ember: a small piece of glowing coal in a dying fire

Did you know that the first day of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving fall on the same date this year?

Five years, two months, twenty-nine days.

Four years, five months, six days.

Four years, four months, four days.

Four years, three months, seven days.

Four years, twenty-six days.

Three years, ten months, twenty-seven days.

Three years, three months, twenty-five days.

Two years, seven months.

Two years, two months.

Nine months, six days.

This boy is from my world.

Seventy years into the future.

Sometimes it's hard to believe that I've spent the majority of my teenage years here.

On Lisa's world, the United States has started to become obsessed with choosing their next leader. Mobs stand out in front of public buildings waving signs, the candidates go on television to insult and yell at each other, and for some reason, the only people considered seem to be men.

I don't think I'm ever going to stop preferring monarchies. They're so much less messy.

It's the year 2012 on Lisa's world. I went to the New Year's party that was thrown at somebody's house, but I didn't stay until midnight; it's a tradition on Earth for people to spend the holiday with their families, so I did that. We recognized the New Year in the Fire Nation, of course, but the only real similarity to Earth was the fireworks.

I've been here since early in the Earth year 2008. It seems like it's been longer.

I'm not Jewish and I'm not from Earth, but celebrating Hanukkah seems familiar by now.

As strange as it sounds, I feel like I belong here.

Why do I even bother with friends anymore?

On occasion, things work out after all.

I'm in a very good mood right now, actually. I can't say beyond the shadow of a doubt that the problem I had before is completely gone, but I'm told that it is by someone that I should be able to trust, and I've decided that I'm not going to allow something like paranoia or fear ruin any of the close relationships that I have. I don't have many, and that's perfectly all right with me, because in the ones I do have quality beats out quantity by far.

Vriska, thank you again for the invitation. Now that I'm not staying away from the Vatican, I am of course extending the same to you, and you are free to come stay here if it's ever wanted or needed. I don't think I'm going to leave the Veil forever, though (again, unless I'm kicked out)-- I like spending time there.



But for now, I think two weeks off has given the Orden far too much of a break. I can't take down their head while on a "leave of absence", after all.

I'm going to take a break from the community for a little while. It's not because somebody did something bad or anything dramatic like that; I just need some time away. I've taken a leave of absence from the Vatican-- though obviously I haven't quit-- and I'm going to just stay in the Veil or on Lisa's Earth unless the notify me that activity from 01 has been sighted.

I don't feel like talking to most people, so unless you think you might be an exception to that, I'd rather not be bothered.

[of course, anyone has full OOC permission to bother her anyway; she just won't be doing any community activity of her own volition for idk how long]