"It should be around here," I muttered, mostly to myself.
The seashore was little more than a strip of gravel beaten by the waves, and the water lapped over my toes. I'd left my shoes behind considering the fact leather smells absolutely disgusting once it's been soaked. Lavi followed close behind.
We'd spent the past few days poring over books, asking questions, and fighting Akuma in the outlying towns while we weren't at the resort. The couples were all about as knowledgeable as a bag of weasels, and Macy still managed to set off my radar, albeit in a different manner than I'd originally anticipated. She reminded me of someone, that was all. She was subdued, but obviously not dangerous. Her timidity was anything but an act. She dropped a spoon at a breakfast, and the look Zach gave her could've peeled paint. No wonder she was so quiet all the time.
"Are you sure? We're almost at the end of the property. Man, my feet hurt," Lavi complained, and I rolled my eyes.
I bound back my hair (again) as the breeze ripped a few strands free from the tie I'd stolen from Kanda. I'd half expected him to barge straight into the resort for it, old ladies and their lawyers or not. He meant serious business when it came to these little slipknots, and it was devilishly satisfying to steal them.
"Of course I'm sure," I said, feeling a little more uncertain with every step.
The book we'd picked up at the festival had said something about an underwater cave that was supposed to be underneath a large yew tree. So far, I hadn't seen anything of the sort, but then again, I'm no botanist. I wasn't quite sure what a yew looked like in the first place.
"How's Sebastian doing? Have you asked?" Lavi inquired, and I took a deep breath.
After my brother had lost his eye, they'd said it was likely he'd die during the night from sheer shock, if nothing else. Well, my brother was a trickster as well as stubborn, so he'd lasted through the night (and pranked the nurses while he was at it). They were currently working on getting his socket filled and reshaped so he could look as "normal" as possible, under current circumstances, and they'd said he would be fine within the month. He'd just have to wear an eye patch.
From what I could hear, the eye patch was his favorite part. He wanted a pirate costume along with it. I told him I'd buy it for him as soon as I came home.
"He's fine. He talked to me this morning, and he was very enthusiastic about the eye patch idea. I don't think I've ever heard someone so excited about losing an eye," I groaned, kneading my forehead.
He'd given me a headache that lasted for days. Lavi and I had taken turns sitting by the phone in case someone called, but so far the only thing they'd told us was that he would be perfectly safe in the Order's hands. The science department was even considering making him a robotic eye to replace the one he'd lost, but I'd vehemently told them where to shove their robotic eye, along with the rest of their wacky machinery.
A hand grabbed the back of my neck, rubbing the sore muscles around the base of my skull, and I sighed. I'd gotten a little more used to being touched, and Lavi was easing me into it, like getting into cold water. Of course, we never did anything further than punch or pinch or offer a shoulder hug. We knew better than to push those boundaries.
"Hey! Look, over there!" Lavi shouted, running ahead of me.
I rolled my eyes, unable to understand how he could have so much energy. I trotted after him, looking at what he was pointing at. A large tree hung over the water, its branches leaning away from the ocean as the sea breeze buffeted it into its odd shape. I picked my way over the rocks, deeply aware of the algae squishing in my toes, and my neurotic, obsessive mind screamed indignantly.
"Find anything?" I asked as I tried to circumvent a rather large, nasty piece of seaweed that looked like it would chop off my leg if I got too close.
"There's definitely a cave here. During high tide, you wouldn't be able to see it. The water level would be too high," Lavi shouted from the base of the cliff, and I finally joined him.
It was, indeed, a cave, but it was deep, dark, and dank.
"Okay, we found what we came for. Let's go back," I said nervously, feeling shivers crawl up my arms.
Who knew what sorts of creepy crawlies were in there? And not just cave fish either. Crabs and algae and mildew and slime molds and disease… Lavi suddenly grabbed my hand, and he started to lead me over, despite my protests.
"Hey, hey, hey, we can check it out tomorrow after I buy a pair of galoshes and about a gallon of lye," I whined.
The cave was halfway in the water, so we'd actually have to wade in, something I definitely was not about to do in three layers of petticoats and an over-dress.
"If you're afraid of drowning in all that cloth, just take off most of it and come on. I just want a look inside, see if there's anything useful," Lavi said, letting go of my hand.
He shirked off his shirt and rolled up his pants. I groaned as I stood on the shore by myself, unwilling to go in. I didn't like the dark. I didn't like the wet. I didn't like the idea of having small, blind fish swim around my feet and nibble at my toes. Not to mention all the talk of sea monsters had me a little jumpy.
However, being alone seemed to trump being wet and cold and in the dark. I wasn't the type to be by myself. It was a bit of a failing, probably born of my double X chromosomes. I grumbled to myself about the various ways I was going to make the redhead pay as I started to remove the many layers of clothes I had on until I was wearing nothing but my chemise.
The water was just as cold and nasty as I'd imagined. I slowly waded into the cave, the water soon reaching my waist as I called out, "Lavi? You in there?"
Something grabbed my leg, and I screamed and thrashed.
Lavi popped out of the water laughing, and I stood there, not amused.
I growled, "I'm going to kill you."
He was still giggling as he snorted, "You should've seen your face. It was priceless! I wish I had a camera."
I made a move to tackle him, but my foot landed on something slimy. I yelled in surprise, backing up. I didn't even want to think about what was down here. I'd already dusted the entire cottage because I was afraid of getting black lung from the years of accumulated dust. Now I had to worry about all the things in this cave.
Lavi reigned in his laughter, and I said, "I just stepped on something very… nasty."
He dived down to search for whatever I'd stepped on, and he came up with a slime-covered chain. He frowned at it, looking deeper into the cave. It was so dark, light didn't penetrate.
"We should come back early in the morning when the tide goes out. There's something down there. I don't want to go in right this minute, though," Lavi said seriously, and I could understand why.
I almost had to tread water. The tide was beginning to come in fast as evening approached. We'd spent the entire morning chatting with the old ladies, an event I wouldn't wish on the fiercest demon. They'd asked the forbidden question about children. I'm lucky blood didn't pour out of my ears. And, Lavi, of course, being the ham he is, answered, "We'd try for them right now, but Margie here's a little shy, ain't that right? I've even went the flowers and chocolate route and everything!"
And then the talk of the breakfast table had been… mortifying. While the boys had gone to go and eat 'a real breakfast' at the tavern, I'd been left with the girls and their talk of the exploits of the last few days. I now knew more than I ever needed to about the marriage bed, though I'd already had a good idea to start off with. I would never be able to look at silk ties the same way ever again. What innocence I'd had before was dashed against an assortment of chipped china, old lace tablecloth, some delicious crepes, and crystal glassware.
"Do we have to come back? We know it exists. That should be enough," I groaned, following him back out.
I had already had problems sleeping before the eye incident with Sebastian, but now I could hardly think straight I was so tired.
"There's something down there, though, that's got to be – Maggie, what is your friend doing out there?" Lavi asked, pointing beyond to a little rock spur.
Pale blonde hair flew out in the wind, and my eyes widened.
Macy opened wide her arms and jumped off the rock straight into the churning water, and Lavi dove after with something close to resignation. I was about to jump in until I realized that, with my swimming ability, I'd just be giving Lavi more work to do. I waited nervously as Macy floundered and fought to stay afloat, obviously having changed her mind about how she wanted to die. Lavi got a hold of her and dragged her back just as the sun began to touch the water.
"Honey, what in the Sam Hill made you decide to throw yourself into the ocean at a tide change?" I yelled with indignation.
She was sobbing so hard she could hardly speak, and I said, "Let's get her up to our cottage. She's going to need some dry clothes, and she's about my size."
She'd nearly given me a heart attack. Lavi handed me a shirt, and I started to towel her face and neck. We led Macy up the stone steps that zigzagged the cliff almost half a mile away.
With the fire going and her clothes drying on a rack, Macy looked less like a drowned cat and more like a pretty, if unfortunate, little girl. She couldn't be older than I was.
Lavi glanced back as he made tea, and I asked the girl, "Now, tell Auntie Mag-"
Lavi shot me a look, and I stopped midsentence.
"-Uh, Margie what's the matter. Whatever it is, suicide is definitely not an option, and if you were really committed, you should've tied a rock around your foot. Makes for faster, less painful drowning," I stated. "And worn a shabbier dress. Look at that thing! It would've been completely waterlogged! You want them finding you like that?"
Macy seemed to consider this as Lavi looked at me with a horrified expression, and I realized that I'd just given her more ideas.
Oops.
"Wow, now that I think about it, that was a stupid idea. And this was an expensive dress, too. I hope it'll dry out completely. Zach would kill me… would… kill me if…"
Macy suddenly turned into a sugar cube in the rain. She sobbed raucously onto my shoulder, and I looked to Lavi for help. He shrugged as if to say 'you're one your own' and I gave him an incredulous and disgusted look.
She told us the whole story. She and Zachary had been married rather hastily after it was found out that Zach's fiancé, Kara, was pregnant with another man's child. Macy's father had agreed on the grounds of business, and Macy, like most young women in her situation, had hoped for the best. And, unfortunately like a lot of young women in her situation, her hopes were crushed after the first week.
I was very acutely aware of how suicide might look like a walk in the park in comparison to the alternative. Actually, I'd been to the alternative. Drowning sounded much easier and lot less painful.
However, that was the end of it.
"We've been working on our problems for a while, and he seemed to be getting better. And then… and then last night… last night, after we'd had a drink, he just… attacked me, but not like hurt me attacked me, like grabbed me and just… saying all these things to me, what he wanted to do to me, so I got scared and I hit him over the head with a lamp, and he went down on the floor, and I think I killed him and I… I… I can't go to jail, Margie, I just can't go to jail! I didn't kill him, I swear it was an accident!" she sobbed, and I held her as she reached for me.
I leaned my head against hers, and I looked up at Lavi helplessly. Well, what did we do now?
The redhead scratched his chin in thought, and he said, "I'll go and check on him. If you only hit him over the head, there's a good chance he was just unconscious, not dead. If that's the case, he won't remember anything. Is there anything else?"
Macy sniffled prettily, her big, watery blue eyes staring up at him with starry adoration. To her, Lavi was probably the picture of the perfect man. Too bad she wasn't his type. He liked widows.
"Uh… the drink we had was… it tasted funny. I think, maybe, he was poisoned. He went down really fast. And I'm not that strong," Macy hiccupped, wiping her nose with a hankie he'd offered her.
Lavi and I looked at each other, and it was like a moment of telepathy.
"Louie, you can go and check at the cottage. I'll bring Macy down to Maria's. The Reyes won't mind putting you up for the night, at least until the both of us get this sorted out," I said, and Macy looked at me in confusion.
"Sorted… sorted out?"
Lavi smiled beatifically, and he said, "We're… sort of like investigators. I do a lot of work like this with my grandfather. We run more than just a merchant business, and Margie was a working clerk before her mom stuffed her into a debutante dress."
I was always impressed by just how easily Lavi could lie.
We headed off in different directions. After explaining the situation to Maria and Santi, they'd both eagerly agreed to let Macy stay the night. Their cottage had two floors instead of one, and it had two suites. Macy was more than grateful, thanking me and the Reyes couple over and over again as they sequestered her into their humble abode. I started to head back, and I was suddenly aware of how dark it was. I frowned and fumbled for my metal bands, making sure they were secure along my wrists.
However, as I walked down the path through the forest, I was aware of the hairs on the back of my neck standing straight up. Kanda had taught me that my instincts were probably one of the most valuable tools I possessed. During anticipation training, I'd listened to my sense of wrong very closely, and I'd managed to pinpoint my feelings pretty well. This was definitely an Akuma.
I suddenly spun around, activating my Innocence at the same time. An Akuma clashed against the metal bands, sending shock waves up both arms as I warded it off. I was suddenly batted into the trees, and I screamed as I was sent flying. I rolled and got to my feet, clumsily following the same rituals I'd been practicing in the training room for weeks. An Akuma, the shape of a grasshopper if only about fifty times bigger, leapfrogged over my head to land behind me, and I blocked bladed mandibles.
Mantis falls back, Kanda's voice said in my head, an automatic instinct. I dropped down low, surprising the Akuma as it lurched forwards.
Rabbit kicks out, his voice said again, and I followed the pattern we'd set. I lashed out with a leg, knocking it off balance.
Mongoose strikes, Kanda stated in my mental ear, and I slashed with both hands. Gashes sprang on its face, and it reared on two overlarge legs, shooting out spikes on cables. One of them cut straight through my dress, and I grumbled, "Hey, I actually paid for this one!"
The distraction cost me, though, because I was suddenly stuck under a giant foot, claws raking through the dress.
Tch. Idiot, Kanda muttered. It was usually around this time that I lost focus anyways.
More spikes whipped out to hit me, and I sawed through the leg holding me down with one hand as I used the ring in my other hand to block the head trying to eat me.
"I'm going to enjoy consuming your flesh, Exorcist," it hissed, and I muttered, "I don't think you will – I've been eating a lot of pickled fish lately."
I finally freed myself, and a hammer smashed the Akuma off of me. I got up and dusted myself off, breathing heavily as Lavi broke both of the large legs on the Akuma. I hefted one disc, and I prayed to God for a moment.
Dear Lord. Please don't let me hit my teammate. Last time, Kanda almost had my head on a platter and he had to walk around with a bandage on his thigh for nearly a week. I would rather not revisit that particular experience again. In your high and holy name, amen.
I let the disc fly, and it smashed straight through the Akuma's head. It stood there for a moment as if stunned, and then it fell over. I perked up at having finally hit something, and I jumped for joy with a big whoop.
Lavi cursed as the disc came back, and I deflated. My euphoria ran away with its tail between its legs. I ducked, and the disc buried itself above my head. I looked up at it, noting the very visible hum it gave off from having been thrown so hard. I put a hand around the grip, and I yanked as hard as I could, but the thing refused to come free.
Another hand suddenly replaced mine, and Lavi yanked backwards, freeing the disc. He handed it to me with a raised eyebrow, and I rolled my shoulders sheepishly.
"You'll never let me live this down," I sighed to myself.
Lavi contemplated it, and then he shook his head.
"No, not at all," he said.
I rubbed the back of my neck, aware of just how dirty I was, and we both began to head back to the cottage. However, as we did so, I felt eyes on me once again. However, when I looked back, I saw no one. Ever so slightly I quickened my pace. This forest was giving me the creeps.
"Well, Zach's perfectly fine," Lavi said sardonically.
"Really?" I asked, not in the least interested.
After meeting him, I hadn't been impressed.
"Yeah. He was already talking about lawyers by the time I managed to get him down to the reception house. The man knows how to talk."
"Suzanna! Suzaaannaaaa!" Agatha whined as she burst into the house, and Suzanna, busy at the kitchen stove, asked, "What is it, you dolt? Shut up before you wake up the entire property."
Agatha took a deep, wheezing breath, and she said, "The two… who just came… they're from the church!"
Suzanna rolled her eyes. Agatha was a little slow on the up take. Suzanna had already put a new bug in their room, a much more discreet, smaller, harder to find bug, and she'd deduced from their conversations that they were probably from the same blasted place that kept asking for entry on the grounds without a warrant. Of course, tomorrow that'd all be taken care of. Zach and Macy had looked like such good candidates, but after the debacle that had taken place today, there was no way. Those, two, however, were less of an issue. Their only problem was their virgin status. It was obvious that the two were not married, and there was a good chance that one, if not both, were still virgins.
Now, in the old days, that would've been absolutely wonderful. Virgins came about a dime a dozen, and all you had to do was steal a village girl who wasn't married yet, and there you go! Instantaneous sacrifice, just waiting for you to nab. If you managed to get a married virgin, that was even better.
However, these days it appeared that virgins were in short supply, so all the old spells had to be revised. Just about everyone was "experienced" in one way or another, and it was just oh so much easier to go with the flow rather than hunt down that one girl or boy who was of age but hadn't been deflowered. Children, of course, were a much better pick, seeing as you could never truly run out of children, but people got awfully curious when children went missing.
And so, they two had concocted various ways of making sure that couples managed to get the job done, just in case, but this was a certain predicament they hadn't counted on. After all, here were two people, both of them unwed, who knew about their little plot (or the gist of it, at least), and both were of opposite gender (quite obviously) at just the right time and place practically waiting on a silver platter.
"I know they're from the church, Agatha. You old hag, why do you think I've set the schedule early for the sacrifice? I've already talked with the Sea Lords, and they're willing to accept payment before the New Moon. Now we've just got to make sure those two are, ahem, fit for sacrifice," Suzanna said, stirring the liquid mix in a pan on the stove.
Agatha's mouth formed a 'O' of surprise, and she asked, "Do you need me for the incantation? Or for the delivery?"
"Delivery," Suzanna muttered, not trusting Agatha to get the incantation right.
She'd already done that once, and they'd had to put off the sacrifice for an entire three days. Three days! The Sea Lords almost quit! After all, punctuality is of the utmost professionalism, and were they not all professionals?
Suzanna poured the mix into two wine glasses, topping the clear liquid with wine to mask it. Now, it looked like nothing more than a small token drink for the nice, new couple. Suzanna muttered the incantation and put the drinks on a tray, and she gave it to Agatha. For a moment, Suzanna wondered if she should've asked Zach or Macy to do this bit (those two were dumb as bricks and would never have known a thing, especially after a bit of memory editing), but she changed her mind. There was no way that Agatha could get this wrong.
Before handing over the tray completely, Suzanna narrowed her eyes and leaned forwards menacingly towards her twin.
"Make sure they both drink it. If you have to stand there and watch at the window, be my guest. Once they down it, they won't even know you're there, anyways. As long as neither of them somehow ends up taking a cold shower, everything should go as planned," Suzanna grumbled, and Agatha sheepishly took the glasses.
Dumb, cheap recipes. They were so easy to negate, but most people didn't know about the little loopholes on potions, especially these non-magic folk. Of course, Suzanna herself had been tempted to turn off the water at night, but that would tip somebody off.
"Of course, sister, of course. And… what happens, pray tell, if the little, er, Zach-and-Macy-thing happens again?" Agatha asked.
Suzanna stared blankly at Agatha.
"Make sure that it doesn't. Use your imagination," Suzanna ordered, shooing off her twin to go and deliver a little 'parting gift' to the nice couple from down the lane.
"Komui says that the tax evasion route worked. The ladies haven't been paying taxes for – get this- almost as long as the bureau's been around. They filed the first few back in 1770, and then they never came back, and it got lost underneath a mountain of paperwork when the Revolutionary War started," Lavi said, poking his head into the bathroom as I brushed my teeth.
I'd borrowed a pair of his pajamas, seeing as I was absolutely sick of trying to sleep in petticoats, and it hung off my frame like a hot-air balloon from a tree. Still, they were airy and comfortable, so I wasn't about to complain.
"Sheesh, that is a long time. Are you sure it's the same two ladies?" I asked through a mouthful of toothpaste, and Lavi nodded.
"Suzanna and Agatha. I'm amazed no one noticed that the same two old ladies have been living next to them for almost a hundred years," Lavi muttered. "They're definitely witches if they've lived that long and no one's noticed. They may even be brokers for the Earl."
I spit and rinsed into the sink, and I stretched, yawning.
"We'll tackle it tomorrow. I'm beat. Besides, tomorrow's our last day, isn't it?" I asked.
I was actually a little excited. I was better at this than I thought.
"Yeah, it is. I'm still trying to figure out how the missing couples fit into all of this, though, and their expenses do show some oddly extravagant things, from what I can tell," Lavi said.
One day, not sure which, he'd gone to the ladies to offer his 'help' with expenses seeing as he was going to be a 'merchant' and wanted 'practice'. The old ladies had been reluctant, but they allowed him to after some buttering up. I remember him complaining about it because he'd said that he felt like they had hung an entire dead chicken coop over his neck, they were breathing down his collar so hard.
"Well, this says that the couples were for some sort of sacrificial ritual that has to do with the sea monsters," I said, picking up the book we'd gotten at the festival.
Suddenly, a page flew up in a draft, and I cursed as it went in the gap between the bed and the wall.
Lavi waved at me and said, "I'll get it, hang on."
I put down the book gently, hoping not to dislodge anymore pages, when Lavi suddenly said, "That's not good."
"What's not good?" I asked, and he suddenly removed a small ivory bead from under the bed.
It was painted with intricate eyes, and I felt my stomach sink. That was most definitely a bug. But how long had it been down there?
Lavi pretended not to know what it was and threw it out the window. However, it was clear to both of us that the ladies now knew that we knew about their little plots. His trick wasn't going to do much.
There was a knock on the door, and the both of us jumped. We looked at each other, and I felt like a weasel was waiting to bite at my feet the minute I moved them. Lavi broke the silence by opening the door, showing a wizened old lady, though I wasn't sure which wizened old lady. She smiled bright, and I sighed. Never mind. This one was Agatha.
"Hello. We knew you'd be leaving tomorrow, so we thought we'd give you a parting gift before you left," Agatha stated, holding up a tray with two wine glasses.
Lavi smiled, and he said, "Oh, my, how thoughtful. I'll just take these…"
Lavi took the entire tray, and Agatha looked slightly taken aback. He set them down as Agatha started to come in, and I suddenly yawned.
"Oh, dear, it's time for bed, isn't it?" I stated rather blatantly, and Agatha cracked another smile, the gaps in her teeth disconcertingly dark. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that there were dark things waiting inside that cavernous mouth.
"Why, yes dear, it would be. I'm sorry, just… that wine is home made. It's a delicacy of ours, and if you don't want it, we'd hate to waste it," Agatha said, putting on a sad face, and I hesitated.
"No, no, we'll take it, don't worry. Well, good night!" Lavi said brightly, shutting the door abruptly.
It was quiet for a while, and then there was the shuffle of feet away from the door. We both let out sighs of relief, and I looked at the glasses dubiously. I didn't like this at all.
"Do you think it's poisoned?" I asked.
Lavi shrugged.
"The bug wasn't that good. It was obviously a little clumsy, though probably serviceable. I don't know if they want to risk poisoning us," Lavi said, picking up the glass.
He sniffed it experimentally, and I said, "Maybe we should just leave it be. Better safe than sorry."
Suddenly, he downed the entire thing, and I watched in horror. He stared at the glass, and he looked up at me with a smile.
"Nope. Definitely not poisoned," he stated, and I squeaked in dismay.
"What did you do that for? You could've been killed!" I screeched, pulling at my hair.
Dear Lord, what was I supposed to do if he just suddenly keeled over? What do I tell Komui? Or Bookman!
"Maggie, do you know how many times I've been poisoned?" Lavi asked, examining the crystal glass in his hand, and I slumped in a chair.
I opened my mouth and shut it. The question begged its own answer.
"I know poison," Lavi said, setting down the glass and looking straight at me.
In that moment, I felt a chill pass over me. Lavi had probably brushed Death so many times, the two kissed cheeks and exchanged pleasantries.
"Part of my training is identifying poisons in solids and liquids, as well as consuming small amounts of the more potent ones to gain a bit of immunity, though we leave off the really hard stuff," Lavi explained.
I put a hand over my eyes, and I groaned, "Just… warn me next time. That scared the living daylight out of me."
"See? Worrying over me like family. What did I tell you?" he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.
I got up out of my chair, and I took my own glass, swirling it. He'd said it was safe, but… I shook my head, and I walked over to the sink.
"Wait, wait, you're going to get rid of it? It's actually not bad stuff," Lavi protested, and I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't drink," I stated in a tone a lot colder than I'd intended. I tipped the entire thing into the sink, watching the purple liquid go down as I licked my lips, temptation still tugging me to try and lap up what was left. A long time ago, I might've done just that.
I walked over to the bed and stretched out again, dead tired. It was about time I hit the hay and called it a day. Tomorrow was going to be eventful –
Without warning, what felt like a whole warehouse of fireworks went off in my chest as a pair of arms wrapped around my waist and a face buried into my neck.
A/N: My apologies for not reporting back for so long! I've been slacking lately, especially with my recognition page for this particular story. It's a little slower than the others that I usual have going - having so many OCs in one story is bound to create some shunnage, I guess. Anywho, on to the interesting bit!
Big, big thanks to my three new favoriteers. You guys have give me quite the confidence boost whenever I see that you added this to your (hopefully long) list of favorites. The same goes to my two new subscribers. And, of course, my reviewers who've faithfully put in their input (har har, I know) so that I can get the gall to post the next chapter.
As of right now, I'm petitioning for some really in depth, incredibly honest, very scathing reviews on the story as a whole (or just the chapter in general, if you want). I'm not asking for flaming (because that is highly unproductive). I really want to know what everyone likes/dislikes/hates about the story, the characters (canon and otherwise), and the plotline/premise. Any and all comments are welcome, as long as there's something to back it up. As this is the most OC heavy story I have (besides Amestris AD), I feel I have to be exceptionally careful about derailment. My hope is to keep progressing the story into something more and more coherent and interesting (and of course fun), rather than have it devolve into meaningless OC dribble with canons being flung around like ragdolls.
All questions may be forwarded via PM if there are any. I'm only too happy to explain, discuss, and wonder.
As always, God bless you all.
