The Words Between - part 19b

Brin was up and bustling about before Kyn; it was the boy's attempts to get the chair to fall back against the door as it closed that woke him. Kyn had just enough time to catch a flicker of guilty concern on the trainee's face before the door thumped shut, the chair giving a soft creak as it settled.

:Good morning, Kyn. Brin's gone to search for Brianna in the city.:

Kyn's gaze snapped toward the only other bed in the room - which sat innocently, as it had since yesterday, in its corner with the covers pulled up and the edges squared. Untouched.

:What happened?: he asked as he slid out of bed, suppressing a wince at the chill of the flagstones, snatching up his saddlebags and rooting through them for a spare set of clothes. :And where is Mennifei?:

:We do not know what happened. Raoland suggested that Brin and he track down where she had been last night. Nadia is still asleep. Brin says Mennifei is breakfasting with some friends on her balcony.:

:Why are you letting - : The thought was interrupted by a series of firm knocks on the door, the chair rattling lightly in its new setting. He turned narrowed eyes toward the source of the disturbance, and after a heartbeat's consideration, called out sharply, "What is it?"

"Feast attire fer m'lord," a boy's voice called from the other side, its registers not yet cracking, the words clearly flavored with an impatient air.

Feast attire? Kyn grimaced and rose swiftly, dragging the chair aside and opening the door. Standing on the other side was a page uniformed in Se'Fannouel's colors, looking somehow both older and younger than Brin's fresh-faced innocence. Certainly, the Herald trainee had never sported such a practiced look of disdainful insouciance when the page looked him slowly up and down - from sleep-tousled head down to bare, unshod feet. "What attire?" Kyn asked flatly.

"Th'duke had it commissioned fer you, m'lord," the page repeated himself shortly, extending out a neatly folded stack of clothes, words accompanied by the soft lisp of provincial accent and missing tooth. "Fer the feast t'night."

"What feast?" Kyn asked with a frown at the cotton and silks suddenly foisted off on him.

The page rolled his eyes with a huff of irritation and informed in slow, succinct syllables, "There's going t'be a feast t'night. All the lords and ladies will be there. Th'duke says you're to wear that t'the feast. M'lord." Apparently afraid of having more of his precious time wasted on the obvious, the page straightened, bowed, and marched off smartly without waiting for a response or further questions.

Kyn stared after the page for a heartbeat in bewilderment before retreating back into his room, absently hooking the chair with a foot to push it against the door again. Sifting through the layers of clothing with a growing sneer, noting their general cut and colors, he eventually flung the pile onto the bed before changing into the clothes he had packed from the collegium.

:The duke provided clothes for you?:

:The duke wants me to look and play the part of his puppet,: Kyn growled back, straightening wrinkles and tying off buckles with short, angry gestures. :How much would you like to wager that none of the others will be receiving this 'special treatment'?:

:Perhaps he merely wishes to honor you and have you look the part. He did mention that he wished to express his gratitude for your aid to his daughter in a public manner.:

:He can do so without picking out my clothes and affiliations for me.:

Though little activity could be detected from the guest wing, Kyn was faced with a nearly solid wall of bustle by the time he reached the central structure housing the receiving halls and audience chambers. Servants bustled back and forth, weaving in between craftsmen and common laborers bearing decorations, furniture, and in a rare case, pens of fowl for the kitchens - hastily redirected by a red-faced, flustered manservant that berated the indifferent workmen for their poor sense of direction.

As he stood in the shadow of one of the grand hall's demon pillars, sifting the roil of bodies and roar of voices for the duke's, he wished fleetingly for the same bloodcraft that gave Se'Fannouel the ability to detect if he were nearby. Yet he surmised that such a wish would probably do him little good even were it granted, for a private audience with the duke would probably be a rare commodity on a day such as this, even if he were able to spot the man from across the city. Besides, he had every confidence that Se'Fannouel wished to speak to him in private as much as he did. He was certain that the duke would seek him out at the first opportunity...

A gaggle of voices rose from from behind him, slowly gaining over the scuff of many soles across the flagstones. Without taking his eyes from the proceedings, he shifted a little closer to the wall, out of the direct path of anyone who may be passing by. Thus, it could have only been deliberate when someone's arm pushed roughly into his shoulder when the chatter was about to pass his position.

"I beg your pardon."

If it hadn't been for the familiar, mellifluous voice that shaped the words, Kin might have never bothered to acknowledge the courtesy. As it was, he was still tempted to do so out of pure spite - but something mocking hidden just beneath the polite facade begged to be addressed. "Pardon granted," he retorted stiffly. A glance toward the duke clinched the matter; the near corner of the man's mouth was upturned in a crooked smile, displaying a predatory amusement.

"How are we feeling today?"

Such cheek. Unforgivable. Kin did not bother deluding himself that Se'Fannouel was making an innocent inquiry after last night's absence; the man's look was all too knowing. "How am I supposed to feel today?" he sniped back, turning to face the man and holding the duke's gaze unblinkingly.

Se'Fannouel's smile widened fractionally, meeting the challenge without hesitation. "Leave us," he said imperiously, underscoring the command with a negligent wave of a hand. His followers looked to each other, some breaking away as soon as the dismissal was given, thought at least one or two looked like they would risk a protest. But their comrades managed to urge them away without further incident, and even as the last were still dispersing, Se'Fannouel was leading Kin into a claustrophobic side passage.

:I could kill him right now and end this farce.:

:You do not even have an eating knife on - :

:I do not need a weapon,: Kyn insisted, muscles unconsciously flexing, though he could already think up half a dozen reasons why he should not carry through the threat. At least, not yet.

:Do not say such things,: Sianni reprimanded. :It's too soon for you to make such jests.:

He resisted the childish urge to ask who she thought was jesting, and focused instead on the most essential question. :Too soon? Too soon for what?:

:Perhaps you had not known better before, but you do now,: she admonished. :If you intentionally kill someone now, simply for the sake of convenience rather than out of a misguided sense of what is more important in the greater scheme of things, even I will not be able to rationalize it to myself much less others.:

:I do not need your protection or approval. What makes you think I care, even if I am aware of your opinions on the matter?:

:The same way I know that habit is your biggest enemy now, rather than any true intent to be contrary. I know you.:

He gritted his teeth, heartily tired of that phrase, the least of which was that he had no evidence to the contrary to rub her nose in yet. How could she always be so sure of herself? For that matter, how could the Heralds - with an even lesser claim to any sort of godliness than the Companions - be so sure?

Yet, surely they couldn't all be wrong. What would it take to delude so many people for so long? He had never been subjected to the opinions of more than two people at a single time: Master, and whichever instructor happened to be present at the time. Even then, the instructor was always overruled by Master if they should happen to have dissenting views. The Heralds, Valdemar, comprised so many more opinions than just two - how was he to tell the truth from illusion?

:If it is so hard to rationalize, why not prosecute me now for my past deeds?:

:The purpose of a sentence is to punish those who knowingly did wrong and feel no remorse for it, or to keep those who are dangerous from causing harm again - all focused on the result that such an act does not repeat itself. Do you think you will commit wanton murder in the near future, Kyn?:

:There are still many who consider me dangerous or wish me punished.:

:Law without compassion or reason can become tyrannical and cruel. A child who does not know any better should be taught, not chained and beaten. But that is no excuse to knowingly do wrong.:

:How many others think the way you do, Sianni? Do all the Companions hold the same opinion?:

Interestingly enough, he could actually feel the thinning of their contact, as if she had unintentionally tried to pull back - the mental equivalent of looking away to avoid a too-direct gaze. :What do you mean?:

:You know what I mean,: he continued mercilessly, pressing the advantage when he saw her evasion. :How many of your arguments with Alberich are simply because he is the un-Herald, or simply because you are how you are?:

She huffed. :What sort of question is that? I am a Companion in - :

:Exactly the kind it seems,: Kyn continued implacably. :Intrusive, personal, and utterly without regard to boundaries of privacy.:

A grudging snort of laughter, and then she unbent far enough to admit, :There is a rhyme and reason to the process of Choosing, or so we would like to believe. Otherwise, half the Companions in a field might as well take off whenever someone is ready to be Chosen, and the first come is the first served. I happened to be the one selected for you - and I'll have you know that all Companions might be white and cuddly, but we are certainly not stuffed with the same personality.:

He sent to her without words his fervent agreement on that point. :Companions would have driven half the collegium mad, if all had been like you.:

:What? Only half?: she asked coyly.

:Only half,: he reasserted, :because the rest are already mad.:

"Where has your guardswoman disappeared to?"

Kyn tilted his head questioningly as he refocused his attention on the duke. Se'Fannouel had stopped in the middle of the shadowed hallway to face him, caught in between the intermittent punctuations of light shed by low-burning lamps. The faintest of breezes indicated a steady flow of air from the other end of the corridor towards them, warm and scented with a whiff of spices and frying oils from the kitchens. "She is her own person, and I do not require a detailed schedule of her whereabouts," he said with a casual shrug as Sianni murmured approvingly in the back of his mind. It was not so surprising that the duke had placed them under such close scrutiny, but it was a considerable consolation to know that the duke was not behind Brianna's absence - may even be concerned in his own way from the faint line that appeared between his brows at Kyn's flippant response, perhaps worrying where she might be skulking about while not under the supervision of his spies. It was doubly consoling, to think that the duke was worried enough to ask the question baldly.

"I see," Se'Fannouel stated unhappily, before recomposing himself and continuing abruptly, "Many preparations still need to be overseen, so I will dispense with the rest of the pleasantries. No doubt you've begun to feel certain side effects by now."

Kyn mentally sneered at the supposed 'pleasantries' and snapped, "There are easier ways to barter for my cooperation than poisoning me."

"Not poison," Se'Fannouel was quick to correct. "It will not kill you, just make you very, very uncomfortable. It was to ensure that you would come and listen to my offer, rather than a weak attempt to coerce you altogether. I would much rather have you cooperative than fighting me every step of the way."

"You only make this offer now because you could not take what you wanted while we were in the capital."

The duke shrugged. "If you wish to be crude about it, yes."

"Then make your offer and be quick about it. I do not appreciate being drugged into docility like a farm animal."

A flicker of irritation passed across the duke's face at the casual address, but he merely inclined his head in acquiescence. It made Kyn shift his weight uneasily, to see the proud man let the slight pass by without demur. "I wish for you to reconsider your loyalties. What will revenge gain you? You are young, well-spoken, well-learned, well-trained - "

Kyn stared at the duke, wondering at the man's gall even as something inside laughed hysterically at the duke's strategy. Is that his argument? He doesn't even know!

" - if you have even half the mind that your father sported, you should be able to see the opportunity before you. Let the past stay in the past." One auburn brow rose. "Will you let it define what your future can be?"

:Doesn't know what, Chosen?:

:That I don't remember. That this isn't about revenge.: What was there to avenge himself upon? He could not remember his parents, their love for him or his love for them. This had never been about them. It had always been about someone else's pain. "And what," he asked in carefully measured tones, eyeing Se'Fannouel from beneath a ragged fall of dye-darkened hair, "exactly is the opportunity before me?"

The man smiled, a warm, self-satisfied expression as he gestured around him. "A place here," he said, voice smooth and well-oiled, a practiced orator's voice. "I will not insult your intelligence by trying to convince you that my actions were unselfish. I am not willing to give up my position or what I have gained from it, but I can afford to be generous. What would you gain if you pursued your current route? You have no proof of your bloodline, and there is no one who will vouch for you - at least, no one who anyone would believe. All you will gain for yourself with my removal is, perhaps, a death sentence if you are sloppy in its execution. On the other hand, what would you gain if you allowed yourself to be covered by my wing of influence? There will be no more need for this skulking about, playing the pawn of a madman...there are much greater things in store for one such as you."

"And what do you gain in return for such largesse?"

Se'Fannouel's face immediately fell into uncompromising lines and he stated without hesitation, "You cease your interference in my activities immediately."

Kyn waited for more, but when nothing came after, he prompted suspiciously, "That is all?"

The duke smiled thinly and confirmed, "That is all." When Kyn continued to stare disbelievingly at him, the man chuckled grimly and continued, "It is not so illogical as you might think if you consider it from my perspective.

"I have been preparing for this moment for the last twelve years. Ordinarily, such preparations should have taken only eight - and for nearly this entire time, I blundered along with the mistaken belief that I had all the world's worst luck focused upon me, perhaps to balance what I will surely reap when my plans finally come to fruition. Burglaries, vandalisms, deals that have been mysteriously undercut by anonymous rivals with information that I had thought kept secret...some, granted, were most likely genuine mishaps. But it wasn't until the merchant's death - and then your appearance immediately afterwards! - that the suspicion fully crystallized."

"The merchant...Sovnessan?" Kyn murmured, brows knit as he dragged the name out from the depths of his memory. The merchant, that night in which this entire nightmare had begun...it seemed so long ago.

The duke nodded. "His death was the most direct opposition I had encountered, and it was most suspiciously timed. Jenner ever had a subtle touch. It wasn't until then that I began to look back, and realized that there had been a smokescreen of smaller, inconsequential setbacks that hid the larger, more improbable ones between them. But Sovnessan; he had been the last key. He would have placed the last of the seals on the deed the very next day. An entire year and half's worth of negotiations - !" The duke's voice had tightened with each word, until he stopped himself and took a calming breath. "Thanks to Jenner's work, I now find it necessary to renew the contracts, when all of this should have been finished long before such a deadline ever came near. Your contributions have been considerable; I may have asked you to serve me against Jenner and help guard against his activities, but I am not unreasonable. I merely wish for you to cease listening to his orders and that should give me enough room to conclude things. And should you fear retaliation," he lifted a brow, managing somehow to radiate a sort of avuncular concern, "I am willing to extend my protection."

Contracts? Kyn could barely resist the urge to grind his teeth. With every explanation and clue, it seemed even more mysteries were being revealed. "What contracts are you referring to?"

For the first time since they began the conversation, the duke seemed to hesitate. When the silence stretched unbroken, Kyn pressed harshly, "What is your ultimate goal? What is all this leading to?"

"Father."

Kyn would have happily killed with a glare if he could, Sianni's admonitions notwithstanding. Oddly enough, for all his abrupt reticence, Se'Fannouel looked as if he would have liked to do the same at the interruption. That is, before the man actually turned to face his daughter. "Yes, Fei?" he asked with a falsely gentle and distant patience, a mask of vague concern slipping easily over his expression. "What is it?"

The girl dipped her head shallowly in greeting, the very image of courtly grace and filial devotion. "Machial, the chamberlain, requests your presence."

The duke frowned. "He is tasked with every aspect of the keep's running and has done so without incident for the past eleven years. What is there that he cannot decide in my stead?"

"There has been an altercation in the kitchens," Mennifei continued levelly, the gaze she raised to meet his, unwavering. "The head cook is threatening to resign on the spot."

"And Machial is unable to handle the matter himself?" Se'Fannouel snapped, annoyance leaking around the edges of his control. "What did I hire the man for, then? This cannot wait?"

"The cook refuses to acknowledge the chamberlain. The feast begins in seven candlemarks, and the kitchens have been in chaos for three. If matters are not put to right again soon, there may be no feast to be had. As it is, some of the assistants are whispering that they may have to substitute as many as four dishes if they are to have things ready in time."

The duke released a breath of clear irritation before turning abruptly. "Very well," he said in clipped tones, taking two long strides before he turned to look back at her with a frown. "Are you not accompanying me?" he asked with thinly veiled command.

Mennifei's demeanor remained as self-possessed as ever as she made a small gesture in Kyn's direction. "I merely wished a chance to personally thank Kyn for saving my life. I had not had the opportunity to do so before we left Haven."

Se'Fannouel's eyes flicked toward Kyn, and it seemed for a moment as if the duke would insist on remaining instead. But Mennifei's chin rose as she continued watching her father expectantly, and perhaps realizing how ridiculous his hesitation made him appear, the duke finally said curtly, "Very well. Do not be long."

She smiled and smoothly replied, "Do not worry, Father. I am sure Kyn will act in no way toward me but with the utmost propriety."

There was a twitch of one corner of Se'fannouel's mouth, perhaps in appreciation of her manipulation, before he was retreating rapidly down the hall. "He would be wise to do so."

They both watched his figure diminishing into the distance, before disappearing altogether down some side corridor. Then, as if on some pre-arranged signal, they turned as one to regard each other - Kyn with suspicion, and Mennifei with deceptive serenity.

"I hate you."

Kyn's eyes widened, and then he felt a surge of annoyance that he had been surprised at all by her declaration. Still, while their meetings up till now had been short and volatile, the depths of feeling implied in that simple statement transcended whatever mere annoyance he had thought he was to her. "What?"

"I hate you!" she declared again, voice pitched low but completely devoid of the ingratiating sultriness she usually injected into every look and gesture. Instead, it was as harsh and diamondine as the cutting edge of broken glass. "You ruin everything. Everywhere you appear, things - things happen!" Her last statement was punctuated by a petulant stamp of her foot, lower lip caught between her teeth as if to still a tremble in it, her composure cracking and faltering before his very eyes.

Kyn stared at her, reading the signs, but unable to reconcile them in any way with what he knew of her character thus far. She looked on the verge of tears...a screaming tantrum...perhaps both...

:Perhaps even she does not know,: Sianni's voice slipped through his thoughts, tinted with sympathy and sorrow. :Just like you, she is a confused and lonely child.:

:I am nothing like her,: he snapped back. "My apologies," he said insincerely and turned to leave. "But if it is any consolation, I will not be interfering in the duke's affairs again after our current business is concluded."

"I am not done with you yet - do not dare to turn your back on me!" Mennifei growled.

He paused, smoothing his face into blankness as he looked back at her. "Or what?" he deliberately challenged.

She flushed, eyes narrowing, her entire figure stiffening in affront. Still, she was not Se'Fannouel's daughter and the court's darling by looks alone. Mennifei managed to retain her poise by the tips of her carefully manicured fingernails, even lift her chin slightly in arrogant rebuttal, looking down the elegant line of her aristocratic nose. "You complicated my relationship with Stefahn - "

He shook his head in disbelief at her audacity. "You were ending your relations with him on your own - "

"Do not interrupt me!"

:Perhaps you should listen to her.:

:But she is clearly delusional - :

:I know she is being illogical. We all know, even Mennifei. But she searched you out on her own, she is baring herself to you, no matter how skewed or vitriolic the outpouring. Is the price really so high that it is not worth letting her vent her spleen on you for a little while?:

:What could I possibly gain from this?:

:If you don't let her finish, you'll never find out. And perhaps it is not so much for your gain, but hers.:

Again, this concept of doing something for someone else, simply for their comfort or ease. Certainly, he doubted Mennifei would return such a favor, unlike Brin. What motivation could he find in staying to receive her abuse?

:Remember what role the duke might wish her to play. You need her cooperative, at least until you are certain that the danger from that particular vision has passed.:

Grudgingly, he had to accede that particular point, and though their conversation had passed literally with the swiftness of thought, still, enough time had passed that Mennifei seemed to interpret his silence as compliance. Regaining some of her confidence, she continued with the regal disdain of a royal passing judgment, "You complicated - and possibly compromised - my relationship with Stefahn. You humiliated me before my peers. You took it upon yourself to insinuate yourself into my affairs...you even replaced me in my father's thoughts!"

Kyn shook his head in disbelief at the list of fabricated grievances, not even knowing where to start until he decided it was better to not address any of it directly at all. "He never thought of you as much as you delude yourself into thinking. Not in the way you want him to."

"You would presume to know my father better than I do?!"

Gritting his teeth, he stepped toward her, hoping that the threat of a physical confrontation would make her rethink the wisdom of antagonizing him. "Presumption or not, it is the truth. You have been so busy trying to make him into something you want that you're willing to blind yourself to every other aspect of him."

As you have been so willing to blind yourself to Master's more questionable actions, wishing that things were how they were in simpler times, when Master could never be wrong and you were the sole focus of all his attention?

This isn't about me! he reminded himself harshly.

Though Mennifei shrank back a step, her expression and stance remained stiffly fierce. "I do not even know why I am wasting my time trying to make you understand. I will admit that your accent and manners are well-practiced, but wherever the Heralds managed to unearth you from, you cannot possibly understand the ties of blood, particularly that of noble blood - "

:The little chit!:

:I though you wanted me to let her say her piece?:

:That was before she decided to get snippy. You're of even better breeding than she is, in both senses of the word!:

Mennifei's grievances - concerned primarily with his interference in her plans to rehabilitate her father after the tragic death of his wife - were many and varied. Kin shook his head, needing no encouragement from Sianni now as the very girl's ignorance made him want to pound her misconceptions straight through sheer force of will. "Why," he interrupted harshly, "can't you see that he is simply someone that is incapable of thought outside of himself?"

"And what would someone like you know about thinking of others?" Mennifei sniffed, turning her head aside as she folded her arms, eerily echoing the doubts that were slowly building within him at each new revelation.

"We are not talking about me!" he insisted. "We are talking about the duke! I Saw him - " He caught himself just in time, gritted his teeth, and continued more quietly, if no less vehemently, "He intends things that would leave no doubt in your mind that he is not a man worthy of your affection or one who holds any affection for you."

The wine-amber gaze was steady with a confidence that inspired both jealousy and a frustrated rage at her stubborn refusal to consider any outside opinions. When was the last time you so immovably defended Master? "He is my father," she stated resolutely, "and it is my duty and pleasure to treat him in a manner befitting such a relationship. He raised me, taught me, provided for me. It is the least that I can do, to bring him pride and joy with my existence."

Closing his eyes and rubbing a hand over his face with a grimace, Kyn snapped, "Fine. What is it that you wanted, anyway? I can't imagine that you would go through all the trouble of tracking me down and luring your father away merely to air your grievances."

"But that is exactly what I wanted to do," she continued serenely, seeming to swell with even more confidence upon seeing him give up the argument. "There is an old custom amongst the gentry. If you declare a duel or feud against another party, you would lay down your glove before them - I have laid mine down before you. I have explained all that I have taken offense at, shown why, exactly, I deem this action necessary. You have been warned, Kyn; from now on, I view myself as your enemy, and will do all that I can to act against any of your purposes."

He nearly laughed aloud in her face at the bold declaration. As it was, he might have let slip at least a snicker or two - if there hadn't been a sudden twinge in his head, followed quickly by an all-too-familiar warning clench of his middle. The aborted Foresight was enough to hold him still in new-found wariness, wondering how she could possibly be of enough danger to warrant a vision, as Mennifei turned and walked away, her head held high and poised.

Wow. Bet you all thought this would never come, didn't you? =P (I can assure you it was worth the wait - because my first draft of this section was complete and utter crap; this one isn't great, but at least it's better than that first one shudder.) Thank you all for continuing to hang in there with me, and for continuing to drop the occasional note to check. You've all been the single motivating factor that has been pushing this fic toward completion.

Well, it's wonderful to say that a lot of uncertainties in my life have finally been worked out, and even though I may not have the time to write as much right now, I certainly have a lot more motivation to do so. For nearly a year now, I've been fighting with my school to switch from the college of Engineering to the college of L&S so that I may pursue an English degree. They had already rejected my application once (despite the fact that I was one semester away from finishing all English requirements with a major GPA of 3.4). The fine print stated that you can only apply twice. I was naturally a little nervous about the whole matter. ;) But, I finally pulled it off this semester (after literally daily visits to both the English and L&S offices for the first 1.5 months of the semester in between classes and work), and there went 9 months of stress out the window with a single signature. I am now much, *much* happier in my classes (where there are a max of 20-25 students and I get to actually *discuss* things with the prof instead of being stuffed in with 700+ other people - yes, some of my CS classes had been literally 700+, and *never* less than 50 - if you managed to get into the class at all). The summer was also intense (in a good way), as I was in an internship in the Columbia River Gorge area doing what I love most - interfacing between cutting-edge technology and communication in a rising venture company. And whatever time I had outside of it I spent hiking/climbing waterfalls all up and down the gorge, river rafting, horseback riding, etc. I have many excuses. ^_^ But, for your patience, I'll let slip we're gonna get into the action really really soon. As in...by the middle of the next part. =)

Anyway, now on to the credits. A HUGE THANK YOU to Rei, for not only helping to beta this section, but getting a revision out in an amazing amount of time. =P I literally got a response back the same day I sent it (well, taking into account the fact that I sent it in the early AM at the beginning of said day). Thus, you get to read this part only a day late instead of waiting another week.

Now, I have to apologize in that I haven't kept up on all the reviews and stuff; I try to answer them all, but if I skipped a question or something, feel free to give me a knock over the head with it. =)

ola - Thanks for being so patient with me. ^_^

jander - laughs All questions that I've been asking myself recently too. ^_~ Considering how long ago I wrote some of this, I've become pretty foggy on the details of my own story, and these days I feel like I'm an outsider of my own plots. o.O*

Cosette Crystalline - Woo! Congrats! Hopefully you'll have a less painful time of it than I have. =P You're right, I tend to be an 'movement'-oriented gal, but as in everything, I believe in a little bit of balance. There's no sense in rushing you all along and leaving you no time to savor. =P

futago - Yes, I did notice that on some previous chapters, to my everlasting shame. -.- I've just been too lazy to upload edited versions thus far. It's a problem when the names of two main characters rhyme with each other. But thank you for reiterating the typo. =)

Rei - lol. You sound so disappointed by the thought that there's more to come. ^_~ I suppose I can always tie it all off in the next chapter, and then you'll have your completed piece... =P *eep* Sounds like you nearly had a busier time of it than I have in the past few months. =P Hope things have panned out for you though.

desert angel - beams Thank you. ^_^ Hmm, Oliver Twist? I should refresh my memory. =P I remember reading Oliver a long long *long* time ago, but the details are even fuzzier than the dryer's lint collector these days.

Magdellin - UPDATES! Any more recent pics? =P And I'm beginning to think that fanfiction.net really has something out for you and long reviews. ;)