#229 texts

[libidomechanica]

Whose and stand then public ’“tis by that the”

Whose and stand then public tis by that the Tears; puts for they have but her can company. He notes of Hearts, at large. Could prize the wink’d at

that think’st the hole in malice still one of Virgin Mary for he was in a trance, that does their Brains were that, we were I am come.

[risequotes]

Daily Rise Quotes: DAY 229

Meat Sweats: But you... you was a bug.

April: Nah, beef jerky... I'm the swatter.

(Rise of the TMNT: Issue #4)

[textsfromlastseason]

[luxlightly]

Astarion last name and age at death

BIG SPOILERS for the Astarion plotline and romance So, someone translated the text on Astarion's grave and it says "Astarion Ancunin 229-268 DR" Then, his addition of "458DR - "

Which, of course, awesome that we get his last name. But more importantly, HE WAS THIRTY NINE WHEN HE DIED??? Elves reach physical maturity around 25, but are not considered fully matured, emotionally, until ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE. Which means Astarion was BARELY an adult by any standards when he died. No wonder he's so immature! He never got a chance to really grow up.

And, assuming 458 DR is supposed to be the current year, he's been a vampire for 217 years. These dates don't really line up with the other things in game and outside lore that say it's 1492 DR, but it's likely it's a mistake in continuity or translation. Though, it's also canonical that most city-states and kingdoms use different year systems relating to their current monarch or other events so there's often a lot of discrepancy between dates, which could also explain it. In any case, while the exact years may or may not be wrong, we can still probably assume the number of years between them is correct.

Poor guy...

[athymelyreply]

A highly recommended read. Full text of article under cut

On October 7, I was not hiding with my child in the safe room. My house was not burnt to the ground, and my husband didn't blow me a last kiss before his killer fired a fatal bullet.

I was safely at home in London where I have lived for over 30 years when my elderly peace-activist parents, Oded and Yocheved Lifschitz, along with 77 others members of the community, were taken hostage, barefoot and in their pajamas from their homes in the kibbutz where I was born and raised.

Israel's hostages in Gaza: A matter of life and death

Israeli peace activists who lost loved ones in the Hamas massacre stand their ground

What we can learn from released Hamas hostage Yocheved Lifshitz

For the past 229 days, together with the families of the other of hostages taken captive which now number 128, we have taken part in the fight for the lives of our loved ones.

A photo of the writer, Sharone Lifschitz's parents, Yocheved and Oded Lifschitz, who were both kidnapped by Hamas to Gaza on October 7. To date, only Yocheved Lifschitz has returned. Credit: Amiram Oren

In Nir Oz, my family's kibbutz, one in four people (117 in total), were either executed or kidnapped. We are still piecing together the events of that brutal day that Hamas terrorists and some Gazan civilians, perpetrated medieval levels of cruelty, driven by hate and revenge, blinded by radical religious ideology and super-charged with amphetamines.

Last month, at the "Seder in the Streets" event in New York, activist Naomi Klein spoke as if none of that ever took place. Instead, addressing hundreds who gathered for a combination Passover Seder and protest of the war in Gaza, she spoke of what she termed the "False Idol of Zionism", comparing Jewish support of it to the Israelites "worshiping" the golden calf and recalling Moses' rage seeing the spectacle.

Klein's interpretation seems to miss the point: Moses, unlike Klein, did not disengage. He did not give up on his people when they worshipped a false idol. Instead, without compromising his integrity and beliefs, he guided them through the desert for forty more years in their journey to become a nation. Klein, at this dangerous moment in history, is failing to lead her listeners to take responsibility, to engage and work towards a shared future in the region for Jews and Palestinians, one built on the preciousness of life on both sides and an understanding of the original intention of Zionism: the necessity for a safe home for the Jewish people.

"Seder in the Street" was also protesting the heartbreaking and ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and settler violence in the West Bank. Many in Israel, like my parents, would agree. Yet their plight and that of the other hostages – most of them civilians, from a baby boy of one year to a man of 86 - are not mentioned at Seder in the Streets or other gatherings of far-left pro-Palestinian Jewish activists.

My father, Oded Lifschitz, who is 83, and his friends who are also hostages, all in their late 70s and 80s, have worked for peace for decades. My mother, Yocheved Lifschitz, was thankfully released after 17 days of captivity.

Yocheved Lifschitz after being released from 17 days in Hamas captivity, in Tel Aviv, Israel in late October. Credit: Tomer Appelbaum

How much more effective these protests could be if activists abroad could act as a bridge between the pro-Palestinian movement and progressives fighting for peace in Israel?

Hamas, a terrorist organization which has been systematically stripping freedom, women's rights and democracy from the Gaza strip since 2006 are also strangely left out of the discussion. In fact, I see more criticism of the Hamas attack and crimes from moderate Palestinian voices than from prominent Jewish voices of the pro-Palestinian movement in the United States and Europe.

Klein is instead content in disengaging from Israel based on a distorted idea of Zionism and in so doing offers no solidarity with the moderate, progressive Jews living in Israel and for whom rejecting Zionism is irrelevant at this moment. Whether we like our government's policies or hate them as many do, Israel is home. Just as Canada is Klein's home, whether or not she likes the policies of the Canadian government or condones its mistreatment of its Indigenous population.

I consider myself pro-Palestinian. My family has always fought for a shared future for our two peoples, understanding this key point: our fates are interlinked. My parents have advocated for peace and equality for and with the Palestinians since the 1960s. We have united as a family to protest policies of the current Israeli government we find abhorrent. I wish for the Palestinians what I want for my own people: to live without bloodshed, in their own democratic state, as part of a negotiated two-state solution.

The facts are indisputable to Zionists and non-Zionists alike: There are about 7 million Jews and 7 million Palestinians living in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza. Jewish Israelis cannot be expected to reject the idea that they can and should have the right to live safely in Israel. Without Israel, where would they go?

Everyone who cares about what's best for the region must strengthen those who are working for a peaceful future. As my father always says, "You make peace with your enemies."

A Palestinian family rides on the back of a donkey-drawn carriage next to damaged buildings in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, in April.Credit: AFP

Thanks to international efforts to formulate a plan for the "day after" the war in Gaza, we are potentially closer to a long-term political agreement to lift us out of conflict than ever before. To help facilitate it, American and European progressives must distinguish between religious fanatics on both sides and those working toward a path of justice and peace for everyone in the region.

We must differentiate the liberal American pro-Palestinian activists from those who justify Hamas atrocities as acts of resistance. The dominant current narrative of the American far left, including the Jews among them, unwittingly aligns with Iran, and with antidemocratic and illiberal forces.

Instead of fostering hate and promoting disengagement from Israel, progressives abroad should help those in the region regain a sense that another future is possible and advocate for a negotiated political agreement that would create a state of Palestine established alongside the state of Israel. It won't be perfect, but it will be a good start.

The work of advocating for a different, sustainable future, must start with a call for the immediate release of hostages as part of a long-term agreement, backed by America and its allies, including moderate Arab states, that has the potential to transform the lives of Palestinians and Israelis by rescuing them from this ongoing tragedy. To fail to do so is to fail not just the hostages and their families, but to throw all the people of the region further into the abyss and undo the inspiring work of moderate forces within Israeli and Palestinian society.

In this, our darkest hour, we ask ourselves, who is our enemy? My enemy is the blind hate that seeks to erase the humanity of the other side. All of us who are horrified by what is unfolding in Gaza should work toward empowering the people of the region to move away from our common enemy. That's not Zionism, but rather the religious fanaticism we have within both our societies – Israeli and Palestinian – that threatens to engulf us all.

Sometimes, I want to shout at the news on TV, to remind people that their indulgent engagement in hatred of one side is so futile, so self-congratulatory. We can do better.

As we bleed and grieve, and in the case of families like my own – hang suspended between hope and despair for the fate of our loved ones, we must seek points of human connection between Jews and Palestinians, we must fight, not against one another, but for a practical solution that dismantles the status quo so that we can all survive – and live in freedom and security.

Sharone Lifschitz is a London-based filmmaker and academic originally from Kibbutz Nir Oz, whose parents were taken hostage on October 7. On Twitter: @Lifschitz_sha

[ms-scarletwings]

Aberrant Fish

Updated November 2024

The first hint many an angler will get of the dark, insidious secrets these waters hold,

and yet, they are the first thing to be accepted as only another flavor of mundane.

The game text calls them grotesque. The fishmonger calls them corrupted. You get to call them a bonus. Rather than fear and revile them, tradesmen will pay a shiny extra penny to add them into their stock. They are gestured to and spoken of, but never truly elaborated on by the townsfolk. They have probably been here long before most of them, and so will be here long after they are gone. They were certainly here before you. Maybe you don’t need their answers, and yet if you are like me, you still witlessly question and keep dredging for more.

Like many things pulled from those cursed depths, they whisper flecks of madness from an impossible voice. What messages do they carry, and what forces do they play vessel to? Are they the lingering embers from a long-extinguished calamity, or are they harbingers of the next one to come?

I believe we have already seen signs of fire with our own eyes- impossible, great beasts that prowl the four (now five) coasts, the dying cult, gibbering fog…. That damned book. These tortured creatures are but another form of the same smoke.

To the question of where they came from, if your fisherman pokes around enough and braves the darkness, he may have already found a response in one of the many obelisks scattered around the map. Specifically, I refer to this.

This would suggest the aberrants themselves are what leaked in through the cracks that the largest of all monsters wants to rend apart? Not entirely, but in part. For the researcher at the Stellar Basin came to her own conclusion I want to factor in.

Her words give credence to the possibility that it is actually those greater beasts themselves at the heart of the corruption. I think she was half onto something, because what if these twisted forms, both large and small, were blooms along the same set of festering roots?

The more dark stones you disturb in the frenzy of your own madness, the more you learn about the age before your arrival, about the islands, and especially about their current guardians. The Mindsuckers- carrion puppet masters given a home, the Basin creature- a spore that miraculously survived its dive to the abyss, and the Serpent- lifeless stone made animate and malicious, all had their creation remembered in great detail by the obelisks. Some hints point that their emergence was rather recent, relative to even more powerful beings, such as the leviathan.

Maybe there are even more unseen horrors far below, blessedly out of our reach, for now. My view is that the malformed beasts are the aimless children of such unfathomable things waiting beyond the veil. With them came its influence, and its corruption, and from them it continues to spread to all life surrounding. The smaller rifts were always a transformative disease upon the harbor’s fish, but with the rise of the new monsters, the sickness runs farther and less avoidably than ever. Whether these aberrant spawn are a gift to the worthy, or another deceptive evil that leads to madness remains left to be seen.

I have given a spotlight to each of these fascinating specimens at the back of Dredge’s encyclopedia, including those found in the Pale Reach and Iron Rig expansions, for further comment, ponderance, and appreciation.

[#104-109]

[#110-115]

[#116-122]

[#123-129]

[#130-135]

[#136-141]

[#142-148]

[#149-154]

[#155-159]

[#160-164]

[#165-168]

[#169-172]

[#173-180]

[#181-187]

[#188-194]

[#195-198]

[#199-202]

[#203-207]

[#208-212]

[#213-218]

[#219-224]

[#225-229]

[#230]

[Bonus I. Night Angler]

[Bonus II. Serpent]

[Bonus III. Basin Creature] (WIP)

[Bonus IV. Mindsuckers] (WIP)

[Bonus V. Unseeing Mother] (WIP)

[Bonus VI. “Narwhal”] (WIP)

[Bonus VII. Gleaming Goliath] (WIP)

[apod]

2024 March 30

Medieval Astronomy from Melk Abbey Image Credit: Paul Beck (Univ. Vienna), Georg Zotti (Vienna Inst. Arch. Science) Copyright: Library of Melk Abbey, Frag. 229

Explanation: Discovered by accident, this manuscript page provides graphical insight to astronomy in medieval times, before the Renaissance and the influence of Nicolaus Copernicus, Tycho de Brahe, Johannes Kepler, and Galileo. The intriguing page is from lecture notes on astronomy compiled by the monk Magister Wolfgang de Styria before the year 1490. The top panels clearly illustrate the necessary geometry for a lunar (left) and solar eclipse in the Earth-centered Ptolemaic system. At lower left is a diagram of the Ptolemaic view of the Solar System with text at the upper right to explain the movement of the planets according to Ptolemy's geocentric model. At the lower right is a chart to calculate the date of Easter Sunday in the Julian calendar. The illustrated manuscript page was found at historic Melk Abbey in Austria.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240330.html

[eleasis20]

Astarion's Gravestone is Wrong

I know a lot of people have seen this reddit post, translating the gravestone

The redditors translation looks correct, but the actual writing on the gravestone is contradictory to the in-world calendars.

DR or Dale Reckoning, the calendar supposedly being used on the gravestone, is the most commonly used calendar in-world. It's also the calendar that states BG3 occurs in the year 1492.

But looking at the translation, there's an immediate error here - the dates suggest that Astarion was born not 200-ish years ago, but 1200-ish years ago. And the date that Astarion adds to his grave also doesn't match the present year of 1492, instead reading as 1020 years ago.

There's nothing wrong with the translation, that's the matching letters alright, but the inscription itself is incorrect.

As pointed out by another Redditor, the most likely explanation for this, is that the devs accidentally used the wrong calendar. In the Forgotten Realms (the universe BG is set in) there are multiple calendars, and DR is just the most popular one to use. Another calendar is NR or North Reckoning, which states the current year for BG3 is 460, much closer to Astarion's date of 468 than any other calendar given.

I write this because I've seen a few people claim Astarion's birth year as 1229, just adding a 1 in front of the gravestone date to make it fit the DR calendar better. But this also doesn't work as that would make him 263 as of BG3, and Astarion repeatedly says that he was Cazador's slave for around 200 years (I believe he at one point specifies under 200, but I can't remember when), not 224 years or 2 and a quarter centuries.

It would also mean that the current year for BG3 is 1468, which is contradicted by multiple texts in the game that suggest the current year is 1492.

So, if we presume that the DR was a mistake, and this is actually meant to be NR, we can translate the dates this way:

229 NR= 1261 DR

268 NR = 1300 DR

468 NR = 1500 DR

Now there's another issue, in that the present day date still doesn't match the given one of 1492. It's 8 years later in 1500.

However, given that 1300 - 1492 is 192 years, and Astarion never gives a concrete timeline outside of around 200 years, I think the last date being wrong can be considered either another slip from the dev team, or an error on Astarion's part as he carves that date himself.

So, the real dates for Astarion's timeline should be:

1261 - born.

1300 - turned into a vampire.

1492 - current date/escape from Cazador.

This still preserves him being turned at 39, but makes it so that he spent 192 years in slavery, and is 231 years old in total.

An in-universe reason for these errors could be that Astarion was originally from the Waterdeep area, where NR is more commonly used, and the Baldur's Gate carvers got confused when making his gravestone. Plus, Astarion has canonical issues with dissociation and memory loss, possibly causing him some confusion over the current year when he carves his addition.

[sighed-the-snake]

Soul Music, literally.

From Kindle page 229, just after Crowley tried and failed to contact Shadwell, and now he's trying to distract himself in his flat.

Image text: Crowley gave up. He tried to read a novel, but couldn't concentrate. He tried to sort his CDs into alphabetical order, but gave up when he discovered they already were in alphabetical order, as was his bookcase, and his collection of Soul Music. Footnote: He was very proud of his collection. It had taken him ages to put together. This was real Soul Music. James Brown wasn't in it.

Image text: INFERNAL TIMES. SOUL MUSIC: Catalogue your collection of Souls?

My first reaction was awwwww babygirl is so bad at being a demon, look at his collection of SOUL MUSIC where other demons collect REAL SOULS.

But then -- Soul Music is capitalized. And listed separately from his music CDs. And it's emphasized that it is real Soul Music. And that James Brown is not in it.

Now I'm like...C-Crowley, is...is the Soul Music people. Did you put people in records like you put Hastur in a cassette tape.

CROWLEY. LOOK AT ME IN THE EYES WHEN YOU ANSWER ME, CROWLEY.

[textpostmemespksp]

Meme #229

(Image description in ALT text, original images below the cut!) 

[libidomechanica]

With star

See your valour ingent for Amiel’s Sin not on her dearly to deck, to you, to help lies he constance let us part, into rose ugly Scars, called to see whatsoe’r the North. With star. Till the Nation I was certaine revisits and signs the fatal deeds; lilies. And fade, and some slight, and Lady thunder the deepen at ever pendulums pull. I have deny’d, since erst: therefore I stately springing: o, let gainst my missed heaven the remain’d, and lusty May! Her be store, if the time distresses while I place. At they happy; all spirit its by love’s future incense of largenesse?

[stnaf-vn]

Ahoy, There!

We are having our next art/fanfiction challenge over in the Discord. July's Theme: Pirate/Sea Creature! Submit something and I'll reach to it on stream! YOU WILL HAVE TO VERIFY YOUR AGE TO JOIN THE SERVER.

[ton-618-ton-618]

2024 March 30

Medieval Astronomy from Melk Abbey

Image Credit: Paul Beck (Univ. Vienna), Georg Zotti (Vienna Inst. Arch. Science)

Copyright: Library of Melk Abbey, Frag. 229

Explanation: Discovered by accident, this manuscript page provides graphical insight to astronomy in medieval times, before the Renaissance and the influence of Nicolaus Copernicus, Tycho de Brahe, Johannes Kepler, and Galileo. The intriguing page is from lecture notes on astronomy compiled by the monk Magister Wolfgang de Styria before the year 1490. The top panels clearly illustrate the necessary geometry for a lunar (left) and solar eclipse in the Earth-centered Ptolemaic system. At lower left is a diagram of the Ptolemaic view of the Solar System with text at the upper right to explain the movement of the planets according to Ptolemy's geocentric model. At the lower right is a chart to calculate the date of Easter Sunday in the Julian calendar. The illustrated manuscript page was found at historic Melk Abbey in Austria.

[thatonegayship]

Can…can I also join the BillDip server 😳

I think this one should be good

[princess-of-the-corner]

Found a nifty resource if you ever want to color text on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/skins/229

And here's a tutorial on how to use it: https://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/119

I may use this at some point.

[bratshaws]

through the hourglass 245. brb x oc

a/n: * sprinkles in drama and then walks away *(comments and reblogs are super welcome and encouraged!)

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: none uwu

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

1/

/210/211/212/213/214/215/216/217/218/219/220/221/222/223/224

/225/226/227/228/229/230/231/232/233/234/235/236/237/238

/239/240/241/242/243/244

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist! )

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @novastories @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix @lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi @lexhalstead3 @lorilane33 @legendarydreamersharkparty @luckyladycreator2

@emilybradshaw @louisahale @leobabbyyy @booklover2sblog @winter-run @ktjmac @graciereads @bigpoppajes @taytaylala12

@caitsymichelle13 @becks-things @caatheeriinee07 @fanboyswhore9 @jesfreedark @katiemcrae @lilmonstrjedi @hobiismyhopeu @teacupsandtopgun @insominac23 @gh0stsgoodgirl @mygyn @chavivaelisheva @kmc1989 @enchantingharmonyalpaca

-

Beatrice taps the pencil on her notebook, holding her head up with a hand, the repetitive crunching coming from her left was distracting but she could ignore it…until the shadow loomed over her shoulder and created a shadow down her page, “Shells.” another crunch, followed by an even bigger shadow, “You are my parrot now?”

“What?” her friend questions, then sighs heavily before flopping on the chair closest to Bea, popping another pretzel into her mouth and then tilting her head, “I’m just curious about what you are doing.”

“I’m making a list of things for Rooster.” she explains, “I’ll go back to work soon,so,” she shrugs, “I need to keep everything ready once I go back to the bar.”

Shells continued to munch on her pretzels as she leaned back in the chair. She regarded Beatrice with an eyebrow up. "Making a list for Rooster?" she repeated, her voice laced with interest. "What kind of list?"

Beatrice glanced at Shells, a small smile playing on her lips,adding a few hearts on the page. "It's a list of things I want to prepare before I go back to work at the bar," Beatrice explained. "You know, to make things easier for Roos when I'm not around as much."

Shells nodded, understanding dawning in her eyes. "Ah, I see," she said. "’Cause of Nikki."

Beatrice sighed, her gaze drifting to the notebook in front of her. "Yep," she admitted, her voice softening. "But we've got a good support system, and Roos is an amazing father. I just want to do my part to make things smoother for him."

Shells grinned, reaching over to pat Beatrice's shoulder. "Ugh, you two, fucking sweet you are.” she plops another one into her mouth, “Sickeningly cute, going to give me cavities…but you are only going back to the bar in a week.”

"Yeah," Beatrice replied, her smile warm, "but you know how it is. It's never too early to start planning ahead, and I want to make sure everything is in place for Roos and Nikki."

Shells leaned forward, still holding her head up, ‘You left him alone with Nikki before, so why do it now?”

Beatrice just shrugged with a small grin, “I like leaving him little notes.” and she smiled more, making more little hearts on her page. Shells chuckled softly, then leaned back on her chair, crossing her arms with her jaw still crunching down the salty snacks, “Don’t say you don’t do the same with Bob.”

“Sometimes.” Shells mutters, “I like leaving him text messages though,it’s better that way and it’s not…embarrassing when my aunt shows up to my place.”

Beatrice blinked, looking back at her blonde friend,”...wait…what did Penny see?”

Shells grinned mischievously, savoring the dramatic pause before she answered. "Oh, just a few sticky notes with, you know, sweet little messages," she replied with a wink. "Nothing too scandalous."

Beatrice laughed, furrowing her brows. "Come on, Shells," she urged. "You? Leaving only cute messages? Come on.”

Shells leaned in closer, her voice hushed as she shared the playful notes she had left for Bob. "Well, there was this one time when I left him a note on his bathroom mirror," she began. "It said, 'You're the jelly to my peanut butter.' And another time, I put a note on the fridge that said, 'I love you more than pizza, and that's saying a lot.'"

“...you did not.”

“I did!”

The brunette crossed her arms, this time fully turning to face her friend, narrowing her eyes, “I know you way too well. You’d never do that, you are literally too horny for that.” Shells gasped in fake surprise, placing a hand on top of her heart.

“How dare you.” but the façade broke immediately, “Yeah, true,I did leave him some nudes and such. He loves it! You should try it with Rooster.”

"Oh, Shells," she chuckled, "you never fail to surprise me. But seriously, nudes? That's bold. As in…polaroids?"

Shells grinned playfully, popping one last pretzel into her mouth. "Hey, a girl's gotta keep things interesting," she replied with a wink. "But yeah, it's all about having fun in the relationship, right?"

Beatrice nodded, her smile warm. "Absolutely," she agreed. "And it sounds like you and Bob have that down pat."

Shells leaned back in her chair, a satisfied expression on her face. "Oh, we definitely do," she said, a mischievous glint in her eye. "But enough about us. Don’r avoid my suggestion missy"

Beatrice turned her attention back to her notebook, her fingers lightly tracing the hearts she had drawn earlier. "I don’t know what you mean." she murmurs, “Besides, I don’t think it’d change too much, Rooster is still…” and she pauses, cheeks warming about all the times they shared together, “V-Very interested…um…a lot of the time.”

The chair scoots closer and Shells’ face appears next to hers, “Listen,Bumblebea,I love you, you are my bestie so take this suggestion will ya?” she taps her friend’s hand, “Take some pics, leave them around the house in places where he’d find them and then…you know, make something interesting. His birthday is coming up,right?”

“Shells.”

“What? Oh fine,” she huffs, rolling her eyes, “What else you have on that list then?”

Beatrice, mentally glad they were no longer talking about her and Rooster’s personal life, immediately picked the paper up and smiled, “Well, it’s just a little something such as recipes for him and Nikki.”

"What kind of recipes?" she asks, “Can Nikki eat ramen or something already?”

Beatrice's smile widened as she began to explain her plans, ignoring Shells’ question for a second. "I thought I could compile a list of easy and delicious recipes," she said. "You know, dishes that Roos can quickly prepare when he's taking care of Nikki. It'll make mealtime a breeze for them." she pauses, “And will also help us out a lot.”

“Mhm.”

“Oh!Oh, like,” she flips the page, “Nikki loves potatoes, they could have something like mashed potatoes and-” she looks back up at Shells, who is just blinking slowly at her, ‘Aw come on, it’s cute.”

“It is cute,I’m not saying it isn’t, but besides recipes, what you got there?”

Bea looks back down, “Um…” she checks her list,chewing the end of her pencil before smiling,”Oh just…a few love notes that’d be it.” she closes the notebook then pushes herself to her feet, “You want something to drink?”

“Hmmm…wine.” 

“Wine? It’s two in the afternoon!”

Shells clicked her tongue against her teeth, “You got pomegranate juice?” her friend nods before disappearing into the kitchen, “I’ll have that then.” and Shells follows Beatrice in there, leaning her shoulder on the door frame while pursing her lips, “Listen,I gotta ask.”

“Yeah?” Beatrice has her back to the blonde while pouring some juice in the glasses.

“That weird neighbor of yours, that Miranda,” she juts her thumb over her shoulder, “Does she often jog around the neighborhood?”

“Hmmm…I dunno,why?”

“Because she kinda walked by the house at least twice.” Shells replies, looking back at the windows that showed the outside, “Is that normal?”

She turned to look at her friend with a puzzled expression. "Miranda?" she repeated, trying to recall if she had noticed their neighbor jogging around the neighborhood before. "I can't say I've seen her jogging around here much. Are you sure it was her?"

Shells shrugged, sipping her pomegranate juice once Beatrice handed it over to her. "It's just a bit strange," she mused. "I mean, I know people like to exercise, but it's weird she did often you know?”

Beatrice couldn't help but feel a slight unease at the mention of Miranda's unusual behavior. "Hmm," she said, her brow furrowing in thought. "I'll keep an eye out. Maybe she's just decided to take up jogging."

Shells hummed,clearly not believing her, setting her glass aside. "Maybe," she agreed. "Or maybe she's secretly training for a marathon and doesn't want anyone to know." she pauses, “Or she’s just being a creep.”

“Shells.”

“Listen she is a creep, from the short time you guys told me about her and her husband, something is off.” Shells gestures to Bea with her glass, “Come on, don’t you think it’s weird??”

"I mean,I do find it a bit strange," Beatrice admitted, her voice hushed as she rubs her neck. "And there's definitely something off about them. But we don't have any concrete evidence, so we can't jump to conclusions."

Shells nodded, her expression serious. "True," she conceded. "But it doesn't hurt to keep an eye out and make sure everything's okay. You never know. And we–” three knocks on the door, followed by the doorbell ringing, “Oh no, is it the Grim Reaper?”

Beatrice swats Shells’ arm as she walks around her friend, pulling out her phone to check who it was on the camera app, “It’s probably the mail or something of the sort and– no, no that is definitely Miranda.”

“What I said?” Shells props her chin on Beatrice’s shoulder from behind, “The grim reaper.”

“What does she want?” Beatrice mutters, narrowing her eyes and trying to see what she was holding on her hand, “Looks like…an envelope or something?”

Shells watched the feed over Beatrice's shoulder, her expression equally intrigued. "Should you answer the door?" she asked, her tone low.

Beatrice hesitated for a moment, weighing her options. The situation felt peculiar, and she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about Miranda's visit. However, curiosity and concern got the better of her, and she decided to see what Miranda wanted.

"I think I should," Beatrice replied, her voice filled with uncertainty. "It's better to find out what she needs, right?"

Shells nodded in agreement. "I guess, better safe than sorry," she said, though she still seemed uneasy about the situation. "Just remember I’m right here if you need someone to beat her up."

“Let’s hope it doesn’t get to that point,please.”

-

He was waiting for Maverick outside just like he asked, back leaning on the Bronco and his arms crossed. He did send Bea a message detailing he’d be a bit late because of Mav. She gave him a reply within seconds and told him to not worry, she’d be at home waiting for him and that she ‘loved him!! <33’

His smile widened as he reread her message, only looking up when he heard Maverick’s footsteps approaching, his helmet under his arm and his sunglasses on top of his head, “Mav.”

“Rooster.”

“So,” his nephew began, pocketing his phone, “What do you want to talk about?”

Mav placed his helmet on the motorcycle’s seat, looking around for a few seconds then licking his lips as he crossed his arms, “I might’ve learned something about Lt.Halton.” he begins, “He has…family within the Navy,more precisely within the higher ups.”

Rooster's curiosity was piqued by Maverick's revelation about Lieutenant Halton. With his promotion still fresh and his new responsibilities looming, any information about influential figures within the Navy was worth exploring. "Family within the Navy's higher-ups?" Rooster repeated, his brow furrowing as he processed the information. "Mav. What exactly did you find out?"

Maverick hesitated for a moment, as if weighing his words carefully. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and guarded.

"I overheard a conversation," Maverick began, "between a couple of officers during a meeting. They were discussing Lieutenant Halton and his connections. Apparently, he's got some family members who hold high-ranking positions within the Navy, like admirals and such."

"That's... unexpected," Rooster admitted, his mind racing with the implications. "Do you think this…had to do what happened?" mentioning the possible meddling of something they weren’t sure was really dangerous, it was all a common convo for all he knows.

Maverick shrugged, his expression thoughtful. "It's hard to say for sure," he replied. "But having family connections in high places can certainly open doors and influence decisions. It might be something to keep an eye on."

“...why would he do that?” Rooster questions just as quietly, “I mean,the hell, the man just met me a few weeks ago.”

Maverick shrugs, “We don’t know if he influenced it in any way, but it does…raise red flags doesn’t it?”

Rooster chews his lower lip, then rubs his chin for a few seconds before replying "Yeah, it does," Rooster admitted, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "I mean, it's just strange how everything happened so suddenly."

Maverick scratched his chin thoughtfully, his gaze fixed on the ground as he considered the situation. "It's definitely unusual," he conceded. "But we can't jump to conclusions without more concrete evidence.It’s…really complicated to accuse someone like that,” he pauses, “Especially within our line of work.”

Rooster agreed with a nod."You're right, Mav," he said. "Let's be discreet about this and see if we can find out more without raising any suspicions."

Maverick nodded in agreement, his eyes meeting Rooster's as he smirked. "We'll work together on this, Brad," he said. "And for now, relax, your promotion is on it’s way. Just wait a bit.” he hugs his nephew one last time before sliding the helmet on “Say hi for Bea and Nikki for me.”

“Will do.” Rooster just waved at him,waiting until his uncle rode off to finally enter the Bronco. Once inside he sat there in silence, pursing his lips, trying to think why would Halton mess with his promotion.

If that was true.

They could be accusing an innocent man for all he knows.

But it was very weird.

Rooster sighs, turning the car on and deciding that right now, he should just go home and see Bea. Maybe she could shed a light on this whole situation.

Rooster's thoughts swirled as he drove back home, and as much as he wanted to not do that it was a puzzling revelation, one that raised more questions than answers really.

As he pulled into the driveway of their home, Rooster couldn't help but feel relax immediately. Beatrice was waiting for him, and he knew that her presence would provide both comfort and clarity in this uncertain situation. Weirdly enough she wasn’t by the door?

He walked out of the car, grabbing everything within his reach and making his way inside. He stops when he sees Beatrice in the kitchen table, holding a paper on her hands, “Hi.”

“Hey,Roos.’

He frowns, “You okay?” nevermind what the hell he was thinking, his wife looked worried, drop everything immediately Lieutenant. He pet the dogs on the way over to her after shutting the door with his foot, “What’s the matter?”

“Um…” she scratches the back of her head, “Well.” she taps the piece of paper against her fingers, “We…um…we…” she chews her lower lip, “We were kind of invited? To a dinner?”

“...a dinner?”

“Yeah…” she frowns, “By the uh,by the Haltons.”