dark chocolate with burnt almonds....

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I always suspected so, Elena.

connie - I do seem to have taken up residence in your brain. And I think I've convinced Otis to stop spitting.

Elena, is it too early to remind you about comments?

Ah, yes, Anne. It is not to early to remind me, but it is too late for me to do anything about it. I've got to shower and eat and then go to work - but I'm working overnight and will have time to comment then. I will comment.

I'm working overnight

Boo on the working overnight, but thank you so very much for being willing to take the time to comment.

Hell, Anne, I felt moved to comment. Some fics just strike a note, you know? And I can't stop myself from talking about them.

It's interesting to see people beta a QaF story without knowing the characters and see the kind of assumptions they draw. Very interesting.

SA, all I can say is "better you than me". Honestly, this is probably one of the only ways I can see someone writing QaF fic, because I find Brian so fucking impenetrable, so I like the concept. Who's the third section going to be?

Just to share the joy ...

The place was old, and the geishas working there looked nearly as tired as some of the wooden floorboards. They gave Giles very veiled disapproving looks for the color of his skin, but the fact that his Japanese was both fluent and British-accented made the smiles a bit less forced. When he asked for Ethan, the smiles flashed just a bit closer to pleased and naughty, then the cool professionalism came back and he was escorted to a small changing room.

The kimono he was given was spotless, though faded through dozens of washings, as were the slippers. That was one of the reassuring things about Japan, whatever strangeness happened, at least it would be clean.

Carrying his belongings in a bundle, he followed a young woman back through the narrow, steamy hallways. White curtains hung in the wooden doorways of the smaller bath chambers. Faint murmurs of conversation came from some of the rooms, with fainter moans of pleasure of one sort or another. Giles kept his eyes on the flowered kimonoed back of the woman ahead of him, especially when grim-looking men with extensive tattoos pushed by. A quick check of hands showed those men were frequently missing portions of their fingers.

A familiar voice came to him through the curtain at the end of the corridor. Ethan, making contented noises, with an occasional grunt of "Right there" thrown in.

grim-looking men with extensive tattoos?

Connie, a question: are they naked, unlike the geishas and other patrons, all in kimonos? Because otherwise, how are the tats visible?