#apparently i have corona which i just found out yesterday so that explains everything

[supermanshield]

@astecea-rae said: sounds fun🥰get better soon!

Thank you! Watchtower is almost finished, it's a lot of fun to build.

I'm sick and staying home from work so naturally I started building the watchtower in the sims

[bopinion]

2021 / 14

Aperçu of the Week:

Talk less, smile more! (Hamilton, The Musical)

Bad News of the Week:

My favorite joke last week on Twitter: "We once summarized everything we have to be ashamed of in Germany." "Where, on a list?" "No, in downtown Stuttgart." Well, some jokes make your laughter stuck in the throat. The background: the "Querdenker" ("Lateral thinker")movement, originally started by critical-minded democrats who demanded a legitimate voice in restrictions against Corona spread, has become a rallying point for undemocratic subjects: Reichsbürger (who dispute the legitimacy of the Federal Republic of Germany), increasingly radical anti-vaccination activists (who have previously advocated so-called measles parties and see vaccinations as bodily harm), conspiracy theorists (ranging from Bill Gates haters to hardcore phantasists like QAnon), and a hefty helping of neo-Nazis.

Since then, "demonstrations" have taken place every week in virtually every major city, sometimes numbering hundreds, sometimes thousands. The nucleus was and is in Stuttgart. "Demonstrations" in quotation marks because it is clear from the outset that the permit requirements of the competent authorities (mask requirement, keep distance, numerical limitation, etc.) are to be disregarded in purpose. And this then takes place as well as assaults on police, media representatives and passers-by who do not join in the usual chants ("Merkel must go!") with spontaneous enthusiasm.

Also on Twitter, a teacher asks in the direction of the police how he should explain to his students that they should not be caught in threes on the way home from school, otherwise their parents will be threatened with a fine. And on the other hand, even at unauthorized demonstrations, the police calmly watch as up to 10,000 without masks and distance shout against cop pigs and mainstream media as stooges of encroaching governments. Good question. To date, I just haven't heard a serious answer.

Just to clarify, I hold fundamental democratic rights like free speech or the right to demonstrate sacred. What I have a problem with is instrumentalization by self-declared enemies of the state. How absurd is it to explicitly reject the rule of law on the one hand and to invoke it on the other. "We know our rights!". Exactly. That is perfidious and dangerous.

My generation can remember exactly how the police cracked down on protests against the planned nuclear reprocessing plant in Wackersdorf / Upper Palatinate in Bavaria in the early 1980s. That was when we first saw riot gear, pepper spray and water cannons. And that against (in the majority) harmless sit-ins. Today, we see discussions about the balance of state intervention ("Blind in the right eye?") and wonder about WhatsApp groups of police officers teeming with "88" references and factions in the military preferring forms of greeting that have been banned since 1945. This is a far cry from the ideal of the "citizen in uniform". So please show more clear edge - in the authorities and on the street.

Good News of the Week:

Sole governments have become rare in the German states; in almost all cases, it comes down to a temporary alliance of two or three parties: a coalition. Before entering into concrete coalition negotiations, it is customary for the winner of the election / the party with the strongest percentage, to hold so-called exploratory talks with all coalition partners that are basically in question. A lot of symbolism is attached to these. After all, no party has ever explored, let alone formed a coalition, with the right-wing populists, for example.

In Germany's political landscape as a whole, the Greens have been going up and up in the polls for months, while the conservatives have been going down. The state of Baden-Wuerttemberg has been gradually leading the way for years. Four weeks ago, the Greens were re-elected as the strongest force there for the second time, with Winfried Kretschmann, the only Green minister president to date, at the helm. And the conservative Merkel party CDU as junior partner. A constellation that has apparently worked quite well for ten years.

The Social Democrats, themselves far from previous election results, had hoped that the Swabian Greens would have had enough of the conservatives and would cheerfully enter into a coalition with them as well as the Liberals (the Left did not make it into the state parliament). With as much positive spin-off effects as possible for the federal elections to be held at the end of September. Did not work, the proven coalition has successfully explored and is since a few days in the concrete coalition negotiations, which will determine the policy of the next five years. Title of the paper on the exploratory result: "Great challenges require courageous decisions and reliable cooperation".

That's good. Ecology and economy - you can't have one without the other. And that's exactly what the two parties stand for. And they have also taken up the banner of the most far-reaching climate protection program to date, which is intended to be a genuine new departure. We'll see when details become public. But the signs are not bad. Just as the Greens, especially with Kretschmann, have proven that the former radical fundamentalists in the party have given way to realistic pragmatists, the traditionally industry-friendly Christian Democratic Union must prove that it has accepted the issues of climate, environment and sustainability as a central task for the near future.

If this works, it will also have a signal effect on the upcoming federal elections and federal government elections in the fall. Because there, too, the reconciliation of the two ecos must take place and bring quick and effective benefits. Because only if the individual member states of the EU pull together can the European Commission's ambitious goals in this regard make the step from theory into practice. Because only if Europe can demonstrate climate success will the emerging economies follow. Because only then will this planet have a chance. In this respect, Stuttgart also sends out a positive signal, as it is home to the green-conservative state government of Baden-Wuerttemberg.

Personal happy Moment of the Week:

The day before yesterday, I had an exciting experience. I came to a vacant commercial property of my bosses to show it to possible tenants. When I entered it, it became obvious that burglars were there. Hearing suspicious noises, I decided I'd rather not be a hero, but dial police 911 for the first time in my life. To the lady on the phone, I described where I was, what I had found, and why I thought the burglars might still be in the house. While still on the phone, after less than two minutes (I checked the phone log!) the first of four police cars arrived and secured the entire street block. The bottom line was that no one was there, only bubbling water was the suspicious source of the noise. Forensics came and found lots of usable material. I found it exciting to experience something live that I had previously only seen on television. And I was happy about how quickly and smoothly the police were on the scene when they were needed.

As I write this...

...I am enjoying the spring sunshine before the snow returns the day after tomorrow for the second time this April.

[pandemiclaughter]

Never thought my name here would make me not want to come to post

\I know there has been a crazy amount of things going on in the world.  Never did I think using the term pandemic would give me different thoughts about even popping over here to post. 

Right before everything changed in the world this year--I was having my own personal meltdown.  Took time off from work to try and put myself together.  Then pandemic happened---I took a little more time off and realized it was just time to quit for many reasons.  I’m still in school--obviously going to be delayed a little, but that’s ok. 

We have been able to finish up some of our clinical hours working on the local tristate covid hotline.  Yesterday my brother started callling me over and over---I’m on the phone with the hotline.  I’m trying to text him back (he typically prefers texts).  He texts me back his 20 year old son overdosed and he was needing help. (He lives about 8 hours away from where his son was.)

I screamed FUCK---yes, if anyone on the hotline heard me--I was the one screming FUCK in the background and also getting looks of concern from the other nurses answering the phones in the room---like---I pass on the basic information to them and excuse myself. 

My brother is telling me his other son found his oldest son foaming at the mouth and he just knows that the first responders told his other son that it would be a miracle if he survived.  

My brother is telling me the hospital won’t give him any information about his son, except the number to the ambulance that drove him to the hospital--which is a wrong number. 

I ask if I can take over.  I call the hospital and finally find the nurse in charge and explain my brother is just trying to find out if his son is alive or dead or any information and how to get the information.  She tried to pull the whole--I can’t tell you anything.  I’m like you can give me your number for him to call and you can give him all he needs.  (She did slip and tell me, she was surprised the police had not contacted him already---which already let me know what was going on).  

The kid’s mom recently went into an inpatient mental hospital--so she was not around to help.

It’s continued to be a disaster since then.  I tried to help get my brother funeral homes--which the answering services---even when I explained I was not from the area and not in the area---assuring me they were in the area--were not. So back to the phone.  Apparently the hospital and the local funeral homes don’t have coolers/fridgeration---so that added extra to the challenges.  

Getting the limited family together at this time has been a challenge all new. 

He was such a sweet kid with so much promise.  He was overcoming so many obstacles and wouldn’t have even been in that town still had Corona/Covid come out.  The place he was waiting to get back down on the coast was the house he spent most of his childhood. He was trying to move on and away.  This house did not even have running water or heat.  He went back up to celebrate his son’s birthday and got stuck returning back to the coast due to Corona and got delayed and with old friends.....

I’m still trying to process it all. 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/loving-sky-hulet-forever?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

[luescris]

La Villain Cafe- Part Two

Here’s the next part ya guys!! :D Hope you all enjoy this one as much as you did the last one!!

Varian didn’t want to go back.

It was only one day, for only a few short moments, and he didn’t want to go back. For vey good reasons: One was because he would just know that anybody else who visited that coffee shop would give him awkward stares and whisper about him behind his back. Two, because being around so many adults (And he knew there was gonna be some pretty big baddies floating around) made him feel oddly small and vulnerable. The last reason, was because that place was filled with villains, and hanging about them gave him a sick, cold feeling inside himself. He knew what people in his world thought about him, but he would never imagine them to go so low as to throw him into a place like that.

His mind was still fogged about what that Doctor guy had said as well. “It’s where I live in my world.” What was that supposed to mean? Varian thought he was in Corona still, not in a different world. He wasn’t even sure he’d believe other worlds than his own actually existed.

Unfortunately, his protests didn’t stop the guards who took him the next day at the same time as before. The strange thing was, though, they seemed like they weren’t Corona guards, even if they had on official uniforms. They had shove him a card, told him to keep it with him, and dragged him out of his cell. As bewildered as he was about it all, he just decided to go with the flow. His stubbornness didn’t allow him to open his mouth and ask any questions, didn’t let him care where he was being led and ignored all his burning questions.

But then he learned what the shop was served for, and after the events of his first visit, he wanted nothing to do with it. But the thing was, he had no motivation to fight back anymore, so he went along with the guards, scouring and glaring at the floor.

The front of the shop looked like an old and rickety run-down sort of place, with the windows smashed and all. Something you would expect from a place for a villain hang out area. But inside, was that cozy and warm atmosphere every cafe should have, nothing broken or cracked, windows looking as new as ever. And that’s what Varian found so mind boggling about it.

And he found it even more so when he arrived once again, the two guards standing where they had before. Varian hesitated even longer than yesterday to open the door, his unwillingness holding him back. The questions from last time burned in him like a fire, stronger than before, and he tried holding it in, but it didn’t do any good.

Varian finally gave in, and glared over at the two guards, his curiosity finally getting the best of him. “Okay, who the heck are you. What the heck is this place and why in the world am I coming here?”

The guards blinked at him in astonishment for a few seconds, then the one on the right grinned. “Well, it’s about time you spoke up. We were starting to think you lost your voice or something.”

Varian narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. “Yeah, and this is probably the only time I’ll ever speak again. So answers.”

The guard on the left stepped up. “We figured you had questions. But you know, we can’t tell you everything. Just the things you need to know. Like, you don’t need to know who we are. Not yet at least.”

“But we can tell you why you’re coming here,” The other guard said. “And it’s not for the reason you think it is. Maybe everyone else thinks you’re like them, but trust me when I say there’s a purpose for you visiting. Besides letting you get some space from your own cell.” Then he frowned. “Just.. Don’t take any ideas they give you. Not the bad ones. They may seem good to you as of now, but there will be serious consequences.”

“.. And what about what this place is?” Varian asked, his hostility dropping slightly. “Why does it look so broken on the outside, but not in the inside?”

“This coffee shop, as you may know, is known as La Villain Cafe,” The guard explained. “And as you may also know, it is not like any other ordinary shop. When you step through that door, it may seem like you’re entering a shop, but really it’s a disguised portal that’s connected to worlds anywhere and everywhere. There is no limit to who can enter, as long as you’re an authorized villain from who you came from. Anybody else sees its disguise, and only that. As it was built to do. The only problem is, no one knows who created it, but it took some time to figure out what it was supposed to be used for. Since then, villains from dimensions and worlds beyond your wildest dreams have been entering and using it as their one and only sanctuary from outside.”

Varians’ head was reeling. “... So… So all those other guys aren’t from..?”

The guard on his right shook his head.

Varian looked back at the door and blinked at it. “... Does the king know where I’m going?”

“Sort of,” The guard on the left shrugged. “He doesn’t like us taking you, but in all honesty, it’s not really his call, as far as we’re concerned.”

Varian looked back at him with astonishment at his words. Did he really just say that out loud? “T-then who’s-?”

“Not any of your concern yet,” The other said with a friendly smile. “You just go on in now. We’ll wait for you here, as protocol.”

_________________________________________

Varian held his head in his hands, staring down at the wooden table beneath him with blurred vision, mind swimming with all the information he had been told. All of it seemed so.. Impossible. But when he walked through the door, he had felt a sort of chilling tingle go through his entire body, which was definitely something he didn’t feel last time he had entered. He ignored all the confused sideways glances the other… Apparent villains had been giving him. He could definitely tell that they were not from Corona at all. One of them had a large mustache, as well as a large stomach that looked egg-shaped, but his legs were long and skinny. Varian wasn’t sure how it was even possible he was able to walk. Some of them weren’t even human. It went against everything he believed.

He didn’t see that doctor or the man with firey hair there, which was sort of a relief, because they were really annoying, and where the ones that had made Varian explode like he did. He didn’t want to do that again, especially since there was a lot more of them now. And most of their eyes were boreing into the side of Varians’ head, which made it very awkward.

At least until a figure moved in front of his face again, and he looked up to see that the woman behind the counter had walked up to him, with a kind smile almost like a mother’s. “Hello young man,” She said. “Would you care for anything to drink or eat?”

Varian blinked. “... I uh.. Don’t have any money.”

“Oh, you don’t need money to pay!” The woman laughed. “Just use your Coffee Card. No charges will be pressed.”

Varian pulled out his card from the front of his apron, looking at the plastic. On it had his name, where he’s from, and a space for.. Something he wasn’t sure about. He stared at it for a few more seconds, then sighed. “Yeah.. I suppose I could go for something.”

“What would it be?” The woman asked, taking out a pen and paper. “The menu is right on the table.”

Varian looked down, suddenly noticing what was in front of him. It definitely wasn’t there before. The front showed of a laughing red mouth and eyes, with a clawed hand levitating a coffee cup in a black backdrop. After staring at it for a second or two with weariness, he opened it slowly, skimmed through all the options for a few seconds, then shook his head and placed it down. “Just get me whatever regular coffee you have. And maybe a croissant.”

The woman nodded, though there was a worried frown on her lips, and when she closed her small notebook, she asked, “You seem a little stressed young one. Is everything alright?”

Varian looked back up at her, and was about to snap at her.. But there was actual concern on her face, and Varian couldn’t seem to bring himself to do it. So he crossed his arms on the table, laying his head on them and grumbled, “Sure. I just found out there’s a such thing as magical doorways and other worlds other than my own, which goes against all science and logic in my head. I’m starting to think science is a lie instead…”

“Oh, yes it’s all very confusing at first,” The woman nodded sympathetically. “But La Villain Cafe will eventually grow on you, I guarantee.” She smiled again. “Your order will come soon, Varian.” She looked behind her at the other villains who stared. “As for everyone else who has ordered already, you are to leave this boy alone, and do not ask him any questions until he is ready! Or you will be kicked out! So focus on your own business!”

All heads turned away from her, though some with grumbling and complaints. The woman nodded with satisfaction, gave Varian another smile, and left.

Varian watched her leave with confusement. Did she really just.. Stick up for me?

[codynaomiswireart]

“Gauze in the Wound” - Part 5

Part 1, 2, 3, 4

Upon his arrival at the castle, Xavier had been brought immediately to the throne room. There he found Varian, a few of the city’s nobles, and a handful of guards already seated in a circle around a table in the middle of the chamber. Many of them were murmuring to each other as they waited for the council to officially begin. Pete stood guard right behind Varian’s chair, and both seats directly beside him were among the few that had remained vacant. Xavier sat down in the one to Varian’s left, giving a small friendly nod of greeting to the boy as he took his seat. Varian gave his own little nod in return, though remained silent as he fiddled nervously with the cuffs around his wrists, trying to ignore the glances, stares, and whispers of the others around them.

Xavier took a moment to study the odd shape that sat before them on the table. A thick white tarp covered what seemed to be a slightly raised platform, with the object in question situated on top of it, and a few rough cords extending out from underneath the tarp to different points on the table. Though the tarp prevented those present from seeing what the strange object was, this much was very plain – whatever it was, it was the thing the guards had found in Old Corona, and it was apparently something of extreme significance to the whole mystery surrounding them.

“How are you holding up?” Xavier asked Varian kindly as he turned his attention to his apprentice.

“Well enough,” Varian replied, though Xavier could tell by the way Varian continued to twiddle with his chains – and also by the way Ruddiger looked up at him from his lap – that Varian wasn’t being totally honest.

“How’s Ruddiger doing?” Xavier thought to ask, hoping to steer Varian’s thoughts to more calming things while they waited for the king and queen to arrive. Perking up at Xavier’s addressing him, Ruddiger let out a soft trill of greeting, and leaned into Xavier’s touch as the blacksmith gave Ruddiger a few scratches underneath his chin.

“He’s alright,” Varian replied, managing the tiniest raising of a smile at Ruddiger’s contentment. “Although…” Here, Varian frowned hard again. “…I get the feeling he misses home sometimes…”

“I’m sure he does,” Xavier said sympathetically, giving Ruddiger a small pat on the head (and the raccoon once again finding it surprising how gentle the strong blacksmith’s hands could be).

There was another moment of silence between the two of them, Varian now beginning to stroke Ruddiger’s fur in thought. Then he spoke again, a bit haltingly. “...Do you…do you think that I’ll ever get to go back to Old Corona? To help free my father I mean?”

Xavier’s brow furrowed pensively. “I can’t say for sure,” he began honestly. “Especially when we don’t know what exactly this latest development is all about. But if there is a way Varian, we will work towards it.”

“Promi-?” Varian attempted to ask out of reflex, but then quickly cut himself off before he could complete that word, his eyes turning downward again. Varian had decided long ago that he wasn’t going to take any stock in promises made by anyone ever again. It hurt too much whenever they were broken.

Xavier looked down at him, saddened by this response. “Varian-” he tried to preface any words of solace, but his words were interrupted as the door to the side of dais opened and King Frederic and Queen Arianna came in, led by the Captain of the Guard and followed closely by Nigel. Xavier, the nobles, and the guards at the table all stood as they came in, though Varian remained in his seat, refusing to look at them or anyone else as he again allowed his face to be hidden behind his long dark bangs.

A few of the nobles gave little looks of disapproval at Varian’s defiant posture, but Xavier paid them no heed. He and Varian had of course talked beforehand a few days ago about how they were to approach any sort of meeting with the king and queen once it should arise. Varian had made it very clear that he did not intend to participate in any “inane ceremony” (as he had put it) when meeting with them. But Xavier had been able to convince him of a compromise where Varian didn’t have to stand, bow, or anything like that if he didn’t want to, but he also was not to resort to raging outbursts as he had done during his trial. Instead, Varian was to attempt to be as diplomatic as possible (i.e. to be as “noble an opponent” as possible, as Xavier had put it). Xavier made it clear that this did not mean Varian had to placate to their majesties, or feign any warm feelings towards them, but it also did not give Varian license to shoot his mouth off in the heat of temper.

“I know it won’t be easy,” Xavier had acknowledged to Varian. “But it will serve you the best in the long run. And I will be there with you this time. As in a sparring match, if you find you cannot face your opponent as agreed upon, you let me come in and help you. I know it’s a lot to ask after everything Varian, but I need you to trust me to be your advocate on this. Will you allow me that?”

Varian hadn’t been able to give a solid answer at the time (which didn’t surprise Xavier), but as it was, Xavier figured that Varian was perhaps doing the best that he could (or perhaps nearly the best he could) given the circumstances, and while it would’ve been better to have the trust between them solidified more before this “trial by fire”, Xavier felt he could work with what they had so far.

“Let’s see how well our blades have been tempered for this next joust, Varian,” Xavier couldn’t help but think to himself in a mixture of confidence and nervousness. Of course Xavier didn’t mean this thought in a hostile way, and he knew that there was likely to be more challenges facing Varian at this meeting than just the royal bureaucracy of Corona. Whatever had been brought in from the old village, it would likely present its own slew of trials for the young alchemist, no matter what conversations or debates came of it.

“Thank you everyone for coming to this meeting on such short notice,” King Frederic began. “As you all know, the site out at Old Corona has been gradually quarantined over the last couple of weeks, and whatever patrols we can spare have been out there ensuring its security. It has been brought to our attention that the guards found something of particular interest yesterday that requires the immediate attention of the court. Stan,” the king now turned to the guard sitting a few seats away. “As you were the one leading the patrol yesterday, I’ll leave it to you to explain what it is you found.”

“Thank you your majesty,” Stan began, now reaching to grab one of the corners of the tarp covering the mysterious object in the middle of the table (and Xavier noting the slightly nervous glace the guard gave in Varian’s direction for the briefest of seconds before proceeding). “We found this to the side of the pathway made by the black rocks that leads out of Old Corona and beyond the kingdom’s wall. Given what we know of the indestructible nature of the black rocks so far, we have no idea what to make of it, but we figured it would be of urgent interest to this council. Thus we brought it back here to the capital.” With that, Stan removed the tarp with a quick flick of his wrist, and all those who had not seen the thing that had lain underneath it all drew in sharp breathes and gawked at what was now plainly before them.

Sitting there in the middle of the table, lying on its side on the small platform, was a CUT piece of the black rocks!

Upon seeing this most unexpected revelation, Varian’s eyes widened, his blood ran cold, and he stood up quickly from his seat. His hands splayed out on the table’s wood surface to support himself as he leaned forward closer to see the nearly two-foot-long piece of rock, hardly daring to believe his eyes as he beheld it in front of him. Ruddiger gave a squeak of surprise as he fell from Varian’s lap to the floor at the sudden motion (though unhurt by the short fall onto the carpet), and Varian had a sharp, shocked noise escape his throat as he saw the impossible sitting there before him, feeling both bewilderment and hope begin rise within him in a splendid mess.

Pete’s hand was on Varian’s shoulder almost immediately as he had risen from his chair, and a few of the nobles sitting nearby flinched back as if they expected the young felon to lunge out at them. But anyone and everything else in the room were a million miles away from Varian’s mind as the cut piece of the rock held the boy’s undivided attention; as if he were spellbound by something equal parts terrible and beautiful. As if it were something out of Varian’s worst nightmares (which was indeed rather true), but was also something that contained the secrets to life itself (which in a sense it might, when it came to his father).

Xavier – also very shocked by this latest discovery – looked over at Varian uneasily, as did everyone else as the young alchemist had suddenly stood from his chair. Xavier could clearly see the storm of emotion in his apprentice’s eyes, and the furious working of the brain behind those eyes. After the initial shock, Varian’s fingers curled hard into the table, and then he made to reach for one of the cords that had been attached to the small platform that the piece of rock sat upon (which allowed for it to be pulled to different points around the large table easily). But Pete, as per protocol, pulled Varian’s arm back by the shoulder at this movement, also urging the boy to sit back down. Varian’s expression immediately shifted into one of rage as his entrancement to the rock was broken by yet another obstacle getting in the way of him freeing his father, and he let out a growl of anger.

“No! Let me go!” Varian yelped in protest, his other hand beginning to reach back towards the cord sitting nearby, and Varian began to feel a horrible, familiar, lonely desperation overshadow him again – like how it did when he was once so sure he had been so close to success, but those selfish mutton-heads whom he had once called friends continued to get in his way. But another large hand stopped his own, catching him around the wrist, and Varian’s enraged face whirled round to glare at the other person who dared interrupt him again.

Varian felt his blood run cold a second time as his eyes met Xavier’s. There was no condemnation in his mentor’s eyes, but neither were they near as soft as Varian had been used to seeing them. This sent an involuntary shiver down Varian’s spine, and caused him to snap out of whatever rage that had threatened to overtake him. While Xavier hardly made any movement as their eyes met, and he never uttered a single word of chastisement, Varian could clearly perceive the emphatic “no” that was being conveyed in Xavier’s expression and silence. It was not a pitiless expression of silence by any means, but neither was it lax. They couldn’t afford to be, and Xavier had to get that across to Varian immediately.

Varian felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment as he lowered his eyes, not being able to bear seeing such an expression from Xavier for too long. It wasn’t exactly like the looks of disapproval he had gotten from his father whenever any of his inventions or compounds accidentally caused mayhem in Old Corona, but it also wasn’t totally unlike them either. Hardly a minute into the meeting and Varian had already disappointed his one ally. Barely the first few strokes had been dealt, and Varian had already committed a foul. After a tense moment of stillness, Varian finally relented and sat back down stiffly, guided by Pete’s hand on his shoulder.

“It’s all right,” Xavier seemed to try to convey as he gave Varian’s wrist a light squeeze before letting go, though Varian didn’t yet look back at his face as Ruddiger cautiously climbed back up into Varian’s lap (and Varian also now feeling a slight pang of guilt at realizing how his little, loyal friend had taken an unexpected tumble to the floor like that because of him). “We can still try again. We’re not done yet.”

“Right,” King Frederic tried again after everything had settled back down. “Now than, Stan, you are certain that this is a piece of the black rocks that we have seen scattered throughout the kingdom? It is a genuine specimen?”

“As far as we can tell it is, your majesty,” Stan replied. “We even found what we believe to be the base that this piece of rock had come from. At least, when we stacked this piece back on top it made a perfect fit. Of course the trouble is that we’ve seen it demonstrated multiple times that the rocks have not been able to be cut or broken in any way, yet this seems to have been cut clean through. Some of the men who found it thought maybe it was a fabrication of some sort, and that someone had planted it on-site prior to when we closed off the village.”

“But why would anyone do that?” one of the noblewomen questioned.

“My thoughts exactly,” Stan replied. “And you can be sure, we certainly wouldn’t have called this council if we didn’t have good reason to think this was a genuine piece. So me and some of the other boys tried throwing all that we could at the thing shortly after we found it.”

Here, Stan beckoned for one of the guards standing nearby to bring forward a bundle he had wrapped up in his arms. Bringing it up to the table, the guard dumped out its contents with a loud clang as a whole bundle of steel weapons spilled out, and all of them were bent, split, or warped at many an odd angle. Varian couldn’t help but give a quick glance over at Xavier, as the blacksmith seemed to be both amazed and a tidbit horrified at seeing such fine weaponry damaged so badly beyond repair.

“This is the result of that experiment,” Stan said. “Needless to say, nothing that you’d find in our armory could even make so much as a scratch on it.”

“Hmm,” the king hummed pensively. “And you’re certain it was cut?”

“So far as I can tell,” said Stan with a small shrug. “Though, I am only a soldier, and so I’m afraid I don’t know much about what a cut rock looks like.”

“Yes,” the king said. “Thank you Stan for your vigilance and your report.” Stan gave a nod of acknowledgement in response.

“Now then,” King Frederic continued. “Xavier, your craft involves a great deal of working with ores and minerals. Would you be able to give us your assessment of what could’ve happened to this piece of rock to make it like this?”

Xavier nodded, reaching for the cord to pull the piece of rock over towards him. “My apprentice and I will take a look at it.”

Varian started a little as he heard Xavier suddenly lop him into the task as well. He also felt very nervous as all eyes now turned to the two of them, and the mutterings and whisperings began to be heard again from those around the table. Varian could tell by the way some of them looked at him that he was not well liked by this council, and a few even had looks of shock at the idea that Varian was Xavier’s apprentice. Apparently, not everyone had known about that development before this moment.

Varian swallowed hard as the piece of black rock was dragged closer, and despite whatever eagerness Varian had felt only moments ago at getting a better look at the thing, he now felt a horrible apprehension settle in his gut as his eyes watched it scoot across the table. What if this was just like before, and it was all somehow pointless in the end and he only got hurt again? What if they were following a wild goose chase, and this would only be another glimmer of hope that would blow up in his face in the end (perhaps literally)? What if-?

It was now that Varian realized he had been trembling a little as he felt Ruddiger lay a reassuring paw on his arm, attempting to steady his master. Now was hardly the time for a cuddle, but this much Ruddiger could do for him. “You got this,” his expression seemed to say as Varian glanced down at him in his lap. “I’m here.”

“Thanks bud,” Varian conveyed to the raccoon as he gave Ruddiger a couple quick strokes across his back as Xavier pulled the rock to a halt in front of them. Carefully, Xavier lifted the rock from the prongs that had kept it from rolling about on the stand. He stood up as he weighed it in his hands, motioning for Varian to stand as well. Varian gently draped Ruddiger across his shoulders as he stood, trying to ignore the shakiness in his arms as Xavier held the rock for him to see as well. They both looked to study the base of the rock sample, finding to their surprise that it bore marks similar to those of a rock that had been cut clean through by some sort of chisel or other blade. It was hard to make out these markings as the rock was such a dark color, but when tilted just right, the light was able to get at them well enough for them to be seen by the naked eye. There also appeared to be a pattern of layers and crosshairs on the inside of the rock – looking almost like that of petrified wood or the inside of a geode – but this was a little harder to make out.

“What do you make of it Varian?” Xavier now prompted him to speak. Varian knew full well that he and Xavier were thinking the same things, and that Xavier could’ve easily told his analysis to the council himself, but he wanted Varian to be the one to give the report. Varian’s brow furrowed. He didn’t very much like Xavier pushing him to speak in front of all these people who (as he thought) clearly didn’t like him, but it was hardly the time to argue about who would do the talking. There was much more than a bit of fear of public speaking at stake, and Varian wasn’t about to let any small matters like that get in the way of this next big lead on what could possibly be the key to freeing his father.

And, in all honesty, Varian was truly fascinated by what he saw in this rock, and he felt a flare of his old, nerdy self reawaken for a moment as he conceded to say, “This definitely looks like the cut of some sort of blade. It’s far to straight and clean for it to have been due to some sort of chemical corrosion, or-”

“Or” a dignified but nasty voice questioned from a quarter of the ways round the table, “could one of your automatons have broken it after it was pushed over them in an attempt at self-defense by those who fought at the Battle of Old Corona?”

All eyes now turned to the speaker, a man named Nazeem, whom Varian recognized as the head of one of the noble families of merchants in the kingdom’s capital. Varian’s eyes narrowed at him as Nazeem looked back with both a smugness and clear hostility in his countenance, his fingers steepled in front of him as his elbows rested on the table.

Varian clenched his hands and jaw at this, though he held his temper this time. “No,” Varian managed to reply flatly, feeling Xavier’s eyes on him as he spoke. “Even if that were possible, the angle and force of an automaton being hit against the rocks would’ve caused the break to be at a steeper angle than the one you see here. Or else the rock would’ve fractured into multiple pieces instead of the one solid part we’ve got here.” Varian couldn’t see it, but he could feel Xavier give a small nod of approval from above at his reply.

“Thank you Varian, Xavier,” the king now made to speak again, the two of them sitting back down as Xavier placed the piece of black rock again between the iron prongs. “If this assessment is correct, and it was a blade that cut these rocks, we must then figure out what blade could to this and who did it. Stan, would you happen to know who’s all been on-site since the Battle of Old Corona?”

Here, Stan sighed heavily. “I’m afraid your majesty that the harder question is finding out who hasn’t been on-site since the battle. By the time we got back out there to cordon off the place, dozens of citizens had already been out there to see all that had happened. We also found evidence of some looting that may have taken place-”

“WHAT!?” Varian now shouted in anger, his hands gripping the edge of the table hard.

“Aye,” Stand thankfully continued to say, turning to address Varian as if were merely another member of the council expressing his outrage at the news, as opposed to the resident felon. “Disgraceful behavior. It seems most likely that the looting was done by bandits, or thieves, or rogues and the like perhaps only a day or two after the battle. Though we also caught a few teenagers trying to make off with some parts of an automaton that they had somehow gotten a hold of. We put a stop to that though.”

“Was anything taken from my lab?” Varian asked in earnest, not noticing the hard frown that Nazeem gave at this question.

“We did find footprints in the dust leading up to the lab’s…er, entrance,” Stan said, trying to be as diplomatic as possible when talking about the gaping hole that now replaced what used to be the front door of Varian’s house. But Varian still cringed as the memory of his plowing through it in a fit of pure rage flashed across his mind.

“But everything inside seemed to be left largely undisturbed.” Stan continued. “Though, it was a bit hard to tell I have to admit.”

Varian slumped back down in his chair at this, feeling disgusted beyond measure at the idea of anyone trespassing on his home and looting his lab as his father sat there helplessly encased in amber. How could anyone be so insensitive like that!? Ruddiger again gave him a pat on the arm to consol him, also feeling with him for the vulnerable state of their abandoned home and the father Varian had to leave behind.

“But the site is secure now?” the king questioned, moving the meeting along.

“Yes,” Stan replied. “And since then, we haven’t seen any unauthorized personnel there.”

“Good,” the king commented. “Xavier,” the king addressed the blacksmith again. “Is there anything about the rock to indicate at about what time it had been cut?”

Xavier shook his head. “Unfortunately,” he began, “while apparently being able to be cut, the rocks are still impermeable to any sort of aging or erosion from the usual natural elements that would otherwise indicate such a thing. By how clean and sharp these markings are, seen on any ordinary rock sample could easily lead one to believe that it had been cut only seconds before now, which we know to not be so with this one.”

“I see,” the king commented. “In that case, Captain, would you know of any other way we could figure out who or what could’ve possibly done this?”

“Personally, I think you would be better off asking the boy that question as opposed to the Captain, your majesty” Nazeem interrupted before the Captain could answer…and Ruddiger giving a soft, low growl from Varian’s lap at this comment. Xavier also tensed up beside him.

“What do you mean by that Nazeem?” the Captain asked in a clearly irritated manner, and Varian feeling for the first time in a long while a twinge of discomfort at the way he heard an adult speak about him.

“Oh please,” Nazeem sighed. “Do you really all believe that the boy is as ignorant about these black rocks as he claims to be? The cut piece was found at his old home after all. Who’s to say that he hasn’t known how to cut them all along and has really been lying to us this whole time in order to make the royal family and the kingdom look bad? Or in order to grab power for himself perhaps? Hmm, come to think of it, maybe that whole disaster with his father as the leader of Old Corona wasn’t so…spontaneous as we’ve been led to think-?”

“HOW DARE YOU!?”

Everyone stopped as Queen Arianna herself now stood from her throne, her expression livid, and even Nazeem’s eyes widened at her incensed response to his comments. “Do you even hear what you’re saying!?” she yelled. “How could you make such outrageous accusations!?”

“I-I’m merely suggesting what could possibly be true,” Nazeem dared to retort (though looking like his confidence had been shaken, if only a little, by the queen’s opposition to him).

“Oh yes,” Queen Arianna replied, her tone not even trying to hide the condescension with which she addressed him. “Well, in that case, most anything could be ‘possibly true’ about all this, now couldn’t it!? Honestly, you have NO evidence to back such claims, and you-!”

“And you do dishonor to yourself for speaking such fallacies in a royal assembly,” Xavier now interjected, also rising from his chair in a show of solidarity for Varian and the queen. Varian had been quivering the whole time Nazeem had been listing off his ludicrous and cruel accusations of him, and would’ve also been enraged to the point of lashing out had his resolve not wavered as the horrible past began to press in on him all over again. So he had also sat stunned, holding Ruddiger close, as the queen had unexpectedly come to his defense, and Xavier also standing up for him (quite literally). Varian felt like he wanted to disappear as he hugged Ruddiger tight, and the raccoon wrapped his paws protectively around Varian’s arm and continued to bristle in Nazeem’s direction.

“You also do dishonor to me as the boy’s mentor for saying such things against him,” Xavier continued, “and I don’t believe you want to go there at this time now do you, Nazeem?”

There was a long, tense silence as Nazeem glanced from the queen, to Xavier, and back again. Finally, Nazeem let out an angry huff. “Fine,” he growled, rising from his chair in indignation. “But don’t you all come running to me when you find you’ve all been duped again.” Then, Nazeem gave a quick bow to the king and queen, offered a terse “Your majesties,” before proceeding to leave the council, slamming the throne room doors behind him as he left.

A heavy sigh of relief seemed to permeate the whole chamber at Nazeem’s departure, and Queen Arianna and Xavier took their seats again, both looking as one does when they just narrowly prevented themselves from throttling someone.

“Varian,” the king said gently a few seconds later, Varian giving a quick glance up in response before focusing his eyes back down in his lap, not even trying to hide how shaken he’d become as Nazeem’s cruel words and bullying. Xavier laid a steadying hand on his shoulder as Ruddiger nuzzled further into his arms. “On behalf of the council assembled, I as king would like to offer a formal apology for what just transpired.”

“Aye,” said several other voices in concurrence around the table. Varian felt Xavier give his shoulder a small squeeze as a gentle cue to respond. Xavier could tell that Varian felt conflicted over this apology coming from the king, and he didn’t expect Varian to be oozing with gratitude over it (especially in light of how he seemed to be waiting on recompense for other far more serious things). But he also knew that in light of this discovery with the black rocks, they would need to be on as good of terms with the royals as possible if they were to make the best headway in getting answers to this mystery.

With great reluctance, Varian took the signal, and managed to reply softly, “I…I accept the council’s apology.”

The king gave a court nod, and then made to refocus the meeting once again. “Now, as I was saying before, can you think of any way to figure out who or what managed to cut the rocks, Captain?"

“Well,” the Captain said, stroking his mustache thoughtfully, “I could have some of our troops ask around the kingdom for if anyone saw anything. Given the lack of any physical traces of evidence as Xavier had described earlier, an eyewitness account would be the next best shot I can think of at making any headway on this matter. But obviously it’s not guaranteed.”

“I think,” one of the councilwomen now made to speak, “that we should also work to discover what sort of blade could even cut through the rocks in the first place. We should definitely ask around if anyone saw anything in any event, but if it was indeed a blade that cut this rock, I would suspect such a thing wouldn’t go around unnoticed.”

“It is well thought Lady Aela,” another councilmen said. “Xavier, would you happen to know of any such blades that could do this?”

“None that I have crafted nor encountered,” Xavier replied. “Although…”

“Although what?” Lady Aela asked the blacksmith as he stroked his beard, looking hard in thought, and the closest Varian had ever seen him to nervousness.

“…There is the legendary Demanitus steel,” Xavier said, the rest of the council exchanging confused glances between one another at the blacksmith’s words.

“And, what is this Demanitus steel?” the Captain asked, prompting Xavier to explain.

“Long ago,” Xavier said, his voice taking on that serious, almost reverent tone that he used whenever telling an epic tale, “Lord Demanitus was said to have been able to craft a steel so strong and so pure, that it could cut through any stone or metal brought against it. Legend has it, that he learned how to craft this steel by obtaining the method used to make Damascus steel from some of his colleagues in the Ottoman Empire. Using this metal as a base, Lord Demanitus figured out how to further manipulate the already magnificent alchemical structure within the steel to create an even more durable and reinforced material, crafting a steel the likes of which had never been seen before his time nor since.”

“Wait, Damascus steel?” Varian now questioned, a quick flare of memory bringing him momentarily out of his despondent state. “Wasn’t that what the giants’ sword was made from in Beowulf?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Xavier replied, neither he nor Varian noticing yet another exchange of confused glances between those present as the two of them continued discussing the matter.

“Ok, now wait a minute,” Varian attempted again, trying to curb the frustration he felt begin to grow in him as they began to get into some sensitive territory for him. “This is all pointless though. I mean, these are all legends we’re talking about, right?”

“All legends are born of truth,” Xavier stated. “And while Beowulf may be merely a tale – or perhaps not, who truly knows? – but I am certain that Damascus steel was indeed real. And since Demascus steel was real, perhaps the stories about Demanitus steel are also true.”

“Then how come we don’t have any of this advanced steel now?” a nobleman named Proventus inquired.

“Unfortunately,” Xavier said, “most of the weapons made from Demanitus steel were used in the great war against Zhan Tiri, and many of them were lost in that conflict. The weapons that survived were either stolen, left in secret places where they were forgotten, or sold throughout the various corners the world.”

“That’s awfully convenient for a legend,” Varian couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, irritated that his mentor seemed to put so much stock in fairytales for any solution to something as serious as the black rocks that plagued the kingdom.

“So, our next best chance then is to try to track down one of these legendary blades?” Proventius asked.

“We can try that,” Xavier replied. “Though attempting to find one through the usual channels would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, and it’s very unlikely that anyone in possession of such a blade would be willing to part with it easily.”

“So it’s a dead end?” Lady Aela questioned.

“Not necessarily,” Xavier said. “I think attempting to track down one of these blades would definitely be worth a try. But…” here the blacksmith paused thoughtfully, looking almost as if he didn’t dare say what was on his mind, but he did so anyway. “…I think we have an even better shot at replicating the steel ourselves here in Corona.”

“So, the formula for the steel still exists?” Queen Arianna asked.

“No,” Xavier replied simply, leaving everyone bewildered then at his previous statement. “The formula was kept most secret by Lord Demanitus and his followers, and any documents about it that survived the war with Zhan Tiri are all written in code. I have been able to decipher some of it, but even then, I had long since despaired of ever cracking the formula itself with so many elements of it missing.”

“So then, what makes you think we have a better chance at replicating the steel – without the complete formula mind you – than if we were to try to locate a blade through the global market?”

At this question, Xavier paused, his eyes twinkling with a mixture of pride and excitement as he turned to Varian, laying one of his large hands on his shoulder and answering the rest of the council, “Because we have him.”

Varian gawked up at Xavier, his jaw working to come up with some sort of cohesive reply to this unexpected assertion from his mentor. “Wh-what!? Y-you mean…you think-?”

“Yes Varian,” Xavier said, his eyes again meeting his apprentice’s. “I’ve seen what you are capable of, and I believe that you can help complete the missing formula, and once again bring Demanitus steel back from legend.”

For those of you who noticed it, congratulations! You get a sweet roll! The names of the councilmen in this chapter were indeed taken from the game Skyrim. (It was particularly fun throwing a Nazeem reference in there. Perhaps Varian will one day find a way to launch him to that Cloud District he's so fond of. xP)

Also, Damascus steel is a real thing from history! Developed in the Near Eastern world around the 3rd century, Damascus steel was revolutionary for its time, and to this day people have been unable to replicate it exactly. It's also theorized that the Vikings imported this steel in their trade routes to the Middle East - thus bringing it to Europe - and from this imported steel were able to forge the legendary +ULFBERH+T swords. Look it up! It's some pretty awesome stuff!

[brooklyn-anon]

They Was Coronas!

Word Count : 2123

Summary : Albert and Race meet at the family smoke shop.

Warnings : Mentions of smoking, death, and a single swear word.

Authors Note : This is longer than I planned but I had a good time with it!

Tags : @frenchiefri @elmer-s-s0cks @brooklyns-here-enthusiast @the-broadway-anon @notes-the-newsie @newsies-whosies @thatloginceshipper @sickeningly-sweet-honey

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No one would expect a 15 year old to know much about cigars. But then again, Albert DeSavilla was always an unexpected kind of kid. His family owned a smoke shop tucked away in the depths of Manhattan. Had Albert wanted to get involved in the cigar business? No. But his grandmother down in the Bronx got sick and someone had to step in to help keep the shop standing while his parents took care of her.

It was a spring day just like any other when a scrawny little blonde walked into the shop. The ginger haired boy frowned. What was this kid doing inside a cigar shop? Instead of calling the blonde out, Al chose to sit and watch him. He didn't seem to know exactly what he was doing. He never came over to ask for help though. He just searched the shelves with a focus and drive he had never seen in young person before. Apparently he found what he was looking for though, because the boy gave out a little cheer and came bounding over to pay for it.

“Uh….. How old are you?” Albert asked as he calculated the total. This kid was way too young to have a smoking problem…..

“15.” He answered. “It’s for my mom. My dad kind of sucks and it helps her deal with him.” Albert nodded and handed the paper bag over the counter. “Do you always work at this time?”

“Only on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.”

“I guess I’ll see ya tomorrow then.” Without ACTUALLY introducing himself, the blonde boy was out the door. Albert stared at the door with a small smile on his lips. Huh. What a kid…….

The next day had Al bouncing up and down. He was anxious for the boy from yesterday to come back in. Why??? Honestly he wasn't sure. There was something about him that was…… intriguing. The sound of the door shutting pulled him from his trance. The blonde boy from the day before bounced up to the desk.

“Hiya!” His blue eyes sparkled and his lips twisted into a huge smile. His smile was infectious apparently because he found himself smiling back.

“Hey there!” Al leaned one elbow on the counter and rested his chin on his fist. “So, I didn't catch your name yesterday.”

“My real name doesnt matter. Just call me Racetrack. And what name can I call my favorite ginger boy?” Wait…… was he flirting? Um…. Uh…. How…. Response?

“Albert.” His response was short. He was afraid that if he said anything more he might start rambling. Why was he nervous?!

“Well Albert, I'm going to take the same thing I did yesterday and be on my way.” Just the same as the day before, Albert rang a single cigar up and handed the bag across the counter. This time though, the boys fingers brushed. The copper top yanked his hand back and bit his lip. What was this?! These feelings things??? This wasn't supposed to be how he felt….. 

Race looked down at his feet and smiled a bit. Alright Albert. Get yourself together. Whatever this was, might as well embrace it. As Race walked backwards he waved at his new friend. Taking a giant leap of faith, Albert winked at his friend and waved back. A red tint perked up his pale cheeks as he stumbled backwards out the door.

This continued on for almost a year. Race would come in a few times a week and buy a cigar for his mom. Every once in awhile the boys would flirt back and forth. Race would compliment Albert on how nice his hair looked (and how great it must feel to have someone run their fingers through it) and Albert always noticed when Race was freshly showered because of how incredible he would smell.

The first time they kissed was on Christmas. Albert watched from the window of his apartment, which was above the shop, for Racetrack. It was a Saturday after all. When he saw the familiar blonde boy, he had ran downstairs to great him. A very cold and out of breath Race pushed a small box in his hands, pressed his lips to Al’s, and whispered merry christmas. Albert yanked him back to kiss him again before his friend (friend????) ran off again. That day would forever be engraved into the ginger boys mind. The pink color of Race’s nose and cheeks from the bitter cold. The dark gray hat that concealed his blonde curls. Winter seemingly stole colors away and blanketed them in white, so the blue of his eyes popped more than usual. The fact that his lips were warm despite the freezing temperatures. Inside the box he had been gifted sat a hat like Race’s. It was brown and a little wrinkled, but it was perfect the way it was. 

That was the last time Albert saw Race for a few weeks. The first day he wasn't there wasn't a big deal. The second day made him a little nervous. One week went by and Al was panicking. He knew about Racetrack’s father. He knew what an awful man he was. Did something happen? Was Race okay? Was his mom okay? What in the world had happened? Weeks passed and the ginger boy gave up on ever seeing his friend again. If he hadn’t been back in over a month, he wasn’t coming back at all.

That changed on a dreary Monday. A torrential downpour of rain was coming down outside. The streets of New York were dead. Well, dead for NYC. The only people outside were tourists. Albert was sitting behind the counter, as he did every Monday, with his feet propped up on the counter and his hat covering his eyes. No one was coming in, so he was using it as a chance to get a nap in. He was right about to fall asleep when the front door opened. The freshly turned 16 year old didn’t even have time to groan when he heard the voice of an angel.

“That cap suits you better than I thought it would.” His feet came off the counter so quickly, the poor boy nearly fell over. He turned his cap backwards and stared at the person in his shop. Racetrack looked taller, but carried himself differently than before. His eyes were red, but not from the cold. Oh no…. This was something else. Albert jumped over the counter and walked over to the boy he was convinced he had lost. Was……. Was he really here? “Backwards. That suits you even better.” He tried to laugh, but he knew that the boy before him could see right through the act. So, instead of fighting it, he reached out to bury his face in his boy’s neck and just cry.

Albert, who was not at all good with emotions, stood motionless for the longest time. What was he supposed to do?! Wait……. Ever so slowly, he wrapped his arms firmly around the lanky boy’s frame. He felt Race lean into his arms, a sign that he was doing the right thing. He could feel cold drops of rain dripping off the ends of the blonde curls and dripping down the back of his shirt. He could also feel the hot tears dripping on the front of his shirt. Soon, he was gently rubbing Racetrack’s back and assuring him that everything was going to be okay. All he had to do was calm down, breathe, and explain what happened.

“My mom’s gone.” He eventually said. “She caught pneumonia and on top of her smoking, she just couldn’t-” Race choked on the last few words. “I feel awful Al. If I didn’t help her smoking along, this might not have happened. And the only reason she stuck ‘round so long with my pops was because of my sister and I and he’s the reason she smoked. I can’t help thinkin’ that this is my fault, or I could have at least done somethin’ different.” Albert quickly hushed him and pushed his friend (who wasn’t a friend but sort of a friend) back far enough to press their lips together softly. The blonde clung onto his ginger like his life depended on it. And while his life may not depend on it, his emotional stability sure did.

“There is nothing you could have done differently. And this ain’t your fault. If you’re father wasn’t such a piece of shit then she might not have smoked. She still might have, though. And getting sick is Mother Nature’s fault. Don’t you dare put this on you.” Racetrack ended up hanging around the shop all day long. He hadn’t known where else to go, and his feet took him to the shop before his mind could think it through. And now he didn’t want to go anywhere else. So the boys sat on the ground and played cards all day, sharing little touches and lots of laughs as the storm raged on above them. 

“Hey, can I get a box of cigars, plus one loose one? I want my mom to be buried with the thing that helped her get through the pain for all those years. And I want one for myself so I have a piece of her with me all the time.”

“As long as you promise me you’ll never light it. Coronas?”

“I promise. And yeah, Coronas.”

Race left that day with a box of cigars in his hands, and one hanging so perfectly from his lips that Albert knew he would never look at a Corona cigar the same again.

Tragedy struck in the DeSavilla family not even two weeks later. Due to the shop not doing well enough, the family had no choice but to close and sell it. Albert’s parents were heartbroken. They said that they were going to go move in with his grandmother. A huge fight broke out in the family over that idea. Albert wanted to stay. He never once said that the reason he wanted to stay was because of a pair of blue eyes and a cigar, but he fought to stay for a million other reasons. His parents fought to leave. They pulled every single reason out of the book, straight down to “you live under our roof so you will do as we say.” But he still fought.

Al was sitting on the steps of the smoke shop on Saturday when his regular visitor stopped by, cigar between his lips. Just like the ginger had done for him, he knew that something was wrong. But he didn’t pry. Just sat and waited for him to open up and talk on his own.

“The shop’s closed. We’s’ll be moving to the Bronx next week. And I don’t want to go. I love…. Manhattan, and I uh, can’t imagine living anywhere else.” Real smooth Albert.... Real smooth.

“Come live with me.” Race said without missing a beat. Albert whipped around to stare at the boy beside him. WAS HE INSANE?! “No, no, sorry! I live in a lodging house. Me and a bunch’a other boys sell papes on the streets and live off that. It really ain’t a fine life, but it could at least be halfway decent if ya came along. Maybe you’d even get to be my partner.”

“Selling partner,” Albert asked, “or…. Partner partner?

“Whatever kind of partner you want to be.”

The idea was pitched to his parents. He could stay back and sell papers. Make a living for himself. He was only two years away from being an adult. Maybe it would get him a good job, and he would be able to afford to get a shop open again, or at least a nice place to live. He would save up so they could just blow some dough and go full on delux. Albert’s mother and father had grown tired of his persistent pleading, and the two never really did have that great of a relationship with their boy. If he wanted to live on the streets so badly, then fine.

Racetrack brought him to the Manhattan lodging house that night. They ignored all the boys who jumped up to ask who he was. They pushed past half naked teenagers, twelve year olds learning how to gamble, and more than a few things being slingshot across a room. All the way on top of the roof, a boy in hat just like the one Race wore and had given him for Christmas stood to greet them.

“Albert Im guessing.” Albert nodded, confused on how he was already known. “It’s nice to finally meet’cha. Racer here won’t shuddup about ya.” A blush hit his cheeks that was so red it almost matched his hair. Thank goodness it was dark! “The name’s Jack Kelly, and from here on out, you’s a newsie. Welcome to the family.”

[mind-racket]

Totality Awesome.

OK, OK…that was cheesy, but I’m just working with the material I have.

As you probably know by now, there was a major eclipse event in this country yesterday. It brought work (an estimated $700 MILLION loss in productivity) and traffic (just wait) to its knees. I had already decided that I was going to take the day off. Something like this doesn’t happen all that often (or maybe it does?), and I just didn’t want to be sitting at work while it was going on.

As of Sunday evening, the plan was to get up early Monday morning and just start driving west. I had checked out Google maps and an eclipse app to see where we could go in order to be a part of totality. I really didn’t care about trying to get to Hopkinsville, where it was supposed to be at MAX totality, because I figured it would be at MAX chaos, as well.

I had a couple of places in mind, but hadn’t locked anything down. I was going to do that after finally watching the Game of Thrones episode that HBO had accidentally leaked days earlier and apparently everyone on the internet had seen but me. But then…a bat happened. I wrote about it Sunday night, but that little bloodsucker disrupted our whole evening, and in doing so, messed with our Monday morning, too.

I was pretty bummed out when I went to bed Sunday night, seeing as how it was about 1am, and I figured we needed to get up pretty early in order to get where we needed to be. I decided that maybe an extra hour of sleep would be better than an extra hour of driving, so the alarm was set for 7, but I was starting to doubt we’d even leave town.

My attitude was about the same Monday morning. I was still bummed that we’d been kept up so late the night before, and Becky honestly didn’t seem overly excited about the eclipse, especially since we didn’t have any glasses. But as I laid there Monday morning, feeling the urge that often takes me over in situations like these and causes me to opt for comfort over adventure, I decided to fight that urge. I figured, what the fuck…we will just drive as far as we can, and hopefully things will just work out.

We ended up leaving the house about 8:30am, and after a few unsuccessful stops in Morehead to try and find some eclipse glasses, we were on the road. There were several pee stops along the way…we are both taking a water pill…but traffic was pretty mild until we got to the mess of a junction that is Elizabethtown. I could see by my Google maps app that once we got past that snarl, the Parkway was all “green” headed west, and after crawling along for a bit, we were on the move again.

A little ways down the road, we needed to make another pee stop, and it gave me a chance to check the map. I had plugged in Central City as a destination, because I knew it was inside the totality zone, but I honestly didn’t know if we’d go that far. We were about an hour away, with about an hour-and-a-half left before totality, and I figured we were bound to get in some more traffic as we got closer to some more towns.

But, seeing as how we still had no glasses, I figured we pretty much had no choice but to find a spot where it would be total, and despited that “safety valve” urge trying to kick in again, I just knew it would be a shame to be so close to totality and not push to try and get there. So when we got on the road again, I got to trucking.

When we got off at the Central City exit, it was about 40 minutes until totality. I figured maybe we could find a parking lot of a Dollar General or something, and hope that it wasn’t overflowing. As luck would have it, right off the exit, there was a spot with two gas stations/convenient stores with a large gravel lot right in between them. In that lot was about 10-15 cars with folks sitting in their camp chairs staring up at the sky, and there was plenty of extra room. I knew we’d found our spot.

We pulled in, and I set about getting the camera ready. I’d read that it was important to have everything ready to go before it starts, because it is over before you know it, and you don’t want to be fighting with your gear. Meanwhile, Beck and I kept fighting the urge to look up and catch a glance of it…it was just so tempting!…and every time one of us would catch a reflection off the car window our the cell phone, we’d fret that we’d just done permanent eye damage! It was about that time that I discovered that I ended up not bringing (or losing somewhere) the piece that screws on to my camera and allows it to be mounted on the tripod. So…shit. 20 minutes to go.

I knew time was winding down, so I tried to come up with some sort of makeshift setup using an extra shirt wadded up on the car hood, but it was half-assed at best. Meanwhile, it just kept getting darker. I saw someone describe it as the “silver light”, and that’s honestly the best description. It was dark, but there was something almost akin to the brightest moonlight you’d ever seen, giving everything this silvery glow. We were both amazed at how even with just a sliver of the sun showing, it stayed amazingly bright. 10 minutes to go.

As the totality was approaching, Becky was sad that we didn’t have glasses, but I was trying to comfort her by saying that where we were, when it made it to totality, we wouldn’t need glasses. That’s why we drove that far. I could tell she was skeptical, though. After all, she remembers the incident with the living room floor heater (another story for another day). But I reassured her that I’d read it was safe. We just needed to wait for totality. 5 minutes to go.

We had a makeshift pinhole box set up, so we were able to sort of track the progress through it. Suddenly, and very quickly, the darkness got more pronounced, and the light even more “silvery”. It was starting to happen, and I was scrambling around trying to get the camera ready…trying to get my phone ready…trying not to look straight up at it now to see what it looked like. 2 minutes to go.

There was not a big lot of people there in the parking lot, but it had swelled a bit since we showed up. I’d say between the 2 stores and the gravel lot, there may have been 50 or so folks, but I may be way over (or under) estimating that crowd. However many it was, suddenly, a buzz emerged as the light started fading even faster. 1 minute to go.

I couldn’t stand it…I had to look up. Diamond ring phase! Holy shit, that IS intense light! Don’t look long…ok…now check again real fast…oh! was that Bailey’s Beads? A cheer goes up in the crowd…Becky tells me that the light is completely gone inside the pinhole box…and I tell her to look up…TOTALITY!

It. Was. Amazing.

We stared at it for a bit, just looking at the corona around that black disc in the sky. The pictures I have don’t show it well, so I color adjusted them a bit, but it was really more of a silvery blue color than it was golden. All I know is, it was beautiful. I grabbed my camera and tried to set it up for a few bracketed shots, but the shirt was not a good tripod, so I just tried to do some handheld shots. What I ended up doing was exactly what some of the articles I read about photographing it said NOT to do, which was to get so caught up in trying to take the photos that you forget to just be in the moment. And even though I did get a good look at totality, afterwards, I wished I’d just pitched the camera in the back seat and stared at the sky for the whole time. Within about 30 seconds, light started breaking from the other side of the moon, and totality was over. But man…how beautiful it was.

We both enjoyed seeing it SO much more than we even thought we would, and we both agreed that we understood how folks could become “eclipse junkies”, trying to seek out that shadow wherever it falls on the earth. It was just so special to be in that moment, even if I wasn’t fully in that moment like I should have been.

As the sun started to emerge again, Becky mentioned again that she wished we’d had glasses, and I suggested that since it was over, maybe she could go ask someone to borrow theirs, just to take a peek. I figured that most of them would be leaving soon anyway, and what did they need to hang on to them for? Maybe someone would just give us theirs. And give them they did. She asked a young man who was there with his kid if she could take a look, and he just gave her both pairs. It was awfully nice of him.

I figured, this is really just the same eclipse, just going in the other direction, so it will still be cool to look through the glasses. So look we did, for several minutes. It was neat to see it through those lenses, but we both agreed that seeing it without them was just way cooler. When we’d looked enough, we decided it was time to go. There was a couple that had been beside us, and they didn’t have glasses either, but they took off before we could offer them a chance to take a peek. We were wishing we’d caught them before they split, so I took a look around the lot, and I noticed a man, woman, and a few kids at the back of a car, just sort of looking around but not looking up.

They just sort of reminded me of what we must have looked like…looking all around, but not really looking up until it was safe…but knowing you were missing out on something. Beck handed me her pair, and I walked across the lot towards them. They spotted me coming towards them, and as I got closer, I asked if they had any glasses. They said that they didn’t, and I said, “well, here you go!”. They seemed awfully excited to get them, and I explained to them that we didn’t have them when we got there either…someone else had been kind enough to pass them along to us as they left, and we were leaving now, so we didn’t really need to take them with us. I really can’t explain it, but there was something about that moment that was as meaningful to me as the totality and brought me almost as much joy. It was as if there for a few minutes, we were all just humans again…not Hillary voters or Trump voters…just people helping people and enjoying the hell out of something awesome. I think we need more of those moments.

When I got back to the car, we talked for a minute about heading out, but first, I pulled up Yelp to see if there were any good food options around. The cellular data had been spotty all day, but for that moment, it worked just fine…long enough for us to make a horrible decision…and would barely work for most of the rest of the day…when we really needed it the most.

But that’s enough for tonight.

I’ll talk about that decision tomorrow.