#any way i have an appointment tomorrow morning; lets hope the payment plan they offer doesn't kill me

[fallingbyjuleecruise]

how is it even possible that the doctor's office can't give me a rough estimate for how much a standard visit w labs is going to cost me? like what a fucking joke

[jalapeno-princess]

Car Troubles

Mechanic Jaebum X Reader

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 6K

Summary: Your car has been acting up lately, but you’re too stubborn to do anything about it. However, your best friend BamBam suggests you take your car to a mechanic and gives you the contact of his friend JB. When you take your car in to JB’s shop, you find yourself immediately attracted to him. You thought that he was just going to fix your car and that would be the first and last time you’d end up seeing him, but oh were you wrong.

A/n: Hey guys! So this was requested a while back and if I’m being honest, I’m kind of iffy with how this turned out I can never do JB justice :( I hope you enjoy! (This was actually written based on my first experience with a flat tire. Luckily I live in Hawaii, a lot of the locals are some of the sweetest people and they won’t hesitate to help you if needed plus we have a bunch of auto repair shops almost anywhere you go so before I could freak out about having to do all this unnecessary shit, I literally drove less then two minutes down the road and BOOM I was good PLS CHECK YOUR TIRES)

“Damnit! This is the third time this week my car overheated. I don’t get it. I put coolant inside every single time, so what’s going on?” You and your best friend BamBam were currently on the way to the grocery store to buy some snacks for the movie night you both had planned from the beginning of that week. Unfortunately, as you were about to turn in to the shopping mall, your car gave you a warning that it was overheating. 

BamBam couldn’t help but let out a chuckle; he’s been telling you for months to save up some money and to sell the piece of junk that you call a car in order to buy another one but you always gave him the excuse that it gets you to and from your location just fine so there’s no point in spending thousands of dollars to get a new one. 

“You already know what I’m going to say so I don’t see a reason to waste my breath.” You rolled your eyes and scoffed as you pulled in to a parking stall. BamBam was right and you didn’t understand why you were so adamant on keeping your car, especially when the cost of maintaining it was more expensive than getting a new one. It’s just that you didn’t want to have to deal with another car payment and everything else that came with it on top of your college tuition and rent. 

“Have you ever actually taken it in to an auto repair shop to see if there might be something wrong with it? I’m sure there’s more you need to do to it rather than constantly putting in coolant. Who knows, you might even be making things worse by doing so. Hey, why don’t you let my friend JB take a look at it? He’s a mechanic and he owns his own shop. What? What is that look for?” You sent him a knowing glare as the two of you got out of your car and made your way towards the store. 

“The last time you introduced me to a friend of yours I almost broke my ankle.” BamBam giggled at the memory of his friend Yugyeom teaching you how to dance and you tripping over his extremely long legs. 

“Hey, it’s your fault you have two left feet. Yugyeom is an amazing dance teacher, you’re the one who can’t dance. Ow—okay I deserved that. But I’m serious about JB. He knows his stuff. He’s been fixing cars since we were in high school and I’m sure he’ll give you a discount since you’re friends with me. Just say the word and I’ll give him a call. You can even search him up and read his reviews if you don’t believe me.” 

You contemplated his offer for a few moments before releasing a frustrated sigh and nodding in agreement. There wasn’t any harm in having him take a look at what might be the problem with your car. You just didn’t want BamBam to continue bothering you about it like he did with Yugyeom’s dance lessons. 

Once the two of you finished your grocery shopping and headed back to your apartment, you decided to look up JB’s auto shop to look at the reviews before having BamBam reach out to him for you. You were surprised to say the least when you saw all the comments from customers raving about how good he was at his job. 

As you continued to read the reviews and saw the photos of people’s cars, you could tell that JB was very passionate about being a mechanic and he put a lot of time and detail in to his work. BamBam was quick to reach for his phone in order to call his older friend once you gave him the okay and you took this time to start mixing the brownie batter. 

“Hey man, it’s Bam. Yeah, I’m gonna need a favor. What do you mean I still owe you for—okay I know, but didn’t I get you that—I didn’t? Okay well that’s not the point here. The favor isn’t even for me it’s for my friend. Her car keeps overheating and I was wondering if you could take a look at it? Really? You’d do that? Thanks bro! That means a lot to me I owe you one—I get it—fine I owe you nine whatever. She’ll bring it in tomorrow. See you then.” The older boy placed his phone down on the coffee table and folded his arms behind his head cockily. “Am I the best or what? You’re welcome.” You scoffed before setting a timer on the oven and making your way in to your living room. 

“You didn’t do anything, you know that right? All you did was call to make an appointment with a mechanic. I could’ve done that by myself.”

“Fine, you can go by yourself tomorrow too if you’re going to act like that.” You gave him an adorable pout before wrapping your arms around his waist and placing your chin on his shoulder. 

“I’m kidding Bam. I’m very grateful for you. You’re my best friend.” He gave you a knowing look before dipping his finger in the brownie batter and licking it clean.

“Who are you kidding? I’m your only friend. But I’m the only one that you need anyway. By the way, I actually have to go with Yugyeom tomorrow to his doctor’s appointment; he promised me lunch so you’re on your own but you have nothing to worry about. JB‘s a really cool guy. He’s even nicer to girls. All you have to do is bring your car in and sit in his office while waiting. It’ll be a breeze. Let me know how it goes, if he needs to keep your car overnight, just give me a call and I’ll come pick you up. If you’re nice to me, I’ll talk Yugyeom in to buying you lunch too.” 

The next morning, you woke up earlier than usual and began to get ready to head over and drop your car off to JB’s shop. You couldn’t understand why you felt so nervous. Something about mechanics were so intimidating, probably because you were afraid of being reprimanded for neglecting your car. BamBam went in to detail about their friendship the night before and explained to you that JB was very dedicated to his job. He knew anything and everything that had to deal with cars. All you had to do was hand your car over to him and let him do his thing while you occupied yourself with your phone. 

After eating some breakfast and preparing your insurance forms, you made your way to his auto repair shop which was conveniently located less than ten minutes away from your apartment. The drive took longer than expected; it seemed that almost everyone was out on the road today and you couldn’t help the frustrated sigh that fell from your lips at the realization. Once you finally arrived to “Nora’s Auto Repair” you pulled up right in front of the garage and parked before looking around for who BamBam described to be JB. 

“He’ll probably be working on a car by the time you get there so there’s no use in wasting your time looking for him in his office. He’s a few inches taller than me with dark, brown hair up to his shoulders, brooding eyes and a sharp jaw. Try not to make him angry, that jaw has a mind of it’s own. But don’t be intimidated by his appearance, he’s a big softie.” 

You walked straight up to the garage and saw a pair of feet underneath a car. At first, you were afraid of interrupting him, with the music blasting in the background on top of the sounds of what you assumed to be a screwdriver, you knew he was very focused on the car he was currently working on; but at the same time, you didn’t want someone walking in on you standing there, doing nothing like a weirdo. 

“Um—excuse me?” It came off almost like a squeak of a mouse, you were sure he probably didn’t hear you, so you repeated yourself again. When he still had yet to acknowledge your presence, you decided to get his attention another way and gently tapped his ankle with the tip of your sandal. Unfortunately, he ended up getting startled and immediately sat up, hitting his head up against the radiator and released a frustrated grunt before getting up from underneath the car. You were about to open your mouth to release countless apologies for scaring him but that was before you got to take a good look at him. 

He was in more or less words extremely gorgeous. His long hair was slicked back, he was wearing overalls and a blank tank top that showed off his broad shoulders and toned biceps. BamBam was right about his brooding and piercing eyes, and you were quick to notice the two adorable moles right above his eyebrow. He also had some dirt and grease on his cheeks, but for some reason it made him look even more attractive than he already was. You didn’t think someone could look so good, as if he came right out of a magazine while working on a car. You’ve been friends with BamBam for years now, why did he have the audacity to keep this beautiful man standing in front of you a secret? 

“Are you alright? I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you I just—BamBam told me to look for you and—�� When you first heard him groan in pain after hitting his head, you were sure you’d get an earful about interrupting someone while they were working on a car. However, your cheeks warmed up at the way he was looking at you with the most adorable smile you’ve ever seen on a grown man. 

“Don’t sweat it, it happens all the time. My employees constantly nag me about turning down my music so I can hear people approaching. You must be y/n. Nice to meet you. You’re friends with BamBam? You poor thing. It must be tiring being his right hand man—I mean woman. So, what seems to be the problem with your car?” He asked for you to lead him to your car and had you pop open the hood so that he could take a better look at what the problem might be. 

“It’s been overheating a lot these days. I’ve put in coolant three times this week and it’s still not cooling down. I have a fear that one day the battery will die if I don’t do something about it so that’s why I’m here.” He nodded in understanding before taking a look inside and making sure nothing was out of the ordinary. Your eyes began to wander all along his body and you felt weird for checking someone out just a couple of minutes after meeting him but who could blame you? He was practically a Greek God and honestly, even if the two of you just met, you would do anything he’d ask of you. 

JB took a few minutes going over multiple parts of your car, the exhaust system, suspension, brakes, air filter, spark plugs; anything he felt could be adding on to the failure of your car. While he continued examining the hood of your car, you decided to look away to prevent yourself from staring at him any longer. You texted BamBam to let him know that you made it over to JB’s place and you were about to admit that you were having a hard time paying attention to anything other than him. For someone who was drenched in sweat and car exhaust, he looked like he came straight out of a magazine. You were so deep in your thoughts that you failed to notice JB trying to get your attention. 

“I think the coolant you must’ve put in there kinda screwed it up but it’s nothing I won’t be able to fix. I also recommend you get an oil change since you’re here. It won’t take too long, you can go sit in my office and I’ll come let you know when I’m done.” You politely thanked him and he gave you a soft smile and you were sure your heart was about to jump out of your chest the longer you were around him. As you began heading towards his office, you heard him call out for you. 

“By the way y/n, call me Jaebum.” With the way warmth immediately rose on your cheeks, you had a feeling you were a blushing mess from hearing his words and you were quick to pick up on the cheeky intonation of his voice. You refused to turn around to face him and nodded softly to yourself, there was no way you’d give him the benefit of the doubt by making it aware that he was having an effect on you. You had just met the guy less than ten minutes ago and you’ve seen your fair share of good looking men before, so why were you going so crazy over JB? 

Once you took a seat in his office, you gave yourself a few seconds to breathe and get your thoughts straight. However, your mind wouldn’t stop going back to how attractive he looked with his hair all out of place while oil and dirt was stained on his overalls. The smile he sent was now glued in your mind. He was easy on the eyes, hardworking, and extremely personable. You secretly cursed BamBam for not introducing the two of you sooner under different circumstances but you had no idea why you were acting like this. It’s not like the two of you actually conversed with each other, nor were you anything more than just a clumsy customer who had no clue about anything car related. 

For almost two hours, you played a couple of games on your phone and even watched a few Netflix shows to make time go by faster, and to keep your mind off of the way Jaebum’s muscles flexed while working on your car as you checked up on him every now and then through the window. Luckily, multiple episodes of Parks and Recreations took up all your attention for almost the entirety of waiting. You were so deep in to an episode that you failed to notice Jaebum enter his office until you heard the door shut. 

“Hey, I’m done with your car. Sorry it took so long, I wanted to make sure everything is good before sending you off. I changed the oil, tightened a few pipes and fixed the overheating problem. You should be all good to go.” You smiled softly at him and thanked him profusely before taking out your wallet. 

“How much do I owe you?” He took a seat at his desk and began writing down a few numbers, estimating how much the work on your came out to on your car. 

“$100 flat.” You looked at him in shock, dumbfounded with his answer. Sure, you weren’t one to know much about cars, but you knew with the amount of work he did to your car that it was worth more than just one hundred dollars. It felt as if you were gypping him and taking advantage of his kindness. 

“Jaebum, you can’t be serious right? I’m sure it’s more than $100. I’m fine with paying full price! You did so much—“ he playfully shook his head before handing you your keys. 

“It’s totally fine y/n. If I’m being honest with you, I think you should actually put your money in to getting a new car. I took it for a drive around the block and it still runs just fine, but you don’t want to risk something bad happening to it again soon.” You nodded in understanding before writing out a check. An idea popped in your head and you could only hope that he’d want to go along with it and not think negative of you for asking. 

“How about I treat you to some lunch? You must be hungry after hours of work. Plus I want to pay you back for all that you did for my car. It means a lot, thanks again Jaebum.” The wide grin that he was now sporting made your heart flutter. You were soon regretting your decision of taking him to lunch because you knew you wouldn’t be able to sit in front of him without practically drooling over him. 

“That sounds cool. Let me just get cleaned up a bit and we can go.” After you paid him, he left his office to and in his words “look more presentable” leaving you all alone with your thoughts. Why were you so worried? He seemed like an extremely cool guy and he practically fixed your car for less than half of what is normally expected. If BamBam could trust him, you could too. It just didn’t help that he was extremely attractive. 

“Ready to go?” If you thought he looked good earlier, seeing him freshened up was a sight to behold. His face was free of dirt and oil, he changed in to a pair of jeans and a flannel and he threw his hair back in to a man bun. You were internally cursing yourself for putting yourself in such a situation. All you wanted to do was treat him to lunch, but now you had to suffer knowing that you were quickly developing a little crush on him. 

“Yeah. Shall we?” He hummed in agreement and like the gentleman he was, he held the door for you and led you to his car. When he walked up to his pick up truck, you couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. 

“Something wrong?” You shook your head in disagreement. 

“Your car matches you.” With the way he adorably tilted his head in confusion, you knew he didn’t understand what you meant. “Trucks can be intimidating and quite rugged. Like you.” 

“Ah. I get what you mean. Well, since we’re on the topic of it, your car doesn’t match you at all.” You were about to open your mouth but he was quick to continue. “You’re driving a 2003 Toyota Corolla. Quite a safe car, which is understandable—if you were an elderly woman. However, you seem quite stable unlike your car—ow! I fixed your car for cheap and I get a slap in return. I’ll make sure to rack up the bill at lunch to get back at you.” He winked at you, causing your heart rate to increase before opening your door and helping you inside. 

The car ride was filled with laughter and terrible singing, mainly from Jaebum, but you enjoyed every second of it. It’s been a while since your last relationship and you were only really close with BamBam, so you weren’t used to being around any other guy. You could get used to being around Jaebum. He had the heart of a child; he was so charismatic and optimistic. You also learned that he owned five cats, loved to read books in his free time and he was the biggest mama’s boy. So this is what BamBam meant when he said JB is a big softie. 

Your time together at lunch was much like it was in the car. You found yourself laughing almost the entire time over the countless stories he told you about his childhood, his friendship with BamBam and the rest of their group of friends and the horror stories that came with being a mechanic. Seeing his eyes light up as he described to you how in love he was with his job made butterflies erupt in your tummy. Too bad this was only a one time thing and you had a feeling you’d only ever get to see him if you needed your car fixed. When the two of you were finished with your meals, before you could reach for the check, he handed his card to the waiter in which you were quick to object multiple times, but he reached over and placed his finger on top of your mouth to prevent you from complaining any further. This man was going to be the death of you. 

“Jaebum, I was supposed to pay—“ he shook his head as he signed the receipt and motioned for you to get up. 

“You can get the check next time okay?” You gave him a pout, but on the inside you were over the moon. Next time? Did this mean he had plans on becoming friends with you? Or something beyond friendship? Whatever it was, the idea of having Jaebum in your life made you extremely happy. You could use such a positive and carefree person like him in your life to motivate you to become a better person. 

To your dismay, your day with Jaebum came to an end and before you knew it, he pulled up in front of your parking structure. “Thank you again Jaebum. For my car, for lunch, for everything. I had a really nice time tonight. Let me know when you’re free, you ass. I really wanted to treat you.” He flashed you his award winning smile before pinching your cheek. 

“Don’t worry y/n, I’m already planning on which expensive steakhouse I want you to bring me to. Don’t hesitate to call me if you need help with your car. Have a nice night!” When Jaebum told you to call him whenever something was wrong with your car, he didn’t expect you to call him every other week. The two of you texted each other back and forth every so often, but it was never more than a simple “how was your day?” Or “how is your car?” You had a feeling he wasn’t interested in you the way you wish he would be, but you decided to let it go. 

Unfortunately, only two weeks after he worked on your car the first time, your air conditioning broke which he was quick to offer in fixing. Then another two weeks later, your battery died. You were on your way to the grocery store when your car completely gave out and Jaebum did not hesitate to drive over to you and bring you another one. He even installed it on the side of the road where your car was. It was if you couldn’t catch a break, but you weren’t going to lie; you enjoyed having excuses to see Jaebum again. His presence was like a breath of fresh air and every time you had to leave him, you felt like your life was colorless and dull. 

He was always very kind and patient with you, he even tried his best to console you the minute your battery died because he could tell in your voice that you were freaking out. Even when he arrived to your location, he pulled you in to his embrace and cautiously rubbed your back in attempts to get you to calm down. His arms were so comforting and you missed the feeling of them practically swallowing your body entirely. With each and every time you needed his assistance, he would always give you a knowing smirk and remind you that maybe it was time to get yourself a new car. 

You didn’t fail to notice the way that Jaebum would steal glances from you every so often, and how he was quite gentle with you than he was with other clients. Even when he hugged you that day, there was something with the way he placed his chin on top of your head while running his fingers through your hair that made you feel as if he didn’t act this way towards just anybody. When you told your assumptions to your best friend, the older boy laughed in your face. 

“Jaebum? Like you? Hahahaha! Don’t make me laugh y/n—oh. You were being serious. Don’t take it the wrong way, you’re beautiful. Any guy would be lucky to have you as their girlfriend. It’s just—Jaebum doesn’t date. Or at least I’ve never seen him in a relationship before. That guy is married to his job—hell he’s married to the cars he fixes. Maybe he’s just being friendly since you’re my best friend. It’s been a month since I first sent you his way. Don’t you think he would’ve made a move on you by now?” 

Although his words sent a jab to your heart, he was right. If Jaebum reciprocated your feelings for him, he would’ve done something about it a long time ago. You knew BamBam didn’t mean any harm, but hearing him say things like that was a slap in the face by reality that you were nothing to Jaebum but a nuisance. Someone who was too stubborn to pay for a new car and had to keep wasting Jaebum’s time when he could be doing something more important. 

You did whatever you could to make sure you no longer needed his help, but life never seemed to be on your side. You were sitting in line at a drive through when the cutest little elderly man came up to you and pointed out to you that your back tire was looking pretty low. Once you got your food, you pulled to the side and contemplated your next move. As much as you didn’t want to bother Jaebum, you didn’t know what to do. 

“What’s up y/n, everything okay?” You released a frustrated sigh at the thought of why you were calling him in the first place. 

“Hey. Sorry to bother you again but car has a flat tire and I have no idea what to do.” You heard him giggle softly through the phone and the sound alone made you calm down. Something about Jaebum’s laugh made you want to laugh yourself. He had one of those contagious laughs that could even get a mime to crack a smile. It was the most beautiful sound in the world, you were sure of it. 

“That’s why you have me. Where are you? Are you in a safe location? Can you send me a picture of your tire? Are you okay? You’re not hurt are you?” Your heart warmed at all of his questions. The fact that he seemed genuinely worried about you made you blush like a schoolgirl. “I’m fine. I was at Jack in the box when someone told me my tire was flat. I’m currently in their parking lot just eating my soggy curly fries and cursing myself for not listening to either you or BamBam about finally getting a new car.”

“Hey, as much as I want to tell you I told you so, now is definitely not the time. I’ll be there in fifteen. Save some of those soggy fries for me.” After you hung up the phone, you decided to kill time by playing some games. You even ran inside and bought him something to eat as your way of thanking him for having to leave work again to come help you. When he arrived less than ten minutes later, you were quick to pick up on the car he was driving. It wasn’t his truck, was he maybe taking someone else’s car for a test run? 

“Hey, I’m glad to see that you’re all in one piece, I was worried. It’s a shame your cars not.” Every time he had to come help you out, he always made a joke about how shitty your car was and if it were anyone else, you’d probably fight them. But because it was Jaebum, you allowed him to constantly make fun of you and the fact that your car was a piece of junk. You handed him over the bag of food to which he thanked you and playfully wiggled his brows at you. 

“You know this doesn’t count right? I’m still expecting dinner at Kobe steakhouse.” You playfully rolled your eyes and it’s as if he knew your next move so he immediately moved away. The two of you were extremely playful with one another and you would always end up hitting him whenever he made a joke about you but it was all in good fun. He began snacking on a few French fries before taking a look at your tire. 

“Oh shit. Oh yeah that’s bad. You know something y/n?”

“What?”

“At first, I was sure your car was cursed. Sure, it’s 17 years old, so it’s expected to be a little run down. But I’ve had customers bring in cars from the 90’s and they drive perfectly fine. So I couldn’t help but think that maybe you purposely mess around with your car so that you have an excuse to come and see me.”

Although you loved every chance you got to see the handsome boy, you weren’t crazy enough to go to the lengths of practically killing your car. Did he really think you would waste hundreds of dollars by purposely breaking down your own car just so you could see him? He must’ve lost his mind. As you were about to open your mouth and fight back against what he said, he connected your lips with his. 

His lips were hot and rough against yours and his hands were quick to cup both your jaw and neck. He swiped his tongue along your bottom lip before bringing it in between his teeth, nonverbally asking for entrance. Once you felt his tongue against yours, you were quick to release a soft moan and gently tugged on his soft locks. To your dismay, he pulled away in order to catch his breath and took a good look at you before hiding his face in the juncture of your neck. 

“I’d be lying if I said my heart didn’t flutter every time I saw your name pop up on my phone although, I hated the thought of you in an unfortunate situation and I would always get worried because you’re usually alone whenever something goes wrong with your car. I’ve liked you from the day we went to lunch the first time and you practically snorted on your soda at something I said. You’re extremely beautiful you know that? I have a hard time trying to keep myself from looking at you. And you’re so fun to be around. Albeit a little clumsy, stubborn and irresponsible, but it makes you unique and honestly I really like those things about you.” He picked one of your hands up and began leaving a few kisses on the back of it. 

“Wait, you kissed me before confessing or even trying to see how I felt. Were you planning on seeing how things would go? Or did you just so happen to catch me practically drooling over you every now and then?” He let out a snicker and shook his head. 

“A little birdie called me last night and told me that you were talking to him about me and whether or not I had feelings for you.”

“That asshole. He told me he had no clue and that you were only being friendly with me. I didn’t think you liked me back, you never really talk to me unless something’s wrong with my car.”

Jaebum couldn’t help the laugh that fell from his lips as he saw your brows furrow in frustration. “Nobody knows how I feel about you. Look how quick BamBam was to admit that you liked me! If I were to tell him anything for that matter, it would probably be on the news less than an hour later. He’s one of the biggest blabber mouths there is babe. And I’m actually shit when it comes to these things. Trust me, every time you would text me, it took a lot of willpower not to go deeper in to the conversation. I love talking to you. There were so many days where I had the urge to call you and just talk about nothing. You make me really happy y/n. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. Whenever you came in, I couldn’t help the stupid grin that would stay on my face for the entirety of the day. My employees wouldn’t stop looking at me funny. Is it wrong that I would sometimes hope something were to happen to your car just so you would come in?” 

You scoffed before stealing a kiss from the corner of his mouth. “And you call me crazy. You’re just as head over heels for me as I am for you punk ass.” He took a bite out of the sandwich you bought him and motioned for you to follow him. You noticed how he took out the keys from the car he drove in and handed them to you. It’s as if he knew you were about to ask him a question and beat you to it. 

“This is your new car. It’s not much, but it’s a lot better than the one you have now. Someone brought it in the other day because they had no use for it and so I decided to fix it up and planned on giving it to you. Take good care of it okay? As much as I love seeing you come in to my shop, I don’t want you having any more problems with your car.” 

Your jaw dropped in awe and a few tears fell from your cheeks. You couldn’t believe that he was giving you a new, well, used car but in way better condition than the one you had now. He could’ve sold it or donated it but yet he fixed it up with the intention of giving it to you. What did you do in your past life do deserve him? He wasn’t quite ready when you practically jumped on him, but his reflexes were quick as he wrapped your legs around his waist and held you by your thighs. You began leaving wet kisses all around his face before finally bringing your lips to his. When you felt him smile in to the kiss, you returned the same ministration. 

“Thank you so much Jaebum. Ugh you’re so amazing you know that? I really don’t know how I can pay you back for all that you’ve done to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” He smiled against your neck and placed you back on the ground before intertwining your fingers together and leading you over to your old car to get your things. 

“You can repay me by going out with me on a date. Tonight, if you’re free.” You nodded in agreement while hiding his face in your chest. However, before you could get comfortable, you felt something wet against your cheek. 

“Ew babe did you just get finished working on the car? You’re sweaty!” He scoffed before playfully slapping your butt earning himself a surprised moan. 

“You want to give me another reason to get sweaty baby? Ow—there are other ways you can show me how thankful you are without having to hit me y/n. Unless you’re in to stuff like that I’m all for getting rough—hey—where are you going silly girl? Babe! Get back here y/n! And don’t eat my fries you bought those for me!”

[whatdoesshedotothem]

Tuesday 28 May 1839

7

1 35/..

very fine morning at my desk at 8 ¼ having dressed A- who gets terrible in lowness   high time to be off – she can do nothing she says if she is not with me – at A-‘s cottage rental till breakfast at 9 5/.. in about ½ hour – then came upstairs and wrote note to ‘Messrs. Parker and Adam solicitors Halifax’ to say I knew nothing of the demand of Messrs. Nelson – I had paid them all allowed by Mr. Harper – he expected here on the 5th of next month on his return from London and I had no doubt he would do all that was necessary respecting the letter addressed to P. and A. by Mr. David Crossley – then wrote to ‘Messrs. Hammersley and co. Bankers London’ to ask them to order by Messrs. Ferrère Laffitte and co the payment to Mr. Cusinberche ainé (of no. 27 Rue St. Victor, Paris) of 360 francs – and should be much obliged to Messrs. H- to get me a foreign office passport as usual for myself (Madam Anne Lister) and Miss Ann Walker (ma niece) and my 2 servants Christian and Catherine Gross – he German native of Weimar – she English – hope to be in London a few days – intending to proceed as direct as I conveniently can to St. Petersburg – passport to be visé at the ambassadors of Russia, Prussia, and Austria and by the ministers of Holland Denmark and Sweden – if any difficulty at the Russian embassy, can settle this while in town the other signatures being obtained – sent off this letter (and the note) by George at 11 ½ - A- had been sitting by me writing to her sister but her letter was not ready – at 11 ¾ had Hinscliffe – came to speak to A-but she asked me to go to him – said the lease (new coal agreement) should be ready for him to sign at Mr. Parkers’ office on Friday morning – he begged hard for the new term to be extended 2 years instead of one beyond the old term end in November 1842 – so that A- consenting his new agreement, will expire in November 1844 – then other talk – mismanagement of towns’ money etc – money thrown away in highway repairs – should be laid on in wet weather if laid on in dry – now – ½ to take off in dust – alluded particularly to dross – then talk about the Harpercliffe wood Sutherland coal loose – he said it was worth £10 a year to Mr. Whitley – but should be kept open for the Sutherland coal – and then afterwards kept open by W. and S- jointly and an acreage received for loosing other coal on Norwood green – more beds there than one – and tho’ the coal lower there than at Harpercliff wood, yet the water might be pumped into the Harpercliff wood loose by an engine – told H- he should agree with Mr. Whitley for that coal, and then with the Sutherlands – why! perhaps he might try – had talked to SW. about the Sutherland coal but could never get any answer – I said with regard to Whitley and Captain S- they had best pay one another an acreage, and then divide the acreage paid up all coal belonging to anybody else, or on the other side of the Leeds and Whitehall road – yes! H- thought that would be very fair – Hinscliffe kept me till 12 ¾ Holt and DB. being waiting for me – A- had had luncheon – went into the cellar and got her a pint bottle of Malmsey Madeira and then went back (had been a minute or 2 before) to Holt and DB. Had my little case-plan of the estate on the table, and talked over the line of maingates from A.P. to W.P. – long talk about this matter and pencilling out on the plan lines shewing board and end etc. etc. Holt seemed to come round to my plan of driving end and board from AP. all the way – he thought one turn would do – then went back to his own cross-cut-coal straight line – then to consider about it – he said my way would be more expensive in rails and yarding, and his would be a better maingates – to be well considered about – Holt to come tomorrow and DB. and the gates to be lined out – brought his bill, which including about £2 for A- = from last settling to the 11th instant (and all goings to Low moor at 5/. per time = £2) about £30 – His salary and Booths’ to be settled – he said either either he or DB. should seek custom – I said it would not do for him H- to do it – I should appoint DB. and make him agent, and send the offer to contract for ¼ the gas-house contract (=550 tons) at 8/. per ton in his name for me – I said all must be done for as little as it could – could Robert Mann take the engine, and Joseph be banksman at WP. H- said there would be enough for Joseph to do in the bottom by and by – and Robert as always settled to bank the coal at so much per score and run all risks – it seems then there will be work for the 2 Manns – said I could not well have 3 men at £50 per annum (JM. has 52 guineas a year) and pay Holt and Booth and all – true – but I must keep Robert Fielding the Low moor time out i.e. 6 months from the beginning of the engine – and then it seems Holt has an offer of a lad (Hanson) DV. vouched much for the family) at 13/. a week – told h- to think what he ought to have and what DB. ought to have to be set down to the colliery – they must remember not to oblige me to let the colliery; and if I could not make 3 1/2d. per load profit, I should be ill off – 4 1/4 loads per yard at 3 1/2d. = about £300 per acre or not much less – to consider about his own salary and DB-‘s and let me know tomorrow as also whether he would like to take Pump (John Oates’s) or not! – on telling h- on my first entering the room, or rather hinting at his folly about High royds, it was all talked over – H- thinks P- behaves ill – he said he would not take less than £2300 and H- did not expect that £2250 would ahve been taken of Stocks – but it seemed H- would have given this price himself tho’ he owned they never offered above £2200 – However JO. told him the other day. he was tired and would let him Pump if he liked – H- had told him, he could not do that, but he (Holt)

SH:7/ML/E/23/0053

would tell me what he had said – H- seemed not knowing how I should take it – I said immediately I should like nothing better than to be well rid of JO. and have H- in his place – told him the quantity of land – said I had made up my mind to have a new settlement with JO. pay no more for Hartleys’ cottage nor anything else, but for the farm as it now stood have a clear £60 a year – and would H- take it on those terms? but then said I turning to DB. perhaps there will want a good deal doing – H-‘s wife may want a drawing room, and then I must have the £60 a year for the land there will be without the piece let off to Mallinson which (tho’ I had at first said I would allow for it as it had best go with Mitham) I thought I ought to have – H- would still have 29DW. 8 perch. ------ what I had taken for coal-staith and reservoir which would not altogether be more than a DW.? this to be considered about DB. went with H- to shew him the land and talk things over – DB. to come here again this evening and Holt to give me an answer tomorrow – they welt at 3 ¼ and I came upstairs and till 4 25/.. (A- returned from Cliff hill about 4 10/..) wrote all but the 2 first lines of today – then had A- went down to Booth before 5 and with him an hour – talked over Holt, and the maingates and his having Pump at £60 – I should want £70 of anybody else – and would let him at £70 on the agreement but I would give him £30 per annum for looking after the colliery considering the ten pounds extra towards the rent so that he would sit at a rent of £40 a year in reality – I thought £20 per annum for Holt, and the same for Booth enough the one for measuring the coal works, the other for keeping at accounts – had B- till 6 – then with A- till 7 – pothering over her letter to her sister the Rookes coal loose – dinner to 7 10/.. to after 8 – A- and I out at 8 10/.. to 9 – some time on the low terrace – Robert and co. at getting scraplings on to to it and levelling it today but I have never been able to stir out the whole day – we walked to back Lodge (or where is to be) to Whiskam flat and round by the Lodge to the paddock water drift and hay barn – ½ the top end parpoint walled up – to be done tomorrow – began today – then scrambled home up the wood – coffee on coming in at 9 – [A-] read the newspaper while sat by me writing her journal – then read French and I came upstairs at 10 ¼ at which hour F56 ½° inside and 46 ½° outside – very fine day – then at A-‘s cottage rental and calculating and writing out outgoings till 12 40/.. tonight   mine are twelve hundred independent of the colliery and hers six hundred and fifty –

[jj-lives]

Inktober - Bait

I know I am a day behind in this, I am going to try to vcatch up tomorrow. Plus there was a lot of hype yesterday that I never did get this quite finished.

--------------------

"This is ridiculous."

"No, it's not." Yang grabbed hold of Ruby's collar before she could make her escape. "If you want a ride home this is payment."

Ruby swatted Yang's hands away to free herself. "I'll walk."

“We are miles from home.” Yang pointed out.

“I don’t care.”

“It’s cold out.” 

“I have my warm hoodie.”

“It’s raining.” Yang tried one last time. Ruby started backtracking to the exit so Yang hurried to keep up.

“This was a stupid idea and I can’t believe I almost agreed to it.” 

To be honest, Yang didn’t know why Ruby played along for as long as she did.  There was very little in it for her and it did require her to kind of deceive one of her friends.  

“You didn’t almost agree to it. You totally agreed to it and you can’t just back out now that we’re here.” Reaching out she wrapped her hand firmly around Ruby’s wrist.  With her feet planted the smaller girl could do nothing but halt her own steps.  “Please Ruby.”

“I-”

“Ruby?”

They turned to find the owner of the voice.  Both plastered surprised looks on their faces even though they knew very well that Blake was going to be here.

“B-Blake!” Ruby asked in feigned surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Blake trotted the dozen or so steps between them, easily squeezing between the other shoppers in her way. Yang watched amazed. If she'd tried to get through that crowd at the same speed she would have had to knock half the people over in her rush, but none of the other shoppers seemed to even notice when Blake moulded herself around the large group.

"I was just about to ask you the same." Blake said as she stepped forward to embrace Ruby quickly. A cursory smile was spared in Yang's direction; a polite gesture Yang appreciated but still she couldn't help but feel jealousy at wanting the same greeting as her sister. "Didn't…" Blake's brow dropped and the right corner of her mouth tightened into a firm line. "I could have sworn I told both you and Weiss I was coming here today. I swear I mentioned needing to get things for my mom because she's coming to visit this weekend." Amber orbs darted between them both suspiciously. "In fact, I remember mentioning it because Weiss suggested one of the tea shops here."

"Are you sure I was there? I don't remember-"

"Yes. You and her argued about its location." Blake lifted her arm and Yang noticed the small bag for the first time. "By the way, Weiss was correct. It was on the second floor not the third."

"Damn it. Don't tell her she was right. She will never let me live it down and I was so sure it was on the third-"

Yang cut Ruby off with a sharp elbow to her side. Blake's eyes narrowed further and Yang's mind rushed to find an excuse for Ruby's weird behavior. Her sister, she was finding, was a terrible actress. 

"We should hurry if you want to make your appointment, Ruby."

"Appointment?" 

It took all of her willpower to stop herself from audibly groaning. They had rehearsed this in the car ride over here.  

"Yeah, your haircut." Yang emphasized. 

"Oh… Oh!" Ruby bobbed her head in agreement. "Yes, we should hurry."

"Funny you didn't mention a hair appointment when I told you of my plans today." Blake pressed.

Yang realized this girl wasn't one to let things slide. She definitely liked to get to the bottom of things. Yang filed that information away as she had a feeling these 'accidental' run ins were not going to work very well.

“It was all last minute, Ruby mentioned something last night about her hair getting too long and wanting a change of colour maybe so I booked her an appointment early this morning." Yang spoke up before Ruby could make the situation worse. “My gift to her.”

“Oh, that’s very sweet of you, Yang.” Blake responded, her bearing starting to relax.

“Yeah, Yang is an angel.” Ruby piped up. “We should get going sis.”

“Oh, I was just going to wander around while you were busy. Sitting in a waiting area isn’t my idea of a good time. Besides, if I go near a hair salon I always have stylists jumping out at me.  My hair does not need taming.” 

“I like your hair.”

Ruby rolled her eyes but Yang felt her stomach flutter at the compliment.  

“Thank you.” 

There was an awkwardness surrounding them. The interaction seemed too short to say their goodbyes but at the same time they knew that was coming.  Ruby was the first to break the silence. 

“Well, I’ll catch you later Blake.” They embraced once again before Ruby tilted her head in Yang’s direction. “I’ll message you when I am done so we can meet back up?”

“Sounds good.”

Rooted on the spot, they both watched Ruby’s retreating form. 

“I- I should really get going, I have to get home before Mom shows up.”

Yang really did not want Blake to go so soon.  That was the purpose in coming here after all. There was just this completely inexplicable magnetism between her and Blake. The girl was beautiful sure, but that wasn't the only thing attracting Yang to her. Ruby had described Blake as cute once, but Yang would hear none of it. Yes Blake was cute, but she was also beautiful, charming, funny.  She had a quick wit that could probably rival her own, and her laugh… Yang had never heard anything so pretty as the one rare time she’d heard Blake laugh. They’d not spoken much, just scattered sentences in between Ruby coming and going as she dragged Blake or Weiss or both hurriedly in her wake, The small interactions became precious to her and she just kept feeling this pull to get to know more about her. She couldn’t explain it and it was nearly killing Yang to not know if Blake felt it too.  She didn’t enjoy feeling like a crazy stalker.  She didn’t like using her sister as bait to try to get a few minutes in the same space as Blake. 

“How much time do you have?” Yang asked, if only to prolong their time together.

Blake’s eyes darted to her watch. “Only four hours.” She heaved a heavy sigh as her attention was drawn back to the crowds. Looking passed the strangers to the shops beyond.  She was looking for something and any second now she would leave her. “That’s plenty of time!” Yang exclaimed trying to feel the positivity she was trying to portray.

“Not when the bus takes over an hour to get to my apartment.” Blake huffed. “I really do need to get going.  I’m sorry Yang.”

“For what?” Feeling torn between confusion at the apology and hopeful that Blake maybe did want to spend more time with her. Yang waited for an answer.

“It just feels like I’m always being dragged away.” Blake smiled before rolling her eyes playfully. “I love your sister, but she is a whirlwind to hang out with sometimes. It just feels like I know you, which is weird.”

“Okay…” 

“Sorry.” She apologized again. “Ruby just speaks about you a lot, I think.  So it kind of feels like I know you, but I don’t think we’ve ever had a proper conversation before.” 

“I guess I feel the same way.” Yang smiled reaching to run her fingers through her hair nervously.  She did know a lot about Blake through Ruby, but there was so much more she wanted to know. The kind of things you can only know from spending time with someone. The silence engulfed them once more and Yang had an unsettling feeling that if the other were to break the silence that would be the end of… something.

“If you would like, I wouldn’t mind giving you a lift home so you don’t have to waste time with the bus.”

“I live the opposite way of your guys’ place.” 

Yang could tell she was only mentioning for clarification.  She hoped she didn’t imagine the relief her offer seemed to give Blake. 

"I insist. I'd feel bad not giving you a lift. I mean, because you're one of Ruby's best friends."

"Do you want to accompany me to the few shops I have to go to?" Blake asked. Her smile widened a fraction before disappearing. Yang missed it instantly. "Or I could just meet you somewhere after if you had your own-"

"I would love to escort you." Yang cut her off. Blake seemed uncomfortable, but Yang didn't know her well enough yet to tell if her skittish eyes and jittery stance meant she was nervous or distressed at Yang's offered company.

But when Blake stepped forward Yang automatically fell in stride beside her. 

This was definitely worth all of Ruby's complaints and the money she was going to be out for Ruby's new hair.

She had an hour of Blake's company. And she was blessed with being able to get some of that time alone with her.

"Do you like frozen yogurt?"

Yang nodded without quite having processed Blake's words. She scolded herself for being so caught up in her head instead of paying attention to the girl she went through all this trouble for. 

"My treat!" Blake exclaimed, bounding over to the kiosk in the middle of the food court. "What's your favourite flavour?"

"I like my flavors bold." 

"Why does that not surprise me?" Blake teased.

Yang rolled her eyes and began to relax.  Working herself up wasn't going to give Blake a good impression of her. 

"I tend to mix the strong fruit flavours."

"Hmmm, okay. I'll be right back."

"What are you getting me?" Yang shouted after her.

Blake spun around at her words. She smiled while still maintaining her retreating momentum.

"I like a little mystery. Don't you?" She laughed before turning around to place their order with the vendor. 

Yang shook her head in disbelief. The quiet bookworm image she'd had of Blake shattered in her mind. Things just got a whole lot more interesting.

[hogwarts-is-frozen]

Fanfic Update - I Wanna Know What Love Is

Summary: Elsa had long ago made peace with the fact she would never find love. The idea of allowing someone to be that intimate with her had been so frightening for so long that she written off the whole thing completely. That is, until a stranger from a distance land throws her entire world upside down. M for swearing and smut in later chapters. F/F and Kristanna

Word Count: 8,221

Rating: M

Chapter 2 - ‘Formalities’ is up and I hope you enjoy :)

"That. Was. Awesome!" Anna exclaimed punching a fist into the air. "Do you think I could get her to teach me how to do that? Whenever I ask Kristoff to teach me to fight he just laughs at me, and the guards are all too afraid you'd freeze them or sack them if they help me."

Elsa, wasn't listening to her sister, she could only look on in stunned silence as she watched the foreign woman snap at the guards before stomping past without even a backwards glace. For some reason the Queen couldn't tear her gaze away as the woman approached a very expensive looking carriage. This proved the woman came from some form of wealth, a little surprising considering what Elsa had just witnessed.

The woman wrenched open the door with such ferocity, Elsa feared she might pull it off the hinges. The driver didn't even have time to get down off his seat before the strange woman and her companion had jumped inside, slamming the door, and barking something at the driver Elsa couldn't distinguish.

And just like that, she was gone. It had all happened so fast Elsa didn't know what to think. She had never seen someone move with such confidence before, let alone a female. This woman had taken down two fully-grown men, and with surprising ease. Elsa had needed the help of her exceptionally powerful magic and (although she loathed to admit it) Prince Hans, to do the same.

Just who was this mystery woman?

xxx

Nia hissed in pain and swore as she did her best to tighten the laces of her corset, but the swelling in her hand was making it very difficult to curl her fingers properly. Conan whined anxiously from his place at in front of the hearth at the sound of her discomfort.

It had been a full day since her encounter with those two brutes back at the public house and the stinging in her right hand had only gotten worse. Despite this however, Nia was in fairly good spirits. She had found a reasonably nice inn just on the outskirts of Arendelle. A family owned establishment, run by a mountain of a man with his wife and three children. Nia could have afforded to stay at one of the finer inns, but this was closest one to the trails that lead into the wilds and the only one that allowed Conan to sleep in her room.

By the time she had finally gotten dressed and arranged her wild curls, Nia was practically jumping out of her skin to get to the mountains and begin her research. However, there were a few formalities she would have to deal with first.

Grabbing her peacoat for the early morning chill and her notebook, Nia made her way to the main hall of the inn.

"Yoo hoo!" called a man standing behind the counter, giving Nia a little wave of his giant hand. "You need some breakfast, ja?"

Nia smiled at the owner, who still wore a brightly coloured sweater and knitted hat despite it being rather warm inside, and waved back.

"Thank you, Oaken, but I really should get going. I have a lot to do today and –"

His wife suddenly appeared with a plate of honey rolls and bacon. "Nonsense, dear. Eat. You're much too thin as it is," she said, tossing a large strip of bacon down to Conan, who snapped it eagerly out of the air.

Nia laughed. "Helga, you sound like my mother," she said picking up one of the mouth-watering rolls, taking a generous bite out of one and stuffing two more into the hidden pockets of her jacket.

"Then an intelligent woman she must be," Helga replied with a wink. "So what is it that has you hurrying about like the Devil himself is clawing at your heels?" she asked, picking up a nearby glass and cleaning it with the apron she wore around her slim waist.

"I'm planning on traveling into the northern foothills tomorrow to see if the rumors I've heard regarding your herds of reindeer are true and I need to find myself a sure-footed horse to get me there," Nia said around a mouthful of bacon. "But before I do any of that, I need to get permission from your Queen."

Xxx

Elsa had to physically restrain from rolling her eyes at the two men bickering in front of her. She had been holding one of her bi-weekly Court sessions, and had been trapped attending to petitioners vying for her attention on one thing or another all morning. Currently, Elsa was listening to a simple dispute over wages between a farmer and his farmhand and they had been going on for almost an hour now. The farmhand claimed that he was not being sufficiently paid for the amount of work he was doing while the farmer argued they had long ago come to an agreement regarding payment. The farmer pointed out that the only reason the younger man wanted to be paid more was because he'd learned that one of his brothers had been earning more than he had, but the farmer could not afford an increase in wages.

Though the young Queen did her best to keep her attention focused on the petitioners, she couldn't help but let her mind wander the longer they went around and around in their argument. This day, she found her thoughts drifting back to the strange woman from the day before. Elsa couldn't say why, but the odd woman had been never been far from the Queen's mind since her return to the castle. Everything about her had been… curious. From the way she'd handled the two men who had assaulted her, to her accent, to the clothing she wore.

Who was she? Where had she come from? And most curious of all, what was her business in Arendelle?

So many questions and no answers, it was enough to make her head spin. Elsa had asked Kai if he knew of any visiting nobility, but he had assured her that none he knew of had docked in Arendelle recently. Only a few merchant vessels and one or two smaller ships.

The young Queen snapped to attention when she realized the two men had finally stopped talking and were now looking expectantly up at her. She hoped they had not noticed her brief mental lapse.

"I have heard enough," Elsa said, schooling her features into a mask of smooth neutrality, as her late father had taught her. She turned her attention to the farmer, "Do you have a written copy of your agreement regarding wages?"

The older man shook his head slowly. "No, Majesty. T'was a simple spoken agreement."

Elsa nodded. "Then there is no proof of what wages were agreed upon."

The young man grinned in triumph… but she was not finished.

"However, there are many young men looking for work and would be only too happy to accept the amount you are able to afford should this man decide he need the increase." She now turned to the farmhand who was no longer looking so victorious. "You must both come to an agreement over what is fair and have a written contract signed by the both of you as well as one other witness." When the younger man looked as though he were about to argue she held up her hand to silence him. "If you feel that you will not be able to come to a suitable agreement then come back and see me. We are always looking for more able-bodied men to help with the ice exports. Keep in mind that it is not easy work, but you would be well compensated."

In the end, the two men left looking appeased for now, if not overly thrilled about her decision.

She sighed and leaned back heavily on her throne, rubbing at her tired eyes while trying not to smudge her carefully applied eye makeup. After regaining her composure, she signaled Kai to retrieve the next (and hopefully last) petitioner. She had not at all expected what happened next.

"Ma'am! Ma'am, I am sorry, but I cannot allow that animal inside the castle! It will have to stay outside. Ma'am!" Came the sound of Kai's voice, followed by a set of purposeful footsteps.

"I have been waiting all bloody morning! And Conan stays with me. Always," another voice said firmly. "Oh, quit your fretting, man, he is better trained than most of the noble brats I've met."

"I beg your pardon! But –"

Kai wasn't able to finish his protest when the two – or rather three, including the canine – of them rounded the corner into the throne room.

Elsa stood, immediately recognizing the owner of the second voice as the woman from the market, although she looked a great deal different than she had the day previous. Today it seemed she had opted to wear something considered more appropriate to her gender. It was a very finely made violet dress hemmed in the same elaborate celtic knots that had been stitched into her earlier outfit. Around her hips sat a thin, silver chain that ran down the middle of her skirt that swayed slightly as she walked. And in the hollow of her slender throat sat a gold pendant that displayed two hands cradling a heart topped with a crown. It was then Elsa realized why this woman looked so familiar to her.

"Your, Majesty I -" Kai started but Elsa just shook her head before he could continue.

"It is alright, Kai," Elsa said, doing her best to reassure the manservant. "I'm sure her companion will be on his best behaviour. "Also, could you fetch Anna for me? I'm more than sure she has forgotten our appointment with the physician today. I'd check the stables first."

Kai hesitated for a few moments, eyeing Conan apprehensively. "Yes, Your Majesty," he said before nodding and striding towards the exit.

Nia took a moment to assess this mysterious Queen of Arendelle. She seemed so very different than the timid, anxious young woman Nia had met those many years ago. This woman carried herself in a way that displayed both her maturity and authority and yet there was still a fragility about her that piqued Nia's curiosity.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Nia said offering a small curtsey and tilt of her head, to which Elsa returned with a nod. "I do assure you that he does exactly as I tell him. Conan, down," she said to demonstrate, for as she gave the command the canine dropped down next to his mistress, looking up at her as if waiting for further instruction.

"Very impressive," Elsa said smiling her approval. "And I must say he really is quite remarkable. Do you mind me asking what kind he is, I've never seen any breed like him in Arendelle? I admit I don't know much about dogs. I was never very good with animals in any capacity really. I think they sensed my magic and so kept their distance."

"Animals are sensitive creatures, Majesty, they do not communicate through verbal speech like you and I, so they use body language and can easily read emotion. It is much more likely that they would sense fears or anxiety rather than magical abilities," Nia said with a reassuring smile. "I would be hard pressed to believe a wonderful gift such as yours would frighten an animal. And, to answer your question, Conan is an Irish wolfhound. A very common breed where I'm from, often used for hunting and to protect livestock. I raised him since he was a pup, runt of the litter if you can believe it."

The Queen blushed at Nia's compliment about her powers. "I must say I do find it rather difficult to imagine that there are bigger ones than him," Elsa chuckled.

Nia smiled. She decided she liked this Queen Elsa. She was easy to talk to and didn't seem prone to speaking down on those below her station, as so many royals often did. And Heavens, Nia had forgotten how lovely she was. She wore a magnificent soft blue gown that glittered in a way that Nia couldn't distinguish what fabric it was made from. No jewels hung about her neck or ears, she didn't need them, for her natural beauty far outshone any gems. The only decoration she sported was a delicate tiara, nestled neatly among her platinum blonde strands, which looked to be cut from glass and shaped like the top half of a snowflake.

But Nia was not there to gawk; she was there for a purpose.

"Forgive me, Majesty. I don't think I properly introduced myself. Or at least you probably don't remember when my father introduced us at your coronation."

Elsa grinned. "Countess Niamh of Castle Dunmore, if I recall correctly."

Nia blinked at the Queen in surprise. "You have quite the memory, Your Majesty."

The Queen shrugged. "I admit I didn't recognize you at first, but then I saw your necklace," she said gesturing to the chain handing around Nia's throat, "and I remembered asking you about it during our first meeting. The claddage, yes?"

"I'm impressed, Queen Elsa. You are correct on both accounts, or at least mostly correct. I simply go by 'LadyNiamh of Dunmore', now," she said. "I relinquished my claim to my father's lands some years ago."

Now it was Elsa's turn to be surprised. "Did you two have a falling out?"

Nia shook her head with a smile. "Hardly, Your Majesty, quite the opposite in fact. It was all done at my request when I became certain my brother was more than equal to the task. I knew the people would be more content with a male heir anyways. The Irish are much more… shall we say, 'traditional' compared to those here in Arendelle, plus it freed me to do what I truly loved."

Elsa felt herself hanging on to every word that fell from this stranger's lips. Drawn to her like an insect to a candle's flame. Nia was like something out of one of her stories – enigmatic and brash. She was so different from Elsa herself, who was so focused on duty and maintaining control at all times, which only served to make her all the more captivating.

"And what is it that you truly love?" Elsa asked, somewhat shyly, almost as if she hadn't meant to ask the question at all.

A contented smile painted Nia's expression and her gaze became unfocused. "To travel," she said, "and to learn all I can about the things that fascinate me most. Which, I suppose, brings me to the reason for my visit to your lovely kingdom."

But before Nia could explain herself further a loud gasp interrupted her.

"Ohmygosh! You! From the market!"

Thoroughly confused, Nia watched as a young woman with the reddest hair she had ever seen and so many freckles Nia could have sworn she was straight out of one of the storybooks her mother used to read her, skipped over to fidget excitedly beside the queen. Her appearance caused Conan to stand up and sniff her curiously - Nia couldn't help but notice the queen had gone very still at his sudden movement - and to Nia's amazement he stepped forward to push his head under the new girl's hand for a scratch.

"Well I'll be," Nia breathed.

"What?" The redheaded asked – who Nia now recognized as the Princess - happily falling to her knees and letting the canine give her sloppy kisses on the chin.

"He only behaves that way with me. And one other time…" Nia said, trailing off.

"When was the other time?" the Princess asked curiously.

"When my sister was… Forgive me, Your Grace, but you- you wouldn't happen to be… expecting, would you?"

Nia watched the surprise arc simultaneously through both women, confirming her suspicions. "I went to visit my sister and her husband when she became pregnant with her first child and it was like he turned into an entirely different dog. He followed her everywhere and was very protective. He even growled at my brother-in-law once," she said, chuckling at the memory.

The princess laughed, where as the queen still hadn't moved. "Such a clever boy, aren't you! Aren't you!" she cooed. "Oh Elsa would you relax, I can practically feel you worrying from here. He isn't going to eat me… although considering how big you are, you probably could. Right big guy?" the younger girl said winking in Nia's direction, forcing the woman to hold back a snort.

"That's not funny, Anna!" The queen scolded.

"It's a little funny. You just have no sense of humor," Anna teased, resulting in a small flush working its way up the Queen's neck.

Elsa tilted her chin up haughtily and folded her arms in a very undignified pout.

"You would never hurt me, would you, big guy? See, Elsa he's a big'ol softie," Anna said as Conan lay down in front of her and rolled on his back so that she could rub the soft underside of his belly. "You only attack big jerks in pubs who try and hurt your mama, don't you?"

Now it was Nia's turn to be surprised. "How - how do know about that?" she asked.

"Anna and I were in the market yesterday and happened to witness your… altercation," Elsa said, a little sheepishly. She still felt a little guilty for not allowing herself to intervene – despite the fact that Nia had been more than capable on her own.

Her shyness then turned into a small smirk. "I believe both my guards' prides are still smarting a little from your interaction."

Nia simply stood blinking at the two royals as the Queen's admission sunk in and she couldn't help the small flush of embarrassment that coloured her cheeks. Brawling with two men after an afternoon of drinking and cards was definitely not the kind of first impression she'd wanted to make. How was she going to gain the Queen's approval now?

She cleared her throat and bowed her head, trying to regain some semblance of composure. "I apologize, Your Majesty, Your Highness," Nia said. "That was… was unbecoming of me. I – I was…"

"It's alright, Lady Niamh." The Queen interrupted gently. "You were simply defending yourself. I only wish you had never been put in that situation in the first place, and I hope it had not tarnished your view of Arendelle's people."

The Irishwoman felt some of the tension in her shoulders ease. "Hardly, Your Majesty. It will take a little more than a couple of common thugs who can't handle losing to a woman at a simple game of cards to soil my opinion of your lovely kingdom." She smiled. "And please, call me Nia."

Elsa returned her smile while the Princess stood up and held out her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Nia!" Anna said brightly, before leaning in and lowering her voice. "But seriously, what you did to those guys was awesome! Could you teach me how to do that?"

Nia's laughter quickly turned into a hiss of pain as she took the Princess' hand. Conan jumped to his feet at the sound, eyeing her with concern.

"Oh my gosh! What is it? Are you okay? I'm so sorry!" Anna said.

"No, No," Nia said. "It's not your fault. It's just my hand, that's all."

The Princess made a pained expression before taking Nia's wrist before she could resist, and examined the appendage. It had turned a lovely assortment of colours and the knuckles had become so swollen that Nia could no longer make a fist. "Yikes. It's from punching that guy in the face, isn't it?"

"It's fine, really," Nia assured.

Elsa stepped forward a little hesitantly. "May I?" she asked.

Nia starred at the Queen's outstretched hand in confusion for a few moments before nodding in understanding.

As gently as she possibly could, Elsa took Irishwoman's hand and held it between her own.

The Queen's hands were soft and smooth – which made sense as everyone knew the monarch had worn gloves almost all her life – and it elicited a response in Nia that she had not been expecting. Gooseflesh raised all along her arms and her stomach did an impressive somersault at the contact.

For a few brief moments the two locked eyes and something passed between the two women that had Nia's mouth suddenly very dry.

She was pulled from her reverie however, when the young Queen suddenly looked away and a soft glow began to emit her palms. Nia watched in rapt fascination as a soothing cold wrapped around her hand and she couldn't stop the sigh of relief that slipped past her lips as the throbbing pain in her joints was reduced to a dull ache.

When the light died away and the warmth returned Nia examined her limb, holding it up to her face and curling each finger experimentally. The swelling had gone down considerably and the flesh felt cool to the touch, as if it had been bound in a healing balm.

"Wow," she breathed. "That's – you're incredible."

The Queen smiled bashfully and simply shrugged. "It's nothing."

"Nothing? It's amazing!"

Elsa merely tucked a loose strand of platinum blonde hair behind her ear, clearly becoming increasingly self-conscious under Nia's awed gaze.

The foreign girl didn't even realize she was staring until the Princess cleared her throat loudly, causing both women to look away from each other and shift awkwardly as Anna watched with a sly grin.

Elsa was the first to regain her composure as she stood more upright and folded her hands in front of her lap. "I apologize, Lady Nia. I'm sure you had actual reason for your visit today?"

"Yes, Queen Elsa. I would like to request your permission to travel the nearby foothills," Nia said.

"Oh?" Elsa asked lifting an eyebrow. "And what is it you will be doing?"

"I am hoping to observe one of your unique reindeer herds in their natural habitat," Nia explained. "Also, if you know of anyone who might be able to help me locate… whyyy are you looking at each other like that?" Nia asked as the Queen and the Princess turned to each other with knowing smiles.

"You are more than welcome to explore the surrounding Arendellian wilds to further your research. And in regards to whom I could offer as a guide, I think I know just the man for the job."

[poisonedjoinery]

The Golden Gangster - Ivar/Reader

Authors Notes: I enjoy reading about Ivar, and writing about him too. I hope you enjoy it. Gif not mine, if you know who it belongs to please do let me know.

Summary: Your estranged father is a heavy gambler, he bets away your mothers items without thought. But when you meet the man behind the collecting, you make him a new deal.

Warnings: None - so far 

Part Two

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

Pulling up outside your mothers house, your anger grew inside of you. Three men were standing on the doorstep waiting to get inside. Reaching to your glove compartment, you pulled out your gun, checked the amo and got out the car. Tucking the weapon into the back of your jeans you felt the cold metal brush along your skin. You had never liked the idea of owning a weapon like this, but after years of watching your mother try to fight off debt collecting thugs you knew you needed something to help keep her safe.

You didn't class your father as anything but the doner to your creation. He gambled continuously, never taking the help offered to him or seeing what he was doing to your mother, your brother... you. He kept gambling, and he kept betting anything and everything that he owned. Even the things that he didn't have the right to. Your brothers house, your car. How many times had they been taken because of your "fathers" stupidity.

"HEY..." Calling out to the men, you strode up the front porch steps glaring at them.

"The fuck do you think you're doing!" One of the men smirked, stepping forward he watched you. His head was shaved, baring a great snake head tattooed on the side of his face. His two cronies moved up behind him, flexing their muscles.

"Your ol' man said we could have whatever was in this house... that we could take what was owed." Anger flushed your face. Poking your finger into the brutes chest, you all but growled at him.

"Now you listen here you piece of shit. That wank stain doesn't live here and hasn't been here for years. Now...get the fuck off this porch."

Barging past him and the two behind him, you opened the front door and quickly shut it locking it with shaking fingers.

"Ma?" Turning you strode through the house, looking for her. You found her in the kitchen hugging a hot cup of tea, tears staining her face. Moving quickly, you wrapped your arms around her hugging her tightly.

"It will be okay ma." She patted your arm gently, a small sniff escaping her.

"I know my love, I know." Her voice sounded hollow, as if she had run out of life and energy for this to keep going on. It broke your heart to hear her like this, she had been so full of life and happiness when you were younger. But over the years, she had slowly become more and more tired, lacking everything that had kept her heart joyful.

"I'll deal with it ma, phone Jacob and get him here." Planting a quick kiss on her cheek, you headed back to the door and peaked out through the small, stained window in the middle of the door. They were still there. Pulling in a deep breath, you opened the door closing it behind you once you had stepped out.

"How much is owed." The thug you had spoken to when you first arrived answered. He was obviously the "leader" of this dysfunctional gang.

"Fifty grand, plus interest." Your skin burned with rage. That fucker... how could he keep doing this. Why wouldn't he just die already, he was a sneaky S.O.B. You knew they wouldn't go quietly. Calming yourself with a few slow deep breaths, you looked back up at him.

"Do you think your boss would take another form of payment?" Your voice shook a little. You saw the filthy smirks they gave each other.

"He could be... persuaded if you offer the right deal." He stepped a little closer, pulling on a strand of your hair.

"I would suggest that if you want to keep both hands in tact, you leave now." You pressed the butt of your gun into his stomach. Stepping back he glanced down,

"Little lady has claws." Chuckling he walked back to the steps, pulled out a card and placed it on the wooden porch rail.

"Come by anytime to see the Boss, I'll let him know you're coming." Turning he sauntered towards a black BMW parked across the road. You watched as the three men climbed in, not moving until they had driven off and out of sight. Walking towards the steps, you picked up the card and turned it over to read. Words were embossed in gold on the thin, elegant card;

Mr I. Ragnarson

The Goldenview Hotel

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You stayed with your mother that night, cooking her dinner and cheering her up. She seemed a lot happier when she finally went to bed, sleeping soundly. You on the other hand, didn't sleep so well. All night you kept thinking about what you could offer him. You knew there was only really one thing, a man like that who took from innocent people wouldn't have any morals or compassion. It was early hours of the morning when you finally drifted off into an uneasy sleep. Nervous about your decision.

You woke late in the afternoon the next day, confused at first as to where you was. Noticing the pale pink walls you smiled to yourself. Getting up you washed, dressed and headed downstairs. You could hear your ma in the kitchen, she was cooking something when you entered.

"Morning ma." Leaning down you kissed her cheek,

"Good morning lamb." She smiled, turning to face you.

"I've made some cupcakes, would you like one with a tea?" Chuckling you sat down,

"Sure... thanks ma." Since you had been a little girl, she had called you lamb because of your short curly hair and the way you would making a bleeting noise when you laughed. She was never conventional when making breakfast, it was always the sugary treats she made. She placed a brightly coloured cake and a hot tea in front of you kissing the top of your head.

"Thanks ma." Taking a bite out of your cake you hummed to yourself. They were always so sweet.

"What are your plans for today lamb?" Looking up, your ma was back at the counter mixing something together.

"I'm going to talk to Mr Ragnarson today, I told his goons I had a better form of payment." Spinning round your ma's eyes widened,

"No darling you shouldn't do that. He is a mad man, everyone knows that." You could see the panic in her eyes. Standing you went over and gave her a hug.

"I'm only going to talk to him ma, nothing crazy. I want to explain that you have no connection to that filth." Her small arms came round and hugged you tightly.

"I don't want you getting hurt lamb, this isn't your fight." Kissing her head you smiled,

"It is ma, you've raised me and Jacob well it's time we looked after you. Where is he anyway?"

"He was away on business, he is heading over today though. He should be here soon." Nodding you squeezed her tightly then moved to the counter.

"So what are we making?"

You spent the next few hours baking and chatting with your ma, enjoying her company and the simpleness of the cooking. Jacob turned up at in the evening, concerned at first about what had happened and sorry that he hadn't been there to help.

"It's all good Jac, I'm sorting it."

He frowned, and looked at you knowingly. He knew what you was going to do, without even having to ask.

"Stay with ma, I'll be back tomorrow okay. I don't want her knowing what it is I'm doing." He nodded. He knew it was useless trying to talk you down, because hell he knew he would do the exact same thing. As your ma walked into the living room, you grinned and stood.

"Ma I'm gonna have to go. I have some papers to go over for work and a meeting first thing, but once it is done I will be back here and we can have the weekend together. Sound good?" Putting the cups down, she came and hugged you.

"Thank you lamb, I don't know what I'd do without either of you." She kissed your cheek, and walked you to the door.

On the drive home you thought about your plan, what you wanted to offer him. You hadn't done it in a while, you'd made a promise to yourself to not get into any more trouble. Huffing out a breath, you pulled into your drive and headed into your house.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You stood outside the Goldenview Hotel, you looked up at the brightly lit building. Everyone knew about this hotel, thousands of people traveled from around the world to stay in it. It sat above the rest of the glittering city, allowing visitors to feel as though they were above the world. Gods in their own right. Only the rich and powerful could afford the best, and the Goldenview was the best. It was a shame it was owned by such a souless piece of shit. Hitching your bag over your shoulder, you walked into the lobby the clicking of your heels muffled by the groups of people talking in the bar. The receptionist, a young man with light hair smiled at you. Your eyes flicked to his name tag.

Magnus.

"I'm here to see Mr Ragnarson." His face paled a little.

"D... do you have an appointment madam?"

"No I do not, but he is expecting me." He shifted uncomfortably, he clearly didn't want to bother Mr Ragnarson but he also didn't want to deny you access in case he was indeed expecting you. Nodding he picked up the phone and punched in a number.

He waited for three rings

"Good evening Sir, I have a miss um..." glancing up at you he realised he hadn't asked your name.

"(Y/N (Y/L/N)." You whispered.

Repeating your name he waited a moment. Putting the phone down he looked back up at you.

"Mr Ragnarson would like you to head up to the top floor. He will speak with you there." Nodding in thanks, you walk to the lift stepping in when it opens. The fiftyforth button looms in front of you. Pressing it, the doors slowly closed trapping you in it's golden glow.

Slowly it raised you higher and higher throughout the building, each gaining floor caused your palms to sweat and your stomach to churn. Shutting your eyes you pulled in a deep breath. You had dealt with worse things, you knew how to deal with men like Ragnarson. They all wanted the same thing, in some form or another. A soft ding brought you out of your thoughts. As the doors slid open you looked out on the most beautiful view. Stepping out you found yourself in a glass walled office, the view of the city lit up below you was something to take your breath away. The floor was a plush cream carpet, the lighting soft, black onyx furniture a main feature.

"I hear you wish to speak with me."

You didn't hear him enter, but turning round you found that he wasn't what you had expected. He was young, long hair braided back into an elaborate plait. His black suit, and crisp white shirt neatly fitting his toned frame. His eyes the brightest blue, standing out against the dark of his suit. There was only one word to describe him. Beautiful. As he walked closer you noticed he used a cane, a simple black stick that had gold delicately woven through it.

"I am Mr Ragnarson, I wanted to make you an offer." You felt your skin prickle a little.

"Please call me Ivar, and do take a seat." He motioned towards a soft black couch. Nodding you moved over and sat down placing your bag on the table between you. Sitting opposite you he ran his gaze over you, a small smile forming on his handsome face.

"It seems my...father keeps placing high bets with you, and I have had enough of your men turning up to my mothers house and frightening her."

He shrugged, tilting his head slightly.

"I only go and take what he has promised me. It is none of my business whether..."

"It should be your business if you are taking from someone who he has no connections with any more! That asshole has not been our family since the day I was born. Now I want you to leave her alone, and keep your cronies away from her too." You hadn't meant to snap off at him, you wanted to be professional. But he just seemed so arrogant, you wanted to wipe that look off his face.

Humming he leant back in his seat, teeth biting his bottom lip.

“Tell me little dove, what do you want to offer me hmm?”

Reaching forward you pulled a laptop from your bag and placed it in front of you. Booting it up, you started tapping away. You knew who you was looking for, found him within minutes. Turning your screen round you sat back.

“Robert Mills, forty-three. Divorced. I believe he is someone that used to frequent your establishment, but didn’t pay the last time he was here.”

Ivar leant forward, scanning over the information before him. Eyes flicking up to you, he smirked.

“Should I be impressed by this little show?” 

Shaking your head, you glanced up at him.

“Press the Return button.”

You could see his mind working, he didn’t want to do as you had suggested but he was intrigued. Shrugging, he reached out and tapped the button.

You watched in amusement as his face dropped, you knew what was rolling across the screen right now. All of Robert Mills information from his birth to his current address, and what sat in his bank accounts at this very moment.

“I can take everything from him, and pass it all to you if you wanted. Make it so that... it looks as though he willingly gave you everything.”

Ivar’s eyes were a light with fire. You could see every possibility flitting through his twisted mind. He turned his gaze to you, and you felt your skin burn and your stomach ache. He was so handsome that it made you want to moan out loud. Getting to his feet, Ivar walked round the table and leant over you, gently moving a stray hair from your cheek. A slow, seductive smile spread across his face.

“I think...you and me will work just fine together.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Part Two

Thank you for reading the first chapter of this Ivar story, I hope you enjoyed it.

[monunilight]

A Strange Case (Part 1)

OC x Leo (Vixx)

Fallen Angel AU | Mostly Fluff, some angst

Word Count: 2,561

A/N: The Hyde music video is what inspired the idea for this fic. Feedback is greatly appreciated! 

I curse at myself for having to work two jobs that night as it poured rain and I had to take a super late delivery all the way across the city. At least it was so late and such bad weather that the streets were basically empty, and it was my last delivery for the night. Once finished I planned to go straight home, curl up on my couch with tea, and watch my sappy dramas.

As I pulled up to the neighborhood, watching the numbers on the houses as best as I could in the downpour, I questioned who had ordered cheap takeout in this area. This was one of the richest parts of the city, not anything like the places I normally took my deliveries to. Finally, I found the house and pulled as far up the driveway as I could, mentally preparing to sprint to and from the door.

The doorbell was loud and obnoxious, just what I would expect from someone with too much money. Unfortunately, the porch was only partially sheltering me from the rain, so I was trying to bounce around a little to not freeze before they answered the door. When the door finally swung open, I immediately shoved the food at the person, in no mood for pleasantries.

“Well hello to you too.” My head snapped up at the voice that sounded so smooth and melodious. My eyes locked with a pair of dark, almost black eyes, then rolled across his face. He had an almost feline-like look to him with a triangle-shaped face and long, sleek nose, with his slitted eyes only adding to the image. When I finally looked back up to his eyes, and it was really up he was so tall, he smirked. “You look very cold, please come in-“

“I really just need the payment.” I forced through my clenched teeth, trying my best to keep them from chattering. I refused to show him how cold I really was.

Instead of arguing with me, he just grabbed my arm and pulled me through the door. I stumbled and almost fell as he pulled me forward, but he quickly caught me with a gentle hand on my lower back. I immediately straightened up and took a couple of steps away from him. He chuckled, and trotted away, assumingly to get my money.

I looked around the entryway as he walked away. It was definitely a rich house, with lots of bright whites and sharp, clean corners. The only thing that stood out to me in the entryway was a very dark painting, which I turned my attention to. It was mostly a dark swirl of colors and lines, with one central figure who looked like he was falling straight down, the wings on his back completely useless to his fall.

The man startled me when he returned and said, “Here’s your money.”

I kept staring at the painting and asked, “Is that supposed to be  Lucifer?”

He chuckled a little, “Yes, that’s who that is.”

“That’s a little odd to have here.” I remarked.

“My boss has an odd sense of humor, he hung it there.” He explained. “What’s your name by the way?”

I turned around, holding my hand out for the money now. “Hana, now can I have the money? I’d like to leave.” He handed it over, the same lithe smirk on his face.

“Well it was nice to meet you Hana.”

With that I turned and bolted. Not only was I ready to get home and into bed, but something about that man made my skin crawl a bit.

Fast forward a week to the next Saturday morning when I had completely forgotten about the odd encounter with the feline-like stranger. I had just finished my shift as a barista and manager at a local café. It was a long walk home, so I had my earbuds shoved in my ears and kept my head down against the Saturday foot traffic.

As I always kept my head down, I had bumped into people on my walks before; however, today I somehow managed to body slam into someone’s back, sending me sprawling backwards onto the sidewalk. Once I was over the initial shock and I realized what had happened, I noticed the person I had run into now had their hand outstretched to help me up. I reached to take it, readying to apologize until I looked up into his face, the feline stranger.

He smiled, lethal but also beautiful. “Well hello, Hana.”

I tried to sputter out words, but I was frozen, his gaze pinning me to the ground. Before I could gain control of myself, I felt his hand wrap gently around mine, and he effortlessly hauled me to my feet. I was finally able to mumble a “Thanks.”

“Where are you headed? I can walk with you.” He offered, holding out his arm for me to take in an old-fashioned way. I just kind of stared at it as he did so, my body still a bit in shock. “I promise I don’t bite.”

I nodded, my body finally moving to loop my arm through his. “I’m just on my way home. Where are you heading?”

“I’ve got a work appointment, but it’s still a while before I’m supposed to be there. By the way, my name is Leo, I don’t believe I got the chance to introduce myself.”

“An appointment for work?” I asked, avoiding having to acknowledge his introduction. He seemed bemused by my response, but nodded in answer. “What do you do for work?”

“Ah,” He began, looking off in the distance as if thinking very hard about the answer. It should have been easy for someone to know what their work is. “It’s a little complicated. I guess you could call me a consultant of sorts for a small firm.”

I nodded as if that made any sense to me or gave me any more of an idea of what was with this guy.

“Do you just work for the restaurant?” He asked politely.

“I work as a manager in a café as well, and I go to school for engineering.” I explained. I always got a little embarrassed admitting to people that I had to work two jobs just to keep myself in school.

However, he looked impressed by this. “You must be very smart, and incredibly busy.”

I shrugged, “I’m not the smartest and I’ve learned how to run on very little sleep.” I looked up at the buildings we were passing and realized that we had already reached mine. It was a corner unit on the busy street, but it had a nice backyard and was within walking distance to both of my jobs and school. 

“This is my place.” I pointed to the building.

“Well, thank you for letting me walk you home.” The phrase felt so outdated, but it sounded sweet coming from him nonetheless. “Maybe I’ll get to run into you sometime soon. Although, I hope not literally again.”

With that he started to walk away, but I called after him. “Hey! Doesn’t that mean you want my phone number?”

He turned back to me with a sly grin on is face. “I don’t have one. But if you want to see me that badly, I’ll just come back by here tomorrow morning.”

I know my face gave away my confusion. Who didn’t have a cell phone anymore? But I just nodded and said, “Sure,” because I couldn’t think of any other response.

“See you tomorrow, Hana.”

Leo

“Hyuk-ah, how do I get a cell phone?”

He started laughing at me as I walked into his room, leaning on his desk next to where he was sitting. He was working on something on a laptop, but I didn’t even try to look and understand what it was. “Why do you want a cell phone, old man?”

I smacked the back of his head, which only made him laugh more. “I might as well learn to use one.”

“Why now?” He pressed, but I just shrugged. A response that I knew annoyed him. “Stop being so secretive. What mere mortal are you wanting to talk to on the phone?”

“I’ll just go ask Hongbin.” I sighed, starting to give up. Again, I knew this would get the response I wanted from him.

“Hold on, I have an old one you can have.” He rummaged through a drawer, coming out triumphantly with a small, rectangular phone. He tossed it to me. As it touched my hands it came to life immediately.

“Thanks, Hyukie.”

Hana

Sunday was my only day off this week, but for whatever cruel reason I was still up near the crack of dawn. And I wasn’t just awake, but I was fully of energy. Due to this fact, I cleaned my entire apartment, finished the majority of my homework for the week, started laundry, and by then it was only 9 o’clock. That’s when I decided I had to get out of my apartment, so I would head to the café for a coffee and maybe a muffin.

When I turned around from locking my door, I found myself face-to-face with Leo. I let out a little screech, dropping my keys as I jumped slightly as well.

“Good morning to you too.” He said with a chuckle, bending down to pick up my keys. He held out his hand to offer them to me, and I snatched them away quickly. “Where were you heading to?”

“To go get a coffee, if you’d like to join me.” I said, already starting to walk towards the café. Leo caught up to me quickly, his longs legs carrying him further and faster than my much shorter ones.

“I would love to join you if you wouldn’t run off without me.” He said, and when I looked up to him I could see a playful gleam in his eyes. “Do you have to work today?”

“Nope, today is my day off.”

“Well, would you like to get your coffee and then take a walk in the park?” He was talking about the park that was across from my apartment I assumed. It was a popular green area with lots of trees and paths where a lot of people took walks, let their kids play, and just enjoyed the outdoors.

“Do you not have another work appointment today?” It was Sunday, but without knowing what he really did I didn’t know if he would work weekends.

He chuckled a little, even though it wasn’t a joke. “I’ve got the morning off at least. I can always take the afternoon if I need to as well.”

“It sounds like you’re in charge.”

“Oh no, I’m just a puppet of my boss. But he is pretty lenient with me.” We reached the café at this point. Leo stepped up to order first, but then turned to me to offer to pay for my drink. Normally I would have put up a fight to pay for my own, but I found myself unable to refuse him when he trained his ethereal smile on me.

Once we got our drinks, we headed back the way we had come to the park, just talking about nothing of importance for a while. I could feel myself starting to get more comfortable around Leo, despite my initial feeling of unease about him. He was reserved and shy, but he had a witty sense of humor and knew how to keep me talking to fill the silence.

The park was busy with families and couples enjoying the Sunday sunshine. We were just starting to talk about movies and music taste (it came as no surprise that he liked a lot of older stuff), when Leo suddenly stopped walking. He threw a hand out in front of me to stop my movement as well. Then he turned so that he was in front of me. I had to crane my neck to look up at him with how close he was.

“Hana, listen very closely to me.” His words were hushed, almost a whisper, and urgent. “I want you to turn around and walk back to your apartment. Don’t look back, and don’t look at anyone as you head there. Please don’t question me, I can try to explain later, but I need you to do that for me right now.”

My heart started beating rapidly. What in the world was making him act like this? For some reason, though, I found myself agreeing instead of arguing. I didn’t know if it was his intensity or the suddenness of this that made me go along with the insanity, but I did.

I turned and left without a word, keeping my head down like he had told me to. But curiosity was eating away at me. I couldn’t stop myself from looking back to where I had left Leo. He had moved down the path a bit, and was now talking to another man. This one looked like he had the same strikingly beautiful features as Leo, and as soon as I looked back at him his eyes seemed to snap at me. I thought that it had to be my imagination making it up, but then he winked with a tiny little flick of his hand in what I assumed was a wave.

I whipped back around, not sure who the stranger was, but he gave me the same unnerving feeling Leo did on the first night I met him. When I turned back around, though, I came face to face with a person. At least I didn’t run into them this time.

“I’m sorry.” I whispered, trying to side step the person, but they mirrored my movement. I looked up at the person, and realized that it was a man. He looked pleasant with a little smile on his face and his eyes were warm and welcoming.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s nice to meet you, Hana.” And with that he walked off, unsurprisingly in the direction of Leo and the other stranger.

Ice was now running through my veins. I had no idea what was going on, but I was terrified and wanted to be home immediately. I put my head down again, thinking that I had to keep it together for another block and then I could freak out as much as I wanted.

It was the fastest I had ever walked home, but I made it. I had to try several times to get my key in the lock, but when I did I threw the door open and slammed it shut, throwing the lock back into place too. My dog, Ravi, came running with his hair bristling until he saw it was just me.

“Ah, Ravi, come here.” I scooped him up in my arms and went to sit on my couch. I curled up with my dog, trying my best to riddle out what the scene I had just encountered was, or what it could mean.

All I knew was that it all looped back to Leo, which meant that I would have to talk to him again to get any answers. I didn’t know if it was better to get answers or avoid the cause of this weirdness, honestly.

[backroadblues]

May 29, 2017 - Bavaria & Tyrol

Today was primarily a transit day. We would be making our way from Venice to Grainau - a small town just outside of Garmish-Partenkirchen. We will be spending 3 days in the heart of Bavaria, but first we must get there. The first challenge is to get from our apartment near St. Marks to the parking garages at Tronchetto. To do this we must catch the water taxi. Our objective is to arrive in Grainau by 4:30 in the afternoon. It will be about a 5 hour drive depending on traffic going over the German Alps through the Brenner Pass. We want to have enough time to stop in Innsbruck, Austria for lunch. Our target is to leave our apartment in Venice by no later than 9:00 am. We are actually early. Our plan was to catch the Vaporetto (water bus) at Arsenale and catch the number 2 line that goes to the Tronchetto. We purchased our tickets the night before so that we would be have minimal delay in the morning. It is a good thing that Trent got up early again because he want for his 6:00 am walk and determined that the number 2 line does not pick-up at Arsenale. We will need to walk a little farther to the St. Marks - Zachariah stop. We are at the stop by 9:00 am and are able to walk directly onto a bus. So far, great timing. We arrive at Tronchetto by 9:45 and now we need to find our car in the massive garage and pay for the parking before we head to our car. Once again great fortune, we come across the payment machine right off the bat, pay for our parking and then head up to our car. We find it and we are on the road by about 10:15AM. We are exhibiting military like precision with our timing.

The traffic out of Venice is a little heavy. We will be taking the A4 back to Verona where we will take the A12 north toward Trento and Bolzano. Traffic moves fairly well. As we begin to head up the mountains toward Brenner Pass, we stop for a bio-break and some diesel fuel. We would like to hit Innsbruck by 1:00pm. Our first snag arises. They are working on the roads leading up to the Brenner pass and traffic is very slow. It take us an extra hour to get to Innsbruck. We stop near the Altstadt (or Old City), where we are determined to eat in a Rathskeller - or beer hall. We have selected Stiftskeller based on some of the reviews we’ve read. I come away a little disappointed. We are arriving a bit late for lunch. Our waitress, whom we immediately nickname Helga reminds us a lot of the immigration people we met in Rome. Meaning she has zero personality. She actually seems a bit put out that we have arrived and want to order some food. I promptly ask for a table for 4 in my finest Italian - I have forgotten that I’m not in Italy anymore. I’m not sure why, since Helga is wearing leather britches and traditional Tyrollean apparel. Helga answers me back in perfect English and points us to a table and tosses menus down to us. She comes back and takes our drink orders and is waiting to take our food orders. She seem a bit put out that we actually want to look at the menus she has given us. She goes to get our drinks. While she is gone we look at the menu and are thankful that there is a section in English. Trent orders the “traditional Tyrollean party sampler”, a tray of cold meats and cheeses that we will share. He orders a couple of different wursts (sausages, one beef and the other pork) which are accompanied with a large pretzel. Carolyn and I order the Schnitzel and Elisa orders the pork cutlets with boiled potatoes. As we order, I’m doing my best to dust my German speaking skills so I can try to get a smile out of Helga, but everything keeps coming out in Italian. That is what happens after 16 days in Italy. it wouldn’t have mattered, Frau Helga is determined to be Miss Grumpy Pants. At one point I ask for some oil and vinegar for the salad and her look at me was like daggers. From that point forward the ladies were official scared of Frau Helga. Undeterred, I ask her for some Salt and Pepper and she grudgingly complies. I’m sure, if I could speak German and if I could have asked her why she is so unhappy, I’m certain that she would have told me that this is what she is like when she is very happy. It just goes to show you that we are culturally different from the folks in Austria. We had been joking about how non-existent the concept of “customer service” was in Italy. After Austria, we all agree that maybe it’s not so bad in Italy. We finish our meal and pay our bill. I make one more attempt to get a smile out of Helga, I hand her a reasonable tip - she does say, “Danke” but no smile. Oh well.

After lunch we have just enough time for a quick walk around the old town square. Elisa and Carolyn do a little shopping and we take pictures and we are all in awe at how clean this town is and how well preserved the buildings are. But alas, we must say farewell to Innsbruck and head on to Garmisch. It should only take an hour, but again the traffic is problematic.

We make our way down the mountains into Garmisch. The little town of Grainau, where we will be staying is a little past Garmisch by a couple of miles. Siri is leading us to our destination via my iPhone, but she lets us down. She tells us we have arrived, but our accommodations are nowhere to be found. After studying the street numbers on the buildings we determine we need to proceed further down the street by about a mile and we finally fine our apartment. We have booked this location via VRBO and after our less than ideal experience in Venice, we aren’t sure what to expect. We find the building, it is a traditional Tyrollean chalet style home. It is very large and has been converted to have 3 or 4 large apartments. There are also 3 smaller separate cabins on the property. We called our host earlier in the day to let her know we were coming and hoped to arrive by 4:30pm. Our host Carolin speaks very good English and she tells us not to worry, she will leave the key in the door in case we want to arrive a bit late.

When we pull in at about 5:45PM, we find the apartment with the key in the door and we are promptly amazed at what a beautiful apartment it is. The main part of the apartment is on the ground floor and it includes a spacious bedroom with king-size bed, a large kitchen, bathroom and living room. The windows on the ground floor include a French Door and all that glass looks out upon the majestic Zugspitze mountain. It is sitting right there looking every bit like a painting. The French door leads out to a nice patio and lawn. There is also a lower level that sits in a basement that still has some light from casement windows. the bedroom is again large and has its own bathroom. In addition to the spaciousness of the apartment and the wonderful view, it is appointed very beautifully and it is extremely well equipped. The host has gone out of her way to make this feel every bit like a vacation home of our own. Right down the the bottle of Proseco, water, coffee, tea and nicely equipped kitchen with spices and condiments. This place is the best we’ve been in so far and it may actually exceed our lodging in Positano.

By the time we are done cleaning up and getting settled and making phone calls to loved ones back in the states, it is now going on 7:45. We decide we had better go to the grocery store and get some groceries since we have an early start tomorrow. We get to the Aldi supermarket at 8:00PM and are surprised that they are closed. We try a couple of other grocery stores and all of them close at 8:00. So we stop at a gas station to at least pick up some water and a few other things. We then start to get a little worried about dinner and wonder if they all close early. Once again, a cultural difference between Italy and Germany. The Italians don’t think twice about having dinner late in the evening. We find a restaurant here in Grainau and fortunately at 8:30 they are still open and serving dinner. The restaurant is called Spatzenhaus and it offers typical German cuisine with emphasis on traditional Bavarian fare. We struggle with the menu that is entirely in German and our host speaks only a little English. By the time we order, we think we know what we are getting. Elisa has ordered a traditional Bavarian meal of roast turkey with a brown gravy. It would usually be served with dumplings but since she is gluten intolerant, the host suggest potatoes. Elisa opts for the boiled potatoes. Carolyn and I opt for steaks. I the steak with green pepper corns and Carolyn a steak with herb butter. Trent decides to try the Jager Schnitzel (Hunter’s schnitzel). It is cooked with mushrooms. Trent and I accompany our meals with local German beer and Carolyn a house red wine. When our meals come we are not disappointed. Elisa has 1/3 of a turkey - it includes much of the breast, the drumstick and a thigh. It is covered in a savory brown gray that is delicious. The turkey is a bit different than what we are accustomed to in the States. All the meat is dark, including the breast. Perhaps it due to the way they prepared it. In any case it is delicious and moist and the gravy that goes with it is also very good - though a tad salty. Carolyn are also impressed with our steaks. They filets are very large and well cooked. The fried potatoes are also good. Their German’s sure do French fries well. Trent’s schnitzel is also very good. He is surprised that it is not breaded and fried. Instead it has been sautéed in a wonderful sauce of mushrooms. As is often the case, in Europe, our meals are somewhat bereft of cooked vegetables and we only have green salads to go with our meals.

Our host was very friendly, unlike “Helga” in Innsbruck, the service was very good by comparison.

Thus, ended our day. Tomorrow we have a tour of castles and Oberammergau. We must get up and leave early to meet up with our guide. It will be about a 45 minute drive to nearby Fussen. It is probably only 15 miles away, but to get there we must drive around a mountain.

Aufwiedersehn - for now.

[whatdoesshedotothem]

Saturday 30 April 1836: SH:7/ML/E/19/0034

8 55

2 am

- fine frosty morning - downstairs in ½ hour - Mawson had been waiting ½ hour - gave him check for £100 (Messrs. Illingworth and his partner Spencer) - mentioned having seen Mrs. Sutherland’s letter of June 1833 - thought Captain S- would therefore make no claim of acreage of A-‘s name being included (she not knowing enough about it) should advise not to claim anything for the coal already got but A- had written down and I myself thought £20 per acre a fair thing for what remained to be got of Charnock’s coal - I- said about 6 acres in the whole and about 2 or more got - he talked of expense - I said well! then I would ask if A- would take £15 - with respect to the 2nd pit I had advised A- only to claim for the 5 years = £250 since she and her sister came into possession - let the administra lux of the late Mr. Walker claim the rest if she liked - smiled and said Illingworth might tell her if he liked - a good deal of talk - J. and S- much pleased - said I might send for I- myself only hoped he would do his best for me if I did send for him - ‘yes! that I will promise you that’ said he - then had Husband and Barstow - the latter came to say Mr. Wainhouse objected to the Foundry - I thought he would object - said Mr. Husband had best ask him quietly - if W- would not consent there was only one way for it - (meaning a notice to quit) - but the engine might be put up - B- had heard of a 2nd hand one -he

  SH:7/ML/E/19/0035

 had best bestir himself and inquire and if it was worth anything take Mr. Husband and view it the 1st thing on Monday let me have an answer before I went away - had Charles Howarth and paid him (under Mr. Husband) for store-room and larder - then had Joseph Mann who brought his notes =£68.6.6 ½ - to get the money at the bank and pay him in the afternoon - then had Ingham about the upper Hagstocks walling - all these people kept me till 11 50 - breakfast at 12 and Marian came and sat with me the whole time - read me the prospectus of the Messrs. Briggs etc from the Halifax Guardian - fair straightforward prospectus - well done - appearing to great advantage after the humbug of the Messrs. Rawson - saw a carriage at the door (did not know till evening it was Mrs. Henry Priestleys’) - Marian said I was gone to H-x - off down the old bank at 1 ½ - long while at the office of Messrs. P- and A- they had heard I had turned them off and got a new attorney had heard of the letter from Messrs. Gray to Mr. Rawson - explained - did A-‘s business as well as my own - explained about Illingworth (they approved) but Adam said A- had a right to the whole £250; for the additional £50 a year for the 2nd pit went in part of payment of the sum total for the coal SW- had valued the coal after this price fixed upon it - A- had bought at this price and was therefore entitled to the £250 as a part and parcel of the whole - very true - said I would explain this to her - they seemed amused and pleased at the proposed letter reminding Capitan S- A- had taken a colliery for better and worse, and if he shared the bet, he ought to risk the worst - explained about Wainhouse’s objections to the Foundry - said I thought Mr. Parker had better see him on the subject - Gave A-‘s order on Messrs. Briggs for £400, and said I would on Monday morning give an order on the Yorkshire District Bank for the remainder of the £925 for the purchase from Patchett - for Bland and c° ready to pay the £90 deposit on the Bouldshaw coal, and this money if paid had best go towards A-‘s purchase - then explained my own business - appoint Mr. P- steward to receive and pay all indoors and out and call to see my aunt about once a month – Mr. Wainhouse’s £4000 ready anytine but at 4 ¼ p.c. on bond - 4p.c. landed security - asked P- and A-‘s advice - to go on to the end at the bank or take the money of W- P- advised the latter - very well, said I, then I will take the £4000 or £5,000 let it be - and I will come over for a few hours next week (probably Thursday or Friday thought to leave A- at Tadcaster or Leeds) and sign the bond and put the money into the bank - signed a notice to quit to George Robinson as usual - Desired Messrs. P- and A- to consult the magistrates and about the Northgate hotel - whether they would wait patiently till it was finished, or oblige me to open the [tavern] and sell ale in the meantime - said with respect to going abroad A- wished it I had told her the expense and said if we did go she must pay - had I not best advise her to order SW- to pay a certain sum to Messrs. P- and A- and then instruct them to pay the same to Hammersleys to be placed to my account - yes! this the most regular and best plan - from P- and A-‘s to the bank - got £200 of which fifty in Bank of England the rest in their notes - asked for letter of credit for £2000 to remain in force one year and be renewed if necessary - not a word against it - said I would send them a regular order to honour Mr. Parker’s checks on my account to the amount of £2000 - then to Whitley’s - paid my bill from 1 January up to today inclusive - then to Greenwood’s - mentioned about the garden and damage whatever was reasonable for Walker pit stead etc Mr. P- to pay G- for the licence and settle whether any ale to be sold or not at present - would be best to avoid it if possible - then to the Northgate hotel, looking about - gets on very well - then had Husband - he shew his plan for the new Dispensary - very fair indeed - Mr. Harper had told him he had just as good a chance of getting the job as Harper himself had - in which I agreed - returned up the new bank and by the Lodge - saw Booth - with fine weather he will nearly complete his job in a fortnight - Mark Hepworth in the stable - come to bid for Ruthin - offered £10 - no! could see the horse for £12 but would give him 10/. back and for the scare crow of a new gin horse he brought this morning price 6 guineas would give him 10/. for his trouble of buying - at last agreed but said if he did not take the horse home with him tonight I would be off the bargain in the morning - (our hay is all but done - shall have to buy in a few days) - then had Joseph Mann - paid him - kept his bills to enter tomorrow in his book and mine - it seems he has already received £3.17.0 for coal at 8d a load or corve - this to be regularly placed to my credit by Mr. Parker - then wrote 3 pp. and ends (hurried) to A- York in answer to her 2 ½ pp. I got at the post office this afternoon together with Briggs’s prospectus directed to A- sent my letter to A- and a note to ‘A. Jubb Esquire Lord Street’ saying I should be glad to see him before I went and should if he could come in the course of tomorrow - dinner at 8 and coffee and Marian sat with me the whole time and till 9 ¾ when went to my aunt for ½ hour -had John Booth in the drawing room - settled with him and gave him orders - and read the newspaper (my aunt went at 10 ¼) till 11 55 then came upstairs and till 11 55 wrote all the above of today - Had William Green yesterday just before dinner and Joseph Smith’s wife about 7 this evening - mentioned about the possibility of William G-‘s wanting the cottage she lived in, but said if he left his daughter, the daughter should not stay where she is - Smiths’ wife very quietly told the tale of her husband’s being still poorly and not well off - had sold something (a bobbin frame or something of no great use to them) to help to pay ½ year’s rent due she laid next Sunday week - so I gave it her and said she would hear from Mr. Parker when to pay it the next time - several showers morning and afternoon but I escaped them all - F35 ½° and dampish now at midnight - had Mrs. Hutchinson the schoolmistress between 6 and 7 this evening - she wants more flannel - told her always to advise with Mrs. Ann Lee about these matters, and said I would tell A- of her wanting 11 yards more - hoped all would go on well - they have 10 boys and 6 girls (2 of the latter ill) - particularly charged to bring forward Ann Booth and her brother John to go to them by and by.

  SH:7/ML/E/19/0036

 then wrote as follows to ‘Mrs. Walker Cliff Hill’ to go by little John Booth in the morning - ‘Shibden Hall - Saturday evening 30 April 1836 - my dear madam - I arrived very early on Thursday morning and promised myself the pleasure of seeing you before my return to York on Monday morning - I begin to fear this will not be in my power, I have been, and am likely to be so incessantly engaged - I do assure you, I regret seeing you - we hope to get off from York before the end of next week, and shall reach Paris as soon as we can, from which place Miss Walker will write immediately on our arrival - we shall make some little excursions from there but where is quite unfixed - our absence must depend entirely upon circumstances, but we shall be glad to be able to amuse ourselves during the summer months - my aunt is surprisingly well, and my having Mrs. James Briggs to keep house for her, will, I feel assured, make her very comfortable - we all unite in kind regards to yourself - Believe me, my dear madam, very truly yours A. Lister’ - wrote note to ‘Mr. S. Washington, Crownest’ with the plan of yew trees quarry to have the last measurement added to it, and be sent back by early on Monday morning and with the account of what I may be indebted to Mr. SW- and what he has paid Ingham in a/c of Hagstocks walling and if has thought it right to pay the last ½ years Water Lane rate for the poor - and send him copy of A-‘s directions about the stockings to be knitted - 12 ½ when I had written all the above.