so_shik | Forty-Third Spool of Thread

[There's the sudden sound of a bunch of boxes falling to the ground, contents spilling everywhere as the journal's camera points up to the ceiling. It shifts suddenly to focus on a particular pink-haired girl who was unceremoniously dumped into the back room of her shop on top of said boxes.]

Ugh...thanks for the warning, jerks. [She begins to untangle herself from the boxes of ribbons and fabrics, moving the journal closer to speak. For the most part, she seems pretty unharmed.]

Hey...so what day is it anyway? Here's hoping I wasn't gone too long, totally bad for business. [There's a slight beat, suddenly remembering something. You know, her housemate that was alone for like a week.] Haruhi, report. [She works her way out from under the pile of materials and the door to the back room swings open, allowing her to enter the main part of the shop.]

Neku...you better have made it back. That was pretty low of them, keeping us sort of together and then sending you back first. Besides, I was right in the middle of designing a n--

[There's a long pause suddenly as she really takes a look at the shop. She's staring at a row of dresser dummies, counting them in her head.]

All right, which one of you broke into my shop when I was gone?!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Here's hoping. But I mean...I can't think of many I'd actually want a repeat of either. It's a lose-lose situation and it seriously sucks...

...but at least we have the ocean. And electricity. We have a lot more now than we did a few years ago. I guess that helps.

...Have you been to see it yet? The ocean?

Not yet. I haven't been able to get away long enough to make the trek out there. Why, have you?

Mmhm. I was out that way at the beginning of the month.

Pleeeease tell me it's all it's cracked up to be.

Everything and more.

It'll be better in the summer. I'm sure of it.

Guess I'll have to drag the boys and Haruhi down there sometime in the next couple of weeks. Since it's worth it and all. I'm kind of excited now.

Why else do you think I needed the extra bathing suits? I plan to spend as much of my summer as possible out there.

I wasn't going to question, but now that I know? Totally approve. I might even join you out there for a while.

That'd be nice. We need some you and me time. Catch back up on things.

We'll make a date for it then when the weather's really good and I've got all of the swimsuits done. What do you think?

I think yes.

I thought you'd agree. It's a date then.

[ she wonders if jack will have moved to the shore by then. ]

If you can take a few days off, we might be able to make a little vacay of it.

[Jack may or may not have a 17-year-old girl throwing sewing supplies at him if he does.]

I think I could swing a few days, no problem. I haven't really had a vacation in a while.

[ buffy's thinking more along the lines of jack owes it to the designer to help buffy give her a lovely vacation. ]

Then? It's settled.

[That could work too.]

Give me a few weeks to wrap everything up here and then we'll go.

Give it a month. Ish. I have some -- uhm -- loose ends.

A month...sounds good to me. [And she'll even be nice and not prod about those loose ends.]

[ LITTLE DO YOU KNOW, shiki, that buffy's loose ends and your dummy thief are one in the same. ]

I'll let you know.

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