#I don’t know where my old tablet went though

[dagaan]

🌑⌛️🌑⏳🌑

[clockwayswrites]

Like Betta Fish Do Part 28

wc: 3020, masterpost

“I get why you insisted on picking me up,” she said as she watched the black sedan part the sea of reporters outside of Wayne Manor. Her hand made a half aborted motion, like she wanted to fidget with with her hair despite the red being cropped close to her scalp in a pixie cut.

The haircut would be a new thing, or new enough that in stress old habits were still there. Perhaps something she did when moving into her doctorate. A new hair cut to go with a new stage of life. She went for an extreme though, maybe trying to shed a metaphorical weight or maybe a bob would have been too much like her mother’s hair. Maybe both.

Dick gave his head a little shake and tried to stuff the parts of himself that couldn’t help be analyze someone away.

It was worse with the stress of it all.

“I know, right? They’ve been crazy,” Dick said with a laugh.

“You don’t have to do that, you know.”

Dick blinked. “Do what?”

“Pretend everything is okay. You don’t have to do what with me. After all, we’re both big siblings, aren’t we?” Her own, wry smile didn’t reach her aquamarine eyes.

Dick wanted to protest and for a moment he almost did. Then Dick just sighed and let himself slump into his seat. “That obvious?”

“No, I just know what it’s like,” Jazz said.

“I shouldn’t be putting this on you though, not with what happened to Danny—”

She held up manicured hand. “Don’t. Suffering isn’t a competition. Besides, I got to learn this happened knowing that Danny was already safe and being taken care of. I didn’t have to think he was dead like you all did. I also didn’t have to learn about all the rest of it. It’s hard, isn’t it?”

“Knowing my little brother is still dead?” Dick gave a bitter bark of a laugh. “Yeah, it’s hard.”

“Half dead,” Jazz said with a smile that was all too understanding. “That half part is important to them. They’re half dead. They’re half alive. They aren’t the little brothers we had before and that’s hard. It’s okay for that to be hard.”

Dick rubbed at his face. “It shouldn’t change anything.”

“But it does.”

“It does.”

“That’s alright,” Jazz soothed. “It’s a big fact, of course it’s going to change things. As long as he’s still your little brother and you love him then the rest won’t matter so much, not with some time.”

The car came to a stop in the garage. Dick let himself take a deep breath as the door rolled closed. It was always about needing time, but at least they still had it.

“Well, Miss Nightingale, shall we go inside?”

“Thank you, Mister Grayson,” she said and took his offered hand to get out of the car. “And thank you again for the ride, Alfred. Picking me up from WE was the right move.”

“And you needn’t worry about your car, it will be safe in the parking garage,” Alfred assured her.

She covered an amused snort with her hand. “You saw my car, no one is going to try and steal that old thing.”

Alfred held the door to the house open. “Perhaps slightly more worried about the press hoping to find something.”

“Would they really break into my car?”

“They would,” Tim said from where he was standing inside the door, typing away on a tablet. “Gotham’s lost prince shows up at a gala with his mystery boyfriend and then proceeds to press the kill button for said boyfriend? The press is going insane for it. If it was just Gotham’s press it would be one thing, but it’s broken containment and fast. Have you said anything to any reporters? Even any non statements? Is there anything that the might dig up on you, other than your parents, that we need to know about?”

“Jazz, this is Tim. We’re sorry about him,” Dick said with a strained smile. It only got worse when he took in Tim and the heavy bags under Tim’s eyes. “Tim, when was the last time you slept?”

Tim waved the question away. “I had a power nap after breakfast.”

“What Master Timothy means is that he fell asleep at the table mid-meal,” Alfred chastised as he continue into the manor proper.

“Still counts,” Tim muttered. Finally he looked up from his tablet to blink listlessly at them. “Well?”

“Tim,” Dick chastised.

“No, it’s fine,” Jazz said with a patient smile of someone used to behavior like this. “It really is… everywhere. I haven’t said anything to any press other than ‘no statement’ and I can’t think of anything. Well, I mean, I have a girlfriend but if they have an issue with her they already have Danny and Jason to rage over. How is Danny handling it all?”

“Tim has blocked all social media from the manor. You need a password to get through it and I don’t think they’ve been bored enough to try and crack it yet,” Dick said.

Jazz looked thoughtful. “That’s probably best. I’m alright with you asking more questions, but can I see Danny first, please?”

Tim blinked as if startled by the thought. “Yes, right, of course. They’re probably still in the library, that’s where I saw them last.”

“That was yesterday,” Dick pointed out.

“Oh, well,” Tim tilted his head but didn’t stop talking. “I bet I’m still right.”

Dick just sighed and exchanged a look with Jazz. Little brothers.

-

Jazz crouched down in front of the couch and reached out to run her fingers through Danny’s hair.

“Danny.”

“Nn.”

The corner of her mouth ticked up. “Danny.”

“’ive m’er min, Jazz,” he mumbled sleepily.

“If you don’t get up, I’m calling Cujo.”

“I’m up, I’m up!” Danny explained and jolted awake before he was left just blinking confessedly at the room. When the rest of it snapped together for him he smiled brightly. “Jazz!”

“Danny!”

“Your hair looks even better in person!” Danny said, reaching out to ruffle the short locks.

“I don’t care if you’re on your deathbed Danny, I will bite you.”

Danny sighed dramatically as he sat up properly. “I never get to die on a bed. At least this time I was sitting.”

Jazz leaned forward and wrapped Danny up into a crushing looking hug. “Oh Danny, what am I going to do with you?”

“Still don’t have an answer for you there, Jazz,” Danny said. He was practically curled around Jazz and stayed that way as she shifted to sit with him on the couch.

She looked up at Jason who was still standing awkwardly by the couch where he had greeted her. “You can sit. I don’t bite.”

Jason snorted. “You just threatened to bite Danny. I don’t believe you.”

“Her bites aren’t bad,” Danny said with a yawn. “But her aim is horrible. And don’t let her have a baseball bat. She’s lethal with one of those.”

The almost fanged way that Jazz smile made that easy to believe.

“I approve of you, Nightingale,” Damian said with a decisive nod from the armchair he was occupying.

“What are you going to do now that there are two Nightingales?” Tim asked, far too innocently.

Damian scowled, his whole face scrunched up before he gave a sharp shrug. “I am confident that the Nightingales are intelligent enough to know which one I am referring to.”

Jason shook his head at the easy way the brat seemed to accept Jazz and settled on the far side of the couch from her, leaving Dick and Tim to take the two seater.

“You didn’t have to come all this way, Jazz,” Danny said, though his words were at odds with how thoroughly he had relaxed into her side.

Jazz rolled her eyes. “You were electrocute Danny, again. Of course I was going to come see you. Even if classes were in session, you’re more important than them.”

“Hum, fine,” Danny said with a huff of air. Somehow he settled in even further to his sister’s side. “Sam, Val, and Tucker send their love. With all the crazy press I told them to stay away so not to get caught up in this.”

“It is something for sure,” Jazz agreed. “How are you doing?”

“I’m tired and tired of being tired, it sucks. Oh, I’ve got more Lichtenberg scars!” Danny stuck his legs up in the air. His fuzzy, Nightwing patterned pants slid down his legs enough to show the scarring that wrapped around his ankles. The marks were still raised and red. Jason caught the legs as they dropped and settled them into his lap. He couldn’t help but run his thumb over the mark as soft reassurance that Danny was there and alive despite it all. “Not sure if these will stick around since they’re not ghostly.”

“You need to stop collecting them. No more getting electrocuted, big sister’s order.”

“Second that on boyfriend’s orders,” Jason said.

“Thirding that from the in-laws,” Dick said. In-laws? “Aw look at that, Jaybird is blushing.”

Jason pulled a throw pillow out from behind him and lobbed it at Dick. “Shut it.”

Dick easily caught the pillow with a laugh. “Jason and Danny, kissing in a tree—”

“Grayson, try to not be an embarrassment,” Damian said with a sigh.

“What? Jason and Danny could totally kiss in a tree. Danny can fly! I mean, not that we’ve seen it yet but he says he can,” Dick said.

“Oh he can. Nothing like walking into your little brother’s room to find him sitting on the ceiling,” Jazz said. “It was an interesting childhood.”

“It makes hanging things easy too,” Jason teased.

Danny sighed dramatically. “I knew you were just into me to be your glorified ladder.”

“That’s just because he wants to climb you,” Tim muttered absently.

Jason held up his hands for Dick to throw the pillow back to him and then lobbed it at Tim. It smacked Tim square in the face, making his little brother’s shoulders slump as it landed on his tablet.

“Really?”

“Don’t be crude,” Jason said.

Tim glared at Jason from under his bangs. The kid’s hair was getting long again. “Oh that’s rich coming from the Red Hood.”

“Red Hood?” Jazz’s voice cracked slightly.

Jason buried his face in his hands with a groan.

“Oh, shit, did she now know? I thought she knew!”

The whole couch shifted as Danny pulled himself up by Jason’s shirt so that he could cuddle him. “It’s okay, I love my hero.”

“Vigilante,” Jason mumbled.

“Daniel John Nightingale!” Jazz screeched. “Tell me you’re not doing vigilante stuff again!”

“Ooooooh full named!” Dick heckled.

“I am not doing vigilante stuff again,” Danny said.

“He’s really not,” Jason promised as he shifted Danny around to be more comfortable. “That’s just family business. I wouldn’t ask him to get involved.”

“Family…,” Jazz said. Jason watched her eyes dart from Danny to Jason to the rest of them. “Ancients you’re all, what would you call it? Various Batmen?”

“Usually we just go with Bats,” Tim said with a little shrug. “Especially since we’re not all, or only, men.”

“Okay, Bats,” Jazz said with a sigh. “Really, Danny?”

Danny shrugged, completely unrepentant by the way he smiled. “I didn’t know! I didn’t even know Jason was a Wayne until just before we started dating. That one is maybe on me though, I’m bad with faces.”

“You always have been,” Jazz said. “Really though, no hero stuff?”

“None. I’m focused on school. Well, and Jason. Dates are very nice, but mostly I’m focused on school. You can’t blame me for enjoying dates too!” Danny said.

Jazz laughed and shook her head. “No, I can’t. I’m glad you’re enjoying dates. Just try to stay out of the business, okay? I want you to be able to just enjoy your life. You have enough obligations waiting for you when you’re dead.”

“Do we have to work when we’re dead?” Tim asked desperately. “Please tell me we don’t have to work when we’re dead. That’s when I was planning to sleep.”

“No, Tim,” Jazz said gently. “Most people don’t work when they’re dead. Danny’s just an idiot—”

“Hey!”

“—who became the Ghost King without realizing what he was doing. His forever job starts when he dies.”

“Wait wait wait,” Dick spread his hands. “Danny is royalty?”

“Mhum.”

“Oh my god,” Dick said with a gleeful smile that Jason didn’t trust one bit. “Does that make Jason a prince? Queen? Does it feel like you’re in one of your regency books, Jay? What’s it like.”

Jason groaned and buried his face into Danny’s hair. “I hate you.”

“No you don’t,” Dick cooed.

“Oh good, Jason can work then,” Tim said. “I just want to sleep.”

“You can sleep now,” Jason pointed out. “No one is stopping you. Hell, Alfred would encourage it.”

“Can’t,” Tim said. “I’ve got to get this PR stuff done. Is this a diplomatic issue now too?”

“What can I answer to help?” Jazz asked in such a patently big sibling way that Jason glanced up to exchange a look with Dick. Having one more person after Tim to rest couldn’t hurt.

Tim pursed his lips. “We’ve already done the usual asking for respect during this difficult time. Babs and I have been working on making sure the part of the video where Danny asked Jason to press the button is in circulation and in the right hands. There have been some pointed emails sent. Bruce is going to go on tomorrow and give a brief statement— which we need some answers for. We’ve got Clark coming to interview in a few days to do a proper story. Luckily Vickie Val has made it easy for us to go out of Gotham for that story with how she’s been behaving.

“They’ve found out about your parents, of course, but we were able to respond instantly with your name change and, in all essence what was nearly emancipation with how quickly you did it and moved out. There are some character stories from old classmates though calling you odd but also defense from current ones that we’ve been pushing further up in the SEO. Between those details and his survival, it’s no wonder that the question of Danny being a meta is circling That’s the main thing we need to know how to address and if we want to play into it.”

Jason had to take a moment to respond to all that. He’d been so focused on helping Danny heal and stay happy that he hadn’t even thought half of that through. He knew the press were out there, of course they were, but… “You’ve really worked this out, haven’t you?”

Tim just blinked owlishly at him. “Of course I have. It’s what I do. I know you didn't like me looking into Danny when we first found out about you dating him, but… this is why I do those things. Not just to protect the family from other people, but to protect the people who get close to us. I can help direct the conversation because I know ahead of time that things like the Fentons will come up."

“Thank you Tim, really.”

“Um… you’re welcome,” Tim said before he looked back down at his tablet. “We do need to decide if we go the meta route at all. Would that cause issues with the Fentons? Do they also hate metas?”

“No,” Jazz said. “Well, they would basically look at superheroes to make sure they weren’t ghosts in disguise or possessed, but other than that they didn’t really mention metas. It was actually pretty much a non topic in our town with everything else.”

“But we’d have to be careful with what we say I can do or… well, they’ll clock me as a ghost. I’ve never wanted to find out what would happen then.”

“Is that why you didn’t want to go to a hospital?” Dick asked in that carefully gentle tone of his.

Danny shrugged. “That but more old fears. There used to be a group called the GIW that were government funded ghost hunters that had legal clearance, basically, to experiment and exterminate any ecto-entities. I really don’t want to be dissected like some classroom frog.”

“Vivisected,” Jazz corrected in such an absent way that it spoke of old arguments.

Jason clutched Danny closer to him.

“It’s okay. They never really were very above the board, it turned out, and when the power changed hands they lost their funding and just sort of disappeared.”

“But it doesn’t mean there fear did,” Dick summed up.

“We will look into them,” Damian said, standing. “To be certain that they are gone and no longer a threat to you or Todd. Drake, you will not be needed on this while you are in this sleep deprived state. I will seek Gordon’s help instead.”

“Hey! I can still—”

“Finish up asking us questions,” Jazz interrupted smoothly. “It wouldn’t be hard to spin Danny as a mild meta from the results of a lab accident.”

“Maybe even give a half truth,” Jason said. “He was electrocuted around some chemicals and he ended up with a mild resistance to it.”

“That could work,” Tim said, tapping away on his tablet. “Generally useless in day to day life other than cutting down on annoyances when wiring something but just enough to survive this sort of trap. Have Bruce throw in a joke about how Danny produces a lot of static electricity or something to lighten the mood.”

“And it would make it seem like Danny has a resistance, not a weakness, in case anyone tries something again,” Jason added.

“That would be nice. Being tased really, really sucks,” Danny whined.

Jason pressed a kiss to Danny’s temple. “I know, fish.”

“Yes, alright, Bruce will need to put it in his own Brucie wording but I think this will work,” Tim said with a little nod. “See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

---

AN: Rereading through this, this might just be the whole chapter. Maybe I'll make the interview it's own chapter to cut down on the shock of going to that style of pov and piece. And then the final* chapter? Thoughts thoughts...

Anyways, words are hard, brain is tired, here is Jazz!

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[fangirl-dot-com]

Chapter 5 - Put it into Speed Drive

Longer chapter this time! The next update probably won't be until Tuesday, and or Wednesday night and then Thursday.

For planning, after 2023 is up, I will not be keeping up with the actual schedule for the races. The chapters will still come in chronological order, but it won't be week by week. This will be the start of the parallel universe.

If you want to be added to the tag list, please comment! And now enjoy the show :)

You were practically buzzing after the suit fitting. It was just one step closer to getting you in the car. Which would happen very soon. Sunday to be exact. Tomorrow. There were just so many words to describe how soon it was. 

You went from no open doors in F1 to a door that was blown to bits and then shredded, leaving a giant hole for you to just walk through. However, your daydreams of blowing doors up were interrupted by the growl of you stomach. You walked through the door of the fitting room and found Vito right where you left him. 

Such a good manager. 

He was talking to someone though, and you really didn’t want to interrupt. But, your stomach was about to commence in the whale mating call song and you really didn’t want anyone to hear that. Your eyes glanced around before they landed on Mitch, who seemed to just be typing on her tablet. 

You quickly walk over and tap her on the shoulder. “Mitch, uh, where would I be able to find some food?” 

She looked up from her tablet with a smile. Dang, did she just smile at everything? 

“I can take you to get some food if you’d like me to?” she responded. You quickly nodded your head. Taking the lead, Mitch started to walk over to the other side of the sim room. How many rooms were connected to this place? You wondered as she opened a door. 

“This room is one of the more private areas, which in return, gets its own side of the building. From here you’re able to reach just about any other place.” Now that was creepy, could she read your mind? 

Your face must have been in a contemplative look as she let out a small laugh. The walk was short as the two of you entered an all-while room. A small cooking bar was to the left while tables and chairs littered the rest of the floor. Your mouth was wide open. 

You told Mitch, “Dams is not this nice.” A pout came from you. 

“Well, now you don’t have to be jealous. You know that you work here now,” she reminded you as she took a tray and began to walk down the bar. You followed her doing and picked up your own tray. Looking up, you gazed over the menu, trying to find something that looked like it would fit in your diet. 

“By the way, everything here is supposed to go hand in hand with a driver’s diet. So pick anything you’d like,” a voice said from behind the counter. A woman with a hairnet smiled as you finally decided on a club sandwich with some chips (the crunchy kind – not French fries). Once you got your food, you walked over to the table next to the window where Mitch was already sitting. 

You quickly remember that you practically left Vito, so you shot him a quick text letting him know where you were. In typical fashion, she just sent a thumbs up emoji. What a dad. 

The two of you ate in silence for a bit, before Mitch spoke up. 

“So kid, tell me a little bit about yourself.” She took a bite of her sandwich. 

You quickly swallowed. “Uh, I’m 20 years old. I’m from a lot of places, didn’t really stay in one place for long. The longest I stayed anywhere was Texas for 5 years (a.n. shameless plug). I’m pretty introverted and don’t normally talk to others first. I have a little apartment in Nice, but now I think I should look for one close to here. I am an only child. And Danny DeVito is my spirit animal.” 

Mitch almost spit out her drink as her shoulders began to shake. That also got you laughing. “What about you?” you questioned back. You were beginning to feel sad because your sandwich was almost gone. 

“Well, I am 35. I have been at Red Bull for two years now. I was an engineer before this and worked on the car. I don’t have any kids.” 

You interrupted her, “Well now you do.” You pointed at yourself before taking a giant slurp of your drink. 

She rolled her eyes before continuing, “I’ve lived in London my whole life. I have a degree in engineering as well. And my favorite season is fall.” 

Small talk continued as you finished your lunch, or almost dinner. As you looked out the window, you saw that the sun was about to begin to set. You hadn’t realized how long everything had taken. A yawn escaped your lips as you and Mitch made your way back to the simulator room. There Vito was waiting for you, looking ready to go. Saying goodbye with a hug, you told Mitch that you’d see her bright and early for the test drive. 

Not wanting to get left behind, you found yourself sticking to Vito as he guided the two of you back down the poster hallway. At least now you were familiar with the turns and twists. Like the past few days, a car was waiting for you outside. Vito slipped into the driver’s seat while you went around and climbed into the passenger side. 

You immediately connected your phone to sound system. You snickered as you chose the song. 

Vito groaned when he heard the opening notes. You could only laugh as the beat started to pick up. 

“Ah-ah Barbie you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind. Jump into the driver seat and put it into speed drive,” you sang, directed at Vito. To hear the base a bit more, you turned the volume up. However, when it came to the next verse, and you were about to start yelling, your phone began to ring. 

Arthur’s contact photo, one of you at his birthday, popped up. You immediately answered the face time and yelled. 

“Dude, you threw off my groove!” His laughs could be heard throughout the car as his face got into the camera range.  

“I’m sorry?” 

“You should be. What’s up?” 

“I wanted to see if you wanted to hang out later tonight? Since I’m here for testing.” You froze and looked at Vito with wide eyes. You quickly pointed your phone towards the roof of the car. 

You mouthed, “What do I do?” You were scared. What were you supposed to say? Oh hey Arthur, I actually signed a multi-year contract with Red Bull two days ago. Sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner? You definitely could not do that. 

Yet, a slight jut of Vito’s head told you that you could tell him the truth. You inhaled sharply. 

“I’m actually not in Paris at the moment.” Arthur paused. . You only hoped that he wouldn’t be mad at you. 

“You’re not? I thought you were going to be sim testing.” 

“I thought so to. And then I might have gotten a text from…” you muttered the last bit. 

“Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.” He put a hand to his ear. 

You huffed before you shouted, clearly overwhelmed. “I got a text from Christian Horner and I’m driving with Red Bull for 2024!” Your shallowed breaths filled the air. Vito’s hand was placed on your knee for comfort. 

“Well, duh. I knew that dummy?” 

“Hello?” you could only get out. Who told him? 

“You do know that even though my brother may not seem to be friends with Max, they actually are. And Max likes to talk, so he told my brother and my brother told me.” Your eyes must have been bulging. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” you sighed, “I didn’t know if I could.” 

Arthur responded, “It’s quite alright. It was fun making you panic for a moment.” 

“You’re an ass. First you interrupt my wonderful concert that Vito was enjoying…” 

“I was not,” Vito leaned towards the phone. 

“As I was saying, men the woman is speaking, and then you decide to make me almost spiral into a panic attack. Not nice TurTur.” You wiggled your finger at the screen. 

He smiled, “I’m actually here in London as well. Thought you might want some company. And Vito invited me to see you drive tomorrow. I’m waiting in your room.” He showed you a room that was almost identical to the one you had at the hotel. You squealed at the thought of seeing him. 

It was a good thing that the car had pulled up to the hotel, because you seat belt flew off in record time. You barely were able to get a quick thank you to the workers before you got to the elevator. You’re sure you pressed the buttons too many times, but the damn thing wouldn’t open any quicker. 

The moment the doors open, you bolted inside, but came into contact with a body, that knocked the two of you over. You said a quick apology before darting to the side and getting in the elevator. You barely saw a neon hoodie and some brown curls before the doors closed. 

Pressing hard down on your floor button, you willed the elevator to move quicker. After what felt like forever, the box dinged. You dashed down the carpeted hallway as you took your key card out of your pocket. 

Although you barely swiped it, the lock beeped and let you into the room. 

Arthur was not expecting you to all but tackle him as you dive bombed into his arms. The forced knocked the both of you off the bed. The pile of limbs and bodies that you and your best friend were ended up in a pile on the floor. You could not stop laughing as you held him tighter. 

You needed him, especially after these past stressful days. Remembering what he did earlier, you pulled back and started to hit him. His hands raised up and tried to defend against your much smaller hands. 

“You” -hit- “are” -smack- “an” -whack- “ass Arthur Leclerc.” 

“Ouch woman, you hurt me,” he feigns as he puts a hand on his heart. Your attacks died down as you hauled yourself off the floor. You held out a hand, he took it, and you lifted him as well. But the moment he was upright, you pushed him over on the bed. His giggles left his mouth. Instead of getting up like you thought he would, he snuggled more into your bed. 

You might as well join him. Hiking your leg up, you rolled him over some before slotting yourself in the space next to him. He let out a noise of complaint, even though he basically opened you with opened arms. 

“I’m glad you’re here. It’s been very stressful,” your words were muffled as you put your head on his chest. 

He let out a scoff, “Sure. You’ve been playing around in the top of the line simulator.” 

Whack. 

“Would you stop that?” he questioned as he dug his fingers into your sides. Laughter soon tumbled out of your lips before you could stop them. 

“Arthur, stop it!” You tried to force his hands away. But because of your smaller build, he was able to continue the attacks. 

A knock at the door saved your life. You all but rolled off the bed, out of Arthur’s arms, and walked to the door. However, you flipped Arthur off before your hand reached the knob. On the other side of the door, Vito stood with his phone in his hand. He looked up once the door was all the way opened. 

“Hi Vito. What’s up?” you asked with head cocked to the side.

“You two up for some karaoke?” He looked over your shoulder at Arthur, who was still sprawled on the bed. 

“I’m down for it. Hey Arthur!” you yelled, Vito wincing at the volume. 

Arthur’s head popped up. “Yeah?” 

“Karaoke?”

He smirked. “Hell yeah.” 

A couple of hours later, you found yourself with Arthur in a karaoke room. Vito had been blacked out for a while on the couch. 

“COUNTRY ROAD, TAKE ME HOME, TO A PLACE, WHERE I BELONG!” Arthur sang into the very cheap looking microphone. 

You continued, sounding as equally bad, “WEST VIRGINA, MOUTAIN MOMMA, COUNTRY ROAD, TAKE ME HoOOoooOOOmE!” 

The song ended and you and Arthur took a mock bow. 

Arthur chanted, “Next song, next song, next song.” Yeah, he was definitely gone. 

“Since you ruined this earlier, I’m picking this one.” You clicked on a button. The familiar beats from earlier that day filled the small room. Arthur groaned from beside you. “Nuh-uh. This is your faut, and now you have to pay the price.” 

Half-heartedly, Arthur began to sing, “She my best friend in the whole world.” He pointed at you while singing the lyrics. You placed your hands on your chest and mocked a sincere look. He only shoved your head away and continued. 

You decided that standing on the table was a good place to sing the chorus, “AH AH BARBIE YOU’RE SO FINE, YOU’RE SO FINE YOU BLOW MY MIND” 

Arthur finally got into it, “JUMP INTO THE DRIVERS SEAT AND PUT IT INTO SPEED DRive…” the music was suddenly shut off. 

An angry looking worker walked in and told you to get off the table and to leave for the night. You sheepishly got down, walked over to Vito with Arthur, woke him up, and you three were on your way. 

The two of you looked like kids who had to be taken home after getting in trouble with the principal at the school. However, that wouldn’t stop the snickers and giggles that soon filled the whole car, Vito included. 

You were glad that it wasn’t too late. The next morning would be terrible if you didn’t have a good night’s sleep. 

Arthur made sure to get what time everyone was leaving before retiring to his room for the night. You made sure to post some things on your Instagram story before heading to bed. 

You were surprised you had gotten some sleep, because when you woke up, you couldn’t stop shaking. Not know if it was from excitement or nervousness, you got ready quickly. There was a fruit bowl in your room. For breakfast, you indulged in a banana and an orange. Vito probably arranged for a bigger breakfast to be served at the practice track. 

You met up with Arthur and Vito in the lobby. You nudged him as you walked passed. 

“You ready?” he asked as he followed you to the car that was waiting under the walkway. 

“As I’ll every be.” There was a slight hitch in your tone that told Arthur everything he needed to know. 

After the two of you climbed into the back seats, and Vito in the passenger seat, Arthur put his arm around you. Just the feeling of his company helped to ease the anxiety that was bubbling inside you. It seemed to grow with each corner that got you closer and closer to the track. 

There would be quite a few people there today, more than you would like. But each person was necessary. The track was farther and out of the city. 

You knew that Mitch would have your suit and helmet ready for you once you got there. You would be debrief on the track and how the car should behave. You would be doing a mock race, but it would still be shorter than most races – about 50 laps or so. 

Your goal that you had gone over with Mitch would be to set one of the fastest test laps. Your time to beat was 1 minute and 19.721 seconds. You thumbs-upped the message and said that you’d try your best. 

The car slowed down as it approached the entrance. And before you knew it, you were in your suit and balaclava as Mitch talked with you once more before you started getting in the car. It was one of the newer cars, the RB 17. 

You saw Christian approach and you checked over a few more things. 

“You like the car?” he asked, nodding his head over to the machine behind him. 

“I love it. Can’t wait to see how she drives. Was she driven for any races?” You were curious and wanted to know. 

He smirked. “That is Max’s championship car.” Your hands froze, holding your zipper. You looked up at Christian, eyes wide. You gulped. 

“Aha, very funny.” 

“I’m not joking.” His face was deadpanned. 

“Well, I will try to be careful with it.” He only laughed and put a hand on your shoulder. 

“You just drive the car like you normally do. The sim showed me everything I need to know.” With that, he walked closer to the wall and put a on a set of headphone.

“No pressure Y/n,” you told yourself. Breathing in and out, you put your helmet on. Arthur decided to walk up and clip the two straps for you, something he often did before your races. You both did your little handshake before he patted you shoulder. He was also given some headphones, along with Vito. They were all counting on you. 

You stepped closer to the car. Lifting your leg, you swung it over, then the other. You shimmied down into the car and connected the things that needed to be connected. The men around you started to lower the car and take off the different machinery. You would start the track on medium tires. You were told that after the first half, you could switch to the softs if you think you needed to. 

The final parts of the car were put on and you were handed the steering wheel. You carefully placed the connect parts together as you felt the car turned on. You could feel it almost breathing. It was alive. 

You were able to taxi the car out onto the mock grid. 

“Alright Y/n, radio check,” Mitch’s voice came on through your helmet. 

“If I can have a walk up song for Vegas, I heard a rumor that that was coming back, and if I get introduced, can it be Life is a Highway? Please?” 

“Radio is working,” Mitch responded. 

“Please Mitch?” you prodded. You heard a sigh as you smiled. 

“We can discuss later. I will ask Christian.” You did a small pump of your hands before getting back into the zone. From where you were, you had a good view of the lights. 

Breathe in. Breathe out. Speed. I am speed. 

Red. Red. Red. 

Green. 

Your feet hit the pedals and off you went for the “warming up” lap. The track had a good mix of straights and turns to warm up the tires. 

The first few laps after went smoothly. But, you knew it wasn’t time for your flying lap. To keep it fair, the past drivers only had one lap to set a time. 

You pressed the button for the radio, “There seems to be some unbalance on Turn 5. I don’t know if it’s the track or the car.” Your voice sounded rattly. 

“Checking,” Mitch responded back at the “pit lane.” 

Christian piped up from her right, “Max has said that before about that exact turn. It’s uncanny.” 

“Ok kid, it seems like it might be an issue with the track. Try to avoid it by slowing down to go wide, but accelerate going out of the apex.” 

“Roger,” you responded. On the next lap, you did exactly that. And you were pleased to see that it actually worked. 

“Balance of the car is good.” 

“Thank you Y/n.” 

“Can I come in for softs? I want to try the flying lap.” 

“Ok, box for softs.” 

You pulled your car into the pit lane. It wasn’t the fastest pit stop you’ve had, but it really didn’t matter. You did a few laps on the softs. Although you knew the track would eat them up, you also knew that you did your best laps on slightly used softs. 

Christian spoke up again, “She knows that softs run out quickly. She should have done the flying lap on the first one.” 

Now, Arthur talked first, “She does all of her best laps on slightly used softs. It’s how she’s won so many races. Because Y/n knows her tires better than anyone.” Christian hummed as he watched your dot go around the animated track. 

The radio beeped as a message came from your car, “I’m gonna go for it. Starting the flying lap.” 

Mitch responded, “Copy.” The team waited with baited breath and you seemed to glide around the turns. 

You were truly one with whatever car you drove. 

The clocked seemed to tick in slow motion as you finally came to the last straight. Once you passed the line, you slowed down just a bit. 

“Ok Mitch, how did I do?” you asked. 

She breathed before responding, “One minute, nineteen point 7 seconds. Congratulations kid, you have broken our current record. Your cheers could be heard over the radio. They mixed with the team’s own cheering as well. You were just .021 seconds faster than whoever held the previous record. And you did it in a two, almost, three year old car. 

“Who used to hold the position?” 

This time, Christian’s voice came on over the radio, “It was Max, kid.” 

You let out a laugh of disbelief, before realizing that Christian was on the radio. 

“Christian, can my walk up song for Vegas be Life is a Highway. Please.” You waited for his answer. 

“Sure kid.” 

“Yes! Best day ever! Can I got another lap? I want to put this baby into speed drive. Vito! Arthur!”

“On it kid.” 

“Got it Y/n!” 

You guessed one of them held their phones to the radio. This time you would hear the entire song. You knew it. You shimmied back down into the seat and floored the throttle. 

Tag List : @awekbachira @lightdragonrayne @leilanixx @angsthology @digitalizeduniqueness @topguncultleader @landosgirlxoxo @gods-menace @itsjustkhaos @thefandomswhre @alwaysboredsworld @vellicora @bintuabbas @sam-is-lost @empress-kimiko

[johnwickb1tsch]

bittersweet ~ a yandere!John Wick x fem!reader sunshine/grump coffee shop AU... Part 27 all chapters

WARNING: NSFW, SEXUAL CONTENT, YANDERE SH!T. Plz take care. I luv u all. 😘

-“I have a surprise for you.”

Hearing this fills you with what is perhaps a disproportionate amount of trepidation.

However…consider the source.

“Oh?”

“I wasn’t going to give it to you yet, but…I think I’d better.”

You are not sure what to think about this, so you remain silent.

He takes your hand, leading you up the stairs.

As you walk down the hallway you are filled with more and more apprehension, convincing yourself that there is some trick he’s pulling around the corner. He has been disappearing on and off, refusing to tell you where he was going, but vaguely hinting that he was cooking something up for you.

You fear it’s something you don’t want at all, like a red room fully fitted with racks and restraints and hooks hanging from the ceiling. If he frames that as a gift you swear you will pull a Bertha, and burn this personal version of Thornfield Hall to the ground.

You do not like it, when he insists on covering your eyes as he walks you through a door close to your bedroom upstairs. By the time you take three steps into the room you have damn near worked yourself into a lather, a fine trembling running through your limbs.

“Shh, baby, you’re going to like this,” he assures you, which is no real assurance at all.

Five more steps before he stops you, removing his hands with a flourish.

Your heart leaps to your throat.

Floor to ceiling windows let in a flood of morning light to the room. There is a big table, and copious shelves, and…an easel.

You realize he has made you an art studio.

Your feet move forward of their own volition, taking in the various boxes stacked on the table and the shelves. They’re art supplies, and you recognize brand names that you could hardly afford on your barista’s salary. Sennelier. Windsor and Newton pigments, top tier. Fine brushes from France and Germany that cost fifty dollars a piece. Tablets in every size and every tooth of Canson paper.

“Oh. My. God.”

“You…like it?”

He almost sounds vulnerable in that moment, which is entirely ridiculous.

You imagine how you would have reacted, if your relationship had been normal. You would have thrown your arms around his neck, showered him with kisses.

This studio is everything you’ve ever dreamed of having, as an artist.

As it is…he is buying your complacency, if not your love, trying to distract you from your situation with expensive trappings and let’s face it—adult arts and crafts.  

It hurts.

And yet, you know you’d better fucking say something, or Mr. Nice Wick is going to flee the scene.

“How did you know?” you ask, fingering a box of brand-new oil pastels. “It’s perfect in every way.”

You are trying your best to sound happy about it, but your throat is tight, and you know he’s going to get mad about it any second now.

He couldn't have surprised you more, if he'd stood on tiptoe and performed a pirouette, as when he simply gathers you into his arms. 

“I had help from the owner of the art supply store,” he admits. “Pretty sure they'll be sending me a Christmas card for the rest of my life.” 

You laugh at that, settling into the hollow at the base of his throat. It feels so good, just to be held like this. A part of you cautions not to trust it—but most of you is so exhausted from living on edge, you just take the comfort at face value. 

“Did you go to Mr. Morton’s shop?” you ask, referring to the local art stop in town. You don’t know why this gives life to a glimmer of hope in you. It’s not like the kind old man would have any reason to suspect you’re here, with John Wick, just because the mysterious newcomer suddenly had a yen to buy out the store of all its art supplies.

“No, I went a little farther afield.”

Almost as though he was covering his tracks.

“Oh.” You cannot conceal the note of disappointment in your tone. “John…” You muster your courage for the next question, hoping you won’t blow the day all to shit, but you suddenly need to know. “Am I a missing person?”

He presses his lips to your forehead, and speaks quietly against your skin. “Technically, no. A friend of mine will ping your passport entry at JFK soon. You’ll tender your resignation with regrets at the coffee house. I’ll have your little apartment cleaned out. You don’t need it anymore.”

He really did think all this through. You digest the details of his Machiavellian plan rather distantly, as though you are on the outside watching from above. He has orchestrated your disappearance masterfully, but also in a way that won’t raise questions with authorities should you happen to resurface in his company. In a twisted way this gives you a sliver of hope, that maybe he doesn’t intend to keep you locked away forever.

A fool’s optimism, perhaps, but at the moment it’s all you have.

“Where’s my phone?”

“At the bottom of the Grand Canal, I’m afraid.”

“That’s littering.”

He just snorts in answer. You find that you regret the fact that all your photos are lost. You never did back them up on the cloud. How strange, that such a record of your life could be erased with the destruction of one electronic device.

Talking about this doesn’t seem to scuttle his mood, so it gives you the courage to ask, “Can I come in here whenever I want?”

You are so hopeful in your request that you sense him war with himself, in the end unable to outright say no. “If you're a good girl,” he qualifies with his lips still on your forehead. 

Hiding beneath his chin, you grind your teeth at this caveat, but don't voice aloud any of the pithy comebacks that come to mind. 

 Then you notice your sketchbook from Italy is sitting on the worktable, along with your custom bound copy of Jane Eyre.

After everything, you’re not sure why seeing it there, knowing it had been in his hands, makes your heart skitter in your chest. He follows your gaze, a dark eyebrow lifting. It is filled with sketches of him from before you met up in Venice. The whole fucking thing is practically a confession of the grinding longing you'd felt for him, in the first couple weeks after you left. You can’t deny it now, but you can choose not to acknowledge it aloud.

He stares you down, clearly hoping for…something. A confession, perhaps, or at least an admission. You feel like a bug under a magnifying glass in the sun, fixed with that gaze. But you hold fast, and in the end he sighs. “I’m going to go clean up breakfast,” he tells you. “Have fun with your new toys.”

He kisses your forehead before quitting the room, and once again you fancy that if one were to squint, you could almost mistake the two of you for a normal couple.

-He actually leaves you to your own devices until darkness begins to fill the trees beyond the window.   

By the time he comes to collect you he has changed into a black button down and dark jeans. It suits him to his bare toes, and inwardly you sigh. Why does this devil of a man have to be so goddamned handsome?

“So, what has my little artist made today?”

You are loathe to admit, the answer is nothing.

You opened every box, gazed at the pastels and paints and pencils longingly. And yet with charcoal in hand the fine white paper taunted you, inspiration an illusive thing.

You had no idea what you wanted to draw, or paint, or make. The past week has been so jarring, you would think you would be bursting with something, but all you draw is a blank. 

You shrug, curled up in the comfy chair by the easel, your drawing pad open in front of you. He takes the seat opposite, regarding you quizzically.

“You don’t like it in here?”

“I love it,” you assure him, and its no complacent lie. “I just…have been soaking it in.”

“Hmm.”

You can tell that he’s disappointed, and your treacherous heart skips a beat.

You failed to turn on any lights, as the sun is setting. John flicks on a single lamp on the side table, washing his one side in a dramatic glow. It is as though something clicks into place, as you look upon him. Your dark angel, your sinister lover, your obsessive captor, a man you should hate, but you are drawn to him like a moth to the flame.

Perhaps now, he shall also be your muse. Was ever there a man better suited to embody the mysteries of Caravaggian shadow?

“Don’t move,” you say softly, and begin to draw.

[cinnamondumz]

Miasma

Statement of Hannah Dean, regarding a sick patient she took care of. Original statement given August 12th, 20XX. Audio recording by Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute.

Statement begins.

My name is Hannah Dean, I work as a doctor at Pearl Garden Hospital. Let’s just get right to it. I don’t know when she was admitted into the hospital, where she came from, who her parents were, nothing. All I knew was that I was to be taking care of her. When I first entered her room, she was sat in her cot and stared right at me. She looked to be around, 13 or 14 years old? Had greasy hair and old bandages around her arms and legs. I’m not sure why I didn’t notice how everything was so… dirty, at first. The walls were stained, the floor was grotty, and the patient herself was overall, filthy. I walked over to her nonetheless and introduced myself, like I always did. I tried to run a few checkups on her, but as soon as I got close I felt a wave of sickness… emanate from her, somehow. I immediately stepped back, and that sickly feeling went away.

Have you ever heard of the Miasma theory? Where diseases are supposedly caused by bad air and such? This patient—I’m not sure how else to explain this. She had… bad air. There was like an invisible ball of gaseous sickness all around her. It made me want to puke. She gazed up at me with an innocent and confused look, and I couldn’t help but feel bad for her. I went back to do a physical exam on her, checking her skin and eyes, looking into her throat and ears, checking her pulse, the usual. It was hard to focus though, the awful feeling of nausea and illness ruminating off of her and right back at me. She was in a rough shape from the looks of it, she could’ve be suffering from a myriad of things. I figured I’d prescribe some acetaminophen, so I told her I would be back, and left the hospital room.

When I exited, I instantly noticed the change in air quality. It was so much more fresh and breathable outside of the patient’s room, despite still being in a building with what should’ve been the same conditions. That’s when I realized the difference in cleanliness as well, the halls had a scent of rubbing alcohol and chlorine, but her room… honestly, was foul. I went to grab the medicine for her when a friend of mine and also fellow co-worker, Wendy Lovett, bumped into me. She was surprised to see me and said that I looked unwell. I didn’t know what she was talking about until she showed me with her phone. I looked like I had a cold or something, but it wasn’t that serious, could just be the long hours getting to me. I mentioned I was getting some medicine for the patient in room 43, but Wendy looked more concerned for me. She told me there wasn’t a patient in room 43. I said that there definitely was one, and that she could come with me to take care of the patient if she really didn’t believe me.

We came back to the patient and Wendy wrinkled her nose as she entered. The patient still sat on that cot. I poured one chewable tablet of the medicine in my hand and instructed her how to take it. I’m not sure why, but she looked a little disappointed when she took it. Wendy walked over to the patient and I could see her face shift from mild disgust to utter repulsion. She must have gotten a little close and experienced that… bad air. Once the patient was done, I gave her a glass of water and Wendy practically dragged me out. She shut the door to the room and told me that patient was not normal. It was hard to disagree with Wendy, there was something strange about her and we both felt sick after being around her. We agreed that I would give the responsibility of taking care of this patient to someone else, probably more capable of dealing with sicker patients. The next day, I asked another doctor, Vincent Roussel, if he could handle the patient for me, as I was feeling ill. He begrudgingly agreed, and I stayed home.

I came back to work feeling much better after that, but I couldn’t help but notice Vincent looked really bad. His usually kept hair was a mess, he had stains all over his shirt, and his glasses were smudged and crooked. I asked if he was okay. Vincent glared at me and told me he was just fine, but judging from his cough and sniffly nose, he was not. I didn’t see him for the rest of the day, until I walked past room 43 nearing the end of my shift, the door slightly askew. Curiosity got the better of me, and I took a little peak inside. The room looked a lot dirtier than I remember, now with insects crawling and flying around the walls and floors. Vincent was now lying in the cot and he looked like a corpse, but he was still alive, the shaky rise and fall of his chest showed that. The patient stood beside the cot, remarkably looking a whole lot healthier, with her hand on Vincent’s shoulder. I think she was saying or whispering things, but I couldn’t hear what. I… I quickly left after seeing that.

Vincent was found dead in the hospital a few days later. The police haven’t found anything about what could have caused his death. I’ve only told Wendy about seeing the patient with Vincent so far, since I doubt the police would find the information helpful. We’ve both been avoiding room 43, even though it’s probably perfectly normal and clean now. That patient… I don’t know. I haven’t seen her since. I hope I never do.

Statement ends.

[thatssonanii]

Chapter Five

A/N: The elusive chapter 5 that everyone has been asking for is here! I hope you all enjoy it! It'll be Thanksgiving and Christmas in the next few chapters so be prepared! Comment, reblog, share! Updates depend on engagement! 💛

Warnings: Cursing, "affection"; excuse typos; MINORS DNI

Masterlist

Chapter 4

Issues at the Performance Center kept all talent out of the center for the day, giving Zilla more free time than he anticipated.He made plans with his new found friend, Bronco, to get lunch and hang out for a few hours. Before that, the two of them stopped by the hospital. 

The first face they saw was Toni, who was squinting at them with the tablet in her hand. She chuckled softly with a hand on her hip.

“Why you lookin’ at me like that, Toni?” Zilla asked with a smirk.

“Cause you and your friend here look like trouble for my ED.” She responded jokingly. “What can I help you two with? And if it’s Moriah the answer is no.”

 Zilla flashed her a quick smirk then motioned to Bronco. “This my boy, Bronco. Bronco, this my friend, Toni”

Laughing, Bronco threw his hand up speaking, “What’s goin on, Ms. Toni?”

“Toni is fine, I am not an old lady. But nice to meet you, Bronco,” she looked between the two of them, “Bronco and Zilla … those names sound like trouble. I’m still waiting to hear what the two of you need.”

They laughed softly. Zilla went to respond then he saw Moriah going into a room.

“What room is that?” he asked, nodding towards it.

Toni turned momentarily then shook her head. “That’s the break room and where we keep our things, Zilla.”

“Mmm, I’ll be back then. Bronco, keep our friend company. Make sure nobody interrupts our ED.” Zilla flashed another smirk before heading towards the room.

“Our? Boy, this is my ED and that room is for employees only,” she called out after him.

Getting into the room, he snuck up behind his girlfriend putting his hands over her eyes. She jumped then relaxed.

“Toni is gonna kick your ass, Isayah.”

He laughed, taking his hands down then turned her around, placing a kiss on her lips. “Naaah, she know I’m in here. This our ED now.”

“Yeah okay,” she laughed, “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at the PC, sir. Please tell me you didn’t cuss those people out.”

“No, Fat,” he laughed. “There was some kinda leak or some shit so we had to go. Me and Bronco was gon kick it but first I had to come see my Fat in these scrubs. Damn,” he emphasized his point by smacking her ass roughly making her squeal.

“You and your heavy ass hands have seen me and felt me up enough, time to go hang out with your friend.”

“Never enough. I need you to check something out for me though before I go. It’s been bothering me.”

She frowned a little, staring up at him. “What’s wrong? Is it your finger you jammed?”

“Nah, not my finger.”

“Then what, baby? I’m free, I can look at it now if it can’t wait until tonight.”

Zilla pulled her body closer to his so she could feel his erection poking her.

“Zay, no,” she giggled softly. “I’m working.”

“I’ll be quick.”

She sucked her teeth, making him laugh. “You and I both know that’s a lie. It’s never quick.”

“I can try,” he laughed, “Lemme try.” 

Leaning down, he kissed her lips then moved to her neck as he walked her backwards into a wall. She moaned softly, losing the fight with him and herself. With ease, he pushed his hand past her waistband to massage her through her panties. 

“Zay,” she moaned softly, “Come on, baby.”

“I got you, I got you.”

Just as he pushed her panties to the side, Toni swung the door open with Bronco behind her laughing.

“This is why you’re gonna be banned from my ED. Out, out, out.”

The couple laughed as they disentangled. Zilla fixed her pants back, kissed her then stepped away. 

“Don’t do me like that, Toni. Ain’t she a nurse, I needed a check up,” he joked.

Bronco and Moriah laughed as Toni attempted and failed to not laugh. She pointed out the door. 

“Check up my ass, get out. I’m sure she makes house calls,” she laughed, “Now get out, you’ll see her after work.”

“You are so embarrassing, can’t take you nowhere.” She joked, following him out of the room. “Oh, babe, is this your friend?”

Zilla nodded, dodging Toni’s swat. “Yeah, this my boy, Bronco. I was gonna introduce y'all after my check up but somebody was bein rude.”

“Keep talking and you’ll be banned from the whole hospital.” 

“Naah, you know you like when I interrupt our ED.” He joked going to hug the charge nurse. “But Bronco, this my lady, Fat. Fat, this Bronco.”

Bronco extended his hand to her still laughing. ‘“Nice to meet you, Fat.”

“Moriah or Rye is fine,” she said shaking his hand, “Your friend doesn’t like when other people call me Fat. I’m so glad to meet you, I’m so proud of him for making a friend.”

Zilla sucked his teeth, “See, you could’ve left that off. Don’t start.”

“Oh dang, I don’t have my phone to take a picture. Bronco, please take a picture of y'all. Mama has got to see this.”

Bronco laughed agreeing to her request, only for Zilla to push him towards the exit. They both threw goodbyes over their shoulders as they left. Moriah turned to Toni with a smile on her face.

“You could’ve waited ten minutes, hater.”

“I would have but I’m so tired of them constantly calling you.”

“Should’ve told them I was with a patient,” Moroah joked adjusting her top, “Who was calling me?”

“Um pediatrics, just go there,” Toni rushed out as a patient was wheeled in by EMS, “Go on, it sounded important.”

Getting up to pediatrics, Moriah went to the nurse's station and waited patiently for one of the nurses to get free. Meanwhile Thomas spotted her just as he was leaving a patient's room,  after checking his breath he approached her. 

"Ms. DeBreaux, long time no see." He greeted her joyfully. 

The sound of his voice made her groan inwardly. When she turned around, she made no effort to hide her frown. 

"And it'll be even longer if I have anything to do with it."

"Oh come on, it's been a few years. If I can forgive you then I'm sure you can forgive me. Don't you think so, Mo?" 

Mo.

She hated being called that from the moment it tumbled out of his mouth while they were dating. No matter how much she told him so, he was always bent on calling her that. 

"No, I don't. Please don't tell me you work here."

The cocky, snobbish smile that she hated made an appearance. 

"I'm in my last semester before residency so technically I do. Looks like we're co-workers."

"Only because there's nothing I can do about it. As long as you stay out of the ED and out of my way, there won't be any problems," she spat, "Excuse me, I need to find out who's been paging me."

He chuckled. "Look no further, Mo. I had a question about a patient from the ED."

She tilted her head the way she'd seen her boyfriend do many times. "Number one, it is Nurse DeBreaux and you will address me as nothing else. Number two, unless the actual doctor has a question do not page or call for me. And number three, get rid of whatever thought you have about me cause it's not happening."

Thomas's smile never left his face as he watched her go off on him. She always was a challenge but as long as Nadine was on his side, he had no worries. 

"Can I at least take you out to dinner to catch up?"

"I'll make this quick for you," she said folding her arms across her chest, "I'm not interested and will never be interested. I'm happy with Zilla, something I never was with you."

"The jailbird," he scoffed. "You can't be serious?"

"Oh I'm very serious. And if you feel like you can't accept that, you're not gonna like what I do. Are we clear, Thomas?"

"Crystal."

Turning on her heels, she made her way to the elevators and angrily pressed the down arrow. 

"Enjoy the rest of your shift, Nurse DeBreaux," he called out as she stepped onto the elevator. 

After dinner the couple cuddled on their sofa to watch a movie. Halfway into it there was a knock at their door surprising them both. Slowly, Zilla set up and paused the movie. 

"You expecting your friend?" She asked softly. 

"Nah. He don't even know where we stay. You?"

"Nope, same here." She grabbed her phone. "Want me to call 911?"

He sucked his teeth as he got up and slid his feet into his slides. "Don't need them when Zilla here. If you scared just go in the room and lock the door, Fat."

"Don't gotta tell me twice," she whispered scurrying off to their bedroom doing as he said. 

He looked out of the peephole, cursing when he realized it was covered. After unlocking the door, he snatched it open ready to jump on whoever was on the other side. 

"Who the fuck," he barked, stopping halfway and laughed, "Oh shit. What's up, Mr. DeBreaux? My bad."

Hassan laughed as they slapped hands then walked in with his duffle bag on his shoulder. "You got, young blood. That's how you 'posed to answer the door at ten o'clock at night. Sound like you was about to mess me up man."

Zilla laughed as he took the duffle bag, putting it on the ottoman. "I was till I found out it was you, Mr. DeBreaux."

"Hassan. I been telling you for a while to call me Hassan."

"My bad, I'm used to bein all polite and shit with Ms. Nadine."

He chuckled looking around. "Well I'm not her and I don't care, son. Where Rye at? I know she ain't sleep already."

"Nah, her scary ass went to hide in the room when you knocked," he laughed going over to their bedroom door and knocked, "Fat, you ca' come out."

After a few moments, she peeked her head out of the door.

"You sure? Everything okay?"

Zilla laughed. "Bring your scary self out here, Fat."

With an eye roll, she opened the door all the way to come out. 

"I wasn't scared, I was back up."

"You still using that same old lie. Should be ashamed," Hassan joked, smiling widely at his daughter. She squealed loudly, going to jump on him. "Safe to say you missed your old man, Rye?"

"Daddy, I didn't know you were coming!"

Hassan kissed her head after he sat her down. "That's the point of a surprise, babygirl. I wanted to come see you two, it's been awhile."

Moriah squinted. "It's been awhile or Mama sent you?"

Hassan laughed, "I'm grown, she didn't send me although she did ask me to come down. But I also missed my babygirl and my boy. Wanted to see this sofa Zilla was raving about."

"Oh my God," she grumbled, hiding her face, "I'm gonna kill you, Fatu."

Zilla and Hassan both laughed at her embarrassment.

"My bad, Fat but if she didn't bother you then I wouldn't have said it. Sooo," he sang out. "Technically it's her fault. Right, Hassan?"

"Right. Anyway, it's late and ya daddy not as young as he used to be so where am I sleeping? I'm fine with the sofa unless you two would like it."

Moriah groaned loudly. "That's it! I'm going to take my shower. Fatu, you figure it out."

Waiting for Moriah to go into the room, Hassan and Zilla went to sit on the sofa, Zilla moving their blanket out of the way. They sat in a comfortable silence while Hassan went over what he wanted to say in his head. 

“I know that Nadine is a lot, I’m not gonna say that she isn’t.”

“But?”

“That’s the thing,” Hassan chuckled, “I know that there should be a but I can;t find one to give. The only ones that I can think of don’t align with how I feel about everything.”

“How you feel about it?” Zilla asked. “I know you told me before but that was a minute ago and I’m sure it was the kid friendly version.”;

“It was most definitely the kid friendly one. Nadine is mad at me and she’s taking it out on the two of you.I don’t agree with it, I tell it to her all the time but she denies it.I’m not Rye though I know she’s lying to me.”

Zilla scratched his head as he leaned back on the sofa, in thought. He had a lot that he wanted to say but most of it would be directed to Nadine and not Hassan. 

“Why she doin that? She could just tell you.”

Hassan glanced at him, a smirk on his face. “When Rye is mad at you, does she tell you or does she act like a petulant child until you make her tell you?”

“Second one, he answered quickly. 

“Okay so there’s your answer. My daughter didn’t get that from me, she got that from her mother. Except I haven’t tried to push her on it, I could but that’s not my job anymore.”

“But as Fat dad, ain’t you supposed to?”

“It was when she was younger but she’s got you.Trust me, you’re doing a good job with getting it out of her.” Hassan paused to lean back and rested his head against the back of the sofa. “I’ll give you a little advice, the more you push her on it the more you’re gonna find out about what happened while you were away. Nadine did some terrible shit to Moriah some of which I didn’t even find out about till she was in college.”

“That bad?”

“That bad, son. When you hear some of these things I want you to control yourself and remember that Moriah had no choice, she was a child. Remember that she is not the enemy. Promise me.”

Zilla chuckled, glancing over at the older man. “You scarin’ me. Can’t be that bad.”

“I don’t mean to scare you but I needed to warn you. It’s not my place to do much more than that. Alright?’” Hassan waited for him to nod then sent a wink his way. “Good, now if you don’t mind this old man is tired and is ready to go to bed. Can I have a blanket and a couple pillows, please, son in law?”

“Nadine would have a fit if she heard you call me that.” Zilla laughed.

Hassan chuckled, resting his eyes. “I’ve said to her, I always call you that when I’m talking about you to other people. She throws her little fit but I don’t care. She knows like I know that it’s only a matter of time before you and Rye get married. Am I right?” 

Standing, Zilla stretched his arms over his head letting out an exaggerated yawn to buy himself a few more seconds. He went to their linen closet to grab what Hassana asked for, on his way back to the sofa he noticed Hassan’s eyes were still closed, a little hopeful that the older man had fallen asleep. When he sat the comforter and pillows down, one of Hassan’s eyes opened and looked right at Zilla.

“I think that was a question, son.”

“Uh yeah, you right. You right.”

At that, both of Hassan’s eyes opened, giving Zilla his full attention. “Second thoughts?”

“Nah, nah no second thoughts. I just … I just wanna be able to take care of her and shit before we get married cause I know once we get married we gon have lil Zillas and shit and,” he paused to take a breath, “I just wanna make sure Fat and the lil ones is taken care of and don’t have to worry about shit and she don’t have to work.”

“Has she given you any indication that she is unhappy having to work right now and help pay bills?”

“Nah. She always happy.”

“Okay so don’t worry about that other stuff. As long as she’s happy and you’re happy that’s what matters” He said closing his eyes once more. “If she cared about being taken care of and not working and all that she would’ve stayed with that arrogant ass fool she brought to my house.”

Zilla laughed, going to sit on the arm of the sofa. “You talkin’ bout the dude from college?”

“Yup. Fool thought just because Nadine liked him that I was gonna be on board with him. Didn’t happen,” Hassan explained softly. “He couldn’t have been as smart as he thought he was because if he was then he would know Nadine didn’t actually like him. He was simply a pawn to her.”

“I don’t mean no disrespect but I don’t get how you married her. I’m glad you did cause yall gave me Fat but she … she’s her.”

Hassan sighed. “That’s a story for another time. Go on and get you some sleep, I’ll be alright out here.”

After making sure he was actually okay and checking the locks, Zilla went to the bedroom finding Moriah lying across their king size bed sleeping with her phone in her hand. Chuckling to himself, he gently pulled the phone from her hand and put it on the charger then adjusted her so she was lying on her side of the bed under the covers. He knelt at her bedside watching her face, searching for any mark or blemish he hadn’t noticed before. The face he stared at lovingly was the face he dreamed about all those years he was away. He could feel a pang of sadness when he remembered towards the end of his time that he started to forget what her face looked like. Forgetting was a consequence of his actions he never anticipated.Touching her cheek gently, he rubbed his thumb back and forth against the soft skin, a smile finding its way to his face when she scrunched her face and leaned into his touch. 

“Whatever she did to you while I was gone,” he spoke softly, almost a whisper, “I’m sorry. I’m so damn sorry, Fat. I thought I knew all the wrongs I hadda right but I don’t and I’m still learning. Zilla gon get right though. I promise.”

Leata sat on the idea for a couple of days, she knew she would do it but she was putting it off for as long as she could. A conversation with Nadine never ceased to leave her with a headache but for her kids she would endure it. It would be a lie to say that she didn’t miss the days when she and Nadine were friends, she missed how loving and carefree Nadine used to be. After mourning the death of her husband, she then had to mourn the death of a friendship that she cherished. 

On her drive to the store, she called up her old friend.

“Hello, Leata. How are you today?”

“I’m alright, can’t complain. And you?”

“The same as you. Is everything okay? Are they okay?” Nadine asked genuinely concerned. 

She chuckled, focusing on the road. “They’re fine, they’re okay. Are you busy?”

“No, I was just watching TV. I can talk.”

Taking a moment, Leata merged into the next lane before continuing. 

“Well I was thinking that you and I could go visit the kids for Thanksgiving since they won’t be able to come home.”

Nadine sat quietly on the line for a moment. “Us going to visit them?”

“Yes, us. Me and you. One of his brothers may come as well but probably just us.” She explained. “Is that something you might want to do?”

She hummed for a moment in thought. “You know what I think I do. Haven’t seen my baby in months and I do miss her.”

The excitement in Nadine’s voice was a little weird to hear but she assumed that it was excitement to see Moriah.

“Good, I’ll send you the dates and flight information, I’ll take care of the tickets.” Leata informed her. “I was thinking of staying for a week or so.”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll take care of the hotel. We don’t want them to feel cramped in the apartment with all of us in it,” Nadine said sweetly. “Me, you and your son. Right?”

“You don’t have to do that, Nadine. Really, we’ve got it.”

“No, no, no. You’re buying the tickets, the least I can do is pay for the rooms. Okay?”

After ending their call, Leata felt relieved and surprisingly without a headache. When she gets to the store, she sends a text to Hassan letting him know that their conversation went well and the two of them would be visiting Florida for Thanksgiving. She hoped that with her there, Nadine wouldn’t irritate and poke at their children as much but she knew better. All she could was hope for the best.

“Toni! Toni, wait up!”

Groaning inwardly, Toni stopped in the middle of the parking garage and waited for Thomas to catch up to her. She stared at him as he tried to catch his breath.

“Damn you walk fast,” he chuckled, still catching his breath.”I thought I was fast but you’re clearly faster.”

“I know you did not stop me from leaving to tell me I walk fast.”

Thomas cleared his throat as he met her stare. He attempted to give her a small smile which she didn’t return. 

“I just wanted to ask you something, if I can. Can I?”

“You have two minutes and then I’m walking away.”

“Okay, okay … I uh Nurse DeBreaux doesn’t seem to like me very much and I was told that you and her are kinda close so I was wondering,” his voice trailed off seeing Toni’s facial expression change. 

“If you’re wanting me to talk to her for you then the answer is no. Quite frankly, I don’t like you much either,” she told him honestly. “You’re always interrupting my ED, constantly paging Nurse DeBreaux about patients she’s sent up like she doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

He was taken aback at how honest she was but he was prepared for it. The co-workers he’d spoken to about her let him know that she doesn’t mince words and she’s a straight shooter. Clearly, they meant every word.

“Damn, I deserve that. I’m sorry about interrupting your ED. I will try not to do that anymore.”

Toni hummed, looking down at her watch. “55 seconds.”

Thomas played with his hands. “I just wanna make up for the bad impression I made on her. Can you just help me with that? What can I do to fix it?”

“If you want to fix it, try staying away from her for a few days or a week,” Toni paused as a light bulb went off in her head, “You like her. You like Moriah. That’s why you’re constantly calling her and bothering me right now.”

Thomas chuckled. “You caught me, I do.”

“Well let me give you a piece of advice, she’s in a relationship with a man she loves and he loves her. A man that I’m sure could break you in half if you keep bothering her.” Toni deadpanned. “Get rid of whatever little crush you have cause it’s going nowhere fast. Your two minutes are up. Good bye.”

Toni turned on her heels leaving Thomas standing there and finished her walk to her car. Before pulling off she sent a text to Moriah, asking her to call when she had the time. Although she knew that whenever Thomas crossed paths with Zilla that would nip it all in the bud, she wanted her friend to know that he was lurking around.  

[illarian-rambling]

Thanks for the tag @elsie-writes! This, uh, is an old one lol

Five Lines Tag

My lines:

A sad line

A line about a book/reading

A line about fighting

A fun line

A line about hopes and dreams

I'll pull from End Times :)

A Sad Line

Like a hive of bees, the Heralds set to work immediately with their chisels and black paint. End turned its back to them and, by Izjik’s guess, began inspecting another tunnel as its route out. However, its position gave her a clear view of those who had fallen to the chaplain’s muskets. Her heart dropped as she caught sight of round spectacles speckled with blood.

No, no, no, don’t do this to me, kid, she pleaded. Solane lay prone, bleeding from a shot to her knee. Izjik barely contained her prayer of relief as she noticed the girl was still breathing. It must’ve been a glancing shot if her leg was still attached.

Yet, no one tended to her, or the other, more severely injured. Those who could walk were patched up quickly, but anyone unable to move was left where they’d fallen. There was no room for stragglers in End’s grand march.

There was nothing Izjik could do—no words she could say to sway her captor that wouldn’t just make things worse for her or the cultists. Solane couldn’t survive a wound like that unaided, though she might last an excruciatingly long time down here in the dark with her waterskin and cook’s supplies.

Spirits, girl, I’m so sorry, Izjik cried silently. At least she was unconscious now. Perhaps she would stay that way until the end.

A Line About A Book/Reading

“Pasty, you’re never going to believe what I found!”

Grinning madly, the Amaranthi set a stack of stone tablets on the table. Twenari gasped softly as she took in the geometrical, chisel-wrought script. How had the Devarises gotten their hands on those?

His face unreadable, Sepo ran his fingers across the siren tablets. Djek put his hand on the man’s shoulder with a smile.

“I can’t read siren, but I know we’re looking for major centers of religion, so I figured there’d be something about that in these things,” he said.

Sepo shuffled through the tablets, seeming to skim their titles. Twenari examined the ones he set aside. They weren’t bound or marked in any way—in fact, it seemed like each tablet was its own, contained volume. The script, though clearly made with a chisel, was breathtakingly intricate. Did each character of Llanaodan contain greater meaning than their Janazi counterparts? She figured they must, with such a constrained medium.

“You’re right,” Sepo finally admitted. “A fair few are religious. I’m not giving you credit for that though, because it’d be more impressive if you found nothing religious among siren writings. Even still, we already know the seat of siren religion—I grew up there for fuck’s sake.”

A Line About Fighting

The man cried out as he sent a net of shadows flying towards End’s head, but it or Izjik knew the feint for what it was. It jumped over the hidden patch of sticky darkness lurking in its path before dropping into a roll just in time to avoid the net.

Djek sent forth a flurry of dark spears as he retreated. He needed to keep distance between them. However, that was pretty fucking hard when End reacted like it could see the spell before he even cast it. It dodged the needle-quick strikes with a bored fluidity.

Then, it was right next to him.

Djek blinked in surprise. He hadn’t even seen it move! That was all he was able to process before a fist drove into his solar plexus. He doubled over, coughing, only to realize his mistake too late.

The short selkie drove her knee into his chin—just like he’d seen her do a thousand times with taller opponents—and everything went white. He didn’t even have the air to cry out, the space of mind to make a sigil, before she stood him up again with a monster of an uppercut and proceeded to pummel his ribs like they owed her money.

Vision swimming Djek tried for a weak hook, but End caught his hand easily. It grinned with Izjik’s face.

“You sorcerers….” It tisked disapprovingly. “All bluster from fifty feet away. But up close you’re nothing.”

A Fun Line

“Nah dude, you got thrown through a stone balcony like three days ago. Keep watch. I might not be some country bumpkin, but how hard can finding sticks in a forest be?”

Somewhere in the dark, Djek caught a glimpse of abyssal eyes narrowed into something almost like appraisal. The Amaranthi found it highly telling that Sepo hadn’t just told him to bite it immediately. He was probably worse off than either human suspected—not that he’d admit it on pain of death.

“Look for dry wood in a variety of sizes,” Sepo acquiesced with a sigh.

Djek smothered a giggle. “And I’ll bet you’re an expert at looking for dry wood in a variety of sizes, huh?”

A twig flew out of the darkness and impacted his forehead. “You’re a child.”

“Avoid any Nabafyrian cedar,” Twenari added. Either the innuendo had sailed over the girl’s head or she just didn’t care. Honestly, it was a toss-up. “It can explode when exposed to intense heat.”

“That’s…. Sure, whatever. Exploding trees.” Djek cracked his knuckles with a sigh and began to make his way into the underbrush. “Run fast if you hear me scream.”

“The head start will be appreciated.”

“Run towards me, dumbass!”

A Line About Hopes And Dreams

What would his family say? It’d been even longer since he’d thought of them and even longer still since he’d seen them. But even so… Djek pictured a tiny, rickety apartment in Fayuki’s industrial district. It was filled with grime from the air outside and noisy with the sound of too many mouths and not enough food. He pictured his mother’s rusty eyes and his father’s murky hazel. Out of all his siblings, Djek had been the only one born with eyes of true, Amaranthi crimson.

They would die if he failed, those who probably weren’t dead of starvation or industrial accidents or redlung already. Sure, everyone else would die, too. Sepo and Twenari, Izjik and Daedryn, all of the dozens of Devarises and rowdy Nacians and sirens battling under the waves.

Even so, Djek couldn’t help but imagine his big sisters Kiva and Kana, one with her gap-toothed grin and the other with her corny jokes, watching the stars fall from the sky. He wondered if little Vanik had ever managed to get the food he needed to grow taller than the rest of his siblings, if Shon and Avra had ever gotten out of the city like they’d planned. Would they all have to watch the seas boil and the sun burn out? Watch the blood of gods drip down like so much rain?

Maybe after all of this was over—if he still lived by then—Djek would pay them a visit. He’d hated his parents after they’d abandoned him, almost as much as he’d hated himself for being the child they chose to sacrifice to the streets. But his siblings had played no part in that. It wasn’t fair to lump them in with the snarl of emotion he felt whenever he looked back on his childhood.

Ah, nothing like an incoming apocalypse to make you work through your family trauma.

He would, Djek decided. When this was all over, he would go back to Fayuki—dressed to the nines, marks of a god on his hands, and flanked by his best friends, who just happened to be three of the most terrifying bastards this side of the Oresea. He would find his family’s home and waltz in for dinner.

I'll tag @rivenantiqnerd @kuebiko-writing @pluppsauthor @elizaellwrites and anyone else who wants to play :)

Your lines:

A line about friendship

A line with a lie

A line about fighting

A line about the weather

A line about determination

[quinn-borel]

Modern AU first meeting and/or first date :D

He looked at his watch for the fourth time as the elevator took him up to the venue. He cursed under his breath–first his flight ran late, then traffic, then issues with his hotel room…the list went on. Everything that could go wrong did, which made him late for the Leveilleur Foundation charity event. While he was still rather green to the scene, he wanted to make a good impression towards the potential investors and partners he could make connections with to strengthen Ishgardian Holdings’ foothold in the region. He exhaled slowly while fixing the cuff of his suit jacket over his timepiece–ding, the fourteenth floor. As the doors opened, he was greeted by an usher clad in black with a tablet in hand.

“Name, sir?”

“Aymeric Borel of Ishgardian Holdings.”

The usher checked the tablet and gave him a polite nod, “Ah, yes, Mr. Borel, I see you here. We’ve been expecting you. You may proceed.”

With a sigh of relief, Aymeric made his way into the main venue–a grand ballroom filled with guests from all sorts of different businesses, organizations, and even government entities. Tables lined the inner sanctum while the fringes had buffet tables and pop-up drink bars. One could not want at this event, save for some privacy given the occupants. Aymeric was tasked with meeting and schmoozing with three industry leaders that night–Lominsan Maritime LLC, Elemental Trading Co., and the Bank of the Sultanate. Surely their representatives were around and about, though admittedly he was unable to catch their names in his rush to the venue. Though names were meaningless without a face to put them to…

He closed his eyes to gather his thoughts, allowing the accompanying music to play in the background and calm him down. It was a lovely melody coming from the main stage–smooth jazz, the piano certainly in the foreground. Just as he was about to open his eyes, he felt a hand clap itself on his shoulder, which startled him.

“If it isn’t my old friend! How have you been Aymeric!?”

Aymeric glanced to the origin of the hand, amazed to see that none other than Haurchefant Greystone, his old college friend.

“Haurchefant? I didn’t expect you to be here.” Aymeric said with surprise, fixing his blazer from the sudden shift,

“Oh? Really? I though word of my recent promotion would have made its way to the parent company. But that aside, it’s good to see you my friend! It’s been years.”

“Quite.” Aymeric gave him a nod with a warm smile, “Last time I saw you was at graduation. You mean to tell me you’re working for one of our subsidiaries?”

“Why else would I be here?” he asked with a grin, “When I was informed you were being sent on behalf of Ishgardian Holdings I was elated! I didn’t think they’d send the big guns all the way out here.”

“Well, fath–I mean, President Thordan was apprehensive about it. Needless to say, this venture came out of my own pocket and I’m here rather incognito–the others whom I’m looking for probably don’t know I managed a spot on the guest list.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll find them in time, friend. And when you do, you’ll have them in the palm of your hand I’m sure. That silver tongue of yours is one to be reckoned with.”

“One can only hope so.”

“By the way,” he Haurchefant glanced over Aymeric’s shoulder, “where’s Varlineau? I thought you two–“

“Oh.” Aymeric felt the heat in his cheeks from embarrassment, “That…didn’t last as long as I had hoped. We went our separate ways about a year ago. Nothing messy, just had different goals.”

“Sorry to hear that.” Haurchefant guided Aymeric over to one of the bars, “How about a drink? Whiskey neat?” he pointed to him expectantly,

“On the rocks.” Aymeric put his hands in his pockets, once again taking in the ambiance. Haurchefant gladly took two drinks from the bartender and handed one to his friend,

“So, what do you think of this place?”

“It’s quite the spectacle.” Aymeric’s gaze scanned the room as he took a sip of his drink, “The music is nice, too.”

“That’s because the pianist is one of the best in the area.” Haurchefant nudged Aymeric slightly, motioning towards the stage. There sat a taller woman with fiery orange locks and tanned skin, elegant as ever as she leaned over the piano, tickling the ivories with a warm smile on her painted lips. She appeared…angelic, in a way. Ethereal, even, with how the lights shined down upon her on the stage. Like a siren’s song, Aymeric couldn’t help but to focus his attention on her.

“She’s, ah-”

“Quite the pretty little thing, is she not?” Haurchefant chuckled, “I met her some time ago at another venue she was performing at. Much smaller, mind you–this is her first big gig.”

“Does she have a name?”

“Miss Quinnelainne Varria.” Haurchefant waved his hands in front of him as if he were showing off a spectacle, “Beautiful name, is it not?”

Aymeric looked off to the side before putting his drink back to his lips. He was always taught not to stare at a woman like that, yet something deep within him wanted to gaze at her. She was absolutely beautiful, as was her name. He could only softly grunt in agreement. Obviously, Haurchefant had his eyes on her anyway. But the young man beside him seemed dejected as he took a sip of his own drink,

“She’s a finicky one, though. I asked her on a date and she called me her ‘brother’. Can you believe that?”

Aymeric smirked, “Sorry you struck out, my friend.”

“You should meet her, though. She’s quite something.”

Aymeric raised his brow with surprise. While she was not necessarily the company he was tasked with meeting with, he couldn’t help but to be a tad curious about this Quinnelainne. Haurchefant always did introduce him to the most fascinating of people in their youth. He checked his watch once more–there was still plenty of time to do his business and have another drink. the party was just getting started.

“Can you introduce me?” Aymeric asked. Haurchefant looked rather surprised, yet the grin on his lips was telling,

“Look at you, you sly devil.”

“What?” Aymeric’s cheeks lit up again, “You say she’s interesting to talk to, so I want to talk to her. That’s all.”

“Right.” Haurchefant scoffed and finished his drink, “Maybe you’ll have better luck than me.”

“I’m not trying to be lucky.” Aymeric warned him, “Just forget about it.”

“I’m only teasing.” Haurchefant abandoned his spot next to Aymeric and approached the stage. Just as the number had finished, he waved the pianist down who had stepped to the side to take a drink of water. After a bit of conversation and her glancing over his shoulder, she gave him a nod and went back to the piano. Haurchefant then returned to his spot and ordered another drink,

“She gets to go on break after a few more songs,” he explained, “she would be more than happy to meet you.”

“Just like that?” Aymeric blinked a few times as he, too, finished his drink, “You didn’t promise her anything, did you?”

“Just a drink and a good conversation.” Haurchefant laughed, “I’m sure you can manage that, right?”

Aymeric gave him a nod as his attention went back towards the stage. He and Haurchefant continued their idle chitchat for the remainder of the two songs, catching up on what had happened since their college graduation. Finally, the siren of the night left the stage with a slight bow and she immediately went up to one of the bars at the other end of the room. Haurchefant nudged Aymeric with his elbow,

“Go get her, friend.” he said with a wink. Aymeric brushed him off, sighed, and approached the woman from the other end of the room. As he approached, he felt a slight lump in his throat–completely abnormal from his normal demeanor when he met someone new. But this wasn’t a business negotiation, nay, this was a face-to-face and intimate conversation between strangers. She had her back to him, her sanguine cocktail dress outlining her frame perfectly and…accentuating her assets, much to Aymeric’s dismay. He felt the heat under his collar the second he was inches from her, actually nervous to say something to her.

No. He had to keep cool. This was Haurchefant’s friend, after all. a Friend. Friend.

“One whisky on the rocks, please.” he requested of the barkeep as he took to her side, his gaze falling to her before he cleared his throat, “Good evening, Miss Varria.”

She took a long sip from her cherry sour before setting it down with an unsettled look in her eyes,

“Oh, Haurchie really did tell you my full name, didn’t he?” she sighed, “I hate it when he does that.”

“Is there another name I can call you by, then?”

Already the conversation got off to a rocky start, but maybe it could be salvaged with a bit of finesse.

“Just ‘Quinn’ is fine.” she explained, “Sorry, I guess I should have properly introduced myself when you came over here. Aymeric, right?”

“Yes.” he relaxed his shoulders a bit as he took his drink, “I apologize for using the wrong name.”

“No, it’s fine.” she smiled at him, “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you. Although brief, Haurchie told me a little bit about you.”

“Is that so?” Aymeric’s gaze flickered to across the room, to which Haurchefant was giving him a thumbs up.

“Yes,” she leaned against the counter in her seat, a long finger curled under her own chin as she examined him, “you’re an old friend of his from his college days. Summa cum laude, now in the top brass of Ishgardian Holdings.”

“…He told you all of that in a short conversation?”

“No,” she winked as she pulled out her phone from her purse, “I just have the internet.”

Aymeric chuckled as he took a seat next to her, “Well, there’s only so much Eorzeapedia can tell about a man, right? And yet, I know very little about you. Will you share?”

She leaned back, impressed with how he took to her researching him, “Very well. I’m just a dropout from music school–took to the streets to hone my craft. Played a bit at a shopping mall before my talent was recognized by Scions Inc., a talent agency. They got me gigs at small cocktail lounges before two of the Leveilleurs entered our ranks. They had their connections and, well, here I am.”

“I didn’t realize you were acquainted with the Leveilleurs.” Aymeric sipped his drink, “That’s quite impressive.”

“I can’t say I’m used to this sort of thing.” she sighed, “There’s just something about drunks at a cocktail lounge that make a better audience than one of these upscale events, you know? But, I can say: it has it’s perks. I get to rub elbows with some of the best tippers in the region. Seriously, the big guns in the business love their music.”

“You have other connections?” Aymeric asked quizzically.

“I do,” she explained, “I can tell you exactly who, too.”

She turned in her seat, motioning him to follow her gaze. There she pointed out four individuals who were conversing at one of the far tables,

“So, you have Merlwyb of Lominsan Maritime in the black suit. Kan-e-Senna of Elemental Trading in the white dress. Miss Namo is the shorter girl in the pink dress, that’s the owner of the Bank of the Sultanate. And finally, the big guy is Raubahn of the newly reformed Ala-Mhigan Freight company–they just recovered from an old buyout.”

Aymeric blinked a few times in amazement, “How do you know these people?”

“They’ve hired me at their own private events.” Quinn mused over her drink, “I take it you’d like to meet them yourself, Mr. Borel?”

“Please, just ‘Aymeric’.” he turned his attention back to her, “Anyway, you’ve quite the history with your craft. That’s very impressive.”

“Thank you, not a lot of people really recognize that.” Quinn took the garnish from her drink out, “So, tell me more about yourself.”

“Me?” he mused, “To tell you the truth, you’ve pinpointed most of my achievements already.”

“Yeah, but I wanna know the real you.” she said with a wink, the whole cherry disappearing inside of her mouth. Aymeric exhaled slowly as he tried to think,

“Well, I’m thirty-two years old, I have a pet cat, and my hobbies include cooking, writing, and a bit of dancing here and there. I try to keep things modest when I’m not at my desk.”

She smiled and gave him a nod, her gaze still oddly studying him. Aymeric took another sip before he turned the conversation back to her,

“…’Varria’, right? That’s Hannish, if I’m not mistaken?”

“You’re right.” she replied, “Very worldly of you.”

“I’ve visited that area a few times. Beautiful place, truly.”

“Thank you for not hitting me with a ‘almost as beautiful as the women who came from there’ bullshit.” Quinn laughed.

“Please,” Aymeric also laughed, “if I’m going to flirt with someone I won’t go for such low-hanging fruit.”

“Then, how would you flirt with me?” Quinn leaned in slightly closer to him with a devious smirk on her features. Aymeric could still see her making work of the cherry garnish in her mouth. He sat his drink down next to hers and leaned closer,

“I would first start with a compliment,” he muttered, “I’m more of a gentleman that way. Maybe something about your voice, or your eyes. Nothing too daring, mind you. Something a bit more subtle, I would say.

“I see.” Quinn snickered and pulled back, “Well, the clock is unfavorable for us this evening, sad to say.”

From her purse the pulled out a pen and a small business card, to which she scratched something on the back of it in bright, pink ink. Quinn slid the card face-up towards Aymeric before getting up from her seat,

“What’s this?”

“Give me a call if you need company entertainment–my agent’s number is on the front.” she then leaned in closer once more, taking the cherry stem from her mouth and placing it in his empty glass, “…on the back is if you’d rather have have a more intimate encounter.”

With a wink and a gentle pat on his cheek, Quinn went back to the stage. With flushed features, Aymeric looked down at the card and noticed she had given him her personal cell phone number with ‘Text me <3 ‘ written underneath it. He quickly placed the card in his wallet before he noticed the cherry stem in his glass, knotted right in the middle.

[bryan360]

Fintie Slim Case for my Samsung Galaxy Tab E 9.6 - Full Item Review

Time for another round of bringing today’s review on April 2024. I’m thankful enough after getting through some secret art trade errands later, but for awhile working some art projects in secret like always. For now though, it’s time to focus on bringing this before saving two item reveals later. This here’s my new slim tablet case branded from Fintie. You’ll probably remember back where I’d had the first branded one from last year. This time, it’s for my Samsung Tab E device that may surprise you. Never thought I’d brought back with this older tablet for so long, but mostly few years back where I’d had to turn off due to an unfortunate incident for its USB charging cable. (Link Here)

I don’t wanted to running off its battery life if I’d continued to use it afterwards. Well lucky for me, the wait is finally over as I’m planning to save for my next review soon.

⬆️ (1st to 3rd Images) (March. 27th, 2024 from 5:20 to 5:21 A.M.; two days ago after receiving my slim tablet case from my mom.)

I’d unboxed from its packaging, but sure bring back that time for my first Fintie tablet case unboxing we’d ordered by mistake last year. Let’s just say I learned a lesson not to rush in before ordering the wrong item with my mom. At least now I have with the JETech tablet case(s) for my 5th gen iPad later….twice. 😅

(Link Here #2)

(Link Here #3)

(Link Here #4)

Thankfully after careful consideration through Amazon.com searches, I found the right size for my old Samsung tablet to fit in; hopefully.

⬆️ (4th to 7th images; from 5:23 to 5:25 A.M.) (Edited)

Continuing on with my first iPad Air tablet case from Fintie, I just wanted to make a quick comparison between with the slim tablet case to give it a better look. Seems that the iPad Air case was bigger than the slim case I’d topped with. Though no surprise for having their different designs that were made for specific tablet sizes. Having said that, at least I’d gotten this shown unless if I can have my own iPad Air to bring; whether or not for this year later.

⬆️ (8th and 16th Images; from 5:27 to 5:30 A.M.) (Edited)

Just before I can move forward, I wanted to bring my previous tablet case for this review. Unfortunately, this is exactly where I'm about to move on after with my previous tablet case showing its age. if you wanted to refresher your memories, this is my ProCase Galaxy Tab E 9.6 Case I'd had with me since Oct. 21st, 2020. I've talk about it throughout my previous review that trying to secure my android tablet for recent years. It does came with its own stylus pen, but rarely use even after covered up in the first half segment. 🤷

(Link Here #5)

(Link Here #6)

However as of 2024, it's time for my ProCase tablet case for retirement. Despite having to hold on; at least while with my Samsung tablet device temporarily turned off for so long. Though being said, it finally to show its age as I took photos with my 5th gen iPad. There's even some tape I'd tried to patch on the top; from the inside as I opened the case itself. As much it was disappointing to see, but that’s exactly where I’m saving my new tablet case already. At least knowing it’ll be kept safe into my drawers as my choice. Not before I can use it for another comparison later though.

⬆️ (17th to 22nd Images; from 5:32 to 5:34 A.M.) (Four edits; two separate own images)

Now we’re getting into my new slim tablet case a closer look. It’s gonna be different than what I did with my ProCase tablet case; after years of using. I’d even check around with its slim back shell design to the magnetic clip-on every time of open and closes. It doesn’t have sleep/wake function with my Samsung tablet, but at least does secure to protect its touchscreen I was thinking of. 🤔

Having said that, it was a nice slim case to show. 🙂👍

⬆️ (23rd to 28th Images; from 5:35 to 5:37 A.M.) (Four edits; two separate own images)

I went on making another comparison with my ProCase tablet case afterwards. It was pretty obvious both cases had made with different materials and fitting sizes when inserting my android tablet. Though my new slim case well be slightly lighter, but alongside with its hard shell design as I’d mentioned before. Not bad, however it seems my older case was a bit bigger than the slim case in my opinion.

⬆️ (29th to 37th Images; from 5:40 to 5:44 A.M.) (Four edits; five separate own images)

I’m now finally set up with my android tablet into this new slim case that you’d been waiting for. As expected, it fits neatly as I’d hoped that it was advertised. It also do in angles to make like a keyboard stand for typing; except while my android tablet turned off for now. Looks good still.

My Experience/Overall Thoughts: ⬇️

I’m very good after owning this new slim case that I wanted it for my old android tablet. I’m gonna miss with my previous tablet case that did the job of secure years later. With this new one though, at least its something I can get used to.

Hope you guys like my full review I’d worked on. It took days to get there from the beginning, but at least I’d tried my best of giving thoughts for my new slim case. Of course I’m not done as I’m saving my next review with two items to reveal. For now though, it’s finally break time for me. 🙂👍 Link down for more details with the Fintie Slim Case Tablet if you’re interested. ⬇️

Also….

‼️(NO COPYING OR PLAGIARIZING FROM ME AND ONE OF MY CLOSEST FRIEND’S WORK! THAT INCLUDES OUR CHARACTERS, DESIGNS, STUFF, ETC. IMPOSTERS AND SEXBOTS ARE NOT WELCOME TO FOLLOW MY BLOG WHATSOEVER! 😡 That will be all….I mean it.)‼️

Tagged: @murumokirby360 @shadowredfeline @alexander1301 @rafacaz4lisam2k4 @paektu

[aeoki]

Tri-Light: The Tower: Chapter 6

Location: Seisou Hall Common Room Characters: Sora, Tsukasa & Madara

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ< Some time after ice skating. In the Seisou Hall common room. >

Sora: ♪~♪~

(Collect information if you’re in a pickle!)

(Master and Senpai both went back to their rooms, but Sora still has a lot of energy left, so Sora will read sports fashion magazines and study them!)

(You can read anything on a tablet in this day and age.)

(But Sora thinks you can get a lot of information by feeling the pages and reading it that way~♪)

(Hmm… Oh? “Mr Giant” is the model for this magazine!)

(“Mr Giant” is wearing a warm piece of clothing with fur – it looks very toasty. Maybe asking “Mr Giant” for help was the right thing to do.)

(Sora thinks “Mr Giant’s” “colour” is the closest to what the fashion company is looking for the most.)

(Sora has a feeling that we’ll be able to find new sides of us if we spend more time with “Mr Giant”~)

Tsukasa: What are you reading, Harukawa-kun?

Sora: Oh, Tsuka-chan. Hey, there!

Sora is reading a fashion magazine! There are a lot of new things, so it’s a lot of fun!

Do you wanna read it together, Tsuka-chan? Sora thinks we’ll have twice the amount of fun if we read it together~♪

Tsukasa: It’s rare to see you reading a Fashion magazine.

Hmm. I see there’s Casual and Street-style clothing. Do you have an interest in these clothes?

Sora: Nope. Sora’s reading it for work!

“Switch” will be taking on a new challenge and we want to show a sporty side to us~

Tsukasa: A Sporty “Switch”, you say…?

That’s rather surprising as it’s in a completely different direction from the “magicians” theme you’ve had up until now.

Keeping your wits about you when it comes to new challenges is a necessary skill in this Idol industry.

I’ll be cheering you on from the sidelines, Harukawa-kun.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you. We are fellow classmates who are affiliated with NEW DIMENSION, after all.

Let’s do our best so we don’t lose to the other agencies.

Sora: Thanks a bunch, Tsuka-chan~ Sora will work hard!

Oh, could I ask you something~?

Tsukasa: ? What is it? I’ll be happy to answer to the best of my abilities.

Sora: To tell the truth, we don’t have much experience with sports clubs, so we’re unsure about a lot of things.

Tsukasa: Inexperienced and don’t have the knowledge…?

That’s news to me. Is “Switch” attempting to challenge themselves in an unfamiliar field?

I think it’s great to challenge yourself, but you’re adept in playing Video Games, aren’t you, Harukawa-kun? Would that not have worked?

Sora: It’s complicated.

This project is a threat from the past!

Tsukasa: A threat from the past…? Could you explain it in detail?

Sora: Of course! Sora will summarise it for you~

The “threat from the past” is the reading Master got from his tarot cards.

There was a proposal made when “Switch” was just created that said that the “S” in “Switch” stood for sports! That proposal was accepted and we agreed to take on the job.

Tsukasa: “Switch” and “Sports”? How baffling…

Sora: Hmm~ Did Sora do a good job summarising it all? Communication is hard.

Tsukasa: You did fine. I think I have understood the gist.

Just like how “Knights” started their activities based on “Chess”...

There was a time where “Switch” was going to be a Sporty unit and one of those old proposals was dug up, correct?

Sora: ! That’s right! As expected of you, Tsuka-chan – you’re so smart~☆

Tsukasa: Ehe. Well, it’s all thanks to my studying every day.

…It’s not the time to be overjoyed like this, though. Back to the topic.

Sora: ? Tsuka-chan, you have a serious “colour” about you~

Tsukasa: Right. If that’s what you perceive, then I’d say you are very much correct.

If this was a light-hearted chat, then you could have praised me a bit more but…

Based on what I’ve heard, it seems there is something strange involved.

Sora: ………?

Tsukasa: You wanted to talk to people that have experience being a part of a sports club, right? Then it should be fine to use my experience from being in the Kyudo Club.

But I don’t think you’ve noticed the most important thing, Harukawa-kun.

That proposal must have been created around the time you had just entered Yumenosaki Academy, correct?

If I remember correctly, I think that’s when “Switch’s” activities began.

Sora: Yes. Master asked me to join and Sora accepted. Sora knew Master a bit back then.

Is there something weird about that…?

Tsukasa: There is. I would understand if you were the one who created the proposal as you’re the most athletic member in your unit.

But the proposal was submitted right after you had just joined. “Switch” was supposed to be a unit with a “Sports” image, right?

Neither Aoba-senpai nor Sakasaki-senpai seem like the Sporty type of people.

So why did they create “Switch” based on that image? Doesn’t that seem odd?

Perhaps they’re hiding something – some sort of reason behind why “Switch” was created.

Sora: A hidden reason…?

(Master and Senpai are lying?)

(...No! That’s not possible!)

(We promised we would talk things out properly and be “Switch” together.)

(That’s why I think they must have just forgotten the difficult days back when “Switch” was just created…)

Tsukasa: What’s wrong, Harukawa-kun? You’ve gone all silent all of a sudden…

Sora: S–Sora’s okay. HaHa~ Just doing some thinking!

Sora was a bit taken aback by what you said, Tsuka-chan.

But Sora isn’t the old Sora who would just worry about their “colours” and not do anything about it.

Tsukasa: …Hehe. I had thought I was the only one who had matured.

But I see you, too, have grown, Harukawa-kun. I’m sure the current you can definitely find out why “Switch” decided to go in another direction.

Sora: HiHi~♪ It’s exactly as you say, Tsuka-chan~♪

The current Sora will definitely be okay!

Sora will prove that “Switch” is different this year…☆

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ< That night. >

Sora: “Mr Giant”, thank you so much for today!

Madara: You’re most welcome. If anything, I should be thanking you for giving me the chance to learn about so many things.

We share the same room and are under the same agency. You can ask me for help whenever you need it, alright?

Sora: …Actually…

There’s something I need your help with. Can you help Sora?

Madara: Oh…?

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

[orginllazyblog]

Chapter 1: Summer Break

(Skinny ghost- Edward, Small ghost- Hugo, Chubby Ghost: Francis)

8/1/2020 (According to Twisted Wonderland date launch) 

Hello, I’m ‘Yuu’... or at least that is my name, as I can’t remember my original name or my past memories. I only remember the time I entered one of the prestigious schools in Twisted Wonderland called Night Raven College. With all these events that had happened throughout the semester, I can finally rest now that all the students went back home for the summer, just me, Grim, and our three ghost uncles in our new dorm. Me and Grim were thinking of a new name right now. (Thanks Idia and Ortho)  Of course the “gracious' ' headmaster gave the amount of thuamarks for food, keys of the campus and all classrooms, and a brand new cell phone, plus a tablet for Grim XD. I didn't expect him to be nice for once. Maybe it has to do with Professor Crewel and Professor Trein scolding him.  

 

As Yuu was relaxing in their room sitting down on the chair by their desk table busy writing down their diary, the little familiar opened the door.  

 

“Henchman! Francis made dinner, it's very delicious so you better hurry.” 

“Okay I’ll be there in a minute.” 

 There’s only a few weeks left before the fall semester begins. I better use all my time wisely before another semester of chaos begins.  

 

Yuu put their diary in a lock drawer that can only be opened with a small magical key. The diary was gifted from professor Trein and the desk table was one of the apology gifts given when the Styx company was fixing Ramshackle.    ________________________________________________ 

“So Yuu, now that everything's been peaceful since those rowdy students are gone for the summer break. Me, Hugo and Francis were discussing and needed your opinion.”  

 

The Ramshackle family are now enjoying a fine dinner, though the ghost can’t eat but they still do cooking and baking for their lively guests. Grim was busy eating the ribs as Yuu wipe off the grease off with a napkin. 

"What is it uncles?” 

  

“When you came to Night Raven College, we were told by the headmage that you have no memories of your past and even your original name. So us three were going over the name list we found in the attic.” Francis explained. 

 

“We don’t know when you will be leaving sooner or later, but we wanted to give another gift. Just like from the Halloween event but more special.”  

 Then Hugo, the smallest ghost of the trio, hands the oldest books Yuu has ever seen. The book was titled Twisted Wonderland Name Origins written by an unknown author. Yuu opens the book, going over pages looking excited to know what new name they’ll choose. The trio of ghosts waited patiently as Grim finished his dinner then went to Yuu’s side to take a peak.  

“Hmm…I want this name. I like how it sounds.” 

 

“What is it child, tell us.” The ghosts yell cheerfully. 

“My old name would be used as a nickname, so my Twisted Wonderland name is Zoriana.” 

 

“Zoriana sounds so cool henchman! Is there a meaning behind it?” 

 “As much I would say, the words are all mix up so it’s hard to read-” 

“Wait a minute! Where does this name originate from?” Francis quickly panics. 

 “From what I understand, this name comes from an ‘Empire of Fantasia’? It’s on this page.” 

 

As Zoriana shows the ghosts and Grim the page they found their new name, it’s all in bold fonts and the words are hard to read.  The name Zoriana was easily read but how did the prefect manage to read it? Which led the ghost trio confuse. 

“Um… Zoriana…from what we know is that this writing is different from others. This writing is in demon writing originating in the  Empire of Fantasia, home where all demons and higher ranks of monsters live. No one knows about this since centuries, not since we were still alive and now.”  

“Huh? But this is my first time hearing about this?” 

Zoriana/Yuu now questioning themself. How did they manage to read a demon writing that is difficult for outsiders to understand? A lot of questions start to distract them as the ghosts and Grim call their name. 

 “Yuu! Please listen to us.” Edward shook the prefect by the shoulder.

“Yeah! You made me worry, henchman.” Grim hugging the prefect. 

 

“If you want the name Zoriana, then it’s okay. We are concerned about how you manage to read it fine.” Franics then grabbed the old book and went to put it away as Hugo grabbed the dishes to wash. 

“Oh…okay then. But is there anything else from this ‘Fantasia’ or there’s no info about it?” 

 

 “Well…from what I remember is that there was some terrible tragedy of the royal family that lost the other heir from a failed revolution.”

 

“I see…you said the ‘other’ heir is lost, was there another heir that came before?” 

 

“That which I don’t know since the Empire decided to shut down their culture and traditions from others to keep distance from others since the revolution failed. No one knows if it’s still alive or not.”

“Wait! What do you mean by ‘alive’.”

 

Zoriana wanted to know more before Francis carried them and Grim with magic. 

“That’s enough for today Yuu. Will tell you more for tomorrow. We might even look through the school’s library. How’s that sound?” 

 

“m’kay…can I use the restroom to do my face mask?” 

 

“If you promise to go to sleep afterwards.”

  

“Okay.” 

 __________________________________________ 

Somewhere in Twisted Wonderland 

 “Your royal highness. We have scheduled an appointment with Night Raven College’s headmage. Will you be departing soon?” 

“Eventually. I need to inform the Emperor of my leaving. That will be all.”  

 

In a dark room where only the moonlight touches from the window. The tall figure with majestic horns to show pride, its long hair reaching to the rear back, and their eyes filled with gold. They are the crown prince of Fantasia.

 

Before leaving the room, the crown prince looks back to their desk to see the picture frame one last time. 

“I will find you my younger sibling and will be reunited again. That’s a promise I made for myself to keep myself motivated. Good night starlight.” 

 

The tall figure left their office room, locking it with its own magic, then proceeding to go to the throne room to find the Emperor. The servants at the door to the throne room greeted the crown prince. 

“Greetings to the second Emperor of Fantasia.” the crown prince greeted. 

 The Emperor seated at the throne, knowing his grandfather he knows he's worried for him for he is the only family member left.

“Grandson. Listen to my words, even if you’re still trying to find your younger sibling, then please don’t push yourself too hard.” 

“I will be your Majesty. I’ll be going now.” 

  

As the crown prince left the throne room, he could have heard something but didn’t stop walking out. 

“Stay safe Azrael.”

((Author here! Managed to finish chapter 1, now working on chapter 2. Though it would take a while as the summer heat is going to get worst.)

#twistedwonderland #twststories #twst dire crowley #twst trein #twst crewel #Decendent of Chernabog #twst yuu #twst yuu oc #twst idia #twst ortho #twstoc

[ghoulishbuck]

This post is for those who want to know places to get books or where I personally get mine. If you would like to add places please leave them in the comments.

Ways I acquire books:

•Libby- this is an app that connects with your library card(s). 90% of what I read I loan from my library using this as audiobooks and ebooks at times are easier for me to use.

•Kindle Unlimited- I own an old fire tablet that I just got two months of kindle unlimited for free on but personally I won’t continue it after it ends because I have a hard time with ebooks.

•Amazon- I rarely buy things on here now but they do often have a lot of books on sale. I do also browse for deals on ebooks and have gotten a plethora of ones I’m interested in for free.

•Secondhand stores- most of my collection comes from secondhand/ thrift stores. I very rarely buy a book from chain stores or for full price. This also includes antique stores.

•PangoBooks- 98% of the time if I want to buy a specific book I’ll look for it here before I look elsewhere. They also at times do give out coupons like spend $20 get $5 off.

•NetGalley- every now and then I’ll request digital arcs (ebooks and audiobooks that aren’t released yet). As long as you read the books you request and review them (or state you DNF’ed and why) on the site and keep your ratio at least at 80% of all accepted request reviewed you’re golden. But, having another place where you talk and review books does increase your chances. Personally, I have my Goodreads and Instagram account linked to help even though I haven’t touched my Instagram account in awhile.

•Library- I’ve barely checked out any books in person since I got my library card but that’s purely because I’m really trying to read my physical tbr and stay away from adding more to it.

•Gifts- if people ask me what I want for something for example my 21st birthday which is a few months away I’ll either say a certain book, an author, or a gift card to someplace that sells books. Sometimes I’ll say other things depending on the person. Now that doesn’t mean I’m expecting a bunch of books especially new ones in fact when I gave someone a list of books and author names I only gave them things that I thought they could easily find in a thrift store and always remind them that it’s not a list of things that needs to be completely bought but more of a scavenger hunt that they can end at anytime.

•Audible- for awhile I had a subscription mostly due to multiple free trials and it not cancelling even after I cancelled… Anyways, I prefer using Libby.

•Half Price Books- this is both a secondhand store and not. A good chunk of my books have come from here although these days this is mostly only my go to when I’m near one, when I don’t have time for a thrift store (I will look at nearly the entire place), or when I’m hoping to find certain more popular books.

•Barnes & Nobles- I very rarely went to Barnes even when I lived near one but every now and then I would buy some books from there. I do wish I could be near one when they do their 50% off hardcover sale they usually do on the 26th of December.

•Giveaways- I’ve won quite a few e-book giveaways on Goodreads. Personally, I’ve only won one physical giveaway and never received it. Which is pretty 50/50 when it’s the publisher doing the giveaway from what I understand.

•Dollar Tree- this is pretty hit or miss but whenever I go I make sure to check out their book section because they do sometimes have books I am interested in.

•Target- their price on books especially viz manga always gets me. Along with the deals they do every now and then like buy one get one 50% off or buy two get one free.

•Walmart- they also have about the same pricing for books as Target does but the only extra deal they do is for books they put on clearance which they put in cardboard bins.

•Book Outlet- discounted books that are pretty cheap although condition can vary. Not like extremely bad but like I have gotten a book with a small rip in the cover, the cover smushed on the top and bottom of the spine and a broken spine on a hardcover. I just think it’s better to know what the condition could be be before going into it. As long as your fine with the chance of getting that I highly recommend it. They are currently doing a fiction books sale right now where their only $5.99 and everything else is 20% off. Just dropping my referral link below if you use it you get $5 off of a $25 or higher order.

•Rightstuf (rip now is under Crunchyroll)- they had some great deals on manga, graphic novels, anime figures, and anime. I sadly didn’t take part in the birthday sale even though I really wanted to but I did make one or two purchases from them and had a good experience.

•Book of the Month- I’ve been getting books from them for just about to be a year and one month. I personally have really enjoyed it but I also will read anything that interest me and usually even if I don’t care for the months picks after watching people react to them and talk about them I want to pick up at least one of them. Book of the Month referral below.

•Aardvark- I got this one month with the discount code they always have where you get your first book for $4. There’s been a few books I wanted that they have but it’s been too rare for me.

Other ways that I haven’t yet done:

•Library sales- every now and then libraries will sell the books they no longer plan to keep in circulation and the profits go directly to the library.

•Little Free Libraries- these are strictly take a book leave a book deals. Most of these are run by a book lover who just wants to make books more accessible to people but they have to take the money out of their own pocket to keep it filled.

•Asking Publishers for physical arcs- this is the one I’m most anxious about and know the least about. From what I heard you have better chances of getting accepted for physical arcs if you have a big following. And it’s better to wait until you have had a book blog be somewhat regularly active (every week or two minimum) for six months. After that point you have to send an email to the publisher specifically asking for a certain physical arc(s), link your blog, make it professional sounding and just cross your fingers.

•Independent bookstore- I live in the middle of nowhere so the closest one to me is over two hours away (this is actually the closest bookstore period) and it’s also pretty much in the middle of nowhere. I just have a hard time paying full price so even though I love browsing through a bookstore the drive just for the bookstore that’s full price isn’t worth it.

•ThriftBooks- I like to know the condition I’m buying books in so I’ve never bought something from here as new could actually mean good condition depending on the person.

•SciFier- this is what a lot of people especially in the UK use especially for manga. It’s like a Rightstuff but from what I’ve seen better.

•eBay- I feel more comfortable with Pango’s system of just incase the seller screw’s you over than with eBay’s so I’ve never bought anything from here.

•Facebook Marketplace- I don’t have Facebook so I’ve never used this but I have seen some good deals.

•Garage/Yard/Estate Sales- I haven’t been to any of these in quite some time but when I did go things were quite cheap because they just wanted to get rid of things.

•Illumicrate- special edition book subscription service

•Fairyloot- special edition book subscription service

•Owlcrate- special edition book subscription service

•Broken binding- special edition book subscription service

•Forbidden planet- Manga, books, comics and figures store

•Indigo- Canada’s verison of Barnes & Nobles

[mlobsters]

supernatural s13e14 good intentions (w. meredith glynn)

well that was a little bit of the old spn spark for a second there, with the hallucination/vision/whatever hot!zachariah was giving jack. very sweet and sad. something about the sound design and the dialogue.. of the offscreen voices of sam and dean, it had sort of a... theater feel to it? (watching with headphones and maybe a little bit high so, grain of salt) plus just the very... childlike wish fulfillment of kiddo with absent parents.

DEAN You know what? We made it, though. You, me and the kid. Finally under one roof. SAM And you know what, honestly, it doesn’t matter where he’s been. I’m just glad Jack’s back. DEAN Right, home safe. Where he belongs.

like 💔 i didn't realize they really went with this nuclear family thing straight out

also when the fake fire is happening sam and dean sound about as distressed (maybe more?) as you'll ever hear them in this show and that was distressing even knowing it couldn't be real

ZACHARIAH Yes. And not just a single one-way ticket like the prophet’s spell. This boy, he can open a rift big enough to march an army through. He has so much power. We just… have to make him use it. MICHAEL Then make him.

ok but like. why doesn't michael make his own army of nephilim? he's an archangel still right? what am i missing

i'm sorry donatello but all i can think is

the zachariah!cas sending the images of destroying the environment and wars etc to jack for proof of why humans are bad, reminds me of the fifth element?? i think? leeloo discovering all the bad parts of humanity? and then i think only will save the world? by the power of human love from bruce willis??? lol i've seen that movie a ton but it's been a long ass time

captions staying on for this screenshot 😂

this random fight scene with these random figures from the bible. and donatello being twitchy and obvious as fuck that he's clearly up to something. demon tablet not to be ingested while soulless and under asmodeus's influence?

donatello choking out dean from a distance and laughing like a loon, all righty

so now mary gets the catharsis of hearing from an unbiased source that her demon deal is what ultimately saved the world

bro. there's some bizarro music going on during this fight over donatello being soulless what is HAPPENING. jay gruska, is that you? (of course it is). ugh, if only i wasn't committed to keeping that earlier video clip 😞 (fine it's so goofy i'm adding an mp3 of it) it's tonally a mismatch to the vibe onscreen and is just super random. the horns that come in... lol. anyway.

but we're escalating up to cas whatever, trying to torture it out of him?

SAM Our plan, Dean. The spell, get mom back. Donatello’s soul is gone. That’s not just something you come back from. DEAN You did. SAM Yeah, because you convinced Death to get my soul back from the cage, but Amara ate Donatello’s soul. There’s nothing to get back. It’s gone. CASTIEL And Donatello’s already corrupted. I… perhaps the kindest thing to do would be to end his suffering. SAM What? CASTIEL I don’t like it either. But if Donatello’s life ends, then another prophet comes into being and they can finish the translation. DEAN So what, you just wanna kill him? SAM No! No killing! We just need the spell.

interesting how frantic padalecki is going with this. terrified the Plan is being wrecked yet again

CASTIEL I am going to do something that I promised I would never do to a human being without their permission. I’m gonna strip the spell from your mind. DONATELLO You—you—you—you can’t. I—I’ve absorbed too much power. Y-y-you’ll fry us both! CASTIEL I might. DONATELLO Ardeat intus— CASTIEL I’m sorry, but I’m not going to let you or anyone hurt the people I love. Not again.

well then. cas saving them from the moral quandary again. like killing billie for them

i don't even know what to say about this apocalypse world business with bobby, mary and jack. jack's just. poppin angels, ready to throw down with michael

SAM Well… guess you could say Donatello is alive. CASTIEL You told me not to kill him. DEAN Yeah, but, Cas, you turned him into… he’s brain dead. Machines keeping him breathing. What’s wrong with you? CASTIEL Nothing. SAM Cas— CASTIEL His soul was gone. He was corrupted. He was a danger to himself and to you and to all of humanity. Did you know that he was working with Asmodeus? SAM What? No. CASTIEL Not by choice, but he was. Some people just can’t be saved. DEAN Yeah, but who gets to make that choice? You? What exactly gives you the right? CASTIEL Nothing. I took it. And if I hadn’t acted, we would still be sitting around and talking about what to do next. We would be wasting time. And it’s time we don’t have, Dean. I told you, war is coming. War. And I did what soldiers do. Now we needed the spell to open the rift, and I got it. We need four major ingredients: the grace of an archangel… a fruit from the Tree of Life… the Seal of Solomon… and the blood of “a most holy man.” We find those things, we can bring everybody home. And together, we can beat Lucifer and Michael. This is the only way we win, and this is the only way we survive. It’s like you said, Dean. Whatever it takes.

i mean, surely sam and dean have made these kinds of decisions time and time again. especially when the "whatever it takes" is saving each other. but now cas can take the responsibility/blame for doing the ends justify the means thing

[fatedwithmbc]

I love break week. There’s something about NOT having to take those purple Alka-Seltzer sized tablets that makes me feel the tiniest bit normal. Aside from still having moderate levels of fatigue, my dysphagia has taken a break from disrupting my eating and I’m sleeping well.

I’m making my leave of absence goals happen too. I may be sleeping late, but I am getting physical movement or chores done every day. I am getting my ass out of bed and doing shit. I’m proud of my new self- but also mourning the old self who could run circles around new me.

The grill I bought yesterday was delivered today. It’s all set-up, tested and now safely covered. I was able to get the old one out to the front yard (Mom-Mom helped with some of the harder parts, i.e. porch stairs). And now I just need to pray that a scrapper will drive by and snag it up Thursday night/Friday morning.

Aside from that, I filled the bird feeder. Checked on the brood in our bird house (still chirping away) which is a highlight for me. Just hearing those little guys and knowing they were born and are being cared for in a couple pieces of wood just makes me happy. And I feel protective of them even though I can’t see them. I see the parents though. The males are known to be aggressive, so I am very careful when I approach the underside of the birdhouse just to get an earful of their warbling. They are House Wrens (if I identified the adults correctly).

Next was filling Bailey’s water dish and watering the Dragon Tail I received from my friend Allace. It was sheer irony that she picked that plant to give me as it was one of my Dad’s favorites. He would select them for his own garden, when he decided to create and tend to one. He had a green thumb and could care for a plant instinctively, without instruction. I think a tiny bit of that may have been passed down to me as I’ve been able to keep my African Violet growing and healthy- same with our Prayer Plant and a Shamrock that I repotted (it had been on it’s last legs and last sprig). It has thrived since repotting. Same with our Wandering Jew. I have a few more I’d like to replant by the end of summer: a Christmas Cactus, a Bird’s Nest Snake plant and I’ll probably find something to nurse at Primex.

Plants aside, I completed the “chores” I had. Mostly admin tasks to ensure my leave of absence is on track to end when my doctor indicated and not earlier. I also enrolled in a vendor program called Prudent RX that will aid me with the costs of my cancer medication until my deductible is met. This will be a huge help. Insurance pays $13,000 per month for this drug and that is definitely not in the realm of affordable for this average “Jane”. I contacted my nurse navigator to get a definitive answer as to where my lab work needs to be completed. I’ve always gone to the cancer center, but I need to ensure it’s in-network and that I don’t need to use Quest or LabCorp. I suspect I’ll have to go outside of the cancer center. I also made an outreach to a local woman who unfortunately lost her teenage son to cancer. She created a foundation and I contribute what I can since it’s inception. But ultimately, I was asking if she had a suggestion for a support group. This was a suggestion from Cheryl and such a good one as now I have a woman who has MBC that I can talk to- who wears my shoes, feels my feelings, and is still coping and living despite the diagnosis.

With the medical chores completed, I was finally able to drop off my Sister-In-Law’s Mother’s Day gift. We were able to spend some time chatting which was nice. It’s been awhile since her and I had some time together- well, my last visit with all of them was Easter and/or Jackson’s first T-Ball game. He has another one tomorrow that I hope to make it to. I briefly saw my brother before they had to pick Jackson up from school.

I went to Starbucks prior to stopping back home to change into sneakers for Walking Wednesday with Brian. We walked about 3ish miles. I didn’t wear my watch or bring my phone, so this is a guesstimate. I like not having my phone or watch - it makes me more present as to what’s on the trail and by the water (animals; mostly the birds, today some deer) and more present in my conversations with Brian. Gosh, I’m just so lucky he was chosen and accepted the role of my God Father. He has been so amazingly supportive. He’s encouraged me to walk everyday, but I’m not sure I’m there yet. I also told him about my blog, and stressed it’s anonymous with the exception of a few close friends and family who know about it. I’m on the fence about sharing with him. He encouraged my writing, stating it’s cathartic and it is. I don’t do this because I’m “good” at it. I do it to clear my mind and my heart. Am I betraying him by not sharing this with him? More food for thought.

I still have my two big projects: yarn donation and closet clean out. I’ll start on them, but they feel overwhelming- maybe because it means I am getting rid of things. I have unusual sentimental attachment to things. Clothes and yarn typically don’t fall into that space, but I don’t know how else to explain the avoidance of either task aside from them requiring significant effort. I will do these things. They will get done. Shoot, I’ve done more difficult things (my small contribution to cleaning out Dad’s apartment).

Well, as midnight approaches, I’m going to let my magical Apple Ring Hybrid Gummy help me drift off to dream land.

El fin.

[maladaptive-maniac]

Dax bitches about her hospital job: The masterpost!

You may have seen me in the tags complaining about my old job, how I was left behind or didn’t have all the right info or whatnot. Well here’s where I’m putting it all so that you don’t have to scroll through a bunch of posts to get the whole story!

Bitching under the cut! Keep in mind that I am autistic, have chronic hip and arm pain, and I was working the night shift, and only 19 at the time.

1: Poor communication. This is the BIGGEST issue I experienced.

1a: Nobody told me you had to terminal clean rooms with bleach water, or that there was a specific ratio of water to bleach tablet I had to follow. One person would say I had to clean the behind-the-scenes of the pharmacy, another would tell me that was the afternoon shift’s job.

1b: When the new hire came in, she took over the Emergency Department, and I was switched over to MSTU (long-term patient area). I was not told that I would have my department switched, nor did I receive any proper training on that area. Also, one time the new hire was told that she only needed to vacuum three of the entrance rugs, and that I would do the other three. I wasn’t told about that until one of the older janitors yelled at her about it while we were in the break room.

2: Frequent interruptions. I thrive best on routine, but I had to be the one carrying the pager (little device that would sing a little song and display a number that corresponded with one of the patient areas) and I would have my routine interrupted and have to go clean up some gross stuff.

3: The workload. This one wasn’t an issue until the last week of my job, otherwise I would have quit much sooner. On top of wiping down the waiting room chairs, mopping the waiting room floors, wiping down the reception desks and chairs, mopping the laboratory, maintaining triage, maintaining 4-8 bathrooms, and routinely taking out garbage and dirty linen every hour or so, I also suddenly had to terminal clean all eight “rooms” of ER fast track, which were less rooms and more small sections separated by curtains. I had to take off the (often clean!) sheets, wipe down the padded table they call a mattress, wipe down the underside of the mattress AND the table itself, crouch down to get all the nooks and crannies beneath the table, including the pedals, AND wipe down all the individual cables that connected to the monitors and those things the nurses use to look into your eyes and ears, rinse and repeat 8 times. I could do one or the other in a night, but doing both meant working overtime and one time the morning shift lady had to take it over for me. Also, I wouldn’t have gotten a raise for doing the work of two people, but that actually didn’t occur to me until after I left.

3a: It didn’t make sense to me that we would only term clean these rooms once a day. I figured it would be best if they were cleaned between EVERY patient, and suggested to my boss hiring a third janitor to do that specific part of the job, but he spouted some bullshit about how he would have to sit down all day and see how much time we’re spending actually working vs sitting around which. Did not make sense to me.

4: They kept leaving me in the middle of the night, all alone, no help whatsoever. If I got paged to term clean two rooms, one of them would have to wait. Oftentimes I was the only person available for both units. It was a nightmare.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the routine part of the work! Genuinely, I loved knowing that I was making this place safer for everyone, even if the floor was a slipping hazard half the time

Also this is the only hospital in town so it’s going to be very awkward if I end up in the ER overnight

Edit #1: One of the higherups took our wet floor signs because he tripped over one, saw that there were like 5 (ER waiting rooms have a lot of entrances), and thought there were way too many (even though I tried to use as few as possible). I never knew where they went. Then it tied back into poor communication, being that I was never told that I was supposed to have a couple signs on my cart.

[havnblog]

I Love My Little Charging Bundle

I recently wrote about not needing USB-A, and mentioned the USB-C Lifestyle™️. That reminded me of a little bundle of cables I always keep in my backpack. So here are some …

Advice for frustration-free charging

When I talk about "chargers", I generally refer to the brick itself – not including the cable.

1) Buy extra

Here’s my bundle:

The trick is that I don’t need any of these elsewhere – they are extra. I have other chargers in my office, next to my bed, etc. I get that this is a bit more wasteful than just having one charger that you move around everywhere. But I think this is resource spending that’s worth it – and hopefully the devices you buy don’t come with (sub-par) chargers you don’t need. Furthermore, try to keep chargers for a long time.

2) Think about colour and texture of the cables

These are the cables in the bundle:

USB-C, 3 meters (black, braided)

MagSafe for Mac (light gray, braided)

Lightning, 1 meter (white)

Micro-USB (black)

As you can see, all of them have a different combination of colour and texture. This makes it easier to pick out the correct one!

3) Don’t buy “original” chargers

In general, buying “original” accessories will give you something that might be pricier, but at least is among the best. But when it comes to chargers, and especially compared to Apple, the third-party chargers are objectively better. The reason being that Apple doesn’t use GaN, a relatively new technology that allows for significantly smaller size to power ratio.

Mine’s a 65 watt Anker charger 🖇️, that I really like. Because while I don’t necessarily recommend getting chargers from Apple/Samsung/etc., I do recommend getting a “name-brand” one. Anker is a brand I’ve always been pleased with, so I haven’t tried many others. But I think Ugreen and Belkin might be decent as well. Would love to hear about it if you have other recommendations I can add here!

4) Get enough wattage, but not more

The number you want to look at when buying chargers, is the wattage. Here’s an overview:

5 watts: The old, little iPhone chargers. Not worth using.

20 watts: Great for phones, adequate for tablets. Will charge most laptops, but a bit slowly.

30 watts: Good for tablets, adequate for laptops.

65 watts: Around the max for devices like the MacBook Air. More than fast enough for my MacBook Pro as well.

100 watts: Great for fast charging of more demanding laptops.

There’s no issue with using a more powerful charger than necessary – you can safely plug your phone in a 100-watt charger. But they become larger, and more expensive, as they increase in size – so that’s why I recommend getting enough, but not more.

In general, I use 30 watts for chargers I have “here and there” – and I carry 65 watts in my backpack. I’ve never needed more.

5) Consider having fewer(!) ports

I get the urge of buying chargers with more than one port –** and occasionally that’s absolutely a great option**.

The charger above is in my kitchen, with a MagSafe puck 🖇️ and USB-C cable always connected. It provides 47 watts – but that’s, obviously, shared between the ports. It tries to doll out the power to where it’s needed – but it doesn’t always work flawlessly. So sometimes I have to unplug the MagSafe puck to get more juice for the USB-C cable (even though I don’t have any devices on the puck).

But for the times when you “always” need two outputs, I’d still go for one of these. But the reason I went for the one-port-version for my backpack, is that I really like the simplicity and reliability of always knowing what you’re getting. When I want to charge several things at once, I can usually charge through another device. For instance, I’ll charge my phone via my iPad or MacBook, or iPad via the MacBook.

Bonus recommendation: 3-in-1 charger(s)

If you have a smartwatch, like my wife, you might want something other than just loose cables for your travels. So I bought this for her one Christmas:

I swapped out the charger it came with, to one from Anker, that was smaller while providing the same wattage. Then I placed the one I got with it somewhere in the house where size doesn't matter. I also swapped the cable for a longer one. This experience is a good example of why I, in general, prefer it when charger/cables are not included. Because then you can, instead, buy better ones/the type you need. However, I don't mind there being a bundle available that includes these things.

This is the Mophie 3-in-1 charger. There are many variants of 3-in-1 chargers, but the 2023 version of the Mophie charger has two important details:

The MagSafe/Qi 2 pad in the middle charges the full 15 watts,

and the Apple Watch can fast charge.

The latter is not true of the previous versions of the Mophie charger.

You can recognise the previous version, which I don't recommend getting, on the travel case. It doesn't have a zip, but instead has this button and rubber band.

So, when researching these chargers, always check the charging speed of the different parts! However, if you always charge over-night, you might not need the fastest charging – and something like form-factor might weigh more. I’m just saying it’s good to be aware. Also, keep in mind how powerful the power brick needs to be.1

So, my summation is:

Buy extra. Don’t just move around one charger. (My wife only uses the Mophie above while traveling.)

Think about colour and texture of the cables, to make the different types easy to pick out.

Don’t buy “original” chargers. Instead, buy name-brand GaN chargers, from brands like Anker.

Get enough wattage, but not more. 20 watts for phones and tablets, 30 watts for phones, tablets and consumer laptops, and 65 watts for everything mentioned above, but also pro laptops. 100 watts is more niche.

Consider getting fewer ports, as this is simpler and more reliable.

Check charging speed, especially when buying chargers that can charge several devices at once.

Edit: I got an «answer post» from Eric, that I liked! 👌🏻

For the Mophie, it’s at least 30 watt. ↩︎