... finally. It's a good deal larger than I'd imagined at the start, and it still feels hurried, but I wanted to get it out of the way so I could move on with the story :)

Please bear with me. I'm learning as I go, and the biggest lesson this time was the effort it takes to actually do this-here writing stuff :) I need to bite off smaller chunks, and focus on specific plot events, to keep each new chapter about half the size of this one.

I do have some idea of the story, but I will be the first to admit, the first chapter committed me to a lot more story than I realized at the time, and I'm not quite sure how I'm gonna get there, or how quickly I'll manage it, or if anyone will still be reading if I do. I have some ideas, though :)