#Swimming Pool Maintenance OK

[sashi-ya]

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ エロチックトバー２０２４> MDNI / EXPLICIT CONTENT

THE ORIGINAL SIN 🐙 PORTGAS D ACE X STEPSIS! READER ＫINKTOBER DAY 3: STEPCEST

🐙requested by: @votaeto :sashii thank you for the opportunity! I’m so excited for this year’s kinktober xD since it’s on the list 🤭 can I request Ace + day 3 with Fem Reader pleasee? 🫶🏻💗 thank youuu ⚠️ tw: mdni. explicit content. ⚠️ stepcest ⚠️. they do not share blood tights, however it is intended to be "dark" and twisted. they use "brother" and "sister". masturbation. vag. explicit, twisted thoughts. You've been warned. 🐙wc: 960 // kinktober 24 masterlist // join the taglist

“You understand this is not ok, Ace?” “I don’t care, I need you… I’m desperate, (Name)”

In fact, Ace isn’t lying; he is truly desperate. Watching you come out of the jacuzzi, with that tiny bikini, made him severely needy. Watching your breasts bounce beautifully as the wind hit your wet body, made him even more thirsty.

Once; just once. That happened months ago… both drunk, after that party you shouldn’t have gone. Something that shouldn’t have happened, happened. Alcohol finally erased every limit, and the step siblings condition became non important. Since that very night, Ace hasn’t been able to stop lusting for you… and neither do you.

His hands surround your waist, both skins wet and warm getting colder with the breeze of a mountain night. Ace pulls you closer; it’s late, very late.

“Our parents will hear us, Ace” you whisper, looking at the cabin a few meters from where you are. However, your body can’t -and wont- walk away from his.

“They won’t, they are passed out sleeping…” he insists, of course he is not remotely sure, but nothing could beat the desire of touching, of devouring your whole being. Insides burn like a wildfire, like made of flames, when his lips crash against yours.

Ace kisses you with that type of kiss that leaves you both breathless, the type that forces him to moan and pant during it.

You can feel the bulge on his black swim shorts, the flames around the lower hem can only describe exactly how his crotch feels right now.

Craving more, he humps softly against your bikini bottom, like a dog even. “Come on…” he murmurs, in between panting and accelerated breathing.

You, who have lost all composure, and have surrendered to carnal instincts, follow your step brother like a moth to the fire…

You both run to a tiny, little cabin where the gardening and pool maintenance stuff is stored; an old mattress that is rarely used, only when someone else comes to your family vacation house, will be useful for the night. Two lovers, indulging in a sin that’s considered… unnatural, sick and even to some, twisted.

The moment Ace closes the door with a violent slam, he immediately attacks your breasts. Before he could even take off the wet triangles of fabric that were covering them, he enjoys how hard and protruding your nipples look underneath your bikini.

Index and middle finger placed on top of one of them, begin tracing circles that make you gasp. He knows, exactly, how you like it or maybe, he is just an expert…

Ace’s freckled cheeks turn red when you return the pleasuring favour, and as he keeps playing with your nipples, your hand slides down his bulge. A soft caress that goes up and down, sometimes rest on top of the hardest part of it… his tip, unequivocally, of course.

“Ngh…” he moans; Ace is definitely more than sensitive. A mere touch may be enough to make him cum.

“You like it… brother? Mhh?” you purr, with your lips sloppily touching his ear. The black wavy locks tickles your nose, and the scent of his skin sends you to heaven.

Ace’s hips swing the more you play with his sex, and tempted by such motion, your hand finally slides in between the wet shorts and his nudity. You grab his sex, right in between your fingers, and even though you were ready to start pumping, it is Ace who start fucking your hand… oh naughty, desperate boy ~

He is probably not aware, but he keeps going, feeling hugged by the warmth of your palm. And as he does, he finally moves your bikini top aside, exposing you completely to him… to his lips and tongue. Sucking and biting, with a hand that squeezes, and the other sliding down to untie the knot that holds your bikini bottom up, he slowly but surely makes you weaker and weaker.

“A-Ace…” you whine, once again, closer to his ear. It makes him go crazy, perhaps as much as your lips around his dick may.

“Yes… sister?” he indulges in such term, even though you don’t share blood tights, both were raised as if you did… and perhaps, it exactly is, what makes it even hotter for him, for you… how perverted, how dirty and forbidden this all is. You shiver.

Sister, yes, I am. And still, I want you to fuck me. I want you to use my body. I want you to touch, to lick, to taste, to even impregnate me.

“Fuck me, brother…” you plead. “Yes, my sweet sister” he insists, pushing you against the bare mattress.

Ace quickly takes his shorts off; fortunately, there is nothing but drops of the jacuzzi water on his chest. Abs that spasm, so well trained, with a sun kissed skin.

He kneels in between your legs, slapping them softly to the sides to spread them. Your muscles, trembling, sloppily fall to each side. A soft breeze cools your sex, wet because of your bikini bottoms but mostly from your fluids.

Your freckled step brother gloats at the image of your femininity blooming like a flower, deliciously dripping the sweet honeys of arousal.

He could have fingered you; he could have eaten you up… but he couldn’t resist as his twitching, precum drizzling dick, ached to be buried inside the warmth of your folds.

A flame burning hotter than the fire itself, calling him to get burnt in a much more twisted version of the original sin…

The first ram, and your arched back. The next one, and your toes curled. A third one, and your nails carved in the flesh of his back…

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤ “This is so wrong, brother…” ㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤ “But we like it so much, sister…”

Taglist of amazing babes: @terrabear2003 @eyes-ofhell @cokou @seoul-is-a-dream @tinydonkeysforlife @appalost @themessedupsonata @ariesbbytings @animesnowstorm @lenablack9919

[dryonsenpai]

If u do headcanons can I please ask for headcanons for the kings + Zagan and Belial (or only the kings if is easier) going to the pool with the mc?

If you don't take headcanons I understand. Thank you. <3

First time someone's ever asked me for headcannons hahaha. Thank you, I'll do my best 😊

Headcannons for the kings, Zagan and Belial on the pool with MC (you)

Warning: NSFW, like, almost too NSFW for a headcannon/gender neutral MC

Satan

Pools in Gehenna aren't a big thing due to the country's poverty, but that doesn't mean that you won't have a good time with Satan

You know how pale this guy is? You're gonna enjoy applying sunscreen on him, feeling even the slightest details on his muscled body

He's gonna do the same thing to you later on, even though he doesn't really need the excuse of the sunscreen to touch you

Inside the water, his white wet hair shines under the sun, you just can't help but touch it and caress it as if it was a treasure

Then Satan would hug you tight and start touching you on an even more lewd way

Now is the time when you can leave scars and marks all over Satan's body, so he follows your orders and let you do whatever you want to him

There's only one issue, water doesn't let him spank you properly. Problem solved! He's strong enough to lift you up and keep spanking you

Mammon

Pools in Tartaros are just like palaces, full of gold and oriental decorations. If you sunburn easily, Mammon would demand to build a special indoor pool just for you

No matter if you're indoors or outdoors, Mammon wants to protect his master at all costs. That's why he would demand servants (even the nobles if you want to) to apply sunscreen to you

If you want the very own king to do it, he'll gladly oblige. He'll be very careful to not hurt you with his strong, beautiful and veiny hands

Then, he would just grab you with one arm without difficulty to the pool and get you inside

He won't swim, he would just cuddle with you while touching your butt. But if you do want to swim for a bit, he would be happily looking at you (and your butt) waiting for your return to his arms

Even if he's a golden (no pun intended) retriever, he still wants to do... Things to you, the swimsuit perfectly captures your curves and body shape (again, butt)

And so does his. Sir, where are you going with that? That should be illegal. Still you want to touch it, so both of you succumb to your desires

Mammon's huge cock normally would have a hard time (again no pun intended) fitting inside you, but water made the job much easier

Drying up time! You're tired after the passionate time on the pool, he wouldn't let you move an inch so that you can rest, he is the one drying you up and then probably let you to sleep

Leviathan

"Pool? Are you a child or what?... Ok, but ONLY I will be with you". No matter if you try to say that you want to be alone, he just won't let you, he wants to be with you but won't say it

The only pool you're going to on his watch is a pool inside the Hades palace. Servants are there watching and doing maintenance, Levi just kicks them out cuz only him can see you in a swimsuit

Have you seen Diabolik lovers? The scene where Ayato throws Yui on the pool?... Yup, that's Levi

Water is perfect for his breath control fetish. You don't even have time to reach out to the surface before he gets your head back under the water, seeing you grasp for air turns him on

He wasn't thinking on getting into the water on the first place, but that sight of you? He doesn't have a swimsuit so he just got naked and got in with you

Now Levi makes you give him a blowjob under the water. The water is so crystal clear that he can perfectly see you. Then you would proceed to have sex until both of you are tired

Beelzebub

He would take you to a club at night time. You can either get in with swimsuit or naked. Most likely naked, Beelzebub would just tear the swimsuit out of you so that he enjoys aaall your views

The water of the pool cannot get rid of your body odor. Beel then starts to smell you, your neck, your armpits... And his favourite, your private parts

He can't do what he wants to do under water, so he sits you on the border of the pool and gets your legs open. Surprise! You're not exactly sitting on the floor, you're sitting on the lap of a copy of Beel

Beelzebub 1 burries his face on your private parts, then starts licking it. Beel 2 takes care of your nipples by pinching and pulling at them

People in the club are watching, their king having sex with the new fella? Turns all of them on, if you let Beel know that makes you uncomfortable then he would take you to a private pool, which is better cuz now you're only his

This guy is literally a sex machine, you have sex on almost every position in the Kamasutra and outside of it

When he dries you up, he's still touching you on your "pleasure areas". What? You thought he'd be done? He's Beelzebub!

Unluckily, the water finally removed your natural odor from you, but now there's an almost even better smell... Sex smell

How can you stop Beelzebub? Good luck

Lucifer

Before going, he's going to give you a safety lecture. He doesn't know your name but he does care about you

He won't take you to a pool. Instead, he would take you to a river/lake in Paradise lost full of beautiful flowers and animals, comparable to the very same Eden. Don't worry, nobody really goes there

If there happens to be any dangerous animals in there, he would command them to go somewhere else until you leave the place

He doesn't like that either of you wear swimsuits. After all, he wants to be with you just as God brought both of you to the world

Bro burns fast af so you offer to apply sunscreen on him. At first he declines, but then he accepts on one condition: don't touch his scar or wings

Congratulations! Your touch turned him on, but he can hide it for now... FOR NOW

Lucifer's a doctor, so he would be anatomically studying your perfect body while applying you sunscreen. He can still hide that he's hot

Water time! When you submerged your head and then came out, he can't control himself anymore. Those water drops on your face look like the tears he loves

If you happen to have long black hair & light color eyes, you'll inevitably remind him of Michael. Does that stop him? Oh Hell no!

Remember his bite? You ain't escaping that, it hurt for a little but then it felt like incredible pleasure that let down real tears. Water would carry your blood away, which also happens to turn Lucifer on

Let's remember that the slightest penetration of an angel causes an orgasm, imagine what would happen to you being on Lucifer's hands

Zagan

The thought of both of you being together makes Zagan happy, but he's really shy to ask you out. So he tells you to go together to the pool because it's summer and it's really hot, you obviously accept

When he sees you in a swimsuit he can't help but blush, you're the most beautiful creature he's ever seen

You suggest playing volley, you had to explain to him what that is cuz they don't call it that way in Hell

You soon find out that he's an excellent player, but he's letting you win cuz he wants you to be happy

After a while, you're both sweaty. You notice he's blushing, but it's not because of the heat, remember he has kinesophilia

Still you decide to go to the pool to cool down. When you swim, it triggers back his kinesophilia

Zagan wants it, but he's not going to ask you. You notice and tell him that you want it too

When you're done & it's time to get out, he'll carry you on his arms because he can't let you slip and get hurt

Belial

Pool day? Okay! But Jjyuu stays at home playing videogames and watching anime, a habit he took from Belial

You suggest playing music on your phone, but he declines because he wants to listen to you singing, if you can't sing or you're too shy then humming is okay too

He lays down on your lap & listens to your beautiful voice, you know he's staring at you with shiny eyes even if you can't see them

"I love your voice", he writes with his finger on your tummy. You may sound like a donkey with diarrhea, he's still gonna love your voice and truly mean it

When you get in the water & keep singing, you remind him of a mermaid

Suddenly, those words on your tummy get marked red (like in his h-scene), it turns you on and you just can't control your heat. Don't worry, he can't control it either

When you're done, he's gonna ask you to sing for him again

[abookishdreamer]

Character Intro: Anaideia (Kingdom of Ichor)

Nicknames- Ana by her parents, family, & the others

The Detention Queen by Aggie

Dee by her close friends

Sparky by her boyfriend

Age- 13 (immortal)

Location- Hearthwood neighborhood, New Olympus

Personality- She's a young girl with too much anger trapped inside her small frame. She's antisocial towards most strangers, disrespectful towards figures of authority, an unmoving grudge holder, & unapologetically blunt- always telling it how it should be. Very few people have met the scared vulnerable sensitive little girl hiding behind the rage. She's currently dating.

She has the standard abilities of a goddess except shapeshifting. As the goddess of ruthlessness, shamelessness, & unforgiveness her other powers/abilities include limited pyrokinesis, limited odikinesis, arguement inducement, & being able to temporarily make a person have no compassion or pity.

Anaideia would say that her and her family (her parents Homadus & Proioxis and little brother Olethrus) are "wandering nomads that are broke AF." She doesn't know the full story, but she knows enough to say that her father was acting like a dumbass with money which led to their eviction out of their large apartment in the Little Sparta neighborhood, with both her parents' accounts being nearly wiped out.

Several months of hopping from shitty motel to shitty motel, her & her family's current address is the Havencrest RV/Motorhome Park on the outskirts of the Hearthwood neighborhood in New Olympus with the Prytaneia Interstate just two miles away. Anaideia's dad Homadus (god of the battle-din) used up whatever savings was left over to buy a used RV from the Mercury car dealership. Her and her mom Proioxis (goddess of attack, onrush, & battlefield pursuit) cleaned it up and put on fresh coats of paint. When it was all said and done, for a brief moment, she thought that things might be ok- not better, but ok.

In the RV there's a stove, a sink, three overhead cabinets, a little refrigerator, a bathroom with a shower in it, a booth dinette that converts to an extra sleeping space (where her parents sleep), & a bunkhouse (where Anaideia and her little brother sleeps). They drove all throughout the city (a few states too) before finding a semi permanent space at Havencrest. It's definitely one of the nicer motorhome parks they've been to. It's over a few hundred acres where there's a giant wooden carved statue of a chaste tree (one symbol of the hearth goddess) at the entrance. Other amenities & luxuries there include free Wi-Fi, a coin operated bathhouse, a swimming pool, a library, a playground for the children, laundry facilities, and ice cream & potluck socials.

When there's school, she'll rush in showering at her own RV for five minutes (to preserve the hot water). On the weekends, she'll enjoy the shower at the bathhouse. One obol is for five minutes, so Anaideia will put in 6, to enjoy a full hot relaxing thirty minute shower!

Anaideia is more or less fine with this motorhome park. Sure, most of the people there are annoyingly nice and friendly- always wanting to say hi, but it's manageable, even if the biweekly rent & maintenance fees are a little pricy or the unspoken heirarchy that exists within the park. Situated towards the front are the more "high class" and luxury RV campers, including the most extravagant one she's ever seen! Anaideia remembered calling it "the mansion on wheels." Sneaking a glimpse inside whene other neighbors were greeting the owners, her ichor was boiling in her veins! The mansion on wheels had two walk-in closets, natural stone heated flooring, a washer & dryer, a king sized bed, a large kitchen with a dishwasher, leather sofas, three flat screen TV sets, two motorized dining tables, a residential-sized fridge, and a freaking fireplace! Later on she looked up the RV model on her phone & found out that it cost 3 million drachmas! It was no surprise to Anaideia when she found out that the owners were an uppity mountainous satyr couple who wanted to "rough it out on the land for a few months." A few nights later, she stole a few propane and gas tanks from their collection.

She knows the menus of all the fast food restaurants in the city by heart.

Anaideia once slashed the tires on her literature teacher's car after he refused to give her an extension on finishing an essay assignment.

Her favorite go-to drink are the root beer floats from The Frozen Spoon, having been a recent convert after her current boyfriend convinced her to try it out during one of their dates. Even though she's not legally allowed to drink alcohol, she also likes beer, tequila, spiked lemonade, watermelon vodka jello shots, New Olympus Iced Teas, & frozen strawberry margaritas. Other go-to drinks include black cherry cola and large iced dark chocolate mochas from The Roasted Bean.

Anaideia's been recently diagnosed with anxiety, after passing out from a panic attack during a test at school. She usually feels anxiety creeping in when she sees & hears her parents arguing, dealing with her baby brother's temper tantrums, or experiencing feelings of inadequacy with her boyfriend & close friends. She started to go to therapy seeing Pathos (god of emotion), but stopped.

One of her beloved possessions is her smartphone. It's an older model from iCHOR Tech, the screen cracked one too many times. Through every tumble, fall, & intentional throw, it stood strong. When she saves up enough money, she wants to upgrade to the latest model.

She wants to one day tame & bond with a wild dragon!

Anaideia dislikes the heirarchy within the pantheon, feeling as though certain minor deities (namely her parents & aunts) haven't been given their respect and dues! She, however, is skeptical about how successful the MGM movement will be in actuality.

She hopes to be mentored by Eris herself when the time comes!

Her permanent record is quite the sight! From petty theft, truancy (has skipped school many times), and the most current charge of assault. Anaideia's most recent charge came about after she got into a fight with another student from school, a nephelai (cloud nymph) that insulted one of her good friends that was a lampade (Underworld nymph). The fight ended with Anaideia givng the girl two black eyes, a broken nose, a busted bloody lip, two knocked out front teeth, and a concussion so bad that an ambulance was called for her to go to the hospital.

Later that day, she wasn't surprised when two officers from the NOPD (New Olympus Police Department) were standing in front of her family's RV. Anaideia was swiftly arrested and learned that the girl's parents were pressing assault charges against her. Her aunt Palioxis (goddess of backrush & retreat) posted her bail & the family is now awaiting the upcoming court date to await her punishment- time at a juvenile detention center, a suspended sentence, or community service.

Sometimes Anaideia wishes that she was the perfect daughter for her parents- sweet, nice, & uncomplicated. Her dad's been a bit cold towards her since the arrest, so she's been relying on her mom more and more. Anaideia keeps a few copies of fitness magazines that her mom used to model for. Bonding time is them walking to the Fit 2 Be A God gym in downtown New Olympus for a workout. Afterwards they'll stop at a Bread Box for some BLT sandwiches (with sriracha mayo instead of regular mayo) before taking the public bus back home. Even though she didn't like it, Anaideia respected her mother's reaction towards the assault charge- yelling & screaming at her on the brink of tears before she whispered "I'm sorry" to her mom.

She loves her baby brother Olethrus (god of havoc) that everyone calls Olly for short. Anaideia knows just how to calm him down after he has a temper tantrum (the most recent one being when he accidentally disintegrated his favorite stuffed chimera). She'll often be the one to look after him afterschool while her parents are at work. Olly's a huge fan of her stovetop grilled cheese sandwiches & crock pot moussaka mac n' cheese!

Anaideia's currently on break from school (the fight happening a few days before the end of the current school year). At school, she's more there for socializing than being an actual scholar. Her favorite class is gym (was totally into the dodgeball game they did) & she tolerates math. Her math teacher, a Centaur named Mr. Galanis (Anaideia calls him G plus) said that she's filled with untapped potential. She's often sent to detention during lunch for backtalking to one of the teachers or cutting class. Anaideia respects the person overseeing the detention, a female Harpy school security guard named Ms. Hatzidakis- with them often swapping sandwiches.

She doesn't really socialize with the other godly kids in her school like Achelois (goddess of the moon & comfort), Philia (goddess of friendship), E.B, Krysothemis (Kristy), and Pandia (goddess of the full moon).

Anaideia thinks that Thespios (god of acting) is a little too full of himself and the "Drool Crew"- Pompe (goddess of rites), Epidotes (god of purity), and Telete (goddess of prayers) are less exciting than watching paint dry.

Anaideia will sometimes talk to Dysis (goddess of the sunset), Thrasos (god of boldness, insolence, recklessness, & courage) and Deucalion.

The student she dislikes the most is Calocagathia (Aggie) (goddess of nobility & goodness). She hates the jeweled headbands Aggie wears over her long dark blonde hair, she hates her sweet smile, hates how all the tachers adore her, hates how prim & proper she is, and hates how even she was able to bond with a wild dragon, procuring it as a pet!

Anaideia's friend group at school includes Jett (a lampade), a Harpy named Anemone, mortal girls named Giota, Deianira, & Elodie, and a female cyclops named Bellatrix (called Trixie for short; they're also co-workers at Olympic Chef).

Any time Anaideia complains out loud about her living & financial situations, Jett is the first to remind her that things could be a lot worse. She's living in a two bedroom apartment in the Shadowstone neighborhood with eight relatives!

Her all time favorite frozen treat is chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream!

One time she & Anemone shot at stymphalian birds with BB's.

Not by choice, things have been distant with Anaideia and her other family members like her other aunt Ioke (goddess of pursuit, tumult, & battle rout), her cousin Alala (goddess of the war cry) and her maternal grandmother Hysminai (goddess of fighting & combat). She has been seeing them a lot more often now.

Her father refuses to "neuter himself" by asking for loans/handouts. When they first lost the apartment, the family was originally gonna move into Ioke's cabin house for a while before Homadus changed his mind at the last minute- instead renting a motel room in full for a week. Secretly Anaideia's been grateful for her cousin's help. A lot of the clothes she has are Alala's hand-me-downs and she'll sometimes get treated with a shopping trip at the mall when Alala comes to visit. They sometimes keep in touch through texting & for Christmas last year, Anaideia got a gorgeous onyx hair comb pin covered in rubies as a gift from her aunt Ioke. In the end, her dad made her sell the comb on oBay, which sold for 3,000 drachmas. There's another gift that Anaideia's dad doesn't know about-a ruby ring with a simple woven gold band with diamonds that she sometimes wears on her pointer finger. It was another gift from Alala.

For dinners, her & her family resort to ordering in. Anaideia sometimes brings food from work like the 10 drachma family value meal- two olympian sized fries, two olympian sized drinks, and a box of 20 chicken nuggets. They'll also order a large sicilian pizza topped with black olives, spinach, roasted red peppers, & feta cheese, pork gyros, and lemon rice. Anaideia looks forward to when her mom cooks her specialties- scallion pancakes & honey walnut shrimp.

Once at an Olmorfia store with Trixie, Anaideia shoplifted a parfum- that was released by one of her favorite deities Eris (goddess of strife & discord) named Dichónoia. The gold apple shaped bottle was too much to resist!

Her favorite dessert is the s'mores pie from Hollyhock's Bakery. The pie itself is too pricey, so she'll settle for a slice for six drachmas.

Anaideia also likes her nana's best friend Amphillogia (goddess of arguments, disputes, & altercations).

Her favorite musical artists to listen to is Discordic Harmony, Blood in the Water, & The Acid Annies! She also doesn't mind a few songs from 24K Static known as Chrysos (god of gold & riches). An instant favorite has been the punk rock band Dissonance Machine- the lead singer being Koros (god of surfeit & disdain). Anaideia would really like to see them perform at their upcoming concert at Bolt Stadium in a few months! She's also been getting into the music of her maternal aunt's band!

Anaideia's currently dating a mortal guy named Stelios. He's two years older than her- at 15 and is currently a high school student at Athenium Academy. He's on his school's football (soccer) team & is even in talks to possibly getting an athletic scholarship to Athenium University. They first met at a party Anemone was throwing at her house while her parents were away. They exchanged numbers and he invited her & a few of her friends to hang out with him & his friends at a bowling alley a week later. Their first kiss was a date at the cinema a few days later and it wasn't long before Stelios invited her over to his house to meet his parents for dinner. Anaideia liked how his house felt like a home. Things became too much when Stelios' parents started asking her questions about her parents, what they presided over, & what they did for work. She made an excuse to use the bathroom then snuck out the window, with Stelios noticing.

A few days afterschool, he confronted her about it with Anaideia saying that he meant nothing to her. Stelios didn't believe her & after some coaxing, she broke down and told him everything, even walking him to the motorhome park. "Even for a goddess, I'm no good," she whispered as tears continued to fall down her face. "To me you're just Ana and that's okay," Stelios whispered back as they kissed. A few weeks later while at his house playing video games, they ended up having sex for the first time. A couple of days after the fight, Stelios gifted Anaideia a promise locket necklace, which she now always wears. He hasn't met her family yet.

In her free time she enjoys taking martial arts lessons (Perses gives her a special discount since he's friends with her father), listening to music, basketball, playing video games, spending time with her boyfriend, & hanging out with her friends.

Her favorite meal is the 10 piece inferno wings with olympian sized cajun fries from Olympic Chef.

"This is a ruthless world and one must be ruthless to cope with it."

[3dtourstudio]

Home for Sale - $149,900 - 2525 Northwest 62nd Street #102, Oklahoma City, OK 73112 Virtual Tour: https://tours.3dtourstudio.com/2525-northwest-62nd-street-102-oklahoma-city/ At Imperial Terrace you will find a relaxing, tranquil living community in a friendly 55 plus condominium complex. This property features many vibrant and colorful social settings. Just moments away from Penn Square Mall,Classen Curve, Whole Foods, Nichols Hills Plaza, Trader Joe's and Sprouts, your daily shopping and errands are made easy. With quick access to major thoroughfares like I-44, Kilpatrick Turnpike, Broadway Ext, and I-235, navigating the city is a cinch. This is a first floor unit, perfectly situated in the main building of the complex which houses the postal center and club room. This 2 bedroom 2 bath condo unit is completely remodeled with recent upgrades including granite counter tops in the kitchen and bathrooms, wood-look tile floors and beautiful plantation shutters throughout. The laundry area is plumbed for water and gas hook-ups. The kitchen has a new gas range and oven, upgraded cabinets, generous pantry, and new under counter and ceiling lighting. You will enjoy your spacious covered patio for relaxation or to entertain friends or family. The park-like courtyard and green areas are beautifully landscaped for pet walking, or leisurely evening strolls. You will also enjoy the sparkling swimming pool located centrally within the complex. Another amenity included is an onsite laundry facility (if needed). Each unit is assigned one covered parking space in the gated parking area. Other uncovered parking is included on premises for extra vehicles and visitors. Your HOA dues cover all your utiltities charges (water & garbage, electric and gas) except cable or internet, common area maintenance, landscaping, lawn care, outdoor lighting, etc. These amenities truly provide the resident a carefree and hassle free lifestyle. Property Type: Multi-family Building Type: Condominium Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms: 2 House Size: 1326 SQ FT(MOL) Year Built: 1964 MLS#: 1132333 For more information call (405) 795-9503

[dolphinpools]

Troubleshooting Common Pool Cleaning Issues: Expert Advice for a Pristine Pool

Pool maintenance is a big job. It requires a lot of time and effort, but it's worth it to have the cleanest pool possible. You might not be able to control what happens in your pool, but you can manage with the help of pool cleaners in Melbourne and respond to problems that arise.

This article will guide you through common issues that cause trouble for many people who own pools—and point out ways to avoid them or fix them if they arise.

Clogged filters

You may have heard the term "filter," but you're not sure what it means or how to clean one. Filters are important components of your pool's filtration system, and they need to be cleaned regularly to ensure that your water is safe and clear.

There are several types of filters available on the market today: sand filters (the most common), DE (diatomaceous earth), and cartridge filters being among them. They all serve the same purpose; to remove dirt particles from swimming pool water; but each type requires different care methods when it comes time for cleaning them out after use throughout the seasons.

Cloudy water

If you've noticed cloudy water and/or algae growth in your pool, it's important to act immediately. Cloudy water is usually caused by an imbalance of chemicals or minerals in the water that has allowed bacteria to grow.

To fix this problem, test the pH level of your pool with a professional pH testing kit. If necessary, use an appropriate acid or alkali treatment for adjusting pH levels.

Fungus or algae growth

If the water in your pool has turned green and cloudy, there are two main culprits: algae and fungus. These organisms can grow quickly in pools, especially if they're not properly maintained or kept clean.

Algae is a type of plant that grows on surfaces like rocks and windowsills and it's actually what makes up most of the world's oxygen supply!

Algae in pools are usually harmless unless it starts to get out of control, at this point, it becomes unsightly and may lead to more serious problems such as skin irritation for swimmers who come into contact with it.

Filters

Filters should be replaced regularly, and pool cleaners Melbourne will let you know when this is necessary by displaying an error code on its display panel (if it has one), or by not moving at all when you try to activate it in the water.

It's also important for your filter to be cleaned and sanitised regularly, especially if there has been algae growth in your pool recently or other contaminants could clog up your filter’s pores over time.

Pool pump

If you're having trouble with your pool pump, there are a few things to check. First, clean the filter and make sure there's no debris in it. This can stop water from flowing through the filter properly and cause problems with your system. Next, check if there's any damage to the impeller.

If it looks OK but still isn't working well enough for your needs, then you might need to replace it entirely--or at least get a new one made by an expert who knows what they're doing so they don't break easily again!

Another thing worth checking is whether or not something is wrong with your pressure switch; this device tells your motor how much pressure there is in its pipes so it knows when they're full enough or empty enough so as not to waste energy unnecessarily while still keeping everything flowing smoothly throughout its entire cycle without getting clogged up by dirt/debris floating around inside them all day long."

Water chemistry

When it comes to pool maintenance, the most important factor is water chemistry. If you don't have the right balance of chemicals in your pool, it can lead to damage and costly repairs. You should test your water regularly and adjust as needed based on what tests show.

The first step towards maintaining proper chemical levels is testing them periodically so that you know where they stand before making any adjustments.

Additives

Additives are chemicals added to water that help it stay clean and healthy. Some of the most common additives include:

Algaecide (for algae control)

pH adjuster (to balance pH levels)

Stain remover (to remove stains on pools)

How often you need to add these products depends on the type of pool you have, how much use it gets, and what kind of water chemistry you're trying to maintain.

For example, if your pool has an automatic chlorine feeder and an automatic floater skimmer that keeps debris from collecting at the bottom of your liner then all you may need is a good shock treatment once every few weeks. If not then consider adding some algaecide every week or so depending on how much algae grows in between treatments.

Scummy surface

Scum is a layer of organic material that collects on pool surfaces. The most common form of scum is algae, but it can also be bacteria or other organic matter. Scum appears most often in pools with poor circulation and filtration systems, which means that you'll see it more often during hot summer months when there's less wind to keep the water moving around your pool.

Scum on your surface can make your pool look dirty and uninviting, but there are some easy ways to remove it from your water:

Use a net or skimmer to scoop out as much scum as possible before further cleaning your surface; this will help prevent wasting time trying to scrub off something that's already gone!

Cleaning chemicals like chlorine (or bromine) will kill off most types of algae growths within 24 hours if left undisturbed overnight - just remember not to add too much because this could cause other issues later down the road...

Conclusion

We hope our tips have helped you get your pool back in shape. If you have any questions or concerns about cleaning your pool, search for experienced pool cleaners in Melbourne or feel free to contact us at We're happy to help!

Source: Troubleshooting Common Pool Cleaning Issues: Expert Advice for a Pristine Pool

[stphns3311]

As Oklahoma's #1 authority on above ground pools and hot tubs, we're here to help you begin living a wellness lifestyle.  Step 1:  Just add water.

[bat-countryleisuremfg-thing-blog]

ABOVE GROUND POOL WATER TROUBLESHOOTING:  GREEN POOL WATER

We all remember this picture right?  One beautiful blue pool and one very very green pool.  For those of you that are ready for your pool opening and take off your pool cover only to discover you have the pool on the left, there is help!

Green pool water is caused by one culprit - yes, only one - ALGAE.  There are about a thousand types of algae out there, but you can treat the vast majority of them with the same approach.  Basically, you take away their food (phosphates), and you make the environment inhospitable.  There are other things algae need to survive, but taking them away in the summer when you are using your pool is impossible - sunlight being a main culprit.  So, you starve and attack it.

Step one to getting rid of the algae in your pool is to take away the food - the phosphates.  You will want to add some type of product that essentially removes the phosphates.  We recommend Natural Chemistry PhosFree, but if you have a favorite, use it.  The key is to keep your phosphate reading under 500.  At a reading above that (even just 501) algae can begin to thrive.

Tip:  Treating for phosphates will be a proactive process you will want to continue periodically throughout the summer to stay on the offense.

Step two is killing the existing algae.  For this, you will want to utilize an algaecide and shock your pool.  These approaches work very differently when attacking the algae, but both are effective.  Think of the algae as a green bubble floating in your pool - the algaecide is a knife, stabbing through the bubble, and the shock basically pops the bubble.

Once you have killed the algae (via stabbing and popping), you have to get it out of the pool - you will want to filter your pool on high until the algae is gone.  Any algae that is on the bottom of the pool can be vacuumed out.

Make sure you are backwashing frequently to enable your filter to effectively clean the water.  We recommend a filter helper - like Clear Results Sand Filter Aid - this will allow your filter to remove particulates at a very small level, helping it clean the dead algae out at a quicker pace.

Once you have gotten rid of the algae, the best defense is a good offense.  We recommend making your water as inhospitable to algae as possible - on the plus side, the pool water will be very hospitable to you and your family!  You can do this by keeping your phosphate level low and maintaining a stable pH which allows your sanitizer to effectively attack the algae.  We recommend a once / season dosing of Haviland Activator or Activator Plus - this will help your sanitizer keep algae at bay all season long by helping to buffer your Alkalinity and keep your pH stable, which ultimately makes the water more enjoyable for you.

Need help testing your water for phosphates?  Our water lab will test for them and keep you informed on where your levels are so you can ensure the dinner table is empty for any algae that may be trying to make a home in your pool.

Happy Summer Swimming Season!

Official Website: Chemicals For Swimming Pools,OK

More Info Click Here: Hot Tub Manufacturers Moore, Ok

[backyarddepot]

Since 2009, Backyard Depot has made it our mission to help homeowners like you turn their backyards into perfect spaces for making memories. We love the creativity and artistry our work implies and we see every project as a challenge to create fantastic water features. Call us at (918) 212–5500 for more information about pond contractors Bixby OK or visit our website.

Backyard Depot 11530 89th E. Ave, Bixby, Oklahoma 74008 (918) 212–5500

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[blizzardz]

Hello motherfucker >:) 3, 7, 11, 12 and 19 for Redd/Archie!

I'm doing Archie bc I have done ENOUGH of Redd for these things lol

3. What inspired you to make your OC?

I'm gonna be so totally honest I just felt that. I was missing themes of mystery in my stories and that was weird bc I am in love with mystery. And obvs I first approached Archie's character as "ooohhhh OOOOHHHHHH no one remembers ooohhhhhhhhh weirdcore traumacore bbrrrrr!!!" Which was my cringiest era ever. But now he has a personality and mystery as intended lolz

7. Do they have a motivation for wanting any of the timepieces? How would they find one? What would they do with it?

Depends on when his story and AHiT's overlap. If timepieces happened after his death but before Otto's birth, he'd definitely use them to yknow. Not die. If ghosts can even touch timepieces. But if timepieces happened currently with Otto being 13, Archie's motive would have to maybe be preventing the bunches of stuff that happened to Otto. But it's a very small motive, because he's happy the way things are, even if he's a ghost. He has his bestie Otto yknow. And preventing what happened is really Otto's choice yknow.

11. What are some of your OCs favorite things? (For example, favorite food, drink, type of music, color, things they collect, ect. anything that they are fond of)

Hmmm ok. He has big interests in water and space, though in some timeline water is a weird topic for him. He likes to go exploring by himself and he's always trying to find little hidden hangout spots for himself. He likes collecting rocks, plushies, various little knickknacks. He likes blues, purples, and greens, and his favorite foods are mostly low-maintenance kid foods, like mac n cheese and whatever the bird equivalent of chicken nuggets are.

12. Do they have a very distinctive manner of speech or other way of communicating? (like telepathy, sign language, making small noises, ect.) Do you have an idea of what they might sound like? (For example: an accent, certain common phrases they're likely to say, vocal tics, quirks or habits, ect? Voice claims even!)

OH OK. As a ghost I think he can occasionally have his voice only be heard in someone's head, but he never has any reason to do that, bc the one person he talks to can see n hear him just fine. Archie probably knows some bits of sign language- bc yknow, Otto is mute and frequently uses it. And I might just be projecting here but he occasionally makes little noises when doing anything bc he cannot handle performing any action in complete silence. As for voice claims uhh. It's weird bc obviously he'd be at least a little scottish as a Forbush, but for now let's just say he sounds like Darwin from TAWOG.

19. If your OC was on the Arctic Cruise, what would they likely be found doing? What would they say to Hat Kid/Bow Kid upon interacting with them?

I'm just gonna assume this is in the instance that he's. Alive. He'd definitely be on there just bc Conductor brought him along, so he'd be found by the pool area, just a little astray from where Cond is drinking. I'd imagine bc he's some Little Guy he has different lines depending on when he's interacted with- but he most definitely has a line about the pool and swimming. If there was a task with him for Ship Shape it's probably in the same essence of the grandkids- make sure he stays where he can't get in trouble or in danger, bc he's very hyperactive and he Will Not stay in one place.

[fanimesenseiwrites]

Hi!, how are you?, hope you're well, anyway, can you please do the '' 1 moment that they assist MC when it comes to adjusting to Devildom'' but for the rest of the brothers? (Levi, Stan, Asmo, Belphie) its ok if you dont want too, have a nice day/night <3

I'm well, thank you for asking! I liked this ask so I'm glad someone asked for the other brothers. Excuse the changing format, I was trying to think of the best way to do each story.

Link to the other 3 brothers.

The brothers help out MC in the Devildom:

Leviathan:

MC has always had a healthy fear of the ocean. As one should, it could easily kill you if you're not cautious. Sharks, certain jellyfish, and riptides and whatnot.

So when Levi asked MC to go to the beach with him, they were a little hesitant. But Levi so rarely wants to leave his room so they felt like they had to say yes.

But as soon as they get to the beach, MC feels their fear go past the lengths of healthy

The sand is black???? Which just makes the water look darker and now MC can't see any potential wild life which they're sure is far scarier and/or more threatening than anything the human realm has to offer and-

"MC? Are you okay?" Levi asks gently.

MC briefly wonders if they should tell him the truth or not.

"I... I just... I'm afraid of the ocean," MC confesses.

Levi is little disappointed. This is the only part of "outside" that he likes, he was really looking forward to this. He wants to stay but he doesn't want his best friend to be uncomfortable

"Why are you afraid of it?" Levi asks, wondering if there's something he can do to help.

When MC tells Levi all their reservations, he perks up a little; he can work with that.

Levi takes MC over to the tide pools first, thinking that starting with something small will help

He's right. MC is absolutely delighted by all the little flora and fauna in the tide pools.

Once MC is comfortable with that, he encourages them to get into the big ocean, promising that no sea creatures will harm them while he's there

"But what about riptides? You can't control the ocean."

That's true, he can't control the water... but he can teach them how to swim out of a riptide.

MC feels a lot better just seeing how much effort Levi has put into making them feel comfortable and safe

"Thank you, Levi. You really are a true friend."

Oh boy is he a blushing mess. He just wants MC to have fun tho and he's glad he could help.

Satan:

Satan is in the library one day, just browsing, when he hears a familiar voice mumbling, grumbling, and... crying?

He walks around to the next aisle to find MC sitting on the ground, surrounded by books, and holding their head in their hands.

He frowns. "MC?"

Their head snaps up to meet his gaze. "Oh fuck..." They sniff and wipe their tears away. "Hey Satan."

"What's wrong?" Satan asks as he kneels down next to MC.

MC sighs. "I just... feel really dumb right now..."

"Can I help you somehow?"

"Not unless you can make all these books suddenly read in (MC's native language)."

"Ah, is the demonic script giving you issues?"

"Yes! And I have to write a paper for literature and history and I'm already sucking ass in history, I have to do good on this paper or I'm pretty sure Lucifer will hang me from the ceiling next! But how can I write a good paper if I can't even read the research well?! Like why am I even here? I'm so stupid and useless down here!"

Satan frowns. "You're not stupid or useless. How about I help you with your papers?"

MC looks at him. "... you would do that?"

"Yes. I'll help you find some good books for your research and I'll help you with the demonic script too."

MC sniffles. "I'd really appreciate that."

Satan smiles slightly and helps them. "Of course, we can't have Lucifer punishing you."

MC chuckles. "Yeah..."

...

"Satan!" MC calls out to the demon just before attacking him with a hug.

"Oi! MC! What're you doing?" Satan is a little annoyed but mostly embarrassed by MC's actions.

MC shoves some papers in his face. "Look, look, look!!! I got an 87 on my literature paper and a 92 on my history one!"

Satan smiles at hearing the grades. "Good job, you did very well."

"Well, it's all thanks to you," MC thanks him.

Satan blushes a little. "You put in the work, I just helped."

"Still, I really appreciate it."

"I'm glad I could help."

Asmodeus:

MC is not "high maintenance" by any means

Especially not when you stand them up next to Asmo

But they still care about how they look a little bit

They want to be clean and look clean and well put together

So when they're thrust into the Devildom without a single personal item, it may not be the first thing they're upset about, but they're upset about it

Lucifer orders Mammon to take MC shopping for such personal items but when MC starts asking him about brands and prices, combination to oily skin...

"Fuck this." He pawns them off on Asmo.

Of course Asmo tries to seduce MC first, but as soon as MC says the words "skin care" it's like a switch is flipped

Asmo pulls them into his room and gives them a skin and hair quiz?? Like on paper???? He just has them ready???????

Based on MC's answers, Asmo has all sorts of products to recommend them

He even lets them try some of the products he owns and uses before he takes them shopping for their own products

Asmo goes only a little bit overboard. He loves helping people with body care, but he's not super invested in MC (yet)

This interaction goes a long way in helping MC become comfortable in the Devildom, and though MC won't tell Asmo that, they do thank him for all his help

When they get home, they definitely find Mammon strung up. Lucifer was not happy that he pawned MC off on Asmo

Belphegor:

By the time Belphegor is released from the attic and is even able to help MC, they've already pretty much adapted to life in the Devildom

Belphie pretends not to care, but when he keeps hearing stories from his brothers about all the stuff they've done with MC he can't help but get a little jealous

Belphie keeps trying to find stuff for him and MC to do that they haven't done yet, but he doesn't have much luck...

Then, one night, he catches MC sneaking into bed with him

"MC...?" He asks, sleepily.

MC gasps. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

Belphie just pulls them close and snuggles them. "S'okay..."

"... I had a nightmare... but I always sleep better with you so I thought I'd come in here..."

Belphie hums. "I'll make sure you dream sweetly, don't worry."

MC pressed their face into Belphie's neck. "Thank you."

Belphie is incredibly smug about that the next day, but he won't tell anyone who asks about it.

[worryinglyinnocent]

Fic: Golden Scales and Automail Fins

Summary: Written for the WriYe Mermay challenge. Winry creates an automail fin for merman Ed, and the two get closer over the attachment process. 

Rated: G

Golden Scales and Automail Fins

The one thing that never failed to amuse Winry was the visitors’ reactions to the merfolk. Having been born and raised in Resembool, the merfolk were part and parcel of life by the coast for her and they always had been. There was nothing special or mysterious about them. She had long since known that they were just like humans - well, apart from the scales and tails and the fact they lived in the sea, of course. Other than that, though, they were just a part of everyday town life as much as anyone with legs was. 

Still, anyone arriving on the coast from further inland, where merfolk were still the stuff of myth and fairy tale, was always mesmerised to see them in the bay, and Winry never tired of seeing the gobsmacked faces as they wandered along the seafront, looking at the little floating pontoons where the merfolk set up their trading stalls; their wares on the water opposite the landfolk’s wares on the pavement, human metal and woodwork trading with merman textiles and botany, a friendship based on mutual benefit. 

Resembool had been living in an easy peace with the sea for as long as anyone could remember. The fishing trawlers always came in full of bounty, as long as they avoided the waters where the merfolk made their villages, and the sea had been calm for centuries. 

It ought to have been idyllic, really, but even at the tender age of fifteen, Winry knew that nothing was ever idyllic. She sat down on the edge of the overflow pool, dangling her legs in the water and looking out over the grey sunrise. 

In the distance, in the main trade area of the bay, she could already hear the stalls setting up on the land and the water alike, and the trawlers were out of the horizon. There would always be accidents, and there would always be the less scrupulous people out there, the ones who saw the merfolk as more fish than people, and tried to exploit them accordingly, looking to harvest their fins and scales for profit, sold to the rich of the inland counties as rare, exotic treasures. And of course, the brighter the scales, the rarer the colour… 

“Hey.”

Winry startled out of her moody contemplation as Ed popped his head out of the water next to her. He raised an eyebrow. “You ok?”

Winry nodded. “Yeah. Just thinking.”

“About anything in particular?”

She shook her head. She didn’t really want to admit that she’d been thinking about Ed and about the incident that had led them to meet in the first place. Naturally, she would rather that she and Ed had not met in the circumstances that they had, but she couldn’t help being glad that they’d met at all. Not that she could tell him that. 

“Well, I’m ready whenever you are.” Ed pulled himself up out of the water beside her and swung his tail up onto the tiles. The ripped edge of the missing half of his fin flopped uselessly, dripping water. Winry ran her fingertips over the torn scale, and Ed twitched. 

“Sorry. It’s really sensitive today. I think it’s subconscious because I know what’s coming.”

“Yeah, it’ll be painful when it connects, but on the upside, you’ll have full swimming power in your tail again.”

Ed nodded. “Definitely looking forward to that.”

Winry checked over the automail fin for what felt like the thousandth time that morning whilst Ed dried off his tail. Rockbell Automail had always been renowned for their craftsmanship, and when Pinako had decided to properly develop and patent her waterproofing designs, they had soon gained fame among the merfolk as well, working with the underwater doctors to create prosthetic fins as well as other limbs. 

“Oh.” Ed paused in towelling off his scales, staring bug-eyed at the fin. 

“What? Don’t you like it?”

“No, no, I do. I just wasn’t expecting it to be that colour.”

“How do you mean? It matches the rest of your tail.” Winry held the automail fin against Ed’s tail, and the sun chose that moment to creep up above the horizon completely, making scales and fin both gleam bright gold. 

“Yeah, I know. It’s great. I was expecting it to just be that normal grey polymer colour that it’s been when you’ve been doing the fittings before.”

Winry shrugged. “It’s the least I could do. It doesn’t match exactly, but…”

“Winry, it’s amazing. Thank you.”

Winry busied herself with the fin, hoping that Ed didn’t notice the blush rising in her cheeks. She decided it was time to change the subject.

“I’ve been wondering about your colour, though,” she said. “I’ve lived around merfolk my whole life but I’ve never seen any with your and Al’s colour.” 

Most of the coastal mermaids around Resembool had softer, paler coloured scales and fins, pastel blues and purples and pinks. Brighter colours weren’t unheard of, but they tended to belong to the folk from the deeper waters, further from the shore - seafolk who weren’t as trusting of humans and didn’t participate in the trade with Resembool. 

This bright, rich gold, though… 

“Oh. Yeah. We get it from our dad. He was from beyond the Deep.”

Considering the use of the past tense, Winry felt it prudent not to probe further. When Ed had first come into her and Pinako’s lives, a young merman tentatively looking for assistance after losing half his fin, she’d not pried into the accident that had caused the loss. 

Over time, as she’d been designing his prosthetic, she’d learned the story in parts and then in whole - two hot-headed young merfolk who thought they could do the impossible ending up on the wrong side of a hunting trawler. Winry wondered where the hunter with the other half of Ed’s fin was, and she hoped he’d come to some kind of messy end in one of the violent storms that rocked the deeper seas. 

She knew that if Ed wanted her to know something, then he would tell her in his own time. Winry had all the time in the world, although there was a pang of something she couldn’t quite describe when she remembered that she wouldn’t be seeing him anywhere near as often now that the fin was about to be attached permanently and he would only come back to the automail centre for maintenance. 

“Ok, I’m ready.” Ed tossed the towel he’d been using to dry his tail to one side, obediently plopping his fin into Winry’s lap so that she could check over the damaged edge prior to attaching the automail. She touched the torn scales again, but this time Ed didn’t flinch. Drying off the scales made them less sensitive, and it was essential that the scales were dry for a smooth connection with the new fin, but they couldn’t be out of the water too long or else they would dry out completely and crack. 

“I’m going to start attaching now.” Winry carefully brought the polymer fin into place and lined it up with the torn part, beginning to brush on the waterproof glue that would hold everything together and create a sealant to protect the electric parts inside the fin. Edward let out a sharp breath - the glue wasn’t kind to the damaged nerves in his tail, and she saw him ball up his fists.

“I’m sorry. I know it’s uncomfortable.” 

“It’s ok. Don’t stop. The quicker you do it, the quicker it’s done, right?”

Winry nodded. “Yeah, I think that’s the best way of looking at it.”

The glue set quickly, so it wasn’t long after the fin was set in place that Ed could dip it down into the water again. It would need to sit, unmoving, for a few minutes to test the sealant and make sure that the glue held, but keeping it in the water was more comfortable than having it out on dry land. Winry dabbled her toes beside him, looking out over the edge of the automail centre’s pool and into the open sea that it flowed out into, allowing easy access for the injured merfolk who came into her and Pinako’s care. 

She wished that she knew what to say to fill the silence. She and Ed had never failed for things to talk about before now, both of them fueled by a mutual curiosity to discover the world that the other one lived in. Winry would regale Ed with tales of life on land and the wonders of legs, whilst Ed would weave similar stories of the wonders of fins and the mysteries of the ocean. Now though, he seemed to realise the significance of this moment as much as she did, and wanted to treat it with the sombreness that it deserved, the goodbye that was coming ever closer. 

Ed carefully trailed his fin through the water, moving it this way and that, looking at how the automail worked in sync with the living fin. 

“It’s amazing,” he said. “I mean, I always knew that it would be amazing because it’s you, but I hadn’t realised just how it would feel having a whole fin again. It feels like I could get halfway to the Deep on one sweep with this. Not that I would want to, of course,” he added hastily. “I mean, there’s nothing out there that’s interesting, and Al wouldn’t want to go that far, and I’d miss everyone here, and…”

He trailed off, looking away and pointedly not meeting Winry’s eyes. 

She reached across, closing her hand over his webbed fingers where they gripped the edge of the pool with white knuckles. 

“I’d miss you, too,” she said softly. “You know, you’re always welcome to come back and visit whenever you want. You don’t have to come just for maintenance on the fin.”

Ed finally looked at her, and she saw the small smile playing over the corners of his mouth. 

“Yeah,” he said eventually. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

[krishukoffer501]

Here you can check a different pool chemical.

[en-lil-sin]

The Door

By Mikayla MacPherson

The security guard's steps echoed in the empty hallway. It was a typical sterile basement corridor found in any large building; drab beige walls, overhead fluorescent lights spaced just far enough to allow puddles of shadows between them, sickly pale green colored floor tiles. The only sound came from the ventilation ducts and the guards' steps.

The guard never liked coming down here. Something about it always creeped him out. Especially when he was on a night shift, like he was tonight. He would always try to make his rounds down here as swiftly as possible, just long enough to check the few locked doors and to swipe his keycard against the two security panels to log his rounds had been made. The quicker he finished this round, the quicker he could get back to the security desk and watch shows on his phone. His partner would do the next round in two hours.

He turned the final corner to head back to one of the two stairwells, when he saw a door standing open across from the stairwell. He stopped and looked at the door, slightly confused because he didn't remember ever seeing a door there, but it had to have always been there if he was looking at it. He cautiously walked up to the door and looked inside. A red painted corridor lit by dim lights, and what looked like red an black tiles on the floor stretched before him. He couldn't see any other doors, but the corridor did have an intersection about a dozen feet beyond the door he was standing at, with another about a hundred or so further into the gloom. No sounds could be heard from inside the room, or corridor, or whatever was beyond the door.

Nobody should be down here, he thought. Not even the building's engineering staff would come down here, except for occasional routine maintenance. And even then, they were required to check in with the security desk before starting any work, and then again when the work was completed. He pulled out his radio and keyed it.

"Hey Amanda, the door across from the north stairwell is unlocked and open. Did any of the maintenance guys check in with you, to let us know they would be down here?"

Amanda, his partner for this shift, came back sounding bored and sleepy; "Say again, Greg? Did you say north stairwell?"

"Yeah, directly across from the bottom of the stairs."

"Uh...you ok, dude? There is no door across from either set of stairs." Her voice sounded unsure and confused over the radio.

"I'm telling you, I'm looking right at it. It's open and there is a hallway inside."

There was a pause from the other end, before a dismissive response. "Greg, seriously. Stop screwing around. I have worked here for three years now. I'm pretty sure I would know if there was a door there."

"Whatever you say, 'Manda, but I'm still going to check it out," he said.

"Suit yourself, check out your nonexistent door. Let me know if you run into any unicorns as well, while you're down there."

Greg rolled his eyes as he could hear her laughing over the radio. He clipped the radio back onto his belt, pulled his flashlight out and switched it on. It's beam didn't add very much additional light to the reddish gloom inside the door. He leaned in and called out.

"Hello? Anyone there? It's Greg from security." His voice seemed to echo in a strange way. As if the room or hallway was much larger than the entire basement itself. Silence was the answer. He called out again, "hey you need to check in with the security desk, you know. Hello?"

Still nothing. He stepped into the red hallway and began slowly walking towards the first intersection. He looked down both cross hallways.

"What the fuck?" Both directions seem to go on much further than was possible. With corridors branching off in both directions. He began walking to the right to the next branch. This too stretched away with it's own branching corridors and intersections.

His confusion grew even more. He turned back and walked past the first intersection to investigate the other side of the main corridor. It was similar to the first one, but did not mirror it, though it also disappeared into the distance. Hair on the back of his neck began to stand up, as his unease increased.

This is beginning to give me the fucking creeps, he thought. And I really want to get the hell out of here. He turned back towards the door. And then froze.

The door was not there. The corridor ended in a t-intersection, but where the door should have been, there was only a red colored wall. He was certain that this was where the door was. He didn't take any other turns other than walking a few feet down each side hall. There was no way he was not where he came in.

He walked to the t-intersection and placed his hand on the wall. It was cool and solid to the touch, feeling like poured concrete. He was certain that this is where the door should be, but only the wall stood in front of him. The first hints of panic began to tickle the back of his mind.

"Ok Greg. There is a logical explanation to this. You just mistook where you came in. It has to be nearby. Let's not let a spooky hallway end up making you feel foolish." He walked about twenty feet in one direction before stopping. Then walked back to the intersection and walked another twenty feet the other way.

Turning to look back down the main hallway, he saw only a hallway that was about a hundred feet long lacking any interesting corridors. Instead it terminated in a single right turn to the right. Cold tendrils of fear now began to well up inside him.

"No. No. No no no no no. This can't be real." His voice wavered as he looked disbelievingly at the now unfamiliar corridor. With a shaking hand he pulled his radio for the clip on the belt and keyed it.

"Hey, uh…'Manda. I seem to...uh...be lost. I don't care if you laugh at me the rest of the night, but I really need you to come down and help me find my way out of here." Only static answered him. He waited a moment and then tried again with the same results.

"Ok, very funny Amanda. I know you're having a good laugh at me right now. But I please need you to help me." His voice began to take on an edge of panic.

The light of his flashlight jumped about in his trembling hands as he slowly walked to the bend in the hallway and looked down it's length. There, about ten feet, was an intersection.

Oh thank God, I must have just gotten turned around. He ran to the intersection and looked both ways. His hopes came crashing down as he only saw more branching corridors. Vison now blurring, due to tears welling up in his eyes, he slowly sank to his knees.

"Greg, where're you at?" Amanda's voice echoed in the maze of passageways. But it sounded distant, and not quite right. Greg jumped to his feet and began running in the direction it sounded like it came from.

"Amanda! I can hear you! Keep calling out!" He stopped to listen.

"Greg, this way!" Now the voice came from a hallway on his right, and he dashed towards it. After a bit he stopped to listen again. Again Amanda's voice called out. But now it came from a new direction behind him. Then again from another direction. Her voice repeatedly came from random directions.

He stood up and picked a random direction to begin walking in. "Amanda? I can hear you, but it's hard to tell what direction you're in." He stopped to listen once again.

Ok, let's be logical about this. I know the size of the basement, this room or whatever the hell this is can't be that big, he thought to himself. He figured he would just continue to walk in one direction.

He walked about a dozen feet until he came to a tee. He took the right hand passage and walked about another dozen feet until he came to another branch to the left, which he took. Another few dozen paces brought him to another intersection. He continued walking straight ahead before being presented with another tee.

He was contemplating which direction to take when he froze. He thought he had heard something. But try as he might, the only sound he could hear was the blood rushing in ears. He peered into the gloom bathed in the red lighting. He swung his flashlight left and right, it's weak beam only penetrating about a dozen feet before being too diffused to be of any use. Suddenly, with a flash and a pop, his light went dead, leaving him cloaked in the low light corridor, now completely the color of blood.

He continued trying to move in one direction as much as he could. He finally admitted he was hopelessly lost in what seemed to be an impossibly sized area within the basement. He was scared, even succumbing to a full panic attack once or twice as he aimlessly traced his way through ever changing hallways that lead nowhere. He lost track of time, though he began to eventually feel both thirst and hunger. Still he wandered, ever deeper into a maze with no exit. Another bend, another intersection, another side passage. On and on.

Then slowly even the dim lights in the distance began to slowly fade out of existence, leaving him in an ever increasingly smaller pool of light. Oh shit, he thought. If the lights went out, and he couldn't get his flashlight to work again, he would be royally screwed, unable to find his way except to feel along the walls.

Panic now began to fully close in. Foot by foot the inky black darkness inches it's way closer. Again he thought he heard something. Like something whispering his name, calling out to him. Feeling like his options were dwindling, he began moving in the direction of the disembodied whisper. Soon Greg found himself entering the black void like darkness. Two steps later, he found himself suddenly falling forward as the floor seemed to just drop away.

It felt like he fell only a few feet when the sensation of falling stopped, and was replaced by one floating in a thick viscous fluid. Greg could feel it pressing in around him, as if he was wrapped completely in a warm waterbed, weightless yet somehow comforting. He tried kicking and attempted to swim upwards, or what he thought was upwards.

He felt like an insect trapped within a spider's web. Moving his arms and legs seemed to take more of an effort. He also began to notice another sensation. The feeling of warmth all over his body, like the warmth one gets when a little tipsy after a few alcoholic drinks. A moment later he realized that he could no longer feel his body at all. Only his consciousness remained.

His mind was floating free in the infinite void he found himself in. It was as if he had fallen through a hole into a space between different universes. The darkness now was all there is, and all there will be from this point onwards. It would go on forever in this infinite abyss of nothingness. Time no longer existed. There would be no future or past, only this single moment of time with eternity stretching out before him. And he would be utterly alone.

*************************************************************************

"Look, I'm telling you detective Sawyer, Greg said he had found a door that was unlocked and open in the basement that was directly across from the north stairwell," Amanda Kendell told the haggard looking police detective standing on the other side of the security desk in a cheap rumpled coat and tie. "Greg went into the basement to do his rounds, and never came back."

Detective Sawyer looked at her, then scribbled some notes down on a pad before asking, "and you're sure there is no door directly across from the north stairwell? Or a maintenance hatch? Something he could have crawled into? Something you might not have noticed before?"

Amanda shook her head. "Look detective, I get I'm only a rent-a-cop, but I have been a security guard for ten years now. Three working in this very building. I have been in that basement hundreds of times. There are no doors across from either stairwell." She sounded exasperated. She had explained it to this idiot now multiple times. She was beginning to think he really was not too worried about her work partner and friend who had gone missing two days before.

Another plainclothes detective came walking up with a uniformed officer at his side. Detective Sawyer turned towards them as they walked up. "Find anything down there?"

The second detective, whom she heard Sawyer call Chan, shook his head and said, "it's like she said, sir. There is no door on the wall directly in front of the stairwell. And the only other stairwell is the southern one on the opposite side of the basement. None of the other rooms have an exit, and all of them require keys that only the building engineers have access to to get in. Nor did the security cameras ever show the security guard exit the basement. Also, he was the only one that entered the basement two nights ago. It was as if he just went into the basement and disappeared."

Detective Sawyer stood there for a moment, then slowly nodded. He closed his notebook and stuffed it into an inside pocket of a charcoal grey jacket in desperate need of being pressed. When he was done he ran his hand over a stubbled face then shrugged. He turned back to Amanda, his watery pale blue eyes looking into hers.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Kendall. There doesn't seem like there is much we can do at this point."

Amanda was bit taken back. He didn't even seem to care that Greg simply disappeared into thin air. Without even the slightest clue of where. Or even how.

"That's it? You're just going to say that's it? Are you going to even try to do a more thorough search, or even try to figure out where he could have gotten off to?" She began to get mad at the dismissive attitude of the detective before her.

"Look, Miss Kendall, I have dealt with these kinds of unusual cases for a while now. I'm pretty sure that there is nothing to further investigate here, nor will it do any good or produce any results. But if you encounter anything else usual, give us a call. Good day, Miss Kendall."

He turned to leave and told Detective Chan to give her his card. He turned back to her, nodded his goodby and left. Detective Chan walked up to her and handed her his contact information and card. She took it, anger bubbling up inside of her.

"It's no fucking wonder that people just disappear without a trace, and are never found again. Especially with cops like your detective Sawyer." She snatched the card out of Chan's hand, and tossed it into the security desk.

Detective Chan looked at her for a moment, then said; "he isn't one of our department's detectives. I don't know who he is, he showed up just prior to the missing persons call. Nobody knows who he is. We were just ordered to provide whatever assistance he needed, and to not ask any questions. But, anyway, thank you for your cooperation, ma'am."

[olliepig]

Waiting in the Wings, chapter 6

Massive thanks as always to @willow-salix for her endless help, support and editing of this. 

As usual, the whole work can be read on AO3 here.

*********************

“What’re you pacing around like a caged animal for? They won’t be here for at least another half an hour.”

“I’m not pacing, I’m just... checking,” Scott retorted, leaving the window and heading down to the couches, sitting for 30 seconds before getting back up again.

“Right, that’s it. What’s going on? You’ve not stopped fidgeting and checking the time all day.” Selene had been drafted in to try to distract Scott by a fed-up Virgil after he had insisted on ‘helping’ with the routine maintenance on Two. He wasn't known for his ability to sit and wait for things to happen but he had been taking it to new levels today and, as his best friend, she wasn’t going to let him away with it.

“There’s nothing going on,” he huffed, “I just don’t understand why Parker insisted on bringing her in FAB1 when I offered to give her a lift.”

“Maybe because you’re on duty?” Selene, suggested innocently. “And don’t fob me off with that ‘there's nothing going on’ bullshit. I know she's your ex girlfriend.”

“Who told you that?” Scott hissed, finally quitting his prowling by the window and shooting down to sit next to her.

“Gordon. What? I didn’t think it was some big secret given that you’ve gone to London by yourself twice in the last couple of months. Unless you’ve been going out without me?” She feigned outrage and Scott knew he was beaten.

“Alright, fine, but this stays between us OK?”

“Of course,” she soothed, despite the slight irritation that he even felt like he had to ask.

“We dated for a year when I was in the air force. I stupidly ended it when I shouldn’t have and then we didn’t talk or see each other for a decade. We met again at that thing Penny invited Gordon and I to a couple of months back and we’re friends again but that’s it, OK? Nothing more.”

“OK, OK,” Selene soothed, holding her hands up, knowing full well that there was more to it than that but prepared to let it lie for now. Well, almost. “It’s just funny how you’ve been pacing around like Gordon does when he’s waiting for Penny to arrive.”

“I have not!”

“I respectfully disagree,” she laughed, unable to contain her amusement at Scott’s denial any longer. “Anyway, I thought you guys fell out?”

“We didn’t,” Scott countered, a little too quickly and forcefully to be believable.

“You did! You were in a right state when you called me after you left hers last time. Something about women never knowing what they fucking want if I remember correctly?”

“OK,” Scott’s shoulders slumped, ashamed to be reminded of his outburst to Selene after leaving Cat’s the last time they had seen each other. “We did fall out for a bit. But then she called me after Gordon’s accident and we talked and we’re friends again so please don’t mention it to her, Sel.”

“Of course I won't!” Selene gasped, genuinely shocked that he even thought he had to ask. Her loyalties were and would always be with her family, no matter what and there was nothing that would change that. “What do you take me for? All I want is for you to be happy, and if having Cat visit us makes you happy then I’m totally on board with that. I just wanted to make sure it’s really what you want.”

“It’s really what I want,” he confirmed with a smile that he hoped was reassuring enough for her.

“Well that’s OK then,” Selene soothed, standing up and starting to head towards the kitchen “I’m going to make some coffee. You want a mug?”

“Yeah, sounds good to me,” Scott smiled, trying to at least stay on the couch until Selene was safely out of sight.

“Oh, I think I can see them in the distance,” Selene commented innocently on her way past the window, grinning as Scott lost his battle for self control and shot off the sofa to look as she disappeared down the stairs.

******

“...and is Mr Scott treating you right, Miss?”

“Better than I probably deserve, Parker,” Cat answered, ignoring the doubtful look and raised eyebrow that were directed her way in the mirror as she settled back into FAB1’s leather seat, en route to Tracy Island. “I mean, we had a bit of a fallout last time we saw each other but that was entirely my fault.”

“I’m sure I don’t believe that, Miss.”

“No, it was. I pushed him with something I shouldn’t have and we had a stupid fight, but we’ve worked things out now and we’re friends again.”

“Just friends, Miss?”

“Just friends, Parker,” Cat replied firmly, smiling at the memories of all the times both she and Penny had had this conversation with the protective butler over the years, knowing full well that he had never believed her then either.

The pair settled into an amicable silence as the autopilot took them halfway around the globe, countries and continents shooting past underneath them until there was nothing but water as far as the eye could see. Letting the world go by outside her window, Cat leant her head back, closing her eyes and contemplating the week ahead and the events that had brought her here.

It hadn’t been an easy time since Scott had stormed out of her flat leaving her completely blindsided; when she looked back on their interactions with the benefit of hindsight, his feelings seemed so obvious that a child could have picked up on them, and the realisation that she had got this so, so wrong made cringe with embarrassment.

Unable to seek Penny’s guidance for fear of putting her in an uncomfortable position and unwilling to discuss it with her friends at work, she had let it fester for far longer than she should, losing track of the number of times she picked up her phone to contact him before putting it down again when she realised she had no idea of what to say.

Then Gordon had been injured and everything else had paled into insignificance. She knew Scott would be hurting and, if previous experience had taught her anything, that he would likely end up doing something stupid as a result, so she'd shovedher embarrassment aside and reached out.

At first their conversation had been clipped and to the point, focussed solely on Gordon and his recovery, but, as the days wore on, they had begun to relax with each other again and apologies were made from both sides.

With the realisation that there may be a potential to rescue his dad, Scott had taken on a whole new raft of stress but had remained adamant that she should still visit him, despite all that had happened. And so here she was. She had no idea what to expect of either the week or the rest of the family but she was determined to make the best of it. After all, it wasn’t every week that she was invited to the home of the Thunderbirds.

“... there it is, Miss Catriona. Tracy Island,” Parker announced, cutting into her thoughts as he sat forward to take back the controls and prepare for landing.

Cat sat forward, craning her neck to see her home for the week. At first, it looked just like a rocky outcrop peeking out of the vast ocean but as they got closer she could see the sun glinting off a glass structure perched high on the cliffs and the splash of blue that she guessed was a swimming pool. A beach came into view next, along with the lush green of trees and shrubs covering the lower levels of the rocky terrain.

“Woah,” she breathed, wondering what she had let herself in for. Scott had warned her that it was remote but she hadn’t quite imagined this.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Parker observed, carefully maintaining his neutral expression while watching her in the rear-view mirror for any sign of discomfort, more than happy to whisk her away before they even landed if he thought she was regretting her decision to come.

“Just a little.” Cat was flabbergasted. In all her wildest dreams she still could never have come up with anything that even vaguely resembled the island ahead of her. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s amazing.”

“On the final approach now, Miss.”

Parker expertly lined the car up with a tree lined runway and before Cat even felt the wheels touch the tarmac, they were down. If she had been surprised before, nothing prepared her for the experience of driving into the gaping cavern ahead of them and straight past the enormous hulk of Thunderbird 2, sitting waiting quietly for her next callout.

Scott hopped from foot to foot, unable to stand still as he waited impatiently for the car to come to a halt, having been waiting at the hangar entrance since his guest had started her descent. His eyes had zeroed in on the woman in the back seat as soon as he could make her out before dashing back into the shade of the hangar just as they touched down, so as not to appear too keen.

He’d been picturing this moment from the second he'd woken up that morning and his nerves had only intensified as the day went on, but now that the time had come he was surprised to find that he was calm. The worry that had filled him about her not liking the island for some reason or that he would mess up again and ruin any chance of a friendship with her left him, and he watched quietly as the pink car made its way into the hangar and came to a halt.

Hurrying over, disappointment washed over him that she wasn’t even looking in his direction, her attention obviously still captured by the giant Thunderbird.

Undeterred, he carried on, hoping to at least help her out of the car. However, the chauffeur got there first, nodding his greeting as he opened the back door and offered a hand to his passenger.

“Holy shit, that is absolutely fucking massive,” Cat exclaimed, finding it very difficult to focus on either of the men in front of her as she stepped out of the car, craning her head over the vehicle to gawk at the giant Thunderbird.

“Well hello to you too,” Scott grinned, putting himself in between her and the machine and managing to divert her attention for a moment.

“Hiya,” she grinned, her heart skipping at the intense blue of his eyes as they met hers before she was distracted again by the green monolith behind him. “Sorry, but you have to admit it’s pretty impressive.”

“Well, hello, Mr Scott, sir,” interjected Parker. “I trust we find you all well?”

“Yes, thank you, Parker,” Scott replied absently, his attention focused on maneuvering himself around the butler in a bid to get Cat’s attention back from the machine that he was uncomfortably aware he was currently jealous of.

“And how is Master Gordon now, sir?” Parker persisted, somehow positioning himself between Scott and Cat despite not making any obvious movement.

“He’s a lot better now. Starting to get moving again a little,” Scott replied, shifting his focus to the butler as he accepted that Cat was a lost cause for now.  

“Oh that is good. Her Ladyship will be most pleased,” Parker said, his comment finally attracting Cat’s notice.

Her eyes caught Scott’s and they shared a look and a half smile that conveyed just how aware they both were of how happy Penny would be to hear that news.

“Now that I have your attention,” Scott joked, “would you like to come up and meet everyone or would you like a tour of the island first?”

“I think a tour if that’s OK?” decided Cat, her heart fluttering dangerously at the thought of being alone with Scott again. “I’ve been sitting down a long time and it’d be nice to stretch the old legs.”

“Your wish is my command. Step this way,” Scott smiled, with an exaggerated bow and the offer of an arm that Cat accepted with a giggle. “Parker, would you be able to bring Cat’s bags up to her room please?”

Parker nodded in agreement, watching Cat and Scott heading for the lift. He had always had a particular fondness for Penny’s friend, having first met her as a shy but determined 11 year old with almost entirely absent parents. He’d lost track of the number of times he had comforted her over the years, filling the role her own father should have and it was perhaps this that made him feel particularly protective over her.

“Mr Scott sir?” he called, waiting for Scott to retrace his steps, before lowering his voice and continuing. “Be gentle with Miss Catriona, sir. She’s been through a lot and I would hate for her to get hurt again.”

Scott smiled, pleased to see that Cat appeared to be under Parker’s protection as well as his own. “I will, Parker, don’t you worry. You have my word.”

With that, he turned back to his guest, taking her arm again and leading her into the lift that would take them to the living areas of the villa and out into the fresh air.

******

“How was your last performance by the way?” Scott enquired. “With everything going on I don't think I ever asked.”

They had been walking for what felt like miles around the island, covering every path that Scott could think of to prolong the time he had Cat to himself. He knew that everyone else would want to meet her as soon as they were in the house and, while he was looking forward to introducing her to everyone, he really wanted to keep her all to himself for just a little longer.

He couldn’t deny that he’d been worried about seeing Cat again after the way things had been left the last time. Being with her in person always felt different to messaging and calling each other and, going on what he could tell so far, this time seemed to be no different.

The familiar spark of attraction was most certainly in attendance and he was very much enjoying feeling it whenever she caught his eyes and smiled at him, while still asking sure he was being respectful of her boundaries. The disaster of their last meeting was as fresh in his mind as hers, so he was determined to be himself, trying to balance his usual flirting with her desire for friendship.

“It’s really no problem,” she smiled, coming to a halt and taking his offer of a seat on a rock looking out over the ocean, “you had slightly better things to be thinking about. It went really well though. Penny and Gordon came to see it actually and they seemed to really enjoy it anyway.”

“Oh, did they now?” Scott grinned, a twinkle appearing in his eyes as he sat down on the rock next to her, very happy to resume their previously favourite pastime of gossiping.

“They sure did. And she’s still maintaining that there’s nothing going on there,” Cat revealed, grinning at the closeness that had suddenly sprung up between them. It hadn’t exactly been stilted since she had arrived but they had lost some of their easy manner around each other and she felt that Scott had, perhaps understandably, been very cautious in how he was acting so this return to old ways was a welcome relief to her.

“Sounds familiar. He’s denying everything too.”

“Hmm… interesting,” Cat said in an outrageous Russian accent, enunciating every syllable as she raised an eyebrow and stroked her chin as if it were a beard, pretending to contemplate this new information. “Ve-ery interesting.”

Their eyes met and they both managed to hold it together for a moment before dissolving into laughter, any lingering awkwardness between them disappearing in an instant.

“God, I’ve missed you,” Scott admitted when he was able to speak, wiping his eyes and trying to pull himself together again.

“I’ve missed you too,” Cat admitted, catching his eyes and feeling the familiar rush that their blue depths always sparked in her. “I’m sorry about last time. I shouldn’t have pushed you like that.”

“It’s OK, and I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have reacted that way, it wasn’t fair of me. Are we friends again then?”

“Definitely,” Cat smiled, a small pang of loss in her chest taking her by surprise as she spoke. It wasn’t something she had even considered before, but she suddenly realised that there was a part of her, deep down, that hoped that he still felt the same way as he had a few weeks prior. “Seriously though, I’ve never seen Penny as scared and upset as when she told me about Gordon’s accident. Whatever’s going on there, it’s obvious that she really cares about him.”

“I can relate to that. I was pretty scared myself,” admitted Scott, his eyes giving away a lot more than he intended.

“I’m not surprised. It sounded awful. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to have to rescue your own brother. Is he doing OK now?”

“Yeah, he’s on the mend. Not completely mobile yet but getting there.”

“Well that’s good news at least,” Cat reflected. “And how’re you doing?”

“Me? I’m fine,” Scott stammered, automatically giving his standard answer for whenever anyone asked how he was before remembering who he was talking to. “I mean, it was scary when it happened but it turned out relatively OK in the end.”

Cat said nothing, just fixed him with an unwavering gaze and raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“I’m not sure I believe you,” she commented. “Based on what you and Penny told me at the time and the stuff Parker said on the way over here, it sounds like Gordon could have died and you’re just brushing it off. It’s not like you.”

“I know,” Scott slumped where he sat, running a hand through his hair and finally letting the weight of what had happened over the last few weeks show. “I’m not really OK with any of it to be honest. We’ve just got so much to sort out if we’re going to rescue Dad that I just can’t take the time to process it right now.”

“I totally understand that. If you ever want to talk to someone about it though, I’m your girl,” Cat met his eyes and smiled, shocked but unsurprised at the swirling mix of emotions that she could see in them. “Any time. I have zero experience of anything like what you’re doing, and I can’t really imagine what any of it must be like but I’m good at listening, remember?”

“I remember,” Scott said softly, holding her gaze and smiling. “You were always the one I went to when we were together and it would be nice to have that part back. I’ve got Selene to talk to now but it’ll be good to have someone who’s not on the island to get a bit of perspective from. Thank you.”

“Any time. I’m always here,” Cat smiled back at him, glad to see the emotions in his eyes calming as he straightened up again and regained his usual composure.

Cat knew how privileged she was to have been allowed to witness him looking anything other than in complete control. Weakness was not something that Scott Tracy showed willingly or easily and the fact that he was still prepared to show it in front of her even after their argument made her heart swell a little. Despite her fears, it seemed that she hadn’t ruined their relationship irreparably.

“Right, I think I’ve been hogging you for long enough. Time to introduce you to everyone,” Scott broke the moment, standing up and offering his hand, feeling the pleasant tingle spread through him as her skin touched his.

“Sounds good to me,” Cat grinned as they set out down the path towards the villa. “I’m glad we’ve had this chance to catch up though. After how we left things last time, I wanted to be able to speak to you properly before we were in the midst of everyone.” “Yeah, I think it was a good idea too. I’m just glad you still wanted to come really - I was afraid you’d say no after what I said.”

“If I’m honest, I did have to think about it,” Cat admitted, hating the way Scott stopped walking and seemed to sag slightly at her statement.

Whichever way he looked at it, Scott was devastated to realise that his actions really could have cost him this week. He’d accepted that there was a likelihood of it as the weeks had passed without any contact from her but once they were on better terms and he’d felt it was the right time to make the offer again, those fears had largely been allayed. To discover that they could have come true was a blow he wasn’t expecting.

“Not because I didn't want to,” she continued quickly, desperate for him to understand and hopefully feel better. “Please don’t think that. I just didn’t want to risk hurting you so I wasn’t sure how sensible it was to start with. I’m really glad I did come, though, I think we’re going to be just fine.”

“Me too,” Scott smiled, reassured by her words and relieved that her reasoning didn’t appear to include that she felt uncomfortable because of his admission. “Before we get back to the house though, I need to tell you something.”

“Anything,” Cat assured him, wondering where on earth this might be going, given their previous conversation.

“Right, listen carefully because this is the most important piece of advice I’m going to give you this week.”

“OK… I’m all ears.” Cat’s interest was well and truly piqued by the cryptic manner in which Scott was speaking.

“Never, and I mean never eat Grandma’s cooking, OK? It could easily be described as biological warfare and it’s most definitely not fit for human consumption,” he explained earnestly, holding her eyes and willing her to understand, not wanting her to be a victim of food poisoning on her holiday.

“I understand,” Cat laughed, both relieved and disappointed that it wasn’t a revelation about something more personal. “If she offers something I’ll decline politely and find a snack later.”

“Good call. Shall we do this thing then?” Comfortable that she understood his warning and would take it seriously, Scott offered his arm and the pair continued down towards the house and dinner.

*****

“Here we are, fresh from the takeaway,” Virgil announced, trooping into the kitchen with a box full of delicious smelling food in his arms, Alan trailing behind him similarly laden.

“We thought we’d get something in seeing as it’s your first night here,” Scott explained with a smile, jumping into action and helping to unpack the containers of food onto the centre island in the kitchen, ready to be served and distributed onto the table.

“Sounds lovely. What’re we having?” Cat grinned, relieved to have been spared Grandma’s home cooking for at least one night of her stay.

“Indian. Scott gave us your order, I hope that’s OK?” Virgil checked, suddenly conscious that perhaps they should have waited to ask her directly and hoping that she wouldn’t be offended by Scott assuming that he knew what she’d want.

“Not a problem,” Cat smiled at him. “Scott knows I eat pretty much anything anyway, so he had a pretty easy task so I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

As Virgil turned back to help with the preparation, Cat felt a little lost in the midst of the family setting up for dinner, chatting and joking together. It was a world away from her quiet flat where most nights it was just her cooking and eating alone after rehearsals and she was a little unsure as to what she should be doing. Her instinct was to help, but not knowing where anything was meant that she worried she would be more of a hindrance. Equally, just sitting down and waiting at the table seemed rude and she didn’t want to give the impression that she was lazy or expecting to be waited on.

Just as her overthinking was starting to get the better of her, Gordon came hobbling into the kitchen, taking his seat and motioning for her to come and sit with him while the others got everything ready.

Cat gratefully accepted his offer and the pair chatted amicably until everyone else was at the table too. Scott took the seat on the other side of her, making her feel a lot more comfortable being sandwiched between the person who had invited her and the only other one she had spent any time with before.

“So, tell us about yourself, dear,” Grandma Tracy opened, as soon as the food was served and relative calm had descended upon the table. “Scott's told us nothing so I’m afraid we don’t really know anything about you.”

Scott’s heart sank, realising that it was his desire for privacy that had led to Cat’s questioning. He could almost feel the fear coming off her as he turned to give her a smile and a nod of reassurance, hoping that would be enough for her to forgive him for inadvertently putting her on the spot.

Catching his eyes, Cat was surprised to see that Scott looked worried. She couldn’t even begin to think what might be the cause, but she appreciated the smile anyway and returned it gratefully.  Being in the presence of arguably the most impressive family in the world had made her feel rather small and insignificant and she found she was almost embarrassed to talk about herself in their presence.

“There’s not much to tell really, Mrs Tracy,” she stammered, suddenly forgetting everything she’d ever done now that she had been put on the spot. “I come from Kent originally, I stay in London now and I dance with the Royal Ballet. That’s about it really.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Gordon interjected, beating Scott to it and earning a grateful look from his older brother. “You don’t just dance with the Royal Ballet, you’re like their superstar ballerina.”

“I wouldn’t go quite that far,” she deflected, a flush appearing at the bottom of her neck and radiating upwards as she felt everyone staring at her. “I dance the main roles but I’m not a superstar or anything.”

“So, if you’re a ballerina does that mean you can dance on your toes?” interjected Alan.

“It sure does,” she smiled at the youngest, grateful to have a question that was more about her profession than herself, knowing that she could easily talk about that all day.

“That’s so cool. Doesn’t it hurt though?” he pressed, following the same line of logic that thousands before him had used, including his biggest brother when they had first met.

Looking around the table at all the faces eagerly awaiting the answer made Cat realize that, for all their amazing talents and abilities, they were still exactly the same as everyone else, making them seem more human and approachable somehow.

“Yep, it sure does,” she laughed, finally feeling at ease and wondering why she had been so in awe of them all just moments before.

“Did you say you live in London?” Selene asked, realising that the evening could now easily turn into a question and answer session about ballet and end with them still not knowing anything about Cat.

“Yeah, I’ve got a flat in Highbury, not that I’m there much. I spend most of my time working,” Cat replied, to laughter from around the table.

“I think we all know that feeling,” chuckled Virgil, before motioning to Selene to continue as he reached across the table for another poppadum.

“Aww, I’m in Camden. We should get together sometime and go out.”

“Yeah, that would be fun,” Cat grinned, warming to Selene instantly and happy to feel included so quickly. “We’ll get something sorted once I’m home and I know what my schedule is like.”

“Fun though that sounds,” John cut in, shooting Scott a look that was equal parts scared and impressed at the speed at which the girls had seemingly made friends, “maybe Cat could enlighten us on how she met our esteemed older brother, seeing as he’s been keeping very quiet about it?”

“It’s not a very exciting story I’m afraid,” she started, directing a glare at Gordon, daring him to contradict what she was about to say as he snorted in mirth beside her. “We met in a bar about 10 years ago, dated for a year after that and then split up when Scott was deployed and I moved to London.”

“We didn’t see each other again 'til Penny invited us both to the same function a couple of months ago and we’ve become good friends since then,” Scott continued, doing what he could to take the heat off his guest. “Seeing as Cat’s not got rehearsals for a few weeks I thought she might like to come and get some sun for a week so here she is,” he finished with a smile at Cat that, once again, made her heart flutter dangerously.

“Well, we’re all very glad to have you and I’m sure Scott here will make sure you have a lovely week.” Virgil grinned. Cat smiled, looking round the table at the friendly faces, before fixing her gaze on Scott, sending his heart rate into orbit. “Yes, I think he will.”

All Scott could do was grin back. Nothing else existed in that moment apart from the woman beside him. He heard his grandma speaking and wrenched his attention back to the conversation, just in time to feel his blood run cold.

“And what about your family, dear? They must be very proud of you,” Grandma asked, blissfully unaware of Cat’s history.

“I don’t know how they feel to be honest,” Cat shrugged, trying to be very matter of fact and keeping a braver face on it than she felt. “I’ve not seen my dad since he walked out on us when I was 5, and I’ve not spoken to my mum in nearly 6 years after she proved, yet again, that I’m at the bottom of her list of priorities unless she wants something.

“It’s OK though,” she added, looking around the table to see the usual sympathetic expressions that formed on the faces of anyone present whenever she talked about her family and relieved to feel a squeeze of support on her arm from Scott beside her. “I’ve got good friends, that’s all I really need.”

As she spoke, she turned to give Scott a dazzling smile that both melted his heart and made him feel 100 times worse than he already did about not warning everyone that family was a touchy subject for her. He had to admit that he was impressed at the way she’d handled it; she never shied away from giving an honest answer to a direct question and the fact that she could be simultaneously so vulnerable and so strong was a huge part of his attraction to her, whether she knew it or not.

Realising that his hand was still on her arm, he hastily removed it, hoping that it hadn’t attracted too much attention from his brothers. It felt like he had been sitting there for an eternity, lost in her smile but in reality, he had to concede that it was likely to have been less than 30 seconds when she turned away at the sound of another voice beside her.

“Right, I think we’ve maybe asked enough questions for now. Poor Cat hasn’t had a chance to eat yet and I’m guessing she might want to,” suggested Gordon, earning himself grateful smiles from both Cat and Scott for taking the focus away from the ballerina. “Does anyone want to share this last naan with me?”

With the rest of the table’s attention diverted by the task of dividing up the remaining food, Cat flopped back in her chair and stifled a yawn, suddenly realising just how tired she was, very grateful not to be the centre of attention any more.

“How’re you doing? You OK?” Scott whispered, leaning into her to afford them as much privacy as he could in case she wanted to make her escape, enjoying the fleeting scent of her hair as she flicked it out of the way over her shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she assured him, feeling the butterflies in her stomach awaken at his closeness and once again wondering if she was really supposed to feel like this for someone who was just a friend. “It’s just been a long day, that's all. It’s coming up for morning London time and I’ve been awake all night.”

“Oh God, so you have,” Scott exclaimed, pulling away suddenly as he berated himself for his thoughtlessness. “I’m so sorry, I should’ve realised. I knew Parker would take a rest before he headed back but because you’re staying I didn’t even think about you.”

“It’s fine, really,” she tried to reassure him. “I’m used to crossing time zones to perform. Usually it’s an overnight flight, a couple of hours sleep then straight into rehearsals so this is already a million times better. I think I will go to bed after dinner though.”

“Of course. If you want to bail then just say the word and I’ll get you out of here.”

“Like my knight in shining armour,” she joked, leaning back in toward him so as not to be overheard. “Let me finish and then I might take you up on that.”

“Your wish is my command,” Scott murmured, as he closed the gap between them further, their foreheads almost touching as his eyes betrayed more than he would ever admit aloud.

Cat smiled her agreement, holding his gaze for just a second before looking away and going back to her dinner, her heart racing. Any doubts that she had about his continued feelings for her had evaporated in that moment; all she needed to work out now was whether she felt the same and, if she did, whether he was worth the risk of a second chance.

[stphns3311]

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8 EASY STEPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL ABOVE GROUND POOL OPENING

Temps are on the rise, which means it is TIME FOR YOUR POOL OPENING!

The indicator that summer is right around the corner  (other than all those end of year school activities) is getting your above ground pool opened up and ready to go...  Some people dread this process, but we are here to help!  We have outlined 8 steps to getting your pool opened up.  While there may be a bit of 'fine-tuning' needed for your chemicals to be perfectly in balance, these steps should get you 90 - 95% of the way!

REMOVE YOUR POOL COVER:  Clean off the pool cover of leaves or debris (a leaf blower works pretty good here as long as things are dry), remove the cover from the pool, allow the cover to dry and then fold up and store for your pool closing.

RE-INSTALL POOL EQUIPMENT: Re-install your pump if you brought it in for the winter.  Hook up all of your pump and filter hoses that were disconnected at closing.  Put the drain cap back on the filter and the drain plug back into the pump.  Turn your multi-port valve to 'Backwash' setting.

FILL YOUR POOL: Fill the pool back up to the correct water level as indicated on your skimmer plate.  Once filled, unplug the skimmer and return jets and backwash and rinse the sand filter.

VACUUM DEBRIS: Vacuum any debris from the bottom of the pool.  Backwash and rinse your filter - you may need to add water to your pool at this point depending on how long your filter needs to be backwashed.

BALANCE PH AND TOTAL ALKALINITY: Add 2 ounces of Pure 'N Blue Fresh per 1,000 gallons of pool water.  Run your pump for 24 hours with your filter on the 'Filter' setting and then test your pool water.  Balance your pH and Alkalinity.  You may need pH Reducer, Alkalinity Increaser or Muriatic Acid to get your water to acceptable readings of 7.2 - 7.6 and 60 - 120 respectively.

ADD 'HELPER' CHEMICALS: Once your pH and Alkalinity are balanced, add up to one bottle of Natural Chemistry Pool Magic Spring & Fall and up to 1 bottle of Natural Chemistry Scale Free (amount added depends on the size of your pool and gallons of water).  Add these chemicals in the morning and allow your pump to run all day on the 'Filter' setting.  **If you are a chlorine based pool, you will add Combat 60 in lieu of Scale Free.

Official Website: Chemicals For Swimming Pools,OK

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