#when we have some proper release dates and stuff I’ll try to gather and share info for the best / cheapest ways to order internationally
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nevermoorsource · 1 year ago
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It’s been 3 years since we first learned the title for Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow! The book will release in 2024/2025 depending on location.
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enjennie · 5 years ago
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The Dreamies as types of dates
Mark
Carnival piers, ice cream and stuffed toys.
The shy date who planned and overthought things beforehand. Simple things like a date by the pier, winning you stuff toys at the carnival and stopping by the ice cream shop are the small things in which Mark would like to spend his day doing with you. Would most likely end the day with a ride on the Ferris wheel because he wanted to see the sunset from up high with you, but didn’t realize how crammed the carriage is, which means awkward glances and accidental hand brushes. He’s debating if it’s the right time to hold your hand, and panicking deep inside. In the end, he takes the leap and places his hand on top of yours, looks at you if it’s okay, before knitting your fingers together. He smiles to himself when you lie your head on his shoulder. “Is this okay?” “It’s perfect,”
Renjun
Museum and art gallery dates, pottery places or just somewhere to get your creative juices going.
Renjun’s the type to make up stories about the paintings displayed on the wall, claiming that the man in the canvas was a spy for the government, or that the picture of the chapel was an old cult gathering place. You think it’s definitely dorky, but don’t hesitate in joining in on making up the stories with him and by the end of the date, you’ve made countless of inside jokes and a bunch of plots you both made up, calling for a memorable date. Renjun would probably walk you home afterwards, and try to steal a kiss on the cheek (or on the lips if he’s brave). “Goodnight, I had fun today,” “I didn’t, the terrible fate you gave old man Harris in that one painting was harsh,” “Can I kiss you to make up for it?”>
Jeno
Karaoke, photo booths and record stores.
The date who surprises you with his singing skills at the karaoke/coin noraebang. Belting out to ballads as if his wife and three kids left him. Spontaneous plans and being pulled into every photo booth he sees, where you make kissy faces and silly expressions for the camera. Jeno wouldn’t want to pressure you in dressing up, insisting that you look lovely in anything you put on. At the vintage record store, he’d pick out his favourite album and put the headset on for you as you both listen. On the way home, he’d share his earphones with you and play the playlist he made for you while playing with your fingers and drawing on your palm. “Guess what I’m drawing,” “A flower?” “It’s my cat bongsik, but okay,”
Haechan
Amusement parks, rollercoasters and street food.
Extremely loud screaming that turn into high notes at the rollercoaster, almost punching the haunted house actor for being too scary and several failed attempts at the claw machine. These are some of the many things that goes on in a date with Hyuck. He wants to try every ride with you, and taste all the food the park has to offer. Won’t leave the claw machine alone until he gets you one of the ‘special’ prizes, which turned out to be a blender. “Seriously, who gives away blenders as  prizes in an amusement park?” “Hey if you don’t like it then I’ll give it to my mom,”.  The laid back date who treats you like a bro, but offers his jacket to you when it gets chilly at night accompanied by a scolding as to why you didn’t bring your own, then takes you to a 7/11 to eat ramyeon because he wasted all his money on the damn claw machine.
Jaemin
Puppies, charity work and coffee breaks.
The date with the biggest heart who takes you to the puppy adoption center to volunteer because he wants to share his happiness with you. Stealing glances at you as you play with puppies and bathe them, seeing you being loving to the animals makes Jaemin fall deeper in love with you. You almost don’t want to leave the dogs and almost took one with you at the end of the day. Once you finish up, he takes you to a neighboring café and talk about the fun day you’ve had. Jaemin can’t keep the smile from appearing on his face, hearing you say how much fun you had and seeing how happy you are doing the thing that brings him the most joy. “I already miss the pups,” “What do you say we come back again tomorrow?” “Are you asking me for a second date, or do my ears deceive me?”
Chenle
Lightsticks, concerts and being the only person he sees in the sea of people.
You can never tell what’s coming next with Chenle. When he says he’s taking you to a concert, you have to ask if it’s a recital, orchestra or a band because you really don’t know what to expect from the boy. Chenle would buy the tickets on a whim and would be at your front door an hour before it starts. Screaming over the music, or whispering into your ear as you both danced together. Chenle the type to keep his eyes on you while you have the time of your life, spinning you around and asking for your hand to slow dance when the band plays a romantic song. Afterwards he’ll take you home and cook you dinner as you both recap the night you spent together. “I don’t even know the band,” “You’re kidding,” “I wish I was,”
Jisung
Arcades, dance machines and afterschool dates.
The type to hold your backpack for you and awkwardly walk with you. Lots of back of the head scratches and lame jokes to fill the silence between you both which still makes you laugh anyway. Challenges you to the dance machine but loses on purpose. He wants to break the record for the basketball machine to impress you, but gets pressured with you watching him, therefore only getting a certain amount in. Very student friendly budget date, he probably saved up his allowance weeks before. “I’m sorry, I’ll take you on a proper date next time,” “Are you kidding? I’m having so much fun,” hearing you say this would really boost his confidence, and he’d ask for a second date before this one even came to an end. Would take the bus home with you, offer you a hot pack to keep you warm and get flustered when your hands come in contact with one another. Shy side glances and a lot of blushing. You end the night eating snacks in a minimart and you listen to him geek out about the latest released video game.
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cheri-translates · 5 years ago
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Dating Mr Gavin (a translated one-shot)
This work, 和阿起先生的恋爱日记, was originally written by 喵小柒吃很少 on Weibo, and she has given me permission to translate it 🌸
[ ONE ]
Pushing the door open gently, you peek into the study room.
“Gavin! Are you still working?” 
Lifting his head in response to your voice, warmth seeps into his originally stoic expression. “...mm, I should be done soon.”
“That’s good...” You comment, but feel a twinge of disappointment. 
Why does this man have to work so hard during the weekend...
You’re suddenly struck with an idea--
“Can I accompany you? I promise not to be a disturbance!”
“Cough... sure.” 
In a volume he thinks you can’t hear, he adds, “It’s all I could wish for.”
You plop yourself down opposite Gavin, and start flipping through a novel on his desk.
After a few minutes, he suddenly speaks. “I think you should sit next to me.”
“Hm?”
The tips of his ears flush a slight red.
“I’m trying my best to concentrate, but I can’t focus when you’re in front of me...”
“All right~” You rise to your feet. After a moment of deliberation, you move over to Gavin’s left side.
“Not in front, and not to the right.” You mutter secretively.
“...why?”
“Because...” You lean in close to his face, and give him a light peck reminiscent of a dragonfly flitting across the surface of water. “This way, I’ll be closer to your heart!”
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[ TWO ]
"Look at me!” You lift your phone up high, the front-view camera displaying a large you, and a tiny Gavin at the back.
“Coming.” He says affectionately as always, walking over. “Are you taking a picture?”
“Mm!” Adjusting your expression, you tap on an adorable sticker, causing bunny ears to appear on the screen. Given your shorter height, you struggle to hold the phone at a proper angle so the both of you can fit into the frame.
With a light chuckle, he takes the phone from you, lifting it up even higher. “Let me.”
Just before he snaps the picture, you give him a quick kiss on the cheek - the moment his face turns a bright red is captured perfectly by the camera.
“Great! Mission complete~” You take the phone back from him, checking the picture.
Gavin smiles as he tousles your hair. “If you like it that much, I can take pictures with you anytime.”
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[ THREE ]
“We have to hurry!” You grab Gavin’s hand as the two of you rush to board the train, squishing yourselves among the throng of commuters. 
One of his hands are wrapped around your waist, and another is behind your head, preventing others from bumping into you. The train doors shut slowly.
“Are you okay?” He releases the hand on your head, but his grip on your waist doesn’t loosen.
“I’m fine!” You shake your head, giving him a bright smile. 
A few stations later, the crowd in the train gradually lessen. Luckily, the both of you managed to find seats.
You lean to the right, planting your head on his shoulder. Then, you retrieve a set of earpieces from your bag, plugging it into your phone. Gavin tilts his head to look at you, his eyes tender and affectionate.
“Here!” You stuff the right earplug into your ear, and hand the left earplug to him.
“Mm.” Gavin takes it, inserting it into his ear.
A gentle and romantic melody drifts from the earplugs, coursing into your heart. The surrounding din fades. When you see the windows opposite reflecting both of your profiles, a smile subconsciously surfaces on your face.
Being able to enjoy bits and pieces of happiness in this hectic life - this is your definition of being blessed.
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[ FOUR ]
“Stop using your phone! It’s time to eat!” 
While holding an ice-cream in one hand, you notice Gavin standing at the entrance of the store with his phone. You’ve been yearning to visit this internet famous ice-cream store, and if it weren’t for you complaining over the past few days about how hot the weather has been, he wouldn’t have agreed to let you eat it...
“Mm, coming.” He agrees, but doesn’t put down his phone.
Hmm... what could be more important than focusing on the date? 
Of course, you wouldn’t make a fuss if it’s a work call, given the special circumstances of his job.
You rush over to him, your pout smoothening into a resigned smile. “If you’re busy, you could go ahead and handle it.” After this, you even give him a comforting pat on the head.
Gavin seems to be a little confused. “Ahem... no, it isn’t a mission.”
“Hm? But earlier...”
Before you finish speaking, you’re interrupted by his cough.
"Just now...” He rubs the back of his neck. “I was... taking pictures of you.”
You’re slightly doubtful of this answer. But when you take a closer look at him, you find that even his neck and ears have turned red.
“Gavin, you... Ahh, the ice-cream is melting!” You frantically take a bite of the ice-cream.
At this moment, you hear a “click”. Agile and nimble, he captures the scene of your messy attempt to salvage the ice-cream.
You peer at the picture in distaste. "I look awful! Delete it!” 
“No you don’t. It’s very nice.” He smiles. “Or I could take another?”
You decide to pose properly this time.
Click.
He sets down the phone. “I saw a quote on the internet yesterday, and wanted to share it with you.”
“What quote?”
“Your smile is as evident as a mountain, clear as water, tranquil and gentle. I want to... look at it for the rest of my life.”
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[ FIVE ]
It’s only been a short while since you started cohabiting with Mr Gavin.
You’ve just woken up in the middle of the night, and have a feeling that you wouldn’t be able to fall back to sleep. Even though you feel disgruntled because you have work the next day, there’s really nothing you can do about it. 
Resigned, you turn around, staring at Mr Gavin’s sleeping face - his long eyelashes, straight nose, a few strands of stray hair on his forehead... He looks so dashing, yet adorable. But his eyebrows are slightly furrowed... is he having a bad dream?
With this thought in mind, you shift closer to him. Only then do you realise that in your sleep, you had practically snatched away more than half of his blanket.
You’re flooded with guilt.
With small movements, you prepare to cover him properly with the blanket. The moment you touch his blanket, Gavin wakes up, grabbing your wrists fiercely. Unable to move, you stare at him with eyes wide, not knowing how to react.
In the next second, there’s a change in his expression. He immediately releases his hold on your wrists. “Did... did I hurt you?”
Despite not yet recovering from the suddenness of what just happened, you answer in a daze. “I’m fine.”
Hold on. I’m fine??
“Gavin! That hurt! Why did you do that!?!” You pout, lifting your wrists to his eyes. “Just look, they’re swollen...” (it’s an exaggeration)
Hearing this, Officer Gavin takes your ‘injured’ wrists and blows on them gently. “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault...”
You chuckle. “I was just kidding. It doesn’t hurt~”
After saying this, you snuggle in his arms.
“Actually, I’m the one who feels sorry for you.” You mumble softly.
Such a sharp reaction requires many years of training and horrifying circumstances in order to cultivate. You nuzzle your head against his shoulder.
He seems to understand the meaning behind your words, and he pats your back lightly, planting a chaste kiss on your forehead.
“Let’s go to sleep, my girl.”
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[ SIX ]
Men who love the starry sky are truly romantic, and he’s no exception.
Before officially getting together with Gavin, he would often take you to go stargazing. Of course, given that it’s Gavin, he would use an unorthodox method of stargazing - by flying you to the sky.
-
After work, you head to the precinct to look for him, and see that he was just about to leave the station with Eli. Seeing you, Eli smiles brightly. “Sis-in-law is here? Gavin, I’ve got some stuff to do, so I’ll leave now!”
With this, he flees from the scene, leaving you and Gavin in your original positions. He rubs his neck, a little embarrassed. 
You seem to have been taken aback by the address of “Sis-in-law”. Even so, you muster your courage to grab his arm to leave the precinct.
He takes your hand in his. “Eli mentioned that there will be shooting stars in Loveland City tonight. Want to take a look?”
You swing your laced hands back and forth enthusiastically. “Sure!”
When evening sets in, a crowd gathers at the fringe of the city. You heard that this was the best viewing spot, so Gavin brought you here on Sparky.
“So many people...” You frown. “Should we go somewhere else?”
Right after the words leave your lips, a pair of strong arms wrap around you, and a gust of wind lifts you up--
“Did you forget what we came here to do?” Gavin chuckles softly, tapping your nose with the tip of his finger.
He lands on the roof of a building. “What about here?”
“Mm!” You lift your head expectantly, waiting for the arrival of the shooting stars.
After prattling on for a while, the rain of stars finally appears. You point at the sky. “Gavin! Look!” 
This isn’t the first time you’re stargazing with Gavin, but it’s the first time you’re seeing shooting stars together. Watching them, you lapse into silence.
Gavin turns his head towards you. “What are you thinking about?”
“I’m thinking that the reason why stars give off light could be because they want everyone to find a star belonging to them.” 
He takes your hand in his, giving it a squeeze. 
“I’ve already found it.”
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[ SEVEN ]
Every summer, the oppressive heat and sudden torrential rain leaves you vexed. But being able to wear pretty skirts and enjoy sweet ice-cream makes you anticipate its arrival.
It’s truly a love-hate relationship.
But nowadays, the amount of “love” far outweighs “hate”. The reason is simple. Because you’re with a man who reminds you of the wind.
You like summer. And you like it even more when you’re with him.
After dinner, Gavin sends you a text: Want to go for a walk?
Like a love-struck fool with a starry-eyed infatuation, you smile at the screen for a very long time. 
Then, you reply with: Sure~
-
When Gavin knocks at your door, your mind is still filled with thoughts of romantic strolls along the river.
By the time you come to your senses, he’s already taking your hand in his, and the two of you are walking along the riverside.
Gavin faces you, the dim yellow streetlights illuminating his face, casting him in a warm glow. “What’s wrong? You’ve been in a daze, and you’ve got a silly smile on your face.”
Your heartbeat speeds up, and you hurriedly deny it. “No I don’t!”
He smiles, tapping on your nose with his free hand. “Silly.”
You pout. It’s his fault for being so dashing!
“Do you feel as though the air is especially sweet, and has a scent of a summer evening breeze?” You ask, deciding to tease him.
Gavin thinks for a moment, but doesn’t seem to understand what you mean. “Summer evening breeze?”
“Mm! The sweet kind! Do you smell it?”
He pauses in his footsteps. “Is there such a smell?”
You look into his amber eyes solemnly--
“The scent of the summer evening breeze... is the scent of this mister right here~”
While saying this, you snuggle into his arms.
You don’t need to look at him to know that his face is definitely flushed, and probably his ears too...
In your heart, he is like summer. In early summer, the evening breeze is neither cold nor scorching. It’s a perfect temperature - the brilliance of midsummer and the warmth of late spring, melting all the thoughts in your head.
The evening breeze of summer conceals many romantic secrets. As for yours, you only want to share them with him...
-
More translated and original works: here
[ Permission to translate ]
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喵小柒吃很少: Hello~ Firstly, I’m really touched that you like them, I feel very honoured~ You can translate the works! If more people who like MLQC can read them, I’m very happy too 💝 Thank you!
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iwillhaveamoonbase · 5 years ago
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Replay ch. 3
Chapter is rated M
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Rayla got up at seven, eyes heavy from the lack of sleep last night.  “Noooo.  UGH.” She turned to angrily glare at her alarm that had interrupted her rain noises.  Aberdeen wasn’t the rainiest place in the world, but the sound of a rain storm always helped put her to sleep.  Her mum and da always joked she was named ‘Rayla’ because she was born right when the moon shone through a stormy night.  
Rayla went through her emails quickly, making a note in her phone to call both sets of her parents this weekend.  She missed the days in Scotland when Runaan would speak French with her and talk cheese or helping Ethari in his jewelry business.  Runaan ran the books while Ethari ran the artistic side, his work with metal and jewel placement both tasteful and modern while taking classic elements from Celtic art.  
Her parents had yet to retire from being bodyguards, but they regaled her with stories of Africa and Asia and Australia, how kind people were, the different foods and cultures. Sometimes, she wished she could have grown up going with them.  Other times, she knew they had made the right choice leaving her with Runaan and Ethari. They wouldn’t have had much time for her anyways.
Sighing, she rolled out of bed.  She had a breakfast date with Corvus before she had to be at the office.  God.  She hated those pricks sometimes; a lot of old money lived in that office.  She had thought she was leaving classism behind when she did her study abroad in the States for her law degree.  Apparently, America just hid their classism really well instead of openly displaying it like they did back in the UK.  
She lived well, was paid well, did better than anyone had expected her to do, probably.  She had been more focused on athletics as a kid, leading Runaan to force her into ballet (‘you already know some French. It’s perfect!’), Ethari insisting on Irish step dance (‘Lain’s mother was Irish.  It’s a world wide sensation, Rayla!’), and her own parents signing her up for kickboxing when she was in high school during their vacation from work. Her teachers had been frustrated that she was smart but didn’t ‘apply herself’ whatever that meant.  She got good grades, did better in college, got into law school in another country, and passed the bar.  She could apply herself just fine.  She just liked to be active.
Rayla sighed as she stepped into the hot water of her shower.  She had made a good choice buying this shower head.  Slowly, she felt the burn that had started last night begin to build back up again.  Green eyes entered her mind again, as well as a voice that she would love to hear calling her name out while she rode him.  ‘Calm down, Rayla.’  She couldn’t meet Corvus horny.  Rayla sighed, putting her forehead against the shower wall before starting to massage her breast.  She tried to imagine it was Callum’s hand stroking her, dipping down to touch between her thighs where she ached.
Would his hands be soft or rough?  There hadn’t been any obvious calluses when she had shaken his hand at the cheese shop. She moaned, dipping her fingers into her wet heat.  Her thighs rubbed together as she tried to chase that elusive release.  She didn’t have time for this.  The more she tried to speed up, the more it just wasn’t happening. Growling in frustration, she tried to play with her clit, breathing deeply as she finally found a rhythm that was working.  Rayla bit her bottom lip and sighed as she came, inwardly crowing with satisfaction. There was no worse start to a day than being unable to cum after a wet dream or being too horny to function.  
She washed and dried off, stretching her muscles before dressing.  The green pantsuit and black top showed off her toned figure without drawing too much attention to any one place.  Her heels made her even taller and, hopefully, a little intimidating to jerky clients or coworkers.  She grabbed her purse and went out the door.  When she finally made it to her car, she leaned her head on the steering wheel. Had she really started her day off by masturbating to a guy she met YESERDAY?  
She shook her head, driving off until she made it to the little café she and Corvus frequented. Corvus also worked in the same building, but for a different law office, specifically divorce.  Rayla had no idea how he did it, but someone had to.  She saw Corvus at their usual table, smiling at something on his phone.  “Your boyfriend sent you a naughty text?”
Corvus smirked back up at her.  “Nope. Just something about one of my latest clients.  Well, their soon-to-be-ex.”
“Good news or bad news?”
“Well, considering it’s a custody case, it’s good for my client.”
“Abuse?” Rayla frowned.
“I would not be smirking if that was the case.  No.  Apparently, the ex has been mismanaging the children’s money.  Lying about putting it in a back account for them and spending it on gambling debts.”
“You don’t call that abuse?” Rayla smiled up at the waiter who came over, ordering an earl grey, a coffee to go, and an omelet.
“Thank you,” Corvus nodded to the waiter.  “I do, personally, but everyone views that differently.  The children were never struck, no record of emotional, mental, or oral abuse.  It seemed like it was going to go 50-50 custody, which tends to be the ideal situation, but my client was concerned about the gambling problem.”
“So best case scenario, gambler’s anonymous and supervised visits eventually leading to 50-50 custody?”
“Best case scenario. Probably won’t happen, but we can all hope.”
Rayla shook her head. “I don’t know how you do it.  I didn’t do criminal law or divorce law because I wasn’t sure I could handle seeing evidence of child abuse all day.”
“It’s a lot.  We try to spread those cases around as much as we can, because it gets to be too much when it’s all you see.  When police reports come into play, it’s even worse.” Rayla nodded.  “While you work for old money.  Tell me, how’s Kasef doing?”
“Hitting on me, again. Got upset when I told him off for glaring at a guy in a cheese shop for asking me a question.”
“He comes down to our office on his breaks and hits on half the women there.”
“Believe me, I know.  His father gets really upset about it.”
“How is Mr. Ahling?”
“Still insisting we call him ‘Mr. Ahling’ and not the proper ‘Mr. Patel.’  His health is starting to go downhill, so we’re hoping his daughter graduates soon and can start to learn how to take over the office.”
Corvus shook his head, smiling at the waiter with her when they brought their food.  “Thank you.  I’m telling you, join our office.  You could be really good at gathering information.”
“Thank you, but, no thanks. I grew up believing in true love with both sets of my parents.  I’d like to continue believing in it.”
“You still believe in love. I love my boyfriend so much we’re moving in together.”
“Well, congratulations to you both.  You moving in to his apartment or is he moving into your’s?”
“Mine’s bigger and closer to both our jobs.”
They talked work for a few more minutes, keeping an eye on the time.  Rayla sighed as she looked at Corvus.  “I’ve got a favor to ask.”
“My hairdresser would love to do your hair.  Those layers are cute, but maybe you need a new look.”
“Ha ha.  My hair’s fine, thanks.  You remember me mentioning a guy in the cheese shop?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, he asked to draw me. He said it’s cool that I brought a friend and I would like to bring you.  I don’t really have any other friends in the city.”  She finished her tea, opening the lid of her coffee to put some cream in.
“He seem legit?”
“I saw his art.  He also runs a YouTube channel with his friends and little brother?”
“What’s his name?”
“Callum Evans.”
“Katolis Squad!”  Corvus smiled, clapping his hands together.
“You know them?”
“Of course.  They do a lot of food stuff.  I found this café because of one of their videos.  Also, my boyfriend’s a baker, remember?  Ezran and Claudia do a series on baking and sweets and he likes to watch them.  Callum Evans is also kind of known in the art scene in town and I’ve met his aunt a few times.  Lovely lady, so’s her wife.”
“Huh.  Apparently, I’m out of it.”
“You just arrived in Katolis last year.  I grew up here.  You remember my boyfriend’s beignets you liked so much?”
“Those were delicious.”
“Ezran’s recipe.  His grandmother’s friend was from Louisiana and she taught him how to make them like it’s done in the French-Quarter.”
“Huh.  So, you’ll come with me?”
“Sure.  Callum Evans seems harmless, but since he already approved it, might as well take advantage.”
“Agreed.  I can take care of myself, but, you never know.”
“Where’s it going to be?”
“At his house.  He said he has an art studio there.  At least, that’s what he implied.  I’m waiting for a text from him to iron out the details.”
“Maybe he’ll ask to draw you nude?”  Rayla flushed red at that, looking down at her almost finished breakfast.  “Oh?  Something you want to share with the class?  A reason you were distracted during kickboxing last night, perhaps?”
Rayla glared up at him, taking a few harsh bites of her omelet.  She swallowed, keeping eye contact with him.  “He’s cute, I’m single, that’s it.”
“He’s single.”  Rayla paused.  “He broke-up with his last girlfriend months ago.  She made a big Instagram post about it, saying they wanted to focus on their careers.  Which was weird because no one even knew they were in a relationship.”
“So, he’s probably used to people trying to use him for fame.”
“Most likely.  He keeps to himself.”
“I saw that when I went digging online.  His step-father’s the governor and his mother was in the military for a few years, rising through the ranks very quickly.”
“Yeah.  They try to keep their channel separate from all that, though.  People are always asking them questions about it and they’ll either ignore it or say they aren’t a mouthpiece for Harrow Williams.”
“Fair.  I’ll text you the details.  I’ve got my coffee, gotta go.”  Rayla put a $20 on the table and waved good-bye to Corvus, leaving to head to the office.  Well, this just got even more interesting, didn’t it?
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Callum rubbed his eyes as he looked up at the ceiling.  All night, he had dreamed of Rayla.  Her white hair down and around bare shoulders, purple eyes starting deep into his. ‘Come on, Callum.  Make me feel good.’  He tossed and turned in his bed, suddenly thankful for the fact he lived alone.  His cock was at attention and it was not going to be going down any time soon.  Rolling out of bed, he took his sleep clothes off as he made his was to his shower.  He winced at the cold water, but sighing in relief as his erection went down. He had no time to rub one out.  He was already running late for his meeting with Ezran, Soren, and Claudia.  They had to go over whether or not to actually hire a crew now that their channel had six million subscribers.  
It would be a smart move. Claudia’s home-made beauty series was getting a lot of attention, as were her and Ez’s baking series.  Soren and Ezran’s sub channel and Twitch channel was getting a lot of attention in the video game community for their let’s plays and commentary.  Even Callum’s art sub channel was getting more and more attention.  He was just worried about going bigger because, if they did, what if drama followed?  It had been a PR nightmare when his ex-girlfriend had posted on Instagram about going their separate ways for their careers.  Callum had asked her to keep it between them because he wanted to keep his personal life and his YouTube life separate.  She had apparently felt that, after they broke-up, what he wanted didn’t matter.
As he quickly ate breakfast, he couldn’t get the idea of Rayla from his dreams or of her in a forest out of his head.  Those eyes haunted his every though.  ‘She’s a freaking fae.  That must be it.’  Callum rubbed his eyes again, sighing.  He sent a quick text to Rayla asking if she would be alright with her modeling for him in the woods outside of town.  She would probably say ‘no’, but Callum needed to get this image out of his head and out of his system.  He had just met her and she was distracting him already.  Still, Callum wasn’t so sure he could ever get someone like her out of his system.  Even if they had sex a week straight, he would probably still crave her.  ‘Stop getting ahead of yourself, Callum.  She’s probably in a relationship, you just want to draw her, and you have other things to focus on right now.’  
All day, as the group discussed the benefits to do YouTube full-time, barring Ezran because he was still in college, a Scottish accent and a pair of soft eyes stayed in the back of his mind.  Beckoning him to find her and take her under a waterfall in the forest.  Would she scratch and like it rough or did she like to go soft and slow, like a wave?  
Ezran snapped his fingers in his face.  “Callum, focus.”
“Right.  So, I think taking a step forward is a good idea….” He didn’t have time to be thinking about faeries in suits from Scotland.  
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Incognito - part 2
By popular demand, here’s part 2 of the dating app ficlet turned into chaptered fic. If you missed it, you can read the first part here. ---
BlueEyes78: Sorry! My battery died, took me a while to find my charger.
Link lied. He wasn’t about to write that he’d spent the last five minutes trying to figure out whether he’d just made his best friend cum.
PaddleBoardMe: Oh! Okay. I thought maybe you didn’t like my pic ;)
BlueEyes78: No! It was definitely hot.
PaddleBoardMe: Good. And since you’re new to this, a pointer. It’s advisable to keep your phone either charged or near a charger while sexting. It’s not nice getting cockblocked by technology. :D
BlueEyes78: Goop point! Thanks for the tip. :) I need to get to sleep though, sorry.
PaddleBoardMe: Oh yeah, me too. This was fun. Maybe we could do this again sometime?
Link’s stomach flipped. What was he supposed to say to that? Yes please, but first I have to make sure you’re not the most important person in my life? Link had never thought about Rhett in that way. Well, never was a strong word. There might have been an errant thought once in a while. Rhett was so goddamn leggy; those thighs of his could make anyone salivate. But Link had always been quick to chase those thoughts away. Their friendship was purely that: a friendship. Link didn’t want any sexual tension materializing and messing it all up. But just in case Mr. Paddleboard wasn’t Rhett.
BlueEyes78: Sounds good.
PaddleBoardMe: Nice : ) Good night. Sweet dreams.
BlueEyes78: You too.
Link kept staring at the photo. He had to be wrong. He had to be imagining things. Why would Rhett be in a dating app hooking up with men? Link slipped off the bed, quickly cleaned himself up in the bathroom and returned to the bedroom with his laptop. They were constantly shirtless in GMM. Link was wracking his brain trying to remember when was the last time Rhett had been unclothed. The swimsuits through the decades episode! Rhett had lost and had to wear that old swimsuit, the blue bottoms. Link opened Twitter and scrolled to the picture. He held up his phone next to it and tried to compare, but the angle was all wrong and the bottoms actually came up pretty high on his stomach.
Link scrolled down hoping to find something else and finally came to the video of them washing the flooring. It was a few years old but at least, in it Rhett’s belly was in full display. He squinted and turned his phone trying to make a definitive decision. His heart was beating out of his chest. 
It was Rhett. It had to be Rhett. 
It wasn’t Rhett. There was no way it was Rhett. 
Link groaned and threw his phone on the bed. He slammed the laptop closed and pushed it away. His head hit the pillow and he closed his eyes, trying to steady his breathing.
“Okay, let’s think about this logically,” he said out loud and immediately felt stupid. This whole thing was making him lose his mind. There had never been anything hinting at Rhett being gay. Link would know, right? It just had to be someone who looked a lot like Rhett – a tummy-double. And if it was Rhett… Well, they’d just talk it over. Neither of them had known. It was not like Link had purposefully sought Rhett out and tricked him into it!
Link scrambled for his phone and opened the app again. He went back to Mr. Paddleboard’s profile and read it with a new set of eyes. There was nothing exactly condemning but there were lots of little things that could be considered hints. Mr. Paddleboard liked camping. He liked to eat. He was taller than average. He dreamt of going on a sailing trip. All of these were things that applied to Rhett. But all were also things that probably thousands of men had in common. Link bit his lip. Maybe he could prod a bit. He tapped back to their messages.
BlueEyes78: Hey, did you go to sleep already?
The reply came almost instantly.
PaddleBoardMe: Not yet. You miss me already? ;)
BlueEyes78: Haha! Kinda. Can I ask you something?
PaddleBoardMe: Sure.
BlueEyes78: Do you do this kind of thing a lot
PaddleBoardMe: I mean... What’s a lot?
Link realized he sounded a bit judgmental. He didn’t want to insult Mr. Paddleboard, regardless of whether he was Rhett or not.
BlueEyes78: I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that as it might have sounded. Just meant that I gather you’ve done this before?
PaddleBoardMe: Yeah. Not in this app. You’re my first here. ;) But other ones, sure.
BlueEyes78: Do you meet up with guys too? In person?
Link waited. He was sitting on the edge of the bed now, leg bouncing against the floor. If this was Rhett, what kind of answer was Link expecting? He’d never spent that much time thinking about Rhett’s love life, let alone his sex life. Rhett’s occasional girlfriends were just kind of there, somewhere in the background. Sometimes they were nice and Link liked to spend time with them, sometimes he’d rather not. 
Link had definitely never thought about Rhett having sex with them. But now his mind filled with images of Rhett in compromising positions. Mr. Paddleboard seemed to be a bottom. Images of Rhett getting fucked by faceless men hit Link like a baseball bat in the chest and made him slightly nauseous. He mentally shook himself. Why was he reacting to the thought so viscerally? His phone lit up.
PaddleBoardMe: Sometimes. You vying for a date, baby?
Link blushed. That was not what he’d meant but he couldn’t deny that it was a fair deduction by Mr. Paddleboard. Maybe he should ask for a date. That would settle this once and for all. But the idea of setting up a date and going there and seeing Rhett… Link’s stomach lurched, and he had to close his eyes for a moment.
BlueEyes78: Just curious.
PaddleBoardMe: Nothing wrong with that. : ) I do meet up with folks sometimes. Not very often though. I don’t exactly want the word getting around…
Link perked up.
BlueEyes78: You don’t want people to find out you’re gay?
PaddleBoardMe: Bi actually, but yeah. I have kind of a public job.
Link’s heart shot into his throat. This had to be Rhett!
BlueEyes78: Really? What kind of job?
PaddleBoardMe: Maybe if we’ll meet up I’ll tell you. ; )
Link rubbed his neck and tried to think. He’d gotten so wrapped up in the thought that this was Rhett that he’d almost forgotten the possibility this was just a cool guy who possibly wanted to meet him. He didn’t want to miss a chance to get to know him if it turned out this wasn’t Rhett.
But it had to be Rhett, right? Link groaned and slammed his fist into the bed covers. His body was buzzing with nervous energy and he just needed to release it somehow.
BlueEyes78: I’m intrigued.
It had taken him a long time to answer and Mr. Paddleboard seemed to read into it.
PaddleBoardMe: But you’re not ready for a face-to-face? Or any other position for that matter? ;)
BlueEyes78: Yeah.
PaddleBoardMe: Don’t worry about it. There is no rush. And we can talk about normal stuff, we don’t have to just sext. I know we both chose the hook-up option but honestly, I’d really like to get to know you better. Your profile really piqued my interest.
A simmering heat pooled into Link’s belly and Link felt warm and almost like he was floating a few inches above the bed. It had been a long time since he’d felt like this; since he’d had a proper crush. God, please, don’t be Rhett... Be some other guy who happens to have Rhett’s stomach and similar interests and a similar job. I just wanted to explore a bit. I just wanted to dip my toe in the water. I just wanted something exciting and new. I didn’t want this mess.  
BlueEyes78: Yours too.
Link told the truth. He’d been instantly interested. But now he wondered if it was because he’d subconsciously seen the similarities to Rhett and that was the reason he’d felt a connection. Rhett was his partner, in more than one sense. Link loved him. They’d basically built a life together. They went to school together, they moved to L.A. together, they started a business together. They even lived in the same neighborhood. There was an implicit trust between them built by years of memories and a life shared. Rhett was honestly the best person Link knew. Even his flaws were endearing. Of course, he’d gravitate towards someone similar.
PaddleBoardMe: Really?
BlueEyes78: Yeah. I was really glad when I got matched with you. You were my first choice.
PaddleBoardMe: Making me blush hard here, baby blue.
Link smiled. A heat rose to his cheeks too. He had to stop this though. If this was Rhett…things were about to be real awkward between them.
BlueEyes78: Thanks for answering my stupid questions. I really got to go to sleep now.
PaddleBoardMe: Okay. Talk to you tomorrow?
BlueEyes78: Sure. Sleep tight.
PaddleBoardMe: I think I’ll dream of you.
Link bit his lip and closed his eyes. The butterflies in his stomach went crazy. Don’t be Rhett. Don’t be Rhett.
BlueEyes78: I’d like that.
PaddleBoardMe: Good night, baby blue.
BlueEyes78: Good night.
Link closed the app. He didn’t want to be tempted to stare at the photo anymore. He’d just ask Rhett tomorrow. He was probably imagining things. How ridiculous of a coincidence would that be if they’d actually met each other in a dating app? Unthinkable. It couldn’t happen. Mr. Paddleboard had to be someone else.
Link crawled between the sheets and closed his eyes. But he was too anxious to fall asleep. As sleep circled Link like a vulture waiting for a parched man to die, Link thought of Mr. Paddleboard. He thought of being with him. How he would stroke that undeniably gorgeous cock. How Mr. Paddleboard would be naked, slicked-up and opened for Link to play with as he pleased. How he would whimper and beg as Link pushed in. How his hips would rise in need to take Link deeper. How he would be moaning Link’s name as he came while his whole body shook and writhed. But what Link definitely didn’t admit to himself was the fact that in his fantasy Mr. Paddleboard was Rhett.
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riseandshinelittleblossom · 7 years ago
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When Maxwell Met Stephanie: Pt. 2- Christmas Eve
This is another bit of backstory for Maxwell and Stephanie within the Cordonians Gone Wild AU created by @speedyoperarascalparty , @ao719 , @leelee10898 and @cocomaxley. Thank you guys so much for letting me be a part of this fantastic AU!
Disclaimer: I don’t own the TRR characters, they own me.
My tags: @fullbeaumonty @brightpinkpeppercorn @hopefulmoonobject @itsstillnotwhatyouthink @blackwidow2721 @choiceslife @dancetothestoriesinyoursoul
CGW tags: @annekebbphotography @carabeth @moneyfordiamonds @give-me-ernest-sinclaire @3pawandme @ooo-barff-ooo @tornbetweentwoloves @ownworldresident
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     Pam opened the door of the Walker cabin to find Anitah, Alicia, and Genevieve.      “Hey guys. What do Drake and I owe the pleasure?” She asked, stepping aside as the girls filtered in.     “We're scheming of course.” Anitah giggled.     “It's a good, Christmas spirit scheme.” Alicia assured.    “Maybe just a little bit selfish too.” Gen shrugged. The ladies gathered in the living room, spreading around the furniture.    “Okay, I'm listening.” Pam perched on the arm of the couch next to the queen.    “So you know how everyone keeps commenting about how we have to find Max a partner right? He's always alone when we all get together…” Gen started.    “And we kind of feel like, at least Alicia and I owe Maxwell in a huge way.”   “Right. I mean without Max, she'd have never gotten to marry Liam. And if she'd never married Liam, I'd have never met Leo.” Alicia shrugged.    “So you want to play Christmas matchmaker for Maxwell?” Pam asked quirking an eyebrow. The ladies all nodded.    “Okay, so I take it you guys have someone in mind then?”   “Well you weren't here to see it, but our little Maxie was quite smitten with Drake's cousin, Stephanie. She and her mom stayed at Ramsford for a couple of weeks after your wedding and he's been texting her and talking to her on the phone and Pictagram ever since.” Anitah said slyly.    “No. Absolutely not. I'll be damned if I watch another member of my family get involved with the Beaumonts. Not happening. Leave my cousin out of this.” Drake said entering the living room, folding his arms across his chest.   Pam rolled her eyes. “Drake, stop being so dramatic. Don't you want to see Maxwell happy?”   “Sure if it keeps him out of my hair. Can't he be happy with someone that doesn't share my DNA? Lady Hana? Lady Penelope thinks he hung the moon for Christ's sake.”  “But we like Stephanie too.” Alicia piped up.   “Plus she seemed to really like him. You can't choose who she likes, Mallow-man.” Gen added.   “I'm in. Don't pay any attention to my grumpy husband. He'll get over it. I'll make it up to him later.” Pam gave him a coy wink.  Drake came up behind his wife, sliding his arms around her waist and planting a tender kiss to her cheek.  “If you swear he'll be too busy with Stef to bother me on our vacations, I suppose I'll survive. Just don't pressure her or anything. She's like my little sister. And I swear if he hurts her…”   “Drake, Maxwell is a good catch. I don't think you have to worry about that.” Anitah defended.   “So what's the plan?” He asked reluctantly.   “The Christmas Eve ball. We wanna invite Stephanie to attend. And surprise Maxwell with her!” Gen exclaimed clapping her hands together.    “Right,” Alicia began. “That's where you guys come in, since she's your family and all.” ***********************      “What am I doing?” Stephanie wondered staring out the window of the royal jet.    Drake had called her out of the blue and invited her to attend the Cordonian Christmas Ball. He'd talked with her a little bit about her relationship with Maxwell. Was it even a relationship? It was weird whatever it was, but she couldn't wait to see him.    Her cousin had also filled her in on the plan the ladies had to surprise Maxwell with her attendance, and so far it was proving to be so hard not to tell him she was on her way to see him.   Her phone lit up with a text from Maxwell.    M: I hate getting fitted for a new suit. Why can't I just go in a suit I already have?   S: Go where?   M: this  Christmas Ball. I'd rather skip it and FaceTime with you on Christmas Eve.   S: awww I bet it'll be so much fun! You have a hot date? Lol   M: well I have this girl I wanna take, but she's in Texas. I don't think she'll make it    Stephanie beamed down at the screen. She had never been the type to be giddy over text messages, or guys for that matter; but something about Maxwell made her that way.     They'd been inseparable during her time in Cordonia after the wedding, and despite the huge time difference they'd kept in touch since she'd returned home.     Stephanie peered out the window as the pilot announced their descent. Her body buzzing in anticipation at just the thought of seeing Maxwell again. She wouldn't have to wait long as the ball was tomorrow night, but as she glanced back down at his words on her screen the task of keeping quiet even just one more day seemed insurmountable. ***************      “So, Maxwell huh? You really like Maxwell?” Drake asked taking a sip of his beer. Stephanie peeled at the label on her own before taking a swig.    “It's hard to explain and I know it sounds crazy, but I think I more than like him, Drake. I've never felt like this before. It's like... we're connected somehow.” She shook her head and averted her eyes from her cousin's probing gaze.   “It doesn't sound that crazy. It's exactly how I felt about Pam. Like I'd known her all of my life, but I couldn't get enough of her.”   “Yeah, but you were here with her. Touching her, smelling her...you were with her. Max and I have only had text messages and phone calls. What if once we're together he can't stand my perfume. Or what if I can't stand the way he bobs when he walks? The little things that get lost in a long distance communication.”    Stephanie's eyes were clouded with confusion when she looked back at Drake. He could tell she was nervous about tonight. Her eyes searched him for answers to her unspoken questions.     “Why did you come all this way to surprise him, Stef? I mean there had to be a reason right?”   She screwed her eyes shut trying to find the right words. Finally she exhaled.    “I... I love him, Drake. I know it like I know that the sky is blue and the grass is green. I felt like maybe...maybe being invited here was Fate's way of telling me that what I'm feeling is real. And that he feels it too. I'd never forgive myself if I didn't take the chance.”     He opened his mouth as if to reply, but was interrupted as  Pam came down the hall, slinging her purse over her shoulder.     “You ready, Stef? The girls are waiting for us at the salon.” she said grabbing her keys off the hook. She strode over to Drake, kissing him warmly.     “I'll see you guys tonight.” He told her, reluctantly releasing her lips, but never breaking eye contact.    Stephanie gulped the rest of her beer, sliding the empty bottle toward her cousin.   “Guess it's now or never.” *************       Stephanie was thankful for the queen's penchant for pre-gaming events like this. The ladies had already had their nails, hair and makeup done, donning bathrobes before they put on their elaborate gowns for the evening, and they were already a bottle and a half of champagne deep.    “It seems like such a waste to get this hot just to sneak away from the party later.” Alicia laughed. They all knew it would happen at some point in the evening, so they didn't bother arguing.    “How're you feeling, Stef? Ready to surprise Max?” Pam asked.     “Nervous? Excited? I'm not sure how I'm feeling but I could sure use a whiskey sour.” She laughed.    “Definitely related to Drake!” Anitah giggled hailing one of the staff over. “Let's get Lady Stephanie a whiskey sour, please. She needs the liquid courage.”      Stephanie's whiskey sour had arrived promptly and she sipped it quietly taking in the chatter from the other ladies as they headed into the boutique. There was a giant red velvet bow adorning one of the changing stalls along with a sign which read “reserved” . Anitah sauntered over to the door and removed the sign. “This,” she began proudly, spinning on her heels to face her new friend, “is where we're going to stuff you once you're dressed to surprise Beaumont.”        “Sounds good. Guess we should get to getting dressed then.” Stephanie replied.     She selected an emerald green dress, simple satin with a trumpet skirt. It would hug her curves nicely. She slipped into the changing booth to put it on, careful not to disturb the elegant side-swept hair do the hairdresser had given her. The off the shoulder straps and sweetheart neckline showcased more of her cleavage than she had intended, but hopefully Maxwell would enjoy that. Drake, however, would likely flip his lid even if he was quiet about it.  She stared at her reflection in the floor length mirror before her. She'd paired the dress with an heirloom string of her grandmother's pearls and her hand landed upon them absentmindedly as her phone lit up with a text from Maxwell.   M: I think your cousin in broken :D   S: broken? What do you mean?  M: well he's been pre-gaming this ball more than usual. We just had a very weird conversation about the proper way to court a lady and the importance of safe sex practices. Stephanie laughed out loud at the text. She couldn't wait to see him. Just the knowledge that somewhere within these very walls he was hanging around shooting her these rapid fire texts, totally oblivious to her presence was enough to make her heart ache for him and she sighed hearing Pam's voice from the main boutique “Drake said Liam just left with Maxwell. They'll be here any moment. All done in there, Stef?” *******************      Maxwell was filled with so much excitement he feared he would burst. As he and Liam made their way through the palace towards his Christmas surprise from his girl squad it was all he could do not to take off in a sprint.    “Slow down, they're putting the finishing touches on now. You'll spoil the whole the if we arrive early.” Liam chuckled clapping his old friend on the shoulder.  “Sorry, Li. I'm just...no one ever surprises me. I'm usually the surprise-er, and I love surprises. I just want to know what it is already!”  His pocket buzzed and he pulled out his phone, a text from Stephanie, of course.    He stopped dead in his tracks to read the message, his face lighting up like the many Christmas trees throughout the palace.   “Come one, Max. I thought you were excited.” Liam joked.   Maxwell held up a finger. “Uno momento, compadre.” he shot off another reply before he resumed his bouncy steps.   “Are we? Is my surprise in the boutique?”   Liam placed his hand on both of Maxwell's shoulders and steered him into the boutique, the ladies were standing around looking as excited as their best friend.   “God, you all look so hot!” He exclaimed making his rounds, pulling each lady into a brief but warm embrace.    “ Merry Christmas, Beaumont!” Pam shouted.    “You don't look so bad yourself, Max.” Alicia told him.   “Are you ready for your surprise?” Gen asked as Anitah rubbed her hands together in anticipation.   “I can't believe you guys have a surprise for me! Of course I'm ready for it.”   “Well it's right in there,” Anitah started gesturing to the door with the velvet ribbon. “Go on and open it!”     The room was buzzing as Maxwell crossed the distance to the door. He reached for the handle, but abruptly recoiled his hand.    “I know you ladies too well….this is gonna jump out and scare me isn't it?”   A collective groan rang through the room just as the decorated door swung open.   Stephanie raced out of the changing booth, leaping to close the foot height gap between herself and Maxwell as she threw her arms around his neck.    “SURPRISE!”  She shouted.     Maxwell's eyes were like saucers as he spun her around, clinging to the petite redhead for dear life.    “Stephanie?! How did you..? You're really here?!”    He peered momentarily over her shoulder  to look at Anitah, Pam, Genevieve, and Alicia. They all stood with wide smiles, and Gen and Anitah were clapping. “Thank you” he mouthed the words at them as he settled Stephanie back on the ground holding her at arm's length for a moment.   “I've never seen anything more beautiful and elegant in my life.” He commented, drinking her in.   “God I've missed you, Red.”  “I've missed you too. Are you surprised? It was so hard not to tell you!” She told him with a smile that reached her eyes.   His arms snaked around her waist, pulling her close.    “I'm totally surprised. Looks like I have that hot date for this Christmas Ball after all.” He winked. “You will be my date, right?”   Stephanie laughed. “ I dunnooooo...I was thinking I'd let Drake escort me.”   “Not a chance in hell, Stef. Drake's already got Pam. I still need a hottie to walk in with.” Maxwell feigned a whine.   “Well, I suppose. I mean fair is fair.” She giggled. ***************     “His majesty King Liam and Her majesty Queen Anitah, Duchess of Valtoria.” The herald loudly announced.    Stephanie shifted her weight uncomfortably and gripped Maxwell’s hand a little tighter.    “Hey, you alright?” He asked rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.    “Yeah. It's just, I didn't realize that I'd be announced or anything. I've never done this before and I'm kind of nervous. I don't like it when all eyes are on me.” Stephanie told him in a low tone. She cast her eyes to her feet, but Max lifted her chin with his thumb and index finger to look into her hazel eyes.   “But that's where they should be. You're amazing, Stephanie. And tonight you're on my arm, so I want everyone to see just how lucky I am to have you here with me.”    She gave him a weak smile as the herald continued.    “The honorable Prince Leo and the Lady Alicia of New York.”     Stephanie watched as the couple stepped through the ballroom doors arm in arm with wide smiles. She unlaced her fingers from Maxwell's, wiping her palm on her dress. “I'm sorry.” She whispered, cheeks flushing.    “It's okay. I get sweaty palms too.” He laughed, re-capturing her hand.    “Sir Drake Walker, Guardian of the Realm and the honorable Lady Pamela Walker.”    Pam and Drake disappeared into the ballroom.    “Lord Rashad Domvallier of Domvallier and Lady Genevieve of Illinois”    Maxwell turned to Stephanie, taking her hand and draping it in his elbow. “We're up, Red.” He told her gingerly placing his lips to her temple.   “Lord Maxwell Beaumont of Ramsford, Guardian of the Realm and the Lady Stephanie of Texas.”   Maxwell proudly led her  through the doors of the ballroom, pausing only a moment for the brief applause as they made their way toward Drake and Pam.        The evening seemed to fly by in a whirlwind of champagne and waltzes. Stephanie felt like she was in a fairy tale of some sort; but the thing about fairy tales is they eventually end.    She and Maxwell had scarcely let go of one another all evening. They both were silently afraid that if they stopped touching, even for a moment, the other may disappear. As if they would suddenly wake up from this dream they seemed to be walking through.      The last of the guests were beginning to trickle out as the clock struck midnight. Stephanie gazed over the almost empty ballroom and sighed.     “Merry Christmas, Maxwell.” She said without turning to face him.    “Merry Christmas, Stephanie.I guess the evening is just about over, isn't it?”  “I guess it is, but I'm not leaving until the new year. We still have time.” She smiled sweetly finally turning to look at him. He smiled back and have her hand a squeeze.  “I can walk you to your room if you're ready, milady.”    The couple walked slowly towards Stephanie's room, her arms around his waist, head nestled against his rib cage while his hugged her shoulders close.    “This night has been spectacular, Max. I never imagined I'd ever be at party so fancy. I feel like Cinderella, now it's time for me to go turn back into a farm girl.” She joked as they approached her door.    “ You'll still be a princess in my book.”    Stephanie giggled, taking both his hands in hers as she stepped in front of him. Even in her 4” heels she was dwarfed by him, and she peered up into his eyes with just a hint of sadness.    “It isn't just the fancy dress and the fancy party, or even that its Christmas eve, that have made tonight feel magical. It's you, Maxwell. After all these weeks of phone calls and texting…..and the amazing sexting…. I'm just...I'm so happy to finally touch you again.”        He grazed the backs of her hands with his thumbs, tracing tiny figure eights.      “I really wanna kiss you, Stef.” He told her, his tongue flicking out of his mouth to nervously wet his lips.      “Well, Lord Beaumont,  I've been waiting all night.”      Maxwell gently cupped her cheek with his hand, his long slender fingers tangling in her strawberry blonde hair, still draped over her shoulder. He leaned in slowly, and after what felt like an eternity his lips finally found hers.    Stephanie sighed softly into his lips, gently pulling his bottom lip in between her teeth as he deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist.    She leaned into him and they stumbled a bit until his back landed softly against her door, Her hands planted firmly on his chest. Reluctantly she broke the kiss, her lips swollen and her cheeks flushed, the feeling of butterflies in her stomach at full force.   “Will you come and see me tomorrow?” She asked, her eyes darting quickly over his face in anticipation.    “Of course I will. And everyday until we figure out how this is going to work.”   “What do you mean?”   “There is no way in hell I'm letting you get away again, Stephanie. Either I'm going to Texas or you're staying here. Either way I never want to spend another night without you.” His thumb caressed her cheek as he spoke and her eyes seemed to sparkle. He kissed her lips once more. “That's a talk for tomorrow, perhaps. But I've dug in my heels on it. I want you to be mine.”   Stephanie beamed up at him, firmly grasping her doorknob. “Good night then, Maxwell.”  She twisted the knob and entered the room.   “ Good night, sweetheart. I'll dream of you...again.” he told her.   It took all of the strength in her body to close the door behind her and she sighed as she leaned against it. After a moment she flung her hands into the air, spinning and flinging the door open.    “Maxwell!” She exclaimed, louder than was necessary as he had only taken a few steps from her doorway.    He turned to face her, hands jammed in his pockets, and he quirked a questioning eyebrow.   “I….I just wanted to say….” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth a moment inwardly debating her next words.   “I... I love you, Maxwell Beaumont.”     He smiled, taking wide steps back to her as his hands cupped her face once more and his lips crashed against hers fervently.   “I love you too, Red.”
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kootenaygoon · 6 years ago
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So,
For the my first few months at the Star in 2014, my editor Calvin would routinely set me up on dates with various important figures he thought I should know. 
One day I sat on the concrete steps outside our office with Mayor John Dooley, and took a selfie with him for our Facebook page. I met MLA Michelle Mungall and Fire Chief Simon Grypma. He had me book a face-to-face appointment at the Hume Hotel with Paul Hinrichs, the promoter Cass had raved about, and insisted I meet with an actor who was basically Nelson’s mascot, Lucas Myers. The Chamber of Commerce was just down the street, so pretty quickly I was interviewing the executive director Tom Thomson on the regular. There was Stephanie Fischer, the quirky old German woman who ran the Capitol Theatre, and Sydney Black, a singer and entrepreneur who was just beginning to mount a series of lavish, crowd-pleasing musicals. I started learning the names of some of the city councillors, like Deb Kozak, Paula Kiss and Donna Macdonald. But one of the most important contacts he needed me to make was with Nelson Police Chief Wayne Holland.
My interactions with cops in the past had been fairly benign, and rare — I once got a ticket for riding my scooter without a helmet — and my feelings about them were basically neutral. But there was a lot of hostility in town towards the NPD, with some residents questioning whether the force was even necessary. With 19 officers, it was the only department in B.C. serving a community that small, and with all the cannabis growers in town, as well as the off-grid weirdos and drug aficionados, they were bound to be at odds with some of the population. Calvin told me having a positive relationship with the police chief would help the paper navigate some controversial stories that were coming up. One in particular was already in progress: a young cop had punched a woman unconscious while off-duty, right in front of a trio of fellow officers. They all promptly reported him to Holland, and now the guy was going through a trial for assault. The optics were extremely bad, and tensions were high. I only had a slight grasp on all this when I showed up at the department, parking my RAV in the diagonal spot out front.
After announcing myself to a glass wall, a side door clicked open and a swaggering bald man with a bright red face appeared. He had a deep, radio announcer voice and a crushing handshake: “Call me Wayne.”
He ushered me down a hallway, introducing me to his secretary as we passed, and into a spacious office looking out at the downtown core. All along one wall were dozens of police hats, in different colours and from different countries, piled on top of each other and displayed proudly. Some of them looked more military than law enforcement.
“What’s the deal there?” I asked.
“Oh, my little collection. It started out as a little thing, just a few hats, and I guess you could say it’s grown over the years,” he said. “I can’t remember the last time I counted them.”
I had an intense feeling of imposter syndrome as he settled in across the desk from me. Why was this guy making time for me? Didn’t he know I was just some dude? I started to babble, describing to him my background in creative writing, and told him about some of my experiences working with the police while I was at the Whitehorse Star. The relationship up there had gotten combative at times, and I’d learned that cops and journalists often have conflicting priorities. Solving a crime and writing a story about it are significantly different things. I told him I understood they had a job to do, and couldn’t always keep us 100% in the loop, but we also didn’t want to be relying on press releases or letting important events go unreported. 
We wanted to be proactive.
“It’s really important to me to have a strong relationship with the press, it always has been,” he said. “And I’ll tell you this: if you call me, and ask me a question, I’ll answer to the best of my ability. Ten times out of ten. I believe in transparency.”
“Really?”
“How about this,” he said, fishing out his phone. “I’ll give you my cell number right now, you can even text me.”
When Holland found out I was a writer, he mentioned that his wife Eileen was as well. She was working on a project about the Nelson Public Library. He shared stories about his family, and I did the same with mine. I knew a lot about the Downtown Eastside because my adopted siblings were from there and I researched it for my Master’s thesis, so I was interested to learn that had been his previous posting. 
We talked about addiction, and drug policy, and the safe injection site. He was suave, charming, and I couldn’t tell if I was getting played. The guy was captivating. It was easy to listen to him talk. And then the conversation turned. We hit a moment, and I felt it — he suddenly had an agenda, something he really wanted me to understand.
“I know this sounds dramatic, but I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to call this a mental health crisis,” he told me. 
“And that’s pretty much the most important thing I’ve been working on, is campaigning for the introduction of something called Car 87. It’s a mental health program we had on the Downtown Eastside, and this city needs it desperately.”
I had seen for myself some of the situations going down on Baker Street. Paisley asked me to pick her up from the Kootenay Co-op more than once because she didn’t feel safe walking home in the dark. There were all these people, some Shambhala Zombies but others just garden variety homeless folk, who haunted the alleys and gathered around Wait’s News on Baker Street. They scared the shit out of some people, and whether you were willing to admit it or not, it was these people city council had in mind when it considered introducing an aggressive panhandling bylaw. Most of them weren’t violent, but some were. And every time somebody went screaming around breaking windows, or decided to take a shit on the sidewalk, a pair of officers would have to escort them up to the hospital and stand there awkwardly for hours while nobody came up with a proper solution. The number of mental health calls they were fielding was escalating, he said, and quite often they were picking up the same individuals repeatedly.
“The proper supports just aren’t in place, and so this work is being downloaded on to the police force. And we’re not trained mental health workers! We’re cops.”
Eventually I found a way to bring up Andrew Stevenson, and we laughed about his incredible escape attempt at the courthouse.
“Now there’s a story,” he said. 
“You wouldn’t believe the fear in the community, when all that was first happening. We felt like it was just a matter of time before someone got killed. I told the guys, I said ‘we need to take this guy down before someone gets hurt’. See, there’s another example of the issues we’re seeing with addiction, because that’s what was driving those crimes.”
“I heard he had arthritis or something?”
“He actually testified that he can’t remember most of the crimes because he was so high. You can decide for yourself how convenient you think that is.”
“I drove out to the bridge, the one he jumped off.”
“Oh, you did?”
“Yeah, I mean, he must’ve been out of his mind desperate.”
“I was stuck at a road-block, if you can believe it. It was actually my Deputy Chief, Paul Burkart, who was there for the arrest. Him and Nate, who you know, as well as Jarrett Slomba and Corey Hoy. There were some RCMP officers there too. It was pretty much all hands on deck to catch this guy. Everyone wanted a piece of him.”
“I can imagine.”
I told him about Paisley, and her new dessert business. She was just in the process of getting her treats on display at the Co-op, and Wayne promised to look into it. As he walked me to the door, he told me a story about the time he went out to Shambhala Music Festival. He was trying to show me that he was cool about it, that he wasn’t scandalized, despite the blatant drug culture of it all.
“When it comes right down to it, what they accomplish out there on that little ranch is incredible. They host around 15,000 people a year, if you can believe that. It becomes its own little city, and while it’s going on it’s the most populous city in the Kootenays,” he said.
“They’re beginning to do some really impressive stuff around harm reduction and drug testing. From what I hear, they’re leading the world with some of this stuff. You’ll find Shambhala is very polarizing in town, and obviously it has a huge impact, but I actually think they do a hell of a good job.”
The Kootenay Goon
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