Suggested changes: {before : after}
On Sun, 1 Dec 2002 04:57:03 EST Kyhdin@aol.com wrote:
And we're back!
Lock up the children.
Do you have the previous chapters on a webpage somewhere?
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"7. Ami is actually completely stupid. She only acts smart.
Serena is her math tutor"
-The top twelve horrible secrets of the Sailor Senshi
****
That's especially bad since Ami is the Japanese name and Serena is DiC's.
Where can I find this list?
"Aftanoon, Miss Hino," said Molly from behind the counter. "The usual?"
Raylene fought down a frown and nodded as she took a seat on one of the
stools. After her mother had died and her father became a county judge, he
had left her in the care of his father in law who had raised his
granddaughter the only way he knew how; to follow in his faith.
This somehow reminds me of a showdown in a western saloon.
At that moment, from under the counter, there was the sound of something
banging and muffled cursing. Something clanged and a door flew off, bouncing
and sliding across the floor as smoke belched forth from the opening. The
cursing became louder as somebody scrambled out, swearing {sulferlously : sulphurously}. They
stood up and staggered out from the smoke, coughing and calling upon the
wrath of every deity humanity had ever worshipped in language that would make
Satan go; "Well really, that's a bit rude don't you think?"
Ya think so? That's a new skill of Amy Lynn's we hadn't heard before.
The Crown Motel bore the honor of being Juuban Hollow's finest hotel. It also
held the town's finest restaurant. Ed and Ned's Bar and Grill. To be fair,
the sawdust on the restaurant's floor was at least somewhat fresh and the
menu offered a choice between meat and more meat.
Would they, by any chance, be the only hotel and restaurant in town?
"I want to. You're going into Lawson next week for your driver's test. The
least I can do is get you a car to put your license to use in. I want you to
get yourself a car you like, okay?"
I imagine Amy Lynn's been getting lessons from Bunny. And scaring Bunny.
"This isn't about your mom, Honey. I know it sounds like I'm trying to buy {you
r : your} love or something, but I'm not."
Bunny ignored her as she took the truck through a tight curve, through
a yellow light, and down a side street. After several minutes, she made
another sharp turn onto a dirt road which ended at a large fenced in
yard filled with cars and trucks, some barely recognizable as such. The
sign over the gate read, "Jones Auto Salvage Yard. Jupiter Jones,
Propieter." As Bunny brought the truck to a screeching halt, the door to
the trailer in the center of the yard opened and a large man emerged. He
was stocky rather then fat, but nevertheless bore a noticeable middle.
His dark hair was combed back and he carried himself with a calm
{sereness : sereneness : serenity}.
"Ah, Miss {Tusiniko : Tsukino}, how may I be of assistance?"
Does he have a daughter, niece, or kid sister?
"Automatic with four-wheel drive, completely rebuilt engine and new
transmission. Three Thousand Dollars, including fees. Would you care to test
drive it?"
Amy Lynn in a big-wheel pickemup. Be very afraid.
"I disagree, Highness," Malachite said before he could stop himself. "The
humans will not go down easily," he continued, thinking fast, {: "}and most of
them will no doubt be armed with some sort of weapon. There is also the fact
that the human military is still investigating the crater left behind by the
last youma. They too, are armed and more formidably then the townsfolk. Our
youma are not invincible, after all."
"A good point, dear," Beryl replied, holding up the tunic she was mending to
the light to check the stitching. "But I wonder, if you speak out of concern
for the success of Jeddite's plan, or for your daughter, who will undoubtedly
{: be} at the festival."
To his credit, Malachite kept his shock off his face even as his mind raced.
Jeddite had preferred not to acknowledge the fact that their blood lived in
the body of a human and wouldn't have said anything to Beryl unless directly
asked. Nephrite had never been told, but that didn't mean he hadn't figured
it out. However, he {too : to} was not in the habit of volunteering information
unless directly asked. Which meant...his eyes slid to Zoisite, who stood
nearby. The younger man smirked, ever so slightly.
Nephrite chose his next words carefully. While he had the edge in experience,
Malachite possessed the raw power to tear him apart without trying and as mad
as he was, there was no telling what the younger man might do. "Listen,
Malachite. We need him, even if he is an underhanded weasel. Four Generals,
remember the {Procephy : Prophecy}? All Four have to be present before we can crack open
our prize. Let me take care of him, okay? You go get something to eat and
leave his discipline to me."
"Yes! I mean no! I--Damnit, Janice, she not only got the tractor working but
made it hover five feet above the ground during lunch last week. Working,
Janice, and she made it hover. You know damn well that it hasn't had an
engine in thirty years--you helped me and Myron take it out and bury it--and
it still weighs at least two or three tons. Yet somehow, it's not only
working, but hovering! I'm a public school teacher! I don't know how to deal
with this. And do you know what she said when I asked her how she did it? She
said it occurred to her while studying the wrinkles in the page of her math
book. Said it looked like a diagram for a car battery, hooch, and a kitchen
magnet wired together with paper clips. How do you make the leap from
wrinkles on a page to making a three ton cast iron rusty hunk of junk float
five feet off the ground?"
Good to see Amy Lynn's still tinkering. The math book probably has lots of
wrinkles. I wonder if they've finished the section on long division yet.
"And that works?"
"It's what I told her science teacher."
The one they left up north with the very large booze bill?
Standing there was a young man with short blond hair {dressed in a uniform of
some kind :}. Then her eyes narrowed as the man's face began to change. The skin
darkened, his ears extended to a point and his blond hair became a pale
white. He wore a military uniform of some kind and his expression was a cruel
smile. Standing next to him was a creature that seemed to be half woman, half
cat. Its hands were covered by metal gloves who's fingers were tipped with
long knives.
I'd only mention the uniform once.
"I can smell your fear, Ice Mage," he said softly. "I can taste it. It's like
a drug, it fills me, empowers me, makes me whole." He laughed softly. "The
masking spell is really very good, Amy Lynn, except that this close, I can
smell your halfblood stink." Caught off guard, Amy Lynn could only stare as
Jeddite raised his blade and then staggered to the side as a fireball struck
him. Several more followed and then there was a sound of a thousand windows
shattering at once and Jeddite vanished.
Now that she's been told she's half-blood I imagine she'll worry the
problem until she has it all figured out. Since Jeddite knows her secret
identity, it will pose an interesting delema to Malachite.