#I currently have more notifications from asks which I report and block than ever before

[strongholdinthedark]

I preferred the porn Bots.

[sturchling]

Liars in Crime

So, this is based of a prompt from @chocolate1721

One day, Marinette is on a video call with Damian when she leaves to help with the bakery. He soon gets another call from Marinette, but instead he sees two girls destroying Marinette’s work. What will happen next?

Hope you guys like it!

Marinette didn���t know it yet, but this would be the day that the Lila problem was solved. And it would be all thanks to her friend Damian. Marinette and Damian were on FaceTime that afternoon. Marinette and Damian had been pen pals for a while by this time. They were originally paired up for a class project, but they had actually become very close friends. They eventually switched to email, which then became texting, and now they FaceTime almost every day. Sometimes, they don’t even talk while on FaceTime and instead work on individual projects and just enjoy the other’s company. This particular day, Damian was working on some homework, while Marinette worked on some new commissions. Jagged and Penny had asked for Marinette to make their outfits for the Wayne Gala that was in a few weeks. Damian and his family had also commissioned some new suits from the young designer, which she had completed and sent to them the day before. Marinette had just finished Jagged’s suit and just had to finish Penny’s dress.

 --------------------------

While the two worked, they chatted about their days. Well, Marinette was venting more than chatting. She had been dealing with the Lila Variety Show all day, and it had been a particularly rough day. Apparently, Lila had told Alya that Marinette had spent the night sending her nasty messages. This caused the whole class to glare at Marinette all day and call her a bunch of horrible names. A few had even tripped Marinette as she left the class that afternoon. The only ones who hadn’t been attacking her were Alix and Nathaniel. Adrien hadn’t attacked her, but he certainly didn’t have her back like he claimed to when this whole Lila mess started. Most days now, Damien heard all about Lila’s daily lying. He had grown to hate this girl without ever meeting her. The entire Wayne family hated this girl after hearing what she had been doing to Mari. They all wished there was something they could do, but Marinette refused their offer of legal assistance and it is not like Batman could deal with such a small problem that wasn’t even happening in Gotham. There was one good thing that came of all this, Batman had finally heard about what had been happening in Paris. He wasn’t sure how he hadn’t heard of Hawkmoth before this, but now he was working with the local heroes remotely, so as not to risk being akumatized himself. Somehow, during all this time, neither Marinette or Bruce had figured out the other’s identity.

  --------------------------

After they had been on FaceTime for about an hour, Marinette was called downstairs by Sabine. They needed help with a particularly busy rush. So, Marinette ended the call, saying that she would call back later. Little did the pair of friends knew, but trouble was brewing across the street, at the school. Alya and Lila were talking in the classroom. Lila was upset because Marinette had continued to send her mean texts, and had even started sending threatening texts. Alya was furious. How dare Marinette threaten her best friend!? Alya knew the young designer had changed a lot, but she never thought Marinette would sink so low. Alya wanted to teach Marinette a lesson. But Lila was too sweet. “No, Alya. I don’t want to hurt Marinette. Its fine, they are just words.” Alya didn’t understand how Lila could be so forgiving. “It is not fine Lila. She had been threatening you and needs to be stopped. What if we don’t hurt her, but just mess with her current designs a bit. She has been more obsessive about them than usual lately, so messing with them should teach her a lesson.” Lila hid her face so Alya wouldn’t see her smirking. “If you think that would work Alya. But won’t Marinette be upset?” Alya loved how thoughtful her friend was. “It may upset her, but she deserves it. She has been upsetting you.” With that, the two girls walked over to the bakery. They snuck in through the door to the apartment, right behind the Dupain-Cheng family who were all in the bakery. The girls entered Marinette’s room and began destroying everything they could find. But Lila made a major mistake. When she grabbed a sketchbook from Marinette’s desk, she knocked the mouse and accidently clicked on the call button on FaceTime. That one mistake put Lila’s downfall in motion.

  --------------------------

Damian continued with his homework, not expecting to hear back from Marinette for some time. But about 15 minutes later, Damian got a notification that Marinette was trying to call him. He just assumed that she had finished in the bakery quicker than expected. He accepted the call, but instead of his friend, he saw two girls destroying everything in the room. He quickly started screen recording, so he had evidence of what the two girls were doing. He didn’t know how these two were so dull, that they hadn’t noticed him on the screen. Damian recognized these two girls from Marinette’s descriptions of her class. This must be Alya and Lila, the liar making his friend miserable. Damian texted Marinette about the two girls in her room and how they were destroying her designs. The two had already ripped up the pages from Marinette’s sketchbook, and were now Lila trying to destroy the dress Marinette was working on for Penny while Alya cut up the suit meant for Jagged. Damian was furious and decided to try and get the girl’s attention before they did too much damage to the clothes. Damian cleared his throat and watched as the two girls froze.

  --------------------------

Alya and Lila had been cutting up the two outfits on the mannequins when they heard someone clear their throat. Both girls froze, wondering who could be in there. They had seen Marinette and her parents in the bakery. There shouldn’t be anyone else. They wildly looked all over the room trying to see the source of the noise. They almost thought they had imagined the noise when they heard “I’m on the computer you incompetent cretins!” Damian couldn’t believe how pathetically dull these two were. Alya and Lila whipped around to stare at the screen, and they saw a boy about their age with black hair and green eyes just glaring at them. Lila was terrified. If he said anything, everything Lila had built would be destroyed. They could go to jail, and Lila couldn’t become famous from jail. So, Lila put on her best pouty face while also trying to look flirty, and she sauntered up to the computer. “Oh, hello there. We are friends of Marinette’s from class. She told us we could borrow her notes from class, but she forgot to give them to us. She told us to come up and-” Before the liar could finish her newest tall tale, the door to the room burst open. Standing at the trap door was Marinette and Sabine, and they were furious! Marinette stared at Alya, who was holding a pair of scissors in one hand and the suit for Jagged in the other. “WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!” Marinette rushed to Alya and grabbed the suit from Alya. Thankfully, she hadn’t managed to do much damage to the suit yet, but Penny’s dress was a different story. The dress was nothing more than scraps now. Marinette saw red and began yelling at Alya, who started yelling right back.

  --------------------------

In all the chaos, Lila tried to slip out the door, but the way was blocked by Sabine. “Oh no you don’t young lady. You two are staying right here until the police arrive.” Lila was terrified, she wanted to get out, but Sabine was standing on the only door out of the room. Alya at this point, was concerned. Her parents would kill her if the police were called. Alya tried reasoning with Sabine, “Wait Mrs. Cheng! We only did this because Marinette has been bullying and threatening Lila-” Sabine only got more angry replying, “Be quiet young lady! Even if that were true, that is no reason to break in and destroy my daughter’s property. You two have committed some serious crimes today! Did you two know breaking and entering is a felony? You are in major trouble!” Alya and Lila kept trying to appeal to Sabine, but nothing worked to convince her not to call the police.

  --------------------------

While, Sabine called the police to report the break in, Damian watched in silence. He was furious. How dare these two break in and mess with Marinette’s hard work. After a few minutes of Sabine and Marinette yelling, the rest of Damian’s family filtered into the room having heard the commotion. At first, they thought something was wrong with Damian, but then they saw what was happening on the screen. A short explanation from Damian, and the rest of the Wayne family was just as furious as Damian. Bruce was almost shaking with rage. Jason was muttering about going to Paris and teaching these two a lesson. Even Alfred wasn’t calm anymore, he was glaring at the screen and roughly twisting the feather duster in his hands. The Wayne family watched as Marinette and her mom kept the two vandals in the room until the authorities arrived. The police arrived shortly after and took the two girls to the patrol car, so they could be taken to the station. The officers then returned to the bedroom and began gathering evidence. They took pictures of the damage and then took a statement from Damian. After Damian gave his statement, he sent the police the video he had recorded of the two girls destroying the clothes and designs.

  --------------------------

While the police gathered evidence, Alya and Lila waited in the car. Lila was furious. How did things go so wrong? She was supposed to be laughing with Alya about the revenge against Marinette. She wasn’t supposed to be in handcuffs in the back of a police car. Alya turned to her and said, “Don’t worry Lila, once we explain everything, they will let us go.” Lila could not believe how dumb this girl was. Even if she had been telling the truth, that wouldn’t get them out of a felony charge. “Alya, even if the police believe us about Marinette, we would still be in a lot of trouble. Our best bet is to lie. Stick to the story I was telling Damian, we just went up to get notes. The stuff was already destroyed when we got there.” Alya wasn’t sure about that. Lying didn’t sit well with her. “But what about Mrs. Cheng? We already told her the real reason.” Lila was quick to respond, “Well, it will be our word against hers. We will just hope the police believe us.” Alya was still worried, but agreed to Lila’s plan. They worked out the exact details for their story, and by the time the police came back, they felt confident they would get away with it.

  --------------------------

When they arrived to the station, the two girls were placed in separate interview rooms, to wait until their parents arrived. Once their families arrived, the police informed them of the serious charges placed against them, and that the Dupain-Cheng family was pressing charges. The two families were horrified! Their daughters had committed two crimes in one day, including a felony. They were looking at some serious trouble, they could even end up in a juvenile detention center. That was even more likely, since they had also committed destruction of property while they were there and had damaged Marinette’s custom designs, which were worth a fair bit of money. Mrs. Rossi knew that her daughter could be looking at up to 3 years in a detention center. She was shocked her daughter would do something like this. The officers asked for permission to speak with their daughters and the families agreed, so long as they could watch from the other side of the glass. The police agreed to the request, and the interview began.

  --------------------------

Both girls stuck to the story they agreed on. Now matter how many times the police asked, the girls continued to say they had been invited in and were only there to get notes, and they had no idea how the clothes had been damaged.  The officers interviewing the girls were shocked at the ease with which the girls lied. The officers realized they needed to stop, and try something else. They left the room and the families started asking if they were cleared. “They said they were only there for the notes.” “They wouldn’t have done this.” “They wouldn’t lie to the police.” The police realized they needed to show the parents the video, so they pulled out a tablet and played the video for the family. As the video went on, the families grew paler as they watched Alya and Lila destroy the sketchbook and outfits. At the moment, Lila and Alya were back in the little holding cell, sitting on the bench. They were just chatting and laughing. The two families couldn’t believe how relaxed the two were. They weren’t guilty at all! Nora became enraged. How could these two be so calm?! Didn’t they realize how much trouble they were in?! Nora grabbed the tablet and stormed over to the two girls. Nora pressed play and watched as Alya and Lila grew pale as the video went on.

  --------------------------

Lila didn’t think there was any video of what they had done. How was she to know they had been recorded? Then, she realized by the camera angle, this was recorded from the computer. That brat on FaceTime must have recorded everything. The video clearly showed her and Alya ripping up the sketchbook pages and cutting up the two outfits. Lila and Alya began to realize they were in major trouble. Their story they told the police was obviously false and there was video to prove they were guilty. Alya started freaking out and yelling, “Wait! The only reason we did that was because of Marinette. She has been bullying and threatening Lila for days now! We just wanted to teach her a little lesson, its not like we hurt anyone!” Alya’s family stared at her in disbelief. How could she believe that Marinette would do that? Lila knew that it was a long shot, but it was her only chance. So, she turned on the water works and spun her story about how Marinette was threatening her by text for days. One of the officers walked up and said, “OK, then we need to see your phone.” Lila stilled at that and replied, “What?! Why?” The officer looked at her dubiously, like he already knew she was lying, “Because, if what your saying is true, then it may help your case. But you need proof. Luckily, texts stay on the phone and we can track the number.” Lila hadn’t thought about that. The class never asked for proof, so she hadn’t bothered to fake any. Alya turned to her and said, “Go on girl, show them the texts.” Lila didn’t know what to do. She handed her phone to the officer, hopping he would go to the other room to look at it, but he stayed right there and looked through all her messages. Eventually, after a tense minute, he looked up and said, “There are no texts threatening texts here at all. Alya turned and stared at Lila. That couldn’t be right, that would mean that Lila had lied to her. Lila wouldn’t do that. They were friends, right?

  --------------------------

Eventually, the truth came out. Everyone found out that Lila had been lying the whole time and had tricked the whole class. Just because she had been tricked, did not get Alya completely out of trouble. It did help her case however. The judge let Alya off with 100 hours community service and telling her she had to pay restitution to Marinette for the damaged clothes and book. Alya wasn’t necessarily happy, but she was grateful not to be going to juvie. Lila was not so lucky. After it was revealed that she was the mastermind behind everything, and how she had harassed Marinette, she was sentenced to 12 months in a juvenile detention center 10 miles outside of Paris, to hopefully avoid her being akumatized. Lila would also be on probation when she was released. After everything that had happened, Marinette decided to switch schools to a nearby art school. She did end up repairing the outfits for Jagged and Penny in time for the gala. She was very thankful that Damian had been there that day, and had recorded everything. He had solved the liar problem for her, from all the way in Gotham. Time went by, and Marinette got over the events that had happened in Mrs. Bustier’s class. Marinette was excited for what the future would bring, now that the liar was gone from her life.

[gamergirl929]

No One Talks To You That Way (Not While I’m Around) (Carli Lloyd x Reader)

Anonymous Request:  Could you do one where T is seen as the sweetest one on the team (or let’s be real tied with christen as the sweetest) and even during many tough games she keeps her cool. Then one day someone says/tweets something about carli and she just goes off. (Cuz I will always have a soft spot for Lloyd)

“I mean, don’t you think it’s time to hang up your cleats? Give some of the newer talent time to shine? I mean we all know you’re certainly missing a step...”  

Your eyes widen, as do the remainder of your teammate’s, each and every one of them looking at the reporter who’d asked the question incredulously, his fellow reporters looking at him in the same manner.  

Carli Lloyd meanwhile is looking at the man in stunned silence, the woman trying to think of a reply to the clearly blatant jab at her, her career, and the fact that with a spot on the team she’s ‘taking’ from the younger generation.  

The remainder of your teammates are OBVIOUSLY livid, each and every one of them shouting at the reporter, but the only clear response, comes from your microphone.  

“Actually, I think I can answer that...”  

Everyone turns to you, brows furrowed.  

You were one of the sweetest members of the team, giving Christen a run for her money, Christen, who is currently looking at you with wide eyes.  

“First off, you’re a literal dumbass.” You shrug, Ashlyn snorting loudly as Megan barks out a laugh, the group of reporters surrounding the man snickering.  

“Ms. Y/L/N-

“SECOND off, how dare you.” You snarl angrily, an anger that leave your teammates taken aback.  

You move to your feet, pointing a finger at the man who shrinks under your gaze. 

“How dare you talk to someone like Carli Lloyd like that, she’s a fantastic soccer player, and no she doesn’t need to hang up her fucking cleats.” You swear, reporters on their feet, recording your current rant.  

“She’s better at this than you’ll EVER be at your job, and she’s FAR from missing a step, how dare you talk to a legend like that, how FUCKING dare you. I WILL NOT, be silent when it comes to someone I care about, and that someone is Carli Lloyd.” You roar angrily, everyone staring at you with growing eyes.  

“You’re a disgrace to your publication’s name, and this will be the LAST time you EVER comes to a conference like this, THAT is a guarantee. Carli Lloyd was and IS one of the best on the NWSL and on the USWNT, she loves this sport and this sport loves her, I love her, and if you can’t see that she's amazing you’re a moron...” You point at the reporter, who is currently red-faced.

“You sir are a fucking moron.”  

You clear your throat, slowly taking your seat, your eyes locked with the man’s wide and fearful eyes.  

“Now get the hell out of here.”  

Wordlessly, and without missing a step, the man shuffles out of the room, his head down as he avoids any and all eye contact.  

You pant heavily, angrily as you glare holes in the man’s back, that is until he moves out of sight.  

Everyone stares at you in shock and awe, Carli’s cheeks blood red as she goes over all the things you’d said to the reporter, quickly realizing that in your tirade, a few things slipped out that caught her ear.

“I WILL NOT, be silent when it comes to someone I care about.”

“Carli Lloyd was and IS one of the best on the NWSL and on the USWNT, she loves this sport and this sport loves her, I love her.”

Meanwhile you’re at the end of the table, your chest heaving as your fingers drum on the table.  

How dare he say that to her?  

Who the hell does he think he is?  

Your leg bounces up and down, pure lava running through your veins.  

You wanted more than ANYTHING to go after him and give him a piece of your mind, to tear into him like a starving animal, but there’s no way you could, you weren’t going to lose your job because of him.  

You sigh.  

You weren’t going to lose your job, but no doubt there were going to be repercussions for your outburst, but honestly, you didn’t care, you didn’t care because coming after Carli Lloyd was coming after someone you cared about, and that, that was more important than any job could be.

                                                          ***

It’s wasn’t long after that conference that your phone began to blow up, your Twitter Notifications, your Instagram Notifications, any and all social media accounts you have are currently being bombarded with comments and the like, fans commenting on your comments to the ESPN reporter about Carli Lloyd, nearly all of them praising you in your protection of the USWNT veteran.  

A NUMBER of them though, pointed something ELSE you’d said in your rant, something you’d kept bottled up inside for so long that it was just itching to get out, and it HAD just not in the way you thought it would.  

Oh my god, I KNEW THEY WERE MORE THAN FRIENDS!

SHE SAID IT GUYS. SHE SAID SHE LOVES HER!

Anyone could see that what you felt for Carli Lloyd was more than friendship, it went WAY beyond that, it always had.  

You and Carli Lloyd were close, closer than close, no matter what, she was there for you and you were there for her, and you would be, no matter what.  

You prop your elbows up on your knees, your chin resting on your fisted hands.  

You planned to keep those feelings buried inside, planned to ignore them altogether, but now?  

Now you couldn’t do that.  

Just as the thought leaves your mind, there’s a knock at your hotel room’s door, your heart stilling in your chest at the prospect of who it might be.  

                                                          ***

Carli Lloyd looks down at her phone with a small smile, her cheeks flushed pink. 

SHE SAID IT GUYS. SHE SAID SHE LOVES HER!

The second the words left your mouth Carli’s heart skipped a beat, the butterflies in her stomach erupting as if someone had sprinted through an empty field full of them, sending them skittering off into the wind.  

The rest of your rant fell on deaf ears, the USWNT veteran staring at you in utter shock, not because of the words you were saying but because of what you HAD said, and what you hadn’t said.  

All the smiles, and fleeting touches, all the instances you stood up for her on field when she was taken down by rival players, EVERYTHING had started to make sense.  

All the signs were there but Carli hadn’t seen them.  

Now though... Now she couldn’t ignore them, and she in NO way planned to.

“Well, are you going to talk to her?”

Carli jumps at the sound of a familiar voice, turning to find a number of her teammates standing beside her, each and every one of them wearing massive grin.  

Carli remains silent, Julie Ertz snorting as she gives her longtime teammate a shove.  

“Well? Get up there and talk to your girl Lloyd!”

Carli rolls her eyes, the woman grinning before she turns and darts to the elevator, her teammates cheering her on as she goes.  

The closer the elevator gets to your floor, the more her heart races, the more her head tries to tell her it didn’t mean anything, you meant it in a friendly way.  

As with the reporter’s comments, she tunes them out, ignoring them, ignoring the critical voice in her head as she makes her way to your room, stopping at your door.  

She nods.

Once.  

Twice.  

A third time.  

Then knocks.  

                                                          ***

It takes you a moment to gather yourself before you head towards the door, stopping in front of the only thing blocking you from whoever is on the other side. 

That whoever possibly being the woman you’d stood up for when a reporter had the audacity to ask an idiotic question, and make idiotic statements.  

A woman you’d had feelings for, for so long and wanted to confess to, a woman you may be facing in the next few seconds.  

You swallow hard and pull the door open, revealing the very woman you’d be thinking about all day.  

“He-Hey.” You mumble, unable to look at Carli, instead focusing on your shuffling feet.  

Carli smiles.  

“Hey.”  

The two of you stand there, silent, that is until you clear your throat.  

“S-S-Sorry, come in.” You step aside, still unable to look at the woman as she moves into the room the two of you are sharing.  

Just as Carli goes to slip passed you, she catches your wrist, the woman pulling you towards the balcony.  

The two of you step out into the warm night air, Carli pulling you to the balcony’s railing, her elbows resting on the barrier’s upper bar.  

“I wanted to thank you.” She whispers, your eyes widening as you look up at her for the first time since she’d entered the room.  

“You don’t need to thank me.” You whisper, the USWNT veteran smiling as she gives your hand, which she’s still holding, a squeeze.  

“I do, you didn’t have to stand up for me but you did...” She smiles.  

You scoff.  

“Of course, I had to, there was no way I was going to let him talk to you that way...” You growl. “I’m not going to let him talk about someone I-

You swallow hard, turning away, your cheeks flushing bright red.  

“Love?” Carli whispers, your eyes widening as they lock with Carli’s brown orbs. 

Your mouth opens and closes a few time before you take a deep breath.  

“Carli-

“Is it true?” She whispers, nervously.  

She hadn’t planned on coming right out and asking, but apparently, that’s what was happening anyway.  

You can’t find the words, and instead, go with a wordless answer, giving the woman a nod, not daring to look at her.  

Carli is unable to bite back a smile as she stares at your profile, the woman’s hand leave yours in favor of sliding up your arm, fingertips leaving goosebumps in their wake as Carli hand moves to rest on your cheek.  

“Would it make you feel better if I said I loved you back?”  

You stare at the buildings before you, your eyes widening as you turn to Carli, the woman’s hand caressing your cheek.  

“You...” You shake your head, mouth opening and closing a few times before you find your words, whispering. “You love me?”

Carli’s tongue swipes at her lips, the woman’s thumb running along your cheekbone.  

“How could I not...?” She asks, voice below a whisper as she takes a step towards you, her chest inches from yours.  

“T-This isn’t just because I stood up for you...?” You ask, uncertainly and Carli smiles, shaking her head.  

“Of course, not...” She laughs. “I guess we were both just as blind to one another's feelings.”  

Your eyes widen, darting from sparkling brown orbs, to parted lips and back.  

You take a deep breath, covering the hand on your cheek with your own.  

“I guess we were...” You whisper, Carli watching as you lean in. “But we aren’t now.”  

Carli meets you halfway, her lips pressing gently against yours, the feel of her kiss more than you had ever possibly imagined.  

Her opposite hand moves to cup your cheek, the woman pulling you closer, tilting her head to change the angle of the kiss, your hands settling on top of hers.  

You pull back, of course, only for a moment before leaning back in, the two of you smiling as your lips again tenderly meet.  

Eventually and reluctantly, you part, your eyes fluttering open at roughly the same time, lips splitting into massive grins.  

Carli leans back in, her forehead resting against yours.  

“You know, we’ll probably never see that ESPN reporter again... I never expected YOU to be the one to tell him off.” She laughs, and you snort, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips.  

“I don’t think anyone did, but I’d do it again, no one gets to talk to the woman I-” You stop mid-sentence. “No one gets to talk to the woman I...”  

“Love?” Carli grins, your cheeks flushing as you nod.  

“Yeah... No one talks to the woman I love that way...” You whisper, grinning when the forward closes the distance between you again, lips touching yours so gently that you wonder if they even touched at all.  

Again, with much reluctance you part, the two of you grinning.  

“Just so you know...” Carli whispers, your eyes fluttering open to lock with her brown orbs, a grin on the woman’s face as she whispers words you know hold nothing but truth.  

“I love you too.”  

[sopeyb23-blog]

The Three Rules

*not my gif

Rule #1, Rule #2

Summary: Spencer X F!reader work through exhaustion and frustration while on a case.

warnings: swearing (med), throwing things?, death (not main, not graphic, but mentioned), cm style issues, thats it i think???

Pairing: Spencer Reid X F!reader

words: 4.6K (shes big)

A/N: I keep making these soooo long, so, sorry. this one is a little darker than the rest but ends in fluff per usual and has a little bit of funny Emily and funny Garcia

*I do not own any CM characters

~~~~~~~~~~

Rule #2: Always offer comfort and support

Y/N ~

Spencer and I finally moved in together about a month after the last incident. And he was right, it was more efficient. 

“We gotta go, we gotta go, we gotta go!” I waited by our front door and Spencer ran around the apartment looking for his keys.

“I know I put them in the bowl”

“Spencer! I have keys, it's fine, let's go, lover boy!” He laughed and checked the ceramic bowl on the counter one last time before giving up. 

“Okay, one last check. Coffee?”

“Check” I held up the two large cups in my hands.

“Go bags, check” he held up both of our bags on his shoulders.

“And keys, ½ so, good enough” 

We arrived at the tarmac fifteen minutes earlier than usual...but still 10 minutes late. 

Spencer~

I took both of our bags and stashed them in the jet with the others before taking my seat beside Y/N on the couch. As per usual the first teasing began from Morgan when I sat down and he saw that my shirt was buttoned wrong and my hair was noticeably more disheveled than usual.

“Oooh, looks like a lover boy had a very good morning!” I glared at him as I rebuttoned my shirt and JJ immediately took action.

“Morgan, don’t make me put you in time out” He put his hands up in a mock defense.

“Im sorry mom!” Rossi laughed before handing me my paper file and Y/N her I-pad.

“Milwaukee again, they've got a child murderer.”   The once light mood from the teasing had gone away in an instant as we all opened up our files to see the pictures. 

“That's an annihilator” My first thought was to take Y/N's hand, offering a little support for her and comfort for myself through a small touch. She took my hand gladly and gave it a little squeeze. 

“An overly sadistic one too” Morgans brow furrowed as we continued to review the case but with perfect timing Garcia's face popped up on the screen. 

“I have a present for you” We all looked at her with puzzled expressions through the screen.

“Look under your seats!” she began with her best impression of a talk show host and we all fumbled about to find bedazzled gun holsters for each of us with all of our names in special large gems of our favorite colors. 

“Wow, thanks Garcia that's- that’s really thoughtful of you!” Emily tried and failed to contain her laughter as we all looked over to see Hotch replacing his leather belt holster with the bedazzled one from Garcia. He stood up to show her and got close to the camera.

“I’d say I look pretty badass.” He said it with a deadpan look on his face and then put his gun in it and sat back down without saying another word. JJ and Y/N looked at each other for a split second before bursting out in uncontrollable laughter. Like always, if one person on the team laughs, the rest of us can't help but join in. I always like to say it's because of Y/N. Her laugh is just one of those laughs that radiates all over and lights up a room.

Once we could breathe again we all thanked Garcia and she hung up with a big smile on her face. Now on to Milwaukee.

Y/N~ 

When we landed Hotch sent Spencer and I to the first crime scene together. Whenever possible on hard cases he likes to keep the two of us together because we work better that way. There is just something about the little touches during a hard case that keeps me going. And for this one, I was definitely going to need that. 

“Poor JJ” As we walked around the crime scene looking at all of the damage done Spencer and I talked through whatever came to mind.

“What do you mean?” I love him so much. But he's absolutely clueless.

“I mean, her and Hotch both. I can't imagine doing cases like this when you have a kid of your own back home. It must be terrifying” he nodded in silence before crouching down in the corner of the little boys room.

“Do you ever consider it?” I continued talking to him even though I know we are here to work. Sometimes that's my biggest flaw. I don't shut up easily.

“Consider what?”

“You know. Having baby geniuses one day?” I gave him a curious little smile as I waited for his response and continued writing little notes about the crime scene in my phone.

“Well i mean yeah, of course. But I'm not the one who'd be carrying them for 9 months am I?” I laughed at him and nodded before stopping altogether. 

“Them?” He gave me a mischievous smile back and said nothing.

“Fine then, keep your secrets”

We finished up at the crime scene and then headed back to the police station where the rest of the team was waiting for our report. Hotch and JJ look notably defeated and Rossi, Emily, and Derek just looked downright exhausted. Sometimes our work takes its toll rather quickly, especially when it's a very emotional case. Seeing a parent sob so horrifically after you give them the news is never easy. It's draining.

“So, what was the scene like?” Rossi spoke up from where he was standing in the corner.

“It was carnage. Absolute carnage” 

“How are the parents?” I looked at JJ who out of all of us definitely looked the most defeated.

“They’re acting like anyone else would. They’re distraught.” I grabbed Spencer's arm and held it tight as we talked about the profile. The more we talked the worse everyone looked. Garcia called mid profile and even her voice sounded exhausted. But we all knew that we wouldn't rest until we caught him.

Spencer~ 

None of us slept that night. None of us even left the precinct that night. A few times while we waited for more information or for someone to come in for an interview we would take turns napping on two chairs we wedged together to form a bed in the conference room. I tried that once, but I could barely fit my torso in them so I decided I would have better luck with the floor instead. 

“Spence, you want a snack?”

“They got pretzels?” I looked up from my napping position on the floor to look at Y/N when she stood over me with a few quarters in her hand. 

“Yeah, i'll be right back” She walked away for a moment and came back with two cups of coffee and two bags of pretzels. 

 She plopped both of them on my chest and crumbled to the floor beside me.

“Dinner is served” I chuckled and took a swig of coffee- overly sugared just how I like it- and then ate a single pretzel before Morgan came running into the room.

“A boy was just kidnapped” 

In a panic we all rushed up from our various positions and walked out into the main room of the precinct. I went straight for Hotch who was on the phone talking angrily.

“They put out an amber?” he blocked one end of the phone before turning to me.

“Not yet, get JJ on that please” I nodded and started to walk over to where JJ was napping.

“And Reid, get Y/N to talk to the parents, JJ’s done enough” I nodded solemnly.

We all have to do parent notifications and walkthroughs sometimes, but JJ does them the most. Every once in a while we make someone other than her do it to give her a well deserved break. Out of all of the things that we do, notifying the families is one of the hardest. 

“JJ, another boy has been taken, Hotch needs you to put out the amber.” I shook her shoulder and she woke quickly.

“Me? I should be with the family, have Garcia do it.” I looked her straight in the eyes and shook my head.

“We got this one, you deserve a break” she said nothing but got up from her chairs and walked over to the computer to start on the alert. 

“Y/N, baby, Hotch wants you with the families” she was still sitting on the floor where our coffees sat mostly untouched.

“Oh, um, okay, let's go then” I put a hand on her thigh.

“He wants me here. Will you be okay alone?”

“Oh. yeah, i'll be fine i have the keys anyways” She looked uneasy but neither of us had any choice in the matter. I gave her a chaste kiss on the top of her head and she grabbed my hand for just a second.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, i’ll be okay”

I subconsciously noticed the way she indirectly answered my question. It was her way of saying, no i’m not okay, but go do what you do. I kissed her hand in mine and walked out of the room going to help Derek and Hotch deliver the profile while the rest of the team was dispatched to separate locations. It's going to be a long night.

Y/N~

By the time I arrived at the families house it was nearing morning and the sun was starting to rise. There were cops all around and in their house which I quickly told to go. Right now, being here is not going to do that boy any good. Only one stayed to guard outside of the house, and me, of course, being the current family liaison. One of the problems with being the liaison with the family of an abductee is that after you make the initial connection with them, you don't get to stop being their liaison until the unsub is caught. That meant hours of being by myself in their house hearing the mother and father cry over the loss of their child. That meant almost never sleeping, or eating. And worst of all, that meant being without Spencers comforting touch and encouragement.

“Hi, I’m Agent Y/L/N, I'm the FBI agent assigned to your family.” They were sitting on the couch in the living room, their son’s toys covering the coffee table in front of them. The mother was crying soundlessly, almost catatonic, the father on the other hand was silent. He bounced his knee relentlessly and had no tears on his face. 

“Would you mind if I ask you a few questions about Danny?” 

The mother stayed quiet but the father looked up from his hands to speak.

“Do you think my son’s dead?”

Danny's mother withdrew her hand from her husbands and covered her mouth as she let out a sob.

“At this point we don't know much. But, i’m not here to lie to you, if this is connected to the other abductions then more than likely, yes”

The father still didn't cry, but instead just nodded his head solemnly. 

I asked them all the questions I could. Where did Danny go to school? Is there anyone he liked to hang out with? Do you know anyone who would want to hurt Danny? Some of them were real questions that needed answers. But for the most part they were just to get a sense of the parents, and to make them feel a little less helpless. Spencer always says to me that the best thing you can do for these families sometimes is just to make them feel like they can help. Usually they cant, but sometimes taking their mind off of their own thoughts and focusing them can bring out little bits of information we never knew would be helpful. The morning came and went. I had a single orange and a cup of coffee that day. The night came and still, no news. I checked my phone constantly, even though I knew that my ringer was on. If they found Danny, alive or dead, I would be the first person they call. But until then, all I could do was wait. 

Spencer~

Throughout the entire day I felt worried and distracted. Not just because I knew that the inevitable was close, but because usually, the team works in pairs. I deny it all the time, but I always work better when there is someone else with me. Not necessarily working with me- because I prefer to work alone- but just there. Someone who will remind me to slow down and take a deep breath or just let me talk out loud to them even though I probably won't listen to a word they say. But here I was, standing in front of a map, all alone, getting more and more frustrated by the moment and having not a single one of my teammates to get me back on track.

“Hello?” I finally took out my phone and called Y/N to get an update. On her that is, not the case.

“Hey, it's me, i'm just calling to see how you're doing” she sighed and I could practically see her rubbing a hand on the back of her neck and adjusting her glasses like she always does when she's stressed.

“That bad huh?”

“Yeah, not great. How's the map coming”

“It's not” this time it was my turn to sign into the phone.

“The the rest of the team is all out doing recon so i'm at a bit of a loss here”

“Oh, I'm sorry. Look Spence, I really shouldn't be on the phone, so-”

“Oh yeah, no I get it, of course.” She hung up without a word of goodbye and let me feel somehow even more frustrated than when our conversation began. I know she didn't mean to be condescending. I know she's just as frustrated as I am. But that doesn’t help me at the moment. After about another hour of waiting the rest of the team (minus Y/N) walked back into the precinct with downtrodden faces. 

“We just found the body, kid”  Morgan walked over to me and then sat down in a chair at the conference table. My heart broke. For once I was glad I wasn't with them today. 

“Did you get a positive ID?” I turned to Rossi this time who stood next me looking at the map.

“Yeah. it's him” 

Y/N~

I sat wide awake on the couch as it neared midnight. My phone lit up in the dark room with a call from Hotch.

“What's the news?” 

“We just got a positive ID on Danny's body” I was silent.

“After you inform the parents I need you back at the precinct” I was shocked. 

“Hotch, they still are going to need a liaison, my work isn't done yet”

“Y/N, their child is dead. There is nothing more that you can do for them” 

“Fine, i'll be back as soon as I can” I hung up the phone angrily and gingerly knocked on the bedroom door, knowing that this moment would alter their lives forever.

I opened up the door to the conference room to find everyone sitting in chairs around the table. They all gave me sympathetic looks and Spencer tried to reach his arm out to me which I denied. I’m a profiler, I know what healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms look like. I know that pulling away from anyone and everyone is not a good coping mechanism, but none of them were there with me. None of them saw the look of terror on his mother's face when I knocked on her door in the middle of the night. None of them heard her screams or saw her crumple to the ground in her son's room, holding his pillow like it was all that was keeping her anchored.  

I sat down on a chair in the corner of the room as we went through the profile and barely said a word. I saw Spencer looking back at me worried a few times while we gave the profile to the police and again as I went back into the corner of the conference room, still pulling away when he tried to grab my arm. Once everyone had gone back to researching or calling or going door to door, Spencer walked over to my chair in the corner. He put his hands on the arms of the chair and squatted down directly in front of me. Still being careful not to touch me, he tried to look me in the eyes but I averted them. 

“Y/N, you should go to the hotel”

“Are you going to the hotel?”

“No but-”

“Don't tell me that I need it more than you. Or that I've had a harder time than you! We are all struggling, we all need sleep! I can handle this Spencer!”  He flinched a little when I started to raise my voice but still stayed in his position. Hotch and Rossi upon hearing me raise my voice walked back into the room and over to Spencer. 

“Y/N, Spencer's right, you need to get some sleep.” 

“Is that an order?” Hotch paused for a moment and looked at Rossi who nodded.

“Yes, i'll see you in the morning” I clenched my jaw and Spencer quickly moved out of the way to let me get out of the chair, but not before taking a firm hold of my arm.

“This is a good thing, don't be mad at us for trying to help you” I took my eyes off of the floor to glare at him.

“Spencer, if you value our relationship or your hand, let go of my arm and stop with your condescending bullshit”

Spencer~

After she left I think it's fair to say that my mood did not improve. My frustration about the case turned into overall frustration with myself and everyone who happened to be around me at the time. I stood in front of the map without moving for hours just looking and going through all different theories in my mind. I was no longer alone but at this point that didn't matter. 

“Hey Spence, do you want any coffee?” JJ approached me cautiously and I silently shook my head. 

“Okay, well, uh, let me know if you need anything” she walked away to the hall just outside of the conference room where Morgan and Emily were standing. I could hear Emily talk to her through the glass doors that separated us.

“So?” Emily probed JJ as soon as the doors closed behind her.

“No good, didn't even speak” 

“I'm worried about him'' There was a hum of agreement between the three of them before Emily opened the doors and walked in. she approached me with less caution than JJ, but still with a little apprehension.

“Hey there, Spencer, do you need any help?” i didn't speak a word or even shake my head this time.

“You know I'm pretty good at mapping it so it happens. I could also help with a key if you want? Or alternatively you could just talk to me? Or look at me? No? Okay, well i'm going go get myself a cup of coffee from the diner down the street, if you decide to speak let me know” 

She asked me question after question and still I didn’t speak or move. Finally after staying for a moment of hostile silence she walked out of the room to where JJ and Derek were waiting. 

“So?” This time JJ asked Emily

“I asked him like five questions and he didn't even try and correct my grammar.”

 They all paused in silence for a moment before Emily turned to Derek.

“Alright Morgan, your turn, good luck” she patted him on the back and he sighed before walking into the room even more hesitantly than JJ was the first time.

“Hey Reid, you know, we’re all here for you if you-”

I turned around very slowly with a deadpan stare.

“Morgan, as politely as I can say this, if you and the rest of the team don’t leave me the fuck alone then I am going to take all 187 points of my IQ and shove them, up your-”

“Woah, woah,woah, okay pretty boy, I get the message” 

He turned and walked briskly out of the room. I turned back to my board but could hear JJ talking still from the hall.

“I'm worried, I've never seen him like this.”

“The only times he's ever been this frustrated we all know who got him out of it.” Emily stated and turned to Derek.

“I’ll see what I can do. Hey Rossi, let's take a drive”

Y/N~

I had slept for a few hours but the nightmares woke me up. It was morning now, so at least I know I got a little bit of sleep. I took a shower, got dressed, and sat on the edge of my bed, not quite ready to face the repercussions of what happened last night. I put my head in my hands as I remembered last nights events. I fucked up. Bad. After a few minutes I heard a knock on my hotel room door and got up from the bed to answer it. Rossi and Derek stood there with hands on their hips and worried looks on their faces.

“Can we come in?”

“Um, sure?” He said it as they had already walked in the room and I went back to sitting on the edge of my bed as they stood in front of me. Derek was the first to break the silence and he tore me away from where I was looking as I fiddled with my hands.

“Look, Pretty boy is in a bad place and you're the only one we know can get him out of it. If we want to catch this guy we need him, and to get him back on track we need you” he stopped and sighed. 

“Well, I have been ordered to stay here, so I guess you'll have to talk to our supervisor about that” Rossi grimaced as I said it and pointed to him. He put his head down for a second and then took a seat on the bed next to me. 

“Look kid, you were in a horrible place and I know that you know that. If you want to stop feeling helpless, If you want to get that boy the justice that he deserves, then we need your help. Spencer needs your help. You are the only person in the world that could help him right now, so I need you to suck up your pride, and come with us.” 

I gulped and sighed before standing from the bed. 

“Fine. But you both owe me a drink” They laughed and opened the door for me as we left the hotel. 

When the three of us arrived at the precinct and walked into the main area by the vending machines we saw a group of officers crowding around the hallway to the conference room. I walked right up to JJ and Emily who were making their way through the crowd towards me. JJ was the first to speak over the low murmur of the people crowding the hallway.

“Hey, thank god you're here!” She sounded so relieved you would have thought I’d saved her life.

“Um thanks? What's going on?” After I spoke I heard a loud thud and a crash coming from inside the conference room and a few people backed up from the windows. Emily got really close to me as she spoke.

“Um, Spencer’s...throwing things” I cocked my head to the side and was about to ask what she meant when another object, a book i think, hit the window in front of me.

“Holy, shit” I said with conviction and without another word walked to the front of the crowd and opened the glass doors. 

Spencer was facing away from me, but still throwing markers, and wherever he could get his hands on, at the window. Finally as he heard me approaching he stopped throwing things and put both of his palms to his forehead. As I got closer I could hear his heavy breathing and see the damage he had done. When I finally got close enough to his back I put one hand on his shoulder and the other on his arm gently. He flinched a little but didn't move away or try to get me off of him. I got on my tiptoes to whisper quietly into his ear.

“Spence, I love you and I'm sorry, but I need you to calm down right now because the team needs you. okay?” I kept my hands on him and heard him gulp in between his heavy breaths. After a minute his breathing started to slow a little.

“Good. I'm going to go get you a glass of water and i’ll be back in just a second” I took my hands off him and walked over to the door where JJ and Rossi were standing guard.

“JJ could you get me a glass of water?”

“Of course”

“Rossi, can you make everyone get away from the hallway and the window, there's too many people, I wont be able to get him to calm down if his senses are in a constant overdrive from the sounds” He nodded quickly as JJ came back with a glass of water in her hand. I took it from her and walked back into the room with Spencer as Rossi-with help from Hotch- started to disperse the crowd.

“Here, drink this” I guided him to a chair and he sat down to drink the glass. After a few sips I put my hand on his back and leaned forward so he could see my face fully.

“Okay, now I need you to tell me everything you know”

Spencer~ 

After a few minutes of drinking water I began to tell her about everything I knew for the location. At some point while we were talking I figured out where the unsub was and Morgan and Emily successfully got him and saved another young boy. As soon as he was processed we all decided that we wanted to leave as soon as possible, and not stay another second in that place. Even though it was the middle of the night Rossi was able to get the jet ready for us in an hour and we started the long flight home. 

I looked In front of me on the couch where Y/N was snuggled into my side and rolled onto my back so she could place her head on my chest. Her eyes were closed but her breathing told me that she was still awake and while she was I wanted to make sure she heard one last thing before this treacherous trip was over.

“I never said thank you” She turned her head on my chest so that she could look at me, but in the dark and quiet of the jet, it was clear she couldn't really see me anyways.

“For what?”

“For what you did back there, I never said thank you, so… thank you” She smiled widely at me but kept her eyes closed in the dark.

“Well, thank you. For not making me feel like I was helpless” she opened her eyes when she said it and it made me smile broadly. I kissed her head and turned back on my side so that I could pull her close to me. 

Rule #2, every little touch, every little word that she says brings me comfort whether she knows it, or not. I think that might have been the easiest rule to follow, after all, when you love someone just being around them is enough comfort.

~~~~~~~

Back.  Next

[mypunkpansexualtwin]

WIP Wednesday

I am, again, untagged but undeterred! Who wants more Wingman? No? Too bad, that’s what you’re getting!

I... haven’t slept yet. Consider yourself tagged if you want to do this and please please tag me in your WIPs, I really love seeing what my friends, mutuals, and followers are all working on. Part of this is under a cut, mostly for the sanity of Future Me.

About halfway down the block, they realized at about the same time that they had nothing to talk about.

“So…”

“So...”

So. Akira didn’t remember how to have a normal damn conversation. He wasn’t going to blame that on the fact that the only people who’d spoken to him on a regular basis in the past five months were all eccentric to say the least, but it definitely hadn’t helped. One of the top five current sanest people in his life was the drag queen proprietor of a bar in the red light district, for crying out loud. Not to mention he’d always been more of a listener to begin with because it was less stressful. So long as the person talking wasn’t a harried reporter who could only ever be found at the aforementioned drag bar. Or his homeroom teacher being blackmailed into dubious side work by a late student’s family. Or an ex member of the goddamn yakuza. Being “robbed of one’s place to belong” apparently also did a number on one’s sanity.

Akira was pulled from his thoughts by Ono awkwardly clearing his throat.

“I, uh, heard that one of the Japanese schools staying here is Shujin. That you?” Jason hazarded. 

“Yup.”

“Phantom Thieves Shujin?”

“That’s the only one I’m aware of.” Akira responded blandly. Not the best topic for small talk considering the apparent state of his brain-to-mouth filter, but better than walking along and twiddling their thumbs until one of them decided to leave. Probably.

Jason cracked a smile and jokingly asked, “Do you know them?” Even half-expecting it, the question still caught him a little off guard. Although not as much as it would have a few months prior, considering he’d gotten it just as jokingly from several of Leblanc’s regulars since May. Meaning he’d had time to practice his answer.

“Oh yeah,” Akira responded, pouring every ounce of sarcasm he had into a completely truthful statement, “I found them on accident and they made me their leader.” Then he rolled his eyes for good measure. Who needed to be a good liar when you could just tell the truth in a way nobody would believe?

“Pff, why would they do that?” Jason snorted, indulging the “joke.” Akira shrugged in response.

“No idea,” he answered, again, completely honestly. “My unparalleled charisma? My superior adaptability?” He paused for his date to stop laughing before he continued, “My cool glasses?” That earned him a scoff.

“Clark Kent you ain’t, buddy.” Ono retorted dryly, but the effect was ruined by the smile trying to break out across his face. Topic successfully deflected.

“Definitely no Superman, either.” Akira stretched and laughed softly.“Too gangly.” He was finally starting to actually relax a little when an arm snaked around his waist and tugged him close, effectively shooting his progress in the face.

“I dunno if I’d say gangly. Lean, maybe?” Ono’s voice was close to his ear again and his hand was ridiculously warm where it rested on his hip. “Whatever you wanna call it, it definitely suits you.” 

“Uh. Th-thanks.” A few moments passed, allowing Akira to attempt to scrape together something resembling a brain cell.

“Y’know, if you’re here to make memories, maybe we should get on that.”

Attempt failed, try again later. Something about the guy’s voice, especially with the way it ghosted across an apparently very sensitive spot just behind his ear, seemed to have a vendetta against Akira trying to think. Purely on impulse, with no input from his higher functions that had all abandoned him at that point, Akira turned his head and hummed his assent against the corner of Ono’s jaw. He felt a shiver run through the taller boy and a decidedly Arsene-shaped sense of smug satisfaction in the back of his mind. Akira wasn’t sure if he should offer his inner self thanks or wonder where the hell this kind of helpful nudge was earlier that afternoon with Ryuji. Or at literally any point with Ryuji. Maybe it was for the better, he really didn’t have the nerve to follow up on a move like that. And if he couldn’t with the guy who’d arranged the damn date, there was no way he’d have been able to after probably ambushing his unsuspecting best friend. There was no point in dwelling on that, though. Instead, he met the hooded gaze Jason levelled at him with a smirk meant to cover his rising nerves. 

Anyone who knew Joker, Infamous Leader of the Phantom Thieves would have recognized that particular smirk as the prelude to him being a little shit, but Ono did not. He had no idea what to expect when Akira replied lowly, “I think you might be onto something there.” The blond leaned in a little, eyes fluttering shut as Akira reached up to settle one hand on the back of Jason’s neck--

--and shattered the moment with a quiet click from his phone’s camera. Ono blinked a few times, looking up to where Akira was holding his phone up for the selfie he’d just snapped, and back to Akira’s face. Double take. Triple take. And then he fixed him with the most unimpressed face Akira had ever seen in his life, which had to be some kind of world record.

“Uhhh, say ‘cheese?’” He cracked a smile and tried hard not to laugh as that look somehow turned even more unimpressed.

“Ha freaking ha.” Ono pouted up at the camera. “Seriously. I’m gonna crack a rib laughin’ here. You’re hilarious.”

“Are you saying you don’t want a picture of yourself when you look this good?” Akira replied innocently and lowered his arm a little. Maybe it was unfair to push the buttons of a guy so obviously and aggressively walking the fine line between confident and vain, but the way his pout deepened before twisting into a smile was too cute.

“Fine, twist my arm why don’t you?” Jason rolled his eyes good-naturedly and settled against Akira before looking up into the camera. Halfway through the burst of pictures Akira took, Jason exacted his revenge and pressed a kiss to that sensitive spot he’d ghosted his breath over a moment ago. Thankfully the camera didn’t pick up the deeply embarrassing yelp that particular move elicited from Akira, but there was no hiding the way the phone suddenly jerked in his hand halfway through the dozen or so pictures, or the way his face had gone completely scarlet in all of them from that point onward. It was his turn to pout as he swiped through his camera roll and deleted the blurriest ones. “Ooh, definitely send me that one. And those two.” Ono instructed with his chin hooked over Akira’s shoulder. Naturally the guy wanted the pictures with the worst of Akira’s tomato face, but at least the rest he requested were nice. Maybe Akira wouldn’t be spending the rest of the night too mortified.

The incoming text notification that dropped from the top of his screen said otherwise. Goddammit.

“Oh man, the timing on that’s almost spooky. Hell of a coincidence.” Jason laughed as the preview of Futaba’s ‘who the heck is that guy???’ disappeared into the notifications bar. Akira groaned.

“Not a coincidence.”

[trueromantic1]

The Myth of Me and You Is Fiction Turned To Truth

Summary: After the events of both seasons (SVU 22x16 and OC 1x08), Olivia and Elliot find themselves in the unique position of knowing where there love story will end up, but having no idea what exactly will transpire to get them there. One thing they do know? Their love can only grow deeper, and that they’re bound to enjoy the journey.

Author’s Note: For the purposes of this story, SVU 22x16 ended on May 28 (canon) and OC 1x08 ended on June 4 (not canon). This picks up on June 7.

Title comes from Great Ones by Maren Morris. It’s definitely an EO song.

Rating: M, possibly Explicit eventually

ff.net: here

AO3: here

Her phone beeped, drawing her distracted gaze away from the paperwork in front of her. Seeing the text message notification lighting up the screen, Olivia took off her glasses and put her pen down, picked up the phone, and leaned back in her chair with a sigh as she unlocked it.

Can I buy you dinner? There’s news.

She frowned, trying to tell his mood from those few words. Realizing it would be impossible, she glanced out at the nearly empty squad room before hitting the call button instead.

“You didn’t have to call. I know you’re at work still Liv.” Judging by the voices she could hear in the background, he was still at work as well. She knew they’d been dealing with the lawyers and IAB ever since Morales turned out to be a mole and decided suicide by cop was the best way out.

“It’s fine El. I needed a break from the paperwork for a minute anyway. The one thing they never prepare you for is just how much paperwork you do when you’re in charge of a squad. So, what’s going on?”

He chuckled, and she could hear the creak as he leaned back in his own chair. “That’s what dinner is supposed to be for Liv. If I tell you now, what would be the point of dinner?”

She smiled, recognizing his tone as the slightly flirty one she’d been hearing more of ever since what was supposed to be Fin’s wedding. Neither one of them was ready to jump into a relationship, but they’d come to a silent understanding that night by the water. “I don’t know Elliot. We’ve never needed a reason for dinner before. Why don’t you just tell me the news now, and then you can come over to my place later and we’ll get Chinese. Noah’s taking advantage of it being summer vacation and is at a sleepover so his friend’s mom can take them to an early show of a ballet she worked on costumes for. Apparently, they allow friends and family to come for free on Tuesdays, but it’s normally during the school day.”

“Oh, I bet he’s excited. Sleepover during the week and going to a professional ballet performance?”

“Yes, he’s thrilled. It’s all he talked about all weekend. Now quit stalling Elliot. What’s going on?”

“I never could get one by you, could I? Okay. Well, Angela Wheatley woke up earlier today, and is expected to make a full recovery. Bell and Washburn went over to the hospital once they cleared her for visitors. And we’re finally supposed to be done dealing with IAB and the lawyers over this. We still have to wait for IAB’s official report, but I got the feeling none of us were going to get in trouble for what happened. They told Bell they’d already spoken to you as well, so you should be done with them for now too. And then on a more personal note, you remember I told you I was looking at apartments in the city? At Fin’s not-wedding and then that I had some more appointments the rest of that weekend? Well, I found one, and I went down and signed the lease today during lunch.”

“El, I’m glad things are working out with the case, and that IAB will be out of all of our hair. It’s still bothering me what exactly Richard Wheatley was planning with that fake text sending me to the hospital. But I guess we won’t know unless he decided to tell us. But way to bury the lead! El, that’s great! I can’t believe you found a place in just a week. You didn’t just settle for something did you? You need a good place for you and Eli to make a home.” She knew he’d been anxious about getting out of the one bedroom short-term he’d rented after Kathy’s death, so she hoped he’d taken his time to find something he really liked.

“It’s nice, knowing you worry about us. And thanks. Don’t worry, it’s actually a great place. Rent’s a little higher than I’d planned, but I can make it work. It’s about halfway between here and the one six actually. About two blocks from the school Eli will be going to, assuming they’re back to in person by then. And it’s a three bedroom two and a half bath, which I figure will come in handy if any of the kids decide to visit and don’t want to drive home ever. And it’s near a park, in case anyone else wanted to visit. I take possession this Sunday, and Bell gave me Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday off so I can get some stuff moved in. I’ve got some furniture scheduled for delivery on Monday.” The calm she’d been hearing more and more in the last few weeks shone through, which she knew was at least in part because he’d finally started talking to someone. But she thought a lot of it had to do with settling back into the city, since he’d confided that as much as they’d been happy in Italy, the energy had just never been exactly right to him.

“I’ll always worry El, you know that. I’m glad though. Now you and Eli have all summer to get settled in. Hopefully he’ll meet some of his future classmates, so he won’t fell so new when school starts back up. And you know, it just so happens, I might know someone who could come help you get things set up. You know, if you were interested.” She made sure to infuse her voice with a hint of suggestion, upping the playful flirting they’d been indulging in just a bit. She mentally patted herself on the back when she heard the hitch in his breath followed him clearing his throat. His next words, voice lowered and with a hint of a growl, proved he hadn’t lost a step either, as she felt herself flush with arousal and a corresponding dampness between her thighs that she was fast becoming reacquainted with that caused her to cross her legs and shift in her seat to try to alleviate the pressure.

“Is that so? Well, far be it from me to turn down someone willing to work up a sweat with me. Why don’t we discuss it more over dinner? I should be able to be to your place by 7, if that works for you.”

She checked the time, then the stack of papers she needed to finish, then glanced into the squad room. Seeing her people were now at their desks, folders open in front of them, she quickly calculated it’d be at least another hour before she could even think of leaving, especially if she planned to take three days off next week. “Make it 8?”

“8 it is. Want me to pick up our usual on my way over, or are we having it delivered?”

“Hmm, better pick it up. You know how busy they get. If you call it in when you leave, it’ll probably be just about ready by the time you get there.”

“Sound good. I’ll let you go so you can finish up all that paperwork. See you in a few hours Liv.”

“Alright. Bye El.” Hanging up, she pressed the phone against her chest a moment, savoring the warm feeling she always seemed to get when she talked to Elliot these days, before standing up and walking out into the squad room.

“Anything you guys haven’t finished by 7, you can leave until tomorrow. Short of a new case, you can all clock out then, since we’re currently between cases.” She turned to head back to her office and the stack of paperwork, but turned back around when Amanda spoke.

“Are you clocking out then too Cap? I know Noah’s at that sleepover. You shouldn’t stay late finishing paperwork anymore if we aren’t.” Her detective’s voice was concerned, and she realized just how much her stress and worry over the last three months must have shown, despite how hard she tried to hide it.

“Yes, he’s already called me to say goodnight, because apparently they will be too busy the rest of the night with sleepover stuff to worry about me. But don’t worry, I’m clocking out then too. Even if that pile of paperwork is only going to grow when you all turn in your paperwork.” She turned again, hoping to make it into her office before anyone thought too hard about her clocking out when she didn’t have to, but Fin’s teasing voice told her she was too late.

“You? Clock out early when you don’t have Noah waiting at home? What’s up? You got yourself a hot date or something?”

She was a Captain. Had been a police officer for over twenty years. She’d had to keep her cool when being questioned on the stand by lawyers all the time. But she knew, she knew, that she couldn’t hide the hitch in her step or the slight wince as he asked his question. Even as she turned back around, her face carefully blank, she knew he’d caught her. “Date? No, I don’t have a date. Who would I even have a date with?” Internally, she winced again as she heard a voice that sounded suspiciously like Elliot Stabler tell her that asking that many questions just made her sound defensive, and therefore all the more suspicious. Registering the varying degrees of shock on the three’s faces, she smirked to herself for surprising them at least.

“Oh, I don’t know. A certain Detective, maybe? I saw you two together at the ceremony, off in your own little world by the water. Almost like old times, ‘cept the flirting was a little too obvious.”

Trying to control the embarrassed flush she could feel, she internally cursed. She’d hoped everyone had been too preoccupied to pay attention to her and Elliot, but knew that had probably been too much to hope for. She knew the rumor mill had picked right back up when he’d returned, and people realized they were talking again. “Alright, yes, I’m meeting Elliot for dinner. But it’s not a date. We’re just going to do some catching up over Chinese. We haven’t really had much time to just talk since he came back.” She ignored the pointed look he shot her, and appreciated that Amanda and Kat at least pretended not to be interested, as she finally made it back into her office. She heard his footsteps though, saw him shut the door behind him as she sat down behind her desk.

“You sure about this? I just don’t want you getting hurt. Don’t forget, I was here when he left.” She could see the worry clouding his face, and resigned to give him the truth. After all, he’d been there for it all.

“I’m sure. We’re…Taking things slow. We’ve talked, and while neither one of us is ready to just jump straight into a relationship, we’ve discussed it, and have agreed that’s where we’re heading. So we flirt some, and we spend time together, and we talk. We’re not defining it yet. I know it sounds like dating, and maybe in a way it is. But what’s important to us is rekindling our friendship, first and foremost. We’ve already talked about why he left, how he left. And I’ve told him not only what it did to me, but I’ve told him what he missed. He was…Devastated. It turns out the whole family was in France at the time, and by the time the kids came back, it had already become old news. He swore he would have come back had he known, and I believe him. I’d always wondered if he’d just stopped caring, but if you’d seen how he looked, you’d have had to believe him too. So yes, I’m sure about this. We’re going to take things slow for now, but we know where we’re going to end up, even if we aren’t sure when that will happen. Speaking of Elliot though, I’m going to take a few personal days next week to help him get moved into his new place. He gets the keys on Sunday, and his furniture comes Monday.”

He still looked a little worried, but she could tell he would take her at her word. “If you say so. I have to say, I’m surprised you guys already talked about that. But I’m glad. You deserve to be happy Liv, and I think he’ll make you happy. And don’t worry, I’ll cover next week for you. And I’ll let the others know you’ll be taking some time, and make sure they don’t ask you any questions.” He turned and left the office, leaving the door open behind him as he went back to his desk, stopping to talk to Amanda and Kat on his way.

Putting her glasses on and picking up her pen, she smiled to herself as she went back to her paperwork. She still had a lot to work through before it was time to head out, though she was hoping the anticipation would make the time pass faster. Afterall, it wasn’t every day she got to head home to a hot meal and an even hotter man, not that she’d tell him that. His ego was already inflated enough.

[bard-of-worlds]

Darkening Dawn Chapter 3

 Lilith walked out of the bathroom of the room in the hotel she checked into dressed in a bathrobe, her hair flowing down her back, having finished a shower before she would order a meal.  Her target was at the region’s Professors lab and after the excitement earlier she had slipped away to rest and finalizes her plans. She had released her Pokémon to feed them, taken her clothes from her one of her Item Cubes and was currently deciding on what to wear when she meets up with the prince.  

 “Nido nid rina.”  Her Nidorina said as she bumped her legs as her other Pokémon looked up from their bowls as she sat on the rooms bed.

 “Don’t worry girls I order something in a few minutes.  I’m still worried about the seals on the ‘Prince’.  I mean I wasn’t able to see much from so far away and I will be the first one to say I don’t know much on the subject.  But if they weren’t a prototype, then who or what was the experimental subject.”  Lilith wondered as her Pokémon adopted looks of concern.

 “Yeah I know where would they get a test subject like the prince but that’s only if they care if he survived.   These are the Crusaders we’re talking about but really, are they that dedicated to protecting humanity?”  Lilith said as she and team exchanged looks of concern she sighed and she shook her head.

 “Come on girls let’s stop with all the doom talk.  Let’s see what’s on the local news channel, maybe they’ll have the Baccer results, and then I’ll order something.”  Lilith said as she reached for the remote control.    she turned the room’s tv on and changed the channel…TO HER PRINCE ON THE NEWS FOR SAVING A POKEMON BY RISKING HIS LIFE?!?  Lilith just starred in shock, not moving a single inch or reacting before her Nidorina bumped the bed and she exploded.

 “TWO HOURS!  I LEFT HIM FOR JUST TWO HOURS!  How can he get into something where he risked his life how, just how?”  Lilith said as she hugged her legs to her chest as she rocked back and forth on the bed. She perked up when she felt something rub against her legs, looking up she saw her Liepard on the bed while her Nidorina looked at her from the floor with her Skorupi on her, both given her a look of worry.  Reaching she scratched her Liepard under her chin and sighed.

 “I’m good girls. Teacher said the boss was quite the dare devil when they were teens, so I guess the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.  Once I find a way to make contact with the prince, get a feel on where he’s going and what to use as a cover for being here in the region.  I’d bet you gals would like it if we hit a few of the contests around here, hu?”  She smiled when she saw her Pokémon smile and start to cheer, back home their teacher had sent them into the Contests to teach her humility, she had learned that and taken to the arts of training Pokémon to use their moves differently like a bat to the night.  Her Nidorina had even evolved during one contest battle, scoring them the trophy! Hearing a beep from her phone she smiled as she connected it to her laptop, she had the prince’s history of his journey now, all the competitions he had ever been in, now all she had to do was find a style to hit Kalos with and she was golden.  Looking through the data she smiled, a way to have heard of him and maybe a reason to have come here, just what she needed.

 “Well girls get ready to the Lovely Lilith is back on the circuit!  So lets’ eat girls, tomorrow it’s time to meet and greet!”   Lilith proclaimed as her Pokémon cheered around her, a smile on her face as her shadow on the wall behind her grew wings from her shoulders.

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 Serena stared at the TV in shock, she couldn’t believe her eyes.  Ash, that was Ash!  He’s in Kalos, in Lumo City!  He’s in the region, I can’t believe it he……… he almost died! How the heck did that happen, what was he doing to have fallen off the Tower like that?! Serena thought as she stared at the screen, her mind blue screening as

   OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 A teenage girl in a black shirt with a v neck that exposed the top of her large cleavage under a black well-traveled coat and black pants leaned against the wall of the Pokémon Center. Her face was bare except for a bit of black lip gloss and a pair of glasses. She smiled as she saw Bonnie, Clemont and Ash talk with Nurse Joy.  She walked toward them as Ash started to speak and reached for his backpack

.

“Can you register my Quest Scanner here too Nurse Joy?”  Ash trailed off as Nurse Joy adopted a look of confusion which worried Ash.

 “Quest Scanner?” Bonnie asked Clemont as she turned to her brother.  Ash turned to them and let his thoughts fly.  Come on!  I know some countries don’t follow the Treaty but not to give out Quests too?! How do they expect Trainers to earn money, part time jobs that take weeks to earn anything?!

 “I believe they call them Task Trackers here in Kalos.  The Alola Reg call them Job Watchers.”  A voice said behind them, turning Ash saw a girl his age dressed in black with black lips and sunglasses.

 “Sorry to cut in but I figured I should help out before everyone spends too much time trying to figure out the terms a fellow Old Worlder used.  You can call me Lilly and…say aren’t you Ash Ketchum?”  The girl said as she gave a start as he turned to face her.

 “I’m Ash Ketchum, do we know each other.” Ash asked as he tried to remember if he ever met the girl before him.

 “No we’ve never met but a teacher I had showed me your performance at the Wallace Cup, and a friend of mine stumbled across what you did in Crown City while looking into a company the League took over.”  Lilly said dryly as Ash rubbed the back of his head.

 “A teacher?”  Bonnie asked as she gazed at the girl.

 “Ya, back home I’m a Pokémon Coordinator of some small fame and student of someone pretty famous locally and after the end of the season last year she said it might be good if I tried something differently after coming in the top 4 and then the runner-up the year after.”  Lilly said as she beamed with pride.

 “Wow!  You’re a keeper!  Please take care of my brother.” Bonnie said as she looked upon the girl.

 “Bonnie, I thought we talked about this!”  Clemont cried as a mechanical hand grabbed his sister and picked her up.

 “Sorry little girl but I never date anyone I don’t know, so what your name blondie?”  Lilly purred as she looked at Clemont who went red at Bonnie’s and her words and started to stammer.  

 “What did you do in Crown City Ash?”  Clemont said as he turned to look at Ash, trying and succeeding to make Ash the center of attention.

 “Ehhh, nothing much really. Just reunited a mother and with her child, exposed a prominent Businessman as the worst Eco-Criminal in the region with a crime 20 years old that he almost got away with and got the scum to confess on live TV.  And this is Bonnie and her brother Clemont”  Ash said as Bonnie and Clemont starred at him.

 “Your Task…er Quest Scanner can be registered with Officer Jenny, her office handles all Tasks and handles payment after the person who issues one send a notification that it was completed.  And how can I help you Ms. Lilly?”  Nurse Joy interrupted.

 “Since Kalos usually only does the Showcase I was wondering if I had to register as a Coordinator here or not.”  Lilly said as she brought out a Pokédex.

 “No but the Professor has a list of where and when the Contests will be held, you’ll have to talk to him for that information and with the damage to his lab you might have to wait a bit, and a new trainer is coming for her first Pokémon today.”  Joy said as Lilly stared at Ash for a bit.  She shook her head before anyone noticed her look and smiled at the three of them.

 “So where are you guys going, from what Nurse Joy said I have to wait a while before I can get the info I need.”  Lilly said as the four of them walked out of the Pokémon center

 “Bonnie and I decided to travel with Ash for a bit; we need a change of pace for a while.”  Clemont said as he rubbed the back of his head and looked toward the Prism Tower.  And when I’m back, I’ll be stronger and more powerful.

 “So it’s straight on to Santalune City and the Gym.  Maybe we’ll run into you again.”  Ash said as he gave Lilly a smile.

 “Maybe, it’ll depend on where and when the contests are.  So see you.” Lilly said as she walked off.  Her faces showed nothing but inside her thoughts were going a mile a minute. An Aura Link!  The prince already has a soul-mate?!  Just what kind of life has he been living and what affect are those seals having on him! To block it an Aura spark from joining with its chosen Aura, something like this is just NOT done!!

 Lilith’s glass showed a spark of a humans Aura dissipating when it met the seals.  Just what hell did the seal-maker create if it could block a soul-mate bond.  She went dead still when the thoughts hit her, did it happen with others, did Ash have more than one soul-mate?  Gotta stop thinking about it, I need to find this girl, if I’m lucky then I’ll meet her at the Professor’s lab.  I’ll make up a report on what I saw and my actions and mail it to teach, she’ll get it to the boss.

  Jenny snarled to herself as she slammed the phone down into its cradle.  The international police had laughed off her concerns that the Kanto criminal group was expanding into her region.  Something about the Rockets she describe as being the bottom of the barrel, to call back if the Tooth Fairy joined them with the Easter Lopunny.   Those criminals almost cause the death of a trainer and when she brought it up it caused the person answering to laugh even harder when she described the person in question.  The bastard said something about sending her a file once he calmed down and hung up on her.  A noise at the door caused her to glare at two trainers and a little girl who jumped a bit at her expression.

 “Can I help you kids?” Jenny asked as she got her emotions back under control.  She identified the gym leader and his sister and the black haired trainer looked somewhat familiar but she couldn’t place him, a flaw she had when her emotions were agitated.

 “Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center said I could register my Task Tracker here?”  The black haired trainer said as he handed over a Task Tracker. Connecting it to her computer she loaded it with the regions security passcode and grabbed the Trackers serial number before handing it back to him. A chime from her computer pulled her back toward it, the file the international police was going to send her, maybe she would get some answers, and she absently handed the Tracker back to the boy and waved him off.

 “Thank you Officer Jenny.” The boy said as he and the others left her office.

 “All part of the job, have a good day.”  Jenny said robotically as she opened the file.  The first few pages were about the Rocket members she had described and the pages after were about when and where they had committed criminal acts.  After a while next few page she noticed that the same trainer ID kept coming up as both victim and stopper.  Then another chime and an email entitled ‘Protector’ appeared.  

 “Didn’t my cousin in Unova mention that a trainer had earned a title from the Pokémon Rangers and the International Police?”  She muttered to herself as she opened the file, to no surprise it was a trainer bio, the kind of files the government kept of trainers that caught their eye. As she started to read accommodations for valor, for saving people and Pokémon, for defeating criminal gangs she recognized the ID as the same one in the previous file.  The final page was the photo ID and when she saw it she shot up from her chair.

 “THAT’S THE KID FROM LAST NIGHT, WAIT HE WAS JUST HERE!!”  Jenny cried out as she looked into the hallway in shock.

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  “Frankenmons attacked a courier in the Wind Road?”  The speaker was a tall man in a purple tuxedo and a black cape with an Eevee on his shoulder who lead two pale attractive women in maid uniforms down a hallway. The woman on his right had blue hair in a pageboy style, her blue eyes had black eye shadow above and her blue lips were set in a frown, in her ears were two white gems and by her side walked a Glaceon with a collar with four white gems. The maid on his left had flowing red hair that reached her waist, the only makeup she had was red lipstick and blush with two red gems in her ears, a Flareon was by her side whose front legs had clawed boots on.

 “Yes Master Alex, Lady Joy ordered all off duty morticians to assist in retrieving all parts from within the corpses post haste.  She entered the castle two hours ago according to a local agent so this is likely a briefing about them to quell the rumors.  Though a few days ago Lady Camilla sent her apprentice out on a mission and the same night the Elites were summoned for a meeting, so there is that which I am sure one of them will bring up. ” The blue haired woman spoke with a cold tone as she followed .

 “One of Morg’a’s little temptresses is dating one of the security staff called to transport the materials harvested, the bitch probably bugged the poor sap with a seal.  So she’s probably the source of most of the rummors. Hope the fool she’s using had a good time with the little tramp at least, but given what I had when one tried to use me, I really, really doubt it master. And like sister Sarah said, one of them will bring it up.”  The redhead’s voice was full of passion as she strutted down the hallway.

 Alex smiled as he thought of the meeting a month ahead of schedule, a summit of the Elites and now Frankenmon, the times were getting quite exciting, what next, did they find the Queen and Prince?  He gave a chuckled at that thought, he had probably taunted murphy, but if that happened, those harpies would die of shock.

 Turning a corner he stopped cold as he saw what was guarding the door to the meeting chamber.  Two humanoids in full plate armor holding lances with two Haxorus with black body armor stood sentinel.

 “Master, those are Highguard.”  Sarah said as she reached Alex and stared with him at the door guards.  Alex slowly gained a grin on his face that as he eyes twinkled.

 “My dear cold Sarah, my passionate Ellie, this is going to be explosive.” Alex proclaimed as he walked down the hallway as his two maids looked at each other and sighed.

 “Tell me again why do we love that man-child sister?” Ellie said as he followed after him.

 “The sex, definitely the sex.”  Sarah answered bluntly as the two of them followed their lover down the hallway while Alex only gave a small smirk at the words his followers exchanged.

 Walking into the throne room he moved toward the left side and gazed around the room.  A few people in clocks were debating Aura casting by the window, representatives from the School of Aura, they only came when there was an important announcement, were the Frankenmons were made by someone they expelled and escaped the law.  The last Chimera breeder supposedly caused the procedures to change, but there are geniuses out there.

A few of the Families had a few more members then just their heirs with them, more girls than boys again, were they trying the catch the bosses eye with a pretty face?  He nodded his head at his allies among the Lords as they passed each other as he led his party toward windows, and saw with no surprise that saw that the Lady Morg’a was dressed to the nines in the middle of a small crowd of ladies, was she trying to draw in others with her beauty.  And she was striking today.  Her long black hair flowed down her back to her thighs; her jade dress stopped at the middle of her breasts, with a cut show the inner sides with a green gem in the shape of the Grass-Type symbol resting between her breasts.  Her dress went to the floor with a slit that revealed white stocking clad legs in green high heels.  Her lips were painted a vibrant green, while eye shadow of an aqua green shade brought out her green eyes.  Her Roselia was next to her with a grass symbol around its neck.  He noticed her eyes never left a target across from her and saw who Morg’a was watching; the newest of the Highlords, the Lady Cleo Ro Clor of the Desert Realm was talking with a few lords who, if he remembered their homes locations right, bordered her territory.  She cut a striking figure with her dark skin in a form fitting white robe dress that showed off her figure while still giving off a classy feel.  All the makeup she wore was a simple black lipstick, while her black hair was in a simple pageboy style. Her Krokorok was standing next to her, a simple Ground symbol around its neck, showing that the simple things had a class all its own.

 “So you made it to this thing youngster?”  A gruff voice said as a heavy hand landed on his other shoulder.  Turning he saw an older man with a beard in a white shirt and black pants next to an Ursaring.  

 “Sir Viktor, how are you old man?  How was that Chimera hunt you went on a few weeks back, it was an Ice Fire mix that was the pack leader?”  Alex said as he smiled at his friend and ally among the Lords.

 “Me and mine handled it, but I gotta talk to you about it afterwards.  You’ll never guess whose territory it they never even sent a scout towards.”  Vicktor said darkly as he glared toward Morg’a group.  

 “I’ve dealt with such things in my own lands my friend, after the meeting let me track down the last two members of my old team to have a talk for old times, you can join us.” Alex said with a sigh as memoires of days long gone pasted behind his eyes.

 A commotion near the front caused them to turn and saw three of the Elites walk into the room, each shadowed by one of their Pokemon.  Lady Camilla was followed by her Zoroark, the brown haired robed form of Magnus walked next to his Golurk while Mordred was dressed in a simple smock and pants was walked next to his Chesnaught.   Following after them was their lord walked with his Mightyena with Lady Joy walking after him in a black gown with a white Crobat on her shoulder.  So a briefing by Joy was part of this after all, but why were both Camilla and Magnus here? Why were the Highguard outside?  I think this might be bigger than I thought. Alex thought as he looked over the gathering.

 Morg’a smiled and gave off an air of sophistication looking at the Elites entering the room but she let her thoughts tell her true feelings, confident that the Psi-Changer she wore around her neck kept them to herself.  So that bitch Camilla is taking part in this after all.  So whatever reason she pulled that brat from the party is important. Damn that idiotic little tramp for not getting closer to the slut!  It probably was her little beast that was attacked after all.  But she’s only been gone a few days, and in Kalos of all place!

 As Dracula sat upon his thrown, all before bowed and curtsied to show respect for their liege lord. Before anyone could speak up about the nature of the gather he raised his hand for silence.

 “My loyal subjects let me cut away all the rumors you’ve heard.  Approximately two hours ago the Lady Joyce briefed me upon the 8 Frankenmon that tried to intercept a courier using the Wind Road.  Lady Joy, if you would care to take over?”  Dracula said as he gestured at Joy who curtsied as a holo projector appeared before the throne.

 “Thank you my lord. As per my orders when I was informed what had entered my morgue, all personal were recalled and all machines were removed from the bodies before all but two were incinerated.  This decision”    Joy began before Morg’a stepped forward and interrupted her.

 “Two of the bodies were kept from the final peace Lady Joy?  Forgive my impudence but aren’t all Frankenmon bodies supposed to be incinerated after the foul machines which move them are taken from their corpses by rule of law?”  Morg’a melodious voice interrupted, causing murmurs to spread among the crowd at this seemingly breach of law.  Joy gained a small frown before she continued.

 “Normally, yes that is the law.  But the bodies were reanimated by an unknown process and power source.  As the bodies were inspected, it became apparent that the machines were split in two different configurations.  From what my limited mechanical knowledge told me, one type had a receiver of some kind while the other had a transceiver.  The bodies saved were the ones most intact with detailed notes were made on where each machine was removed from the individual corpse. However both types had a few similar parts, this one we are having the most trouble identifying the components purpose.”  As Joy spoke the projector glowed, showing a diagram of a machine connected to two broken crystals with the crystals each connected to one side of a hexagon stone.

 “The gems aren’t like anything we’ve seen before.  The hexagon seems to be artificial and seems to be the main power source, one of my people theorized that the gems act like a kind of converter.   The fact that they were able to use attacks is a cause for concern, but the most distressing thing we’ve discovered is that there is no way for an external power source to connect to the stone, we have no idea how these things receive power at all.” Joy finished as murmurs started back up.

 “This is troubling, tovarish.”  Victor whispered to Alex as thoughts raced through his head.  One of the only ways Frankenmons were found was the massive electrical power drain they used to recharge.  And with the fact they were able to use Pokémon attacks…Wait, what were the attacks used elemental propertiess? Could there be a connection? Alex thought as his mind raced, signaling his group that he was doing this alone he started to walk through the crowd toward the throne. Alex exited the crowd until he was next to Morg’a and bowed to Lady Joy.

 “Lady Joy, do we know what attacks were used by the subjects.”  Alex said as he saw the scowl Morg’a sent him, curious.  Did she want to score a point with that or keep people from asking? Just what is your end goal you Grass bitch

 “As the witness was a Pokémon, a psychic copy of the incident was made.  From what Lord Magnus divined, the moves used were Flash Cannon and Arial Ace.”  Joy trailed off as she looked at the hologram.

 “So moves of two elements and two gems.  Were any gems recovered intact?”  Alex continued as Joy called up data.

 “All gems were found shattered.  A failsafe or the result of battle…” Joy trailed off as she turned and shared a look with Magnus.  Mordred stepped forward as a hologram of the Homeland appeared.

“Thank you Headmistress for your report, Lord Alex, Lady Morg’a for your points I give you my thanks. As of 1 hour ago our lord has issued orders that the patrols groups along our shore are be increased in size. The remains are to be turned over to the School of Aura as soon as the masters exit this chamber for a period of one weak for a detailed examination.  All lords are to take any action they believe is necessary in their territories its security, all suspicious events are to be investigated by local authorities.”  Mordred began as a map of the Homeland sprang from the holo-project identifying the various territories

 “Wait one minute Commander Mordred!  How was a single courier identified by those monsters and from where did the courier come from? What was its cargo?  These facts would affect any plans we make to protect our citizens.”  Morg’a interrupted with a smirk.  Joy had a look of worry on her face while Camilla had a sever frown

 “From the machine’s localization before we removed them, some of them were hooked up to the eyes of the corpse, so a possible Aura sensor is possible.  The cargo….”  Mordred began until the person behind him interrupted and spoke loudly.

 “Was an Aura scan of my son.”  Dracula declared as he stood up from his throne.

 Alex blinked, their lord couldn’t have said what he thought he’d heard, did he?

 “I Declare this for all within this chamber to know!  After years of not knowing their fate, my Queen and my son have been Found!  Even as we speak, measures are being undertaking to return them to our shores!”  Dracula proclaimed as the chamber exploded in conversations.

 Morg’a had a wide smile on her face while on the inside her thoughts were complete anarchy. Arceus Damn it!  With that old slug found she’ll be back and warming his bed within the next year!  All my plans to find and influence her replacement just went up in smoke!  I should have known that those stupid Crusaders wouldn’t kill them!

 “My lord may I be the first to offer my congratulations on such wonderful news!  If there is anything that any of us could do to help I’m sure my fellows would jump at the chance!” Morg’a said with cheer in her voice. Alex merely looked at her and let his eyes grow hard. So they did find D, and I think my people needs to spend a little time making sure that that tart doesn’t try to send anyone after little whoever go the scan or the kid

 “I can only say that in this matter the Lady Morg’a speaks for me as will my lord.  If there is anything my people and I can do to help you have but to command it.”  Alex said as he bowed to his liege lord as the other Lords and Highlords copied him.

 “Thank you but as I said measures are being done to return my beloved to me.  May our people stand forever against all who would threaten us!” Dracula declared as he got up from his throne and his Pokemon followed him out the door.  Alex looked at Camilla and fixed the right side of his collar and saw her and Magnus clench their right hands before he walked back to Victor and his maids.  He grinned to himself as he walked.  Time for an old friend and her son to come home at last, but how did they find them?  And who better to ask then her brother and her best friend?  He thought with a grin as he walked away with his two maids to ‘celebrate’.

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

  Cleo sighed as she and her Krokorok walked into her inner apartment.  That meeting had been as nerve wracking as the rumors that had been swirling around the local net.  The reality was even worse, Frankenmon powered by unknown means, and able to use attacks!  That wasn’t even touch the fact that the Queen to be was alive with the Prince, that changed everything! When she returned she had given orders that all local wild Pokémon dens were to have surveillance equipment set up, if anything came to harvest fresh corpse, they would see them if they hit the dens.  Why did she ever have to be chosen as the High Lord’s successor anyway?  It was supposed to be just a simple Quest, why did her predecessor have to use it to choose replacement before he died, she was just an orphan who had to play peacekeeper at the orphanage.  She didn’t like to fight, and his will that said she had to build her household herself without any of the previous staff, thank Arceus that Marshall Asim and his crew had stayed on and the homunculi maids. But things were hard; she had her pen pal to chat with!  With a smile on her face she walked toward her computer, her Krokorok pulled out the chair to let her sit down and signed into a chat room.  She had meet her friend on a message board about the impact Pokémon and human settlements had on each other, and since then the two of them had had conversations about care and feeding, exchanged recipes and helped each other deal with problems.  She did feel a bit bad that he thought she was a middle management in a company who got promoted after her superior left, but the rest of the world wasn’t like her home, they didn’t have Lords and High Lords and to burden a doctor with her political problems just wasn’t the right thing to do.

SandyLady:  You online Doc?

RockDoc: Hey Lady, how was your meeting.

SandyLady:   The boss’s wife woke up from her coma, she’s going to return to the company but the medicine that helped wake her was almost stolen by thieves so security of all divisions were raised, and two people on my level are fighting with each other, I’ve had to issue a few orders that might get people hurt in the name of said security, what about you?

RockDoc:  I have a bit of a problem myself; the mother of one of my old friends sent a quite inquiry about a girl she’s worried about, wants to double check something and my job says I should make it official, but everything I feel screams me to keep quit, I’m a bit conflicted.

SandyLady:   So keep quiet and look into what might happen if you don’t, you might find something you don’t know you know about would happen. But why do you feel what you that way?

RockDoc:  Thanks for the advice Lady, it’s a supervisor who would receive the report just rubs me the wrong way, something about them feels wrong to me.

 Cleo went cold as she rereads the last message; some people Aura’s were able to ‘sense’ the nature of people, when they were hurt and needed help.  Most of them became public servants, doctors or police if Doc felt something wrong about his supervisor, then they might be trouble if he went official on this.  One piece of advice old man Victor had told her when she was sworn in was to trust her instincts about people and Pokémon.  Said instincts said the Lady Morg’a was a trustworthy as a coin left in the sun was cold, so she trusted the advice.

 SandyLady: Doc, one bit of advice I think I can pass on to you; always trust your instincts.  Your hindbrain might be seeing what your forebrain can’t.

 “Lady Ro Clor!  We have a situation!”  A voice called from her door.  That was Marshall Asim, but he should be out along the dunes, helping set up the observation cameras.  If he was back then there might be a rather large problem that needs the local High Lords authority.

 “I’ll be right there!” Cleo called back as she typed one last message and walked toward her door, her Krokorok falling in step behind her.   The duties of a desert High Lord never ended, but she was ready to meet them.  Opening the door she was met with Marshall Asim, a hard faced black haired man wearing a black cloak over black clothes with a Braviary wearing a Searcher’s Gem next to him.

 “What happened Marshal?” Cleo demand as he would only have his Braviary with him if he was searching for something before he came to see her.  Gesturing for her and her Pokémon to follow him he led them down the hallway. His Braviary took flight and flew ahead and out a window.

 “Everything was going like clockwork M’lady, we had finished setting up most of them when we hit the Northern Mountain, one of the caves is or was used by a herd of Trapinch as their nest, it was empty and it showed signs of a battle.  Thankfully we found the herd at an oasis, but the herd defenders were all injured. The team I sent into the cave discovered a hole in the floor that led into a chamber; it looks like an early Ritual chamber. The battle damage in the cave looks like the herd was attack from the cave mouth and then who ever made the hole was attacked by something inside.  The problem is a sand storm swept the region after this all happened, at least we think so.” Asim as he led her into a room with a map of her territory, marked with symbols for her towns, cities and Pokémon dens.

 “Send word to all towns nearby to be on alert, anything or anyone out of the ordinary is to be reported at once.  Once night falls patrols are to be run between the cities for the next week. The Trapinch are to be relocated to a territory where they can prosper, send word to the School of Aura, I want an archeological team to be sent to study those ruins as soon as possible. And put the Gates on full alert for the next 2 weeks, if people broke into that chamber I don’t want it to be easy for them to escape.” Cleo Ro Clor, Highlord of the Inner Desert commanded as she gazed upon a map of her lands.  What happened when the chamber was breeched, what did they wake up and who were they?  I always knew I would face a trial by fire, this has to be it. Cleo thought as she walked through the palace to the situation room.

  SandyLady: Sorry Doc, duty calls.  Good luck with your problem.

 Brock sighed as he read the last message SandyLady had sent him.  For a corporate manager she always had the right thing to say to help him. Maybe it was wrong to let her think he was only a doctor, but the problems of a Gym Leader, even one who was away from their gym weren’t for the faint of heart.  Just last week he had helped to take down a pack of Houndor and the alpha Houndom to relocate them to stop a swarm of Paras from raiding the city, thankfully his Marshtomp had evolved and defeated the alpha.  The Pokemon Rangers had a nice valley far enough away that was perfect for the Dark Fire types, and there was supposedly a river full of water types between the valley and the habitat of the Paras, so there was no way for them to go after them or return to their old habitat.

 Getting up from his computer he thought back to Delia’s message.  She had sent a text that she was worried about a new hire at her restaurant, and was that a surprise when he and Misty first visited Pallet Town!  To think Ash had grown up in around a commercial restaurant, and that it was famous!  But the girl was the problem or had a problem.  She had been settling in fine but all of a sudden she had started to jump at anything and seemed to have closed off from people.  Delia had contacted him because she had a Johto accident and he currently was at learning about medicine in Viridian City and was wondering if he heard anything from Johto from either the towm or his position as a Gym Leader.  He had sent back that he hadn’t heard anything, but he didn’t tell her that a few days ago he had run into Karen, a member of the Elite Four, while his party was hunting the pack in the mountains.  Sure she had said something about a monstrous creature she was tracking but Brock didn’t think a Chimera was connected to the girl, but like he told SandyLady, something about Karen was just wrong.  He couldn’t describe it but he’ll trust it for now and contact a few of the gym leaders in Johto through couriers, maybe one of them had heard something.  

 As Brock walk out of his room he never thought that maybe the monstrous creature Karen was hunting was really the girl in question, never thought that maybe others were watching people like him who would help her without question.  Brock never saw the glint of light a pair of binoculars gave off as a silent watcher cataloged his activities.

  OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

  Lilith was able to identify the Aura from the sparks and had tracked her to and from a bus stop and was able to finally catch her and was currently tailing her toward the Professor’s lab.  When she saw the girl in question she was able to get a general read of her Aura, this girl was someone with a good heart and a bit of creativity, and watching the interactions she had when she interacted with people and Pokémon between her and the lab she seemed to be a pleasant person.  A good fashion sense, natural beauty and what looked like a great personality and a bit of creativity, the prince had a good one after him.

 Lilith let a smirk grace her lips before she walked a tiny bit faster; she had to time this just right, she reached for a button on a crossing post and hit Serena’s hand.

 “Sorry about that, you need to cross too?”  Lilith asked the honey haired girl.  

 “Yeah, I’m heading toward Professor Sycamore lab, what about you.” Serena asked as she looked at the black clothed girl.  There was something that seemed to pull Serena out of the shell she had around herself.

 “The same, he has some information that I need for my journey.  Oh, sorry I forgot to introduce myself, the names’ Lilly and you are?”  Lilly said she offered Serena a hand.

 “Serena Yvonne, nice to meet you Lilly.”  Serena said as they both walked toward the Professors lab.

 “Nice to meet you too Serena, so have you decided on a goal for your journey?” Lilly asked as the walked toward the lab’s door.

 Serena only blushed and walked faster, opening the door, pretending that she hadn’t heard anything.

“Hello? Is Professor Sycamore around?”  Serena called out as they walked into the building

 “That’s me. I’m up here.” A voice called out from atop a set of stairs opposite the doorway

 “Huh? Hello there. I’m Serena and this is Lilly.”

 “I bet you two are here to become Pokémon Trainers.”  Sycamore said as he smiled at the two girls as he walked down the stairs.

 “She is, I’m here for the information you have on when the Pokémon Contests happen.” Lilly said as she held up a Pokéball.

 “Yup. Also, Professor, I saw this Trainer on the news. The report was all about how he had saved a Garchomp.” Serena said as she went a bit red in the face.

 “Oh, you're talking about Ash.” Sycamore said as Serena smiled. Ash, I knew it!

 “I ran into him at the Pokemon Center.  He said he was heading for the Santalune Gym.” Lilly said, causing Serena to turn and look at her.

 “Santalune Gym? Hmm. Professor, may I choose a Pokémon?” Serena said turning back to the Professor.

 “Of course. And do you have any idea which Pokémon you'd like?” Sycamore asked. Lilly stood back and watch with a smile. A trainers first Pokémon was a mystical moment that only happen once for anyone, and only after a while did people understand what happened to them.

 “Yup.”

 “All right. Everybody out!”  Sycamore called to the right before a woman in a white lab coat led three forms into the room.

 “These are the Kalos Pokémon new Trainers may choose from, Fennekin, Chespin and Froakie. Which Pokémon will you choose as your partner?” Sycamore asked as he turned back to Serena with a smile.

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

P A treon.com/bardofworlds for special rewards for all patrons

 Crusaders: Knights who launched attack on Homeland and kidnapped Ash and Delia

Aura Link:  The result of two or more auras connecting, the people must meet and spend time with each other first, but when entering an area of 50 miles area sparks seemingly flow between auras unless something is blocking connection

Psi-Changer: Aura Equipment: Gemstone Type Special.  A Gem that creates a false ‘mind’ that is the opposite of what the wearer is thinking, a convert defense against mind readers

[prorevenge]

You don’t want to send me the money even after you received and used the stuff i sent you?!

Soo, this might be a long story. Hold tight!

It all started when i got a gift card for my birthday. It was filled in with 25€ but man I needed these 25€ to live from as I’m a broke college student. So i went to Marktplaats (a some kind of a Dutch version of Craigslist) and I posted just enough info to show the card and asked for a 21€ for it. You can do (almost) everything with it, but not shop from these small cheap supermarkets where i get my food from. So this guy came, let’s call him Jack, and sure enough he offered 21€ but wanted to do the deal via WhatsApp as he “doesn’t understand how MP works exactly”.

I thought sure, it must be an old lady or something. It was a bit suspicious to be honest as the account was only a month old which can be seen as suspicious according to MP culture. But I thought well nothing bad can happen and asked him to transfer the money first and send a screenshot of the transaction and I’ll directly send him the rest of the info of the card. So Jack sent the screenshot containing the first letter of his name so “J” with some last name, his bank account number was there and i had his phone number because we were Whatsapping. So everything seemed fine. He then said it might take a day or two to arrive because we have different banks and i said sure, why not. I sent him the card info and we thanked each other and everything seemed fine. Later that night, I checked the balance of the gift card using the official website of the gift card and it was empty already. I thought he must wanted some shirt or so and he could save 4€ with it so why not. A few days later, didn’t get anything on my bank account. I sent him a message saying that this is very unusual and it never takes this much time but he reassured me by saying that the money was really taken from his bank account and some bullshit. After a week has gone, nothing was on my bank account so i sent his screenshot to a friend of mine who’s a professional in Photoshop and photos editing and such stuff and asked him if the screenshot seems photoshopped because I wasn’t sure. He said no everything seems to be fine. I sent Jack a message via WhatsApp, he didn’t respond. Vis Maarktplaats, same story. Smsing and calling didn’t yield a thing either.

Before i was planning to find that asshole, i was really curious how he faked that screenshot. So after some googling, I found that it’s possible that if you call your bank and tell them a valid excuse, they will return your money and especially if the other side didn’t receive it yet. So i sent my brother a few euros to try it and called my bank to cancel the transaction. The employee at the bank was surprised when i told her that i sent it per mistake to this person and started asking stuff like “how could you fill in a bank account number and a name per mistake??” I responded with it was on the list of the people that I often sent money to and i per mistake choose him instead of the person right above him (there’s some kind of contacts list of bank accounts and names so that you don’t have to fill the info in each time). She found that reasonable and sent me money back directly and sure enough my brother didn’t hear a thing or get a notification or anything. Just nothing. Then it made sense how he proved it but I didn’t get anything. So after i knew how everything worked, I wanted to chase that asshole down.

At this point, i knew i was dealing with a crook. I had his telephone number, where he lived ( from MP), his bank account number, his first letter and his last name.

I searched using his telephone number via all the websites and search engines you could ever think about, I couldn’t find anything. It was like he disappeared. I searched FB (and other sites) using his last name but man, his last name was one of the commonest in the Netherlands. Thousands of results. I filtered a lot to decrease the search results as much as possible until i was left with a few results starting with a J and ending with his last name. Unfortunately, none of them seemed like the one I’m searching for (and none of them were, I discovered later). I didn’t know what exactly to do so I reported to the police and to the MP website. The police said that they will need sometime to decide whether they look into the case and such but were negative if they could help me because “I should have done it via MP”. Which I agree with but i was still furious. MP said they don’t have enough evidence to block his account or anything. I knew i needed to handle it myself. So i sent everyone that has that he/she are living or from the village where he came from, a FB message( these were 493 people). I explained everything and provided screenshots of what happened and asked if they could help me find that asshole or search in their mobiles for his number or in family groups on WhatsApp so i can get his first name to be able to do my next step. Only 5 have read and responded to my message and none of them had a clue. So I joined all the local groups of his village and posted the story again. Sure enough, a nice lady provided me with his first name, where he currently live and a lot more info than what i hoped for. It turns out that he has multiple telephone numbers and that was not his main so it was logical I couldn’t find anything. She sent me his telephone number so I threatened him with the fact that I will report him to the police, that now I know his name and more info about him, I’ll post that in any online local community...etc. Odd enough, he didn’t seem to give a single fuck and asked me to “fuck my self” and said that he wouldn’t return the money. So I actually didn’t mail his friends and network about it because I thought I’m doing too much which won’t work because he’s probably a trashy person that listens to no one.

My final option was to go via his bank, i emailed them and they were so nice that they wanted to look it up for me and everything but said couldn’t tell me much because of privacy and stuff. This lady from the bank was so sympathetic that she gave me the email of the security department of the bank and asked me to send everything i had in a mail explaining what happened. Did that but didn’t get a response, even after a week so I thought I could email her one last time to ask whether I should be waiting for a response or not. She said don’t wait because the security department is not a department that communicates with customers and asked me to have patience. After a month had passed from the beginning of the accident, i began losing hope that I’ll chase down that crook ( i had his home address but bringing him a visit wasn’t an option for me). A few days later, he called. I didn’t respond but he left like 10 messages that he would love to find a solution and everything so i was really shocked and asked why now out of a sudden. He said the his bank blocked and freezed all his four bank accounts after they��ve discovered that he has been doing that shit for a while already. He even offered me 200€ to just email his bank that everything was solved and that they should unblock his shit. I said no I don’t want your filthy money, i just want my 21 euros and I’ll then reconsider emailing the bank. He sure enough sent them directly from a friend bank account and I’ve finally received my money. Now it’s revenge time!

I told him he can fuck him self and that he can kiss my a$$, I’m doing nothing for him and I’ll ignore him even longer that he was doing to me. He sent me like a thousand time he’s sorry and he won’t do it again and he really would send me any amount of money just to email his bank. 2 weeks later, he said that he can’t access his money and bills are stacking up. I just simply blocked his number after i sent him a middle finger emoji. He sent more apologies, called and everything from other numbers but i left him there hanging. It has been 3 weeks now and he’s still begging me and sending sorries and shit. I’m not planning to help him anytime soon and i believe that he should legally solve his shit with his bank and I wouldn’t care a shit for such people. So, do you still want to steal my money, you motherfucker?!

(source) (story by RefugeeDutch_Syrian)

[mikeshinoda12-blog]

Introducing Construction in Ireland

The kind of construction modeled in the index ought to be considered.  Safeguarding Your InvestmentHiring a contractor who's experienced with pouring concrete walls will guarantee that you receive a high quality product which will endure for years.  The usage of equipment to safeguard against life-threatening hazards is also discussed.

This practice enhances the safety on the building site.  A lot of death in construction result from hazards concerning construction activity.  The expense of rip rap will be dependent on several things like amount, size and supplier.

Construction in Ireland

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For the additional 2, however, you obtain a lot of additional information regarding the history of the castle and all the events it's been involved in. Similarly your house also appears shabby if you don't put on some decor at all. Ideas, Formulas and Shortcuts for Construction in Ireland If you're interesting in improving your house on the cheap, think about using salvaged building materials. Both the finishing and the standard of the woods are unparalleled. When you initiate the building of the walls, you'll get to a specific height that the block layers are no longer able to carry on without a suitable scaffolding. Ultimately, existing ties will want to get isolated to prevent more damage to the outer leaf. If you've been contemplating building a new house, it may be among the most exciting and fulfilling projects you will ever undertake. The internal home decoration equally require care and concern to coordinate with the exterior. 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The use of Personal Information Aon processes personal information collected via the Site for the aims of handling your requests and supplying you with information about the merchandise and services Aon can provide you with. There are fees for the usage of all 3 registries. We limit the collection and application of Personal Information to the information which is relevant for the aims of processing and won't process Personal Information in a way which is incompatible with the purposes for which the information was collected or subsequently authorized by you. You must not offer personal information if you don't accept such terms and conditions of usage. A few of this information could be personal info, such as change of postal address details. Here's What I Know About Construction in Ireland Ramps employed by equipment has to be designed by means of an individual, qualified in structural design. It's critical to maintain your roofing to deal with the temperature. 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Our email marketing may consist of personalised and non-personalised email advertising. It allows us to customize your online experience, improve the performance, usability and effectiveness of KPMG's online presence, and to measure the effectiveness of our marketing activities. To get additional information on construction leads app please visit construction information service Businesses are sure to seek approaches to block access. The whole assortment of the many of Ireland Contracting's operations may be gotten at their internet website. On the flip side, the privacy protections afforded in a variety of locations, particularly in the EU, could develop into a worldwide advertising and marketing feature. What You Need to Do About Construction in Ireland If you're interesting in improving your house on the cheap, think about using salvaged building materials. Both the finishing and the standard of the woods are unparalleled. When you initiate the building of the walls, you'll get to a specific height that the block layers are no longer able to carry on without a suitable scaffolding. Do remember, Building regulation requires you to have a specific amount of insulation in the walls. The building procedure may take longer than normal, but the legacy will endure for generations. The internal home decoration equally require care and concern to coordinate with the exterior. Construction in Ireland Ideas When you use features like Remember My Username,'' the cookie is related to your Personal Information as a way to offer you a more convenient experience. A secondary kind of cookie called user-input'' cookies might still be required for necessary functionality. Our site's cookies are temporary and can't be utilized to recognize individual visitors. However, please be aware that should you do this, you might not be capable of using the complete functionality of this site. Well, it's possible to anyday seek assistance from notice letter templates over the net that provide a readymade notice structure so you don't have to begin anything from scratch. These apps may also provide you with additional choices for managing your own personal information. The Chronicles of Construction in Ireland You may not remember registering for anything or giving them your name, however you will have done so. If you have to pay trades people to assist you with these aspects, it is going to be more costly than if they were fitting out a rectilinear property. The first thing people do when they visit our residence is carress it. The Fundamentals of Construction in Ireland Revealed As this land was undeveloped at the moment, a short-term capital was needed. The overall election in February 2016 saw the debut of an extremely fragmented minority government. If a parcel of land goes in the marketplace in Greater London in a place where people generally wish to live, it is going to be purchased by the people with the deepest pockets, that's the large, listed companies. The Most Popular Construction in Ireland Typically, a bachelor's degree in engineering is demanded. It's also an excellent concept to confirm your state's employment poster. Be ready to be tested by your employer to show you've got the essential computer knowledge. Top Construction in Ireland Secrets Whether you are searching for a more contemporary or a traditional design we have you covered. There are various kinds of insulation that could be used, that range from panels to Injected full fill beads. So far as the exterior walls for most sorts of construction, you will discover that they are generally the exact same. Do remember, Building regulation requires you to have a specific amount of insulation in the walls. Imagine you're an installer at work site with 2000sq feet of hewn log siding which has not been finished and you need to finish all 6 sides before installation. The internal home decoration equally require care and concern to coordinate with the exterior. Ok, I Think I Understand Construction in Ireland, Now Tell Me About Construction in Ireland! Our on-line mortgage functionality is intended to create the very best experience possible for our site visitors employing a number of the latest technology available. After the user signs up for these services, we'll share names, or other contact information which is essential for the third party to present these services. The most frequent approach to supply information is via a privacy notice. However, you might also change your browser settings at any moment and apply the Arvato website without cookies. Other third party tools and widgets might be employed on our personal web pages to supply extra functionality. You may make adjustments to your notification preferences at any moment. The Secret to Construction in Ireland The way the rest of the price is paid varies from 1 portion of the country to another. For the large part, crime in Ireland isn't a concern, but some areas do need a specific quantity of discretion. From an environmentally-friendly viewpoint, it doesn't get far better. Construction in Ireland - the Conspiracy With all these folks working several jobs, few men and women have the opportunity to actually look after their very own cars. The box-shaped rooms that the majority of people reside in nowadays are, in actuality, alien to us. If you believe I am attempting to scare the living daylights out of you, you're exactly perfect. The Construction in Ireland Stories Construction executives must work out how to transfer all that knowledge to another batch of hires in a time of labor shortage. Construction projects inherently assume a whole lot of financial risk. It has adapted well to a local marketplace that is in a disorderly state. As professionals try to map out 2018 and beyond, there are quite a few trends shaping the construction market. Although not construction-specific, it certainly will have no small effect on businesses. With a duty to be sure the livelihood of their employees and their families, it is necessary to have positive cash flow for the corporation. The Tried and True Method for Construction in Ireland in Step by Step Detail Large construction projects are occasionally known as megaprojects. If you're presently a homeowner, an alternate to a construction loan is to use the equity in your house to finance building a home. If you would like to build a new residence, you should know you've a tougher road ahead of you than if you pursued a conventional mortgage. The Pain of Construction in Ireland More technical information regarding the CIS is also offered. The use of Personal Information Aon processes personal information collected via the Site for the aims of handling your requests and supplying you with information about the merchandise and services Aon can provide you with. Any refusal by you to supply your Data will ensure it is impossible for Edipap srl to fulfill your invitation request. Those people who have access to the data are required to keep the confidentiality of such info. You must not offer personal information if you don't accept such terms and conditions of usage. A few of this information could be personal info, such as change of postal address details. Construction in Ireland Our site, products and services are wholly directed to folks that are at least 13 years old or older. Utilizing the web to collect and process personal data necessarily involves the transmission of information on a worldwide basis. If you take advantage of a cell device to access our websites and internet resources, we also may collect details about your device, like your device ID and device type, and usage info about your device and your usage of our mobile sites and other mobile resources. You'll locate people want websites for their company and families. If you are searching for assistance with your dissertation then we provide a comprehensive writing service given by fully qualified academics in your area of study. Learning how to keep your occupation is also important.

Construction in Ireland for Dummies

Failure in any one of these areas may result in a higher risk in exposing workers to harm in the building atmosphere. This paper, in advancing the reason for diversity, argues that an increased use of locally sourced products ought to be utilised in house construction in order to reflect the historic building and construction styles of distinct sections of the county.  Many indices are supposed to reflect general building construction.

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[techcrunchappcom]

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/nation-and-world-news-briefs-national-6/

Nation and world news briefs | National

Florida senators pitch daylight saving time pause

WASHINGTON — Florida Republican Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott want to make sure there is plenty of time for wasting away again in Margaritaville in the sunlight this winter.

If they get their way, revelers in Key West, Florida, where Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band conceived of the mythical Margaritaville, will get to nibble on sponge cake and watch the sun bake one more hour — hopefully in a socially distant manner in this age of coronavirus pandemic protocols.

The pair introduced a bill that was placed on the Senate calendar Wednesday that would postpone clocks from “falling back” one hour until November of 2021. That would also mean clocks would not “spring forward” one hour in March of 2021.

Rubio is a previous backer of national, permanent daylight saving time. He said in a statement that the government “has asked a lot of the American people” during the pandemic and that his and Scott’s proposal “is just one small step we can take to help ease the burden.”

Rubio said extra daylight after school hours “is critical to helping families and children endure this challenging school year.”

Rubio told reporters Wednesday that support for the bill is “growing.”

Senate Minority Whip Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., said Wednesday at the Capitol that he has not read the bill, which was a surprise when it was added to the calendar.

Scott told reporters he believes the move could also allow for outside diners to eat in the daylight. Many restaurants have expanded their outdoor seating, adapting to the patchwork of jurisdiction rules on limiting indoor dining in an effort to keep people from transmitting the coronavirus indoors.

The Florida senators’ release also pointed to studies that have shown benefits to year-round daylight saving time, such as fewer car crashes and reduced energy usage.

The needs for standard time zones and daylight saving time in the U.S. dates back to the late 1800s, when the railroad system created a need for standard times so trains arrived when they were expected to.

Current law dictates that daylight time should apply from the second Sunday in March until the first Sunday in November, unless jurisdictions opt out.

Why are people sending the Biden-Harris campaign $19.08?

WASHINGTON — The notifications wouldn’t stop. It had been 24 hours since former Vice President Joe Biden announced that Sen. Kamala Harris would be his running mate in his quest to win the White House. Soon after, the phone of the Democratic Party’s chief fundraiser was buzzing every other minute, alerting him that the campaign had just received another donation of exactly $19.08.

It’s not uncommon for campaigns to solicit donations for particular amounts, like $7 or $23, to make the ask stand out, but a number that precise, down to the red cent, was strange.

“I’ve never seen people give in such a specific increment ever before,” says Clayton Cox, finance director for the Democratic National Committee. But Cox, who was active in his college’s Greek system, knew exactly why.

The ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. were springing into action to support one of their own, Harris, who pledged at Howard University as an undergrad in the 1980s.

But why $19.08? That’s the year the AKAs, the oldest Black sorority in America, were founded. “The week after she was announced, I was getting one every 15 minutes,” says Cox. “It was that frequent.”

As of Friday, the Biden Victory Fund (a joint fundraising effort between the campaign and the DNC) had received more than 11,000 of these donations totaling almost $219,000, according to DNC Deputy Communications Director Chris Meagher.

City says deal for temporary 3rd Precinct site for Minneapolis police is off

MINNEAPOLIS — A plan to temporarily house Minneapolis’s 3rd Police Precinct in a warehouse has fallen apart, the city confirmed Wednesday.

The city’s elected leaders had been debating whether to temporarily house the officers in a warehouse about a half mile from their former station, which burned in the riots that followed George Floyd’s death.

A City Council committee had been scheduled to discuss Wednesday afternoon a proposal to lease, for $1.2 million a year, a warehouse at 2633 Minnehaha Ave., run by Lothenbach Properties II and Imagine Express.

Shortly before that meeting began, the city confirmed that the deal was off.

“The City of Minneapolis and Imagine Express have been in ongoing negotiations over a lease agreement at 2633 Minnehaha Ave.,” city spokeswoman Sarah McKenzie said in a statement. “The two parties have reached an impasse in the negotiation process and have amicably agreed to cease lease negotiations over this property moving forward.”

More details are expected to be discussed at a City Council committee meeting Wednesday afternoon.

Some neighborhood groups had opposed the plan, saying they felt there hadn’t been enough public engagement before the city pursued a potential deal for a temporary site.

—Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

Tyrannosaurus skeleton worth several million dollars headed to auction

NEW YORK — Sold to the eccentric theme park operator!

One of the world’s largest Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons is headed to the auction block.

Christie’s announced Wednesday it would be selling “STAN,” a 67 million-year-old fossil, in early October.

The skeleton, which measures 40 feet long and 13 feet high, was discovered in 1987 in South Dakota by amateur paleontologist Stan Sacrison, who was told it was a triceratops — a common error made because triceratops fossils are so common, James Hyslop, Christie’s head of Science and Natural History, said.

However, after Sacrison took the bones to the Black Hills Institute in South Dakota in 1992, researchers quickly realized he had found something special. In subsequent follow-up digs, they recovered 188 more bones (a T. rex had an estimated 300), Hyslop said.

Christie’s will put the fossil on display at its New York location and allow socially distanced public viewings until the middle of October.

“We’ve got the skull displayed at ground level so that you can get really up close and personal with him and just see the serrations on his teeth,” Hyslop said. “His longest tooth is 11 inches long. It’s just terrifying to behold.”

The auction house said the skeleton, even at roughly 66% complete, is worth at much as $8 million.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Copyright 2020 Tribune Content Agency.

[the-mf-bread-babies]

– REBUILD III –

RUNAWAY RENEGADES

· COLLECTION 1 ·

“backstories”

———————————————————

- VOLUME ONE -

Dennis, Aaron, Damon, Sawblade

It was a normal (or was it?) day. The alarm on the boy's phone rang loudly, and he woke up.

Two hours late. It was a Monday.

Too tired to care, he fell back down to his bed and went on his phone. He opened Twitter and was shocked to spot the #1 trending hashtag:

#DojaCatIsOkAgainParty

He rejoiced, opening it to find millions of tweets without any context. After ignoring various fancams that made him lose hope in the current situation, he stumbled upon a thread explaining the current situation.

“#DojaCatIsOkAgainParty : A THREAD <3” The first tweet twote, accompanied with four pictures: One of Doja Cat herself, one of Nicki Minaj, another of whoever becomes the next US president, and Lana Del Rey. What the hell is going on?

“As we all know, Doja Cat, Beyoncé, and many other artists have somehow been cancelled by Lana Del Rey within a week in May of 2020,” Okay… “This is due to Lana's satanic powers.” Oh, okay. Yeah, this was the same account who said that Avril Lavigne has a clone. Who was part of the CIA. Sure, man, whatever.

“At 3:56 AM today, Doja Cat had kidnapped [insert 46th president here] and escorted him to a secondary location. Then, Nicki stabbed the shit outta him. This has caused the America fandom to go insane.” what. “Lana was behind this. As we all know, she and Jessie J had hacked into The Pentagon and made Beyonce Knowles president, for clout.” what.

He put down his phone, questioning what the hell Stan Twitter was on now. The boy approached his cat, Sawblade, who was sleeping on the floor. Sawblade yawned dramatically and circled the boy's legs. He picked her up and laid her onto his bed.

“kwjdkwjjrjrjrkjwkjwjrkj” The cat purred. His phone buzzed. It was a notification from PlayStation Messages. He opened it, eager to know if one of his friends finally wanted to play multiplayer with him.

“#0.00 NULL$$ - Hello PLAYSTATION user! We at NULL HQ politely invite you to join us in making the world a better place one job at a time. Kindly go to this location and sign up for one of our many job offers! No résumé needed, only experience, hard work, and an interview and a fitness test! We hope to see you soon!”

Oh, a scam. He took a screenshot of the text, and then immediately blocked and reported the user, NULL000000. Huh, odd username. Whatever, he's not gonna reply–

One DM from Twitter.

NULL AGENCIES ✓ – @NULLhiring

“#0.00 NULL$$ - Hello TWITTER user! We at NULL HQ politely invite you to join us in making the world a better place one job at a time. Kindly go to this location and sign up for one of our many job offers! No résumé needed, only experience, hard work, and an interview and a fitness test! We hope to see you soon!”

The same thing, huh? This NULL guy really wants his money, he guesses. First Nicki commits manslaughter and now he keeps getting the same scam messages? It's only been not even an hour today and yet so much has happened. What next, Enya comes out of hiding?

“BuzzFeed News: Famous singer Enya comes out of her big-ass castle to collaborate with Nyan Neko Sugar Girls creators for new Apple TV miniseries”

Damn, okay, this is a dream. The boy wrapped himself in a blanket, hugged his bolster and wriggled around, trying to sleep. He couldn't, so he went back on Twitter.

jimin is fr**kin DEAD (@bangtanctwice):

“dont s-word me but like why is l/*n//a out of prison again. i thought she had the electric chair already ://”

illumi killed silva <3 (@hxhoverwatcch)

“ITSSB ACK !!!!!!!!! HXH IS BAAAACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEEEEAAHAJAHAHAAAAA DJDJJDJDJSNDNFJDDJ”, followed by an edit of Hisoka Morow.

oikawa⁷ (@HAIKYUUUUS)

“man how the hell did furudate think a crossover w yu yu hakusho mp100 bnha kny gintama n hgtv could save haikyuu. it practically ended the moment they all ate that volcano w departure in the bg”

Kerry Washington ✓ (@kerrywashington)

“LITTLE FIRES 6 OUT NOW!!!! I'm gonna EXPLODE Earth in this one!!! I'm going back to the Early Cambrian stage!!!! Bye Pearl!!”

Internet Explorer Anitwt (@iloveboruto)

“Y’all Kurapika brought A SHOVEL to that fight with Uvogin!!! A Whole SHOVEL!!! 😂😂😂”

knas is canon !! (@moiiiraclones)

“guys i think bakugos a kurta..... think abt it.... red eyes... always stressed......”

vic (NOT SPOILER FREE!!!) (@myname_jeff)

“why is no one addressing the fact that jfk 2 is happening and like everyone involved has stans”

ray is ia rn (@cryptodorito)

“my dog just ate my dad ....... stan list !”

give moxxi another dlc (@TORGUEEEE)

“hey does anybody find it weird that gearbox just released borderlands 4 w no buildup At All. seems p fishy :(”

gerard's hand sanitizer (@raytowo)

“did mcr just do twelve concerts in three days. legends”

ceo of tanjirou (@hiskoamorron)

“pls stream jessie j now ;) or die <\3”

ceowo owof bakuwugowouwu (@bakubaby)

“yes, what i did was wrong. there are dogs everywhere starving and eating dog treats is not morally right. that said, (1/67)”

Okay, enough of that. No more. Please. Three hours have passed, and he's still very confused, if not even more confused than before. Is there some sort of event today that he missed? Why is every single tweet weird? Is all this real? Is he in a parallel universe? Is he dead?

The boy zoned out into the bedroom wall, thinking of all the possibilities of this happening. He was lost in his imagination, his train of thought splitting and exploding due to all the unusual occurrences. That was, until Sawblade voiced out her needs.

“YEEEEEEHEHEA” she yelled. She was starving, mainly because the last time she ate was like, a whole hour ago. Sad.

“Ye lah,” “Mew,” “Meow meow mew mew mew,” The boy meowed as he dragged himself to fill up his cat's bowl. “chyouooyoymeeeiielll,” he complimented, ruffling the cat's face.

The boy tripped over his Form 3 activity book as he was walking, a reminder that he should probably do his homework soon. He turned the doorknob and opened the door and he was shocked to find that his house…

Had been ripped in half.

He pushed his back against the wall and slowly inched along the wall towards the kitchen, staring down into the abyss below the house. The living room had a sofa missing, and the television looked like it was going to fall down any second. Furniture floated in the void below the floorboards, which was bent, with plumbing pipes exposed, as well as the metal rods holding the house together.

It reminded him of what Sanctuary looked like when it was floating in space in Borderlands 2. But instead of a city, it was a condominium unit. And instead of Lilith lifting it up, it was… unknown. If only he could gunzerk, or have siren powers, or be a ninja sniper assassin, or have a turret, or have a giant mech, or be super tall and have a buzz-axe. If only. But thank God there's no Mordecai. To hell with Mordecai. I hate Mordecai. He's the most straightest man. Ever. Claptrap is less straight than him. HANDSOME JACK is less straight than him. R O L A N D is CLEARLY less straight than him. Mordecai is the epitome of heterosexuality.

Thankfully, the boy reached the kitchen safely, but still very full of anxiety, and poured the cat food into a flat container, since Sawblade is so fluffy, her face can't fit in cat bowls. He emptied the water bowl, cleaned it, and filled it with filtered water, making sure it's slightly cooled. Sawblade likes it that way. As she cronched on the kibbles, he stared into the distance, wondering what his apocalypse name would be.

He grabbed a glass of water and a packet of muffins for his breakfast. As he ate it, he scrolled through his timeline as if it was the morning paper. Oh, Katy Perry gave birth to twelve kids. And Gowon killed X Æ A-Xii. With a machete. Ok. That's cool, I guess. Capitalism, y’know?

:DAMON @C0RR0Sl0N

“my house got sliced in half. im just chillin here w my cat sawblade. considering eating cat food. not influenced by any recent drama ok”

Send Tweet.

As the boy was eating, he noticed the front door to the house was missing. The entrance lead to what seemed like the side of the street. In a foreign place. The lamppost was unfamiliar, and so was the pavement design. It seemed rather American.

He peeked his head out, and lo and behold, he spotted a pet shop just a couple of feet away. The sudden shock of all this made him forget about his cat, an indoor cat, a curious one. Sawblade stepped slowly outside, and as she went into the boy's view, he stormed to catch her, panicking and swearing profusely.

Of course, this made her way more terrified, and she ran faster, and… into the ajar door of the pet shop. “SAWBLADE!!! DON'T!!” he yelled loudly as he stopped in front of the building. The boy paused, unsure whether to proceed or retreat.

“Russell Family Pet Store, since 1965” wrote a large sign on the front. It looked rustic, but well-kept. The blinds were drawn, so the boy couldn't see what was inside. The building occupied two lots, and seemed to be two storeys tall. A nice rooftop garden was situated on top of it, and there were painted-over remnants of many posters plastered onto the walls. The walls were now coated with light brown paint. This building was surely cared for by a variety of owners.

Although hesitant, the boy stepped into the store, his hands shaking. He could've probably pass out right then and there if he wasn't searching for Sawblade. He sneaked into the building quietly, determined to get his cat and run like hell right after. However, his ideal plan was quickly foiled after he stepped on a squeaky toy.

“Shit, who's there?” A deep voice asked. It seemed like it belonged to someone tall, depressed, and very angry about capitalism. The boy was stuttering, both from the panic of being caught, and also because he had to speak to a native English speaker. “Probably just the delivery guy,” A second voice assured. This voice seemed quite hard to guess, but it was surely a kind one. Very trustworthy. “Jed, is that you?” The kind voice added. Yeah, these two are totally friendly. Probably. Don't take any chances, though.

A figure approached the boy, and it towered above him. The 5'9" hulking beast stopped. “Oh, sorry, we're closed. It's Judgment Day,” the kind man said. Well, of course it's judgement day. Why wouldn't it be judgement day? “Wait, no, I'm an idiot. Martin Luther King Jr’s day.” The man corrected. “How the hell do those two even remotely sound like each other?” The first voice said, the owner sitting behind the counter, shadowed.

“M-My cat's here.” “Have y-you sa-see-sawn her?” The boy was actually very fluent in English, even more than Malay, but the panic he was experiencing kind of absolutely extirpated any knowledge of it from his brain. Really, dude? “Sawn”? What is this, Texas?

Fortunately the two were understanding. The man behind the slau– counter stood up suddenly. “Holy shit, do you speak Spanish? Habla español?!” He asked excitedly. “No, why would I–? I'm Malay, dumbass,” the boy retorted, then realising that he just insulted someone much older than he was and that was… kinda rude. “WAIT SORRY” he blurted out, sending him back into the panic that he was under when he entered the store.

“HUH?! No, I’M sorry, I just assumed you were South American just because you couldn't speak English!” The man yelled, apologizing loudly. Yeah, this dude's sure as hell white. “I CAN!!! WHERE'S MY CAT!!!” The boy shouted back, very confused at where his priorities should be right now. “Oh!” said the man in front of him.

“IS THIS HIM– SORRY, HER?!” The man asked, reaching towards the corner. “We, uh, found her just straight-up running into here. Which is really weird, since cats, like, don't do that,” he said, holding Sawblade. Senang cita. “YES!! THANK YOU!!” The boy yelled. Why is everyone yelling?

Sawblade looked comfy all snuggled up in the man's arms. “He… seems to like you,” The boy said jealously. Usually, he was the one Sawblade loved most. “I have ten cats, so,” The man replied casually. “…How? Even?” he questioned as he carefully took Sawblade from the stranger. “I just do?”

The boy still remained very confused. “Name's Aaron, by the way. Please don't call me Ay-Ay-ron. Just… please,” the kind man said. “Ok” the boy replied. “Mine's. Um. Uh.” “…” The boy thought whether to say his real, legal one, or the one he went with online, which he seemed to prefer way more than his real one. “THE NAME'S DENNIS RUSSELL. I SHARE MY INITIALS WITH A VIDEO GAME.” The white guy said, interrupting the boy's statement. “Oh. Good to know. Hi, Mr. Danganronpa,” The boy politely said. “Fuck yeah,” replied Dennis.

“And if you're wondering which one of us is part of the Russell family that's running this shop,” Dennis began, “Den, don't,” Aaron interrupted. “It's my family. But, my dad became a magician, and my dad's choosing to indulge in his gardening hobby here, so the job's passed down to me now,” Aaron said.

“G//ay Ass!” Dennis shouted. “Okay, fine, Dennis, since we got married last month, you're part of the Russell family, too, honey,” Aaron said. “Just don't–” “YEEEEEHAAWWEE PARDNER WELCOME TO YE OLDE RYUSSELL PEYT SHYOP–” Dennis yelled loudly enough to give the boy a heart attack. However, this was probably the tenth time this week he did this, so Aaron was just very tired. “Jesus.”

“Um, what is this place?” The boy was still very much confused on why there was a pet shop sitting in front of his house, which was ripped in half. “I just told you…” Dennis said disappointedly. “No, like, where am I? Why are you guys American? I'm assuming? I'm not?” The boy said. “Well, our pet shop's in Toledo; Toledo, Ohio,” Aaron stated, gesturing towards a pile of papers. “If you're lost, we have some maps, some phone books…” he continued, unaware of the current situation.

“No, I live in Selangor, so– Selangor, Malaysia, not Ohio, out of all places, God, no, and my house is right over there,” the boy argued, pointing outside. “Well, half of it,” The two pet shop workers stood at their places, trying to process what the hell this kid just said. “Like? There? Outside this gracious state that occupies the #2 spot for most arson cases in the US? That's Malaysia?” Dennis shot back, also unaware. The boy was a bit excited after hearing him mention the name of his country, but shook it off to further develop the conversation. “Yes. Somehow. Also, I really don't think this is Ohio. Too many buildings and I haven't seen any corn fields,”

“Didja know there's over 75,000 farms in this 14-million acre state? There are, ya just gonna know where to look :)” Dennis stated. “What the hell? That's way too many farms. How does… what…” The boy replied in shock, almost dropping Sawblade. “I'm sorry, what?” Aaron asked. “Yup! Lotta farms in the buckeye state!” Dennis replied excitedly.

“HALF?!” “Of it??” It seemed like Aaron was the only one there actually concerned about the task at hand. “Huh? Oh yeah. Not really that big of a deal, though, honestly; enough food here for thirteen weeks,” How the boy calculated that, and how accurate it is remains a mystery. “Anyway, how do state fairs work? Like, do corn dogs taste good? I've had deep-fried Oreos once, they tasted really good. Really love 'em,”

Aaron ignored the exchange by the two very excited individuals and opted to step out to see if the boy was right or not. In his head, he was honestly convinced he wasn't, but that was up for change. Hell, he didn't even look at his phone or the TV today, so maybe the kid's right, his house is snapped in half.

Oh, it is.

“Holy shit, Denny, come look,” he yelled, gesturing to his husband. “Okay! I hope the aliens aren't homophobic or anything! :)” Dennis replied, running eagerly to the door. “HOT DAMN!” Dennis shouted. Now the boy could see how they both looked like, especially Dennis.

Dennis was definitely over six feet tall, he had balding, spiky red hair, and his eyes were big and sunken, and had bags under them. Aaron, on the other hand, had only seemed tall because of his hair. Aaron was missing a tooth for some reason. His lower-left fang. That's weird. They were both sporting uniforms; an orange shirt covered by a green vest with the logo of the pet shop sewn near the… like the… the end of it but like in the front? Like the middle? But like the logo was on the side. Yeah

“I don't think aliens are homophobic. Have you played Borderlands? Lots of g/ay people, and they're all technically aliens. I think the aliens are g//ay,” the boy explained thoughtfully. “I have, at my friend's house this one time, but then I died and I had to, like, pay, so then I just left his house, man,” Aaron replied. “Yeah, that's fair, usually I just save and quit whenever I die,” the boy added.

“Wait, what's your name, again? This whole time, you're being referred to as ‘the boy,’” Dennis asked, breaking the fourth wall. “Shrek,” the boy replied. The two men nodded in solidarity. “Good name,” Aaron complimented. “It reminds me of my childhood, and good times, and Shrek-flavored Oreos,” he added.

Shrek paused for a bit, hesitant to tell them his preferred name, but saying it anyway because they both seem quite nice and understanding, also, his family's not there. “I'm kidding. Shrek is but only my middle name,” Shrek explained, “Please, call me…”

“Damon,”

Gender euphoria ran through his veins like that one time Thanos put on the infinity gauntlet and he was AAAAAGH, P O W E R,,, HNGGH, that but Yeah. “Cool! Hi, Damon!” Dennis said, watching Damon's eyes burn with joy. Oh, just saying, like in some more volumes, this little kid turns into a pyromaniac, so. Yeah. Watch out for that. This is Foreshadowing.

Aaron scanned the horizon, unknowing what the hell was happening. “Hey, guys, should we… go investigate or something?” Damon thought for a bit, but not too much because this thing going on seemed too random to properly scan and plan. “Um, I don't know,” he said wisely, “Did you guys hear about that thing with, like, Nicki Minaj and the president? Were you guys affected or whatever?”

“With who and what? Nick– NICKI?? THE PRESIDENT?? OF HERE?? WHATEVER THIS THING IS???” Dennis struggled to figure out what Damon was saying. “Yeah, she stabbed him or something. Doja Cat helped too :)” Damon explained, confusing the two even more. “Why?” Aaron tried. “I dunno. Drama?” “Heard Lana's involved too… but you didn't hear it from me, yeah?” Damon added.. “THE COW GIRL. HELPED NICKI. AND LANA. ASSASSINATE THE PRESIDENT. DAMON.”

- * Special Thanks * -

Snowball

Sandball

Gon Freecss

Killua Zoldyck

Leorio Paladinight

Kurapika Lastname

Hisoka Morow

(is that the correct spelling?)

Illumi Zoldyck

Kikyo Zoldyck (shes pretty, ok)

Kanamori Sayaka

Mizusaki Tsubame

Asakusa Midori

Pakunoda

Machi Komacine

Moira O'Deorain

Freddy Krueger

Sideshow Bob

Spy TF2, Pyro TF2, Scout TF2, Leia Organa, Han Solo, Yoda, Darth Vader, he's cool, Sheev Palpatine, Developers of the video game “Tiny Thief”, Mad Moxxi, Ellie Kurta (shes a spiderant. my theory), Handsome Jack (Not Really, Burn In Hell) (during the period of time between me writing this and me copying and pasting this, i have developed a crush on not only jack, but his doppelgangers too. help)

Angel :)), Claptrap, Dr. Zed, NOT Marcus Kincaid, Dr. Patricia Tannis, Roland, Lilith, Brick (ga/y rights), Zer0, Krieg, Tiny Tina, Tiny Tuna, Louise Bob's Burgers, Mabel Pines, Stanley Pines, Lazy Susan, Sheriff Daryl Blubs, Deputy Durland, Officer Spectre :)), Yoda Again, 2003 Honda Civic, Ray Toro, Lynz Way, Gerard Way, Mikey Way, Frank Iero, Linda Bob's Burgers, Bob's Burgers Bob's Burgers, Sans Undertale, Komaeda, Sombra // Olivia Colomar, Actually All Of Talon Bc They're Hot Af, Except For That French Guy Max, Torbjörn Lindholm, Torbjörn Lindholm, Torbjörn Lindholm, Spider-Man PS4, Miles Edgeworth, Phoenix Wright, The Lil Psychic Girl, Uhhhh Mario Brothers

part 2 incoming.

[elfnerdherder]

Ill Intentions: Chapter 1

Summary: AU in which Will Graham is a disenchanted journalist, resigned to his fate of back-page wedding announcements at Tattler News. He has a watch that beeps to tell him when to get water, when to go for a walk, and when to eat, but he hasn't yet found a program to tell him how to feel when the Chesapeake Ripper of all people sends Fanmail.

Dear Will Graham, I adored your analysis of the Minnesota Shrike. How quickly you boxed him into a corner and revealed his hand! Surely the ladies on campus will sleep better knowing to avoid anyone that looks remotely like them with a father in tow. That, or perhaps you’ve inspired them all to dye their hair a poignant shade of blonde until the next killer comes along. I wonder if your clever little mind would be able to catch someone like me, however; would you be interested in playing a game, Mr. Graham? I’ve grown bored as of late, and the city is not much to entertain these days. You can respond in your new column. Congratulations, by the way. -Chesapeake Ripper.

He really shouldn’t be excited that there are lives at stake. In reality, though, Will hasn’t felt much in a long, long time.

You can read Chapter 1 on Ao3 Here

Chapter 1: Writer’s Block

           Will was trying very hard not to slam his head against his desk.

           Deadlines were one thing; he’d struggled meeting deadlines most of his life, from getting to class on time in high school to finishing a paper due promptly at midnight in college –what professor wanted a paper posted by midnight, anyway? What professor decided that at midnight, they’d wake from their recliner in their tenure-paid home and pad over to their HP, gleefully closing the submissions link on the assignment before anyone else could turn it in? Did they grade it immediately after, from 12:01 to 4:00 where they’d finally pass out at their desk, exhausted but proud of their ability to really dig it to the students whose hopes were crushed at exactly 12:02 when they realized with a sinking sensation that they couldn’t turn their paper in?

           He told himself tangents were just another way to get out of the task at hand.

            Deadlines were one thing. He’d gotten better at deadlines in the ‘adult world’, gotten better at a watch that kept him on track and on time with its beeps, dings, and notifications. Most of his life revolved around the smartwatch that even reminded him when it was the last time he’d eaten or stood up from his uneven, wobbly desk. Time was odd for him, but that small, sturdy little electronic had kept him on time for the past four years. More or less.

           No, no, the problem at hand was writer’s block.

           “Dear Bev, I’ve heard a lot about the Minnesota Shrike, and it makes me scared to go to class. He’s targeted universities all over this area, from Maryland, Virginia, New York, Maine; when will the FBI catch him? What kind of person would do that to these girls?”

           He considered the other questions Beverly had chosen to answer, then compared it to this one. ‘Chats with Bev’ was the long-running advice column at Tattler News, a high-ratings paper that –in his opinion –verged dramatically towards gossip-fodder and tabloids at times rather than news. It was a job, though. Four years out of college and at least he could say he had a job.

           This, however; this was not his job.

           “It’s not really right for me to do this,” he called out irritably to Beverly across the room. “I’m not ‘Bev’.”

           “A bet’s a bet, no matter how drunk we were,” Beverly replied cheerfully. She wasn’t the least bit perturbed by his expression, or by the way his fingers tapped angrily against the keys.

           “I have no idea what to say to these people,” he muttered.

           “Hey, you’re getting credit for writing the column this week. That’s a little extra money in your pocket, right?”

           Right. He rubbed his face, leaned back in his chair and lit a cigarette, letting it hang from his lips as he considered the question. It was a little ham-handed sitting below ‘my husband is cheating on me’, but it was a little awkward just above ‘what can I expect when my daughter starts her period?’ It was a serious question, one bred from terror and fear. The Minnesota Shrike had been attacking for months, no word on whether or not he’d be caught anytime soon, what with the way the FBI was trying to keep things under wraps.

           That wasn’t his problem, though. His problem was writer’s block, and trying to make a reply that was engaging, informative, and colorful enough that when it hit the third page of Tattler News, neither he nor Beverly would lose their jobs.

           He sighed, took a drag of the cigarette, then promptly put it out in the ash tray. It was a nasty habit, one he’d been trying to break for years.

           At least he’d had the smoking habit longer than he’d had the writer’s block.

           He pulled up articles, news, and reports on the Minnesota Shrike, staring down at them and tapping his fingers over the words. The reply needed something delicate, something carefully constructed rather than the normal garb that told people to stay safe and remain in groups. He wasn’t targeting just people, he was targeting women. He wasn’t just targeting women, he had a type.

           That type was now currently terrified.

           He poured himself a finger of whiskey, sighed quietly. It was going to be a long night with him and the Minnesota Shrike.

-

            Writing was a comfort when it worked. It was as much a release as it was a barrier, one where Will could spend his days behind the comfort of a computer screen rather than interact with people. He knew how to interact –the application of eye contact was sorely lacking. That made people nervous, as much as being stared at for too long made him nervous. His watch beeped. He needed to drink some water.

           He couldn’t, though, not with his boss staring so acutely across the desk at him.

           “Beverly told me about you chiming in on her column. I approved it, seeing as how it’d already been done,” he said. A cigarette was tucked behind his ear, the remnants of his own bad habit. Will figured that editor’s offices in the newspaper industries were probably the last safe havens of many things, from comma splices to typos to chain smoking. The air was thick with it, and he inhaled deeply and nodded.

           “If it wasn’t right, sir, I understand,” he said, studying the pen holder. Two weeks later and he was going to reap what he’d sowed.

           “Right? You know how popular ‘Chats with Bev’ is? It’s page three for a reason; housewives across this god damn town been sending me questions and e-mails for years, wanting advice from some faceless woman with a penchant for telling it like it is. You know what you did when Beverly let you take a whack at it, eh?” Charlie was one half of the writing spectrum whose prose on paper was enough to make knees weak, but his speech left much to be desired. Will figured he spent so much time making his words pretty on paper that there was none left for real human interaction.

           Will could personally identify with that.

           “Did I ruin ratings?” he asked weakly.

           “Ruin them? Hell, kid, I’ve got triple what I’ve ever gotten! Men, women, teenagers, fuckin sororities sending in group messages. It wasn’t your advice on periods because you’re in way over your head with that, fuck, don’t ever try and give advice on that again.” A warning glance was tossed his way. “These people are asking us about killers, Will. You’re making them all sorts of excited about killers.”

           “What?” Disbelief colored his tone uncomfortable, his cheeks red.

           “I spent a lot of time thinking about this, EllaofGWU. I think it was a sign of my privilege, being a mid-twenties male that I didn’t know that much about the Minnesota Shrike, and for that I’m sorry. There must be a little bit of resentment, I’m sure, walking down campus with brown hair and fair skin, terrified to realize that you are part of a demographic that someone horrendous has targeted.

           “I can’t say when the FBI will catch him, but your other question sat with me for a long time: what kind of person would do that to these girls? There is the hope that they’re alive, but after contemplating that question, alone and ignorant in front of my computer, I think I can safely but regretfully surmise that they’re not. This person, after attempting to get to know such a person through the many lines of type and black #321 ink, is not keeping these girls.

           “He uses them, you see, to feed a need. He is delicate, meticulous, able to completely disappear with them without leaving a single trace. They are a proxy, a stand-in for the one he holds dear, the one he so desperately yearns to consume. He loves them in his own way because he loves her –his golden ticket. What kind of person would do that, you ask me? Someone that hungers. Someone that can’t remove the intrusive thoughts from their head. He is sick, and he very much has a daughter that looks a lot like you.

           “They say don’t talk with strangers, but that’s not the concern, is it? Don’t just avoid men with invasive questions, EllaofGWU. Avoid their daughters that look like you. A girl that looks alone, camping out at campuses to see which one to attend, whose father watches in the background with love and admiration; avoid them. He hunted these women, and if there’s one thing we know about hunters, they tend to enjoy using bait. Whether the bait is aware of this or not, though, we can’t say.”

           Charlie’s eyes pricked pins in his un-ironed button-up after he finished reading Will’s answer aloud. Will shifted, busied himself with filling a plastic cup full of water in the corner. It sat full because Charlie never drank it. The sun from the window made it warm, but he’d deal with it.

           “It took up a lot of space, so we bumped the period question because your answer was about as tactful as a senior tugging at a freshman’s panties,” he rumbled. “But we printed this one.”

           “They liked it?” he asked, glancing up. His teeth worried over the lip of the cup before he took a sip.

           “They fucking loved it! They ate it up, begged for more –some lady just down the road stopped me at Hank’s Hotdogs and started pestering me about wanting you to write about Ted Bundy, and I just fuckin stared at her like she was a shark before I realized they loved you talking about killers, kid. They fuckin loved you talking about the crazies.”

           “Death sells,” Will muttered.

           “Death, sex, intrigue, conspiracies, scandals, and serial killers. Sometimes, serial killers fall into all five before it, and they ate you up. They want you to have your own column, your own space where they can ask you all about these things. I been getting fuckin calls all week, asking if you were gonna collaborate with Bev again.”

           “I cover weddings, mostly,” Will defended. It was a weak defense, one without much passion or care. He hastily took another sip of water.

           “Your wedding covers have been weak lately. Freddie was suggesting tossing you, but this…” Charlie jabbed a finger down on the latest paper, grinning. “This is golden, kid. I feel like this was a bit of a redemption, something to remind me you can actually write some good shit.”

           “Freddie is always suggesting to toss me,” Will grumbled.

           “Well, when you’re front page news material, I’ll give you that same ear, how’s that?”

           “Right.”

           “Until then, I’m getting them to move some of the ads around, bring them down to maybe a 5.5 to make room for your new column. Chats with Bev, meet your male-killing-counterpart, ‘Will Intentions’.”

           “Will Intentions,” Will echoed. The name sounded corny, trivial.

           “A play off of Ill Intentions, you know? Doesn’t matter, doesn’t matter.” Charlie waved a hand dismissively, grabbed the half-finished cigarette behind his ear and lit it. A sign the conversation was over. “I’ve got Cassie on Weddings now; you’re writing my crime-hungry column, got it?”

           “Got it.” A beat. “Thank you, sir.”

           He walked out of the office, found his desk and sat down, stunned. He had his own column. He wasn’t stuck writing cheap wedding announcements anymore.

           His watch beeped; a reminder he needed to finish his water.

           He downed it, crushed the cup and tossed it in the wastebasket beneath the desk that leaned somewhat too far to the left. Idly, he grabbed two books and propped the leg up to straighten it, blinking small spreads of stars out of his eyes at the thought that he, Will-fucking-Graham, had sat in his corner of Tattler News for four years and had finally gotten out of his stupid, sanguine-sweet wedding announcements all because he’d made a bet with Beverly while drunk about who could eat the most boiled eggs in under a minute.

           What in the hell was real life?

           “I heard the news,” Beverly said, standing in front of his desk. He straightened in his chair, adjusted the setting Beverly had no doubt changed when she’d sat down to hunt through his drawers for a highlighter, and smiled a little.

           “Will Intentions?”

           “Not my idea, swear to god,” she snickered. “I think Freddie.”

           “Freddie,” Will groused, shaking his mouse to wake up the computer. “She was trying to get me fired before this.”

           “Your wedding announcements were getting a little lackluster,” Beverly pointed out. She sat on the edge of his desk, hip jutted to keep her balanced. “There are only so many times you can mention baby’s breath.”

           “I never want to hear baby’s breath again,” Will warned her.

           “Are you excited?” she asked.

           “It’s not really setting in yet,” he admitted. He let the words roll around in his head: no more wedding announcements. From now on, Will Intentions.

           Whatever the hell Will Intentions meant.

           “They’re going to bring by the letters, and I’ll forward you the e-mails. Basically, you choose the five best and answer them. Easy, right? I think that’ll help it set in.”

           “Easy,” he echoed with a nod.

           Beverly shifted, and he watched the leg of his desk wobble threateningly. He wondered if he’d get a new desk if the column worked out. He also wondered if he’d tank abysmally, and Freddie Lounds would be able to see him get the can after all.

           His watch beeped to tell him to eat.

           He ate as he went through a stack of letters that would have intimidated a lesser man who’d forgotten his lunch. They were quaint, from compliments of his analysis to questions regarding past killers like Bundy or Dahmer. He wasn’t as interested in those as he was the questions about why the police don’t take missing persons cases as seriously, or what caused a teenager to bring a gun to school. Those were recent. Those were fresh, raw wounds. He set those aside, as well as the compliments –a bit of an ego booster in truth.

           There was one that made him pause, though, something written on plain white paper with what looked like a fountain pen. Will was somewhat of a connoisseur of pens –he liked to think most writers had a special type of pen, something they used for their best work on bus rides and random notepads while walking in the park. He touched the long-dried ink, nodded to himself. A fountain pen, and a nicely edged one at that.

Dear Will Graham,

           I adored your analysis of the Minnesota Shrike. How quickly you boxed him into a corner and revealed his hand! Surely the ladies on campus will sleep better knowing to avoid anyone that looks remotely like them with a father in tow. That, or perhaps you’ve inspired them all to dye their hair a poignant shade of blonde until the next killer comes along.

           I wonder if your clever little mind would be able to catch someone like me, however; would you be interested in playing a game, Mr. Graham? I’ve grown bored as of late, and the city is not much to entertain these days. You can respond in your new column. Congratulations, by the way.

                                                                                               -Chesapeake Ripper.

           He kept that one because he was curious. Pranks were common, especially when killings were mentioned. He’d once done a paper on the amount of time and money wasted on dealing with false calls during murder investigations, psychos claiming credit for what someone else had done. He read over it once, twice; a third time made him set it by the only photo on his desk, a pack of dogs in an open field. He’d gotten his first crazy, and he hadn’t even done the column yet.

-

           He was intercepted as he was leaving work, the sun falling fast behind the skyscrapers and high-rise buildings of DC. The man wasn’t so much tall as he was broad-shouldered and stout; the trench coat and sunglasses get-up was about as obvious as a black eye, but Will wasn’t going to mention it. He looked him up and down, hitched his backpack up higher, and walked around him.

           “Will Graham?” the man asked.

           “Something I can help you with?”

           “In a hurry?”

           “Got a bus to catch,” he replied, still walking. The man kept pace, and Will noted the large black suburban following along.

           “I’m Agent Crawford of the FBI, and I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions.”

           “I’ve got a bus, Agent Crawford,” said Will. He noted the flash of a shiny badge in the corner of his eye, although he didn’t stop. If he missed his bus, it was a five mile hike home and he wasn’t inclined to that sort of exercise if he could help it. He was a writer, not some god damn athlete.

           “We’ll give you a ride,” Crawford assured him.

           “My dad always taught me not to talk to strangers, and if they offered to give me a ride I was supposed to run screaming to the nearest adult.”

           “We caught the Minnesota Shrike, Mr. Graham.”

           That did stop him. Will paused, puzzled, then looked to Crawford. His watch beeped to remind him that he had a bus to catch. He hardly heard the noise.

           “…What?”

           “I read your reply in Tattler News last week, and it intrigued me. Enough that I looked back through a few things on the case I’d been currently investigating, and we found what was necessary to catch the Minnesota Shrike.” Crawford held the badge in hand, prepared to show it to Will again.

           “You caught him?” His throat was dry. His watch didn’t beep to tell him to get water, but he figured he could use a glass of it.

           “We caught him,” Crawford affirmed. “Now, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

           Will decided that he didn’t mind much at all. His palms were dry, although his heart had begun to jerk about against his ribs rather unsteadily.

           They sat down at a small café crammed into the corner of a building two blocks away, and Will stirred his mocha around idly, watching Crawford’s mouth as Crawford watched him. He had a presence about himself, something brutish and capable. Will wondered what his fingers would write out if he’d had the chance to describe him. Lips that turned down, a tarnished gold wedding band; this was not the sort of man with a happy marriage, as of late. He had his work, though. He had the Minnesota Shrike.

           “It was just a question,” he explained. “Someone asked a question in the advice column, and I looked through some articles and made a guess.”

           “A guess.”

           “Yeah.” A pause as he took a sip of his drink. “I mean, a good guess, right? My major was criminal psychology and forensics. I kind of knew what I was looking for.”

           “But you’re in journalism,” Crawford pointed out.

           “Yeah, well…I didn’t get into the FBI. I’d double majored, and the second was journalism.” Will tried to make his shrug as nonchalant as possible. Strict psychological screening procedures and what-not.

           “You couldn’t fight crime, so you wrote about crime,” Crawford mused. He stirred sugar into his coffee and finally looked away from studying Will so intently. “How’d you guess he was using his daughter as bait?”

           “Was he?”

           A pause, brief enough to tell Will the answer. “…Yes. When we went into the house, he tried to kill her. She was his –how’d you call it?”

           “His golden ticket.”

           “His golden ticket,” Jack repeated.

           “They’re all from universities. He had to be a visitor, someone going to and from without notice, right? The profile said he was middle-aged, so either he’s working with a company that works with all of those universities –possible but not likely –or he’s got something that makes it not weird for him to be there, staring at students. Girls know to be wary of boys, but if he’s got his daughter asking questions or just trying to make friends, why would the victims be worried?” Will took another sip to try and hide how nervous he was, answering these questions. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but he felt mighty guilty, somehow.

           “How’d you know they wouldn’t be alive?”

           “Why keep taking them if he’s still got the stand-in?” Will asked.

           Jack nodded, accepting this. They sipped their coffee in silence, and Will’s watch beeped to tell him he should be home and fixing dinner by now. He downed his drink, stood up. Jack followed suit and offered him a ride in the SUV.

           He left him his card, whatever that meant. Will tucked it in his pocket all the same, waved him off at the entrance to the complex. Call if you need anything, he’d said. Maybe he’d call and ask for one of those fountain pens, the kind the high-ranking got after a particularly bristly promotion. Will scuffed his shoe, snorted. He was a writer, not some weird FBI crime fighter.

           Granted, he’d once wanted to be, when he thought maybe people could overlook his weird idiosyncrasies and inability to hold conversations very well with random strangers. He’d once thought maybe his quirks at seeing far too much about a person would lend a task force some insight they’d missed. If he could see through the eyes of the guy next door that was cheating on his long-term girlfriend, couldn’t he also see through the eyes of a killer terrorizing a city?

           Apparently so, since he’d helped the FBI inadvertently catch a killer.

           Psychological screening procedures and what-not, though. Behind the screen of a laptop was where he best shined now, not running around trying to find serial killers to bring them to justice. Truth be told, it wasn’t just the justice part that was enticing, it was the finding, the knowing. Save people from dying, understand the person behind the bloodied knife. There was something oddly cathartic at the thought that the twisted and sometimes horrendous way he looked at things was actually helpful for once –like a chair of antlers, grotesque but useful.

           That was that, though. No matter how buzzed his veins were at the idea he’d helped, in his own way, catch the Minnesota Shrike, it was time to get back to the real world. The real world had deadlines. His watch beeped again to tell him he should have eaten by now.

           He ate a bowl of oatmeal and considered the letters he’d narrowed it down to. He’d have to look at the killers they referenced, the murders that’d taken place.

           I saw the Minnesota Shrike was caught –amazing. Just amazing. Women are being found in the bay here, and I was wondering what your thoughts were on that? They’re not calling it a serial killer because they’re prostitutes, but get real. Pimps don’t just start killing their prostitutes willy-nilly and so easily found. So many, too. Way too many, don’t you think?

           At the bottom of the stack, he kept his first crazy fanmail, fingers tracing over the signature. He’d heard vague accounts of the Chesapeake Ripper, although after his realization he’d never be an agent he’d tried to put such thoughts out of his head. They only served to tease him with what he’d never have.

           No matter. It was a prank, although a flattering one. It sat at the bottom of the stack to remind him that when given the right opportunity, he actually was a decent writer. Enough to bring a psycho out to play.

-

           The next morning, as he shuffled across creaking wooden floors and made a pot of coffee, he blinked sleep from his eyes and contemplated the beeping on his wrist. Time to get up. Don’t forget coffee. Without coffee, you’re late for work.

           It took him far too long to really open his eyes, and as he spooned cold cereal into his mouth, it took approximately half of the bowl and four minutes on his watch to realize his laptop was propped open on the table. He turned it to shut it, confused since he thought he’d powered it down the night before. A yawn, eyes watering and mouth painfully gaping took him aback, and he covered his mouth with the spoon. It took another minute for him to realize what he was seeing, since the coffee was in his stomach but not quite in his bloodstream.

           There, propped up on the screen of the laptop, was the fanmail from the ‘Chesapeake Ripper’. As if to tease him, to convince him he hadn’t just left there before he’d gone to bed, a golden sticker had been placed at the top of the sheet, as if to beg him, me, me; pick me.

[zanytimetravelenthusiast-blog]

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For each redirect, your plans fluctuate the passage two times. Unless you definitely need to, don't make use of redirects on your website.

Component 3: Incentive Extras

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There's one component of the procedure we haven't spoken about yet. Smarketo happens right at the actual beginning.

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It takes also longer if there are numerous domain connected with your web site. Typical examples include: blog.yourwebsite.com, or additional domains for photos, stylesheets, and flash things.

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Envision exactly how fast points would certainly be if your internet browser can keep a copy of all the site data. In this way, it wouldn't need to contact the server every single time. It could simply fill them up from memory.

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Phew! That was a much longer post than normal, yet I believe it was worth it.

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Smarketo Testimonial & Overview

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[ladystylestores]

Google launches Android 11 Beta 3, lets COVID-19 apps work with location off

Google today launched Android 11 Beta 3, the seventh and final preview of its next mobile OS version. Beta 3 puts Android 11 into release candidate status, which means Google is done putting the finishing touches on the new platform. This is the last chance developers have to make sure their apps and games are ready before Google starts rolling out Android 11 to businesses and consumers.

Android 11 has had a rocky beta schedule. Google launched Android 11 DP1 in February (the earliest it has ever released an Android developer preview), Android 11 DP2 in March, and Android 11 DP3 in April. Android 11 Beta 1 was supposed to arrive in May, but we got Android 11 DP4 as a stopgap measure. Beta 1 arrived in June followed by Beta 2 in July. Beta 1 would have normally been shown off at Google’s I/O developer conference, where the first Android beta typically debuts, but the event was canceled due to the coronavirus. #Android11: the Beta Launch Show was supposed to happen in lieu, but Google postponed and then ultimately canceled that as well due to protests over systemic racism and police brutality.

Every time we ask, Google insists that Android 11 is on schedule — the final is officially slated for Q3. Last month, Google accidentally let slip a September 8 launch date, though the company declined to comment when we pressed for confirmation.

You can get Android 11 Beta 3 now via the Android Beta Program or download it directly. Google will also be pushing an over-the-air (OTA) update for those on previous builds. The release includes the final SDK with system images for the Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, and Pixel 4 XL, as well as the official Android Emulator. If you buy a Pixel 4a, unveiled earlier this week and available as of August 20, you will also be able to install Android 11 Beta 3. These nine Pixel phones are a tiny slice of the over 2.5 billion monthly active Android devices — the main reason developers are exploring the new version in the first place. Google limited the first four Android 11 developer previews to those phones, but it has worked with its OEM partners to bring the betas to more devices.

Exposure Notification API

Although Android 11 has basically been done for months, Beta 3 does include one more change: the latest COVID-19 Exposure Notification API that Google developed with Apple. Last week, Google updated its version of the system with support for interoperability between countries. The company also announced that Android 11 apps will be able to use the API without needing to turn on the device location setting.

That exception, only for the Exposure Notification API, was designed “in such a way that apps using it can’t infer device location through Bluetooth scanning,” Google VP of engineering Dave Burke emphasized. “To protect user privacy, all other apps will still be prohibited from performing Bluetooth scanning unless the device location setting is on and the user has granted them location permission.”

Release Candidate

Beta 2 brought the Platform Stability milestone, which finalized the Android 11 app-facing surfaces and behaviors, including SDK and NDK APIs, system behaviors, and restrictions on non-SDK interfaces that may affect apps. Beta 3 includes the official API 30 SDK and build tools for Android Studio, plus “the latest fixes and optimizations,” Google says.

Developers should install their production app on a device or emulator running Android 11, test all the user flows and features, and make sure none of Android 11’s changes break anything. With Android 11 now just a month away, Burke called on all Android app and game developers to “finish your compatibility testing and publish your updates soon. For SDK, library, tools, and game engine developers, it’s even more important to release a compatible version right away, since your downstream app and game developers may be blocked until they receive your updates.”

While these changes will only affect Android 11 users, either those who updated to it or purchased a new device, that still translates to millions of devices. Before exploring the new APIs and capabilities, developers should start by testing their current app and releasing a compatibility update.

Android 11 features

Google has been trickling out new features for months now. Android 11 Developer Preview 1 brought 5G experiences, people and conversations improvements, Neural Networks API 1.3, privacy and security features, Google Play System updates, app compatibility, connectivity, image and camera improvements, and low latency tweaks. DP2 built on those with foldable, call screening, and more Neural Networks API improvements. DP3 included app exit reasons updates, GWP-ASan heap analysis, Android Debug Bridge Incremental, wireless debugging, and data access auditing. DP4 didn’t have any new features.

Beta 1 more than compensated with new messaging functionality (conversation, notifications, Bubbles, consolidated keyboard suggestions, and Voice Access), smart home controls for devices and media, and privacy features (one-time permission, permissions auto-reset, background location changes, and more Google Play System Updates modules). We covered Beta 2 and Beta 3 above — they were more about stability and final touches than new features.

While the developer previews are only meant for, well, developers, early adopters and anyone interested in beta software can try Android 11 now. In return, Google is asking that you give feedback and report bugs.

Android 11 beta schedule

Last year, there were six betas. This year, there have been four developer previews and three betas.

Here’s the Android 11 schedule:

February: Developer Preview 1 (Early baseline build focused on developer feedback, with new features, APIs, and behavior changes.)

March: Developer Preview 2 (Incremental update with additional features, APIs, and behavior changes.)

April: Developer Preview 3 (Incremental update for stability and performance.)

May: Developer Preview 4 (App compatibility and performance improvements.)

June: Beta 1 (Final SDK and NDK APIs; Google Play publishing open for apps targeting Android 11.)

July: Beta 2 (Platform Stability milestone. Final APIs and behaviors.)

August: Beta 3 (Release candidate build.)

Q3: Final release (Android 11 release to AOSP and ecosystem.)

If you haven’t started testing yet, now is the time. After you’ve downloaded Beta 3, update your Android Studio environment with the SDK (setup guide). Then install your current production app and test the user flows. For a complete rundown on what’s new, check the API overview, API reference, and behavior changes.

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[jossysara]

Research Project

The revolutionizing developments in technology have created thousands of tools and resources that we use everyday in our lives. It has made our lives easier and faster, but has it made them better? The average American spends nearly twelve hours staring at a screen. Recent studies have shown that too much time spent on screens, whether for work or pleasure, increases the risk of becoming addicted and can even affect one’s mental and physical health. Social media, video games, and movies also have an impact on an individual’s way of viewing the world. It is important that we are aware of the affects technology has on us and how we can use them in a responsible and productive way.

My phone used to be my best friend. Wherever I went, it came with me. Often, I would pick up my phone to check the time, then mysteriously find myself on Instagram thirty minutes later. Sometimes, I’d have the false perception that my phone vibrated, but when I checked the lock screen there weren’t any notifications. These same things have happened to 66% of the world’s population. Two in every three people are addicted to their phone. With the rapid growth in technology, this risk of addiction is higher than ever before. Children are the most at risk, being the ones growing up in a world full of screens. The number of teens with depression and anxiety have skyrocketed, and scientists believe it’s because of the phones. People in the workplace are constantly staring at a blue light that is affecting their eyes, posture, and brain. Is it too late for these individuals, or is there still hope? 

According to healthcare specialist, Nicole Fisher, there is hope. Starting with the parents, they can turn things around for their children by creating an electronic free environment. By simply encouraging outdoor play, family time, and creative activities, kids won’t be so anxious to get on their devices. It’s okay to be allowed some screen time, preferably at night when the sun is down, but it’s the amount of time we spend on these devices that have an affect on our brains, bodies, and relationships. The National Institute of Health found that even “children who consume two hours of media a day have lower thinking and language scores on tests than their peers who don’t” (Fisher). It doesn’t matter if you are on your phone, computer, or TV, the affect it has on the human brain is all the same. New research is currently finding that depending on how long we spend staring at a screen, it can “literally change the way we think and develop” (Fisher). The most concerned age group currently is teens, since they are spending more time than anyone on these devices. Kids are the most at risk for gaining mental health problems because their brains are still developing. Researchers have compared the brains of kids who don’t use electronics to those who do, and there is a physical difference in each of them. Screens are addictive, and even dangerous if we aren’t careful. Parents need to be aware of how often they use their devices, especially in front of their kids. The NIH found that, just like an addictive substance, “parent’s use of devices will become a vicious cycle for their children and their children” (Fisher). If parents are able to establish a stable household environment where electronics are only used briefly throughout the day, kids won’t be as at risk for developing mental problems. 

Teenagers have a special relationship with their phones. Some can’t even be without them for a few minutes. In an article written by Jose De-Sola Gutiérrez on the NCBI page, he summarizes some of the known causes in phone addictions. Studies have shown that some of the problems that form through phone use are associated with, “personality variables, such as extraversion, neuroticism, self-esteem, impulsivity, self-identity, and self-image” (Gutiérrez). This can lead to other issues like sleep deprivation, stress, depression, and anxiety. Gutiérrez compares the use of cell-phones to drug addictions. Echeburua defines behavioral addiction as “the loss of control, the establishment of a dependent relationship, tolerance, the need for progressively more time and dedication, and severe interference with daily life.” Many behavioral disorders in cell phones are particularly found in teens. Nomophobia is the fear of being without your phone or being unable to access it, which is seen in many teens today. Another behavioral disorder is Textaphrenia. This is “the false sensation of having received a text message or call that leads to constantly checking the device” (Gutiérrez). Aside from the behavioral side, physical and psychological problems have also been reported in result to phone abuse. People have reported rigidity and muscle pain, computer vision syndrome, and pain in thumbs and wrists. Researchers are most concerned with adolescents as they are currently the most exposed to these problems. It is encouraged by experts to set a limit for how long you’re on your phone, then find something else to do like go outside or do something creative. As long as we are careful with how much time we spend on these devices, we are less likely to develop physical, psychological, or even behavioral problems.

When parents are always on their phones in front of their kids, it too, has a negative impact on them. Parents may be answering an important email, or simply scrolling through Facebook, but that doesn’t matter. All their kids see is that they are focusing more on the small device in their hand instead of them. Sara Lappe studies the relationship between parents and kids, and how technology affects that relationship. Studies have shown that when parents increase their screen time, children will do the same. Without even realizing it, parents are sending a message to their kid that says, “My phone or the TV is more interesting than you” (Lappe). Another study found that when parents are on their phone, kids are more likely to conduct risky behavior. Lappe says some parents she knows are worse than teenagers when it comes to putting their phone down. “They refuse to stop playing video games or scrolling through social media during medical visits” (Lappe), so she has to repeatedly tell them to put the device away. If parents don’t establish some self control on their own screens, how do they expect their kids to behave? It’s time to put down the device, and focus on what’s more important. Lappe suggests a few tips to help parents who are struggling with this issue. First, ban electronics from the dinner table, then limit screen time, and finally, play with the kids! Help them embrace their creativity and parents will finally see what their kids are capable of without a screen in their face.

Technology addiction can happen to anyone, and its affects are life changing. Whether you’re a young child, teenager, or adult, our technological world is not something we can hide from. Some people’s jobs require them to be on a computer most of the day. The Nielson study found that “American adults spend nearly 12 hours a day on average staring at a screen, and most of that screen time occurs while they’re at work” (Creighton). Kelly Creighton asks the question many Americans are wondering, “Is too much screen time a problem for your employees’ wellness?” Although technology has transformed our lives in many positive ways, too much of it can be unhealthy. Neuroimaging research shows that “too much screen time actually damages the human brain, its gray matter and white matter, and its overall ability to function; it also shrinks in size” (Creighton). This can affect a person’s ability to think clearly, plan, and organize, and also may increase feelings of stress. Staring at a screen for too long can also negatively affect employees vision. Their eyesight may become blurry, and they may experience frequent headaches. This is because of the blue light emitting from the screen. Sitting at a computer all day also means that employees aren’t very physically active. Doing this long term can lead to higher risks of becoming obese or getting heart disease. Lastly, staring a screen for too long can lead to serious screen addictions. To prevent this, it is recommended to “promote the implementation of distraction-free times when employees can pick a block of time each day where their devices won’t notify them of anything and they won’t be staring at a screen” (Creighton). By encouraging device-free time during parts of the work day, screen addictions can be less common. Too much screen time is bad for anyone, but people in the workplace are especially concerned for since it's their job.

People are worried that the increase of technology is affecting our ability to focus or remember certain things. “Tech is messing with our minds” (Pietrangelo). But researchers aren’t so sure this is the case. The relationship between technology and mental health isn’t a clear link. “The literature is a wreck,” said Anthony Wagner, a psychologist from Stanford University. There’s no data that can truly confirm if technology is the cause for altering our cognition. The question itself is very broad. “Screen time isn’t a thing; it’s 100 things,” said Florence Breslin, a scientist studying at the Laureate Institute. Because screen time can mean so many things, it’s hard for scientists to measure what is affecting our brains and how it is doing it. The only advice they can say to people is to limit your screen time to a minimum.

Even if the link between screen time and our mental wellness isn’t certain, there are other ways technology can influence us in positive and negative ways. Media and entertainment are two frequently used and very popular uses technology provides for us. Whether you are on Instagram for hours, playing video games all night, or binging your favorite Netflix show, they’ve all been observed to affect our mental health. Many studies have proven that kids who are surrounded by violent television and video games will begin to mimic those same behaviors. Similarly, teens who spend lots of time on social media are at risk of developing depression or anxiety. Being aware of the issues that develop in both scenarios can help people who are facing these problems have a better understanding of the cognitive effects it has and how to prevent them.

Psychologist Albert Bandura has studied social learning for many years, as well as the tendency for children to imitate what they observe. He conducted a well-known study known as the Bobo doll experiment. The purpose of the experiment was to expose children to two different adults interacting with a Bobo doll. One of them aggressive towards it and the other non-aggressive. Once the adult left, the child would be put in that same room with the Bobo doll and many other toys. Just as Bandura predicted, the children who were exposed to the aggressive role model imitated that same aggression towards the Bobo doll. Bandura’s social learning theory concluded that, “learning occurs through observations and interactions with other people. Essentially, people learn by watching others and then imitating these actions”. Just as Bandura studied how children imitate aggressive behavior from watching adult role models, other psychologists  around the world try to see if violent media will have that same impact on kids. The American Psychology Association records their findings as they try to answer the question, “Does violent media affect children’s behavior?” Bandura studied the surprisingly violent content in children’s programs, and more importantly, how it affected the child. In 1982, the National Institute of Mental Health found three major effects violent media had on kids. They observed children to be less sensitive to the pain of others, more aggressive behavior towards their peers, and fearful of the world they lived in.  Psychologists L. Rowell Huesmann, Leonard Eron found that kids who are constantly expose to violent entertainment show more aggressive behavior in high school. They were also more likely to get arrested for criminal acts when reaching adulthood. Psychologists say that, “exposure to media violence is just one of several factors that can contribute to aggressive behavior” (APA). Besides a child’s personal family life and mental health, video games can also have an effect. Christopher J. Ferguson concluded that “video game violence harms children” (APA). It is important to be aware of what your child is constantly being exposed to and how it is effecting them throughout the day. Being able to observe small problems and stopping them now will allow you to prevent bigger potential problems in the future.

Katie Hurley records her discoveries of the pros and cons of social media in an article found on Psycom. While social media can be used to stay in contact with friends and family, recent studies have shown it can also cause anxiety, depression, and possible eating disorders. I find that whenever I’m scrolling through Instagram or Facebook, I always compare myself to others, putting myself down in the process. A study from the University of Pittsburgh “found a correlation between time spent scrolling through social media apps and negative body image feedback” (Hurley). But social media isn’t all bad, right? I mean, don’t you like seeing how many people have liked and commented on your recent post? The UCLA Brain Mapping Center found that receiving those constant notifications has shown “increased activity in the reward center of the brain” (Hurley). Maybe that’s why teens are getting so attached to social media. “It feels good to be ‘liked’” (Hurley). Social media is an easy way to make socializing “easy and immediate” (Hurley), and gives teens a sense of community and connection. These qualities can be used for both good and bad. While communicating with others is easier than ever before, teens can also be confronted with “cyberbullying, trolls, toxic comparisons” (Hurley) and many other upsetting scenarios. Social media can make us focus more on the fake friends following us, then the real friends we are with every day. It is important to not get caught up in this digital world and remember what’s most important in life.

Technology isn’t all bad, however. In fact, the advancements in technology have created thousands of jobs and opportunities that never existed a few years ago. We have access to infinite amounts of information, making it easy to learn anything we want. It has made our lives easier, faster, and better. Technology has helped us communicate with others, manage money, track our health, and keep our homes safe. It has also changed the way we entertain ourselves. Technology will continue to transform our lives in ways we can’t even imagine, and we should embrace it! A huge study on brains and technology is currently being overseen by the National Institutes of Health. Vox records their data-intensive study as they strive to further answer the question if screens truly do affect the human brain. “It might not be able to provide those answers. They’re limited by the data they can collect,” (Resnick) however, they’re high hopes that this ten year study will finally answer some questions. Technology has made our lives better and easier in every way. Our lives would be very different without it. Just make sure that your life isn’t consumed in it everyday, even if it is your job. People in the workplace are just as at risk as a teenager on social media when it comes to the dangerous symptoms of too much screen time. Be aware of your body and mind, and take breaks from screens throughout the day. By following these simply guidelines, we can still enjoy the benefits of technology while also taking care of ourselves.

Technology can be our friend if we use it in the right way. It’s good to know how our devices affect us so we can be more aware of how we use them. I personally choose to not let my phone rule my life. Although I used to be a slave to its every beckoning call, now I only use it for communication and my morning alarm. I’ve found myself to be much happier throughout the day and have used the extra time to embrace my creativity and spend time with my family. With kids and teens being the most at risk for the consequences of screen time and media content, it is important that parents take charge to help them learn responsible use of these devices. Limit screen time, encourage outdoor activities, play with siblings, even throw those electronics out the door if you have to. Your mental and physical wellness depends on how you choose to spend your time on technology. Just remember that you’re not the enemy, the screen is.

[bard-of-worlds]

Chapter 3

Lilith walked out of the bathroom of the room in the hotel she checked into dressed in a bathrobe, her hair flowing down her back, having finished a shower before she would order a meal.  Her target was at the region’s Professors lab and after the excitement earlier she had slipped away to rest and finalizes her plans. She had released her Pokémon to feed them, taken her clothes from her one of her Item Cubes and was currently deciding on what to wear when she meets up with the prince.  

 “Nido nid rina.”  Her Nidorina said as she bumped her legs as her other Pokémon looked up from their bowls as she sat on the rooms bed.

 “Don’t worry girls I order something in a few minutes.  I’m still worried about the seals on the ‘Prince’.  I mean I wasn’t able to see much from so far away and I will be the first one to say I don’t know much on the subject.  But if they weren’t a prototype, then who or what was the experimental subject.”  Lilith wondered as her Pokémon adopted looks of concern.

 “Yeah I know where would they get a test subject like the prince but that’s only if they care if he survived.   These are the Crusaders we’re talking about but really, are they that dedicated to protecting humanity?”  Lilith said as she and team exchanged looks of concern she sighed and she shook her head.

 “Come on girls let’s stop with all the doom talk.  Let’s see what’s on the local news channel, maybe they’ll have the Baccer results, and then I’ll order something.”  Lilith said as she reached for the remote control.    she turned the room’s tv on and changed the channel…TO HER PRINCE ON THE NEWS FOR SAVING A POKEMON BY RISKING HIS LIFE?!?  Lilith just starred in shock, not moving a single inch or reacting before her Nidorina bumped the bed and she exploded.

 “TWO HOURS!  I LEFT HIM FOR JUST TWO HOURS!  How can he get into something where he risked his life how, just how?”  Lilith said as she hugged her legs to her chest as she rocked back and forth on the bed. She perked up when she felt something rub against her legs, looking up she saw her Liepard on the bed while her Nidorina looked at her from the floor with her Skorupi on her, both given her a look of worry.  Reaching she scratched her Liepard under her chin and sighed.

 “I’m good girls. Teacher said the boss was quite the dare devil when they were teens, so I guess the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.  Once I find a way to make contact with the prince, get a feel on where he’s going and what to use as a cover for being here in the region.  I’d bet you gals would like it if we hit a few of the contests around here, hu?”  She smiled when she saw her Pokémon smile and start to cheer, back home their teacher had sent them into the Contests to teach her humility, she had learned that and taken to the arts of training Pokémon to use their moves differently like a bat to the night.  Her Nidorina had even evolved during one contest battle, scoring them the trophy! Hearing a beep from her phone she smiled as she connected it to her laptop, she had the prince’s history of his journey now, all the competitions he had ever been in, now all she had to do was find a style to hit Kalos with and she was golden.  Looking through the data she smiled, a way to have heard of him and maybe a reason to have come here, just what she needed.

 “Well girls get ready to the Lovely Lilith is back on the circuit!  So lets’ eat girls, tomorrow it’s time to meet and greet!”   Lilith proclaimed as her Pokémon cheered around her, a smile on her face as her shadow on the wall behind her grew wings from her shoulders.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 Serena stared at the TV in shock, she couldn’t believe her eyes.  Ash, that was Ash!  He’s in Kalos, in Lumo City!  He’s in the region, I can’t believe it he……… he almost died! How the heck did that happen, what was he doing to have fallen off the Tower like that?! Serena thought as she stared at the screen, her mind blue screening as

   OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 A teenage girl in a black shirt with a v neck that exposed the top of her large cleavage under a black well-traveled coat and black pants leaned against the wall of the Pokémon Center. Her face was bare except for a bit of black lip gloss and a pair of glasses. She smiled as she saw Bonnie, Clemont and Ash talk with Nurse Joy.  She walked toward them as Ash started to speak and reached for his backpack

.

“Can you register my Quest Scanner here too Nurse Joy?”  Ash trailed off as Nurse Joy adopted a look of confusion which worried Ash.

 “Quest Scanner?” Bonnie asked Clemont as she turned to her brother.  Ash turned to them and let his thoughts fly.  Come on!  I know some countries don’t follow the Treaty but not to give out Quests too?! How do they expect Trainers to earn money, part time jobs that take weeks to earn anything?!

 “I believe they call them Task Trackers here in Kalos.  The Alola Reg call them Job Watchers.”  A voice said behind them, turning Ash saw a girl his age dressed in black with black lips and sunglasses.

 “Sorry to cut in but I figured I should help out before everyone spends too much time trying to figure out the terms a fellow Old Worlder used.  You can call me Lilly and…say aren’t you Ash Ketchum?”  The girl said as she gave a start as he turned to face her.

 “I’m Ash Ketchum, do we know each other.” Ash asked as he tried to remember if he ever met the girl before him.

 “No we’ve never met but a teacher I had showed me your performance at the Wallace Cup, and a friend of mine stumbled across what you did in Crown City while looking into a company the League took over.”  Lilly said dryly as Ash rubbed the back of his head.

 “A teacher?”  Bonnie asked as she gazed at the girl.

 “Ya, back home I’m a Pokémon Coordinator of some small fame and student of someone pretty famous locally and after the end of the season last year she said it might be good if I tried something differently after coming in the top 4 and then the runner-up the year after.”  Lilly said as she beamed with pride.

 “Wow!  You’re a keeper!  Please take care of my brother.” Bonnie said as she looked upon the girl.

 “Bonnie, I thought we talked about this!”  Clemont cried as a mechanical hand grabbed his sister and picked her up.

 “Sorry little girl but I never date anyone I don’t know, so what your name blondie?”  Lilly purred as she looked at Clemont who went red at Bonnie’s and her words and started to stammer.  

 “What did you do in Crown City Ash?”  Clemont said as he turned to look at Ash, trying and succeeding to make Ash the center of attention.

 “Ehhh, nothing much really. Just reunited a mother and with her child, exposed a prominent Businessman as the worst Eco-Criminal in the region with a crime 20 years old that he almost got away with and got the scum to confess on live TV.  And this is Bonnie and her brother Clemont”  Ash said as Bonnie and Clemont starred at him.

 “Your Task…er Quest Scanner can be registered with Officer Jenny, her office handles all Tasks and handles payment after the person who issues one send a notification that it was completed.  And how can I help you Ms. Lilly?”  Nurse Joy interrupted.

 “Since Kalos usually only does the Showcase I was wondering if I had to register as a Coordinator here or not.”  Lilly said as she brought out a Pokédex.

 “No but the Professor has a list of where and when the Contests will be held, you’ll have to talk to him for that information and with the damage to his lab you might have to wait a bit, and a new trainer is coming for her first Pokémon today.”  Joy said as Lilly stared at Ash for a bit.  She shook her head before anyone noticed her look and smiled at the three of them.

 “So where are you guys going, from what Nurse Joy said I have to wait a while before I can get the info I need.”  Lilly said as the four of them walked out of the Pokémon center

 “Bonnie and I decided to travel with Ash for a bit; we need a change of pace for a while.”  Clemont said as he rubbed the back of his head and looked toward the Prism Tower.  And when I’m back, I’ll be stronger and more powerful.

 “So it’s straight on to Santalune City and the Gym.  Maybe we’ll run into you again.”  Ash said as he gave Lilly a smile.

 “Maybe, it’ll depend on where and when the contests are.  So see you.” Lilly said as she walked off.  Her faces showed nothing but inside her thoughts were going a mile a minute. An Aura Link!  The prince already has a soul-mate?!  Just what kind of life has he been living and what affect are those seals having on him! To block it an Aura spark from joining with its chosen Aura, something like this is just NOT done!!

 Lilith’s glass showed a spark of a humans Aura dissipating when it met the seals.  Just what hell did the seal-maker create if it could block a soul-mate bond.  She went dead still when the thoughts hit her, did it happen with others, did Ash have more than one soul-mate?  Gotta stop thinking about it, I need to find this girl, if I’m lucky then I’ll meet her at the Professor’s lab.  I’ll make up a report on what I saw and my actions and mail it to teach, she’ll get it to the boss.

  Jenny snarled to herself as she slammed the phone down into its cradle.  The international police had laughed off her concerns that the Kanto criminal group was expanding into her region.  Something about the Rockets she describe as being the bottom of the barrel, to call back if the Tooth Fairy joined them with the Easter Lopunny.   Those criminals almost cause the death of a trainer and when she brought it up it caused the person answering to laugh even harder when she described the person in question.  The bastard said something about sending her a file once he calmed down and hung up on her.  A noise at the door caused her to glare at two trainers and a little girl who jumped a bit at her expression.

 “Can I help you kids?” Jenny asked as she got her emotions back under control.  She identified the gym leader and his sister and the black haired trainer looked somewhat familiar but she couldn’t place him, a flaw she had when her emotions were agitated.

 “Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center said I could register my Task Tracker here?”  The black haired trainer said as he handed over a Task Tracker. Connecting it to her computer she loaded it with the regions security passcode and grabbed the Trackers serial number before handing it back to him. A chime from her computer pulled her back toward it, the file the international police was going to send her, maybe she would get some answers, and she absently handed the Tracker back to the boy and waved him off.

 “Thank you Officer Jenny.” The boy said as he and the others left her office.

 “All part of the job, have a good day.”  Jenny said robotically as she opened the file.  The first few pages were about the Rocket members she had described and the pages after were about when and where they had committed criminal acts.  After a while next few page she noticed that the same trainer ID kept coming up as both victim and stopper.  Then another chime and an email entitled ‘Protector’ appeared.  

 “Didn’t my cousin in Unova mention that a trainer had earned a title from the Pokémon Rangers and the International Police?”  She muttered to herself as she opened the file, to no surprise it was a trainer bio, the kind of files the government kept of trainers that caught their eye. As she started to read accommodations for valor, for saving people and Pokémon, for defeating criminal gangs she recognized the ID as the same one in the previous file.  The final page was the photo ID and when she saw it she shot up from her chair.

 “THAT’S THE KID FROM LAST NIGHT, WAIT HE WAS JUST HERE!!”  Jenny cried out as she looked into the hallway in shock.

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  “Frankenmons attacked a courier in the Wind Road?”  The speaker was a tall man in a purple tuxedo and a black cape with an Eevee on his shoulder who lead two pale attractive women in maid uniforms down a hallway. The woman on his right had blue hair in a pageboy style, her blue eyes had black eye shadow above and her blue lips were set in a frown, in her ears were two white gems and by her side walked a Glaceon with a collar with four white gems. The maid on his left had flowing red hair that reached her waist, the only makeup she had was red lipstick and blush with two red gems in her ears, a Flareon was by her side whose front legs had clawed boots on.

 “Yes Master Alex, Lady Joy ordered all off duty morticians to assist in retrieving all parts from within the corpses post haste.  She entered the castle two hours ago according to a local agent so this is likely a briefing about them to quell the rumors.  Though a few days ago Lady Camilla sent her apprentice out on a mission and the same night the Elites were summoned for a meeting, so there is that which I am sure one of them will bring up. ” The blue haired woman spoke with a cold tone as she followed .

 “One of Morg’a’s little temptresses is dating one of the security staff called to transport the materials harvested, the bitch probably bugged the poor sap with a seal.  So she’s probably the source of most of the rummors. Hope the fool she’s using had a good time with the little tramp at least, but given what I had when one tried to use me, I really, really doubt it master. And like sister Sarah said, one of them will bring it up.”  The redhead’s voice was full of passion as she strutted down the hallway.

 Alex smiled as he thought of the meeting a month ahead of schedule, a summit of the Elites and now Frankenmon, the times were getting quite exciting, what next, did they find the Queen and Prince?  He gave a chuckled at that thought, he had probably taunted murphy, but if that happened, those harpies would die of shock.

 Turning a corner he stopped cold as he saw what was guarding the door to the meeting chamber.  Two humanoids in full plate armor holding lances with two Haxorus with black body armor stood sentinel.

 “Master, those are Highguard.”  Sarah said as she reached Alex and stared with him at the door guards.  Alex slowly gained a grin on his face that as he eyes twinkled.

 “My dear cold Sarah, my passionate Ellie, this is going to be explosive.” Alex proclaimed as he walked down the hallway as his two maids looked at each other and sighed.

 “Tell me again why do we love that man-child sister?” Ellie said as he followed after him.

 “The sex, definitely the sex.”  Sarah answered bluntly as the two of them followed their lover down the hallway while Alex only gave a small smirk at the words his followers exchanged.

 Walking into the throne room he moved toward the left side and gazed around the room.  A few people in clocks were debating Aura casting by the window, representatives from the School of Aura, they only came when there was an important announcement, were the Frankenmons were made by someone they expelled and escaped the law.  The last Chimera breeder supposedly caused the procedures to change, but there are geniuses out there.

A few of the Families had a few more members then just their heirs with them, more girls than boys again, were they trying the catch the bosses eye with a pretty face?  He nodded his head at his allies among the Lords as they passed each other as he led his party toward windows, and saw with no surprise that saw that the Lady Morg’a was dressed to the nines in the middle of a small crowd of ladies, was she trying to draw in others with her beauty.  And she was striking today.  Her long black hair flowed down her back to her thighs; her jade dress stopped at the middle of her breasts, with a cut show the inner sides with a green gem in the shape of the Grass-Type symbol resting between her breasts.  Her dress went to the floor with a slit that revealed white stocking clad legs in green high heels.  Her lips were painted a vibrant green, while eye shadow of an aqua green shade brought out her green eyes.  Her Roselia was next to her with a grass symbol around its neck.  He noticed her eyes never left a target across from her and saw who Morg’a was watching; the newest of the Highlords, the Lady Cleo Ro Clor of the Desert Realm was talking with a few lords who, if he remembered their homes locations right, bordered her territory.  She cut a striking figure with her dark skin in a form fitting white robe dress that showed off her figure while still giving off a classy feel.  All the makeup she wore was a simple black lipstick, while her black hair was in a simple pageboy style. Her Krokorok was standing next to her, a simple Ground symbol around its neck, showing that the simple things had a class all its own.

 “So you made it to this thing youngster?”  A gruff voice said as a heavy hand landed on his other shoulder.  Turning he saw an older man with a beard in a white shirt and black pants next to an Ursaring.  

 “Sir Viktor, how are you old man?  How was that Chimera hunt you went on a few weeks back, it was an Ice Fire mix that was the pack leader?”  Alex said as he smiled at his friend and ally among the Lords.

 “Me and mine handled it, but I gotta talk to you about it afterwards.  You’ll never guess whose territory it they never even sent a scout towards.”  Vicktor said darkly as he glared toward Morg’a group.  

 “I’ve dealt with such things in my own lands my friend, after the meeting let me track down the last two members of my old team to have a talk for old times, you can join us.” Alex said with a sigh as memoires of days long gone pasted behind his eyes.

 A commotion near the front caused them to turn and saw three of the Elites walk into the room, each shadowed by one of their Pokemon.  Lady Camilla was followed by her Zoroark, the brown haired robed form of Magnus walked next to his Golurk while Mordred was dressed in a simple smock and pants was walked next to his Chesnaught.   Following after them was their lord walked with his Mightyena with Lady Joy walking after him in a black gown with a white Crobat on her shoulder.  So a briefing by Joy was part of this after all, but why were both Camilla and Magnus here? Why were the Highguard outside?  I think this might be bigger than I thought. Alex thought as he looked over the gathering.

 Morg’a smiled and gave off an air of sophistication looking at the Elites entering the room but she let her thoughts tell her true feelings, confident that the Psi-Changer she wore around her neck kept them to herself.  So that bitch Camilla is taking part in this after all.  So whatever reason she pulled that brat from the party is important. Damn that idiotic little tramp for not getting closer to the slut!  It probably was her little beast that was attacked after all.  But she’s only been gone a few days, and in Kalos of all place!

 As Dracula sat upon his thrown, all before bowed and curtsied to show respect for their liege lord. Before anyone could speak up about the nature of the gather he raised his hand for silence.

 “My loyal subjects let me cut away all the rumors you’ve heard.  Approximately two hours ago the Lady Joyce briefed me upon the 8 Frankenmon that tried to intercept a courier using the Wind Road.  Lady Joy, if you would care to take over?”  Dracula said as he gestured at Joy who curtsied as a holo projector appeared before the throne.

 “Thank you my lord. As per my orders when I was informed what had entered my morgue, all personal were recalled and all machines were removed from the bodies before all but two were incinerated.  This decision”    Joy began before Morg’a stepped forward and interrupted her.

 “Two of the bodies were kept from the final peace Lady Joy?  Forgive my impudence but aren’t all Frankenmon bodies supposed to be incinerated after the foul machines which move them are taken from their corpses by rule of law?”  Morg’a melodious voice interrupted, causing murmurs to spread among the crowd at this seemingly breach of law.  Joy gained a small frown before she continued.

 “Normally, yes that is the law.  But the bodies were reanimated by an unknown process and power source.  As the bodies were inspected, it became apparent that the machines were split in two different configurations.  From what my limited mechanical knowledge told me, one type had a receiver of some kind while the other had a transceiver.  The bodies saved were the ones most intact with detailed notes were made on where each machine was removed from the individual corpse. However both types had a few similar parts, this one we are having the most trouble identifying the components purpose.”  As Joy spoke the projector glowed, showing a diagram of a machine connected to two broken crystals with the crystals each connected to one side of a hexagon stone.

 “The gems aren’t like anything we’ve seen before.  The hexagon seems to be artificial and seems to be the main power source, one of my people theorized that the gems act like a kind of converter.   The fact that they were able to use attacks is a cause for concern, but the most distressing thing we’ve discovered is that there is no way for an external power source to connect to the stone, we have no idea how these things receive power at all.” Joy finished as murmurs started back up.

 “This is troubling, tovarish.”  Victor whispered to Alex as thoughts raced through his head.  One of the only ways Frankenmons were found was the massive electrical power drain they used to recharge.  And with the fact they were able to use Pokémon attacks…Wait, what were the attacks used elemental propertiess? Could there be a connection? Alex thought as his mind raced, signaling his group that he was doing this alone he started to walk through the crowd toward the throne. Alex exited the crowd until he was next to Morg’a and bowed to Lady Joy.

 “Lady Joy, do we know what attacks were used by the subjects.”  Alex said as he saw the scowl Morg’a sent him, curious.  Did she want to score a point with that or keep people from asking? Just what is your end goal you Grass bitch

 “As the witness was a Pokémon, a psychic copy of the incident was made.  From what Lord Magnus divined, the moves used were Flash Cannon and Arial Ace.”  Joy trailed off as she looked at the hologram.

 “So moves of two elements and two gems.  Were any gems recovered intact?”  Alex continued as Joy called up data.

 “All gems were found shattered.  A failsafe or the result of battle…” Joy trailed off as she turned and shared a look with Magnus.  Mordred stepped forward as a hologram of the Homeland appeared.

“Thank you Headmistress for your report, Lord Alex, Lady Morg’a for your points I give you my thanks. As of 1 hour ago our lord has issued orders that the patrols groups along our shore are be increased in size. The remains are to be turned over to the School of Aura as soon as the masters exit this chamber for a period of one weak for a detailed examination.  All lords are to take any action they believe is necessary in their territories its security, all suspicious events are to be investigated by local authorities.”  Mordred began as a map of the Homeland sprang from the holo-project identifying the various territories

 “Wait one minute Commander Mordred!  How was a single courier identified by those monsters and from where did the courier come from? What was its cargo?  These facts would affect any plans we make to protect our citizens.”  Morg’a interrupted with a smirk.  Joy had a look of worry on her face while Camilla had a sever frown

 “From the machine’s localization before we removed them, some of them were hooked up to the eyes of the corpse, so a possible Aura sensor is possible.  The cargo….”  Mordred began until the person behind him interrupted and spoke loudly.

 “Was an Aura scan of my son.”  Dracula declared as he stood up from his throne.

 Alex blinked, their lord couldn’t have said what he thought he’d heard, did he?

 “I Declare this for all within this chamber to know!  After years of not knowing their fate, my Queen and my son have been Found!  Even as we speak, measures are being undertaking to return them to our shores!”  Dracula proclaimed as the chamber exploded in conversations.

 Morg’a had a wide smile on her face while on the inside her thoughts were complete anarchy. Arceus Damn it!  With that old slug found she’ll be back and warming his bed within the next year!  All my plans to find and influence her replacement just went up in smoke!  I should have known that those stupid Crusaders wouldn’t kill them!

 “My lord may I be the first to offer my congratulations on such wonderful news!  If there is anything that any of us could do to help I’m sure my fellows would jump at the chance!” Morg’a said with cheer in her voice. Alex merely looked at her and let his eyes grow hard. So they did find D, and I think my people needs to spend a little time making sure that that tart doesn’t try to send anyone after little whoever go the scan or the kid

 “I can only say that in this matter the Lady Morg’a speaks for me as will my lord.  If there is anything my people and I can do to help you have but to command it.”  Alex said as he bowed to his liege lord as the other Lords and Highlords copied him.

 “Thank you but as I said measures are being done to return my beloved to me.  May our people stand forever against all who would threaten us!” Dracula declared as he got up from his throne and his Pokemon followed him out the door.  Alex looked at Camilla and fixed the right side of his collar and saw her and Magnus clench their right hands before he walked back to Victor and his maids.  He grinned to himself as he walked.  Time for an old friend and her son to come home at last, but how did they find them?  And who better to ask then her brother and her best friend?  He thought with a grin as he walked away with his two maids to ‘celebrate’.

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  Cleo sighed as she and her Krokorok walked into her inner apartment.  That meeting had been as nerve wracking as the rumors that had been swirling around the local net.  The reality was even worse, Frankenmon powered by unknown means, and able to use attacks!  That wasn’t even touch the fact that the Queen to be was alive with the Prince, that changed everything! When she returned she had given orders that all local wild Pokémon dens were to have surveillance equipment set up, if anything came to harvest fresh corpse, they would see them if they hit the dens.  Why did she ever have to be chosen as the High Lord’s successor anyway?  It was supposed to be just a simple Quest, why did her predecessor have to use it to choose replacement before he died, she was just an orphan who had to play peacekeeper at the orphanage.  She didn’t like to fight, and his will that said she had to build her household herself without any of the previous staff, thank Arceus that Marshall Asim and his crew had stayed on and the homunculi maids. But things were hard; she had her pen pal to chat with!  With a smile on her face she walked toward her computer, her Krokorok pulled out the chair to let her sit down and signed into a chat room.  She had meet her friend on a message board about the impact Pokémon and human settlements had on each other, and since then the two of them had had conversations about care and feeding, exchanged recipes and helped each other deal with problems.  She did feel a bit bad that he thought she was a middle management in a company who got promoted after her superior left, but the rest of the world wasn’t like her home, they didn’t have Lords and High Lords and to burden a doctor with her political problems just wasn’t the right thing to do.

SandyLady:  You online Doc?

RockDoc: Hey Lady, how was your meeting.

SandyLady:   The boss’s wife woke up from her coma, she’s going to return to the company but the medicine that helped wake her was almost stolen by thieves so security of all divisions were raised, and two people on my level are fighting with each other, I’ve had to issue a few orders that might get people hurt in the name of said security, what about you?

RockDoc:  I have a bit of a problem myself; the mother of one of my old friends sent a quite inquiry about a girl she’s worried about, wants to double check something and my job says I should make it official, but everything I feel screams me to keep quit, I’m a bit conflicted.

SandyLady:   So keep quiet and look into what might happen if you don’t, you might find something you don’t know you know about would happen. But why do you feel what you that way?

RockDoc:  Thanks for the advice Lady, it’s a supervisor who would receive the report just rubs me the wrong way, something about them feels wrong to me.

 Cleo went cold as she rereads the last message; some people Aura’s were able to ‘sense’ the nature of people, when they were hurt and needed help.  Most of them became public servants, doctors or police if Doc felt something wrong about his supervisor, then they might be trouble if he went official on this.  One piece of advice old man Victor had told her when she was sworn in was to trust her instincts about people and Pokémon.  Said instincts said the Lady Morg’a was a trustworthy as a coin left in the sun was cold, so she trusted the advice.

 SandyLady: Doc, one bit of advice I think I can pass on to you; always trust your instincts.  Your hindbrain might be seeing what your forebrain can’t.

 “Lady Ro Clor!  We have a situation!”  A voice called from her door.  That was Marshall Asim, but he should be out along the dunes, helping set up the observation cameras.  If he was back then there might be a rather large problem that needs the local High Lords authority.

 “I’ll be right there!” Cleo called back as she typed one last message and walked toward her door, her Krokorok falling in step behind her.   The duties of a desert High Lord never ended, but she was ready to meet them.  Opening the door she was met with Marshall Asim, a hard faced black haired man wearing a black cloak over black clothes with a Braviary wearing a Searcher’s Gem next to him.

 “What happened Marshal?” Cleo demand as he would only have his Braviary with him if he was searching for something before he came to see her.  Gesturing for her and her Pokémon to follow him he led them down the hallway. His Braviary took flight and flew ahead and out a window.

 “Everything was going like clockwork M’lady, we had finished setting up most of them when we hit the Northern Mountain, one of the caves is or was used by a herd of Trapinch as their nest, it was empty and it showed signs of a battle.  Thankfully we found the herd at an oasis, but the herd defenders were all injured. The team I sent into the cave discovered a hole in the floor that led into a chamber; it looks like an early Ritual chamber. The battle damage in the cave looks like the herd was attack from the cave mouth and then who ever made the hole was attacked by something inside.  The problem is a sand storm swept the region after this all happened, at least we think so.” Asim as he led her into a room with a map of her territory, marked with symbols for her towns, cities and Pokémon dens.

 “Send word to all towns nearby to be on alert, anything or anyone out of the ordinary is to be reported at once.  Once night falls patrols are to be run between the cities for the next week. The Trapinch are to be relocated to a territory where they can prosper, send word to the School of Aura, I want an archeological team to be sent to study those ruins as soon as possible. And put the Gates on full alert for the next 2 weeks, if people broke into that chamber I don’t want it to be easy for them to escape.” Cleo Ro Clor, Highlord of the Inner Desert commanded as she gazed upon a map of her lands.  What happened when the chamber was breeched, what did they wake up and who were they?  I always knew I would face a trial by fire, this has to be it. Cleo thought as she walked through the palace to the situation room.

  SandyLady: Sorry Doc, duty calls.  Good luck with your problem.

 Brock sighed as he read the last message SandyLady had sent him.  For a corporate manager she always had the right thing to say to help him. Maybe it was wrong to let her think he was only a doctor, but the problems of a Gym Leader, even one who was away from their gym weren’t for the faint of heart.  Just last week he had helped to take down a pack of Houndor and the alpha Houndom to relocate them to stop a swarm of Paras from raiding the city, thankfully his Marshtomp had evolved and defeated the alpha.  The Pokemon Rangers had a nice valley far enough away that was perfect for the Dark Fire types, and there was supposedly a river full of water types between the valley and the habitat of the Paras, so there was no way for them to go after them or return to their old habitat.

 Getting up from his computer he thought back to Delia’s message.  She had sent a text that she was worried about a new hire at her restaurant, and was that a surprise when he and Misty first visited Pallet Town!  To think Ash had grown up in around a commercial restaurant, and that it was famous!  But the girl was the problem or had a problem.  She had been settling in fine but all of a sudden she had started to jump at anything and seemed to have closed off from people.  Delia had contacted him because she had a Johto accident and he currently was at learning about medicine in Viridian City and was wondering if he heard anything from Johto from either the towm or his position as a Gym Leader.  He had sent back that he hadn’t heard anything, but he didn’t tell her that a few days ago he had run into Karen, a member of the Elite Four, while his party was hunting the pack in the mountains.  Sure she had said something about a monstrous creature she was tracking but Brock didn’t think a Chimera was connected to the girl, but like he told SandyLady, something about Karen was just wrong.  He couldn’t describe it but he’ll trust it for now and contact a few of the gym leaders in Johto through couriers, maybe one of them had heard something.  

 As Brock walk out of his room he never thought that maybe the monstrous creature Karen was hunting was really the girl in question, never thought that maybe others were watching people like him who would help her without question.  Brock never saw the glint of light a pair of binoculars gave off as a silent watcher cataloged his activities.

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  Lilith was able to identify the Aura from the sparks and had tracked her to and from a bus stop and was able to finally catch her and was currently tailing her toward the Professor’s lab.  When she saw the girl in question she was able to get a general read of her Aura, this girl was someone with a good heart and a bit of creativity, and watching the interactions she had when she interacted with people and Pokémon between her and the lab she seemed to be a pleasant person.  A good fashion sense, natural beauty and what looked like a great personality and a bit of creativity, the prince had a good one after him.

 Lilith let a smirk grace her lips before she walked a tiny bit faster; she had to time this just right, she reached for a button on a crossing post and hit Serena’s hand.

 “Sorry about that, you need to cross too?”  Lilith asked the honey haired girl.  

 “Yeah, I’m heading toward Professor Sycamore lab, what about you.” Serena asked as she looked at the black clothed girl.  There was something that seemed to pull Serena out of the shell she had around herself.

 “The same, he has some information that I need for my journey.  Oh, sorry I forgot to introduce myself, the names’ Lilly and you are?”  Lilly said she offered Serena a hand.

 “Serena Yvonne, nice to meet you Lilly.”  Serena said as they both walked toward the Professors lab.

 “Nice to meet you too Serena, so have you decided on a goal for your journey?” Lilly asked as the walked toward the lab’s door.

 Serena only blushed and walked faster, opening the door, pretending that she hadn’t heard anything.

“Hello? Is Professor Sycamore around?”  Serena called out as they walked into the building

 “That’s me. I’m up here.” A voice called out from atop a set of stairs opposite the doorway

 “Huh? Hello there. I’m Serena and this is Lilly.”

 “I bet you two are here to become Pokémon Trainers.”  Sycamore said as he smiled at the two girls as he walked down the stairs.

 “She is, I’m here for the information you have on when the Pokémon Contests happen.” Lilly said as she held up a Pokéball.

 “Yup. Also, Professor, I saw this Trainer on the news. The report was all about how he had saved a Garchomp.” Serena said as she went a bit red in the face.

 “Oh, you're talking about Ash.” Sycamore said as Serena smiled. Ash, I knew it!

 “I ran into him at the Pokemon Center.  He said he was heading for the Santalune Gym.” Lilly said, causing Serena to turn and look at her.

 “Santalune Gym? Hmm. Professor, may I choose a Pokémon?” Serena said turning back to the Professor.

 “Of course. And do you have any idea which Pokémon you'd like?” Sycamore asked. Lilly stood back and watch with a smile. A trainers first Pokémon was a mystical moment that only happen once for anyone, and only after a while did people understand what happened to them.

 “Yup.”

 “All right. Everybody out!”  Sycamore called to the right before a woman in a white lab coat led three forms into the room.

 “These are the Kalos Pokémon new Trainers may choose from, Fennekin, Chespin and Froakie. Which Pokémon will you choose as your partner?” Sycamore asked as he turned back to Serena with a smile.

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P A treon.com/bardofworlds for special rewards for all patrons

 Crusaders: Knights who launched attack on Homeland and kidnapped Ash and Delia

Aura Link:  The result of two or more auras connecting, the people must meet and spend time with each other first, but when entering an area of 50 miles area sparks seemingly flow between auras unless something is blocking connection

Psi-Changer: Aura Equipment: Gemstone Type Special.  A Gem that creates a false ‘mind’ that is the opposite of what the wearer is thinking, a convert defense against mind readers