Shivered Timbers
by Kaline Reine

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters/settings. This is just a fanfiction story. I do own Shiori, she is my character. I also own a few other original characters in this story (not affiliated with One Piece), which will be introduced as they are needed.

WARNINGS: This story contains (or may contain) graphic adult content and language, explicit sex scenes, possible violence, gore, cursing, adult themes, etc. I do not censor my writing, but I do my best to warn people about the subject matter and potential subject matter. So if you don't like that kind of thing or can't handle it, then I suggest not reading this story. You have been warned. Also, I know this doesn't follow canon but it doesn't have to, that's why it's a fanfic. xD

Also... The beautiful cover image for this story is by my friend, EzariaUmiko on DeviantArt. All credit for the image goes to her. c:

Chapter 26: Familiar Faces

Several days had passed since she'd unofficially joined the Spade Pirates... Shiori had taken to helping out with various tasks on the ship. She did it partially out of sheer boredom and partially because she didn't want to feel like dead weight. Even Vanora was doing her part to help out when she could.

She wasn't really asked to do anything in particular on board. Ace had told her many times that she should just relax, but she couldn't do that. Especially when she was so used to working. She was already taking it kind of easy, due to her injuries, but they seemed to be healing nicely. She went to see Walter about once a day to get her bandages changed and wounds cleaned. It was painful, but necessary. Every day she felt a little better, both physically and mentally.

She'd realized that the map to the island where the Ice Sword was kept was actually mixed in with her belongings. Meaning they either hadn't found it, or they had and they'd put it in her bag. She couldn't recall doing it herself, so that meant the latter was most likely the case. Once she'd gone back to the brig, she'd found her duffel bag with all of her stuff in it stashed away under the bed. So at least she'd gotten everything back and could breathe easy for now.

The Captain of the Spades had been very busy since she'd arrived there. It had been increasingly rare that she actually got to see him. They mostly saw each other around meal time and afterward while everyone was drinking. He had been trying to get her to loosen up and party a little. She noticed that he and his crew partied a lot.

The main thing that was presently weighing heavily on her mind was if she even belonged here. She wasn't sure if the life of a Pirate was really for her before, but it seemed to have chosen her, taken her in and pulled her astray without remorse... Right now, her main goal was to figure out what she wanted most. She hadn't even talked with Ace about staying on with his crew on a permanent basis. It was true that he hadn't asked her to leave either, but she didn't want to overstay her welcome... And so she was trying to do her best to earn her keep, whether he'd outright asked her to or not.

She was just finishing up helping to stock the powder room when she heard footsteps approaching. The heavy boots clunking down the stairs could only belong to the Captain.

"It looks like there's a pretty bad storm coming," Ace told her, stopping just a few feet away. "We could really use your help on deck, but only if you're finished here."

"Yeah it's all done!" She said, with sudden enthusiasm. It meant a lot that he'd come to get her himself, instead of just sending a crew member down for her.

She walked out, not noticing the warm look he gave her as she left the damp, dimly lit room. Up on the main deck, everyone was scrambling around. The sky had darkened considerably since she'd been downstairs and slate colored clouds were drifting along, peacefully and menacingly... Vanora had taken to hiding inside her shirt in her little pocket to avoid getting drenched.

"Looks like it will be a bad one..."

The Valkyrie muttered to herself, as she braced herself for what she knew was coming. A sense of unease and dread threatened to wash over her. She suddenly jumped when she felt something touch her shoulder.

"Hey," Ace flashed her a debonair grin. She'd forgotten that he was even there. There was a lot going on right now. "Don't worry, okay? Everything will be just fine."

"Okay, I'll t-try..." She stammered, unsure of how to react.

She worked with the other crew members to secure a line that had come undone. It was attached to one of the sails. Grabbing the robe as it swung by her, she did her best to help pull it without ripping open her stitches. Ace had gabbed it too and was also helping. He was very big on teamwork, as were most of the Spades. She saw that he'd really put together a great crew, when it came down to it.

It had been a while since they'd seen land, but their current makeshift navigator had assured everyone that they wouldn't be lost at sea for too much longer. Word around the ship was that they were headed to a small port before deciding what to do from there.

"Ace-kun! We could really use a hand over here!" One of the men called out. Everyone was shouting all at once, but this one voice could be heard over all the others.

It was Mitch. The Captain rushed over to his aid.

In the confusion, Shiori had gotten caught up in trying to be everywhere at once too. She knew how overwhelmed he must feel... Everyone needed help and they were shorthanded as it was. They really needed to add to the size of the crew... This storm was kicking everyone's ass! The crests of the waves were huge and the boat was rocking back and forth, being tossed around by the giant swells.

Once everything was secure again, she sat down by the edge of the railing, looking around. The clouds had darkened and were now right over them. This didn't look good.

She looked down at the sea... The sea that she loved... The sea that she feared... Everything was shaded with muted gray hues. It looked so foreign, not like the familiar emerald tinted blue that she was used to.

"Hey little lady," It was the first mate. Now that things had calmed down a bit, he'd been able to take a quick break too, so he'd come over to where she was resting. "What are you up to?"

Since she'd been here, all of the crew had made an effort to get to know her. Shiori wasn't sure what they meant by it, if they saw her as an equal or someone worthy of joining them or not... But it was nice having the company either way, until she got things sorted out. She was busy mulling things over and deciding what to do from here. She couldn't let him know that, though.

"Nothing, just... Watching the waves go by."

"I see, well-" He stopped, suddenly looking far away and squinting at the horizon. "What's that?"

Her pink eyes followed the direction he was pointing in. She noticed it too... Unsure of what it was, she simply nodded. It would have been easier to see if not for the storm...

"Yeah, I see it too. What is that?"

"Only one way to find out..." The choppy brunette sailor cupped both hands around his mouth and called out. "Oi! Hoko-san!" He cried, getting the attention of the ship's navigator. "Set a course for due West! There, on the horizon, do you see that? Bring it in a little closer!"

"Aye aye!" The gruff man with the thick beard and no hair answered him. "And I'll have Geirin-san at the ready, in case they need their heads taken off!" He laughed heartily, as the ship swayed hard to starboard, to the right, heading West.

Shiori only watched... 'So he's the navigator... Huh... I wouldn't have guessed that.' It did seem unlikely. He appeared to enjoy fighting a lot more than most people. She already knew Geirin was the ship's resident sniper, however. When he'd introduced himself, the first thing that guy had done was show off his gun collection to her.

She wasn't all that concerned about whatever it was out there. After all, she was with Ace and his whole crew. They had already proven themselves to be extremely strong, a force not to be easily reckoned with... And she was learning to trust in her own abilities more and more now. So she wasn't worried, but it did pique her curiosity. She wandered over to the center of the ship, where Ace and the rest of his crew had gathered to see what was going on.

When they approached the other vessel, they saw the shattered remnants of what had once been a ship. The storm was still raging, the heavy rains soaking everything... It was no wonder Mitch had to yell just for the others to hear him.

A particularly large wave caused Shiori to nearly lose her footing, knocking her into several of the other Pirates. They all cried out as some of them were knocked down too.

"Careful..." Ace whispered in her ear, setting her upright with zero effort.

She shivered then, hoping he wouldn't notice. If he did, she could always blame it on the rain... He hadn't helped the others, but they'd scrambled to their feet quickly enough, ready to hold on in case there was another large swell like the last one. They had to be at least fifty feet high!

Aboard the little vessel there were people. A small group of about twenty or so were scrambling frantically to hang on to what was left of their ship. The wood looked to be newly broken, so it was most likely something that had happened recently. Probably during this very storm. And since they were closer to the direction the storm had come from, that made sense.

"Captain, what should we do?" A member of the crew asked.

Everyone was looking to Ace for an answer... And he gave them one. "Let's take them in."

"But why?" Mitch asked what they were all thinking. "We don't know who they are or who they're affiliated with. They're not flying any flag. And even in the best case... Won't it just end up being more mouths to feed?"

"Maybe... But we're almost to port anyway, so what do we care? Besides, they may end up helping us later. Might even be able to recruit some of them."

"Well alright..." The first mate turned to the others, who had actually already gone to do as their Captain had said. They hadn't questioned his judgment for a second. Everyone was doing their part to get closer to the other ship and toss them a line. "You guys heard the Captain, let's move it! Get us closer to-" He noticed they were all gone. "Nevermind."

Shiori let out a little giggle, before running over to see if she could be of any help. It looked like they had things under control for now. They'd pulled up next to the shipwreck and tossed a few life preservers and safety lines to the other vessel. The group of people were tying the lines to their wreckage, ensuring that they wouldn't drift away from the Spades' ship. But something was wrong... They weren't trying to come on board.

"Yo!" Ace called down to them, his dark hair whipping around his face as the violent winds threatened to blow him over. His signature orange hat hung around his neck, the long string barely holding it in place. "I'm the Captain! Grab on, and come on up!"

"What?" The person to answer them sounded like a woman.

"I said... Climb up!"

Several of them appeared to be talking amongst themselves. Shiori watched them, wondering what these new people would be like... And then it dawned on her. She knew that voice from somewhere... It hadn't been long...

'I definitely know that voice...'

"How do we know you aren't going to pull anything? We were already taken for fools once..."

"We won't hurt you! You'll be fine! Now come on, before you all drown!" Ace yelled impatiently. He didn't have time for games.

The girl climbed up first, adjusting her glasses and making sure no one could see up her skirt... She kept pulling the dark fabric down. She was wearing boots that made it easy for her to grip the rope and hoist herself up. The Spade Pirates helped haul her onto their ship, at their Captain's request. There were hoards of catcalls and lewd declarations once they saw she was a fairly good looking young lady. Typical males...

Shiori rushed to the forefront, even pushing a few men out of her way to get there faster. She stared at the girl, even as the rest of the crew went to help more people on board. She was sporting a leather under-bust corset and frilly white blouse. It had been soaked by seawater, and torn in places, but was still mostly recognizable. Her stockings were tattered, but they bore many different colored stripes that complemented the various hues of her outfit. There was a shock of pink running through her wavy brown hair, still done up in a messy ponytail.

"Nischela-chan?!" Shiori screamed excitedly, running over and throwing her arms around the girl. She hugged her tightly to her chest, and felt Vanora squirm a little.

"Shiori..." The rest of the crew stared on in awe when their newest passenger said her name. She was speaking rather weakly and looked really disheveled. "Is it really you? What are you doing here with these people? I thought you didn't make it..."

"Oh..." She looked around, seeing how everyone was looking to her for advice on what to do. Apparently even the Spades trusted her judgment, to a degree. Right now it was all either side had to go on. They all waited with baited breath for her words. "Um... I've been here since Alvida's crew was taken over. These are the Pirates they were fighting. I saw your signal, the ribbon..."

Obviously everyone was confused. No one else had the slightest clue what she was talking about, not even Ace... But even he gave her a moment to sort this situation out for them.

"I'm glad," The newcomer smiled at her friend. "I was worried you wouldn't notice or might not get the chance to see it... I left it anyway, on the off chance that you would. But how did you get here?"

"I hid... Until they stole the crate I was hiding in!" She laughed. "It turns out I know the Captain, we were friends a long time ago. This is Ace-kun, he's really kind. Don't worry, everything is going to be okay."

Ace wasn't so sure about that just yet, but he went to greet the girl anyway. "My name's Ace. And who might you be, lovely?"

Even if he probably hadn't meant anything by it, there was something about the way he said those words that made Shiori a little uncomfortable. She knew she was probably being silly, but felt the discomfort all the same. And she wasn't sure why.

Nischela eyed him up and down, a grin slowly overtaking her face. "Ace, huh? Nice to meet you. I'm Nischela. I was trapped on board the same ship as your little girlfriend here, only I was stuck in a different way."

"I see... Welcome aboard!"

'Why didn't he say something?' Shiori wondered, and then wondered why she wondered. 'He didn't bother to correct her, but... Maybe he didn't hear her?'

The winds were howling around all of them, causing things to whip this way and that, and making everyone's nerves stand on edge. The pouring rain didn't help the mood any either.

Nischela was still talking to her. "When the Miss Love Duck was attacked, I gathered up as many slaves from the quarters as I could. We used one of the lifeboats to escape. I've got Mia-chan, her son Zachary, and some others with me... Even Toll-san!" She indicated, as the crafty old man was also brought on board.

"Ace-kun..." Shiori turned to him, her eyes pleading. "Can they stay on with us for a short time? Just until we reach the next port?"

"Of course!" How could he say no to that face?

She couldn't resist the urge to hug him, her skinny arms wrapping around his toned torso. Shiori instantly regretted it, the moment she felt his muscles tense under her touch, and a deep blush enveloped her features. It had felt so strange...

"A-arigatou... Th-thank you so much!"

"It's no problem," Ace rubbed the back of his head, taking a step away from her. "We're not too far off from our destination and we did manage to get a lot of extra food when we ransacked Alvida's ship."

"You two are funny!" Nischela grinned mischievously, seeing the way they interacted together. She didn't remember Shiori saying anything about an Ace... How strange. "Let me make sure everyone is okay, and-"

"You sit down, Nischela-chan! And rest!" The albino insisted, already leaving. "I'll handle everything... I've missed everyone anyway."

Her friend nodded, and she rushed over to help get the others on board. There were a lot of faces she recognized, and a few she didn't know that well. She wasn't able to get a really good look a everyone due to the storm, but she was fairly sure that most were slaves on board Alvida's ship. She was happy to know that they'd managed to make it out of that wretched place. Even if the Captain did survive everything, it would be unlikely that she'd be able to replace them all. Shiori felt herself get angry all over again, every time she thought about it. She wished she'd been as daring as Nischela was, and able to do more for them while she was there.

She was greeted by Bob Toll, the friendly old man who had once been kind to her. He smiled and she returned it, although with some reservation. Then she realized that was silly, since he couldn't really see her anyway. What would he be like? Would he see her as the enemy? Was he secretly loyal to Alvida still?

"Toll-san..." She referred to him in the same way that Nischela had. She still recalled his kindness to her.

"I may not be able to see your face," The blind man said. "But I can still sense your hesitation. Your steps slowed ever since you realized it was me." He was unable to walk and kept stumbling over, so she rushed to his aid.

"H-how are you so good at reading people?" She laughed nervously, in an effort to lighten the mood. "Just come with me, okay? We're going to bring you and anyone else who is hurt into the medical ward to have your injuries looked at."

"Fair enough. Guess it'd be pointless to ask you to pay the toll. So this one's on the house. Ehehe..."

"I guess so." She took hold of his arm and led him to Walter's office. She noticed he didn't have his walking stick anymore. "What happened to your cane?"

"There wasn't time enough to get it... We all left in a big hurry. But it's alright. I can get another."

She was surprised at how well he was taking this. Shiori allowed him to lean on her while she walked him to the medical ward. It wasn't easy just getting across the deck while the storm was tossing their ship around like this. He was elderly, so she wanted to make sure he was okay before bringing in anyone else.

"I'll take it from here," Walter assured her, welcoming the man into his office the moment he saw him. He'd already been informed of the situation by some of the other Spades. Word really did travel fast. "Thanks little lady, you're doing great."

She rushed off to see if she could help some of the others who were brought on board. As soon as she began to walk back, she noticed they'd brought Mia and her son up. She was hunched over and clutching him close to her. She looked distraught.

"Mia-chan..." She went to her side, holding her hand the moment she reached up. "Is everything okay?"

"Shiori! No... It's Zachary-san..." This was the first time she'd ever heard her use her son's name. They were practically forbidden from talking on Alvida's ship. "He has a high fever. I'm not sure what's wrong with him, but his face is bright red and he's just burning up..."

"I'll see what I can do."

With a determined look crossing her features, Shiori summoned a small flurry of snow from her fingertips. She brought it down to the boy's face and lightly brushed his cheeks. She didn't want to press it onto his skin too much, because it would cause frostbite, rather than having the cooling effect she'd been hoping for. She got as close as she could without actually touching him. Just enough to bring down the temperature of the air around him. The little boy whined pitifully at the cooling effect when she did it, but he opened his eyes a little.

"That's the first time he's opened his eyes in days!" Mia exclaimed excitedly, wringing her hands together nervously. "That's amazing! How do you do that?"

"It's a Devil Fruit..." Shiori admitted, feeling all sorts of awkward.

"A Devil Fruit?"

"They're these weird fruits that give the person who eats them abilities that enable them to do extraordinary things... But at a price."

Mitch explained, leaning over the side rail of the ship and using his own Devil Fruit powers to hoist up a few more former slaves. He was the best person for this task, since he could summon ropes at will and control them better than anyone.

"A price?" Mia asked, looking at Shiori with forlorn concern.

"Yes," The albino girl nodded solemnly. "I'll tell you more about it, but right now we need to get him to see the ship's doctor. Come with me?"

Nodding, the distraught mother cradled her son close to her and followed her to the medical ward. She would deal with everything else later. Shiori had the right idea... This was her son's life at stake, so it was best to get him medical attention right away.

"He's got a clean bill of health, other than some arthritis and joint deterioration..." Walter told her, regarding Bob Toll, adjusting his top hat slightly. "What's this?"

"A child who needs your help," Shiori explained, the panic evident in her eyes. But despite this, he noticed that she was trying to stay calm on the outside. "He's running a terrible fever and we don't know why."

"Get that snow away from him," Despite the words sounding harsh, she knew he meant well. "It will mess with his temperature and I need to see how bad it actually is. If I need you, I'll send someone for you, alright?"

"Alright. And Walter-san..."

"Huh?" He turned, already preparing a thermometer and taking out a huge medical encyclopedia.

"T-take good care of them... They're dear friends of mine."

He nodded, obviously wanting to be left to his work. Mia was upset but she was content to let them handle things for now. She just wanted to make sure her son was alright.

When Shiori went back out, all of the slaves had been rescued from the wreckage and everyone was getting settled in. It was difficult for everyone to even stand upright during the storm, but the waves were starting to calm down a little bit already. Ace was busy figuring out the sleeping arrangements for all of the slaves and making room for them. At least it was only temporary... She overheard him talking, and Mitch was complaining about having so many people on board when they weren't equipped for it.

"Do you think Mia and Nischela can stay with you?" The handsome Captain approached her. "I hate to ask, but we're short on room and it's only logical that some of them may have to stay down in the brig too. If you want, we could find other arrangements or-"

"No no!" She put her hands up defensively. "It's fine! I'd love that, really. It'll give us time to catch up and stuff. Nischela-chan is a friend, and so is Mia-chan. I don't mind at all."

If anything, she was just grateful that he'd chosen other women to share her space and not some obnoxious men. That could get seriously awkward.

"Alright, that's good," Ace patted her on the back, and then instantly regretted it when she cried out. "Oh I'm so sorry! Shiori-chan, are you okay?"

She winced from the touch, but shook it off. "Y-yeah I'm fine... Don't worry, it's almost healed anyway."

He felt really bad, but right now he had a ton of things he needed to take care of. There were so many new people and everyone was trying to talk to him all at once. He also needed to make sure their own ship was okay and they got through this storm. It was like chaos had erupted everywhere all at once! She understood why he had to go and why he was so busy lately.

While she was also rushing around to try to help everyone where she was needed, Shiori heard another familiar voice... A thick French accent rang out among all the rest. It was Pierre, the cruel slave driver who had been really mean to her while they were all on Alvida's ship. Along with him, she also recognized several others.

'Shit...'

Shiori decided to go back into her makeshift room for the time being. This was all overwhelming her. She couldn't understand why Nischela had even allowed them on board the lifeboat. This was something she would definitely have to talk to her about later...

After several more hours of hard work, their ship had made it through the storm. It lasted long into the night. Ace and the rest of the Spades had been doing their best to ensure everyone's safety during the worst parts of it.

Shiori had locked herself away and was doing her best just to keep herself composed... She didn't want those awful people anywhere near her! And now she wasn't sure if she could even trust Nischela, even though they were supposed to be comrades... But she had given her Vanora, and for that, she was grateful. She'd kept all her secrets too. She hadn't even told Ace about The Agency or any of her dealings with them. After all, it's not like he'd asked anyway...

The little striped white kitten was sitting on her bed grooming herself. Every now and then Shiori would reach over to scratch her behind the ears. She'd managed to avoid being too soaked during all of that, but a lot of the rain water had seeped through her sweater, so it wasn't much help.

It wasn't until now that someone finally came down to see her. It was Nischela. She adjusted her thin-rimmed pink metallic glasses and offered her a friendly smile.

"Hey..." She said sheepishly, standing just outside the metal bars of the cell.

"Hi Nischela-chan... Where were you? I was starting to worry a little bit..." Shiori admitted, sitting up on the bed from where she'd been lying down.

"In the galley," The brunette said flatly, with a slight chuckle. "I've been so hungry ever since we left Alvida's ship. We weren't able to take much with us. There was no time."

"Oh... That's understandable then... So can I ask you something?"

She was so tired of beating around the bush already. Even though it was an uncomfortable topic, she had to know the truth. With a deep breath, she waited for this to be over.

"Yeah, anything... Ask away!" Nischela came closer, tentatively stepping inside the cell and sitting down at the very foot of the bed.

She started taking off her boots and getting comfortable. Mitch, the Spades' first mate, had told her this is where she would be staying. At least she was in good company.

"It's about the others from the ship... The ones who... aren't slaves. What about them? Why did you bring them along too?"

"Well we tried to help everyone that we could. I was mainly focused on rescuing the slaves, so I took as many with me as possible. Some of the guards came with us. I mean, we couldn't just leave them there if they wanted to get out too. We were all caught up in that mess. I know it's hard to forgive people when they've wronged you so... But maybe in time, do you think you might come to show them a bit of mercy?"

"No..." She paused for a moment, remembering a powerful lesson that a certain Ice Witch had once taught her. "I don't think I can get past what happened. The things they did to me... They were just horribly cruel! There's no way I can allow them anywhere near me."

"So what do you plan to do? Just stay hidden down here until we reach port? Won't your boy toy be kind of mad if you slack off the whole time, I mean-"

"It's n-nothing like that!" Shiori shouted, her voice getting louder and her face turning bright red again.

"Forgive me, I'm only tired from a long and difficult trip..." Nischela tried to smile, but it was rather half-assed. "I guess we'll figure it out. I can't ask you to take everyone in, that would be crazy, given the circumstances. The only people I really care about helping are myself and Mia, because she has a young child and I don't think he deserves any of this. Otherwise, whatever you decide to do about it is up to you."

"So... It's all in my hands?"

Her friend nodded. "Mhm. It would appear so. I mean, I'm sure you'll have to have a talk with that studmuffin about all of this mess soon anyway... After all, he was looking for you earlier."

'I really wish she wouldn't refer to him that way...' Something about it bothered her, but she wasn't sure what. She just scowled.

"I guess I should go take care of that then. Any word on Mia-chan and... Ahh...?"

"Zachary-san." Nischela reminded her of the little boy's name.

"Yeah sorry, I'm bad with names..."

"Me too. Nope, I haven't really heard much about it. They're still in the medical ward."

"I should g-go..." Shiori got up, leaving her friend behind for now. "Make yourself comfortable here, okay? There's not much to it, just a bed and the bars really, but it's been sufficing for me. They won't lock us in, so don't worry. You can take a nap if you want to, I don't mind. I know you've just been through a lot."

"That's really sweet, I think I'll do that," She yawned for emphasis. "I am pretty wiped out... 'Night Shiori-chan!"

"Goodnight."

She immediately left to go and see what else had happened since she'd disappeared. Shiori felt really guilty about leaving and not helping out around the ship more. Maybe no one would have noticed... Mostly she wanted to check on Mia, but afterward she planned to find out what it was that Ace wanted. It concerned her that he'd been looking for her. The last thing she wanted was to worry anyone needlessly.

Down in the brig, Nischela started looking around. She needed to get used to how things were in a different environment. She'd been on with Alvida's crew for a very long time now, and The Agency hadn't even bothered to send her anywhere different. Maybe because she blended in so well with them, and she'd already earned their trust, or maybe because they had nowhere else for her to be.

She didn't want to be too nosey, but she'd always wanted to learn more about this mysterious albino girl... There really wasn't much to the cramped cell they were forced to share, just a small empty box being used as an end table and a bed that was basically a glorified cot. But it would do... She noticed something sticking out a little from under the bed, and decided to have a better look. It was a black duffel bag. She knew it must belong to Shiori. Unable to resist the temptation any longer, she pulled it up onto the bed, unzipped it, and started rifling through it.

"Well, well, well... What have we here?" She unfurled the map, spreading it out across the bed. Her gray blue eyes widened. "Oh my..."

A/N: I think I'm actually going to wrap up this chapter here... I know it's a little shorter than some chapters, but I feel like this story needed an update. So instead of making you wait longer, I've decided to start the next chapter from here. Yay! I'll try to make the next one longer.

Also I don't know when I can post a new chapter since a lot has been going on and I have to get my computer sent in for some repairs to the screen caused by a factory defect error. But I will do my best to keep working on it in the mean time. I hope you enjoyed this new chapter and hopefully it's still exciting! I have lots of fun things planned coming up soon. Thanks for reading, as always! ;D

-Kaline