Author's Note:

Nothing new to really say here this time! Thank you all for your positive feedback and for reading this fic! I'm super encouraged by all the positive feedback I've gotten since I started working on this story, and I really appreciate all of you who have made the decision to stick with me on this long journey.

Now, onto the story!

~ STAGE 8: The "Ordinary" Perspective ~

[START]

The first sound that greeted Marisa's ears as she and Alice approached the shrine was the abrupt crack of a gun being fired. It was unmistakable; she'd heard the sound plenty of times, usually when the village hunters were out to get food.

Marisa also knew the villagers didn't go hunting around the shrine. And Reimu had about as much interest in guns as she did hard work. Luckily, she found out the source before she pulled out her hakkero and started shooting.

"Ah, so that's who was makin' all that noise. Geez, ya gotta warn people before they jump to conclusions."

"How could I have done that?" Reimu said. "I'm actually just impressed you didn't start shooting right away."

Marisa sat at the front of the shrine with Alice, engaging with the usual hospitality. She was just fine sitting there, swinging her hanging legs and pretending she wasn't worried for a second. Reimu stood in front of them, providing the general recap for what all the commotion was actually about.

"She's some kind of legendarily slow learner." Was the basic summary Reimu offered. With Genjii's assistance, Luka had spent the last week just grasping the surface-level basics of danmaku. Only halfway through did she gain enough understanding to fire a single, basic bullet. Putting it simply, her progress was just way too slow.

"Gramps and I talked about it, and he mentioned something about her 'subconscious mental image'." Reimu made a gun shape with her thumb and index finger. "That she had some sort of preconceived notion about 'how to shoot a bullet', and how that was making it harder for her to learn. Then Luka started jumping around like she solved some puzzle and asked Genjii and I if they sold any guns at the village."

"That would explain how those loud things got involved." Alice glanced over, covering her ears and a doll floating next to her following suit.

The 'things' in question made another loud crack, drawing Marisa's attention. There, taking aim at the trees surrounding the shrine, was Luka. In her hands was a pair of matchlock pistols way older than anything the villagers used. Not the first thing Marisa thought of when someone mentioned danmaku.

A slow, deliberate pull of the trigger, another loud bang. With each shot, Marisa could see her process. Luka wasn't using them as normal guns; she wasn't loading powder into them, or lighting the percussive striker. She was just aiming and shooting, as if consciously channeling the process through the pistols. Each shot let out a resounding crack!, a single danmaku bullet firing out each time. The firing rate wasn't all that impressive, and neither was the firepower. Each shot merely popped against the nearby trees, like a kid flinging tiny firecrackers.

What they did have, though, was speed. Absurd speed. The bullets moved faster than Marisa could blink. Low destructive power, extremely high projectile speed. Depending on the distance, Marisa wagered only a tengu could reliably dodge shots like that without reading her line of fire. It wasn't entirely practical, though—with such low firepower, she wasn't going to be breaking Spell Cards anytime soon. The low firing rate didn't help either. Marisa guessed that was why she was standing there shooting with such a serious expression: she was practicing.

"... That said," Something about it kinda bugged her.. "She doesn't need guns to shoot danmaku, right? Why's she practicing with 'em?" Even Marisa herself started out learning to use magic by her own power. It was just way more reliable.

"You weren't there for her first unarmed shot." Reimu's face twisted in such a way that it was hard to tell if she was fighting back tears or laughter.

"It couldn't have been that bad." Alice said.

"... Watch." Reimu turned. "Luka! Would you mind showing off your 'no-gun' danmaku for these two?"

Luka flinched. "... Why, exactly?"

"Just do it!"

Luka grimaced and holstered her pistols. Extending one arm out, she formed an 'L' shape with her index finger and thumb. With a bit of exertion, light gathered at the tip of her index finger, and she jabbed it at Reimu with an irritated glare. Reimu didn't seem to react, merely staring flatly even as the light intensified. Like dropping the hammer of a gun, Luka flicked her thumb.

pew.

A tiny little bullet. No, it couldn't even be called that. It was closer to a pathetic little mote of light, weakly flying forward in a zigging pattern like a summer gnat that just got hit with a huge dose of pesticide. It stumbled about half a foot, sputtered, and finally flickered out with an adorable little poof.

Both Marisa and Alice stared blankly at the empty air where the sad attempt at a bullet died.

"..." Luka started shaking a little as she studied their reactions. "Don't. Even. Start."

"I'm… not—" Marisa lied, looking away and quivering a little in barely contained laughter.

Alice hid her amusement a bit better, cracking a crooked smile. "I'm sure you'll improve given time."

"Yeah. In due time and all that." Luka grumbled and marched over to the trio and threw herself onto the wooden porch. "I'll stick to these for now, if it's all the same." She patted one of her holstered pistols.

"If those guns break, you'll probably die." Reimu passively offered Luka some tea. "Just a warning."

Luka took the cup. "Yeah, I'll just not do that."

Alice raised a brow. "You can guarantee that?"

"Nope."

Luka sipped her tea with a hollow expression, like she'd just stopped caring. Her eyes had zero light to them. It was kinda scary.

A pause. "Oh, right." Luka glanced back at Alice. "First time we've met, isn't it? Luka East, nice to meet you."

"Alice Margatroid." A Shanghai floating next to Alice bowed. "It's a pleasure."

"With that outta the way," Marisa poked her head in-between them. "Now that ya got danmaku basics down, what about Spell Cards?"

A depressive atmosphere immediately formed around both Reimu and Luka.

"... What?"

"We're… getting there." Reimu had a look of dread on her face. "Progress hasn't been moving very fast."

"It doesn't help that every time I ask you for help, you go into some weird ramble." Luka scowled.

"I'm giving you good advice." Reimu protested. "You just have trouble understanding it."

"Uh-huh." Luka said. "And what about that time your explanation got so off-track you started telling me tea ceremony facts?"

"T-That was relevant!"

Marisa sat on the sidelines with Alice and watched the minor argument unfold. Was this how the two of them had spent most of the week? She lamented not stopping by more often. It was fun to watch.

"(Yeah, this lesson plan's totally dead in the water, ain't it?)" Marisa whispered.

"(Luka might learn some helpful trivia from it, at least.)" Alice frowned. She cleared her throat. "Not to interrupt you two from this absolutely wonderful little conversation, but it would probably be prudent for you to teach her sooner rather than later. Wandering Gensokyo without knowing how to properly duel is a fast way for someone to lose their life."

Luka pouted. "I gathered that, but I can't exactly learn with this space case here teaching me factoids instead of fight-oids." She ignored the 'You wanna fight?!' from the shrine maiden, focusing on Alice. "You wanna volunteer? I'd take just about anyone else."

"Mm…" Alice seemed hesitant. "I could, but your issues might be a bit different from what I can offer as a mentor. What about Marisa?"

"Eh?" Marisa snapped to attention.

Luka glanced warily. "No offense, but I don't think throwing an explosive in the classroom will keep the lesson on-plan."

Alice chuckled. "She is still a human, hard as it may be to believe." Alice drummed a finger on her leg. "And your perspective seems to be rather human, in spite of whatever origin you have. As a non-human, it would be difficult for me to understand some of the limitations you're struggling with. Marisa, however, might."

Reimu raised her hand. "I'm also a human, you know."

Alice glanced at her. "No comment from the natural prodigy. You clearly understand far less than even I could." Reimu could only grumble at that.

Marisa caught Alice sneaking her a knowing glance. Yeah, she could see what she was doing. It wasn't Marisa's first experience watching a normal person step into the world of the abnormal.

"Lemme thiiiink…" Marisa folded her arms dramatically, pretending like she was making some kind of grand choice. "What's in it for me? Why must the great, wise, and cute Marisa Kirisame spend her afternoon teachin' some greenhorn how to use Spell Cards?"

Luka sighed, as if thinking 'I'm humoring this now, aren't I', then smirked. "Because Reimu couldn't do it.

It would be recorded that Professor Marisa Kirisame assembled a firing range in record time that day. With Alice's (begrudging) help, a row of tiny dolls with equally tiny shields and spears were lined up to play the roles of 'fairies'—the perfect filler enemy and an excellent warmup. Alice was still controlling them, as Marisa could see from the thin wires stretching from her seated spot at the main shrine. She probably just wanted to play along. Marisa and Luka lined up in front of the 'fairies', with Reimu on the side as insurance; mainly because she was a little concerned about hardcore target practice being done right in front of her shrine.

"So, what d'ya know so far about Spell Cards?" Marisa asked.

"Giant nonlethal lasers and explosions." Luka deadpanned.

Silence. "... That's it?"

"That is literally it."

Damn. Reimu, you suck at this.

"Alright, then how about we start with some basics?" Marisa rotated her arm as a warmup. "Shouldn't be too hard. Let's start by makin' your first Spell Card."

"Should I get a piece of paper, or…?" Luka made a scribbling motion in her palm.

Marisa shook her head. "Nah, that's not how it works. … Well, technically it is, but it ain't actual paper."

Luka tilted her head. "?"

Marisa grinned. With a confident snap of her fingers, starlight formed and took the shape of a thin card with a sheen. No image, no meaning was inscribed upon it yet—just a blank white card. "Let's start with a blank card, first." If she was gonna actually explain it, it would probably help to go through the process of making a Spell Card, anyways.

"So, the whole Spell Card thing is literal?" Luka squinted at the small slip of magical paper.

"Kinda sorta. The card's not actually a physical thing. It's sorta like danmaku." Marisa twirled it. "Here, catch!" She flicked her wrist and tossed it to Luka.

"Whoa!" Luka reacted a little late but managed to just barely snatch it out of the air. "Oh, uh, should I get a pen?"

"No, no, you're not gonna need anything like that." Marisa said. "Maybe a demo oughta help ya get the idea." An eager grin, and she habitually reached into her hat.

"Ahem." Alice cleared her throat. "I'd like for the 'fairies' to remain in one piece afterwards, Marisa." The dolls jabbed their spears around angrily.

"..." Marisa pouted. "Not even a little one?"

"You'll be sewing me new dolls if you go overboard!"

"Aw…" She really wanted to show off... With a disappointed pout, Marisa let go of her hakkero. "Okay, scratch that. We'll go with something smaller and less cool." This was probably a better way to do it, actually. She'd make her own card from scratch and have Luka follow along.

She summoned another card and held it for Luka to see. "First, ya gotta get a visual in your head for the attack you're gonna use. A good place to start is something you think of as beautiful or captivating. Clear visual identity." Marisa tapped her foot, mulling over a few different ideas. Something simple that could demonstrate the basic outline…

Yeah, that was a good one. Marisa closed her eyes and focused on the card. A glimmer of light flickered across it, and light began to engrave into it. "Think about how the image you've got in your head is gonna take form. How you're gonna use it." As she spoke, the image on the card became clear: a set of vibrant stars shooting across the sky. Her eyes opened.

"Now, once you've got your Spell Card, you just gotta declare it." Marisa turned to the dummy dolls and held the card above her head. The slip of 'paper' lit up and dissipated, like a mist being scattered by light.

"Then, fire—!" Her voice boomed. "Star Sign 「Meteoric Shower」!"

She aimed both hands up-front and a volley of stars shot from her hands like light being funneled through a prism. The stars zipped around in a spray, blasting the panicked 'fairies' like they were a bunch of ants.

Luka squinted her eyes at the bright light, observing the display carefully. "I've been thinking about this for a while, but Spell Cards just kind of look like you're shouting an attack name and shooting a bunch of danmaku. Is that basically it?"

"Yeah, ya got the right idea." Marisa nodded. "Danmaku and Spell Cards are pretty much the same thing. We just organized 'em into a system so we can duel. Once ya can do danmaku, it's a piece of cake to figure out Spell Cards."

"So they're just special danmaku attacks." Luka said. "Isn't it kind of weird to shout out the name? You're just telling the other side what attack you're using. It's not exactly a winning strategy."

"That's not the point of them." Reimu cut in. "The Spell Card system isn't something we use because it's practical or because it's an easy way to win fights."

"Then, what's it for?"

"Youkai gotta show off their power, y'know?" Marisa chimed. "And humans can't just go around bein' terrorized by youkai all the time, either. They've gotta be able to resolve the incidents youkai cause without needing to worry about dying all the time."

Reimu nodded. "The Spell Card system is something we put into play so that humans and youkai could settle their differences in battles that aren't defined by pure power or stamina. Where, on-paper, anyone could win. A system for duels defined by beauty, logic, and thoughtfulness—where youkai and human alike can do battle without any immediate risk of death. That's what the Spell Card system is."

Luka's brow furrowed pensively as she listened to them. "Sorry, I'm having a bit of trouble here reconciling something. You keep saying 'no risk of death', but you also keep warning me 'oh you'll probably die if this-this-this-or-this happens'. Which is it?"

"I just said there was no immediate danger, not that there's no danger at all." Reimu stressed. "The rules strictly say that youkai can't intentionally kill humans who have agreed to duel them, even if the youkai is the one who wins the duel." There was a serious expression on her face. "If a human wanders Gensokyo who either cannot or will not participate in Spell Card battles, or if there's enough of a strength difference, it can't be helped if they end up dead. That's all. Understand?"

The words weren't said aloud, but Marisa could read Reimu's subtext: "If there was no danger at all for people fighting youkai—no reason for youkai to be feared—then what point would there be to them being youkai?"

Luka didn't nod, but she seemed to understand. She took a few careful steps to the firing range, and eyed the blank card she was given. "It's just thought-based, right? As long as I focus on this card in my hands?"

"Yep. Think of it just like shootin' regular danmaku." Marisa said. "All you're really doing is putting that meaning to a card. Like you said, it's just a special move."

"Not exactly a ton for me to work with, with two pistols and zero experience." Luka frowned. "Hm…"

Marisa huffed. This girl really was a cynical type, huh? Still…

She could vaguely remember a frustrated normal girl who wanted to be a witch. She remembered the day-long lectures with a formerly vengeful spirit, each lesson a step forward, each new tiny scrap of magic she learned taking her just a little further. The process of being something ordinary and learning to grasp and bend the supernatural to one's will—she knew that struggle. If she hadn't met that person, she wouldn't have gotten where she was now.

… Alright, that was enough with being sappy. It'd been years since Lady Mima decided to seal herself away. Reminiscing was only gonna make things complicated.

"Just take it in steps." Marisa said. "Find an image in your head, something that stands out. Then, once you got somethin', think of a name and how you're gonna move when you do it, and follow through." She gestured to the 'fairies', who braced themselves worriedly.

Luka looked down at her pistols. It took her a minute of pondering, but eventually a flash of inspiration seemed to hit her. With a few hesitant breaths, she began to move, pretending to hold her guns as she went. A slow, deliberate dance, moving both pistols at once. Almost mathematically, like she was internally trying to calculate some sort of angle.

… She then paused, and started reversing through the motions, seeming like she was correcting minor details. A detailed internal rehearsal was written on her face, like she was verifying her memory on something.

"What are you doing?" Reimu asked.

Luka snapped to attention. "Er—" She blushed for some reason. "N-Nothing. Just, I figured since I'm gonna be learning some supernatural martial arts or whatever, I'd just try something cool I saw in a mov—someplace in the outside world once, yeah!" She muttered something about 'optimal kill zones' and 'statistically common trajectories', then resumed her weird dance, face a little redder than earlier.

Finally, she seemed to settle on something.

"Okay… Special move needs a name… Name, name, name…" She muttered to herself, looking uncharacteristically nervous. After slapping her cheeks, she seemed to snap out of whatever weird haze she was in. "Screw it, don't fuss over it too much, Luka. Just go with what comes to mind first, follow your gut just this once…"

"(Does she normally talk to herself?)" Marisa whispered.

"(A bit. Says it helps her organize her thoughts.)" Reimu said.

Luka held the card in her hands, and closed her eyes. Her breathing steadied, and her concentration seemed to hit a peak. Right as it did, the card's image brightened, color swarming across it. On it, Marisa could vaguely make out what looked like a silhouette twirling in midair, shooting two smoking pistols. Luka's eyes snapped open, and the card vanished from her grip.

"Spirits Sign「Rum & Smoke」!"

With a flourish, she drew both pistols and snapped her arms in front of her in a cross-formation. Two shots rang out, zipping forward and slapping two dolls at once. Barrels still smoking, Luka spun and continued firing, compensating the delay between her shots by firing one pistol at a time. Bang, bang, bang! A faint cloud of smoke formed, spinning with her. She advanced, rotating and stirring; she kept firing, building up momentum with each motion. The building force seemed to transfer to her bullets, each shot hitting the dummies harder and harder. Not too bad. Could've been flashier, but Marisa's standards were high on that. 7/10.

Then one of her legs tripped up the other, and she tilted forward suddenly.

"Oh—"

She must've already started pulling the triggers just as she started flapping her arms to get her balance back. Like a drink spilling everywhere, the bullets splashed outwards in every possible direction.

"GET DOWN!" Reimu shouted.

Marisa and Reimu dove for cover. Alice just barely registered the incoming fire in time, ducking just a second before a stray bullet nailed her right in the face. The dolls weren't so lucky, getting absolutely swiss-cheesed by the misfired volley.

With a loud crack! something hit the stone path to the shrine, and the gunfire stopped. Marisa peered up from the ground to see Luka lying motionless, her face sharing a passionate kiss with the floor.

"Yeah…" Marisa propped herself to a seated position. "Maybe a week in is a little early for you to be adding that much spice to your Spell Cards." An awkward smile. "Also, maybe don't do big splashy finishes like that in public. The 'nonlethal' rules don't apply to spectators."

"Please don't!" Alice cried out, her hair a little frazzled.

"My bad…" Luka's grumbles were muffled. "Sorry, I got carried away…" She looked dejected, like she wanted to shrivel up and blow away in the wind.

After a bit of cleanup, they decided to take a break. The dolls took a bit of a beating from Luka's little slip-up, so Marisa was helping Alice with repairs. A little sewing there, some patchwork there. Luka offered to help, but Alice wasn't too keen on letting strangers handle her dolls, so she was stuck sitting on the side looking guilty.

"That was pretty damn good for a first attempt, though." Marisa juggled conversation and sewing. "Looks like you got the idea of a theatrical bomb-type, at least." She just needed to work on her execution.

"'Bomb-type'?" Luka said. "There's multiple types?"

"Well, yeah. There's bomb-types, pattern-types… Plus all the genres like 'stress', 'slave', 'theatrical', and so on. There's different considerations to make for different rulesets and all, too."

Luka gaped. "There's different formats?"

"It's not as complicated as you're thinking." Alice said. "You can think of it like a sort of game."

Marisa nodded. 'Game' was kind of on-the-nose, but it wasn't inaccurate. "The system's supposed to be something flexible we can use in all sorts of situations. Different Spell Cards for different situations."

"How… How many?" Luka had a look of exhaustion on her face. "And how many Spell Cards am I going to need to make?"

"I mean, there ain't really a set amount." Marisa said. "You just use as many as you need at the time."

"She means 'a lot'." Reimu deadpanned. "Don't stress about it. Most youkai have a habit of making up new ones in the middle of fights, anyways."

Marisa shrugged. "For now, how about we go over the basic format? It'll probably help you brainstorm cards as you learn."

"Yeah…" Luka stared into space like she'd just had all her hard work upended. Yeah, been there and felt that, little buddy.

As Marisa explained, the most basic format was the 'aggressor vs. defender' setup, the same one used in Gensokyo's first incident (and her fight with Patchy a little while ago). The 'defender' was typically the person who was in the way of the 'attacker', and they would use Spell Cards with an emphasis on passive movements with high bullet concentration. Their goal was to hit the attacker enough times to deplete their 'lives', winning the duel once the attacker's final 'life' was spent. Meanwhile, the attacker needed to avoid being crushed by their opponent's Spell Cards while attacking in return. They had more active freedom to move, and had a limited number of 'bombs' per life to spend—basically, Spell Cards that were allowed to clear their path and deal damage to the defender.

"These just sound like rules for a shooting game." Luka scrutinized. "Like in the arcade."

Marisa shrugged. There was a silent agreement not to probe too deeply into the matter—it'd be trouble for everyone if we thought too hard about that sort of thing, especially for an unofficial derivative work.

"Anyways," Marisa cleared her throat. "There's other types of rules we play with. Sometimes we play on totally equal footing where both sides use bombs 'til the other gets knocked down. Or we do stuff that's totally different from the usual rules, even. Really, the rules are kinda fluid. There's not any strict limit on how a duel can be set up."

Luka nodded. "So, as long as both sides agree to operate within the rules you set, you can do any kind of duel you want with the Spell Card system."

"Yup, basically."

There was more to cover in regards to that sort of stuff, specifically covering genres and so on, but it was going to become a pain if she elaborated too much. Marisa decided she'd lend her a spare copy of her grimoire with notes on the matter for her to pour through.

"Of course, you'll probably want to actually get a grasp on the basics before you go into the more complicated stuff." Reimu said. "If you're botching moves like that, your limit is probably going to stop at a couple of fairies. You probably shouldn't wander the more dangerous places in Gensokyo for now."

"So where does that leave me?" Luka seemed impatient. "The village, the shrine, and…?"

"That's about it." Reimu said. "If you feel like pushing your luck, go ahead, but it makes more work for me if I have to go rescue you. Too much trouble."

"Gee, thanks." Luka said dryly. "I'll make sure to not leave a body if I get killed, if it helps you any."

"It would, thank you~ " Reimu smiled mockingly. Luka glared at her hair bow like she was considering yanking on it.

"Yeesh, you two need a room or something? Lots of tension in the air." Marisa joked. Both Reimu and Luka kicked her for that.

With that, Luka flopped over with a sigh. "We haven't even made any progress on flight yet, either. Feels like I'm dragging my feet on this."

"Hey, ease up." Marisa grinned. "Lotsa stuff happens in Gensokyo. Knowing this place, I bet the next incident that crops up is gonna have some clue you can follow."

"Let's hope so." Luka frowned. "I'd hate to be stuck here doing nothing for too long."

Marisa hoped that wasn't the case. Seriously, this plot was already moving slow as hell. She was willing to bet any moment—probably a month, tops—that something was gonna happen.

… Maybe two months, just to be safe.

Author's Note:

We're slowly approaching the more eventful parts of the story, it seems. I think some of my own impatience is starting to leak through…

I find a lot of the traditional 'gappy' formula fics tend to always have some kind of a scene to show off the outsider's powers, typically to detail how they're able to survive or even outclass some of Gensokyo's finest/worst. This chapter was a little bit of me having fun with that concept. It's not really sensible in most cases for someone with a relatively normal backstory to instantly master some secret power they might have, and there's not even a guarantee you're actually super strong at all. Luka's kind of an embodiment of that thought in the back of my head, in a sense. You might be asking "then what's she even good at?", and if you are, well, you'll see. I've already shown little tidbits of it here and there.

Ah, also, if you're of the opinion that Luka's main weapons kind of just appeared without any real fanfare, don't worry. I'll be uploading another Extra chapter, EXTRA 2, with a short story on how she found those. I put quite a bit of thought into their history. Please read it once it's up, if you're curious.

Okay… Before I wrap this up, there's also an elephant in the room I ought to address. Yes, some of you, particularly fans of a certain Capcom action game franchise, might have recognized some things put forward so far. To the point it's probably hard to ignore! A red jacket, 'half-something' title, twin pistols… And I will say it outright: yes. It's an intentional homage. Not just because I like that series, though I REALLY like that series. There's a slightly more sentimental reason.

Pardon me for the lengthy essay below. I just wanted to get this off of my chest. I'm not expecting anyone to read it.

A long, long while ago, before I publicly posted this story, I was a punk. Like, a really stupid punk. A kid who wanted to be acknowledged because I didn't really get any kind of positive acknowledgement anywhere else. I wrote really crappy stories and wanted to be an author because I considered writing one of the few things I was good at. And one day, I read a pretty great gappy story about a not-so-average-joe, written by a 'magnificent' author who had a big heart and a great fondness for Capcom games. I admired him and his work, and wanted to write something like that one day. Kind of a childish goal, I know, but I was a kid at the time.

Eventually, I got a chance to talk to him, and he kind of lived up to my image of him. I didn't make the greatest first impression (for a multitude of reasons), but he didn't judge me based on it. He took me under his wing and taught me a lot of things, both in writing and in my potential as a person. I'd argue he was a defining person in my life. He was stubborn, sure, and could get riled up sometimes. But he cared a lot about people, especially his friends. I don't think I'd be the person I am now had I not met him. I don't think I'd still be writing to this day if it wasn't for him. I mean that very sincerely.

Around the time I started going to college, we ended up falling out of touch with one another. By now, a lot's changed about me. A lot's probably changed for him, too. But still, I carry a lot of the time we spent together with me. I owe him a lot.

So. When I made the decision to start seriously writing this story about 2 years ago—wow, it's been that long—I made the conscious decision to put this reference into my original character's design. I mulled over it for a while, and Luka had a lot of different versions I almost went with. In the end, I chose to leave this in as a tribute to my friend and mentor. Is it self-indulgent? Sure, so's this biography in my notes. But it means a lot more to me than just a shallow reference. I hope you guys can forgive me for that.

Anyways. I think I've spilled my guts for long enough. In the unlikely case he's reading this, here: I don't know if you're out there still, buddy. A lot of stuff has happened in the world since we last spoke. A part of me is honestly scared to reach out to you, scared I might only receive silence; even more scared I might hear you've somehow changed as a person in some horrible way. I've certainly kept my distance, and I'm not really proud of it. But, if you are still around, and you're reading this story, I hope you're doing well. Even if we may not be speaking to each other any more, I will always consider you my friend.

Thanks, dude. For everything. This story, and everything following it, wouldn't have happened if not for you.