#scheduled courier delivery

[deliveryservicesconnecticut21]

Schedule Delivery Service in Connecticut proved to be an inspiring example of a company that rose to the occasion. Their commitment to safeguarding the health and well-being of the community during the COVID-19 pandemic went far beyond the call of duty.

[same-day-delivery-services]

Door to Door Delivery in Connecticut, USA

[ironskyfinder]

Keep her nude in the house, regardless of circumstance. Make her expose herself to every driver and courier every time she signs for packages and deliveries. Bend her over the table and inspect her holes when the handyman drops by to fix that pipe, leave her standing there dripping while you write the check and schedule another visit. Host a party for her and her friends so they can see her in her natural state, horny and dumb and crawling and begging.

[loveroftoomanyfandoms]

Sweet on You, Chapter 5

Pairing: Matt Murdock x F!Reader

Story Summary: HERE

Warnings/Tags: Sugar Daddy!Matt Murdock, Idiots to Lovers, No Age Gap, Alternating PoV, No Use of Y/N 

Word Count: ~2k

A/N: None for this chapter except enjoy!

(Divider by the superb @theradioactivespidergwen !)

Tag List: @danzer8705 @capylore @shouldbestudying41 @atemydadforbreakfast @peachy-flxwr @sleepysleepymom @fishinsuits @milkbummm @lazyxsquirrel @beezusvreeland @caughtthefever @bohemianrhapsody86 @yarrystyleeza @indestructeible @pepperthebi-spy @kezibear

How does Italian sound for tomorrow night? I was thinking Casa Italia over on 51st.

You couldn't help but smile as you noticed the text notification from Matt on your phone. 

He had apparently texted you several hours prior but you had been busy taking notes for Mr. DiStefano during a meeting with an important client most of the morning and had just gotten a second to breathe before having to go pick up lunch for the partners (because God forbid they be willing to pay a few extra bucks for delivery and tip instead of sending you to go fetch it). 

That sounds great, you replied. What time and where did you want to meet?

You put your phone back into your pants pocket and gathered your purse, then stopped by your boss's office. “Excuse me, Mr. DiStefano, I'm heading out to go pick up your lunch.”

Mr. DiStefano nodded. “As soon as you get back I need you to input the payments that came in this morning and bring the checks to the bank since you didn't do it earlier.”

Your eye twitched. The reason you hadn't done the deposit yet was because right after you had signed for the incoming checks and the courier had left you had been called into that 3-hour meeting. As it was, you'd barely had time to lock the envelopes in your top desk drawer and forward the main phone line to voicemail before Mr. DiStefano was exaggeratedly sighing while looking at his watch.

You plastered a fake smile on your face. On top of still needing to do the day's deposit you also had to transcribe the notes you had taken during the meeting while they were still semi-fresh in your mind, return phone calls, forward voicemails, schedule more meetings, and prepare and send the day’s invoices. “Of course, sir.”

You continued down the hall towards Mr. Williams’s office, passing the doorway without stopping when you heard him and Mr. Abbott laughing together in Mr. Abbott’s office.

“...So then she goes -- she goes, ‘oh, okay’ and drinks it anyway!” Mr. Abbott was saying. “Dumb as a box of rocks, but at least she had a nice rack.”

You rolled your eyes before stopping in front of his office. What a tool.  

You knocked on the doorframe. “Excuse me, Mr. Abbott?”

Mr. Abbott paused and looked past Mr. Williams to you. “Yes?”

You fought to keep your smile. “I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm just letting you both know that I'm going to go pick up your lunches now.”

Mr. Williams, who had also turned towards you once he realized you were in the doorway, nodded. 

Mr. Abbott dug his wallet out of his pocket and handed you a laundry pickup ticket. “While you're out, pick up my dry cleaning for me. Thanks, dollface.”

What you wanted to say was ‘fuck you and your fucking dry cleaning’ but instead you forced yourself to remain calm. “Sure thing, Mr. Abbott. Mr. Williams, do you need anything else while I'm out?”

Mr. Williams glanced at Mr. Abbott briefly before looking back at you and shaking his head. “Not at the moment, no.”

You nodded. “Okay then, I'll be back soon.” 

Your smile dropped as soon as you turned away from the doorway. There goes any chance of me having a lunch break. At least by some miracle all three of the partners had ordered from the same restaurant today so you (probably) wouldn't be late getting back.

You took a deep breath. It'll be fine.You got this.

You made sure that the phone was still forwarding to voicemail then headed out.

You waited until you had gotten down the block a ways before you took your phone out of your pocket, pulled up your contacts, and pressed the dial button.

You put your phone up to your ear as it began to ring.

“Sky’s the Limit Tech Consulting, this is Roxanne,” said the voice on the other end.

You smiled at the sound of Roxy’s voice. She was the little sister you had never had -- despite your 11-year age difference the two of you had grown close over the three and a half years she had worked at DiStefano and Associates. “Hi, Rox.”

Roxy said your name. “Oh my gosh, hi!”

“Is this a bad time?”

“For you? Never. Just give me a second.”

You heard Roxy set the phone down and close her office door. 

She picked the receiver back up. “Okay, I'm back. What's up?”

“I just needed someone to vent to for a minute.”

“Still haven't replaced me and Tab yet, huh?”

You sighed deeply. “No, and it'd be one thing if they'd at least mention advertising your positions, but I haven't even heard a peep. I'm honestly starting to feel like they aren't even going to bother replacing you, because why go through the trouble of replacing the two people they lost when they can save money by just running me ragged instead?”

“I'm so sorry, I feel terrible leaving you by yourself. Maybe I should have stayed there instead of accepting my position here.”

You shook your head. “Nope. Not hearing that. You worked your ass off in order to earn your master's degree so you could get your dream job in Silicon Valley. You didn't know Tabitha was going to get fired 2 days after you left New York or that DiStefano was going to decide that 1 assistant was enough for all 3 of them.”

“Still, I feel bad leaving you to have to deal with all 3 partners by yourself.”

You rolled your eyes. Despite the fact that she had been absolutely useless, it had almost been worth having Tabitha around just to distract Abbott from hitting on and making gross, sexist comments towards you. “Ugh, yeah. Abbott just ordered me to pick up his dry cleaning while I'm out getting the partners lunch today and called me ‘dollface’.” 

“Eww.”

“And DiStefano pulled me into a 3-hour meeting this morning in order to take notes then made a passive-aggressive comment about me not having done the daily bank deposit yet.” You sighed. “At least Williams hasn't sexually harassed or made me feel incompetent yet today, but since the day’s only half over there's still a chance!”

Roxy groaned. “Girl, fuck them. Why don't you just quit?”

You shook your head. “You know I can't, not if I want to eat and keep a roof over my head while trying to help my mom with her hospital bills.”

Roxy hummed. “Speaking of that, how's your other job going? Found you a hot, rich ‘companion’ yet?”

You grinned as you thought about Matt. “Actually, yeah, I have.”

Roxy gasped. “Hey, that's great! So what's his name?”

You bit your lip. Roxy was the only person who knew about your S&S profile -- after all, she was the one who had gotten you to join -- but your contract made it clear that you wouldn't reveal the nature of your relationship with Matt to anyone. “I can't tell you. He wants to be discreet so he had me sign a contract saying that I won't tell anyone about him and me.”

“Ooh, is he a celebrity?”

You huffed out a laugh. “No, he's an attorney.”

“Married?”

“Nope. Or at least, he told me he was totally single.”

“And you believe him?”

You thought about how honest and genuine Matt seemed to be so far. “Yeah. Yeah, I actually do. He doesn't seem to be trying to hide me in particular, just how we really met and what our arrangement consists of.” You paused. “Anyway, it's really new. We met up for coffee on Saturday and had dinner together Monday night. He took me to Okinawa.”

Roxy whistled. “Okinawa? Wow, he must be loaded. When are you seeing him again?”

“Tomorrow night after work, actually. We're going to Casa Italia.” Which was again a very nice restaurant but thankfully wasn't nearl y as expensive as Okinawa.

“Ooh, nice. Fingers crossed that everything works out for you and that he doesn't turn out to be a creep.”

“Thanks. He seems really sweet so far.”

You slowed as you reached the restaurant from which you were picking up lunch. “I gotta run, but thanks for listening.”

“Hey, any time. Let's FaceTime soon, okay?”

“Okay. Bye, Rox.”

“Bye.”

You hung up and repocketed your phone, slightly disappointed when you didn't have another text from Matt waiting for you.

Even though your arrangement was strictly business, he made you feel like you mattered -- which was way more than you could say for DiStefano, Williams, and Abbott.

“Hey, how did the emergency hearing go?” Foggy asked as Matt walked into the office. 

“The judge granted the retrial,” Matt replied with a relieved sigh. “Now we just have to finish reviewing the rest of the evidence to find everything else we need to get Conrad's conviction overturned.”

He’d had to go to court first thing that morning for an emergency hearing -- a new client of theirs who had been wrongfully convicted of first-degree murder in the double shooting of his former fianceé and her then-husband (who had happened to be a U.S. senator) had been scheduled to be transferred from Rikers to a federal penitentiary in three days, but luckily while reviewing the case Matt had discovered a major discrepancy in what the responding officer had testified to on the stand versus what the police report had stated and managed to convince the judge not only to a retrial, but also to delay the transfer so Matt could have access to his client.

Foggy sighed. “You’d have thought that Sanders would've caught that, especially since his trial notes included what Officer Stanton had stated in his initial report.”

Matt shrugged. He had found in his and Foggy's years of law practice that most of the wrongful conviction cases they had taken on (and won) was because some harried public defender had botched their clients’ cases because of overlooked details (or in more than a few cases, just not caring since they weren't getting paid extra for it). “It happens. Either way I'm sure we'll be able to find what we need.”

“Yeah.” Foggy paused. “So hey, how was your date on Monday? Things were so crazy yesterday that I didn't even get to ask you about it.”

Matt smiled. Even though it hadn't actually been a date he had genuinely had a good time with you and was looking forward to your next evening out. “It was good.”

“And? I want details, man!”

“There really aren't many details to share -- she met me over here, we walked to the restaurant, had a nice dinner, then said goodbye and went our separate ways.”

“That’s it?” Foggy sounded disappointed. “Guess that means no second date then.”

Matt grinned and shook his head. “Actually, we made plans for tomorrow night before we left the restaurant.”

He took his phone out of his pocket and turned it back on. “Which reminds me…”

He waited for it to boot up and smiled when his phone announced that you had replied to his earlier text confirming your plans for dinner.

He tapped at his screen and waited as it read off your reply. “ That sounds great. What time and where would you like to meet?”

He tapped the ‘reply’ button. “ Is 7 PM at the restaurant okay with you?” With the retrial being granted, Matt knew that he would be staying late at the office since he needed to prepare.

“That sounds fine,” his phone dictated when you replied a few seconds later. “I'll see you then.”

“At least tell me about her if you're not going to give me specifics about your date,” Foggy said. “What does she do and is she hot?”

Matt chuckled. “She's an office assistant at an architectural firm not far from here and I really wouldn't know if she was hot, but what I do know is that she's nice and that we have a lot in common.”

“So when can we meet her?”

Matt shrugged. He wanted to make sure you were completely comfortable with his and your arrangement before he introduced you to his friends. “I don't know yet. Maybe in a few weeks? Depends on how things progress.”

He shook his head. “Anyway, let's get busy. We've got a trial to prepare for.”

[genshin-impact-updates]

"Duel! The Summoners' Summit!" Version 3.7 Update Details

Dear Travelers,

Below are the details of the Version 3.7 update "Duel! The Summoners' Summit!" and the update compensation.

〓Compensation Details〓

Maintenance Compensation: Primogems ×300 (60 Primogems per hour the servers are down)

Issue Fix Compensation: Primogems ×300 (please refer to the relevant compensation mail for more details)

〓Scope of Compensation〓

Maintenance Compensation: Travelers who reach Adventure Rank 5 or above before 2023/05/24 06:00 (UTC+8).

Please claim before the end of Version 3.7.

Issue Fix Compensation: Travelers who reach Adventure Rank 5 or above before 2023/05/24 06:00 (UTC+8).

Please claim the compensation mail before 2023/05/27 06:00 (UTC+8).

Our developers will distribute compensation to Travelers via in-game mail within 5 hours after the update maintenance is finished. The mail will expire after 30 days, so don't forget to claim the attached compensation in time.

〓Update Schedule〓

Update maintenance begins 2023/05/24 06:00 (UTC+8) and is estimated to take 5 hours.

〓How to Update Game Client〓

PC: Close the game, open the Genshin Impact Launcher, and click Update.

iOS: Open the App Store and tap Update.

Android: Open the game and follow the directions on-screen.

PS5™ and PS4™: Highlight Genshin Impact from the Home Screen, press the OPTIONS button and select "Check for Update."

Please do not hesitate to contact Customer Service if you encounter any issues installing the new version. We will do our very best to resolve the issue.

〓Update Details〓

I. New Character

4-Star Character "Cat Upon the Eaves" Kirara (Dendro)

◇ Vision: Dendro

◇ Weapon: Sword

◇ A courier for Komaniya Express, a delivery company in Inazuma. A nekomata who loves her job and human society.

◆ Elemental Skill "Meow-teor Kick"

◆ Kirara can deal AoE Dendro DMG while also temporarily applying Dendro to herself, creating the Shield of Safe Transport. When obtaining a new Shield of Safe Transport, the Shields will be stacked, and the duration will be reset. Holding the Elemental Skill will have Kirara enter the Urgent Neko Parcel state. When in this state, Kirara's movement speed, climbing speed, and jumping power are all increased, and her Stamina Consumption from climbing is increased. She will deal Dendro DMG to opponents she crashes into.

◆ Elemental Burst "Secret Art: Surprise Dispatch"

◆ Kirara uses the Special Delivery Package on opponents, dealing AoE Dendro DMG. After the Special Delivery Package explodes, it will split up into many Cat Grass Cardamoms that will explode either upon contact with opponents or after a period of time, dealing Dendro DMG.

II. New Equipment

New Weapon

Ibis Piercer (4-Star Bow)

The character's Elemental Mastery will increase by 40 within 6s after Charged Attacks hit opponents. Max 2 stacks. This effect can be triggered once every 0.5s.

◆ Ibis Piercer (Bow) and its refinement materials can be redeemed in the "Duel! The Summoners' Summit!" event.

III. New Main Story

1. New Story Quest

Yoimiya's Story Quest - Carassius Auratus Chapter: Act II "Star-Pickers' Passage"

Permanently available after the Version 3.7 update

◆ Quest Unlock Criteria

• Reach Adventure Rank 40 or above

• Complete Archon Quest Chapter III: Act V "Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises"

• Complete Raiden Shogun's Story Quest - Imperatrix Umbrosa Chapter: Act II "Transient Dreams"

• Complete World Quest "The World of Aranara" from Aranyaka: Part II "Dream Nursery"

2. New Hangout Event:

Hangout Event: Kaveh - Act I "The Pendulum of Weal and Woe"

Permanently available after the Version 3.7 update

◆ Quest Unlock Criteria

• Reach Adventure Rank 40 or above

• Complete Archon Quest Chapter III: Act V "Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises"

• Complete Alhaitham's Story Quest - Vultur Volans Chapter: Act I "The Illusions of the Mob"

IV. New Genius Invokation TCG Update

1. New Cards and Duelists

◆ New Character Cards: Venti, Zhongli, Raiden Shogun, Nahida, Shenhe, Tartaglia, Amber, Hu Tao, Yae Miko, Xiao, and their corresponding Talent Cards.

◆ New Character Cards: Cryo Cicin Mage, Abyss Lector: Fathomless Flames, Electro Hypostasis, and their corresponding Talent Cards. Their Tavern Challenges have also been added.

◆ Numerous Action Cards have been added which can be purchased from Prince at The Cat's Tail.

◆ New invitation duels and Guest Challenges added to the Player List.

◆ Added 20 new Open World Players. Reach Player Level 9 to unlock 10 new Open World Players, and reach Player Level 10 to unlock the other 10 Open World Players.

2. The Forge Realm's Temper

When the "The Forge Realm's Temper" event is open, you can select stages to challenge.

In each stage, you can configure the difficulty of different parameters. Adjustable parameters include: stage difficulty, the health of opponents, and the number of rounds to complete the challenge within.

Each set of parameters has corresponding points that will be obtained for completing the challenge.

After completing the challenge, points will be obtained based on the difficulty selected for each parameter. The best score obtained for each stage will be recorded, and will allow you to claim rewards that correspond to certain scores.

3. Arena of Champions

◇ Unlock Criteria: Unlocks when Player Level reaches 4

The Arena of Champions will open on the 1st and the 16th of each month. Challenge records from previous seasons will be cleared at the start of each new season.

Players will be matched with opponents of appropriate skill at the start of each challenge.

Obtain 5 victories to complete an Arena of Champions challenge attempt. 3 defeats will result in a failed challenge attempt.

If your challenge is successful, the Character Cards in the deck used will be recorded in the Character Honors record for that season.

Up to 9 records can be saved for the Arena of Champions. After 9 records have been saved, saving a new record will delete a previous saved record, beginning with the oldest.

Up to 10 records can be saved for challenge decks. After 10 records have been saved, saving a new record will delete an old record, beginning with the deck record with the fewest victories or the oldest record.

◇ Genius Invokation TCG Unlock Criteria:

• Reach Adventure Rank 32 or above

• Complete the Archon Quest "Song of the Dragon and Freedom"

V. Other Additions

New Recipe:

○ Kirara's specialty: "Energizing Bento"

New Achievements added to the "Memories of the Heart" category

New Namecards:

"Kirara: Neko Box": Reward for reaching Friendship Lv. 10 with Kirara

"Travel Notes: Secrets": Reward obtained via the BP system

Added some prompts for loading screens.

Added Set 23 of "Paimon's Paintings" chat emojis.

Added Gadget Quickswap Function: After adding Gadgets to the Quickswap Menu, hold the Gadget icon to quickswap Gadgets. The Quickswap Menu can contain 4 Gadgets.

Spiral Abyss

Floor 11 Ley Line Disorders changed to:

• All party members' Normal Attack DMG increased by 50%.

Updated the monster lineup on Floor 11 of the Spiral Abyss.

Updated the monster lineup on Floor 12 of the Spiral Abyss.

Starting from the first time that the Lunar Phase refreshes after updating to Version 3.7, the three Lunar Phases will be as follows:

Phase I:

Drumming Moon

After the character's Normal Attack hits an opponent, this opponent will be afflicted with a Sign of Snaring. After 3s, the Sign will be removed, dealing True DMG to this opponent. After a character's Normal Attack hits an opponent with a Sign of Snaring, the DMG dealt by the Sign's removal will be increased. This DMG can be increased for no more than 9 times.

Phase II:

Potent Moon

After the active character's Normal Attacks hit opponents, the DMG dealt by this character will increase by 12% for 2s. This effect can stack up to 5 times. Each stack's duration is counted independently. This effect can be triggered once every 0.05s. This effect will be canceled when the character leaves the field.

Phase III:

Willowy Moon

After the character's Normal Attack hits an opponent, the Physical or Elemental RES of this opponent will decrease by 6% for 2s, matching the Attribute of that attack. This can stack up to 6 times. RES decreases of different types can co-exist, and their stacks and timers will be independent of each other.

〓Adjustments & Optimizations〓

● Genius Invokation TCG

Optimizes the icons generated by Normal Attack "Frostflake Arrow" of Character Card "Ganyu" and Combat Status "Sparks 'n' Splash" of Character Card "Klee."

Optimizes the defeat menu presentation in Genius Invokation TCG.

Optimizes certain description texts and punctuation in Genius Invokation TCG.

Changes the status name "Normal State" of the card "Winged Dendroshroom" to "Aerial Superiority" in Genius Invokation TCG challenge.

Optimizes the effects described of Combat Status "Inspiration Field" for the Character Card "Bennett" in Genius Invokation TCG: After Bennett equips "Grand Expectation," the DMG increase requirements of "Inspiration Field" will be changed from "If this character has at least 7 HP" to being always active. The description of the "Inspiration Field" created by Bennett with "Grand Expectation" equipped is different from one created by Bennett with "Grand Expectation" unequipped.

Adjusts the effects of the Talent Card "Undivided Heart" used by Character Card "Ganyu" in Genius Invokation TCG: Ganyu will no longer get the +1 Cryo DMG effect after equipping this card.

Adjusts the number of charges required and DMG dealt by the Elemental Burst of Character Card "Ganyu" in Genius Invokation TCG: The number of charges has been increased from 2 to 3 and the Cryo DMG dealt has been increased from 1 to 2. The other effects of this Character Card remain unchanged.

Adjusts Elemental Skill Hydro DMG dealt by the Character Card "Fatui Mirror Maiden" in Genius Invokation TCG: "Deals 3 Hydro DMG..." is now adjusted to "Deals 2 Hydro DMG...".

Adjusts the effect and description for Summon "Ushi" summoned by the Character Card "Arataki Itto": "When your active character receives DMG, Arataki Itto gains Superlative Superstrength" is now "When your character takes DMG, Arataki Itto gains Superlative Superstrength."

Adjusts Event Card "Send Off" in Genius Invokation TCG: "Choose one Summon on the opposing side and destroy it" is now "Choose one Summon on the opposing side and cause it to lose usages by 2."

Adjusts the effect of the Equipment Card "Lithic Spear" in Genius Invokation TCG: Now even defeated characters will be included in the calculations.

When your Character Cards include "Maguu Kenki," all non-Cryo Elemental Dice will be used first for Elemental Tuning and playing your hand in Genius Invokation TCG.

Adds rules and descriptions relating to concepts such as "Defeated," "Food," "Calculation Order," "Charged Attack," and "Plunging Attack" for Genius Invokation TCG.

Adjusts the description detailing "Charged Attack" in Genius Invokation TCG. After the update, the description is as follows: Before your Action Phase, should the total number of your Elemental Dice be even, your Normal Attack will be considered a Charged Attack.

Adjusts the "Other Rules" tab in Genius Invokation TCG Rules into the "Other Rules" and "Special Entry" tabs.

Invitation Duels will now take place in the all new Invitation Duel Room for Genius Invokation TCG.

● Audio

Optimizes the sound effects for character footsteps when they walk across different surfaces.

Optimizes the sound performance of certain quest NPCs.

Optimizes the English, Korean, and Japanese voice-overs for certain characters along with the English and Japanese voice-overs for certain quests.

Adjusts the Korean voice-over related to certain items.

Optimizes the music switching performance when skipping the cutscene animations of Trounce Domain "The Realm of Beginnings."

● System

In the "Adventurer Handbook," "Commissions" and "Embattle" tabs now support pushing the right gyroscope on the controller to view more of the text.

Upgrades the background blur function in the "Paimon Menu > Take Photo" system.

Adds voice lines of the Elemental Skills of "Sprout of Rebirth" Collei (Dendro), "Treasure of Dream Garden" Dori (Electro), and "Admonishing Instruction" Alhaitham (Dendro) in their "Profile / Voice-Over" pages.

〓Bug Fixes〓

● Genius Invokation TCG

Fixes an issue in Genius Invokation TCG whereby when Keqing is Frozen and a Lightning Stiletto is used to switch the active character to Keqing, her skill could be abnormally used.

Fixed an issue in Genius Invokation TCG in which equipping the Talent Card "Grand Expectation" to "Bennett" would result in bonus damage being erroneously applied to his Elemental Burst if his own Inspiration Field was already active and Bennett's HP was less than 7.

● Enemies

Fixes an issue under certain circumstances whereby when challenging the boss Shouki no Kami, the Prodigal, the Neo Akasha Terminal is rendered unable to attack as normal.

Fixes an issue whereby under certain circumstances, there was a chance that the boss "Iniquitous Baptist" would abnormally enter a paralyzed state when only a single Elemental Shield had been broken.

Fixes an issue of erroneous display when defeating the boss "Guardian of Apep's Oasis" in Co-Op Mode.

Fixes an issue whereby the enemy "Ruin Drake's" head might abnormally change directions when Ruin Drake is in a Frozen state.

Fixes an issue whereby when an Anemo Specter was defeated, there would be a small chance that the DMG AoE was not in line with its displayed special effects.

● Quests

Fixes an issue with certain Archon Quests whereby there were issues with abnormal color display of elements on clothing for NPC Aether and NPC Lumine.

Fixes an issue regarding the absent voice-overs for certain NPCs in Gavireh Lajavard after completing the World Quest "Khvarena of Good and Evil."

● Characters

Fixes an issue whereby the Stormeye created by Venti's Elemental Burst can abnormally be destroyed by the boss Guardian of Apep's Oasis's aftershocks of the apocalypse attack.

Fixes an issue under certain circumstances whereby there is a small chance that after "Eons Adrift" Wanderer (Anemo) uses his Elemental Skill, he will abnormally contact other Elements or be unable to properly contact Hydro.

Fixes an issue whereby when "Verdant Strider" Tighnari (Dendro) uses his Elemental Burst, the in-game camera can have a small chance of working abnormally when playing on PlayStation®.

Fixes an issue whereby when "Coordinates of Clear Frost" Mika (Cryo) performs his Charged Attack, should the attack be canceled with a sprint, the special effect for a hit being made will be triggered.

Fixes an issue whereby in some cases, when a character switches outfits, you will be unable to switch over to said character.

Fixes an issue whereby in some cases, after a character defeats an opponent through Elemental Reactions, when they run into the same opponent again, animations of the opponent being defeated will be abnormally displayed.

Fixes an issue whereby Lisa's pupils are displayed abnormally after changing into her outfit "A Sobriquet Under Shade."

Fixes an issue whereby after Ganyu unleashes an Elemental Burst, some special effects within a certain AoE will abnormally appear to be transparent.

Fixes an issue whereby in Version 3.6 when Gorou uses his Elemental Skill, relevant special effects on the ground would display abnormally.

Fixes an issue whereby, under certain circumstances, if Baizhu is interrupted while casting a Charged Attack, his next Charged Attack would have a chance to trigger the interrupted Charged Attack as an extra hit.

Fixes an issue when in the Open World while Co-Op Mode is active, after teammates teleport elsewhere, some characters' effects that should affect other party members are still abnormally effective even from a vast distance away.

● System

Fixes an issue whereby the description texts of some items in "Archive > Materials" were not fully displayed.

Fixes an issue of abnormal display of weapon type in the character details page under certain circumstances.

Fixes an issue whereby under certain circumstances, while conducting the Mystic Offering, there was a chance that the crafted Artifacts would be abnormally selected as the next batch of materials.

Fixes an issue whereby the Shortcut Wheel could be opened abnormally while taking photos.

Fixes an issue in the Characters > Talents page whereby pupils of "Chivalric Blossom" Noelle (Geo) abnormally quiver.

Fixes an issue whereby there is a chance that an abnormal progress calculation might occur to the Achievement "Performance May Decline in Low Temperatures."

Fixes an issue whereby the Achievement "Deja Vu!" could not be accomplished. Travelers who encountered this problem can retry the challenge after the update to obtain said Achievement.

Fixes an issue of the absence of special effects of the weapon "Staff of Homa" when the Graphic Quality is set as "Lowest."

● Audio

Fixes issues with the "Character" interface in which the voice-overs for certain characters cannot be exited and aren't interrupted as normal when switching between characters.

Fixes an issue of missing sound effects in some objects.

● Other

Fixes an issue whereby when using an Android device to play the game, after some characters use their Elemental Skills or Elemental Bursts, the visuals will start flickering.

Fixes an issue whereby starting the game on certain Android devices causes abnormal sounds to trigger.

Fixes an issue in Co-Op mode whereby there is a chance of encountering abnormal challenge totals when the host player is engaging in the "Percussive Prancing Mushrooms" World Challenge in the "Realm of Farakhkert."

Fixes an issue whereby in certain situations, Hydro applications on characters or opponents will not clear as normal.

Fixes an issue whereby the tail model of Tent Tortoise (Wildlife) would display abnormally.

Fixes a text error in the item "Ancient Journal."

Fixes an issue with the description text of Baizhu's Passive Talent "All Things Are of the Earth" for Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, German, English, Spanish, French, Indonesian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Turkish, and Italian.

Text before: "Aggravate and Spread reaction DMG dealt by these characters will be increased by 0.8%."

Text after: "And will increase the DMG Bonus provided by Aggravate and Spread by 0.8%."

Fixes some text errors in 15 languages and optimizes text. (Note: Related in-game functions have not changed. Travelers can view the changes in different languages by going to the Paimon Menu > Settings > Language and changing the Game Language.)

Text-related fixes and optimizations in English include:

◆ Optimizes descriptions related to characters in Artifact cards in Genius Invokation TCG.

◆ Optimizes instances of terms "Candace: Grey Heron" to "Candace: Gray Heron," "Tamanooya's Casket" to "Tamakushi Casket," "Nakatani" to "Fujita," and "Eiko" to "Etsuko."

◆ Optimizes the description of Dehya's specialty "Goldflame Tajine."

◆ Optimizes consistency regarding descriptions of characters' talents that produce different effects depending on whether used by tapping/pressing or holding.

◆ Optimizes text of Mika's Character Story 4.

◆ Optimizes descriptions of certain emojis.

◆ Optimizes description of Skyward Pride's effect.

◆ Optimizes some lines in the Story Quest "Lotos Somno Chapter: Act I."

◆ Optimizes some of Mona and Noelle's lines in the Serenitea Pot.

◆ Optimizes some of Paimon's lines in the Archon Quest "Caribert" and the Story Quest "Leo Minor Chapter: Act I."

◆ Optimizes some of Tighnari's voice-overs and Archon Quest lines.

◆ Optimizes Qiqi's idle voice-over.

*This is a work of fiction and is not related to any actual people, events, groups, or organizations.

"PlayStation", "PS5", "PS4", "DualSense", "DUALSHOCK" are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

[wr0ngwarp]

my off oc Rome/The Courier :3

she is Dedan's beloved pet dog who lives in Shachihata and delivers mail between the zones, esp the Guardians' personal correspondence (...though there's been a lot less of that these days). dedan is nicer to her than he is to all his workers to the point she is literally paid more than the elsens.

she is very friendly and upbeat but also VERY self-serious and she takes her job as seriously as breathing. telling her to take a break in the middle of a delivery is akin to kicking her. she also started wearing a blindfold when the zones started going to shit so she can pretend nothing is wrong by just going I Do Not See It.

also she and the Judge dislike each other for no good reason. schedule thrown off by several hours because that damn cat WONT GET OFF THE ROOF AND THE DOG IS IN A VERBAL SPARRING MATCH WITH HIM

[beansricejc]

JOHN WICK x READER - The Courier

part 5!

The Courier Masterlist

summary: you & john are working today. you’re tasked with a potentially dangerous delivery, and he’s tasked with being the danger. female reader, 3921 words. I would recommend reading the previous chapters if you’re new, but it is not necessary!

authors note: ily all sm for the support and kind words! feel free to give me feed back at anytime, it means sm to me. this is more of a fast paced & fun one! I had a hell of a time writing it. enjoy!

warnings: cursing, action, minimal violence, organized crime

You and John were a working couple.

After officially becoming an item, both of you have worked hard to maintain a similar schedule so you could spend more time together. It worked out exceptionally, you even were able to cook dinner together the majority of nights. How domestic of you two.

Today would be one of those days, you knew for sure John had some sort of contract to complete, and you had an important delivery to do.

On busy mornings like this, with you doing some paperwork in your office, problem solving with the little time you had, John would always take it upon himself to pick up coffee and breakfast for you both.

This morning was no different.

You hand aimlessly scribbled signatures over different sheets of paper that your assistant was giving to you, it didn’t take long before there were three knocks on the cracked open door. You smile as John whistled through the door, waving at you both with drinks and a bag of food in hand.

“Sorry to take her from you, Mar.” John apologized to your assistant, who of course didn’t mind. She excused herself from the office, leaving you two to have a few minutes of peace.

“You know you’re the best, right?” you asked John as he walked up to you, giving you a peck on the forehead before sitting next to you in one of your office chairs.

“Yeah, you do tell me all the time,” he replied, handing over your usual Starbucks drink and bodega bagel order. Just the smell of it alone almost made you moan, and the both of you dug in. Neither of you had much time but the moments before the real work began were something you could cherish with him.

You noticed the fact that he had his work suit on already. You’ve never seen him wear a monochromatic outfit as of yet but god damn, did it look good. Black on black on black, accentuated by his long black hair.

Lord have mercy on you.

John noticed you eying him up, and he shot a smirk over to you from across your desk.

“You like the matching look?” he asked teasingly, and you laugh.

“I mean, it looks good as fuck. Sorry, anyone with eyes should be able to see that,” you say after taking a sip of your iced latte. You can feel the espresso work moments after it goes into your system. John and you continue your fun banter as you finish your breakfast, the 7 minutes of time together flew by. Eventually, John stands up and you join him, kissing him quickly on the lips. He takes the opportunity to give your ass a fast squeeze, earning a gentle gasp from your mouth.

“Shithead!” you curse, John snickering before escaping the office.

“See you tonight, angel!”

John left faster than he came. You try to ignore the emptiness in your chest, knowing for a fact you’d see him later.

-

John had driven across town to a different headquarters that belonged to, who other, than the Russians. A car chop shop, as opposed to your motorcycle chop shop. John didn’t really enjoy working with these guys but the money was good and the job seemed simple enough.

After killing Abram’s brother, Viggo, John now had a neutral relationship with this gang.

Abram wanted none of the smoke, as you would say.

John still had no idea what that meant but he figured you’d probably describe Abram as such.

John was welcomed into the large industrial complex with open arms. Arms that were terrified of what would ensue if they weren’t open but open nonetheless. Dozens of men seemed to be yelling different things at each other in the dimly lit building as John was guided through the chaotic environment.

This place was a complete 180 from your organized, clean, and seamless workplace.

Guess a woman’s touch really did help everything.

John was an entirely different man on the job. His face kept this unsettlingly calm demeanor when he spoke to anyone, this was not the man who loved you back at home. No, this was someone else.

Abram and John discussed the details of the job in his office. John was to retrieve an item and bring it back to Abram, under any circumstance. If anyone could do this job, it was him.

“What even is it, if I may ask?” John interrupted Abram’s rambling that he was tuning out.

The Russian man cleared his throat, obviously annoyed that John hadn’t been paying attention. Not like he was going to do anything about it though, being on bad terms with John Wick was like signing your own death certificate.

“Family heirloom. Pigeon blood ruby, if you must know. It’ll be in a locked box, and whoever is transporting it doesn’t even know what it is.” Abram answered.

The mob boss handed John some paperwork of where the item was being picked up, at an address about 15 minutes outside of town, in an hour.

“If I have to kill anyone, it’s an extra 30 grand for each head. Got it?” John reiterated to Abram, leaving the office and building, paperwork in hand.

This guy was paying John a base pay of two hundred thousand dollars to get some stupid gem for him. He wondered if Abram was telling him the truth, not like it really mattered anyway.

John grumbled as he started his car, punching in the address to the location given to him. Now that he was alone, he would be able to take down his ice cold attitude a bit.

John smiled softly when he opened his phone to a few notifications from you, 4 text messages.

Two were images, a meme that he thought was confusing but still funny, and a selfie of you with a peace sign up and your riding helmet on. His gaze completely melted at just the sight of you, even if your face wasn’t showing from the face shield of the helmet.

John may or may not have been falling in love with you. His eyes began to read the other two messages he sent you.

Y/N: omg! V important question!

Would u still date me if i turned into a worm?

John couldn’t help but laugh at those messages.

Yeah, he was definitely falling in love with you. It horrified him, how fast he slipped into his feelings for this powerhouse of a woman, even if you were so much younger than him. He’s never exactly seen you work work, he could only imagine you in your element, on a motorcycle, everything else blocked out and in control of the entire situation.

The thought scared him.

He would not want to be the person who could have potentially been chasing you during one of your jobs.

-

Music was blaring from the inside of your helmet as you drove down the street to your pick-up spot, just another job. You weren’t requested for jobs that often, maybe a few times a month. A typical delivery would go to one of your average employees, who still were plenty capable of driving well and defending themselves.

Then there was your more expensive group, each with a couple of kills and police chases under their belt. These were women who you had first hired a few years ago when you initially expanded your business to keep up with demand.

Then there was you.

Y/N.

A true force to be reckoned with on the road. You grew up doing competitive Motocross as a teenager, trained by your super redneck uncle, about an hour outside of New York City. You made sharp turns, sky-high jumps and any other trick on a bike look like a walk in the park. So of course, this was like the perfect job you could have gotten into.

Some old-school Paramore was angrily making its way into your ears as you pulled up to the location, you huffed out and paused your music, and dismounted.

It was like muscle memory at this point. Dismount, take out a tablet, walk up to the door, pick up whatever was so important, and be on your way.

So you did. The blonde guy who answered the door had some funky Norwegian accent and was quite friendly towards you. He sent you on your way after signing the touch screen, and on your way back to your bike, you inspected the metal box he had given you.

It wasn’t very heavy, a pound maybe. The box wasn’t bigger than a Bible, raising your eyebrows you shrugged and slipped it into your backpack.

Whatever, as long as it wasn’t a bomb, you didn’t care. Tugging your backpack over your shoulders, you clicked the bag plugs around your chest and fastened the straps for a more snug and secure fit. It would totally suck if your bag fell off during this drive.

-

John was turning onto the road, he may or may not have been running behind on schedule.

He was totally falling behind schedule.

John squinted his eyes at a figure riding a motorcycle down the opposite side of the road as him. Could that be the transporter?

The timing matched up perfectly. That was the guy.

As you rode down the street, you now changed the playlist to some sort of high-speed Vocaloid dance tunes, a fantastic soundtrack to ride to at any time of day.

You spotted a familiar vehicle swerving onto your side of the road, bum rushing you head-on. It was a black muscle car, your music made it so you couldn’t really hear it, which was on purpose. Your tunes helped you stay in your zone.

“Well shit,” you muttered, you didn’t expect there to be a challenger this early on in your 20 minute trip. What to do, what to do?

You had enough room on the opposite side of the road to do a last minute swerve, if you timed it right, you wouldn’t have to hit this damn car. You grunt.

John swore whoever was riding in front of him looked familiar.

He noticed whoever it was, wasn’t letting up.

John frowned and accelerated, as you turned your handles just right to barely skim past the passenger side of the vehicle. A classic game of chicken.

“Fuck!” John yelled, knowing he’d have to make a sharp turn to try to catch up to his target.

Which just so happened to be his younger girlfriend. His meme loving, tough-as-nails, crime lord girlfriend.

Did he not put two and two together while taking this job?

Probably not, since the money was so good.

You laughed as you accelerated down the road, not afraid to lean the bike all the way down to the pavement to make the turn that was up ahead. You were a trained professional after all. If anyone knew what they were doing, it was you.

John’s eyes practically bulged from his head when he saw that move as he whipped his muscle car around. His brain almost couldn’t comprehend it.

“Holy fuck!” he exclaimed as he went full speed ahead behind you.

His car wasn’t necessarily meant for chases, in fact, he didn’t think this job would last more than 45 seconds. Unfortunately, he was wrong. John’s jaw and hands clenched, really annoyed that whoever was driving that bike clearly had at least a good amount of talent.

He couldn’t lose him.

Has John not added it up yet? What a moron.

You peeked in your side mirror, noticing the car was almost on your tail, so you speed up a bit and take the nearest exit ramp.

Who the fuck even was that? You have no idea why it’s just some random guy coming after you, usually, it was a whole crew of SUVs that would gang up on you on the road, not just a single muscle car.

God, this was weird.

John gritted his teeth as he sped up, right behind you as you were trying not to cause attention to yourself in order to avoid the police. John’s palm slammed on his steering wheel, honking the horn at you to pull over. You can’t hear it, but you do notice how close the car is in your mirror.

And that’s when you noticed a hand reaching out the window, aiming a Glock 17 directly at you.

“Shit!” you yell, ducking into your bike and taking a deep breath, you needed full concentration. You move into the middle sections of the lane next to you, using the white lines to guide your bike as you sped ahead of the traffic that you were once behind. Whoever was coming after you would have to shoot through their windshields before they even got to you.

“Mother fucker!” John hissed, he didn’t want to admit it but he was more than impressed.

You peel ahead, getting off at the exit that the GPS tells you to. You can feel that this car wasn’t too far behind, so you whip your motorcycle around, facing the wrong way towards the exit, and draw your Ruger Max-9 from your hip, both of your feet balancing you and your bike on the ground.

John sees the sight of this rider pointing a gun at him as he floored it up the exit, and then hit the brakes abruptly, scampering out of his vehicle in great annoyance. His eyes only saw this target as a fresh meal, he didn’t mind when his victims fought back, especially if they were a bit of a challenge.

But as he gets out of the car, you finally recognize the driver.

It’s John.

You immediately assume the worst. This industry was cutthroat and unforgiving, someone had hired John to make you fall in love with him, and then when you were least expecting it, he’d kill you at the right moment.

Of course that wasn’t the case at all but you expecting the worst situation possible is what kept you alive in this career. The rage of betrayal is pumping in your veins, all you want to do now is to get revenge.

For yourself. For your heart and soul, for pouring your affection into a man just to have it spat back at you in your face when things are going so well for you.

As he approached, he grabbed his gun as well, you were only an expert with high speed combat, never on an actual battlefield.

Guess there was a first for everything.

“I fucking loved you!” a snarl erupted from your lungs as you charge him. John stopped cold in his tracks, your much smaller frame tackling his huge one to the ground, and you smash the hilt of your gun to his cheek.

“Woah, woah, HOLD ON!” John hollers, cursing at the sudden impact on his face, and restrains you in the middle of the road with his impossibly strong arms. Tears are falling and soaking your cheeks, and he pulled the helmet off of your head as you squirm in grasp.

It’s a repeat image of three years ago, him taking your protective gear off so he can get a better look at your face back at the Continental. He had pushed his playboy moves on you and was convinced you would fall for it.

Little did he know, he wouldn’t be a bachelor in three years.

Now here he is, with his sobbing girlfriend in his grip, you start to punch his chest while John is still trying to piece everything together. So his target, was you? You weren’t necessarily a hit, he just needed whatever you were delivering. He widened his eyes at everything fitting into place.

“Y/N? Baby? Oh no, angel, I would never hurt you.” John cooed as he hugged you into his chest. You grunt in disbelief.

“Oh, so that was just for fun? Your little stunt there? You weren’t hired by some gang to make me fall for you and then kill me after I trusted you? Because that’s what it looks like to me!”

John’s heartbeat heightened, and he realized that he didn’t look good for him, at all actually.

“What?! No, of course not!” he exclaimed as a pickup truck drove past them on the road. He was enraged that you had even thought of that as a possibility. “I didn’t think this through at all!” he groaned.

A car horn blasted at the both of you.

“Get the fuck out of the road you whores!” an older man screamed from the truck as he passed the pair of you.

Fantastic.

John grunted and picked your smaller body up and dragged you to the shoulder where both of you were parked.

“I didn’t know sweetheart, oh god, baby. I was hired to get something from a transporter, I didn’t even think of you being the target!” John cried out, attempting to explain himself. “Baby, listen, I can give it back to him and we would be 200k richer.” John nervously chuckled.

You frowned at him. So now he was underestimating how important this job was to you? As if your entire reputation wasn’t based on how successful you were.

“You almost shot me! And tried to run me over! Douchebag!” you yell, pounding on his chest. This wasn’t like the clear headed, logically thinking Y/N he knew.

God, what has he done?

John sighs at the thuds being landed to his torso, you were strong but with the kevlar suit it felt like nothing to him.

John shuts you up by pressing his lips firmly to yours in a forceful kiss, your body is unintentionally straddling his and if you didn’t know any better, you could totally see you guys fucking on the side of the road right now.

“I never knew you’re that impressive on a bike, holy hell, baby.”John giggled in an attempt to change the subject. You groan.

“I get half of that 200k, alright? I’ll have some of my girls beat my ass so it looks more realistic.” You tell him.

John widened his eyes. Now that’s dedication.

You wanted to go through the scam. “But we’re not done talking about this.” You hiss at him, standing up.

There’s fear coursing through your veins, your natural instincts are to run as fast as you could. When John was chasing you, he wasn’t your John at all.

He was a harbinger of death.

You had skills, you could defend yourself but this? This was a whole other level. Another creature entirely that you had absolutely no chance in hell to defeat.

You thought of this silently as John unzipped your backpack and grabbed the package, placing a soft peck on your cheek.

“I’m so sorry, again, you didn’t deserve that. I don't know, I just didn’t recognize you or think about any of it I suppose.” John sighed. He felt like a complete jackass at this point.

You shudder at the thought of what could have happened to you if you weren’t his girlfriend.

Wait.

The gears in your head were turning. Dumb idea time? Not exactly. It was a really good idea.

Genius.

John was feared internationally, absolutely no one would dare cross him unless they wanted a bullet between the eyes within a few hours.

You? You had respect, you earned your spot on the food chain, you were yet to be feared. Realistically you would never have the reputation that John had.

If you mess up this job, there would probably be dire consequences with clients, if John messed his job up, he would just fumble a big check.

Interesting, very interesting.

Your hands dug into your backpack, picking out a small device that you had one of your on call engineers make. It was about the size of a quarter, and detrimental.

Hopefully John wouldn’t hate you after this.

You take a deep breath and follow John to his car, making small talk as you discreetly stuck the device to the hood of his car, flipping a small plastic switch on the top of it.

It was a micro sized EMP.

Made out of materials from a disposable camera, you paid a pretty penny to make sure these were only made and used by people in your crew.

John set the metal box on his driver’s seat.

Perfect timing.

You sighed and gave him those big doe eyes that he just melted for. John hummed and went in for another kiss on your lips, passionate and heavy.

This is when your arm reached to the box, securing it in your hand, as your other hand palmed the growing bulge in his pants. Oh god, this was just too easy. Did you feel bad for manipulating him right on the spot? Of course you did. Your career was on the line though, and this was the only way you could save it.

“You promise to never be mad at me?” You asked as you broke the kiss, soft words leaving your lips. John chuckled.

“Of course, Princess.” He cooed, brushing a few strands of hair behind your ear. You nod, plant a kiss on his big nose, and turn around quickly, hoping that John didn’t notice the object in your hand.

He didn’t. He was too busy staring at your ass in those motorcycle pants. In the moments you were walking casually towards your bike, your heart was thudding at a stupidly quick rate.

John still hasn’t noticed, he’s too busy ogling you from the driver’s door of his car. The way you tug your helmet on, he was just mesmerized by everything you were doing.

You opened a small storage space on your bike and quickly shoved the box inside, starting the vehicle. You looked behind you and blew your terrifying boyfriend a kiss. John reached his hand up, pretending to catch it in the air.

Your heart sinks a bit, that was so cute. But you had a job to complete, and John wasn’t going to be too happy about the state of his car, or his unfinished contract.

As you peeled off, John sighed and looked down to get back into his car.

Wait.

John froze as he stared at his empty driver’s seat, where was the box? Where was it?! He furrowed his dark eyebrows and jerked his head up, noticing that you were already out of sight.

“You little…” he muttered, clenching his fists and going in to start his car.

He turned the key.

Brrrrrrr. Brrrrrrr.

John’s stomach dropped as he found out his car wasn’t starting as usual. There was no way, no way you could have done this to him, right?

Try one more time for good measure.

Brrrrrr.

“Shit!” He cursed, slamming his hand on the steering wheel, teeth gritting as the blood swam to his face. He didn’t know how but you managed to disable his car without even opening the hood.

He let out a frustrated laugh, shaking his head at the current position he was in.

His girlfriend, you, really just got the best of him.

Un-fucking-believable.

You snickered as you drove away, not sure how you even managed to do that, clearly you were victorious as you noticed there was no black charger chasing you anymore.

You were never going to hear the end of it from him, and your ass was going to be sore after he was done with you.

[my-favourite-zhent]

New Tricks - Chapter 18

Status: Work In Progress

Version: 1.01

Pairing: Rugan x AFAB!OC

Rating: NC-17 (This chapter PG-13)

Genre: Adventure/Romance

Summary: Misadventures of Rugan and the original Zhentarim Gate's crew before and during the year of three sailing ships.

Notes: Update schedule has been slower of late but I'm still chugging along.

Posting this a little later than promised. I was mostly happy with the first pass but it needed some smoothing over here and there.

As always my lovely betas @fistfuloftarenths and @dustdeepsea gave me a lot of great suggestions as well as grammar checking (I can't place a comma to save my life) and I'm endlessly grateful to them.

Be sure to check out fortune in brief minutes tell and Gods and Monsters.

Table of Contents

Read Here on AO3 or below the cut.

Winter in the Gate had passed quietly enough. While Rugan usually enjoyed the break that the end of the caravan season provided; this year he found himself bored and restless.

There wasn't as much to do in the offseason. Inspect the wagons and storehouse for rotting boards, grease the wheels, feed the horses and oxen. Maybe shake down a shop keep or two that were behind on their protection money if you were really bored. Their coffers were usually empty this time of year regardless, so it was really more of a sport for Bellar. Logistics were mostly handled by Zarys and Amnos, one of the senior caravan agents. Rugan occasionally read the prepared notes but too much gave him a headache. He knew the routes and their complications by heart now besides.

That left a lot of free time, but his appetite for whoring had been somewhat diminished, and Brem had accused him of getting on in years.

“Told you to take better care of your knees, old man,” he had said.

“I'm not five years older than you, Brem.”

“Ah, but I do stretches.”

Garias had laughed at that, and Rugan had waved them both off.

He'd taken Olly out on some small delivery jobs for Danzo over at Sword Coast Couriers in Rivington. The bulk of Danzo’s business was legitimate, but the real money maker was the more illicit deliveries. It was a well kept secret that the Couriers were a front for the Zhents. Much of the inventory Rugan's crew brought back from Elturel passed through Couriers before its final destination. 

Caravan season was over however, so available work was of a simpler sort. Small things about the city and surrounding suburbs. A little Silk Root here, some forbidden artefact there. A lot of weird shite for that fucker that ran Sundries. Though the trips were short, it was still frustratingly cold and wet in the Gate. More than once he had run his hands over the wool of his cloak appreciatively. He had been considerably warmer and dryer this year than last, and he knew who to thank for that. Olly still wore Rugan's old cloak, but not nearly enough layers underneath.

“Last time I went to buy a wool shirt in my colours someone kept singing the sheep fucker song.” Olly complained when Rugan chastised him for it.

These Men of Zhentil Keep , a sea shanty that Rugan was well acquainted with from his days in Luskan. The lyrics were… less than complimentary.

“Olly if someone sings that damned song you smash their face in.”

“You said not to start fights in the Gate.”

“That's not starting a fight, lad, that's finishing it.”

By the middle of Ches the roads had thawed and the trade routes were back up and running. Rugan was thankful for the distraction of work. Something to do, places to be. Simultaneously he felt a strange sort of anxiety being away from home, though he didn't dig much deeper into the why of it. 

Still it was with great relief that he returned to the Elfsong after the first run of the season.

The inn was a sight better than other drinking spots in the lower city. The Mermaid, despite being above ground, was the very definition of a dive bar. You were more likely to have your pockets picked or a bottle smashed over your head than you were to have a pleasant evening. There was that bard’s tavern as well, the Singing Lute. But it was cramped inside, entirely too personal, with only one exit, and the staff’s demeanour left something to be desired.

But the Elfsong? Thanks to its popularity among tourists it was almost as nice as anything in the upper city. The herringbone floors were stained a lovely dark colour something akin to kathei. The walls were properly plastered and had wooden panelling to match the floors. Larger than the Lute, the Elf Song had multiple entry points in case of trouble. As well as isolated booths along the far wall, each equipped with plush emerald green curtains should one desire more privacy.

The other perk of being a tourist destination was an ever changing rotation of beautiful tourists and adventurers passing through. Rugan had spent many nights at the Elfsong, and had as yet to actually pay for a room.

He had come straight from the warehouse where the Zhents usually stored their caravans and goods. Too impatient to bother stopping by the boarding house to change out of his leathers.

“Expecting a bit of trouble there, Rugan?” Alyn, the bartender, had asked as he approached the counter.

“In your fine establishment? Perish the thought.” He flashed a smile as he took a seat.

“Some girl was in here the other day looking for you.”

“For me?” His heart leapt in his chest.

“Aye, left you a letter, here.”

Alyn reached from a small stack of letters tucked to the side of the bar and flipped through them. When the barkeep handed over the envelope it had Rugan's name in that familiar looping scrawl. Izzy's handwriting.

“Is she still here?” He asked hopefully.

“‘fraid not, said she had business out of town. Asked me to give this one to a passing caravan or ship but haven't had the time to go down.” In Alyn’s hand was another envelope in that familiar hand, this time addressed to Corra.

“I can do that for you.”

The man eyed him for a moment. “I suppose you are a friend of hers,” he said, before handing over the letter.

Rugan snatched it eagerly, getting up from his seat and making his way towards one of the sheltered nooks.

“No drink?” Called Alyn after him but he simply waved at him dismissively, not even bothering to look back.

Another couple were also approaching the same alcove but he quickened his step to cut them off. When the man made to reproach him Rugan put his hand on the pommel of his dagger and stared him down.

“Do you think my company's one you want to be disturbing, mate?” Rugan growled. The man took note of his leathers and Zhent black and yellows before raising his hands up in defeat and dragging his clearly offended date away. It now seemed it was a bit of luck that he hadn't bothered to change.

Pulling the curtain shut, he sat down and hastily opened the first letter.

Zhent,

I hope this letter finds you well. The barkeep tells me you're away on a job.

I've my own to run north of the Chionthar so I won't be far, I expect to be back in a month. I hope we can have that drink then.

If you won't be here please leave a letter for me.

Izzy

Just as in her previous letter there was a red imprint of her lips at the end of the letter. He ghosted his fingertips over the mark. Even if there was a slow start on the next run he could be back in a month's time easily. Only a month till he could see Iz. He felt a rush of excitement at the thought.

Rugan considered the other envelope addressed to Cora. It was closed with a wax seal. If he was careful with his dagger he could open it and reseal it without her being the wiser. After a moment's consideration, he brought out the blade.

This letter too was in Izzy's familiar looping hand.

Cora,

I apologise for asking this of you but I need a letter of credit. The idiots on the boat dumped some of our cargo overboard during a bad storm as a ‘tithe to Umberlee'. Just my luck the tithe included some of my tools.

I've commissioned a new set in Rivington and paid half upfront but I don't have the second half and I won't be back from my next job for a month. The blacksmith says they'll finish in a tenday and expects payment by then or they'll sell it to someone else. I know I was supposed to save that necklace for times like this but I already pawned it back in Uktar. You may scold me freely when next we meet.

Please make the letter out for fifty gold pieces to the address below:

Rugan recognized the smithy in question and committed it to memory before carefully replacing the letter in its envelope. There was a candle on the wall sconce and he used that to warm the seal just enough to close the letter.

He sighed and ran his hand over his hair. Uktar was when he and the lads had come through Crimmor. Had she spent all of her savings on him? No wonder she hadn't been able to winter in the Gate. Maybe if he had offered to put her up… But no she couldn't have stayed at his. It would've been—well, he never brought girls there.

Gods, he was glad Sal wasn't here to see Izzy's letter to Cora. Rugan would never be able to wipe the smugness from the wizard's face if he knew its contents.

He tapped his fingers on the table pensively. Even if he gave the letter to a ship’s captain, no guarantee it would reach Cora in time. Fifty gold was no small sum for him, but it was something he could manage, especially if it were for Iz. Before he could give it much thought his boots were already carrying him to Wyrm’s Crossing.

+++++

The dragonborn at the Rivington General was a nice enough lass. Her scales were a lovely bronze that turned to an iridescent green at the sharp edges of her face. She cheerily accepted his coin with no questions asked. Said her name was Exx… Exvik? Ah it didn't matter.

“You'll apologise to her for me won't you?” She asked as she put his coin away in the register.

“Whatever for?”

“I accepted the commission without consulting Gyldro first. He didn't like that, that's why he's being difficult about the payment.”

“Ah.” Rugan got the feeling Gyldro was always difficult. He briefly considered taking the coin back and threatening the balding old bastard into finishing the work but held off. No, didn't want to chance causing trouble for Iz. He left the smith's shop with both his coin purse and heart considerably lighter. Only one month till he would see Iz.

+++++

“Another job?” Rugan found it difficult to keep the irritation out of his voice.

“You should be glad of the coin.” Zarys replied silkily. “I know how you boys always run low by the time caravan season starts.”

He'd only had the five days of rest rather than the usual ten before Zarys had recalled him to the warehouse.

“We won't be back in time for the Elturel run. Ulgoth’s Beard and back will be more than five days, especially with the way last night's rains have muddied the roads.”

“There's been delays with the Elturel shipment anyways. I expect it'll be at least a tenday late.”

Then he'd also be at least a tenday late to his meeting with Izzy. Inwardly he cursed his rotten luck. Must’ve caught Beshaba’s eye with his unusually good run of things.

“I've plans,” he protested, though he knew it was futile.

“I had plans, they changed. Expect yours can do the same.” Her voice always had a seductive quality to it when she was threatening someone. Like the bait in a steel trap. 

“Any other objections?” Zarys asked, an undercurrent of warning in her tone.

“None at all.” Rugan replied, masking his anger with a disarming smile. He needn’t have bothered with her, Zarys knew him too well, but it came natural all the same.

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

Hello there, Mousy~. You don't have to answer my question, because in a way, this also works as my opinion rambling, and you don't have to answer it (it's about Ridgeside Village).

So, it begins when I was stumbling upon Irene (the chef that works for Amethyne Mansion) in Lorenzo convenience store, looking for supplies to cook for the family.

Now, you can take my words as an exaggeration, but this detail always... I dunno, bothered me? Because I remember one thing about the perks of having a blue-blooded family, is that you never went shopping for food supplies, whether you're the family member, or even the working staff. Usually, the farmers the one that delivered the supplies to them.

You can take me as a judgemental here, because I understand that this is just a game, and the modders probably didn't had enough time to research more about this and that about wealthy family. But what do you think? And, if the Amethyne mansion did get their supplies from the farmers, do you think they got it from the Ridgeside Village' farmers, or other places?

Thanks! ^^

Really? Never heard of that. Although to tell you the truth, I've never been interested in "blue-blooded" families and their perks.

On the one hand, sort of yes, it's unlikely that members of the Amethyne family would waste time going grocery shopping when they likely have a tight schedule of meetings, charity events, important conversations with relatives/partners/business partners/authorities and education (the family members themselves) or keeping the house clean and organized (Irene and Sonny). It's easier to have the farmers themselves and other couriers, not connected in any way to the Amethyne mansion, deliver the best and all the necessities.

On the other hand, I heard a story a long time ago about an expensive toy made for an aristocratic family - rocking horses made of solid gold, and that the parents were not very happy about the gift, because they taught their children modesty (and the fact that a child is not too comfortable dragging a huge piece of metal). Yes, Maive and her family members are noble, but she strikes me more as a woman who prioritizes manners and education over showing off their wealth. Maybe Maive thinks that just because they're aristocrats doesn't mean they can be lazy and not do even the most basic things? I mean, yeah she hired a personal servants to do the cooking and cleaning, for there is no time for that anymore. Still..

About Amethyne food delivery... Well, Pika is giving us the task to deliver food to Maive, so that means he's doing great with the quality of the meals. Our Farmer will also be the main supplier of vegetables and other farm produce, but that will be after the second year when our farm is developed. Chicken eggs they can order from Jeric's, but I'm leaning toward animal products (milk, eggs, cheese, etc.) being bought up from Marnie or Farmer's. There is a steady supply of fresh fruit from Nightingale Orchard, and the best fish from Carmen and Willy's fishing rod. The rest of the produce that farmers and fishermen can't provide, but can be found in regular stores.... Well, my thought might be that Shanice, who used to educate Zayne and knows what their requirements are, can arrange to buy expensive but very high quality goods especially for this family, as it is much more convenient and logical than waiting for a long parcel of groceries (Ridgeside Village is far away in the mountains, try to get there first, especially with provisions).

Sorry, dear anon. I don't know much about the life of the aristocracy, even on the internet I couldn't find anything to tell more on this topic. But it's a really interesting ask, thanks a lot for your thoughts! 🫰💖

[sarasa-cat]

For those wondering - yes, I finally managed to schedule my “get outta dodge & into nature” — my much needed rejuvenation bc my body was failing me hard bc sleep deprivation is literally torture, literally.

Right now: Trees are good. Rivers are also good.

Pain levels are very low today which means 8hrs of comfortable sleep WORKED. Back is a little twitchy and stiff in one spot. But I don’t walk like I am crippled. Can even carry a day pack with gear and navigate inclines and declines without nervous concerns. No nerve pain. Foot is fine. This is good.

Need to do my PT exercises tonight just to keep things moving in the right direction.

Torture device that masquerades as a mattress is ….still…. in my bedroom back at home but I am now gone so this how I’m solving the problem for now.

Courier delivery of proper mattress is fucking delayed and still waiting for an ETA.

As is, I’m staying in two different locations — a semi rural/ruburb place right now and a rural seaside village all of next week. (Second place is where I often go to GTFO— artists’ town of sorts— the little condo/apartment i rent there is soooooo comfy cozy perfection plus it is an entire apartment which is heaven, complete with a full kitchen that is stocked with pots and pans and plates and bowls and all those things. That location is especially good when also needing to work).

If i am still SOL re replacement mattress I guess I will just continue being a nomad wherever I can find last minute accommodations that are comfortable and allow for remote work as needed.

(Tough to find accommodations bc the tourists are arriving and spilling into the wilds but that is also good in its own way.)

Partner joining me for most but not all of this last minute GTFO.

[same-day-delivery-services]

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[vxidlight]

@eternalbxtterfly liked for a starter from Kirara || sc accepting.

Whenever Kirara was about to go out on a long delivery run she always checked for undeliverable packages and when found, took it upon herself to see them delivered. It was how she got her title as Gold Level Courier of the Komaniya Express and boy did she take that title seriously. Her work was her everything because the last thing she wanted was to return to being a youkai in the mountains.

"A lot of these are deliverable to Snezhnaya," Kirara told her boss. "I'll get all of them there in no time." She promised with determination in her face and her flicking twin tails. With a smile upon his face, her boss signed his approval upon her travel forms.

Soon, she was in Snezhnaya, delivering her last package right on the schedule she'd set for herself. She set the package down on the doorstep along with a smaller, purple giftwrapped box containing a conch shell from Liyue in it as a gift to her customer. Transactions were forbidden but that didn't stop her from occassionally leaving her customers gifts.

She knocked then turned to leave and find a place to stay for the night.

[delemax]

Top Features to Look for in a Courier Delivery App Clone

In today's fast-paced world, the demand for efficient and reliable courier services has skyrocketed. Businesses and individuals alike require quick, secure, and trackable deliveries. To meet this growing need, many entrepreneurs are looking into developing their own courier delivery app clones. However, it's crucial to understand what features are essential to make your app successful. This blog will explore the top features you should look for in a courier delivery app clone to ensure it meets market expectations and provides excellent service.

User-Friendly Interface

The success of any app hinges on its usability. A courier delivery app clone must have a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate. Users should be able to schedule pickups, track deliveries, and make payments with minimal effort. Intuitive design, clear icons, and straightforward instructions can significantly enhance the user experience, making the app more attractive to potential customers.

Real-Time Tracking

One of the most critical features of a courier delivery app clone is real-time tracking. Customers want to know the exact location of their parcels at any given moment. This feature not only provides peace of mind but also enhances transparency and trust. Ensure that your app includes GPS tracking and updates both the sender and the receiver about the status of their delivery.

Multiple Payment Options

In today's diverse market, offering multiple payment options is a necessity. A courier delivery app clone should support various payment methods, including credit/debit cards, digital wallets, and even cash on delivery. This flexibility ensures that you cater to a broader audience, accommodating different payment preferences and increasing user satisfaction.

Secure Login and Verification

Security is paramount in any app, especially one handling deliveries. Incorporate secure login and verification processes in your courier delivery app clone. Use OTP (One-Time Password) verification, secure password policies, and encryption to protect user data. This will help build trust and assure users that their information is safe.

Automated Dispatch and Routing

Efficiency is key in the courier business. An automated dispatch and routing system can optimize delivery routes, reducing fuel costs and delivery times. This feature ensures that your drivers take the most efficient routes and helps manage multiple deliveries simultaneously. It also minimizes human error, leading to faster and more accurate deliveries.

In-App Chat and Support

Customer support is a vital feature for any service-based app. Integrate an in-app chat system that allows customers to communicate directly with support teams or drivers. This feature can resolve issues quickly and enhance customer satisfaction. Ensure your courier delivery app clone offers responsive and helpful support to address any concerns users might have.

Push Notifications

Keeping users informed is crucial for maintaining engagement and trust. Push notifications in a courier delivery app clone can update users about their delivery status, estimated arrival times, and any delays. These notifications can also be used for promotional purposes, keeping your customers informed about new features or special offers.

Detailed Order History

A detailed order history feature allows users to review their past deliveries, track expenses, and reorder services quickly. This is particularly useful for businesses that need to keep track of their shipments. Providing a comprehensive order history enhances the user experience by making the app more functional and informative.

Multi-Language Support

In a globalized world, catering to a diverse user base is essential. Offering multi-language support in your courier delivery app clone ensures that non-native speakers can use the app comfortably. This inclusivity can significantly expand your user base and improve customer satisfaction.

Conclusion

Choosing the right features for your courier delivery app clone is crucial for its success. A user-friendly interface, real-time tracking, multiple payment options, secure login, automated dispatch, in-app chat, push notifications, detailed order history, and multi-language support are all essential elements that can make your app stand out.

For a robust and feature-rich courier delivery app clone, consider partnering with Bytesflow Technologies. Their expertise in developing tailored app solutions ensures that you receive a high-quality product that meets all your business needs. With Bytesflow Technologies, you can be confident that your courier delivery app clone will be a cut above the rest, providing exceptional service to your users.

[wishingforatypewriter]

Lin's Birthday

Just some early twenties Linzolt fluff (birthday themed because mine is next week)

“So, you got anything planned for your birthday?” Yui asked as she fastened the salon cape around Lin’s neck. 

“Just a dinner at Aang and Katara’s later,” she replied. Unlike her younger sister, who was plainly intolerable for about a month leading up to her birthday, Lin treated hers like any other day of the year. In fact, she would have gone to work that morning if she’d been on the schedule. 

“Come on,” the stylist said as she brandished her teasing comb. “You’re telling me that man of yours doesn’t have anything planned?”

“What man?” Lin crossed her arms over her chest as a flush spread across her face.

“Lin, I’m a licensed beautician. I can read the signs. Your hair is shiny; your skin is glowing. It’s clear that you’ve been getting some good—” 

“Yui!” Yasuko said from the reception desk. 

“What? I’m just saying,” Yui said as she reached for her scissors. “You wanna go a little shorter this time, or just a trim?” 

As Lin was describing the length she wanted, that kid Viper from the Triple Threats came parading into the shop, despite Yasuko’s reminders of the salon’s no soliciting policy. 

“Hello lovely ladies, come and place your bets! I’ve got boxing, I’ve got probending, I’ve got a special delivery for Linny.” 

Lin’s gaze snapped up as she saw the kid pull a bouquet of fire lilies from behind his back and start heading in her direction. 

“So you are a courier now?” Lin reached into her wallet for a tip. 

“When the price is right,” Viper said as he pocketed the banknotes. “Enjoy your birthday.” 

Lin watched for a moment as the kid made his rounds with the stylists and clients, taking illegal bets. She shook her head and gazed down at the flowers, appreciating their bright vermillion hue, before she noticed a note tucked beneath the ribbon that secured the bouquet. 

Happy birthday, my Linny. Meet me by the docks at 7. Pack for the beach. 

His Linny. Something inside her fluttered as her gaze passed over the words again, but then she dismissed it as his usual flirtatious nonsense.

“And you say you don’t have a man,” Yui teased. 

Lin knew she was going to be late to her dinner on Air Temple Island even as she stepped out of the cab and onto Harbor Street. As she made her way down to the pier, suitcase in hand, she spotted him standing on a yacht. 

“Bought or stolen?” she asked as she walked up the gangway. 

“Rented, actually,” Zolt said. “We’ve got the ship and its crew for a week. We can go anywhere you like.” 

Lin crossed her arms, fighting off a grin. “And I’m supposed to just drop everything and go on vacation?” she said, though she had already called the station and requested the days off. 

“You say that like you’re not already packed.” He smirked and pulled her close, then leaned down to kiss her. “Happy birthday, my Linny.” 

There it was again. His Linny. 

“Thank you, my pain in the ass,” she replied and tilted her head up to meet his lips again.

[hyperetix]

Discover the ultimate convenience of parcel delivery in Bangalore with Hyperport app. Say goodbye to long queues and tedious trips to the post office – our doorstep parcel service brings the courier to you. Whether you're sending documents, gifts, or packages, trust Hyperport for swift and secure delivery across the city. With easy scheduling and real-time tracking, managing your shipments has never been easier. Experience the future of parcel services with Hyperport – your reliable partner for seamless delivery solutions.

[fleursqre]

Bummie knocks on the door expecting for Candice to open up but he's being greeted by someone else. "Oh? Did I get the wrong apartment? I'm really sorry--"

"Shit!— hold on a moment!" The sudden knock on the door startled a groggy and hungover Nari, causing her to nearly trip and hurt herself while rushing to answer it. Her sister, Candice, was currently not at home, and Nari had been sound asleep before she left to run some errands. However, Nari knew she had to face the situation head-on in case Candice had any packages or deliveries scheduled. Swinging the door open, Nari's appearance was quite the opposite of Candice's polished and put-together look. Her hair was messy and disheveled from restless sleep. "Are you here for Candice? She left a while ago, but I can sign for the package if you have one," she said, mistaking the unfamiliar face for a delivery person, although she couldn't help but notice that he was dressed much more fashionably than a typical courier.