#thankfully tomorrow I have an appointment and will take the rest of the day off aha [my appointment is 10:45 and will be an hour so I dont

[dreamieparadise]

My eyes are so tired? Feels itchy and dry too...actually assumed my eyes must be pink, but they're not. Am I coming down with something while still dealing with something...?!

[mountttmase]

Don’t Get Caught

Note - lil bit of cheeky dad Mase to round off our Monday. I hope you’re all good and I hope you enjoy this 🩷 smut has not been smutting for me in a while so let’s see 😂 feedback would be appreciated 😘

Pairing - Mason Mount × Reader

Word count - 3k

Warnings - smut

‘So it’s just a shed?’

‘No Mason, it’s not just a shed’ Declan huffed. Annoyed by Mason downplaying his new purchase that he was proudly showing the pair of you around. Not that you could see much as it was dark outside and for the most part his new summer house was just an empty shell bar some cupboards. ‘I’ve got someone coming tomorrow to wire the electrics so the lights work, then I���m getting a tv installed, a mini fridge, like you name and I’ll probably have it, it’s gonna be immense’

‘What does Lauren think of all this?’ You asked, shining your torch round so you could see more of the space but it really was a work in progress right now.

‘She’ll have her section too, don’t worry. And I’m getting her one of those outdoor sofa set things she’s always wanted to go by the hot tub outside, plus a new swing for Jude. They’ll love it’

You were about to ask another question when his phone began to ring, Lauren’s photo flashing up on the screen but the more she spoke the more displeased his face became until he was hanging up with a huff.

‘Ah for fucks sake, Madders has thrown up in the guest room, I need to go and kick his arse’ he sighed, his hand running over his face like he didn’t want to deal with it and you couldn’t say you didn’t blame him as you tried to hold in a laugh.

‘Sounds grim’ Mason chuckled, making his way over to you in the dark and holding you at your waist. ‘We’ll be back in soon, yeah? I just wanna have a look round a bit more’

‘Yeah yeah take your time, I’ll see you inside later’ Dec mumbled before leaving the pair of you alone. Watching him trudge back to the house with his shoulders slumped before you turned to Mason who you could just about make out in the dark.

‘Look round what, Mason? It’s a shed with a counter and a few cupboards’ you asked, turning in his grip and resting your hands on his chest as he pulled you closer and even in the dark you could see his pretty smile.

‘I don’t think Dec would be too happy if he heard you say that’ He laughed and you rolled your eyes playfully. ‘What do you think anyway? Would you like a summer house?’

‘Maybe’ you shrugged. Trying to imagine something similar in your own garden. ‘Would be fun to have movie nights with Ollie in something like this, like we could get blankets and those big bean bags things. Maybe some nice fairy lights so we can get all cozy’

‘You could also use it as somewhere when you need some time away from the boys’ he winked, pulling away from you as he took a better look around and it clicked in your brain that what he meant by it.

‘Oh I see, you just want it for you’ you laughed and he knew he’d been caught out as you heard him try to contain his giggles. ‘Come on, what would you have in here then?’

‘Well I’d get a tv definitely, and I like the idea of a mini fridge…’ Mason started but you didn’t listen to the rest of it. The thought of the three of you all snuggled under a blanket in something similar in your own home made your heart thump and the need to check Ollie was okay washed over you.

Ollie was at home with Lewis, the latter staying for a few days as he had a few appointments with Mason he needed to plan and it was always easier to do it when they were together rather than over the phone. Thankfully he was more than happy to look after Ollie for the evening so you and Mason could go to the joint birthday party that Dec was throwing at his house for the pair of them.

Lewis hadn’t texted and he was under strict instructions not to unless there was an emergency so the pair of you could have some time out, but you missed your little boy and you needed to check on him. Your finger hovering over the call button but before you could press it you felt Masons hands at your waist again.

‘Are you even listening to me?’ He laughed, shaking you slightly until you looked at him and you could tell from the look in his eye he knew what you were doing.

‘Sorry Mase’ you sighed, holding your phone to your chest as he pulled you closer. ‘I just wanted to check in and make sure Ollie is alright’

‘He’s probably asleep baby, Lewis knows what he’s doing’

‘I know, I just wanted to be sure’

‘Hand it over’ he smirked, laying his palm out flat for you to put your phone into but you just shook your head and held it closer to your chest.

‘No Mase it’s fine, I’ll keep it away’

‘Why don’t you turn it off?’

‘Yeah Mase, real sensible’ you laughed, rolling your eyes as you put it back in your bag as Mason placed a kiss on your forehead.

‘Come on, Ollie is fine. I know it’s weird being without him but why don’t we take our minds off it a bit?’ He shrugged, not picking up on the cheeky tone to his voice at the end but you were curious about what he was going to suggest.

‘How?’

‘You wanna play a game?’ He asked, backing you up against the cupboards just behind you and you let him do it until you couldn't move anymore. Your bum hitting the top of the counter and you looked up at him curiously.

‘Depends, what did you have in mind?’

‘A little one I like to call, don’t get caught’ he whispered whilst hiking you up to sit on the counter by your thighs. ‘Never played it before but I thought it might be fun’ he smiled as he squeezed your thighs. ‘I’ve been thinking about it all day’

‘Mason’ you warned but he just smiled and kissed you heavily. Knowing he pretty much always got his way in situations like this and your resolve would crumble soon enough.

‘Come on baby, I know you want to’ he teased before kissing you again and when Mason kissed you like this you knew exactly what it meant. ‘I haven't had you in days and I won’t be able to again for a while’

He was right. He’d been away for a few days for a game and tomorrow he’d be off again for a training camp so tonight was really the only time you had to be physical. You just thought it would come later on when the pair of you were in bed not outside in the middle of Decs new purchase.

‘You know I’ll make it worth your while, baby’ he whispered. Lips ghosting your jaw before he playfully bit your earlobe and when his kisses started to travel down your neck you felt your body turn to jelly.

‘Won’t everyone be able to see?’ You asked, looking towards the floor to ceiling sliding glass doors that were just to the right of you and you gulped nervously.

‘We can barely see each other, gorgeous. Don't worry I won’t let anyone see you, you’re for my eyes only yeah?’

‘Okay’ you whispered. Letting him kiss you again as you gave into his desires as in this moment you wanted him just as much.

‘I’m gonna make you feel so good you’ll forget your own name, pretty girl’ he whispered against your lips and even though his sentiment made you smile you knew he meant it. When Mason had had a bit to drink his mouth tended to run away with him and when you were being intimate it was no different. This version of Mason liked to talk you through it. To pull the strings and tease you into oblivion until you were a mess beneath him and you knew if he got his way tonight you’d be in for a wild ride

Before you knew it, you felt his fingers trail over your thighs and under your dress. Gripping your bum so he could pull you forward and rest you just on the edge of the counter but thankfully it wasn’t very wide and you were able to lean back and rest against the wall as his fingers danced over the front of your underwear.

‘You can’t tell me you don’t tell me you don’t want this, you’re dripping for me’ he growled, fingers circling just where you needed them over your underwear and it only took a beat for you to start grinding your hips to meet his movements. ‘See, there we go. You know exactly what to do don’t you?’

You let him tease you a little while longer as he kissed you roughly but soon enough he was finally pushing your dress up higher and gripping the top of your underwear so he could pull them from your legs. The cold air hitting you and making you hiss before you could just about make out him stuffing the black lace into his back pocket.

‘Hands on my shoulders baby, need you to hold on tight yeah?’ He told you, hearing him pull down the zip on his trousers and shuffle his boxers about just enough to free himself and you clenched around nothing in anticipation of what you were about to do.

As soon as you felt his tip pushing against your entrance his lips were on yours. Swallowing your moans as he eased himself into you slowly but you were surprised about how easy it was since there was no foreplay involved and you were just getting straight down to business.

He still took his time though. Moving slowly in and out of you so you could both adjust and the small whimpers and moans falling from both of your lips just egged the other on until your brain was foggy with pleasure.

‘Remember when we first met, you told me you were a good girl’ he spoke against your lips before kissing along your jaw softly. ‘I’m not so sure i believe you anymore’

‘I’m a good girl for you’

‘And only me, right?’ he sighed, resting his forehead on yours as he kept his pace steady. ‘You’re mine, and you’re always gonna be mine’

‘Masey’

‘What is it baby? What does my good girl want?’

‘Harder please’ you whimpered, wanting him to lose control a little bit as you knew he was holding back until you were comfortable but you were ready to have all of him now.

‘Yeah? You think you can take it’ he asked, hands grabbing your wrists so he could tug them away from his shoulders and before you knew it he had your wrists crossed above your head. Holding them together with one hand so they were against the wall whilst his other hand gripped your waist to hold you still. His hips picking up pace just like you wanted him to and you let a loud moan slip past your lips.

‘So fucking innocent but just look at you. Begging for me like this’ he growled, his words making your tummy flip but you couldn’t answer as he moved his hand to rest on your lower stomach before applying a little pressure. You knew he could feel himself inside of you from the profanities that were falling from his lips but the new sensation had rendered you speechless as your eyes rolled back in your head.

‘You love that I’m fucking you in here don’t you, I bet you want the whole world to see’ he grunted. His thumb now moving back to circle over you as he still applied pressure to your tummy and you almost screamed from how good you felt. ‘Want everyone to know how good I give it to you and how good you can take it’

‘Mase, please’ you cried, so overwhelmed with everything he was giving you that they were the only two words you could remember right now but he just carried on snapping his hips back and forth deliciously.

‘Thats it, say my name. Tell everyone who’s making you feel this good’

You felt Masons hand move away from you, giving you a bit of needed relief as you felt like you were about to explode but you saw him reaching into the back pocket of his jeans until he pulled out his phone.

‘Mase? W-what are you doing?’

‘Shhhh it’s okay. I just need it, need to remember what you feel like when I’m away next week’ he stuttered. ‘My eyes only, remember? You trust me?’

‘With everything’ you whispered back. Recording each other was something you’d never done before but you couldn’t deny the idea made your tummy flutter and you did trust him. He was your husband and the father of your child after all but even though this new idea scared you slightly it also thrilled you.

‘Good girl’ he chuckled, smiling as he placed a reassuring kiss to your lips, promising again it was just for him before he pointed the camera down to where the pair of you met started to record himself slipping in and out of you. The whole act turning you on more than you thought it would and the moans that left your lips were sinful.

‘Look at you, can’t get enough can you?’ he whispered, looking up to see his face slightly illuminated from the light on his phone and the first thing you noticed was how wild his eyes were. ‘You feel so unreal’

‘Masey, I’m so close’

‘I know gorgeous’ he whispered. Shutting his phone off so you were both in darkness again and his free hand returned to your waist to hold you still. ‘I need you to hold it for me though yeah? Just for a minute, okay?’

‘Mase’

‘I know I know, I’ll make it worth your while though, I promise’ he told you. Finally lowering your arms back onto his shoulders so he could get a better grip on you and your fingers got lost in his hair as he rested his forehead on yours again. ‘Just wait for me, yeah?’

‘Okay’ you whimpered. Trying your best to hold off but it was difficult and the way Mason was moaning into your mouth didn’t make it any easier.

‘That’s my girl’ he grunted, eventually hiding his face in your neck so he could focus on reaching his high but as the seconds went on you felt like you were about to explode as his lips connected with your sweet spot.

‘Go on baby, let go for me’ he told you, keeping his pace steady until your high rippled through you. Letting him continue to talk in your ear until he was softly biting your shoulder as he came undone himself.

It was quiet for a few moments, just the sound of your breathing mixed together as you caught your breath with your heads hidden away from each other but soon enough he was looking back up at you with a shy smile on his face.

‘That video, I can delete it if you want me too. I just got caught up in the moment I’m not sure what came over me’ he chuckled. Tucking some stray hairs behind your ear before kissing your forehead softly.

‘No it’s okay, you can keep it. As long as it gets hidden somewhere’

‘Really? You don’t mind?’

‘Well I prefer the thought of you watching me rather than random people on a weird website’ you laughed, cupping his jaw so you could place a gentle kiss on his lips before he quickly grabbed his phone again.

‘It’s gone straight into my hidden, yeah?’ He showed you, using the Face ID to show you its new home and you blushed as you caught sight of the multiple pictures of you in your underwear he also kept in that folder. ‘Under lock and key along with all my other naughty photos of you’

‘You’re terrible’ you laughed, your breath catching as he finally slipped out of you but he was quick to kiss you again before he readjusted himself and did his trousers back up.

‘And you are the love of my life. Thank you for playing along’

‘Let’s just hope Dec doesn’t find out what we’ve done’ you laughed, letting him help you down onto the floor as he adjusted your dress but your legs were still shaky for your high and you had to grip Mason’s arm for support. ‘Can I have my underwear back now?’

‘I’ll think about it’ he winked and with one final kiss you made your exit and rejoined the rest of the party.

[thezombieprostitute]

Imagine this:

accountant!reader x IT tech!Jensen x manager!Andy x CEO!Lloyd

The intent was to write something short and sweet but smutty. The result is approximately 2200 words with a ton of smut! I blame Lloyd.

Warnings: Power dynamics; Creepy boss; Smut, smut, SMUT! Minors DNI!!!!

��Thank you, Jake,” you half whisper, half moan into his ear. “I really needed this.” You’re not normally one for hookups in the supply closets but you’d had such a stressful day you really needed to let off some steam. Thankfully Jake was always happy to help you out. And he was very good at helping you feel good. 

The two of you had a friends-with-benefits situation that had been carefully negotiated and navigated. Sometimes you got the sense that Jake wanted more and that’s why he was so eager to please. But you were both quick to talk if either of you felt things were getting too serious. It definitely made office parties a lot more fun. Everyone else was enjoying the cheap food and you and Jake got to go to a private office and actually take your time together.

You both do try to be careful at the office but your manager, Andy, has been really ramping up the sad sack shtick with all the women in your department, desperate for a date or some feminine attention and pity. You could only take so much, especially when your coworkers pointed out to him that you’re single. Traitors. 

Every day he would ask you about your plans. You tried being polite and got nowhere. You finally told him, directly, that you weren’t interested in him last Friday. Today you were called into a meeting with HR about “appropriate workplace behavior”. They told you they’d received complaints from your manager about flirting with him despite him telling you “no”. You smiled tightly and nodded, staying quiet and signing the documents saying you’d been talked to. 

You texted Jake on your phone to meet you in the hall closet. One of the things you appreciated? He didn’t ask questions, he just showed up and gave you what you needed. He really seemed to like it when you would repeatedly whisper “thank you’s” into his ear. It’s only a quickie but it definitely helps. You kiss Jake’s cheek and thank him as he blushes. You leave at different times and head back to your respective desks.

 You check your email and find yourself looking at an appointment with Lloyd Hansen, the company’s CEO. Thinking it must’ve been in error you hit the “Decline” button and add the most polite note that you can think of. Just a few minutes after you get yet another appointment notice with Mr. Hansen. No explanatory note. You’re extra grateful to Jake because your brain immediately jumps to Andy complaining about you to Mr. Hansen because your HR visit wasn’t enough of a punishment. 

The appointment is for tomorrow so you silently stew for the rest of the workday. At home you treat yourself to your favorite meal and shows. Your sleep is full of stressful dreams and you wake up more exhausted than when you went to bed. Not wanting to look like a mess in front of Mr. Hansen, you make sure to take extra care of your makeup and clothing choices. Working as hard as your caffeine deprived can to balance “I’m okay” with “I’m not trying to flirt with anyone”. It’s never an easy task.

As you log on to your computer you smell Andy’s cologne and internally wince. You turn to face him, “yes, Mr. Barber?”

“Easy there, tiger,” he chastised. “I just want to make sure that you’re doing okay after that HR meeting.”

Gritting your teeth you reply, “why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well I know a lot of people can have a kind of whiplash when they realize their behavior isn’t acceptable,” he explains in an obviously condescending tone. “I’ll understand if you want to take some vacation time.”

“Mr. Barber,” you seethe, “I think what would help me the most is keeping some distance between us at all times in the office.”

“Okay,” he scoffs. “Just remember who it is that HR listens to.” He walks away and you find yourself trying to not throw or break something. 

As soon as you can you head straight to Mr. Hansen’s office. His secretary lets you in, though he is not yet in. You should probably be upset that he’s late for the meeting he insisted on having with you but it’s better than sitting in your cubicle waiting for Andy to strike. 

The quiet is broken by Mr. Hansen storming into the office, yelling at someone on the phone. You recognize him immediately if only because of the mustache. “And I told you to handle it, Six! Get your head out of your ass and fix it!” He lets out a small huff as he listens to the person on the phone. “I don’t give a shit. It should’ve been handled weeks ago. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a meeting.” He hangs up without waiting for a response and turns to you with a smile that makes you feel like prey caught in a trap.

“So you’re the girl Barber was complaining out,” he starts. You’re unable to hold back your grimace and he laughs. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, I don’t give a shit about that cuck.” You tilt your head in confusion. “See, he tried to play up the whole “women don’t know how to take a compliment” thing but I was able to see through him. He’s pathetic and you weren’t having it. Even flat out told him, “no”. That’s something I respect. Not everyone would do that to their boss.”

He sits down in his chair and continues, “so I started looking into you and imagine my surprise when I find out you and Jensen are hooking up!” Your eyes widen in shock and you start stammering before he holds out a hand, gesturing for you to stop. “You’re not in trouble for that. Hell if I could get laid instead of attending those lame work parties I absolutely would. Which is why I brought you here.” 

He leans his elbows on the desk, “I want in on whatever fuck-buddy deal you and Jensen got going on.”

“S..sir, I,” you’re at a loss for words. 

“Tell you what,” he slaps the desk and stands up, “I’ll make it easy for you. Either you agree to be my own fuck-buddy, occasionally still get some good stuff from Jensen, or I’ll make you Barber’s personal secretary.”

“What if I quit instead?”

“Then I’ll go ahead and fire Jensen,” he quips. “It would be a damn shame, though. Jakey is one of the best IT guys we got. Likely up for a promotion that would get him a private office.”

“Can I talk to Jake first,” you plead. “It is part of our arrangement that we communicate changes before they’re implemented.”

“You know what, sure. I can respect that a deal is a deal.” He goes to the phone on his desk and tells his secretary to send Jake up.

When Jake does arrive he’s shocked to see you. At Lloyd’s gesture he closes the door behind him. Lloyd doesn’t let you speak and lays everything out for him like he did you. 

Jake looks at you, “it’s…umm…I appreciate you looking out for me and my job,” he starts. “But it’s also your body and I would never want you to accept something like this just for me.”

“You know, Jakey here has a point,” Lloyd interjects. “You really don’t know what you’re in for with me. How about a demonstration? I’ll even let Jake join in to help keep you comfortable.”

Knowing that you were being watched shouldn’t excite you so much. The fact that both of these men wanted you was making you wet. You straddle Jake in his chair and start making out with him while taking off your clothes and grinding your hips against his crotch. 

Jake moans as he takes off your bra with practiced ease, “you’re sure about this?” 

“Feel how wet I am, Jake.” He obliges and sticks his fingers inside your panties. He rubs your clit and you arch your breasts into his face as his eyes widen at the wetness he finds there. 

“Holy shit,” he breathes. He gets a dark glint in his eye that you don’t entirely recognize. He removes his hand and starts to unbutton your pants. “You gotta taste her, Mr. Hansen. Sweetest pussy and it’s already drenched.”

You hadn’t realized Lloyd was standing behind you until he grabbed your breasts, lifting you a little as he nibbled your neck. He pulls you off of Jake and the two of them finish undressing you before setting you on Lloyd’s desk. You’re on your back, your head hanging over one side, your legs spread wide for the both of them. 

Lloyd doesn’t hesitate and dives tongue first into your pussy. Your reaction is immediate as he uses his mustache to tickle your clit. You throw your head back and moan before you’re able to stifle it. 

He pulls away from you, “don’t worry about noise, sweetheart. My secretary is gone for the afternoon and no one else would dare be on this floor.” He turns to Jake, “you were right! This is a damn tasty snack.” He gets back to it and you don’t hold back your sounds. It was such a relief to get to be as loud as you wanted. 

“Fuck, I love those sounds,” Jake groans.

You reach out to him, “your cock, Jake? Please, can I stroke your cock?”

“Love those sounds, too,” he grins as he undoes his belt. You look to Lloyd to see if he has any objections but he’s too focused on licking up all of your juices. Jake is already half hard and your hands know just how to get him fully erect. His hands start playing with your tits, gently pinching, pulling and fondling. 

The two of them quickly bring you to the brink of orgasm, then Lloyd sticks two of his fingers inside you and it pushes you over the edge. You cum loudly and Lloyd keeps scissoring his fingers while sucking on your clit, enjoying the show. When the aftershocks fade, he removes his hand and backs away just a little.

“Jensen, you take her mouth,” he orders. “I’m gonna make a mess of this pussy and I want to hear her choking on your cock while I do.”

You let go of Jake’s erection and he starts pushing himself into your mouth, grunting and moaning as he does so. He’s careful with you, like always, and places your hand on his thigh so you can signal if it gets too much.

Lloyd, however, lines himself up with your opening and quickly thrusts himself fully inside. If your mouth wasn’t so full of Jake’s cock, you’d likely have screamed. They fucked both of your holes with abandon and you were loving every second of it. Occasionally Jake would ask for a status and you’d tap his thigh twice for “all good”. 

“Not gonna last much longer,” Lloyd admitted. “This pussy is so fucking tight. I see why you risked your job for her.” He started rubbing your clit and you careened towards another orgasm. As soon as Jake came in your mouth you were done for. You tightened your legs around Lloyd as you came hard and swallowed all of Jake’s spend. You heard Lloyd mumbling, “fuck, fuck, fuck,” before he came with a yell. 

You’re still in a daze as both men pull out of you. Lloyd whistles, “now that’s a pretty picture. What say we get you cleaned up?”

“What the fuck?!” A voice from the office door crashes your post-orgasm euphoria. You look up and see Andy, standing in the doorway.

“Ah, Barber,” Lloyd says as he zips his pants back up. “Right on time.”

“What?!” Jake exclaims as you look, wide-eyed, at Lloyd. 

“You see, Andy,” he walks over to your manager and claps him on the shoulder. “You’re a complete cuck and we both know it.” Andy tries to protest but Lloyd cuts him off. “This is the closest you’re ever going to get to some pussy. Now be a good boy and clean up the mess I made.” He throws Andy to his knees in front of your spread pussy. 

Andy groans at the sight and you feel a stir of courage. “Well,” you scold. “Are you going to be a good boy and do as you're told or am I going to have to clean myself up?” His eyes darken but you don’t back down. He dives into your cum filled pussy and starts cleaning you up.

“Good boy,” Lloyd smirks. “Probably the only way you can actually please a woman.” He looks at Jake, “whenever you’re done with her, call her cuck over to clean up. Sound good?”

Jake looks to you and sees you writhing with pleasure, “I think so.”

Part 1.5

Tagging @alicedopey because I promised I would.

[chaoscheebs]

It's Midnight, Cinderella, chapter 2

(Chapter 1) - (Chapter 2) - (Chapter 3) - (Chapter 4) - (Chapter 5) - (Fic Tag)

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

How did such a good night go so wrong?

Sure, it had been a little awkward at first; Otogi had promptly ditched him to flirt with (admittedly pretty hot) girls, leaving him stranded in a sea of stuffy people in suits he didn’t have the first clue how to approach on his own. But then Seto Kaiba—and boy, was it painfully obvious it was Seto Kaiba, even with the mask—approached him first! Without prompting! Because Kaiba’s apparently into the Ouji look? Regardless of why, it had been… nice. Very nice, to just leave all the drama and troubles and bad blood at the door and talk to him (flirt with him oh god why did he do that) like a normal person. Then it had led to card games in a private room and… Honestly, why should he have been surprised that it was like foreplay to Kaiba?

Leave the masks on, they silently agreed, let’s put aside real life for a while and enjoy the moment.

He could have revealed who he was at any time, but he didn’t. His thoughts were only how good it felt to be in Kaiba’s arms, how good it felt to have Kaiba’s attention on him and solely him for once in his life, how good it would feel to have those long, elegant legs wrapped around him, and thought absolutely nothing about the potential fallout afterward.

In short, Yugi Muto got carried away, thought with his dick, and that’s why he fled home as soon as Kaiba was asleep to go dye his hair back to normal at four in the morning, quietly thanking whatever deities existed that he hadn’t styled his hair like normal and left it in its natural state. No amount of trying out a different hair color would have hid that hairstyle, that’s for sure. Jounouchi’s gonna be upset that the perfect bleaching he helped Yugi with was already being covered up, but better covered up than the alternative.

Shit. The alternative. What was he going to do now, Yugi asked himself, slumping on the couch while he waited for the 20 minutes for the dye to set to be up. What if Kaiba figures out it was him? How is he going to react? Is he going to get fired? Or worse, barred from being involved with the major players in the gaming industry? Is he going to have to focus on the indie scene, or worse, have to take over the game store?! Is it too late to follow Anzu to New York and start over there?

“Yugi? What are you doing up at this hour?”

Yugi snapped out of his anxiety spiral-induced reverie at the sound of his grandpa’s voice behind him. “Wh-what are you doing up at this hour?!”

“I asked you first, m’boy,” Grandpa asked. He gingerly poked at Yugi’s dye-saturated hair, realized what he just touched, then wiped his dye-stained finger off on the towel around Yugi’s neck. “Didn’t you just change this the other day?”

“Oh, I, uh…” Yugi wracked his brain for a quick but plausible answer and mercifully found one. “I forgot I had a piercing appointment tomorrow and want to get this done now so I won’t forget about it being there and get dye in an open wound!”

Grandpa frowned, clearly still suspicious but unable to think of a good rebuttal at this hour. “More piercings? You’re certain your workplace is all right with that?”

Yugi smirked. “I have a company-wide e-mail from Seto Kaiba himself from the last time someone complained about someone getting piercings, telling all management that he, quote, ‘doesn’t care how much metal someone has in their face if it’s not impacting their ability to work, stop wasting his and everyone else’s time with this.’ Saved it to my computer and printed it out too~”

Grandpa laughed and patted Yugi’s shoulder. “Ho, ho! That’s my boy!” He paused for a moment, then let out a bit of a sigh. “Anyway, don’t forget to get some rest when you’re done with this, all right? Staying up all night isn’t good for you.”

“I will, Grandpa,” Yugi lied. Like hell he was getting any sleep when he was in panic mode like this. Thankfully, his grandfather took him at his word, but not without one more worried glance before leaving.

Once Grandpa was out of sight, Yugi started to flop down on one side on the couch, but suddenly remembered the hair dye and caught himself before the wet hair touched anything. His life was difficult enough at the moment; he doesn’t need Mom complaining about dye stains on the furniture on top of it. Again. He settled instead for slouching forward, staring at the floor, until it occurred to him to pull out his phone from his pocket and stare at that instead.

He really should talk to someone about this, but who? Anzu would commiserate with him, but it would be early afternoon for her off in New York; she’d probably be at a rehearsal or something. There’s also Jounouchi, but hearing him talk shit about Kaiba was not what Yugi needed right now. Honda, maybe? Yugi shook his head; they’re close enough, but not close enough to wake him up over this disaster. Bakura’s right out; he’s the god-king of wandering into trouble and making it everyone else’s problem himself. There’s always Hanasaki, he supposed, but he was prepping for midterms or something and did not need this added to his load either…

Finally, he asked himself, Otogi, maybe? It’s his damn fault he was even at the damn party anyway. But no, Yugi decided, remembering the circle of women surrounding the man before he went off with Kaiba. There’s no way Otogi was alone and he wasn’t interrupting that. At best, he’d get an invitation to join, and any other day that’d be tempting, but again, this was not what Yugi needed right now.

Yugi heaved a sigh and flopped backwards, leaning heavily against the back of the couch, head reclined back as far as it would comfortably go. He thought for a split second about what to do, but then he remembered. The hair dye.

FUCK.

He leapt to his feet and spun around to see a great big splotch of purplish pink, then bolted to the bathroom to get a wet washcloth to hopefully clean it up before it set. Dye job first, he told himself, then worry about what to do next. It’s not like he didn’t have all day to figure something out, after all.

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

Meanwhile, back at the hotel room, Seto Kaiba was sitting on the edge of the bed, pondering his next move.

He had been sleeping more peacefully than he had in years, but when he turned over in his sleep, his arm fell onto… nothing. The other man’s lithe form was no longer next to him, nor any trace of his warmth left in his place. A quick check of the room and adjoining bathroom proved he was no longer there, period, and a brief check of his belongings showed nothing was missing, save for his mask—he presumed the man grabbed the wrong one in his haste—and, infuriatingly enough, the business card the man had given him.

At least corporate espionage seemed to be off the table as a motive for the man’s quick retreat, Seto thought; with everything that’s happened in his life, a honeypot operation targeting him wasn’t out of the question. Not that he thought anyone would be bold enough to try, with how utterly apathetic he was about… well, being with anyone that way, to be frank.

Which, honestly, was what made this hurt, and what he was blaming for the urge to fight his cynical first impulse to let this matter drop and chalk it up to a passing whim and people being shitty yet again.

He growled quietly, running a hand through his hair. What was wrong with him; why couldn’t he just let this go as an obvious mistake, a momentary lapse of judgment? The man clearly wasn’t taking this as seriously as he was, if the bastard could just run away like this. Still, something nagged at him, something he couldn’t quite put a finger on, but he was very clearly missing something in all of this and it was absolutely infuriating.

He picked up his pants from the floor, fished out his phone, and opened a notes app. He needed a guest list, he typed into it, and started typing out a description of what the man looked like and what he could remember the man saying to him. Also, a description of the man his target was the plus one for, not that he got a terribly long or clear look at him. Still, combined with the guest list, what he did notice could be illuminating. If he could find the “date” that ditched the target, maybe he could get the target’s damned name.

For better or worse, Seto Kaiba was a man who, when his personal curiosity took over, could not be stopped until it was satisfied, and this was going to be no exception to that.

[pandorafallz]

Lest We Rest Upon Our Graves | C16

Alma was glad Anqa had allowed her a trip to Horseshoe mountain station base before the evening drew in. Alone, thankfully. Dr Reeves had no current plans on returning back to the field lab and Alma knew she only had one night alone. Nalin would spend the night tomorrow after their trip before they’d both return to base in good time before Max’s team got here.

She knew Anqa stared at her box that contained her fiancé and daughter but thankfully, the pilot didn’t even ask. It was early afternoon by the time they touched down so Alma just picked up her things and reached for her mask.

“So,” Anqa started, “I know it’s not any of my business but… I hope that you find a good place for the family.” She offered, nodding to the box.

She nodded stiffly, grasping her mask off from the side. “Thank you, Anqa.” She offered the pilot a tired smile as she slipped the mask on, slipped the bag over her shoulder and held her precious box to her chest as she left the ship and headed straight into the shack module.

The module was… just as she had left it really. Her work still on the desk and untouched, the afternoon light filtering in from the window. Dr Reeves’s bed looked to have had the sheets changed and cleaned so fresh for Nalin tomorrow.

Alma shrugged off her bag and dumped it carelessly onto her desk before she slowly sunk into the bottom bunk, moving the box onto her knees. Her fingers touched the waxed edges, now properly sealed. The string was tight and held it shut as a secondary precaution so she wouldn’t accidentally be dropping them out of the box.

“One more day,” She whispered to herself, but mostly to the box. One more day and they’d be put to rest. In a place, she was content to leave them. A place Michael certainly would have loved. He always enjoyed Pandora’s beauty. Now he’d have the best spot on the planet.

The one thing she could do for someone else, she suppose.

After a moment, Alma set the box onto the nearby case that had been her bedside; the monitor cables were still there; ready to plug in for the nightly charge. She’d keep them close tonight.

-

Nalin’s fingers clinked anxiously as she read through the medical reports with some…discontent. Not just about the file but she knew Alma was probably feeling very rough but it needed to be done. She did feel a little bad that she didn’t allow her to…expand on herself in the woman’s apologies but Nalin had wanted the apologies to be made, not reasons. The Sarentu needed the apology first. Reasons could be heard later once they had processed that and knew where Alma stood.

A lot was going to happen in a few days once they got back. Cortez’s surgery was going to take her out of the picture for a while, depending on which course of operation was the best. Nalin hoped it was coiling over clipping, but she’d see that the surgeon would say based on Cortez’s recent scans. It was still an incredibly risky procedure given the place and Alma’s age. Her body was stronger than it was a few weeks ago but… relatively speaking she was still far weaker than an average human. Not healthy. So the procedure was still a risk.

Nalin felt a little stuck on but she hoped it would go smoothly. That she’d heal smoothly. As much as she wanted for more, Cortez had done her part and now it was a waiting game for what could come next. Let the Sarentu make the next move with Cortez. Their turn once Alma was out of medical.

She’d let Cortez have her peace tonight.

Still, it left her uneasy.

The file also wasn’t helping her mood. She had finally found the blood reports around the time of Alma’s last few prenatal appointments. The reports so far have documented a very healthy pregnancy. Cortez had eaten well during pregnancy, and the cleft lip on the baby was already long-established—it was in the notes that it was a genetic factor on the paternal side and the baby was a healthy weight and size. A big girl, even. It wouldn’t have been an easy labour if Alma had tried to birth naturally. Big head.

So when did it go wrong?

“Here,” a mug was set down, startling Nalin from both her thoughts and her monitor to see Alex standing there.

“You scared the life out of me!” She remarked, her hand to her chest. “Sorry, I was lost in thought.”

“Need any help?” Alex offered, nodding to the monitor.

“Thank but… no. Just on the last few files.” Nalin took the mug and took a tentative sip, glad to taste the familiar of a caffeinated tea. “Cortez has… asked to keep you away from her files.”

“Of course she has.” Alex sighed deeply. “I… I overstepped in my argument with her. I just…got frustrated with more of her secrets, I guess. I wanted to apologise to her.”

“It’s not easy.” Nalin agreed. “She’ll be back after tomorrow. You can apologise to her then.”

“She really just left again?”

“She needs time away from the Sarentu now she’s apologised to them and figuring out burial arrangements for her late family.” Nalin rubbed her forehead. “Ri’nela was not kind but honest. They need time to think what they want of her. At least now there’s been a start made.”

“You gonna join in on the party?”

Nalin’s eyes flickered to the exit, the distant sound of calm music was playing but the party hadn’t started properly and wouldn’t for a while. A few more hours. “I’m…not sure.”

“What about tomorrow? It’s a two-day party.”

“I’m missing out. I’m helping Cortez with the actual burial in the afternoon once she has a spot picked out.”

Alex gave her a soft look. “Why not just... join the party tonight at the very least? The file will still be here. You don’t have to be out for long.”

Nalin pondered his questions. It would be nice to…enjoy it. Knowing that they were safer this time around in a cave did help. She wasn’t going to be doing much, if at all tomorrow night aside from camping with Cortez.

“I can… spare a few hours, I suppose.” Nalin agreed.

Alex’s face lit up a little. “That’s great. We’re still getting stuff prepped. Teylan’s helping with the Na’vi food. So’lek seems to be showing him a few recipes. I might try and learn from him too.”

Nalin chuckled, marking her place on the file before she closed it down but left the drive as it was. “I’ll help, I suppose.”

-

Kìoetey wanted to enjoy the party. She really did. The music was playing, and those able to move about did and while there was minimal dancing due to recovering still. But food was around, the lights were… still very pretty and the music was soft, a mixture of human tunes and Na’vi recordings that were still… not quite mixing but both were appreciated for the mixed company of human and na’vi that were celebrating. Mostly Kame’tire, a few Aranahe and a handful of Zeswa were about and enjoying each other’s company, each equipped with a CO2 mask given this area had a human atmosphere.

The real Na’vi party was outside the airlock, where those who didn’t want or have masks could celebrate.

She itched to join in with both sides but… she found herself standing at the side, picking at the food which… was far better than last time, not that she’d tell Jin-young. She hadn’t seen him around, actually but that wasn’t a surprise. Not after last time. She should probably go check on him.

But Kìoetey didn’t find the energy to do so. She felt…discontent still. It had been lingering since they had walked away from Cortez this afternoon. Frustration and sadness mostly and she was a little conflicted still in how to feel in regards to Cortez again. It was all emotionally confusing to get an apology that wasn’t following them about or being hidden behind excuses.

It was a start, she supposed, but she didn’t like leaving it like that. She should pop down tomorrow and check in on her. If Cortez could tolerate her presence.

Kìoetey’s attention turned as So’lek seemed to appear, a plate in hand before he offered it out to her, a small bundle of little leaf wrap.

“Thank you, So’lek.” She took one.

So’lek peered at her carefully, “Are you alright?”

Kìoetey took in a heavy breath but nodded. “Long few days.” Which was an understatement of the week. “Tired… kinda wished I didn’t watch the executions.”

So’lek’s expression softened. “Why don’t you and the others take some time away from the resistance once the celebrations have wavered off and the RDA are at a distance?” He suggested. “It may go you good to spend your time with Na’vi and to start the rebuilding of your clan.”

Kìoetey considered his word. Like a vacation, so to speak. They did deserve that, she supposed. “I don’t know where to start in rebuilding.” It was all so overwhelming to think about.

“Indeed, it is a difficult path to forge with so few but you’re still Sarentu at heart. Eywa may provide some knowledge and return traditions. The Sarentu was once started by Entu of the Omatikaya who, along with others from the clan left. Many joined from other clans and took the mark as they travelled Pandora. For your clan to gather in numbers, this may be a necessity as birthing the next generation may not be enough. With the RDA and sky people, you may need to increase your clan’s population and culture so the Sarentu are no longer lost to the world if your clan battles with them once again.”

Kìoetey stared at So’lek for a moment and she could see had had good points to make. They lacked numbers to sustain a culture and they could be wiped away so easily. Gone again. Sarentu would become extinct as a clan for good if they all died. With Nor out there, they were less in numbers. But Ri’nela was still a Tsakarem and not yet Tsahìk.

“I want Ri’nela to learn from Anufi… but also from Etuwa and Minang. We have no Tsahìk yet but I’ve been thinking that who better to learn from than the clans we’re allies with.” Kìoetey spoke. “She’s… not ready to find a mate. But Tsahìk and Olo’eyktan don’t have to be mates to lead their clan. The Zeswa are sisters, and Aranahe are father and daughter. The Kame’tire don’t even have an Olo’eyktan.”

“Anufi’s mate died soon after the Sarentu left the Hollows and before she could conceive a child and no other of the clan had been picked to take the role. Mokasa had tried to get the position but Anufi refused to take him beyond the role of advisor. Without her consent on the matter, the clan couldn’t take an Olo’eyktan.” So’lek explained.

“Why did Mokasa try so hard?”

“Her mate was his brother. I don’t know the personal reasons but Anufi was headstrong in her decision. One that had merit now that the light of his actions.”

Indeed. Kìoetey could see that. A lot more personal drama that she didn’t expect from the clan but… it made sense as to why Anufi was leading alone, so to speak. She hoped Okul would be there for her as Tsakarem, they were excellent and had the talent for it, but also had the heart of it.

“I’ve…considered taking the role of an Olo’eyktan myself but… I’m uncertain if it’s a role I should take. I am a better warrior than a leader.” Kìoetey remarked, peeling at the leaf wrap uncertainly. “I know we need a leader. One to also support us…. but we’re still very tainted with sky-people soil. We need a Na’vi to lead us in the way of the people.”

“You are learning, Sarentu”

“Yes, but I do not even speak with a Na’vi accent. I lack so much but I have space to grow.” Kìoetey was very aware of that fact and it was hard but she had grown up listening to English and speaking it; mirroring her handler’s words. The others had clung onto that small thing, even Teylan a little bit. “I do wish Nor was here. Perhaps he could have been a consideration.”

So’lek made a slight sound of disagreement.

“What?” Kìoetey tilted her head curiously at him. “You do not think he would lead our clan?”

“Nor had great potential to be a warrior and one day to lead. But to be Olo’eyktan is not a simple position. It takes heart and weight to decide over the well-being of the clan. Their needs and their roles with the other clans. To think beyond yourself and to listen to the Tsahìk and to Eywa.”

Kìoetey reflected softly on his words. “You think he could never grow into such a position.”

“One day, with dedication. But in his time of freedom despite knowing what the Sarentu lacked, he did not wish to train or connect with his ancestors. His roots were caked in the mud that TAP covered him in but he did not wash them off and simply pouted about it. He had many opportunities to grow and I had not seen him take it. I offered him many times to talk, to take him to the other clans but he refused as if ashamed to show his face to the other clans. He chose not to learn from those around him.” So’lek stated. “I understand his difficulties and the resentment with the Sky people but…the killing of Alma Dreamwalker was the final act that shows that he cannot be a good Olo’eyktan.”

Kìoetey frowned but she could see his words had merit. “I killed her other Dreamwalkers. I let the rage loose and killed.” Perhaps she would not be suited for such a role. She had almost broken her former teacher’s arm, even.

“It is a concern but… you’ve grown. You understand the moral implications of your actions. A lesson learned.” So’lek reached forward, touching her shoulder. “What I am getting at is that Nor did not see his errors and believes that he was right to kill the Dreamwalker and that his actions did not have consequences. We did not follow that belief and he left us without talking to us. To take a life like that is extreme and even the clans don’t resort to such actions unless dealing with dangerous prisoners who are a risk to the people and clans. There is… the fact that the Dreamwalker was both critically injured and unarmed also adds weight against his action. He was not defending himself.”

“It’s not about the Dreamwalker, is it?”

“No. Alma…may not deserve the use of her other body after how she used it and taking it away from her was most likely what she needed to happen as punishment for her but there are less extreme ways to do so. But that’s a whole other conversation that I do not wish to have presently.”

Kìoetey nodded softly. “Maybe Nor will learn and come back one day.”

“One day, but I fear he will be unwelcome with the Resistance. They fear him. If he is willing to stab a Dreamwalker, then they fear they will likely be targeted at the slight indication of displeasure of the young man.”

“I suppose that’s where the weight of his actions rest; with the humans here.” It made sense. She could see where that fear came from, even if Nor was a victim of what TAP and Cortez had done.

“Indeed. But I believe his travels will benefit him in seeking Na’vi ways. To be with the people.” So’lek hoped. “To be a clan’s leader, you cannot let anger blind you to sinking a blade into anything without understanding the aftermath and how actions can change the view of oneself. Killing must have a reason beyond anger, beyond hate and beyond resentment. Otherwise, how can the people follow someone who lashes out, unable to see through the fog to not even listen to Eywa?”

Kìoetey let out a shallow breath, nodding. “I suppose one day we’ll see if Nor has evolved.”

“I hope so. But for now, you can only focus on who is here now. Teylan is now free of Mercer’s influence entirely. He should be pushed into more Na’vi roles. Perhaps… he could be sent to either the Hollows or the Aranahe Hometree. Less time around humans. He needs Na’vi and Na’vi influence.”

Kìoetey sighed deeply. She supposed he was right, but it was hard trying to want to balance what Teylan wanted and what he needed. Taking him away from human things and familiar humans would certainly frighten him.

“You know, humans have this concept of joint custody when two parents split up and there is a child between them; they both agree to house the child between their different houses throughout the week. I don’t think cutting Teylan away from human things will do any good and may scare him away but… maybe housing him between human and Na’vi would be the next best thing. He’d hate it but it’ll give him what he needs on both sides.”

So’lek looked to be in deep thought for a moment. “Teylan does show an amplitude towards weaving and cooking. He will never be a warrior, hunter or even a gatherer but with patience, he could become a skilled Na’vi.”

Kìoetey felt a warmth in her heart. Teylan had hope to be one of them in more than just body. It would be years for him but it was something. They had to nurture that like a struggling sapling.

But they still needed a leader.

“Once the fighting is done, have you considered your next actions? You will leave the resistance, I know that.” Kìoetey watched as a most likely drunk Priya was trying to stay balanced and gripping Anqa’s shoulders as they danced. Well, Priya was dancing. Anqa looked to trying to lead her onwards through the base with a massive grin on her face and enjoying every bit of it.

“The sky people are a pestilence on Pandora. If the fighting in the West is done, then helping the Omatikaya in the East is another fight I will take again.”

It sounded like a pondered suggestion with no real thought behind it.

Kìoetey eyed him for a moment though her heart fluttered nervously. “<Why… Why don’t you stay with us? The Sarentu?>” She asked in Na’vi though kept her gaze down to her food roll as he looked at her sharply. “<You are Na’vi in root and soil, learned and cultured in ways that we were robbed of. You understand us. Our learned foreign ways. You could take the mark of the Sarentu…>”

So’lek’s head tilted but remained silent but she was too nervous to look at him; to see his expression.

Then quite promptly, the moment was broken as Jin-young’s voice echoed a short distance away who was walking away from the kitchens.

“Not now, Teylan.” His voice was heavy and she felt the warning flags raise.

“I was just wanting to speak to you… To-To apologise” Teylan was saying, hovering anxiously after the small man as he took brisk steps to get away from him

“Oh no.” Kìoetey handed her food roll back to So’lek and hurried after him.

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“Please, Jin-young. I know my actions hurt you so I want—“

Jin-young stopped dead in his tracks, spinning around to give the young Na’vi a very stern glare. “You didn’t hurt me, Teylan. You just got my wife killed. I heard your apology but do you really think that I want to hear it?!” Jin-young’s voice rose. “Just leave me alone.”

Kìoetey finally caught up, catching Teylan’s shoulder. “Come, let’s go, Teylan.” She encouraged, tugging him back.

“I just-“

“No.” Kìoetey shook her head at him. “Now is not the time.” She turned her attention back to Jin-young who nodded at her and then stormed off elsewhere.

Teylan deflated sadly and then pulled his arm free. “I just wanted to talk to him…”

“He’s not ready for you to have that talk, Teylan,” Kìoetey said softly but guided him with her in search of Ri’nela towards the airlock.

“I… I want his forgiveness for what I did. I know I messed up and I’ve been talking to everyone. To apologise. Many people have been forgiving of me. I wanted that from him.”

Kìoetey got them out of the airlock, leaving their Co2 canisters on the rack before the air changed over and the doors opened. Thankfully, Ri’nela was out by the fires talking to some elderly Kame’tire but she wasn’t alone. Etuwa was there and also looked to be listening to the elder’s stories as well. Between them and the fire, there were pots of herbs and spices. A lesson within the celebration being made, Kìoetey realised. With the clans as allies, this was probably a cultural exchange as well. Elders had most knowledge besides the Tsahìk about plants and herbs. Made sense that Ri’nela wanted to learn and Etuwa must see this as an opportunity to both learn as a Tsahìk and maybe to extend the hand of the Aranahe to the Kame’tire.

Instead of going to them, Kìoetey lead the way up for a more private discussion at the back exit. Teylan begrudgingly followed and folded his arms across his chest as they stopped.

“Forgiveness will take time, Teylan.” Kìoetey said, “You must give him that time.”

“but I want it. I have a lot to make up for and I don’t like how it makes me feel.” Teylan said, looking guilty. “I want the feeling to go away. I want forgiveness and to be friends with them again.”

“It takes more than asking for forgiveness to get it,” Kìoetey sighed. “I know it’s difficult but it takes time.”

Teylan shook his head. “It’s… just so confusing, Kìoetey.”

“I know it seems confusing. Emotions are very tricky.”

“I didn’t mean to get anyone killed,” Teylan whispered. “I didn’t want anyone to die.”

“I know that. They know that but at the end of the day, those people still died.” She grasped his shoulder. “Let them come to you or wait for signals that they’re ready for your apology.”

Teylan’s worried eyes lingered on her for a moment, raging with uncertainty. “Why did you forgive me?”

Kìoetey blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You forgave me without a shred of time wasted. Ri’nela forgave me just as quickly. You forgave me for talking to Mercer, joining him and even after the deaths of our friends are on my hands. I know I did wrong. I can’t…forgive myself just yet. Not until I made up for to the others. But why did you forgive me?”

Kìoetey steered herself carefully. “Because we need you, Teylan. You are one of us. I know you were influenced by Mercer and I know why. Now… I do forgive you and you know that… but I cannot fully trust you again. Not yet.” She admitted to him. “I need time to see you, to see you grow and to become more than just doing what humans ask of you. You are Na’vi. You are Sarentu.”

“Isn’t that the same with Alm-Cortez?” Teylan said, “it.. I’m still confused as to why I have earned your forgiveness and yet you do not forgive her?”

“Do you?”

Teylan paused, biting his lip for a moment “I don’t know how I feel about Cortez. It’s…confusing. Maybe? Maybe not? It’s… hard.”

Kìoetey swallowed the tight lump in her throat. “I can’t… find myself to forgive her. Not yet.”

“But…you want to?”

“Yes, I want to. I want to move on, work with the resistance and build our clan into back into its former glory. I’ve churned the notion in my mind a few times but… then I remember my mother that night. Her singing and then… the guns of Mercer’s men when they took us. Then I can’t find it in my heart to forgive her.”

“She didn’t know about Mercer’s plans to kill our families.” Teylan pointed out, if a little hesitantly. “She’s… a bit like me. Mercer must have used her as well.”

“She still has blood on her hands.”

Teylan nodded. “I know. She knows that but… I heard about her baby. That Mercer killed it.”

Kìoetey’s jaw tightened. “There’s no confirmation. Nalin found no evidence on the infant’s bones.”

“But he did kill it…and the father,” Teylan said, his tone very intense. “I listened to some old logs when I was with Mercer. I got bored. I think he let me listen to them.”

Kìoetey’s eyes returned to him, her mouth turning a little dry. “Mercer killed the baby and Cortez’s fiancé?”

“He needed Cortez more than he needed the father. He thought the father’s death would give way to a miscarriage. It didn’t. With the father alive, there was always a risk of another baby. The father was a…distraction. Ruining the program and he needed Cortez to stay. To keep her with us. He was worried she might tell. That the baby would grow up and spill secrets if it wanted to be in another area.” Teylan spoke.

“Did…he mention how he killed the child?”

“He mentioned…something about Pandoran herbs being put into her food the night before it died. Earthy herbs, I think from the delta tree. Blended in with earth seasoning.”

Pandoran food was toxic to humans, even herbs. Cortez probably had a tolerance to survive but an unborn child? Unlikely. A quick poisoning wouldn’t show up on infant bones. If Cortez’s file reflected great sickness then… Teylan was right. It was a targeted attack. Cold-blooded murders.

Still, she may be a victim of Mercer’s schemes, but she still was a perpetrator of what happened to the Sarentu clan. It didn’t change anything really. But it was still something they’d have to talk to Cortez about as well.

Not tonight. They still had a party to get to.

“let’s…shelf that conversation for now. Leave those unwilling to hear your apology and join Ri’nela. The elders may have some interesting to learn from.

“Must I?”

“I would like you to join us, Teylan.”

Teylan looked uncertain but caved after she pouted at him. “Okay, okay.” He agreed. “But then I want to go to bed. It’s been a long day.”

Masterlist

[soranihimawari]

Good as Hell

A drabble of sorts inspired by this list:

Sunflowers by Van Gogh

SingleParent!Kita x reader

Supporting cast: Kita Hae (6years old); Miya twins

Word count: 1.7K

Rating: KSF (kita shinsuke fluff)

Warnings? Read the disclaimer below ⬇️

Disclaimer/Brief backstory:Kita’s unnamed ex has been out of the picture for about four years, abandoning the farm and leaving behind a two year old Hae on the screen porch along with papers to surrender mother/parental rights thus leaving Kita the sole guardian of his child; Miya twins agree to help their former captain out by becoming godfathers and it is also fair to imply that the rest of the notable players from Inarizaki are Hae’s precious, formed uncle squad.

It’s not everyday that the farmer’s market near the Mori-Kita farmlands would host a night market, but alas, there comes a time for firsts like this summer night. On the eve of the summer solstice, all former students of the Inarizaki sports team had been contacted especially to help one former captain put on an excellent stand for said night market. One half of the Mori-Kita farm owners, Kita Shinsuke, had an easy time setting up the night market stand after receiving a few critiques on the product being sold via his financier, Mori-kun. Regardless, the former captain enlisted the help of all his underclassmen as much as he could to have the stand market-ready by the end of July.

The prep time had been scheduled about a month before the date of the local night market, yet you happened to be off from your inner-city job in the downtown area this particular weekend. A few coworkers from the motorcycle dealership had decided to take a few days off together for team building purposes and attend the summer solstice festivities in the country-side. You had received an invitation as the newest staff member in the mechanic division, suffice to say the men and women whom you work with were using this time to not only get to you know a little better, but to also ask those personal, yet kind of awkward family questions (ex. You have a boyfriend/girlfriend? Where did you learn to ride and fix motorcycles or dirt bikes? etc.). Your calm and nonchalant demeanor caused a few rumors to spread outside of the garage. To be fair, you do your job as best as the rest of them, but when you mentioned you had lived alone for an x-amount of years, your shop buddy, Kunei-senpai, had seemed to thwart any other awkward questions. He was able to shoo away those pesky up sellers from the showfloor out of the garage when they had been very clearly harassing you for dates and the like.

Thankfully, by the end of the first two work weeks, you had been included in very many lunch breaks and even had been invited to a bar by the shop owners to gain familiarity with everyone you work with. A few nights before the night market, you receive a call from Kunei, mentioning to meet up around 6:30p.m. by the old YMCA pool center:

“Apparently, that’s where the motorcycle parking will be, see you tomorrow YLN-san!”

Flash forward after busy work week, the night of the official night market arrives. You meet up with the others at the appointed time in the parking lot where Kunei-san had mentioned. You’re walking by the official banner entrance and you all eventually branch out. You’re at the warmed yams stand when you spot a lost kid who in their heightened panic runs straight to you, panic crying no less. You pay the stand owner and you ask for a sliced version of what you ordered, attempting to soothe and calm the kid. You kneel down after paying for the second portion as you introduce yourself:

“Hello, I’m yn-san. Can you tell me your name?”

The kid sniffles and bops their head.

“I’m Hae. Kita, Hae,” they straighten up and try to formerly shake your hard.

“Say, I have some extra sliced steamed yams here, are you allergic?”

Little Hae shakes their head and you notice how fair their platinum blonde hair is along with their bronzed fox-Iike eyes. It’s like they hit the generic lottery and that kid would break a lot of hearts when they’re older. Regardless, when Hae says they aren’t allergic, you hand them the little to-go boat with a disposable fork in the steamed vegetable. You’re eating yours as you suggest that you two stick together until Hae finds their way back to their parent’s stand.

“Daddy’s got a stand here tonight,” Hae says after taking a sip of the water you provided at a soda stand.

“And how did you get lost?” You wonder.

“My goddofāzās, ´Samu & ‘Tsumu, went to help my daddy bring stuff from the truck and I saw a cat plushie I wanted, so I walked to find it,” Hae looked dejected and embarrassed when they said that.

You try not to laugh, this was serious matter after all, but you’re sure whoever Hae calls ‘daddy’ is busy scolding his friends who were left in charge of watching the kid. Honestly, on the defense of the godfathers, Hae seemed really put together for a six year old. Sure, a little shaken up, but now with a stomach filled with a vegetable snack and water, you’re sure the kid is more determined to help you help find their parent.

Along the way, a few of your coworkers saw you being friendly with little Hae. They sort of send out a text chain saying that the kid looks like the spitting image of the owner of the sponsored booth for the night market. Luckily, your phone goes off and though Hae holds your hand, you use your free hand to read and catch up with the text chain. The ambient sounds of the night market around you calms you as you observe and let Hae lead you down a row of booths they think seems familiar. You give your thanks to your coworkers as they helped narrow down the booths and probable solo guardian of your one new pint-sized friend.

Elsewhere, a set of twins are getting an earful from a worried and angry father:

“Hae’s the most precious person t’me and you both lost ‘em?!”

“We sent out the Bat-Signal to the team, kita,” one of the godfathers says.

“Don’t worry, Hae’ll come running back here in no time,” the other says.

“For both your sakes, I pray my kid comes back in one piece…” Kita grumbles a string of curses as he reluctantly goes back to his stand to man the register.

It takes another fifteen minutes for Hae to start recognizing some familiar booths and although they complain about how much their feet hurt, you notice how the kid’s feet had already outgrown the shoes…

“Say, Hae,” your voice calms down their excited heartbeat.

“Yeah?”

You step in front of Hae and ask if it’s ok with them for you to pick them up and the serendipitous moment Hae says yes, you’re literally almost tackled to the ground by two men who wear the same face—so you scream and push Hae’s head into your shoulder as you make a run for it and those two fools slam into each other chest first. Hae’s laughing the entire time and now your brain is hitting overdrive as you let the adrenaline sink into your bloodstream until you hear a deeper voice call out to Hae. Judging by how much Hae squirms in your arms, you presume this was their father’s voice you hear.

Slowing to a stop, you see the kanji in large font as the cashier jogs to meet you.

“Daddy!” Hae excitedly exclaims as their father who by the way, seems to have been original in terms of strong inherited genes. You put the kid down and you watch Hae run off to their father’s waiting arms. The two gentlemen from before come back defeated and after a few minutes of scolding alongside a heart to heart with not following strangers, you clear your throat.

“Technically not a stranger, “ you point to yourself. “New friend, right Hae-Chan?”

Hae nods much to their father’s dismay, although when he looks at you in your black jeans, smudged crimson striped shirt, dirty under the fingernails from motor oil from the latest tune-up in the shop, and sensible boots, he can’t help but soften the scowl on his face.

“Hae, promise me you’d stay with your godfathers this time, ok?” Hae’s father says he lets them go into the other men’s care.

It’s only apparent to you now that the gentlemen from earlier are not only the godfathers, but also twin siblings who can be heard making small bets with Hae when they depart the stand for a few minutes.

“So,” Hae’s father begins. He sheepishly gives you a small smile while stuffing his hands into his jeans pocket.

“Umm…YLN, YN,” you extend a hand for him to shake.

He shakes your hand while apologizing for his child’s behavior—

“It’s alright, really,” you chuckle. “I liked their company…”

“I think I might like yours too,” he says.

You blush a bit, nodding along while he sort of chortles over speaking his mind.

“Over coffee sometime?…would that be ok?”

He pulls a business card from the register: it has a star and small cornucopia of seasonal vegetables on it: KITA FARMS INC.

He takes a pen and scribbles down his phone number for you on the back and hands it to you.

“I’ll call you sometime,” you say, squinting at his precise penmanship. “Kita Shinsuke.”

His eyes are a softer bronze tone when you say his name for the first time. It’s like you’re a bit unsure for a moment before he says your name back to you and it seems delightfully whole; the confidence in both of you rise and you make a very bold choice.

“If it’s not too much to ask, mind if I buy a few of those blueberries? I muddle them with some soda water and ginger beer at home…”

Kita smiled warmly at this and you hand him some spare yen notes.

“Keep the change,” you say as the register opens. “The first round of coffee is on you. Oyasumi, Shinsuke.”

A light breeze follows you as you disappear into the night crowd, Hae and her godfathers return with some ice cream and other souvenirs, and all three of them have this smug and impish look on their face.

“Daddy, did you ask YN-san to marry you?”

Kita denies it defending that he’d only do it after you had coffee with him.

Yet, his friends, his faithful kouhai since high school, the twin godfathers of this sharply witted child, burst into laughter when Hae goes to call their father out: “Your face is all red…”

“…they had a sunflower tattoo,” Kita says this to himself proud he finally felt the universe deliver a much needed ´win’ especially since it’s been four years since the mother of Hae had wanted nothing to do with either of them.

And for the first time in the four years since he came home to an empty place and an abandoned two year old inside the screened porch during the early spring, Kita felt this calming wave of genuine goodness the second he saw you with Hae, running through to get to his stand. He sees you now, a few yards away, and you lock eyes with him as you make your purchase of a blown glass sunflower pendant. His phone vibrates in his pocket and he reads the text from you:

I’m free day after tomorrow, does coffee sound great then? —Hae’s new friend✌🏼

[dizzyluc]

Incoming vent rant (needed to air out my anger after the past 3 days, considering my pain level I'd say is at a 6 out of 10, and the more constant pain I'm in, the more pissed I get lol...)

This month, let alone this week, has not been kind to me... and it's only Tuesday, THE THIRD ">_> When this month starts off shitty due to something personal related (not health related thankfully, (although it IS insurance related is all I'll say, it could definitely be worse though, but...) it's actually put me in a pretty pissy mood these past few days, which I'm praying Friday it's taken care of, so hoping Friday goes over well) Monday, my "rest up before a long ass week" day, I had to take my car in to get an oil change as my light just lit up, went to a "Take 5" and after waiting 30 minutes, being inside the place that does it, with my car off cause no idea when they would actually just "start" doing stuff... "Oh, we don't have the right thing to change your oil, so we can't do it." THANKS FOR SAYING IT AFTER MAKING ME WAIT (instead of checking real quick if it can be done... then having me wait for everyone that came before me go... although I think they were understaffed too) Then after, I go to a local donut place, that I have been trying to get a coconut flavor for, for WEEKS, even went the day before and they said "oh we will have it tomorrow!" and they still didn't have it... (they have said this 3 times now at this point) pretty much making my outing a complete waste of time. Today being Tuesday? I've been almost crashed into 6+ times (at least twice my mom yelped at people almost creaming me) The donut place, after saying I'd be back at noon today? "It will be ready at 5-6 today!" How. Many. Times... I drop my mom off for her appointment, which normally this one takes 3 hours due to ALWAYS being behind, get a Slurpee... which tasted like a cheap drink... and then every place I went to, for SOME reason, after lunch? Big lines. I get done with the final place almost, expecting to get back and chill and relax after such a hectic afternoon and week so far... (after picking up a pizza cause a good deal usually happened at a certain pizza place nearby on Tuesdays) Mom texts: Oh, I'm just about done, there was no one in the doctor's office today! So we can keep doing errands once you get back! Me thinking... "Can I get just 5 minutes... FIVE. MINUTES." Dealt with more cars trying to ram me (If you go to Florida, be VERY CAUTIOUS about driving here, the people are lunatic drivers, even more so lately it feels like, literally had to slam on my brakes twice today because people THINK THEY OWN THE ROAD, TO PULL OUT IN FRONT OF ME) After finally eating today (I only had donut holes at this point btw today... it was pizza though, but...)

I think my nerves from all the shit happening these past few days finally caught up to me and I got nauseated for like an hour or so, which going back to the donut place didn't help (it still wasn't ready when I got there, it was almost 6 pm) and after they brought it out... it wasn't even the right donuts. "Wait, OHHHH... you wanted the white, coconut donuts we served like, 3 months ago right? With the coconut drizzle? Oh yeah, no that was discontinued." Me thinking: ... I LITERALLY TOLD YOU THIS EVERY TIME "I want the coconut donut that had white frosting, and coconut flakes drizzled on top of the donut" I got whatever the hell they made, got home, let dogs out (while it pretty much was almost raining) and it took me 2 hours to get a shower and now lay down in bed. ... and it just keeps going tomorrow lol... (Gotta be ready by noon, and will be out probably till 6 or so doing "Military Monthly run" aka pick up medicine, pick up veterinarian stuff for dogs, maybe mail some stuff or do a bank run (these 2 not always), followed by pick up cards and any random stuff at the Base Exchange, then the Commissary for almost 2 hours for the family monthly grocery supply [and this is why I call it "grocery day" as it's an all day affair, that literally is dedicated for goods for the month])

[pbandjesse]

It's only 730 and it so dark out! It's not even daylights savings yet. Ridiculous.

Today was a busy day! It was a fun day though even if my body is vaguely uncomfortable. I had to wake up at 730 (oh weird exactly 13 hours ago) so I could get ready to go to the walk in doctors appointment with James. I very much did not want to go to the doctor. But James wanted us to go so we did.

We had a little trouble getting there. Just traffic and bad drivers. I loved my outfit though so even though I wasn't feeling amazing, mostly because I wasn't all the way awake, I felt really cute and good. I just got this sweater tank dress and it's super cozy. James said I liked glamorous.

We got to the doctor right as they opened. And were the first ones in. We had to fill out some papers. But pretty quickly they took us back together! I liked that!

We weigh the same. Our blood pressure was good. James resting heart rate was 59. I didn't catch what mine was.

We would go into a room to wait and eventually I was taken back to be seen by myself.

The doctor was pleased that I was seeing the rhumatologist and that so many of my issues are getting better. He was very concerned when I told him about my A1C test from the summer and so I had to get a finger prick test and my glucose thankfully was 80 and that's in the normal range. So the panic everyone was radiating lessened but they are concerned by my shaky hands and seeing black spots. I will be going back to gert blood work with them soon. They only do it there on Tuesdays and Thursdays though so I have to figure that out. I'll figure that out tomorrow.

We would finish up there around 930. And we decided to go get breakfast at Southside.

I always like eating there. And it was fun sitting with James and just talking about buying a house and life and the day. I just love spending time with my James. They did have a little sadness in their eyes today and told me they were just having a hard time. They have those days sometimes. I do to so I understand.

After breakfast we headed to highlandtown for my meeting. We waited a few minutes but we were still wildly early. So we would run over to target to use their bathroom and then come back. I was feeling a little weird. My body felt weird. But I tried to shake that off and be positive.

We got back to highlandtown and James would wait in the car and read. I walked over to creative alliance but I wasn't sure how to get inside. Another woman was waiting so I headed over there. But then Parker was at the door and he thought she was me and it was very funny to me. I think my height surprised him. It is not my fault I am so small!!

Parker is great though. He gave me a tour of both buildings. Both just beautifully designed spaces. I loved seeing the behind the scenes and seeing the set spaces. I did not know that they had artist in residences there and they are legit apartments! That's so cool!

We would sit in the classroom where my workshops will be and I got to envision how that would lay out. And we spent a really good amount of time talking through my STEAM programs I've been working on. And he wants to put three on the calendar in the new year. So I am going to propose those to camp tomorrow. And if they are down I'll get that all sorted. A critter talk and felt craft, a native species heart wall hanging, and a paper making with native seed inclusion project. I think it will be super cool and give camp a whole new audience.

I also shared with him about this blog and the overarching project it was and has become. How I work on it for about an hour if not more every night. How it has made me a better writer in ways but also just helps me find center after a long day. He was impressed. He is trying the artist way daily pages and I think I inspired him a little and that was really cool.

After our meeting I was in a great mood and went back to the car to see my husband. I stopped to take a picture of a flower. And was excited to tell them everything but they seemed so sad. I hate when I can't fix everything for them but they said they were okay and I told them all about the meeting while we drove back to target.

We didn't have to get much. James was really excited they had the nail polish they really like but they haven't had anywhere for a year. I was frustrated that I couldn't find any of the things I had wanted. I got a different brand of body oil. We did get a cute glass candy machine that I'm going to keep thread in. And we got a second CO2 tank for the soda stream. It was a productive trip.

We left target and drove to the zoo! The plan was to just ride the train. And that was exactly as much activity as I think either of us could handle. We get free tickets to the zoo on October so we needed to take advantage of it one more time.

I loved seeing the prairie dogs again. One for really close and I got to watch him eat a leaf. Just peak male performance. Love a prairie dog.

We went through the victorian walk where all the old cages are. It's funny how much they say in all their signs that they don't have any animals in them anymore when they have multiple birds in them. Birds are the only thing that should be kept in those cages. The snowy owl seems happy in there.

It was busy at the zoo entrance. It was closer to 130 and all the school groups were on their way out. No big deal. They weren't taking the train so it wasn't busy over there. We got our ticket and while we waited we took kissy pictures.

The train was fun. I wish it went around more of the whole park but it was neat seeing the miniature long horns. Which are still 1800lbs but compared to a regular long horn at 4000 it is miniature. We also got to see a lemur in the walkway!! In all my time visiting this zoo I have never seen that! I also liked their spooky decorations and the train conductor gave a good little talk about stuff. Like spiders and bags and why they are important.

Once the train ride was done I asked James if they wanted to go look at anything. We went to the otters but no luck, plus the water was way way down. Maybe they go somewhere else when it gets cold? Or they were just inside. We did get to see the bats and I really enjoyed that. I should be able to see them with more light but also I know that's not fair to the bats. I was happy to see them as much as I could.

It was time to go though. We walked through the bird area but they still won't let you in because of avian flu. Still fun to get in the giant birds nests and feel cozy. James was surprised that I was able to easily get in and out of the orioles nest. I was surprised how big it was inside.

After we left the zoo we decided to go get a milkshake. James drove us to Hamden and we went to the charmery.

I decided on an otterbein sugar cookie milkshake and it was great. But we also tried the butternut squash and clove. Which was essential pumpkin pie but slightly different. I was unsure because sometimes clove just tastes like a candle but it was good so we got a pint to take home. This also filled up James's punch card! Neat! We get to spin the wheel next time we're there.

We headed home. And I was glad to be back. I was ready to rest. James would start the laundry and I worked on my charm collection project for an hour. They would go for a bike ride and I got cozy and laid down.

I wanted to nap but it did not work. So instead I just chilled and watched videos.

When James came back I would move to the living room. They would make me pasta and green beans for dinner and I trimmed my cuticles. I ate to much and my stomach hurt (and still does). James would go play DND and I took a bath. I used my the end of my body oil and it felt very nice. Let's hope the new brand is nice too.

We have been in bed for a while now. I am really ready to sleep. Tomorrow I have a Native American feildtrip. Sarah is helping me run it and I really hope it goes smoothly. I have to get things ready in the morning. She pulled all of the materials out but I need to run around and make sure it's all good. I think it will be fine but still. Nerves.

I hope you are all well. I hope you sleep tight. And feel good tomorrow. I love you all. Goodnight!

[flamingjets]

Loss of a parent..

Death of a parent is tough. especially when it is unexpected and no one sees it coming. My dad was healthy and active and yet a couple days before he died he was complaining of shortness of breathe. The nurses at the doctors office didn't even check him over just sent him on his way and made an appointment with his doctor on of course the day he died.

I can remember the day like it was yesterday or even just like it happened today. I was at work at got the call from my mom that the paramedics were at the house working on my dad giving him CPR. I nearly fell to the floor as a coworker had to grab me and pull me over to a bench near her desk. I was shaking and in shock. I tried to find one of my managers but of course at that moment neither of them were around. One was taking a personal day and the other was off on a meeting. I was freaking out needing to get home and wanting to tell my manager I was leaving. I also did not have my car since it was then Friday I didn't drive to work but took the LRT. I was freaking out knowing I would have to wait to catch another train. Thankfully another coworker of mine without hesitation offered to drive me home!

While in the car I was talking to my sister who was freaking out as well and needing to grab an uber as she couldn't function to drive safely and I told her I'd call my boyfriend to pick her up since he lives about five minutes away from her and can get her to our house. The more time in the car with news from my mom about my dad the dread washed over me knowing it was going to not end on a good note. The paramedics weren't taking my dad to the hospital as my mom was hoping...

I finally got home and ran inside after thanking my coworker profusely for driving me there! I ran inside and saw my mom as she told me they were still working on my dad and don't go upstairs. She filled me in on how my dad didn't come downstairs for his usual breakfast and she went upstairs to find him breathing heavy, grey and clammy as she asked him if he should call 911. the last words my dad said to my mom were "I think I'm dying". Before long the paramedics arrived and that was the last time my mom saw my dad alive.

My mom need fresh air and went outside to take a breather and that was moment the paramedic came downstairs and told me my dad had died and they tried everything and still couldn't bring him back. The shock, pain and grief were overwhelming I had to sit down. My dad was dead just like that. I last saw him alive the night before as I said good night and told him see him tomorrow. I never got to speak to my dad again or see him. My mom returned back inside with my sisters fiancee as he just arrived at the same moment my mom went outside for a breather. I looked at her and started freaking out and she told me not to but that no longer was an option as dad was just pronounced dead. My mom crumbled as my sisters fiancee pulled her in for a hug as I put my hands to my head and couldn't believe it. And to a certain degree I still don't believe it. Paramedics asked me if I wanted to see my dad and I went upstairs with one of them as the rest of the crew were putting away their life saving efforts so I could say good bye to my dad. I asked them to close his eyes. As I looked down at my once alive and breathing dad lying on the ground white and the life no longer there I felt numb. I said goodbye to him. To this day I look into my parents room and stare at the spot and picture my dads lifeless body still there.

My sister called and asked if my boyfriend and her should go to the hospital ad why aren't the paramedics being dad to the hospital. She already knew the answer but can't tell her over the phone dad was gone. Just said get here quick. Once my sister arrived at the house I asked the paramedics if they have sedatives since my sister might need one. Humor in a dark moment. My sister came through the door and was already crying as she crumbled into our moms arms and then her fiancees arms as I crumbled into my boyfriends arms and started to cry. My dad was gone.

My dad died at home and the death wasn't suspicious so they didn't take him away so we had to make plans for a funeral home to come and pick up his body. It was the hardest two hours waiting for the funeral home to show up and pick up his body. I kept going up stairs to check on him as the color changed on his face from white to purple as the blood stop circulating. I needed to see him or make sure nothing was happening to him. finally the funeral home showed up and took him away. Hearing them wrap up his body and bring it down the stairs as they bumped down them in my head i screamed at them be careful with him! Not like it matter he no longer felt pain.

In that moment I said goodbye to my dad officially as it was the last time I would see his body as they took him away.

Even after a month of him being gone I still can't believe its happening that my dad is gone. I have moments where I cry but mostly I get a pit in my stomach and feel very anxious. I have to stay strong for my mom as she needs the support and she cries almost every day so does my sister and I feel like I have no more tears to cry. He wasn't ready to die and we weren't ready to say good bye. its unfair and I get mad since why did this have to happen and why couldn't they bring him back. I know its stupid to be angry at the nurses but they should of checked him over and maybe just maybe he would still be here but no.

I have to be strong for everyone. If I can hold the pain and grief for my mom and sister I will. I will be strong but even at times I can't be strong anymore and cry. But then pick myself up and be strong again. I feel numb and at times do not really care or find myself not caring. i know its bad but I can't seem to get past it.

[thecandywrites]

Monster March Day 5- Other-Taurs

The Velvet Spa

Thanks as always to @borealwrites for their Monster March 2023 prompts. As well as @catbatart for their's as well. Short and sweet again. However, this is the first one that will have more of a second part that is it's own multi part story for another prompt later on in the list. But this more or less lays the groundwork for future ones. Enjoy.

Monster March Day 5- Other-taurs

The Velvet Spa

“Goodmorning, this is Macy with The Velvet Spa, how can I help you?” Macy asked. 

“Goodmorning, this is Mack Goodwin, I’d like move up my scheduled velvet stripping appointment, and I’d like to keep it with Bianca if at all possible.” Mack offered. 

“Of course, let me just look at her schedule real quick. She has a 10am on the 7th.” Macy offered. 

“Does she have anything sooner? That cold snap we just had has me entering the rut sooner than I anticipated and that cold snap really did a number on the velvet and it’s already really oily and itchy.” He pleaded. 

“Well, she does have an emergency opening tomorrow evening at 6. But her emergency appointment slots are usually double the usual because you’re skipping the line so to speak.” Macy gently broke it to him.

“I’ll take it. I’ll happily book it and prepay for it too. I just need it off and Bianca is the best.” Mack insisted. 

“Of course. I’ll get that booked for you. Is the card ending in 3443 still the card you wish to use?” She asked. 

“Yes, that one should be fine, and please could you add on a 25% tip too?” He asked. 

“Of course.” Macy reassured him. 

“And done and done, we’ll see you in here tomorrow at 6pm Mack.” Macy offered. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” He offered before he hung up. 

At 5, he was in that spa and doing his best to simply rest in the special moose-taur chairs that they had. Since this place catered to taurs of all kinds and the various kinds of minotaurs too. 

He tried to distract himself with various games on his phone, anything to keep his hands from reaching up to scratch at the velvet on the antlers, as he had already bought a tub of itch cream and slathered it on and wrapped them up in the special taur bathroom. But it felt like he needed several buckets of itch cream. 

And thankfully right at 5:50- Bianca came out. 

“Mack, I’m ready for you.” Bianca called as she had walked, what was usual last client of the day, but because of the early cold snap, her emergency appointments had all filled up for the rest of the week, and then the appointments the usual clients had booked in advance had quickly filled in too. 

Mack nearly hit the already high ceilings as he jumped up onto all fours in the seat and bounced out of and over the chair. 

“Easy, easy, come on, room 8.” Bianca giggled as she managed to put her little, delicate hands up right at his waist where his waist met the rest of his moose-taur body to keep him from crashing into the actual bench of a reception desk as he took a step back and bowed his head in embarrassment but appreciated her pat of his taur shoulder and followed her to the special room that she had set up just for her special true taur clients as she quickly added special sections of the special bed so he could lay his taur body down, while also laying is more human side forward so that his head would more or less lay between two huge sinks specifically designed for massive antlers. 

“Ok, is that comfy enough or do we need more support?” She asked once he settled in. 

“Could I just get a little more here?” He asked as he pulled his chest up and patted to where he would lay in. Since this was like a massive massage chair, specifically made for larger taurs, like moose-taurs and caribou-taurs. She grabbed the special insert and wedged it in and then had him lay down before she adjusted the special head rest. 

“There? Better?” She asked but she could already see his body fully relax into it. 

“Yes, so much. Thank you.” He thanked her. 

“Let’s get you numbed up. Because I can see that the numbing lotion ain’t cutting it is it?” She asked thoughtfully as she was already washing her hands and then drying them to get her special gloves on. 

“It helped, but not as much as the injections do.” He had to admit as she was already getting into her special pharmaceutical refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of her favorite local anesthetic drug and filled her needle with enough to numb all of the velvet on the antlers. 

“Ok, pin pricks.” She gently warned as she cleaned the nerve branches of the velvet that was still, mostly active as the local anesthetic both kept the nerves from firing before she could remove the velvet and it would keep too much blood loss from happening too. 

Mack welcomed the pin pricks because he knew the numbing that was sure to follow would be phenomenal before he practically moaned and sighed to feel the relief bloom all over his antlers. 

“Better?” Bianca asked once she was done injecting all of it but paused to see if he would need any more. 

“So much better.” He answered. 

“Ok, let me do a quick check ok?” She said before she disposed of the syringe but had a second on standby just in case she needed to pull more from the bottle as she put the special walkway that would allow her to climb up and stand over him to get to his velvet without climbing onto his back herself. She walked around and squeezed the various tines, palms and beams. 

“Feeling anything?” She asked thoughtfully as she tested all of them. 

“Nope. I just feel you touching them from the pressure on my skull.” He answered. 

“Perfect. Ok, lets get all of this pesky velvet off. Nothing like a hundred degree difference between having nearly 60 degree warm fall winter and then a cold snap of minus 53 degrees and a blizzard for a few days and then back to regularly scheduled- descend into winter. That cold snap just sent everyone into the rut early and velvet that usually would take another few weeks is taking mere days to decide it needs to come off.” Bianca said as she unwrapped his antlers and used her various scalpels and other tools in her special belt along with a gigantic bag on her hip to catch all the velvet she would take off of his antlers. 

“You’re telling me.” He chuckled. 

“Although I doubt Cathy minds you chasing her around the house a bit earlier than usual.” Bianca gently teased. 

“No she does not.” Mack laughed as he just fully relaxed and practically melted into the special cushioned chair/bed as he could feel Bianca climb the various special stools she had so she could get up and get all the velvet off even the tallest points of his antlers and work her way down as the soft music filled the room. 

“So I take it your schedule is crazy?” He guessed. 

“Very much so. I even scheduled in dinner for my appointments, because currently, I’m out until 9pm for the next few weeks.” She revealed. 

“Yikes. What about the kids?” He asked. 

“Well, thankfully my parents understand and while Rodger isn’t there to watch them anymore, at least his parents are.” You admitted. 

“Still miss him?” Mack asked. 

“It gets better every year.” Bianca admitted about her husband who had died due to a falling tree since her husband had co owned a lumber mill and had bought a parcel of land for the trees, but instead- had literally struck gold, when he hadn’t struck gold with his wife that is. And even though she had been a single mom of three when he met her, he was quick to marry her up and give her two more kids when he did. Because really good women were more precious than gold and more beautiful than the northern lights, no matter what form they took. 

Bianca got into being a velvet stripper among the various other things she had licenses and certifications for when she was growing up. Bianca started helping her antlered taur friends take the velvet off their antlers. Then once she graduated highschool, went and got a professional medical license for it and then started accumulating many, many more in the years since. 

And then when he died, she actually took his life insurance money, all the money from selling the land that had the gold claim on it- and built her dream home and her specialty medical spa and now The Velvet Spa was a place where every taur or any other person who had antlers or even horns came to get them serviced among other things. 

And because Bianca was a human, her and her little nimble fingers could get in there and remove velvet way better than most. And having a husband and kids who were the whole spectrum of minotaurs, between moose minotaur with her eldest, an elk minotaur with her second, a deer minotaur with her third and then her youngest two being caribou minotaur from her late husband, meant she knew all too well what it was like having antlers and velvet. Like a mosquito bite times a thousand. And with all her years of experience, she and her spa had a sterling reputation at being the best. To the point, people came to her and her spa from all over the Arctic Tundra. And she had multiple locations now and had made a chain of the business. But her original clientele were practically cult followers. And once someone had her work on them, they didn’t want anyone else to work on them because she always had the best results. 

“So, were we going with winter white or did we want to go with any other stains for the antlers today? Grulla is pretty popular this year.” She asked as she finished with one antler and double checked to make sure she got everything before she started on the other. 

“Nah, could we go fawn brown?” He asked since once the antlers shed their velvet, they could take a staining of the bone super easy and she could stain the antlers any color the client wanted. 

“Oh yeah, that would look really good with your dark brown coat.” She readily agreed as she continued to work on his velvet and cut it all off, and used a special scraper that was practically a modified icecream scoop with a razor edge to get the wide palms of antler velvet off. 

“And we’re done! Velvet’s off, lets get these washed and then dyed for you.” She offered before she got her cleaning supplies and her pre-soaked dye sponge out of it’s wrapper and drenched it with the special dye to make his antlers the desired color. Like hair color, but for antlers. 

She meticulously washed all the blood and leftover residues from his antlers before she meticulously got the stain sponge and started to stain his antlers his favorite color. It used to be that whatever a taur would scrape their velvet off with, like the bark from trees, and dirt would color up the antlers. But with her, she could make the antlers look both “natural” yet “modern” with various stains, even the bright colored ones. The people who worked construction or the salt trucks often preferred their antlers get a reflective paint put on so they could work safely, even in the dark night. 

“And…done!” She announced happily as she finished with his antlers and pulled the walkway up so he could get up and out of the special chair. 

“But I don’t want to move, I was so comfortable.” Mack mock complained. 

“Come on, up, up, up.” She cooed as she reached out the scratch around the base of his antlers on his head and laughed when he rolled his head into her fingernails. Since she had taken off her gloves already before he got those infuriating itches scratched before he pulled back just enough to grab her up and give her a hug with his upper person half while he was still down on the ground. 

“Thank you so much.” He offered. 

“You’re welcome Mack.” She smiled happily as she hugged him back for a few seconds before she withdrew to help change the room over and let him get up. 

“Ice the bases when the local wears off if they start to ache, take your favorite pain reliever too if it gets bad. And of course, if you have any other issues or problems call back and we’ll get you fixed up. And of course, if anything gets infected, don’t hesitate to go get medical intervention in the meantime, ok?” She offered as he stood up again before she withdrew the special bolsters and cushions to suit the next client she had in the room since she had two rooms, one for conventional taurs and the other more for various kinds of minotaurs that was right across the hall while he looked at his antlers in the high mirrors in the room. 

“Will do, you’re the best.” He offered 

“I try. Do you still want to keep your antler shed appointment or do you think you’ll need to move it up earlier because you’re entering the rut early too?” She asked. 

“Nah, let’s keep it for now.” He shook his head no. 

“Ok, then lets get you out and back home to Cathy.” She offered before she opened the massive door to let him out as he gingerly left the room and turned in the hallway to get out of there as she walked him out and then collected her next client. 

“Mr. Leopold?” She called out before a caribou minotaur practically jumped out of his seat. 

“That’s me.” He offered before he followed her back. 

“Hi, we’re back in room 4.” She offered as she exchanged Mack’s file for her other client’s and went to repeat the process. 

[thefandomcassandra]

Champion (6/20): Having Made It Through the Night

cham·pi·on — /ˈCHampēən/

(n) - a person who fights or argues for a cause or on behalf of someone else

(v) - support the cause of; defend — "I don't want these powers. They're too much."

Reigen said he would bear any burden too big for Mob.

He doesn't have psychic powers any more.

He won't hurt anyone any more.

Those thoughts kept spinning around and around in Mob's head as he helped Reigen pick up the mess in his office. Knowing why he felt the way he did—lighter and more free, happier even—was exhilarating. He felt...wonderful. He felt—

"Shishou?" Reigen looked up from where he was gathering pens off the ground by hand. "Will I still be working?"

"What do you mean?" Reigen went a little pale and a lot sweaty. Mob felt a wave of fuzzy pressure roll over him. His mouth tasted like cigarette smoke and hurt like he smiled too wide for too long.

"What I mean is: I don't have my powers anymore. Will I still be working here, with you?" The thought of not working alongside his shishou hadn't occurred to Mob until literally just then, but it was worrying. He was worried.

He could feel worried without it becoming a horrible feedback loop that caused an explosion.

He felt giddy because he could feel worried.

"Well, yeah?" Reigen seemed affronted he had even asked. "In what world would I abandon you just because you couldn't help with exorcisms or curse removal? It'd be like throwing away your computer just because the battery died. You get me?"

No, but he trusted Reigen. If he said he didn't have to stop, that was enough. "What would I do, though?"

"Work the desk, like you always do." It seemed like the simplest answer in the whole world. It was breathtaking, how easy it was for his shishou to come to conclusions quickly and stick to his conviction. "I'm not going to put you in danger. You keep smiling at our clients and running the till and I'll do all the heavy lifting, okay?"

"Okay."

Behind Mob, Ritsu made some kind of harsh noise. Hanazawa laughed, once, and Ritsu hissed at him. All of this was just low enough that Mob couldn't tell what they were actually saying but, if his little brother was exchanging LINE with Hanazawa, then good for him. He deserved more intelligent esper role models in his life, even if he didn't like shishou all that much.

"A-ny-way!" Reigen gestured about, a few objects levitating near him. He noticed and snatched them out of the air before continuing his thought. "I'm kinda attached. Aren't I your shishou?"

"Yes."

"Then know I won't ever abandon you! Powers or not, you're my student, Mob, and I'll always be here for you!"

That's what he wanted to be when he grew up. He wanted to be as confident and kind and in-control as Reigen. He wanted to be able to say things and mean them immediately. He wanted to never worry about hurting anyone accidentally. He wanted to help people too.

Reigen took his awed silence as an answer and clapped him on the shoulder. "Alright! Now all of you, get out! I need to clean up and maybe take a mallet to this cabinet. See if I can smack out the dent...can't afford a new one."

"See you tomorrow!" Mob didn't want to leave without saying goodbye, even if Ritsu and Hanazawa were already on their way out. Ritsu, thankfully, was waiting by the door for him.

"No, not tomorrow. Gonna close down for the day. Doctor's appointment." Reigen waved a hand from where he was rearranging the items on his desk.

Mob frowned. Wouldn't he have scheduled the appointment on a day Spirits and Such wasn't open? Unless this was a last-minute thing to do with the Seventh Division thing?

"Yeah, yeah," Ritsu cut in. "Goodbye!"

Reigen waved one hand at them again, still bent over working on his desk. Mob raised his own hand in an unseen farewell, then followed his brother and Hanazawa out the door and down to the sidewalk outside the building.

Read the Rest on AO3

[memoirs-of-learning-dad]

People are just mean, everybody is so busy living their own lives and doing their own jobs, just selfish and self centered or is it me who's just too selfish and narcissistic?

I am no saint, but is it too much to have little expectation from the ones who you love? My spouse has been having a rough time since yesterday. We had some disagreements yesterday and I still reached out and thought we were ok. Then all morning I've been getting the cold shoulder and when I approached her she said she wanted to be alone and that it wasn't me. Ok, I can do that.

Then in the evening there was this other incident. Paapu loves grabbing this chair and climbing on it and doing stuff on the counter - I hate it. I think it's unsafe but my wife thinks "it keeps her occupied and quiet", "she's just exploring and experimenting", so let her be. I have been saying 100s of times this is not at all safe and she'll fall. Today she fell, and she fell on her f'ing head. In a rage of fear, guilt, panic and anger I scolded them both, aggressively said I told you so to my wife, and then said that I'm just going to trash that f'ing chair if anybody climbs on it ever again. paapu is ok thankfully, or at least she looked ok. I was losing my mind, so I just stepped away when it was her dinner time, went on a drive and calmed down. came back and tried to make small talk and received cold shoulder all night leading up to dinner.

Then this other thing happened. She had told me a couple of days back that I had to take paapu to her doctor's appointment on Tuesday, and I had to reschedule my own appointment from Friday to Monday because she wanted me to spend time with her on my birthday. Then today she tells me that my daughter's appt is actually on Monday and guess when, at the same time that I rescheduled my appointment on. Well no issues, happens, she was doing some office work on her laptop, and she's the one who manages the online stuff for the pediatrician so I asked her if she could please reschedule the appointment to another date, her exact words "I don't have time I'm busy doing office work, I'll do it later". ok, all good. Within 2 minutes her sister calls her and they chat about some bull**** for 15 minutes? Like no, I'm not making this shit up - I am bipolar, but I'm not a psycho. And no kidding, it really was a bull**** topic, like literally her sister was talking about "how a taxi driver was treating her on a trip, being rude and disrespectful" blah blah blah.

Eventually the "more important than work or rescheduling my daughter's appointment" call ended. At this point, I would sincerely like to thank my therapist! She kept telling me, to keep practicing the coping techniques, they will come in handy and they did. I immediately distracted myself, started grounding techniques, listing the colors that I was seeing around myself, counted the number of balloons we had left from paapu's birthday party week. I could feel myself coming back to reality. The fast and aggressive breathing stopped, my heart rate stabilized, hands stopped shivering - I had not realized all this was happening until it stopped. I intervened at the right time and had regained my composure by this time and asked one more time, and the whole schedule thing got sorted out. At this point I really felt like we were not in the right headspace to go out on a date tomorrow. And anyway she's been complaining about how her work had piled up and as I said she's been working extra, so I suggested she didn't need to take me out and should work instead if she wants. Oops, big mistake. Poor girl, didn't see a therapist like me, so she doesn't have the tools I have, lol /s. She got visibly angry, and told me that she's going to take the day off anyway and go do the things she has planned for us alone. There aren't really any reservations or tickets or activity planned or anything mind you. It was a quiet dinner, she finished and immediately got back to her work, I finished the rest of my dinner, set the dishes, took out trash and quietly came upstairs to the room.

Around midnight she called me downstairs. She had a big chocolate made out which contained smaller candies. She hugged me and I am expected to get a hug, forget everything and move on and just smile and take pictures? Hmm. What would've happened if the roles were reversed? Women are tough, man. They're insensitive to others feelings, unpredictable and extremely complicated. How does one live peacefully with them? I think they can't take it when they see their other halves peaceful, they just need to mess with it. The hug was it, no other convos, no I love you nothing. I'm genuinely interested in learning how to deal with women from anybody who's reading this. Because soon, paapu will grow up and once she hits teens, I AM FINISHED! These two girls are going to drive me crazy.

Sorry, this turned into a rant. I just, I want to be paid attention to for once. Nobody usually asks me how I'm doing you know? I just want my loved ones to come up to me themselves unprompted and tell me they love me for once. I need to go tell my daughter that I love her at least 100 times before she might decide to say it back once. I have to go tell my wife that I love her just so she can tell me "I love you too", because the assurance that I'm wanted and loved makes me feel safe. We don't say it often enough to each other, nobody sees that we all are just craving to hear it all the time, for our love to be reciprocated. But no, our insecurities and vulnerability, we have to wait for the other person to say it first, always, right? No matter how badly you are craving it. I have learnt over the past many years, nobody cares about how a man feels, I'm not trying to sound like one of those alpha male or incel or whatever, just stating what I experience. There's this expectation that men are tough, that they aren't emotional, they run away from feelings, they don't feel bad. My secret? I just keep them to myself, because nobody asked and I don't think anybody genuinely cares.

No wait, my mom cares. She shows me that me she loves me. Let me get this out of the way first, mom has issues, she's not perfect. She introduces a lot of drama, is manipulative, our relationship is complicated. But she's the only person in this world who loves me unconditionally - not my father, or my brother or my wife or daughter. Don't get me wrong they love me a lot and I love them a lot. I consider myself genuinely lucky to have all these members of my family, but there's an expectation of you there, like they each have a bar that you need to meet for you to get their love, it's the harsh reality of this world. But mom? No matter where I am, or how I am, what I say, or how I treat her (I have treated her really well as well as really horribly), she'd always just give me love. Moms are just like that, aren't they? They have a special bond with their kids, it's inexplicable. They're like this 24 hours all you can eat buffet where they serve love, affection, mercy and attention in unlimited supply. And guess what? I have lifetime free coupons for it!

Anyway, that's what's been going on with my life. How is everybody else on Tumblr doing? My last posts have 0 views I think, lol! Is there anybody reading this out there? I mean it's nothing special, just a bland, ordinary, guy struggling with day to day issues, but I just want to share. To understand if there's anybody else who feels the same feelings and emotions, thinks the same thoughts, lives a similar life! Am I doing it right? Am I making mistakes?

[awaitingfall]

07.17.24

My period started yesterday so I won’t be weighing again until next week.

I’ve been doing so well recently with taking care of my health and have been waking up with so much energy in the morning, but because of my period I feel like I’ve been hit by a freight train and didn’t want to get out of bed. I slept fine, but I woke up so sore and feeling exhausted as if I’ve been awake all night. Crazy thing is this is how I used to feel waking up everyday. I didn’t realize how much energy I got back after I started making healthier choices, but my period really helped put it into perspective.

I really wanted to call out of work today, my body is screaming for rest 😭 And it was another hot day today…at least the temp will drop a bit tomorrow.

Thankfully work wasn’t crazy today, was a bit slow in the morning so I kind of regretted not calling out sick, but once we got work in it was steady and filled up the rest of the day nicely.

I never thought that at the ripe age of almost 29 I’d be so excited to receive a blood pressure cuff as a gift from my parents 😭 it’s wild. Also I had to stop and think about how old I am cuz I forgot and had to do some quick math (I thought I was still 27 🥲).

I’m going to be checking my blood pressure every other morning and night just so I can report it to my doc because my blood pressure is ALWAYS high when I’m at my appointments, partially because I’m nervous.

Also, I don’t want to speak too soon and jinx myself, but my heart has been pretty good the last 2 days of not taking my Wellbutrin. I haven’t had a rapid heart rate and haven’t felt it pounding hard like it was on Monday, so that’s good!

The weather’s been pretty stormy lately and I’m honestly loving it. Usually I’d be annoyed by the rain for ruining outdoor plans, but it’s giving off a sense of comfort and coziness. Especially because it’s like a random storm in the middle of a sunny day so we get really warm and soft sunset lighting with it and rainbows 🥰

[takeeachdayonebookatatime]

Why did you elbow me? 173

Achilles Castle part 75

Lemonade and lies PART 18

Ryan: pov this morning was rough. It started with my clothes being crunchy from the dryer then the bagels I bought the other day were moldy. It was raining and we had to arrive at a crime scene very early in the morning. The victim was burned all over which makes it harder for Lanie to ID the body. It was also a little smoky in the apartment. Back at the station I grab some breakfast and talk to esposito. Let's hope looking into her finances is easy and won't take long.

Esposito: pov while sitting at my desk I'm scrolling online through the victims social media pages and eating some candy. Nothing is standing out to me. Ryan is talking with the victim's family, i’m in the breakroom making coffee, time for me to interview the witnesses

Kate: pov Castle starts his physical therapy today since i’m in the hospital they decided to hold off on it. Nurse Kendal is in my room checking my viatal, she asks if I want cheerios for breakfast. Dr Jason should be making his rounds soon. I can’t wait to be home. So Castle, how happy are you to be starting physical therapy today, just so you know it is rough. Physical therapy is insane, especially after being off your feet for a very long time. You might have it easier because you have no health issues and don’t have chest trauma. A nurse comes in with my discharge papers. Castle has an appointment to get his cast off. Nurse Wendy wheeled me to the orthopedic department after waiting a few minutes. The orthopedic Dr on call calls Castle's name. I don't want the wheelchair so I leave it behind. In the exam room Dr Fox examines Castle's leg and goes over everything with us he says they usually don’t schedule cast removal and pt on the same day, but someone told him i was sick so they pushed everything a few days back.

Castle: pov Dr Fox grabs some supplies and cuts off my cast. My leg looks gross and shriveled up. I say goodbye to the Dr, Kate is allowed to walk while I'm using my crutches to the therapy room for PT. In the pt room Nurse Wendy is setting up a chair for kate. Lanie is supposed to pick us up after my pt appointment. My physical therapist is a big man named Tanner. He asks if I have ever been to PT before, thankfully no. But my wife Kate has been before.

Tanner physical therapist: pov oh she has if you don’t mind me asking what caused her to need physical therapy. Mr castle says emergency heart surgery, she had severe chest trauma from a shooting she was shot at her captains funeral. Does she have any lasting Issues from it? Castle says yes she has a heart condition from it.

Castle: pov today we are working on just standing today and some small leg exercises. Back at the loft, Kate and I relax until dinner. She is supposed to be taking it easy today after a nice nap she decides to take a bath.

Ryan: pov Esposito is staring at the murder board. What if she died due to some ritual like killing, she could have worked for the CIA or FBI, Esposito tells me to stop being like Castle no one likes his crazy theory except you i guess.

Lanie: pov i’ve been looking for water therapy classes. They Are a type of water exercise, there is the senior group but Kate won’t go for that. I doubt she would go for a cardiac one again. I will have to ask her, it's a great way for her to exercise.

Liv: pov i’m back at the 16th today finishing up some loose ends on the case, i’m also helping Amanda with the case she is working on. Fin offered to get lunch on his way back to the precinct. He should be here any second from now. Amanda’s phone is ringing. She says it’s the girls' school calling something about Jessie throwing up and Billie feels warm. The day after tomorrow is taylor swift. I tell Amanda to pick up the girls from school and take them to the Dr, she can have the rest of the day off and more if needed.

Castle: pov Maybe I should get some writing done while Kate is in the tub. Niki Heat is about to kill 2 guys with one bullet. How cool is that?

Esposito: pov Lanie has something for me in the morgue, you said you had some info for me about the body.

Lanie: pov her name is Blair wood she is 31 has long brown hair, there is a part of her body that was not burned, the strange thing is it has severe scarring from a previous severe burn.

Amanda: pov i call Liv back letting her know the girls have the flu and i won’t be able to come to work tomorrow. Liv says I guess that means the 3 of you can’t go to Taylor Swift with me. I apologize, she says life happens. Turns out she is going to see if Kate, Muncy and Jet want to go with her they might enjoy it.

Ryan: pov one of the witnesses saw someone leaving the apartment around the time of death, me and Esposito are going to pick up the suspect. me and Esposito head for the suspects house. Knocking on the front door we explain that we need to talk to him about Blair Wood. A witness saw him near her apartment around the time she died, Fredrick. If you didn't kill her, you might have seen the killer. That is why we need to talk to you.

Esposito: pov me and Ryan are back with our suspect who is a tall white male with long brown hair, we are interrogating him. Ryan mentions the guy has an alibi so it can't be him. To be continued. ………………

[pbandjesse]

Welp James got hit by another vehicle. Thankfully this time they were just a bit banged up. But Jesus Christ. I am so upset. Their bike is a little bent up and the person didn't even say sorry. They doored them and knocked them down. And honestly it could have been so much worse!! I hate that this happened again. My heart hurts so much because I am so worried for my husband.

Today wasn't a bad day before this though. I was just tired. I got to sleep a little longer which helped me feel a little more out together.

I got dressed and had a bagel. I felt pretty positive for the day.

I left here and went to the museum. I got there a little early to load in the leftover boxes from from outreach yesterday. A man in the parking lot told me he liked my bird collection, referring to my molcars. And he laughed when I told him they were actually hamsters.

It was a good day though. I was training the new Jess. And we had a city builder program and a neighborhood tour. And we ended up with an excellent teacher who had a great handle on the kids.

So it made it really easy. And I really had fun with them. They were 2nd graders, which is the oldest that do these programs (and the youngest that will do a regular tour and cannery) so you never know where they are going to be at. But they were awesome. We did finish each program a little early but that was fine. We would look around the galleries and they were sweet kids.

They were just a little embarrassed to wear the costumes. But I think they got into it by the end. They loved buying things and spending tokens and getting paid at their little jobs. It was super cute.

The bank actually went super well. I didn't need the extra time I built in. So once I got everyone finished their bank books and collected their costumes I took them to the car to play and take pictures.

We had about 10 minutes there. So me and Jess went and reset the galleries and got the costumes. And by then it was time to go to lunch.

During lunch I had the dumplings I brought and reset the costumes. Got everything on hangers. I started getting a little lightheaded so I would sit down and take a break.

And then it was time to take them to the movies. I grabbed my crochet to take to the front desk, gave them a five minute warning and went to make sure the dvd was working.

Someone turned off the DVD player which was annoying but James fixed it and everything was fine.

I dropped them off at the theater and sat with James and crocheted. They went to heat up their lunch. I helped a few guests. Found out that our event person doesn't like when we answer any questions about events. Which is ridiculous because they aren't even in this building 80% of the time so what would you like us to do? It's the polite thing to try to help guests, and like yeah if I don't know I'll direct them to you but if you aren't answering your phone you don't get to be mad. Whatever. I honestly don't care if they are mad I just think it's wild that that is something they are mad about.

I enjoyed sitting with James though. And once the video was over I got the kids to their coats and on the bus. It was nice to be done.

I had to call my rheumatologist because they had called me. They had to reschedule my appointment to Thursday. Not shocking I thought it was weird they were making appointments for MLK day.

And I made plans with Callie to have a late lunch tomorrow. I was feeling good.

But I was very tired. I would reset the rest of the costumes that got used today. And then went to sit with James until I could leave.

I decided to go walk around the second chance, the big furniture thrift store.

And I had fun looking but man we're the prices outrageous. Some stuff was normal. $20 or $30 bookshelves. A few I considered but decided not to get in the end. But some stuff that didn't need to be was hundreds of dollars!! Like at one point I found a dirty bean bag chair for $200???? I was so confused.

There were a few things I was seriously considering. One was a beautiful painted dresser but if it was tomorrow it would be a reasonable price (because every few weeks the ticket price drops) and so I decided it wasn't meant to be. Maybe if I go back next week and it's still there.

I got very very tired all of a sudden. And I really wanted to be home.

So I did just that. I went home and I curled up on the couch. I worked on my crochet. I would finish 5 squares today. I read a little. I made an early dinner of oven fries and veggie chicken nuggets. Our oven was not working well and I was getting frustrated but it was fine in the end and eating made me feel better.

When James got home they were really angry and upset. Half way home a driver doored them. Knocked them down. Bent their handlebars. Broke their phone mount. And they didn't even say sorry. I wish they got their info but they were to shaken up. Worried about their collarbone. Which thankfully seems fine. They say their wrist and elbow and hip hurt. Their emotions probably hurt the most. It's scary and I am so frustrated that it has happened again.

James was really upset though and so they went for a walk to cool down. And I tried not to cry. When James got home I just held them on the couch for a long time.

We would hang out. Work on our own stuff. I got in bed. Watched videos. Tried to just be calm.

I just got a shower and me and James have been talking and trying to process. The scary feelings. I am just really worried for them you know?

But now we will sleep. Tomorrow James has the engineering event at the museum. They are going to try to see if the bike shop can help the bend in their bike handle and realign their tires. And I have my second workshop at the national guard. I am nervous but this project was super popular this summer so I have high hopes.

I am trying to not be super upset but it is hard. Send us some good vibes. Be safe and watch out for bikers.

Goodnight everyone. Sleep good.

[now-we-say-c0ral]

March 27, 2023

Woke up at 5.15am because Eddie's going to be climbing before working. Morning kisses and a brief cuddle and off he goes. Played Wordle before sleeping and the word today was one of the weirder ones in the game. Woke up again at around 11am and called mommy and Aira. Kind of told them off for not saving some of the money I send them. I told them that I'm not one to contact when some emergency happens because I barely have money for myself. I need to enjoy life and when you don't have money it's kind of hard, you feel me right fam? I mean I can't just work my ass off and not enjoy, right? I think telling them that now rather than later will save me and them from having problems.

Took a bath around 12pm and kind of underestimated the time that I have left to get to GOSH. Ran towards Custom House Station and thankfully got to the train in time otherwise it would have been another 11 minutes of waiting and my appointment was around 1.30pm. Got to Tottenham Court Road Station and took the eastbound Central Line to Holborn and walked my way to GOSH. It was a rather long walk. As I was walking I was thinking how this is going to be my life in the coming months. Waking up a bit early, taking 2 trains, and a 10 minute walk from the station to the hospital. Well, it's the development I want. I have to commit. I was also looking for a gym near work so I can go there after shifts to workout. No luck. The tour with Sam, my new manager, was very fascinating. He took me down and showed me 18 theatres and the cases that they did. It's definitely bigger than Kingston's. I'm pumped to say the least. Also scared, but I'm up for the challenge. After the tour, I went to Chinatown because I was craving for their pork buns and decided to buy Eddie some because well, I just like feeding him for some reason. If you date me, I'm definitely the sweet type. Everything I do, I'll definitely think of you. Went to UCLH to give Eddie his pork buns and I can tell he was smiling even when he was wearing a mask and he sent me the cutest text after. Got to Warren Street and took the Victoria Line to Vauxhall and missed the National Rail back home so I had to wait for another 13 minutes. Got home and sorted my BRP which is now scheduled to be delivered this Saturday so I have to cancel my waiting list. Went to the gym and did chest, some back because the equipments were being used, abs, and a 10 minute walk in the threadmill. Went to Aldi and bought some groceries. Cooked some air fried chicken and some rice with pease and bought some sandwiches and protein pudding for snacks tomorrow. Did the laundry and took a bath and now I'm rested. To end, I've ordered some clothes from Boohooman so I can feel better in the gym. I hope they arrive tomorrow.

I had such a productive day today. I had a lovely stroll around London today and to be honest I just want to see more. I'm excited to meet the people I'll be meeting very soon and I just know that things are going to turn up for me.

Today's thoughts are about being ambitious. I think it's time for me to dream. To want something more out of the mundane that I have right now. I'll make a list of the things I want to do and explore, like a bucketlist, and I'll make them happen.. It'll take most of what I have-- to outgrow my shell and go out of my comfort zone but I know I can do it. I have to.