#no more crafting no more prep. the stress is over

[quarklynx]

[miodiodavinci]

im being so so brave but also i am gripping you by the shoulders and leaning in and letting you know i am so tired of being brave

[biscuitsngravie]

"time's up."

levi x reader

cw: piv, no prep, blowjob, degradation, orgasm denial, rawwwwww

wc: 2,004

Levi is… irritated. 

Well, that's the closest to describing the mixture of emotions he’s feeling during this “interaction.” 

“Irritated” could best refer to the heat between his legs. The heat that he is praying isn’t visible as he steps behind the desk to sit during the debriefing on the mission. This room is too full of people for you to be such a shameless slut. You wearing that too small top — the one he told you to throw away — and that too small skirt — that he’s sure he threw away — while looking up with… those eyes.

You. 

You. 

Youyouyouyouyo—

“Ah! And that’s how we make the double decoy! Right, Captain Levi?”

To others his face is deceptively neutral, well, as neutral as a resting bitch face can be. But you, Honee, you know better than anyone else. You’re the only one who notices the extra firm grip he has on his teacup, the cool flame that ignites behind his eyes the way he pointedly avoids meeting your gaze. And surely the squirming from the continuous pressing of your thighs has caught his peripheral at least once or twice. 

“Right. That’s it for now. We’ll do a test run in forty-five minutes. Gear up and be ready to leave.” The room empties rather quickly after a quick salute. And of course… you are the last to leave. “Honee.”

You jump out your skin, your back already turned from him, but too far from the door to craft the excuse of not hearing him. Your mouth upturns into a grin that you’re sure would accrue more points towards your impending punishment. So you remain with your back turned to him, answering an all too even voice, “Yes?”

“You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve.” slow and deliberate footsteps stalk behind you, growing louder than the thrumming in your chest and between your legs. He stops just barely short of touching you, lowering his voice so that it sits as not much more than a gentle purr against  your ear. “I expect to see you in the field. Dressed properly.”

He walks around you out the door, presumably to his office to retrieve his gear. It’s only once you hear the click of the door followed by fading footsteps do you finally breathe. You bite your lip and groan, gripping the hem of your skirt to keep from reaching a hand up it instead.

Your feet move faster than your brain,  flying to his study. It was always this with you two: some seemingly innocuous thing catches his attention, to which he finds stress relief and solace in your slutty little pussy. Though this time his distress lies with the very one he comes to for comfort (of sorts), and the very thought of it is proving to be the bane of his existence.

After three quick raps, an enthusiastic “Enter,” allows you in. He’d be disgusted at your perverted mind if you admitted that his look of disdain had you nearly crying down your legs. That, punctuated by a curt “What?” has you biting back a small whimper. 

“I—” you cut yourself off as you evaluate your best course of action. Outright asking for it has proven effective in the past, but the egregiousness of your behaviour has finally hit you . Before speaking again, you begin racking your brain for a suitable game plan. 

Unbeknownst to you, it draws a long pause, to which he prompts, “I don’t have all day.”

His voice makes you flinch as it snaps you back to him out of your cluttered brain. “I’m sorry!” you blurt aloud without much thought. 

“I hate liars,” he grunts as he tightens the fastenings on his gear. His hands move methodically over the latches, ensuring he doesn’t slam someone in the face with a cartridge of spare blades that come loose. “Hurry up before—”

“I just!” you shrug as you look off to the side, your face tingling with a warmth as you feel blood rush to your cheeks. “I just wanted some attention, I don’t know,” is finally pushed through in a low mumble.

Levi closes the gap between you two, grabbing your face in his hands to turn you back towards him. When your eyes drift away, he follows their gaze until you’re forced to succumb to his intense eye contact. “Are you saying I don’t give you enough attention?”

Your eyes nearly bug out. “No! It’s just that—”

“If you wanted more attention you could just say that. But no, you decided to be a fucking brat, instead,” he grits. Your eyes swell up a bit, your wires crossed between a growing fear and an intense need. 

While you decide which emotion to land on, Levi stalks over to his chair back behind his desk. He spreads his legs and points to the floor. Without even a hint of shame, your feet fold over each other to kneel not too far from the bulge in his pants. Your mouth begins to salivate at the sight, but you will them to make contact with grey ones that hold a cool flame behind their irises. 

Levi is nearly impressed with how quickly you take position: your legs folded under you with your hands folded in your lap. It’s easy to see your shameless cleavage from this angle, and part of him passively wonders if you’re overdue for a tit job. He pushes the thought away immediately. No matter how nice his cum looks painting your skin, he needs to focus. 

“Go ahead.”

The simple command has you clawing at his belt buckle. Your fingers make quick work of it all, grateful in the way he lifts his hips for you to pull them down a bit. You don’t even care enough to bring them to his ankles, only down to the knee as you begin to try and free his still hardening dick from his boxers. You use the hole in the front to let it spring upwards towards his abdomen. It’s only a second before you’re wrapping your lips around the head, suckling at the slit as you lap up the precum that’s already begun to drip there. 

Though he’s silent, the twitch in his cock when he feels you moaning in satisfaction is enough for you. You bob your head a bit, holding the base to keep steady as you swirl your tongue around the shaft. Your neglected clit is only soothed with the feeble rubbing of your thighs. You rock back and forth a bit, feeling the wetness coating your thighs grow. 

“Do what you must,” he sighs in faux exasperation, hiding his own arousal in the fingers gripping his chair, “you have my full attention.”

The purr in his voice as he eggs you on goes straight to your core, just like the hand now playing with your clit through your underwear. Unsurprisingly, you’re met with an undeniable wetness, your own arousal having completely drenched the fabric. 

Two deft fingers massage your aching clit as you work on him in earnest. You pull away to breathe and pool your saliva a bit, opening your mouth to watch it coat the length of his dick. As much as Levi hates a mess, you’re his favorite one to clean up. Watchful eyes follow you as you trace the prominent vein on the left side of his cock. His nostrils flare as the only sign of his arousal he allows through. 

Your own body almost feels as if it’s vibrating with need. Levi’s gaze remains uninterrupted, deceivingly bored if it weren’t for the tension in his jaw. You feel naked under his eyes, for he misses nothing. Goosebumps pimple your skin, the vulnerability that rocks you urges you to cover yourself and incites a newfound search for modesty. The way desperate fingers fight against cotton to finger your leaking pussy definitely doesn’t go unnoticed. 

Whether it’s annoyance with the pathetic display before him, or his other head thinking, he waves you off his cock, much to your  disappointment. You bite back a whine, confused on your infraction, yet trying to avoid another. His voice breaches right through your developing spiral. “Sit.”

Perplexed, you tilt your head and adjust your posture. “I am…”

His facial expression doesn’t change. After a few moments you process the command and excitedly climb into his lap. After a few moments of maneuvering yourself around his gear to properly straddle his lap. Arms cradle his neck in glee, but he lets himself all but be pulled into a kiss. “You have fifteen minutes to get yourself off.”

You begin to open your mouth to protest, but the look he gives you kills any argument you could muster. 

Do I make myself clear?

Fifteen minutes. 

How much to spend on prep? On stretching? Is worth it to tease yourself a bit or—

“Fourteen.”

“Levi!” you shriek in a mini panic. A grip on your chin ends your oncoming tantrum. Fix your tone. Your voice gets smaller now, meek. “It’s not fair…” you mumble.

“Now you care about fair?”

“I just—”

“For someone closing in on thirteen minutes, you sure spend a lot of time talking.”

“Levi please,” you start getting worried now. You keep your voice hushed, but maintain your urgency. 

“Please what?”

Bingo. You’ve won.

The poutiest of lips. The truest of doe eyes. The vulnerability found in an unabashedly neediest of voices. “Can you fuck me?”

Levi’s hand is over your mouth in flash. Momentary confusion is interrupted by a burning between your legs, your cry muffled by a thick layer of calluses. Tears prickle your cheeks, your sniffle all but dying in his palm. You clench uncontrollably around him as you register that he’s bottomed out in one swoop.

Running his other hand up and down your back, he lets your mouth go free as he tucks your face into his neck. He saves the comment on the mess you’re making there as he repositions his hands to your hips. He lifts you up and…

“This is what you wanted,” he cooes.

Slam.

“You wanted attention, huh?” he scoffs.

Slam.

“Bullshit.” 

His thrusts speed up, the clanking of his equipment joining the cacophony of sounds the two of you are making; the papping of your asscheeks against his pants; your sniffles twisting into groans; his intermittent grunts as he listens to the wet sounds of your pussy taking him over and over and—

Fuck!

“You’re a fucking riot. Couldn’t survive without it for a week.” he curses to himself when he hears you mewl, every decibel going straight to his dick. “Putting this on. What do you have to say for yourself? Ah?”

He pounds into you from below, his gear rustling erratically as he forces his hips to meet yours. A quick smack to your ass wakes you up beyond your wanton moans. “Ah! I-I…” your mind starts to melt when he comes down to a slow grind, dragging his thick cock along your abused, gummy walls. 

He grabs a fistful of you r hair to pull you back. Puffy and weary-eyed, your lip trembles as you futility try to gather your thoughts. “Don’t cry now. You weren’t crying when you put this shit on.”

“L-Levi, I—”

He stops you with a hand in your face and checks the time. Without much ado, slides you off his lap, not sparing you so much as a glance wen you wince. “Time’s up.”

“Levi!” you shriek, entirely too loud. 

“Volume,” is his only warning as he tucks himself into his pants. He grabs a spare handkerchief to clean where you leaked out and prays it’s not noticeable. 

“What am I supposed to—”

“You were supposed to get yourself off, you understand?” his tone sharp, only surpassed by his gaze. “Not my fault you’re a faulty little cockslut and got distracted.”

He leaves you to yourself, not before smirking when he sees the dripping between your legs. Levi hates messes, but this is one he can get behind. 

an: i tried something new. i'm gonna try again soon. after this is true form s*kuna x reader cause im a monsterfucker first before a fraudkuna hater, so ig ill be putting my whole jordussy into it 😭

taglist: @honeeslust @blkkizzat @arlerts-angel @halobuns

[happily-wretched]

Ravenously Occupational (Episode 2)

The sun was hot on the atmospheric set of a 1950s period TV drama. Asher Wilkins wiped the sweat from his brow, his chiseled face glistening under the studio lights. It had been a long day of filming, and all he could think about was getting a bite to eat. As the lead actor, he was used to the hours, the stress, the pressure. But his stomach was growling something fierce, a low rumble that echoed through his empty belly.

Another take, then lunch, he reminded himself, straightening his suit jacket. His costar, a handsome young actor named Marlon Flynn, sauntered over, his green eyes glinting with amusement. 

"Tough day, huh?" Marlon asked, running a hand through his blond hair. 

Asher nodded curtly. "Just need to get through this scene."

Marlon's gaze flicked to Asher's stomach, which let out another audible grumble. "Maybe we should order some food to set. I'm dying over here. They're so strict about what we can eat in costume."

"We can't risk messing up the wardrobe. Let's just--"

Asher was cut off by a sharp cramp in his stomach. He grimaced, feeling the hunger pangs intensify. His belly gurgled again and he placed a hand on it. "Okay, maybe you're right. Let's set up a craft services table, something light."

The scene wrapped up and Asher felt relief wash over him. He practically bounded into his trailer to change out of his stuffy suit. As he peeled off his shirt, his stomach let out an answering rumble of protest and he winced. "Easy there," he murmured, rubbing the aching organ through his undershirt. 

In the mirror, his normally perfect abs looked concave, his skin tugging over his rib cage. Asher sighed. He really shouldn't have skipped breakfast and lunch. Banging around in his trailer fridge yielded nothing but leftover sun tea and some sad lettuce. He grabbed the tea and headed out to the set.

Marlon was already there, munching on an apple. He caught Asher's eye and held one out to him in offering. "I'll share," he said with a wink.

Asher shook his head, taking a long swig of the sun tea. The lukewarm liquid did nothing for his stomach. He plunked down in his chair, staring balefully at the plates of snacks laid out - carrot and celery sticks, a small bowl of almonds. Surely they could do better than this.

As if on cue, Marlon groaned, doubling over. "Oh man," he said, clutching his stomach. "I'm so hungry I could eat a whole elephant."

Asher felt a sympathetic clench in his own gut. "Join the club," he muttered. 

The two actors sat in companionable silence, watching the crew prep for the next scene. Finally, blessedly, it was time to wrap for the day. Asher sprang up from his chair, his stomach twisting a hopeful loop at the thought of finally getting a real meal.

He and Marlon rode back to their shared apartment building, chatting easily about the day's takes. As they undressed for the shower, Asher couldn't help but notice the dip of Marlon's abs, the points of his hip bones stark in the low light of the bathroom. He quickly averted his eyes. He'd been looking more and more during filming, noticing the way Marlon's full lips curled when he was reading lines, the lean lines of his thighs in those fitted slacks...

Asher shook his head. He was too hungry to be thinking with his dick right now. Just eat and then sleep, he told himself firmly. 

They showered and dressed in drawstring pants and soft cotton tees, padding out to the kitchen to scavenge. The fridge held nothing but some wilted greens and a tub of yogurt, the cupboards bare. Asher sighed, poking around. 

"We should really grocery shop," Marlon said from the doorway. His shirt rode up as he leaned against the jamb and Asher's mouth went dry at the glimpse of taut stomach.

"Yeah, I'll make a list..." His stomach rumbled loudly and he placed a hand on it. "But for now, I think it's pizza time."

He dialed up their usual place, listening to Marlon's stomach echo his hunger pangs from across the kitchen. It was intimate, being this hungry with someone else. Sharing the experience. 

They curled up on the couch to wait for the food, flipping through TV channels. Marlon's bare foot knocked against Asher's and he felt a zing of electricity at the contact. He glanced over to see Marlon's eyes were dark, his face flushed. 

"Guess we're both pretty hungry, huh?" Marlon said, voice low. His hand landed on Asher's knee and Asher's stomach dropped delightfully.

Asher licked his lips. "Starving."

Marlon's eyes dropped to Asher's belly and he reached out to run a hand over the aching muscles. Asher sucked in a breath at the sensation, feeling his stomach muscles flutter under the touch. 

Hungry and turned on, a dangerous combination. Marlon slid his hand higher, under Asher's shirt. Asher’s abs clenched at the contact, his stomach grumbling needily. 

" Fuck, Asher," Marlon breathed, cupping the concave dip of Asher's stomach. "You're so empty."

Asher groaned, arching into the touch. "You know just what I need."

Marlon's hand drifted lower, teasing the waistband of Asher's sweats. Asher's cock twitched, his stomach letting out a loud snarl of hunger. He rolled his hips, seeking friction. 

The doorbell rang and they sprang apart, both of them laughing breathlessly. Asher's stomach let out a low whine of protest at the interruption. 

He paid the pizza boy, grabbing the boxes and heading back to the couch. The rich smell of cheese and sauce hit his nose and his mouth watered. He and Marlon dug in with single-minded focus, the slice of pizza decimating the ache in their bellies.

Asher felt sated in more ways than one as he licked the grease from his fingers, exchanging a knowing look with Marlon. Their hunger was quenched - in food and otherwise. He smiled, reaching for another slice, his stomach rumbling one last time in satisfaction.

[koithelittle]

cg!mulder moodboard + headcanons!!

note; can you tell I love bunnies?? anyways- I made this absolutely agessss ago, started the headcanons after I made the moodboard but I've been in and out of the mindset to write/write agere stuff since I've been struggling with my regression lately but!! I'm here and I have plans to write more and I've got ideas. my inbox and requests are open!!

paci credits; littlemothshop on ig

navigation

other moodboards

(headcanons below the cut !!)

• the sweetest when he finds out about your regression, he's patient with you, kind and considerate. he'll sit there and listen to every word as you explain it, and he's especially patient and soft if he finds out because you impurely regressed. perhaps a meltdown after a really bad case, something that triggered you and caused you to break after a build up of stress.

• he'll rest his hands on the sides of your upper arms and just smile and hum and nod as you talk.

• he loves resting his fingers and hands on your face. during cuddles he'll rub your cheeks or forehead with his thumb, and he loves playing with your hair.

• if you have hair long enough for it, he'll put little braids and styles of the like in it for you, sitting you between his legs and just styling it!!

• little forehead kisses as reassurance

• records your favorite episodes of your TV shows on VHS so he can watch it with you or have it on for you (his personal favorite of your favorites is beakmans world, obvs)

• he loves getting to wrap you up in blankets and just hold you

• he's a smidge bit overprotective, when you're little he tends to keep you away from anything that could possibly danger you and helps you with any task that you could get hurt with

• so, crafts? safety scissors only. and he has to watch you. cooking? nope, only with close supervision. you can get ingredients, though no cutting or stirring over the stove. that's *his* job.

• he doesn't really mind any sort of nickname you give him but he always favors foxy or baba. daddy is okay too, but he likes the other two the most.

• has little sensory bins for you both to play in (he's a child at heart, also- autism)

• there's a rice box, sand box and a moon dough box. he has them all set up as little sort of dioramas. little toys stuck in them, some play shovels or anything that you can play in it with.

• he's a sucker for your pouts. one simple whine and a poke out of your lip and he is *melted*

• he has a hard time putting his foot down on rules he may have (maimly bedtimes and candy since those are the ones you fight the most)

• he just loves seeing you happy and giggly

• stims when you stims, and dances around with you in whatever room you're in

• at work, if you start to feel smaller, he tends to notice quickly and always makes note to keep a closer eye on you. and if you're in reach, he'll pull you in to lean against him or pull you into a hug

• when you dress up in his clothes for fun (usually his suit) he adores it. just awes at you and coos at you and tells you how adorable and sweet of a baby you are!

• loves cooking for you. he's not horrible at it, but he learned how to make/prep all of your safe foods so he has those recipes in hand all the time!

• he has a whole box of pacis/teethers/treats/toys/etc just for when you're little, calls it your baby-box

• loves having you in his lap while he works at the dining table. he'll have his work in front of him and just be rubbing your back with his hand as you cuddle up to him and babble and coo.

taglist; (lmk if you want to be added!)

[snowdice]

Little Kestrel (Part 56) [Birds of Different Feathers Series]

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Relationships: Logan & Patton & Virgil (future Virgil/Patton but not in this story)

Characters:

Main: Logan, Patton, Virgil

Appear: Thomas

Mentioned: Janus

Summary:

It was supposed to be a quick job either way. Either Virgil would assassinate King Thomas of Prijaznia or he’d be caught and get executed. Yet, when Virgil gets the wrong bedroom and gets caught by Prince Logan and his future royal advisor, Patton, the job ends up getting way more complicated for the 14-year-old. He also ends up sleeping in a (actually pretty comfortable) closet for a few weeks…

Notes: Implied/referenced child abuse, assassination attempt, knives, torture mentioned, captivity, teenagers being really dumb, sexual coercion of minors implied, a minor offering sexual favors, fire, minor character death

This is a prequel to Kill Dear. I wrote it 100 words at a time on my blog, but this is the edited version. If you want to see how it was crafted (and possibly some future content), look at the tag proofread stories.

Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4Part 5Part 6Part 7Part 8Part 9Part 10Part 11Part 12Part 13Part 14Part 15Part 16Part 17Part 18Part 19Part 20Part 21Part 22Part 23Part 24Part 25Part 26Part 27Part 28Part 29Part 30Part 31Part 32Part 33Part 34Part 35Part 36Part 37Part 38Part 39Part 40Part 41Part 42Part 43Part 44Part 45Part 46Part 47Part 48Part 49Part 50Part 51Part 52 Part 53 Part 54 Part 55

“Good day for a picnic,” Helen commented as she handed over the basket Thomas had requested from her a few days before. He was taking Logan, Patton, and Virgil to the cliffs today and it was perfect weather for it. Spring was truly here, which meant that those of Thomas’s duties that had laid dormant over the harsh winter were about to start up again.

The world had been on pause for a bit considering no armies or agents from any kingdom could get through the snow the last few months, but the concerns of last fall were showing their heads once again.

Thomas had just gotten word a day ago that the queen of Lamir had routed out a second assassin hiding in her ranks over the winter. The assassin had been sent shortly after it was made clear that the queen wouldn’t bow down after the assassination of her mother. Luckily, the assassin sent for Queen Cecil had not managed to complete her mission during the winter months.

While there had been no similar attempt on Prijaznia soil, Thomas couldn’t help but feel it was only a matter of time now that the snow had melted. They were already working on increasing security in the coming weeks and, though it was doubtful an assassin had managed to hide in the castle all winter without revealing themselves, they’d be closely scrutinizing all of the newer staff members.

It would be a stressful time in the coming months, which is why, despite everything Thomas needed to do, he was still going to take his son and his son’s friends on a picnic today. Logan had already started taking on royal duties as of late, but he still hadn’t taken them all on quite yet. Considering this was last summer before Logan was of age, they should at least try to take advantage of it where they could. Patton was a year younger, but the sentiment held for him as well.

Then there was Virgil. Despite their best efforts, they still didn’t know enough about Virgil, but Thomas was fairly sure he’d never had a summer to enjoy until now.

“Thanks for prepping lunch for us,” Thomas said to Helen with a smile.

“No problem,” she said waving them off. “I put in some of Virgil’s favorites.”

“Great,” Thomas said. “Do you know where the kids are?”

“Patton said they were going to go pet the cats, so I’d guess they’re in the gardens.”

Thomas thanked her again and told her to have a good day before exiting the kitchen. There was a nearby door that led straight towards the part of the gardens Patton and Logan had always favored. He figured they’d either still be around there, or they would have wandered towards the stables by now knowing that they’d be taking horses to the cliffs. So, he decided to simply walk the normal path from the door to the stable, hoping to find them.

His prediction ended up being hilariously correct. They were indeed on the path Thomas had chosen. It was clear they (or at least Logan) were attempting to make it to the stable. However, as was typical, a portion of the party had been waylaid by whimsy.

Logan was standing further down the path, arms crossed and frowning as he watched his friends. Patton and Virgil were surrounded by cats. Patton was sitting down, holding two of them in his lap and watching Virgil’s legs being swarmed by the rest of them, maybe two dozen in total.

Virgil looked confused, but not unhappy about the presence of so many cats. He was leaning down to try to pet them all.

Logan met Thomas’s eyes as he approached and waved a frustrated hand at the two of them. Logan couldn’t help but smile.

“Virgil fed one of them,” Logan complained as though he wanted Thomas to somehow go into the past and prevent this crime.

Patton and Virgil looked over at Thomas, noticing him when Logan addressed him.

“You’re going to make Princess Marisol jealous,” Thomas said. Logan frowned at Thomas as he used the ‘Princess’ label for the cat.

“Princess Marisol decided not to come,” Virgil said with a shrug. He continued to pet one of the cats.

“She’s probably sleeping on my pillow,” Logan said, sounding grumpy.

Thomas just chuckled. Princess Marisol was technically Logan’s cat, at least that’s what the kids said, and she did spend much of her time in the royal rooms. However, she was very clearly actually Virgil’s cat. Virgil just spent a lot of time in the royal wing as well.

In fact, Thomas still didn’t know where Virgil was supposed to be sleeping. He and Mr. Deknis had gone so far as to tail him a couple of times, but he always ended up sleeping in Logan’s room those nights.

Knowing Virgil, he might just sleep in the walls. Though that still did not answer the question of where his parents or guardians were. They still had not figured it out. Thomas would assume he was an orphan who’d snuck onto castle grounds for safety, but Virgil had told Mr. Deknis during their first meeting that he was supposed to be in the castle, and it had not been a lie.

Then again, it had slowly become apparent that Virgil was good at dodging the multrum’s powers. It was starting to seem more likely that he’d somehow inserted a second meaning into his answer to Mr. Deknis that night than he somehow had some ghost guardian no one was able to locate working in the castle.

“She deserves the pillow more than you,” Virgil said, bringing Thomas’s thoughts back to the situation at hand. The look of audacity on Logan’s face made Thomas chuckle.

Thomas cut in before it could become a fight. “I could get Princess Marisol a pillow, so she doesn’t sleep on yours. Or we can get you a new pillow if you’d prefer, Logan.”

“It’s not about the pillow for her,” Logan argued. “It’s about her inflated sense of superiority.”

“She deserves it,” Virgil declared. Thomas could tell he was just trying to rile Logan up, and Thomas was sure Logan knew it too, but still his son reacted exactly in the way Virgil wanted him to.

“You have enabled and encouraged this behavior from the start!” Logan seethed.

“She’s a princess.”

“She is not a princess!”

Patton shook his head while squeezing the cats in his arms, completely used to this behavior. He ran a chin idly over one of the cat’s heads while watching the argument.

“We’re never going to make it to the picnic at this rate,” Thomas said to him, “and after your mother made all of this wonderful food.”

“You’re the dad,” Patton said. “Make them stop.”

And, of course, Patton did just mean that he was Logan’s dad with that statement. However, when he glanced back up at the silly argument still going on between his son and the cat covered boy, it did almost look like a fight between siblings.

Especially with the dark hair and stubborn but mischievous look in Virgil’s eyes, Thomas could almost imagine the boy being his own child.

He shook away the thoughts and glanced at the picnic basket in his hand.

“We do have a lot of food in this basket,” Thomas said, pitching his voice up so that Logan (and more importantly) Virgil would hear them clearly.

Virgil immediately turned to look at him, abandoning all interest in antagonizing Logan to look at the basket curiously.

Thomas was never sure if he should be amused or worried about how food motivated Virgil often was.

“What’s in the basket?” Virgil asked.

“I’m not sure,” Thomas said. “Patton’s mom made it. We’ll just have to see once we get to the picnic area.”

Virgil nodded in understanding and began to gently extract himself from the droves of cats. Logan rolled his eyes, but didn’t seem inclined to continue the argument he’d been dragged into. Virgil and Patton got to their feet, and they continued on their way towards the stables.

The horses Thomas had requested be prepared for their trip were already in saddles, though the stable hand who had been handling Mr. Apples seemed a bit dirtier and more exhausted than the rest.

The stable hand seemed as happy to hand Mr. Apples over to Virgil as Virgil was to have Mr. Apples handed over to him. Thomas received Bella with a smile and Logan and Patton got their own horses as well.

The cliffs were about half an hour's ride from the main castle. There was a mostly well-maintained path to them, though it was easy to get lost if one didn’t know the way. Mr. Apples knew the way perhaps better than Thomas himself and seemed annoyed by the fact that Thomas was trying to lead the way. Virgil and Thomas ended up side-by-side whenever the path allowed it to placate him.

Thomas still marveled at how willing Mr. Apples was to let Virgil ride him, especially when he tossed his head in Thomas’s direction, a horse’s equivalent of giving Thomas a stink-eye.

“Are you excited for the picnic?” Thomas asked the boy beside him.

Virgil glanced over at him and nodded.

“I am too,” Thomas said. “It’s always beautiful this time of year. I’m glad I could find the time to take you all there this year.”

“Are you very busy?” Virgil asked curiously.

“I am king,” Thomas reminded, “and now that the world isn’t snowed in anymore things will be busy.”

“With the war?” Virgil asked.

Thomas paused for a few seconds. “Yes,” he confirmed. “With the war, but you don’t need to worry about that.”

“Why shouldn’t I?” Virgil asked.

“You’re just a kid,” Thomas said.

“I’m 14,” Virgil said.

Thomas glanced at him. “Exactly,” he said, “a kid, and luckily, you’re in a place that can afford you the luxury of being one.”

“What do you mean?”

“The war has been mainly fought on Mocnejsi soil in recent years. Our boarders have held strong against invasions. Unless something goes horribly wrong suddenly, it would take a long time for the main conflict to get here. The only real threat in the castle would be assassins sent after me personally.”

“Right,” Virgil said. There was an awkward pause in conversation before he spoke again. “You’re winning the war then?” he asked.

“Something could always happen,” Thomas said, “but for the most part, yes, we have quite the advantage right now.”

“Oh,” Virgil said.

Thomas shook his head as they were coming up to a narrowing of the path. “Anyway, today is a day to not think about war. Today we’re going to have a lovely picnic and do some bird watching.”

“Right,” Virgil agreed from behind Thomas as Bella took the lead (to Mr. Apples discontent.)

When the path widened again, Thomas did his best to direct the topic to lighter subjects and soon they made it to the cliffs.

[browngonzo888]

Update: long story, so tldr, I’m workin on the last page of the comic

Long story: after surviving Covid, I’ve been in supporting a bunch of different situations all at once for the past month or so (it’s all blurred together). Firstly my sister had long Covid and couldn’t work in the gardens, her job, which is already short staffed, so myself and others picked up the slack by all showing up an hour earlier to work and taking a daily garden chore. I also went home and cooked and prepped meals and washed dishes and clothes/ take out trash/ cared for only running vehicle because sis was really down for the count. She was depleted of almost every vitamin and had very little strength! Also I’ve taken on a 59 yr old Iraq Vet as a woodcarver apprentice. He was in debt and lonesome in this very xenophobic town. I took time to train him and make accommodations for his place in my shop. In the last two weeks he was propositioned to take over a sister wood shop that primarily sells wood toys. The craft jury already rejected him once so he’s stressed about this second jurying. I’m trying to keep him focused. The other workers are trying to push him around but I’ve been a brick wall about what they tell him. Not to mention I gotta keep up with my inventory in my work space. I don’t order any premade stuff, I have to build and carve it all myself. I’ve been drained of creativity but managed to grind out another part of the Psychonauts 2000 prologue. I am just as excited as anyone would be.

So many beef-based meals and peanut butter cups later, the sister is feeling better and was able to work last week! Also her car was finally taken to the shop and awaits fixing.

As for my boomer coworker (no negative connotation), he has been trying to work around the curse of the toy shop. Previous shop owners passed down their debt and pile of un-sellable junk to the next unfortunate inheritors and to the next. I’m hoping it ends with him.

here’s hoping everything improves to the point I can crank out more art at a faster pace.

Sincerely, your brick wall

[sky-kiss]

It me, shahs! 3, 22, 25 for Raphael and Joi! 😊

3. Quickies vs Planned sex—thoughts?

Raphael: Planned sex. He’s a creature of order. It’s not to say that he doesn’t appreciate impromptu sexual encounters, but he’s a busy man. His schedule is rigid. And if it’s planned, he can do his scenario crafting nonsense. 

Joi: Quickies. She’s not averse to roleplay, or bondage, or anything that is going to take more prep. But if it’s something where you’re expected to perform, it takes the fun, spontaneity and potential out of the act. Sometimes, you have to get the mischief out. She’d rather show she cares and was genuinely thinking of you/Raphael, by dragging you into an alcove or something.

22. Favorite thing/part about sex—intimacy, role-playing, etc.

Raphael: I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH: ROLE-PLAYING. Oh my god. Haarlep and Joi are respectively so over and so amused by how much he gets off on roleplaying. I have to stress: Raphael is only ever roleplaying himself. They have to play other characters submitting to him or his OCS. He likes the power that comes with sex. And I like the headcanon that he appreciates the silence. Like, when he’s just flush with all those pleasant endorphins, his brain is silent for a little while. 

Joi: already answered. With Raphael in particular, though, she welcomes being able to share her body. It’s a weird durgey thing, I dunno. It’s also when he’s most open with her, so it’s a chance to put aside their baggage and communicate.

25. Share a sample line of dirty-talk

WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME? So, here’s the thing. Both of them kinda get off on the power and intimacy of the scenario rather than. Being flatly lewd. 

SO NO. I’M NOT. I CAN’T. I CAN’T DO ANOTHER. I’M TOO WEAK.

[just-a-sewer-goblin]

IM ALIVE I PROMISE!!!

I have simply been what feels like ungodly busy, I've been working on stuff in the garden/herb bed, a lot of crafts/diy projects, planning stuff for this weekend since my bf is visiting and we're going to con, having to prep stuff for con so I don't stress the morning of, on top of my usual cleaning and all that type of stuff. I'm also getting my hair done and doing my nails ....also so I'm ready before con. It has been a lot and time is moving so fucking fast right now it's not even funny!!!!

Sorry for the little rant, I've just missed being on Tumblr for more than what feels like 5 seconds and being able to talk to friends! -🦇

Batty! Glad you're back and okay!

And I feel the time is moving so fast rhing! It's crazy, you blink once and half a month passed by. Don't apologize, I'm happy that you're back. No need to stress yourself out over tumblr.

Sending you big hugs if you'd like some.

[crippl-hacker]

Why I am an absolute catch and someone would be lucky to date me:

I love to cook - I’ll always bring food on our dates. Some nights I’ll just drop by to deliver prepped meals so you have dinner for the night and stuff to put in the freezer so you have a homemade meal when you have no spoons. Even if we are far apart I would send care packages of baked goods I made.

I would tailor dates to our interests and could spend hours listening to you talk about your passions and fixations. I find nothing more beautiful than someone being excited to share what they love and always want to learn more.

Boundaries in all of my relationships are encouraged and respected. Consent is sexy and I always check in before initiating any form of physical contact. Checking in regarding emotional boundaries happens a lot too!

I contain multitudes - I’m a punk covered in spikes but at my heart I’m an absolute marshmallow. I always stand up against injustices but will cry later at home from how stressful it was. I love volunteering with others, working with mutual aid groups, protesting on the front lines and being face to face with cops so others don’t, and committing myself to kindness even with all of the harm I’ve experienced.

I’m thoughtful and want you to know when I think of you. I would send photos of mushrooms, creatures, and other plants that I find on my hikes in the woods. I would send you memes that make me think of you or that I think you would enjoy.

If we were out on a date and you get cold I would drape my leather jacket over your shoulders and gently kiss you on the cheek. I would gently tangle our fingers together and laugh before getting distracted by the colors in your eyes.

I would treat you like someone to be treasured and held gently. You would occasionally get a text with a single link to a custom playlist I made for you.

My main priority in life is my family and friends - once you are part of that group I will drop whatever I’m doing to help. I show that priority with my time and energy - through acts of service.

I would make you custom patches, crochet you stuffed animals and accessories, and offer to teach you all the crafts I know. I would help you build and make your first patch jacket/vest so we can match at shows or dates.

[sockeye-run]

Up early on a Saturday (it's my Friday) again. Usually I get to work early to open the cafe for breakfast service so that our bee pick up customers have a coffee and hot food option on site; a lot of them drive for hours to pick up their nucs and packages, even from out of state. Just coming from north Texas is basically out of state by sheer distance alone lol.

But today is BuzzFest, our annual summer festival about all things bees. We have the American Honey Princess visiting from Iowa, multiple other apiaries and honey producers vending and doing demonstrations, honey tastings and trivia, educational demonstrations, food trucks and arts and crafts and games (including a bouncy castle and a water slide!)... It's expected to be a big event, hopefully nearing 1,000+ customers between 11-3 today.

I'm assigned to retail, so I'm lucky enough to get to stay in the shade and AC. I've been told that when in retail, you just stand behind the register all day, no time or space to do anything else. You have to force bathroom and food breaks for each other. I'm not too worried, I've worked many a high volume, high chaos event before. This is just my first experience with it at the farm. We've spent all week as a team prepping for it, and it should be great. I wanted to make kolaches for my coworkers for a morning treat, but I stayed at work so late yesterday and was exhausted when I got home last night and decided not to stay up late baking lol. I'll grab some from the bakery down the street and try to make everyone a latte or something at work instead.

Because of the absolute disaster that has been this years bee pick up season, everything has been pushed back at least two weeks. Usually BuzzFest, which is the same weekend every year, signals the end of the crazy bee season, but we still have orders going into June. I was kind of looking forward to the break, but it seems we're not quite there yet.

The kids have some family events planned for the beginning of June, so we're getting them a week or so later this year for summer break than usual. We want them to have fun with their free time, so we're cool with it... Plus honestly, I'm hoping it will show good faith for December when I have to ask to keep them longer for an event with my side of the family 😁 my grandma is slowly deteriorating from rheumatoid arthritis and parkinson's, and my mom wants all the generations to be able to spend another holiday with her while we can. I want the kids to be able to participate in my family too. And, it'll let me get through the late bee season with relative ease, I suppose. I'm not gonna lie, I take on a lot of the caretaking responsibility when the kids are around usually, but now my husband has to step up for once lol bc I'm busting my ass full time and won't have the mental or physical energy left over most days to do all I normally do for everyone. He's already suffering the experience of doing regular weekly chores alone and taking care of the dogs all day lolol.

We're also anxiously and concernedly waiting for word on the debt ceiling crisis. They've extended the decision date to June 5, but we won't know if my husband will stop receiving paychecks soon or not, and it's crushing everything with stress pressure. He makes more than me in his military retirement and we depend on his income for survival; I can't support us alone. If they cut military support and punish the average voter for no goddamn reason, per usual, we'll suffer significantly. He's even warned his ex wife that if things go south, we may not be able to afford having the kids visit for summer. We won't be able to feed them. We've already unsubscribed from any extra services like entertainment and delivery and such which we deemed not absolutely necessary, just in preparation. We've re-budgeted and cut out any possible extra spending and reduced allowances for gas and food. I'm hoping it's all a stupid pissing contest like it was about a decade ago, and things will somehow turn out okay. Hope beyond hope.

Time to go work for those pennies baby lol

[workoutmeals03]

Navigating the Path to Wellness: Unveiling the Continued Impact of Weight Loss Meal Delivery Services

Introduction:

In the dynamic journey of weight loss, the role of nutrition is paramount. With the growing popularity of weight loss meal delivery services, individuals are experiencing a transformative approach to shedding pounds and adopting a healthier lifestyle. This article delves into the comprehensive benefits of these services, exploring how they streamline the path to weight loss success.

Precision Nutrition for Effective Weight Loss:

Weight loss meal delivery services prioritize precision nutrition, offering meticulously crafted meals that align with calorie goals and nutritional requirements. The convenience of having portion-controlled, calorie-conscious meals delivered directly to your door removes the guesswork, ensuring that every bite contributes to your weight loss journey.

Portion Control to Prevent Overeating:

One of the common pitfalls in weight loss endeavors is overeating. Weight loss meal delivery tackles this challenge head-on by providing portion-controlled meals. This not only aids in calorie management but also instills mindful eating habits, helping individuals become more attuned to their body's signals of hunger and fullness.

Balanced Macronutrients for Optimal Results:

Successful weight loss isn't just about cutting calories; it's about achieving a balance of macronutrients. These services focus on the right distribution of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, ensuring that your body receives the essential nutrients to support energy levels, muscle maintenance, and overall well-being during the weight loss process.

Convenience without Compromise:

The hectic pace of modern life often hinders efforts to maintain a healthy diet. Weight loss meal delivery services alleviate this challenge by providing a convenient, time-saving solution. No more meal prep or calorie counting—just the ease of enjoying delicious, nutritionally balanced meals designed to support your weight loss goals.

Customization for Personal Preferences:

Recognizing that each individual's weight loss journey is unique, meal delivery services offer customization options. Whether you have dietary restrictions, specific preferences, or follow a particular eating plan, these services can tailor meals to suit your needs, ensuring that your weight loss approach aligns seamlessly with your lifestyle.

Nutritional Transparency for Informed Choices:

Weight loss meal delivery services prioritize transparency in nutritional information. Detailed breakdowns of calories, macronutrients, and other essential components are readily available, empowering individuals to make informed choices about their diet. This transparency cultivates a sense of control and understanding crucial for sustainable weight loss.

Supporting Long-Term Lifestyle Changes:

Weight loss isn't just about shedding pounds temporarily; it's about adopting sustainable lifestyle changes. Meal delivery services contribute to this by establishing healthy eating habits. By consistently enjoying nutritious meals, individuals build a foundation for long-term success, making it more likely that weight loss becomes a permanent aspect of their healthier lifestyle.

Variety to Keep Things Exciting:

Boredom with a monotonous diet can sabotage weight loss efforts. Weight loss meal delivery services combat this by offering a diverse menu. From savory grilled proteins to colorful vegetable medleys, the variety keeps meals exciting, ensuring that individuals stay motivated and engaged in their weight loss journey.

Reducing Decision Fatigue:

Making numerous decisions about what to eat each day can be exhausting. Weight loss meal delivery services streamline this process, eliminating decision fatigue. With pre-planned, nutritious meals, individuals can focus their energy on other aspects of their weight loss journey, creating a more sustainable and stress-free approach.

Conclusion:

Weight loss meal delivery services are revolutionizing the way individuals approach weight management by providing a convenient, precise, and personalized solution. From portion control to balanced macronutrients and nutritional transparency, these services offer a comprehensive toolkit for achieving and maintaining weight loss goals. As the demand for effective and convenient weight loss solutions continues to rise, these meal delivery services stand as a beacon, guiding individuals toward a healthier, happier, and more confident version of themselves.

[elizabethplaid]

The last few nights, I'd been feeling this weird sensation as I fell asleep. Last night, I figured out that I need to be squished - like all-over pressure or a big, long hug. And I realized that was a sort of anxiety attack, as I prepare for this upcoming week.

Thursday is another dental appointment - getting the other side of my incisors' fillings redone. I did very well last time, but I have to prepare myself for a few days for those, if I'm in bad shape. (I'm not in BAD-bad shape, but certainly not as well as I'd been a couple weeks ago.)

Saturday is the craft fair, and I'm allowed to prep my table on Friday. Thus, I'll be running around between the living room and my stashes upstairs, trying to find things. While I didn't find the shawl I wanted to sell, I did find the GODDAMN EYELASH YARN in orange. Y'know, the stuff I made such a fuss over during the summer?! Omfg, I knew I had more!

Idk if I'll get around to using the other novelty yarns that @sycamore sent me in 2014, so I've gathered a bag of "destash" yarn. Also found my childhood-buttons jar, so I'm going to stash that in my yarn bin downstairs.

When I've run around today, I started to feel like it might lead to barfing. It's def related to rushing and stress, maybe heart rate and breathing, too. I already felt anxious before doing that, so keeping up that pace sure wouldn't help. So I'm in the living room now, trying to calm down.

My sleep habits might be catching up with me, too. All the time I've stayed awake on cell phone games have turned into being unable to focus my eyes (due to fatigue) last night. I'm better now, and I've been contentedly sleepy. (Versus miserably sleepy. Very important distinction!)

Anyway, I have hope for things. Just a little rushed, as I gather stuff for the fair. I've already picked out new socks for my headphones (to cover the ear pieces, keep 'em from getting too sweaty). I've also told LL-J that I'm skipping library tomorrow (Tuesday), to better prepare myself.

I'm doing so well, despite the in-the-moment stress. And I know I'll be doing even better by next year. Next year, though, I'll make sure to start my pumpkins around April or March, so I have time for other projects.

[pbandjesse]

Today was shockingly exhausting. Like I am so tired and I just didn't expect that to be as bad as it had been. And I had a great day. It was my first Native American field trip of the season with the new lesson plans and I was super nervous but it went great. But Jesus Christ I'm so tired. My body aches and I just want to go to sleep so much.

It does not help that last night sleep was not great. We went to bed at a reasonable time. I fell asleep pretty quickly. It had started to rain a little bit before we went to bed but around 2:00 a.m. we got woken up by some of the loudest thunder I have ever experienced and there were so much lightning outside. I swear to God the building next to us got hit by lightning on the roof like I think I saw that happen. And it was just so incredibly loud I was so scared. And we got flash flood warnings on our phones and it was just really really unsettling. I'm shocked I fell back asleep honestly.

So once I had to wake up for real at 7:00 I was really tired. My ear hurt because I had slept on it weird and I was just not my best. But I thought if I just powered through things would be okay.

And they were I had a great day. I got to camp with my little sandwich that James made me. And I was there before 8:00 so I was able to get everything run around and set up exactly the way it needed to be before 8:15. I drove around and did all my stuff. And then I went to the office to wait for my field trip parents. Heather got there first and she printed my schedules for me which helped me out a lot. And it was just a good start to the day.

There were a lot of chaperones. I had two or three people at every station plus two parents per group. So that was like 25 adults. It was like excessive. But it ended up being perfect. There was a lot of stress though because the school lost power and so they were canceling school for the day but thankfully did not cancel the field trip because the kids were already on the bus. And they got there even a little early which was fine because they had to wait for me cuz I was on the other side of camp helping get some parents set up. But the parents were excellent and I really appreciated that they were chill about the lesson plans changing because they had originally been coming in the spring and had done all the prep then. So they had some of Walters information and some of my information. But overall they were just glad that the new lesson plans were a little bit more straightforward and not as overwhelmingly long. I was pretty proud of myself for that.

Elizabeth had to call me and be like are you coming back? And I was like yes please just have them wait for me. And I got over there as Heather grabbed my last two volunteer parents and took them to the craft lodge. I wish that all the parents had come at the same time so I could have given them a little bit of a interest bill but it's fine. I got over to the hacienda and I was literally dripping sweat. Because I had come all the way from woodlands as fast as I could. And I was wearing the new LL Bean clogs that my mom gave me but they're just a little bit too big and so they were hurting my ankle. But I did my best and I got over there and we jumped right into it.

I need to work on my intro a little bit I was a little stilted at times. But I'm really glad that I built in this whole 45 minute to an hour segment because my intro ended up running a little short so then I was able to extend the fibers paint brush making section without it being an issue because they're together. I did then notice that I accidentally put lunch in the wrong half hour. And I was very annoyed with myself but everything was printed already so I wasn't going to bother dealing with it. Everything would be fine.

And the groups were awesome. They did a great job making their paint brushes, all the parents we're not only present but like really making sure that everyone was doing what they were supposed to be doing. And once they were done their brushes I sent them off into the world.

The teachers were also super nice. They were so nervous because this is not a field trip they've ever done before. Because it's usually a fourth grade field trip and not a fifth grade field trip. But they did great and they were super nice. And we would be walking around basically all day kind of talking and checking in and it was good.

During that half hour after the fibers program I cleaned off all the tables and then started wandering around. I was still really hot but I would be okay. I definitely had a lot of issues with the timing of the day. With having the program starting in the hacienda the walk is so much farther that I felt like people were leaving their programs too late and then starting really late and it was definitely a problem that I'm going to have to revisit. But I think it's fine. And I would not even really take a break because once they did come back for lunch I had to run around and get people a couple materials that were forgotten about and then a couple things flew off the porch into the pool deck and I had to go find a pool key. And it was fine. I handled it. But it was definitely a lot. I felt like I had been running running running the whole time.

The three afternoon programs went very smoothly in my opinion. And I felt like everybody did a great job. And I just really enjoyed my day. I was just so tired. I would spend a little bit of it sitting in the office just chatting with Heather about a tool that I had seen on TikTok and how I was sending an email to the company because they are trying to find more nonprofits to work with. And I'm hoping that they pick us because I think that the tool, which is a child friendly table saw for cutting cardboard, would work so well in my art program. Fingers crossed we can make some kind of relationship with them.

I would also stop and talk to the bus driver for a bit. He is a firefighter and he does this one or two days a week for a field trips which I thought was so cool. He was a really nice guy. He said the kids are afraid of him. But he was like I'm just a big idiot I don't know why there's scared of any. Made me laugh.

When's the last program was finished everyone came back to the hacienda to do a group picture. We didn't have time to do our closing quizzes so I told the teacher to just collect all of their books and They could use it as a participation grade or something. Since at least they all put their names on it. I just kept saying thank you to everyone because I was just so thrilled and I really appreciated how hard all the parents worked. It really made today go smoothly.

And it was just a beautiful day. It was supposed to rain and then we got the rain last night so it wasn't something we had to think about today. And I was finally able to sit down for a few minutes and call my dad. Because it is his birthday. Happy birthday dad. I love you so very much and I am so proud of you for all the hard work that you have put into getting better over the last couple years. And happy anniversary to my parents because my parents got married on my dad's birthday so that he could not forget it. I love them both very much and I'm so glad that they got married.

After I talk to my dad I spent the next half an hour cleaning up my program. I had given cleanup instructions to the parents but only two of them actually read it I think. So I had to pack everything back up myself which is fine. It is not a big deal. I got everything from the hacienda in my car and drove it to the Craft Lodge. And then down to woodlands to get everything else. At least the fire was put up properly.

After I got everything away I was so beat and I went back to the office to sit down with my laptop and go through my notes that I had made about different things that needed improvement for the program. It's a little stuff. Some schedule things. Nothing huge. But I would work on that for a little while.

I told Heather that I would leave around 3:30 today because I didn't take an actual lunch break. She and Elizabeth invited me to go on a little walk around camp but my legs hurt so bad that even though I wanted to go with them I said I could not. And I stayed behind.

While they were gone I had a nice man from Camp running Bear come in to get a piece of mail that was delivered to us by accident. And he kept saying I'm not going to tell on you for just wasting your last 20 minutes. Because I kept saying that he wasn't bothering me because I was just doing nonsense. But it was true. I was just doing nonsense.

And I was a little bit hungry so after he left I packed up my stuff and I went to Hunt valley.

people were driving real stupid. And not following the rate of way at intersections. But I made it safely to Hunt valley's Chipotle despite their best efforts.

I kind of wild out and got both a bowl and queso. So the whole meal was like $20. Which is crazy. But I'll have half of it for lunch tomorrow so it's fine. It'll work out in the end. And it was really good. I mixed a whole bunch of the toppings from my bowl into the queso to make it fancy and I would have half of it then and then half of it at home. And when I got home I separated the cold toppings from the rice and beans and put them in two separate containers to take for lunch tomorrow. I'm hoping that it makes it really nice.

After I finished eating what I wanted to eat I packed up and I drove over to the Marshalls to walk around. I ended up finding a night cream which is something I have been looking for for a couple weeks now. I ran out of the one that I had been using and I really liked packaging of the one that I got tonight. I also got a new spray leaving conditioner but the spritzy part seems to be broken and I can't figure out why. Smells nice though.

I also got a new mesh screen door for our fire escape. We've had the same one on there for like 3 years and it has a huge hole in it and has not been attached properly for like 6 months. And this one was on clearance for $8. So I was thrilled.

After I paid I headed home. There was some traffic but it wasn't terrible. And when I got back here it was like 5:00.

All I wanted to do was take a shower but I knew that I needed to do other stuff first. I walked around the apartment I picked things up. I changed the kitty later. I vacuumed. I put my lunch box together for tomorrow. And then I took a shower. And it was glorious.

Washed my hair real good I did two different types of body soaps. I felt a lot better but I was so tired still.

I did not want to fall asleep because I would really like to sleep better tonight. So I spent the evening lounging with sweet pea. Watching the sun go down. I did put up the mesh screen to replace the old one. I watched a guy put his recycling in our neighbor's trash. Live your best life. And I've just been hanging out. Texting with Jess and Celia. I fed all the aquatics. I've been scratching sweet pea's head the entire time I've been running this post because of when I stop he starts biting me. And I'm just waiting for James to come home.

They had extended hours at the museum today which both of us forgot about. That's usually on Thursday once a month. But there's an event so instead it is today. Which through both of us off and James went to work too early. But they should be home soon. And we will go to sleep.

Tomorrow I am going to work on some of my to do list at camp and redo my boxes that were cleaned out today for the fibers program. And then we have a small group in the afternoon just doing low ropes and zip. Celia and Sarah are going to be there and I really hope it's a nice day.

I hope that you guys all have a good night. And I hope that you're taking care of yourself. Happy birthday to my dad again. I hope that you're 69th year is the best year. I love you all.

[fizzingwizard]

first the good news:

went back to that new store I found and bought 1) some blocks that spell Halloween, 2) an autumn-themed embroidered place mat, and 3) a ceramic pumpkin house!! you're meant to put a candle in it but I'm gonna put my Little My figurine <3 I want to make an autumn and Moomins display this year. All of it cost me less than 1000yen, and there were lots of other cute things too, so I'll probably go back. I couldn't buy any mushroom- or ghost-themed things this time and I really want some. Also this will motivate me to finally clean up that one corner of my apartment which has been taken over by cardboard boxes.

now work-related bitching (looong rant)

It's amazing how fast I can go from feeling more or less okay to super duper stressed

We're on a prep/PD week (among other things). Usually, we use this week to clean our classrooms, prepare class decor and activities for the new term, have event meetings, and do the bulk of the prop- and artwork for our sports festival next month. This is because when we have the kids at the school, there is no space anywhere to spread out and work, or let things dry, etc. We have to paint big banners as well as our own T-shirts.

However, this year, the T-shirts and banners didn't come in on time. I don't know if they are late or we were late ordering them. We might get the T-shirts tomorrow, but it seems unlikely we'll see the banners for a while. Which is really annoying because the banners are big and really need to be painted without kids around. My classroom in particular has kids in it literally all day. We do both naptime and morning/afternoon supervision in, and occasionally snack. On the days we don't do snack in my room, I still can't use my classroom to paint the banner, because I will 100% definitely be on snack duty. (That whole understaffing thing you know.) So yeah, as I've whined about before, I never ever ever have my classroom to myself, so doing things like cleaning it properly and decorating it is made infinitely more difficult.

So I'm already backed up with that - two more things I'll have to figure out a way to do sometime in September. I also couldn't do a lot in my classroom because the leaders used it aaaall day for meetings today. I spent the time decorating the hallway instead. If anyone comes at me for making decorations instead of organizing my classroom, I'll explode. I can't fix up a classroom if I'm not allowed inside it.

What's truly pissing me off, though, is I did as much work as I thought I had to do before I started decorating - I made posters and emails I needed to do, I had meetings about the two events I'm currently leading, and I prepped four crafts including going to the store and using up our budget. I don't like to be behind. When I have something to do, I try to get it done as quickly as possible, one because I might forget about it otherwise (out of sight, out of mind), and two because I hate having things looming over me as more work piles up as it definitely will.

But then we have this meeting and my coworker, who is a sports festival leader, is like here are the due dates for sports festival stuff. And one of the due dates is... tomorrow?? I said since when and I think she said that she told us at the "meeting earlier this week." I say I think she said so because it makes no sense to me, as we didn't have such a meeting, so I'm wondering if she meant a different meeting we had two or three weeks ago, when we did in fact discuss some roles and dates. However, when I talked to other coworkers who were at the meeting, they also were unsure when she had told us the dates or what meeting she was talking about.

But like I said, we did at some point talk about what needed to be done. Maybe we did or didn't hear confirmed dates, but it's stuff we do every year, so we knew it was coming. (I mean half the staff are brand spanking new so they know absolutely nothing... which probably contributed to the misunderstanding... but anyway) So then I was like, if that's the case, how did I mess up? Because I don't usually forget this stuff, if something is my responsibility it gets done sooner rather than later so I don't have to think about it anymore. So looking into it, I think there is some confusion (or at least I'm confused) about the way things are being handled this year. Generally we all take charge of our own class's workload for the festival. But this year there was a sign up sheet for who wanted what role. It was never formally announced who got it, so there's just like five people all signed up to write the script x'D and only two to make the programs etc. Also, to me, if someone signs up to make the script, for example, that means they are going to put the scripts that each class writes for their own class together - not write the script for all the classes. That's an enormous amount of work for one person, not to mention classroom teachers usually want to write our own class script. But I'm wondering if I misunderstood, because after I freaked out after the meeting and did a lot of that sort of work to meet the deadline of tomorrow, another coteacher who is also a sports festival leader came to me and said "That bit is my job, you don't have to worry about it." But 1) how can it be just her job when both me and our third coworker need to talk it over together before she can finalize it and we haven't done that? and 2) if it is individual teacher's job, how come when I checked the progress today, no one had done anything?? The deadline chosen by the leaders is tomorrow, and even the leaders hadn't done anything yet...?

Also there is a heavy reliance on Google Chat for sharing information, but rather than organize it all in a specific chat just for the festival, it's all randomly tangled in our usual group chat, which makes finding things and keeping up with things even harder (I already don't find Google Chat conducive to organization and hate it being used as a replacement for in person meetings because we don't have time for them).

Anyway so I was incredibly confused because it's not like any of this is hard - it's at worst time-consuming, WHICH IS WHY I TRY TO DO IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. So I just sat down after the meeting and fucking did it. And apparently people thought I was angry? I don't know that for sure, but both of my coworkers apologized to me, and I was like it's nothing to do with you, it's just me being stressed. I hope they know it was stress and not anger. I did tell them flat out but they laughed, and sometimes I just feel like such an alien. I seemed to be the only one remotely keyed up that the DEADLINE IS TOMORROW and nothing is done. Even though other people were like "Oh no, I didn't know either! That's really soon! How will we get it done?" they then continued on without any sense of urgency. To be fair, I know it's a somewhat arbitrary date. But am I the only one who's ever been chewed out for this stuff before? My first year here, there was so much pressure all the time. Now it's like there's none, which would be great if it didn't mean everyone having to hustle at the last minute - or certain teachers doing the brunt of the work while others just completely?? ignore?? the fact that it's their duty as well. It's like I'm not sure if this is flexibility or just total indifference. Like am I just that rigid or it is not at all bizarre to find out you have multiple things due tomorrow, act shocked, and then just... not do them anyway...? :/

To top all THAT off. We had ANOTHER meeting after the sports festival meeting, in which we had to talk about an event which won't happen until DECEMBER. We have four or five events before that one. It is a big event, and we only get one month to plan for it, which is way too little time, in fact it's pretty stupid how little time we're given to work it all out, BUT ANYWAY. So they tell us "This year, to make things easier on your teachers, we're giving you more work!" X'D I kid you not. They introduced a brand new framework for the event and said it's to make our lives easier. Spoiler alert: it doesn't. It's basically busy work for teachers that we have to pretend is about the students. IMO, it's really just using the teachers and students as advertisements for the school, TO SHOW TO PARENTS WHO ALREADY SEND THEIR KIDS TO THE SCHOOL. Of course, I'm pro keeping parents in touch with what their kids are doing and learning. I love showing them photos and slideshows about the kids' progress. That's not the issue. The issue is that the framework they've given us iS nOt AgE aProPRIaTE fOR tODdlErs!!! They just slapped us with the same framework they use for the kindergarteners and said "Oh don't worry, we know your kids aren't really capable of doing this yet, just you know do it in a loose way." Reading between the lines, IMO what they are saying is we don't actually have to do anything because the kids can't, we just have to make it look like we kinda sorta made an effort at it anyway. And they think this is easy, because it's vague! But surprise! Being vague makes it HARDER! Anyone can just say "I don't get how this fits the framework" and they'll be RIGHT because it DOESN'T because what you're asking us to do is NOT POSSIBLE FOR TODDLERS. I did ask how this was possible, and was given an example that, while fine, did not actually fit the framework. So all in all, it's probably not something I need to worry about... though it might be... though it probably isn't...? It's just some extra work for me :D for no particular reason! :D :D

Oh and also also. The leader telling us about this change was like, "You all learned some about this new framework over the last couple of years. What did your schools do to implement it?" with this big shit-eating grin because he knows we did NADA. Not our fault! We didn't even know we had to do something! It was up to the leaders, our severely overworked leaders, who did try to implement something but were too busy to keep it going. And from talking to other campuses, their experience is similar. So this is all just company blah-blah-blah "look at us we're so cutting edge and progressive, while understaffing our schools and overworking and underpaying our teachers" BS.

I might've handled it all better if I hadn't just had a full day of meetings about the sports festival, the assembly I'm running in two weeks, the Halloween party I'm also running, and the upcoming classroom observations. Add on the winter event and its new framework and I was just so fucking done. All of my coworkers seemed totally fine! I'm the only one who is stressed! I literally can't with this job. They pile heaps on you and then make it as impossible as they can for you to plan and organize things neatly. I never really thought of myself as a particularly organized person before I started working here, but APPARENTLY I am - or at least I'm a person who needs to be organized to feel not stressed. I always think about the worst case scenario, not to catastrophize, but to plan for every eventuality. That's all. I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade. But we shouldn't leave things to the last minute. We shouldn't not follow up with things and then be like "deadline's tomorrow didn't you know?" and then look at the people who are concerned about that like they've suddenly grown an extra head. Also we should be able to ask questions about changes that we don't understand. I get it, I'm not the bubbly vivacious type, I try to modulate my tone but I suppose I do sound argumentative sometimes, when really what I mean is just to express that I'm confused. I wasn't questioning the framework just to be a little bitch about it. I genuinely don't get it. And I think the reason is because I'm not supposed to get it, it genuinely is stupid, and we're all just meant to go along with it because The Company Hath Decreed And Y'all Don't Get Any Say. I hate hate hate that shit at work. I understand what it is and why it happens perfectly well, I just can't hide how fucking stupid I think it is. Maybe everyone else does too but they can hide it. Or maybe they really do think it's good. I mean it isn't bad, lol. It's just a lot of nothing. Me questioning it is treated like "We're talking about kids learning values. Are you against kids learning values??" and obviously NO! of course I'm not! I'm not questioning teaching them values, I'm questioning how tf we're going to make actual babies demonstrate them to parents in a way that isn't obviously just the teacher taking manipulative pictures 9_9 I'm sorry but my kids learn by biting each other and then talking about why so-and-so it crying (hint: it's because you bit him!) I doubt parents want pictures of that. lol. It's just not genuine and it's got such a slimy "school brochure" kind of vibe, ugh.

[the-panmixxia]

Pound of Prevention (and an ounce of cure) Chapter 6

"Oh, Roman, say cheese! I gotta show Logie this." Patton cooed, holding up a phone covered in a fluffy case. 

Virgil inwardly sighed, flexing spook's toes to push sharp claws deeper into the arm holding spook. Not that Roman seemed to care, holding Virgil up like a kid showed off their newest arts n crafts. Spook had been subject to another bath - and although the water was pleasant, the soap gentle, and the clawed hands massaging it in was even gentler - the whole thing was stressful, mainly because spook was with two strangers, and could sit rather comfortably in either of their hands. 

It reminded Virgil of Janus, when he called spook fragile. 

"Now you're all clean, let's see if Tabitha likes you! Oh, she used to love looking after the babies. I had her spayed before sending her out to adoption. Sometimes that can change their feelings about being a surrogate mama."

Virgil was carefully placed inside a strange, mini tent made of mesh and zipped all the way shut. Spook blinked up at Roman, who smiled and gave a thumbs up. 

"No need to worry, my feline friend! This is a mere precaution, I have complete faith that Tabitha will take to you. You'll be romping around with her in nay time." 

Princey sure was passionate. 

A bedroom door opened up, and out came Patton, cradling a tabby cat. The Were smiled, running a gentle hand over her head. 

"C'mon, Tabitha, come meet the baby." 

The cat was plonked in front of Virgil, and all at once, spook recognised the cat. 

"Latte! It's you!" Spook wanted to cheer, yet it came out as a strange, high pitched chirp. Late returned the noise enthusiastically with a chirp of her own, eyes wide and purring before deciding to do a forward roll right onto Virgil's tent, as though she could squash spook with all of the affection in her fluffy little body. 

Patton gasped before crooning at the cuteness, kneeling down to stroke Latte as she tried to rub her way through the mesh. Virgil tried to meekly greet her back with a nuzzle of spook's own, which honestly set her purrs off more. Honestly, spook didn't know if she somehow recognised Virgil or was simply lost in the baby sauce. 

"Okay, okay! Jeeze, you clearly like the kitty, huh? Oh you're such a good girl." Patton cooed as he unzipped Virgil's tent, scooping spook under the stomach and quickly depositing the kitten in front of Latte. 

It took less than a second for Latte to scruff the little kitten, happily toting spook up a nearby cat tree for some optimal tlc. 

//

"meow. Meow. MEOW!" 

"Oh, you little thing. I'm not leaving forever, I'm going to work. Roman will look after you! And Tabitha is gonna play with you aaaallllllll day."

That was not Virgil's concern. Patton was trying to leave and Virgil still hadn't gotten to steal some fur! Spook needed it, but Latte had been relentless. The only time spook had been close enough to Patton was when the Were served some more milky food to help 'wean' the kitten. Virgil jumped forward to take a bite, but Patton dodged in much due time, cooing over how eager Virgil was to eat. 

It was ten minutes past nine, now, and while Patton was almost definitely running late, he was seemingly very hesitant to leave. Roman sat at the breakfast bar, only an arms length from the cat tower Virgil was held hostage on, chomping away at a stack of French toast. 

Bizarrely, Patton had also begun baking a pie, before leaving it in the oven not yet turned. Maybe he was just really fond of meal prep. 

"My dear friend, you must go to work and cease your fretting! Your marvelous moggies are more than safe in my hands." 

"But, kiddo, Logan isn't here yet. He's normally here by now, but I haven't even gotten a text that he's on his way!"

"I'm sure microsoft turd is doing just fine. He's probably found some paperwork left in the library's printer and decided to complete it for fun."

Patton hummed, a very parent like noise that conveyed 'I'm listening to you to be encouraging but I'm not at all paying attention'

After a moment Patton gasped, speed walking to the door and swinging the door open. 

"Logan, there you are! And you brought a friend! Come on in, kiddos."

"Hello Patton," Logan greeted, just as rigid as at the library. "This is Remy, we are here to explain a very important situation about the kitten you have -" 

"Latte! Baby girl, there you are!" Remy squealed. 

Latte finally ditched Virgil, making a noise close to a quack before leaping off the cat tree and running over to her original owner. Remy scooped her up, nuzzling and giving kisses, mumbling nonsense with the odd curse word sprinkled in. 

"Aww, Tabitha, is this your real owner? I'm so happy." 

Wait, this was perfect, Virgil could grab this pelt now, Remy was there and was holding Latte to make a dash for it. So, with a lot less grace than the adult (and real) cat, Virgil dismounted the cat tree, yowling for a moment before charging the hairy pair of werewolf legs. 

"Oh!" was all Patton said, watching the cute charge, while Logan simply scruffed the kitten before it made contact with Patton. 

"No need for that, Virgil. We are discussing your situation now."

"What are you on about, specs?" Roman quizzed, not yet finished staring at the stranger currently in their house, cuddling a cat they'd known for over a year. 

"This is not a kitten." Logan said simply gesturing to Virgil's tiny body. "This is a curse. Virgil is a human who upset a warlock, and now turns into a kitten at night. In fact, if my timing is correct, spook shall be turning right about now." 

The 'now' was punctuated by transformation, then Virgil promptly falling on spooks face. While Patton fretted to peel the stranger off the floor, Remy responded as any best friend would. Laughter. 

"Oh, gosh, I'm afraid I really don't understand what's going on here." Patton admitted, looking from Virgil to Logan. The vampire straightened his tie and began to explain. 

"These two came to the library a while back to help translate old text for a curative spell intended to reverse the curse placed on spook. To complete it, Virgil needs a blue flame, a serpine shed, fae blood, vampire venom, and were pelt. I believe it is in our best interests, objectively, to assist Virgil. So, Patton, if it wouldn't be too much bother, would you be willing to sacrifice a little bit of hair?"

"Oh, of course! It'll always grow back."

"Wonderful. I need to cure copper sulfate quickly. Then we can convene on the roof terrace."

"What about me?" Roman asked "I'm not sure how fae can donate blood. I know we absorb the needle at hospitals, but I'm sure I could try and give some." 

"Actually, I uh. I already have your blood?" Virgil hummed, more like a question. 

Roman blinked, before shrugging.

"From…the laundry room?" 

"Uh, yeah. The laundry room. Um. Sorry."

//

"This is almost embarrassing," Janus complains. "It's like the longer we go trying to get information from people the less we frighten them." 

"Yeah, I'm kinda surprised we haven't had the cops called on us yet, given the fact you keep interrogating anyone entering the building and trying to girlboss your way in."

"Our legality isn't helped by you getting naked every hour, Remus."

"Legality, schmegality. I say we burn this building, smoke the emo out!" 

"Always with the fires, Remus, dare I say it's getting cliché - wait. Fire. I smell copper sulfate."

"Oh?" 

"Yeah, oh" Janus snapped. "Some unqualified dumbass is trying to make a bootleg spell without the actual magic."

Remus stayed quiet for a moment, before pointing up at the building. 

"Clench your butt cheeks again, I need to see that purple line."

"I don't have to - ah whatever, it's fine. Here it is." 

The trail of purple was stronger now, probably feeding off the artificial magic from the flame. It trailed all the way up the building, causing Remus to smirk. 

"I think that may be our unqualified dumbass trying to make bootleg spells without any actual magic."

A brief and horrified look came about Janus, glancing up before turning to Remus. 

"Get us up there, we need to stop Virgil from whatever stupid spell spook has figured out." 

Two large wings unfurled from Remus' back, bat-like and black, with quite a few tattoos carefully carved in green ink to make a gorgeous contrast. Janus mentally sighed before making his way to Remus, ready to be picked up. Clawed fingers pulled him close and secure, and in mere seconds, the imp was flying around (but mostly up) 

//

"Well, that flame sure is blue. Good job specs." Roman cheered, perched on an aircon unit and watching his vampire roommate sprinkle flakes of copper to turn the flames blue. 

Logan nodded, once, politely, and stood back up. 

"This flame should suffice for your needs. Begin to add the ingredients, with your own contribution last."

Virgil nodded, wringing spooks hands together, deciding to first toss in the molted gorgon skin. The flame briefly became green, thinning up into a serpent silhouette before dying down into it's original form. Cool. 

Logan nodded an approval, brandishing his vial of venom and tossing it to the flame. This time, the flame turned dark red into the shape of a heart. 

Roman mumbled a soft "Spoopy" while Remy just snorted a vague amusement. 

Virgil was ready for the next step, twisting the top of the sample container, swishing the golden ichor around for a moment before pouring the whole thing in. For this ingredient, the flame became a shimmering gold, the flames turning into butterflies and flying away - before turning to normal, obviously. Though Virgil felt a noticeable difference, the flame was much hotter that usual. 

Sending Roman a side glance, spook smiled awkwardly with a shrug. 

"Sorry again about stealing your blood. Not my best moment."

"It's quite alright! It was only very weird. If it was extremely weird I might've taken offence."

"Not even gonna pretend that makes sense. Anyway, uh, Patton?" 

"Hm?" Patton responded, snapping back from that distant look. 

"I was gonna ask for your hair but, uh, are you okay?" 

"Yeah I'm good, kiddo, I just... Do you think, once you're all okay again, we could like - all of us, be buddies? I know we're only hanging out cause you need help - which I'm so happy to give you! - but uh. Will you be friends? Even when you don't have to?"

Virgil blinked, touched by the soft moment. Logan and Roman didn't need to send Virgil warning glares, though they certainly did, cause spook already knew the answer. 

"Of course, Pat. You're... Cool. I'd love to just hang out. Not in a purrito this time, tho."

Patton gave a little giggle as fae grabbed the pre-braided lock of hair, snipping it off with little thought and tossing it to the flame. This time it turned silver, spreading flat and wide until it was almost a circle - probably to look like the moon. When the flame reformed to blue, it began to dance around, floating between the group. Trying to find a host. 

All that was left was for Virgil to donate some blood, so it knew who to attach itself to. 

"Uh, Virgie-poo, the fuck is behind you?" Remy said abruptly, speaking for the first time in a while. 

Virgil glanced behind spookself, catching a purple thread coming from the ledge and straight to Virgil's chest. 

"Oh, brother." Was all Virgil could utter before a hyper imp soared high up, before landing in a way that only nearly crashed twice. 

A small growl escaped Patton, matching hisses from the vampires, and a small pulse of golden energy from Roman. Yet all Virgil could do was huff and confidently stomp over to greet the two. 

"The hell are you two doing?" 

"Oh, Virgil, please say you aren't going to do that stupid spell."

"Unbelievable. Haven't spoken in years and your first sentence is a dig at me." 

"It wasn't a - look, listen, these spells are cheap and unstable, they can have all sorts of nasty side effects."

"...I don't care." Virgil said, simply. Spook turned back to approach the flame, still spinning around to find a host. 

"Look, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have stalked and cursed you, but please don't do this, I can fix it for you, let me-" 

"No! I'm going to do it MYSELF!" 

With this final declaration, Virgil was slicing spooks hand, holding it out to bleed into the flame. It glistened, turning a soft lilac before the flame lept into Virgil. 

It didn't burn, though the impact was enough to knock spook over. The world span, before disappearing for a good few seconds. When Virgil awoke, just about everyone was huddled around spook. Virgil sat up, batting them all away and simply trying not to vomit. Spook's ears twitched and flicked, in the entirely wrong place to be natural.

Reaching a hand up to feel, Virgil could only stare blankly in frank disbelief. 

"Pfft," Remy huffed as they tried to lighten the mood. "Virgey got the cat-boy treatment. You gotta invest in a maid outfit now, babes."

"Oh, heaven's, Virgil. Look at what you've done." Janus tutted, gentle hands maneuvering spooks face around to gauge a better look "Oh and a tail, this is a mess."

Remus beamed from behind the fussy warlock, miming cat paws and 'grooming' himself (which was probably the closest thing to grooming he'd done in a while). "Loving the neko look, Virgie. I'm sure your tumblr mutuals will positively cream!"

"Shut up, Remus, you're gross" Virgil huffed, looking annoyed for a moment before melting. 

Glancing around at everyone, Spooks old family, current roommate, the maybe-friends spook had made from rather contrived circumstances. Family was a strange thing, and Virgil still held a lot of hostility about being cursed like that, even if it wasn't the worst thing Janus could've stuck on spook. Janus needed to learn to apologize. Virgil needed to learn to accept an apology without it simply being appeasement. Virgil didn't fully forgive Janus yet, but surely the fact that socking the warlock in the face didn't even spring to mind anymore was a good sign. 

It was likely that the two still had things to argue about, and Remus would tag along to wind them both up in a way that somehow brought them closer, as it always did. Virgil also wanted to carefully test the warm relationship that Patton seemed so keen on. Remy was already mingling with the trio like they were lifelong friends, and the fact that Virgil didn't feel jealous that spook was losing the vamp, well it proved that spook just might be expanding spooks friendship group. What a concept. 

With all this in mind, Virgil batted Janus' hands away, ignoring the warlock's hurt look, meeting his eye with a determined look.

"I think we all should hang out at my place, for a bit. Since you came all this way."

Janus blinked, adjusting his gloves and giving a curt nod.

"Certainly. That sounds agreeable." Everyone else muttered positive words, a distinctly Patton-esque voice excited over the prospect of a 'sleepover'.

"Good. You're ordering food for us all, for being such a dick."

Remy cackled at that, highfiving Virgil as spook held open the access door, allowing everyone to get back inside the building. Janus was the last person in line, and he sent Virgil a stupid, sappy smile.

"Oh, Virgil, I've missed you. Never change."

"I already have, Janus." And spook didn't just mean the new cat features. 

"And, well, that's okay."