#Property Management Companies In Bath

[vinnytotherescue]

Bubbles

Pinocchio x reader

Just fluff because the game is killing me :')

Having the warm water cascade down their sore and tired body is something that most people would crave after a long and arduous day, and of course (y/n) was no exception. She has been running errands for Hotel Krat all day, from helping Eugenie with fixing Pinocchio’s weapons to taking care of Mrs Antonia. When she came across the Hotel she never expected that her life could for once be normal again so she appreciated every sweat and sore muscle she would get from all the work. It is indeed a lot better than fighting for your life everyday and not knowing when Mr death himself was going to be paying you a visit. 

Following the carpeted hallway to her new bedroom she couldn't wait to surrender to the pure bliss that the warm water would give to her aching body. The moment she entered her room she started searching for her bathing products, not much just a vanilla shampoo and body wash, some stuff that she had managed to salvage from a destroyed market. Of course the hotel had such supplies but she figured that she could use hers before returning to the property’s last goods. Grabbing all her stuff she turned to the bathroom but she was suddenly stopped by the creaking sound of the bedroom door opening. Even though she knew who the mysterious intruder was her head still snapped to the source of the sound. Pinocchio stood there his clothes once again stained with the dark black liquid, a proof of his recent battle against more automatons. Even his face was stained by the same substance but his bright blue eyes shone through the darkness of it all.

(Y/n) stared at the boy a smile already plastered on her face. Her an Pinocchio had gotten very close over the past few months, him being her mysterious company and her being his coach to humanity. P offered her a smile as well and entered the room, the dark oil staining the carpet in the process. The girl could only imagine how stained the hallway carpet would be just from seeing the mess created on her carpet in a matter of seconds. 

“P! What have we said about the shoes! You are transferring the oil all over the place!” Pinocchio smiled sheepishly as if saying sorry and his eyes fell on the girl’s bathing products. 

“Are you going for a bath?” P tilted his head still staring at the products. P was always curious about how the water must feel on the skin, he never really showered, there was no reason since he was no human. A little water and a change of clothes would do  before his next trip to Krat.He would get dirty again anyways. But he always loved the way you smelled after a bath, so fresh and airy. He wanted to try it too, but he is a puppet how would his body react? But he ran in the rain, walked in big paddles, he must be fine right? 

“Yeah i was just getting ready-” 

“Can i join you?” P still didnt fully understand the concept of privacy and intimacy. Having a bath with another person just felt normal, he was so hopeful that he didnt notice the embarrassment in the girl’s eyes. 

“A-A date would be nice first-” The boy stared in confusion clearly not understanding the meaning behind it. (Y/n) clutched her stuff tighter and tried to regulate her erratic breathing but to no avail. 

“You know i can shower first and then you can go too” 

“But i don’t know how it works, i have never tried it before” His bright blue eyes stared into her very soul, so hopeful she could not refuse. She had such a crush on him she could not refuse anything really he looked incredibly adorable trying to persuade her. And he managed it. 

“Fine come on let me grab another towel” 

P rushed in the room and followed the girl like a lost puppy as she searched for an extra towel. After she grabbed one she headed toward the bathroom and turned on the faucet, hot water slowly filling the porcelain tub. Pinocchio watched the girl’s movements like he was a painter and he wanted to capture every single detail. 

“What are you doing now?” The water level was rising as the aromatic white liquid left the bottle and filled the tub with unique bubbles of all shapes. P felt like he was dreaming. 

“I am filling it with some shampoo! It makes all those cool bubbles it is perfect for relaxing!” (Y/n) beamed as she watched the bubbles double and triple in amount. P came closer and placed his human fingers over them, each of them disintegrating leaving behind a beautiful light aroma. His smile returned and as he played with the water and the girl just stood there anxious since she was done with the preparations. 

Now comes the hard part, going in.

“I-I think we should get in before the water turns cold” (Y/n) hugged herself anxiously and avoided the boy’s eyes that had settled right on her figure. 

“You can go in first” P left the tub and turned his back to the girl, waiting for her patiently as she undressed and got in. Not going to lie, (Y/n) was pleasantly surprised by this and she climbed in as fast as she could. It was such a nice feeling knowing that she would not be disrespected. P was such a kind soul and that is one reason she fell for him in the first place. 

“You can get in Pino too” thank god the bathtub was big enough for two people. (Y/n) shut her eyes the moment she saw P removing his stained shirt even though she would love to just take a peak. However, Pinocchio was so respectful towards her it was only fair she would act the same. After a few seconds she felt the water rise a bit and her cheeks turned bright red, her hands unable to leave her face.  

“You can open your eyes (y/n), I am done” the girl shook her head and removed her hands hesitantly. Her eyes immediately locked with the blue ones she had fallen in love with and she could feel herself melting, the hot water providing no help to fight it. Pino on the other side was beyond happy, the warm water felt so good against his cold skin and he could see the dense black oil struggling to stay on his body. His hands grazed the bubbles, a game of survival for them and a moment of temporary bliss for him.

While he remained focused on the sight of the fallen bubbles, (y/n) couldn’t help but notice the dark oil tainting his beautiful freckled face. Her hand went up to wipe it before being able to control the movement. The moment it landed on his cheeks his cerulean eyes had already landed on her. The shade of red on her face turned darker and after wiping the dark liquid she snapped her hand back. 

“Sorry you had some oil on you face” Pinocchio held the part of his face that she touched and longed for the warmth. Grabbing her hand he placed it back to his cheek as he leaned on it. (Y/n) was slowly dying by now. The warmth of her body for sure had found the boy and she just stood there like a stone statue. But the closer she looked, his fluffy hair was also stained….Shoot. Impulsive decisions were her forte by now so her other hand reaching to touch his velvet locks was no wonder. 

“Your hair is stained too Pino, did you bathe in oil or something?” Her hands racked through his hair as she tried to remove some knot she found in the process. 

“It just splashes everywhere, i can’t control it” the girl just stared at him sympathetically. It is no secret that every time he would return to hotel Krat she would be worried that under all this oil would be hidden some kind of nasty wound. She knew stuff out there were very difficult. She also knew that Pinocchio was very capable of protecting himself but that did not stop her from worrying like crazy. 

“it’s ok Pino,just… wait” She swiftly turned around and grabbed another bottle smaller in size and poured a generous amount of shampoo in her hands. After making sure to emuslify it she scootched a bit closer to the boy. 

“Can you turn around for me P?” the boy stared at her in question but nevertheless obliged. His back was now at her, thankful that he wasn’t able to see her flustered face anymore. He was much taller than her so she had to sit on her knees to reach properly. Her hands spread the aromatic shampoo all over his locks and she slowly started massaging his scalp. Immediately, she could feel his tense body relax and his head slightly fall towards her. A small smile found its way on her lips as she swept back his hair after rinsing it. His hair reached above his shoulders, the color almost as dark as the color of a raven due to it being wet. He slowly turned his body to face hers, dazed almost by the relaxing massage. He just looked so relaxed for once. (Y/n) could finally see clearly both of his eyes and all the individual freckles adorning his pale face. His eyes stared at her hair and a happy smile returned back to his face. 

“Can i wash your hair too?” The girl smiled and passed him the bottle as she turned her back at him. He carefully tried to imitate the girl’s movements from before but with his legion arm it was always a bit more complicated. He was always afraid that he would hurt her somehow. Like a delicate flower, the moment he would touch it it would crumble like all of the automatons in his way did. So he truly tried to be very careful. The feeling of his legion arm was so different but the cold metal felt so good against your throbbing skull. 

Having both of them washed their hair and the water turning cold was a sign that they should probably get out. Pinocchio was the first one to step out offering the girl a towel right after wearing his. She clearly tried to suppress her urge to look at his upper body as she herself wrapped a towel around her. Emptying the tub they both exited the bathroom and (Y/n) was quick to search for a blowdryer. Pinocchio was already changing into a new pair of clothes, his wet hair dampening his brand new shirt. (Y/n) shook her head giggling as she changed too. 

“Come here silly, we need to dry your hair, your t-shirt got wet” Pinocchio couldn’t get sick so drying his hair felt unnecessary but he would never say no to spending more time with her. He simply sat on the bed in front of her as she blow dryed his hair. The hot air felt so good against his damp hair and the steady noise of the blowdryer was making his eyes droopier minute by minute. His body felt so heavy and he started leaning towards the girl. Finally he was so tired that he couldn’t hold on anymore and let his head fall on her lap. The girl signed in defeat and turned off the blowdryer. His hair was still wet in places but he looked so peaceful sleeping on her lap. She simply let her hands trace over his soft features. 

“You are lucky that i love you” 

“I love you too”

It is fair to say that this was not what (y/n) expected the end of her day to be like, but she was certainly not mad at all. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The end 

A.N: Thank you so much for reading everyone! If you have any other ideas for lies of p x reader just drop them in my inbox, comments or dms!

P.s Let’s pretend that water would not hurt Pinocchio in any way Lmao

[hometoursandotherstuff]

This home is an Airbnb short term rental, but it's so much fun, if I had $7.9M + $42mo. HOA to buy the 1993 estate in Clermont, FL, I would live in it full time. It has 12bds, 9ba on 54.38 acres. The price includes the business, so you get all the stuff with it.

This room with the full kitchen and huge screen TV has theater seating and look at the balconies with figures on them. The double doors say "Cinema," so I guess this is also the home theater, but it looks like a family room.

Tropical rainforest dining room with a carved table and chairs.

Arcade games, a pool table, and a TV area.

Plus another full kitchen with a table that looks like a baseball.

The bedrooms have themes- here we have a football field.

Ski chalet?

The baths are spacious, but basically white, nothing special.

Who wants the golf cart bed? And, simulated golf room.

Are you ready to rumble in the wrestling room?

The body builder's room.

Love the race car room.

Hockey.

Some coordinated baths are decorated.

The B-Ball room.

Baseball bunk room.

Ski ball. This is more my speed.

And, it has a cool bath.

Black light bunk room has a beachy motif.

Florida bird cage pool.

The description says 3 kitchens, but this is the 5th I've counted.

Picnic area. Guests have to share the house.

Outdoor games.

There's a boat house.

Looks like one of those swan pedal boats.

The house is managed by an outside company, but the new owner can choose to do it himself. Also, the current owner has more ideas that the new owner can add to the property. I'm a little disappointed that every single room is sports-themed.

[realmadridfamily]

The Ancelotti family at the official opening of the guesthouse "Il Poggio", which was the dream of Luisa (ex-wife of Carlo and mother of Katia and Davide).

Ancelotti turns to wine and tourism, transforming the ancient house in Felegara into a B&B. Where Carlo and his wife Luisa conceived and raised Katia and Davide, their children, their mother's idea becomes reality: the "Il poggio" estate will host weddings, hikers, visitors and entrusts its vineyards to local farmers. For 25 years it was his home, nestled on his land: this is where Katia and Davide were born and raised. it is here that he lived with his first wife Luisa, who passed away prematurely 3 years ago. Now, traveling between London and Paris, Madrid, Munich, Liverpool and now back to Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti gives the keys of the “Il poggio” estate in Felegara di Medesano (Parma) to Valentina Pancini, property manager and founder of “EVEVE srl”, a company born from the passion generated by the management of properties in the tourist accommodation sector. The estate is surrounded by dense vegetation and vineyards, still owned by the Ancelotti family, entrusted to local farmers who take care of the production of wines. It starts with 6 rooms (a suite and a double room, but the project - started in 2022 from an old idea of Luisa's - includes other rooms in the future. In the meantime, guests will already be able to enjoy a large garden, swimming pool, relaxation area, sauna , Turkish bath and gym. The services will immediately also include home chefs, wellness services, yoga, horse riding and above all cultural and food and wine tours in the surrounding hills. The offer will also include trips to castles and visits to Parma.

[iamthenerdqueen]

The Red String of Faith - Chapter XI

Idol!AteezXOCs Soulmates!ot8AteezXOCs OCXOC Slight Social Media AU!

MDNI 18+ ONLY

slight twigger warnings:Polyamory, group of 10, two OC's -feel free to replace one OC with yourself if you'd like- , listen this is an idea me and my best friend had and is something for fun read at own risk, not edited as always, also we are starting to explore themes such as bxb and gxg if thats not for you, this story may not be for you.

Chapter VIII, Chapter IX. Chapter X, Next

The hardest part about moving to the other side of the world, literally was finding a place to live. On top of that, finding a place large enough for 10 people to live comfortably in a city as populated as Seoul. 

Just after Lia and Lyra returned home from LA months ago, they decided that the most important thing in their move was this exact issue. With the help of the ever-faithful Hajoon, they began a very specific hunt, and to no one's surprise, they found nothing that was what they imagined. Now, did they really expect to find an apartment or condo with enough space for 10 adults to have their own rooms, no. 

Instead what they ended up finding, by a stroke of luck and a random choice was an apartment complex up for sale. It was rather large and seemed to be a luxury apartment complex. Now the price had several zeros attached to it, but something the girls rarely spoke of was their current finances. After Lia had begun getting a decent income from her streams and brand deals the first thing the girls did was invest in property. 

They owned the apartment they lived in, a rental house in Myrtle Beach, and their most expensive property up until that point was a historic home located in downtown Charleston. They made a significant amount of passive income from these properties, and the Charleston house was specifically successful as it was used often as a wedding venue. So, dealing with property wasn’t anything new for them, but the biggest problem was that they weren’t Korean citizens nor did they understand the laws surrounding owning property like that in Korea. 

This is where Hajoon was a real lifesaver, he knew a good deal about how to go about this. Instead of the complex belonging to Lia and Lyra as personal property, they were able to obtain it using the property management company they had established in the United States for their Charleston property. 

The fun part of all of this is that because of the change in management and the sale, many of the tenants had moved out long before the girls came into the picture. Those who had remained through the buying process had turned out to be incredibly kind tenants and many of them had lived in the building for many years. 

New lease agreements had to be sent out to those who remained and the girls did all they could to keep the rent the same or even lower it if they could, they also let those who remained know that there would be some renovations taking place as soon as possible. 

They had really lucked out with the fact that the top floor of the building had become completely vacant during the process, and to accommodate their large soulgroup they were planning to turn the entire top floor into one large living space. There were six units on each floor of the building, four three-bedroom/two-bath apartments, and two three-bedroom/three-bathroom apartments on every floor of the building. 

So to begin with the girls had decided to take two of the three-bedroom apartments and one of the three-bedroom apartments to make one ten-bedroom apartment, plus each of the three-bedroom apartments had a small office. Now, you might be a little lost here because of the sheer amount of luck the girls had in making this possible, they were too. They really handed a lot of the reins over to Hajoon to figure out the layout of the project as he knew what would work the best for the boys and their lifestyles. The few things the girls requested were as follows: one bathtub, one western-style standing shower, at least two refrigerators, a washer, and a dryer. 

It was a lot and a lot of money. It really ate into the savings the girls had acquired over the years but their plan was to live and die in this place. Plus Lyra didn’t think she could handle using a drying rack ever again after college. What surprised them was pretty soon after renovations were in full swing and they were again accepting tenant applications was the outreach from several other soulgroups looking to apply for housing. Before they knew it they had a nearly full complex with soulgroups or families of at least 5 people, it was quite the shock. They also were able to retain the same staff as the previous owner employed, with a very strict NDA to sign in their new employment contracts to add some protection to the boys from stalkers or paparazzi. 

The most interesting part of it all was that the boys had no idea, and all Hajoon had told them was they would be moving to a new residence to accommodate the new size. They were none the wiser to the fact that the girls owned the building or that they had completely renovated a space for all of them. 

“Tell me again why we’re meeting the girls there? Why are they there before us?” Wooyoung was badgering Hajoon with questions about the whole situation and was really annoyed at the fact they had been back in Korea for only 48 hours, had only seen the girls twice as they had to go into the company and do some schedules, plus they had just haphazardly packed up their whole life to move to some random new dorm on the other side of town. He did have to admit it was the fancy part of town but still… he was crabby.

“Because Wooyoung, they are already there and have been since we returned to Korea. They’ve had their own things to handle like their visas and all the soulmate paperwork, you boys got off easy because you had to be at the company all you needed to do this round was sign the paperwork. Plus they had their things shipped here from the otherside of the world and have been working on putting together furniture, being there for final installations, so” Hajoon rattled off as he drove.

“Final installations? What do you mean?” Hongjoong asked from farther back in the SUV, Jonho and Yeosang were also in the back of the car with him while Wooyoung sat in the passenger seat. The other half of their group was in an SUV behind them with Yunho driving. 

“You’ll understand when we get there, it’s just a new place.” Hajoon did his best to not tell them anything, he knew the girls wanted everything to be a secret. Silence fell over the car and remained that way until Hajoon pulled their vehicle into the garage attached to the apartment building. 

For Lia and Lyra, they were still unpacking. They had made it through all the crap that went into their rooms, their shared office space that was also Lia’s filming set up, and everything for the living room they had and was like 60% of the way through the things that belonged in the kitchen. 

There were two main things both of them hated about moving which were packing and unpacking. It was clear to tell that during their packing they had given up as they now were dealing with boxes of random shit intermixed with their kitchen supplies. 

The current box they were dealing with had pots and pans as well as some things that were obviously last-minute additions intended to go in a box headed for Lia’s bedroom. 

“Oh my god, Lia. Listen, I know you like some weird shit but this paddle…” Lyra didn’t finish her sentence, instead, she just laughed as she held up the bright pink paddle that looked more like a gag gift than a real sex toy. It had the Playboy bunny logo cut out in the middle and meow etched across the pink leather handle. 

“I don’t have an answer for that one. I saw it on Amazon and knew I had to have it.” Lia answered straight-faced, “It was under my sink in case anyone went snooping they would think I was a freak and stop looking through my things,” she finished now halfway into another box. 

This was when all eight of their other soulmates and one incredibly tired Hajoon came in through the door. Walking into the room they all just saw two piles of boxes, some of their own but most of them belonging to the girls. Lyra, with a bright pink paddle in her hand, and Lia bent over in front of her reaching into a box. 

It was very…. suggestive to say the least. 

“I thought you two were platonic, this doesn’t look very platonic to me,” Wooyoung was the first to say anything, his hands on his hips like a parent who just found out their child was doing something naughty. 

“Hajoon I’m so sorry. I swear this is not what it looks like,” Lyra said as she tossed the paddle across the room as if she was trying to dispose of the evidence. The boys just started laughing, unable to take the situation seriously, Yunho even laughed so hard that he dropped the duffle bag he was carrying. It was that movement that made the girls realize that the boys were carrying the last of their things with them, mostly the last of their clothes in luggage or duffle bags plus their daily essentials like their toiletries. 

“I’m going home now, I’ll be back to pick you all up for schedules the day after tomorrow. Please, don’t call me.” Hajoon was joking, well everyone hoped he was joking as the tired man waved as he walked out the door of the apartment. 

The boys paused to take their shows off at the door before walking further into their new space all of them with the same confused look on their faces, they knew they would be in a large apartment but this was huge. 

“KQ has gone all out huh, how did they afford this? I know we are doing well, but this is like something insane,” Seonghwa said as he walked through the new living room that was somewhat put together with a brand new couch big enough for all of them to fit comfortably, a couple of new tables that matched the new entertainment system that was set up along the back wall. 

“KQ didn’t pay for this?” LIa said from her new spot crisscrossed on the floor working on the same box as before, “We bought it once we made the finalized plans to move here, the whole building actually.”

“What?” Several of the boys said at the same time while some others just looked at Lia like she had grown two heads. 

“It just ended up making more sense to own and this opportunity came up, it also gave us the chance to have free reign on what we wanted. Come on,” Lia stopped talking to stand from her spot on the floor, “Let’s go on the grand tour,” 

The next forty-five minutes were spent with the whole group going through the entire apartment. They were the most excited about the fact that each of them got their own room, and had a space to make a small in-house studio if they wanted in the empty office. The real kicker was their reaction to the kitchen, well the two kitchens combined into one. 

“It’s huge, I think I might pass out. Two fridges, this is a dream,” Wooyoung really did look like he might pass out at the sight of the new kitchen. 

“Wait until you see the one in the den,” Lyra said as she began toward the other side of the apartment, though calling it an apartment at this point was a little lackluster. Really they should call it a penthouse or their floor, something more true to size. 

“Den?” Yunho put his arm around Lyra's waist as he walked up behind her to follow her through the rest of the tour. He wasn’t super familiar with the term, it sounded funny to him in English.

When he saw the set up his jaw dropped, the den was on the far side of their new space. The room was huge and almost all of the walls were lined with shelves. Books filled one whole wall from floor to ceiling with different series and books while the other side was half books and games for all kinds of consoles. 

“What?” Yunho asked in Korean, taking in the room, it seemed more personal and geared toward them here. Unlike the living room, they had seen right when they walked in. 

“We know you all are gamers, and I have quite the book collection, so…” Lyra shrugged, smiling at the room, personal things like this made it all worth it for her. Seeing parts of all of them coming together, making a home for all of them. 

All the boys filtered in and began exploring, most of them looking at the area where they could set up their games and seeing the gaming consoles the girls had brought with them. A switch and an older Xbox 360 were all they had, leaving plenty of room for the boys to set up the ones they brought with them. 

“I don’t know this book,” Yeosang said from where he stood looking at the books, noticing different ones on slight display. Some he knew despite the English titles, like Harry Potter and The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, but he hadn’t read this one. 

It was displayed in a mixture of poetry and other books. 

“I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart: I am, I am, I am.” Lyra spoke softly and mimicked the thumping of a heart as she spoke the last few words, “That is The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, I love that book. It’s about a woman in college who struggles with her mental health. I read it as a young woman in college struggling with her mental health, it helped me a lot. The ones to the right are the books I wrote my senior thesis about,” Lyra pointed to two books shelved together before shifting to point to the tallest shelf.

“The quote I just said, I used part of it on my graduation cap. To remind myself that I got myself where I was, to feel the beating of my heart not because I was nervous, but because I was proud of myself.” The cap had a background of what looked like pages out of an old book, the entire edge of the cap was lined with fake white pearls. The top and bottom corners were lined with a mixture of pink and white fake flowers that had a thin layer of glitter on them from what Yeosang could see. The English words were clear in the middle of the cap. I am, I am, I am.

The closer Yeosang looked across the shelves of books he noticed that there were books in Korean, poetry, histories, fables, and versions of copies of some of the books from the other side. 

“Why did you get the same books in Korean?” Yeosang asked as he picked up a second copy of Peter Pan, this one in Korean. 

“I got those so that you all knew that there is something for you all to read, there are some of my favorites and some of Lia’s favorites,” Lyra pointed to the copy of Dracula and tapped the hardback cover he had in his hand, “That is my favorite of all. I fell in love with the idea of Neverland and decided that I would never grow up.”

Yeosang smiled at her words, the girls always seemed to surprise him. He couldn’t think that thought from his head as the night continued. The boys unpacked some of their things, beginning most excited to set up the den with their own games and consoles. 

Everyone spread out within their new space trying to get settled, not much could be done for the boys as their new furniture had yet to arrive, only their new mattresses had come. Lia and Lyra were both engrossed once again in the process of unpacking, doing a little here and there.

“Pretty!! I want to see your room!” San was far from quiet as he made his way down the hall toward Lia’s room. 

Without much hesitation, San walked into the room of all-white furniture and fake plants. A string of fairy lights was Lia’s current task as she was standing on her bed putting the string up above her headboard. 

“It’s not totally done yet, I don’t have my vanity set up yet.” Lia’s words went in one ear and out the other as San focused in on the CDs she had displayed on the wall and beside it the album they belonged to set neatly on several shelves. 

“It’s all so cute except for the albums.” San was pouting from behind her Lia could hear it in his voice. Turning over her shoulder to look at him she saw the expression on his face, he was full-on pouting but also glaring at the wall where she had her kpop albums displayed.

“The albums are cute, you’re just mad that I listen to more groups than y’all.” Lia stuck her tongue out at him as she teased her soulmate from across the room. 

“I can’t believe my own soulmate is cheating on us with so many others,” San made the motion to wipe away a fake tear from his eye.

“You are so dramatic,” Lia rolled her eyes as she walked over to him and hugged him despite the fact that he had crossed his arms.

“How are you calling me dramatic when you’re the one with Stray Kids, BTS, Seventeen, and NCT on your wall? Do we mean nothing to you?” the fake crying returned at this point as he tipped his head up toward the ceiling playfully. 

“Oh no, you don’t get to leave out the fact that Ateez is also on that wall, thank you very much.” Lia pointed to the places where several of their albums were on display. “And at least I didn’t display my lightsticks… yet. Lyra has her up in her room already.”

At Lia’s words, San's eyes went wide before he began to turn to go hunt down his other soulmate who had the audacity to stan other groups. 

Lyra, who was unexpectedly folding clothes in her room with Jongho, was surprised when San walked into the room like a bat out of hell. 

“You are also a cheater, not even trying to hide it,” San went straight up to one of her bookshelves where she had her albums neatly shelved with her two light sticks on either side as if they were book ends. 

“Is this about us being multi-stans again?” Lyra didn’t blink as San picked up her Ahgabong and waved it around as proof. 

“How could you, I thought you were ATINY. I thought we were the lights of your lives, I thought you loved us,” San’s volume had attracted a few more of the boys down the hall to the girls' rooms, most notably Hongjoong had come down as well. 

Hongjoong was just a little too smug at the conversation happening as he was probably the most unhappy with the fact that the girls were die-hard fans of other groups. 

“I mean, by this train of thought I’m cheating on GOT7 with you, not the other way around,” Lyra shrugged, not really bothered by the dramatics of her soulmates. 

A gasp left Hongjoong from just inside her bedroom door, before Lia spoke from her spot in the room, “Yeah, I would technically be cheating on Stray Kids with Ateez.”

The was a split second where the boys seemed to make eye contact and even Jongho who really didn’t have a dog in this fight quickly caught on to what was about to happen, so he shifted to the left of Lyra to get out of the way.

Both girls were soon wrapped up by San and Hongjoong respectively as they showered them with aggressive affection as they would call it. The girls were helpless to escape the awful tickling they were receiving until they gave in to the boys' demands to be ATINY first and everything else second.

A few hours later they had all settled and had unpacked as much as they possibly could. 

In plain honest truth, they were all clingy, and at some point, someone had suggested they just make a giant pallet on the floor of the den. 

It was Lia. Lia suggested the giant pallet on the floor and because the boys had very little willpower when the girls were concerned, they were all lying in a giant puppy pile on the floor. Lia snuggled between Jongho and Yeosang, each of them had their own blankets, unlike the rest of the soulmates who were sharing with each other. Those three were blanket hogs and unashamed to say it. 

Lyra had found herself between Wooyoung and San, the three of them under the same blanket. It’s a good thing that Lyra tended to sleep on her back, but she couldn’t move if she wanted to because of the vice grip both her soulmates had on either side of her. They were all chatting quietly while Yunho and Jongho were playing a 1 vs. 1 game on the switch. 

Lyra was almost asleep when she heard Lia get up hastily from her spot on the floor, making a bee-line for the bathroom. She had been dealing with some sort of nausea since the flight into Korea. Her immune system had always been trash and all this traveling was finally catching up to Lia were the last thoughts that crossed Lyra's mind as she fell asleep that night. 

A/N: Hi friends :) Long time no see, but I am back with the next chapter and the start of the second arch of this story. That being said this is not my favorite chapter tbh and is really nothing more than a filler. I also would like to say here that it will be few and far between for a while until I update again, but I will be doing my best to write and publish many at once.

[saviorbook]

Fancy

I'll admit, fancy wasn't something I found easy to do. Cheesy, no problem. Emotional, I can do that. But Fancy on this blessed fifth day of @fransweek impossible. Well, I tried my best regardless, so I hope you enjoy.

The nightlife of Nychta roared with the bright reds and whites of the neon signs that promoted the illegal selling of alcohol at the just as illegal nightclubs that were scattered throughout the city. To say it was a boring place, was to say you were looking to get shanked. After all, the Achlys Company, the most notorious gang of the city, didn’t take too kindly to people who couldn’t hold their tongues.

From an outsider’s perspective, the largest building in the middle of the bustling street was much too intimidating to look at, let alone approach. To their surprise, however, they would make out a dainty woman being followed by a behemoth of what could only be presumed as a bodyguard, considering he was a monster. They would stare in awe as the two approached the building, seemed to ignore the man by the doors, and walk in as if they owned the place, which everyone knew wasn’t the case.

To say Sans and Frisk were unimpressed, would be an understatement. The two were known throughout their own gang to be the best of the best; they would travel worldwide and dismantle anyone they didn’t like in the span of a single mission. The large, illegal establishment that loomed over them, as if it wanted to swallow them whole was, all in all, boring, and the couple would make that very well-known by the end of their short stay.

Frisk bounced her hair in her hands as she sat on the velvet covered chair, awaiting her audience with the kingpin of the Misery Company. It wasn’t a particularly comfortable wait. Her own velvet dress rubbed against the chair in a way that felt wrong and made her skin crawl, and her husband was forced to stand the entire time instead of being allowed to sit next to her. The second complaint of hers was to be expected, though; they were undercover as an out of country gang who wanted to merge their empires, and Sans being the bodyguard to an elite socialite made the most sense.

Frisk’s eyes shifted to the large velvet lined doors as they creaked open. A man, who had to have stood at seven feet tall and tree feet wide, blocked the doorway with his massive stature; his face was bathed in shadows, and all that could be seen, was a silver tooth that managed to capture the only light that framed him. He towered over Frisk when she stood and let out hearty laugh as he blew out a thick plume of smoke from the cigar that hung from his chapped lips.

“So this is who the great White Griffons sent to make a deal, a mouse and her pet!” Another laugh escaped him as he failed to notice Frisk’s smirk at his attempt to make her feel small; after all, there was no need to. She knew her 5’ 2’’ stature was getting her nowhere in being intimidating; she was small.

“I suggest you not call it a pet.” Her voice seethed with rage, with a threat hanging onto every word.

“And why may that be, pretty lady? Isn’t that what he is, a glorified pet?” Sans remained stoic and silent in the background, waiting for Frisk’s cue to get this over with.

“Good heavens, no… It is my property. Calling it a pet implies it means something to me, that it’s more than a good way to get my point across, that you think it holds more emotional value to me than that of one of your own possessions. Don’t get me wrong, I would be upset if it were to get injured or if you were to shoot it. However, it’s not like I lost a beloved pet or my favorite blade. It would simply be an inconvenience I’d rather go without. After all, I would be absolutely mad if I said finding one of these things was easy.” Sans had to try his hardest to keep from showing any emotion at the small monologue. It wasn’t one she had to use often, but this man wasn’t to be played with, and she had to make sure she covered all her bases. However, to say it didn’t sting to hear those words come from the woman he loved, even if out of necessity, would have been a lie.

“It’s well-dressed for just being a piece of property.” The large man was leading them through the long hallway that led to the office where the meeting was actually supposed to be held. Frisk tried her hardest to not let a loud sigh slip passed her lips and opted to instead slip the dagger that she carried out of hiding, playing with the sharp blade.

“Well, why do you take care of your cars? It’s to display wealth and to keep them in optimal condition so you can continue to use them, yes? I simply do the same.” He glanced back at her and took notice of the only weapon either of the pair seemed to have on them.

“If it is about wealth, why carry such a pathetic blade? Why not use something encrusted with jewels or a gun?” Frisk lowered her head and smiled up at the man, causing an unexpected shiver to run up his spine.

“Well, this blade in particular has sentimental value to me, is easy to sharpen, and causes people to look me in the eyes as the light in their own fade instead of looking at the gaudy handle of a more expensive and ornamental blade. Why not a gun? I find guns to be too impersonal. As I said previously, I enjoy watching the hope drain from a person’s soul when I plunge the knife into their flesh. I enjoy the feeling of the skin ripping under my touch, the warm blood that slowly drips down my arms as I push the blade into their body as far as it will go. I believe guns are too merciful, and while I may be a lady who one would assume wouldn’t want to get her hands dirty, that person would be gravely mistaken. Now, enough talking about my possessions. After all, I dictate what they do, and if you decide to continue this line of questioning, there’s no telling what will go down your throat first.” Sans swallowed the breath he didn’t know he was holding and thanked the stars that the woman in front of him was on his side.

“I see. Well, I hope you find that we have accommodated to your tastes.” He gestured to a large chair that looked like it would swallow Frisk whole as they approached his mahogany desk.

“I do suppose many would find a place like this, fancy. I however, find it to be quite tacky. It’s too fancy for the people you sell to, making you seem unapproachable, yet it’s much too tacky for the amount of wealth you’ve accumulated. Sans, do be a dear and scan the place for me.” The large man jumped back as the skeletal monster bowed his head and cleared the room, bringing back a gun that had been hidden under the desk.

“i don’t trust this man.” He sent a glare towards the boss but confirmed that it was safe to sit.

“I didn’t know you taught it to speak.” The man let out a hearty chuckle.

“I didn’t. Monsters are quite smart and far more intelligent than you could ever hope to be. Now, before you speak, may I remind you that you designed this room to be completely sound proof.” She nodded to the chair in front of her, and he took a seat, reaching for a button that was connected to the desk.

“I wouldn’t do that. Sans already cut off its connection to the rest of the facility. Now, let’s drop the pretenses and get down to business.” He swallowed as he glanced up at Sans, only now realizing that he was in over his head.

“I understand that you are a very powerful man in charge of a very powerful organization. I don’t care. I’m sure that you now understand that I lied about mostly everything.” Sans’ eyes widened.

“you lied! i can’t believe this! this isn’t what i was paid to do.” His smile grew wider as he struggled to keep a straight face.

“Hon, stop. I’m sorry had to see that poor excuse for acting, but I can’t promise he won’t do it again.” She rolled her eyes as Sans placed a hand to his head in mock hurt.

“frisk, you wound me.” He glanced at her as she giggled.

“What is going on here?!” The large man raised his voice as he reached for the gun in his pocket.

“aw, we were having such a great time. shame you had to go and ruin it.” A sharpened bone was pointed in the man’s face as Sans’ eyelights went out.

“Right, business. You have something your people want: money. We plan on giving it to them out of your pockets. You can either do this willingly by joining our gang, The Underground, or you can learn the true meaning of ‘swimming with the fishes.’ The choice is yours.” She stood up from her chair and leaned over the desk.

“You really think my people would just let this happen. I have investors that I need to make happy. You’re not going to get in the way of that.” Frisk let out a dark chuckle as she pulled her knife out again.

“Oh, you poor soul. You think you have a say in the matter. Again, if you won’t join us willingly, then we have to end your miserable existence, and after that, it won’t matter what your investors have to say. Either way, it will no longer be your money. Whatever grievances they have will go through us; it won’t be your concern.” Her eyes had a red glint to them as the bone inched closer to the man’s face.

“Fine! I’m not really in the business of deep sea diving, so we’ll play the game your way.” He sneered as he looked away.

“Good. Pleasure doing business with you. Our correspondents will be in touch soon. For now, I want a secluded table at your restaurant, all expenses paid.” He nodded and shooed the pair off.

As Sans and Frisk left she leaned into him, smiling at the feeling of the soft cotton that made up the blouse under his dress vest.

“was it necessary to dine in his oh so fancy diner?” She smirked and shrugged her shoulders.

“No, but it was pretty funny to see his face turn red.” He laughed and looked her in the eyes.

“i bet i could get us somewhere fancier.” She shook her head a little.

“I bet you could, too.”

[generalsnivy]

This snake family just acquired a home that they were desperately looking for as the rent for their old home was so astronomically high, that they couldn't afford to stay there and also pay for necessities such as food, water, cleaning supplies, etc. Ladies and gents; you're looking at a Serperior mother with her Servine son as they are now proud homeowners of this lovely 2-bedroom, 1-bath house, located in a nice, quiet neighborhood, where most businesses are local and they're only about 20 minutes away from the nearest major town, so if they need something from a major big brand store, it won't take an eternity to complete a round trip. Let's have a round of applause and congratulations to this wonderful, happy family!

This drawing is also going to serve as an update as to where I've been as it's been ~3 months since I drew anything new and a lot has happened during that time. Back in July of this year, the property we were living at for the past 10 years was bought out by another realtor company and we feared that our rent was going to increase as it has already done so at the beginning of this year by ~$250. After the acquisition, we received a letter from the new realtor company that our rent wasn't going up (right away. More on this in a little bit.) which was a huge relief. However, around mid-August, we received another letter from them informing us that the rent would be going up once more, starting in October 2023, by another ~$300! That's 2 rent increases for this year, which is really, really bad! For those wondering if companies can do that since in several states, there's a law that exists that makes it so there's a cap on how much rent can be raised per year. Sadly, Maine is not one of those states that has this law so, realtors can raise the rent as much as they want, whenever they want, so long as they inform their tenants at least 30 days in advance in writing. As a result of this new rent increase, we would not be able to afford the new rent amount as Mom and I live on monthly paychecks, which are used to pay for expenses such as bills, food, necessities, clothes, cleaning supplies, unexpected expenses, etc. So, we had to spend the last 2 months packing up our home while also searching for a new one that's not only within our price range of what we can afford for a monthly rent payment but also had to include heat as heating is very expensive here in Maine and it is required in order to survive Maine's harsh, hard winters. It also had to have enough storage to store as many of our belongings as possible, and it also had to have washer and dryer hookups. Towards the end of September, we were able to find a place that met most requirements for a much cheaper price. However, the place is a lot smaller than our old home and when we moved in, we had to get rid of/donate a lot of things as we don't have the room for them, which sucked as we had a lot of nice things that we had to give away. Despite that, Mom and I are thankful that we not only managed to find a place before October that included heat, plus most other amenities, including electricity which is a huge bonus as not a lot of places include electricity in the rent. We're also thankful that we have a roof over our heads so we're not out on the streets, which I was fearing was going to happen as there weren't too many places for rent that were within our price range and included what we needed. We managed to unpack most of the house, but there's still quite a bit of unpacking left to do, especially in Mom's room as her room is much smaller than mine. (I had to take the bigger bedroom due to my bed and furniture being so large.) Overall, the past 3 months have been the most stressful and scariest of my life as I was filled with fear, anxiety on top of what anxiety I had already, and uncertainty due to these events. We are slowly settling into our new home and thankfully, we're living in a nice, quiet neighborhood that isn't in the boonies and we're only an hour away from a major town, which is nice. I should be able to get back into drawing like I normally do, but who knows what life will throw at us next? Only one way to find out.

[umbralsound-xiv]

Lost Property.

I managed to persuade her to take a much needed bath. I'd watch him in the meantime, not that i expected him to wake. Fleetingly, i had made my way into the company house at the early bells of the morning, picked the lock to their room and took the first folded clothes i could find.

Sayuri Aoki carefully drags herself onto the edge of the bathtub, exhaling sharply. A hand reaches for a towel kept nearby, which is slowly draped around her body as she slips out of the tub completely. She halts there, raising a hand up to rub at her own face while she takes a small moment to rest.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…He's still sleeping. I put your clothes near your feet. I… Had to pick the lock to your room. Apologies." She continues to look at Eir, giving Sayuri her privacy while she dressed. "…He's going to be upset when he wakes up. I… Think he might need some new houseplants…"

Sayuri Aoki‘s ear flickered softly as Bexy’s voice reached her, a soft breath leaving her. “.. Thank you. I-.. personally don’t mind...” She sets a hand upon the edge of the tub and leans down carefully, picking up the clothes left by it to begin dressing herself. “.. That-.. should.. be fine..”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…The smallest of worries, considering. I'm… I'm just happy you're home." Bexy smiles, though unseen from the chair. "…How are you feeling?"

Sayuri Aoki settles the towel upon the edge of the bathtub, her hands moving to tug her yukata shut before she ties the bow a touch awkwardly. ".. Less in pain, but.. not completely free of it." She pushes away from the tub and approaches, steps slow and careful. ".. How are you?"

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Better, now you're back. Now you're -here-." She emphasises the word, seeming a little more settled for seeing Sayuri looking more like herself. "…I know you're hurt. If you need help with anything for your injuries… You need only ask. Neoma says she's but a linkpearl call away." She lightly pats a small wad of clothes on her lap. "…I brought him something to wear, too. But we need not move him too much until he's ready. He has blankets, until then."

Sayuri Aoki‘s hands tug at her sleeves, ears remaining flat and gaze lower than usual. “.. It’s good to be home.” She spoke quietly. “..I-.. will be.. fine. My injuries.. were not as bad as Eir’s.” She frowns weakly, letting her eyes settle on Eir’s unconscious body. Her nails sink into her sleeve, pulling in it a little more sharply.

Injuries. Scars and scrapes in our skin mean nothing compared to what happens inside. I know she will heal physically in time, but i know that this too, is not what plagues her.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…I have no doubt you will be fine. But what about right now? Your injuries… Sayuri. You've been injured before. That's not what i'm worried about." Bexy extends a hand for comfort. "…Talk to me, Sayuri. I'm here."

Sayuri Aoki frees her sleeve in favour of reaching for Bexy’s offered hand, intending to squeeze it tightly. She draws a deeper breath, yet hesitates.. Before opting to actually speak. “.. Up until Vex spoke with me for the first time, I thought Eir was dead.. Even as she took me through the compound.. I wasn’t sure if it was a lie or not.” Her frown deepened. “..They-.. They made a show of killing him.. I-.. I held him.. in my arms.. Watched the life bleed from him.. and I don’t.. know how he survived..”

...I... ...The last time she saw Eir, was when she believed he had died. I... Did not think they would allow to see eachother much in there, if at all. But to make such a display of killing him. ...Bastards. All of them. I... ...I'm going to make time to see Laurent again, and soon.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…Gods…" Bexy whispers. Her hand is squeezed in turn, looking from Sayuri over to Eir as she spoke of him. "…Vex spoke with me too. I'd heard conflicting stories about Eir, but i suppose it depends what those i'd spoken with knew. Some thought him dead. Others, alive. Vex told me he lived. I… I'm glad i took the chance to trust her. I'm glad he's still alive."

Sayuri Aoki‘s grip of Bexy’s hand notably tightens, features pulling into a small expression of pain as her aether stirrs with her increasing upset. “.. I spent.. most of my time in there.. thinking he was gone..” Tears build up in her eyes, yet she blinks them away. “..I-.. I h-hadn’t seen him.. until l-last night..”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "I… I did not know. I… Don't know how you were kept in there. What contact you had, or were allowed, or what they granted you." Bexy slowly leads Sayuri to the side of the bed, to allow her to sit more comfortably. "…It's been two moons since you were gone. Two long, difficult moons. For both of us…. For… All of us."

Sayuri Aoki moves over to the bed, slowly sinking down to sit at the edge of it. “.. Initially.. In cells opposite each other.. Until they made the scene..” Her lips tug downwards. “.. I could already feel that they had done something to my aether the first sun.. But I could mostly force myself through the pain.. I fought them, every moment I got..”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…You never gave up. I knew you wouldn't. That's not like you. Give them hell, i said… Though it was more than a cycle ago, and in a much different situation." She gently squeezes Sayuri's hand in her own. "…I too carved my own path. Distanced myself from the company through fear of retaliation. Killed… I… I killed so many people, Sayuri…" The realisation of Bexy's words seems to dawn on her, a little striken for speaking it aloud.

...So many people. So many. I... ...How many people did i kill? I... I can't... Remember. No. I'll remember. I'll write them down like the rest. I've barely had a moment to... To... I'll write for them soon.

Sayuri Aoki: ".. It was.. but I didn't forget it.." Sayuri returns a squeeze of her own. ".. And I am thankful that you did." She whispers. "..I-.. I killed whoever I got the chance to.. except.. two.." A brief pause lingers, as Sayuri's head lowers. "..One.. because I couldn't.. I lost that battle.. The other.. because both Vex and Eir stopped me.."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…A friend, then. I know there must be others in there. We let two live yestersun. I hope they survive. Make good choices." Her gaze traces behind her, to Eir, who remains in a state of unconsciousness, only the quiet rise and fall of his chest to indicate he lives still. "…Did… You kill anyone notable? I… I don't think i did. Not really."

Sayuri Aoki: “.. A friend. A Seeker. I-.. think his name was D’khoreh..” She pauses, ears lowering. “.. Other than two of the three who captured Eir, and one who collected me? .. No. Not.. really..” Her brows furrow, gaze lifting up to Bexy. “.. Something.. did happen.. When we were breaking out..”

...These names i will keep in my thoughts. By no means is any of this over. We have her back, but they have Vex, still. I pray she's still alive. ...And even if she's not, something inside me isn't content for only bringing Sayuri home. I want to hurt them, still, for all they have done. I want to keep killing.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…About Vex? I… I heard she didn't make it. But she's alive, yes? We… We can still save her?"

Sayuri Aoki: ".. No, with.. One of.. Grym's people.. I've been trying to wrap my head around it but.. I can't.." Sayuri's brows furrow, a slow breath leaving her. ".. She collapsed when her collar was activated.. I fear what's in store for her.."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…If she lives, i will find her." Bexy promises, settling her attention back on Sayuri. "…What happened?"

Sayuri Aoki: “We.. we were so close to the exit, and the person we ran into..” She pauses, ears flattening. “.. A Sea Wolf. Ketenblaet. He-.. was the first one I met.. When X’aoki gave me over to them..” The memory causes Sayuri’s lips to tug downwards further. “.. He.. always seemed to be close with Grym, but.. He just watched us.. Their pearls went off and.. I assume they were asked about our whereabouts, because his response was.. That he hadn’t seen us..?” Confusion grips her anew as she recalls the scenario, brows furrowing. “.. He nodded to the door and just.. left.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…He just let you go? I… I'm glad he did, but… Why? Strange, but… There must be a reason, yes? It isn't as though you are a new face to him, if he was present the first time you were there…"

Sayuri Aoki nodded slightly. ".. I don't know. He.. collected me. Him, Arnkel and.. someone called Avront.. But he just.. let us leave. And I, just.. do not know why.."

...Something about the whole notion of such a figure just letting them... Leave, does not sit well with me. I can only think of a few reasons why someone would do such a thing. Either... They are confident they can get them back, or... ...They never wanted them to begin with.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…I don't know. It's a little unsettling… Like there is some ulterior motive or some such." Bexy draws her lips into a line, quietly releasing Sayuri's hand after a small squeeze as she moves to stand, settling the small pile of clothes from her lap beside Sayuri. "…I thought you might like to… Do something about his hair. Neoma's cleaned what she can, mostly wounds to better heal and bandage them."

Bexy Amalaryssia plucks up a bowl from the foot of the bed, walking to the bathtub to collect water. "…For him to look more like himself, when he wakes."

Sayuri Aoki: ".. Vex seemed kinda puzzled too.. But we weren't exactly given a moment to ask.." She returns a light squeeze as Bexy stands, her head turning to look in Eir's direction. ".. That'd.. be nice.." She murmured, leaning herself back a touch. Her hand reached for Eir's face, gently cupping his cheek and brushing her thumb over it.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…I know you're worried. But there's… Something else." Bexy hitches the bowl of water on her hip, walking closer to set it back on the foot of the bed, pulling out some cloths and a hairbrush. "…Something else plagues you. Something more than worry."

Sayuri Aoki peered over to Bexy, letting a brow slowly raise. ".. Guilt? Anger?" She exhales. ".. There's.. too much to pick out.."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…Anger i can understand. You have much to be angry about. Guilt?" Bexy soaks one of the cloths, wringing it out to offer to Sayuri. "…Because he was taken?"

Sayuri Aoki's gaze lowers, her hand reaching out to accept the offered cloth. ".. He wouldn't have been taken if he wasn't with me. He wouldn't have suffered all of -this-.." She sighs, ears flattening as she reaches the cloth over to Eir's face, gently beginning to wipe the dirt and grime away.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…And maybe he wouldn't be. But that doesn't mean that this is your fault, Sayuri." Bexy instead shifts the cover to retrieve one of his hands, cleaning using her own cloth.

...Eir surely would have been fine, should he have not grown close to Sayuri. That is an unignorable truth. But she would have never been so happy. It's a selfish thing to think, equating his safety for the sake of her happiness, but i think it worth it, even if no one else agrees. I would like to think Eir does, even if he is not awake enough to hear this conversation.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…Would you be without him, even knowing that this happened?"

Sayuri Aoki shook her head gently. "..I.. do not want to be without him.." She murmurs, shoulders slouching. ".. I want to tear apart those who hurt him.. I want to wipe that annoying bloody grin of Vairg's stupid face again.. I want to grant Q'kura a slow, painful death.." Her body rocked back and forth slightly, a slight hiss of pain passing her lips in response to her increasing upset. Her gaze locks upon Eir's face, as she carefully and affectionately cleans it.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…I thought not. You went to that hell for him. I would struggle to believe that, after everything, you would wish to be anywhere but by his side." Her brow knits at the blood that stuck to his skin, wiping it away. "…Vairg. I heard that name, some, in the people i ran into. The other i don't recognise."

Sayuri Aoki: ".. Guilt for leaving Vex behind, too.. But there was.. nothing we could truly do." Sayuri exhales a slow breath, sliding the wipe down towards Eir's neck once his face has been cleaned. ".. Q'kura is the Seeker who lead Eir's capture." She explains, before her lips curl downwards. "..Vairg.. is the bloody bastard who hurt Eir the most. The one who made him scream before I left for Thanalan.." Her gaze directs towards Eir's side, ears flattening. "..The asshole who nearly killed Eir.." She whispered. “.. The one I lost in a battle against.. But I bit his bloody fingers off..” She grumbled a touch more bitterly.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…Names i will listen for if i find myself in the right places." Bexy sighs quietly, nodding as she listened; until her attention is taken. "---You bit his fingers off?" Bexy asks, incredulously, though her expression is a grin which she quickly dismisses. "…Your quarry then, should he be unfortunate to cross us. You won't lose to him a second time."

...She bit his fingers off. I... ...The last time i was in captivity. Not with Y'vhala. Lividine. I... Do not know how many cycles ago, now... I remember i... Did the same... I... I try not to think about it too much.

Sayuri Aoki nodded slowly. ".. I did. Two of them." She shifts the way she sits to be able to face Bexy while still tending to Eir, one hand resting gently upon his cheek. ".. He's a Viera, with black hair and green and gold eyes. Cockiest grin you can picture if he gets over the fact that he lost fingers to me." Her head shifts into a small shake. ".. Next time I see him, I won't be in the same state as I was then.. He won't be leaving that fight alive.."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…Another Viera. No, i can't imagine you would let him live after all he has done. I certainly wouldn't." Having wiped down what she can without being too intrusive, Bexy shuffles further up the bed, brush in hand. "…I can't imagine brushing hair will be an easy feat, considering. But we can tend what we can before he wakes. Rebraid some of his hair at the very least."

Sayuri Aoki: ".. No. I will not." She mumbled, moving the cloth away and setting it aside. A hand raised to dig into her own half-wet locks, fingers awkwardly combing through them with a great struggle, in desperate need of a proper brushing herself. ".. I never was good at braiding hair.. Eir always did it for me.."

...The braid she wears upon going into battle is always by his hands. There's some strange comfort that brings me, for some reason. That he knows where she's going, even consents it in some strange way, for doing this.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "I… Never knew. That's quite sweet…" Bexy smiles a little faintly, shuffling up to work free some of the tangled hair from one of Eir's braids. "…You always said he slept a lot. I can't imagine he's had so much. Neither of you." She lightly nudges Sayuri, glancing up to her. "…Take one of the others. I'll show you."

Sayuri Aoki shuffles over, gently reaching her hands over to collect a section of Eir's hair, gently combing through it with her fingers to untangle it. "..No, not.. really." A faint sigh left her. "..I.. don't know how many suns it lasted, but I ended up just.. chained to the wall, because despite limiting my ice.. I continued to attack people." Her lips tug. ".. A woman came in to give me.. a poor excuse of food, good to know that hasn't improved.." She mumbled sarcastically. ".. She was there when I was a kid.. I clawed her, back then.. Scarred her, even. She taunted me, revealed she had been the archer who shot after Eir during his capture..” Her gaze lifts a touch, to look up at Bexy. “.. She had a dagger strapped to her boot, I tore it from her.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…And how many people did you kill on that particular outburst?" Bexy asks. It isn't concern, it's genuine intrigue and perhaps… Some flicker of amusement. "You gave them more than hell. They'll regret taking him, if they don't already." Bexy combs through his hair, sectioning it out with her fingers. "…And they would be fools to try again. They won't succeed a second time." A darkened look washes over her features. "I won't let them."

Sayuri Aoki: ".. Six." She states, very matter-of-factly. ".. My arm and ribs were already broken at this point, I downed her and held the knife to her throat and make her call for a healer.. Then killed her once she had." She leans herself back a touch, gaze flickering up to the ceiling in thought. ".. Overall, I think I killed.. Twelve?" Her brows furrow, a small shrug following as her gaze lowered once more. She watched as Bexy began to section Eir's hair, slowly repeating the action on the side she herself held. “.. And if I have it my way, their hell isn’t over..” Sayuri’s features shift ever so slightly, into something notably colder. “.. And considering we still have Vex to retrieve.. It -will- be my way. Even if you do not let me join it.” Her gaze lift to Bexy, softening once more.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Our way, Sayuri. We will go for Vex when you are recovered, but that means you -have- to look after yourself until then. I can't imagine she'll be able to get out of there easily, or any time soon…" She trails, finishing the braid with a content hum, watching as Sayuri completed her own.

Sayuri Aoki nods slowly, working on the braid a little longer on her side, trying to make it as neat as possible. ".. Are you sure we can wait that long?" She asks, tying the braid together. ".. I don't know what her fate will be, and I dread to even try to think it.. Considering she can't even protect herself if she tried.."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…She's survived there for fourteen cycles. She seemed confident enough. But i will look for her soon enough… Find more of them to talk, if i have to. This isn't over." Bexy moves to settle behind Sayuri, the brush brought in front of her as some quiet question of whether she wanted help with her own hair.

Sayuri Aoki's ears droop, her brows furrowing. "..Fourteen cycles.." She repeats, offering a small nod to Bexy's mute question. ".. I hadn't seen Vex until she broke me out, and.. she just.. seemed much younger than I initially thought she was.. If she's been there for fourteen cycles, she can't have been much older than I was when she was taken.." Sayuri frowns weakly.

Bexy Amalaryssia slowly begins to pull the brush through Sayuri's hair, combing through the tougher parts to loosen them with her fingers. "…A child, i would wager, when they took her. They killed her sister when they did. It makes sense… That she wanted so badly for our reunion. I can't bring her sister back, but i'll get her freedom. It's the least i can do." She continues to comb through Sayuri's hair, brow knit at the stubbornness of it.

...Do they always take them so young? It... Is a wonder, Sayuri or Vex turned out the way they did, surrounded by such terrible people. But they have room for compassion, still.

Sayuri Aoki's ears pin back as the brush begins to comb through her hair, a sharp exhale leaving her nose in return but she otherwise stays still. ".. In front of her..?" Sayuri's brows furrowed, her hands settling in her lap and tugging at the skirt of her yukata. ".. For some reason, I keep thinking that nothing can make them worse than what they already are in my head.. And I keep being proven wrong.."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…In front of her. From what she told me. I have met many a terrible person in my cycles, but they are a particular kind of horrible. The more of them dead, the better." Another pull of the brush through Sayuri's hair… And Bexy hesitates. "…One moment." Abruptly, she stands, and makes way out of the room; footsteps heard towards her own.

...I remembered, any other time we have been close as of recent, the glimmer of silver around her neck, suspiciously absent now. I have kept the things i know are theirs in safekeeping, and wished her not to be without her beloved necklace for a moment longer.

Sayuri Aoki frowns. ".. Bastards.." She hisses. Her ears twitch weakly as Bexy stops and leaves her side, her head tilting ever so slightly with a raised brow.

Bexy Amalaryssia swiftly returns with something in her hands. Resettling herself beside Sayuri, she gently takes one of her hands… And into it, places the crescent moon necklace she was so rarely seen without. "…I thought you might want this back. It's yours, in case you're wondering. Not a replacement." Her other hand unfurls, to reveal Eir's earrings. "And… I wager he might want these back, too."

Sayuri Aoki's hand slowly closes around the crescent moon, a soft gasp immediately leaving her as tears line her eyes. "..I-.. I thought.. it was gone.." She whispers, clutching it tightly. ".. How.. did you get it..?" Her gaze falls onto the earrings, her ears drooping and a soft 'oh' leaving her.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…One of the first people i saught out was… An old fence of mine, on the off chance he'd heard anything. I had to start somewhere. Knowing i enjoyed my jewelry, he attempted to sell to me. Needless to say, i purchased everything he had. There's more, much more of it… It's on the shrine outside this room if you ever want to look through, i'm unsure if anything else belongs to either of you. But these pieces, for certain… I knew were yours. I have the twin to Eir's other chakram, too."

Sayuri Aoki nodded gently, raising the necklace up to gently clasp it around her neck, letting a hand move down to close around it. Her gaze falls onto the earrings once more. "..Those earrings mean.. so much to him.. Thank you."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…I saw. I… Never realised that Eir was short for something." She glances over her shoulder, offering up the earrings to Sayuri. "…You should do the honors. It doesn't feel like my place." A smaller, smile then. "…It would seem the Gods favoured them getting back to you. I am surprised… I never seem to have such luck."

Sayuri Aoki: ".. Svangeir." She speaks softly. ".. He.. doesn't use that anymore. Just Eir." She accepts the earrings and slowly shuffles back over to Eir - gently seeking to clasp them to his ears. "..Back where they belong." She murmured, before leaning down to place her lips against his forehead in a soft peck before leaning herself back up. Her gaze returns to Bexy, a brief pause lingered. ".. I lost my faith in the Gods a long time ago.. Yet, the few times I have prayed since then.. Something has happened..” She raised a hand to lightly scratch at her own neck. “.. Last cycle, after the first round on the Locket.. I prayed to Azyema that I’d find you at her stone.. And I did. And now.. I prayed again, begging for protection.. To the Kami, first.. Then to Azyema once more.. And my punishment reached it’s end when her name left my lips..” A sharp exhale left her, before she continues. “.. A second time, when I felt utterly alone.. And someone ran into Grym’s office to announce he had seen -you-, killing their people.”

...And there they are. Back where they belong; the necklace with her, and the earrings with him. Perhaps the Gods are listening, or at the very least, Azeyma is. ...I'll visit her properly soon. Bring her all the gold that does not belong to them which i bought from the fence. Decorate her shrine with all the colours of sunlight.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Hah! Then i must have her favor after all! And so too do you, it would seem. She will not forsake her children. Not even after all i have done… And she still listens to me, when i ask." She turns her head, to regard Eir, and then Sayuri in turn. "…Back where you both belong. More or less. I wager you'll feel a little more comfortable back in your room at the company house, but it was… Better, i felt, to bring you here, first."

Sayuri Aoki: ".. One can hope." Sayuri offered a small, weary smile. ".. Perhaps, once the time is right.. I will bring her an offering." She gazes back at Eir, before looking over to Bexy once more. ".. This is your home, Bexy. I feel more than comfortable here."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…We'll both go. With any luck, one of them will be stupid enough to approach us, and we'll make -them- into an offering." She grins, a little too wide, catching Sayuri's weary expression. "…Have you slept at -all- since you returned, Sayuri…?"

Sayuri Aoki: ".. If such an offering is acceptable, I suppose I already made one in her name.. As the next person I saw after praying for her protection was one I killed.." She exhaled a weary breath, slowly shaking her head. ".. I laid down next to Eir and rested.. but I couldn't sleep."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…Then even rest will do a little good. Sleep, too. I can tell you're tired, Sayuri. You know where i am, if you need me." Bexy leans in, to wrap her arms around Sayuri, giving a gentle squeeze.

...I know that weary look. The kind when you fight sleep, instead of succumb to it. She has to rest sometime... Gods know i have struggled to do so, too. I expect nightmares to wake her. But we cannot stay awake forever. ...I too, have found it difficult to rest...

Sayuri Aoki: ".. I've been in a constant state of tired these past moons." Sayuri flashed a weak, pained smile - her arms swiftly coiling around Bexy to return the squeeze. "..But you're right. I should try to rest.."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…You should. I'm sure he'd appreciate the comfort, too. Even if he's not awake for it just yet." A fainter smile as Bexy releases her, standing to brush down her skirt, and settle the hairbrush on the chair. "I'll check on you in the morning, unless you call for me before. I'm only a room away."

Sayuri Aoki: ".. Hopefully, he can feel my presence still." Her arms uncoil from Bexy as she stands, offering a gentle nod her way. ".. And I will be here."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "He can. I'm sure of it. Goodnight, sister." She spoke warmly, glancing over them for a little longer before retreating to her room.

Sayuri Aoki: ".. Good night, sister."

...Back where they belong. Together. I won't tell her of the tears i shed, upon returning to my room. I realise now, how afraid i truly was through that ordeal. ...That i'd never be called sister again, or speak the word to someone i meant it to.

[thereader-radhika]

THE STORY OF MAMANKAM Part 3/3

These articles quote a lot from K. V. Krishna Ayyar's The Zamorins of Calicut and Wikipedia (which again uses the aforementioned text as the main source). So all credits go to K. V. Krishna Ayyar and the Wikipedia contributors.

Samoothiri - Zamorin, the King of Kozhikode

Valluvakonathiri - The King of Valluvanadu

1. The Legend of the Cheraman Perumal

2. Mamankam During the Reign of Samoothiri

3. Chavers of Valluvanadu

When Samoothiri conquered Valluvakonathiri, all other kings of Kerala were obliged to send flags of submission (adimakkodi) to Thirunavaya. But Valluvakonathiri refused  to acknowledge Samoothiri as the legitimate Rakshapurushan (Great Protector) of Mamankam. He used to send chavers (suicide warriors) instead.

If these men could kill the Samoothiri who was personally present at the fair under the protection of his own forces, the privilege of Great Protector might have returned to the Valluvakonathiri. But no Samoothiri in history was ever killed by a chaver. Chavers and Pantheerayiram (the bodyguard of the Samoothiri) were considered the property of their respective kings and kingdoms.

Kudippaka or blood feud was prevalent in the medieval Kerala society. If a warrior was killed, it was considered the duty of his king and the subsequent generations of the deceased to avenge the death. Chavers were led by warriors from one of the four major Nair houses of Valluvanadu - Putumana, Chandrothu, Vayankara, and Verkotu. Other than these four main families who would lead the suicide warriors, fourteen other families too would send chavers. Often, Muslims too supported Chavers.

Chavers preferred death to defeat. No chaver has ever come back from Mamankam. Once, a Puthumana Panikker couldn't cross the Pantheerayiram but the Pantheerayiram couldn't kill him either. Panikker begged to Samoothiri's forces to end his misery but they were scared of him. No one has seen the great warrior again.

Those who decide to partake in this suicide mission would first go to Thirunelly and finish their own funerary rites (and their mothers' too if they didn't have other sons) even when they were alive.  After this, they would visit Thirumandhamkunu bhagavati (the tutelary goddess of Valluvakonathiri), bathe in the temple pond and meditate for forty-one days on the Chaver thara ("platform of the martyrs"). Samoothiri's bodyguards too conducted similar prayers, reiterating their oath to the king.

After completing their meditation, Chavers went to Puthumana home. After washing their feet on the stone floor, they would be served their last meal, rice mixed with coconut oil and salt, by Puthumana Amma (the eldest lady of the family) who was considered the sister of Valluvakonathiri. They would leave for Thirunavaya after praying at Puthumana kalari (dojo).

On each day of Mamankam, they would fight their way through heavy security to the Nilapadu thara. Needless to say, all of them were slaughtered by the bodyguards who too were mowed down by Chavers without any mercy. After Samoothiri returned to his residence everyday, the bodies of chavers would be dragged by elephants and immersed in a well known as Mani kinar.

Despite the seemingly impenetrable security, Samoothiri came dangerously close to death twice. Two teenage chavers, Puthumana Kandaru Menon and Chandroth Chanthunni managed to bypass the 12,000  and reached Nilapadu thara on seperate years. Chandrothu Chanthunni almost decapitated the Samoothiri but his sword was stopped by a big bronze lamp.

The Mamankam fest came to an end with the conquest of Kozhikode by Ḥaidar Ali and the subsequent Treaty of Seringapatam with the English East India Company.

[wambold]

Water, water everywhere... or not.

I'm feeling a bit like a (rich) 16th century Londoner, timing my water use. The kitchen tap is broken -- it won't stop running and fiddling the valves under the sink has no effect. The only way to stop a steady stream is to shut off *all* the house water. Time to wash the dishes... step outside and turn the valve. Fill up the kettle, use the restrooms -- the water is on. All done... step outside and turn the valve. Bath time... put on shoes, step outside, turn the value... But it's still luxurious. I can turn the valve whenever I want. I don't have to wait until my next water day.

When's it going to be fixed? No idea. I reported it Thursday night on the property management website. I phoned the next day and they "called a technician". I bugged them that afternoon -- "tell us if you don't hear from the technician in 24 hours". ding. Saturday, 24 hours and a few minutes later , I called and left them a message. It's now Sunday afternoon. This is not the first time this company has been slow with repairs.

The icing on the cake is that when we using the big garage door to get to the valve, the door got stuck and then the opener belt snapped. *BANG* as the door dropped to the ground. It's a good thing we don't park the cars inside. I filed another ticket. We've rented this 1950s house for 15 years so occasional repairs are to be expected.

```https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_water_supply_infrastructure

[thedaily-times]

From Club Kingpin to Sudden Sale: Unraveling Moscow's Corrupt Funeral Industry Ties

Egor Mazaraki leads a #blessed life. By the age of 19, he owned a whole slew of ritzy nightclubs and bars in downtown Moscow, and his parents just happen to be Lev and Anastasia Mazaraki, and his uncle is Valerian Mazaraki — all central figures in June 1, 2019, investigative report by Ivan Golunov about the capital’s corrupt funeral industry. He has now learned that Egor completely divested from his Moscow properties, shortly after the publication of Golunov’s article.

According to the Spark-Interfax database, Egor Mazaraki partly or fully owned eight companies, before published Ivan Golunov’s investigative report. In five of these businesses, he was the sole proprietor.

On July 10, Egor Mazaraki sold off his 51-percent share of “TradeCom Ltd.” a construction company registered in 2010 in the Mazaraki brothers’ hometown of Stavropol, and relocated to Moscow in 2017, soon after Valerian Mazaraki was appointed as Ritual’s deputy director. TradeCom’s business boomed after it moved to the capital, with revenue exploding from 49 million rubles ($777,570) to 304 million rubles ($4.8 million) in a single year. The company has state contracts with Rostelecom, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Federal Penitentiary Service. Egor Mazaraki wasn’t a co-owner of the business for very long — he joined the founders’ board only on April 24, 2019.

From April 11, 2019, to July 11, 2019, Egor Mazaraki was the sole owner of the “Three Mountain Baths” sauna complex, previously known as “Shaika-Leika” (Bad Company).

On July 15, Egor Mazaraki divested from the companies “Dzhubi” and “Dzhiefsi,” which lease 3,229 square meters (34,757 square feet) at the “Three Mountain Manufactory” for nightclubs that belong to the “Soho Family” holding group, as well as the “Friendship” cafe, the “Varka” restaurant, and the “Jagger Hall” banquet hall, according to a report by Daily Storm in December 2018. Egor Mazaraki became a restaurateur in September 2017. Before he bought the Soho Family holding company, it was owned by the designer Denis Simachev and the son of crooner Iosif Kobzon.

Ivan Golunov learned that these establishments are frequented by members of the Mazaraki family and their business partners and friends, including Moscow FSB deputy head Marat Medoev and members of his family, Ritual director Artyom Ekimov, and the son of Ritual’s transportation service director, Alexander Bolshakov.

On July 10, Egor Mazaraki also divested from another company associated with the Three Mountain Manufactory: the firm “Jagger,” which owns the web domains jagger-hall.ru and jaggercity.ru, and the application to register the trademark “Zavarka-Gastrokvartal.” He’d owned this company since April 2018.

On July 19, Egor Mazaraki sold off two more assets tied to the nightclub and restaurant business: “Mercury” and “RestoGroup,” which he co-owned with the restaurateur Dmitry Braude and Vyacheslav Martynenko. Mercury is the property management company for several businesses inside the Soho Rooms complex, such as the “Na Volne” (On the Wave) restaurant at the Savvinskaya Embankment.

Golunov’s report established that Martynenko is acquainted with the Mazarakis. Having moved from Stavropol to Moscow at the same time as the Mazarakis, Martynenko was involved in the nightclub business, and later became an owner and co-owner of several enterprises in the construction (“Bridge” Ltd.) and restaurant and entertainment spheres. Today, Martynenko is the sole owner of the Friendship Ltd. company, which owns the “Secret Room” trademark — one of the Mazarakis’ nightclubs at the Three Mountain Manufactory. Moreover, until November 2016, Martynenko was a co-owner of the “First Ritual Company” Ltd., which provided transport services to the Ritual funeral service. Half of the shares in this business later went to Emilia Leshkevich, a relative of Anastasia Mazaraki (the wife of Lev Mazaraki, the brother of Ritual’s first deputy general director).

Martynenko got part of Egor Mazaraki’s businesses at Three Mountain Manufactory: the barbershop “20/15” (the trademark for which is owned by “Blacksmith” Ltd., which Egor Mazaraki owned from April 11, 2018, until July 10, 2019), 75 percent of Mercury and RestoGroup (25 percent of each of these businesses remains with restaurateur Dmitry Braude), and all of Three Mountain Baths.

Egor Mazaraki transferred his other nightclub-restaurant assets (Dzhubi, Jagger, and Dzhiefsi) to Igor Nelyubov, who manages the Mazarakis’ entertainment business, and previously headed the “Krasnaya Shapochka” (Little Red Riding Hood) strip club, before working as CEO of the mortuary “First Ritual Company.” Nelyubov also manages several companies owned by Vyacheslav Martynenko.

Nelyubov is also listed as the CEO for “KP 36” Ltd., which owns the trademark and Web domain for the concert hall “Arena by Soho Family,” which is itself owned solely by Rustam Mamedov, who bought TradeCom Ltd. from Egor Mazaraki, when the latter first started divesting from his Moscow assets. On July 20, 2019, incidentally, security guards at the “Arena” nightclub beat up three journalists at a concert, apparently because they came from a protest, carrying in a backpack a banner in support of the rejected independent candidates running for seats in the Moscow City Duma.

Ronald Wells

[marketsndata]

Anti-Crease Agent Market Size, Share Forecast 2030

Anti-Crease Agent Market size was valued at USD 856.1 million in 2022 which is expected to reach USD 1245.7 million in 2030 with a CAGR of 4.8% for the forecast period between 2023 and 2030. Anti-crease agents are incorporated with unique characteristics that significantly eliminate problems that occurred with residual oils, silicone, wax, fabrics derived from polyester, polyamide, etc. They are successively used to treat cotton and blends and impart anti-crease finishing and dimensional stability. The proper selection of anti-crease agent is achieved depending upon the type of fabric like weave pattern, its weight and construction.Nanoparticle-based anti-creasing agent is gaining prominent resemblance due to its water repellant characteristics along with antimicrobial properties.

Sample report- https://www.marketsandata.com/industry-reports/anti-crease-agent-market/sample-request

Performance of Finished Textiles is Improved by Anti-Creasing Agents 

Anti-creasing agents have emerged as an impeccable chemical compound due to their unique properties like miscibility, stability, physical appearance, and compatibility. It has numerous benefits and versatile nature for dyeing cotton, polyester, and their blends. During finishing of fabrics, it assists in preventing chaffing or crease marks. Anti-creasing agents are compatible with nonionic and anionic products and remain stable to diluted acids and alkalis. The cost management for terry towels is substantially achieved using anti-creasing agents where the lubrication property led to weight loss minimization during pretreatment and dyeing processes. Kolor Jet Chemical Pvt. Ltd. has developed efficient dyebath lubricants for knit fibers to eradicate the crease marks along with reducing fiber to fiber friction and leave no dyes effects on the fabrics.

Data released by the Ministry of Textiles, India states that FDI has invested a humongous capital of USD 1,522.23 million in the textile sector from 2017-2022. In 2022, the net value of the United States man-made fiber, textile and apparel shipments accounted an estimated over USD 65.8 billion where the export of fibers, textiles contributed to around USD 34 billion.

Anti-Creasing Agents Market is Propelled Due to its Importance in Multiple Applications

Anti-creasing agents with their unique characteristics form a thin uniform protective coating surrounding the fiber to reduce the surface friction and ultimately lower the formation of stringent creases during high temperature wet processing. Knit fabric of essential blends, cellulose and synthetic fibers are processed through scouring, bleaching, dyeing, and soaping processes that became easier by using anti-creasing agents. HT Fine Chemical Co., Ltd. produces a special bath anti-creasing agent which while processing remarkably reduces the friction between fibers and its dyeing tank that reduces scratches and creases due to their smoothing and softening characteristics. Special polymer dispersion in the anti-creasing agents is solely responsible to prevent fabric rope from creasing during the pre-treatment, dyeing and post-processing.

In March 2022, the European Commission has represented its vision for textile industry which estimated that in 2021 the turnover of USD 166.99 with an increment of around 11%. Around 33% of companies are textile-based across the European Union that accounts for micro and SMEs’ enterprises. With such an impeccable figures Europe has extreme potential for anti-creasing agent market that generates phenomenal opportunities to expand.

Novel Anti-creasing Agent for Improving the Textile Bath of Fabrics

The problem of crease mark, stripped mark and other faults are usually encountered during small bath ratio case and rapid cloth speed case. Unique anti-creasing agent in the textile bath comprises of nonionic polymer, anionic polymer, water treatment agent, mould inhibitor that is used for rope dyeing of texture. Under the influence of mechanical tension, the dynamic coefficient of friction is significantly higher that produces wrinkle seal, unwanted shank seal defects during airflow dyeing machine where the speed is greater than 200 meters/minutes. The incorporation of anti-creasing agent resolves such problems during the textile bath.

Anti-Crease Agent Market: Report Scope

 Anti-Crease Agent Market Assessment, Opportunities and Forecast, 2016-2030F”, is a comprehensive report by Markets and data, providing in-depth analysis and qualitative & quantitative assessment of the current state of the Anti-Crease Agent Market, industry dynamics and challenges. The report includes market size, segmental shares, growth trends, COVID-19 and Russia-Ukraine war impact, opportunities and forecast between 2023 and 2030. Additionally, the report profiles the leading players in the industry mentioning their respective market share, business model, competitive intelligence, etc.

Click here for full report- https://www.marketsandata.com/industry-reports/anti-crease-agent-market

Contact

Mr. Vivek Gupta 5741 Cleveland street, Suite 120, VA beach, VA, USA 23462 Tel: +1 (757) 343–3258 Email: info@marketsandata.com Website: https://www.marketsandata.com

[thesuntimes]

From Club Kingpin to Sudden Sale: Unraveling Moscow's Corrupt Funeral Industry Ties

Egor Mazaraki leads a blessed life. By the age of 19, he owned a whole slew of ritzy nightclubs and bars in downtown Moscow, and his parents just happen to be Lev and Anastasia Mazaraki, and his uncle is Valerian Mazaraki — all central figures in June 1, 2019, investigative report by Ivan Golunov about the capital’s corrupt funeral industry. He has now learned that Egor completely divested from his Moscow properties, shortly after the publication of Golunov’s article.

According to the Spark-Interfax database, Egor Mazaraki partly or fully owned eight companies, before published Ivan Golunov’s investigative report. In five of these businesses, he was the sole proprietor.

On July 10, Egor Mazaraki sold off his 51-percent share of “TradeCom Ltd.” a construction company registered in 2010 in the Mazaraki brothers’ hometown of Stavropol, and relocated to Moscow in 2017, soon after Valerian Mazaraki was appointed as Ritual’s deputy director. TradeCom’s business boomed after it moved to the capital, with revenue exploding from 49 million rubles ($777,570) to 304 million rubles ($4.8 million) in a single year. The company has state contracts with Rostelecom, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Federal Penitentiary Service. Egor Mazaraki wasn’t a co-owner of the business for very long — he joined the founders’ board only on April 24, 2019.

From April 11, 2019, to July 11, 2019, Egor Mazaraki was the sole owner of the “Three Mountain Baths” sauna complex, previously known as “Shaika-Leika” (Bad Company).

On July 15, Egor Mazaraki divested from the companies “Dzhubi” and “Dzhiefsi,” which lease 3,229 square meters (34,757 square feet) at the “Three Mountain Manufactory” for nightclubs that belong to the “Soho Family” holding group, as well as the “Friendship” cafe, the “Varka” restaurant, and the “Jagger Hall” banquet hall, according to a report by Daily Storm in December 2018. Egor Mazaraki became a restaurateur in September 2017. Before he bought the Soho Family holding company, it was owned by the designer Denis Simachev and the son of crooner Iosif Kobzon.

Ivan Golunov learned that these establishments are frequented by members of the Mazaraki family and their business partners and friends, including Moscow FSB deputy head Marat Medoev and members of his family, Ritual director Artyom Ekimov, and the son of Ritual’s transportation service director, Alexander Bolshakov.

On July 10, Egor Mazaraki also divested from another company associated with the Three Mountain Manufactory: the firm “Jagger,” which owns the web domains jagger-hall.ru and jaggercity.ru, and the application to register the trademark “Zavarka-Gastrokvartal.” He’d owned this company since April 2018.

On July 19, Egor Mazaraki sold off two more assets tied to the nightclub and restaurant business: “Mercury” and “RestoGroup,” which he co-owned with the restaurateur Dmitry Braude and Vyacheslav Martynenko. Mercury is the property management company for several businesses inside the Soho Rooms complex, such as the “Na Volne” (On the Wave) restaurant at the Savvinskaya Embankment.

Golunov’s report established that Martynenko is acquainted with the Mazarakis. Having moved from Stavropol to Moscow at the same time as the Mazarakis, Martynenko was involved in the nightclub business, and later became an owner and co-owner of several enterprises in the construction (“Bridge” Ltd.) and restaurant and entertainment spheres. Today, Martynenko is the sole owner of the Friendship Ltd. company, which owns the “Secret Room” trademark — one of the Mazarakis’ nightclubs at the Three Mountain Manufactory. Moreover, until November 2016, Martynenko was a co-owner of the “First Ritual Company” Ltd., which provided transport services to the Ritual funeral service. Half of the shares in this business later went to Emilia Leshkevich, a relative of Anastasia Mazaraki (the wife of Lev Mazaraki, the brother of Ritual’s first deputy general director).

Martynenko got part of Egor Mazaraki’s businesses at Three Mountain Manufactory: the barbershop “20/15” (the trademark for which is owned by “Blacksmith” Ltd., which Egor Mazaraki owned from April 11, 2018, until July 10, 2019), 75 percent of Mercury and RestoGroup (25 percent of each of these businesses remains with restaurateur Dmitry Braude), and all of Three Mountain Baths.

Egor Mazaraki transferred his other nightclub-restaurant assets (Dzhubi, Jagger, and Dzhiefsi) to Igor Nelyubov, who manages the Mazarakis’ entertainment business, and previously headed the “Krasnaya Shapochka” (Little Red Riding Hood) strip club, before working as CEO of the mortuary “First Ritual Company.” Nelyubov also manages several companies owned by Vyacheslav Martynenko.

Nelyubov is also listed as the CEO for “KP 36” Ltd., which owns the trademark and Web domain for the concert hall “Arena by Soho Family,” which is itself owned solely by Rustam Mamedov, who bought TradeCom Ltd. from Egor Mazaraki, when the latter first started divesting from his Moscow assets. On July 20, 2019, incidentally, security guards at the “Arena” nightclub beat up three journalists at a concert, apparently because they came from a protest, carrying in a backpack a banner in support of the rejected independent candidates running for seats in the Moscow City Duma.

Vongai Golunov

[24livepost]

Seaside Shambles

Law suits, money shortages and strong-arm tactics have dogged the sea baths development in Melbourne on the evening of April 21 this year, after nearly a decade of controversy and bitter legal battles, there was a mood of celebration at the sea baths on the St Kilda foreshore in Melbourne.

The owner of the project, Singaporean businesswoman Jannie Tay, basked in the television lights. Spanish arches, white domes and bikini-clad models provided an exotic backdrop to the opening of the baths.

The project manager and a minor equity holder in the sea baths, Bruno Gatzka, says: "It was a night of such positive energy." Gatzka, the founder of Strarch International, a steel construction company, and an investor in the plastics industry, had been working on the project for four years. Seven tenants had signed and Gatzka estimated the site would be ready in three or four weeks for the other 14 retail tenancies to be fitted out. Then, he says, he would have enjoyed his share of rental income from the car park and tenancies.

Two days later, about 15 men in suits swarmed on to the baths site and Gatzka

was told to leave. He was replaced by a new project manager. Gatzka says his cell phone was ringing continually, with hysterical staff at his office in nearby East St Kilda saying that men were drilling out the locks and trying to force their way in.

Gatzka says that during the next two days, police were called twice to his office, as security guards tried to remove documents. At times, the guards prevented staff from leaving and police had to intervene. Gatzka says: "They were Tay representatives. It was like a military coup except this was Australia, not Asia." Michael Theo, owner of the property agent Collins Commercial and Industrial, which was handling the leasing of tenancies at the baths, saw the drama unfold. He says: "I have never witnessed such behavior. It was frightening."

Gatzka says the Tay representatives wanted documents on projects that he and Jannie Tay had been involved with during the past four years. Some of the documents show that Tay, who has been hailed by the media for rescuing the sea baths from receivership, actually caused the receivership in 1998. And the year before, Tay was instrumental in the collapse of the purchase of the sea baths by another consortium of investors.

Gatzka also believes that the Tay representatives were trying to find evidence of wrongdoing when he was project manager of the sea baths, in order to avoid paying him a debt of $8.7 million. He says the money comes from his 6.6% equity in the project, given to him by the former owners, Hannah and Alexander Friedman, instead of settling a debt. It also includes his unpaid fees over four years of running the project, and money owed for bills he paid on the project. Gatzka says: "I am taking action to recover that money."

[times-post]

From Club Kingpin to Sudden Sale: Unraveling Moscow's Corrupt Funeral Industry Ties

Egor Mazaraki leads a #blessed life. By the age of 19, he owned a whole slew of ritzy nightclubs and bars in downtown Moscow, and his parents just happen to be Lev and Anastasia Mazaraki, and his uncle is Valerian Mazaraki — all central figures in June 1, 2019, investigative report by Ivan Golunov about the capital’s corrupt funeral industry. He has now learned that Egor completely divested from his Moscow properties, shortly after the publication of Golunov’s article.

According to the Spark-Interfax database, Egor Mazaraki partly or fully owned eight companies, before published Ivan Golunov’s investigative report. In five of these businesses, he was the sole proprietor.

On July 10, Egor Mazaraki sold off his 51-percent share of “TradeCom Ltd.” a construction company registered in 2010 in the Mazaraki brothers’ hometown of Stavropol, and relocated to Moscow in 2017, soon after Valerian Mazaraki was appointed as Ritual’s deputy director. TradeCom’s business boomed after it moved to the capital, with revenue exploding from 49 million rubles ($777,570) to 304 million rubles ($4.8 million) in a single year. The company has state contracts with Rostelecom, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Federal Penitentiary Service. Egor Mazaraki wasn’t a co-owner of the business for very long — he joined the founders’ board only on April 24, 2019.

From April 11, 2019, to July 11, 2019, Egor Mazaraki was the sole owner of the “Three Mountain Baths” sauna complex, previously known as “Shaika-Leika” (Bad Company).

On July 15, Egor Mazaraki divested from the companies “Dzhubi” and “Dzhiefsi,” which lease 3,229 square meters (34,757 square feet) at the “Three Mountain Manufactory” for nightclubs that belong to the “Soho Family” holding group, as well as the “Friendship” cafe, the “Varka” restaurant, and the “Jagger Hall” banquet hall, according to a report by Daily Storm in December 2018. Egor Mazaraki became a restaurateur in September 2017. Before he bought the Soho Family holding company, it was owned by the designer Denis Simachev and the son of crooner Iosif Kobzon.

Ivan Golunov learned that these establishments are frequented by members of the Mazaraki family and their business partners and friends, including Moscow FSB deputy head Marat Medoev and members of his family, Ritual director Artyom Ekimov, and the son of Ritual’s transportation service director, Alexander Bolshakov.

On July 10, Egor Mazaraki also divested from another company associated with the Three Mountain Manufactory: the firm “Jagger,” which owns the web domains jagger-hall.ru and jaggercity.ru, and the application to register the trademark “Zavarka-Gastrokvartal.” He’d owned this company since April 2018.

On July 19, Egor Mazaraki sold off two more assets tied to the nightclub and restaurant business: “Mercury” and “RestoGroup,” which he co-owned with the restaurateur Dmitry Braude and Vyacheslav Martynenko. Mercury is the property management company for several businesses inside the Soho Rooms complex, such as the “Na Volne” (On the Wave) restaurant at the Savvinskaya Embankment.

Golunov’s report established that Martynenko is acquainted with the Mazarakis. Having moved from Stavropol to Moscow at the same time as the Mazarakis, Martynenko was involved in the nightclub business, and later became an owner and co-owner of several enterprises in the construction (“Bridge” Ltd.) and restaurant and entertainment spheres. Today, Martynenko is the sole owner of the Friendship Ltd. company, which owns the “Secret Room” trademark — one of the Mazarakis’ nightclubs at the Three Mountain Manufactory. Moreover, until November 2016, Martynenko was a co-owner of the “First Ritual Company” Ltd., which provided transport services to the Ritual funeral service. Half of the shares in this business later went to Emilia Leshkevich, a relative of Anastasia Mazaraki (the wife of Lev Mazaraki, the brother of Ritual’s first deputy general director).

Martynenko got part of Egor Mazaraki’s businesses at Three Mountain Manufactory: the barbershop “20/15” (the trademark for which is owned by “Blacksmith” Ltd., which Egor Mazaraki owned from April 11, 2018, until July 10, 2019), 75 percent of Mercury and RestoGroup (25 percent of each of these businesses remains with restaurateur Dmitry Braude), and all of Three Mountain Baths.

Egor Mazaraki transferred his other nightclub-restaurant assets (Dzhubi, Jagger, and Dzhiefsi) to Igor Nelyubov, who manages the Mazarakis’ entertainment business, and previously headed the “Krasnaya Shapochka” (Little Red Riding Hood) strip club, before working as CEO of the mortuary “First Ritual Company.” Nelyubov also manages several companies owned by Vyacheslav Martynenko.

Nelyubov is also listed as the CEO for “KP 36” Ltd., which owns the trademark and Web domain for the concert hall “Arena by Soho Family,” which is itself owned solely by Rustam Mamedov, who bought TradeCom Ltd. from Egor Mazaraki, when the latter first started divesting from his Moscow assets. On July 20, 2019, incidentally, security guards at the “Arena” nightclub beat up three journalists at a concert, apparently because they came from a protest, carrying in a backpack a banner in support of the rejected independent candidates running for seats in the Moscow City Duma.

Bradley Hahn

[postimes]

From Club Kingpin to Sudden Sale: Unraveling Moscow's Corrupt Funeral Industry Ties

Egor Mazaraki leads a #blessed life. By the age of 19, he owned a whole slew of ritzy nightclubs and bars in downtown Moscow, and his parents just happen to be Lev and Anastasia Mazaraki, and his uncle is Valerian Mazaraki — all central figures in June 1, 2019, investigative report by Ivan Golunov about the capital’s corrupt funeral industry. He has now learned that Egor completely divested from his Moscow properties, shortly after the publication of Golunov’s article.

According to the Spark-Interfax database, Egor Mazaraki partly or fully owned eight companies, before published Ivan Golunov’s investigative report. In five of these businesses, he was the sole proprietor.

On July 10, Egor Mazaraki sold off his 51-percent share of “TradeCom Ltd.” a construction company registered in 2010 in the Mazaraki brothers’ hometown of Stavropol, and relocated to Moscow in 2017, soon after Valerian Mazaraki was appointed as Ritual’s deputy director. TradeCom’s business boomed after it moved to the capital, with revenue exploding from 49 million rubles ($777,570) to 304 million rubles ($4.8 million) in a single year. The company has state contracts with Rostelecom, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Federal Penitentiary Service. Egor Mazaraki wasn’t a co-owner of the business for very long — he joined the founders’ board only on April 24, 2019.

From April 11, 2019, to July 11, 2019, Egor Mazaraki was the sole owner of the “Three Mountain Baths” sauna complex, previously known as “Shaika-Leika” (Bad Company).

On July 15, Egor Mazaraki divested from the companies “Dzhubi” and “Dzhiefsi,” which lease 3,229 square meters (34,757 square feet) at the “Three Mountain Manufactory” for nightclubs that belong to the “Soho Family” holding group, as well as the “Friendship” cafe, the “Varka” restaurant, and the “Jagger Hall” banquet hall, according to a report by Daily Storm in December 2018. Egor Mazaraki became a restaurateur in September 2017. Before he bought the Soho Family holding company, it was owned by the designer Denis Simachev and the son of crooner Iosif Kobzon.

Ivan Golunov learned that these establishments are frequented by members of the Mazaraki family and their business partners and friends, including Moscow FSB deputy head Marat Medoev and members of his family, Ritual director Artyom Ekimov, and the son of Ritual’s transportation service director, Alexander Bolshakov.

On July 10, Egor Mazaraki also divested from another company associated with the Three Mountain Manufactory: the firm “Jagger,” which owns the web domains jagger-hall.ru and jaggercity.ru, and the application to register the trademark “Zavarka-Gastrokvartal.” He’d owned this company since April 2018.

On July 19, Egor Mazaraki sold off two more assets tied to the nightclub and restaurant business: “Mercury” and “RestoGroup,” which he co-owned with the restaurateur Dmitry Braude and Vyacheslav Martynenko. Mercury is the property management company for several businesses inside the Soho Rooms complex, such as the “Na Volne” (On the Wave) restaurant at the Savvinskaya Embankment.

Golunov’s report established that Martynenko is acquainted with the Mazarakis. Having moved from Stavropol to Moscow at the same time as the Mazarakis, Martynenko was involved in the nightclub business, and later became an owner and co-owner of several enterprises in the construction (“Bridge” Ltd.) and restaurant and entertainment spheres. Today, Martynenko is the sole owner of the Friendship Ltd. company, which owns the “Secret Room” trademark — one of the Mazarakis’ nightclubs at the Three Mountain Manufactory. Moreover, until November 2016, Martynenko was a co-owner of the “First Ritual Company” Ltd., which provided transport services to the Ritual funeral service. Half of the shares in this business later went to Emilia Leshkevich, a relative of Anastasia Mazaraki (the wife of Lev Mazaraki, the brother of Ritual’s first deputy general director).

Martynenko got part of Egor Mazaraki’s businesses at Three Mountain Manufactory: the barbershop “20/15” (the trademark for which is owned by “Blacksmith” Ltd., which Egor Mazaraki owned from April 11, 2018, until July 10, 2019), 75 percent of Mercury and RestoGroup (25 percent of each of these businesses remains with restaurateur Dmitry Braude), and all of Three Mountain Baths.

Egor Mazaraki transferred his other nightclub-restaurant assets (Dzhubi, Jagger, and Dzhiefsi) to Igor Nelyubov, who manages the Mazarakis’ entertainment business, and previously headed the “Krasnaya Shapochka” (Little Red Riding Hood) strip club, before working as CEO of the mortuary “First Ritual Company.” Nelyubov also manages several companies owned by Vyacheslav Martynenko.

Nelyubov is also listed as the CEO for “KP 36” Ltd., which owns the trademark and Web domain for the concert hall “Arena by Soho Family,” which is itself owned solely by Rustam Mamedov, who bought TradeCom Ltd. from Egor Mazaraki, when the latter first started divesting from his Moscow assets. On July 20, 2019, incidentally, security guards at the “Arena” nightclub beat up three journalists at a concert, apparently because they came from a protest, carrying in a backpack a banner in support of the rejected independent candidates running for seats in the Moscow City Duma.

Timothy Williams

[pulkitguptablog]

After Meduza’s reporting on his family's ties to Moscow's corrupt funeral industry, teenage owner of nightclub empire suddenly sells off all his assets

Egor Mazaraki leads a #blessed life. By the age of 19, he owned a whole slew of ritzy nightclubs and bars in downtown Moscow, and his parents just happen to be Lev and Anastasia Mazaraki, and his uncle is Valerian Mazaraki — all central figures in Meduza’s June 1, 2019, investigative report by Ivan Golunov about the capital’s corrupt funeral industry. Meduza has now learned that Egor completely divested from his Moscow properties, shortly after the publication of Golunov’s article.

According to the Spark-Interfax database, Egor Mazaraki partly or fully owned eight companies, before Meduza published Ivan Golunov’s investigative report. In five of these businesses, he was the sole proprietor.

On July 10, Egor Mazaraki sold off his 51-percent share of “TradeCom Ltd.” — a construction company registered in 2010 in the Mazaraki brothers’ hometown of Stavropol, and relocated to Moscow in 2017, soon after Valerian Mazaraki was appointed as Ritual’s deputy director. TradeCom’s business boomed after it moved to the capital, with revenue exploding from 49 million rubles ($777,570) to 304 million rubles ($4.8 million) in a single year. The company has state contracts with Rostelecom, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Federal Penitentiary Service. Egor Mazaraki wasn’t a co-owner of the business for very long — he joined the founders’ board only on April 24, 2019.

From April 11, 2019, to July 11, 2019, Egor Mazaraki was the sole owner of the “Three Mountain Baths” sauna complex, previously known as “Shaika-Leika” (Bad Company).

On July 15, Egor Mazaraki divested from the companies “Dzhubi” and “Dzhiefsi,” which lease 3,229 square meters (34,757 square feet) at the “Three Mountain Manufactory” for nightclubs that belong to the “Soho Family” holding group, as well as the “Friendship” cafe, the “Varka” restaurant, and the “Jagger Hall” banquet hall, according to a report by Daily Storm in December 2018. Egor Mazaraki became a restaurateur in September 2017. Before he bought the Soho Family holding company, it was owned by the designer Denis Simachev and the son of crooner Iosif Kobzon.

Meduza’s Ivan Golunov learned that these establishments are frequented by members of the Mazaraki family and their business partners and friends, including Moscow FSB deputy head Marat Medoev and members of his family, Ritual director Artyom Ekimov, and the son of Ritual’s transportation service director, Alexander Bolshakov. 

On July 10, Egor Mazaraki also divested from another company associated with the Three Mountain Manufactory: the firm “Jagger,” which owns the web domains jagger-hall.ru and jaggercity.ru, and the application to register the trademark “Zavarka-Gastrokvartal.” He’d owned this company since April 2018.

On July 19, Egor Mazaraki sold off two more assets tied to the nightclub and restaurant business: “Mercury” and “RestoGroup,” which he co-owned with the restaurateur Dmitry Braude and Vyacheslav Martynenko. Mercury is the property management company for several businesses inside the Soho Rooms complex, such as the “Na Volne” (On the Wave) restaurant at the Savvinskaya Embankment.

Golunov’s report established that Martynenko is acquainted with the Mazarakis. Having moved from Stavropol to Moscow at the same time as the Mazarakis, Martynenko was involved in the nightclub business, and later became an owner and co-owner of several enterprises in the construction (“Bridge” Ltd.) and restaurant and entertainment spheres. Today, Martynenko is the sole owner of the Friendship Ltd. company, which owns the “Secret Room” trademark — one of the Mazarakis’ nightclubs at the Three Mountain Manufactory. Moreover, until November 2016, Martynenko was a co-owner of the “First Ritual Company” Ltd., which provided transport services to the Ritual funeral service. Half of the shares in this business later went to Emilia Leshkevich, a relative of Anastasia Mazaraki (the wife of Lev Mazaraki, the brother of Ritual’s first deputy general director).

Martynenko got part of Egor Mazaraki’s businesses at Three Mountain Manufactory: the barbershop “20/15” (the trademark for which is owned by “Blacksmith” Ltd., which Egor Mazaraki owned from April 11, 2018, until July 10, 2019), 75 percent of Mercury and RestoGroup (25 percent of each of these businesses remains with restaurateur Dmitry Braude), and all of Three Mountain Baths.

Egor Mazaraki transferred his other nightclub-restaurant assets (Dzhubi, Jagger, and Dzhiefsi) to Igor Nelyubov, who manages the Mazarakis’ entertainment business, and previously headed the “Krasnaya Shapochka” (Little Red Riding Hood) strip club, before working as CEO of the mortuary “First Ritual Company.” Nelyubov also manages several companies owned by Vyacheslav Martynenko.

Nelyubov is also listed as the CEO for “KP 36” Ltd., which owns the trademark and Web domain for the concert hall “Arena by Soho Family,” which is itself owned solely by Rustam Mamedov, who bought TradeCom Ltd. from Egor Mazaraki, when the latter first started divesting from his Moscow assets. On July 20, 2019, incidentally, security guards at the “Arena” nightclub beat up three journalists at a concert, apparently because they came from a protest, carrying in a backpack a banner in support of the rejected independent candidates running for seats in the Moscow City Duma.