#unfortunately employees do have quite a few protections it is the one perk

[61below]

Self employment tip: you HAVE to have solid boundaries. If you don’t, people will walk over you. Money won’t mean much if you’re completely burnt out by never saying no.

[feiwelinchen]

How Tsukishima would react when you bring home a kitten

Tsukishima Kei x reader (I’m not sure I’m using pronouns, but I wrote it for a f!reader)

Warnings: angst, Tsuki is an idiot; this is my first post, so I don’t know what else I should warn you about; English is not my first language; copy pasted it from Word, sorry if the layout or such is messed up.

Word Count: 2k

I upload it on ao3 as well. Please don’t repost. Reblogs and comments appreciated

I don’t own Haikyuu or the characters

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You heard the click of the lock just before the front door opened and closed. Then the rattle of keys hitting the glass of the bowl by the door.

"I'm home." Tsukishima's voice rang through the apartment. He furrowed his brow when there was no answer. Your shoes were in the small genkan; you should be home. "I said I'm home!" He repeated himself; it wasn't like you not to answer. Tsukishima entered the light living room.

And there you were, sitting on the couch, hunched over and looking absolutely guilt-ridden.

"What did you do?", Tsukishima's annoyance was clear as day. He knew that look on your face. It was the exact look you had that day you broke his favourite dinosaur cup. The same look, when you ate all the strawberry chocolate while on your period, the particular look you wore the day you confessed to him.

 You were still in high school back then, but you had known Tsukishima Kei for a few years already since you have been seated next to him on your first day in middle school. He became your friend first, but after a year of friendship, he became your first love. Your only love, for that matter. You kept it quiet, though. You knew how he could be and how this revelation might alter your dynamic. So you kept your mouth shut as long as you could. But at the end of your second year at Karasuno, you couldn't keep it in any longer. You met him on the rooftop, and he stopped the moment he saw you. Your face was tilted to the left, your lower lip between your left canines. Your brows were ever so slightly furrowed, with your tear trimmed eyes looking upwards directly into his soul.

"Even though this might destroy our friendship", you started, "even though you might never talk to me again after that."

"I-", Tsukishima starts but was immediately interrupted.

"Please." You stammered. "Let me finish before I lose my courage and become the coward I am again."

"You're not a coward.", his voice was stern.

"Tsuki. Please." And to your surprise, he kept his mouth shut. "Even… even though you will probably laugh at me or make fun of me or whatever… I have to tell you because I can't anymore." You took a deep breath. "Tsukishima Kei." He straightened at his full name. "I'm in love with you. And I have been for four years already. And I know you don't like me like that, and that's fine. I don't expect anything, and I really want to stay friends. But if you can't, I understand. I just… needed you to know. I needed you to know how I feel." Your facial expression hadn't changed throughout all of this. "You can say something now, Tsuki." Your mumble barely reached him. "Please say something.", you pleaded after a few more moments of deafening silence.

"I knew you were dense, but wow," Tsukishima smirked. "And a good actress, I might add. Four years. Really? That's an awfully long time for a teen crush. And I would know. So how about we go to your place and talk about how utterly simple-minded you must be not to pick up any signal I send you over the last five years, huh?" At that, you perked up. "I was watching you closely, but you never gave anything away. Not once did you give me any indication you might like me more than just a friend. I'm honestly a bit impressed by all of that. Why the heck did you wait so long?"

"I didn't want to ruin our friendship", you mumbled.

"Yeah, well. Congrats. You will get upgraded to girlfriend anyway. Now come. If we hurry, we can get some strawberry shortcake from the bakery on our way." He turned around and left, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart and force the blush on his cheeks to vanish with sheer willpower.

 He would never admit it out loud, but this look of yours, this very facial expression: Head tilted to the left, bottom lip between your left canines and eyebrows slightly furrowed, this was his favourite demeanour of yours, for it brought him back to the day on the rooftop. When his heart had been beating faster and louder than anything. When you confessed and put an end to his silent misery. When you became his, and he became yours.

So when you were sitting there, all guilt-ridden and lovely, he had to fight down his smile and the blush creeping its way onto his cheeks – just like all those years ago. Just like always when you looked like that. He knew he wouldn't like what was to come, but still, he knew this wouldn't be too bad – nothing could.

"What did you do?" He repeated with an annoyance laced voice. "Just get it over with."

You didn't answer but slowly lifted your hands and a tiny fluffy looking kitten with them. A high pitch mewl escaped the small pink mouth of the little black furball.

"Did you… did you buy a cat?" Tsukishima asked, utterly perplexed. He had some ideas about what you could have done. Getting a cat without even asking was not one of them.

"He is so cute. I was at Yachi's –"

"Was it her idea?" He butted in, in a frighteningly calm voice.

"We were just looking at the shelter's website, and then I saw him, and I immediately fell in love with him and I… I just got him." You cradled the kitten in your arm, and he nuzzled your hand.

"And you didn't think of asking first?" Tsukishima's voice cracked a bit. His temper was coming out.

"You would have said no."

"Of course, I would have said no!" His speech got louder. "We can't have a cat. We're living in an apartment!"

"I talked to the landlord. Cats are ok!" You stated quickly. Hoping to bring some peace to his mind. Unfortunately, quite the opposite was the case.

"So you called the landlord, but not your boyfriend, who will have to live with your decision and should get a say in what kind of animal he is sharing his home with?"

The sound of his voice scared the black cat. He jumped out of your arms, looking for protection under the TV cabinet.

"Kei! You're scaring him!" You fell to your knees, trying to coax the small feline out of his hiding spot. But nothing worked, and the little one stayed put in his place.

"Get dressed and pack him up; we are bringing him back." That was all he said before vanishing in the bathroom.

It took nearly half an hour for the little furball to come out from under the TV. The whole time you pleaded with your boyfriend to just let you keep him, but Tsukishima didn't budge.

"If I wanted a cat, I would have brought it up with you, and we would have talked about it and made a decision together. You know we are supposed to make these kinds of decisions as a couple and not solo, right?" He snarled while fastening his seatbelt. "And stop heaving like a brat. What did you think would happen?" He asked. "That I would come home finding a cat in my living room and instantly fall in love with it?"

"Kind of… yeah." You mumbled, stroking the soft fur between the ears of the kitten in your lap. He purred heavily, not knowing what was happening around him.

"Do you even know me? When did I ever fall instantly in love with anything?"

"You instantly fell in love with me!" You retorted.

"I should never have told you that."

The car ride was silent, apart from your sniffles and the mewls of the cat that desperately tried to cheer you up by licking your nimble fingers and purring his heart out.

Tsukishima, at one point, tried to take one of your hands – to hold it like he always did while driving – but you slapped him away.

"Did you name him already?" He asked after a few more minutes with both hands on the steering wheel.

You shook your head.

"Good. That will make it easier."

 He pulled the car into the parking lot of the shelter. It was just before closing. Tsukishima was lucky – you were not.

He looked at the animal shelter and then back at you. You stared at him.

"Kei… please…"

Tsukishima swiped away a stray tear with his thumb and held your face. "Come on. They are closing soon."

He got out of the car, walked around it and opened your door – something he usually wouldn't do, but Tsukishima knew what had to be done to get you out of the car. You left with the kitten pressed to your chest.

You were waiting in the entrance room of the animal shelter. An employee said she would be with you shortly and scurried away. Tsukishima looked around and read a few posters and flyers while he waited. His glance drifted to you every once in a while, observing your interactions with the cat in your arms. He watched how you kissed the little furry head and scratched the tiny chin, and he saw the pink tongue licking your fingers. He pinched the bridge of his nose, pushing his glasses up while doing so, before shifting his focus back to his flyer.

"Sorry for the wait.", the blonde employee was back. "How can I help you with?"

Tsukishima was at the counter in no time. "My girlfriend adopted this kitten today." He motioned in your direction and waved you over. "And…" He watched you walking towards him and spotted new tears in your eyes. He took a deep breath.

"Oh no. Is your partner allergic?" The employee immediately inquired.

"No… That's not it." Tsukishima said. "I… We…" He looked at you again, then at the kitten in your arms. His eyes fell down to the flyer still in his hands. "Well… this flyer says house cats should better not be raised alone. So we are here to get another cat. Preferably one he gets along with." He pointed at the cat.

It took Tsukishima less than 2 minutes to decide on a red male kitten from the same litter, who climbed up his leg the very moment Tsukishima set foot into the enclosure.

 You were sitting in the car while your wonderful, lovely, and absolutely adorable boyfriend was driving. Two little cats cuddled into each other and sleeping on your lap. You grinned at him.

"Be glad I love you so much, dumbass." He said drily.

"I am, Kei. I love you." You answered and took his hand.

"You're an idiot."

"But I am your idiot." You planted a kiss on the back of his hand, which made him smile.

"We still need names.", he said after a while.

"Ok… How about Hinata for the red one and Kageyama for the black one?"

"We are not naming our cats after my former teammates, especially not after that hyperactive moron Hinata Shoyo, nor his Highness King Kageyama Tobio!" Tsukishima warned you.

"What?" Your eyes were blown wide. "But I thought you chose him because he looked so much like Chibi-chan."

"Absolutely not! And he does not look like that Ginger."

"… well… he does, though."

"He does not, or I turn around, and we return both!" He threatened.

 A week later, you came back from the grocery store when you found your boyfriend on the couch with two sleeping kittens on his chest. You quickly snapped a couple of photos.

"If anyone ever sees these, I'm renaming them to Ankylosaurus and Iguanodon! Are we clear?" He warned you with a dangerous sparkle in his eyes – one that promised much more later on.

"Crystal clear, Tsukki-poo."

He growled at the nickname. But everything was forgiven and forgotten when he saw the strawberries you bought to bake him some shortcake the next day.

[dzamie-oc]

Swimming With a Shark

Summary: A wolf and a human break into an aquarium, and the human gets eaten by a shark who works there. Word count: ~2000 Fandom: OC (Kahudra) Notes: This story contains unwilling prey, implied digestion, a shark without clothes, and one character nearly drowns (he’s okay though)

In an off-limits room of the aquarium, Dave slipped quietly through the door, then held it open for his companion, Varren. "See? Easy-peasy. No alarms, no chases, nothing. And that wolf katul they left as a guard dog - er, sorry, security guy - was too busy napping to do his job."

Varren brushed off the canine pun. "No problem, just don't make a habit of it, yeah?" He kept his ears perked forward as he scanned his new surroundings. The hum of machinery had grown louder without the door blocking it, and Varren's keen nose easily picked out the cleaning and water treatment agents used in this part of the facility. "Are you sure this will help?"

"Oh, for sure," his human friend replied as both their eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, "it'll let you get familiar with the place. You're sure to impress the manager or whoever it is supervises... whatever it is."

Varren nodded, picking his way along the floor. At this level, there were a number of pools set in the "ground," most of them cordoned off to prevent someone from stumbling in accidentally. Cards attached to the railings provided handwritten information about the state the water was kept in, and the silver-furred wolf challenged himself to guess which creatures each holding tank could be used for. A noise behind him alerted him out of his game, and he whirled around, fearing that they had been found out after all. On seeing it was just Dave, Varren calmed down slightly... until he saw what his human friend had done. "Are you... is that a swimsuit?!" he hissed.

"Well, I'm not one to skinny-dip," Dave replied. On seeing Varren's exasperated look, he shrugged and started looking at the labels Varren had been reading. "Look, you're here to help with a job hunt, and I'm here because SOME of these things have gotta be heated. Besides, they're clearly temporary things, so there probably aren't any fish in them!"

"You can't- there still shouldn't be random humans in them!" Varren shot back, "these things likely have a different sanitizing procedure, and you being in the wrong one could create a contaminant dangerous to the creatures! Hell, that's why I haven't been peering in to see if anything's in them, to minimize my risk of getting fur in one!" At that point, the katul realized he had started to raise his voice, and bit his tongue to keep quiet.

Dave made a vague, dismissive gesture and looked down at another card. "You worry too much. Oh look, warm freshwater, sand at the bottom, and not very deep. C'mon, Varren, what could I possibly be messing with here?"

"A shark," Varren said, and nearly jumped out of his fur when he heard a second voice answer at the same time. Heart pounding, he fought every instinct telling him to be sensible and flee whoever had found them out, instead stepping closer to the pool Dave stood next to. There was a quiet splash, and someone poked her head out of the water, resting her arms on the lip of the tank.

"More specifically, the one who has to clean up before going home," the newcomer said, "so, seeing as you're neither employees nor fish, I'm dying to hear why you're interrupting my swim."

Dave shrugged. "Should be obvious, miss. Water's fine, I take it?" In contrast, Varren took a few seconds before replying, "I'm, uh, studying marine biology and was looking at this aquarium as a place to apply to for... uh... a position."

The woman snapped her fingers at Dave. "Oi, shark privileges. Stay out of the water or else." After a couple of seconds, she turned back to Varren and rested her chin on her forearms. "And you. Breaking into a place you want to work for? Can't say I've ever heard of that working."

Varren crouched down so they didn't have to look down and up as sharply. From this angle, it was easier to see that she wasn't human, having some sort of snout. "Well, Dave - that guy - said it would be helpful to be familiar with the layout of the place. And it's kinda my first non-retail job, so I sorta just-" He cut off suddenly as her voice and words sunk in. "Wait, are you Wendy? The shark diver who does the feeding show on Tuesdays? It's cool to see how close the smaller fish get while swimming past."

"You don't know the half of it; there's a reason you'll never see me do the show in the tank with the cleaner wrasse. But yeah, that's me. Bet I look different from above and out of my su-" A loud splash interrupted Wendy, who turned to glare at the intruder to not only the employees-only area, but the pool of water as well. "Out. Get out," she ordered, before turning back to Varren. "Alright, look. While I can't take a moral high ground over you, I really should report you to management. But, I'm a sucker for honest flattery, so how's this: I'll keep quiet about this meeting, and in return, you'll save me filling out a ton of forms by keeping quiet about what's about to happen to your friend."

The wolf tilted his head at her, then looked over to Dave. The human was still in the water, slowly paddling towards the conversation. "Uh... what's about to happen to him?"

Wendy grinned, and Varren found himself wishing his eyes hadn't yet adapted to the dim light, to save himself the view of many, many sharp teeth. "Well, he jumped into a tank with a shark, refused multiple warnings, and is wearing remarkably little to protect himself. What do you think is about to happen to him?"

Varren shuddered. Dave, apparently trying for the title of king of bad timing, grabbed onto the rim of the tank and pulled himself next to the shark woman. He squinted at her, then dropped his gaze to the water's surface. "Are you... not wearing a swimsuit? Heh, were you waiting for some dashing 'bad dude' to come along?"

Against his better judgement, Varren glanced down, though he couldn't see anything below her shoulders. Then, to the wolf's surprise, Wendy smiled at Dave with the same grin she'd just shown him. "That'll come in handy in a few seconds. Easiest way to ruin one of those things." With that, she plunged back down into the water. Varren watched as the dark, semi-obscured form swam a couple quick circles before returning to the side.

Dave, to his credit, realized the conversation was over, and he pushed himself up onto the floor, then sat on the edge to let his feet dangle in the water. "I think she has the hots for me, dude," the human bragged, flashing a grin significantly less full of sharp teeth at his friend, "c'mon, there's no way she'd bite me, and there's only one thing a guy and a girl can do that swimsuits get in the way of!"

Before Varren could reply, or even warn Dave to get out of the water, Wendy breached the surface. Jaws agape and already around her quarry's feet, she quickly consumed past the human's knees in a single surge. Dave shouted in surprise when she clamped down and pulled, dragging him off the side and back towards the water. In a panic, Dave threw out his arms towards his canine friend, who reflexively grabbed him by the wrists. Wendy, however, was already swimming up again. When Varren next saw her snout, it was wrapped around Dave's belly. He saw and felt the shark swallow; unwilling to let go of the human, the unexpected tug downwards pulled Varren to his knees. Dave opened his mouth to shout again, but the shark's hand shot out of the water to muffle him, leaving him with only his eyes to stare pleadingly at Varren.

Unfortunately for the katul, and even more unfortunately for the human, pulling hard at the mostly-eaten Dave didn't pull him out of Wendy, but instead pulled him and Wendy partly out of the water. Varren looked down at her and immediately regretted it. He'd seen her at work enough to figure that she'd be quite stunning without clothes, but at that moment, the sizable bulge in her stomach, moving with every panicked kick Dave made, had frozen him with terror rather than interest. Worse, by the time he looked back at Dave, Wendy's jaws had just slid over his head, muffling the man's protests with her throat rather than her hand. Not only that, but she was staring at the wolf.

"Leh. Go." she said, her own voice muffled by the arms still between her lips. Varren, however, only stared at her in shock and fear, and when she pushed herself back into the water, he instinctively took tight hold on the thing she was trying to take away. His grip proved stronger than his balance, and all he managed before hitting the water was a surprised yelp. Which, unfortunately, meant the next breath he took was wetter than he was used to.

In a panic, Varren thrashed around, letting go of Dave as he tried to right himself, cough the water out, and replace it with air. He was barely aware of the pair of hands pushing at his back and hips until he managed to grab hold of the rim of the tank and properly have a coughing fit. After what felt like ages, though, the katul managed to return to simply panting hard as he clung to the solid ground.

"You gonna live?" Wendy asked from behind him. A burst of adrenaline saw Varren shoot out of the water like a rocket, whirling around only after he was a few feet from the tank. The shark woman was swimming in slow circles near the top of the water, her dorsal fin and part of her tail cutting through the surface.

"I... you're not going to try to eat me, too, are you?" he replied.

Wendy swam up to the edge of the tank, causing Varren to take another cautious step back. "Not if you don't want me to. Wasn't your fault you fell in the water - well, mostly wasn't your fault, but I'm sure you didn't plan to." She smiled, this time making sure to obscure her teeth. "Anyway, you should probably leave before someone better at security takes the front desk. Good luck on the job hunt!"

Varren shook himself dry, though the water clung to his clothes more easily than to his fur. "Uh... thanks. I'm kinda second-guessing this place; you're very, uh, unconcerned with- with murdering Dave, and with the possibility that I might report you?"

"Dunno the exact legal stuff, but the worst that can happen is a bunch of stuff to fill out affirming that I'm a shark and I was hungry and yadda yadda... It's happened, like, three times now?" Wendy grunted with effort as she pushed herself up out of the pool, then stretched her arms up. Varren backed away some more, transfixed on her gut and trying not to pay attention to how much the human within was still moving. The shark took notice, and started to walk to the other side of the pool. "Oh, but don't worry about me eating you. I mean, unless you make it a habit to swim with me uninvited and hit on me while doing so."

"I'll... keep that in mind." Varren replied, hesitantly, then added under his breath, "and probably stick to places with cameras for awhile." Slightly calmer, the wolf made his way back to the same door he'd come in through, turned, and waved with automatic etiquette. "Goodnight, miss Wendy."

Wendy waved as well, though her back was turned as she bent down to do something with the tank. "Night, wolfy. See you later, whether we're on opposite sides of aquarium glass or not."

[mainstream-deviant]

Deathshipping Week Day 4: Shadow Realm

@deathshippingweek Day 4 is here! I choose: Shadow Realm!

Summary: All Ryou wanted to do was meet a real live monster. That's not too much to ask, is it?

Rating: G

Words: ~1400, below the cut or here on A03

They were painting some of Ryou’s latest figurines when it first came up.

“You know… after all that happened, it’s odd to think that I never really got to play a shadow game myself.”

Kek cursed as a glob of paint ruined the end of his figurine’s cape. “Sure you did. You must have, at some point.”

“No, not really. Bakura did all of that while I was stuffed in my soul room away from the action. I never got to actually meet any of the monsters.”

“What about that one duel in Battle City?”

Ryou glared over the top of a 6-inch-tall tree. “Thirty seconds of severe disorientation doesn’t count.”

Kek huffed. “Maybe not.” He set down his brush and stretched out his back with a wince. “But you’re not missing much.”

“I still think it would be a really interesting experience, though.” Kek just hummed, and they went back to work. The topic drifted to other things as they slowly brought the figurines for their next campaign to life.

But the thing about Ryou Bakura is that when he gets an idea into his head, he doesn’t let it go until he’d seen it through. He brought it up again over dinner a few days later.

“Oh come on, let’s just try it!” Ryou gave Kek a hopeful grin.

“You’ve been sent to the shadows before. I don’t want to send you there again.” Kek pushed some rice around his plate with a frown.

“It would be more like a short vacation this time, really. And I don’t remember much of anything from the shadow realm the first time around, so that hardly counts. What I remember best is being famished when I got back, which isn’t terribly exciting. And besides,” Ryou waved a rice paper roll in Kek’s direction to emphasize his point, “this time I would have a guide to show me all the sights! It would be an adventure!”

Kek huffed and crossed his arms. “No. You could get hurt.” He knew – and so did Ryou, unfortunately for him – that he’d do almost anything for Ryou at this point, but putting Ryou in danger was definitely on the short list of exceptions.

Ryou huffed and chomped the end off of his roll, but promptly hooked his ankle around Kek’s to reassure him before leaping into gossip about Bakura’s latest escapades. They took bets on how many KaibaCorp employees were likely to get fired over them this time. Ryou figured at least three. Kek’s money was on more like ten. Kaiba must be pissed by now.

It took another week for Kek to finally crack. Ryou was splayed out on the couch, pouting as he fiddled with some loose threads on the armrest. ��Pleeeeease? Just a very little visit. You know I’m not going to drop it until I see a real monster with my own eyes. We’ll be very careful. You know you can protect me, even if I manage to do something stupid.” Ryou was met with more silence, and tilted his head imploringly. “Pleeeeeeease? I’ll love you forever.”

Kek finally let out a huff of laughter. “I thought you already did?”

Ryou knew a victory when he saw one, and swapped his pout for a wide grin. “I’ll love you extra forever, then. Come on, come on, let’s try it!”

Kek let out a long sigh. “Ugh. Fine. But I’m pulling us out the instant something comes to attack you.”

“But not if it’s just saying hello.” Ryou’s face had settled into a small but determined scowl.

Kek levelled his best glare on Ryou. Ryou glared right back. Kek let out a self-deprecating chuckle and rubbed at his temple. “Fine. Deal.”

Ryou perked right up again. “Deal.” He clapped his hands and bounced in his seat excitedly. “Ok, let’s go! I want to meet some monsters!” When Kek held his arms out in invitation, he hopped to his feet and scurried over.

Kek wrapped his arms securely around Ryou’s stomach and pressed him back to his chest, before closing his eyes and tugging on the thin thread that would always connect him to the shadows. He felt Ryou’s excited fingers gripping at his forearms as a warm glow burst from his forehead and the room darkened in a swirl of deep purple. For a few long moments, all was silent. Then, Ryou was batting excitedly at his arms.

“Kek, Kek look! Isn’t that one of your cards?”

Kek opened his eyes and looked to where Ryou was pointing. There was a brief swoop of pale blue before the creature vanished again in a puff of purple smoke.

Kek grinned. “I think so, yes.” He kept one arm firmly around Ryou’s waist as they walked toward it. “Not a bad one for a first visit, either.”

Ryou gasped in delight as the creature swirled into view. It formed a lopsided face for a moment before looping around them. “I think it’s curious!” Ryou held out his fingers and practically shone in happiness as some loops of blue slime curled around his fingers. “Why didn’t you tell me revival jam was so cute in person!”

Kek rubbed at Ryou’s hip with his thumb. “I didn’t stop to talk to any of these at the time, you know.”

“You should have. He’s delightf- oh!” Ryou startled as his hand was suddenly encased in cool slime and a wobbly blue face formed a few inches from his nose. “Why hello! It’s nice to meet you!” Revival jam trembled for a moment, before slipping away back into the shadows.

Ryou clapped his hands. “That was amazing!”

“I’m glad. Let’s get out of here before…” Kek tensed as the shadows to their left rippled. That looked like something considerably larger than a revival jam.

Ryou held still and lowered his voice to a whisper. “What is it?”

Kek tightened his arm around Ryou and squinted into the nothingness. “I’m not quite sure. Something bigger.”

“Let’s see what it is!”

“Stay still, Ryou.”

Ryou nodded and kept his eyes trained on where they’d seen the last disturbance. Every few seconds there was a new ripple in the wall of darkness, but nothing came out. Kek growled. “Get on with it, would you?”

Almost as though it had been waiting for an invitation, a vicious looking claw emerged from the shadows, followed by a blue hand tipped with sharpened nails.

“Oh, that’s definitely not the jam back again, is it?”

“Hmm. No.” The beast stepped out of the shadows, gaping at them with the fanged mouth sitting where its stomach should have been. “That’s Dark Jeroid.” The creature stood as tall as a horse, though with far too many limbs, and waved its long upper claws at them slowly as it approached.

“He’s lovely!” Ryou held out a hand. “Do you think he’ll let me touch him?”

“Hell if I know, Ryou.” Kek shuffled them around to face the monster properly. “Try not to lose a hand when you try.”

“Oh, pssssh, I won’t. He’s a nice friendly fiend, isn’t he? Yes you are.” Ryou reached out and gently ran his fingers along one of Dark Jeroid’s limbs. “Oh, he’s lovely and warm. What a good beastie!”

Kek watched in bemusement as his supposedly horrifying and vicious beast gave an awful, ear-grating moan and shuffled closer to Ryou’s reaching fingers. Ryou was clearly thrilled. He reached out with both hands to run his palms along the top of the creature’s torso, where the it was noticeably lacking anything like a regular head.

Loud, rattling gasps started coming from both of the creature’s mouths, and Kek could only assume they were a Dark Jeroid’s equivalent of a purr. Kek’s silent bemusement gave way to a low chuckle, which quickly became a loud burst of laughter when the beast knelt down, tucked its limbs up underneath itself, and settled its weight into their sides like an overgrown housecat. He reached out to grasp one of the vicious-looking claws and shook his head as Ryou enthusiastically started searching for the best spots to pet the beast.

“Only you, Ryou.” Kek laid his third eye on top of Ryou’s head as Ryou continued to coo at the monster, which was now lazily flicking its tail back and forth as Ryou ran tender fingers along its limbs. “Only you.”

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**

((I can’t tell if this story is just about the fact that Ryou is a friend to all scary things, or whether it's more about Ryou earning the stamp of approval from his boyfriend's buddies. You know: “So, uh, guys, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend Ryou…please be cool about this....”))

[themythrilhusk]

The Rebuke (Prompt 13: Wax)

The sounds of unsatisfied buzzards mingled with the toll of the bell. Once, twice, nine times it rang out, signalling the end of another day in the desert of Thanalan. Cactuar scuttled their way into their community huddle to prepare for the usual dropping temperatures, the Qiqirn retreated into their tents, and people the region over followed suit. Such was true even in the gated neighborhood known as "The Goblet"- while not every home would be filled tonight, (adventurers had such a curious habit of spending inordinate amounts of money on the plots just to sleep in the Quicksand, if not outright camp out in the wilderness rather than return from their journeys) the streets were still filled with quite a number of people. All races and creeds, dressed in such a manner that a more common outsider might wonder if they were all trying to outdo each other in terms of eccentricity. As neighbors, they all greeted each other with warmth and bid goodnights here and there... sans one.

Y'ahd Tia clattered and clanked down through the Heart of the Goblet as he manifested in front of the Aetheryte, ignoring those around him. The day had been an especially long one for the Paladin, and it was evident on his metal skin. The Storm Blue armor he took such lengths to preserve was coated in a layer of dirt, dented and outright broken in some rather uncomfortable looking regions. An employer had bid him into the Kobold's deepest territory (quite literally, in this case) of U'Ghamaro; watching over the alchemist as he hunted for rare materials for some elixir or other had proven to be quite the workout. The denizens of the Mine were about as happy to see him as he was they, the only difference was that he was alive to grumble about it hours later. Still, the hefty presence of the sack of Gil in his hand had made it all worth it. Repairs to his gear could be made, his holdings wouldn't be seized, and... The armor found his thought process interrupted, realizing a second too late that he had passed the stone fence securing the border of his own home. Y'ahd turned and made his way back, staring up at the house he had claimed as his own. "And my employees won't revolt for at least another month.", he finished out loud. With that, the Miqo'te pushed open the door and into his home.

Calling it a home was only partially the truth. The Ul'dahn, Gridanian, and Lominsan governments were a shrewd sort: they only built these neighborhoods as a way to try and entrap the adventurers who roamed their lands. It wasn't a bad plan, really. Beyond forcing them to enlist in their respective armies to even be eligible for property, the hope was that by owning a piece of the City-State, the adventurers would feel compelled to actually fulfill their obligations to the military and want to protect their homes. It did come with a rather stifling limit of one house per adventurer, however. As such, Y'ahd Tia had to divide his parcel of land into both an office and a living space. The first floor that greeted him was the reception area; cut down the middle between a waiting area (one of his staff members stood at the ready next to a table with a kettle of tea, and gave him a bright smile he was almost entirely certain was fake), and a trophy display. Various skulls and stuffed heads of impressive looking beasts hung on the walls, along with a full stuffed Gagana. At either side of it stood mannequins clad in older versions of his armor: a decidedly drab, basic set of plate armor that boasted blue paint (Woad, to be precise) rather than a dip-dye procedure in the forming of it, like his current gear. A prominent rip across the torso certainly implied what led to the retiring of this armor. The second was more advanced; a full set of the Ironwork's finest. Like his current gear, it glinted a proud Storm Blue... at least, where what little metal was apparent on it. The main chestpiece was a thick, deep-dyed leathery doublet rather than proper metal armor. Y'ahd remembered the relief he felt when such gear had gone out of style.

He never truly felt it was trustworthy.

The Paladin turned his attention away from his armor's predecessors, helmet turning fully to regard the squat table all the way across the room. Settled below a massive, handsome painting of the Sultana and her former General, flanked at either side with a banner featuring the Ul'dahn sigil, stood the head of this reception area: his secretary, Colala Cocola. She didn't seem to have registered his arrival, her head buried in a book, bobbing her head in time with the drinking apkallu on her desk. As such, when the Paladin snapped her book shut in front of her face, she let out an indignant yelp- scowling up at the perpetrator before realizing who he was, face paling. "I should hope you have not greeted any visitors with such inattentiveness.", the armor spoke, an icy tone in his voice. "Have we any business? Do you know?" was the follow-up. Colala flustered but a moment before retrieving a letter off the desk and presenting it to him. "No walk-ins today I'm afraid, but this was in the mailbox Master Tia!", she squeaked. Taking the envelope, Y'ahd grunted as he took the Gil sack in his hand, produced two more, and poured a modest amount into them. "Very well. Take your earnings and be on your way for today, then. Lock the door behind you." he commanded, already on his way to the stairs below. He didn't give his staff a second glance.

The hallway at the bottom of the stairs was narrow- while he could move comfortably, even in his plate, he would feel quite cramped if he had to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with another individual of the same size. A Roegadyn would definitely complain. Various paintings were mounted on either side of the walls, carefully spaced out so that one could appreciate them fully before moving on to the next. The hallway gave way to a door, and behind it was his personal office. The east and west walls of the room were covered fully by bookshelves, and of course, books. If he were being truthful, he had read perhaps a third of his library: most of the tomes were just for ambiance. Everything in Y'ahd's office had been purposefully designed as such. An atmosphere was carefully cultivated here, and he took some measure of pride in it. His desk, covered in maps and parchment and scales (for those who preferred to pay him in precious metals and gems rather than proper Gil) was a fair bit of a mess but implied he was a busy man. The chair he threw himself in was luxurious and comfortable, quite unlike the pair of simple wooden chairs on the other side of the desk. They had their backs to the fireplace across the room, radiating heat that would crawl up anyone's back. The lamp on his desk illuminated himself fairly dimly, casting the features of his helmet and armor into sharp relief. An oppressive air hung in this office in stark contrast to the bright, welcoming atmosphere of the room above- perfect for leaning on the desperation of those that sought him out, and wring more Gil out of them.

However, he was alone now. And as such (along with the task at hand), Y'ahd turned up the brightness of his table's lamp, dispelling the harsh shadows so that he could read without straining his eyes. Tearing open the envelope with a knife kept at his desk, the Miqo'te read out loud. "'Dear Master Tia.'" Already a disinterested tone was apparent in his voice. "'I hope this letter finds you well this day. It was with utmost condolences that I cannot meet you in person, but circumstances have forced my hand. I am a humble resident of the Silver Bazaar. Perhaps you've heard of this place; we used to be a bustling port, but times have grown lean these past years. We make an effort to improve our lot, but with the markets failing, there are those that would take advantage of the city's disinterest in our outpost and do us harm... and unfortunately, my family has come to be a victim of such ruffians.'" Y'ahd paused to pour a glass of orange juice between the slats of his full helmet. "By Oshcon, does this fellow meander. Alright... 'While our port sees little use these days, due to being too small for the larger fishing boats to make port, several days ago kidnappers docked and under cover of night, broke into my home and spirited away my daughter. What few guards we have cannot possibly be sent out to sea to hunt them down. I cannot give chase- i am no warrior, and I fear that without sufficient strength to subdue these fiends, they will do something drastic. Sir, I do not claim much in this world, but I have a modest savings of two thousand Gil that I would be willing to part with for the safe return of my beloved daughter. Warm regards, Hokotsu Totsu.'" At this, the armor seemed to perk up some- setting down the letter and producing a blank sheet to word his own reply. He wrote with a sense of urgency, before folding the paper up and slipping it into a new envelope. With a flourish, he stamped a wax seal to shut it. A handsome sigil, the Eorzean 'Y' was clearly visible in the blue-tinted wax. Satisfied, he briefly left the house to deposit the letter before heading off for bed.

Hokotsu Totsu's daughter did not return the next day. The only correspondence the Lalafell received was not a ransom note, but a curt letter featuring a single sentence: "You must be mad if you think I get out of bed for anything less than ten thousand gil."

[rwbyremnants]

WARNING: BlackSun scene. Bathroom sex, doggy style, mirrors

=Chapter 37

"Ahhh, this makes me miss my tour bus."

The line was uttered by the diva once they had taken off and she could more comfortably relax into her chair. Point of fact, relaxing against Yang's soft, firm form. This time, she was dressed in much more comfortable attire; blue sweat capris, a white tank top with a blue flannel, and blue Toms. Of course, the yellow pick necklace didn't quite match with the colour scheme, but Weiss certainly didn't act like that bothered her.

"Woooow, this minibar is completely stocked!" Ruby was marveling as her head waggled back and forth inside it. "There's peanuts, chips - OOH, cookies! I need them in my face!"

"Have whatever you want, except alcohol," Weiss told her. "I won't be responsible for underage drinking, even if I've technically done it before."

Withdrawing with three packages of cookies, Ruby snorted, "Don't be silly, alcohol is gross. I mean, unless you want some, sis?"

In that moment, Yang noticed that both Weiss and Blake's attention was on her. No matter what response she could give, it would get a confused reaction from one of them. Mainly because until that point, if the offer for free alcohol was there, she took it without question. As long as she wasn't working, of course. Now there was something other than work stopping her. The main advice from doctors was to cut out alcohol completely, especially if she was taking the medication regularly. The fact she was on medication was a fact she had yet to tell Weiss.

"Nnnot for me. Orange soda will be cool though."

Ruby didn't miss a step, reaching in and getting her a soda and bringing it over. "Mkay! Sorry, just didn't wanna make you feel like I was judging."

"Oh, I would be judging, too," Weiss sighed as she relaxed again. "But only because of recent history; otherwise… everything in moderation, I think. Wouldn't you agree, Blake?"

"Yeah, I do," the brunette said, still a little weirded out by talking so casually with Weiss. "Handle your high. Pretty simple concept, I thi-"

But before she could finish her sentence, Weiss's ringtone went off, startling everyone. Glancing around the room with a raised eyebrow, she glanced at the screen…

And saw the name. Her face took on a wooden look, one that was a completely emotionless mask. Raising her head above her laptop screen, Winter caught the rather fearful gaze of her younger sister toward her phone, and looked back in concern.

"Who is it?"

"Oh boy." From her seat, and considering Weiss was still leant right against her, Yang could see the contact name herself. And swallowed in fear. They were both going to be in trouble apparently. "Good ol' Papa Schnee. Here to wreck the day."

As Weiss contemplated the phone and what might happen, Ruby returned to her seat next to Penny and slipped her headphones on. Blake took Sun's hand and began leading him off toward the back of the plane. Yang, however, remained where she was, and Weiss reached down with her other hand to squeeze her thigh in gratitude as she took a deep breath… and answered.

"Hello?"

"Weiss," same the stern voice from the other side the phone. Not unexpected, her father was always a professional man no matter what his emotion. Unfortunately, it made him very hard to read. "Winter told me you escaped with minor bruises and a few stitches, but I prefer to hear it for myself. Are you alright?"

"Yes, Father," she said stiffly; not unkindly or warmly, just blank. She was being careful, waiting to see how things went before she let herself feel or react strongly. "They say the cut on my eye might scar, and also I may experience lingering tinnitus, but other than that I'll be perfectly normal. Um… I'm sorry this happened, it must have worried you a lot."

"It did. I was watching the whole thing live when it happened and…" Suddenly he seemed to trail off, briefly sighing down the phone. It was typical behaviour when he struggled to talk about something, to simply cut it off mid conversation. But that was usually when he was furiously mad with one of them, or with an employee. "And… About the footage. The footage of you and Ms Xiao Long."

"Right. I, um… I know you must be very disappointed in me, and I'm even more sorry that you found out about it… like that." Then she felt her voice growing stronger, even though it was shaking. "But I'm in love with her, Daddy. There's nothing you can tell me about the Bible or my image or anything that could make me stop seeing her. Ever. She's my whole world. I almost lost her once and I’m going to make sure it doesn’t happen again. So if you don't want to talk to me, o-or see me anymore…" Her voice cracked, and she rushed to cover it. "I'll understand. But that is the situation."

In that moment, Yang was looking at Weiss with a small smile, and pulled her in toward her even more, gently stroking whatever skin she could with her thumb. This was a moment her girlfriend had been dreading for hours. Even with the constant reassurance that Yang would be there no matter what, along with Winter, Ruby, Penny, even Blake and Sun.

"You could never be a disappointment to me, Weiss. Not ever. I'm proud of both you, and Winter. And… for making you feel like I would be disappointed, I'm truly sorry."

"What?!" Weiss was completely thunderstruck. She recovered quickly; it was entirely possible that her father was simply trying to be diplomatic in the moment, and would come down harder on her later. He had in the past. "Really? Then… if I bring Yang to a family dinner, she'll be welcome?"

"After what I saw on the news, frankly I want to shake her hand myself. Miss Xiao Long is not who I expected to be a partner for you, perhaps, and I still can’t say I approve exactly, but… the fact she risked her life to protect you when she had no other motive to do so… She's proven how much she cares for you far more in those two minutes of footage than any boy could in years."

A strangled "oh" floated out of Weiss's throat as her eyes began to water, and she gripped Yang's leg even harder, biting her lip to keep from sobbing or crying out. Then after a few breaths, she managed to recover enough to speak to him again.

"I'm so happy," she finally said into the phone. "And we'll be there soon; we just want to take a little time off, after… well, after we were separated for a while. But we'll eventually get to Nashville, and then you can meet her — really meet her this time, and not just for a job interview!"

"Ah, that, I want to talk about, actually." Suddenly he seemed to perk back up again. This conversation was unreal. This wasn't the cold, bland business professional she was used to speaking to; this was a father. A father speaking to his daughter in a loving manner. Even if the topic was business. "A bonus has been deposited into her bank account as a ‘thank you’ for her bravery. And also enough to cover her medical bills — including her current prescriptions, as per Winter's request. And on top of that, she is officially re-hired."

"Ohh, that's so wonderful, Daddy!" she gushed, eyes sparkling. "I'll be sure to tell her all the good news — thank you so much! You…" Then she was sniffling again, even through her enormous smile. "I was so worried what you would think of me when you found out, and then… oh, I'm sorry I doubted you!"

"No no no, I'm sorry," he rebutted right away, interrupting before she could apologise for his own actions any longer. There was another sigh as he continued. "All these years, I've been talking about all those people like they were scum; blinded by my own ignorance. I had no idea that I was talking about the people I care about the most. I was a fool. Even if I don’t believe God approves of engaging in those behaviours… well, that’s no excuse for being so… judgmental about anyone who does. That isn’t my place."

"I remember," she muttered, but tried not to make her words sound as bitter as she felt. He was making the effort, but certain things needed to be cleared up. "And… I almost missed out on being with the woman I love because I agreed with you. Didn't have any good reason to challenge that. We were all ignorant, all us Schnees, weren't we?"

"Only one of us wasn't. And right now… you're reminding me more of her than anything has in years." There was another moment for him to pause, before he said rather quietly, "Your mother would be proud of you. And I’m certain she wouldn’t have needed to watch you nearly die on the news to have been happy for you and Yang."

That was far beyond anything Weiss had ever dared hope to hear from him on this subject. Sobbing freely now, she managed a "Daddy!" as she buried her face against Yang's chest, curling into a tight ball and clutching her phone close like it might try to escape if she let go, even for an instant.

From the other line, there was a faint sniff that could be heard by her. Even as Yang wrapped her arm around her to cuddle her in closer, and pet her shoulder however she could. She knew not what was spoken about, but considering her happy smile and sobbing, she assumed it was good.

"I'll let you get going," her father said softly. "Please tell Winter that I'll handle the expense of the flight. And… that I'm proud of her too, of course. Both of you take care for me."

"I w-will!" Weiss rushed to tell him, urgency in her voice. "I love you, Daddy, I- and thank you so much, I'm so relieved!" Sniffling, she wiped her eyes and added, "I'll s-see you soon!"

"Have a fantastic time."

And with that, the call was disconnected. All eyes were on Weiss, even Penny and Ruby's who had before both been focused on their phones when they tried to zone out. But now Yang tucked her in even closer, nuzzling her chin against the top of Weiss's head and speaking in a dramatic voice.

"Don't tell me: I've been disowned, you must leave me immediately, our love is forbidden!!!"

"Shut up," she grunted with a weak little laugh. “You overheard more than enough to know that’s not true.” Then she pushed up to slam her lips down against her lover's, craving the contact and reassurance. Even if the call had a favourable result, she still felt like a raw nerve, and probably would for a few more minutes.

"Back to my phone," Ruby muttered, turning away from the two of them.

"Aaaand my laptop." Though it was delivered with her usual stern manner, it seemed Winter was just as overjoyed as Weiss was. Even a laptop screen in front of her couldn't hide the smile that was permanently on her face, nor the occasional sipping of her drink.

Yang of course had no choice other than to kiss right back, just as hungrily and needy. That was until she began to realise something.

"Hey, wait a minute… Where'd Blake and Sun go?"

"Whew," Blake sighed as they eased the lavatory door shut. "Man, that is not a conversation I wanted to overhear." The look on Weiss's face had been more than enough to make her want to evacuate the main seating area as smoothly as possible. They were making a habit of that now.

"I know,” her boyfriend sighed from the door while watching Blake begin to pace. “I think we know what's coming, but I don't wanna be in there when the shouting starts." The situation was all too familiar to their travels here. Only this time, they weren't running from a potentially traumatic conversation; only a rant from Weiss to her father that was well overdue.

But that provided the ultimate distraction. Unknown to Blake, he slyly hit the lock to the door before he paced over to her.

"Hope it goes alright," she sighed as his hands found her waist, letting her own touch the backs of his knuckles. "Really too bad her dad's so… conservative. I mean, imagine coming out on the news!"

"Not the most convenient path, I gotta admit." His head went to lean against her shoulder as she stared blankly outward. It seemed as though it was a perfectly coincidental occurrence, but he pulled her waist in closer toward his, until they were completely pressed against one another. There wasn't much talking from him, just actions. Typical boy.

A pleased hum issued from deep in her throat at the warmth along her back. It was quite a comfort to have him there, and she tilted her head just enough to leave a gentle kiss on his cheek. "At least your parents won't have to deal with you 'coming out' since you have me. And I have boobs and all that stuff."

"What they don't know won't hurt ‘em,” he chuckled against her neck. “Like you said, right now, it's not an issue. I'm an undercover bi…" But straight away, his lips pressed into the soft, smooth skin of her neck. After so many months of dating, he knew Blake all too well, and knew that her neck was quite often her weakness. At least for getting things moving.

As he had predicted, a little groan of enjoyment slipped out of her before she even had a chance to grab on and stop it. Then she giggled and said, "You never did give me a straight answer about Yang hopping on your back… not that I guess it matters anymore."

Shrugging his shoulders, his lips only left the neck for a short moment. "Maybe, but I'm not gonna deny… thought's kinda hot." And then the lips returned, pressing against her skin again and again. Only this time, the hands were heading further inward from her hips, gradually grinding his waist against her backside.

"Mmhhh…" Blake's eyes became heavy-lidded as she began to realize that he was winding her up on purpose. Even if she didn't mind the sensations in the slightest, they were catching her off her guard. "Sun, wh-what are you doing? We're thirty thousand feet up in the air!"

"Really? Gosh, I didn't notice…" One hand floated even further inward. Now that she knew what was going on, he didn't particularly have to be subtle anymore. And that was obvious as he instead pressed it into her crotch, pushing inward with far more pressure to one finger so it sank into place. "Forgive me, I’m kinda distracted."

Not much of that was necessary before it began to drag groans out of Blake that she didn't mean to verbalise. Her hands went to the countertop and gripped on either side of the sink as he teased her, hips pushing back into his with every stab of his finger through the cloth of her shorts.

"Y-yeah, I guess so," she panted, glancing at his mop of hair in the mirror. That was the best she could see of him from that angle. Well, two could play at that game… "You started getting pretty distracted when… I brought up Yang fucking your ass."

That interrupted the kisses for a moment, enough for him to back away and simply look toward the mirror with an expression of pleasant disbelief. Even though the actions below on her shorts were continuing, he smugly talked as though nothing were happening at all. "Really? You aren't ever gonna let that go, are you?"

"Not a chance." She grinned as if teasing him, but in truth, she had actually really been turned on by the idea of all three of them ending up in the bedroom together. "I'm… actually thinking about buying a certain something. When we get back. Would… you want me to buy it for you?"

For a moment, he seemed to ponder on that question. Tilting his head and raising an eyebrow. Not that it stopped the teasing and poking below, nor the grinding against her backside. It wasn't until he saw the blush growing even worse on her cheeks he looked straight into the eyes of her reflection, smirking lowly.

"Let me take you to the mile-high club, and I'll let you do whatever you want when we're back home."

Another, much louder moan escaped her at this promise from him. But she wasn't done winding him up; only done resisting his advances. As she arched her back and ground her backside right up against the firmness that was beginning to present itself in the front of his jeans, she licked her lips before she spoke.

"Really? You'd… let me buy a cock? Strap it on and lay you back…"

"Now that is even hotter than imagining Yang do it." He was still relatively calm about the matter, even as he felt himself getting harder as Blake ground right back against him. He himself couldn't resist much longer, and the hand left her crotch as instead both reached across to unzip her shorts. But he continued to grind, and continued to glance occasionally at those amber eyes in the mirror.

"I'm not afraid to admit the idea of my gorgeous girl topping the fuck outta me turns me on."

"Nnhhh!" she groaned out, throwing back her head against his shoulder as he thrust up against her, beginning to undress her right then and there. Of course, he had expressed an interest in being submissive to her a few other times; small things, like when she would bite his nipples playfully he would ask her to do it again instead of shoving her off, like other men would have. Even admitting he wasn't completely opposed to Yang spreading his cheeks and taking him was only in theory.

But this was beginning to grow into something Blake could not so easily forget. Sun really wanted to be taken like that? She'd only tried that a few times on Yang, both before and after transition… and had mixed results. This was a whole new ballgame.

Once the fly was open, he made quick work and pushed them and her panties down below her waist as quick as he could. And then right away, straight to his own. Although in the reflection he appeared calm and collected even still, the thought of Blake actually putting that plan into action was doing wonders to arouse him further. Sure, the subject of Yang doing it was intriguing, but Blake… His own girlfriend could do practically anything and he would willingly accept. She and him both knew it.

Although suddenly another thought came to mind when he quickly patted his pockets, and then froze. "Shit… I forgot the condom. Fuck."

"Damn it!" she hissed, actually pounding the countertop with her fist. "Well… never mind it this time, but please don't make a habit of this, okay?"

"You sure? I mean, we've never done this before…" When she only nodded, then pressed his lips back against her neck again, and continued to push his own shorts and underwear down. God he was so ready for this already, able to feel his fully erect length lightly bounce in the air now it was free. Eager to bury itself in Blake's lovely body.

"Mmm… I can't believe we're doing this here at all," she whispered as she felt his arousal brushing against her suddenly-bare hindquarters, making the skin prickle with gooseflesh. It was so odd to feel him preparing to enter her without any protection, but she knew she was mostly covered. The way she had been with Yang.

In reality, there was no longer any reason for Blake to be so hardline about this now that she had lapsed with her old friend. Why shouldn't Sun experience the same thing? To her, there was scarcely any difference in sensation; it still felt phenomenal either way. However… there was a slight bit more realness to it, a warmth and comfort from the direct contact that wasn't present with the latex. And she was about to share that with her boyfriend for the first time… in an airplane lavatory! Were they crazy?

Moment of truth. He moved one hand aside to guide his length toward her entrance. Usually he would continue for a lot longer, tease her until she was practically begging for him to go on. But they were on the clock. Someone was bound to notice if they'd been gone for too long. So he immediately pushed inside, barely wasting any time for him to go all the way in, giving a shaky moan when his hips met hers again.

Using all the effort she had at her disposal, she managed to only grunt and wail through her teeth instead of literally screaming. It was so good, so raw! It had been a few days since she'd enjoyed anything like this — a long few days, at that. And nothing helped her get over the hump like having Sun take her from behind so roughly that her knees shook, her lungs felt like they were on fire from her rapid breathing. His length pulsing between her inner walls was everything she needed.

And he got straight to work. Once one of his hands moved straight to her hip, holding her firmly still as he began to pump in and out in a quick pace. The other pressed into her breast, grasping it firmly to stimulate her further, quicker. It was a common occurrence that in the times they rushed, he was often the one to finish first, and have to finish Blake by hand. Now, he didn't want this to be the case.

As predicted, the hand grasping her vulnerable chest was more than enough to double her enjoyment of the delicious friction below. He was like an animal! True, they did things fast and hard once in awhile, but most nights they liked to take their time — at least more than this! But they didn't have that luxury, even on a luxury aircraft.

"Sun… you're so hard, shhhhit! I… god, I should talk about fucking your ass more often!"

All her man could do was groan and grunt as he kept pumping against her backside wildly. As usual, he concentrated on it fully, continuing to grasp and grope and deliver as much as he could to her. From how he knew Blake, he knew she liked her chest being touched, and her neck being bitten. Although he wasn't doing the latter, he could hear her enjoyment.

But he wanted to see it too. Looking back toward the mirror at their reflection again, he watched as she kept staring upward, eyes rolling back in pleasure. Maybe she should see as well. "Look at me…"

The command shot an odd little thrill down her spine. He wanted her to watch herself climax. Wasn't that strange? But once she caught sight of herself being slammed into from behind, she couldn't deny the sight did something to her. Still unsure if it was something good or something awful, she kept doing as he asked, watching herself receive an endless amount of internal friction.

Growling in pure joy, he continued his relentless assault on her hips, watching her expression in the mirror grow even more dazed by the minute. Just as his own was. But he loved it, they both did. They'd waited too long between sessions to want anything else. When his hand left her hip to trail inward again, one finger managing to find its way between her legs to that small nub just above where he was thrusting, he began to circle it. He was determined for them both to finish in this venture, instead of needing to take care of one of them later.

"NnAAHhh, no st- SHIT! Sun!!" Blake didn't want him to stop, she knew - but she hadn't been expecting him to up the game, not for a mere quickie! Then again, he had always been so attentive… it was one of the things she liked most about him. "I'm… gonna do this for you," she kept telling him as she panted noisily, watching both of their reflected expressions getting closer to the end. "When we get b-back, I'll- NNNHH!! I'll claim you so hard, and I'll make you come! Yeah!"

He licked his lips. "Whatever you- ah! Whatever you want, babe… I-I'm yours!" And gradually he felt his legs beginning to quiver, in a similar style to Yang's when she was close. Only difference from her was he didn't have the higher pitched moans to match it; just much heavier and much faster breathing as he got closer and closer. Much of that was now to do with the mental image of his girlfriend taking him, as mad as it was to envision it himself.

"OH FUCK! I… I'm coming… I'M COMING! SUN!!!"

Fingernails scrabbled at the slick surface of the marble countertop in the lavatory as Blake felt herself tighten around the thick length sliding in and out of her from behind, the clit beneath Sun's relentless fingers throbbing. Maybe it had been a quickie, and maybe dirty and cheap and tawdry… but they had done it. That orgasm definitely meant she had joined the mile-high club.

Just as he delivered a few firmer thrusts into her body, Sun felt himself coming to that same end. Twitching and quivering, he pulled her firmly against him one more time, allowing his length to throb inside her body. It'd been his idea to make them honorary members; ever since that first trip when the subject came up, he couldn't stop thinking about it.

But now it had happened, be backed off from her hips at last, drawing himself out from her body to begin the process of getting dressed again. But not before leaving a kiss on her cheek. "Damn, you enjoyed that, didn't you?"

"Y-yeah, it was… wow," she told him shakily, clenching her thighs together. If there was anything she'd learned from the couple of times she and Yang had gone without protection, it was that there was a slight chance of… drippage afterward. She didn't want to run the risk of it showing up as an embarrassing dark spot in her white shorts later, so she went to the roll of toilet paper.

"Yeah… Wow." Taking a few sheets from her to clean himself up, he made light work of whatever was left on himself, soon tugging his underwear and shorts back up to their usual position again. No one need ever know of their quick romp in the bathroom, especially not the other guests on the plane. But while Blake cleaned herself, he peppered her cheek with kisses again. A usual occurrence, him being overly affectionate just after an orgasm.

The kisses finally shifted her expression from shock and worry to a satisfied smile, even a giggle when he got her right under the ear. "Stop," she snorted, pretending to shove him away as she finally finished and tossed the paper in the toilet. "You're terrible." Then she turned to take his lips. "Good and terrible."

"You know it." He grinned, pressing one more kiss against her cheek as he helped her with her own panties and shorts, reaching around to zip them straight up afterwards. Yet again, like nothing ever happened. But they would always have the memories of it, no matter what was going on outside the door.

Speaking of which… "What do you think they'll do if it's bad news? Yang'll be making plans to punch him in the face, right?"

A heavy groan issued from his girlfriend. "God, well there goes that afterglow." Still, she leaned back against him, into his warmth as she thought about it. "Yeah… I can see Yang doing that. Now that she's got Weiss back, I don't think she'll let anybody mess with her no matter who they are."

Nodding against her, he sighed. "True… but hey, at least we got Winter on our side. Y'know, she actually seems… okay. At least now that she's talked to Yang."

"Yeah… about that." Her voice got much quieter as she turned toward the door. "Should we do something about what she said about… you know, the thing with her 'taking Weiss's place' or whatever? That doesn't sound okay. None of our business, and I know she talked it out with Yang, but… I dunno. It’s fucked."

He shrugged his shoulders a moment, looking down lazily as he continued to cuddle. "It's an awkward situation… She might not want anyone to talk about it besides Yang. Safer bet would be to play it by ear, go off what Yang says. Really funny how they trusted each other after how they started, am I right?"

For a few seconds, Blake just nodded. Then she took a deep breath as she seemed to decide the subject was closed for the moment.

"You really trust Yang a lot now," she observed, turning to lean in against his firm body, smiling coyly up at him. "Almost enough to let her into your back door, huh?"

"Don't push your luck." He glared back at her, but was barely able to maintain it for long, and instead ended up smiling softly, only occasionally taking deep breaths as he still came down from his high. "She's your best friend, of course I trust her. And now that she's taking care of her addictions, I trust her even more. But my back door is only for you."

"Okay, okay, I'll get off that, I promise," Blake chuckled as she kissed his nose. "Though I'm totally serious about the strap-on. What colour do you want? You strike me as a… green kind of guy, maybe? Or purple, that could be pretty hot…"

"Holy shit, you're actually considering it." He couldn't help but begin to chuckle as he continued to hold her closely, wearing a completely ludicrous smile on his face. But after some thought, he tilted his head, seriously contemplating. "Purple. Purple suits you better then green."

"Yeah, it suits me but it's your ass the thing's gonna be-"

Just at that instant, there was a knock at the door. Blanching, Blake turned back to call out, "Wh-who is it?!"

"I gotta pee!" the voice of Ruby Rose called through the door. "What's taking so long in there? Did you have the fried food at the airport?!"

Remaining completely silent, Sun turned around to stare at the door. Of course, it was to be expected that someone would interrupt them. He was just glad it was now rather than while they were in the middle of things.

"Ah shit," he whispered. "They're gonna suspect now."

"Well… okay, just follow my lead." So Blake quickly washed her hands, then popped open the door. When Ruby opened her mouth to speak, then blinked to see Sun in there with her, she rushed to say, "Sorry! We, uh, wanted to get out of the way of that conversation she was about to have with her dad. Right, Sun?"

"Y-yep! Plus we… needed to talk about stuff of our own, like who's in what room when we get there, anyways. So… sorry, didn't mean to stall you!" He rambled on and on, clearly far more than usual considering the funny look Blake was giving him. And the equally confused look Ruby was, too.

"R-iiight…" Her eyes narrowed slightly, and then she sort of gestured with one hand. "Anyway… um, Weiss is off the phone, and um… this pee is still kind of… waiting to go somewhere…"

"OH! God, sorry - yeah, let's go, Sun!" Ducking her head in shame, she dragged him behind her out of the bathroom and away from the poor, suffering girl. All the while as they paced back, Sun couldn't help but keep the ridiculous grin on his face; even when they returned back to their large couch seat.

And that certainly earned them a rather concerned look from Yang, who also raised an eyebrow when she looked back in their direction. Both she and Weiss were still cuddled up, and she'd managed to rest both arms just against Weiss's stomach. Even if it was still in its huge cast, Weiss insisted.

"So, what did you two get up to?"

"What, we aren't 'up' enough already?" Blake joked feebly. “Airplane. And all.”

"That was atrocious," Weiss sighed, but there was no true bite to her words. That much told them already that the talk with her parent had at least gone relatively well, otherwise the aura in the cabin would have been dank and oppressive.

"Hey, Yang does way worse. So… How'd it go?"

"Really… really well, actually," Yang told them, squeezing Weiss a little closer with her able hand as she leant her head against the top of hers, her face a look of utter contentment. "He actually apologised for being so ignorant in the past to her. On top of that; guess who has her job back again?"

"That's great!" Blake said, trying her best to sound genuinely excited for her friend. And to her own surprise… she was. It was going to hurt saying goodbye, but she'd be content in the knowledge that Yang would end up exactly where she wanted to be.

"He didn't have to give you that job back, you know," Weiss said airily. "You could have been my trophy wife."

"And miss the chance of maybe being able to carry a taser? No, thank you," Yang teased, kissing her on the top of the head. But for a moment, she looked back at Blake. And was able to see the slightly saddened look on her face. She and her both knew why.

"Hey, I'm gonna miss being roommates, too… truth or dare, bad movie nights, the works."

The tiny bit of sadness persisted, but Blake elbowed Sun and said, "See there? Told you she loved watching crappy movies with you."

"Everybody loves crappy movies, even you do and you know it," Sun teased, squeezing her a little closer as well.

But Yang continued to look toward them both, still wearing a soft smile. In all her time as Blake's roommate, Sun didn't stay over for too long. And when he did, it was only for a day or two. Whether or not that was for Yang's benefit or just their normal routine, she didn't know. But from the times Blake spoke about Sun, it seemed she really cared for him. Maybe there was a cure for the loneliness she'd feel once Yang was gone.

"You could always get Monkey Boy to move in with you when I'm gone. Even if you banish him to the spare room."

That brought Blake up short. She blinked, looking between them, still leaned up against her boyfriend. "Um… well, I don't know. Would you want that? Moving in with me?"

"I'm surprised you don't charge me rent with how much I’m already over there. It'd barely be a difference." Although he meant it jokingly, shown as he laughed, he noticed her expression not changing. She only looked back up at him, continuing to smile. Which made his laughter slow to a stop. "Wait… seriously? You actually want me to move in?"

"Sometimes it gets cold at night," she deftly avoided the question. But the implication was clear: she was entirely serious. "Besides, you can't keep living with your parents forever. Or you could, but they might start to get tired of you hanging around.

"Charming. I thought you liked my parents, yet you think they would be so mean they'd abandon their own son!" he lightly chuckled. Only this time, squeezed her closer again and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "If you’re serious, I'm totally in, dude. Really! Like, I already wanna be with you all the time, anyway."

Sighing at the soft kiss, Blake grinned back. "Great! So… I mean, we can give it a trial run if you want; you can move in for a week or two, and then if we're still doing okay with that, we'll… get the rest of your stuff!" Just like that, she had gone from saddened about Yang to excited for this life change. Just the soothing balm her bereaved heart needed.

"Careful, she has her hooks in you now," Weiss teased Sun very gently.

"Yeah, well… ugh, this is gonna sound cheesy as fuck, but I'm more than happy to be reeled in. Get it? Hooks, fish… y’know?"

"Ugh, you're right, that was cheesy – and coming from me, that’s pretty bad," Yang agreed, at first looking over to the two of them disgustedly. But after a while, that was beginning to soften to a much more placid smile. It seemed like things for Blake wouldn't be all about missing her after all, and the two of them could keep going as best friends without the awkwardness of a second heartbreak. They could both build their own separate futures.

"MAN, that was a good pee!" Ruby announced when she returned to the cabin, patting her stomach. “Ever have one so great it feels like you’re ten pounds lighter afterward? Well, spoiler warning – this was one of those!” When they all stopped dead to stare at her, she slowed to a halt and asked, "What? …Seriously, guys, what?"

[mischiefandspirits]

Grim

After leaving Private Drive, Harry Potter came face to face with a large dog. He may or may not have accidentally adopted it. ((Takes place during PoA))

A funny prickling on the back of his neck had made Harry feel he was being watched, but the street appeared to be deserted, and no lights shone from any of the large square houses.

He bent over his trunk again, but almost immediately stood up once more, his hand clenched on his wand. He had sensed rather than heard it: Someone or something was standing in the narrow gap between the garage and the fence behind him. Harry squinted at the black alleyway. If only it would move, then he'd know whether it was just a stray cat or -- something else.

“Lumos,” Harry muttered, and a light appeared at the end of his wand, almost dazzling him. He held it high over his head, and the pebble-dashed walls of number two suddenly sparkled, the garage door gleamed, and between them Harry saw, quite distinctly, the hulking outline of something very big, with wide, gleaming eyes.

He froze, watching the beast as it watched him. They continued their stare off for a few moments before it slowly stepped forwards. It was a dog, tall and sickly thin with shaggy black hair that almost hid its weight. It’s ears were pressed back and it’s head was lowered, but it’s tail was relaxed, wagging slightly and it’s tongue peaked out of its mouth.

Harry sighed and lowered his wand slightly. The size of the animal was still a little nerve racking, but he’d had enough experience with aggressive dogs courtesy of Aunt Marge to know this one was anything but. Besides, it hardly compared to Fluffy. “Hey there, buddy. What are you doing here?”

The stray -- because what else could it be with its gaunt appearance and matted hair while so close to a place as carefully cultivated as Privet Drive -- sniffed the air before approaching cautiously.

Keeping a firm grasp on his wand, just in case, he held out his hand for the hound to smell. It brushed his fingers with its nose, staring up at Harry with pale grey eyes, before pushing its cheek up against his hand. He smiled and scratched behind its ears, a sudden familiarity Harry couldn’t explain filling him. “Good boy.”

The stray snorted and playfully shoved his chest with its head, which was level with his armpits. Despite its frame, it had enough strength in it that it sent Harry stumbling back a step with a laugh. Unfortunately his foot caught his trunk and he tumbled backwards. The dog let out a yelp while Harry flung his arms out to catch himself.

There was a loud bang and Harry was blinded a sudden bright light. With help from the hound he rolled out of the gutter he’d landed in just before a bus slammed to a halt, its front wheels exactly where Harry had been.

The dog growled and it stepped over Harry protectively, hackles raised and body stiff, as a teenager in a bright purple uniform hopped down from the similarly colored triple decker and loudly announced, “Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this eve-”

The teen cut off as he finally spotted the stray and boy on the ground. He slowly took a step back into the bus, watching Harry’s new friend warrily.

Harry gave him a nervous smile, patting the hound’s neck as he sat up. It stopped growling and relaxed slightly, but stayed close to Harry with its ears forward and tail alert.

As Harry grabbed his dropped wand, Stan asked, “What were you doin’ down there? An’ woss wrong with ‘im?”

“The bus spooked him and I fell,” Harry said, checking himself over. His hand was bleeding slightly and one of the knees on his pants had torn. The stray gave a small whine and nosed his hand, looking up at him with apologetic eyes before turning back to watch the conductor.

“‘Choo flag us for if your dog’s so easily spooked?”

“He’s not- Nevermind. You said this bus goes anywhere?”

“Yep, anywhere you like, long’s it’s on land. Can’t do nuffink underwater,” Stan proclaimed before eyeing Harry suspiciously. “‘Ere, you did flag us down, dincha? Stuck out your wand ‘and, dincha?”

“Yes,” Harry said, disguising his ducked head by scratching the hound’s. “Listen, how much would it be to get to London?”

“Eleven Sickles, but for firteen you get 'ot chocolate, and for fifteen you get an 'ot-water bottle an' a toofbrush in the color of your choice. An’ it’s an extra three Sickles for the dog. Too big, see.”

Harry bit his lip and glanced down at the stray. It stared back for a moment before giving a cheerful bark and hopping up next to Stan, who quickly backed away despite the fact it seemed perfectly relaxed now, if a bit playful.

“Right.” He reached into his still open trunk and pulled out his coin purse. He dug out fourteen of the silver coins and handed them over. He tossed the bag back into his trunk and closed it so he and Stan could lift it and Hedwig’s cage up into the bus. Inside there were a dozen beds in place of seats. The ones at the bottom were all empty aside from one holding a sleeping wizard near the back.

“You ‘ave this one,” Stan whispered, shoving Harry's trunk under the bed right behind the driver, who was sitting in an armchair in front of the steering wheel. The dog hopped up to lay down on the bed and Harry glanced nervously over at Stan. He knew even Aunt Marge, who probably loved her bulldogs more than even her family, didn’t allow them on the furniture. The teenage conductor didn’t even seem to notice. He motioned towards the driver, saying, “This is our driver, Ernie Prang. Ern, this is… Hey, ‘choo say your name was again?”

“Didn’t,” Harry muttered, pushing his bangs down against his forehead to hide his scar. “I’m, uh, Neville Longbottom.”

The stray picked its head up to stare at him. He patted its head and sat down next to it as Stan sat down in an armchair next to Ernie’s.

“Take ‘er away, Ern!”

“There you are Harry!”

Before Harry could turn, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was gone only a second later though as the dog at Harry’s side started growling.

As Stan started shouting for Ernie to come, Harry turned to see the Minister of Magic himself, Cornelius Fudge, standing behind him. He was staring down at the hound looking just as nervous as Harry was about seeing Fudge.

Stan leapt onto the pavement beside them.

“What didja call Neville, Minister?” Stan exclaimed, hoping down from the bus.

“Neville? This is Harry Potter,” the minister said, sounding worn out.

“I knew it! Ern! Ern! Guess ‘oo Neville is, Ern! ‘E’s ‘Arry Potter! I can see ‘is scar!”

“Yes, well, I'm very glad the Knight Bus picked Harry up, but he and I need to step inside the Leaky Cauldron now…” It looked like Fudge was going to set his hand on Harry’s shoulder again before he glanced down at the stray and stepped aside, gesturing Harry forward. “Mr. Potter.”

Harry walked into the pub, dog at his side and Fudge at his back.

“You’ve got him, Minister!” Harry turned to see the Leaky Cauldron’s landlord, Tom, peeking out of a door behind the bar, a lantern in hand. “Will you be wanting anything? Beer? Brandy?”

“Perhaps a pot of tea.”

“‘Ow come you di’n’t tell us ‘oo you are, eh, Neville?” Stan asked as he and Ernie brought in Harry’s trunk and Hedwig’s cage. Both were staring at Harry, Stan with excitement and Ernie with curiosity.

“And a private parlor, please, Tom.”

Harry said his goodbyes to the Knight Bus employees, Stan continuing to call him Neville, before following the minister to a small parlor down a hall.

Fudge paused before they entered and sent the dog a nervous look. “Perhaps your pet can stay out here while we talk.”

Harry considered correcting the minister’s assumption, but considering the stray stepped closer to him protectively at just that moment, he didn’t think the man would believe him anyways.

“I can take care of him for you, Mr. Potter. Get him fed and watered while you talk with the minister,” Tom offered.

Harry nodded, briefly wondering how long it had been since the poor hound had gotten a proper meal. Probably a while considering how it perked up at the idea of food. “Thank you. I can pay-”

“No need. The ministry will take care of it, Mr. Potter,” Fudge said, slipping into the parlor. “Come now.”

Harry watched the reluctant dog be led away before following him in. One confusing and curious conversation later and Harry was led upstairs to room eleven. Inside the stray was in the corner happily stripping the meat off what appeared to be his third turkey leg while a familiar owl watched him reproachfully from her perch atop the dresser.

“My dear,” Professor Trelawney's huge eyes opened dramatically, “you have the Grim.”

Harry gaped at the woman, his mouth slowly twitching into a smile. He was barely able to keep down a snort as he said, “What?”

“The Grim, my dear, the Grim!” she cried, clearly underwhelmed by his reaction. “The giant, spectral dog that haunts churchyards! My dear boy, it is an omen -- the worst omen -- of death!”

Harry bit his lip to hold in a snicker. That is, until he noticed everyone, bar Hermione, staring at him like the professor had just announced he had a terminal illness. There was no holding his laughter back then.

“My dear, this is no laughing matter!” the professor announced, looking scandalized.

Harry tried to calm down enough to explain, but just at that moment, Hermione peaked over Trelawney's shoulder. “I don’t think it looks like a Grim," she said flatly.

The professor glared at her. “You'll forgive me for saying so, my dear, but I perceive very little aura around you. Very little receptivity to the resonances of the future.”

Seamus Finnigan leaned over to look, moving his head back and forth. He squinted his eyes and said, “It looks like a Grim if you do this, but,” he shifted to the left, “it looks more like a donkey from here.”

“I, uh, I think Ron was right. It does look kind of like a sheep,” Neville added.

“I think we will leave the lesson here for today,” Professor Trelawney said, her voice coming out slightly clipped even as she tried to keep up her misty quality. "Yes… please pack away your things…”

“What was that about? The grim is serious, Harry!” Ron hissed once they were out of the room and on their way to Transfiguration.

“I’ll explain it to you guys after Care for Magical Creatures. You’ll have to see it to get it.”

Ron seemed to disagree, but Hermione nodded so the group continued on to the class, wherein his classmates appeared to be more interested in throwing him pitying glances instead of listening to McGonagall’s lecture.

“Really, what has got into you all today?” the teacher asked after she transformed back from a cat into a human. “Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation’s not got applause from a class.”

Everyone looked at Harry, but Hermione raised her hand and said, “Please, Professor, we’ve just had our first Divination class, and we were reading the tea leaves, and-”

“Ah, of course. There is no need to say any more, Miss Granger. Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?”

Everyone stared at her.

“Me.”

“I see.” With that the professor broke into what normally would have been considered a rant against her fellow teacher, had she not continued to cut herself off every time she started to speak bad about the other woman which all ended in her assuring Harry that if he did die, he need not hand in his homework.

Both Hermione and Harry laughed, though the others didn’t look nearly so comforted.

In the great hall, Hermione tried to talk Ron around as she pushed a bowl of stew towards him. “Ron, cheer up. You heard what Professor McGonagall said.”

He put some of the stew onto his plate, but didn’t start eating. Instead he quietly asked, “Harry, you haven't seen a great black dog anywhere, have you?”

Harry snickered around his mouthful of roll as he tucked a couple chicken legs into a napkin then stuck them in his book bag.

Hermione looked like she was going to object to his odd actions, but was distracted by Ron’s exclamation of, “Harry, seriously, if you’ve seen a Grim, that's-that's bad. My-my uncle Bilius saw one and-and he died twenty-four hours later!"

Very shaken, the Care of Magical Creatures class followed at a walk. The Slytherins were all shouting about Hagrid.

“They should fire him straight away!” Pansy Parkinson sobbed.

“It was Malfoy's fault!” Dean Thomas shot back, which caused Crabbe and Goyle to start flexing threateningly.

Harry grabbed his friends’ arms before they could get too far and started leading them around back closer to Hagrid’s hut.

“Where’re we going?” Ron asked.

“I told you I’d explain why I laughed about the Grim.”

“Why shouldn’t you have? The idea’s completely ridiculous,” Hermione sniffed before giving the castle a nervous glance. “D’you think he’ll be all right?”

Grateful for the change of topic before the two could start bickering again, Harry said, “’Course he will. Madam Pomfrey can mend cuts in about a second.”

Ron’s annoyance quickly faded into worry and he said, “That was a really bad thing to happen in Hagrid’s first class, though, wasn’t it? Trust Malfoy to mess things up for him… Where’re we going anyways?”

“We’re not going into the forest, right?” Hermione asked as they came to it’s edge.

“No, here’s fine,” Harry said, stopping. Before the two could say anything else, he put his fingers in his mouth and gave a sharp whistle.

Ron jumped and scrambled back. “Blimey Harry, what are you doing? Who knows what could have heard you and come calling!”

Harry glanced back at him and realized the arachnophobe was probably reliving their last adventure in the woods, given his terrified expression. Hermione looked similarly nervous, but not to the same degree. He gave his friends a smile before turning back to the woods. “Don’t worry, I know exactly who’s coming?”

There was a moment of silence, then the sound of paws pounding against the forest floor before Harry’s stray came bounding out of the trees.

Ron let out a high pitched scream.

Harry smiled at the dog and patted its head before turning to his friends. Hermione was gaping while Ron seemed to have tripped over himself as he was sitting on the ground, shaking.

“Guys, this is Grim.”

“The Grim,” Ron whimpered.

“You have a dog?” Hermione asked, coming closer and holding out her hand.

The hound looked the two up and down before giving a nod and turning to nose at Harry’s bag.

Hermione gave a frown at the odd behavior, but Harry didn’t notice.

As he pulled the chicken legs he’d grabbed earlier out to give to Grim, he explained, “No, I mean not technically. He’s a stray. I found him after I left the Dursleys’. We hung out some at Diagon Alley, but there’s no way I could have kept him. I don’t think dogs are allowed at Hogwarts, are they? And besides, I’ve already got Hedwig. And the Dursleys already complain about her so you know they’d throw a fit if I brought him home. I had been thinking about asking Hagrid to take him, I figured he’d like a friend for Fang, but then Grim just disappeared a little over a week ago. I hadn’t seen him after that until I spotted him running across the grounds this morning from the dormitory window.”

“The Grim,” Ron whimpered again.

“Just Grim actually. I named him after the omen. I saw a picture of it on a book in Flourish and Blotts when I went to get my books and I thought the resemblance was astounding. He liked it too once I explained what the Grim was so it stuck. I think he thought it was funny,” Harry said, remembering the wheezing, laugh-like bark the hound had given.

“You’re sure he’s not a Grim?” Ron said, eyeing the dog as he slowly rose to his feet.

“He looks like an Irish Wolfhound,” Hermione hummed, kneeling a safe distance away from the eating dog. “Mixed with something, maybe. I’m not sure.”

“He’s not a Grim,” Harry confirmed.

“It’s odd that he just showed up like this though. Maybe he’s part crup? If he is and he latched onto you that might explain it. He’s awfully big though.”

Harry just shrugged. He didn’t really know enough about dogs to know what was weird behavior and what wasn’t. The only other dogs besides Grim that he had spent time around were Aunt Marge’s evil bulldogs and they certainly liked chasing Harry everywhere he went so why wouldn’t Grim.

“Dumbledore was really angry,” Hermione sniffled. “I've never seen him like that before. He ran onto the field as you fell, waved his wand, and you sort of slowed down before you hit the ground. Then he whirled his wand at the Dementors. Shot silver stuff at them. They left the stadium right away… He was furious they'd come onto the grounds. We heard him-”

“Then he magicked you onto a stretcher,” Ron continued for her. “And walked up to school with you floating on it. Everyone thought you were…”

His voice faded, but Harry hardly noticed. He was thinking about what the Dementors had done to him… about the screaming voice. He looked up and saw Ron and Hermione looking at him so anxiously that he quickly cast around for something matter-of-fact to say.

“Oh, Grim!” Hermione said out of nowhere.

“Grim?” Harry asked.

“Yes, we spotted him trying to sneak into the school after the match when we were trying to make it through the crowd. He was so upset. He must have known what happened.”

Harry nodded. “I saw him watching.”

“We had to promise him that we’d come back and tell him how you were doing just to get him to stay hidden outside. I better go before he tries again.” Hermione didn’t move though.

“Go on, I’m fine. The last thing we need is someone spotting him. Especially Lavender or Parvati.”

Hermione snorted before patting his hand and finally turning to leave.

The boys watched her go then Harry turned to Ron. He cast about for something new to say before settling on, “Did someone get my Nimbus?”

Ron was not happy about having to be the one to break the news and made that very clear to Hermione when she returned.

Resigned to the fact that he would be the only third year staying behind again, Harry borrowed a copy of Which Broomstick from Wood, and decided to spend the day reading up on the different makes. He had been riding one of the school brooms at team practice, an ancient Shooting Star, which was very slow and jerky; he definitely needed a new broom of his own.

On the Saturday morning of the Hogsmeade trip, Harry bid good-bye to Ron and Hermione, all three of them wrapped in cloaks and scarves, then turned towards Hagrid’s hut, intending to visit with Grim. He checked that Hagrid wasn’t in before sitting on the garden wall and whistling for the dog.

A moment later he heard footsteps, but from the wrong direction. He turned to see the Weasley twins shuffling towards him.

“What are you doing? How come you're not going to Hogsmeade?” he asked.

“We wanted to give you a bit of festive cheer before we go,” Fred started.

“Except you never showed,” George finished. “What are you doing out here?”

“Just… wanted some fresh air.”

“That’s a lie,” Fred scoffed.

“But we’ll allow it.”

“For now at least. Besides, we’ve got bigger things to talk about.”

Harry stared on first in incredulity, then in awe as the twins showed off the Marauder’s Map before turning it over to him.

Harry was tracing the secret passage he’d have to take, debating with himself, when padded footsteps and a cheerful bark announced Grim’s presence.

He looked up and smiled as the dog walked up to the garden wall. “There you are. Took you long enough. You weren’t hiding from the twins were you?”

Grim cocked his head to the side.

“Yeah, probably not. I’d bet they’d get a kick out of you though. They’re mischief makers. They’d probably set up some prank that involved making half the school think you actually were your namesake or something.”

Grim practically fell over as he gave his bark-laugh.

Harry chuckled as well and dug into his pockets to pull out the sausages he’d nabbed from breakfast for the hound.

At the smell of food, Grim came closer, tail wagging. He paused though as he caught sight of the map draped over the garden wall.

“Cool, huh. The twins gave it to me for Christmas. We’ll actually need to cut this short. I’m going to use it to sneak out and meet Hermione and Ron in Hogsmeade.”

The stray didn’t seem to be listening though, his focus solely on the map. He even rose up onto his hind legs and set his forepaws on the wall so he could get a better look.

Harry frowned at the odd behavior, but shrugged it off. Grim was weird. Instead he tapped the title at the top. “You know, Padfoot wouldn’t have been a bad name for you, huh? I still think Grim’s better though.”

That at least got a snort out of the dog, but he still didn’t look away from the map until a minute later when he gave a small whine. He set his paw on the map and turned to Harry. When Harry didn’t do anything he looked down at the map, then back at the boy.

Curious, Harry leaned over and looked at where his paw was resting. Half the paw was over a hallway and half was in the staffroom. One of his claws, though, was pointing at the room’s only occupant that Harry could see.

“Lupin? He’s our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.”

Grim watched him for a beat, two, then suddenly he was racing across the grounds towards the castle, map clenched in his teeth.

“Grim, wait, stop! What are you doing?” Harry shouted, taking chase. He followed him through the slightly ajar front doors, up stairs, and passed empty corridors.

Harry thanked the heavens that it was the day of a Hogsmeade trip so the castle was emptier than usual. Harry didn’t know how he’d explain either the map or the dog if they were caught, let alone both!

When Grim darted into a classroom Harry prayed that it was empty before following. Once inside, he noticed that not only was it empty, it was also the classroom where the very man they had been discussing before taught. He quickly shrugged that off in favor of latching onto Grim’s neck. He grabbed the map, but quickly let it go again in fear of ripping it.

“Grim knock it off. Let it go. Come on, we need to get you back to the forest. Stop!”

“Harry?”

Both dog and boy froze before turning to the door to see Remus Lupin walking in. He froze at the sight of them, going pale.

Harry immediately let the dog go and stood up straight. “Professor, I can explain!”

“Harry, get over here, right now,” Lupin urged, still staring at the dog.

Harry’s eyes widened as the professor pulled his wand. He stepped in front of Grim and held up his hands. “Wait, it’s okay. Grim’s… well he’s not mine, but he’s not dangerous.”

“Harry-”

“I’m serious. He’s kind of protective, but he’s never even so much as growled at me since I found him this summer.”

“Th-this summer?” Lupin’s wand was still raised, but he looked more confused as he approached.

Harry nodded. “I know he’s pretty big and kind of scary -- I think Ron’s still half convinced he’s a Grim -- and he’s not actually supposed to be at Hogwarts, but that’s not really my fault. He just showed up! Hermione thinks he might be part crup, which makes him super loyal to wizards or something. So he won’t hurt anyone! He’s been here all year and no one’s even seen him until now. I-”

Lupin sucked in a breath and grabbed Harry’s arm, yanking the boy behind him before Harry could stop him.

“He’s not a crup.”

“Prof-”

“He’s an Animagus.”

Harry opened his mouth to object, but then Grim set down the map and stood up. And kept standing up until he shifted into an emaciated man with long matted black hair.

“That’s…” Harry mumbled, staring into the face of Sirius Black.

“Stay back,” Lupin said, though Harry couldn’t tell if he was talking to him or the criminal.

Black gave the professor a smile as he picked up the map. “Remus.”

“Don’t. Harry, go get McGonagall. She should still be in the staffroom.”

Harry took half a step back, but his confusion held him in place.

“No!” Black stepped towards the two, but quickly retreated when Remus raised his wand. “I’ve waited too long. He’s here. He’s HERE!”

“I’m not letting you kill Harry!”

Black started shaking his head and held out the map. “He’s here! I’ve found him!”

“You found me months ago,” Harry said, pointing out what was bemusing him so much.

“Harry, go!”

“He’s here, Moony! See, look, he’s here! I’ve found him! Wormtail!”

“Peter’s dead!” Lupin snapped, looking furious. “You killed him!”

“I meant to,” Black growled and bared his teeth in a way that made him look more like Grim, “but little Peter got the better of me… not this time, though! He’s here! Look! In Gryffindor Tower!” He threw the map at Lupin’s feet.

The professor slowly reached down and picked up the map, his eyes and wand never leaving Sirius. He shook it out and held it up so he could look at it while keeping Black in view. Black seemed to quickly leave his mind though as he turned his full focus onto the map and surprise filled his face. “That’s impossible.”

Harry stepped closer to see the map. The area Lupin was focused on was the same tower Black had been talking about. He didn’t understand Lupin’s reaction until he noticed a presence within Harry’s otherwise empty dormitory.

Peter Pettigrew

Harry frowned, not recognizing the name and wondering why they were in his dorm.

“He’s here! He faked his death and has been hiding like the rat he is! He’s been here, Remus! Near Harry! I have to kill him! I will kill him!”

“Kill who? What’s going on?” Harry shouted, but the two ignored him.

“But then,” Lupin muttered, turning to Black, “why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless…” The professor’s eyes went wide and unfocused. “Unless he was the one -- unless you switched -- without telling me?”

Eyes on him, Black nodded slowly.

“Professor,” Harry interrupted loudly, “what's going on?”

Before he could say more, Lupin lowered his wand, walked up to Black, and pulled him into a hug.

Harry was, officially, completely lost.

TFW you misspell serious as Sirius when writing "The grim is serious, Harry!" and just... Well yes Ron, but you shouldn't know that.

[sunnysidewrites]

Street musician!Woozi

Requested by anon: hello! May I please request a Jihoon scenario where he’s a street musician across the street from where you work? Can be angst or fluff, I’ll leave that up to you. Thank you!

here you go anon!!! i chose fluff bc i think ppl need a break from that zombie apocalypse hwiyoung au…. LMAO i hope it was fulfilling to read happy reading from your fav mom!!!

warnings: fluff, the kind where u wanna punch them :))) woozi is a lil shit but what’s new

You’re a waitress at this cozy little restaurant on a fairly busy street

So you have quite a number of customers coming in frequently and have a handful of regulars

The restaurant has picked up popularity as of recent and unfortunately you guys are a little understaffed

So you and just a few other employees are constantly on your toes running back and forth from order to order

It’s a literal workout sigh

And you’re always extremely exhausted and ready to KO after every shift

One day you’re feeling more irritable because of difficult customers and restlessness

You’re bundled up in your lil warm coat while the winter wind chills you down to the bone

“Just a little more until you reach home y/n” you muttered yourself and continued trudging home

When you got to the end of the street your ears perked at a melodious sound

A crowd was increasing by the second and you’re trying to push your way to the front to get a good view bc wOW MUSIC!!1!!

Perched on a bench was a guy and his trusty guitar don’t hurt soonyoung

His slender fingers were picking at the strings and he was so effortlessly hitting high notes

You could have sworn you saw a light shining down on him bc is he an angel

His guitar case is opened wide for people to toss in change

hOLY COW IT’S A LOT MORE THAN WHAT PERFORMERS USUALLY GET

the amount of money sitting in his case was probably just the amount of tips alone you receive in a day already

This guy is going places and you showed that when you threw in a $10 bill

He was busy concentrating on his singing and playing that he was closing his eyes

But right after you tossed in the bill he opened them and caught your gaze

He was starstruck for 0.00001 seconds but he had to quickly end the song

He got whistles and cheers from the gigantic audience but he was blUSHING AND SMILING RIP @ ME

You were also really happy and reenergized after hearing his soothing voice and you looked like :DDD while you clapped

His heart stopped

“Who is this cute girl i’m weak”

You continued walking down to your home right when he mustered up the courage to talk to you

His outstretched hand slowly went back down to his side

:((( he was only a second late sigh

He’s determined to play at that exact spot at the exact same time he did that night

He usually bounces to different areas but maybe he’ll make an exception ;););)

Over the next week or so you take notice of his extended stay in what you call “his little corner”

Not that you minded ofc

He always seems to gaze at you longer than he does at the rest of the crowd but you think you’re just imagining things and you’re getting your hopes up a little too much

He’s always singing cute love songs

Sometimes he would do heartbroken ballads or upbeat renditions

But it would always be related to love!!11!

Lovestruck woozi is a concept

When he finishes his latest cover, he forces himself to catch you before you’re headed off

As per usual you’re wrapping your scarf closer to yourself and start walking further down but he’s like wAIT

You turn around anD IT’S HIM!111! THE COOL STREET MUSICIAN!1!!

“Yes…?”

He’s like o crap i didn’t expect to get this far lMAO WHAt do i DO

“Thanks,,,, for coming,,,, i recognize you as a familiar face for the past few shows,,,,”

Ofc he has he’s been ogling you

You’re like oh!! Well you’re talented ofc i’ll watch!!

And he’s like oHMYGOSH CAN I HIDE

“ahah thank you” he’s blushing while hiding his smile behind his hand wHAT A PURE

You can’t help but notice he’s clearing his throat a little and you’re like hmm??

“Would you like a drink? You sound like you could use it”

He’s like oH WeLL that would be nice but don’t worry about me

“It’s fine1!1!!! I work down at the restaurant and we still have time before we close”

He’s like omg but u just got off work it’s o k a y

You’re like i aM GETTING YOU A DRINK COME WITH ME

Woozi: well isn’t she insistent

Woozi: i like it

And so you drag him back to the restaurant and your coworker is like y/n??? Aren’t you supposed to be at home????

You walk over to them and whisper

“Can you do me a favor and put a drink on the house for him??? He’s been playing out in the cold all week” and you muster your best puppy dog eyes

They’re like nOT THE PUPPY DOG EYES N O DO YOU WANT ME FIRED

“I’m telling our boss you broke the mug his mom gave him”

“:))) what drink would you like sir?? :)) it’s on the house :))) totally completely free of charge :)))”

“O h you don’t have to do that!!!”

“See y/n he says–”

You: “m u g.”

“I inSIST IT’S FREE SIR!!! :))) pLEASE!!! TAKE THE OFFER!!! :))))”

“O-oh okay,,,,, I’ll just have some warm tea,,,, thank you,,,,”

“I’ll be back shortly” and right before they leave they glare at you

You: :-) what’s wrong? :-) certainly not his mug right? :-)

You join him back at the booth and you’re trying to make some small talk by complimenting his performances

Despite how well known he is around the block he’s still a humble little bee get it instead of bumblebee

“Ah.. … .. i’m not that great … ….. ..”

“Wtf you got like $50+?????”

“What n O,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, $40”

Jesus christ woozi

You’re just laughing and shaking your head in disbelief like ok mr music prodigy

You both talk and get to know each other until closing time which is roughly 15 minutes

Your coworker kicks you out and you’re back out on the chilly night streets

“Well,,,, it was nice talking but i should,,,, really head home”

“Yeah i should head back too,,,,,, you’’ll still be here to watch tomorrow right?”

You’re like uH O F C I W I L L

And he’s like ahah ok just,,, checking,,, and he seems to be stalling as he does the smile hiding again pls protect this smol bean

So you linger there with him and it’s just like u have n o i de a what’s going on but it feels like you should also stay with him

You see him closing his eyes and taking a quick breath before exhaling and muttering “just do it woozi”

Before you have a n y time to register it he opens his eyes and kiSS E S YOUR CHEEK AND SCREAMS “ U- UH I’LL SEE YOU T O MORR O W B Y E” AND SCURRIES OFF

And yo U ARE SHOOKETH

It ended as fast as it happened and so you’re like ? ???? ?? what just happened

But you’re like i’m demanding answers tomorrow night

Tomorrow night rolls around and he’s out there in his little corner again

This time he’s like “ok yall today’s song will be ‘20’ by seventeen”

AND YOU’RE LIKE O M G I LOVE THIS SONG????????

He notices you in the crowd the second your face popped up and not once did his eyes leave yours

You’re a blushing mess throughout his song and you combusted 10 times

When he’s done you cheer the loudest and wait for everyone to disperse before engulfing him in a hug

“Is that a proposal” you say when you break away and look at him

He smiles thoughtfully and tugs your waist

“Only if you want it to be ;););)”

“wE A IN’T EVEN DA T IN G PLS”

And he kISSES YOU AGAIN BUT THIS TIME O N THE LI PZZ

And his hand is gently on the back of your neck

Oh my god yall im fucKEN SOFT

“I didn’t see you give me any change today”

“sHUT UP WAS THE KISS NOT GOOD ENOUGH i withdraw from being your s/o smh”

“wAIT NO I WAS KIDDIng!!11!! Kisses are perfectly acceptable payment!!!11”

Damn right they better be

“As they should be :)))” you say before pulling him back in aW YOU GUYS ARE SO CUTE

And there begins a sweet relationship full of serenades and free drinks!!!

[lightshadowverisimilitude]

Responsible Adults and Lab Safety Protocols 1/3

For my bingo square “sex pollen.” Challenger @miss-kitty-fantastico

Watch the cut!

All in all, Tony was disappointed. With rumors of a super thinktank trying to combine all the worst aspects of sodium pentothal, E, and alcohol, Tony had expected more. They’d been hard to find, he’d give them that – as in digitally hard to find. Out in the non-digital world, they were operating out of a strip mall on the main thoroughfare in a tiny township in Minnesota unfortunately named Embarrass.

Since the Avengers trooping through Small Town, Anywhere tended to call a lot of attention, they’d driven from Duluth in a rental van. By the time they pulled into the cramped parking lot, Tony was ready to put a stylus through Clint’s eye. If he had to hear one more chorus of “99 bottles of beer on the wall/ Shoot one down, it shatters on the ground,” ad infinitum, he was going to throttle someone. Since they were mere yards away from a bad guy he could theoretically throttle, he didn’t try too hard to suppress the urge. Nat and Steve had both fallen asleep in the middle row almost as soon as they doors had shut, because they had that whole ‘can sleep anywhere’ thing in common. Sam had earbuds stuffed into his ears, though Tony’s had mysteriously disappeared out of his bag. He felt an acute sense of betrayal.

“Karmic pay back,” Rhodey said, climbing out of the driver’s seat. “Do you remember that trip from Boston to New York your sophomore year?” He smiled sweetly and held out a twenty. Clint snatched it out of his fingers and blew Tony a kiss on his way past, surreptitiously rubbing his jaw.

“It’s not karma if you interfere,” Tony said, but he was secretly impressed. Putting up with three complete rounds of the beer song just to get Tony back for an unfortunate road trip two decades after the fact was dedication.

Rhodey shrugged. “What can I say? Sometimes karma happens to you. Sometimes you’re the karma that happens to someone else.”

“I���m going to remember this,” Tony warned him, snugging his baseball cap down further over his eyes. He guessed that as far as ‘We’re tourists, just passing through,’ disguises went, they probably wouldn’t pass muster for long. He checked his phone, and then looked up. According to his scan, nothing in the area had so much as security camera to its name.

The smallest space on the end of the strip didn’t even have proper signage. When they drew closer, he saw that a set of letters had been frosted onto the glass in what was probably 12-pt font. Dionysus Labs. Original.

Steve, annoyingly alert after his ninety-odd minute nap, casually pulled the door open, and then stuck his foot in front of it and gestured everyone else through. Tony kept his phone up, sweeping the area with infrared as he went. He’d done a satellite pass over the area less than an hour before, and there had only been two heat signatures in the building. He wasn’t surprised to see the same two human-shaped blobs on the other side of the back wall. In two weeks of monitoring, he’d never seen more than two human-shaped blobs.

The reception area was a closet-sized space that they crowded to capacity. It was complete with ugly industrial carpet, three folding chairs under a painting of a lake that might have been stolen from a motel, and a reception desk about the size of a podium. It was empty of even a bored receptionist, which made sense, since there didn’t even appear to be a phone. Rhodey leaned around the desk, feeling underneath the shelves for a weapon, and then shook his head.

Nat put her back to the cheap plywood wood and waited for Clint to give her a nod. She flicked the door knob, and pushed the door sharply inward. It banged against the opposite wall, though the sound was almost drowned out by the startled shouts from within. Clint ran in with his sidearm drawn, leading Steve, Sam, and Rhodey after him. Tony stayed in the waiting room and kept an eye on his screens. Nothing was putting off any troubling energy, and the floor seemed quite solid.

Steve stuck his head back out the door. His lips were twisted in a bemused grimace. “It’s clear,” he said, gesturing Tony in with a twitch of his fingers.

“I am disappointed,” Tony said, following him in. “I was going to be disappointed anyway, but I assumed there would be something for me to do.” The only reason he hadn’t trundled in with the rest of them was that he’d thought a high-budget operation like this one had to be hiding a few nasty tech surprises under their very mundane exterior.

(keep reading)

The room beyond was… a lab. It had been outfitted with metal tables that were stacked with the usual medical lab detritus. Half of the space had been converted into a sterile room, and a ventilation hood took up most of the real estate in the opposite corner. The eye wash station and chemical shower had clearly posted instructions and warnings, and there was a red lab safety handbook on the shelf backed with OSHA posters and cheesy I Am Safe! Graphics of a pencil figure in a hardhat giving the thumbs up. There was a picture of a chambered nautilus on one cabinet, the Milky Way galaxy next to it, and a boxy spiral across the room. Sam was in the process of taking down an enlarged poster of Dr. Foster’s most recent appearance in Reviews of Modern Physics. Thor would have never forgiven them for leaving it.

“Wow. Now I’m… Now I’m just depressed,” Tony decided. Two youngish men in lab coats had already been handcuffed and were slumped in lab stools, still wearing their eye protection. “I mean… I approve of your lab safety, with the exception of the paper thin door that anyone with reasonable hand-eye coordination and baseball bat could get through, but. Wow.”

One of the men sighed dejectedly. He was wearing a plaid shirt with a no-kidding pocket protector. Tony couldn’t decide if he was wearing it with his expensive, tailored khakis as nerd-chic or not. “We were finally getting results,” he mourned.

“We were going to be so rich,” the other added. “I was going to go to Tahiti.”

Tony exchanged a baffled look with Rhodey, who only shrugged.

“We have got to get a better class of supervillain,” Sam said.

Pocket Protector perked up. “Supervillain? Think they’ll write a book about us?”

Rolling his eyes, Sam dropped a heavy hand to the back of the guy’s neck to propel him out of the stool. “No.”

Natasha grabbed the other Supervillain Hopeful by the arm and gave him one of those really creepy Russian doll smiles. “You and I need to talk,” she said.

The guy looked pretty happy with that idea. Tony guessed that they’d have an itemized list of the entire chain of operations by the time the van made it back to Duluth.

“We’ll take these two back in the van,” Sam said, giving his captive a squeeze on the back of the neck that made the man bunch his shoulders up like a cartoon turtle. “Quinjet should be here to help you transport all this…” he waved a hand around the orderly lab with a grimace. “Stuff.”

Tony tossed him a salute and opened an app. He hummed as he tapped away at the commands while Clint, Nat, and Sam lead their docile captives out of the door. Satisfied with the results, he pointed the infrared at the floor to look for a secret lair, occasionally stamping on the floor in likely places.

“This is absurd,” he decided finally. “There is really… nothing. It took us two months to find this place.”

“Well,” Steve ventured, “it did keep them under the radar for more than a year. There’s something to be said about low-tech when you’re going up against Iron Man.” He was thumbing through a binder of pages in sheet protectors, so he didn’t see Tony preening. Tony could just barely make out the words ‘Employee Handbook’ between Steve’s fingers. He shook the binder slightly and held up a page. “They had a 401k plan, and health benefits. They get more vacation days than I do!”

Rhodey snorted. “Guess we’re in the wrong line of work.” He was crouched down beside the transparent door of the sterile room. Tapping one knuckle on the Plexiglas, he noted, “This is more like what I expected to find here. This is four inches thick and bullet proof.”

“Ooo,” Tony said, hurrying around the central table to Rhodey’s side. “Boobie trapped?”

Before Rhodey could answer, his phone went off. He settled back on his heels to answer it, and then instantly jerked the phone away from his ear. ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ played loudly in the background and Clint shouted, “I’m never letting you pay me for favors ever again!”

Tony grabbed Rhodey’s wrist to get at the phone. “If he’s paying you for it, it’s not a favor.”

“Fuck you so hard, Stark!” Clint shouted over the chorus. Tony could hear other voices shouting in the background, and then the van’s sliding door opened. It slammed shut a second later, cutting off the caterwauling of Billy Ray Cyrus and the dismayed shouts of the two unfortunate prisoners. “It better turn off,” he huffed into the phone.

Tony shrugged. “Eh.” He loved high-tech cars with their very hackable computers.

Groaning, Clint said, “Do not pull me into whatever weird prank game you have going with Rhodes, Stark, I swear you’ll regret it.”

Tony fluttered his eyelashes at Rhodey. “Hey, blame Rhodey. He’s the one who got you into this.”

Leaning on Tony’s shoulders, Steve grabbed Rhodey’s arm just under Tony’s grip and pulled up. Rhodey scowled, and Steve ignored him. “Just leave those two locked in the car for a few minutes, and then send Nat after them.”

“Torture tactics? From Captain America?” Clint gasped. “I am shocked. Shocked and severely disappointed.”

“Pleasure to be of service,” Steve said warmly, and then released Rhodey’s arm and levered himself back up without even using Tony’s shoulder for balance. That kind of core muscle response was absolutely not fair. Before Tony could say as much, Steve’s Running Man ringtone went off. He stepped away to put it to his ear.

“Sam -… I’m sure it will turn off eventually,” he said, laughing. “I wouldn’t, if I were you. Well, it’s your life.” He covered the mouthpiece with one hand and leaned over to ask, “You are going to turn that off when they start traveling, right?”

Tony made a vague sound, already more invested in the keypad to get into the sterile room than Clint’s comeuppance. He could feel Rhodey’s eyes on the side of his face and guessed that there was a pre-emptive retaliatory prank already in the works in case Tony had something in mind for him. Tony was going to let him stew in it for a while.

Snagging Rhodey’s wrist again, Tony said, “Hey – stick your head back in the van and say ‘one, one, two’ please.”

“Oh, please, is it?” Clint grumbled, but the vague thumping of music grew louder. “Hey, asswipes! One, one, two,” he shouted over the music. The car door slammed, cutting Billy Ray off at ‘- And if you tell my –‘ “I’m not telling you what he said until you promise to turn that off.”

“I promise I’ll turn it off,” Tony said, pointedly not including when.

“He said, ‘three.’ Mean anything to you?”

Tony hummed, but Rhodey was already keying in the sequence before he could say a word. The door popped open with a hiss. Tony groaned. “Why? I am so..! Two months.”

Steve looked in between them, confused. He frowned at the open door. “What just happened here?”

Rhodey waved vaguely toward the posters of spirals dotted around the room between safety posters. “Zero-one-one-two-three-five. Fibonacci sequence. I am embarrassed for these guys.”

“They sure picked some good real estate then,” Steve said with a grin. He bent over to open a lower cabinet, his face briefly appearing somewhere around his knees. He saw Tony watching him and winked, mouth stretching into a devilish smile.

“I see what you’re doing,” Tony told him, just so he didn’t think he was getting away with it.

“I do not,” Rhodey said, “but whatever it is, stop.”

Steve chuckled and bent his knees, folding smoothly into a crouch. He started pulling out boxes of pipettes, shaking each of them like they were Christmas presents. Tony finally yanked his eyes away from the motion of Steve’s shoulders and followed Rhodey into the sterile room. A row of incubators were on against one wall, the shadow of petri dishes visible behind the dark glass. On the opposite wall was another ventilation hood, and the center of the room was taken up by a workspace and a bank of computers. He glanced up to see five industrial ventilation units in the ceiling – for the size of the room, he would have expected only one, or two. He frowned. Between the heavy-duty sterile room and the ventilation, they must have made a lot of progress over the latest version of the compound they’d encountered.

Rhodey was already taking pictures of the setup, so Tony perched on a lab stool and jiggled the mouse until the computer woke up. The username had been saved, so he tried the Fibonacci sequence again, and then a few others. At least they were a bit smarter with their computer security – not smart enough to keep him out of the system, but smarter than they had been with any other aspect of the operation.

“You know,” Rhodey said, snapping a picture of the incubators, “If it was this difficult to find the lab jockeys, figuring out who bank rolled them is going to be a pain in the ass.” He turned a circle, frowning at the sterile room. “Where are the rats?”

Tony plugged into the computer tower and then looked around again, himself. “Huh.” He frowned. He would have expected a whole wall of test subjects. Shivers skittered down his spine. “They’re either testing offsite…”

“Or they’re not testing on animals,” Rhodey finished for him.

The lock screen vanished and Tony dropped his head into his hand with a helpless laugh. Rhodey came over to stand behind him. He rested one hand on Tony’s shoulder and leaned down to look over the last document their intrepid chemists had been working on.

“… They were testing it on themselves?” Rhodey said incredulously. He reached over Tony’s shoulder to click through the open tabs at the bottom. One was an Amazon page displaying search results for ‘soft stuff,’ two were lab results that they both looked over quickly, but neither of them were chemists. Bruce would have to do the heavy lifting on those. The last tab was a video dated the evening before. Rhodey’s hand curled away from the mouse, and then reluctantly pushed play.

Pocket Protector sat in front of the camera in a hotel room, looking stoned out of his mind. His mouth was reddened from either a lot of rough kisses or an allergic reaction, his eyes were glassy and red, and his shirt was half unbuttoned. It had been pulled open and left that way, his lab coat pulled haphazardly over the top of it. Judging by the dark smear of a bruise under his collarbone, Tony was guessing that he hadn’t been experiencing an allergic reaction.

He stared at the camera with a distant, stupid smile on his face. A woman walked across the frame, only visible from the neck down, and not wearing anything except an equally rumpled lab coat. She dragged her nails down the back of his neck and he shivered visibly, almost violently, before slumping back against her and giggling.

“Thanks for the fun time, sugar,” she said. She leaned down to kiss his forehead, but a curtain of auburn hair hid her face from the camera. “Let me know if you want to do it again sometime.”

“’Kay,” Pocket Protector said drowsily. He turned in his chair to watch her pick up her clothes and walk into the bathroom. The door shut, and then the shower turned on. Pocket Protector turned back to the screen and made an exaggeratedly excited face. He bit one knuckle, slightly muffling his giggling. “Oh… my God,” he said, and then scrabbled around the desk until he came up with a vial of white powder. “Screw AIM, we’re taking this commercial. Fucking fuck. So much fucking, Matt, so much fucking.”

“Okay, well, that was helpful,” Rhodey said, pausing the video. He stepped away with his cellphone already out. “Fucking AIM,” he said under his breath as he left the sterile room.

Shaking his head, Tony scrubbed his hand across his face. They may as well have just left behind an envelope with a big label that read, “EVIDENCE OF ALL MY WRONGDOINGS RIGHT HERE.” Considering how well everything else in the lab had been labeled, Tony wouldn’t have been especially surprised. He clicked through the computer while he downloaded the hard drive, finding detailed records on the entire process. One of the Viagra Duo was apparently a neat freak, because Tony found a spreadsheet outlining every conversation they’d ever had with their benefactors.

Tony started to laugh again. “I am completely stunned that you can be so incompetently competent,” he told the screen.

“Having lots of luck?” Steve asked, peering curiously into the room.

“We can call the interrogation off,” Tony said. “Don’t even bother to give them the yellow legal pad and the pen. We’ve already got their confessions here.” He held up his USB drive for illustration. “Though it looks like what they came up with is more along the lines of fun-time recreational drug than hardcore interrogation chemical.”

“I heard Rhodey muttering about AIM on his way out the door?”

Tony pulled up the spreadsheet and leaned back so Steve could read it over his shoulder. Steve barked out a startled laugh and slapped a hand over his face. “I don’t know who’s worse. These two, or whatever idiot at AIM hired them.”

“If only all the villains kept such impeccable records,” Tony agreed, leaning subtly into Steve’s chest. “We’d be out of a job.”

“We could retire,” Steve said with a pleased hum. “We could move somewhere warm, with a beach. I could learn to surf.”  

Twisting around, Tony demanded, “How have you never learned to surf? We lived in California.”

Steve leaned down and nipped at Tony’s neck in mild rebuke. He nosed under Tony’s jaw and set a soft kiss on his pulse point. “Do you know how to surf?” he asked innocently.

Tony sniffed. “Of course not. I’m not a supersoldier.”

“Of course. Only supersoldiers surf.” He tightened his arms around Tony’s chest and rested his chin on the top of his head. “Mellow recreational drug, hm?”

“Seems to just make for good sex,” Tony replied, wiggling suggestively. “Could be fun.”

Steve chuckled. “Too bad we’re more responsible than our friends, here.”

At the sound of the lab door opening, Steve straightened up, and stepped away. Rhodey came back in, shaking his head. He pointed at the computer, not mentioning the on-mission cuddling he’d certainly seen. “I don’t suppose they mentioned any useful names?”

Sliding backwards off the stool, Tony motioned to the still-open spreadsheet. “The AIM representative was at least smart enough to give them a codename. Mr. Wine.”

“With this group, I wouldn’t be surprised if that wasn’t a codename at all.” He shook his head, and then leaned back. “Bruce should be here in a few minutes. Let’s start packing this junk up.”

Next

[real-estate-virtual-assistants]

Choosing The Best Virtual Assistant Service

Ready to choose the best virtual assistant service? It will empower your business with the flexibility, scalability, and cost-savings to adapt quickly to changing business & market conditions without the cost or commitment involved with hiring full-time employees.

What this means in a practical sense is that as a business owner, rather than struggle to build, reorganize, or downsize job functions or even departments in your business, you’re able to quickly onboard trained, qualified labor in the form of virtual assistants – and add, replace, or remove them rapidly as the labor & specialization needs of your business change.

Virtual assistants are quite common for tasks like office administration & sales prospecting – but they’re also valuable for customer service, technical support, new client onboarding, and many other important but repetitive business tasks.

In addition to all the flexibility that virtual assistants provide, another big reason to outsource is the savings. Virtual assistant services can save you over 60% of the cost of a full-time employee, along with the time-savings you gain by having a virtual assistant services provider do the sourcing & background checks on your behalf.

What A Virtual Assistant Service Does

Your VA service provider serves as a bridge between you and your virtual assistant – providing quality control during the hiring process, human resources support after the virtual assistant is hired, and value-added training, benefits, and other services that take the HR burden off your shoulders and let you focus on running your business.

Given the trust & responsibility required for virtual assistant companies, it isn’t surprising that most companies prefer to develop a long-term relationship for virtual assistant services with a preferred outsourcing vendor.

According to Deloitte’s 2016 Global Outsourcing Survey, over 78% of all firms that use outsourcing stay with a single outsourcing partner. It’s costly to switch companies & train new staff – especially when they may be integrated into your production pipeline, so it makes financial sense to build a relationship with the best partner from the beginning and stick with them over time.

If you’re looking at various real estate virtual assistant services, it makes sense to consider reputation, time in service, and various niche specializations before picking a partner.

Are they established, or one of the many “fly by night” vendors that regularly come & go? Do they offer any service level guarantees, provide background checks for their staff, or have HR services and/or legal representation that you can rely on if the need arises?

If you own and operate a growing business, you may have already considered hiring some help — but how do you go about hiring the best virtual assistant service?

Whether you own a real estate company, are growing your technology startup, or need help outsourcing human resources or PEO tasks, a virtual assistant can help you rapidly scale your business,  provide you with the staffing flexibility to rapidly allocate labor, and allow your most highly-skilled team members to focus on their strengths. However, the key is working with the right virtual assistants based on specific variables.

How To Choose The Best Virtual Services Company

As a business owner, you likely have a never-ending to-do list. That is why delegation is so critical — not just in terms of your business and financial growth, but also in regards to your own personal well-being.

In fact, Entrepreneur stated that a virtual assistant is the “fastest ticket to growth.” If you are ready to welcome some much-needed help into your life and business, here's what you should be mindful of:

Pricing — You're in business to make money, so you'll want to make sure you're getting good value for your money, and you want your investment in a virtual assistant to be as productive as possible. Starting out, many business owners choose the least expensive virtual assistant services they can find - and unfortunately end up paying a lot more for it in the long run. What's important is overall value: what exactly are you getting for the money you spend?

Accountability — Ensure accountability by working with a virtual assistant services company that provides their VAs with the right infrastructure. When your virtual assistant fully understands their role and responsibilities, they will feel as though they're a part of your team. By working with a professional virtual assistant service, you can rest easy knowing that they are well-trained and in terms of accountability, their progress can be tracked.

Skills — The skills & experience of your virtual assistant makes the difference on a day-to-day basis. That is why you should invest in virtual assistant services that are built on an extensive recruitment process. For example, at MyOutDesk, out of the 22,630+ applications received, only 2.2 percent were hired. If you want your company to grow and be the best it can be, you need the best help available.

Training — Pay attention to a company's culture in terms of their training opportunities. Once hired, it is imperative that virtual assistants are provided with critical training so that they can maximize their skills, education, and experience. The more training they have, the more it will benefit your business.

Invest in a company that goes the extra mile — Your virtual assistant needs to feel valued, trusted, and taken care of to perform at a high level for a long period of time. That is why MyOutDesk takes care of each virtual assistant with perks such as paid time off, health coverage, and a fully optimized support team, they can take better care of themselves and in turn, perform to the best of their ability.

Self-Service vs. Full-Service Virtual Assistant Services

If you aren't too sure about what a Virtual Assistant can do for business, it’s common to begin your search with a self-service VA company. Sites like Upwork, Freelancer, and others function mostly as resume portals that allow you to search through profiles for thousands of virtual assistants and hire a VA for project or short-term tasks much like buying a product on eBay.

Self-service virtual assistant portals are enticing to newcomers because of the selection & savings they promise – but keep in mind that they put the burden of screening, background checks, and HR management on you. You’re entirely responsible for screening, interviewing & hiring – and if something goes wrong, you’re on your own.

In our experience, the self-service staffing solution doesn’t meet the needs for most business owners, and while the portal-style approach may be more flexible, its are only suitable for short-term partnerships, and doesn’t offer most of the benefits you really anticipate when hiring a virtual assistant.

After a few attempts at self-service, many business owners decide they need some help, and start looking for a virtual assistant services provider with the expertise and experience and for someone who will be loyal and will build a business partnership to last.

That’s where MyOutDesk comes in. We provide the best virtual assistant service available to match your unique business needs and provide you with qualified, educated & indispensable team members.

MyOutDesk provides full-service, concierge level service – with a stringent selection process; work experience profiling, FBI grade background checks, and even DISC personality matching. We also have a support system in place, staying with you through the entire hiring and employment process to ensure that your virtual assistant is a valuable asset to your company.

We built our company with your needs, goals & requirements in mind. We’re American-owned, located in Sacramento, California – and all our overseas offices are managed by Americans with experience in international business.

Our managers are highly proactive and geared towards providing exceptional customer service. If you ever experience a problem with one of our Virtual Assistants, one of our American managers will immediately help solve your problem – and if the need should arise, MyOutDesk has legal representation both overseas and in the USA to provide you with an additional level of protection.

This sets us apart from the competition: we’re established, with over a decade of experience and a reputation for excellence – and the knowledge & skills to provide you with virtual assistant services give your company the flexibility, scalability & savings you need to compete in today’s marketplace.

Ready to experience the MyOutDesk difference? If so, schedule your free Double My Business Strategy Session today!

[adambstingus]

7 of the best flight hacks to help make air travel less miserable

An improved economyand cheaper fuel costsmeans more people can afford air travel, and airfare is cheaper than usual.

If you’re waiting for a catch, here it is: Everyone and their mother will be at the airport the next time you’re waiting to check-in. And I mean everyone. Endless lines to get through security, overbooked flights, andinflexibleairlines are just some of the many daily realities of air travel in 2016. Cheap airfare can also carry hidden fees for everything from carry-on baggage to food to headphones. Staff cuts have further contributed tounbearable TSA wait timesat most large airports around the nation, although the agency has promised to hire more officers.

Luckily, there’s a way to navigate around the day-to-day miseries of air travel. Here are some hacks to make your next trip less miserable and maybe even (dare I say it) pleasant.

1) Download your airlines’ mobile app

Now the Fly @Delta app is just mocking me via passbook. pic.twitter.com/6dkmXiAFgV

Ally Williams (@itsallyduhh) August 5, 2015

Your airline’s mobile app is a valuable time-saver for more reasons than you’d expect. There’s the obvious benefit of being able to check-in with and use your smartphone as a boarding pass. This can shave off precious minutes you’d waste waiting in line at a kiosk, checking-in with an agent, or digging through your belongings for your paper ticket. Most apps save your boarding pass for you or allow you to save it to your iPhone‘s Passbook; a lifesaver given that the free Wi-Fi and cell service at most airports are less than stellar. You don’t want to be stuck trying to pull up your email at security or before boarding a plane.

But there’s an even greater advantage to your airline’s mobile app: You’ll get the quickest notification of gate changes and flight status updates. If your connecting flight is delayed or there’s been a gate change, apps like Delta Airline’s FlyDelta or American Airline’s mobile app will send you an update by text message and change the information on your mobile ticket. No need to frantically hunt for an arrivals/departure screen once you disembark.

2) Consider applying for Pre-Check or Global Entry

Having fast pass at @WaltDisneyWorld is like having Tsa Pre- check at the airport #soooneccesary

68 & Douglas (@FollowFern) June 2, 2016

I keep putting off Getting TSA pre-check.. procrastination is real

Dj Kam Bennett (@KameronBennett) June 1, 2016

Global Entry and TSA Pre-Check are like the airport’s version of Disney World’s Fast Pass. If you’ve ever longingly glanced at the empty TSA Pre-Check line at the airport, you’ve no doubt wondered what the requirements could be for such a vaulted perk.

Luckily, the application process for TSA Pre-Check (domestic airports only) and Global Entry are both pretty simple. If you have a U.S. passport or permanent resident card and have a clean criminal history, you’re eligible to apply. You’ll have to shell out $85 for TSA Pre-Check or a mere $15 more for Global Entry, but the clearance lasts for five years. Both programs have a relatively simple online application where you’ll give your employment history and other personal information. A 15-minute interview at your nearest Global Entry office (most U.S. airports have one) is required; that’s where you’ll be photographed and fingerprinted. You’ll receive an identification number in the mail in a couple of weeks.

Congrats! Long airport security lines are now a thing of the past.

Is TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry worth it? According to Travel and Leisure’sStephanie Wu:

“The last time I flew internationally into JFK, I went from my airplane seat to the back of a taxi in less than 25 minutes. (And yes, I was flying coach, so the majority of that time was deplaning.) Do I really need to say anything more?”

3) Get an estimate of wait times with Miflight

MiFlight

Have you ever rushed to get ready on the morning of a flight only to discover the airport is practically empty when you get there?MiFlight crowdsources wait-time estimates from other travelers to give you an idea of how long the wait will be at security. Depending on large your nearest airport’s user base is, this app could prove to come in quite handy and prevent you from over-estimating how early you need to get to the airport. The app allows you to specify your exact terminal and gate number so it can target your exact security checkpoint.

4) Whiz through customs with the Mobile Passport

Mobile Passport

You’ll never have to borrow a pen to fill out those pesky customs forms ever again. If you don’t want to pay for Global Entry, the Mobile Passport app by U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a great free alternative that might end up saving you as much time. The app lets you input your passport details and answer the customs questions once you land. You’ll be able to skip the regular line and go through a special line just for Mobile Passport holders.

5) Vent your frustration with the #iHatetheWait hashtag

Once again, made it through security at @fly2ohare in about 10 minutes! Keep up the good work, @TSA. #Chicago #iHateTheWait

Kelli Nakagama (@kelli_nak) June 2, 2016

If all else fails and you’re stuck in a long security line, there’s only one real solution: Vent on social media. Thanks to airline industry group Airlines for American, frustrated travelers have been tweeting photos of the epic long lines at airports across the country.

This is the TSA line at the Orlando International Airport aka MCO. Cattle Call Insanity! #iHateTheWait pic.twitter.com/Og1hpbgD4d

Kristl Wong (@KristlWong) May 10, 2016

The goal is to bring the long wait times to the TSA’s attention and alert other travelers of what’s to come. Think of it as performing a public service that might remove some of the pain of standing in a long line.

6) Skip the long line to check-in your baggage and gate-check your bags for free

Hey Aldon, you can’t say BOMB on an airplane, even Ben Stiller knows that! pic.twitter.com/CE5lf4VKRF

Packers Water Boy (@PackersWaterBoy) April 14, 2014

Most airlines charge you $25-$30 dollars to check-in baggage. Most passengers (very rightly) think this fee is ridiculous and avoid checking-in any baggage. The end-result is the overhead compartments being full by the time the last passengers board the plane. To remedy this problem, airlines will then gate-check the remaining bags to their final destination for free.

Instead of holding on to your bag with a death-grip, just give it up already! Admit it: It’s no fun hoisting a rollie the weight of a third-grader above your head while avoiding hitting other passengers. It’s also no fun holding other people up when the plane lands as you attempt to retrieve your baggage. If you check your bag, you’ll be able to leave the plane as soon as the pilot gives the OK.

The best way of ensuring that your bag gets gate-checked is to meander around the airport until the last five minutes of your boarding time. You want to make sure you’re among the last passengers to board the plane. Kill time by speed-reading the latest Game of Thrones book at the airport bookstore or ordering another beer at the airport bar. Once you’re done, grab your rollie and make a beeline for the gate. The airline employee will congratulate you on not missing your flight and relieve you of your bag.

One downside to this method is the wait at baggage claim. Luckily, you’ve already arrived at your final destination and can use that time to catch up on emails, make travel arrangements, or use the bathroom. Unlike the line to get through security, baggage claim is a free area where you can roam and do what you wish. Go nuts.

7) Know your rights if your flight is cancelled, delayed or bumped

Flight is cancelled for Sydney due to unusual raining in Gold Coast !Extremely bad weather here since yester evening pic.twitter.com/L1fDhmYJ95

Hiraan Chatterjee (@hiran_chatterji) June 4, 2016

Overbooked flights are more common during busy seasons like summer and the holidays, where you’ll find that few passengers want to miss their flight back home or to Disney World. Airhelp is a startup that assists passengers in receiving compensation from airlines for bumped, delayed, or cancelled flights in the European Union. If you’re traveling abroad in Europe, be sure to file a free claim with AirHelp.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has stiffened the rules for what airlines must offer passengers if their flights are cancelled, delayed or if they are involuntarily bumpedto the passenger’s benefit. If you’re involuntarily bumped in the United States and the airline rebooks you on a flight that gets you to your destination by at least an hour later, you could be entitled to anywhere from 200 to 400 percent of your original fare in cash or by check, as well as a full refund.

Unfortunately, airlines are not required to compensate passengers for flights that get cancelled or delayed due to bad weather according to DOT. If this happens to you, ask your airline if they will cover the cost of another flight. Some airlines will endorse you if you find an alternate flight from another airline that gets you to your final destination on time. There’s no DOT rule asking them to do this, so prepare to get told no.

Photo via josephdepalma/Flickr (CC-BY)

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/7-of-the-best-flight-hacks-to-help-make-air-travel-less-miserable/ from All of Beer https://allofbeercom.tumblr.com/post/181374908712

[allofbeercom]

7 of the best flight hacks to help make air travel less miserable

An improved economyand cheaper fuel costsmeans more people can afford air travel, and airfare is cheaper than usual.

If you’re waiting for a catch, here it is: Everyone and their mother will be at the airport the next time you’re waiting to check-in. And I mean everyone. Endless lines to get through security, overbooked flights, andinflexibleairlines are just some of the many daily realities of air travel in 2016. Cheap airfare can also carry hidden fees for everything from carry-on baggage to food to headphones. Staff cuts have further contributed tounbearable TSA wait timesat most large airports around the nation, although the agency has promised to hire more officers.

Luckily, there’s a way to navigate around the day-to-day miseries of air travel. Here are some hacks to make your next trip less miserable and maybe even (dare I say it) pleasant.

1) Download your airlines’ mobile app

Now the Fly @Delta app is just mocking me via passbook. pic.twitter.com/6dkmXiAFgV

Ally Williams (@itsallyduhh) August 5, 2015

Your airline’s mobile app is a valuable time-saver for more reasons than you’d expect. There’s the obvious benefit of being able to check-in with and use your smartphone as a boarding pass. This can shave off precious minutes you’d waste waiting in line at a kiosk, checking-in with an agent, or digging through your belongings for your paper ticket. Most apps save your boarding pass for you or allow you to save it to your iPhone‘s Passbook; a lifesaver given that the free Wi-Fi and cell service at most airports are less than stellar. You don’t want to be stuck trying to pull up your email at security or before boarding a plane.

But there’s an even greater advantage to your airline’s mobile app: You’ll get the quickest notification of gate changes and flight status updates. If your connecting flight is delayed or there’s been a gate change, apps like Delta Airline’s FlyDelta or American Airline’s mobile app will send you an update by text message and change the information on your mobile ticket. No need to frantically hunt for an arrivals/departure screen once you disembark.

2) Consider applying for Pre-Check or Global Entry

Having fast pass at @WaltDisneyWorld is like having Tsa Pre- check at the airport #soooneccesary

68 & Douglas (@FollowFern) June 2, 2016

I keep putting off Getting TSA pre-check.. procrastination is real

Dj Kam Bennett (@KameronBennett) June 1, 2016

Global Entry and TSA Pre-Check are like the airport’s version of Disney World’s Fast Pass. If you’ve ever longingly glanced at the empty TSA Pre-Check line at the airport, you’ve no doubt wondered what the requirements could be for such a vaulted perk.

Luckily, the application process for TSA Pre-Check (domestic airports only) and Global Entry are both pretty simple. If you have a U.S. passport or permanent resident card and have a clean criminal history, you’re eligible to apply. You’ll have to shell out $85 for TSA Pre-Check or a mere $15 more for Global Entry, but the clearance lasts for five years. Both programs have a relatively simple online application where you’ll give your employment history and other personal information. A 15-minute interview at your nearest Global Entry office (most U.S. airports have one) is required; that’s where you’ll be photographed and fingerprinted. You’ll receive an identification number in the mail in a couple of weeks.

Congrats! Long airport security lines are now a thing of the past.

Is TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry worth it? According to Travel and Leisure’sStephanie Wu:

“The last time I flew internationally into JFK, I went from my airplane seat to the back of a taxi in less than 25 minutes. (And yes, I was flying coach, so the majority of that time was deplaning.) Do I really need to say anything more?”

3) Get an estimate of wait times with Miflight

MiFlight

Have you ever rushed to get ready on the morning of a flight only to discover the airport is practically empty when you get there?MiFlight crowdsources wait-time estimates from other travelers to give you an idea of how long the wait will be at security. Depending on large your nearest airport’s user base is, this app could prove to come in quite handy and prevent you from over-estimating how early you need to get to the airport. The app allows you to specify your exact terminal and gate number so it can target your exact security checkpoint.

4) Whiz through customs with the Mobile Passport

Mobile Passport

You’ll never have to borrow a pen to fill out those pesky customs forms ever again. If you don’t want to pay for Global Entry, the Mobile Passport app by U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a great free alternative that might end up saving you as much time. The app lets you input your passport details and answer the customs questions once you land. You’ll be able to skip the regular line and go through a special line just for Mobile Passport holders.

5) Vent your frustration with the #iHatetheWait hashtag

Once again, made it through security at @fly2ohare in about 10 minutes! Keep up the good work, @TSA. #Chicago #iHateTheWait

Kelli Nakagama (@kelli_nak) June 2, 2016

If all else fails and you’re stuck in a long security line, there’s only one real solution: Vent on social media. Thanks to airline industry group Airlines for American, frustrated travelers have been tweeting photos of the epic long lines at airports across the country.

This is the TSA line at the Orlando International Airport aka MCO. Cattle Call Insanity! #iHateTheWait pic.twitter.com/Og1hpbgD4d

Kristl Wong (@KristlWong) May 10, 2016

The goal is to bring the long wait times to the TSA’s attention and alert other travelers of what’s to come. Think of it as performing a public service that might remove some of the pain of standing in a long line.

6) Skip the long line to check-in your baggage and gate-check your bags for free

Hey Aldon, you can’t say BOMB on an airplane, even Ben Stiller knows that! pic.twitter.com/CE5lf4VKRF

Packers Water Boy (@PackersWaterBoy) April 14, 2014

Most airlines charge you $25-$30 dollars to check-in baggage. Most passengers (very rightly) think this fee is ridiculous and avoid checking-in any baggage. The end-result is the overhead compartments being full by the time the last passengers board the plane. To remedy this problem, airlines will then gate-check the remaining bags to their final destination for free.

Instead of holding on to your bag with a death-grip, just give it up already! Admit it: It’s no fun hoisting a rollie the weight of a third-grader above your head while avoiding hitting other passengers. It’s also no fun holding other people up when the plane lands as you attempt to retrieve your baggage. If you check your bag, you’ll be able to leave the plane as soon as the pilot gives the OK.

The best way of ensuring that your bag gets gate-checked is to meander around the airport until the last five minutes of your boarding time. You want to make sure you’re among the last passengers to board the plane. Kill time by speed-reading the latest Game of Thrones book at the airport bookstore or ordering another beer at the airport bar. Once you’re done, grab your rollie and make a beeline for the gate. The airline employee will congratulate you on not missing your flight and relieve you of your bag.

One downside to this method is the wait at baggage claim. Luckily, you’ve already arrived at your final destination and can use that time to catch up on emails, make travel arrangements, or use the bathroom. Unlike the line to get through security, baggage claim is a free area where you can roam and do what you wish. Go nuts.

7) Know your rights if your flight is cancelled, delayed or bumped

Flight is cancelled for Sydney due to unusual raining in Gold Coast !Extremely bad weather here since yester evening pic.twitter.com/L1fDhmYJ95

Hiraan Chatterjee (@hiran_chatterji) June 4, 2016

Overbooked flights are more common during busy seasons like summer and the holidays, where you’ll find that few passengers want to miss their flight back home or to Disney World. Airhelp is a startup that assists passengers in receiving compensation from airlines for bumped, delayed, or cancelled flights in the European Union. If you’re traveling abroad in Europe, be sure to file a free claim with AirHelp.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has stiffened the rules for what airlines must offer passengers if their flights are cancelled, delayed or if they are involuntarily bumpedto the passenger’s benefit. If you’re involuntarily bumped in the United States and the airline rebooks you on a flight that gets you to your destination by at least an hour later, you could be entitled to anywhere from 200 to 400 percent of your original fare in cash or by check, as well as a full refund.

Unfortunately, airlines are not required to compensate passengers for flights that get cancelled or delayed due to bad weather according to DOT. If this happens to you, ask your airline if they will cover the cost of another flight. Some airlines will endorse you if you find an alternate flight from another airline that gets you to your final destination on time. There’s no DOT rule asking them to do this, so prepare to get told no.

Photo via josephdepalma/Flickr (CC-BY)

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/7-of-the-best-flight-hacks-to-help-make-air-travel-less-miserable/

[samanthasroberts]

7 of the best flight hacks to help make air travel less miserable

An improved economyand cheaper fuel costsmeans more people can afford air travel, and airfare is cheaper than usual.

If you’re waiting for a catch, here it is: Everyone and their mother will be at the airport the next time you’re waiting to check-in. And I mean everyone. Endless lines to get through security, overbooked flights, andinflexibleairlines are just some of the many daily realities of air travel in 2016. Cheap airfare can also carry hidden fees for everything from carry-on baggage to food to headphones. Staff cuts have further contributed tounbearable TSA wait timesat most large airports around the nation, although the agency has promised to hire more officers.

Luckily, there’s a way to navigate around the day-to-day miseries of air travel. Here are some hacks to make your next trip less miserable and maybe even (dare I say it) pleasant.

1) Download your airlines’ mobile app

Now the Fly @Delta app is just mocking me via passbook. pic.twitter.com/6dkmXiAFgV

Ally Williams (@itsallyduhh) August 5, 2015

Your airline’s mobile app is a valuable time-saver for more reasons than you’d expect. There’s the obvious benefit of being able to check-in with and use your smartphone as a boarding pass. This can shave off precious minutes you’d waste waiting in line at a kiosk, checking-in with an agent, or digging through your belongings for your paper ticket. Most apps save your boarding pass for you or allow you to save it to your iPhone‘s Passbook; a lifesaver given that the free Wi-Fi and cell service at most airports are less than stellar. You don’t want to be stuck trying to pull up your email at security or before boarding a plane.

But there’s an even greater advantage to your airline’s mobile app: You’ll get the quickest notification of gate changes and flight status updates. If your connecting flight is delayed or there’s been a gate change, apps like Delta Airline’s FlyDelta or American Airline’s mobile app will send you an update by text message and change the information on your mobile ticket. No need to frantically hunt for an arrivals/departure screen once you disembark.

2) Consider applying for Pre-Check or Global Entry

Having fast pass at @WaltDisneyWorld is like having Tsa Pre- check at the airport #soooneccesary

68 & Douglas (@FollowFern) June 2, 2016

I keep putting off Getting TSA pre-check.. procrastination is real

Dj Kam Bennett (@KameronBennett) June 1, 2016

Global Entry and TSA Pre-Check are like the airport’s version of Disney World’s Fast Pass. If you’ve ever longingly glanced at the empty TSA Pre-Check line at the airport, you’ve no doubt wondered what the requirements could be for such a vaulted perk.

Luckily, the application process for TSA Pre-Check (domestic airports only) and Global Entry are both pretty simple. If you have a U.S. passport or permanent resident card and have a clean criminal history, you’re eligible to apply. You’ll have to shell out $85 for TSA Pre-Check or a mere $15 more for Global Entry, but the clearance lasts for five years. Both programs have a relatively simple online application where you’ll give your employment history and other personal information. A 15-minute interview at your nearest Global Entry office (most U.S. airports have one) is required; that’s where you’ll be photographed and fingerprinted. You’ll receive an identification number in the mail in a couple of weeks.

Congrats! Long airport security lines are now a thing of the past.

Is TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry worth it? According to Travel and Leisure’sStephanie Wu:

“The last time I flew internationally into JFK, I went from my airplane seat to the back of a taxi in less than 25 minutes. (And yes, I was flying coach, so the majority of that time was deplaning.) Do I really need to say anything more?”

3) Get an estimate of wait times with Miflight

MiFlight

Have you ever rushed to get ready on the morning of a flight only to discover the airport is practically empty when you get there?MiFlight crowdsources wait-time estimates from other travelers to give you an idea of how long the wait will be at security. Depending on large your nearest airport’s user base is, this app could prove to come in quite handy and prevent you from over-estimating how early you need to get to the airport. The app allows you to specify your exact terminal and gate number so it can target your exact security checkpoint.

4) Whiz through customs with the Mobile Passport

Mobile Passport

You’ll never have to borrow a pen to fill out those pesky customs forms ever again. If you don’t want to pay for Global Entry, the Mobile Passport app by U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a great free alternative that might end up saving you as much time. The app lets you input your passport details and answer the customs questions once you land. You’ll be able to skip the regular line and go through a special line just for Mobile Passport holders.

5) Vent your frustration with the #iHatetheWait hashtag

Once again, made it through security at @fly2ohare in about 10 minutes! Keep up the good work, @TSA. #Chicago #iHateTheWait

Kelli Nakagama (@kelli_nak) June 2, 2016

If all else fails and you’re stuck in a long security line, there’s only one real solution: Vent on social media. Thanks to airline industry group Airlines for American, frustrated travelers have been tweeting photos of the epic long lines at airports across the country.

This is the TSA line at the Orlando International Airport aka MCO. Cattle Call Insanity! #iHateTheWait pic.twitter.com/Og1hpbgD4d

Kristl Wong (@KristlWong) May 10, 2016

The goal is to bring the long wait times to the TSA’s attention and alert other travelers of what’s to come. Think of it as performing a public service that might remove some of the pain of standing in a long line.

6) Skip the long line to check-in your baggage and gate-check your bags for free

Hey Aldon, you can’t say BOMB on an airplane, even Ben Stiller knows that! pic.twitter.com/CE5lf4VKRF

Packers Water Boy (@PackersWaterBoy) April 14, 2014

Most airlines charge you $25-$30 dollars to check-in baggage. Most passengers (very rightly) think this fee is ridiculous and avoid checking-in any baggage. The end-result is the overhead compartments being full by the time the last passengers board the plane. To remedy this problem, airlines will then gate-check the remaining bags to their final destination for free.

Instead of holding on to your bag with a death-grip, just give it up already! Admit it: It’s no fun hoisting a rollie the weight of a third-grader above your head while avoiding hitting other passengers. It’s also no fun holding other people up when the plane lands as you attempt to retrieve your baggage. If you check your bag, you’ll be able to leave the plane as soon as the pilot gives the OK.

The best way of ensuring that your bag gets gate-checked is to meander around the airport until the last five minutes of your boarding time. You want to make sure you’re among the last passengers to board the plane. Kill time by speed-reading the latest Game of Thrones book at the airport bookstore or ordering another beer at the airport bar. Once you’re done, grab your rollie and make a beeline for the gate. The airline employee will congratulate you on not missing your flight and relieve you of your bag.

One downside to this method is the wait at baggage claim. Luckily, you’ve already arrived at your final destination and can use that time to catch up on emails, make travel arrangements, or use the bathroom. Unlike the line to get through security, baggage claim is a free area where you can roam and do what you wish. Go nuts.

7) Know your rights if your flight is cancelled, delayed or bumped

Flight is cancelled for Sydney due to unusual raining in Gold Coast !Extremely bad weather here since yester evening pic.twitter.com/L1fDhmYJ95

Hiraan Chatterjee (@hiran_chatterji) June 4, 2016

Overbooked flights are more common during busy seasons like summer and the holidays, where you’ll find that few passengers want to miss their flight back home or to Disney World. Airhelp is a startup that assists passengers in receiving compensation from airlines for bumped, delayed, or cancelled flights in the European Union. If you’re traveling abroad in Europe, be sure to file a free claim with AirHelp.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has stiffened the rules for what airlines must offer passengers if their flights are cancelled, delayed or if they are involuntarily bumpedto the passenger’s benefit. If you’re involuntarily bumped in the United States and the airline rebooks you on a flight that gets you to your destination by at least an hour later, you could be entitled to anywhere from 200 to 400 percent of your original fare in cash or by check, as well as a full refund.

Unfortunately, airlines are not required to compensate passengers for flights that get cancelled or delayed due to bad weather according to DOT. If this happens to you, ask your airline if they will cover the cost of another flight. Some airlines will endorse you if you find an alternate flight from another airline that gets you to your final destination on time. There’s no DOT rule asking them to do this, so prepare to get told no.

Photo via josephdepalma/Flickr (CC-BY)

Source: http://allofbeer.com/7-of-the-best-flight-hacks-to-help-make-air-travel-less-miserable/

from All of Beer https://allofbeer.wordpress.com/2018/12/24/7-of-the-best-flight-hacks-to-help-make-air-travel-less-miserable/

[bostonbykel-blog]

Self-Assessment

Spending a summer roughly 580 miles from home was quite the drastic change from going to college 6 miles away from your family. This learning experience is something I will always be grateful to have. Before living in Boston, I lived a life which was enabled by those around me. Though I do have immense gratitude for the numerous things provided to me by my parents and my college, I relied less on myself and more on others. Simple things that I took for granted were now tough realities that I had to face. Having meals prepared to order, free laundry, and attentive custodians were a few of the perks of living on my college’s campus that were dearly, dearly missed during my summer away. Additionally, I realized how little I know about preparing meals. I now know why my mom was so upset when she got home and one of us kids forgot to pull the chicken from the freezer. There were many times when I would leave my apartment in a rush to start my hour commute to my internship in Cambridge and forget to pull the chicken out of the freezer. On such occasions, mac n cheese was my typical dinner. I also found it very difficult to afford healthy foods that are commonly offered at the commons. I can’t express how much I missed that salad bar.

Navigating the trains in Boston was something so foreign to me. Luckily, Boston has a very simple and easy to understand train system and the workers were always willing to help me find my way to my destination. Upon leaving Washington, PA, I was very nervous and apprehensive about being in the city and travelling alone. As a five-foot petite girl, I don’t come off as the most intimidating. I was afraid of running into big, scary, strange men and not being able defend myself. Thankfully, I was never in a position that I felt I needed further protection. There was an instance however, that I didn’t need to defend myself, but another woman who was being verbally assaulted and threatened by her big, scary, strange, husband. One morning, similar to most days of my summer, I was waiting for the train at Malden Station. Suddenly, I hear a man swearing and yelling calling this woman wretched names and threatening to punch her and push her in front of the train. Naturally, my blood pressure immediately rose and I knew I couldn’t by a bystander like the rest of the morning commuters who were gawking. Once I spoke up to this man and told him that he shouldn’t be making those comments and threats to anyone, especially his wife, did others join in and try to mediate the situation. Unfortunately, he got into the same train car as me and began to harass me as well for interfering with his interaction with his wife. This man was clearly unstable and a threat to those around him. I made the decision to call the MBTA authority and luckily, he was removed from the train and his wife was escorted to safety. Though the situation not ideal, this gave me much faith in my ability to take care of myself and others. I was also happy to know that I refuse to be a bystander when I see injustice.

During my internship at Lesley University’s Human Resources Department, I had the opportunity to become very involved with the Recruitment Specialist’s position. I ended up getting experience in every facet of her job. I learned how to hire the Summer Student Workers and Adjunct Employees into their system and I also created job postings for their website, as well as their aggregate job sites. In addition, I got experience with the Health and Benefits Specialist’s position. I was able to make the appropriate changes to many employees’ leave time as well as their benefits plan.  Becoming very familiar with the computer systems ADP and Colleague, I feel confident that should I need to further handle those systems I will be very prepared. Although I enjoyed my time at Lesley, I am curious to find out how other organizations organize their Human Resources Departments. Lesley was undergoing a lot of changes while I was employed there, a new president and relatively large budget cut being two of the most impactful changes for the college. As part of the budget cut, the Human Resources Department is unable to update many of their computer systems, which would completely revamp their efficiency. They still use paper files for each employee whereas newer companies, or organizations with more money can afford to eliminate paper files with 100% electronic files and records. Not only would this be more Earth and environmentally friendly, it would eliminate a lot of the human error I saw take place. It is very easy to request numerous documents for new hires, but it is exceptionally difficult to keep all the papers and documents in order and up to date. As I learned from my departure interviews, each employee of Lesley’s Human Resources Department had commented on wanted more money for their Department in order to go electronic. I was also able to learn that many of the employees felt as though their position, though a specialist, was too broad. Many felt as though they needed more time in the day to get their work done. Being a very small department, seven core employees, perhaps working in a larger Human Resources Department would eliminate the broadness of the position and the feeling of being stretched too thin. On the other hand, some enjoyed the broadness of their position because though they were busy, it meant they weren’t doing the same tasks day in and day out. Further, I am just eager to compare and contrast Human Resources Departments in different environments and organizations. A few employees had worked in corporate Human Resources Departments and claim to enjoy Higher Education better, but I would like to make that decision myself. Higher Education had been my interest at the beginning of summer but currently, I would like to learn as much about other institutions as I can.

Overall, my summer in Boston has given much more insight not only referring to my career goals, but my morals and values as well. Living independently was challenging, yet much more rewarding. The Franklin Magellan Project is one that I recommend to anyone who would like to grow as an adult and gain more understanding about their hopeful career paths.

[ourplanetary-blog]

Pacers' Myles Turner is residing his excellent offseason life

New Post has been published on http://ourplanetary.com/pacers-myles-turner-is-residing-his-excellent-offseason-life/

Pacers' Myles Turner is residing his excellent offseason life

We already recognize how a lot Myles Turner enjoys his offseason.

The 21-12 months-antique middle has made it a point to get the maximum out of existence when he is no longer calling. Last summer time he went to the ESPY Awards and the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, then instructed IndyStar all about it.

This summer time, after the Pacers’ bitter first-round playoff exit, Turner is already going full throttle. Scroll thru his timeline and you’ll see him playing knockout against Chance the Rapper and Quavo. Then he was playing select-up ball at Gregory Gym, the rec center at his alma mater, the University of Texas.

Most these days, he made a visitor appearance on The Starters, a popular NBA Podcast. He was featured on a segment called “World Wide Weirdos” in which he talked about his love for “The Emperor’s New Groove,” Skittles candy and, of the route, losing one of these knockout games to Quavo.

Offseason Work Is What Leads to Athletic Breakthroughs As is the case with most things in lifestyles, it’s miles the unseen work that human beings installed that leads to important breakthroughs in something they are pursuing. As Michelangelo stated, “If people knew how tough I needed to paintings to advantage my mastery, it’s now not appear so first rate in any respect.” This is mainly authentic in the area of athletics. Unfortunately, our media is enthusiastic about the perception of overnight achievement and talent, perpetuating those myths in lots of their stories, in spite of evidence to the opposite.

Whether it’s far a stunning athletic performance from a formerly surprising athlete (suppose decathlete global document holder Ashton Eaton who’s likely to take the sector through hurricane inside the London Olympics this summer season), the unexpected emergence of a outstanding new drug (assume Lipitor which revolutionized the remedy of high LDL cholesterol), or an invention that revolutionizes the way we do matters (think clever-telephones; tough to trust the earliest model arrived on save shelves just 13-years ago). All of these took years of behind the curtain work to come to fruition.

With NFL teams just a few weeks far away from the opening of their schooling camps, and the NBA in the midst of their offseason, many might also have forgotten that 12 months earlier both leagues’ seasons had been unsure. A yr ago, all of those players had been barred from any contact with their team’s employees or schooling centers.

As a result, many athletes (regularly across numerous one-of-a-kind teams) prepared their personal informal businesses to educate with within the off-season. One organization of NFL games protected a few university stars of their workout routines at a local high faculty in LA. NBA players Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love worked out together in what become stated to be the hardest offseason regimen maximum had ever seen.

Others but, observed that the dearth of structure and availability of their crew’s schooling group of workers made it more difficult to properly put together for a season that won’t have even ended up, and installed minimal paintings in the offseason. Not enormously, once their seasons ultimately did begin, quite a few the gamers who had now not correctly prepared inside the offseason began to suffer an inordinate quantity of accidents ranging from nagging to season-ending ones.

I do no longer consider this was a coincidence. Not an unmarried participant who stayed with me at some point of the offseason suffered a massive damage inside the first 3 fourths of the season final yr. More than half of people who mentioned the uncertainty of the upcoming season as a cause to forgo our ordinary offseason paintings were injured by way of the cease of the first month of the season last 12 months. In my experience, folks who are devoted to intellectual schooling within the offseason are much more likely to position an equal or greater importance of their physical offseason training.

One of the challenges of mental education is that you cannot appearance in the mirror and see the results. I suppose that is why my customers seldom take time without work from working with me in the course of the season. Our paintings in the course of the season are regularly extra targeted on immediate issues so the results are frequently evident straight away. Contrastingly, for the duration of the offseason, our work is a focused extra on long-time period growth and may move neglected for longer durations of time.

While both are crucial, the offseason work is where you broaden the behavior to be able to propel your profession to higher heights. As Muhammad Ali said, “The fight is gained or misplaced some distance far from witnesses – behind the lines, in the fitness center, and available on the road, long before I dance beneath the one’s lights.” Are you putting in all of the attempts you can while no one is watching? If you aren’t, you could make certain the humans that grow to be taking your spot were.

Planning a Rewarding Offseason Vacation in Vienna Sure, all and sundry likes a vacation at some stage in the summer season; but is it really a terrific idea? What approximately an offseason excursion at some point of the month of, say November? If you’re prepared for the lack of heat, offseason vacations can be extremely worthwhile if you have all of it planned out properly. Prime European visitor destinations, which include the lovely metropolis of Vienna, are crowded, to say the least at some stage in the summers, main to a busy excursion with hundreds of sweaty tourists milling all around you. Let’s take a look at some guidelines to help you in making plans a worthwhile offseason excursion in Vienna.

Save a Ton during the Offseason One of the primary motives people don’t forget offseason vacations, especially for the European vicinity, is that they’re reasonably-priced! If you’ve got been considering a holiday to Vienna to relax and break out from the pains of existence in general, iciness might simply be the time to achieve this without causing a dent on your budget. First off, airfare is substantially inexpensive in the offseason; and secondly, you can save a ton on resorts in Vienna for the duration of the winters. The lack of demand in hotels for the offseason works for your desire.

Slew of Cultural Attractions

For folks who love consuming in the delights that cultural sports provide, Vienna is the region to be all through the wintry weather. Planning a profitable offseason excursion in Vienna by using early November will enable you to experience a slew of cultural sights with out the usual horde of unruly vacationers, enabling you to certainly immerse your self within the delightful way of life of Vienna. The ball season starts in early November, an elaborate affair of finery and extravagance; whilst the Vienna Opera House functions an array of spectacular sports throughout the identical time. The aptly named Vienna Ice Dream is also setup in the course of the offseason, a massive ice rink in the front of the stunning city. Take your choose!

Visiting the Popular Spots with Fewer Crowds A large plus for offseason vacations in Vienna, fewer crowds make the whole thing ten instances more enjoyable, unless you are the sort of man or woman who loves being surrounded by hordes of humans. Vienna consists of a especially huge range of global elegance museums such as the Albertina, the Liechtenstein, and the Kunsthistoriches; and superb palaces like Hofburg and Schoenbrunn. Enjoying such unusual locations in peace, with out loads of travelers within the area, is a clearly delightful revel in. Add the splendor that light snow adds to such grand structures, and you get a holiday that is sure to live in your thoughts for pretty some time.

An offseason holiday certain does have its set of perks, but be organized for the lack of warmth, or even excessive cold weather at times. Packing could be an difficulty, on account that you will want to % heavy in an effort to sustain the bloodless winds, the icy rains, of route, snow! Even so, the pros of this sort of excursion a ways outweigh the cons in this example. Start making plans a worthwhile offseason holiday in Vienna this wintry weather!