#yes very real older woman please swindle me me

[cowardlycowboys]

getting ads for cougar dating sites

[mindwideopen]

Bert.... is mad.

Look at bert’s head! It’s about to explode with fury. He’s soooo mad! Oh no.... Bert, will have..... your.... ass..... No. because Bert would never do that. Bert is a loving guy, but he’s reached his limit, as a lot of us do from time to time. Bert gave Ernie ALL of his power. He allowed ernies antics to affect him negatively. What Ernie did? Who knows. Probably swindled Bert out of the bigger piece of pizza, and more grape drink. He does that a lot...

Or maybe he drank all Bert’s ice cream soda when all he wanted was plain seltzer,

or he probably annoyed Bert by playing tag with him, when he was trying to read.

Ernie is a bit inconsiderate like that, or, Ernie is needy, and wants attention from Bert, and Bert is into his own thing, Either way, Ernie doesn’t mean to act like a mindless, thoughtless Turkey culo. He wants love, like we all do. Unfortunately, it’s coming off really inconsideratly. Sometimes, when it’s not you that’s the one being annoyed, it can be hilarious. But let’s put ourselves in each of their positions for a minute...

Bert, does NOT look happy. He looks mad, yes, but also, hurt, upset, not appreciated, not understood, not cared for. Bert, is a perpetual victim of Ernie’s naughty business. Bert can also tend to like things the way he likes them. Kinda an immobile, guy. Maybe a guy that takes himself too seriously, too sensitive, with no sense of humor. BUT, regardless, Bert deserves love, and respect, and consideration even though Ernie doesn’t always show it in the way Bert appreciates. Does that mean Ernie doesn’t love Bert? Not sure. Are they in a serious codependent relationship of abuse? Could be. Or are they in a mutual friendship that somehow works for the both of them? It all depends on your perception.

Let’s take in Ernie for a bit. Ernie, is a purveyor of glad tidings, fun and joy. On the flip side, Ernie has a ton of energy, and doesn’t flow outside of his own desires in the moment very well. Some would say, “Ohhhh... That Ernie... all he cares about is fun, and play, and singing, and dancing, and his rubber ducky, and he’s messy, and carefree, and doesn’t listen to Bert at all. What an Turkey culo!! But Ernie does care about how he, and others like Bert, feel. And he wants to break Bert out of his comfort zone, and have a little fun with his best friend. How you view them, is irrelevant to them, but means everything to you. Because they are not affected by you in the least. They’re muppets. But the energy that they bring up in you, is very very real.

Ernie and Bert are facets of these 2 men: Jim Henson, who played Ernie, and Frank Oz, who still maybe I dunno, periodically plays Bert. But, they created these characters. And they evolved over time, both the characters, and the men.

I heard an interview where frank oz was discussing the character of Bert. At first, bert was a conundrum. He was boring. But frank oz, in his genius, made boring, fun! Well, Bert may be boring, but he loves it! He is the single most boring guy in the world, and loves what he loves; bottle caps, and pigeons named Bernice, and paper clips, and plain soda water. Bert celebrates his boringness to the hilt! I used to not get Bert at all when I was a kid. Bert?! You’re into boring....everything! But now that I’m older, I finally appreciate Bert, and his love of the mundane, cause he’s so into it. And frank and Jim, got it too, and they shared it with me, and all the other kids my age and beyond. Celebrate people not just for their similarities, but their differences too. And if you don’t celebrate their differences, at the very least accept the person, and love them anyway.

Ernie gives Bert a serious headache. So he cares for him, and makes sure he has his hot water bottle (still not quite sure what that does...) But no one can say Ernie doesn’t care, or they can, but they’d be wrong to me, because Ernie, in his own selfish jerk way to some, cares a lot. And I sometimes appreciate him for it. Bert resigns himself to it a lot too, cause after all, both of these characters come from a place of love, and devotion to one another.

But regardless of what I think of either, and much like gayle king of I dunno, and Oprah Winfrey, a Winfrey, they’re best friends. And isn’t it better to be friends, then not? Well, don’t ask me, cause I have none...

George Carlin: Kari, you, are seriously, one of the most ridiculous people I have ever not met personally. You have friends, you just walk away from everyone cause they don’t show up for you the way you’d like. I only know that, because you’re writing me, so I have an insight others don’t, because you cut everyone out. At least with Ernie and Bert, Bert gets pissed, and Ernie knows about it.

Bert in the year 2020: It’s been 50 plus years of ernie’s crazy behavior, and I feel the following: n for numb, b for beaten down, a for aggravated, and n again, for no more...

Ernie in the year 2020: bert, how many times do we have to go through this, Bert? I love you like a brother and friend, and I never want to upset you, ever, Bert. You’re special to me. I’ve learned that over time. You’re my best buddy, Bert! Just like rubber ducky, only you do all the shopping, and cleaning, and the dishes and laundry.

Bert: Er——niiie! That’s exactly what I’m talking about! You are not responsible for anything! We are both 7, 8, 9 or 10 years old! When are you going to chip in and do your share in this friendship?! All you do is give me grief, Ernie! Grief!

Oscar the grouch: sounds like my kind of guy!!!

Bert: um, youve known him for 50 plus years!

Oscar: well, I didn’t know that about him! I love hate it!

Bert: ok, anyway, Ernie, if you keep doing the same things that make me angry over and over again, how is that changing? I don’t trust you, or believe you. Your words do not match your actions. Aaaagh! I don’t know what to think...

Mr. hooper: maybe I can help. You see boys, this is a classic case of the bullshit that I don’t have to deal with anymore because I am dead.

Bert: um, mr. hooper, you’re not allowed to talk like that on Sesame Street. I’m only 10 years old and I live alone with Ernie, unsupervised, which is bad enough. I don’t think we’re supposed to hear such talk.

Mr. hooper: We’re not on Sesame Street right now, we’re in Kari’s blog, so it’s fine, cause she’s the one swearing, not me, as I, am dead, as I/she stated above. Alight, boys, what I’m trying to say is this; can you please, for once and for all, be more considerate of one another’s feelings and maybe just maybe get back to the love? I’m over all this bickering.

Ernie: yeah Bert, I was trying to tell you that...

Bert: yeah Ernie, but at some point you have to back up your words with the proper actions. How many times have I told you that?! And you ignore me!

The count von count: 7 zillion, 345 trillion, 8 million, 32 times Bert has told you, Ernie, about that! Ah ah ahhhhhhh! (Lightening strikes)

Ernie: you’ve got a point there, Bert. Ok, I’ll show you, by giving you, the bigger piece of pizza once and awhile, and leaving your seltzer, plain, and allowing you to read in peace. Cause I support you bert, and I care.

Bert: that’s great Ernie! I do too! And I’ll make time to play tag with you more, and spend time the way we like to do, together.

Mr. hooper: word(s).

Scene.

George Carlin: Kari, did you her all that?

Kari: yes. Oh man. I’ve been read by Ernie and Bert. Ok, my intention for writing on my blog is not to hurt anyone at all with my POV, but to be honest about my feelings, in love. I try not to be a mean passive aggressive person. I sometimes can be, but I’m trying to clean up my side of the street with that. And I do feel like I am friendless, but it’s because I’m hurt, and don’t feel loved or appreciated sometimes. That’s what it all comes down to, really.

Carlin: ok, clearly you need some time to sort this out. So I’ll leave us with this. I love you. You are a very kind, imaginative woman, who cares about people. I will allow you to sit in hurt as long as you need to. Just know that anytime you’re ready to join the world again, I’ll be there to support you. Some of these people are gone for good, and that’s ok, but some still care, and may want to work it out when the time comes. You’ll see when you’re ready.

Kari: thanks George. I love you too. And I will go and get a piece of almond Kringle now, cause I love O & H kringles (1) a lot, and give you the bigger piece!

Carlin: gee, thanks, as you will be the one ingesting it for the both of us. Better make it a sliver.

Kari: ok.

Scene.

Carlin: oh, and Kari, one more thing...

Kari: what?

Carlin: friends are better, when shared. And by cutting people out, you’re not sharing you. Just sayin...

Kari: no Kringle for you!

Carlin: fine. I’ll keep our girlish figure in tact...

Kari: fine! The whole Kringle for you!

Carlin: she’s maaaaddd...

Cookie Monster: this has been monster-piece theater... good bye! Me eat all the Kringle now, then all her cookies, cause she upset, and she won’t eat anything, so it no go to waste! I love her, so I help!

Kari: I ate ALL the Kringle!

Cookie Monster: noooooooooooo...... (shakes furry blue paw in the air)

Scene scene scene.

(1):,credit for my discovery of the o & h bakery and the Kringle itself goes to my friend Bonnie, who i believe now hates my guts. ❤️

[lucifer-lacroix]

Strawberry Chapter 2 The Devil in Red

Red Dead Redemption Fanfiction

Arthur x OC

action/romance/mystery

The largest hotel in Strawberry was by far the most magnificent iron and brick structure in the town. On a rainy day such as today many people had flooded inside to shelter themselves with drinks, food and entertainment and the place was roaring with music. Lady Rosalyn Bush was trying to lead Mr Arthur Morgan to the hotel but was having a hard time getting through the mud. Even though she was sticking to the edges of the grass along the main road. Her long blue dress bundled up underarm as the thick brown mud caked up to the ankles of her black heeled leather boots. Arthur watched with amusement as she gracefully yet slowly made her way trying her best not to fall or dare not look like a lady walking in the muck. They were nearly there, and the stubborn woman despite her sweating and panting would not give up even as the rain began to pick up once again. Rosalyn stopped suddenly when her foot became stuck, a few people hanging around staring to glance over as she has a face people pay attention to. Arthur threw his jacket off his shoulders and tied it around his waist by the sleeves and walked up beside Rosalyn. The cowboy held out his hand to the Lady as she threw her weight into tugging her foot free. “Madam?” He asked her offering his help. “I guess my legs aren’t fit for the countryside just yet.” She laughed out of breath and took his hand and leaned into him trying to pull her leg free. Except once Arthur took her gloved hand he placed it around his neck and scooped her off her feet pulling her out of the mud and into his arms as she let out a yelping laugh. 

“Oh, my aren’t you a strong one.” She said as he carried her for the rest of the walk sick and tired of the slow pace she was taking to get to the hotel.   “Well I can’t just watch you and that pretty dress get ruined by the nasty weather now can I,” Arthur replied and set her down on the bottom of the wooden staircase to the hotel. A few men and woman were smoking at the front door who stared over at them curiously as they made their way to the door. Rosalyn standing upright in a fit of giggles with an infectious smile on her face dusted off the water and let her dress fall straight once again. “I owe you again, seems like I’m going to run up a debt with you real quick.” She said as Arthur untied his jacket from him before stepping under the shelter of the awning of the hotel patio. “You are a mess, my friend,” Rosalyn said as Arthur took off the white jacket and shook it off over the edge of the patio. Deer's blood, mud and god knew what else staining it now. Rosalyn handed a white handkerchief it to him so he could wipe his face. Which he did before throwing his coat over his arm and giving it back to her. “Probably should order a bath then,” he said as they walked inside. “Well, you will have a long time to wait if you trying to do that here. The place is booked, solid sir.” A boy at the door with a clean dress shirt and black vest saluted them both. “Good afternoon Ms Rose. Welcome back, your party is in the yellow lounge waiting for you.” He said kindly. “Why thank you, William, would you kindly ask the owner to make room for my friend here. He will be staying on my tab tonight.” “But Miss I just said...” “I heard you loud and clear my boy, you can put Tracy and Sally together I’m sure they will be just fine sharing a room. Now go on, make it so and don’t forget he gets a bath too.” She said and shooed the boy. “Y-yes, mam,” William said and ran off inside. “Now come on cowboy, “ Rosalyn waved Arthur to follow and pushed open the gate and entered the lobby of the hotel. All sorts of people were gathered inside, soaked on the shoulders, muddy around the shoes and the floor was a mess of caked mud, spilt beer and food crumbs. At the front desk was a man watching the room sitting behind a desk where the office had a locked up cabinet of keys under his guard.  Few keys remaining inside the chest as most of the rooms looked booked. The soft song of a baritone-voiced man filled the room accompanied by an acoustic guitar and fiddle. His sweet song rocking the place as a few couples spun and danced in a cloud of cigarette and cigar smoke.

(Strawberry Roan by Marty Robbins for your pleasure)

Rosalyn and Arthur ascended the stairs at the back of the main room and headed up to the private party rooms on the second floor. The music and chatter were so loud that Arthur could barely hear the Lady trying to chat with him as she marched quickly up the stairs and towards the back. A small painted sign hanging over the curtained door speaking out ‘yellow lounge’ caught his eye as Rosalyn stopped in front of it. She pulled open the curtain and inside was a gaggle of girls crowded inside. Teenaged girls, older ladies and young adults all dress in well-kept dresses and fancy wear. Some wearing gold earrings, rings and lacy hats. The amount of money flashing in his eyes inside the room as the temptation to rob them all blind struck in his mind as they sparkled and glittered in the low light. “Ladies, I would like to introduce you to Mr.... you know I just realised you never gave me your name,” Rosalyn said standing in the middle of the room amongst 13 or so Ladies inside. “Arthur Callaghan, at your service,” Arthur said giving his fake name and tipped his hat to them all.   “Mr Callaghan here stepped in the middle of Bella’s spat outside earlier. Let’s show him a good time as a thank you to his bravery and generosity.” “Ah, Ms Bush you give me too much credit.” “Please call me Madam Rose, I am the mistress of these girls there wishes are my commands and their care if under my charge. Tonight you are our honoured guest and saviour from those who dare swindle us so far from home.” The blonde said and picked up a bottle of wine from the table and two glasses. As drinks were poured and the room filled with chatter once again Arthur was pulled onto the couch with some of the other Ladies who started asking him twenty-one questions about himself, where he was from and how old he was. All of which he carefully dodged with pure lies by avoiding details. “So Mr Callaghan, what brings you to Strawberry?” A Brunette in her late teens asked wearing too much makeup and a low cut dress too mature for her age. “Just stopping for the night before I go hunting up in the mountains, looking to see something rare and shoot something rarer.” He said sipping the wine. Wouldn’t Dutch be jealous of him now, wining and dining with the face and creator or Bush’s Cooked Kidney beans in maple sauce? To be surrounded by what seemed to be enough ladies to run a whore house in the city. His confidence had never been so high, knowing that his gruff disposition in life still had a certain charm to the ladies. Though even with the drinks, the conversations and laughs, deep in his chest he felt empty. No matter where or what he did, the ghost is his mistakes wounded him gravely, and a deep sadness was buried within his grin, these parties were shallow attempts to flaunt wealth and power from desperate people who wanted the world to notice them. Ms Roslyn being a true shining beckon of such a fact. She had left Arthur in the company of a few Harlots who wanted to peel him out of his clothes for money, and very quickly he was learning more about these people. They were indeed whores within the group, a few overly painted girls had disappeared as the night went on, escaping to their rooms with men they met in the dining hall. After about 2 hours of conversation, eating and drinking. It was only him, Lady Rosalyn left at the dining table still trying to enjoy their dinner. "So, Mr Callaghan. You were telling me what you did for a living." Lady Roslyn asked sliding her chair closer to Arthur only halfway through her tomato bisque. "I hunt." He said simply. "What do you hunt?" She asked "Large game, Rare creatures..." He tried to continue eating his steak and potatoes, but she had him in a staring contest. "People?" She asked with a grin. Arthur's eyebrow raised in concern with the husky tone she spoke with. After the fourth or fifth seconds of silence between them, a pair of angry boots was heard stomping down the hall. Catching Arthur’s attention away from the threatening blonde and he hand rested on his side on his pistol out of instinct. A  woman wearing men’s clothes marched to their table. The woman in the mud was clean as a whistle as her cherry red hair was still wet and cascaded down her back in curls her pale white face was clean except for the freckles which speckled her face. She was beautiful, and now her face was clean she seemed familiar too, but this was a different familiarity. Her face made his chest tight, and the hateful glare in her eyes sent a chill up his spine, unlike anything he had experienced before. He recognised the shape of her ears, the bridge of her nose and the colour of her eyes like he would his own. As she entered the room, he stood up quickly to greet her as Rosalyn followed suit. “Izzy!” Rosalyn called out fondly as the blonde trotted over to her and Arthur's head snapped at the nickname and he looked at the blonde. “Would you mind tellin' me why I just got kicked out of my room?” She asked with an angry tone dropping a bag of clothes on the floor at her feet. “You gave my room away?” She asked ready to punch to blonde with her fists clenched on her hips. The well-dressed woman in red was now this spitfire of a woman, with muscled arms and chiselled features she was healthy and lean like an acrobat from the circus. Her thick thighs were too much for the masculine cut pants, and they clung to her like they were painted on. Everything about her silenced him, and he could only watch s the two met face to face. “Oh dear, no one listens here. Sally and Tracy are to be sharing a room tonight. I'll make sure one of them of you gives you a key. Or you can always share with me." Lady Rosalyn rubbed the other's arm trying to soothe her. “So who took my room?” She asked demanding an answer. “Why our new friend Mr Callaghan, I believe you owe him a thank you. Since he did save you from getting bludgeoned to death by a bucket,” Rosalyn said equally giving some sass back to her friend.

Bella, or Izzy... Arthur was getting confused, but she looked at him for a long hard moment, her green eyes like a hungry cougar prowling through the grass. Arthur could feel his chest tighten even further, did she recognise him. Did she remember him? How could he not remember her but know her so fondly like this? "Thank you, Mr Callaghan. My name is Isabella Morningstar." She introduced herself and turned away from him and walked away. That moment, he was stunned. It had been Ten... no thirteen years maybe. As if time had stopped for a moment, Arthur had remembered her as the colour fell from his face.

Isabella Morningstar was the first woman he ever robbed.

For a moment he hoped Isabella would recognise him even with all the trouble that would come along with it. They had met when he was a teenager and had become close friends those many years ago. Yet now she could look him in the eye and not remember him at all... and it hurt. She turned on her heels taking the keys from Sally and grabbed her bag heading out of the room once again leaving Arthur feeling relieved yet empty at the same time. He put his hand to his face feeling just how long his beard had gotten over the past few weeks and looked back watching the redhead stomp down the hall. “Don’t mind her, that’s Isabella Morningstar for you. They don’t call her the red-headed devil for nothing.” Rosalyn snickered. As Rosalyn returned to her dinner, William entered the room with a set of keys in hand and darted up to her. “Here you are mam room five is ready and a fresh bath awaiting for your guest.” He said as it looked like someone had thrown him into a water barrel as he was soaked from head to toe dripping all over the floor. “Arthur why don’t you go get tidied up and meet me later for some poker. Go on go on, the girls and I have business to discuss.” She said and shooed him out of the room where William lead him to the bathhouse.

After a rushed bath where he scrubbed himself as clean as possible Arthur rushed to set himself up in the hotel room. It was minimal but cosy enough with a freshly made bed and grooming supplies available to him. He gave himself a full shave and put pomade in his hair and looked at his reflection realising he just made a terrible mistake. “My god you are old. She didn’t even recognise you. She's.... different.” He shook his head at himself and got dressed in some of his more higher end clothes. His fancy black dress shirt and fancy brown pants with a red and black paisley vest on top. Was he trying hard? Entirely since that flutter in his chest had not stopped. Once he was dressed and clean, he sat down to his journal and began writing quickly.

“Of all the places in the world to Run into Isabella Morningstar I would have never thought she would come back to the west. Let alone be shopping for expensive jewellery. I believe it has been around thirteen years since Dutch, Hosea and I found her on the trail when I was a just a kid running with them. Of all my regrets in life, watching her leave on that boat to Washington after taking her coin purse is by far closest to the top. I don’t know what to do, I have come across a group of ladies with more money then the bank and could easily sneak off in the night with a good score. But I want to stay and see if there is a chance Isabella remembers me and what she would do when she did? Is she angry with me? For once, I wish Hosea was here to give me advice, and he isn’t.”

He closed the book after making a quick sketch of Rosalyn and Isabella and stashed it into his satchel. He marched out of the room onto the patio to light up a cigarette to clear his head. The night had come, many of the patrons had turned into their rooms for the night, and the rain had turned into a full downpour. The streets flooded as the hoof prints in the mud filled with murky brown water. As he deeply inhaled the smoke, he combed his wet hair with his fingers and tried to think on what to do.

After he chain-smoked three cigarettes in a row, he left his hotel room and headed down to where the poker table was, cleaned up an presentable and no longer hidden behind a beard. "I should have left a moustache on." He said quietly to himself as he reached the table seeing the red-headed woman sat with her back to him at the table with Rosalyn and two other gentlemen. "My My My, Where did this handsome cowboy come from." Lady Rosalyn said catching his sight first.   "I get it I was dirty," Arthur responded in jest taking a seat at the table and looked to Isabella, whose green eyes were focused on him like daggers this time around. /she knows./ Arthur thought to himself as he could feel the scalding hot fire which was her gaze on him. Never before had he felt so vulnerable and guilty, let alone it is caused by a mere look of her emerald eyes. "So what's the buy-in?" He asked. "Five Dollars," Isabella said sternly. "Oh Ho! We playing for real tonight?" Roslyn asked excited and took out her flip book of bills and placed it on the table as she was handed the chips. "That's a little rich for me ladies." One of the gentlemen stood up from the table and took off. "Sounds like a good time to me. I'm in!" The other said sapping his money down mostly in change. "Oh, Charlie I didn't know you had that kind of money to lose," Rosalyn said with a grin. Arthur looked at Isabella who was waiting for him to put his money in, he knew why too.  "Alright, I'm game." He said and casually added five dollar bills to the pot. Isabella without a word, placed a full five dollar bill into the pot and collected the cards and began to shuffle to start the game as Rosalyn handed her set chips.  

Isabella dealt the first hand as Rosalyn and Charlie added their blinds to the pot, Arthur glanced at his hand as a mere 2 of hearts and 10 of hearts sat in his hand. He put 10 cents to the centre to play the round and sat back in his chair ready to play a very high stakes game of poker with the Devil in Red. "So, You're the Red Devil Isabella Morningstar? The famed gunslinger who caught the Bayou Bandit." Charlie asked like he was talking to a celebrity. "Yes." She replied still glaring at Arthur as she added her 10 cents into the table to play as well. "She has caught much more than that murderer. She saved the lives of my girls in Washington and in Mississippi too. Hell, any riff raft who thinks a whore is an easy target for murder should beware of her." Rosalyn said and folded her hand. Arthur was confused, he had never heard these stories before and his confused face sparked Roslyn's attention while Isabella was distracted revealing the flop. A queen of hearts, a three of hearts and jack of spades. "Have you never heard of the devil in red Mr Callaghan?" Rosalyn asked. "No, I haven't, I'm from the countryside, but please do tell. I'd like to add a small wager first." Arthur said and added 25 cents to the centre.   "Well! There was this killer you see, he would hunt down carriages going through the swamp road of the Bayou and kidnap ladies and daughters from their wagons on their way into or out of the city." Charlie started the story as Isabella silently put her money in and Charlie followed suit. "About 12 girls had gone missing altogether, only 4 were found in pieces in the swamp where the gators lived. You see he would kidnap them, rape em then drag them out into the swamp after beating them. Tie them to a sandbag and throw em in the water for the Gators. Alive!" Charlie exclaimed. Isabella flipped the next card revealing a 2 of clubs to the flop. Everyone checked in response to it. "You see my carriage was on the way out of the city, I had plans to meet with a buyer of my whore house in St. Denis. I had come into a hefty sum of money when my father passed away, so I wanted to close them all down and bring my girls away from the life of whoring and give them a chance out west to find husbands and find better lives than being the pleasure tools of men in the city." "That's very admirable Ms Bush, What happened on the road?" Arthur asked as Isabella flipped the last card. A 5 of hearts on the table completing his hand with a flush of hearts. He slid a full dollar worth of chips across the table into the pot. "I was kidnapped. That's a bluff if I ever saw one though." Rosalyn said pointing at his bet, so people were not too distracted by the story to notice his technique in playing. Isabella silently slid her chips into the pot as well. "I don't trust it," Charlie said and folded his hand.   "Well, what happened?" Arthur asked Rosalyn. "Ah ah, show us your hand." Isabella finally spoke almost barking at him. "Whoa, What's gotten into you sugar, you're all a fire tonight," Rosalyn said intrigued on Arthur's cards. The table went quiet as Arthur's flipped his hand over revealing his heart flush which made Charlie hoot in relief. "That's a good hand," Rosalyn said as Isabela threw her cards in. A pair of Jacks the best thing she had. "I got lucky on the last card," Arthur said with a shrug of his shoulders and collected his chips still glancing back at Isabella who would not give up the staring contest she had challenged him to. Rosalyn collecting the cards and dealing the next hand. "So, you were kidnapped by the Bayou Bandit." Arthur continued the conversation after quickly folding this hand one once he saw a two of clubs and a three of diamonds in his hand. "Yes sir, snagged me with a rope from the driver's seat and dragged me off into the swamp off the back of his horse. He didn't notice Izzy here was saddled up on the other side of the carriage talking to me with a rifle in hand and gave chase after us. He dragged me behind that horse for I think 3 minutes before she shot me free of the rope. I lost sight of them after that, but once I ran back to the carriage, she came back with him hogtied on the back of her horse bloody and beaten. We took him into the Sherrif, and they gave us a huge reward. He was hanged the next day." Rosalyn looked to Isabella with a sweet smile and placed a bet which Authur wasn't following. "You hired me to protect you Ms, and I intend to do so where ever you go and to protect you from everyone you met," Isabella replied to Rosalyn but gave Arthur a dirty look at the end of her sentence. "I've never heard of a female bodyguard, are you sure you're tough enough for the job out here in the west?" Charlie asked "Care to challenge me to find out yourself?" Isabella gave Charlie a hint of her scornful look at like a mouse he shrank in his chair under her gaze. "Play nice deary," Rosalyn said and folded her hand leaving the win the Isabella who pulled in the chips.

They played for many hands for Arthur was playing one of the hardest games of Poker he had ever played in his life. The ladies were hard to read. Isabella was bold with her bets, but it was hard to tell when she was bluffing or not. An attempt to call her out on a bluff ended up getting Charlie busted out of the game when he went all in on a three of a kind to her full house. Rosalyn ended up throwing the game entirely to Isabella in a pathetic hand which ended up with her holding the most chips at the table when it came down to the finals hands between the two of them. The final flop was on the table, the chips scattered across a beer-sticky table as Arthur flipped the last card of the flop n the centre. A small crowd gathered around watching the large pot of Twenty Dollars sitting on the table and these last two players with all their chips in the pot on the previous hand. Isabella, however, still sitting on Six extra dollars but Arthur was sitting with a full house. The two black aces sat in the flop with a king of hearts a jack of clubs and 3 of clubs lined up in front of him.  A pair of Kings lay stacked under his hand which he tried to not nervously play with. He had a damn good hand and not enough money to bluff her into a more substantial bet with. It was his bet, and the game had gone on long enough. He needed to get out of here, his plan wasn't thought through carefully enough, the stories of her wild riding with Rosalyn had him sweating, he couldn't rob the Lady of Beans with Isabella at her side, she was suspicious of him, aware of his outlaw status and had eyes completely fixated on him. "Let's make this interesting shall we, I bet my horse," Arthur spoke with calm confidence, and the room gasped as well as Roslyn who had seen the rare white Arabian in the barn he talks about. "What kind of horse is it?" Isabella asked with a sly smile on her face.   "Mr Morgan I have to insist that's too much." Ms Rosalyn tried to interrupt. "Shhh Shhh Shhh, he's a grown ass adult who makes his own decisions. If he wants to throw his property around so carelessly that's on him. I accept your bet. My black Clydesdale versus your?" "White Arabian," Arthur said and flipped his cards revealing his pair of Kings and the room was a buzz. Isabella's face dropped for a moment, she licked her teeth and pursed her lips to resist making a look at the room chattered.  Roslyn herself palming her face with her hand at the loss of one of her caravan's most muscular horses. Arthur felt victory at hand and leaned forward to collect the chips when Isabella placed her hand on the table stacked neatly. She smiled at Arthur Maliciously and flipped them to reveal a pair of red aces in her hand. "I believe my four aces beats your full house, Mr Callaghan," Isabella stated with a well-deserved air of confidence as the room went up in a roar as Arthur's eyes widened at a loss. The room became so loud with people talking about the game and Rosalyn jumped up and hugged Charlie in a fit of laughter as Arthur had become to punch line of the night, losing his horse to the Devil in Red on a careless bet. Isabella, however, was not up in arm in her victory though she was staring Arthur dead in the eye with a blank expression across her face. Arthur stared back at her as the same empty expression came to his features as well. She stood up abruptly and collected the money on the table and looked to the stable chip he had placed on the table. "I don't want your fucking horse. I want Artex back." She said and spit on him landing it square on his jaw as she walked past him and headed outside into the rain. "Isabella!" Rosalyn gasped at her rude behaviour. "It's alright! I'll take care of it." Arthur said wiping his cheek clean with his sleeve and standing from his chair to follow after her. He pushed open the gate to the front of the Saloon and saw Isabella at the end of the patio trying to light a cigarette under the light of the lantern, alone as the rain showered behind her falling off the roof of the awning like a waterfall.

[littleredroseonthevalley]

An Opera on Separation - Chapter 8

Prologue | Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | CH. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15 | Ch. 16 | Ch. 17 | Ch. 18 |

Summary: Nathan was arrested for the greatest corruption scandal in the political history of North America. Queenie and Zig do their best so Emily does not find out. Will they succeed?

Rating: T - Content not suitable for children.  Suitable for teens, 13 years and older, with minor suggestive adult themes.

Words: 1726

Notes: Good evening, sweeties! We have a Madonna classic for today, so be sure to give it a listen.

Like, reblog, follow and subscribe to the taglist! Or send me an ask, a batch of cookies, the cure for cancer, what gives you.

Secret

Queenie was calmly having coffee and lounging on the couch on that fateful Monday morning. It was rare for her to watch TV in the mornings, as she was often caught up with something or another, but the long weekend kept Emily at home, and she couldn’t plan anything under such a close surveillance.

“Good morning, mom!” Emily called over from the bathroom, fully clothed for a new day at work.

“Good morning, honey. I made some coffee and pop-tarts.” She said, pointing to the kitchen. The pastries were on a plate on top of the counter, while the coffee was still on the pot.

The redhead went over to the breakfast ensemble and poured herself a cup and took a bite on a pop-tart. “Mom, I’ll be back late, okay? I have a date with Zig tonight.”

“On a Monday?” The older woman asks, finding it to be strange.

“He says he missed me this weekend, so we’re compensating.” She defended, not really caring either way.

The matriarch shook her head. “Youth these days. What do you intend to do? No self-respecting place will be serving tonight.”

“Netflix and chill is all the hype these days.” She shrugged. “Anyways, I’m running late. See you!”

Queenie rolled her eyes. “How stupid.” She grumbles. “Eh, whatever. More time to sell oregano to high school children.”

Turning back her attention to the TV, her amenities show had been interrupted for some news bulletin. That usually meant a shoot-out, and she was about to change the channel when she saw something that shocked her.

“… this morning, when the FBI unraveled what could be the largest corruption scandal on the history of the United Nations. According to investigations, diplomats and national entrepreneurs bribed World Bank analysts for more favorable reports on their lending proposals. This scheme might have favored the financing of such works as a subway line in Brazil, a water dam in South Africa and a refinery in Angola.

“Amongst the investigated, there are twelve Americans and nineteen foreigners of different nationalities. Five of them have already been arrested, including the recently-appointed Director, Nathan Sterling.

“Mr. Sterling is the youngest person to ever hold a leading position within the second largest financial institution in the world, after the IMF, and the first American diplomatic representative in exercise to be arrested for corruption.”

“Oh, crap.” She cursed, turning off the TV.

She couldn’t let Emily know that. Knowing her daughter, she would certainly want to drop everything to go to Washington in defense of Nathan, never mind he abandoned her with no explanation and no money.

Not only that would be humiliating and stupid, they also certainly couldn’t afford it. Money was tight as it is, they didn’t have the resources for a train fare to D.C., nor could Emily miss more work. And as much as a good sport Zig could be, he’d be an idiot if he didn’t take offence on his current girlfriend hushing four states over to attend to her ex-husband.

Speaking of which, she had an idea. Queenie looked up a telephone number online and quickly dialed it.

After four tones, a woman picks up. “Lydia Child High School. How may I help you?”

“Hello, this is Zigmund Ortega’s sister’s neighbor, Qu…” She caught herself and gave out a fake name. If Emily is nearby when he is summoned or answers her call, she might be suspicious. “Quinn Smith. Could I speak with him?”

“Could you state your business?” She asks.

“It’s about his mother. His sister had to rush her to an ER, and I need to talk with him.” The con artist responded.

That seemed to suffice for the woman. “One minute, please.”

Queenie tapped her fingers waiting for someone to pick up the phone. Some good minutes later, a man’s voice resounded. “Hello?”

“Zigmund, this is Queenie Rhodes, Emily’s mother. Do not say my name out loud.” She instructed. “I told the secretary I am your mother’s neighbor in California, Mrs. Quinn Smith. She’s supposed to have suffered a mild domestic accident, should anyone ask. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Mrs. Smith, I understand.” He responded, unsure.

“Good. First things first, is Emily with you?” She asks, serious.

“No, ma’am.” He said.

“Listen, Nathan has been arrested. I only just saw on TV.” The matriarch says, calmly. “You cannot let Emily find out. You know how soft-hearted that girl is. She’ll want to hop on the first train to D.C., even if it’s about Nathan.”

“Of course, Mrs. Smith. I completely agree.” He echoes, and the woman smiles, victorious.

“Try to keep her away from the internet and televisions today. It shouldn’t be so hard to do on a school.” The blonde instructs. “By tomorrow they’ll stop talking about it and we all can move on with our lives.”

“Yes, Mrs. Smith, you should do it.” He responded.

“I’ll leave you to it, then. Goodbye, Zigmund.” Queenie said and hung up the phone.

All it was left to do was hoping the boy would be able to keep that information from her naïve daughter.

“Damn!” Emily cursed under her breath. She had misplaced her cellphone that morning. She was sure she had it before leaving the apartment, though.

A knock on her classroom door broke her from her obsessive rummaging through her purse after the phone, in hopes it would just materialize on thin air. She looks up and the presence makes her smile.

“Are you ready for lunch?” Zig asks from the doorway, holding up a pair of paper bags. “I bought us take-out.”

“No, I can’t find my phone!” She bemoaned.

“Really? When did you see it last?” He asks, trying to be helpful.

The redhead thinks about his question. “I’m pretty sure I put it on my purse this morning before leaving home. I walked all the way here, then I met you on the hallway. Then I started my classes and I haven’t seen it ever since!”

He walks over her and places his hands on her shoulders. “Don’t worry, Em. There’s a software that will locate your phone, before we go out tonight we swing by my place and we can use my notebook to run it. You probably just forgot it at home.”

“Okay.” The woman sighs. “Let’s go have lunch. I’m famished!”

They walk over to the door, and while Emily tries to turn to the right, Zig pulls her to the left.

“Wrong way.” He says, smirking.

“What? The teachers’ lounge is that way!” She responds, confused.

“But we’re not going to the teachers’ lounge.” He fishes a keyring off his pocket and swindles it on his finger. “I asked Principal Jones if we couldn’t have lunch on the roof today and she was okay with it.”

She beamed. “Really?”

“Really, really.” He smirks back. “Let’s go before our lunch gets cold.”

Shortly before the couple reaches the stairs, they cross paths with the same Principal Jones they were talking about minutes early.

“Ms. Harper, Mr. Ortega.” She greets amicably and mischievously. “How nice to meet you. On your way to your impromptu date?”

“Yep!” Emily pops the ‘p’ in rejoice. “Thanks again for lending us the roof key.”

“Don’t mention it.” She dismisses. “You two remind me of me and my Brenda when we were dating. Oh, good times! Shame you just give up when you finally get married.” She muttered the last part.

“What?” The other woman asks, not having heard what she said.

“Nothing you should concern yourself with. By the way, Mr. Ortega, I’m very sorry to hear about your mother, I hope she’s okay.” The woman adopts a caring stance.

“Something happened to your mom?!” The redhead says, also very concerned.

He smiles, sheepishly. “She just tripped. She’s okay, and insisting Marie overreacted on driving her to the ER.”

“Well, falling can be dangerous to the elderly.” Mrs. Jones comments softly. “And, Ms. Harper, I’m sad on hearing about your ex-husband.”

“My ex-husband? What about…” Emily couldn’t finish her sentence because she was pulled over by Zig off to the staircase leading to the roof.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Jones, we’re on a bit of a time-crunch here. Bye!” He declared, while pulling his girlfriend away.

“See, Em, your phone has been at your place this whole time.” Zig says, pointing to the monitor. The blue dot of the geolocator blinking on top of her address.

“I could’ve sworn I had it when I left the apartment!” Emily says, surprised. “I wish I hadn’t stressed over it so much today.”

“The good thing is that you found it, right?” The brunet smiled at her encouragingly. “Will you wait me here for a sec? I’ll take a shower real quick so we can go out on our date.”

“Sure. Can I check my emails while I wait?” She asks.

He nodded and kissed her forehead. “No prob. I’ll be out on a sec.”

Zig waited for him getting to the bathroom before he did a small victory dance to celebrate his success. Between slipping Emily’s phone from her purse and shipping it back to her apartment, arranging a lunch date in which they would be completely alone and cockblocking the principal just at the right time, he really did it.

He succeeded on keeping Emily from finding out about Nathan’s arrest.

He had the most time-efficient shower of his life, and he raced through getting dressed. In a drop of a hat, he was nice and clean, ready to take the spoils of his efforts tonight.

But, as he emerges from his bedroom, Emily was out on the terrace, holding his cellphone. She was making a call, but he couldn’t make out what was being said on that conversation.

Zig was not left wondering long, because soon enough she hung up and returned into the living room.

“Zig, I’m sorry for using your cellphone without asking, but it really was an emergency.” Emily said, a little wide-eyed. “I’ll have to take a raincheck tonight, I’m so sorry. I’ll talk to you later.”

She picked up her purse from the couch and raced to the door, leaving the young man confused on her stead.

A few seconds after she leaves, his cellphone rings and he takes the call. “Hello?”

“You idiot!” Queenie barked. “She found out about Nathan! She’s going after him!”

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An Opera on Separation - Masterlist

[neoblogcrying]

“Let’s Play a Game” pt.8

Here is the next part! This will be up on AO3 as well very soon! 

“Hey, number one. You’re going to be happy.”

“Why? What happened?”

“They chose the worst option.”

“Wait. For real? DID THEY REALLY? LET’S GET THIS START-”

“Mini flashback first.”

“But—”

“Mini. Flashback. First.”

“… Fine. ROLL THE FOOTAGE!”

Finally, System Moderator #1’s patience has paid off. They somehow managed to trick the System Temp into choosing the worst option even with the hints they dropped!

Unfortunately, they had to wait, because the other system moderators were sticks in the mud and they wanted to do things properly by activating the mini-flashback first. What a bummer.

“The game will progress immediately after the mini-flashback ends, so stay tuned and don’t go away.”

BEEP!

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

Not many knew of this fact, but enough knew about it that it was a concern to a number of people. Shen Qingqiu would often visit the red-light district unabashed.

What people didn’t know was that his main objective wasn’t what you’d normally believe it to be… no, he was there to visit his brother. As the dutiful elder brother, he went to ensure that his brother was still alive and well.

If his health was up to par, perhaps he could take over as ‘Shen Qingqiu’ for a while.

Certainly, there were other options, but Shen Jiu had his reasons for choosing such a place. One being that visiting such an establishment was considered ‘beneath’ cultivators. Rarely would one visit the red-light district.

Even if one did, it was highly unlikely for them to come across Shen Yuan.

If wasn’t necessary, but the idiot took it upon himself to work here. Of course, the nature of his work wasn’t anything lewd in nature. Shen Jiu would never allow it.

The most Shen Yuan (With his sickly body) was allowed to do, was perform odd tasks. Wash the dishes, to the laundry, or sweep the floors.

Effectively, Shen Yuan was working to pay for his stay. Supposedly, he didn’t wish to be a burden on his elder brother, so he’d suggested this himself to the ladies while Shen Jiu was away.

Such a cheeky little thing, this brat was.

So long as he promised to take care of himself properly, Shen Jiu did not plan on stopping his brother. He’d attempted to at first, but he’d realized that Shen Yuan’s stubbornness was something they shared.

At this point, the ladies of the Red-light district knew him well.

“Young master Shen, you’ve come~ We’ve missed you so. What shall it be? Will you spend time with one of our ladies, or would you like to see your brother first?” An older woman called out to Shen Jiu.

She had been making her rounds through the hallways when she noticed him walk through the entrance. She was the proprietress here and she treated all under her with as much care as she could afford to give them.

Though advanced in her years, she could still charm those around her with her warm smile.

Shen Jiu did think she wore too much perfume, however.

“How is the condition today?” Shen Jiu responded with his own question, obviously referring to his younger brother.

A long and slender finger traced along her slender cheek, tapping her chin in thought. “He was feeling well earlier this morning, but he later tired himself out. I had some of the girls take him to a room and have him rest. You should visit him, he’s missed you greatly.” Her eyes seemed to narrow with amusement, like a fox demon who’d just swindled a man.

Her melodic giggle and her bewitching smile did nothing but give her a more dishonest image.

Suspicious, Shen Jiu chose to meet his brother first. They’d done something to his brother, and this proprietress found it amusing. If not for the way she kept direct eye contact, he’d assume they’d harmed his brother.

No, given her actions, they’d done something mild in nature. Perhaps it was harassment that was embarrassing?

The way she’d stressed some words had him believing that he was related to the harassment his brother must currently be facing. Whatever it was, it was something she believed would have an impact on him.

Whatever could it be?

“I’ll do as you say. Lead me to him.”

“As you wish, young master Shen. Please, come this way. Let little Juan lead you to the room.” With one last giggle, she’d walked away gracefully, without any wasted movements. In her place, a young girl stepped towards Shen Jiu. “Right this way.”

Even though he’d seen the proprietress walk off, he knew that she’d turned around the moment the two of them were out of sight and followed behind them.

Don’t underestimate the ears of a Cultivator.

“Sisters… I don’t know about this… if brother finds out…”

“Oh, you worry too much. Stop fussing, little Yuan.”

“Right right, listen to your big sisters. What are you so worried about? Your brother never has to find out about this.”

Giggles and hushed whispers reached Shen Jiu’s ears, a feat that no regular human could boast about. Anger spiked as he considered the thought that his younger brother was keeping secrets from him.

It was like an act of betrayal and he refused to accept that from his younger brother.

Overtaking Juan who was showing him the way, he’d stopped in front of the screen door he’d heard the hushed voices in and slid open the door without a word of warning.

A visible pause before he slowly closed the screen door, eyebrows furling in confusion.

The door opened once more, and Shen Jiu couldn’t believe what he was looking at.

“What are you wearing?”

“Ah! Little Yuan, it’s too late to hide from your brother! Might as well show him the full thing! Go on, turn around!” “Yes yes, do show him the fruits of our labor. As expected, a beautiful man would make a gorgeous woman. Don’t you agree?”

Yes, the ladies of the establishment made Shen Yuan into an over-glorified barbie doll!

Poor Shen Yuan had borrowed one of the dresses from one of the women who was dressing him up. They’d painstakingly put up his hair, did his makeup, and added beautiful accessories to really drive the point home.

Of course, perfume also came into play. How could you not?

Exhaling deeply, Shen Jiu’s shoulders relaxed. This is what the proprietress was chuckling about earlier. He’d almost worried they’d done something harmful to him. (Emotionally hurting him through means of humiliation don’t count, apparently.)

They’d turned his brother into a plaything for them to play with. Admittedly, if he didn’t know the person before him was his brother, he’d think that he was a woman.

Upon seeing his brother sliding open the door, Shen Yuan chose to huddle himself away in a corner of the room, feeling as if he’d just lost a few years off his life. He’d never be able to live this down.

“… Yes… he is… beautiful.” Shen Jiu forced an answer, eyes critically picking at every detail. It was too much for Shen Yuan to bear. This was so embarrassing! The sisters were lying to him saying that this would help his brother!

How?

Make him die of laughter? That won’t help anyone!

“Girls, you have work to do. Young Master Shen, why don’t you spend time with little Yuan over there? I’m sure you both can enjoy your time together.” The Proprietress quickly ushered the two older women out of the room to give the two brothers their space.

Shen Yuan didn’t know of this fact, but Shen Jiu detested being around other men. It made him feel very uncomfortable. He could only seem to relax when he was around women, so when Shen Yuan was busy doing odd jobs, there were times when Shen Jiu would take the time to rest with one of the courtesans.

All he would do was rest and relax and nothing more.

While it was no real issue if this problem persisted, it was heart wrenching to see the proud Young Master Shen be reduced to a trembling mess when nightmares haunted him. Moreover, why could he not trust himself with his younger brother, entrusting himself to strangers?

Did he have no one he could trust?

The life of the Red-light district was not easy, and trust was a treasured feeling for them. A part of them wished to help this troubled man, and his brother would be a good way of going about it. Meanwhile, they can dress him up like a doll, what fun!

The thought was they could invoke such a method to slowly get Shen Jiu accepting being in a close proximity of another man. Not every man was out to harm him. They would not torture him.

After he came to accept his brother dressed as a woman, they’d slowly have the brothers spend time together without Shen Yuan dressed as a woman. Surely it would take a lot of time and patience, but they were willing to (play) work hard to do so.

If anything, Shen Jiu should come to terms with the fact that Shen Yuan was his blood related twin brother, and he should feel comfortable around him.

As it were now, Shen Jiu kept his distance from Shen Yuan, and they never spent the night in the same room. This was because the elder of the twins detested the idea of sleeping in the same room as another man, and he didn’t want for his younger brother to see such a pitiful sight.

Wouldn’t you know that Shen Yuan stays in his room, depressed? It was because he feared that his elder brother detested him for being ‘useless’ that he insisted in performing odd jobs around the establishment. All the younger Shen twin wanted was acknowledgment from his brother.

Seeing his brother trembling at night wouldn’t make Shen Yuan respect his brother any less, but Shen Jiu didn’t know this. His basic understanding of human relationships was very flawed.

The door slid closed and all sound ceased to exist in the room. The temperature dropped to the negatives.

“… Y-you look tire…tired brother, why don’t you rest?” Shen Yuan stammered nervously as he motioned to a random pillow. “I’ll stay here.” In this corner of shame.

Shen Jiu refused to move from his spot. He hadn’t moved, blinked, or said a thing since the door slid closed. At this point, Shen Yuan questioned whether or not his brother was a statue or not.

Figurative tears ran down Shen Yuan’s face. He was lied to! It was all a lie! What about this reaction denotes that he’s happy about this!? If Shen Jiu hacks him down with a fruit paring knife, he wouldn’t blame him!

All he wanted was for his brother to relax. Was it too much to ask that they could form a sibling bond? While he wasn’t the closest with his own siblings on Earth, they still had a loving family connection.

He didn’t want to admit to it, but it hurt to see how Shen Jiu pushed him away and would never willingly be in a room alone with him. Was he that untrustworthy? Did Shen Jiu hate him? If so, why would he force himself to go out of his way to visit? Was it some sort of feeling of duty he had?

“I’m… sorry, brother. The sisters told me you’d feel more comfortable being around me if I looked like this. Do you… hate me?” Shen Yuan mustered the courage to ask this question.

At this, Shen Jiu seemed to react, his eyes narrowing dangerously at first, but then relaxing moments later. He understood why Shen Yuan would think such a thing—but that didn’t change the fact that he’d just now tacked the words ‘cry baby, clingy, and weak’ onto Shen Yuan’s character.

Don’t forget dumb. Shen Jiu would never force himself to visit someone if he hated them. “I don’t hate you.” He answered simply, walking to the opposite corner of the room, maximizing the space between the two of them.

Just as Shen Yuan was feeling downhearted, Shen Jiu asked him a question:

“How are you feeling?”

!!!

He’s showing care! There is hope for him yet! Remember that feeling. That’s something called ‘care’ and ‘compassion’. Do remember this and show this to the protagonist in the future. If you can do this, Shen Qingqiu’s life will be spared!

“I’m well!” Shen Yuan smiled brightly, a little too brightly for Shen Yuan’s tastes.

His brother truly was a bright and warm character. Who wouldn’t like him? Anyone would prefer him over… the mess that Shen Jiu was.

Even though it caused his self-hatred to flare when he compared himself to his brother, there was a part of him deep down that was continually saved by the warmth that Shen Yuan endlessly gave to Shen Jiu.

Perhaps… even a trashy person like him could be appreciated and loved?

Is this what family is? If so, it’s… nice.

Cross dressing as a woman, however, is still very stupid.

What both brothers failed to realize at that very moment was that though this was a stupid idea, it still pushed them in the right direction. Was Shen Jiu not alone with his brother in this room? It may be a small thing, but it was a large leap for their relationship.

[Mini-Flashback end. Trigger another scene to continue!]

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

BEEP!

“Come back with everyone safely.”

The temperature of the room dropped and at that very moment, Shen Yuan knew he’d messed up. He was always mindful of what he said around his brother, but he had a mental lapse then.

Shen Jiu was intelligent, and would often read between the lines, so if you weren’t careful, he’d deduce the true meaning behind your words. What he’d said just now…

“You mean to say you don’t trust your brother.”

There was an implied meaning that wasn’t being explicitly stated. Shen Jiu was asking whether Shen Yuan thought that he’d take this time of Cang Qiong Mountain to kill Luo Binghe. After all this time he’d yet to kill the bastard child, and Shen Yuan chooses now to start doubting him?

He’d never stopped harassing the child, but he’d never outright attempted to kill the child.

The way Shen Yuan inferred that he worried over Luo Binghe’s life meant that Shen Yuan didn’t trust his elder brother.

While the transmigrated man didn’t know Shen Jiu’s full life story, he understood one thing very clearly: Trust was something that seldomly came Shen Jiu’s way and he treasured any moment someone would give him trust.

In his desperation to keep Luo Binghe’s affection points above zero, he’d accidentally said something he shouldn’t have. He’d already been skating on thin ice, and these words were enough to break through the ice.

“Brother… that’s not what I said.” Shen Yuan slowly spoke, mind racing as he attempted to find a way out of this mess. He could feel a drop of sweat rolling down the backside of his neck, his fingers clenching tightly until the knuckles went white.

Were years of hard work going to be wasted just like this? All over a single mistake?

“No, but that’s what you wanted to say. Seeing as you believe your brother to be such a person, perhaps I’ll prove you right.”

Panic struck the heart of Shen Yuan, as he wondered over the chances that Shen Jiu would then choose to kill Luo Binghe to prove a point. He wouldn’t do that… right? Once he put his mind to something, he wasn’t going to stop until he fulfilled his mission.

Now stuck in a difficult position, Shen Yuan bit his lower lip as he deeply contemplated on what to do. If he said the wrong thing again, it may turn into Shen Jiu leaving the room at the very moment to go and slaughter the protagonist!

It felt like a splash of cold water doused his body as the idea sprouted in his mind.

Anything but that! The Protagonist had to be kept safe! What would happen to this world if the protagonist was killed!? Would the world implode into itself?

Think.

Think.

THINK!

His brother was not the conventional sort of person. It wasn’t enough to praise him when he was upset to bring his mood back to normalcy. There were times when you would have to actively attempt to console him, while other times, you had to give him his space.

What was the root of the problem here? That was the lottery-winning question that needed to be answered. There was certainly the point of how Shen Yuan distrusted Shen Jiu. Even if he had a reason to, he should have had faith in his brother.

How many years did Shen Yuan plead his case in trusting in Shen Jiu’s character?

Curse his mouth for speaking before he could properly think. It landed him in such a mess.

Was that the only reason that Shen Jiu was upset? It couldn’t be. There had to be another reason, but Shen Yuan couldn’t think of what it could be.

Could it be jealousy? Over what? Over protectiveness? That was a true contender.

His mind raced like a shooting star in the night time sky, and he finally settled on an idea. “Brother, this foolish one has spoken out of turn. Your younger brother knows that you will do what is best, and I will trust your judgement. This humble brother only asks that you don’t care for your pride so much that you cause harm upon yourself. This brother worries himself sick for many days and nights, pondering past events with fear in his heart. Life span decreases with each tremor. Alas, no matter how much this one may look favorably on someone, allegiance to blood is undeniable. As I’ve been taught, I return my dues in kind.”

Which roughly would translate to:

‘Brother, I’m sorry for what I said. I made a mistake! Forgive me! I’m an idiot! I know that you will do what is right in the end and I trust you. It’s only that I worry that your large pride may cause you to have a fit. How is that fitting for a respectable peak lord? You’ll harm your reputation, for what? A small disciple? It’s not worth it! You, for the sake of your pride, will risk bodily harm. Do you know how many times I’ve gotten sick due to me worrying over you? Have some shame and take pity on your younger brother. I’ve finally gotten better and now you wish for me to stress myself sick once more? Brother, do you truly care for me or not? Keep this behavior up and you’ll send me to an early grave, I swear! I may dote on Luo Binghe, but that doesn’t mean I care for you any less. Don’t you see how I care for you? You dare question my loyalty to you. I’m hurt. I hurt you, you hurt me, it’s the same. I’m hurt over you distrusting me like this after so many years.’

How is it that the translation is so wordy compared to the real thing? It’s due to hidden meanings, of course! If you are a part of the Shen clan, you must be able to read between the lines.

The twins would always speak in such a manner. Shen Jiu moreso than Shen Yuan, as the latter is usually too lazy to think in such a roundabout manner.

As expected, Shen Jiu was able to read between all the lines, and picked up on what Shen Yuan was alluding to.

“Hmph. I keep my promises.”

… shit.

Do you know what that translates to? ‘I’m still going to follow my previous words and will bully Luo Binghe. I don’t go back on my word.’

Shen Yuan wished to cry. Could his brother learn how to lighten up some?

In the end, he’d only quelled his brother’s anger to a certain degree. Maybe only 25%?

Both brothers fell asleep in silence after this. No matter how much Shen Yuan tried to appeal to Shen Jiu after the fact, there was no changing the stubborn man’s mind. All Shen Yuan could do was send his brother off and impatiently wait for him to return.

This scene was never mentioned in the original novel, so he had no idea what to expect. Every single day, he’d wait for their return, anxiously waiting for any sign that they’d be returning.

…

…

…

They’d finally returned! Shen Yuan eagerly waited in their shared room, ready to welcome his brother back from his (‘annoying’) journey. Even if their disciples knew about the fact there were two of them, it wasn’t good to make too much of a public showing of it.

You never knew when someone would make a surprise visit and come to know the truth, after all. Not only that, the less they showed the Shen Twins together, the more likely the disciples will forget about the existence of the other twin.

They were able to seamlessly put up an act, so it was hard for anyone to tell the two of them apart.

Though… it was more accurate to say that Shen Yuan put up an excellent act, since Shen Jiu was not acting. His cruel behavior was all him.

Poor Luo Binghe was the recipient of this cruelty. Even if Shen Yuan didn’t wish to bully his beloved protagonist, he would occasionally have to do so if he didn’t want to hit with a demerit for being ‘OOC’.

He had already cleaned the room at least 6 times out of nervousness. He had full confidence that his brother would immediately head to his room first thing without thinking about anything else. Even if they split on awkward terms before, who was Shen Yuan?

Shen Yuan is Shen Jiu’s ‘lovable’ twin brother who he (not so) secretly dotes on in his own way.

Of course, Shen Yuan has his own way of doting on his brother, which usually takes the form of excessive praise and attempting to convince the elder twin that he wasn’t human trash.

The door slid open and Shen Yuan rushed to the door, casually circling around his brother twice. It didn’t look like there were any outward injuries on him, so the trip should have been a success. His mood… it did seem as though he was slightly more upset than his usual?

Something happened during the trip, but seeing as he didn’t blow up the moment he was ‘alone’ meant that it was already resolved.

That was all Shen Yuan needed to know to feel his shoulders relaxing. His brother came back alive, which is good!

The bigger question now was… what happened to Luo Binghe? Was he okay? Did they bully him during this tirp? Was he harmed? He didn’t die, right? He should have the protagonist golden halo protecting him.

Shen Jiu walked through the sliding door and he stepped aside, giving Shen Yuan a meaningful look.

This was a clear sign! He was asking Shen Yuan what he planned to do next.

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

DING!

“That’s odd, the actual portion was shorter than the flashback portion? Number one, isn’t this a glitch?”

“Hah? Nah, it’s because of the option they chose the last round. They missed out on a lot of stuff because of it. It was the best time to unfreeze the ooc option too, oh well!”

Alas, the moderator could only sigh in lament. It wasn’t as though one needed to unfreeze the ooc option, but it certainly made things a lot easier.

“The main reason for omission is because this is the redemption round! Did you learn from your previous mistake or not? If you didn’t learn from your previous mistake, then bad things are going to happen! You need to prove to the system that you have what it takes to take this game to the end! Look, I made it easier for you this time and took out one of the trick answers so now you only have 3 to choose from! Aren’t I nice?”

The other moderators looked at the options and nodded their head. That was truly nice of the moderator. There was a good chance that the System Temp would choose the best answer this time around.

There was one good answer, a decent answer, and a horrible answer.

Two-thirds was great statistics-wise.

“I’ll be blunt for this round only. This is a redemption round. If you mess this up, the consequences won’t be pretty. Do be careful. Remember the hints we gave you! They may be well hidden, but they are there! Good luck!”

“You forgot about the flashback question.”

“AH! You’re right! Thanks #27! So you just finished a mini-flashback event, right? We wanna know. Should we automatically trigger these scenes or should we continue to ask like we did the last time?”

              “Should we always trigger flashback events automatically?”

Yes!

No!

“What will Shen Yuan do?”

Go and check on the disciples (read: LBH)

“Where are my souvenirs?”

“Why don’t you tell me about what happened during your trip?

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