#you must charge a great deal for your services. ��I need some way to pay for my expensive tastes don’t I

[acourtofquestions]

The Cadres dynamics in Chapter 57:

"Courtesy of the Lord of Anielle."

Lorcan gave him a look that said he knew Rowan was full of shit, but began efficiently donning the armor, Gavriel doing the same.

Whether the soldiers around them marked that armor, whether Chaol recognized it, no one said a word.

Lorcan indeed muttered, "Someone better tell her to stop primping and get here."

Rowan snarled in warning.

Fenrys unslung the bow across his back and nocked an arrow into place. Rowan kept his own bow strapped across his back, the quiver untouched, Gavriel and Lorcan doing the same. No need to waste them on a few soldiers when their aim might be needed with far worse targets later in the day. But one of them had to be noted felling soldiers. For whatever it would do to rally their spirits.

And Fenrys, as fine an archer as Rowan, he'd admit, would do just fine.

Rowan followed the line of Fenrys's arrowhead to where he'd marked one of the bearers of a siege ladder. "Make it impressive," he muttered.

"Mind your own business," Fenrys muttered.

Lorcan said to one of them "Save your breath for the battle, not the gods."

Rowan shot him a look, but the man, gaping at Lorcan, quieted.

"Someone better say something inspiring," Fenrys said through gritted teeth, firing another arrow. "Or these men are going to piss themselves in a minute." For a minute was all they had left, as the first siege tower inched closer.

"You've got the pretty face," Lorcan retorted. "You'd do a better job of it."

"It's too late for speeches," Rowan cut in before Fenrys could reply. "Better to show them what we can do."

[chockmatsu]

chockie’s exhaustive guide to the merch-buying mercari jp rabbit hole

(this is a much more extended + standalone post version of a reblog i wrote a couple months ago! includes a step by step guide for dummies with explanation of paying, shipping, glossary of search terms in japanese etc)

as someone who has just god awful terminal karamatsu merch hoarding disease i am often asked how the hell i have just so much merch and that i surely must be very rich to afford it. nah i just budget really carefully and hunt for great value bulk deals on the GODSEND that is.... secondhand japanese sites like mercari jp (this post will focus on that), yahoo auctions, etc. 

i am down abysmal for mercari jp. it’s a few more hoops to jump through compared to buying from international english merch platforms like goodrespublic, but you save SO MUCH MONEY in comparison. THE PRICES ARE NUTS.

for context, this is the last haul of stuff i received in one order just a couple months ago. total value was 17,370 yen ($142 USD) not including shipping which was ouchy… but still worth it af.

i bought mostly bulk sets that were basically all sub 1000 yen (~$8.20 USD) each. the single most expensive thing was that kabedon towel which is kinda hard to come by at 3400~ yen. here is a terrifying collage of all the merch i’ve hoarded so far since nov 2020 to aug 2021 and no exaggeration like 90% of it is from mercari jp. 

what is mercari jp? 

mercari is a secondhand sales platform, and mercari jp (not to be confused with mercari.com, which is for international sellers) is pretty much one of the biggest ones used in japan! the great thing is that japanese secondhand sales are (generally) a walk in the park, at least compared to buying secondhand locally where i am. they take good ass care of their stuff and most of it isn’t even truly “used” as we understand it bc a lot of the time they straight up left the stuff in its original packaging, maybe just a little dusty. and mercari sellers will include adorable handwritten notes thanking you. you might even get a drawing if you’re lucky! it’s amazing

the thing is that sites like goodrepublic and surugaya that are selling secondhand merch are literally just listing listings from sites like mercari or yahoo auctions jp but at a crazy markup. don’t even get me started on the scalping on ebay. it’s kinda reminiscent of what sites like devilinspired do with lolita fashion, like a 200%-400% markup. you’ll need a shopping/proxy service to buy from mercari jp if you’re not based in japan, but do not be scared because the savings are SO MUCH BETTER. here is a comparison of a listing for the exact same product on mercari jp that i bought vs listed on goodsrepublic. 700 yen is $5.74 USD. marked up to $25.29. that’s deadass a 5x markup. and the goodsrepublic listing doesn’t even have a real photo of the thing so you can’t check the quality yourself lmao or the reputation of the individual seller. nvm them charging absurd prices like $10-20 for a single keychain. you guys deserve better than this. THERE ARE BETTER OPTIONS OUT THERE GUYS AND THEY’RE ALL ON MERCARI

some notes on shopping services:

DO NOT use the shopping service built in to mercari jp (buyee). they charge absurd extra fees for doing stuff that is typically expected of SSes like checking you even received your items period or packing them into 1 package to ship to you. even though they give you mega discounts on your first order, it STILL ends up being way more expensive than using a different SS. do not recommend.

my go-to japanese SS is jpshopping.jp. you can use them to buy from mercari as well as literally any other japanese site that sells stuff (e.g. i bought my kara season 3 varsity jacket new from rakuten through there). their site is a little jank, but all you really need is just order > online shop and then fill the form accordingly. you basically just copy paste the link to the thing(s) you want, type the price in, then pay for it, they buy all the stuff for you, get it shipped to their warehouse, and then ship all of it in 1 phat packidjge to send to you internationally. they only accept payment via paypal! other proxies may provide other options; this is what i use the most tho and will be the basis of the tutorials in this guide

(at least with jpshopping) you’re responsible for declaring duties and taxes on your stuff yourself. for legal reasons, this is definitely not a suggestion to commit tax evasion, because that is illegal! just because you have the ability to declare the value of the items in your order yourself as low as you like which in turn will determine how much you pay in custom fees and import taxes, and all mercari items are used/secondhand which means that there’s no way for customs officers to really determine their true value since it’s all weeb stuff that looks like junk toys to them anyway, DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD COMMIT TAX EVASION! you’re welcome to dm if you need more information on how you should Definitely Not Do This

if you’re using an SS like jpshopping, you can literally ignore the “sorry! this item is only available in japan” thing bc the SS is based in japan. that’s a buyee problem. that’s not your problem anymore. you are free. just order it through the order form like you would anything else. the world is your oyster

jpshopping (and most proxy services) will require payment in whatever currency works for them, which is often JPY (or if it’s based in china for example, CNY or HKD or whatever). so keep the currency conversion in mind as well as the currency conversion fee that paypal charges you.

some proxy services like jpshopping will actually have a built in mercari browser as an option on their own site. it’s up to you if you want to use this. personally, i prefer browsing on the mercari site itself and just copying/pasting the links into the order form

understanding the layout of mercari and jpshopping:

here’s a quick guide to the layout of mercari jp and how to browse it. it’s that simple! and yeah, THOSE ARE THE REAL PRICES. remember to convert from JPY to whatever currency is relevant to you. here’s a quick guide on the order form at jpshopping

a step by step detailed breakdown of how to place an order:

search for whatever you want on mercari.com/jp/ in japanese and find the listings you want to buy. make sure to google translate the page to check the listing title and description. i have made a glossary list of common search terms down below!  

copy and paste the link to that listing into the URL box of the jpshopping order form at jpshopping.jp/chkoutoss. if you have more than 1 item you wanna order in one go (recommend this- i call it mercari HAULS bc economically makes most sense to ship stuff in bulk rather than just a single small item. the first kg of your haul hurts to ship the most), you can click the dropdown next to number of items. jpshopping lets you order 10 things at a time. if you want more than 10 listings, you’ll have to do a new order form and when everything’s arrived, choose to merge these orders into one package later. if you wanna do something like split or take a specific thing from a big bundle, write that out in the enquiry/item comments section

write the exact price of the item as listed on mercari in yen in the item value box. this is the price the system will charge you when you place your order, so if you mess this up, they’ll have to refund the difference (or you pay the difference, depending on how u mess up). not a big deal, but kinda annoying to deal with

(can leave all this as default usually) - select shipping method: i recommend the default option, “select after jss receives item”, especially if you’re ordering a buncha stuff in a haul. - also recommend default packing option for the same reason. - if it’s something you think might be bought up REALLY quick (like those cute new retro pop things, listings get bought up within hours) or hotly bidded on as an auction, choose the “buy it now” option for jpshopping to buy it instantly with the system. otherwise, generally recommend “buy during business hours” so that an actual human working at jpshopping will manually buy it themselves. especially needed if you want to split up a bundle or something. 

it will show you a page confirming all your items, prices, and options, and importantly, the total item costs at the bottom plus the commission fee they charge. you can see a detailed breakdown on JSS’s site here but basically, if the total cost of all items is less than 3000 yen, there’s a flat 300 yen commission fee. more than 3k yen, and the charge becomes based on percentage (10%, down to 5% if you get 10k, 20k yen worth of stuff). make sure everything looks good to you

click the paypal checkout button, pay via paypal. afaik, jpshopping only lets you pay via paypal (so paypal balance, credit/debit linked via pp, or direct bank transfer via pp). other proxy shopping services may have other options available, but otherwise, this is what you got

the waiting game: ~1-2 weeks or less usually. less if you have fewer items, longer if you have a lot of items - you will first receive an email with an order confirmation and another confirming your first payment. - when they officially purchase whatever listings you requested (~1 business day or less), you will receive an update email telling you what they purchased. sometimes due to individual mercari seller issues (or if you wanna split bundles, etc) they may have to speak with them which can delay this email. ordering outside of business hours with the “buy during business hours” will also delay it. so, keep in mind it’s a possibility another person might buy the listing before JSS gets to it. (that’s what the buy it now automatically option is for) - you will receive an update email when the mercari seller ships out the item to JSS domestically within japan (1-7 business days). - you will receive an update email when JSS receives the item. these usually get staggered out over time since that’s how mail works and diff sellers send at diff times/speeds. they will hold the items for you for free for a while but will charge a storage fee if you leave them too long. see their site for more info - when all the items in your order have arrived or otherwise been accounted for (e.g. if it gets bought up/deleted before JSS gets to it, they cancel it from the order and refund you accordingly), you will receive a “select shipping/packing option” email. this means that JSS is ready to put everything into 1 big box and send it to you internationally

you can now log in to jpshopping and click “select and pack” either on the homepage or in your order history tab. this will take you to a page where you can check boxes for which orders you wanna merge into 1 box that gets shipped to you. if you only have 1 order of stuff, then just check that. i love JSS cuz unlike buyee etc they don’t charge you for doing this pretty basic thing (or confirming that they even received everything lol)

declare your items for customs/border control. there will be an area on the page where you’ll have to write an itemized list of what exactly each item is, quantities, and how much it’s worth. the description of what the items are should be very specific (e.g. “used anime PVC statue”, “secondhand cotton polyester tshirt”. “used aluminum anime pin badge”) and list the fact that it’s used, the material, and a clear description of what it is. a criminal might commit tax evasion by entering item costs as lower than they actually paid for it because it’s so hard to accurately judge the value of a secondhand toy, resulting in a reduced amount to pay for duties/import tax, possibly even so that the total value of all the items in a haul is below their country’s item import tax threshold ($100 in the US, CAD$60 in canada, google your own country’s) to be considered a “gift” and thus bypassing the need to pay duties/import tax entirely. so, make sure not to do this! everything on mercari counts as used/secondhand, however if you buy something new from a different site in your order then you actually should list the actual cost just in case. 

choose your shipping option and click “calculate” for shipping cost. as of 2022, the options available to you are dependent on your country and what restrictions japan postal service has shipping to it. for example, if you’re based in canada like me, fuck you absolutely no options available to you except fedex which is absurdly expensive and also awful :’) but other countries may have different options! you can read more about the specific options available to you either on the page you’re on or here. JSS will also be able to tell you how much shipping will cost you depending on the option you pick, which is 99% of the time calculated based on weight usually with a flat base cost for the first kg or less (for fedex, it’s volumetric weight). that’s what makes it wiser to do hauls rather than buy single items. personally, pre-covid i recommended EMS as the best value for the price shipping (fast, 2 weeks ish or less, tracked, safe) but EMS prices have skyrocketed since covid :( so use your best judgment

pay for shipping via paypal! you will now receive a confirmation email of your payment going through, and then when they ship your pakijj to you, an email notifying you your box has shipped out with tracking number if applicable. 

the waiting game 2: electric boogaloo, and paying duties/import taxes if applicable. if the total cost of your haul is above the import tax gift limit, you may have to pay import taxes depending on your shipping method. private couriers like fedex or DHL will pretty much ding you and make you pay, guaranteed (as well as awful extra fees for even using them on top of everything else), and you’ll receive an email and a snail mail letter with an invoice of how much you owe your gubmint in taxes. they’ll have a way for you to pay online by card usually. 

receive pakijj and simp! you did it!

some helpful search terms in japanese for you to copy/paste!

set/bundle: まとめ売り or セット 

official: 公式

osomatsu san おそ松さん | osomatsu おそ松 | karamatsu カラ松 | choromatsu チョロ松 | ichimatsu  一松 | jyushimatsu 十四松 | todomatsu トド松 | dog: 犬

figure: フィギュア (nendoroid)（ねんどろいど） 

plushie/stuffed toy: ぬいぐるみ  

badge: 缶バッジ 

acrylic keychain: アクリルキーホルダー  (acrylic keychain (short form))（アクキー） 

rubber keychain ラバーストラップ 

acrylic stand: アクリルスタンド  (stand (short form)（アクスタ） 

plastic file/folder: クリアファイル  (file)（ファイル） 

hoodie: パーカー 

shirt: シャツ 

manga: 漫画 

cushion: クッション 

mug: マグカップ 

plastic cup: コップ 

sticker: ステッカー or シール 

dakimakura/body pillow cover: 抱き枕 カバー 

wallscroll: タペストリー 

towel: タオル 

pouch/purse: ポーチ

coaster: コースター 

bag: バッグ or カバン  tote bag: トートバッグ 

backpack: リュック 

(phone) case: ケース 

i hope this helps! i’ve dragged so many people into the mercari rabbit hole. may this bring even more into the fold. jpshopping and most other SSes will have easy ways to communicate with them directly like email or chat clients, so don’t be afraid to contact them with questions about items before you buy or about your order after it’s been placed. and if you have questions or need help with this stuff my DMs and asks are open anytime!! 

SEPT. 3 2022 EDIT: some additional FAQ/issues

it’s actually been bugging me for a while that i forgot to include these in this tutorial, so i’m doing a quick edit to it now! 

i placed my order, but haven’t received any emails yet? you should get an automatic confirmation of payment email literally immediately after you place your order, so if you haven’t gotten that, please check your spam inbox and whitelist/allow emails from jpshopping, because the email updates are important and will tell you when they’ve received your stuff/when it’s ready to go out! you get emails in this order: 1. automatic email right after you’ve paid and placed your order 2. email after the people at jpshopping have bought your item. this is usually manual and won’t be immediate bc they’ll buy it during their work hours, unless you chose the “buy it now”/automatically option in which case it comes immediately. 3. email after jpshopping receives the order at their warehouse in japan 4. email after everything in your order (assuming you got multiple things at one go like i suggested) has arrived and you can now choose to combine packages/orders into one big thing to ship to you and pay for shipping. 5. automatic email confirming you’ve paid for shipping 6. email after jpshopping has shipped out your big package to you!

but do they ship to my location? the good thing about using proxy/shopping services like jpshopping is that their whole thing is shipping stuff from japan worldwide. so yeah, whether you’re in europe or south america or southeast asia, they’ll ship to you. the question is what shipping options are available to your country from japan. in the absolute worst case scenario, all standard national post services are NOT delivering from japan to you, because fuck you lmao (full disclosure, as someone usually based in canada, this is the boat i’m in :’) i don’t know why we are still stuck like this when our neighbors down south got it back last year but oh well). in this case, ABSOLUTE worst case scenario, you will still have private couriers such as fedex and/or DHL (depending on the SS. jpshopping only offers fedex i think). the cost will hurt because this is both the fastest but also the VASTLY more costly option.... but at least it delivers no matter where you are in the world?  if you are lucky, then you may have some other options to try! yamato, EMS, surface, etc. they’ll all be cheaper than fedex and have their pros/cons like being slower, or no tracking number, or there’s a weight/size limit. it’s up to you. EMS tends to be the best value for your buck, if that’s available to you. otherwise jpshopping will give you a breakdown on the details. 

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Taxes are for the little people

If you wanna do crimes, make them incredibly complicated and technical. Like the hustlers that came into the bookstore I worked at and spun these long-ass stories about why they needed money for a Greyhound ticket home.

Those guys shoulda studied the private equity sector.

Private equity's playbook is to borrow giant sums by putting up other peoples' companies as collateral (yes, really). Then they use that money to buy the company they mortgaged, and pay themselves a huge dividend.

Then they sell off the company's assets and pay themselves even more money. That leaves the company in a state of precarity - assets they once owned, like their buildings, they now rent. If the rent goes up, they have to find the money to cover it.

All of this forms a pretense for mass layoffs, defaulting on pension obligations, lowering product quality, stiffing suppliers and borrowing more money. If the company doesn't go bust, the PE looters can flip it to *another* PE company, that does it again.

Whenever you see something really terrible happening to a business that once offered useful products and services and paid decent wages, it's a safe bet that PE is behind it. Toys R Us, Sears, your local hospital - and that memestock favorite, AMC.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/04/12/mammon-worshippers/#silver-lake-partners

Private equity goons make their money in two ways: the first is by pocketing 20% of  these special dividends and other extractive policies that hollow out business.

This is money at PE managers get paid for spending their investors' money. It's a wage, in other words.

But thanks to the "carried interest" loophole (a hangover from 16th-century sea captains that has nothing to do with "interest" on loans), they get to treat these wages as "capital gains" and pay far less tax on them.

The fact that we give preferential tax treatment to capital gains (money derived from gambling), while taxing wages (money derived from doing useful work) at higher rates really tells you everything you need to know about our economic priorities.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/29/writers-must-be-paid/#carried-interest

The carried interest loophole lets PE crooks treat their salaries as capital gains, are taxed at a much lower rate than the wages of the workers whose lives they're destroying.

On top of the 20% profit-share that PE bosses get every year, they also pocket a 2% "management fee" for all the "value" they add to the companies they've taken over.

This is *definitely* a wage. The 20% profit-share at least has an element of risk, but that 2% is guaranteed.

But PE bosses have spent more than a decade booking that 2% wage as a capital gain, using a tax-fraud tactic called "fee waivers." The details of how a fee waiver don't matter because it's all bullshit, like the tale of the needful Greyhound ticket.

All that matters is that a legal fiction allows people earning *eight- or nine-figure salaries* to treat *all* of those wages as capital gains and pay lower rates of tax on them than the janitors who clean their toilets or the workers whose jobs they will annihilate.

Now, the IRS knows all about this. Whistleblowers came forward in 2011 to warn them about it. The Treasury even struck a committee to come up with new rules to fix it.

But Obama failed to make those rules stick, and then Trump put a former tax-cheat enabler in charge of redrafting them. The cheater-friendly rules became law on Jan 5, and handed PE bosses hundreds of millions in savings every year.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/12/business/private-equity-taxes.html

The New York Times report on "fee waivers" goes through the rulemaking history, the technical details of the scam, and the gutting of the IRS, which can no longer afford to audit rich people and now makes its quotas by preferentially auditing low earners who can't afford lawyers.

But former securities lawyer Jerri-Lynn Scofield's breakdown of the Times piece on Naked Capitalism really connects the dots:

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2021/06/private-inequity-nyt-examines-how-the-private-equity-industry-avoids-taxes.html

As Scofield and Yves Smith point out, if Biden wanted to do one thing for tax justice, he could abolish preferential treatment for capital gains. If we want a society of makers and doers instead of owners and gamblers, we shouldn't penalize wages and reward rents.

There's an especial urgency to this right now. As the PE bosses themselves admit, they went on a buying spree during the pandemic (they call it "saving American businesses"). Larger and larger swathes of the productive economy are going into the PE meat-grinder.

Worse still, the PE industry has revived its most destructive tactic, the "club deal," whereby PE firms collaborate to take out whole economic sectors in one go:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/14/billionaire-class-solidarity/#club-deals

We're at an historic crossroads for tax justice. On the one hand, you have the blockbuster Propublica report on leaked IRS files that revealed that the net tax rate paid by America's billionaires is close to zero.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/06/08/leona-helmsley-was-a-pioneer/#eat-the-rich

This has left the Bootlicker-Industrial Complex in the bizarre position of arguing that anyone who suggests someone who amasses billions of dollars should pay more than $0 in tax is a radical socialist (so far, the go-to tactic is to make performative noises about privacy).

At the same time, the G7 has agreed to an historical tax deal that will see businesses taxed at least 15% on the revenue they make in each country, irrespective of the accounting fictions they use to claim that the profits are being earned in the middle of the Irish Sea.

That deal is historical, but the fact that it's being hailed as curbing corporate power reveals just how distorted our discourse about corporate taxes has become.

As Thomas Piketty writes, self-employed people pay 20-50% tax in countries that will tax the world's wealthiest companies a mere 15%: "For SMEs as well as for the working and middle classes, it is impossible to create a subsidiary to relocate its profits to a tax haven."

Piketty, like Gabriel Zucman, says that EU nations should charge multinationals a minimum of 25%, and like Zucman, he reminds us that the G7 deal does nothing to help the poorest countries in the Global South.

https://www.lemonde.fr/blog/piketty/2021/06/15/the-g7-legalizes-the-right-to-defraud/

These countries and the EU have something in common: they aren't "monetarily sovereign" (that is, they don't issue their own currencies *and* borrow in the currencies they issue).

Sovereign currency issuers (US, UK, Japan, Canada, Australia, etc) don't need to tax in order to pay for programs - first they spend new money into the economy and then they tax it back out again.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/06/10/compton-cowboys/#the-deficit-myth

These countries can run out of stuff to buy in their currency, but they can't run out of the currency itself. Monetarily sovereign countries don't tax to fund their operations.

Rather, they tax to fight inflation (if you spend money into the economy every year but don't take some of it out again through taxation, more and more money will chase the same goods and services and prices will go up).

And just as importantly, monetary sovereigns tax to reduce the spending power - and hence the political power - of the wealthy. The fact that PE bosses had billions of tax-free dollars at their disposal let them spend millions to distort tax policy to legalize fee waivers.

Taxing the money - and hence the power - of wage earners at higher rates than gamblers creates politics that value gambling above work, because gamblers get to spend the winnings they retain on political influence, including campaigns to rig the casino in their favor.

This discredits the whole system, shatters social cohesion and makes it hard to even imagine that we can build a better world - or avert the climate-wracked dystopia on the horizon.

But for Eurozone countries (whose monetary supply is controlled by technocrats at the ECB) and countries of the Global South (whom the IMF has forced into massive debts owed in US dollars, which they can only get by selling their national products), tax is even more urgent.

The US could fund its infrastructure needs just by creating money at the central bank.

EU and post-colonial lands can only fund programs with taxes, so for them, billionaires don't just distort their priorities and corrupt their system - they also starve their societies.

But that doesn't mean that monetary sovereigns can tolerate billionaires and their policy distortions. The UK is monetarily sovereign, in the G7, and its finance minister is briefing to have the City of London's banks exempted from the new tax deal.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-08/u-k-pushes-for-city-of-london-exemption-from-global-tax-deal

Now, the City of London is one of the world's great financial crime-scenes, and its banks are responsible for an appreciable portion of the planet-destabilizing frauds of the past 100 years.

During the Great Financial Crisis AIG used its London subsidiary to commit crimes its US branch couldn't get away with. The City of London was the epicenter of the LIBOR fraud, the Greensill collapse - it's the Zelig of finance crime, the heart of every fraud.

UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak claims banks are already paying high global tax and can't afford to be part of the G7 tax deal. If that was true, it wouldn't change the fact that these banks are too big to jail and anything that shrinks them is a net benefit.

But it's not true.

As the tax justice campaigner  Richard Murphy points out, the risk to banks like Barclays adds up to 0.8% of global turnover: "The big deal is that the 15% global minimum tax rate is much too low. Suinak has yet again spectacularly missed the point."

https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2021/06/09/how-big-is-the-tax-hit-on-banks-from-the-g7-tax-deal-that-sunak-fears-really-going-to-be/

Image: Joshua Doubek (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IRS_Sign.JPG

CC BY-SA: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

[tiramisiyu]

【未定事件簿】 Tears of Themis: Main Story 7-24 Translation

Translation Masterlist | Video

Chapter 7 – Rains of Monte Cristo: 7-1 / 7-3 / 7-5 / 7-7 / 7-9 / 7-11 / 7-13 / 7-15 / 7-17 / 7-19  ♦️ ♦️  7-20 / 7-22 / 7-24 / 7-26 / 7-28 / 7-30 / 7-32 / 7-34 / 7-35

Content Warning: This section contains topics that may be uncomfortable to some readers (mentions of abuse). Please proceed with discretion. 

Vincent found out about the relation between Hang Fei and the boss of the Abyss bar through the moon ornament in Room 1001. The boss requested to see Marius and stated that he had important information. After thinking things over several times, Marius and I decided to meet him as agreed upon.

 Abyss Bar

There was no one in the bar when Marius and I arrived.

Bar Boss: Master von Hagen, Miss Lawyer, please come this way.

The boss pointed us to a spot in front of the bar table. We sat as he indicated.

Marius: You must be the one that Vincent said wanted to meet me?

Bar Boss: You’re being quite direct, Master von Hagen. Shouldn’t you exchange a few pleasantries with me?

Marius: My time’s precious, and I don’t want to use it to speak in a roundabout way with you.

Marius: Tell me, what do you want?

Bar Boss: Nothing major – I simply want Master von Hagen to owe me a “favour”.

The boss took a document envelope from under the cabinet and placed it in front of Marius and me.

Bar Boss: Including that foster care contract from before, these are all of the Hang family’s secrets.

Bar Boss: As long as you get this, all of your current questions will be answered.

Marius: You told Vincent that you got these because Hang Fei owed you money.

Marius didn’t follow along with the boss. Instead, he changed directions.

Marius: What happened between you and Hang Fei?

Bar Boss: Nothing much. Hang Fei merely spent some money here, but ended up unable to pay up.

Bar Boss: Master von Hagen, you’re also a businessman, so you should get that no one can enjoy a service without paying up, right?

Bar Boss: So I thought up of a compromise for him.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

[Flashback]

Hang Fei: B-boss, give me a few more days. I’ll definitely get all the money needed.

Hang Fei looked at the few guards around the boss, starting to mumble subconsciously.

Bar Boss: Mister Hang, you’ve been dragging this on for a long time. Time waits for no one.

Hang Fei: No, boss, please just trust me once more and give me more time. I’ll definitely get you the money this time.

Hang Fei: I can go get them…

The boss looked at Hang Fei, his eyes moving back and forth.

Bar Boss: Mister Hang, after seeing your sincerity, I do have another idea to give you time.

Hang Fei: What idea?

Bar Boss: In this world, there are things worth more than money, such as… secrets.

Bar Boss: If you can find a secret like this as temporary collateral… I don’t mind collecting my “service fees” a little later.

Hang Fei: …

Hang Fei went silent for a moment.

Hang Fei: I do have secrets like this – they even have to do with me.

Hang Fei: If this secret were exposed, I wouldn’t even be able to continue living.

Hang Fei: Boss, this is temporarily sufficient, isn’t it?

Bar Boss: Of course. If you give it to me, I can give you more time.

[Flashback]

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

Marius: …

MC: Boss, to be frank, this is extortion.

Bar Boss: Extortion? Miss, you’re exaggerating.

Bar Boss: I merely wanted the money that Hang Fei owed me – this is what I’ve done for so many years.

Bar Boss: And no one’s ever been able to lay a finger on me.

MC: You…

Bar Boss: Plus, what Hang Fei has done is much worse than me.

Marius: What did Hang Fei do?

Bar Boss: After the first time he left these things as collateral, he quickly found Xu Yin and the other “protagonist of the secret”, then extorted them of money.

Bar Boss: He immediately gave this money to me and got his secrets back. But…

Bar Boss: He started to get “addicted”, maybe because of the “sweetness” of that particular experience…

Bar Boss: Whenever he owed me money, he’d leave the “secrets” as collateral, then would once again extort those two of their money.

Bar Boss: At the end, he even demanded money from those two that far exceeded the amount owned, for his own frivolous squandering…

Bar Boss: See, aren’t I much more law-abiding than he is?

MC: …

MC: (Although, this does explain why Hang Fei’s family life didn’t deteriorate, despite his gambling.)

Bar Boss: How about it, Master von Hagen? Want to do business with me?

Bar Boss: You just need to owe me a favour to get what you want – it’s a great deal.

Marius: Oh? You know what it is that I want?

Bar Boss: Of course. What you want…

The boss looked at Marius, then at me.

Bar Boss: Has to do with Hang Fei’s daughter, Hang Jiahe, correct?

MC: …

Marius: How did you know?

Bar Boss: Master Lu, aren’t you curious about why I wasn’t stressed at all, despite Hang Fei’s half-year disappearance?

Marius: …

Bar Boss: That’s because someone was repaying money “for” him.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

[Flashback]

January 29th.

Bar Boss: You’re right, Hang Fei did leave some things as collateral here.

The boss looked at the woman in front of him, his smile as steadfast as ever.

Bar Boss: But, Miss Hang, you won’t be able to take those things just because you’re his daughter.

Bar Boss: If you want to take those things, then return the money first.

Hang Jiahe: How much does he owe?

Bar Boss: This much.

The boss drew out a number.

Hang Jiahe: This much?!

Bar Boss: I’ll give you those things as long as you repay the money, Miss Hang.

Hang Jiahe: How would I be able to take out this much money right now?!

Bar Boss: Then…

Bar Boss: Like your father, Miss Hang, you can use secrets as collateral.

Bar Boss: You must be someone who also knows many secrets.

Hang Jiahe: …

Hang Jiahe lowered her head in thought.

Hang Jiahe: I can’t. The things I know can be used elsewhere.

Hang Jiahe: Boss, please give me some more time. I’ll definitely get enough money within half a year to a full year.

Hang Jiahe: Within this time, please don’t give these things to anyone else.

Hang Jiahe: I can hand over some money right now as a deposit.

Bar Boss: Ah, alright. I’ve never rejected the pleas of a beauty.

[Flashback end]

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

Marius: …

MC: (Based on Hang Jiahe’s actions, it seems like the boss really does have what we need.)

Bar Boss: How about it, the two of you? Have you thought things over?

Bar Boss: With all I’ve said, you must believe that what I have is what you need.

MC: As the condition you gave to Hang Jiahe was paying money, we can also pay you money.

Bar Boss: That was the condition for Hang Jiahe, not you two.

Bar Boss: My condition for you is something more valuable…  that is, a promise from Master von Hagen.

MC: …

I snuck a glance at Marius. But he looked completely calm, even somewhat disinterested.

Marius: Thank you for the information you’ve given us. I will have Vincent compensate you shortly.

Marius: Let’s end things here for today.

Marius then tugged me up from my seat to leave.

Bar Boss: Wait, Marius von Hagen, don’t you want what’s in the bag?

Marius: I do, but I hate being threatened even more.

Marius: I seriously doubt that there’s anything in the world that Pax can’t find out about.

Bar Boss: Of course you’d be able to find out about it with the power of Pax – but you have no time.

MC: What do you mean?

Bar Boss: You’ve already met Hang Jiahe, haven’t you? Plus, I bet that the police have already overturned the charges against Wang Chunchong.

Marius: …

Bar Boss: Then, did you know that Hang Jiahe suddenly came here yesterday with a large sum of money, and bought away a portion of the things in this bag?

MC: !!!

Bar Boss: I saw that she looked very anxious, so I warned her – out of the goodness of my heart – that it would be best to not destroy it for now.

Bar Boss: These are unusual times, after all…

Bar Boss: Based on how she reacted, she listened to me, but…

Bar Boss: Say, if I called her right now and told her everything that just happened…

Bar Boss: How would she deal with those things?

MC: …

Marius: …

Though we didn’t want to admit it, what the boss had just mentioned was at the very bottom of the list of things we wanted to happen.

Marius: …

Marius looked around. When his sight swept over the bar table, he stopped for a moment. Seeming like he’d thought of something, he spoke with a smile.

Marius: If so, boss, would you perhaps be interested in playing a game with me?

MC: !!!

Marius: If I win, you give those things to me unconditionally, but if I lose…

Marius: We’ll go with your deal – I get those things, and I’ll owe you a favour. As long as it isn’t illegal, I can help you once in the future.

Marius: Also, you cannot tell Hang Jiahe about what happened between us today.

Bar Boss: Master von Hagen, you sure have thought things through – no matter what the result is, you can still take those things away.

Marius: But this is your one opportunity to establish a relationship with me and Pax, isn’t it?

Bar Boss: … What do you want to play?

Marius: Since this is a bar, you must have dice here.

Marius: One die per person. Whoever throws the higher number wins. How about it?

Bar Boss: I’m fine with it, but Master von Hagen, I have never lost this game. Are you sure you want to play it with me?

Marius: We haven’t even played yet, so who knows who the winner will be? Plus, isn’t it better if you win?

Bar Boss: Alright, then.

The boss took out two dice and two wooden dice holders, giving one each to Marius and himself.

Bar Boss: One round decides all. Then, let’s…

MC: Wait. I have to inspect the dice and holders.

Bar Boss: …

Bar Boss: Alright, please do, miss.

The boss gave all items to me. I examined the two holders – nothing stood out to me. But when I examined the two dice, I noticed a slight difference between the two of them.

MC: …

MC: This…

Marius: No abnormalities, right, great lawyer?

I was just about to speak when Marius cut me short. He winked at me, as if hinting something. I understood.

MC: No abnormalities. Please start.

Bar Boss: Then, Master von Hagen, one round decides all. Go ahead.

Marius and the boss cast their dice simultaneously. The night-coloured holders flew up and down in Marius’ hand as the die slammed on the walls of the holder, creating a clear sound.

Clack.

Both of them sealed off the holders simultaneously.

Bar Boss: Master von Hagen, open?

Marius: Wait.

Marius pressed down on both holders.

Marius: I will confirm again – you haven’t forgotten the conditions from before, have you?

Bar Boss: Of course. The one with more dots wins.

Marius: Good.

Marius opened the two holders. The two dice displayed a massive difference in dots.

Bar Boss: This… impossible!

Marius: I got 6, you got 1… looks like my luck’s pretty decent.

MC: You won!

Bar Boss: …

The boss looked at the dice and pondered for a moment.

Bar Boss: Hah… as expected of Master von Hagen. I lost.

Marius: Hand those things over.

Bar Boss: Don’t worry, I won’t go back on a deal. Here you go.

Bar Boss: Although… aside from that psychiatrist, it’s been a very long time since I’ve experienced this feeling of defeat.

Bar Boss: I can’t help wondering if you know him.

Marius: You’re overthinking.

MC: …

Marius took the file envelope and tugged me up, preparing to leave the bar.

Bar Boss: Also, I’d like to let you know that there is a portable hard drive and several photos in the envelope.

Bar Boss: There’s a connection between the contents of the hard drive and the photos.

Bar Boss: Hang Jiahe bought a portion of the hard drive’s contents.

Bar Boss: And she appears the most in the photos.

Marius: Noted.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

In Marius’ Car

When we returned to Marius’ car, I couldn’t help showing how excited I was.

MC: Marius, you were way too awesome just now!

Marius: No big deal – just some insignificant talents.

MC: But how did you win? The boss’s die…

Marius: You probably also noticed when inspecting them that his die was heavier than mine.

MC: Yeah, so I was wondering if there was something placed in it.

Marius: In that die, right behind the 1 dot, there’s a magnet.

Marius: When shaking the die, as long as the boss secretly holds another magnet…

Marius: He’d be able to use the opposite attractive force and the relative locations of the different dots to throw a result he wants.

MC: But if so, shouldn’t he have cast a 6? How did it end up as a 1?

Marius: About that…

Marius spread his left hand at me. There was a little brooch there, with a magnet at the bottom of it.

MC: !!!

Marius: Since I know how he plans to cheat, I naturally have to counterattack.

Marius: So before he revealed his die, I touched his holder.

Marius: Thanks to my magnet, the die will change again.

MC: Oh… then how did you cast a 6?

Marius: About that… even the rich sons of the so-called upper class can’t evade the allure of dice.

Marius: I do have to learn a few things to maintain my indulgent rich son persona.

Marius: There’s a certain method to guarantee a chance of rolling the amount you want.

MC: Is that so…

Marius: Mere little skills – nothing to show off about.

Marius: Let’s not talk about these for now – instead, we should see what’s in the envelope.

I opened the envelope, taking out a stack of photos and a portable hard drive.

MC: H-how could this…

Marius: …

When I saw what was in the photos, my hands started to tremble. 

There were many photos of children, most of whom were around 6 or 7, and their bodies were covered in numerous purple marks. The photos were taken in hidden, dark conditions from awkward angles, and those children, who should have been running free under the sun, had faces covered with tears. Each one held old toys covered in dust, and some toys were even missing sections, looking utterly broken.

MC: Marius, aren’t these toys the same ones as the ones we saw in the Room 1001 toy display cabinet?

Marius: Yes.

MC: Could it be that… Hang Fei would collect these toys for his own enjoyment?

Marius: Or maybe these toys were what Hang Fei used to kidnap them.

Marius: But regardless of which it is, based on what the boss said, what’s in this hard drive…

MC: The contents have to do with the photos… these photos come from the contents of the hard drive…

MC: Against these children, did Hang Fei…

Were these children victims of Hang Fei’s abuse?!

I couldn’t even finish my sentence.

Marius: It’s not just children – there are also photos of Qi Yu. The only difference is that she’s not holding any toys.

Marius: Also, just as the boss said, one child appears particularly often in the photos.

Marius: If this child really is Hang Jiahe, then…

MC: We’ve found Hang Jiahe’s motive for murdering Hang Fei.

[Obtained Photos of Abused Children]

[Obtained Portable Hard Drive]

[ahkaraii]

tov drabble (1618 words)

“Good fight,” Don Whitehorse compliments. “Not good enough, though.”

Schwann knows when he’s lost. He resorts to a cool, helpless apathy in these moments: a trait characteristic to him since birth.

“Then kill me,” he says without inflection.

“You won’t beg for your life?” Don asks.

“I am already dead,” he says. “There is nothing to beg for.”

“Huh. Interesting.” Don then shrugs his massive shoulders, like saying, ‘what can you do?’. “Aw’right then. Hey! Boys! Give this kid a good Altoskian welcome, and escort him to a cell, will ya?��

Altoskian hospitality is not unlike the Empire’s, Schwann reflects. They knock him around, piss in his water bowl, and don’t give him any toilet paper to wipe his face or his ass during the whole damn stay. Then again, an assassination attempt against his Imperial Majesty would easily warrant a public beheading — here, it seems to equate with seven days of enforced meditation toe-deep in his own shit before being kicked to the curb like nothing ever happened.

“You’re letting me go?” Schwann asks, a faint tone of disbelief in his voice.

“You’re not the first to try to off the Boss, y’know,” the guard explains, “and you won’t be the last. It’s almost a right of passage at this point.”

Schwann must reevaluate the guild’s hierarchy. His intel was clearly missing some rather important information. “Did you also try to kill Don Whitehorse?” he asks, not even meaning it sarcastically.

“Sure,” the guard admits, like it’s nothing. “Though I tried to poison him, myself. Gave the Don a case of the runs and he put a bucket of it in my cell and that was enough to make me not try again.”

Schwann’s just spent a week stewing in his own filth and understands what a powerful motivator the stench of unceasing fecal matter and lack of hygiene can be to a man who once thought himself as dignified. “Huh,” is all he offers. Is that how Don Whitehorse inspires loyalty? By sparing his foes in such a contrived way?

“Now, I’d close my eyes if I were you. Ready? Splash!”

After Schwann’s been waterboarded into smelling a little less like a sewer, the guard escorts him out the door and onto the cobbled street some ways from the headquarter’s main entrance.

“That’s it?” Schwann repeats, still not quite believing it.

“That’s it,” the guard says. “Though if I were you, I’d get a proper wash and new duds. You fucking reek.”

A bed and shower at the inn requires gald he no longer has. And even the filthiest tavern won’t let him in wearing the shit-smelling rags he’s got tattered on by a thread. He’s tired, he’s hungry, and he’s really five seconds away from giving up and taking a nap right there in the street. Where even is he, anyway? Dahngrest is a fucking labyrinth with far too many dead ends.

“You need quick cash, son? I’ll pay you to suck my dick,” a strange man with a caved in nose offers in one such dead-end alley, idly smoking a pipe.

Schwann considers it for all of three seconds before he smoothly says, “I must decline,” and walks off in the opposite direction as fast as his tired calves will take him. It’s barely been a week and he will not fall to prostitution just to get a fucking bath. That guy probably had syphilis, anyway.

“Hey! New guy!”

Schwann would’ve started walking even faster if the pitch of the voice hadn’t distracted him — it belongs to a kid, prepubescently high, gender difficult to tell with the patchwork quilt of nonsense they’ve got on.

“Take this package to Saggitarus,” the kid says, and hurls something at him that Schwann catches out of reflex.

“What?” he asks, but the kid’s already disappeared. Fast little bugger—either that, or great at climbing walls. “What...?” he repeats, staring at the innocuous brown-paper-wrapped box in his hands. It’s about the weight of his pauldron, some two kilograms dense, and rattles like there’s something round inside it. A blastia, perhaps?

“Saggitarus,” he echoes. The tavern?

Is this a test?

Is the Don testing him?

For a moment, Schwann expands his senses, wondering if he’s being followed. He can immediately feel eyes on him, and detect the sounds of muffled laughter in the distance. Then again, that might just be paranoia. He has just spent seven days with no privacy and bored guards idly betting on when he’ll get thirsty enough to drink the piss-bucket. (Shamefully, he only got to two before he succumbed.)

If there’s a blastia in here, maybe he can sell it, or, hell, use it. If Schwann’s already presumed dead and his dignity gone with it, then maybe--

The thought crosses his mind and leaves it without much fanfare. There is a task he has been given, and he shall complete it. “Saggitarus,” he repeats, and twists his ankles in the direction of the last tavern he’d been to. Maybe he can ask for directions there.

“Saggitarus tavern? Heh...y'mean the Sagittarius Tavern? It’s that way, new guy,” says the bouncer stationed outside.

Hm. Does everyone know his task, then?

“Sagittarius, huh? It’s southeast,” another man offers, “follow the music.”

It’s starting to feel like a wild goose chase, and everyone’s in on it. There is no music but distant laughter.

“Naw, new guy, it’s north! Y’know, by the fountain? Surely you passed it already.”

On and on and on, each new direction being interrupted by some new person with eyes on his package and cruelty in their smiles. It’s clear they’re all in on it, and he’s the butt of the joke.

“You’re all fucking with me,” Schwann says monotonously. He’s really quite tired. Honestly, he doesn’t really need a weapon to kill things. If he goes outside the barrier, maybe he could just rip a couple of stray Filifolia monsters into lettuce for a salad and then sell the rest of it for gald enough to pay for hay to rest with the horses…

The thought tantalises him for three seconds before he focuses back to reality. Don Whitehorse has probably already forgotten him. His underlings are the cats playing with the new toy the Don has given them. He’s nothing but fresh meat quickly spoiling.

“You finally give up, new guy?”

It’s the kid who gave him the package. Schwann eyes them more carefully this time. Blond, grey-eyed, and oddly confident in their stance. For being such a pipsqueak, this kid has balls to poke an enemy of the Don while he’s down. Schwann’s dead tired and still quite capable of snapping the kid’s neck like he would a chicken.

“What happens if I say yes?” Schwann asks, lightly.

“I take the package back,” the kid says, and stretches out a small hand riddled with weapon-born calluses. “Hand it over, then.”

“Hm,” Schwann makes as if he’s thinking, and a part of him feels silly but delighted when the brat begins to look visibly impatient. Is this kid the one in charge of his punishment…? “I think not, then.”

“Ugh,” the kid says. “Then hurry up and make it!”

Schwann bows his head like he would to Princess Estellise. “Of course, young Master,” he says, and is rewarded by the kid looking proper startled. Bingo. “I’m afraid I am quite lost, though. Why don’t we both help each other and you get me there, for real this time? That way we can both finally take a break.”

The kid squints at him and then gives an explosive sigh and turns around and starts walking. Schwann follows them leisurely. They walk down faintly familiar streets and end up at the tavern right where Schwann started. The bouncer outside looks just as amused as he did the first time.

“Ah, I see now. Saggitarus is your name, isn’t it?” Schwann says, managing a sardonic smile.

“At your service,” the guy says, and stretches out his hand. “Did you ever find the Sagittarius tavern, then?”

“Your directions were one of a kind, but my sense of direction is quite another.” Schwann plops the brown box unceremoniously into the guy’s outstretched palm. “Here’s your package, Mister Saggitarus.”

“Here’s your payment, Mister New Guy,” Saggitarius says, and flicks him a single gald coin.

“Thanks,” Schwann says without a trace of sarcasm, and turns to the kid. “Y’know where a tired old man could get a bucket of clean water for a single gald?”

“Uh, try the fountain,” the kid says. “Duh.”

“Duh,” Schwann echoes, and can’t help but laugh a little. Duh, indeed. Children above, he’s so tired.

“Hey. New Guy. I’ll throw you enough for a meal if you give Pecan this package,” Saggitarus offers, clearly taking pity on him. “Pecan’s the third waiter on the right at the Sagittarius tavern. You know your way there now, right?”

Schwann’s everything aches, but he’s starting to get the hang of this place now, he thinks. “Sure,” he says. “Throw in an old tunic and I’ll deliver it as fast as these old legs can take me.”

“Do it without causing a ruckus and I’ll give you some new shoes, too,” Saggitarius says.

“You got yourself a deal,” Schwann says, and points his feet towards his goal. He can’t wait to feel a little cleaner and rest enough to regroup and decide his next course of action; if he doesn’t send an encoded message to Zaphias soon, Commandant Alexei’ll probably assume him dead or, worse, a traitor. Till then, it’s nice to have a mission with clear cut instructions.

“Third waiter from the right,” Schwann murmurs to himself, and sets off.

[kellbellsparkles]

Chapter 1 of my new Ratchet and Clank fanfic I call "Family". Clank and Rivet have built in mini Dimensionators so they can travel freely only between the two dimensions.

In the present day, Ratchet and Clank hopped over to Rivet and Kit's dimension to explore their version of Veldin. The night was bright with bustling buildings and night goers looking for a good time.

"This is seriously Veldin?" Ratchet remarked in awe. "I mean, I haven't been back to mine in a long time, but it's always had this open, dusty frontier field; the kind of dusty where kids could stand by tumbleweeds and look cool with their toothpicks and cowboy hats."

"You can thank my Nefarious for that," Rivet said. "It's the one thing that everybody can't just let go of."

"It makes sense if it is all they have ever known," Clank said.

"Along with being able to document history as he saw fit," Kit added.

"Do you know who will be in charge of the new era, Rivet?" Clank asked.

"I haven't bothered paying attention to all that," she replied while shrugging. "I'm all about the here and now." She beamed suddenly. "And here we are now!"

They arrived at a tent in between two buildings with purple neon lights. On the flaps was a sign decorated with a martini glass and four rectangles resembling cards.

"Pretty ironic to be coming to a fortune telling booth with bar," Ratchet said.

"Hey," Rivet said defensively. "Jarmin has never given a fortune that didn't come true. You want to know if you're gonna win the lottery too, right?"

"Now that I think about it," Clank said. "Receiving a fortune is much like playing the lottery. We pick any card from the fortune teller's hand or from the top of their deck depending on their dealing preference--"

"The door isn't opening itself, Bolts," Rivet cut in. She swung the flaps open. "Come on!"

The crew entered the tent. Inside was space to have a fully functioning bar. At the center were four place mats and a deck of cards. The owner, Jarmin, was a fongoid.

"Party of four today?" He asked.

"Yup," Rivet said. As she reached for her wallet, Jarmin raised his hand.

"It's on the house for your great service for ending the now former emperor Nefarious," he said.

"Really??" Rivet squealed. "I love you, man! I'll take a kick some sass with a drop of smash gin!"

"How about the rest of you?" Jarmin offered.

"Nah," Ratchet said, shaking his head. "I'm still new to this world."

"I do not drink," Clank added.

"Obviously," Rivet retorted.

"That is actually not correct," Kit said. "Robots can enjoy variants and equivalents of food and drink."

"But it's not like you NEED it. You and Clank don't use the bathroom."

Clank blinked curiously.

"I was not aware I needed to," he said.

"You don't," Ratchet assured. Clank tilted his head.

"Do I want to?"

"No." He patted his head gently, his eyes showing concern. He turned to Rivet, desperate to change the subject.

"So who gets the first card?"

Rivet put her hand behind Kit and ushered her forward.

"It's all you, Kitty," she said with confidence.

"Me?" Kit croaked. "But why? And why Kitty?"

"You'll get used to it. Now draw a card."

Kit shakily reached for the deck. Hesitating, she drew her arm back and looked down at the floor.

"What if it's a bad fortune?" she said with a frightened tone.

"Kitty, Kitty," Rivet said in a consoling tone. "If you get a bad fortune, all you gotta do is get it done and over with and then you'll have good things in life immediately after. Isn't that right, Jarmin?"

"It's what brings people back," he cheered as he brought Rivet her drink. "Here you are, honey." Rivet gave him a wink, a smile, and a pointed finger snap in response. Kit took a deep breath.

"Okay," she said. "I am going to do it." Her legs trembled as she took small steps towards the card deck.

"We're right behind you, Kit," Ratchet said gently.

Hearing her friend's belief in her, she stood firmly and nodded. She stood directly in front of the deck and placed her hand on the top card.

"Please do not be death or causing death," she whispered as she closed her eyes. With all her courage, she grabbed a card and held it in the air in a dramatic fashion. She stayed in the pose for a good few seconds.

"What does it say?" Clank asked.

"Oh no," Kit moaned. "Is it blank?"

"We can't see," Ratchet said. "You need to turn it around and show us."

Kit turned her whole body around with her eyes still closed.

"You need to see it yourself, too, silly goose," Rivet chuckled.

"Oh," Kit said, embarrassed. She opened her eyes and brought the card down to her level. She turned it over to see what it showed.

"Do you like what you see?" Rivet asked with a smooth grin.

"I think so," Kit responded. "It's a heart."

"The heart card means you'll be unconditionally loved for all time," Jarmin chimed.

"Awwww," Ratchet cooed. "You see, Kit?"

Kit's metal lips quivered. She burst into sobs and ran into Ratchet's arms.

"What did I do to deserve iiiiiiiiit?" she wailed.

"Of course you deserve it," Ratchet said happily, patting her back. "You're wonderful."

"My turn!" Rivet shouted, scrambling towards the deck with her drink in her hand. "Let's keep the good vibes going!" She drew the card swiftly as she took a sip. Once she took a look, her eyes gaped in horror. She spat the contents of her drink onto the card.

"Aw no!" she hollered. "No, no, NO!! Absolutely not!" She made an attempt to draw another card.

"Ah, ah, ah," Jarmin said sternly. "Only one card per customer, and you'll have to pay for the next visit."

"Dammit, Jarmin!" Rivet cried. "You can't do this to me!!"

"What's wrong, Rivet?" Ratchet asked with worried. Rivet slammed the card in front of her crew; they leaned in for a closer look.

"It looks like a stork carrying something in a white cloth," Kit said.

"I have heard of this phenomenon," Clank said. He clapped his hands cheerfully. "How exciting. You are being given a baby."

"There's nothing exciting about it!!" Rivet exclaimed angrily. "Babies are the leeches of society: they get in the way of a good night's sleep, having fun, and they poop something extraterrestrial!! And when they get older, they destroy everything they set their sights on and speak their own babbly language we only nod and pretend to understand!!"

"On the contrary," Jarmin interjected. "The stork card doesn't mean you'll have a baby. At least not right away. It mostly means that you'll make a great mother one day."

"But I don't want to be a mom," Rivet whined. "Why do women have to be engineered to be birth machines?"

"What is a birth machine?" Clank asked innocently. The room grew silent; Rivet stared at Clank, completely dumbfounded.

"Are you serious?" she snapped light. Kit stood in front of her, desperately waving her arms in the air to gesture silence.

"I-It's where the stork picks up the baby to be delivered," Ratchet stammered nervously.

"Oh my," Clank gasped. "So babies do come from genetic modifying pods. The little kids from the playground were right!"

"Yup!" Ratchet squeaked. "Kids sure are smarter than we give them credit for!" Rivet rolled her eyes.

"Overprotective much?" she said under her breath.

"I guess it's my turn now!" Ratchet exclaimed, desperate to draw the focus back to the cards again. He drew his card; he looked it over from top to bottom.

"Huh," he said, his brows furrowing in confusion. "What's this mean?" On his card was a lock box with something inside writing to get out.

"That's the trap card," Jarmin responded. "It means something is trapping you or you will be trapped by something." Ratchet's face fell.

"Oh," he said softly, his ears drooping slightly. "I feel a little attacked there."

"It will be alright, Ratchet," Clank said suddenly, coming to his rescue with a hand hold. "These cards do not have a time limit, and ultimately, we will have good fortune. We will all be here for one another." Ratchet sighed and gave a soft smile.

"Thanks, pal," he said.

"As always, Ratchet," Clank replied. He lightly skipped to the deck of cards. "Now, let us see what my fortune is." He drew a card from the deck. He turned it over and glanced with great intrigue.

"Oooooo," he said, eyes wide with wonder. However, Kit's eyes were filled with great fear as she held her hands over her mouth to conceal a yell. Rivet froze mid sip of her drink. Jarmin shuddered and bowed his head, doing a prayer motion with his hands. Ratchet was unaware of his surroundings and continued to be drawn by his friend's curiosity.

"It's blank," he said.

"It appears so," Clank replied. "This must mean there are an infinite amount of possibilities for me; so many unknowns."

"Wow, pal!" Ratchet beamed. "I think you and Kit are the big lottery winners tonight!" He stood up and stretched. "I'm ready to head back if you are." Clank trotted to Ratchet and hopped onto his back.

"Thank you again, Rivet and Kit," Clank said. I never could have imagined us acting as conduits for transporting between our dimensions without your suggestion."

As they left the tent, all Rivet, Kit, and Jarmin could do was watch them with sinking feelings in their stomachs.

"Are we really just going to let them be?" Kit shakily questioned.

"It could be what Clank said about being left up to interpretation," Rivet nervously suggested. "Right, Jarmin?"

"The fortunes depicted in the cards have always come true," he said grimly. "Orvus, have mercy." Rivet and Kit looked at each other with great uncertainty and dread.

[thelordofdarkreunion]

Watchers in the Shadows

Another plot important story, with the what I am terming the Shadowed Lords.  I have also found a solution to the very important question of “How to make sure the Inquisition just doesn’t murder everyone.”  I own none of these characters.  Enjoy.

“History requires two parties - the historian and their audience.  Without that, one is just talking to oneself.  So kindly stop screaming and you might learn something.” - Trazyn the Infinite, guiding human guests through the Prismatic Gallery

“It is our duty to protect those who are important to future events, those who might save the face of the galaxy, those chosen by prophecy - blah blah blah.  I’m just here to kill things.”  -Revenant

Aboard the Novus Galactica

The Watch Fortress was a miracle of human technology and ingenuity.  This particular one was mobile, a great boon for its occupants.  As soon as diplomats and Inquisitors were dispatched to these strange, newly found galaxies, it had been deemed by the High Lords of Terra that a permanent force of Throne Agents should be stationed in each.  Unfortunately for the Imperium of Man, and, perhaps fortunately for everyone else, they were currently only able to transfer a small amount of the resources they wanted to one singular galaxy.  At the moment.  The time would come when they would fully operate there, the agents of the Imperium hiding in every shadow, behind every crevice, always watching, always waiting.  The fight against the xeno, mutaint, and heretic never ended, after all, and these new galaxies provided ample examples of each.  

The newly anointed Lady Inquisitor Amberley Vail stood on the tiled stone floor of the Watch Fortress, looking out high cathedral windows into the black void of space.  Inquisitors were all technically equals, though in practice some were more equal than others.  Senior and powerful Inquisitors were given the honorary prefix Lord or Lady to denote that they were, in fact, just a little more equal than their peers.  Since she had been the first to discover, and make contact with these eight new galaxies, it would be her duty to oversee all investigations in them.  A great honor.  

At the time, though, Vail would just be investigating each one in turn until more Inquisitors could be spared.  Already she was given her choice in team, and her retinue was here, with more hand-picked agents to come.  And, of course, the operatives the High Lords and Ordo Xenos had seen fit to give her.  With the technology found in these new places, she could now contact the High Lords directly, if necessary, and they could monitor her progress.  As such, they had seen it fit to grant the Watch Fortress a cadre of Officio Assassinorum operatives, one from each Temple.  They were in cryo storage below, except the Vanus operative, currently hard at work gathering every scrap of data she could.  

Should she require pure power instead of singular agents, a Kill Team of the dreaded Deathwatch was on hand.  They were newly formed and called up, but each member was hand-chosen by the Inquisition, and, if rumors were to be believed, the Custodian Guard themselves.  Right now, they were settling into their new home, their weapons drills already ringing through the training spaces.  The Kill Team also served a second, more sinister purpose: if Vail was to go rogue for whatever reason, they had orders to hunt her down and destroy her.  She harbored no illusions of their ability, and, of course, had no intention of turning traitor.  Better had fallen than her, though, so she did appreciate the contingency.  

At the moment, more Marine heavy weaponry and armored vehicles were on the way, along with a regiment of Inquisitorial Storm Troopers.  More things to be added to the armory of the Imperium in this new galaxy.  

Vail paced, then went to her cognator, located next to the Vanus operative, still absorbed in her work.  She sat down, and began to type.  Secrets would be revealed, and the Inquisition would act upon them.

Unknown Location

The room was dark, as it always was, only illuminated by the blinding glory of a nearby star.  No one came here, no one knew of its existence except two organizations.  Two organizations that almost none knew of.  A massive man, power armored bulk hidden by a simple white robe, sword strapped on to his chest, stood side by side with another individual clad in black armor and greatcoat.  A tight fitting black helmet with glowing red lenses covered the second’s face, and as it spoke, the voice that emanated from within was corrupted and rendered untraceable.

“We must begin.  Our list is complete.”

“Unorthodox, yes, but it must be this way,” spoke the second, a reverberating deep base echoing from beneath he white hood.  “What of Inquisitor Vail?  Should she find… certain things, it would not bode well for our plans.” 

“I am handling it as we speak.  Drake shows promise.  It was good to act that quickly, but in the end, the Shadow Broker, the Mechanicus, the Inquisition, the Scoundrels, ONI, the ISB… none of them are good enough to face us.  Vail will hear no word of it.  Stability will be preserved.  Just as we must preserve the Scoundrels themselves.”

“Indeed.  It must be restated: they are key to future events.  I suggest we get moving.”  With a nod to each other, the two figures disappeared into the shadows.

Unknown Planet

The ground was icy and cold, some dead world in the middle of nowhere.  It didn’t even have a name, so remote it had never been discovered.  Of course, there were those who could find it, should they really wish to.  One such individual stood here, examining strange patterns in the snow.  Well-groomed black hair tumbled down to his shoulders, held in place by a circlet of gold.  Despite the bone-numbing cold, the man did not shiver, black and green tunic still in the frigid air.   A heavy crack of displaced air sounded behind him, and the black haired man turned around, smiling softly to himself. 

“Ah.  Can I help you?” he said in a polite and cultured voice.  The two figures, one massive and wearing a white robe, the other of medium height and wearing a black coat, stepped forward.  The black haired man stood, noting the weapons, the size, the strangeness of these newcomers.

“Loki of Asgard.  We have need of your skills,” responded a metallic and synthesized voice from the black coated silhouette’s mask.  This elicited a small, oh-so-sly smile from the black haired man.  

“Yes.  I’m sure a great many people do.  What’s in it for me?”

“Name your price,” came a deep, reverberating voice.  Loki thought quietly to himself, then spoke.

“Done,” replied the tall figure.  

“Now, what do you need me for?” asked Loki.

Hammond Robotics Lab-77431

A metallic abomination of red and grey stood above Dr. Marshall.  It was humanoid, but all metal; unnaturally tall and spindly.  He squirmed quietly, inching away from it on the cold surface of the laboratory floor.  Blood was splattered messily over the surface of computer banks and grey plastic workstations.  Marshall silently prayed that the guards were on their way.  He had just enough time to press the panic button as the… thing slaughtered the two guards and his three colleagues.  Now it stood over him, head tilted at an unnatural angle.  

“No one is coming to save you.  No one ever was.”  It’s voice was horrible, gravely, and grating.  Marshall whimpered.  It spoke again.  “You can beg for mercy.  It won’t help, but go on.”

“Please… please.  I don’t even know what you are!  Why would you want to kill me?”  The thing snarled and pinned Marshall to the wall with one metallic hand.  

“You made me a killing machine.  Who am I to argue with programming?”  The abomination’s synthetic eyes seemed to glow.  “Look into my eyes.  I want to remember this.”  

“No!  NO!  No-”  The begging cut out with a horrifying, gurgling scream as the thing ripped out his throat.  It gave a malicious laugh.  A new voice spoke.  

“Revenant.”  It was a statement.  “We have need of your services.”  Revenant turned around with a snarl, only to find himself face to face with three of the most odd individuals he’d ever seen.  A smooth faced, black haired man in a green and black surcoat, smirking at him.  A figure in a black coat and black armor, it’s face hidden behind a mask with glowing red lenses.  A giant, wearing a white robe, with a sword strapped to its back, its face hidden behind the robe’s cowl.  

“Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you where you stand?” sneered Revenant.  

“If you can, which I doubt,” replied the black haired man.  The figure in the coat held up a gauntleted hand.  

“We have need of your services,” it repeated.  “As payment, we can fix you or kill you.  Your choice.  But you must do as we say.”  Revenant seemed to consider the deal.  

“Done,” he replied eventually.  

“Good.  Now, there’s work to be done.”  

Star Wars Galaxy

Belsavis

Imperial Outpost Planet

The New Republic had, in its infinite wisdom, sent a team of commandos to capture a small Imperial outpost planet in the middle of smack-dab nowhere.  Sargent Underwilth was quite displeased by this, as had the entirety of the rest of her commando group, from Private Nikeer all the way up to the Captain.  It would be a long, boring, and completely useless mission, and for what purpose?  Grab a completely insignificant Imperial fort that could house a battalion and a group of shuttles at the absolute maximum?  Why?  Send soldiers to die for that?  She hated High Command for it.  Hate-d.  Past tense.  At the present moment, she was cursing the name of every single New Republic official she could remember, from the major who had briefed them to Princess Leia herself.  Saying things had gotten a bit out of hand would be the understatement of the millenia.  

“I need fire at 1-2-7-4!  Immediate effect, whatever you’ve got!” screamed the comms chatter.  The Imperial stormtroopers crouched next to her looked warily in the direction of the lieutenant whose scream was cut short over the comms.  Captain Pai, the commando leader, was dead.  Major Vekk, commander of the Imperial garrison, was now in charge of both the stormtrooper and commando contingent.  Underwilth had never thought she would be fighting side by side with stormtroopers.  They were terrible shots and propaganda-fueled idiots, holding on to the crumbling remnants of a tyrant.  Desperate times, though, called for desperate measures.  She nodded at her mixed group of Republic and Imperial soldiery, and, as one, they stepped over the ledge of the wall they were crouched behind.  A withering storm of blaster bolts rent the air, many going wide as their users panicked.  It was enough though.  

The bolts slammed into the metal abomination, many ricocheting harmlessly off its bones with high pitched pings!  Underwilth had no idea what these things were, or why they were here.  The commando team had landed, everything going well, and had infiltrated the fortress, only for an army of metal skeletons to show up.  They were spindly and humanoid in appearance, with elongated skulls and arms much thinner than a human.  Their odd appearance didn’t matter, though.  Horrible weapons had rotated, spitting sickly green beams of light at the now combined defenders.  Everything that was touched by those beams died.  Captain Pai was disintegrated where he stood.  Atomized without a sound.  

The defenders had fought back with everything in their arsenal.  Blasters didn’t work.  Grenades didn’t work.  Cryo bombs didn’t work.  Only massive, coordinated firepower would stop these undying invaders. 

Scorch marks appeared on the metal skeleton that Underwilth’s group drowned in fire.  More and more blaster bolts found their mark, staggering it.  Underwilth screamed at them to keep firing.  Eventually, slowly, it toppled into the dirt.  Underwilth’s group let out a great cheer.  It died in their throats when they saw what was happening.  The metal abomination, light faded from its eyes and limbs blown off, glowed with the same sickly green light as its eyes and weapons.  Limbs reattached themselves.  Blaster pockmarks faded.  Internal wiring affixed itself.  It stood, and glowing green eyes snapped on once more.  

Beneath the Surface of Belsavis

Trazyn the Infinite, Overlord of the Nihilakh Dynasty, Archoevist of Solomance, and Curator of the Prismatic Galleries walked through the underground tomb complex covered by the Imperial outpost.  He had come to... acquire the artifacts, weapons, and species in the tomb underneath.  Unfortunately, a group of the idiotic humans that inhabited this galaxy had decided to build a fortress right on top of it.  He didn’t even spend the processing power wondering about the humans.  Mere insects.  His soldiers were there to defend his archaeological expedition, and if the humans wanted to attack them, well, that was their problem.  

Trazyn was, quite frankly, disappointed over this particular galaxy.  It wasn’t that there weren’t ancient and important treasures to plunder: no, far from it.  The things he could find here almost rivaled his own galaxy.  Almost.  It wasn’t that.  

It was that the people of this place had absolutely zero appreciation for history.  It was utterly infuriating.  Trazyn was the historian.  The lives of entire species meant nothing to him.  He was as old as the stars themselves, able to see eons as they stretched out in front of him.  The reason he did any of this in the first place was to preserve history before time or battle erased it.  His entire planet was one massive museum, with exhibits stretching back some 60 billion years before the planet Earth even existed.  But these people?  They didn’t teach history.  Didn’t preserve history.  To borrow a human expression, didn’t give one singular, flying fuck about it.  His mind frowned in distaste over the crude word.  It was nevertheless true.  The inhabitants of this place had merely forgotten the Old Republic, the government that ruled the galaxy only thirty years ago.  The Jedi Knights were myths.  The Clone Wars were bedtime legends.  Trazyn ground his metal teeth in frustration.  Thirty years.  That was a microsecond.  That was about the time a standard Necron court case lasted.  Even the humans, short-lived insects that they were, should remember that long.  After all, they usually lived between sixty to a hundred, did they not?  Simply no respect for the past here.  

The other galaxies were not like this.  The humans of one galaxy even remembered events some two thousand years prior.  That galaxy was the one with the Makers.  A battle between gods and demons.  He had already been to a Maker lab, and taken the dark artifact from the homeworld of the Celzex.  Along with half the guard on duty at the time.  And the throne.  They wouldn’t miss it.  Probably.  

He was getting off track.  Despite the idiots of this place not knowing what it was, this place was magnificent.  The architecture, the stone, the instriptions and technology… oh, yes.  If Trazyn had still possessed a mortal body, he would be grinning like a buffoon now.  He wanted everything.  

The tomb had once belonged to the Rakata Infinite Empire.  He sneered at the name. 

“There can only be one Infinite, and only one Infinite Empire.  And you, my friends, are no longer among the living,” he told a statue.  The Empire had, at its apex, controlled a great deal of the galaxy and possessed technologies and ancient wonders not seen since.  An entire species, called the Esh-Ka, had been trapped here in status for nigh thirty millenia by the ancient Rakata.  Nothing compared to Trazyn, but he appreciated the gesture of the long dead civilization nonetheless.  Ancient Rakata warlords, soldiers, status, glyphs, tablets, weapons, enemies, technology… everything.  This was a prison world, and the Rakata built it to last.  Now, though… now it was Trazyn’s time to shine.  He took everything he could, the walls and massive scripts cut away by his personal bodyguard.  Everything went into tesseract labyrinths.  These were small black cubes, about the size of Trazyn’s fist.  They pulsed with darkness, ever wishing to suck things into their voids.  These cubes were gateways to pocket dimensions, and Trazyn had long used them to capture specimens from his museum.  

He hummed as he worked, nearly giddy with excitement.  If there had been any watchers, they would have found the sight of the ancient necron lord almost dancing with exhilaration to be quite funny.  As he loaded the last of the Rakata imprisoned within the tomb, there was a flash of green light behind him.  It’s coloration was similar to the eyes and weaponry of the necrons, yet only the discharge of his bodyguards’ gauss flayers could have made such a sight, and Trazyn knew for a fact none of them had.  He whirled around, only to be met with a very strange sight.  

Four individuals stood between him and his guards.  One was obviously a synthetic, tall and spindly with red and grey limbs.  This one glowered mechnicgly at Trazyn, but he laughed it off.  You didn’t know a good glower until you’ve stood on the wrong side of a Star God.  The second was human, smirking from behind shoulder length black hair and a black and green tunic.  The third waas masked, armored, and coated, and stood at simple attention, unbothered by the necrons that lowered their gauss flayers at its back.  The last, though…

“Lord Cypher,” said Trazyn with a bow.  The massive man in white noticeably stiffened.  “A pleasure to have you here.  Ah, yes.  I know who you are, of course.  Don’t be surprised.  You would make a fine addition to my collection,” he mused.  Trazyn looked up, noticeably more perky.  “Is that why you’re here?  Have you come to give yourself up?  Ready to be a part of history?”  The massive man, Cypher, glared at him.  

“We have need of your help, Lord Trazyn.  After you are…” he looked around, noticing the completely empty walls of the tomb, “Done here, we wish to speak with you.  Your… expertise is necessary.”  Trazyn grinned, the necrodermis teeth of his death mask coming together.  A necron grinning was a very bizarre sight.  

“Ah, you flatter me, Lord Cypher.  And from one who has bedeviled the Imperium for ten thousand years and fought the Deceiver himself, such flattery is most appreciated.  However,” Trazyn gestured around, “As you can see, my work consumes me.  I’m afraid history stops for no one.  Except you.”  He held out a tesseract labyrinth, his voice flowing with mischief.

“Wait!” replied Cypher.  “We have need of your help,” he repeated.  “If you do not join us, then events will transpire that will result in the eventual destruction of reality,” he stated calmly, as if he were simply talking about the weather.  “It might not happen now, or later, or even in a century, or millenia, but I know for certain it will happen.  Everything you hold dear, everything you have worked so hard for over these billions of years, will be gone.  If you help us, we will most likely succeed, and in payment we will offer to you the greatest treasures in the universe.”  Cypher held out a hand.  “So what say you, Trazyn the Infinite?  Are you ready to change history for once, instead of just cataloging it?”  Trazyn pondered a moment, his neural circuitries firing faster than any mortal could keep up.  Eventually, he took the hand.

“I accept.”

And there we are.  I hope you enjoyed it, and if you have any comments, criticisms, concerns, questions, or requests, feel free to contact me!  Wherever you are, have a great day!

[icarus-suraki]

Since I seem to enjoy Starting Shit on the Internet today, I'm going to share some thoughts on the OnlyFans debacle.

First: sex work is real work. I said it, I believe it, that settles it.

It seems a lot of people (often young women, I've noticed?) are really celebrating OnlyFans banning all NSFW content. They’re having a great time saying things about how they hope all the (cis) men who liked NSFW OnlyFans content die mad about the NSFW ban and so on. It’s downright gleeful. And it seems like they're celebrating on the grounds of stopping trafficking and protecting minors and so on. And that's a noble thing, ending trafficking and protecting minors--do not misunderstand me: trafficking and abuse of minors is a real and serious issue and I absolutely support ending trafficking, rescuing victims, and protecting minors.

It is my opinion (insert Vine here) that OnlyFans banning NSFW content is going to hurt sex workers and also will do absolutely nothing to protect minors or stop trafficking.

A considerable number of people here in the US lost their jobs during the pandemic. And, among those people, are those who desperately need income. They're of age, they're legally allowed to do these things, and they need some way to survive. And, in the absence of a UBI or even a country that seems to care about the wellbeing of its own citizens, you have to find a way to survive. And a lot of the people who found themselves unemployed discovered that they could earn enough of an income through OnlyFans to actually survive. They could keep the lights on, get food, pay for medication, put gas in their car so they could drive to job interviews. It became a means of self-employment.

Are you thinking of the people on OnlyFans and elsewhere who are doing sex work as actual people? Or are they just a mass, just a concept, onto which you can project your ideals of Purity Culture? You’re giggling gleefully about unhappy men with blue balls, but I feel like you’re forgetting the women who are still stuck in a Capitalist situation.

"But they didn't start doing it willingly!" You can't prove that that's true for everyone on the site. You cannot prove that. You do not speak for everyone. Maybe some people turned to OnlyFans out of desperation, sure. But others may have felt relieved that they had it there. Others may have even felt liberated or enjoyed the work. I don't know. And you don't know either.

"But if you make sex work legal, that makes trafficking easier!" Yes, yes, I've seen the whole "Nordic System" argument. I've read it. My issue with it is that everyone is using it in the wrong way.

Remember when Oregon decriminalized possession of small amounts of most drugs? It was a decision made on the grounds of harm reduction. If you won’t get arrested for having some crack in your pocket, you can feel safer. Look at what the War on Drugs has accomplished: legal slavery and police brutality. It doesn’t work. And it’s an excellent experiment to try something else.

If sex work is declared protected or legal (and banks and credit cards cannot therefore refuse payment made to legal providers of the service), then any sex worker who is threatened, abused, harmed, attacked can make a report without fears of repercussions for doing sex work. Do you know how many sex workers are killed? If only there were some way to report a threat or a risk to the police without repercussions...

Beyond that: if someone is trafficked and they make a report about what's happening to them, it can be taken seriously because sex work is considered a legitimate area and trafficking would be very much outside the laws related to sex work. Same thing with minors in the same situation: it’s outside the laws, so it’s a crime, but someone reporting it would not be held as a criminal themselves. Collateral damage.

To go back to Oregon for a minute: if you decriminalize possession of small amounts of drugs, are you going to stop drug deals altogether? No. Oregon knows that too. But you can assist the people who do use drugs when they come forward with information about, say, murders connected to drug deals. And you can also provide a means for them to leave their situation if they so choose. 

Yes, ACAB, but we can at least provide a measure of protection to people who need assistance. See how this works? If a sex worker knows about minors being abused or trafficking going on and they make a report about it, they themselves don't have to worry about getting caught up and charged for also being engaged in sex work.

More protection for more people.

Lastly, and this might make you mad, you can thank the US Conservatives for a lot of this.

It’s the good ol’ Moral Majority come back from the dead. Again.

Any time someone yells about pedophiles or trafficking, it gets everyone concerned--and rightly so. But the problem is that it immediately becomes "if you're not overtly against it, then you must be tacitly for it, so agree to this bill." And so, anyone who's progressive or vaguely left-leaning signs off on legislations or statements about how sex work is bad and sinful.

But in doing this one thing, the US Conservatives and especially the Conservative Evangelicals of the US, can then convince more and more people to sign off on a longer and longer list of laws or beliefs that the Conservative Evangelicals want to push through. That’s their goal: to push through their ideas of a Good and Wholesome Christian Nation, with all the white supremacy and misogyny and homophobia and transphobia that entails.

So you start off with the existing laws regarding sex work, then you start sliding into "all of these kinds of sex work are illegal" and then "all sex work is illegal" and then "all pornography of all kinds is banned" and then you start slipping into lawmaking like ending access to birth control (because that encourages casual sex) and ending the rights of LGBTQ people (because "perversion"). You've seen it before, you could see it again. (And yet we can't seem to get child marriage completely banned in the US. Funny how that works.)

I don't mean to "slippery slope" this stuff but, trust me, it seems bad now but it can get so much worse. And I hope it doesn’t get worse.

“If you’re a feminist, how can you be in favor of sex work?” Because sex work is work. And, if you look back through history, you’ll find that banning sex work and punishing sex workers didn’t make things better, it drove everything down deeper and made everything worse. Less safety, less security, more risk, more punishment.

It seems like a shallow version of feminism if all you’re doing is sneering at cis men and turning up your nose at sex workers. I think you ought to reexamine your beliefs.

[astonishinglegends]

Ep 209: The Phantom Horse of Greensboro

And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

– Revelation, Chapter 6, Verse 8, King James Version

Description:

Many of us have taken an adventurous expedition to check out some local, notorious spot to see if we could witness or sense some evidence of a past famous or infamous incident.  Most of the time, one only returns with a minor anecdote or pictures of an ordinary location bereft of anything noteworthy.  The more realistic purpose is not so much to find a ghoulish memento but to imagine what it must've been like to have been there when it happened.  But what if such an outing starts with strange coincidences and ends with the adventurers enduring a paranormal event seemingly unrelated to the original incident?  This is the sort of tale we'll hear from our good friend, graphic designer, and illustrator Tommy Beaver about the time some friends went to check out the scene of a horrific crime that happened in Summerfield, North Carolina, almost 13 miles northwest of Greensboro.  On June 3, 1985, the incident in question occurred when at the end of a murder spree and police pursuit, Fritz Klenner and his first cousin, lover, and accomplice, Susie Newsome Lynch, ended their standoff detonating a bomb in their Chevrolet Blazer.  Klenner and Lynch had blown themselves up along with Lynch's already deceased two sons who were in the vehicle rather than face arrest.  The site of this shocking finale was what the friends were hoping to explore, but their souvenir was an unsettling experience they'll never forget.  Strangely, a mysterious white horse suddenly appeared to encounter the group, except that this creature may not have been a horse at all.  Many people have claimed to see a spectral white horse, and the ancient Britons believed a sacred white horse was one's ride to the afterlife.  Yet these friends may forever wonder, as will we, what was the connection of this beast to the tragedy if there is one?  And if this wasn't a horse as we know it, what sort of monster haunts the location of one of North Carolina's most ghastly crimes?

Location:

The intersection of Strader Road & North Carolina State Road 150 in Summerfield, near where Fritz Klenner and Susie Newsom Lynch blew themselves up in their Chevy Blazer after a crime spree and police pursuit on June 3, 1985, and where Tommy’s friends saw the mysterious “horse.”

Location Video:

Reference Links:

Illustrator and Graphic Designer Tommy Beaver’s website, tommybeaverdesign.com

“Summerfield slaughter 30 years ago ended in deaths of couple, two sons” from the Greensboro News & Record

Bitter Blood: A True Story of Southern Family Pride, Madness, and Multiple Murder, a novel by Jerry Bledsoe, 1988

The púca, pooka, phouka of Irish/Celtic folklore

The kelpie of Scottish folklore

“Horses in Celtic Mythology” from Transceltic.com

“Have ghost HORSES been captured on video? Teenagers believe they spotted ethereal equine scene at one of Britain's most haunted sites” from DailyMail.co.uk

“Phantom Horses” on real-british-ghosts.com

Related Books:

Please help out our good friend Stan Gordon, by purchasing his books on Amazon and Barnes & Noble – you’re gonna love ‘em!

At Barnes & Noble:

Silent Invasion: The Pennsylvania UFO-Bigfoot Casebook

Astonishing Encounters: Pennsylvania’s Unknown Creatures, Casebook 3

Really Mysterious Pennsylvania: UFOs, Bigfoot, and Other Weird Encounters, Casebook 1

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Credits:

Episode 209: The Phantom Horse of Greensboro. Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees Wendel. Sound Design by Ryan McCullough; Tess Pfeifle, Producer, and Lead Researcher; Research Support from the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a.k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2021 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

[paulckrueger]

Dispute Your Overdraft Fee with This Exact Script (plus how to avoid fees in the future)

Banks like Bank of America, TD Bank, Citizens Bank, and Wells Fargo are notorious for overdraft fees, and it’s B.S. 

Luckily, you can get your overdraft fees waived (using a simple negotiation script that we’ll provide for you) and beat the banks at their own game.

First, let’s take a super quick look at how overdraft fees really work and break down the exact charges you can expect:

What is an overdraft fee?

An overdraft fee is a charge from your bank that occurs when you take more money out of your checking account than what is currently in there. 

Rather than simply decline a transaction for insufficient funds at the point of sale, a customer enrolled in their bank’s overdraft protection service will see the transaction approved. 

Wow, really? 

This can be a lifesaver in emergency situations when money is needed and there aren’t sufficient funds available in an account.

Most people just pay the overdraft fees without thinking twice about it. They reason that if the bank or credit union was nice enough to let the transaction sail through when it really shouldn’t have, then I’ll pay it, it is what it is. 

But overdraft fees are a big problem for several reasons. 

Though the fee will vary from bank to bank, here are overdraft fees from a few of the most popular banks as of 2021:

BANK     OVERDRAFT FEE

Chase. $34

Bank of America.   $35

Wells Fargo.  $35

US Bank.   $36

PNC Bank.   $36

Citibank.   $34

These fees might not seem that high for rare, accidental instances occurring just a few times per year. 

However, these fees can stack up — and fast (and the banks know it).

One surprising fact is that overdraft fees are incurred per transaction AND can be incurred multiple times in the same day, 

So, say you are out and about shopping and using the same debit card. All of the transactions are approved — but you are blissfully unaware that there were insufficient funds in your checking account. 

This means that you would be charged separate overdraft fees for all of the approved transactions. This could be hundreds of dollars in fees all on the same day. 

Luckily, you can negotiate to get overdraft fees waived if you have the right scripts. That’s why we want to show you exactly how you can get your overdraft fees waived with a simple phone call to your bank.

If you’re worried about your personal finances, you can improve them without even leaving your couch. Check out my Ultimate Guide to Personal Finance for tips you can implement TODAY.

How to get overdraft fees waived

Here’s a truth not a lot of people know: All bank fees are negotiable and can even be refunded.

Remember: Your bank wants to keep you as a customer. A well-executed phone call can often make a difference.

Call your bank and use this script

Here’s how I was able to waive an overdraft fee I got years ago: He called up his bank and the conversation went like this:

RAMIT: Hi, I just saw this bank charge for overdrafting and I’d like to have it waived.

BANK: I see that fee. Unfortunately, we’re not able to waive that fee. It was [some BS excuse about how it’s not waivable].

RAMIT: Well, I’ve been a good customer with the bank for X years now and would still like to get it waived since this is a rare occurrence. What else can you do to help me?

BANK: Hmm, one second sir. I see that you’re a really good customer. I’m going to check with my supervisor. Can you hold for a second?

[hold]

I was able to check with my supervisor and waive the fee. Is there anything else I can help you with today?

And just like that, he got my overdraft fee waived. This script works so well for a number of reasons:

I repeated my complaint and asked the bank rep how they could constructively help me.

I’ve been a loyal customer to the bank for many years, which you should always use to your advantage when calling to negotiate.

I was polite but firm. Nothing can force a negotiation to go sour faster than a bad attitude.

You can use this exact script in order to get yours waived too.

And it doesn’t just work for overdraft fees — you can use this for other bank fees too, like processing fees, monthly fees, late fees, and even ATM fees.

What do you do if the bank says no?

There is always the chance they still say no to your request — and that’s okay. When that happens, there are three options you can take:

Be persistent

Banks pay hundreds of dollars in customer-acquisition costs and don’t want to lose you. If you’re persistent enough and make it hard for them to say no, you’ll have the upper hand if they try to shoot you down.

Hang up and call again

Sometimes getting your fee waived is a matter of getting the right bank rep on the line. If the first bank rep keeps shutting you out, politely thank them for their time, hang up, and dial the number again.

Pay the fee

You’re not going to win all negotiations. Sometimes you’re going to have to just pay the fee. BUT if you have the right scripts and prepare, you can be infinitely more ready than you were before.

When it comes to overdraft fees though, the best system is the one where you don’t have to worry about them at all. That’s why we suggest learning how to avoid getting hit with overdraft fees entirely so you don’t have to concern yourself with negotiating them away after the fact. 

How to avoid future overdraft fees

Prevention is better than a cure. So rather than deal with the consequences of overdraft fees, avoid them entirely with these four methods.

1) Opt-out of overdraft protection

When you sign up for a checking account, many banks try to convince you to sign up for automatic overdraft protection. It’s the policy in which the bank will cover you when you overcharge on your debit card, but charge you the overdraft fee for the trouble.

However, if you choose to opt out of overdraft protection, your card will simply get declined every time you attempt to charge more money than you currently have in the account.

Sure, it might be embarrassing if you’re on a date and it turns out you can’t pay for dinner because your card got declined — but it can go a long way in saving you money on overdraft fees.

TIP: Thanks to banking regulations put in place in 2010, it is illegal for banks to automatically enroll customers in automatic overdraft protection. Banks must give customers a choice to accept or decline enrollment.

2) Utilize account transfers

Some banks offer an overdraft protection service that works by transferring money from another account to the one you’re trying to take money from.

This can be from another checking account, a savings account, or even a credit card (depending on what your bank offers).

For example, say you’re using your debit card to buy dinner. Your debit card is linked to your checking account, which doesn’t have enough money in it. If you have an account transfer set up, it’s okay! If you’ve depleted the money in your checking account, money will just be transferred from your savings to cover the costs.

NOTE: Some banks charge a small fee with this practice as well — though it’ll be much lower than an overdraft fee.

3) Try the envelope system

This is a great system to help you keep track of your expenses for anything.

And it’s simple: At the beginning of each month, you allocate cash for things like going out, groceries, gas, and whatever else into envelopes. Once you’ve spent the money in those envelopes, you’re done spending for the month.

Of course, if there’s an emergency you can definitely dip into other envelopes — but that only means you have less money to spend in those areas.

You can set up your envelope system in three steps:

Decide how much you want to spend in each major category each month.

Put money into each envelope (e.g., $200 for groceries, $150 for eating out, $60 for entertainment).

Spend the money — but when the envelopes are empty, that’s it for the month.

You don’t even need to use physical envelopes. You can track your spending with a separate bank account and debit card while opting out of overdraft protection.

When the month starts, transfer around $200 into the account — and when you go out, only spend that money. Once the money is gone, stop spending.

Whatever system you decide to use, you just need to make sure to decide how much you’re willing to spend in each category (and that’s all up to you).

4) Get a new checking account

One great way to avoid overdraft fees entirely is to get a checking account with a bank that doesn’t have them.

My favorite: Charles Schwab Investor Checking

A few highlights:

No fees

No minimums

No-fee overdraft protection

Free checks

Deposit checks via pre-paid envelopes or via iPhone app (snap photos of your check — no need to go into the branch)

An ATM card

Unlimited reimbursement of any ATM usage

That’s right. There’s no-fee overdraft protection AND unlimited ATM reimbursement.

How often do you go out with friends and have to withdraw money from out-of-network ATMs? How often do you find yourself at a cash-only taco place at 3:30 am, needing to withdraw $20, but you hesitate because of onerous ATM fees?

Those fees can add up, and Schwab reimburses you for all of them. If you rack up $200 worth of ATM fees in a month, you’ll see a $200 deposit from Schwab before the month ends. This means you can use ANY ATM — corner stores, other banks, whatever — without having to look for some specific bank’s ATM.

Some people will balk at using Schwab because it’s an online bank. That’s fine, but we urge you to reconsider: It’s rare to find a checking account that (1) avoids screwing you at every turn, and (2) actually rewards you for using them.

5) Use a payment app

One way to ensure that your checking account does not get overdrawn and that the account does not incur overdraft fees is to use a 3rd party payments app, such as PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, or CashApp, and to connect the app to your checking account. 

So, if you pay for something with the payment app, and there isn’t enough money in the bank account that the app is connected to, then the transaction simply doesn’t go through — no overdraft fees, no problem.

These payment apps are convenient for P2P — paying your bestie back for paying for your Uber home last night — but generally cannot be set up to pay for bills or for in-store shopping. Because of this, they are limited, but they can be a great way to avoid surprise overdraft fees. 

Master your personal finances

Once you learn how to avoid getting nickeled-and-dimed by your bank, you’ll be well on your way to living a Rich Life.

And you don’t need any fancy get rich quick schemes or snake oil. All you need is determination and the right systems put in place to help you get the most out of your financial situation and not have to worry about living “frugally” (aka sacrificing the things you love).

In our Ultimate Guide to Personal Finance, you’ll learn how to:

Master your 401k: Take advantage of the free money offered to you by your company … and get rich while doing it.

Manage Roth IRAs: Start saving for retirement in a worthwhile long-term investment account.

Automate your expenses: Take advantage of the wonderful magic of automation and make investing pain-free.

Enter your info below and get on your way to living a Rich Life today — and avoid overdraft fees forever.

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Dispute Your Overdraft Fee with This Exact Script (plus how to avoid fees in the future) is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

from Surety Bond Brokers? Business https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/get-bank-and-overdraft-fees-waived/

[potterotterdrafts]

A Bond to Remember-Updated 1/4/21

Stranger: (TW: Abuse mention) I need to apologize to you, Inspector. MH (O)

You: Whatever for?-GL

Stranger: Peter was rude to you. MH

Stranger: It was uncalled for and overly aggressive. MH

You: He's certainly not the first Alpha to shout profanities at me or accuse me of trying to steal his partner and I doubt he'll be the last in my line of work.-GL

Stranger: That doesn’t make it less worthy of an apology. MH

You: You're not the one who should be apologizing.-GL

Stranger: Perhaps not, but it is unlikely that Peter will admit his error. MH

You: Those types rarely see the error of their ways.-GL

Stranger: I suppose that is true. MH

You: How long has he been like that?-GL

Stranger: Stubborn and possessive? Always. MH

You: Does he abuse you?-GL

Stranger: I wouldn’t call it that. He disciplines me, certainly. I’m not a very well-behaved omega. MH

You: He's taught you that you need to be disciplined. He's given you a completely false idea of what a 'well-behaved' Omega is.-GL

Stranger: (...) He’s traditional. That is the reason my mother chose him. MH

You: It's an arranged bond?-GL

Stranger: Of course it is. I have nothing in common with Peter. I’d hardly choose him myself. MH

You: So why not leave?-GL

You: You've got enough money and power and connections.-GL

Stranger: I’m not certain I’m willing to risk his vengeance. He dislikes being crossed. MH

You: Couldn't you have him carted off to some island prison or something?-GL

Stranger: Not without cause. Despite what Sherlock may claim, I’m no supervillain. MH

Stranger: And as well, without sufficient reason, my petition for a bond scrubbing would likely be turned away. MH

You: Without sufficient reason? He's an abusive narsacist.-GL

Stranger: Narcissism, while irritating, is not considered valid grounds. And I would have to prove abuse. MH

Stranger: You needn’t concern yourself on my behalf. I’ve managed this long. MH

You: Then convince him you aren't worth the bond.-GL

Stranger: Why are you so concerned over this? MH

You: You wouldn't believe me if I told you.GL Doesn't really matter either. I just am.-GL

Stranger: I think you would find I am far more likely to believe the unexpected than you may believe. MH

Stranger: I am alright. He knows the risks of disciplining me too often or harshly. I am alright. MH

You: [delayed] I've been flirting with you for six months now and never worked out that you had an Alpha.-GL

Stranger: I...oh. MH

Stranger: Apologies. I didn’t mean to lead you on. MH

You: You didn't.-GL

You: You needed some positive attention in your life and I was more than happy to give it being the one to fancy you and all.-GL

Stranger: I should have told you. Warned you, I suppose. Mh

You: No, it's not your fault.-GL

You: I should have known you weren't available.-GL

Stranger: Still...I should have noticed. MH

You: I must be really bad at it. Certainly explains a lot.-GL

Stranger: Or I simply wasn’t paying attention. You’ve been very kind. MH

You: For whatever it's worth, I do care about you.-GL

Stranger: Thank you. MH

Stranger: I wish I had more to offer you than thanks. MH

You: You don't owe me anything more than that.-GL

Stranger: I know. But you’ve been terribly kind to me, and I appreciate it greatly. MH

You: I know you do. It's high time you got some appreciation.-GL

Stranger: I think most would disagree with you. MH

Stranger: I should let you go. I only meant to apologize for Peter, not take up so much of your day. MH

You: Take care, Mycroft.-GL

Stranger: You as well, Gregory. Let me know if there’s anything I can do for you. MH

You: I will. Same goes for you.-GL

Stranger: I’ll keep that in mind. MH

Stranger: ((Several weeks later)) Has Sherlock contacted you today? MH

You: He's been yelling about a case all morning, why?-GL

Stranger: There was an incident, I’m at the hospital. I didn’t want him exaggerating. MH

You: What happened? Are you alright?-GL

Stranger: I will be fine. I had an altercation with Peter. MH

Stranger: He discovered I’m pregnant, despite my best efforts, and he did not take it well. MH

You: Is the baby alright?-GL

Stranger: The doctors seem to think so, though they advise I rest for a few days. MH

You: That's good to hear. I'm glad you're both well.-GL Do you need anything?-GL

Stranger: Not at the moment. I simply wanted to ensure you weren’t given a false version of the story, and to warn you. MH

Stranger: Peter seems to believe the pup is yours, despite the fact that he has hardly been celibate. MH

Stranger: If he makes bail, he may try to seek you out. MH

You: Oh I can't wait to chat with him. Thanks for the heads up.-GL

You: (brb)

Stranger: Please be careful. I would hate to see you injured because of me. MH

You: It wouldn't be because of you. Your Alpha is free to make his own choices, Mycroft.-GL

Stranger: Yes, but the fact that he thinks /I/ am sleeping with you will influence those choices. MH

Stranger: Please, just take care. I know you are capable, but Peter is a brute when he’s angry. MH

You: I promise to be careful.-GL

Stranger: Thank you. MH

You: {A few days later.} How are you feeling?-GL

Stranger: Nauseous and a bit tired, but that is apparently normal. MH

Stranger: Healing well. They’ve moved me to a safe house until they locate Peter. MH

You: I've heard morning sickness can be a horrible thing to go through. Glad to hear you're healing well though.-GL And that you're safe.-GL I've got some good news for you. I know where Peter is.-GL

Stranger: You do? Where? MH

You: My flat.-GL

Stranger: (Delay) Why is he at your flat? MH

You: You were right about him coming to find me.-GL He came to rough me up a bit. Succeeded too.-GL

Stranger: Oh dear. MH

Stranger: Are you alright? MH

You: Yeah, I'm fine. Got one hell of a black eye, swollen and split lip and a broken hand.-GL

Stranger: My apologies. MH

Stranger: And...he’s still there? MH

You: Being looked over as we speak.-GL

Stranger: Oh. MH

Stranger: I will have Anthea send someone to collect him. MH

You: The police are already here. I'm pressing charges.-GL

Stranger: Alright then. MH

You: I should tell you too that I may have said some things because I was angry with him.-GL

Stranger: What sort of things? MH

You: [delayed] Other than that I thought he was a worthless Alpha and a disgrace to our kind I told him that the pup you carry probably is mine.-GL

You: And that I was going to take you for myself.-GL

Stranger: (Delay) Were you trying to enrage him? I’m amazed you only ended up with a broken hand and black eye. MH

You: I may have wanted an excuse to hit him, yes.-GL

You: Would you be upset if I told you that hand wasn't the worst of it?-GL

Stranger: What was the worst of it? MH

You: I may or may not have gotten clipped.-GL

Stranger: Clipped? By what? MH

You: A bullet to the side.-GL

You: Just above my old scar.-GL

Stranger: Oh, Gregory...you ought to see a doctor. MH

Stranger: You shouldn’t have antagonized him. Now you’re injured. MH

You: Don't worry. I'll go to the hospital in a bit. I've got patched up for the moment.-GL

You: He deserved it, Myc.-GL

Stranger: But was if necessary for you to be injured over it? MH

You: Comes with the territory, I suppose.-GL

Stranger: I’ll make sure you have adequate leave to heal. MH

Stranger: ((BRB))

You: You'll make sure to stay away from Peter.-GL

You: You deserve better than him, Myc, you and the pup do._GL

Stranger: The pup does, at least. MH

Stranger: I imagine Anthea will make me stay here until he is charged and remanded. MH

You: You do too, Mycroft. Absolutely.-GL

You: You should listen to Anthea.-GL

Stranger: I do listen to her. MH

Stranger: Take care of yourself, Gregory. You’ve been shot; you shouldn’t waste time on me. MH

You: It's not a waste. Never a waste.-GL

You: I'd get shot again for you if it came to that.-GL

Stranger: Perish the thought. MH

Stranger: (...)How badly were you ‘clipped’? MH

Stranger: Be truthful. MH

You: There was a lot of blood.-GL

You: Won't know until the doctor looks me over.-GL We're almost to the hospital.-GL

Stranger: Rather more than clipped, it seems. MH

Stranger: Keep me updated if you can. MH

Stranger: I’m sorry this has happened. MH

You: No more apologies from you until you're the person who fires the gun, yes?-GL

Stranger: You have to admit, this is at least partially my fault. It is because of me that he came after you. MH

You: [delayed] It's because I got too friendly with you. I care about you too much.-GL

Stranger: It’s because I didn’t alert you to the fact that I was bonded. MH

You: Wish you weren't.-GL

Stranger: (Delay) I’m sorry. MH

You: Not your fault.-GL Hopefully now you can get rid of Peter.-GL

Stranger: That is my hope. I only hope they won’t keep me from scrubbing the bond because of the pup. It can be rough on them. MH

You: I'll help as much as I can.-GL

Stranger: You will rest and heal. I suspect you’re injured more than you’re telling me. MH

You: Don't want to worry you.-GL

Stranger: I am already worried for you. MH

You: Then stop. I'll be fine.-GL

Stranger: Let me know once they tell you how long you will need to heal. MH

You: Promise.-GL

Stranger: Thank you. MH

You: [A week later] Got released today. All in one piece.-GL

Stranger: That is a relief. MH

Stranger: Are you able to manage things for yourself, or would assistance be better? MH

You: I'm sure it'll just be me in my flat doing more sleeping than anything else while I'm on these pain pills.-GL

Stranger: I could arrange for meals and a cleaning service if it would help. I owe you a great deal. MH

You: You spoil me.-GL

Stranger: It seems the least I can do. MH

You: I distinctly remember telling you to take care of yourself and your pup. Not to take care of me.-GL

Stranger: I can do more than one thing, you know. MH

Stranger: Besides, I’m terribly stubborn. You already knew that. MH

You: Yeah, yeah, I know.-GL

You: You're still alright though, yes?-GL

Stranger: I am fine, Gregory. My injuries are nearly completely healed. Just a bit of tenderness in my ribs. MH

You: That makes me feel better.-GL

Stranger: I wouldn’t ignore your concerns. MH

You: I know.-GL

You: I'd like to visit you.-GL

Stranger: I’m not sure you’re in good enough health to be visiting people, Gregory. MH

Stranger: Perhaps Anthea would allow me to visit you, though. MH

You: No, I know. It's home for me.-GL

Stranger: You /were/ shot, after all. MH

You: It's hardly the first time that's happened.-GL

Stranger: That is not the reassurance you think it is, Gregory. MH

Stranger: (Delay) Is tomorrow evening acceptable? I can bring you supper. MH

You: Are you sure it's alright that you come and visit me?-GL

Stranger: Peter is in jail awaiting his trial, and my morning sickness has lessened. I will be fine, Gregory. MH

You: Tomorrow's fine then.-GL

Stranger: Alright, thank you. MH

Stranger: What would you like for dinner? MH

You: How's thai?-GL

Stranger: Sounds excellent. MH

You: I look forward to seeing you.-GL

Stranger: As do I. I don’t trust you to be honest about your injuries with me. I want to check for myself. MH

You: Lucky for you, I'm too tired and medicated to argue.-GL

Stranger: I would prefer you not be injured. Then you wouldn’t need medication. MH

You: I just didn't see the gun, that's all.-GL

You: Got to keep a better eye out.-GL

Stranger: (Delay) I am glad your injuries weren’t worse. You took a great risk, antagonizing him. MH

You: I know, you've said.-GL

Stranger: I appreciate your intentions, though they were perhaps reckless. Your life is worth more than an excuse to hit Peter, Gregory. MH

You: He deserved it.-GL

Stranger: Apparently he plans to kill us both if he gets out. MH

You: I won't let him hurt you again.-GL

Stranger: You’re very determined. It’s unlikely he’ll get away; you can rest. MH

You: Sorry.-GL

Stranger: You needn’t apologize. MH

Stranger: I simply don’t want you to worry unnecessarily. MH

You: I always worry about you.-GL

Stranger: (...) I know. MH

You: As long as you know.-GL

Stranger: I don’t quite understand it, but I appreciate it. MH

You: Probably for the best.-GL

You: I'll see you later, Mycroft.-GL

Stranger: Of course. I look forward to it. MH

Stranger: ((Paras? I can start))

You: (sure, I'm down!)

Stranger: Mycroft arrived at Greg’s the next evening just after 6, not wanting to keep the recovering man up too late in case he was exhausted. He carried a bag with their dinner in one hand, and a folded blanket under his arm, and he’d dressed more casually in honor of the occasion. He rang the doorbell, shifting nervously from foot to foot. He hadn’t seen Greg face to face in ages, since the night Peter first yelled at the other Alpha, and he was nervous about facing him.

You: Greg had spent most of the day sleeping in his bed, trying his best to manage the pain. That fight with Peter had been quite a tussel. Mycroft spoke the truth when he mentioned how brutish the other Alpha could be when agitated. Greg wasn't a young Alpha any longer and hadn't been in a true fist fight in years so Peter certainly took the upper hand for most of their sparing. By the time Mycroft asked to visit him his eye had opened up a bit but was still a dark purplish red and swollen. His lip was nearly back to normal (minus the cut), his hand and most of his forearm were in a cast, and his side was bandaged up from surgery under his shirt. He was slow on his way to the front door of his flat, holding a hand carefully over the bandage. "Hey..." He smiled at the man. "Come in..."

Stranger: Mycroft frowned when he saw the injured eye and the way Greg held his own side. “Good evening Gregory.” He said quietly, stepping inside, “We should get you settled, on the sofa perhaps? I know you’re not meant to be doing much yet.” He turned, offering his free arm to Greg. “I’ve brought you a blanket; I’m sir you have some already, but Anthea mentioned you were a big cold in hospital. I thought it might help.” He bit his lip, lapsing into silence as he watched the man uncertainly.

You: Greg closed the door behind Mycroft. "I just answered the door. I haven't run a marathon," he promised, slipping his arm through Mycroft's. "It was because of the blood loss..." he explained. "And because they always tend to keep the rooms cold to cut down on chances of infection and diseases, viruses, etc from spreading....sofa sounds good. I've been in bed most of the day except when I fixed myself some breakfast earlier...." Greg led them into the small living room and sat down on the sofa. "You look well. Lovely really. How far along are you?"

Stranger: Mycroft nodded, setting the blanket beside Greg and placing the bag of food on the table before sitting on the opposite side of the sofa. “Thank you. The doctor says I am just over 3 months.” He glanced at Greg, trying to read signs of the man’s condition in his movements and facial expressions, uncertain of how honest the man would be about his pain or exhaustion. “I did my best to get the food items I know you favor.” He remarked, “May I serve you some food?”

You: "You've got some time to go then. That's good. Gives you a chance to get through a trial and set up the nursery...." Greg nodded. "It smells great, I'm sure whatever you got will be just fine. I'm not really that picky about food. I'm a simple man to please, Mycroft." Greg pulled the blanket over his lap as he stretched his legs out in front of him. It smelled very much like Mycroft which he appreciated more than he should have. "I'm glad you came by."

Stranger: “I know you aren’t, Gregory. But if you’re going to have to host while you’re injured, the least I can do is make sure you have a meal you enjoy.” Mycroft smiled a bit, fixing Greg’s plate for him. “It gives me time to move as well. I don’t think I can continue living at the house, and my uncle left me a flat that has two bedrooms. It’s small, but that will make it easier for my security team to cover.”

You: Greg leaned forward and took the offered plate before Mycroft could offer anything as silly as hand feeding him. "You keep saying that everything is the least you can do. I wish you would stop. Peter's done such a number on you, Mycroft, he's got you thinking that you owe Alphas something. You don't owe any of us anything, yes? Even with the way I look. I was defending myself from the choices Peter made. You didn't force him to find me, you didn't pull the trigger of his gun. This was all him. I invited you here because I wanted to see you. It's been so long since we...just got to chat. I didn't invite you over here to make you feel guilty about this..." he waved his cast over himself.

You: (I have to run grab some dinner. I totally understand if you can't stick around. I'll save the log so we can pick up, if you'd like)

Stranger: ((I can stick around. I’m not doing anything else, lol))

You: (I'll be as quick as I can)

Stranger: Mycroft stiffened, nodding as he retreated to the other end of the sofa with his own food. “It’s not because I feel like I owe you. I do owe you a great deal, whether you are willing to acknowledge that or not, but it’s not the reason. You’re not making me feel guilty either. I consider you a friend, Gregory, and you’ve been harmed. It’s not unheard of to are for one’s friends when they are ill or injured.”

Stranger: *to care for

You: (Hi, sorry)

Stranger: ((No problem :) ))

You: "Well, that's a relief," Greg said. He didn't like the way Mycroft recoiled and moved himself to the other end of the sofa but that was something they could work on over time. Over dinner, Greg kept the conversation a bit lighter asking after Sherlock and John and any word of the world he'd missed over the last week. He asked about the pup and how excited Mycroft was to welcome a little one. He leaned forward and set his empty plate on the coffee table.

Stranger: Mycroft answered the questions, eating slowly and keeping an eye on Greg to make sure he wasn’t overtired. He avoided the question about being excited to a pup, redirecting to a question about Greg possibly returning to desk work in a couple of weeks. He eventually set his plate down as well, though he hadn’t finished his meal. “I’m glad you’re out of the hospital. You had us all worried.”

You: "If by worried you mean that Sherlock had a meltdown because he thought I'd die and leave him alone with no interesting cases, sure. He's going to have a rough few months...." Greg scrunched up his nose at the thought of desk work. "I'm scheduled to be out for about six weeks if everything heals up properly....then it'll be another six weeks on desk duty. Sounds boring even for me..." Greg noticed how Mycroft avoided certain questions and didn't finish his food which worried the Alpha. "Mycroft?" he asked. "Is something wrong? You barely touched your dinner and you don't seem...happy for the pup...you know there are options for you, right?"

Stranger: Mycroft shrugged. “I haven’t been terribly hungry lately.” He admitted, “The morning sickness is abating, but my appetite hasn’t returned yet.” He looked at Greg, shaking his head. “I can’t bring myself to get rid of the pup, even though it is Peter’s. I simply...I worry. I wonder if I can actually be the parent they deserve, or if I’ll even make it to term. I’m rather old for a first pup, and there is potential for issues with the bond scrubbing.”

You: Greg nodded in understanding. "I think you'll make a wonderful mum." Greg was absolutely positive of it. "You're a brilliant man, Mycroft. You may show a rather cold and aloof front to the world but it's not truly who you are. You care deeply for those around you...just look at all this..." he motioned to the dinner, the blankets, himself. "You left your safehouse to come and fuss over me for a little while..." he held up his hand. "You've been eyeing me all evening. I know you're over there trying to figure out if I've given you all the information on my own injuries truthfully. You're trying to monitor me for signs of pain, discomfort and exhaustion...." he hesitated a moment before continuing. "If you got the bond with Peter scrubbed would it be helpful to have someone else to bond with?"

Stranger: “After being stuck in hospital for a week, I’d say you’re due some fuss.” Mycroft replied, “I apologize; I’m used to keeping an eye on things, making sure I don’t overdo things if I’m injured. It’s become second nature to keep an eye on others as well.” He shifted, giving a tiny, humorless smile. “I imagine it would, to keep the hormones from surging and to protect the pup. But...I’m hardly a catch. I suppose I could put an ad in the paper; one somewhat used omega with pup, will pay well.”

You: Greg was quiet for a beat on his end of the sofa. "Or you could just use me." Greg was certain the response from Mycroft would be timid and include the phrase 'That's very kind of you, Gregory, but I couldn't impose'. No matter how often you told the man that he wasn't an imposition or a bother or any other word he never listened. Years of being brainwashed into thinking he wasn't a catch or important enough or worthy enough of basic, decent human rights had taken their toll. Mycroft was fierce in his professional life but his personal life was wracked with low self-esteem and very little confidence. "No pay required."

Stranger: Mycroft shifted, staying silent for several long moments before speaking again. “I dislike the idea of taking advantage of you, Gregory.” He said, “Are you certain you wouldn’t accept some form of payment? It’s a rather involved undertaking, after all. It’s likely you would need to cohabitate with me for at least some of the pregnancy. I know you value your privacy.”

You: "I fail to see how my offering to bond with you is you taking advantage of me." It was absurd to think that Greg would offer something so...heavy if he didn't want to assist. "God forbid we live together...it's not like I'd come barging in and demand you sleep in my bed with me or wait on me hand and foot. I like my space, yeah, but you've never invaded it...at least not to my knowledge...take Sherlock for instance...he breaks into my flat all the time, reads my emails....that's an invasion in privacy. Living with you to help ensure you and your pup are healthy, helping to set up the nursery, maybe getting to fuss over /you/ a bit is not that."

Stranger: “I try not to overstep.” He replied, “Sherlock is far less caring about other’s spaces.” Mycroft flushed, twisting his hands together in his lap. “I appreciate the offer.” He said after a short time, “And I’ll gladly take you up on it. It will be easier, with someone I trust. Someone I know isn’t trying to turn a difficult situation to their advantage.”

You: Greg held out his unharmed hand to the man. "Whatever you need...whenever you need it...well, as soon as I can behind over and start to lift things again. Then I'm you're guy.." He gave Mycroft's hand a squeeze. "We'll get through it. I'm pretty easy going for being so high maintenance..." he chuckled softly. Greg leaned his head back on the sofa as he looked over at Mycroft. "I'm glad you're here."

Stranger: Mycroft took the offered hand uncertainly, relaxing when Greg squeezed it. “No lifting until you are fully healed.” He admonished gently, shifting closer and patting Greg’s knee lightly. “I was pleased to be able to visit. To ensure for myself that you will be alright. I was quite worried, you know.” He relaxed a bit, though his free hand fiddled with the hen of his jumper. “You might regret offering yourself so freely, Gregory. You may find yourself underestimating how clingy I may become. I’ve never carried a pup more than a few weeks. Who knows what is to come?”

You: Greg chuckled softly as he stared at Mycroft. "You underestimate how much I enjoy being in a relationship with someone who likes to clingy. It's about so much more than sex, you know? It's about being...at ease, comfortable with your partner. It's about being able to come home after a long day of work and just stretching out on the sofa together. It's about being able to connect with another person equally. I won't regret offering myself up so freely, Mycroft. When I said that I cared for you I meant it. I do. A lot, yes?" Greg brushed his thumb over Mycroft's hand. "Whatever happens I'm right here. We'll get through this together."

Stranger: Mycroft nodded, glancing away and then back to Greg. “I will do my best to ensure you aren’t deprived of the connection you want.” He looked at the place where their hands met, wondering if he should bring up sex, now that Greg had mentioned it. It seemed unlikely that the Alpha wouldn’t expect at least /something/, but if he could avoid the potential embarrassment of the conversation, he was going to. “You’re very kind.” He remarked, “Being here for me. I appreciate it. And...I care for you, too. I don’t want you to think I’m just trying to do this for the pup. I do enjoy your company.”

You: "Don't take that to mean I demand it." He reiterated. " I want you to have what you need just as much if not more, yeah? You might absolutely hate quiet nights on the sofa. That's fine. You might hate cuddling, that's fine too. My offering and agreeing to bond with you is not my wanting you to enter into another contract that you have no say in. The only thing I ask is that you communicate with me. More than this..." he held up their still laced fingers then motioned to the dinner in front of them. "You won't be depriving me of anything because I'll be getting just as much our of this, yeah? I'll be getting your company....I'll be hopefully getting to participate a bit in your pregnancy and seeing the little one...maybe a few midnight feedings. It's not a prison sentence for me and I don't want it to be for you either."

Stranger: Mycroft nodded, biting his lip. “I understand.” He replied, “I cannot promise I will always be the most effective at communicating my needs, but I will do my best not to hide them from you. This is...it’s very different for me.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve always been rather a disappointment. Too stubborn and outspoken for my mother, a poor example of a ‘proper’ traditional omega. Even my attempts at behaving simply seemed to make Peter angrier.” He shifted. “I know you are not like either of them, that you don’t expect subservience from me, but if there is something you want of that I ought to be doing, I would appreciate it if you let me know instead of keeping quiet until you’re upset with me. This is meant of be a partnership of sorts, yes?”

Stranger: *meant to be

You: Greg nodded. "You've got that right...not letting things build up and having those open lines of communication make up a healthy partnership." Greg held Mycroft's hand, watching him for a bit longer. "It's getting late, you know, and I shouldn't keep you out too long. Anthea'll come over and finish the job. She's quite protective of you, you know? Not that I blame her any..." Greg didn't want Mycroft to leave. He didn't want to stop their little date or whatever this was but he knew it was best. They both needed rest and Greg needed to take his medication again."

Stranger: “She would not dare harm you.” Mycroft replied, “She’s still breaking into giggles over you telling Peter the pup was yours.” He smiled reluctantly, “We both need rest, I suspect. Who knew growing a pup would destroy my ability to stay up late?” He stood slowly, “Can I do anything to help you? I don’t want you to overtire and pass out while trying to collect what you need for bed. After all, I’m more healed than you are, and I wasn’t shot either.”

You: Greg blushed at that. "I said a lot of things to him that I probably shouldn't have...including that but I just...I saw red as soon as he started in on you and I couldn't control it...." Greg shook his head. "No, no. I'll be fine. I'll just go in to take my medication and then I'll hobble to my bed and wrap up in this lovely blanket of yours." With some effort Greg was able to pull himself off the sofa. "You've been through a lot too, Mycroft, don't discount your own experiences just because you're more healed than me. You've had years of abuse. It's not going away over night." Greg walked with Mycroft to the front door. "Be careful going home. Text me when you get back to your flat, yes? Or I'll be up all night worrying."

Stranger: “Ah, yes. What was it? You were going to take me for yourself?” He smiled a bit, “More apt than you perhaps knew at the time.” He walked close to Greg, watching the man. “I must warn you, if you’re going to explode every time someone calls me a whore, I fear for your knuckles.” He nodded, reaching out to squeeze Greg’s shoulder. “Of course I will. And you are not to overwork yourself. I’ll arrange for meals to be dropped off. You get all the rest you need while you are healing.”

You: "Not everyone that calls you a whore has been physically, mentally and verbally abusive to you, Mycroft. It's much different with Peter." And it always would be. Greg would happily take a hundred bullets and a thousand punches if it meant that Mycroft would be safe. "Promise." He opened the door for Mycroft. "Night, Mycroft." He waited at the door until Mycroft disappeared into his waiting car downstairs.

Stranger: “Good night, Gregory.” Mycroft spent the trip home thinking about the discussion they’d had and the decision that had been made. It would take some work, but he could make space for Greg in the flat, as well as himself and the pup. His stomach clenched as he glossed over the awareness that Greg would likely leave once the pup was born and they were settled. As would be his right; Mycroft had no right to the Alpha, no matter how fond he was of Greg. When he arrived home, he texted Greg, not wanting him to worry. /Home safe. Pleasant dreams. MH/

You: Greg waited for Mycroft's message to come through before he took his medication and headed off to bed, having cleaned up their dinner in the living room. Over the next few weeks, Greg did his best to rest and not overdo things but he did eventually start cleaning up his flat in anticipation of a move. He figured he'd keep it for when Mycroft didn't need him around as much but he hoped that he wouldn't need to use it all that often. Mycroft visited a few more times and each time Greg hated having to watch him leave again. It was usually dinner and a bit of watching television or talking or just sitting together while Mycroft worked on his mobile.

Stranger: It took nearly six more weeks to get approval for his divorce and bond scrubbing, and each day that passed had left Mycroft more anxious and uncertain. He enjoyed spending time with Gregory, growing closer to the man, but he was worried that he couldn’t provide enough to make Greg’s offer of bonding worth it to the Alpha. The day finally came, though, and he spent the morning in the courthouse, signing paperwork and being injected with the chemicals to scrub the bond. By afternoon he felt a bit lightheaded and overwhelmed emotionally, both expected side effects. He texted Greg around 4 from work. /Are we still on for tonight? MH/

You: Of course. I want to hear all about what happened today. I've got all the stuff to cook a celebratory dinner.-GL Greg had been a nervous wreck the entire day waiting for some sort of sign that things had gone well at the last hearing. He was worried about what the bond scrubbing might do to Mycroft and the pup. He worried about how Mycroft would feel during their evening. Would he change his mind now that he was finally free of an Alpha? Greg wouldn't be upset if that was the case. Mycroft deserved some freedom after having been tied to someone else for so long.

Stranger: /I’m afraid it isn’t the epic tale you are hoping for. MH/ Mycroft arrived at Greg’s door that evening, carrying a bottle of wine for the man, as well as a bag with their dessert in it. Now that Greg no longer had to take painkillers, he suspected the Alpha might enjoy the chance to have a drink. He rang the doorbell, smiling a bit to himself as he waited.

You: Greg answered the door nearly immediately having been pacing around his tiny flat waiting. He smiled wildly seeing Mycroft. "Come in. Come in..." he stepped aside and took the items Mycroft was carrying. "Dinner shouldn't be long." Greg had healed up nicely now able to move around better and able to do more things without getting completely winded. He was still instructed to take it easy which meant that he started desk duty the following week. "How are you feeling? Excited to have everything behind you?"

Stranger: Mycroft followed Greg to the kitchen, sitting at the table and folding his hands. “I feel a bit off-kilter. Between the pregnancy hormones and the after-effects of the shot, I’m not sure if I want to cry or shout.” He smiled a bit, “It is a relief to know I am no longer connected to Peter by law or biology.” He rubbed at the base of his neck. “The doctor who administered the shot suggested that if we plan to go through with a bond, we do it within 48 hours, to lessen the possible risk to the pup.” He shifted. “I apologize. I know we thought we might have more time to plan.”

You: Greg was working at the oven when Mycroft mentioned the deadline for starting their bond. He set down the spoon he was using to stir the pot and turned to the man. "Are you sure you still want to bond?" he asked. "Now that you've finally got your freedom it might not seem so lovely to immediately have to be bonded off to another Alpha....not that I've changed my mind just so we're clear. I still want to do whatever is needed to make sure you and the pup are healthy...I just..." Greg shook his head for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "I've just been thinking about that a lot today."

Stranger: Mycroft shifted, resting a hand against the swell of his stomach. “I’m sure.” He said, “I...I cannot risk my pup’s life over something as trivial as the idea of freedom. I have not been free since I presented, Gregory. I’m not unhappy with the idea of being bonded to you. You’re very kind, very considerate. I trust you not to force me into an uncomfortable position.” He looked across at Greg. “I am willing to do anything to protect my child, and there are thousands of things more trying or unlovely than being bonded to you.”

You: Greg raked a hand through his hair. "Yeah, right. Good. That's good. We'll bond then. Whenever you're...ready." He wasn't exactly sure how the bond was going to work since Mycroft was already pregnant. It wasn't like they were going to share a heat together. It wasn't like they were going to be...overly intimate in any way. Greg imagined it would end up being more of a business transaction. He'd mark the Omega, they'd shake hands and Mycroft would leave. Christ, he hoped it wouldn't be like that.

Stranger: “It is not too late for you to change your mind, Gregory.” Mycroft said quietly, “I would not hold it against you. This is highly unusual, and I don’t want you to feel obligated because of our friendship or fondness for one another.” He looked at his hands, biting his lip. He desperately didn’t want Greg to change his mind, but he would feel wro mg if he didn’t offer the option.

You: Greg pushed away from the stove and padded over to where Mycroft was fretting at the kitchen table. "Hey..." He reached out and put two fingers under Mycroft's chin. "Myc, look at me..." he said quietly. "I'm not going to change my mind....I promise. I'm here for the long haul...I'm here until you don't need me anymore, yes? Whether that means that we scrub right after the pup's born or we wait until they leave for school or we...decide we like each other well enough to stay bonded...I'm not going anywhere."

Stranger: Mycroft blinked, looking back at Greg. “Very well.” He said, nodding a bit, “Thank you. I appreciate that, Gregory, more than I can say.” He shivered a bit under the intensity of Greg’s gaze. “Could we...after dinner, perhaps? I had my schedule cleared for tomorrow. I was not sure what might happen.”

You: Greg nodded. "I cleaned up my bedroom so that we could stretch out just in case we needed to. I read that sometimes those drugs they give you can make some Omegas nauseous or ill. And I thought since you still sometimes had a bit of an upset stomach with the hormones that being somewhere my scent is strongest would help with...everything. Or we could stay in the living room. Whereever you want..." he promised. Greg finished dinner and plated their food returning some time later to sit down across from Mycroft.

Stranger: “You’re very considerate, Gregory.” Mycroft smiled a bit, “That is extremely thoughtful. I’m sure your bedroom will do nicely. I cannot promise to be entirely calm or collected; it’s been 15 years since my first bond, and it wasn’t exactly a fairytale.” He shook his head. “That doesn’t matter. This meal looks incredible, Gregory. Thank you for this.” He smiled at the man, lifting his water glass in a toast to the Alpha.

You: "Well, I wasn't sure what type of fairy tale you were looking for with me as your prince charming so I didn't stuff my room with candles and flowers or anything...next time though. I'll have my stuff together a bit more." Greg picked up his own water glass and toasted the end of Mycroft's trial. "I'm saving the wine for a special occasion," he promised. "I hate to be the only one drinking and anyway tonight's...special." Greg relaxed a bit as Mycroft looked more settled during dinner. It was a nerve wracking situation for anyone but for them it seemed to be a hundred times worse. Not knowing what to expect didn't help things either. Greg only wanted Mycroft and the pup to be healthy after the bond was formed.

Stranger: Mycroft snickered. “Flowers and candles are unnecessary. I’m a grown man; I much prefer you on your own merits, Gregory. And you have many.” He smiled as they ate and chatted idly, enjoying the quiet mealtime with Greg as he often did. “Are you looking forward to getting back to the office?” He asked, “I’m sure O could arrange for a bouquet to celebrate your new attachment, if you think your team might approve.”

You: Greg nodded. "Definitely looking forward to getting back to work and a routine, you know? Though the time off has been nice lately....I started to get a bit bored not getting yelled at by your brother every day or being able to run through the rain and muck around the city. These dinners were really the highlight of my time off. Always gave me something nice to look forward to..." he chuckled at the mention of a bouquet. "They wouldn't know what to think. Can you imagine everyone finding out that we'd actually bonded. They might start believing that the pup really is mine."

Stranger: “Best not then. I don’t want them thinking poorly of you.” He stirred his fork across his plate slowly, focusing on the path. “I’ve made it known among my staff that you did not father my pup, and that you never behaved inappropriately. Only those who were privy to what you said to Peter, of course. You’re an honorable man, and I won’t have them saying otherwise, even in jest.” He glanced up at Greg. “What you choose to tell your colleagues is up to you, of course.”

You: "I wasn't planning to tell anyone because I thought it might look poorly on you. Implications of an affair, of carrying another man's pup while you were still bonded, a quickie second bond to keep things...safe...It didn't seem like it could do anything but slander your name." When they'd finished dinner Greg cleared the table and put the leftovers away. He left some of the pots to soak but washed the plates and cups they'd used. "Do you want dessert?" he asked Mycroft.

Stranger: Mycroft shook his head. “Best not. I’m unsettled enough without adding sugar on top.” He smiled a bit, “Feel free though. I brought that fruit tart you liked. I thought you might like something special, since this is a rather momentous occasion. Second bonds and all that.”

You: "I'll eat the whole thing if we aren't careful. It's absolutely delicious...I blame you completely for turning me on to that bakery." he teased gently. "I'll have some after we...you know..." he dried his hands off and made his way over to where Mycroft set. "Do you want to go and lay down for a bit before we bond? Not sure how nervous you are about the whole thing but I'm...downright scared."

Stranger: Mycroft’s shoulders relaxed and he nodded gratefully. “That would be appreciated. I’m extremely nervous. Logically I know you will not do anything to harm me or force me, but my brain seems intent on considering the worst that could happen.” He stood, slipping his fingers into Greg’s hand and squeezing lightly. “Lead the way. It is your room, after all.”

You: "You've had years of nothing but worst case scenario..." Greg reminded him as their fingers were laced together. "It's normal." He led them out of the kitchen and down the hall to his bedroom. He turned on the bedside lamp and motioned for Mycroft to pick a side. "I usually fall asleep on the sofa and then end up in the middle of the bed so I don't really have a dedicated side or anything." Greg let go of Mycroft's hand so that he could take off his jumper, struggling to get it over the cast that he was stuck with. "Not taking off anything else just didn't want to overheat or anything."

Stranger: “You’ll enjoy the bed at the flat then.” Mycroft smiled, “It was my uncle’s and it is rather enormous. Plenty of space for you to sprawl out if you wish.” He removed his own jumper and necktie, undoing the top two buttons of his shirt to bare his neck. No need to fumble with clothing later and spoil the moment. He laid on his side, watching Greg with a soft smile. “I suppose I needn’t worry. You’ll have trouble grabbing me with one hand.” His tone was light, clearly meant to put Greg at ease.

You: "I can't tell you how ready I am to have this thing gone.." he waved the cast around. "Do you know how unbelievably difficult it is to shower properly with a trash bag over your arm? Doc said I've got at least another three weeks before we can look at having it removed and even then I'll probably have to wear some sort of brace or wrap for a while after that...." Greg shook his head when Mycroft mentioned being grabbed. "I'm not a really handsy person like that..." he promised, getting into bed next to Mycroft. "I do like the touching and kissing and stuff but....I mind my manners."

You: (brb)

Stranger: “I never really suspected otherwise.” Mycroft murmured, “You’re a gentleman, Gregory. I know that.” He shifted, reaching out and resting his hand against Greg’s upper arm. “What qualifies as stuff?” He asked, voice full of humor, “Kissing, touching...is stuff the part where you eat crackers in bed and I decide if that’s something I can live with?” He bit his lip, smiling. “Your poor arm. Sacrificed to break Peter’s nose. A noble cause.”

You: Greg smiled over at Mycroft, chuckling. "I may or may not eat a biscuit or two in bed some times, yes...there's a lot of 'stuff' I like to do in bed...like sleeping or answering emails....working on cases...and some other things when the mood strikes. I can keep the biscuits out of bed though. Wouldn't want that to be what ends our relationship. You're not worth risking just for some biscuits." He nodded. "Does it qualify as prince charming material?"

Stranger: “It wouldn’t be. You’re welcome to eat biscuits if you like. I’ve dealt with far worse, and I wouldn’t want you to waste away.” He smiled, fingers stroking against Greg’s arm lightly. “It definitely qualifies. I’ll have your crown ordered immediately.” He sighed, shuffling a bit closer to Greg. “We haven’t talked much about...intimacy.” He finally murmured, “I suppose we ought to cover our bases before bonding.”

You: "I get to bond Mycroft Holmes and I get a crown?" he said absolutely elated. "I've really got the best part of this deal. All you get is a soppy, gray haired DI. Sure you don't want out before it's too late?" he let his arm slip around Mycroft's waist as the man moved closer to him. "Oh. Right. Probably important. I know you're getting sick of me saying this but I'm not ever going to ask you for sex. I can only imagine how Peter treated the subject and I don't want to come close to that, Mycroft. Would I like if we were intimate sometime, sure, if things progressed that way but I also don't ever want you to think that you owe me sex for agreeing to bond with you."

Stranger: “Don’t be ridiculous.” Mycroft smiled, “Frankly I’m still astounded that you’ve agreed to this, that you offered it. You’re a kind, wonderful man.” Mycroft pressed his forehead lightly to Greg’s, thumb brushing the man’s jaw. “I appreciate that, Gregory. You could never be even close to Peter, you know. He felt entitled to my time, my body, everything simply by virtue of being bonded to me. You would never do that. I cannot promise that I will feel comfortable with sex in the near future, but I know you will have urges or desires. I’m not against being intimate; I just don’t think I will be able to handle sex well at the moment.”

You: "I've been alone a long time, Myc.." Greg said softly, turning his head just enough to press a kiss to Mycroft's wrist. "I can take care of my own urges and desires without coming to you pouting about it.The only thing you need to worry about, ever, is your pup...especially right now. We've got to make sure that little guy or girl keeps baking in there long enough so that when it's time we get to meet them and spoil them rotten..." Greg sighed. "Intimacy after you've been so mistreated isn't going to be easy, Mycroft, you're going to want to have it and then not be able to go through it. You're going to panic if we start to kiss or have sex and have to stop. There are going to be days that you won't want me around. I get that. Doesn't make you a bad Omega at all. It means you're working through your past."

Stranger: Mycroft sighed, closing his eyes. “Logically I know that.” He admitted, “I imagine it will be some time before I’m comfortable even kissing you or having you hold me for more than a few minutes. I don’t...I fear that you will feel rejected. You’re giving me this gift, this chance to protect my pup, and in return I feel like I’m giving you nothing. It’s not about owing you, but it is about feeling like I am inadequate.” He let out a shuddering breath. “I don’t want to disappoint you.”

You: Greg pulled back just enough so that he could clearly see Mycroft's face. He brought his hand up to brush Mycroft's cheek gently. "In all the years I've known you, Mycroft Holmes, you've never disappointed me once. You've been there anytime I needed anything be it for your brother or work or anything else. You also aren't inadequate. You're a brilliant, steadfast Omega who was dealt a terrible hand in life. You're giving me so much, do you understand that? You're giving me friendship...a bond...you're giving me the chance to experience what it's like to watch a partner carry a child. You put up with my stupid questions and you let me feel the baby...." Greg could feel the tears just beginning to sting the corners of his eyes. He blinked a few times willing them away. "All those feelings you have are valid, Mycroft, don't ever think they aren't....just know that you aren't alone in this."

Stranger: Mycroft closed his eyes, tucking his face against Greg’s shoulder to hide his tears. “Of course I let you feel that. If you could see the way your face looks when you feel then fluttering about...it’s astonishing. You’re so careful, so cautious about not making me feel cornered or unsafe.” He curled his fingers into Greg’s shirt. “I am so honored that you would share this with me, that you feel my child and I are worthy of your time and attention.” He sniffled, pulling back to give Greg a watery smile. “Apologies. I’m feeling a bit fragile; hormones and that. It’s a big night, after all.”

You: Greg returned his arm to wrap around Mycroft. "Poor dear, you're getting it from every angle...the pregnancy hormones, the chemicals to scrub your bond, anticipation of a new one...I'll make you a deal..." he rubbed the man's back. "You don't apologize for your tears and I won't apologize for mine, how's that sound?" He looked at Mycroft laying in his bed. /his bed/ and allowing Greg to hold him and protect him and barge right in without a moment's hesitation. Greg was so nervous about what was going to happen. There wasn't a fiber in his being that didn't want to bond with Mycroft but he was terrified for it. Somewhere deep down inside Greg worried that their bond would make Mycroft feel cornered. The poor man was being bounced around from bonds with very little say in the matter. "Last chance to change your mind..." he said as his arm stopped the circles he was rubbing on Mycroft back and brought it up to Mycroft's neck. Greg swallowed around the lump in his throat before he leaned in and sank his teeth over Mycroft's original bond mark.

Stranger: “Shan’t.” Mycroft murmured, “I’ve chosen you.” He hissed at the sharp prick of Greg’s teeth, though he relaxed at the flood of hormones released, recognizing the primal claim. He gripped Greg’s shirt tightly, a rush of fondness for the Alpha flooding him as readily as the hormones. “Thank you.” He said softly, pressing a kiss to Greg’s shoulder, the only place he could reach with the man’s teeth in his neck.

You: Greg heard the painful hiss that Mycroft made and felt the man's grip tighten on his shirt. He waited until his own rush of hormones nearly dissipated before he released the sensitive flesh of Mycroft's shoulder. Greg had to close his eyes as he pulled back and rested his head on his own pillow, dizzy from the rush of new hormones and scents and feelings. He was flushed, his skin tingling where Mycroft had kissed his shoulder. He didn't want to let the man go. His body fought against untangling itself from Mycroft. "Alright?" was all he could manage at the moment.

Stranger: “Mm.” Mycroft nodded, “It was rather intense, but I’m unharmed.” He touched the mark tentatively, wincing a bit at the tenderness. It wasn’t unexpected, but he’d been distracted from feeling the bite in his last bond. He shifted uncomfortably when Greg pulled away, feeling an unhappy knot in his stomach, a sense of wrongness at being separated from Greg. “Are you well?”

You: Greg nodded opening his eyes after a moment. "Just dizzy is all. You've got a lot of...everything...." he looked over at Mycroft who was frowning at him. "Will you stay for a bit?" he asked. "Here." In bed with him is what he meant. He half expected Mycroft to immediately jump up and leave the flat. "I can take the sofa if you want to be alone...might be best or I'll have you wrapped up in my arms again." Greg felt the tears stinging his eyes again, the lump returning, and the panic setting in. "I forgot how...emotional a new bond could be. I don't remember my first being like this...this is....better."

Stranger: “Of course I’ll stay.” Mycroft nodded, “I’m not honestly sure I can stand at the moment.” He sucked in a sharp breath, shaking his head and exclaiming “No!” He flushed, modulating his tone before speaking again. “I...don’t go, please. I’m already unsettled, being separated even this much.” He shuffled closer, pressing against Greg’s side. “Hold me, please.” His voice was quiet, pleading, “Just for a moment. I can’t bear it; I need you to touch me.”

You: Greg immediately wrapped his arms around Mycroft, holding the man close to his chest, and began running his fingers through Mycroft's hair. He pressed kisses to the top on Mycroft's head as they laid together. He shushed the man as Mycroft's own panic seemed to creep in. Mycroft felt absolutely perfect in his arms like he was made to be there. Greg knew without thinking on the matter very deeply that he was in love with Mycroft though he would be damned if he was going to say it out loud any time soon. "You're absolutely perfect..." he settled for. "Thank you for staying with me...for letting me...touch."

Stranger: Mycroft clung to Greg, letting the man’s presence and scent calm him. Some small part of his brain was alert, keeping watch for danger or the Alpha trying to hold him down, but most of his consciousness was simply wallowing in the safe contentment of being held, the sense of protection. “Thank you.” He murmured, “For holding me. Feels safe.”

You: Greg was thankful that Mycroft couldn't see his face. He didn't have many details about what Peter did to Mycroft during their bond and subsequent years together but he'd pieced enough of it together to know that Peter had probably forcefully bonded with Mycroft the moment their parents closed the arrangement. Thoughts of Peter holding Mycroft down during their encounters and Mycroft trying to get away made his blood boil. The fact that Mycroft thanked Greg for making him feel safe broken his heart. "You're always going to be safe with me." he promised the Omega. "Always."

Stranger: Mycroft smiled, hidden against Greg’s shirt as he gave a contented murmur. “Are you comfortable?” He asked after a time, “I know that we weren’t sure of what a bond like this might bring. S’pose you’re not feeling as much urge to get me with a pup, since there’s already one there.” His hand slipped up Greg’s back, petting the hair at the back of his neck.

You: "Quite comfortable, yeah...." he promised, shivering as Mycroft's hand found it's way up to the back of his neck. "No, the urge is still there....but it's..." Greg thought for a moment. What was he feeling exactly? "It's like being gone on vacation for a week and finally coming home to slip into your own bed. It's like putting on a pair of shoes that you've broken in well. It's like having a missing piece from yourself that you didn't know wasn't there returned. I want to pepper you with kisses and touch every inch of you while I memorize every freckle on your body but I also want to hold you right here with me until the world ends."

Stranger: “You’re a poet.” Mycroft chuckled, nosing against Greg’s jaw, “It feels...safe. Feels right, like this is where I ought to be more than any other place.” He listened to Greg, breath caught in his throat. “There’s a lot of extra inches with this pup growing.” He offered weakly, unwilling to admit how simultaneously arousing and terrifying the idea was, “You’d grow bored, dearest. And Sherlock would make fun of you for using brain space on memorizing freckles.”

You: "You're absolutely stunning with that round belly of yours, Mycroft, I could never grow bored with touching you or kissing you or anything else that involved you. Been imagining longer than I ever admitted to....getting to actually see it, well, let's just say you've got this prince charming tightly wrapped around your finger. You and your brother can tease me all you want about memorizing freckles or being a terrible poet or a hopeless romantic. It won't bother me...not when I've got this to look forward to." He brushed a hand over Mycroft's back as he held onto the man. "You're sure you feel alright? I didn't hurt you, did I? I've got some oionment somewhere that we could put on the bond mark if it's sore..I bet it'll leave a bigger scar than the first one."

Stranger: “You didn’t hurt me, Gregory.” Mycroft replied quietly, “Truly. You were very gentle, considering that you were biting me.” He touched the bite again, brushing one fingertip across it and shivering lightly. “I hope it does. It seems fitting that your mark be larger, considering it will be the only one you leave tonight.” He rubbed his face against the Alpha’s shirt, breathing in his scent with contentment. “I won’t tease, Gregory. I find it charming, and you’re not a terrible poet. It was a very sweet sentiment.”

You: "You keep scenting me like that and I'm not going to be able to hide the fact that we've bonded from anyone." Greg leaned down and pressed another kiss to the top of Mycroft's head. Not that he would hate telling everyone. At the moment Greg felt like shouting from the rooftops that Mycroft Holmes was officially his partner. "Sentimental and soppy, love, sentimental and soppy. You've been saddled with a hopeless romantic, gentle and charming and absolutely smitten with you."

Stranger: “My apologies.” Mycroft murmured, “I’m finding it hard to stop. It’s been a very long time since I’ve proper gotten to scent someone.” He flushed, butting his head lightly against Greg. “I could do far worse than gentle and sentimental, you know.” He yawned, the long day and rush of bonding leaving him worn out. “Would it be terribly scandalous if I slept here with you?” He asked, “I don’t want to leave you.”

You: "Never said I wanted you to stop. At the moment I want everyone to know that I belong to you, Myc..." Greg whispered. Greg was absolutely shocked when Mycroft asked if he could stay. It was probably the best part of anything else that had happened that day with him. "Of course you can stay here with me. Saves you from seeing a very weepy Alpha..." Greg would have asked again if Mycroft had gotten up to leave and while he absolutely would have let than man go he would have been absolutely wrecked to watch the door close behind him. "Rest, darling, I'll be right here when you wake up."

Stranger: “Belong to me...I like that.” Mycroft murmured, yawning, “Wouldn’t be right to leave you while we’re so fragile. Closeness is what’s best for a new bond.” He curled close against Greg, relaxing into the man’s embrace. “Thank you.” He said quietly, “So good to me.” He yawned and closed his eyes, soon drifting into sleep.

You: Every bit of it was true. Greg was absolutely Mycrofts now (more so than he had been before). Greg was already prepared to go through hell (and had) for Mycroft but now with a new bond pulsing through his veins, he was ready for apocalyptic conditions. It was absolutely terrifying to be so quickly and readily in love with someone especially someone you'd only really started getting to know. The bond pushed them together in a way that simply felt right and Greg was hardly going to question it. He tried his best to stay awake not wanting to lose the perfect little evening they were having but eventually he succumbed to sleep himself still tangled up with Mycroft.

Stranger: It was still dark outside in the wee hours before dawn when Mycroft woke with a start. His first instinct was to stiffen and pull away from the tangle of limbs around him, though he managed to calm himself enough to slip out slowly and avoid waking Greg. He slipped out of the bed and padded to the bathroom, feeling wrong-footed and unhappy as he moved further from Greg. Despite the lingering pull from his bond, he ignored it in favor of checking his new bond mark in the mirror and then going to the kitchen to fix a mug of herbal tea. He’d taken to keeping a container of the blend at Greg’s home, never knowing when the pup would unsettle his stomach and leave him needing the tea.

You: Greg shifted when Mycroft got out of bed but didn't quite wake up enough to register the world around him. It wasn't until he heard someone puttering around his kitchen sometime later that he woke up alerted to the fact that there could be an unwanted guest. When he found the bed empty of his Omega Greg immediately got up and went out to investigate. When he saw Mycroft (unharmed) alone in the kitchen he sunk against the door frame. Greg raked a hand through his hair. "This feeling of being pulled apart at the seams is going to do me in when you're gone." he gave a sleepy smile to the man sipping his tea. "Think it'll lessen the longer we're together?"

Part 2 below the cut.

Stranger: Mycroft smiled, gesturing to a second mug and a plate of toast. “There’s plenty if you’d like some.” He murmured, “I imagine it will lessen in a day or two. This bond is non traditional, so it makes sense that the emotions and feelings would be different as well.” He watched the man for a moment. “Come sit by me; maybe it will help make you feel less at ease. I’m sorry I didn’t wake you; you seemed very peaceful, and I wasn’t about to disturb your rest.”

You: Greg padded into the kitchen and sat down beside Mycroft. "Best sleep I've gotten in a while post pain killers." Greg picked up the mug of tea and took a sip. Perfect as usual. He was quiet for a few moments as he picked up a piece of toast and munched happily on it. "Well, we've survived for the moment. I guess that's something to celebrate, hm?" he looked over at Mycroft hoping the man really was feeling better. "What's next?" he asked.

Stranger: Mycroft nodded, sipping his tea. “We’ll need to discuss living arrangements. If you’re still content to live at the flat with me, we can make arrangements to move your things in. Apart from that, I suppose we will be spending the day together so neither of us does ourselves a mischief because of feeling unsettled.” He smiled at Greg. “The weather’s meant to be nice; we could take a walk?”

You: Greg nodded. "Sounds like a lovely day." He was incredibly excited to spend the entire day with Mycroft. Maybe this was the beginning of something absolutely wonderful, something both of them had needed for a very long time. "I don't mind moving into your flat. Are you sure there's going to be enough room especially after the baby comes? I know we talked about having separate rooms for the foreseeable future but we need to make sure all the baby's things will fit with me there too. I can keep my flat so that way I only really need to move my close and some personal things over. Might be easier that way. Got to have a contingency plan in place for when I get in the dog house." he teased gently.

Stranger: “There’s enough room.” Mycroft replied, “There is an office space that isn’t necessary. I’m turning that into the nursery, and then the two bedrooms will be for you and I. It’s cozy, but not cramped.” He glanced at Greg. “You’re welcome to retain your flat, Gregory. I understand that you may prefer to have your own space. I will arrange for the rent to be covered, so you needn’t worry about it.”

You: Greg sighed. "Don't think that means I'm not serious about this bond." he wanted to make sure that Mycroft didn't think he was gone as soon as the pup arrived. "We're going to need to carefully consider all the options once the baby arrives. We can't scrub the bond too soon postpartum or there could be complications for you. I'm more concerned about /you/ needing some personal space away from me, yes? And the last thing I want is for you to feel like you can't escape me. You're not my property, you're not inferior to me, you're my friend and my partner now, Myc, that makes us equal. You've been through hell with your previous Alpha...we just need to make sure you don't feel backed into that corner again."

Stranger: “I didn’t think that, Gregory.” Mycroft replied, “I simply know this is unusual, and even committed, you’re moving into a space that was originally mine rather than ours or your own. It is not surprising that you want to hold onto your flat.” He patted Greg’s knee. “I know you wouldn’t bond with me unless you were serious about helping.”

You: Greg smiled over at Mycroft, slipping his hand over the man's as Mycroft patted his knee. "Sometimes I feel like you need reminding that you're in control of the situation now...and that we've got a long while to go before we can even begin to think of scrubbing the bond...if we ever wanted to that is..." There was a part of Greg that was hopeful they wouldn't ever scrub the bond. There was also a part of Greg that wanted Mycroft to experience what it was like to date and choose a partner because you wanted to not because you had to. "And I'm not going to let you pay my rent. I'm a big boy. I can pay my own bills even though I bonded into a wealthy family."

Stranger: Mycroft wrinkled his nose, though he nodded. “Very well. If you change your mind though, somply let me know. I’m happy to cover the costs.” He leaned against the Alpha lightly, nibbling at a piece of toast. “It seems hard to believe it’s nearly halfway through the time until we meet the pup.” He remarked, “They should be able to tell me boy or girl at the next appointment.”

You: Greg turned and pressed a kiss to Mycroft's temple when the man leaned into him. "Halfway there?" he asked. "Well, we've got a lot to do then. Got to finish the nursery, make sure your bag is packed, set up a little cot next to your bed...." Greg had made a list. An actual list of everything they'd have to do to get ready for the pup. He'd spent the majority of his leave reading parenting blogs and articles about what to expect during pregnancy and what to look out for during high risk ones just so he could be prepared. "I can't believe you'll already be able to find out..that's fantastic....I don't know about you but I'm so excited to meet the little bugger...." He looked down at Mycroft's bump when he said it. He'd even started buy a few things for Mycroft and the pup as gifts for the nursery. A few outfits, some books and things like that though he was trying not to go overboard. He didn't want the man fussing at him.

Stranger: “You’re almost more excited for this than I am.” Mycroft teased, “I can already see you with the pup in a baby sling, carrying them around at work while you bark orders at your team.” He appreciated Greg’s apparent eagerness for the pup to join them. He’d had some worry that the man might resent Mycroft or the pup, especially since it was technically the child of the man who had shot him. “The nursery just needs to be painted and arranged. I have all the furniture. I managed to salvage my grandmother’s rocking chair, with Sherlock’s help.”

You: "It's far more likely that you'll see me sleeping on the sofa with the pup asleep on my chest after we've had a late night snack. We'll be the picture of perfection..." Greg was happy to hear that Mycroft had gotten pretty far along with the nursery set up. "That's wonderful to hear. I should be able to handle the painting and set up of the furniture....which reminds me...I got you some things..." He held up his hand to let Mycroft know that he'd be right back before he disappeared into his room. He returned with two wrapped boxes. One contained this little cot and the other had the rest of the items for Mycroft and the baby. "Wasn't sure you were going to have a baby shower...or really when we'd be able to celebrate properly..." he set the boxes on the table for Mycroft.

Stranger: “I will remind you that you still have a cast on your hand.” Mycroft replied, “You’re welcome to help with the painting, but I’m not an invalid. I can do some of it.” He looked at the boxes, then back to Greg. “You didn’t need to do this, Gregory.” He smiled, “Though it is very thoughtful. Thank you.” He unwrapped the cot first, remarking on the practicality and thanking Greg again. He unwrapped the second package, looking at the books and the infant clothing. “A very fashionable infant.” He said, holding up a tiny pair of overalls patterned with bees.

You: Greg made a face at the man. "/You/ shouldn't be doing any heavy lifting while you're pregnant. The last thing we need is for you to become invalid." Greg was practically bouncing in his seat while Mycroft unwrapped the gifts. "The baby and I discussed making this easier on you for the first few weeks. The little cot fits right next to your bed with places to put wipes and diapers and things. So you won't have to go very far to change them or feed them in the middle of the night...." He reached into the smaller box and pulled out a little baby blanket. "This is one of my favorites..." The plush blanket was covered in tiny umbrellas.

Stranger: “Ah yes. You and the baby had conversations.” He smiled, “Can you convince them not to kick my bladder with such glee.” He looked at the blanket, reaching out to touch it with a soft smile. “It’s perfect, Gregory. All of it is. Thank you so much for this.”

You: "I've tried to remind the baby that they need to be a bit nicer to you given that you are doing them a huge favor by giving them a place to live for nine months but they're really stubborn..." he chuckled. "Do you mind that we've had conversations? Everything I've read says that it's good for us to talk to them while they're in the womb. This way they know who we both are....helps with bonding after they're born. Not that I'm going to bond with your pup or anything....it'd just be nice if they weren't scared of me when they got here..."

Stranger: Mycroft shook his head, reaching out to pat Greg’s cheek. “I don’t mind at all. I’m happy for them to talk to you, Greg. I appreciate the time and effort you are putting into preparing for this pup, and I love that you want to try and let them get used to your presence before they’re born. It’s important that they know you and are alright with you. What if something were to happen to me and I couldn’t come home from the hospital with them? They need to be used to you, content with your presence.”

You: Greg leaned into Mycroft's touch. "We're going to make sure that nothing happens to you and that you both come home from the hospital together." Greg didn't want to think about what would happen if Mycroft couldn't come home right away or worse didn't come home at all. He knew it was a needed plan. He knew that Mycroft had probably already updated his will and things to include instructions on where the pup would go in the event of his untimely demise. "Who gets custody if something happens to you?" Greg asked. "I realize that I might not want to talk about it but...we should"

Stranger: “Custody goes to you, now that we’re bonded.” Mycroft replied, “I texted Anthea and she is having my will updated. If you are unable or unwilling, she is next in line.” He glanced at Gregory. “I would understand if you didn’t feel willing or comfortable taking them if I died, but I trust you implicitly. You’re the first choice of guardian if I am unable.”

You: Greg couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Just we're bonded doesn't mean you'd want them to come to me especially since I don't really have any claim to them..." he began. "But I'd be absolutely lying to you if I said I wasn't relieved to hear you say that you want them to stay with me. I am absolutely willing, Mycroft, biologically mine or not...I'm in with both feet."

Stranger: “You have more claim to them than their sire.” Mycroft frowned, “Sherlock is not a suitable guardian, for all I love him. I would not subject another child to my mother’s idea of parenting, and Peter’s parents are no longer living, not that they are better than my own.” He turned, looking at Greg intently. “I would choose you for them even if we hadn’t bonded. I trust you, Gregory, with myself and, more importantly, with my pup.”

You: "You're going to make me cry again." Greg choked out barely above a whisper. Greg fought hard against the urge to wrap Mycroft up in his arms and plant a kiss right on those beautiful lips of his. He knew the man would hate it. Knew it would be a selfish, inconsiderate move to make especially while Mycroft was so unbelievably vulnerable. Instead, he gave Mycroft a barely held together, dopey smile. He hoped against everything that Mycroft wouldn't grow to hate his sentimental nature. "How about that walk, hm?"

You: (hey, I have to grab dinner. Might be a hot minute before I'm back!)

Stranger: “Poor sentimental Alpha.” Mycroft said quietly, smiling, “How difficult it must be, knowing that at any moment I could do something like making you guardian or allowing you to hold me and sending you into tears.” He leaned in, pressing a light kiss to Greg’s jaw before standing and grabbing his overnight bag from where he’d left it by the kitchen door. “Let me change into something I haven’t slept in, and then we can go.” He grinned after Greg before disappearing down the hall.

Stranger: ((Ok, NP))

Stranger: ((I have to run an errand for my mom, yikes. I’ll be gone a hot minute. If we get disconnected, I hope to find you again))

Stranger: ((Sorry))

You: (Hey! I'm back.)

You: Greg took a deep breath as Mycroft left him alone in the kitchen. He needed some time to collect himself after Mycroft's teasing and the kiss and just...everything. When he was sure his legs could hold him again he got up and cleared their mugs and the empty plate from the table and went to his room to change as well. "You've got to pull yourself together." He told his reflection as he stood in the bathroom. "You're absolutely impossible." He finished getting ready and returned to the front of his flat to slip on his shoes for their walk around the neighborhood.

Stranger: ((Back! Sorry))

You: (Hi!)

Stranger: Mycroft was waiting by the door, carrying his umbrella but dressed casually in trousers and a jumper in a forest green tone. He smiled at Greg, offering his hand to the man once he had his shoes on. “Shall we?” He asked, “I know it isn’t meant to rain, but better safe than sorry, yes?”

You: "I'd be concerned if you didn't bring that umbrella of yours...don't think I've ever seen you outside without it." He took Mycroft's hand as they left the flat, locking the door behind him. It was such a happy, domestic act just walking around the neighborhood hand in hand. That part had shocked Greg. He hadn't expected Mycroft to want to hold hands though it made sense. They were both still quite needy from the new bond.

Stranger: “Yes, well...I find it to be quite useful in a variety of occasions.” He walked quietly for a time, enjoying the warm weather and having Gregory close by his side. It felt safe, felt correct in a way that contact with Peter never quite had, and Mycroft was reveling in the happy sensation. He knew it was partially influenced by the new bond, biology urging him to stay close to the safety of his Alpha, but there was also the genuine warm affection he held for Greg from their time together.

You: "You never cease to amaze me." Greg squeezed Mycroft's hand as they rounded the corner. "So we've figured out our living arrangements, talked about the nursery...seems like we've had a pretty productive morning, I'd say. I'll stay packing up my things tonight to get ready..."

Stranger: Mycroft smiled. “Flatterer.” He said lightly, “We have been very productive. Finished most of our necessary tasks. You’ll have enough time for a nap this afternoon, should you desire.” He looked at the other man for a moment. “I should warn you, I will have to visit my mother before long. And she likely will learn that we’ve bonded. I will try to keep her away from you, though.”

You: Greg nodded. "Do you think that she'll be disappointed in what's happened? In your choice for a new Alpha since I'm not one who wants to rule with an iron fist so to speak?" Greg had considered that Mycroft would need to visit his family and tell them of what had happened. "Do they understand how horrible Peter was to you?" he asked. "You know I don't mind coming with you...you need someone in your corner."

Stranger: “She will likely accuse me of being deliberately difficult to drive Peter away. She may imply that I’ve no sense of integrity for rebonding so quickly. She will undoubtedly disparage the fact that I’ve chosen a policeman.” He sighed, “I don’t want you to have to be exposed to her. I have never been, and will never be, a good enough Omega for her standards.” He looked away, falling silent as he tried to marshal his words into something that wouldn’t anger Greg. “Her thoughts were that I need discipline, and if Peter left a mark or an injury after, it was because I did something to drive him to it.”

You: "Wouldn't be the first time someone thought I wasn't worth anything," he said. " I don't want you going alone. Whether you take me with you or you invite your parents over to our flat, doesn't matter. I just don't think that your mother needs to continue such speak so harshly to you and she won't listen to reason at all....but I could...it'd be nice to be able to praise you a bit."

Stranger: Mycroft bit his lip, shaking his head. “I don’t want her at our flat.” He admitted, “I don’t want her to snoop through our things and criticize the wall colors.” He sighed, squeezing Greg’s hand. “If you come, you need to promise me you will keep your temper. Mummy is a master at getting under people’s skin, and this isn’t like Peter.”

You: Greg sighed. "I wouldn't punch your mother, Mycroft, but I would definitely have words with her. Starting with the fact that her way of thinking is archaic and that Omegas don't need discipline. She may not be physically abusing you but speaking down to you...constantly criticizing you...it's just as bad, Mycroft. Someone's got to put her in her place, wouldn't you say?"

Stranger: Mycroft shrugged. “I suppose I’ve grown accustomed to her ways. I was an unexpected child, and then presented omega on top of that. She was disappointed.” He leaned against Greg as they waited at a street crossing, “To be honest, my worry has more to do with her saying something rude to you. If she is unkind to you, I may not be able to hold my tongue.”

You: "Don't worry about me...I've got a thick skin, Myc. I doubt very much that your mother could say anything to me or about me that I haven't heard before." Greg couldn't help but smirk at the idea of Mycroft not holding his tongue. "Maybe that's what she really needs...you standing up to her and letting your thoughts and feelings on the matter ring out. Your mother sounds like a bully, Mycroft, just like Peter was."

Stranger: “I suppose she is, in some ways.” Mycroft replied, “I know you’ve a thick skin, Gregory, but that doesn’t mean I will simply let her try to tear down my chosen bond mate.” He shifted, biting his lip. “She may refer to the pup as a bastard, because I am no longer bonded to Peter. Try not to snarl at her?”

You: "I make absolutely no promises on that. Any person who would speak about their grandchild like that needs a bit of a snarl." Greg turned and pressed a kiss to Mycroft's temple. "I'm sure that your mother will do a fair bit of tearing us both down once she's told what's happened between you and Peter and told about the pup. We'll have to both try and be on relatively good behavior."

Stranger: “Oh, she knows about the pup.” Mycroft said, “That is the reason I have to visit.” He smiled a bit. “You’re taking this all very well. I appreciate that. I will let you know when she tells me the date.”

You: "What is there to take poorly?" he asked the man. "Your mother hates the fact that you had a bond scrubbed because she thinks that Omegas are inferior to Alphas. Now you've got an Alpha who isn't such a...traditional Alpha. Seems quite cut and dry really." Greg looked over to Mycroft as they walked. "I look forward to it..."

Stranger: “This mag be shocking, but most people don’t like the knowledge that their new partner’s mother will likely insult them the first time she meets them.” He leaned up, pressing a kiss to Greg’s jaw. “Should we start back soon? I think we’re losing the sun.” He featured up to the clustering clouds.

You: Greg couldn't help but chuckle as they turned back towards his flat. "Couldn't be any worse than being insulted by your new partner's brother the first time they met. Something about being a pathetic excuse for a DI who wouldn't know his right hand from his left hand if they were both the same. I think I can handle your mother....I've had some practice with in laws, you know?"

Stranger: Mycroft groaned. “Oh Sherlock...he’s always been combative and inappropriate.” He smiled at Greg gratefully. “You’re being very kind, and I appreciate it.” He smiled. “It should be after we find out the sex, so perhaps there will be a name she can refer to the pup by instead.”

You: "There's something fun we can do with our time...choosing baby names." He said. "Well, you can choose the name...I can just lay with my head in your lap talking to the baby while you look through pages and pages of unique, old world names.... then we can make sure to remind your mother that it's a living being with feelings and needs and opinions all their own is growing in there."

Stranger: Mycroft smiled at the image Greg brought into his mind; listening to the Alpha talking to the pup as they sat together, feeling the warm weight on his lap...He blinked, eyes a bit misty from the wash of emotion. “I would appreciate your input on names.” He remarked, “I was actually thinking of choosing something that isn’t as...unique as Sherlock’s name or my own. This little one deserves something a little easier, since so much of their life is in upheaval before they even arrive.”

You: "Don't worry. Live will settle down in time for their arrival. Once they get here they won't have any idea that things were ever anything but this..." he motioned between them as they walked. "We don't have to tell the baby about Peter or about what happened before. Think the only other thing we'll have to figure out is what they're going to call me if I'm still around in this capacity. Should it be Uncle Greg or Gregory or 'the silly old man'....possibilities are endless really.

Stranger: Mycroft nodded. “I’ve no plan to tell them about Peter; when they’re grown, perhaps, if they ask about their sire.” He looked at Greg, shaking his head. “You’re only a few years older than I am, Gregory...you’re hardly ‘old’. I suppose what they call you will depend on whether we are still bonded when they begin talking. We have time to think about it, to decide on something you’re comfortable with.” He kept to himself the fact that if the pup chose to call Greg something like Papa, Mycroft wouldn’t protest at all. “I was thinking of...testing our bond, this afternoon. To see if the sensation of being pulled apart has lessened. I don’t wish to cause you distress, but I’ll need to know if I need to arrange for another day of leave.”

You: "True but I'm going to tell you now that if they start calling me Papa or Dad you'll never be able to get rid of me." Greg nodded when Mycroft mentioned testing the bond that afternoon. "Don't worry about me," he said. "We both'll have to go back to work so we might as well get used to whatever pain we're going to experience due to separation. We can still keep up our meetings, can't we? That way we all get the best of both worlds."

Stranger: “Oh no. However will I cope with an affectionate Alpha who respects my boundaries and knows how to cook?” He snickered, nodding. “We can keep up our meetings if you like. You’ll see me every evening at the flat, of course, but the meetings are normal for us, and it will be nice to get extra time with you.”

You: "I meant before I move in, Mycroft, before I get all moved in we won't see each other every day, right?" he questioned. "Unless you just miss me so much that you can't stand to be without me...." It was far more likely that Greg would be the first to cave but he kept that bit of enlightened observation to himself. "When I move in it'll be a lot of time we'll have together. Mornings before work...time after work...weekends and holidays..."

Stranger: “Oh...of course.” He nodded, “I suppose I wasn’t thinking of before. I can’t promise I won’t come over to spend some time with you. Perhaps not every day, but...the feeling of contentment is rather intoxicating.”

You: "It's part of my allure," Greg added. "You're welcome in my flat anytime you want to come over. It shouldn't take me long at all to finish up packing my clothes and things. I started the other day when we first started talking about officially moving in together." The got back to Greg's flat and the Alpha let them inside. "Are you really feeling alright? No negative side effects?"

Stranger: “I feel alright, Gregory.” Mycroft assured him, “I promise to let you know if I feel any adverse effects. At the moment, I honestly feel rather pleasant; content and safe.” He looked at Greg. “I know it may not last, but I plan to enjoy it while it does.” ((Do you want to skip ahead some? Few weeks maybe?))

You: (Yeah, that'd be great!)

Stranger: ((BRB, the dog is screaming at someone))

You: Greg nodded. "Best not to assume it'll change...there's really no reason to think you'll go back to feeling miserable." Greg fixed them lunch that afternoon before Mycroft left for a few hours to test the bond. Greg decided it was best not to tell the man just how much he missed him. Nearly a month later, Greg had moved in all of his clothes to Mycroft's flat and had started to work on painting the nursery during the weekends. He and Mycroft moved the furniture, fussing between them on where things should go like a properly bonded couple. They spent their days at work, their evenings having dinner together and lounging around on the sofa looking for baby names when they weren't both still finishing up that day's work. It was absolutely perfect for Greg. The sort of home life he'd always wanted with a partner but never got to experience.

Stranger: ((Back))

Stranger: Mycroft had never felt more content in sharing a home, even as a child. Greg was considerate and helpful, willing to work together with Mycroft to shape their home as they wanted it. They’d discussed hundreds of names for the pup but come no closer to finding one that seemed perfect, leading Mycroft to simply refer to the growing pup as ‘little boy’ after a doctor’s checkup that had left him in grateful tears. One Sunday morning he poked his head into Greg’s open door, face pale and drawn. “We’re expected at Mummy’s by noon. Are you ready to go, Gregory?”

You: Greg was tugging on a jumper when Mycroft interrupted him. "Yeah, just have to put on my shoes. What do you think? Do I look proper enough to hold your mother's tongue for at least a few minutes?" he turned so that Mycroft could get a good look at him. Greg had showered, shaved and picked out his nicest outfit for their lunch with Mycrot's parents. "You know we don't have to do this, Mycroft, you aren't under her control anymore...I'm not in her pocket, remember?" he said moving to stand in front of Mycroft. He reached up and brushed his hands over Mycrofts shoulders and down his arms. "Either way I'll be right there beside you."

Stranger: Mycroft was wearing a suit, carefully tailored to fit with the swell of his stomach. He looked Greg over, nodding. “You look lovely. She’s unlikely to find fault with your clothing.” He leaned up, pressing a light kiss to the corner of Greg’s mouth. “If we do not go to her, she will come here. And I couldn’t bear that.” He sighed, shifting. “I appreciate your support more than I can say, dear.” He straightened, pressing a hand to his stomach as the pup kicked. “The car will be here soon.”

You: "It's not the clothing I was talking about. People's first impressions of you is like ninety percent visual, isn't it? If I look put together and posh we might have a better chance of not having an argument within the first ten minutes." Greg leaned down when Mycroft stopped for a moment. "Little one...you've got to take a break. We're going to visit your grandparents and your mum is already under enough stress..." Greg brushed a quick hand over Mycroft's bump. "Into battle as Sherlock would say, mm?" They moved out of his room so that he could put his shoes on. He made sure to grab his things as the driver knocked on the door of their flat.

Stranger: Mycroft chuckled. “He’s being stubborn today; I think he senses I am worried and is responding to it.” He followed Greg, speaking quietly to the driver to give him the address as they walked down to the car. The ride was tense, Mycroft sticking close to Greg’s side as though unable to bear sitting alone. When they pulled to a stop in front of the house he was the first one out, picking up the bottle of wine he’d brought for his parents in an attempt to appease them. “Into battle.” He murmured to Greg, “Will you ring the bell? I ought to stand behind; start off on the right foot.”

You: "You'll stand beside me, Mycroft. Partners, remember?" It wasn't an order by any means, it was simply a...request. Greg wanted Mycroft beside him in everything else...it just made sense that that would carrying over into this. Greg rang the bell of Mycroft's parent's house and immediately laced his fingers with Mycroft's, giving it a squeeze. "Together." he glanced quickly at Mycroft giving the man a small smile before the door opened. "Good afternoon Mrs. Holmes. Mr. Holmes." Greg had to remind himself to be polite and mind his manners. Mycroft had been trying to teach him over the last few weeks to be a little less brash in his modern mind set but Greg proved to be nearly as stubborn as his partner.

Stranger: Mycroft’s fingers trembled a bit in Greg’s grasp, but he didn’t let go, letting the touch soothe him as he glanced over his parents. “Mummy, Father.” He said quietly, nodding. Mummy was in front, of course, looking the two of them over with critical eyes while his father hung back a step, smiling at his son and Greg. Father was a perfect example of a traditional Omega, of course; he never needed ‘reminding’. Mycroft sighed, biting the inside of his lip. He passed the wine bottle to Father as they were ushered inside, turning automatically to take Greg’s cost and hang it with his own. He turned back, only to find Mummy eyeing Greg once more. “So...you are the Alpha Mikey has decided to throw away family tradition and decency for? He always has been a troublesome child, but this really is beyond the pale.”

You: Greg didn't protest the way Mycroft took his coat or remained just behind him when Mrs. Holmes started in on him. Greg knew instantly that Mycroft got his fire from that woman. "If by that you mean the Alpha your son made a conscious decision to take for love, comfort, and safety from the manipulative, abusive, psychotic Alpha you originally bonded him to, yes. Greg Lestrade...." The Alpha stuck out his hand to the woman. "It's very nice to meet you." Greg could nearly see the smoke coming out of the woman's ears. "Mr. Holmes..." Greg moved around the woman as if to dismiss her negative portrayal of their relationship and extended his hand to the elder Holmes. "Mycroft's told me so much about you....it's really a pleasure."

Stranger: Mycroft struggled for a moment, but managed to keep his glee at Greg’s casual disregard hidden. He watched his father shake Greg’s hand and greet the Alpha, so caught up in seeing his partner meet the man who carried him that he forgot to keep an eye on Mummy. He stiffened when she gripped his shoulder tightly, a soft yip of surprise escaping him. “I shouldn’t need to tell you that I am disappointed you’ve taken up with a mannerless lout.” She snapped, “For your own sake, I hope that pup is Peter’s and not proof of whatever affair you and your...partner were conducting.” Mycroft flushed, shaking his head. “You shouldn’t sp..speak of Gregory like that, Mummy. He’s been very kind. He was willing to bond with me so that you’d grandchild wouldn’t be harmed by the bond scrubbing.”

You: Greg was chatting with Mr. Holmes about his line of work when he heard the yelp from Mycroft. Mr. Holmes quietly asked Greg not to get involved as it was simply the way their family worked. Frowning at the man Greg responded quietly in return. "It's not the way my family works." Greg turned around again and immediately put himself between Mrs. Holmes and Mycroft. "I shouldn't need to tell you how disappointed I am to learn that my partner's own mother would sell him off to the highest bidder like some sort of farm animal." he snapped back. "Peter was well on his way to putting Mycroft into an early grave with the way he was hurting him. Broken bones, bruises....If it weren't for Alphas like me, Mrs. Holmes, Omegas like Mycroft would never learn what compassion or kindness is. The pup in his belly may biologically be Peter's but don't you /ever/ mistake that man for his father. /I/ am that pup's father whether you like it or not and I will /not/ allow you to talk to Mycroft so rudely, are we clear?"

Stranger: Mycroft clung to the back of Greg’s jumper with one hand, bracing himself to haul the Alpha back if he needed to. This was exactly why he hadn’t wanted to make the man come; it was never going to end well with the pair of Alphas butting heads. “Miley has always been stubborn and unwilling to learn. If he earned a few bruises through his smart mouth and inability to obey, it is simply his own fault. I never had to discipline his father, and we’ve been married nearly 48 years. It wouldn’t hurt Mikey to toughen up and learn to accept his place in life.” She sneered at Greg, eyes running over him. “You’re a soft excuse for an Alpha, and I will /not/ be lectured in my own house about how I speak to my ungrateful child.”

Stranger: *Mikey

You: "There's nothing at all to learn." Greg corrected the woman. "Mycroft's place is at the side of his Alpha, not three steps behind in quiet subservience. He's stubborn and outspoken and absolutely perfect the way he is. His smart mouth and his 'inability to obey' it's what's kept him alive when Peter was repeatedly abusing him. It wasn't just a few bruises, don't you understand? It was broken bones and punctured lungs and falls down the stairs. It was concussions and beatings that left scars. Your son is one of the bravest, wisest people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. He's given me so much, taught me so much in the short time we've been bonded and I would rather be a soft Alpha than to rule with an iron fist any time someone put a toe out of line. You may demand blind loyalty and silent subservience from your Omega but I don't. Mycroft is my equal and always will be whether you approve or not doesn't matter but you will not speak ill of my partner no matter your feelings on our bond."

Stranger: Mycroft winced as Greg spoke, revealing things he’d kept hidden from his parents for years. He knew Greg had seen him once or twice lacking a shirt, when he woke crying out from a nightmare, but he hadn’t realized the Alpha had seen the scars. “Gregory, please...calm down.” He tugged lightly at the man’s jumper, “We don’t want Father’s meal to get cold. I’m sure he worked hard on it.” He didn’t dare look at his mother, who he was sure would be furious. She was used to being in charge in her home, and Peter had always been content to play the part of obedient Alpha son-in-law. Greg of course would not, nor did Mycroft truly expect him to. It wasn’t in the man’s nature to let insults about Mycroft slide off.

You: Mycroft pulled Greg out of his heated state enough that Alpha turned to look at him. "Love, it's alright, I promise." he reached up and gently brushed his thumb over Mycroft's cheek before pressing a kiss there. He turned back to face Mycroft's parents. "Apologies, Mr. Holmes. Mycroft's been raving about your cooking...it puts mine to shame, I'm sure. Can I help you with anything?" he asked the man knowing he'd say no. Greg had a feeling that Mr. Holmes was going to remain quiet throughout the meal, serving the Alphas before serving his son and then himself. He'd probably also be responsible for all of the washing up which Greg was absolutely /not/ going to stand for. "Shall we, Mrs. Holmes?"

Stranger: Mycroft heard his mother huff and storm off towards the dining room. He looked at Greg, leaning into the man and pressing his nose to the Alpha’s neck briefly to scent him. “Thank you.” He murmured, “That was very kind of you. I didn’t realize that you knew; about the scars, I mean.” He took Greg’s hand, tugging for him to follow. “Come, we can help Father carry the dishes out.”

You: Greg let out a shuddering breath when the woman left. He let Mycroft press against him and scent him, nodding. "She deserves to know that this started with her outdated rules," he said quietly before Mycroft tugged him off to the kitchen to help. He was glad to be of some use more than just starting arguments with stubborn Alphas. Greg helped Mr. Holmes with the dishes making sure to praise him loudly during lunch at how delicious everything tasted. Greg made sure to ask for more than one recipe, promising to keep the secret ingredients secret, hoping to let Mr. Holmes know how appreciated all his hard work was.

Stranger: Mycroft sat by his father, chatting quietly with the man whenever he wasn’t being chatted to by Greg. He watched as his mother fired question after question ag Greg, asking about his family, career, interactions with Mycroft, his first bond. She was clearly hoping the other Alpha would be tripped up, and Mycroft was quietly proud that Greg had no trouble keeping up with her.

You: Greg should have known that their lunch with his new in-laws would be anything less than an interrogation. He felt as if he was on trial for committing murder more than simply there for the Holmes' to get to know. "My parents passed a way a number of years ago and I certain miss them both. It's just my sister and I, she's three years younger." Greg went into more detail about his family knowing the woman wanted to know what tier of society Greg was raised in. "I've got twenty years in. Went into the force straight after University and been working my way up...that's how I met Mycroft actually...and Sherlock. We all work together at some point during cases...quite the family affair." he chuckled, reaching over to squeeze Mycroft's hand. "My Omega cheated on me repeatedly over the course of our eight year marriage. I respected her enough to let her go instead of keeping her locked up in a bond she didn't want." he said when asked about his previous partner. "Is there something in particular you're searching for, Mrs. Holmes?"

Stranger: “I simply wish to know why you, someone who knows the pain of an unfaithful partner, would put yourself in a position to be seen as an adulterous Alpha. Clearly you have no respect for your own reputation or Mikey’s. Not to mention the fast approaching bastard pup.” Mycroft dropped his fork, appalled at her words. “Mummy, that is enough!” He looked as shocked at his own words as his parents seemed, “Gregory has been nothing but kind and careful. Almost no one knows we are bonded, because he was concerned it might reflect badly on me due to leaving my bond with Peter. He suffered a gunshot because of his defense of me, and he is a far better man than Peter could even dream of being, not that he would.” He stood, setting his napkin on the table and pressing a kiss to his father’s forehead. “I’ll be in touch.” He murmured to the older Alpha before turning to Greg. “I believe we should go, Gregory.”

You: "People talk regardless of whether or not it's true. Mycroft never stepped out of the bounds of his contracted bond with Peter and I never stepped in them. My reputation can take it, I assure you." Greg's face flushed when the woman made a comment about the pup. He opened his mouth to respond but Mycroft beat him to it. Instead, Greg allowed Mycroft to stand up for himself ready to jump in if the Omega needed support which of course he didn't. He leaned over to Mr. Holmes as whispered something while Mycroft went off on his mother. 'You taught him well, sir', he told the man with a smirk. Greg nodded and turned to Mr. Holmes first. "Thank you so much for lunch, Mr. Holmes. It was lovely to meet you. I hope to see you again soon." Greg got up and pushed his chair in. "Mrs. Holmes," he said as he let Mycroft lead him out of the room. When they got to the front door Greg helped Mycroft into his coat before plucking his own off the hook. "Are you alright, Myc?"

Stranger: Mycroft was pale and shaking, jaw clenched as he tugged his coat on. His eyes softened for a moment as he looked at Greg and he shook his head. “That was horrendous.” He murmured, “I just...I need to get out of here.” When they were in the car he retreated to one corner of the seat, resting his cheek against the glass and texting the driver the instruction to take them home. He closed his eyes, taking a shaky breath. “I’m sorry.” He finally spoke, “This was a mistake.”

You: Greg knew he'd messed up as soon as they were in the car. Mycroft stayed as far away from him as possible. Greg didn't say anything until Mycroft spoke some time into their journey home. "Should have listened to you about not joining..." he said. "And you're not the one who should be apologizing. It's my fault things got so heated...I couldn't...play the part she wanted...couldn't just let her talk to you like that. I'm sorry I lost my temper..." Greg looked over at Mycroft. "I'm proud of you though, Myc, for standing up to her. The look on her face when you met her head on was...priceless."

You: ** You don't think she'll be upset with your father, will she? She's not one to...punish him, is she?"

Stranger: Mycroft looked up, wide-eyed. “Gregory...no. Don’t apologize. I understand why you wanted to come, and...you were magnificent. I’ve never seen /anyone/ challenge her like that. I couldn’t believe how well you did. And...given the circumstances, you stayed fairly calm.” He reached out, touching Greg’s hand. “She won’t be upset with father. And she won’t hurt him. For all her talk, she’s rather softhearted when it comes to father. She rather dotes on him.”

You: Greg laced their fingers together. "So it's just you that she takes her frustrations out on, then...and all because you're just like her. You know that's what that is, right? You're both passionate, strong-willed, opinionated people. You both like to be right all the time...She's a good woman if a little misguided in the way modern households should run. I'm glad to hear that she's nice to your father. He's such a wonderful man." He hesitated a beat, afraid to ask for the reassurance he desperately sought. "Promise I didn't upset you by the way I acted?"

Stranger: “I’m too much like her.” Mycroft agreed, “And then when I presented...it was too much for her. She was so disappointed that I wasn’t an Alpha.” He sighed, shuffling closer and turning to drape his legs across Greg’s lap, not quite on his lap but close enough to wrap his arms around the Alpha’s neck and press a kiss to his cheek. “You did not upset me, Gregory. No one has defended me like that...ever. You were very protective; it was very pleasant.”

You: "Being an Alpha shouldn't have been that important. Having these preconceived notions on what makes 'proper' Alphas and Omegas is all...bs." he began. He protested when Mycroft moved over. "You don't have to do this to make me feel better.." he said quietly. "the closeness and the hugging and the kissing, I mean. If you need your space, Mycroft, take it. Don't put me before your own needs..." Greg felt like an absolute idiot. "I can't stop it, you know...I've tried to...keep it in check. The protectiveness...the defensiveness...the worry and the fuss...but the bond.." he shook his head. "I promise it's not my being possessive. You are a procession that's there for my pleasure or my enjoyment. It just...bubbles up sometimes and I don't know how to handle it is all."

[dandelionflower]

Felinette Month Day 25

Clientele

“Are you sure you’d like me to help you with this?” Felix looked around bewildered. “You know I’m not exactly the best person for baking.”

“That’s why you’ll be working at the counter.” Marinette pushed him to the register. “You already have a great customer service voice, so I think you’ll be great at it.”

“Customer service voice?”

“Some of our clientele can be a bit... difficult.” She winced. “You seem good at dealing with difficult people.”

“That I am.” He nodded and stood at the register dutifully.

Marinette hummed, adding some much needed sound to the too-silent setting.

The bell rang lightly, and a man waltzed in.

“Hello, I’m here for a cake.”

“What is your name?”

“Josiah.”

“Marinette,” he turned, “cake for ‘Josiah?’”

“Right here!” Marinette came out carrying a box that was taller than her. “A three layer chocolate cake.”

He peered at the cake through the thin plastic and frowned.

“It’s upside down.” He remarked.

“What?” Marinette peeked at the cake. “I thought it looked alright.”

“No, I wanted the smallest layer on the bottom, this has the smallest layer on the top.”

She pulled a piece of paper from a pink folder. “You didn’t specify that on your order...”

“I most certainly did!” His chest rose in indignation.

“I’m sorry sir, but we must not have heard you.”

“I am not taking this cake.”

“Alright, we can-“

“You better make me another one, free of charge. And make it snappy, I need to take it in one hour.”

“Sir I’m afraid that’s...” Felix placed a hand on Marinette’s shoulder, stopping her.

“No. If you want a cake, you will take this one.”

“Excuse me?” The man spluttered.

“If you specifically wanted the cake a certain way, you should have ensured that they knew that.

“You didn’t, so you have no right to get so worked up over an impossible cake. And asking for it to be remade, free of charge in under an hour? It’s an even more impossible task, and you are trying to place it upon children.”

“But...” The man seemed to be losing whatever bravado he once had.

“No. If you want a cake, you will take and pay for this one. If not, then we have the right to refuse service and we will refuse you.”

The man huffed and slammed the bills on the counter, grabbing the cake and stomping away.

“I hope he chokes on it.” Felix muttered, turning to see Marinette looking at him with a smile. “What?”

“I knew you’d be good at this.”

—

The rest of the day went relatively smoothly, save a few impolite customers and one woman who thought they were selling vegetables.

That is, until four o’clock.

Marinette froze abruptly and stuttered out that she was going back to check inventory and that they can close at five-thirty.

Almost as soon as she was gone, a cocky-looking boy, maybe a little older than Felix, waltzed in.

“Hello,” Felix said, repeating what he had said over and over all day, “welcome to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Is there anything I can get you?”

“Yeah.” He leaned on the counter. “What’s the name of that pigtailed girl that works here sometimes?”

His eyes narrowed. “Marinette.”

“And where is she right now?”

“She’s not here.”

He rolled his eyes. “Right, I figured that out myself, Sherlock. But where is she?”

Felix shrugged. “What do you need her for?”

“I want to ask her out on a date.”

“And this is the only place you could think to find her?”

“Well, it’s the place I first asked her out.”

“And she refused?”

“Yeah,” he waved his hand nonchalantly, “something about some boyfriend. I wasn’t buying it though, so I came back the next day.”

“So you’re harassing her.” Felix clenched his fist.

“I would say harassing, just persuading.”

“And your... persuasion doesn’t make her uncomfortable?”

He shrugged.

Felix inhaled sharply. “Are you going to order anything?”

“Nah,” he looked Felix up and down, noting his aggressive tone and posture, “who are you again?”

Felix straightened. “My name is Felix, I am Marinette’s boyfriend, and if you’re not going to buy anything, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

The boy squinted at Felix. “Really? You’re the guy she’s been rejecting me for?”

“Yes, now leave.”

The boy obviously knew at this point that he was not going to get any farther in this conversation, and put his hands in the air.

“Sure thing man, but why she chose you, I’ve go no clue. Prepare to get dumped when you least expect it.”

With that, he left, the bell on the door jingling as if in jubilation of being rid of him.

He pulled out his phone, easily pulling Marinette’s contact up.

Fe💙: He’s gone, you can come out now.

Marinette stepped out of the back timidly.

“He usually stays until closing.” She remarked, her voice contrastingly bold. “Did you scare him away?”

“Doubt it, but he won’t be coming back for at least a week. You really weren’t joking about having difficult clientele.”

She pecked his cheek, “Thanks.” Even through her relief, Felix could see the lingering fear in her eyes.

“Say, there’s only an hour or so until we have to close, what do you think about closing just a little earlier?”

Her smile said it all.

——

When Sabine and Tom came back from their anniversary date, they were greeted with the vision of Marinette and Felix cuddling on the couch and watching a movie.

Needless to say, they felt safer with asking Marinette to cover shifts on her own as long as Felix was right alongside her.

[will-bulmer]

Research: Skul: The Hero Slayer

Normal enemies:

There are different enemy types in the game, ranged, melee and heavy. The differences between these enemies make it so you need to pay a bit more attention whilst dealing with them, for example you could get shot with an arrow while fighting a melee type enemy or get charged by a heavy. This sort of variation between enemy types is what, I think, should be present in most games like this to keep it interesting and I intend to implement it into my own game.

When entering the next zones, you’ll start to encounter new types of enemies, such as this one which blocks your attacks from the front with a shield, making it so you can’t just cleave them down alongside all the grunts. There are more variations of the standard enemies and even more new ones to come in later levels, which I think this is a good way of scaling up the difficulty as you pass through more levels and progress to new areas.

 Minibosses:

In Skul: The Hero Slayer, there are minibosses which you face a little while before the final boss of the zone. Just like normal enemies, they vary in many ways, for example there is a paladin miniboss which does slow but hard-hitting attacks and puts up an impenetrable shield in front of him to block your attacks. There is also the ninja, who throws shuriken from a distance along with dash attacks, but he doesn’t have as much health which he makes up with his speed. The two I have briefly spoken about are two of five minibosses overall.

As your progress further into the game, you will eventually end up fighting these minibosses in greater numbers, up to three (and maybe beyond that, but I haven’t been able to get far enough to see). Then the minibosses will eventually be fought as full-fledged bosses, using different and more powerful attacks.

If defeated by a miniboss, their level increases, making them more difficult to fight as you die to them.

This is an example of a miniboss, specifically the ninja.

I’m thinking of adding a similar sort of thing in my own game, where there are randomized minibosses to teach you about game mechanics and to help speed along character progression. Minibosses levelling up when you die is also a cool idea, this means that experienced players would have a harder time if they kept dying to them early on, which makes them consistently interesting and challenging.

Bosses:

Bosses are the final, well, bosses of the zone. They’re the biggest hurdles to overcome in the game and require effort and concentration to best (except from the first one). They also usually have multiple phases, the first phase being the easier one and then the second is like an enraged state, they gain more power and different abilities to learn as you go and are more relentless.

As the you progress through the game and your strength increases, you’re met with stronger bosses.

The first boss of the game is called Yggdrasil or the Elder Ent. In his first phase, he slams his fists down onto you and swipes across the whole screen to try to hit you. If the first phase goes on for too long, then the Elder Ent will start firing large homing projectiles which pack a punch, though afterwards he’s stunned shortly, which makes his first phase easy enough to finish off.

This is an example of the Elder Ent in his first phase, ready to slam his fists down onto the player.

The Elder Ent slamming his fist onto the player and the player dodging out of the way.

When the Elder Ent’s health reaches 0, he goes into his enraged state, his health bar fully regenerates, and he becomes more aggressive. Usually, the Elder Ent would only slam one fist down at a time, but in his enraged form he slams twice.

This is like his first form when he sends projectiles flying at you, but in his enraged state they move faster and rain down onto the arena randomly like a meteor shower. He also gets stunned after this just like in the first phase, allowing the player to get some easy damage in.

When the Elder Ent gets to low health in his enraged state, he slams the ground which affects the whole arena floor, which you must jump to avoid. Afterwards, he resumes his normal attacks, and you can finish him off.

  I think he’s a great first boss, and I am thinking of adding a boss like him in my game. He eases players into some simple boss mechanics, and is mostly static, making his head easy to hit, this is also helped by the two branches sticking out of his neck which act as platforms. The obvious cues for attacks and simplicity of the boss fight are also another reason as to why I think he’s a good inspiration for a first boss.

After defeating a boss, they drop items and sometimes large health recovery orbs. Again, this would be another way of powering up your character by getting items from defeating bosses and minibosses.

     NPCs:

The NPCs in this game are all found by progression through the game and freeing them from cages, after you do this, they will be present in the demon castle, which is where you start, to offer you, their services.

The witch is the first NPC you free, and she can use the dark quartz you collect to give your character permanent buffs; unlike other currencies, dark quartz is not lost on death.

The second, is the fox hunter, he will give you a random free skull at the beginning of every run and will give you another at the cost of 10 dark quartz. Though he’s very useful, the skulls are never above common rarity.

The third is the ogre peddler, and he gives you a random free item at the beginning of the run and another at the cost of 10 dark quartz. He works very similarly to the fox hunter, but he gives you items instead of skulls.

The fourth is the druid, who causes a fountain to spawn in the demon castle for you to use, allowing you to have a random temporary buff, not unlike the statues you find throughout the levels, but they’re longer lasting.

The fifth and final NPC, who is non-essential to the game’s progression, is the Death Knight. You can spend a LOT of dark quartz to start to rebuild the demon castle and restore it to its former glory.

I’m thinking of having NPCs like this in the game to make the early levels easier and to provide some support in the late game with the upgrades from an NPC like the Witch. Also, having something to do on the side like restoring the demon castle with the Death Knight, seems like a fun long-term goal to have in the game.

 User interface:

The user interface in Skul: The Hero Slayer is simple; it doesn’t clog up the screen with unnecessary UI elements and tells you mostly everything that you need to know.

Here is a screenshot of a part of the UI. It shows what abilities your current skull has, tells you which skull you have equipped with the larger portrait, and what your secondary skull is along with their abilities with the smaller icons. It also shows you the keybinds to use your abilities and to switch between skulls.

In purple is your health bar, self-explanatory, it shows you how much maximum health you have and how much of your max health you have left.

Just to the right of your health bar, are your buffs and debuffs, easily the messiest part of the UI. While it shows which buffs and debuffs you have, it doesn’t show them separately, and I’ve found no way to check the effects of them to tell what my character has been affected by.

This shows how much of each of the currencies you currently have in your possession. The order goes, bones, gold, and dark quartz. 

This is the minimap, it shows the level in a minimalistic way to help you navigate it. Enemies are shown in red, with larger enemies are shown with big red rectangles whilst the smaller ones are shown with small red rectangles. The player is shown in yellow, and the exits are shown in green. The idea of a minimap in a game like this is good, where exploration isn’t necessary to progress, and you just need to fight your way through the enemies to get to the next boss. The levels are simple enough, but it’s a nice bit of extra help.

Just above the minimap shows the enemy count on the level, telling you how many enemies are currently alive. Though this number can change if more enemies spawn in, it’s a nice and easy way to check how many are left.

This just shows the boss’s name and the health it has left, meaning you know when the first phase is about to be over or if the boss is about to be finished.

 The red border on the screen shows when you take damage, and the red floating numbers near the character shows how much damage the player has taken. This is a great way to show that you have taken damage and how much of your health has been removed.

The floating yellow number shows how much damage you have dealt, while not necessary, it can add a level of satisfaction from landing a powerful attack, or if one of your attacks crit.

The faint text above the character saying “Gains an HP barrier” is a notification showing that you have received a buff from destroying one of the many statues in the world. It says exactly what it does, letting you know that you have received this buff and then you’re not left wondering what you broke and why you did.

The UI in Skul: The Hero Slayer is simple but effective. I want to aim for this sort of design in my own game, to make a minimal, easy-to-understand, and effective UI.

Environments:

Throughout the game, there are certain things in the environment that either hurt you or your enemies, tell you which reward is behind what door, or are just breakable for fun.

A couple examples of things made to hurt you can be found in the first zone.

 This is a strange tentacle of some sort that hurts you if you get too close to it, though you can also bait enemies into it and use it to kill them.

Below is a flower on a wall that shoots fire, which also hurts enemies, but isn’t as nearly effective as killing them yourself.

These are spikes that hurt you if you touch them, depending on where they’re placed (floor or wall) you can hit enemies into them to make them take massive damage.

The explosives shown above are scattered throughout the environment but if you hit them, they only do damage to enemies and launches you back, though if there are spikes above you then you will end up taking damage.

Certain things in the environment can also be destroyed without them being necessary for any sort of progression, such as the tents in the background which were previously intact.

As you can see here, there are two gates, both lead into the same level, but they change what type of reward you will receive at the end. If you go through the gate decorated with treasure, you’ll receive money at they end of the level, if you go through the normal gate, you’ll receive a random reward, and if you find a gate decorated with skulls, that one will reward you with a random skull of any rarity. Sometimes, one of the two gates are destroyed, giving you only one gate to choose from.