap. Weiss was the first one to get over her surprise. "Well, those sedatives sure worked quickly."

Ruby took a step forward and starting cooing. "Aw, she's so cute! Why can't she sleep this well normally?"

Yang, however, did her best to attribute the light red flush gracing her visage to being a side-effect of her Semblance. "Yeah, yeah. In case you forgot, K really needs her sleep. Let me just…" She tried to get her partner off her, but Kassidy subconsciously snuggled deeper into the comforting source of heat. Blaming the blush on her Semblance was no longer a valid option. "Alright, no. That's WAY too adorable. You've been teaching her, haven't you Rubes?" The younger sister giggled.

"I don't think I've ever seen her so relaxed. It's kind of nice, actually." Weiss finished her bedtime rituals before climbing under the covers. "Well, aren't you going down for the night Yang? If you keep me up, I swear I'll-"

"I don't think I'm currently allowed to leave the bed…"

"Looks like you get more hugs from Kassidy after all." Ruby wore a smug grin, before yelping and dashing out of Yang's reach in the nick of time.

"You are the worst!"

"Don't wake Kass up! Go to bed!"

AN 2: The longest chapter to date. Holy hell did I go overboard. And do I really need to make Kassidy continue to go through these kinds of things? Yes. Yes I do. I hope you enjoyed the final bit of fluff for a good while now. Shit's about to get real.

Coming up next: The final arc of Volume 1, and the chapter that damn near gave me a nervous breakdown wondering how you guys take it.

Anyways, Reader Responses next. Eventually.

Akshka: Don't worry, I've already made more after this so I don't have to spend final exam week writing instead of studying. We've got enough content to get us through the rest of the semester lined up.

James: Glad to hear it, I was rather proud of how I wrote that myself. This ship will be continuing nice and slow for a while now, there's more important issues to deal with than Yang and Kass fluff.

Tykene: Sorry to disappoint, but that conversation kinda gets glossed over. Long story short: Kassidy talks with Glynda about the Hunter-Killers, then Glynda tries and fails to get Kass to talk about her problems.

LizInABlizzard: Thank you for the compliments, my man/woman/Apache attack helicopter! I'll do my best to keep up the quality, and best of luck in your own writing endeavors.

Kassidy: Believe me, I'll do my best to keep it in mind. As of now, the rumor's basically dead. Not to say the teasing is dead, but from here on out it'll actually be earned. And sorry, Adam's staying out of the picture for… basically until the end of the story. Not to say I won't try and work him in here and there, because I will.

FloriteFlower: Welcome on board, thanks for the compliments! Updates are Mondays and Fridays, usually at 7pm CST. Hope I can keep providing you with an entertaining read.