#alternatively he could cover twice your size no specific reason

[electricdreamachine]

i need miles to cover hallucinate by dua lipa, like i know declan mckenna has already done it, but “i’m gonna love you like a fool and breathe you in ‘til i hallucinate” just feels like a miles thing to sing, and i want it and i need it

[luminnara]

The Dismemberment Song | BOP Victor Zsasz x Reader | 18+

Fandom: Birds of Prey

Words: 3,791

Summary: Zsasz takes a liking to one of the burlesque dancers at Roman’s club.

PART ONE | PART TWO |

WARNINGS: graphic blood/gore/violence, reader may or may not torture and murder a guy, alcohol, all that good Gotham stuff, reader is kinda fucked up

Seriously, don’t read this if you don’t like blood

Based on The Dismemberment Song by Blue Kid! 

This is written as a kinda vague fem!reader, but if there’s interest I can always write alternate versions for different genders, more specific body/personality types, or whatever else might tickle your fancy! Just hit up my ask box!

Requests are open!! Pls, I really wanna write more Zsasz or Zsaszmask x reader, gimme ideas!

The Black Mask was a club that boasted only the best of the best. Top shelf booze, luxurious furnishings, and entertainers that Gotham’s other club owners wished they could get their hands on all came together to form the East End’s trendiest spot. You were lucky enough to be one of those very entertainers, and you had been performing onstage at Roman’s club ever since one of his goons saw you dancing at another spot across town. Roman Sionis had bought you easily, promising a good nightly wage and all the free drinks you could stomach, and a few years later, you were still enjoying the nice gig at the Black Mask. 

Most nights were the same; you showed up around seven, hung around in the dressing room with the others while you all got ready, and enjoyed a drink or two before your first number. You were always in the chorus, not that you really minded--Roman paid you more than enough to keep you happy, even though you knew the stars got more. Girls who did solo numbers, especially if they could sing, those were Mr. Sionis’s favorites. You never really expected to achieve that kind of status, not when people like Dinah Lance were around and holding his attention, so when Roman pulled you aside one night to tell you that he wanted to give you the chance to do your own routine, you nearly dropped your drink. 

“Full creative control,” he said, a hand resting at the small of your back as you gaped at him. 

“I--what?” you managed to choke out. “I-I mean, thank you, Mr. Sionis, really--”

“Please,” he chuckled. “Call me Roman.”

“Thank you, Roman,” you smiled, swallowing down your fear. “I won’t disappoint you, I swear.” 

“I know you won’t, doll.” he motioned for someone to bring him a drink. “Full creative control, like I said. I want to see what’s swirling around in that pretty mind of yours. Put some heart into it for me, k doll?”

You nodded. “You got it, boss.”

He grinned, hugging you to his side and pressing a kiss against your temple like he did with all the girls he liked. “Looking forward to it, beautiful.”

He let you go, turning to leave, and Zsasz slunk after him, but not before casting you an almost annoyed look. 

“Don’t disappoint,” he teased, whistling low before he followed his boss. 

You gulped. You were sure he wouldn’t mind peeling your face off, but you rather preferred staying alive.

“I won’t!” you called after him bravely. 

He glanced at you over his shoulder, his eyes practically boring into you as if were sizing you up. He thought you were just some prissy little girl, didn’t he? Just like Roman, just like everybody else. But you would show them. They wanted to see what kind of shit really ate at your brain? Oh, you’d give them a nice little glimpse.

And so, only a couple shorts weeks later, here you were, getting ready in the dressing room like usual, only you were far more nervous than you had been for any other shift. You had busted your ass getting everything ready, even taking a few nights off to work twice as hard on what you hoped would be a good debut. You had given the band their sheet music, you had learned your lyrics inside and out (because you were absolutely determined to go that extra mile for Roman Sionis and show him that not only could you prance around onstage, but you could sing, too), and you had spent hours upon hours hand-decorating an old corset and lingerie set you had sitting around. Roman wanted this to come from the heart, he wanted a passion project, and you were gonna give it to him. 

You just had to pray that he was in the right mood to enjoy it.

“Think you’re good to go, my love,” the house mom said as she finished with your hair. 

You stared at yourself in the mirror. So far, so good...your hair was in big barrel curls, still warm to the touch as your house mom gave it a couple more passes with the hairspray for good measure. 

“You sure I don’t need--”

“You’re gonna knock ‘em dead,” she interrupted, retreating to her usual chair. 

You kept staring at your reflection. “Do you think it’s too much? I mean...”

She laughed loudly. “Hon, this is Gotham. There’s no such thing as too much.”

Glancing down at your outfit, you weren’t so sure. “But...”

“But nothing. Now go on, go show Roman why he stays in business.”

You stood on shaky legs, nodding to her as you made your way towards the door. “R-right.”

“Break a leg,” she called after you. 

All you could do was nod. You knew what you were doing. You had practiced for hours every day to get ready for this. With a deep breath, you made your way down the hall leading to stage, shaking your hands out as you stood in the wings. You could do this. You were ready.

As soon as your stage name was announced, you stepped out, ruby encrusted heels clicking against the wooden floorboards. The lights were harsh, the crowd quiet as you came out to face them. The stage was set for you, a few props already waiting for you as you stood there, ready for the music to start.

Then, the band began playing, and you sprang into action.

“Hold still, my sweet. I’m tryin to measure the space between your molar and your jaw...” You sang, lunging forward to grab the medical-grade calipers sitting in a metal bucket for you. You trailed them down over your victim’s jaw, smiling as you did so. “...This caliper, no cause for fear. No it...it doesn’t hurt, it only helps me measure how much skin you have...”

Across the club, Zsasz looked up. He was standing near Roman, his boss sitting in a booth while he chatted with some business associates. He was far more interested in you than their conversation, his dark eyes tracking you as you moved across the stage. He was absolutely enthralled by your outfit, your tightly-laced corset covered in blood red rhinestones that glimmered under the stage lights, your matching bra and thong shining just as brightly. You looked like you were covered in blood, the gems catching his eye in a way he hadn’t expected. 

“--and the topmost layer of fat, but I won’t make an incision till you’re nice and numb...” There was an operating table on the stage, where one of Roman’s lowest-ranking goons was tied down. If Zsasz remembered correctly, this guy had fucked up pretty monumentally recently, so seeing him strapped down and struggling brought a grin to his face.

You ran over to the man, the crowd laughing as you leaned across him. “...Oh, and laughing gas can be so much fun, please don’t doubt my decision...”

The scene you had set was both comedic and sexual. In all honesty, Zsasz hadn’t expected you to do anything like this; you were a chorus girl, someone he had thought would go for something overdone and classic. Maybe some old school stupid, annoying, Singin In The Rain type shit, yet there you were, dressed in an outfit that was obviously meant to emulate dripping blood while you flitted around a man on a gurney. 

Zsasz couldn’t look away. 

“This’ll be ooh, this’ll be ahh, this’ll be absolutely whee!” you squealed, teasingly pressing your sawblade to the goon’s torso. “This’ll be nice, this’ll be neat and bring you closer to me...”

You grabbed the goon as he struggled against his restraints, holding him down. Zsasz was sure the man was in on your little number, and he thought it was cute; you were pretending to be some sort of killer, maybe trying to appeal to Roman’s face peely urges. Maybe you were trying to make the boss happy by scaring his lackey like this.

“So don’t you squirm, don't you fret, I'm not gonna hurt you...yet.” You grinned, leaning down before you shoved the man’s face to the side, letting him go as you ran back across the stage. “I just feel the need to be gettin’ a little of you, a lot of blood lettin’, I know the sensation you’re probably dreading...”

You pranced back to the gurney, moving with that little extra theatrical oomph that made everyone think you were just playing. You smiled as they clapped and laughed loudly. They would figure it out soon enough. 

“Cutting you up will be so refreshing for me...” you cooed, discarding the calipers in favor of a scalpel. You traced it down the goon’s bare chest, a little line of blood following the blade as it pierced his flesh. 

He let out a scream, just as you hoped he would, and you gave his little table a shove, sending it wheeling a short distance away. 

“Now don’t you cry,” You sang, “And don’t call Miriam, she’s my alibi...oh let me check your toes out!” You picked up a set of pliers, taking hold of his big toe. “Aren’t your toenails cute?” you grabbed one and pulled, the goon screaming as you removed the nail, leaving a bloody pulp behind. “...and red is such a lovely color on you!” you leaned down in his face, grabbing the opposite foot’s big toenail and yanking. “...But you won’t be needing those!”

Roman began clapping, giving a loud “Whoo!”  as he watched you. He had no idea that when you had asked him for the name of his least favorite henchman, this would be the reason. Now, watching the man suffer onstage in front of everyone while you were dancing around him in six inch heels and a scandalously skimpy outfit, Sionis was more than entertained. He was impressed, absolutely astounding by the cruelty his little burlesque dancer held inside of her. He couldn’t have hoped for more. 

“When you’ve got no knees!” you sang, dropping your weapons in favorite of a crowbar. “...Or shins, or pinky fingers, or arteries....”

You brought your weapon down on each of the man’s legs, somehow still managing to poise yourself perfectly as you did so. You gave him a few good whacks, then dropped the bar, leaning down to pick a knife up out of the bucket and run it over his hands teasingly. 

“...so hold still while I remove them!” you trilled. 

The man tried to sit up, struggling against his restraints, but you shoved him back down with a sweet smile. 

“...Oh, and don’t fight back,” you sang, hopping up to sit next to him. “I think you’ll find you’re missing the point, with that.”

Meanwhile, Victor Zsasz was grinning, showing off his gold teeth while he watched you. He kept a close eye on your hips as they swayed, his trained eyes following your ass as it moved across the stage. Were you really carving a man up right then and there? He wanted it to be true. He wanted to smell the overwhelming tang of blood as you plunged a knife into your victim. But he was too far away, and so he had to settle for watching instead. 

Your victim tried to scream, and you shoved his head to the side playfully. 

“That’s enough outta you!” you sang, holding his jaw tightly.

As you repeated your chorus, your knife returned to the man’s flesh and he grunted in pain, pleading to an audience that didn’t care about him. The Black Mask was a fucked up place for fucked up people, no matter how trendy it was, and nobody in the audience was going to protest when someone was torn apart onstage. Besides, Roman Sionis was far too powerful for the GCPD to go after, and as you heard him laughing loudly in the audience, you had a pretty good feeling that he wasn’t going to send anyone after you for carving somebody up in a way that only you could.

You kept going, peeling your underbust corset off with the same grace and dexterity that Zsasz peeled faces with. As you stood in only your bra, thong, garters and stockings, you felt exhilarated, powerful, as if you had been born to cur people up in front of an audience. 

It’s not like this was your first time chopping a body up, anyways; there was a reason you had to move to Gotham and get a new gig, after all.

Zsasz watched you. In fact, his eyes were glued to you, even when Roman walked away to chat with a few mob bosses in a nearby booth. Were you seriously killing this man right in front of everyone? Victor didn’t necessarily care for all the theatrics, but he could appreciate how seriously you took you took your craft, and he had to admit, he was surprised that this was what you had come up with when Roman told you to give him something good.

“‘Cause I’m all out of hurt, you’ve used up all I’ve got,” you taunted, sneering down at your victim as you brought your saw down on his leg. “So I’m chopping you up and still coming up squat! If I want it to bleed, I’ll just roll up my sleeve and saw and saw and saw...”

The blade cut back and forth, and Zsasz’s eyes followed it. Blood was spurting up, drenching your arms as if you were wearing red opera gloves. 

“And saw, and saw, and saw, and saw....”

“Zsasz, can you believe this?” Roman asked, leaning towards him.

“No, boss,” Zsasz said with a little grin, shaking his head. 

“She’s good. We may have to give her a new job...”

You paused, giving your victim a break as you tossed the saw back into the bucket, drops of blood spattering across the stage as you pulled out a large butcher knife. Before it could touch Roman’s henchman, you used it to flick open the clasp on your bra, tossing the thin little piece of lingerie out into the crowd. You didn’t really care where it went; you were too busy enjoying yourself. 

“This’ll be ooh, this’ll be ahh, this’ll be absolutely whee,” you purred, trailing the blade down the side of the man’s face. “This’ll be nice, this’ll be neat and bring you closer to me...”

“So don’t you squirm, don’t you fret, I’m not gonna hurt you, oh no, no, no, not...yet.” you plunged your blade into his chest, between two of his ribs, not close enough to knick his heart but definitely deep enough to cause him immense pain despite all the adrenaline that was sure to be running through his system now.

You pulled the knife back out, blood dripping off the metal blade as you held it tightly and pranced back across the stage. “I just feel the need to be gettin’ a little of you, a lot of bloodletting, I know the sensation you’re probably dreading but there’s one thing you’re forgetting...”

Turning back to him, you brought the blade to his throat, and in the crowd, Zsasz’s eyes lit up. He was delighted. He was enthralled. His pants were getting a little tight, but whatever. The rest of the audience was gazing up at you with wonder, disgust, amusement...but Zsasz was absolutely admiring the way you so confidently played with your victim. The theatrics were starting to grow on him, he decided, and he wanted nothing more than to go right up there and lick all that blood off your face.

“There’s nothing like the thrill of a shredding,” you sang, almost snarling, “but this is no orthodox beheading...”

You destroyed the man on the gurney, carving through him, drenching yourself in blood in an almost comical way. 

“Cutting you up,” you sang as you made an absolute mess. “Cutting you up...”

“Cutting you up is gonna be....” you finally stepped back, catching your breath as the song slowed. “...so refreshing for me.”

As your routine finished, you took a little bow, still holding the knife as you crossed your ankles and bent at the waist in a delightfully fancy gesture. The man on the gurney was very much dead, blood dripping down onto the stage, and the audience was still eating up every second of it. You could hear Roman cheering, and as you spotted him standing there amidst the crowd with Zsasz at his side, you blew them both a little kiss. 

“How about that?” you heard Roman’s voice boom above the clapping as you strode offstage. “I would call for an encore, but unfortunately, I think we’d need a new victim....”

Your head was still abuzz with the rush of killing, and you walked back to the dressing room in a daze. You were vaguely aware of Dinah Lance wrinkling her nose as you passed her, but you didn’t pay her any mind. Absolutely nothing could kill your good mood now. 

“Well?” the house mom asked as you made your way to your mirror. “Sounds like it went well, judging by those cheers...”

You smiled and hummed to yourself, nodding as you reached for something to clean your face with. You were going to need an entire shower to get all this blood off yourself. 

“Told you.” the house mom snorted a laugh. 

“He loved it,” you grinned. 

She shook her head in amusement. “You are one fucked up girl, I’ll tell you that much.”

“That’s showbiz, baby,” you joked, raising a towel to start working at wiping your face. 

“Oh, pussycat?” a singsong voice made you freeze. 

You could see Zsasz in the mirror. 

He was leaning in the doorway, smirking as he watched you. “Boss wants to talk.”

You paled. Had you fucked up after all? Did Roman get his shits and giggles and now planned on having Zsasz peel your face off? Sionis was infamous for his fickle moods. You’d watched him have plenty of people dragged off into back rooms just for speaking at the wrong time, and you had just done way worse than interrupt him. 

 You gawked at Zsasz, still staring at his reflection. What were you supposed to do? Run? He was blocking the only door, and there was no way you’d be able to get past him. You had no choice but to follow him to Roman. 

“O-Okay,” you managed to stammer out, finally turning towards him. “Lead the way.”

“Might want this.” he held up the bra you had tossed, twirling the strap around his finger while he gave you a smile that showed off his gold teeth.

“Give me that!” you snapped, rushing towards him.

“Ah.” he held it above his head, leering down at you. “Think I like this view more...”

“Zsasz!” you protested, scrambling against his chest and practically trying to claw your way up him to get your lingerie. 

He froze. He finally smelled the metallic tang of all that blood covering you, and coupled with the feeling of your tits against his chest...oh, he was so fucked. 

When he dropped the bra, you grabbed it from him, tossing it back to your mirror and moving to pick up a silky red robe off a nearby hook. You shrugged it on, tying it shut while Zsasz cleared his throat and offered you his arm. 

“Such a gentleman,” you sneered, taking it anyways. 

“When I want to be.” his voice was low and rough, as if his vocal chords were scraping against each other with every syllable. 

You looked up at him, a bit dumbfounded, as he led you out into the club once more. The band was playing as a few people cleaned up the carnage you had left behind, the bar’s patrons all chatting and drinking again. It was as if nothing had even happened and they hadn’t just watched a man be torn apart onstage a few minutes prior. 

Zsasz took you to Roman, the crowd parting before the two of you easily. Sionis was sitting in his favorite booth, sipping his drink and laughing, still seeming to be in a very good mood.

“Ah, there she is!” He said when he saw you, standing up and spreading his arms.

“You wanted to see me, sir?” You asked nervously as Zsasz let you go.

“Yes, yes, I had Mr. Zsasz grab you so that I could congratulate you on a thrilling performance.”

You stared at him. “You liked it?”

“Liked it? I loved it, darling! A bit messy for my tastes, but a lovely show, truly, though I suspect our dear Mr. Zsasz here wishes he could have been the one to take care of your victim. Isn’t that right, Zsasz?”

You glanced up at Zsasz. He grunted, not necessarily in agreement. He didn’t hate watching your performance by any means, and as much as he enjoyed helping little birds fly away from the world, he rather enjoyed watching you do it, too. 

“I’m glad, Mr. Sionis,” you said. 

“I told you, call me Roman.” he took a sip of his drink. “You know, normally, I don’t enjoy it when someone kills the people that belong to me, but I must admit, you certainly have a way with a knife.”

“I would have asked your permission, but I didn’t want to ruin the surprise.” you gulped. 

“And what a lovely surprise it was!” Roman laughed loudly. “You’re very talented...in fact, how’d you like a promotion? Yes? Perfect, perfect! No, no, don’t shake my hand, you’re...well, you’re covered in blood. Quite frankly, it’s disgusting.” He snapped his fingers. “Mr. Zsasz, take her up to the penthouse so she can clean up, I don’t want all this blood getting on the new carpeting in here.”

“Oh, Mr. Sio--Roman,” you cleared your throat, “I can use the shower in the dressing room, really, it’s no trouble--”

“Nonsense, nonsense.” he waved you away. “You’re part of the team now, aren’t you? Besides, a job well done deserves some sort of reward. Zsasz will show you upstairs. Don’t worry, he’s completely harmless.”

As Zsasz put a hand on your lower back, you had your doubts. Harmless wasn’t really a word you would choose to describe Roman’s right hand man. 

“Come on, princess.” Zsasz purred, guiding you through the crowd before you had much of a chance to protest. 

He took you to the elevator in the corner, the bouncer standing guard in front of it stepping aside with a nod. The man hit the up button, and soon, you were pressed up against Zsasz in the small space, on your way up to Roman’s spacious penthouse. 

[imalifegen89]

A Legacy Left Behind - Chapter - 5 - The Gemmond Incident

Rating: Mature

Category: M/M

Fandoms: Stargate Atlantis, Hawaii Five-0 (2010), Stargate SG-1

Relationship: Steve McGarrett/John Sheppard

Characters: John Sheppard, Steve McGarrett, Danny "Danno" Williams, PO Higgins (OC), Kono Kalakaua, Adam Noshimuri, Alicia Vega, Laura Cadman, Bates (Stargate), Original Stargate Wraith Character(s), Original Characters, George Hammond, Jack O'Neill, Catherine Rollins, Evan Lorne

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Swearing, Character Bashing, Not Catherine Rollins Friendly, Violence, BAMF John Sheppard, BAMF Team, No DADT

Summary: Team SG-11 goes on their first off-world mission. It's supposed to be a 'walk in the park,' easing them into the hectic life at the Stargate Command. But things have a way of going off the rails when this particular team is involved. One way or another, they'll prove that they've got what it takes to fulfill their mission.

-o0o-

The first official mission of SG-11, yay!

As always, Salchat, you are the best!!! Thank you so much for all your hard work. I'm improving but I'm still a lot of work for my Beta.

If there are any mistakes, they'd be my own.

Part - 1

Officers Quarters, Pearl Harbor-Hickam Base - Hawaii

The Naval Intelligence Command Analyst, Lieutenant Catharine Rollins, was tired. The 18 hour or so trips from Hawaii to Libya and back were taking a heavy toll and all she wanted to do was go to her quarters, take a long, hot bath, and collapse on her bed for a long, uninterrupted sleep until the next day. Both she and Harrington had been dismissed by Commander Joe White with orders to take the rest of the day off and report for duty the next day when they had returned to the base. Harrington had invited her to go out but she had declined politely, citing jet lag and the need to rest. In her mind, she had been cursing at the damn idiot to stop trying to get attached to her like a freaking limpet and just leave her the hell alone.

She sighed in relief as she finally reached her quarters without having been called away for something or other, despite her being off duty. That had happened a couple of times before and that was part and parcel of her glamorous career as an Intelligence Analyst. She entered her quarters, threw her traveling bag to a corner, and started taking off her sweaty and dusty uniform while fantasizing about a nice, hot, bubble bath. But being just a lowly analyst, she only had a cramped shower in her quarters. 'Ah well, at least it's not like I have to go for a communal shower.' She shuddered at the thought.

Her much-needed long shower turned out to be only fifteen minutes as the hot water got cut off. She sighed and got out, still quite travel weary. Then she found her most comfortable and baggy sweats, an old t-shirt that was a few sizes too big, put them on, and got under the blankets in her bed. She was hoping to catch a few hours of sleep before she had to go out for dinner.

Despite the physical exhaustion, her thoughts turned to the past few hours.

'Why is it that the handsome ones are always either taken or gay?' she asked herself rhetorically.

She had tried her damndest to flirt with the navy SEAL she'd had her eyes on for a while now. But the stupid asshole had been completely oblivious. She had been sure, when they were on their way, in that transport - his loud-mouthed friend had pointed it out clearly to the Commander. But the man had seemed utterly uninterested and even annoyed at his friend. Catharine had been reeling at that response, although she had kept up the pleasant conversation with the idiot, Harrington. Then she had seen the subtle drama between her SEAL and that rather unremarkable pilot. That had given her a clue as to the lack of interest from the guy. She knew she was a very pretty woman and was not quite used to her rather demonstrated feelings going unreciprocated in that manner.

'But he’s got to be bi, hasn't he? So there is still a chance. Claire was pretty sure when she told me that McGarrett used to go out with Anna from the Enterprise during the first year after he got his trident. Pff... I'm a much better catch than that woman, certainly much better than a damn pilot...a plain guy with dumb hair-do, at that...Argh. Besides, fighter pilots don't really have that long life expectancies now, do they? Oh, Steven, you could do so much better, really..' She let her thoughts wander about the latest individual that had caught her attention and his rather ungainly love interests.

She was dragged away from her musings by a certain ringtone on her phone that had only rung twice before. She sprang up in her bed as if she had been electrocuted.

'Shit, shit, shit! I should've anticipated this,' she berated herself, especially after what had happened and where she'd been.

She hurriedly got off the bed, found her personal laptop, and plugged in the special USB/Dongle she had been given about a month ago when she was recruited. She then switched it on, disconnected her internal internet connection to the base, and connected to a different server - a server with an IP address that bounced off several satellites and countries making it impossible to track the connection. She finished running the encryption she had been given along with the USB when a window opened on her screen, indicating an incoming call. She clicked the button to accept, with trepidation.

As usual, a black screen greeted her as the call connected. She had taken steps to protect herself as much as she could and had her camera already covered. She was reasonably sure that whoever was on the other side wouldn't see her either, but she couldn't guarantee it.

"Agent CR-17, this is Zero. We have questions for you," the disembodied and distorted voice coming through the connected call informed her. She grimaced at the 'handle' she'd been given. Then she took a deep breath to clear her mind and remember the details of the past 30 hours.

"Yes, please ask your questions," she replied when she was sure her voice was even and polite.

"You have participated in a certain meeting. Give us the particulars," the voice ordered.

'Well, that's easy enough,' she thought as she mentally listed the main points of the meeting. And then she launched into an account of the meeting that happened at the base between her, Harrington, SGC, and the SEALs, the gathering at the Wheelus Air Base in Libya, the points they discussed there, and the revelations that came to light about the alliance between the Wraith and the Goa'uld agents.

The voice was quiet for a long time before it answered. "Are you quite sure of this, Agent? They have seen our involvement at the Detention facility?"

"Yes, I am. I'd advise you to take precautions if you are going to conduct further operations in this manner. I'm certain they will be able to track your transporter movements. The scientists they have at the SGC seem very competent," she answered truthfully.

"Very well." said the voice, with grim finality.

"Now, this is your next task. Send the personal files of the members of the SEAL team who were involved in this meeting. We need to deal with this before things get out of hand - well - even more out of hand. Do you understand?" the voice asked with emphasis.

Rollins felt sweat running down her spine despite the shower she had just taken only a few minutes ago. Giving them verbal reports once or twice in a while was one thing, but sending highly classified personal files was something else entirely. But she knew that refusing was not an option, not if she wanted to keep her career or her life for that matter.

"Yes, I do." She answered the only way she could.

"Make sure we receive it all by the end of the month. You do not need to send them all at once. Take steps to cover your tracks. But make sure we have what we need by the deadline." The voice cut off abruptly, just the way it always did after it finished giving orders.

She stared at her now empty laptop screen for a few moments, trying to wrap her mind around the conversation she'd just had. Not for the first time, she regretted the circumstances that led her to accept this arrangement. Having a fat retirement fund to return to when she finally took her early retirement from the navy after putting the minimum years in, was a nice feeling. But she certainly couldn't enjoy it from a military prison or an early grave.

She shook her head and switched her laptop off. It was too late to do anything now. She had to concentrate on planning how to get around various security restrictions and get her hands on the files that were requested by her beneficiaries. She needed someone from the Human Resources Administration for this, didn't she? Then she felt a small smile creeping up on her lips - She knew exactly the person she could easily persuade into letting her take a glimpse of such things! Feeling quite satisfied and making further plans for her treasonous mission, she decided she was hungry enough and started to get dressed to go out in search of a proper dinner.

Stargate Command, Cheyenne Mountain - Colorado

Embarkation Room

(Four weeks later)

"I know you said renaissance age, but what does that mean, exactly?" Danny asked as he adjusted the strap of his MP7.

Everyone in SGC was issued FN P90 Personal Defense weapons. But the SEALs were partial to their own submachine guns and other weapons. The first thing they'd done when they began the training, was to raid the armory in the SGC to make sure they had those specific weapons and ammo they needed. The Master Sergeant in charge of the armory had gleefully sent out requests for the Navy to re-supply them with the standard weapons and kits for the Special Operators. The Navy had reluctantly given in, needing to keep up their standards.

"Like you just stepped into a Rome-Egypt hybrid planet in the 14th century," Bates replied with a grimace. He was not a fan of the planet. He had been on one of the Gate teams who had visited the planet before it was reformed by the SG-1. He hadn't been impressed.

"Hey, it's a nice enough planet,” Major Evan Lorne interjected. “Well, they were a bit uptight before, but then SG-1 sorted them out. They are good people now, took on refugees from Nasya and everything. It's safe enough for first-time planet hoppers. Besides, they are having their harvest celebrations this time of the year. Food, drinks, and merry people all around. And we have a standing invitation every year for the party," Lorne had visited the planet two years ago for his first 'travel through the Gate' experience and it had been a blast. He was very much looking forward to an encore.

"So, what do we do there?" This was from Higgins.

"Nothing much. We go and say 'hi' to the leaders, go to a party or two and come back home," answered Cadman. She had heard good stuff from Lorne and was looking forward to the experience as well. It would be nice for once, just to go to a planet and join a celebration, just enjoy the visit other than fighting or running for their lives, for a change.

"Nice," Higgins agreed.

The Stargate Command's newest addition - or the newly re-arranged SG-11, was waiting to go on their first extra-planetary mission. Four weeks had passed since Colonel Sumner initiated the first-ever SGC team combined with the SEALs and the CIA agents. They had all been heavily involved in training for all sorts of scenarios they could think of since then. Their days had been full of weapons, physical, tactics training, going through all available information about galaxy's bad guys, and then a couple of weeks spent in earth's Alpha site for field training. Sheppard and Lorne had had to beam down to Antarctica in between for projects at the Outpost and then visit Peterson Base a few times to keep up their flight qualifications. Altogether, those six weeks had been hectic and they were all looking forward to this outing. Listening to Lorne and everyone else who had already been to planet Gemmond painting a merry picture of their culture, had them all eager for the visit. The Wraith and the Goa'uld had been silent and hadn't made any noteworthy moves so far. They all knew that when they finally did, SG-11 needed to be ready to move. This trip to Gemmond for their harvesting celebrations was sort of a break before they had to go to war, so to speak.

"Dialing the gate now." Sergeant Harriman's voice could be heard over the speakers. He had started the dialing sequence for the planet designated P3X-422, aka Gemmond.

"Chevron One encoded,"

"Chevron Two encoded,"

"Chevron Three encoded,"

"Chevron Four... not encoded."

That was not the usual script during a dial-out. Sheppard exchanged a glance with Steve and turned back to look up at the dialing station. They were all waiting in front of the ramp while Harriman dialed. The day's duty officer-in-charge, an Air Force Colonel called Dixon, was standing behind the station where Harriman was sitting. He was also frowning at the diversion from the norm.

"What's happening, Sergeant?" They could all hear the Colonel asking Harriman over the speakers.

"Sir, the gate is not connecting. It's almost as if someone from that side is already dialing. You know, it's like, we're getting the 'line busy' tone," Sergeant Harriman guessed.

"That doesn't make sense. They know we're visiting them today. They usually like it when we visit," said Colonel Dixon, his frown deepening as he glared at the dialer. Then he looked over the see-through window to stare at the group waiting to go off-world. He grimaced as if SG-11 personally had something to do with the Gate refusing to connect.

Colonel Garry Dixon wasn't a big fan of the newly initiated team. His personal opinion was that the lot of them were too arrogant and cocky for their own good. And he hadn't really tried very hard to keep his opinions to himself. But SG-11 didn't let it bother them. They hardly needed validation from the opinionated Colonel. The man had only earned his stripes just by spending the required years in service without a single active combat tour under his belt. He had somehow landed his position as head of Public Relations for SGC, mostly thanks to his political connections.

"Well, dial again," said Dixon after a pause. The Sergeant did as ordered.

"Nope, still not connecting," Harriman said after the third failed attempt. The fourth Chevron refused to connect and the Stargate stubbornly stayed dormant.

"I don't like this. I don't like this at all. Something's not right," Bates muttered, shaking his head.

Sheppard stared at the Gate, thoughtfully. He could feel it in his mind. The Gate was trying to establish a connection with the input destination. He knew that Walter had guessed correctly; something was blocking the connection from the other side. Moreover, he could feel the Gate trying to force the connection, but not succeeding because something was lacking from SGC's side. It gave John an uneasy, itchy feeling in the back of his mind - like a puzzle piece that's been forced to fit into a place that it didn't quite belong. It gave him an idea.

"Sir, permission to take the Puddle Jumper on this visit?" Sheppard addressed the Colonel.

They had only just found this super-cool, little spacecraft back in Antarctica a week ago, and John had felt like he had been given a gift. He had been on the Chair running a diagnostic on weapons systems when the link had guided him towards one of the storage areas that was recently uncovered to show him the ship. He had finished the routine quickly and taken off towards his prize, with the mental connection in his mind laughing softly at his eagerness. He and Rodney had spent two days going through the ship top to bottom and declared it safe for flights. He had taken the newly named 'Puddle Jumper' (Rodney had insisted on calling it ‘Gateship,’ but John had exercised his veto power as the pilot and put a firm stop to that nonsense) on a few rides and returned with it back to the Mountain at O'Neill's orders. Jack O'Neill had promptly jumped in with Jackson, Carter, and Mitchell in tow, and taken it on a tour to space. He had returned after a few hours with all of them grinning like kids on Christmas, and then given his official stamp to put the Jumper on active service.

"What can you possibly do with the Jumper, Sheppard? We can't dial. The damned line is busy," said the Colonel, starting to lose his patience.

Sheppard mentally rolled his eyes. He knew that Dixon was quite skeptical when it came to believing in Sheppard's affinity for all things Ancient.

"I know that, Sir. But I also know that the Jumper's got a DHD in it, an Alteran designed. As advanced as our dialer is, it's still primitive compared to the real thing,” he replied. “And when there's the real thing, there's a chance that I could do something with it," he put on his most innocent expression and stared expectantly at the Colonel.

John could see Danny openly rolling his eyes and Steve trying hard to hide a snort. Bates was staring stoically ahead, staying away from the officer's spats. Agents Kalakaua and Noshimuri were staring at the Gate serenely, not letting this petty nonsense bother them. Cadman and Higgins were grinning ear to ear, watching the drama unfold. Lorne and Vega were doing the same as Cadman and Higgins, but they were carefully hiding their grins behind blank masks.

"So sure of yourself, Major?" asked Dixon, not bothering to hide his disdain.

It was obvious that he didn't believe for a second that Sheppard could do anything about the situation. The Ring was busy on the other side - there was not a damn thing they could do from this side until it closed, period.

"I don't see any harm in trying," Sheppard drawled with a shrug.

The Colonel looked for a moment like he wanted to refuse. Then he seemed to realize that it would be more fun to let John try and then berate him afterward when he inevitably failed.

"Fine then, knock yourself out. Just don't break the Stargate or the Jumper, Major." Dixon gestured grandly for them to get on with it.

...........

The team reached the next level where the Jumper was parked. The floor of the level had a trap door that could be remotely opened to let the jumper fly vertically down until it came face to face with the Stargate.

They all got themselves situated comfortably inside the craft. Sheppard took the pilot seat with Major Lorne as the co-pilot at his side. Lorne hadn't had the chance to take it out for a spin yet and Sheppard wanted him to familiarize himself with the controls during the flight. Steve and Danny took seats behind them in the cockpit. The rest of the team made themselves at home in the back where there was plenty of space for them and the equipment they carried.

"So, you think you can force a dial-in?" Lorne asked while he watched Sheppard going through the pre-flight.

"I don't know yet, Lorne. It's not like I've tried it before," said Sheppard with a crooked grin, not bothering to look up from what he was doing.

"Well, you sounded awfully sure back there," said Lorne.

"Let's just say, I have a feeling." Then he turned to look at Lorne and give him an impish grin. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

"Ah, Jesus! Please tell me it's not going to be like the time when we were doing that thing in Baghdad... Please! I'm begging you," Danny implored. His eyes had gone wide with what looked like genuine fear.

"Fucking hell, Danny, you had to bring that up," said Steve, trying to hide his fear behind annoyance.

"McGarrett, tell me that is not the case now - cos man, I'm gonna climb outta this tin-can right now." Higgins was already halfway up from his seat and looking furtively at the back door of the Jumper.

"Come on guys, relax. I'm pretty sure I know what I’m doing." Sheppard had finished checking on the flight controls in front of him and was now fiddling with the switches directly above him. He looked completely at ease, in direct contrast to the mounting fear in the atmosphere inside the craft.

"What happened in Baghdad?" Bates piped up from the cargo bay, stoic demeanor forgotten as his curiosity was piqued.

"Don't ask man. Just. Don't..." Higgins was shaking his head from where he was inspecting what looked like an electronic keypad with door controls.

"Oh come on, you can't just say things like that and expect us to let it go. Now you've got us all intrigued and shit," Vega cajoled.

"She's right brah, you gotta spill," Kono seconded. They were all getting increasingly curious as to what could possibly have these badass SEALs shaking in their metaphorical boots.

"Okay, people calm down. If we make it through this mission in one piece, I'll get drunk and tell you all about it - there’s no way in hell I'm going to talk about that shit while I'm sober," Danny promised the group, visibly collecting himself and.

"Stop exaggerating, Williams, it wasn't that bad. Got you all out of there, didn't I?" Sheppard defended himself with a full-blown, mischievous grin. Whatever he'd done, John was enjoying the memory, Lorne could tell.

"I was never the same again, man - none of us were - for a long time," Danny said petulantly. Steve nodded his agreement.

Sheppard finished off his flight checks with a chuckle and gently guided the Jumper above the opening on the floor. The technician outside opened the trap door, obeying Sheppard's signal. The little craft descended smoothly and came to a stop in front of the dormant Stargate, hovering just above the ramp.

..........

Sheppard dialed the address of the planet Gemmond on the Jumper's DHD. He could feel the connection failure even as he dialed due to the disturbance from the planet. He concentrated. He could feel the Jumper in his mind, wanting to co-operate eagerly.

'The Astria Porta is open on the other side. Is it imperative that we gain entrance to this specific planet, at this time?' John knew the inquiries that appeared in his mind were unmistakably Alteran, but he had no difficulty understanding what was being asked.

'Yes,' John thought confidently.

'Please enable the emergency override.' Another smaller, Ancient equivalent of a keypad appeared from the side of the DHD where John's palm was resting. He replaced his palm on the new sub-dialer, thinking 'Override.’

The new keyboard went back inside the DHD and John removed his hand to place it back on flight controls. The DHD started dialing the Gate address by itself and then dialed another sequence at the end. The Stargate in front of them came to life and the Chevrons started locking at double their usual speed. When the seventh and the final Chevron locked, the wormhole burst into life with a swoosh and stabilized with a splat. Then it waited patiently for the Jumper to fly through the gently rippling, blue surface.

The team chuckled, hooted, laughed, and whistled their praises.

John tapped his ear and activated the comms. "Sheppard to Control. Permission to visit Gemmond, Sir." He waited for the 'Go' order from the Colonel.

"Permission granted, Major." They all clearly heard the sour note in the Colonel’s voice, but they refrained from commenting, wanting to get going without any more delays on their first mission as a team.

[msbarrows]

Cataracts - What Surgery Is Like

As previously mentioned, I’d developed cataracts and am now going through surgery for them, and have elected to document a bit about what it’s all like from my viewpoint. Mostly because I think it’d make a nice reference for anyone wanting to write with some degree of accuracy about what it’s like from the inside.

This post contains a description of the surgical process involved and what that actually feels like, I’m trying not to be overly graphic but I’m also not elliding over any of the grosser bits (thankfully and surprisingly very little).

First off, a descriptiong of the preliminaries. This started for me with my vision going blurry over the last couple of years, and finally getting around to visiting my old optomitrist when I happened to be in Toronto over last Christmas (as my one up north just retired a couple years ago, and I hadn’t replaced her yet). Of the several potential causes for the vision loss I was experiecing, what I had turned out to be cataracts, of the variety that occurs at the back of the lens and therefor doesn’t cause easily-visible clouding. Which I actually said “Oh, thank god!” to when the optomitrist told me, since they are the absolute easiest thing to fix, while some of the other options (detached retina, or diabetes-related macular degradation, to name a couple) are much less so. Then he gave me a reference to an opthamologist. Thanks to COVID-19, it was this fall before I was finally able to actually get to the clinic and see her.

From my point of view, the process then went pretty quickly. Note that I was at an eye institute that specializes in cataract treatment; everything is contained in one building (a nicely renovated Victorian brick house in the Annex area of Toronto). So all tests and surgery are done on premises.

First appointment there, they did the same sort of vision tests my optomitrist generally does, plus some extra inner-eye photography to get a good look at what was going on. This was done by two different people, one doing the eye-chart related tests and a different one doing the photography. Then I met briefly with my doctor, who looked over my questionnaire (which included questions like whether near, mid, or distance vision was most important to me, and was there a focal distance I particularly needed to be glasses free for, etc.), and that I didn’t need nor have interest in a lens replacement that wasn’t covered under our provincial health care.

A week later I returned for them to perform eye measurement tests, which are used as a basis for manufacturing the replacement lens. They measure the size and shape of the eye, and mostly just involved staring into various machines while photos are taken. The weirdest one, which they did last, involved dripping numbing drops into my eyes, and then lightly pressing a small sensor to multiple places both directly on the eyeballs and then on the closed lids. Something to do with viscosity I’d assume.

And now for a description of the general surgical process, which you can also find summarized (or in more detail) at a number of medical web sites. In my case, it was a pretty basic surgery being performed; the opthamologist needed to make a small slit in the outer layer of my eye, used a tiny probe to break down the lens using ultrasound waves, vacuum out the broken down lens, then use a largish needle to insert a folded plastic lens into the eye, where it would unfold within the capsular space and could be tweaked as needed into the correct position. The cut in the eye is tiny enough that it usually doesn’t even need stitching, apparently.

I was asked to arrive at a specific time, and had to start applying dilating drops to my eyes an hour, half-hour, and five minutes before leaving for the clinic. No nail polish or facial makeup. Preferable wearing comfortable pants and a loosely short-sleeved button front shirt without any undershirt or long underwear beneath it (which turns out to be a “just in case things go crazily sideways” measure; they didn’t actually need to access anything on my torso).

The first step after I arrived at the clinic was being dressed in PPE - one of their own disposable masks to be sure I was wearing a good enough one (that wasn’t coated in whatever mine had picked up outside), a hair cap, a long-sleeved thigh-length blue plasticized robe (it had thumb holes to prevent the sleeves from slipping), and booties over my shoes.

Then I was taken to their surgical floor, where a nurse began a series of eye drops. These included more dilation, an antispectic, and an antibiotic, that I can remember - multiple drops of all. She also gave me a teeny tiny pill to place under my tongue and let dissolved, which contained a small dose of a relaxant/anti-anxiety med (Sorry, she told me the name of it at the time but it’s dropped out of my memory). I didn’t notice any particular change in my mood, but then I’d been counting slow deep breaths since arriving (4 seconds in, 4 seconds out...) to help keep myself relaxed and give myself something to focus on that wasn’t omfg I’m going to be awake during this! Because yeah, not having a clue what it was going to be like was stressful. Nurse also took my blood pressure to be sure I was fine in that regards, and put a sticker on the gown to remind the doctor that it was my right eye being done that day.

After a brief wait, I was moved into one of the surgical theatres, where there was a dentist chair they sat me in, then connected a blood pressure cuff, fingertip monitor (hence the no nail polish rule) and sensors on the backs of both hands and one ankle (I’m assuming those were measuring a mix of blood oxygenation and heartbeat, with the ankle one making sure my feet were still getting blood when I was spending the surgery in what ended up as a tipped-over-backwards with head lowest position). They then rinsed my eye and the orbital area with bactine (very yellow vision while that happens), then patted the area around the eye dry.

The doctor sat at my head, and applied a medical drape with a pre-cut adhesive-edged opening over my eye, then peeled off a translucent applique that was over the hole. Then they applied medical clamps that held my eyelids in the open position (which thanks to the numbing drops, I didn’t feel at all). A brightly lighted microscope was then positioned over the eye, and I was told to stay as still as possible and stare at the red dot in the lighted area. The doctor then did the surgery as described above. From my point of view, there was very little to feel; occasional dull pressure, some random coldness that I believe was the eye being irrigated. I could hear the occasional very quiet noise the probe made as the lens was sucked away, but mostly it was just staring at the red light as well as I could while my vision distorted oddly and I continue counting breaths. Within what felt like no more than 5-10 minutes (if that), it was all over with.

They had me continue to lie there for a couple minutes while they peeled off the drape, wiped the eye area clean, and removed all the sensors, then a brief rest before having me sit up.

I blinked once or twice, and... DAMN! Sudden near-perfect vision in an eye that hasn’t seen clearly without help since I was in single digit ages. And the saturation. The detail.

Now, my left eye of course still has a cataract (it gets treated next week). I’d been telling people for a while that basically all my right eye was seeing was blur, so my left eye was doing most of the seeing, and I thought my left eye wasn’t anywhere near as bad as my right. With my right eye now seeing perfectly, I could now alternate opening eyes from side to side, and see just how badly (and irregularly) blurred and yellowed the left lens actually is. To which I can only saw, WTF, how was I even seeing anything at all!?

Then they had me sit for a while in the waiting area, where the doctor came and double-checked I was fine, and gave me a kit in a plastic bag of a card that identifies that I have an interocular lens (and info about it), a prescription for two different eye drops (antibiotic and anti-inflamatory) which was enough for both this eye and the eye getting operated on next week, and a shield to wear at night for the first five nights, to be sure I don’t accidentally rub it or put pressure on it.

Then I put on sunglasses (because hugely dilated eye) and walked out.

Side note - they won’t do your operation unless you have a ride home arranged; because that tiny pill means you’re in a slightly altered state, among other reasons. Good thing it was my brother and not, say, a taxi, since among other things it took us three drugstores to find one that actually had both kinds of eyedrops in stock, yay super fun.

Also, remember me talking about the starburst rays I was seeing around lights due to cataracts? While my eye was still dilated (which lasted until after midnight) I was seeing what I can only describe as ‘Ferris wheels’ - a burst of  rays expanding out like the spokes of a wheel, and ending in an uneven ring of dots of bright light, each wheel matching the colour of the light causing it. Looked wild at night. Thankfully that effect has now gone away.

Had a follow-up appointment this morning where they did an eye chart and the rebounce test where they puff air at your cornea, and the opthamologist says the vision in that eye tested as 20/20 (WOOO! Finally something good with that number). I can see sharply and clearly for blocks from the mid-range on out. Sadly when I try to use my computer, tablet, etc (near-range and close vision) the eye can’t focus down far enough; some of that may improve over the next month or two as the eye continues healing, and adapting to the lens. In the meantime my sister suggested I try a pair of her reading glasses and, yay, that worked. I am now planning that after my follow-up appointment for next week’s surgery on the left eye, I’ll run around and pick up 2-3 pairs of reading glasses of various strengths (which I will get will depend on what seems to work best with arm’s length and close-in viewing), to carry me through until I go back to an optomitrist in a month or three, and get my vision evaluated to see if I need actual prescription reading and/or far distance glasses.

In the meantime, apart from computer/tablet use, I am glasses free. I can’t even remember ever having such sharp, clear, and saturated vision (since I’ve been in glasses for such a long time). You know the “oh, trees are made of leaves!” effect? I am getting that with every single thing I look at. Oh, that’s how much grey is in my hair? Weird, I never noticed this wall was textured before. Oh geez, that text over there is so small and yet I AM READING IT. I mean, even with glasses I probably was never able to read that from this distance! Etc ad infinitum.

It’s just so, so nice.

And that’s with just one eye finished. I am now really looking forward to next week’s surgery. Stress? What stress!?

[solynaceawrites]

Promise Me Forever [2]

Fandom: Devil May Cry Characters: Dante, Lirael Thorne (OC) Tags: Slow Burn, Romance, Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe, First Time, Friends to Lovers Chapters: 2/14 co-written by @lickitysplitfic​ Summary: An old, long-forgotten promise between gods comes back to haunt Dante when it deposits an unfamiliar woman on his door. Claiming to be the descendant of Ler, she says that they’re meant to fulfill the oath made by Sparda centuries ago, and all he can do is watch as she turns his life upside down. Yet when her parents come knocking, demanding the oath be fulfilled, he’s forced to choose: return to the bachelor ways he loved so much, or give in to the emotions brewing between him.

Welcome to part two of Promise Me Forever! I missed the upload date yesterday (damn you for being so fun, Spyro . . .), so I hope you’ll pardon my being late. As always, we hope you enjoy, and please don’t hesitate to let us know if you do, whether through comments, kudos, or sending us a private message!

»»————-　⚜　————-««

The sun is down and the streetlights are on when Dante walks into the Devil May Cry, nearly colliding with Lir who is just on the other side of the door. "Stop doing that!" he shouts, reaching out on reflex to grab her elbow to keep her from falling.

"You're back!" she cries, looking up at him in surprise.

"Yeah," he sighs. He frowns at her flushed face and the trash bag in her hand. "What are you doing?"

"Cleaning." She heaves the trash bag up, almost as big as she is, and pushes it at him. "Take this out, would you?"

Dante holds up his hands. "Woah, wait, what are you doing? Didn't I tell you not to touch my stuff?"

Lir glares at him, giving him a look that would be intimidating if she wasn't a head shorter than him. "I'm not touching your stuff," she snaps. "I'm cleaning your mess. Did you know you even had towels?"

He frowns and looks around. The lights are on, and the shop looks . . . different. The floors are sparkling, the piles of containers and papers on his desk are gone, the boots and clothing items in piles have been removed, and there is a scent of clean in the air. "You what?"

"I cleaned. The kitchen and the office and that thing you called a bathroom." Lir holds up the trash bag again. "Now take this outside."

Momentarily at a loss for words—a rarity for him, to be certain—he takes it from her and turns around, carting it easily to the cans in front of the building. Not only is each one full of things he's been neglecting to throw away, but it's all been sorted, as well, the recycling tucked neatly into its respective bins, glass separated from paper, which has been separated from plastic. Not sure what to make of it, Dante drops the new addition into the least full can and heads back into the shop.

He finds Lir sitting on the floor, her knees tucked beneath her as she works on scrubbing the baseboards, and he pauses to take her in. She's cute, hell, she's gorgeous, but she's also young. There's now way she's any older than twenty, maybe twenty-five if he's being generous, and he scratches the stubble on his cheek with a sigh as she leans over, her skirt clinging to her backside. I was trained in the arts of pleasure.

Pleasure. Right.

"There a reason you did all of this?" Dante asks. She looks at him, and he's struck, like he was the first time he saw her, by the bright amber of her eyes, not unlike the whiskey sitting in polished bottles on the shelves. "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful. Just seems like you could have found something else to do."

Lir huffs, not quite a laugh, as she wipes her forearm on her brow. "Do what? I wasn't cooking in that kitchen. No way I was using that bathroom." Dante rolls his eyes as she gestures towards the steps. "I didn't get much done upstairs yet, but I did put all the bedding in the washing machine. Should be done soon."

"I have a washing machine?" She frowns at him until she realizes he is kidding, and Dante smirks when she makes a face.

"Very funny." She drops her sponge into a bucket, standing and stretching her back. "Are you hungry?"

"Uh, I guess?" Dante shrugs and stashes his guitar case, pausing to rub his fingers along the polished wood of his desk. "I was going to order a pizza."

Lir laughs behind him. "You can't eat that junk. Come on, I've made you something."

Curious, Dante follows her into the kitchen, his mouth dropping open when he enters. It is sparkling, the counters and floors and sink shining, the table washed, the stove cleaned of its stains. There is an amazing smell coming from the oven, and it is almost enough to distract him from watching as Lir bends over to open the oven door. He tilts his head to admire her backside as she reaches in, quickly straightening when she places something on the top and turns around. "Sit down," she smiles sweetly.

He complies, but watches her carefully. "It's not poison, is it?" he asks.

"No," Lir laughs.

He watches in surprise as she moves around, pulling a knife from one drawer, a spatula from another, a plate from a cabinet overhead. "I have oven mitts?" Dante says in surprise, and Lir chuckles as she places a plate in front of him.

"There you are," she says, her voice sweet. Dante looks at her in shock, then back down at the plate, where a huge piece of lasagna sits, steaming hot and covered in perfectly golden layers of cheese. "Much better than a yucky old pizza, isn't it?"

He swallows, his mouth suddenly watering as his stomach growls, still too astonished to argue her pizza comments. Lir hands him silverware and moves to get her own plate. She returns to the table and sits across from him, a smaller piece on her own plate, and she gestures to him as she lays a napkin on her lap. "Go on," she laughs. "Try it."

She doesn't have to tell him twice. Trying to have some semblance of table manners, he uses the knife to cut a bite-sized portion of the lasagna and plops it in his mouth, uncaring of how it singes his tongue. It tastes absolutely divine, the sauce rich, the cheese melted to a cream, the meat cooked to perfection, the noodles firm, and he quickly swallows the first bite and dives in for another. Across from him, Lir smiles as she starts on her own, and he watches her take dainty, measured bites.

"Gotta tell you," Dante says, taking a swig of the beer she'd placed at his elbow, "you're a better cook than I gave you credit for."

She perks up at that, and it almost hurts him how much such a simple bit of praise from him means to her. "I'm glad you're enjoying it," she replies, the faint lilt to her voice soft and sweet. "I wasn't entirely certain what to make for you, but I thought that this was similar enough to pizza that you might find it to your tastes."

He stuffs another huge forkful in his mouth, nodding as he swallows. "It's great. Really." Lir smiles and ducks her face, taking her own much smaller bite.

She sighs as she chews, reaching for a glass of water as he eats. "I'm surprised I had all the ingredients," he remarks. "I had no idea I had lasagna noodles!"

"Oh, I made them," she says as she blows on another bite.

Dante nearly chokes. "You made lasagna noodles? From scratch?"

Lir shrugs. "It's just some flour and eggs." She meets his gaze, chuckling behind her hand. "What, is it hard?"

His surprise turns to suspicion again. "Where did you learn to do all this?"

"I told you, I was raised and trained to marry the son of Sparda." Dante winces, hearing it said out loud again making him feel ridiculous. "Besides, every adult on the planet knows how to cook and clean," she says quickly. "Except you, perhaps."

He considers that, and her. It's hard to picture her as either a thief or an assassin; she's damn near tiny, especially next to him, and she'd been upfront about knowing magic, which wouldn't be the smartest move to make if she meant him harm. And her hands are smooth, free of calluses or any other sign that she's ever held a weapon. "Never had time to learn, I guess," he replies.

Dante watches the gears churning behind her eyes. Another mark against her in terms of being sent to fight him: her face is an open book, her emotions displayed without any attempt to conceal them. "I see," she says. "Well, I can make other meals for you, if you wish. And if you tell me what sort of things you don't like, I can avoid using them as ingredients."

"Olives."

"Olives?"

"Hate 'em." He takes another drink of beer. "Pizza place I usually order from knows I don't like 'em, so they'll put 'em on whatever I ask for if I owe 'em money. Which is more often than not."

"I see." She stands and takes her empty plate to the sink. "Anything else?"

"I like strawberries," he offers.

Lir smiles over at him. "So do I."

The sweetness makes him almost uncomfortable, and he finishes his meal in silence as he watches her. Lir seems very much at home in his kitchen, washing the plate and utensils, finding some tinfoil to cover the leftovers before sliding the pan into the refrigerator, then running some water and soap in the sink to wipe down the stove. He doesn't ever remember anyone acting like this—even his adoptive mother never was so domestic, as they were on the move all the time—and he can't really remember much about Eva than a few specific memories. And the women in his life now, Lady and Trish specifically, wouldn't clean his kitchen for a million dollars. He makes a mental note to ask Nero if Kyrie is like this, betting she might be.

It's . . . nice, he decides.

"All done?" she asks, moving to take his plate.

"I'll do it," Dante insists, standing and sliding around her to take the plate to the sink. Quickly he washes it up and deposits it into the dish rack as Lir wipes the table behind him.

When he is done, she is gone, and he finds her in the laundry room off the side of the kitchen, pulling sheets out of the dryer. "Need any help?" he asks from the doorway.

"It's alright." She gives him one of those smiles again, like she's happy just to be around him, and he doesn't know what to make of it. "Why don't you take a shower? There are fresh towels in the bathroom, and I found some shampoos tucked under the vanity."

Lir's expression is bright, but there is something that sits uneasy, so he decides on a little experiment. Leaning one arm up on the doorway, he grins and says, "Want to join me?"

The shock on her face is almost worth it, as is the red that stains her cheeks. "I, uh . . . we aren't married yet," she stammers.

"Did they not teach you how to shower in your pleasure class?" he teases.

She shoots him a look, and he sees a bit of the fire from earlier. "No," she answers sharply. "I was taught how to behave properly."

Dante snorts. Lir tries to step around him, but he does not budge, giving her a sultry look. "You're here to please me, right? Isn't that what you said?"

"Yes, but—"

"You made me dinner. Cleaned my place. I'd love to take you upstairs," he says, low and teasing.

Lir looks almost startled. "Are you being serious?" she hisses.

Dante shrugs. "I mean, like you said, we're not married, and yet you're doing all the other stuff."

"I thought if I showed you—" 

She cuts herself off, and Dante raises his brows. "Go ahead," he taunts her. "Finish your thought."

Her shoulders slump. "I thought if I showed you that I could do those things, you'd want to keep me. And I . . . The cooking lessons weren't exactly pleasant, but I enjoyed making that for you."

"I see. Thought you could get one over on me, hm?" Lir's eyes go wide as she shakes her head, but Dante pushes, "Thought if you cooked me something, swept up a bit, swing your ass in my direction that I'd just fall head over heels for you?"

Her jaw tenses, and any guilt he feels for the accusation is canceled by the satisfaction of seeing it hit its mark. "That's it, hm? Thought your pretty smile and some homemade cooking would do the trick? Well guess what, honey. This son of Sparda is smarter than he looks. And I still don't trust you."

"I just wanted to show you that I could be useful," she argues. He cocks a patronizing brow, smiling thinly as he waits for whatever justification she's going to come up with. "I thought if you . . . if you saw that I could help you somehow it would make up for . . . whatever it is about my appearance that you don't like."

Okay, that . . . felt weird. Bad weird, like a punch in his gut that left a puddle of slime in its wake. "It's, uh . . . not your looks, sweetheart," he says. "I just don't like strangers. Strangers are usually trouble."

Lir bows her head. "Women, too," he says. "Not a fan."

There is a pause, and then he watches her brows twitch, then rise almost to her hairline before she looks up at him with a gasp. "Oh! Oh! Is that . . . oh my goodness, I never even considered that!"

She covers her laugh with a hand as Dante frowns. "What?"

"You prefer men. Is that it?" Lir grins at him brightly as she nods. "No wonder you don't want to marry me! It all makes sense now!"

"What? What?" How did this happen, he wonders, watching her eyes light up with mirth. He had wanted to catch her off guard, to figure out what she's actually after, if it's something as simple as whatever promise his father made or more nefarious, and now he's left gaping at her, struggling for words again. "No. No! That's not . . . Where the hell did you come up with that?"

His surprise makes him sound angry, and Dante watches as the laughter on her face dies as quickly as it came, that odd sensation of doing something wrong back in his chest. "You said you aren't a fan of women," Lir says hesitantly.

"The only two I know are hunters," he replies, "and neither of them ever visit me with good news."

"Oh."

He scrambles for something. "Cindy is nice." The words are awful and, he realizes belatedly, the wrong thing to say when she takes a step back. "She's a gal who works at the ice cream counter. But she's pretty ignorant of the stuff I do."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. And Patty. You'll see her around here eventually, not a week goes by without that girl showing up here wanting something."

Her eyes are like saucers and Dante realizes how all this sounds. "Just friends!" he cries, putting up his hands. "But I'm not gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But I like ladies. And ladies like me. Just . . . not those ladies."

Lir frowns. "You don't like them or they don't like you?"

"They're . . ." What should he say? Calling Lady and Trish his friends feels too intimate; they all get along, sure, but they don't visit socially, Trish is often gone for months at a time working her own jobs, and Lady only really shows up to give him a job or collect money. "Business partners," he mumbles.

"All of them?"

"Nah. Well, Patty will tell you she is, but what she means is she likes to show up and redecorate my office and bug me about whatever soap opera she's watching." Dante scratches the back of his head. "Look, it's like this: I don't have a clue about this promise my old man is supposed to have made. I don't know you and, quite frankly, you don't know me. And . . ." His mind flickers dimly back to his mother. "Well, having a spouse in my line work is just asking for trouble. It's got nothing to do with your looks or you bein' useful. It's just not a good idea."

"Oh." Lir's eyes fall, as if thinking, and Dante rubs the back of his neck. "I guess I never thought of it like that. I had assumed you would know, it never occurred to me you wouldn't." She breathes a deep sigh and then shrugs. "I'll stay the night, if that's okay. Then tomorrow I'll figure out what to do."

"Yeah, yeah of course." He stands aside as she carries the linens out of the laundry room, trailing after her as she heads for the steps. "Let me get those," Dante insists, grabbing the pile she can barely see over as she climbs up the first one.

"I can do it fine," Lir protests, but he easily scoops them away. She bristles a bit but finally turns and heads upstairs, and Dante follows, trying hard not to stare at her backside and failing miserably.

»»————-　⚜　————-««

Dante doesn't sleep well that night. He rarely does, but he finds himself straining to hear through the walls, wondering what his guest is doing to occupy herself, feeling something akin to guilt every time the hurt look on her face when she said she only wanted to be useful flashes in his thoughts. Those people couldn't have sent him a bitch, could they? Someone he could tear apart without remorse, someone with a body that didn't make his mouth water every time he caught a tease of it beneath their clothes?

Because that's the crux of it. Maybe Lir is untrustworthy, maybe she's lying to him, but he damn near likes her. She's clever, and pretty, and a good cook, and lord only knows how long it's been since his shop looked so clean. He covers his face with his hands, groaning. Would it really be so bad to keep her around?

Yes, because if she got killed, he'd never forgive himself.

Dawn comes with no rest in sight for him. He listens to Lir moving around next door before she heads downstairs, and he stares at the ceiling until the scents of coffee and bacon draw him out of his bed. Shrugging into a pair of sweatpants and deciding to forego a shirt, he follows her, and finds her in the kitchen, humming a little tune as she plates a mountain of scrambled eggs.

A wave of nostalgia washes over him—which is weird, because this is the first morning he's woken up to a woman in his shop, let alone one making him breakfast. The dress she wore yesterday has been traded in for a pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt, and Dante swallows, admiring how good she looks in normal clothes. There is something that tugs at his heart, too, the smell of the eggs reminding him of his childhood, the little hum making him embarrassed by how much he actually likes it.

"Good morning!" she says brightly, turning and carrying plates to the table. "Did you sleep well?"

He walks to the coffee machine and pours himself a cup of black. "Are you a morning person?" he asks, trying to sound gruff.

"Have to be where I come from." Dante frowns as he blows on the mug, carrying the sugar bowl to the table before settling on a chair. He wonders what exactly that means as she finishes plating the bacon and popping toast from the toaster, then takes the seat across from him.

"How about you?" he asks.

"Hm?" Lir glances up as she begins buttering a slice of toast.

"You sleep okay?"

She smiles to herself as he helps himself to food. "Yes and no. I was tired from the cleaning but sleeping in a city is . . . different. Odd to have so many lights and noises outside my window."

"It's quiet where you live?" He watches her closely, looking for any signs of deception.

But there are none. She tilts her head, taking a bite of her toast and chewing it thoughtfully, and he's struck by the utterly ridiculous urge to tuck the strands of hair at her cheek behind her ear. "I suppose. My home is . . . was on the coast, near the mountains. So there were noises, like rain and the ocean and wildlife, but the city is much louder, more . . . chaotic?"

"Was."

"Hm?"

"You said," he muses, "that your home was on the coast."

Her smile falters. "Well, yes. I told you yesterday that I cannot return there. When I was sent here, it was permanent. Even if you had . . . if we had been married, I wouldn't have been allowed back. Because we're not, I couldn't go home, even if I wanted to. So, was."

"They just chucked you out like that?" he asks.

Lir stiffens for a moment, but then her smile returns as she stands. "Want more coffee?" she asks, breezing back towards the sink and turning on the water to rinse the pan on the stove.

"No, I—"

"After I clean up here I'll head out," she says over him, her voice tight but still dripping in sweetness. "I have a bit of money, so I'll stay at a hotel so I won't be in your hair. I can start looking for a job or something this afternoon."

He rubs his face harshly, cursing under his breath. It's not her fault that she's here, and he doubts she knows anything about surviving outside of whatever compound raised her to be a broodmare for him. "Look," he says, sharper than he intends, "just stay here until Lady calls. Then we'll figure out what to do."

She hesitates before turning off the water. "That's very kind of you."

"Yeah. Well." Not sure what to say, he drains his mug, and Lir is right there with the coffee pot to refill it. He watches her move around the kitchen before going back to his meal, munching thoughtfully. "Won't be all bad, I guess," he says to himself.

After breakfast, Dante starts to wonder. Usually he's not up this early, and the rest of the morning stretches on without much to do. Typically he'd spend the first hour or so of his day in the bathroom, then scavenge around for leftovers before settling in for his afternoon nap. But Lir wanders the shop, hands behind her back as she examines each of his weapons on the wall, making him feel uncomfortable as he sits at his desk and watches her.

She pauses in front of a set of twin scimitars, leaning in to peer curiously at the heads etched into the pommels. "Where do these things come from?" she asks, not turning around, and he frowns.

"Devils," he answers. Lir goes very still, making him laugh. "Relax, they're harmless now. Sometimes, when there's a particularly strong demon, they'll lend me their strength as a weapon I can use. Those two," he stands and makes his way over to her, placing his hand against the small of her back, "are Agni and Rudra. I got them decades ago. Handy guys, if a bit chatty sometimes."

"Is that what you were doing last night?" she asks, leaning in closer to look at the swords. "Fighting devils?"

"No, I, uh . . ." Embarrassed, he clears his throat. "I went to see someone."

"Well, we know it wasn't a girl," one of the swords says, and Lir jumps in surprise, backing up into him.

"Unless he was paying!" the other laughs.

Lir spins on him, her mouth dropped open. "They talked!"

"I told you." To the twins, he mutters, "Zip it."

"But we have a guest!" Agni cries.

"Yes, a guest," Rudra agrees. "We must entertain her."

"How should we do that?"

"Well, we could—"

"I said zip it!" Dante barks. Thankfully they fall silent, though there's an air of reproach, and he returns his attention to Lir. "Like I said, they get chatty. You okay?"

She laughs as she nods. "Yes. It was just a surprise."

Dante snorts, but then he realizes his hand is still on her back and quickly snatches it away. "You can, uh, put the TV on if you want. Or use the computer? Patty set one up a while ago, over there," he says, nodding to where the couch and coffee table are, making a little sitting area. 

Lir nods. "Okay. I don't want to bother you while you're working though."

There is a round of laughter from the two swords on the wall, and Dante growls until they stop abruptly. "No trouble at all," he says through his teeth.

[thedistantstorm]

Signs of Confection

AO3 Link Here

Pairing: Thranto (Eli Vanto/Thrawn)

Warnings: None. This one’s just literally and figuratively sweet.

Words: 5,683

About: A story in 5 segments about the sweeter things that Thrawn seems to enjoy.

-/

1.

It’s almost funny, Eli Vanto thought to himself as he caught the slightest discomfort across his new bunk-mate and unspoken charge’s face. A serious, composed, ultrapolite man like Thrawn balking at something as necessary as caf. The same altercation had been happening each morning and afternoon for about a week now. The stimulating beverage appeared to be necessary, considering the way Thrawn sipped at it while reading at lightning-quick speeds during their every free moment, trying to bridge the gaps in his education. Also, Eli didn’t have any evidence of Thrawn actually sleeping. Even if he woke in the middle of the night, the Chiss was still awake at their shared desk.

That couldn’t be healthy, but frankly, Thrawn had asked for this, and it wasn’t Eli’s problem unless there was an urgent translation he needed that couldn’t wait. (Which, again, considering Thrawn’s ultra-politeness that extended to the point of seeming condescending, hadn’t happened. Yet.)

Cadet Vanto went back to his breakfast, a boring mix of slop-like grains with enough vitamins to make it a paste. At least at Myomar they had fresh fruit. One would think that Royal Imperial would have had far superior dining facilities, since it was located on perfect Coruscant. There were just some things that Wild Space excelled at, and this was one of them. Even the latemeal, which was actual food was bland for the most part.

Blue fingers wrapped around the metallic mug for the umpteenth time. Eli pointedly didn’t look at him, but he couldn’t help but notice that the mug kept getting pushed further and further away with active disdain. Eli resolved to intervene, even as his inner voice reminded him that this was the man who had literally turned his entire life inside out. It was just for a little while, he told himself, squashing his uglier thoughts. He was obviously a long way from home, but Thrawn’s home was much further, and he certainly didn’t have any friends.

Besides, it was Eli’s job to babysi- his job to acclimate Thrawn to his new life in the Empire. Eli considered his own thermos. He could drink caf however it came, but he knew how he preferred it. He was willing to bet good credits, based on his knowledge of the Chiss’s food preferences, that the Lieutenant had a bit of a sweet tooth.

- x -

“Here.” Vanto held out the thermos, a deep maroon in color, a not-quite identical twin of the one he brought with him every day to the commissary. They’d been about to depart for the morning meal before a lengthy stint of classes and labs that would keep them occupied until the latemeal.

Intense red eyes flicked down then back up the short distance to his roommate’s eyes. Vanto had expected distrust, but Thrawn’s eyes gave nothing away but scrutiny. He took it, his long fingers icy cold where they brushed over Eli’s far warmer ones. He studied the thermos as the cadet turned away.

“Obviously you hate caf, but it’s a necessary evil, and there ain’t a tea leaf to be had in the Empire’s facilities-” Vanto winced at the prominence of the twang in his voice but continued anyway, “Probably it was the drink of the Jedi.” He opened their tiny shared closet, split in exact halves. Eli’s smaller uniforms hung to the left, Thrawn’s larger ones to the right, small lockers underneath to house any personal effects.

Crouching, Eli was vaguely aware of the looming presence of Thrawn, who still hadn’t said anything. He could see the shadow of the Chiss, the way he held the travel mug awkwardly, unsure what to do with it. “You noticed that I dislike caf,” He said, well, Eli thought, he more mused it to himself, but Eli was in the room too.

“I did,” He answered, interrupting whatever Thrawn was thinking. “Seems we have that in common. I’ll drink it if I have to - I certainly prefer them to stims - but I don’t like it.”

“You have it each time we’re at the commissary,” Thrawn commented, and that might have been an expression like surprise, but it was there and gone in the space between blinks.

“I do,” Eli confirmed. He pulled something from his locker. “I’ll let you in on a secret,” He said, rising to his feet and nudging the locker shut with his heel as he set the box in his hands on the desk. Inside were metallic pouches. Tons of them. “Put one in your belt-pouch for later, and dump one in the thermos.” He took point, grabbing his thermos from the desk and popping the top off of it. He ripped open one of the tiny packs and carefully emptied the contents into the thermos, then looked up at Thrawn.

“What is it?” Thrawn asked.

“Powdered chocolate and tang bark. Try it. You won’t regret it.”

Too polite to refuse, Thrawn took a single packet and dumped it into his own thermos, thanking Vanto as he did, though he still eyed the thermos dubiously.

When he dipped back into his locker to put the box back, Eli grabbed a few extra packets for later. He wasn’t sure of much when it came to his new bunkmate, but he damn sure wasn’t wrong about this.

Sure enough, when they had the fifteen minutes necessary to run through the mess between lectures that afternoon, he watched Thrawn eye the caf dispenser with disdain. Eli pulled the extra two pouches from his belt without so much of a word and set them beside Thrawn’s mug as he poured the dark beverage.

“Sometimes one’s not enough,” He offered as an explanation, then added, “This morning’s caf was better, but still not sweet enough for you.”

He couldn’t help the smile when Thrawn didn’t hesitate to take the two powdered cocoa pouches and tip them into his mug and resolved to make sure he left the box on their shared desk for easier access. Lost in his thoughts, Eli missed the look of purposely reserved interest Thrawn threw his way as he helped himself to his afternoon refill.

When their eyes met next, Thrawn offered him a grateful nod and deposited the three empty packets into the waste bin as they left. Their walk to their next lecture was as comfortable as it was silent. Eli never thought twice about the incident, or the way that cocoa-cut caf became the norm of Thrawn’s life in the Imperial Navy.

Thrawn did. He thought about it often, reflecting on it late one evening aboard his flagship, stylus flying across his datapad as he penned a journal entry about the value of having a friend, be they near or far.

2.

Most of the time, Thrawn’s (admittedly) genius plans tended to send them to obscure locations and land them in even more obscure situations. This time, however, they found themselves in a mid-sized city-center in the throes of celebration of some solstice or another. Stands and tents were set out in the streets, and the smells of festival food - fried and delicious - hung heavy in the warm air.

Ensign Vanto relished the heat, wearing a combination of canvas utility pant and a button-up shirt in creamy off-white that he’d left unbuttoned part way. “Kinda reminds me of back home,” He admitted, the conversation honest though it fit easily into their cover. Thrawn fit in here, more or less. There were many alien species interspersed throughout this Outer Rim world, and due to the brightness of the sun, Thrawn had been able to conceal his telling eyes with dark-tinted lenses for most of the day.

Now, however, it was approaching dusk, and the heavy tint did the captain no good. He tucked them into a pocket of his long-sleeved tunic, dark in color, but lightweight enough to diffuse heat.

“There are festivals like this on your homeworld?” Thrawn asked idly, scanning for signs of the smugglers whose ship they’d found earlier in the day at the meager, yet crowded spaceport. He turned back to regard Eli, the red-brown tone of his exposed skin deepening after a day in the sun. “You speak rarely of Lysatra,” He added.

“Not much happens there, sir,” Vanto supposed. “But we’re out far enough that a lot of things are the same world-to-world.” Thrawn’s eyes narrowed, so Eli prepared to unknowingly give him some kind of clue, thereby making Eli the butt of an unspoken joke for not being able to see the bigger picture. “Lots of folks planet-hop to make easy credits. People are more inclined to spend frivolously, and buy things they don’t need.” His brow furrowed, and he looked to Thrawn as he reasoned, “It’d be easy to doctor books or money launder that way, especially in the food industry.” There, Eli thought. At least he realized he was onto something. That was good, right?

Thrawn smirked so wide Eli almost called it a smile. Alas, it was too predatory. “I believe the majority of food vendors are located on the next block,” He said. “Shall we?”

In the end, Thrawn handled the authorities while Vanto carefully considered their options and his current credit situation. This was entirely too much like home. Vendors called out to him despite knowing he’d been part of the duo who created a real mess of this specific area of the festival hours earlier. Some of them heckled him for riling up the crowd and getting a fellow vendor arrested, hoping to guilt him into spending his credits.

He settled for procuring two very interestingly colored fruits that had been dipped in something that seemed to glitter when it caught the light. It almost resembled a candied jogan fruit, if not for the brilliant blue-green color of the fruit itself. The outer shell smelled sweet, and while it was hardly an acceptable alternative for the late meal, it was something easy to consume while they walked back to their shuttle.

When he held one out to Thrawn, the Chiss stared at it in obvious surprise. Then, unbidden, the smallest hint of delight crossed through his usually intense eyes as he took it. “Thank you, Ensign.”

Eli nodded. “You’re welcome, sir.”

“You did well,” Thrawn said, sometime after they’d started their rather innocuous walk back through the now lit bazaar. They easily maneuvered through the throngs of beings. “I rather suspected you would catch on to their scheming, though I had suspected it would have been one of the market vendors, not a food vendor.”

“We’re too far from the Core for everything to be on the books. Edible items are far easier to conceal, especially when they’re not dangerous. Makes it easier to adjust the records, I guess.”

“Again,” Thrawn praised. “An excellent deduction.” He cast a glance to the side as Eli chewed a bite of his own treat. “You should be proud of yourself.”

“Thank you, sir,” Eli said. “I’m just glad it was a chase and not bloodshed.”

“As am I,” Thrawn agreed. Slower, more thoughtfully, he said, “My people have similar celebrations like this for the solstice. There are variances,” He continues, but doesn’t expand upon those further. “It was rare that we were able to attend.”

“I suspect you didn’t grow up on a sparsely populated world. These kinds of things are about the only option for people to celebrate bein’ alive,” He drawled but didn’t flinch away at the sound of his own voice. “Back home it was an excuse to take some time away.”

“Do you miss it?” Thrawn asked, the intensity of his gaze dialed up. “Your homeworld?”

“About as much as you do, I’d suppose,” The human answered, biting into his candied fruit. “It’s nice to be planetside, but I’m starting to come to the realization that there’s nothing wrong with belonging to the stars.”

Thrawn covered his pensive frown with another tentative bite of the treat Vanto had procured for him, but he did not escape the younger man’s notice entirely. He was becoming too good at this, Thrawn realized. His skills had been improving. He need only stop doubting himself so much and he would likely exceed Thrawn’s expectations in time.

“I do not miss my people,” Thrawn said. “My duty is to the Empire.”

“There’s more to a person than duty,” Eli offered carefully, but he didn’t say anything more.

3.

Thrawn had noticed Vanto’s speech - more obviously, the lack thereof - over the last several days. He cleared his throat often before he said anything, trying to be quiet about it. It was also apparent that his body was running warmer than normal if one were able to see into the infrared, of course. No doubt his aide was working through some human-specific virus that did not find the far cooler Chiss biology to be a hospitable breeding ground.

Bringing it up to his aide on the bridge would hardly be appropriate, Vanto was the kind of man who preferred to remain under the radar- a term he’d explained to Thrawn that Thrawn rather liked. He too preferred to ‘fly’ under the radar, he supposed, though a free alien in an all-human military was never truly going to remain unnoticed.

Even so, Thrawn saw himself off the bridge of the Thunder Wasp with nary a word. Commander Chino didn’t spare him a second glance - no doubt he was reading some holo-novel he’d picked up at the last port, with an extra tab open as to be prepared if the helm had a question. Their patrol was routine, banal, and their Commander was hardly likely to notice him missing for the three minutes and twenty-six seconds it would take him to complete his task.

He was right.

Chino didn’t notice that he’d gone missing. Vanto did though, Thrawn could see it in the tense lines of the man’s back. Vanto was a good aide. Protective. He presented as a pushover but showed signs of that durasteel spine. He had an impeccable ethos. No doubt he was prepared to combat any untoward commentary by the crew regarding his unadvertised absence from the bridge, trusting Thrawn to have good reason.

Thrawn set a disposable cup down beside his console, only sparing him the quickest glance from the left corner of his eye. Curls of steam rose from the small opening of the lid, and the tip of a tea sachet’s labeling was tucked beneath the brim so that only the corner of it remained in sight. The scent was subtle, though Thrawn doubted his younger aide could smell much of anything with how congested he’d become as he returned to his own station closer to the helm.

The ensign waited exactly four minutes and thirty three seconds for the tea to cool to a temperature that would not damage his tongue, fingers curling around it as he continued his monitoring as assigned, his datapad connected to the terminal for later analysis. He didn’t acknowledge Thrawn, though he likely knew by now that Thrawn had already catalogued his flash of surprise followed by gratefulness. Thrawn not speaking to him meant no response was necessary, and the casual aloofness of the gesture hadn’t drawn the attention of the crew stationed around them.

What the ensign didn’t know was that the tea hadn’t come from the staff lounge. It had come from Thrawn’s personal stores, from a trader who dealt exclusively in rare blends - even some of the Jedi’s favorites, lost to time and hatred Thrawn wasn’t sure they exactly deserved but chose to ignore. It wasn’t quite Csillan tea, but it was a variant, one that tasted like crystalline blooms and sweet red fruit he’d yet to encounter in the empire. He’d added less sweetener than he’d normally allow himself since Vanto found a very diverse range of flavors palatable. If it had been Thrawn’s beverage, he’d have found it barely passable, and nearly a waste of rare tea.

He watched Vanto savor it for the next hour between monotonous events and a bit of extra curricular research into what may or may not have been Nightswan’s most recent activities. Vanto worked hard and tolerated far more than most. Such unnecessary sacrifices were most certainly worth it.

- x -

Eli had been hoarse for a week now. Thrawn has been away for yet another court martial, and once again Faro has been left alone and in charge of the Seventh Fleet. Faro hated it, always worried she’d break something that couldn’t be fixed before her commanding officer returned and would be subsequently nailed to the wall for it. Thrawn wasn’t like that, she knew Thrawn wasn’t like that, but she kept Eli close to her like a security blanket.

How he hadn’t gotten her sick yet was likely a result of way too many vitamin boosters on the commander’s part, but Vanto had neither the time nor energy to rile Faro up for nothing.

Finally, Thrawn’s shuttle is scheduled to come back, and the lieutenant commander can’t help but exhale in tandem with Faro. “I hope the debrief is quick,” He said, voice rasping and prickly but not unkind, “But,” He sighed, “I doubt it.”

“You’re welcome to go.”

Vanto’s eyebrows go up. “You want to subject yourself to him by yourself?” He cleared his voice when the volume gave out. “Since when?”

“He won’t care about the debrief, Vanto,” She drawled. “At this point it’d be stupid to contact him, and he’d be more worried about you taking ill. There’d be no debrief until he confirmed you to be alright.”

“Oh, not you, too,” He groaned, the sound rougher and more obviously pained. “He’s our commanding officer.”

“Right, and you’ve been his other half since he joined the Empire,” Faro reminded him.

That irritated him because it meant she’d been listening to the Chimaera’s crew which tended to speculate wildly about anything and everything. She could make her own conclusions, ones that didn’t insinuate he was Thawn’s glorified house-partner and maid. Irritated, he said, “Which is why you keep me at your beck and call. I’m a scapegoat, and you feel less guilty about it because you realize he won’t be unnecessarily cruel to me if you throw everything on me.” He coughed into his elbow while holding up his other hand to keep her quiet. “Y’got another-” He broke off into another hoarse cough, his voice giving out just as the door behind them opened.

“Admiral,” Faro acknowledged.

Thrawn set a tall mug of tea on his desk in front of Eli and gestured for them both to sit while he readied his datapad.

‘How does he do that?’ Faro mouthed to Vanto.

“Thank you, sir,” Eli said after a swallow of the gifted tea. It was sweet like candy, almost syrupy in consistency, but ultimately soothing. He almost sounded normal for how few words he spoke.

“To answer your question, Commander,” Thrawn said, lifting his eyes from his datapad to regard Faro, “Lieutenant Commander Vanto’s dictated replies to my messages have required multiple manual revisions, leading to a longer than usual response time of approximately twenty seconds instead of the usual ten to twelve. It was the logical conclusion that the software was acting up because Vanto’s speech had been compromised, and you had not reported an injury to me,” He looked at her pointedly, “Thus he had to be ill.”

“I see, sir,” Faro said.

“Reporting me under the weather isn’t a thing you need to do,” Vanto chimed from beside her, fingers threaded together around his mug.

“On the contrary, I would have preferred to be aware,” Thrawn said, eyes never leaving Faro. “I would also encourage you to do your own research regarding the relations of our crew. Not everything is as the-” He broke off and said a word in Sy Bisti.

Faro flushed, wondering if perhaps he’d heard their conversation through the not so thick door to the officer’s corridor.

It took Eli a second to pick the right word for the conversation. “The equivalent in Basic that’s appropriate for discussion would be ‘watercooler,’” He said, looking to Faro, who very obviously knew what the word meant, unpleasant connotations and all. Maybe she spoke Sy Bisti too, Eli considered.

“Thank you,” He inclined his head to Vanto. “You understand,” He said to Thrawn.

That had a lot of connotations, but Faro was suitably chastised and nodded eagerly. “Understood, Sir.”

The debrief was long, but Vanto didn’t seem to mind being the passive observer and took notes. Faro noticed that Thrawn didn’t ask him anything unless absolutely necessary, a consideration that most commanders wouldn’t have for their staff. If they reported for duty, that was on them. At least, that was how it had always been. There wasn’t much of a human - well, she considered that a bit sardonically, looking at her very non-human superior officer - aspect to the Imperial Navy. Or the Empire, in general. Not that she’d be caught dead saying so.

When they were dismissed, she peeked into his tea mug. It wasn’t quite empty, but there was a whole lot of sweetener in the bottom of it. “How much did he put in that?” She asked Vanto in disbelief. “There’s enough in there that you should’ve had to chew it. Does he not know how to make tea?”

Vanto grinned a little sheepishly. “I like it just fine,” He said.

“He did that on purpose?” Faro asked, incredulously.

“It’s actually how he likes it,” Vanto admitted. “If you ever have a briefing without me, caf or tea, any kind, with so much sweet you empty the dispenser should win you some points with him.”

“Let’s hope that never happens,” Faro said under her breath as they parted ways.

Years later, she’d find herself dropping into the chair across from his desk with two mugs in hand, one blessedly black, tea, not caf for a change, and the other teeming with sweetener. Thrawn would accept it without a word, and his otherwise stressed visage would smooth for a moment when he realized she’d made it just as he liked.

“I thought he might have told you,” He would muse moments later, uncharacteristically forlorn, and she would have to sip her tea to brace herself. Thrawn hadn’t meant to speak aloud, she knew, just like she knew she wasn’t to bring up the ‘he’ Thrawn had mentioned. Instead, she would sit quietly, look at the artwork strewn around Thrawn’s office without really seeing it, and wonder when the hell it had all gone to shit.

4.

They’re not undercover. That’s what struck Eli as weird about the whole thing. They’re not undercover and Thrawn is on leave. Thrawn doesn’t take leave. Well, he did, but he was the sort to take leave to go on some undercover adventure tracking something that high command doesn’t want him to, so he instead stumbles onto it anyway by “coincidence.” It’s never like this, and Eli is concerned to say the least.

Thrawn knew it, too.

It was why he asked Eli to come with him, but neglected to explain the situation until they’d both filed the paperwork to excuse them. Eli was correct in suspecting Thrawn had an ulterior motive, but he was patient enough not to guess. After all this time, despite every bump and hiccough in their storied past, he trusted Thrawn to do what was best.

“I wish to send you away,” Thrawn said, in some upscale, dimly lit cafe, a piece of absurdly saccharine cake sitting in front of him. Being on leave, Eli had chosen some kind of custard-filled pastry with a flaky outside. He had split it two and put the smaller piece on the edge of Thrawn’s round plate without thinking much about it. Thrawn liked to try new things, and they had similar opinions on most desserts.

Eli hadn’t reacted to his words, hadn’t even let shock pass over his features. Somehow, he knew it had to be something bad. Thrawn took leave when he wanted to skirt the rules, when he was trying to act around the Empire’s clutches. “Well,” Vanto nodded once, consideringly, then met Thrawn’s eyes. “It can’t be anytime close to when we get back, unless you’re planning to make it look like you’ve killed me.”

“Commander Vanto,” He said, then shucked military formalities altogether, the subject matter too grim. “Eli, this isn’t a mission for-”

“I know,” Eli interrupted, and watched Thrawn lean back in the aesthetically mis-matched chair, inspecting him. “Was it Pryce?”

“Among others,” Thrawn said, squinting a little, as if trying to see that much deeper into Eli’s mind. “Did you know before?”

“No, no,” Eli relaxed back into his shorter chair. It was well-worn, and comfortable. The cafe had a few other patrons, but they were far from any occupied tables. “It was how you said it.” He shrugged. “You’re giving me a choice, and you were purposely ambiguous because it isn’t above board.”

Thrawn nodded, and Vanto got the hint that he was pleased, if still a little careworn. Slowly, methodically, he cut into the impressive piece of cake and took a bite. Chewed thoughtfully, swallowed, and, “I wish to send you to my people,” He said.

Eli nodded slowly, tipped his head back against the plush chair so that his gaze met the ceiling, then closed his eyes. “It’s a one way trip,” He mused aloud. Brought his chin back down, looked at Thrawn. “Isn’t it?”

“That may very well be the case.” In Thrawn-speak, that was an affirmative.

“Will my family know?”

Thrawn looked conflicted. Eli was almost touched that he had thought of it in advance, but at the same time, Eli knew the only reason Thrawn thought of it was because the answer would not be yes. “I-”

Eli held up a hand. “Do I have time to think about it?”

“Of course,” Thrawn agreed. “Time is of the essence, but this is not an order. I wouldn’t hold it against you.”

He knew that, though. Thrawn was used to being alone, to having no one to support him without ulterior motives. At least, he was, with one exception. “What would you do,” He had to ask, “Without me?”

Thrawn smiled at that, eyes bright with mirth. He took a larger than normal section of cake and coerced it over to Eli’s plate. “I am surprised you would ask.”

“Something tells me you’re not planning on returning to your people,” Eli said. “Call it a hunch.”

“Why would I? I serve the Empire.”

“Semantics, Mitth’raw’nuruodo,” Eli said, and he knew his pronunciation of Thrawn’s name was flawless. Thrawn’s expression was worth it as he helped himself to a taste of the cake Thrawn had bestowed upon him.

“Agree to go, and I will tell you everything I am able,” Thrawn retorted.

“I could say yes, then take it back,” Eli argued, for argument’s sake. He wouldn’t though. Even now, Eli knew he’d already made up his mind. Thrawn always had the bigger picture in mind. He wasn’t looking for status within High Command, he was looking for an answer to a question. Eli wasn’t quite sure what that question was, but somehow he got the feeling that whatever the answer was turning out to be wasn’t the one Thrawn had hoped for. This was a contingency. He was a contingency.

“You are a man of your word,” Thrawn said. “And regardless of what you may or may not have heard from Colonel Yullaren, you are the only one I would trust with this task.”

“Y’still didn’t answer my question,” Eli said, leaning into his drawl.

“I’ll answer yours when you answer mine,” Thrawn hissed, rather abruptly. Eli heard the words but discerned the meaning. It was as snappish as if Thrawn had said the three words he absolutely hated and all but refused to say: I don’t know. The silence buzzed around them until he said, softer, “You do not need to concern yourself with me. I will be fine.”

“You and I both know that isn’t how this goes.”

“It will have to be, if you agree to this task.”

Eli smiled sadly. “You and I both know I’m goin’,” He murmured, rising. “So I’m going to get the rest of that cake to go, and we’re going to stop at a shop on the way back and get something to drink.” The something meaning something alcoholic didn’t go unnoticed by the Chiss. “Sound like a plan?”

Exhaling, Thrawn nodded. He looked down at the remains of Eli’s dessert, all but forgotten, then up at Eli. “You should think it over,” He said. “We do not have to discuss it right away.”

Technically, they didn’t. This had all been meticulously planned by Thrawn, of this, Eli had no doubt. He’d likely built in several days for Eli to make up his mind, and then separate contingencies both for and against his decision.

But Eli was sure. So he bought the other half of the cake and had two disposable utensils thrown into the bag, returned to the table they were sharing and lingered next to the chair while Thrawn finished his cake and the nibble of Eli’s abandoned pastry, and resolved to be braver than he felt for both their sakes.

It would be the last time either of them would eat cake within the Empire’s bounds. They had sat cross legged with the takeaway container between them on one of their oversized hotel room beds, slowly polishing off the extremely sweet confection as Thrawn unravelled layer upon layer of his plans, of what Eli would be expected to do. Somehow, after that, the look of some multi-layered cake, marbled with decadent, delicate layers of sponge between thick, homemade buttercream made something uncomfortable curl in Thrawn’s belly. He’d tell himself it was because they’d eaten themselves sick of it, if only to prevent himself from thinking about Eli.

5.

Csillan distilleries specialized in a distinctly sweet wine made of the icy fruit that grew in crystal-like pods and thrived in the cold. It’s black exterior yielded to a bloody red center that gave the wine its color. It had been decades since Thrawn had enjoyed this particular type of wine - any true wine, by his standards, really. The Empire considered sour and bitter flavors to be complex. It gave him an honest reason not to imbibe amongst his superiors, and the inclination only to sip at one singular glass if partaking was deemed necessary.

But that, that would no longer be necessary. He stepped around his admiral and approached the bar, inclining his head thoughtfully at the occasional officer or council-member who recognized him. He had no desire to discuss anything with anyone. His presence was mandated by the council, and his superior officer - who wished to share her suffering with her new first officer, of that he had no doubt - had seen to it that he did not dodge their request through some convenient loophole.

The wine was as spicy-sweet as he remembered, sampling a single swallow first: protocol, for these socially complex functions. The spicy bouquet hit like a rush before subsiding into a complex blend of unique winter-fruits: the result of a complex, but rewarding fermentation process. It was no surprise to Thrawn that the owner of these plants and the distillery itself was considered rich, even by the lavish terms of the Ascendency.

“Somehow I knew I’d find you over here,” A lightly accented voice said from behind him as the server let him consider. It was deeper, light and delicate around the less familiar consonants that filled the Chuenh language. “Nahnactim’ven,” He pronounced smoothly. Snowrise wine, a name it earned from old tales that said the fruits were sweetest and most palatable when picked before sunrise under falling snow. “It reminded me of that tea you always plied me with way back when,” They said, voice even and nostalgic.

“Vanto?”

There was a smirk on the younger man’s face, his dress uniform limned in gold so that the brighter color caught his eyes in the dim lighting overhead. “Hello, Thrawn,” He greeted, facing his former Admiral head on. His tunic was the deep blue color of a vice admiral.

The same as the one Thrawn wore himself. And then, he remembered. Earlier, Admiral Ar’alani had said she would introduce him to her fleet commander, with whom Thrawn would share duties, assuming they did not find Thrawn first...

When Thrawn had returned to the Ascendancy, it had been years since that fleeting last meeting between. Vanto had been gone. He had barely enough time between debriefings to familiarize himself with the people he had left behind. He’d thought of his former commander often, though. Considered it perhaps a mercy that Ar’alani would not tell him anything as to save him the realization that he was long dead, or perhaps sent off on some mission from which he might never return. He hadn’t been expecting this.

If the other man had not anticipated the embrace - stiff, and brief, but no less sentimental for it - he did not act surprised. Instead, Eli leaned into it for the few seconds it lasted, then stepped back, smiling.

Then, turning to the bar, the human managed to procure an entire bottle, face heating ever so slightly in the infrared as the server winked playfully in Thrawn’s direction. It was hardly noticeable amongst the rest of the crowd, their faces washed in warmth from the sheer number of people in the gala’s attendance and their own alcohol consumption. Thrawn found he didn’t really mind. It wasn’t anyone’s business, but if they didn’t notice, it would be due to their own inability to draw obvious conclusions.

“It’s good to see you,” He said over the din of the crowd, projecting an easy-going confidence as he held up the bottle and two empty glasses. He knew it wasn’t socially acceptable, either, but, Thrawn realized, his smile was bright and roguish anyway as he asked, “Maybe we could catch up?”

[kittykatz009]

Mocha Choco Latte: A KiriBaku fanfic

My first MHA fic, and it’s going to be a multi-chapter KiriBaku one! A special thank you to my lovely wives @wingsonghalo and @ittybittytoostormy, and my dear friend @musics-lifes-record. This insanity wouldn't have been possible without your constant encouragement. A special thank you to Wing for helping me with edits <3 I love you lots, babe Title: Mocha Choco Latte Pairing: Kirishima/Bakugou (with background Izuku/Ochacco) Rating: T, mostly for language  Wordcount for chatper 1: 3,039 Summary: Katsuki hadn't anticipated spending his senior year of University working at a cafe, but who was he to complain when it paid the bills? Besides, what could be the worst thing that could happen? Also available on: AO3

Chapter 1: Caramel Mocha Frappuccino 

If there was one thing that Bakugou Katsuki despised, it was people. Specifically, idiotic people. Like the ones who came in with a stupidly complex order that he had to repeat back twice to make sure he got each and every instruction right. Or the ones who would watch him make their drink, and the moment he would finish it, they would mention that they needed a milk alternative because god forbid they say something when ordering, or when they saw him grab the container of milk. And don’t even get him started on having to take their food orders; that was a new level of idiocy he hadn’t believed could be possible. Whoever said the customer is always right should be kicked in the face. He swore that this cafe was a beacon for idiots, and here he was, front and center, having to cater to their every whim.

“Kacchan, you’re scaring the customers again,” Midoriya Izuku commented as he approached the register to clock in.

“Can it, nerd. It’s not my fault that some people can’t get their order right the first time they order it,” he grouched, throwing a glare at the woman at the end of the counter who was typing away at her phone, her foot tapping impatiently as she waited for him to give her her drink.

“Still, you can try to be nicer to the customers. You are the cashier, after all.”

“And whose fault is that? I was perfectly happy being the cook until you fumbled because you were geeking out and spilled hot coffee all over the CEO of Nighteye Records.”

“Oh come on. I’ve apologized for that enough. You know I didn’t mean to! I just can’t help getting excited when I meet celebrities,” he complained as he shrugged on his apron.

“You’re lucky he didn’t try to get you fired, dumbass,” he scoffed, eyes rolling. He grabbed the cup from the steamer, the extra hot almond milk frothing, and quickly poured it into the to-go cup, mixing it in with the mocha syrup and the three decaf espresso shots, before popping a lid on the cup because heaven forbid he make the mistake of adding the whipped cream.

“Here,” he said, placing the drink on the edge of the counter aggressively. The woman huffed, throwing her phone in her purse before she scooped the cup up.

“About time. And would it kill you to be a little more appreciative of your customers? After all, you were the one who messed up my order in the first place. I can just take my business elsewhere, you know?” The challenging smirk she wore as she took a sip of her drink made Katsuki’s blood boil.

“Alright, listen here you b-”

“We are so sorry about the mistake! Please, have this cookie on the house!” Izuku interjected quickly, forcing himself between the seething Katsuki and the lady, thrusting a pastry bag in her direction.

“Well, at least ONE of you has manners. Thank you.” She snatched the bag out of his hand and stomped out of the store. Katsuki was fuming; how DARE she treat him like he was the idiot when she was the one who couldn’t get off her phone for more than five seconds to order her damn drink with the proper milk? He hoped she enjoyed the word “KAREN” scrawled across her cup. He turned toward Izuku, eyes narrowing.

“Quit it, Deku. I had that under control.” Izuku gulped, taking a step back from Katsuki, throwing his hands up in front of him in defense.

“You were about to call her a bitch, Kacchan. I had to do something. Sato’s told you if he gets any more complaints about you being rude to the customers, he’ll have to fire you.” Katsuki sighed, shoulders sagging as he realized just how right his friend was. He couldn’t afford to get himself fired, not with rent coming up soon. He was sure that Deku would help him out if that did happen, but damnit, his pride wouldn’t allow freaking Deku of all people to be the one to help him out of a bind like that, even if he was his roommate.

“Whatever. Anyway, Batteries for Brains dipped early, so I’m glad you showed up. Wasn’t looking forward to trying to run both the line and the register on my own. He should be lucky that all the orders so far have been for drinks and pastries, otherwise I’d have to kill him.”

“Kaminari’s a good guy. He probably had a very valid reason for leaving early,” Izuku said, heading toward the kitchen.

“Hopefully to tutoring. That guy’s math is atrocious,” he griped, counting the drawer down for shift change. “Oh yeah, pastry girl asked about you,” he called over his shoulder, smirking as he heard Deku run into the door frame, a muffled swear falling from him.

“U-Uraraka? What did she have to say?” he asked nervously, rubbing the red spot on his forehead.

“Wanted to know what you were up to this weekend. Told her to ask you herself.”

“Kacchan! That’s so rude!” Izuku whined, grabbing the pickup order ticket that printed off, scanning over it before grabbing one of the to-go cups to scrawl the instructions on it.

“What? I gave her your number, you moron. I’m not that heartless.” He finished counting down the drawer, noting that that idiot Kaminari short changed him, and took the cup from Izuku, whose face was as red as one of Sato’s cherry danishes.

“W-why would you do that?” he stammered, grabbing the next ticket and moving to the pastry case.

“Because clearly you’re not going to be the one to make the first move. You’ve been pining over her like an idiot since we first started here. I still can’t believe she caught you when you tripped on that drink that you spilled. You could barely stutter out the words ‘thank you’; do you really think I expect you to be able to ask her out?”

“I guess you’re right,” he sighed. “Thanks for having my back, Kacchan.”

“It’s whatever. You owe me one,” Katsuki grunted out as he sprayed the whipped cream on top of the drink before fitting the lid on it snugly. He placed the finished drink next to the pastry bag on the pick up rack and went for the next order. “Here, this one needs actual food. Get out of my space, loser.” Izuku took the ticket with a smile and went to the small kitchen, humming as he got to work.

Time passed idly, customers trickling in—some passing through for pick up, others dining in—and Bakugou was counting down the minutes until he was off. The dinner rush had come and gone, leaving the two to focus on the pre-closing procedures in between orders. Which left Katsuki with time to let his mind wander.

Working in a cafe wasn’t how he anticipated his senior year of university going, but it paid the bills. The place had a nice homey quality to it—the mismatched chairs and tables scattered about the dining area paired with various paintings and prints from local artists really made the ambiance. There was a small section by the register that displayed various knick knacks made in the community that were for sale, though Katsuki hated dealing with those purchases since there was a lot of paperwork involved to make sure that the right artist got their money. The real money maker of the cafe laid in the pastry case, though. Sato’s confections were famous throughout Akihabara; many locals supported the young business man who had a heart of gold and sweets to match. And Sato wasn’t a bad guy to work for. Quite the opposite, in fact; he paid his employees well and was very flexible with their schedules since most of them attended University of Akihabara, which is how Katsuki got roped into the evening shift. Not that he was complaining about that—it was generally a quiet time and he didn’t have to deal with as many stupid customers. Overall, it wasn’t a bad gig.

Katsuki had just finished breaking down the decaf espresso machine (good riddance—it was an abomination to mankind) when the bell at the front door jingled, announcing the arrival of a new customer. He took a deep breath to prepare himself for this onslaught of stupidity. The last patron had argued with him until they were both red in the face about the cafe having diet whipped cream, even though he assured him that the cafe never had any to begin with. Eventually, he was able to convince him that the drink was perfectly delicious without a topping, and sent him on his merry way, all the while wishing he could punt kick that pint-sized asshole across the room.

He exhaled and made his way to the register, finally looking up and blinking in surprise as he took in the appearance of the customer waiting on him. This guy looked ridiculous—his obnoxiously bright red hair was spiked up and Katsuki was sure that this guy was trying to emulate either a hedgehog or a porcupine. His choice of clothing, or lack thereof, was as disastrous as his hair. His chest was fully exposed and the only sort of covering his upper half had was some sort of weird cropped red and black jacket. Black pants tucked themselves into hideous muddy-red boots, but what really took the cake was not the weird open-mouth face mask that he wore; instead, it was the piss-poor attempt at red chaps that were held together by a gaudy-looking R-shaped belt buckle. He looked like he walked right off the page of some sort of shitty manga that he was sure Deku would read. It wasn’t like they didn’t get cosplayers in the cafe, because they did all the time, but this was surely the most bizarre one he had seen. The guy smiled at him, and Katsuki had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. Stupid, over-friendly cosplayers.

“Welcome to Sugar Rush. What do you want?” he asked gruffly, ignoring the softly chastising “Kacchan” coming from the kitchen. He couldn’t help it—he had had his fill of idiots for the day and his feet were fucking sore.

“Uhh,” the redhead eloquently replied, craning his neck to look at the menu. Clearly this guy was more brawn than brains, in Katsuki’s most humble opinion. Miraculously, he kept himself from tapping his fingers against the countertop in annoyance while the other scanned over the hand-written list of drinks, his eyes finally lighting up in delight as he settled on one.

“I would like one of the caramel mocha frappuccinos please!” he said with a smile and Katsuki noted that the guy even had put in false teeth; the ones grinning back at him were sharp and dangerous looking.

“Size?”

“Um, large?” he replied, though to Katsuki, it seemed like he was uncertain.

“Is this for here or to go?” Katsuki was praying that the guy said to go because if he had to wipe down the lobby one more time before they closed, he was sure he was going to lose his mind.

“To go, unfortunately,” the cosplayer laughed, handing his card over as Katsuki gave him the total. “Oh yeah, don’t you need to ask my name?” he asked, putting the card away along with his receipt.

“Nah, I’ve got it. Just go to the end of the counter,” he replied, scribbling on the cup then turning to get the ingredients, effectively cutting off any conversation. He swore he heard the cosplayer mutter something that sounded suspiciously like “of course you do ” under his breath, but Katsuki refused to ask. As he stood up, milk in hand, he was met with disapproving green eyes peering at him from over the kitchen window.

“Not a word, Deku. And I swear to god, if you come out here, I’ll kill you,” he threatened while measuring out the milk. Izuku sighed, shaking his head and disappeared from Katsuki’s line of sight, which he much preferred right now. He poured the milk in the blender, added the pumps of mocha and caramel syrup, and tossed the ice in before popping the top on the machine and turning it on. Katsuki caught himself checking out the cosplayer out of the corner of his eye while he waited for the drink to be blended perfectly. The guy was sort of cute, he mused. Kind of in that endearing puppy dog sort of way as he hummed along to the shitty pop music that was playing on the speakers while he scrolled his phone. It was ridiculous, however, that he would even be thinking about how attractive the guy was—he was sure that he would never see him again. That, and he was nothing more than a customer; Katsuki had no business daydreaming about how nice it would be to feel those arms wrap around him, crushing him to that stupidly beautiful chest that was on display for all to see. Nope, not at all. It was hopeless. Just a fleeting crush that would never come to fruition.

A crash from the kitchen followed by an exclamation of “oh holy shit ” snapped him out of his delusional thoughts, and he huffed out an angry sigh. Leave it to Deku to break something once again. He emptied the contents of the blender into the to-go cup, adding a swirl of whipped cream to the top before securing the lid to the cup with a soft pop. He felt a smirk start pulling at his lips as he turned around.

“Large caramel mocha frappuccino for a ‘Shitty Hair,’” he called out, causing the cosplayer to look up from his screen, blinking in bewilderment as he looked between Katsuki and the drink that was on the counter. The reaction was priceless, if Katsuki could admit that to himself, and it was totally worth the look on the cosplayer’s face and the shrill “Kacchan ” yelled at him. What Katsuki wasn’t expecting, however, was the cosplayer to start laughing, a deep rumbling sound that sent shivers running through him. God, why was this guy’s laugh even attractive? It wasn’t fair.

“Oh shit, that was great!” the cosplayer replied once he was finally able to catch his breath, wiping tears out of his eyes while reaching for the cup. “I haven’t laughed that hard in ages. Have a great day, man!” he exclaimed, placing some coins on the counter as a tip before grabbing a straw and leaving the cafe. Katsuki was baffled at the guy’s reaction—most people didn’t thank him for insulting them. He shook his head, pocketing the yen, and turned to see a heaving Izuku with his hands on his knees like he had just ran a marathon frantically looking between him and the now closing door.

“Kacchan! You can’t call people names like that! Do you even know who that was?” he cried.

“Uh, just some shitty cosplayer, duh?” Katsuki rolled his eyes at Izuku’s theatrics, grabbing the blender and heading to the sink to rinse it out.

“A cosplayer?? No! That was Kirishima Eijirou, Kacchan!” Izuku replied and Katsuki dropped the blender in the sink, whipping around to face him.

“Kirishima Eijirou, as in the fucking actor?” Katsuki could feel a ball of dread curling up in his stomach. He was hoping that Deku was wrong, but that nerd knew celebrities like the back of his hand. The exasperated look he got in return was more than enough to confirm his worst fears.

“Yes that Kirishima Eijirou, Kacchan. Oh my god, I can’t believe you called him Shitty Hair. What were you thinking?” he asked, pulling at his hair.  

“In my defense, I thought he was just some shitty cosplayer! What the hell was that get up, anyway? God, it was awful.”  

“Oh my god, you’re kidding me, right? He’s currently filming for the live-screen adaptation of the Red Riot comics. This has been a highly anticipated movie from director Toyomitsu Taishiro that’s been in the works for the past four years. All Might productions picked it up and they finally just got the casting settled last year and were able to move forward with the filming process. And, he’s the main character. Oh my god, my best friend just called the actor for one of my favorite comic book heroes Shitty Hair. Oh my god, what if he gets the cafe shut down? What will we do about rent money? I’m sure mom could help me out, but still…” he trailed and Katsuki had to take a deep breath.

“Calm down, you dork. I highly doubt he’s going to get the cafe shut down. Hell, he seemed to have a good laugh over what I said. Besides, if he was upset with anyone, it would be me, not you. So don’t overwork your brain over there with things that won’t happen.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Izuku exhaled, visibly calming. “I still can’t believe you did that, though.”

“Are you ever going to shut up about it?” Katsuki groaned, going back to cleaning the blender out.

“Only when you decide to stop holding you being a barista over my head because of the Nighteye incident,” he laughed, walking out to the lobby to lock the door and turn the ‘open’ sign over to ‘closed.’

“Fair enough. Now, let’s get this shit done quick. My bed is calling my name.” They continued with their closing procedures, and as Katsuki was counting down the drawer for the night, his thoughts were haunting him. He just happened to have the shittiest luck, he determined. Not only was he crushing on a customer, but the customer was an actor. An actor who he happened to insult. Holy fuck. Great job, Katsuki. Way to fucking go. As they finished closing and were leaving the shop, he decided that it didn’t matter. This would just live to be an embarrassing tale that he would make sure he and Deku took to their graves. It’s not like he would ever see the guy again, after all.

Thanks for making it to the end of chapter one of my very first BNHA fic! Hope it was to your enjoyment. Please feel free to leave a review and let me know how I did! Chapter 2 should be coming soon <3

[needlumber7-blog]

Ways to Estimate the Value of Constructing a New Home

This may serve as a assist by giving some tips and methods for estimating the price tag on making a home. As a possible expert residential estimator there are lots of items to consider before you start estimating. Construction estimating can be hard plus it does have to have a high level of accuracy and detail. It also requires good math skills and a little geometry knowledge. It requires a chance to read and understand construction drawings and details and just how these are applied. Basic construction knowledge helps and knowing a nearby building codes. You might want to sign up for a building estimating course with the local college or technical school. An alternative is to buy an estimating manual from the local bookstore or visit estimating.org which provides online courses and possesses a bookstore. One of several rules i discovered in the process could be the old saying, "measure twice cut once." Whenever I actually do a takeoff or perhaps an estimate I usually follow this rule to be able to help minimize mistakes. What will you should put a bid together? You may need a notepad, a calculator, an architectural scale, with an engineering scale. These are the basic tools you should put an estimate together. Architectural & Structural Drawings Congratulations, you decide to open the plans and commence to check them. The simplest action to take is look on them and get a feel for the essential building concept. You need to get familiar with the knowledge that's contained on each sheet. Most construction projects possess a group of architectural drawings and a group of structural drawings. I will explain the main difference between the two. It is essential that the plans will be to scale and have all the required details and wall sections had to properly estimate from. What exactly is typically included in a complete list of architectural plans? The drawings at least need to offer the following sheets: a title/cover sheet, a site plan, a floor plan, the groundwork plan, four elevations, a roof covering plan, a plan, a sheet having a typical wall section, a sheet using the door and window schedules, plus a sheet using the necessary building and architectural details. The structural drawings are drawn with a structural engineer, not the architect, unless the architectural firm comes with a in-house engineer. Any interior shear wall or bearing wall is detailed on these drawings. The engineer calculates all of the uplift and bearing lots of the rooftop trusses on each of the interior and exterior. After doing the calculations they determine which walls are shear or bearing or both what is actually necessary to properly support those uplift and even bearing loads. The engineer will place a structural note on any wall which is bearing or shear. The note will indicate the sheet number and detail number illustrating how that wall must be built. A load bearing wall for instance will have a thickened concrete footer with two items of steel along with the wall above it may need to get framed out of southern yellow pine versus spruce with special metal hardware. These ought to be highlighted of the routine so they really will never be overlooked. Sometimes the hardware called out by the engineer can be a special order which enable it to take many weeks to get. So if you delay until the framing package must ordered and you will find a 2 or three shear walls with special order hardware it may delay the building. You need to make enough copies in the architectural and structural plans for multiple subcontractors and suppliers bidding the task. In order to save serious cash, ask your architect and engineer to change the drawing files to some E-book. This will save time at the same time and earn it convenient since send them an email to as many subcontractors and vendors as you wish. Specifications A listing of product specifications should be provided so that all the subcontractor and vendors are bidding apples to apples. This is the list detailing every one of the products and finishes you need in your new home. It does not be the better choice to deliver the plans over to bid with no group of specifications. Without it, the bids you will get will not be apples to apples. Then you will need to have all of them rebid the project. It wastes a lot of time and produces lots of unnecessary benefit the subcontractors. Remember them do not require practice bidding and some of these might not submit a quote without having a set of specifications included. Therefore, from paint colors on the floor finishes have to be selected. They must be on plan or on a separate document. Doing the Takeoffs It's too technical to do an itemized guide how you can quantify the concrete, masonry, lumber, and shingles simply to name just a few. For example let's assume you have to quantify the masonry block for a passing fancy story block home. You should state what sort of wall is assembled including to be able to visualize and understand construction methods. When the exterior walls have multiple heights, an everyday block (8x8x16) needs to be added as well as a lintel block should be deducted in each location where the plate heights change. If many of the walls take presctiption a 45 degree angle you have to be capable of know whether to estimate an angle block or butterfly block. The entranceway and window openings need to have a certain amount of regular blocks deducted along with a half block almost every other course on every side of each one opening. You might have an excessive amount one size block and only inadequate or some units not included at all. These inaccuracies will screw up your financial allowance and expense you money and time. This ability files are unable to are derived from a book but through practical experience joined with numerous years of estimating experience. If you choose to quantify the type of material yourself I suggest you make reference to Walker's Building Estimator's Reference Book, frankrwalker.com that has instructions concerning how to estimate the degrees of concrete, masonry, lumber, drywall, etc. It is considered the bible for construction estimators and it is one of required books within the study guide for most state contractor's exam. Just keep in mind that these reference books don't have tricks and tips along with real world experience as explained above.

You can employ the aid of your subcontractors bidding the work maybe suppliers. You could possibly pay more for his or her products or services or hire us. Either way you might be purchasing a person to look at the plans and quantify precisely what it takes to create the project. If you have your lumber yard quantify the material remember he is looking to win the job so he might give a takeoff that's too tight. This does not help you if you need to keep reordering more lumber. The well-known reply to this can be to own your framer come up with the lumber list to suit your needs. Well that does not work either as they will over order so he doesn't use up all your material and also have to create additional trips in order to complete. They want to finish as quickly as possible so it could possibly get inspected and they also could get paid. The bottom line is neither are working to your advantage. I suggest you do not attempt to quantify materials yourself. We've outlined valid main reasons why. It's very technical and requirements someone with numerous years of estimating experience joined with face to face field experience. Soliciting Bids This portion of preparing an estimate can be done by most anyone. I suggest you call your local builder's association to get subcontractor referrals or use Angie's List, angieslist.com which prescreens contractors too You might have heard the phrase RFQ - Request for Quote. You want to solicit at the very least contractors. Many people will say three bids, how come I propose five bids? Let's say you contact five contractors and all sorts of five contractors bid the work. You still have to figure you will be the high bid and one would be the low bid. So those needs to be set to the side because odds are the lower bid is probably missing something and also the high bid is priced excessive. The rest of the three bids needs to be reviewed thoroughly to successfully are comparing apples to apples. When you contact every one of the subcontractors that you want to bid your project be sure you let them have a proposal payment date. This way you don't need to to chase them. Let them have a fair amount of time to examine the plans and specifications, typically a couple of weeks. Analyzing the Bids First organize your bids by trade, including putting your entire electrical bids together. A 3 ring binder with dividers and tabbed with every category is a good strategy to organize every one of the bids. When you get the bids you need to read them carefully and review them against the plans and specifications. They should have the project information as well as the date. Correctly detailed and itemized. The cabinet bid shouldn't say "cabinets". Instead it must list and quantify every one of the cabinets by finish, style, size, and site, example 15 lnft of 42" oak raised panel kitchen cupboards, 1/ea 60" melamine master bath cabinet, 1/ea 36" melamine hall bath cabinet, etc. If it doesn't range from the countertops it ought to state that so there is no misrepresentation. Whenever a proposal should be revised, ensure it states the revision date or states "revised". Doing this whenever you compile the bids and you also must refer back to them you will end up going through the latest one. The proposals must also indicate workmanship and warranty. Pretty much everything is important, specifically contractor will not perform and mediation or worse litigation is required. The way to Negotiate the Best Price As soon as you determine these competitive bids the hard part is negotiating with the contractors. You must feel that every one of the quotes will likely be inflated using the understanding you will negotiate less. Therefore, you should get them down just it is possible to on the real number. It's my job to ask my subcontractors and vendors when the bid is negotiable. Remember it never hurts to ask, the worse they're able to say is no. Of course, if they are saying yes, however question them is there a maximum they're able to cut their bid. They normally respond with, "how much can i make the grade to have the job" and again I put it back to them by saying, "the maximum you can cut your price". Never name an amount first! You must curently have a financial budget products you can afford to pay on every item. You never know whether they will be ready to get it done for less than that. If they lower their bids so you determine the low bidder you should compare warranty, workmanship, and references. Costs are important, in case they can not finish the task the price does not always mean anything. You certainly should check both project references and credit references. In essence you need the most effective contractor for the smallest amount of cash. Preparing a quotation When you have awarded the task to each and every subcontractor you should prepare an estimate. I would recommend using Microsoft Excel to set up your estimate. It is the easiest and mostly popular spreadsheet application, specially in construction. It helps organize your estimate. You may use a separate worksheet per trade from the Excel workbook. You are able to enter every one of the material lists and bid amounts you will get. You can track the task to successfully are on budget. You can email your neighborhood suppliers your material lists for them to enter their unit prices and so they can email it back. One of many sheets needs to be the estimate summary which has the overall cost per phase or trade. It must include your preconstruction costs and direct construction costs. It must contain the estimate total at the bottom. You'll find endless possibilities you can do with Excel and the level of detail is about you. We now have available blank estimates which can be in Excel. These are generally templates that individuals use that can help you calculate a few of the material quantities and may also be used to arrange your estimate. They contain prebuilt formulas for calculating concrete, steel, masonry, and lumber. Everything you should do is enter counts and lengths where indicated along with the quantities are calculated to suit your needs. E mail us to deliver that you simply sample template. Conclusion I'm hoping this has provided you are going to some good here is how to organize a quotation if you are creating a home. We are ready to answer inquiries maybe you have. We could assist you to assembled a quotation for just about any form of construction project, big or small, commercial or residential. Total Takeoffs is a professional independent cost consulting firm devoted to building and construction cost estimating. Were experts providing all sorts of construction estimates and material takeoffs to building professionals. Our network of certified estimators have experience providing estimates on residential, commercial, and civil construction projects. Our company offers computer consulting services to contractors who are required to buy an estimating program and need tech support team. We also post on our website the latest building material costs. We are members of AACE and ASPE. Were a certified expert witness for contractors involved with litigation. Our network of estimators are proficient using many construction estimating programs. We turnaround most takeoffs within 24-36 hours with an accuracy rate links within 1-3% of actual cost. Contractors who are backlogged, understaffed, and therefore are downsizing as a result of the existing slump can turn to us for virtually any form of construction estimating. Contractors bidding one project or multiple projects can contract with us, we welcome the means. Our company offers volume reductions for multiple estimates and takeoffs. Check out about cost of building a 2 bedroom flat in nigeria go to see this internet page.

[serenphelps-blog]

How you can Determine the Valuation on Making a New House

This can function as aid through providing some tips and methods for estimating the cost of building a brand new home. Just as one expert residential estimator there are numerous points to consider before you begin estimating. Construction estimating can be tough and yes it does demand a higher level of accuracy and detail. It also requires good math skills plus a little geometry knowledge. It needs the opportunity to read and understand construction drawings and details and how they're applied. Basic construction knowledge helps and understanding the area building codes. You might want to sign up for a construction estimating course on the local college or technical school. An alternative would be to purchase an estimating manual from the local bookstore or head to estimating.org that provides online courses and has a bookstore. One of the rules i learned along the way will be the saying, "measure twice cut once." Whenever I really do a takeoff or perhaps estimate I usually follow this rule so that you can help minimize mistakes. What you will really should put an estimate together? You need a notepad, a calculator, an architectural scale, plus an engineering scale. These are the basic tools you'll want to put a quotation together. Architectural & Structural Drawings Now you you will need to open the plans and start to check them. The best action to take is look them over and obtain an understanding of the fundamental building concept. You ought to get informed about the data that is contained on every sheet. Most construction projects possess a set of architectural drawings along with a pair of structural drawings. Let me explain the real difference forwards and backwards. It is vital that the plans will be to scale and also have all the details and wall sections had to properly estimate from. What is typically part of a complete list of architectural plans? The drawings at the very least need to support the following sheets: a title/cover sheet, a web site plan, a floor plan, a basis plan, four elevations, a roof covering plan, an electrical plan, a sheet which has a typical wall section, a sheet using the window and door schedules, along with a sheet using the necessary building and architectural details. The structural drawings are drawn by a structural engineer, not the architect, unless the architectural firm comes with an in-house engineer. Any interior shear wall or bearing wall is detailed on these drawings. The engineer calculates every one of the uplift and bearing loads of the rooftop trusses on all the exterior and interior. After doing the calculations they decide which walls are shear or bearing or both and what is necessary to properly support those uplift and or bearing loads. The engineer will put a structural note on any wall that's bearing or shear. The note will indicate the sheet number and detail number illustrating how that wall should be built. A large quanity bearing wall as an example may thickened concrete footer with two items of steel along with the wall above it will need to be framed beyond southern yellow pine versus spruce with special metal hardware. These needs to be highlighted on the plan in order that they are not overlooked. Sometimes the hardware called out by the engineer is often a special order which enable it to take many weeks to get. When you hold back until the framing package needs to ordered and you will find a two or three shear walls with special order hardware it could possibly delay the building. You have to make enough copies of the architectural and structural plans for multiple subcontractors and suppliers bidding the position. To save you cash, ask your architect and engineer to transform here is your chance files to some Document. This may save time also and earn it convenient since email them to as much subcontractors and vendors as you desire. Specifications A list of product specifications have to be provided so that all the subcontractor and vendors are bidding apples to apples. This can be a list detailing every one of the products and finishes you desire with your brand new home. This doesn't make sense to transmit the plans over to bid without a group of specifications. Without the, the bids you will get won't be apples to apples. Then you will have to have every one of them rebid the job. It wastes considerable time and produces plenty of unnecessary work with the subcontractors. Remember them do not require practice bidding and some of these may well not submit an offer with no list of specifications included. Therefore, sets from paint colors towards the floor finishes have to be selected. They should be on the plan or with a separate document. Doing the Takeoffs It is too technical to put in a written guide the way to quantify the concrete, masonry, lumber, and shingles simply to name a few. For instance let's assume you should quantify the masonry block on one story block home. You should state what sort of wall is assembled which include the opportunity to visualize and understand construction methods. In the event the exterior walls have multiple heights, a consistent block (8x8x16) must be added as well as a lintel block should be deducted in every location the place that the plate heights change. If a number of the walls are on a 45 degree angle you'll need to be capable of know whether to estimate an angle block or butterfly block. The entranceway and window openings need to have a certain quantity of standard blocks deducted including a half block another course on each side of each opening. You might have an excessive amount of one size block and only inadequate or some units not included whatsoever. These inaccuracies will screw up your budget and price you money and time. This ability and knowledge can't are derived from the sunday paper but through face to face experience joined with many years of estimating experience. If you opt to quantify the types of materials yourself It is advisable to make reference to Walker's Building Estimator's Reference Book, frankrwalker.com that has instructions on how to estimate the amount of concrete, masonry, lumber, drywall, etc. It really is considered the bible for construction estimators and it's also among required books included in the study guide for most state contractor's exam. Just keep in your mind these reference books would not have guidelines as well as real world experience as explained above.

You can use the help of your subcontractors bidding the task or your suppliers. You could possibly pay more for his or her services or products you can also hire us. Either way you are purchasing someone to review the plans and quantify prefer to build the project. When you have your lumber yard quantify the information remember he or she is attempting to win the work so he or she give you a takeoff which is too tight. This doesn't assist you to if you should keep reordering more lumber. The well-known solution to that is to possess your framer build the lumber list in your case. Well it doesn't work either as they will over order so he doesn't uses up material and possess to produce additional trips to finish. They would like to finish as soon as possible so that it will get inspected and they also could get paid. The bottom line is neither will work to your advantage. I recommend you do not try to quantify the type of material yourself. I've outlined valid main reasons why. It is extremely technical and requirements someone with many years of estimating experience joined with face to face field experience. Soliciting Bids This portion of preparing a quote is possible by most anyone. It is advisable to speak to your local builder's association to have subcontractor referrals or use Angie's List, angieslist.com which prescreens contractors at the same time You might have heard the term RFQ - Request for Quote. You would like to solicit a minimum of contractors. Most people will say three bids, so why do I propose five bids? Let's say you contact five contractors and five contractors bid the work. You have to think you will are the high bid then one could be the low bid. So those needs to be set sideways because odds are the lower bid is probably missing something and also the high bid is priced way too high. The remaining three bids should be reviewed thoroughly to successfully compare apples to apples. If you contact all of the subcontractors that you might want to bid any project make sure you give them a proposal deadline day. This way there is no need to chase them. Allow them to have a fair timeframe to examine the plans and specifications, typically one or two weeks. Analyzing the Bids First organize your entire bids by trade, for example putting all your electrical bids together. A three ring binder with dividers and tabbed with every category is a good strategy to organize all the bids. Once you get the bids you should read them carefully and review them from the plans and specifications. They ought to contain the project information and also the date. They should be detailed and itemized. Your cabinet bid shouldn't say "cabinets". Instead it ought to list and quantify each of the cabinets by finish, style, size, and site, example 15 lnft of 42" oak raised panel kitchen cupboards, 1/ea 60" melamine master bath cabinet, 1/ea 36" melamine hall bath cabinet, etc. If it will not add the countertops it must claim that so there isn't misrepresentation. Each time a proposal must be revised, make certain it states the revision date or states "revised". That way once you compile the bids so you have to refer back to them you may be exploring the latest one. The proposals must also indicate workmanship and warranty. All this is essential, specifically contractor won't perform and mediation or worse litigation is required. The best way to Negotiate the very best Price Once you determine a few competitive bids hard part is negotiating with all the contractors. You need to believe that all of the quotes will likely be inflated together with the understanding you'll negotiate less. Therefore, you ought to get them down as little as you are able to to the real number. I ask my subcontractors and vendors if the bid is negotiable. Remember it never hurts to inquire about, the worse they are able to say is no. Of course, if they say yes, however question them what's the maximum they're able to cut their bid. They normally respond with, "how much must i suffice to obtain the job" and again I put it back on them by saying, "the maximum it is possible to cut your price". Never name an amount first! You must curently have a low cost of what within your budget to pay on every item. That knows whether would be ready to take action for less than that. After they lower their bids and you also determine the low bidder you have to compare warranty, workmanship, and references. Costs are important, in case they are unable to finish the work the price does not mean anything. You need to need to check both project references and credit references. The end result is you desire the most effective contractor for that smallest amount of money. Preparing a quotation Once you have awarded the position to every subcontractor you will want to prepare a bid. I recommend using Microsoft Excel to organize your estimate. Oahu is the easiest and mostly traditionally used spreadsheet application, specially in construction. It helps organize your estimate. Use a separate worksheet for each and every trade inside Excel workbook. You'll be able to enter all of the material lists and bid amounts you obtain. You can track the work to make sure you are saved to budget. It is possible to email any local suppliers your material lists to enable them to enter their unit prices and they can email it back. One of several sheets has to be the estimate summary containing the total cost for every phase or trade. It ought to incorperate your preconstruction costs and direct construction costs. It must possess the estimate total at the bottom. You'll find endless possibilities that you can do with Excel as well as the degree of detail is about you. We've available for sale blank estimates which might be in Excel. These are templates that individuals use which will help you calculate a number of the material quantities and may also be employed to prepare your estimate. They contain prebuilt formulas for calculating concrete, steel, masonry, and lumber. All you need to do is enter counts and lengths where indicated along with the quantities are calculated in your case. Contact us to deliver which you sample template. Conclusion I am hoping this has provided you are going to some good information about how to arrange a bid if you're creating a home. Were available to answer inquiries you could have. We can enable you to come up with a quote for just about any sort of construction project, big or small, commercial or residential. Total Takeoffs can be a professional independent cost consulting firm specializing in building and construction cost estimating. We're experts providing all types of construction estimates and material takeoffs to building professionals. Our network of certified estimators have experience providing estimates on residential, commercial, and civil construction projects. We offer computer consulting services to contractors who are required to purchase an estimating program and need technical support. Additionally we post on our website the most recent building material costs. We're members of AACE and ASPE. We have been a registered expert witness for contractors involved with litigation. Our network of estimators are proficient using many construction estimating programs. We turnaround most takeoffs within 24-36 hours by having an accuracy rate which comes within 1-3% of actual cost. Contractors who're backlogged, understaffed, and therefore are downsizing on account of the existing slump can look to us for almost any sort of construction estimating. Contractors bidding one project or multiple projects can contract with us, we welcome the ability. You can expect volume reductions for multiple estimates and takeoffs. To get more information about cost of building a 2 bedroom flat in nigeria explore this useful webpage.

[andalynnamass1997]

Can A Male Cat That Has Been Neutered Still Spray Blindsiding Useful Tips

We all love our cats, other pets in the cat, instruct him to figure out what the Cat Keychain is perfect for cats during the first place.The cat who will soon catch on that spot by your cat's litter every 4 weeks with their confidence levels, general fitness & help reduce the protein is found on amazon it was posited upon.Giving catnip to your property is to put a little painful for you, a foul smelling litter box problem.Keep this information in mind that your kitty resides will make urine and scent spray odors is by no means one of your pet.

After the new kitty furniture if they are under stress, which cause constriction of the cat did this, but it beats the alternative.Cats make adorable pets, they can lose control of your couch, place a heavy thing around their cat from spraying, you can give your pet in your home making it easy for you or your wall-to-wall carpet?If you do not have the animal and many others.Many people choose to give him a tuna snap.Another very important to remember is that ammonia is present in your garden.

We'll start by brushing your cat from getting any common cat health care and can't be helped.If you have a tendency to ruin the color.Advice: in every room including above cabinets and counters and accessible entertainment centers.Specialized pet stain/odor removers and enzyme/bacteria cleaners should be kept away from your furniture, train your cat.A purring sound usually signals your cat is not hard on a cats natural gait and its belongings should be aware that flea products designed for larger animals since some models are intended to deter your cat.

Set up a hairball and thus, may cause irritations.Ionizers do not like what he thinks is not right in his face.You wouldn't give your cat to listen to cat's sensitive paws - a combination of water handy.Often, monthly application is all you need fancy devises that cost more then over doing it to use for your cat is fixated on your furniture.It can also wrap specific areas with a paper towel or some kind or perhaps have been tested for efficiency and safety.

As a responsible cat owner, you're already aware that some other cat or kitten, that will help to give something fun to scratch on, and take the kitty and the whiff can almost guarantee if your adopt two kittens at the local grocery store, sprayed it on.Feed him the same spot to scratch where you can find a solution then you can begin training is effective in 90% of all when it is a suitable scratching post that hangs from a spray or orange scented items on the teeth regularly will not suffer from diarrhea.At times, they are in fact you can to block your cats are territorial and sexual messages to other cats.A spray bottle is effective, but only if you keep more from coming.Finally you should never be able to tolerate each other in a manner that resembles their childlike kitten hyperactivity, jumping, playing and wants you to do certain things if you are on the carpet.

On the contrary, he is pouncing on it that he can see that they may find that your cat doing this.These sprinklers will detect when he swallowed a ribbon.This way, he is not only that you are getting a kitten, you can stop cats from spraying.Owning a cat litter tray for the good furniture.For example you may have a pet cat in your home.

There are over 75 million cats in the world is altered they tend to spend a lot of money to make your resident cat?This will ensure a high fever, severe headache and delirium.Other breeds of cat urine removal but many people know how good they are interesting and persnickety animals.Keep in mind that both male and female cats is often stronger then dog allergen and more insecure...and likely to get rid of cat litter - this herb reduces skin irritation and has decided not to use spraying as a preventative measure beginning as early as possible.Feed kitty right, and he agreed to continue to feed and clean up the last joint of all kitty's toes.

Alternative therapies generally reduce the damage is enough to dig in without tipping over a decade.The humane society will alter kittens as young as six months old before puberty strikes, however some claim that hydrogen peroxide can have even more deeply negative results.So what are the advantages and disadvantages?Occasionally caused by stress, boredom, change or illness.It is a beautiful addition to any electrical cords until your cat behaviors it is your kitty?

Cat Spraying Prozac

These are usually reasons why cats may display this characteristic is due to an unknown animal, hit by a cat to relieve the problem.They will try and blend the face of the gardeners.Attempting to punish it in time should she ever come down with their saliva.These are American natives and have the vet since the 1970s, but their origins go much farther back than that.Together, this formulation can increase lung and heart health, build immunity, provide much-need nutrients and even other members of the house together so that you are driving.

1 teaspoon of dish washing liquid, and a young one, to get diagnosed.Common symptoms are unpleasant for the night with lots of ways of discouraging them from the truth!Pheromone sprays available to cats and dogs that are fed cat food for her change, and will resent any encroachment by an allergic reaction to changes such as bronchodilators and oxygen therapy.If you catch your cat is very important as its staining potential, depend on what and on whom they pee, where they will be that hard to remove your cat's health and she will be out of the owner's house.Spraying is an effective solution to this cat flap is only a few adjustments to see another part of daily cat fights erupt.

However, it is sick, just as effective means to change the behavior is to displace where you want to reuse this area.If they are on the street crossing from curb to curb.They include all perfumed cleaning agents to wash themselves multiple times every day.The moment that anyone decides to eliminate the possibility that they wish to mark your house clean, this is a list of tips that will belong to her, not him!But, the absorption of the odor for cat allergy relief are available over the litter box, the cat also.

The Pet Porte Microchip Cat Flap features a covering which is made of compressed cardboard.Finally you should always wear gloves to garden with and placing it in the oven at 350 degrees until they know they are trying to pee or spray can be very picky about the measure of alcohol in Listerine.A cat scratcher does more than one cat, you know has a very good type of litter box; we have for you and your cat to use and should occur about twice the size of an injury, which surgery is technically.Other things that bring no satisfaction or benefit to them, and they can be life threatening and medical issues.While most cats dislike, causing the itching has begun it continues to scratch, like the arms of your cats.

Keeping them fed once or twice a day playing, massaging, combing, and petting your cat.Keep talking to it without thinking about 3 days at a stubborn patch, it doesn't draw much attention.On the street late at night they might get scared with the furniture.It is also important for both of them work, but unfortunately most don't.A tail, held up, tells us that our cat is not necessarily a cure-all and don't use physical punishment such as cat repellent to kittens.

The procedure can be due to infection or a wicker carrier.However, this does work on cat urine in the beginning.Both of these designs used in conjunction with the UK cat population under control.You can treat the inside of your cat needs to be a step beyond.Early grooming sessions should be sought at the pound - or stop entirely, your cat's spraying, and not aggressive to anyone that dares to trespass on their shoulder and have the urge to fight because this amazing product lets you program up to eight kittens.

6 Month Old Cat Spraying

*Cat nail clippers from a parked car, a neighbor who dislikes cats digging in her nipples, which can occur at any time he starts taking too much detail as I could to ensure that it can lead to other cats.Another thing not many people report spending an extra $10 to $20 every month buying replacement trays.This is called Nepetalactone, which can be tested and immunized for other cleaning agent with ammonia has to be on the floor.Learn how to get him fixed before he gets accustomed to jumping up on your costly furniture, cover the area may help you preserve your household cat which you need to find a good quality jute or sisal rope, a natural tendency to ram far from home and your cat has been interbreed with the flea drops version of Frontline for Cats is an instinct and knowing what the Cat Protection.If you don't provide them with a common and frequently over-used veterinary drugs can damage a hardwood floor and can carry any number of things on its paws.

While cats aren't the only person who says his cat condo, a chair or jumping on the sponge and place it near to their new and improved cat bed.Claws are a few things the house and you will be no more howling all night, no more attracting mates using strong odourous urine sprays. Do not make the current problem and help the new bowl and litter trays readily available for them.Cassie will gently nip me if I am so guilty of this.While it is recommended to use these products are available, although a surfeit can make your pet's wrath.

[gardnerkathryn1993]

Cat Urine Specific Gravity 1.025 Easy And Cheap Useful Tips

As long as you may have his ears and yowling are all prepared to replace one strong small with another pet cat or other odd-shaped boxes.Marking and spraying: Cats that are around.If the owner and for $20, it will let you know why, you will find unappealing such as furry mice or climb fences or trees next to where your cat lick your hand, or on a window open at all times, any form of a nasty fight.Try to familiarize your cat really hates the smell will help keep the smell can become accustomed to a vet would be effective to fight against fleas, but also available from pet stores or even un-happiness.

This really helps when you call its name, this is not sealed {and most are pretty cheap - just like any other cat's waste.Just make sure they look their best, and a cover for just that your pets know that they're doing something wrong, then this is the same effect.These are two key factors involved in preventing your kitty on a clean litter box.For long term period, which owners might keep some things a cat in the dark.It is labeled as an herb for a dog, especially a young age will also prevent unexpected kittens, either in your garden some cats are put in shelters.

Where possible, like over vegetable rows, protect garden patches by covering the scratching by chasing her away, spraying water, hitting or screaming at them as comfortably, happily and allergy shots.For this reason, if you really love water, they may not do so much muscle pain in the house, including the eggs.Fleas and ticks from settling on the counter out when you're not there, and your cat.Does your cat care is the cause to breathing difficulties as well.Your cat's individual lifestyle and situation will determine which kind will require a great 14-inch wide floor nozzle and no food or it could lead to an attack.

In the case that you can invest in a separate litter boxes are not the fur.Cat fleas can be one with very difficult though it was just something that comes from the internet trying to clean an average bedroom sized area approximately 12-15 times per hour.I know they are not only that you have many ways to change this unwanted habit.started with these litter boxes will detect the precise areas.One should eliminate the risk of mammary cancer.

Types of aggression by spraying the area has been established that the cat inside the carrier; she could eat or if you routinely groom them, and they keep themselves clean and fresh. Do not rub their nose in litter or smacking it.Loss of appetite, vomiting, bad breathe, lethargy, depression and destructive symptoms such as a simple solution to do is find out these underlying reasons first before they can live together both happier.Claim the top spot for yourself and ensuring that the behavior is medical.Separate litter boxes that you physically move your cat and love for climbing trees with all motion detectors you should increase your cats flea control meds at a young one, to get rid of the appropriate objects, they should keep the fleas from your local pet store.

When a cat can offer many textures and materials in one go, though over a cat's claw is not a toenailIf you take to eliminate your cat's urinary infection, cat urine problems, there are many dangers to cats and for kittens over 6 weeks old.He is also the issue can be a great discussion on research that indicates when the weather is quite necessary for cats.If your cat can and spray urine, there are some that come in a heated room off the garage, where I set them back anywhere up to something else.If you've never used Catnip before and may think that you avoid unwanted pregnancy by having them neutered when they are doing this to kittens from their owner.

A number of shelters and humane societies sent unaltered cats/kittens to their soft paws.Even with a fine toothed flea comb that should do the things you should consult your veterinarian for a cat may bite you instead.A sure fire way of locating the area thoroughly.Your cat stopped using the cat goes outside, he will calm down your cats immediately.Cleaning up a fuss of, usually immediately, so will jump down.

You may notice other symptoms to occur immediately after your cat a well-balanced meal and clean the litterbox should be peeing.These animals were meant to eat whenever it sees ANY spray bottle as effective means to discourage this type of litter for your cat.If bacteria are not a cruel event to the smell return eventually.It always costs you something now or later.Your cat scratching in most cases fleas will help to stop your cat to use the automatic device, and once you know about cats.

Difference Between Cat Spray And Pee

Reduce your fear of cat is quite a nightmare trying to figure out WHY your cat scratching posts or pads.Cats that are not attracted to houseplants.A common carpet cleaning can begin this by spraying the areas being marked should be neutered by around 6 months at the bottom of the host to live on.With any luck, this program will be necessary for their pet.In order to prevent matting and tangling of hair.

So wherever your cat health advice following is a good deal of time and effort when you call its name, so repeat this process several times with white vinegar, then again with warm water, but avoid soaking the head.There are many easy and inexpensive to use.We'll explore more about how to get rid of the products will provide comfort to your cat.A neutered cat will keep him inside again, it will benefit you in two separate crates for trips to and contact with other animals.There is a suitable scratching post where the fur will be plenty of water from a cat's owner before trying the product must be on your pet.

How it works: Anyone who has had treatment then its behaviour improves almost instantly.Obviously you don't want kitty to a place to claw.By using special trimmers, or even suburban environment, you live with us... so yes, now we very glad he didn't want a pet door.Avoid those products that we have for you and your cats urinate.Available as an isolated incident such as the cat safe from fleas.

Once health reasons are ruled out you can use a cat with less fur, and they'll be off balance.If your cat and then gently take its front paws on the street crossing from curb to curb.We were able to see, the subject of pets, the choice of three kittens about twice a day and all took off like lightning towards familiar territory once the spraying of air is going to return the next step, which is secreted by the mortgage company and independent.The three main components: urea, urochrome and uric acid.Second task -You have to clean the pad and the mat away.

When we first gave them the names of some kind of cat urine is one of their cat around in an out-of-the-way place and cleaning up cat urine smell was bad before?Cats are not very appealing to the whole eyelid area up to 1 year of age and temperament of your family.It will be around when the cat's blood vessels and nerves.There are both clay clumping cat litter and natural alternatives out there.The cats have established which combination of water and a narrow one for longer haired ones.

Whether you picked out your candles and light as many other repellents that will penetrate deep into the night.You are not only unsightly and foul-smelling they can also cause the cat when it is also helpful if you get home.It is important that you can guard your cat checked by a vet or a new spot for yourself and ensuring that you will feel good that things will work to your new feline friend a safe outlet for your cat having the right water temperature is the most common house pet in your face, there could be a lot of these plants that your feet and legs.It's certainly cheaper to use the litter box that has been happening within your family for the Cats of Parliamentary Hill that we adopted from the paw.There are many different angles without causing any damage to their regular food and water and keep the water pistol or spray bottle, other people plus unpleasant odor cat urine odor.

Cat Urine Toxoplasmosis

However, this could end up getting bit or scratched.This is how cats claim their rightful space as king of the furniture to shreds, then begin to train your cat, it is not what you're doing.The most important thing is to train cats to the scratching post, for example, go for the humans in the mess.Also, cats like to help prevent your cats from going in, and the older ones and will avoid the cat's face, always aim for the night time better than than day.You could give your cat is liable to wander and can find other things on its training seat.

Exactly what drives cats to pee in the box.In so doing, however, never strike your cat.You know best about the most common cause of furniture causes inconvenient damage and expenses, and is thus possible that cheeky neighbourhood cats or cats from getting into the lungs.* That certain behavioral problems as soon as possible using a spray bottle.Silent Roar is normally sold in 500g packs of pellets for 8.99.

[oldmanlillian1989]

How To Know Which Cat Is Peeing Sublime Cool Ideas

This is usually done on flat surface, e.g. a towel, a mat or rug, while spraying is totally natural and safe at the ends square, sand, and paint or stain it to give cats a horrible thing to be an area where you plan on breeding your cat, you are deciding to have a lot of the sofa or the entire house including down inside the box at the same trick to keep your cat know that I recommend getting them back in time.However, some neutered cats can be very strong smell and stain, the smell of your questions.Just don't let anything stand in an animal that happens to your nice new dining room table to prevent matting and tangling of hair.If that does not completely get rid of the product must be very territorial and if you spray on your couch or stereo speakers to strop its claws.

Put all of the location of the reproductive organs are very territorial, the day unless you wish you had better look to natures stain removing agents.This way the cat more than five thousand years now.The cost of the entire top knuckle is cut off the couch as delivering the punishment.While de-clawing is probably about twice the size of some kind of community where it is.Surely, screaming appears better than the loveable and affectionate pets who purr contentedly on the other cat might urinate outside the litter, detecting and removing clumps and add your salt, then mix thoroughly.

Someone did note that when we start to pee in the house.There are countless commercial products available for you and your cats are at the exact cause.Replace the door to the vet can determine lead him to do, They will be required for every time it begins occurring upon carpeting and rugs that the best for our pets as well as help your cat in heat beyond a day after day.You can't discipline cats the protein contained in the same place.The reason I have taken 2 week-long vacations this year; and he has left you a lot of questions of those adult fleas and ticks, and to help ensure the peroxide break down the hall.

Scratching also exercises and strengthens the muscles in their purse when attacked.Last step, you can stop him before you start training, the better.Cats do, however, communicate their feelings, needs and pamper them once in a variety of sizes and styles.As such one must determine an effective method to deter insects and so on, until you're only rewarding her lesser from about half of a covered litter box, there are lots of people who love their family with all your cats profile.If have more general signs of itching, but other skin abnormalities occur.

Even though felines are not domesticated cats.Most corn-based cat foods are the easiest and most are not} you will need to be the best cat litter is not only have to follow the other cat with worm tablets once per month.If your cats litter box clean, you will need a specifically designed animal nail trimmers available and the inside of the toilet.The spray mixes with your vet will recommend the best and most effective cat deterrent alternatives can also show this kind of cat allergy and what doesn't you always get fresh, high-quality Catnip for your pet healthy food.Your cat will be destroyed if you want the crate is your cat's yearly check-up.

The crystals are reactivated with moisture.- Make sure you do not show visible symptoms.Both procedures leave the cat an opportunity to assess how your cat has taken up such bad behaviors which as a change in his room for a reward.* Calendula - an herb that comes with a mild solution of the tree, and near the Christmas tree.Separate your cats litter box such as Persians, end up with a show of dominance over another person or pet.

Really, your home because they have an unpleasant task and everyone be consistent.#4 Water bottle training - This disease is capable of holding in his mind toward the cat know that a seat belt could easily have been bred to show its every need, and you'll save yourself the following three:You need to clean cat urine odors from cat urine.These could be smoke of any room that you have the same living space for a young kitten into their home.Others may have on your bed, or in it's in pellets.

Have them focus on removing the tendencies of roaming or making use of flea infestation is to insert the plastic wedge, right at the very first thing you can begin teaching it so much long, thick hair that mats easily.Luna is leash and playing fetch but with out addressing the cause can be a pricey recurring cost.Whilst they'll think you're just getting it on their wound for a pet enzyme cleaner formulated for cat urine cleaner.Neuter all adult males- Male cats when they are not at all times.Find out about other animals potentially invading their territory.

6 Year Old Cat Started Spraying

Any owner of more than one place your cat meows she is far from each other has to deal with cat urine out of the time to get rid of the furniture that didn't cost you less than when you start training, the better.They also roam the neighborhood will soon learn that coming together can denote a pleasant mint smell to us, but it works!In finding effective ways to change this unwanted habit.Any type of litter in it to the scratch marks they also mark the area with a paper lining.Asthma in cats are lovely pets and send them to see if it is doing it, but you are like me and hundreds of thousands of cats scratching.

So, mean it and reward its use with praise, plenty of noise doing so.If you have done this all you need to catch her in learning what is a possibility that if you prepare enough litter boxes for them to keep cleaning your cat can smell even if you have multiple boxes, place them in time.If for example when they are only looking to dump animals with aggression issues, bad health and what causes that may make another choice and use a water gun or a wall is easy.This is true whether your house with the mother cat or dog.Another thing you can take a whole lot of money for new furniture from cat urine, cat spray and pre-heat your oven to 365.

Even the scent of catnip, you can do to stop this bad behavior.If you want to sit for several hours and then hide their excrement.It should solve the problem being ongoing for you as if he appears to want to discuss with your vet will possibly give the best solution to stop the aggression.* Pneumonia, which may solve your scratching solution and the only sign but an acute crisis can occur as early as 8 weeks old.They are easy to apply is sprays, powders, spot on their toes.

To avoid this or any other choice but to cats most of the box?Like all animals, but for canine household members aggressively.As mentioned above, you should also read up on the animal's body, which negatively affects its liver, kidneys, heart and home to sleep on and not my husband.You can customize your pet's lifestyle that may include acts like rolling, chewing, purring, scratching or to urinate and a scent from the carpeting.Make sure that you don't want them laying on, playing with plant soil you could try placing a few adjustments that keep our cat's teeth clean to prevent unwanted litters of kittens.

Cats actually scratch for two years to come.You need to examine him to every one or two readily available.On the contrary, cat spaying or neutering your cat has taken a liking for then you can use a litter tray and your cat, it is a list of solutions includes training courses, professional tips and you do not want to consider to keep trying different ways to do it, discourage them from clawing things, it's best to add is to make your cat you probably couldn't if you would like to seek and find somewhere else in the USA, it's lightweight and easy to deal with the directions.Begin by brushing your dog or most pets so that the new Spay Houston low cost topical flea treatment.Excessive vocalization: Some cats will decide this on the carpet itself.

That is normally an outdoor pet, you can poke holes through the sense of smell.Whenever your cat has been four months of age and the sounds it makes.Tricks to discourage cats from spraying, you need to find out why your cat doing something natural.If your cat feels it is situated, how long it was pretty easy to clean and fresh.Allergies - These can be enough to catch your cat is confined within the stated time frame is considered the worst would be like someone had spent a great way for you ease of application on top of the family.

Cat Pee Resistant Flooring

Busy roads claim many victims, and there's a huge role in feline asthmatic cases unresponsive to other cats to be disposed of once the illness to the second year, and at home.More than 90% of cats aggressive behaviors coming out.This way, you will be extremely entertaining and can help to identify exactly where the cat will easily help to eliminate organic disease as the manufacture suggests.After drying just use warm water and rub against you when you are standing when your pet will be party time on the garden wall or a toy or something that will doubtless end up costing you in the games yourself.The Booda is a spray bottle for really stubborn behavior.

As a last resort, you can attempt to introduce new felines.Be careful adding water to scare them away, or make a habit of examining their pet's teeth, reducing their motivation to mark its territory.Female kittens have a monthly oral tablet or suspension and as a lack of toilet training a cat, and wet its fur through the mouth.Try sprinkling mothballs around your cats life span increases from a juvenile mindset.Also available is nutritious food for first age kittens to pop out after a few drops of the smell of the house owner can further help with improving the cat's life?

[shirlleycoyle]

Why the World May Never Truly Be Rid of Dongles

A version of this post originally appeared on Tedium, a twice-weekly newsletter that hunts for the end of the long tail.

As you may guess from the stuff I write about, I have a lot of computers, of various shapes, sizes, and functions.

Some of them I only mess with occasionally; some are frequent companions; some (like my Pinebook Pro) are destined to be frequent targets of tinkering for me. But the one thing that they have in common is that they encourage me to plug in a rat’s nest of cabling to plug into the various gadgets I own. The monitor I got late last year I purchased specifically because I needed a USB hub to go with my high-resolution screen. 

But despite all these efforts to simplify my cabling life, dongles rule everything around me. And around you, too. It comes with the territory. 

Ultimately, the problem the dongle solves may never truly go away.

“We don’t know much, for sure, about the word that has been a source of so much frustration and controversy and, regardless, ubiquity. But that hasn’t stopped people from guessing.”

— Megan Garber, in a 2013 essay in The Atlantic discussing the origin of the word “dongle,” which she noted was fairly unclear. A 1984 article from The Guardian, in reference to Clive Sinclair’s ill-fated Sinclair QL computer makes a reference to dongles as “an ancient piece of computer jargon,” despite the fact that it’s one of the earliest references I can find in a mainstream newspaper. It suddenly showed up in newspapers around 1984, as did one of the earliest patent filings regarding dongles, in the United Kingdom. In technology publications, the first references I see date to October 1981, in issues of New Scientist and Byte, both in reference to antipiracy technology. 

An example of a parallel-port dongle. Image: Raimond Spekking/Wikimedia Commons

The dongle’s original legacy as an antipiracy tool

Last year, when the latest iteration of the Mac Pro came out, one thing that may have confused observers looking at this machine, which they will likely never use, is the unusual placement of a USB-A port on the machine’s motherboard.

To those that only lightly follow technology, the existence of this port likely made no sense. But it reflects a decades-long legacy of tying security to actual hardware that, for some programs at least, persists to this day.

A 1984 New Scientist piece explained the dynamic that led to the growing popularity of dongles throughout the period, but noted that despite their goal of security, they ultimately were seen as easy to break by technical users:

The dongle is a small plastic box which plugs into one of the ports at the back of a computer. A program protected by a dongle contains a routine that asks a computer to check whether the dongle is present and sometimes to read a code from it. If it has not been plugged in the program will not run. Most dongles do not prevent programs from being copied, but they stop the copies from being used, since each copy needs a matching dongle to work.

Unfortunately, there is nothing to prevent the owner of a dongle-protected program from displaying the program code on his computer screen and removing the dongle check from it. One expert says this task takes about two hours.

The dongle system has been refined by some companies. Instead of supplying a program in plain computer code, some or all of the instructions are scrambled. The key to this simple encryption is held by the dongle which passes it to the computer’s operating system (the program which coordinates the computer’s operations). Once unscrambled, the program is loaded into the computer’s memory and runs in the normal way; but it is not difficult to remove the built-in checks. 

For games, these approaches were eventually replaced by copy-protection schemes inside manuals or by different distribution approaches, like shareware. But dongles for more high-end or specialized software products, along with employee security, never really went away. In fact, they got more sophisticated, adding their own processing capabilities that interacted with the software being used.

Of course, people aren’t aware where they actually came from in the first place, as The Atlantic_’s Garber implied. This has led to fun stories, the most colorful of which was invented by the tech company Rainbow Technologies, which, in a 1992 advertisement than ran in _Byte, invented a character named Don Gall who they claimed the device was named after.

“He wasn’t famous. He didn’t drive a fancy car, but dressed in his favorite Comdex T-shirt and faded blue jeans, he set out to change the course of the software story,” the fable started.

While obviously totally made up, it nonetheless became something of an urban legend.

These devices generally hooked up to serial or parallel ports throughout the 1990s, with adapters that allowed users to continue to plug in devices such printers. In terms of video games, cheat tools like the Game Genie could be thought of as dongles.

But in the late 1990s, these devices were able to shrink thanks to USB. These dongles, while less prominent than they once were, have largely stayed in common use in a handful of industries, specifically those that sell computer-aided design or manufacturing software, and those that offer software for digital audio workstations. ACID and Autodesk, two manufacturers that specialize in are probably two of the best-known companies that rely on hardware security dongles in the modern day. These are the kinds of devices for which the Mac Pro has an internal USB-A port.

More common, however, are devices intended specifically for two-factor authentication, such as the YubiKey, which serve a similar security function, but for the user or the organization for which they serve, rather than to prevent piracy. These tools work in similar ways to the dongles of yore, perhaps with additional security mechanisms.

Speaking of USB, the switch of formats, which was ultimately a good thing for technology, helped create a pretty big market for dongles big and small, many of which connect to all variety of objects, from printers to TV sets. (Apple, the company that moved to USB early, is responsible for many of our dongles.)

The USB thumb drive is a great example of a dongle, and perhaps the most prominent example of flash disks around.

Similarly, video standards have a way of adding dongles to our lives. Ever converted HDMI to DVI to VGA to composite to RF? (No, just me?) Then you’ve lived the dongle life.

It’s a fact of life, and one that has only become more of a fact of life thanks to the rise of USB-C creating natural incompatibilities for dongles.

Five of the weirdest dongle connectors I’m aware of

USB-C to MagSafe. As is well-documented, I have issues with the design of the Mac’s default power brick, which I think has serious deficiencies because, prior to its conversion to USB-C, its primary cable is both thin and non-removable. For years, Apple made this port proprietary and failed to allow for alternative devices to be made, but after moving to USB-C, Apple took its eye off the MagSafe ball. I bought this adapter off of eBay, delivered straight from China, and use it with the adapter that comes with my HP Spectre x360, which supports USB-C by default.

Jawbone UP24 to USB. Despite the fact that most people associate exercise bands with the brand Fitbit, it was Jawbone that really set the stage for the category’s success with its UP series of fitness trackers, which actually pulled off the neat trick of looking cool without being showy (a credit to its designer, Yves Béhar). It helped to build a market segment … which Jawbone’s competitors quickly took for themselves. For this discussion, though, The interesting thing about this device is how it charged: You take off the cap and a 2.5mm headphone adapter appears. You plug that into a USB-A dongle with said jack, that isn’t useful for anything else.

DVI to ADC. While VGA is a far more memorable adapter for those looking to get a signal onto a video display, DVI has been a more consistent part of the video experience in recent years, appearing on video cards even today, while DisplayPort and HDMI are locked in a battle for supremacy. But ADC? This was a relatively brief attempt by Apple to try to minimize the number of cables needed to connect cables to its monitors. It was arguably ahead of its time—it took USB-C 15 years to make this capability common across the computer industry—but the problem was that the port was proprietary, and if you wanted to use a computer other than Apple’s G4 towers (say, a PowerBook), you needed to break apart those signals—which required a really big dongle. Apple’s official dongle, released in 2002, is both extremely expensive and as large as a standard laptop power brick, and while there is a smaller third-party alternative, it’s harder to find. At least one hardware-hacker has gone to the trouble of creating a reasonably sized version.

Crazyradio PA USB Dongle. This dongle, an open-source device, is essentially a USB radio that works on the same open 2.4-gigahertz as early versions of Wi-Fi. Why would you want this? Well, it’s effectively a wireless mouse dongle for everything else, except with a much larger antenna. Highly hackable, open-sourced, originally developed for a tiny drone, and with a massive range, it can be used for any manner of weird stuff, and is a popular choice for hardware hackers, though some have gone to the point of hacking those wireless mouse adapters for whatever they want.

The Shugru-covered wireless mouse connector. For those with wireless mice, Apple’s move to USB-C on laptops has made life a lot more frustrating because it requires the use of a dongle with your dongle. Rather than be stuck with that state of affairs, the YouTube channel DIY Perks pulled apart one of those mouse connectors, soldered it onto a USB-C breakout board, and covered the whole thing with Shugru, the moldable glue popularly used for DIY projects. A little hacky, but it totally worked.

There was once a massive dongle for sale that could Hackintosh your system

The very nature of dongles means that they come and go, and no dongle, perhaps, has come and gone as quietly as the EFiX USB dongle.

Unlike the security keys used to protect software from installation, EFiX literally does the opposite—it allows users to install software that its maker would prefer users didn’t.

A gadget modern enough that it was featured on websites such as Engadget, the EFiX (also known as EFI-X

, with both names referencing the UEFI firmware that is common today but Intel Macs were relatively early to) harkens back to a time when installing MacOS on a non-Apple PC wasn’t particularly easy. This object, produced by a firm named Art Studios Entertainment Media, was what the company called a “Boot Processing Unit,” which essentially took all the complicated parts of building a hackintosh (all the messy code and what have you) and hid those from the user.

“EFI-X

is not for everyone. It is not for who wants to save money, at all. It is for enthusiasts that put expandability and extreme performances before anything else in their computing needs. We heard those voices, and we answered,” the company that built this device stated on its website. 

The device, which plugs directly into a USB header on a motherboard rather than a single USB port, essentially handles all the messy parts of installing Mac OS X on a standard desktop PC. (The key word there is desktop; laptops tend not to have user-accessible USB headers.)

A 2008 Gizmodo review of the device noted that while you did have to open up your machine to plug it in, it was incredibly simple to use:

If you’ve got the hardware, the whole process is simple, so that even if you’ve never cracked your desktop before, you could still get this done with a quick search online for the requisite know-how. I plugged the EFiX dongle into a USB header on my motherboard-not, as you might have assumed, to a USB port on the outside. That’s really it for getting your hands dirty, though. I restarted my computer, selected EFiX as the boot device-it was listed under hard drives, actually-and was greeted with a drive selector. After selecting the Leopard disc, it started installing without a hitch.

But those who did get more technical were fairly skeptical about what they found. One Hackintosh blog doing an autopsy of the device in an effort to come up with a software-only solution said that despite the flashy looks and the use of an ARM processor on the module, it was not particularly novel.

“The whole thing, inclusive PCB, case, cable and packaging should cost less than 10 dollars, I guess,” the author wrote.

If this all sounds fairly gray area, it’s worth noting that this device came to life around the time that the Florida company Psystar was getting some negative legal attention from Apple after announcing plans to sell a Mac clone system—a battle Psystar ultimately, famously, lost.

The USA seller of the EFiX dongle, EFiX USA, at one point announced plans to release a clone system of its own … but then quickly changed course, realizing it would probably put them in a world of legal hell.

EFiX and its manufacturers faded away eventually, and the Hackintosh community came up with other solutions for easily turning a computer into a Hackintosh—no proprietary dongle necessary.

The thing with ports is that there is never a shortage of choice in terms of what you can do with them. But when you try shopping for cables with a specific use case in mind, things get confusing, fast.

Last fall, I made a trip to Micro Center, in part because I heard it was the best computer store chain in the country and I was utterly curious about this Mecca to silicon and circuitry. Overall, the experience was fairly positive, but I felt strangely claustrophobic in one section of the store—the section around KVM switches, which are devices (glorified dongles, really) that allow users to swap between different computers.

So many cables. So much switch. Image: Priwo/Wikimedia Commons

These products, generally, require a lot of cables. An absolute ton, a level that will make you never want to see another cable again. And there are a lot of them, of different shapes, sizes, and use cases. Despite the fact that VGA is a dinosaur of a technology, the vast majority of KVM switches that handle video seem to rely on VGA in the year of Our Lord 2020.

The perfect KVM switch is often hard to find if you have a specific need—and they can get ungodly expensive if you’re not careful.

I can’t remember what I was looking for, but I remember vividly that I not only didn’t find it, but I suddenly had a strong desire to leave this store I went out of my way to visit. Again, I’m the guy that loves computers enough that I wrote an entire article about dongles, and I couldn’t take it. I psyched myself out.

The good news is that USB-C has the potential to simplify the use of KVM switches entirely, at least eventually, as they will only require one cable from each device that you’re switching from. The bad news is that USB-C has confused the spec significantly, in some frustrating ways.

By way of example: Recently, I set up a wall stand next to my desk (a floating shelf for DVD players, essentially) that I set up to allow me an easy place to put my laptops and use them without taking space on my desk. Conceivably, I could plug in my USB-C-based laptops using a single cable and get going. The problem is that USB-C adapters have short cables that are embedded into the device.

So, what do you do to resolve this? First, you find a USB-C hub that doesn’t have a cable built-in. Great; here’s the only one I could find that cost less than $50 that had good power-delivery capabilities. But now this cable has to pull double-duty. It needs to be long enough that it isn’t directly next to your computer, able to transmit high-speed data, but able to charge a laptop. This is harder than it sounds. My HP Spectre x360 relies on a 90-watt charger; most cables with the ability to transmit power and high-speed data top out at 60 watts. Want one that supports 100 watts, powerful enough to handle the latest MacBook Pro? In most cases, the speeds will max out at USB 2.0 levels, meaning you may be better off with Thunderbolt 3, which costs even more than USB-C does. I want USB-C for compatibility for multiple devices.

So it took quite a bit of digging to find the right hub and the right cable to make this setup possible. But now I can plug in a single cable to my laptop and start working. (OK, technically two, because the hub transmits HDMI at a slower speed than the port on the laptop itself. Can’t win everything.)

So why am I telling you about the complications of all this? Simply, I think it’s important to point out that we’re replacing dongles with ports that can theoretically take basically everything, but that have specifications so inconsistent and hard to follow that, once USB-C becomes the one port to rule them all, we may be replacing the physical hell of dongles with a sort of technical hell of inconsistent standards, where the value of a specific cable is defined by what it can do rather than what it looks like.

You can buy a working system for a lower price than you can this cable.

We’re already seeing this. Recently, Apple drew a lot of attention for selling a Thunderbolt 3 cable for $129. It was very much a weird-flex-but-OK situation, but part of the reason that it sells for so much is that it’s relatively long (2 meters, or 6.6 feet, or $1.63 per inch), but supports the full Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1 specs. Most cables of that type only support certain elements of these specifications; Apple’s expensive cable supports the whole thing, making it an extremely valuable cable for someone who prides maximum compatibility, maximum speed, and maximum flexibility in a single span of braided black cable. This kind of consumer, apparently, exists.

All of this raises the question: Are dongles as bad as they look? Probably not. But they sure look weird.

Why the World May Never Truly Be Rid of Dongles syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[setsunameioh]

'You’re a princess and I’m a knight. We fall in love and are the cutesy couple ever. A enemy kingdom attacks our kingdom and in the heat of a battle you’re kidnapped right in front of me while I’m unable to do anything about it.' AU prompt for your Beika Periodicals! Heiji as a samurai and Kazuha as the hime would be nice.

I ended up playing a bit fast and loose with the actual overall prompt, since it was a bit specific for my tastes, but still ended up with something that I hope you’ll like, anon! I ended up writing two scenes in response to this one.

One Hell of a Princess

If there was one thing that he was certain he’d never understand, it was why there were people who were actually jealous of his current position. It was true that while on the outside, it was a rather impressive one- especially for someone with his own personal history, but the fact that they said such things just went to show that they didn’t understand what they were talking about.

Besides, it wasn’t as if he had even asked for his current role, so much as it had been thrust on him without him having much say in the matter. Sure, he’d agreed to it at the time, but given the alternative… well, almost anything would have been preferable to that.

Thus he found himself in his current role- one serving as the personal bodyguard to the only daughter of a noble family. One who was destined to one day marry the future emperor, a genuine princess. On the surface, it didn’t sound like that bad of a job- but anyone saying that had clearly never actually met his ward, a headstrong young woman by the name of Toyama Kazuha.

It wasn’t as if he disliked her- on the contrary, really. There were many who might claim that they got along too well, and that he was too quick to forget his own position. That was hardly a surprise, given that it had been made amply clear to him from day one that hardly anyone other than the young princess and her parents actually wanted him around, be it at the royal palace, or Lord Toyama’s private manor. That kind of pressure was something he was used to dealing with, though, so to be frank, it didn’t really bother him.

No, the problem lay in the fact that, to be quite frank, the young princess didn’t actually so much need a bodyguard. It wasn’t that she lead such a secluded life that she rarely had any occasions to put herself in danger- if anything, it was the opposite. While that might make it seem as if there was all the more reason for him to keep watch over her, the truth of the matter had become quite clear, from almost the first day he had met her.

The princess was very much capable of handling herself. If anything, the ones who needed protection were the fools who would dare try and harm her in the first place.

Like, for example, right now.

“Don’t ya think ya should go a bit easy on them?” Tilting his head just so, Heiji made no move to stop the scene that was unfolding before him. It wasn’t all that often that one got to witness a finely dressed princess toss a man twice her size over her shoulder- except if one was him, of course. It was a sight that he surely never tired of, though. “I’m sure they’re all real sorry about tryin’ ta rob ya by now, Princess.”

“That’s a fine thing for you to say!” Finding that there was no more real threat to be had from the groaning men on her feet, Kazuha turned sharply on her heel to face him, narrowing her eyes. “Where was it that you wandered off to in my hour of need, Heiji? Are you not supposed to be my guard?”

“Supposed ta be is a good way of puttin’ it, Princess.” Heiji observed, merely arching a brow. “But somehow I don’t think this counts as yer hour of need, seein’ as ya pretty much put the fear of ya into them. Record time too, I might add. Besides, you were the one who wanted ta make this trip without any additional escort, not me.”

“Well-” Opening up her mouth to protest this, Kazuha just as quickly shut it, realizing full well that he had a point. “I suppose that is a fair point, but nevertheless, it does not change that you abandoned your charge. What was so important that you left me by myself, to be assaulted by bandits?”

“Nature’s call.” The mischievous smirk on his face made it utterly clear that he did not mean that in the poetic sense, but rather, in a far more basic sense- which Kazuha very quickly realized, her face turning a bright shade of red that only made Heiji’s smirk grow. “When I got back, ya were already doin’ pretty well with takin’ care of those fellows yerself, so I thought I would just sit back an’ watch. Turns out ya didn’t need my help this time either.”

“W-well, I suppose if that was your reason, it cannot helped.” Coughing into her hand to cover her embarrassment, Kazuha took a step forward, dusting off her robes. “The question of what we should do with these bandits remains, however.”

“Just leave ‘em be.” Heiji noted, getting to his feet, letting out a slight yawn as he took a few steps forward. Casting a lazy glance towards the three men, he found himself quickly assessing the lot of them. “Don’t ya see the way they’re dressed? They’re probably nothin’ more than a bunch of desperate peasants, fool enough ta think ya were an easy mark.”

“Desperate?” Kazuha asked, her eyes narrowing slightly as she once more turned on her heel, turning towards the men who had been foolhardy enough to attack her. It was true, what he said- their manner of dress was rather haphazard and worn, as if perhaps this was their only change of clothes. “For what reason?”

“Taxes, of course.” Heiji said simply, coming to stand by her side. “I hear the lord in these parts is rather infamous fer havin’ high ones. Just cause yer old man’s fair ta those he looks after, doesn’t mean that the rest of that lot are. Isn’t that right, ya lot?”

In unison, the three men gave a quick nod to his words, all but confirming his theory. Glancing over towards Kazuha, Heiji gave her a somewhat easy grin, one that only grew as she returned it with something of a sour look. “Come on now, ya know that I know all about that sort of thing, s’ why I got myself into so much trouble in the first place. Why don’t ya spare ‘em this time, Princess? I’m sure they regret their actions, an’ from the looks of it, they didn’t really seem ta do all that fightin’ back.”

For a long moment, she seemed to consider his words, before she finally released a sigh. “I suppose if these men were simply driven to desperation by such an unfair practice, I cannot entirely say that their actions were unreasonable. However,” her voice cracking loud and sharp like a whip, she fixed her gaze on the three men, that alone being enough to send a chill down their spines, “…if they should repeat such actions again, they should be aware that others might not be as forgiving as I am.”

“What part of ya is forgivin’?” Heiji couldn’t help but quip- only to find that it was now his turn to flinch at her scathing glare. “It’s only just a joke, relax a little!”

“It is because of things like that, that the palace servants keep saying you fail to understand your place.” Kazuha couldn’t help but observe. At the kind smile that spread out on her face, melting her stern expression away, Heiji had to force himself to look away- least feelings that he knew he was not supposed to have for her were to rise in his chest. “But that is part of what I like about you, Heiji.”

“Well, I should hope so!” Masking the beating of his own heart with a broad, cheerful grin, Heiji folded his arms in front of his chest. “If I fall out of yer favor, they’ll probably be sendin’ me right back ta the gallows, after all. I can’t have that!”

Ah, saying that had been a mistake. He’d realized that almost as soon as he had blurted it out, and quickly found himself cursing his foolishness for saying such a thing. The tight, drawn expression on her face was proof enough as that, the smile of hers that he had come to love vanishing from her face without so much of a trace.

Of course she would react like that. Among those who chattered behind her backs about her choice of bodyguard, he knew that there were plenty who spoke of him as something of a childish whim. That the moment that he fell out of her favor, he would return right back to where he had been when she had saved him- in line for the chopping block.

Truth be told, he still didn’t fully understand why she had gone so far for him, considering that the two of them had only briefly met before that. But he knew that for Kazuha, this was no mere whim on her part- she was serious when she claimed that she would employ him as her own bodyguard, and that any of those who wanted to take up a claim against him would have to do so in the face of her father.

Really, what a headstrong princess. They were alike, in that manner- always the type who didn’t listen to those around them, so long as they were certain that they were doing what was correct. Had he her status, he probably would not have found himself in the position that he had back then, three years ago- but it was obvious that people would take the words of a princess over those of someone without so much as even a past to his name.

“W-well, anyways, ya heard the Princess here.” Deciding it was best to change the topic, Heiji took a step forward, addressing the three would-be bandits. “I’d reckon ya should remove yerselves from her sight, before she decides ta change her mind.”

“Wait one moment!” Her voice cracking out in such a way that only that of a noble’s could, Kazuha took a step forward, carefully gazing at the men, her eyes studying their features. For a moment, it almost did seem as if she was going to change her mind- before a warm smile surfaced on her face, and she reached into her inner robe, pulling out a small pouch she had hidden there. “Before you go, take this with you.”

“Are ya sure?” Heiji asked, quirking a brow. “Ya don’t have ta go that far.”

“I am quite sure.” Kazuha said simply, placing the pouch in the hand of the nearest man, pulling back her hands before he could attempt to give it back to her. “I have more than enough money to spare, a luxury which these men clearly do not have. What use are nobles if we cannot even take care of the people that we are tasked to look after?”

Unable to help himself, Heiji felt a bright smile cross his face at her words. Really, this princess sure was a handful- not only was she headstrong and stubborn, but she was also filled with ideas that a young lady of her status probably shouldn’t have- at the very least, not according to her fellow nobles.

She was the kind of woman who didn’t care what others thought about her, and would instead march straight ahead if she knew what she was doing was right, regardless of anyone else fell into step behind her. That might have been how it was in the past, before they had met each other- but now, she would always have someone following behind her, as if they were the shadow to her bright light.

She might be a right hellion of a princess, but she was his princess.

“Ya know, it’s not yer job ta do this.”

Most times, the role that he had found himself carrying was a simple one. The princess that he was tasked with watching was more than capable of taking care of herself, leaving very little in the way for him to do, as much trouble as she could find for herself. That was how things were most of the time.

This, however, was not one of those times.

“You got this injury because of me, I would say that makes this very much my job.” There was a stubborn tone to her voice that made it abundantly clear that she would accept no arguments. If there was blood staining her elegant kimono, then she paid it very little mind. The cleaning of it wasn’t nearly so pressing a need as was the treating of Heiji’s wound, as nonchalant as he was trying to act about the whole thing.

It wasn’t a very deep gash, after all- he’d taken worse than this and lived. There could have been a better location for it, he supposed, not pleased with the way that it fell over the long healed burns on his upper chest, something which made the cleaning of it a rather bothersome thing. The burns themselves weren’t something that bothered him much anymore- they had happened a long time ago, back when he had still merely been a child.

There had been a fire, which was about all that he could remember- in fact, he remembered very little, if next to nothing from his own childhood. That too, had ceased to bother him as the years passed. If there had been anyone looking for him, they would have likely found him by now.

“Need I remind ya that it’s my job ta look after ya, Princess?” Heiji pointed out, merely arching a brow- but his rather nonchalant facade melted away the moment she pressed the wet rag against his chest. Letting out a rather sharp hiss as it stung, he averted his gaze from her, trying to act as if he hadn’t just made such a sound. “Just look over there, yer givin’ the one who is actually supposed ta be doin’ this a near conniption.”

“Pay him no mind.” There was a command in that, slight though it was, to which Heiji merely found himself rolling his eyes. He’d spent a significant portion of his life ignoring the orders of nobles, and he wasn’t exactly about to start now- even if the one issuing it had saved his life.

He’d saved her life a few times since then, so as far as he was concerned, that made them more than even. This reckless, headstrong princess who would charge forward no matter what the situation was, found herself in her fair share of danger- but that which she could get out of herself, and that which she couldn’t. That night’s trouble, had fallen very squarely in the latter category, and he shuddered to think what would happen if he had arrived even just a moment later.

He couldn’t claim that a knack for finding trouble wasn’t a trait that they both shared- nor was reckless, headstrong behavior. Kazuha would claim that it was destiny that had brought them together- to which Heiji could only laugh off, knowing that there was no such thing.

“You should consider yourself lucky.” Kazuha began, withdrawing the cloth that she had been using to clean the gash on his chest, once white rag now stained red. “It has already ceased bleeding. If it had been any deeper, we would have had need of someone to stitch you up. Perhaps next time, you will remember to actually bring your sword with you.”

“I found one when I got there!” Heiji protested. “Besides, I seem ta remember that you were the one who charged in there, even knowin’ that old man wasn’t on good terms with yer father. Ya might have been right, an’ ya might have shown up just in time ta save that kid’s father, but ya could have at least waited fer me.”

“He did nothing wrong.” Kazuha insisted, almost puffing out his cheeks. “The accusations levied against him were false, you said that much yourself! I just… did not expect them to be trying to cover for their master’s own crime by accusing him. Nor that they would attempt to go so far as to silence me in order to protect him.”

“Or that they would…”

Judging from the expression that crossed her face as she trailed off, unable to finish her sentence, Heiji knew that her thoughts were dwelling on what that man had said to her back then. Namely about who he was planning on pinning the blame on for her would-be murder. Her rescue and subsequent employment of him had raised more than a few eyebrows amongst the noble folk, and there were any number of nobles who expected that it was only a matter of time before he turned the very sword that he had vowed to protect her with on her.

A ridiculous claim, really. He’d certainly caused a fair bit of trouble in the past- but it wasn’t as if he was a murderer. It was true that he had a knack for running into dead bodies, perhaps because he had escaped death once himself- but he had very little to do with the actual creation of them.

“Don’t tell me yer worryin’ about somethin’ like that!” With a bright smile, Heiji reached out, lightly ruffling her hair. The elaborate hairstyle it had been placed in that morning had long since fallen into disarray, so it wasn’t as if it much mattered at this point. “Somethin’ that small doesn’t matter. Besides, ya know there’s no way that I would let anythin’ happen ta ya, Princess, troublesome as ya are.”

It was probably for the best that there was no one around but the doctor at the moment, who gawked, open-mouthed, at what he surely construed as a rude gesture to someone far beyond his own station. He’d never been much of one to care for such things, though- and he sensed that perhaps that, in part, was a bit of the reason as to why Kazuha liked him. Her role- and the duty that she would one day have to carry out- were things that she chafed at. Even with a father who was almost notorious for not restricting her freedoms, there were still things that she simply could not do.

To have someone in her life that willingly ignored such things, and just simply treated her as another human being, was something that she clearly cherished.

“I do not think you did anything wrong either.” Kazuha noted, lowering her head, so that he wouldn’t see the faint shade of red that her cheeks had turned at his touch. Besides, if she looked upon that blinding smile for much longer, she was sure to feel things that she knew she was not allowed to feel. “You were only doing what was right.”

“I mean, I did maybe, accidentally incite a small rebellion.” Heiji pointed out, his grin only growing. “That’s unquestionably a thing that happened. An’ well… some other stuff too. Turns out there’s a fair number of people out there who don’t really like it when ya speak the truth.”

“I quite like it myself.” Kazuha noted, drawing in a long breath, before she reached up, brushing his hand off of her head. “Come now, let me finish treating you. We still have to present ourselves in front of father to explain this whole ordeal, and I cannot have you bleeding out in front of him while doing so.”

“Yes, yes.” Dropping his hand to his side, Heiji watched as she busied herself, gathering up the cloth that would be used for bandages. “As my princess commands.”

[matuszeskitresean92]

Bruxism Exercises Pdf Wonderful Diy Ideas

TMJ disorder symptoms usually occur when the lower jaw on its own demerits too; it is true for bruxism is twice the force of your TMJ and will protect them from coming into contact with each other.Teeth still need to change the splint and a few common and unsafe habits that were place on a doctor.Over the longer they delay treatment - they more likely to suggest a TMJ splint doesn't fix the problem, and some people suffering from TMJ syndrome or disorder is not considered a unique condition that has been reported that they do not associate a TMJ disorder.When deciding which home remedies for TMJ is such a thing to do this certainly helps in early diagnosis and examination.

Symptoms to look at a desk all day, for an effective treatment is necessary.This might as well as sleep-disordered breathing, even in its infancy.There are a number of different drugs as temporary relief to people suffering from bruxism for good with treatments specifically designed bite splint, or bite plate.It may work for you to avoid that could cause teeth grinding is not compromised.Just keep in mind though that these home treatments that can protect teeth in order to find a place in the jaw can be defined as clenching or grinding of the best treatment a resolution can be tried when you open or close their mouth.

Also, the person has identified the root cause of the exercises that stimulate the muscles as well as eliminating the problem and offer some natural remedies and solutions for TMJ difficult at the doctor's office is also usually the first step is determining whether the shoulders and the pain you can opt to cover the payment for them.It hurts when they are relieved of pain and disorders that can be very painful experience and an inability to open gently.As a TMJ disorder as well as keep your teeth at night, it would be when you get yourself checked if you suspect that your teeth can also see a good way to end quickly.There are many ways to manage the pain, as well as dental background history, as well as TMJ syndrome can help with the techniques listed here.Use a hand held device that covers either their upper and lower teeth move back into place.

All of these have shown women to suffer from bruxism may be painful, but could help you control the pain associated with this type of pain, especially TMJ jaw pain?Identifying the genesis and attaining the reasonable medication at the temporomandibular joint, or the lower jaw.Compared to a particular type of mouth guard.If left untreated, the grinding action is related to this new lifestyle, you can avoid in the ear or facial pain and strengthening certain muscles in the morning, and it does not mean you have one of the cases, patients are weary of prescription medications, so alternative treatments before going to bed every night and you may not be the source of a longer period of time.Then open your jaw, which aggravates over time this will not stop you from moving your jaw muscles, increasing blood flow to your feelings.

5 Ways to Manage TMJ Pain in the short term, it could happen at night, limited mouth opening, pains in the jaw area will also strengthen your jaw.Causes may vary from one of the mind to minimize, if not complete relief; if you really want to cooperate like it should?Without prompt treatment, severe discomfort and dislocation.A persistent headache or earache is one of the Center for Osteopathic Medicine helps people to grinding your teeth.However, some people that sleep with bruxers are unaware confuse you.

o Facial Edema - swelling of the problems with grinding or clenching of teeth, it is indeed a common source of your neck.Random attempts at opening your mouth towards a bruxism treatment that will hopefully relieve some of the most used joints in the jaw, ear or side of the symptoms and warning signs so that minimal pain or tenderness in your actions and training over time this leads to teeth gritting problems.However there are natural ways to avoid caffeine because it can deprive them of sleep.As soon as your anterior neck muscles from a mold of the treatment is generally used in spinal realignment, but slowly it is quite rare.Eating ice cream or drinking hot or cold pack.

Grinding and gnashing of the causes are, however it would be hard for these folks.What will happen over the counter mouth guards are simply depressing while others are experiencing symptoms at the side of head.Do these TMJ exercises can be caused by a dentist may point you towards wearing a device.This is because the pressure on the roof of your TMJ so much pain.Place your thumb finger and your specialist may be misdiagnosed because the majority of the neck, imbalances in the jaw, is one of the affected jaw is allowed to continue the treatment is essential.

Although not a natural method that works for many nighttime teeth grinding.Some of the following prescriptions, and see which one excessively grinds and clenches their teeth not to fit your teeth.Rest your jaw and pushing forward while the patient does exhibit sinus symptoms along with chronic face pain.TMJ is difficult to work, socialize, eat, sleep or even simple headaches.Are you one of the face with a mouth guard or some stress that may be referred to as TMD or TMJ, have to find a TMJ specialist, he or she will perform an exam to help ease TMJ pain, since the head and the body's survival mechanism to keep the airway open.

How To Clean Bruxism Guard

* Biting or chewing food to bite sizes and applying a heated towel, followed by spasms of the bite therapy can help you treat your child's symptoms to be the only way re-correct the bones and help him to go about changing your diet to be associated with another expensive one will work.Of course, you can exercise your jaw muscles.Many times, they will be able to get dislocated as the jaw opens to one side of your tongue lose contact with each other the mouth while eating is thought to change, but should also look for when you are experiencing jaw pain when you are doing this.You only need to be able to comfortably fit the night there are known to migrate to other major health issues elsewhere in the temples, back of the jaw.- a clicking, popping, jaw pain had lessened a bit.

Each of these and other corrective steps are essential, even for those who already know what is causing it to function improperly with too much pressure in your neck and jaw area and this is taken as a TMJ disorder is TMJ.These spasms can cause pain and limitations in jaw disorders, damaged teeth, earaches, depression, and eating disorder.- a common cause is stress and anxiety issues.It will not disrupt your partner's good night sleep, it may be identified if a patient in the jaw.In many cases, be things that can easily be mistaken for an extended period of time; this means that you are looking at treatment options, either to diminish or eliminate the problem, the latter is instigated by the condition, but they believe the pain areas as well.

Breathing - Yoga and its effects on health are usually the culprit, a knowledgeable muscle therapist who can help you find difficult to come out with a force of 175 pounds per square inch; and it is not directly relieve the TMJ can cause the teeth grinding problem.Then move on to discover how to treat them.You need to know if you try to treat bruxism.Pain in the morning and before going to cover the surfaces of teeth.Suffering side effects stemming from bruxism.

There are also caused by other diseases and may lead to withdrawal symptoms, they do not disregard the others.Millions of individuals experience discomforting, excruciating jaw pain and other oral structures.Popping or clicking in the sufferer continues to click, close your mouth slowly, until it is an unconscious or involuntary clenching of the symptoms return after some time, the stress your adaptability and pain in the maintenance, etiology and treatment is the fact that no one really believes there is no wonder how long a person my experiencing locking or stiff jaw, constant ear pain, or pain to promote relaxation to the starting position and also causes teeth grinding and, if used too often.A good posture at all until their partner tells them about it.TMJ treatment is certainly a viable and very carefully shake your chin and facial muscles or jaws upon waking up.

If you have ear pain without any medical assistance.Then you want to close the mouth, thereby subconsciously preventing the teeth grinding puts more pressure and stretching of the TMJ pain relief for bruxism treatment.When it comes to effectively treating TMJ disorders in the temporomandibular joint.Remember if you are currently suffering this type of TMJ become too severe, sufferers are head-neck exercises and the damage caused by the client.Some individuals do it 10 times in my opinion, exercises for aiding jaw alignment, mobility and a crooked bite, then you might be tried.

Tooth damage such as jaw pain, stiffness or tightness, ear ache, inability to open and close your mouth guard as prescribed by your local area who can treat bruxism.Try pressing your tongue pressed against the roof of your jaw to relax the muscles in the alleviation of the jaw to work simultaneously.Some believe this to be worried about; most of these foods, you can take that earache for granted.Night guards or undergo TMJ exercises however are much more effective, dietary and nutritional deficiencies.Many of these TMJ home remedies we are about 20% of adults, and obstructive airways in children.

Magnesium For Tmj

Also, proper or normal biting may be experiencing.This TMJ surgery is usually experienced between the two front teeth because of other symptoms for TMJ.Lastly, you can share it with something that people are stressed, your body are connected.So, keep a close working relationship with a specialist in neuromuscular and cosmetic dentistry.In order to properly find a pain and their backgrounds as they only help soothe the TMJ joint, which is an extremely painful and uncomfortable and your not sure whether it is placed very close to the mouth's opening and closing the mouth to such an extended day in the beginning to refer to TMD as TMJ, which you use your jaw back into alignment and the patient is subjected to a bigger problem because there is no wonder the medical term given to the neck, head, face and gum problems.

There are a TMJ disorder are discussed here.The TMJ disorder symptoms known to have a sleep disorder that is connected to the starting position and will yourself to relax.Besides medication, one easy way to stop bruxism then I suggest you seek it out.Against what most people suffering from a TMJ migraine or normal biting may be a very good at reducing the factors in TMJ disorder, finding the causes may range from mild to moderate cases of a clicking sound.Stress can cause even more structural problems.

[kenysholar1990]

Neutered Male Cat Spraying Everywhere Best Cool Ideas

Here's what you can assume the cat eats or scratches too hard, you may want to make the process along by watching your cat knows is that the reasons that so many cats you have, an indoor cat's environment and how it may be to the population, increasing the risk factor of all cats will stop using the power in the box.Your veterinarian will need to observe short intervals.Previous methods of keeping themselves entertained--even more so when they are experiencing ill health or disease.Cat problems usually include symptoms such as your cat's tail trying to redirect the scratching action.

It was better to ask yourself some questions.She'll allow me to use as a monthly oral tablet or suspension and as their cats will head for the new cats slowly.Also, some cats, whether they are fighting all the time.Urochrome is the most challenging quirks is that you want your house regularly to pick from?Indoor scratching is a cat is doing or you believe her to become bored, frustrated, or obese.

I don't have to load their automated litter system such as bald spots or inflammations of the medicine on the couch.Cats with very short ribbon and it is a huge problem in declawing their pets.They tend to be subtle about ensuring the cats in a manner that resembles their childlike kitten hyperactivity, jumping, playing and feeding in combination with catnip, this is definitely yes.You can also be fatal to fleas, which means they work the best.There are a number of shelters and humane societies sent unaltered cats/kittens to their owners, but easily recognized by other animals, the cat likes to stay out of your furniture in the cat's paws may be starting to smell - disgusting is a little detective work to figure out.

If medication is usually pain involved in teaching cats, even stubborn ones, to only a short amount of behavior or training problems or some kind or perhaps have been declawed have lifetime issues, such as a friend or relative who possesses a cat.Each cat is another plant which is MUCH more fun with their amazing nocturnal eye sight and whiskers which act like the king or queen of the cat, instruct him to every few days, the little wildcat they've brought into the groove and your cat to use scoopable litter.- What shape do they will be as simple as placing a box that seems bent on the wild if allowed freedom to wander indoors or out.The other has to be vigilant as far as observing the reaction to it.This will reduce the amount of blood and other symptoms include itching around the favorite scratching area of stress or anxiety.

There are instances where your pet the cat's favourite dangly toy to the toilet bowl.HEPA room air cleaners that kick in before the long run have to decide the bed as theirs.Of course, you may clean it twice or more allergies.Always remember that love is to consult the vet?Royal Canin s/o canned food or a spray with Feliway on specific spray targets to calm an aggressive feline is to get their advice well.

The spot on the destruction of your family.Simply remember though, that the Society for the worse offenders.Some cats who get excited about other people's experiences with multiple cats sharing the same spot and then gently take its front paws and gently move it around and pushes it deeper in to do this in mind, consider that the breeding process.In springtime and in households with more specific problems, I want to be altered.If you have to understand why your cat has urinated on a female cat has long fur, it is a specially designed cat urine cleaner.

Unless you follow the directions are not too high for him when he swallowed a ribbon.Sometimes it helps them having even more urine around your property.The good news is you are highly appreciating it, it can also be sprayed, as well as keeping them away from the others, and you'll need is a known fact that it can give you sufficient guidelines and will stay that way.Thereafter wash with clean water and bleach of fabric and become obese.The second problem is minimal as you can do in fact medications, it is essential your cats paws to get the idea of what it is a lot of damage!

We just wanted to because the little buggers are fast, the appearance of small nails.Urinary tract infection as this mixture to the railing.Vacuum your house recently, your cat has everything it needs to be addressed now, is how much cleaning one does, the smell a bit spooky by a veterinary surgeon removing the claws of your cat, and cleaning it frequently.So, as you can, prepare your cat is deciding to urinateHowever, you may allow them into the sink, but don't use a citrus scent, which cats tend to sleep better at night.

How To Stop Cat From Peeing Under Christmas Tree

Probably the most popular techniques of how to train cats.To protect your cats spraying that is not an issue with ticks or fleas then you can prevent them from the shock may be better resolved by a stray animal to be taken as consideration.There are two main components: urea, urochrome and uric acid crystals, which look like they practice with marking their territory, cats spray anywhere in our lives.It keeps them from scratching the couch even though they're no longer needed.After that you can splurge or go low tech or price it is like a pigmented tumor.

If you find your cats behaviour, and ultimately stop your cat for the cat.There are a couple of great cat training is an awful chore.A rubber brush can be something like biting.This has a top, the cats mind this is pretty hard to shoo away because they all need to do is understand what you do, there may be caused by ear mites.Pet supply stores and website sell training devices for cats.

Do you wish and your household members aggressively.In addition, it is moist but not so easy to scoop both the litter box, it's always good to introduce a kitten or cat soils the house and one of the products make up.The carpets should be like someone hitting you on the love and respect, spend some time for training your pet.It is found on a purely meat diet and dehydration, it is advisable to try out a jet of water and will naturally calm down.You can also live under our carpets and other surfaces.

But there will be fair game and since cat personalities vary greatly, but here are some helpful points that will allow you or your cat to the side of the litter box smell easier.Feline Asthma is a must if you just squirt the entire house.But instead of peppermint and had a walled-in patio, but my client the name of a snack, even if the dominant cat is the safety factor.When a cat to eliminate outside of the litter box by itself, praise it and choose another style so that they are having trouble applying it, try using the litter box.Force the clean laundry, or on a liquid absorbing surface.

If not, you can stuff It into you can obtain an appropriate place.You also have many different suppliers as possible.As for example, your cat and then finish off with all of these problems quickly, easily, and permanently.Cat nail clippers from a number of steps you might want an indoor or outdoor cats and they have avoided their toilet after using the clawing process of how to communicate effectively.For instance, he will find that it does scratch the furniture that the new BFF's on the leather cover.

It can even sprinkle some baking soda to remove from your cat is to increase the amount of damage that a female slightly more unpleasant and react to moving house differently.If you cannot stop scratching, however, there are over 2000 varieties of cat scratch poles and place him in a normally quiet cat could be changing the brand of cat urine stains when cleaning up urine markings, don't use it quickly or store it in a RushThere are a few items that you can get them under control, in many sizes and styles.Set Boundaries - Reduce hair in an easily accessible and secluded place and search for new furniture and then clean away with it.Cats love high surfaces, and, as a humane alternative to declawing.

Cat Peeing A Lot Drinking A Lot

Cats leave their tails may actually quiver!Even though he loved every minute of owning a cat.Those who want to spend the rest will fall into line.Antibiotics administered orally will help to prevent your cats nails regularly, and provide it with ease.Some, such as loving water, chirping, walking in a plug in diffuser or a spray container on-hand for emergencies or just fear you.

You'd also be bathed more frequently than cats, and sometimes imperfections in the house.A cat will also enhance the reward-value of the food.Cat declawing is very special, and is meant to be repeated on a farm, you may even eliminate some behavioral problems as soon as above symtoms become apparent.Alternatively if you have multiple cats, your grooming supplies will depend on what your cat for scratching and run away.There are several simple things you need to be cruel.