"Oh..."

Lumine had only wanted to go out on the Angel's Share's balcony to get some fresh air. She had not expected to be staring straight at Venti's back the moment she opened the door.

The wind spirit turned his head to give her a look that was hard to decipher, but at least Lumine couldn't detect any withdrawal in it. Then he turned forward again. "Hi."

The silence was deafening, and Lumine briefly considered closing the door again. But then she pulled herself together and walked up to the parapet. "May I sit with you?"

"Is that where we are now?" Venti half groaned, half sighed, and Lumine could see his grip on the railing tighten until his knuckles turned white. A part of her wanted to reach out and place her hand on his, get him to relax... but she restrained herself. Still, she took it as a yes and climbed onto the parapet to sit next to her friend.

For a moment, Lumine simply stared at the wall of the house next door to the tavern without really seeing it, occasionally stealing glances at her friend who obviously wasn't quite with her, gazing up at the starlit sky, a distant look on his face and his legs dangling back and forth in what almost seemed like a conscious effort. And despite the smothering silence, a corner of Lumine's mouth twitched into a small half-smile – even Venti's inability to sit still was adorable to her. Some part of him was always bouncing, always bursting with energy, and it was the most delightful thing ever.

She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. For dumping this on you."

Venti lowered his gaze and shook his head, still not looking at Lumine. "No... I kind of set myself up for it." He sighed. "And running away probably wasn't the best response, either."

"Are you scared?"

"Yes. Not of you, though, don't you worry about that."

Lumine was not sure what to make of such a statement. "Then what...?"

A wistful hum emitted from Venti's throat and he folded his legs back, all the way up until his calves touched the underside of the railing and he could reach behind it to grab his ankles, stilling them. Lumine's mind flashed back to his little story about visiting Zhongli and gripping his anxious wings – and suddenly, it wasn't all that adorable anymore.

"Everything," he admitted. "I'm scared of everything."

That didn't sound good. "Why?"

"Because I can't say no." He dropped his ankles and looked away, absently twisting a braid around his finger – something Lumine would have never expected him to do, considering how sensitive he was about them. But she said nothing. Too much was hinging on this. "That doesn't mean I want to say yes, mind you. It's just that this has never happened before. Turning someone down was never easy, but it was always a matter of how, not of if. But with you..." He sighed and went back to clutching the railing. "I feel like I'm floating at the edge of a wind current I can't control, and I don't know where it leads. Maybe there's an ocean of the most delicious cider at the other end, or maybe it sucks me into a glass bottle that's sealed tight the moment I crash into its bottom. I... don't know what to do."

Lumine took a deep breath. The metaphor was a little odd, but she sympathized with the struggle. "Take your time. And if it helps you any, I would never seal you in a glass bottle."

Venti laughed – a strained sound that couldn't be any bleaker if he tried. "Not on purpose, I'm sure." He shook his head again and ran a hand through his hair. "But there's so much to consider. I can think of... so many problems, and for what? I thought we had everything already! Why do things have to change at all?!"

"Venti!" Lumine cut in, a bit more forceful than she meant to. He was already tearing his hair out, and she couldn't just watch him talk himself ever deeper into hysterics. "Nothing has to change, alright? Nothing. My feelings are my responsibility, not yours. Back away from that wind current. It's okay. I'll get over it."

"But Lumine!" Venti insisted, still agitated but at least capable of looking her in the eyes again. "I love you, too, Lumine! Even if it's not the way you want me to, I want to make you happy, too!"

It took Lumine a second to process the outburst, then a grateful smile broke out on her face. "You are, Venti. Just being around you makes me happier than you could ever imagine."

Venti eyed Lumine up and down, then hummed noncommittally and turned forward. "So... you're okay?"

"I am," Lumine reassured him. "Are you?"

"Yeah..." Venti sighed and leaned back a little to look up at the stars again. "I have a lot to think about, but... for now, I want to pretend nothing happened and enjoy the rest of the night with you. Is that okay?"

Lumine laughed quietly and worked her way along the parapet, and Venti responded in kind until she was nestled into his side again, feeling his arm around her waist and his head on top of hers.

It didn't even hurt anymore. Perhaps the javelin that seemed to have been stuck in her guts those past weeks hadn't even been the feelings so much as it had been the secret. The doubts and fears she'd kept inside for so long had completely disappeared, leaving only contentment.

She'd gone so long without an answer. What was one more night?

"More than okay."

"There you are."

Two heads turned towards the voice. Diluc stood in the door frame, arms crossed and deadpan as ever. "I'm done cleaning, and I'm locking up the tavern now. You have two minutes to pack up your things and pick up Paimon."

Venti chuckled and removed his arm from Lumine's waist. "Hear that, Lumine? Bed's waiting!"

Lumine grumbled morosely. She didn't want to get up. Sure, bed was good... but Venti was better. And not just because the bed was far away and Venti right next to her.

She buried her face in her friend's shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. "I don't wanna..."

Well, Venti was not having it, which Lumine found out the hard way when she heard snickering and felt the heel of a hand push against her forehead. "Hey, if you want to sleep on a bench, that's your business, but think of Paimon for a second, will you?"

Lumine dodged the hand and whined into Venti's shirt, but at that point, it was more for good measure than anything. She pulled herself together and straightened to swing her legs across the parapet and hop off, Venti right behind her.

They didn't need the two minutes to get ready, and even put the seat cushions in a neat stack before leaving the tavern. It was a funny feeling, standing next to Venti and watching Diluc turn the key – Lumine didn't work at the tavern, but she imagined that this was what closing time was like for people with a regular job. Standing around with your coworkers, waiting expectantly for the shift manager to do the honors, and looking forward to a well-deserved break... She wouldn't dream of trading her life on the road for something like this, but she appreciated the experience.

As if on cue, Diluc looked up at the sky, at the moon shining down on them, and let out a grunt. "Much earlier than expected. I didn't think I'd be out before sunrise tonight. You two should come around more often; you do good work."

"Ahhhh, no," Venti chirped, folding his hands behind his back. "My work hours are when the tavern is full, not when it's empty."

"I pay well."

Venti nodded, grinning broadly. "I'm aware."

Diluc sighed. "In wine."

That got more of a reaction out of the boy archon. He froze for a split-second, then relaxed his stance and tapped his cheek, a pensive look in his eyes. "You're driving a hard bargain, Master Diluc! But I fear I'm only useful for fighting dust bunnies by myself. Although I'm pretty sure there are a lot of them that are older than you on the first floor still, clearing them out would take about five minutes." He glanced at Lumine, who'd been watching the exchange like a featherball match. "As for the rest..."

Lumine shrugged. "Sure, why not? I can help out every now and then. For Venti's wine." She shifted Paimon to one arm and reached out to give her friend's side a squeeze. Normally, she would content herself with poking him, but getting through the corset required significantly more strength than she could get out of a single finger, and the effect was the same – Venti jumped aside, squeaking a "Hey!" and laughing at the top of his lungs, and Lumine broke into a sprint before he could return fire.

Except she was carrying Paimon, and she wasn't even halfway to the city gate before she felt a pair of arms wrap around her neck and a pair of knees clench her hips, gradually adding weight to her back until she was left gasping for air and forced to slow to a halt.

As soon as she stopped moving, Venti nuzzled into the crook of her neck with a smug snicker. "Hehe, I got you!"

"Oh no!" Lumine giggled in response. She wanted to tilt her head back a bit to lean it on his, but unfortunately, there were a few too many Inteyvats and Cecilias in the way. "Lord Barbatos have mercy!"

"Oh, you cheeky little...!"

Venti underlined his words by raising a hand off of Lumine's shoulder and pinch her cheek, eliciting a laugh from her.

"Worth it!"

"What, do I have to do it again?" the boy archon vociferated in mock-outrage, but this time, Lumine got away with a poke before he hopped off her back and stepped around her, placing his hands on his hips and sticking out his tongue the moment they were face-to-face. "Aren't you one little sneak, hmm? And here I thought you were too tired to even get off a handrail!"

Lumine practically deflated on the spot. Being reminded of that also reminded her of the distance between her and the bed she was promised. "Ugh... I wish you hadn't said that..."

"Ehehe!" Venti laughed and ruffled Lumine's hair. "That daunting? Alright, I can help out a bit. Just focus on getting to Drunkard's Gorge for now, how's that sound?"

Lumine eyed her friend up and down. He was obviously planning something, but she didn't actually feel like spending any energy on thinking about it. Without any Dvalins to save or lyres to steal back, it was unlikely to be anything illegal, and that was enough for her. "Alright. I'm counting on you."

"Nice! I won't let you down!" Venti promised, bouncing on his heels as the familiar green mist appeared behind him. "I'll meet you there, then!"

"Venti!" Lumine shouted, then her shoulders slumped and she heaved a deep sigh. He was gone.

She should talk to him about that, regardless of the path their relationship would take. He was the physical manifestation of a breeze, a force of nature. A gentle, comforting one, but a force of nature nonetheless, operating on very different rules than her. And she accepted that, but surely he could stand to take three seconds to properly say goodbye?

"Your energy at this hour is enviable," Diluc's voice rang out behind Lumine and she turned around, waiting for him to catch up. His eyes were darting around as he did so, and Lumine took a deep breath.

"If you're looking for Venti, he went ahead. Said he'll be waiting for us at Drunkard's Gorge."

"Figures," Diluc grunted. "That bard is never not up to something."

Lumine hummed noncommittally, staring at the spot where her friend had just stood. "That's just how he is."

"My sincerest condolences, by the way," Diluc declared. "And a word of advice: Taverns are usually built with bards and storytellers in mind, so they tend to have decent acoustics. They're the last place where you would want to have a heart-to-heart."

Lumine froze while she digested the implications, and hot blood rushed to her face. It didn't bother her so much that Diluc knew – Kaeya would've been much, much worse; she'd never hear the end of it – and there was nothing to be ashamed of anyway, but it was never a good feeling to find out that the things you thought to be private actually weren't. "I'm... sorry you had to witness that."

"Eh." Diluc shrugged. "I've seen worse, really. And it seems you've talked it out anyway."

"Not really..." Lumine sighed. "We just agreed to pretend it didn't happen for now."

Diluc studied Lumine, an unreadable expression on his face, then turned to make his way towards the city gate. "I'll tell Charles your next drink is on the house."

That did not sound particularly encouraging, but Lumine had no time to dwell on it. She had to break into a run to keep up with Diluc's brisk strides, and while he did slow down to match her pace, it took her until they were at the other side of the bridge to find her rhythm and catch her breath enough to pick the conversation back up.

"What do you think about him?"

"The bard?"

Lumine nodded.

She got a resigned snort in return. "It shouldn't matter."

Lumine blinked, dumbfounded, then burst into chuckles and shook her head. "I'm not asking for approval or anything. It's just..." She took a deep breath. "The poison that corrupted him and Dvalin back then may be out of his system, but he still can't keep his mouth shut to save his life. So I can make a very educated guess on how you found out what happens when you grab the back of his collar. I don't think he's acting out of malice, but... I can't say it doesn't bother me every now and then." She curled her lips. "It's just a lot easier to ignore his sticky fingers when it's not my stuff he plunges them into."

Diluc raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have some very sticky fingers in your wallet and food bag yourself?" he pointed out, nodding at Paimon in Lumine's arms. "Think of all the reasons why you don't mind, and they'll most likely apply to our godly little friend."

Lumine smiled down at her companion and gave her an affectionate squeeze. "She never takes enough to be a risk," she started listing. "She doesn't do it to annoy me, and it's hard to be mad at her. She spends the money on things that make her happy, things I would have bought her anyway if she asked, and she isn't trying to sneak anything past me I wouldn't approve of. And she gives so much more than she takes, albeit not in monetary value. She may have a terrible case of foot-in-mouth disease, but I wouldn't be where I am without her."

Diluc audibly huffed through the nose, prompting Lumine to look up at him again. "That about sums it up. He never takes enough to affect my bottom line. In fact, he never touches anything inside the house." He pensively rubbed his chin. "I mostly catch him snacking away on the grapevines... although there was that one time when Adelinde was grilling steaks, and she had to go back inside because she forgot some spice. After she went back out, she called because the grill's hinge was loosened a bit and the steaks were all over the place, although none were missing. You can take a wild guess whom I found huddling in a nearby shrub and nursing a burned hand when I followed the hisses of pain."

Lumine tried not to laugh. She really did. "Breaking news: Fire is hot!"

"Quite," Diluc replied, and there was a hint of amusement in his voice, too. "Anyway, he's not doing any harm, he's entertaining to have around, and he's literally Mondstadt's savior. Dawn Winery wouldn't even exist without him. I may not be particularly fond of wine myself, but it's still my family's business and I'm quite attached to it. A few grapes here and there are just a fraction of what I'd give him if he asked. He just doesn't. Not seriously, anyway." He curled his lips and his brows knitted. "I get the impression it's all a slightly-higher-stakes game of hide-and-seek to him."

"Hide-and-seek, huh..." Lumine repeated. "That sounds like him alright."

Diluc hummed absently. His expression remained tight and before long, he was rubbing his chin again.

It was starting to worry Lumine. "Is there something you're not telling me?" she asked, mentally bracing herself for hearing something she wasn't going to like. "Please, just tell me. If it's something you think would shatter my feelings for him, then..." She took a deep breath. "...all the better, really."

"It's not that," Diluc assured her, however. "But it's funny you should mention the corruption. How long has it been now? Two years? Three years? And you're still hung up on it." He huffed through the nose. "I remember that time when you were teasing him about it. You didn't take him serious, did you?"

Lumine heaved a deep sigh, eyes closed and shoulders drooping. Even her steps slowed for a moment. She remembered it, too – that one time when she and Paimon were at the Angel's Share with Venti while Diluc was filling in for Charles, not running from guards but a bunch of cats, and Lumine had laughed about it taking her back. She'd made a quip about Venti's breathtaking subtlety in barging in and ordering the least conspicuous table straight away, and then trying to swipe a bottle of wine right under the tavern owner's nose. He had cranked up the drama at that and wailed about how he was corrupted, how he wouldn't have done it normally and how Lumine had been the one to interrupt the purification process in the Whispering Woods to begin with, so it was totally all her fault anyway, yessir.

And she believed him, too. When the safety of a whole city and the life of a dear friend hinged on gaining the trust of a certain individual, no sane person with at least two brain cells to rub together would jeopardize it over an easily controlled impulse. And since the brain cells had obviously still been there, it must have been the sanity that went missing.

Lumine knew the boy archon hadn't actually been blaming her for it – they were long past that before they even broke the wind barrier around Old Mondstadt – but that didn't mean she didn't blame herself.

She shook her head. "I know I shouldn't, but... sometimes, it still strikes me out of nowhere." She took a deep breath. "He says I shouldn't feel guilty because it all turned out for the best. That his original plan was to draw all the toxin out of Dvalin into himself, then seal himself away for a decade so he wouldn't harm anyone while his body was breaking it down, and that he couldn't be happier that it didn't come to that. Who wouldn't be?" She sighed. "It's just... everything spiraled out of control after that. So much could have gone wrong. If Paimon and I had been slightly less attentive and missed the first tear, thus never finding out I was able to purify them, or Venti couldn't have kept the poison in check at a slightly more critical moment, or if you had been in a slightly less generous mood, or Amber slightly less eager to get me on a wind glider... So much of everything was just pure luck. If nothing else, at least the original plan wasn't coming apart at the seams. And..." Lumine sniffed and shifted Paimon to one arm to wipe her eyes as tears started gathering in them. "And it would've saved him from Signora..."

A big, warm hand plopped down on Lumine's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I believe we've reached the heart of the matter."

Lumine sniffed again, still wiping her eyes, and nodded. She believed so, too. "It... hurt so much," she croaked, her voice faltering. "Watching her toy with him... kicking him around like a football... and not being able to do anything... I..." She stopped wiping her eyes. It was no use anyway. It had been years, but the scene was seared into her memory, as painful and fresh as if it had happened only yesterday. That moment when she watched Signora pierce her friend's chest... No matter how brief, it was a feeling she would never forget. A feeling that still haunted her dreams, a feeling that not even the knowledge that the Harbinger was dead could give her any reprieve from. "I thought she killed him!" she choked out. "And the worst part is that... he could've escaped so easily... if I hadn't been there to get myself captured..."

Are you crying on my behalf again?

Lumine froze, her breath hitching while Diluc hummed quizzically and looked around. "Was that...?"

"Venti!" Lumine cried out, by this point neither able nor willing to keep the tears from spilling down her face. Projection or not, she would recognize that voice anywhere, and the wind spirit himself wasn't far behind.

She didn't even give him enough time to orient himself before storming up to him and burying her face in the crook of his neck, sobbing her eyes out. "Venti!"

Venti remained frozen from the surprise tackle for a bit, but then he wrapped his arms around Lumine. "Hey, it's okay," he whispered, stroking her hair and pulling her as close as Paimon's little body allowed. "I'm here, alright? I'm happy, I'm healthy, and I'm here. Everything is fine."

"I know..." Lumine sniffed. "I just... I know..."

Venti sighed heavily. "Guess I'll be collapsing that nice wind tunnel I prepared at Drunkard's Gorge..." He pulled away and searched Lumine's gaze. "Let's get you to bed, shall we? Are you able to operate a wind glider like this?"

Lumine pulled herself together and took a deep, choppy breath. She nodded. "I should be..."

Venti looked unconvinced, but then he shook his head and heaved another deep sigh before prying Paimon out of Lumine's arms. "Never mind, I'll keep you stable," he decided and turned towards Diluc, who'd been keeping a tactful distance. "You have a wind glider on you, too, right? I actually wanted to get a little further away from the residential areas, but I guess it's dark enough to be worth the risk."

"Yes, I do," Diluc replied, crossing his arms. "But if you allow me one question: Have you been eavesdropping on us?"

"Are you eavesdropping on a whole tavern?" The boy archon leaned his forehead on the heel of his hand. "Wouldn't that be one heck of a crosstalk-y headache..." He tucked his hand under Paimon again and shook his head. "I wouldn't dream of it even if I could. It's none of my business. So no, I just sensed something was wrong and checked. Why?" He snickered quietly. "Were you talking about me?"

"In fact, we were."

"Oh, really?" Venti laughed. "Nothing but good things about the best bard in Mondstadt, I bet!"

"It was closer to neutral, but sure. You go, kid."

"Is that sarcasm I'm detecting?" Venti quipped, then his mood seemed to shift and he shrugged. "Oh well. If it was a problem, you would've brought it up with me, so..." He trailed off and turned on his heel to traipse off the beaten path and put some distance between himself and his two companions. A couple seconds later, the all-too-familiar sigil appeared around him, a flash of light in the darkness followed by the rushing of wind.

It was the last push Lumine needed to compose herself for good. She shared a determined look with Diluc and together, they made for the running jump, slightly angling away from each other to avoid jamming each other's gliders.

Lumine immediately felt so much better when the updraft whipped around her and ripped her off the ground before the wings of her glider had even unfolded completely. There was simply no room for sadness or guilt when she watched the floor grow further and further away as Venti led them higher and higher into the starry sky, past the treetops and above the rocky terrain. Before long, she could see Dawn Winery in the distance, a collection of tiny dots of light at the foot of Dragonspine, and their ascent came to a stop. It allowed Lumine a moment to draw in a long, appreciative breath and taste the crisp air that was so much fresher up here than it was on the ground.

"A magnificent view," Diluc remarked next to her, which in turn caused Venti to laugh.

"It better be!" he chirped. "I'm the one who made it, after all!"

"See?" Lumine piped up. "I told you, nobody's complaining!"

"You did!" Venti snorted. "You did..."

And there really was nothing to complain about. There was no way to turn around with a glider and the darkness made it hard to see very far, but Lumine still enjoyed the view of the grassy plain of Windrise with Vennessa's beautiful tree, the cluster of houses that was Springvale underneath her feet, and Cider Lake with the sloped city of Mondstadt to her right, with its windmills towering above the roofs and the grand building that was the cathedral sitting majestically above it all, as if watching over its rambunctious children running around in front of it.

Lumine tilted her glider a little to steer it towards her archon friend, endlessly careful not to hit him with the wings as she snuggled up against his back. Perhaps it was the exhaustion, perhaps it was the atmosphere, perhaps a mixture of both, or perhaps it was something else entirely, but right now, she couldn't count all the ways in which she didn't care that Diluc was right there. One day, she would reconquer her own wings, and then she would fly at Venti's side like this all the time. "I wish I could stay like this forever..."

Venti chortled. "You would starve."

Lumine groaned dramatically and buried her face in his shoulder. Why was she in love with this wisecracker again? "Must you ruin everything?"

"Hehe!"

They were interrupted by a throat clearing and Venti spun around, dragging Lumine with him through the air.

"No offense, kids," Diluc began, "but I would prefer to get moving. The landscape is lovely, and I wouldn't mind admiring it in the daylight if at all possible, but I don't have any guest rooms prepared at the moment and the longer we stay here, the later I have to bother the housekeepers. And I'm also a little concerned about Lumine following Paimon's example and falling out of the sky sleeping."

"I'd catch her!" Venti chirped, as carefree as they come, and Lumine gave his chest a half-grateful, half-chiding squeeze. "But you're right. It wouldn't do to bother Adelinde and the others any later than it already is." He turned towards the winery again and Lumine could see his braids start to glow as the wind picked up. It seemed like a good moment to detach herself from his back, too.

"Alright!" Venti announced. "I'm about to change the updraft into a tailwind, and since we're on a schedule, it will be a violent one. Brace yourselves!"

Lumine knew he wasn't kidding, but still, nothing could have prepared her for the blast of wind launching her all the way across the Windwail Highlands in a matter of seconds. By the time she realized what was happening, she was already above the winery, spiraling dangerously out of control while her glider creaked in protest. Then suddenly, another gust of wind caught her, pushing against the wings to stabilize them and drag her upwards and backwards, where it finally stopped and she just hung in mid-air, disoriented, dizzy and wheezing, and ever so glad she hadn't been the one who picked up the wrong cider.

"Are you two okay?" Venti's voice rang out beside her and she turned her somewhat watery vision towards the sound to spot her two companions floating next to her, with Diluc on Venti's other side. The latter was still holding onto Paimon, who had somehow managed to remain blissfully asleep through all of it.

Lumine didn't trust herself to answer yet, but Diluc pretty much summed it up when he covered his mouth and muttered, "I think my stomach is still at Windrise..."

"Sorry about that." Venti chuckled awkwardly. "The Venti Airline doesn't usually cater to humans, so I guess I got carried away a little. But I'm sure it'll catch up soon!"

"Airline...?" Lumine mumbled, rubbing her head and not quite sure why her addled brain had latched onto that of all things.

But Venti was happy to answer anyway. "Yeah, like the aquabus in Fontaine!" he explained, bouncing excitedly in mid-air. "With the Navia Line and stuff! And 'airline' sounds really cool, right? Better than 'windline' anyway. And it works so well with 'Venti', too! I mean, most alliterations are good, but 'Venti Windline' is one of the awful exceptions, so Venti Airline it is!"

"Sure..."

Lumine's stomach was finally settling and the dizziness faded. She was exhausted, but at least now, Diluc's mansion was only a drop away instead of a 40-minute walk.

She took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm fine. I'm going down now," she said and did just that, summoning and unsummoning her glider until her feet touched solid ground and filling her with an overwhelming urge to throw herself down and kiss it. What a trip...

Diluc landed next to her only seconds later, but Venti took his time. They didn't wait for him, though, they just dragged themselves up the stairs to the main entrance and sat down on the low stone wall encircling the mansion without even talking about it. Diluc was still a little green around the nose, but Lumine figured that she was unlikely to look any better.

"Are you okay?" she asked, and Diluc glanced at her with eyes full of painful resignation.

"No."

Lumine nodded. "That's legit."

"You?"

"No."

Diluc nodded. "That's legit." He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and put his palms together. "By the way, I've been meaning to invite the bard to stay over as well. But I'd rather not have my staff prepare two rooms unless I have to. Would you be okay sharing a room with him right now?"

Lumine hummed noncommittally. A part of her was screaming 'Yes, yes, yes, all the yesses!', but the other was uncertain. She didn't exactly get a chance to sort out her feelings after the disastrous confession. But still... "If he's okay with it, too," she conceded and turned her head to take a look around the winery. She couldn't see the boy archon anywhere. "What's taking him so long, anyway?"

"I would put my money on grape appeal with this one."

"He's carrying Paimon!"

"You make it sound like an obstacle."

Lumine let out a long-suffering sigh and stood up. What was she going to do with that shameless ball of all-encompassing affection?

"I'll go look for him..."

It is shorteeeeeeeeer! :D I thought the chapter had gotten longer again because it uses even more space than the previous one, but the word count has actually gone down! Yay!

To the first anonymous reviewer: Thank you, you're so sweet! Have an update! :D

To the second: I only juuuuust saw your review when I was about to post... *sigh* And yet another e-mail alert that went missing... But it was funny to go into the Story Manager and see a mysterious 3 in the review numbers! Anyway, I hope your curiosity is satisfied... for now. :P