[i]Herro!~ So I'm involved in an AU rp site and, to celebrate the season, started a 'Twelve Days of Christmas' short story project. Each player chooses a day and writes a short story about their character being involved in a situation with the subject of the corresponding line in the song. I thought it'd be fun to repost the short stories here to share the love of the season. ^^


Some notes on this AU before we begin:

1. Happens a little more than a year after Sailor Galaxia was defeated.
2. Meshes aspects from both manga and anime universes.
3. Reiko (Aluminum Siren) and three lights have returned.
4. Senshi & friends live together in a giant mansion-like house.
4. AU because on the eve of Mamoru and Usagi's wedding, Mamoru finds he's in love with Minako, who returns his feelings. ((Yeah, when I found this out, I almost jumped ship. But I had already completed the form to be Haruka, and Michiru was so excited to have a partner, etc., so I instead focused my attentions on the 'what ifs' of the new silver millennium. this was a lesson for me to research the background information of a site before jumping in with both feet. x.x))
a. MamoruxMinako
b. UsagixSeiya (who returns with Yaten (and maybe Taiki? Kakyuu? they haven't come up at all, even in passing, so for this christmas setting I've just pretended Taiki was back but not Kakyuu)
c. O.o they (Usagi, Mamoru, Minako) are feeling okay about the whole situation -- not a lot of drama in the group. Except for Rei, as ReixMinako used to be a thing but Minako broke it off to be with Mamoru, so she's still hurt about it. Other of the original senshi are a little reserved about the man-swap, but are kind of just waiting to see what happens. ((though the admin says Usagi certainly will not be getting back with Mamoru in the future, as their roleplayers despise one another. Go figure)).




Okay! So, begin:

She steered the car around a corner, hurling the machine down the snow-sided street. Weaving in and around other cars filled with holiday shoppers, she raced towards downtown until she had to reign in the horse power, the traffic too thick to freely flow through. As she adhered to the speed of the crowd she dialed down the volume of the sound system and kept an eye out, searching the street for a store that might have what she was looking for. She passed clothing outlets, sweet shops, pet stores, restaurants and various other boutiques, but still she drove on. Two blocks down, her eyes widening in acquisition, the short-haired blonde pulled the purring Mazda Mx-5 Miata in Montego blue into a recently evacuated parking spot and killed the engine. Confidently, Tenoh Haruka opened the door, her long legs preceding the rest of her out of the car, her blue eyes never leaving the store sign.

Pretty Sun Antiques

Perfect.

With a click of a button the car locked as she gained the sidewalk, then the glass door of the shop as a bell tinkled above her head. She stood near the front of the store, stepping aside as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the new light, as the piercing white of winter burst through the windows, and a soft, homey glow emanated from the lamps strewn throughout the store, peppered in amongst old English-style furniture, on old wooden tables, on counters and beside clocks. Again she smiled – she would definitely find something for Hotaru-chan here.

The sound of soft, quick whispers in the air caught her attention and she subtly looked to find their source in a pair of women behind the counter. The older of the pair was middle-aged, skinny and friendly looking with an interfering air about her; the younger, her daughter perhaps, was high school aged with brown hair pulled up in a ponytail and a feather duster in one hand, an apron covering her outfit. They were glancing at her and whispering, before the older woman shooed the younger Haruka’s way. The younger, blushing slightly, took a deep breath and came closer.

“Welcome to Pretty Sun Antiques, is there any way I could help you today?” she asked, her voice poised even as her eyes struggled to meet Haruka’s gaze.

“You must be Sun,” Haruka breathed in her deeper voice, smiling a dashing smile.

“What?” the girl looked up, then catching the meaning she blushed furiously, “Oh! No, I’m just… my mother owns the store and…”

“I’m terribly sorry, I just assumed…” Haruka replied, cocking her head to the side and striking a cool pose, “Might I call you Sun anyway? It seems to fit you so nicely,” she continued.

“Uh, okay!” the girl allowed with a nervous smile.

“I’m glad,” Haruka smiled and led the girl farther into the store. “Sun, you seem to have a wonderful store here, perhaps there is a way you could help me.”

“Hmm? Oh! Sure, anything!” the girl replied, her brown eyes sneaking a glance at Haruka’s; in response, the blonde smiled dashingly once again.

“I’m searching for a present for a wonderful little girl who has a fascination with lamps…”

A little more than half an hour later, Haruka deposited a large French-styled lamp, carefully wrapped and ready to be boxed, into her backseat. Closing the door snugly, she turned and waved to the shopkeeper’s girl in the window and opened the driver’s side door. The girl waved back hesitantly, and Haruka sat back in the driver seat, starting the car with a low purr and waited for a stall in traffic to pull out of the spot. Michiru would have hit her a number of times if she had been on the outing… but what was the harm in flirting? Haruka smiled. The girl had been so flustered, it was rather cute.

Everyone had been invited to Christmas this year, and, so far as Haruka knew, they all planned to attend. Usagi, Minako, Reiko, Rei, Makoto, Ami, Chibi-Usa and Hotaru had already decorated the main room in the great house they all shared together, having made the Prince and that Seiya haul in the biggest evergreen that Haruka had ever seen. Lucky for her, she found she had only missed the ‘opportunity’ to pick out an pull in the hundred pound monster of a tree by mere hours as she had gone for a brief visit with her benefactors about her future.

Now, with just 12 days until Christmas, the house constantly smelled of cookies as Makoto baked for their families and for the homeless; there was always a warm fire in the hearth, stockings with their names hanging picturesquely above the blaze; and, more often than not, there were Christmas carols playing in the kitchen, dining room, living room and even the gym. In the entertainment areas of the house, one full television room was set to run Christmas specials and movies full time. Their house really embraced the season and the feelings of it all.

The living room that the girls had decorated was a harmonious clash of classy and cute, as beautifully fragile snow globes sat beside great stuffed reindeer, black-and-white photos of snow-scapes were topped by bright red Santa hats, and old fashioned candelabras were topped with candles sporting shiny stars and crayon-colored hearts. Great throw-blankets decorated with green sleighs and wreaths were thrown across the backs of couches, small chocolate goodies were put in glass bowls on practically every surface, the normal pillows had been replaced with Christmas-themed ones, and someone had used erasable marker to draw reindeer antlers, santa hats, elf stockings, corn-cob pipes, carrot-noses or candy canes on the framed photos throughout the room – a cute and funny ‘crime’ that none of the top three suspects (Usagi, Minako and ChibiUsa) would admit to. The tree, an enormous fir, was topped with a shining star and covered in ornaments, dripping in seasonally-colored bulbs, intricate glass decorations, and paper angels alongside tiny plastic figures and bright red bows. One might think it was too full to be considered beautiful, but Haruka looked at it and all she could see was her friends in every branch – it could not be anything but lovely.

The traffic finally broke and Haruka backed into the flow, turning her car further into the city. She still had presents to buy…

There were exactly fifteen people staying at the huge mansion, not counting the three felines; as such, they had decided that buying presents for everyone would completely kill their wallets, and so had decided to draw Secret Santas for the holiday season. They would buy under-the-tree gifts for their Secret Santa, up to a $100 limit, but would buy one tiny thing to put in everyone else’s stocking (up to $5, for a total of $70) and one gag-gift ($10 limit) for use during Dirty Santa on Christmas day. Haruka had drawn Hotaru, a joy for the blonde as she knew the little girl so well, having raised her and all. She would have had a hard time if she had drawn, say, Mamoru, or Reiko, and Seiya should be counting his blessings that she hadn’t pulled him.

Farther down the street, nearer the shops where she knew she would find gifts for stockings, Haruka parallel parked and stepped out, throwing some change into the meter as she struck out to quickly finish her Christmas shopping.

In just about an hour she had it all – candy for her princesses’ stockings, a cupcake ornament for Makoto, a small logic puzzle book for Ami, a newly released manga magazine for Rei, new hair ribbons for Minako, a small bottle of incense for Hotaru, a new sewing pattern for Setsuna that she had been searching for, lipstick for Michiru’s collection, a pair of running earphones for Mamoru, and got the Kou sisters/brothers/whatever ornaments that reflected their part in their band – a mic, a miniature keyboard, and a tiny guitar.

She should be finished, but Haruka, holding to her small bags of trinkets for stockings, was not done. Instead she browsed her way down the street, giving stores a precursory glance before moving on. A present for Michiru… a present for Michiru. What could she get her? In the past she had played to Michiru’s collections – she bought paints and paint brushes, easels and canvases, CD’s of classical music – on her last birthday, she bought a pair of tickets for them to fly to Italy for a concert of a famous violinist (and found that the violinist had heard of Michiru, which was a treat for them both). She surprised her every now and again with outlandish makeup, like the tube of tie-dye lipstick in the bag, for Michiru’s insane makeup collection, and often treated her to her favorite dish (sometimes laced with kikurage mushrooms just to keep things interesting, Haruka giggled at the memory).

But this was their first Christmas together, as an officially engaged couple. She glanced down to the bold and simple ring on her left hand, a partner to the elegant metal wrapping around Michiru’s ring finger, and smiled, remembering the fuss her aqua-haired partner had made over choosing their rings. Glancing around, she found that she had walked too far, so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t realized when she had left the busy shopping district. She was about to turn back when she heard a voice.

“Miss?”

Haruka paused, turning to gaze down the side street towards the sound of the voice. It was an older man with a thick moustache – a gypsy? He wore bright, colorful clothing, just like she had heard of the transients of Europe, but what was he doing here? And how had he known she was a girl? She wore clothes typical of any good-looking guy, and had certainly fooled ‘Sun’ earlier today, along with several girls as she picked out stocking stuffers earlier.

“Please, miss, I think I know what you’re looking for. Won’t you see what I have?” the man asked again, sweeping his arms, bedecked in a loose-sleeved shirt with a gaudy vest overtop, towards the table behind him, nestled in a small park just off of the main road. He wore scarlets and crimsons, bright greens and blues, the cacophony of color that insulted her senses even as it drew her in. Smirking, and keeping a close eye on her bags, she approached. Even if he meant trouble, she could certainly handle herself. As she got closer, a strange, soft cooing emitted from his shoulder, and, from the myriad of scarves tied about the man’s head, a small bird, barely the size of a pigeon, poked its orange-throated head out.

Haruka cocked an eyebrow at the appearance of the strange little bird, and the tan, weather-beaten skin of the gypsy broke into a smile, revealing bright white teeth, “this is Susie; she’ll be makin’ sure I keep the trade fair and will make suggestions to you.”

Haruka arched her brows, playing along, “a lucky partridge for me then, eh?” she commented, recognizing the bird for what it was. The bird, Susie, cooed in response and jumped down onto the white-clothed table, littered with bits of jewelry with bright colored gems, woven bracelets, turquoise necklaces, and charms.

“Tell her about your friend, and she’ll point out the perfect gift,” the gypsy suggested, nodding his head towards the bird that sat close to the table, gazing up at her.

She smiled, “I’m looking for a gift for my fiancée; we’ve been engaged for a little less than a year, and I want to give her something memorable. She is elegant, but brave and coarse when she needs to be. She does what must be done, and does not regret…”

Before she could finish, the little bird popped up and dashed around the table to the upper left-hand corner, coming to rest beside a gorgeous pair of earrings. Unlike earrings that Haruka had seen before, these golden strands of curling metal made a curious design at the earlobe, dropping a fragile chain that ended in a deep green stone, but the design continued working its way up the ear itself, fastening via a petit cuff mid-way up the ear and curling back down, hugging a light blue piece of metal that curled like an ocean wave.

“It’s… it’s perfect,” Haruka breathed. Michiru would love it – it was delicate, yet bold, and certainly nothing like anything in her collection of jewelry. It was unique, and so slight it looked like it was made by some sort of mythical creature, like the fairies in the stories they used to read to Hotaru when she was very small.

They worked out a price, she and the gypsy, as the partridge just sat there, looking very self-satisfied. The earrings were placed in a small box and handed to Haruka, who took it and shook the man’s hand and petted the top of the partridge’s head. With a smile she left, thanking them as she turned up the street.

As she met with the main road, she turned to wave one final time, only to find the stand had vanished. In its place, standing off in the greenery of the park, was a tree that hadn’t been there before. With sharp eyes, Haruka examined the spot again, from a distance. No, there was no such tree there before… and the gypsy would not have had time to move his wares in such a short amount of time. Still staring, she caught sight of movements in the branches and could swear to see, peeking its orange-throated head out of the foliage, a partridge in its branches.

Just hear those sleigh bells jingling
Ring ting tingling too.
Come on, it's lovely weather
For a sleigh ride together with you.

Outside the snow is falling
And friends are calling 'Yoo-hoo.'
Come on, it's lovely weather
For a sleigh ride together with you.


Once upon a time on a snowy winter day ran a frazzled blonde through the crowds of the local Tokyo mall while singing along to one of her favorite Christmas songs currently playing all over the place. Now of course you may ask why this young beautiful blonde would be in such a crowded place just days before Christmas but being who she was it really wouldn’t be hard to guess. She was doing some last minute shopping as she had forgotten about the stocking gifts for all her friends. The silly blonde had assumed that since they were doing a Secret Santa gift exchange this year then she would be off the hook but just today she realized that wasn't the case.

Although, she was rather proud of herself for having thought to order Taiki's present as soon as she heard that he was whom she would need to provide a present for. After all shopping for Ami-chan and Mamoru had made her into a genius at picking presents for studious people such as them. She had gone online and found a top of the line lap top for him. Since they had just returned from Kinmoku some months ago she doubted he had one which would help him in his studies and job, once he decided which of the many offers to take that is. Of course she had done her research and checked out Ami's lap top as well as Mamoru's to make the correct choice before going online and finding the ideal one for someone who would put it to a lot of use. It was a bit over the set amount but she felt he needed it and money wasn't something to get in her way especially since Natsuna-oneesan and Katarina had both known her identity they had set up accounts for her to receive all money that was made out of using the 'Sailor V' image. No one knew of course and contrary to popular belief she did not splurge all of it, partly due to Artemis and now Mamoru but still. Those two always questioned where she got all that money so she had to monitor herself to keep from raising suspicion from either of her two favorite men. She had learned to manage her money and use it for good reasons like for presents for her friends like she would do now.

Finally she was nearly done, she already had a new feather pen set for Re-Re, plus a secret present she had picked out for her with Mamo-chan as well as for everyone else but those would be kept a secret as each was from ‘Santa’. For her love she had gotten him a titanium thumb ring specially ordered with their initials on the outside and a small message on the inside, “私の小さな鳥” or “My little bird” plus his stocking present which was a black pen with a rose engraved on its shiny surface wrapped with a simple golden bow. As for the girls she had gotten them each something small like for Ami a pretty light blue headband, for Rei a silver and red charm bracelet, for Usagi-chan a pink stuffed bunny holding a carrot which inside held a necklace with a crescent moon pendant but she would have to find it first, for Mako-chan she had specifically ordered an emerald green scarf made since she could not find one just the right shade of green for her dear friend, and of course for the youngest Chibi-Usa-chan she had gotten her a pretty broach for her hair with pink diamonds. The outer scouts had gotten a new pair of white gloves with turquoise snowflakes, a figurine of a motorcycle made out of shiny metal, a pair of black amethyst earrings, and a purple stuffed bunny with a cute choker wrapped around its neck, to be worn by whoever took it off, respectively. The starlights had been difficult as she didn’t know them as well as her dearest friends but she found a microphone keychain and a keyboard one for them again apart from the secret gifts and Taiki's special one.

Four hours later she was all done and on her way home after a quick lunch. Now she would get home as quickly as possible and wrap as many presents as she could before a certain raven haired male arrived home. She had plans for just the two of them tonight that she had been wanting to do with him for some time now but being Christmas season he was awfully busy at work and barely had time to take her out. Of course he still spent every second of his free time with her but still she wanted to go out with him at least once on a special Christmas date out in the snow. Today she would meet him at the door in -time check- precisely 15 minutes which was a lot to ask out of someone such as herself. To her time was not something to live by but having a boyfriend that lived by it she had to learn to manage it with his in order to snatch him up for a romantic day out. As fast as she could she changed into a nice black sweater dress with white stockings, black fluffy boots, and a white fluffy coat before putting on her white gloves, scarf, and hat to keep herself warm. She grabbed her purse in the last minute and yelled a goodbye to everyone before stepping out the door to wait for him by his usual parking spot. His car showed up around the curb just as she stepped out and she waved with a bright smile as he parked right in front of her.

Aino Minako had always been the girl that watched everyone else fall in love and enjoy their own happiness but then suddenly she found it. The one thing she had always yearned for; love. It was in the most unexpected of places and had caused a lot of problems and conflicts within everyone she knew and loved but in the end it was worth it. The love she fought for and kept was real and true especially now around Christmas time she saw signs of the kind of love she had always wanted and now had. It made her feel the warmest kind of feelings deep inside and brightened her smiles as well. Never had she been happier than now even if at times she had to go through pain to get to where she was now, it had all been worth it. She loved him with everything that she had and everything that she stood for, love and beauty, were both things she found in him. All in him, Chiba Mamoru, the man who now stood a few feet away from her waiting for her to run into his arms as she always did and as she did she looked over his shoulder as he held her and saw the most beautiful sight she could have ever imagined in its simplicity. On a roof not so far from them were two turtledoves cuddling, entwined with their necks looking like the very depiction of love. The image proved to her how perfect love was and just how lucky she was to have him this Christmas and every Christmas from now on. Yes, Aino Minako now had a love she would treasure for many many Christmases to come.

“Mizuno-san?” a tentative voice asked, her voice echoing metallically off of the tiled walls to turn into a jumbled blur of sound under the water’s surface.

Ami opened her eyes, staring up at the ceiling of her favorite gym. The fluorescent lights were off as the sun crept through the frost-strewn windows, the pale ice reaching like fingers centripetally, sunbeams glancing off of the crystals and breaking into the many hues of a rainbow, each pane a different natural work of art. Winter was beautiful in this way, its ability to transform nature’s wonders into something even more breathtaking was truly amazing; ice’s touch was like that of a master artist, a simile Ami treasured as it lent itself to her.

The water rippled gently off of her, the pool still in the early morning. She had been first to arrive again that day, a tendency she enjoyed as she had the place to herself, to swim to her hearts content and to relax as much as she dared to. True, the house she shared with her friends also had a pool, a very nice one at that, but when she needed to be out for the day Ami preferred to return to her old favorite. But as she floated, letting the stress of schoolwork and medical school entrance exams leech away from her, drifting away pleasantly like the strands of her hair, she could not ignore the person who called to her. With a shift in her weight, she dipped her body into the water, the front half of her swimsuit absorbing the moisture it had just dried from as her hair plastered itself to her neck.

She offered a smile to the girl; her blue eyes alight with friendliness, “Yes?”

The girl, Hitomi, bowed hesitantly. She was a tentative girl by nature, a girl that treated everyone formally and seemed to sometimes be afraid of her own shadow – a girl that reminded Ami of herself at that age, before she met Usagi and her other friends, the girls that are so precious to her. She hoped Hitomi would find her special people, too, and until she did she hoped she could encourage the girl to grow into the woman Hitomi wanted to be. “Mizuno-san, there are some foreigners downstairs waiting for you.”

“Thank you, Hitomi-chan. I’ll get dressed and be right down.” Foreigners? Ami’s brows furrowed as she considered who they could be as she swam to the side of the pool and climbed out, squeezing the water out of her short hair as she reached for her towel and started drying off. Were they, perhaps, representatives of Charles University from the Czeck Republic? Or… could they be from the Karolinska Institute of Sweden? Had they already received her application? Did they usually visit potential students? Ami walked quickly to the showers, deciding a quick wash would be in her best interests, just in case they were from Karolinska. As the warm water rushed over her, she ran through all the information she had on the universities she had applied to; just in case the foreigners were representatives, she wanted them to know she was knowledgeable about their institution and truly considered attending… especially Karolinska. As she lathered shampoo and body-wash she mentally reviewed the research papers she had read recently – all seventy of them – just in case they wanted to talk recent breakthroughs. As the conditioner washed away, she believed herself ready.

She dried and dressed hurriedly, quickly packing her swimsuit in a wetbag and throwing it into her duffle as she slipped into shoes and set off down the hallway to the elevator. Nerves rose as the elevator sank, but the girl took a deep breath and quashed them. With a soft ding, the elevator ceased its decent and the doors gently pulled open. Bravely, Mizuno Ami stepped from the carrier and into the lobby of the building.

She did not expect to find what she did.

“Oh lala! Zhere she is!” a throaty voice called. Ami looked up and saw, to her confusion, a knot of very tall, very skinny and obviously French women heading straight for her.

“Ami Mizuno!” one of them clucked, reaching out and taking Ami’s hand to shake it.

“Ami, darling!”

“Isn’t she just adorable! Just like her headshots!” They encircled her, their perfectly sculptured faces leaning closer as if to get a better look at her as they frequently glanced down at her, then up at each other.

Headshots?

“You were right, Giselle! She’s perfect for our Sensual Scholar –“

“Our Sexy Scholar~” another growled playfully.

“Our Alluring Academic!” the other giggled.

“The Impulsive Intellectual!” the first said again, as they continued round robin.

“Our Seductive Scientist~” that one raised her eyebrows mischievously.

“Our Enticing Einstein,”

Ami had just about enough of this.

“Our Charming Quark!”

The other two paused, their momentum broken, “Charming Quark, dear?” one asked.

The suggestor flipped her hair, looking sly and proud as she explained, “It’s a play on words both ways, my lovelies – a charming quirk, and a charm quark – a quark is a subatomic particle that makes up hadrons, like a Delta Meson – that’s particle physics, dear-hearts.”

The other two clapped appreciatively, “Oh, but you are droll!” one cooed.

“Excuse me!” Ami announced, her voice loud to be heard above the clapping and compliments being thrown over her head. The noise ceased and she had their attention, “but just what is this about?”

“Oh, darling! Come, come, we shall explain!” the blonde one with shoulder-length hair proclaimed, pointing a long arm towards to doors. “To zhe limo!”

“To zhe limo!” the other two echoed enthusiastically, pulling Ami along with them, oblivious to the girl’s protests.

As she was dragged bodily through the doors, Ami just gave up and cooperated, deciding that if they had malicious intent she always had her transformation stick with her and a short phone call away were any number of girls who would come to her aid if she needed. Though, honestly, in this situation and with these women, she would probably call Mako-chan, Rei-chan or even Haruka-san before Minako-chan or Usagi-chan… those two friends of her might feed off of whatever crazy energy the three ladies were giving off and she’d be in even deeper trouble.

She was pulled into the backseat of a stretch limousine and looked around appreciatively for a moment before honing in on the three women who sat together across from her, pouring each other flutes of champagne… at eight o’clock in the morning… and clucking at each other. As the car began to move, Ami sat gracefully with her hands in her lap and asked again, her blue eyes hard as she waited for an answer.

“Please, what is this about?”

“Oh! Look at her eyes!”

“So scary! I love it!”

“Ooh, so might our readers~”

She waited, keeping her gaze steady as the street past her on either side.

“Oh, darling, do not look like you hate us! We shall explain!” And, in turns, they did so. They were three women from a magazine based in Paris that focused on up-and-coming scientists and mathematicians; their job was drawing in new readers and creating their yearly calendar. “We are putting the sexy back into smart!” one had proclaimed with a wink and a large gesture of her arms. They were in production of the calendar for the following year and, after looking over applications and test scores from across the world, they chose students and graduates that seemed to have promising futures in the development and study of science and mathematics – her name was among them.

“But I’m only in high school,” Ami protested.

“And you have made the highest scores on all of the tests! Your potential is nothing short of stellar!”

They wanted to do an article on her, publish a paper of hers, and feature her as the month of September in their calendar. “Our male subscribers would love to know more about you, I’m sure!”

She did not look impressed.

“And so would those application committees. Just think, published in a scientific journal while in high school and featured in an international magazine?” One turned to the other.

“I would accept her in a minute!”

“And we have so many subscribers in Sweden… especially at Karolinska…”

Ami took a deep breath and sighed. They were right – the more notorious her name, the better chance she had at such an exclusive and top-rated school. “What do I have to do?”

The rest of the morning was a blur. A make-upped, spot-lit, costumed and camera-filled blur as she was dressed and redressed, posing time and time again with various academic props and scenes as the two of the three women fought over the best way to represent Ami, the third interviewing her as Ami’s hair was teased into different styles or her nails were being painted between shoots. The magazine must be well funded, taking so much time and attention on one person, Ami decided, and tried her best, especially once she found out for sure that none of the suggested scenes or outfits were in the least provocative. The names thrown out earlier were just buzzlines to get the reader’s attention, buzzlines that they still fought over.

“Medicinal Madame?” one suggested halfheartedly.

The other thwapped her on the back of the head; “She wants to be a medical doctor, not some owner of a whore house!”

It was midway through the afternoon when Ami was dropped back off at the library, wearing her usual clothes. A rough draft of the article and several of the better pictures were on a flash drive in her bag for her to look over later, and on her arm in lipstick were the words “Sensual Scholar” with a heart at the end. She waved politely as the three rambunctious women drove away, their top halves sticking out of the sunroof despite the chill in the winter air, waving back at her enthusiastically until they were out of sight.

She took a deep breath, pulled her sleeve down over the words, and turned around to face the library. … How could she regain her concentration after a morning like that one?