There's a time and there's a place for subtlety, for carefully planned strategies and long term thinking. It keeps you from doing incredibly stupid things that might haunt you for the rest of your life, and possibly hurt those closest to you in the process. But you know what? Fuck subtlety, and fuck the consequences.

'Forzare!'

The roof of the Beetle flew off the car like a rocket, propelled by an invisible wave of force from my blasting rod, and I pulled myself from the wreckage of my car, seething with barely contained rage. For the first time in a long time, I felt in complete agreement with the Mantle of the Winter Knight. The Grimm that was trapped in front of me had hurt my friends, my girls, and that. Was. Unacceptable.

Around me, in the early morning night, lights were beginning to flicker on across apartments from the sound of the Nevermore shrieking in enraged fury. It wouldn't be long before the public became aware of it. I found it very hard to give a shit.

The last of the smaller Ostrich-like Grimm can bounding across the street towards me. I thrust my staff at it without looking, and snarled, 'Gravitus!'

The bird took a step forward, and was promptly flattened into paste under its own weight. Little bits of rubble briefly floated into the air as gravity was redirected into crushing it under several dozen times Earth's normal gravity, before the spell ended and they fell back to the ground. It squawked pathetically, but I ignored it and continued to stride forward at the Nevermore.

It turned a hateful red eye on me and hissed, raising its wings and puffing out its chest as it did. I stopped twenty feet away from it and took a deep breath. My staff creaked under the grip of my hand, and I ground my teeth together.

I took a glance over at Murphy's wrecked motorcycle, and her motionless form lying nearby. The picture quickly grew blurry, and I felt a burning hot sensation deep within me. I didn't feel the tranquil fury of winter, but the raging inferno of my own anger and frustration, and I grabbed hold of it. The heat quickly spread across my chest and my arms and legs, into the very tips of my fingers. My vision turned red and I let out my pent up breath, releasing a cloud of steam.

There was a snap, and I turned my gaze back on the Nevermore. The pipes that Pyrrha had trapped it in were beginning to give way under its mass, it wouldn't stay put for long. It didn't need to.

I took my staff in both hands and pointed it at the oversized raven, and let my rage go.

"FUEGO! PYRO FUEGO! BURN YOU SON OF A BITCH, BURN!"

I can't say I've ever produced a fire spell so intense or so large in my life. There have been brief moments in the past before where I'd grown close, but the sheer size of the fire ball I unleashed trumped them all.

Nearly as large as the Nevermore itself, it shrieked in terrified horror as fire that burned as hot as the sun ripped the feathers from its flesh, and seared it to the very bone. Steel and iron pipelines were reduced to molten metal that ran in rivers of shimmering steel onto the concrete. The Chicago night was briefly illuminated brighter than day, by a fire few mortals would ever see in their lifetime.

And the fucking bird was still alive when I released the spell. It fell onto its wings into scorching hot tar that had once been asphalt, and shrieked at me. Its feathers were ashes, and its skull was as dark as its hide. Its eyes sizzled and dripped from their sockets, but the monster was still alive.

I screamed my anger at it and released the spell again, dousing it with the fires of creation. The fire came out a more focused blast this time, slamming into the Nevermore's head with an explosive impact. It had time to screech in agony for a brief moment, before the silvery flames ripped its head to ash.

When I released the spell again, the air was shimmering with heat, and several small fires had spread along the street. The battered and burned body of the Nevermore slowly went limp and fell to one side, collapsing to ground in a heap in front of me in a bone-shaking crash. Its body began to slowly evaporate a moment later.

I stared at its corpse for a long minute, before the fruit of my labor finally caught up with me, and a wave of exhaustion promptly flattened me. I slowly fell back onto my ass, never taking my eyes off the dead Nevermore. It was gone, it was dead, it couldn't hurt anyone else anymore.

But it had done enough…

The street was in utter chaos, cars overturned, building edifices scorched or shattered, the road melted to tar, and a dozen small fires littered the sidewalks. That wasn't even getting into the personal cost of putting that thing down. Cold dread kept me from looking over at where Karrin lay, a palpable sense of fear that gripped at my heart and rapidly cooled my already spent rage. I could only bring myself to glare hatefully at the Nevermores desiccated corpse, and pray for the other victim it had taken.

As if sensing my thoughts, its chest suddenly jerked and the whole creature shuddered. I scrambled to my feet and took my staff in two shaky hands. If the blaze I'd unleashed on this oversized turkey wasn't enough, I'd have to find another way to make sure it stayed down. I began gathering what little magical energy I had left and prepared another spell.

That was when its chest jerked again, and split apart against the touch of a crimson red blade that emerged from within. My staff clattered to the ground and I fell to my knees, and felt a few tears in my eyes. If I weren't so exhausted, I'd have helped her cut open the birds slowly disintegrating chest. But, she seemed to manage on her own.

In less than a minute, a long narrow gash formed down the center of the Nevermores belly and promptly burst apart, spilling the contents of its stomach onto the rapidly cooling tar. Namely, Pyrrha Nikos.

She emerged feet first and stumbled on the sludge and fell onto the cooler road I hadn't melted. A clear, viscous, mucus, covered her from head to toe, and anything not touched by her armor was a pale shade of red, like a light sunburn. Several patches of her skin were raw and she had her eyes and mouth clenched tight with a hand over her nose. The goop was already beginning to evaporate, like the body it came from, but not fast enough.

With her other hand, Pyrrha wiped the gunk from her face and took in a gasp of air, then collapsed onto the ground. If the movies were to be believed, she probably would've cut herself free with no problem at all. But a stomach is a dank, dark place, filled with a dozen acids meant to literally dissolve any living matter that gets shoved into it. I couldn't imagine what it would be like in a Grimm's stomach, though the sizzling smoke that rose from the ground around Pyrrha gave me an idea.

Pyrrha took another big gulp of air and blinked her bloodshot eyes open, and focused on the ground passed me. I steeled myself and looked behind me again, at Karrin, broken against the parking meter. Her legs were twisted in a way legs should not twist, and I could see every tiny detail on her face, from the torn skin, to the blood dripping from her mouth, to the deadening look in her eyes. She was thirty feet away at least, but I could make out all those details in perfect clarity.

"Murphy, no…" Pyrrha croaked, and began dragging herself across the ground to her.

I followed, my legs numbly carrying me over, even though I didn't want to see this. I'd seen a dozen worse cases than the road-rash Karrin had suffered from, but none of them had been a face I'd known. None of them had been Karrin's face.

My walk brought me to her first, and I collapsed next to her body, that I wanted to cradle close to my chest, t hold her tight and give her some form of comfort in the last moments of life. Her own chest looked like its side had been caved, I could see something sharp and sticky pointing out beneath her chest.

"Karrin…" my voice felt came out as a raw croak.

"I'm so sorry…" Pyrrha whimpered. I looked up and saw her on the other side of me with tears in her eyes.

The fire returned and I scowled at her, "Stop fucking apologizing, it doesn't fix anything, and it certainly won't fix Karrin!"

She flinched as if I'd struck her, but for the life of me, I couldn't find any guilt in my words. Pyrrha decided to run off and almost get herself killed, and because of that, we had to abandon the apartment so Cowl and his lackeys could do who knows what to it, and now Karrin would probably die on the street. Saying 'sorry' wasn't going to make it fucking better.

I expected my words to silence her, maybe to give us some piece. Pyrrha was a fighter, but emotionally, what had been done to her had not made her entirely stable. She was getting better, but snapping at her would be enough.

But for one miraculous moment in my life, Pyrrha didn't let my words bind. No, instead I saw a fire erupt behind those bright green eyes of her, the same fire I'd seen in every fight with her so far. She clenched her hands into fists and said, "You're right, it won't save Murphy. But maybe this will."

I saw her reach her hand forward toward Karrin, and without thinking, grabbed her wrist. She in turn, grabbed my hand and almost casually twisted it out of its socket, "Harry, I know you're concerned right now. But if you interfere, what happens will be entirely your fault. Let me work."

There was a tone in her voice I'd heard only once in twice, that steely determination that betrayed her youthful exterior. Reluctantly, I withdrew and stayed silent. Happy that I was keeping my distance, Pyrrha carefully straightened Karrin without jostling her, and placed one hand at the center of the sternum, while placing the other on her cheek, spreading her fingers wide.

Pyrrha took a deep breath, and spoke in a somber tone, "Karrin Murphy, I have seen your potential as a warrior, your strength and courage. You have sacrificed much for the good of others, a brilliant light against the darkness. I ask now, with the last of your strength, to seek it once more."

Karrin let out the faintest of breaths, a pained little gasp. Then she let out another and groaned. It was all Pyrrha needed for acknowledgement. Her eyes shot open and I watched her iris and pupil visibly shrink. A brilliant red glow flowed from her to Karrins body, which began to pulse a soft golden light in response.

When she spoke again, her voice sounded different, like someone was repeating what she was saying a second too slow. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee…"

Pyrrha's glow slowly faded, and she slumped against the ground. She looked exhausted, but her eyes glimmered with hope. Karrin's glow did not immediately fade like Pyrrha's, instead gradually dissipating until she looked no different than normal. I looked from her to Pyrrha and back again.

"What did you just-"

My question was cut off with an ear splitting snap. The dent in Karrin's chest suddenly popped back into place, and her eyes snapped open, wide with pain. She groaned through clenched teeth and I watched in amazement as a faint energy flowed over her body. It didn't undo all of her injuries on the spot, but I could hear bones snapping back into place the squelching of body parts being rearranged or sealed once again.

Then it stopped again, Karrin's eyes rolled back into the back of her skull, and she went limp. Her chest slowly rose and fell in a peaceful rhythm, as if she hadn't just caved it in a moment ago.

I knew the look on my face was one of astonishment, but for good damn reason! No magic user I knew could have fixed an injury that easily, even Listens-To-Winds couldn't have pulled that off. Maybe a Fae like Lea could, but no mortal had the skill to pull that off.

"H-how… wh-where…" I couldn't even form a full sentence. This was just… unprecedented.

Pyrrha rubbed at her eyes, "I only unlocked her Aura, Harry. What you saw was its capabilities being put into effect. It won't be enough on its own, but it'll buy us time to get her to a hospital."

I closed my stupid mouth before it tunneled to China, and nodded. There would be time for questions later. Right now, like Pyrrha said, Karrin needed a hospital…

The Blue Beetle Mk. II was determined as hell to live up to her predecessors legacy. With Pyrrha's help, we got her turned back onto all four wheels and she started up without a problem. After that, Pyrrha and I carefully placed Karrin in the backseat. I drove and Pyrrha sat awkwardly in the back to keep Murphy secure. We got some odd looks when we arrived at the hospital, but when the staff saw Karrin, they hurried her inside on a gurney, leaving Pyrrha and I to sit in the waiting room.

I don't care for hospitals. Ignoring the fact that as a wizard, just walking through one could put people's lives at risk, hospitals had an atmosphere that just unnerved me. Everything felt too pristine from the perfumed air to the plush waiting room seats, or how the every surface was dustless. It was like a layer of paint over a mossy old wall. It didn't help that as a wizard, I could feel the sense of dread and pain that accompanied a hospital. Not everyone who went in to a hospital came out.

I'd almost lost a friend in a hospital once, he'd been put there because of a stupid mistake I'd made. Now I sat in the waiting room with my hand clasped together and my head bowed, waiting to see if Karrin would follow the same route. Across from me, Pyrrha sat with her head in her hands, silent. She hadn't said a word since we got in the car. That was almost an hour ago.

"So," I said, fed up with the silence. "Aura. What was the deal with that?"

Pyrrha shivered and took a deep breath, but didn't say anything. I leaned forward and scowled, "Because you've said part of the reason you run off all the time is because people like Karrin don't have one to protect them. So you'd better have a pretty damn good reason for holding that back the entire time."

I had honestly understood Pyrrha's reasoning at the time, lord knows I was in no place to judge her for the opinion. But magic, unlike Aura apparently, couldn't just be 'unlocked' from someone. An individual could study magical theory for years and years and still never develop a lick of talent, being more dependent on charms and rituals to draw on for power, like Butters. With a few fancy words though, Pyrrha had apparently given Karrin the same physics-violating abilities that she had dished out several times; that was, to put it lightly, kind of a Big Deal.

I watched intently as Pyrrha took another breath and sat up. She glanced around the waiting room, saw that only a bored nurse was manning the front desk, and fixed me with a tired expression. "What I did for Murphy… for Karrin, is an incredibly rare technique on Remnant, and either forbidden or outright illegal, depending on the kingdom. Only a handful of families still teach it anymore, including mine. If I were anyone else, I'd need several more years of training before I would risk doing what I did an hour ago."

"Why though? Seems like a pretty useful technique to have, given the state of affairs there." I said.

"Because unlocking a person's Aura is...difficult." Pyrrha explained. "To keep it as simple as I can, doing it requires the initiator to… embrace the others Soul and guide them, to show them that they are greater than their individual parts of their body."

I raised a brow, "Interesting choice of words."

Pyrrha coughed and I swore she blushed, it was hard to tell since she was still a uniform shade of pink from her time in the belly of the beast. "It is an… intimate process. When it occurs, you briefly become closer with a person than is physically possible. Their thoughts, feelings, doubts, emotions, everything that defines them, you become privy to."

"So it's like a Soulgaze." I summed up.

"In a way, only even closer. For a brief time, you and the one you're helping are essentially a single being, and you are showing them how to access their latent potential. Typically, we only do this on younger students who show a potential for Aura. Older individuals are too set in their ways, usually, and some people simply aren't capable of manifesting their Aura. Karrin, however, seems to have benefited from her time with you, and possessed a very strong spirit."

A memory of a golden angel clad in brilliant robes of sunlight and wielding a blade of fire appeared in my mind, still as fresh as the day I'd first seen it. A small smile crossed my face. "Yeah, I could buy that."

Pyrrha rubbed at her eyes, "If it weren't for either of those factors though, she and I would… well, we'd no longer reside on the mortal plane."

I blinked, "Wait, it's lethal?"

She fixed me with a deadpan expression, "We're linking our souls together and guiding them to exist as an extension of the physical body, and I've only done it once before. If you hadn't snapped at me and I'd tried it then, I wouldn't be talking to you right now. That, and the differences between our worlds, was why I never brought it up. The risk of me and Karrin dying were too great at the time, but when the accident happened…"

A few tears formed in her eyes, "I don't have a lot of friends Harry, and the few I do have are on another world. You and Karrin are all I have and… I was scared to be alone again."

Ah shit, wait to go Dresden. Danger's passed, and now you've made the girl start crying again. I sighed and reached out, taking Pyrrha's hand in my own. "You're not alone though Pyrrha, you never were."

She wiped at her eyes, "I know. That was why I was so determined to try and… protect you. The Grimm aren't acting like how they should Harry, and this woman you've mentioned… I feel I'm not strong enough to defend you, any of you, from what might be coming."

Well that certainly sounded familiar.

"Typically Pyrrha," I said, "This is why it's really good having friends, so you don't have to face the unspeakable horde of enormous black and red rage monsters alone."

That made her laugh, though it was tinged with a bitter tone, "If I'd just warned you, we could have avoided this mess."

"Probably." I agreed, "But we have an idea of what we're up against now. This isn't just a series of random attacks, these are coordinated and planned. Granted, it's by a group who's as enigmatic and vague as the name I came up with for them, but it's better than what we had. And after this is all through, we'll find a new safehouse for the time being and make sure to get some rest before jumping back into the fire again. So don't fall over that despair horizon yet, alright Ponytail?"

Pyrrha smiled, "Of course, and thank you Harry."

She hugged me, and I sighed, "Yeah yeah. Though this raises a question, you said you've done this once before. With who and why?"

Pyrrha immediately pulled away and scratched at the back of her head, her face a heavy shade of red, "Oh that...um, that's not really important to know, is it? Hehe...he…"

I raised a brow, "Okay, now I have to know, if only because I could use a good laugh. You owe me for bailing you out of the slammer, so spill Nikos."

"I...you...but that's not…" her protests died in her throat, and I grinned.

Pyrrha hung her head in defeat, "Just...it was during initiation at Beacon academy and my partner I had joined with had no Aura. So I… unlocked it for him. It was life or death, if I hadn't, he wouldn't have survived initiation."

I chuckled, "I see. Was this by any chance, this Jaune I've heard about?"

"I didn't say that!"

"Didn't need to," I laughed. It felt good, however brief it was, to laugh again. It took the edge off and released some of the tension that had been building over the past hour.

"Personally," I said, once I stopped laughing, "I'm just relieved to hear that under all that 'duty and deadly serious' personality of yours, there's still an actual teenage girl."

Pyrrha coughed and sank into her chair, "This conversation is over." she mumbled in a sad attempt to salvage her dignity.

I was preparing to grill her some more, when the door to the waiting room opened and a lean black haired doctor in hospital scrubs stepped out, "Mister Dresden?"

And like that, the tension was back.

I stood up and the doctor approached me, "How is she, doc?"

He scratched at his head and wore a look of confusion, "That's just it. When you brought her to us, Miss Murphy was in critical condition. We began preparations to operate but a quick examination has shown that… well, despite all reasonable assumptions, your friend is healing at an astounding rate. There's no precedent for this as far as I'm aware. If she continues to heal as she has, Miss Murphy may be able to leave the hospital by this afternoon."

I felt my jaw drop again and I glanced at Pyrrha. She just wore a small satisfied smile on her face. I looked back at the doctor, "If… if that's true doctor, can we… ya know, talk to her?"

"I'd say no," the doctor said, "But that's one reason I'm here. She asked for both of you and was very insistent. Given her condition, I found it hard to say no. But I ask that you be careful and refrain from physical contact. We've no idea the extent of this… miracle."

I nodded, "Right right, of course."

We were lead through the halls, which were mercifully bare of patients today. Very few rooms showed heavy occupation for one reason or another, and I felt relieved at that. Even so, this visit with Karrin would have to be brief, even if every part of me was screaming to never let her leave my side again.

When we reached her room, the first thing I noted was the bandages, Karrin was covered in them from head to toe until she resembled a mummy more than an actual person. Her face was one of the few places left uncovered, and life had returned to those beautiful blue eyes of hers. One of her legs was suspended in the air, wrapped in a cast, and she had a matching set on her arms to boot.

But she was alive and breathing, and I felt relieved seeing it first hand, and showed it the best way I knew how.

"Bandages, pulleys, and casts. It's just like when we first hooked up, Murph, ain't it romantic?"

She groaned, "Oh god… stuck in a hospital, practically tied to the bed, everything hurts, and to top it off, I have to listen to your attempts at being 'funny'. God, I really am in hell, aren't I?"

"If so, it's a lot cleaner than I expected." I pulled up a chair next to her bed, "Prettier too."

Again Karrin groaned, but I saw her smile, "God Dresden, you are such a pig."

"The piggiest."I agreed, and added in a softer tone, "I'm glad to see you're okay."

She sighed, "For a measure of the word. Every bone in my body feels like it's on fire, everything else is sore, and my skin is itching something fierce. But… I'm alive."

I grinned again, "Well, when you're out of here, I'll be more than happy to help you scratch that itch."

Pyrrha coughed awkwardly, and we both looked at her… and the doctor. Right, we weren't completely alone. I saw Pyrrha move her hand slightly, and heard a crash from the hallway, followed by the surprised yelp of hospital staff. The doctor glanced out the door, cursed, and went running into the hall. The door shut behind him without anyone touching it, and locked tight.

"We've got, give, maybe ten minutes." Pyrrha said.

I blinked, then nodded. Karrin quirked her lips, "Uh-huh. So, with the doc gone, someone going to explain what the hell is up with my body? I don't think menopause works like this."

I jerked a thumb at Pyrrha, "Ponytail can apparently unlock a person's Aura, but apparently it's an incredibly dangerous thing to do. Given that you already had a foot in the grave though…"

Karrin nodded, "Okay, got it. So does that mean Sir Isaac Newton is my bitch now, or…?"

I held back a laugh, while Pyrrha shrugged, "It's not that simple. Unlocking your Aura will eventually restore you to near perfect health, a reflection of your inner self upon your outer self. You'll be stronger, faster, and more durable than any point in your life. But, and I speak from experience here, it won't give you the skills of a full fledged Huntress. That comes from years of training and hard work."

"Of course it does," Karrin sighed. "Still, I guess it's a start, and I'm no stranger to training. Once I'm out of this god-forsaken place, I'll take you up on that offer Pyrrha."

She smiled, "I look forward to it."

I took Karrins hand in my own, the best I could given the cast, and added, "But not until you are damn sure you're fine, alright?"

"God, you worry too much Dresden." she replied.

"Karrin, please."

She looked at me with an annoyed expression that was plain even behind the bandages, then sighed, "Alright, alright. You win. Damn you and your puppy dog eyes."

I leaned forward and gently pressed my lips to hers. They felt warm and alive and tingled with an energy very familiar to the touch of someone with the Gift. Similar, but not quite the same.

When I pulled back, her face was red and eyes huge, "That was… different. Tingly."

"Not sure I felt it," I said, and kissed her again. Just to be sure.

I was vaguely aware that Pyrrha turned her back to us to give us both a measure of privacy. A moment later, I heard her arguing with someone beyond the door, something about the lock on the door being jammer. Karrin grinned into the the kiss for a second longer, then pulled away.

"God I can't wait to get out of here." she whispered.

"Down girl," I replied, and looked back at the door.

Pyrrha jiggled the handle and it popped open, "Oh! Nevermind, I figured it out! Sorry doctor."

The man walked back inside and eyed Karrin and I with suspicion. I stood up and coughed, "Er, thanks for letting us talk to her doctor. You'll call us if anything comes up."

He continued eyeing me suspiciously, and said, "Yes. Of course Mr. Dresden."

"Thanks doc." I said and glanced at Murphy, "We'll be in the suburbs if you need us, okay?"

Karrin nodded, "Gotcha. See you then, Harry."

By then the doctor had enough and shooed us both out of the room. We left the hospital shortly after, getting in the remains of the Blue Beetle. The sky was beginning to change color as night gave way to day, and the air felt cool. The clouds had cleared for the first time all week, and I felt comfortable in the driver's seat.

Pyrrha secured herself in what was left of the passenger seat, and after a moment of wrestling with the engine, the Beetle sputtered to life and we rolled down the street. I'll say this, without a roof, the bug made a pretty decent convertible.

We'd just made it out of the parking lot, when Pyrrha asked me, "This place we're going? You sure it'll be safe?"

"Safest place I can think of from the Grimm!" I yelled over the roar of the wind that tore at my hair and duster. "Best security against the supernatural in Chicago, and an old friend of mine has a contingent of supernatural mercenaries living nearby to protect against normal threats! It's as safe as it gets, and the people who live there are practically living saints!"

Pyrrha didn't respond. I glanced over at her, and smiled. She had fallen asleep in her seat, exhausted from the night's events. So I drove in silence as a new dawn rose over Chicago…

The neighborhood I drove into was vastly different from where my apartment had been located. Instead of low slung housing complexes overshadowed by the business district, we were in a suburb of old Victorian houses, some restored some not, and with ancient trees lining the road. I slowly approached one house that stood out amongst the others, colonial model that looked like something out of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine, complete with white picket fence and a few well groomed trees. Even the rain had done little to dampen its appearance, the house practically radiated a welcoming aura in the early morning.

The Beetle stood out like a sore thumb, but then, everything about me stood out when I came here. I parked in front of the houses gate, and the bugs engine finally died with a belch of black smoke. I gave the steering wheel an affectionate pat and got out, locking the drivers side door, then walking around to the gaping hole where the passenger door used to be, and undoing Pyrrha's belt.

She didn't stir from the actions, nor did she react when I easily scooped her up in my arms. Once I had a secure grip on her, she mumbled something softly in her sleep and nuzzled against my chest before going still.

The gate swung open silently, and I approached the front door, which was as well managed and clean as the rest of the house, and kicked it three times with my boot. I heard a lopsided set of steps a moment later.

The door opened a moment later to reveal a man in his early fifties with bright blue eyes and greying hair. His jaw was strong and recently shaved, and he had a strong build despite the cane he used to support himself.

Michael Carpenter took one look at me, exhausted, bruised, with an unconscious teenage girl in my arms, and stepped to the side.

"Come on in Harry. I hear you've been busy."

A/N: I'm back bitches! Finals are over, school is done for now, and the holidays are just around the corner! I've got another chapter planned for a thursday release, then a special, non-canon, christmas special for this saturday. That'll be tons of fun when it comes, I promise.

Anyway, talk about a crazy chapter. So little and yet so much happened here, and it felt good to be back to writing again. I hope you all enjoyed what happened, and expect the next few chapters to be...

Well, don't expect any action for the next few chapters, till chapter 30 at the earliest.

From here on its mostly either fluff or character stuff, as well as some plot stuff. I look forward to sharing it with you all!

Until then, and Merry Christmas to you all!