AznPuffyHair: In the two times in the manga where Allen transforms, I see a complete personality change. Fighting the Level Four, he does that strange "Good... Mor... ning..." thing, with that smile despite being stabbed. And when he wakes up after the dream where he's stabbed, Lenalee mentions that he seemed like a different person (even Timcampy gives him that awkward stare). Well, at least that's my impression of it. I could be wrong, but that's my current impression. :D
Requiem of Time: Chapter Nineteen - Allen
Fou cursed to herself as she wandered the bamboo forest. She had let Sarah go - who was she to deny an Exorcist their duty? - yet she had gotten a bad feeling about it afterwards. So here she was, smack in the middle of a massive forest, an enemy army floating above her with a vindictive punishment of God, looking for a girl who could be anywhere…
As she searched, Fou looked to the sky again. A Fallen One… that only happened once a century or so. Who would be so foolish as to betray their Innocence, a gift from her master the Lord God of Heaven? She shook her head, amazed as ever at the stupidity of some humans. The name Suman Dark had been mentioned. Well, she had never-
Fou's crimson eyes went wide as her foot snagged on a loose vine or root and she tumbled forward. Her eyes moved from the sky straight to a thick tree of bamboo. BAM!
"Ow, damnit!" Fou cursed as she rubbed her forehead. She looked to the sky again, only this time past the monstrosity. "What the hell?! I was thinking good thoughts about You!" Grumbling, she continued looking for the young apprentice.
Bah, perhaps it was better she was sealed down here on Earth. No one 'up there' would appreciate that mouth of hers. Besides, she had friends here. Bak, for example. He had his faults - everyone did - yet he had redeemed himself a thousandfold for the sins he had committed. She had seen him curled up, a sobbing mess, after the failed experiments with the Epstein family. She had seen a full repentance from him, then, like in the story books…
And then there was Allen Walker. Fou almost smiled as she scrambled up another clump of boulders, using the vantage point to visually cover more ground. That man had grown on her like benevolent cancer, but she wasn't going to spend time thinking about him now…
Fou's ears heard a faint sound, probably an animal, but regardless she began heading in that direction.
As the angel came closer, she heard what almost sounded like a conversation. Finally, she had found- She stopped suddenly.
A black apparition had appeared before her, and before Fou could wonder what it was it formed a shape she had become used to. Allen's Innocence, when it formed - the one he called Crown Clown. Except this was black, not like the white she had enjoyed sparring against. Something about this thing before her didn't have that same tranquility that the Crowned Clown had. No, this was something else. This wasn't Innocence…
Fou materialized her arms into the flaming scythes. Bak had mentioned something about a sketchy, floating, black cloak - a tip off from Komui. She sensed a fight in the brewing.
She took a step forward, opening her mouth to say something, when the cloak suddenly reacted. As fast as Marshal Walker could, the cloak swam to the right and propelled towards her - too fast for her to defend against. In an instant, it was around her. The left portion wrapped around her arm like a cold snake, forming a claw reminiscent to Allen's partial one. The cloak settled on her, the mask locking in place before her eyes, and she could see the forest once more through the eye holes.
Then the gloomy forest before her lurched, changed colors, went black- something happened to her vision when a pain unlike any before struck her. An essence of something, something familiar, seeped into her skin from the cloak, and whatever was inside her carved a burning path straight to her mind. Something was happening there - in her mind - but her thoughts had wiped completely during the experience as old memories were torn out, flashing in her minds eye for an instant before lurching away suddenly, and new memories washed in like a tide.
The pain was crippling, and Fou was helpless to stop it, screaming as she collapsed in a heap. It hurt too much to think, to wonder if these images and experiences were hers, or if they happened before, or if something was trying to take over her. She just couldn't think at all; her whole world was that ungodly pain.
And she was left there to the agony.
****
Allen knew Rhode to be a fan of dresses, always dressing in new and extravagant ones, always ready to show another off to him, asking his opinion. This one was by far the best, however. Yet strangely, for all its lace and ruffles, size and patterns, the only thing he could see was its brilliant whiteness. Because that white signified that it was one thing: her wedding dress, and that was all he cared about at the moment.
If the priest before them hadn't been an Akuma (and then a modified Akuma, by his hand (then under Sheryl's control, through his Noah powers)), the man probably would have raised a question as to why he, a twenty-one year old, was marrying what looked like a thirteen year old. Then again, looking at some of the Upper-class families, maybe not.
This had been a great year so far. First, on his birthday, Central had concluded their investigation on him and accepted him into the ranks of the Marshals. For the first time in who knew how long, he could finally sleep without Howard Link right there next to him. To celebrate, he had pulled his secret girlfriend (so much for their investigation) aside and proposed. And now here they were… Everyone he cared about… and everyone Rhode cared about… In one room. Together…
The silence after the music stopped was so oppressive no one had the nerve to cough to break it. One the left side were the Exorcists and a select few Dark Order friends who knew the truth. One the right side were the Noah, including the Millennium Earl himself. A tantrum from Rhode to the Earl had earned them one 'cease fire' day to celebrate their union, and Allen managed to wrest a promise from those he invited not to attack. Komui and Bak had seen it most practically, both mentioning that, "So long as the Millennium Earl is in there not attacking us, then he is not out there making more Akuma."
Although it was strange that the "good guys" of the war all wore their black uniforms and the "bad guys" wore their snow white garb. The irony did not escape him, nor the fact that his black tuxedo and Rhode's white dress remained consistent to that contrast.
The priest began, and Allen turned his attention back to him, sharing a smile with his soon-to-be wife. The Noah and Exorcists kept glaring at each other, or smirking depending on whom it was. The tension was almost palpable. Allen prayed that this temporary peace would last through at least the whole ceremony.
Amazingly enough, it did. And through the reception, as well, although that was where up became down and pigs flew.
Rhode being Rhode wanted to have cake before the dance, and once Allen finally pulled her to the dance floor - his lessons with Tyki paying off nicely - he expected a full-scale battle to begin right then and there with the Exorcists clumped together still glaring at the Noah, who were equally tense and spiteful yet better at hiding it.
Then the Millennium Earl just had to go and approach the Exorcists. Allen almost attacked the fat-man right then and there, but Rhode stopped him with a sharp look and a smile. Everyone held their breath as the Earl bowed - his outer-layer image breaking apart to reveal the younger, handsome man within - and asked Miranda for a dance.
The young woman had lit up like a firework, and after receiving a reluctant nod from Allen, she weakly accepted.
Then reality broke down as Tyki approached Cloud Nine and Crowley one of the Earl's many disguised Akuma. Lenalee and Lavi also joined the floor, looking unsure, while Lulubell and Kanda made a great show of ignoring each other.
Allen nearly cried right there, asking his new wife if he had finally slipped off the cliff of sanity. She had just kissed him in response, saying simply, "I hope so."
Time passed and partners changed, Rhode and Tyki dominating the floor as Allen and his ex-girlfriend Cloud Nine shared a moment. Lavi nearly lost his head for asking Lulubell - from both her spiked whip and Lenalee's later rebuttal - while Crowley reminisced Eliade as he changed between female Akuma. Lenalee curtly refused several of the Noah, while Miranda could only blush and accept meekly. The biggest surprise of the night was Lulubell finally moving from her seat to ask Allen.
Rhode had grinned at that one.
Allen reluctantly led her to the floor, the Noah currently in her human form with pale skin and blond hair. "You aren't going to try and kill me on my wedding day, are you?"
Lulubell's calm face allowed a small smile as the next song started, and she began moving before he did. Allen hurriedly caught up. "The great Marshal Walker isn't worried, is he?"
To Allen this woman came in two flavors: emotionless and deadly or driven and deadly. "Um…"
"Duke Millennium told us not to attack today, so I shall not attack today." She moved as graceful as cat, Allen had already noticed, apparently on the dance floor in addition to the battlefield.
"That's good… You know, you being my new sister-in-law and all…"
"Tomorrow, should the Earl ask, I will still kill you."
"Damn."
Those silver eyes, slitted regardless of human form, bore into his own with amusement. "Besides, why should it matter? You are already my brother, Fourteenth, and you have married your sister."
Allen laughed nervously. "Well, I like to think of myself as separate from the Fourteenth, actually." But we could be the same, a stray thought told him. Was it his or the Fourteenth's? One could go crazy like this, not knowing which thought was his or his implant's.
"You think wrong, then, but we all do early on. You will awaken one day." Lulubell gave him a curious look, and Allen gulped. "And because of that, I have an offer for you."
Allen counted the seconds in his head to when the song would be over. Not soon enough. He frowned at her, suspicious. "What is it?"
"Your obvious humanity is a shame to us Noah. I will train you to overcome that. Think of it as a wedding gift." She said that so easily, so passively, that it took Allen actually experiencing the training to actually understand what it meant.
But in the present, he only looked towards the table, seeing his own Noah currently feasting on more cake. Sensing him, she looked up and grinned, the smudge of icing still on the side of her cheek from when he tried to feed her. She was so cute, his wife, with her blue hair and white dress, and he loved her in both her pale human form and grey Noah form. But right now, those weren't the thoughts that came to him. He smiled at her before turning back to Lulubell.
He might regret this later, and Lulubell's current track record didn't approve, but this may be his only chance to get Lulubell to stop her endless assault on him. Rhode's threat had stopped everyone else, but of course she had to go and give both Tyki and this woman full rights to continue attacking/playing with him if they wished (he found later that this was because Rhode liked Tyki so she would never deny him, and the addition of Lulubell was actually a very strategic decision due to how the woman would have continued attacking him regardless, leading to a fight between the two female Noah that could have gone either way in regards of who died).
So with one short nod, he said, "I'll do it, if you allow Rhode to be there."
Lulubell's responding smile almost seemed genuine. "Of course." The song wound down, and the two separated.
Allen, dazed by the fact that he had just had a conversation with Lulubell, tried to return to his seat, but he noticed Tyki calling him over. With a peak over at Rhode, seeing her busy trying to distract the Earl enough to steal Lero, he made his way over to the man.
Tyki grinned at him when he came. "Welcome to the family, brother."
"Thanks," Allen responded cautiously. This man was willing to offer a game of cards as often as attack him. Still, he was a friend of sorts… in a way… maybe. Ish. "I still can't believe we are all here in one room, not trying to kill each other."
"You caused quite the stir with this union. Duke Millennium believes it will bring you back to us. I personally don't care, but I wished to speak to you about something else." Allen looked at him curiously, and Tyki produced a well maintained box. "I was hoping there'd be no hard feelings between us, so I wanted you to know I'll forgive you for removing my white sleeve if you forget about the whole Tease eating your heart thing. I got you this."
Allen accepted the box slowly. "Of course, think of it as water under the bridge." He opened the lid and produced a top hat. His jaw dropped, and Tyki grinned.
"I figured you needed a hat to go with your new uniform. I even had it enchanted by the Earl himself. The ace works as a focal point for spells."
****
"That hat doesn't suit your white devil. I believe you are missing this." Joyd, as he once did years ago, in another (literally) life, produced a top hat. Despite the situation, despite the recently killed corpse between them, despite the Akuma and Crowned Clown, despite Allen's wariness and Joyd's grin, Allen had to take a moment appreciate the hat the Noah was offering him in - unsurprisingly - bloodless hands.
The fabric itself was a pattern of white and black, almost as outrageous as the countless ones the Earl wore, with an intertwining trim of worked gold and silver. The emblem, of course, was where the attention was at. The metal trim grew more and more elaborate until it reached that center point, and an expertly done wiring formed a silver spade surrounded by a large, rectangle of gold. Silver 'A's were welded into the gold framing at the top left and bottom right of the shape, with a pin of a little spade and little, inverted spade just under and above those A's. The "card" shape was divided perfectly by a seamless slash in the fabric, the top left being the pristine white and the bottom right being a deep black. Only slightly attention grabbing while in just his marshal's coat, that hat was a perfect addition and finisher once Crown Clown was brought out and embracing him.
Allen remembered that hat fondly, with no small amount of appreciation, both at the gesture and what his Noah brother had done to get it done so finely. It stood for much as well. The symbol of peace and understanding between them was superficial, yet not insignificant. Really though, it was a representation of Allen himself, if one were to look into it with that annoying amount of deep thinking. The white stood for Innocence and Allen's place on the side of God; the black for Noah and Allen's place in the family. Tyki buying it showed that he accepted Allen's place at that borderline, a brother as much as an enemy. Again, that's only if one looked at it with that annoying critical insight. It could better be seen as a damn nice top hat.
But as much as Allen appreciated the return of such a prized possession, he did not overlook the implications of it. Tyki was awakened currently, hence why he should more accurately be referred to by his true Noah name Joyd, which brought the thought of why the hell was that so, as much as how this man knew about the hat.
"Joyd… How much do you know?" Allen felt himself asking. The last he had seen this man was with Yeeger, and Tyki had very much been Tyki then.
"That you, Allen Walker, are the Fourteenth Noah, my brother, the "Musician", also known to some as the Player. You married our Noah sister Rhode Camelot, and somehow managed to get my Earl of the Millennium to allow a ceasefire day to celebrate. I know that you restarted the Musician's third faction, while at the same time denied him as your heritage. I know that you were only months from death, and that you attempted to… "save" the Duke Millennium in that state, and almost succeeded. I know that you were sent to the past by a Level Two, and that currently we are some years from that point as of right now… Is that close to what you're looking for, brother?" Joyd asked, his stance lax as he spun the top hat on a finger before spinning it to Allen like a Frisbee.
Allen caught the hat on reflex, breathless at the declaration. After a few moments of gaping, his slack fingers only barely holding onto the hat, he asked weakly, "H-How?"
"Here, sit down with me, and I'll explain… I'd smoke, but I haven't been in the mood lately." True to his word, the scandalously clad Noah crouched down and crossed his legs, only feet away from the body he had just killed. Allen, still stunned by the declaration, slowly sat down as well, feeling Crown Clown shift like an angry tiger on his back. Oh, Allen felt much the same as his Innocence - restless, ready to take retribution for a slain human being, ready to purge Dark Matter - yet, like his Innocence would, he resisted as he faced the man he could partially label a brother. The war was with the Earl and Akuma, not the bodyguards that stood between. "It's a shame you had to kill all those lovely Tease."
"Brothers, Joyd, not allies. Start speaking before I lose my grip," Allen warned, his heart twisting as he took a look at the man he had failed twice in rescuing.
"Tyki works just fine, you know," the Noah sighed, rubbing his chest despite the lack of pain. He winked at Allen. "After all, the Noah of Pleasure has always been known for denying his true self, right? And since you can give me back my white sleeve, there's no need to acknowledge that washed-up old bastard."
"Tyki…"
"Fine, fine. Don't give me that face, Allen. You look younger again, so at least attempt to look cute." He gave a nervous grin at Allen's glare; hey, at least he wasn't as bad as Sheryl, right? Tyki coughed. "Right, let's see… It happened on the first person I was sent to 'delete.' I don't quite know what happened to cause it, but when I woke up, I was literally in the middle of a rainforest with an unconscious Exorcist next to me."
The Noah paused to rub his chin thoughtfully. "Now this is where it gets strange. I tried to remember what I had done last, and I somehow ended up with two answers. I remember very clearly being in the Chamber, having a nice time with that pretty German girl. But at the same time, I remember very clearly taking your ark of all things to that jungle and confronting that guy with the intent of taking out his liver." Allen frowned at him, and Tyki shrugged, brushing some dirt off his almost spotless white coat. "Told you it was weird. The best part, however, was that I was extremely certain I knew exactly what time it was. Not am/pm kind of time, but I knew this was the past, like the latter was when I was yet I was the former.
"So, as the other guy was waking up I completed my task and tried to figure things out. Well, I guess its pretty obvious now, but we are both here in the past. Tada."
Allen wanted to press for more, but one very important and by far most crucial thought occurred to him. In an almost desperate, hopeful voice, he asked, "And Rhode?"
Tyki shrugged, dampening Allen's sudden hope. "She's not exactly the one from our time, but she does have some fragments of memory from it. You wouldn't believe the look she had when I told her that Lulubell didn't quite kill you."
Allen's human hand gripped his knee tightly, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. His heart had skipped a beat at that, and a nervous, warm feeling had exploded so suddenly that he found himself unable to get the sides of his mouth to stop smiling. A hope like no other now burned strongly, if faint, with no plausible way to diminish. Tyki was back, then by all that was holy and damned, he would carve his way to getting Rhode back too.
Tyki's hand twitched towards his chest again as he watched Allen, but he caught himself before he did any more useless rubbing. "Say, boy, since you're here, would you mind returning me my white sleeve again? Apparently reawakening here woke this form as well, and I haven't seen my friends in ages."
This wasn't right… This wasn't right at all. Rhode was that cute, smiling girl always ready for fun. She was supposed to get up and make another attempt at getting his blood, and he would try to stay away, smiling at her antics. Her eyes were supposed to open - either gold or dark purple - and he was supposed to see them twinkle with mirth.
So why, WHY was that full-grown woman lying there in an aura of Dark Matter? Why was his wife in a coma? Why had she awakened finally? It wasn't fair… IT WASN'T FAIR!
I can seal away her true Noah again, Allen thought to himself. A second later he realized it wasn't his thought. Fourteenth? A pause, then he thought, It's what I did the first time. After I put the spell on the Ark to prevent it from moving, our family confronted me. I sealed away their true Noah's - obviously I wouldn't destroy my own family - and made a break for it. As for Adam, of course I couldn't seal away his Noah. No, that man who endowed this family with their powers, him I wished to save… There was a grunt within Allen's mind before he asked himself, Do you want me to help or not?
It was confusing, picking his own thoughts apart from the Fourteenth's, but he felt he understood what the man was trying to say. Of course, he had no choice here. This was his wife he was talking about. The man didn't even have to ask. So, knowing that somehow this was going to make his fight against the Fourteenth that much harder, he thought to himself resolutely, I accept.
"The Fourteenth still sleeps," Allen answered stiffly, his hand suddenly unclenching as he refocused on the present. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't just slash and hack his way to Rhode, kidnap her, smother her in love, and presto! have her back. Well, he could, but without his Ark and the proper method it was just barely outside his reach.
"Hey, Tyki, how was it that you were able to return to this time?" Allen asked. First his Master, and now Tyki…
"Hmm, I don't-" There was a scream in the distance. "-know."
Allen was on his feet in a flash, yet it was Crown Clown who detached itself from him and shot off towards the sound. Tyki faced the direction with a curious look. "Seems like the Akuma are beginning to search for Suman's Innocence. Off memory, I'd say our old friend Timcampy here has it, but so far as I care I 'couldn't find it'." Allen looked back at Tyki, only to see him sinking into the ground. "I'll see you on the Ark!" And then he was gone.
Allen ran off towards the sound, following his Innocence. He felt that Crown Clown had stopped somewhere, so with a final burst of speed he narrowly skirted some bamboo trees and landed on the top of a small rise. When he saw where his Innocence was hovering, his heart bottomed out. He knew that the scream had been a girl's, but… "Oh, God no!"
"It's not that bad, Master." The victim grinned weakly at him. Allen was by her side in an instant.
"Sarah! I-I told you guys to remain at the Headquarters. Why're… How'd…" Allen was at a loss of words.
Sarah's Chinese dress now had a growing stain of crimson, coming from a nasty looking hole between her breasts. The girl hadn't gone down without a fight, whatever had done this to her. Besides the tell-tale stalactites coming from the ground, several trees had unnatural looking branches coming out in odd angles with particularly vicious looking tips. One branch had even broken into a dozen smaller ones, all ending in sharpened spikes pointing at nothing. Some of the trees - oddly protruding branches included - were made of pure metal, another sign of Sarah's doing.
The downed Innocence-candidate, not even or ever-to-be an Exorcist, barely showed any regard for the pain of her wound, even though Allen knew it had to be agony. Her arms were resting peacefully by her sides, her hands still glowing brightly. "Pierced my spine, I think," she commented suddenly, causing Allen to refocus back in on her. She had her small grin on her face still as she beamed at him. "I saw through Lulubell's disguise, like you could."
Allen rested a shaky hand on her shoulder. So many deaths in his life, so many needless, senseless, thoughtless deaths. This was his chance to prevent that. Sarah was his new beginning, his second chance for Charles and Victoria. He was supposed to stop the killing before it began, not watch it start anew. The Marshal felt tears building behind his eyes.
Sarah smiled up at the hovering white cloak. "Oh, I see you finally completed your Innocence. It is so much prettier than those black copies. It's a nice shade of white."
"S-Sarah…"
"Don't worry about me, Master. It was kind of obvious this would happen sooner or later. Besides, it was my choice to face Lulubell."
"Why?! Why would you face her alone?! I told you- I told you what she could do…" Allen was crying now, crying again for another casualty.
Sarah smiled sheepishly, and Allen got the impression she would shrug if she could. "I may not have been able to beat her, but I destroyed both of those fake Crown Clowns." The true Crowned Clown shifted at that, though with its form it looked more like a breeze had ruffled it. Sarah smiled at Allen hopefully. "That was good, right?"
Another tear fell from Allen's face, landing right next to her head. So much power - he had so much power, in so many forms - yet he couldn't do a thing for her. Blood was pooling into the grass now, a dark stain in a dark night. Allen's left eye suddenly activated and honed in on Akuma heading this way. Now was not the time for that. Understanding, Crown Clown shot off towards them, eager to free souls and give its partner time alone.
He forced himself to smile at her. "That's great, Sarah."
The girl sighed, looking up at the sky. It was obvious she had already accepted her fate. "I just wish I could still be useful, Master. Done something that lasts longer than I do, I mean."
In the shock of battle and in face of death, Allen hadn't even had to think about doing it before. Now, he was almost reluctant. "Y-You can be, Sarah." The girl's attention snapped back to him suddenly; it was pitiful how much hope shone on her soon-to-be-dead face. "Do you remember Maria?"
Her eyes widened in understanding. "Grave of Maria? Oh yes, please Master. Please, use my corpse and Terra's Touch. That way I- I can…" She trailed off, smiling as her eyes twinkled with unshed tears. "Please…"
Allen nodded, yet that cold feeling inside improved none. Seeing that, the tears finally left Sarah's eyes, sliding down the sides of her head. There was silence for a moment as Sarah laid there bleeding, before Allen interrupted it by simply speaking, trying to distract himself. He didn't know what he was saying, and to both of them it didn't matter. She was dead, of that they were sure, but it would take some time before that fact caught up.
Sarah merely listened in silence, somehow taking comfort in his words of nonsense. Her tears didn't stop - neither did his - but for the moment they could almost forget that she was dying. Lenalee had showed up somewhere along the way, but she had taken one look at the scene, stifled a gasp, and left to give them privacy. It took around fifteen minutes for Sarah's heart to finally stop beating - Lulubell's strike not having actually damaged it - and when it did, Allen had a hard time stopping his rant.
When he finally did, there was silence. Crown Clown had returned, the Akuma in the immediate area having been destroyed. Sarah's hands still glowed their white and red, her Innocence alive despite her own death, and with a trembling hand Allen removed his new top hat - its presence now bittersweet - and began focusing on the ace. A magical focal point would make it go so much faster, although he had mainly used it before only for disguises, like Cross's half-mask.
"On…" Allen muttered hollowly. "Abata-ura-masarakato-on-gataru! Grave of Sarah Limit, Activate!"
There was a brilliant white light as Sarah's corpse suddenly floated up, an unseen wind ruffling her hair and blood-soaked dress. There were heavy 'thunks' as four black squares appeared around her in a rectangle shape, and gold began appearing between that. Before she was completely sealed away, Allen had one final thing to do. He focused again.
This one didn't need a phrase. Once the spell was ready, he opened his eyes and thrust the hand holding the top hat forward. A light shot from the ace and into Sarah's corpse. Before his eyes the dirtied dress she wore transformed, and soon she wore an elegant ballroom dress, the material stretching over to hide the wound she had taken. He chose a crimson dress for her, as it went with her Innocence. With its appearance, the blood on her pealed away.
Also, a masquerade mask had appeared, like a more feminine Crown Clown, to cover her eyes. It was no accident that Maria had that strange mask covering her head. The eyes of the dead were unsettling, and as such Allen felt that silver mask was suiting.
And finally, the spectral grave was complete, and the four, black squares came together with the gold links. Allen had one last look at his apprentice before all the ends met, and a deep sound reverberated from the joining. Then there was silence, and darkness. Allen stared mutely at the black coffin with the gold cross inlaid on its face. He clenched his human hand and his claw.
He still had yet to move when Lenalee returned, and she almost fainted at what she saw. "Allen…!" Lenalee gasped, placing a hand on his shoulder as she stared at the coffin with wide eyes, crying anew.
"She asked for it," he replied simply, before shrugging off her hand and her following stare. He stepped up to the upright box and placed a hand on it. "Sarah…"
It was time to head to Japan.
AN: Well, as this is the twentieth chapter and the next review the 100th review of the story, I decided to post this early (actually, its because icedragon scares me; glomps me one chapter, threatens me the next!). Ahem... Well, it appears that funky writing style was generally approved, which makes me kinda happy (and I got cookies for it, so I'm double happy (and Skittles, for some reason)).
Ah yes, and I was going to ask: would you folks prefer me telling you whom the next chapter follows every chapter or leave it to be a surprise?
