#operable partitions

[colicocanada]

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Operable Partitions for Your Project

People seek flexible spaces that can be quickly adapted for various functions. Whether you're designing a commercial office, a convention hall, or a classroom, choosing the right operable partitions ensures that your space is both functional and efficient. Whether you want an operable glass wall partition or a wooden wall partition, you can read this blog thoroughly to get invaluable guidance to help you make the best decision for your project.

1. Understand Your Space Needs

Before selecting framed or frameless partitions, it's important to fully understand your space requirements. Are you dividing a large area for multiple meetings, or do you need privacy in an open-plan office? The size and usage of the space will influence the type and style of partition you choose. For example, in spaces where privacy is a priority, you’ll want partitions with good sound insulation properties.

2. Soundproofing Considerations

The capacity of operable partitions to diminish noise levels stands out as a significant benefit. If your space requires a high level of sound isolation, like in conference rooms or event halls, you should consider partitions with a higher Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating. Some partitions come with advanced sound insulation capacity to ensure conversations and meetings remain private, even in a shared space.

3. Material Choices

The material of your partition walls plays a huge role in both aesthetics and function. Common materials include fabric-wrapped panels, wood, glass, and fiberglass-reinforced panels (FRP). You can procure partition walls made of fiberglass reinforced panels in Canada from a reputable supplier and use them for areas requiring durability and resistance to wear. These panels are especially useful in high-traffic environments and areas that need frequent adjustments.

Glass partitions offer a sleek, modern look and allow natural light to flow through, creating a more open atmosphere. Wood or laminate panels provide a warm, professional feel while still offering flexibility. Selecting the right material is essential to matching the partitions with your interior design and functional needs.

4. Installation and Operation

When choosing operable partitions, think about how often they’ll be adjusted. Some systems are manual, requiring you to move the panels by hand, while others are motorized for easy operation with the push of a button. If you need quick, frequent adjustments, a more automated system might be the way to go. Make sure the operation style suits the flow of your space and the people using it.

5. Durability and Maintenance

Durability is key when investing in operable partitions. You should consider the wear and tear your partitions will face, especially in busy environments like schools, hotels, or office buildings. For long-lasting performance, partition walls made with materials like fiberglass reinforced panels (Canada) can provide superior resistance to impacts and moisture.

6. Budget and Value

While operable partitions are an investment, they are cost-effective over time because they provide versatility and longevity. You should balance your budget with the quality of materials, soundproofing, and ease of installation to ensure you get the most value for your investment.

7. Work with Experts

Finally, you should collaborate with a trusted supplier who specializes in operable partitions and architectural panels. An experienced supplier can guide you through the selection process, ensuring you choose the right partition system for your specific needs and space.

Conclusion

Choosing the right operable partitions is a critical step in optimizing your space. You can make an informed decision that will enhance your project for years to come by understanding your space requirements, considering materials like glass, wooden, or fiberglass panels, and evaluating durability, soundproofing, and installation ease.

[frog707]

Wilma again

I have ongoing issues with the Linux Mint installation on the laptop I use for software development and blogging.

You may recall I tried upgrading to version 22 (code name: Wilma), encountered a graphics regression, and had to revert the upgrade using TimeShift. Since then, my Linux experience hasn't been quite right. While troubleshooting an issue, I uninstalled Python; this broke APT, causing routine software updates to fail.

Yesterday I created a new partition on the HDD and attempted a clean install of Wilma there. After several tries, I suspect that my largest USB thumb drive (NXT brand, purchased in January 2024) suffers from data corruption.

Believe it or not, my 2nd-largest thumb drive is too small to hold the 2.9 GByte ISO image, so this morning I'm off to buy a new thumb drive.

[dimalink]

Retro comp with Free Dos and Win2000 cool thing!

During several months, I try to install Windows 2000 and Free Dos. One feature to take into account, that computer was old and cannot load from flash. But, it can see flash with small size in OS. For example, with Windows 2000. Files sometimes, copying wrong with big size. But, with small size like 2gb. Everything works good. Computer is old. This is one core 1.5ghz.

So, with compact disc all the installation. It takes time. And. Later. one more feature. I have installed windows 2000. Later. create partition for MS DOS format. All the hard drive is about 40gb. 32 I set for Windows and 8 gb for Free Dos.

So after, I insert install disk with Free Dos. You can download it from authors website. And, if I am right, it was updated recently. And, I make install from disk. Installation is simple and easy to understand. Beautiful MS DOS theme. They good for the eyes if you like MS DOS.

And, something interesting. How it was with me. Disc D – this is MS DOS format partition. And disc C Windows 2000 partition. And, what make Free Dos compact disc? It exchanges with places! How clever it is! I was surprised. It was funny! He finds this by himself – this MS DOS partition. And set it with letter C. And I have read that Free Dos can only be written with disc C, and what place to be booted from. And all like this is works. But he makes it by himself! So, this is Free Dos now!

And, I again, do install with Windows 2000 at the windows 2000 partition. So, it was broken there. Well, to install windows 2000 – it is easy thing. I think that for those OS users. As Windows 95,98,2000, they do it often. So, set it to second partition. Disc D. Which is, already, we format with once again to Windows 2000. And that’s all! We have two operating systems!

This is funny. For those, who likes to dig with system. So, I want to learn it a little. So that’s why, I have installed these systems. First step is done. But, it was lots of problems on my way.  But, now I have a nostalgic themes. Free Dos it is modern version for MS DOS. Windows 2000 – beautiful visual OS. For retro users. So, it is cool to have all windows versions installed. And even to try exotic like OS/2, OSR2. Windows Memphis. Main - it is to have all these with usage! So now, I have retro comp with Free Dos and Windows 200! Cool thing!

iron (hardware) and programs. From time to time i restore computers, retro computers. Try retro soft. Check some programs. And write about all of these. Dima Link is making retro videogames, apps, a little of music, write stories, and some retro more.

WEBSITE: http://www.dimalink.tv-games.ru/home_eng.html ITCHIO: https://dimalink.itch.io/

[shaniadsouza]

What is an Operable Wall Partition and How Does it Work?

An operable wall partition is a flexible, movable wall system designed to divide interior spaces efficiently without permanent construction. Unlike fixed walls, these partitions can be opened, closed, or repositioned depending on spatial needs, making them ideal for offices, conference halls, hotels, schools, and commercial spaces.

These wall systems are typically built with soundproof panels suspended from an overhead track. When not in use, they can be folded or stacked neatly to the side, restoring the room to its full capacity. They can be manually operated or equipped with motorised mechanisms for ease and speed.

Why Choose Operable Wall Partitions Over Traditional Fixed Walls?

The main reason professionals prefer operable wall partitions is the unmatched flexibility they offer. Here’s why they are a smart alternative:

Adaptable Layouts: Instantly create private zones, meeting rooms, or open areas based on immediate requirements.

Aesthetic Options: Available in various finishes such as fabric, glass, wood veneer, or laminate to complement interior décor.

Time-saving: They eliminate the need for costly and time-consuming renovations.

Space Efficiency: Perfect for venues with multifunctional needs like banquets, training centres, or event halls.

Sustainable Design: Encourages reuse and reconfiguration, reducing construction waste.

These benefits help businesses and institutions maximise space without compromising on style or sound performance.

Where Can Operable Wall Partitions Be Installed?

Versatility is a hallmark of operable wall partitions, allowing them to fit into a wide array of environments. Common installations include:

Corporate Offices: Create temporary meeting rooms or collaborative zones.

Hotels & Banquet Halls: Separate ballrooms or event areas for multiple functions.

Educational Institutions: Divide classrooms or auditoriums based on capacity needs.

Healthcare Facilities: Offer temporary consultation or screening areas.

Retail Stores: Manage foot traffic or seasonal display zones.

Each application enhances productivity and user experience by aligning spatial design with practical needs.

Are Operable Wall Partitions Soundproof?

Yes, many operable wall systems are designed with acoustic insulation, offering sound ratings that block external noise effectively. Acoustic operable partitions can reduce sound transmission by up to 50 dB or more, depending on their construction. This makes them ideal for:

Confidential meetings

School exams

Conferences or simultaneous sessions in hotels

Private dining areas in restaurants

Choosing the right acoustic rating ensures privacy and comfort for users on either side of the partition.

What Should You Consider Before Installing an Operable Wall Partition?

Before investing in an operable wall partition, consider these factors:

Track System: Overhead track systems are more common, but make sure your ceiling structure can support the weight.

Panel Material & Finish: Choose materials that align with your design and functional goals.

Soundproofing Needs: Determine the level of acoustic separation required.

Operation Mechanism: Decide between manual or automated systems based on user convenience.

Service & Maintenance: Ensure the supplier offers post-installation support and easy panel servicing.

Consulting a professional installer can help you select the best system for your unique environment.

Conclusion: An operable wall partition offers a modern, efficient, and stylish way to transform any space into a dynamic, functional area. Whether for aesthetics, privacy, or flexibility, these partitions are a forward-thinking solution to the evolving needs of modern architecture and design.

[aumindustries]

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[enriquemzn262]

Russia trying to claim the 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland was actually a humanitarian operation meant to stop a made-up genocide, only for Germany to come out with a map presented to fucking Hitler of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, which effectively set the stage for the combined invasion of the country and its partition between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, has to be the best destruction of modern state propaga I’ve ever seen!

[gojover]

i was debating making this post for a long, long time, because i don’t like getting political on a fandom space, but as an indian, i felt the need to talk about this. i can’t engage in fandom content without feeling deeply guilty & worried for all the soldiers and innocent lives already lost and at stake, so here’s a brief masterpost to spread awareness about what’s going on in jammu & kashmir at the moment.

i have linked all my sources, and have aimed to be as unbiased as possible. if you find any discrepancies or inaccuracies, please don’t hesitate to tell me so that i can edit accordingly.

before i get into any of the actual details, i want to talk about what triggered this entire conflict between india and pakistan: the pahalgam attack, which took place on april 22, 2025.

(it’s also worth knowing that the india vs pakistan conflict over J&K is not something that was caused by this isolated incident; there are decades of history between the two countries dating back to the partition of india. you can read briefly about it here.)

the pahalgam attack was an attack on 26 tourists by five armed militants in a popular tourist destination known as baisaran valley (located in india-administered kashmir), which is surrounded by dense pine forest and is only accessible by foot or horseback.

the militants singled out the men & asked for their religion, before shooting the hindu and christian tourists. the attackers also asked some tourists to recite the islamic kalima to identify non-muslims. of the 26 people killed, 25 were tourists and one was a local muslim pony ride operator who tried to wrestle a gun from the attackers before being shot. the tourists included several newlywed couples, and the men were shot point-blank in front of their wives.

some hindu men were forced to remove their trousers to check for a lack of circumcision before being shot at close range. the militants also told some hindu women that they were spared so that they could narrate the horrors of their mens’ killing to the prime minister of india, narendra modi.

the national investigation agency (NIA) formally took over the pahalgam terrorist attack case on april 27. the lashkar-e-taiba proxy the resistance front (TRF), claimed responsibility for the attack.

in retaliation to the pahalgam attack, india launched operation sindoor on may 6, 2025.

the indian armed forces carried out precision strikes at around 1 am on terror infrastructure in pakistan and pakistan-occupied kashmir (PoK). nine sites were targeted, and each were selected because they had a history of association with major terror plots and infiltration attempts against india (such as the 2001 parliament attack, the 2019 pulwama attack, and the 26/11 mumbai attacks). no pakistani military facilities were targeted, as stated during the press briefing on may 7.

you can read about the nine sites & why they were targeted here.

as an additional note, it is worth noting that the central government directed all states and union territories to conduct mock drills on may 7 across 244 categorised civil defence districts in the event of a hostile attack.

following the indian attacks on may 7, pakistan resorted to unprovoked artillery shelling across the line of control (LoC), resulting in 13 casualties, with the poonch sector in jammu being the worst hit. this is not the first time pakistan has violated the LoC ceasefire agreement.

as of the time of writing, several cities/districts present on the border of the two countries have been facing blackouts. this comes as a counter-offensive against pakistani drones and missiles which violated the indian airspace several times over the entire western border with the intent of targeting indian military facilities along the western and northern frontiers. however, india was able to neutralise this attempt to hit military stations in jammu and other locations.

tl;dr: this thread on x offers a more concise version of the same events.

the main reason i wanted to make this post is because i saw this post on x and had to take a minute to recover because. genuinely what the actual fuck. in my opinion, a caucasian british person should be the last person speaking up on this matter. the selective activism and hypocrisy is glaringly obvious.

edit: here are a few more resources that provided good insights into what’s happening

articles on the pahalgam attack and its immediate aftermath: one two three

regarding the TRF statement: one

more articles about india/pakistan escalating the war: one two three

posts about what’s been happening in azad kashmir: one two

how to download tiktok (if you’re indian): here

please take the time to read through these and educate yourselves if you’re unaware of what the conflict is about.

[soobsim]

please please please sub ceo soobin with praise kink who's all powerful and cold in front of his employees and clients but no one knows that he's a slave for your praise like he would get so worked up whenever you praise him

(y'all really riding that ceo soobin trope and i'm so here for it lol)

mr. good boy c.sb

[DISCLAIMER: nsfw – minors dni, sub!soobin x fem!reader, boss x assistant, dry humping in a car, praise kink, alot of praising, soobin just wants you to call him a good boy, no proofread]

m.list

꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷

soobin had just turned down a huge deal, because the client wouldn't co-operate and wanted things to work on their own terms. as if, soobin wasn't basically saving their business from going bankrupt.

he did not stand there and bend to their whims, he never did. this was choi soobin—the ceo of choi corp, who did things his own way, and no one dared to object it. so, ofcourse he didn't stand for it.

soobin stood up and buttoned his tux, "i knew it was no use to entertain a company that was already falling apart." his voice chilling enough for the entire room to go silent.

he strode out of the room, shoulders squared, suit sharp as ever, not a strand of hair out of place despite the storm he’d just weathered behind those polished conference room doors.

as his assistant, you joined him for these meetings, handling all the documents and studying him when you weren't necessarily involved. so, you followed behind him wordlessly, watching how everyone moved out his way as his shoes clicked against the floor.

his office car—sleek, black, and silent—pulled up just as he reached the curb. the driver stepped out only to open the door to the back seat, for you both to get in.

the divider was already up as soobin slid into the back without a word. you followed, the door clicking shut behind you both like punctuation.

once it was just the two of you in the back seat partition of his car, hidden from the eyes that are always on him, he tugged at his cufflinks first—too roughly, the soft metallic clink sharper than it needed to be. then his tie, yanked loose with a single, frustrated pull.

you watched quietly, noting the way his fingers trembled slightly at the knuckles, how his breath came just a fraction quicker now that the performance was over. he was pissed. stressed, even.

it was clear in his voice when he spoke, "tell me i did the right thing, y/n."

your eyes stayed on him, not faltering even once. you knew that he'd ask for your approval. "you already know you did." you said simply, reaching a hand out to brush the short hair on the nape of his neck.

soobin shivered ever so subtly, leaning into your touch like it was second nature to him. he turned his face to look at you better, his eyes so soft, no one would believe you if you told them about this side of soobin.

"i want to hear you say it." he mumbled, his deep voice so much more tender when it was directed towards you. "you know i need to hear you say it." he exhaled as his hands balled into loose fists.

your lips tugged up into a small smile at the pleading tone of his voice. "i know." you assured him, your fingers still rubbing the spot behind his ear as you shifted closer to him. you stared at him for another passing second before you spoke, "you did the right thing, soobin. you always do." you smiled.

soobin caved in so fast, turning his face so that he could feel your palm on his cheek. "always?" he almost purred as he looked at you expectantly.

"always." you repeated, slower this time—so the words can really seep into his mind and make him flush. your fingers traced his jaw before you leaned and pressed your lips against it. "you did so well in there. you were smart enough not to compromise your standards." your words pricked onto his skin and he was already craving more.

soobin closed his eyes and his breathe hitched as your tongue darted out to lick his jawline, cheeks tinged pink, lips parting like he was going to say something—but just sighed instead.

his pants grew tighter when he felt your weight leave the seat beside him and hover over his lap instead, his hands blindly finding your waist as you straddled his thighs.

"you handled it so calmly," you went on, watching him tilt his head back against the seat, as if to give you more access to his neck. "so sharp, and composed." you mumbled and slid your hands up to rest on either side of his neck.

a quiet, almost pitiful sound slipped from his throat—half sigh, half whimper. soobin's hand tightened instinctively, gripping at the fabric of your shirt like he needed something to hold onto.

your lips followed the line of his adam's apple, sucking onto it lazily. "but now," you murmured and shifted closer, "you don’t have to be that person. not with me."

soobin's lashes fluttered, his chest rising and falling with barely-contained tension. “say more,” he whispered, so quietly it might’ve been a breath. “please.”

your smile widened against his neck as your thumbs stroked the skin behind his ears, his weak spot. “you’re so good for me, soobin. always trying so hard. doing everything right. my good boy.”

soobin crumbled at that, letting a breathy moan escape his lips and his head to fall back onto the head-rest. his fingers dug into your waist, throat bobbing like he couldn’t take the weight of your words. the flush on his neck spread slowly, deliciously, his hips shifting up to rub his bulge against the curve of your ass.

you didn't miss that, neither did you stop him. you liked how he couldn't contain himself when you praised him. you liked watching him melt and need you.

“you like hearing that, don’t you?” you asked, even though you already knew the answer. your thumb stroked the edge of his lower lip, pulling away and watching how he, again, shivered under your touch.

soobin nodded slowly and opened his eyes, pupils wide and glassy. “i do,” he whispered, voice almost fragile. “i need it.” he added and bucked his hips up against your pencil mini-skirt.

“please,” he pleaded again. “don’t stop.”

you tipped your head to the side, fingers now sliding gently through the hair at the back of his neck. “don’t stop what?” you asked, voice low, lilting. teasing, just a little.

soobin swallowed hard, “you know what, y/n. just… keep talking. keep telling me I did well. that i’m a good boy.” he urged you to move your hips, so he could have a little more friction.

“i’m starting to think you like hearing it a little too much.” you chuckled, brushing his hair back from his forehead as your other hand settled lightly over his chest, feeling the rapid thump beneath. you complied and shifted your hips in sync with his, “all that power… reduced to a mess just because someone told you did well.”

he whined, actually whined, the sound muffled as he buried his face in your shoulder. “only when you say it,” he confessed, voice muffled. his lips brushed your collarbone again, and when he spoke, it was barely more than a breath. “only you.”

your gaze softened instantly, curling your arm around his back to pull him closer and pressing a soft kiss on his upper cheek. “you were amazing today, soobin. you stayed in control, didn’t let them rattle you, and you walked away with your pride intact. like you always have.”

soobin's cock twitched in his pants, his hands on your waist trembling slightly, like he could soak the words into his skin if he just held you hard enough.

it was obvious that your words pushed him over the edge, with the way he moaned and arched his back, just a litle.

he lifted his head and looked at you through lidded eyes, his lips parted and his breathe heavy.

“thank you, y/n…” soobin murmured.

you smiled, holding him there as he tried to catch his breathe. "anything for my good boy."

___

(i feel like this is all over the place. anwww, i'm thinking of making a permanent taglist for everytime i post a work...would any of you be insterested in being a part of it?)

[heritageposts]

The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, by Ilan Pappé (2006, p. 72)

The rhetoric from Israel and their defenders really hasn't changed one bit, has it? Months and months of terrorizing Palestinian villages, and the moment they retaliate, it must be because the Arabs are violent Nazis set to exterminate the oh-so-peaceful Zionist settlers for no other reason than them being Jewish

And what were the Zionists settlers - with Ben-Gurion's explicit approval - doing at the time?

Pappé (2006, p. 58)

Similarly, in the villages:

Pappé (2006, p. 57)

Still the same playbook, 75+ years later...

Also, it's important to understand that these violent attacks against Palestinian cities and villages - and there were many more in the winter of 47/48 than the examples included here - were part of a larger, deliberate operation meant to 'drive out' (i.e. ethnically cleanse) the Native population of Palestine. It didn't matter if the Palestinians were just quietly living their life in the countryside; if they were not Jewish, they would had to go. And if the Zionists could not find a pretext for retaliation, they would make one.

In the aftermath of the UN partition, this operation of ethnic cleansing - without 'pretext' - was not only openly discussed, but approved of, by Ben-Gurion and the rest of the Zionist leadership:

Pappé (2006, p. 64)

What we're seeing today in Gaza - with the collective punishment of 2 million Palestinians - is the continuation of this very same Zionist program of ethnic cleansing that Israel was founded on.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I want mama leech to beat up mama roseheart

But in all seriousness, I want mama Ashengrotto and mama Spade to talk about how much they love their boys and how proud they are of them (bonus points if you have the boys being bashful/embarrassed)

I remember seeing a fan art where Mrs. Rosehearts nags Mrs. Leech about her "indecent" outfit (because she's a mermaid; she's not used to concealing and constrictive clothes)... and then Mrs. Leech calls Riddle's mom an "old bitch" or something 😭Mr. Leech has to step in before the two throw down.

Decided to go with the second prompt because I'd like to avoid (physical) fights on NRC Family Day if possible! ^^

Family means Nobody is Left Behind or Forgotten.

"There's this really cool on-campus cafe, mom. Here, I'll take you there for dinner--my treat!"

Well, he had stayed true to his word. His butt was planted in a cushy, plum- colored booth, Dylla seated across from him. She swiveled her head around every few seconds, her glossy mouth agape as she took in her new aquatic surroundings. The jellyfish fixtures overhead, the glass partition separating salt water and seaweed from the eatery, the bar with its shelves of rare tea along one wall.

And their waiter?

"A-Ashengrotto-senpai," Deuce greeted him nervously, "you're working the floor today?"

The merman had shockingly dressed down, casting off his hat, scarf, and the dorm leader's jacket he draped over his shoulders. He was in a violet bowtie and simple white button-down shirt, his sleeves rolled up past his elbows, suspenders and a cummerbund accentuating his slight waist. A lightweight, flexible look for squeezing through tight spaces and sliding dishes onto tables before darting away to the next task.

"Yes." His clear blue eyes flicked up from his notepad. With a bare hand, Azul indicated the crowded restaurant. "As you can see, the Mostro Lounge is quite busy today. Normally I work in the back and oversee the establishment--but on days like this, a manager must be willing to roll up his sleeves and walk the talk."

"Oh, it's nice of you to step up like that!" Deuce perked up. "Your parents don't mind you being busy...?"

"Let us say it is a family affair." Azul removed the pencil from behind his ear and tapped it on his note pad. "Now then, do you and your sister need more time to decide what to order?"

"Sister!!" Dylla gasped. "Ahahahah, you didn't tell me your classmates were so funny, Deuce!"

"M-Mom...!!"

"Oya, have I made a mistake?" Azul's lips pulled back into a smirk. His words were slick and sweet--perhaps overly so. "I could have sworn that this beautiful, vibrant young lady was your sister. Your age doesn't show one bit, ma'am. It's a pleasure to meet you. Deuce-san and I go way back."

"Really?! He didn't really mention you in his calls back home. It was mostly about Ace-kun, Yuu-kun, and Grim-kun... Was I missing something?" Dylla asked, shooting her son a questioning look.

He gulped. Sweat started to bead on his forehead. "E-Er... Ashengrotto-senpai helped me study for the fall finals," Deuce said vaguely. No deals, no anemones, no indentured servitude mentioned.

"Did he? What a helpful senpai!! It sounds like you're keeping real busy between the tutoring and the part-time job."

"You humble me, Mrs. Spade! I wouldn't be able to run as successful of an operation as I do without the support of the rest of my team." Azul's grin grew. "And, of course, without Deuce-san's own efforts. I commend him for his commitment to the pursuit of academics."

"I know, right?" Dylla belted out a laugh and smacked her son--hard--on the arm. "Deuce is the hardest working man I know!! He did so much to turn his life around since his middle school days, went completely clean. It brings a tear to this old lady's eyes."

Deuce was peony at this point, flushed with pride and embarrassment. “I-It wasn’t much,” he mumbled, bashfully scratching his chin.

"Oh, you don't say... I'm intrigued. I would love to hear more about these tumultuous middle school days," Azul purred, leaning forward--his pencil and notepad at the ready, "and how Deuce-san has changed since then."

Cheeks lit aflame and cherry red, Deuce piped up. "M-Mom, PLEASE!! W-We're here to eat. We can't keep holding up Ashengrotto-senpai when he's got so many tables to wait on."

"My bad, kiddo! Can you fault your mom for wanting to chitchat with your classmates?" Dylla chuckled, shuffling her menu. "... I'm just glad you have so many good friends and reliable upperclassmen looking after you at school."

"Reliable upperclassmen? That sounds like my Azul for you. He's always been one to lend a hand to a poor, unfortunate soul in need--takes after his grandmother in that respect."

The octopus merman stumbled, almost dropping his writing implement. A full-bodied woman in a sleek jet-black gown emerged from the sea of guests and wait staff. She ferried a wicker basket piled with warm bread rolls, which she laid out before the Spades with a smile.

"Fresh out of the oven," she chirped, "and complimentary for Family Day, so eat up!"

"M-Mother," Azul sputtered--and was it Deuce's imagination, or was his senior's calm slipping? "I thought we had agreed you would stay in the kitchen and allow me to handle the front."

"You hadn't come in for a while now to pick up the bread rolls for this table, so I thought to come out and deliver them myself. Can't keep the customers waiting, you know!" Mrs. Ashengrotto wagged a finger at him, as if telling off a misbehaving dog.

Deuce and Dylla took a deep whiff of the rolls. They smelled rich and hearty of wheat fields and butter on a warm summer's day. The steam from the basket rolled up, coloring their faces pink and causing them to salivate.

"You made these yourself? They smell so good!" Dylla clapped her hands in delight as she plucked up a roll. "I can only make basic egg dishes! Baking is a whole different set of skills."

"I dabble a bit here and there! Baking is primarily a human thing, dear--but when Azul came back from his land boot camp, babbling about all this 'baking' nonsense, I knew I had to try it with him."

Azul had frozen, his eyes wide with panic. "I think that's enough sharing, mother!"

"So Ashengrotto-senpai was a diligent worker back then too..." Deuce clenched a hand into a fist. "That's so impressive!"

"Isn't it? Azul absolutely loves to learn new things! Didn't have many friends in his youth, so he'd study the day away curled up in his little pot--"

"Aaaaaaah, MOTHER...!" Azul yanked away from her and, placing both hands on her shoulders, attempted to steer her away. "I think I heard a new order being called in! You should tend to that this instant!"

"Wait, I didn't get to finish hearing the story!!" Dylla protested. She had a mouthful of bread, so her pleading was somewhat garbled. "What was that about a pot?!"

“H-Hold on, mom…! Sit down and chew your food first, or you might choke!!”

Their shouts mingled with the noises of the lounge. People, both children and parents alike, sipping slow jazz and eating up the underwater atmosphere, the air spiked with salt. Somewhere along the way, their voices were lost, becoming one with the group—like the many waves of the ocean weaving together in a larger body.

Mothers and sons, the bonds tight as that of the moon and its serene sea.

[alongtidesoflight]

in wake of yet another wave of people being turned off by windows, here's a guide on how to dual boot windows and 🐧 linux 🐧 (useful for when you're not sure if you wanna make the switch and just wanna experiment with the OS for a bit!)

if you look up followup guides online you're gonna see that people are telling you to use ubuntu but i am gonna show you how to do this using kubuntu instead because fuck GNOME. all my homies hate GNOME.

i'm just kidding, use whatever distro you like. my favorite's kubuntu (for a beginner home environment). read up on the others if you're curious. and don't let some rando on reddit tell you that you need pop! OS for gaming. gaming on linux is possible without it.

why kubuntu?

- it's very user friendly

- it comes with applications people might already be familiar with (VLC player and firefox for example)

- libreoffice already preinstalled

- no GNOME (sorry GNOME enthusiasts, let me old man yell at the clouds) (also i'm playing this up for the laughs. wholesome kde/gnome meme at the bottom of this post.)

for people who are interested in this beyond my tl;dr: read this

(if you're a linux user, don't expect any tech wizardry here. i know there's a billion other and arguably better ways to do x y and/or z. what i'm trying to do here is to keep these instructions previous windows user friendly. point and click. no CLI bro, it'll scare the less tech savvy hoes. no vim supremacy talk (although hell yeah vim supremacy). if they like the OS they'll figure out bash all by themselves in no time.)

first of all, there'll be a GUI. you don't need to type lines of code to get this all running. we're not going for the ✨hackerman aesthetics✨ today. grab a mouse and a keyboard and you're good to go.

what you need is a computer/laptop/etc with enough disk space to install both windows and linux on it. i'm recommending to reserve at least a 100gb for the both of them. in the process of this you'll learn how to re-allocate disk space either way and you'll learn how to give and take some, we'll do a bit of disk partitioning to fit them both on a single disk.

and that's enough babbling for now, let's get to the actual tutorial:

🚨IMPORTANT. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS ON A 32BIT SYSTEM. ONLY DO THIS IF YOU'RE WORKING WITH A 64BIT SYSTEM. 🚨 (win10 and win11: settings -> system -> about -> device specifications -> system type ) it should say 64bit operating system, x64-based processor.

step 1: install windows on your computer FIRST. my favorite way of doing this is by creating an installation media with rufus. you can either grab and prepare two usb sticks for each OS, or you can prepare them one after the other. (pro tip: get two usb sticks, that way you can label them and store them away in case you need to reinstall windows/linux or want to install it somewhere else)

in order to do this, you need to download three things:

rufus

win10 (listen. i know switching to win11 is difficult. not much of a fan of it either. but support's gonna end for good. you will run into hiccups. it'll be frustrating for everyone involved. hate to say it, but in this case i'd opt for installing its dreadful successor over there ->) or win11

kubuntu (the download at the top is always the latest, most up-to-date one)

when grabbing your windows installation of choice pick this option here, not the media creation tool option at the top of the page:

side note: there's also very legit key sellers out there who can hook you up with cheap keys. you're allowed to do that if you use those keys privately. don't do this in an enterprise environment though. and don't waste money on it if your ultimate goal is to switch to linux entirely at one point.

from here it's very easy sailing. plug your usb drive into your computer and fire up rufus (just double click it).

🚨two very important things though!!!!!!:🚨

triple check your usb device. whatever one you selected will get wiped entirely in order to make space for your installation media. if you want to be on the safe side only plug in the ONE usb stick you want to use. and back up any music, pictures or whatever else you had on there before or it'll be gone forever.

you can only install ONE OS on ONE usb drive. so you need to do this twice, once with your kubuntu iso and once with your windows iso, on a different drive each.

done. now you can dispense windows and linux left and right, whenever and wherever you feel like it. you could, for example, start with your designated dual boot device. installing windows is now as simple as plugging the usb device into your computer and booting it up. from there, click your way through the installation process and come back to this tutorial when you're ready.

step 2: preparing the disks for a dual boot setup

on your fresh install, find your disk partitions. in your search bar enter either "diskmgr" and hit enter or just type "partitions". the former opens your disk manager right away, the latter serves you up with this "create and format hard disk partitions" search result and that's what you're gonna be clicking.

you'll end up on a screen that looks more or less like in the screenshot below. depending on how many disks you've installed this might look different, but the basic gist is the same. we're going to snip a little bit off Disk 0 and make space for kubuntu on it. my screenshot isn't the best example because i'm using the whole disk and in order to practice what i preach i'd have to go against my own advice. that piece of advice is: if this screen intimidates you and you're not sure what you're doing here, hands off your (C:) drive, EFI system, and recovery partition. however, if you're feeling particularly fearless, go check out the amount of "free space" to the right. is there more than 30gb left available? if so, you're free to right click your (C:) drive and click "shrink volume"

this screen will pop up:

the minimum disk space required for kubuntu is 25gb. the recommended one is 50gb. for an installation like this, about 30gb are enough. in order to do that, simply change the value at

Enter the amount of space to shrink in MB: to 30000

and hit Shrink.

once that's done your partitions will have changed and unallocated space at about the size of 30gb should be visible under Disk 0 at the bottom like in the bottom left of this screenshot (courtesy of microsoft.com):

this is gonna be kubuntu's new home on your disk.

step 3: boot order, BIOS/UEFI changes

all you need to do now is plug the kubuntu-usb drive you prepared earlier with rufus into your computer again and reboot that bad boy.

the next step has no screenshots. we're heading into your UEFI/BIOS (by hitting a specific key (like ESC, F10, Enter) while your computer boots up) and that'll look different for everyone reading this. if this section has you completely lost, google how to do these steps for your machine.

a good search term would be: "[YOUR DEVICE (i.e Lenovo, your mainboard's name, etc.)] change boot order"

what you need to do is to tell your computer to boot your USB before it tries to boot up windows. otherwise you won't be able to install kubuntu.

this can be done by entering your BIOS/UEFI and navigating to a point called something along the lines of "boot". from "boot order" to "booting devices" to "startup configuration", it could be called anything.

what'll be a common point though is that it'll list all your bootable devices. the topmost one is usually the one that boots up first, so if your usb is anywhere below that, make sure to drag and drop or otherwise move it to the top.

when you're done navigate to Save & Exit. your computer will then boot up kubuntu's install wizard. you'll be greeted with this:

shocker, i know, but click "Install Kubuntu" on the right.

step 4: kubuntu installation

this is a guided installation. just like when you're installing windows you'll be prompted when you need to make changes. if i remember correctly it's going to ask you for your preferred keyboard layout, a network connection, additional software you might want to install, and all of that is up to you.

but once you reach the point where it asks you where you want to install kubuntu we'll have to make a couple of important choices.

🚨 another important note 🚨

do NOT pick any of the top three options. they will overwrite your already existing windows installation.

click manual instead. we're going to point it to our unallocated disk space. hit continue. you will be shown another disk partition screen.

what you're looking for are your 30gb of free space. just like with the USB drive when we were working with rufus, make sure you're picking the right one. triple check at the very least. the chosen disk will get wiped.

click it until the screen "create a new partition" pops up.

change the following settings to:

New partition size in megabytes: 512

Use as: EFI System Partition

hit OK.

click your free space again. same procedure.

change the following settings to:

New partition size in megabytes: 8000 (*this might be different in your case, read on.)

Use As: Swap Area

hit OK

click your free space a third time. we need one more partition.

change the following settings to:

don't change anything about the partition size this time. we're letting it use up the rest of the resources.

Use as: Ext4 journaling system

Mount Point: /

you're done here as well.

*about the 8000 megabytes in the second step: this is about your RAM size. if you have 4gb instead type 4000, and so on.

once you're sure your configuration is good and ready to go, hit "Install Now". up until here you can go back and make changes to your settings. once you've clicked the button, there's no going back.

finally, select your timezone and create a user account. then hit continue. the installation should finish up... and you'll be good to go.

you'll be told to remove the USB drive from your computer and reboot your machine.

now when your computer boots up, you should end up on a black screen with a little bit of text in the top left corner. ubuntu and windows boot manager should be mentioned there. naturally, when you click ubuntu you will boot into your kubuntu. likewise if you hit windows boot manager your windows login screen will come up.

and that's that folks. go ham on messing around with your linux distro. customize it to your liking. make yourself familiar with the shell (on kubuntu, when you're on your desktop, hit CTRL+ALT+T).

for starters, you could feed it the first commands i always punch into fresh Linux installs:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get upgrade

sudo apt-get install vim

(you'll thank me for the vim one later)

turn your back on windows. taste freedom. nothing sexier than open source, baby.

sources (mainly for the pictures): 1, 2

further reading for the curious: 1, 2

linux basics (includes CLI commands)

kubuntu documentation (this is your new best friend. it'll tell you everything about kubuntu that you need to know.

and finally the promised kde/gnome meme:

[fuctacles]

The first one of many

for @stevieweek Day 4: Special Outfit + first dress + fantasy and for @steddiemicrofic "one" G | 1111 | no cw | ren-faire, pre-relationship, transfem Stevie, smitten Eddie | Ao3 Stevie Week: Day 1 | Day 2 (art) | Day 3 (art) | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7

"Do you like this one?"

Eddie appears by her side so abruptly, she jumps out of her skin. He smiles apologetically.

"Sorry," he says, but doesn't let himself be distracted. He reaches out to touch the sleeve of the dress Stevie's been eyeing.

It's yellow and white, with a floral pattern and a square neckline. The sleeves are slightly puffy, and the corset can be laced on the front for adjustment. It's one of the flashier ones at the stall, but Eddie wouldn't expect anything less from the girl standing next to him.

He's still surprised she agreed to come with them, to for a few days taste and touch the world her friends love so much. She told him earlier, that she liked everyone's costumes, but it's the first time anything has captured her attention like this.

"Do you want to try it on?" he asks.

"No, that's okay." She shakes her head immediately, but he won't be having it.

"Come on, we're here to have fun, all of us. And if trying on dresses is fun for you, then let's do it!" he encourages her, putting his infectious enthusiasm into the words.

She's still hesitant, but he can tell the garment in front of them is like a siren's call.

"I don't know..."

Dustin bumps into them while eyeing some of the leatherwork displayed nearby, and Eddie holds his breath, hoping it's one of these times his lack of filter is helpful. The boy looks at his friends and the garment they're facing.

"You guys buying a dress?"

"No," says Stevie.

"Maybe," says Eddie.

Dustin studies the dress with his judgmental eyes, gaze darting from it to Stevie and back again.

"You should at least try it. It's your color," he says, before walking away.

Eddie turns to his friend triumphantly.

"Well?" he grins. He can see in her eyes that she wants to but is having a hard time admitting it.

"I guess?" she says eventually. "I mean, it's just for fun, right?"

"Of course!" Eddie quickly flags down the seller, before she can change her mind. "Excuse me, good sir! Is there somewhere we can try it on?"

Which ends up with them ushered to the back of the stall, with instructions on how to operate all of the dress's clasps and lacings.

"I'll wait here. Tell me if you need any help," Eddie says before pushing his friend behind the partition, dress in her hand.

He can hear the rustle of fabric behind the heavy curtain, Stevie's clothes dropping heavily to the grass beneath while he's doing his best not to think about her undressing. She's cursing and huffing while pulling on the new dress and it helps to quell his nasty thoughts a bit. And then everything goes silent.

"Stevie?" He frowns. "You alright there?"

"Yeah," she answers, but it's so tiny he can barely hear it.

"Can I come in?"

"Uh-huh."

He pushes the edge of the green fabric aside and slips inside the little alcove. In the tight space, Stevie is staring in a full-body mirror, hands smoothing down her hips, pulling her hair forward, pushing up her breasts.

Eddie finds himself enchanted by her, not for the first time.

"You look beautiful," he says.

"You think so?"

"Yeah. Though, your corset lacing needs some practice." She huffs at that. "Can I?"

The way she turns to face him, full of trust, makes his heart melt and slide down his ribs.

Delicately and trying not to touch her chest, like a true gentleman, he unlaces the corset to tighten it at the waist. Her gasp makes him bite his lip painfully.

"Sorry."

"No, it's fine. You can go a bit tighter."

They work together until her waist and hips make a beautiful curve, and her tiny breasts are pushed up in a flattering way. She seems to be especially fixated on them, on the bit of skin peeking out from the low neckline.

Eddie can share that sentiment.

"Thank you," she whispers once she's facing the mirror again, fingers tracing the newfound shape of her body.

"There's nothing to thank me for, you're just naturally beautiful." Eddie smiles, reaching out to tug her hair forward again, so it falls against the bare skin of her collarbones. The sight makes his mouth go dry so he decides to move his thoughts elsewhere. "I think it's the first time I've seen you in a dress."

Stevie hums.

"That's because I don't have one."

"Huh?"

"I've tried on Nancy's or my mother's, but I don't have one of my own," she clarifies with a shrug.

"That's unthinkable," Eddie declares. "We're getting it." The thought that her first dress could be a nerdy, ren-faire one, makes his stomach flip.

"It's too expensive." She shakes her head, but he can see she's sad about it. "I can get a dress at the mall for a third of this price."

Eddie nods along.

"Yes, you could get a cheap, boring rat mall dress," he agrees. "Or you could buy one of a kind, handmade with passion and care, worthy of a princess."

Watching her cheeks flush is worth the risk of exposing his feelings.

"Where would I even wear it?" she keeps digging her heels in the ground. And, while she has a point...

"Here, for starters. And any other ren-faire I'll take you to just so I can show off how pretty you are."

With the way she looks up at him, she might already know.

He just hopes he has enough money. He pulls out his wallet and Stevie frowns.

"You're not getting it for me."

"Oh, I am." He hopes he is, at least. In a rush of bravery, he smiles to add, "Consider it my first courting gift," and leaves before she can protest.

When he's counting his money and wonders who he can beg for a loan, Dustin approaches him with a wad of cash.

"I saw the price earlier and figured you guys could need it." He smiles with that self-satisfied smirk of his, but for once, Eddie doesn't mind.

He hands the money to the merchant and runs back to Stevie.

"Hey, does it count as a courting gift if the twerps pitched in?" he asks through the partition and is promptly pulled inside.

"Are you serious about the courting?" Stevie asks, with her face so close to Eddie's, he has trouble processing her words.

"Deadly," he whispers, hoping they're on the same page.

"Is there, like, a nerdy ritual I have to follow for it?" she asks.

"Uh, a kiss would be nice," he says. Pleads.

She smiles and leans in.

[monody-monody]

So I've recently been finally getting around to something I've wanted to do for a few years: switching to Linux.

To safely test out this process before applying it to my main tower machine, I decided to first do the switch over on an old Mac Mini which had a lot to gain from this as it was stuck on an outdated and unsupported version of MacOS.

But of course this all involved shuffling around a lot of old data and making sure everything was backed up. And here's where the story begins.

I backed up the Mini's MacOS install to its own partition on an external backup drive shared by my Windows tower machine. Once done, I shrank it to only the used size( which was complicated in its own right for reasons I'll explain shortly,) and then wanted to move it to the end of the drive so I could expand the Windows partition back out to fill the unused space.

Problem #1: MacOS's Disk Utility is so stripped down and lacking in functionality in the name of gloss, it literally cannot work with unallocated space on a drive in any way. You cannot see unallocated space, and you cannot create it. Want to shrink or delete a partition? It automatically creates a new one to fill the space whether you wanted it or not. Want to make a new partition in unallocated space without wiping the whole drive? Gotta use a different OS to make a dummy partition first and then replace it in Disk Utility. And the real problem… Want to move a partition? Can't.

Problem #2: Windows's Disk Management doesn't know what HFS+ is and refuses to work with it. Windows can't even read the Mac backup partition, let alone move it. But wait! I can use EaseUS Partition Manager! …Aaand most of its essential functionality is locked behind one of its multiple paywall tiers, including the ability to work with non-Windows filesystems at all.

But what about that new Linux install on the Mini?

I run 'sudo apt-get install gparted', a FOSS program, and in less than a minute I've already got it moving the partition. No hassle. No BS.

And if this whole thing doesn't just sum up the operating system trio, I don't know what does.

[girlactionfigure]

Why are there Palestinian refugees?

In the months before the British abandoned its mandate & Israel declared independence, civil war raged as Arab factions tried to prevent the Jewish state from being born.

Of course, had the Arabs agreed to the UN's partition plan, they would have had yet another state & there would have been no war in 1948. 

But their goal was not another Arab state; it was to ensure there would be no Jewish state. 

Meanwhile, 5 #Arab armies amassed on the borders & waited for the British to leave so they could push the Jews into the #Mediterranean Sea.

As Secretary-General of the Arab League Azzam Pasha put it on the day of the Arab #invasion: 

"This will be a war of extermination & momentous massacre, which will be spoken of like the Mongolian massacres and the Crusades."

Or as the then war #criminal & fugitive #Nazi Grand Mufti Amin al-Husseini put it during the invasion:

"Murder the #Jews. Murder them all!"

But before the invasion began, & starting as early as Dec 1947, Arab officers began ordering Arab residents of specific villages to flee. 

Their reasoning? Arab citizens not involved in active fighting could only: (1) "treacherously" abide the creation of a the Jewish state &/or even become citizens of same; or (2) be in the way of Arab #military deployments & potentially get caught in the crossfire.

And so, for example, on this day (March 8) in 1948, the Arab Higher Committee ordered all Arab women, children & elderly to leave Jerusalem. The order continued, "Any opposition to this order ... is an obstacle to the holy war ... & will hamper the operations of the fighters in these districts.” 

In fact, the Arab Higher Committee ordered the evacuation of dozens of Arab villages between April & July of 1948 (see photo of Arab citizens fleeing below).

Meanwhile, on April 19, 1948, Jewish forces secured Tiberias, which had a population of ~6,000 #Arabs - all of whom chose to leave. In fact, they left under British military supervision.

The Jewish Community Council immediately issued a statement regarding Tiberias' Arabs: 

"We did not dispossess them; they themselves chose this course ... Let no citizen touch their property."

At around this same time, in early & mid-April of 1948, an Arab faction led by Fawzi al-Qawukji was attacking Haifa & attempting to take the city. Then, rumors spread among Haifa's Arab community that Arab air forces were about to bomb the city & ~25,000 of Haifa's Arabs fled.

As U.S. Consul-General in Haifa Aubrey Lippincott noted on April 22, 1948: "local mufti-dominated Arab leaders ... [urged] all Arabs to leave the city, & large numbers did so."

On April 23, 1948, however, #Jewish forces fought back the Arab attack & retook Haifa.

Three days later, on April 26, 1948, a British police report from Haifa noted: 

"[E]very effort is being made by the Jews to persuade the Arab populace to stay and carry on with their normal lives, to get their shops and businesses open and to be assured that their lives and interests will be safe."

What were some of those "efforts?"

Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, sent future Prime Minister Golda Meir to Haifa with the direct instructions to "persuade the Arabs to stay." 

Ms. Meir was unsuccessful, however, as Haifa's Arabs told her they feared that if they stayed, they would be branded "#traitors." 

And so, another ~25,000 of Haifa's Arabs fled. 

Stop me if you've heard this one before, but despite facts on the ground, Arab leaders at the #UN began demanding the end to a fake "#massacre." 

Specifically, #Syria's UN Ambassador Faris al-Kouri, said the Jewish victory at Haifa was a "massacre" that provided "evidence that the '#Zionist program' is to annihilate Arabs within the Jewish state if partition is effected."

The #British were still on the ground, however, & the British Ambassador to the UN, Sir Alexander Cadogan, told the UN the very next day both that the fighting in Haifa had only begun as a result of "continuous attacks by Arabs against Jews" & that the "reports of massacres & deportations [were] erroneous." 

Meanwhile, after Israel declared its independence & was invaded by five Arab armies, the newly established #IDF issued an Order on July 6, 1948, making it clear that non-combatant Arab civilians were not to be harassed or expelled, nor their villages touched. 

But the Arabs were being given a very different message.

#Iraqi #PrimeMinister Nuri Said announced:

"We will smash the country with our guns & obliterate every place the Jews seek shelter in. The Arabs should conduct their wives & children to safe areas until the fighting has died down."

This used to be known. In fact, Arab leaders for years after the war had no qualms about repeating it.

For example, Syrian Prime Minister Haled al Azm later wrote:

"Since 1948, we have been demanding the return of the #refugees to their homes. But we ourselves are the ones who encouraged them to leave. Only a few months separated our call to them to leave & our appeal to the UN to resolve on their return."

Similarly, #Jordan's King Abdullah wrote: 

"The tragedy of the #Palestinians was that most of their leaders had paralyzed them with false & unsubstantiated promises that they were not alone; that 80 million Arabs & 400 million #Muslims would instantly & miraculously come to their rescue."

Similarly, Edward Atiyah, Secretary of the Arab League Office in #London wrote: 

"This wholesale #exodus was due partly to the belief of the Arabs, encouraged by the boastings of an unrealistic #Arabic press & the irresponsible utterances of some of the Arab leaders that it could be only a matter of weeks before the Jews were defeated by the armies of the Arab States & the #Palestinian Arabs enabled to re­enter & retake possession of their country.”

Even as the war still raged on Aug 16, 1948, the Arab #Greek Orthodox Catholic Bishop of the Galilee told #Beirut newspaper Sada al-Janub: 

“The refugees were confident their absence would not last long, & that they would return within a week or two ... Their leaders had promised them that the Arab Armies would crush the ’Zionist gangs’ very quickly & that there was no need for panic or fear of a long exile.”

A few months later, on Feb 19, 1949, the Jordanian newspaper Filastin confirmed: 

"The Arab States encouraged the Palestine Arabs to leave their homes temporarily in order to be out of the way of the Arab invasion armies."

Even many of the Palestinian Arab refugees themselves admitted their reasons for leaving.

For example, on June 8, 1951, Habib Issa admitted to #NewYork Lebanese newspaper Al Hoda:

"Azzam Pasha assured the Arab peoples that the #occupation of Palestine & #TelAviv would be ... simple ... He pointed out that they were already on the frontiers & that all the millions the Jews had spent on land & economic development would be easy booty, for it would be a simple matter to throw Jews into the Mediterranean ... Arabs of Palestine [were told] to leave their land, homes & property & to stay temporarily in neighboring fraternal states, lest the guns of the invading Arab armies mow them down.”

Similarly, Asmaa Jabir Balasimah recalled being told by Arab leaders to "evacuate the village & return after the battle is over," & that she & others in her village left all their possessions behind "based on the assumption that we would return after a few hours." 

Again, however (& most importantly), had the Arabs agreed to Partition or even agreed to negotiate different borders with Zionist leaders who begged Azzam Pasha to make any counteroffer instead of invading with #genocidal intent, there would never have been a single Palestinian #refugee.

[ltwilliammowett]

The anti seasick ship SS Bessemer Saloon Steamship

The SS Bessemer Saloon Steamship- SS Bessemer for short - was an experimental Victorian passenger side wheel steamer designed to counteract seasickness and operated between Dover and Calais. Her inventor was Sir Henry Bessemer.

Bessemer Saloon Steamer, 1874

In 1868, Bessemer, who suffered from severe seasickness, developed the idea of a ship whose passenger cabin - the saloon - was to be suspended on a gimbal and mechanically held horizontally, thus levelling out the swell and sparing the occupants from the ship's movements. Sounded too good to be true, but more on that later. He patented this ingenious idea in December 1869 and after successful trials with a model in which the levelling was carried out by hydraulics controlled by a helmsman observing a spirit level, Bessemer founded a limited company, the Bessemer Saloon Steamboat Company Limited, which was to operate steamships between England and France. Capital of 250,000 pounds was used to finance the construction of a ship, the SS Bessemer, whose chief designer was the naval architect Edward James Reed.

SS Bessemer, by Henry Spernon Tozer 1874

And so she was built by Earle's Shipbuilding in Hull. She bore the shipyard number 197 and was launched on 24 September 1874. As already mentioned, she was a paddle steamer with four buckets (two buckets each on port and starboard, one forward and one aft). She had a length of 106.68 m (350 feet), a width on deck of 12.19 m (40 feet), an outside width over the bucket boxes of 19.81 m (65 feet), a draught of 2.26 m (7 feet 5 inches) and a gross register tonnage of 1974 tonnes. What also characterised her was that she was completely identical fore and aft, she had two bridges and two wheels, which simply made her faster and more manoeuvrable in both directions. Her maximum speed was about 17.4 knots.

The inner saloon was a room 70 feet long (21 metres) and 30 feet wide (9.1 metres), with a ceiling 6.1 metres above the floor, Moroccan-covered seats, partitions and spiral columns of carved oak and gilded panels with hand-painted murals. The press liked to call it the floating clubhouse. However, the swinging saloon was only intended for first class passengers. The second class, on the other hand, did not enjoy this and had to make do with cabins on the sides of the hull.

Harper's Weekly Interior Pages showing the newly building ultra Luxury Bessemer Channel Steam-Ship, 1874

The disaster begins

On 21 October 1874, the Bessemer had her first misfortune. She had just arrived in Hull to be fitted out when she was driven ashore in a storm. She was refloated and found to be undamaged, which was not entirely true, as would later become apparent.

In March 1875, the ship sailed on a private trial voyage from Dover to Calais. During this voyage she is said to have steered well and even had a top speed of 18 knots. Her swinging saloon is also said to have worked excellently. However, things didn't go so smoothly because on arrival in Calais, a paddle wheel was damaged when she crashed into the pier because it didn't react to the rudder at slow speed.

The first and only public voyage took place on 8 May 1875, with the ship sailing with her revolving cabin locked (some observers suggested this was due to the ship's severe instability, but Bessemer attributed this to lack of time to repair the previous damage). The ship was operated by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway. After two attempts to enter the harbour, it again crashed into the Calais pier, this time destroying part of it. Calais billed the company £2800 for the damage.

The Bessemer Saloon-Ship running foul of Calais Pier. Illustrated London News, 1875

Due to the poor performance, investors lost confidence and the company was dissolved in 1876. On 29 December 1876, the Bessemer ran aground on Burcom Sand in the Humber upstream of Grimsby, Lincolnshire, after the removal of the swivelling saloon and other extensive alterations. She was refloated and taken to Hull. The Board of Trade's investigation into the grounding found that the captain was at fault. His certificate was suspended for three months.After removal, the designer Reed had the saloon cabin taken to his home, Hextable House, Swanley, where it was used as a billiard room. When the house was later converted into a women's college, Swanley Horticultural College, the saloon was used as a lecture theatre, but was destroyed by a direct hit when the college was bombed during the Second World War.

The Saloon as a lecutre theatre

The ship was then docked in Dover until it was sold for scrapping in 1879.

The Theory of the Top. Volume IV, by Felix Klein, Arnold Sommerfeld, London, 2010

The Nautical Magazine for 1874

Sir Henry Bessemer, F.R.S.: An Autobiography, 1905

The Gale, The Times. No. 28140. London. 23 October 1874. col E, p. 8.

London, Chatham & Dover Railway Company

[gerrystamour]

we all know the talk is cheap...

Rating: Mature (Sexual Content, nothing explicitly described) Pairing: Sylus x Named MC Characters: Sylus, Named MC, Caleb Tags/Warnings: Sexual Content, Accidental Voyeurism

Summary: Sylus & MC attend an auction being run by EVER. Caleb is also there.

Words: 8,056

A/N: So this.... is possibly the first part in a series. Also I'm using the name of my MC for this because... I cannot write in second person at all. Like, it's just Not Good so... please enjoy my MC!

The limo slowly pulled up outside the brightly lit mansion, and Sylus let out a derisive little chuckle. “The endless fascination with lighting the night up brighter than the sun itself will never cease to amaze me,” he groused with an elegant sneer.

Without hesitating, Lydia popped open her clutch and pulled out a pair of tinted glasses. The lenses were round with a gold bridge and diamond encrusted arms. When Sylus just blinked at them, she jiggled them insistently.

“Either take ‘em or stop complaining,” she deadpanned, but the small uptick to the corner of his mouth made her stomach swoop.

“So thoughtful, Kitten. Not sure how much that tint will actually do,” he hummed as he took the glasses. With a snap of his fingers, the diamonds became a deep, ruby red.

Lydia rolled her eyes. “Put them on before you complain about their quality. Some new technology was used in the tinting process, so they block out more light without looking too dark,” she explained as he put them on, and the begrudgingly impressed expression that overtook his face filled Lydia with smug pride.

“How much did these cost you, Kitten?” Sylus asked in a low growl, eyes narrowed. “You know you’re not supposed to be spending your money on me.”

“It cost me a dinner with a friend and a favour for his associate,” she replied haughtily, glaring at the way Sylus’ eyebrows raised. “Just accept the gift, Sy. For a man who supposedly has everything, you didn’t have those, so the least you could do is pretend to be grateful.”

“Oh, but I am grateful, Sweetie,” Sylus crooned with the closest thing to a grin his face could muster as he leaned close, as if to kiss her. Lydia scoffed and turned her face away with a spectacular pout, catching the kiss on the hinge of her jaw. Sylus’ growled against her ear as he asked, “how would you like to receive my most heartfelt thanks, Dove?”

Shivering, Lydia opened her mouth to respond— likely with something completely filthy that would’ve ended the mission extremely early— when the partition slid open.

“About to pull up, Boss,” Kieran called back, and Lydia jolted away. When she looked at the partition, Luke was peering back at them. Despite the mask, his knowing smirk was obvious. She could see it in his general aura.

The moment the limo stopped, a doorman opened the car door closest to Sylus.

“You know what to do, boys,” he said before he stepped out.

“Yes, sir!”

Lydia leaned forward and added, “remember to count to at least two-thousand first.”

Her words were met with a couple grumbles before a much less enthusiastic, “yes, ma’am.”

With that, Lydia reached out to accept Sylus’ waiting hand, allowing him to steady her as she stepped out of the car. She was immensely grateful for his assistance when the blast of flashing lights of cameras immediately overwhelmed her vision. Miraculously, she managed to keep her footing steady as Sylus tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and they began their walk inside.

“You’re so tough on them,” Sylus commented, his tone a clear mixture of amusement and pride.

“And you spoil them,” Lydia responded, smirking up at him. He didn’t even bother to deny it, just hummed and cast an unaffected gaze across the crowd of reporters.

As they arrived at the doors, they produced both of their invitations. One was addressed directly to Sylus, and the other was to Genevieve St. Amour, the very elaborate alias Lydia used in the N109 zone.

Genevieve was supposedly the heiress of a crime syndicate, though she operated much of her business under the front of CoreFlux Enterprises, an investment firm that allegedly focused on Protocore-based energy. None of it was real, of course, but there was enough legitimate looking documentation to support her existence and the existence of her wealth that she was invited to a “charity” auction being run by EVER.

Since Lydia was there as Genevieve, that meant she was wearing her signature black half-veil, concealing her identity easily enough that the cameras weren’t much of a concern for her.

Once they were through the doors, their coats were immediately taken by the coat-check, and the two of them were ushered through a security checkpoint, searching them for weapons.

“How quaint,” Sylus said as he passed through the sophisticated metal detector. Lydia barely contained her snort at the condescending look he gave the young security guard working the terminal. The poor boy looked pale under Sylus’ bored gaze.

“Easy, darling,” Lydia said as she joined Sylus on the other side of the metal detector, placing a hand on his forearm. “Let the young man do his job in peace.”

Once they were cleared, they finally crossed the foyer toward the main ballroom.

“I’m impressed, Sy,” Lydia said in an almost bored tone. “This new toy did not disappoint.”

Despite all of the security, the small knife strapped to her thigh under the skirt of her dress went unidentified, just as Sylus had promised it would. That said, she did still have access to her arsenal, courtesy of the elaborate bracelet she wore. The moment she received the invitation, she went straight to Simone to ask if she could fit one of the bracelets Sylus picked for her with the components of a Hunter’s Watch that would allow her to summon her weapons. As always, she worked miracles and after multiple tests, Lydia was able to confirm that it worked perfectly. The knife was just a bit of added security.

“Only the best for you, Dove,” Sylus replied before pausing. “Perhaps we should enter separately.”

Lydia frowned before nodding. “Could be better to keep our connection quiet at first,” she agreed, and at that Sylus just smirked.

“True. Though, I just wanted to watch you enter,” he said frankly, smirking wider at Lydia’s disbelief. “What, Kitten? This venue has a stunning staircase, and I so rarely get to see you dressed up like this. I’m a simple man with simple wants.”

“There’s nothing simple about you,” Lydia said, happy that her veil covered most of her flushed face as she let go of his arm. Flapping her hands delicately at him, she said, “go on. Find the best vantage point to admire my figure as I enter.”

Sylus’ expression darkened with a hunger that made Lydia wish she could just fast-forward to the post-mission celebration. “Of course, Kitten.”

With that, Sylus entered the room so quickly that Lydia thought he used his Evol for a moment, but she was pretty sure he wouldn’t waste the energy on such a trivial thing so early in the evening. She listened to Sylus’ entrance get announced— citing his business as Qin Industries, which makes Lydia snort a bit— and waited, counting down from ten.

The comms unit, disguised as an intricate earring, in her right ear buzzed just before Sylus crooned, “alright, Kitten. I’m ready for your grand entrance.”

With an almost giddy little grin, Lydia smoothed out her skirt to compose herself and then stepped through the doors.

The ballroom at the base of the truly magnificent staircase was massive, ending in floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the ocean. The ceiling itself was stained-glass, depicting a scene that Lydia would have to admire in full later. At that moment, she focused on the crowd beneath her, looking for her crow.

“Introducing Mademoiselle Genevieve St. Amour, CEO of CoreFlux Enterprises.”

Lydia straightened her posture as the crowd of guests turned at the announcement. Tilting her head up to stare down the line of her nose, she began the careful descent down the stairs. She knew she looked good, amazing even. Sylus had spent hours with a designer ensuring she was in a show-stopping outfit for this.

The dress was an intricately embroidered number, with countless gems making the bodice glitter like stars. The overall dress beneath the embroidery was a sheer material that faded from dark blue at her shoulders and torso to a fiery orange through the skirt in a gradient. The design reminded Lydia of the flames of a bonfire reaching up into the night sky. The bodice covered most of her torso, right up to the base of her throat where it looped around with a snug collar. Several little straps wrapped around the backs of her shoulders to help keep the bodice in place, but other than that the entire expanse of her back was left bare. The final touch, which Sylus insisted on, was a dramatic thigh slit that easily showed off nearly the entire length of her left leg.

It was truly a stunning gown, yet the silence that met her entrance was almost enough to make her doubt herself.

A low, thick groan in her ear immediately put most of those doubts to rest. “Divine,” Sylus sighed when Lydia was almost halfway down the staircase.

Scanning the room imperiously, she tried to find Sylus in the crowd of onlookers. There were a lot of people, but she was certain she could find such a tall man with silver hair easily. But as she was taking another pass over the room, instead of the piercing red gaze of her partner, she met purple.

Somehow, Lydia managed not to stumble and quickly looked away. ‘Shit, what is he doing here? He never goes to these stupid events,’ she thought frantically, doing everything in her power not to sprint the rest of the way down.

Lydia stopped looking for Sylus as her mind went into overdrive looking for an escape route. Surely, Caleb wouldn’t recognize her, right? She was wearing a disguise, using an alias— an alias that used her actual last name, shit.

When she glanced over at Caleb again, he was still talking to someone next to him, but by his body language, he was excusing himself from whatever conversation they were having.

“Dove? What’s wrong?”

Sylus’ voice cut through Lydia’s panic as she reached the bottom of the stairs, and she immediately turned to enter the crowd in the opposite direction of Caleb.

“Where are you?” Lydia asked in a low voice, working to keep her pace leisurely and her demeanour polite as she passed people. She didn’t want to announce her location in the crowd by stirring up drama as she ran into people.

Just as she reached the other side of the room and broke through the edge of the crowd there, Lydia found herself frozen in place as an intense weight blanketed her whole body. It wasn’t so oppressive that it hurt, and she could probably fight against it, but for now she didn’t want to create too much of a scene. Even if she’d been caught, Sylus could still finish the job.

As the weight lifted from her shoulders, a strong grip wrapped around her wrist, which she immediately pulled away from.

“Get your hands off of me,” she snapped harshly, turning on her oldest friend. In a last ditch effort, she decided to stay in-character for as long as she could.

When she faced Caleb, she saw the flicker of doubt in his eyes, the way he almost apologized for his mistake. But then his eyes zeroed in on the Orion’s belt of beauty marks on her collarbone and his jaw clenched.

“Lydia–”

“How dare you use your Evol on me like that,” she continued sharply, sneering up at him. “I don’t care who you think you are, officer, but I’m a guest at this party and you’ll respect me as such.”

Caleb reached as if to grab Lydia again and she slapped his hand away. “Lydia, enough,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Who the hell is Lydia?” she spat, readjusting her glove which had started to fall down her forearm after Caleb grabbed her.

Caleb glanced at the people nearby who were starting to look over at them and whisper. In the comms unit in her ear, Sylus murmured, “I’m on my way, Sweetie.”

An interesting mixture of relief and fear wrenched her gut at that.

“Are you really going to do this?” Caleb asked in a low voice, just loud enough for Lydia to hear.

Lydia jutted out her chin defiantly. “Yes,” she responded just as quietly.

Caleb tensed, the muscle in his jaw twitching as he glanced at the party. Taking a deep breath that didn’t do anything to visibly calm him down at all, he looked back at Lydia. “Can I speak to you privately, just over here?”

Crossing her arms, Lydia cast an imperious gaze across the party, locking eyes with Sylus as he worked his way around the room, before she shrugged. “Fine,” she sighed, following Caleb a few short paces away until they are out of earshot of the other party-goers.

“What are you doing here?” he hissed the moment they were alone.

“I told you, I’m a guest. I have an invitation,” Lydia responded, lifting it for him to see. “Well, Genevieve has an invitation. But that’s me, so–”

“How many times do I have to tell you— no, beg you to stop being so reckless?” he asked, his voice quiet, but the anger and frustration was loud and clear. “You know how dangerous it is for you to be here–”

“I’m not a child, Caleb. I can handle myself,” Lydia interrupted, glaring at him through her veil. “How much do I have to do to prove that to you?”

Caleb shut his eyes and turned his face away a bit. “I’m not saying you’re a child, Dia,” he said slowly before adding, “but that doesn’t mean you’re capable of handling things by yourself.”

“I’m not here alone,” she growled, frustration bubbling over. “I brought back-up with me because I’m not stupid.”

Caleb’s eyes widened, confusion and betrayal both swimming in their purple depths. “You brought— who? Who would you bring with you?” Caleb asked, and his gaze shuttered with something akin to anger. “You didn’t ask me to back you up?”

Sadness washed over Lydia at that question, and part of her wished he had been an option for this. Truly, she wished she could have called him instead, just because she wanted to be partners in mischief with him again. But as long as he was the Colonel, with whatever modifications he has in place…

“You know why, Caleb,” she said as gently as possible, hoping the guilt and sorrow was clear in her voice.

Caleb’s nostrils flared as he flinched slightly and looked away, working to compose himself. “Who did you come with?” he asked again in a cold voice.

Before she can respond, Lydia felt Sylus arrive. Between the connection of their Aether Cores, and the way the nearby party-goers fell silent, Sylus’ presence behind her was obvious, even without the way Caleb’s eyes looked over her shoulder with immediate recognition and hatred.

“There you are, Kitten,” Sylus crooned as he draped an arm around Lydia’s shoulders. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

The silence between the three of them was heavy before Caleb scoffed. “You went to him for help?”

“Actually, I went to her,” Sylus responded, his tone dangerously bored.

“I’m not talking to you,” Caleb growled, and Sylus gave him a dangerous, toothy grin as he raised his hands in mocking surrender. With a sharp, final glare toward Sylus, Caleb returned his attention to Lydia. “Can I talk to you alone?”

Lydia’s heart hurt as she squared her shoulders and shook her head. “No. You can say your piece now or not at all,” she said as firmly as she could muster.

Caleb clenched his jaw and looked away as he collected his thoughts. “Fine. You want me to believe you’re capable of doing things on you’re own and then you bring a criminal as back-up?” he asked in a low voice.

“Caleb,” Lydia warned, clenching her jaw as angry, hot tears stung the backs of her eyes. She knew she was capable, she knew that Sylus would have her back as he always did, she knew she made a smart call with the entire mission. However, Caleb had an amazing talent at making her feel like a stupid kid all over again.

“You insist you can take care of yourself, and I want to believe you, Dia. I do. But then you pull something like this–” Caleb cut himself off with a little flinch, took a deep breath, and said in a low voice, “is it any wonder I just want to take you away from everything and protect you? When you do things like this?”

Lydia felt the way Sylus’ fingers twitched on her shoulders and knew that it’s time to end this conversation. Sylus would only tolerate so many circles before he ended the argument his way.

“That’s enough, Caleb. Stay out of our way. Please,” she said, and her tone was firm enough that she could see Caleb falter a bit. It wasn’t very obvious, but she could see it in the way the corners of his eyes relaxed just a bit.

After a moment, Caleb stood up straight. “You’re making a mistake trusting him, Dia,” he insisted, as if he knew anything about Sylus.

“C’mon, Sy,” Lydia said instead of responding, slipping her arm around Sylus’ waist and leaning into him. “We’ve kept the Colonel long enough, and I was hoping to dance before the dinner begins.”

“Of course, Kitten,” Sylus hummed, smirking over at Caleb. At Caleb’s expression of rage— almost immediately wiped from his face with a flinch and a deep breath— Sylus leaned close to him and knocked one of his rings against Caleb’s right arm. “Careful, Colonel. Wouldn’t want you blowing a fuse.”

Before Caleb could respond, Sylus turned and led Lydia into the crowd of people, bound for the dance floor in the centre of the room.

Caleb seethed from across the room as he watched Lydia dance with that monster. He had read more than enough reports about Sylus Qin and his ruthless gang to know that Lydia shouldn’t be anywhere near him.

But there the two of them were, dancing and laughing as if they were friends— worse, lovers. Pressed close to each other, not an inch of space between them—

With a hiss, Caleb shook his head, ignoring the quiet warning from the Toring chip babbling in his mind. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself down, and returned his gaze to Lydia.

Or at least, he tried to.

When he looked back toward the dance floor, Lydia was gone. Quickly scanning the room, he caught sight of Sylus first, his head of silver hair towering over the rest of the room.

Sure enough, Lydia was right next to him. She was holding the monster’s hand as she led him over to a corridor that went further into the mansion. The two of them were putting on quite the show, as if they were a pair of lovers sneaking away from the festivities for a tryst.

But Caleb knew they were just enacting whatever reckless plan Sylus got Lydia caught up in.

Caleb wished he was capable of just staying out of it, of just letting Lydia make her mistakes and suffer those consequences. He wished he could just stand there and let Sylus betray her so he could say, “I told you so.”

Truly, he wished there was a version of himself who could knowingly let Lydia get hurt like that.

However, he had already crossed the room and sneaked into the corridor behind them, listening closely to figure out where they had gone. A few metres down the hall, there was an open doorway with a dim light pouring out of, and Caleb could hear hushed voices.

‘I’ll just stay close and protect her when he turns on her,’ Caleb told himself, and he meant to do just that, too.

Then he heard a loud cry from Lydia, like a yelp of shock or pain, and Caleb rushed to the doorway.

The room was a modest office space, with a massive, wood desk set near a built-in bookcase. Lydia was sitting on the edge of the desk with her back to the doorway, as Sylus loomed over her, his red eyes glinting in the low lighting. Her legs were wrapped loosely around Sylus’ legs, and she propped herself on one hand behind her. Sylus had one hand tangled in her hair at the back of her head, while the other—

All at once it crashed down on Caleb what he walked into, what he was seeing and hearing. The breathless whimpers of Lydia, pleading with and praising Sylus, the slick movements of Sylus’ fingers beneath the skirt of Lydia’s gown. Caleb’s gut clenched and he felt a terrible throb below the belt, even as he felt more of that rage bubbling under the surface.

Sylus’ crimson gaze locked onto his over Lydia’s shoulder, pinning him in place. The monster didn’t even stop taking Lydia apart as they stared at each other.

Then Sylus smirked, dark and deadly, before returning his full attention to Lydia, dragging her into a filthy, deep kiss that had Caleb fighting to not to cross the room and get Sylus off of her. He didn’t want to embarrass Lydia in such a way, despite her terrible choice in partners.

Sylus released Lydia’s hair so he could wrap his arm around her waist, lifting her off the desk and spinning her toward a door next to the bookcase. He still had one hand under her dress, the wet noises of his fingers working her still audible, even as he walked.

“Sy?” Lydia whimpered breathlessly, and Sylus just hummed as he kicked the door to the en-suite open so he could step inside.

“I think I hear someone coming, Kitten,” he explained before kicking the door shut behind them, leaving Caleb gawking in the doorway of the office. He couldn’t move, couldn’t even breathe, trying to reconcile what he knew about Lydia and what he just saw. An exultant cry from the bathroom broke Caleb from his stupor and he stumbled backward into the hallway.

Caleb knew he should leave, to head back to the banquet and pretend he didn’t see or hear any of that. But he still couldn’t just leave Lydia without proper backup. Sylus was going to take what he wanted from her, use her for his schemes, and abandon her the moment he was finished with her. The fact that he was even taking advantage of her like that set Caleb’s teeth on edge.

So, he retreated to a spot in the hall that provided him enough cover to conceal his presence and he went impossibly still and quiet. He could stand there for hours like that without blinking, barely even breathing thanks to one of the recent “enhancements” gifted to him by the Professor…

Lydia quivered as she twisted her fingers in Sylus’ hair, her head thrown back as she panted through the aftershocks of her last orgasm. When she felt the sharp press of teeth against the inside of her thigh, Lydia barked out a delirious little giggle and shoved at Sylus’ head.

“‘Nough, Sy,” she slurred, licking her lips and swallowing hard as she tipped her head forward to meet his crimson gaze. “We’ve still got work to do.”

“Mhm,” Sylus hummed, making a show of wiping his lips and then licking his fingers clean. “I’m well aware of the time, Kitten.”

The two of them lapse into an easy quiet as they got cleaned up and straightened out their clothes. Lydia spent a bit of extra time touching up her lipstick, before looking around to gather parts of her outfit that came off as Sylus took her apart.

“I have to work harder next time,” Sylus sighed explosively, and Lydia raised an eyebrow at him.

“What do you mean?” she asked with a sultry dip of her voice before walking her fingers across Sylus’ lap. “Short of letting you fuck me, I don’t think I could’ve came any harder, Sy.”

Sylus growled before flicking Lydia’s forehead gently. “You’re still frowning,” he said knowingly.

Lydia huffed and turned away, idly rubbing the spot Sylus flicked. “It’s nothing,” she lied, poorly.

“It’s the Colonel, isn’t it,” Sylus stated, not even bothering to pose it as a question.

Lydia glared over at Sylus. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mock me about this,” she said and something visibly softened in Sylus’ face.

Reaching out, he carefully hooked his fingers with hers, tugging her closer. “I wasn’t mocking, Dove. I… admit that I don’t understand you’re boundless patience for the Colonel’s habit of underestimating you. But I know a thing or two about how strong a bond of the heart can be.”

Lydia smiled weakly, lifting Sylus’ hand so she could press a kiss to his knuckles. “Thanks, Sy.”

“That said,” he hummed as he turned his hand to cup Lydia’s jaw. “I will not ‘play nice’ with him, so spare yourself the disappointment of asking.”

Lydia let out a small laugh. “Never would’ve expected you to, Sy,” she reassured him before smoothing out her skirt and checking her make-up in the mirror one last time. Turning back to the door to the small office they had stumbled into, she offered her hand to Sylus. “Shall we?”

Sylus just smiled and tangled their fingers together, letting Lydia lead him out to the hallway.

Just as they were about to return to the party, their comms link beeped.

“Got a problem, Boss-man.”

“On the way to your location.”

Almost as soon as the second message came through, one of the twins materialized out of the darkness at the end of the hallway. It was Kieran, and his hands fidgeted with a nervous sort of energy that usually meant a messy mission.

“Where’s Luke?” Lydia asked quietly, looking around.

“Keeping eyes on the prize,” Kieran replied, tapping the corner of the eye in his mask. “We found the vault and we can get in.”

“But…” Sylus prompted, crossing his arms slowly.

“It won’t be discreet, Boss. Even if we were able to deal with the encryption on the locks, security gets notified every time the doors open. Either we wait until someone who’s supposed to enter the vault arrives and we take them out, or—”

“We prepare for a fight and blow the doors open,” Sylus finished, and Lydia could tell by the dangerous glint in Sylus’ eyes which plan he preferred. Kieran’s stance changed as Sylus’ mood shifted, and even Lydia could feel the excitement bubbling up inside her.

“What’s the plan then?” she asked, and Sylus crossed his arms in thought.

“The twins will be fine getting into the vault and getting what we’re here for. The two of us will be the welcoming party for anyone foolish enough to respond,” he replied, and Lydia nodded thoughtfully.

“Should we cut the power? Might slow the response down, or redirect some of it to getting the power back on,” Lydia mentioned, and Sylus frowned.

“Do we know where the main power supply is?” he asked.

“In the sub-basement, directly beneath the servant quarters,” Lydia and Kieran replied at the same time, high-fiving each other without missing a beat.

Sylus smirked and nodded slowly, but his frown persisted. “That’s an option.”

“What’re you thinking, Sy?” Lydia pressed.

Sylus gazed down at her for a moment before glancing at Kieran. “It’s a good plan, and it would give us more time in the vault,” he replied evasively and Lydia rolled her eyes.

“Then why are you frowning?” she pushed firmly.

“We would have to split up. The twins are best suited to get into the vault and collect what we’re here for, which leaves you and I to either fight security as the come to investigate the break-in, or descend two floors below this castle to cut the power,” Sylus explained quickly. “The person who cuts the power will likely be facing the heaviest opposition, and they’ll be doing it in the dark and no hope of back-up. Whoever is backing the twins up will only receive back-up if the one cutting the power is successful in getting back upstairs.”

Lydia found herself glaring as he finished his run-down of the risks. “You don’t think I can handle one of the tasks?” she asked, still smarting from Caleb’s comments earlier.

Sylus laughed a bit at that. “I would never doubt your capabilities, Kitten. I’ve seen them in action more than enough times. For this, however, the odds are not great for either of us,” he replied candidly. “I don’t like the idea of splitting up. However, it would give us a significant advantage if it works. It would be worth the risk…”

“I’ll go for the power, you back the twins up,” Lydia said, shrugging. “I know the layout of the sub-basement and I have a map if I need it. I might be able to sneak out without fighting anyone at all.”

“Sounds like a plan, Kitten,” Sylus agreed with a curt nod before he dragged Lydia in for a kiss. It was chaste, but it still left her a bit breathless when he pulled away. “See you soon.”

With that, Sylus let her go and as he stepped away to join Kieran, and they both disappeared into a red and black mist.

Taking a deep breath, Lydia headed to the sub-basement.

Sylus stood guard in the hallway a short distance away from the vault, idly rolling his shoulders out as he waited for the lights to go out. He could hear Lydia’s steady breathing in his ear, thanks to the comms link, but neither had spoken a word to each other since splitting up. Lydia’s mission required stealth, so Sylus would not distract her with needless conversation.

After what felt like decades, he finally heard, “It’s showtime, Sy.”

With that, the lights all around him in the hallway went out, and he could hear the sounds of various other systems shutting down with the loss of power.

There was a pregnant pause as they all waited, just to see if the enemy took the bait.

“I can hear movement, a lot of uniforms coming down the stairs to the sub-basement. Your turn.”

Despite the concern he had being separated from Lydia like this, he smiled. “Open sesame,” Sylus said slowly, and the twins activated the charges on the door to the vault.

Sylus leaned against the wall, waiting for the opposition to arrive, and when they did, their skill would have been laughable if it wasn’t so boring. It felt like fighting children, though the fight seemed to persist for too long with no sight of Lydia.

“Got the goods, Boss,” Luke said over the comms link.

Sylus frowned as he put down a couple more guards, looking around for Lydia. “Kitten, where are you?”

There was no response, and Sylus worked to keep himself calm. She probably just turned off her comms unit so she wouldn’t be distracted by his fight, he reasoned.

“Boss?”

“Get the car ready. We’ll be making a hasty exit,” Sylus replied, and he barely had time to react as a figure came around the corner at the end of the hall, aiming a gun directly at Sylus.

“I knew you’d just toss her aside once she served her purpose!”

Sylus dodged the bullets as the Colonel shot at him, sneering at him darkly before using his Evol to knock the gun out of his hand. “You truly are talented at jumping to conclusions, Colonel,” he drawled, grunting as the weight of Caleb’s Evol bore down on his shoulders. Shaking it off and relishing in the look of shock that crossed Caleb’s features, Sylus wrapped his black and red mist around the Colonel’s throat.

Just as Sylus was about to finish the Colonel, a familiar soldier appeared and raised an antimatter gun. Sylus barely threw up a barrier in time, the blast from the gun burning through most of it. As pain laced through his gut and side, Sylus grunted, “Shit.”

“Sy!” Lydia’s voice crackled through the comms link, filling Sylus with a relief so overwhelming he wanted to dance. “You need to get out of there! They’ve got–”

Before she could finish, the comms link cut out and Sylus could feel his Evol get smothered by something. Beside him, Caleb stumbled and gasped for breath as the black and red mist around his throat disappeared.

As the soldier took aim again, Sylus pulled out his own gun and shot their leg. The soldier’s knee buckled, and the antimatter gun went off, hitting the ceiling above them. A cascade of debris was about to come down from the floor above, and it would crush them if they didn’t move. Sylus moved to duck into a room next to them, and at the last second he grabbed Caleb, dragging him along behind him.

Shutting the door, the sounds of the floor above collapsing outside unmistakable. When the noises outside stopped, Sylus opened the door again to find nothing but rubble on the other side, blocking any exit that direction. Looking around the room they found themselves in, Sylus sneered as he realized it was more of a storage room without any windows.

While his Evol was suppressed, they would be stuck in that room while Lydia was out there on her own, and he had no way of contacting the twins or her. Sylus slammed the door shut again and turned his head toward Caleb.

“Well, Colonel,” Sylus said with a mocking smile, suppressing a flinch at the pain in his abdomen as he leaned his shoulder against the door. The room around them shook with what sounded like an explosion somewhere else in the mansion. “Thanks to your heroic antics, you and I will be waiting the rest of this fight out in here.”

As another explosion shook everything around them, Caleb hit the wall with a frustrated yell.

“Easy, Colonel. There’s no use in injuring yourself throwing a tantrum,” Sylus sighed, leaning against the door with his eyes closed. There was blood on his lips, and one of his hands was hidden beneath his coat where he held his side.

Caleb sneered and said, “Do me a favour and die faster.”

“Mm,” Sylus chuckled, opening his eyes to meet Caleb’s gaze. “Unfortunately, it would take more than this to kill me, even with my Evol suppressed.”

Caleb sucked his teeth and paced the small cell they found themselves in. “How are you this calm when Lydia’s out there alone?” he snapped after a minute of complete silence.

“Don’t mistake conserving my energy for calm, Colonel,” Sylus said flatly, before shrugging a shoulder. “Lydia’s a capable woman. I have faith in her abilities. If she can’t handle it, then we avenge her when we get out of this box.”

“No,” Caleb said sharply. “She can’t die. That isn’t an option.”

Sylus laughed at that, wincing a bit. “Death is always an option when mortality is in play, Colonel. Sometimes death is better than the alternative,” he said with a condescending smirk.

Caleb glared at Sylus. “Lydia dying is the worst possible outcome,” he all but growled at Sylus.

With a hum, Sylus nodded slightly and agreed, “for you, yes, I imagine it is.”

“You don’t even care about her at all, do you?” Caleb accused, disgust clear in his voice.

With a snort, Sylus rolled his eyes and carefully lowered himself until he was sitting on the floor.

“I have no interest in defending the depths of my adoration for Lydia, nor how undying my loyalty is,” he said, then added, “regardless, my feelings for her would have no bearing on whether she lives to breathe another day.”

At that, they lapsed into silence, listening for more sounds of what was happening beyond their cell. On the floor, Sylus tipped his head back against the door and hummed quietly. When Caleb looked closely, he could see the slight beading of perspiration on the criminal’s forehead and upper lip, giving away just how much pain Sylus was in.

After another handful of minutes without a word passing between them, Caleb crossed his arms and leaned against the wall opposite of the door.

“I’ll bite. What’s the worst outcome if death isn’t?” he asked, and Sylus’ lazy smirk just reignited Caleb’s anger.

“Do you really want to know?” Sylus practically purred, raising and eyebrow as he looked up at Caleb. Then with a conspiratorial look, he singsonged, “I don’t think you do…”

“Just spit it out, Qin,” Caleb growled.

As he said that, Sylus’ entire demeanour changed, the smirk and condescending playfulness leaving his expression completely for the first time the entire evening.

“A cage, Colonel,” Sylus said in a low, threatening tone that had a nauseating mix of guilt and dread swirling in Caleb’s gut. Then Sylus continued, “No matter how gilded and beautiful the cage is, Lydia would wilt. Wither away to a shade, a mere suggestion of her true self.”

Caleb’s nostrils flared as he glared down at Sylus. “I don’t want that either,” he finally said, and he hated how quiet his voice sounded. How indecisive.

Sylus scoffed. “Of course, you don’t want that, Colonel. No one wants that for someone they love, even when they’re threatening to do it,” Sylus agreed.

“I didn’t threaten anything like that,” Caleb growled and Sylus just grinned, showing off teeth that were pink with is own blood.

“You said it yourself, Colonel,” he said, licking his lips and swallowing. “That you would take her away, take her somewhere safe where its just the two of you, and you alone would protect her.”

“That’s— you’re twisting my words,” Caleb accused and Sylus just laughed.

“I’m repeating your words, Colonel,” he sighed before continuing. “Now, obviously you don’t want to put her in a cage, but you would still do it rather than risk the alternative. You would prefer putting her in a cage to her being dead.”

The awful ring of truth in Sylus’ words struck a chord in Caleb’s chest and he glared. “You don’t know anything about me. You barely even know Lydia,” he said instead, and at that, Sylus sneered.

“You would prefer to cage her and watch her soul waste away because of the sacrifices you think you made,” Sylus continued, his expression growing darker. “But the true heart of it? You want to do that to her because of the decisions you don’t actually want to live with.”

“Shut up,” Caleb growled, which Sylus took as his cue to stand back up.

“After selling your soul to the devil to supposedly keep her safe, what would it mean for you if she died anyway?” Sylus asked, and there was something cruel in his tone. Something mean with teeth, or the hooked beak of a carrion bird, ready to rip his flesh open.

“Shut up,” Caleb repeated as another chord is plucked.

“And especially if she died at the hands of the very devil you sold your soul to?” Sylus pushed, raising his eyebrows curiously. “What would that mean, Caleb?”

His own name coming from Sylus’ mouth jolted Caleb a bit. “Enough. Shut. Up,” he bit out.

Suddenly, Sylus was across the small room and looming over him somehow, despite them being close to the same height. Or at least, Caleb thought they were close to the same height.

“It would mean that there was no point to anything you’ve done since surviving that bomb,” Sylus said through gritted teeth, giving words to Caleb’s deepest fear with disgust clear on his features.

“That isn’t true–” Caleb started, but Sylus raised his hand between them, the one that should be covered in blood yet somehow wasn’t. In the next moment, Caleb realized that he couldn’t move at all, black and red mist curling around his arms and legs, and once again around his throat. It was holding him just tight enough that he couldn’t move. “How–?”

“No Evol suppressor can last very long against me,” Sylus explained flippantly, but there was a smugness to the upward twitch of his mouth. “It’s only a matter of time before I acclimate to the hostile conditions and overcome them.”

“You–”

“Enough,” Sylus snapped, voice sharp. “You are nothing but a willing tool for EVER, and the only way you can fool yourself into believing that you have purpose beyond that is by making her suffer your so-called ‘protection.’”

Caleb shook his head. “You don’t know me or Lydia, what me mean to each other, our promises to each other–”

“I am fully aware of how deeply you have your hooks in her,” Sylus interrupted, rolling his eyes again.

“The hell is that supposed to mean?” Caleb asked through his teeth, and Sylus sighed.

“You’re the most important person in her life,” he sneered, and at Caleb’s startled expression, he added, “she talks about you constantly, Colonel.”

Caleb smiled a bit smugly at that. “Funny, she’s never mentioned you, though,” he said, and Sylus’ cold laughter raised the hairs on the back of Caleb’s neck.

“Interesting that you seem to think that says anything about me,” Sylus crooned before he rolled his shoulders. Then he tilted his head with an alarmingly soft expression, looking away from Caleb for a moment. “Of course I’m still here, Kitten.”

“Dia?” Caleb asked, relief surging through him.

Sylus’ eyes returned to Caleb’s face and his expression darkened again. “I’m bored of this conversation, Colonel, so let me speak plainly, especially now that Lydia is listening: if you wish to enact your depressing little fantasy, you will have to kill me first.”

“Is that a threat?” Caleb asked defiantly.

“A promise, actually. As long as I am alive and she allows me to stand by her side, I will never permit her to be caged,” Sylus said darkly. “If you take her away while I still breathe, I will find you and I will kill you.”

“She wouldn’t want you if you killed me,” Caleb said, but he can already tell that Sylus didn’t care about that. Still, Caleb added, “like you said, I’m the most important person in her life.”

“She would despise me, yes. She might even kill me for doing it,” Sylus agreed, his voice deadly serious, red eyes gleaming in the dim room. “But she would be free, and that is the only thing that would matter. That is the only thing that has ever mattered to me.”

The silence that fell between them was long and heavy before Sylus stepped away and released him from his Evol. “I’m stopping now, Kitten,” he said, backing off completely.

Caleb couldn’t help a final jab. “Do you have to call her such a condescending nickname all the time?”

Sylus just raised an eyebrow. “You’re right,” he said sarcastically. “Perhaps I should call her something befitting an adult woman, like ‘Pip-squeak.’ What do you think?”

Caleb could feel his ears heat up. “That’s different,” he said and Sylus just nodded once.

“One shouldn’t throw stones in glass houses,” he said flatly before leaning against the door again. “Now stop talking. I’m at the end of my patience with you already.”

With that, they truly lapsed into silence, as they awaited some sort of rescue, however that looked. Sylus was murmuring quietly into his comms unit, but obvious exhaustion showed on his face. Seeing that, Caleb didn’t question why he wasn’t using his Evol to get them out. Caleb tried to use his, but whatever was suppressing their Evol was still in effect.

“How the hell did you use your Evol?” Caleb asked after a few minutes, and Sylus glanced at him.

“Having performance issues, Colonel?” he asked snidely before flinching. Caleb could hear Lydia’s stern scolding from across the small room, and he couldn’t help his pleased smile as Sylus said shakily, “Volume, Kitten, please.”

“There is clearly an Evol suppressor nearby, and even if you’re a powerful Evolver, you would still be suppressed. I’m a powerful Evolver,” Caleb pressed, glaring at Sylus a bit longer.

“Maybe I’m actually a demon,” Sylus suggested with a shrug, his smirk even more infuriating. Sighing, Sylus said into the comms unit, “can you deal with the Evol suppressor, Sweetie? Your colonel is getting antsy.”

Something in the back of Caleb’s mind clicked into place. “You have an Aether Core, don’t you?”

Sylus snorted. “If I did, what makes you think I would tell one of EVER’s lapdogs— Sweetie, I am close to begging you to keep your voice down,” he trailed off, pinching the bridge of his nose and screwing his eyes shut.

“It’s in your head or something,” Caleb said, feeling a bit smug having figured it out. “Your headache, it’s like Dia’s heart palpitations when she overexerts herself.”

Sylus rolled his eyes and turned his face away from Caleb. “I’m starting to think there was an environmental factor to Lydia’s inability to be quiet, given you appear to have the same problem,” he grumbled, and Caleb watched as Sylus’ face softened just a bit. “What I mean, Kitten, is that the two of you clearly grew up together and learned the same habits.”

The man chuckled, and there was something terribly soft and vulnerable in his expression. Caleb had to look away, too embarrassed to watch what felt like a private moment. Somehow, it was more embarrassing seeing that small moment than it had been walking in on Sylus and Lydia earlier.

Caleb could feel when the device suppressing his Evol was shut down a few minutes later, and he immediately moved toward the door. “Let me through, I’ll move the debris out of our way,” Caleb said when Sylus arched a brow at his approach.

“Knock yourself out,” Sylus said, stepping out of Caleb’s way and gesturing.

Lydia finally reached the collapsed hallway just as Caleb broke through the last of the rubble. She immediately grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug before she pulled away and punched him in the shoulder.

“What the hell, Caleb? What are you doing here?” she snapped as she inspected him for injuries.

“I—” he started, but his explanation faltered for a moment. “I had to be sure he wasn’t going to betray you.”

“Caleb,” she sighed before stepping away from him. Her disappointment seemed to shock Caleb, and his face fell. “If you would take your head out of your ass and listen to me once— I don’t have time for this right now.”

As she went to step around Caleb, he grabbed her wrist lightly. “Can we talk about it? Later?” he asked softly, and Lydia looked up at him. Her heart ached at the soft expression he was giving her.

“Will you listen to me?” she asked, and Caleb nodded earnestly, sliding his hand down to hold hers.

“I’ll try, Pips, okay? I’ll come to Linkon as soon as the paperwork about this mess is cleared,” he replied, and Lydia would happily take that.

“Alright, and use the key I gave you. Remember, you’re not a stray,” she said, squeezing his hand and then punching his shoulder.

Caleb laughed softly before clearing his throat. “I’ll keep any reinforcements out so you two can get out of here. I’m assuming you have a ride?”

Lydia nodded and Caleb stooped to kiss the top of her head. “Take care of yourself, Caleb,” she said.

Caleb turned away and sighed, “you, too, Pips.” Then he hurried away, turning the corner and disappearing.

Turning back to the room they had been trapped in, Lydia’s eyes landed on Sylus, who was sitting on some of the rubble. He was clearly in pain and exhausted. “Jeez, Sy, what did you do to yourself,” she fussed as she hurried over to him.

“Nothing a good night’s rest won’t fix, Kitten,” he promised before tangling a hand in her hair and pulling her into a kiss. “You’re okay…”

“I’m okay,” she confirmed, holding his other hand to her chest. “You can see for yourself.”

“I will save my thorough inspection for when we get home,” he promised, and Lydia wouldn’t argue with that at all.

Tagging: @hxneyfarm @zayne-s