Hello friends, fanfiction, and furry things.

A few things have happened to me since I started this fic long, long ago. I entered 7th grade, I got olllllld[er,] I got [hopefully?] better at writing, I discovered Touhou, I became more otaku-y, I fell in love with my friends, I found a friend I'll never forget, I started liking coffee, I wrote and finished some fanfictions, I entered... what, three, four essay contests? I still haven't won any of them, I've gotten a better understanding of the world, I've played Animal Crossing less, I've lost someone dear to me, I've started reading The Book Thief, I've fallen in love with my best friend.

A lot's happened. And this fanfiction, my first fanfiction, my seemingly most popular fanfiction... Deserves some revamping. And no, that doesn't involve vampires. Unless it's Remilia Scarlet.

"I beg your pardon! I was just resting my eyes. I was NOT napping! No, indeed!"

"Yes, yes you were."

"Naaah."

"Yah!

"Nah!"

"Yah!"

"Nuh-uh."

"Yuh-huh!"

"No no no!"

"Yes yes yes."

"NO!"

"YES!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"NO!"

"CELESTE!"

"WHAT?"

"You're cute."

"Hootie-TOOT! You're teasing me again, aren't you?" Celeste's expression turned sour. "Why don't you just take a peek through the telescope!"

Sarah groaned. "Why don't you try sleeping at night, Celeste? The rest of the town is asleep then anyway." Her self-assurance shone less like a light and more like neon pink glow-stick.

The little red owl's face wilted with fatigue and embarrassment. She was an astrophysicist, a cosmologist, an astronomer! Even more capable than even her older brother Blathers, the curator of the museum from where she resided, the second floor, her second floor, was devoted solely to the art that was space. With her telescope and her sharp owl eye for constellations, Celeste was a regular genius, her vast astronomical intellect greatly admirable and more than respectable…

Now then, if only there were ever people around to respect or admire such greatness.

If only there were ever people around.

"My brother may sleep on the job but I do not! I do…" A yawn broke through her strict face, and Sarah grinned. "…n-not…!"

A sweat drop and a face palm, Celeste sighed. "Oh, don't you look at me like that! Look, okay, I do occasionally…"

"Occasionally?"

Another sweat drop, another face palm, another sigh. "Okay, I often fall asleep. What do I do? I'm an owl, in case you haven't realized, hootie-toot!" Her wings crossed with irritation, Celeste still felt as though she failed to comprehend stupid humans. Why couldn't she be like the rest of those in town, ignoring her if they came up to see the stars at all?

Then again, it was nice to talk to someone other than her rambler of a brother, even if the rambling of a human (and one whom she… considered her actual 'friend,') was hardly any consolation.

Aforementioned human shook her head, mock disappointment on her face. Sarah never seemed to be genuinely unhappy, anyhow. "You could try some coffee. You have a freaking coffee shop in your basement, for crying out loud! Why not use it? Brewster would never charge you of all people."

At the name, Celeste froze.

How could she… suggest such a thing?

Then… how could she know in the first place?

She didn't. She didn't know anything, and nothing hurt more than wanting to tell a friend something you can't even admit to yourself.

However, the pigtailed brunette's face still prodded for a response. Preferably one that sounded like, "You're always right!"

"Look, I-I can't leave… What if someone comes? And has… a question!"

Her turn for a face-palm. "Nobody comes here but me, especially in the morning? You want me to buy you a cup? I can't stand to see you toppling over every five minutes."

"No, no, don't go to the trouble!" blurted out of her beak, and she'd later regret it. She'd later… question why she'd let herself say such a thing. "You just…. Stay here, hoot? Stay." Attempting at a stern voice, Celeste knew from one look at Sarah's eyes that even a short argument would be an utter waste of time and effort; the girl seemed to sponge both up. It was either this, or simple fate that made her descend those first set of steps…

Sarah, either because Celeste's stern demand didn't reach her human ears or because it did, followed, of course. The only human in all of Luropo wondered, not for the first time that day or even that hour, why some animals had such poor social skills.

This was true, as Celeste sometimes considered even herself a mild hikikomori, but in many ways, she hoped Sarah didn't know. Rather, she wished she did but hoped she'd never have to tell her. There were reasons for her discomfort, for her seclusion, for her awkwardness.

The first of these reasons, (as well as the last):

The pigeon.

She could have ducked into the gallery, counted to 100, and returned. She could have marched back up the stairs and told Sarah how silly this was. She could have just gotten herself a cup of coffee instead of making such a stupid, big deal of it, but these didn't even come to mind as she, passing her dozing older sibling, paused at the sign by the stairwell.

Something made her want to go, the same thing that she craved and yet was repelled by, from all those years before. Like staring at a candle flame to the point where it burns itself purple into your retinas, until all you want to do is touch it, even though it will burn… Rather, because it will burn.

A reason:

The pigeon.

"The Roost."

The name itself sent her stomach aflutter, and she realized she was hardly fatigued with this adrenaline rush.

You go downstairs for coffee and you get an adrenaline rush. Someone needs to lighten up.

Her thoughts kicked backwards out of sight, she took a single step onto the red velvet. When her talons reached solid ground and she opened her eyes to see that she wasn't dead, she was very pleased wither herself. Smiling, her fear kicked backwards to sit tight with her pessimistic (and, also now, realistic,) concerns and started to march on confidently.

A keyword:

"Started."

A thought from Sarah, observing the scene:

'A little too confidently there, dear.'

Which may amount to the fact she forgot there were stairs there. The girl quietly groaned with annoyance, watching as the puny, magenta wad of feathers plop-plop-plopped into a dark, abyss.

Brewster thought it was Sarah, as she was a regular; she liked a cup after visiting with the owl girl. His owl girl.

Sort of.

A reminiscent smile upon his face, the grey-green pigeon immediately found a grin upon his face when he saw that gigantic, pink bow again. He preferred it in black, sure, but he knew who it belonged to. His little night sparrow…

Somersaulting down the stairs with a few owl-y screeches and landing face flat on his coffee shop floor.

He didn't bother getting out of his station. He picked up his rag, his cup, scooted up his glasses…

As beautiful as she was to finally see after all this time, it hurt.

A simile or two:

Like staring at a candle after having closed your eyes.

Or like closing your eyes after having stared at a candle.

Thanks guys... New old chapters, coming right up~

Sorta.

Downloading Touhou games. What else to do? XD

-Aznheart