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#Best Man Made Diamonds Singapore
novitadiamonds · 1 year
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Lab Diamond Rings with Claws: Unraveling the Beauty and Brilliance
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Welcome to a dazzling world of lab diamond rings with claws! In this blog post, we will explore the mesmerizing realm of lab-grown diamonds and their unique setting style – the claws. Whether you're an aficionado of fine jewelry or someone searching for the perfect engagement ring, understanding the allure of lab diamond rings with claws is essential. Throughout this article, we'll delve into the captivating qualities of these rings, uncover the benefits of lab-grown diamonds, and provide valuable insights to help you make an informed choice.
Lab Diamond Rings with Claws: A Sparkling Marvel
Lab-grown diamonds have taken the jewelry industry by storm, and for all the right reasons. These diamonds are ethically produced in controlled laboratory conditions, mimicking the natural process that occurs deep within the Earth. As a result, lab diamonds possess the same physical and chemical properties as mined diamonds but at a fraction of the cost. Their undeniable brilliance, clarity, and durability make them an attractive option for those seeking the perfect blend of luxury and sustainability.
The term "claws" refers to the prong settings that secure the diamond in its place on the ring. Instead of using a bezel or tension setting, claws gracefully hold the diamond, allowing maximum light to enter and reflect, amplifying its brilliance. This setting style not only enhances the diamond's appearance but also offers practical advantages, like easy cleaning and minimal metal interference.
Benefits of Choosing Lab Diamond Rings with Claws
Exceptional Brilliance: Lab-grown diamonds are renowned for their exceptional brilliance and fire. When combined with the claw setting, the result is a breathtaking display of light and sparkle that captures the attention of onlookers.
Versatility in Design: The claws setting allows for a versatile array of designs, catering to various tastes and styles. Whether you prefer a classic solitaire or a more intricate halo design, lab diamond rings with claws offer limitless possibilities.
Ethical and Eco-Friendly Choice: Opting for lab-grown diamonds promotes ethical practices and reduces the environmental impact associated with traditional diamond mining. Environmentally conscious consumers find solace in knowing their purchase aligns with their values.
Durability and Security: The claw setting provides excellent security for the diamond, reducing the risk of it becoming loose or falling out. This ensures your cherished gemstone stays safe and secure for a lifetime.
Cost-Effective Luxury: Lab-grown diamonds typically cost less than their mined counterparts, allowing you to invest in a larger and more impressive stone without compromising on quality.
How to Choose the Perfect Lab Diamond Ring with Claws
Consider Your Style: Reflect on your personal style and preferences. Whether you favor a modern, vintage, or minimalist aesthetic, there's a lab diamond ring with claws to complement your taste.
Assess the 4 Cs: When choosing a lab-grown diamond, evaluate the 4 Cs – carat, cut, color, and clarity. Each of these factors contributes to the overall beauty and value of the diamond.
Prong Number: The number of claws or prongs used in the setting can vary. While four or six prong settings offer a classic look and secure hold, a higher number of prongs can provide added protection to the diamond.
Metal Choice: Select the metal for the band that complements the diamond and your skin tone. Common options include white gold, yellow gold, rose gold, and platinum.
In conclusion, 
lab diamond rings with claws present a harmonious fusion of elegance, ethics, and eco-friendliness. These extraordinary pieces of jewelry capture the essence of beauty and brilliance, all while offering versatility, security, and value. As you embark on your journey to find the perfect lab diamond ring with claws, remember to consider your personal style, the diamond's 4 Cs, the prong setting, and the metal choice. Embrace the allure of lab-grown diamonds and experience a world of sustainable luxury that will forever shine brightly on your hand.
So, take the next step and let the enchanting world of lab diamond rings with claws become a cherished part of your jewelry collection, symbolizing love, commitment, and a greener future. Happy ring hunting!
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corndoggod · 1 year
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The Mets
The rain looked worse on the big screen than in real life. In real life it was slow and soft, like Christmas in Midtown, but it wasn’t even May yet. We had nosebleed tickets so fortunately we were protected from the rain.
When they called a rain delay in the fifth inning, the ground crew jogged out carrying a couple of huge white tarps and rolled them out over the diamond dirt to shield it from the elements. “I feel like that’s who I am,” C said pointing at the grounds crew. “That’s the kind of jobs I’ve been doing.”
I barely heard her. I was a little high and staring intently at the perfectly mowed lawn -- admiring the maintained symmetry and trying to accept my narrowed life. I was 30 and it felt like the world had finished sorting itself out. I climbed up a few rungs but this was where I landed, no higher, and I’d have to fight to keep this spot.
“You’re posed so serious,” C said as I leered over the stadium. “You look like a dad.”
“I’m a sad dad,” I said and she snorted because earlier I sent her a New Yorker profile called “The Sad Dads of The National.” In the writer’s words, the band emulated “the sort of rudderless melancholy that takes hold when a person realizes that the dusty hallmarks of American happiness (marriage, children, a job in an office) aren’t a guarantee against despair.” And singer-songwriter Matt Berninger described “Mistaken for Strangers,” one of their earlier albums and my personal favorite, as grappling with the “unmagnificient lives of adults.” I was beginning to see the full power of forces like inertia and history, and recognizing I was at their mercy.
“Jonathan Majors is 33, and I’m 30,” I said. It was supposed to rain all weekend so in the third we looked up what was playing at IFC and Metrograph. The Last Black Man in San Francsico caught C’s eye. “You know he’s under investigation for domestic assault,” I said. And so we googled him and I saw his age. And I thought of his life decisions against mine, his bank statement against mine. I did not think of our happiness.
“And earlier in the day I drafted an awards press release for best journalists under 35.”
I needed to start writing again. I couldn’t even find my notebook, which tells you how long it’d been. But I promised to jumpstart my writing via a live journal of my nights and weekends out, my solo biking adventures and day dates with C in the city.
Fans marched down, but we stayed to finish our $20 beers. C told C and T about grad school programs, and choosing between something that is more career-focused in Spain or an art pratice / theory program in the Netherlands. C was a PhD art history candidate at CUNY and T was a painter, who was about to leave his grant-given studio in the World Trade Center for a month-long artist residency in northern Italy.
I just listened and took notes. I was a little drunk and amused, feeling detached and uncritical, made the world glide by much easier. I was thinking about upstate property values and how the only way to come out ahead was to hold out.
We decided to take a cab back to Sharlene’s in Brooklyn. We ordered a Lyft that never arrived and C talked down a cabbie from $80 plus tip to $70 flat and we all piled in.  
On the drive back, T marveled at LaGuardia’s renovations, “You guys seeing this? Is that LaGuardia? Wow, it looks like the MoMa.”
“Have you ever been to Singapore airport?” the cabbie said.
“I’ve only been to Charles du Gaulle.”
“It’s beautiful. There’s a park inside.”
“A park? Inside? Wow. Have you been to Atlanta’s airport?”
“No.”
“It doesn’t look so nice, but I hear it’s the busiest airport.”
“What’s your favorite airport?”
“JFK,” the cabbie said without needing to think. “Very organized.”
After a long pause T said, “I don’t think I’ve ever been to an airport I liked.”
The cabbie wasn’t a great driver. He worked the breaks in bursts as if it were a sewing pedal and we jerked to a stop five times before resting. Meanwhile, C and C talked about life’s crossroads. The challenges of making art in the city. The vaulted conundrum of leaving New York.
After another long pause, the cabbie said, “What’s the sweetest language?”
“The sweetest language?”
“Yeah, you know. Sweet. Language.”
“I don’t know. What do you mean by ‘sweet’? Like nice?”
“Nice, yes. Sweet.” and then the cabbie shouted into his phone, “What country sweetest language in the world.” He looked down at his phone expectantly, but it just sat there.
Then he turned to T and smiled. “I know sweetest language. Bangladesh. Listen here.” And he played a song for us in his native tongue, which turned out to be the intro to a TV show.
“This is sick.’’
“Incredible.”
“This is really sick.”
“I’m obsessed.”
“Ok, this is actually really sick.”
The language was so sickly sweet the cabbie had trouble focusing on the road and his eyes kept flitting back to the nectar screen.
When we arrived, I handed him $70 cash and marched to Antonio’s for a slice of pizza. But they all turned down a staircase to enter a pool hall.
“This place sucks. What happened to Sharlene’s?” But they cajoled me and I relented. I got us a tray of balls and we played the most expensive pool game of my life for $50. But at least I won.
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arialim639 · 2 years
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How to Treat 먹튀검증커뮤니티 Dealers, According to 먹튀검증커뮤니티 Dealers
Many live dealer casinos send around a bonus attendant who offers special bonuses throughout the game session. These might be free giveaways or fun bonus Q&A games, where you win freeplay money for winning the game. These moments enhance the excitement of playing with real life people in the mix. Italian decks typically consisted of 40 cards especially to play regional games like Scopa or Briscola. Italian decks used suits similar to coins, cups, clubs, and swords (Spades). The jack of clubs has a triangular shield bearing the coat of arms of the former Spanish Netherlands, face cards are unnamed, and blue is generallynormally replaced with green in the portraits. For example, the bet on three wins if the next three hands all show a net win to the player. In the unlikely event of a push, the bet neither loses nor advances, but that hand is ignored for purposes of the Fuego bet.
If commercially-made decks are not readily available, a deck with up to eight suits can be made from two identical decks by altering the suit symbols throughout one of them with a non-fading marker. R. Wayne Schmittberger in New Rules for Classic Games originated the idea of drawing an arrow through each heart to create valentines and a cross through each diamond to create kites. The sample comprised 416 respondents from Macau and 409 from Singapore. Bourgogne This district lay in the middle of France on the eastern side. The towns included Dijon, Besançon and Salins. This regional pattern was a copy of the one produced at Lyons in the 17th century and exported to Bourgogne, Lorraine, Provence and Flanders. In french suit -coins turned into diamonds -the cups, which stood for “love”, turned into hearts - swords turned into spades - sticks turned into clubs.
Even the more run-of-the-mill continental cards tended to have elegantly clad and fashionably coiffured ladies instead of crowned queens. https://www.google.com/search?q=먹튀검증커뮤니티 After much experimenting with alternatives, the system settled around 1450 into the four suits of Hearts, Bells, Leaves and Acorns – and three personalities – the König (king), Obermann (upper man), and Untermann (lower man). Alexandre (king of Clubs) might be Alexander III the Great (356-323 BC), famous king of Macedonia; Below is the paytable for eight players:Only the highest hand pays. If the dealer has three of a kind and a player has a straight flush,the bonus is paid for the straight flush.
The beneficiaries of this largesse were gambling concerns, racetrack owners and politically-connected parties. Players hope to get a total card value of 21 or to come closer to it, without going over, than the dealer, against whom all betting is done.France can also lay claim to starting the modern versions of playing cards. Skat: clubs, spades, hearts, diamonds (for bidding and to determine which Jack beats which in play)
If a player wishes to change shooting hands, they may set the dice on the table, let go, then take them with the other hand. The classic example of a casino, and for long the world’s best known, is that at Monte-Carlo, which opened in 1863.In the United States, bingo is a game of chance in which each player matches numbers printed in different arrangements on cards with the numbers the game host (caller) draws at random, marking the selected numbers with tiles. Tips seem less frequent at the roulette wheel.
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For example, after 10 rounds at 1 unit per round, the standard deviation will be 2 × 1 × √10 × 18/38 × 20/38 = 3.16 units. After 10 rounds, the expected loss will be 10 × 1 × 5.26% = 0.53. As you can see, standard deviation is many times the magnitude of the expected loss. New York Craps is one of the variations of craps played mostly in the Eastern coast of the US, true to its name.Poker is any of a number of card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules in ways similar to these rankings. A 2014 study showed that pathological gambling tendencies among Japanese adults was 9.04% in men and 1.6% in women, higher than the North American prevalence of 1.6%, particularly for men.
In addition to a straight line, other patterns may be considered a valid bingo in special games. Originally a French game, Americans have tweaked the formula to include 38 instead of 37 possible places for the ball to land (adding a "00" as well as a "0" house pocket to the wheel). 먹튀검증커뮤니티 The table is run by up to four casino employees: a boxman seated (usually the only seated employee) behind the casino's bank, who manages the chips, supervises the dealers, and handles "coloring up" players (exchanging small chip denominations for larger denominations in order to preserve the chips at a table); two base dealers who stand to either side of the boxman and collect and pay bets to players around their half of the table; and a stickman who stands directly across the table from the boxman, takes and pays (or directs the base dealers to do so) the bets in the center of the table, announces the results of each roll (usually with a distinctive patter), and moves the dice across the layout with an elongated wooden stick. This variation is different from the original craps game in several ways, but the primary difference is that New York craps doesn't allow Come or Don't Come bets. New York Craps Players bet on box numbers like 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10. The overall house edge in New York craps is 5%.
Some smaller casinos have introduced "mini-craps" tables which are operated with only two dealers; rather than being two essentially identical sides and the center area, a single set of major bets is presented, split by the center bets. Responsibility of the dealers is adjusted: the stickman continuing to handle the center bets, and the base dealer handling the other bets as well as cash and chip exchanges. There are many people who are looking to find the right period their own.Most casinos prohibit "call bets", and may have a warning such as "No Call Bets" printed on the layout to make this clear. This means a player may not call out a bet without also placing the corresponding chips on the table. Since 1962 there are more than a hundred books written explaining how card counting works.
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tcm · 4 years
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The Whacky, Unforgettable Comedies of Paramount Pictures By Donald Liebenson
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In Road to Utopia (‘45), Bob Hope and Bing Crosby are on the road again. “Case those trees, that snow, that scenery and that sky,” Bing exclaims as he and Bob sled across the Yukon. Noting a familiar-looking mountain, Bob adds, “And get a load of that bread and butter.” “That’s a mountain,” Bing corrects him. “May be a mountain to you, but it’s bread and butter to me,” insists Bob, as a semi-circle of stars materializes to arc the peak and recreate the Paramount Pictures logo.
Paramount was bread and butter to a murderer’s row of actors, entertainers and comedy teams who helped establish the studio as being to comedy what MGM was to musicals, Warner Bros. to gangster pictures and Universal to horror films. On January 26, TCM is offering up a mini-Paramount-palooza with three comedies and stars that defined their eras: I’m No Angel (‘33) starring Mae West; Road to Utopia with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope; and The Nutty Professor (‘63) starring Jerry Lewis in his signature Jekyll and Hyde role portraying the milquetoast, accident-prone Professor Kelp and self-described “world’s greatest everything,” Buddy Love.
Paramount comedies, especially of the 1930s and ‘40s, were the smartest, the silliest and the screwiest (and that’s only the s’s). Comedy was a priority for Paramount in the silent era, and once sound came in, the studio was uniquely positioned to sign the biggest comedy stars of Broadway, vaudeville and radio for shorts and features, according to Dr. Joseph Casper, an Alma and Alfred Hitchcock Professor of American Film at the University of Southern California.
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“Paramount owned most of the downtown theaters, including the Balaban and Katz chain, which was the largest circuit of first-run theaters,” he noted. “Those theaters featured movies and vaudeville entertainers. Paramount also had an interest in radio, and with its studio based in Astoria, NY, they could also see who was clicking with audiences on the Broadway stages.”
In addition to West, Hope and Crosby and Lewis, here is only a partial list of the comedy icons in Paramount’s stable: W. C. Fields, the Marx Brothers, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor, George Jessel, Jack Oakie and Charlie Ruggles (and his frequent costar Mary Boland).
Mae West came to Paramount with a Broadway pedigree and a 10-day jail sentence as the writer and star of the then-scandalous play, Sex. She was only a supporting character in the George Raft vehicle, Night After Night (‘32), her screen debut, but she made an indelible first impression. As Mae saunters into a night club, the coat-check girl greets her with, “Goodness, what diamonds.” Without breaking her stride, West coos, “Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie.” She stole everything but the cameras, as George Raft said afterward of his costar. Her first starring role in She Done Him Wrong (‘33) established her persona as a “sexual gangster,” as modern-day burlesque queen Dita Von Teese dubbed her in the recent documentary Dirty Blonde (2020). Its box-office success is credited with saving Paramount from bankruptcy. I’m No Angel, the follow-up, was an even bigger box-office hit. 
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What makes it Paramount? In pre-Code Hollywood, Paramount did not try to tame or censor the wild, wild West of moviemaking. “When I’m good, I’m very good,” she tells co-star Cary Grant. “When I’m bad, I’m better.” As Tira, a carnival dancer and lion tamer, West is bold and independent. She needs no man to bail her out of trouble. In I’m No Angel, she takes it upon herself to conduct a courtroom cross-examination to unapologetically defend her sullied reputation. No wonder that she, along with the Marx Brothers and W.C. Fields, were rediscovered and embraced by Vietnam War-era college students for whom West, with her subversive attitudes and flouting of authority and convention, was a kindred iconoclastic spirit.
Road to Utopia was the fourth, and arguably funniest, of the seven Road to… films. For the record, I rank them: 
Utopia, Morocco (‘42), Bali (‘52), Rio (‘47), Zanzibar (‘41), Singapore (‘40) and Hong Kong (‘62). Yes, I rank Bali over Rio (I look forward to your comments). Utopia was a franchise-best at the box office.
What makes it Paramount? It’s everything you love in a Road film, plus humorist Robert Benchley wryly kibbitzing from the sidelines. The Oscar-nominated script contains some of the series’ best character-defining gags, such as the indelible moment when Hope, trying to pass himself off as a feared killer, saunters up to a bar, orders a lemonade and then quickly course-corrects, “In a dirty glass.”
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Road to Utopia is undistilled silliness with meta jokes (“I thought this was going to be an A picture,” Hope scowls when Crosby enters), fourth-wall breaking (“You mean they missed my song?” Crosby exclaims when informed that some in the audience might have come late to the movie theater) and talking animals (“A fish, they let talk,” a grizzly bear complains. “Me, they won’t give one stinking line.”). The closest Road to Utopia gets to pathos is when Hope and Crosby, about to go their separate ways, seemingly let their guards down and profess their undying friendship to each other… while picking each other’s pockets.
Even Jerry Lewis doubters concede him The Nutty Professor. With his former partner, Dean Martin, Lewis enjoyed a six-year Top 10 run at the box office beginning in 1951 until their acrimonious split in 1956. Paramount signed Lewis to an unprecedented contract in 1959 that earned him a reported $10 million, plus 60 percent of the profits and the film rights, to star in 14 films over a seven-year period. Though not embraced by the critics, Lewis was boffo, especially with kids, and he was in the box office Top 10 between 1957 and 1959 and from 1961 to 1963. And with his clout, he was given the freedom to grow as a director.
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What makes it Paramount? More experimental and less flat-out funny than his previous slapstick offerings, The Nutty Professor earned Lewis uncharacteristically good reviews. It is generally considered to be his masterpiece, but that may be because people insist on interpreting Lewis’ portrayal of Buddy Love to be a caricature of his former partner. That may make this film more intriguing from a Freudian standpoint, but Lewis insisted throughout his life that he meant no such thing, and I believe him. Could be Frank Sinatra, though. Or even Lewis himself.
If you ever visit Paramount Pictures, opt for the four-hour studio tour. That gets you into the costume and prop archives, where costumes from The Nutty Professor and Road to Utopia are preserved. They are priceless relics of these first-class comedies whose absurd and anarchic spirit is undimmed, notes Randall Throop, manager of the department. You watch these and other Paramount comedies of the period, such as the surreal Million Dollar Legs (‘32) or the Marx Brothers classics, Throop ponders, “and you have to ask yourself: ‘What were they smoking?’”
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lieuwrites · 4 years
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A Story Told In Gems | Hwang Hyunjin | Oneshot
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Title: A Story Told in Gems
Pairing: Hwang Hyunjin x Reader
Synopsis: Star tears (tears of unrequited love) have different qualities and minerals which can change the colour of the tears depending on the emotion being experienced in the moment. The minerals in the tears can be collected and pressed into beautiful gemstones. Hyunjin had taken an interest in the different kinds of gems and had tasked himself to learn all he could about them from the store owner of Stardust Jewelers.
Genre/Warnings: Angst, fluff, seemingly (?) unrequited love, hurt/comfort, swearing (i use shit like once), skz side character/s (Minho, Chan), non-idol!AU
Words: 4.8k
Requested: No
A/N: i hope y’all like this one !! i liked the concept of ‘star tears’ and wanted to do something a bit different with it and badabing badaboom here is my attempt at stepping out of my comfort zone :-D do i understand how gems are made ?? not at all, but i wrote it in anyways so who cares lmao
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It was quite beautiful the first time you saw your mom cry. She argued with your dad in the kitchen for what felt like ages until she fell to her knees and broke down in tears. Oh how her tears sparkled. The sobs wracked through her body; but her tears, they jingled hypnotically. From the young age of 4 you’d hoped that you too would one day be able to cry such beautiful tears like her when you were older. You never really understood how much it hurt to produce such beauty.
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“I promise you, the gems we sell at this store are made of 100% genuine solaris minerals,” you spoke to the customers, as you carefully removed the necklace from the display case. “As you can see, the necklace is a gold singapore chain paired with a blue solaris gem. It also comes with a pair of teardrop earrings if you decided to take the whole set.” The couple inspected the necklace, feeling the quality of the chain and holding it up to their necks. It took the two women a while to pick a necklace, but after scouring the whole shop, they decided on the one they were currently debating.
“Did you say it comes with a certificate of authenticity?” The first woman asked, holding up the necklace delicately in her palm.
You nodded in affirmation and went to grab the papers from underneath the counter. “Not only does it come with a certificate, but almost all of our products come with a story of their origin,” you placed the necklace’s folder onto the counter and slid it over to them, “these gems came from a man named Minho. He had fallen in love with a work colleague who he would spend every single working hour with. What the poor guy didn’t know was that she was already with someone. The tears used for this set specifically were cried on the night of the girl’s wedding.”
The customers sighed in sympathy from the story. It was sad to know what pain this man went through. He came in quite a few times, his first tears producing light blue gems. Each time he came in, the gems would become a deeper shade of blue as his emotions became heavier. The very last time he came in, his tears produced royal blue solaris gems.
Minho yielded 5 different sets of jewelry.
“We’ll take the whole set.”
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The next day was slow. You were able to make two small sales but other than that, there didn’t seem to be any sign of more customers. As you tried to busy yourself by wiping down the already clean display cases, the entrance bell rang, signalling a customer. You looked through the glass from your crouched position behind the counter to see a young man walk in. He stepped around the store hesitantly and his eyes scanned the jewels as he moved. You stood up from your place and greeted him, “good afternoon, welcome to Stardust Jewelers; the place where we turn tears into treasures. How can I help you today?” He jumped slightly at your voice and his expression warped into one of surprise. 
“Oh uh, sorry. I’m just here to look around,” he spoke quickly and turned around towards the shelves closer to the entrance. His shifty attitude didn’t sit right with you so you walked nearer to where he stood. The cases were secured with a key that was only handled by staff but you knew some people were able to get really creative with their shoplifting. 
You followed his gaze to the various bracelets but you were sure he wasn’t interested in those. He seemed to lick his lips nervously as his eyes flicked to you and back to the jewelry. You took in his appearance; his blonde hair was quite long, passing his chin, and his side profile was quite defined. You studied his features quite quickly until you noticed the earrings he wore. 
Simple studs.
The gems looked to be diamond but after working at the store for almost your whole life you could tell from the way they sparkled in the light, to the way the metal was designed, those were solaris gems. As you moved closer, the guy stepped away from you.
“Listen man,” you started, “I can tell those studs you’re wearing are solaris gems and judging from the craftsmanship, they were made in this store. I don’t know if you stole those and you’re coming back for seconds-”
“Woah woah woah, I didn’t steal anything from here. I was gifted these,” he held his hands up in surrender before quickly adding, “from a friend.
A quick pause happened before he hesitantly spoke up again,
“I’m Hyunjin… Hwang Hyunjin,” You raised a brow at him and he held his hand out for you to shake. You reciprocated his handshake and also introduced yourself.
“(Y/n). I’m a co-owner of this store.”
He smiled kindly at you and went back to looking at the bracelets. A silence fell over the both of you and you turned to look at the clock hung behind the counter.
’12 minutes until close. There’s no way I’m going to make this sale.’
“Um, sorry I know the store is closing soon but I just want to ask, can I hear the story of that bracelet over there?” Hyunjin pointed to a bracelet with small green solaris gems held together with a gold chain.
“Hmm,” you paused to think, “those were made from the tears of a young woman; tears of envy they were. Her best friend had ended up dating the guy she’d been crushing on. She cried to me, telling me how sad she was about losing the guy of her dreams, but I’m 100% sure she was more envious of their relationship,” You looked up to see Hyunjin listening attentively. 
“Green for envy, huh? I guess that one seems pretty obvious.”
You nodded and looked back at the time. 
“It seems I’m going to have to pack up shop. Thank you for stopping by and feel free to come by tomorrow.” You held the door open for him and he walked out with a quick goodbye and a quiet ‘nice meeting you.’
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Your newest client wasn’t here to buy jewelry; instead, the man who went by ‘Christopher’ sat in the back room. He entered the store donning sunglasses and you knew immediately why he was here. The client walked up to the counter with his head down and you moved to serve him.
“Good morning, welcome to Stardust Jewelers; the place where we turn tears into treasures. How can I help you today?” The guy cleared his throat once and opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. You slowly reached your hand out to reassuringly pat his shoulder before grabbing a small jar from beneath the counter. You asked his name and scribbled it on the jar in sharpie.
“Follow me.”
You walked to the back room and motioned for him to sit on the couch. You then passed him the jar and went to leave the room. “The room is soundproof so don’t be afraid to let it out.” 
You then left to go back to your post behind the counter, readying the paperwork for his tears. As you sorted through a new folder, the entrance bell rang. 
“Good morning, welcome to Stardust Jewelers; the place where we turn tears into– Oh, you’re back?” The same guy from yesterday walked in with a sheepish smile on his face. 
“Yeah… You did say to come by tomorrow. I’m just really curious about the store.” 
He came up to the counter and looked at the blank forms you were sorting through. You could tell he was curious as to what was on them so you turned the papers to face him. 
“We prepare them each time we have a new client–” you motioned towards the back room with your head– “so we can gather the information and signatures we need for the certificate of authenticity and the jewelry’s backstory.” Hyunjin nodded along to the explanation. He was quite a curious person, asking questions wherever possible and listening attentively to your responses.
“So do crying these gems hurt?” Hyunjin asked.
“Not that I know of. I’m pretty sure the minerals that produce the gems are too small to cause too much damage. I have heard cases where people go colour blind from crying too many star tears though. Some people can even lose memories. My mother told me it’s to protect the heart from further heartbreak.”
At that moment, Christopher walked out; sunglasses on and jar in hand. The contents sparkled a beautiful golden topaz and your heart skipped a beat. You could barely hold back the smile on your face as you took the paperwork back from Hyunjin. 
“Sorry Hyunjin, I’m going to need a bit of privacy between the client and myself. Feel free to look around the store.” Hyunjin smiled and instead waved a goodbye, mouthing ‘see you tomorrow’ before walking out the door.
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“Do you enjoy working here?” Hyunjin asked whilst chewing on the straw of his empty iced coffee. 
“Of course I do. Does it not seem like it?” You pulled out different necklaces from the display to switch around the store’s look.
“Well judging from the way you smiled at the miserable customer yesterday, I’d say you enjoy this job too much.” He raised a brow at you and you laughed at his statement.
“Trust me, I feel like every sad client that comes in to sell their tears weighs on my soul heavily; but every once in a while, you get a client who can cry tears that produce these rare gems,” you turned to pick up a pair of earrings from the shelf behind you and carefully handed them to Hyunjin. He placed his cup onto the counter and held them, inspecting the golden-yellow gems.
“What kind of tears can produce this sort of gem?”
A small smile made its way onto your face as you thought about the woman who produced the earrings.
“Tears of happiness. You see, solaris gems can only be produced from the minerals in star tears, tears that are cried during unrequited love. If the person you love doesn’t love you back, but you’re still able to be happy for them, I just think that’s a sort of purity that needs to be preserved.”
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Another new day rolled by and Hyunjin had once again made his way back to your store.
“So what’s the story behind the ring?” Hyunjin motioned to the one held gently in your palm, freshly unpackaged from the warehouse. The clean gem was pure like diamond and had no pigment to it. “These ones are quite the mystery. They look almost like normal tears from how they are cried without pigment but instead they sparkle beautifully, just as all other star tears do. These clear gems are made from tears of the unaware. Sometimes people will cry and produce star tears without knowing that they were ever in love in the first place so they usually don’t come with a story.” The idea of those gems made you sad and you quickly put it away on the shelf.
“Does the same go for my earrings?” He asked, motioning to the studs he always wore. 
“I guess so. Did you not get the information folder when you bought those?”
He shook his head and knocked on yours lightly with his hand, bringing himself to your level, “I got these as a gift, remember?”
“Ahh right. Well maybe your friend should’ve given you the info folder. How are you supposed to know if they’re real or not,” you huffed.
“Easy. I’ve got you to verify them for me.”
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It had been a few weeks since Hyunjin started popping into the store and making conversation.
Hyunjin stood behind you toying with the necklace around your neck while you sat at the counter filling out paperwork for the batch of tears that needed to be sent out that afternoon. He watched over your shoulder as you sorted through all the information and vials diligently ensuring everything was correct. He couldn’t help but admire how particular and concise you were with your work.
What he couldn’t tell was how flustered you were in the moment. The close proximity between the two of you made your heart race and every time his fingers would absentmindedly brush against the nape of your neck you would try your hardest to hide the shivers that ran up through your spine. 
You put down your pen and replaced his hand on the clasp of your necklace, removing it and turning to dangle it before him. “Here, play with this while I do my work,” you told him, waiting for the guy to take hold of it. 
Hyunjin held his palm out and you placed the jewelry into his grasp. He knew it was important to you with the way you would fidget with the pendant out of habit, move the clasp back to its place behind your neck when displaced and even just because of the fact he never saw you without it until now. Although he knew the jewel held significance to you, it was a mystery as to why. He’d always wanted to know the story behind it but never knew how to bring it up.
The large, emerald cut gem was a deep shade of red, mounted to a golden pendant and looped onto a thin, simple, gold box chain. “Red for anger is it?” Hyunjin started, his eyes shifting from the necklace to the owner.
You looked back at him, catching his eyes quickly before turning back to your work.
“Uh, yeah. Red for anger,” your voice was tentative, knowing what he really wanted to know. After a moment of hesitation, you continued to speak, “It’s from my mom, you know, the ‘big boss’. That is her first ever gem she made… out of her own tears.” You put your pen down and spun around on the stool you were sitting on to face Hyunjin.
He faced you, eyes unsure where to look. After a second of inner conflict he decided looking into yours was the best place to direct his gaze. He could read a variation of emotions; confusion, anxiousness, rage and guilt but the most prevalent one he could see was pain.
“They were the tears she cried when my dad told her he was leaving us. It happened so long ago but sometimes it still gets to me,” you let out a shaky breath and forced a smile, “I guess I should be thankful. That moment was basically the catalyst for this whole business my mom started. She said she wanted to make something beautiful and worthwhile out of painful and vulnerable moments, just to remind people that there’s always a shining light at the end of a dark tunnel.”
Suddenly, you were gently pulled into Hyunjin’s embrace, an arm around your shoulders and the other pulling your head to his shoulder. It wasn’t until then you realised you were crying. Quiet sobs escaped your body and you wrapped your arms around his waist looking for comfort.
Hyunjin stayed silent and stroked your hair in reassurance.
No words needed to be spoken. All that mattered was that Hyunjin was there in the moment, allowing you to let it all out.
And you did, crying tears that sparkled orange.
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It became a routine that Hyunjin would come and visit a few times a week. He came in so often he’d somehow weaseled his way into having his own spot behind the counter. A customer walked in and you greeted them with Hyunjin chorusing along. 
“Good morning, welcome to Stardust Jewelers; the place where we turn tears into treasures. How can I help you today?”
The girl came up to the counter and flashed a beautiful smile. “Hi, I’m here looking for something specific. Have you got any jewelry from someone named Minho?” You assumed she was friends with the couple from a few weeks prior so you nodded and brought her over to where the last of Minho’s jewelry was kept. The first ever set he was able to produce was all that was left and it was a mere ring. The gem on the thin band was a small light blue jewel. 
“Would you like to hear the story behind it?” you offered.
“Don’t worry, she knows it already,” a familiar voice cut in. Without you noticing, Minho had entered the shop. 
“No. Way. Minho, I haven’t seen you in ages! What’s it been? 3? 4 years?” You walked out from behind the counter and hugged him. He chuckled and hugged you back, “4 years and 7 months if we’re being precise.”
Minho walked over to the woman and gently pulled her over, holding her hand. “I want you to meet my girlfriend. We’ve been dating for a couple of years now.”
Minho pressed a quick kiss to her cheek and turned back to you. “We’re here to see what’s left of my gems.” His girlfriend pulled him over to where the ring was while you made your way to the back room. For each client that came to sell their tears, you decided to keep gems for them, just in case they ever came back --a situation you thought would never happen-- and for the first time, someone did.
You found Minho’s section, pulled out a small box and brought it out to the couple. Somehow, Hyunjin had gotten the key and opened the display to show them the ring in the display case.
“Since when did you hire new staff? I thought this was a family business?” Minho asked.
“I didn’t. This guy just has nothing better to do.”
Hyunjin stuck his tongue out and tossed the keys back to you.
You placed the box down in front of them and pulled out 5 small jewelry boxes, each dated with when the tears were collected. You opened them to reveal the gems within, creating a beautiful gradient of blues as the dates became more recent. 
“These are all gems created from Minho’s star tears. I save gems for each client that comes in, just in case they come back one day. I’ve left them completely untampered with so that you can choose what sort of jewelry you want to make them into.”
The two teared up looking at the jewels and you could feel the warmth radiating from the two of them. 
“How much for them?” Minho asked and you shook your head. 
“They’re free. There’s no way I’d make someone pay for their own tears,” you scoffed jokingly and closed the boxes to be packaged. You looked for the info folders until you realised you must’ve left them in the back room in your excitement. As you turned to go collect them, They suddenly appeared in front of you.
“Oh, thank you Hyunjin. I swear you know your way around here too well, I’m going to have to start restricting store access to you,” you joked.
“Hyunjin?” Minho’s voice travelled over the counter and you looked over at Minho’s confused face.
“Do you guys know each other?” You questioned.
Hyunjin shook his head, seeming just as confused.
Minho continued, “Is this the Hyunjin that you cried star tears over?”
From there, Hyunjin’s eyes widened in shock. He looked at you but you didn’t know what Minho was talking about.
“What do you mean? I’ve never known any other Hyunjin, and I met him a couple months ago.”
“No, the third time I came in, you told me you started crying star tears but you didn’t know why and by the fourth time I came around, you told me you realised it was for your friend Hyunjin.” Minho was sure of it, it was the most vulnerable he’d ever seen you. You would comfort him everytime he came by, but once, and only once, he ended up being the one to comfort you.
You could only shake your head at Minho. “I’ve never cried star tears in my life. I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” You looked back at Hyunjin and then at the gems. “Now back to the topic at hand–” you pulled forms from below the counter– “how would you like these gems styled?”
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You hadn’t spoken a word to Hyunjin since Minho left. There was this uncomfortable tension in the air that just wouldn't dissipate no matter how hard you tried to ignore it. Hyunjin knew it was there, and he knew it had to be him to make the first move, but the glass counter had this spot that just wouldn't disappear no matter how hard he scrubbed.
He watched as you counted the day’s earnings intently, eyes not daring to look away from the notes and coins in front of you. There was a voice inside of him that screamed at him to go up to you and explain everything but there was also a feeling of shame that held him back. He was so ashamed of deceiving you and that alone was eating away at him.
When Hyunjin halted his attempts at scrubbing away the nonexistent spot on the glass and turned to face you, you had already made your way to the back room to put away the money. 
He argued with himself, ’maybe I should run for it while they aren’t here. Or maybe I should follow them and fess up’, but the internal monologue had only caused him even more distress.
You on the other hand had decided to completely forget that encounter with Minho, maybe you could forget that the day had ever happened, or even better, maybe you could forget that Hyunjin had ever decided to come into your store. It wasn’t hard to piece everything together, you were smart.
The door creaked behind you, signalling Hyunjin’s entry into the back room with you. He placed the window cleaner and rag back into their rightful place on the shelf while he waited for you to lock up the safe, hidden on the floor in the back of the room, just like routine. When you got up and looked at him, he stood there with a look on his face that told you he was trying to find the words to say.
His mind blanked as you strode towards him, there was no sign of what you were feeling in the moment. As you arrived at the spot right in front of the man, you reached your hand up to gently grasp his chin and move his head to the side.
There, in the shitty back room lighting, shined the clear and clean cut solaris gems. The memory of a forgotten feeling had welled up in your chest, as if you were feeling just a tinge of the heartbreak you once experienced. 
“Do you want them back?” Hyunjin’s voice broke the silence.
You shook your head and let go of his chin, walking past him to finally lock up and leave. 
“Keep them, they look good on you.” 
And those were the last words you spoke to him before he followed you out and you locked up.
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It had been a few months after that incident. You were able to forget the whole scenario ever happened --assuming that ignoring the situation was synonymous with forgetting-- and kept conducting business as usual. Hyunjin had barely crossed your mind since you last saw him that night and you were thankful. The whole thing had completely left your system… until now.
The store bell rang and you looked up to greet the customer, words getting caught in your throat. 
His hair was no longer blonde but a deep brown, almost black. It had also grown to touch just past his shoulders. As you locked eyes, a soft smile made its way onto his face as he approached you.
After all this time, Hyunjin was the same.
“No ’welcome to Stardust Jewelers’ for your best customer?” He attempted to joke.
“Well you never actually bought anything.” Your voice was flat, an attempt at hiding what you really felt. The same pain you had tried to forget was bubbling back up in your chest and Hyunjin could see it through your facade. Whilst giving you time to collect yourself, Hyunjin inspected you further. You were the same as he remembered. The same as back when you went to school together, the same as when he met you again at your store after years away at college, just... the same. You were the same in the way your presence comforted him and raised his mood, but he knew you held different feelings towards him.
And then something caught his attention.
Ruby red emerald cut earrings. 
They matched the pendant around your neck and Hyunjin was filled with the same regret.
“Hyunjin, I’ll be honest, I’m not really comfortable with you coming back here. I don’t think we can just ‘hang’ like we used to.”
A sadness washed over him as he shook his head and chuckled bitterly. 
“I know. I’m actually just here as a client. That is, if you’ll have me?”
There was a second of hesitance before you reached under the counter to grab a jar, scribbling his name onto it, and handing it over to him. You motioned towards the back room and allowed him to make his own way there, closing the door behind him. 
Filling out his papers occupied you while you continued to try and pull yourself together. You understood why you had forgotten Hyunjin the first time, the way your mind tried to protect your heart with the star tears you cried. The pain you felt around Hyunjin stung. It made your chest hurt and your mind muddled. Most significantly, it made your eyes burn. The tears you attempted to hold back eventually fell freely, falling onto the paper and staining it with small, orange splatters.
A hand reached out to wipe them away and it was only then you realised that Hyunjin had made his way back.
You stepped back away from him and scrambled to wipe your tears with your sleeve. Hyunjin looked down at the paper, the deep orange tinge seeping into the print. It brought him back to the day he comforted you as you cried into his sweater. He went home that day with the same shiny orange stain on his shirt.
“What do orange tears signify?”
As you wiped away your ever falling tears, your voice came out low and strangled.
“Abandonment.”
Hyunjin couldn’t bear the idea of being the cause of your pain. Not only once or twice, but three times. He wanted to jump the counter and hug you, comfort you just as he had before and apologise until his voice grew weak, but instead he reached into his pocket and produced the small jar with his name on it.
The clink of the jar on the glass counter caught your attention and you inspected the contents from where you stood. A brilliant shade of indigo sparkled within the jar.
“Tears of regret,” you mumbled, “what are you feeling regretful about Hyunjin?”
He breathed out a hopeless laugh and walked around the counter and towards you. As you looked up at his face you could see the same purple tears, sparkling as they ran down his cheeks.
“Everything.”
It was then that you embraced him. His head had fallen to your shoulder and he wept, repeating a string of apologies to you.
Sorry for leaving you.
Sorry for deceiving you.
Sorry for never telling you how he truly felt.
Sorry.
You shushed him gently and rubbed his back reassuringly. That was enough. His apology was enough for you and you didn’t need to hear anymore. 
Neither of you knew how long you stood there crying, basking in the embrace and comfort of each other, but as the sobs died down and your arms grew weaker, your hearts only grew fuller. The feelings you two had for each other were different from before. Not quite love but it could be one day. And today was a step towards repairing those past emotions.
You pulled away and held Hyunjins shoulders at arms length as you studied his face. His eyes were swollen and pink, his lips quivered, daring to let out another sob. You could only imagine how you looked.
“I’m glad you came back,” your voice hoarse from crying. 
“I’m glad to see you again.”
After looking into his eyes a few moments more, you turned towards the papers on the counter. 
“I guess we should commemorate this moment with some purple solari gems, no?”
Hyunjin could only let out a hearty laugh, picking up a pen to help with the papers.
Despite the drama happening just a moment ago, having Hyunjin back at the store felt normal. Everything felt just the same and thankfully, it could only go up from here.
94 notes · View notes
flowerwrites06 · 4 years
Text
diamond trail II — myg
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Plot: The theft of his most elusive and mystery possession leads to a web of trickery that threatens every large syndicate in the country. (alternative: Yoongis’ prized possession is stolen but he’s not the only gang leader being betrayed)
Pairing(s): Mafia Boss!Yoongi x Consigliere!Y/N
Rating: G | PG | M | R 18+
Type: Drabble | Oneshot | Two Parter | Series
Word Count: 3k+
Genre: Mafia | Marriage | Mature Themes/Fluff/Smut
Tags & Warnings: criminal activities, mentions of past abuse (outside of the pair), explicit smut (spanking and very brief anal play), mild violence, coarse language, prostitution. 
Authors Note: the planning got a little wack but i think i’ve got it down now. hope you enjoy this part and make sure a like/reblog/comment go a long way! 
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Morning turned dull and dreary as the cloud hung heavy in the sky. The driveway darkened from and the grass shimmered from the thunderstorms last night but the weather didn’t relent in its greyness. You wore a deep emerald sweater dress, black coat and warm hat while the guards prepared your car.
Yoongi stayed quiet throughout the entire ride, hand still holding yours. Except his mind wandered to mentally prepare himself. Gang leaders don’t always agree to meetings nor do they end up well for anyone. You were the glue that held them together at this point.
Consiglieres’ normally always have good connections but your web was unbeatable. The amount of time you were able to keep Yoongis’ business on the down low and manage to keep it running in the same line. It was one of the reasons he fell in love. The aura of magnetism around you that attracted so many to trust you. Aside from your looks, the way you spoke and held yourself was something any experienced gang leader would be careful not to test.
Their meeting was in a neutral zone. In the private basement of Petunia Valley, a small florist shop situated near the outskirts of the city. Namjoons’ car already arrived to the scene. Daisy, the owner, had some trouble with gang members in the past. She came to you for some aid and you suggested that making a front for Gae Pa would put Daisy under their protection. Making it an act of war or treason if gang members attacked her.
She’d been safe ever since which gladdened your heart.
As you and Yoongi entered the flower shop, Daisy gave you the biggest smile. “Ma’am! It’s good to see you.” She bowed.
“Everything’s ready for the meeting.” You nodded towards the stairs.
“Yes, ma’am.” She nodded enthusiastically. “The tall man with the shades came in. I’ve given them some jasmine tea to calm themselves since he looked antsy. No funny business or fights though.”
You smiled and patted her shoulder. She looked so much happier than the crying girl with bruises littered on her face three years ago. “You’re looking well.”
Her pale cheeks flushed in pink. “All thanks to you, ma’am.”
Another car pulled up at the entrance.
“Let’s get this over with, sweetheart.” Yoongi gently rubbed your arm. He gave an extremely brief smile to Daisy before guiding you down the stairs.
Thankfully the basement had a faint floral scent to it with that tiny hint of fertilizer than you both hoped wouldn’t get too pungent as the hour passed. Namjoon sat at the wooden table, tattooed hand clasping the adorable pink floral cup with a clear grimace on his face. Clearly that jade bracelet messed with his head as much as the diamond gun did Yoongi.
The shades were probably to hide hangover or lack of sleep. Or both.
You sat at the head of the table being the meeting coordinator. One of Namjoons’ bodyguards poured you a cup of tea by his boss’ request. “Thank you.” You smiled.
“I’ll have some too,” Yoongi said.
“Get your own fucking tea.” Namjoon narrowed his gaze.
“Gentlemen.” You warned, spreading silence between the two leaders. Taking the teapot, you poured a cup for Yoongi and gently placed it in front of him.
Jimin walked down with three bodyguards crowded around him. He sat on the far end of the table, purposely ignoring both Yoongi and Namjoons’ presence. Being the only leader without a sigil or history, he must’ve been trying to keep an air of intimidation up. “Let’s get this over with.” He straightened out his coat.
“Ass without a sigil thinks he can scare us, Min.” Namjoon scoffed. “You believe that?”
“No I don’t, Kim.”
You sighed in slight exasperation. “I’ve called you three here because our reputations are being toyed with. By an elusive thief who is trying to create tension between the gangs.”
“Would you really consider that ones’ business as a gang?” Namjoon tilted his head to Jimin.
“I work and have significant influence and following in the underworld. So yes, it counts as a gang.”
“I was asking the real gang consigliere, kid.” Namjoon smiled bitterly.
“Namjoon…he’s right.” You explained to the best of your thinning patience.
“You might have to explain things to him a little slower, my lady.” Jimin smirked. “He tends to focus more on the curves of your breasts than anything you say.”
“Little brat wants to die today,” Yoongi seethed, teeth grinding.
Jimin scoffed, plump lips curling upwards. “This is a neutral zone. You can’t kill me unless you risk this entire flower shop getting burned down.”
“I’ll decide what happens to this shop and the ones who harm it, Mr. Park.” Your gaze sharpened on the man. “I’m sure your wife and kids wouldn’t appreciate having their vacation stopped short because you wouldn’t play nicely in a meeting.” All Jimins’ bodyguards standing ready to fight and the man himself holding a clipped tongue, lost for words. “Bora Bora, is it? Lovely place.”
Jimin bit down the insides of his cheeks, chest rising and falling as frustration twisted his usually pretty features. He raised his chin to maintain his pride. “Continue.”
Yoongi tried to hide the impressed smirk that desperately tried to tug at his lips.
“Thank you.” You tapped the side of your cup. “I don’t have enough information to pinpoint a culprit yet but it is definitely someone notorious to like chaos in the country. Our best lead could be to suspect Jwi Pa but it’s too obvious.”
“Don Byeol doesn’t really share her grandfathers’ viewpoints anymore,” Namjoon said. “If we had another Sapphire Assassin scandal on our hands, we’d probably all be dead by now. This thief wants us to die by killing each other by your theory.”
“Is it really for power if it’s so indirect?” Yoongi asked. “The way this guy’s working is like he just wants the chaos for sport.”
“Why don’t we just settle our differences now?” Jimin asked.
“‘cause you’re refusing to give me my sisters’ bracelet, dumbass.”
“I bought it fair and square.”
“There is a way I can get more information. During a charity event, I heard that a street gang leader rose up to the ranks by killing the Don of Mal Pa. A sort of revolution since the previous Don was getting a little too obsessed with creating piles than actual influence,” you said.
Mal Pa hadn’t been too popular ever since Don Chun Hei passed away. She didn’t have a lot of children so the leadership moved to underbosses and then associates. The meaningfulness of the gangs’ importance subdued and eventually became obsolete. However, the gang was still alive and apparently running under unknown leadership. It was a good place to start.
Except you would have to dig deeper if you were looking into a mystery gang like this. You’d have to visit him.
“I know an information broker who might be able to gain a lot of information of Mal Pa and the thievery itself.”
Yoongi didn’t need too long before his expression softened in realization. “Absolutely not.”
“Why? What’s wrong with him?” Namjoon asked.
“He asks for information as his currency. Keeps his connections strong so you can only work with him a few times in dire circumstances.” The last time you had to gain information on the large robbery in Gae Pa and had to tell him that your father and brother were still alive in Singapore. “He can help me track down the thief. He might even be able to name him exactly.”
Yoongi curled his fingers into tight fists. Kim Seokjin. Always asking for the right things to keep up his popularity and wealth. Information can get you anywhere from the top of the most expensive building to the bottom most slums of the city. The country ran on it and Seokjin was one of the monarchs who owned it. “Is this the only way?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Even Namjoon and Jimin stayed quiet, unable to really comment on the matter. The only person at risk in this situation would be you. You knew all kinds of information but there were different promises and deals made in terms of spreading news on people and networks in the underworld.
Yoongi stared at you in silence. A mixed look of concern and anger twisting his features. Just let it this be over.
***
Seokjin knew what he was doing when he made the deal. Best way to gain power without being seen is to take advantage of the one with the most connections. You were the top tier.
Another storm poured down into the city the same night as you travelled to Seokjins’ favorite restaurant. Road glistened like polished obsidian, reflecting the pink neon of the entrance sign. You drove in alone but measures were taken to ensure your utmost safety in the matter. With a deep breath, you walked through the restaurant with an air of confidence.
Seokjin sat at the booth, tapping the side of his sherry glass. When he noticed you arrive, a wide grin tugged from ear to ear. “Darling!”
You bit the inside of your cheek at the nickname. The tall male reached in and kissed both her cheeks softly before relaxing back onto the black booth.
“I haven’t heard from you since that massive robbery. Have you been purposely avoiding me?” Pillowy lips jutted into a pout.
“I have to keep my peoples’ funds in check. You tend to ask for a high price even in casual visits.”
Seokjin chuckled, the warm lights casting an eerie shadow on his eyes. Black orbs of a demon. “I’m a bit of a workaholic.” He shrugged. “So what did you need tonight on such short notice?”
You waved your hand for a drink. “Someone is trying to create havoc with two gang leaders and a restaurant chain owner.”
“Ah yes, the robbed auction. The underground newsletters were brimming.” Seokjin failed to hide the excitement flooding through his veins as his face turned smug. “So much anger. Two dreadful murders already.” He looked at his nails with a forced saddened expression. “So gory, your people.”
“Well—” Your eyes flickered up to the waitress who gave you a cup of earl grey tea.
“On the house, ma’am.” The waitress grinned before turning on her heel.
“So terribly famous.” Seokjin smirked.
“My suspicions are on Mal Pa. I had a theory since the leader used to be in a street gang. There’s a lot of whispers that they have some kind of vendetta to all gangs. It’s a good place to start without getting traced.” You didn’t want to voice those rumors to Yoongi or Namjoon since it had no basis yet. But with the way Seokjin smiled at you knowingly, you knew that was a lead.
Thunder struck, silver bolt flickering against the blackened sky. You used the warmth of the tea to bring you some comfort even though all you really wanted was to snuggle up in bed for night. “You know something, yes?”
“So long as you understand the natures of this transaction.”
Anxiety crept at the back of your mind, like thorn vines climbing up an aged building. More thunder boomed across the skies almost making you jump. You blinked slowly and breathed deep. “I do.”
“Good,” Seokjin said. Long fingers intertwined, business stance with a ready breath. “Jeon Jungkook.”
“Jeon Jungkook?” You shook your head.
“That’s the current leader of Mal Pa. A former street goon who was apparently asking for the previous gang leaders’ aid. They refused so Jeon took it upon himself for justice. Got a bunch of people and trashed the entire place. Killed the Don along with it.” Seokjin traced the brim of his glass. “If anyone has an agenda against the Dons of this country, it’s him.”
“How do I get in contact with him?”
Seokjin laughed like you spoke the funniest joke in the world. “Sweetheart, even if you offered your body and soul to the man, he wouldn’t talk to you. He hates the higher ups.”
“I wasn’t always a higher up.” Your origins started in the streets just like Jungkook. The smell of garbage and cheap perfume lingering in the air. Hiding in the closet with earbuds while mother worked. Taking over the family business and expanding your horizon with nothing but the clothes on you back and sweat on your skin. “Is there a way I can get through to him?”
Seokjin sighed. “For a man with a supposed higher purpose, he visits this courtesan house quite regularly.” He grabbed a napkin and wrote down the name of the establishment. “If you meet him there while he’s high on opium then you might be able to gain some information.”
“Nectar Oak.” Your heart jumped up to your throat. How long had it been since you saw or heard that name before? The feeling of their silk uniform still lingered on your skin.
“I understand this is no strange place to you,” Seokjin spoke.
You swallowed the small lump in your throat. “A thing of the past.” You buried the napkin into your purse. “What’re your terms?”
“I’ve asked this of you before. Information on a gang leader requires a hefty price. You can’t delay me any longer since we found out about your father and brothers’ hideout.” That same sinister smirk tugged at his lips. “What were the true terms of your marriage with Don Min Yoongi?”
A cold flood washed over your form, welcoming unwanted twists and lurches in your stomach from the time years ago. Time when things weren’t as warm as they are now. You kept a steady face, the corner of your lips twitching just the slightest. “I was a worker at the courtesan house,” you spoke softly. “Before they pay you for customers, they train you with different workers in the house. My first real customer was Yoongi. He was very kind but distant.”
You took a deep breath. “One night he came in and he said that he was going to reserve me. I didn’t know customers could truly do that. It meant he paid for everything and I got to spend time outside of the house. Working in a place like that, you tend to gain many connections and information very easily. It allowed me to earn a place in Yoongis’ radar. He’d come to me for information and personal activities.”
Seokjin took a tiny sip of his sherry, eyes fixated on you like the excitement would stop if he blinked.
Sadness loomed over your face. “I got pregnant. I told him as soon as he arrived to the house.” You sucked in your bottom lip. “He looked so happy…but—then he never came back again. For seven months, I never saw him. I already prepared to have the baby on my own until one morning, he came back. I learned that Gae Pa was going through a power struggle. When Min Areum murdered the Don, there was chaos. Questions on whether Yoongi deserved to have power—but then my pregnancy created all the more chaos.”
“He came to me and told me that he needed help.” You smiled a little to yourself. “He knew I had people I could talk to help with the associates trying to harass Yoongi. But I had to be part of the family. So he married me. We signed a legal agreement and I took down all the associates who dared to threaten Gae Pas’ true heir.”
“So the most popular couple in the underworld—” Seokjin rested back on the booth. “—is a marriage run on business and convenience. Not love.”
“I didn’t say there wasn’t any love.”
Seokjin hummed with a slight smile. “I’m sure there is.”
You suppressed the need to roll your eyes as you stood up from the booth. “Pleasure doing business with you, Kim.”
“Be sure to give Yoongi my love!”
***
“No, no, no. Absolutely fucking not. Not a chance.” Yoongi kept blabbering as the news finally reached the room. He curled up the sleeves of his white shirt, roughly raking through his hair. He turned and took a deep breath. Trying to protest more before turning away again in light stammers. “I’m gonna kill him.”
“You’re not killing anyone.” You crossed your arms over your chest.
The maids were ordered to work on the bedroom quarters while the living room reserved for their little argument. Yoongi clasped onto his hips, shaking his head. “We’re risking too much, baby. I don’t think it’s worth it. Even my mother would slap me in the head if she saw this.”
“It’s not just about the gun anymore.” You padded closer to him, rubbing his arm. “There’s a high chance he’s gonna try something else. Something worse than a robbery. It’s already happening, there’s been two murders. We can’t wait for that to happen to us.”
Yoongi let out a deep sigh, nerves still aching from the tightness but at least information was registering in his head again. You were right. Jungkook could have Namjoon or Jimin assassinated in an instant. The underworld will be able to trace Gae Pa down immediately. Right now, he was playing but it could very well get serious and bite them back in the ass for ignoring it. “I just hate that you have to go back there again. Wearing those same clothes.” He swallowed down thickly. “You’ve done so much to get me out of problems and now it’s almost back to square one.”
You reached in and kissed the back of his neck. “It’s not gonna be like last time. We’re stronger now. And this is my home as much as it is yours.”
“I know—”
“So I’m going to protect it no matter what. Okay?” You moved so you stood in front him, nose nudging against his. “We’ll protect it together.”
Yoongi smiled, cupping your cheeks and kissing you on the forehead. “What did you ask you for?” A part of him didn’t wish to know. The fear of personal information in the slimy hands of that weasel made his insides lurch but he knew the weight would lifted off of you.
“Our terms of marriage.” You smiled sadly. “How it actually happened.”
“Did he ask about the baby?”
“Actually no—he seemed pretty satisfied with the story itself.” Or Seokjin figured on what might’ve happened if their child wasn’t public nor were there any rumors of a Gae Pa heir.
“We’re not talking to him ever again.”
“So long as we don’t get into trouble.” You chuckled under your breath. Even entertaining the idea of a trouble free life was too idealistic.
“Then we’re never getting rid of him.” Yoongi sighed.
Fear still lingered, twisting his stomach in knots at the events to come but his mind knew better. You were both stronger than the time Yoongi was taking the chair as Don. This was a small bump in the road. Nothing more.
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tagsecretsanta · 4 years
Text
From @I-am-chidorixblossom
to @nibenhutracycas
Full credit to the author above, secret santa does not own this piece!
Gordon’s Fashion Faux Pas
“Hey, John.  You copy?”
John Tracy turned at the sound of his eldest brother’s voice and pushed his way over to the monitor.  “Always, Scott.  What’s the situation?”
Scott tilted his head a little.  “What makes you think there’s a situation?  Can’t I just check in to see how you are?”
“You can,” John confirmed.  “But you already did that a little over two hours ago, and our next scheduled communication isn’t until--”
“Okay, okay.”  Scott held up his hands.  “You got me.  There might be just a little issue I’d like you to look into for me.”
Bingo.  John knew Scott far too well.
“And what would that be?”
A pause.
“You know that big conference and dinner Lady Penelope was telling us about that’s happening later today?”
John nodded.  “Yes, the one in Singapore where she’s a keynote speaker.”
“Yeah.  Lots of people, far too much paparazzi, high profile and of significant importance to the GDF.”
“And, indirectly, us.”  John felt a sigh coming on.  “Get to the point, Scott.”
He watched his brother pull an awkward expression while wishing he could go back to his programming.  Just once John would like to escape from all the dramas of the planet below him for twenty-four hours or so.  Was that really too much to ask?
“She’s invited Gordon as her plus one.”
Ah.  Right…  John was starting to see where this was going.  Scott was always such a worrywart at the best of times, but especially when one of them had to step into the limelight as a representative not only of International Rescue but Tracy Industries as well.  And while they were all well educated and versed in the proper protocols for such high class events, some of them were better equipped and prepared than others.
The family’s very own loudmouth, prankster, happy-go-lucky fish did not fall into that category.  At all. 
John folded his arms and let out that sigh.  “You don’t think Gordon is well suited for this assignment, am I right?”
Scott made a vague rocking gesture with his hand.  “Lady Penelope asked for him specifically, but your use of the term ‘well suited’ is very on point.”
John felt his own face morph into one of horror.  “Oh, no.  Absolutely not.”
“Please, John!  You know Gordon never listens to me, and trying to get Alan to talk to him is a waste of time.”
John grasped for an excuse or alternative option.
“What about Virgil?  He’s always good at corralling Gordon?”
Scott’s jaw tightened and he quickly shook his head.  There was even a grimace.  “You forget what happened last time I called Virgil while he was on vacation?”
Ah.  Yes.  Alan’s trip to the dentist four years ago.  Temper tantrums, lots of shouting and one very frazzled Virgil by the end of it.  If memory served he’d threatened to park Thunderbird Two on Scott’s head for not being man enough to deal with their monstrous baby brother in his hour of need.  Whether that was because Scott should have seen to Alan’s needs himself or simply because Virgil had been forced to fly home early, John had never found out.
“Scott, I’m in orbit.  And working.  I can’t just drop everything and come rushing down when you’re right there on the ground, on the same island and in the same house.”
“I’ve got that board meeting in the morning to prepare for,” Scott retorted.  A convenient excuse, if John had ever heard one.  “You’re the only one available.”
“What about Grandma?” 
“Not interested.”
“Brains?”
“Working on a new project.”
“Kayo?”  He was definitely clutching at straws now.
“Ha, that’s funny.”
John bit back a curse and let himself float away for a minute, hoping the zero gravity would help him feel better.  It didn’t.
“Do this for me and I won’t ask for any more favours for the rest of the year.”
John’s head shot up and he sent a glare at his big brother.  “That’s only two weeks!”
Scott scowled.  “Fine, the next three months.”
“Six.”
“Four and a half.”
John considered it.  “Done.”  
He watched Scott’s shoulders drop in relief.  “Thank you.”
John sighed and pulled up the launch procedure for the space elevator.  “Don’t thank me yet.  I’ve only agreed to come down and try.  I make no promises that it’ll do any good.”
“Just remember it’s for the honour of our family.”
Turquoise eyes rolled in exasperation.  “Quit with the melodramatics.  I’ll be down in fifteen.”
“F.A.B.”
John took a little too much satisfaction in swiping Scott’s face away to end the call and took stock of the situation. 
So Gordon was going along to a big fancy event with Lady Penelope, huh?  In all honesty John had seen it coming for a long time, and he was incredibly relieved that he wasn’t  the one being dragged along again like last time to that supposedly small charity auction.  The one which had ended in disaster thanks to the Hood.
Now it was Gordon’s turn, and he actually wanted to go.  He liked attention and he definitely liked Lady Penelope.
So what was Scott getting his contrails in a twist for?
Surely it couldn’t be that bad?
~*~
It was that bad.
Barely out of orbit, on the ground and out of uniform, John was quick to make his way towards Gordon’s room.  He felt as ready as he could be with such short notice, but no amount of time could have prepared him for the atrocity his gaze fell upon the split second Gordon’s door slid open.
Scott’s request for help suddenly made a whole lot more sense, but in reality it should have been the fashion police their eldest brother had called.
John tried to keep the judgement out of his tone and failed miserably.  “You’re not planning to wear that, are you?”
Gordon blinked in the full length mirror he was facing, apparently unsurprised by John’s sudden arrival.  “What?  I like this suit.”
“It’s dayglow orange, Gordon.”  Good God, John thought he was going to go blind.  “Pinstriped and dayglow orange.”
“Which matches my bright and cheery personality just nicely,” the aquanaut retorted.  He went about trying to straighten his matching tie and John looked away, trying to save his eyes from the torture they were being subjected to.
That suit really was awful.  Whoever had designed it should be locked up.
“You know I don’t like to interfere,” he spoke up after a moment.  “But I really think you should reconsider.”
“La-la-la, I’m not listening.”
Oh, how very mature.  No wonder Scott had called in help.  Where was Virgil when they needed him?  He was the artistic one with an eye for colour coordination.
John let out a low suffering sigh.  “Do you know what Lady Penelope is wearing?”
Gordon hummed at his reflection.  “Nope.  Parker sent me details, but I didn’t really read them.  He’s always sticking his nose in whenever me and Penny are around each other.”  A snort.  “Makes sense, given his nickname I guess.”
John leaned against the doorframe.  “Well if you’d bothered to read it then you’d know why I think that suit is completely the wrong choice.”
Gordon spun round to face him.  “You mean you read it?”
John sent him a deadpan expression.  “It was a communication with a marker of high importance.  I’m the communications expert.”
“It was addressed to me!”
“With no confidentiality data stamp.  Besides, I needed something to read on the way down here.”  
John almost smirked when Gordon squirmed.  
“But back to the main point.  That suit looks ridiculous and if you wear it I highly doubt Lady Penelope will ever invite you out to another public event again.”
Gordon ran his hands down his own lapels and John could see the gears in his head starting to turn.  He was successfully getting under his little brother’s skin and in all honesty it was quite fun.
Then Gordon pouted.  “I can’t believe I’m actually listening to you, of all people, about fashion.  That shirt you’re wearing should be burned.”
Ignoring the jibe he had heard oh so many times, John stepped into the room and navigated his way through all the clutter to Gordon’s wardrobe.  “Lady Penelope is wearing an off shoulder ocean blue dress with a thin diamond belt, matching necklace and earrings.  You need to pick something more subtle that will compliment her.”
“But orange and blue go together!”
“When it comes to that particular shade I respectfully disagree.”
“That shirt is definitely getting burned.”
Flicking through Gordon’s way too bright and colourful wardrobe, John finally found what he was looking for and pulled out one of the wrapped suits that had been shoved to the back.  Dark blue, tailor made by an old friend of their father, and one that was far better suited - pun unintended - for the event Gordon was to be attending later that evening.
Removing the protective cover, John presented it to Gordon.  “This is much better.”
His little brother immediately pulled a face.  “But that suit is so boring and generic.  It says nothing about my personality at all.”
Oh, for crying out loud…
“It’s a good fit on you, Gordon, and high quality.  Remember that you’re attending as Lady Penelope’s plus one tonight, not the other way around.”
A golden eyebrow quirked up towards the ceiling.  “Your point?”
John was quickly becoming both exasperated and exhausted.  How on Earth did Virgil manage being the family peacemaker and make it look so easy?  Just dealing with Gordon was a monumental task.
“A gentleman does not outshine the lady on his arm.”
Silence.  Those caramel eyes widened.  John wanted to drop to his knees and give thanks to whoever would listen.
Finally, he gets it!
~*~
John was more than a little relieved when the space elevator docked and he drifted through the airlock and back into his natural habitat.  Now a comfortable distance from Earth and any annoying younger brothers, the middle Tracy was quick to return to the programming he’d been doing before he’d received Scott’s S.O.S.
Eos filled him in on what little he had missed, with no distress calls and only minor generic chatter across all the channels and frequencies.
It seemed that, for the moment at least, all the attention was on a very specific event in Singapore which was just getting started.  High profile guests were arriving, reporters flocked to the edges of the red carpets in their hordes, and the eyes of the world looked on.
The first pictures and clips started to find their way online, and one in particular was quick to draw attention from John and apparently many others.  The reblogging and sharing counters were going into overdrive.
John took a moment to feel just a little bit proud as he admired the image.
Gordon, wearing the suit he had recommended, standing face to face with the elegantly dressed Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward as cameras flashed all around them.  She was smiling up at John’s rather bashful looking younger brother with an expression that could only be described as affectionate, her delicate hands raised towards his neck as she adjusted…
...that hideous tie which matched the equally grotesque abomination his brother had so laughingly called a suit.
Ugh.  John felt he needed to bleach his brain and eyes to unsee it.  It was vile. 
The suit may be absent but the presence of that tie mocked the middle Tracy something chronic.  Gordon had actually worn that?!  What was he thinking?
It warranted a very rarely used John Tracy facepalm.
Still, his reservations and opinions aside, it wasn’t a complete disaster.  A flick of a finger brought up all the leading stories across the news networks and social media in front of him, and John noticed that that one picture kept popping up again and again, followed quickly by others as Gordon and Lady Penelope made their way along the red carpet and into the venue.
John found himself smiling as he flicked away the images and returned to his duties.  So Gordon hadn’t completely listened to him after all.  Hardly a surprise, but John wasn’t about to lose any sleep over it.  His brother seemed happy and Penelope clearly approved of his attire, ghastly tie and all, so what more could John really ask for?
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Note
For the wedding hcs could you plz do Jumin x V ✨✨✨👀
Hohoho don’t mind if I do
Jumin x V wedding hcs:
where they get married:
-Pribably somewhere e super fancy, like Greece or Italy, it can’t be in Korea tho :( but they will fly out everyone in the RFA and maybe Jumin’s father!
when they get married ( ie what time of day, what month and season etc. ):
-Porbably during autumn. They get married at the time around sunset, to then have the party at night! They get either married on September or at the beginning of October
what traditions they include ( do they get married under a chuppah and crush a glass, garter toss, ‘something borrowed, something blue,’ etc. )
- (I found so many things about Korean traditions omg.) So since Jumin is a very traditional man, he will do every single Korean tradition lol. I’m talking about presenting a goose (that’s adorable), both grooms wear blue, the wine ceremony where they share a glass of wine, and many more!
what their wedding cake looks like:
-ohh it would be either blue or white. It’d be a super big cake, decorated super fancy and maybe with 2 or 3 (floors? What are those things called?)
….who smashes cake into whose face:
- V, V, V ,V, V lmaooo, he wouldn’t smash the cake in Jumin’s face, but he’d make it so that he has a bit of the cake in his nose of cheek lol
who proposed to who first:
-Jumin proposed to V during a supposed business trip. They were at this super fancy resort and Jumin got down on one knee, asking V to be forever by his side, and V said yes
who walks down the aisle and who waits at the altar ( or neither ):
-I don’t think any of them would walk down the aisle tbh, but if someone were to do it it’d be V (accompanied by you of course )
what their wedding dresses / suits / other look like
-They both wear blue suits. V has a lighter one, and Jumin a darker suit.
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what their wedding colour scheme is and what sort of decor they have
-ihhh fhis one was hard. Probably a really light color scheme, like maybe very light turquoise or just white. They would have plenty of pictures that V took, and that are Jumin’s favorite.
what flowers are in the bouquet ( if applicable. bonus: what do the flowers mean? )
-They both have an almond tucked in their suit pockets, it means promise.
what their vows are ( eg poetry, traditional, improvised etc. )
-Jihyun would go for a really cute traditional-ish. “You have always been there for me, my best friend, and now, my love. You don’t know how happy you make me.”
-While Jumin would be super poetic. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my years with you. You have always been there for me, ever since we met, and you’re the only person who has ever made me feel like this...I promise, that for the rest of my life I will cherish and protect you. I love you.”
if anyone’s late to the wedding:
-Saeyoung, he was trying to steal Elly lmao
who’s in the bridal parties / groomsmen / other:
-Definetly you, along with the RFA (yes, Zen too, Jihyun made Jumin choose him and it was the best thing ever lmao.) also we’re including Saeyoung since Jumin doesn’t want him anywhere near Elly
what their bridal party / groomsmen / other are wearing
-For a fem!MC and Jaehee, a white dress with a blue bow tied around the waist, for a male!MC and the rest of the guys, white suits with blue bowties (Saeyoung did get ahold of one of the dresses though and Zen got catfishes again lmao)
who gives speeches at the reception ( bonus: what do they say? recount a sweet memory or two between them? tell an embarrassing story? )
-Jihyun would tell a story about funny stories/seeet memories with Jumin. Some times when they were playing hide and seek, or times when they’d stay awake during sleepovers and talk for the rest of the night. And of course he’d talk about how they met, and how amazing it has been to have Jumin in his life.
who catches the bouquet( s )
-Do I even need to say? SAEYOUNG OBVIOUSLY PFTTT
what their wedding photos are like ( are they sweet, with the couple holding hands or kissing or ~gazing into each others eyes~? are they silly, with a snapshot of the ‘cake-smash’ moment? or are they artistic, with one of them facing the sunset or holding their bouquets? )
-Theyre photos are the sweetest thing ever. Rui takes them for them, as a wedding gift. The favorite photo of the two of them, is when V and Jumin are looking at each other, holding their hands with big dorky smiles on their face. There’s also one where they’re exchanging rings and V looks so happy he’s about to cry, while Jumin can’t stop smiling. And then of course, the one where V just put a bit of frosting on Jumin’s cheek. They’re both smiling and V now has his nose covered in frost too!
what sort of food they have at the reception
-They have pretty fancy and traditional Korean food, along with some western one too!
who cries first during the ceremony
-ME, I mean, definetly V. He’s way too happy and can’t hold it in.
how wild their reception gets ( who dances the best, who gets drunk first, etc. )
-So Saeyoung and a really really drunk Yoosung get into a dance competition, and when Yoosung is drunk and Saeyoung is feeling chaotic, you know it’s going to be freaking wild
what their rings are like
-Their rings are very simple silver ones, that have a big small diamond on the center and then there’s like two or three smaller ones on the sides. The diamond is blue, and it’s not like super big, but it’s definetly real
what sort of favours they have ( heart shaped sparklers, mini champagne bottles, personalised candy etc. )
-They have tons of stuff, Jumin has some cat candy (he couldn’t help himself ok) and there’s a really tiny bottle with a flower inside of it
where they go for their honeymoon
-they go to a lot of places, Italy, singapore, and to Jumin’s little island
something memorable that happens during the party / ceremony ( do they run out of ice and someone goes to get it in full formal wear on foot, does anyone fall asleep in the middle of the party, etc. )
-At one point Yoosung slipped and fell dancing and then he started crying because he lost the dance battle lol. Also Zen actually congratulated Jumin while being all blushy about it, but he was really happy for him! Saeyoung also managed to get 2 feet near Elly until he was taken away by the security guards
who officiates the ceremony
-they would probably get married by a priest, since they’re both catholic
what song their first dance is to:
-ohh this one was hard! But I think this one fits them pretty well:
The way it starts slow but then slowly builds up, and V and Jumin hold each other close, saying how much they love each other. Everyone stares in awe as the couple dances, Jumin teasingly whispering into Jihyuns ear as the dance goes on, and they get more skippy and more happy, since they can’t believe that they’re finally together, and they start dancing faster and faster, unable to stop smiling. They’re filled almost with a childish happiness at being with each other, they’re so excited, and you can tell by how they both move and smile. Until they slow down, and Jumin leans his forehead against V’s, whispering words filled witr love.
who gives who away as they walk down the aisle
-I have a really angsty hc that Jihyun’s dad is the one that’s like nope, so I feel like V would probably ask you, or just walk down the aisle with Jumin? You know?
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withastolenlantern · 4 years
Text
A million thoughts raced through the detective’s mind at once. Her initial reaction was to lunge for him, to grab his throat in her hands and squeeze until his lips turned blue and the life drained from his eyes. But she couldn’t, not here in the middle of a crowded ballroom; and more to the matter, she wasn’t sure that’s what her father would have wanted, or if it’s even what she wanted. In the years that had passed she’d pictured this moment many times, envisioning multiple scenarios of public humiliation, or private torture, or a combination of both. No form of retribution seemed too severe, nor completely appropriate.
The exercise had always seemed a fantasy, though, and she’d always had the luxury of imagination without the restraint of practicality. At no time had she ever expected to be face to face with the man, and certainly not in a context where the only ones surrounding them were a coterie of socialites who could do nothing to stop any force she might perpetrate. Now, presented with the actual situation she’d practiced thousands of times in her head, she was confronted by the multitude of possibilities and found herself frozen with indecision. A myriad of voices trapped inside her all screamed furiously forward various iterations of fight or flight, scream or sob, and trapped behind all of them a single, mournful image of her father’s casket draped in a flag.
Instead, she breathed deep and long, steadying herself with a pull from her glass. The color and warmth still flushed her face, her knees weak, her head swimming; anyone looking hard would no doubt recognize the inner conflict, no matter how subtle. She’d been here many times before- on helicopter approaches viewed through thermographic optics, on night watches overlooking rural Pakistani villages… and propped on an aluminum folding chair at the rear of a South African funeral parlor. It was, in many ways, her nature; not by choice or inclination but necessity.
The detective swallowed her pride deep through gritted teeth and offered a hand. “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure, no. Detective Inspector Chatham, His Royal Majesty’s Enquiry Service.” 
The man took her hand with a gentleness she hadn’t expected from a veteran of the Commonwealth’s military campaigns. Her recollection was that Travers had been an aviation mechanic before he’d moved into the intelligence service, and then Internal Security. She suspected that the military posting had been purely performative; his father was the Viscount Hulmeville, a title that would some day pass to him. The family was old aristocracy, running back at least to the Victorians; they’d owned a slew of coal mines in Yorkshire, and when the demand for fossil fuels had dried up they’d made another fortune converting and leasing the land for agricultural use. The current Viscount’s son had likely been long groomed for a position in the Government, and it came as no surprise to Chatham that he now held a seat on the Consortium’s Board. Like always does seem to attract like.
“Sir Roger Travers,” he said flatly. If he recognized the detective at all, he didn’t show it. They’d had an official military funeral for her father, but only her mother had attended. She’d been too overcome with grief to handle the cameras and the pageantry over an incident she’d always felt could have been avoided. The then-Minister had offered token condolences to her mother, and thanked her for her father’s sacrifice. Days later Chatham had seen him making rounds on the news circuit, defending the Service’s use of force and decrying the “rioters and terrorists” for forcing his hand. Evidently he’d been knighted in the interim, and she hoped deeply it was for some other “service” to the crown.
“The detective is investigating some thefts from our warehouses and fabs,” the Lady explained. 
“So I’ve heard,” Travers replied. “And how is your investigation going, inspector?”
“I’m not sure I’m at liberty to discuss that in public,” Chatham countered. She was gripping her glass so tightly that it was at risk of cracking the crystal and compressing the peat in the whiskey into diamond.
Newby-Ross turned and shooed away her retinue of followers with a simple wave, and they disappeared without complaint as if scattered apart by a subtle wind. The detective was impressed at the authority the lady commanded; she may be a member of the peerage but those titles were more ceremonial than authoritative, or at least Chatham had thought. 
“Continue, Detective,” she instructed.
“Mum, if it’s all the same, I sent a copy of our report to the Earl, but I haven’t had a chance to debrief him personally yet, and as he’s the head of the Consortium I’d prefer…” the inspector started awkwardly willing herself to be anywhere else.
“Come, come, out with it,” the heiress beckoned, with a tone that indicated she was not accustomed to accepting refusal. “James is in Singapore for at least another few days, and I have full authority from the Board to act as his proxy in emergencies, isn’t that right Roger?”
“That’s correct,” he confirmed, obviously also anxious to hear what the detective had to say without having to get it second-hand through the filters of the Consortium’s management. And so their plan was now laid bare, just as Chatham had surmised. She swore to herself silently, for what must have the hundredth time that week. 
“Well, mum, we, by which I mean Mister Santomas and I…” Chatham started, gesturing toward the engineer beside her. If she was going to be dragged into this, she wasn’t going alone. “We visited one of the autofabricators in the Carribean that was reporting a strange status. What we found was quite irregular.”
“They were up and running,” Davis chimed in, accepting his role in the pageantry. 
“I thought all of the Carribean units were shut down,” Travers said.
“They’re supposed to be,” the engineer replied.
“What do you mean ‘supposed to be’? I thought these things were impossible to access except by our people?” the Lady said. 
“They’re supposed to be,” Santomas said again. 
“And what were they doing?” Newby-Ross pressed.
“It appeared they were manufacturing weapons, and some kind of… drug, or something. We found several smugglers inside the loading area but they got away before I could apprehend them,” the detective explained.
“You let them get away?” Travers exclaimed, suddenly very animated. Many in the crowd turned toward the new commotion, but the Lady turned, smiled brightly, and shooed everyone back to their revelry.
“They were armed, sir, and we weren’t exactly expecting a fight. We were lucky to escape unharmed,” she said, frustration evident and a mixture of panic and wrath threatening to bubble to the surface. “We’re running facial recognition through the various Commonwealth databases.”
“And what about these ‘drugs’ you mentioned?” the Lady Swansea continued. 
“I don’t know, mum. I’m running an analysis on the chemical structure in the labs, but it’s complicated,” Santomas interjected, perhaps sensing the inspector’s unease. “Chemistry’s not really my area of expertise, and it’s got a weird composition.” 
“Is it the same thing you found off the African coast?”
“It appears so, but we are trying to confirm that,” Chatham said. 
“How did they get access to the fabs in the first place?” Travers asked.
“I don’t know, sir. We’re still trying to work that out,” the engineer said.
“Well what the bloody hell do you know?” the board member growled.  
The detective nearly reached her breaking point. She could apparently handle the subtle discourtesy of being summoned here, forced to bow and dance and sing at the whims of the aristocracy, to hide her anger and hold her tongue, but the disrespect shown for her professional efforts pushed her to the limit. Chatham raised her arm in fury, intending to unload on the former Minister, but as she did so, the Lady Swansea put her hand gently on his shoulder.
“I’m sure they’re doing their best, Roger,” she chided him quietly,. “Thank you, Detective, for your efforts. I have the utmost confidence you will bring these nefarious criminals to justice. I think that’s enough shop talk for today, though, don’t you think? I believe they’ll be serving dinner shortly. Lamb chops I think. Sustainably source from the local farms, of course.”
Travers bristled and nodded vaguely in Chatham and Santomas’ direction before heading off to join the Lady’s original group. The hostess leaned in closely to embrace the detective and air-kiss her cheeks. “I’m sorry about that,” she whispered. “He can be… well. I have faith in you. Please enjoy the rest of the evening. I know James is quite looking forward to your report.”
The heiress turned on a heel with practiced ease, threw her hands in the air in exaggerated jubilation, and returned to her original crowd. 
Santomas stood sheepishly, not sure what to do or say. “Well that was… terrible. Any other awkward conversations you want to drag me into tonight, or can I go back to drinking myself into oblivion?”
Chatham took a deep breath, trying to slow her pulse and her thoughts. Whatever she was expecting from the moment she met her father’s indirect executioner, that certainly had not been it. But she had survived unscathed, physically at least. It would take a long time for her to process the feelings of fury and disdain that were currently causing her hands to tremble uncontrollably and a bead of cold sweat to run down her spine.
“Yes, Mister Santomas, but only if you take me with you.”
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kaitoujokerscans · 5 years
Text
Showdown in the Dark Night! Joker vs Shadow CH1
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Notices!!
"Tonight, I'll come to take 'Komachi's Gilded Chrysanthemum' from the Cape Gardens! Phantom Thief Joker"
"On the 𝒩𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝒟𝒶𝓇𝓀𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈 when the moon has perished, I shall come together with 𝐵𝓁𝑜𝑜𝒹𝓎 𝑅𝒶𝒾𝓃 to steal away the 𝐸𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓃𝒶𝓁 𝒯𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓈𝓊𝓇𝑒 ​ known as 'Komachi's Gilded Chrysanthemum'! Phantom Thief Shadow Joker"
<1> Night Raid
It was a moonless night. A cold wind blew in from the ocean, and other than the sound of leaves on the trees rustling, the night forest quietly held its breath.
Within this sprawling forest atop a precipitous cliff, a house stood deserted. This grand house, a relic of Japan's Showa era, was now uninhabited. Since the death of its owner, a major financier, it was managed by only a few members of staff. The master of the house was famous for being an eccentric who hardly went out, but also happened to be a noted botanical collector, and in the courtyard grew many rare kinds of flowers. This courtyard, flush with flowers from around the world, was spread out over a wide area in the vast forest and endowed with a multitude of diversions to entertain the visitor: a large pond, bridges, a greenhouse, and a garden maze formed from tall hedges, among others.
The very centerpiece of the courtyard was a donut-shaped hanging garden, fixed around the great manor like the rings of Saturn. It was neatly divided into twenty-four beds and engineered so that one could enjoy flowers in season at any time. Looking out from the manor, one would see the ocean beyond the hanging garden. After the owner died, the courtyard was opened to the public, and it came to be known as the "Cape Gardens".
Tonight, this usually tranquil garden was under high alert. The red lights of numerous police cars lit up the entire garden, sowing it with an uneasy ambiance. The police searchlights positioned on the manor's roof smoothly circled the courtyard as if tracing an image, at intervals illuminating the officers on duty. They rigorously scanned the area with an anxious look on their faces.
One man watched them from the from the third floor of the house. He wore a custom moss green uniform on his short and stout body, and long hair flowed out over it from the back of his head. A certain look of determination filled his face as he intently looked out over the garden, arms folded.
The manor's clock tower bell struck once. Bong!
"11:30, is it..." said the man, looking at his wristwatch. The bell in this house rang the time at the hour and struck once at the half hour.
A door banged open behind the man. "Inspector!"
He turned around to see two officers run in. The first was a sharp-eyed long-haired violette, the other a short blonde.
"Oh, Ginko-chan, Momo-chan."
"He's arrived."
"At last!" The man's glinted dimly. "Fu fu fu, this is the end of the line. This time I'll so arrest him!" he exclaimed loudly.
The man's name was Oniyama Dokusaburou. He was a veteran officer belonging to the Metropolitan Police Department's Anti-Phantom Thief Unit, with twenty-five years on the force. He originally handled robberies and fraud cases, but his career changed completely with the appearance of a certain man. His name...
Phantom Thief Joker.
Nicknamed the "Miracle Maker", Joker was the century's greatest phantom thief. He came and went as he pleased, was smart as a whip, and could change his appearance to anyone else's. He stole treasure like smoke and escaped like the wind. Though he was still young, his almost magical methods were indeed miraculous.
Oniyama had first encountered Joker in a certain caper, in which he was utterly bested and the treasure was stolen. Ever since, Oniyama had dedicated his own career as a police officer to catching Joker, or so he swore. Now wherever Joker stirred up trouble, Oniyama was sure to come along after him. Joker was a world-trotting thief, and while Oniyama could not chase him overseas at a moment's notice, he was always in charge of cases involving him in Japan. This time, he had rushed to the scene upon receiving a notice from Joker threatening to steal the Gardens' "Komachi's Gilded Chrysanthemum".
"Today's the day I'll catch him, for sure..." Oniyama said as he did before every caper. To exaggerate a little, chasing after Joker was Oniyama's reason for living. Oniyama had vowed that he would put Joker in handcuffs himself. This time, he looked out onto the field with more resolve than ever. The reason being...
As he thought to himself, he heard the squeaking sound of wheels from beyond the door. A young man in a wheelchair entered the room.
"Heya, long time no see, Oniyama-han."
"It's been a while, Hayami Kyoutarou-kun."
"There's a buncha big-name officers here again. Halfa loaf's better 'en none, so that's fine and dandy. But if we can't catch our key man Joker with all 'ese heads put together, what's tha point?" Hayami teased in his Kansai accent, grinning at Oniyama.
Frosty eyes set in a pale face shone below his neat and even bowl-cut black hair. He was dressed in a blue blazer, a properly-tied striped necktie, and black slacks. It was the uniform of the school that Oniyama's daughter would likely attend in the future as well, the private Cross Academy high school division.
Hayami was a genius high school detective famous in the area. He solved cases while sitting in his wheelchair with a mind so keen that his IQ was rumored to be 300. He could figure out and expose culprits and tricks on the spot with only the slightest amount of evidence. Oniyama had singled Hayami out and requested that he help in this investigation.
"Let me thank you for coming out this far. You were a great help when you last handled a Joker case."
"Yep, was that the recent Kubiki Shrine affair, or the instrument inheritance case? The nitwit police kept chasin' a phony balloon Joker that time, I recall."
"Say that again? The nitwit police?" The long-haired officer beside Oniyama took a step forward. Officer Ginko was a former F1 racer and speed freak, hence she was infamously referred to as the department's "devil chaser". Both her driving and disposition were a little on the wild side, and she could be short-tempered.
"Ha ha ha, pardon. I can't say I didn't feel like a nitwit myself. Joker ended up spoiling the trick. It was a sour case fer the both of us." Hayami took a breath and turned his gaze toward the center of the room. "So that's what Joker's got his mark on this time?"
"Yes, that's right."
There was a small glass case in the middle of the large open room that formerly served as a salon. Within it was a beautiful hairpin, sparkling gold. It was ornately crafted, a chrysanthemum decoration adorning the end. Each petal was made of gold, and a brilliantly-shining diamond was set in the center.
"Is that Komachi's Gilded Chrysanthemum?"
"Correct. Apparently it's the most valuable item in the deceased owner's collection. As the name suggests, it's a chrysanthemum flower made of gold, and it's said that only the historical poet Ono no Komachi* could complement its beauty."
"Hmm... Inspecter, could ya let me see it?"
The blonde officer opened the case for him, and Hayami gently took the hairpin in hand. He examined it intently.
"It's really pretty, especially this diamond!" The blonde officer Momo was fascinated by the hairpin's focal gem. The white diamond was unusually large. It had a brilliant cut that made it glint at any angle. It was truly worthy of being a treasure targeted by Joker.
Once Hayami had carefully put the hairpin back in its case, Ginko and Momo returned to patrolling the area. It was only Oniyama and Hayami in the salon now. Hayami turned back to Oniyama and broke the silence.
"By the by, Oniyama-han, I hear you'll be losin' charge if ya don't jail Joker this time, is that right?"
"Mmh..." Oniyama faltered. Yes, Oniyama's boss had given him an ultimatum: "If you don't get results this time, I'm taking you off any future Phantom Thief Joker cases." Seeing as he hadn't made any headway, he was in no position to make excuses. As a last resort, Oniyama used every connection he had within the police to assemble a host of strong, trained officers and equip them with new arsenal. Just to be on the safe side, he requested Hayami's assistance. "That... doesn't concern you." Oniyama answered, looking away.
"Come on, don't be so touchy. Yer just up against a cliff, Inspecter. I had some trouble with Joker not long ago now in Singapore."
"What, you mean last month's incident? You were there?" Last month, Phantom Thief Joker had shown up in Singapore and snatched a gem called the "Black Opal". It was another piece from the collection of this manor's owner.
"Yep. One little slip and I let Joker get away. This time I'll nab 'im for sure..." Hayami clenched his fist. A strong light sparked in his cold eyes, and Oniyama didn't miss it. I can trust this boy...
Oniyama held his hand out straight. "I appreciate your cooperation today, Hayami Kyoutarou."
"Right on, ya can count on me. Let's catch Joker, the both of us!" The two exchanged a firm handshake, man to man.
As the pair were having a sincere moment with each other, what exactly was the all-important Phantom Thief Joker doing...?
§§§
"Waaaaaaaaaaah! Craaaaaaaaap!" A scream rang through the giant airship Sky Joker as it advanced through the night sky.
A boy in ninja wear hurriedly ran into Joker's room. "W-What happened, Joker-san!?" shouted the ninja boy, his round golden eyes opened wide. A blue hood and metal plate covered his forehead, and he was clad in ninja gear. There was a small katana fit to his stature at his back. It was Joker's assistant, Hachi. "Joker-san?" Lying on the bed across from Hachi was Joker.
The century's greatest phantom thief, the miracle maker Phantom Thief Joker! Bane of millionaires around the world, the boy who charmed countless with his bombastic conduct, always wearing a bright red suit... except for right now.
Joker was wearing a set of sunny yellow pajamas and a little triangular nightcap. His loud silver hair was bedraggled and sticking out in every direction. His drowsy eyes were wide open, and of all things, there was a trace of drool at the end of his mouth. "I messed up bad~~~! Hachi~~~~!" Joker whined at Hachi. Giant tears blurred his eyes.
"What happened!? Did something major..."
"The reservation period for my game... ended thirty minutes ago..." Joker dropped his shoulders and mumbled.
"Huh?" Hachi blinked in surprise.
"Big Brawl Battle Smasher 3's reservation was until 11 o'clock! When I just checked the site, the limited first edition was on order stop~~~!"
Hachi exhaled. "Sigh... is that all?"
"Is what all!" Joker clung to Hachi, voice rising. "Yeah, I could buy the regular download version, but that won't work! It won't have the passcode included in the limited edition's packaging! Without that, I can't get the Rainbow Hammer that I missed in 2~~!" Joker blabbered on like an addict, grasping and shaking the dumbfounded Hachi's lapel. "Waaaaaah! I messed up~~! Treasure's one thing, but once I miss a game's first edition, I can't get it any other time~~~~!" Joker exclaimed and fell flat on the bed, starting to blubber.
"Is that really worth crying over..." Hachi watched in annoyance, then Joker suddenly stopped moving.
"Hachi."
"What is it?"
"...I'm not going... to today's job."
"Whaaaaat!?" Hachi yelled the loudest he had today. "What are you saying, Joker-san! You've already sent advance notice! We're almost right by the Gardens!"
"I don't have any motivation... I can skip just this once."
"Wha! No you can't! You absolutely can't skip work for a lousy game!"
"What do you mean, lousy! It's important to me!" Joker raised his head and shouted.
"Work is more important!"
"No! There's nothing more important in this world than reserving video games!" Joker clenched his fists and shouted forcefully, the loudest he had this year.
"Are you kidding me..." Hachi yielded to his stubbornness and dropped his shoulders. "Then are you okay with losing your match with him?"
"Him...?" Joker's eyes lit up once he remembered him.
§§§
BAMMMMM! An explosive sound rang through the salon that Oniyama and Hayami were in. The rumbling accompanied the walls blowing apart, its fractured pieces scattering across the floor. A uniform cloud of dust rose up, instantly turning the room grey.
"Is it Joker!?"
"Here at last!"
Oniyama stood with his back to the Gilded Chrysanthemum's case. Hayami quickly steered his wheelchair and came to a tight halt besides Oniyama. As they watched their surroundings cautiously, a faint silhouette came into view beyond the dust. The shadow of a boy with a silk hat and flapping cape...
Just as Oniyama was about to shout "Joker!", a harsh voice came from the dust. "Ha ha ha ha! I'm taking the treasure!"
"Wha!?" It wasn't Joker's voice.
"Bloody Rain!"
Just as he thought he saw something glint in the dust, a red beam shot across and grazed Oniyama's arm. The moment he bent back reflexively, the Gilded Chrysanthemum's case exploded. The beam had hit its target.
Bam! went another loud noise, breaking the reinforced glass. The glass fragments scattered, and Oniyama immediately covered his eyes. This was a poor move. The moment he looked away, the shadow in the dust ran past Oniyama and took the Gilded Chrysanthemum. "Ha ha ha ha ha! I've got it!"
Oniyama shouted at the triumphantly laughing shadow. "You aren't Joker, are you! You're...!"
"Yeah, that's right. I'm the black shadow that paints over the light, arising from the 𝒹𝒶𝓇𝓀 𝑜𝒻 𝒹𝒶𝓇𝓀𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈, Shadow Joker!" The dust gradually cleared to reveal a man standing still.
His silhouette was the exact image of Joker's. His silk hat, suit, and necktie were all matched in purple, and a black cape hung from his back. In contrast to Joker's flashy appearance, Shadow had an aura as cold and dark as his name. His shifty golden eyes hid an evil gleam deep within. His spiky cyan hair shone mystically.
Shadow was pointing his black umbrella at Oniyama. It was his weapon, Bloody Rain. "Too bad for you I wasn't Joker. I'm taking the treasure!"
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"You think you can..." The moment Oniyama tried to approach, a beam fired from the umbrella at his feet. The beam hit and burned the floor in front of Oniyama's toes black.
"The next one will hit you. I'm not as soft as he is."
"Mmmh..." Oniyama gritted his teeth in frustration.
Yet a quiet giggle came from Hayami beside him. "Kukuku... yer as rowdy as ever."
"...Who the hell are you?" Shadow glared at Hayami.
"I'm struck that th' phoney'd turn up brazenly after I humbled 'im in Singapore."
"Singapore...? Then you're the lout who set up that trap!" Shadow stiffly turned his umbrella tip toward Hayami.
But Hayami was unperturbed and began to speak placidly. "Yep, that's right. But to level with ya, ya weren't my target. I haven't got any interest in Joker's phoney."
"Wha... I'm not a phoney!"
"Fu fu fu, I'm just callin' it as it is. Just like yer name, yer Joker's shadow, a bona fide phoney veiled by darkness."
"Quit saying that! I'll kill you right here and now! Bloody Rain!" The piercing shot fired at Shadow's command and sped toward Hayami. Hayami quickly moved his wheelchair out of the way and narrowly evaded the beam.
"Ya won't hit me that easy. My wheelchair can move faster than a guy can run!"
"You cheeky little-!" Shadow shot several more beams at Hayami. But true to his word, Hayami's wheelchair avoided the beams, moving around at immense speed to dodge the attack. "Scamp...!" Shadow continued to fire in his rage, and so did not realize the presence rushing in behind him.
Clink! A dull pain spread through Shadow's arm. "...!" When he looked, the hand holding his umbrella was clapped in irons.
"Shadow Joker, you're so under arrest!" Grasping the other end of the taut rope tied to the handcuff was Oniyama.
"You blackguards... watch this! 𝒰𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓁𝒹 𝒮𝓂𝑜𝓀𝑒!" Shadow angrily shifted his umbrella to the other hand and struck it forcefully against the ground. A smokescreen immediately billowed out from the umbrella tip.
"!?" The smoke spread sooner than Oniyama and Hayami could express their surprise. It quickly filled the entire room.
"I'm not letting the treasure go!" Shadow cut the rope on the handcuffs. The next moment, there was the sound of a window breaking.
Oniyama shouted into his radio. "Ginko-chan, Momo-chan, so arrest all suspicious persons around the manor!"
"Roger, Inspector!" Ginko responded, and the radio cut out.
Oniyama ran out before the thin smoke had cleared completely.
"Inspecter!"
"Joker will come for sure. After the treasure, that is!" Oniyama shouted and ran out of the room.
"..." Left behind, Hayami squeakily wheeled his seat over to the broken glass case and looked down at it. "Fu fu fu, this is riveting. The phoney stole a phoney..." Hayami's mouth curved into an audacious smile.
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arifhossainlove · 2 years
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Importance and advantage of lab-grown diamond
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All the people are not able to pay for the real diamonds. Those are too much expensive. This is the reason people are going to get lab-grown diamonds. Even this has become too much popular. In this article, we are going to mention what is the importance of using those lab created diamonds SINGAPORE. Hope it will help you to make your next decision.
Lab-grown Diamonds have good quality
The first thing is all about the quality. Quality matters a great deal when you are searching for valuable stones like diamonds. You merit a ring that has a decent evaluating regarding carat, shading, cut, and lucidity. You need to consider that more excellent diamonds are not modest. 
By and large, lab-made diamonds are cleaner than mined diamonds. A greater part of mined diamonds accompany contaminations imbued in them. This can be credited to the climate where they developed. lab created diamonds are unadulterated on the gowns that they are framed in controlled conditions.
Lab Diamonds Are Environmentally Economical
One of the critical advantages of real diamonds is their natural maintainability. It by and large takes less energy to shape diamonds in the lab than to separate them from the earth. One carat of the mined diamond can cost more than 100,000 pounds of dislodged earth. As you would figure, there is no compelling reason to uproot a large number of huge loads of earth make a difference to frame your lab-developed diamonds.
Lab Diamonds Are Cost Successful
The cost is another fundamental distinction between the two diamond types. For this situation, lab-developed diamonds have a slight benefit, as they use the furthest down the line advances to convey the best diamond cost-adequately. You can set aside 30% with a man-made diamond over a mined diamond. This rate may even go up on the off chance that you are looking for hued diamonds. Much of the time, characteristic shaded diamonds are not found, so they will in general be over the top expensive.
Essential things to mention
Lab-developed diamonds don't need mining, which debases the climate and regularly places laborers in perilous or unsanitary conditions. While an accreditation like the Kimberly Cycle decides a diamond's beginning, it doesn't represent common freedoms factors. Notwithstanding solid industry endeavors somewhat recently, brutality and youngster labor plague some mining activities.
A lab-developed diamond will cost 30 to 40 percent not exactly a characteristic diamond of comparative size, shading, and lucidity. Since these diamonds are indistinguishable in cosmetics, lab-developed diamonds have appreciated soaring notoriety over the most recent five years, with even characteristic diamond behemoths like DeBeers getting in on the lab-developed game.
I talk to people who have use lab-grown diamonds for a long time. In a long time, they have a good experience of using this thing. what about you? did you have to use lab grown diamonds UK for a long? Then without delay let us know about your experience in the comment section. Hope it will help you, other people, by reading your decision.
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intheemyart · 3 years
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Filing The Divorce
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For what happened already twice, thrice to be exact with one in front of her sister, Frederica couldn’t help but to decided that she and her kids would live separately from Alverstoke who has gone crazy from his jealousy and guilt of cheating behind her months ago. Too many bruises to cover. Too many heartbreaks to cope with. Frederica should’ve been putting more care into her heart and yes, she’s doing it.
The four best friends turned their back on each other because of her wasn’t her fault. Did she seduce them into loving her? Did she ask them to love her? Did she ever ask them to fight for her? No. Because from the start Frederica made it clear that she wasn’t interested in any of them and fuck life for what has gone into her mind that she decided to accept Alverstoke’s proposal. That itself took six proposals and a year of trying until she finally nodded and said yes. What she tried to avoid has now turned into her downfall. While the heart asks for it, again, she never knew that Alverstoke was a nightmare in disguise.
She never ask George to like her and she never had intention to do so since that day they saw each other at the Fukuoka City Museum. She never ask Harald to like and proposed her that day when he confessed his feelings. Frederica never asked them both to love her or gave them much hope for a feeling or even a marriage. She refused them both from the start. She never told them to fight for her in front of Alverstoke, clearly, when she’s married to him already.
Alverstoke’s over jealousy towards his best friends fighting for his wife became the turning point of their relationship. Of their marriage that was actually something beautiful at the start. Not to mention his guilt towards the infidelity he did in the past, he’s in fear that Frederica will leave him though she said she’ll stay for the sake of the kids and their marriage. Becoming emotional from every feelings that he actually made complicated inside his mind, the man turns into a monster everyone could never have imagine.
The sweet and loving figure that everyone saw in him every time he was around Frederica has now faded and replaced by the thoughts and his own delusions. No, Frederica would never cheated behind him or leave him. She will always stay for him and he knew it, but still... his fears are louder than his capability to stay sane and process everything slowly. Wisely.
With the encouragement from everyone around her, Frederica filled in the divorce paper and signed it down there. Both the Korean and Singapore documents at once, not wanting to take the matters any longer. 
She did it quietly from the media too because she haven’t talk about this matter to her parents yet and yes, she never wanted to be in the limelight again after what happened in the past. She doesn’t want everyone to recognize her as Alverstoke’s wife, ex-wife, or widow. She wants to be known like herself in the previous days before she met him, like how she’s known for the past two decades; an art conservator. 
Frederica herself wanted a quite divorce process so she could settle down easier and peacefully after all the storms that hurdled her at once. Frederica wanted to be okay and to heal herself from every lightnings that struck her straight into her heart for some time. She also wanted to keep the reason behind her separation quiet, without anyone knowing the real reason or interfering her final decision. Just some people around her to know that he cheated and abused her so she decided to end her marriage. That’s all.
She couldn’t imagine the hardship that her children would face later in the future if the whole world knew how harsh their lives on the first month of their lives. She doesn’t want the twins to know that their father cheated behind her mother and beat her nearly dead thrice, being made fun and talked by everyone in the future. Like it or not, Frederica realized that the twins are still and will always be Alverstoke’s children. Son and daughter to a world sensational Hollywood Korean-American actor. She didn’t want them to face more hardships in the future when living with a mother only will already be hard for them. 
If one day they would have to live with a step-mother and perhaps it turns out to be Yeo Soyeon, the woman and actress he cheated with behind her during the twins’ pregnancy, at least they would love her as a mother too without knowing the fact lingering behind. At least Alverstoke could live a happy and normal life too in his second marriage without any hard feelings between the children and their step-mother. 
As she signed the divorce paper, Frederica put down her pen engraved with her name in gold and diamonds on the table. Sliding the documents one by one into a brown file to be submitted to each courthouse with the help of her legal representative. 
Jealous or not. Alcoholic or not. Under influence or not. Guilty or not.  No one should be treated the way she was treated by Alverstoke.
End of Filing The Divorce.
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visiooptical · 3 years
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Lafont Spectacles: An Icon for Fashion Eyewear
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An introduction
Louis Lafont is the man behind the famous fashion eyewear brand who opened a small shop in 1923 selling spectacles and hearing aids in Paris. Today Lafont is still a family business, and the Chief creative director and designer of Lafont is Mr Thomas Lafont.
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Lafont transformed the glasses into a genuine fashion accessory According to Thomas Lafont, the brand got famous when Philippe, Louis's grandson, began to transform the glasses into a genuine fashion accessory with the help of his wife. Indeed, the couple made the name of the brand by marking it at new heights with their innovative designs. Meanwhile, as 1970 came to an end, Lafont's elegant and chic frames had spread their magic among fashionistas on and beyond the Rue Cambon.
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Paris has always been the fashion icon of the Western World Subsequently, after the next three generations, Lafont is the name that successfully transformed their spectacles into an icon that are known across the world. Today this company is run by the fourth generation of Lafont led by Louis's great-grandsons, Thomas and Matthieu. This top fashion brand has set up its headquarters in Paris. And trurly, Paris has always been the fashion icon of the Western World since the seventeenth century. The 'Lafont' now operates five boutiques under its names, and they export their products in over 40 countries. 
How Lafont became popular
Lafont has set itself up as an authentic optical fashion house as they have a design and style that makes them easily distinguishable from others. As a result, the brand unveils around 30 new models of spectacles twice a year. Each design offers glossy, innovative, and modish frames.
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Lafont Spectacles: An Icon For Fashion Eyewear The products that the brand made are suitable for men, women, and children. So, they possess a robust collection which makes them an ideal fashion eyewear brand for the whole family. Above all, the brand's eyewear collection comes combined with French heritage, state-of-the-art technology, and inventiveness. Lafont has established itself as a Parisian flavored eyewear collection produced in France by providing a distinctive touch in their frame color tones. Certainly, the eyeglasses that the brand offers are purely elegant as they put a great emphasis on good style and quality.
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Lafont has established itself as Parisian fashion eyewear As the brand has such a rich textile background in terms of its patterns and colors, people at Lafont use colorful and exclusive acetate materials that they design on their own instead of building them from supplier's catalogs. The brand claims that 84% of its color schemes are custom-made exclusively. 
Lafont's eyewear collection
The collection by Lafont includes eyeglasses with an emphasis on elegance. Firstly, it has got art deco-inspired frames. Secondly, the brand sells frames in many different shapes: barrel, half-eye, cat eye, oval, round, square, and trapeze. Thirdly, these all frames are available in a wide range of color and graphic options that one can just get mesmerized by seeing them.
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Lafont Spectacles: An Icon For Fashion Eyewear Women and Lafont eyeglasses go pretty well together. Surely, any Lafont glasses will give women a smart and distinctive look that is surely going to turn heads. And with so many fashionable frames in the catalogue, it is normal to feel confused on which one to choose. There are so many options to choose from. Let us talk about some of the popular styles for women that they must have in their wardrobe. These are the famous eyeglasses styles for women that are in demand in 2021.
The Lafont's shapes: draw attention with the right style
Whether you are looking for prescription glasses or great fashion eyewear, this list of frames will surely help you choose your next glass.  Round-eye glasses Though this style was not in trend for some time, these eyeglasses have now made a solid comeback. It is one of the hottest trends this year in women's fashion. Round glasses are said to be destined for free-spirited women. These glasses are appropriate for both party wear as well as daily office routine.
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Lafont Evora: Lines in a traditional round shape The Evora collection adds lines to a traditional round shape, making it the perfect frame for your eyes. Indeed, women who have square faces must choose from round or oval glasses as they will soften their features.  Square shape glasses These glasses have many names, such as hipster glasses, geek glasses, and are often termed nerd glasses. Notwithstanding, they are must-have glasses for women. These stylish glasses are gorgeous accessories for reading, and their slightly oversized acetate frame looks beautiful in black. They make a bold statement, and show a strong personality. For this reason, this is a preferred choice for celebrities and fashionistas. These hipster shapes come featured with cool glasses that will elevate your looks.
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Lafont Glen: Soft oval shape with delicate uplift Look out to the Glen collection featuring the soft oval styling that offers delicate uplift in unique acetate colors. Cat-eye eyeglasses The cat-eye glasses suit best with women with diamond-shaped faces. Since diamond-shaped faces have a narrow forehead and chin, the cat-eye glasses are a perfect match. These glasses are a symbol of femininity. For example, the Baroque-inspired Gin comes with a prominent acetate brow angle available in three unique color combinations. The cat-eye glasses deserve to be on the top of the women's eyeglasses list. Since they are such a must-have accessory, ladies can wear these glasses with prescription lenses or just plain ones if they are looking to boost their style.
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Lafont Gin: Baroque-inspired with brow angle The Fuchsia collection looks beautiful with its detailed latticework on the frame and has certified Swarovski crystals that adorn the feminine frame in stainless steel. If you consider going for cat-eye glasses, choose red and black colored frames as these are what's in style for women's eyeglasses this year.
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Lafont Fuchsia: Beautiful, feminine with original Swarovski crystals Vintage eyeglasses The vintage-inspired eyeglasses are very much in trend, and you can rock them with your confidence. Many women prefer retro-looking yet modern fashion eyewear as they look retro yet provide a modern twist. The vintage eyeglasses frame, if combined with cat-eye glasses or square lenses, looks purely fantastic. Ladies with slick lines and a feline shape will look beautiful in such glasses. Oversized eyeglasses These big glasses are among the best women's eyeglasses because they look interesting and engaging. Moreover, these glasses are in trend for a long time as these glasses are a fashion statement that hints at a superstar attitude. Available in all shapes, these glasses give you a wide variety of options. You can choose from round, square, oval, and whatever shape that suits your face. You will find high-quality acetate material in most of the oversized glasses. Browline eyeglasses These eyeglasses gained popularity over the year and emerged as one of the best-selling women's eyeglasses frames. The heavy brow bar reflects the seriousness, and it is possibly why most professional women who work in business-related companies prefer wearing it. Mainly ladies prefer black color for these glasses which makes them matching with any outfit. And they work best with a type of face that is either oval or round with a big forehead. 
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Lafont Exquisite: Playful with polka dots The collection for women by Lafont looks beautiful and elegant. With a single look, they can easily attract fashion enthusiasts to their design. Their Exquise collection is playful with contrasting polka dots.
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Lafont Edifice: Two-tone with rectangular shape Lafont Edifice is a classic Lafont, with hand-carved two-tone design and a rectangular silhouette. Fanette is both feminine and chic, with its bold and colorful design. Emeraude features a geometric silhouette that is brightly colored with two-tone acetate.
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Lafont Fanette: Chic and bold
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Lafont Emeraude: Brightly colored with two-tone acetate The exciting silhouettes by Lafont have made them continue the legacy of French quality eyewear styling. Their bold colors and their designs offer unmatchable style with a distinctive look. They have a great pair of glasses to display, and the reason that they are so widely popular is because of the details and complexity they put in every pair. In short, every pair of glasses by the brand lives up to its standard.
Where to get Lafont in Singapore
Visio Optical is very proud to carry Lafont eyeglasses. In fact, we keep a wide range of these frames in stock for our enthusiastic customers. With a generous selection, you can try many different fashion eyewear and choose the one that best fits your looks. At Visio Optical we have one of the largest collections of Lafont glasses in Singapore. For women that are looking for designer and very stylish eyeglasses, you are welcome to book your appointment with us today. LEARN MORE Read the full article
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noritermain · 3 years
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Top 10 메이저공원 Tips You Need To Know To Beat The House #5830
But remember not to feel pressured just because someone in the group is spending more or playing longer. Know your own limits. The random number generators used by casinos are 35-year-old technology, so they’re reliable and trustworthy, but table games were designed to be played with real dealers. Live dealer Caribbean Stud Poker restores the game to the way it first gained its popularity. Cutting edge streaming video keeps the camera on the cards the entire time they are dealt. Poker players have long been known for dabbling in outside entrepreneurial interests, often with disastrous results due to their lack of business experience and willingness to trust fellow gamblers. Whether Sklansky truly invented Caribbean Stud Poker will remain an open debate, but in any event, poker players and gamblers alike owe the man a debt of gratitude in more ways than one. English playing cards describing the reign of Queen Anne (R. Spofforth engraver; undated, probably early 18th century). (Guest, Vol. 3)
Teen patti: In the case where two players have flushes with cards of the same value, the winning hand is based on suit color as ranked by clubs, hearts, spades, diamonds. Pay any Envy Bonus won in accordance with Section 11(d)(5) if Pay table D in Section 11(d) is selected by the licensee. Players making a Progressive Payout Wager shall receive an Envy Bonus when another player at the same Caribbean Stud Poker table is the holder of an Envy Bonus Qualifying Hand. The Fat Pack adds red Roses, black Axes, black Tridents and red Doves to the standard deck. Gamblers playing roulette in America are going to have a slightly harder time winning.
$10 Pass line bets 0.42% per roll, $4.28 per hour, $86 per trip https://www.washingtonpost.com/newssearch/?query=먹튀커뮤니티 In Europe and South America they are permitted at many or most holiday resorts but not always in cities. These wagers are usually avoided by experienced craps players since they pay even money (1:1) while a player can make place bets on the 6 or the 8, which pay more (7:6). As the Spanish adopted playing cards, they replaced queens with mounted knights or caballeros.
The current size of the jackpot is shown on a meter at the table. A player will win on this bet if he receives any of the qualifying hands. A player is eligible for a jackpot pay out regardless of whether the dealer qualifies, and also in the unlikely event that the dealer holds a stronger hand than the players qualifying jackpot hand. Pay outs can vary from region to region and across different websites but a standard payout structure is: Where both pairs are matched, the hand with the higher ‘Kicker’ (final unmatched card) is considered the winner. Pair – two cards of matching rank with three unmatched card (Example – 6 of Clubs and Hearts and any three other cards that are not the six of Spades or Diamonds and are not of matching rank). 안전토토사이트 Video blackjack was one of the best online games with generous odds, but live online blackjack has surpassed it. A dealer at one of the Connecticut casinos said the contribution rate at his casino was only 65%. This rate of contribution can vary from place to place.All payoffs are paid right out of the meter. Every time somebody hits a royal flush the house contributes $10,000 (called the seed) to the next jackpot.
Another person who made a less interesting claim to its invention is Dennis King, a hotel and entertainment tycoon who once owned a hotel in Aruba. Casinos may allow a few warnings before enforcing the dice to hit the back wall and are generally lenient if at least one die hits the back wall.Casinos have been linked to organised crime, with early casinos in Las Vegas originally dominated by the American Mafia[30][31] and in Macau by Triad syndicates. The numbers and capacities of casinos have rapidly grown in the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Cambodia, Myanmar, Philippines, Macau, and Singapore.
Statistically speaking, being dealt a hand of 16 will more than likely end in defeat. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most common hands. When it got its way to other continents like the United States, many casinos promoted the game by giving an additional winning to any player who had a blackjack winning hand.There are also nearly unlimited patterns that may be specified for play. Table games are usually conducted by casino employees known as croupiers or dealers.
The experienced croupier would pay the player 432 chips / $432,000, that is 392 + 40, with the announcement that the payout "is with your bet down". They are reduced by at least a factor of two if commission is charged on winning bets only.The layout is either single-zero or double-zero. $1 Single Hardways 2.78% per roll, $2.84 per hour, $56.71 per trip
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Between rounds, the players' hands develop in some way, often by being dealt additional cards or replacing cards previously dealt. Bells, lights, whistles, and the clang of dropping coins are constant.Like single-roll bets, hard way bets can be lower than the table minimum; however, the maximum bet allowed is also lower than the table maximum. Elmer made it his "life's dream" to win another big jackpot. His dream came true in 2005 when he won a whopping $21.1 million at the Cannery!
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