Maytag front load gas dryer
June 6th, 2944 [One-shot]
2023.06.07 23:59 Mu0nNeutrino June 6th, 2944 [One-shot]
As the immense briefing hall cleared for the final time before battle, two figures remained standing at the rail of the large holotank that dominated the hall's center. One was tall and gangly, thin-limbed but built with a raptor's grace. The other was shorter but bulkier, their construction seeming to forgo grace in favor of stout muscle and a certain bullheaded tenacity.
The Ja'kee First Pinionmistress examined her human counterpart from the corner of one elongated eye. The featherless primates were hard to read, but she felt that she had gained enough familiarity with their oddly mobile facial expressions to make a reasonable guess. Usually, at least. But tonight the human High Admiral's expression was inscrutable. At first glance he appeared merely contemplative as he gazed into the depths of the holotank, but she noticed that his eyes were focused beyond it, and there was something else in the set of his features that she couldn't place. Worry? Maybe, but for some reason that didn't feel quite right.
Not that worry wouldn't be amply justified here, she thought as she looked back at the sea of lines and dots in the holotank. The scale of this conflict was unprecedented in the known history of interstellar warfare, and none of the allied races had ever contemplated such a massive and audacious assault. Her own wings trembled momentarily at the thought of the many, many ways in which everything could go wrong.
But there was no choice. The few spy and scouting reports that made it out of the great black hole that the vicious Xeotasi had turned their vast conquered territory into were horrific enough to turn any sapient's stomachs. For the sake of all of the souls still captive in that expanse, they had to go on the offensive, and every day of the unavoidable delay that had been needed to make that offensive a reality burned at her with the knowledge of the innocent lives being lost. But she, and every other being present, was all too aware of the potential cost.
Her eyes traced the lines of the mere five thin hyperlanes that threaded the dark mass of the Albion Gulf. The star-poor volume of the gulf was very sparse in the massive stars that anchored the hyperlanes that interstellar travel relied on, and the natural choke point of the paltry few hyperlanes that crossed it had already been pivotal in this war once. It was there that the allied species had finally been able to string a thick enough net to stop the onslaught of the xeotasi fleets, four standard rotations ago. In the wake of that check both sides had built up massive defenses on their side of the divide, and the fighting (and major forces) had moved on to other theaters. After all, as the allies had proven, it was nigh-suicidal to attack across the gulf. Or she devoutly hoped that the xeotasi still thought so, anyway.
Yet if any role in the coming assault actually bordered on suicidal, it was that of the humans. She glanced once more at the human admiral, his expression still stoic as ever, yet still with that same indefinable edge of... something. Over the endless rotations of planning and preparation that had gone into this operation a curiosity had begun growing in her, but she had repressed it. It was simply not the sort of thing one asked about. But now, on the eve of battle, she decided to give it voice. If not now, then when?
"Admiral." The odd alien word came easily to her after so much use.
He glanced up at her. "Yes, Pinionmistress?" They had known each other for almost five rotations now, but in deference to ja'kee custom he used her title in this, their domain of warriors. Even after this long, his gruff, low voice still sounded odd in contrast to her own people's fluting tones.
"I have been wondering..." she trailed off. It still felt awkward to ask, and her crest feathers flattened in an involuntary display of self-consciousness, but she powered through. "Why do you all do it?"
"Why do we do what?" Behind the serious expression she thought there just might have been a bit of a twinkle in his eye as he responded. He was as familiar with ja'kee by now as she was with humans, after all.
"This." She gestured at the tank with a spread of pinion feathers. "This whole insane plan. Why do you put yourselves so... fully into everything? Especially the advance force? You have to know that nobody would have blamed you if you'd held back, asked for a more equal distribution of forces."
Any twinkle was definitely gone now. The humans had taken hideous losses during the more chaotic early days of the war. Their fleets had fought more desperately than any, falling back from system to system as the xeotasi advance had ground onward in a seemingly endless tide of steel and hate. They left behind a trail of broken starships and blood as they'd held out longer than anyone dreamed possible, buying time for the evacuation of what pathetically few civilians could be saved. All of the allied races had paid dearly for those rescued souls, but the humans had borne by far the brunt of it, and the others knew they owed them a debt that could never be repaid.
Yet if the humans were aware of that, they showed no sign of it. Even as they rebuilt, they refused to accept any withdrawal of what remained of their forces from the front line. And when the need to strike back, somehow, at any cost had become brutally apparent, it was the humans who had come up with the insane plan that just might have made it possible, and it was the humans who had assigned themselves the most dangerous role in that plan. And she wanted to know why. What drove them?
"Well, someone's gotta do it." The statement could have been humorous if it hadn't been delivered in such a serious tone. "I could say it was because it was our idea," he continued. "Or because we're the ones best suited to it. But mostly" - he looked her dead in the eye - "it's because fuck those bastards."
She surprised herself with a brief trill of laughter, bursting out before she could suppress it. Could humans never stay serious for more than a moment? She saw him give a quick grin of his own at getting her to laugh, but his expression quickly became serious once more.
"I agree they deserve it," she replied, still trying to make her crest feathers settle down, "though perhaps I wouldn't put it quite that way. But..." Her feathers quickly fell again. "You still didn't have to volunteer yourselves for the entire advance fleet. We would have gladly taken a part in that for you." And, the unspoken thought continued, you wouldn't have to sacrifice yourselves again for us.
She knew he could hear the unspoken continuation as well as she did. Only the humans would have considered using the 'short range' fold-drive to have an advanced force cross something like the gulf without using the hyperlanes. Even with the ludicrously stripped-down and overpowered ships the humans had built the trip would take an entire rotation (it would have been five for anyone else), and the drive radiation meant the crews had to make the trip in shielded hibernation pods. Not that they could have made the trip normally anyway since the ships had sacrificed everything else for speed, stealth, and firepower to such an extent that they couldn't even carry more than a couple weeks' life support. Or much in the way of defenses.
Of course, the xeotasi's scanners could normally still detect the drive wakes in time to give warning. But only humans would have considered dropping to real space a half-rotation out and coasting the rest of the way completely blind to avoid that. And only the humans would have thought to do all of that to slip an advance force behind enemy lines specifically to mount a perfectly timed sneak attack, alone, against some of the heaviest defenses in known space, solely to cause as much confusion as possible so that the main allied fleets could make the jump into those defenses without catastrophic losses.
It was a brilliant plan. It was also an insane one. And the humans had insisted on the advance forces being their responsibility. She'd objected back when the idea had first been proposed, but the humans had been unmovable. One of them had commented that they were 'used to Airborne operations', which had confused her but made the rest of the humans laugh. She'd resolved to try to track down whatever that was a reference to, but somehow had never quite gotten around to it. Maybe if she had done so before, she might not have had to ask now, but she supposed late was better than never.
"We know." There was no longer any humor in his voice or manner. "And we appreciate it. But this is just something we have to do."
"But not alone, surely?" she argued. It didn't seem right.
"We're not alone," he replied, and she could see the gratitude for that in his face. "Your dreadnought will be going in right next to mine in the main assault tomorrow, after all. We'd never be able to do it without you." In a breach of all discipline and custom he reached out one hand, and briefly rested it on her outermost wing-finger where she gripped the holotank's rail. Somehow, she found she didn't mind.
"It's just..." He hesitated. She held her peace, giving him space as he obviously struggled to put his thoughts into speech.
"For starters, this is our crazy plan." One corner of his mouth briefly quirked upwards in a parody of a smile, and she felt a distant flicker of amusement. There was that human irreverence again. "We came up with it, so how could we ask anyone else to take that riskiest spot for us?"
"But it's not just that. Even if it hadn't been our idea, it's our job to stand in the way. To take those risks so that nobody else has to." His gaze had gone distant. "We owe it to you, and to ourselves."
He paused for a moment before continuing in a hard voice. "There's some things you just have to fight with everything you've got. We couldn't call ourselves human if we didn't. We've seen this sort of darkness, this... evil, before. Not so bad, thank God, but we have. There've been some ugly times in our past. Things we're not proud of. Things we never want to see anyone else have to deal with."
"But we decided a long time ago that when you see something like this, you stop it, no matter what." His voice was hammered iron, and his eyes flashed. "It took a while, but we finally got ourselves together - most of us anyway - and put our foot down and said no. It might have taken a few tries to get it to stick, but eventually it did, and we will be damned if we stand by and watch it happen again!"
He took a deep breath and turned away, staring into the holotank once more and leaning on its rail, and a long pause passed before he spoke again.
"And we've done this before." His voice was quiet now, almost pensive. "How could we stand up in front of our ancestors and tell them that we couldn't make the same sacrifices they did? 'The eyes of the world are upon us.' We will not be found wanting."
He gave a sigh. "I just hope this works out as well as the original did."
She stood in silence, blinking as his words seemed to echo in her ears. It was an uncharacteristic outburst from the normally reserved human. Her wing rose almost of its own accord, hovering above his back as she felt the urge to comfort him as he had done for her. But the ironclad force of custom ran too deep, and she lowered it again, not without a feeling of regret.
Not knowing what else to do, she gave a sound of agreement as she turned to follow his gaze into the tank, wishing as she had rarely wished for anything before that she knew what he was referring to. She supposed she had known intellectually that human history was, of course, just as rich as that of her own species, but it had never really come to her attention before. But this... this was something worth understanding.
It was an ancient teaching that sometimes, as the wheel turned, there came events that were more than mere history. They were a crucible, the vessel in which a people's identity was forged, to be hammered out on the anvil of destiny. They came only rarely, but she already knew that this war would be one of those times for all of them, just like the Gates of Jar'ka'han had been for her people before they ever left their homeworld to join the heavens.
And, of course, the humans had their own, of which she knew nothing. She felt strangely bereft at the thought. She needed to know, to understand the trials that drove such resolution. To share the emotion, instead of being on the outside looking in.
She vowed to repair the gap in her knowledge as soon as possible. Assuming she survived.
Her eyes traced once more the five hyperlanes crossing the gulf, terminating at the five xeotasi-held systems that were their objectives. Spread in a ragged line across a hundred light-years of space, they were labeled in human script. The sight was a familiar one from endless planning sessions and briefings, and given the humans' inexplicable obsession with nonsensical code names she hadn't given their renaming of those systems a second thought. But now... now she wondered.
Five targets. Five beacons in the endless black. Five portals that would lead to liberation, or to eternity. Five aeries on which their assault would break like the gods' own hammer - or be broken. And five brief, cryptic tags attached to those dots of light.
GOLD
JUNO
SWORD
UTAH
OMAHA
2023.06.07 23:58 Gel_007 The Founding Chapter 6
June 10th, 327
It’s been a bit since I’ve written here. I decided to give Augustine a looser leash and I allowed him to explore the outside world as long as he knew what he was doing.
June 11th, 327
Augustine said he had something to tell me later tonight, he’d been exploring almost every day now, the active sense of adventure that boy has honestly impresses me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A: Hey Zach
Z: Hey what’s up?
A: I wanna tell you about something I found while I was exploring the other day.
Z: Spill then.
A: Alright, so as I was playing around with my long distance teleportation spell and I ended up on the base of a large mountain range. It was strange as I couldn’t teleport all the way to the top, it was like something within the very mountain’s mineral makeup was negating my attempts to teleport up to its peak. So I decided to scale the mountain the old fashion way: climbing it. Thanks to the enhancements given to me by that project I scaled the mountain in no time, and the other side? It was like nothing the world has ever seen, the mountain range was hiding a large gulf of water, a large island placed just within the gulf, lush forest and 2 large mountains towards the center, a place that seemed untouched by time itself. It could be the perfect place to permanently hide from the Templar, after all we can only hide in this cabin for so long before they eventually find us.
I was certainly surprised at the fact that he was able to scale an entire mountain with seemingly very little effort, but what interested me more was the island he discovered. He claimed it looked “untouched” but the higher ups at the Templar claimed they have colonized nearly all the available land in this world so to have an entire island be left untouched is almost like foreign concept, something of legend.
Z: An untouched island? Not only untouched but also unheard of. The Templar said they’ve colonized all known land in this world.
A: I know! But I couldn’t see any mana towers among the trees or any humans from the peak of the mountains.
Z: Well if still untouched after all this time, chances are that they won’t find it anytime soon.
A: exactly! A place where the Templar will never reach…solemn look
Z: What's wrong Augustine? The memories and thoughts haunting you again?
A: yea, I’m sorry to constantly bother you with them but I’ve kept them contained for too long
Z: Hey, hey it’s alright. You’ve never been a bother at all, helping you deal with your issues is what friends are for.
A: I appreciate it Zach, for the longest time Elock was really the only friend I’ve ever had so it’s enlightening hearing someone else say that, to this day I still wonder where she is today and if she’s even alive! I used to have nightmares where I would meet her again just to discover that she’s-
Z: it’s alright, I’m sure she thinks about you every day too and most likely wonders the same every night.
A: Yeah I know, but it’s hard remaining optimistic in this world with the whole war between humans and keidran going on.
Z: Well to me that island sounds like a great place to start.
A: agreed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Augustine and I agreed to visit the island he found beyond the mountains tomorrow, he thinks it’ll be the perfect place to hide from the Templar.
June 12th, 327
Augustine said that the mountain range was incredibly far, about days worth of running in Augustine’s estimation, so teleporting there is just another thing to add to the list of things he impresses me with. While the material the mountain range is composed of prevents any magic from directly interacting with them, they don’t extend beyond that, so Augustine offered to fly us up there using a telekinetic spell.
Turns out Augustine is only used to telekinetically lifting one item, how do I know? Because he accidentally dropped me. Luckily I landed in a tree. After traversing both sides of the mountain and making it across the water, we arrived on the island at last and man Augustine wasn’t lying. It truly was beautiful, lush fruit bearing trees, 2 large mountains and not even the smallest hint of Templar interference!
We headed further inland and decided to stay at the valley between the 2 mountains with Augustine immediately getting to work and hacking away at the tree with the guard’s sword. After a few hours of work, Augustine already had a large pile of planks with me barely keeping up and Augustine teasing me about it, oh I’m sorry not everyone is a magically enhanced super soldier.
It was beginning to grow dark and we made the decision to head back to the cabin for today and continue the build some later time. Augustine made a waypoint in the cabin so getting back was easy though it had some issues as it took a while to activate. I took a rock sample from the mountains to analyze back at the cabin.
June 13th, 327
This was fascinating! The rock sample I took had incredibly unique properties never before seen! Its primary ability was “absorbing” sources of mana. I had stabbed one of our mana crystals into the rock and I observed as it broke down the crystal over the course of an hour! This explains why Augustine couldn’t teleport up the mountain. So even if the Templar did find the mountain they would never get over it, even with the most powerful mages magic.
Augustine had gone out to town again, he said it was to pick up building tools to help shore up the house we were building. He claimed he could handle it on his own and despite me wanting to protest, I let him go through with it. Unfortunately the town we went to around a week ago didn’t have a hardware store as any construction must run through Lulio first, so Augustine had to head to the neighboring town to see if he could find anything there.
~~~~~~~~~~
(Cut to Augustine’s pov)
Thoughts: “ugh cmon how hard could a hardware store be to find, it feels like I’ve been searching for hours already!”
sees sign with a hammer on it
“Gah! Finally!”
heads inside
Shopkeeper: Greetings sir! How may I assist you today?
“Uhh it’s alright I can handle it on my own, thanks for the offer though!”
Thoughts: this time the illusion should last longer as these mana crystals are fresh rather than being recharged.
grabs a large amount of nails, 2 hammers, some axes to preserve his sword, saws, sand paper, and stone blocks
Shopkeeper: Oh my sir, this is an awful load that you’ll have to carry on your own, are you sure you can handle it?
“Yes I’m sure…”
Shopkeeper: Are you sure? We have a policy that allows you to rent slaves to help you with whatever you’re working on.
“No, n-“
(Shopkeep rings a bell to send a slave to the front before Augustine could interject)
Thoughts: are you kidding me? Gahhh cmon Zack is waiting for me and I don’t wanna keep him on the line!
Female voice: coming!
Augustine: frustrated and staring at the floor
Shopkeeper: How about this one? Hard worker she is, very cooperative, very friendly.
Augustine: looks up
Elock: hello sir! How may I assist you today?
shivering
Thoughts: E- Elock?! When?! How?! I thought you worked for a farmer?! I can’t say anything, it'll reveal my identity to the worker! Okay, okay, okay just keep it calm!
“I- uh stuttering I changed my mind! She can help me, I’ll take her!”
Shopkeeper: I’m not surprised, she’s gone from owner to owner as she’s quite a hard worker, she’s worth a lot of money after being traded so many times before ending up at my place. 1000G for 7 days.
“I- yes I’ll take her”
Shopkeeper: perfect!
exits with supplies and Elock
~~~~~~~~~~
Elock looking at Augustine’s wanted poster: solemn
“Something wrong?”
Elock: oh! N-nothing! It’s just these ropes binding my hands are just a bit tight! And W-where are we heading sir? We’re outside of town at this point and I- uh-
A: chuckles a bit you’re still just as bad as ever at hiding your nervousness Elock
Elock: Ah- I- how do you know my name?!
A: unties the rope and disables illusion It’s been a while, wouldn’t you agree?
Elock in shock and on the verge of tears: I…A…trembling, mouth slightly ajar in shock
A: what? Cat got your tongue? Well I guess that’s true consid-
Elock: pounces on him AUGUSTINE! I’ve missed you so much!How have you been?!Where did you- starts talking so fast that even Augustine couldn’t keep up with what she was saying and weeping happy tears profusely on his shirt
A: slightly choking from how tight she’s hugging him it’s okay, it’s okay! I’ve missed you too. I almost thought you were gonna be de- ow ow! Stop it I was kidding!
Elock: blep I know. Not a single day went by where I didn’t think about you! And say weren't your eyes brown before?
A: I’m flattered that you still remember and well…it’s kind of a long story…but first let’s retreat to safety. teleports with Elock
~~~~~~~~~~
A: …and then I ended up here
Elock: That’s incredible! You sure had been on a wild cart ride while I was gone! I wish I could have been there.
A: It's not as glamorous as it sounds, that experiment was agony incarnate, it’s a wonder I survived! In fact I was the only one who came out alive, though the powers I got bestowed with are certainly nothing to complain about but still the effects after we’re brutal.
Elock: glad you did, the way you and Zach escaped the facility was incredible.
A: well he can tell you all about it points to cabin we’ve arrived
Zach opens door
A: Hey Zach, I’m back from my shopping spree.
Z: Augustine what took you so long? The plan was to just get the supplies and get out.
A: I know! But I got a bit off track. I found someone very special.
Elock: pokes head through the door Mrow?
A: meet Elock, remem-
Z: her! The keidran you met when you were 10?
A: yup to Elock it’s alright Elock it’s fine he won’t bite.
Elock: H- hello sir.
Z: please call me Zach. It’s a pleasure.
shakes hand
Elock: it’s a nice place you 2 have here.
A: It was by sheer luck that we found this place actually.
Z: Yeah, the blast was much larger than we’d anticipated and even if my house remained intact, they’d still come searching for me.
Elock: Well lucky you found this place when you did.
A: Are you hungry Elock? We have some steak leftovers.
Elock: oh, I am actually, thank you!
Z: say Elock…
Elock: yes?
Z: Would you mind telling us your journey? I’d love to learn.
A: Zach!
Z: Right, sorry.
Elock: No, no Augustine, it’s alright. I don’t mind in the slightest.
Life in the rainforest regions was paradise, plenty of food, clean sources of water, plenty of building materials, and a beautiful sight to wake up to everyday. My parents worked directly under the matriarch, Lektra(keidran for bolt/thunder) so me being born was almost as exciting as the coronation of the matriarch herself. Unfortunately that swiftly came to a close when Lulio decided to use our home as farmland and despite protests from Lektra, Lulio still went through with the plan. In a flash everything was pretty much destroyed. Our warriors tried to fight back but were eliminated instantly, I was about 3 when this happened and the memory still burns strong to this day.
Augustine: muttering under his breath psychotic bastard…
Elock: I know how you feel, Augustine, trust me I do.
A: I know, I’m sorry
Elock: holds his hand It's alright.
After the destruction of my people and my home, I was sent into the town and stayed in a keidran only home until my 4th birthday. Instead of pleasant accommodations like human orphan homes, all we got was a pillow and some sheets to make ourselves comfortable with, most of us slept on the hardwood floor and it was unbearable. Lulio passed a law where keidran as young as 4 would be eligible for work. After my 4th birthday I was almost immediately whisked off to work on a farm, while the job was tough, they at least gave me my own room and bed, one of their guests even took a small liking to me but tragically he died of a lung infection.
Z: I lament your journey and loss Elock, I can’t imagine how tough this was to bear all at once.
Elock: please it’s okay, you don’t have to apologize for anything. None of this is any of your wrongdoing.
Z: You said your people were killed but what about your parents? Did they survive too?
Elock: Oh right! My parents were spared as they opted to surrender peacefully and they were sold to different owners. I used to occasionally see them from time to time but after I moved I had to say a tearful goodbye to both them and Augustine. playfully pinches his cheek
Z: You’re strong for getting through that, not many could take that much.
Elock: I appreciate that.
Z: Do you have any idea where your parents are right now?
Elock: I think they’re still in the same tow- Augustine? Are you okay?
A: on the other hand gripping the table so hard that it was gonna break, eyes with a look of both confusion and rage
Elock: Augustine?
A: I- I saw them…
Elock: What do you mean?
A: They were there…in the same room.
Elock: Are you talking about the operation?
A: Y- yes…I saw them, both of them. They were in the operation too, part of the 10 keidrans selected to be in the experiment. I briefly saw them looking at me, they were scared but I couldn’t do a damn thing to help them and now they're dead! slowly growing hysterical
Elock: Augustine!
A: snaps out of his hysterics
Elock: it’s not your fault! Neither of you have to feel guilty!
A: I know, but I just wish I could have done something to help them, but I was just a powerless child.
Z: Augustine. We all wish we could have done something to stop Lulio’s plan, we all feel the same way just please don’t put all the blame on yourself.
A: I know, I'm sorry…
Elock: it’s alright…we’re all here to support you, you got hit the hardest out of all so you should be the one to be the one who receives sympathy.
A: …thanks guys, It feels like it’s been so long since I’ve heard something so comforting.
Elock: don’t worry, we’ll never leave and when we do, we’ll leave together.
A: …oh! Elock, I hate to do this but would you mind helping us with something? We found a place that could be our key to salvation.
Elock: Of course! I don’t mind in the slightest.
A: teleports all 3 of them via waypoint
~~~~~~~~~~
Elock: in awe of the island I…this is incredible! It reminds me so much of my home! And you were right! There’s no hint of Templar activity at all!
A: We were just as shocked as you are right now when we first found it. I mean like Zach said, the Templar claimed that they have settled on all available land in this world.
Elock: Well then, let’s make good use of this place, so let’s get to work!
A: I couldn't have said it better myself.
hours later, the trio had finished building a moderate sized wooden house
A: woo! Not bad for a day's work, am I right?
Elock: Mrrrr…man that was a nice workout!
Z: Tell me about it!
A: So Elock, should we tell Zach?
Elock: I think so!
Z: Tell me…what?
A: Well…on the way here, Elock and I started thinking and we were thinking of a way we could free other slaves from their captors.
Z: sigh… well at this point, I know better than to criticize your plan before even hearing it so go ahead, spill it on me.
A: Operation: torchwick
—————
I would then use as much of my power as possible to telekinetic lift as many refugees as possibl-
Z: Yeah…considering that you almost dropped me off the side of the mountain, I think even you would have trouble lifting a bunch of slaves.
A: hey!
Elock: Mreeheehee!
A: anyways! After we figure out a way to get everyone up there, we’ll be untouchable!
Z: huh…well from one chaotic strategist to another, it’s worth a shot.
A: Perfect! See Elock?
Elock: mew?
A: I kept the promise I made, all those years ago! when we meet again, it’ll be your freedom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To be continued
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also for anyone who wants to know a bit more about Elock:
Name: Elock of the rainforest leopards
Species: rainforest leopard
Languages: human, keidran
Physical characteristics: yellow fur, black nose marking, black rosettes running down back and onto tail, unusually big and poofy tail, butter yellow hair with black streaks, faint outline of heart pattern on her behind
Height: 5’4”
Age: 9 years(was 4 when she met Augustine)
Eye color: emerald green
Mental characteristics:
-Quick learner
-Eager to help
-Bad at hiding panic
-Imaginative
-Heart of gold
-Shy but slowly growing out of it
-Optimistic
Likes: adventure, rain, storytelling, being adored, helping, hugs(especially from Augustine), pouncing on people she cares about.
Dislikes: slavery, Templar(although not as intensely as most others)
Unlike most, Elock had the ability to both read and write prior to slavery, being taught by both her parents and Lektra herself. Spending most of her time reading and drawing using whatever material she could find.
submitted by Gel_007 to Twokinds [link] [comments]
It’s been a bit since I’ve written here. I decided to give Augustine a looser leash and I allowed him to explore the outside world as long as he knew what he was doing.
June 11th, 327
Augustine said he had something to tell me later tonight, he’d been exploring almost every day now, the active sense of adventure that boy has honestly impresses me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A: Hey Zach
Z: Hey what’s up?
A: I wanna tell you about something I found while I was exploring the other day.
Z: Spill then.
A: Alright, so as I was playing around with my long distance teleportation spell and I ended up on the base of a large mountain range. It was strange as I couldn’t teleport all the way to the top, it was like something within the very mountain’s mineral makeup was negating my attempts to teleport up to its peak. So I decided to scale the mountain the old fashion way: climbing it. Thanks to the enhancements given to me by that project I scaled the mountain in no time, and the other side? It was like nothing the world has ever seen, the mountain range was hiding a large gulf of water, a large island placed just within the gulf, lush forest and 2 large mountains towards the center, a place that seemed untouched by time itself. It could be the perfect place to permanently hide from the Templar, after all we can only hide in this cabin for so long before they eventually find us.
I was certainly surprised at the fact that he was able to scale an entire mountain with seemingly very little effort, but what interested me more was the island he discovered. He claimed it looked “untouched” but the higher ups at the Templar claimed they have colonized nearly all the available land in this world so to have an entire island be left untouched is almost like foreign concept, something of legend.
Z: An untouched island? Not only untouched but also unheard of. The Templar said they’ve colonized all known land in this world.
A: I know! But I couldn’t see any mana towers among the trees or any humans from the peak of the mountains.
Z: Well if still untouched after all this time, chances are that they won’t find it anytime soon.
A: exactly! A place where the Templar will never reach…solemn look
Z: What's wrong Augustine? The memories and thoughts haunting you again?
A: yea, I’m sorry to constantly bother you with them but I’ve kept them contained for too long
Z: Hey, hey it’s alright. You’ve never been a bother at all, helping you deal with your issues is what friends are for.
A: I appreciate it Zach, for the longest time Elock was really the only friend I’ve ever had so it’s enlightening hearing someone else say that, to this day I still wonder where she is today and if she’s even alive! I used to have nightmares where I would meet her again just to discover that she’s-
Z: it’s alright, I’m sure she thinks about you every day too and most likely wonders the same every night.
A: Yeah I know, but it’s hard remaining optimistic in this world with the whole war between humans and keidran going on.
Z: Well to me that island sounds like a great place to start.
A: agreed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Augustine and I agreed to visit the island he found beyond the mountains tomorrow, he thinks it’ll be the perfect place to hide from the Templar.
June 12th, 327
Augustine said that the mountain range was incredibly far, about days worth of running in Augustine’s estimation, so teleporting there is just another thing to add to the list of things he impresses me with. While the material the mountain range is composed of prevents any magic from directly interacting with them, they don’t extend beyond that, so Augustine offered to fly us up there using a telekinetic spell.
Turns out Augustine is only used to telekinetically lifting one item, how do I know? Because he accidentally dropped me. Luckily I landed in a tree. After traversing both sides of the mountain and making it across the water, we arrived on the island at last and man Augustine wasn’t lying. It truly was beautiful, lush fruit bearing trees, 2 large mountains and not even the smallest hint of Templar interference!
We headed further inland and decided to stay at the valley between the 2 mountains with Augustine immediately getting to work and hacking away at the tree with the guard’s sword. After a few hours of work, Augustine already had a large pile of planks with me barely keeping up and Augustine teasing me about it, oh I’m sorry not everyone is a magically enhanced super soldier.
It was beginning to grow dark and we made the decision to head back to the cabin for today and continue the build some later time. Augustine made a waypoint in the cabin so getting back was easy though it had some issues as it took a while to activate. I took a rock sample from the mountains to analyze back at the cabin.
June 13th, 327
This was fascinating! The rock sample I took had incredibly unique properties never before seen! Its primary ability was “absorbing” sources of mana. I had stabbed one of our mana crystals into the rock and I observed as it broke down the crystal over the course of an hour! This explains why Augustine couldn’t teleport up the mountain. So even if the Templar did find the mountain they would never get over it, even with the most powerful mages magic.
Augustine had gone out to town again, he said it was to pick up building tools to help shore up the house we were building. He claimed he could handle it on his own and despite me wanting to protest, I let him go through with it. Unfortunately the town we went to around a week ago didn’t have a hardware store as any construction must run through Lulio first, so Augustine had to head to the neighboring town to see if he could find anything there.
~~~~~~~~~~
(Cut to Augustine’s pov)
Thoughts: “ugh cmon how hard could a hardware store be to find, it feels like I’ve been searching for hours already!”
sees sign with a hammer on it
“Gah! Finally!”
heads inside
Shopkeeper: Greetings sir! How may I assist you today?
“Uhh it’s alright I can handle it on my own, thanks for the offer though!”
Thoughts: this time the illusion should last longer as these mana crystals are fresh rather than being recharged.
grabs a large amount of nails, 2 hammers, some axes to preserve his sword, saws, sand paper, and stone blocks
Shopkeeper: Oh my sir, this is an awful load that you’ll have to carry on your own, are you sure you can handle it?
“Yes I’m sure…”
Shopkeeper: Are you sure? We have a policy that allows you to rent slaves to help you with whatever you’re working on.
“No, n-“
(Shopkeep rings a bell to send a slave to the front before Augustine could interject)
Thoughts: are you kidding me? Gahhh cmon Zack is waiting for me and I don’t wanna keep him on the line!
Female voice: coming!
Augustine: frustrated and staring at the floor
Shopkeeper: How about this one? Hard worker she is, very cooperative, very friendly.
Augustine: looks up
Elock: hello sir! How may I assist you today?
shivering
Thoughts: E- Elock?! When?! How?! I thought you worked for a farmer?! I can’t say anything, it'll reveal my identity to the worker! Okay, okay, okay just keep it calm!
“I- uh stuttering I changed my mind! She can help me, I’ll take her!”
Shopkeeper: I’m not surprised, she’s gone from owner to owner as she’s quite a hard worker, she’s worth a lot of money after being traded so many times before ending up at my place. 1000G for 7 days.
“I- yes I’ll take her”
Shopkeeper: perfect!
exits with supplies and Elock
~~~~~~~~~~
Elock looking at Augustine’s wanted poster: solemn
“Something wrong?”
Elock: oh! N-nothing! It’s just these ropes binding my hands are just a bit tight! And W-where are we heading sir? We’re outside of town at this point and I- uh-
A: chuckles a bit you’re still just as bad as ever at hiding your nervousness Elock
Elock: Ah- I- how do you know my name?!
A: unties the rope and disables illusion It’s been a while, wouldn’t you agree?
Elock in shock and on the verge of tears: I…A…trembling, mouth slightly ajar in shock
A: what? Cat got your tongue? Well I guess that’s true consid-
Elock: pounces on him AUGUSTINE! I’ve missed you so much!How have you been?!Where did you- starts talking so fast that even Augustine couldn’t keep up with what she was saying and weeping happy tears profusely on his shirt
A: slightly choking from how tight she’s hugging him it’s okay, it’s okay! I’ve missed you too. I almost thought you were gonna be de- ow ow! Stop it I was kidding!
Elock: blep I know. Not a single day went by where I didn’t think about you! And say weren't your eyes brown before?
A: I’m flattered that you still remember and well…it’s kind of a long story…but first let’s retreat to safety. teleports with Elock
~~~~~~~~~~
A: …and then I ended up here
Elock: That’s incredible! You sure had been on a wild cart ride while I was gone! I wish I could have been there.
A: It's not as glamorous as it sounds, that experiment was agony incarnate, it’s a wonder I survived! In fact I was the only one who came out alive, though the powers I got bestowed with are certainly nothing to complain about but still the effects after we’re brutal.
Elock: glad you did, the way you and Zach escaped the facility was incredible.
A: well he can tell you all about it points to cabin we’ve arrived
Zach opens door
A: Hey Zach, I’m back from my shopping spree.
Z: Augustine what took you so long? The plan was to just get the supplies and get out.
A: I know! But I got a bit off track. I found someone very special.
Elock: pokes head through the door Mrow?
A: meet Elock, remem-
Z: her! The keidran you met when you were 10?
A: yup to Elock it’s alright Elock it’s fine he won’t bite.
Elock: H- hello sir.
Z: please call me Zach. It’s a pleasure.
shakes hand
Elock: it’s a nice place you 2 have here.
A: It was by sheer luck that we found this place actually.
Z: Yeah, the blast was much larger than we’d anticipated and even if my house remained intact, they’d still come searching for me.
Elock: Well lucky you found this place when you did.
A: Are you hungry Elock? We have some steak leftovers.
Elock: oh, I am actually, thank you!
Z: say Elock…
Elock: yes?
Z: Would you mind telling us your journey? I’d love to learn.
A: Zach!
Z: Right, sorry.
Elock: No, no Augustine, it’s alright. I don’t mind in the slightest.
Life in the rainforest regions was paradise, plenty of food, clean sources of water, plenty of building materials, and a beautiful sight to wake up to everyday. My parents worked directly under the matriarch, Lektra(keidran for bolt/thunder) so me being born was almost as exciting as the coronation of the matriarch herself. Unfortunately that swiftly came to a close when Lulio decided to use our home as farmland and despite protests from Lektra, Lulio still went through with the plan. In a flash everything was pretty much destroyed. Our warriors tried to fight back but were eliminated instantly, I was about 3 when this happened and the memory still burns strong to this day.
Augustine: muttering under his breath psychotic bastard…
Elock: I know how you feel, Augustine, trust me I do.
A: I know, I’m sorry
Elock: holds his hand It's alright.
After the destruction of my people and my home, I was sent into the town and stayed in a keidran only home until my 4th birthday. Instead of pleasant accommodations like human orphan homes, all we got was a pillow and some sheets to make ourselves comfortable with, most of us slept on the hardwood floor and it was unbearable. Lulio passed a law where keidran as young as 4 would be eligible for work. After my 4th birthday I was almost immediately whisked off to work on a farm, while the job was tough, they at least gave me my own room and bed, one of their guests even took a small liking to me but tragically he died of a lung infection.
Z: I lament your journey and loss Elock, I can’t imagine how tough this was to bear all at once.
Elock: please it’s okay, you don’t have to apologize for anything. None of this is any of your wrongdoing.
Z: You said your people were killed but what about your parents? Did they survive too?
Elock: Oh right! My parents were spared as they opted to surrender peacefully and they were sold to different owners. I used to occasionally see them from time to time but after I moved I had to say a tearful goodbye to both them and Augustine. playfully pinches his cheek
Z: You’re strong for getting through that, not many could take that much.
Elock: I appreciate that.
Z: Do you have any idea where your parents are right now?
Elock: I think they’re still in the same tow- Augustine? Are you okay?
A: on the other hand gripping the table so hard that it was gonna break, eyes with a look of both confusion and rage
Elock: Augustine?
A: I- I saw them…
Elock: What do you mean?
A: They were there…in the same room.
Elock: Are you talking about the operation?
A: Y- yes…I saw them, both of them. They were in the operation too, part of the 10 keidrans selected to be in the experiment. I briefly saw them looking at me, they were scared but I couldn’t do a damn thing to help them and now they're dead! slowly growing hysterical
Elock: Augustine!
A: snaps out of his hysterics
Elock: it’s not your fault! Neither of you have to feel guilty!
A: I know, but I just wish I could have done something to help them, but I was just a powerless child.
Z: Augustine. We all wish we could have done something to stop Lulio’s plan, we all feel the same way just please don’t put all the blame on yourself.
A: I know, I'm sorry…
Elock: it’s alright…we’re all here to support you, you got hit the hardest out of all so you should be the one to be the one who receives sympathy.
A: …thanks guys, It feels like it’s been so long since I’ve heard something so comforting.
Elock: don’t worry, we’ll never leave and when we do, we’ll leave together.
A: …oh! Elock, I hate to do this but would you mind helping us with something? We found a place that could be our key to salvation.
Elock: Of course! I don’t mind in the slightest.
A: teleports all 3 of them via waypoint
~~~~~~~~~~
Elock: in awe of the island I…this is incredible! It reminds me so much of my home! And you were right! There’s no hint of Templar activity at all!
A: We were just as shocked as you are right now when we first found it. I mean like Zach said, the Templar claimed that they have settled on all available land in this world.
Elock: Well then, let’s make good use of this place, so let’s get to work!
A: I couldn't have said it better myself.
hours later, the trio had finished building a moderate sized wooden house
A: woo! Not bad for a day's work, am I right?
Elock: Mrrrr…man that was a nice workout!
Z: Tell me about it!
A: So Elock, should we tell Zach?
Elock: I think so!
Z: Tell me…what?
A: Well…on the way here, Elock and I started thinking and we were thinking of a way we could free other slaves from their captors.
Z: sigh… well at this point, I know better than to criticize your plan before even hearing it so go ahead, spill it on me.
A: Operation: torchwick
—————
- Elock would be our messenger, using her spare time to get any other slaves on board with the plan, amassing as many as possible.
- On the large hill next to the town, we plant a large amount of gray mana crystals. Where downhill wind will carry the effect down into the town
- I would then use a spell that emits a light that can’t be perceived by humans but can be seen by keidrans and basitins alike, Which would act as the signal to go for it.
- The group would then head towards the light where we would then break for the mountains as fast as possible.
I would then use as much of my power as possible to telekinetic lift as many refugees as possibl-
Z: Yeah…considering that you almost dropped me off the side of the mountain, I think even you would have trouble lifting a bunch of slaves.
A: hey!
Elock: Mreeheehee!
A: anyways! After we figure out a way to get everyone up there, we’ll be untouchable!
Z: huh…well from one chaotic strategist to another, it’s worth a shot.
A: Perfect! See Elock?
Elock: mew?
A: I kept the promise I made, all those years ago! when we meet again, it’ll be your freedom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To be continued
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also for anyone who wants to know a bit more about Elock:
Name: Elock of the rainforest leopards
Species: rainforest leopard
Languages: human, keidran
Physical characteristics: yellow fur, black nose marking, black rosettes running down back and onto tail, unusually big and poofy tail, butter yellow hair with black streaks, faint outline of heart pattern on her behind
Height: 5’4”
Age: 9 years(was 4 when she met Augustine)
Eye color: emerald green
Mental characteristics:
-Quick learner
-Eager to help
-Bad at hiding panic
-Imaginative
-Heart of gold
-Shy but slowly growing out of it
-Optimistic
Likes: adventure, rain, storytelling, being adored, helping, hugs(especially from Augustine), pouncing on people she cares about.
Dislikes: slavery, Templar(although not as intensely as most others)
Unlike most, Elock had the ability to both read and write prior to slavery, being taught by both her parents and Lektra herself. Spending most of her time reading and drawing using whatever material she could find.
2023.06.07 23:57 DDoubleBlinDD Everyone's a Catgirl! Ch. 219: Sapphire of the Emperor
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The Port of Meow. Tristan thought he wouldn’t be surprised by the world’s naming conventions after he’d heard terms like ‘Myana,’ and ‘Onyans,’ but this one struck him as funny. Maybe it was the lack of sleep from their conditions on the boat. Every time one of the girls said it, he laughed.
“There are so many people,” Destiny murmured as they entered the port city. “And all the buildings are so close together!”
Lara inhaled a deep breath. “Wind brings so many flavors with her. I have never smelled so many spices.” She pointed at one building, then the next, then a third. “Earth is the ruler here. Each one of these structures begins and ends with him.”
It really was incredible. The strips of buildings carried a spirit of older Chinese architecture, using a bilateral symmetry that stemmed from one focal structure into secondary components on either side—like wings on a giant bird. He was fascinated in middle school by Asian and Middle-Eastern design, and to see it dominating an entire island in a completely different world was mind-boggling.
Such an intricate, elegant city. Called the Port of Meow.
Tristan laughed.
Destiny gently touched his forehead with the back of her hand. “Tristan? Are you feeling alright?”
“Yes, sorry. I’m fine. Just tired.” Her skin felt cool against his. “I guess I did laugh at a weird time, huh?”
Destiny chewed her lip. “It isn’t just that. You’re very pale.”
Lara bent her knees and looked into his face. “My sister is correct, Young Master. I would advise we find a place to rest.”
A sure hand clapped him on his shoulder. Matt was suddenly beside him, his Party at his side. “Ready to get something to eat?”
Tristan’s chest tightened, and he licked his lips. He suddenly felt very dizzy. “C-could you show us where to stay? I’m not feeling well.”
Cannoli danced to his side, her hands deep inside her [Cat Pack]. “Poor Tristan! I may have a potion! Let me look!”
“That’s sweet of you, Cannoli, but we’ll take care of him,” Destiny said, favoring Tristan with a worried glance. “If we need anything, I’ll let you know.”
“The Spider Lily’s this way.” Ravyn grabbed Matt’s arm and tugged him away from Tristan. “Don’t crowd Tristan. He looks like he’s about to faint.”
Thanks, Ravyn.
Destiny hooked her arm through Tristan’s, and Lara copied on his opposite side. They made their way through the crowds together, drawing the eyes of almost every catgirl they passed.
The port was bustling with activity. Sailors and merchants loaded boats on the multitude of docks while vendors in tents hawked last-minute travel supplies and whatever ‘San Specials’ were. In the sprawling wings on either side of the center building, there were small restaurants, shops, an armorer, and a tailor. Excited murmurs and laughter echoed from all angles, making it hard to hear one another as they fought through the throngs.
It was nothing like Venicia.
It turned out the Spider Lily was the center building. An expansive inn lit by dozens of paper lanterns, with metal gates forged by geometric patterns. Opaque windows mirrored the gates’ rectangular motif, flecked with golden embellishments and pieces of colored glass.
Ravyn led them inside. Incense burned on a polished podium, and they were greeted by a pair of young women in high-collared dresses, their dark hair tied away from their faces.
“Welcome to the Spider Lily,” the woman in red said, bowing deeply. “You are Cailu’s companions, are you not?”
Ravyn made a sound between choking and gagging.
“You could say that,” Matt replied before Tristan could say anything. He nudged Ravyn with his elbow and offered a wry smile.
“Very good. I am Ayu, and this is Nalee. Your rooms will be free for the duration of your stay,” Ayu, the woman in blue, announced, copying her companion’s bow. “There are two suites on the second floor; one for each of you.”
Tristan exchanged a confused glance with Matt.
“Just two?” Keke asked first.
“Yes, miss. You will find four beds in each suite, as well as a full-service washroom. Is this not to your liking?” Nalee tilted her head to the side. “Perhaps we can find something more suitable?”
“No, that’s perfect. Thank you very much,” Tristan said with a wave of his hand. “It’s more than enough.”
“Excellent, sir. We have stationed Kaori and Ratu on the floor as well. They will retrieve anything you require. Food, drinks, travel necessities, you need only say the word, and they will bring it to you,” Ayu continued. “Should they fail to meet your needs, Nalee and I will both see this rectified.”
“Pardon me, miss, but how will charges for these items be collected?” Ceres asked.
“Cailu has assured us that he will settle your tab,” Nalee said. “It is not yours to bear.”
Tristan heard Cannoli mutter to Keke, “We can order anything?”
Keke nodded.
Cannoli took Buttons from her shoulder and looked at him excitedly. “We can get you so many peanuts!”
Ravyn cackled. That was the laugh of a girl with dad’s metal credit card in her wallet.
“We will not cause Sir Cailu to regret this generosity,” Ceres replied with a deep bow and pointed glare at Ravyn. “It is a great kindness, and we thank you.”
“I just need some water,” Tristan said, leaning his head against Lara’s shoulder.
Destiny raised her hand. “Can we please get our key? We would like to go up now.”
“Of course, miss.” Nalee retrieved a key on a delicate chain from behind the podium and handed it to Destiny. “Please enjoy your stay.”
“Why don’t we head off to the Golden Dragon first?” Matt suggested to his Party. “We can come back and check on them after.”
Ravyn gawked. “Did you not hear what the lady just said?”
“I did. And I’m with Ceres on this one. Come on.” Matt waved his group outside.
“Baka!”
Keke laughed as they filtered through the door.
“Let us go upstairs,” Lara said, squeezing Tristan’s arm.
“Yeah. Good idea.”
Destiny and Lara guided him up the two flights to the second floor, and Tristan’s vertigo grew worse. It was like a combination of seasickness and stepping off the teacup ride at an amusement park. The world would just not stop moving.
“Hello, sir. My name is Kaori.” A green-haired girl bowed in the hallway of the second floor.
“And I’m Ratu. Just let us know if you need anything at all.” A head of short blonde hair ducked deep with her bow.
“Thank you both,” Tristan replied, unsure if he had the energy for proper introductions.
Destiny unlocked the door to their room and pushed it open. The dark hallway gave way to a room of colorful screens and vibrant tapestries. The single room was bigger than the apartment Tristan grew up in—each bed could fit three people without an issue.
As soon as they were inside, Destiny knelt to help Tristan take off his boots.
“Y-you don’t have to do that,” Tristan said, embarrassment burning into his face.
“I want to,” Destiny said, continuing to untie the laces.
Lara moved to one of the beds, turning down the blankets with expert precision. The sheets fell with perfect symmetry, the rectangles laying parallel to the headboard. She smoothed the bottom layer and stepped back, looking expectantly at Tristan.
“Girls—” he began.
“Please. Let us use all of this etiquette training.” Destiny laughed, sliding the second boot from Tristan’s foot. “We can’t let Kaori and Ratu show us up.”
“Alright,” he relented. “Just this once.”
Destiny took his hand and led him to the bed.
He stared at the freshly pressed white sheet for a long time. “Will you two join me?”
Destiny’s eyes widened, and she hissed in a tiny breath.
Lara took his hand in both of hers, her airy voice taking on a tone of concern. “Young master, your current physical state will not allow you to perform—”
“That’s not what I mean,” he cut her off, a little harsher than he meant to. “I’m sorry. What I meant was… I just want to be close to you right now.”
“Of course, Tristan,” Destiny replied softly. “Here, lie down.”
They situated him in the middle of the bed, making sure his feet were under the blankets and tucking him to the waist. Lara was the first to slide under the covers, wiggling her way to Tristan’s right side. He hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her close until her head rested on his shoulder.
“You are very warm,” she noted.
“And you’re very soft.” Tristan chuckled. “Destiny?”
Destiny turned multiple shades of red. She held her hands tightly clasped in front of her apron, her gaze never resting on one place. “I-I’m sorry. Is this really okay?”
“Yes,” he said, holding a hand out toward her. “Please?”
Destiny nodded and lifted the covers with care. One leg pressed beneath, then the other. She shifted forward, taking Tristan’s hand and letting him guide her to his side. With a slow exhale, she relaxed against him, trapping his left thigh between her legs.
“You’re soft, too,” Destiny whispered, wrapping her tail around his ankle.
“And you’re wonderful,” Tristan murmured. “Both of you are.” He yawned and closed his eyes, already feeling the warm descent into sleep.
On a foreign island, in a stranger’s bed, Tristan felt more at home than he ever had in Nyarlea.
Destiny Pro Tip: I can't wait to try the food! And we can eat it in our room like a picnic! Oh! Shhh, he's sleeping.
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The Port of Meow. Tristan thought he wouldn’t be surprised by the world’s naming conventions after he’d heard terms like ‘Myana,’ and ‘Onyans,’ but this one struck him as funny. Maybe it was the lack of sleep from their conditions on the boat. Every time one of the girls said it, he laughed.
“There are so many people,” Destiny murmured as they entered the port city. “And all the buildings are so close together!”
Lara inhaled a deep breath. “Wind brings so many flavors with her. I have never smelled so many spices.” She pointed at one building, then the next, then a third. “Earth is the ruler here. Each one of these structures begins and ends with him.”
It really was incredible. The strips of buildings carried a spirit of older Chinese architecture, using a bilateral symmetry that stemmed from one focal structure into secondary components on either side—like wings on a giant bird. He was fascinated in middle school by Asian and Middle-Eastern design, and to see it dominating an entire island in a completely different world was mind-boggling.
Such an intricate, elegant city. Called the Port of Meow.
Tristan laughed.
Destiny gently touched his forehead with the back of her hand. “Tristan? Are you feeling alright?”
“Yes, sorry. I’m fine. Just tired.” Her skin felt cool against his. “I guess I did laugh at a weird time, huh?”
Destiny chewed her lip. “It isn’t just that. You’re very pale.”
Lara bent her knees and looked into his face. “My sister is correct, Young Master. I would advise we find a place to rest.”
A sure hand clapped him on his shoulder. Matt was suddenly beside him, his Party at his side. “Ready to get something to eat?”
Tristan’s chest tightened, and he licked his lips. He suddenly felt very dizzy. “C-could you show us where to stay? I’m not feeling well.”
Cannoli danced to his side, her hands deep inside her [Cat Pack]. “Poor Tristan! I may have a potion! Let me look!”
“That’s sweet of you, Cannoli, but we’ll take care of him,” Destiny said, favoring Tristan with a worried glance. “If we need anything, I’ll let you know.”
“The Spider Lily’s this way.” Ravyn grabbed Matt’s arm and tugged him away from Tristan. “Don’t crowd Tristan. He looks like he’s about to faint.”
Thanks, Ravyn.
Destiny hooked her arm through Tristan’s, and Lara copied on his opposite side. They made their way through the crowds together, drawing the eyes of almost every catgirl they passed.
The port was bustling with activity. Sailors and merchants loaded boats on the multitude of docks while vendors in tents hawked last-minute travel supplies and whatever ‘San Specials’ were. In the sprawling wings on either side of the center building, there were small restaurants, shops, an armorer, and a tailor. Excited murmurs and laughter echoed from all angles, making it hard to hear one another as they fought through the throngs.
It was nothing like Venicia.
It turned out the Spider Lily was the center building. An expansive inn lit by dozens of paper lanterns, with metal gates forged by geometric patterns. Opaque windows mirrored the gates’ rectangular motif, flecked with golden embellishments and pieces of colored glass.
Ravyn led them inside. Incense burned on a polished podium, and they were greeted by a pair of young women in high-collared dresses, their dark hair tied away from their faces.
“Welcome to the Spider Lily,” the woman in red said, bowing deeply. “You are Cailu’s companions, are you not?”
Ravyn made a sound between choking and gagging.
“You could say that,” Matt replied before Tristan could say anything. He nudged Ravyn with his elbow and offered a wry smile.
“Very good. I am Ayu, and this is Nalee. Your rooms will be free for the duration of your stay,” Ayu, the woman in blue, announced, copying her companion’s bow. “There are two suites on the second floor; one for each of you.”
Tristan exchanged a confused glance with Matt.
“Just two?” Keke asked first.
“Yes, miss. You will find four beds in each suite, as well as a full-service washroom. Is this not to your liking?” Nalee tilted her head to the side. “Perhaps we can find something more suitable?”
“No, that’s perfect. Thank you very much,” Tristan said with a wave of his hand. “It’s more than enough.”
“Excellent, sir. We have stationed Kaori and Ratu on the floor as well. They will retrieve anything you require. Food, drinks, travel necessities, you need only say the word, and they will bring it to you,” Ayu continued. “Should they fail to meet your needs, Nalee and I will both see this rectified.”
“Pardon me, miss, but how will charges for these items be collected?” Ceres asked.
“Cailu has assured us that he will settle your tab,” Nalee said. “It is not yours to bear.”
Tristan heard Cannoli mutter to Keke, “We can order anything?”
Keke nodded.
Cannoli took Buttons from her shoulder and looked at him excitedly. “We can get you so many peanuts!”
Ravyn cackled. That was the laugh of a girl with dad’s metal credit card in her wallet.
“We will not cause Sir Cailu to regret this generosity,” Ceres replied with a deep bow and pointed glare at Ravyn. “It is a great kindness, and we thank you.”
“I just need some water,” Tristan said, leaning his head against Lara’s shoulder.
Destiny raised her hand. “Can we please get our key? We would like to go up now.”
“Of course, miss.” Nalee retrieved a key on a delicate chain from behind the podium and handed it to Destiny. “Please enjoy your stay.”
“Why don’t we head off to the Golden Dragon first?” Matt suggested to his Party. “We can come back and check on them after.”
Ravyn gawked. “Did you not hear what the lady just said?”
“I did. And I’m with Ceres on this one. Come on.” Matt waved his group outside.
“Baka!”
Keke laughed as they filtered through the door.
“Let us go upstairs,” Lara said, squeezing Tristan’s arm.
“Yeah. Good idea.”
Destiny and Lara guided him up the two flights to the second floor, and Tristan’s vertigo grew worse. It was like a combination of seasickness and stepping off the teacup ride at an amusement park. The world would just not stop moving.
“Hello, sir. My name is Kaori.” A green-haired girl bowed in the hallway of the second floor.
“And I’m Ratu. Just let us know if you need anything at all.” A head of short blonde hair ducked deep with her bow.
“Thank you both,” Tristan replied, unsure if he had the energy for proper introductions.
Destiny unlocked the door to their room and pushed it open. The dark hallway gave way to a room of colorful screens and vibrant tapestries. The single room was bigger than the apartment Tristan grew up in—each bed could fit three people without an issue.
As soon as they were inside, Destiny knelt to help Tristan take off his boots.
“Y-you don’t have to do that,” Tristan said, embarrassment burning into his face.
“I want to,” Destiny said, continuing to untie the laces.
Lara moved to one of the beds, turning down the blankets with expert precision. The sheets fell with perfect symmetry, the rectangles laying parallel to the headboard. She smoothed the bottom layer and stepped back, looking expectantly at Tristan.
“Girls—” he began.
“Please. Let us use all of this etiquette training.” Destiny laughed, sliding the second boot from Tristan’s foot. “We can’t let Kaori and Ratu show us up.”
“Alright,” he relented. “Just this once.”
Destiny took his hand and led him to the bed.
He stared at the freshly pressed white sheet for a long time. “Will you two join me?”
Destiny’s eyes widened, and she hissed in a tiny breath.
Lara took his hand in both of hers, her airy voice taking on a tone of concern. “Young master, your current physical state will not allow you to perform—”
“That’s not what I mean,” he cut her off, a little harsher than he meant to. “I’m sorry. What I meant was… I just want to be close to you right now.”
“Of course, Tristan,” Destiny replied softly. “Here, lie down.”
They situated him in the middle of the bed, making sure his feet were under the blankets and tucking him to the waist. Lara was the first to slide under the covers, wiggling her way to Tristan’s right side. He hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her close until her head rested on his shoulder.
“You are very warm,” she noted.
“And you’re very soft.” Tristan chuckled. “Destiny?”
Destiny turned multiple shades of red. She held her hands tightly clasped in front of her apron, her gaze never resting on one place. “I-I’m sorry. Is this really okay?”
“Yes,” he said, holding a hand out toward her. “Please?”
Destiny nodded and lifted the covers with care. One leg pressed beneath, then the other. She shifted forward, taking Tristan’s hand and letting him guide her to his side. With a slow exhale, she relaxed against him, trapping his left thigh between her legs.
“You’re soft, too,” Destiny whispered, wrapping her tail around his ankle.
“And you’re wonderful,” Tristan murmured. “Both of you are.” He yawned and closed his eyes, already feeling the warm descent into sleep.
On a foreign island, in a stranger’s bed, Tristan felt more at home than he ever had in Nyarlea.
Destiny Pro Tip: I can't wait to try the food! And we can eat it in our room like a picnic! Oh! Shhh, he's sleeping.
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2023.06.07 23:56 pacingpilot White line disease treatment hack
Last week my farrier caught one of my mares in the suuuuper early stages of white line disease. He opened up the affected area and cleaned it out resulting in a small hole in the toe of the front left, luckily she lost only about a half inch by quarter inch section of hoof. Like I said, caught it really early!
Anyhoo given the small size of the hole, getting the iodine solution up in there was proving a little difficult. At work yesterday, organizing my tools and mulling over the status of the old gal's hoof I had a light bulb moment when I pulled a bag of pipette droppers out of my cabinet. I tossed a few in my purse and gave it a try when I got home.
Loaded one up with iodine solution, wrastled the hoof into position and gave it a squirt. Perfection! Easier to manipulate than a syringe. More accurate than a bottle with a nozzle tip, and less wasteful too. Enough force to really get up in there good and at any angle, and with such a tiny tip you can really dial into tight spots.
I see potential for other uses too, from flushing small punctures, medicating sulcus cracks/thrush, flushing injuries/scrapes in tight areas, I'm thinking this may be my new method for reaching tight spots. Disposable, small, easy to use and cheap, I think I paid about 8 bucks for a pack of 50.
So if you're looking for another useful tool to add to the ol' first aid kit consider ordering a bulk pack of pipette droppers. Also handy for making things like boozy cupcakes and boozy chocolate dipped strawberries (what I originally bought them for).
Happy trails, y'all!
submitted by pacingpilot to Equestrian [link] [comments]
Anyhoo given the small size of the hole, getting the iodine solution up in there was proving a little difficult. At work yesterday, organizing my tools and mulling over the status of the old gal's hoof I had a light bulb moment when I pulled a bag of pipette droppers out of my cabinet. I tossed a few in my purse and gave it a try when I got home.
Loaded one up with iodine solution, wrastled the hoof into position and gave it a squirt. Perfection! Easier to manipulate than a syringe. More accurate than a bottle with a nozzle tip, and less wasteful too. Enough force to really get up in there good and at any angle, and with such a tiny tip you can really dial into tight spots.
I see potential for other uses too, from flushing small punctures, medicating sulcus cracks/thrush, flushing injuries/scrapes in tight areas, I'm thinking this may be my new method for reaching tight spots. Disposable, small, easy to use and cheap, I think I paid about 8 bucks for a pack of 50.
So if you're looking for another useful tool to add to the ol' first aid kit consider ordering a bulk pack of pipette droppers. Also handy for making things like boozy cupcakes and boozy chocolate dipped strawberries (what I originally bought them for).
Happy trails, y'all!
2023.06.07 23:49 jpreynol GE Front Load Washer
I have a GE front load washer about 5 years old now that wont spin at all. I tried to manually spin with my hand and the inside drums seems to be locked up or stuck. Any suggestions?
submitted by jpreynol to Appliances [link] [comments]
2023.06.07 23:46 afflictedspeck I (29M) am considering ending the relationship with my (27F) girlfriend of 1.5 years after her roommate (25F) threatened me and we got into a huge fight
I would really appreciate some help here. I’m at a loss on what to do. Apologies for the really long post, TLDR below.
TLDR; I’m considering ending a relationship of 1.5 years with my girlfriend after her roommate and I got into several fights this past weekend over moving a couch into their apartment. Her roommate prohibited me from stepping foot inside ever again, threatened to call the cops on me, threatened to lawyer up, and accused me of aggravating her. She might have also punctured one of my car’s tires as it was flat the following day in their parking lot. My girlfriend has continuously said she understands the situation and will be coming to my place going forward, but I’m afraid of what might happen in the future since she shares her location with her roommate, have been friends for 17 years, have a matching tattoo together, and the roommate has shown to be a very explosive and volatile person. Her roommate has also been convicted in the past for assault and I’m afraid of what she might do. I feel like I don’t fully know my girlfriend and don’t know how to move forward. Should I leave the relationship or continue to fight?
A bit of a background
My girlfriend, let’s call her Ana, and I have been together for 1.5 years. We met through a cousin of mine at an outing back in December 2021 and started dating right away. Ana is caring, loyal, and has always listened to what I have to say. Our relationship has gone through some challenges, but nothing we have not talked through and somewhat agreed on - we see life differently to some extent when it comes to matters like politics and religion but have always sat down to talk through and resolve those issues. My parents did not get a good impression of Ana when I introduced them to each other, but she has worked hard to do so ever since. When we met I also asked her to go back to school to keep pursuing her degree, which she had stopped years ago, but listened to me and is currently on her second semester. It is important to note that Ana (and Betty, shortly introduced) was in a religion for 22 years that prohibited her from making friends outside of it. She left 5 years ago and had to cut all communication with her family.
While together, in June last year, I bought an apartment and moved about 1.5 hours north of her to be closer to my job. Ever since that happened we have had this sort of long distance relationship where we only see each other on the weekends - every other weekend Ana comes to visit me, staying overnight, while I do the same the weekends she does not.
Ana was living in an apartment by herself up until two months ago, when her lease was over and the landlord increased her rent by 30% or so. She had to go somewhere and asked if we could live together, to which I declined as I did not think we were ready - moving in together has been something I’ve refused to do because of a very sour experience with an ex-girlfriend. Since that was not an option, Ana decided to move into a new apartment with one of her best friends, Betty, who I barely knew. They decided to move about 30 minutes closer to me. Betty promised Ana she would take care of her, to some extent, by paying more than half of the rent and covering the security deposit. Ana does not make much money and has racked up some credit card debt which she is managing now, so the arrangement made her financially happy. It’s sort of important to note, however, that with the new arrangement Ana is paying about the same monthly rent. I helped her move out and into the new place with two other friends.
Betty and Ana have known each other for 17 or so years. They have traveled together and even during our relationship Ana, during the weekdays, has visited Betty overnight to watch movies and whatnot, without me there. At the start of our relationship Ana refused presenting me to Betty several times despite my insistence, because Betty had had serious fallouts with two of Ana’s friends and she was afraid I might not like her. Before meeting Betty I had a sense I would not like her when I noticed that Ana, when Betty texted, was afraid of not replying right away, which I thought was odd. I confronted her but she always ignored what I was saying. Other friends of Ana’s had also noticed the same. I ended up meeting Betty six months or so after Ana and I started dating, which was right after Betty’s ex broke up with her after almost five years of a verbal- and physically abusive relationship. Betty, I recently found out, has even been to jail before due to explosive episodes that have ended in physical aggression, and is currently trying to expunge her records. She was also adopted as a kid and her adoptive father has beat her for years in different occasions. Betty and I only hung out then, when we met for the first time, and one other time two months after, for her birthday. I never had any sort of altercation with her, but noticed she always had some fight with someone, always talking down on people and blaming others for her tragedies. Something that took me by surprise last year was when my girlfriend and Betty went one day to a tattoo parlor and got the same exact tattoo in the forearm as a sign of their friendship. Up until then my girlfriend only had two other tattoos that were very small - one by her ankle and another one by her ribcage. This one that she got with Betty is the only truly visible one. That day I remember being extremely surprised when she showed it to me, seeing how she had not even mentioned she was going to get a tattoo, but comes home with the biggest one she has had, and on the forearm.
Fast forward to Saturday: Betty and I lose it with each other
Moving forward to last weekend, I visited Ana at her apartment for only the second time in the last two months after she moved in. I drove over Saturday early in the morning and was greeted by my girlfriend making breakfast for me and her roommate. We all ate and Betty asked to spend the day with us, since she needed to go to the library to study for an exam, which my girlfriend and I had planned on doing, so that she could study for one of her classes. They also made me aware of a couch one of Betty’s friends was giving her for free, and Betty asked for my help to pick it up later. The day went well at the library (4 or so hours) but started to shift when we went out for late lunch after - Betty asked for spicy wings at a local bar and threw a fit when the wings came with not sauce, calling the manager of the place and insulting the cooks and staff. After that ordeal we went to UHAUL to rent a truck for the couch. Like idiots, we ended up breaking what we thought was the ignition key (it wasn’t, just an attached key for the back doors) inside the car’s key hole. This sent Betty screaming and insulting me, out of the blue, calling me an idiot and other words I cannot recall. I yelled back at her which only escalated the situation. UHAUL management stepped in and they got us a pickup truck at no additional cost. We live in a big city in South Florida. I drove with Ana in the middle seat and Betty on the passenger side for about 40 minutes to pick up the couch. It is 10PM on the dot when we get to the community where Betty’s friend lives. A security guard, as I parked the truck, approached us to say the HOA does not allow trucks at that time. Betty starts insulting him several times as I drive away and parked about half a block from the community, at a plaza right next to it. We proceeded, for the next two hours, to carry out the couch from a second floor to the first, moving it over a 5 feet wall (with me jumping over) to avoid going around the community, then walking with it for half a block and than putting it on the bed of the pickup truck. All in 90 degree humid weather.
As I am sweating and huffing while fastening the couch on the bed of the truck by myself, with Betty and Ana talking by the side of the truck, I notice Betty looks tired and miserable, to which I asked jokingly “why the long face?”. Betty proceeds to tell me I am not being funny with that question and starts to yell at Ana, saying how she is useless, how she herself (Betty) had to do everything regarding the couch and no one helped her, how “her man” (meaning me) was not able to afford a couch for her, and other stuff I cannot remember. She called me an idiot, and called me slick, and said I was not funny with my stupid jokes, and kept yelling I was not helpful. I started to yell back at her saying how it had been six hours since we had been helping her. I also, at that point, lost it all and said “where are your friends right now to help you? Holy shit, I am literally on the bed of this truck fastening your couch and you are so ungrateful”. I was yelling as she was yelling back, and in that moment the yelling match turned something like the following:
Betty - “you are so fucking useless, IT’S ALWAYS ME GETTING SHIT DONE, no help from anyone, ALWAYS ME”
Me - “what the fuck are you talking about? We are LITERALLY helping you right now, what the fuck”
Ana - “guys please stop, can’t we all just get along, please?”
Betty - “Bro you are not funny man, who the fuck said you are? I am so tired of your shit, your stupid comments and jokes throughout the day”
Me - “where the fuck are your friends to help you? You are so fucking ungrateful; you jump from dick to dick and will never find love, you have no fucking friends”
Betty - “WHAT THE FUCK. Your bitch is a whore man, she doesn’t even wear condoms. A fucking whore and a fucking submissive bitch, that’s why you are with her”
Ana - “guys please stop”
Me - “Don’t you fucking dare talk about Ana that way, be fucking respectful”
Betty - “A fucking whore is what she is, and submissive, and worthless”
At that point we are yelling at each other and Betty starts saying that I am assaulting her, and threatens to call the cops. She grabs her phone to make a call and I start filming with mine, making it very clear that at no point have I put my hands on her or planning to, at all. She starts yelling at me for recording her and bring up her lawyers and the cops, and how recording her without her consent is illegal. We are calling each other names and I continue to film. She is also in disbelief at how my girlfriend is “not defending HER”. In reality Ana was trying to stay out of it.
Needless to say, the way back to their apartment with the couch was extremely uncomfortable. It was very quiet for the first 20 minutes until Ana asked us why we can’t just get along, which made Betty go off again, yelling at how I am slick, worthless, and so many names I cannot remember. Betty said she does not want me to step foot in HER house, and continued to say she would break the lease and have my girlfriend’s stuff out of her place. When we got to the apartment I let them carry the couch inside and asked my girlfriend to bring my stuff (a backpack and a duffle bag) out of the apartment. I did not want to step foot inside for my own safety. Betty does not have a gun but I am sure she would have used it if she did, either to threaten or God knows what. As I was leaning on the frame of the door Betty asked if I would come in, to which I said no, and she also slammed the door on my face and prevented Ana from opening it, positioning herself in front of the door and yelling that “if she steps foot outside she would kick her out” to which I kept yelling that Ana is also in the lease. When Betty opened the door I told her I would call the cops if she tried one more time to hold Ana hostage inside. She went off again and threatened to lawyer up and kick Ana out. After much yelling and cries from Betty, I ended up stepping inside, closing the door behind me, and talking to them both to de-escalate the situation.
At this point it is 2AM and after much yelling I apologize to my girlfriend’s roommate for stepping over the line when I basically called her a whore. I was a total piece of shit in that regard and sincerely felt like apologizing. Betty did not apologize but she said I could stay over. She said she will forget about the whole situation and that all she needed was to cry and get over what I had said. She went to the balcony to smoke weed and I left the apartment to basically cry out of frustration. Ana followed me and after 30 minutes or so talking outside I told her I had to leave. I did not feel safe sleeping over and did not know if I could ever feel safe again in that space. I walked over to my car and drove home for an hour. I went to bed at 3:30AM and woke up at 6:50AM, took a shower, and headed back to my girlfriend’s apartment complex to return the truck which we had to do by 9AM.
Sunday: flat tire and location sharing
It’s now Sunday morning. I get to my girlfriend’s apartment at 8:15AM, where I leave my car parked, and with her on the passenger seat drive over to the UHAUL, which is about 20 minutes away, to return the truck. Everything is done on time and after getting my girlfriend’s car from the UHAUL parking lot we stop at a diner to have breakfast. We get back to her apartment at around 10:20AM and by 10:25AM we are driving over to my place, each of us in separate cars. About 10 minutes after leaving I get a flat tire notification on my car’s dashboard and pull over at a near gas station to see what was going on. The car had gone from 35PSI in one of the rear tires all the way to 15, and kept going down. I end up driving the car over to a TiresPlus close by, which later confirmed the flat tire was due to a hole on the outside which “had been caused by an object that went in and out, more than likely a screwdriver or a knife”. Needless to say I had to pay ~$200 for a new tire.
I told Ana there is no way this was coincidence and that I suspected Betty had done something to that tire. She said she did not think it could have been the case since there is no way Betty knew where I parked. I did not think that logic made sense since Betty knows exactly what car I drive and she was in the apartment, in her room, when Ana and I left earlier to return the truck. She basically had two hours to do anything. On top of that, I found out that Ana actively shares her location with Betty via iMessage, and vice versa. Ana and I also have that sort of arrangement. They have been doing it for years.
Ana and I spent the Sunday sleeping at my apartment pretty much. I could not get the situation out of my head and barely slept, but being together made me feel better. We talked about the future extensively and Ana promised me that she will cut all communication with Betty once the lease is over, but currently there is nothing she can do. She also brought up living together again, and the following day also told me how she was looking into jobs that are close to my place.
Monday: going on a break with Ana
Ana went to work on Monday morning (5AM) from my house and I worked from home. I did not get anything done thinking about the whole situation and later in the afternoon Ana and I continued to talk about it. Later at night, as Ana was sending me text messages on how she was cleaning the house, Betty was also posting on social media about it. I told the whole story to my best friend who seemed mortified about the situation and asked me to be careful. Monday night I sent Ana a long message explaining that I need some time to think about our relationship. I said that I could not trust her judgement and was afraid for what might happen if she still hangs with this crazy person not now, but in the future as we think of a life together. Will she be at our wedding? At her birthday parties? Will she be involved in our lives? Even though she has told me she will not, I know that Ana has been well aware of how Betty is but nothing has changed in their friendship these past 17 years. It has only become stronger.
Ana was very hurt from my message and called me right away. After a one hour conversation where she pushed me to decide on breaking up or continue the relationship she hung up when I told her to please give me until Friday. She does not understand how it is that I am re-thinking our relationship if it is that I love her. I do care so much about her, but have not been able to move past what happened and the fear that she might introduce me to similarly dangerous people or environments, be it with Betty or with someone else, is severely impacting my ability to think there is a future here. To keep the story short this is the third time Ana has tried to, or has introduced me to, people or situations that pose a danger to me and her. I also have not been able to get out of my head how it is that she is friends with this person, Betty, who is so visibly crazy and with whom she has a matching tattoo, years of friendship, experiences, etc.
Tuesday: Ana’s early morning call and social media login attempt
At 7:30AM of Tuesday, as I was getting ready for work, Ana called me to tell me she was sorry for blocking me on social media and on iMessage. By doing that I no longer have access to her location. I was not aware since she had done that at night, after I had asked for some time. She told me she “did not want me to think the posts from her story were directed toward me”. She also told me that “she wanted to have some sort of control seeing how I was having her wait for a decision and felt lost”. She also confessed she could not sleep and had gotten to work very early, thinking through everything in her car at her workplace parking lot. Ana begged me to please consider our relationship and after trying on the phone we hung up for the day, and have not talked since.
After hanging out with Ana I noticed I also had an unread message of a login attempt into my Instagram. That was never happened before and my mind instantly went to Betty. At this point I might be overthinking, however, after such an awful experience.
I am in a situation where I have to decide whether to have Ana move in with me, live with the fact that she is with a psycho for the next ten months, or simply leave it all behind despite how much I care about her. I don’t know if I am ignoring some red flags and that’s really the reason why I needed the time and am seeking some help on here. I don’t know if I am in the wrong and would like some clarification because I truly feel so lost. Ana has done so much for me in the sense that she listens and I know she loves me, but I am just afraid of her judgement and what she might bring into the relationship in the future. I also feel like I don’t know her like I thought.
Should I lie the relationship or continue to fight? Would sincerely, wholeheartedly appreciate some advice.
submitted by afflictedspeck to relationship_advice [link] [comments]
TLDR; I’m considering ending a relationship of 1.5 years with my girlfriend after her roommate and I got into several fights this past weekend over moving a couch into their apartment. Her roommate prohibited me from stepping foot inside ever again, threatened to call the cops on me, threatened to lawyer up, and accused me of aggravating her. She might have also punctured one of my car’s tires as it was flat the following day in their parking lot. My girlfriend has continuously said she understands the situation and will be coming to my place going forward, but I’m afraid of what might happen in the future since she shares her location with her roommate, have been friends for 17 years, have a matching tattoo together, and the roommate has shown to be a very explosive and volatile person. Her roommate has also been convicted in the past for assault and I’m afraid of what she might do. I feel like I don’t fully know my girlfriend and don’t know how to move forward. Should I leave the relationship or continue to fight?
A bit of a background
My girlfriend, let’s call her Ana, and I have been together for 1.5 years. We met through a cousin of mine at an outing back in December 2021 and started dating right away. Ana is caring, loyal, and has always listened to what I have to say. Our relationship has gone through some challenges, but nothing we have not talked through and somewhat agreed on - we see life differently to some extent when it comes to matters like politics and religion but have always sat down to talk through and resolve those issues. My parents did not get a good impression of Ana when I introduced them to each other, but she has worked hard to do so ever since. When we met I also asked her to go back to school to keep pursuing her degree, which she had stopped years ago, but listened to me and is currently on her second semester. It is important to note that Ana (and Betty, shortly introduced) was in a religion for 22 years that prohibited her from making friends outside of it. She left 5 years ago and had to cut all communication with her family.
While together, in June last year, I bought an apartment and moved about 1.5 hours north of her to be closer to my job. Ever since that happened we have had this sort of long distance relationship where we only see each other on the weekends - every other weekend Ana comes to visit me, staying overnight, while I do the same the weekends she does not.
Ana was living in an apartment by herself up until two months ago, when her lease was over and the landlord increased her rent by 30% or so. She had to go somewhere and asked if we could live together, to which I declined as I did not think we were ready - moving in together has been something I’ve refused to do because of a very sour experience with an ex-girlfriend. Since that was not an option, Ana decided to move into a new apartment with one of her best friends, Betty, who I barely knew. They decided to move about 30 minutes closer to me. Betty promised Ana she would take care of her, to some extent, by paying more than half of the rent and covering the security deposit. Ana does not make much money and has racked up some credit card debt which she is managing now, so the arrangement made her financially happy. It’s sort of important to note, however, that with the new arrangement Ana is paying about the same monthly rent. I helped her move out and into the new place with two other friends.
Betty and Ana have known each other for 17 or so years. They have traveled together and even during our relationship Ana, during the weekdays, has visited Betty overnight to watch movies and whatnot, without me there. At the start of our relationship Ana refused presenting me to Betty several times despite my insistence, because Betty had had serious fallouts with two of Ana’s friends and she was afraid I might not like her. Before meeting Betty I had a sense I would not like her when I noticed that Ana, when Betty texted, was afraid of not replying right away, which I thought was odd. I confronted her but she always ignored what I was saying. Other friends of Ana’s had also noticed the same. I ended up meeting Betty six months or so after Ana and I started dating, which was right after Betty’s ex broke up with her after almost five years of a verbal- and physically abusive relationship. Betty, I recently found out, has even been to jail before due to explosive episodes that have ended in physical aggression, and is currently trying to expunge her records. She was also adopted as a kid and her adoptive father has beat her for years in different occasions. Betty and I only hung out then, when we met for the first time, and one other time two months after, for her birthday. I never had any sort of altercation with her, but noticed she always had some fight with someone, always talking down on people and blaming others for her tragedies. Something that took me by surprise last year was when my girlfriend and Betty went one day to a tattoo parlor and got the same exact tattoo in the forearm as a sign of their friendship. Up until then my girlfriend only had two other tattoos that were very small - one by her ankle and another one by her ribcage. This one that she got with Betty is the only truly visible one. That day I remember being extremely surprised when she showed it to me, seeing how she had not even mentioned she was going to get a tattoo, but comes home with the biggest one she has had, and on the forearm.
Fast forward to Saturday: Betty and I lose it with each other
Moving forward to last weekend, I visited Ana at her apartment for only the second time in the last two months after she moved in. I drove over Saturday early in the morning and was greeted by my girlfriend making breakfast for me and her roommate. We all ate and Betty asked to spend the day with us, since she needed to go to the library to study for an exam, which my girlfriend and I had planned on doing, so that she could study for one of her classes. They also made me aware of a couch one of Betty’s friends was giving her for free, and Betty asked for my help to pick it up later. The day went well at the library (4 or so hours) but started to shift when we went out for late lunch after - Betty asked for spicy wings at a local bar and threw a fit when the wings came with not sauce, calling the manager of the place and insulting the cooks and staff. After that ordeal we went to UHAUL to rent a truck for the couch. Like idiots, we ended up breaking what we thought was the ignition key (it wasn’t, just an attached key for the back doors) inside the car’s key hole. This sent Betty screaming and insulting me, out of the blue, calling me an idiot and other words I cannot recall. I yelled back at her which only escalated the situation. UHAUL management stepped in and they got us a pickup truck at no additional cost. We live in a big city in South Florida. I drove with Ana in the middle seat and Betty on the passenger side for about 40 minutes to pick up the couch. It is 10PM on the dot when we get to the community where Betty’s friend lives. A security guard, as I parked the truck, approached us to say the HOA does not allow trucks at that time. Betty starts insulting him several times as I drive away and parked about half a block from the community, at a plaza right next to it. We proceeded, for the next two hours, to carry out the couch from a second floor to the first, moving it over a 5 feet wall (with me jumping over) to avoid going around the community, then walking with it for half a block and than putting it on the bed of the pickup truck. All in 90 degree humid weather.
As I am sweating and huffing while fastening the couch on the bed of the truck by myself, with Betty and Ana talking by the side of the truck, I notice Betty looks tired and miserable, to which I asked jokingly “why the long face?”. Betty proceeds to tell me I am not being funny with that question and starts to yell at Ana, saying how she is useless, how she herself (Betty) had to do everything regarding the couch and no one helped her, how “her man” (meaning me) was not able to afford a couch for her, and other stuff I cannot remember. She called me an idiot, and called me slick, and said I was not funny with my stupid jokes, and kept yelling I was not helpful. I started to yell back at her saying how it had been six hours since we had been helping her. I also, at that point, lost it all and said “where are your friends right now to help you? Holy shit, I am literally on the bed of this truck fastening your couch and you are so ungrateful”. I was yelling as she was yelling back, and in that moment the yelling match turned something like the following:
Betty - “you are so fucking useless, IT’S ALWAYS ME GETTING SHIT DONE, no help from anyone, ALWAYS ME”
Me - “what the fuck are you talking about? We are LITERALLY helping you right now, what the fuck”
Ana - “guys please stop, can’t we all just get along, please?”
Betty - “Bro you are not funny man, who the fuck said you are? I am so tired of your shit, your stupid comments and jokes throughout the day”
Me - “where the fuck are your friends to help you? You are so fucking ungrateful; you jump from dick to dick and will never find love, you have no fucking friends”
Betty - “WHAT THE FUCK. Your bitch is a whore man, she doesn’t even wear condoms. A fucking whore and a fucking submissive bitch, that’s why you are with her”
Ana - “guys please stop”
Me - “Don’t you fucking dare talk about Ana that way, be fucking respectful”
Betty - “A fucking whore is what she is, and submissive, and worthless”
At that point we are yelling at each other and Betty starts saying that I am assaulting her, and threatens to call the cops. She grabs her phone to make a call and I start filming with mine, making it very clear that at no point have I put my hands on her or planning to, at all. She starts yelling at me for recording her and bring up her lawyers and the cops, and how recording her without her consent is illegal. We are calling each other names and I continue to film. She is also in disbelief at how my girlfriend is “not defending HER”. In reality Ana was trying to stay out of it.
Needless to say, the way back to their apartment with the couch was extremely uncomfortable. It was very quiet for the first 20 minutes until Ana asked us why we can’t just get along, which made Betty go off again, yelling at how I am slick, worthless, and so many names I cannot remember. Betty said she does not want me to step foot in HER house, and continued to say she would break the lease and have my girlfriend’s stuff out of her place. When we got to the apartment I let them carry the couch inside and asked my girlfriend to bring my stuff (a backpack and a duffle bag) out of the apartment. I did not want to step foot inside for my own safety. Betty does not have a gun but I am sure she would have used it if she did, either to threaten or God knows what. As I was leaning on the frame of the door Betty asked if I would come in, to which I said no, and she also slammed the door on my face and prevented Ana from opening it, positioning herself in front of the door and yelling that “if she steps foot outside she would kick her out” to which I kept yelling that Ana is also in the lease. When Betty opened the door I told her I would call the cops if she tried one more time to hold Ana hostage inside. She went off again and threatened to lawyer up and kick Ana out. After much yelling and cries from Betty, I ended up stepping inside, closing the door behind me, and talking to them both to de-escalate the situation.
At this point it is 2AM and after much yelling I apologize to my girlfriend’s roommate for stepping over the line when I basically called her a whore. I was a total piece of shit in that regard and sincerely felt like apologizing. Betty did not apologize but she said I could stay over. She said she will forget about the whole situation and that all she needed was to cry and get over what I had said. She went to the balcony to smoke weed and I left the apartment to basically cry out of frustration. Ana followed me and after 30 minutes or so talking outside I told her I had to leave. I did not feel safe sleeping over and did not know if I could ever feel safe again in that space. I walked over to my car and drove home for an hour. I went to bed at 3:30AM and woke up at 6:50AM, took a shower, and headed back to my girlfriend’s apartment complex to return the truck which we had to do by 9AM.
Sunday: flat tire and location sharing
It’s now Sunday morning. I get to my girlfriend’s apartment at 8:15AM, where I leave my car parked, and with her on the passenger seat drive over to the UHAUL, which is about 20 minutes away, to return the truck. Everything is done on time and after getting my girlfriend’s car from the UHAUL parking lot we stop at a diner to have breakfast. We get back to her apartment at around 10:20AM and by 10:25AM we are driving over to my place, each of us in separate cars. About 10 minutes after leaving I get a flat tire notification on my car’s dashboard and pull over at a near gas station to see what was going on. The car had gone from 35PSI in one of the rear tires all the way to 15, and kept going down. I end up driving the car over to a TiresPlus close by, which later confirmed the flat tire was due to a hole on the outside which “had been caused by an object that went in and out, more than likely a screwdriver or a knife”. Needless to say I had to pay ~$200 for a new tire.
I told Ana there is no way this was coincidence and that I suspected Betty had done something to that tire. She said she did not think it could have been the case since there is no way Betty knew where I parked. I did not think that logic made sense since Betty knows exactly what car I drive and she was in the apartment, in her room, when Ana and I left earlier to return the truck. She basically had two hours to do anything. On top of that, I found out that Ana actively shares her location with Betty via iMessage, and vice versa. Ana and I also have that sort of arrangement. They have been doing it for years.
Ana and I spent the Sunday sleeping at my apartment pretty much. I could not get the situation out of my head and barely slept, but being together made me feel better. We talked about the future extensively and Ana promised me that she will cut all communication with Betty once the lease is over, but currently there is nothing she can do. She also brought up living together again, and the following day also told me how she was looking into jobs that are close to my place.
Monday: going on a break with Ana
Ana went to work on Monday morning (5AM) from my house and I worked from home. I did not get anything done thinking about the whole situation and later in the afternoon Ana and I continued to talk about it. Later at night, as Ana was sending me text messages on how she was cleaning the house, Betty was also posting on social media about it. I told the whole story to my best friend who seemed mortified about the situation and asked me to be careful. Monday night I sent Ana a long message explaining that I need some time to think about our relationship. I said that I could not trust her judgement and was afraid for what might happen if she still hangs with this crazy person not now, but in the future as we think of a life together. Will she be at our wedding? At her birthday parties? Will she be involved in our lives? Even though she has told me she will not, I know that Ana has been well aware of how Betty is but nothing has changed in their friendship these past 17 years. It has only become stronger.
Ana was very hurt from my message and called me right away. After a one hour conversation where she pushed me to decide on breaking up or continue the relationship she hung up when I told her to please give me until Friday. She does not understand how it is that I am re-thinking our relationship if it is that I love her. I do care so much about her, but have not been able to move past what happened and the fear that she might introduce me to similarly dangerous people or environments, be it with Betty or with someone else, is severely impacting my ability to think there is a future here. To keep the story short this is the third time Ana has tried to, or has introduced me to, people or situations that pose a danger to me and her. I also have not been able to get out of my head how it is that she is friends with this person, Betty, who is so visibly crazy and with whom she has a matching tattoo, years of friendship, experiences, etc.
Tuesday: Ana’s early morning call and social media login attempt
At 7:30AM of Tuesday, as I was getting ready for work, Ana called me to tell me she was sorry for blocking me on social media and on iMessage. By doing that I no longer have access to her location. I was not aware since she had done that at night, after I had asked for some time. She told me she “did not want me to think the posts from her story were directed toward me”. She also told me that “she wanted to have some sort of control seeing how I was having her wait for a decision and felt lost”. She also confessed she could not sleep and had gotten to work very early, thinking through everything in her car at her workplace parking lot. Ana begged me to please consider our relationship and after trying on the phone we hung up for the day, and have not talked since.
After hanging out with Ana I noticed I also had an unread message of a login attempt into my Instagram. That was never happened before and my mind instantly went to Betty. At this point I might be overthinking, however, after such an awful experience.
I am in a situation where I have to decide whether to have Ana move in with me, live with the fact that she is with a psycho for the next ten months, or simply leave it all behind despite how much I care about her. I don’t know if I am ignoring some red flags and that’s really the reason why I needed the time and am seeking some help on here. I don’t know if I am in the wrong and would like some clarification because I truly feel so lost. Ana has done so much for me in the sense that she listens and I know she loves me, but I am just afraid of her judgement and what she might bring into the relationship in the future. I also feel like I don’t know her like I thought.
Should I lie the relationship or continue to fight? Would sincerely, wholeheartedly appreciate some advice.
2023.06.07 23:38 NeilForReal Wit's end! Towels ALWAYS sudsy or am I crazy?
I have a new washer that has a drum light that can be turned on while washing so I was randomly checking it to see how the loads were doing at being balanced as towels and bedding still always seem to be not perfectly smooth with how heavy they are.
I noticed my towels during the rinse cycle, like end of the rinse cycle right before the spin cycle, are still sudsy! The water they're in has bubbles, a few on the door, etc. When they go in the dryer, there is no sign of anything.
It CAN'T be too much detergent. I use 1 single Tide Pod Ultra Oxi (I read somewhere it could be the Oxi, Tide's own website says this version has more bubbles to target stains?).
I have always added vinegar to the softener spot. NO dryer sheets for towels.
California, water as hard as a rock.
It is only 4 bath towels and 3-4 hand towels. To keep the towels feeling nice, instructions say delicate and cold but I do medium and cold. When I noticed this, I started doing high and warm. I don't think I can do very high or hot as that will definitely ruin the towels. Heavy soil now, too.
I always do 2, sometimes 3, extra rinses. Even before this, I've always done extra to be safe.
This weekend, I did a billion extra rinse cycles (pausing it when it was on the last one and adding 2 more). Then I did a bunch of rinse and spin only runs. Got it pretty clear. Then ran washer clean cycle, no soap, fully empty. Bunch of bubbles. Ran it a bunch of times until clear.
Did the load of towels again, these are the fresh ones I just ran until they were clear, with one pod and vinegar in the softener dispenser. Suds in the rinse cycle. Ran another fresh wash with no soap, suds. Ran probably 9 rinse and spins (3 times with 3 extra rinses each time), suds almost gone.
What do I do? Do I have to go back to liquid detergent? I really want to use a pod, maybe All Free & Clear pods are better or Persil pods?
Is it my washing machine? It seems to be draining fine... I mean, wouldn't it give me an error? It's the largest LG washer so the 7 to 8 towels total should be fine. When I run the washer cleaning cycle, all the water jets turn on fine and go crazy with lots of water that fills the entire thing to clean it so I don't think its a water issue? All the water drains, too, so I assume my washer is totally fine.
submitted by NeilForReal to laundry [link] [comments]
I noticed my towels during the rinse cycle, like end of the rinse cycle right before the spin cycle, are still sudsy! The water they're in has bubbles, a few on the door, etc. When they go in the dryer, there is no sign of anything.
It CAN'T be too much detergent. I use 1 single Tide Pod Ultra Oxi (I read somewhere it could be the Oxi, Tide's own website says this version has more bubbles to target stains?).
I have always added vinegar to the softener spot. NO dryer sheets for towels.
California, water as hard as a rock.
It is only 4 bath towels and 3-4 hand towels. To keep the towels feeling nice, instructions say delicate and cold but I do medium and cold. When I noticed this, I started doing high and warm. I don't think I can do very high or hot as that will definitely ruin the towels. Heavy soil now, too.
I always do 2, sometimes 3, extra rinses. Even before this, I've always done extra to be safe.
This weekend, I did a billion extra rinse cycles (pausing it when it was on the last one and adding 2 more). Then I did a bunch of rinse and spin only runs. Got it pretty clear. Then ran washer clean cycle, no soap, fully empty. Bunch of bubbles. Ran it a bunch of times until clear.
Did the load of towels again, these are the fresh ones I just ran until they were clear, with one pod and vinegar in the softener dispenser. Suds in the rinse cycle. Ran another fresh wash with no soap, suds. Ran probably 9 rinse and spins (3 times with 3 extra rinses each time), suds almost gone.
What do I do? Do I have to go back to liquid detergent? I really want to use a pod, maybe All Free & Clear pods are better or Persil pods?
Is it my washing machine? It seems to be draining fine... I mean, wouldn't it give me an error? It's the largest LG washer so the 7 to 8 towels total should be fine. When I run the washer cleaning cycle, all the water jets turn on fine and go crazy with lots of water that fills the entire thing to clean it so I don't think its a water issue? All the water drains, too, so I assume my washer is totally fine.
2023.06.07 23:38 Thirsha_42 Tight Money Ch 16
Here is chapter 16 of Tight Money.
Special thanks to u/SpacePaladin15 for creating the universe and allowing fan writers to join the fun.
Additional thanks to u/BiasMushroom, u/YakiTapioca, u/cruisingNW, u/SavingsSyllabub7788, u/YaaliAnnar, u/White_Dragon_Coranth, u/Illwood and u/Redundant-Honse for letting me use elements from their fanfics in mine.
Thanks to u/Zyrian150, u/Saint-Andros, and u/Eager_Question for proofreading this chapter.
Today, I have 3 character updates for you. We get to see good things happen to Leena and Dani and we get another update on what Niit is up to as well as revisiting some old characters and introducing a new one. This chapter was my first in collaboration with u/Eager_Question. We are doing a crossover for the next few chapters of Tight Money. A huge thanks to them for entirely changing the trajectory of my plans for Niit and Leena. I'm excited for where this is going.
I love your comments so please tell me what you think so I can get better or if you have suggestions for future snippets of life on Venlil Prime you would like to see me cover, leave it in the comments.
First Previous
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Memory transcription subject: Leena, Human Refugee Host
Date [standardized human time]: November 7, 2136
The smell of delectable food woke me up before my alarm – a sweet scent with a hint of roasted vegetables. My stomach demanded a meal, and glancing at the clock, I could see that I had some time before the twins would wake. Eagerly walking to the kitchen, I saw Dani had placed out all manner of items on the counter. She stood in front of her ‘hot plate,’ stirring a steaming pot that emanated the delightful aroma.
“Good morning, sleepy head!”
“Good waking, Dani. What are you up to with all those fruits and jars?”
“Well, you remember how I told you I was going to make some chalk for the neighborhood kids? That’s what I am doing right now – I'm making colored chalk! It's a fun DIY project. You see…”
“That did not translate correctly. The translator said, ‘letters of the English alphabet ask for clarification.’”
“Oh, it is an acronym that stands for the English words, ‘do it yourself.’ A lot of humans are pretty handy and have the skills to make the things that most people buy from a store. Sometimes they make things to save money, some do it for the challenge to see if they can, some do it because they want to customize something, and a lot of people do it because they enjoy doing it.”
“Like you said at our meal, this last paw.”
“Yeah! First, I slice up these fruits and vegetables into thin slices and boil them in water for [10 minutes]. The boiling process helps extract the natural pigments from the foods. Once I've boiled the fruits, I strain the colored water and keep it aside.”
Dani reached for a strainer and gently poured the steaming water into another pot and put that on the ‘hot plate.’ She set the slices of fire fruit on a plate and took a tentative bite out of a slice. I followed suit and to my delight, the fruit had a new mellower flavor with a hint of sweetness. Looking over the counter while I snacked on the boiled slices of Firefruit I got a better look at the jars of colored water and a few with colored powders.
“Okay, I'm following so far,” I pointed to one of the powder jars. “What are the powders for?”
“I’m doing an experiment. I want to see if I can use the pigment water as is or if I have to bake it to remove even more of the moisture in order to get a good color. I’ve never used these vegetables before so I need to do some trial and error to get this right.”
Dani had received a small strayu forge a few days ago in the mail and was putting it to good use making all manner of things except strayu. Honestly, I had no idea you could do anything else with them. Humans think of the strangest things. The forge dinged alerting her that it was done with whatever it was doing. She pulled out a tray of shriveled up Firefruit slices and transferred them to an empty plate. Dani laid several more fresh Firefruit slices on the trays and began the process anew.
“Dehydrated slices make wonderful snacks. Now, I take plaster,” Dani scooped some white powder into a cheap plastic bowl and poured in two scoops of the colored water, “and mix it with the colored water we obtained earlier. The plaster acts as a base and helps give the chalk a solid form.”
“Dani, that's so clever! So, the colored water gives the plaster its colors?”
“Exactly! The colored water mixes with the plaster, and we end up with a mixture that has the desired colors. Oh, and while I'm doing this, I'm also pouring the mixture into these silicone molds.”
I watched as Dani mixed the blue water and white powder until it turned into a light blue soup. Dani poured the liquid into the cavities of the flexible trays and scrunched up her face the way she did when she was unhappy or thinking.
“Is something wrong?”
“Yeah, it is supposed to be a much deeper blue than this. I think I’ll have to find something else to make a better dye or try the powder method. Oh well, live and learn.”
Dani began to clean up just as my alarm went off, informing me that I needed to get the children ready and fed. When I came out of my room after feeding the twins and grooming their fur, Dani had finished cleaning the counter and sitting on the couch browsing on her tablet. She looked up as I sat down.
“You get your cast off today right?”
Peering at the clock on her tablet, “Yes, my appointment is in quarter a claw at the out-patient recovery facility. It is only a short ride away. Would you?” I passed the twins to Dani before I stood. “I need to get ready.”
“Come here little babies, let's play hide and peek-a-boo.”
A quick shower later and I returned to find Dani loading the twins into the stroller; still talking to them in her higher pitch and smiling. Nothing out of the ordinary about that but what was out of the ordinary was that Vissa and Tas were also showing their teeth. Not quite a smile but not for lack of trying. I wasn’t sure what to say about that. I didn’t want Dani to stop smiling at Vissa and Tas but that behavior worried me.
“Okay, we’re ready.” Dani reached in and tickled my children. When they were done laughing they ceased to show their teeth much to my relief.
“Dani, when I get the cast off and return this scooter, is there anything you would like to do? I would rather not go back home and sit down once I can walk again.”
Dani’s eyes sparkled at my suggestion. “I would love to see some of your museums and I read about these places where people can make communal art. Could you show me one of those?”
“I would love to.” I’m glad I can do something nice for you, after all you have done for me.
Memory transcription subject: Niit, Capitol Spaceport Logistics Coordinator
Date [standardized human time]: November 9, 2136
I was fortunate. Only three claws after I was fired from the spaceport a new job presented itself. It was a temporary job but it would give me time to find something permanent and help my job history. Getting fired looked worse than the contract ending. They had advertised that they needed someone to come in and finish a new facility. I wondered what happened to the last coordinator. I sent in my application, trying to highlight that I had some experience in procuring building materials for the maintenance of the spaceport hangars.
I was given an interview time for the following paw. That didn’t give me much time to prepare and the place was a bit out of the way. I had to take the train out to the outer ring of the Capital and then walk [20 minutes] more but at least it was easy to find; I could hear the construction a [kilometer] away. A yotul was outside watching the construction crews, obviously impressed with the advanced construction equipment.
“Excuse me,” I tried not to be respectful and not shout, “could you direct me to the project manager's office?”
The yotul looked at me and then pointed to a series of temporary buildings in the distance.
“The furthest of the temporary dwellings on the right," he said, "it has a label on the door.”
“Thank you.” I waved my tail goodbye.
I walked over to the white construction shelter the yotul indicated and raised my paw to knock when the door slid open and a large, dark gray venlil appeared in the doorway. I froze in surprise as he looked me up and down with his left eye.
“Are you Niit?”
“Y-y…” I flicked my ear in affirmation.
“Come in.”
The gray venlil stepped inside and motioned to a swivel chair opposite a desk near the door. I took the seat opposite him at the desk and he opened a file with my application on his datapad. The office was a mess of binders, tools, and open cases of energy snacks and drinks; I assumed for the crew. A large map of the block hung on the wall.
"You can call me Foreman Apec or just Foreman is fine too. I'm so glad you could come on such short notice, this project is rather urgent and our last coordinator was poached by one of those ghastly flesh factories they're building now."
The very mention of those atrocious places nearly caused me to lose my lunch. “I-I’m so sorry to hear that. Well, I can guarantee you that I will not be leaving to work in such a place.”
"That's wonderful to hear. Tell me more about your experience, how comfortable are you handling tight schedules?"
“Oh, very, when I worked at the Capital Spaceport I had to manage several tight repair schedules regularly.” I hope he didn’t call Director Cass. I doubt he would give me a positive reference.
"Wonderful to hear. Like I said, we're rather in a rush to get this all done as soon as we can. The good news is that human laborers can work for two, sometimes three claws a shift, so we should be able to manage."
He stated that so nonchalantly, waving his tail around like it wasn’t the most ludicrous thing.
“T-three claws? They can work that long? No,” he’s joking, “You are pulling my ear. There’s no way anyone can work that long.”
Foreman Apec leaned forward and lowered his voice conspiratorially.
"I could scarcely believe it myself! Between you and me, I believe they're what you'd call persistence predators, but they're all hush hush about such things, you know. Anyhow,” he sat back and resumed the interview questions. “You mentioned repairs–I assume for starships-- do you have any experience with buildings?"
Persistence predators? I’ll have to look that up later, focus!
“Some, yes. I managed the construction of hangars 17 and 18 two [years] ago and the repairs to some of the buildings when debris fell after the successful defense against the arxur earlier this [year].”
"Fantastic! And, of course, while the position does not require you to interact with many humans, it'll likely come up due to the nature of the project. Are you comfortable with that?"
“I’ll manage.” It’s only temporary and I have my secret weapon now. Let's see them crawl inside me now. Ha!
"You should be fine. Older fellows like myself seem to struggle much more than youngsters like you, and I have my first meal with a human every paw now! I'm afraid the compensation on the ad is as high as we can go due to the budget, is that also alright?"
He flicked his tail apologetically.
“Yes, I’m grateful for the opportunity to gain experience in construction and try something other than starship repair.”
"Fantastic. When can you start?"
“I can start immediately, thank you!”
"Well, then you're hired! I'll send you an information package as soon as I can, and you can start at the next claw. As I said, we are quite strapped for time."
I rose, my tail wagged with joy, “I won’t let you down. I’m eager to see what this place will look like when it’s finished.”
"As am I. The whole thing has been mired in secrecy. You'll have to sign an agreement when you accept the contract, it'll be in your information package."
A secrecy agreement? What are the humans building here? “Oh… mysterious.” I tried to wave my tail playfully.
"Yes indeed! We'll be able to talk all about it once you sign on officially, but suffice it to say that the building plans are different from any I've ever seen."
The foreman walked around the desk and opened the door to escort me out. As I left, I turned one last time to reply.
“Well, I am eager to talk with you about it next claw.”
"Wonderful. Go, read through the package. Rest up. You'll need it."
Memory transcription subject: Krin, Capitol Extermination Officer
Date [standardized human time]: November 9, 2136
Driving to another abandoned home, looking for another poor warto spawn for trespassing. Probably gonna have drugs too; they all do. Rigel was driving the truck and seemed rather quiet, well, more quiet than usual.
“This is wrong, Krin. Evicting someone from an abandoned house just feels wrong.”
Rigel you are naive and too emotional. These people have already left the herd and need to shape up.
“I get where you're comin' from, Rigel, but it's our job. Can't let folks squat in places that ain't theirs.”
We were headed to the poorer part of the city. Clean streets but smaller houses; some no bigger than an apartment. The homes had an artificial feel to them, lacking any sort of wood or stone, just fillcrete walls and plastic doors. The road was getting bumpier with potholes in the rubber asphalt and frayed edges. The paint was nearly gone in some places and sunbleached in others.
“But it's rough out there, Krin. The economy's tanking, folks are losing their jobs, the banks aren’t making allowances…. Is throwing someone out really the answer?
For herd’s sake, “Look, Rigel, I feel for 'em, I do. But ya gotta think bigger. This squattin' stuff leads to more crime, drugs, theft, vandalism, urban decay. Ain't good for nobody. It’s a breeding ground for predator disease.”
“I get that, but it's hard not to sympathize. People are struggling. Maybe we could help them instead of evicting them?”
You want to help them so much, go be a social worker and see how much help you can give these people. Social services were drowning. Everyone knew that but with less revenue from fees and taxes, agencies had to make cuts. Everyone just had to make do.
“Help 'em how? We ain't social workers, Rigel. We got our hands full already and the owners are breathing down our necks when they should've taken care of this mess in the first place!”
“I know, Krin, but it just doesn't sit right with me. Can't help but think there's a better way to handle this.”
“We can't solve all the world's problems, Rigel. Our job is to keep the peace, not save everyone. It's tough, but that's reality.” The simple reality that ain’t so simple anymore, stupid humans.
“I just wish we could do more, you know? Feel like we're caught between a cliff and a shadestalker.”
“Trust me, Rigel, I feel it too. But we can't change the system overnight. Gotta focus on what we can control and do our jobs. Besides, no point thinkin’ about it anymore, we’re here.”
I stopped the car and got out. Officer Rigel checked the front door and it swung open. We entered the house, announcing ourselves as we went, but saw no one. The place was rather clean for a squat. If it wasn’t for the makeshift bed in one of the rooms and the inflatable birthday pool in the bathroom with a stack of towels, we wouldn’t have even known there was a squatter here.
“Looks like we came all this way for nothing.” The frustration in Officer Rigels voice mirrored my own.
The water in this pool was almost gone, the towels were dry and we didn’t find any paraphernalia. Whoever had been here, was long gone.
“Yeah, let's call it in and go back to the office.”
We climbed back into the truck and pulled out of the driveway. As I drove us back to the guild, we passed a disheveled man. Is that our squatter? I slowed the car and looked in the mirror, from behind I could see he was wearing a dirty safety vest and carrying a trash stick. No, he’s not a squatter. Glad I’m not that guy though. Sanitation work is not for me.
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submitted by Thirsha_42 to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]
Special thanks to u/SpacePaladin15 for creating the universe and allowing fan writers to join the fun.
Additional thanks to u/BiasMushroom, u/YakiTapioca, u/cruisingNW, u/SavingsSyllabub7788, u/YaaliAnnar, u/White_Dragon_Coranth, u/Illwood and u/Redundant-Honse for letting me use elements from their fanfics in mine.
Thanks to u/Zyrian150, u/Saint-Andros, and u/Eager_Question for proofreading this chapter.
Today, I have 3 character updates for you. We get to see good things happen to Leena and Dani and we get another update on what Niit is up to as well as revisiting some old characters and introducing a new one. This chapter was my first in collaboration with u/Eager_Question. We are doing a crossover for the next few chapters of Tight Money. A huge thanks to them for entirely changing the trajectory of my plans for Niit and Leena. I'm excited for where this is going.
I love your comments so please tell me what you think so I can get better or if you have suggestions for future snippets of life on Venlil Prime you would like to see me cover, leave it in the comments.
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Memory transcription subject: Leena, Human Refugee Host
Date [standardized human time]: November 7, 2136
The smell of delectable food woke me up before my alarm – a sweet scent with a hint of roasted vegetables. My stomach demanded a meal, and glancing at the clock, I could see that I had some time before the twins would wake. Eagerly walking to the kitchen, I saw Dani had placed out all manner of items on the counter. She stood in front of her ‘hot plate,’ stirring a steaming pot that emanated the delightful aroma.
“Good morning, sleepy head!”
“Good waking, Dani. What are you up to with all those fruits and jars?”
“Well, you remember how I told you I was going to make some chalk for the neighborhood kids? That’s what I am doing right now – I'm making colored chalk! It's a fun DIY project. You see…”
“That did not translate correctly. The translator said, ‘letters of the English alphabet ask for clarification.’”
“Oh, it is an acronym that stands for the English words, ‘do it yourself.’ A lot of humans are pretty handy and have the skills to make the things that most people buy from a store. Sometimes they make things to save money, some do it for the challenge to see if they can, some do it because they want to customize something, and a lot of people do it because they enjoy doing it.”
“Like you said at our meal, this last paw.”
“Yeah! First, I slice up these fruits and vegetables into thin slices and boil them in water for [10 minutes]. The boiling process helps extract the natural pigments from the foods. Once I've boiled the fruits, I strain the colored water and keep it aside.”
Dani reached for a strainer and gently poured the steaming water into another pot and put that on the ‘hot plate.’ She set the slices of fire fruit on a plate and took a tentative bite out of a slice. I followed suit and to my delight, the fruit had a new mellower flavor with a hint of sweetness. Looking over the counter while I snacked on the boiled slices of Firefruit I got a better look at the jars of colored water and a few with colored powders.
“Okay, I'm following so far,” I pointed to one of the powder jars. “What are the powders for?”
“I’m doing an experiment. I want to see if I can use the pigment water as is or if I have to bake it to remove even more of the moisture in order to get a good color. I’ve never used these vegetables before so I need to do some trial and error to get this right.”
Dani had received a small strayu forge a few days ago in the mail and was putting it to good use making all manner of things except strayu. Honestly, I had no idea you could do anything else with them. Humans think of the strangest things. The forge dinged alerting her that it was done with whatever it was doing. She pulled out a tray of shriveled up Firefruit slices and transferred them to an empty plate. Dani laid several more fresh Firefruit slices on the trays and began the process anew.
“Dehydrated slices make wonderful snacks. Now, I take plaster,” Dani scooped some white powder into a cheap plastic bowl and poured in two scoops of the colored water, “and mix it with the colored water we obtained earlier. The plaster acts as a base and helps give the chalk a solid form.”
“Dani, that's so clever! So, the colored water gives the plaster its colors?”
“Exactly! The colored water mixes with the plaster, and we end up with a mixture that has the desired colors. Oh, and while I'm doing this, I'm also pouring the mixture into these silicone molds.”
I watched as Dani mixed the blue water and white powder until it turned into a light blue soup. Dani poured the liquid into the cavities of the flexible trays and scrunched up her face the way she did when she was unhappy or thinking.
“Is something wrong?”
“Yeah, it is supposed to be a much deeper blue than this. I think I’ll have to find something else to make a better dye or try the powder method. Oh well, live and learn.”
Dani began to clean up just as my alarm went off, informing me that I needed to get the children ready and fed. When I came out of my room after feeding the twins and grooming their fur, Dani had finished cleaning the counter and sitting on the couch browsing on her tablet. She looked up as I sat down.
“You get your cast off today right?”
Peering at the clock on her tablet, “Yes, my appointment is in quarter a claw at the out-patient recovery facility. It is only a short ride away. Would you?” I passed the twins to Dani before I stood. “I need to get ready.”
“Come here little babies, let's play hide and peek-a-boo.”
A quick shower later and I returned to find Dani loading the twins into the stroller; still talking to them in her higher pitch and smiling. Nothing out of the ordinary about that but what was out of the ordinary was that Vissa and Tas were also showing their teeth. Not quite a smile but not for lack of trying. I wasn’t sure what to say about that. I didn’t want Dani to stop smiling at Vissa and Tas but that behavior worried me.
“Okay, we’re ready.” Dani reached in and tickled my children. When they were done laughing they ceased to show their teeth much to my relief.
“Dani, when I get the cast off and return this scooter, is there anything you would like to do? I would rather not go back home and sit down once I can walk again.”
Dani’s eyes sparkled at my suggestion. “I would love to see some of your museums and I read about these places where people can make communal art. Could you show me one of those?”
“I would love to.” I’m glad I can do something nice for you, after all you have done for me.
Memory transcription subject: Niit, Capitol Spaceport Logistics Coordinator
Date [standardized human time]: November 9, 2136
I was fortunate. Only three claws after I was fired from the spaceport a new job presented itself. It was a temporary job but it would give me time to find something permanent and help my job history. Getting fired looked worse than the contract ending. They had advertised that they needed someone to come in and finish a new facility. I wondered what happened to the last coordinator. I sent in my application, trying to highlight that I had some experience in procuring building materials for the maintenance of the spaceport hangars.
I was given an interview time for the following paw. That didn’t give me much time to prepare and the place was a bit out of the way. I had to take the train out to the outer ring of the Capital and then walk [20 minutes] more but at least it was easy to find; I could hear the construction a [kilometer] away. A yotul was outside watching the construction crews, obviously impressed with the advanced construction equipment.
“Excuse me,” I tried not to be respectful and not shout, “could you direct me to the project manager's office?”
The yotul looked at me and then pointed to a series of temporary buildings in the distance.
“The furthest of the temporary dwellings on the right," he said, "it has a label on the door.”
“Thank you.” I waved my tail goodbye.
I walked over to the white construction shelter the yotul indicated and raised my paw to knock when the door slid open and a large, dark gray venlil appeared in the doorway. I froze in surprise as he looked me up and down with his left eye.
“Are you Niit?”
“Y-y…” I flicked my ear in affirmation.
“Come in.”
The gray venlil stepped inside and motioned to a swivel chair opposite a desk near the door. I took the seat opposite him at the desk and he opened a file with my application on his datapad. The office was a mess of binders, tools, and open cases of energy snacks and drinks; I assumed for the crew. A large map of the block hung on the wall.
"You can call me Foreman Apec or just Foreman is fine too. I'm so glad you could come on such short notice, this project is rather urgent and our last coordinator was poached by one of those ghastly flesh factories they're building now."
The very mention of those atrocious places nearly caused me to lose my lunch. “I-I’m so sorry to hear that. Well, I can guarantee you that I will not be leaving to work in such a place.”
"That's wonderful to hear. Tell me more about your experience, how comfortable are you handling tight schedules?"
“Oh, very, when I worked at the Capital Spaceport I had to manage several tight repair schedules regularly.” I hope he didn’t call Director Cass. I doubt he would give me a positive reference.
"Wonderful to hear. Like I said, we're rather in a rush to get this all done as soon as we can. The good news is that human laborers can work for two, sometimes three claws a shift, so we should be able to manage."
He stated that so nonchalantly, waving his tail around like it wasn’t the most ludicrous thing.
“T-three claws? They can work that long? No,” he’s joking, “You are pulling my ear. There’s no way anyone can work that long.”
Foreman Apec leaned forward and lowered his voice conspiratorially.
"I could scarcely believe it myself! Between you and me, I believe they're what you'd call persistence predators, but they're all hush hush about such things, you know. Anyhow,” he sat back and resumed the interview questions. “You mentioned repairs–I assume for starships-- do you have any experience with buildings?"
Persistence predators? I’ll have to look that up later, focus!
“Some, yes. I managed the construction of hangars 17 and 18 two [years] ago and the repairs to some of the buildings when debris fell after the successful defense against the arxur earlier this [year].”
"Fantastic! And, of course, while the position does not require you to interact with many humans, it'll likely come up due to the nature of the project. Are you comfortable with that?"
“I’ll manage.” It’s only temporary and I have my secret weapon now. Let's see them crawl inside me now. Ha!
"You should be fine. Older fellows like myself seem to struggle much more than youngsters like you, and I have my first meal with a human every paw now! I'm afraid the compensation on the ad is as high as we can go due to the budget, is that also alright?"
He flicked his tail apologetically.
“Yes, I’m grateful for the opportunity to gain experience in construction and try something other than starship repair.”
"Fantastic. When can you start?"
“I can start immediately, thank you!”
"Well, then you're hired! I'll send you an information package as soon as I can, and you can start at the next claw. As I said, we are quite strapped for time."
I rose, my tail wagged with joy, “I won’t let you down. I’m eager to see what this place will look like when it’s finished.”
"As am I. The whole thing has been mired in secrecy. You'll have to sign an agreement when you accept the contract, it'll be in your information package."
A secrecy agreement? What are the humans building here? “Oh… mysterious.” I tried to wave my tail playfully.
"Yes indeed! We'll be able to talk all about it once you sign on officially, but suffice it to say that the building plans are different from any I've ever seen."
The foreman walked around the desk and opened the door to escort me out. As I left, I turned one last time to reply.
“Well, I am eager to talk with you about it next claw.”
"Wonderful. Go, read through the package. Rest up. You'll need it."
Memory transcription subject: Krin, Capitol Extermination Officer
Date [standardized human time]: November 9, 2136
Driving to another abandoned home, looking for another poor warto spawn for trespassing. Probably gonna have drugs too; they all do. Rigel was driving the truck and seemed rather quiet, well, more quiet than usual.
“This is wrong, Krin. Evicting someone from an abandoned house just feels wrong.”
Rigel you are naive and too emotional. These people have already left the herd and need to shape up.
“I get where you're comin' from, Rigel, but it's our job. Can't let folks squat in places that ain't theirs.”
We were headed to the poorer part of the city. Clean streets but smaller houses; some no bigger than an apartment. The homes had an artificial feel to them, lacking any sort of wood or stone, just fillcrete walls and plastic doors. The road was getting bumpier with potholes in the rubber asphalt and frayed edges. The paint was nearly gone in some places and sunbleached in others.
“But it's rough out there, Krin. The economy's tanking, folks are losing their jobs, the banks aren’t making allowances…. Is throwing someone out really the answer?
For herd’s sake, “Look, Rigel, I feel for 'em, I do. But ya gotta think bigger. This squattin' stuff leads to more crime, drugs, theft, vandalism, urban decay. Ain't good for nobody. It’s a breeding ground for predator disease.”
“I get that, but it's hard not to sympathize. People are struggling. Maybe we could help them instead of evicting them?”
You want to help them so much, go be a social worker and see how much help you can give these people. Social services were drowning. Everyone knew that but with less revenue from fees and taxes, agencies had to make cuts. Everyone just had to make do.
“Help 'em how? We ain't social workers, Rigel. We got our hands full already and the owners are breathing down our necks when they should've taken care of this mess in the first place!”
“I know, Krin, but it just doesn't sit right with me. Can't help but think there's a better way to handle this.”
“We can't solve all the world's problems, Rigel. Our job is to keep the peace, not save everyone. It's tough, but that's reality.” The simple reality that ain’t so simple anymore, stupid humans.
“I just wish we could do more, you know? Feel like we're caught between a cliff and a shadestalker.”
“Trust me, Rigel, I feel it too. But we can't change the system overnight. Gotta focus on what we can control and do our jobs. Besides, no point thinkin’ about it anymore, we’re here.”
I stopped the car and got out. Officer Rigel checked the front door and it swung open. We entered the house, announcing ourselves as we went, but saw no one. The place was rather clean for a squat. If it wasn’t for the makeshift bed in one of the rooms and the inflatable birthday pool in the bathroom with a stack of towels, we wouldn’t have even known there was a squatter here.
“Looks like we came all this way for nothing.” The frustration in Officer Rigels voice mirrored my own.
The water in this pool was almost gone, the towels were dry and we didn’t find any paraphernalia. Whoever had been here, was long gone.
“Yeah, let's call it in and go back to the office.”
We climbed back into the truck and pulled out of the driveway. As I drove us back to the guild, we passed a disheveled man. Is that our squatter? I slowed the car and looked in the mirror, from behind I could see he was wearing a dirty safety vest and carrying a trash stick. No, he’s not a squatter. Glad I’m not that guy though. Sanitation work is not for me.
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2023.06.07 23:34 Future_Ad_3485 The Night Squad Files Case One: Murder Pays
Waking up next to Stanton, our clothes were all over the floor. Blushing at last night’s activity, I checked the time. A loud scream burst from my lips, the book club was in ten minutes. Crashing to the floor, Stanton stirred awake. Panicking at the time, the floor shook as he crashed to the floor. Searching for anything to wear, he was already tugging on a black band t-shirt and ripped jeans. Fixing his hair, my hand settled on a black and white striped swing dress. Slipping my feet into my boots, he brushed my wild hair into a simple side bun. Kissing me on the forehead, he dropped a random book into my palm.
“I will hang out with the husbands to analyze their behavior. Get those hens talking about their men.” He said simply, ignoring what we did last night. “Try and drink some coffee with them. Tell them that you have a stomach sensitivity.” Focusing on the book, scarlet colored my cheeks. It was one I had written and published fifty years ago, his brows furrowing.
“You’re telling me that I have to go and sit with a bunch of women while they misinterpret what I wrote.” I groaned bitterly, wishing that he would acknowledge last night. “Whatever. At least I know the plot.” Hooking his elbow into mine, we walked across the street. The husbands welcomed him with open arms, Susie yanking me in. Pulling me into the kitchen, she slid me a cup of coffee, my stomach churning. While most vampires enjoyed it, I despised it with a burning passion. Taking a sip, the pungent taste reminded me of a bunch of pennies.
“Tell me about sleeping with him. Was it fun? My husband is so boring.” She pleaded desperately, pressing her palms together. “I also asked for you to come because you look a lot like my favorite author.” Hitting the wall, a secret shelf with every single book I wrote covered every inch of the damn space. Think of an excuse, you idiot. Stanton looked up from his own conversation outside, my lips pressing into a thin line.
“My mother wrote them.” I lied seamlessly, Susie buying into it. “She was a lovely woman.” Lie, that was a lie. My mother was a poor Irish vampire who ditched me at the ripe age of three, her next question causing me to spit my coffee out.
“When is the sound of tiny feet entering your home?” She trilled sweetly, cupping my hands. “You are the first to know that I am pregnant now. I have been trying for years. Maybe you can get pregnant soon and we can have them be best friends.” Horror hid behind my polite smile, a long squeal escaping my lips. Like hell I would go along with her sick little plan. Something felt off, my vision blurred. A purple liquid swirled on top of the coffee, my body hitting the floor. A rough darkness devoured me as coffee pooled around my head.
A yellow light swung over my head, something else feeling off. Clammy sweat drenched my skin, a fever burning my cheeks. Susie towered over me, a spike spinning in her palm. Attempting to crawl away, her heel dug into my back. Unable to move, this felt like something else. The desire to take Stanton nearly controlled my mind, the claws extended from my fingernails. Spinning another needle of the liquid in her palm, she jammed it into my leg. Extreme nausea wracked my body, the beginning of a heat cycle disabling me. Parting my lips to speak, I needed his blood to survive or that was what it felt like. Only wheezes poured from my lips, she jammed another needle into my leg. Sending me into the next stage, every touch raised an incredible amount of goosebumps. Shivering in my spot, the last time I felt this was one hundred years ago when a handsome stranger caught my eye.
“I used to be a hunter.” She bragged gleefully, sitting down on top of me. “We have to finish before the book club arrives, you fucking idiot. I meant what I said about you getting pregnant around the same time. I know the serial killer lives among us. You have to trust me with that.” My eyebrow twitched with a mixture of bewilderment and irritation, a snarl curling on my lips. All of this was too much, my knee meeting her face. Crawling onto the living room floor, my legs felt like rubber. If she hit me with another needle of that liquid I would be pregnant within the next few days. At the current level in mine, three months remained before anything had to be done about that. Stumbling out, blood poured from her nose. Struggling to my feet, my shaking fingers opened her fridge to see what I needed. The process had already begun but I could delay it for a while. Pulling out a needle full of a milky liquid, she cried out as I jammed it into my thigh.
“I am not ready for that quite yet, Miss hunter!” I shouted vehemently, fuming darkly on the stool. “How can I know that you aren’t the serial killer?” Pausing in her spot, her slender hands jammed her nose back into place. Wiping the blood out from underneath her nose, she sat down across from me. Chuckling softly to herself, her fingers drummed on the stainless steel counter top.
“They killed my sister and her family a couple of weeks ago. I have nothing to gain from this.” She informed me briskly, holding her stomach. “I am the neighborhood watch and I can’t stand that someone is slicing their way through our little piece of paradise. Revenge is in my plan but now I have to be careful.” Seeing things through her point of view, the fact that she sped up my natural reproductive cycle ticked me off.
“I figured I might kick start things for your body. The sooner you get pregnant the happier Stanley will be. I always catch him watching the families walking by with a longing look. I am only doing it because he doesn’t suck up to me which makes him my favorite stranger.” She expressed with her real smile, pointing to me. “You are a purebred vampire. Such luck should be blessed in your eyes. You can give birth without dying. I met you once when my old man came to talk to you in your jail cell. I don’t know if you don’t remember him but his name is Father Rowell.” All of my breath escaped my lungs at the mention of his name, my mind flicking through the memories of every person who had visited me. Come to think of it, a redheaded woman did accompany a priest that one time. How did I not make the connection? Laying my head on the table, several women ran in. My eyebrow twitched, the perfectly dressed woman interrupted our conversation. A sea of blonde haired women shoved me aside, a couple of them shooting daggers from their eyes. Stepping back, Susie tugged me close to her. A bout of nausea wracked me, the combination of the potion she had injected with me mixed poorly with my sudden social anxiety. Dropping a tray into my palm, her gentle touch dragged me to the four ivory walls she called her living room. A brown leather set reminded me of my cell, the tray crashing to the floor. Glass shattered everywhere, my immediate response was to run. Apologizing profusely, I bolted out the door. Ignoring their looks, I ripped off my boots. Sprinting down the street, a masked individual slammed into me. Crashing to the ground, the pavement felt cool against my face. Still weak from earlier, I couldn’t just fight them off like normal. Quivering on the pavement, a disguised voice sent chills up my spine.
“Goodnight, my dear!” The robotic voice laughed evilly, a knife slamming into my body repeatedly.” Copper poisoned my taste buds, the person whistling. A rusting van pulled up, the license plate number 568 4325 stuck into my memory while my blood pooled underneath me. Tossing me into the van, Stanton barely made it onto the street. Locking the door behind me, I leaned against the wall. Pulling out my silenced phone, my vision blurred as I turned on my location. Hiding my phone behind a dusty box, a darkness swallowed me alive.
Jerking awake once more, this trend had to stop. Groaning in pain, a yellow light swung over my head, a rough rope cut into my wrists. Struggling only made the knot tighter, the killers having to be boat owners, hunters or some sort of boy scout. Glancing around, no weapons lay around. Talk about being professional. Muffled yelling stole my attention, a filthy redhead tugged on chains against the wall. Two small children hugged her side tightly, silent tears staining their cheeks. One, a pair of worn steel toe boots came into view. Two, the other shoe appeared. Three, his masked face poked around the corner. Four, Five, Six, one of the killers were at the bottom of the stairs. Seven, he towered over me at six foot seven. Lifting up his mask, relief crashed over me at the sight of an anxious Stanton. Seconds from cutting her rope, the boss stomped down the stairs. Pulling his mask down, the boss cleared his throat.
“Cut off her fingers until she talks about how she found us.” He demanded via a thick distorted voice. “Never mind, give me the knife.” Snatching it from Stanton, he could only watch with horror as the man held my finger straight. Three red dots blinked in the corner of my eyes, the operation making sense. This asshole was running a torture to murder show, a lump forming in my throat.
“Thank you for your payment of a million dollars. We shall gut her like a deer.” He mused darkly, tracing the knife along my flat stomach. “Then I will play with the guts to please you.” A scream burst from my lips the moment the blade glided across my stomach. Fighting the urge to vomit, my steaming guts poured out onto my lap. Playing with my intestines, the money began to pour in. Choking on the blood building up in my throat, a hack sent it all over his mask. The questions were sick, a clammy sweat drenching my skin.
“We have a vampire.” He announced with wicked laughter, my heart sinking in my chest. “This is going to be fun.” Stanton held his composure, the back of the metal chair bending underneath his grip. The heat potion kicked in, one accidental touch clouding up my mind for a moment. Bending down to my level, his next words sent chills up my spine.
“The boys are coming. We have to keep him occupied for about thirty minutes.” He growled through gritted teeth, the man asking him to run the computers. Touching my shoulder one last time, the chair squealed the moment he sank down into the chair. Shoving a slender flash drive into the USB hole, he was gathering the IP addresses. Shoving my guts back in, childlike wonder brightened the killer’s tone at my wound sealing shut. Susie’s sister held her hands over her kid’s eyes, the knife sliding in and out of me. The wet noise did little to help me, the potion making my stomach churn worse than normal. The money kept pouring in, the welcome sound of chaos woke me up from my sickly state. The agents from before piled down the stairs, Stanton ripping off his mask. Cutting the rope, his touch made me jump a couple of feet into the air. Popping to my feet, every footfall echoed in the concrete cell. Assisting Susie’s sister, her arms embraced me desperately. Every emotion soaked my shoulder, another touch from Stanton resulted in a tender blush on my cheeks. Shooting me a thumbs up, his lips brushed against the top of my head. Helping the woman to her feet, Stanton scooped up the children. Bright flashes blinded me, the news crew attempting to speak to us. Climbing into a tinted SUV, the children bounced into their mother’s arm. Fishing around a bag, he held out packages of cheddar crackers. The boys accepted them graciously, the car heading towards the hospital. The door ripped open, nurses ushering the family inside. Scanning me up and down, Stanton held me by my hips. Sniffing me real quick, fear flashed on his face. Not having time, Susie smashed into me. Desperate tears flooded from her cheeks, her quaking hands cupping my face. A deep crimson painted my cheeks, a newfound respect for me glowed in her eyes.
“Thank you so much for saving them. I don’t know how I could ever thank y-” She blubbered uncontrollably, my hand raising to stop her. Smiling brightly in her direction, this reaction made it all worth it. My lips parted to speak, a nurse dragging her off before I could explain myself. Stanton dragged me back to the car, a snarl twitching on his lips. Slamming me down into my seat, the partition hummed its way up.
“Your heat is supposed to be for another year! Why do you smell like you are three months away?” He demanded hotly, the crack of my hand meeting his cheeks stunning the both of us. How dare he ask after not talking about last night! Clenching my fists into a ball, I turned my back.
“You haven’t talked about last night. We had fun and you acted like nothing happened!” I blurted out venomously, happy to have it off of my chest. “You already forced me into a marriage, and now you want me to ignore what happened last night. Fuck you. I had fun but here you are. Was it that bad? Susie sped me up so we could be pregnant around the same fucking time. Did you know she used to be a hunter? She opened right up to me. In fact she knew me.” Spinning me around to face him, an apologetic smile dimmed his features. A piece of hair fell in front of his left eye, his hands rubbing my shoulder.
“I can’t tell you why that all scares me.” He mumbled under his breath, sliding me a large emerald box. “You need to get changed into your uniform to enter the facility.” Peeling off my destroyed dress, his eyes couldn’t leave the angry scars covering my body. Flipping the box open, I pulled out a lightly armored leather number. Tugging it over my head, the onyx leather covered my arms. Hiding my bloody hands underneath the bell sleeves, the deep v-neck showed off my ample breasts. Sitting back in the seat, the A-line skirt floated away from my body. Scooting closer to me, he offered me his neck. Sinking my fangs into his tender flesh, every gulp revived my health. Curling my arms around his neck, he drank away. This time a wave of euphoria crashed over me, a long sigh pouring from my lips. Unable to stop, fright rounded my eyes the moment his hand curled around my neck. A muffled protest stopped him, an oppressive silence hung between us. The car skidded to a halt, an impressive navy marble building towered over us. Helping me out, the numb look on his face scared the shit out of me. Marching in aggressively, the way he was acting reminded me of the first time I met Father Powell. Hugging him from behind, his muscles relaxed.
“We all lose control at times.” I assured him lovingly, the tone taking over my voice for the first time. “If I can gain control, you can do it.” Cupping my trembling hands, an agent was attempting to remember the plate number. Typing it in for them with my free hand, a grateful expression met my exhausted face. My legs gave out, Stanton placing me on his back. Ignoring the jeering whispers, the rumors spread within minutes. Bursting into the interrogation room, a shaggy haired man with angry dark eyes watched him set me down in the chair across from him. An unkempt beard danced with every growl in his throat, his scarred face informing me of a rough life.
“I am not the only one in this plot. Do you remember that serial killer club on the news a couple of years ago? I am the bottom tier.” He bragged gleefully, the sweet smell of poison wafting from his mouth. “We must all die with honor.” His heart beat one last time, Stanton calling for help. Help wouldn’t come soon enough, this was a magical poison. Dragging him out of the room, I climbed into the driver’s seat. A skill I had learned the moment cars had been invented, the modern car proving far easier to drive than those things. Stanton hopped into the passenger seat, my fingers typing in an address into the GPS. Driving for too long, the brakes squealed to a halt in front of a bustling night club. Taking off his tie, the poor thing floated to the back. Roughing up his suit, he protested as I messed up his hair. Letting my hair down, a familiar face had to be spoken to. Sauntering up the door, the bouncer let us both in. Loud music worsened my migraine, a scantily clad blond guided us up to the office. Opening the door, my fingers curled around the neck of my old friend. Pinning him to the wall, his scarlet curls bounced around. Ruby eyes glowered back at me, his garish velvet suit irritating me further.
“Who are you selling your poison to, you fucking idiot?” I interrogated him intensely, Stanton yelling at me to calm down. “I know what you sold to Susie. That I can let go but sell some sort of poison to a serial killer after school club! You are playing with fire.” Cocking his brows, he slammed his knee into my chest. Every rib shattered upon impact, all the breath leaving my body. Coughing on the floor, he picked me up by my hair.
“I refuse to let a runt like you run my life. I sell my magical drugs and that is that.” He snapped hotly, my bones fusing back together. “I don’t know or care what they do with them.” Wicked laughter rumbled in my throat, the heel of my bare feet slamming into his jaw. Raw energy built around my fist, his bones shattered upon the impact of my fist. Sliding down the wall, my bruising fingers picked him up by his collar.
“I don’t care that you make drugs. That isn’t my department but when they are used for suicide I have an issue. Who ordered it!” I screamed furiously, a glob of spit landing on my face. “Just answer the fucking question. I will break every bone in your body. You still owe me for you selling me out. I fucking let you keep the reward money.” Clicking his bones back into place, he struggled to his feet. Unlocking his cabinet, he pulled out an ancient ledger. Dropping it into my palms, he sulked to his desk.
“Take it. I have to start another one anyway. I will call you if somebody uber weird pops up.” He commented kindly, pulling out a new one. “Don’t charge me, ‘kay. I provide loads of hunger suppressants for the monsters in the area. I also help monsters get pregnant faster. The poison was only meant to be sold for someone who was going to die. You know that I can see reapers as well as you can. Watch your temper with that heat potion coursing through you. Your powers are going to be a little wacky for a bit.” Mouthing a silent thanks, a triumphant grin spread cheek to cheek. Walking through the club, another discussion had to be had once we got into the car. Climbing in, dread bubbled in my gut.
“Give up why you were in prison.” I demanded sternly, leaning on the steering wheel. “Don’t lie. I can sniff that shit out.” Tears welled up in his eyes, a lump forming in his throat. Storm clouds rumbled to life, heavy raindrops crashed to the top of the vehicle.
“You weren’t my first partner.” He uttered bitterly, chewing on his lips. “I had a romantic relationship with her and she turned out to be the serial killer. The bodies piled up behind me, and I didn’t even know. We were incredibly intimate. She lied with the biggest smile on her face. I enjoyed our evening together and that you only drank from the serial killers to survive. She was what the agency calls a binge eater. Devouring person after person and I was the one to put her down. The difference was that I didn’t love her like I love you.” Covering his mouth, a further explanation needed to be heard.
“What do you mean by love me?” I asked politely, attempting not to lose my cool while pulling into a Cally’s. “Don’t lie to me. I have been through enough hell today.” Refusing to look in my direction, my hands cupped his face. Gritting his teeth, his hands cupped mine.
“I observed you for months and fell in love with the way you helped the prison when you could. I loved it when you would spend weeks buried into an inhumanly huge pile of books.” He choked out awkwardly, fresh tears flowing from his eyes. “I sound like a creepy stalker but I needed to make you my mate from the instant you met me.” Nodding my head, my lips kissed his hungrily. Scarlet colored his cheeks, his hands falling to my flat stomach.
“I love you too.” I choked out just as awkwardly, hoping not to upset him further. “Watch this book, I will be right back.” Swiping his wallet, I ran into the department store. Ignoring the bright lights and horrid smells, I paused in the baby section. Closing my eyes, the sweet sound of my mother singing an Irish lullaby soothed my nerves. Snapping awake, a tiny girl had crashed into my legs. Instead of crying out in fear, she began to giggle.
“You are so pretty.” She sang adorably, her horrified mother scooping her up and running away. Getting a couple of packages of toy cars and a beautiful bouquet of white roses, hurt dimmed my eyes at the cashier watching me in pure terror. Paying for the items, silent tears stained my cheeks. Not saying a word, I punched in the address for the hospital. Cursing to myself, we were four hours away. Setting the stuff in the back, I chose to turn on the radio to drown out the chaos in my mind. Sobbing the whole way back, this world was no different. The only thing missing was the torches that had hunted my mother down. Getting there in record time, I ditched my partner to catch up to me later. Stopping at the desk, the nurse didn’t show the same fear as the people in the store. Tucking a loose piece of caramel hair behind her ears, her gray eyes twinkling with joy.
“Thank you for bringing them in.” She returned with a genuine smile, pointing to the last room down the hall. “Visiting hours are over. Surely, they want to see their hero. I will pretend I looked the other way.” Winking in my direction, she turned her back to me. Running to their room, an exhausted Susie lay on her sister’s bed. The children perked up at me, smashing into my legs. Crouching down at their level, I presented the packages of cars. Pecking my cheeks, they ran off to go play with them. Rising to my feet, I presented her with the flowers.
“How does your sister like her coffee?” I inquired with my genuine smile, the mother’s expression softening into a gracious smile. My lips parted to speak, the woman’s head shaking. Coughing a bit, blood covered her hand. Seconds from pushing the nurse button, her raspy voice stole my attention. Stanton hovered in the door, the mother’s heart monitor going nuts. Looking closer, a bony hand rested on her shoulder. Following the arm, a reaper held her shoulder. Death had come to her, the option not working for me.
“Is there anything I can give you in return?” I begged with my palms pressed together, knowing that those kiddos needed their mother. “How about this?” Snapping my fingers, my stolen reaper’s scythe rested in my palms. Snatching it from me, the cold hand curled around my neck. Gasping for air, his yellowed skull hovered inches from my face. Biting down on my arm, he gulped down enough to figure out who I was.
“I recognize your stupid face.” A chilly voice thundered evilly, the other finger playing with my hair. “You vampires are the bane of my existence. I can’t take your souls when there's none to take. I will spare her this one time but she will have to go next time regardless of what you have.” Dropping me to the floor, he was gone. Coughing up a storm, one of the kids hit the button. A look of horror dawned on his face, his tiny body smashing into my legs. Crouching down to his level, he shivered in my arms.
“Was that a reaper?” He stuttered brokenly, my head nodding. “Will they ever hurt me?” His tight red curls tickled my face, the other twin watching from a distance. Their emerald green eyes watched me as the nurse brushed past me.
“No, they won’t.” I promised them warmly, taking him to the waiting room. “Let’s go play while they take care of your mom, ‘kay.” Susie snapped awake, picking up her other nephew. Crashing into the nearest chairs, they played with their cars. Susie rested her head on my shoulder, snores echoing in my ear. Letting her sleep, I was thankful for my current life.
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“I will hang out with the husbands to analyze their behavior. Get those hens talking about their men.” He said simply, ignoring what we did last night. “Try and drink some coffee with them. Tell them that you have a stomach sensitivity.” Focusing on the book, scarlet colored my cheeks. It was one I had written and published fifty years ago, his brows furrowing.
“You’re telling me that I have to go and sit with a bunch of women while they misinterpret what I wrote.” I groaned bitterly, wishing that he would acknowledge last night. “Whatever. At least I know the plot.” Hooking his elbow into mine, we walked across the street. The husbands welcomed him with open arms, Susie yanking me in. Pulling me into the kitchen, she slid me a cup of coffee, my stomach churning. While most vampires enjoyed it, I despised it with a burning passion. Taking a sip, the pungent taste reminded me of a bunch of pennies.
“Tell me about sleeping with him. Was it fun? My husband is so boring.” She pleaded desperately, pressing her palms together. “I also asked for you to come because you look a lot like my favorite author.” Hitting the wall, a secret shelf with every single book I wrote covered every inch of the damn space. Think of an excuse, you idiot. Stanton looked up from his own conversation outside, my lips pressing into a thin line.
“My mother wrote them.” I lied seamlessly, Susie buying into it. “She was a lovely woman.” Lie, that was a lie. My mother was a poor Irish vampire who ditched me at the ripe age of three, her next question causing me to spit my coffee out.
“When is the sound of tiny feet entering your home?” She trilled sweetly, cupping my hands. “You are the first to know that I am pregnant now. I have been trying for years. Maybe you can get pregnant soon and we can have them be best friends.” Horror hid behind my polite smile, a long squeal escaping my lips. Like hell I would go along with her sick little plan. Something felt off, my vision blurred. A purple liquid swirled on top of the coffee, my body hitting the floor. A rough darkness devoured me as coffee pooled around my head.
A yellow light swung over my head, something else feeling off. Clammy sweat drenched my skin, a fever burning my cheeks. Susie towered over me, a spike spinning in her palm. Attempting to crawl away, her heel dug into my back. Unable to move, this felt like something else. The desire to take Stanton nearly controlled my mind, the claws extended from my fingernails. Spinning another needle of the liquid in her palm, she jammed it into my leg. Extreme nausea wracked my body, the beginning of a heat cycle disabling me. Parting my lips to speak, I needed his blood to survive or that was what it felt like. Only wheezes poured from my lips, she jammed another needle into my leg. Sending me into the next stage, every touch raised an incredible amount of goosebumps. Shivering in my spot, the last time I felt this was one hundred years ago when a handsome stranger caught my eye.
“I used to be a hunter.” She bragged gleefully, sitting down on top of me. “We have to finish before the book club arrives, you fucking idiot. I meant what I said about you getting pregnant around the same time. I know the serial killer lives among us. You have to trust me with that.” My eyebrow twitched with a mixture of bewilderment and irritation, a snarl curling on my lips. All of this was too much, my knee meeting her face. Crawling onto the living room floor, my legs felt like rubber. If she hit me with another needle of that liquid I would be pregnant within the next few days. At the current level in mine, three months remained before anything had to be done about that. Stumbling out, blood poured from her nose. Struggling to my feet, my shaking fingers opened her fridge to see what I needed. The process had already begun but I could delay it for a while. Pulling out a needle full of a milky liquid, she cried out as I jammed it into my thigh.
“I am not ready for that quite yet, Miss hunter!” I shouted vehemently, fuming darkly on the stool. “How can I know that you aren’t the serial killer?” Pausing in her spot, her slender hands jammed her nose back into place. Wiping the blood out from underneath her nose, she sat down across from me. Chuckling softly to herself, her fingers drummed on the stainless steel counter top.
“They killed my sister and her family a couple of weeks ago. I have nothing to gain from this.” She informed me briskly, holding her stomach. “I am the neighborhood watch and I can’t stand that someone is slicing their way through our little piece of paradise. Revenge is in my plan but now I have to be careful.” Seeing things through her point of view, the fact that she sped up my natural reproductive cycle ticked me off.
“I figured I might kick start things for your body. The sooner you get pregnant the happier Stanley will be. I always catch him watching the families walking by with a longing look. I am only doing it because he doesn’t suck up to me which makes him my favorite stranger.” She expressed with her real smile, pointing to me. “You are a purebred vampire. Such luck should be blessed in your eyes. You can give birth without dying. I met you once when my old man came to talk to you in your jail cell. I don’t know if you don’t remember him but his name is Father Rowell.” All of my breath escaped my lungs at the mention of his name, my mind flicking through the memories of every person who had visited me. Come to think of it, a redheaded woman did accompany a priest that one time. How did I not make the connection? Laying my head on the table, several women ran in. My eyebrow twitched, the perfectly dressed woman interrupted our conversation. A sea of blonde haired women shoved me aside, a couple of them shooting daggers from their eyes. Stepping back, Susie tugged me close to her. A bout of nausea wracked me, the combination of the potion she had injected with me mixed poorly with my sudden social anxiety. Dropping a tray into my palm, her gentle touch dragged me to the four ivory walls she called her living room. A brown leather set reminded me of my cell, the tray crashing to the floor. Glass shattered everywhere, my immediate response was to run. Apologizing profusely, I bolted out the door. Ignoring their looks, I ripped off my boots. Sprinting down the street, a masked individual slammed into me. Crashing to the ground, the pavement felt cool against my face. Still weak from earlier, I couldn’t just fight them off like normal. Quivering on the pavement, a disguised voice sent chills up my spine.
“Goodnight, my dear!” The robotic voice laughed evilly, a knife slamming into my body repeatedly.” Copper poisoned my taste buds, the person whistling. A rusting van pulled up, the license plate number 568 4325 stuck into my memory while my blood pooled underneath me. Tossing me into the van, Stanton barely made it onto the street. Locking the door behind me, I leaned against the wall. Pulling out my silenced phone, my vision blurred as I turned on my location. Hiding my phone behind a dusty box, a darkness swallowed me alive.
Jerking awake once more, this trend had to stop. Groaning in pain, a yellow light swung over my head, a rough rope cut into my wrists. Struggling only made the knot tighter, the killers having to be boat owners, hunters or some sort of boy scout. Glancing around, no weapons lay around. Talk about being professional. Muffled yelling stole my attention, a filthy redhead tugged on chains against the wall. Two small children hugged her side tightly, silent tears staining their cheeks. One, a pair of worn steel toe boots came into view. Two, the other shoe appeared. Three, his masked face poked around the corner. Four, Five, Six, one of the killers were at the bottom of the stairs. Seven, he towered over me at six foot seven. Lifting up his mask, relief crashed over me at the sight of an anxious Stanton. Seconds from cutting her rope, the boss stomped down the stairs. Pulling his mask down, the boss cleared his throat.
“Cut off her fingers until she talks about how she found us.” He demanded via a thick distorted voice. “Never mind, give me the knife.” Snatching it from Stanton, he could only watch with horror as the man held my finger straight. Three red dots blinked in the corner of my eyes, the operation making sense. This asshole was running a torture to murder show, a lump forming in my throat.
“Thank you for your payment of a million dollars. We shall gut her like a deer.” He mused darkly, tracing the knife along my flat stomach. “Then I will play with the guts to please you.” A scream burst from my lips the moment the blade glided across my stomach. Fighting the urge to vomit, my steaming guts poured out onto my lap. Playing with my intestines, the money began to pour in. Choking on the blood building up in my throat, a hack sent it all over his mask. The questions were sick, a clammy sweat drenching my skin.
“We have a vampire.” He announced with wicked laughter, my heart sinking in my chest. “This is going to be fun.” Stanton held his composure, the back of the metal chair bending underneath his grip. The heat potion kicked in, one accidental touch clouding up my mind for a moment. Bending down to my level, his next words sent chills up my spine.
“The boys are coming. We have to keep him occupied for about thirty minutes.” He growled through gritted teeth, the man asking him to run the computers. Touching my shoulder one last time, the chair squealed the moment he sank down into the chair. Shoving a slender flash drive into the USB hole, he was gathering the IP addresses. Shoving my guts back in, childlike wonder brightened the killer’s tone at my wound sealing shut. Susie’s sister held her hands over her kid’s eyes, the knife sliding in and out of me. The wet noise did little to help me, the potion making my stomach churn worse than normal. The money kept pouring in, the welcome sound of chaos woke me up from my sickly state. The agents from before piled down the stairs, Stanton ripping off his mask. Cutting the rope, his touch made me jump a couple of feet into the air. Popping to my feet, every footfall echoed in the concrete cell. Assisting Susie’s sister, her arms embraced me desperately. Every emotion soaked my shoulder, another touch from Stanton resulted in a tender blush on my cheeks. Shooting me a thumbs up, his lips brushed against the top of my head. Helping the woman to her feet, Stanton scooped up the children. Bright flashes blinded me, the news crew attempting to speak to us. Climbing into a tinted SUV, the children bounced into their mother’s arm. Fishing around a bag, he held out packages of cheddar crackers. The boys accepted them graciously, the car heading towards the hospital. The door ripped open, nurses ushering the family inside. Scanning me up and down, Stanton held me by my hips. Sniffing me real quick, fear flashed on his face. Not having time, Susie smashed into me. Desperate tears flooded from her cheeks, her quaking hands cupping my face. A deep crimson painted my cheeks, a newfound respect for me glowed in her eyes.
“Thank you so much for saving them. I don’t know how I could ever thank y-” She blubbered uncontrollably, my hand raising to stop her. Smiling brightly in her direction, this reaction made it all worth it. My lips parted to speak, a nurse dragging her off before I could explain myself. Stanton dragged me back to the car, a snarl twitching on his lips. Slamming me down into my seat, the partition hummed its way up.
“Your heat is supposed to be for another year! Why do you smell like you are three months away?” He demanded hotly, the crack of my hand meeting his cheeks stunning the both of us. How dare he ask after not talking about last night! Clenching my fists into a ball, I turned my back.
“You haven’t talked about last night. We had fun and you acted like nothing happened!” I blurted out venomously, happy to have it off of my chest. “You already forced me into a marriage, and now you want me to ignore what happened last night. Fuck you. I had fun but here you are. Was it that bad? Susie sped me up so we could be pregnant around the same fucking time. Did you know she used to be a hunter? She opened right up to me. In fact she knew me.” Spinning me around to face him, an apologetic smile dimmed his features. A piece of hair fell in front of his left eye, his hands rubbing my shoulder.
“I can’t tell you why that all scares me.” He mumbled under his breath, sliding me a large emerald box. “You need to get changed into your uniform to enter the facility.” Peeling off my destroyed dress, his eyes couldn’t leave the angry scars covering my body. Flipping the box open, I pulled out a lightly armored leather number. Tugging it over my head, the onyx leather covered my arms. Hiding my bloody hands underneath the bell sleeves, the deep v-neck showed off my ample breasts. Sitting back in the seat, the A-line skirt floated away from my body. Scooting closer to me, he offered me his neck. Sinking my fangs into his tender flesh, every gulp revived my health. Curling my arms around his neck, he drank away. This time a wave of euphoria crashed over me, a long sigh pouring from my lips. Unable to stop, fright rounded my eyes the moment his hand curled around my neck. A muffled protest stopped him, an oppressive silence hung between us. The car skidded to a halt, an impressive navy marble building towered over us. Helping me out, the numb look on his face scared the shit out of me. Marching in aggressively, the way he was acting reminded me of the first time I met Father Powell. Hugging him from behind, his muscles relaxed.
“We all lose control at times.” I assured him lovingly, the tone taking over my voice for the first time. “If I can gain control, you can do it.” Cupping my trembling hands, an agent was attempting to remember the plate number. Typing it in for them with my free hand, a grateful expression met my exhausted face. My legs gave out, Stanton placing me on his back. Ignoring the jeering whispers, the rumors spread within minutes. Bursting into the interrogation room, a shaggy haired man with angry dark eyes watched him set me down in the chair across from him. An unkempt beard danced with every growl in his throat, his scarred face informing me of a rough life.
“I am not the only one in this plot. Do you remember that serial killer club on the news a couple of years ago? I am the bottom tier.” He bragged gleefully, the sweet smell of poison wafting from his mouth. “We must all die with honor.” His heart beat one last time, Stanton calling for help. Help wouldn’t come soon enough, this was a magical poison. Dragging him out of the room, I climbed into the driver’s seat. A skill I had learned the moment cars had been invented, the modern car proving far easier to drive than those things. Stanton hopped into the passenger seat, my fingers typing in an address into the GPS. Driving for too long, the brakes squealed to a halt in front of a bustling night club. Taking off his tie, the poor thing floated to the back. Roughing up his suit, he protested as I messed up his hair. Letting my hair down, a familiar face had to be spoken to. Sauntering up the door, the bouncer let us both in. Loud music worsened my migraine, a scantily clad blond guided us up to the office. Opening the door, my fingers curled around the neck of my old friend. Pinning him to the wall, his scarlet curls bounced around. Ruby eyes glowered back at me, his garish velvet suit irritating me further.
“Who are you selling your poison to, you fucking idiot?” I interrogated him intensely, Stanton yelling at me to calm down. “I know what you sold to Susie. That I can let go but sell some sort of poison to a serial killer after school club! You are playing with fire.” Cocking his brows, he slammed his knee into my chest. Every rib shattered upon impact, all the breath leaving my body. Coughing on the floor, he picked me up by my hair.
“I refuse to let a runt like you run my life. I sell my magical drugs and that is that.” He snapped hotly, my bones fusing back together. “I don’t know or care what they do with them.” Wicked laughter rumbled in my throat, the heel of my bare feet slamming into his jaw. Raw energy built around my fist, his bones shattered upon the impact of my fist. Sliding down the wall, my bruising fingers picked him up by his collar.
“I don’t care that you make drugs. That isn’t my department but when they are used for suicide I have an issue. Who ordered it!” I screamed furiously, a glob of spit landing on my face. “Just answer the fucking question. I will break every bone in your body. You still owe me for you selling me out. I fucking let you keep the reward money.” Clicking his bones back into place, he struggled to his feet. Unlocking his cabinet, he pulled out an ancient ledger. Dropping it into my palms, he sulked to his desk.
“Take it. I have to start another one anyway. I will call you if somebody uber weird pops up.” He commented kindly, pulling out a new one. “Don’t charge me, ‘kay. I provide loads of hunger suppressants for the monsters in the area. I also help monsters get pregnant faster. The poison was only meant to be sold for someone who was going to die. You know that I can see reapers as well as you can. Watch your temper with that heat potion coursing through you. Your powers are going to be a little wacky for a bit.” Mouthing a silent thanks, a triumphant grin spread cheek to cheek. Walking through the club, another discussion had to be had once we got into the car. Climbing in, dread bubbled in my gut.
“Give up why you were in prison.” I demanded sternly, leaning on the steering wheel. “Don’t lie. I can sniff that shit out.” Tears welled up in his eyes, a lump forming in his throat. Storm clouds rumbled to life, heavy raindrops crashed to the top of the vehicle.
“You weren’t my first partner.” He uttered bitterly, chewing on his lips. “I had a romantic relationship with her and she turned out to be the serial killer. The bodies piled up behind me, and I didn’t even know. We were incredibly intimate. She lied with the biggest smile on her face. I enjoyed our evening together and that you only drank from the serial killers to survive. She was what the agency calls a binge eater. Devouring person after person and I was the one to put her down. The difference was that I didn’t love her like I love you.” Covering his mouth, a further explanation needed to be heard.
“What do you mean by love me?” I asked politely, attempting not to lose my cool while pulling into a Cally’s. “Don’t lie to me. I have been through enough hell today.” Refusing to look in my direction, my hands cupped his face. Gritting his teeth, his hands cupped mine.
“I observed you for months and fell in love with the way you helped the prison when you could. I loved it when you would spend weeks buried into an inhumanly huge pile of books.” He choked out awkwardly, fresh tears flowing from his eyes. “I sound like a creepy stalker but I needed to make you my mate from the instant you met me.” Nodding my head, my lips kissed his hungrily. Scarlet colored his cheeks, his hands falling to my flat stomach.
“I love you too.” I choked out just as awkwardly, hoping not to upset him further. “Watch this book, I will be right back.” Swiping his wallet, I ran into the department store. Ignoring the bright lights and horrid smells, I paused in the baby section. Closing my eyes, the sweet sound of my mother singing an Irish lullaby soothed my nerves. Snapping awake, a tiny girl had crashed into my legs. Instead of crying out in fear, she began to giggle.
“You are so pretty.” She sang adorably, her horrified mother scooping her up and running away. Getting a couple of packages of toy cars and a beautiful bouquet of white roses, hurt dimmed my eyes at the cashier watching me in pure terror. Paying for the items, silent tears stained my cheeks. Not saying a word, I punched in the address for the hospital. Cursing to myself, we were four hours away. Setting the stuff in the back, I chose to turn on the radio to drown out the chaos in my mind. Sobbing the whole way back, this world was no different. The only thing missing was the torches that had hunted my mother down. Getting there in record time, I ditched my partner to catch up to me later. Stopping at the desk, the nurse didn’t show the same fear as the people in the store. Tucking a loose piece of caramel hair behind her ears, her gray eyes twinkling with joy.
“Thank you for bringing them in.” She returned with a genuine smile, pointing to the last room down the hall. “Visiting hours are over. Surely, they want to see their hero. I will pretend I looked the other way.” Winking in my direction, she turned her back to me. Running to their room, an exhausted Susie lay on her sister’s bed. The children perked up at me, smashing into my legs. Crouching down at their level, I presented the packages of cars. Pecking my cheeks, they ran off to go play with them. Rising to my feet, I presented her with the flowers.
“How does your sister like her coffee?” I inquired with my genuine smile, the mother’s expression softening into a gracious smile. My lips parted to speak, the woman’s head shaking. Coughing a bit, blood covered her hand. Seconds from pushing the nurse button, her raspy voice stole my attention. Stanton hovered in the door, the mother’s heart monitor going nuts. Looking closer, a bony hand rested on her shoulder. Following the arm, a reaper held her shoulder. Death had come to her, the option not working for me.
“Is there anything I can give you in return?” I begged with my palms pressed together, knowing that those kiddos needed their mother. “How about this?” Snapping my fingers, my stolen reaper’s scythe rested in my palms. Snatching it from me, the cold hand curled around my neck. Gasping for air, his yellowed skull hovered inches from my face. Biting down on my arm, he gulped down enough to figure out who I was.
“I recognize your stupid face.” A chilly voice thundered evilly, the other finger playing with my hair. “You vampires are the bane of my existence. I can’t take your souls when there's none to take. I will spare her this one time but she will have to go next time regardless of what you have.” Dropping me to the floor, he was gone. Coughing up a storm, one of the kids hit the button. A look of horror dawned on his face, his tiny body smashing into my legs. Crouching down to his level, he shivered in my arms.
“Was that a reaper?” He stuttered brokenly, my head nodding. “Will they ever hurt me?” His tight red curls tickled my face, the other twin watching from a distance. Their emerald green eyes watched me as the nurse brushed past me.
“No, they won’t.” I promised them warmly, taking him to the waiting room. “Let’s go play while they take care of your mom, ‘kay.” Susie snapped awake, picking up her other nephew. Crashing into the nearest chairs, they played with their cars. Susie rested her head on my shoulder, snores echoing in my ear. Letting her sleep, I was thankful for my current life.
2023.06.07 23:22 chef_vader Amana Gas Dryer "3 Beep" Code. (NDG6800AWW)
My dryer is plugged into a GFI outlet (not sure if this is correct) and this morning the GFI was tripped when I went to dry some clothes. She worked fine last night.
The unit powers on after resetting the GFI, but when I press any button, I get 3 consecutive faint beeps. I read this could be the door switch, so after manually cycling the switch several times I was able to start the dryer one time with the door open and manually depressing the switch. The screen does indicate DO for door open, and returns to normal when the door is closed, but other than the one time it started I get nothing but the error beeps.
Any ideas? I'm not afraid to replace parts if need be, I just don't know where to start and would rather not spend $600 on a dryer.
Thank you!
submitted by chef_vader to appliancerepair [link] [comments]
The unit powers on after resetting the GFI, but when I press any button, I get 3 consecutive faint beeps. I read this could be the door switch, so after manually cycling the switch several times I was able to start the dryer one time with the door open and manually depressing the switch. The screen does indicate DO for door open, and returns to normal when the door is closed, but other than the one time it started I get nothing but the error beeps.
Any ideas? I'm not afraid to replace parts if need be, I just don't know where to start and would rather not spend $600 on a dryer.
Thank you!
2023.06.07 23:19 FakeElectionMaker 2022 Leansquean general election
 | LEP had ran a right-wing populist campaign centered on fighting corruption and reasserting Leansque's independence in regards to Brussels. On economics, the party promised to raise interest rates and control gas prices to lower inflation. They mostly avoided the Ukraine issue. submitted by FakeElectionMaker to GustavosAltUniverses [link] [comments] The Left Front overperformed expectations, winning eleven urban seats and replacing the Greens as Leansque's main left-wing third-party. Unlike the Green Party, the FI platform transcended climate change to promise the nationalization of major industries and promotion of workers' cooperatives as an alternative to the private sector. Exit polls Leansquean-language voters: LEP 40.89% PDC 20.57% PT 17.98% FI 7.73% LM 4.04% PV 3.00% Other 5.79% French-language voters: LEP 35.76% PDC 30.54% PT 18.60% LM 6.98% FI 5.00% PV 2.43% Other 1.54% Spanish-language voters: LEP 32.57% PT 29.11% PDC 25.45% PV 4.15% FI 3.78% LM 2.52% Other 2.42% |
2023.06.07 23:18 Longjumping_Ad9391 **Duplex for rent- Charming and secluded-Redwood City on border of Atherton**
Duplex 1 BR 1BA, 630 square feet. Interior just completely remodeled, will be first tenant to enjoy! New windows, doors, cabinets, floors and all new finishes throughout.
Quietly located on the Oakwood Oval in Redwood City. Near the Atherton border in the heart of the Redwood Oaks neighborhood.
Bright and large living room. Large windows with pool and backyard views. Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring, Ceiling Fan, Recessed Lighting.
Eat in Kitchen with ample storage and pantry. Vintage / Modern feel with tile flooring, brick accent wall and vintage hood. Under counter lighting. Built in Microwave. Brand new appliances include (all stainless): -Gas Cooktop with griddle. -Gas Oven with rotisserie. -French Door Refrigerator with ice maker. -Dishwasher / Garbage disposal Quartz counter tops Marble herringbone mosaic tile backsplash Designer light fixtures
Beamed Ceiling bedroom with attached full bath and walk in closet. Luxury modern texture carpeting with tile flooring in bathroom and closet. Bedroom has 3 mirrored pocket doors. Bathroom has tiled shower, Quartz vanity top and skylight.
Shared detached Laundry Room with new front loading washer and gas dryer. Laundry Room includes shared storage.
Additional storage space available.
Rent includes all utilities.
Off street parking.
Huge shared backyard with 40,000 gallon pool. Plenty of room for gardening, gathering and relaxing.
Minimum 12 month lease @ $3695per month.
Please message with inquiries. Thank you!
submitted by Longjumping_Ad9391 to paloalto [link] [comments]
Quietly located on the Oakwood Oval in Redwood City. Near the Atherton border in the heart of the Redwood Oaks neighborhood.
Bright and large living room. Large windows with pool and backyard views. Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring, Ceiling Fan, Recessed Lighting.
Eat in Kitchen with ample storage and pantry. Vintage / Modern feel with tile flooring, brick accent wall and vintage hood. Under counter lighting. Built in Microwave. Brand new appliances include (all stainless): -Gas Cooktop with griddle. -Gas Oven with rotisserie. -French Door Refrigerator with ice maker. -Dishwasher / Garbage disposal Quartz counter tops Marble herringbone mosaic tile backsplash Designer light fixtures
Beamed Ceiling bedroom with attached full bath and walk in closet. Luxury modern texture carpeting with tile flooring in bathroom and closet. Bedroom has 3 mirrored pocket doors. Bathroom has tiled shower, Quartz vanity top and skylight.
Shared detached Laundry Room with new front loading washer and gas dryer. Laundry Room includes shared storage.
Additional storage space available.
Rent includes all utilities.
Off street parking.
Huge shared backyard with 40,000 gallon pool. Plenty of room for gardening, gathering and relaxing.
Minimum 12 month lease @ $3695per month.
Please message with inquiries. Thank you!
2023.06.07 23:14 WriterJSLynch The Hedgewitch of Huntington (Fairy Dust Book 1) - WIP
The Hedgewitch of Huntington
The scent of gasoline and sweat permeated the air. Alex’s mouth felt dry, and her saliva tasted bitter. She knew she had a bottle of water in her backpack, but it was too much of a hassle to dig it out from under her seat. Someone behind her sneezed.
Gross.
The air felt so stale and suffocating. She wished she could just open her window and get some fresh air. When she tried to pull it open earlier, the window jammed, leaving it just open enough to create a disproportionately annoying whistle for the rest of the trip. Alex was pretty sure the rock-hard seat digging into the back of her legs would leave a bruise. She felt trapped. She felt like a prisoner, being transferred to death row.
But maybe she deserved it; after all, this was her fault. It was her fault that her mom was gone; it was her fault that she was now on a bus to nowhere. Guilt warred with bitterness in Alex’s heart. On the one hand, she had just left behind everything she knew in Baltimore: her mother, her home, her school, her friends. On the other hand, it’s not like she had that many friends. Or a real home. Or a good school. Or a loving mother. But still, it was familiar. It was hers. And Alex had just flushed it all down the drain.
And now she was heading to Huntington, West Virginia, to live with a stranger. A stranger who just happened to be her biological father. A stranger who had abandoned Alex and her mother before she was even born. A stranger who had no idea who Alex really was, much less what he was getting himself into.
Alex glanced at the woman sitting next to her. Ms. Jones, a kind-faced woman with mocha skin and dark, curly hair that seemed to have a mind of its own, sat, sorting through some papers and humming to herself. She had a gentle voice and a friendly energy, but Alex didn’t trust her. Alex didn’t dislike her, she just couldn’t trust someone who acted as if they cared just “oh, so much.” But Ms. Jones was there to help her- she knew that. She was Alex’s caseworker and had been nothing if not kind to her since her mom had been committed.
Ever since I got her committed.
She stopped that train of thought immediately. There wasn’t much point, thinking about that now.
“Are you okay, Alex?” Ms. Jones asked, noticing Alex’s waning gaze.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Alex lied. She wasn’t, but it’s not like that mattered.
“We’ll be there soon,” Ms. Jones said, trying to sound reassuring. “Your father will be waiting for us at the bus station. I’m sure he’s very excited to meet you.”
“Yeah, sure he is,” Alex muttered under her breath.
Ms. Jones sighed and turned back to the folder on her lap, rifling through the papers.
“Here are some documents I will need you to look over,” she said, handing Alex a few papers. “They’re just formalities. You can look them over now, or we can go over them together once we meet up with your dad.”
Alex took the papers and scanned them briefly. They seemingly covered details about how the transfer would be expected to go and how CPS would follow up to ensure Alex was adjusting well and being taken care of. After skimming the papers for a few minutes and pretending to skim them even longer, Alex passed them back to Ms. Jones, who smiled and slipped them neatly into her folder. Alex gave her a tight-lipped smile in return.
“Thank you, Alex,” she said. “You’ve been very cooperative. I appreciate that.”
“No problem,” Alex said, shrugging and looking away.
Ms. Jones checked her watch and looked out the window.
“We should reach the rest stop in a few minutes,” she said. “Are you hungry? Do you want to get something to eat?”
“No, I’m okay,” Alex said, shaking her head. She couldn’t eat even if she wanted to. Her stomach felt like she had swallowed a brick of lead.
“Well, okay. Maybe later then,” Ms. Jones replied.
“Sure.”
Alex closed her eyes and pressed her head against the window, the pane of glass a little warmer than the air. Everything was just too overwhelming. There were too many noises, too many people. Too many thoughts and feelings were running through her head, not all of them her own. Occasionally, she would catch a glimpse, a fragment of a foreign thought or memory, or a quick stab of a random emotion. It was exhausting. It was painful. Alex wished they would all just shut up and leave her alone.
— — —
The intercom crackled, snapping Alex out of her stupor. The bus driver’s voice came through it, a rich and gravelly sound as if she had been smoking a pack a day since birth. It was weirdly comforting.
“Attention, passengers, we’ll be stopping soon to fuel up and let everyone stretch their legs. Please stay seated until the bus comes to a complete stop,” She intoned in a practiced-if-exasperated cadence. “We will be stopped for twenty-five minutes, and any passenger not on the bus by the time I close the doors will be left behind.”
As the driver spoke, Alex opened her eyes and looked around. They were pulling into the parking lot of some podunk truck stop in some nowhere-town.
“Would it have killed them to stop somewhere a little nicer?” Alex muttered to herself sarcastically.
As the bus rolled to a stop, Ms. Jones tapped Alex on the shoulder.
“Come on, Alex,” she said with a gentle smile. “Let’s go stretch our legs and get some fresh air.”
Alex nodded and followed her to the front of the bus. They stepped off the bus and into the gas station’s parking lot. It was a small, shabby place with a few pumps and a convenience store. An unlit sign read “Tony’s.”
Ms. Jones took out her wallet and handed Alex some money.
“Here, take this,” she said. “At least get yourself a snack or something to drink, okay? I’ll be right back.”
She then marched double-time toward the restroom, leaving Alex alone.
Alex looked at the money in her hand and felt a surge of bitterness. She didn’t need her pity or her charity- she didn’t want it. Stuffing the money in her pocket, she looked around at the people milling about the gas station: a couple of truck drivers filling up their tanks, a family with kids buying snacks at the store, a young woman with a dog sitting on a bench.
Alex wondered what their lives were like. Where were they going? Where did they come from? What sort of things did they care about? What kind of secrets were they keeping?
I could find out…
She glanced back toward the bus. The door was open and the driver was nowhere to be seen. Alex figured she would probably be smoking behind the store.
Walking toward the road, Alex stared at the cars and trucks rushing past along the highway. She could try to flag someone down and hitchhike. Or maybe she could pay someone at the gas station to give her a ride, to take her somewhere else. Somewhere far away from here. She retrieved the crumple bills Ms. Jones gave her from her pocket. Ten bucks. Alex sighed and put the money away. Maybe if she just made a run for it? Alex wondered how long it would take for Ms. Jones to come back.
Alex took another step toward the edge. Then she stopped, hesitating.
“How long would it be before anyone noticed I was gone? Would anyone even care?”
She stared down at the speeding traffic, the creeping realization that she had nowhere else to go pressing on her mind. She had nowhere to go, no one who cared about her, and there was nothing she could do. Nothing except go to Huntington and meet Noah.
She tried to swallow but found her mouth still dry. There wasn’t any point in trying to run away, not anymore.
Resigned, Alex walked back toward the store. She might as well use that ten bucks.
— — —
As she entered, she was greeted by a blast of cold air and a jingling bell. The store was small and cramped, with shelves full of junk food, drinks, magazines, cigarettes, and lottery tickets. A TV mounted on the wall played some news channel.
She wandered around the store, looking at the items with little interest. She didn’t want anything, but she figured that buying something would at least get Ms. Jones off her back. Maybe just a candy bar or a soda.
She picked up a chocolate bar and examined it. A thin film of dust covered the wrapper. It must have been older than she was. Dropping it, she moved to the coolers. She scanned the shelves, but nothing looked good.
She wandered the aisles, eventually picking up a magazine. It was one of those gossip rags that had pictures of celebrities and their scandals. Flipping through it, she saw a headline that read “Hollywood’s Hottest Couples: Who’s In and Who’s Out?” She rolled her eyes and tossed it back on the rack.
She felt the faintest hint of a prickling at the back of her mind, barely an itch. Someone was watching her. Looking up, she saw a girl standing at the other end of the aisle, near the counter. The girl was about Alex’s age, maybe a year or two older. She had long blonde hair that fell in waves over her shoulders, blue eyes that sparkled like diamonds, and a perfect smile that showed off her white teeth. She wore a pink tank top that hugged her curves, denim shorts that showed off her legs, and flip-flops that matched her top. She had a silver necklace around her neck and a gold bracelet on her wrist. She looked like she had stepped out of one of those magazines Alex had just discarded.
The girl was holding a bottle of water and a pack of gum. She smiled at Alex and said, “Hi.”
Alex managed a meek “Hi” before quickly walking away, her cheeks burning red.
She felt like she had just seen everything she wasn’t, someone who was beautiful, confident, and happy.
Alex looked down at herself and felt ashamed. She wore an old T-shirt that was too big, jeans that were too tight, and sneakers that were too worn. Her face was plain; her short brown hair was messy and dull and desperately needed to be cut. She wore no makeup or jewelry except for a cheap watch that barely worked.
She headed towards the restroom at the back of the store. She needed to get away from everyone and everything for a while.
The women's restroom was occupied, so she slipped into the men's room instead, locking the door behind her. The room was small and dirty, with a sink, a toilet, a mirror, and a trash can. There was graffiti on the walls and stains on the floor. It reeked of piss and 409.
She felt exhaustion and despair wash over her and walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet. She splashed water on her face and stared into the mirror. Tired, brown eyes stared back at her. She saw a girl who looked lost and powerless. A girl who had no control over her life. A girl who had no future.
She hated what she saw.
She wished she could change it.
She wished she could change everything.
— — —
Back on the bus, she sat quietly, listening to music on her iPod Nano. It was three more hours before they reached Huntington. Ms. Jones tried making small talk a few times, but Alex wasn’t in the mood. The minutes, hours passed. Alex woke with a start when Ms. Jones shook her, not realizing she had even fallen asleep. At least she didn’t have the dream this time. Small blessing.
“Sorry, Alex, I didn’t mean to startle you. We’re here,” came Ms. Jones’ voice, muffled through Alex’s headphones.
Alex stopped her music, got up, and followed Ms. Jones off the bus, resigned to whatever fate awaited her. The bus station was small and crowded, with only a few benches and ticket counters. The air was thick with the smell of exhaust fumes and stale coffee. Alex looked around at all the people scurrying about. She idly wondered which one of them was her father. Obviously, not the angry mom arguing with the clerk. Not the little boy crashing toy cars together at her feet. Hopefully, it wasn’t the raggedy, older gentleman sleeping with his head on his suitcase. She figured it probably wasn’t the black guy in his early twenties playing games on a DS.
She wondered what he would look like, what he sounded like, what he acted like. She almost started to wonder if he would be anything like her mom but stopped herself, digging her nails into her palms.
Ms. Jones took out her phone and loaded a picture of Alex’s father. She scanned the crowd for his face, looking anxious. The older woman showed the picture to Alex and asked her to help look for him.
A wave of disappointment crashed into Alex when she saw it. He was a middle-aged man with brown hair and blue eyes. He had a scruffy beard and a crooked smile. He wore a work jacket and a faded blue Baltimore Ravens baseball cap. He looked like a loser.
“See him yet?” Ms. Jones asked after a few minutes of searching.
“Nope,” Alex said, shaking her head.
“Well, he was supposed to meet us here at the station,” Ms. Jones said, looking displeased. “-holding a sign with your name on it.”
Alex looked around again but didn’t see anyone with a sign. “Maybe he’s late,” Alex said, secretly hoping he wouldn’t show.
“Maybe,” Ms. Jones said, sounding doubtful.
Ms. Jones sighed and put away her phone. She put her hand on Alex’s shoulder with a gentle squeeze.
“Hey,” she said softly, “how are you feeling? Are you okay? Are you nervous?”
Alex shrugged off Ms. Jones’ hand and looked away.
“I'm fine,” she said, maybe a little too irritably.
Ms. Jones frowned and tried again.
“Alex, I know this is hard for you. Believe me. I know you’ve been through a lot. But this is a chance for you to start over. To have a family again.”
Something in Alex snapped.
“A family!? Do you really think I’m gonna live a Brady Bunch life with this guy? He left before I was even born! He didn’t even know I existed until, what? A few weeks ago?”
Ms. Jones opened her mouth to say something, but Alex cut her off.
“Just stop it,” she said bitterly. “I don’t wanna hear your promises about how I’m gonna have this perfect fairytale life from now on, okay? I’m just so sick of everyone lying to me!”
Ms. Jones closed her mouth and looked hurt.
“Alex,” she said softly. “I’m not lying to you. Please, just trust me on that. I won’t promise that everything is gonna be okay from now on ‘cause I have no idea how it’ll turn out. But you’re one of the toughest kids I know, Alex, and I know how much you’ve been hurt. You deserve a chance to start over and have an easy life, and this guy might be able to give you that. He signed the paperwork saying he wanted to be your parent, so can you at least give him a chance to try?”
Alex felt her rage falter like a rug had been pulled out from beneath her. It was weird to hear Ms. Jones speak so honestly, and it had disarmed her. Alex felt a little embarrassed- ashamed, really.
“I’m… I’m sorry,” Alex sputtered out with a sigh. “You’re right.”
“And if he turns out to be a jerk, I’ll let you help me kick his ass, okay?” Ms. Jones said with a conspiratorial smile. “We got a deal?”
“Deal,” replied Alex, with her own small smile.
“Now, where the hell is he?” huffed Ms. Jones as she began to look around again.
“Maybe he died,” Alex said with a wicked smirk and a shrug.
Ms. Jones grimaced and shook her head. She checked her phone, noticing a missed call from her office. She hurriedly punched in a phone number and hit the call button. A staticky voice picked up on the other end. Alex couldn’t hear what the other agent was saying, but she could tell by Ms. Jones’ expression that it wasn’t good news.
The older woman frowned and began to pace. Alex only heard Ms. Jones’s side of the conversation, “What? How? Why? Oh, gosh. What do we do now? Another placement? Okay. Alright. Thank you, I’ll talk to her..”
She ended the call and looked at Alex with a sad and sorry smile.
“Alex,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I have some bad news.”
And then another.
And then another.
Slowly, he tried to open his eyes. Why am I on the ground? Noah blinked away the spots, rotating his head at a glacial pace. When his eyes finally focused, he saw Doris, a plump, older woman who worked at the-
Shit.
He finally noticed the metal bars separating him and Doris. Judging by the way she swiveled her head and smiled, Doris had noticed him noticing the bars. She took a satisfied sip from her big, metal mug. She had a glossy name badge hanging from a Bengals lanyard that read “Dispatcher.” Noah squinted when it caught the light.
“Heeyy, you. You finally awake? Get enough beauty rest?” She asked in her lilting, sing-song tone, which Noah learned long ago meant she was being condescending.
“Doris. What the hell happened?” Noah asked as he gently shifted to a sitting position. “What time is it?”
“It’s just after nine.” She answered. Then with a snort, she added: “And you got your ass beat, that’s what happened.”
“That doesn’t sound like me,” Noah said with a small laugh.
Then the amusement left her eyes. A frown settled on her face as she tilted her head ever so slightly upward. “What the hell, Noah? Why are you here?”
“I- I don’t know,” Noah shook his head. Bad idea. “What do you mean?”
“What I mean is: you’re a thirty-four-year-old man, not some frat boy, so why the hell are you getting into bar fights?”
Oooohh…
The previous night’s events slowly returned to him, meandering through his hazy mind. He had gone out drinking, and a fight broke out. He had been hit, so he hit back. And then he got hit again. And again. Which probably explained why everything hurt so much.
“It wasn’t my fault- some asshole punched me. I was just defending myself.”
“Yeah, I know. Bill and them got the security footage about two hours ago,” Doris huffed, seeming annoyed.
Bill was the local police chief, a pudgy, straight-laced kinda guy. Noah didn’t strictly dislike Bill. He knew the man was just doing his job, but he also knew he and Bill wouldn’t be sharing a milkshake with two straws anytime soon.
Doris continued: “They watched the video, took a statement from anyone sober enough to talk, and booked the guys who started the brawl. Everyone else is getting processed out.”
“What about me?” Asked Noah as he wiggled, trying to crack his spine.
“You’re toward the bottom of the list, and they’re short-staffed today, so it’s gonna be awhile.” Her demeanor softened. After a short pause, she sighed and added: “I’ll let ‘em know you’re awake. Someone will grab you and take your statement.”
“Thanks, Doris. Have I ever told you how much I love and appreciate you?” Noah teased.
Doris frowned, and Noah got the sinking feeling he had just made a mistake.
“Didn’t you have something important to do today?” She asked with a chiding undertone.
“What? No. I don’t think-” Then the memory resurfaced and hit Noah like a brick.
Shit.
“Shit.” Blurted Noah as he scrambled to his feet and to the bars. “Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit! Doris, I fucked up. You gotta let me outta here!”
“You know I can’t do that, Noah,” Doris said, flinching when Noah grabbed the bars. “Why? What’s going on?”
“My kid! I was supposed to pick up my kid today!” Noah shouted. He slowly sank to the ground, muttering to himself. “Oh, my god. Doris. Oh my god, this isn’t good. I’m so screwed.”
— — —
Noah stared down the clock on the wall, and the clock stared back, ticking, unblinking. A tiny part of Noah’s mind acknowledged how this felt like one of those stand-offs from old cowboy movies. If the rest of his mind hadn’t been focusing on stopping him from blowing a hole in the wall and running away, he probably would have been screaming his head off, trying to get someone to let him out.
Instead, Noah sat and waited. And waited. Watching the seconds tick slower just to spite him. He was seated on the bench, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clasped in front of his mouth.
submitted by WriterJSLynch to u/WriterJSLynch [link] [comments]
(Fairy Dust - Book 1)
By J. S. LynchChapter 1: Alex
Alex stared out the window of the Greyhound bus, watching the scenery change from urban to rural. She saw nothing but a blur of green and brown as if someone had smeared a dirty paintbrush across a canvas, with the occasional flash of red and yellow breaking the mottled monotony. Coupled with the drone from the bus’s AC and with the steady rumble of the tires on the blacktop, it would almost be enough to lull her to sleep. Except, she wouldn’t let herself fall asleep. The last time she dozed off, she had a nightmare: her mother being dragged away screaming by men in white coats. Technically, that was a memory, but at least she could force herself to not think about it while she was awake.The scent of gasoline and sweat permeated the air. Alex’s mouth felt dry, and her saliva tasted bitter. She knew she had a bottle of water in her backpack, but it was too much of a hassle to dig it out from under her seat. Someone behind her sneezed.
Gross.
The air felt so stale and suffocating. She wished she could just open her window and get some fresh air. When she tried to pull it open earlier, the window jammed, leaving it just open enough to create a disproportionately annoying whistle for the rest of the trip. Alex was pretty sure the rock-hard seat digging into the back of her legs would leave a bruise. She felt trapped. She felt like a prisoner, being transferred to death row.
But maybe she deserved it; after all, this was her fault. It was her fault that her mom was gone; it was her fault that she was now on a bus to nowhere. Guilt warred with bitterness in Alex’s heart. On the one hand, she had just left behind everything she knew in Baltimore: her mother, her home, her school, her friends. On the other hand, it’s not like she had that many friends. Or a real home. Or a good school. Or a loving mother. But still, it was familiar. It was hers. And Alex had just flushed it all down the drain.
And now she was heading to Huntington, West Virginia, to live with a stranger. A stranger who just happened to be her biological father. A stranger who had abandoned Alex and her mother before she was even born. A stranger who had no idea who Alex really was, much less what he was getting himself into.
Alex glanced at the woman sitting next to her. Ms. Jones, a kind-faced woman with mocha skin and dark, curly hair that seemed to have a mind of its own, sat, sorting through some papers and humming to herself. She had a gentle voice and a friendly energy, but Alex didn’t trust her. Alex didn’t dislike her, she just couldn’t trust someone who acted as if they cared just “oh, so much.” But Ms. Jones was there to help her- she knew that. She was Alex’s caseworker and had been nothing if not kind to her since her mom had been committed.
Ever since I got her committed.
She stopped that train of thought immediately. There wasn’t much point, thinking about that now.
“Are you okay, Alex?” Ms. Jones asked, noticing Alex’s waning gaze.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Alex lied. She wasn’t, but it’s not like that mattered.
“We’ll be there soon,” Ms. Jones said, trying to sound reassuring. “Your father will be waiting for us at the bus station. I’m sure he’s very excited to meet you.”
“Yeah, sure he is,” Alex muttered under her breath.
Ms. Jones sighed and turned back to the folder on her lap, rifling through the papers.
“Here are some documents I will need you to look over,” she said, handing Alex a few papers. “They’re just formalities. You can look them over now, or we can go over them together once we meet up with your dad.”
Alex took the papers and scanned them briefly. They seemingly covered details about how the transfer would be expected to go and how CPS would follow up to ensure Alex was adjusting well and being taken care of. After skimming the papers for a few minutes and pretending to skim them even longer, Alex passed them back to Ms. Jones, who smiled and slipped them neatly into her folder. Alex gave her a tight-lipped smile in return.
“Thank you, Alex,” she said. “You’ve been very cooperative. I appreciate that.”
“No problem,” Alex said, shrugging and looking away.
Ms. Jones checked her watch and looked out the window.
“We should reach the rest stop in a few minutes,” she said. “Are you hungry? Do you want to get something to eat?”
“No, I’m okay,” Alex said, shaking her head. She couldn’t eat even if she wanted to. Her stomach felt like she had swallowed a brick of lead.
“Well, okay. Maybe later then,” Ms. Jones replied.
“Sure.”
Alex closed her eyes and pressed her head against the window, the pane of glass a little warmer than the air. Everything was just too overwhelming. There were too many noises, too many people. Too many thoughts and feelings were running through her head, not all of them her own. Occasionally, she would catch a glimpse, a fragment of a foreign thought or memory, or a quick stab of a random emotion. It was exhausting. It was painful. Alex wished they would all just shut up and leave her alone.
— — —
The intercom crackled, snapping Alex out of her stupor. The bus driver’s voice came through it, a rich and gravelly sound as if she had been smoking a pack a day since birth. It was weirdly comforting.
“Attention, passengers, we’ll be stopping soon to fuel up and let everyone stretch their legs. Please stay seated until the bus comes to a complete stop,” She intoned in a practiced-if-exasperated cadence. “We will be stopped for twenty-five minutes, and any passenger not on the bus by the time I close the doors will be left behind.”
As the driver spoke, Alex opened her eyes and looked around. They were pulling into the parking lot of some podunk truck stop in some nowhere-town.
“Would it have killed them to stop somewhere a little nicer?” Alex muttered to herself sarcastically.
As the bus rolled to a stop, Ms. Jones tapped Alex on the shoulder.
“Come on, Alex,” she said with a gentle smile. “Let’s go stretch our legs and get some fresh air.”
Alex nodded and followed her to the front of the bus. They stepped off the bus and into the gas station’s parking lot. It was a small, shabby place with a few pumps and a convenience store. An unlit sign read “Tony’s.”
Ms. Jones took out her wallet and handed Alex some money.
“Here, take this,” she said. “At least get yourself a snack or something to drink, okay? I’ll be right back.”
She then marched double-time toward the restroom, leaving Alex alone.
Alex looked at the money in her hand and felt a surge of bitterness. She didn’t need her pity or her charity- she didn’t want it. Stuffing the money in her pocket, she looked around at the people milling about the gas station: a couple of truck drivers filling up their tanks, a family with kids buying snacks at the store, a young woman with a dog sitting on a bench.
Alex wondered what their lives were like. Where were they going? Where did they come from? What sort of things did they care about? What kind of secrets were they keeping?
I could find out…
She glanced back toward the bus. The door was open and the driver was nowhere to be seen. Alex figured she would probably be smoking behind the store.
Walking toward the road, Alex stared at the cars and trucks rushing past along the highway. She could try to flag someone down and hitchhike. Or maybe she could pay someone at the gas station to give her a ride, to take her somewhere else. Somewhere far away from here. She retrieved the crumple bills Ms. Jones gave her from her pocket. Ten bucks. Alex sighed and put the money away. Maybe if she just made a run for it? Alex wondered how long it would take for Ms. Jones to come back.
Alex took another step toward the edge. Then she stopped, hesitating.
“How long would it be before anyone noticed I was gone? Would anyone even care?”
She stared down at the speeding traffic, the creeping realization that she had nowhere else to go pressing on her mind. She had nowhere to go, no one who cared about her, and there was nothing she could do. Nothing except go to Huntington and meet Noah.
She tried to swallow but found her mouth still dry. There wasn’t any point in trying to run away, not anymore.
Resigned, Alex walked back toward the store. She might as well use that ten bucks.
— — —
As she entered, she was greeted by a blast of cold air and a jingling bell. The store was small and cramped, with shelves full of junk food, drinks, magazines, cigarettes, and lottery tickets. A TV mounted on the wall played some news channel.
She wandered around the store, looking at the items with little interest. She didn’t want anything, but she figured that buying something would at least get Ms. Jones off her back. Maybe just a candy bar or a soda.
She picked up a chocolate bar and examined it. A thin film of dust covered the wrapper. It must have been older than she was. Dropping it, she moved to the coolers. She scanned the shelves, but nothing looked good.
She wandered the aisles, eventually picking up a magazine. It was one of those gossip rags that had pictures of celebrities and their scandals. Flipping through it, she saw a headline that read “Hollywood’s Hottest Couples: Who’s In and Who’s Out?” She rolled her eyes and tossed it back on the rack.
She felt the faintest hint of a prickling at the back of her mind, barely an itch. Someone was watching her. Looking up, she saw a girl standing at the other end of the aisle, near the counter. The girl was about Alex’s age, maybe a year or two older. She had long blonde hair that fell in waves over her shoulders, blue eyes that sparkled like diamonds, and a perfect smile that showed off her white teeth. She wore a pink tank top that hugged her curves, denim shorts that showed off her legs, and flip-flops that matched her top. She had a silver necklace around her neck and a gold bracelet on her wrist. She looked like she had stepped out of one of those magazines Alex had just discarded.
The girl was holding a bottle of water and a pack of gum. She smiled at Alex and said, “Hi.”
Alex managed a meek “Hi” before quickly walking away, her cheeks burning red.
She felt like she had just seen everything she wasn’t, someone who was beautiful, confident, and happy.
Alex looked down at herself and felt ashamed. She wore an old T-shirt that was too big, jeans that were too tight, and sneakers that were too worn. Her face was plain; her short brown hair was messy and dull and desperately needed to be cut. She wore no makeup or jewelry except for a cheap watch that barely worked.
She headed towards the restroom at the back of the store. She needed to get away from everyone and everything for a while.
The women's restroom was occupied, so she slipped into the men's room instead, locking the door behind her. The room was small and dirty, with a sink, a toilet, a mirror, and a trash can. There was graffiti on the walls and stains on the floor. It reeked of piss and 409.
She felt exhaustion and despair wash over her and walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet. She splashed water on her face and stared into the mirror. Tired, brown eyes stared back at her. She saw a girl who looked lost and powerless. A girl who had no control over her life. A girl who had no future.
She hated what she saw.
She wished she could change it.
She wished she could change everything.
— — —
Back on the bus, she sat quietly, listening to music on her iPod Nano. It was three more hours before they reached Huntington. Ms. Jones tried making small talk a few times, but Alex wasn’t in the mood. The minutes, hours passed. Alex woke with a start when Ms. Jones shook her, not realizing she had even fallen asleep. At least she didn’t have the dream this time. Small blessing.
“Sorry, Alex, I didn’t mean to startle you. We’re here,” came Ms. Jones’ voice, muffled through Alex’s headphones.
Alex stopped her music, got up, and followed Ms. Jones off the bus, resigned to whatever fate awaited her. The bus station was small and crowded, with only a few benches and ticket counters. The air was thick with the smell of exhaust fumes and stale coffee. Alex looked around at all the people scurrying about. She idly wondered which one of them was her father. Obviously, not the angry mom arguing with the clerk. Not the little boy crashing toy cars together at her feet. Hopefully, it wasn’t the raggedy, older gentleman sleeping with his head on his suitcase. She figured it probably wasn’t the black guy in his early twenties playing games on a DS.
She wondered what he would look like, what he sounded like, what he acted like. She almost started to wonder if he would be anything like her mom but stopped herself, digging her nails into her palms.
Ms. Jones took out her phone and loaded a picture of Alex’s father. She scanned the crowd for his face, looking anxious. The older woman showed the picture to Alex and asked her to help look for him.
A wave of disappointment crashed into Alex when she saw it. He was a middle-aged man with brown hair and blue eyes. He had a scruffy beard and a crooked smile. He wore a work jacket and a faded blue Baltimore Ravens baseball cap. He looked like a loser.
“See him yet?” Ms. Jones asked after a few minutes of searching.
“Nope,” Alex said, shaking her head.
“Well, he was supposed to meet us here at the station,” Ms. Jones said, looking displeased. “-holding a sign with your name on it.”
Alex looked around again but didn’t see anyone with a sign. “Maybe he’s late,” Alex said, secretly hoping he wouldn’t show.
“Maybe,” Ms. Jones said, sounding doubtful.
Ms. Jones sighed and put away her phone. She put her hand on Alex’s shoulder with a gentle squeeze.
“Hey,” she said softly, “how are you feeling? Are you okay? Are you nervous?”
Alex shrugged off Ms. Jones’ hand and looked away.
“I'm fine,” she said, maybe a little too irritably.
Ms. Jones frowned and tried again.
“Alex, I know this is hard for you. Believe me. I know you’ve been through a lot. But this is a chance for you to start over. To have a family again.”
Something in Alex snapped.
“A family!? Do you really think I’m gonna live a Brady Bunch life with this guy? He left before I was even born! He didn’t even know I existed until, what? A few weeks ago?”
Ms. Jones opened her mouth to say something, but Alex cut her off.
“Just stop it,” she said bitterly. “I don’t wanna hear your promises about how I’m gonna have this perfect fairytale life from now on, okay? I’m just so sick of everyone lying to me!”
Ms. Jones closed her mouth and looked hurt.
“Alex,” she said softly. “I’m not lying to you. Please, just trust me on that. I won’t promise that everything is gonna be okay from now on ‘cause I have no idea how it’ll turn out. But you’re one of the toughest kids I know, Alex, and I know how much you’ve been hurt. You deserve a chance to start over and have an easy life, and this guy might be able to give you that. He signed the paperwork saying he wanted to be your parent, so can you at least give him a chance to try?”
Alex felt her rage falter like a rug had been pulled out from beneath her. It was weird to hear Ms. Jones speak so honestly, and it had disarmed her. Alex felt a little embarrassed- ashamed, really.
“I’m… I’m sorry,” Alex sputtered out with a sigh. “You’re right.”
“And if he turns out to be a jerk, I’ll let you help me kick his ass, okay?” Ms. Jones said with a conspiratorial smile. “We got a deal?”
“Deal,” replied Alex, with her own small smile.
“Now, where the hell is he?” huffed Ms. Jones as she began to look around again.
“Maybe he died,” Alex said with a wicked smirk and a shrug.
Ms. Jones grimaced and shook her head. She checked her phone, noticing a missed call from her office. She hurriedly punched in a phone number and hit the call button. A staticky voice picked up on the other end. Alex couldn’t hear what the other agent was saying, but she could tell by Ms. Jones’ expression that it wasn’t good news.
The older woman frowned and began to pace. Alex only heard Ms. Jones’s side of the conversation, “What? How? Why? Oh, gosh. What do we do now? Another placement? Okay. Alright. Thank you, I’ll talk to her..”
She ended the call and looked at Alex with a sad and sorry smile.
“Alex,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I have some bad news.”
Chapter 2: Noah
A hateful sound, like that of a tone-deaf bell with a personal vendetta, jolted Noah awake. He shot up and immediately regretted it when a searing headache threatened to split his head open. Vertigo overtook him, and he had to fight down… whatever he had eaten last night. A barbed wire and sour milk stew? That was his best guess, based on the pain in his gut. He heaved. With his eyes shut so tight that it started to hurt, Noah took a very, very deep breath.And then another.
And then another.
Slowly, he tried to open his eyes. Why am I on the ground? Noah blinked away the spots, rotating his head at a glacial pace. When his eyes finally focused, he saw Doris, a plump, older woman who worked at the-
Shit.
He finally noticed the metal bars separating him and Doris. Judging by the way she swiveled her head and smiled, Doris had noticed him noticing the bars. She took a satisfied sip from her big, metal mug. She had a glossy name badge hanging from a Bengals lanyard that read “Dispatcher.” Noah squinted when it caught the light.
“Heeyy, you. You finally awake? Get enough beauty rest?” She asked in her lilting, sing-song tone, which Noah learned long ago meant she was being condescending.
“Doris. What the hell happened?” Noah asked as he gently shifted to a sitting position. “What time is it?”
“It’s just after nine.” She answered. Then with a snort, she added: “And you got your ass beat, that’s what happened.”
“That doesn’t sound like me,” Noah said with a small laugh.
Then the amusement left her eyes. A frown settled on her face as she tilted her head ever so slightly upward. “What the hell, Noah? Why are you here?”
“I- I don’t know,” Noah shook his head. Bad idea. “What do you mean?”
“What I mean is: you’re a thirty-four-year-old man, not some frat boy, so why the hell are you getting into bar fights?”
Oooohh…
The previous night’s events slowly returned to him, meandering through his hazy mind. He had gone out drinking, and a fight broke out. He had been hit, so he hit back. And then he got hit again. And again. Which probably explained why everything hurt so much.
“It wasn’t my fault- some asshole punched me. I was just defending myself.”
“Yeah, I know. Bill and them got the security footage about two hours ago,” Doris huffed, seeming annoyed.
Bill was the local police chief, a pudgy, straight-laced kinda guy. Noah didn’t strictly dislike Bill. He knew the man was just doing his job, but he also knew he and Bill wouldn’t be sharing a milkshake with two straws anytime soon.
Doris continued: “They watched the video, took a statement from anyone sober enough to talk, and booked the guys who started the brawl. Everyone else is getting processed out.”
“What about me?” Asked Noah as he wiggled, trying to crack his spine.
“You’re toward the bottom of the list, and they’re short-staffed today, so it’s gonna be awhile.” Her demeanor softened. After a short pause, she sighed and added: “I’ll let ‘em know you’re awake. Someone will grab you and take your statement.”
“Thanks, Doris. Have I ever told you how much I love and appreciate you?” Noah teased.
Doris frowned, and Noah got the sinking feeling he had just made a mistake.
“Didn’t you have something important to do today?” She asked with a chiding undertone.
“What? No. I don’t think-” Then the memory resurfaced and hit Noah like a brick.
Shit.
“Shit.” Blurted Noah as he scrambled to his feet and to the bars. “Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit! Doris, I fucked up. You gotta let me outta here!”
“You know I can’t do that, Noah,” Doris said, flinching when Noah grabbed the bars. “Why? What’s going on?”
“My kid! I was supposed to pick up my kid today!” Noah shouted. He slowly sank to the ground, muttering to himself. “Oh, my god. Doris. Oh my god, this isn’t good. I’m so screwed.”
— — —
Noah stared down the clock on the wall, and the clock stared back, ticking, unblinking. A tiny part of Noah’s mind acknowledged how this felt like one of those stand-offs from old cowboy movies. If the rest of his mind hadn’t been focusing on stopping him from blowing a hole in the wall and running away, he probably would have been screaming his head off, trying to get someone to let him out.
Instead, Noah sat and waited. And waited. Watching the seconds tick slower just to spite him. He was seated on the bench, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clasped in front of his mouth.
2023.06.07 23:13 largestcob 70s dryer thermal fuse blown
 | im trying to replace the thermal fuse in my dryer but this dryer is too old for any current tutorials to be helpful! which one here is the thermal fuse, what do i replace? please help!! submitted by largestcob to fixit [link] [comments] |
2023.06.07 23:11 3ternalmi5ery 23 Tundra Platinum First service appointment
dropped the truck off at the dealer for two things: 1. heard a humming noise occurring during acceleration; once i let go of the gas it stopped. Anybody else dealing with this? all windows were up.
submitted by 3ternalmi5ery to ToyotaTundra [link] [comments]
- door trim from rear door made contact with front door and chipped off a piece of the door trim. the popping occurred after driving on a bumpy dirt road. do you think thst the vibration could have caused the door to shift.
2023.06.07 23:10 gurukulofcivil How to Prepare a Structural Drawing?
What is in a Structural Drawing?
Types of Structural Drawings?
Structural Drawing
General Note
Drawing for Excavation
Column Layout
Beam Layout
The layout of Lintel Beam
The Layout of Roof Beams and Shutters
The Layout of Roof Slabs
How to prepare structural drawings?
How do you read a structural drawing?
What are the types of structural plans?
How do you read a structural steel beam size?
What is RCC working drawing used for?
Drawings for Architecture
Working Plan
Section Diagrams
Drawing of Elevation
Electrical Schematics
Drawings for Plumbing
What is BIM Structural drawing?
All of the intricacies that we need to follow throughout site construction are portrayed in these designs. Although it is the responsibility of the structural draughtsman to prepare the Structural Drawing, the onus lies on the Structural Designer to ensure that the right drawing standard is followed and executed. We all know that every simple or complex detail of our design must be correctly reflected in the drawing.
Read More:
What is the Function of Bridge Foundation or Pier and its Types? 5 Important Points
Pre-stressed Concrete, Pre-tensioning and Post-tensioning: 3 Important Points
I hope the blog provides you with a sound understanding of the Structure Drawings and their production procedure.
Please feel free to like, share and comment.
Admin, gcelab.com
Please see our Pillar Post to know why we founded gcelab.com.
Read More:
Why does Concrete need Reinforcement? 6 Important Points
Column Layout for Residential Building - 4 Important Points
What is the purpose of Structure Engineering Software?
submitted by gurukulofcivil to u/gurukulofcivil [link] [comments]
Types of Structural Drawings?
Structural Drawing
General Note
Drawing for Excavation
Column Layout
Beam Layout
The layout of Lintel Beam
The Layout of Roof Beams and Shutters
The Layout of Roof Slabs
How to prepare structural drawings?
How do you read a structural drawing?
What are the types of structural plans?
How do you read a structural steel beam size?
What is RCC working drawing used for?
Drawings for Architecture
Working Plan
Section Diagrams
Drawing of Elevation
Electrical Schematics
Drawings for Plumbing
What is BIM Structural drawing?
📷
What is a Structural Drawing?
A structural drawing is a series of plans that depicts the construction of a building structure. It contains foundation and dimension information, framing details, Bracing systems, beam and column details, and wall sections, all of which are utilized to guide the construction of the structure.Types of Structural Drawings?
Structural Drawing
This type of design drawing shows how beams, columns, staircases, slabs, and other structural elements are connected, as well as the “strength of different structural elements, structural materials, grade, size, and placement of reinforcement, and the strength of the building.General Note
A general note is a draught that incorporates codes, bylaws, and structural drawing specifics such as concrete mix, lapping length, curing time, abbreviation, mapping forms, building type, legends, and other work methods.Drawing for Excavation
The excavation of footing dimension, position of the column, footing plan layout, and column grid lines are all shown on the excavation drawing. This illustration depicts the scope of excavation, such as soil removal, as well as the excavation process, which includes trenching, wall shafts, tunnelling, and other techniques.Column Layout
The design and configuration of the columns throughout the structure are reinforced by the column layout. This plan divides the building into floors and specifies the precise size and distance between each column. Contractors will be able to study the entire building layout with the help of column plan layout drawings.Beam Layout
Plinths are used to reinforce a building's support structure. The plinth beam layout platform, length and design of the plinth are made floor-wise.The layout of Lintel Beam
Another type of beam structure is the lintel beam, which is used to add strength to the area of the building above the door and windows. The exact placements, size, and a number of beam lintels on each floor are included in this type of picture.The Layout of Roof Beams and Shutters
The roof beam is used to strengthen the overall structure of the building. It is the triangular structure that sustains the roof and is normally built on top of the building. These are normally built of wood, but they can also be made of steel or concrete.The Layout of Roof Slabs
Room slab layout is provided to complete an account of the roof faces, floors, & other surfaces that require accurate edge information, as the name implies. In the AutoCAD software, this is made more significantly.How to prepare structural drawings?
The final stage of a structural design is the creation of a Structural Drawing. The structural drawing or structural plan is made up of structural elements as well as a basic arrangement building plan or building layout for the site.All of the intricacies that we need to follow throughout site construction are portrayed in these designs. Although it is the responsibility of the structural draughtsman to prepare the Structural Drawing, the onus lies on the Structural Designer to ensure that the right drawing standard is followed and executed. We all know that every simple or complex detail of our design must be correctly reflected in the drawing.
How do you read a structural drawing?
Structural drawing, which is a form of engineering drawing, is a design or set of plans and details for the construction of a building or other structure. Plans, Elevations, X-Sections, General Notes and Details are among the subsets of the structural drawings collection.What are the types of structural plans?
- Site Plan
- Floor Plan
- Cross Section
- Elevation
- Landscape
- Finishing Drawing
- Working Plan
- Section Drawings
How do you read a structural steel beam size?
The W denotes a wide flange beam (as opposed to, say, an S beam); the 14 denotes the section number, and the 211 denotes the beam's weight per foot of 211 lbs. It's worth noting that, depending on the beam size, allowed deviations from the required specifications can range from 1/8 into 5/16in”.Read More:
What is the Function of Bridge Foundation or Pier and its Types? 5 Important Points
Pre-stressed Concrete, Pre-tensioning and Post-tensioning: 3 Important Points
What is RCC working drawing used for?
Drawings for Architecture
The architectural drawing serves as the mother drawing for all other construction drawings. It includes all the project details such as site plan, elevations, setting out plan, standard details, sections and other details.Working Plan
This drawing depicts the building's horizontal measurements, wall thickness, clear areas inside the structure, and column positions. It also illustrates the required openings within the structure, such as windows, doors, and ventilators.Section Diagrams
Section drawings exhibit the construction material, depth, types and measurements of various building components, and the types of structural components such as slab type, among other things. It depicts the drawing of a building that has been chopped via a vertical plane.Drawing of Elevation
The information on openings, the size and shape of the exterior surface, the height of the building, and the finish of the building after completion are all represented on an elevation drawing. These sketches are created by looking at the architecture from an aesthetic standpoint.Electrical Schematics
Electrical drawings show the placement and features of electrical wiring, fittings, substations, and switches, among other things. The drawing also contains an electrical load calculation, an electrical legend, a floor power plan, a floor lighting plan, a single line diagram, a fire alarm layout, a CCTV camera, as well as an equivalency table, lightning protection, and earth data.Drawings for Plumbing
On each floor, the plumbing construction plan shows the markings and locations of plumbing components such as sanitary, water supply piping, fixtures, equipment, pumps, pipes, drains, taps, and outlets. This encompasses everything from the type and size of sinks to gas location and the process of connecting all of the fixtures.What is BIM Structural drawing?
BIM is a process that involves the creation and administration of a digital model that aids in the design, construction, and maintenance of a structure during its entire existence. The purpose of BIM is to create buildings that are well-designed, efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly.I hope the blog provides you with a sound understanding of the Structure Drawings and their production procedure.
Please feel free to like, share and comment.
Admin, gcelab.com
Please see our Pillar Post to know why we founded gcelab.com.
Read More:
Why does Concrete need Reinforcement? 6 Important Points
Column Layout for Residential Building - 4 Important Points
What is the purpose of Structure Engineering Software?
2023.06.07 23:05 missamerica59 Birthday No Show
A brief recap, I had been NC with my JNM for just over a year due to her unsafe behavior over the years and constant boundary stomping. She has been a "party girl" most of her life with dangerous boyfriends but still thought that she would be helping raise my kids (like her Mom helped raise me cause she was only a teenager and single, I was in my 20s and stable when I had my first). Shit hit the fan when she realised she wouldn't be helping raising my kids and wouldn't be seeing them regularly (I'm busy I don't have time for weekly visits). The bot should link my stories below if you want more backstory (or lols).
Recently I decided to go VVVLC with my JNM after she took responsibility for everything and accepted my boundaries were justified. I only saw her about 3 times over a couple of months, at close family birthdays and events.
Just recently it was her birthday and I agreed to go to the zoo with JNM, my sibling, grandparents, myself and my kids. We all met out the front of the zoo, but we're still waiting for JNM. No biggie, she's always late. We wait out front at a park for 20min, still no sign so we text and call her (no answer) and say we are going inside and to call us when she's here.
Another 25min goes by and by now she's 45min late to her own birthday. By now we were starting to get a bit worried so my grandfather goes to my Mom's house to check on her. Her car is there, he bangs on all her doors and windows but no answer.
It's now over an hour since she was meant to arrive, and I'm starting to guess that she has had an early birthday party night, and taken something for fun that has put her to sleep (this is not irregular and is the main reason I don't spend time with heshe isn't allowed at my house).
We do our own thing at the zoo with no word from JNM. I then drop my sibling off at home, they luckily have their own key. I don't go in to my JNMs house as a rule, so I left my grandparents and sibling there and rung them asking what had happened to JNM.
My grandmother, who is a huge rugsweeper, tries to tell me she slept in, slept through all her alarms and phone calls, she's been really tired lately. I say "yeah I'm sure that's what it is" and grandmother tries to rugsweep. I end the conversation with if she wants to be nieve and believe that she can. I've experienced more, so I don't believe that, I think she took something (she has done loads in the past- party girl remember).
I go home and tell SO- he's not surprised he knows how unreliable my JNM is, though we find it surprising that she missed seeing the kids as she was constantly arguing to see them before.
Finally I get a message from JNM that she slept through all her alarms because she had started horemone replacement therapy and had spent the rest of the night crying that she missed seeing us. I did look into her claim and HRT can cause a sedative affect, but bare in mind whatever she took would have been the night before, we were meeting at 1pm the next day- I don't believe it's due to HRT (has anyone used and can cofrim?) but I didn't even engage with her because I don't do excuses from her anymore.
I'm not calling her out on her lie because I don't care. I didn't miss out on seeing her, she missed out and she knows it. I don't want to go back to NC as I've missed attending family events, but I'm definitely not putting in the effort to do something with her again and it just enforces that ive done the right thing by not allowing my kids around her without me present. She's shown her party girl behavior is more important than her family and sadly this likely won't be the first or last time.
submitted by missamerica59 to JUSTNOMIL [link] [comments]
Recently I decided to go VVVLC with my JNM after she took responsibility for everything and accepted my boundaries were justified. I only saw her about 3 times over a couple of months, at close family birthdays and events.
Just recently it was her birthday and I agreed to go to the zoo with JNM, my sibling, grandparents, myself and my kids. We all met out the front of the zoo, but we're still waiting for JNM. No biggie, she's always late. We wait out front at a park for 20min, still no sign so we text and call her (no answer) and say we are going inside and to call us when she's here.
Another 25min goes by and by now she's 45min late to her own birthday. By now we were starting to get a bit worried so my grandfather goes to my Mom's house to check on her. Her car is there, he bangs on all her doors and windows but no answer.
It's now over an hour since she was meant to arrive, and I'm starting to guess that she has had an early birthday party night, and taken something for fun that has put her to sleep (this is not irregular and is the main reason I don't spend time with heshe isn't allowed at my house).
We do our own thing at the zoo with no word from JNM. I then drop my sibling off at home, they luckily have their own key. I don't go in to my JNMs house as a rule, so I left my grandparents and sibling there and rung them asking what had happened to JNM.
My grandmother, who is a huge rugsweeper, tries to tell me she slept in, slept through all her alarms and phone calls, she's been really tired lately. I say "yeah I'm sure that's what it is" and grandmother tries to rugsweep. I end the conversation with if she wants to be nieve and believe that she can. I've experienced more, so I don't believe that, I think she took something (she has done loads in the past- party girl remember).
I go home and tell SO- he's not surprised he knows how unreliable my JNM is, though we find it surprising that she missed seeing the kids as she was constantly arguing to see them before.
Finally I get a message from JNM that she slept through all her alarms because she had started horemone replacement therapy and had spent the rest of the night crying that she missed seeing us. I did look into her claim and HRT can cause a sedative affect, but bare in mind whatever she took would have been the night before, we were meeting at 1pm the next day- I don't believe it's due to HRT (has anyone used and can cofrim?) but I didn't even engage with her because I don't do excuses from her anymore.
I'm not calling her out on her lie because I don't care. I didn't miss out on seeing her, she missed out and she knows it. I don't want to go back to NC as I've missed attending family events, but I'm definitely not putting in the effort to do something with her again and it just enforces that ive done the right thing by not allowing my kids around her without me present. She's shown her party girl behavior is more important than her family and sadly this likely won't be the first or last time.
2023.06.07 23:05 Eastern-Discipline66 Clearing up a misconception about hard mewing and diagrastic muscle activation + beginners progress guide
In previous posts I have mentioned the potential dangers of hard mewing, the main one being that your diagrastic muscles will hypertrophy from holding your tongue up with constant force, creating the illusion of a double chin underneath your jaw.
My main reason for this belief was because I personally did experience these negative effects. I’ve come to realise however that this was due to performing hard mewing incorrectly.
The problem with hard mewing is that many beginners lack tongue awareness and so when they try to push their tongue to the palate, they end up activating the wrong muscles since they only push up the front and middle portions of the tongue. This is why I always tell beginners to focus on the suction hold method since it’s a full proof way of getting the ENTIRE tongue to the roof of the mouth, assuming that the correct swallow method is applied.
I’ve come to realise that after doing the suction method for some time, you gain a significant amount of tongue awareness and then, but ONLY then I can recommend doing hard mewing as its more likely that you’re pressing the whole tongue WITH the correct muscles engaged due to having had gained tongue awareness from using the suction hold.
In summary; only when hard mewing is done incorrectly (only raising the front and middle of the tongue which leads to the activation and hypertrophy of the diagrastic muscles) then you can have negative results. However when performed correctly, it can potentially speed up results.
So, to help beginners who are interested in hard mewing but don’t want to potentially risk doing it incorrectly, here is a short guide I’ve put together to train your tongue and gain some awareness and control over it to ensure that when you move into hard mewing, you maximise results
————————————————————
STAGE 1. Training the tongue
-learning the correct adult swallow
LINK: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gcI8CvoFxfQ&pp=ygUQbWV3IHB1c2ggc3dhbGxvdw%3D%3D
-learning how to create a “suction hold” via the correct swallow
LINK: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lKaW3zNIuWY&t=1s&pp=ygUQbWV3IHB1c2ggc3dhbGxvdw%3D%3D
-Additional exercise: Tongue chewing
LINK: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNocCJNicrc&pp=ygUOdG9uZ3VlIGNoZXdpbmc%3D
————————————————————
After a few weeks/months, go onto stage 2
————————————————————
STAGE 2. Advanced mewing: Hard mewing
-Astrosky’s mewing tutorial
LINK: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bIh4wT-WfYA&pp=ygUJQXN0cm9za3kg
————————————————————
EDIT: Apologies for the crappy formatting, making this on Reddit mobile has been a gas
submitted by Eastern-Discipline66 to Mewing [link] [comments]
My main reason for this belief was because I personally did experience these negative effects. I’ve come to realise however that this was due to performing hard mewing incorrectly.
The problem with hard mewing is that many beginners lack tongue awareness and so when they try to push their tongue to the palate, they end up activating the wrong muscles since they only push up the front and middle portions of the tongue. This is why I always tell beginners to focus on the suction hold method since it’s a full proof way of getting the ENTIRE tongue to the roof of the mouth, assuming that the correct swallow method is applied.
I’ve come to realise that after doing the suction method for some time, you gain a significant amount of tongue awareness and then, but ONLY then I can recommend doing hard mewing as its more likely that you’re pressing the whole tongue WITH the correct muscles engaged due to having had gained tongue awareness from using the suction hold.
In summary; only when hard mewing is done incorrectly (only raising the front and middle of the tongue which leads to the activation and hypertrophy of the diagrastic muscles) then you can have negative results. However when performed correctly, it can potentially speed up results.
So, to help beginners who are interested in hard mewing but don’t want to potentially risk doing it incorrectly, here is a short guide I’ve put together to train your tongue and gain some awareness and control over it to ensure that when you move into hard mewing, you maximise results
————————————————————
STAGE 1. Training the tongue
-learning the correct adult swallow
LINK: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gcI8CvoFxfQ&pp=ygUQbWV3IHB1c2ggc3dhbGxvdw%3D%3D
-learning how to create a “suction hold” via the correct swallow
LINK: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lKaW3zNIuWY&t=1s&pp=ygUQbWV3IHB1c2ggc3dhbGxvdw%3D%3D
-Additional exercise: Tongue chewing
LINK: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNocCJNicrc&pp=ygUOdG9uZ3VlIGNoZXdpbmc%3D
————————————————————
After a few weeks/months, go onto stage 2
————————————————————
STAGE 2. Advanced mewing: Hard mewing
-Astrosky’s mewing tutorial
LINK: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bIh4wT-WfYA&pp=ygUJQXN0cm9za3kg
————————————————————
EDIT: Apologies for the crappy formatting, making this on Reddit mobile has been a gas
2023.06.07 22:59 iamasecretthrowaway I know this is prob old news, but I'm new. Can we talk about the septic tank situation? Bc wtf?
I asked on YouTube and someone responded that she claims she shares a septic tank with a neighbour and there's a dispute over who should pay for the repairs. She also claims that she's waiting to be hooked up to city sewer. Is that correct?
Bc, like, that's not how any of that works. I have a feeling one of two things is going on. Or maybe both things, I'm not choosey.
If she shares a septic tank (uncommon to just share with one neighbour buts it's possible), then her property came with an easement that negotiates the sharing. Usually maintenance is repair is split equally among the homes, so 50-50. If they're demanding she pay for it all, my guess is that her family vastly exceeds the use rating. Septic tanks are sized for houses, usually based on bedrooms when the home is originally built. They plan for 1-2 occupant per bedroom. If you add bedrooms or cram way more people in than average, the septic tank will be undersized and unable to properly manage the load.
If the neighbour is demanding she pay for the repairs, my money is firmly on they added bedrooms (either via additions, dividing rooms, finishing a basement, or converting rooms) and did not upgrade the septic. If it was a 3 bed house and they made it a 6 bed house, for example, they may need a septic tank more than 3 times the size what was planned for. Of course it's breaking. The leach field would be totally overwhelmed and raw sewage would be flooding out.
Upgrading a septic system can be easy or a straight up logistical nightmare. Bc a bigger system means a bigger leach field and they've prob shot theirs to hell. Which means the leach field has to be moved. And it usually has to be a certain distance from the house and property lines. Its 100% possible for there to be no alternative location for a septic system to move to. Also not positive, but that would likely require lawyers and surveys and all kinds of shit, bc she and her neighbour would need a new easement for the new location.
Which can make city sewer your only options.
As for the waiting on the city hookup. Yeah... How long they been waiting? Its usually a pretty quick process. I've done it 3 different cities and it took about a week or so. And you're only out water and sewer for like half a day... But that's only of there's sewer at the front of the property. My second bet is that there's no sewer at the top of their driveway. Which sometimes means you have to wait for the city to move out that way but usually means you have to pay for the city to bring to your property from the closest location. And shits not cheap. Some people have to pay per mile for miles. I saw one person get quoted like $60k. And that's only to bring it to your property. To actually hook up can be another $5-25k.
When I first heard about the septic problems I was like surely she has money, yeah? They spend an obscene amount on groceries that don't get eaten. They 100% can afford $5-10k to replace their goddamned septic. A lot of places will even do payment plans.
But if it's going to be $100k... Well I can see that taking a bit of time to work out and maybe the delay makes sense? Does anyone know anything more about it? Was what I was told even correct? Lol. Have they added bedrooms to the house?
submitted by iamasecretthrowaway to doughertydozen [link] [comments]
Bc, like, that's not how any of that works. I have a feeling one of two things is going on. Or maybe both things, I'm not choosey.
If she shares a septic tank (uncommon to just share with one neighbour buts it's possible), then her property came with an easement that negotiates the sharing. Usually maintenance is repair is split equally among the homes, so 50-50. If they're demanding she pay for it all, my guess is that her family vastly exceeds the use rating. Septic tanks are sized for houses, usually based on bedrooms when the home is originally built. They plan for 1-2 occupant per bedroom. If you add bedrooms or cram way more people in than average, the septic tank will be undersized and unable to properly manage the load.
If the neighbour is demanding she pay for the repairs, my money is firmly on they added bedrooms (either via additions, dividing rooms, finishing a basement, or converting rooms) and did not upgrade the septic. If it was a 3 bed house and they made it a 6 bed house, for example, they may need a septic tank more than 3 times the size what was planned for. Of course it's breaking. The leach field would be totally overwhelmed and raw sewage would be flooding out.
Upgrading a septic system can be easy or a straight up logistical nightmare. Bc a bigger system means a bigger leach field and they've prob shot theirs to hell. Which means the leach field has to be moved. And it usually has to be a certain distance from the house and property lines. Its 100% possible for there to be no alternative location for a septic system to move to. Also not positive, but that would likely require lawyers and surveys and all kinds of shit, bc she and her neighbour would need a new easement for the new location.
Which can make city sewer your only options.
As for the waiting on the city hookup. Yeah... How long they been waiting? Its usually a pretty quick process. I've done it 3 different cities and it took about a week or so. And you're only out water and sewer for like half a day... But that's only of there's sewer at the front of the property. My second bet is that there's no sewer at the top of their driveway. Which sometimes means you have to wait for the city to move out that way but usually means you have to pay for the city to bring to your property from the closest location. And shits not cheap. Some people have to pay per mile for miles. I saw one person get quoted like $60k. And that's only to bring it to your property. To actually hook up can be another $5-25k.
When I first heard about the septic problems I was like surely she has money, yeah? They spend an obscene amount on groceries that don't get eaten. They 100% can afford $5-10k to replace their goddamned septic. A lot of places will even do payment plans.
But if it's going to be $100k... Well I can see that taking a bit of time to work out and maybe the delay makes sense? Does anyone know anything more about it? Was what I was told even correct? Lol. Have they added bedrooms to the house?
2023.06.07 22:58 magick1250 Bridal Shower Ambush for JNMIL's son
Hi all!
I was invited by SO's Aunt to go to their Grandma's bridal shower. She's getting remarried and I'm honestly very happy for her! They've been sweet to me, especially the aunt from the last dinner party.
On the day of the bridal shower, my SO asked if he could come along and drive down with me so I could drop him off at his cousin's to hang out. It's been a minute since it was just the two guys together. We drove into town 2 hours away and I dropped him off. Our plan was when the bridal shower was over, I pick him up from his cousin's house and we go back home that same night. After dropping him off, I arrived at the bridal shower. I was happily greeted by everyone- and given a wave and a "Hi" by JNMIL. Things seemed to go peacefully.
We started opening gifts and JNMIL was at the front sitting next to her mother, SO's grandma. Once Grandma received my present, JNMIL started to open the flood gates. Talking about how she missed SO so badly, how big of a man he is (he is 6'4). His Aunt replied "aww.." in the silence because no one really knew what to say.
She started going on about how feeling her body next to him was like touching his belly button because she is so short. She looked at me and said "you're tall, so you probably don't get the same feeling" Everyone started staring at me. I didn't know what to say, it was so awkwardly dead silent.
Oddly, she wanted to take a picture of the two of us to send to her man. I thought to myself "She finally has a guy to latch onto other than SO!! Yay!!" Nope lol. She said "her man" as I watched her send the photo to my SO on imessage. She tapped on my shoulder and waved her hand to the food on the table. Told me to go make "her man" a plate to bring home. She did not fail to repeat this, multiple times. I'm doing my best to keep the peace and not just walk out, for SO's Grandma.
This is where it got out of hand. I was on my way out and saying goodbye to his Aunt. I thought I was in the clear and I let it slip that I'm picking up SO at Cousin X's place. You could hear a pin drop and JNMIL ran to me. She almost was at the point of yelling: "SO's THERE??? HE IS THERE?? OMG" Her savior was in town!!! (from my old post) lol
I knew I fucked up and I immediately texted SO. There was still at least 15 people at this bridal shower when I was getting ready to walk out of the door. I guess it was practically over once I said this. I said goodbye again and was on my way to pick him up.
His city is still unfamilar to me and I didn't know the best routes. I just took what GPS said to do. I stopped by the gas station for a few snacks (besides the plate I made) for SO and filled the tank for our drive home.
I arrive at his cousin's and notice 3+ cars there, including JNMIL and his Grandma. How his family beat me there, I will never know. They had a party still at their house when I left. They were packed into Cousin X's place, sitting on the couch with SO. It didn't seem like his cousin was prepared for more than just SO to be there at all. Cousin was sitting at his dining table on his phone. SO didn't want to have a huge get-together, he only wanted to be with his cousin that day. He especially did not want people uninvited to another person's home.
Apparently, SO said that JNMIL and family knocked and his cousin felt obligated to let them in. I didn't stay longer than 5 minutes to pick SO up. It felt like I was ripping SO away from her arms. It was already late, I wanted to drive home, and I felt 200x more exhausted (and confused? i guess they told everyone to go home?. We exited and JNMIL left almost immediately after. SO texted his cousin at the car to apologize, but still so embarrassed about it. Whatever.. rant over!
submitted by magick1250 to JUSTNOMIL [link] [comments]
I was invited by SO's Aunt to go to their Grandma's bridal shower. She's getting remarried and I'm honestly very happy for her! They've been sweet to me, especially the aunt from the last dinner party.
On the day of the bridal shower, my SO asked if he could come along and drive down with me so I could drop him off at his cousin's to hang out. It's been a minute since it was just the two guys together. We drove into town 2 hours away and I dropped him off. Our plan was when the bridal shower was over, I pick him up from his cousin's house and we go back home that same night. After dropping him off, I arrived at the bridal shower. I was happily greeted by everyone- and given a wave and a "Hi" by JNMIL. Things seemed to go peacefully.
We started opening gifts and JNMIL was at the front sitting next to her mother, SO's grandma. Once Grandma received my present, JNMIL started to open the flood gates. Talking about how she missed SO so badly, how big of a man he is (he is 6'4). His Aunt replied "aww.." in the silence because no one really knew what to say.
She started going on about how feeling her body next to him was like touching his belly button because she is so short. She looked at me and said "you're tall, so you probably don't get the same feeling" Everyone started staring at me. I didn't know what to say, it was so awkwardly dead silent.
Oddly, she wanted to take a picture of the two of us to send to her man. I thought to myself "She finally has a guy to latch onto other than SO!! Yay!!" Nope lol. She said "her man" as I watched her send the photo to my SO on imessage. She tapped on my shoulder and waved her hand to the food on the table. Told me to go make "her man" a plate to bring home. She did not fail to repeat this, multiple times. I'm doing my best to keep the peace and not just walk out, for SO's Grandma.
This is where it got out of hand. I was on my way out and saying goodbye to his Aunt. I thought I was in the clear and I let it slip that I'm picking up SO at Cousin X's place. You could hear a pin drop and JNMIL ran to me. She almost was at the point of yelling: "SO's THERE??? HE IS THERE?? OMG" Her savior was in town!!! (from my old post) lol
I knew I fucked up and I immediately texted SO. There was still at least 15 people at this bridal shower when I was getting ready to walk out of the door. I guess it was practically over once I said this. I said goodbye again and was on my way to pick him up.
His city is still unfamilar to me and I didn't know the best routes. I just took what GPS said to do. I stopped by the gas station for a few snacks (besides the plate I made) for SO and filled the tank for our drive home.
I arrive at his cousin's and notice 3+ cars there, including JNMIL and his Grandma. How his family beat me there, I will never know. They had a party still at their house when I left. They were packed into Cousin X's place, sitting on the couch with SO. It didn't seem like his cousin was prepared for more than just SO to be there at all. Cousin was sitting at his dining table on his phone. SO didn't want to have a huge get-together, he only wanted to be with his cousin that day. He especially did not want people uninvited to another person's home.
Apparently, SO said that JNMIL and family knocked and his cousin felt obligated to let them in. I didn't stay longer than 5 minutes to pick SO up. It felt like I was ripping SO away from her arms. It was already late, I wanted to drive home, and I felt 200x more exhausted (and confused? i guess they told everyone to go home?. We exited and JNMIL left almost immediately after. SO texted his cousin at the car to apologize, but still so embarrassed about it. Whatever.. rant over!
2023.06.07 22:55 Zanyeee [Xbox] [H] More Shit [W] Credits
Tactician Fennec
Striker Burnt Fennec (SF2) SOLD
Striker Burnt Jager
Striker FG Jager
Striker Crimson Jager
Striker Black Twinzer (GG22)
Decals:
Striker Orange Smored
Sweeper Saffron Smored
Tactician Sky Blue Smored
Sniper Orange 9 Lives
Sweeper Burnt 9 Lives
Tactician Black 9 Lives
TW 9 Lives
Striker TW Chainsaw
Striker TW Egged
Black Egged
Striker Falchion
Striker Nice Shot (Breakout)
Striker Rad Reindeer
Tactician Black Rad Reindeer
TW Rad Reindeer
Striker Breakout RLCS
Revival Striker TW Shibuya
CC1 Crimson, Orange, Pink and Saffron Shibuya
Striker Burnt Stitches
Striker Taniwha
Striker Breakout What A Save
Playmaker Black Pollinator
Sweeper TW Pollinator
Tactician Black Pollinator
Tactician TW Pollinator
Striker Deep Six
Striker TW Deep Six
Striker Rascal Stripes
Striker Burnt Callous Bros
Tactician Afterlife Set
Aviator Grey Arcana (GG)
Scorer Crimson Arcana (GG)
Striker Burnt Arcana (GG)
Striker Purple Arcana (GG)
Sweeper Black Arcana (GG)
Sweeper FG Arcana (GG)
Sweeper Lime Arcana (GG)
Sweeper Saffron Arcana (GG)
Sweeper TW Arcana (GG)
Tactician Cobalt Arcana (GG)
Victor Sky Blue Arcana (GG)
Playmaker Purple Fantasmo
Striker Fantasmo
Sweeper Fantasmo
Sweeper Grey Fantasmo
Sweeper Lime Fantasmo
Sweeper Pink Fantasmo
Sweeper Purple Fantasmo
Sweeper TW Fantasmo
Striker PCC MDGA Set 8/12
Striker Mixtape Set -FG and Lime
Striker CC3 Mondo
Victor TW Proptosis
Scorer Burnt Dom RLCS
Tactician Burnt Dom RLCS
Tactician TW Dom RLCS
Striker TW Suji
Striker Future Shock Set
Striker Black Hextide
Tactician Purple Hip-Hop
Tactician Sky Blue Hip-Hop
Tactician TW Hip-Hop
Striker Black Mister Monsoon
Striker Crimson Starlighter
Sweeper Saffron Starlighter
Striker Orange XVI
Striker Saffron XVI
Tactician Crimson XVI
Aviator Burnt Mainframe
Striker TW Cold Front
Striker Meteroid
Striker Lime ZSR Funny Book
Striker FG Jiangshi
Striker TW Jiangshi
Sweeper Burnt Jiangshi
Sweeper Black Jiangshi
Saffron Jiangshi
Playmaker TW Mechaceph
Striker ZSR RLCS
Goalkeeper Pink Tribal
Striker Sky Blue Abtruse
Striker Black Chantico
Striker Crimson Chantico
Striker TW Chantico
Uncert Christmas Trees: Cobalt, Crimson, FG, Grey, Lime, Orange, Pink, Purple
Tactician FG Northern
Sweeper Black Northern
Sweeper Lime Dune Racer
Sweeper TW Dune Racer
Striker Black Griffon
Striker TW Griffon
Goalkeeper Saffron Griffon
Tactician Burnt Island King
Saffron Island King
Tactician Grey Lone Wolf (PCC)
Striker Lone Wolf (PCC)
Revival Striker TW MG-88 Octane
Sweeper MG-88 Octane
Striker TW Niceshot Octane
Tactician Burnt Niceshot Octane
Striker Ripped Comic
Striker FG RLCS Octane
Striker Roadkill
Guardian TW Royal Tyrant
Striker Black Slimline
Striker TW Slimline (GG)
Loads of Stickerbombs for Octane
Tactician Saffron Tumbling Blocks
Striker Black, FG, and TW Vertebrate
Striker Octane Windblast
Striker TW Smokescreen
Striker Storm Watch (GG)
Striker Super-RXT
Sweeper FG Super-RXT
Guardian Lime Super-RXT
Uncert Sky Blue, TW, and Burnt Super-RXT
Striker Black Smooth Jazz
Striker Wet Paint
submitted by Zanyeee to RocketLeagueExchange [link] [comments]
Striker Burnt Fennec (SF2) SOLD
Striker Burnt Jager
Striker FG Jager
Striker Crimson Jager
Striker Black Twinzer (GG22)
Decals:
Striker Orange Smored
Sweeper Saffron Smored
Tactician Sky Blue Smored
Sniper Orange 9 Lives
Sweeper Burnt 9 Lives
Tactician Black 9 Lives
TW 9 Lives
Striker TW Chainsaw
Striker TW Egged
Black Egged
Striker Falchion
Striker Nice Shot (Breakout)
Striker Rad Reindeer
Tactician Black Rad Reindeer
TW Rad Reindeer
Striker Breakout RLCS
Revival Striker TW Shibuya
CC1 Crimson, Orange, Pink and Saffron Shibuya
Striker Burnt Stitches
Striker Taniwha
Striker Breakout What A Save
Playmaker Black Pollinator
Sweeper TW Pollinator
Tactician Black Pollinator
Tactician TW Pollinator
Striker Deep Six
Striker TW Deep Six
Striker Rascal Stripes
Striker Burnt Callous Bros
Tactician Afterlife Set
Aviator Grey Arcana (GG)
Scorer Crimson Arcana (GG)
Striker Burnt Arcana (GG)
Striker Purple Arcana (GG)
Sweeper Black Arcana (GG)
Sweeper FG Arcana (GG)
Sweeper Lime Arcana (GG)
Sweeper Saffron Arcana (GG)
Sweeper TW Arcana (GG)
Tactician Cobalt Arcana (GG)
Victor Sky Blue Arcana (GG)
Playmaker Purple Fantasmo
Striker Fantasmo
Sweeper Fantasmo
Sweeper Grey Fantasmo
Sweeper Lime Fantasmo
Sweeper Pink Fantasmo
Sweeper Purple Fantasmo
Sweeper TW Fantasmo
Striker PCC MDGA Set 8/12
Striker Mixtape Set -FG and Lime
Striker CC3 Mondo
Victor TW Proptosis
Scorer Burnt Dom RLCS
Tactician Burnt Dom RLCS
Tactician TW Dom RLCS
Striker TW Suji
Striker Future Shock Set
Striker Black Hextide
Tactician Purple Hip-Hop
Tactician Sky Blue Hip-Hop
Tactician TW Hip-Hop
Striker Black Mister Monsoon
Striker Crimson Starlighter
Sweeper Saffron Starlighter
Striker Orange XVI
Striker Saffron XVI
Tactician Crimson XVI
Aviator Burnt Mainframe
Striker TW Cold Front
Striker Meteroid
Striker Lime ZSR Funny Book
Striker FG Jiangshi
Striker TW Jiangshi
Sweeper Burnt Jiangshi
Sweeper Black Jiangshi
Saffron Jiangshi
Playmaker TW Mechaceph
Striker ZSR RLCS
Goalkeeper Pink Tribal
Striker Sky Blue Abtruse
Striker Black Chantico
Striker Crimson Chantico
Striker TW Chantico
Uncert Christmas Trees: Cobalt, Crimson, FG, Grey, Lime, Orange, Pink, Purple
Tactician FG Northern
Sweeper Black Northern
Sweeper Lime Dune Racer
Sweeper TW Dune Racer
Striker Black Griffon
Striker TW Griffon
Goalkeeper Saffron Griffon
Tactician Burnt Island King
Saffron Island King
Tactician Grey Lone Wolf (PCC)
Striker Lone Wolf (PCC)
Revival Striker TW MG-88 Octane
Sweeper MG-88 Octane
Striker TW Niceshot Octane
Tactician Burnt Niceshot Octane
Striker Ripped Comic
Striker FG RLCS Octane
Striker Roadkill
Guardian TW Royal Tyrant
Striker Black Slimline
Striker TW Slimline (GG)
Loads of Stickerbombs for Octane
Tactician Saffron Tumbling Blocks
Striker Black, FG, and TW Vertebrate
Striker Octane Windblast
Striker TW Smokescreen
Striker Storm Watch (GG)
Striker Super-RXT
Sweeper FG Super-RXT
Guardian Lime Super-RXT
Uncert Sky Blue, TW, and Burnt Super-RXT
Striker Black Smooth Jazz
Striker Wet Paint
2023.06.07 22:44 DefinitelyNotaGuest Help Me Figure Out What I'm Feeling
So this has been happening since I got my car but I've noticed it a little more recently...
It exclusively happens when I'm taking a large curve where the car rolls with the turn, I've had it happen at low speeds and high speeds. Usually right at the end of the curve when I'm straightening out and the car rolls back onto it's COG, I'll feel a tug on the front wheels, like one or both of the wheels is braking or doing something to compensate. It's definitely intentional, it's something the car is doing, but I don't really like the way it feels and it never feels necessary, I have control the entire time until I feel that tug. The car will wiggle a little bit, almost. Idk if I'm putting too much load on the front tire and the car is reacting to that or what, does anybody else have experience with this? I live in the foothills so I'm talking pretty good sized curves at pretty good speed, although it's done it at 30mph too.
2021 SE Nightshade CVT
submitted by DefinitelyNotaGuest to CorollaHatchback [link] [comments]
It exclusively happens when I'm taking a large curve where the car rolls with the turn, I've had it happen at low speeds and high speeds. Usually right at the end of the curve when I'm straightening out and the car rolls back onto it's COG, I'll feel a tug on the front wheels, like one or both of the wheels is braking or doing something to compensate. It's definitely intentional, it's something the car is doing, but I don't really like the way it feels and it never feels necessary, I have control the entire time until I feel that tug. The car will wiggle a little bit, almost. Idk if I'm putting too much load on the front tire and the car is reacting to that or what, does anybody else have experience with this? I live in the foothills so I'm talking pretty good sized curves at pretty good speed, although it's done it at 30mph too.
2021 SE Nightshade CVT