[Fic] "Lemonade" chapter 17 -- BtVS/Gundam Wing/Naruto

For the first time in this story, I am not keeping an absolutely strict linear time flow. In other words, Faith's POV section picks up a few minutes before the end of Sasuke's POV section from chapter 16. Everything after that is linear again.

Thank you to everyone who gave me advice on Chinese and Japanese writing systems, and to deralte, who pointed out the obvious English workaround to the Japanese phrase I was asking about. (2,100 words)

( Lemonade, Part XVII )

This may seem like a completely random plot tangent, but I promise there is a method to my madness, though it may not currently be apparent. (I will give you a hint: it involves bathtubs. And possibly chocolate. *grin*)

...I will try to describe the blue insect demons and their mounts in more detail when I revise this for ff.net, but right at the moment, I would rather get something posted than wait until I have the mental energy to make it perfect.

wherein Liz is a little stressed out

I don't know what was up with Thursday and Friday, but I would like to register a complaint against them. I am supposed to be able to leave early on 6 o'clock shifts if I feel like doing so. I am not supposed to be stuck at the smoke shop until 6:30pm, and doing actual work through most of that time.

...

Stupid giant book orders arriving half a week early.

Stupid cappuccino machine water cylinder maintenance. (Do not speak to me about limescale. Just don't.)

Stupid BW trying to take four boxes of half-and-half down to the cellar all at once (because he's a man! he can carry them! no problem at all!) and, of course, dropping them so cream explodes all over the floor. Idiot. And then he didn't clean it up right, so there was tacky, smelly clotting cream all over the unbroken pints in the refrigerator, and he shut all the doors so there was no ventilation and the whole cellar and stairwell reeked of rotting milk, and he left the mop sitting in several inches of filthy, milky water without either adding bleach or, you know, dumping the water out down the storm drain, and--! *tears hair, gnashes teeth* (I swear, one day I am going to snap and do serious violence to that man, I really am.)

Stupid Kentucky Derby and way too many people coming in to buy Daily Racing Forms for the one day a year they care about horse races.

Stupid nice weather enticing people out to walk around the Commons.

Stupid Mega Millions jackpot being over $200 million tonight.

Stupid instant lottery ticket returns, and the unpleasant discovery that an activated book worth $500 had gone missing out of the safe. I am the one who both activated it and put it in the safe, so even though I have no clue how it could have vanished (and at least none of the tickets have been cashed, which is a small mercy), this is all directly on my head.

...

*deep breath*

Argh. Just argh.

I am so glad I have Saturday off.