So...um...that awkward moment when you forgot to update the story earlier and decided to update it at 10:00 PM. *guilty smile* Er...sorry. I know I was a few hours late last night, (man, I miss saying that!) and I know that some of you were probably wondering why the heck I wasn't updating at my usual time, but the truth is that...I totally forgot. I mean, I saved the document and everything, but I got sidetracked by other real life problems and it wasn't until I had finished all of my school stuff did I actually remember that I HADN'T UPDATED THIS STORY.

Gah. Sorry!

Candy Pain

Katooni cringed as the youngling beside her gave another long, disgustingly loud lick of a bit of hard candy. "Petro!" she hissed, turning around to face the nuisance. "Do you mind?" She spun her training saber hilt in her hands. "I've been trying to practice, and I can't focus with you being so loud!"

Petro gave Katooni a not-so-apologetic smile. "Sorry," he said lightly, "but it's just that this thing is so good!" He dug out another bit of the candy, that looked like a big hook, to be honest – with red and white stripes decorated all over it. Sticking a corner of his candy in his mouth, Petro asked, "D'you want one?"

Katooni gave the boy an icy stare. "What part of focus do you not understand?" she asked flatly. "That means not distracting me." Petro rolled his eyes and replied, "Suit yourself." He went back to his own candy, saying, "This is really good, though. You don't know what you're missing out on."

"I don't know, and I don't care," Katooni grumbled, re-activating her training saber. "Just go away and take your loud, obnoxious sucking elsewhere." Petro snorted from behind her. "Someone's not in the holiday spirit," he commented. Bracing herself, Katooni only started to swipe at the air in front of her, doing her best to ignore her fellow youngling.

"These things are called candy canes, I think," Petro said after a few minutes. "Y'know, 'cause they look like canes?" He cracked up at that statement. "Heh." Then, after a beat of silence, there was another incredibly noisy spph sound of Petro sucking on the candy again.

Huffing in annoyance, Katooni shut off her training saber and whirled around to face Petro. The boy's eyes were wide with innocence, though there was an obvious smugness just dying to burst out. Pressing her lips tightly together, Katooni snatched the candy cane that Petro had offered her earlier. She quickly undid the wrapper, and then, after sticking it in her mouth for a full minute, stuck it onto Petro's hair.

"Hey!" the boy yelped, swatting at the candy, but it was already stuck. "What was that for?"

"Don't bother me next time," Katooni only replied.

A/N - And now I have to write the rest of a stupid history essay about how the government in India during Asoka's rule was better than the rule in the Qin Dynasty of China. (Heh. But Asoka. Geddit? One of my friends made the mistake of saying, "Asoka...isn't that the name of a Star Wars Padawan or something?" And needless to say, I snapped and started screaming about how Ahsoka Tano was my EVERYTHING and one of the BEST CHARACTERS EVER - and I think I might have scared off my friend. Whoopsie. If she's reading this, HI! NOW YOU KNOW WHY I ALWAYS GET EXCITED!)

Dear gawd. This is why people tell me I need to work on my social skills. But I mean, hey, you guys appreciate 'em, right? *crickets chirping* Riiight? As always, reviews are fantastic! Constructive criticism is tolerated, but flames are not!