Diablo 2: Longing to be with you

Diablo 2: Longing to be with you
By Lady Jasmine

Chapter 1: The caravan ride that reveals too much
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The order to read the series is like so:
1. Longing to be with you
2. Visions of you
3. Fallen
4. Prodigy

(There is a story called "Apprentice" but it's a one shot story, nothing close to what I usually write.)

This is also the rewrite, done in Oct 2007. The original version was written in 2001-2002. (And it desperately needed an update)

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"Nevia!!"

Breathing heavily and fueled by adrenaline mixed with dread, Erix charged the large and muscle mass of fur. Already the beast's blood was dripping from the long sword as it flashed the reflection of the nearby torch light's safe illumination. The sword promptly found it's new home; the arm of the gargantuan beast.

With a cry, the paladin reversed his grip and with drew his sword in an upward slashing motion to free his blade from the beast's body.

With a pained howl, the beast fought back and pushed his assailant back forcefully enough to send him staggering from the blow. The beast's bloodied eyes, red from its own eyes, centered on his main target. Next to a broken long staff was the lithe body of a young woman clad in green and gold who was slumped unconscious against the stone wall- a sorceress. The sorceresswas the one who so kindly made his eyes bloody and bestowed the large wound on his back from her vicious charged bolt spells.

Snarling, its right hand swung out, striking the left side of her head. The circlet perched on the sorceress' head flew off, bounding of the wall as she fell to the floor. The sight of her lying crumpled on the dirty stone floor beneath them only enraged the paladin further.

"You bastard!" Erix cried out angrily, smashing his gilded shield into the back of the creature's cranium before striking him three times in quick succession; Zeal is the attack was called from his training days. It was an important skill to learn as it often was what decided the fate of a fighter on the battlefield.

The gargantuan creature screamed and writhed in agony as more of its blood was shed. The pain was clearer to it than ever before. It knew that this was its last moments of life and that only drove it's fury further to the surface to fight for what threads of hope and life it could desperately hang on to.

The paladin threw his shield to the ground and gripped his sword with two hands. No longer did the paladin care about protecting himself; it all boiled down to revenge. He swung his blade with all of his might, swiftly ending the poor beast's short-lived life. The head rolled away into the shadows as the neck began squirting blood in a single "blort" of a stream. When the headless body fell to the ground and its dark fur collecting its own blood, the paladin was left with a sense of dark satisfaction.

The paladin's breath was loud as his chest beneath his mail rose and fell with deep gulping air. He had never been scared out of his wits so badly... at least for today. He ripped off his gauntlets and wiped the sweat from his brow as he knelt down next the unconscious woman.

"Nevia? Nevia!" He shook her shoulder, desperate to wake her.

No response.

He quietly changed holy words and felt the power of his divine prayer descend upon him and the woman. He sighed and threw out a town portal scroll retreived from his belt. Hypnotic and swirling blue light split the space next to him. He stared at it as he picked up the young woman, cradling her gently close to his chest.

As he carried into the swirling blue portal, anger sparked in him; This was not the first time his partner ended unconscious due to her impulsive actions, and, as usual, Erix was the one who had to run in and play the hero just to save her ass.

* * *

Coughing and desperately gasping for air through the water that was trickling down her throat, her eyes fluttered open. The woman rolled onto her side and spat the water, coughing hard. The brown dirt and soil eagerly sucked up the water, leaving a dark stain on the ground where Nevia's rejected drink once was.

Dark eyes glared at the paladin as Nevia wiped her wet lips with her arm, "Dammit! What's the big idea?!" she shouted angrily.

The man who those harsh words were directed to stepped back, leaning against one of the many crates scattered in the Rogue encampment. He removed his helmet, shaking his dark locks as he spoke in a low and clearly furious voice, "I should be asking YOU that."

She sighed and gave a feeble apology like she always did, "Really, I am. But it was important."

"Important?" Erix repeated, "What is so important that you have to blindly run into a room full of gargantuans??! What, is it another mana potion like last time? Is that worth risking your life over?" He gritted his teeth and quickly exhaled out in frustration. "Dammit, of all the stupid—"

Nevia's head shook, "Don't be silly--"

"-Don't be stupid."

She glared in response to his remark before she continued on. "I saw these."

One by one, tucked into her belt, she pulled out three gold rings, each one decorated with a different stone. She explained the stats of each ring excitedly and ended off her long display with, "If I sell these, I'll have enough to gamble with Gheed for that amulet I've been eyeing for quite some time."

"Damn you, woman... You're gonna be the end of me," he thought, feeling as though his veins could jump out of his body and strangle the life out of his partner. Instead, his tight fist shook in anger, "You nearly died for an amulet. An amulet!"

"Not just any amulet," she retorted, crossing her arms defiantly, "I have a feeling it'll be an angelic amulet. And I really need that, my skills aren't that great to even--"

Erix quickly cut her off by throwing his full helmet to the ground in frustration. The helmet dully deflected off the ground and bumped Nevia's heavy leather boots, "You're impossible!!" he spat out. He wound up and tossed his shield into a crate. He barely looked at her or glanced back at her as he stormed past Deckard Cain.

The old and frail man glanced at Nevia concerned then back at Erix as he walked off to Warriv.

Nevia finally picked up Erix's helmet and sighed. She walked around the camp, heading to Akara's little corner. Passing the small stone wall, she spotted the purple-cloaked mage seated on a thick tree stump, hard at work researching magic as usual. She was quickly flipping through a thick book that was obviously old considering the yellowed and worn out pages.

"Akara?" Nevia quietly asked.

The middle-aged woman looked up and smiled serenely, "Oh, you're back from the monastery already. How was it?" She stood up and returned the book to a heavy chest on the floor. It creaked on its hinges as it opened and closed.

"It was alright," the sorceress replied. "There weren't as many monsters as last time."

"Well, that's expected considering you and Erix killed Andariel," the older woman chuckled, beckoning the sorceress to take the seat on the tree stump.

Nevia complied as Akara took her own seat on the heavy wooden chest. "I know, but, there were a few monsters, mostly in packs. It's still reasonably safe to pass through though. Warriv won't have too much trouble since Erix and I will be along for the ride."

Akara nodded solemnly, studying the young sorceress' facial features, "Is there something bothering you? You don't seem pleased by that."

Nevia hesitated, fearful of receiving a lecture from Akara. "Uh, I was hoping there'd be more monsters since I need more money."

The older woman chuckled and shook her head, "It's not money that you need, it's experience. You're still young and-"

"--I'm nineteen," she cut in, annoyed that she was being treated and spoken to like a mere child.

She nodded and smiled wistfully, "And full of youth. Don't worry about money...." She paused, "Tell me, how much gold did you take from Andariel's throne room?"

"About four thousand pieces," she arched an eyebrow, "Why?"

"How much did Erix take?"

Nevia lowered her head, embarrassed. "... about forty pieces," she answered sheepishly.

Akara coughed back a laugh, "Yes, well, before you woke up, he paid me forty thousand to replace something.... do you understand what I am getting—" She couldn't finish the sentence as Nevia was already on her feet.

Nevia couldn't believe he had that much money saved. He must have been stashing gold away without her knowing. "He's such a hypocrite!"

All the harsh words Erix ever said to her about materialism rushed back and began to hollow of its meaning.

"How dare he... telling me junk about how bad materialism is when je's worse than I am!!" she was fuming.

"No, no..." Akara interjected quickly, not wanting Nevia's temper to flare up worse than her inferno spells. "I didn't mean it as he saves and spends money madly, I meant that over years he's saved up little-by-little."

"Oh..." she paused, her eyebrows furrowing. Nevia shook her head, "What costs that much though?"

She smiled and pointed at the staff rack behind Nevia, "Why don't you take a look in that red pouch there?"

Nevia glanced curiously at the frail mage and then at the staff rack where she could see a red velvet pouch, the length of her forearm, hanging. She picked up the pouch and returned to the tree stump where she hesitantly opened it. A gasp escaped her lips as she pd oud out a decorated wand. On one end, it was shaped like a large eagle's claw, grasping a clear orb. The handle was embossed with gold and silver and even shone in the dim light.

"It's beautiful..." she quietly remarked, her eyes sparkling as she admired the precious weapon.

"It's in the angelic class of orbs," Akara explained. "It raises a sorceress' magic abilities a little bit."

"Really?" Nevia seemed amazed. "That's....." she trailed off. "Wait a second...." she thought. "Erix isn't a sorceress.... so..."

It dawned on her. She looked at Akara, her eyes wide in shock and hope, "This is for... for... me??" she squeaked as she spoke.

Akara nodded solemnly.

"No way..." She breathed in disbelief and thought, "Erix got this for me..."

She was both touched and confused by this sudden gesture. Even though she had been his partner since the day they ran into each other in the cold plains when she was being chased by a large gang of corrupted rogues, she didn't think he'd be so kind to buy her anything.

"B-but, I can't use this," She said simply. "I'd need a shield, and I don't have—"

"Charsi should be done by now."

"What??"

Akara smiled, "I used to have Sigon's tower shield, but, Erix bought it from me and asked Charsi to repair it since it's rather old." Nevia was confused. "The Sigon tower shield will give you a bit more confidence... He asked me for something like that..."

Oh... that's so kind of him..." She quietly said, dazed as she walked away from Akara, the red pouch still in her hand.

"Don't forget to say thanks to Erix," she called as Nevia walked away.

* * *

Nevia sighed and emptied her cup of water with her thirst before setting it on the wagon floor. She then lay back against the firm, but soft, pillows. Her arms were sore from loading all the supplies onto Warriv's wagons. Even though she was happy that they were on the road again and heading east to Lut Gholein, the sound of the wooden wheel, seeming to groan in protest with a foreboding sense, was making her sick to her stomach.

Across the wagon from her was Erix's unequipped form. He was rifling through his own stash, seeming to organize all the potions, gems and items, but, Nevia kia knew better.

"Clearly He just doesn't want to talk to me. I can't blame him though," she thought.

Her mind quickly settled on to the events of last night and their little chat during Erix's night watch. It was something she couldn't help but think about. He didn't seem to be any closer to opening up to her so that's why she was so shocked. She had never felt so much discomfort over discussing gold. Then again, she had never expected love to be mentioned during that argument...

And then, she closed her eyes, replaying it all her in mind once more like she had been doing for the past few hours:

***

A moment of silence haunted the two of them. Erix nervously removed one of his light plated gauntlets and helmet, setting them on the ground. "Did you get that amulet you wanted?" He asked, not seeming all that interested.

Startled, Nevia scooted herself slightly away from him on the log they sat upon. "Huh? Oh, uh, yeah I did..." She lowered her head, upset, "But, it wasn't what I was hoping it would be."

"Sorry to hear that," he said automatically.

More silent uneasiness came. The fire crackled as bits of flame shot up like a dying shooting star. The smell of the wood wafted around them while stars danced in the night sky. It was the perfect setting for a romantic interlude, but it was just never considered in such a perspective—at least not to Nevia.

"Erix, why did you buy it for me?"

"Because you staff broke," he replied simply.

Nevia shook her head, "But, it's expensive. I know you don't hoard—I mean, collect—gold like I do." She lowered her head and hesitated. "You could've just bought a simple short staff for me instead."

"I know, but, no," a brisk reply.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why are you like this? I don't want to feel as though I owe you anything... you know how frustrating that is for me. Please, can't you ask Akara to give you your money back, return the stuff and get me a plain old staff?"

"No." That was all.

"And why not? I never asked to get really good stuff, which actually turns out to be the best that Akara had at that time. I didn't ask for the best... I already owe you my life, I don't want to owe you anything else..." she blurted out, trying to keep her voice down to not wake anyone in the camp.

"I know."

Frustrated with his small answers, Nevia shook her head and left the log, heading towards her own set up tent, "If you know, then why do you do such things? It's annoying, it's frustrating... it doesnt make any sense. Why do you do it? Is it because you like annoying me? If so, please tell me..."

She laughed and it sounded so fake. "We can laugh about. I just... Erix, you know I don't like owing people anything. I owe you my life, isn't that enough? Why do you do so many things to be so nice to me? Is it because you want me to leave? I know that I'm impulsive... that I'm terrible as a partner..."

There was a pregnant pause before she exhaled. Erix's face was impassive as ever as he stared into the fire. His profile was illuminated by the swaying of the flames an he refused to turn to look at her while his mouth looked tight and unwilling to disclose his reasons.

She sighed and shook her head. She stood up and headed towards the tent when she finally heard Erix's reply.

"I do it because I love you... I want to see you live another day." He turned his head slowly, watching the back of her head, wondering what her reaction would be. "I want to know that you'll be all right, that I don't have to watch over you and wonder if you'll be dead in the one second I don't see you. I need you to be all right..."

His voice sounded raw as he repeated himself, "I love you."

Still facing the tent, her face not visible to the paladin. She was in shock. She wasn't sure how to deal with the confession of feelings, particularly ones so tender. Her gaze shuttered and her breath froze.

In the end, she couldn't find her voice to respond because she couldn't find her answer. Like a coward, she quietly retreated to the inside of her tent.

* * *
Nevia's eyes were now open, wondering if she had found her answer yet. She didn't say anything, but she wasn't sure if she had any feelings to admit back or not. She knew she had been with him so long she could definitely admit to friendship with him without hesitation. But love?


"What would I have said to him if I could turn back time...?" she thought, trying to imagine that moment, but the story retold. She pictured him realistically down to every single detail of his perfectly chiseled out face.

Nevia suddenly felt really hot. She tried to open her eyes, but found herself unable to move any part of her body... at least that's what she thought. And, from her mind, she found herself trapped in the moment she wished to returned to, but it seemed she did reply in the way Erix would've liked to have heard. He was holding her, his lips pressed against hers as though that tight sealing of their lips was a promise.

Looking in Erix eyes, she felt a fire burn in her chest, "Erix... I..." Before she could speak anymore, she felt his hand roam down and gently squeeze her left buttock. Her eyes widened and she gasped in surprise before the paladin claimed her mouth again, slipping his tongue past her sweet lips.

Another hand was placed on the other buttock, gently kneading the soft, but firm, flesh. Nevia's head seemed to be swimming in a river and stuck at a fork. One way leading to passion she never experienced, the other leading to her normal way of l- so- sorcery studies, the perfection of the elemental magicks, the way of the Zann Esu.

Her decision in that dream world was clearly made, not only to her, but also to the Erix lying awake in the real world....

***

Erix looked over his shoulder at the sorceress asleep on the pillows, watching her chest rise and fall with each quick breath and the expression on her face. She looked so innocent in her sleep and it was that very look that made him realize days ago that he did have feelings for her; That expression, so simple, so pure, made him feel as though he had to protect her. It made him realize that his life as a holy warrior was useless; fighting for the sake of justice is such an abstract cause while fighting for a real reason—one defined with solid evidence, the evidence of a living breathing person—seemed much more appealing to him.

He found his eyes traveling to her breasts, the bottom of her ample bosom visible thanks to the crop style of the top. His mind instantly remembered on one instance, about a week ago: she had charged an enemy with her arms raised to cast a deadly spell while her dark brown nipples bounced down into clear view with every step.

Something seemed strange though by her breathing... she seemed to be breathing harder and shifting slightly in her sleep as though trying to arch her back like a woman would during-- Erix shook his head, not wanting to get aroused over a sleeping woman and his fantasies. He looked up at the inside of the canvas cover for the wagon and sighed, leaning back against the hay, his hand brushing against Nevia's.

She murmured inaudible words and Erix pulled his hand away from hers. She suddenly rolled onto her side, closer to the paladin with her hand resting on his chest.

He swallowed hard and closed his eyes, feeling Nevia's hand trail down from his chest to his stomach then lower until it was just cloth separating her hand from his quickly hardening penis.

"Don't think about it..." he thought to himself, gulping as he suddenly heard her softly moan in her sleep. His head quickly turned in her direction as her face showed expressions of a pleasurable look mixed with despair.

"Ohhh..."

Hesitantly and nervously, he tapped her shoulder, "Uh, Nevia?"

She responded with several moans, this time, uttering a name to follow, "Ahh..... Erix..."

His eyes shot wide open, "???" His heart nearly jumped out of his chest to do backflips until he realized the sad reality of it, "No, I can't do anything to her... she's asleep. She might wake up... what am I even thinking?"

The paladin's interest was suddenly piqued when he heard Warriv's voice from the far front of the wagon, hidden behind all the boxes and out of their sig"Tha"That wasn't really water she drank, you know?"

"What?"

A smile could be heard from the man's voice, "Yep, I knew a man in Lut Gholein... he was very good with potions, Old Lysander. I used to have trouble sleeping before... all those monsters terrified and traumatizee. Se. So he made me these potions that could put me to sleep instantly for a few hours," he chuckled, "However, a woman in that city too, Atma, once gave me the recipe for an aphrodisiac for women... You figure it out."

Erix fell silent, shocked at the man's actions and story. "Impossible...." he replied.

"See for yourself if you don't believe me..." Warriv replied. The wagon suddenly stopped.

"Hm, I see a gathering of wagons up ahead, I'll leave you two here with the wagon for awhile, I'm gonna go talk to them. Don't make too much noise." With that, Erix could hear the man's footsteps gradually fade away into the distance.

Erix was debating in his mind what to do. "... I can't do this..." Apparently, the north seemed to be winning against the south.

"Mmmmm.." Nevia purred seductively in Erix's ear. Her hand gently trying to squeeze his manhood through his clothes. "Take me..."

That was all it took to shut out the voice of Erix' conscience. He gathered the beautiful sorceress in his arms and kissed her lips, gently taking small nibbles with his eyes closed. As a holy warrior, he had never felt so overjoyed by what the world has to offer and yet, he felt surprised by what emotions were drawn from what this woman had to offer.

Gently, his hands removed the flattened gold collar around her neck. Tossing it aside, his lips claimed the soft flesh of her neck. Her warm and exotic scent invaded his nostrils, inflaming his blood and drawing him deeper into her dizzying spell.

He planted several light and some lingering kisses on her neck and throat, loving the feel of her soft flesh and the sound of her voice encouraging him to go on but not saying it in words.

The shirt was quickly discarded. Soon after, his mouth claimed her hard nipples. Pausing and moving his head back to admire her womanly breasts, he murmured a few soft words as a prayer of thank you to fate for allowing this moment and whatever moments were to come next.

His tongue eagerly flicked back and forth over her right nipple as his left hand lovingly tweaked and tugged at her left nipple. Another audible moan was released from the sleeping sorceress. Erix couldn't help but smile as he continued his ministrations on the lovely woman.

As much fun as he was having teasing her responsive breasts, it was time to move on.

When he ran his fingers down her sides, Nevia shivered and softly purred, "Mmm, more..."

Like an impatient and horny teenager, Erix quickly removed her belt and skirt, tossing them aside and feeling quite proud over the visible damp spot on her white panties. Her juices of that spot made the cloth somewhat opaque and the dark shade of her pubic hair could be seen.

Holding the sides of what separated him from her passion core, he slid the garment down her luscious legs, holding his breath. The neatly kept thatch of dark hair was revealed to his eyes. Oh, that scent. The musk of her was so heady that he could feel his cock stirring, desperately longing to plunge inside and explore what delights she had to offer.

Erix spread out Nevia's legs, kneading the muscles of her thighs and then running his hands over her creamy and soft skin. He had dreamt of touching her in such loving ways. He had wanted to know how her skin felt; how soft and plump her thighs would feel when her legs were wrapped around him.

She moaned in appreciation, her legs tensing as Erix's hand stroked her puffy and moist nether lips. Lowering onto his elbows, the perfume of Nevia's sex grew stronger and Erix's need for release grew more desperate. "Just wait.." he thought, a command to his member to be patient.

Parting the dark and sensitive flesh, one of the paladin's digits disappeared into Nevia's velvety and moist depths. He smiled; she was incredibly wet right now and ripe for the taking.

"What kind of dream are you having right now, love?" he whispered softly to her, his thumb swiping gently around the pearl of her desire.

***

"Ohh!" Nevia moaned loudly, arching her back with her eyes closed.

Another layer of perspiration appeared and now glistened on her skin. What was the reason for her lusty cry? Erix of course. On the floor of her tent, between the spread legs of the wantonly lust-consumed sorceress was the handsome paladin, his tongue darting in and out of Nevia's sopping nether lips and his unclothed cock desperately hoping for attention..

Sensing that the sorceress was near her climax by her tensing legs, he pulled away and smirked. His finger was barely inserted into her heat and simply pumped a few small times, teasing her.

Nevia's eyes darted open and she raised her head, a look of desperation and pain on her face, "Ahh..... please, Erix!"

Sitting up on his knees, Erix grinned cruelly and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as Nevia's sexual burn was slowly cooling, "You know what I want."

Nevia moaned again as Erix did nothing. She bucked her hips gently against nothing his teasing finger, "Please..."

"Say it."

Erix, I want you to screw me!"

He arched an eyebrow, "Screw? Is that the most filthiest word you can use?" He shrugged non-chalantly. "I guess I can find someone else—"

"—I want your hard cock in my tight pussy! I want you to fuck me senseless like there's no tomorrow! Fuck me!" she cried out, desperate for him to follow through with her demands.

He grinned as his hands encircled her waist to flip her over onto her stomach. "I cannot deny any request you make... no matter how dirty it is," he said teasingly as he tugged back on her hips to raise her rear to level properly with his penis.

Nevia moaned as she felt the head of Erix's thick tip press firmly against her. It obscenely rubbed up and down her entrance, anointing it with her sweet wetness. She wiggled against him and he sighed contentedly.

"Such a tease..." he murmured.

She purred, "Only to you—" Her words were cut off with her own cry of pleasure. Without warning, Erix had thrusted his hips forward, driving himself deep inside her hot and inviting body.

Nevia gasped as Erix furiously moved against her. His hips were slapping against her bottom as she felt him slide deliciously in and out of her, making her burn on the inside and out

Erix grunted, "Oh... you're so tight."

Nevia's head thrashed around as she howled weakly, "Uh, yes... it's my first time..."

***

With three fingers rapidly pumping into her wetness, Erix's lips fastened around Nevia's erect clit and he sucked madly, her hips bucking wildly as the sleeping woman's mouth emitted cries, "Ahhhh, Erix... Oh god! Uhh...."

Nevia was flowing like an eternal fountain. At times Erix could've drowned in the sweetness of her. He loved how it dripped off his fingers and was forming a dark puddle where the pillows absorbed it.

The odd thing was she hadn't even climaxed yet, but Erix was determined to draw an orgasm from her no matter what.

"Fuck me..." she muttered between quick breaths.

Erix's eyes widened by her sudden uncouth request, but his eyes sparked mischievously He got up onto his knees and dragged the woman by her hips closer to him. "Alright then."

He couldn't wait to slip inside her, to stare at her lovely face while he loved her in the most carnal way, in the way that had fueled his dreams for so many nights.

He positioned his penis (which would be rejoicing by now for the reward of Nevia's lovely body) at the center of her core and paused for a few seconds.

Within that pause, Nevia's lips parted to mutter, "First time..."

Erix's eyes widened and he suddenly withdrew his hands from her and backed away. He shook his head in disbelief at what he was about to do, he was about to take the virginity of an innocent woman while she was asleep an vulnerable. He did his thinking with his dick instead of his brain or heart....

Guiltily, he quickly put his clothes back on despite the pain of doing nothing over his hard-on. What made things worse was that Nevia was still lost in her dream, moaning, sweating and crying his name over and over. Erix felt a pang of guilt in his stomach every time he heard her passion-filled voice call his name.

"Forgive me..." he sighed softly as he struggled to put dress Nevia back in her clothes without repeating his crime again. That smell.... her musk was incredibly powerful and it took every bit of his will to fight the urge to rip off his clothes again to take her right there.

As he reattached her flattened gold collar, he looked at her face, which seemed much more calm, less urgent and not a trace of demand for sexual relief. The innocent expression he loved so much had returned.

"Nevia..." He leaned down and firmly pressed his lips against hers. It was then that the sorceress uttered a sentence that could've made the paladin cry.

***

Within Nevia's dream, she was lying beside Erix, both sweating and basking in the afterglow of their rough lovemaking, Nevia's fingers teased his nipples and ran over his muscular chest. Her eyes were looking at his face, darting to each feature and examining him closely for a few seconds.

His eyes met hers and he smiled, "What're you doing, memorizing me?"

She warmly returned the smile and shook her head, "No," she whispered softly, "I already know you by heart..."

"Is that so?" He arched an eye, am, amused.

"Yes....."

"Why?"

She hesitated before answering...

***

"I love you."
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Questions/comments/blargh: ladyofjasmine@gmail.com

Blog on progress and writings: http://jasminegardens.blogspot.com/