#Horizons blue fume dial

[thehourmarkers]

5 Indian watch brands that you must look out for in 2022.

Wearing a smartwatch on your wrist will always be in style. Your style and accessories say a lot about who you are. In today's society, we must present a positive image to succeed professionally, particularly for those working in the marketing, sales, and related industries. People frequently opt for high-end brands when purchasing elegant and fashionable timepieces. Many of India's top watch companies for 2022 produce enticing, aspirational watches.

When it comes to timepieces, we Indians are pretty discerning and intelligent. Everybody wants a worthwhile purchase. Because of this, we frequently struggle to choose the top watch companies in India. Every brand has a distinctive look and appeal of its own. Therefore, we are giving you the list of top watch brands made in India for 2022 to assist your purchases.

Here is a list of the top watch brands in India in 2022.

Choosing the ideal watch might be difficult because so many different watch brands are on the market. Even if you've been researching the best watch brands online, it can be challenging to pick the right one. So your search is over right here. Let's look at our ranking of the top watch companies in India for 2022 for both men and women. We have brands that are both pricey and luxurious on this list.

Titan Autumn-winter 19 Analog.

Titan Autumn-Winter 19 Analogue is a fantastic jewel because of its simple dial look, which I find engaging and drawn at. The watch has a date window on the dial face and is water-resistant to a depth of 50 meters. Furthermore, this watch outperforms similarly priced and more expensive timepieces based on aesthetics.

It comes in a luxurious box, which makes presenting it as a gift a great idea. If you appreciate leather watches, don't look back—this watch is for you!

 Janata HMT watches.

For a good reason, the Janata is HMT's most famous, iconic, and endearing watch. In Hindi, "Janata" is the word for "public"; hence the Janata watch was created as a  tribute to the Indian people. The Janata is a fundamental watch at its core. It is driven by a manual winding, 17 jewel movement, and features a slim 35mm case approximately 11mm thick (including the domed crystal). The movement is where the crucial Citizen technology transfer took place. Citizen's 0201 calibers were modified to become HMT's 0231 hand-winding movements, which featured the 'Parashock' shock protection mechanism from the Japanese watchmaker. For this reason, the dial of hand-winding HMT watches states, "Parashock 17 Jewels."

Filigree watch(Jaipur).

Filigree is a delicate embellishment in which skilled jewellers painstakingly solder fine, pliable threads of precious metal, which are then twisted or curled into a beautiful artistic motif or design of the jewellery, or in this case, the 'Filigree Wristwear.' Housing a genuine One Anna Coin from the King George VI era with 12 sides makes it a perfect fit for a watch.

Horizons blue fume dial - Bangalore.

The Horizon's blue fumé dial is rare. You'll find yourself regularly checking the interior of this dial. This matte fumé pattern of this watch has a deep blue base colour that transitions to black as it gets closer to the edge. As a result, the dial exhibits exceptional light play in various lighting conditions, making for a delightful watch to wear.

The little case is inevitable. It is machined from a single block of Grade 2 Titanium and polished uniformly using micro-bead blasting to give it that cutting-edge appearance. The Apogee, which features a 100-meter water-tight case and a Swiss automatic movement, checks many boxes for a sporty, futuristic watch with an interesting backstory that is sure to create conversation in your group.

5. Ajwain Sholavaram Pulse.

The Ajwain Sholavaram Pulse, the first mechanical chronograph produced in India, is one of the brand's crown jewels. Named for the area of the same name that is 24 kilometers north of Chennai and contains India's first racetrack (1953). This watch has a 40 mm SS 316 case with an exhibition case back and Sapphire crystals on the front and rear. This watch also features a Seagull ST1901 mechanical hand-wound chronograph movement with 20 mm lugs. The dial colours available for this watch include Ivory for that vintage 1950s look, Black with Red Pulsometer, and Black with Blue Pulsometer.

[jimlingss]

Arcadia

➜ Words: 9.6k

➜ Genres: 50% Fluff, 50% Angst, Dystopia!AU, Utopia!AU

➜ Summary: In a new era, the human race has largely been eradicated through warfare and disease. You are one of the few left, living in the forest and making use of the wild. Or at least that's what you think until a man quite literally crashes into your home.

cr.

It happened in the afternoon.   A deafening noise from the sky. A thin whistle that crescendoed. Louder than what you’re used to hearing. Ringing in your eardrums. It shrieked horrifically — rumbling the ground — roaring through the silent forest. And you looked up to see a streak of white in the sky. Immediately, you dropped the animal in hand, abandoned the trap at your feet and ducked your head.   But the explosions never came raining down on your skull.   Instead, it happened in the distance. An explosion that made the evening sky spark bright white.    It took a full minute for it to die down, for the smoke to fade into the horizon as if nothing occurred a moment ago. Yet, you stalked the fumes and commotion, crept in the shadows. You knew better than to approach foreign things, to approach clamor and potential danger.   But the forest had been quiet for so long that it provoked your curiosity.    What you found past the shrubbery and trunks of spruce is a giant white cylinder with rounded edges. A capsule. So white that it burnt to the back of your eyelids, in no way natural whatsoever. But the colour had been marred by dirt and foliage after it crash-landed. The mud and ground hugged it, molded against the shape after it quite literally smashed into the Earth.   Before you could approach the thing and investigate, there was another noise. An unfamiliar whirring. It made you flinch and stumble back, taking refuge behind the trees.   But as you peeked out, you saw something crawling out of the open compartment. A groan.    Someone.   You hadn’t seen another person in years.   Immediately, you stepped forward and he saw you. Eyes darting to look into yours.   He was in stark white clothing from top to bottom, pants that stopped too short at his ankles, a shirt that was cut awkwardly and too small for his broad shoulders. It was vivid against his dark hair and golden skin, almost made him look ridiculous. But you supposed at the time you didn’t look any better — ripped jeans, dirtied boots, a worn jacket taken years ago from some loot and your hair tucked into a baseball cap with a logo too faded away to discern.   “I-I won’t hurt you,” he stutters out, putting up his hands. “I...I’m Seokjin. I’m part of the rescue fleet of Arcadia.”   Arcadia?   The man, Seokjin, sighs after your ongoing silence. “Sorry. Of course you wouldn’t understand me. I,” he enunciates slowly and points to himself. “Am. Friend.” His hands wildly form a heart for you to see and then he points at you with his left while still making wild gestures with his right. He tries to smile brightly. “I. Help. You—”   “I understand you,” you deadpan with an impassive expression.   The man is visibly taken aback, eyes rounded as his mouth opens and closes comically. “Y-You can speak?”   Your arm lifts and your index finger points at his head. “You’re bleeding.”   ... .. .   He looks around the interior of the tree house like a lost child, seated on the floor and waiting for his parents to return. It’s a meager shack made of alder, large gaps for windows, tattered backpacks stained and collected in the corner by some pairs of shoes and an old radio. There’s a fishing line hung diagonally across the room and above his head, used to dry clothing. But he finds himself drawn to the radio and crawls over to try to switch it on, tugging on its antenna, turning the dials.   Yet, all that answers is noisy static.   “It’s been broken since a long time ago,” you pipe up, nearly startling him to death with your sudden presence. But you had simply climbed up the ladder quietly. “I’m still tinkering with it.”   Seokjin sets the radio down. “I have a device similar to it. Thought this one would work.” He pulls out a black and thick rectangular piece of plastic from his back pocket and you scarcely recognize it.   “A walkie-talkie?”   “Kind of. It’s called an Erewhon device. State of the art technology, even if it looks chunky. It transmits radio waves without any limit of range and it syncs to one other device. No third can ever join or hack into it. I use this one to communicate with my base. Or at least I usually would, if the thing didn’t break in the crash.”   You don’t understand anything he’s saying, so you chalk it up to gibberish.   “It stings.” Seokjin sharply inhales as you apply pressure to his wound. But the ache soon alleviates when you wrap bandages around his head. “What’s your name?”   It’s your last roll of bandages.    “Y/N.”   It’s not like you to be so generous or welcoming towards a stranger. The nature of your upbringing and life has ingrained an innate suspicion to anyone who isn’t yourself. But there’s a characteristic about the man in front of you that doesn’t make you doubt his intentions.   It must also be partly because you’ve been on your own for so long and your inner subconscious is willing to dance with danger if it means having some kind of contact with another. But whatever the case may be, you don’t feel wary of Seokjin even if you should.   “Are...there any others?”   “Other humans? There hasn’t been any for years.”   “There’s….just you?”   “Just me.” Until now. “Where did you come from?”   “I come from a place called Arcadia. It’s a utopian society just off the Zion mountain and Elysian Fields,” he says as if you know what those places are. “It has everything and it’s where the remaining people have gathered for years. I actually rescue people like you who are still alive and bring them back. How...how did you manage to survive on your own out here?”    “I just do.”    “How long have you been here?”   “I don’t remember. The apocalypse happened when I was young.”   Seokjin makes a noise of acknowledgment like he understands. “It happened when I was seven.”   “I remember celebrating my fifth birthday in an underground bunker with my parents.”   He doesn’t ask where they are. If they aren’t with you now, it’s safe to assume your parents are dead like his are.    “I had a lot of people help me along the way, a lot of people who died,” you say, “I’ve been in sanctuaries and communities until they fell. Everything was only temporary. So, I’ve been on my own for a while.”   “Arcadia is different,” he says with bright eyes, breathy voice full of wonder and hope. “It’s where the new world is beginning. I can take you there.”   “Isn’t your flying machine broken?”   “You mean my Xanadu Shuttle?” Seokjin scratches the back of his neck and chuckles. You notice how the tips of his ears turn scarlet. “Actually, it was my first time taking it out that far. I’m kind of new to all this. But don’t worry! When it crashed, it sent a notification to headquarters and gave coordinates, so they should find me soon. I’ll try to fix my Erewhon device too.”   You don’t pretend like you know the things he’s referring to. “Are you hungry?”   “I have dried pemmican!” He lights up as if remembering and pulls a transparent wrapped bar from his back pocket. You wonder what else is in those endless pockets of his.    Seokjin must read the puzzled expression on his face since his smile widens. “Want to try it?”   “Sure.” You rip open the wrapper and you’re met with a dark red and gray block, and a meaty scent that makes you slightly nauseous. But you’ve eaten worse before, so you take a bite.   Seokjin instantly laughs when your expression wrinkles up. “It tastes better the more you eat it. Promise.”   “It’s awful.” There’s a temptation to spit it out the window, but afraid that it might be considered rude, you swallow it down and quickly hand back the monstrosity to him. “Do you want rabbit?”   “Sure.”   … .. .   It’s odd to eat a meal with someone — an experience that you’re unable to pinpoint your last memory of. It’s rather mundane, but mundanity has long been a privilege in this era.   “You can sleep in the tree house if you want.”   “Where will you be?”   “I usually like to sleep on the forest floor anyway.” It isn’t a lie. One of the few things you love is drifting off while gazing at the stars, that the last thing you see is the sparkling horizon before it’s blue again when you awake. “How many people are there in Arcadia?”   “About twenty five hundred people so far.”   So far. But if what he tells you is true, then it’s a big settlement.   As if able to see how he’s piqued your curiosity, Seokjin continues, “It’s an amazing place and we’re completely self-sufficient. There’s an agriculture industry that’s growing and greenhouses underground that gives us all the food we need. They developed a water filtration system as well and it’s connected to the mountain springs nearby. There are pods that people live in, schools that kids can go to, jobs, medicine— you’ll see when I take you back.”   “I never said I was going with you.”   “What? Why wouldn’t you?”   You don’t answer.   … .. .   “Morning.” You watch as he climbs down the ladder and nearly slips off. It’s an amusing sight to see his hair in a disarray and his eyes swollen beyond recognition. “Glad to see you’re finally up.”   Seokjin, on the other hand, is baffled at how you’re already moving so energetically. “When….did you get up?”   “Since sunrise. Changed your bandages too, if you didn’t already notice. I’m getting breakfast prepared. There’s a stream down this path that you can wash your face in. Collect water for me while you’re at it.”   You hand him a silver pail.   Walking off, Seokjin finally gets a good look at the forest. It’s quiet, save for the chickadees he notices in the thin branches of the spruce, twiddling as he passes and the woodpeckers hammering against the alder. There was just enough rays of light bursting through to allow the saplings to flourish and shrubs to overgrow. And the verdant green almost blinds his vision with how vivid it is. He’s never been so surrounded in nature before — never has it encapsulated him completely.   When Seokjin returns, he’s more alert than before.   “Thought you got lost for a second. You can set the water over there. Do you want to help me look at my traps?”   He follows you and nearly steps into a trap before you yell at him. But he’s amazed. You’ve designated a whole section full of traps made of loose string and branches, and when he asks, he learns they’re treadle snares to drowning snares.   “They don’t yield a lot of food. It depends on the season, but it mainly depends on luck.”    “What do you usually eat then?”   “I have some canned stuff from the cities, but there’s a lot of berries and herbs around here that are edible. I’m in the process of growing some basil and tomatoes too, so I never really starve out here.”   Seokjin is astounded. You can see it on his face, but you don’t know why that is. It’s not like any of these things are impressive. It’s just things you learn once you’ve lived out here long enough.   “You’re making a fire now?”   He watches as you take out a curved piece of wood with string attached and another piece that’s pointed at the end. You saw it back and forth on some more wood and Seokjin watches the smoke, how the friction creates the heat, how you transfer the embers to tinder.   “Is this how you always make fire?”   “Nowadays. At the beginning when I still had materials, I would use batteries and steel wool. Even flint and steel. But the bow drill method works fine. I save my matches for when I need them.”   “That’s incredible. Is this what you do? I mean, collect food and make fires.”   “I guess.”   “Do you do anything else? Do you ever get bored?”   It’s an interesting question — boredom. A privilege in itself to be bored rather than worried. Though you suppose that in this quiet forest with no one else, it’s a wonder how you never went insane. But while loneliness sporadically plagues you, you’ve never necessarily felt isolated or deprived. It’s always been this way. You’ve learnt to adapt to it. Humans can handle more than they think when push comes to shove.    “There’s always something to do. Whether that’s upkeeping the tree house or making more traps or planting. But sometimes in the summer, I go exploring for a few days. Into the cities. There’re lots of places I haven’t been. It’s a good opportunity for me to get seeds, food, and clothes, so I’m never….bored.”   “Wow, t-that’s...that’s impressive.”   “There’s nothing impressive. It’s just the way things are.”   “I...went to Arcadia in its early days,” Seokjin explains, “It was established twenty years ago, right after the apocalypse began, so I’ve never really got to see the outside world.”   “They don’t let you leave?”   “It’s not that. It just isn’t safe to. Actually, that’s why I wanted to join the rescue fleet. It gives me a chance to see the outside world.”   “You haven’t even seen anything yet. If you want….I can take you somewhere. Better than this.”   “Really?!” Seokjin’s eyes widen, irises practically glistening.   Your lips tickle, threatening to upturn. “Sure.”   … .. .   Past the stream and thicket is a clearing. A meadow of daisies. It’s overgrown grass that reaches to your knees, white petals spilling over with yellow centers filled among them. The sound of insects buzzing and circling through the field is heard as the sun beats down. You found this place a good year ago and while it doesn’t serve much of a purpose, you left it undisturbed.    The apocalypse was a catastrophe, but it did a lot for nature.   “This….this….” Seokjin is breathless, unable to force a coherent word out. He looks over at the blue horizon that seems to steal the land as the abundance of flowers overwhelms his senses.    “It’s beautiful, huh?”   He stays silent, taking in the sight in front of him. He has seen a vase of flowers at best — most certainly not a boundless field of them. Not like this. Not in the entirety of his life so far. Not in a way where he could inhale the fresh air, count clouds, memorize the azure shade of the sky, and not where he is unable to see where the end or the start is.   Seokjin is overwhelmed, and he realizes why the choice to stay remains. Why you would refuse his offer of coming back with him to Arcadia. A part of him also wants to stay here. Where freedom lies.   “I’m sorry,” he murmurs while still taking in the sight. The colours are so rich that he feels regretful he couldn’t see it sooner. “I didn’t mean to push you to come with me.”   “It’s okay. I’ll come with you.”   Seokjin finally peels his eyes away from the scenery to gaze at you.    Yet you continue to look forward. “You made me curious about this Arcadia.”   And the corner of his mouth turns into a smile.   … .. .   The next few days are spent with Seokjin — noisy at your side, but it’s entirely invited.   He goes back to his vehicle, his so-called fancy Xanadu Shuttle, and tries to contact his people. Much like your radio, there’s only static on the other end when he flips and fiddles with switches and the lights eventually die off. He messes with his Erewhon too, the little walkie-talkie device, though it’s to no avail. But Seokjin never becomes discouraged. He remains optimistic, a rarity in today’s climate. The man has no doubts they’ll come for him and even reassures you.   In the meanwhile, you show him how to start a fire, how to collect berries and certain plants, and he helps you sharpen the knives you have. But the man looks away when you have to kill the animal you trapped and he makes you kill the bugs that land on him as well. It’s a bit ridiculous and outlandish, but frighteningly natural how quickly he falls into place and adapts.   You forgot what it was like to have someone with you. To be able to talk to someone.   … .. .   “Are you ever lonely?”   Seokjin asks one night when he’s laid on the grass, arms tucked underneath his head and staring up at the stars by your side. He copied you after several occasions where he found you like that. You immediately heard the gasp that left his mouth the first time he laid down. It’s beautiful enough that he’s unconcerned with insects and doesn’t get up until you chide him to.   “Sometimes. Then I think about how people are more trouble than they’re worth.”   He grins. “Why do you say that?”   “People mess up things and always have their self-interest at heart. Learned it after I had a gun pointed on me by someone I thought was a friend.”   “I’m sorry.”   “It’s alright. Just the way things are. Anything to survive, right?”   “Is that why you’re on your own?”   “Partly. It’s hard when people die too. I’d rather not deal with that.”   “Why’d you agree to help me then?” Seokjin asks after a moment. “If people always mess things up.”   “I don’t know. It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone. I thought talking to you would be worth the risk. And it’s not like you’re not messing things up. I’m leaving with you, right?”   Seokjin grins, meeting your eyes. It goes quiet and then you pipe up again—   “I do sing sometimes to myself. Helps keep me sane.”   “Like what?”   “I don’t know.”   “Show me.”   You outright scoff. “No.”   “Please?”   A sharp exhale later, you start mumbling, slurring words together in some obscure melody. Your voice is rigid and stiff, out of tune even to your own ears. But you’ve heard it from your parents before. It’s some jingle on television back when electricity still worked.   Instantly, Seokjin starts laughing.   “Hey, it’s not my fault I don’t know the lyrics!”   “No, no, i-it’s amazing, please continue!” Seokjin squeaks out in the midst of a giggling fit and the corner of your own mouth twitches into a subtle smile.   … .. .   Unfortunately, these simple days don’t last long. Seokjin continues messing with his Erewhon device whenever he gets the chance — banging it on the tree house wall much to your dismay, curling up with it using a screwdriver kit he got from his capsule — and one evening, it suddenly comes alive.   There’s the sound of static and someone’s muffled voice.   “Hello?! Code White. R-six-four-three. This is Kim Seokjin from fleet seventy two.”   “R-four-......three-nine.”   It’s difficult to discern, but that’s all the other line says before the device goes silent again.    You look to Seokjin, anticipating dejection and disappointment. But instead, a grin spreads into his cheeks and his eyes crinkle ever so slightly. “Y/N. They’re coming soon.”   … .. .   It’s a morning of checking for traps, of hearing the orchestral songs of nature, of holding your breath as the breeze whisks through the strands of your hair. You’re tip-toeing to the simple snare laid on the ground when the familiar, deafening noise returns to the sky. A thin whistle that crescendos. Louder than you’re used to hearing. Ringing in your eardrums. It rumbles the ground, roaring through the silent forest. And you look up to see a streak of white in the sky.    It’s a larger white vessel with glass windows around. So white that it burns to the back of your eyelids, in no way natural whatsoever. And it descends to the same place Seokjin crash-landed.   Seokjin finds you and the two of you venture through the forest and shrubby towards it.   There’s a whirring and a compartment opens. Three different people step out, dressed in that unnatural white much like Seokjin is, pants and shirt cut off oddly. They look at Seokjin with smiles and incredulous expressions.   “I can’t believe you actually crashed.”   “It wasn’t my fault, JK!” Seokjin whines immediately and then quickly greets the other two females who he’s evidently less friendly with. “Amber. Lizzy. Good to see you too.”   “This something I expected from Namjoon or even Jimin, not you,” the shorter-hair girl named Amber huffs out as she playfully shakes her head.   “At least he’s safe,” Lizzy says with a smile. “Saves us from having to transport him back in a stretcher. But….who’s….that?”   Her eyes dart over to you and the other two strangers follow her line of sigh, re-directing their attention. Then their mouths drop open, eyes widening in surprise, having not seen you there.   Seokjin steps aside, allowing the light to shed on you. “She’s a lone one.”    “A-A lone one…?”   “Are you okay? Do you need help?” Amber whispers softly, lowering herself to meet your height and connect your eyes with hers as if you were a wounded animal. But then light flashes beneath her irises and her brows furrow. “Right. She might not know how to speak. Where’s my translation devi—”   The corner of Seokjin’s mouth tilts. “She does.”   You step forward, directly underneath the canopy spotlight coming through the spruce, walnut, and alder. “My name is Y/N.”

Arcadia. It’s protected by a dome-like structure reminiscent of glass, but as one of the strangers narrates, it’s supposedly a magnetic force field to protect against natural disasters. The place is ruled by tall buildings like the cities, but unlike it in the sense that they’re not decaying. They haven’t turned brown under wear and tear, don’t have moss growing on the sides of it. Rather, there are patches of green in between the paved pathways, flickering screens that are seemingly floating mid-air, masses of people walking past one another.    It’s a utopian society, they tell you. But you’re not sure what that means.   “Welcome to Arcadia,” the voice from above speaks rigidly.   The door whirs as it opens.   And white is all you see. White floors. White walls. People dressed in white. The white lights burn your vision as you stagger out, being aided by the strangers who were onboard with you.   They welcome you. Tell you they hope this place could be your refuge and new home. And you’re taken immediately by strangers until you begin thrashing, calling out to Seokjin until he consoles you. He promises that they mean no harm, that he’ll see you soon, and it’s enough for you to be relieved.   They lead you away, give you a new set of white clothing that are soft to the touch and a bin to place your old clothes in. You feel vulnerable as you strip from your grimy clothes and trade them in.   You’ve never been able to afford to hold onto sentimentalities. But it’s hard to let them go.   … .. .   “Hello—” The doctor glances at his clipboard. “You must be the new refugee, Y/N! Oh right, they call it newcomer now, not refugee. Anyway, nice to meet you, I’m Jung Hoseok. I’ll be assessing you today and setting you up to live in Arcadia. You understand me, correct?”   “Yes, I do.”   “Excellent! Makes things easier for me if we can speak the same language. But feel free to tell me if you want me to slow down. We’ll take things one step at a time.” The man grins brightly and sits on his stool, spinning around to a thin screen on the desk. “We’re going to be doing some tests together today, so I can figure out what I’ll need to help you with and we can make sure your transition is as smooth as possible.”   “Okay.”   You knew a doctor once. She was similar to him, whimsical as he seemingly is, until she had to amputate her own arm and then bled to death.   “Do you have any questions?”   “Not really.”   There’s an eye examination done until you tell him you don’t know all the letters of the alphabet. He switches to pictures afterwards and is enthused as he tells you that your eyes are apparently fine. He makes you lay down and open your mouth to examine your teeth. You spit into a vial, have your blood drawn. You step into a white capsule with black bars twirling around you. He shows you a picture of your bones and scanned brain with the excitement akin to a child’s afterwards.    And he asks too many questions.   “So you mainly ate rabbits, berries and other plants? Fascinating.” — “How often do you sleep?” — “So your bowel movements were pretty consistent?”   You miss Seokjin.   … .. .   “Seokjin, can you please tell us what happened on the fifth?”   The commander, chief, supervisor and several others are seated on the other side of the table.   “Yes. I was dispatched to forty one degrees, twenty four point two eight minutes north. Halfway there, I….became distracted by the scenery, and went off course. I became alert again when the shuttle skimmed along treetops. The console received a malfunction notification and I subsequently crashed into a forest area.”   “The maintenance record shows your Xanadu Shuttle was updated on the second of the previous month?”   “Yes.”   “Then do you accept responsibility for this incident?”   “Yes, I do.” There’s no point in putting up a fight. All the evidence is all in the machinery and Seokjin had made no attempt to hide it.   “I’m interested in the girl you rescued,” the Commander speaks up, tapping his pen on his clipboard. “When did you come into contact with her after you crashed?”   “After I crashed, I exited my Xanadu Shuttle and caught sight of her standing amongst the trees. I think...the accident got her attention and she came to investigate what it was.”   He nods and the people on the other side of the table look around at one another. There are soft murmurs and Seokjin stays quiet through their deliberation, keeping his eyes on his own report.   After a minute, it simmers down.   “The panel appreciates your honesty and integrity, Seokjin. In spite of your circumstances, you were able to rescue someone who will become a valuable member to our society and such a thing should not be overlooked. However, the crash was ultimately on your part and as such, you will have to be put on probation for a period of two months. The panel will also require that you retake your license class. Do you agree these actions are necessary?”   Relief washes over him. Seokjin thought this was it. He was anticipating that he’d lose his job.    “Y-Yes. Thank you.”   “You will have to pass your license class.”   “Yes, I will.”   “There is one more thing I would like to discuss with you, Seokjin,” The Commander speaks up. “I spoke to our Premier and Minister prior to this meeting and we came to an agreement that it would be in the best interest of everyone involved if you could foster the newcomer you rescued. Typically, as you know, we house newcomers for a while and monitor them. But she...seems to be a special case.”   The Chief furrows his brows. “Yes, she was isolated, wasn’t she?”   It’s known to all that the lone ones are usually the people that are most unstable. The ones with animalistic behaviour as a result of living in the wild and being socially deprived. The problematic ones. But they’re wrong. Seokjin doesn’t outright refute his own superiors, yet he’s certain that you don’t have any of those issues. You’re not violent. Uncivilized. Barbaric.   “Usually people are found in groups or clusters.”   “Exactly that. But it seems like Seokjin has built a rapport with her. It might lead to a smoother transition if there’s immediate integration. Or at least, it’s an experiment we want to try. He has a calm temperament as well which makes him an ideal candidate to attempt this new method. Would you be willing to house this newcomer for a period of time, Seokjin?”   He doesn’t need a second longer to think about it. “I wouldn’t mind whatsoever.”   ... .. .   Seokjin finds you and almost bursts out laughing with how relieved you look.   “Jin!”    He doesn’t mind the nickname either.   “I haven’t seen you in a while.” Hoseok twirls around with a blazing smile, his white coat fluttering with him. “But I have a feeling you’re here to see my little guest and not me.”   “You’re right.” He enters and stands by your side. “Has everything been alright?”   “Of course!” Hoseok interjects before you can answer. “I’m one of the best doctors here, what do you take me for? We had a very fun time together, right, Y/N?”   “Uh, sure.”   “I’ll take it.”   Seokjin smiles and looks at his old friend. “Is there anything…?”   “She’s healthy. She’s been taking care of herself well. Nothing that’s too concerning.”    Hoseok's eyes meet yours and he grins. “You’re approximately twenty to twenty five years old. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like you have any family here in Arcadia, but you don’t have any diseases, so that’s something to be happy about! Minimal dental work that needs to be done. Blood pressure is good. You have a slight magnesium and iodine deficiency, but nothing dark greens, whole grains, fish and eggs can’t fix. I’ll give you some vitamins to be safe and some medication to avoid illnesses you’re potentially susceptible to in Arcadia.”   “That’s good news,” Jin exhales.   “You’re also healthy enough to have children!” Hoseok announces and if possible his grin widens. You blink at him and he quickly reads your confused expression. “Right, you might not be aware but it’s one of the main ambitions of Arcadia to repopulate society. People with the most compatible genes get paired together into family units. Depending on how your integration goes, you might get paired up in a family unit by the end of the week.”   “What?” You’re reeling. Starting a family and having children are things at the very back of your mind, not even in the realm of what your thoughts are, and you’re not sure what to think at this news.   Jin sighs at his friend. “You’re freaking her out.”   “Am I? Sorry,” the man laughs and looks at you. “Don’t worry. No one will force you. It’s just...highly suggested and recommended.”   … .. . “That’s the dining hall.”    “What do they serve?”   “On Mondays, there’s quinoa. Tuesday is this dried beans dish. So on and so forth. Don’t worry, there’s poultry too, so there are eggs and chicken breast which you can order. There’s corn, milk, cheese and a selection of fruit too. They also serve protein powders you can mix with water that gives you the same nutrition value.”   “It’s not like...that stuff you gave me, right?”   “You mean pemmican? No, it’s better. Or at least I hope so.” He smiles. “Everyone has the same food. Sometimes during celebrations though, they serve different things.”   “There’s not much privacy, is there?”   Seokjin follows your line of sight to the glass buildings where you’re able to see the people working on each floor. “I guess not. I’ve never really thought about it.”   You suppose it’s something to get used to. “Are...people staring at me, Jin?”   “Don’t mind it. It’s not everyday we get a new face around here.” Right as he says that, you lift your head to discover your face plastered on one of the screens at the top of the building as if you were a wanted criminal. Seokjin laughs. “News spreads fast around here.”   “I bet it does,” you mutter, a bit unnerved.    “It’s a nice place if you follow the rules, trust me.”   “What happens if someone breaks a rule?”   “Well, there’s a focus on restorative justice for small crimes. So people often do community service or talk to victims or the people they affected and try their best to fix their mistakes.”   “What about big crimes? Like if you killed someone.”    Yet, Seokjin stays silent for a moment. “They disappear.”   Your brows furrow, not sure what he means. But he doesn’t elaborate and you don’t push for an answer, uncertain that you want to know more.   Arcadia isn’t as you expected it to be. When Seokjin told you stories, part of you anticipated it being lesser and merely blown up in proportion through his evident love of this place. You had predicted a community ridden with suspicion, like many of the sanctuaries you had been to before they inevitably collapsed. Leaders suppressing their people. Scarcity in resources.   Another part of you expected an otherworldly universe, full of gibberish and things you didn’t understand. Much like the technology he carried with him or the shuttle that crashed in the forest.   But what is presented in front of you is a sort of familiarity in a changed background.   People like you know them, except courteous and independent.   “This is my housing unit.”    It’s a blinding white, two stories with the top floor off center and extended off the right side. It looks like two boxes haphazardly stacked on top of each other with giant pane glass windows at the front.   “It’s not much but it’s my home.”   You nod as your eyes drift to his lawn — a tiny patch of grass that surrounds the path leading up to the front door. As if entranced, you launch forward towards it. But it feels different underneath your feet, past the soles of your shoes. The soil isn’t soft. There aren’t any lumps, no grip when you try to root yourself into it.   Seokjin notices your reaction. “It’s artificial grass.”   “What does that mean?”   “It’s fake.”   “Fake? You can’t get real grass?”   “Guess not.”   The interior of his home is less white than all of Arcadia. There are mismatched cushions, wooden tables and bookshelves, fake yellow flowers on his marble kitchen counter, paintings of oceans and cities placed on the wall next to photographs of himself growing up. You glance over the knick-knacks lining the shelves, snow globes and postcards, tiny things you’ve always seen lying around shops in the decaying towns, but never paid much attention to.   “Sorry. It’s a bit messy.”   “No, I like it.”    He shows you to your room, an empty one down the hall. It’s much less decorated than his living space and he quickly excuses himself to tumble back in with heavier blankets and proper pillows. “Had I known you were coming, I would’ve had everything already set up!”   “I don’t think any of us knew I would be here.”   He laughs. “That’s true.”   You walk to the window, taking a peek outside to the white city that towers over and covers the blue sky, the tiny patches of grass that alleviates the brightness of Arcadia, the flying shuttles hovering past the paved paths.    “You’re probably tired, right? Do you want to rest a bit? I have a few things to do, so…”   “You don’t have to worry about me, Jin. I can take care of myself. Probably.”   Seokjin ends up shutting the door after promising he won’t take long. But it’s the first time in hours that there’s finally silence. And you allow the quietness to simmer down on you as you take a seat on the edge of the soft bed that sinks underneath your weight. You stare at the sheets, the white walls and floor, the luminescent sunlight streaming through the windows.   You’re not sure how you feel.   … .. .   You stare down at your slab of white meat, so white that you wonder if everything in Arcadia is dyed in this blinding shade. It’s something you might have to ask Jin, even if it’s a bit ridiculous.   You’re just not used to having meat that isn’t charged by the flames of a bonfire. But still, you tear it with your fingers and when you bring it to your mouth, it tastes dry and heavy — like it’s fake.   “This isn’t very good, is it?”   “It isn’t?”   Jin blinks and you lift your head. Immediately, your eyes connect to a stranger who instantly turns away and it occurs to you that people are watching.   “Don’t worry. It’s because you’re not using utensils. Here.” He hands you a metal stick with three prongs at the end and another one that’s rounded. Understandably, it’s awkward in your hold, hurts in your grip. It goes silent as you fumble with it. The chicken breast almost flies off your metal tray.   “It’s okay.” He smiles at your visible frustration and reaches over to slice it with a knife. Jin gently takes your hand holding the fork and pierces the piece. “Like this, see? Not too bad, right?”   “It would be easier with my hands.”   He agrees, “It would be.”   “Hey, you’re Y/N, right?” A familiar red-head comes prancing up to the table and steals a seat next to you. “I’m Lizzy. We met on the Xanadu Shuttle, remember? I was the one telling you all about the history of Arcadia?”   “Yes, I do.”   “This is Namjoon. He’s one of our robotics engineers,” she introduces a gawky, strapping male with framed glasses. He takes a seat next to Seokjin.    “A pleasure to be of your acquaintance. I’ve heard quite a lot about you in the past two hours or so. I am friends with Hoseok. He doesn’t indulge me in much information, he told me he received a great person of interest in his office. I believe that person may be you—”   Seokjin interrupts his ramble, “Namjoon.”   “Don’t mind him,” Lizzy laughs, ignoring the two men as she leans over the table to intrude into your personal space. “How are you getting settled in? Everything okay?”   “Yeah. I’d say everything’s okay.”   “I heard you were living with Jin now. Tell me, is he as messy at home as he is at work?”   “I am not messy,” he protests.   “Only a little,” you divulge her with a small smile.   Namjoon smiles. “I heard you crashed. Glad to see you’re still alive and well.”   “Thanks.” Seokjin’s eyes roll as his voice drips of sarcasm. “I’m sorry you couldn’t use my body for your next humanoid robotic experiment.”   “Not now, but in due time,” the other man teases then turns to you. “It’s a shame you’re partnered with Seokjin. He can be quite clumsy and forgetful. You’ll end up becoming his handyman like I am.”   “His first time he got into a Xanadu Craft, he broke the console,” Lizzy tells, making your mouth upturn.   Namjoon swallows down his food before asking, “If I may be intrusive, Y/N, is it really true that you were alone? In the forest, I mean.”   “I...was.”   “How long were you alone for?”   “I’m not sure. I think maybe two years.”   “And before that?”   “I...uh...traveled around and met different people.”   He leans forward. “And what happened to those people?”   “Well, some...passed away and others went somewhere else.”   “What did they pass away from?”   There’s a loud scraping of a chair against the tiled floor, grating to your ears. “I’m stuffed. Aren’t you, Y/N? I think we should head back now. Sorry, Joon, Lizzy. Might have to cut your questions short there. Maybe you can ask more next time.”   “Oh, alright then.”   They bid you farewell and Lizzy waves with a smile. As you exit, you look at Seokjin. “Thank you.” He saved you from answering, from bringing up memories you had no intentions of returning to.   Yet he smiles and then looks away, feigning ignorance. “For what?”   … .. .   They’re wrong. It’s not a shame at all to be with Jin at all. If anything, you think you’re quite fortunate. Ever since you’ve met him, he’s proven himself time and time again to be thoughtful and considerate — traits that you thought were gone in this era. But it’s him who makes it easier to deal with these changes, to enter into this new world.   … .. .   “I thought you were gone,” he says, looking down at you with a smile. You’re laying on his lawn in the middle of the night in bare feet. “I knocked on your door and then searched my whole house.”   “Where did you think I was?”   “I don’t know.” Seokjin plops down on his artificial grass, stretching out his body and laying beside you like all those times before. “I was worried. I thought something happened to you.”   “I’m sorry.”   “Don’t be.”   “I couldn’t sleep.”   It’s quiet as the pair of you look to the sky with your hands folded on top of your stomachs. The lamp posts nearby casted warm glows on your visages. The warm breeze making his cheeks rosy. Yet, none of you can see the stars — not with the light pollution of Arcadia, not when all the buildings were towering so high and covering it, not like out there in the middle of the forest.   “Remember when we were in the forest, Jin?”   “I do. I remember that one time, you didn’t completely put out the fire and my pants almost set on fire.”   You giggle and Jin relishes in the sound. “I apologized for that and who told you to sit so close to that spot?”   “Hey, I just wanted to be next to you.”   You remember the nights when you were able to drift off while staring at the horizon and how you were awoken by the first blush of dawn, sunlight coming through the trees. You have a feeling it’s going to be a long time before you have an experience like that again.   It’s going to be a long, long time. If ever again.   “I feel homesick,” you whisper, finally being able to pinpoint your emotions and it’s the most honest you’ve been since you arrived. “I don’t want to be paired up with anyone or have kids.”   Jin reaches out and you feel his hand against the back of yours. He holds it, clasping it tight. You shift and your eyes meet. “Don’t worry. They can’t make you do anything you don’t want to.”   You trust him.   … .. .   “If you want, we don’t have to eat in the dining center anymore. We can eat at home.”   The corner of your mouth pulls. “Is that allowed?”   “I’ll find a way around it,” Jin promises.   … .. .   “Please, Hoseok.”   “You know that’s not how the system works. There’s not much I can do anyway.”   “But you can put in your recommendation.”   He’s silent in contemplation. “She’s compatible with you, but more so compatible with others. Plus, she’d assimilate better with someone stricter.”   “I want to protect her. She’s my responsibility. Pair her with me.” Seokjin won’t let you be paired up with someone else in a family unit, expected to stay together and have children. He’ll keep his promise to you and be with you until the end — it’s also his selfish wish to be with you.   The other man sighs. “I’ll make a note of it, but I can’t promise anything.”   … .. .   You’re unfamiliar with the devices at hand — the kitchen appliances with automated voices that speak when you come close, the machines with tens of buttons you can’t read. They’re all things you once overlooked when you scrambled for remaining supplies.   “Is everything okay?”   “I’m trying to heat this up. You said I could use it, right?”   “Yeah. Here.” Seokjin comes behind you and takes your hand, guiding you where to press. “Click this button and then this one.”   You don’t understand technology at all. Even the television is odd, an overload on your senses.   “What do you think?” he asks, watching your reaction in amusement and how your eyes are as wide as the screen flashing against your face.   “It’s...a lot to take in.”   “That’s okay. Do you want to go outside instead? We can, if you want to.”   You glance out the window. “I’m fine here. I’m not used to there being so many people.”   “How about we work on some more worksheets?”   “Again?”   Jin laughs and the sound is tinkling. “You have to learn eventually. Come on.” He pulls you up and is happy to sit next to you at his kitchen table to teach you how to hold a pencil, how to write each letter and answer your questions.    You’re a fast learner. Today your strokes are smoother and you learn how to spell his name.   … .. .    Seokjin often knocks on your door before going to bed to bid you goodnight. Yet he seldomly finds you there, where you’re supposed to be. He wonders if you’re outside on his lawn again, but instead, he discovers you standing in his living room. You’re gazing out the window quietly with an unreadable expression.   “Is there something wrong?”   You turn around with a small smile. “I’m just a little homesick.”   He joins you, staring out at the city and the lampposts lined on the paved paths.    “How do we go outside, Jin? Not just outside, but beyond the dome.” To the forest again.   “Most people aren’t allowed outside because it’s dangerous. You would need to have my job or something similar, and that’s after you graduate from a three year program and pass several exams.”   It’s quiet and neither of you look at one another or speak when you reach over, discreetly taking his hand into yours. Seokjin laces his fingers through yours and squeezes.   He’s the only reason you can starve off the longing sewed uncomfortably in your chest.   ... .. .   In the following days, he receives a notification. The leaders are interested in you as a newcomer and extended an invitation to the party. So he helps you pick an appropriate outfit and the two of you enter with your hand looped around his arm as he reassures you.   “You must be Y/N!” The strangers, leaders of Arcadia, welcome you with tall bubbling glasses, one of which that you receive from a waiter. It tastes disgusting, but you try to not let it show on your face.   “It’s good to see that you’re getting yourself accustomed to Arcadia. I see you’re with your future partner this evening.”   The man laughs boisterously while you exchange expressions with Seokjin.   “That’s supposed to be a secret,” the woman beside him chides.   “Right, right. The postings of the new family units go up on Friday. My apologies for ruining the surprise, but I assume it is a happy one.”   You look up at him, gazing meeting Seokjin’s at once. The relief is overwhelming and what follows is a kind of excitement. Part of the weight lifted off your shoulders and Jin smiles tenderly. He leans in close, whispering in your ear so you’re the only one who hears—   “You shouldn’t look at me like that in a place like this or I might just do something about it in front of all these people.”   It’s bold. Unexpected but you know with the heat that rises into your face, it isn’t unwelcome.   “Y/N, is it?” The intimate moment is intercepted by other individuals approaching in blue attire, form fitting dress simple and modest. “You must be the newcomer! I’ve heard so much about you.”   “Yes, how has your transition been? Are you finding everything accommodating?”   You hope they don’t come close enough to feel the warmth radiating off your cheeks. “Yes. Arcadia has been very welcoming to me.”    They smile. “It’s so fortunate you can understand us and we don’t have to use those translating devices.”   “You were alone, correct?” another asks. “How did you fare in the wild like that? How did you manage to even eat?”   “I trapped animals like rabbits and squirrels and roasted them over fires.”   Laughter is suddenly roused all around you.   “Aren’t you glad you don’t have to do such a primitive thing anymore?”   “What I’m curious about is how you’re still alive without any radiation poisoning.”   “I used a radon detector. It was given to me a long time ago by an older woman who was with me. She died.” Automatic silence sweeps through the crowd. You clear your throat. “But I used it when I traveled through the cities.”   “I see.” Some are fascinated while others aren’t. “How preserved are these old cities?”   “Most buildings are still relatively in-tact. There are abandoned cars and buses too, but they’re useless without fuel and everything’s been raided, so there’s not much left. It’s one of the reasons I started to live in the forest.”   “Poor thing,” someone sympathizes, “Someone should’ve rescued you sooner. You wouldn’t have to suffer so much.”   “I didn’t suffer.”   They’re taken aback, clearing their throats and moving on from the subject. A man directs to the refreshment table — all the while Jin pulls you closer to him and away from the prying eyes of Arcadia.   … .. .   Later on in the evening when Seokjin’s gone to relieve himself, you meet an old man seated alone at the table.   “I was outside too,” he croaks. “Until two years ago.”   Your eyes find his — past the wrinkles are bright irises — and you remain silent.   “Many things happened that the people here would never understand. But my biggest regret is coming here willingly. Arcadia offers many things,” he says, “it has everything but one.”   “Freedom.”   … .. .   The words stick to you. Like flies to honey. Or the magnets on Jin’s fridge. They don’t cease from your mind — a plague that spreads, a pollutant that you can’t shake off no matter how hard you try.    Jin worries about you, but he doesn’t ask. He knows every time he does, you’ll reassure him that you’re fine.   So one night, he takes your hand and shows you to his television.   “Put this on.” He hands you a black, heavy device and smiles at your visible reluctance. “Trust me.”   You slip it on top of your head and it sits comfortably over your eyes, obstructing your vision in complete darkness. Headphones are put over your ears and you discover both of your senses of sight and sound are completely disabled. “What are you doin—”   The words die upon your tongue the moment the machine flickers on.   There are chickadees chirping and woodpeckers digging against the bark. The sound of insects flapping their wings in the beating sun and the whistling wind intensifies. You see the forest, a forest. Canopies of spruce, walnut, and alder cascading light to the verdant floor overgrown in shrubbery.   A cry chokes in your throat, but then it bubbles into laughter instead. You jump up and down.   “I see it. I see it!” You whirl around, looking in each direction. To the blue horizon and the sound of the rustling leaves.    Your home.   But when you take it off, it’s all gone. You’re shrouded in darkness with Seokjin’s features barely discernible. You’re trapped in the very utopia you had followed him to.   And you cry.   For the first time in his presence, for the first time in a long while, sobs break through your frame at what you’ve lost — what you’ve traded in, what you’ve given up. Jin embraces you, arms wrapped around your frame, trying his best to keep you whole.   “I want to go back.”   … .. .   Jin makes it easier to be in Arcadia. He gives you reason to become accustomed to it. He makes you wish you wanted to stay. But he’s not enough to dissipate your constant wistfulness.    He isn’t the solution to your plaguing dilemmas, but you’re glad he doesn’t have to bear that burden.    You wouldn’t want Jin to harbour the hardship of being your fix.   … .. .   It’s in the dead of the night that Seokjin comes out of his room and finds you. In the dark, you’re seated on the floor with your knees folded to your chest and the virtual reality headset slipped on top of your head, over your eyes and ears.   You’re taking it all in. The orchestral songs of nature, the birds and leaves, the swaying of the grass and flourishing shrubs, bathing in the warm sunlight you cannot feel.    He sees you, but doesn’t say anything, merely turning away.   At same time, you feel the presence of another and slip the device in time to catch his retreating backside.   “Jin,” you call out for him, knowing you’ve been caught.   He hums, turning around and the two of you look at one another.   “I’m sorry.”   The dark-haired man smiles tenderly. “It’s me who should apologize. I’m the one who brought you here selfishly.”   “It’s not your fault. I’m the one who agreed to some and I’m...the one having trouble adjusting.”   “That’s not it. The problem is you’re not where you should be. Home. Not my home. Not Arcadia. But your home. “   You stand and he meets you halfway.   You press your face to his shoulder and he embraces you. “I’ll help you go back,” Seokjin murmurs against your hair. “I thought you would be happy here, but I don’t want to keep you against your will.”   “Come with me.”   “You know I can’t,” he whispers in spite of your soft-spoken plea. “I have a life here. Like how you can’t leave yours. Arcadia is my home. It always will be.”   You hold him closer, shutting your eyes to savour the moment. “Won’t you get into trouble?”   “I’ll find some way.” The corner of his mouth turns. “I always end up fine. You will too.”   … .. .   The year’s posting goes up and just as the man had said, you and Seokjin are paired together. The two of you hold hands as you look at it, taking your time to read it over. It’s slow, but you understand nonetheless.   You’re congratulated by those around him, people you recognize and friends you have yet to know. It’s fortunate it worked out that way, but it’s still bittersweet, knowing of your upcoming departure.   And that same night, five hours past twelve, Jin takes you across Arcadia. The white shuttle is ready when you arrive in the dark and you scarcely recognize its scratched paint and dented surface. It’s the same one that he crashed in, the one that took him to you.   “I programmed the path back. It’ll go automatically without you needing to drive it. And once you close the door, it’ll come back on its own. I’ll erase the data’s history. Take this.” Seokjin gently places the sling of a heavy bag on your shoulder. “There are clothes in here, blankets, medicine, a first aid kit, some canned food and seeds of new plants you don’t have. It should help you out.”   Tears threaten to spill from your lash line. “Jin. Wait.”   Hope blooms within him, wondering if you’ve changed your mind, that you want to stay. But he knows having such selfish desires won’t help him, so he puts them away. Just for a moment.   He tries his best not to hang onto you, to hold you down.   “It was because of you that I could even cope so well. You made it so much easier for me. I...I…”   But Jin lets his greed slip.   He closes the distance and kisses you senseless. The man swallows your soft gasp and comes to cradle the back of your neck as you ease into him. You relish in the gentle touch, his tender affections and taste one another’s lips. It’s bittersweet, yet he pulls away with a faint smile.   “You should get in.”   You nod, pulling away from him. Everything the two of you wanted to say has already translated through the kiss.   Still, you take every moment you can and look to him. “Thank you, Jin.”   The doors whir as it closes. He gazes at you till the very last second, till it shuts. The thin whistle diminuendos as it lifts into the air. He watches the shuttle fade from sight and when the sun lifts at the first blush of dawn, what’s left is a streak of white in the sky.

The world is limitless.    You have learned of such a fact at a young age, traveling from desserts to mountains, finding all the hiding places and safe spots that others had claimed no longer existed. But they did and you’ve sought refuge in this forest, found a home amongst the rustling foliage and canopies ruled by spruce, walnut, and alder. There was just enough rays of light bursting through to allow the saplings to flourish and shrubs to overgrow. And without the presence of others, you could listen to the woodpeckers hammering against the wood, the wings of insects fluttering about.   Everything was the way you left it. Unchanged from the time you left like it was waiting for you.   It’s as if Arcadia and Seokjin was a fever dream. Except the mementos brought back with you reminds you otherwise. You dig into your bag, looking through what he’s given you, everything he picked out that he knew would help. But you discover something special at the very bottom.   It’s a black, thick rectangular piece of plastic reminiscent of a walkie-talkie, synced up to only one other without a third in between.   You hold the Erewhon device to your lips and press the side of the button.   “Hello.” There’s a pause. “My name is Y/N.”   Silence follows.   But then there’s the sound of static and someone’s crystal clear voice.   “Nice to meet you. I’m Seokjin.”   A wide smile spreads into your cheeks.

[a-virtuous-pyromaniac]

This Is Why You Don’t Play Monopoly With Eight People: Chapter 1

A bad dust storm comes to Great-Depression-Era Teufort. The Classic Mercenaries wait it out while playing a newfangled board game: Monopoly.

Opening Notes

Scout- Gregorio – Italian

Soldier – Ross—British

Pyro—Bea—American (Chicago)

Demoman – Gregor – German

Engineer – Fred – American (Texas)

Heavy – Marcus – Swedish

Medic – Katsu – Japanese

Sniper – Virgil—American (Montana)

Spy – “the Serb” – Serbian

Chapter 1: In Which Katsu Emphasizes the Importance of Two-Minute Showers

Teufort, New Mexico

17 August, 1936

Virgil perched in the highest point on the map, at the top of the grain elevator’s chute. Behind him, the sun reflected off metal and dark blue paint. Even without the reflections, it was probably close to a hundred degrees up here. His sweat had gone from individual droplets to one mass of sticky, seeping dampness. The ghillie suit only made things worse. Burlap was not exactly a wicking material. He’d considered just ditching the suit, but if he removed, it wouldn’t Respawn with him. Then he’d have to climb up after battle to retrieve it, and that just sounded like too much effort. This point was all but unreachable.

Even if it was hot, unreachable did make for a nice, peaceful nest. No voices grating on his ears. None of those dying screams (did his teammates even realize how irritating they were?) Even the Announcer was soft and distant. Perfect, if only he’d been able to get his shot in. 

Scoping his rifle, he looked towards the opposite battlement. A sentry’s nest had made mincemeat of every BLU who crossed the bridge. The RED engineer was never far from the nest, but he was good, too good, at keeping his head down. Idiot hillbilly trash had no business being a better fighter than his dumb face suggested. Sure, Virgil had managed to shoot the engineer in the leg. It halved the RED’s speed, but it didn’t really help anything. Engineers didn’t need to run. Virgil set the rifle in his lap.

Then, faintly, something detonated. An incendiary cannon; Virgil knew from the sound. It wasn’t as loud as a rocket launcher. It wasn’t as sharp as a grenade or a pipe bomb.

He scoped and shot the rocket-jumping Pyro1 mid-flight. Annoying little slut. The body landed on the ground like a tossed rag doll. He couldn’t hear her bones break, but he imagined it anyway. A napalm grenade fell from the pyro’s bandolier and skittered across the ground. Bump, bump, roll. It was useless with no one to pull the pin.

Virgil chuckled, a low vibration in his stomach. The pyro was vanishing now; he returned to the engineer. Still no chance of a decent shot. Virgil stuck a salty thumbnail into his mouth and bit down. The nail split; he spat it out. Looked at his thumb. The quick was bleeding slightly.

Then the air changed. It was something subtle; he couldn’t tamp down the exact nature out it. Still, something prompted his to look over his shoulder. A hazy cloud had appeared on the horizon. It was mostly reddish-brown, but black at the core. Virgil swore and kicked his legs over the edge of the grain chute. Screw the battle. There was no point in fighting now.

XXX

Katsu was trying to run before he had fully managed to Respawn. He was halfway to his feet before the vertigo won and he fell over sideways. With a pop, he finished materializing. 

“Blimey, Doc. Best take it easier than that. Not like we’ve got a fire to get to.”

Katsu pushed himself to his knees. Ross offered a hand and pulled the doctor to his feet. It took the strength of one arm, and none of his back. Katsu was only five-foot-two and only weighed about a hundred and ten pounds. After a big meal. While soaking wet.

“That nest!” said Katsu. “I was so close – I nearly--” He fumbled for his super nailgun, thoughts in English and Japanese crisscrossing in his brain. “Come with me.” He grabbed a handful of the soldier’s uniform and stood on his tiptoes. “We’ll get rid of it once and for all.” 

“Doc,” said Ross. “I know I’m not meant to be short with you, but perhaps you ought to catch your breath first.”

Kastu paused. Ross was right, really. He pulled his mask down around his neck and inhaled. The unfiltered air seemed thick and gritty, but it was so much easier to fill his lungs. “No, you’re right. Thank you.”

Then there was a crack and a puff of ozone. The incandescent lights flickered and another body began to appear. Another person to aid in the destruction of the nest. Katsu hoped it would be the Serb, or, failing that, Gregorio. But no, it was Gregor. The boy was powerful enough, but terrified of engineers. Not without reason – an engineer’s EMP grenades could turn a demoman into an unwilling suicide bomber. 

Ross looked at Katsu, waiting for the doctor to make the call. Katsu sighed. He went over to the boy and crouched beside him. “Feeling well?”

“Vhat? Yes. I am fine.” Gregor sat up.

“Excellent. I hope you’re feeling well enough to help us attack that sentry nest.” 

Expressions crossed Gregor’s face in quick succession. A flicker of fear before settling into something that looked more liked disgust. Refusing Katsu would have been nothing short of insubordination, but still, the doctor would have preferred him happy. 

“Sure, vhatever, boss. But you know vhat? I am goink to leave my detpack here.”

That was a bit smart-alecky, but Katsu couldn’t argue with the logic. An EMP near the detpack could cause a blast powerful enough to kill all three of them at once. Should he remind Gregor to be respectful? Was it even worth it? No, they were just wasting time. He flipped open his medkit and grabbed a pair of syringes. Gregor and Ross were overhealed with a quick injection to the neck.  “Let’s go.”

It took all of Katsu’s self restraint not to break into a sprint. No point in leaving the other two in the dust, not now. When they emerged from the fort, the air seemed hazy. Dust reflected sunlight; it made the whole word seem brighter, somehow. Katsu looked across the water; sure enough, the sentry next was gone. Not demolished, but packed up and hauled away. In fact, everything had been hauled away. Not a single gunshot echoed through the hazy air.

Even before he looked over his shoulder, Katsu knew he would see the cloud of dust in the distance.  

XXX

“We’re taking two-minute showers, everyone! I want everybody in the lab in five! With your respirators. You!” Katsu pointed at Gregorio, “are not going to spend twenty minutes fine-trimming that mustache! And you!” he pointed at Bea, “are not going to mess around with makeup. Understood?”

The eight mercenaries scattered before him were all nodding. Katsu was the first one into the showers and the first one out. Hopping into his pants and he fiddled with his belt buckle, the scrambling down the stairs. He kept backups of all his medical supplies in the lab, but he couldn’t resist running to the infirmary to pick up a few extras. Sunlight streamed in through the tall windows, the light more hazy than ever. Katsu rifled through his cabinets. Painkiller and muscle relaxants. Sleeping pills. Lithium, to keep their spirits up. He had almost finished putting these into his medkit when the light vanished. Day had become night in a matter of seconds. Outside the windows, there was nothing but dark-red dust. 

That dust was seeping into the infirmary even now. He ought to get down to the lab, protect his lungs from the insidious particulate. But some part of him couldn’t resist those-blacked out windows. With one hand, he pulled up his mask, and he went over to the window. Touched the hot glass. He could see nothing but dust. Even the fencepost, not three meters from the window, had vanished into the clouds.  It was as if the base had been submerged in an aquarium full of mud. The storm made no sound – shouldn’t a dramatic storm be accompanied by a roaring wind? Katsu didn’t know, really. He was no expert on the strange weather of the United States. Though this barely seemed like weather. Dusters would have belonged alongside fairy tales; they were nearly as incredible as lakes of milk and rivers of blood.

Enough. Much longer, and his lungs would punish him.

XXX

There was nothing on the radio. Well, there was nothing of importance on the radio. It was still cranking out music and shows, but nothing about the weather. Most of the stations were based out of Albuquerque, two hundred miles away. Teufort was small and distant enough to be forgotten.

Fred sat back, letting the dial come to rest on a random station. “It’s Little Orphan Aaaaaannnnnnnniie,” crooned the radio. He turned it off, but the room did not become quiet. Gregor and Marcus were quibbling over something. The slap slap slap of Gregorio’s footsteps echoed off the walls. 

Why a duster? Why, oh, why a duster? Scientifically, he understood it. After decades of no-till farming, there was nothing holding the topsoil down. A drought and some wind were enough to pick everything up and dump it in the Pacific Ocean. What Fred didn’t understand was why some higher power would see fit to trap nine people in a single lab for god-knows-how long. Having to wear a respirator on a trip to the toiler. No privacy. No windows. No space to really spread out, even. Most everything was full of his machines and Gregor’s chemicals. Something was going to get knocked over and destroyed, he just knew it.

What was worse? Watching one of his machines become damaged or having to pull a furious Gregor off of the unlucky offender?

No. He shouldn’t be so ungrateful. They were better off than most everyone else. People in the countryside were surviving dusters in clapboard shanties, with nothing but damp towels over their faces. They had the filtration of the fume hoods, air so fresh and clean they didn’t even have to bother with respirators. Other people were sitting in the dark; they had generators and enough gasoline for weeks. And being two stories underground, it was even relatively cool.

Someone was pounding on the door now. The Serb opened it and Kastu came flying in. He clutched his medkit to his chest and his hair was already reddish with dust.

“Everyone here?” said Katsu.

Fred took a headcount for the umpteenth time. Gregor at the bench. Bea and Marcus in the engineering half of the lab. Virgil on the ground, preparing for a nap. Ross digging through their supply packs. The Serb become so small and still it was easy to forget he was there. Gregorio was pacing up and down a narrow walkway, face contorted with frustration. How could he already be this restless, directly after a full day of running?  Back and forth, back and forth. Eleven steps, a turn on his heels, and back again. It was like watching too much pressure escaping through a too-small relief valve. Gregorio wouldn’t complain, but he’d pace until someone told him to stop. Then he’d do pushups and sit-ups until the whole lab stank, someone else complained, and he went back to pacing. Not pleasant, but Fred could hardly blame him. Stuffing a teenage boy into such a small space was nothing short of keeping an animal in a cage.

“Safe and sound,” said Fred. The situation might not have been good, or even fine, but they were safe.

“Any predictions?”

“Radio hasn’t even acknowledged the storm.” 

“Right.” Katsu nodded. He set the medkit on Gregor’s half of the bench, looked over his team, and sighed. Nothing left to do but wait. 

“Can we listen to zhe radio?” said Gregor. “Thinks are getting borink already.”

“No radio,” said Virgil.

“If you can sleep on the battlefield you can sleep through the radio,” said Bea.

“The radio’s obnoxious,” said Gregorio.

“Who wants to play a game?” piped Ross.

Everyone froze. That was Ross’s too-perky voice, the exact same one he used when trying to get the team out of bed at five in morning. (“Rise and shine everybody! An exciting new day awaits!”) Ross’s grin nearly split his face in half, and he shook an enormous, flattened box. Pieces rattled inside it.

“A game? Like hide-and-seek?” said Marcus.

“Board game,” Bea told him. “Like chess.”

“Probably more like mancala,” said Gregor. “For children.”

“Where’d you get that?” said Fred. The box didn’t look familiar. There was a picture of a bespectacled, mustachioed man on the lid.

“Sears Catalog,” said Ross. “Bought it just for occasions like this. Monopoly. It’s new.” 

“What’s it about?” said Fred. 

“Real estate,” said Ross. “Buying and selling property.”

“Buying and selling property?” said Fred. He couldn’t imagine anything more boring than sales. The manic perkiness of them, the false charm. Engineering was supposed to help him avoid this sort of thing. Katsu glanced at him, clearly thinking the same thing. In his peripheral vision, Fred saw the Serb rolling his eyes. 

Ross turned to Virgil. “Play?” Virgil scowled and closed his eyes. He rolled his back towards Ross without so much as an acknowledgement.

“You know what,” said Gregorio. “I have no other good thing to do. I play.” His footsteps finally stopped.

Ross’s face lit up. “Excellent. This’ll be delightful, Greg. I promise.” He pried open the box’s lid and unfolded a square of printed cardboard. “Now, where can I set this down?”

Every available surface was covered with chemicals, metal, or notes.

“Surely we can shove some of this to the side…”

“No,” said Fred and Gregor almost simultaneously. 

“Y’all’s gotta stay away from those.”

“If you touch anyzhing…”

“Fine!” Ross’s grin had definitely faded by now. “We’ll be perfectly happing sitting on the floor.” He sat cross-legged and set the board before him. With it came two stacks of cards and a handful of little metal pieces.

Gregorio picked up something shaped like a tiny shoe. Perfect for a scout. “These mark where we are?”

“Yep,” said Ross. He picked up a thick stack of pastel-colored bills and started counting them out. “I’ll try to explain the rules. Stop me if you don’t understand something. We each start out with fifteen hundred dollars. When you land on a property,” his fingers went over the board’s squares. “You can buy it from the bank and charge rent whenever someone else lands on it.”  

Something about this had caught Bea’s eye. “I know this game,” she said, standing up. “This is The Landlord’s Game2. It’s not new. They’re had those in Chicago for a decade.”

“You’re familiar!” said Ross. “Do you enjoy it?”

The intact half of Bea’s face smiled. “It’s amazing,” she said. “It’s vicious. I’ve lost friends over The Landlord’s Game.”

“Wait, wait. You said were going to read to me,” said Marcus.

“I’ll have time to read to you later,” said Bea. She tossed Memoirs of an Infantry Officer into Marcus’s lap and went over the board. “Come on.” She patted the ground beside her and turned to Ross. “We’re playing with insider deals on, right?”

“What?” Ross fumbled with the little pamphlet that contained the rules.

“Insider deals,” said Bea. “We can buy and sell properties between each other. Form partnerships. Charge interest. Oh, come on!” she whined, seeing the look on Ross’s face. “It’s boring otherwise.”

Ross rubbed at his temples. “Well, nobody wants boring.”

Gregorio narrowed his eyes. “Boring, my ass.” He leaned towards Bea. “You. Already you think of some horrible thing to do to us, no?”  

Bea tried to make an innocent face.  The burn scars and empty eye socket somehow managed to ruin the effect. “I wouldn’t.”

Gregor let out a laugh that somehow turned into a cough. Virgil’s laugh was long and utterly undisguised. For a moment everyone was still, staring at each other.

“Come on, Marcus.” Bea patted the ground again. “Join us. It’s not like you’ve got anything better to do.” There was no way Marcus was going to be able to make it through Memoirs of an Infantry Officer without Bea’s help.

“This is going to end terribly, isn’t it?” Fred muttered into Katsu’s ear.

“Guarantee it.”

“Should we…”

“Yes.”

“We’re playing, too!” cried Katsu, brandishing an index finger.

“Can you even play with six people?” said Gregorio.

Ross counted out the little metal tokens. There were eight of them. “Room for two more,” he called to Gregor and the Serb.

“Vhatever.” Gregor came. The Serb slinked after them. Ross might have appealed to Virgil, offering to let him be the banker, but it was unlikely they’d be able to persuade the Sniper.

Eight people around the board made it a bit of a crunch, but they managed. They selected tokens, shuffled to get a good view. Ross felt a smile building up inside him. Nearly the whole team of was here! Perfect bonding!

“Let’s start with a practice round,” he said. “I’ll explain as we go. Bea, I need you to correct me if I make an error.” He handed the a pair of dice to Gregorio. “Youngest first.”

Chapter 1 Feetnote (just because I like feetnote)

1.     Yes, we just saw a rocket-jumping Pyro. TFC gameplay is weird.

2.     Various versions of Monopoly-like games have existed since the early 1900s. One of them was called The Landlord’s Game and some of its properties were based on real places in Chicago. Parker Brother published the current version of Monopoly in 1936.

[thestoryofthethirdwincheste-blog]

The Night Sam Left (Part 9)

The sun was starting to peak over the horizon, the weak morning light glowing on Sam’s face. He hadn’t slept at all since he had boarded the bus still anxious from the evening’s events. He worried about Beth, worried about Dean, worried about what Stanford would hold. Once again he resisted the urge to call Dean and check on everything. He told himself that once the bus stopped he’d call. This still left several hours unsure of what to do. He continued to stare at the window watching the sun rise. As the sky slowly turned from pale blue to was streaked with oranges and pinks once again his thoughts were drawn to his siblings.

Growing up on the road they had witnessed countless sunrises and sunsets across the country. No matter where they were Beth always watched in awe, amazed by the sheer uniqueness of each one they experienced. Countless times had Sam found Beth wrapped in a blanket sitting on the hood of the Impala or standing in the middle of the parking lot of a motel just watching the sky. One of the things Sam had promised her before he left was to take a picture of the first sunset and sunrise he saw in Stanford once he got there.

Dean and Beth were stopped at a small gas station in the middle of nowhere near the Wyoming/South Dakota border. As Dean fueled the Impala, Beth wondered inside the gas station getting fuel for themselves. As she was inside Dean checked his phone. 10 missed calls and 3 voicemails from John burned on the screen. He listened to the voicemails, all of them demanding to know where he was and to call John back. With a glance back at the store Dean made sure that Beth was still inside and he dialed his father. John answered after the third ring

“DEAN! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?”

“I’m not telling you.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Because everyone needs time to calm down and you coming to kick someone’s ass isn’t necessarily what anyone needs.”

“Is Beth with you?”

“What do you think?”

Dean could almost hear the eye roll through the phone.

“What about Sam?”

“No.”

“Do you know where he is?”

“No,” Dean lied. He had promised Sam that he wouldn’t reveal where he was going to school to John.

“Look Dad, I gotta go. I’ll keep Beth safe and Sam can take care of himself. I’ll call in a few days.”

“Don’t do anything stupid.” The line went dead as John hung up.

Beth came out of the gas station holding the best “breakfast” that one could find in a gas station in the middle of nowhere. She handed a coffee to Dean as she sipped on her own.

“What’d you get?”

“Pop-Tarts and bananas.”

“Seriously?”

“It’s a banana, Dean. It’s not gonna kill you.”

John was fuming after his phone call with Dean. Sam and Beth had always been the hardheaded, stubborn ones not Dean. Dean had always been the one to say “Yes sir.” and do whatever John asked him to do. He shouldn’t have been surprised at Dean’s unwavering loyalty to his younger siblings. Fiercely protective, especially over Beth, Dean would always be the one to step between any conflict or danger that Sam or Beth might face.

John knew that Dean was lying about where Sam was going. Of course Sam would have told him. Beth probably knew too but she would never tell John. Her loyalty to her brothers rivaled Dean’s. The previous night hadn’t been the first time that she had stood up indignantly to him. Each time they had an altercation the similarities between Beth and her mother always caught him off guard.

She was so much like Mary, both in looks and attitude. Her eyes narrowed the same way when she was angry, forehead creased the same way when she was concentrating, got the same dimples when she smiled. Her words could be sweet as honey and then sharp as daggers when she wanted them to. Beth’s similarity to Mary only angered John more.

The Night Sam Left Master List

[154xxx]

I Roads shouldered by enclosing walls with narrow cobbled tracks for streets, those hill towns with their stamp-sized squares and a sea pinned by the arrow of a quivering horizon, with names that never wither for centuries and shadows that are the dial of time. Light older than wine and a cloud like a tablecloth spread for lunch under the leaves. I have come this late to Italy, but better now, perhaps, than in youth that is never satisfied, whose joys are treacherous, while my hair rhymes with those far crests, and the bells of the hilltop towers number my errors, because we are never where we are, but somewhere else, even in Italy. This is the bearable truth of old age; but count your benedictions—those fields of sunflowers, the torn light on the hills, the haze of the unheard Adriatic—while the day still hopes for possibility, cloud shadows racing the slopes. II The blue windows, the lemon-colored counterpane, the knowing that the sea is behind the avenue with balconies and bicycles, that the gelid traffic mixes its fumes with coffee—transient interiors, transient bedsheets, and the transient view of sea-salted hotels with spiky palms, in spite of which summer is serious, since there is inevitably a farewell to arms, to the storm-haired beauty who will disappear. The shifted absence of your axis, love wobbles on your body’s pivot, to the carriage’s shudder as it glides past the roofs and beaches of the Ligurian coast. Things lose their balance and totter from the small blows of memory. You wait for revelations, for leaping dolphins, for nightingales to loosen their knotted throats, for the bell in the tower to absolve your sins like the furled sails of the homecoming boats.

[roguephenon]

A good morning

Out on the far fringes of the universe, deep in the unknown void of stars, a tiny ship blinked into existence. It dropped out of hyper-space, the engines slowing to a respectable speed as the sleek vessel continued its endless voyage.

Inside the ship, within a darkened room, four, pebble sized gemstones floated aimlessly in the dark. Every so often, they radiated soft, violet glows that illuminated the dwelling of a child. Hand-made stuffed animals laid strewn about in a random stampede, a pile of journals and coloring books remained half-finished in the corner, and artifacts of various shapes and sizes hung proudly from the walls.

In the center of the room was a nest-like bed bulging with fluff and cotton sheets. Tucked comfortably in a mass of pillows and blankets was a slumbering girl no older than nine; Tali. Her bouncy, chocolate hair curled around her face, and her arms and legs remained securely wrapped around a fuzzy, squid-like doll. She smiled in her sleep, nuzzling deeper into the warmth of her bed.

The four gemstones rotated around the bed, giving off low warm light around the child. After a moment, their glow brightened and a breezy hum echoed throughout the room. The gems orbited faster around Tali as they slowly homed in on her.

With a wide yawn, Tali slowly roused from her slumber. She sat up, rubbing at her eyes and adjusting to the dim lighting. She looked at the gemstones, groggily blinking as she watched their odd symphony in a daze.

All at once, she gasped.

“We’re here!” Tali gave her squid doll an excited squeeze, now fully awake. She cutely shooed off the gemstones, the items dulling and returning to their original pattern as they quieted. She then began crawling out of her bed as the lights of her room eased on.

At the foot of Tali’s bed, curled up into a ball, was a pale lizard creature. As she disturbed the creature’s rest, its ruby eyes snapped open and it raised its head. It poked around curiously before its maw stretched into a large yawn. Once Tali had left the bed, it curled into a tighter ball and resumed its slumber.

Tali turned and peered over the lizard, giving it a soft pat. “We’re here, Sasha!”

Sasha borrowed into the covers, ignoring Tali and continuing to sleep.

“You so lazy,” she giggled. Forgetting the lizard, Tali trotted to the left, her padded pajama bottoms causing her to tumble. Undisturbed, she continued going until she hopped into a towering pile of clothing.

Tali rummaged in the clothing pile, digging around and causing a stir. After a moment, she crawled out, her hands holding onto a green, star-shaped backpack and a floofy purple sweater. She struggled between shrugging on the sweater and fastening the straps to her backpack as she made for the door.

An overhead light fixture blinked as the child neared the door, and the pathway automatically opened as Tali ducked through it. One arm flapped to adjust her straps and her other quickly snatched up her shoes as she exited the door. She tumbled to the floor, a disheveled mess, but continued to wiggle down the hall as she hastily dressed.

“We’re here,” she continued to chant as she kicked on her shoes. She scrambled up to her feet, grinning with not a care of how her sweater was on backwards. “We’re here, we’re here!”

Tali skipped merrily down the winding corridor, never missing a beat as she neared her destination. She passed an observation window, and paused to press her face against it. She breathed deeply, fogging up the glass as her feet stomped wildly.

Below was an azure planet, beckoning curious adventures forth to unlock all its secrets and mysteries.

“We’re here!” Tali exclaimed as she bolted down the hall, running full tilt. “We’re finally here!”

Her laughs echoed throughout the interior until she approached a large, bolted door. A series of lights and luminescent tubes bled into the walls and journeyed beyond the seal. Defense turrets lazily monitored the hallway, charged and ready to vaporize any trespasser on sight. When Tali wandered close, they snapped towards her.

Tali pounded her hands against the door, oblivious to the turrets scanning her. The red lights of their visors turned blue as they instantly retracted, and she stepped back before charging in as the bolted door opened with a hiss.

The air was cold, stale, and eerily silent. The only light within the chamber came from the dull glare from the dozens of computer screens plastered to the back wall. Tali could barely contain herself as she ran to the center of the room, towards an unsettling cocoon of wires and steel. She approached them without a fear in the world, and hugged the wires tightly.

“Mom! Mom, wake up,” Tali said, voice light and pinched with eagerness only a child could muster. She hugged the cocoon tighter as she announced, “We are here!”

Tendrils shot out from the base of the cocoon and instantly aimed for Tali. They coiled around her body, lifting her into the air. The girl continued to smile, not fighting the wires as they held her away from the cocoon while it groaned and slowly bloomed.

A sterile mist erupted from the cocoon as a pod unraveled itself. From its core, the sleek frame of a body began to become visible. Its cylinder torso rounded as it lifted, and its legs bent and formed as the pod rose. A head with an assortment of loose wires nodded upwards, and a visor faceplate blinked as it came online.

Tali smiled. The tendrils brought her closer to the bot and the visor displayed a smiling heart symbol as she leaned in for a nuzzle.

“Good morning, Tali,” a smooth, delicate voice spoke. “Did you sleep well?”

“Uh-huh,” Tali said, nodding. “I slept good. But guess what – we’re here!”

“Here?” the robot repeated, the head tilting curiously. It rose, as if looking towards the ceiling, and hummed before speaking again. “Ah, my sensors indicate we have arrived above Planet En’dol.”

Tali nodded again. “Yep, so we can land and go look for the thing, right? Right?”

The robot beeped, the visor displaying a bemused emotive symbol. “Well, aren’t you eager.”

“I’m ready!” Tali protested, wiggling out of the tendrils to land on the floor. She then proudly stood and spun around. “I got dressed all by myself and everything!”

The robot studied Tali’s appearance, with her backwards sweater over her pajamas. It spouted a series of beeps and whirs the child recognized as a ‘laugh’. “Yes, I can clearly see that.”

“So that means we can go land and explore now, right?”

“Tali,” the robot said quietly, “there are several protocols we must go through before we can embark. Besides, I am still not at full operational capacity.”

Tali pouted and stomped her foot. “But, moooom, I’m ready to go now! Can we, please?”

“Sweetie, just wait a little longer, and we can go as soon as I am able.” The tendrils gently lifted the whining Tali off the floor, and gently scouted her towards the door. “Now, please report to the mess hall for breakfast.” She lowered the child to the ground and used the tendrils to pat her head. “I shall make you burgle pudge!”

Tali huffed as she shuffled off. The door behind her close and she crossed her arms as she kicked at the floor.

“I don’t want burgle pudge,” she grumpily mumbled. “I wanna go exploring.” She frowned back the door, displeased that her mother wasn’t ready. How could she not be ready? Did she not understand that they were here?

Apparently not. Tali plopped to the floor and groaned, puffing her chest up before letting out deep breaths. She had no time for breakfast, they were here and she had to go exploring for the thing! That was way more important than delicious, tongue-tingling burgle pudge…

Mmm, burgle pudge…

No! Tali slapped her face and shook her head. Now was not the time for those kinds of thoughts. She had to get down planet-side. She tapped her chin, her mind fluttering through various ideas and plans to speed up her long-awaited En’dol expedition. Her mouth quirked to a grin as she stood, making an immediate left down the hallway.

Tali entered through another door, coming to the bridge of the ship. She looked forward, her eyes widening as she looked out the massive, observation deck window. The entirety of En’dol was right before her, a sparkling ruby against the darkness of the universe. It was so close, and her mom wanted to wait until after breakfast.

That was silly!

Tali moseyed up towards a blinking computer console, the panel blinking on its own and buttons and dials turning of their own violation. Tali’s head slowly peaked over the edge of the console, and her lips curled into a tiny smile as she petted an idle lever.

“Good morning, Ship,” she whispered as she patted the console. “You did a good job getting us here.”

To her right, a panel turned on. It let off a quick series of beeps as a response.

“You’re welcome,” she said. “And guess what? Mom says we should probably go ahead and land.”

There was a pause. The panel beeped slowly.

Tali shrugged. “I don’t know, moms are weird. But I just wanted to go ahead and tell you that.” She petted the console again. “I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

The panel gave a dubious beep.

“Because mom said so, gosh!” Tali groaned, rolling her eyes. She slouched against the console, smacking her head against the keyboard impatiently. “Can you just please laaaaaand.”

The panel gave a dismissive beep before the ship vaulted. Tali perked up as she looked out the window, her brown eyes oozing excitement as they breached the planet atmosphere. Jagged lines on the horizons became mountain ranges, and small blobs grew into massive bodies of water they soared over as they ship searched for a suitable landmass.

It was not long before the ship glided over an inlet, positioning itself further down the coastline before hovering over a stable cliff-side. Ever so delicately the landing legs extended as the ship lowered to the ground, the grass and debris billowing under the force of the propulsion fumes.

Tali’s hands balled into fists as she literally counted down the seconds in her head. She wavered to and fro as the ship landed, and her arms shot into the arm as the panel to her right gave an affirmative beep.

“Yes!” she cheered, hopping up and down around the bridge. “Good job, Ship!”

The panel smugly beeped.

Tali peered out the window once more, now looking at the world from a ground-perspective. The light shimmering outside reflected off the crystal waters of the beach like stars among the blanket of space, and the tall grass swayed comfortably under the push of the breeze. The planet seemed so inviting that it was practically begging her to come play.

“Um, hey, ship?” Tali slowly started, twisting her toes in the floor as she clasped her hands together. “Mom also said it was okay for me to go out. But just around the landing zone! She said…um, she just said it was okay?”

The panel was silent for a moment, Tali waiting on baited breath. After the span of a few tense seconds, it beeped.

“Pleeeeeeeease,” Tali all but begging, dropping to the floor and hugging the console at its base. “I haven’t seen a new planet in foreverrrrr. I promise I’ll stay in the landing zone. Please? I pinky promise!”

The panel was silent.

Tali’s lip trembled as her eyes watered.

The panel reluctantly beeped.

“Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” Tali rattled off as she ran around the console. She gave the console and good pat before darted off towards the airlock. “Love you, Ship, bye!”

The panel went silent as the onboard ship computer logged Tali exiting out the airlock. It then logged a reminder to regret this course of action later.

[robinsworld]

In Italy -- Derek Walcott

I Roads shouldered by enclosing walls with narrow cobbled tracks for streets, those hill towns with their stamp-sized squares and a sea pinned by the arrow of a quivering horizon, with names that never wither for centuries and shadows that are the dial of time. Light older than wine and a cloud like a tablecloth spread for lunch under the leaves. I have come this late to Italy, but better now, perhaps, than in youth that is never satisfied, whose joys are treacherous, while my hair rhymes with those far crests, and the bells of the hilltop towers number my errors, because we are never where we are, but somewhere else, even in Italy. This is the bearable truth of old age; but count your benedictions—those fields of sunflowers, the torn light on the hills, the haze of the unheard Adriatic—while the day still hopes for possibility, cloud shadows racing the slopes. II The blue windows, the lemon-colored counterpane, the knowing that the sea is behind the avenue with balconies and bicycles, that the gelid traffic mixes its fumes with coffee—transient interiors, transient bedsheets, and the transient view of sea-salted hotels with spiky palms, in spite of which summer is serious, since there is inevitably a farewell to arms, to the storm-haired beauty who will disappear. The shifted absence of your axis, love wobbles on your body’s pivot, to the carriage’s shudder as it glides past the roofs and beaches of the Ligurian coast. Things lose their balance and totter from the small blows of memory. You wait for revelations, for leaping dolphins, for nightingales to loosen their knotted throats, for the bell in the tower to absolve your sins like the furled sails of the homecoming boats.

Rest in Power

[thehourmarkers]

5 Indian watch brands that you must look out for in 2022.

5 Indian watch brands that you must look out for in 2022.

Wearing a smartwatch on your wrist will always be in style. Your style and accessories say a lot about who you are. In today’s society, we must present a positive image to succeed professionally, particularly for those working in the marketing, sales, and related industries. People frequently opt for high-end brands when purchasing elegant and fashionable timepieces. Many of India’s top watch companies for 2022 produce enticing, aspirational watches.

When it comes to timepieces, we Indians are pretty discerning and intelligent. Everybody wants a worthwhile purchase. Because of this, we frequently struggle to choose the top watch companies in India. Every brand has a distinctive look and appeal of its own. Therefore, we are giving you the list of top watch brands made in India for 2022 to assist your purchases.

Here is a list of the top watch brands in India in 2022.

Choosing the ideal watch might be difficult because so many different watch brands are on the market. Even if you’ve been researching the best watch brands online, it can be challenging to pick the right one. So your search is over right here. Let’s look at our ranking of the top watch companies in India for 2022 for both men and women. We have brands that are both pricey and luxurious on this list.

1) Titan Autumn-winter 19 Analog.

Titan Autumn-Winter 19 Analogue is a fantastic jewel because of its simple dial look, which I find engaging and drawn at. The watch has a date window on the dial face and is water-resistant to a depth of 50 meters. Furthermore, this watch outperforms similarly priced and more expensive timepieces based on aesthetics.

It comes in a luxurious box, which makes presenting it as a gift a great idea. If you appreciate leather watches, don’t look back — this watch is for you!

2) Janata HMT watches.

For a good reason, the Janata is HMT’s most famous, iconic, and endearing watch. In Hindi, “Janata” is the word for “public”; hence the Janata watch was created as a tribute to the Indian people. The Janata is a fundamental watch at its core. It is driven by a manual winding, 17 jewel movement, and features a slim 35mm case approximately 11mm thick (including the domed crystal). The movement is where the crucial Citizen technology transfer took place. Citizen’s 0201 calibers were modified to become HMT’s 0231 hand-winding movements, which featured the ‘Parashock’ shock protection mechanism from the Japanese watchmaker. For this reason, the dial of hand-winding HMT watches states, “Parashock 17 Jewels.”

3) Filigree watch(Jaipur).

Filigree is a delicate embellishment in which skilled jewellers painstakingly solder fine, pliable threads of precious metal, which are then twisted or curled into a beautiful artistic motif or design of the jewellery, or in this case, the ‘Filigree Wristwear.’ Housing a genuine One Anna Coin from the King George VI era with 12 sides makes it a perfect fit for a watch.

4) Horizons blue fume dial — Bangalore.

The Horizon’s blue fumé dial is rare. You’ll find yourself regularly checking the interior of this dial. This matte fumé pattern of this watch has a deep blue base colour that transitions to black as it gets closer to the edge. As a result, the dial exhibits exceptional light play in various lighting conditions, making for a delightful watch to wear.

The little case is inevitable. It is machined from a single block of Grade 2 Titanium and polished uniformly using micro-bead blasting to give it that cutting-edge appearance. The Apogee, which features a 100-meter water-tight case and a Swiss automatic movement, checks many boxes for a sporty, futuristic watch with an interesting backstory that is sure to create conversation in your group.

5) Ajwain Sholavaram Pulse.

The Ajwain Sholavaram Pulse, the first mechanical chronograph produced in India, is one of the brand’s crown jewels. Named for the area of the same name that is 24 kilometers north of Chennai and contains India’s first racetrack (1953). This watch has a 40 mm SS 316 case with an exhibition case back and Sapphire crystals on the front and rear. This watch also features a Seagull ST1901 mechanical hand-wound chronograph movement with 20 mm lugs. The dial colours available for this watch include Ivory for that vintage 1950s look, Black with Red Pulsometer, and Black with Blue Pulsometer.

Visit www.thehourmarkers.com to know more

[thehourmarkers]

5 Indian watch brands that you must look out for in 2022.

Wearing a smartwatch on your wrist will always be in style. Your style and accessories say a lot about who you are. In today's society, we must present a positive image to succeed professionally, particularly for those working in the marketing, sales, and related industries. People frequently opt for high-end brands when purchasing elegant and fashionable timepieces. Many of India's top watch companies for 2022 produce enticing, aspirational watches.

When it comes to timepieces, we Indians are pretty discerning and intelligent. Everybody wants a worthwhile purchase. Because of this, we frequently struggle to choose the top watch companies in India. Every brand has a distinctive look and appeal of its own. Therefore, we are giving you the list of top watch brands made in India for 2022 to assist your purchases.

Here is a list of the top watch brands in India in 2022.

Choosing the ideal watch might be difficult because so many different watch brands are on the market. Even if you've been researching the best watch brands online, it can be challenging to pick the right one. So your search is over right here. Let's look at our ranking of the top watch companies in India for 2022 for both men and women. We have brands that are both pricey and luxurious on this list.

1. Titan Autumn-winter 19 Analog.

Titan Autumn-Winter 19 Analogue is a fantastic jewel because of its simple dial look, which I find engaging and drawn at. The watch has a date window on the dial face and is water-resistant to a depth of 50 meters. Furthermore, this watch outperforms similarly priced and more expensive timepieces based on aesthetics.

It comes in a luxurious box, which makes presenting it as a gift a great idea. If you appreciate leather watches, don't look back—this watch is for you!

 2. Janata HMT watches.

For a good reason, the Janata is HMT's most famous, iconic, and endearing watch. In Hindi, "Janata" is the word for "public"; hence the Janata watch was created as a  tribute to the Indian people. The Janata is a fundamental watch at its core. It is driven by a manual winding, 17 jewel movement, and features a slim 35mm case approximately 11mm thick (including the domed crystal). The movement is where the crucial Citizen technology transfer took place. Citizen's 0201 calibers were modified to become HMT's 0231 hand-winding movements, which featured the 'Parashock' shock protection mechanism from the Japanese watchmaker. For this reason, the dial of hand-winding HMT watches states, "Parashock 17 Jewels."

3. Filigree watch(Jaipur).

Filigree is a delicate embellishment in which skilled jewellers painstakingly solder fine, pliable threads of precious metal, which are then twisted or curled into a beautiful artistic motif or design of the jewellery, or in this case, the 'Filigree Wristwear.' Housing a genuine One Anna Coin from the King George VI era with 12 sides makes it a perfect fit for a watch.

4. Horizons blue fume dial - Bangalore.

The Horizon's blue fumé dial is rare. You'll find yourself regularly checking the interior of this dial. This matte fumé pattern of this watch has a deep blue base colour that transitions to black as it gets closer to the edge. As a result, the dial exhibits exceptional light play in various lighting conditions, making for a delightful watch to wear.

The little case is inevitable. It is machined from a single block of Grade 2 Titanium and polished uniformly using micro-bead blasting to give it that cutting-edge appearance. The Apogee, which features a 100-meter water-tight case and a Swiss automatic movement, checks many boxes for a sporty, futuristic watch with an interesting backstory that is sure to create conversation in your group.

5. Ajwain Sholavaram Pulse.

The Ajwain Sholavaram Pulse, the first mechanical chronograph produced in India, is one of the brand's crown jewels. Named for the area of the same name that is 24 kilometers north of Chennai and contains India's first racetrack (1953). This watch has a 40 mm SS 316 case with an exhibition case back and Sapphire crystals on the front and rear. This watch also features a Seagull ST1901 mechanical hand-wound chronograph movement with 20 mm lugs. The dial colours available for this watch include Ivory for that vintage 1950s look, Black with Red Pulsometer, and Black with Blue Pulsometer.

Visit www.thehourmarkers.com to know more