Hey, peeps. :D
All your reviews have been awesome, so as a reward (or punishment, I guess, haha) you get this excruciatingly long chapter. ;)
I will try and work on the story some more, but I dunno when I will have the chance to write with finals and the holidays and all that jazz. -breaks out in music and dancing-
Oh. Yeah. Sorry. :X
But don't worry, I will try and get in one more chappie before Xmas. :)
As always, Sailor Moon does not belong to me (but if anyone wants to get me a great Xmas present, feel free...)
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Within a few days the two Outer senshi were packed and ready to depart for the planet Neptune. The Queen had given them a two day leave to attend the party, and after being mostly certain that nothing would happen while they were away, the duo began their travel. The transport ride was long and tedious, but they found many things to talk about, and slept in their own bunks the rest of the time.
Upon landing on Neptune, Haruka was extremely nervous about meeting Michiru's father again, but as they stepped outside, none of the Neptunian royalty were anywhere to be found. Instead, a dozen Royal Guards were waiting, all heavily armed.
"It's a safety hazard," Michiru had explained as they supervised the gathering up of their luggage, and Michiru began to guide Haruka in the direction of the palace. "Father doesn't like to put himself out in the open, and meeting me at the transport station would compromise that. He has many political enemies, after all…"
Haruka barely stifled a sneer. Given his friendly personality, of course he did! But she decided to be a little respectful.
As they walked, escorted, Haruka could not ever recall visiting Michiru's planet before, despite the trip her mother had taken her on when she was little. The Neptunian environment was unlike anything she had ever witnessed. Most of the planet was covered in oceans, of course, and with the majority of the planet being water-based, the atmosphere was hazy, misty, and impossible to be in for very long.
"None of us actually live outside," Michiru explained as she noticed Haruka's thoughtful expression. "In fact, the majority of us have residences under the water, in the gigantic reefs."
"Underwater?" Haruka questioned. "How?"
"Through adaptation, of course," the aqua-haired girl laughed. "The history is quite fascinating, if you care to hear." At Haruka's nod, she continued. "My people, when we lived on the small continent, found it impossible to do so, as you may have noticed from your short experience so far. Over time they ventured from their crude protective dwellings into the comfort of the trusted oceans, as they were obviously a water-based civilization to begin with." She paused to gesture to the ocean in the distance, even though they could barely see it as they walked. "After exploring, they found that the reefs held large cavities in them that were able to be inhabited. The humidity was not bad there, and so they relocated." She smiled as Haruka looked around in amazement, seeing Neptune in a different light.
"Through technology, we have obviously improved the condition of the cavities, making them more liveable, reinforcing them so that cave-ins would not occur, and developing transports to other aquatic cities, since this continent we stand on is the largest."
"So is the palace underwater as well?" Haruka asked.
"The palace is one of the few structures not entirely underwater. There is a ground level entry. The rest, you can see for yourself. We're almost there."
As they approached, Haruka was indeed surprised by the sight of the royal structure. The palace of Neptune was a sight to behold, rivaling, even, the splendor of the Moon Kingdom. It was made of crystalline spires that seemed to almost touch the sky, and held an intense shiny quality that Michiru explained reflected the small amount of light from the sun into the surrounding oceans, warming them and regulating temperatures throughout the year.
"Being so far away from the sun, we don't get much light," Michiru had clarified. "The palace was built centuries ago, but newly renovated by my father to make the most of the scant sunlight we receive."
"I can't believe I've never been here," Haruka mused, "Or even heard of this place."
"I can," Michiru sighed. "Our planets don't exactly get along… it seems there was a dispute between our fathers many years ago, before either of us was born."
"Strange… but it makes sense," the blonde pondered. "What was the fight over?"
The aqua-haired girl shrugged. "Nobody ever discusses it. It's somewhat of a forbidden topic."
"Hm. I wonder why no one ever told me about the feud. I would have done more to try and fix it."
Michiru sighed again. "From what I understand, your father tried… however, it's not so easy to convince my father of such things…"
Haruka swallowed. If her own father tried and failed, what chance did she have of ever being successful in winning King Neptune's good graces?
They reached the palace and were greeted at the entrance by Michiru's mother, who Haruka was finally introduced to.
"Queen Despina," Haruka bowed respectfully.
"Ah, Tenoh, quite an honor to finally meet you," the Queen said with a smile. Haruka was about to mention that they had met before, although not formally, but decided against it. The queen seemed much more at ease without the king around.
Michiru smiled. "I was going to escort Tenoh to her chambers," she said, once again reverting to Haruka's formal name.
"Very good, dear. Your father is overseeing some business on the west shore, but he will be back tomorrow for your ball," the queen mentioned.
"Of course," Michiru smiled, and the queen waved her hand gently, dismissing them. As they entered the palace, Haruka noticed that they immediately began descending stairs, lower and lower, until she felt like she was beneath the continent. The misty, vapid atmosphere had disappeared, as Michiru had promised, and she found the temperature quite comfortable, and the air clean and crisp.She couldn't remember a time when breathing felt so wonderful.
Once at the base level of the palace a few stories underground, Michiru led Haruka through the long, maze-like corridors, and Haruka recalled that Geole had been right in his (though she had thought it absurd), observation of Neptune's guarding force- every few feet there was a guard stationed, each heavily armed and silently motionless.
"Here we are," Michiru said at last. She gently pushed open the door, since there were no doorknobs, and Haruka followed her inside. "Well?" she asked nervously, afraid Haruka wouldn't like it.
"It's great," Haruka said, letting out her breath. Indeed, 'great' was an understatement- the room consisted of a huge bed as the focal point, and surrounding it were two small nightstands, a good-sized dresser, a desk, and on the far wall, what looked like a balcony. All of the furniture was made out of some form of coral, with gold accents. The entire back wall was solid glass, and on the other side, nothing but water, with various fish in colors and shapes she had never seen before.
"Is that… the ocean?" Haruka asked, nearly breathless.
Michiru giggled. "Not quite. That's just a small aquarium. The ocean is still a few floors lower."
"It's beautiful," Haruka breathed.
Her eyes never leaving Haruka's tall frame, Michiru replied, "Yes, it is."
Michiru left Haruka to unpack, promising to come and get her for dinner, and made her way to her own familiar quarters, on the other side of the palace. Her father did not allow guest rooms in the same vicinity as the royal family, even if the guests were royal themselves. He was a very paranoid man who took no risks with his family's safety, or his own.
Dinner was uneventful, just an average supper that both senshi, coming from families of wealth and having resided on the Moon Kingdom, were accustomed to, although the flavors and entrees were new to Haruka, produced from marine animals she had never knew existed.
After dinner, Michiru took Haruka on somewhat of a tour. "I know we don't have much of an exterior," she began, "But we make up for it in our interior." Michiru showed Haruka the many chambers of the palace that were so vast, it felt as though they were outside. The ceiling mimicked the pattern of the stars, and some vegetation was strategically placed to give the appearance of being outdoors, hiding the walls. Grass of a pinkish tint was underfoot, and flowing water was the focal point of the chamber. "This is one of the many water gardens we have," Michiru explained. She looked up at Haruka. "It's my favorite."
Haruka smiled. "I see why. It's amazing. I never even thought things like this could exist."
Michiru nodded. "There's more I want to show you. But it's getting late, and the ball is tomorrow evening."
"I understand," the blonde smiled. "I'll head back to my room."
"Are you sure you can find it?" Michiru teased.
"I'll be all right." Haruka reached for Michiru's hand and brought it to her lips, kissing it softly. She looked into Michiru's ocean blue eyes. "Thank you."
Michiru felt her knees weaken slightly and smiled to hide her blush. "The pleasure was all mine. Sleep well."
"You, also."
Watching the blonde go, Michiru stood in the water garden for a few more moments, pondering her situation. She was sure, now, that she was in love.
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Although she had brought formal attire, Haruka was nervous about seeing King Neptune again. She hoped she wouldn't be as intimidated this time around. She knew that all the people at the ball would be cronies of the Neptunian Royal Family, and she wanted to make a good impression, regardless of past interactions with the king.
The morning of the ball they had breakfast together, alone. Queen Despina was overseeing the preparations of the ball, and Michiru's father was still away on business. After breakfast, Michiru showed Haruka a few of the other water gardens before she left for her private chambers to prepare. Haruka returned to her room as well and spent some time gazing at the aquarium watching the fish swim by.
Showered and dressed in her Royal Uranian attire, she double-checked her reflection in the mirror one more time. Sighing, she noticed again the invincible cowlick that always seemed to thwart her plans of having manageable hair. It seemed she was always frowning at it's presence, but there was nothing she could do about it, short of hacking it off and leaving the spot even more disheveled. She finally shook herself out of the thought and began to work her way to the ballroom Michiru had given her directions to.
Striding quickly down the dimly glowing corridors, she found the ballroom easily and entered, surprised to see that there were stairs leading down even further.
As she stepped down the grand staircase, she noticed that the majority of the walls of the ballroom were solid glass, and the surrounding oceans were visible through them, as well as the integrated sea life. It gave the appearance of being underwater, more so than the aquarium in her room, and in fact, they were! Fish swam lazily by, going about their normal routines, and Haruka was amazed at the very idea of being in a structure underwater.
Upbeat, wordless music came from a live band of string instruments, and as Haruka reached the bottom, her eyes scanning for the Neptunian princess, she noticed that many couples were dancing gaily in circles, the maidens twirling in their colorful dresses. She spotted Geole conversing with the Queen of Neptune at one side of the crowd, both of them laughing and sipping a glass of purple-hued wine.
"How nice of you to join us," a teasing female voice called from behind her right shoulder.
Haruka smiled as she recognized Michiru's smooth tone. She turned slightly and, with great difficulty, resisted the urge to gasp. Michiru was dressed in a sleek dark aqua dress that accented her blue eyes perfectly. The dress was sleeveless and reached her ankles, where she wore shoes not unlike those of her counterpart, Sailor Neptune. The heels gave her an added few inches of height. Her hair was up, with only a few strands framing her face, exposing the creamy pale skin of her neck.
"Kaioh," Haruka started formally, trying to keep her voice steady. "You look… amazing." She couldn't even be angry with herself for not coming up with a more appropriate word, or for sounding so stupid, but she couldn't help it- the princess of Neptune was truly breathtaking.
Michiru nearly had to bite her lip as she took in the sight of the handsome blonde dressed in the Uranian royal uniform. "So do you," she returned lightly. Black pants with a plain gold stripe up the sides of the legs, black boots and a black coat accented with gold trim, gold buttons, and a gold collar caught everyone in the ballroom's eye. Usually there would have been a golden strap around her waist connecting her sword to her belt, but Haruka felt it would cause more harm than good. The uniform was well-known across the solar system, but especially in the outer planets, and it marked Haruka as the Uranian senshi. Michiru's eyes did a thorough sweep of Haruka's frame and came to focus on her intense teal eyes. She moved closer to the blonde, her words barely audible, her eyes shining playfully. "Would you care to dance?"
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Haruka was tenser than she'd ever been in her life. She was an expert dancer- it was required as part of the royalty position. She didn't even have to concentrate on the steps or which way to go, and she was accustomed to leading, as well. She had danced with many beautiful girls, at many different balls, many times. But having Michiru in her arms as they circled the floor was an entirely different situation. They had danced through several songs already, and after each one she felt increasingly more intoxicated from the proximity of the aqua-haired girl. All she could breathe was her scent, a mixture of vanilla and the ocean. The gentle pressure of Michiru's hand in hers was exhilarating, and with every twirl it seemed as though Michiru's body pressed even closer.
Michiru, too, felt almost dizzy, lost in the feel of Haruka's close proximity and the smell of her cologne. She was acutely aware of the blonde's hand on her waist, holding her gently but firmly, and she felt lost in her own world, the rest of the ballroom and dancers forgotten. She gazed into Haruka's deep teal eyes and smiled.
Haruka almost felt her knees weaken at Michiru's dazzling, bright smile. She was still tense, still on her guard at having the artist so achingly close. She caught her breath and held it as she felt Michiru's lips brushing against her ear. "You're too tense… relax," she breathed, but even in heels Michiru was much shorter than her partner, and in an effort to reach Haruka's ear, her body had unknowingly pressed fully against the tall blonde.
Haruka swallowed, letting her breath out slowly. 'Relax… sure.'
The lights began to dim as the band played another, slower song, and Michiru pulled away slightly, but kept her grip on Haruka's hand. "I know something that will make you relax," she said softly with a mysterious smile. "Come with me."
Haruka raised an eyebrow in question, but Michiru began to lead her off of the floor, slipping carefully through the crowd of people moving on and off the dance floor as well. Michiru gently led her around beneath the grand staircase to a door that she pushed open gently, and she pulled her inside and shut it.
"You're escaping from your own party?" Haruka asked in a low, amused voice.
Michiru shrugged with a devious grin. "Just for a little while." At Haruka's look she added, "Oh, please. They won't even know I'm gone."
"If you say so," Haruka said, but was once again being tugged along by Michiru as she led her down the quiet passage.
They had to avoid several guards along the way who were patrolling the halls- the last thing Michiru wanted was to be spotted away from her own party. Finally, though, they reached their destination and Michiru put her hands over Haruka's eyes as she led her into a room.
Haruka sighed annoyingly, but she knew that Michiru could tell she was faking, and she had a smile on her face.
"Are you ready?" the aqua-haired girl asked in an excited whisper next to the blonde's ear.
Haruka nodded and Michiru pulled her hands away.
Haruka was momentarily speechless as she took in the complete view.
"This is the best view in the palace," she said quietly. They were standing in a vast, open room, in front of an immense wall, made of solid glass, like much of the Neptunian palace, and giving a view of the ocean. However, the wall was enormous, and Michiru whispered that it was so tall it reached ground level, and continued on below the floor they were standing on. Truthfully, the floor ended several feet from the wall, and upon investigating, Haruka looked over the railing and traced the wall downwards as far as her eyes could see.
"This is the wall that protects the palace from the crushing force of the ocean," Michiru explained, still in a soft whisper that echoed off the walls, despite its low sound. "So we're actually outside of the palace right now." Haruka looked back and noticed that the door they had come out of was where the palace ended. She glanced upwards and saw one more floor several stories up, also with a gap between the wall and the floor.
"It's better if you come at night," Michiru confessed, holding Haruka's arm. The room was barely lit, with only the glow of some ocean critters and the lanterns around the room casting light. "The lanterns go dim at night, and give this a more tranquil, immersed feeling." She moved a little closer. "We are leaving tomorrow…" Slowly, she crept her hand down to grasp Haruka's, letting their slender fingers entwine. Haruka felt her heart skip a beat at the soft, affectionate touch. Michiru looked up at the tall blonde. "I wanted you to see it before you had to go."
"It's wonderful," Haruka said in a low, appreciative voice. She looked into Michiru's eyes. "I've never seen anything so amazing."
Pink stained Michiru's cheeks. "Thank you."
They stood there for a moment, gazing into each other's eyes. Haruka felt like she was drunk, her partner's blue eyes sparkling- whether from the reflection of the glow of the lanterns, or by their own accord, she couldn't discern. She took in every feature of the aqua-haired girl's face; the way her head was tilted upwards to look at her, the way her eyes were penetrating, but in a dreamy, glazed state; the way her shiny, pink lips were slightly parted… Haruka contemplated those full lips. The urge to kiss her was almost overwhelming, and from the look in Michiru's eyes, she could almost attest that the other girl wanted it as badly as she did.
She leaned forward slightly, her bangs brushing Michiru's forehead, her eyes lowered to the other girl's lips, which, she noticed, were barely trembling. Their lips were so close it was almost as if Michiru were breathing into her mouth, and Haruka found her nose come in contact with hers.
She hesitantly began to reach out, to caress the aqua-haired girl. She distantly noticed that Michiru was still holding her hand, and she gently pulled it from her grip, slowly trailing her fingertips up Michiru's bare arm, and feeling the girl practically shake.
Her hand continued across Michiru's shoulder to the base of her neck, where it paused to gently brush some stray strands of her silky aqua hair back. Haruka could feel Michiru's breath coming a bit faster, a bit shakier. Her own heartbeat was hammering madly in her chest, and as her hand finally came to stop on the side of Michiru's face, her fingers gently resting by her ear, she moved to close the last fraction of space between them. She swallowed. This was it.
Before she could follow through with her intentions, however, a loud, indistinguishable cracking noise pulled her out of the moment. She looked up, alarmed, half ready to summon her henshin stick. Michiru's eyes had snapped open as well, though not out of alarm, but rather, surprise.
"What was that?" Haruka asked lowly, clearing her throat, heart now hammering from adrenaline.
Michiru sighed. "That'll be the start of the formal introduction." Seeing Haruka's questioning look, she added, "All the important guests who are gracing my party with their presence," she rolled her eyes as she continued, "will be announced." She shook her head. "Father likes to use some ghastly ancient device to signal the start of it, although heaven only knows why. Perhaps it's his way of staying entertained… It's rather dull."
Haruka nodded slightly. "Perhaps we should get back, then?" She half-hoped Michiru would say no.
Michiru nodded thoughtfully. "Yes. At some point I will have to make some sort of speech." She sighed again, more irritable this time. "We should sneak back, I suppose."
Sneaking back was not as easy as sneaking out, they soon realized. All of the guards were a little more alert and awake after the loud noise signaling the start of the introduction. However, Haruka and Michiru were more than able to evade the guards, but it was still somewhat of an adrenaline high, sneaking around avoiding capture. Haruka found it rather stimulating, and several times they had come close to being discovered- there was little room for hiding in the halls, and it was only by luck that they weren't seen.
Halfway back to the party, they had been forced to duck into a storage closet, of sorts. They were trying to avoid the glamorous halls of the palace and take the less often, hidden routes to the ballroom, but even there, guards were patrolling the corridors.
Upon hearing footsteps approaching behind them, Michiru had pulled Haruka into the small room, and they had both stood, straining to hear, nearly pressed against the door. Haruka had her back to the door; Michiru, facing it with her head sideways against it to listen intently. The footsteps paused momentarily a few feet away from the door, and then continued down the hall, oblivious.
They both let their breath out slowly.
"That was close," Haruka whispered, a sly grin on her face.
Michiru grinned back just as devilishly. She stopped smiling when she realized the situation they were in. She glanced around the small room- it was not cramped, as storage rooms go. In fact, it was very well-organized. This was no surprise to Haruka, having seen how organized Michiru, herself, was.
The aqua-haired beauty, after surveying the dark room, turned back to the blonde. The sliver of light shining in from around the door barely illuminated Haruka's features, but Michiru found the effect breath-taking. In her close proximity, and the exhilarating rush of adrenaline she was feeling at having not been caught, she decided to do something daring.
"Haruka?" she asked in a whisper, and heard the blonde's low, velvety response.
"Yeah?"
She moved forward so that her body was a scant inch from her partner, certain areas of their bodies barely touching from the closeness. The artist again reached for Haruka's hand, her fingers absently stroking the palm, and making the blonde shiver at the sensual touch. She desperately wanted to be closer. She leaned forward to get her mouth closer to the blonde's ear, and whispered, "Thank you for coming with me."
Haruka swallowed. Her self-control was being pushed to the limit, and it seemed to her that Michiru was inviting something to happen between them. The aqua-haired girl was now pressed against her for the third time that night, yet it seemed like the first from the amount of electricity she was feeling from the contact. The heat of Michiru's body was making her own temperature rise, and it was suddenly very hot and quite cramped in the room. "You're welcome," she said after slight hesitation, and noticed with appreciation that her voice remained steady despite the other girl's proximity.
Michiru did not pull back, however, but kept her body close to the blonde's, so that Haruka felt her breath coming faster and shakier with each intake. Michiru was still caressing her palm, and the back of her hand, stroking her fingers sensually, almost teasingly, and Haruka could hardly concentrate on anything else. She knew they were supposed to be heading back to the party but could not bring herself to move.
Michiru shifted slightly, and Haruka held her breath. Now she could almost feel the whole of Michiru's body barely brushing hers. The quiet, tense moments as they regarded each other's nearness only urged their adrenaline rush onwards. Haruka felt the urge to touch Michiru nearly uncontrollable, and she let her breath out shakily, and was hardly surprised when Michiru's face tilted upwards, so that their mouths were within an inch of each other. Haruka couldn't stand it.
"Michiru," she started, her voice low with desire, and it elicited a shiver from her partner. "I can't keep fighting this…"
Haruka heard her response- the barest whisper. A low, seductive, but almost pleading sound.
"Then don't…"
It took two seconds for Haruka's brain to process what the aqua-haired girl had said, but once done, her body took action. Her mouth closed the tiny gap between them, letting their lips meet at last in a passionately desperate kiss. Her arms encircled the smaller girl's waist, pulling her firmly against her, one hand on the small of the girl's back, the other on the side of her face.
Upon contact with Haruka's lips, Michiru felt a small, impulsive moan force its way from the back of her throat. The blonde had kissed her intensely, with so much pent-up emotion and frustration that Michiru had to pull away for a gasp of air.
Seconds later their mouths were back together, fiercely, Michiru aching to be closer. She pushed herself against Haruka, letting her body fully contact the blonde's, and Haruka let out a small, barely audible, strangled sound, which sent a jolt of excitement down the artist's spine.
One of Michiru's hands had found their way to Haruka's coat, and was clutching it fiercely, holding the blonde close. The other hand was tangled in Haruka's hair, trying to pull her into a deeper, harder kiss. Haruka was panting, it was entirely too hot in the closet. Michiru's body was writhing, pressing, pushing her against the wall, pinning her. She tasted, with a sudden jolt, Michiru's smooth, moist tongue, teasing her lips, beckoning her, and it made her knees weak. Michiru's tongue retreated after a brief moment and Haruka moved her tongue into Michiru's willing and eager mouth.
Haruka's hand which had been on Michiru's face only moments before was now caressing her hips, her thigh, and her small, firm behind. Michiru was still trying to be closer and Haruka instinctually pulled at Michiru's thigh so that she lifted it to wrap around Haruka's.
Haruka could now feel Michiru's sex pressed against her, and how much heat was radiating from it. The thought made her stomach do a back flip, and she was once again brought out of the moment by a thunderous noise which sounded like distant applause.
Michiru paused, breathing heavily, her lips still brushing Haruka's. Haruka was about to say something, though she didn't know what. Michiru had a dazed look on her face, almost as if she felt as though she were dreaming. Her fingers played absently with Haruka's hair as she looked up wonderingly into her face. She kissed Haruka's lips gently, briefly. Then again. And again, her kisses becoming more heated after a few seconds. She pulled back regretfully and sighed.
Wordlessly, she separated from Haruka, but barely. They gazed into each other's lustful eyes, and nodded.
Flushed and excited, the pair made their way out into the hall, continuing their return back to the party. Upon joining the main hall and rounding the corner, they came face-to-face with the King of Neptune.
"Michiru…" he said cautiously, his eyebrow lifting in shock.
"Father…"
"This is surprising…" He gave them a glance that did not hide his suspicion. It was a look that conveyed he knew they were out sneaking around, and he didn't like it.
Michiru regained her composure quickly. "We were just on our way back."
The king nodded, his icy gaze catching Haruka's. "Of course." He watched as they quickly walked back to the party, shaking his head, his stony anger contained only from years of practice.
Haruka and Michiru did not mention their run-in with King Neptune, nor did they mention the kiss. They arrived at the party and acted as if nothing had happened, as if they hadn't been gone at all. They placed some distance between each other so as not to draw suspicion (although Michiru felt inclined to attach herself to Haruka's arm and never let go), especially since King Neptune had rejoined the party and was sipping wine with Queen Despina, occasionally casting suspicious glances in their direction. They mingled and chatted with the guests, their eyes meeting frequently but briefly. Michiru chatted with Geole, recounting her training exercises on the moon to him, and he listened in interest. Haruka found herself talking to several younger girls who questioned her about her origins and senshi duties.
But underneath their half-hearted motions, both of their minds were remembering the taste of the other's lips, the heat, the excitement, and the way their hearts were pounding only moments beforehand.
Time seemed to pass by agonizingly slow. Haruka found herself tired of mingling, and only wanted to retreat to her room to mull over what had happened between her and Michiru… and, of course, to replay it in full detail. Finally the party was officially over, though it was expected to continue for the remainder of the night. The obligation to stay, however, was removed, and Haruka found herself politely ending the conversation on Venutian love temples she'd been unenthusiastically participating in. She caught Michiru's gaze from across the room, nodded, and silently made her departure.
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Whew! That was long, right?
Thanks again for all your great reviews. I feel like I have found the meaning of life... haha. Like I said, I'll try and update soon... we all know I don't have a life, anyways, and no show to work on until January. :X So maybe I'll get some writing done.
Happy holidays, pals. See ya next time. :)