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10.30.04

Gambino.

It was a good thing there were road signs.

Her motorcycle was right where she'd left it; in front of the Porcelain cottage. Her black helmet sat invitingly on the seat, and underneath the seat rested a pair of claws. Crafted from the most lightweight, durable metal known to her people.

She would worry about putting those on when she could see for herself how bad the danger was.

Within seconds, she was nearly flying down the path to Barton, her hair tied back in a ponytail and whipping behind her as she raced toward Gambino.

It occured to Chence when she hit the pier that she didn't even know where Junyi WAS in Gambino.

Of course, once she got there, it woudn't be too difficult to tell where exactly the party was being held--

The sounds of shotgun fire and deranged groans jerked her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, DAMN," she muttered, skidding to a halt in the middle of the marketplace as she contemplated calling for backup right then and there.

Perhaps Junyi WASN'T lying. Perhaps...

No time for maybes. Tucking her radio into her back pocket, she leapt off the bike and reached for the claws. It would be awkward riding in with those on, but it was better than charging in unarmed.

With the bulky weapons firmly attached to her arms, she once again sped off toward the mansion, her mind completely open and searching for Junyi.

It was dangerous; running around unknown territory with her mind open like that, but with all the noise going on around her, it was the only way she had a prayer of locating Junyi.

Neilani thought patterns. That's all she needed to look for. Neilani...

Two of them; that had to be...

A decaying arm whizzed past Chence's head, momentarily disrupting her concentration. Her arm instinctively jerked upward, batting the limb away with the blunt edge of her claws.

So she WASN'T lying.

Screeching to a halt at the front steps to the mansion, Chence leapt off the bike and raced through the crowd of panicked partygoers, not even bothering to remove her helmet as she tore through the crowd.

Shotguns fired all around her but, being a soldier, she was used to it. Her only duty was to the sister of her partner, and she would be DAMNED if she failed to return the expectant mother safely.

The only thing she wasn't used to, however, was the steady hum of the singleminded thoughts of the undead as they waded through terrified innocents and fighters alike. Hunger; intense, terrifying hunger surged through the air, and with Chence's mind completely open, the thoughts reverberated through her head; intensifying and washing amongst each other. Horrible, frightnening, malicious thoughts that...

No. She couldn't lose focus now. Now was NOT the time to be frightened by silly--

She couldn't stop the scream from erupting from her lips as she felt cold, dead hands grabbing at her shoulders.

At that point, pure instinct took over. Adrenaline surged through her veins, and her reflexes began to kick in as she whirled around, her fingers flaring outward as she swiped at the zombie that had grabbed her.

Thanks to the helmet covering her ears and the noise going on around her, the sound of tearing flesh didn't even reach her. Even if it had, it wouldn't have had much of an effect; when one uses such close-range weapons, one becomes desensitized to the various noises that result in it.

With that particular zombie on the floor in pieces, Chence once again turned toward the faint projections of the two Neilani she had sensed before.

They weren't in the ballroom; that was for sure. With all the gunfire going off and the undead collapsing everywhere, Chence was somewhat relieved for that. On one hand, she didn't find Junyi, but on the other, Junyi wasn't around to witness all of this.

She only hoped the girl had found somewhere suitable to hide.

Turning a corner and bolting through another door, Chence found herself in a large garden. There were still zombies and shotgun-toting humans rushing about, but on a much lesser scale.

Andi n the middle of it all were the two projections that Chence had been following.

She hastily pulled up the visor on her helmet, catching a familiar flash of red hair. "Jun--" She abruptly cut off as her target whirled around.

Those sunken eyes. Her pale skin. The lifeless expression. The identical projections coming from her AND the baby... and all of the undead in the area.

"Jun," Chence whispered, taking a step backward. "Junyi."

Junyi didn't even seem to hear her. Taking a jerky step forward, a small trail of saliva trailed down the side of her mouth as she eyed Chence hungrily. A low groan erupted from her throat as the hungry projections grew louder.

Chence hadn't expected THIS. "Junyi, listen to me," she pleaded, taking another step back. "I'm not here to harm you." Her arms were outstretched, but not invitingly. She simply waited for Junyi to make a move, praying to the gods themselves that Junyi wouldn't.

But in all the horror movies Chence had ever seen, when did a zombie ever listen to rational thought?

At least here, Chence was prepared to defend herself. As unfortunate as it would be to slay one of her own people- the sister of her own partner- self-preservation always ranked highest on Chence's list of priorities.

A shotgun blast ripped through the air, and a bullet lodged itself into one of the walls lining the garden; missing Junyi by mere inches.

As Junyi turned to the source of the gunfire, Chence bit her lip. Maybe this could be reversed, but not if Junyi were DEAD.

Perhaps she could allow herself to be reckless a while longer.

I can't tackle her; that would put the baby at risk. I can't pick her up; she would bite me before I could carry her anywhere. I don't want to injure her. If only there were some way to get her to safety without her being able to--

A small smile crossed her face as the perfect solution formed in her mind.

She took another step backward, raising her hands slowly until they were inches from each side of her helmet. She would only have one shot at this; she didn't know how much Junyi's reflexes would've been dulled by the recent development; if at all. Chence would have to assume Junyi's reflexes were still good enough.

Sucking in a deep breath through gritted teeth, she yanked the helmet off of her head in one smooth, fluid motion.

Junyi took that opportunity to lunge forward with a menacing snarl, baring her teeth as she raced toward Chence.

Wait for it... wait for it... NOW! With the helmet off of her head, Chence took a step to the side, flipped the helmet around, and brought it down on Junyi's head as gently as she could manage, considering the circumstances. As the newly undead girl flailed with surprise, Chence flipped the visor down with the palm of one hand as she threw the claws off of her other hand. She then hooked that arm through Junyi's outstretched arms, drawing them together behind Junyi's back.

There.

Now to get the muzzled zombie to safety.

Chence quickly dragged Junyi to one of the quieter corners of the garden, ignoring her discarded set of claws for the moment. She would get them when she figured out what to do with Junyi.

The one thing that DID seem to catch her interest, though, were the strange vials of liquid that fell from the folds of Junyi's gown.

Perhaps this was the cause of Junyi's condition? No... if it were, then there would be less hysteria and more people warning against drinking ANYTHING in those vials...

She quickly swooped down and grabbed one of the vials, pulling Junyi down with her.

No label. Of course.

Perhaps... perhaps it was an antidote?

It wasn't like drinking strange chemicals was going to harm Junyi or the baby any FURTHER. They were already dead as far as Chence was concerned; there was absolutely nothing she could do to worsen their condition. Death itself would be an improvement.

Thus, it couldn't hurt to test her theory. She set the vial on the grass as she shook off her other set of claws, raising the visor of the helmet on Junyi's head. Ignoring the growling and hissing coming from the girl, Chence reached for the vial once more and uncorked it with her thumb, emptying its contents into Junyi's open mouth.

Junyi immediately slumped forward, her eyes fluttering closed. The hungry projections ceased, and were replaced by feelings of dizziness and tiredness.

"Thank the gods." Chence gently tilted Junyi back, studying her face. The eyes seemed much less sunken, and the life returned to Junyi's cheeks right before Chence's eyes.

However, one thing continued to worry her; the projections from the baby still seemed as hungry as ever.

Of course, if one vial worked for Junyi, another would work for the child. Reaching for another fallen vial, Chence repeated the process, heaving a sigh of relief as those projections ceased as well.

Now to get them out.

Chence set Junyi down gently, reaching for the claws once more. She would just have to be extra careful with Junyi; there was no chance in hell of Chence making the run unarmed NOW.

"Junyi, can you hear me?"

A weak moan.

"I need you to raise your head and shoulders," Chence murmrued gently. "Can you do that for me?"

Another moan, and Junyi slowly complied with the order.

"Good." Slipping one armed hand underneath Junyi's shoulders, Chance was careful not to cut her as she supported Junyi's head with the inside her elbow. Repeating the process with the back of Junyi's knees, Chence slowly hauled herself to her feet, gathered Junyi close, put her head down, and ran.

Zombie, human, other, it didn't matter. Chence slammed her free shoulder into all who crossed her path, throwing obstacles left and right as she ran for safety.

After what seemed like an eternity, she finally reached freedom. She ran out onto the front steps and slowed to a trot as she reached the motorcyle.

Finally.

Chence gently set Junyi on the bike, sitting behind her for support as she carefully started up the engine.

With a sigh of relief and a glance over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being pursued, she sped off toward safety.

11.02.04 - The truth, the whole truth, and man it is painful
Yeu

I finally decided to call up my parents and tell them that instead of one daughter and two sons, their child count is now two daughter and one son. Which is also when I found out about the true ability passed down in my family from generation to generation. It's called...

Being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Remember your uncle Leen?" My father asked me calmly.

"Yes. He's not the brightest one in the pile of rotting fish."

"It' suppose to be grand-uncle Leen."

"... what?"

The my father proceed to tell me about how poor near-sighted un... I mean grand-uncle lost his glasses and stumbled in the middle of a pair of dueling wizard. Well, the unpredictable art of magic mixing reverted a sixty year-old man to his infancy, wipped his memories clean, and lowered his IQ by about 100 points. Now I understand why my great-grand father sometimes compain about him, saying 'twice the work for half the harvest.'

Then there is great x 3 grand auntie Hun, she was asked to deliver a artifact one day when she decides that the route she usually take through the buildings are too dangerous for the precious item and decided to take a alternate way. What she didn't know was that the floor to the hallway was waxed that day, and she slipped. She got a very bad fall, a week's concussion, a nasty bump... and a extra set of arms to insure that she'll hold on tighter to the package she's suppose to deliver the next time.

The telepathy ability was given to us when one of my ancestors ran in on his assitant who's trying to make a wish to a blessed statue screaming something along the lines of "I wish I know what the *beep* you are thinking." Not too bad of a wish, but I'm sure there are better ones out there.

"Dad?" I interupted him half way.

"Yes?"

"Have you been drinking again?"

"I wish I am, your mother threw out all the bottles. But it's the truth son, swallow it up like a man." He paused for a second. "I mean..."

"Nevermind, I'm going to hang up, tell ma to call me when she gets back. Bai dad, love ya."

With that, I hung up the phone, and sank deeper into the blanket that I have been hiding under.

11.06.04 - Boyan

"Boyan is it now?" NO
"Boyan is it now?" NO
"Boyan is it now?" NO
"Boyan is it now?" NO
"Boyan is it now?" NO
"Boyan is it now?" NO


Junyiii is geting reely anoyying. Shuld not hav sed ti was Junling in the first plac.

Most likly the fact that Junyi eets mayb a ton of hot choklat powdr EVRY DAY. No wondr she has tummyach! surprised

ERTH TOO JUNYI: TUMMYACH NOT JUNLING. STOP ASKING! scream

11.15.04

Junyi barely batted an eyelash as the large truck parked in front of the coffeehouse. However, she did raise an eyebrow as she turned and watched Naida vault over the counter and run at the aforementioned truck, and her jaw nearly dropped as she watched the unloading begin.

First came a stone pagoda. And then a beckoning cat. And then enough lanterns to make any small town festival jealous. Globes, incense, figurines, sake sets, windchimes...

"Naida, what is all this?" she finally choked out, staring dumbly at the boxes on the floor. They were colorfully printed and poudly bore the images of the merchandise contained inside, much to Junyi's relief. After all; she hated surprises... especially this one.

"Don't worry. I paid for it out of pocket," Naida assured her, waving her hand.

"That so didn't answer my question. What is all this?"

"Um... decorations?" Naida blinked, looking up from her position on the floor opening boxes. "You said the place was too bare, and so I took some initiative. Don't worry; I've done business with these guys before. They're good."

"I wish you told me," Junyi sighed, covering her face with one hand. "The last things I need right now are surprises." She peeked out between her fingers at the boxes on the floor. "I'm not even sure why you got only Japanese things. I was hoping for an eclectic look, not a theme."

"...So?"

"This isn't a Japanese-style teahouse, Naida.

"So?"

"I'm not Japanese!"

"So?

"Neither are you!"

"So?"

"That's almost false advertising!" Junyi sputtered dumbly. "People are going to think this is a Japanese teahouse, and they'll lynch me for false advertising!"

Naida quirked an eyebrow. "You do realize you sound absolutely batshit insane. Nobody's going to expect this coffeehouse to be something it's not. Nobody's going to LYNCH you. Nobody's going to care that the decor looks somewhat ORGANIZED rather than like someone threw a bunch of crap on the walls." She finally sighed. "After all, this could be a good thing. You were always saying that you would like more business than the little old ladies that come in from time to time to buy a pity cup of coffee and tell you what a nice girl I am. This will maybe bring in some actual customers."

"What? How?"

"Face it. Everybody in this Gaia place is obsessed with the Orient. Put some of these things out in front of the shop, and you'll get more schoolgirl and dog-boy wannabes beating down the door to this dump before you can say "Sailor kawaii neko senshi no kanashimi no da."

Junyi's jaw dropped again as she sat in stunned silence.

Finally, after an eternity, she spoke.

"You are answering every bit of hate mail I get over that last statement."

"Yeah, sure. I'd like them to just try it. But maybe they should wait until their underage tentacle porn finishes downloa--"

"Naida!"

"What? It's no worse than you freaking out over all this merchandise because it was Japanese, you racist," Naida shot back.

"But I was just worried that people would think this was a--"

"Traditional teahouse," Naida interrupted. "Despite the fact that your shop name has nothing to do with tea. Yes. We sell tea. From another PLANET. That's pretty damn exotic. And so are these decorations. So are you gonna put up a lantern or what?"

Junyi slumped forward, resting her chin on the counter. "...I was going to keep them anyway," she grumbled. "They're pretty."

"....But I'm not getting up on any stepstools while I'm this off-balance."

"Fair enough." With that, Naida began to hang the lanterns around the cafe.

11.21.04 - Journal Entry
Junyi

I woke up well before dawn yesterday so I could get in some much-needed fishing practice. After all, if I'm going to commit to a rod of that caliber, you'd better believe I'm going to get the most use out of it!

In my haste to get out the door, I accidentally woke Melody up. She's been terrified of being left alone lately, so as soon as she saw that I was on my way out, she threw the WORST tantrum. Crying, screaming, wailing, flailing... you name it. The poor child really HAS turned into a baby. I'm going to have to have a talk with Boyan about his parenting skills- rather, his lack thereof.

Long story short, I brought Melody with me. I bought her a very simple rod, which she ADORES by the way. She hated the idea of catching fish and causing them pain, and she always apologized to and threw back each of the guppies she caught.

She did take special delight in catching tin cans, however. Melody's a little metal detector, hee. She scoured the bottom of Bass'ken lake with her hook of justice- beautifying the lake floor one can at a time.

We stopped at a recycling center on the way back to the fishing store to drop off the mass of cans that Melody caught. It didn't pay for the bait she used to catch them, but I let her keep the money anyway so she can buy herself a toy.

By the time I had sold my catch and buckled Melody into the car, I realized that I was almost late for a wedding!

Emi, an old buddy of mine from the Raptor days, had invited me to her wedding a few weeks ago. Luckily, I had a spare formal dress that actually FIT lying around, but Melody didn't exactly have anything appropriate. Throw onto that the fact that we had both lost track of time and were almost late...

Long story short, we arrived at the church smelling like fish. Emi's daughter (?) commented on the smell; I hope Emi didn't notice!

The ceremony was absolutely lovely, and I got some good sketches in, to boot. I'll have to finalize a few things, but hopefully I'll have a good gift for her, however belated it will be.

After the wedding, Melody and I both were extremely tired, so we both passed out on the couch...

...And woke up feeling HORRIBLE. I guess we both caught the flu while we were out fishing! She got it much worse than me; I feel a lot better now (Almost completely cured!), but Melody's still a wreck. The tears haven't let up since we got back from the clinic.

Speaking of the clinic...

I went in today to make sure the flu wasn't harming the baby. After all, illness this late in the pregnancy is something to be extremely concerned about. Dr. Kamiki mentioned that it was about time I had an ultrasound done anyway, so I got the HONOR (I use the term loosely) of being covered in GOO.

I hate goo. I hate goo so very much. I hate goo with the intensity of a thousand burning suns.

But I bore it for the sake of science! And... uh... my baby's health, of course.

Long story short, the baby's fine, and it's a girl! That makes me somewhat sad, because I'd been correcting Tsukiba all this time when he called her a she, and it turns out he was right the entire time. Damn him.

Well, it's hard to damn someone who's just so damn excited, you know?

Boyan is still out with Chence searching for Vilden. I hope everything is all right.

12.01

"I am NEVER going to get used to this kind of travel," Junyi groaned, rubbing her temples with one hand. "Did the Research and Development team honestly have to model the gate after that damn Stargate?"

Vilden blinked, keeping a firm grip on Junyi's upper arm. "What, are you KIDDING? That was the best decision they made in YEARS. Traveling between worlds has never been so goddamn fun!" A wide grin spread across his face. "And we just tell the poor schmucks who wander in here that we're with the Air Force, and that they're interfering with our intergalactic space travel with some Ancient Egypt-like world. Then we swear them to secrecy, give them a lei... and then wipe their minds!" He burst into giggles.

"You're kidding me."

"That is how we deal with our security breaches, yes," Chence explained, shrugging as she led Vilden and Junyi through a long, overly sanitary looking corridor.

Junyi frowned. "How do you even HAVE them? Aren't your elites keeping watch on the damn thing?"

"Accidents happen. We are prepared."

A sigh. "Speaking of prepared... are they expecting us?"

"Yeah, I radioed in before we left." A pause. "...You guys seriously had a search party out for me?"

"We were worried." Chence smirked. "Everyone knows you get distracted easily, and we all assumed you'd found something sparkly."

Stunned silence.

"Ramory... you just made a joke."

"Don't get used to it."

"No, seriously! You made a--"

"--Keep beating it to death, Keth."

Junyi giggled quietly. "I kinda missed the place," she whispered, deliberately changing the subject. "Well... even though..."

"You feel out of place. I know." Chence smiled gently as she glanced over her shoulder at Junyi. "You shouldn't feel so ashamed of your handicap. You obviously thrive well despite it, and you live on the other side, where there are few who have the slightest hint of ability, let alone at your level."

"You're not helping."

"You can't lie to me." There was a slight bounce to Chence's step as she slowed to a halt in front of a large, white door with a keypad that looked ripped straight from a horrible Sci-Fi film. "You need reassurance."

"She's got you there, Jun," Vilden murmured knowingly. "You remember that TV show you and I used to watch when we were younger? With that funny guy who would always stand in front of that mirror and say that he was good enough, smart enough, and gosh darn it, people liked him?"

"Oh GOD, not this again..."

Vilden opened his mouth to reply, but thought better of it. "See? You DO remember." He threw his arms out grandly as the large door was opened. "Welcome... to... NEILAN!" He boomed, the grin never leaving his face.

"Goddammit, Keth! The last time you were here, we told you to knock that s**t off!" A voice called from inside. "Do you have any idea how annoying that is?"

"You would deprive me of my homecoming ritual?" Vilden argued, brushing past Chence and nearly skipping into the sprawling complex behind the door. "Where's Kiren? I gotta give my report."

"You filthy liar."

"Ssh!" Vilden snickered, bringing a finger to his lips. "Ix-nay on the uttsex-bay."

"Do you HAVE to do that?" the poor Neilani caught in the middle asked, his eyes full of the anguish of one whose brain had just been brutally shattered.

"Less bitchy-bitchy!" Vilden shot back, wagging a finger at the man. "Is Kiren in his office or not?"

"...Major Kiren is in Repair Bay three."

"His office, then."

A heavy sigh. "We wish you wouldn't call it that, Keth."

Vilden didn't even seem to hear him. "DAMN, it's good to be home!"

"I did miss his antics," Chence whispered sheepishly.

"Speak for yourself. You didn't have to LIVE with him." Junyi brushed past Chence, wringing her hands nervously. "...Is... Ms. Haladet busy?"

"She's off duty today, as far as I realize."

Junyi blinked. "She is?" A grin spread across her face as she broke into an unsteady run. "Gotta go! I'll see you guys at the cafeteria tonight, all right? Bye!"

12.05.04 - Journal Entry
Junyi

I have been so. Incredibly. Busy.

Luna's guardian is nearly complete. It seemed to DIE this morning, but I quickly learned that the Armoire it comes from stops giving off magic in the sense that a microwave beeps when it's finished or when toast pops out of the slot. Cha-CHUNK and such.

I can see somewhat what it looks like; I've decided that since Jokeph (the guardian in question) hasn't exactly made up his mind as to what he wants to be, he will be a male. I have been sitting with him and illustrating the finer points of life for his benefit.

I'm not sure if I feel comfortable trusting a FIREY ANGEL OF DEATH with my firstborn child, but I shape what the guardian will be. Thus, I honestly have no reason to worry. No true guardian would (intentionally) cause pain to the one they're supposed to be protecting, after all.

It's exciting, though, watching him take shape like this.

I wanted to have him completed before Luna is born, but I have a feeling that it will be an impossibility. I suppose it doesn't matter if he's created now or later; just as long as he's here.

12.13.04 - Journal Entry
Vilden

Right. So Junyi finally gave me posting permissions on this piece of junk. It's about time. How could she give RAMORY of all people permission before she gives it to me? It's not fair. Not fair at all, I tell ya. It's probably petty revenge for that one time in third grade when I wouldn't let her join my super secret spy club. C'mon! Grow up already!

But damn, that super secret spy club was the BOMB. I woulda let her join, but rules were rules. No sisters allowed.

Yeah, so I guess I should stay on topic, huh?

I'm TOTALLY not ready to be a frickin' uncle. Junyi was pushing it; REALLY pushing it with that Porcelain of hers. I call him Booger. Heh.

But a baby?! Um, WTFO. I'm not ready for this. Shoot me in the back of the head, because I am NOT ready for this. Ramory assures me that the baby isn't going to be "hearing impaired" like Junyi, and Haladet keeps telling me the baby is actually pretty damn strong. Guess it got a recessive gene or two.

That's a good thing. Seriously. If Junyi had a baby that was just as deaf as she was, she'd angst for months. "WAH WAH I BROUGHT A DEFECTIVE BABY IN THE WORLD I AM SUCH A FAILURE PLEASE PITY ME WAH WAH". Sometimes, I wish that girl would put a sock in it. Look. It's not MY fault she sucks at the whole empathy thing. Then again, it's like sucking at breathing or eating, so I can see why she's upset, but DAMN! People overcome handicaps and go on to become motivational speakers! Why can't she get it through her head that--

...Okay, I'll stop. That really was uncalled for.

I'll probably spam this thing again when I think of something more coherent to say. I'm still struggling to get my mind around this; especially since the little rugrat is due more or less any day now.