Hip hop dance shoes for sale

So I was in school in Multan. I was the girl that wasn’t necessarily popular but would get eyes now and then from guys. This one time we got a free lecture since the teacher got late due to rain and we didn’t even get a supplement teacher. Students started playing music etc and one thing lead to another and for some reason I started to dance in front of the whole class on Pani Wala Dance after taking my shoes and sash off Guys even recorded it and soon it was circulating in the whole school and I suddenly became infamous with guys eyeing me up or trying to hit on me all the time or defining me as lose character-wise so much so that it became everyone’s impression/opinion of me there and asking me to dance now and then whether as random throw away lines or for events etc

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The Reebok Recreational Activities Pack Celebrates Wanderers and Freethinkers
Reebok has officially unveiled its forthcoming “Recreational Activities” collection featuring four nostalgic models that celebrate wanderers and freethinkers. Across four iconic Reebok footwear models, the pack mixes earthy colors and high-quality materials like wool, hemp, twill, and corduroy with nostalgic patterns like tie dye, bandana, paisley, and florals to celebrate the freethinkers, wanderers, and adventurers of then and now.
A groovy alteration of Reebok’s brand wordmark ties the collection together, while a mix of materials, colors, and patterns tell a story unique to each shoe:

• Nano X3(IE4106, $160): This sun-bleached take on Reebok’s industry-best trainer features an all-over tie dye print, earthy color pops on the midsole and outsole, and a glow-in-the-dark outsole.
• Pump TZ(IE4105, $180): This west coast inspired version of the iconic Pump basketball shoe fuses patchwork and patterns of ’70s grunge with retro ’90s sport style.
• Beatnik(IE1956, $130): Inspired by ‘baja’ hoodies of the ‘60s, this bohemian take on Reebok’s comfy sandal presents a heavy knit upper with patterned webbings, grounded by a gritty speckled outsole.
• LT Court(IE1954, $110): Earthy granola materials and patterns – and a tearaway tongue detail – make up the upper on this version of Reebok’s ‘80s court model, seated atop a gritty speckled outsole.
• Classic Leather(IE4104, $100): Inspired by harem patchwork pants, this ‘hippie’ take on the historic Classic Leather features a bold mix of corduroy, washed denim, paisley and groovy prints like tie dye and bandana for a design that’s nostalgic and open minded.

Look for the Reebok “Recreational Activities” Pack to release beginning April 1 from Reebok.com and select retailers.
In other release news, the Air Jordan 11 Low Cement Grey makes its way to retailers on April 1st.

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First Look: Nike Dunk Low Premium Sequoia
More Dunk Lows are on the way. One pair set to release in the coming months is the monochromatic Nike Dunk Low Premium Sequoia.
As the name of the sneakers suggest, this iteration of the Nike Dunk Low opts for a bit more of a premium finish. Done in a Sequoia and Light Orewood Brown color scheme, this pair is constructed out of a canvas base and tongues paired with premium tumbled leather overlays along with terry cloth inner lining. The all-Sequoia upper is then gently contrasted by the White branding on the tongue labels, insoles, and embroidery on the heels. A Light Orewood Brown rubber sole rounds out the main feature of the shoe.
Retailing for $120, look for the Nike Dunk Low Premium Sequoia to release in the coming months at select retailers and Nike.com. For a complete guide including official photos, release dates, pricing and where to buy, visit: Nike Dunk Low Premium Sequoia.
In Jordan Brand news, are you feeling the upcoming Air Jordan 1 Low SE Tokyo Vintage?
images: JD Sports

I'm in the UK and riding my motorbike to Belgium next week so am putting a playlist together to listen to bangers and new music as I go. Hit me with your favourite tracks as I'd like to discover some new stuff.
Normal genre for me is alternative hip hop / 90s g-funk / EDM but I am open to anything. I'll share the playlist on tidalplaylists if you can suggest tracks there please!

Postage is from uk. happy to post abroad for additional cost (whatever price of post is, country and weigh dependant). Happy to send pics of any you are interested in.
Can link to discogs account for ratings (100%)
ALL PRICES ARE IN UK POUNDS ££££.
Black eyes - self titled. mint - 70
Metric - grow up and blow away. Sealed - 35
Smashing pumpkins - pisces iscariot - 40
Pink siifu - Ensley. Sealed - 35
We are scientists - Lobes (blue/black) sealed -20
Ruthless juveniles - hard as tha' fuck. Sealed -35
Gorillaz - cracker Island zoetrope. Sealed. - 50
Not waving & dark mark - downwelling. Sealed. - 60
Alkaline trio - maybe I'll catch fire (numbered) new. 42
Junk soundtrack. NM- 35
Incubus - monuments and melodies. NM - 180
Frank turner - campfire punkrock. NM - 75
The white stripes - elephant (2003). NM - 50
Eminem - lose yourself 12" - NM - 12
LCD Soundsystem - disco infiltrator 12" - NM - 11
Singles -
Weezer - pork and beans - 5
Subways - with you - 3
The Horrors - gloves - 5
Mad capsule markets - scary -3
Maximo park - Our velocity- 3
The Rakes - we danced together - 6
The Rakes - 22 grand job - 3
Hell is for hereos - retreat - 3
The Blood brothers - Lazer life.- 5
Dizzee rascal - Pussyole - 5
The Maccabees - about your dress - 6
The Maccabees - precious time (pic disc)- 5
The Used - take it away - 7
Placebo - Meds - 12
hadouken! - that boy that girl - 8
Dananananananakroyd - black wax - 4
Art brut - direct hit - 3
White stripes - denial twist (live) - 5
White stripes - you don't know what love it - 4
Feeder - lost and found - 3
Blood red shoes - you bring me down -3
The streets - prangin' out-3
Metric - empty-5
That fucking tank -the awesome magnet-3

Hello, I hope you're having a good time! I'm looking for someone whom I can have conversations with in the long term but if you want to have a short conversation, that's okay as well. Who knows if we get along well and end up being in touch for years?
Please read the post entirely before you decide to send a chat request or message. It will take about five minutes or more depending on your reading speed. You may skip this post if you can't bother reading it. This is only for people who love reading and typing lengthy messages, because that's the only way we can communicate with each other when we don't get enough time to have real-time conversations. I am mentioning this only to save your time; I don't mean to come off as rude. The messages I send can be way longer if we happen to click, and people who can't read the post entirely won't bother reading my messages properly either, and that would be a waste of time and energy for both individuals.
A bit about me:
I'm interested in all types of visual and aural arts. Writing, drawing, listening and composing music, watching movies and photography (I'm an amateur though) are my interests and hobbies. I'm broke so I'm not a gamer. I do have a fairly powerful PC but with a low-end graphics card I play older games on. Nothing online though.
Speaking of music, I'm mostly interested in Jazz, Funk, Hip-Hop, R&B/Soul (both classic and modern). I like listening to The Weeknd, Prince, Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars, Daniel Caesar, Aaliyah, Sade and various artists from the 70s to late 2000s generally. I'm a movie buff so I can recommend you movies too if you're looking for something to watch. And yeah, I LOVE MEMES! Keep sending them all day and I won't complain!
I'm an ambivert (more of an introvert though). My MBTI is INFP-T if that matters. I'm looking for people who are willing to share the events which occur in everyday life, joy and sorrow, secrets, deepest fears, and build a genuine connection over the course of time. I'll be there for you throughout the good and bad times; I expect the same from you too. I am active on most social media platforms. We can move on to other platforms once you feel comfortable with me.
Now here's the important stuff:
I would appreciate it if you don't just message me a "Hi/Hello/Hey." Introduce yourself; the longer the introduction is, the better. Makes room for questions. Instead of simply stating that you like movies/music, mention what genres you prefer. Makes the conversation more interesting. Please put effort into maintaining the conversation. Ask plenty of questions. I feel like an interviewer if the conversation is one-sided. If you want to leave, don't ghost me without stating a reason if we've been talking for longer than two weeks. Just tell me that we can't get along if you think the conversation isn't going anywhere. I won't get offended.
Your age, gender, race, sexuality don't matter at all, but tell me your age and gender just so that I know who I am talking to and follow social etiquette. I do prefer talking to people within the age range of 18-25 as I have talked to older people all my life but it's fine if you're a bit older or younger than the specified range. I absolutely love lengthy messages; I don't feel overwhelmed by them. So bonus points if you're capable of typing lengthy messages. I'm a person who would spend an hour(s) typing a well-thought lengthy message rather than having small talk in real time. I type as if I'm writing a letter. I can chat in real time as well, it's just that I don't get much time throughout the day and I'm active at odd hours. And time zones exist, unfortunately. Short messages or long messages, the amount of time and energy you have to spend will be the same anyway.
Please don't message me if you're just looking for people to kill your boredom and later abandon them. No, I'm not being rude. I have had enough. Those one word or one sentence responses lead nowhere. Also, if you're someone who wishes to stay anonymous forever even after talking for a considerable amount of time, I'm not the person you're looking for. This is an important thing to keep in mind. I am open to revealing my identity if we get along well so I would appreciate if you're open minded as well. That doesn't mean I want you to reveal your identity in the very beginning itself. I won't wait more than three months just for you to reveal your identity if we communicate regularly. In fact, it's a great feat to converse for longer than a month on the internet. I personally think that anonymity acts as a barrier in any kind of relationship. I would love to meet you in real life at some point in future if we get along and stay in touch for a considerable amount of time.
In the past 11 years, I have talked to several people around the globe on different platforms who wished to stay anonymous. I had conversations with them for months and years, but they always considered me as a stranger and eventually left. I'm tired of being a disposable person. What's the point of having a friend without a name and a face? I have no reason to trust someone who doesn't trust me. You can call me picky; I indeed am. I don't want to have conversations where both parties only ask each other about hobbies and interests and leave once they feel there's nothing in common. That's the reason why I asked you to cover those topics when introducing yourself. And just because I have already talked about my interests and hobbies doesn't mean there's nothing more to know about me. Human connection is a lot more than mere interests and hobbies.
I would love to interact with someone who doesn't treat me like an AI chatbot and acknowledges the fact that I'm an actual human being with feelings and emotions beyond the digital screen who spends his valuable time and energy to communicate with people—precious time and energy that I'll never be able to get back. I understand that these connections over the internet are very fragile and I can't control things the way I want so if you're interested feel free to send me a message anyway. I enjoy having conversations with people even if only for a while. Sometimes people you expect to be in touch for years leave you while the ones you don't expect to be in touch for long end up staying for a long time. Nothing is set in stone. All I ask you is to not leave without notifying me. Yes, I know whatever I have expressed so far sounds contradictory, but that's how life works, right? Reminds me of this quote by Japanese author Haruki Murakami:
"Is it possible, in the final analysis, for one human being to achieve perfect understanding of another? We can invest enormous time and energy in serious efforts to know another person, but in the end, how close can we come to that person's essence? We convince ourselves that we know the other person well, but do we really know anything important about anyone?"
While I agree with the fact that it's not possible to get to know a person entirely, I think connecting with another human being is a beautiful experience in itself. In the end, we are just lost souls yearning for human connection; searching for people who will provide attention and affection and accept us as we are. If you're still reading this, it means you are a good listener and reader. Message me if we have similar interests or ideals and if you think we can be potential friends. It doesn't really matter whether we have similar interests or not though, I would love to have you as a friend. There's a lot more to learn about me but I would rather tell you all that when we begin interacting with each rather than typing it all here. Feel free to ask me any questions. I'm open to having a conversation with people around the globe any time. I'm also very patient so I don't mind waiting for weeks or a month if the messages are lengthy. I understand that you might find all of this intimidating, but there's nothing about me to be afraid of. My messages can be lengthy, but only if you reciprocate my efforts and keep on adding stuff to the text. I know that this post sounds like a contract. I know I sound very serious but that's not entirely true. In fact, I can crack jokes sooo bad that will make you laugh. Thank you for spending your precious time reading this post. What are you waiting for? Text me right now! Feel free to message me even if you're seeing this several hours or days later.
Have a nice day/night and I hope you find someone to develop a strong bond with in case I'm not the person you're looking for. Take care of yourself and always stay hydrated!

So yesterday I went to a running shoe shop with my Nike rev 5's. I told them I was after something a bit more comfortable to run in as I had recently started pushing past 5k runs and in doing so starting to get knee and hip discomfort which I put down to the shoe.
I thought my gait was relatively neutral with a bit of supination judging by my shoe wear (mostly only the outer left heel) They did a gait test on me and said that I overpronate and recommended me several pairs which I tried on and ran in on the treadmill. Compared to my rev 5s they were all amazing feel but I wittled it down to a pair of Mizuno Wave Inspire 19s. I spaffed out a bit more than I could have found for them online but I felt you know, they've helped me pick a shoe and I'm supporting a brick and mortar shop, good samaritan etc.
Then I started looking around about them online and how there is such a divide on stability shoes and how most shops recommend them even though people might not need them? And now i'm worried I've just wasted my money..
Is it gonna do me any harm running in a pair of stability shoes if I don't need them? I think I might be obsessing over it a bit much since its the most I've ever spent on a pair of running shoes so far.

Heyo, I'm going to try posting a longer post (again). So, I'm a 22 year old guy living in Italy and I was looking forward to meet and talk with people from this sub.
What could I tell you about myself?

1. I like gaming, I do play multiple kinds of games (both off and online). I have played games like League of Legends, Elden Ring, Red Dead Redemption 2, a bunch of other RPGs and idk, feel free to ask.
2. I enjoy watching series/movies (even though not really frequently). I have absolutely loved Breaking Bad, I also have watched Peaky Blinders and some other series, I don't watch that many movies but I've been watching the Harry Potter saga lately (finished it, too).
3. I enjoy learning different stuff or skills that may or may not be helpful to me
4. I enjoy music a lot, I listen to a lot of music during my day, mostly in the background while I'm studying/working on something and I enjoy rap/hip hop a lot, also like pop but I do enjoy a lot of different genres. I like listening to instrumentals too at times and I absolutely love pianos (was even looking forward to learning how to play it one day, who knows)
5. I like water.

That's pretty much it, thank you for reading all of this.

I really didn’t like how I be blamed Maddie’s for second-guessing herself when doing the front aerial in season two at the gymnasium. It was season two where all the girls got solos but I don’t remember the episode name. Madi had a Spanish jazz genre of dance and she was wearing her jazz shoes. She was the only one to do a front aerial in jazz shoes. In the slow replay of the far you can see her glide and slip and fall on her hip. It was not Maddie’s fault. Sometimes when you do tricks you far, it’s just an accident that happens. I thought it was very unfair for Abby to say it was because Maddie second-guessed herself in mid air during the front aerial.

In the sport of Professional Wrestling, we all know that the art of holds and strikes but one thing we forget about is the gift to gab. The promo is an art that many athletes today forget, but very have mastered it but none are Shaun Ricker aka Eli Drake aka LA Knight YEAHHH! This man has made his name noticeable on the independence and NWA landing him a spot on the Impact roster to thrive with his charm and walked away as a tag and world champion, Once leaving Impact and he returned home to NWA and mann… just watch the “Shoes of a Champion” promo and the crime is that he was only a tag champion, but NWA’s loss was WWE’s gain and he entered NXT making a wave going toe to toe with Cameron Grimes for the Million Dollar Championship but after that it was rumored that he would be moving up to the main roster. He eventually moved up and became Max Dupri, managing the Maximum Male Models until Triple H took over everything and quickly returned to LA Knight and he has became a central figure on SmackDown carrying his feud with Bray Wyatt. Now, everybody wants to know what’s next for him and hopefully you guys enjoy my path for him.
Alexa play Take Me Out. YEAHHH!!
WRESTLEMANIA 39 NIGHT ONE
So, with the final weeks building to ‘Mania, WWE announces that LA Knight will be hosting the showcase of the Immortals and whenever he states that this event will be memorable and will have millions around the world talking about the impact that he has left on this show. But being a consistent throne in his side is of course, Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston casually embarrass him, but on the final SmackDown, where the show features the Andre The Giant Battle Royal with Knight eliminates Woods but fails to win the match.
On Night One, he started off the show claiming that this two-night extravaganza will have everybody talking and he also claimed he has banned The New Day from the show. Throughout the night, he mocks several talents and crew but claims he has something for the crowd. As he enters the ring and mocks the crowd but prepares to show his surprise but is interrupted by Kofi and Xavier.
He's shocked that they entered the arena and claim that they paid someone off and that they weren’t alone… revealing a returning Big E and the trio embarrass him and give the audience a feel-good moment since it’s been over a year since Big E has been in a WWE arena.
WRESTLEMANIA 39 NIGHT TWO
Before the show began, Knight took to Twitter and claimed that nobody will interrupt his gift to the WWE Universe tonight. Throughout Night Two, he was heckled by the locker room from the L he took but ends with him getting the last word. Before the main event, Knight finally reveals his gift as a statue of himself but was interrupted by Hall of Famer, Stone Cold Steve Austin. The two interact and have dick measuring contest with the words what? and yeah! But ends with Austin delivering a Stunner to the host.
On the following SmackDown, he refuses to let those clowns ruin his WrestleMania moment and he vows that disrespect will not synonymous with LA Knight and was again interrupted but by Madcap Moss alongside Emma and he stated that he wants a shot to prove himself to everybody and looks no further than a pushover like Knight. That line pushed him off and responded with where was Moss at a WrestleMania, cause last year he was playing lackey but last weekend he was in catering complaining to his girlfriend. And speaking of, he addressed Emma saying he felt sorry that she’s stuck with a himbo when she truly desired to be with a real man like yours truly and that led to a little brawl with Moss getting the upper hand until officials broke it up.
After the brawl, Knight rushed towards Adam Pearce’s office and wanted a match against Moss and Pearce responded that Moss had done the same thing concluding with announcing that next week the two will face off against each other.
SMACKDOWN
LA Knight v. Madcap Moss (w/ Emma)
The two start off with an intense lock-up but Moss taunts Knight, but it concluded with Knight outsmarting his opponent targeting his knee to weaken him throughout the match. During the match, Knight flirts with Emma and that pisses Moss off but that was needed for Knight to throw his game off and take advantage to walk away with the victory.
LA Knight wins via pinfall.
After celebrating his victory, he was interviewed and claimed that Moss was just an example of what happens when you try to embarrass LA Knight. He calls out the locker room cause he’s going to put them on notice and the following week’s SmackDown, he debuts the LA Knight show with him standing on a podium and addresses the locker room as a bunch of dummies but is interrupted by former Intercontinental Champion, Shinsuke Nakumara and it led to a little brawl with Knight getting the upper hand but ran away when Xavier Woods rush to aid his ally.
SMACKDOWN
LA Knight v. Shinsuke Nakumara
Knight tries to use his speed against the former I-C Champion, but Nakumara uses his skills to capture his opponent and begins to bring the match in his favor. After countering a German suplex, Knight targets his opponent's knee to prevent him delivering his signature moves and that left Nakumara to deliver forearms and punches. Soon as he was attempted to deliver his signature Kinshasa, his knee gave out and that led for Knight to capitalize and get another victory.
LA Knight wins via pinfall.
After his victory, Knight grabs a microphone and immediately calls out Xavier Woods to the ring. After Woods enters the ring, the two get things off their chest with Knight wanting to obliterate Woods for the weeks of embarrassment and without his buddies he can accomplish that. Woods responds to him being on his own and that his need to prove himself as an individual has never struck him more than now, he challenges Knight to a match at Backlash to give him his retribution but himself an opportunity to showcase his abilities.
Knight accepts and throughout the build the two scout each other’s matches concluding with brawls between them, but has everybody questioning who will walk out of Backlash the victor and with momentum to carry them up the ranks?
BACKLASH ‘23
LA Knight v. Xavier Woods (w/ Kofi Kingston)
The match starts off as a battle of speed v. power with Woods doing everything in his power to prevent getting in Knight's grasps but was caught after a failed crossbody. Knight begins to dominate and preys on Xavier throughout the match, after delivering a suplex on the mat and the referee counts the former tag champion but he struggles back in by the count of seven. Knight approaches a wounded Woods, who fights back a little but is defeated and Knight gets his retribution.
LA Knight wins via pinfall.
The following night, The WWE Draft takes place and during the second round he was drafted to Monday Night RAW. He was later interviewed and claimed that SmackDown dropped the ball with him and focuses on Monday Nights being the LA Knight Show.
Since his arrival on RAW, Knight has made his presence known quickly and that got him as one of the few competitors to qualify for the Men’s Money in the Bank match but in his way is former NXT Champion, Johnny Gargano. Knight acknowledges Gargano’s grit and drive since returning but tears him down to remind him that he’s never truly reached a big victory and it’s not going to start in their qualifying match.
RAW
LA Knight v. Johnny Gargano: Qualifying match for the Men’s Money in the Bank match
Gargano and Knight start off with a lock-up, but the former NXT Champion gets an upper hand in this bout until Knight deliver a boot to counter his apron DDT. Knight gets the upper hand until his opponent fights back until he was distracted by Damian Priest and that gives Knight the advantage to win the match and advance to the ladder match.
LA Knight wins via pinfall.
At the end of the night, RAW participants for the Money in the Bank match confront each other on the stage and some tension rises between Knight and Seth Freakin‘ Rollins. Later in the week, LA Knight crashes an episode of The Bump to emasculate the former World Champion, stating that he can dance and laugh to the bank but come Monday he best deliver in the ring.
RAW
LA Knight v. Seth Rollins
The two men stare each other down, Knight smacks Rollins across his face and that lights a fire under the former World Champion and that leads to the match being a back and forth but Rollins gets the upper hand and was going to end it with a Curb Stomp but was clotheslined by Bronson Reed.
Seth Rollins wins via disqualification.
After the bell rang, Knight joins Reed on the assault on Rollins until Reed strikes him and that results in Balor coming out to attempt to take down the big man in a failing effort. The show ends with a tease that Reed could be Mr. Money in the Bank.
MONEY IN THE BANK ‘23
LA Knight v. Seth Rollins v. Santos Escobar v. Bronson Reed v. Xavier Woods v. Finn Balor v. Ricochet v. Karrion Kross: Eight-man Money in the Bank match.
Knight enters the match so arrogant and gets in the face of former rival, Xavier Woods. Knight usually rushes to grab the briefcase but is caught and given hell by his fellow competitors. When the match looks like it's Xavier Woods or Kross to reach for the briefcase but Knight rushes to the top and take them out of the picture, he has his hands on the briefcase and was powerbombed by Damian Priest giving the victory to Finn Balor.
Finn Balor wins the Men’s Money in the Bank match.
RAW
Number One Contender’s Battle Royal
Throughout the match, Knight eliminates a couple of competitors and made to the final two against Montez Ford. The two brawl throughout the ring and the match ends with both men being eliminated and both dropping the floor at the same time.
The match ends in a draw.
After the two finalist brawl around the arena, Adam Pearce announced that the two will compete in a Number One contender’s match to face Theory for the U.S. Championship at Summerslam.
RAW
LA Knight v. Montez Ford: United States Championship Number One Contender’s match
Knight and Ford have a battle of agility vs. aggression with Knight getting the upper hand against his opponent. After countering a suplex, Ford gained momentum and was on the verge of delivering his signature Frog Splash but was assaulted by the U.S. Champion, Austin Theory.
The match ends in No Contest.
After Theory assaulted both men, he grabbed a microphone and continue to dub himself “The Present of WWE“ claiming that he isn’t afraid of defending his title against both of them. Throughout the build, Ford is diminished that he couldn’t walk out the U.S. Championship but reminds both men that he’s no pushover. Knight also uses his cunning manner to get into the champion and his opponent’s mind to trying to throw them off getting closer to being the U.S. Champion.
SUMMERSLAM ‘23
Austin Theory© v. LA Knight v. Montez Ford: Triple Threat match for the United States Championship.
Throughout the match, Theory and Knight teamed up against Ford but their alliance didn't last long with them turning on each other and that gave Ford the momentum to bring the match in his favor. In the final moments, Ford delivers the Frog Splash on Theory and Knight takes him out of the equation to pin the wounded Theory to win the United States Championship.
\NEW CHAMPION* LA Knight wins via pinfall.*
On the following night, LA Knight throws a celebration featuring his statue and talk his performance was similar to taking candy from a baby. After popping a bottle of Champagne, he’s interrupted by Stone Cold Steve Austin and just laughs remembering WrestleMania. The hall of famer congratulates the champion but Knight dismisses it and gets some things off his chest with Austin and left him speechless but before the Rattlesnake could respond Knight attacked him and left him a bloodied mess.
After making his presence known, Theory stated that he wanted his rematch but also entering the U.S. title picture was Johnny Gargano and Angelo Dawkins. Knight kept ducking and dodging until a Viewer’s choice edition of RAW, where the audience voted that Knight will defend his title in a Fatal Four Way match against the three men for the United States title.
RAW
LA Knight© v. Austin Theory v. Johnny Gargano v. Angelo Dawkins: Fatal 4-Way match for the United States Championship.
The match starts off as a tornado tag team match, until Gargano and Theory are the last two standing at the moment, but then the match gets underway with Dawkins being an underdog and proves everybody wrong. Theory isn't ashamed of bringing in a steel chair to wound his opponents to get the upper hand but in the end, Knight retains after striking a wounded Gargano.
LA Knight retains via pinfall.
After retaining his championship, Knight claimed that the locker room was terrified to step up or they would end up like Steve Austin. But stepping up to the plate is a former champion, Shelton Benjamin. He celebrated twenty years of in-ring competition and didn’t believe that would ever find an opportunity to do this, but he challenges Knight at Unforgiven for the U.S. Championship and the champion accepts but vows Benjamin should’ve just stayed out of the way. Throughout the build, Knight gets the upper hand but the challenger fights fire with fire and delivers some impressive agility to build to this match.
UNFORGIVEN ‘23
LA Knight© v. Shelton Benjamin: Singles match for the United States Championship.
Knight and Benjamin uses their technical abilities against another with Knight getting the upper hand and whenever he fails an attack, the challenger delivers impressive strikes and aerial offense throughout the match. During the closing moments, Benjamin tries to deliver his signature Paydirt but the champion held on to the ropes and took advantage to walk away with the victory.
LA Knight retains via pinfall.
Throughout the weeks, Knight brags about defeating the best that Monday Night RAW has to offer but wants to be a generous guy and decides to have an U.S. Championship open challenge vowing to give someone their five minutes of fame but will not walk away with the title.
RAW
LA Knight© v. Axiom: Singles match for the United States Championship
Axiom uses his agility against the champion but he dodges a suicide dive and turns the match in his favor. Knight attempts to deliver a back suplex but the challenger escapes and tries to gain momentum, the champion stops it and deliver a dirty O'Connor roll to get the victory.
LA Knight retains via pinfall.
The U.S. Championship reign lives another day, but it’s time for an inter-brand battle against SmackDown’s Intercontinental Champion, Santos Escobar. He mocks his opponent’s height and really begs him to put the mask on, but he’s left embarrassed and that added some weight to their match at Survivor Series.
During their match, Knight has the upper hand and was prepared to deliver a powerbomb from the top rope but was countered into a hurricanrana followed by a Phantom Driver for the win.
RAW
LA Knight© v. Elias: Singles match for the United States Championship
Elias gets the upper hand against the champion, but his momentum is stopped and takes advantage using the outside environment to his side giving him the victory to retain the title.
LA Knight retains via pinfall.
After celebrating his victory, he grabs a microphone and insults everybody and wants to know who’s next for his United States Championship. Entering the scene is Montez Ford, who has scratched and clawed since Summerslam and states he’s next. The match is announced for Starrcade but through the build, the champion dismisses his opponent but Ford reminds him of every obstacle he has went through for this match and won’t let this opportunity slip. But every time the two encounter, it ends with Knight standing over Ford.
STARRCADE ‘23
LA Knight© v. Montez Ford: No Disqualification match for the United States Championship
The match starts with both men one upping another, but Ford gets the upper hand until Knight uses the barricade against him. Knight begins to dominate his torso and applies numerous stretches and holds to have the upper hand but Ford powers out and gains momentum, once he tried to deliver a Stinger splash but the champion dodges and nails a neckbreaker.
Both men are down, until Knight gets up and was going to end Ford until...
Glass Shatters.
It's Stone Cold Steve Austin, he's walking and talking and rushes the ring to open a can of whoop ass on LA Knight. The champion stops it and punches him around the ring, the former World Champion dodges a strike and delivers a Stunner to him and that give Ford the opportunity to nail a Frog Splash to get the win and finally awarded the United States Championship.
\NEW CHAMPION* Montez Ford wins via pinfall.*

​
A little about me, I’m a phenomenal listener and avid cookie eater. So as long as you don't mind me eating cookies like the cookie monster then we should get along quite well. I like to always have fun and am quite adventurous! I love traveling, and learning about new cultures and binge eating their food. So if you are super bored and looking for a friend, let's start thinking about new handshakes, A bit more about me:

• *Techy sarcastic nerd - Music depends on my mood, if I feel ambitious then Rap/Hip hop, otherwise edm, jazz, oldies, blues and pop will do.
• Video games, I play warzone, valorant, gta, rust, and csgo. I often cry myself to sleep when 12 year olds bully me.
• Food, Cake, Cookies, Ice Cream, Pizza, anything thats not green vegetables (yucky) * Love tattoos! Have them myself
• Sports, I love sports basketball, baseball, football though I tend to get hit in the nuts quite a bit with balls

A little about me, I’m a phenomenal listener and avid cookie eater. So as long as you don't mind me eating cookies like the cookie monster then we should get along quite well. I like to always have fun and am quite adventurous! I love traveling, and learning about new cultures and binge eating their food. So if you are super bored and looking for a friend, let's start thinking about new handshakes, A bit more about me:

• *Techy sarcastic nerd - Music depends on my mood, if I feel ambitious then Rap/Hip hop, otherwise edm, jazz, oldies, blues and pop will do.
• Video games, I play warzone, valorant, gta, rust, and csgo. I often cry myself to sleep when 12 year olds bully me.
• Food, Cake, Cookies, Ice Cream, Pizza, anything thats not green vegetables (yucky) * Love tattoos! Have them myself
• Sports, I love sports basketball, baseball, football though I tend to get hit in the nuts quite a bit with balls

No sooner had Najia sat down at a dingy canteen on the scrap facility than her datapad received a call from Yorilos. She hadn't even gotten her coffee yet, and thought that was supremely unfair. "Anyone wanna bet he natters on without stopping to let me interrupt?"
There were no takers, and she propped the datapad up, connecting the call. Yorilos's face appeared, in the cockpit of the ship she had 'liberated' for him. "Excellent!" he exclaimed without preamble. "Now, Protectyon is exorbitantly expensive, but I suppose we will not need an entire unit to conduct your research. It might be our best course of action to approach the CEO of Northriver Company directly. We might be able to buy a small sample from him... If we can find him, that is. It is well known that he occasionally likes to flaunt his enormous wealth. A fellow trader just spotted him taking his most prized possession out for a pleasure cruise. I have sent you the coordinates of his last known location. Start from there."
He terminated the call, and Najia sat back, blinking. "Did he even stop to breathe?" Marta snorted. "That guy apparently sucks wind with his asshole, since he sure as hell didn't take any in through his mouth!"
Najia snorted, laughing and covering her face with her palm. Ace looked at Marta in disbelief for a few moments, as she worked out the idiom, then let out a high-pitched, almost strangled trill, hanging her head. "Y'all know I'm right," Marta hammered the point in. "He is longwinded, yes. And also, unfortunately, an idiot," Ace declared. "Well... Yes, but why in specific, this time?"
"I hope for his sake he is fantastic in the bunk and willing to pursue a career in prostitution, because he is clearly a homeworld-raised true believer in nonsense," Ace spat. "He actually believes 'the invisible hand of the free market' will result in equitable distribution of goods and wealth?!" She let out a shrill trill. "In Avarice and Windfall no less!" Marta snorted. "Yeah... He'd better be planning to be a boy-toy." She rolled her eyes. "Does he really think that the CEO of a monopoly is just going to sell us a tiny sample of what's making him filthy rich so we can take it away, analyze it, synthesize it, and start competing with him?" "Apparently he does," Najia said with an exasperated sigh. "That's kind of... Frightening, actually. Though chasing this fellow down might be something we'll have to do eventually, but for now... We might as well just buy a load."
"Protectyon is not ordinary cargo," Ace pointed out. "I do not know the specifics, but I do know that it requires special cargo-handling equipment. The Rakers know this. They guard the nature of this equipment with some skill. Between that, and that the only market for the stuff is here in Windfall, it is not a substance of any value to a pirate... Presumably, small containers for transporting small quantities are available to those in the know, of course." "Of course... But in this case, I think the best move is to make use of my checking account," Najia said. The waitress arrived with coffee in a cheap metal mug, which Najia took gratefully, as did the rest of her party. They were sitting at a table next to Robin and the party of crew she had brought with them. Najia took a drink of the coffee, and grimaced immediately. "Don't like it, spacer," the waitress asked with a smirk as she handed out the others' drinks. "Took me by surprise. Tidebreak serves it sweet enough to curl eyebrows." No sooner had she said that, than the waitress sat a bottle on the table with a heavy, dense thunk. Najia poured it in, and nodded; it was some kind of yellowish syrup or synthetic honey. "Thank you," she said. "Sure, whatever. Your ship brought a load of food here - and not even like, the stuff the fuckin' Viggs 'let us' have, at extortionate rates. So, there's that, spacer." The waitress turned and hurried away. Ace snorted. "Not very grateful, was she?" She had, apparently, missed where part of the plan had been to have Takio's personal Baku deliver a load of food, which she supposed had transpired while she was asleep.
"These people are... Prickly. I can understand that," Najia said. "Anyway, I'm just going to take the simple route on this one: buy one of the condensate ships, load it with the stuff at market value, and have it fly it to the headquarters... For 'upgrades' of course." She grinned.
Ace trilled softly at that. "Upgrades indeed." She fiddled with the datapad in her hand as Najia and the others started to do likewise, and after a few moments, found what seemed to be a saved-game in progress. It looked like a sketch of a space station, but it struck her as being a puzzle game, and probably an 'indie' one at that, given the godawful user-interface. She quickly worked it out of course, because a pirate's mind is slippery by necessity and a Teladi's mind is primed to calculate a dozen variables at once, and then she could dig into the meat of it. It looked like a space station, but it was one built on an impossible scale; an absolute megalith of a station, an absurd and ridiculous monolith seemingly built to construct the most basic and common of Commonwealth construction materials, but in absolutely absurd quantities. There was a rider on it, too; and that seemed to be the objective of the game, or at least of the current level; adding a mixed population of Terran, Argon, and Teladi workers, and the requisite inputs to feed them all, enough to run the entire station and then some.
The datapad in her hand chirr-uped, and Ace saved and closed the progress she had made in the game, finding that a new report had been filed by the professor they had hired for, frankly, enough money to probably have employed the entire Empyrean Curs. She skimmed the summary - short, consise and to the point - and trilled softly. "Interesting development," she noted. "Your starship professor is making yet more inroads." She looked up at the human magnate. "Apparently he found a project starfighter that someone had been preparing in one of your hangars."
Najia chuckled. "A project starfighter?" She took the datapad. "Paramerion...? Hmph. Looks like someone stripped down a Kallis for speed and narrowness, judging by these stats." "Could be fun," Marta pointed out. "For someone who likes to fly, that is," she added, grinning at Najia and Ace.
Najia chuckled, and then shook her head. "Might even be just the thing for chasing down this Northriver fellow, if we assume he's going to make himself difficult to catch up to. According to the Professor, it's currently a one-off, but they should be able to extrapolate the plans and build more, if desired. Seems that it actually was based on some early, unproduced Kallis prototypes." "I'll have it sent out to the Avarice Necessities supplier," Najia added. "Meanwhile..."
A high-importance alert hit her datapad. She frowned as she read the report; one - then two - then three - of her freighters in Windfall were reporting being harassed by the Vigor syndicate. That was new. She scowled at that, snarling.
"Trouble," Ace asked. Under the table, she curled her tail around Najia's calf, and Najia rubbed her eyes. "Trouble," Ace repeated; no longer an interrogative, but a statement. "The Vigor syndicate have apparently decided to start harassing ships carrying food," she noted, wrathfully. "That you have gone so long without them doing so is the anomaly," Ace pointed out. "They are not shy about that they use force to enforce their monopoly on food in Windfall and Vigor," she added. "And was this not the fight you intended to wage anyway?"
"Yes," Najia hissed angrily. "But the timing is wrong." She rubbed her eyeballs, seething. Her ships were reporting that the Vigor syndicate were being very aggressive; not quite at the point of shooting openly at them - which would go poorly for everyone concerned frankly - but they were harassing them openly, shaking them down for bribes or even demanding they drop cargo, as well as conducting "police" inspections for "contraband" - meaning food and water. "Then what do you plan to do?"
Najia grit her teeth, closing her eyes. She focused on the feeling of Ace's tail squeezing her calf, and seethed, but calmed herself. "Comply... For now. Set up some goodwill by selling them energy cells again." "Again? They're probably angry you cut them off in the first place," Ace noted, and Najia snorted. "Probably." Najia let out an annoyed hiss of breath. "Well, we'll deal with it." She drummed her fingers in annoyance on the bare metal, cafeteria-style table. "The time is not yet. Not yet... Yet." She cracked her knuckles, one-by-one. "First, we need to chase down this Protectyon stuff." She started fiddling on her datapad. "I'll just place the order and have it sent to the HQ. If Boso Ta can't work with that, well... I guess we'll try it Yorilos' way and chase down this Northriver."
"It might be worthwhile to approach him now in any event," Ace suggested. "The Northriver company are, as you might imagine... Well-connected, with the Vigor Syndicate." Najia pursed her lips and frowned, but nodded. She looked around the dingy cafeteria, and sighed, nodding, but sighed again, heavily. "You can't fix everything, Ninja Taco; and what you can fix, you mostly can't fix in a day," Marta said, softly. "Let's just... Let's try Ace's idea."
Najia nodded, with a heavy sigh. She covered her head with her hands for a few moments, and let out a huff. She needed a bit of breathing room, time to think, time to plan. She looked around, and drummed her fingers on the table. "Let's finish our business here, and head for the Necessities station," she said. "We'll give the Raleigh I bought time to make it to the HQ, and the Paramerion time to get here... Then we'll use it, as it's apparently speed incarnate, to chase down Northriver and see what he can tell us about Protectyon, or the Syndicate, or both." She looked around; there were no particular objections raised. Ace snorted softly at her. "I and 'Chipmunk' are laying low; it matters little to me where we do so or what other activities we engage in whilst doing. Besides, I wonder what this station looks like."
Najia grinned at her.
Scant hours later, Ace was in the co-pilot's seat of the Baku as it arrowed in to land, alongside the Radiant Afterglow that had been shadowing them the whole time. The station was a mammoth; Ace had been expecting some kind of small way-station. It had absolutely gargantuan solar arrays pointing at the nearby star; the number of docks and piers was, frankly, grossly excessive, to the point that Ace reckoned it could easily hold the entire ship population of Avarice. There were massive personnel accommodations, and all the things she had seen that made Takio's constructions so awe-inspiring. "The number of docks and piers you have here is mind-boggling," Ace commented as the ship landed on one of the Terran-style disk docks. "It defies description. I cannot imagine why."
Najia smiled weakly at her, leaning out to look out through the expansive flight-deck window. "Quite simply? I wanted there to never, ever, ever be any question about whether or not a ship in need of safe-habor from the Tide could find it here. And yes, we're buying the Protectyon stuff - at quite ridiculous prices - to keep the place safe." She pointed at a massive, triple-pronged module along the station's 'spine.' "The Breakers built that, and the storage for it. They're effectively a 'black box' to us since part of the deal there was that we didn't poke around inside, but the thing keeps working, and we've isolated them from outside comms to ensure that stays the case."
Ace snorted. "I'm surprised you agreed to refrain from reverse-engineering them." "Well, we did. Of course, we lied," Najia said, with a grin. "I don't believe in letting other people keep technological secrets from me. But we're not, you know, cutting our way in or anything... Sometimes, you have to move slow. Besides, nobody would bat an eyelash at me commissioning another Raleigh and stocking it with some Protectyon, right?" "Right," Ace said, chuckling. She glanced up at the station. It was massive. She glanced down at the time-table; the Paramerion would arrive in approximately sixteen hours. "This place is huge. I might have to look around."
Najia smiled at her. "Feel free. You want to come with me to chase down this Northriver character? I think I'm going to give this prototype a test run myself." Ace trilled. "That sounds fun. Sure."
The Avarice Necessities Supplier station was a mammoth. Ace had explored it thoroughly; it had all the amenities one might expect of a space station, which was surprising in Avarice space. Unsurprising to her now, was that the prices were absolutely rock-bottom. Not quite giving the stuff away at cost, but close enough. It was, Ace mused, a good way to make inroads with the Rakers, though she suspected that Takio was doing so out of beneficience as much as anything else. She seemed positively furious that the Syndicate were exerting control over food and water; absolutely furious.
That, Ace realized, was something that set her apart. To her way of thinking, it was only to be expected that the party which had the power to establish a monopoly on such basic necessities should do so, to further increase their power and wealth, exploiting that position to enrich themselves. Takio clearly did not see it that way. It was an affront to her; and she was clearly plotting the Syndicate's downfall over it. Ace mused these musings both before and after she took a nap, in a surprisingly-affordable lodging room she took on the station. The amenities were in fact made in the same style and materials as those Najia had established for herself back on her headquarters station. The shower, in particular, was an absolute luxury to Ace's mind; there was no time- or pressure-limiter, no charge for the water use, and, as with the showers on her ships, featured a slick slatted floor instead of an obvious drain and a bench. All available at such a rate that anyone who landed here could afford to stay without difficulty. Neither were there any other tiers of accommodation available; there were no 'suites' above and beyond what she slept in, nor were there the expected squalorus hostel dormitories she had sometimes been able to avail herself of in her youth - at prices that sometimes exceeded that of the individual suite she enjoyed. The only other forms of room available were doubles and quads for pairings or parties sleeping together, and 'accessibility' rooms for persons with mobility or other issues.
Ace had found this so surprising, in fact, she had chatted up the clerk at the lodging module. Apparently, Takio Enterprises had taken some simple shortcuts in their design process, by not doing the design work themselves; they had simply followed Segaris traveler-accommodation regulations and made use of a common Segaris habitat module design. The prices were set low because the station was, ultimately, self-sufficient save for the reliance on Protectyon, and it was largely viewed as a public service.
The difference between this station and the one they had left hardly any time at all before was striking. The Terran construction techniques Takio used were incredible, of course; but it also spoke to their intents that they were effectively leaving money in the pockets of persons who would pay higher prices for what they were offering and gladly. Of course, she mused, it wasn't entirely utopic. It couldn't be. she had found a tavern and lurked, and certainly she had caught the (metaphorical) scent of black-market trade. The number of employees at the station was enormous, surely there would be those who could be bribed. There was certain, she knew, to be a thriving underbelly in illicit goods or services; though it seemed that there was an effort to minimize this, by the simple expedient of making the most commonly-smuggled goods and most commonly-criminalized services legal, mostly in the Teladi style; Ace saw vending machines which dispensed packets of Space Weed and found a local-net exchange board which purported to connect medically-checked and cleared prostitutes with clients; tangential to that was a heap of information about prostitution - both practical and, she saw with a little digging, historical and philosophical - as well as resources for those looking to get into that trade, beginning with reporting to medical for an examination. There was also a stark warning that pimping, or abusing a prostitute in any way, carried a summary sentence of execution. Ace's eyes shot up at that. She ran a few searches to see what cut Takio Enterprises was taking for this, but couldn't find any over and above presumably the rental price of the lodging rooms involved.
It almost seemed clinical, but, she mused, on the balance, if this environment had been available to her when she was trying to figure out what to do to avert hunger, it certainly would have seemed a far more attractive option. Her primary reason for shying away from prostitution as a career, had been the fear of winding up the property of a pimp. Ace ruminated on this, whilst staring out the window of a tavern, at the star, through the solar panel array, when she got the message that the Paramerion had arrived.
The craft itself looked very much like many of the Terran ships Ace had seen in recent weeks, sitting in the pretty purple trim that Takio had ships meant for herself painted in. It was even sitting in a bay next to a Tsurugi superheavy fighter, which made her take a double-take; clearly they had wasted no time in producing the starfighters!
Ace looked between the two. The Paramerion was short dorsal-to-ventral, as most Terran small craft were, but this one took it to an extreme. It was elongated and somewhat narrow, though it could have, she thought, been narrower still without the side-mounted wings that served no purpose she could discern immediately, save to be wings. "They're for atmospheric flight," Najia explained. "Most Terran S- and M- craft are at least capable of it; most Argon, too, for that matter. Most Teladi... Even the Drill, which the Baku is based on; and of course the Baku itself. Though, admittedly, the flying shoe does rely a lot more on thrusters," Najia said; she was standing by the ramp into the Paramerion, watching Ace's gaze.
Ace trilled softly and nodded, joining Najia in the cockpit. It was roomy enough; the cockpit design seemed to be wholly-copied from the Kallis. That made sense, as they were apparently related designs. She looked around, and tapped on the holographic auxiliary console at the rear of the cockpit, to the side. "Shall I navigate for you?" "Unless you'd rather fly," Najia said, smiling at her. Ace took a moment to think on that, and shook her head. "I'll fly the way back, if all goes smoothly. It's your ship, you should take it. Where is Marta? Is she not coming?"
"She's already in the back. There's what the original designers of these classes euphemistically refer to as a 'bunk-slash-engineering-access' behind us, in front of the power plant. It's so tight I don't think anyone could even masturbate in there, but you can sleep in there... If you're desperate. Personally, I'd just roll out a sleeping mat in the dockpit," Najia said; this got a louder trill from Ace, as Najia took the chair. "Right, I've already done the preflight... Let's see what she can do."
Northriver was, allegedly, in the same sector - Avarice I - and finding him was a minor challenge. Ace operated sensors whilst Najia piloted; the ship seemed to have very desirable piloting characteristics; agile and responsive without being touchy or prone to over-maneuvering. Swift, but not prone to sliding. She looked forward to her own turn at the stick, as they narrowed in on the alleged location of Brantlee Northriver.
Finding him was little challenge - then Ace swore softly. "Is that..." She had another ship on the fighter's sensors, and brought up its details. Sitting a hundred klicks from Astrid, apparently the ship of Northriver, was J.P. Morgan's Knife. Ace hissed softly. "Does he... Really..."
"Does he really expect this guy to give us a sample to reverse engineer?" Najia groaned. "Fine, fuck it. If we don't ask, he will, and Yorilos is about as good at negotiating as someone who goes to a flea market, sees a pair of sun-shades at a stall, talks the proprietor down two credits and walks away feeling like they're John Pierpont Morgan." Ace trilled softly at that. "Is that whom his vessel is named after? Who was this person?" Najia snorted. "We'd have to interrupt the history lesson to run for cover from the Tide," she said with a grin, looking over her shoulder. "Suffice to say he was a human industrialist from a very long time ago, who managed to amass one of the smaller fortunes of his era, but who wielded power and control of money to substantially more effect than the actual wealth he personally had. He formed banks, you see; once, he helped to fend off an impending bank run that would have caused a financial collapse, by assembling a large number of a nation's most powerful bankers in his mansion, and locked them in his library, telling them that they would not be leaving until they had worked out a scheme to avert the crisis."
Ace trilled, watching as the little fighter closed on what she was reading as some kind of yacht. "That sounds like something you might do," she pointed out. Najia snorted, looked back at Ace, and chuckled. "I think I should take that as a compliment. J.P. Morgan was an asshole, like pretty much all of the wealthy and powerful persons of his time and era... Or, any era, to be honest. I... Never expected to find myself wielding clout and power like Morgan's, let alone enough that I probably eclipse him. It's... Kind of overwhelming, to be honest." "And yet, you persevere," Ace retorted. "By any measure, you could take what you've amassed now, retire to a sector of your choosing, build a monumental space station of your own design, and live a life of indolence until the money ran out. A Teladi could take your wealth and live out the rest of her life, even. Yet, you are building warships and lodgings fit for well-off individuals and affordable to the hardscrabble. By Teladi reckoning, Najia, you are insane."
Najia blinked at that, half-snorting. She had cut the travel drive and was approaching the lazily drifting yacht, and took the moment to turn her chair halfway, looking to her side at Ace. "Do you think I'm... Literally mad?" Ace peered at her, and shook her head. "No, I do not. Many Teladi might assume it to be so," she said, with an ambivalent sway of her hips and a shrug. "... I believe that you are acting to a set of principles and convictions that are, however, utterly alien to most Teladi understanding. You seem as if you intend to seize Windfall and Avarice outright. Yet even if you did, you would not squeeze the Rakers on food prices the way the Syndicate does. I do not understand where you are coming from," Ace said, swaying her hips again. "But... I feel I can trust you. And from there, confidence. Heads-up," she added, cautioning Najia. "We are close enough you had best comm them, lest they think you're about to attack."
Swiveling rapidly back to face forward, Najia did just that, signaling the yacht she was approaching of her intent to communicate. Moments later, she recieved a reply. "Yes, what is it you want?" Brantlee Northriver had a grating, abrasive, and smug voice; he was also dressed, she thought, ridiculously, wearing what looked like a desaturated blue jacket trimmed with excessively gaudy, and gaudily excessive amounts of gold, with some kind of absurd half-hood thing cupping the back of his head. It was some long-ago futurist's vision of what a far-flung spacefuture clergyman's robe might look like crossed with a business suit. Najia knew that her own sense of fashion was questionable, but even she immediately recognized the outfit as disgustingly ugly, and radiating both wealth and contempt. Her impression was realized as he continued, "I sure hope you have a good reason for approaching me. I am quite busy, you see?"
Najia mastered the urge to ask if he was busy receiving fellatio from someone under the console he was sitting at, because she could see absolutely no other possible activity he was invested in; she also mastered the urge to just shoot the smug off his face. She instead smiled at him, schooling herself into 'businesswoman' persona even though he made her skin crawl on an imager; and, of course, she would have to try to talk a sample out of it, because she knew that Yorilos was listening in and would certainly swoop in and somehow make things stupider if she didn't. "Mr. Northriver, you may not have had time yet to notice my minor operations; Takio Enterprises is expanding into Avarice. The name of Northriver and its Protectyon is on every set of lips within three jumps as a potent defensive measure against the Tide. I wished to obtain -"
"What, just a sample?" Northriver leaned forward, towards his camera, smirking - no, smugging - at her, adopting the 'Thinker' pose, briefly. "Such a small quantity won't get you far, if you want to protect yourself from the Tide. Can't afford more, eh?" For a moment, Najia toyed with the notion of making an offer to buy Northriver outright, just to wipe the smug off his face, but he continued to smug audibly at her. "Oh, well, since you seem to be new around here, I'll allow it. Once." Brantlee turned to look out his cockpit window at Avarice, which illuminated him brightly. Looking away and up was probably his 'best side;' it was the only posture in which she had yet seen him that looked anything other than 'contemptable.' "To get you hooked. Am I not charitable?" He immediately resumed his contemptuousness, then turned back to face her and made it all the more stark. "I will even cut you a special deal, how about that?" His expression clearly communicated his contempt and belief that he was superior. "Merely twelve and a half thousand credits for the sample you so dearly desire; my first, last, and only offer."
Najia wanted to say something scathing in return, she really did. Or simply to lock her cannons on his admittedly-very-sexy yacht and take the sample at cannon-point. Or to flip him the finger. Instead, she schooled herself to merely raise her eyebrow skeptically; forcing herself to maintain 'The Businesswoman,' who was too refined to rise to the bait. But she also had neither time nor patience to haggle over what was, frankly, a trivial sum to her bank account. Hell, she knew for a fact that Ace could buy the sample and wouldn't lose much sleep over it, just from what Ace had made in the last several days with her. "It seems your proposal can only be agreed to," she said, bringing up the financial transfer function on her console and sending the sum required.
Smugly, Brantlee grinned at her. "Here you go. I hope you leave as a satisfied customer!" Ace quickly tapped a message that appeared on her console. 'He's jettisoned an XS cargo pod.' The Teladi deftly located it for her on sensors, targeting it for her, as Northriver continued, "Oh, and by the way - don't for one second think that you can use this sample to engineer a competing product. It won't work. Northriver products are just too ingenious!" Northriver positively crowed it at her, and once again Najia had to master the urge to lock weapons upon him, but she did, at that moment, privately vow that, by means fair or foul, she was going to gain possession of his yacht if only to spite him. "Run along now," he added, smirking. "I have much more important matters to attend to," he clarified, sanctimoniously smiling, ending the comm channel and turning the yacht away, entering Travel drive.
"Let me bring that pod aboard," Ace muttered, manipulating the tractor controls, and comming the multipurpose space in the back. "Marta, if you would kindly suit up -" "Way ahead of you, Ace," Marta answered her, popping up on-screen already wearing a light pressure suit, in the airlock. "Get it over here and I'll grab it, make sure it doesn't jostle or anything. Mass?" "Considerable, but not more than a large human such as yourself can handle. Volitility is not known, but it cannot hurt to be over-cautious."
Najia smiled to herself as she heard Ace, unprompted, begin collaboration with Marta. A part of her cynical and intellectual side tried to argue that Ace was a pirate, and probably always would be a pirate at heart, but she was quite simply too fond of the reptilian spacer to listen to that part of her anymore; her oldest friend and her newest could be coming together. Then another comm popped up, and she resisted the urge to groan aloud. She let The Businesswoman fade; frankly, Yorilos didn't rate it, and they were (sort of) collaborators on this anyway. To her surprise (and pleasure), when he commed her, he immediately voiced her own opinion, "I wonder if being obnoxious is his deliberate business strategy?" Najia laughed, heartily, slumping back in her command chair and grinning brightly, shrugging. "I don't think so. I think it just comes naturally to the git."
Yorilos looked momentarily nonplussed, presumably by her vernacular, then said, "No matter. It will make it all the more enjoyable when we pull the rug from under the Northriver Company." "We are in absolute agreement about that," Najia said. "I want to wipe the smug grin off his face." She glanced down; her airlock indicator had closed, and she flicked up a view of the inside. Marta was carefully securing a container roughly the size and volume of a ubiquitous 205-liter shipping drum, though it wasn't one. "I've just taken the sample aboard." "You want to take it back to the headquarters yourself? Go ahead," Yorilos said. He cut the channel, and Najia blinked at the suddenness.
"... Well, that was... Abrupt," Najia said, looking back to Ace. "It was. I cannot believe that you paid twelve and a half thousand for the sample." Najia shrugged. "I mean... It's highway robbery, considering that a commercial volume costs just about twice that and is twenty cubic meters in volume whereas that sample is maybe two. On the other hand, you heard him; he wasn't in the mood to negotiate. What should I have done? Shot at him?" "Yes." Ace trilled, then huffed, shaking her head. "No. As cathartic as it would be, your plans are too long-term to have simply taken it from the wretch by force." She shook her head. "I suppose you had little choice," she conceded, "if you are to continue Yorilos' scheme."
"I'm kind of eager to set Boso Ta loose on this stuff myself," Najia said. The revolving door to the back cycled, and Marta walked in, looking flushed with exertion. "Thanks, Marta," she said. "You can thank me by you securing the damn thing in the 'hold,' Marta said, snarkily.
Najia nodded, and swiveled her chair all the way. "Sure. Thank you. Ace, you're up on stick," she said, standing up. "Let's just fly this thing straight home; I bet we can make it before dinnertime with us flying," she said, smiling at Ace. Ace trilled softly. "That sounds like a challenge. Accepted." She slid past Marta and Najia, slaloming between them, and took the stick, keying in a course for the Takio Enterprises headquarters. "We should recall the other ships, yes?" "Yes; good thinking, Ace. Thank you. I'll handle it from the back, after I've secured this barrel."
Ace and Najia made great time returning to the headquarters; they flew close to recklessly, causing Marta to comment that she was glad she was flying with them, for if they got themselves killed flying that way, she wouldn't have to hear about it. They arrived at the headquarters to little fanfare, and Marta peeled off as soon as they arrived, pleading the need to go and look into something she had arranged previously. "Well, shall we talk to Boso Ta?" Ace asked, looking up at Najia. They had gone to Avarice in an overnight journey by-the-numbers, stayed for less than a day, and were now back where they had started. "And hope that this back-and-forth bears some fruit?"
"I would very much like that," Najia agreed. The container had already been sent to the lab, and she squared her shoulders up, heading for the lift with purpose.
The door to the laboratory opened, and Najia's jaw dropped. "How," she said, flatly, quietly, as Ace all-but plowed into her backside. Ace slid around her side, looking into the lab, and let out a chuff of disbelief.
Yorilos was standing beside Boso Ta's tank.
Ace resisted the urge to hiss in surprise, and reached up, patting Najia's back. "I do not know," she confessed. "Perhaps he made use of an anomaly and was quite lucky. Or perhaps he has modified his hauler in ways unimaginable and is an outright daredevil pilot." Najia shook her head, and squared up, entering the lab. The elderly professor was nowhere to be seen, but it was late at night; he was likely in bed. So she went to the interloper, approaching Yorilos. "Yorilos, hi... What are you doing here?" She wasn't even going to ask how. That was his secret and his alone.
"Ah, yes. I really hope we can find a way to make the Protectyon more affordable for everyone in Avarice," he explained, as he peered around the laboratory. That, she thought, didn't exactly explain her question; presumably he intended for her to infer the answer. Somehow. Najia shook her head and smiled, nodding to him. "Alright." She climbed up the stairs, after a glance back at Ace, who had become fascinated by the new addition of a lot of bonsai trees in the laboratory's little greenery display, and greeted Boso Ta with a wave, to which the Boron responded with one of his own. "Hello there! Ah, excellent, the Protectyon sample has been delivered, and we may begin. Thank you kindly!" Boso Ta seemed to examine a computer tablet held in his... Tentacles? Flippers? Manipulators. He made a few deft strokes. "I have added the Protectyon Research to our agenda, and listed the required secondary materials. Feel free to initiate the research at any time convenient to yourself!"
With that abrupt declaration, Boso Ta swam upwards through the hatch in the laboratory tank, presumably to his personal lodging suites. Najia blinked, rocking back on her heels and looked back at Ace, who looked at her with the cocked hips that Najia had intuited was a definite shrug. "You'd think I didn't own the place," Najia muttered to herself, "the way almost everyone just... Is so... Curt with me." "You could put them in their place the way a pirate lord would," Ace suggested. "Or, if having a beating administered is too vulgar for your preferences, do what a capitalist might do and threaten them with penury."
Najia snorted. "Yeah... I think I'd rather just live with being curtly spoken to than be an asshole." "So be it. Your ways do allow for others to become... Familiar with you," Ace said, giving a vibrato trill. "For better, and for worse." She smiled at Najia, and Najia smiled back. Ace was toying with a small bonsai tree, and watched as Najia checked her datapad, then clucked her tongue.
"A lot of things we don't have on-hand," Najia muttered, "mainly because what Boso Ta wants - for this research project, and others - are Commonwealth-base, and we're not. That's not a huge problem, I'll just ask Tsukiko to set up a PO for a useful quantity of said commodities. For now -" The tank was suddenly filled again with Boso Ta. "Assistant, you simply must do something about this irksome vessel!"
A moment of silent passed. Najia pushed down the urge to be catty or snarky at Boso Ta, or outright hostile. She took a deep breath. "A... Vessel? Is irking you?" "Yes yes! Somehow, it is managing to distort the station's sensors, preventing me from witnessing a solar event in the Great Reef Nebula. I suggest you take care of this annoyance before it manages to disrupt even more observations!"
Najia took in a breath to respond, but Boso Ta had already vanished again, with such rapidity that even Yorilos seemed to be watching him dumbstruck. Yorilos also made a cocked-hip gesture, and then walked out. Najia watched him go, and snorted. "If he has even half a brain, he's going to ask Boso Ta what resources he's asking for and then try to get ahead of the purchase orders," Najia noted. "I would." "As would I," Ace agreed. "Would you like me to take care of this... 'Irksome Vessel' for you?"
"Bored?" Najia asked, grinning at Ace. "I wouldn't say that I was bored," Ace said, reaching out and squeezing her hand. Najia squeezed back. "But it seems that Boso Ta will not likely let the matter drop."
"Alright. Let's take care of it." Najia rolled her shoulders. "I can do this admin stuff from a ship as easily as my apartment study." She headed for the lift, neglecting to let go of Ace's hand; Ace likewise kept the hold, accompanying her. They almost ran into Marta coming out of it. She had a big grin on her face, and Najia pursed her lips. "Okay, what have you done," she asked.
"Oh, not much, just had a warship commissioned to keep close-to-hand in case we get in trouble and need some biggish guns fast. She's done, come take a look." Najia looked down at Ace, who trilled loudly at her. "Either you pay her too well, or you trust her entirely, if she has such authority in your name." "Jealous," Marta asked, smirking. "Yes," Ace admitted frankly. "Shall we?"
Najia sighed and laughed. "Fiiiine."
The bridge of T.E.S. Koshirae was the common standard Terran capital module, and very shortly, Najia, Marta and Ace were standing in it, shaking hands with the woman standing at the captain's post, who was wearing a stylish jacket in a decidedly non-Terran style, tights, and comfortable looking sneakers. "I'm sorry," Najia said, with a smile. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage."
"Kevlin, ma'am; Selaia Kevlin. I'm a shipyard specialist." Her accent was distinctly neither anything Solar that Najia recognized, nor Segaris. "I'm surprised you're even aboard yet; we're only about to put her through space trials."
Najia snorted. "Not even the shakedown cruise, huh? You're not from anywhere I've been, are you?" "No ma'am." Selaia looked Asian, with her hair up in a tight bun. "I'm from Argon Prime. I found myself in Grand Exchange as crew on a freighter, saw the amenities on offer on your headquarters station, and jumped ship for a job here."
Najia nodded. "I see..." She grinned. "Are you spying on me?" "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you, ma'am," Selaia responded back, in the age-old joke. Najia laughed in turn.
"Right. Well, stand down for a while," she said. "I appear to have been talked into taking her out personally." "Ma'am!" Selaia stepped aside. "The, err, owner has the bridge!" she called out, fumbling through something approximating military protocol, as Najia stepped up, looking over the console. Najia grinned. "Alright. Nifty little ship. Ace, take the helm," she said. "Take us out."

Can you help me find a song? I used to listen to it back in 2012. It used to come on MTVIndies (R.I.P 😔). The singer is a woman with bobcut hair. The song is set on the streets of Mumbai, and it features a stage show at the end of the song. It might be a small band as it shows a few men playing instruments along with her. The genre of the song is Dancehall or Reggae Hip hop/Dub. I have been searching everywhere for it, but I have found no results. Anyone knows this song? I really need to hear it so that I can feel nostalgic and better. I have been feeling down lately. Thank you in advance.

What should I do ?
I am in Server of a community... Where there was no respect to me... One member reported my comment on reddit i got shadow banned.. i done soo much for the community (it was meme related) ... They never had realised that coz they all were retired memers and mods... A member confessed he did it (said sorry but i dont think he is that sorry for it maybe) me that he reported my id and he never thought it will get deleted no body told him u did. Wrong thing. ..... But before that they were giving me career advice like don't be childish when u will grow up like things.. i m really angry and got to know abt he reported it( now coz i was slept it's been 4-5 hours from when i got to know)
I got to know i cannot use reddit on any I'd on the IP address i m very heartbroken ...
Should I do the same with him (find the loophole and report his I'd he is mod) but i m thinking that i should not do it... I think i should rather make him realise what i am feeling right now in his dm......
Also i think i should leave that community and server (it's indian hip hop related) and tell em how i feel

I was in Server of a community... Where there was no respect to me... One member reported my comment i got shadow banned.. i done soo much for the community (it was meme related) ... They never had realised that coz they all were retired memers and mods... A member confessed (said sorry but i dont think he is that sorry for it maybe) me that he reported my id and he never thought it will get deleted no body told him u did. Wrong thing. ..... But before that they were giving me career advice like don't be childish when u will grow up like things.. i m really angry and got to know abt he reported it( now coz i was slept it's been 4-5 hours from when i got to know)
I got to know i cannot use reddit on any I'd on the IP address i m very heartbroken ...
Should I do the same with him (find the loophole and report his I'd he is mod) but i m thinking that i should not do it... I think i should rather make him realise what i am feeling right now in his dm......
Also i think i should leave that community and server (it's indian hip hop related) and tell em how i feel

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Can you help me find a song? I used to listen to it back in 2012. It used to come on MTVIndies (R.I.P 😔). The singer is a woman with bobcut hair. The song is set on the streets of Mumbai, and it features a stage show at the end of the song. It might be a small band as it shows a few men playing instruments along with her. The genre of the song is Dancehall or Reggae Hip hop/Dub. I have been searching everywhere for it, but I have found no results. Anyone knows this song? I really need to hear it so that I can feel nostalgic and better. I have been feeling down lately. Thank you in advance.