#frame less enclosure

[spencerscookies]

3/4 Bath Bathroom

Inspiration for a mid-sized timeless 3/4 white tile and subway tile alcove shower remodel with white walls

[jaero]

Bathroom in Philadelphia Inspiration for a mid-sized timeless 3/4 white tile and subway tile alcove shower remodel with white walls

[simplycrazyhunter]

Bathroom in Philadelphia Inspiration for a mid-sized timeless 3/4 white tile and subway tile alcove shower remodel with white walls

[revelboo]

The sideswipe and sunstreaker story has been a blast to read!! Talk about being stuck between a rock (sides treating the human like they’re a barely sapient baby animal) and a hard place (sunny being so openly unhappy with the arrangement) lmao

I’ve always had a soft spot for the disaster twins. The very first fanfic I ever wrote was about them years ago

Can’t Finish What You Started Pt 7

Sunstreaker x Reader, Sideswipe x Reader

• “Here.” Startling when a blanket is dropped on your head, you frown up at Sunstreaker and he scowls right back as Sideswipe watches. “You’re not eating,” he adds, reaching out to nudge the box of cereal at you. And then waiting expectantly until you cave and dig out a handful just so he’ll stop hovering and worrying. Ever since the awkwardness of you getting caught singing to him like he was a little kid, he’s been marginally less irritable toward you. A very small margin, but it’s something.

• Uncomfortable with the way you’re smiling up at him and Sideswipe’s own grin, Sunstreaker stalks past to retrieve an energon cube. Leaning a hip against the storage cabinet that you’d taken over as your space. Wheeljack had been busily making human things for all of the little organics after a mixture of angry ranting, pleading, and general miserableness from the Ark’s smallest residents had made it apparent that they were being unwittingly neglected. A big chunk of your space being dedicated to waste disposal and a little wash rack, it’s that space you head toward arms stretched over your head and little hips swaying.

• Watching you disappear under the blankets draped over the crude frame erected around what you refer to as your bathroom, Sideswipe leans his chin on a fist. One time he’d gotten curious enough to lean over the open top of your ‘private’ space. It’d been a surprise to see you without your coverings, wet and disturbingly like a little protoform as you stared up at him, eyes wide. Sometimes before recharge he finds himself thinking about how soft you’d looked, wet and furious. And he hadn’t realized your voice could be so painfully shrill when you were angry. They’d tried to fully enclose the spaces at first, but after Cliffjumper’s had hidden nearly nine hours in theirs refusing to come out until Cliff had started dismantling the walls, the roof, door, and walls were removed on all of them.

• Stripping and stepping into the warm spray, you keep half your attention on the open top of your bathroom. Because Sideswipe is a jerk and a voyeur. While you doubt your wet organic form does anything for him, you still don’t want to be stared at while showering and naked.

• Keeping an optic on Sideswipe to make sure he doesn’t bother you, Sunstreaker runs a polishing cloth over his armor and waits. Not because he cares about your weird human modesty, but because he isn’t the least bit interested in that awful noise you make that Sideswipe seems to find hilarious. Head lifting when the door to their quarters opens, he frowns at Wheeljack and the human he’s carrying cradled to his chassis. “What did your human do?” Wheeljack asks, servos flexing as his leans out dangerously far from his hand to look around. “Are they a medic?”

• “Medic?” Sideswipe asks, setting aside his energon cube. “Someone’s hurt?” One of the tiny organics? Walking past Sunny and ignoring his growled ‘don’t,’ he leans over the blanket draped enclosure. Sees your eyes widen right before you start screaming profanity at him. “Are you a medic?” He asks with a grin, watching as you try to cover yourself with your hands. Leaning back as you throw your little bottle of cleanser at him and miss badly. Screaming at him to get out. “Don’t think they’re a medic.” Laughing when Sunny grabs him by an arm and drags him away.

• Swearing and red faced, you grab one of the torn strips from a blanket that pass as towels and wrap it around yourself, shoving out of the bathroom with soap still in your hair and stinging your eyes. Stopping short when you see the other Autobot and the human in his hand that waves awkwardly at you. That calms some of the fury humming through you at least, fingers tightening on your towel, you exhale. “I am-was a digital artist,” you mutter, aware of Sunstreaker’s head turning to look at you curiously.

Previous

Next

[da-rulah]

Hello :)

I would love to request the Papas with a s/o who is basically a Disney Princess with animals and is constantly bringing home something new and unusual. Like ducklings in the bathtub or baby opossums in the dresser drawers. They think they get used to it until they bring something new and unusual, forever keeping them on their toes.

This is such a cute idea. 🥹 I've given it some thought, and I hope you enjoy!

Primo

It started when he found you hiding a stray puppy in one of his sheds. There was no way he could ever be mad at you; he wonders why you'd hidden it from him to begin with.

He'd given you the space to nurse the puppy and watched on with a softness in his eyes. This was one of those things he loved about you; your soft gentility.

One morning, he found you in the same shed with a box full of newborn fox cubs. They'd been abandoned, and you couldn't leave them out in the cold...

Primo relented easily, smiling to himself and offering to help.

This continued - filling the shed with animals you kept finding in need. They seemed magnetised to you. It astounded Primo...

He surprises you one day, having emptied the old shed of any of his gardening supplies and instead, asking the Ghouls to build you your own little animal sanctuary.

He figured you needed a less cluttered, cleaner and friendlier space for all your little rescues.

Secondo

He tries to argue with every new animal you bring home, but you've already overrun your shared quarters with three rabbits, two ferrets, a wounded crow and a raccoon

That raccoon was the last damn straw; they were supposed to be vicious! You couldn't keep that here?

But the thing just sat around blinking at him, eating scraps most of the time.

He grumbled and groaned about it like an unexpected new father would.

But you come home from your duties one evening and find him knelt at the edge of the bathtub, shirt sleeves rolled up past his elbows, cigarette between his lips as he coos and whispers to the ferrets who are playing in the water beneath him.

The rest of your furry friends are surrounding him, avoiding the water but calmly enjoying his company too.

He looks so soft, fussing over all of them as if he hadn't been grumbling over their very existence.

"See, you do love them," you smirked, leaning against the door frame.

"Amore, I would kill or be killed for them. But no more..." he told you sternly.

He was not going to like what was waiting for him in the living room.

Terzo

Total enabler.

He becomes aware of your little obsession very early in the relationship and his favourite little trick, is to tell you "you only got one? But it'll be lonely" and give you puppy dog eyes.

Obviously, you cave every time, finding friends for your rescues.

Your apartment is like Noah's fucking Ark - two by two of everything.

He loves it though, and insists that you name the first, he name the second, every time.

He must say, the weirder the animals get, the more difficult life in your quarters becomes but hey, he likes the challenge.

He figures that soon enough he'd be able to open up "Papa's Petting Zoo" for the Ministry children.

He does indeed make a joke to you about Papa's "Heavy Petting Zoo" that was saved for you and you alone. He couldn't resist.

Copia

He started it.

He had two rats when you first started dating, but he just kept bringing them home with him.

And so then, every time you came across a rat that needed shelter, you would bring that little guy home to an ever-growing adoptive family.

Copia's face would light up every time, and together you'd spend the entire evening brainstorming names.

Eventually the enclosures you had for them had to keep getting bigger and bigger, until eventually, your apartment was overrun and their enclosure was the entire living room space.

Neither one of you minded of course, happy to give them the freedom they desired.

[cecilscribbles]

hello my two lost and found au fans. come and get your food *throws this through the bars of your enclosure*

oneshot about memories and longing and not being able to go home because that home was a person and they're so damaged you don't recognise them anymore. ford's perspective.

Some memories are clearer than others. The weightless sensation of your consciousness slipping into the dreamscape for the very first time, and a conversation shared over the world's most confusing game of chess. The precise taste and aroma of the tea that you couldn't get anywhere else in the world, endless indigo skies and bright laughter. And of course, Bill himself. For the first time in a while, you allow yourself to remember.

The true purpose of memories is not to recall the past, but predict the future - and god, do you wish they were right in some of their prophecies.

The mental images are so powerful and clear you could paint them. The precise shades of yellow and gold that made up his frame. The way his tone of voice changed based on how he was feeling, the voice that called you beautiful and perfect and mine - the small, dark hands that cupped your jaw and ran through your hair, impossibly gentle and impossibly overwhelming. Aching into the touch, chest burning, dizzy with oxytocin, your breath shuddering and catching in your throat. Being known like that, touched like that, by nothing less than a god - it does things to people. It seared his image into the back of your mind like an insignia, something you welcomed, long ago, because that meant you were his. A self-destructive desire that torture, cranioplasty, and thirty years of running couldn't fix. A longing so maddening it knocks the air out of your lungs.

In the present moment, the hard ground beneath your knees and his hands under your chin, in your hair - he's a lot colder than you remember.

[midknitefox]

Nova Bamon.

Close ups + info dump under the cut ^^

absolutely obsessed with her freckles

anyways ahem

Nova Bamon is the daughter of one of the scientists at Urbanshade, an experiment conducted in secret for a long time before the breach.

Nova was only three years old when the experiments began.

She lived a life of solitude, kept in a self sufficient aquarium style tank in a secluded room.

She underwent procedures as her father wanted to try to solve gills before the rest of the company to prove himself. He quickly gave up when she gained her monstrous form, instead resorting to conducting experiments to see what exactly was happening to her.

Once discovered by the company, Nova was still isolated, as her father was disallowed from working on her.

She was incredibly violent, and had associated all forms of physical contact with being jabbed by needles. This led any who attempted kindness vulnerable to an attack.

Doctor Bamon, her father, kept very limited records of her, so the company had to try and figure out what exactly she was on their own.

Which meant more poking and prodding with needles.

Hint, it was Bull and Mako sharks ... maybe more things, haven't decided. suggestions open.

Her tank and enclosure room were kept dim, as she was noted to have extremely sensitive eyes.

Her excellent sense of hearing, quick speed, and agility led her to resisting experiments, hiding in various spots in her tank. Eventually the project was abandoned altogether when she was 16.

She spent the last 4 years before the breach in solitude.

When the breach happened, initially she refused to leave her tank, until she sensed the panic going on in the building.

When she did escape the newly unlocked room, she killed anything that came within sight.

Once her temper had cooled, and she'd become acquainted with Sebastian Solace, she found herself a medium sized tank, which shed find to sit in at times.

Nova, despite her extended solitude, cooperated quite well with Expendables, going as far as offering hints and tips, which had a mixed result- as she often lied, some of these would get Expendables injured or even killed.

If flashed by a flash beacon, she would hunt and kill everyone in the vicinity, her feral nature coming into play.

Nova has a tendency to return to her room, hiding for what is often hours at a time.

Nova has incredibly sensitive eyes, bright enough lights will render her blind for hours.

She has strong senses of smell and hearing as well, and tends to gravitate towards the smell of blood.

She likes the smell of blood, and seems to enjoy the taste as well.

She's very unpredictable, doing whatever pops up in her head.

She has an aversion to touch.

She also has a habit of making empty threats.

"Me?... my name is Nova... But if you tell ANYONE that, I will tear the flesh from your bones and feed it to the shark." Nova

She believes that anyone who knows her name can leverage it against her.

"Oh come on, just give me your arm, and I promise you can go home to Mommy. It won't even hurt. Please, Nova?" Doctor Bamon

She sees herself less as human and more as animal, and as such if supplies get low, is willing to eat dead Expendables. She already seems like she could eat more anyway, and you don't want to come across a starving shark...

She can breathe underwater through the use of gills.

Nova will ambush people.

Doctor Bamon, who is still alive, has in fact been trying to get his hands on her, which is kinda hard since she's in the facility and he's safely not.

Low-key shipping her with my expendable OC, a dancer who found himself framed for his sister's murder and ended up down there. Casually teaches her to be human. he's based off my Roblox avatar UMMMMM

low-key redraw of an old art. he's chill. His name is Anansi (someone else named him cuz he's very spidery originally but I dulled it down to be human)

that's all if u read this far I'm so sorry ok bye

[sremblingdesperatly]

Quite Angels? Part 1

1334 words

Note: There will be no lemons. I know this sounds like the opening to a smut novel but it is indeed not.

CW: Kidnapping, encagement, confinement, violence (kinda), bodily damage to mc, power imbalance, unsettling atmosphere, general ominousness, infantilization/objectification, angels and eldritch beings, religious themes (I am none religious but it I have religious trauma so a lot of my work features religon)

Suddenly I began to wake up, my face was hard on the damp ground as I lay there in a heap, with my many wings haphazardly arrayed over myself like a blanket. Which was nice as any exposed bits of my form were frigid, similar to tile on a winter morning. I shivered and tried to push myself back up off the ground, causing me to wake up faster. My head was pounding… Sitting up and resting my wings neatly behind me, I realized everything felt wrong. The strange feeling originated not from my surroundings which were mostly dark, dreary, metallic, and gritty, but the sensation of my very being was completely different. It almost reminded me of a dream, where I didn't quite ever exist. It wasn’t a bad feeling per se, it was almost warm and comforting, like the humid air, moggy and thick after a downpour. 

But even though I felt that warm sensation, the room did not, it had decided, stubbornly to remain frigidly cold. I figured I should see where I was and I began to observe my surroundings. No longer distracted by how my thoughts felt. I saw that I was indeed inside a dirty, impure gold, birdcage that was almost tarnished looking. The walls of the room were a dismal grey brick and seemed if I touched them I would most likely freeze whole. 

My head turned left toward a rickety, wooden door as it was creakily being opened and in the process got caught on the stone door frame. I think they kicked the door open to get it unstuck, and in came a dark, cool-toned humanoid with tentacles where its wings should be. It strutted across the room in front of me as I sleepily squinted at it through the rusty bars of my cage.

“I assume you speak a common tongue?” The figure’s voice echoed, albeit not because they were loud or the room was very big, in fact, it was the opposite. 

“Uh.” I startled not expecting them to speak, much less say something I understood. ”Yeah, yeah.” 

“Oh good!~” They exclaimed eerily. “You can never truly know until you ask~….” They continued as they slowly approached my cage.

I backed away from the bars, and closer to the middle of the enclosure, to get away from this ominous entity.

“You know it's not often I find an angel down on the 3rd plane…” The character hung its arm through one of the rungs of my cage and used its other hand to emphasize its words. “May I ask what someone like… your wonderful self was possibly ever doing down there?”

I blinked at them still processing what they were saying “Oh yea! I was down there, you know, just looking around and uh collecting things…” They just stood there unmoving, waiting for me to continue. “Mostly just like plants, and flowers, and rocks and stuff tho. Heh heh, Nothing someone like you would be interested in!” I let a little too much of my way anxiousness at this situation show at the end of that sentence. 

“Why would you assume I would not be intrigued?” They began to back away from the cage and seemed content to observe me from a distance leaning most of their weight into one side of their hip with their arms crossed and an amused smirk on their face.

“Well, I mean, you uh. Just look like you have more important, evil, ominous, eldritch  things that you care about.” I blurted out and immediately regretted it.

“What’s that supposed to mean??!? I don’t think insulting your kidnapper is exactly your best tactic…” They seemed almost disappointed in me and rested their forehead on their fingers.

“I uh didn’t mean to upset you, sir! Ma’am! Perso-”

“ just… call me Oganesson. And don’t worry it’s fine, no harm done~.” They shrugged reassuringly, one of their tentacles mirroring each of their arms even as they continued to gesture. And I had to ask.

“Are those fake?” I hate myself.

They blinked in shock.

I facepalmed as I dug my hole even deeper. “Y-Your tentacles I mean.”

“No…?!??” They shifted onto their other foot and then after a brief reflection, began to pace to the left and right in front of my cage. 

Then they finally said, “You must not get out very much do you, little one?”

Just because of everything I’ve messed up I’m gonna let that slide. “Well, I do go out! Just not often and I’m tracked so I don't get lost, at least on the 3rd plane. In heaven, I’m a little less, restricted.”

They perked up whenever I said that. “Oh, so my suspicions were right? I didn't know angels could exist in the higher planes.”

“I mean here I am.” I need to get out of here “Why am I here?”

“Oh, I just like collecting curious, small objects to adorn my living quarters.” They stopped pacing and turned to face me. “You know those wings are very pretty… I would very much appreciate it if you would show them to me~.” They kept a respectable distance from the bars of my cage but continued to observe me.

I needed an excuse to get out of here, it’s so cold I’m shaking. “I don’t think I want to thank you very much, It’s freezing in here and they're the only thing keeping me slightly warm. Besides I don’t know if there’s enough room in this cage for me to do so comfortably”

“You say it’s cold?” They tilted their head in genuine confusion.

“YES, verymuchso!” Pull yourself together!!

“I don’t know if there’s much I can do about that… But maybe I’ll try to, if you make it worthwhile…” They said while tracing the outline of my wings from their perspective with their fingertip. “You know it’s not often one such as me sees anything like this~.” 

I tried to change the subject because I didn’t want to bang up my wings trying to open them against the metal of the cage “You know the other angels will come looking for me. And like you said I can exist here, so can they.”

They shifted their weight again as I continued “I’m a high-ranking angel! The highest in my field.” I started to approach the edge of my enclosure. “I'm sure they would loooove to mess up your little stone shack and destroy all your precious trinkets.” I need to slow down, I’m getting a little too cocky.

But thankfully they put a hand up to politely interrupt me “No need to make this personal…” They said almost chuckling at my audacity. “And respectfully I don’t think you're in much of a place to be threatening me.”

I grabbed onto the bars of my cage and stuck my head and some of my twisted torso through them “Oh really!~ You must not know the very might of heaven!” Their many eyes flash dangerously as a warning but I ignored it.

“If I had a few of my things, I bet i cou-” They rushed me and grabbed a little below my wrist almost pulling me halfway through the bars with their hand. Pain shot up my arm and a sound similar to pottery cracking continued as they spoke. 

“I Know The ‘Might of Heaven’ little bird! I just-” They backed away from me and let go of my hand, which showed the cracks in my arm. It almost looked as if I was hollow; like I was a porcelain vase with missing pieces. The area that surrounded it looked darkened as if it was burnt, they looked at the area, their eyes widening a little before they seemed to rationalize it.

“Well, being near an ancient, powerful, and (by heaven’s standards) evil entity such as myself could cause something like that to happen to weaker angels…” I rubbed my arm sorely as I watched fragments and dust fall from it onto the ground.

next

[xhanisai]

99% Cat, 1% Boy.

AO3

Pairing - Ladynoir (plus bonus Misternoire)

Prompt - Ugh, Cats.

Summary -

“Ladybug???”

As soon as she found him, bafflement was quick to plaster her face and she almost wanted to question all the higher deities in the universe because no way was this her fate. For fucking real!

"What the?? Again!? Chat Noir! Why!?" She stormed towards her silly partner, eyes narrowed at his (albeit, very nice) butt which was sticking out of a quaintly sized pipe along with his long legs. The rest of him was inside said pipe and the story immediately began to add up for the heroine.

~(x)~

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 "...My Lady??? A li-iiiiiiiiiiittle help here???" Moving a safe distance away from the rampaging (yet pretty harmless enough) Akuma of the day, Ladybug turned around, following the sounds of her distressed partner and hoped that he wasn’t caught in one of the villain’s many traps. From the few that she stumbled across and fell for herself, the heroine assumed they were a magician-based Akuma; she did not appreciate falling inside the hammerspace of a top hat nor getting chased by an army of white rabbits and the sooner they could wrap up this battle the better.

 (Not to mention that she and the girls were in the middle of ‘Operation Secret Garden’ - Phase #6543 when the Akuma attacked and she would have bet everything in the world that she would have landed a successful date with Adrien right there and then—)

 “Ladybug???” As soon as she found him, bafflement was quick to plaster her face and she almost wanted to question all the higher deities in the universe because no way was this her fate. For fucking real! "What the?? Again!? Chat Noir! Why!?" She stormed towards her silly partner, eyes narrowed at his (albeit, very nice) butt which was sticking out of a quaintly sized pipe along with his long legs. The rest of him was inside said pipe and the story immediately began to add up for the heroine. If she gained a euro every time he did something that warranted an eye roll from her, she’d be a billionaire by now. "I'm so sorry! But I had to go inside it! I could have found something! I swear! Believe me!" He wailed like a little child, legs kicking pathetically and tail whipping against the metallic surface of his enclosure. Again, how are they the same age!? "This is what happens when you zone out and use the cat brain instead of your human brain, you idiot!" Ladybug huffed tiredly but it was without any malice. After all, it's not his fault that wielding the mantle of destruction for so long ended up giving him some very, very interesting feline tendencies. And this was just one of the many. "Just purr-leeeease get me out?" He let out a pathetic mew at the end, slightly melting Ladybug's heart without realising it. He could be such a handful at times but at the end of the day, she loves her Chaton the way he is and she would never, ever change a thing about him. Cat tendencies and all. Oh well. Just another typical Lundi morning—

 “Ladybug!? It’s so dark and scary here please let me out!!!” Oh shit. Less time appreciating her partner with his butt sticking out of a pipe and more time getting him out or else he’ll end up drowning in a puddle of his own tears.

 “Yeah, yeah! I’m getting you out!”

 “—eEEEK!? NO HANDS ALLOWED ON THE GOODS UNTIL YOU’VE TAKEN ME OUT ON A DATE!”

 “On the wha— I did NOT touch your butt I was grabbing your THIGHS.”

 “Nu-uh!”

 “You know what? I’m leaving you here. Bye.”

 “NO WAIT I’M SORRY COME BACK! DON’T LEAVE ME HERE!!!”

 Ugh. 

 Cats.

~(x)~

'Don't give in. Don’t give in. Don't give in to those stupidly cute, big, green eyes of his. Nope. Nope. NOPE. This is all on him. Stay strong and prove that you cannot be swayed by stupid, wet cat eyes!' Ladybug tried her best to ignore the giant kitten eyes that bored into her frame and the way the belt tail gently wrapped itself around her waist like a hug. 'I am not falling for this again! NAH!' "My Lady~?" 'Nuh-uh.' "Ma Buguinette~?" 'No-oooope.' "Magnifique belle~? My ice lolly fell on the floor...can I purr-lease have half of yours? Hmmm? Your Chaton is very, very, very sad~! Look at how pitiful he looks~!" 'Damn him!' Wordlessly, she finally met his stupidly cute gaze with a glower and handed him her entire ice lolly with a scoff, her heart totally not doing somersaults or fluttering with glee at his delighted mewl. She certainly, was not fighting off the urge to smile either when he greedily devoured the frozen treat like a severely famished kitten that hasn’t had a good meal in centuries.

 Nope.

 When he peered at her with those glittering greens and handed her the lolly (a perfect half remaining on the stick), blue raspberry-stained kissable lips smiling at her innocently, she absolutely did NOT feel her cheeks flare up with warmth. And this is why she hates cats.

 .

 “You can finish off the rest, Chaton. I’m already full.”

 “Are you sure? It’s really hot today and your face is all red, my Lady. It’ll help you cool down if you take a few more bites.”

 “I’m sure, I’m sure. Just have it.”

 “...It’s not because this counts as indirect kissing, right?”

 “Q-Q-QUOI!?”

 “Then again, you’ve already kissed me like a million times already and we share food all the time so I don’t think it’s cos of that—”

 “What do you mean a million times!? I’ve only kissed you like once or twice to break you out of Akuma spells!”

 “Le Dislocœur, Oblivio, that one Akuma whose name I can never remember, Monsieur. Pigeon last week, all those times our lips accidentally brushed and probably way more that I haven’t listed—”

 “Oh just shut up.”

 “Maybe you should shut me up with your lips~”

 “...”

 “...Ladybug?”

 “...”

 “My Lady?”

 “...”

 “NO, WAIT! I’M SORRY! DON’T HANG ME UPSIDE DOWN ON THE TOWER AGAIN PLEASE I BEG OF YOU I’M JUST YOUR PAUVRE CHATON! I’M SORRY FOR MESSING AROUND AGAIN I WON’T DO IT ANYMORE! I’LL DO ANYTHING YOU SAY I SWEAR— NOOoOOOoOOOoOOOOOooooo…”

 Once again, Ladybug wanted to emphasise that she hates cats.

 (But no, not really. Never. This one in particular often gets on her nerves but dammit whilst she’ll never, ever say this out loud, she loves him to absolute bits and sue her for enjoying their kisses too when the push comes to the shove during Akuma battles).

OMAKE

 “I will never, ever, ever be mean to you about this ever again. I’m so sorry, mon Chaton…I don’t know what came over me! One second I was fine and the next…it’s like all my intrusive thoughts took over!” Whilst Lady Noire was a pinch close to bursting into tears, kitten ears plastered against her dark hair, Misterbug (who was lying underneath her) blinked his eyes as if he was waking up from the best dream he’d ever had.

 The hero was covered in numerous bite marks and his lips were so red from all of that hot, hot kissing that it could have been mistaken for blood. He grinned like a lovesick idiot, hands on her hips and literal hearts bubbling in his eyes.

 “If you stop now, I’ll never forgive you.” Without wasting another second, he captured her downright adorable ‘mew’ with his lips and switched their positions so that he was now the one on top and really, really kissing her.

 Dieu, feline tendencies ROCK.

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~(x)~

[legolasghosty]

"There's a cactus in my car..." is giving me Willex vibes for sure.

Hehehe okay here you are! With... pretty darn close to the original context.

It was in the fridge first. Alex opened it one morning to get out the milk and there it was, on the top shelf, wearing that sleepy smile he's now become quite familiar with. He'd just stood there for at least a minute, shivering in his pajamas in front of the open fridge as he stared at it. Willie had entered the room a moment later and busted up laughing.

Apparently it had been a gag gift from some friend of theirs. Willie claimed it, "Added enrichment to their enclosure." Alex wasn't totally sure about that. But he chuckled anyway and went on with his day.

The next time, it was in the medicine cabinet in their bathroom. Alex, still half asleep, went to grab his toothbrush and found the mirror already partially ajar, held out an inch from the frame by the soft, creamy white 'pot'. He'd laughed that time, less confused by its existence. He'd taken a picture and sent it to Willie, who'd left early for work, claiming it must have borrowed their toothbrush.

When he found it in the microwave a few days later, he decided it was time to get revenge. He re-hid it under one of Willie's hoodies and went about his day. It became a Thing after that. One would hide it, the other would find it somewhere in their home and move it. It became a part of their routine, like going grocery shopping on Tuesdays and sleeping in together on Fridays. One more part of their daily existences twined together in a way that made Alex's chest feel all floaty.

----------

Alex stares into the back of the van. He really shouldn't be as surprised as he is. Willie has found all sorts of insane places to put it, from tucked into their bed to hanging by its fluffy little feet from a light fixture. And yet, the thought that Willie would have figured out a way to make it follow him to the band's out of town gig in San Fransisco never crossed his mind.

"Hey Alex, something wrong with the gear?" Luke asks, coming around the side, already nearly vibrating out of his skin with energy.

Alex shakes his head quickly. "Nope," he answers, voice pitched a bit higher than he intended.

"Then let's get stuff unloaded," Luke decides, moving past him to reach for his beloved guitar case. Then he freezes, apparently spying their little stowaway. "Uh. What is that?"

Alex shrugs helplessly, then bursts into giggles. He can't help it. The whole thing is just too random and so deeply Willie. They'd gotten all of their gear into the van the day before, so Willie must have snuck it in sometime between dinner last night and when they left LA early this morning.

"What are we staring at?" Julie mumbles as she joins them behind the van, stifling a yawn.

Luke points to it silently. Alex pulls out his phone and snaps a picture of it, nestled just right between his kick and the cymbals.

"What even is that?" Julie questions, rubbing at her eyes. Alex sometimes envies her the ability to sleep in moving vehicles.

"It's Willie's," Alex explains. "Long story." He leans forward and collects the little plush. "Don't worry about it."

Reggie comes back just then with one of the venue people right behind him. "Good news, we can unload right here," he announces, before catching sight of Alex's little friend. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Awesome, thanks Reg," Alex says quickly, avoiding the question. He ducks back into the front seat and sets the visitor down beside his duffle bag.

He can hear his friends laughing behind him, but he ignores it in favor of pulling his phone out.

Alex - There's a cactus in my car.Willie <3 - Wow, weird! You really gotta clean that thing out more often if things are growing in it...Alex - Yep, got some prickers in my hands getting it out.Willie <3 - Youch! Be careful up there in the wild north!Alex - Will do. Love you <3And thanks <3Willie <3 - Love you too, have a good show!

Alex sends back a cactus emoji and the photo he'd taken of the stuffed potted plant in the trunk, then rejoins his band with a smile and a little more energy in his step. Leave it to Willie to make him feel cared for with a stuffed plant in the back of a van. He wouldn't have it any other way.

(The cactus in question)

[prncssie]

Hii pretty girl it's ☄️ againn~ (basically revealing my secret identity muahaha)

I'm sending an ask again because my hobie obsession is not going away anytime soon lol (and I feel like you understand me). One of the things that make him so yummy is his frame, you know what I mean? Like I know he's considered to be a little skinny scrawny stick bug person but have ppl actually looked at him in some frames?? His shoulder span is so wide. It looks so nice I swear, I always imagine rubbing his shoulders and back after a long day. He's also so freakishly tall I feel like he's so used to looking down at people. Personally if he were to look at me like that or lean down to hear me better I would probably fall in love right then and there. Plus this guys is so strong cause of his powers, we literally saw him hold up a bus with sheer arm power. You'd never realize it until you're trying to play fight him and you don't even stand a chance

Hoping to hear your thoughts on it as always 💘 have a wonderful day.

hi stinka! as leader of the hobie brown fan club, i would first and foremost like to say that hobie, is in fact, muscular. he may be just a silly little guy but he’s got some really lean muscles. like, hobie is BUILT beneath his clothes and you don’t notice until you touch him or see him nakey ( i would know ). i’ve never really thought about what his body looks like bc i love him so much. he could be ant sized and id make him an enclosure.

but but but!!!! i went on pinterest and this is like the best idea of what his body looks like in my head c: but obvi black

very lanky but built underneath. and you’d have no idea how strong he is — bc he’s not one to show off until — until he does something INSANE. like, i think the first time you realize he’s really fucking strong is when you’re complaining about something like so random like “my fridge is making this weird noise but i can’t pull it out and look :(((“

and he’s manhandling that shit with ease. he just pulls it right out and stands back there like it’s nothing. talking about “yeah it’s a bit dusty. probably needs a clean” as if he didn’t basically just pick it up and rearrange your whole kitchen.

but he’s so so so so so good with knowing his strength bc he never uses it on you, intentionally, unintentionally. it just doesn’t happen. it’s like his brain has this strength cap and he cannot do anymore than he already is. the only time he’s ever snatching you up fr is if you’re at risk of injury. like if you’re walking on the crosswalk and a car comes speeding and it doesn’t stop. it’ll feel like when you’re running a rope attached to you at full speed and it gives up. it’s so sudden you can’t say anything, much less react.

and he is big! not like width but horizontally. he takes up a lot of space. even his general aura takes up space. idk he’s just hobie. you know he walked in the room bc you just do. it’s also very hard to miss him when his head pokes up over the top of the crowd 💀.

don’t get me wrong though, he is a lanky little telephone pole. he just has some really subtle muscles that no one noticed until he’s pulling his limbs a certain way and they ripple and cause creases in his tight ass clothes.

[acewitch-writes]

My last snippet stirred up some interest, so here's another piece of that same story! This snippet is the prologue. Once I have more written, I intend to post it to AO3.

...

“Are you sure you want to go in there alone?”

“He won't talk if anyone comes with me,” Remus responds, ducking away from his father's smothering hands clamped to his shoulders. “I'll be fine. Just trust me.”

Lyall sends an uneasy glance to his wife, Hope, and she nods. “Let him go, Ly. The boy couldn't hurt him even if he wanted to.”

Lyall hesitates a moment longer, chewing on his lip, before exhaling in defeat and standing back. “Alright. Alright. Just… just make sure Protego is enabled. Full coverage, nothing less. Stay back at least two feet from the bars. And shout if something goes wrong. Understood?”

“Yes, dad,” Remus mumbles.

“We'll be right here on the other side of the door.”

“I know.”

“Be careful.”

There's no need, Remus isn't in any real danger here, but he nods anyway. “Of course, dad. Always.”

The Sentinel at the door, clad in the trademarked black robes fitted with leather braces, winding belts, armored chestplate, and sturdy knee-length boots, waves his wand when Remus steps forward, unlatching the magical locks. The door creaks open on metal hinges.

Remus walks inside, trying to keep his head inclined in a show of bravery. But when it clanks shut behind him, he can't help jumping slightly. 

A voice chuckles from the shadows. “You're like a cat.”

In spite of everything, Remus feels his heart perk up. “Symptom of a bubble-wrapped childhood,” he responds to the shadows, eyes scanning the room before him. There is a metal holding cell taking up just over half of the room, bars humming softly with anti-magic enchantments. Huddled on the floor in the corner of the cell, Remus finally spots him.

Sirius. He's dressed in traditional black wizard's robes that must have belonged to his father because they appear to be a size too large. His long black hair is loose and disheveled, dull strands framing his tired, beautiful face. He regards Remus with wary silver eyes from his seat on the stone floors.

“They let you come in alone?”

“Not without a massive fight,” Remus admits. “My dad didn't want to let me.”

“I'm sure he didn't.”

“He thinks you're too dangerous.” Remus says this with a hint of accusation.

“Maybe I am,” Sirius says flatly. He looks down at his hands, secured tightly with silver manacles. “How long has it been?”

“Three months.”

Sirius nods distantly.  “My parents?”

Remus frowns. “Already sent away for reconditioning.”

Sirius’ expression darkens. “Regulus?”

Remus’ heart suddenly starts racing. “Him, too,” he lies. “They'll be assigned jobs soon.”

“Jobs,” Sirius scoffs without emotion. “Call it what it is, Remus. Your mum can't hear you on this side of the door.”

“It's better than death,” Remus points out.

“No, it's not. I'd rather be dead than sent to one of those horrible labor camps,” Sirius snaps. “And if you had any magic of your own, you'd agree.”

“You know that I agree,” Remus retorts. “But you went rogue. I don't know if I can get you out of this.”

Sirius pulls himself to his feet and limps over to the cell door. “Then break me out.”

“I can't.”

“All I need is a Spellcom,” Sirius insists, leaning against the bars imploringly. “Give me yours and tell them I nicked it.”

Remus takes a step back. “Sirius, I really can't.”

“Yes, you can. Just give me the damn Spellcom.”

“You murdered 12 people,” Remus bursts out, unable to contain it any longer. “Their families are outside right now calling for your head! One of the victims was a ten year old girl, Sirius. She was at the zoo with her granny, and now they're both dead because of you!”

Sirius’ expression turns to stone, hands slowly lowering from the bars. “That wasn't my fault,” he mutters coldly. “Dragons are meant to be dangerous and wild and free, not locked up in an enclosure to be gawked at by crowds of muggles. Their own disrespect for the beasts is what got them killed.”

“You let them out! As far as the law is concerned, their blood is on your hands.”

Sirius laughs with harsh contempt. “Godric, listen to you. Always the coward. I knew you were too soft to do what needed to be done.” He returns to his shadowy corner and eases himself back to the floor with a grimace. “Just go. You're worthless to me here.”

This stings. Remus swallows it back, resolve crumbling. “I wanted to help,” he whispers. “I thought we were going to do this together.”

“You would have just held me back,” Sirius says heartlessly. “You're too weak and spoiled. You wouldn't know courage if it slapped you across the face.”

“That's why you left me in the dark?” Remus guesses, heart splintering. “You didn't think I could handle it?”

“If you could, you'd hand over your Spellcom right now,” Sirius responds challengingly. He holds Remus’ gaze for a long moment, waiting, before snorting derisively. “See? You'll watch them ship me away before you ever grow some semblance of a fucking spine.”

Remus feels helpless. He wants to do it. He wants to reach into his pocket to hand over his Spellcom like Sirius is demanding. But there are so many Sentinels outside, he would never make it. And when he finds out that Regulus didn't survive, he'll get himself killed before ever letting them bring him back here alive.

Sirius is a ticking bomb, prepared to blow himself to bits if it means he'll at least get to die as a free man. Remus can't let it happen. He can't live in a world that doesn't include Sirius. Why couldn't Sirius have realized that before he did this stupid thing without him? 

Remus can't think of any other way out of this now. Sirius dug his grave too deep this time. Even with all the power and influence of the Lupin family at their disposal, they can't make this stain vanish. 

There's no other solution. Remus can't let Sirius live out the rest of his days in a labor camp, and he can't let him get himself killed in a violent escape attempt. Which leaves him with only one option.

Remus turns to leave without another word. He knocks on the door, and the Sentinel posted outside opens it at once. As he steps through the threshold, Sirius jeers one final insult at his retreating back. “Pathetic.”

The door slams shut. Remus feels the word curling around his chest, settling there along with all the vitriol and contempt with which it was uttered. Searing him from the inside.

“Are you okay?” his father frets straight away, eyes darting all over his son's body for any sign of damage.

Remus waves him away and lifts his head to face his mother with grave determination. “I would like to have Sirius Black reconditioned into my own personal Sentinel.”

[these-are-the-first-steps]

In my constant state of unceasing unemployment and desperation for some sort of enrichment for my enclosure, I have stumbled across an insanely well done otome game called 'lovebrush chronicles'.

A couple things to note:

1. The name of the game has zero to do with the game so don't let it throw you lmfao

2. It is less otome and more "holy shit this story is bananas for what this game is supposed to be????"

3. The story is fucking bananas and goes harder than it has any right to for this sort of genre imo

4. Amazing art, like seriously

5. Music is awesome??? I find myself just sitting there listening to it the whole way through before going to the next frame sometimes, like it's that good.

6. Has a card fighting system that actually works well

7. A gazillion side stories linked to which cards/paintings you pull.

8. Oh yeah the protagonist is an artist and she's pretty rad

9. Why does this story go so hard in places what the fuck????

10. A genuinely chill and peaceful game, like some of the home areas are just actually really a relief, they're so lovely to just *exist* in, zero stress, how did they pull that off

Bonus: not a single ad to be found anywhere ever (god bless, i am so sick to fucking death of ads)

So yeah, if you are looking for a neat and unique RPG where you as the main have a ton of agency plus some nice moments here and there, plus all of the above I've mentioned, give it a go! And then tell me who you are in the notes so we can be friends! 🤣

Here is a selection of some of the nice paintings there!

[mslanna]

Arguments

Chapter 3 of Be My Guest now up on AO3

Enrichment? In this enclosure? I think not. Still, it can't hurt to be a little soft.

"You will not enter the kitchen again." Raphael's verdict is final and Tav fumes.

They have been doing good work there. The Feast Hall is always packed with food that nobody eats. It makes sense to have the pieces nobody can reach replaced by dummies. It also makes sense to swap some items for stuff Tav likes and let them eat it at the end of the day before it goes bad. Not that anybody talks about the eating bit.

I to do in your presumptuous opinion?" Tav puts their hands on their hips, rising to full height. "You are dashing to and fro in your little war and I can't even change the menu?"

"It is not a little war." The devil's patience strains; he has more important things to do than argue with an unhappy human. Unfortunately, that human enabled his current sweep through Avernus. Zariel will fall first. And then – then the other rulers of hell would find themselves at his mercy. The future looks bright.

Raphael forces his thoughts back to the unpleasant present. The human still glares at him as if it was his fault they are stuck. Fury flares for a second. Two deals that irrelevant pup made, and neither with him. He feels a snarl rise, even though he knows that won't improve the situation any. But really, who is to blame?

"None of this would have happened, if you had just taken my deal."

"I didn't need your deal. I did great on my own."

"You broke into my House."

"You could just have let me go!"

"Have you listened to yourself recently?" Raphael spits. "Let me do whatever I please and then let me go scot-free and all will be fine."

"Oh no." Tav presses a hand to their heart. "I sound exactly like you. Don't like it? Better get rid of every mirror in this place."

"Be glad I do not cast you out," the devil growls. "The Crown of Karsus is mine. There is no changing that. The crusade against Zariel goes exceedingly well. Soon the other devils will fall in line. Isn't that what you counted on?"

"I am bored out of my skull here!"

"Well, leave," Raphael returns. "I am sure you won't have a thought to spare once my dear father gets his claws into you."

To his surprise, Tav actually turns on their heels and leaves. He watches them until they are out of sight. But the human is making a bee-line for the foyer. Raphael rumbles to himself. It is none of his business if the foolish mortal wants to risk their soul. Better Mephistopheles have theirs than his.

Memories from his short interlude at his father's mercy crash into Raphael like a wave. Yeah, definitely better anybody than him. Another memory stabs through the desperate pain. Tav. Standing before his father as if it meant nothing, negotiating for his life.

A frustrated grunt falls from his lips as he turns to follow the foolish human. Mephistopheles' whims are not something to wish on your worst enemy, much less somewhat of an ally.

He finds the foyer undisturbed. The circle into Baldur's Gate is not active. Maybe he is too late. Raphael takes a deep breath. And in the silence of the room, a small sob squeaks from behind one of the soul pillars. He tilts his head but there is no other sound. Just as Raphael turns to leave, the tiny noise repeats. High, and constricted as if somebody worked very hard on not letting it escape.

For a moment Raphael considers getting Haarlep and let the incubus deal with the problem. With a snap of his fingers, he turns into his human form. Less threatening, less aggressive. It may help to keep things calm. Raphael walks around the first pillar to finds the space behind it empty.

Tav wouldn't chose a place close to the doors to hide so he turns to the pillars framing the windows. Of course, the first he chooses to inspect is not hiding his paladin.

He finds them curled up around their knees behind the last pillar. Tav ’s body shakes violently and it looks eerie without any sound coming form the wretched creature. Tav doesn't notice the spectator, caught up completely in their misery.

"Listen."

Tav's head shoots up. They stare at the devil glaring down at them and try to scoot around the pillar.

"None of that now." Raphael crouches and ends their scrabbling with a firm grip on Tav's shoulder. "You didn't leave and I am grateful for that. You deserve better than eternal suffering at my father's hands."

Red rimmed eyes look at him. The whole face is red and somewhat soggy. But Tav's hands stay clutched around their ankles, a desperate attempt to protect themself. Raphael wants nothing more than to send them to clean up. Some bodily fluids are exquisite, but tears and snot are not. At least not when they don't come form some delicate from of torture.

"What do you want, Tav," he finally asks with a sigh. Deals are the easiest form to deal with people after all.

"I don't know." The words are small and despondent. "But there is nothing I can occupy myself with here. I am going crazy, Raphael. I am ready to bite the walls. I need something to do or I might just deliver myself to Mephistopheles out of desperation."

"And Haarlep is not a solution?" Raphael puts as much persuasion into the words as he can. Still Tav shakes their head.

"Haarlep is very single-minded and the one thing on their mind is sex." Tav sighs and releases their legs. "I need something to occupy my mind. And you are gone more often than here." A dry laugh wrings free from their lips.

"I have a war to lead," Raphael says softly. "What time I have is yours already."

"It is nothing."

"It is all there is." His words are firm.

"My day has so many hours. ” Tav leans back against the pillar and closes their red eyes. "So many hours, Raphael. I considered helping out your debtors."

"Please don't." The words come without thinking. But it gives the devil an idea. Somehow, some way he needs to find a way to utilise Tav. Anything within theses walls is a welcome change. He regards the paladin for a moment. "I will find you distractions if you will hold it together."

Tav sends him a tired look. "Deal."

Raphael smiles and stands. "Deal. Now get up and-" he trails off uncertain what the proper procedure is.

Tav helps out by reaching up with their hands. The devil takes them and pulls the human upright. For a moment, Tav simply regards their hands, not showing any signs of letting go. "I thought it would be easier," they admit without looking up.

"Noting is easy when devils are involved." Raphael raises Tav's chin with a finger. At least they try to smile. "A lesson you may want to learn quickly."

For a moment it seems as if Tav will lean into his chest. Raphael finds himself strangely disappointed when they pull back instead. But he rolls with it putting one hand on the small of their back to guide them back towards the house.

"Maybe I should just stop dealing with devils." Tav smiles lopsided. "When this is all over."

"I will hate to lose m favourite house guest. But am very open to welcoming my new favourite client."

Tav laughs. From the tear-streaked face it's a sad outburst. "You wish." The smile morphs into something more genuine.

"I plan," Raphael counters. "And that you brought me the Crown of Karsus from your own free will tells me that there is something to work with in here." He puts his index fingers against Tav's temple.

"Heh." For a moment Tav leans into the touch. “I thought you'd like me if I did that."

Tav doesn't notice that the devil, rooted to the spot, doesn't follow as they return into the House of Hope.

[whispersafterdusk]

Ensuring the Future - ch 4

With the sudden addition of a lift for the salvage yard the majority of her time had been spent scavenging and assembling; Miguel brought her tea every morning and they chatted while she stoked the furnaces and organized the day's work. They were careful to keep their chatter to innocent things so as to not start the days off in low moods (and had also planned to meet up for dinner every Monday, to hell with their respective schedules) but there was some annoyance to have a desire dangled in her face and knowing that she could not reach out to seize it without letting something else important fall through the cracks thanks to Yan's mismanagement.

At least once the lifts were installed it wasn't such a pain to gather materials -- one had to take the small victories where they could. Down in the ruins everything was far more plentiful: raw ore was easier to refine than recycling scrap and anything and everything wooden was pulled apart and carried back to the surface to be stripped, sanded, and repurposed; little by little things were falling into place and it was taking less and less time to fulfill the late commissions, and it certainly helped that Mi-an's list had been so well organized too -- efficiency was a key component of speed, after all. As she began to streamline things and get established her schedule would effectively open up (a thought both welcome and terrifying). ((Continued below cut))

Recent deliveries included boards to the saloon (and fixing a few loose stairs while she was there), a bucket of screws and a single hardwood panel to the general store, a new pane of glass for a display case in the temple... This morning though was one she was actually looking forward to: a few buckets and some replacement boards for the Moisture Farm.

Contracting exclusively with the botanists in Highwind had introduced her to the work of many of the botanists scattered across the Free Cities; Sandrock had Zeke and his work out here in the desert was discussed quite often -- Professor Luo had even commissioned her to build a more compact hydroponic system to send out here on a trial period to see if it was a feasible means to speed up production and conserve water in such an arid environment. She'd built the unit, they'd sent it off and had received a few tentatively hopeful reports in response, but after about a year or so she didn't recall any further mention of the machine. Whether that was good or bad news was something she intended to find out as she rode the yakmel cart over to deliver the commissioned goods.

She left the boards and buckets beside the door in orderly stacks and took a moment to look over the outside of the farm; it looked like a wrecked and repurposed flying machine with a giant glass-pane dome protecting the plants within. It was heavily rusted and she spotted a few areas that could use some attention, quickly making a mental note of it, then shouldered the door open and walked into the humid enclosure.

It smelled lush and organic -- fresh-cut greenery, wet dirt, and a touch of manure, and it brought back a rush of memory and emotion of Highwind and its greenhouses...though the greenhouses had always been full of students, professors, and aides, and the work always filthy and back-breaking, it had still been a peaceful and fulfilling place to labor. There was but one man here though and she could spot him bent over a planter full of newly sprouted wheat stalks not far from the door, and he in turn had turned just enough to peer at her from over a shoulder.

Olivia smiled at him in greeting and headed over, immediately noticing the rotting board at the top of the planter but turning her full attention to the man for introductions first. "Good morning, am I right in thinking you're Zeke?"

"Uh, yeah, that's me. You're...one of our new builders, right?" He straightened and dusted soil from his hands and beyond his large frame she could spot another ailing planter.

She resisted the urge to look up to check if the weakened areas she'd spotted outside were visible from here and offered her hand. "I am indeed. I'm Olivia, and am pleased to finally put a face to the name -- Professor Luo spoke quite highly of your work out here, and several of your soil testing techniques are being put to use in Highwind and up north near the border settlements."

A very subtle look of surprise managed to overcome his neutral expression. "Really? Huh. He never mentioned any of that." He took her hand and delicately shook it; his fingers were moist and cool from where they'd been digging around in the dirt and she could feel a fine grit still clinging to his skin along with numerous calluses -- not so different from her own after decades of working with her hands.

"I find that surprising...the man was always honest with his praise." Olivia let her hand fall away and glanced back to the planters. "I have your boards and buckets sitting just outside - I'm more than happy to repair these planters for you and if you've the time I did have some questions and an offer."

He struck her as a man that didn't or wasn't used to talking much, and he seemed a tad overwhelmed by the rush of words. "What kind of questions? And what kind of offer?"

"Let me fetch your commissions and I'll explain fully."

"I'll help you carry." He scrubbed his hands off on his thighs and she caught his eyes flicking down to the brace on her leg.

"Thank you, that's very kind," she replied with a smile.

He left her the buckets and easily hoisted the pile of boards up on one broad shoulder; she held the door for him and followed along as he carried the wood over toward the planters. Olivia quickly sorted the boards out by size and walked about the farm to place them next to the correct planters, then returned to where she'd left Zeke at the wheat plants.

"It won't take me long to repair these but before I get to that I wanted to ask about a hydroponic unit that was sent over a while back. How has it held up?"

Zeke scratched at his chin, fingers audibly rasping through his beard. "Well, it worked great, until it didn't. After about a year it broke - think it was the pump or something, since it stopped circulating the water. Asked Yan and Mason to fix it, they both said it couldn't be fixed. I ended up draining the water and storing it in the shed so I could fill the spot it was sitting in with basic planters."

Olivia frowned and closed her eyes, swallowing down a sudden anger and inhaling slowly before opening them again. "Did they say WHY it could not be fixed?"

"Don't think so. They didn't say what had broken for sure either."

"Of course..." she sighed. She already had a suspicion on what the issue was. "And I imagine they didn't do any maintenance on it whatsoever?" Zeke shook his head. "You said you'd stored it then - do you still have it?"

"It's over here."

She followed him over to a metal shack built against the wall squeezed in among some sweet potato pepper planters. The door swung open with the tiniest squeak revealing sacks of seed arranged on shelves, containers of fertilizer (with the expected smell wafting out in force), and various trowels, rakes, and other tools and empty containers. In the back left corner she could see the hydroponic tank sitting on its side with the lighting fixture hanging from some straps from the ceiling - she was pleased to see that the lights had been disconnected from the main unit properly so those probably wouldn't need any work (but she would check them regardless). Zeke moved some of the fertilizer out of the way then lifted the tank free and carried it out to carefully sit it on the floor between them. As he tilted it she could hear the tell-tale rattle of loose parts where there shouldn't be, and nodded more to herself than to him once it was put down.

"I believe I already know the issue, and if I'm right I can't fathom why they claimed this couldn't be fixed," she muttered. She'd brought a hammer and nails for the planters and an adjustable wrench just in case but to get the pump and engine housing cover off she'd need a flathead screwdriver - she didn't have one of those but she did have a penknife that should do the job if she was careful with it. "...well, from what I've already seen - coupled with this - I suppose this just proves a point and makes me hope you're agreeable to my offer."

"What sort of offer are you, er, offering?" he prompted.

She slipped the penknife free of her pocket and flipped it open, bending to place the tip of the blade into the screw's slot. "Along with being so backlogged I've also heard from a few people that Yan has, without scruple, turned down posting commissions he didn't think were 'important' enough jobs, AND-" she paused, freeing the first screw with her fingertips once she'd loosened it enough, "-I had sent two sets of instructions with this unit: one for its usage, and one highly detailed set for its maintenance. I'm assuming you got the usage ones?" she glanced up and he nodded at her. "Good. So that confirms that the instructions were not magically lost in transit, which tells me that Yan or Mason, or both, willfully decided not to maintain this machine. I intend to bypass this carelessness right now," she grunted, pulling the next screw out and moving to the third.

"About six years ago," she continued, "the builders in Tallsky got together with the Central Commerce Guild to rework some of the regulations -- namely, to allow builders to specialize, or be more selective in the work they wished to take on. Those new rules allowed me to set up an agreement with Highwind's botanists. I won't bore you with the legalese but basically, so long as I do not charge less than the going rate of the local guild commission fees, do not claim the jobs as points on any local leader boards, and do not repeatedly favor the private contract over any active municipal ones, I am allowed to enter into contracts with specific people or groups at my own discretion. Of all places to have every need met, no matter how large or small a job, I would say the farm providing the majority of a town's produce should be on top of the damn list, so that is what I propose: I will enter into a private contract with you to attend to any need that arises. You will not need to deal with Yan at all unless I am somehow not available, in which case you'll go through the usual process as normal."

As the third and then fourth screw came loose she looked up to him; a gamut of emotion crossed over his face: confusion, uncertainty, thoughtfulness, and now there was a ghost of a smile playing at the edges of his mouth.

"Not have to deal with Yan, huh? Can't see him liking that."

"It's legal - whether he likes it or not isn't my problem," she said with a thin-lipped smile. "I've already given up on trying to get along with that mustachioed weasel and I find lazy and crooked men tend to never straighten. If he chooses to put up a roadblock then I will find a way around, over, under, or through it."

He let out an amused snort at the weasel comment, then removed his hat to run his hand through sweaty hair. "I'm not against it, so long as it won't cause you any trouble."

"It won't - if I can handle the workload of roughly fifty instructors and twice as many students, I can handle this. And, I actually picked up quite a bit of knowledge about botany and agriculture in my time with Professor Luo. I know the situation here is vastly different from Highwind but it's my hope that what I've learned will help make our working relationship here smoother."

Zeke nodded and pulled his hat back on. "I like the sound of that. So...what needs to be done?"

Olivia paused long enough to pop the pump housing cover free and frowned again as several loose metal shards and springs came tumbling out. "I will write the contract up, it will be a fairly standard one declaring our reason and intention for entering in to the agreement, a one-party-dissolution clause, outlining the scope of work and availability -- which is any time you have need of me, for any reason," she added, briefly glancing up to him. "Even if it's a single nail at 2am."

That finally drew a chuckle out of him. "I'm not even awake then. Or I'd better not be." He bent to look at the revealed pump as Olivia began to gingerly pull more and more broken bits loose. "Can you fix it?"

"Oh, certainly," she replied. "At the moment it appears the pump burnt out - probably due to a lack of lubrication on certain moving parts within it and the motor running it. At the very least the rest of the unit is still in one piece so, worst case scenario, I just replace the pump and motor. I could have this back to you within a week at most."

Zeke nodded and straightened again, and looked a tad embarrassed at a few loud pops from his knees. "It'll be nice to have it back. I'll have to find somewhere to put it though."

"Would you like more of them? They're not so hard to put together."

After a few moments to consider he shook his head. "I was mostly using it to get seeds germinating quickly and letting the seedlings get strong before transplanting them. Did some calculations and found that while it uses about 23% less water than what's needed for a planter when you start factoring in the limited growing space, needing to get the exact right nutrients dissolved and balanced to prevent stunted growth for a variety of plants, and amount of power needed to run them too, then what you're saving on water costs is kind of wiped out by other variables. With how thinly balanced our resource needs and availability is out here, one or two more wouldn't hurt but beyond that diminishing returns would start chewing into the benefits." After a breath his eyes widened briefly and he looked faintly sheepish. "Not to, uh, insult your work or anything."

She laughed and stood, pocketing the screws and closing the knife. "I'm not offended, rest assured. It was my hope that it would make a difference out here but it sounds like I need to refine my design to take care of a few of those variables - which I don't mind at all," she added in a firm tone. "A builder not willing to learn and improve should find another profession. Now..." Again she held her hand out to him. "I believe I've taken up enough of your time, considering I barged in here unannounced. I'll get to those planters and then be back as soon as I can with the repaired unit and contract."

Zeke shook her hand again - his had warmed up. "Don't worry about the planters, I can handle those."

"Are you certain? I came here with full intent to fix them."

"Yeah - nailing a few boards into place is easy enough. Do y'need help carrying that out?" he asked, nodding toward the hydroponic unit.

"I can manage, but thank you."

She popped the lid on the water tank and tossed the engine housing cover in, then shut it securely and slipped her hand into a slot on the lid -- it was meant to slide open to allow water to be added without needing to remove the entire thing but for now it sufficed as a handle to carry it by. Zeke held the door for her and watched silently as she hopped onto the yakmel cart and headed back toward her workshop.

Once back home she set the hydroponic unit down on the assembly platform and went to collect all the tools she'd need to disassemble and determine the full extent of the damage. She hadn't quite shed that little flare of anger from earlier -- that Yan and Mason had essentially sabotaged the Moisture Farm...grr. It made her want to drag both of them into the street and cane them in the town square.

At least in Mason's case the man looked worn down...at the end of his career and the life sapped out of him. It was not an excuse for abandoning his duties but she could at least sympathize with the inability to care. She'd been there once before. Yan however...

She would need to watch him very closely.

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

Zeke watched as the yakmel cart pulled out of sight.

He'd heard from Burgess about the new builder; how she was older, wiser, polite yet to the point, and above all seemed like a kind and lovely woman. What he hadn't heard about was her take-charge and 'suffer no fools' attitude.

That she was moving to immediately mitigate Yan's creative way of managing commissions gave him a faint sense of hope. A lot of things at the farm had fallen by the wayside -- if it wasn't a vital or large job Yan usually ignored it or else he dragged his feet, maybe hoping that the request would be forgotten, and usually Zeke had no option but to let it go. He was at least capable of doing most of the repair and maintenance on the planters and tools he used daily but there were weak spots in the floor, rust and degradation, cracked glass... It was a lot of small things but after awhile small things could add up to a lot.

He retreated back into the farm and stood just inside the doorway, resting a hand at his belt and looking up at the dome far above. What 'little' problems should he even address? It'd been this way for so long he'd learned to just deal with it. Maybe he ought to let Olivia assess and decide -- she'd know far better than he would about...things.

...maybe this was a sign things would finally turn around.

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

"You look quite worn today. Do remember to take breaks, dearest -- the desert is very unforgiving when it comes to the wear and stress it places on a body."

From across the table she smiled at him wearily. "I am becoming quite acquainted with the sentiment, yes. No need for alarm however, I expect this next week will see things finally slowing down."

Miguel nodded slowly. "As you say. I assume this means you and Mi-an have gotten things caught up to where they should be?"

"Just about, yes," she chuckled. She brushed away wisps of hair from her face and used her fingernails to somewhat comb them back into the hair at her temples, where the rest of it was swept up into a messy half ponytail secured with that silver shield hairpin. "Though it would have been much easier on everyone involved if Yan would have temporarily waived the daily commission limits."

"...limits?" Miguel repeated.

"It's our ranking system," she explained. "As Mi-an and I are new builders to Sandrock we are ranked the lowest out of everyone in the Eufala region - 'tis the same deal every time a builder takes to a new area. Essentially, we must work to prove ourselves but for some Light-forsaken reason the lowest ranks are limited to a single commission a day. There are exceptions to that rule such as in emergency situations but Yan did not think being two months behind on everything was 'emergency' enough to allow Mi-an and I to take more than one a day."

"I suppose I've never given that much thought." He could not immediately decide whether such a rule was warranted; you would not want lazy builders snatching up commissions that were late or never finished nor would you want shoddy crafters being the ones completing your requests either, but did that not also make it extremely difficult for a builder to establish themselves? "How odd that the system is set up in such a manner."

She waved a hand. "It's not so bad. Just because we can only take one at a time doesn't mean we can't prepare ahead of time. I've finally gotten things down to wake up, take my morning coffee, gather up the end result of a commission I already know is on that board, grab it, deliver it, done with my 'day' by 8:15."

He chuckled at the mental image. "While I am certain everyone greatly appreciates the promptness - and forgive me, I don't mean to sound insulting - that doesn't sound like a workload that would warrant your current level of exhaustion."

She glanced down at the table between them, a sly look crossing her features before looking back up to him with a self-satisfied smile. "Ah, you could say I've been finding other means of keeping myself busy."

"Such as?"

"Do you assist Matilda in handling the mayoral and administrative duties at all?"

"Yes," he answered, drawing the word out and fixing her with a playfully suspicious look. "You aren't committing any fraud I should be aware of, are you?"

"Ha! No, no fraud, but I'm making certain things are being done however I can manage. I imagine you'll hear Yan howling about it when he figures it out. Consider yourself forewarned."

He leaned forward, steepling his fingers together and resting his elbows on the table, eying her curiously. "Please do elaborate."

"It's nothing illegal or untoward, if that's what you're thinking. I'm merely making sure all the needs of the Moisture Farm are being met. In order to do that I am having to...route around Yan."

"...I'm afraid I'm not following. I thought you were limited in what you can take per day?"

"From the guild, yes. There are no such limits on how many jobs I can take on on personal basis. Which is what I'm doing."

Owen chose that moment to come over with a cheerful "Evening you two!" so Miguel's follow up questions had to wait. "Good evening, Owen. A pot of tea, if you please. I am not yet ready to order a meal -- but don't let that stop you, if you are," he added, nodding to Olivia.

"Tea is fine, and I shall see where my stomach leads me later."

"I'll have it right out," Owen chuckled, lightly tapping his fingers against the table before hurrying off toward the kitchen.

Miguel watched him go, using the moment to refocus his thoughts. "So, as I understand it, you are taking on commissions...on a personal basis?" Olivia nodded; he felt her foot brush up against his pantsleg as she shifted her legs beneath the table -- unbidden, a memory of a cheeky game of footsie at a family dinner came to mind bringing with it a smile he couldn't contain that he hastily tried to hide behind a clearing of the throat. "-ahem, how- how then does that work with your duties to Sandrock?"

"Quite well, actually. And before you ask, it IS permitted by the Central Commerce Guild commission to have concurrent contracts active. So long as I follow their rules it's perfectly fine and wouldn't even be needed if not for Yan turning away requests."

Yan was turning-- what? Why? That idiot... Turning down commission requests could draw the wrong kind of attention if it reached any sort of authoritative body! That was the last thing they needed out here! "I...see. And wish I had heard of this sooner. What exactly have others been saying that he's been doing?"

Olivia paused as Owen returned with a teapot, two teacups, cream and sugar, and a small brick of pressed tea; based on the swirling, whole leaf pattern Miguel suspected it was from Meidi -- it was surprising that Owen possessed such a thing, and also touching that he would choose to allow them to consume it at the cost of the local stuff as it could not possibly be cheap to import it all the way out here. The teapot was steaming and after a cursory check under its lid he saw the strainer was in place and broke off a serving from the brick, placing it within as Olivia moved the cups and cream out of his way.

"Primarily turning away jobs he didn't deem big or important enough, though it seems he eventually caved at some point and began posting them again but then they simply weren't being completed. Which is saying something when you consider how many screws, boards, bricks, and nail commissions we've had to complete and deliver, and there's still a handful more to knock out before we're completely caught up."

He sighed and shook his head. "Had we known sooner it was more than just delayed completion we could have encouraged him to promptly and correctly fulfill his duties as Commissioner...perhaps if we had you would not have arrived to find things in the state they are. At least, in terms of commissions anyway...the situation here is what it is, and we've just got to squeeze water out of the sand here, so to speak. You'll find MOST everyone here does whatever they can."

For better or for worse, he thought to himself. Someday, hopefully soon, everyone will see sense.

"And so am I, which is why I've put myself at Zeke's disposal -- whether he needs an entire shed or a single nail, by Peach I will get it done. Why anyone would choose to take the majority food resource for granted is baffling."

Miguel simply nodded at this -- it was, after all, not his intention to starve anyone (and certainly not himself, either!) The loss of water would eventually began affecting the Moisture Farm but that could not be helped, and he prayed that by the time it reached the point that their food was in danger that the remaining majority here would have moved on to greener pastures.

And let it be literal greener pastures...these people deserve so much better than this life of disorder and strife, scrabbling around in the sand even as it buries them.

Judging that the tea had had time enough to steep he filled their cups and paused to admire the fragrance; it was quite familiar so certainly a Meidi blend (though he could not name it specifically). "If not for the Moisture Farm what would you currently be doing in this downtime?" Miguel asked as he spooned a small amount of sugar into his cup.

His attention was drawn to her lips - they puckered gently as she blew across the top of her tea, and she took a sip without adding anything (nor did she seem inclined to do so even after a second sip). "-building up a stock of basic hardware, gathering raw materials, that sort of thing. You never know when you might suddenly need something and it's good to have plenty on hand in case of emergency."

Smiling, he curled his hands around the teacup. "You always were the prepared one... Still, do not overwork yourself. Life is not a race."

"I very nearly have the farm caught up on the more immediate repairs needed, after which I'll turn my attention to the less pressing issues. As soon as all of THAT is taken care of my schedule will be wide open," she said, with a coy little smile and a playful flutter of her eyelashes. "Which, I'm sure we'll find ways to pass the time."

He couldn't help the happy little hum that rose in his throat. "-I very much look forward to it."

Olivia laughed quietly and brought her tea cup up close to her face, inhaling deeply. "Never thought I'd be drinking THIS again."

"You recognize it?"

"If I'm not mistaken it's Prancing Snowbloom - from Meidi's northern border. There's a small spring-fed valley up there where they grow it."

Miguel blinked at her in surprise. "You say that as though you are familiar with it." And good heavens, how expensive was this tea?

"A very dear friend and traveling companion of mine, Zachary, was from that region. He talked about his home village quite a bit when we were sitting around in the evenings. Many a time did he promise to take me there someday, to show off the springs..."

"Oh?"

She nodded. "It's a long story, and not one I am willing to touch on tonight. I never did get to see the springs but I did get to meet his wife and children though -- I still get letters addressed to 'aunt Ibby.'"

Miguel chuckled again. "Aunt 'Ibby'?"

"Well, Olivia and Livvy have some sounds that little tongues had trouble with. By the time they were old enough to say it properly the name had already stuck."

With a small smile Miguel leaned back, wiggling his shoulders a bit to readjust the booth cushion behind him (Owen may need to replace this one - it was feeling quite thin). "Have you been to many places within Meidi, then?"

"Only those few villages and hamlets we stayed at on our way to Zachary's home. I was...not entirely comfortable traveling there so I wasn't inclined to do any sight seeing."

"Whatever for? Meidi is one of the safest lands on the continent."

"...that is also not something I am willing to touch on." She then sighed, smiling weakly at him. "Sorry."

He waved a hand. "Not a problem. I may not understand now but perhaps, in the future...?"

She nodded. "Perhaps. I wouldn't hold your breath though."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Grace approaching -- the tea hadn't really stoked his appetite yet so he kept his attention on Olivia and topped off his drink. "All in due time. So! I must say hearing you've been to Meidi was a bit of a surprise. Where else have your travels taken you?" "Well-"

"-hope you don't mind my butting in, since I just overheard you asking about travel," Grace interrupted as she stopped at their table. "I'm actually curious about that myself."

Olivia gave her a look of mild surprise - whether it was due to the interruption or the declaration of curiosity it was hard to tell - and gingerly returned her cup of tea to its saucer. "I see. Well, the simple answer is 'many places.' Why do you ask?"

She had placed a gentle emphasis on 'you' and was looking at Grace so Miguel assumed it was directed at the waitress and calmly awaited her answer.

"Ever since I saw you I've had the feeling like we've met somewhere before. Have you spent much time in Atara?"

"Off and on. You'll have to be more specific as to the year," Olivia replied.

Grace tapped her pencil against her chin. "Being as I was born and raised in Atara, and factoring in that I'd need to be old enough to have met you previously and remember the encounter...anytime within the last decade?"

Olivia let out an amused snort. "Not quite specific enough, but I can say with a high degree of certainty that I don't recognize you."

"Perhaps you passed one another in the street often enough to spark familiarity?" Miguel suggested.

"That's possible," Grace agreed. "When you're busy with school and jobs I guess things can just slide on by even if you're looking directly at it, I'll just have to deal with the feelings of deja vu until it either comes to me or I get over it. Anyway, would you two like to order anything or should I come back to check in on you in a bit?"

Miguel glanced back to Olivia and paused; she had sounded fine only seconds ago but there was the barest hint of something in her eyes, with a sense of discomfort in the air. He cleared his throat. "Ah, Grace - I would like to order a bowl of the date and lotus soup, if you please."

"You got it." Grace quickly whipped out a little notepad and wrote the dish down, then looked back to Olivia. "How about you, builder?"

"A half order of the tomato beef brisket and a tea egg, please."

"Any desserts?"

Olivia shook her head; Miguel did as well. "No, thank you."

Grace, perhaps noting the change in the atmosphere, nodded and headed off without any further questions. Olivia let out a soft sigh and shook her head; Miguel studied her face, not seeing any sign of that discomfort from moments ago but also not noticing any hint of her current state of mind.

"...Olivia, are you all right?" he asked quietly.

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Sorry. Trying to remember if I've seen Grace before brought a few other memories to mind." She let out an amused huff, shaking her head. "T'would seem tonight we're determined to dance around subjects and people I wish to leave in the past."

Miguel looked at her with some concern but she'd put a warm smile on, as though nothing was amiss, and took another sip of her tea. A flicker of annoyance was warring with worry -- annoyance with Grace for, if unintentionally, upsetting Olivia, and a mild anxious sensation over her well-being and mood; but...as he'd said, he was not about to cross her boundaries. However... "Speaking of the past... You know what holiday approaches."

She blew out a long sigh that trailed off into a buzzing of lips. "Yes, it sure is. One of my least favorite times of the year."

That was true - and, HAD been true even before Doss had... She simply hadn't liked being frightened, even in the name of fun. "How have you marked the occasion these past years?"

Olivia leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and putting her face into her hands. "Ah, well, to be honest, usually a bottle of something strong and a quiet, deserted corner somewhere."

Miguel blinked at her. Alcohol? Olivia drinking?! She had never-- "I- find that...er."

"Shocking, yes?" she asked, laughing nervously and peering at him through her fingers. "I know, I know, the girl I was before would never. You may choose to believe she finally grew up or died with Doss or fell into a hole, take your pick."

She'd despised alcohol...the taste, the idea of being inebriated, and the thought of even being associated with such behavior. "I...hrm. Of all things to imagine had changed, that one is certainly surprising."

"Oh there's loads more that have changed that you'd likely find more surprising than that."

Having recovered Miguel chuckled a bit and drank from his cup, letting the tea sit on his tongue for a moment to savor the flavor. "-tell me something else that has changed, then. Whether you personally consider it surprising or not."

She let her hands drop to the table, silently drumming her fingertips against it. "Let's see then... I cannot stand the taste of cabbage now."

"What?" he blurted out, laughing. "You loved your mother's cabbage spring rolls!"

"I know!" she said, laughing as well and throwing her hands up. "I still have the recipe memorized but I just can't bring myself to eat anything with noticeable amounts of cabbage in it! There was a time years ago where I fell very ill and cabbage was the most readily available food item so it was in every damn meal. Ever since then the taste of it makes me gag -- I just can't shake the association with that period of time."

Shaking his head Miguel spotted Owen on his way over and reached to move the teapot out of the way. "Astounding what our minds and memories will cling to... Does the smell affect you as well?"

"No, just the taste, thankfully. You're welcome to eat it all you like, it won't bother me."

Owen quickly set their meals in front of them then headed off back toward the bar. His soup was especially fragrant and it was only then that his stomach chose to rumble.

"Your turn," she said suddenly, as his spoon was halfway to his mouth.

"Ah-" Well, t'was only fair. There were things he could say had definitely changed with him...but what to share? Something playful, as she had, but what? "Hmm. To remain on the topic of food: urchin minoris."

Olivia snorted. "Oh, sea urchins? I believe I know where this is going but, do continue."

"You mean to tell me you knew?"

"Yes, I did."

He pursed his lips but wasn't really angered or frustrated -- while Olivia had been quiet and meek in most other things, she'd been adventurous about trying foods (for better or for worse). "Well, once I was told what part of the creature we were eating I couldn't stomach it anymore."

She snickered and sliced into the tea egg with her fork. "Sympathy?"

"No. Pure disgust in knowing that a creature died and that is all that was harvested from it, and I didn't find it all that palatable even before I knew any of that."

"Well, to each their own," she said, tone airy. "They were always too salty when they reached Doss anyway, and I do promise you that the spines were used in other things so it wasn't wholly a waste of an animal. You should try the ones they have in Portia -- they're much larger than the minoris type and actually develop edible meat that has a much more subtle taste."

"I believe I would still react in much the same way as you with cabbage."

She laughed again and stuck a bite of the egg into her mouth; Miguel took that as a sign that it was safe to fill his own mouth and for a time they ate quietly, enjoying the meal and company as around them the saloon began filling up with the dinner crowd and started to grow noisy and distracting. "Would you like to take a stroll around the oasis when we've finished here?"

"I would love to."

After they'd eaten and the tab was settled they stepped out into the evening; Sandrock was mostly deserted at this time of night - everyone was either at home or at the saloon for their supper - so they were free to stroll along the street without anyone interrupting. In the early evenings the oasis always felt cooler than its surroundings (at least for a little while; the desert could get shockingly cold very quickly depending on the season) and there were insects chirping quietly in the moonlight. Beside him Olivia took a deep breath and smiled toward the water.

"Do you remember that pond, and the rope swing?"

"Of course. Knocking a tooth out because I fell off it is one of those childhood memories I doubt will ever fade."

Olivia laughed quietly. "Well, I wasn't thinking of that, I was thinking of sitting beneath that tree reading, listening to the frogs singing their little hearts out."

Miguel smiled fondly at the memory; he could recall bare feet, reading by candlelight just barely hanging on in the breeze, whistles made of grass and some very cross parents every time they stayed out past their curfews. "We've no frogs here so I hope the crickets and cicadas suffice. Sandrock does have its little unexpected joys of nature."

"That it does. I've seen other places out in the Eufala but Sandrock seems especially lucky with its landscape -- it's a lot less desolate here than elsewhere."

He slowly nodded. "...for now, anyway. The desert is trying its best to swallow this place up and while I can applaud, in the most basic sense, the efforts of those trying to slow the inevitable there's times where it feels more like the arrogance of man trying to defy nature itself, even as I look around and witness what we have managed to accomplish. I'm afraid it seems already 'too little too late.' The relic rush stripped the land of life, we are merely the palliative caretakers."

She glanced over to him, mild surprise on her face. "I would never have taken you for such a pessimist."

"Less pessimism and more...realism," he replied after a moment. "Though you do have a point: that was carelessly dismal of me." He blew out a sigh. "I counsel the people here, and those in the villages around us, and while I wish I had Matilda's ever-present optimism someone has to be careful not to instill false hope."

"Mmm, true. But sometimes you need to feed the soul as much as the stomach and even false hope can keep someone going when they would otherwise stop in despair." Idly she tapped the foot of the cane against the boardwalk beneath their feet, suddenly chuckling deeply and winking at him. "Consider it arrogant of me but I shall be the optimist to your pessimist and so declare, 'not on my watch.' I came with the intention to spend the rest of my days here -- let's see what I can manage."

Deep in his gut he felt a twinge of...something. It was uncomfortable and nameless but felt akin to nervousness tinged with a sudden faint frustration that was gone as suddenly as he'd noticed it. "Ah, well...I wouldn't get your hopes up too high, Livvy. And, besides," he added with a small smile. "I could very well be reassigned to a new post tomorrow. The future is ever in motion."

Now she lightly tapped the cane against the side of his shoe. "Already planning for me to pick up and follow you, hmm?"

His cheeks flushed a bit. "I do not actually foresee moving on from Sandrock anytime soon - my duties here are not yet finished," he replied, the words coming out in a rush. "But... I would hate to leave you behind, when we've only just found one another after so long."

She smiled and looked back out over the water, tracing the path of a firefly as it lazily wandered through the tall grass. "As you said: the future is ever in motion. It's wholly possible you might find me an inadequate partner and it won't even matter."

He frowned. "Don't say that... What reason could I possibly have to think that?"

This time she offered him a wan smile. "We're not the same people, Miguel. I'd caution you about holding too firmly to the memory of who I was. I know I'm struggling with it myself. ...I should get going. I've an early day at the Moisture Farm and it's going to be a rough one -- my not being a morning person is at least one thing that's remained UN-changed," she added ruefully.

"I wish you a good night's sleep then," he said softly, reaching out to gently touch her hand. "I will see you in the morning."

She briefly squeezed his fingers then stepped around him, shaking her head. "No no, no need to trouble yourself this time -- when I said early I meant early: I need to replace a window pane and a wall panel and that's more easily done without the sun directly in my face. Sleep in, and I'll see you later on."

"If you're certain."

"I am. Unfortunately."

He laughed quietly and clasped his hands behind his back, moving to walk with her across the stone path. "I will walk with you a bit further - I could use the exercise."

"Oh please. You're a twig."

He laughed again. "I am not as frail as I appear, I promise."

He accompanied her as far as the corner of the fence at the end of the oasis near the train station where she continued across the tracks to go home and Miguel, at first, walked over to the yakmel cart before noticing Yan leaving the saloon and heading toward his own home. His conversation with Olivia earlier came to mind and in a split-second decision Miguel turned from the yakmel station and hurried up the road; he caught up to the man right as he was unlocking his front door and, after checking to see who was about (and with some minor protests from Yan), shoved him inside and entered behind him, tugging the door shut and fixing him with a glare.

"Hey, what's your problem?!"

"Shut up and listen to me," Miguel hissed, reaching out to...well, at first he wanted to seize the sleazy oaf by the collar but that would be sinking to the same despicable level as the creep, and so settled for jabbing a finger into the garish tie instead. "Whatever you are doing outside of your duties, stop it. Word has reached me that you were turning away commission requests--"

"-well yeah, for stupid things!" Yan interrupted. "I don't have time for chump change-"

Miguel jabbed his finger against him again, drawing a pained yelp from him. "Shut. Up. If anyone has actually reported your...dereliction of duty to any sort of governing body, we may very well have to deal with some sort of investigation or audit, and I should not need to explain why we do not want that. Perform your guild duties, to the letter. I don't care how small the fee or "stupid" the request -- if it is submitted through official channels, you do your job. Do you understand me?"

Having seemingly found his courage Yan swatted his hand away. "Calm down old man - no one's going to figure out anything!"

"I said-"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you. Fine, whatever, just- get out of my house! I didn't even invite you in! Rude!"

Miguel straightened, pulling his shoulders back and shooting him a final warning glare before turning and leaving, with Yan slamming the door on his heels.

Fool... For as easy as it was to convince the stupid, greedy man to assist with their plan there were times where Miguel genuinely feared those qualities would be their downfall; if there was a weak link anywhere, it was him.

...drat, he should have also warned him about retaliating against Olivia. He was only feet away from Yan's stoop still but there were stragglers in the street now as the saloon began to empty out; he did not want to draw any more attention to himself than he needed to or may have already -- it was a little too late in the evening to use 'official business' as an excuse for being seen leaving Yan's house (and honestly, who would visit Yan for anything but business?)

With a sharp exhale through his nose Miguel brushed a hand down his front to smooth out the fabric of his uniform then let his feet direct him toward home.

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

"Oh Pen, she's been here barely any time at all. I think you're overreacting."

"You would - you haven't seen the two of them smiling and laughing. Frankly it's disgusting. But regardless, I'm telling you: she is going to be a problem. We need to take care of this now."

Matilda sighed, looking at Pen from over the top of the papers she was organizing. "She is not a 'problem' and we don't need to turn this into one."

Pen crossed his arms, staring at her with a petulant look. "And just why are you so certain you're right?"

She gently set the papers down and folded her hands atop them. "Why are you? Listen... I've known Miguel for a long, long time Pen. I've seen him at his lowest, and now? Now he's happy. Happier than I've ever seen him, and happy men fight like hell to hold on to that happiness. If anything, having that builder here will only strengthen his loyalty. Leave them be -- if anything changes then I'll reconsider as needed. Don't you dare do a thing to that woman unless I order it, understood?"

Pen huffed. "Fine... But I'll be keeping my eye on her."

"So long as it's eyes only; keep those hands of yours to yourself. Now...head on back to your room before someone notices you're not there," Matilda said with a kind smile and a hint of ice in her eyes.

Pen grunted before stomping from the home; Matilda shook her head slowly -- she appreciated having the knight as back up and a sort of insurance against the plan going awry but sometimes he thought the worst of simple situations and jumped right to the wrong conclusions.

And, Miguel might be a pawn in all of this but she did actually care about the man, and even if she didn't a happy pawn was a loyal pawn. So long as everything played out like it was supposed to, who cared if he found love in the process? Maybe he'd even manage to hang on to it to this time.

She signed a few lines and neatly stacked the papers on the edge of her desk to carry over to the commerce guild in the morning then busied herself with getting ready for bed.

[bufomancer]

My next big pet expense is another 4x2 shelving unit, this time one of the ones with metal cross bracing instead of just plyboard fitting into a frame. Then Freak and Ricearoni for sure can go on it, that corner of my pet room will be a little less crowded, and Boots’ enclosure can go on the floor where Ricearoni’s stand currently is. And I can also use it for additional storage.