#840 whas

[weselllouisville]

(Louisville Real Estate Show)

[astarionancuninswife]

symphony (bard!tav x astarion)

My first official fic for BG3 and this was a fun one to start with!! The song that came on shuffle was Cody Fry's I Hear A Symphony - Live From Ocean Way Nashville. The first thing I thought of was a bard playing it, so that's what I went for. Kinda short, but a little drabble never hurt anyone.

Like I said, this is my first BG3 fic and therefore my first Astarion fic. I've privately written him recently, but this is my first public release of my interpretation of him, so I'm sure there's some discrepancies in his characterization. That being said, I'm always open to hearing constructive criticism, just be gentle with me.

Please enjoy!

word count: 840

warnings: N/A unless sweet sweet fluff is something you're wishing to avoid... or if you don't like real life songs being used in fantasy settings lol

ao3 | guidelines for requests | masterlist

It was just like any other night at the camp, a strange mix of people forced into companionship by unlikely circumstances minding their own business. Shadowheart sitting in thought at her tent, Wyll making conversation with Karlach about their adventures of the day, and so on. Tav is sure the others are doing interesting things as well to wind down for the night, but she isn't too concerned about them. Instead, she sits by the fire, pretending to simply be staring off into space as she strums her lyre idly, but in truth, she's watching a certain vampire across the way. He's reading a book like he often does. She's not sure of what the contents are, she's not interested in it anyway. 

She stops her hand for a moment and starts thinking of the song she had composed a few nights before and just hadn't been brave enough to share until now. It was rare for the bard to be nervous; her pieces usually were just silly little ditties made up on the spot about something funny that happened while out with a small party of her companions. Those didn't warrant a fear of criticism. 

This, however, was different, it's fully written and memorized. It's special, it's a song with a specific muse. And she's not quite sure how this muse will react when he hears this pseudo-confession.

After some thought, she softly begins to sing with her eyes closed, "I used to hear a simple song, that was until you came along," she takes a breath to steady her shaky voice, "Now in its place is something new, I hear it when I look at you," she finally opens her eyes with the last word, immediately meeting Astarion's through the flames of the fire. She can't quite read his face, but when can she ever? He's pretty good at keeping his thoughts tucked away from any detection when he wants unless she uses the tadpole connection to enter his mind. She would never though; she understands the need for privacy and consent with everyone, but especially with him.

So, instead, she begins strumming her lyre and continues her song:

With simple songs, I wanted more, Perfection is so quick to bore, You are more beautiful by far, Our flaws are who we really are,

It was then she saw recognition on his face, a smile threatening to grace his lips. He was holding back, but she was fine with that. The corner of her lips become upturned as well, she's more than happy to smile for the both of them at the moment. She stands up, finding her usual confidence again at his acknowledgment. And all at once, in her mind and in this moment, it is just her and him alone in the camp. No one else exists to her.

I used to hear a simple song, That was until you came along. You took my broken melody, And now I hear a symphony.

She does a few vocalizations to fill the gap between the last stanza and the outro, all the while never taking her eyes off the pale elf who has given up on keeping his lips from forming a smile on his face. 

And now I hear a symphony.

She strums a few more notes before ending the song, standing there by the fire with a stupid lovesick grin. She watches as he walks over to her while clapping a few times, "What a beautiful melody," he compliments, "I wonder who could have inspired such a poem."

Tav laughs at his theatrics, rolling her eyes as her cheeks heat up, "A mystery," if he was going to tease her, she'd play the game as well.

"Well, whoever they are, they must certainly be quite special to you."

"He is," she says, her voice filled with nothing but honesty, "I hope I'm even a fraction as special to him…" she trails off, looking at him softly before becoming self-conscious of her implications and looking away.

Astarion is quiet; it takes him a moment to realize how vulnerable she's being in the moment, how honest and open. A soft smile takes form on his lips again before leaning to kiss her forehead, "More than just a fraction, darling, much more," he says gently, just loud enough for her to hear.

After a few seconds of blissfully staring at each other in silence, clapping can be heard from another spot in the camp, followed by Shadowheart quietly scolding Karlach for ruining the bard and rogue's sweet moment. Which is then followed by the others all figuring out who won the bet of how long it would take for one of the two to confess having actual feelings for one another and who would be the one to make the first real move. (Lae'zel won both, plus a bonus prediction of how Tav would confess, though it wasn't much of a surprise considering she carried an instrument around like it's a necessity in life she can't live without.)

[louisvillehomes]

(Louisville Real Estate Show)

[bodhimcbodeface]

oh my god

[dendroica]

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday he spoke to President Trump about the Senate working on legislation to tighten the nation’s gun laws after the August recess, as both men face heightened public pressure to do something about gun violence following last weekend’s two mass shootings. The Kentucky Republican, in his first interview since the shootings left 31 dead and dozens injured, specifically mentioned expanding background checks on gun purchases and “red-flag” laws, which would allow authorities to confiscate a firearm from someone deemed a risk to themselves or the public. “Those are two items that will be front and center as we see what we can come together on and pass,” McConnell said on Kentucky radio station 840 WHAS. At the same time, McConnell, who faces reelection next year, underscored the difficulty in reaching consensus on a divisive issue. Congress has not passed significant gun-control legislation since the 1990s. “It’s always a challenge in making federal legislation because we do have a lot of differences in our country over an issue like this,” he said. “I mean, how people in South Dakota, for example, feel about this issue would be dramatically different from how they feel about it in Boston.” McConnell, who is recuperating from a fractured shoulder, said he spoke to Trump on Thursday. Democrats have been urging McConnell to bring the Senate back to Washington immediately to vote on a measure that House passed in February to expand background checks on firearm sales. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) sent a letter Thursday to Trump asking him to use his constitutional powers to force the Senate back into session to vote on the bill.

Under pressure, McConnell raises possibility of Senate action on gun legislation - The Washington Post

If McConnell writes the bill, I expect it to be toothless or have some awful provisions, but at least he seems to realize finally that there’s a problem.

[offended--good]

A health study says of those surveyed, over half of teens who transition from female to male and just under a third of those going from male to female have tried to kill themselves. 

Maybe it’s because instead of them  getting treatment for a serious mental illness, they are being told to live how they want and do what feels right. 

[jdrespling]

EDDIE VAN HALEN's Widow JANIE: 'I'm Doing The Best I Can'

EDDIE VAN HALEN’s Widow JANIE: ‘I’m Doing The Best I Can’

Eddie Van Halen‘s widow Janie Van Halen (née Liszewski) says that she is “doing the best” she can, five months after the legendary guitarist’s passing. In addition to mourning his loss, Janie has dealt with the deaths of her brother last June and her mother in November. Janie, who is a ballroom dancer, discussed her grieving process while appearing on the “Tony & Dwight” on NewsRadio 840 WHAS…

[weselllouisville]

(Louisville Real Estate Show)

[kalkine]

Wattle Health Australia Signs Distribution Deal for China

Wattle Health Australia Signs Distribution Deal for China

Wattle Health Australia Limited announced it has signed a Term Sheet (Agreement) with International Supplies and Distribution Company Pty Ltd (ISDC) to supply WHA’s conventional cow infant formula for sale in traditional retail/ general trade in Mainland China.

ISDC under the Agreement to service the Mainland China market, has guaranteed volumes as follows:

For the first 18 months, commitment to…

[louisvillehomes]

(Louisville Real Estate Show)

[katvontea]

Louisville has settled Breonna Taylor's wrongful death lawsuit

(CNN)The city of Louisville, Kentucky, has settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old EMT killed by police six months ago.

A source told CNN on Tuesday the agreement was a multimillion dollar settlement. Taylor family attorney Sam Aguilar also confirmed to CNN there is a settlement in the case."The city's response in this case has been delayed and it's been frustrating, but the fact that they've been willing to sit down and talk significant reform was a step in the right direction and hopefully a turning point," he said.Taylor's family sued the city after Louisville Metro Police officers broke down the door to Taylor's apartment and fatally shot her while executing a late-night, "no-knock" warrant in a narcotics investigation on March 13.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer is expected to announce the settlement later Tuesday in a joint press conference with the Taylor family attorneys. Speaking to News Radio 840 WHAS on Tuesday morning, he declined to comment on the settlement, saying, "I don't have anything to announce on that at this time."A CNN review of the shooting found that police believed Taylor was home alone when she was in fact accompanied by her boyfriend, who was legally armed. That miscalculation, along with the decision to press forward with a high-risk, forced-entry raid under questionable circumstances, contributed to the deadly outcome.Taylor's boyfriend, who said he believed the home was being broken into, shot and injured an officer, and police killed Taylor in the return fire. The officers were not wearing body cameras, police said.None of the three officers involved in the flawed raid has been charged with a crime. One officer, Brett Hankinson, was fired in late June for "wantonly and blindly" firing 10 rounds into her apartment, then-interim Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder wrote.

The fatal police shooting has led to months of protests in Louisville and across the country under the overarching Black Lives Matter movement against anti-Black racism and police violence. Since her death, the police chief was fired in June after a separate police shooting , and the Louisville city council passed "Breonna's Law," which banned no-knock search warrants .Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, the first Black person to hold the post and a Republican rising star, was made a special prosecutor in the case earlier this year, and the FBI has opened an investigation as well.A grand jury has been empaneled to investigate the shooting, though an announcement has not been made about those proceedings.

Cameron is expected to announce a charging decision soon, though he has declined to provide a specific timeline."My office is continually asked about a timeline regarding the investigation into the death of Ms. Breonna Taylor. An investigation, if done properly, cannot follow a specific timeline," Cameron tweeted last week.

....”’no knock’ warrant in a narcotics investigation” THAT WAS FOR AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT APARTMENT.

They seriously said police “miscalculated” breaking into the wrong apartment of a sleeping woman and shot her dead because they thought she was alone.

The cops involved still have not been charged.

It’s not enough.

It’s not enough.

It’s. NOT. ENOUGH.

[vyechi]

To show my Valentines day experience, I choose to write about it. In other words, I want you to experience what I felt during my day. In other words, people have several ways to celebrate it. My morning started with my alarm waking me up 15 minutes earlier than usual. I had made plans to leave on time so that I can make it for my painting event. After painting, I had planned to have dinner at Salaam Bombay. It’s an Indian restaurant a few blocks away from the Muse Paintbar. Also, it serves buffet-style lunch. Then I went home.

Valentines Day Experience in Review 2018

Valentines Day Experience in Review

I came to work early today, so I can arrive early to paint. I left work around 6 pm and walked down Chambers street. Using my google maps application on my 360 Google Watch while listening to my favorite podcast. “Your Moms House.” Eventually, I made a right turn on Greenwich street and walked a few blocks and saw a big sign, Muse Paint Bar. I took off my headphones and sent out a few messages and walked in. I expected a restaurant bar, kind of like two business in one. A counter at the front, the hallway filled with canvas and painting easels. The instructors were bartending and signing us up for the lesson. When I got my self-registered, I hung my work costume in the closet and walked over to the back to find my seat. I got a call from a friend about a ski trip and walked into the bathroom downstairs. Lots of different paintings for sale. I saw a picture of bears and a lady riding it away from the sun. It was worth 750$.

Finished Two Birds In Front of Moonlight – Muse Paintbar

Unfinished Two Birds In Front of Moonlight – Muse Paintbar

Two Birds In Front of Moonlight Side – Muse Paintbar

Two Birds In Front of Moon Light – Muse Paintbar

Beautiful Paintings – Muse Paintbar

Painting Easel – Muse Paintbar

How do people decide the worth of a painting?

Time spent

Stress level

Similar paintings

What else should I add to this list?

Leaving Muse Paintbar

We finished painting and said our goodbyes. After using the bathroom and washing my hands, I got back upstairs to grab my art and went with my friend. In my mind, I thought what a horrible experience because I left with a beautiful picture, but I felt like I can’t reproduce what I had created. In other words, the class shows you step by step how to break down a painting. What do you guys suggest I do in a class like that? In other words, how do I make the most out of this experience? Don’t get me wrong; it’s a great idea for Valentine’s day experience, but not so much if you’re looking for foundations course. If you’re interested in trying it out and want to thank me, you can use my referral code, Muse-71E2s. When you apply it at checkout, we both earn $10!

View of Freedom Tower Closer – Muse Paintbar

View of Freedom Tower – Muse Paintbar

Salaam Bombay (Quick Overview)

It is a short walk over to Salaam Bombay. When we got to the place we ate and order the following items

Lamb shish kebab, chicken chettinadu, bhindi masala, spinach soup, roti, and rice

Water and Gin and Tonic

Spinach Soup Saag – Salaam Bombay

Dinner – Salaam Bombay

Final Thoughts and Announcements

What do you think of my writing style and grammar? I signed up for premium version Grammarly because I want to learn how to write better. Be that as it may, I was thinking of joining more art contest. I looked around briefly. For example, I checked ArtStation and deviant art. I noticed the beneath the waves contest. I was thinking of doing it even though it’s over. What do you guys think? In other news, I want to find a way to share the current progress of my drawings. In other words, small nib bits of my experience making it. Asking feedback is heard because I need to give something in return. I am not sure how to work this out. Completely unrelated, I got an email from my favorite computer hardware company, EVGA. They are running a giveaway. If you want to win some extra gear from EVGA, please check out this page https://wn.nr/qhsM9A. It will give me and you an entry into the contest.

What was your Valentines day experience like?

Valentines Day in Review 2018 To show my Valentines day experience, I choose to write about it. In other words, I want you to experience what I felt during my day.

[inconceivablemoth]

Okay so, I don't even go here but for the life of me I haven't been able to stop thinking about this. I'm taking all this shit from wikipedia. Also I'll use cows as an average for everything because it's almost 3am and my brain is fried. (Following @katrinarosaliequinn's expert farm-person stats)

First, and solely for the sake of argument, let's imagine that for some reason the whole family decides to go settle down and enjoy a few decades of chill wholesome yee-haw lifestyle (Esme is rocking the cottagecore aesthetic for sure).

Let's consider that a full meal would be of an animal with 37lt of blood on average (55ml of blood/kg on cows with 680kg).

24 animals/month would be a total of 888lt of blood for the whole family to feed, every month.

On average, an adult dairy cow (I'll use Holstein 'cause is the most common dairy breed) will produce about 28 liters of milk per day. That is 840 liters of milk/month from a single cow. This could potentially mean that a single cow would cover almost all of their needs, tho I'm not sure full milk would meet their necessary nutritional requirements. They have a lot of cows, however.

The average herd of dairy cows in the US has over 100 animals. Now, I have no idea whas this number means (or even how farms work), but even if only a quarter of the cows are actively lactating at the time (giving time for the others to chill until it's time for their lactation to start or however it is this things work), that still means about 21000 liters of milk/month (over 5500 gallons). That's like... a lot.

I guess a regular farmer will manage their cattle considering the highest possible monetary gain that can be obtained from the sell of it's produce, but seeing as the Cullens are fucking rich already, they could also do some cool stuff with the excess of produce without it having to go to waste.

Also in this AU I imagine Esme regularly makes jam and gives free jars at farmers' makets. And everyone wears a straw hat regularly.

In my opinion the Cullen’s should have a farm and a garden. They could get blood from the animals and keep them alive for whenever they needed to feed, and also vampires can totally drink milk and eat milk products so they could make all that stuff from home. And with leftover food and food from their garden, they can give food to the low income families in Forks and make a difference in the community.

[queenburd]

this rose is covered in black spots

Did you know: I actually have had the concept for Rotten Petals and the story around it for several YEARS now.

Uh. Warning for a date-rape drug, it’s not used to do that thing tho, that’s abt it.

How does it begin? Like this:

Godwin Ellis isn’t a very good person. He has never pretended to be, nor tried to convince anyone otherwise. He is vain, and cruel, and inconsiderate. He’s loud when he should be quiet—he is mean when he should be kind. He is coldly intelligent and emotionally stunted; he is nasty and selfish, and he has a face only a mother could love.

No, he’s not a good person. Morals come to him as easily as oil and water mix. He thinks maybe he was born a little wrong in the head, but he’s not sure how, and he’s never cared enough to try to find out. He feels fine, it doesn’t bother him. It doesn’t bother him that he sees parts instead of people. Maybe it should—maybe it would have given this story a different ending. Maybe he would have noticed what was going wrong, before it went so wrong it could never be right again.

How does it begin? Like this:

Ellis lives with his secretary and girlfriend. She’s a small strong thing, and he’s never quite figured her out. That, like everything else, has never bothered him too much, because she’s fit into his space with almost no trouble at all.

There have been times, though, where he sees something burning under the surface of her skin (a new secret, a small tell) and he wants, more than anything, to peel back the layers. He wants to find out how she works, what makes May function the way she does. She is not like anyone he has ever met, and he is so curious. That is his nature.

His excuse, for many months, is that it would risk losing her. He doesn’t want to risk breaking something so perfectly fit to him, because he knows he’ll never find another one like it. So Ellis does not act based on his urges—for the first time in a long time, he behaves more like a man than a monster. He reaps the rewards in emotional satisfaction (a satisfaction he’s never known to exist before now), and physical contact, and something else—something deeper that he’s never felt before. The urges come and pass him by, and he leaves her whole.

This excuse only lasts so long as he thinks she’s human. When May finally tells him, many months after meeting him, what she is (fiery queen, magic pumping through her heart, fragile like a bird but as eternal as stars), the urge to pull her apart comes back threefold. Not because she lied to him (he understands that, and understands she’s got many more secrets) but because she is something new, she is something completely unique. Ellis wants more than anything to learn how she works.

And the most fucked up part, is that she knows this, and she tells him that if he wanted it from her, she’d let him take her apart and study every inch of her. Understand: this woman has fought monsters four times her size and won out of stubbornness. This woman is unbreakable, unbendable. She does not allow horrible injustices in her presence, and she would let him violate her in the worst possible ways. He doesn’t know why.

Equally, Ellis can’t explain why he doesn’t take her up on the offer. It isn’t as though she would break—her body would heal from any damage caused to it. The only answer he can come up with is that he’s more curious to study her alive, to know this creature’s habits. These things have never been documented by humans—every moment with her is its own breakthrough.

This is what he tells himself, when the intrusive thoughts return. It doesn’t seem like the full answer, but it’s the only logical one he can come to. This is its own experiment, with no real end date in sight.

The thoughts, however, are always present. If they weren’t, this may have never happened.

-

DAY 840

Godwin wakes up to an empty bed. The sheets are still warm, and is he listens hard, he can hear May moving around in the kitchen, swearing softly at every clattering dish. The sun filtering through the blinds makes him squint irritably and flop onto his other side, willing himself to go back to sleep. When it fails, he groans and grumbles, and pulls himself out of bed, pushing his fingers through his hair as he yawns and stumbles into the hall. He catches a glimpse of her as he steps into the bathroom, and when he comes out, she’s pouring a mug of coffee just for him.

They stand across from each other and eat their cereal in general quiet, before she stretches loudly, her shirt drawing up to expose the skin of her abdomen, and puts her hand on top of his on the counter.

“Morning.”

“Morning.”

“S’Saturday.”

“Thank fucking god.”

May snorts, leans across the counter and presses his hand to her cheek quietly. “Spend today in?” she asks softly, seeming content beyond all reason. Her hair’s a halo around her face. He strokes her cheek with his thumb.

“For now, yeah. Time is it?”

“About nine-thirty.”

Godwin makes a sound like a raspberry around the rim of his mug before he sets it down on the counter. A quiet day in sounds perfect, he thinks. He doesn’t feel up to doing much other than watching TV and curling up next to a warm body. When he makes his way to the couch, she drops next to him, her bare thigh pressed up to his, and relaxes against the cushion. He takes a moment to just look at her, before he turns on a show he doesn’t really have to pay attention to and relaxes against the arm of the sofa.

His girlfriend presses against his side and he drapes his arm around her shoulder without much thought. She’s warm to the touch.

This morning is pleasant, if a little boring. Not much happens—they shower, she puts on some music they both sing badly to. He puts the dishes in the washer, she does the laundry. By one pm, they’ve finished the chores, and she’s flopped along the couch. He sits on her legs and she squawks and tries to kick him off to no avail as Godwin pins her down and tickles her sides, cackling. She screeches and swears, and he dominates her completely, pressing his scratchy cheek to her jaw, blowing raspberries into her neck.

One thing leads to another, and when they’re both breathless against the arm of the couch, May presses her forehead to his jaw and mumbles.

“I love you.”

The world goes frozen for him.

Two and a half years of holding hands, kissing in doorframes. Of domesticity. Two and a half years, for a quiet whisper that echoes oddly in his chest.

She’s never said it before. Maybe he’s thought the phrase in passing, maybe he’s wondered why she hadn’t, but now it’s here, in the air between them.

So.

Why does he feel a sense of victory, stronger than the flush in his chest?

When time starts again, he finds her looking up at him, vulnerable. He wonders how long he’s been frozen staring at the crease in her brows. She’s expecting something, he doesn’t know what, but he lowers his head to press against hers and kisses her. He kisses her hard. She relaxes underneath him, kissing back, and he thinks, without warning, I can use this.

An idea begins to form there, thoughts tumbling around while she’s under him, breathing deeply. Words like vulnerable and experiment, a plan that shapes itself. After a few long moments, he finally pulls himself off of her, patting her thigh with a grin.

“Get dressed, let’s go out to lunch.”

Today needs to be perfect, Godwin decides, as he slides his coat on and watches May apply her bright lipstick in the bathroom mirror. She at least deserves that much, he thinks. It will make things much easier. When he locks the door behind them on the way out, he thinks about what he needs.

They go to lunch, they go to a movie, he buys her a bouquet of roses and tucks one behind her ear. She laughs, eyes crinkled shut, sounding like a cawing crow as he kisses her face. All the while, he’s thinking about what he’ll do first.

When they go home, it’s almost six. She wants to make dinner—he offers to get groceries. While he’s out, he stops at the pharmacy, and the jeweler’s, and the hardware store. He makes a stop before heading back to her, and he helps May cook.

He does everything perfect. She smiles at him widely, and that night after he helps with the dishes and kisses her in their bed, her thighs on either side of his hips, she says it again.

“I love you, Godwin.”

Again, that sense of victory is more overwhelming than the warmth bubbling in his center, and the warmth disappears faster than he expects it to, but it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t sleep that night, he lays beside May and studies her profile, studies the way her chest rises and falls.

Yes, he thinks, it’s time to move on.

-

DAY 841

Ellis gets up before May. He makes himself coffee, and makes her a mug of tea. He puts two scoops of sugar in, just how she likes it, and brings it to her in bed. He curls up beside her while she drinks it, his arm around her shoulders.

“Mm,” she says softly. “M’still tired. I think I might nap.”

“Finish your tea,” he replies, stroking her hair, and she does so obediently. He takes the mug from her, and sets it on the bedside dresser. Her eyelids are fluttering softly.

“Why’m I so sleepy this morning,” she asks, mostly a joke at her own expense.

“That would be the zolpidem,” Ellis replies, pulling her to lean on his chest. She doesn’t resist—she can’t.

“…Wh…wha—“

“Shh. Relax. Let it do its job.”

She murmurs something, a burble of confusion, before she succumbs, pressing her face into his collar.

Ellis gathers her up into his arms. She is light. Her bones are hollow, like a bird’s, which makes this process easier. He carries her out of the apartment.

The zolpidem will only last a couple hours, but it is more than enough time to get everything ready.

-

DAY 1

How does it begin?

Like this:

She wakes up cold. Her limbs feel heavy—when she tries to move them, she finds she is restrained. She is still so tired, and the bright fluorescent light above her is harsh against her eyes.

“There she is,” says a voice that makes her heart soar and sink within moments, and Ellis hovers over her. He is smiling. It hurts to look at, because it’s the smile reserved for her, the real one that’s almost soft. “You slept longer than I was expecting! I guess I thought your system would kick that drug out, but you know, no harm no foul.”

“Nn—I don’t—What’s going on?”

He does pause at this, the smile slipping into a more thoughtful expression. He taps his chin. “How do I explain this in a kind way. You know I’m not very good at kind.”

The coldness inside her is spreading. May tries to struggle off the slab of cold metal again. It shouldn’t be that hard, there’s very little that can hold her in this world, only—

The gold chains are thin and delicate, but they’re uncomfortably warm against her skin, deceptively strong. She can feel the color draining from her face.

“Oh, please don’t do that,” Ellis says, gently pressing his hand to her shoulder and pushing her back onto the slab. “I’d rather you not hurt yourself while I’m trying to get my thoughts organized.”

“Godwin, I don’t understand.” There’s a single trace of fear in her voice, that she’s not sure he hears. Whatever the case, he smiles in what he must assume is a comforting manner, and pats her cheek.

“Then let me explain, alright?”

“….Alright.”

“Good girl.” Ellis steps back, and now she can see around the room. She is not comforted by the grey stone walls, or the sterile lights or the sleek silver counters.

May has been down here once or twice before. This is Godwin’s private lab, in the basement of the apartment complex they live in. He does his own work here, work he can’t bring to the office or work that he does when he gets upset.

She tries to control her breathing. Tries not to panic.

“I had a thought yesterday. There is still so much I don’t know about you, about how you work. I figured it was time to investigate the anatomical and physiological aspect of your existence, and move past behavioral studies.”

“I—But—“

His eyes turn to her again, and she is afraid. They are predatory, and curious, so curious. She cuts herself off, swallows.

“But?”

May stays silent, tries to quell the trembling that’s beginning in her fingers.

“Oh, come on. Don’t go quiet on me, babe, I’m here to answer questions.”

God. God, he still calls her babe. She doesn’t know what this is.

“But I thought. That. You didn’t want this anymore. I thought—“

Ellis is looking at her with thoughtful eyes, before he realizes. The quiet is enough to fill her with a single drop of golden hope.

“You thought I loved you back.”

She thinks, for a moment, that the loud shattering noise in her ears is maybe a tray of tools falling to the floor, but he doesn’t react to it, and it takes far too long for her to realize it’s her heart, thudding brokenly in her ears.

Ellis gives one huff of a laugh, resting his hand on her forearm. “Babe, don’t get me wrong. I would not have put this much time into this project if I didn’t care at least a little. You’re amazing, you know that? I’ve never met anyone as smart as you.”

She squeezes her eyes shut, and so doesn’t watch him as he leans on the side of the slab and continues.

“So, you know, I’m honestly a little surprised you figured I was even capable of that. I mean, I appreciate the sentiment very deeply! But I think you and I should know better.”

“God,” she whispers. “God, god, I’m so stupid, oh god.”

“Hey, hey.” He presses a hand to her cheek, and she nearly flinches before desperately leaning into it. “Stay calm, alright? It’s not like you didn’t know this would happen eventually.You were the one who said you’d let me. What—did you change your mind?”

She’s shaking her head, and she doesn’t know if she’s doing it in an attempt to plead for him to stop or because she hasn’t, she hasn’t, this is her own stupid fault and she deserves it. She would absolutely let him, if he had asked, if she had kept her guard up.

This is her fault. She told him she loved him, so it’s her fault.

She’s crying. He sighs, and wipes her face patiently.

“Deep breaths for me. It won’t be so bad! You said it was okay, remember? You said whenever I wanted, I could do this. Figure out how you work. Think of it like this: you’re always going to be mine, like this. Nobody else gets to hurt you.”

He runs his fingers through her hair, and smiles at her.

“That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”

-

[tzhall]

I had to bring Popz to the #radio station for our @clinicthemovie #comedy Show #interview . S/O to God and my #1 homie Jesus Christ. #Whas #840 #makingmemories #followme @timothytzhall @timothytzhall @timothytzhall #tzputmeinamovie #hot #film #lit #love #gogetter #timothytzhall #fashion #entrepreneur #Photooftheday #like4like #clinicthemovie #Director #gamechanger #gomode #realtalk #dedication #louisville #allgasnobrakes #winnerscircle #GloryToGod #repost (at 840 WHAS)

[rhobbusjd]

Lawmakers Agree to Hold Conversation on Gun Violence at D.C.-Area Starbucks

"This will be an informal discussion, but a real discussion nonetheless," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told a Kentucky radio station over the weekend.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Sunday said he and a select group of Republican congressmen have agreed to discuss the nation’s gun violence epidemic with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.) and other Democratic lawmakers after the August recess.

“We are going to do it. Absolutely,” Senator McConnell told WHAS 840, a Kentucky news radio station. “I’ll have my…