#really shows you the priorities of big business are the way they've always been

[yekokataa]

rip walt disney, i know you would have loved using ai to eliminate jobs

[crepes-suzette-373]

Shipping tinted glasses: It almost seems like Nami thought she'd they'd lost Sanji to Pudding

One of the reasons why I'm curious about Nami taking Sanji's "evil" rant at face value is because they literally had just been run around a forest full of very very well-made copies.

Luffy not being suspicious of funny business at all, I get, because he was fooled again and again by the fakes. Nami, though, had been highly suspicious of fakes. They've also been bamboozled by the fake Luffy that turned out to be Brulee's doing, so one would have thought they'd be extra vigilant of possible fakes.

It ended up reading like "Nami thought Sanji had somehow changed his mind and decided he really wants to marry Pudding after all (and is jealous/heartbroken)".

All the way back in 822, the idea of that being a possibility had already been offered by Zoro and Usopp:

We weren't shown Nami's reaction specifically, but she had to have heard. Then later when they meet Pudding:

Even if Pudding said he refused and she's going to help them get him back, if Pudding can like Sanji, this still left the possibility that maybe he likes her back.

Then, Sanji himself said this:

Right after he said that, Nami makes this face, looking like she's already trying to hold back tears even before Sanji started to beat up Luffy seriously.

It gives me the impression that Nami, who is already starting to have doubts in her heart, saw this as a confirmation of her worst fears and didn't even consider that they're being tricked. We know it's really Sanji. For them, though, the possibility of this being a fake is not zero.

Sanji at that point was behaving, well, basically like Yonji. However, back on the ship, Nami's comment was that other than his face and heart eyes, Yonji was nothing like Sanji at all because he was being horrible. So how do you know this isn't Ichiji/Niji/Goji/number however many are there? What if Sanji also had a massive family like Big Mom and there's actually 8 or 9 or 10 identical siblings and this is fake?

As always, I'm not saying it's what this was intended to be, but it's what it can be read as.

I was thinking that I don't remember if Nami has ever personally witnessed Sanji ditch other girls in order to save her, so she doesn't necessarily know that she's always his first priority. Like the time in Dressrosa, he completely ditched Viola while calling for Nami. The people on the ship didn't know that. All they knew is that he just showed up out of nowhere.

In the plot it's also weird that neither Luffy or Nami asked him point blank "I thought Pudding said you refused the wedding". I can only think it went down this way to make drama (for us the reader to be sad about).

I've seen manga authors openly admit in the "free talk" comments corner that there were times when they said "Uh, I think that last chapter went weird/doesn't make sense" and the editor just said "It's ok, as long as the story is interesting". So all of this could be me just reading too deep into things, and it's all a big nothing in the end.

[pedros-husband]

Rows and rings

agent whiskey x male reader (SFW)

a/n: just wanted to say that i appreciate all of the reblogs and love i've received, also i am new to tumblr so I haven't quite figured out all the different things and ways to interact, so please be patient with me, thank you <3.

Summary: you had supposed to been on a date, this was the third time he didn’t show, and your pissed, rightly so, but for reasons a little deeper than face-value. Or at least the ring in your pocket says so.

prompt: 'do you ever mean the things you say?'

This fic is ftm trans inclusive (no Amab language used)

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

it had started out as a small argument. you had been mad because jack forgot another date you'd planned. third time this week, actually.

His excuse was that he'd been busy with a mission, not having enough time to be worrying over 'stupid things', in his own words. but you weren't mad he'd forgotten, you were long past the point of being mad over things like that, no. you were mad because he had promised you not to forget or cancel. and you were a man of your word, whiskey knew that. he also knew how much you valued honesty and not doubling back on plans once they've been made.

when you first started dating you made it clear to whiskey that if he promised something he had to stick to his word, mostly because you had trust issues from past relationships but you'd never indulged in telling jack the details-it was never necessary, he always stuck to his word.

And to a degree you understood that jack's job was demanding and took priority over lots of things, and sometimes things happened out of the blue, but this wasn't like that. You had made sure to inform ginger and Tequila that Whiskey would be off duty for this night, just a few hours, it was no big deal. at least it was supposed to be no big deal.

Even though you were pissed that he technically lied that actually surprisingly wasn't your main source of anger. you'd been planning to propose to jack for a while, knowing he's too busy to even think about doing it after 4 years of patiently waiting you'd taken the matter into your own hands. both of you knew you were made for each other. jack reminded you constantly that you were the only man for him and he’d never even look at another man or woman the way he looks at you, and you believed him. which was why it was so infuriating that his behaviour was causing this tension in your relationship over the past week.

with the gradual build up of anger after each forgotten date your anger finally boiled over tonight. he was sat in the living room spread out on the couch, 6 hours late. you burst into the room and slammed the door shut, teeth gritted and eyes narrowed.

'jack daniels, you give me one good reason not to leave your ass right this damn second.'

he looked up from his position on the couch, groaning and rolling his eyes. 'look sugar, I'm sorry i really am but can we not argue right now, it's pretty damn late and this cowboy needs his beauty sleep' his accent is thicker from exhaustion as he stands up and moves to push past you, but you hold your ground and put a hand on his shoulder.

'no way jack, you promised me. you said that this time you were going to make time for me, it was planned out!' there were tears pricking in your eyes- this week had been so stressful with the build up of anxiety over the proposal and the repeated dissapointment of him forgetting each time.

'darlin', i said, not.tonight. and besides, it's a one time thing, i haven't lied to ya before, no biggie.'

'jack, it's not a one time thing, this is the third time this week! i understand work is important but i'm your boyfriend and i deserve your attention too sometimes! i mean: do you ever mean the things you say? c'mon, we're not kids jack.'

'your being a jerk. i am a man of my words, don't you ever, even insinuate that i'm not. i am loyal to my country and to my work, i can't help that you aren't always first.' jack practically spits in your face, gruffly shoving you backwards so he can move past you, but instead of heading to the bedroom he heads to the door. in a dazed panic you yell, tears starting to roll down your cheeks, ' i was going to propose!'

silence.

'you... you what?' he turns to face you, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and disbelief, hand paused on the doorknob.

you take a deep breath, wipe your tears away and continue 'i was going to propose to you. originally on Monday, then Wednesday, then Friday, then...tonight... look jack... i know your busy and i know i may be being a little overbearing right now, iIve just been so stressed this past week and you know i haven't been getting as much sleep an-' as you talk he strides over to you, and cuts you off by pulling you into a deep kiss, hands gripping your waist tightly.

the kiss isn't slow and passionate, it rarely ever is with jack. but it isn't filled with lust like usual, it's more, tender and, apologetic. he glides his hand up your back and lets it rest on the nape of your neck. you kiss back eagerly, hands finding their way into his shortt brown hair, before one falls back down to the pocket of your jeans and you break away.

'i-i'm sorry sugar... i ain't good with apologies an all that, but i really am. i shoulda' gone on the date the first time, shoulda given you more attention. i want you and only you, but i haven't been acting like i do, so im sorry.' jack whisper averting his gaze, as he drops his hands and puts them in his pockets sheepishly.

you sigh and pull out a small box, getting down on one kneee. 'i know this isn't as romantic as the fancy date i planned, and its abit more tear-filled and chaotic, but i love you no matter how stupid you are, no matter how many dates you miss. Jack Daniels i knew from the moment i met you that you were the man for me, and i would be so happy if you would marry me. so, will you?' you look up at him with hopeful eyes, opening the little black box to reveal a small golden band.

jack smiles and pulls you up nodding his head and kissing you on the lips over and over, in between each one whispering, 'yes, yes a hundred times yes'

after he finally calms down and you put the ring on his finger, you lead him to your room and slowly change into your pj's, a comfortable silence hangs in the air, but your both smiling like idiots the whole time.

you get into bed and he immediately pulls you into his chest, holding you tight and burying his face into your hair, fiddling with the new ring on his finger.

'i love you, sugar... and i cant wait to be your husband.' he whispers into your hair, closing his eyes as he inhales the scent of your sweet smelling shampoo.

'i love you too jack, and i can't wait to be your husband too.' you mumble, eyes heavy as you slowly drift off to sleep in the comforting embrace of your fiance.

[blairsanne]

In the Cards (17)

Big Wolf on Campus fanfic. Merton x OC. [Tommy also gets some pairings.]

Chapter Summary: Kalida is let down by her parents, and when Tommy and Merton try to cheer her up, the trio encounter an enemy that they've already lost to in the past. Kalida struggles with her fears as they do their best to tackle the problem at hand. 8690 words Previous Chapters: 1&2, 3&4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

CW: Family dynamics. Guns. Discussion of prior events witnessing a death (in another reality). Injury. The usual level of violence from the show while fighting monsters.

Chapter 17: Distress

Tommy held the receiver to his chest and grinned at Kalida. "It's for you, Kal. Your ma."

Kalida quickly excused herself from the table and took the phone excitedly. "Hey mom." She leaned into the wall and spoke quietly. "Yeah, I'm really looking forward to seeing y- hm?"

Tommy sat back down at the table and popped a brussel sprout in his mouth, glancing at his parents. The three of them exchanged a knowing look to be quiet while Kalida took the calls from her parents.

Tommy looked over to see Kalida holding the receiver tightly. Something about her body language was off.

"But I haven't seen you at all since I moved here…" She glanced over at Tommy, making brief eye contact before turning to face away. "I… yeah… I guess that's more important… Okay… Okay… Love you too. Bye."

She slowly put the receiver back on the hook, and shuffled back to her seat, eyes never leaving the floor.

Sally forced a cheery tone. "So dear, how's your mother?" "She's fine." Kalida stared at her dinner plate, hands folded on her lap. Her voice was flat and soft. "Dad's work got really busy, so they can't make it out here right now. But, they're gonna try to come for the grad ceremony."

Tommy put his cutlery down, unsure of what to say. Kalida had been talking about this visit for weeks. Sally pursed her lips. "That's a real shame. I know how much you were looking forward to seeing them." Bob frowned. "I thought you were going to go dress shopping for prom?"

Kalida shrugged her shoulders as thick tears rolled over her cheeks. "It's not a big deal." Tommy reached his hand out on the table. "Kal."

Kalida wiped at her face. "Can I be excused?" "Of course, dear."

Tommy made his way upstairs after having done the dinner dishes. He knocked softly on Kalida's door. "It's just me." "Come in."

He opened the door to see her sitting up from her bed and pulling headphones from her ears. He shut the door behind him. "Hey." She shrugged. "Hey." He sat on the end of her bed and raised his eyebrows. "So… That sucks."

Kalida nodded. "Oh well. Nothing to do about it now." "I probably won't be much help, but if you wanted someone else to go dress shopping with, I'm usually free…" She let out a hollow laugh. "I appreciate the offer. But that's not really…" She pulled her knees up against her chest and sighed. "I just wanted to see them."

Tommy nodded. "I know, Kal." "It's like they don't even care anymore. They don't want to have a daughter anymore." "I'm sure that's not true."

She was quiet for a moment, avoiding eye contact, then shrugged. "Whatever. It's fine." "Kalida…" Tommy moved over and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. "It's okay to be upset about it."

She leaned against him and closed her eyes. "I'm just tired of being upset about them, though. I know they're not, like, conventional all the time, but they've never flaked out on me like this before. Not just this, but sending me here… Any way you look at it, I'm just not a priority for them now. Maybe Uncle Bob is right about my parents."

Tommy frowned and rubbed her back, unsure what to say. He couldn't exactly relate to being abandoned by your parents. If anything, I'd like to get out from under them soon.

Kalida closed her eyes as she felt them well up with tears again. "Look, I don't know what's going on with your parents, but you always have a family here, okay?" "Thanks Tommy." She sniffed and tried to compose herself. "And um… I'm really sorry, about Joelle." "I know." He sighed. "And I don't blame you. You were just trying to protect me. Well, us, I guess."

She looked up at him, wiping her face. "I know you liked her." "I did." He looked away. "But… I think what I really liked was the idea of being able to… just be normal. You know? And that kind of went out the window when she started threatening all of us." "You'll find someone better." He made a non-commital noise. "I really believe it. Even if you're always a werewolf, I think you can still be happy, and loved." He put his hand on her head, not able to make eye contact. "Thanks, Kal."

A group of teenagers were hiking in the mountains in the fading evening light.

One of the boys stopped and called out to his friends ahead on the trail. "Hold up, there's a ledge here!"

The group collectively sighed and laughed. One of the girls in the group called back. "Okay, but we can't stop long if we're gonna be back by dark."

The boy grinned and began climbing up the craggy rock surface. His foot slipped as the rock beneath it crumbled, but he managed to hold on and make it up. He wiped his hands on his jeans and pulled a camera out of his bag, pointing it down the mountain at the town below.

"Wow, Pleasantville looks pretty cool from up here," he murmured, snapping several shots. When he was done, he found a path for himself to climb down closer to where his friends were waiting on the trail. When he joined up with them, the group wandered off together, talking and laughing.

Back where the boy had been climbing, the rocks began to rumble. Bits of debris peppered the ground below until finally a large stinger struck through the clay-like cliff face.

Kalida wiped down the surface of her table inside her camper, then set out an incense holder and lit a stick of sandalwood incense. As the smoke wafted lazily about the small space, she pulled the sheets from her bed and remade it with freshly-laundered ones. She kicked her shoes off and climbed onto it, crossing her legs. Closing her eyes, she tried to clear her mind.

It was lunch time and she had started off by trying to review her flashcards for Chem, but she hadn't been able to focus at all. The news from her parents had upset her, but she had a sense of foreboding overtop of her frustration that she just couldn't seem to shake.

She whispered some requests for guidance and protection to her guides, then opened her eyes and pulled out her tarot deck.

"A little clarity about what's going on with me…?"

She shuffled the deck for a bit, half-procrastinating and half for practical reasons.

With trepidation, she laid out the first card. The Eight of Cups, reversed. Stagnation and clouded judgement. Great. She tapped her chin, trying to think what else the reverse was supposed to mean. Not being effective… like… self sabotage and seclusion. She looked around the empty camper. It was true, she could have been hanging out with Tommy and Merton. Or have made more friends if she'd tried. Is this because I haven't decided where to go after grad? She rubbed her arm, feeling judged by her cards.

She pulled the next card. The Five of Cups, reversed. Another reversed card. She chewed her lip. This one is normally the idea of crying over spilled milk, so… the opposite. Picking up the pieces of a bad situation and moving on. Learning, rebuilding.

She tilted her head to the side. Better.

She pulled a final card, half-expecting it to also be upside down. The Six of Swords. This one is… moving away from a previous situation. Maybe a place where your skills aren't being used… and… learning from your mistakes. Knowing when to move on.

She let out a big sigh and flopped back onto the bed, letting her tarot cards slide around from the movement. "So I'm being useless, need to pull my shit together, and let go of something that's not doing me any good." She covered her eyes with her arm. It's not my fault I'm upset about my parents not coming out. It sucks.

She rolled over and looked out at the interior of her camper. It was like a tiny home she'd brought with her from Canada, but even Betsy felt different now. She thought of all the times she'd followed the hearse in it, and remembered the time it got dented in the alternate reality.

Maybe it's not about that at all… "Maybe it's time to admit I'm not going home to BC."

She pulled her backpack closer without sitting up and fished out a granola bar. She ate it, still lying on her side, and let herself wallow in her feelings of frustration and grief.

When the bell for class rang, she let out a small whine. "I could just be a normal teenager and skip class for no good reason. I could just take a nap and feel sorry for myself…"

Still, she zipped up her backpack and rushed to get back into the building. Like Uncle Bob wouldn't try to ground me from taking my camper to school.

Kalida wrung the mop out in the Dawkins kitchen. Seeing the water change to a slightly dingy color, she felt a pang of satisfaction and set to work on the next section of the floor.

Tommy walked in from the hallway. "Kal. Really?" He raised a brow. "What?" she asked defensively, shrinking a bit as she continued to mop. "You already cleared the table, cleaned the counters, did all the dishes, and swept… At some point you gotta call the kitchen clean and move on." "I like cleaning," she mumbled.

Tommy leaned in the doorway and crossed his arms. "Okay, well, I thought you might want to go out with Merton and I. You know… lighten up?" Kalida scrunched her face to the side. It didn't sound not fun. "What are we gonna do?" "We could… get some ice cream, maybe go sit up at the lookout. What do you want to do?" "I dunno." She finished up with the mop and wrung it out once more. "I guess anything is fine."

"You sure you don't want to lecture me about studying?" She laughed. "Well, you should study. But, you're right. I could use something a little more fun than that tonight." Tommy grinned and rubbed his hands together conspiratorially. "Leave it to me."

Kalida slipped on her shoes, then pulled on a light hoodie. "It's not gonna be that cold tonight, right? This is enough?"

Tommy snorted. "Yeah, should be fine." He was wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt. He unhooked his letterman jacket and draped it over his arm, gesturing with it. "I've been thinking about getting something less bulky."

Kalida smirked. "But then how will all the ladies know that you're a football player?"

Tommy rolled his eyes, but smiled as he looked away. She's kind of right.

Kalida took her wallet and key lanyard out of her purse and shoved them into the front pockets of her hoodie. "So… thanks for taking me out and stuff." "Oh. Yeah. No problem." Tommy rubbed the top of head patronizingly. "Don't," she whined, moving away to fix her hair.

They heard a car pull into the driveway. Kalida opened the front door and grinned back at Tommy. "Let's go."

Kalida ate spoonfuls of her strawberry sundae, sandwiched comfortably between Merton and Tommy in the front of the hearse.

"Ice cream was a good choice," she commended Tommy. She couldn't help but snicker as he dipped a chicken tender into his sundae, eating them together.

They were driving up the now-familiar mountain road to the lookout.

Merton glanced over at Kalida, then back at the road. Tommy had told him about the phone call from Kalida's parents, but she hadn't brought it up at all. "How'd your Chem test go?"

Kalida shrugged. "It was pretty easy, actually. I think the teacher might have given up on some of the other students." She finished her last bite of sundae and tossed the empty cup into the takeout bag at Tommy's feet. "He was explaining equilibrium in chemical equations, comparing it to a set of scales, where the equals symbol is the fulcrum, right?"

Tommy narrowed his eyes at her in confusion as she continued. Merton nodded along.

"And several minutes later, I guess Joey caught up to writing that down off the board, and he flips out, asking what a fulcrum is." She shook her head. "Completely derailed the point of the lecture." Merton smiled to himself. "Hopefully your post-secondary peers are a little more respectful of the lesson plan."

She rubbed her arm, feeling awkward at the sudden reminder. The three of them had been more or less ignoring the topic of what college each would be attending.

Tommy looked over at Merton. "Did you actually understand what she was talking about?" Merton shrugged. "Yeah, sure. It's just like a math equation. Both sides have to add up to the same thing." Kalida grinned. "Exactly." "Oh." Tommy thought a moment. "I guess that does kind of make sense. Anyway Kal, what is a fulcrum?"

Merton crawled into the back of the hearse and started rooting around. He tossed a few blankets towards the doors as his friends positioned themselves on either side of the outside edge.

Kalida pulled one of the blankets toward her, knowing that eventually she'd feel cold sitting out in the night air. She looked down at the twinkling lights of the town below them and felt a pang of sadness. She had wanted to show this to her parents. To share with them the small place that she'd started to think of as home.

Merton shuffled toward the back and swung his legs over the edge, pulling a large plastic sack onto his lap. "Okay, let's see what we've got." He handed Tommy a YooHoo and a pack of beef jerky. Tommy laughed, quite pleased. "Thanks, man." "And for Kalida…" Merton pulled out another YooHoo. "More sugar?" she teased, but cracked it open. "Don't Americans ever drink water?"

Merton gave her a stink face. "Excuse you, I just gifted you the nectar of the gods." "Ah yes," she nodded before taking a sip. "What was I thinking?" "And I also got you these." He handed her a pack of candy.

She gasped and opened it up straight away. "It's still a lot of sugar, but thank youuu." She poured several of the small red licorice pieces into her hand and shoved them in her mouth. It tasted like childhood. "I wove Nibv." "I know." Merton smirked to himself as he pulled his blanket over his lap. He looked up at the sky, thinking how late it must be by now with so many stars out.

Tommy swallowed a mouthful of beef jerky. "This is nice." He let some tension out of his shoulders and relaxed against the doorframe. "I feel like we haven't all been hanging out like this for a bit." Kalida threw one of her Nibs at him. "Whose fault is that?" Tommy snickered, batting it away. "I just got… distracted." Merton cracked open his YooHoo. "How's things since she left?"

"I dunno." Tommy shrugged. "I think maybe now's not the best time to start dating someone else, but… I kinda feel like, I know I can do it, now. You know?" Kalida nodded. "Cause you've got more control over wolfing out?" Tommy nodded. "Yeah." Merton took another sip of his drink, mulling it over. "So you gonna be our third wheel at prom?"

"Oh, Merton, don't say it like that," Kalida chastised. She looked over at Tommy. "It won't be as fun without you." Tommy shrugged. "Yeah, I'll go with you guys." He smirked. "Just make sure it's obvious whose date you are, Merton." He pushed his friend's shoulder. He laughed. "What, no couples portraits?"

Kalida took a long drink of the YooHoo, feeling a tightness in her chest. She looked over to the left, but realized she couldn't see anything through the door. She put down her snacks and stood, looking around the dim clearing.

"What's up?" "I dunno…" she said uneasily. "I just thought I heard something." She sat down and looked back over at the boys. "You have your suits picked out yet?" "Yeah, I ordered mine online. Should be here any day." "I think my parents are gonna take me next weekend to pick it out." Kalida nodded. "Nice."

Tommy rubbed his arm. "If you want someone to go dress shopping with-" "Yeah, I'll let you know." She looked out at the sleepy hamlet. "I guess I'll probably have to go out of town."

Merton piped up. "There's a big bridal shop a few towns over. Lots of people go there for their prom stuff. They keep things in stock, so you don't have to wait for it to come in." "How do you know that?" Tommy asked. "My mom took me out there last month to look at tuxes, but I didn't like any of them."

Tommy perked up suddenly, staring into space a moment. "Be quiet a sec." He stood up and tried to listen for the sound again.

Merton scoffed. "What like you two are actually hearing something out here? It's probably an animal." Tommy rolled his eyes. "Would you just let me listen?" Kalida and Merton both stood out the back to listen, looking around silently.

There it was again. Something rustling to the east. Tommy pointed at the tree line of the clearing and they all turned to watch as they heard the sound grow closer and closer. A scuttling, crunching sound.

Kalida shivered. She didn't know why the sound felt so familiar and ominous.

Finally it emerged from the bushes, on the other end of the clearing from them. A half man, half scorpion creature stared back at them with dull eyes that glowed a faint orange.

"Get in the car. We have to go." Kalida pulled their arms. "Now!"

The three of them pulled shut the doors of the hearse as the scorpion monster moved its massive black legs through the dirt and gravel of the clearing. They climbed awkwardly over the front seat and Merton started up the engine as Tommy locked the door, wolfing out.

He stared out at the creature that was closing the distance between them, practically smelling the fear emanating from his friends. They punched into drive and sped down the poorly lit mountain road, back to the highway.

"Okay, what the hell was that?!" Tommy asked finally. Merton was still speeding down the road back toward his house. He glanced over at Kalida, who looked like her brain had gone offline. Her face was pale, eyes unfocused.

It's going to kill him again.

Merton's voice was quick but composed. "Kali? You okay?" "W-what?" She snapped back to reality. "I said, what the hell was that thing?" Tommy repeated. "I uh…" Kalida shook her head. "I don't know. We never really found out what it was called. It's just… really dangerous." "What do you mean? You've seen it before?"

Kalida's eyes widened as she realized that she had never actually told Tommy about her time in the alternate reality. Merton didn't want me to mention that Stacey girl, so it just seemed easier not to bring it up at all…

Merton was all business. "Tommy, you gotta dewolf. We're about to hit town." Tommy looked between his friends, wondering what he'd missed as he closed his eyes to go back to normal.

"Okay, so, we're gonna need long range weapons," Kalida ran her hand through her hair, looking panicked as they entered the lair. "Right. Keep our distance, preferably not destroy our vehicles." Merton agreed. "Right, I'd forgotten about that."

Tommy cleared his throat as he locked the door behind them. "Hello?! Anyone going to explain to me what just happened?"

Kalida blinked. "We… saw a monster?" Tommy frowned. "Okay, but we see monsters all the time. You two are being super weird. Why do you know about this thing already?" Merton looked over at Kalida. "Do you wanna tell him…?" Kalida shrugged. "It's like, a super long story." Tommy narrowed his eyes. "But you've seen it before? You know how to deal with it?"

"Well, last time we used Uncle Bob's rifle to shoot it in the head." "Last time?" "Well, Merton's weapons really sucked-" "In my defense, I wasn't exactly using them for anything other than decorative purposes." Kalida pulled a face. "You weren't even you. Why are you getting defensive?"

"Hey!" Tommy yelled at them to get their attention. "Could you two start making sense?"

Kalida sighed. "Okay, so one time, I was really upset, and I wished that you weren't a werewolf. Okay? And then it actually happened. And the world was super weird." "Oh," Tommy nodded in understanding. "Been there." "Oh." Kalida blinked, surprised at how readily Tommy had accepted the first part of her story.

"Alright. So.. yeah, in the other reality," She started babbling. "You guys didn't fight monsters together, so when this thing attacked me, I didn't know what to do, and I went to Merton, and he didn't know what to do either, and then we got Uncle Bob's gun, and you were like, hey, don't do that, so then you came with us, and then we fought the thing-" She stopped abruptly, looking like she might start crying. She looked over at Merton with big, wet eyes.

He put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, I'm fine." "Well, so, okay, you fought it. You shot it with a rifle, and it died?" Merton nodded. "Yeah." "But…" Kalida's expression was pained. She didn't want to say it out loud. "But it was tough?" "Yeah. But… in the other reality, when we fought it…"

Merton patted Kalida's shoulder. "The other me died." "Oh." Tommy rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay, so, let's not do that part." "Agreed," Merton laughed uncomfortably. "Uhh, so let's form a plan of attack."

"Do you have any guns in your collection?" "Tommy, you know I don't like guns. Flamethrowers? Sure. Crossbows? Thematic. Bullets?" He held his hand out flat, palm down, and shook it. "Ehhhhh." Kalida looked over at Tommy. "We could go get Bob's." "Do you know how dead we would be if my dad caught us taking his gun?"

Kalida winced. "I know. The timing is all wrong this time." "Timing?" "Well, cuz, last time your parents were out of town. Instead of that party that happened at our house in real life, you had your stupid girlfriend over for what I can only assume was her first time."

Tommy furrowed his brow. That party had been before Joelle moved to town, and he doubted he was her first. "What stupid girlfriend did I have?" "It doesn't matter. What matters is that your parents are home right now, so we can't sneak the rifle."

Merton's clock chimed the Michael Myers fanfare from Halloween.

"It's so late…" Kalida murmured. She tried to estimate how long it would take them to gather materials, make their plan, sneak into and out of the Dawkins house, get back up the mountain, and kill the monster.

Tommy thought a moment and snapped his fingers. "Tomorrow. They're going to that play. They'll be gone all night." "So, what, we just leave it for tonight? What if it kills someone?" Tommy shook his head. "Kal, it's not gonna kill anyone." She gestured at their pale friend. "It killed Merton!" "That didn't really happen, though."

"You don't get it Tommy! It put its stinger thing," she gestured at her chest, "right through him. I watched him bleed out. It put a dent in my camper, and it totally fucked up the hearse. It's not just a.. a wimpy monster you can punch a few times."

Tommy ran his hands over his face. "We can't get it tonight. It's gonna be curfew soon, there's no way my parents won't notice us going into the basement, or driving off." Merton drummed his fingers on the desk. "We just don't have the right equipment tonight, or enough time." Kalida looked between them, eyes wet again. "We have to kill it." "We will."

"Seriously. I had nightmares about it for weeks. And now it's back, and we're just letting it wander around. What if it gets to town? What if it hurts someone?" Tommy put his hands on her shoulders. "It's up at the lookout. You know how dead it is up there. Chances are, it's hunting squirrels or something and nobody's gonna be up there before we can get to it." "You don't know that."

Tommy hunched his shoulder up. "What do you want me to do, Kali?! We can't just go punch it up, right? You want a gun, we can't get it 'til tomorrow. So that's the way it is." Her shoulders slumped and she looked at the ground. "Yeah. Okay."

"It'll be okay, Kal," Merton rubbed her back reassuringly. "We're more experienced than the guys in that other reality. And we've got your past experience to help us know how to fight it." "Y-yeah… I guess so."

Tommy rubbed the back of his neck. So much for cheering Kali up.

Tommy found Merton at their usual table the next day at lunch. He sat down with his tray and nodded a greeting at his friend before starting to eat his chicken burger.

"You get much sleep last night?" Tommy shrugged, considering the question. "Yeah, I guess the normal amount. Why?"

Merton popped a tater tot in his mouth with his fingers. "I dunno, that thing in the woods, Kalida's assertions that it's going to kill me…?" He tilted his head. "Can't imagine why I'd have a harder time sleeping than usual." He ate another tot. "I swear I checked if the door was locked, like, three times."

"So Kalida had some kinda weird dream and the monster thing happened to be in it. That doesn't mean it's gonna happen." "I know that. It's pretty weird, though." He sipped his soda. "And it wasn't exactly a dream that she had. She went to a parallel dimension for most of a day." "Oh yeah?" Tommy raised a brow. "You sure? Sounds like a dream to me."

Merton pursed his lips, then sighed. "It's just that… stuff happened in the other dimension. Stuff that she shouldn't have been able to dream up." Tommy was skeptical. "Like what?" Merton crossed his arms. "Like you dating Stacey Hansen." Tommy rolled his eyes and stuck out his chin. "So she heard I used to date Stacey." "No, Tommy, she didn't. She told me in vivid detail about how she and Stacey were supposed besties, about her hair, about how the two of you were wanting alone time in the house." Tommy put his hand up. "Okay, so what?"

"She didn't know who Stacey was. You never talk about her. And she just dreamed a whole day of interacting with her? Or what about the monster itself." He popped another tot. "That's pretty suspicious that the same thing would come to town." Tommy furrowed a brow, but nodded. "Yeah, okay, except why did it take so long to get here?" Merton frowned. "Well, that I don't know."

"And anyway," He leaned forward, voice getting quiet. "We deal with monsters all the time. What's so special about this one?" Merton took a sip of his soda. "I dunno. It just has her wigged out."

Tommy nodded, looking down at his burger a moment.

"How was she today? Still cleaning compulsively?" "No… She was super quiet today, kept spacing out." "I guess the monster's taken her mind off her parents."

"I don't know if that's a good thing or not." Tommy sighed. "I just wanted to cheer her up, you know? And now she's worrying about some bug-man thing killing us." He shook his head. "It sucks." "Yeah, it does." Merton finished off his tots. "But hey, we'll take care of it. That's what we do." Tommy smirked. "That's right."

The two did a secret handshake over the table.

Tommy waved his parents off from the door, watching as their car pulled down the street. "Okay, Kali!" He called up the stairs. "We've gotta get going soon!"

Dean looked over from the commercials on the living room tv. "What are you up to with the cuz, little bro?" "Oh, you know," Tommy laughed nervously. "Just the usual stuff." "Well you two crazy kids stay safe out there." He shook his head, smiling to himself as his show came back on. "The folly of youth."

Tommy ran his hands over his face and quietly made his way to the basement while Dean was distracted.

He found his dad's rifle carefully mounted on the gun rack. Bob had shown him how to properly use a gun a few years earlier, but even so, they'd never had occasion to actually shoot something living with it. Certainly not a monster that was going to be fighting back.

He opened the basement door and carefully laid out the rifle and two boxes of rounds just outside, then shut and locked it. When he got upstairs, Kalida was standing in the foyer, wearing boots and a heavy denim jacket, her hair up in a braided ponytail.

"Ready?" she asked, looking stern.

Kali's got her game face on, Tommy thought.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go." He pulled on his runners and grabbed his letterman jacket.

"Okay, Dean, we're going out!" "Have fun!" Dean gestured vaguely in their direction as he turned the tv volume up.

While Kalida went to start up Betsy, Tommy ran around back to grab the gun and ammo.

Once in the camper and on the road, a thick silence fell between them. Tommy tapped at the dashboard. "So we're gonna head up in the hearse?"

"Yeah, Merton said I could park out back and then that way we can load the back of his car with our weapons and stuff." "Cool." Kalida kept her focus on the road, knuckles white from her tight grip on the wheel.

Tommy looked her over, noting her stiff upper lip, rigid shoulders and arms. It's more like she's forcing herself to be okay, to be tough. "I'll take the rifle. That way, if we do get in trouble, dad won't get on your case about it."

"Honestly, I'd rather not have to shoot the gun, so that works out well." Kalida let out a small sigh. "Merton said he made some molotov cocktails. He's gonna bring the bow as well. And these smoke bombs he bought online. He hasn't tried them out yet, said he thought the company might be kinda shady." She forced a laugh. "As if buying weapons isn't shady enough."

Tommy gave a limp smile. "Yeah. Lucky Merton's got that whole online shopping thing down. And his parents don't bat an eye. They figure it's just his goth phase.. Decorations or whatever."

Kalida laughed. "I like how they let him set up a rack in his bedroom." She shook her head. "Man, if Merton ever got accused of anything, the police would have a field day in that room."

Tommy shrugged. "Yeah, but Merton's not like that." "No, I know. Just… imagine. Weapons and torture devices, and weird monster specimens in jars that they'd probably think were like… animals he cut up or something." "And then there's that skull on his desk." "I think that's a replica." "Yeah, he won't give me a straight answer on that." "Ewwww." Kalida laughed, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. She looked over at Tommy. "Just be careful tonight, okay? This thing seriously gives me the wigs."

He nodded. "You got it. Extra careful werewolf coming right up." She smiled crookedly as they pulled up behind the Dingle household. "Okay, let's do this, I guess."

They loaded the arsenal into the back of the hearse, being careful to watch for any passersby that might question what they were doing with a horde of weapons.

Merton shut the back doors and clapped his hands together. "Okay, so remember, keep your distance, aim for the head." Kalida nodded. "Right. The scorpion part of it is like.. Super duper strong. Like hard metal. I couldn't get through it with the decorative axe, and it punched dents in the vehicles."

Tommy nodded. "Is it poisonous?" "Venomous." "Same thing," Tommy scoffed.

"No, it's not." Kalida raised a brow. "Poisonous stuff is like.. If you eat it and it's toxic. Venomous is when it, like, stings you or bites you or whatever." "Okay, whatever nerd girl. So is it venomous?" Kalida shrugged. "I dunno. Scorpions are, though, right? So it probably is?"

Merton interjected. "It definitely is." He put a hand on Tommy's shoulder. "Just avoid the big stinger coming out of its tail and you'll be fine."

They slowed to a stop up at the lookout. This time the sun was still up, late evening light casting a warm glow on the clearing that looked out over the town below.

Kalida looked between the two boys. "I guess we should grab our weapons. Stay close to the car so we can leave if we need to."

"Okay, mom." Tommy teased, but he wolfed out as he stepped out the passenger side door, leaving it open. He carefully loaded the rifle, then aimed it at the ground while they waited for the monster to appear.

Kalida climbed over the seat to the back and passed the box of throwable weapons to Merton, who positioned them on the seat before stepping out of the vehicle. She then passed him a sheathed sword. He stood in the space between the door and the interior of the vehicle, holding a smoke bomb in one hand, the sword scabbard attached to his body.

Kalida then opened the back doors and prepped her bow, nocking an arrow. She stood with her back to the hearse, eyes darting all around them, while the boys faced the direction that it had come from the night before.

"Do you think we should have brought some bait?" Tommy wondered aloud. "Oh, I'm sure we're tasty enough for the scorpion man all by ourselves," Merton wheezed. Kalida made a noise of agreement. "Yeah, it seemed to be after people the last few times, so I dunno if it eats them, or what…"

"Are you sure it's still up here?" Merton looked over at her, wishing they were doing normal teenager stuff tonight. "It's still not too late to go bowling or something." "Merton," Tommy chastised. "We can't let some big bug thing just run loose around town." "Says the man with the gun! I just have these." He shook the smoke bomb, which then started to smoke. "Whoa. We've got a live one!" He threw it as far as he could, and it landed at the lip of the forest at the edge of the clearing.

"Smooth."

Grey clouds of smoke filled the spaces between the trees. Kalida looked around anxiously. Tommy's ears perked at the sounds of twigs snapping in the direction of the smoke bomb. They all peered at the growing plume of smoke as two glowing orange dots grew brighter.

"It's here." Kalida pulled the arrow back.

The scorpion monster stepped out of the fog and reared, making a horrid sound.

Kalida's breath caught, the image of Merton's bloodied corpse on the road flashing in her mind. She swallowed and pulled the string just a touch tighter, correcting her aim before letting it free.

The arrow stuck into the monster's shoulder, and it reeled in pain, pawing at the shaft as thick blood slowly trickled down its skin.

Tommy aimed his father's gun and shot. The bullet hit a tree near the monster.

Meanwhile Merton was struggling to light the cloth in his molotov cocktail. When he got it lit, he threw it at the monster, missing by several feet. It crashed to the ground and exploded into a relatively small plume of flames.

The monster reared again, confused by the fire.

"Come on guys, this is not a drill." Kalida nocked another arrow, aiming for the monster's neck. When she let it loose, it missed, but hit the other shoulder.

The monster now focused on Kali, and started toward her, stepping over the dying flames with his sharp black legs.

Tommy let a few more shots off to no avail.

Kali struggled to get another arrow nocked, but it was much closer now. She clumsily let the arrow loose. It hit the monster's abdomen, but didn't stick, instead leaving a mark before falling to the ground. She stared at it, suddenly frozen as it closed in on her. She watched as the monster raised its stinger at her. Just as it struck, she felt herself being pulled to the side. She hit the ground with a thud and snapped back to reality. Tommy - who had pulled her out of the stinger's path just in time - helped her back to her feet.

Merton ran at the monster with his sword out, sticking it deeply in the side. The monster let out a terrible screech. Merton let go of the sword, which remained in the monster's abdomen, and backed away. "Yeah! How do you like it!?"

Tommy moved to put himself between Kalida and the monster, then readied another shot. This time he hit the monster's chest.

The monster reeled back and looked between them. Bleeding from several wounds, it began to retreat. Tommy shot again, hitting it in a leg. The monster thrashed wildly toward them, its stinger lashing out randomly. It thudded against the side of the hearse, then scuttled back to the tree line as Tommy let out several more rounds at it.

"We have to chase it!" Tommy yelled, running after it.

Kalida looked over to where Merton had been standing, and no longer saw him. For a moment, the world seemed to spin as she stepped around the vehicle toward the driver side door. "Merton?"

Merton was sitting on the ground, holding his left forearm. "It nicked me," he admitted, blood starting to seep out from under his hand.

Kalida's eyes widened. She looked out to where her cousin had run off. "TOMMY! Tommy, Merton's hurt!" She crouched down next to him and looked him over. "Is it just the one wound?" "Y-yeah." Merton shivered. "Are you okay?" "I feel a little peculiar," he admitted.

Kalida could feel her chest tightening. "O-okay, hold on." She ran to the back of the hearse and pulled out Merton's large red first aid kit bag. She crouched on the ground in front of him, back to the forest as she unzipped the kit. "Okay, we need to patch it up. Can you take off that sleeve?"

Merton motioned to the scissors in the kit. "Just cut it off, this shirt is toast anyway." He closed his eyes and leaned back against the side of the vehicle. "Right." Kalida swiftly but carefully cut the sleeve off above where he was holding his arm. "Okay, ready?" "Yeah." Merton let go of his arm. Blood started to flow more freely from his wound as Kalida pulled the sleeve off, being careful not to drag the fabric over his open cut.

She got a quick look at it before pressing gauze against his arm. "Hold that." He did as instructed and opened his eyes to look around her. "Where's Tommy?" "I dunno, he just ran off…" The panic she was trying to keep at bay leaked out in her voice and she shook her head. "He's probably still fighting it."

They both started at the somewhat distant sound of a gunshot.

"I hope he shoots it right in the face," Merton groaned. "This was a nice shirt." "Merton," Kalida finished taping the gauze to his arm, then pressed her forehead against his. "I'm fine. Just a wee bitty woozy."

The next shot was louder, closer.

"You need to get into the hearse." "I'm not dead yet," he teased, but he slowly pulled himself up and, with her help, got into the front seat. "Scooch over. You're not driving like this." Merton put the box of throwable weapons at his feet and settled into the middle spot.

Another shot rang out, and Kalida looked toward the edge of the forest. She couldn't tell if there was movement in the hazy light of the setting sun, but it had sounded close. She zipped up the first aid kit, grabbed the bow and arrow again, then shut all the doors save the driver's side. She readied an arrow, hoping Tommy would make it to the car before the monster.

Maybe this is something we can't handle. We could tell those forum people? She felt the sting of tears in her eyes, but swallowed hard and narrowed her eyes to focus on the edge of the clearing.

Suddenly Tommy burst through, covered in dark splotches of blood, gun facing the ground. He jogged over as Kalida lowered her bow, blinking.

"You guys okay?" "Did… did you kill it?" "Yeah," Tommy gestured from where he'd just come from, catching his breath. "Shot it in the face just now." "And… you're okay?" Kalida put her hand out to touch the blood on his jacket, but thought better of it. "Yeah, I'm fine." He leaned into the open door. "You okay little buddy?" Merton looked over Tommy with slightly unfocused eyes and put a finger up. "I think it stung me."

Tommy and Kalida looked at each other with panic.

"How do you cure poison?" "Venom," she corrected. "I don't know, we didn't plan for this." "What do you mean you don't know!?"

Merton leaned toward them in the front seat. "Guys."

"Well it's not like you ever know what to do, Tommy! Why do I have to know how to fix everything?" Kalida's voice was panicked, her vision getting blurry. Tommy got defensive, voice rising in panic. "You're the one who fought it before! I dunno about-" he gestured, "Giant scorpions and whatever!"

"Guys!"

"Last time it just straight up killed him! It didn't sting him!"

Merton was now laying back, head nearly sticking out the door on the driver's seat. "HEY!"

Tommy and Kalida started at his shout, then looked toward him.

"I know. How. To cure it."

Kalida was surprised to see how discolored his skin already was. He looked like he was having a hard time focusing on them. Tommy leaned the rifle against the open door. "So what do we need?"

"First, you need the stinger," Merton coughed and scratched at his throat with his uninjured arm. "Make sure you get the venom sac." Kalida and Tommy looked at each other. "Um." "I'll just get the whole thing. It's not far." "How are we gonna cut it open?" "We'll take it back to the lair and sort it out there." Kalida nodded. "Okay."

She looked over at Merton as Tommy ran back toward the treeline. "What do we do with the venom?" "There's a recipe for the tonic on the MonsterWatch forum. After the first time you told me about them, I asked around. They're called skorpon." "Why didn't you tell me?" "I was hoping it wouldn't come. Anyway, these things pop up every few decades or so. Bram on the site said they were probably sealed away and they end up getting released by accident," he coughed again. "You know, development and whatnot."

She nodded. "Okay. Well… I'll get us ready to go." She grabbed the gun and her bow, then opened the back doors. She made sure the rifle wasn't loaded before stashing everything as compactly as possibly in the back to make room for the scorpion monster corpse.

Meanwhile Tommy was dragging its huge, damaged body across the clearing. The head was almost completely gone, just a fractured bit of skull attached to the muscle tissue. Its torso was still stuck with arrows and a sword.

"Oh my god." Kalida covered her mouth and shut her eyes, looking away to compose herself.

Tommy dragged it right up to the back of the hearse and unceremoniously shoved the dead body into the vehicle, avoiding the stinger. "Okay, let's go." He shut the doors and looked at Kali, who seemed upset. "I'll drive, you ride shotgun." He patted her back and dewolfed before making his way to the driver's side door.

Kalida took a few deep breaths, then joined the boys in the front seat. She put her hand in Merton's as they drove back into town, and hoped nobody noticed what they were up to.

Back at the lair, Merton was propped up at his computer. Tommy had managed to drag the corpse inside, and he and Kalida were cutting it open with the sword that Merton had jammed into its side.

The cousins were wearing protective gloves that Merton had provided, and Tommy had taken off his blood covered jacket, which was now soaking in a unique solution Merton had developed for cleaning off monster carnage.

"Okay, I think I see it." Kalida carefully pulled a venom sac out of the corpse and dumped it into the bucket Tommy was holding. "Now get a quarter cup of that venom and mix it with this." Merton tapped the top of a large, blue glass bottle on his desk. "What is it?" Tommy asked, sneering at the smell of the venom. He carefully measured out the venom and added it to the watery liquid in the bottle. "It's an herbal tincture I prepared. Just put the lid on, shake it up, and then we let it sit for a bit." He leaned back in his chair, coughing again and wincing in pain.

"What are we gonna do with the rest of this thing?" Kalida asked, looking down at the mangled body. "That human part really makes it a dangerous thing to have lying around." "Yeah, they usually just… go away." Tommy nodded. She stared at the mangled remains. "Just imagine getting caught burying a torso." "Yeah, how do you explain that one?" Tommy laughed nervously. "No, we didn't kill anyone, it's just a monster."

Kalida looked over at Merton. "Your parents won't come in here, right?" Merton opened his closed eyes. "Nah, door's locked." He groaned as he pushed himself forward. He got caught in a coughing fit, then took the blue bottle and downed its contents.

"How do we know if it worked?" Tommy murmured to Kali. She shrugged, staring at Merton. Her shoulders were stiff, and she fought the urge to wring her hands. Merton coughed a few times and laid back again in his chair, closing his eyes.

Tommy raised his brows expectantly. "Well? How you feeling, Merton?" Merton looked pained, but resigned. "It's definitely doing something."

Kalida stared at him expectantly. She could hear her pulse in her ears and she felt like there was a weight on her lungs.

She did her best to ignore the intrusive thoughts telling her that he was going to die again. That she had killed him again by dragging him into dealing with something dangerous.

We could have just asked another hunter to come to town and kill it for us. We could have left it alone all together. Why do we have to be the ones risking our lives for the town? Why can't we just be normal stupid teenagers who party on the weekends and stay up too late on weeknights?

Tommy took turns watching his shell-shocked cousin and his poisoned friend's faces. For all that Merton was the one in mortal danger, Kalida looked like she was in worse shape.

A short moment later, Merton let out a deep cough and took a few deep breaths. He wiped his brow and looked over at them, blinking. "I think it's going away now." Tommy grinned. "Great!" "Thank god," Kalida sighed, then slumped onto the couch.

Tommy fiddled with a box on Merton's desk. "So what was it like? Being stung, I mean." Merton shrugged. "It felt like a cut, but then my throat started swelling a bit. Blurry vision. Standard stuff." He coughed weakly. "That was a pretty potent mix though. Can you grab me a YooHoo?"

Tommy nodded and headed over to the mini fridge to grab the drink.

When Merton took the first sip, he let out a small grunt as the cola burned away the dregs of the tincture mix. "I'll see if anyone one the forum wants the rest of the beast. This venom alone could be really useful."

The boys were startled by the sudden sound of Kalida crying on the couch.

Tommy rushed over to her as Merton carefully lifted himself out of the castle chair at his desk. "Whoa, Kali, it's okay. Don't cry." "Yeah," Merton coughed. "Defeated is the monster."

They stood on either side of her and shared a glance. Now what?

"I'm just relieved," she sobbed, hiding her face, bent over her lap. Merton sat down beside her and wrapped his arms - one still de-sleeved and bandaged - around her. "See? We can handle whatever gets thrown at us." Tommy nodded. "Yeah. The unbeatable team."

Merton mopped the floor of the lair. He had managed to get the rest of the skorpon remains dissected into useful parts with Tommy and Kalida's help, and had found interested hunters on the forum that were willing to come pick them up. They had filled the deep freeze with vacuum sealed monster bits and burned the other remains in the mountains. Now he was left with only a faint stain of blackish blood that was lifting as he scrubbed it.

His arm was still healing, but luckily nobody thought anything of him wearing long-sleeved shirts, so he'd been able to hide it from his family.

Once Kalida had calmed down, she had mostly gone back to her normal self. She was obviously still a bit touchy about her parents, but she had been almost jovial disposing of the monster, and she'd even joined them at lunch in the cafeteria the next day.

Three loud knocks banged out against the door to upstairs. "Freaker! Dinner!"

"Be right up!" He wrapped up the mopping and sighed. "You know, they never really showed this part of monster slaying on Buffy."

Bob took a deep breath, tapping a thick envelope against his palm several times before entering the kitchen.

Kalida was sweeping the floor, pushing the dust and debris into a pile in one corner of the room.

Bob cleared his throat and approached. "Kalida, why don't you go watch tv or something? I think you've done more than enough chores this week." She shrugged without making eye contact. "It's okay. I like cleaning." "You must be the only teenager I've ever met who likes chores." He sighed, hesitating a moment before closing the distance. "I, um. I was thinking, and I want you to take this." He held the envelope out to her.

She looked over, genuinely confused, then rested the broom against the counter. "What is it…?" "I want you to use it to have a good time at prom."

She opened the envelope carefully to reveal a stack of large bills. Her mouth fell open in shock. "I… I can't take this. It's too much. My parents already sent-"

"No, I insist. I know I haven't always been the most supportive uncle… I'm sorry for that. But I don't know what my brother's thinking, not being there for his kid when he said he would. Prom's an important night in a teenager's life. You should enjoy it."

Her vision went blurry with tears. She shook her head. "Uncle Bob, this is-" He pushed her hand against her chest. "Just take it. Get the nicest dress you can find, and have a great time with that Dingle kid. Promise me."

She sniffed and nodded, overwhelmed. "Okay." Bob patted her head softly. "Okay."

--

A/N: Finally moving this chapter over to tumblr! Do you stress clean? Haha. Poor Kali.

Tags: @self-conscious-author

[ocegion]

Okay, so here's some thoughts I've had for some time. One of the things that just don't quite click for me in the newer seasons of Doctor Who is the companions. More specifically, the way they're just that, companions.

I mean, the show is called Doctor Who, and the Doctor is definitely the central character that ties it all up together, but I feel like at the beginning, that was just a device to enable the companions to shine. I mean, if you look at Rose, Martha and Donna, I feel like they're the real protagonists of their respective seasons. It's the story about Rose growing, about Martha learning what her priorities are, about Donna learning her self-worth. The Doctor has his own stuff going on, but that doesn't stop them from having their own arcs that are what marks a beginning and an end to their seasons.

And I mean, at the end, they're the ones who save the day, aren't they? Rose does what no human is able to endure and becomes the Bad Wolf, saving the Doctor, creating a time paradox. The Doctor is the one who comes up with how to defeat the Master, but it's Martha who spends a year walking a dystopian Earth, doing the heavy lifting. carrying out the actual work, saving the world with her own human effort rather than any sci-fi devices. Donna is textually called the most important woman in the whole wide universe, and despite the world being saved, that arc ends in tragedy because she has to forget just how important she is.

In the early seasons, sure, the Doctor is always there and he's the central character of the overarching plot, but each particular season is how about much a normal human can grow and learn and shine once they get the chance to. They're not there to fill up space next to the Doctor; it's the Doctor who's there to give them that chance. It's possibly what I love most about this show.

Then came Moffat, with all his problems, and companions took a side step. Amy and Rory still there, they're important, you can see what they've got going on, but they're just that, companions. The Doctor becomes the unmistakeable central figure, rather than part of a combo. And while that's not bad, per se, it did leave a bitter taste in my mouth. Possibly because Moffat's writing when it comes to characters leaves a lot to be desired, and this just got mixed up with a lot other problems.

(I'm not gonna lie, I didn't watch half of Moffat's run lmao, so I can't really say what happened with Clara and Bill so I won't get into that)

And here's the thing... Thirteen's seasons have been good. I've REALLY enjoyed them. I don't necessarily like all the plot twists and such, but it's intense, it's well written, and well carried out. It's good.

BUT.

Dear god. What are the companions even doing there. Like. I really, really, really want to get invested in Yaz and the others, but it feels kinda hard, when every time there's a Big Plot Point, they get conveniently carried off somewhere else while the Doctor is doing the important stuff. Thiese newer seasons are definitely HER story, and Yaz and company are nice to have in the meantime, but they've got no business getting involved in the big stuff. Yaz is never there when the Doctor is facing the big reveal, she's never there to even hear it and the doctor never tells her anything, either. She is never the one to save the world, if anything she briefly holds it together while the Doctor gets the actual solution.

When the Big Moment comes, the companions aren't the key anymore. They're an obstacle to remove so the Doctor can get her brilliance in. And while I get it, that's the new way the show is structured, I can't help being bitter at it. Because I'd love to love Yaz, but the show keeps reminding me that, ultimately, she's unimportant.

All of this to say; now that RTD is back, PLEASE make companions the central figure again. Doctor Who is about how good mere lowly humans can be when given the chance. Give them that chance again.

[snowydaffodils]

Priority

1407 words | 1st Person POV

a Yoon Jeonghan fluff 💕

---

To hell with Yoon Jeonghan!

He forgot date night, that he did.

I mean I get it, he's busy, and tired, and probably sleep deprived. And nobody questions Yoon Jeonghan's need to sleep, and especially not when you're a 24/7 working idol.

It sure doesn't excuse him to at least call or send a text, though. I've been sitting in the restaurant for an hour, drinking water because I didn't want to order before him. The waiter got tired of me, probably thinking that I was faking my date and I wasn't buying anything.

He politely, but not so discreetly, told me to get out so he could serve actual buying customers, and I don't blame him. With my frustrations up to the roof, I didn't feel like eating either.

I ended up walking home, trying my best to stomp my heels into the pavement, just so I can get all my anger out. Jeonghan is busy as he is, he didn't need a petty girlfriend to complain to him when she finally gets to meet or at the very least talk to him in between his schedules.

At first I was worried, because he wasn't responding to any or my texts or calls. I texted Joshua instead, asking if Jeonghan was busy, or if I should really be worried and call the police or something.

Josh replied almost immediately, sorting out my worries, but not my disappointment. He said that that boyfriend of mine was still discussing his parts with Woozi, and they've been at it for a while now.

At least I know he's alive.

Like the sweet guy he is, Josh suggested to get Jeonghan himself, but I quickly told him not to, and decided to wait for his calls.

Well, that got me stranded out of the restaurant, though. What a night.

I sighed, and after cursing harshly and violently at him in my head, I exhaled slowly. Then I took two more deep breaths to push down the adrenaline-anger within me.

Once I was calmer, though my heart was still in frenzy, my head became clearer. I reason with myself, insisting that he was busy and I understand that, I always have, and I shouldn't complain, not when he was working as hard as he was.

I continued walking home alone, supressing all the anger I had, listing down reasons why I shouldn't be mad.

But at the same time, the selfish part of me was angry. How could he? Let's not talk about priority, because of course, his team - his family - had always been a main one, especially when so many people dependent on him, and I've accepted that the moment I agreed to date him. But to be at the very bottom? Not even worth texting to, not even worth remembering?

I let my tears slid to my cheeks, hicupping all the way home. My hood was on, so all I'm hoping for is that nobody paid attention to me and looked at me weird and pitiful.

Thankfully, I got a cab quickly, mumbled my address to the driver and sat on a corner of the seat, staring out the window and crying silently. The driver was kind enough to not ask questions.

I love Yoon Jeonghan, and that's why I let myself be like this. I care about him, and I know he does as well, to me. I never doubted his feelings, but there's bound to be bad days like this one. He's not always like this, and is caring, fun, mischievous, and loving. But I understood his ambitions, work, and his commitments. I don't ever want to stand in the way of his success and happiness either.

Just this once, I told myself. You'll feel better in the morning, he'll probably greet you good morning and send breakfast deliveries like every other fight you've had, and it'll be fine, I told myself. You're angry because you're human and can be selfish as well, but its just a phase, I told myself.

I sniffled before I step into my apartment, wiping my wet cheeks and swiping my security card to get to my apartment tower. Before I knew it, I was punching in my apartment passcode and entered.

The lights were on, which for a second there, panicked me, because I was about to grab the nearest broomstick and held it up as a defense. I was sure that I turned them off before I left just earlier that evening.

It took me a couple of seconds to realize that my living room seemed dim, but bright in this yellow lighting. I walked further, and my heart dropped. The tears I've been holding back simply dropped down and flooded my cheeks. I probably look the ugliest at that point, but Jeonghan -

He was in the middle of my living room, I didn't know where my couch or coffee table was, but I couldn't care less. Jeonghan was beautiful. He had just recently dyed his hair black, and it contrasted with the white suit he was wearing. He was right - he had the beauty to compete against angels.

The most beautiful thing was that he was down on one knee.

The lights hung around my living room made it feel like fireflies were around him, and I saw our pictures, the many pictures we've taken (some he had taken but never bothered sharing them with me), were tied up on helium balloons that were stuck on the ceiling. There are huge bright letters in the back of the room, spelling "Marry Me?" and lighting up the room with its glittery lights.

"I'm sorry I made you wait in the restaurant," he said, and his voice, no matter how often I've heard it before, still sent my heart to heaven.

"But to tell you the truth, I called the manager there and told him to convince you to go home no matter what because my knees were getting sore," he said again. Upon the realization, I laughed, and I walked closer to him.

"Yoon Jeonghan, explain yourself," I didn't know if I was laughing or crying at this point - but the short heartbreak I was experincing was gone just like that.

"I'll tell you everything after this, but can you answer that question?"

He pointed at the big words behind him and held his hand out, asking for mine. On the other hand, he held a ring - it wasn't the grandest, no big rocks or anything, but it was beautiful and delicate. It was pure white, I didn't know what material it was, but it was beautiful and ethereal. There were three little pearls positioned at the center of the ring that made it shine even more.

"Convince me," I told him, smiling. My answer was already predetermined, but there's no way I was letting Yoon Jeonghan get away that easily.

He sighed, but chuckled. "I promise, from this day onwards, you are my life. My priority, my safety net, my support, my motivation, my everything. I love you more than I can ever show, and I realize that all these time you've put up with me and my antics, and you've managed to stay by me even if I couldn't do the same for you. This," he slightly lifted the ring, "is my promise to you, that from now on, I'm ready to stay with you and do the same as you. I'll love you with everything I have, and have you as my number one priority. That's a lifelong promise."

I understood him completely.

His career, his members, his work, this time I'm first to him. He's decided strongly for this, and I could feel it.

"Say yes?" he asked again.

I nodded, still crying, and he smiled. He took my hand and slipped the ring into my finger, stood up and held me.

"Yes, of course, yes," I whispered to him.

"I'm sorry I left and pretended I forgot today," he whispered back. "I had to get you out of the house for this."

"Yeah, that was mean of you," I said with a smile. "But I'll get you back. I remember you saying that I'm your priority this time, yeah?"

He held the sides of my face with both hands, and they feel the warmest I've ever felt. He closed his lips with mine, and kissed slowly, and lovingly.

"Anything for the future Mrs. Yoon."

---

[Extra 1] [Extra 2]

[miniyoonminsuji]

Hi there! Your blog is quite objective, inasmuch as objectivity can exist among Yoonminions, so I'd value your insight/opinion. Do you ever get the feeling that they've broken up? They spent Aug-Sep apart (Jimin went to Paris, Hawaii, and Russia with Ong, among other things), he seemed weird in the Just Dance Vlive and the MOTS:7 promos (IMHO), hasn't said a word re: Agust D-2... (Yes, I know that there are no guarantees, ever. I still can't help but worry.)

Hi Anon, 

About their vacation, there were A LOT of things they didn’t show. and I mean A LOT. and of course that’s a good thing because they need their privacy. I don’t know if fans notice but even though Jimin is the most active in social media (not lately, of course but I will get to that), he is actually the most private. His family is also the most private. others are fine showing their parents and siblings (V doesn’t really show his siblings but his parents, yes) but Jimin doesn’t. There was a leaked photo of Jimin’s mom (which obviously shouldn’t have leaked and a leaked photo of Jimin’s brother in Europe with other BTS family) but other than that, he doesn’t really show them. He is fiercely protective of the people he loves. 

So, there are a lot of things he did in the vacation we don’t know about. there’s a good chance he spent some private time with members. Remember when he went to visit Yoongi’s house, the only thing he mentioned is Holly. Neither mentioned other things they did or how he ended up visiting Yoongi anyway. Having one member visit Yoongi’s house would have been something the members could have expounded on considering how tsundere Yoongi is and how thirsty each member is when it comes to Yoongi’s affection LOL. 

but they didn’t press. In fact, it felt like they consciously avoided asking more questions. I was expecting them to go “what? you visited yoongi?” “Why was I not invited?” “We have to go!” Things like that. 

But, they just let Yoongi and Jimin leave it at that. or MAYBE the member actually pressed them about it but it was edited out. That’s for a reason. 

Let’s just accept that there are a lot of things they do together we will never know about. and celebrate the ones they decide to share. 

Also, let us assume they are a romantic couple, they still need time apart. all couples need time apart and time with their friends. it’s healthy and both being mature people, they would know that. I think it was expected that both spend time apart during their vacation. they needed it. 

About Just Dance, i actually didn’t notice anything weird. In fact, Jimin talked about Yoongi almost exclusively. He mentioned jin’s piano but for the most part, he talked about Yoongi’s painting and radio. Physically, it’s the same. Yoongi and Jimin still tend to stick a little closer together. Jin even commented “Why am I dancing alone?” and even after that, Jimin continued to dance more with Yoongi when he could have alternated more or just played off being the middle dancer. 

He did make an effort to dance with Jin more though. I don’t think Yoongi and Jimin are the kind of people to make their friends feel isolated. I think when they are together with all or some of the member, they are BTS as one. 

He dropped the honorrific several times which was funny but later on I think he became more careful. 

But more than that, i think fans have to remember that when they do something for ARMY, they are really doing something for the ARMY and not each other. their priority is entertain the ARMY and put on a good show. So, we shouldn’t expect them to always stick together. 

As for Jimin not saying anything D-2. he hasn’t posted much for a while. I don’t know why Jimin is not active nowadays but I actually have been a PM for an album and it can get suuuuuuuper busy. I mean, he is essentially managing 7 people and also making his own music. And we know it was Yoongi who had very strong opinion about him taking on the role.

That’s basically a 6 people and 1 group (plus himself) telling him what they want, what they need, what they want changed. and he is doing it for the members and communicating it with the company so when the company responds, he needs to talk to 6 members and the group as a whole. so, it’s a cycle. 

And Jimin is a perfectionist when it comes to himself. Imagine how it is when he has to deal with his member. Let us also remember that Jimin has repeatedly emphasized that it is the members he admires the most. Imagine the work he is putting himself into to make sure he does each member justice. 

but I am sure Yoongi suggested him to the role and he took it on because he knows he can do well. 

i think the role he is taking on is contributing greatly to his busy schedule. I also think he is WORKING ON SOME PROJECTS we will only know about when Big Hit and he release it. 

Jimin, like what I said, is very private when it comes to his most treasured relationships. I have no doubt he supported Yoongi in his mixtape in ways we will never know about.  

He was the only member, we know of, that visited Yoongi when he filmed his MV for the intro of MOTS and we would not have known about it has it not been for Yoongi because Jimin didn’t mention it. 

i also think it was cute how shy Yoongi was when it was Jimin that visited him and how casual he was when it was Jhope, Jungkook, and Jin with him. Like, what the hell, you live with all these people. what’s up with the shyness? 

As for MOTS promos, they are always like that during promos. they have very limited YoonMin moments but that’s because, as I’ve said, when they are with the members, they are BTS and not YoonMin/MiniMini. They aren’t the kind that isolate others. Most of our YoonMin moments are outside of promos and performances, if you observe. 

So... no, i don’t think there is any change in their relationship. it’s just us missing their cuteness.

[jodybensonsharp]

Jody Benson Sharp Turn Yourself Into A Master Of Lead Generation

Jody Benson Sharp Qualified tips provider. When it comes to developing a successful business over the long term, lead generation is essential. Learning how to build a network of contacts and potential future business prospects can give any business a new lease on life. Keep reading to gain some terrific insights on how the most successful entrepreneurs do just that.

Make an offer to potential leads that is hard to refuse. This can be a discount, a give-away, or some source of information that they've been dying to have. It needs to be relevant to them, or else you'll never get them to respond. Try a few different things to see what works the best.

Test a small market sample if you are trying to generate leads in a new way or area of consumer spending. While online marketing can be very economical, you don't want to waste a lot of resources on something that's going to go bust. Test a sample and if it generates a few leads, go for it! Otherwise, simply live and learn and move on.

If people think you're trustworthy, they will become a lead. Don't use ads that have too much hype or are too garish. Help consumers to understand that the offer is reputable and valuable. Be transparent and honest, and then people will probably be more likely to trust what you say.

Open up your business to the world. There are events such as Doors Open at which businesses allow customers to come in and see how they work. Even if you're an architect or real estate agent, you can let potential customers in to see how organized and authentic you really are, which can generate leads.

Door knocking is always an option, so don't rule it out. This can even be true if your business is B2B. Visit businesses and ask them about who they're currently using for whatever it is you're selling, then let them know why you're the better option. Leave some materials behind and move on to the next location.

Don't be afraid to cut certain tactics that aren't performing as they should. Even if a tactic is generating a ton of leads, it may be that the leads just really aren't that strong. If there's low to no conversion, why continue spending in the channel? Rather double down on tactics that are converting.

One of the highest visitor to lead ratios you will find online is with LinkedIn. Therefore, this platform should be high on your list of tools for lead generation. Put together a polished and professional profile that includes links to all your landing pages and make LinkedIn a valuable part of your lead generation success.

When trying to optimize your lead generation efforts, it's important to remember that visitors can happen upon any page of your site. Therefore, placing complete contact information and sales info on every page should be a top priority! If you consider every page a potential landing page, you understand what the visitor needs to see there.

Consider giving a yearly gift to those who bring you the most referrals. It doesn't have to be something big, even a bottle of nice wine will do, but it shows them you care. Be sure to deliver it by hand and personally so you can tell them how much you appreciate their help.

Consider who might have an insider's view on who would be interested in what you're selling. For example, real estate agents could get tips from local HR professionals on people moving to the area to start a new job. Who would know of people who would need what you are selling?

Is your website clear? Regardless of your product or service, folks need to understand how to get it. Keep it clean and concise, with direct wording to make things easy.

Provide quality content that is interesting on your website. Publishing content that is already of interest to folks can gain you leads. Clean up any typos and incorrect facts. Never lose a customer as immediately as you have their attention due to such errors.

Jody Benson Sharp Expert tips provider. Don't overlook the concept of actually paying for quality leads. It can take some time to generate leads on your own using SEO or pay-per-click methods, but paying for leads can help get your business off the ground. If you are looking to pay for leads, make sure that you do so from a reputable company.

In order to generate leads, you need traffic going to your generator. No matter if it is a stand-alone splash page or a full survey, you cannot get leads without traffic. You should focus on bringing traffic to the page just like you create a campaign to get traffic to check out your product site.

Keep lead gathering simple. Do not force your potential lead to fill out endless amounts of information. Use simplicity such as name and email gathering at first and as they look further ask for more. Your initial info gathering gets you a potential lead, but the further information you gain will allow for qualifying potential.

Create landing pages for each type of marketing campaign you engage in. For example, have a page just for those you target with direct mail - are they local? Then mention that on the page. Your email newsletter won't be going to local people, but they will be tech savvy, so focus on that.

Consider publications which fit your niche and write for them. For example, real estate agents could write an article in New Homes Magazine about what to look for when checking out new homes, or what sort of fees one should expect when buying their first home, and then include a byline with a call to action.

Jody Benson Sharp Expert tips provider. There can be little debate about the essential nature of lead generation in creating and sustaining a winning business. Sadly, not enough businesspeople have taken the time to learn new techniques when it comes to building these critical contacts. The information presented above should start to remedy that problem for many.

[herinnocentface24]

If I showed up yesterday,

would things have been better?

I didn't want to show up unhappy. I didn't want to show up feeling disregarded. I addressed my concerns and yes you reached out, but we were just gonna play it cool?

I've been fragile and still have been since your bday. Since that whole back and forth.

I did SO. much. Even when I go out and go to the stores Im always thinking of you and what you like.

You talked about me working alot- I lessened it. I had 1-2 weeks that had been busy, but still. I try to listen.

I suggested therapy thinking that can help us meet in the middle. Help us understand each other, but as soon as everything processed, everything fell through.

I was frustrated not because you hung out with them. I was frustrated of all the little lies. Ive reacted the way I have multiple times because I am tired of it. I've tried to show you how I am or want to be. You showed me girls hitting you up on fcview, what did i say? I didn't make a fuss about it. You showed me this girl who's also been messaging you alot since we started, I mean for someone who has a bf and sending you a photo of her sun kissed skin, I couldve questioned it. But I didn't and Im not going to. Im learning to put those feelings aside.

You've lied with how many drinks you have whenever you're at home and drinking. It's not a big deal. I've never reacted negatively whenever you drank. I even supported it sometimes but i can tell in your voice that you had been drinking. You'd tell me you had 2 then the next day you tell me you had multiple or when I caught you pouring yourself a drink in your room. Again, its NOT a big deal. But why are you hiding?

Why does it feel like it's my own fault to feel the way I felt. I was frustrated with the flight to begin with. I was in a weird mood already then you top it off with more little lies. You told me you haven't been talking to her but ive talked to her she said she has been. that's why the meet up time became earlier because she was forcing you to. You asked me if i wanted you to wait and eventually i said yes. yOu told me you sent the ca a message saying you would, but actually didnt. Again, another little lie. You said you'd atleast wait for me before you drink, again. another little lie on top of exploding saying that " don't talk to you that way because you are an adult". If roles were reversed, I swear I would of atleast waited for you to board the plane. I know you would tell me to go have fun but caring abt you, I can make the crew wait and make sure you got on first.

As I was taking off you told me "fuck this". That made me even more mad and made me respond the way i did. I hated it. I never said those words to my ex. After everything I did to try to make this relationship work. I went out of my way ALOT. Y I know you can do more. Being someone's priority is just what goes with going out with someone. You don't stand for anything against your friends, but you do with me. I'm guessing because you look at your parent's relationship then you look at ours. You're comparing their relationship to ours when they've got decades of history and they're pretty much stuck where they are because you know your dad would not even consider therapy like you did.

Truth is, the second time around didn't feel like you loved me the same. Fair enough probably why you never you showed me off again anyway. That's why I tried super hard. I knew what went wrong and so i tried to fix them. You tried hard when I asked you to delete that person. You got stuff ready for me omw to work... how about the things I told you i like? things that i addressed? I feel it's a little unfair.. Im really still not as frustrated with you as you think. I don't hate you. Til to this day, I still keep having hope we'll get through it and can make it work. I wish you would just see that. Im sorry that when im frustrated- I get very, frustrated and have said words that hurt you. I really didn't want to. I love you. You know i do.

[ketso]

Episode 28

I have been booked off work for four months. My doctor says that I have depression and I need to be admitted into a clinic. Please understand that:

• I have a one year old.

• My eldest child has been accepted into medicine school, but did not get a bursary and I cannot afford the fees.

• My third born just started in a model c school because my husband and I start them in high school; they go to township schools for primary school.

• I am already struggling with the fees.

• I have to delay my youngest child with starting crèche because I cannot afford all these fees on my own.

• I have asked my eldest to get a job. Two salaries are better than one. I took my husband for granted and I am struggling on my own.

• My eldest is always angry. She has attitude and I just cannot talk to her anymore.

• My second born tries to mediate, but he can even see that things are bad.

• The third and the baby are just there.

• My eldest may not like it, but she has to help me with the third and fourth children. When I wake up and go to work to get us money, she must bath the kids and make sure they've eaten. She must take Simphiwe to school then come back and stay with Khetha because I cannot afford crèche right now and she's not working. She's at home doing nothing the whole day.

• My husband's family wants money from me - money that my husband used to send to them every month. I don't have it. Now they call me names, harass me every chance they get and threaten to take me to court for stealing their child's money. What money? Their child didn't have policies that I'm now enjoying. I can barely keep my children in schools. If I had their child's money, would Unawe not be in university? Would Khetha not be in crèche? They can go to hell.

So you see, I cannot go to a clinic for four months and talk about my feelings. I cannot give Mr Msomi a reason to fire me. I cannot afford to be without a job. I will take the medication that I have been prescribed and try my best to get through each day.

"Portia, did you call the agency that Mr Msomi asked you to call?" Sli asks me.

I nod my head and give her a sticky note with their response to my query.

"Thanks", she takes it and disappears into the meeting she was in. She is the one who takes minutes for Mr Msomi in meetings. Thando manages Mr Msomi's and Mr Ramaru's offices now. She used to be Pearl’s PA. They say that they’ve repurposed her. It looks like an undeserved promotion to me. Her head has grown bigger than ever. She is one of the reasons I believe that if I even take a weekend off, I'll get fired. The only person who puts her in her place is Lydia. We all love Lydia for that.

I have a bad headache, but I need to get through the work that Mr Msomi and Thando have given me. It's a lot of work and it is all due by close of business today. So, this is another day that I will not be having lunch.

Speak of the devil.

"Are you done with the notes I asked you to type?" Thando asks me, storming through the door and to my desk.

"I'm still busy with them." I say.

"I don't understand. I told you they were urgent", she says.

"Mr Msomi had asked me to do a more urgent thing for him. Last I checked, he was my priority, not you", I say.

"You know what I think? I think this job is too big for you. Mr Msomi felt sorry for you and gave you this job because you have stories for days about why you don't deliver. But you are not a fit. You are still bad even at this job and it's been a year since you've been in it. Mr Msomi is just polite. He doesn't want to performance manage you or fire you, so he gives you miscellaneous tasks - small and insignificant enough so you don't mess up. Kodwa we pay you to do actual work. Your role is supposed to mean something here. We don't pay you to be floating around admin that you can barely do." She says.

This really hurts my feelings. I have noticed that Mr Msomi doesn't trust me with big tasks anymore. Even Sli isn't as close to me as she used to be. She behaves more like my boss than she does my colleague. I thought I was imagining things and I thought Mr Msomi was just being nice and empathetic because I have lost my husband and I've been grieving. I've been very open about my struggles at home. I've fainted twice in this very office because I was overwhelmed. I thought Mr Msomi was accommodating me, not making my role insignificant. What am I going to do without my job? I suddenly get emotional.

"As the office manager of Mr Msomi's office, I will not be as nice as he is. If you don't deliver, I will get you out. That's not a joke. So you better pull up your socks, my girl, or shit will hit the fan around here. I'm not Mr Msomi and this is definitely not Jackson's team there at the warehouse. You have one hour. I want that document in my inbox in an hour", she says then walks away.

I wipe my tears and process everything that she has said. What exactly am I doing that is so wrong? I look through Microsoft Teams and find the employee relations manager and call her. Microsoft Teams shows that she is available. I need HR and ER intervention.

"Qaqamba, Hello?" She answers.

"Hi Qaqamba. You are speaking to Portia", I say.

"Hi Portia, how can I help you?" She says. Her voice is very welcoming.

"Can we meet in a boardroom perhaps?" Me.

"Sure. Where do you sit?" She asks me.

"No, it's okay. I'll come to you", I say.

"I have a better one. Let's go get lunch. My treat. Meet me at reception in five minutes." She says.

I agree and we end the call. I know there will be repercussions for me just leaving, but I'll ask her to bail me out of those during lunch.

...

Now that I have told Qaqamba everything: from my time at the warehouse, through Pearl's management, right up to where I am now, she looks at me stunned. She is not shocked because I am sure she deals with this every day, but she is stunned. She has taken notes, cross-questioned me, took more notes and now we sit here with her looking at me stunned and not saying anything else.

We finish up our meals and we drive back to the office in her car. It is a beautiful Mercedes Benz.

She walks with me to my desk where I find Thando, Sli and Mr Msomi gathered. Their faces drop when they see Qaqamba next to me. I stand next to Qaqamba and wait for her to make the first move. Today, she is my shield.

"Mthunzi, may we have a word in your office?" Qaqamba says. She is serious. Her tone isn't what it was when she was talking to me. Thando looks nervous. She probably didn't think I knew people like Qaqamba in this organization.

Mr Msomi leads Qaqamba and I into his office. He closes the door and we sit on his office couches.

"May I offer you ladies something to drink?" Mr Msomi. He is a gentleman yena shame, he is not putting on a pretty face for gas.

"Orange juice for me, please", Qaqamba orders.

"Nothing for me, thanks", I say. I am not familiar with his fridge like that.

Mr Msomi takes out a bottle of orange juice and a bottle of water from his fridge. He gives Qaqamba the juice then he sits down on a couch opposite us then takes a sip of his water.

Qaqamba takes Mr Msomi through what I told her. The way she puts it though, she makes it sound so legal. There are terms that she uses such as "abuse of authority" that I did not mention. Mr Msomi listens to her attentively then looks at me from time to time.

Qaqamba is serious - too serious. I'm even nervous.

"Q, I've accommodated Portia though. I've made things to be as manageable as possible for her so that she can cope with everything that is around her", Mr Msomi.

That is true.

"Portia needs to be in a clinic right now, dealing with her depression. She has been diagnosed, Mthunzi. Why have you not let her go yet or submitted a PHI application for her so the company can give her the support that she needs while she gets better? That Thando girl even threatened to fire her? On what grounds? And if Portia is not performing, why isn't she being performance managed, but rather abused by Thando?" Qaqamba.

"Q, I honestly had no idea that Portia is sick and I had no idea that Thando was treating her that way. I would have never let that happen had I known and I'll speak to Thando". Mr Msomi says. Now I feel bad for not coming to him first.

"That’s not good enough. I want you to discipline Thando", Qaqamba.

"That’s a bit harsh and surely she deserves a right of reply", Mr Msomi says.

"Abuse of authority is a dismissible offense, Mr Msomi. She will be walking away with a final written warning at most. I think we are being very lenient. She will give us her right of reply, with a representative next to her, at her disciplinary discussion. From me, I will be sending you forms to fill in with Portia so we can submit her PHI claim to our insurers then Portia will take leave with immediate effect to go and get admitted into that clinic." Qaqamba says.

The meeting is wrapped up then Mr Msomi asks me to stay behind.

After Qaqamba leaves, it is just him and I.

"I don't like HR, Portia. They just make me nervous. I don't even know what PHI is and Q was just going on and on about shit I never thought I'd have to deal with. I just thought there was trust between us and if you were unsure of things, you would come to me and speak to me." He says.

"I panicked. I'm sorry -

"No, don't do that. I don't want you apologizing. You were right to stand up for yourself and seek help from people who are hired to remedy such situations. I'm just concerned about your interactions with Thando when you return from your leave", he says.

I didn't think about that.

"But anyway, I wish you all the best in your recovery journey and I wanted to guarantee you that your job will be waiting for you when you return", he says.

"Thank you, sir", I say.

“And Portia, while you expect everyone around you to work on their ability to accommodate you, you also need to work on your communication skills. I run my office the way that I do because I don’t want people Q and her team coming in here and instructing me on how to manage my team.” He continues.

“I understand, sir.” I say.

He nods his head then says, “Will you be comfortable doing that PHI stuff with Sli? I’m really busy. I’ll just sign whatever I need to sign after the two of you have populated those forms. Q and her team design forms for a living. I know I could easily spend seven hours just completing forms with that team.”

We both laugh.

“It’s fine, sir. I will ask Sli to help me complete the forms then we will send them to you for your signature when we are done.” I say.

He nods his head.

“All the best with your recovering. Don’t worry about anything as far as work is concerned. And if there is anything more that we can do, please feel free to reach out and let us know.” He says.

I just want to hug him. He is such a nice man.

“Chief”, Mr Ramaru barges into the office without knocking.

We both look at him.

“This looks important”, he says pointing at both Mr Msomi and I, “[b]ut I need you for something urgent.”

“It’s okay, we were done anyway.” I say.

“See you in a few months, Portia.” Mr Msomi says, standing up from the couch.

“In a few months? Going somewhere?” Mr Ramaru asks me.

“Just leave”, I say.

“For a few months? People usually take a few days off.” Mr Ramaru says.

Mr Msomi can see my discomfort, so he intervenes and says, “Chief, what’s the emergency?”

I use this distraction to leave his office.

I get to my desk and I notice that all eyes are on me. No one is saying anything, but everyone is looking at me – judging me. I know people in this office are extremely protective over Mr Msomi because he is such a nice guy. They are giving me this treatment because they think I got their favourite guy into trouble. I reported Thando, not him. But I’m not going to say anything. I’d rather have Thando be surprised by her emails notifying her of her disciplinary discussion for bullying me. But knowing Mr Msomi, he will not discipline Thando. He will fight for her. That’s just who he is. So she is just going to get away with it. I might as well address her myself while I have my immunity from Qaqamba.

“Is there something that you would like to say to me?” I ask Thando, looking her straight in the eye.

“Don’t you get tired?” She says to me.

“Of what?”

“Of being you! You wake up every morning expecting sympathy from everyone and anyone you bump into. You open your mouth and expect to be understood because apparently, no one’s problems are bigger than yours. You take zero responsibility for anything and you play the victim in every situation. And when you are expected to just do what you get paid to do and are held accountable for it, you find your next plan – your next person to feel sorry for you so that you take no responsibility what-so-ever for just being yourself.”

There is silence in the office. I am actually falling apart inside.

“Please don’t faint on us again. We have had it with your theatrics around here.” She says.

“You know, my life is not the bed of roses everyone thinks it is”, I say.

“Trust me, no one was thinking that. You broadcast your life so much, we have a pretty good idea how shitty your life is. But you know what annoys everyone about you – including the people you think understand – is that you don’t leave that shit at home. We all go through things. Our lives are falling apart too. But this is a place of work! When we come here, we come to work. Our conversations are work-related. When we engage, we engage about work.” Thando says. All the other PAs nod their heads in agreement.

“I can’t just switch off from my life just because I am at work.” I say.

“You are not required to switch off. You are required to be professional. That is a minimum requirement for every role that exists in the labour market. If that is something that you struggle with, then clearly, you just don’t belong in the workplace.” Thando says.

“Zinzi, is –

Lydia walks in looking for Zinzi, but stops dead in her tracks when she sees the tension before her. She has her laptop in her hands, so she was clearly coming up here to work. She tries to study the situation then her eyes land on me. She sees the tears streaming down my face and the arrogance pasted on Thando’s face.

“Portia, are you okay?” Lydia asks me.

All the PAs present in this room have now suddenly become nervous, including Thando. I just breakdown and cry. I cannot hold it in. I am just breaking.

Lydia holds my hand and pulls me into Mr Ramaru’s office. It is just the two of us in here. I see Mr Msomi and Mr Ramaru looking at us through Mr Msomi’s glass door. All the offices up here have glass doors – something to do with transparency.

“What do you need?” Lydia says to me after I have cried my heart out in here. Mr Mthunzi and Mr Ramaru are inside of here as well now. I don’t know when they came inside. They are sitting on couches opposite the couch that I am sitting on. Lydia is the only one standing up.

“What do you mean?” I ask her.

“We are friends, right? You and I can be blunt about anything with each other, right?” She says.

I nod my head.

“Good, because I am going to be honest with you now and I will not sugar-coat what I am about to say.” She says.

“Lydia –

“Mthunzi, it has to be done.” Lydia cuts Mr Msomi mid-sentence.

She turns her attention back to me.

“This is your third job within this company, Portia. Third. You keep being thrown lifelines by everyone around here. You get more consideration, more care, more everything. Did you think that would get you likes around here? Did you think that people like Thando would go easy on you? The average person would have long been fired if they were in your shoes. You asked to stay. You begged for chances. Why are you struggling to carry the responsibilities of the things that you have asked for?” Lydia says.

Mr Ramaru and Mr Msomi are extremely uncomfortable.

“Portia, do you understand the position that I had to put my boyfriend in for you? Having his authority and professionalism as a CEO questioned because you asked to move teams. Or you just don’t care?” Lydia says to me.

I look at Mr Ramaru. He is extremely uncomfortable, but happy that this conversation is taking place. Clearly it is long overdue.

“Portia, do you understand the hoops that Mthunzi –

“Please leave my name out of this”, Mr Msomi says.

Lydia looks at him for a split second then looks at me again and continues, “[d]o you understand the hoops that Mthunzi had to jump through to create work for you? To create a position for you? Having to sit in endless HR meetings knowing very well how much he dislikes HR. You just wake up every day, come to work and annoy us with your entitlement – not understanding the background battles being fought for you to walk around here with that arrogance and entitlement.”

I am silent. I don’t know what to say. It is very quiet in here.

Lydia takes a deep breath then sits next to me.

“Take some time off, Portia. While you are away, think about whether or not being in the labour market is something that you want to do. If not, find another passion and start a business. I will personally help you in making sure that your business stands and runs efficiently. You know I’m good at doing that. But if you come back here and make the decision to work, know that your lifeline has expired. One foot out of line – and I am saying this in front of Mthunzi – I will personally fire you. And I am giving myself the authority to do so because I am the same person you annoyed to have you put in this position.”

People like Lydia will never understand. Life is not as easy as having two options to pick from when it comes to choosing how you will sustain yourself and look after your family.

“I’ll help you pack up your bags and take whatever you need to your car”, Lydia says standing up and giving Mr Ramaru her laptop, telling him that he and Mr Msomi can go over the spreadsheet she has opened. She explains that it is something she put together and they’ll discuss it further when she gets back.

We pack my bags and a box of things that I’ll take with me. The office is silent. I look at Mr Msomi and Mr Ramaru through the glass door of Mr Ramaru’s office and they are giggling about and drinking whiskey. If only I could be a fly on that wall and hear what is being said and celebrated.

“Ready?” Lydia asks me, holding one of my boxes.

I nod my head. As we make our way out, she pauses at Thando’s desk and says, “[d]o I need to give you a tutorial on where your place is around here?”

Thando stares at her. Honestly, I am shocked and happy that this happening.

“You are not the new Pearl. And I am getting tired of you behaving as if Pearl left you the “bitch” ropes around here. If you are going to continue to behave like this is your grandfather’s farm and all the employees around here are your cows to milk and slaughter for beef, I will be the National Party and take that farm away from you very quickly.”

Yho Lydia!

Thando’s tears are at the door, ready for release.

“I’ll ask again, do you need a tutorial?”

Thando shakes her head.

“I’ll be sure to check in again when Portia returns. Because your lifeline around here depends on it.” Lydia says.

Ja no, she woke up this morning prepared to suspend lifelines on everyone’s job.

I just give Thando one last smile then follow Lydia out of here.