*glances at the Keep*

Well, this is an interesting turn of events. I'm not surprised Flesh is so gung-ho to save that little text RPG, he always was the most adamant about it. I appreciate his enthusiasm. However, if the drive and desire isn't there, as it is with me, no amount of "Let's go, troops!" is going to spur action among the disenchanted.

I am tempted by the idea of scrapping the rules and making everything free-form again. The rules are a huge bog we created ourselves and have continually paid the price. More then one intrepid newbie was lost to those rules. I am also tempted to dump my characters. Bloodsong has been a lodestone for me for a while. I actually tried to kill her once, but the whoop and cry when I mentioned it had me changing my mind. Then there's the fact she is the Queen, and the whole succession thing...yeah. Really annoying.

Prime Minister Sarah, now she's fun. A lot like Integral, when I think about it. She I succeeded in killing, and I was happy to have her stay dead, but she died in the Uber Thread of DOOOOOOOM and the PTB of that thread said bringing Sarah back would be good for the story. So, I unleashed the Dragon Slay in the graveyard, *evil laugh* blew UP the graveyard and got spirit and flesh reunited. That was fun. I love that spell.

I wouldn't mind having another Sarah-esque character running around in a lessened capacity. Or a vampire. Vampire would be fun. Even if they're considered eeeevvvviiiiillllllll.

But I wonder if I care enough to commit myself to the Keep in that capacity again. I do have a social life now and it's pretty full. I also get all kinds of drama, which on top of Keep drama...no.

No, I don't think I have the oomph to continue that game. My creative energy has been put to better use writing stories just for me, without outside participation and worrying about hurting someone's feelings because I did something they didn't like and getting into stupid arguments over minutae. My characters have been ripe to retire for a while now. I know I'm in the minority in this case, but I don't mind. I'll let them talk out what they want to do, then announce my decision.

Day List

Done:

Overdue bills paid.
Current bills paid, with a few exceptions.
Sheets washed and dried.
Comforter washed.

To Do:

Write check for vacuum, since the buggers charge 5 dollars for phone payments. Bakas.
Take trash out.
Put comforter in dryer and start on rest of laundry.
Talk to Wolf about Howl's Moving Castle viewing on Saturday with Kyther
Do dishes
Bake brownies
Figure out dinner
Finish kicking self for leaving the oven on over 12 hours.
Deposit UE check.
Try not to go crazy.


Because I believe in positive reinforcement, I will now digress.

*SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE* I got Howl's Moving Castle AND Castle in the Air yesterday! Read Howl's in three hours, which had Wolf shaking his head and saying "That's just nuts." Heee! I have this feeling that Miyasaki-sama's version is going to be better, because I had forgotten how very, very dull the beginning is and how confusing it gets in the middle and the at the end you're saying "Oooohhhhh. I get it now!" and then everything just kind of dissolves into everyone talking at once and it feels kind of muddled. Castle in the Air is, in my opinion, the better book. But I can't WAIT to see how pretty Miyasaki-sama makes it. The trailer had me drooling. But I must say, Sophie's gift is one I would like to have. Even if it did get me into trouble. I would've had SO MUCH FUN as a kid! Hell, I'd have fun now. *imagines the Tiburon mascots causing all kinds of mischief.* Hee!

One way or Another

I WILL get this story out of my head! Bedamned to you, Muse! Oh, yeah. Hellsing does not belong to me. I'm just a fangirl. Please don't sue.

The enemy was insidious. It swept silently through the barracks, gaining strength from each victim. As it moved from person to person, it grew and changed. Once the barracks were completed, it moved on to the house. One by one, the staff fell before it. Such an enemy had never so completely ravaged the Hellsing Organization. Nothing could stop it. Attempts to counter it failed. Finally, when it had reached its peak of power, it struck the last two people standing.

"Ugh." Integral shivered despite her wool suit. The influenza bug that had spent the last three months making the rounds had finally caught her. Or had she caught it? She couldn't tell, her mind was so fuzzy. Despite the raging fever, lack of appetite and general body aches, she sat at her desk, trying to subdue the second demon in her life; paperwork. The first demon was hovering over her shoulder. Maybe she could blame him for the chill.

"I do not know if I should call you determined or stubborn." Alucard drawled, leaning his head over the back of her chair. He was the only one immune to the virus and took great delight in rubbing it in her face. Integral ignored him and contined signing the medical forms. Thankfully, the troops had fully recovered as well as most of the staff. A few were out on sick leave, but they were due back in a few days. "You are about to fall out of this chair, Master."

"Go away." Integral pushed her sixth, or was it seventh?, med form into the messy out pile and pulled another towards her. Alucard snatched it out from under her fingers.

"This is a requisition form for...high speed wireless installed in the barracks." He informed her, reading the request. His mouth twitched into a smile. The lieutenants were the first to go down and now that they had recovered, they were trying to take advantage. Alucard crumpled the form in his hand and tossed it at the rubbish bin next to the desk. It landed square in the middle. Alucard smirked and glanced at Integral. She had her glasses off and was rubbing her eyes.

CRASH! The sound of glass breaking sent Alucard out into the hall in a blink. He stared. Walter, the inflappable butler and Angel of Death, was lying on the floor. Lying crumpled, no less, with a broken lamp beside him and an end table resting on his right arm. Alucard knelt beside the fallen butler. His senses told him Walter was alive, but seriously ill. He moved the table off of Walter.

"What happened." Integral demanded, coming out of the study. Alucard rolled Walter over. He was pale, slightly grey, and his breathing was irregular. He was also burning hot.

"He fainted. He's caught what you have." A maid and a footman came running. They gasped when they saw Walter. Alcuard whipped around and caught Integral, who swayed on her feet. "And I have had enough." He scooped up Integral, who protested in a very weak voice. "You two, get Walter into bed. I'm calling the doctor."