Hi! Does anyone still read author notes?

I don't own anything, anyone or anywhere you recognise. Sapphire, along with a few others who'll crop up every now and then, are mine.

You may have noticed that I've been (uncharacteristically) regular with posting new chapters. So far I've aimed for two chapters per month and it seems to be working out reasonably well.

This is because I've been writing this for around a year, six months before ever posting. So there's a healthy little cushion of chapters that still have yet to be posted that are pretty much written (though will need a smidge of editing and proofreading before they're posted, of course).

I'll stick to my schedule, if you can call it that, and keep posting chapters until I'm fresh out. That'd take me until the end of the year, and I'll have to see what progress I've made in that time for future updates. Motivation is slightly lacking atm so I'm hoping for a second wind :)

I hope Ash and Will's investigation subplot is enjoyable so far, and that the different formatting isn't confusing. I tend to forget about explaining that sort of stuff. If it's not clear, sections with [sound effects] and no speech marks are conversations recorded on tape. It's intended to be like a written transcript of the recordings Will is making. Sections of differing POVs (either Sapphire's first person, Will's/Ash's third person or the transcript/recording) will be separated by line breaks as always.

...Though line breaks often misbehave and don't show up, annoyingly. Gah. Sorry if any are missing, it's really arbitrary.

Oh hey, there's a chapter at the end of this note! :o

Chapter 11 - Ghost

[-ck!]

[BEEEEEEEEEEEP]

The date is June twenty-eighth, the time is fifteen-oh-seven. This is an official interview of Alana Kirenn, conducted by SOLDIER Third Class Ashley Matthias, and myself, Will of the Turks. Miss Kirenn, you've been advised of the situation, which I will summarise for the tape; you are not, at this time, charged for any crime associated with this individual. However, if you fail to communicate to us everything relevant to our investigation, then you may be found guilty of withholding evidence, and the Shinra Electric Power Company will punish you appropriately. Is anything unclear to you at this time?

Um… what sort of punishment might I face? Not that… not that I'm going to withhold any evidence.

Well that's reassuring.

I know this is stressful, Miss Kirenn, and I trust you to tell us all you know. With my apologies, I can't really give an answer to that. It is up to the company's own discretion what punishment they give, based on the significance of what you could exclude.

Shinra don't exactly have a reputation for just giving slaps on the wrist, though.

Ash, that's… not necessary. Miss Kirenn, this is an interview, not an interrogation. We know you haven't done anything wrong, in fact you've done a good thing; you helped someone out. We know that, so we know that you'll do the right thing now too. We want to reward your good deed, not punish it.

…Thank you. I'll answer to the best of my knowledge.

I want to start with information about the individual, simple facts and observations that we can corroborate with what we know. So, let's start with basics; appearance, name, that sort of thing.

I'm sure I won't be able to tell you anything more than you already know. She gave me the name Aqua. Probably in her twenties, maybe five and a half feet tall? Her hair was long, wavy, and dyed. She seemed smart enough that she'd keep changing it. She knew people would be looking for her.

How was she dressed?

Uh… like a SOLDIER. Kinda… thought you would know that.

She didn't get a change of clothes before leaving?

No. Didn't seem to think it was an issue, or at least she didn't say anything about it.

Anything else? Be as specific as you can. Her physique, for example? Skin colour?

Hah. Oh, well she was built. Like a SOLDIER, probably. And pretty pale, like allergic to the sun sort of pale. That's… I would assume that's because she was quite ill, when I first met her.

Uh, anything noteworthy about her voice or speech, perhaps?

Nope. Her accent wasn't local, but nothing noteworthy, I guess.

Thank you, Miss Kirenn, that was some great detail. Feel free to add more if you think of anything. Now, could you just tell us how you came to meet Aqua? You said she was ill?

…A… a few of my neighbours brought her to my house, in early March. They said they found her passed out on the stairs outside.

The stairs, up into your house you mean?

Ah, no, the stairs leading out of the village, further into the canyon.

…The ones that lead to Shinra Manor, you mean?

Uhh, yes.

It's okay to say that, Miss Kirenn. We want to hear it all.

Yeah, sorry, I know that. I'll do better.

What then?

I looked after her. She was really sick, feverish, out of it for weeks, so I just watched over her and tried to keep her as comfortable as possible. She eventually woke up, but she was very weak, couldn't really stand or walk at first, so I helped her rebuild her strength. She was in a rush. As I said, she seemed to think people would be looking for her, so she wanted to be ready to leave as soon as possible. She left around the end of April, I think.

Was she driving?

No, she left on foot.

From not being able to walk, she was able to leave in a month to travel on foot? Weren't you concerned that she might run into trouble?

There was no convincing her otherwise. I argued her up to staying an extra week, and that was as much as I could do. I thought she'd make her way back in a day or two, to be honest.

And she didn't? …You don't think she got into trouble or anything, though?

I was worried, for a couple of days, but life goes on. I liked her, and I didn't want her to get herself killed, but that's not up to me, and I couldn't convince her to stay. She didn't ask for my help, and I helped her because I wanted to.

Do you know where she's headed?

She never said outright, but I got the impression she was aiming for the western continent. Against my better judgment, I told her how to get through Mount Nibel. Figured she'd have a straight shot to the coast on the other side.

Can you give an estimate on how sure you are of her route and destination?

Oh. Well I'm sure she left here with intentions of travelling through the mountain, whether that changed on the road I have no idea. I just assumed she was heading back to base after getting injured, maybe on a mission or something, so I wouldn't put money on it.

You thought she was with SOLDIER, then?

Well, she sure looked the part.

Did she say anything about how she ended up here, injured?

She… uh…

Miss Kirenn, you don't need to be nervous. We don't want you to omit anything that you think looks bad. We want to hear it all. We know you're telling us what she said, and that it doesn't reflect what you think.

I… Shinra has done so much good for us, for our town. I didn't believe a word of what she said. She must've been delusional, had fever dreams.

She must've had a good imagination, then?

That's what I thought, yeah…

So what was this wild theory of hers?

She… she said she ran from SOLDIER, deserted I guess, because someone had it out for her. Um… she claimed that they took her away, and experimented on her, then left her, in-in the manor.

That is quite a tale, isn't it Ash? Can sure see why someone would be enticed by it, think I would be too. Thank you, Miss Kirenn. If there's any further details you can give to us that are relevant, please let us know.

D—

[Click!]

Investigation log part three. Date is June twenty-eighth, time is… oh. Date is June twenty-ninth, time is double-oh-nineteen. Our interview with our lead went well, we know a little more about our target now, and we know, to some extent, where they headed after they left the town. I wouldn't have minded retracing the target's steps for their arrival in Nibelheim, from Shinra Manor, but we've been told in no uncertain terms that we're not getting near the place. But that's okay. We can't see the target's journey into the town, so we can start with their journey away from here. Think we've got all we're getting from this town and its residents so we'll head for Mount Nibel in the morning. So… Ash doesn't seem to have anything to say, so I'll log off for now.

[Click!]

Investigation log, part four. Date is June twenty-ninth, time is eight-forty-one. SOLDIER: Third Class Matthias and I were getting ready to leave Nibelheim and follow in the footsteps of our target to and through Mount Nibel, but we got a message around fifteen minutes ago telling us not to. We're just now on our way to a helicopter that's set down just outside of Nibelheim, which will take us to the nearest settlement on the other side of the mountain. I guess the idea is to save time; if the target was spotted there, we'll find out where they headed, and if not we can work backwards.

Probably safe to assume that she's dead if no one saw her on the other side. We're two months behind.

That we are. Isn't it great that the target left such an impression for it to still be forefront in their minds like it is?

So optimistic. Small town. If it got to Costa del Sol I guarantee no one will remember.

First things first, though. Have to see if it made it through the mountain.

Is it bad for me to hope that it didn't? Actually starting to miss my patrols. [Indistinct murmuring]

You'll get back to your patrols before we know it.

So not serious.

[Click!]

[BEEEEEEEEEEEP]

The da—

[-ck!]

We conducted an interview with Cid Highwind, which is recorded but extracted separate from this log. I decided to give a brief summary of our relevant findings from this interview.

What he means is that the man swore basically every other word, and Will's delicate sensibilities meant he couldn't cope.

I pity whoever has to make a written log of all this. I had to listen to that recording three times to write up a summary of it.

I know. I was here. Still am, you know?

Yeah, and what a great help you were at trying to calm him down!

No worse than you were.

Worse. Definitely worse.

Pfft. I liked his enthusiasm! You haven't introduced the tape yet, by the way.

[Overlapping] Poor thing must be so confused. / Ah, darn, I forgot…

Investigation log, part… five. It's June twenty-ninth, time of twenty-two-fifty. The helicopter this morning took us from Nibelheim to the site of the rocket launch pad, on the other side of Mount Nibel, where we met the head of engineering, Mr Highwind. He was… compliant, though not exactly eager. Over tea, we gave a brief description of the target's physical appearance, which he confirmed. He indicated that he had also assumed the target to be a member of SOLDIER, due to the uniform, and so complied when it requested transport to Costa del Sol, providing a lift with a worker who was heading there later that week to pick up a shipment of supplies from Junon. He divulged that the target had been sick when it arrived, though seemed to recover quite quickly.

I wouldn't believe him as far as I could throw him.

…Nor me, to be honest. He wasn't exactly forthcoming, and he was really aggressive. Hard to believe someone would be that antagonistic without some reason. Although, I kept an eye on him the rest of today, and he seemed super high-strung the whole time, with his team and everything.

You think maybe he's feeling under pressure from us interrogating him?

Interviewing. And could be. He did mess up by not contacting Shinra about giving the target a lift to Costa del Sol; a supposed SOLDIER showing up with that request can't be a common occurrence. As a head of engineering on a huge project, he probably has far bigger fish to fry day-to-day, so it probably slipped off his radar.

Hard to say for sure, and this is just speculation. Everyone else we interviewed gave the same story: the SOLDIER showed up, spoke with Highwind in his tent, and hung around for a couple days before getting the lift to Costa.

True. Even Shera, Mr Highwind's assistant said the same, and she'd had a little more contact with the target. She was skittish, we would've picked up on it if she'd lied, and she seemed truthful to me.

Yep. So, heading for the beach tomorrow then?

Probably.

This assignment is finally getting good!

Anything else relevant to the tape that you can think of, Ash?

…

I thought not.

[Cli-]

My nerves were shot. Why did I think this was a good idea again?

Oh yeah. Because it was a good idea. It was a very good idea, one that made all the logical sense in the world, too much for my illogical mind to refute.

So here we wandered, my sanity quickly fraying while Peeka resolutely marched us both on, a real trooper. Far braver than I gave her credit.

Actually no. It wasn't brave at all. She wasn't bothered in the slightest because she had no reason to be, she was just keeping on as she always did. She just had to contend with some cowardly custard clinging to her.

You'd think after a full day I'd have acclimatised. Well, you'd be mistaken. And I was too. But unfortunately this route made all the logical sense in the world, so Peeka would just have to put up with her rider losing her mind.

Again. Again. There it was again. Seriously, there could be no need for this many. Peeka trilled softly, soothingly as she felt my fingers tense in her feathers and around her reins, trusting my tormented hearing above her own. I closed my eyes and buried my head in her neck, the vibration of her trilling against my cheek not as comforting as I wished it was. The sound was drowned out by the thunderous roar of an engine, the shrieking of metal grinding against metal, the sounds whining and altering as the source sped past, buffeting us despite the several metres of distance between us and the rails.

The world spun on its axis—

"Oof," I grunted, hitting the ground with my left shoulder. Peeka butted my side, warking at me in dismay. "What must you think of me, huh?" I offered her a green, which she accepted eagerly, but concern still shone in her expressive wide eyes. Or maybe I imagined that, she is a bird after all. "Hitting the deck more often than not, I hope I'm not normalising this for you. This isn't normal, alright? Riders don't actually want to hit the floor every time a train goes past, I promise. Gaia knows I sure don't."

I sighed, frowning. I really would've been better off if I travelled away from the train lines, just as I had been doing all the time before now. Peeka was too tall, I'd break my neck falling off her one of these times. And in all honesty, I really was concerned about making her expect that behaviour.

I just couldn't help it though. I thought exposure to a phobia might lessen it, but every single train that roared past sent me right back. It was dumb. Trains are standard, safe, and widely used modes of transport with almost no accidents. It made logical sense to not be afraid of them.

Stupid illogical mind and its stupid illogical hang-ups.

"Alright, no more," I decided, and hoisted myself to my feet. Rolling my left shoulder (which would be black and blue by tonight, if it wasn't already) I pulled Peeka's reins down over her head and held them, walking alongside instead of remounting. The chocobo seemed to have no objections, curling her head over my shoulder to peek at me in the fashion she was named for, before fluttering her wings with a wark and matching my pace.

After allowing myself two days to rest and recover in the village on the other side of the mine, Peeka and I had ventured north. We had been fortunate to cross the unpleasant swampy area that followed the mines without incident; Peeka was full of energy after her limited exercise of the previous three days, and rushed us through with a spring in her step.

The following day, which was three days ago, we had arrived at the chocobo ranch Meryl switched me on to, and after restocking and allowing Peeka an hour to play and socialise with the other chocobos, I had noticed the train tracks. I mulled it over for a long time, but logic had prevailed, despite the extremely mild hyperventilating I was recovering from at the time.

The train that had exploded had been travelling on this line, for sure. There were only two lines out of Midgar; one direct to and from Junon, and the other that went past the ranch and (if I recalled correctly) went all the way to the southernmost point of the continent. I was sure that had been my route when I was first travelling to Midgar, and was likely the route I was taking when leaving. I sure wouldn't have been going to Junon while fleeing SOLDIER.

If exposure to trains wasn't helping my aversion to them, as it had with chocobos thanks to Peeka, then maybe finding where it happened would give me some kind of closure. It'd hardly make me worse, would it? Nah.

Worst case scenario, I'd miss the location altogether. Didn't really matter as I'd be heading for Midgar regardless. The city could only be days away by now. By chocobo.

I patted Peeka's neck, shaking my head at myself with a huff. Maybe that's why I was so okay with walking instead of riding.

Resolute, we marched on. Each train that passed wore at my fraying nerves, and as the sun steadily approached the flat horizon, I decided we had both had enough. I marched us a mile directly away from the tracks before settling down for the evening, knowing I would still hear passing trains but hoping we were far enough that the noise would not be so intimidating. Some blind optimism, maybe.

Still with an hour or more of daylight left, Peeka was antsy with the lack of exercise, so I removed her equipment and let her run loose while I exerted myself with some exercises; an hour of squats, lunges, crunches and push-ups to exhaust the body and distract the mind. Despite it being the middle of summer, complete with unforgiving heat in the middle of the day, there was a slight chill in the air at night. Peeka and I both found each other to be passable as travel pillows, though I had no doubts which of us got the better deal with that one.

The next two days passed the same, with no improvement that I could see. I clung fast to Peeka (neck, reins, saddle; I was indiscriminate in my clinging) the instant I heard one approach, and the sensation of weightlessness as I lost my balance tipping to the left roused me from my trance. Typically, I had been able to regain enough awareness in time to catch myself from fully falling over. Despite that, I positioned myself at my companion's right side, so at least I'd have a feathery landing if I did fall completely.

Even with our slow means of travel, we were making progress. More progress than I'd like. I tried not to dwell on how hesitant I was becoming, even as the landscape morphed into something familiar. Scattered trees were becoming less frequent, less dense and less healthy-looking. Flowers were a thing of the past. The grass made a steady gradient, from full and vivid to patchy and weak, and then to almost entirely absent. The land was dry, cracked and eerily barren, with large rocks and crevices dotted about.

I could picture the scenery. Aside from the cloudless, vivid blue sky, which had been heavy clouds that threatened to snow, it was exactly as I recalled it, from gazing out of a murky train window as it hurtled across the plains.

Unexpectedly, I found myself becoming more at ease as we trekked across this damaged land. With all the stress the trains were putting on me, I had expected to be on edge the closer I got to where it happened, but instead…

Weird, very weird, but there was some relief there. Even hope, though coupled with apprehension. Not in a bad way, though. More like… anticipation. Hope was building, to discover more of myself, perhaps gain some closure. Even the trains that roared in my ears started to faze me a little less. That was a particularly welcome realisation. There was another approaching, I could hear the whirring, and I smiled because I was unafraid.

Peeka chirped and fluttered her wings, craning her neck to look behind. And I realised that the whirring was not what I thought it was. Reluctant understanding trumped desperation, and I pulled up my hood, gazing at a small clump of well-dressed trees only a few bounds to my left. How close cover had been, and now…

The helicopter flew past almost exactly overhead, the chopping and whirring deafening as it continued on its course for Midgar, undoubtedly. My inward breath stuttered at the sight, as though the near-miss hadn't been traumatising enough.

Looking up only after the helicopter was out of sight, the sun was still high in the sky, but I shook my head and made my way to the trees. "Sorry, Peeka. We're stopping for today. My head is all over the place…"

There was the temptation to turn and run back the way we came. They could've been looking for us. They could know we wouldn't take the train, and how else to travel but by chocobo…

"Should we retreat?" I asked, and with no answer I glared to Peeka— "Oh, you're gone," I observed, seeing her start her usual end-of-day routine of jogging a wide circle around where we settled. Usually I took her saddle off before she did, but I supposed the extra weight would let her burn off a little more energy. Trying to appease myself with thoughts of how smooth the sailing had been so far, I sighed, setting down my pack beneath the trees before easing into my own exercise routine.

I punished myself with an extra half hour of strenuous exercise, while Peeka roamed free, perhaps looking for whatever nutrition she could find in an area so lacking in life. We shared some tough meat rations, watched the sun set, and cuddled in. Sleep was fickle that night, as I beat myself up for my foolishness and remained unconvinced of our safety.

Equally, my emotions were still riding high, and I was convinced that I was in the area that it happened. While I knew thinking about the events of that day way back then was what led to my distraction, I couldn't put it aside. When I started to wonder about what I might find, some scrap or debris left over, I rolled my eyes at my own silliness. It had been what, seven months ago? Slightly less maybe? Shinra would've tidied it up and let it be forgotten. I'd probably already passed the location, because it was unremarkable, just more rocks and dirt. Entirely forgettable

Nothing would be there. Nothing would be there.

Not an hour after we set off the next day, my eyes bleary and head pounding from lack of sleep, I almost tripped myself as I broke into a sprint because something was there. Peeka chirped and outran me, likely pleased to see me exhibiting energy after the early finish and low mood the previous night. She didn't notice as I stopped pursuing her, inching towards something.

A rock, dissimilar from the many that littered the area with its rich navy blue colour and the glossy marble shine to its precise edges. Maybe a foot high, with smaller regular brown stones placed all around it, three of them acting as paperweights for personal trinkets; a simple beaded bracelet, a ribbon, and a hoop earring that I first mistook for a bracelet.

My alias, Cobalt Amell, was sixth in a list of eight. As much as I took care to pay attention and remember each name, I found myself guiltily rereading my name a few times more than I should have. It had been such a long time since I had been called it, or seen it written out. It filled me with an uncomfortable disassociated feeling, like it belonged to someone else. How my real name would look to me was anyone's guess.

After a while, not too long, I sat down beside the underwhelming memorial and pressed my lips together, concerned about why I wasn't more emotionally affected by it all. I supposed I already knew I was dead to the world, and having gone this long without encountering a person that would know me, maybe I was just used to being a ghost.

I smiled up at Peeka, who had returned and had taken to preening the white mess of hair atop my head. I stroked her fluffy chest feathers, and asked a question I knew the answer to, "Would it be weird if we waited here a little while?" She didn't affix me with her usual withering glare, too focused on her task. "This is the part where someone shows up with a bouquet of flowers for my grave, and they see me and drop them and gasp," I gasped, "I thought you were dead!"

Peeka trilled deep in her throat.

"I wonder what that would feel like. To see someone alive you were sure was dead, I mean. Though I guess it'd be just as interesting to be on the other side. Could be all smug, like disappointed they thought you could be beaten that easy. Or all teasing, like, aww I missed you too!" Humming thoughtfully, I asked after a moment, "Is this something I should be rehearsing?"

I wasn't sure if Peeka was listening, but when I turned to glance at her she moved her beak to a different area of my head and gave a hard nip—

"Ouch!" I yelled, flinching, as she warked right in my ear at the top of her lungs. "Not so loud! I get it, I'll cut it out."

After a few moments she went back to digging through my hair.

I sighed, "You're not even listening, are you? You're just annoyed I moved." Peeka didn't respond.

I rested my chin on my fist and sat still, supposing I could stay until my masseuse was satisfied.

The tape recorder was suspended with its obnoxiously loud click. The man who paused the device sighed deeply. "This assignment sucks."

The SOLDIER who lay on the opposite bedroll didn't divert her eyes from the ceiling of the tent Cid's assistant had offered them. "You probably don't have to be as stuffy as that, you know?" she proposed. "Just think of that redhead who used to torment us, can't imagine he's always professional and up his own butt when he does this sort of thing."

"Yeah, I should be more like Reno," the Turk dryly agreed.

"Point taken," the SOLDIER snickered, turning her head to offer a smile to the blonde. "I'm not sure whether to be proud or disappointed that you wore down this fast, Will."

"Don't think you can really take credit for this one, Ash. It's just everything about this assignment."

She nodded and hummed in agreement, returning her gaze to the roof. Will removed his suit jacket and tie, folding the jacket delicately to leave it on the ground, then flopped back to mirror her position on his own bedroll. After a few moments of silence, his agitation got the best of him, and he threw his hands into the air and sighed heavily as he began his rant.

"We're sent in blind, that we don't even know what species we're looking for. Just some lab specimen, that's all we had, and now it - she - is some kind of SOLDIER too, maybe? That woman in Nibelheim is probably gonna get some outrageous punishment for just helping out someone in need. And she asks us to help some other person locked up in the manor that our target came from, and we're not even allowed to go in and see? All this, and we're just two days in."

"Knew this assignment stunk from the second I put down that mission brief." Ash shook her head. "I've barely been out of Midgar and even I know when something's deliberately vague, not just lacking in detail."

Grimly, Will asked after a pause, "How do you think this will end?"

The brunette frowned deeply. "How else can it end? We follow her trail, we catch up to her; a sure thing with all these last-minute arranged flights, by the way. And then we capture her, and receive whatever accolades are headed our way."

Will put his hands behind his head. "And we're okay with that? Returning some escaped test subject to the professor's lab? That's one thing when we think it's some… lab-grown specimen, or monster or something. This is a woman, who seems coherent, and looks like a SOLDIER."

"They'll give us counselling."

Gobsmacked, the Turk stared at her, as she glared at the roof of the tent. Eventually he sighed, and sat upright, facing her. "You never change. So transparent."

"What about you?" the SOLDIER: Third Class enquired, leaving the Turk confused for a moment. "How do you think this will end?" she clarified. Will shrugged.

"I wish I wouldn't find out. I'd back out from the mission but Tseng has this way of making you feel like you screwed up even when you didn't. Hate to think how he'd react if I actually did screw up."

"That probably is just you screwing up," Ash interjected with a smirk, watching fondly as her blonde friend put a hand to his chest and mimed as if his heart was breaking. "I'm staying on. I meant it about the accolades. Have been stuck with grunt work for so long, even if this mission is slimy, if I do well it might get me more opportunities. Maybe I'll finally get consideration for promotion." Her eyes of blue, green and brown lit up at the thought.

Will observed fondly, crossing his legs at the ankle and propping his arms on his knees, leaving his hands dangling. "You been aiming for that sweet, sweet pay rise?"

The displeased look she sent him was superfluous; he knew her better than that. "Just… feel like I'm falling behind."

The Turk frowned. "If you're comparing yourself to Zack, you shouldn't be."

"Nah, I'm happy for him. And I know better than that, after all, he got special treatment. Lucky punk." They shared a laugh over their mutual friend. "We should invite him out after we get back! It's been way too long since last time."

"Definitely!" Will agreed, adding after a moment, "The last time it was just the two of us, right?"

"Pretty sure he missed the time before that as well," Ash complained with a pout, her eyes falling shut. "Dude is so unreliable. Dunno what Commander Hewley sees in him."

"Think he got in too deep before he knew what Zack was like, is my theory," the blonde offered, receiving a huff of laughter in response, which morphed into a yawn. He smiled warmly and murmured, "Goodnight, Ash. Good work today."

"Night, Will," she mumbled, turning to face away from him. Sighing tiredly, he rubbed his eyes before forcing himself to leap energetically to his feet, hastily undressing before climbing into his bedroll.

After a few minutes, the Turk reached out to where the recorder was placed on the ground between himself and Ash, and picked up the small device next to it; the standard-issue Shinra PHS. Giving into his compulsive need to check his mail before bed, he scanned through the usual spam, propaganda and company-wide messages that didn't affect him.

The second last item was a personal message.

well? Have you told her yet? –Zack [19:53]

Will groaned and dropped the device. After holding a hand over his eyes for a few minutes and trying to stop thinking, he picked it up again to read the most recent mail item.

im sick of skipping all our meetups you know! :p –Zack [20:01]

He groaned again.