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spencer-reid-in-a-pool · 4 years ago

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It Was You All Along (Part 5)

Author’s note: In case you can’t tell, this part starts off with a flashback! I think it’s kind of obvious, but in case you are like me and don’t catch onto things very quickly, here is your warning. It’s a bit longer than the others, so please enjoy! I’m a bit lost on where I want to take this, so please drop any ideas if you have them. And as always, feedback is very appreciated! ALSO!! Get ready for some soft platonic Geralt x reader at the end.

Tags: @ayyyyitswednesdaymydoods @blackjay04 @bravelittlesunflower

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If it wasn’t one thing, it was another, that’s for sure. So far it had been a normal morning. I had restocked the flowers and herbs around my shop, and cleaned every display until it was spotless. It felt like it was going to be a good day. I could really use more of those to be honest.

But of course, something had to come and change that. And when I say something, I mean someone. Two someones actually. A really large, intimidating someone supporting a smaller one through the door.

My heart felt like it stopped when the door was kicked open, the sudden noise startling me. So of course I looked up immediately and saw them. The large man with white hair supporting the smaller man who was slumped over and covered in blood.

After freezing for half a second, I dropped the soiled rag that was in my hand and made my way over to them without a word. This man clearly needed help for his friend.

“What happened?” I asked breathlessly, closing the door behind them.

“Can you help him?” the large white-haired man grunted as he shifted his weight to better support his friend.

“Gods, Geralt- I can walk and talk for myself.”

The injured man groaned out his words as he tried to stand on his own two feet. But him standing on his own didn’t last long. He took one step forward and fell into the large set of glass displays in front of him.

I yelped as he fell, and my hands shot out in an attempt to catch him before he hit the floor completely. But the man named Geralt was a few steps ahead of me it seemed, and had already grabbed him by the arm. A large red spot was forming on the side of the man’s face, along with jagged slashes on his cheek from the shattered glass.

“By the gods! Will you please sit down before you hurt yourself even more?” I practically yelled. Not because I was mad, but because I was scared for the man’s safety at this point.

Geralt sat him in the chair that I pulled over for him, and then finally settled his eyes on me.

“Can you help him?” he repeated in that same voice.

My mouth opened but no words came out. Without responding to him, I hurriedly made my way around my stock, picking out the things I would need to help this poor fool.

I pulled up another chair and sat down in front of him. He was slumped forward now, breathing quite hard. Gently, I pressed a hand to his shoulder and leaned him back so I could get a better look at his injuries. Not counting the now half-purple spot on his face and the bleeding, jagged lines on his cheek from just a moment ago, I didn’t outwardly see anything wrong with him.

I began dabbing a clean cloth on his face to wipe away some of the blood and it occurred to me that these men looked familiar.

Without skipping a beat, I said “I know who you two are. You’re that Witcher that everyone sings about. And you’re the one that does the singing.”

As I said the last part, I turned back to the man in front of me, and he almost looked like he was smiling, even through all the pain he must be feeling.

“The one and only,” he panted.

I scoffed at him.

“Is he always like this?” I asked, turning to look up at Geralt.

A look of what seemed like pain or frustration crossed his features.

“Unfortunately.”

Stifling a laugh, I glanced back at the bard.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Geralt. And Jaskier.”

Jaskier perked up at his name but immediately winced after I put a salve on the gashes on his cheek.

“Now are you going to tell me what happened? I see a large amount of blood but no wounds.”

Jaskier raised a shaky hand and pulled back the left half of his slightly undone shirt. Three large gashes, much like the ones on his face, adorned his chest.

“Gods...”

“I never get tired of hearing women say that... but normally it isn’t in this context.”

My eyes seemed to roll themselves at his words, but I couldn’t say I blamed women for their reactions to him. He was quite something to look at. Under normal circumstances.

“I don’t even know what it was...it happened so fast. Did you kill it, Geralt?” Jaskier asked in a huff.

Geralt crossed his arms, and shook his head.

“I figured I should make sure you didn’t die first, bard.”

Jaskier nodded, a simple “Ah,” leaving his lips.

“Well, no matter. You can fix me right?”

He sounded like he was poking fun at the situation, but I could hear the fear in his words. I decided to try and make him smile before I did this next part. It would be painful.

“Anything for Geralt of Rivia and his emotional support bard.”

I don’t know what woke me up first. The pounding in my head or the loud birds above me. I was almost afraid to open my eyes, in case it made my head hurt worse than it already did. So I laid there, on what felt like grass and leaves and twigs, with my eyes completely closed. Then I remembered what happened, and my eyes shot open.

It looked like it was early morning now, which would explain the birds calling loudly to each other in the trees surrounding me. Had I been out cold all night? I had gotten hit pretty hard, so it would make sense, I suppose. Slowly, I lifted a hand to my face. But before I reached all the way up, I couldn’t help but notice the cuts and bruises that adorned the skin on it. This caused me to gasp sharply, which only caused a stabbing pain in my chest. With a whimper, I finally touched the pads of my fingers to the skin on my face and was not surprised when I felt scabs and dried blood. I could only imagine what I looked like right now.

After examining my injuries as best I could, I gingerly got up off the ground and leaned against the nearest tree. Right above my head was a really large, thick branch. I’m assuming it was the branch that knocked me out.

Lily was nowhere to be seen. Gods only knows where she ended up. I just hoped with all my heart she was okay, wherever she was. And of course, I hope that Geralt, Jaskier, and Roach were okay. Wherever they were...

It only hit me then how completely alone I was. How incredibly deafening the silence around me was, since the birds had quieted down some. It almost felt as if there was a wall around me. I felt trapped and utterly helpless. Sighing, I lifted myself off the tree I had leaned against, and decided there was only one thing for me to do now. And that was to get moving.

Maybe if I was a Witcher, I could just track down the boys and my horse instead of wandering aimlessly through the woods. I could only dream, of course. Girls can’t be Witchers. That gave me an idea, though.

I glanced at the ground in front of me, and saw what looked to be the prints of horse hooves. They must lead to where Lily went. A glimmer of hope made me feel a bit lighter, so I decided to go with it. It was the only plan I had, after all.

But I quickly realized it would not be as easy as I thought. Some of the prints were obvious, but others were not. Some were covered by leaves and dirt, but others were plain as day. And they were so spaced out, it was hard to tell what was new and what was old. It was hard to tell what might have been Lily’s.

I took a deep breath, one that felt like it filled my lungs to bursting, and kept walking, following what tracks I could see and hoping to the gods that it would lead me somewhere good. At least somewhere where I wasn’t alone.

I had no idea how much time had passed. It felt like hours, but it could’ve been only minutes. All I know is that my feet feel like they could fall off my body, and my stomach is so empty that it made noises that might give the monsters Geralt fought a run for their money. But that’s not even the worst part. It was just so damn quiet. Eerily quiet. The daylight had begun to darken a bit, but there was still plenty of light to see where I was going. I had lost track of the horse tracks a while back, but I just kept walking. I felt as if I was in a trance. Staying in the same place just felt like the wrong thing to do. I had to move. I had to keep doing something.

Eventually, I reached a clearing. In that clearing was the ruins of what looked like an old castle. A small one, but a castle nonetheless. I decided to find the most comfortable spot of rubble I could and rest for a moment. But before I sat down, I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye. Needless to say, it startled me.

Forgetting how badly my feet hurt and how hungry I was in a matter of seconds, I sprang up from my place on the ground with widened eyes.

“Who’s there?” I croaked.

There was no answer. I don’t know why I expected one.

“Please, don’t hurt me, okay? I’m just lost. I don’t know where I am.”

Still, no one replied. This terrified me even more. I frantically looked around and found a decent sized stone I might be able to use to defend myself. After picking it up, I made my way slowly over to where I had seen the movement.

The ground beneath my timid footsteps crackled and crunched. I tried to control my shaking breaths as best I could. Stopping for a moment to try and calm down, I crouched behind the nearest slab of stone and tried listening for any more sounds. All I could hear was a slight swish. It was rhythmic almost. It sounded like something was brushing gently up against something else. To be honest, it reminded me of the sound Lily’s tail makes when it makes contact with the grass beneath her while she is grazing.

My grip on the stone loosened, and I stood up excitedly. Could it be?

With only this thought and a sliver of hope in my chest, I turned to where the noise was coming from to finally see what or who it was. And praise the gods, it was Lily. A very disheveled, dirty, and scratched-up Lily.

I shouted her name, holding back a sudden wave of tears. She turned to me, chomping on a clump of grass lazily. I was probably more excited to see her than she was to see me, but let’s not talk about that.

I ran to her and threw my arms around her neck, not caring that she was chewing grass over my shoulder, probably dropping bits of it and drooling on me.

“Gods, I thought I lost you. Thanks for waiting for me to wake up, by the way. That was really nice. All the things I do for you...”

I didn’t really mean what I was saying and she knew that. I had just been so scared. After I pulled away from her, I began picking out the twigs and leaves and other things that had gotten stuck in her tail and mane. It gave me something to focus on while I calmed down.

Once I was finished, I led her over to where I had been planning on resting.

“We’re gonna wait here a while, okay? I’m so tired, and I’m sure you are too. At least you can eat, though,” I said with a sigh.

She simply glanced at me, but I took it as a signal that said, “Okay.”

Darkness had begun to fall now. The light seemed to dwindle by the minute, and it was still just Lily and I, sitting in the same spot from earlier. I didn’t know what to do. I was starting to feel sick from not eating or drinking anything, and my feet weren’t feeling much better than earlier either. But I didn’t want to put any extra stress on Lily by riding her, so that was out of the question.

I had seen some berries around here before, but I had no idea which ones were poisonous. And I was too scared to venture out to try and find some clean water to drink. So I’m kind of just stuck here for the moment.

The darkness brought a chill along with it. My breaths could be seen in puffs of air out in front of me. And as it got colder, they got more and more shaky. I was only wearing my basic dress that I had been wearing all day, and it wasn’t very thick. The only other clothes I had on were my underclothes, and those were even thinner. All the bags with my things in them were back at our original camping spot. Obviously, I didn’t have time to grab them when we were attacked. So, quite literally, all I had was the clothing on my body.

When it got dark enough for the stars to come out, I laid against Lily who had curled up on the ground long ago. Thankfully, she provided some warmth. Whether she wanted to or not was debatable.

Perhaps the worst thing about my current situation was the silence. It was so damn quiet. I hadn’t realized how used to the noise I was. Whether it was Jaskier talking or singing, or just the sounds of the three of us walking along a dirt road together.

So I did something that I had been taught by the best there was. I sang. I just sang. All my favorite songs that I knew by heart, most of them being Jaskier’s. It made me feel warmer, although I know it isn’t real warmth.

My voice wasn’t the greatest, but it wasn’t terrible either. That wasn’t my concern anyway. I just wanted to feel less lonely and more comforted. While I sang, I thought about the many nights that Jaskier and I sung together around the fire, passing the time while Geralt was out and about. I wasn’t used to singing alone, and it made me sad.

There was only one song left that I hadn’t sung, and I honestly wasn’t sure whether I had left it for last on purpose or not. My throat was itchy now, not used to singing this much for this long alone.

“I am weak my love, and I am wanting...”

It came out like more of a whisper than a song. But I continued anyway. Had I really fallen for him this quickly without even realizing my feelings? Or was I just too stupid to know how I felt from the beginning? I wasn’t sure, but all I could think about while I sang was the purple marks I saw around his collarbone the last time I saw him. And the way he and Geralt whispered about me that night. It made me angry all over again.

“I’m an idiot,” I whispered to myself. Lily shifted underneath my weight as if she was agreeing.

At some point I began to drift off. But I was awoken when I heard footsteps nearby. Immediately, I shot up and looked around. It was pitch black, so I couldn’t see anything. I only heard footsteps, and they sounded like they were getting closer every second. Instead of trying to flee, I sat curled up in the corner of the slab of stone with Lily, hoping whoever it was wouldn’t see me. If the gods were on my side, they would just keep walking.

“(Y/N), I know you’re there. It’s just me,” a gruff voice that I knew all too well spoke out in the darkness.

As soon as he finished talking, it felt like a ton of rocks was lifted from my shoulders. It was Geralt. Thank the gods above, it was Geralt. I had never been so happy to see the oaf in my life.

“Geralt!” I yelled with glee before I could even see where he was.

He got closer and closer and then I could finally see where he was. His hair was a mess, and so were his clothes. I can’t imagine I was looking any better.

“Come on, I’ll start a fire. I’m sure you have questions, and I know you’re hungry.”

My stomach growled in response to his words. If he heard it- which I’m sure he did- he made no comment about it. I was thankful. And above all, I was thankful for his company.

Geralt and I now sat around the small fire he had made. I hadn’t noticed this before, but he had Roach with him, who was now tied to a tree nearby with Lily.

“So what the hell was that? What happened? And where’s Jaskier? Wait- how did you even find me?”

The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. I glanced over at Geralt across the flames, a bit embarrassed. But the corner of his mouth twitched, which meant he was almost smiling.

“What answer do you want first?”

I gave a breathy laugh in response and shrugged.

“I found you because I could smell you. Witcher, remember? Nice bruise, by the way. Hope you gave that branch as good as you got.”

My cheeks burned and I tried to hide them from his view. Asshole.

“Anyway, I don’t know who they were. Bandits, I’m guessing. But one was a mage. That’s why I told you to run before fighting them off. Who knows what would have happened had you been there. Unfortunately, I don’t know where that bumbling idiot Jaskier is. After you left, he tried fighting off one of them, but got a pretty good punch in the face. I turned for one second, and when I looked back he was gone.”

I’m sure Geralt could see the look on my face. I was worried and scared.

“We’ll find him. He’s probably in a brothel somewhere. I caught a bit of his scent a while back. I remember the place. We’ll go check there in the morning.”

I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know what to say. Geralt’s words echoed in my head: “He’s probably in a brothel somewhere.”

“I know what you’re thinking,” said Geralt quietly, “and it’s not what it seems.”

“Well, what is it then?” I spat, my words laced with a sudden venom, “Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me listening in on you two the other night. I heard what you were talking about. He doesn’t want anything to do with me. It was a mistake he said.”

My eyes stung and my chest hurt all at once. Truthfully, I didn’t know just how severe these feelings were since I had somewhat successfully bottled them up. But now they were back in full force. I guess they had never truly been hidden.

“It’s not my place to say.”

“Of course it’s not,” I whispered, barely audible. “You never want to get involved in anything. Except you always do, anyway.”

A silence settled over us. I didn’t know what else there was to say.

The sounds of Geralt digging around next to him broke the silence. It was then that I saw him take something shiny out of his bag. He grabbed some other bags, which turned out to be my things I left at camp before, and slowly walked over to me, never making eye contact with me.

Geralt handed me my belongings first, and I thanked him quietly, He still wasn’t looking at me.

“This is for you. Do you know how to use it?”

He gently held out a dagger. It looked brand new, the silver gleam of the small blade almost blinding even in the dying light of the fire. Its hilt was bejeweled with twinkling stones of several different colors, and there was a small inscription on it.

“It says “be brave” in Elder. I got it for you a while ago because it occurred to me you have been travelling without a weapon all this time. And I thought now might be a good time to give it to you.”

With a slight tremble in my hands, I took it from him, never looking away from it.

“Geralt, I- I don’t know what to say. Thank you,” I whispered, finally looking up at him.

He simply nodded, but his eyes were soft. He truly did care about my well being.

“Truly. Thank you for everything Geralt. For this, for finding me, and for telling me what I needed to hear back at the tavern. But mostly, thank you for being my friend.”

Geralt nodded once more, then turned away without a word to go back to his spot across the fire.

“Get some sleep. You’re going to need it.”

Sleep did sound quite good, so I decided to follow his advice, wondering what tomorrow could possibly hold for our little group.

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heavenage08 · 4 years ago

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Delhi Federal Government Bans Over-The-Counter Sale Of Nsaids Without Prescription.

Having Lenses Replaced Into Existing Frames

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Content

What Causes Ocular Pain?

Looking For A Reduced Vision Help To Eliminate Vision Loss? Take The Irisvision Test.

Common Eye Disorders.

What Is Glue For Glasses Frames.

Nose Pads Maintain Glasses Comfortable.

I Have A Disability Can Lenscrafters Accommodate Me?

It's inevitable that somewhere along the way they will obtain scrapes or break down. Axelrad M, Tosh M. Stacking up the leading 50 optical retailers. Walmart is today the third leading provider of optical products in the United States. Your optical method can inform you how much your NHS optical coupon is worth. Glues used for repairing the frames of glasses are not the like the ones utilized by youngsters for their arts as well as crafts tasks.

If you shed your specific fabric you can also make use of an additional microfiber towel. If you're using Felix Gray glasses or other glasses with anti-glare finishing the top priority is to prevent your glasses from ever before obtaining scratched. If you have any kind of more queries you can figure out just how to call us below. If your purchase was online you can find our full returns policy is outlined in the Legal Policy area.

The greatest grievance I have regarding this item is the UV light, which, I assume, is not solid enough. You can adjust the nose pads to ensure that they keep the glasses frame in the best place.

What Triggers Eye Discomfort?

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In fact, you can locate a lot of the products that you need in your house. Eyeglassescan break or bend when you bring them without a case, lay them on the table or accidentally drop them.

Looking For A Reduced Vision Help To Combat Vision Loss? Take The Irisvision Trial.

Yet be very cautious, due to the fact that even a tiny change of the nose pads will certainly change the fit dramatically. If you have actually acquired glasses online, before you begin your glasses fit modification, make sure you recognize exactly what it is you intend to accomplish. Both most common goals are to tighten frames while keeping the optical facility of the lens directly before your students, as well as to make using the glasses feel a lot more comfortable on your face. There are https://top-specs.co.uk/frame-and-lens-range/ of frame products, memory plastic frames as well as cable frames. It calls for treatment as well as persistence, and we warn that you must be very mindful.

Obtain a superglue that, other than being excellent at bonding plastics, can additionally stick together porcelains, wood, paper items, and also also steel. The glues also deal with non-porous materials like plastics, metal, and others.

Now, you require to readjust your eyeglasses frame so that it will always be properly positioned. If you need to wear glasses to compensate for your poor vision after that you recognize exactly how tough it is when your frames obtain accidentally damaged.

Unlike regular college glue, superglues dry and collection completely in secs. You seriously require to locate the most effective glue for glasses frames so you can do the repairs yourself. Even simply getting your spectacles frames skillfully repaired will set you back fairly a great deal of money.

Nonetheless, as soon as used and also cured, this stuff will certainly not be damaged and will certainly not give. It is due to the fact that because situation, you just require to wash the surface area with some soap as well as water and you are fine. It is not such as a superglue, which bonds to the skin and takes permanently to eliminate.

Widening the nose pads goes down the glasses lower down on your nose. Bringing the nose pads more detailed with each other elevates the glasses up on your nose.

Do not go back and also forth with your old glasses, also if your old set is extra comfortable. The switching will only make it harder for you to adapt to your new specs, and that will make the procedure take longer.

In a blind (or low-visibility) test, they operate nearly the same as brand-new. The hinge offers really little play and also they fold up perfectly for storage. The new joint is a tiny, attractive brass joint sold for usage on precious jewelry boxes or various other little wooden crafts. The bundle included two joints and also small brad nails, which will be conserved for later tasks. The brand is National with a component # V1810, Size 5/8" x 2-3/4".

Second, I utilized a basic BIC design lighter to heat the tip of the pliers' jaws. Nose pads are held together by tiny screws, usually like the ones from thetemple hinges. Think it or otherwise, toothpaste is effective in removing scrapes. You can fixsmall scratcheswithout needing to go to the facility.

Common Eye Disorders.

Silicone nose pads are more durable and also comfortable, and also protect against the glasses from slipping out of area. The majority of people that wear them don't typically require to recognize the components of glasses by name. But if you're ordering a new set or have issues with your existing glasses, recognizing the temples from the nose pads will certainly be valuable. As well as it's not a poor idea to know the feature of each different component of your glasses in instance they break and you require replacement parts. Glasses and also Sunglass Nosepads commonly deteriorate with time and also require to be replaced with a fresh set in order to maintain the comfort and also appropriate adjustment of an eyeglass frame.

If your acquisition was made in shop just return it to the store you bought from who will have the ability to assistance. If you experience lightheadedness or nausea or vomiting when wearing your brand-new glasses, it's likely that you're likewise dealing with deepness assumption concerns.

Review the section above to find out exactly how to tighten plastic frames or metal frames. You can additionally make a very mild change of the pad arm, the tiny metal little bits that hold the nose pad.

You will certainly have a difficult time sticking things with bigger surface areas with each other using superglue due to the fact that there is very little air between part to promote the treating procedure. Your glasses will certainly not be the only thing in your house that will certainly need fixings, specifically if there are young kids around.

I located that as soon as dried, this adhesive comes to be completely waterproof and also heat-resistant. This brings about so many various applications not simply repairing broken glasses frames.

Most of the times you will not need to fit spectacles, but if you do, you can take them to a local optical store for a suitable. Look into these quick suggestions to readjust your spectacles frames. If you have wire frames, your glasses will have nose pads. These can be readjusted with an easy pinch or tug of the fingertips.

Can the optic nerve heal itself?

Damage to the optic nerve is irreversible because the cable of nerve fibers doesn't have the capacity to regenerate, or heal itself, when damage occurs. This is why glaucoma is an incurable disease at this point, and why early detection is so important.

This has actually lowered the amount of in-office customization which suggests that less as well as fewer opticians are performing these tasks.

As laid out in various other blog posts on this site, a giving optician might be called for to finish official education as well as training depending upon the state in which they function.

This is generally done to enhance office efficiency and also rise economic efficiency.

Those who appreciate dealing with individuals are motivated to find out more about the laws in their state and also start trying to find prospective job chances.

States that have no opticianry demands normally permit employers to train their opticians nonetheless they choose.

Several optical stores are now outsourcing lens modification orders to specialized labs.

Press pads internal if your glasses slide and also exterior if your glasses rest uncomfortably high or explore your nose. If you have plastic frames, you can bend the temple arms in or bent on aid change the means your glasses sit on your nose.

In most cases, the more you use your glasses, the quicker you'll get used to them. I wish I would certainly understood about this a year ago when my toddler tore my glasses apart. I liked your home heating the pliers suggestions as well as not heating up the plastic directly. All I considered while reviewing this is how much it should have drawn to do without glasses on. As a fellow four-eye I've bodged a number of fixes in time.

Who can diagnose eye problems?

Health professionals who are qualified to diagnose and treat eye diseases are optometrists and ophthalmologist. Ophthalmologists complete 4 years of medical school and perform 4 years of residency training.

What Is Glue For Glasses Frames.

Additionally, when it concerns the strength of their bonds, superglues are organizations in advance of regular ones. The very best glues for eyeglass repair show off the fact that they can hold numerous extra pounds of dead weight. Although using this item to fix damaged eyeglass frames can be a bit tricky since you require to mix it extensively before you can use it.

Most of polyvinyl chloride PVC nose pads are made of a soft firm plastic material that gives comfortable assistance of spectacles frames over the facial nasal area. As with all nose pads fabricated from any kind of material, nose pads need to be appropriately changed to make sure that the nosepads fit flush against the skin, otherwise the weight of the glasses frame might leave pressure impressions on the skin.

To do that, first stand in front of a mirror as well as look straight ahead, neither up neither down. Put on your glasses and also place the center of the lenses directly before your eyes. This reveals you the put on your nose that you want the glasses frames on your face.

Nose Pads Keep Glasses Comfortable.

Eyeglass frames have temple arms, holy place corners, nose-bridge as well as nose-pads and also they are all designed for modification. Glasses are created to be gotten used to fit if required, to fit most any kind of face framework. When you ask a neighborhood optical specialist to adjust glasses for you, it is called a fitting.

Can an optometrist diagnose glaucoma?

All optometrists, no matter their level of licensure, are expected to diagnose the condition or at least to recognize that a problem exists and refer the patient to another practitioner. It is in the area of the diagnosis that most referrals by optometrists to ophthalmologists related to glaucoma occur.

try it out was split at one end to allow for the insertion of a lens, as well as the split was closed by a piece of copper cable. The frames were very light, yet the stress in the rivet would certainly have loosened in time making them not able to remain on the nose. Paintings illustrating such frames day from as very early as 1392 CE. Superglues are usually utilized to affix tiny pieces, like damaged eyeglass frames, scale design parts, and take care of broken ceramics, damaged dentures, and so on.

You simply require to be more cautious with your glasses later. If your glasses frame does not have nose pads, you only need to change the holy place tips in order to accomplish your goal. The nose item on plastic frames is made to fit many nose bridges. find a job might be the tiniest noticeable components of eyeglasses, yet they guarantee a comfortable fit while holding the glasses in place.

Replacement nose pads used in fundamental spectacles repair are available at moderate cost as well as maintain your glasses sanitary and comfortable no matter. The earliest kind of eyewear for which any type of historical record exists originates from the middle of the 15th century.

By obtaining a good superglue to make use of on your broken frames, you are conserving a lot of cash, which you can utilize on more vital points. This item provided by the brand is the best glue to deal with glasses. It has a gel-like uniformity so when you position a grain on one part of the eyeglass frame, it will not run. Either way, it is essential to make certain that the optical center of the glasses lenses remains straight before your eyes.

If you make huge changes, or frequent changes, the arms will damage or the weld to the glasses frame will damage. Glasses frequently glide down the nose bridge for different factors. The very best method to stop glasses from gliding down your nose is to flex the rear of the holy places tighter around your ears.

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Visual Skill Examination.

You require to repair your eyeglass frames as soon as you can and also the very best means to do so is by utilizing extremely adhesive. These are the scenarios that necessitate using superglue. It is since these products can make fast and also simple work of damaged eyeglass frames. You just require to use the superglue on the components that need to be reattached and after that press them back with each other.

Frequently, a nose pad or nose pads likewise get removed from an eyewear frame and also need changing. Nonetheless, with the help of the purchasing guide and recommendations stated over, your opportunities of obtaining the best very adhesive for plastic spectacles frames will considerably boost.

The issue I have with UV cured glue to fix glasses frames similar to this one is that you need to make sure that it is totally revealed to the light. Although the bond toughness of this adhesive for steel glasses frames is not that solid, it is enough for most glass fixing requirements.

What does OD mean after a doctors name?

An optometrist receives a doctor of optometry (OD) degree after completing four years of optometry school, preceded by three years or more years of college.

I Have A Handicap Can Lenscrafters Accommodate Me?

Nose pads are connected to nose pad arms, which are welded to the spectacles frame. You need to make just tiny fit adjustments to the nose pad arms.

Can You Place Lenses In The Frames I Bought At An Additional Shop?

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thorndale-industries · 8 years ago

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Ariadne and Theseus - Chapter 3

Gillian sensed the shift in her partner's mood as he put his hands at his waist and raised his head like a scolding teacher - the silently humming projectors perfectly displayed every single of his emotions, even if they were yet so subtle. His emerald green eyes glanced at the Welsh CEO, squinted, and for a short moment it seemed like the cold from the summer rain outside embraced them both like an unwelcomed blanket. Tick tock, tick tock, only the soft ticking of her mechanical watch disrupted the meaningful silence between them - desperately tried to sync the two beating hearts again. She knew he never took it well when someone dared to disagree with him or gave him the feeling of being wrong, even if it was his own wife, but she was one of the few chosen ones he never got mad at. And she knew he actually considered what she proposed. Gillian looked at her visitor from Hong Kong, over her shoulder, and wondered what he was thinking right now. Was he on the same side? Or was he trying to find a way to get back to his own plan?

The loud cracking of the artificial logs in the fireplace seemed to bring the man back to reality, as he moved his stiff neck to the source of the disturbance and decided to stand right next to her.

"Very well, we might find good use for them after all, even if it's just mundane lab work. Perhaps we can just use them for the biochip development, since Sarif is known to hire only the best. How... convenient for us." Page brushed over his lips with his right thumb.

"I might have an idea how to arrange this."

His voice was warm and sedative as always, even through the speakers in her office. It was strange to see him at her side, yet hearing his voice coming from somewhere else - something she never got used to, something that highly irked her, and obviously the biggest flaw of this technology. An imperfect machine. As he finished his sentence, her slender fingers started to twitch, and her mind immediately looked for a possible solution how to fix ...

"Are you listening?"

"Of course, please continue. Pardon, my mind went somewhere else." Her expression remained stoic and emotionless. Like a puppet mechanically saying the words it was programmed to do.

"I noticed."

The tone of his words was not upset or angry, but barely worried his counterpart did not pay the attention this delicate matter required. He knew how her mind was wired, and if he could, he would place his hand on her shoulder and squeeze it gently, reassuring. Instead, he plainly nodded. Gillian's eyes returned to the cityscape of London, shrouded in dark clouds and a grey curtain - a welcomed distraction for her mind. Her partner stepped to the side to stand directly behind her and follower her gaze over her shoulder. His hands slowly slid into the soft pockets of his well-tailored suit. For a short moment, she asked herself how perfect the illusion of the city he had to witness must be.

"We could simply extend our previous plan and use the FEMA camp as a temporary station. We will let the Tyrants depot the sedated scientists there and prepare the further departure. One simple call to Joseph, and all should be arranged within seconds. As far as I know, there should be enough cryopods present. The Revised Homeland Security Act should come in handy."

"We also need him to silence the local police department and to lead the occurring investigation into our desired direction." With her free arm resting on her back, the woman turned around to directly look into the eyes of the barely taller man. "I have to admit I am uncertain regarding Manderley's competence. McCann has not been silenced yet. A matter which should have been taken care of a long time ago."

"Who?"

"A local police officer who investigates missing people in Detroit. The people which are at the FEMA camp, pending for transportation. He might become a future annoyance and I already told Manderley about him." Thorndale sighed loudly and pinched the bridge of her nose, directly under her glasses. "Robert, if we really want to do this, every single part in the chain needs to be sturdy and firm. No failure is allowed, and I fear Manderley might be a weak link."

"Let this be my worry, since he is my subordinate. Don't puzzle your precious brain, dearest." The ginger tilted his head and placed an encouraging smile on his pale face. "And if he should happen to break, we will have someone to throw under the bus. But trust me, Manderley is like a dog who needs a firm hand. He is too scared to not do as we please."

Gillian thoroughly looked at every single motion the holographic face made - she knew his smile was not fake, compared to the overwhelming amount of moments when it was. But not here, not with her. She tried her best to return it as warmly as possible. "If you say so." Without any other response, she walked right through the projection and emptied the second round of her tea. The loud clong, with which she places the mug back on her desk, proclaimed that their extensive forging of a plan reached a new state. Her fingers ran through her short white hair, pulled it back, as she watched Page turn to her.

"Glad you agree, Gillian. But I think that we might have another problem. I assume Sarif has some sort of counter insurance in case one of his treasured geniuses happens to go rouge."

"Correct. According to the files from the server, everyone in Reed's team has an GPL implant."

The man furrowed his brow and immediately stopped as a sharp pain reminded him that there was something new, an obstacle, on his forehead, and not completely healed.

"Everyone? Even the non-augmented?"

"Everyone." She confirmed with a nod. "The only officially augmented member is Vasili Sevchenko, he's responsible for the Typhoon. Irrelevant if you ask me, but his knowledge on human/machine interfaces might be practical to us."

"Well, well, I curious to know whether those people are aware of those chips or not." He playfully whistled out loud. "Interesting to see how eagerly Sarif declines all of Lucius's offers, yet he acts no better than us. I would like to see that part in the fine print of the working contract. Besides, everyone is irrelevant besides Reed."

"A pawn tactically sacrificed can still be useful."

The room remained quiet for a while, and the rain drops where louder than ever before. With every moment which passed, the impervious sky got darker and the force of the storm increased. A furious God, looking down on the unworthy and punishing those who dared to look up. Thorndale closed her eyes as she took place on the edge of her desk again. She enjoyed such moments of calm, where no words had to be exchanged and everyone involved knew about the importance of their actions. In moments like these, they dunked their pens in ink made out of the blood of those who had to be sacrificed - ready to write a new chapter of history. She smiled.

"Speaking of pawns, I know how to get rid of the GPLs. At least temporarily." Her oddly coloured eyes returned to meet with those of her partner. His voice was clear and confident, as he reached into the inside pockets of his grey suit. Click, the luxurious lighter in his hands was ignited, and another click when it was closed again. Fascinated be the detailed projection of the cigarette smoke, Gillian tilted her head.

"Doesn't have the FEMA facility have a medical wing? Let's order Sandoval there. He can try to remove or at least disable them for the transport to RBS, and then our scientists there will take of the rest."

"Taggart's little butler?" Her tone was confused, yet the promising smile stayed. If Page could, he would have taken a seat next to her so they could share their poison just like they loved to do.

"He is a specialist on augmentation removal, is he not? Since he and Taggart survived due to unfortunate intervention, we should continue to make use of them as long as we can. In addition to this, he is in Washington. Detroit is not that far away, he should arrive in time if we speedily get out plan underway."

"I like the sound of that. But Savage won't be there to do the procedure."

"We will talk about that later. I will tell Namir to take care of that. It seems like the presence of our attack dog always made Sandoval amusingly nervous."

Gillian chuckled and covered her mouth with her left hand. "You find amusement in the weirdest things, Robert. Very well, you take care of the Tyrants. I will arrange everything with RBS and Omega Ranch, specially with Darrow, since it's all his place now."

She brushed over her red lips again and softly chewed on her lower one. She was inwardly relieved that this matter had been taken care of, but she knew that there was a long way from planning a move on the chessboard to actually moving the figures - her mind would not rest until every single one would stand where it was supposed to be. Wood knocking on wood, slowly moving. To her great pleasure it was just a matter of hours this time, and not of days or even years like the old Patriarch preferred. Sitting on his throne on top of the highest mountain, with his astonishing outlook - seeing things a long time before they even appear on the map. Or perhaps his sight was unclear, blurred because of the clouds surrounding him. A man sitting there for so long, never leaving, that he might have lost the touch to everything beneath him. Slowly she raised her right arm to look at the little watch on her wrist. 605 Seconds. 4:16 PM. They have talked privately 10 minutes now. A satisfying amount so far.

Attack dog... . Gillian glanced over her office again, over the chessboard, and as her mind recapped Page's words, she unconsciously clung to the sight of their sleeping dog. Cerberus...

Startled by the sudden connection, the woman jerked her head back to her husband and gasped. "There is something else I need to tell you. God, I nearly forgot about it. Forgive me."

"Your mind is too occupied with the current matter, as always". Softly chuckling, the ginger approached her and his hologram stopped right before her. She lifted her head to look him into his eyes again. "What is it, dearest?"

"Something relatively small compared of what we just talked about." She made a gesture like if she was throwing away a piece of paper. "But did not we discuss the subject of you and securing your connections just a week ago?". Swiftly she escaped to the side, stopped right next to him just a few inched away, smirking, and swung her right pointer finger in a scolding way. "Someone here was not paying attention to my lessons."

The culprit raised his hands in defence, his green eyes wide open and a wide smile revealed his perfectly straight teeth. "Wait, do you mean that...?!"

"There has been a bug in your line. I have terminated it, but I can't tell how much information it got. It was programmed to be activate as soon as your connection showed any activity."

Page shrugged, unimpressed, but there was a hint of anger he failed to suppressing his movement, as his nostrils widened for a second and his right eyebrow started to twitch. An outrageous provocation directed at the self-proclaimed king, as the dirty hands of a peasant had the daring to scratch on the golden door. An insult which needed to be prosecuted and Robert could feel how his disgust started to rise. And the pale tone on his face yield to a dark red one. The calm see became rough out of the sudden. He does not make such pathetic mistakes. Quickly he reached for his golden lighter again - click, clack, click, clack. His soft thumb stroke the cold, even metal - opened and closed it in a regular rhythm. Grinding his teeth, he continued to create this odd melody in both offices and with every click the storm slowly broke open. Often just a yet so subtle change on the atmosphere was enough to tip his balance.

"Robert." Gillian's warm voice reached out to him like a lighthouse in the dark."Calm down, I will take of it and find the one who is responsible." He looked directly into her eyes, his jaw hurt painfully. "I have tracked it down to Hengsha. And we both know who runs the executive there. No one will even notice when a filthy hacker will disappear from the crowded streets. Perhaps the Harvester will finally turn them into something useful."

The man simply hummed and put his lighter back into the warm pocket, right at his rapidly beating heart. "I trust you. But if you don't mind, I would like to change the topic." He took a deep drag of his cigarette and exhaled loudly.

"Of course. What do you want to talk about?"

With his sweaty, cold hand the CEO ran over his face before stretching his tensed limbs. "Savage. As you hopefully remember I ordered him back to Hong Kong for a personal talk regarding our OCM project."

"Yes. Every second he is separated from that bloody Kavanagh will help us. Next week, correct?"

"Correct." He chuckled. "I want you to be there. But I don't suppose you will make it in time so we can watch our little puppets attack...?"

Gillian returned the chuckle, relieved the little outburst of his has disappeared as quickly as it has appeared. "Robert, even if I would run to the helipad right now, I wouldn't make it. It's still a ten hours flight. And there are still things I need to arrange."

"I know, I know. Just a thought."

"We can celebrate our triumph tomorrow, I promise you."

A promising, cocky smirk decorated his face as he came one step closer to his wife, his voice low. "Maybe we can re-watch the recordings while enjoying some exquisite liquor?"

Gillian leaned it and smiled back at him and whispered: "I like the sound of that." Suddenly she stepped back, escaped his vicinity and turned herself to the window once again. 4:23. "But don't you think we should ensure that we have something to celebrate? Let's end this conversation and get the things on their way. We can talk when it's time."

The tall man did not dissent - he simply nodded as his projection dissolved, leaving the CEO of Thorndale Industries alone in her office.

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kpopfanfictrash · 8 years ago

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Addewid

Author: kpopfanfictrash

Pairing: You / Kai (Jongin)

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 3,726

Summary: “You cannot appeal to my better nature, for I have none. I am not human, little one.”

You’ve always known you were different. You’re able to see them, after all, able to see the Others. You’ve also always ignored them. Until the day comes where you’re forced to make a choice - one that throws your world into chaos. And sends you down a path you might never return from.

As we step into the forest, shadows wrap themselves around us like branches and my breath catches. The enormity of what I’ve done crashes over me and I find it hard to stand.

I’ve just sold myself to the Unseelie court.

There’s not much time to think about this though, as the land of nightmares swallows me whole.

II - The Other

Only five steps into Faery, I know I’ve made a mistake.

For the first minute of walking it seems we’re still outside the bookstore. Still moving through clustered pines and familiar boughs. I’m not sure at what point this changes, just that one minute I look up and the mist is closer. The trees, darker. They grow in strange, twisted shapes to make my pulse race.

The leaves on one tree seem dipped in crimson. Emerald fades to scarlet at the tip, like a finger touched by poison. My eyes linger for only a moment before something else grabs my attention. Flowers so deep purple they’re almost black, shying away as we pass. Actually turning to mutter amongst themselves. I think I hear them whisper.

Suddenly I’m grateful for the fairy’s grip on my arm. It’s too tight, nearly suffocating but it’s the one thing that gives me a semblance of reality. Keeps me grounded amidst so much terror. The branches slide together and the creaky drip of water echoes past. Whether or not it’s actually raining is a mystery, since the trees overhead are too dense to see.

Staring up at them, I almost trip over a root. Nearly face plant before the hand on my arm yanks me straight again. “Pay attention,” Kai hisses.

Face burning, I look forward. I’m silent as we continue our forced march. The stranger doesn’t make a sound. His footsteps don’t echo, nor do the branches crack beneath his feet. Me – I’m incorrigible. A virtual thunderstorm of sound. I never realized quite how loud I was until this moment.

Like my breathing – deafening. Even my strides are too large. I keep bumping into the strange fairy, his arms, his legs, his hip. Each step brings a new glare in my direction. One I quell from, wishing I knew how to step lighter.

The third time I trip seems to be the last straw.

With a low exhale, the Prince drags me to face him. “Must you attract the attention of every creature between here and the Unseelie?”

Instead of answering, I glance around. “Are we not in the Unseelie now?”

“No.” His eyes flicker. “This is the Other – borderlands between the human world and Faery. Getting noticed in these woods would be a decidedly bad idea.”

Swallowing my fear, I look back down. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to get us noticed.”

“Then be quieter.”

“I can’t.” I glare back at him, jaw tight. “The last time I tried to hike through the woods was – well, never,” I say, chancing a glance up at him. I’ve never really been the outdoorsy type. For good reason, apparently.

Prince Kai stares back at me. “Then we’ll have to move quickly.”

Grabbing my arm, he takes off once more in the same direction we’ve been travelling. Though whether that’s north or south or east or west or up or down, I couldn’t say.

Do directions even exist in Faery? Would a map have that same, known compass in the upper right hand corner? Or would it be some entirely new direction I never knew existed. It seems fair to assume anything happening in Faery is completely detached from the human world. Starting with my immortal jailer.

My gaze glances sideways as we walk. Or rather, as he walks and I’m dragged alongside him. The tips of his fingers dig into my arm – though he leaves no mark. He’s beautiful, but like all things in Faery his beauty is designed for a purpose. A face so inhumanely perfect, it’s mesmerizing. He reminds me of those snakes which lure in their prey by pretty colors, subduing them to complacency right before they kill them.

In this scenario, Kai is the predator and I am the prey. His hair is silver, hanging casually above his dark, almond-shaped eyes. They scan the woods as we walk, his ever-watchfulness never lessening. The Prince’s body is tall, lean – muscled without being showy.

Though his skin is pale, it seems almost like pallor. As though he hasn’t been out in the sun in a long time. Beneath that dullness lies an almost golden sheen, like ice laid over amber.

“Why are you looking at me?”

My gaze snaps downwards. I didn’t realize he could see me – then again, I suppose I don’t really know how far his magic reaches. Or what this Prince can do.

“I – no reason.” When his gaze meets mine, I repress a shudder. “I was thinking you must not go outside that often.”

A small furrow appears in his brow. “What?”

“I – nothing.” My lips press firmly together. “It’s unimportant.”

As the Prince opens his mouth, I notice the forest has grown quiet around us. Before there was the pitter-patter of raindrops, the slide of leaves, the whisper of flowers. Now there’s nothing.

It’s as I notice this that the Prince stills. His eyes drift sideways, scanning the newly quiet space. His body lowers into a crouch almost automatically, turning in a circle. He stops halfway to stare into a dark overhang between branches. The space he’s looking at is black as night, fading from twilight to midnight within footsteps.

“Get behind me,” Kai says, his voice low and urgent.

He doesn’t have to tell me twice. Hands trembling, I scramble to stand behind him. It’s then that it occurs to me I could run. Kai is facing away. There’s something in the forest to keep him preoccupied while I slip away, unnoticed.

Slowly, hesitantly I take a step backwards.

Something rustles in the bushes. I take another step. And then another before it seems like the entire forest erupts. Something lunges into the clearing, powerful muscles tensing as it towers over Kai.

The thing growls – or maybe speaks. There’s a chilling combination of clicks as something slippery falls from its mouth to the ground. Kai’s face remains immobile, though a flicker of a smile crosses his face. He draws his sword from within his sheath.

The thing moves first, not in a step but in a leap faster than the eye can see. My blood chills - Kai is going to die, he has to. There’s no way he can win against this great, towering thing which moves like lightning. A hole widens where it’s mouth should be, displaying dozens of razor sharp teeth. Two slits are its eyes, ruby red and narrow.

When the beast moves I realize that Kai is no longer there. There’s a sharp, sickening squelch of metal through flesh and the thing roars, lashing towards something I cannot see.

Kai darts suddenly from underneath, eyes ablaze and teeth bared. He looks wild – feral, even. It makes him even more breathtaking. The prince’s sword slashes, silver in the night. The beast roars as its dark, shadowy paw comes down faster than Kai can move. He dodges but is nicked in the shoulder.

The prince staggers before disappearing. I don’t see how or where – don’t stay long enough to find out. Instead, I turn and run. Run as though my life depends on it, because it does. The forest stumbles along with me, dark and looming on all sides. My breath is gasping, head spinning as I struggle to focus.

I know I’m making a lot of noise as my feet fly, arms pumping but I can’t help it. It’s as I run that a cold pit starts to form in my stomach. What if I can’t get out? What if I’ve actually been running in the wrong direction this entire time? Despite my worry, I continue on. Now that I’ve started, I don’t see another way out.

The undergrowth falls beneath my feet, screams of flowers serenading as I step on throats - and then another noise. My head snaps sideways with the realization that something else is crashing through the forest with me.

Large, lumbering, limber. Did I say that my stomach sank before? I didn’t mean it. That was nothing compared to now, nothing compared to the realization that of course that thing didn’t hunt alone.

There’s a clearing ahead and I’m almost there when the thing leaps out at me. I skid to a stop, screaming as I stumble. From the ground, the thing is even more terrifying than before. Before there was Kai between us - before, it wasn’t focused on me.

Drool hangs from its jaw, unhinged as it sinks even closer to the ground. Its eyes are red, oddly coherent in their appraisal of me. It seems confused, as though unable to label me friend or foe. Its jaw keeps opening and closing, harsh, guttural noises coming from the back of its throat.

It’s form is indecipherable because it keeps on shifting. One second I think it’s similar to a bear. Then a giant. Then boulder. It’s always the same color though – a deep, pulsating, nightmarish black.

I’m frozen, flat on my butt where I’ve fallen. Just for a moment though, before my hands are scrambling – pushing me backwards, upwards. Looking for something to fight with. When my right hand close around a rock I swing it forward, chucking it at the beast without a second thought.

Wrong move.

My attack shakes the thing from confusion to identify me as a threat. With a blood-curdling shriek, the thing launches itself forward – only to shudder to a half as the hilt of a sword embeds itself in its chest.

Kai leaps into the clearing, sprinting towards the beast. The sword is his. He’s thrown it – normally a terrible idea – but effective, in this case. As he runs he yanks two daggers from his belt, brandishing in each hand to dart beneath the mass of animal.

The thing yowls, turning towards this new threat. Kai’s face is stone as he moves, slicing a vicious streak over the beast’s maw. The thing stumbles, dropping to what I think are its legs. Kai doesn’t hesitate, flipping onto the beast’s back. Stabbing both his daggers down and breaking its neck.

The thing shudders. Twitching for a moment before slowly falling to one side. It’s landing contains all the muffled grace of an earthquake. Kai jumps from its back to land lightly before me.

The clearing around us is silent.

Slowly, my hands uncurl from the earth. Eyes wide, breath coming in heavy waves as I meet the dark Prince’s gaze. His hair is askew, clothing slashed and there’s blood on his arm – I remember that he was wounded in his first fight. Kai’s eyes flicker, such anger present I physically recoil.

“You foolish girl,” he mutters.

I clamp my jaw shut to bite down my retort.

The Prince takes a small step forward. “You are bound to me. This is Addewid, you cannot run. Where did you think you were going, even?” His eyes scan the forest. “This clearing is not fifty paces from where the first attack occurred. You ran in a circle.”

My eyes move around our surroundings. How is that possible?

Kai drops into a crouch before me, his voice like a caress. “You swore for the rest of your life that you would reside in Faery. A promise like that is not so easily broken. If you try to escape again, you’ll just end up by my side. Or worse.”

The weight of his statement settles over me. I can never escape. Never leave. I falter with the weight, for the first time realizing the full extent of what I’ve done. For the rest of my life I will be stuck with this cold, unfeeling stranger who looks at me like I’m dirt on his shoe. This thing that killed two beasts twenty times his size and is barely winded.

The Prince cocks his head at me. “Stand.”

I remain where I am. Seated, in the mud and muck. It seems a better option than going with such a horror.

This entire time Kai has been cleaning his knives and now that he’s finished, he tucks them away in his belt. His eyes narrow when he sees me still sitting there, grabbing at my wrists to pull me upwards. “I can carry you if I need to,” he warns. “It won’t be pleasant.”

“I’ll walk, thanks.”

“Good.”

I look up just in time to catch him wince, to see the way his hand brushes his shoulder. As he moves to tug his sword free from the animal’s chest, I notice he’s favoring one arm. The thing is hurt. Not that this means anything to me. With quick, practiced movements the Prince cleans his sword, sliding it back into its scabbard and turning to face me. His face is once more like stone and I wonder if I imagined his pain from earlier.

The forest has resumed normalcy – or whatever you could call normalcy in a shadowed, Faery forest. As we continue to walk, Kai doesn’t touch me. He insists on me walking slightly before him so he can keep an eye on me. The humiliation of this doesn’t escape me and I hold my head high as we walk, refusing to let being treated like this break me.

We walk for what seems like miles. Sometimes we stop for rest but always in short, measured periods. Ones where Kai sits stock-still and closes his eyes, and I don’t try to run. The string of his words still rests sharp on my consciousness.

So does the terror I felt when facing that dreaded beast. I know that, had Kai not intervened I would be dead. I don’t have the capability to survive in these woods. Its a small wonder that the Fey view us humans as beneath them.

“Let’s go.”

I find Kai looking at me, eyes open and clear. The Prince rises noiselessly from his rock, nodding for me to do the same. We continue on, walking for hours, miles, until my eyes start to drift. They flutter against my cheeks as I stumble.

That’s when I notice my breath turning to mist. Fogging ahead into the cool, night air. It must be colder here - strange that I didn’t notice. I’m smiling when I turn to him. “It’s so pretty here,” I say.

There’s confusion in Kai’s dark eyes. Alarm, when he looks at my coat. Murmuring darkly, Kai scans the horizon. “We’re still an hour or so out,” he says, gaze returning to mine.

I shrug, raising my hand to the nearest ice covered branch. “Pretty,” I murmur.

Though my fingertips slide against the bough, all I note is texture. The temperature feels about the same as I am.

Kai says something which sounds distinctly like a swear, though I don’t recognize it.

I frown. “That didn’t sound nice.”

“It wasn’t.” Ignoring my noise of protest, Kai bends suddenly to heave me over his shoulders. Sliding his body beneath mine to lift. I shudder at his touch, curling away from the ice of his skin.

“Let go of me,” I protest – though feebly.

“No.”

Then he begins to run. My forehead sags awkwardly before I’m adjusted into a more manageable position. The forest flies by in a blur of greens and grey and white. I realize how slowly Kai has been traveling because of me. I only think about this fleetingly though, as the thought comes and goes before I can grasp any sort of meaning.

My eyes begin to drift shut.

“Don’t sleep,” Kai says, his voice low. “You can’t fall asleep.”

Frowning, I stare at the back of his neck. “Why not, Prince Kai?”

“Because I won’t allow it.”

“You can’t tell me what to do, you don’t own me.”

“Ah, don’t I?”

The thought makes me pause. “No.”

“But you made me a promise,” he says, and to my ears it sounds like he’s smiling. But that’s ridiculous – Prince Kai would never smile.

“I made a promise to stay with you,” I mutter. “Not cater to your every whim and fancy.”

The body beneath mine shakes and I realize it’s because he’s laughing. The immortal Prince Kai is laughing.

“That would have been a far more interesting promise.”

Before I can respond, the world slows around us. Solidifying into a discernable landscape of grey and white. There’s a house – although maybe I wouldn’t call it a house, given its size. Castle, would be more appropriate. Or manor. Kai stops at the threshold, pushing open the heavy oak doors with one hand.

He doesn’t set me down, moving towards the polished staircase to our right as a strange, tingling sensation starts to spread to my feet. It hurts and I make a small noise against the cloth of his shirt, turning my head into his back.

Kai’s body stills beneath mine. “We’re almost there,” he whispers.

“Where?” I ask, the noise barely audible. My eyes are barely open by now.

The next span of time is a blur. Hands which give me to other hands. A murmur of voices. Tugging of my clothes and a gasping sensation as I’m lowered into water. It hurts. I whimper, trying to escape but strong hands push me down. Keep me there. Rubbing feeling back into my limbs.

I almost wish that they hadn’t. I scream when the pain arrives. Scream until the noise fades to moans as I struggle to keep conscious. Which isn’t for too much longer before blessed darkness takes me. As I drift off, I think I hear a voice speaking above me.

“She’ll live, won’t she?”

There’s a murmuring answer.

“Thank god.”

When my eyes open, I don’t recognize my surroundings. It’s too bright and I quickly shut my eyes against the pain. Slowly easing them open as my pupils adjust.

The room is white. White as snow, light as ice. The soft, downy comforter I’m wrapped in is a pearly shade of grey – the darkest shade in the room. Gossamer curtains cover each window, drifting down to bleached wood below. The bed I’m in has four posts – each hung with their own, gauzy fabric.

I blink lazily up at it all, struggling to make sense.

The events of the past twenty four hours come crashing down around me and my eyes shut as I fall back against the pillows. I’m in Faery. In what must be the residence of my captor, the fairy Prince Kai.

There’s no one else in the room with me. Nor is there really much of anything at all. Nothing besides the bed, a dresser and a wardrobe. There are no books I realize, slowly pushing myself into a sitting position. As I do, the covers fall down about my waist.

I scream, the rash noise leaving my throat before I can consider it’s consequences. I can’t help it - waking up naked and alone in a strange man’s house will do that to you. No, no, not a man – one of the Fey.

The door to the room flies open.

My hands are around my chest before I know what I’m doing, pulling the sheet up as fast as I can. I don’t know whether I’m relieved or not when a woman enters.

The woman is also Fey, though she looks much older than Kai. I wonder briefly how that works – how one immortal can look old compared to another. Her eyes scan me from head to toe, fading quick from worry to sharpness.

“What in that world?” She places a hand on her hip. “You were screaming bloody murder. I thought a bannik got to you.”

Confused, I blink back at her. “A what?”

“A bannik. Small, feisty. Hides beneath stoves and throws things – thought one may have crept up from the kitchens. That’s not important.” Yanking back my curtains, she holds out a lump of clothing to me. Not my clothing, though and when I don’t react, she huffs in frustration. “Come on dear, I have things to do. Your brush with hypothermia took up quite a bit of my time last night.”

Hypothermia. I stare down at my hands, spread on the bed sheet. That explains the strange dream – the water, the pain, the nakedness. A formidable blush emerges as I clutch the sheet tighter. “Were… were you the one who undressed me?”

“No.” Briskly, the woman shoos me from bed. I don’t move until she yanks the sheet, forcing my legs to the floor. “That was the Master.”

Cheeks coloring, I pull my sheet along with me. “And the Master is…?”

Her eyebrows rise. “His Majesty, Prince Kai.”

“Excellent.”

The woman resumes making the bed, fluffing and snapping with all the efficiency of a war veteran. When she notices me staring, she nods. “Go on, get changed. The Master requested you attend dinner tonight. That’s in two hours and I need to make sure you’re presentable by then.”

“Two… hours?” I’ve never needed longer than a half-hour to get ready in my life.

“I know, it’s not a lot of time.” The woman sadly shakes her head. “But we’ll make do. At least you’re looking better now,” she notes, scanning my body. “A bit of color back in your complexion.”

I bend, scooping up clothing from where she’s laid it on the bed. “T-thank you,” I hear myself say.

“For what, dear?”

I can’t say what I want to. Which is that this strange, brusque woman is the first shred of kindness I’ve experienced since coming to Faery. I can’t say that though, so I turn away. “Thank you for nursing me back to health.”

“Humph.” She continues to make the bed. “I did what I could, dear. You should really thank the Master though.”

“Why?” At the door to the bathroom, I pause. “What, did he try to drown me in the bath and decided better of it?”

A small smile crosses the woman’s face. “He healed you.”

Her words nearly make me drop my clothing - I catch it just in time. “He… what?” I sputter, not sure I heard correctly.

“He healed you,” she says, looking over at me. “You’re lucky not to have lost a foot. Healing is a power I haven’t seen the Master use since… well.” The woman falls silent. “It’s been a long time.”

A long silence settles over the room. “Dinner is in two hours?” I manage.

The woman’s smile returns as she smooths out the comforter. “Dinner is in two hours.”

[Master List]

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