#Adem 1

[neenawagncr]

"Sounds boring." She retorted with a teasing smirk. Not that she was offering herself up to help him change that while she was dating Evren. But, Neena did know that she had on more than one occasion been the one to change that. The first time had been unplanned, unexpected and a huge mistake. Their first thought after fucking each other had been Johnny, which was a very unsexy thought to have afterwards. They couldn't do it again. But then, like moths to the stupid flame, they both had done it again. And again. "Fifth time I think." She replied with a grin. While others might think the on and off again relationship would be toxic, Neena didn't think so. Every time she and Evren had parted as friends. She just hadn't been ready to do any serious dating. But this was turning out to be the longest they had been together yet. She didn't want to think on that too much. "The last couple times I was in the station was for research and files for my show. But maybe Diana and I could change that, it's been too calm for a while. Too boring." She teased and took a sip of her drink. "Oh, I remember very clearly." Neena smirked, her eyes sparkling. "I think we broke your headboard one time. Plus the not as fun times you got me for trespassing."

"Myself mostly." He quipped back at her because they both knew that what had happened between them was in the past and needed to stay there. If Johnny ever found out Adem had fucked his little sister...he didn't wanna think about that. He rolled his eyes at her announcement about who she was dating. "What is this the fourth or fifth time you've gotten back together?" He asked, though truthfully he didn't care, it wasn't his business how many times she wanted to play the game of break up and make up. He figured it was only a matter of time before she was back to causing trouble. "I don't get in trouble, I track it down and handcuff it, remember?" Detective Sahir was the only part of himself that ever seemed to have his shit together. @neenawagncr

[bloomingkyras]

Post Wedding Photoshoot🍯🌝🤠

[sunisalee2020]

...

[atvrvxia]

"ARE YOU kidding me? you?" / @silvrmoon

[erstwhles]

hey now, you're an all-star / two of joel's favorite people + @marimelwrites

"And Team Kavas, captained by Adem and co-captained by his younger brother, Taner gets the next pick of the night!" The announcer falls silent as the camera shifts to catch the brothers in conversation. "There is still a plethora of talent left, but I don't think anyone is surprised by their pick. They've gone with Joel Hetrick up next. What do you think about that?"

"Well," Again, the announcer pauses as Joel stands and skates over to the podium with a grin on his lips and his arms already outstretched for a hug. "I don't think it's surprising. Hetrick knows those guys well. He landed in Boston with Adem, but even before that, we know that he and Taner had a good relationship all through the junior level. We've already seen that loyalty seems to be playing a part tonight. I think this is an easy pick, and it's hard to find this guy not smiling, but look at him—all hugs for a couple of his good pals."

"We're familiar with that, too!" The commentators share a laugh. "He and Taner seem to have developed a bit of a tradition when they play against each other. That hug has become... you could say beloved by the fans. They might look forward to it more than Joel does."

"I'm not sure about that! He looks pretty content right now."

—

There is no hesitation when Joel hears his name called--not that he was expecting to be the team's first pick solely because of their personal connection. Just being here and having time to spend together for the first time since before any of them were drafted into the show is enough, but there is no one else he would rather spend the weekend with.

"Hey, Cap!" He says, shaking Adem's hand and patting him on the back before sliding over to Taner. "Couple beauties over here, eh?" Joel grins, not wasting any time before pulling his friend in for a hug. "Thanks, guys. We're gonna have some fun, yeah?"

[wilgentak]

mijn overlevingsstrategie was ondergaan en mijn uitdaging is om mijn lijf vast te grijpen wanneer het dreigt weg te glippen in situaties waarin ik bang ben om de confrontatie aan te gaan omdat ik die situatie niet wil

[ummumukhbita]

Kelas Jadi Istri Day #2 : Menjadi Istri Yang Dewasa

Oleh: Teh Dwi Fitria Ambarina

Kondisi istri yang (belum) dewasa:

1. Gampang marah

2. Bentak suami

3. Meninggikan suara

4. Kufur nikmat

5. Mengungkit kesalahan suami

“Kita akan sulit bersyukur jika tolok ukur bahagia kita adalah kebahagiaan orang lain.”

“Salah satu tujuan pernikahan adalah meraih sakinah, ketenangan. Sakinah itu bukan berarti pernikahan yang adem ayem tanpa masalah. Tapi sakinah adalah bagaimana rumah tangga tetap tenang meski dihantam berbagai badai permasalahan.”

“Jika kita mengharap sosok pasangan yang sempurna, maka bersiaplah untuk kecewa.”

“Ciri-ciri rahmah dalam keluarga adalah banyaknya doa-doa yang tercurah dari seorang istri untuk suaminya.”

“Rumah tangga sukses itu konsep berjamaah. Bukan banya peran suami atau istri saja.”

“Jika menikah hanya dilandasi oleh rasa saling mencintai, lalu dimana kedudukan iman?”

Palembang, 20 September 2023 || Kelas Jadi Istri

Sf

[bayan-duvar]

OKUMAYA DEĞER BULDUM...

Eşimle kötü bir dönemden geçiyorduk. 1 haftadır birbirimizin gözüne bakmadan kısa konuşmalarla geçirdik günlerimizi. Gün geçtikçe ilgiye ihtiyacım arttı, gelse bir sarılsa hemen karşılık verecektim ama görünüşte dik duruyordum, hiç taviz vermeden davranıyordum.

Bir haftanın sonunda enerjim iyice düştü. Hayattan soğudum. Gittim koltuğa uzandım. Eşim işten geldiğinde gözlerimi kapatıp uyur gibi yaptım. Eşim içeri girdi, yanıma geldi, biraz başımda bekledi, hiçbir şey söylemeden yatak odasına gitti yattı. Saatlerce orada öylece bekledim. Gelmedi.

O gün koltukta uyuya kaldım. Ertesi gün eşimin yanına gittim 'Ben artık dayanamıyorum, ayrılmak istiyorum' dedim. Amacım ayrılmak değildi, eşimin bir şey yapmasını teşvik etmekti. Eşim beklediğim gibi bir cevap vermedi 'Sen bilirsin, zorla tutamam seni' dedi. Elim kolum kesildi sanki. Çaresizlikten ağladım.

Sonunda bir aile dostumuzun araya girmesi ile yeniden konuşmaya başladık. Dün eşimle konuşurken 'Biliyor musun ben küs olsam da hep senin gelmeni bekledim' dedim. Eşim de bana 'Ben de öyle, bir gelsen sarılsan seni çok özlemiştim' dedi. Çok şaşırdım 'Yaaa' dedim 'Evet' dedi.

Eşime 'O gün koltukta yatarken uyumuyordum, sabaha kadar bekledim, belki gelir ilgilenirsin diye' dedim.Eşim 'Ben de içeride seni bekledim, belki aç yattığımı düşünür, belki konuşmaya bir fırsat bulursun, 'yemek yer misin ?' diye sorarsın diye bekledim' dedi. Çok şaşırdım 'Gerçekten beni mi bekledin?' dedim 'Evet, hem de sabaha kadar' dedi.

Eşime, 'O gün senden ayrılmak istiyorum dediğimde, gerçek değildi’ dedim. Eşim şaşırdı 'Ben de ayrılmazdım ki zaten senden!' dedi. 'Peki neden sen bilirsin dedin o zaman' dedim. 'Korktum, ne diyeceğimi şaşırdım' dedi. Şaşırdım eşimin bu haline. Yumuşadım, sarıldım, o da bana sarıldı.

Eşimle uzun uzun konuştuk. Yıllardır bu kısırdöngü içinde birbirimize acı çektiğimizi anladık. O gün bir karar aldık; Artık 'Duygularımızı davranışlarımızla değil, sözel iletişim ile dile getirmeye çalışıyoruz.' Sizin deyiminizle eşimle 15 yılın sonunda 'konuşmayı öğreniyoruz."

UZMAN PEDAGOG

Adem Güneş.

17:20🌸

18 Ağustos 2024

[sillagen]

✨️Berat kandilimiz mübarek olsun.✨️ O büyük kandile geldik. Bir sene boyunca kim ölecek, kim kalacak, rızıkların taksim edileceği her şeyimizin yeniden yazılacağı geceye geldik. Bu gece mümin için milat gecesidir. Ajandanın 1 Ocak sayfası gibidir.Rabbim bu gece bir yıl içinde maddi ve manevi rızkımızı çoğaltsın, günahlarımızın affolunduğu aynı hataları ve günahları yapmaktan ve tekrara düşmekten bizi muhafaza ettiği, gönlümüze bir bahar ikindisi bahşettiği bir yıl olsun. İsteklerimizi hayırla, afiyetle, suhuletle nasip eylesin. Hakiki kul olmayı suhuletle nasip eylesin ve istikametten bir an bir nefes bile olsun ayrılmayacak yılımız olsun. Ölüm ne zaman gelir bilinmez ölmeden önce bizi Ramazan'a ulaştırsın ve Ramazan'ın maddi ve manevi güzelliğinden payımızı çoğaltsın. İlk insanın yaratılması Hz. Adem aleyhisselamdan beri gelen ve istenen bütün hayırları bize suhuletle,hayırla, afiyetle nasip eylesin, ondan beri gelen bütün şerlerden de bizi muhafaza eylesin. Geceyi hakkıyla ihya edebilenlerden eylesin. Geceye dair Allah maddi ve manevi payımızı çoğaltsın. Dua eder dua beklerim. 💓

[emirischir]

Emiri looked around her brother's place as she walked in, perhaps with a more little sister snooping eye than a common guest would have. "Would you have let her in if she came instead of me?" She asked her brother. She'd been hiding away in Chicago, setting her little life on fire just to feel something. She hadn't paid enough attention to fully understand just what Adem's relationship was like with their parents. "Are you really telling me you have a completely sober house?" She asked with a raised eyebrow before she finally gave up her search and joined her brother in the kitchen.

It wasn't like he could really deny his sister entry to his home, she was gonna come in whether he wanted her there or not so Adem decided to not make it harder than it needed to be. "She acts like she doesn't know where I live." As if the money for this house hadn't come from the money put in a savings account for him from their parents. All the siblings had one of those accounts. It wasn't a trust fund per se, but it might as well have been. He looked into the bag of food and went to set it on the kitchen counter. "If you're looking for booze there is none." @emirischir

[bloomingkyras]

Part 1/2/3

Private Reception Of Jea Hahn & Ammara Rose' Adems

Special Guest @d4isywhims and Jea Hahn Family

[jennibeultimate]

Artistic gymnastics Olympics 2024 MAG Qualification

Number of Entries for individual finals (AA&EF) per nation with a team

China 🇨🇳 9 finals (Zhang Boheng FX + PB + HB , Zou Jinyuan PB + SR, Liu Yang SR, Su Weide HB, Xiao Ruoteng + Zhang Boheng AA)

Great Britain 🇬🇧 8 finals (Jake Jarman FX + VT , Luke Whitehouse FX, Max Whitlock PH ,Harry Hepworth SR + VT, Jake Jarman & Joe Fraser AA)

Ukraine 🇺🇦 8 finals (Oleg Verniaev PH + PB, Igor Radivilov VT, Nazar Cherpurnyi VT, Ilia Kovtun FX + PB , Oleg Verniaev & Ilia Kovtun AA

Japan 🇯🇵 7 finals (Takaaki Sugino PH + HB, Shinnosuke Oka PB + HB, Wateru Tanigawa PB, Daiki Hashimoto & Shinnosuke Oka AA)

USA 🇺🇸 3 finals (Stephen Nedoroscik PH, Paul Juda & Fredrick Richards AA)

Netherlands 🇳🇱 3 finals (Loran de Munck PH, Casimir Schmidt & Frank Rijken AA)

Turkey 🇹🇷 2 finals (Adem Asil SR, Ferhat Arican PB)

Germany 🇩🇪 2 finals (Lukas Dauser PB, Nils Dunkel AA)

Italy 🇮🇹 2 finals (Yumin Abbadini & Mario Macchiati AA)

Switzerland 🇨🇭 2 finals (Matteo Giubellini & Florian Langenegger AA)

Canada 🇨🇦 2 finals (Felix Dolci & Rene Cournoyer AA)

Spain 🇪🇸 1 final (Rayderley Zapata FX)

Countries with finals without team:

Philippines 🇵🇭 3 finals (Carlos Yulo FX+VT & AA)

Kazhakstan 🇰🇿 3 finals (Milad Karimi FX & AA, Nariman Kurbanov PH)

Croatia 🇭🇷 2 finals (Tin Scrbic HB , Aurel Benovic VT)

Armenia 🇦🇲 2 finals (Artur Davtyan VT, Vahagn Davtyan SR)

Israel 🇮🇱 1 final (Artem Dolgopyat FX)

Ireland 🇮🇪 1 final (Rhys Mc Clenaghan PH)

South Korea 🇰🇷 1 final (Hur Woong PH)

France 🇫🇷 1 final (Samir Ait Said SR)

Belgium 🇧🇪 1 final (Glen Cuyle SR)

Greece 🇬🇷 1 final (Elftherios Petrounias SR)

Iran 🇮🇷 1 final (Mahdi Olfati VT)

Taiwan 🇹🇼 (Chinese Tapeih) 1 final (Chia-Hung Tang HB)

Columbia 🇨🇴 1 final (Angel Barajas HB)

Cypres 🇨🇾 1 final (Marios Georgiou HB)

Hungary 🇭🇺 1 final (Krisztofer Meszaros AA)

Australia 🇦🇺 1 final (Jesse Moore AA)

Brazil 🇧🇷 1 final (Diogo Soares AA)

[huseynmammad]

“İnsan namazda kıyâma durunca [1] "elif” olur. Rükûya eğilince ]ב[ "dal" olur. Secdeye varınca [o] "mim" olur. Bu şekilde namazı tamamlayınca "elif- dal ve mim" den oluşan adem )أم( olur. Yani adam olur..."♡

[yazan-kalem-siyah06]

Arefe Gününün Fazileti Ve Arefe Gününde Yapılacak Ibadetler

Resulullah (s.a.v) şöyle buyuruyor:

“Günlerin en faziletlisi arefe günüdür. Faziletçe cumaya benzer. Arefe günü cuma günü dışında yapılan yetmiş hacdan daha faziletlidir (Hac da iken). Duaların en faziletlisi de arefe günü yapılan duadır. Benim ve benden önceki peygamberlerin söylediği en faziletli söz de, Lailahe illallahu vahdehü la şerike lehu. (Allah birdir, O’ndan başka ilah yoktur. O`nun ortağı da yoktur.) sözüdür.” (Muvatta,Hacc 246)

Resulullah (s.a.v) şöyle buyuruyor,

“Arefe gününe hürmet edin! Arefe Allah’ın kıymet verdiği bir gündür.”

“Arefe Günü oruç tutana, Adem aleyhisselamdan Sura üfürülünceye kadar yaşamış bütün insanların sayısının iki katı kadar sevap yazılır.”"Arefe günü tutulan oruç, bin gün tutulan nafile oruca bedeldir.”

Resulullah (s.a.v) arefe akşamı ümmetinin affedilmesi için Allah’a dua etti. Duasına Yüce Allah (c.c.) “Muhakkak ki ben zalimden başkasına mağfiret ettim. Zalimden mazlumun hakkını alırım” diye buyurdu. Resulu Ekrem “Ey Rabbim,dilersen mazluma cennette mükafatını verir zalime de mağfiret edersin.” diye dua etti fakat Arafatta bu duasına Kabul edilmedi. Sabah vakti Müzdelifede aynı duayı tekrarladı. Bu defa duası kabul edildi. Resulullah memnuniyetinden sevincini belli ederek güldü. Bunun üzerine Ebu Bekir ve Ömer (r.a), “Anam babam sana feda olsun, bu saatte siz gülmezdiniz, sizi güldüren nedir?” diye sordu. Resulullah (s.a.v) “Allahın düşmanı iblis, Allahü Teala’nın duamı kabul ederek ümmetimi affettiğini anlayınca toprağı alıp başına çalmaya ve vay bana helak oldum diye feryada başladı. İşte Şeytanın görmüş olduğum bu feryadı beni güldürdü” diye buyurdu.Resulullah (s.a.v) arefe gününde şeytanın durumunu şöyle anlattı:“Şeytan, arefe gününden daha çok küçülmüş, daha fazla hayırdan uzaklaşmış, daha ziyade hakir ve zelil, daha çok kinli ve öfkeli olarak başka hiçbir günde görülmemiştir. Bunun sebebi, Allah’ın bu günde rahmetinin inmesi ve büyük günahlardan vazgeçtiğini görmesinden başka bir şey değildir.” (Muvatta)

Arefe gününden üstün bir gün yoktur. O gün Allahü Teâlâ, yeryüzündekileri övüp göktekilere, “Ey gök ehli, kullarıma bakın, rahmetime kavuşmak ve azabımdan kaçmak için uzak yerlerden geldiler…” buyurur. Arefe günü Cehennemden o kadar çok kul azat edilir ki, başka günlerde bu kadar azat olmaz. Burada Hac yapmanın önemi belirtiliyor.

Arefe, Kurban Bayramından bir önceki güne denir. Hicrî takvime göre Zilhicce ayinin 9. günüdür. Arefe günü senede bir gündür. Halkımız Ramazan bayramından önceki günüde arefe günü olarak kabul etmiştir.

Arefe Günü Yapılması Gerekenler.

1. Arefe günü sabah namazının farzından sonra teşrik tekbirleri getirilir.Teşrik tekbiri “Allâhüekber, Allâhüekber, Lâilâhe illallâhü vallâhüekber, Allâhüekber ve lillâhi’l-hamd” demektir.Arefe günü sabah namazından başlayıp, Bayramın 4. günü ikindi namazına kadar 23 vakitte, farz namazlardan sonra teşrik tekbiri getirmek vâciptir.

2. Arefe günü oruç tutulmalıdır.

3. Arefe gününe hürmet edilmeli, günaha girmemeye dikkat edilmelidir.4.Arefe günü çokça dua ve istiğfar edilmelidir.

5. Arefe günü çokça ihlas suresi okunmalıdır.

Arefe günü duaları ve zikirleri:

Arefe günü bu duaları ve zikirleri çokça okumalıyız.

1. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.Kul hüvellâhü ehad. Allâhüssamed. Lem yelid ve lem yûled. Ve lem yekün lehû küfüven ehad.

2. La ilahe illellahü vahdehü la şerike leh, Lehül mülkü ve lehül hamdü ve hüve ala külli şey`in kadir.

3. Allahümme salli ala Muhammedin ve enzilhül muk`adel mükarrebe ındeke yevmel kıyameh.

4. La ilahe illellahü vahdehü la şerike leh, Lehül mülkü ve lehül hamdü biyedihil hâyrû vehüve alâ külli şey’in kadîr.

Ayrıca Tevriye, arefe gününden bir önceki güne denir. Peygamber Efendimiz (s.a.v.) şöyle, buyurmuştur:

“Tevriye günü oruç tutan ve günah söz söylemeyen Müslüman cennete girer.”

AREFE GÜN VE GECESI DUA:

Resûl-i Ekrem Efendimiz arife gecesinde şu duâyı okuyana Cenâb-ı Hak istediğini vereceğini beyân buyurmuştur.

Duâ şudur:

* “Sübhânellezi fi’s-semâvâti arşuhu. Sübhanellezi fi’n-nâri sultânühu. Sübhanellezi fi’l-kubûri kadâuhu. Sübhanellezi fi’l-hevâi rûhuhu. Sübhânellezi raa’s-semâe bigayri amedin. Sübhânellezi vadaa’l-arda. Sübhânellezi lâ melcee illâ ileyhi.”

İmam-ı Tirmizi, Resûl-i Ekrem Efendimiz’in, “Duânın hayırlısı arife günü yapılan duâdır,” buyurarak Peygamberlerin arife günü duâsını şöyle okuduğunu haber verir:

* "Lâ ilâhe illâllahü hüve lehü’l-hamdü ve hüve alâ küli şey’in kadir."

Buhâri’de geçen bir hadisten öğrendiğimize göre arife günü şu duayı okuyan, şeytanın tasallutundan kurtulur, kendini muhafaza altına almış olur.

* “Allahümme’c’al fi kalbi nûran ve fi basari nûran. Allahümme’şrah li sadri ve yessir li emri...”

“Allah’ım, kalbimi, gözümü, gönlümü nûrlu kıl. Allah’ım, kalbime genişlik, işlerime kolaylık ver.”



[syifaaleida]

- Selo, Boyolali (01.sekian dikisaran)

Kalau kabut, fotonya terlihat bagus. Ngga kayak yang dibawah.

- Tirtonadi, Surakarta, Jateng. (21.10 WIB)

Tapi namanya juga catch the moment. Kalau gabut, dan cuma pengen ngeliat kondisi. Yaa gini ini.

[1] Ini Cheese Facfory, Selo, Boyolali, Jateng. (Kisaran tengah hari)

[2] Balik lagi ke Kepatihan, Solo, Jateng. yang juga tengah hari.

[3] Beda lagi kalau di Batu Pulu, Singaraja, Bali. Suasana adem seadem lagunya Ebiet G. Ade.

[4] Atau pas ke Batu, Jatim. Aslinya panas. tapi hawa sekitar pas dingin. Istilahnya sejuk lah.

Foto hanya pemanis, dibuang sayang.

[owlsandwich]

Week 1 - A - Anger

It's week one of the Alphabet Superset and I've done my first short story!

My aim for this project is to write a short story every week of at least 500 words, set in the world of The Mechanics of Magic, and based off of an emotion. I'm trying to let the words flow without overthinking. This week was A and I chose the emotion Anger.

My short stories often read more like snippets of a larger work than stories in themselves, and in a way they are, since they are glimpses into my character's lives from before the book began. I feel like I already went slightly off target, as Matthew was far less angry in this than he might have been. I've certainly written angrier scenes before, but what I really wanted to capture was that anger often stems from anxiety and fear. I think this scene does it well.

***

Crimson dusted the wisps of cloud that hung along the horizon. Despite the onset of autumn, it had been a warm day, and heat still lingered in the evening air. They’d taken Alex to the swings before bedtime; Matthew guessed it would be the last time before the weather turned.

His son’s dark curls bounced as he dashed down the path towards home. Dorothea strolled after, calling for him to wait at the road on the off-chance of a car. A golden glow shimmered over her brown skin, and Matthew’s stomach fluttered when she turned back to smile at him.

“Eight already...” Oliver murmured from behind him.

Matthew ran a hand through his hair. “Don’t remind me. It goes too fast.”

“It won’t be many years before his magic starts coming in.”

“Don’t remind me.” Matthew repeated, but the ease had dropped from his tone. There was always a chance Alex would take after his mother. The thought was as reassuring as it was likely; magic typically dominated, even when the parent mage was weak. Matthew was anything but.

“If it’s any comfort, I don’t think it will be a problem. If you and I don’t draw suspicion, then I doubt Alex will.”

Matthew grunted. He had gone a few steps before he realised his friend had stopped. Oliver had paused at the end of the low fence that surrounded the park, and was fiddling with the cuff of his dark green blazer.

“Can we speak for a moment?” He said.

“What is it?” Matthew replied.

Oliver looked up, but his golden eyes were fixed somewhere past Matthew’s head.

“I hadn’t wanted to raise this until it became relevant, but Ewen and I have been discussing it for a while and think it is worth considering.”

An uneasy feeling dug a pit in Matthew’s chest. The sun had dipped lower, and the shadows they cast over the ground reached long and thin towards the fading trees.

“Considering what?” He said.

“Well, with Alex settled in school, and of course with your own work and Dorothea’s business running smoothly...” Oliver trailed off. “Ewen agrees that, while you shouldn’t take unnecessary risks, there doesn’t seem to be any immediate threat.”

“Get to the point, Oliver.”

“We think it’s time I re-established a base in the city.”

Slick sweat coated Matthew’s palms, and he shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket. This was Ewen’s doing. His father’s tactician was as relentless now as he had been when he was alive. He didn’t envy his friend’s fate. Having Oliver’s mentor sharing his mind had been invaluable to their survival, but marks of stress marred his youthful features, and Matthew cursed himself for not noticing it sooner.

“You can tell him where he can shove that plan,” Matthew snapped.

Oliver met his eyes, and Matthew swallowed as he felt the familiar vulnerability of being scrutinised by two people instead of one.

“I understand your concern, but there are good reasons for it,” Oliver continued. “We have houses there; safe houses that Julian used for his network. Selling one would boost our financial situation-“

“We don’t need the money.”

“If secured, they will also provide protection for us, should we ever need it. Ademeer is closer to the border. I can arrange for the safe houses to store anything we might require.”

“All you’ll be doing is drawing attention!” Matthew shouted, then peered over his shoulder to check that Dorothea was out of sight. He lowered his voice, but the whisper came out as a hiss. “You want us to be safe? Then stay here and lie low. Isn’t that what you always advised?

“I am still advising that, but as much as distance protects us, it also blinds us. You know I recently qualified for promotion.”

“What’s that got to do with it?”

“A city accountancy firm would have a greater wealth of clients than can be accessed in the village. People from powerful families; people close to the government.”

“No.” Matthew growled.

“At least let’s discuss it.”

“I said no. Do you want to get yourself killed? You said you wanted a base for safety. Getting close to Morgan’s government isn’t my idea of safe.”

“I can only advise based on the information we have. We need more information, Matthew.”

A breeze picked up a scatter of fallen leaves. It swirled around their feet, making Matthew shudder, though it carried no chill. He pulled his jacket tighter as he folded his arms and looked Oliver up and down.

His sandy hair was swept into a professional cut to match the tailored shirt. Always professional, even with the guilt plastered over his face. Not that it would stop him. For all his deference, Oliver was frustratingly stubborn.

Matthew sighed. “Whose to say you would even get a job in a firm like that?”

Oliver shifted and looked away.

“You already applied?”

“I accepted the offer yesterday.”

“Damn you!” Matthew grit his teeth. He wanted to grab Oliver by his shirt. Shake some sense into him. “Why even ask me?”

“I haven’t handed in my notice.”

“Then you could turn it down?”

Oliver nodded. “Though I’d rather not.”

“But you would if I ordered you to.”

The words hung in the air. They both knew he would. Even now, even over Ewen, Matthew’s word was final. A flicker of magic nudged at his senses as a streetlamp came on above them. It would be electric in Ademeer. A buzz of a bulb rather than the gentle sensation of magic given off by the passive spells he was used to.

“Will you?” Oliver said softly. He was pooled in the light, as though all the world had faded to black other than the space between them.

Matthew let out a heavy breath. “I need you here, Oliver.”

“I’ll be home every weekend. Any day, if you call me. We aren’t selling the flat, though I doubt it will get much use from you while I’m away.”

Oliver smiled, but Matthew didn’t return it.

“You’d better. If anything happens, I’ll go drag you back here myself.”