#In other news I got new headphones that fully cover the ear and have active noise cancelling and holy shit

[venacoeurva]

I’ve accidentally developed a set of motifs/rules for when I draw non-jokey first council/tribunal stuff, but esp keeps showing up in my nerevoryn art and they are:

Is there a sense of reverence for one of the characters involved? perhaps it’s flippant or a veneer (given the characters), but is it there?

Do I go nuts with backgrounds, frames, or other imagery?

Is there a layer of homoeroticism or queer-eroticism?

Is it at least somewhat unsettling?

Would it piss off my Catholic grandma? (Important)

[thoughtfullyyoungduck]

Never felt the rain

Summary:  Could you write something with Bill having a young daughter and when she asks him to go playing outside in the rain while he was working, he brushed her off, so she went out on own her own and got lost, so Bill thinks she went missing like Georgie?

A/N: here you go anon, I hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think, it would mean a lot! Also, thank you for requesting this, it had me writing again after a long time and I really missed it, so thank you

Bill has a habit of writing as soon as rain starts drizzling from the sky. He doesn’t usually maintain a schedule, especially not after going back to Derry for a second time an gaining six friends who flitted straight back into his life and who each deserved as much of his time as the others, but when it rains, he forces himself behind the computer.

He draws the curtains shut, puts on a pair of noise cancelling headphones, and hopes that the downpour stops soon. According to his therapist, it’s because the weather reminds him of the day Georgie died and he turns to writing as a distraction, and while she might not be wrong, Bill prefers not to think about the specifics. All he knows is that as soon as dark clouds gather, he retreats to his study.

Audra knows this, and has, to Bills great shame, been a victim to his snappish behavior when he gets disturbed, so she leaves him be, and takes their daughter, Lily, on a mother daughter retreat. It’s their own routine that work well for the both of them, and so far, there haven’t been any problems with it.

Today, the bad weather struck out of nowhere, the rain spatters drumming their own beat on the windows and the foundation of the house, and Bill and remembers how bleak Georgie’s last day on earth had been. He retreats to his study in quiet without informing his daughter or wife about his plans, and slips into an imaginary world, where there’s no rain or bad memories.

He gets lost in it, thankfully. The rhythmic tapping of his keyboard and his own hushed voice lull him into a state so fully focused it allows him to forgo his environment. That includes ignoring the rain, but also the wooden door opening behind him as a small child sneaks in, big blue eyes full of a playful innocence.

He doesn’t hear Lily calling out to him, and is only notified of her arrival when her hand tugs on the sleeve of his shirt. It startles him, a cursed ‘Jesus’, slipping from his mouth before he clamps his teeth over his lips to stop more from tumbling out.

‘Daddy’, Bill reads of his daughters face, before he finally clads off the headset and hears her voice filter through.

She’s Georgie’s age now, and she resembles him a lot. For one, she looks up to her dad with as much wonder as her uncle did, a daddy’s girl through and through. She has the Knick for adventure too, though Bill is not sure that’s always a good thing.

‘What is it honey?’ He asks her with a soft voice. He suppresses the twinge of annoyance, now he’s broken out of his concentration, it’s hard not to notice the outside, and it’ll be difficult to reenter his writing groove.  

‘Can we play outside?’ She suggest, lips contorted in a devious little smile that proves that Audra must have said no to her question, and she’s now trying her hand at the person she has wrapped around her finger.

Bill’s gut reaction is to agree. How could he not, when he made the promise to himself to always be the best dad he could be, ever since finding out Audra was pregnant. He swore to himself that he’d never neglect his child, never put her on the backburner for anyone or anything, and that he’d enjoy, relish in every memory he’d be allowed to make with her.

But, he can’t. Not in this situation. Not when Pennywise only came back a mere four months ago, and he was forced into painful memories and past mistakes. Not when he’s relatively convinced that IT’s gone for real, but not 100% assured.

He smiles painfully, and gently pulls his daughter in his lap. It’s not so much that he’s trying to spoil his daughter, it’s just that he loves spending time with her as much as she adores spending time with him. His heart twinges painfully at the notion of disappointing her.

‘Not right now Lil, Daddy’s working.’ He presses a kiss on the top of her head, and squeezes her a bit tighter when a particularly hard downpour causes his heart to clench painfully. If only he had given Georgie a hug like this before letting him out that day.

It’s far too late for that regret now, but he won’t allow the same fate to be bestowed upon his daughter.

‘Please?’ Lily pouts, blinking her eyes in a way that is entirely disarming. She’s so good at convincing, she would make an excellent actress one day. ‘It’ll be so much fun.’ She leans in closer on Bill’s lap, bumping her forehead against Bill’s chest. ‘I promise I won’t step in any puddles.’

It’s a complete lie of course, and Bill can’t help but grin at the idea of Lilly thinking she’s being sneaky about the whole thing, but still, he can’t concur.

‘Later, alright buttercup? And I promise that I’ll spend an entire day with you tomorrow?’

Lily doesn’t smile, so Bill does the one thing he’s become a pro at since becoming a dad; ticking her until she can’t help but laugh.

She shrieks instantly, squirming away from Bill’s fingers as the dance over her sides until she’s nearly toppled of his lip in her haste to escape him, and then giggles long after Bill’s stopped.

Once that too dies out, she bites her lip, seemingly scanning her chances of getting him to agree on going out anyway, but then she concedes.

‘Alright then’, she says a little bit disheartened, but agreeing none the less. She slitters back out as quiet as she came in, but not before a kiss over her shoulder and waving at Bill.

‘See you later dad.’

Bill smiles and waves back, crushed by love and grief battling in his heart for the upper hand, then he puts on his headphone, covers his ears, and he neglects to hear the front door open and lock with a deafening pull.  

----

In the end, it’s the guilt that makes him give up only a half hour after Lilly came in to ask for his time. He peruse the last line he’d written, he hadn’t managed to find his flow after the interruption anyway, and closes the document of his new book for the day.

He still can’t find the strength to go outside in this weather but perhaps he can convince Lily that watching a movie and snacking on popcorn is a much better activity then getting wet and cold.

He shuffles into the kitchen, where Audra’s is already at, and wonders if they have enough corn to put together homemade popcorn.

‘Do you think Lily will want to watch a movie? I’m thinking Disney might be the way to go?’ He inquires Audra absentmindedly while scouring the pantries for the ingredients he needs. He knows, just from the sounds of Audra’s voice that something’s the matter.

‘She’s not with you?’ Audra chokes out, voice pinched in panic.

Bill’s heart stops for a full second, before rabbiting so hard his chest feels like exploding.

‘What?’ He asks, but the words feel foreign, like he’s not the one saying it.  Audra’s responding look is enough to give him all the answers he needs.

----

The rain remains unforgiven towards Bill, the background of the yet another great tragedy in his life. Cliché as it is, it does help cover up his tears, about the only positive thing in his situation right now. Audra is next to him, on the same level of utter panic as Bill’s, but he hopes for her sake that he appears more composed then he actually is.

He viciously wishes for the losers to be with him now, but calling them would take up to much time and they live too far away to be of any aid anyway.  

His neighbors are aiding in the search, but they’re not enough. He doesn’t trust them like he trust his friends, he doesn’t want the life of his daughter depending on strangers.

They keep telling him that she’s fine, that she’s most likely having the time of her life without realizing how her parents are in shambles, but Bill can’t believe that. Lily’s been out for at least thirty minutes, that’s the time they noticed she had disappeared, and even Bill is shivering his socks off. He can’t afford to think about how cold Lily must be.

He separates from the group of searches after the weird glances he receives unsettled peeks when he ducks on his knees and calls out for his daughter in a sewer. Audra, who knows in part what happened to Georgie, lets out a sob.

Bill feels bad for leaving his wife all by herself, but he wants to cover as much ground as possible. He can’t wait at their front porch praying for Lily’s safe return, he knows from experience how feeble that is.

The options of where Lily could be are limited. Her friends live too far away for her to have walked to them, and there was only one place kids of her age liked to hang out. Still, when the park turns up nothing, he scours the area surrounding it, yelling out Lily’s name until his voice skips and a hoarse tone underline his words.

‘P-p-please.’ He screams with his head thrown back towards the sky, his stutter going unnoticed. ‘H-haven’t you t-t-taken enough from m-m-me?’ He’s unsure who he’s calling out too.

Bill’s attention is pulled towards a curtain that wobbles open, and old lady peeking from behind it, judging him with curious eyes. The first one to gossip apparently, but the last to help. Just as with Georgie. Bile threatened to spill as Bill walks on.

With his energy running low, as does his hope, Bill concedes to try and walk in the other direction of his home, to see if anyone else has had more luck than him. Then, seemingly using up all of Bill’s luck for the rest of his life, a wobbled; ‘Daddy’, cries out.

He’s never backed up so quick, and when he lays eyes on Lily, he’s never run that fast towards her either. It’s the pure and utter fear you experience as a kid, when you get lost in a comic in the store and you swivel back around to your mom, but she’s gone somewhere and you can’t find her.

That’s the feeling that linger when you lose someone close to you. And when she pops back up, that’s the utter relief Bill gets to taste now.

He’s back on his knees before he can comprehend it, and his hand curls around Lily’s back and head, cradling her so close this chest it’s nearly suffocating. Bill weeps, caressing his daughters hair as he checks her over.

‘Oh honey’, he chokes, swelling multiple times to force back the lump of tears.

Lily’s crying too, though it seems more out of reluctant than anything else.

‘I’m sorry dad. I just wanted to go out and play. But I fell and I think my bike is broken. I’m really sorry.’

Bill sorrow laughs. He can’t stop the ridiculous laughter that’s so absurd.

‘Lily, I couldn’t care less about a bike’, Bill explains, and he means it every bit. He pulls her back in a tight hug, allowing himself ten more seconds before he has to let go of her.

‘Please don’t ever do that again,’ he whispers, leaving a quick kiss on her head. He holds her as close as he wish he could have done to Georgie, if he had been found alive too. Maybe later, tomorrow or the day after, he’d have a more firm conversation about how sneaking out is not okay, but today, the relief wins over every other emotion or lecture.

‘Is mom mad?’ Lily asks, her own arms clenched around Bill’s shirt so tight it’s clear that she also had a large fright.

Shit, Audra. In an instant, Bill picks up his daughter, arm holding her up by the knees. She’s old enough to walk, but Bill has longer legs and walks faster.

‘No’, he assures her, despite a conformation of Audra. He’s sure his feeling are rekindled in his wife too. ‘But we have to let her know you’re okay. She’s worried too.’

‘Okay’, Lily agrees easy, her head resting on Bill’s shoulders. The rain isn’t that cold anymore, now that he has his child back in the safety of his arms.

----

That evening, Bill, Audra and Lily are cuddles together on their couch, watching Aladdin. Lily has long slipped to the land of dreams, but Bill and Audra want to keep her close for a little while longer. Maybe they’ll all spend the night here anyway, regardless of future back pains, but that’s a discussion for later.

Bill swipes one of Lily’s curls from her forehead gently, smiling when she snores deeper, then settles again.

‘Love you buttercup.’ Bill says, in his mind, he thinks, ‘I’ll never let anything happen to you.’

[rexisnotyourwriter]

by @rexalexander and @postcardsanddaydreaming​

After the Atlanta child murders, the Behavioral Science Unit is as busy as ever. With a new team member by their side, they take on what feels like a growing number of active serial killers as well as continue their interviews of already incarcerated subjects. Bill tries to track down Nancy and Brian with the hopes of repairing his marriage, while Wendy tries to take on a more active role in their research with an eager budding protégé at her side.

Read on AO3

*If you enjoy this, please like/reblog on tumblr and/or leave kudos/comments on AO3. Your feedback helps keep fic writers writing.*

Notes: As always, thanks to my beta fish @hardythehermitcrab​

Chapter 1: The Restless Summer Air

The girl watched the toast pop up from the mint green Burlington toaster mere seconds after emitting the smell of the now charred breakfast. The toaster almost perfectly matched the vinyl covering on the kitchen chairs and the geometric pattern on the off-white linoleum flooring. The whole house, in fact, looked like it came straight out of a magazine, which, in all honesty, it had. Her mother had dog-eared the pages of the latest styles before they even bought the house. The kitchen, as noted, was mint and off-white themed. Clean and crisp. The living room, which flowed out from the kitchen, featured wood flooring adorned with a large ornate rug with a velvet baby pink couch and loveseat. The one piece that didn’t quite match the room was her father’s green-ish recliner. It was the sore thumb of the room that he refused to part with. The fireplace was surrounded by a brick mantle, on top of which was a wooden clock that ticked loudly. It was very nearly time for her to be on her way to school.

She sat in her usual seat at one end of the table watching her mother, who looked at the slightly charred toast with little regard and tossed it onto a plate. She watched as her mother haphazardly slathered it with strawberry jam. She was doing it wrong, again. 

Across from the girl’s place at the kitchen table was a full breakfast plate - two fried eggs, two pieces of (unburnt) toast, buttered, and three sausage links - next to a cup of coffee. The sun shining in from the living room illuminated the steam willowing out from the top of the mug like smoke from a chimney. It curved and swirled upwards, slithering almost, until it disappeared.

“Ed!” her mother called, for the fourth time, more shrill than the previous three. 

She plopped the plate of toast in front of her daughter before grabbing her “secret” pack of cigarettes from the kitchen drawer. When the girl heard the back door open and the strike of a match, she got up from her seat to grab the jar of jam and knife that were still on the counter. She dipped the knife gingerly into the jar and spread jam into the forgotten corners of the toast, but not so near the crust that her fingers would get sticky when she ate it. Then, she cut the toast diagonally. 

“Morning,” her father smiled at his daughter as he entered the kitchen. She smiled back, but her mouth was too full of toast to return his greeting. He was in one of his nicer suits today, the dark blue one, with a silk paisley tie. His coat was already swung over his arm, his hand clutching his briefcase beneath it. He blew quickly and gently on his coffee a few times before gulping some down, wincing. Still too hot. He gave up on it, and turned to leave. The girl’s smile dropped.

“What are you doing?” her mother’s voice came from behind her.

“Going to work, dear, like I do every morning,” he replied cheekily. 

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

He paused, annoyed by the delay. His eye spied the full plate of food at his spot. 

“I’m sorry, I really don’t have time to eat.”

He moved to leave.

“You’re supposed to bring her to school today.”

“Hun, I’ve got a meeting first thing. I really gotta go.”

“I have a hair appointment-”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Kat-”

“Ed, you promised that you-”

“I hardly think your hair is-”

“That’s not the point-”

“Don’t forget who pays for your hair to look like that.”

“Here we go.”

“I’m not doing this now, end of discussion.”

He grabbed a piece of toast from his plate and shoved it into his mouth before leaving out the front door. 

Her mother slammed the back door shut. She hastily untied her apron and threw it on the counter, then rushed off to the powder room to fix her hair and put on some make up. 

The girl finished her toast in almost complete silence, but for the steady ticking of the clock.

--------------------------------------------------------

The Academy basement was almost always dark when Gregg got in. Today was no exception. He enjoyed being the first one there. The more work he got done sooner, the better change he had of making it home for dinner. Granted, he didn’t always make it, but he made the effort, and that was enough for his wife. Plus, the mornings were quiet. He could get settled, organized. It was a different kind of quiet from the late nights. The morning quiet felt promising, hopeful in a way. The evening quiet was a slow drag, your thoughts muddled with too much information that had accumulated over the course of the day into a tangled ball of yarn. 

They had a coffee maker now, and an electric kettle. Some of the perks of the increased funding and attention the Behavioral Science Unit had received. Gregg would make a strong pot, stronger than he liked it. He was the odd one out in the team who preferred weaker coffee, so he would make it strong for their sake and add hot water to his mug until it was tempered to his liking. 

On this particular morning, Wendy was the next to arrive. She and Gregg exchanged silent greetings as she hung up her coat before retiring to her office. A stack of files was waiting for her on her desk, but it was only a partial set. The remaining files were in her briefcase, having been read the night before. She took them out and placed them in their own pile on her already busy desk. The “done” pile. Though not “done” as in finished with; “done” as in read and flagged with numerous Post-it Notes. 

The interviews had been behind ever since the Atlanta case, even though that was closed over a month ago. The phone had been ringing almost constantly with police from every county thinking every slightly disturbing murder was the work of a deranged psychopath. Poor Gregg was getting the brunt of the phone duty, which sucked up his time on more important work. They did get an answering machine, but between checking the tapes and the stacks of unsolicited faxes that would come through, it was becoming a full time job to sift through it all.

Wendy heard the main door open and wondered if it was Bill. She got up from her desk to check. She needed coffee, anyways. 

It was Holden. A few weeks ago, he would’ve asked her if Bill was in yet, but his late arrival was a regular occurrence by now. They exchanged their usual good morning head nod as Wendy exited to obtain her caffeine fix. 

Some papers floated off the edge of the fax machine tray, which was still spitting out pages.

“How long has this been going on?”

Gregg, fully immersed in a recording, didn’t hear Holden.

“Gregg,” he said louder.

Gregg paused the tape and removed his headphones.

“When did this start?” Holden asked, picking up the pages from the floor and stacking them, along with the rest, next to the fax machine.

“I’m not sure. It was empty when I got in this morning.”

Holden sighed as he gave a few of the pages a cursory glance. Nothing excited him.

Wendy returned armed with two cups of coffee. She gave the coat rack a scan for Bill’s coat, but it was still absent.  

“Hey,” Holden said, making his way over to Wendy. “Do you think we should’ve told him yesterday?”

“He had already gone home.”

Holden looked at the second coffee cup in Wendy’s hand, waiting for her to offer it to him. 

“Yeah, I know. But should we have called him?”

Wendy shook her head.

“He doesn’t need to be dealing with work when he’s at home.”

The hypocrisy of her advice isn’t lost on either of them. Holden’s not exactly innocent either. 

“I just don’t know what to do.”

“There’s not much we can do.”

Holden looked at the coffee again. This time Wendy noticed. 

They’re interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps coming from the hall. Moments later, Bill walked in, without a coat, looking slightly worse for wear than usual, with a manic glint in his eye.

“Morning, Bill,” Wendy said.

“Morning,” he responded reactively, not bothering to look in her direction. 

He stood at the coat rack for a moment before realizing he didn’t need to be there, then headed to his office. 

Holden and Wendy shared a look. She’s got this. Wendy followed Bill, both cups of coffee still in her hand, leaving Holden to fend for himself. 

Wendy leaned against the doorway of Bill’s office while he settled himself. She half expected the inside of his briefcase to be a slough of loose files, but he pulled out a single tidy, albeit thick, folder. 

Wendy said nothing. 

Bill sighed and finally looked up at her.

“Look, I appreciate the concern.”

“Bill-”

“I do. But what I really need right now is to not be treated like I’m a…a bird with a broken wing, or a child.”

He paused. 

“Or some other helpless thing, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I know I look like shit.”

“I’ve seen worse.”

He almost smiled. 

“While Holden and I share some…concerns,” she continued. “That’s not entirely why I’m here.”

Wendy stepped inside his office, closing the door behind her, and took a seat, placing one of the coffee cups in front of Bill.

“Gunn came down here yesterday, after you left-”

“Shit.”

“He knows there’s something going on, more than whatever it is you’re telling him.”

Bill leaned his forehead into this hand, rubbing his temples. 

“He really likes playing us off each other, doesn’t he.”

“It’s actually rather smart, if you think about it,” Wendy responded wryly. “He knows by now that we talk to each other about this kind of stuff, and that Holden and I have a better chance of getting through to you than he does.”

Bill finally took note of the coffee in front of him and gulped some down. 

“What did you tell Gunn?” he asked.

“Nothing. I said I wasn’t specifically sure what was going on outside of work and assured him that we were catching up from time lost during the Atlanta case.”

“Is that true?”

“Marginally.”

He scoffed.

“But that’s not your fault,” she added.

They sat in the silence of a mutual understanding that nothing either of them could say would change the reality of the situation. 

Wendy shifted in her seat, about to stand up, when Bill interrupted her.

“Brian answered the phone this morning.”

She opened her mouth, but no words formed.

Every day since Nancy left with Brian, Bill had been calling her parents in Connecticut. There was nowhere else she could’ve gone to. She had no siblings, and had too much pride to confide in any of their friends. 

“I called this morning, expecting to leave another voice-mail, but after two rings it stops. I hear breathing. Background noise from the kitchen. Bacon sizzling.”

Each word is harder for Bill to say out loud, but he keeps his composure. Wendy can feel it, though. 

“And then I hear Nancy freak out, telling Brian to hang up the phone. Then…”

He imitated a dial-tone.

“I don’t know what to do, Wendy.”

She exhaled softly. She wasn’t sure either. 

“I’m sorry, Bill.”

“Thanks for the coffee.”

That was her cue to leave. She paused in the doorway, and turned back around.

“You don’t have to tell Gunn everything. Just, something with a grain of truth. Enough that he feels you’re being honest with him and will give you some leeway.”

“I will.”

“Sooner rather than later.”

Bill nodded.

“He’s out today, yeah?” She nodded back. “I’ll tell him next week. Promise.”

Wendy left him with a sympathetic smile. 

Holden was finally settled at his desk when Gregg interrupted him.

“I’ve got an Arthur Osborn on the line. Alaska State Trooper. He’s got a case that I think it worth looking into.”

Don’t they all.

“And he asked for me specifically?”

“You or Bill, but I figured…”

“Yeah, sure, put him through.”

A moment later, Holden’s phone rang.

“Special Agent Holden Ford.”

“Agent Ford, thanks for taking my call.” Osborn’s voice was deep and had a midwest lilt. Definitely not a native Alaskan. 

“How can I help?”

“We’ve had four young women found dead in less than two years. All of them under 21. The youngest,” his voice cracked, “was eleven.”

Holden waited for him to compose himself.

“They were noted as missing before the bodies were found,” Osborn continued. “Two months ago, Lori King, 18, was reported missing. We think it was the same guy. We want to find him before she ends up like the others.”

“Of course. What condition were the bodies in when they were found?”

Osborn took a deep breath. “There was significant decomp by the time we found them.”

“Anything notable in how they were staged?”

“Staged?”

“Yes. Positioned. When you found them, were they sitting up, lying down, what were their arms and legs doing…”

“Nothing particular, really, I don’t think. We have photos.”

“Good. It’s possible this is the same unsub, but I’ll need to look at everything you’ve got on it.”

“Yes, Agent Ford.”

“Did you already fax us the files?” Holden was already dreading having to dig the related pages out of the stacks.

“What? No, no. We thought we better call first.”

“Good thinking. Send them through when you get a chance. We’ll take a look.”

“Thank you.”

Less than thirty minutes later, the fax machine started printing.

Later that afternoon, Holden gathered the rest of the team in the war room to review the Fairbanks case files. It turned out Osborn was right in his suspicion that this could be the work of the same unsub.

“Our first victim is Glinda Sodemann, 19. Newly wed and a new mother. She went missing from her home in North Pole on August 29, 1979.” 

Holden pinned a photo of Glinda onto the board.

“Her husband came home to the baby asleep in the crib and Glinda gone. There were no signs of foul play, and no indication that she would have had a reason to run away. Two months later, her decomposing body was found near Moose Creek, just over twenty miles south of Fairbanks, in a gravel pit near the highway.”

Next to the smiling black and white yearbook photo of Glinda, Holden pinned the photo from the dump site. 

“She was shot in the face with a .38 caliber. The pistol cartridge was found next to the body. There were no signs of sexual assault.”

“Did they look into the husband,” Bill interjected.

Holden nodded.

“He was their prime suspect for a while. Even failed a polygraph. But there was no evidence.”

The next photo Holden put up was of an even younger girl.

“Almost a year after Glinda disappeared, 11-year-old Doris Oehring goes missing from North Pole. Her and her older brother were riding their bikes on June 11. She had ridden ahead of him, and when he caught up to her he saw her talking to a man with a blue car. The hood was popped open as if he had engine trouble. As soon as her brother got closer, the man slammed the hood, got back in his car, and sped off. Two days later, Doris disappeared.”

“Were they able to get a description from the brother?” Gregg asked.

“They got a rough sketch,” Holden answered, adding said sketch to the board. “The brother said he thought the man was wearing a blue shirt that looked like a uniform.”

“Military?” Wendy suggested.

“Air Force.” 

“There’s a base in Fairbanks,” Bill added.

“They found Doris’ bike hidden in the bushes near her home. A witness said they saw a blue car near that area around the time of her disappearance. The driver appeared to be struggling with someone or something in the seat next to him.”

“Fuck,” Bill muttered under his breath.

“They also said it looked like he had a military haircut. Now, based on all of the descriptions of the perpetrator, the state troopers got a list of every single blue car that was registered to drive on the Eielson Air Base. Anyone want to guess how many names are on that list?”

They looked around at one another.

“One hundred?” Gregg suggested.

“550,” Holden responded. “They questioned Glinda’s husband again. This time the polygraph was inconclusive.”

The team collectively rolled their eyes at that cursed word.

“They brought a polygraph expert in after that to question him again. They said that he had an irregular heartbeat that made it impossible for him to pass a polygraph. It would always show either as failed or inconclusive. Due to lack of alternative evidence, they had to remove him as a suspect, at least for Doris’ disappearance.”

They fell silent, processing the implications of this information. How many people failed a polygraph because of a heart condition?

“The third disappearance happened January 31,” Holden continued. “Marlene Peters, the oldest victim so far at age 20. She was last seen hitchhiking from Fairbanks to Anchorage to visit her sick father. Now, initially, there wasn’t enough reason to think that her disappearance was connected to the others. Five weeks later, Wendy Wilson, 16, goes missing. She was also last seen hitchhiking, and a witness saw her get into a white pickup in Moose Creek. They found her body three days later, over thirty miles south of Fairbanks. She had been strangled and then shot in the face. Two months later, Marlene’s body was found in similar condition, not far from where Wendy’s had been. Which also happened to be very close to -”

“Eielson Air Base,” Bill finished.

“Bingo. The latest disappearance occurred a couple days after they found Marlene’s body. Lori King, 19.” Holden puts Lori’s photo on the board. “She was last seen walking alone in Fairbanks.”

“Did they ever find Doris Oehring?” Wendy asked.

“No. They’ve searched near the air base and all the areas where the other bodies were found, but no sign of Doris, or Lori.”

Holden took a step away from the board, indicating his descent into theorizing.

“He’s single. Lives alone. Definitely has issues with women.” The team all nodded in agreement. “Probably has a hard time holding a job. He has a history with the military, but I don’t think he’s part of the Air Base.” 

“Even though it’s close to the dump site of the victims,” Gregg inquired.

“It’s more notable that the bodies were dumped off the highway. It doesn’t feel like it’s about the proximity to the Air Base,” Holden replied. “So, why does he shoot them in the face?”

“To hide their identity?” Gregg suggested.

Wendy shook her head.

“It’s more than that,” she said. “It’s a relatively tight knit community. People know that these women are missing, and identifying them wouldn’t be that difficult, even after their faces had been shot. It’s more about substitution. He’s taking them and killing them in place of the person - woman - that his aggression is actually directed at. Once they’re dead, he sees that they didn’t fulfill the fantasy in the way that he wanted, so he disfigures their face to erase their identity in order to satisfy his illusion.”

Gregg nodded.

“I disagree about the military aspect, however,” she continued. “I think it’s highly likely he does work at the Air Base in some capacity.”

“Because of the haircut and the blue car?” Holden responded.

“And the uniform. The location of the bodies. The evidence we’ve accumulated from other cases. He likely has disciplinary issues, maybe even a history of abusive behavior towards women.”

“Okay.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he also had a history of institutionalization,” Bill added. “He feels tangibly unhinged.”

“Okay,” Holden repeated. “I think we’ve got a good basis for a profile.”

Holden faced the team, hands on his hips.

“Hey, we should grab a drink later. It’s been a while.”

“I got to get home to the family,” Gregg replied.

Holden gave him an understanding smile as Gregg grabbed his notebook and left the war room. He turned and looked expectantly at Bill and Wendy, his real targets.

“Come on, it’s a Friday. We’ll go to The Fern.”

“I don’t think so, Holden,” Wendy declined.

“Yeah, I’m not really feeling it tonight,” Bill added.

Holden shot Wendy a look. For Bill’s sake.

She contemplated, and gave in.

“Alright,” she conceded. “Come on, Bill. I’ll go if you do.”

He sighed. “Fine.”

“My other condition,” Wendy added, “is that we find a new place.”

“What happened? I thought you liked going to The Fern?” 

She shrugged.

“It wasn’t as great as I thought it was.”

Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May” was playing upon their arrival at The Velvet Arrow. It was not as full, or as dive-y, as The Fern, but it was certainly more bizarre in its decor. The walls were covered in a mix of Native American art and 1950s advertisements. The bar stools, true to the name, were covered in red velvet (and stains) that reminded one of movie theater seats. Thankfully, the booths where they chose to sit were vinyl.

“I’ve got the first round,” Holden offered. “Bill?”

“Bourbon.”

Holden turned to Wendy.

“White wine. Thanks.”

When Holden was safely out of earshot, Wendy leaned in towards Bill.

“Did you tell him about this morning?”

Bill shook his head.

“Okay.”

It was understood that the phone call with Brian stayed between them. They both agreed that Holden needs to know enough of what’s going on to not be a dick, but not so much that he gets too involved. 

“It really feels like we’re his parents sometimes,” Wendy noted.

Bill exhaled loudly through his nose.

“That kid, I tell ya.”

They shared a small laugh as Holden returned with their drinks.

“What’s so funny?”

“Wendy just told a great joke,” Bill replied.

She cut him a glare, tempered with a smirk. 

“Wendy told a joke?”

“Is that so hard to believe?” she replied, more defensively than intended.

“No, I mean -” Holden flustered. “You’re…funny.”

She raised an eyebrow at him.

“Why do I feel like I was the joke,” he added.

“Couldn’t tell ya,” Bill grinned.

Wendy sipped her wine. At least it was better than whatever they had at The Fern, not that The Velvet Arrow’s was in any way exceptional. She scanned the rest of the bar. It was mostly men, military looking men at that. A few of them were here with what appear to be girlfriends, or at least hopefuls. 

Her heart stopped. A woman at the bar, a customer, back turned. Her slight frame and long straight brown hair were familiar. No. It couldn’t be. 

She gulped down more of her wine, unable to turn her eyes away, just in case the woman turned her head to get confirmation or denial. 

“How about it, Wendy?” Holden asked.

She turned to look at him.

“What?”

“Darts. Wanna play?”

“Um...”

“Come on,” Bill coaxed.

“Fine.”

While the men got up, Wendy stole a glance back at the woman. Her profile was in full view now, and it was a face she didn’t recognize. She let out a small sigh of relief.

“You coming?” Holden asked.

“Hmm? Yes.”

She anticipated how poorly she’d do. Bill and Holden assuredly had low expectations.

“Ladies first,” Bill said, handing Wendy a dart. 

She slowly shook her head at him, a slight smile on her face, and took the dart. It was heavier than she expected. It was just like archery, right? She did that once, at a summer camp. Poorly. 

Wendy stared down the dartboard. 

Square up. Shoulders to the pins.

Kay’s voice came into her head. She positioned herself.

Now, put your weight on your left foot.

She did.

Take a deep breath and just do it.

Wendy fired the dart.

It stuck two inches from the center.

Bill and Holden didn't bother to hide their surprise, nor their delight.

“40 points,” Holden exclaimed.

“Nicely done, Dr. Carr,” Bill beamed.

“Looks like we’ve got to step it up, Bill,” Holden added.

The game ended with Bill winning both rounds; Wendy and Holden earned a second and a third place ranking each. The trio walked out to the parking lot in the warm summer air. It still smelled like smoke, but it was fresher than inside the bar at least.

“See you Monday, then,” Holden said.

They waved their goodbyes and entered their respective vehicles. Wendy was about to pull out when she heard an engine struggling. 

It was Holden’s. 

She looked around and saw that Bill had already driven off. Holden looked at Wendy from across the parking lot. Their eyes met. There was no escaping now.

She got out of her car and walked over.

“Need a jump?”

Holden sighed. “I think so. Bill’s gone already?” She nodded. “Do you have cables?”

“I can check.”

Wendy looked in the back of her car and the trunk, but no luck. She returned to Holden empty handed.

“I’ll call a tow truck,” he concluded.

“At this hour?”

Holden shrugged.

“Come on, I’ll drive you home,” she offered. “You can deal with it in the morning.”

Holden willingly agreed.

Wendy turned on the radio, hoping it would keep Holden’s small talk at bay.

“So how do you think Bill’s doing? Like, really?” he asked.

She thought about it.

“I think he’s handling it as well as he knows how. I mean, how is someone even supposed to cope with your wife leaving with your child while you’re gone, with no contact whatsoever?”

“I offered him one of my Valiums the other day,” Holden said casually.

“You did what?”

“You know, just to maybe help take the edge off.” Wendy shook her head. “He declined, by the way.”

“You really shouldn’t be offering prescription drugs to people.” As if it needed saying.

“Well, when you phrase it like that,” he smirked. “Left up here, then I’m on the right.”

Wendy turned and pulled up to Holden’s building. He took off his seatbelt, but didn’t get out of the car.

“Thanks for the ride, Wendy.”

She smiled politely. He smiled back, still not making any move to leave.

“Do you want to come in?” he offered. “For a cup of coffee, or something?”

“Uh, no. Thank you.”

Holden wasn’t phased by the rejection, which only made Wendy more convinced he would keep trying.

“Okay.” He opened the door to leave. “Drive safe.”

She nodded. He closed the car door behind him.

Wendy saw him in her mirror standing outside, watching her drive away, before disappearing inside.

[rideboldlyride]

ZW 2020; Reunion

So it begins.... This is a Modern/Gym AU. I swore I would never do a modern AU, but, as Edna Mode would say “and yet, here we are.” My plan for this week is to make these prompts all one story. As this is my first Modern AU of any kind, on top of my first Zutara Week, please feel free to leave all sorts of feedback. I will be adding an AO3 link in an edit in the fresh morning. I’m posting this tonight, because I have way too much crap going on in the morning tomorrow. Anyway. No more intro/distraction from my crapstorm. Here it begins.

[EDIT 1: I forgot to mention-- I aged them up realtime. This means that Zuko;Sokka are 31, Katara;Azula are 29, and Toph;Aang are 27, and all the correlating ages of the other characters accordingly. EDIT 2 will be the AO3 link, I promise.]

[EDIT 2: HERE’S the AO3 - finally. I’ve been super busy all day with a screeching toddler.]

It's the smell, Katara decides. It definitely wasn't the music - she always piped in her own mix of high-tempo, hard hitting music through her headphones. It's not the taste of the crappy tap water from their generic doctor's-office-standard water fountains. It wasn't for the sights of the people who were there.

Well, most of the people that were there. There was one or two…

No, she decided. It was entirely the smell that, no matter where in the world she landed, got her moving. A blend of sweat, rubber, and disinfectant, every gym she had ever walked into had the same smell. This realization settled over her as she entered the old gym. She had recently moved back from one of the old Earth Kingdom settlements at the coast, and was now participating in a research project with Ba Sing Se University, her old alma mater. Fortune had been on her side, however, when her old gym’s membership was reciprocal back again to one in the city. 

It had been three years since she had left Ba Sing Se for Selin Harbor, fresh from the university, a master’s degree in Marine Biology in tow. Now, she had been called back due to a troubling disease emerging in the dark, mysterious waters off the coast of the city. 

She had begun her workout running intervals, hopping from treadmill to resistance training to machines, and back, forcing the stress and worry of her new work out of her mind. Falling into her rhythm, time began to slip away. As was common, during her physical exertions, she felt the outside world fall away, and a single-minded focus overtook her thoughts, caught up only in the heavy beat in her ears.

Somewhere in between a few of her runs, she stepped away from the treadmill, took a pause to swallow down some more water, and turned to the next step in her pattern. She stopped suddenly. In her next station - a gym mat stocked with medicine ball and resistance bands - a fellow gym member was actively using her set up. A moment of frustration passed through her, but she swallowed it down. Instead, she moved away, trying to preoccupy herself with her next exercise, determined to come back after his set. But as she finished up and returned, she found him still in her spot, this time in between sets. Irritation pricked at her lips, but she sucked in a deep breath and plastered her best “people are oblivious” smile across her face. Pulling her headphones down, she rounded him.

“Excuse me,” she knew her voice was sickly sweet, but she didn’t care, “I hate to be that person, but…” 

A glint of gold in his eyes shot towards her motions, in contrast with his light skin and dark hair. It was obvious that he was no stranger to the gym himself, and it took a moment for her to remember what she was going to protest. (About those sights at the gym…? She ascertained that he was one of those exceptions.) Swallowing down the startling nature of his side eye, she pulled her indignation back to the forefront. He still didn't turn to her fully, preferring to shoot her a glare sideways. 

"But," she continued resolutely, "you're kind of interrupting my intervals. I need to use this spot before--"

"I'm not interested."

"...what?" It was only then that she noticed the white at his ears- headphones. Did this prick really think she was hitting on him? Her face turned sour, her voice rising. "Now, you listen here, you--"

He sighed, and pulled out the earbud closest to her. The music was just as loud as hers, she noticed abstractly. 

"Listen, I'm not in--"

"You're in my spot!" She spat out aggressively. 

It was his turn to be confused. "What?"

"My spot. You are literally in my spot. You've interrupted my intervals, but still managed to keep my blood pressure up. Congratulations."

He looks flustered for a minute, and Katara curses the spirits. The red on his cheeks only seemed to make him more striking under the iridescent lighting. She uses that disconcerting feeling to fuel more of her frustration.

"I don't see your name on this particular spot."

A bitter laugh escaped her, and she flipped the edge of the mat up. 

"Ka-ta-ra." She emphasizes the syllables as she points them out, written in her tight hand, on the bottom of the mat he was perched upon. 

For a second time, he flustered. 

"Oh." This time, however, he quickly moved off of it, a hand to the back of his neck. "I'm- I'm sorry. Didn't realize…"

She snorted, still not done with his brand of arrogance.

"You must be pretty narcissistic," she snarls, "to think that any girl who nears you must be ‘interested’." 

"It's not- I'm not-," he stutters for a moment, before regaining his composure. “Anything I say is going to make me sound like more of an asshole, isn’t it?”

A brow raised over a sea-blue eye, and he sighed. 

“Sorry. I didn’t realize you were here. I just figured somebody left the equipment after they were done.”

Her frustration fizzled a little under his apology. 

“Oh. Yeah, I guess I could see how you would think that.” Her eyes scanned the free weight area, strewn with discarded equipment like dirty tissues. 

Sighing, she deflated. Blue eyes looked up at him, finally catching a honest look at the man she was unexpectedly not as frustrated with. His dark hair was cut relatively close, seemingly unaware of any attempt to tame it’s aggressive angles. Amber eyes followed her motions, one of them wrapped in an old, angry scar that ran back into his sideburn, hairline, finishing on the other side of his ear. Dressed for the gym, she was able to appreciate his evident focus on lean versus bulk. And appreciate, she did. She dropped her eyes again, reminding herself of his protest when she first approached him. Jet had been enough of a narcissistic asshole for her lifetime. She didn’t need a new one. 

But he had apologized and did seem properly chastised. Looking around, she noticed that there was no other open spaces for him to work in.

“Listen, I don’t mind you using it. Just- just let me run my sets? Not, like, sit here in between them?”

“Really?” a small smile pulled at one corner of his lips. He seemed genuinely surprised. “Thanks.”

She waved it off, keeping her head down, as she took over the space, and he moved on to another machine.

An hour later, she wrapped up her mat, replaced the equipment, and moved towards the door. He was on the treadmill near the door, and as she passed him, she nodded. A small smile pulled at his lips and he returned the expression. 

Buzzing filled her pocket, and she glanced at her phone. 

Toph.

“Hey, Sugar Queen, we still on for tonight?”

***

He was a bit breathless. It was hard to tell if it was from having been sick for the week prior and thereby out of practice, or if it was the brilliant blue eyes of the woman slipping out the door. She had nodded at him, and a glimmer of hope clung to him. Maybe he hadn’t completely screwed up that interaction.

“Yeah, we are. I’m excited! We going to meet at--?” her voice was clear, since he had kept one earbud out since they had first crossed paths. Incredulousness laced her words. “You’re picking me up? I’m hoping you’re not the one driving…”

Her voice faded away, and he couldn’t help the smile that stayed on his face, even as he replaced the second earbud and continued his workout.

***

“So where is it we’re heading?” Katara glanced at her passenger in the front seat, but the young woman’s eyes were unfocused and hazy as she stared blankly ahead. When she spoke, however, her tone belied her strength. 

“I already told you, Kat-uh.” Her emphasis merely snapped the blue-eyed girl’s dark brows together, but she continued. “It’s an old friend of mine- he’s playing at some small bar. The one we used to go to on Thursdays when we were all in college together.” 

“I’m guessing he’s a new addition to the line up?”

“Nah.” A smirk pulled at her lips. “I just never found a reason to go see him before.”

“Thats… sweet, Toph.”

“I know. So considerate, right?”

A sigh escaped the older woman’s lips. “At least tell me if it’s on the milder scale for your music?”

Toph wasn’t known for having the most laid back choices in music. Her worries were slightly alleviated when the blind girl scoffed loudly.

“No, he’s more your speed. Likes some of the heavier music, though, but only plays the nicer stuff.”

“So, covers?”

Her head cocked to the side. “Maybe one or two. From what I hear, his original music is actually starting to get popular.”

As she pulled into the parking lot, Katara bit back a groan. Had it always been this busy? She found herself asking Toph that. For the asking, all she received was a head shake back. 

“Nah, but we also came on Thursdays. Fridays are a whole other beast. And besides, I told you he’s getting more popular.”

Suddenly regretting her decision to come out that night, Katara turned the car off, but only started to move to get out of it when she spotted Sokka and Suki waving frantically after her. They had arrived earlier, and together. As she reached them, Katara sighed, and Sokka wrapped the arm he didn’t have around his girlfriend, to pull his baby sister closer.

“You’ll have fun, Katuh. I know it’s stupid busy, but it’s going to be fun. Just, ya know, relax. Have a drink. Listen to decent music.”

As the doors slipped open, her eyes suddenly grew wide as she instantly recognized the chords. Katara slipped away from her brother’s arm. The words to the songs were already on her lips, and she was surprised to find that she knew this band. She wasn’t one to obsess over the musicians, but their music was a whole other thing. They were an indie band, unknown, unrecognized, so she had never expected to come across them live. Despite her desire to bob and weave to see and get closer to the stage, it seemed like the crowd pushed in on them more, and she was impeded. A shot of disappointment shot through her as the music died off, and the drummer announced a break. Turning back to her friends, she dejectedly joined them. 

“Oh Katara, don’t get so down.” Toph smirked, propping her dirty sandals up onto the table. “You know that was their first set. Besides, the lead singer is coming this way as we speak.”

Blue eyes rolled hard into her skull, and she let out a scoff. “Toph, you know I don’t care about the musicians. I just love their music.”

“Uh-huh. Well, we’ll test that theory right now. He’s headed this way”

“Your friend?” Sokka asked.

Toph nodded in response.

Katara turned in time to see a dark head dip and weave through the crowd, along with flashes of a dark button up, sleeves rolled up, and fitted jeans. However, when he finally slipped out of the crowd to join them at the high top they had claimed, it took all of her willpower to bite back the laugh that threatened to escape.

“Hey Toph.” His voice had an interesting grate, she had to admit, but she wasn’t sure she was quite over the way they had been introduced before. But if that was anywhere on his mind at the moment, he was good at not showing it. Instead, he followed the line of their friends as Toph introduced them. When it wrapped around to her, the closest to them both, she found herself sitting straight. 

“And this is Ka--”

“We’ve actually already met.”

A cocked head told her of confusion, and his eyes scanned her for a moment. Something like a glimmer of recognition started to blossom in the gold of his eyes. With a motion that was more abrupt, she gathered up her loose curls and pulled them back, as if to put them up into a ponytail. His eyes widened. It was impressive the difference a hairstyle could have on recognition.

“Oh. Yeah. Hey again. It was… Katara, was it?”

“You never did give me your name, you know.”

[dirtyhelen]

moans and dial tones (let ‘em spill right down the microphone)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Rating: Explicit (18+)

Featuring: Established relationship, phone sex, mutual masturbation, dirty talk, slight d/s themes.

Words: 2052

Summary: You’re having a bad day, but Bucky makes it better, even from afar.

A/N: Ummmmm, first time posting fic 🙈so if you’re reading this (is anyone out there??? 😂) please let me know if there’s anything I should tag/warn for! Title is from 3am by Halsey. This work is also on AO3 (same username). ________________________________________________________________ Sitting up in bed and ready to dive into your current Netflix obsession, you’re startled by the sound of an incoming video call on your laptop. Bucky’s name flashes up on your screen along with a picture of him asleep, mouth hanging open and drool smeared on his cheek. His contact picture of you is similarly embarrassing – a zoomed-in candid of you mid-sentence with your face screwed up in a particularly unattractive expression.

(It’s one of your favourite couples’ activities – taking unflattering pictures and texting them to each other. Centenarian or not, Bucky’s a former assassin and unsurprisingly very sneaky with a cellphone camera.) He’s been away on an assignment for the past two weeks and you hadn’t expected to hear from him today so you eagerly accept the call and watch as he fills up your screen.

“Hi, bunny,” Bucky greets you softly. He’s wearing headphones and holding his phone out in front of him. He appears to sitting up in bed as well, likely in whatever motel or safe house he, Sam, and Steve are holed up in for the moment.

“Hi,” you return with a smile. The first genuine one you’ve cracked all day. “Didn’t think I’d hear from you today. How are things going?” “Good, hoping to be home soon. Heard you’ve been having a bad day,” he says with a sympathetic grimace. You hum in acknowledgment before your head tilts, your brows furrowing. How would he know that? Bucky chuckles, reading the question on your face. “Nat texted. Told me I’d better call my girl and make her feel better. Well, her exact words were—” and here Bucky quotes from his phone, “‘give your girlfriend an orgasm before she explodes from frustration and kills us all.’” You laugh, covering your suddenly burning face with your hands. “Oh my God! I can’t believe she said that!” You pause, scoffing. “Actually, yes I can. It’s Nat. But I don’t know how you’re gonna help me out all the way in wherever the fuck you are.” Bucky smirks, giving you an exaggerated eyebrow wiggle to make you laugh. “I have my ways. Tell me about your day, sweetheart.” You proceed to tell him how you missed your alarm this morning and had to skip breakfast or risk being late to your 9 am meeting. The meeting went long and was largely pointless and when you got back to your desk there were over a dozen new emails waiting in your inbox, all marked urgent and requiring your immediate attention. When you got home at the end of the day, you tried to make yourself a cup of tea but ended up dropping your favourite mug – the one with the flowers, the one Bucky bought for a euro from a flea market in Spain because he’d seen it and thought of you – and ended up crying on the kitchen floor as you picked up the broken pieces. (That was when you’d texted Natasha a picture of the carnage with the caption: “My life is more difficult than anyone else’s on the planet and yes, I’m including starving children, so don’t ask.” She must have texted Bucky just after.) “Then I decided I’d take a nice, long, relaxing shower, but I got shampoo in my eyes and the batteries in my vibrator died before I could get to the relaxing bit,” you pout, finishing the recap of your no good, terrible, very bad day. Bucky can’t help but laugh at your expression – sad eyes and a big, exaggerated frown – but he quickly softens when you shoot him a glare. “Poor little bunny,” he coos. If he were there he’d scoop you into his arms and sit you on his lap. Press kisses to your forehead and rub your back, coddle you just how you like when you’re upset. Baby you a little. Maybe slip his hand into your panties, stroke over you gentle and slow until you’re panting, whining into his neck with sweet little gasps. He’d run his fingers through your hair as you keened, whispering pretty filth in your ear as you came. You’re thinking about it now, he can tell. Your eyes a little glazed and your breath coming a little faster. He lowers his voice, dropping into that husky tone he only uses with you, when he asks, “You want me to make you feel better?” Glossy eyes suddenly focused and cheeks burning, you nod. “Yes, please.” “Sit back, baby.” Propping yourself up against the headboard, you set the laptop down between your spread legs so you can keep your eyes on Bucky and he can see you too. “Take off your shirt.” You comply with his order, slipping your t-shirt over your head and tossing it to the floor. Bucky stares for a moment, drinking you in with a pleased hum. Ordinarily you might shy away from his gaze, but with hundreds of miles and a laptop screen between you, you feel bolder and arch your back so your breasts are fully on display. Bringing a hand up, you circle one of your nipples with a fingertip. “That’s real pretty, bunny, but did I say you could touch?” his voice is gentle still, but his expression has hardened into a cool steel that sends a rush of wetness between your thighs. Your hand drops obediently back to your side. “Sorry,” you breathe. “Can you be a good girl and do what I tell you?” “Yes, Bucky.” “Mmm, that’s my girl,” he says with a smile that fills your chest with warmth. “Cup your breasts, circle your nipples with your thumbs. Softly.” You do as he says, feeling your nipples harden under your touch. You’re so turned on even the feather-light circles around the hardened points send a jolt to your clit and you let out breathy sighs. “Fuck, babydoll, I miss those tits. Always so sensitive. Pinch those pretty little nipples for me.” Tugging and twisting a little you feel the heat pooling between your thighs. You’re aching for a touch to your clit, but you know you can’t yet. Not until Bucky gives you permission. Your legs are spread to accommodate the laptop, but he can see your thighs tensing, your hips shifting just the tiniest bit, begging for some friction where you need it most. If he were there, he might tease you for a while longer. Take his time bringing you to the edge then back again, over and over until you’re begging to come, tears gathering in your eyes. But he’s not there. He’s in a shitty hotel room – a single at least, thank God – and he has to be awake again in too few hours and you’re already frustrated from a long day. So he’ll give you what you want, what you need, and save the real playtime for the reunion. “Take off your panties, bunny.” You’re quick to comply, gracelessly shifting around until your underwear are gone and you’re back against the headboard, legs spread in a lewd display for Bucky’s eyes only. You look back to the screen for your next instruction to find Bucky has shifted the angle of his phone so you can still his face, but also his right hand lightly moving over his cock. Your mouth waters at the sight and you can’t help but let out a needy little whine. Bucky chuckles at the sound, at the open desire in your eyes. He hums. “You like that, bunny? You like watching me stroke my cock for you?” He knows you do. Knows there’s something about watching him get himself off that turns you on like nothing else. As expected, you nod eagerly, eyes fixed on the way his hand moves along his length. “Touch your pussy. Spread yourself open, let me see how wet you are.” Face burning at the crude words, you slowly slide your hand down your belly and through the hair at the apex of your thighs, slipping your fingers between your folds and spreading, holding yourself wide for Bucky to see. He moans, fist tightening around his cock. Your clit is swollen and there’s slick seeping from your opening. You clench around nothing, cunt empty and weeping for something to fill it. Fuck, he wishes he were there to lick up all that wetness, drag it up to your clit with his tongue and fill your hungry little hole with his fingers until you’re coming, wet and warm and spilling into his palm. “Slide a finger inside. Get it nice and wet.” He pauses as you follow his instructions, finger slipping in easily. It feels nice but it’s not enough. Not what you need. “Good girl. Now use that finger to rub your clit.” You slide your finger out and bring it up to circle your clit, letting out a moan as you finally get some attention where you need it. You watch as Bucky’s hand starts stroking his length in earnest now, twisting and circling over the tip. His breath is coming heavier now, intermingled with deep moans. “Feels good, huh?” he pants, letting out a groan at your frantic nod. “Yeah, looks like it feels good. Fuck, wish I was there with you, baby.” “Me, too.” Your finger circles your clit faster and your face heats up at the vulgar noise of it. “God, I can see your cunt clenching. Fuck, I wanna be inside you right now. Feeling that wet little pussy squeezing my cock so tight, so good for me.” You gasp out a keening moan, finger circling your clit almost frantically now, you’re so desperate to come, so close, almost there. It looks like Bucky is too, from the way you see his hips thrust up into his hand. “You gonna come for me, bunny? Gonna come sweet for me?” Your only response is a whimper, eyes clenched shut as your fingers work over your soaked folds. The slick sound of it goes straight to his cock and he pumps his fist faster, tighter. “That’s it, baby. Come for me,” he orders, voice gruff and you’re done for. You moan when your orgasm hits you, head tossed back against the pillows as your pussy clenches. The sight of it, your cunt spasming and squeezing out slick that drips down your ass onto the bedsheets has Bucky coming too, spilling onto his t-shirt and dripping down his hand. As Bucky tugs off his shirt and wipes his hand with it – quickly, before you can catch him and tell him to “get a face cloth, you gross boy, God,” he admires your well-sated appearance. Head tilted back, eyes closed, your fingers still lightly stroking through your folds to wring out any last drops of pleasure. He hums at the sight and your eyes open, finding his through the screens between you. In an uncharacteristically bold move you bring your hand up to your mouth, fingers shiny with slick, and begin to lick them clean. He can’t help but moan, his dick giving a valiant twitch, even as your seductive façade falls away, leaving you giggling and covering your face with your hands. The heavy, lustful mood falls away as Bucky joins you in laughing, the oddness of seeing each other – and yourselves – naked on camera setting in now the orgasms have come and gone. “I feel much better now, thank you,” you laugh and Bucky gets a great look at your ass as you lean off the bed to grab your shirt. “Better than a relaxing shower?” You pause, stroking your chin as you pretend to think deeply. “Talk to me when you have 12 different vibration settings and can fit it my purse.” Bucky cheerfully flips you off and is about to tell you goodnight and that he loves you when the door to his room flies open. “Hey Buck, do you – why is your dick out right now?” The last thing Bucky hears from you as he scrambles to cover his junk, hang up his phone, and strangle Sam all at once is the sound of your pealing laughter in his headphones. The last thing you hear before the call disconnects is Bucky cursing while Sam ruthlessly offers tips on taking nude selfies. “The lighting’s all wrong, man!” Well, you think as you collapse into helpless giggles, maybe today wasn’t so bad after all. A/N: If you made it this far, thank you so much for reading! If you liked it, let me know! If you didn’t like it or have advice/suggestions, also let me know (but in a nice, constructive way please?). I’m very new at this so any constructive feedback is appreciated!

Also: the caption the reader texts to Nat is a line from Bob’s Burgers (that I frequently use in my own daily life lol).

[nctstany]

⨀ chapter 3 ⨀  Good Vibes

Markhyuck {side Renmin} {side Jaeyong}

Summary- There’s always been a rivalry between camp 127 and camp dream but that changes once a newcomer arrives.

OR

Mark Lee was forced into joining a summer camp by his parents since he’s been wasting his last two summers inside away from kids his age.

!Warning! Mark Lee is a hothead !Warning!

The sun burned against Mark’s skin, this is probably the longest he has ever stayed outside, in the Summer that is. During his time here we found a little place that nobody really comes to, that’s by the lake in a corner by a big tree. He first found it the third day here and have been saving it to be his smoking spot. He finally got to sneak away from the others to enjoy the only thing that is familiar to him. Putting the joint up to his lips and inhaling the smoke for the first time in weeks. It made him sigh in relief and a big grin appeared on his face.  

Mark was told a lot of new things and saw a lot, more than he would have if he was back at home. Johnny and Jaehyun are the chillest out of the bunch, they have a friendship that makes them inseparable. Doyoung is sassy towards everyone but you can tell he cares....in a way and Yuta is glued to his phone all the time but is easy to talk to. Jungwoo is the sweetest and Taeil always finds a way to make everyone laugh even if he doesn’t talk that much. Taeyong and Jaehyun hang out a lot with each other too when no one is around, it’s just a little detail that Mark caught on to. He remembers one day that he accidentally happened to eavesdrop on them in the nurse’s office, it wasn’t anything weird just really cute to see them interact. I’m shocked if they aren’t dating. He probably has three good memories so far here, that his mind started to remember, and it’s only the beginning.  

~“Hey!” Jaehyun’s voice boomed in the room and made Taeyong jump as he turned around. A little smiled still appeared on his face even if he yelled back. 

“Oh my god is that blood?” 

“No?” Jaehyun covered his hands and sat down on the bed that Taeyong pushed him down on before he answered.

“That’s not a question that you’re suppose to answer with another question.” Taeyong huffed out and grabbed the other’s wrist with care, “What happened?” 

“Just a little accident with grabbing the sharp end of the arrow because Mark was too scared to.” Taeyong pouted after finishing up wrapping the other’s hand, pouting big and a quiet tone whenever he talked.   

“I’m fine.” Jaehyun pushed it off as a chuckle but Taeyong’s expression still showed. That made Jaehyun bring his hand up to the other and caress his cheek with a smile, “Taeyong, I’m fine~” His voice sweet and low that made Taeyong’s breath hence. Their stares burning into each other’s eyes as the place between them almost got closer. Something could have happened if it wasn’t for Taeyong’s strange feeling in his gut that made him pull away.

“Just be careful next time.”~ 

~It was a really hot day to start the week of with. Everyone melting even in the air conditioned main hall as their complaints made the room feel hotter.

“Who here can drive?” The same camp counselor that Mark first talked to when he got here on the first day, still never learned her name. Johnny was the only one to raise his hand at the table to her question and she finally breathed.

“Okay great! Do me a favor and go to Target, take the camp car and card. I can’t leave on duty and everyone else is busy or can’t drive.” 

“I’ll come so he doesn’t get lost.” Doyoung stood up and took the list from her hands.  

“Can I come?” Mark asked after hearing something about Target and the camp counselor rolled her eyes a little, “I don’t care just go get the things on the list.” The three went on their little adventure after hearing the other’s at the table scream about getting things for them.  

“Dude slow down you’re speeding.” Within seconds of being in the car and going on the main road Mark could tell he was going to have a good time. 

“You’re going 30 miles over the speed limit!”

“Says who?” Johnny laughed to himself and Doyoung screamed again from beside him while holding on to the dashboard. 

“The speed limit!’

“You’re making a reasonable point but I’m still not going to listen!” Even after the near death experience they made it to Target in a breeze, got the things on the list and a few things for themselves to share with the rest of their roommates.~

~“Why are your hands purple?”

“That’s a really good question.” Taeil placed his hands behind his back and walked closer to the door, “And I have another good question for you: why aren’t you’re hands purple?” ~

□●□●□●□

Renjun’s headphones blasted in his ears, looking at his phone as he laid on his back on his bed. He’s been like this since the morning after realizing that conversations and humans weren’t on the to-do list for today. It’s the third time this week that he has done this, only getting up to pee or eat whenever someone offered. That someone always being Jaemin since Renjun can’t ever say no to that one. 

“I’m hungry.” Chenle pulled out one of Renjun’s earbuds, which to that Renjun nearly punched the other in the face.   

“Go get food at the cafeteria.” 

“It’s closed.”    

“Oh well~” Renjun grinned as he put the earbud back in his ear but Chenle, being the annoying little brat he is, kicked the end of the bed frame. “But you must feed me, I’m baby!”  

“Order something then.” 

“Like what?” Chenle whined like a child and Renjun went back to his phone, “I don’t know...pizza?” 

“That’s stupid~” Chenle stomped his foot and Renjun shrugged his shoulders. Jaemin walked into the room with a question and was ignored by the two. 

“Hey Jaemin, let’s order a pizza.” 

“I literally just fucking said that.” Renjun sat up on the bed and kept his blank expression.  

“Nope I’m pretty sure I thought of it because I’m independent.” Chenle said with a childish grin. 

“Yeah we don’t need you, Renjun.” Hearing Jaemin say that was the reason he became so emotional, something he’s never in front of others. 

“Yeah you don’t need me because you can totally do stuff on your own!” Renjun said it with his chest and Jaemin played along as if it was a game. 

“Yeah I think so!” They continued to argue about nothing at this point, Jaemin thought it was just a game.   

“What are they fighting about this time?” Jeno came into the room with a hand on his hip as Chenle looked back and fought at the two yelling.  

“All I said was to order a pizza.” Chenle rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone, “Which I’ll do now since they are being babies.” 

“I hate you!” Renjun got up off his bed and headed towards the door with a huff. 

“Oh sure~ and you mean that.” Jaemin threw his hands up and continued with a grin, “Love you, Renjunnie~” 

“I wish I never meant you.” It was a whisper when Renjun left the room with his head down and left Jaemin thinking too much. 

□●□●□●□

“Just help clean up since you haven’t done anything all day.” Doyoung came from behind Mark, scaring the pothead out of his daze. Of course he smoked before joining in on a camp activity. He shouldn’t have since his behavior was something no one here ever saw yet. He had to stop Taeyong from taking him to the nurse at least twice and pulled it off finally by saying he was sleepy.      

"What is that supposed to be?" Taeil popped his head over Jungwoo’s shoulder with narrowed eyes trying to make sense of the picture on the table. 

“Whatever I want it to be.”

“Oh wow, you’re so artsy.” Taeil cooed the other as he walked away with whatever weird science project he had worked on. Jungwoo left to go wash the paint off of his hands and came back to nothing on the table he was at previous. Where did it go? He looked around so more and his eyes landed on Mark.   

“Hey Mark, where did that big sheet of paper that was on the table go?”

“Trash.” Mark nodded with his eye lids half closed and was fully brought opened when Jungwoo screamed. “Mark! That was my project I did today!” 

"I thought it was garbage." 

“What happened?” Doyoung came over and Mark still didn’t process anything going on.  

“Mark threw away my project- now it has juice all over it!” 

“It looked like garbage to me…..” Jungwoo’s eyes actually started to water and Mark’s eyes softened. “Wait I mean-” 

"You're a dickhead, Mark." Doyoung said with a cold expression and bought the about to cry Jungwoo away leaving the other. 

[sad-trash-writing]

Can you do something “Who’s The Hero Of Your Story” related. I kinda want to see Daisy average life while she was juggling being Daisy Johnson and Quake. Fighting Quinn, Raina, and Garrett before Jemma came along

AO3 Link 

This turned into a massive fic so beware that it’s 10,000 words long  Enjoy!

The obnoxious beeping of the alarm clock jolted Daisy awake far too early. She groaned and pulled a pillow over her head. She had known she would regret staying out late last night when she had to work the next morning, but it was important. 

She slapped a hand down on where she thought the alarm clock was, but her hand just slapped uselessly on the nightstand. She felt around for any sign of the damned contraption, but couldn’t seem to locate it. 

That’s when she remembered she moved it across the room to motivate herself to get out of bed. Daisy groaned again, even louder. She peeked out from under the pillow and saw it on the corner of the dresser. 

She threw out a hand and quaked it, just hard enough to make it shut up. 

It exploded in a pathetic squeak of plastic shrapnel. Great, now she would have to clean that up and buy a new alarm clock. 

She rolled to an upright position. If the alarm had gone off that meant it was about 4 am. Two hours of sleep wasn’t the worst night she’d had, but it wasn’t great either. The sun hadn’t even started to rise over the horizon yet, which made Daisy feel like she hadn’t even slept. 

She yawned and started her daily routine of applying her disguise. 

Everyday that Daisy had to apply the heavy makeup and a wig just to go about her daily life, she regretted not just wearing a mask. All the other famous superheroes wore masks when they ran around their city saving people, why didn’t she?

She rubbed on another layer of black, if only to draw attention from the dark circles under her eyes. Of all the things S.H.I.E.L.D. included in her tactical suit (which she stole when she went AWOL) a mask was not one of them. Once she first went public, there was no going back. 

Honestly, she spent more time in her superhero attire than out of it. The coffee-shop barista persona felt like more of a secret identity than Quake ever did.

  She finished pinning her long, black wig in place and took one last look at herself. Sure, it wasn’t the best secret identity, but no one in the coffee shop ever looked at her long enough to recognize her from her nighttime activities. She grabbed her keys and headed out the door, for another long day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“—And a double shot of espresso with a flavor shot of hazelnut, two pumps of caramel, half a pump of almond—”

Daisy’s eyes glazed over halfway through this guy’s order. She zoned out long enough that she missed the last two shots he wanted added to his drink and just punched another two hazelnuts in there. Hopefully the amount of sugar would keep him from noticing the difference.

Once she gave him his total, he held out a pile of gift cards and Daisy had to use every ounce of self-control not to quake him out the window. 

“Daisy, your turn for lunch break,” her manager called. 

“Oh, thank god,” she muttered. She finished swiping the last of the man’s 45 cent gift cards, practically threw the receipt at him, and headed to the back to clock out for her break. 

She flopped into the one rickety table in the break room, plugged in her headphones and unwrapped her sandwich. Once she was comfortably settled, she switched her radio app to the frequency of the police scanners. 

To anyone who walked in, she looked like she was just listening to music on her break. In reality, she was monitoring the city for anything that might need superhero intervention. 

Thankfully, there was nothing yet. Just a few minor traffic offenses, some bickering neighbors that needed to be calmed, and a kid who got his head stuck in a banister. Nothing that the regular cops couldn’t handle. 

It seemed all the major plots and crimes were committed after normal working hours, which Daisy could appreciate. She supposed that the Big Three in this city had to keep up appearances with their work at the university or they would blow their covers (not that most of the city didn’t already know their ‘secret identities’). 

Summer and bank holidays were another story, which always sucked because Daisy usually had to work those and juggle time off to stop the bad guys. It was exhausting. 

Daisy’s half hour lunch was up, so she flipped the radio off and headed back into the fray to relieve her coworker. 

The afternoon was much slower. There was a fast food place next door, so very few people came in to the coffee shop to get their lunch. It was great to have some downtime, but it left Daisy leaning on the counter and watching the news on the TV across the room. She was only half listening when a story caught her attention. 

“—Ian Quinn, the city’s biggest philanthropist, announced today that he is setting up a new doctorate program at the university to encourage further education in the sciences,” the anchor said, while a picture of Quinn’s smug face hovered beside her. “The program will focus on biochemical engineering and will be fully funded, so positions will be highly competitive. Reporting from the University—”

Daisy scowled at the news. Her manager was leaning on the other end of the counter watching the story and made a ‘how about that’ noise. Daisy glanced over at him and raised an eyebrow. 

“You know, with all his money, he could be doing anything he wanted, but he keeps funding scholarships,” he pointed out. 

“Yeah, because he wants to get smart people to do stuff for him,” Daisy scoffed. 

“Come on, how can you hate a guy who’s that good?”

“Because he’s evil?” Daisy countered. 

Her manager scoffed and wandered off, mumbling something about 'crazy millennials thinking everyone with money is evil.’

Daisy rolled her eyes. The half of the population that didn’t know Quinn, Raina, and Garrett were actually the city’s resident super villains were in fierce denial that they could be evil and were convinced that everyone who thought they were was delusional conspiracy theorists. Daisy had long ago given up trying to convince them with words. She just needed to give them actual proof. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daisy perched on the edge of the rooftop, absentmindedly flipping through all the apps she used to monitor the city on her phone. The police scanner continually rambled staticky codewords into her ears, while she flicked through security feeds of nearly every important building in the city. Nothing had come up yet, so it seemed like it might be a slow night. 

She leaned back and looked down on the towering buildings of downtown. The lights from the windows of people working late in the offices or just getting home to their apartments glittered off the steel frames of each high-rise. 

Daisy yawned and tried to pay attention to what she was supposed to be doing. It was getting hard to keep her eyes open and it was only the beginning of the night. 

The chirp of her text tone interrupted the drawl of the policemen in her ears. She frowned and opened the message. 

It was Coulson.

There’s a situation in Siberia that we could use you on. 

Daisy sighed. Coulson still wasn’t willing to accept that she couldn’t leave until she had wrapped things up with the Three. They all seemed to have a personal vendetta against her and she she had yet to work out why, but she needed to stop whatever their overarching world domination plans were first. 

I can’t come back yet. Still working, Daisy replied. 

We’re here for backup if you need it.

Daisy smiled and felt tears welling up in her eyes. Even though she had left S.H.I.E.L.D. without explanation, they were still willing to go to bat for her. The universe decided to rudely interrupt her reminiscing with a blaring siren from her phone. Daisy quickly flipped through all the security schematics she had up and found the one that was causing the fuss: it was a high-level science research lab on the other side of town. 

Given the amount of security clearance required for that floor and the sensitive information held there, Daisy had a guess on which three people had caused it. She groaned and rolled backwards off the ledge. She wound up her headphones and shoved them with her phone and wallet into a small crevice on the roof. She had broken too many phones and lost too many sets of keys in the field to risk bringing them with her again. 

She took a running start and launched herself through the air onto the next rooftop. 

One of the things she most enjoyed about her powers was that she could fly. Well, what she did wasn’t exactly flying, but it was close enough. The wind whipped through her hair and she was surrounded by nothingness. When she felt herself descending, she pushed out another shockwave against the nearest roof below her and shot back into the sky. She tried to be as careful as she could to not damage the roofs she skipped over with her powers. She got enough negative PR as it was, she didn’t need to flatten every rooftop garden in the city as well. 

When she landed on the roof of the lab, however, she didn’t try to muffle it and even sent some extra vibrations through the frame of the building. She wanted them to know she was here and that she was annoyed.

Was it too much to ask for one night off?

She felt around for the spot that would cause the least amount of damage to the building, quaked a small hole through it, and crashed through the ceiling of the top floor. Now, she just needed to figure out where they were. 

She found the stairs and trudged down a few flights, peeking her head onto each floor to listen for signs of a break in. 

Eventually, from the stairwell, she heard a deep maniacal laugh. 

She audibly groaned. 

Garrett. Great.

Not only was he taking away valuable sleeping time with his incessant talking, but he was the most unstable of the trio and tended to be the most unpredictable. 

Also, encounters with him were the most destructive. 

She charged through the door into the hallway and braced herself to fight. 

“Ah, good. It’s our close friend, Quake,” Garrett said sarcastically. Most of the ceiling lights he had already shot out, so the majority of light was from the blue glow emanating from his cybernetic limbs. His arm-of-the-day wasn’t even a real arm, but just a huge gun that attached to his elbow that crackled with a blue electricity. In his normal hand, he held a box full of paper files. 

“Didn’t picture you to be someone to take out people’s recycling for them,” Daisy quipped gesturing to the box. “I guess it’s not true when they say criminals can’t change.”

“Oh, these. This lab likes to kick it old school and doesn’t keep digital files of their more secret work. It makes it very difficult to get any kind of file transfer, so I figured I’d stop in and pick 'em up myself,” Garrett replied. 

“Are the holes in the walls your way of signing in to the guest book?”

Garrett shrugged. “You know me. Sometimes I just like to break a few things. It’s the fun part of my job.”

Without warning, he raised his gun arm and fired at Daisy. 

The blast caught her off guard and knocked her down the hall while electricity radiated through her body. Daisy grimaced. She could feel her muscles involuntarily twitching for a few moments while she tried to catch her breath. 

That was a new feature. 

“Like that?” Garrett called from down the hall. “This baby is my new favorite toy.”

“It’s something else,” Daisy hissed through gritted teeth while she pushed herself back to her feet. 

“Well, I’d love to stay and chat some more, but I’ve got to be somewhere with these. Have a lovely night,” Garrett said, his voice dripping with glee at seeing Daisy on the ground. He turned on his heel and strolled down the hall towards the fire exit like he was going for a walk in the park. 

Daisy glared in his direction. Like hell was he getting away that easily. 

She pressed her palm to the floor and focused. A crack opened in the linoleum that zigzagged down the length of the hall and opened a hole right in front of Garrett’s feet. He skidded to stop before falling through it, unfortunately, but it gave Daisy a moment to get to her feet and knock the box out of his hands with a concentrated shockwave. 

Apparently, the electric shock from before was still working through Daisy’s body and the shockwave was a little less concentrated then intended and the files exploded all over the hallway. 

Garrett growled as he spun to face her, “Those were alphabetized!”

He raised his arm gun again and fired a series of smaller blasts. Daisy was expecting them this time and dodged them while she sprinted down the hall. Her powers were great, but sometimes a little hand-to-hand was therapeutic. Daisy jumped into the air and pushed some quake energy behind her fist that she threw into Garrett’s face. 

He stumbled back with the force of her blow. That was a new trick she had taught herself. She was definitely using that one again. 

While he was disoriented, she kicked at his good knee. He faltered, but managed to raise his mechanical arm to block Daisy’s next punch. She tried another angle, which he also blocked. 

Daisy managed to land a few small hits, but nothing slowed him down much and she knew from experience that he could hold out much longer in a physical fight than she could. Unless she managed to land a few more lucky hits, this could go on for some time. Since half of his limbs and organs were mechanical, he could keep blocking her punches for hours until she was too worn out to defend herself. 

She was already getting tired and sloppy. She left herself open on the left for a fraction of a second and Garrett took the opportunity to throw his weight behind a punch with his mechanical arm.

A gasp forced its way out of Daisy’s throat at the force and she skidded back a few feet. She was pretty sure she felt her heart stutter for a moment from that. It’d probably be a good idea to avoid getting hit like that again. 

Garrett raised his arm. Daisy could see the glow from it growing brighter and he seemed to be charging a bigger electric blast. 

Definitely want to avoid getting hit with that. 

Daisy had just enough time to throw her hands out in front of her and push out an equally powerful shield of vibrations. The two forces collided and Daisy was suddenly flying again. 

This wasn’t the fun kind of flying, like when she navigated the city. No, this was the 'rocketing backwards through nothingness and hoping you don’t end up impaled on a flagpole’ type of flying. She was grateful for the first lesson May taught her, though: how to take a fall. May had said, 'you only give yourself whiplash once,’ and she was not lying. This probably wasn’t the type of falling she had in mind though. 

Daisy’s back finally collided with something hard and sharp (not flagpole sharp, thankfully, but it wasn’t comfortable). The force knocked the wind out of her with a wheeze, but she was tucked in such a tight ball, she didn’t crack her head open at least. 

She was only still for a moment, before she started falling in a different direction. 

Even in her rattled state, Daisy could tell she was heading for the ground. She flung out her hands and quaked down in an attempt to cushion her fall. It was shakier than her usual landings, but she didn’t hit the ground at terminal velocity, anyway. 

She crumpled to the ground, cold concrete pressed into her face, and tried to take stock of her injuries. Everything ached for the moment, so it was hard to get a good reading. She gritted her teeth and pushed herself upright. She couldn’t lay on the sidewalk all night. 

She instantly regretted it. The thing she had crashed into was the skyscraper across the road from the laboratory. The slight shift in her posture told her she definitely had some glass shards piercing her back. That was nothing compared to the damage to the lab. 

She could tell from the outside which floor she and Garrett had been on. It looked like it had been hit with a bomb. The window Daisy had ben blasted out of was the epicenter of a massive circle of blown windows and bent scraps of metal, which were probably once the building’s supports, jutted out at all angles. 

Daisy could see from the ground the exposed wiring sending sparks into the black hole that was once a level of the building. Papers and other bits of singed shrapnel drifted through down onto the road, where some spectators had started to gather to gasp at the destruction. 

Daisy noticed some of them were wearing lab coats or security uniforms, so it seemed the building had already been evacuated. That was the standard procedure whenever the Big Three were involved; getting in their way only led to normal people getting hurt. 

Daisy saw a streak of blue dart from behind the building. She thought she was hallucinating for a moment, until she heard the helicopter fly overhead and could clearly see the glow from Garrett’s cybernetics coming from it. 

She raised a hand, ready to quake it out of the sky, but stopped herself. They had caused enough damage tonight. There would be another chance to take them down, and it’s not like they had gotten what they wanted anyway. 

Daisy pushed herself to her feet and hoped she could shuffle away from here without drawing any attention. 

“Look! It’s Quake!” a voice shouted. 

No such luck there. 

The crowd of spectators and news reporters quickly turned their attention from the destroyed building and converged on Daisy, the notorious Quake. 

Well, time to leave. 

Daisy spared a second to make sure no one was close enough to get caught in the blast and shot into the air as high as she could manage. As soon as her feet left the ground, all of her injuries made themselves known, but she kept pushing higher. Once out of sight of the cameras, she could land wherever and make her way home. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After taking the longest way home possible and a pit stop to change into normal clothes, Daisy limped into her tiny apartment and threw the bag containing her tact suit in a corner. Even that stray movement stung. 

Daisy shuffled into her bathroom and started to fill the tub up with cold water. She grabbed a bottle of pain killers from the medicine cabinet and shook out a small handful and swallowed them dry. She pulled off her shirt, which was already starting to show small pinpricks of red along her back. Good thing she didn’t like this shirt much. 

With a tweezers and heavily gritted teeth, Daisy started painstakingly picking the pieces of glass out of her back. Luckily, most of them had gotten pulled out when she changed out of her suit, but a few stubborn ones were still in there. Once she was satisfied she got as many as she could, she headed into the living room, grabbed her tiny TV and slid it into the bathroom. 

She perched it in its usual place on the toilet and dumped the contents of her fridge’s ice maker into the now full tub. It wasn’t the best treatment, but it was the best she could do at the moment. 

She made sure she had a warm, fluffy towel next to the tub, flicked the news on the TV, stripped the rest of the way and lowered herself into the icy tub. 

Every second of gradually sliding into the cold water was torture. Not only was her body rejecting the sudden temperature change, but her exhausted muscles aggressively complained at the load of her body weight being put on them. Daisy hissed the entire way down and let out a sigh once she was fully submerged. 

Now that that particular torture was done, it was time for the next one: watching the news. She dried off her hand and turned up the volume on the TV. 

“—reporting from the SciTech building, where a reported break-in prompted the evacuation of all staff earlier tonight. Shortly after everyone was out of the building, an alleged explosion rocked the entire block, causing substantial damage to the building. Witnesses report seeing Quake, the known vigilante, fleeing the scene shortly after the explosion—”

“Really? No one saw the half-robot, glowing madman 'fleeing’ the scene?” Daisy grumbled at the TV. 

“—No word yet on what motive Quake may have had for the break-in or the explosion—”

Daisy gaped at the TV. “Excuse me?”

She angrily flicked over to the next station. This channel had its anchors and a guest speaker gathered around a table in the studio instead of in the field. Daisy recognized the guest as the grumpy old army general who every news station dragged in to trash talk Daisy. He was very vocal about not being a Daisy fan, even though they had worked together at S.H.I.E.L.D. before. 

“—have to wonder, why is no action being taken? Quake is a dangerous criminal capable of causing millions of dollars in damage at a whim. Best case, there should be a nationwide manhunt to root her out and, at the very least, an armed sniper on every rooftop in the city—” General Talbot said.

“Now, isn’t that a little extreme? Quake is the one who has been impeding the actions of the super villain trio for months. Don’t we owe her a little credit for that, even if her methods are a little messy?” the anchor replied. Daisy would thank him if she didn’t know for a fact that he was only playing devil’s advocate. He had frequently said similar things as Talbot online and only defended her when the network wanted to get Talbot incensed. 

“She’s a vigilante!” Talbot shouted, pounding on the table. 

And there he goes. 

Talbot continued to rant. “Stopping supervillains is what the police are supposed to do, which they can’t do if we have another superpowered lawbreaker flying in and bringing down buildings on their heads. If Quake would stay out of it for once, law enforcement could do their jobs—”

Daisy scowled and clicked to the next channel. As if the police has any chance of going up against Garrett and Raina. Quinn they could probably handle, but he typically stayed in the helicopter and looked smug. 

The reporter on the next channel tended to be a bit more on Daisy’s side, so Daisy was looking forward to what she had to say. The banner at the bottom of the screen read Quake: Savior or Menace? which was not wholly encouraging. 

“—the most recent incident at the SciTech laboratory damaged not only a multimillion dollar facility, but also destroyed thousands of irreplaceable, one-of-a-kind research documents. This leads us to ask, how should Quake be held accountable, when she is finally apprehended?”

Daisy groaned and slid deeper into the icy water. Quake was going to have to lie low for awhile to recover from this. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few months had passed since the incident at the lab. Daisy refused to listen to the police scanners at night, or she would just want to suit up and jump into action. 

She knew better, though. She had to lay low for awhile until people forgot about her mistakes and only remembered the fact that she had saved their asses multiple times. Granted, this most recent one was a pretty large and expensive mistake to forget. 

At least now she had the free time to sleep at night. Not that she was actually sleeping, since every siren that drove by her window made her wonder what destruction her city was being subjected to now. 

Watching the news was a nightly struggle. Raina, Garrett, and Quinn were running rampant around the city in her absence. Daisy had lost count of the amount of break-ins they had committed in a few short months. Shortly after each, they would debut a new weapon or machine on the next excursion. 

The cops were already scrambling to do what they could and every time the police chief was interviewed, he looked more and more exhausted. Daisy had started pausing on his close ups and counting the gray hairs in his mustache, since it seemed like there were more every day. The spiteful part of Daisy wanted to watch the city fall into chaos without her to keep the trio in check.

The rational part of Daisy, however, was itching to suit up and quake them all into next week. 

She couldn’t sit around doing nothing, so she went back to what she did before she got her powers: she hacked. 

The minute Daisy got off work, she turned on the news in the background, sat down at her computer with a coffee beside her, and tapped away at her computer. She spent hours trawling through the deep web, looking for any kind of trail she could latch onto. She found the trio’s home addresses, high school yearbook photos, office hours at the university. Everything except something she could use. 

Her coffee would eventually get cold, sitting beside her untouched. Daisy thought she had a breakthrough when she hacked her way into the university’s security footage, but there were strategic blindspots in their offices and around some of the lesser used exits. At least Daisy knew where they were sneaking out now. 

Not that it helped. As much as Daisy wanted to barge into Raina’s office and smash her stupid face into her desk, she couldn’t risk it. The trio didn’t know her real name or secret identity, and she’d like to keep it that way. Raina always seemed to know more about Daisy’s past than she let on, but if she knew who Daisy really was, she would have definitely leaked it to the press by now. 

Daisy sighed. After weeks, she hadn’t found the paper trail she was hoping for that would show the trio’s shady bank history. She closed out of the windows full of code and just opened up the university’s website. 

It was a nice school. Daisy almost would have considered enrolling if she wasn’t hiding out from a secret spy organization she used to work for. And if the school wasn’t run by three super villains who wanted her dead. 

Daisy clicked through the website until she found each of their department’s home pages. The first thing that popped up was an article about how they had just signed on a new graduate student and the entire article was spent languishing about how great the trio was and how generous and blah blah blah. The poor student, who was studying some plant crap, was mentioned for about two lines before being overshadowed by her saintly advisors. 

Daisy clicked through each of the trio’s academic profiles, though they wouldn’t tell her anything new. She scowled at their smug faces on their headshots the whole time. 

One of the alarms on her phone went off and Daisy instinctually checked which one it was. 

It was a building near the university. The signal beeped just long enough for Daisy to see that all the exits were reading as compromised before they all shut off. 

Daisy frowned. That was weird. 

She opened up another browser and quickly hacked into the live satellite feed of the area. She quickly saw why the alarms had stopped going off. 

The building that was standing moments before was now a pile of rubble. Even on the zoomed out view from the satellite, Daisy could see the blue glow of Garrett’s cybernetic limbs and a helicopter parked nearby. There was some giant metal contraption that Garrett was standing beside, but Daisy couldn’t tell what it was. It appeared to be moving towards another building though. 

Daisy gritted her teeth and glanced toward her closet, where her tactical suit was safely stored. She knew she shouldn’t go out in the field yet. Especially when there was a giant building-leveling machine at play, that she could easily be blamed for. 

She couldn’t just sit around while they destroyed a whole neighborhood. Daisy shot off the couch and towards the closet. Within moments, she was suited up and rocketing out the window. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The wind whistled through Daisy’s hair as she tried to made as stealthy a landing as possible. She touched down a few blocks from the collapsed building the trio was near last and jogged closer through the alleys. As she got closer, she could hear them bickering back and forth, but she was still too far to hear what they were saying. She edged closer, sticking to the shadows. 

“—just supposed to be a test. Now that we know it works, we need to pack it up and hide it before we get noticed,” Daisy heard Raina hiss. 

“Come on, we’ve been working on this baby for months,” Garrett protested. “Let me play with it a bit longer.”

Daisy peeked around the corner. Raina was in her black crime-committing attire, but otherwise looked completely normal; no thorns, just hair and skin. Garrett was sporting his high-tech limbs, as usual, and Quinn just looked like he made a wrong turn on his way to a masquerade fundraising gala. 

Raina’s crossed arms and impatiently tapping foot made Daisy think she was lucky to get here when she did. Any later and the trio might have already been gone and left a huge mess for Daisy to explain to the authorities. 

Daisy slipped her phone out of her pocket and opened up the camera. This could be her one chance to catch them in the act. All she needed was one picture to send to the press and the secret would be out. 

And in her haste to snap the picture she forgot to turn off the shutter sound on her phone. That one tiny click was all it took to silence the trio. 

Daisy ducked back behind the wall before they could see her, but she knew it was too late. 

“It appears your 'playing’ has already attracted some unwanted attention,” Raina drawled. 

Daisy launched herself into the air, anticipating their next move. She was clear from the building a split second before Garrett blasted a hole through it. Her phone slipped out of her hand and she grappled to save it while keeping herself airborne. 

“No no no!” Daisy cursed. She watched the phone tumble to the ground and saw the pieces shatter in a thousand directions when it hit. Great. Not only was that her evidence to get the trio locked up, it was also going to take about a week to get all her tracking apps reprogrammed onto a new one. 

Not to mention, she couldn’t afford a new phone and rent this month. Fantastic. Daisy lowered herself to the ground where the trio was waiting. The massive machine they were 'playing’ with whirred lowly behind them. Garrett noticed Daisy’s attention to the machine, squared up in front of it, and pointed his gun arm at her.

“No!” Raina interjected. “You and Quinn get the machine out of here before anything happens to it. I’ll take care of Quake.”

In the few moments that Daisy wasn’t paying attention to Raina, she had shifted so her entire body was covered in thorns and Daisy could see her golden eyes glinting in the darkness. 

Garrett looked about to argue, but he growled and turned his attention to the machine. Quinn turned on his heel and took off, likely to get the helicopter. 

“Yeah, you’re not getting away that easy,” Daisy mumbled. She raised and hand to quake the machine into tiny pieces. 

Before she could, she had to dodge a clawed swipe at her face. 

Raina had a snarl fixed on her face as she flung herself repeatedly at Daisy. Daisy managed to knock her away enough to not get her face sliced open, but she didn’t have a moment to breathe or stop Quinn and Garrett from leaving, which was probably Raina’s exact intention. 

Instead of just deflecting Raina’s next attack, she grabbed Raina’s arm and landed a kick to her gut. 

That ought to get her off Daisy’s butt for a minute. 

Daisy heard the thwip of the helicopter blades hovering overhead and saw Garrett fastening the machine to a rope dangling from it. She flung out her hand again. 

And Raina was back. 

She threw herself directly in Daisy’s line of vision and aimed her claws at Daisy’s eyes. Daisy barely had the time to lean back and avoid the swing. She could feel the very tips of Raina’s fingers brush across the bridge of her nose, just barely far enough to avoid getting cut. 

Daisy stumbled from the sudden change in her center of gravity. Just in time to see Garrett standing on top of the machine, holding onto the rope it was dangling from, while Quinn piloted the helicopter up into the black sky. 

Raina’s smug face made it even worse. 

Daisy could feel the rumble building beneath her feet and spreading into the earth around her. This had to be the worst possible comeback tour ever. 

And she was pissed. 

She drew up the vibrations from her feet and pushed them into her hands which she blasted full force into Raina with a growl. 

Raina flew backwards into a nearby building. The force of the shockwave Daisy threw at her was enough to blast the brick wall inwards with Raina in it. Daisy knew from experience that Raina was annoyingly durable, though. She darted into the building, clambering up the pile of bricks and drywall to get in.  

It appeared to be some sort of lab, based on all beakers lying around, so this was definitely on the university’s campus. Hopefully, Daisy would be able to get Raina out of here with minimally more damage, since it would only mess with the students to have their space wrecked. 

Raina was already dusting herself off when Daisy mounted the rubble. 

“That’s going to be expensive to fix,” Raina grumbled. 

Daisy scoffed. Now, Raina was concerned about the destruction of property. The millions of dollars in property damage downtown meant nothing, but when it was the university…

“Why is that your problem? It’s not like you have a personal investment here, right?” she shouted back sarcastically. 

“It’s always my problem when the education of young people is at risk,” Raina quipped. She didn’t give Daisy another chance to return the banter before launching herself at Daisy. 

Daisy blocked and threw a few hits of her own. If there was one thing she had missed during her forced vacation it was getting to burn off some steam by beating the crap out of one of these jerks. 

She didn’t hold back. She threw her full strength into each punch or kick, determined to do as much damage to Raina’s smug face as possible. When she had an opening, Daisy threw out a hand and quaked Raina hard enough to send her flying over a table and scaled down the rubble pile. 

She lost sight of Raina for a moment on the other side of the table, which was never a good thing. Sure enough, Raina popped up after a few moments holding a hose that was cut through. Daisy wasn’t sure what the point of it was, until she smelled gas. 

“Sorry, Quakey, but today is not a day that you win,” Raina drawled and nodded towards the back of the lab. 

Ignoring that disgusting nickname, Daisy followed her eyes towards the rest of the (what she thought was) empty lab. 

There was a girl by one of the tables, wide-eyed, and standing protectively in front of some plant. What was she doing here? Why didn’t she run?! The one thing Daisy would never forgive herself for was civilian casualties, and Raina knew that. 

And Raina had a broken gas line and what was probably some form of lighter in her hand.

“NO!” Daisy shouted. 

The second she saw Raina’s hand twitch, she threw out a hand and sent a shockwave in the direction of the girl. It wouldn’t be comfortable, but it was better than getting blown up in a gas explosion. She threw another shockwave in Raina’s direction hoping to contain the explosion or direct it as far away from herself and other people as she could. 

The explosion was deafening. Everything went silent after the initial boom and Daisy was going to have some definite hearing damage. All Daisy saw was a mass of fire and burning building material. She was flung backwards into the opposite wall and was pretty sure she blacked out for a moment. 

When she came to, all she could hear was ringing. Dust (or smoke, it was hard to tell) filled the air, obscuring any remaining features of the lab. Daisy coughed some of the dust out of her lungs, but she could feel them burning with every inhale. 

Speaking of burning, the one thing she could see through the smoke was fire.  Flames burned in small patches of whatever they could grab onto and sucked the rest of the oxygen out of the air. 

Raina had clearly made her escape already and left Daisy to deal with the consequences. The ringing in her ears abated slightly and Daisy could hear the shrill wailing of firetruck sirens in the distance. She needed to get out of here before she was found.

She maneuvered her arms under herself and pushed herself up. God, everything hurt. The movement forced another coughing fit from her lungs. 

Distantly, she heard another cough. Shit, the girl. 

Daisy forced her own pain out of her mind and struggled to her feet. She wobbled around the piles of destroyed lab materials and leaned on whatever she could for support until she reached the back of the lab. 

A boy had appeared in the lab too and was shaking the girl’s unconscious form and shouting her name. He clearly had better cover than the girl did from the explosion, but still had some cuts and scrapes up his arms. 

The girl looked considerably worse for wear. There was a gash on head and cuts all up her arms from flying bits of the lab. The potted plant she had been so desperately protecting was crushed beneath her and there was so much blood on and around her. Daisy was never squeamish about blood, but usually it was her own or whatever poor bastard she was beating up that day. 

Never was it from an innocent bystander. Daisy felt sick. 

The girl opened her eyes slightly and groaned. Thank god, she was still alive. The slight movement brought Daisy back to the present. 

“What can I do?” She offered. She was pretty well practiced at bandaging herself up in the field by now. “I can help—”

“You’ve done enough, thanks,” the man snapped before returning his attention to the girl. 

That stung. That tone brought back the memories of when she first got her powers and blew out the windows in the base. She tried to help the team sweep up the glass, but everyone of them sent her away with the same words. 

You’ve done enough.

She was just trying to help. 

Daisy heard the calls of the first responders kicking through the wreckage. It would be best if they didn’t find her here. 

She turned and stumbled over the piles of rubble until she found a flat spot and launched herself into the air. 

She didn’t make it very far. Every system in her body protested the strain of making herself fly through the air. As gently as she could, she set herself down on a rooftop. 

She took a breather and tried again, this time only making it across one more rooftop. The more she pushed, the lower she flew with each launch. After awhile, she could barely get her feet off the ground. 

She collapsed onto the rooftop, the dust still clinging to her lungs and the pure exhaustion dragging her into unconsciousness. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Daisy finally woke up she almost wished she was dead. Everything that hurt last night hurt a thousand times worse now. It didn’t help that she spent roughly half a day curled up in the same position with her arm pinned under her body.

She groaned and moved slowly, trying to gradually stretch out her muscles.

The sun was up, but it was sinking lower in the sky already, so Daisy had some time to kill before she could make her way home. 

Once it was fully dark, she started on the slow, agonizing trek home. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daisy’s attempt to gracefully lower herself through her window ended with her knees buckling and her collapsing on the floor with a wheeze. She quickly stripped off her tact suit and flung it into a random corner. Normally, she would be more concerned about if someone stopped by and saw it on the floor, but frankly she could not give less of a crap about it. 

Her typical ice bath to sooth her muscles was far too much effort. She grabbed her always-handy bottle of painkillers, threw a handful in her mouth, chased them with an entire bottle of water, and then collapsed on her couch and fell asleep. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In retrospect, Daisy probably should have checked her messages before passing out for another 12 hours, but she didn’t. There were a lot of things she probably should have done. 

Like go to work. 

When she finally dragged herself off the couch, there was a dozen emails from her manager as well as 20 missed calls on her apartment’s landline. Great, so she was definitely fired. She quickly called the number of the store.

The phone rang once and her manager picked it up with a cheery voice until Daisy said her name. 

“Daisy? What the hell? I called you a hundred times about missing your shift today—”

“I know, I’m sorry.” her voice came out raspy and cracked. “I got a really bad bout of the flu and have basically been unconscious, delirious, or barfing for the last 24 hours,” Daisy lied effortlessly. “Also, I lost my cell phone.”

“Oh my god, are you alright? Did you go to the doctor?” he asked, worry lacing his tone. 

Daisy smiled. Sometimes her manager was a hard-ass, but he did genuinely care about his employees. Well, the ones who actually gave a crap about their job anyway. 

“No, I didn’t want to spread my germs to the rest of the world. I’m sure it’s almost passed anyway,” Daisy replied. 

“Are you taking care of yourself at least? Drinking lots of fluids?”

Daisy glanced at the single empty water bottle that was the only thing she ingested for the last 24 hours. “Yeah, of course.”

“Well, I hope you feel better soon. I got Miles to take your shift today, so I’ll see if he can cover you for the next few days, too. Just to be safe.”

“Tell him I owe him one,” Daisy said and hung up. 

She glanced at the TV remote laying on the table. Did she really want to pick it up and watch the news? She already knew what it would be saying. 

Dangerous Vigilante Destroys University Building, Kills Innocent Student.

Daisy winced. She was really hoping that the girl from the lab pulled through. She looked alive when Daisy left, but that didn’t mean much. All Daisy could think about was how much blood there was. 

She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to think of puppies and beaches or anything to get that image out of her head. 

She reached for her laptop, but then realized the news would probably be all over any site she went as well. 

In the end, she grabbed a book and retreated to her bedroom. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daisy gave it a week before she could bear looking up any information about that night. As expected, none of the headlines were very flattering for her. 

Student Injured As Quake Levels University Building. Why Did Quake Attack Science Building? Does Quake Hate Science? Manhunt Intensifies for Quake. Directors of Graduate Studies Publicly Denounce Vigilante Quake.

No one even acknowledged the presence of Raina at the scene. Daisy scrolled through as many articles as she could manage. There was no mention of a student dying, so she had to be alive, right? If she didn’t survive, the news would be all over it. 

Sadly, there was no mention of her condition or a name of the hospital where she was taken. 

Daisy frowned and started hacking. She considered just calling around to the hospitals in the area, but given the high profile nature of the accident, she doubted the receptionist would be willing to reveal anything.

She trawled through the admission records of that night, looking for anyone in the right age group, from the area of the university, anything listed as 'explosion’ or 'accident.’ Nothing. 

She took off all her filters and scoured all the records. There were a lot of old people admitted and some teenagers with sprained wrists or ankles, but no one that could fit the description of the girl. 

After hours of nothing, she gave up. Hopefully the news would be annoying enough that they’d track the girl down for an interview when she was recovered. 

An alarm beeped on her new phone. The trio had been unusually quiet for awhile now. She opened up the notification and frowned. 

It was from a bank downtown. The back door had been opened, which no one used, except for deliveries. What the hell? Since when did they go for such obvious targets as a bank? They already had more money than they knew what to do with from Quinn. 

Daisy briefly debated ignoring it and going to sleep, but she had a nagging sensation that there was probably something more valuable than cash in the vaults. 

She groaned and shuffled to her closet where she stashed her suit. It still had a fine layer of dust on most of it from the lab that Daisy had never bothered to clean off. She brushed the majority of it off with her hands and suited up, grumbling the whole time. At least since it was a stealthy breach and not a massive hole in the wall she knew it was Raina and not Garrett. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daisy landed at the back of the bank where Raina broke in. The only thing to indicate that anybody had gone in this door was the tiny burn marks around the lock that must have disabled it. 

She slipped through the door and closed it behind her. 

“Now if I was a pain-in-the-ass super villain, where would I go?” Daisy mused. She slipped out her phone and opened up the motion sensor monitor for the building. Nothing was tripped except the entrance she had just come through. 

She pressed her palms into the floor, closed her eyes, and slowed her breathing. She zeroed in on all the vibrations she could feel throughout the block.

She felt the two security guards on duty pacing around the reception desk two floors above her. Really earning that paycheck, boys. Then, the floor below, she noticed movement in one of the vaults. Raina was quickly moving around the vault, and Daisy could feel the very slight vibrations as each safe deposit box popped open. One thing that was odd was that her heart rate was usually high. Must be an important job.

To minimize damage, Daisy decided to take the stairs to the next level. She shuffled down the hallway until she found the vault where she felt Raina. She had never had to stop a bank heist before, so she mentally crossed that off her bucket list. The giant metal vault door looked just like the ones from the movies. Eight feet tall, with a giant crank wheel on the front and a rather intense looking combination lock. 

Daisy felt like she was breaking into Gringotts. 

The vault door was still sealed, so Raina must have gotten in another way. 

Unfortunately, Daisy didn’t have time to find that way. 

She held out a hand and prayed to Lady Justice that this would be the time she could get Raina arrested and not have people try to charge her for the cost of a bank vault door. 

Slowly, she rattled apart the gears inside. Hopefully, if she took her time, she wouldn’t permanently damage it. If she had the time she would just try to spin them until she unlocked it, but she doubted Raina would stick around that long.

  The hinges finally gave way and Daisy gave one final push to knock the door inwards. It groaned and crashed into the ground sending a puff of dirt shooting out in all directions. That probably meant the concrete floor was crushed. Whoops. 

She stepped over the door and tried to wave some of the dirt out of her face. Hopefully she could get this over with quickly. She was freaking tired. 

“Really, Raina, I thought you were beyond bank robbing. I always thought it was too cliché for—” she started. 

But the bank robber her eyes landed on was definitely not Raina. 

She looked younger. Maybe around Daisy’s own age. She was wearing an outfit made up of various shades of green that seemed like it had been pieced together from thrift shop finds. Her light brown hair hung loose over her shoulder and she had a cheap-looking mask that appeared to be cut out of a piece of scrap fabric tied across her wide eyes. The girl stood there, stuffing a massive diamond in a bag and looking like a deer in the headlights.

The only thing that made her seem less like a bad cosplayer was the tangled plant sticking out of her back with the vines swaying gently. 

“You’re not Raina,” Daisy said, dumbly. 

“No, I’m…I’m new,” the girl responded. 

'I’m new?’ Was she getting introduced to a coworker? This girl was obviously new to this supervillain thing and didn’t really look too into it. 

“Um…okay. Your first act as a bad guy is to rob a diamond from a bank? Are you guys given a Bingo card at Supervillain Orientation or something?” Daisy taunted. 

The girl stuck her hands awkwardly on her hips and scoffed. “No! There’s no…um—It’s…” she stammered. 

Daisy snorted a laugh. This plant lady was really new to this. She was much more fun than fighting Raina again. She took a step forward to reason with the woman and the woman took a step back. Oh, and she was terrified of 'Quake’ already. Good. 

“Look, you obviously are new at this and probably don’t really want to be doing this, so I’m going to let you off with a warning this time,” Daisy offered. “I’ll close my eyes for exactly a minute and all you need to do is put the diamond in my hand and walk out the door. I won’t look where you go and I might even tell the security guards you beat me. Maybe it’ll boost your street cred or something.”

Okay, the part about telling the guards was a definite lie. Daisy was not planning on sticking around that long, but hopefully this would convince the girl to give up this supervillain thing before she actually started. 

Daisy held her hand out in front of her. “If you do try to leave with the diamond, I will stop you, though. Just saying,” Daisy said. She wiggled her toes and zeroed in on the vibrations from the floor. She would be able to feel if the plant lady made a break for the door or the hole in the ceiling that Daisy saw once the dust cleared.

“Alright, counting down,” Daisy announced and started counting to sixty seconds. 

Sure, it was probably dumb to leave her guard down so much in the presence of a new enemy. She had no idea what the plant lady was capable of and could probably just as easily strangle Daisy before she could do anything to stop it. 

But if nothing else, Daisy was a good judge of character and the look in the woman’s eyes said she wasn’t capable of murder. 

Daisy heard the woman rustling through her bag for the diamond. However, she got to twenty seconds and Daisy hadn’t felt her move forward. 

“I was serious about the one minute thing, by the way,” Daisy informed.  

Daisy got to twenty-two when she felt something heavy crack her in the back of the head. 

The room spun and Daisy staggered and cursed loudly. She heard quick footsteps, but her senses were so knocked out of balance that she had no idea where the girl was heading. Maybe Daisy wasn’t such a great judge of character and the girl was coming to finish her off. 

Her world stabilized just in time for Daisy to hear the groan of the metal vault door being moved. 

She squinted and focused her eyes on the doorway where the girl had somehow lifted the vault door and lodged it back into place. She heard a whirring sound and the edge of the door glowed molten orange and seemed to be sealing itself. 

Daisy ran to it and pulled. Yep, that was sealed. She would just have to go out the hole in the ceiling. 

She positioned herself underneath it and was about to launch herself up when a gun was pointed at her face. 

“Freeze! You’re under arrest,” the security guard screamed. Hasty footsteps ran towards him and a small group of more security guards converged and pulled out their weapons. 

Nope, going out the vault door. 

She threw out a hand and quaked the door as hard as she could. The vibrations rippled out from where she directed them and spread into the walls, leaving small cracks in the surface and the door toppled outwards. 

Revealing a larger group of security guards and policemen, all with their weapons out. Guess that vault door hitting the ground was pretty loud. Great. 

Daisy put her hands on her head. She knew she was outnumbered and she knew fighting off all these guys in an enclosed space would only lead to someone getting hurt and Quake ending up more vilified. So she decided to play nice. 

“Hey, guys. I’m sure you get this a lot, but this is really not what it looks like,” Daisy said. 

“Shut up! On your knees,” one of the cops shouted. 

“Okay, rude.” Daisy glared, but obeyed. 

The troops advanced slowly and circled her. Then they all froze. They all seemed to be having some silent conversation with their eyes that Daisy could clearly read as, “No, you handcuff her.”

“You guys know I’m not gonna bite you, right?” Daisy teased.

  They all jerked their guns a little higher when she spoke. Great, this could only end well. 

Finally, some rookie cop who looked about 12 seemed to be give the short straw and slowly shuffled towards Daisy with his handcuffs bared. 

Daisy held perfectly still, knowing the slightest twitch of a muscle could end up with her getting a dozen bullets to the head. The cop jerked her hands behind her back, clamped the cuffs on, and pulled her to her feet. Daisy immediately slipped a pin out of her sleeve and started picking the cuffs.

“Now that I’m 'restrained,’ can I tell you why you’re all making a mistake?” Daisy tried. More jerking of guns. 

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say—” 

“Yeah, yeah, I know. This isn’t my first rodeo,” Daisy interrupted. “I know that when I say something, it better be the truth. So when I tell you that I was here to stop a villain from robbing the place, you should listen to me.”

“Take her upstairs, boys,” one of the cops, who was clearly in charge and suddenly found his authority now Quake was in cuffs, said. Jokes on him, Daisy had already unlocked both of the cuffs. She held them in place to maintain the illusion that she was restrained. 

Two security guards stepped forward and grabbed and arm each and started dragging Daisy out the ruined door. She jerked an arm out of the one’s grasp and planted herself, only to have two more guards clamp on. 

“If you guys would just listen for a minute, I could point you in the direction of the person who actually stole something,” Daisy protested. 

The officer in charge scoffed. “Is it the college professor? The disabled war hero? Or is it the charitable philanthropist this time?”

Daisy rolled her eyes. Great, this guy was one of those dipshits who liked to ignore the truth. 

They dragged her to the front door, which was swarmed with even more cops. When Daisy saw the news crew outside, she dug in her heels.  She needed to get through to them quickly. 

“You guys really need to listen to me. There’s a new supervillain who you can probably catch running down the back streets if you just go look!” Daisy demanded. 

“Sure, so you have less people to stop you from escaping,” one of the guards said. 

Dude, I don’t need less of you here to kick all your asses. I’m just not the bad guy, Daisy thought.

“If you could pull your head out of your butt, you would listen to me,” Daisy practically shouted at them. They were nearly to the door and Daisy could see the cameras converging. “I’m telling you, it wasn’t me. There was some plant lady. I was there to stop her.”

“Quake, Quake!” the reporter shouted, holding up a microphone. Daisy rolled her eyes and ducked her head, so her hair was covering her face. She was sure she wasn’t close enough for the camera to catch her face, but better safe than sorry. “Quake! Are you saying there’s a new villain in the city?”

Daisy resented the news for their portrayal of her, but at least they would report on what she said. Maybe they could help her publicize this new villain and help Daisy catch her. “Yes! Some lady with plants growing out of her broke in—”

She was cut off by one of the security guards shoving her shoulder and dragging her towards a waiting cop car. 

“Yeah, yeah, you can tell us all about the plant chick at the station,” he said. Daisy glanced up and saw the black sky above her was completely clear. Now or never. 

“I don’t think so,” she muttered. She dropped the cuffs, twisted out of the grip of the guards, blasted them all backwards, and then rocketed into the sky. The wind rushed past her ears for only a few moments before she landed on the roof of the bank. Luckily, there were no helicopters out yet or her escape would be much more difficult. She launched herself in the air and skipped across the rooftops in the opposite direction of her apartment, just in case. 

Well, this night had gone great. Because the only thing Daisy wanted in life was to have another supervillain to fight.

[itsomgitsgreenblogging]

Break My Heart: Chapter 11 (A Solangelo Fanfiction)

It’s here, finally! I hope you are all ready, because I know I am! Just a reminder, this fic is only very slightly canon divergent (Will having visions of the future, and I take a few liberties with some of the time line). Just a head’s up as a reminder for that. 

Read on Tumblr: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10

Read on AO3

Preview:

“Really Nico? You can’t kill Leo!”

“Can I disembowl him?”

“No.”

“Skin him?”

“No.”

“Tear out his still beating heart and sacrifice it on the altar of my father? Use his blood as finger paint?”

“No Nico, though I give you an A for creativity.”

“This is why I hate this place,” Nico snapped. “All of you are so sensitive about perfectly reasonable things like manslaughter.”

The infirmary that day was empty, and the emptiness was eating at Will until it was nearly impossible for him to function. If he had something to do, then the silence would have been bearable. Will often found that keeping one’s hands busy was the secret to keeping the mind off of unpleasantness. But Will, as always, had terrible luck. So therefore, he was bored and dwelling on things that were probably left alone. Will spun in his chair, playing with the beads on his necklace nervously as he turned. Kayla looked at him from the desk, unimpressed with his fidgeting as Austin tapped out the bass line of Feel Good Inc with pens on a nearby chair while he listened to music on his ipod. Finally Will put his feet down, literally, stopping himself mid-swing. Both his brother and sister stared at him as Will placed his hands on his knees and offered up a sigh of defeat.

“Nico’s totally avoiding me isn’t he?”

“Took him long enough to admit it,” Austin noted as he popped a headphone from his ear. Kayla just primly rested her head on her hands and seemingly waited for Will to continue. Will groaned and leaned back.

“I thought I was just imagining things!” Will complained as he squinted up at the ceiling. “I don’t even know what I did. I thought our date went really well, he even agreed to go on another one! Gods, I must have done something. Maybe I was too hasty. What if I just was being an idiot and assuming things? Oh Gods what if he thinks I’m doing some weird peer pressure thing to him—?”

“Alright, slow down,” Kayla said as she held out her hands. “How about we don’t go into Apollo Panic Mode and try to think.”    

“Don’t tell me not to go into Apollo Panic Mode! You were just in Apollo Panic Mode when you thought Holly and Laurel shot better than you at archery!”

“Okay that is neither here nor there, let’s deal with your problems before you drive everyone crazy!”

Will had the urge to whine. To say he didn’t want to, to throw a hissy fit and then bury himself under some covers and avoid the world. Maybe binge on chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream with Lou and Cecil, maybe watch some bad TV dramas with Nyssa and Billie, maybe he could cry on Miranda’s shoulder, throw rocks into the lake with Clarisse, rant to Butch or Pollux, hide in Hypnos Cabin and just nap his days away, cry into the phone to his mom or his grandpa. There really were innumerable options in front of him. Honestly, he was a lucky guy. He had family. He had so many wonderful friends at camp. This bud, this fledgling relationship with Nico hadn’t even made it to autumn so it had to be doomed. What would be the point of trying to continue on with it?

               But Will also wanted to kiss Nico. At least once.

               “I don’t really know what happened. Everything seemed fine at the campfire. But after that…I don’t know, he’s just been distant. Like, he used to follow us along to our activities and he’s not doing that anymore. Maybe I just was going too fast for him, maybe I was just too overeager,” Will admitted softly, flicking a paperclip.

               “Well, maybe the best thing is to give Nico space,” Kayla offered sympathetically. “I mean, it’s not like he’s out to the whole camp. Maybe he’s just processing.”

               “Yeah,” Will said, attempting to brush aside the disappointment. He supposed that rushing forward foolheartedly probably wasn’t the best idea sometimes.

               “Doesn’t your counselor meeting start in a little bit?” Austin asked him, and Will mustered up his best smile.

               “Yeah, I should head over. Hold down the fort for me alright?” Will asked his siblings who both nodded. Will tried to ignore their all-too-understanding looks as he left.

               Ever since the influx of cabins and campers that had occurred post-Titan War, they had moved head counselor meetings from the Big House to the Pavilion. Will was sure when most of the campers left camp the next week and fall really descended on Long Island, they would move back. But for now, the audience of counselors ranged from longtime campers such as himself, Jake Mason, and Pollux, to newcomers like the Victor siblings, recently claimed Paolo, and newly elected Butch and Piper. It certainly made for an interesting hodge-podge. Noticeably Nico was absent. Percy and Jason, who both occupied cabins of only themselves sat together playing paper football while Piper observed and added commentary to the ongoing battle.

               “Where’s Nico at?” Katie asked in their direction as Clarisse unslung Clovis from her shoulder and placed him on the table where he snoozed contentedly in his sleeping bag.  

               “He got a Iris message from Camp Jupiter. Something about the assembly I think Hazel wanted his opinion on,” Percy said with a shrug before seeing Annabeth approach with her arms full of blueprints he got up to help her. Though Annabeth made a show of looking irritated, she allowed Percy to hold some of her things. Will tried to ignore the mix of relief and disappointment he felt.

               The rest of the counselor meeting, as usual devolved rather quickly. Annabeth was presenting to the counselors the different plans she had worked up in order to provide new cabins for the newly claimed campers. Hermes Cabin on the whole was fully throwing their support behind any measure that would get kids out of their already overcrowded cabin as fast as possible. While cabins like Demeter cabin (who were also speaking for the dryads) were against clearing any more forest than necessary, and Hephaestus argued about the onus of construction work that would be placed on them. The different types of arraignments were also a point of contention. Hypnos Cabin, a new cabin that was boasting already three campers with more likely to come from other countries argued the necessity of space (with a rather impassioned Clovis who only fell asleep once), while Paolo, Chiara, and Damien who were all by themselves seemed to be fine with the tree houses or tiny houses plan.

               By the end of the meeting, no compromise had been met. But at least the plans were out. Each Cabin was ordered to take a poll of their occupants and choose the plan that they all liked the most before they would reconvene. After the meeting, Will stayed with Annabeth to help her clean up while the others all went to make sure their younger siblings hadn’t caused any damage.      

                “Will, I don’t understand how you expect the additions to make sense if we allot more space then this,” Annabeth said as she pointed out to the plans for the tiny cabins. 

“And I’m just saying, we don’t know how many children these minor gods have. I feel that it would be premature to commit to a tiny house design without considering that,” Will told Annabeth with a sigh. “Everyone deserves a little space for themselves. I mean, we barely go a week without the Victor sisters almost setting their cabin on fire as it is.” 

Annabeth looked at Will, grey eyes glinting. Her gaze was serious, as always, and Will met it. He liked Annabeth a lot, but sometimes found her to be a little on the intense side. A little too all or nothing. But her penchant for ass-kicking was something that Will admired, even if it was his butt she wanted to kick. She sighed, seemingly content for the moment and leaned back. She massaged her temples and Will found himself moving close and offering his hands. Annabeth gave him a weak, grateful smile before sliding a chair close to him. 

Just pressing his fingers against Annabeth’s temples gave Will the sensation of a tightening cord ready to snap. The start of a tension headache. Will pulled off her hair tie which was doing her head no favors and placing it on his wrist before slowly focusing on pressing the pads of his fingers against the back of her neck and pulling up to her head. He spent time to gently add pressure and release, and become acquainted with Annabeth’s muscle movements. Then, once that was all established, he began rubbing little circles from the base of her skull to her ear, applying pressure on the scalp, and massaging temples and forehead, his power welling up and soothing. 

“You have the most convenient power,” Annabeth muttered as her head fell foreword to allow Will to rub her neck and massage the back of her head.

“As convenient as a certain wisecracking aqua boy we know?” Will asked amused as he worked out a specific knot. Annabeth, like most children of Athena, kept all their stress in the head and neck. Considering their mother’s history with headaches, it wasn’t all too surprising. “I think not.” 

“I don’t think you have much interest in the ocean, how useful would you find Percy’s powers?” Annabeth asked with a raised brow.

“True, true. But does the interest occur as a correlation or causation when the power is present?” Will offered. Annabeth was seemingly struck by this line of thought, tapping her foot as her eyes glinted. 

“It’s never occurred to me,” Annabeth muttered under her breath. “It’s fascinating to think about, really. The implications I mean.”

“I’m not sure the others would think of a lack of free will in the same regards,” Will chuckled. 

“I’ll have to run this by Malcolm. He’s always thrilled to have a sound board on philosophy. I don’t tend to have much of a sustained interest in the subject,” Annabeth said as she stretched, and Will handed back her hair tie.  

“Well, I try not to think about things like that too much,” Will admitted as Annabeth stood up and cracked her neck. “In our lives, big questions don’t often beget rewards.”

“Isn’t that the truth?” Annabeth said as she looked out towards the camp finishing tying up her hair. Will watched as her curls bounced, rather cutely Will had to admit. “I sometimes wonder how much our parents have to do with our natures.”

Will didn’t have much to say about that. Will had never even met Apollo before, only seen him flash by in his chariot during the Battle of Manhattan. He had received a letter from him once, a few birthday cards, had gotten claimed by him. All of these were more than some demigods ever received, but he still had no real clue of what his father was like. He had heard the stories from Percy and Thalia about his father’s bombastic and dramatic nature. Had spoken to Rachel briefly about her relationship with Apollo as the god of prophecy, though since the last war Apollo had gone silent. A punishment by Zeus still probably in the works. At times Will wondered if he should be worried for Apollo. Well, certainly he was worried since Apollo was the sun god and the world couldn’t survive without the sun. But Will found he really couldn’t worry about Apollo as his actual father, because Apollo wasn’t in his life. He was just a flash across the distant sky.

Will wondered how much of him was like Apollo. Will knew he shared a smile with all of his siblings, habits, tastes. Will really doubted Apollo ever concerned himself with Will Solace and his siblings, but he had never been able to say that to any of them. After all, when Lee and Michael had died, not once did Apollo make himself known. Did Will have that ugly selfish side of him somewhere deep down? Will hoped not. He really did.

“I hope they don’t have much,” Will finally concluded, seemingly surprising Annabeth in his answer. “I don’t think I could bear it.”

“I know what you mean,” Annabeth admitted before finishing placing her blueprints in her box. “Tell me something, what’s going on between you and Nico.”

“Uh, what do you mean?” Will asked, taken aback by the sudden shift in conversation to another topic that Will didn’t really want to think about at that moment.

“Listen, me and Nico have had our own issues, but we’re good now. He’s been doing really well since he began tagging along with you and your cabin. But Percy mentioned to me that Nico’s been kinda down lately…and that has to be more so than usual mind you if even Percy’s picked up on it. So I was just wondering if you and Nico had gotten into a fight.”

“We didn’t get into a fight,” Will said as he nudged a leaf with his sandal before sighing. “I asked him out on a date.”

“Oh. Oh,” Annabeth said, obviously taken aback. “You asked Nico on a date? I mean—you know—”

“Yeah. I uh…I like Nico. A lot,” Will told her as he watched the leaf be dragged across the dirt by a breeze. “We went on one date, and I asked him on another. He’s been acting weird since then.”

“Okay, this…this all makes sense to me,” Annabeth told him as she shifted her weight between her feet obviously deep in thought. Will swore he could see the gears clicking and moving in her head, as she catalogued everything she knew into different places. “I do have to say, I didn’t think that after Percy he would go with a guy like you. Even though he swore up and down that Percy wasn’t his type, I kind of expected him to go with a guy more like Percy. Maybe a Hermes Cabin kid or an Ares Cabin kid.”

“I know,” Will said with a chuckle as he picked up Annabeth’s box. “I told him something similar.”

“If it means anything to you, I think you are good for Nico,” Annabeth said as gave him a look and Will handed her box to her. “I think you and Nico are pretty similar in some ways. It makes sense that you guys would get along.”

“You think so?” Will asked Annabeth curiously, and she just shrugged.

“I don’t really buy the whole opposites attract thing. People are always saying that about me and Percy, but me and Percy are a lot alike. Like, I don’t think I could date a guy who is okay just sitting around doing nothing. Percy may put up the front, but he’s always ready to go all in with me no matter what. And I’m always willing to do the same for him. I think that’s important, and that’s just one example. You and Nico are both serious when it comes to your responsibilities. And if anyone has seen either of you interacting with your siblings, you would know you guys were on the same wavelength,” Annabeth explained. “But of course, Nico’s a different person than you so you would need to take that into consideration.”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you told Nico that you like him?”

Will stopped midstep.

“Told…Nico?” Will repeated, dumbfounded.

“Nico’s dense, Will. But more than that, he psyches himself out constantly. Nico’s probably thinking all sorts of worst case scenario stuff right now. You need to set the record straight, tell him that you like him.”

“Oh my gods you are so right. I haven’t been following my own advice,” Will said in shock before tossing Annabeth a smile. “Though there is nothing straight about this situation.”

“Holy Hera, really Will? Really?” Annabeth asked with her patent Chase glare.

“You really can’t blame me, you totally walked yourself into that one,” Will said with a wink.

“Stop flirting with me and go talk to Nico. You have to.”

               “I do. I have to go tell him,” Will realized, his heart racing so fast in his chest that he could hear it in his ears. “I have to tell Nico that I like him.”

               “I agree—”

               It was at that moment that an ear-piercing scream came from the center of the camp. Annabeth dropped the box, and Will and her raced to the center of camp. Nyssa was comforting a nearly hysterical Harley on the ground as Nico held up a scroll that had seemingly floated in on the breeze. A holographic Leo Valdez, riding on Festus’ back with a brunette beauty by his side like the cover of a terrible romance novel for moms had appeared at the center of campus. The image spluttered and faded with static but by the time Will and Annabeth were within hearing distance Will caught,

               “Love ya guys! Adios amigos, oh! And get ready for a taco party when I return!”

               And with that the imagine cut out, leaving a stunned silence in its wake. Nico pulled his hand down which had been shaking and nearly crushing the parchment in his hand but Will clearly saw that Nico was shaking—no, seething, no erupting with rage. His usually colorless eyes were terrifying black pits, his teeth were gritted, and he was steaming up the late summer air with puffs of cold.

               “I am going to murder Leo Valdez,” Nico announced his murderous intent before the various witnesses. Some of them nodded obviously very understanding of the sentiment, others like Percy and Jason face-palmed as the chaos continued to erupt.

               “Uh…maybe I’ll tell him later. When he’s feeling less…homicidal,” Will told Annabeth as he swallowed.

               “Probably a good idea,” Annabeth noted before jogging off to inform her cabin of what had just gone down.

“Why is he so angry?” asked Sherman and when he received the weird looks he shrugged. “Just because I’m a child of Ares it doesn’t mean I’m always angry without a reason. For example I’m always mad at Ellis because he’s a dumbass all the time.” 

“Shut the fuck up,” Ellis grumbled, casting Cecil a look as Cecil cackled under his breath. Lou Ellen jabbed him in the ribs 

“I think that’s why,” Lou Ellen pointed out. 

Harley was still crying against Nyssa’s shoulder softly. Nyssa and Jake Mason sat red eyed and shocked. Nico was pacing beyond as Percy attempted to reason with him quietly. It all felt rather like some kind of late season twist like you would find in a show DeGrassi or Glee or any other trashy high school drama. But Will had to hand it to Leo, he definitely knew how to announce his comeback.  

“Nico, I know you would probably feel much better if you went all stabby mcStabberson on Leo with your scary stabby sword, but has it occurred to you that it would just kill Leo again?” Percy asked him, half-understanding, half on the verge of nervous laughter. 

“Oh but I do. I do want to kill Leo and make sure he stays dead this time,” Nico said with glee before bearing his teeth. “He. Made. My. Sister. Cry. I can’t let him keep breathing. I have my honor to uphold, so I need to utterly destroy him.” 

“Really Nico? You can’t kill Leo!” 

“Can I disembowl him?” 

“No.”

“Skin him?”

“No.” 

“Tear out his still beating heart and sacrifice it on the altar of my father? Use his blood as finger paint?”

“No Nico, though I give you an A for creativity.” 

“This is why I hate this place,” Nico snapped. “All of you are so sensitive about perfectly reasonable things like manslaughter.”

“Stop being a murderous whiny baby!” Percy told him. 

“Why don’t you make me you—“

The Grecian swear Nico used was so foul that Nyssa yelped and clapped her hands over Harley’s ears. Will lunged forward and grabbed Nico’s shoulder and physically got between both Percy and Nico before they could do something stupid like bring the whole camp down around their ears with their collective power. Sherman and Ellis looked rather disappointed, but Lou Ellen and Cecil held them back from joining the fray.

“Okay that’s enough!” Will demanded. “Nico you come with me. Right now—don’t even think about arguing with me so don’t open your mouth a single centimeter. If you do I swear you’ll be speaking in limericks for the next month Apollo protect me! Percy, go cool down in the lake!” 

“Where are we even going?!” Nico demanded as Will grabbed his arm and trudged with him through camp. Will didn’t dare look back, or else he would definitely lose his nerve. No matter how brave he wanted to feel, the cold emanating from Nico like an air-conditioner on full blast was very intimidating. Finally they got to the nearly deserted training grounds. Will pushed Nico in front of a training dummy and handed him a sword from the rack.

“There. You want to stab, stab the dummy. Get out your anger,” Will ordered as he pointed to the dummy, hoping Nico wouldn’t decide that he was a better dummy to stab. Nico stared at Will incredulously before turning to the training dummy. The first few thwacks were half-hearted, but Nico’s hits soon took on a savage angry edge. Every hit Will could imagine bone breaking or puncturing muscle or tearing of skin. Eventually Nico had to slow down, breathing heavily and still glaring forward while not giving Will any sign of his weakness as he went through positions seamlessly, but he was no longer 10 below.

“This is stupid,” Nico spat towards the very beaten practice dummy.  

“I don’t understand why you are so angry, but you are and here we are,” Will said as he sat on a log.

“You don’t understand,” Nico growled, whirling on Will. “Leo is out there trapezing around and you don’t understand?”

“He’s alive! You should be happy. You even said that he would be coming back,” Will said as he threw his hands in the air. “Honestly, Nico. What is going on with you?”

“Happy? Happy that…that idiot died, leaving only pain for those who loved him and thought he was dead, only to send some sort of half-baked message like that?” Nico demanded of Will. “What about my sister—my sister who agonized over Leo? Why didn’t he rush back for her? Or his siblings? Or anyone else?”

“He obviously went back for that girl.”

“Ha. He went back for Calypso. How fitting. The two of them ducking their fates and riding off into the sunset,” Nico said as he stabbed at the ground angrily as if imagining their faces there.

“So that’s it? You’re mad because of that? You aren’t mad because he hurt your feelings?” Will asked him calmly, brushing aside the fact that Nico was saying that somehow Leo had gotten Calypso, the famed nymph, to fall in love with him. Now that was a story Will wanted to hear at some point, if Nico didn’t kill him first.

“I don’t have any feelings,” Nico snarked as he threw the sword he was holding back in the pile.

“Nico—”

“Gods, why can’t anyone just stay. For the sake of the gods, why does everyone just have to go and—“ Nico muttered under his breath before grinding his teeth. “But obviously I’m just crazy, right? Everyone just loves me. No one was ever uncomfortable with me and wanted me to leave, right? Everything is just peachy keen. It’s just all in Nico di Angelo’s head, he’s just some wacky child of Hades, he’s just crazy. He’s not allowed to be hurt, or angry, or anything because he’ll just blow everything for everyone with his uncontrollable powers.”

“Nico, is this about the battle? What I said to you?” Will asked, totally floored at the sudden change. There was a growing pit in his stomach, as flashes of childbirth, Half-Blood Hill torn by the battle, and a pale and ghostly Nico di Angelo came back to him. “When I was telling you to stay?”

“Just forget it—”

“No, I won’t,” Will said firmly. He swallowed, trying to work past the suddenly lump in his throat. Will was ashamed and he could barely breathe. “I…I’ve never meant to tell you that how you felt wasn’t valid. How you feel is important to me. Really, it is. I’m…I’m so sorry that the way I said things made you feel otherwise. Oh Gods, I’m a total asshole. You must think I’m an absolute asshole.”

“Wait, what’s happening—are you crying?” Nico demanded, sounding horrified.

“No,” Will lied, equally embarrassed as he rubbed his face. Will was just as horrified at his sudden show of emotion as Nico was, his face was hot and his tears were warm and he wanted to crawl into a hole and stay there forever. “Yes.”

“Oooh my gods, di immortales, please, please stop crying,” Nico begged Will. “Oh gods I hate it when you cry. Please stop crying. This is my fault, it has to be my fault.”

“No, it’s my fault! It’s all my fault because I’m an idiot,” Will said impassioned at his utter stupidity. Suddenly everything was so clear to him. Nico wouldn’t break up with him because of anything that Nico found wrong with Will. It would be because Will was too caught up in himself and what he was feeling to be good for him. “I haven’t considered your feelings, not really, this whole time and I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

“I…I forgive you,” Nico said slowly, but with feeling. “I do.”

“Is this why you’ve been avoiding me?” Will asked him softly.

“I…no…kind of…it’s complicated,” Nico said as his hands hung by his sides limply. “I just…I had a lot of fun on our date, Will. But I…there’s probably other people that you would rather go on dates with and…you are so nice to me. I just don’t want to feel like I’m being a burden on you.”

“Nico?”

“Yeah?”

“You aren’t a burden on me. I didn’t go on that date with you because I’m nice. I went on that date with you and I want to keep going on dates with you because I like you.”

Will woke up feeling chilled, sighing heavily. He didn’t want to get up yet, as his blankets and quilts were so utterly and deliciously warm, but finally Will forced himself out from the bed. The air was chilled, and Will enjoyed the scent of autumn was on the wind as he walked to the infirmary. It wasn’t like there was anyone in the infirmary, but there was a Keurig, and with a Keurig there was coffee.

He sat at the stoop of the Big House, sipping his coffee and watching the sky turn pearly, the edges just beginning the lighten in dawn. The sun was calling to him, and he waited patiently for it to rise as his coffee wafted and steamed in the air.

“Good morning Will,” Chiron said, hooves clopping as he stood beside him.

“Good morning,” Will greeted the teacher. “It’s a beautiful sunrise isn’t it?”

“That it is,” Chiron hummed, taking a sip of his own coffee as he rubbed his beard thoughtfully. “It has been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a sunrise, but I find no better company than the one I share with right now for it.”

“Now you’re just buttering me up for something,” Will said with an attempt at teasing, but his heart wasn’t really in it. He let his smile fall from his face, and continued to gaze ahead thoughtfully as the sky began to turn orange, brushstrokes of red deepening against the darkness and brightening with a shock of color. From there one could see the horizon stark against the sea, opening up the world to a bright new day. Will was so absorbed in his thoughts that he barely caught what Chiron was saying to him.

“Will, I believe I heard something about you and Nico,” Chiron said, and Will frowned as he wished he hadn’t heard Chiron at all.

“Oh,” Will said slowly, resisting his urge to blow bubbles in his coffee, however Will couldn’t bring himself to be rude to Chiron or duck the question. Chiron, who had let Will stay, who had taught Will how to suture a wound and perform an appendectomy and who seemingly knew Will better than he knew himself was someone he couldn’t lie to that easily. “Uh…yeah, that’s not happening. I kind of messed everything up, as usual.”

“As usual? I was under the impression that you only truly attempted to romance one girl previous,” Chiron said with an arched brow.

“Uh…Chiron, please, if we could avoid any blows to my ego I would be real grateful,” Will drawled slowly.  

“I didn’t mean to—” Chiron cut himself off and seemingly reformulated whatever he wanted to say, his hind quarters shifted and plodded nervously on the ground. “I do not have extensive experience with romantic issues. Granted, the only romance that I’ve been involved with is the romance of other demigods with each other, and even then I preferred to stay out of it. Forgive me for my lack of tact.”

“You are forgiven,” Will promised Chiron immediately, not having it in his heart to hold that against Chiron. “I guess I just don’t really know what to do. I made my feelings as clear as possible, but Nico just kind of…well, he freaked out and ran off. Maybe I was just too forward, but what else could I have done? I wanted him to know how I feel, but I’m sorry if I sprung it on him. Though, I don’t think he’ll appreciate my apology after my sudden declaration of love.”

“Love? I see, love.”

“Yeah.”  

“I have to admit,” Chiron said as he obviously hid a smile, “that part of you is from your father. No one has more of a penchant for sudden declarations of love than he does.”

“Oh, great, and those seem to always go so well for him,” Will grumbled under his breath. “Well, thankfully my track record isn’t that bad. No one’s turned into a plant yet.”

“Well, this is also true,” Chiron chuckled before placing a hand on Will’s shoulder. “But as I was saying before, if I may give you some advice Will? In manners of the heart, it is valid to plunge forward recklessly. Some people can’t do that, and must take a moment to stop and think. Give Nico time to think.”

“You think he might come around? Or at least forgive me?” Will asked, recalling Nico retreating back to his cabin after his declaration without a single word, just a pale white ghost. As far as Will knew, he hadn’t once emerged from the cabin the whole rest of the day or night, and as far as anyone could tell he may or may not have even been at Camp Half-Blood anymore.

“I can’t say. But I’ll have you know, I’ve given this advice to your brothers before.”

“Great, which ones?” Will asked as he watched the waves crash against the shore from the distance, the waves of long grass being tussled gently.

“Michael and Lee, at different times of course,” Chiron said, the look on his face fond and gentle. Will had meant his comment as a joke, but suddenly he felt that lump return to his throat. Michael and Lee were hardly ever talked about by anyone, except to talk about how they died. Will had almost forgotten that they had lived outside the sacred place in his heart he had built for them. “Wait for Nico’s response patiently, Will. Wait for him, and listen to him well when the time comes. And when it does, you will choose how it plays out for you. But know that I am rooting for you, Will Solace.”

Will smiled the best he could before he finished sipping his coffee and promised that he would talk to Chiron later. He returned the mug to the proper sink before deciding that the best thing he could do would be to head back to his cabin. He could wake up his siblings, get going on the day—

“Will.”

Will yelped, tripped on a tree root and promptly wiped out. He groaned as he managed to pull himself up, before looking back to see Nico staring at him half-emerged from the shadows. He was pale except for the shadows that ridged around his eyes, he looked generally grungy like he had been for a long and sweaty hike in the woods, his clothing was disheveled and slightly torn.

“Oh my gods, you look terrible,” Will blurted out.

“Oh, wow, thanks,” Nico said with a grimace that pulled hard as his lips.

“What happened?” Will said, seeing blood dripping down his arm.

“I…uh…went for a run.”

“A run?” Will asked with a raised eyebrow. “And you got this beat up during a run?”

“I also might have run into a flock of Stymphalian birds on this run,” Nico explained. Will just sighed, put his head in his hands for a moment as he attempted to collect himself before pulling up to his feet.

“Well, come on then. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Nico was quiet as he let Will lead them back to the infirmary. Nico took a shower in the bathroom while Will collected the supplies he would need for the first aid. None of Nico’s various scrapes, bruises, or cuts would need healing magic, but they did need disinfectant and gauze. Will worked robotically as he tended to Nico’s wounds. When he offered the unicorn draught, Nico didn’t complain, but when Will began lining up other products and ordered Nico to wash his face Nico was hesitant.

               “Stop grumbling and rinse,” Will ordered, and Nico splashed his face free of the suds.

“I don’t understand why we’re doing this,” Nico grumbled as Will pulled back the headband to keep his hair from getting any wetter before drying his skin and then patting on the toner.

“Because a good skin care routine is important and will keep you from looking like death warmed over,” Will told Nico a matter-of factly as he grabbed the eye cream. “Close your eyes.”

“It’s cold,” Nico commented suspiciously, though he allowed Will to continue without biting his fingers off. “What does this have to do with healing?”

“In the humble words of a wise person, treat yo’self.”

“But isn’t ten steps excessive?”

“Okay, unless one is a certain gorgeous child of Aphrodite, bless her heart, one does not have perfect skin. We work for perfect skin. It’s a necessity.”

“You are just a vain child of Apollo. Normal people do not care about their skin this much.”

“Ha, please. Don’t make me laugh,” Will commented as he finished putting on the moisturizer. “There, you look like a human again.”

“I’m not a human though, neither are you,” Nico commented wryly as he pulled on his shirt.

“Then we are just both vaguely human shaped and we have a charade to uphold,” Will told him as he put away his things into their various shelves.

“You know, I didn’t really know what to expect when you told me to come here,” Nico said as he swung his legs, not unlike a child would. “I didn’t really know what to think about you either. You weren’t scared of me, you were easy to talk to. You were funny, but you took what I had to say seriously. When I found out I might have a chance, you know, when you were joking with Antonio that one time, and when I saw Nyssa and Billie together, I freaked because I was so surprised and happy. It’s stupid, but most of the people I like end up hating me so I tried to convince myself that it wasn’t worth it giving it a shot. Percy told me that sometimes you just got to dive in, but I can’t really do that. Whenever I do that someone always gets hurt. Eventually…I don’t know how or when, I’ll hurt you. I’ll be selfish and I’ll hurt you. But…but for some reason I felt like you might be able to handle it but then I suddenly got so terrified that I…so I…godsdamnit I’m not making any sense am I?”

Nico was glaring at the floor ferociously, as if the floor had just insult him, his father, his sister, and his dog. Will sat next to him on the bed, at the creak of the springs Nico looked up.

“I like you, Nico,” Will said, because that was all he could say. He looked towards Nico, hoping that a fraction of what he was feeling was being conveyed to him somehow. His words weren’t enough, but maybe the rest of it could be.

“You said that before,” Nico said with a glare and narrowed eyes.

“But I do,” Will argued. “I really, really like you.”

“Did you not hear anything I just said,” Nico demanded with a huff.

“I did. And I know, Nico. I already know that you’ll probably hurt me and I might hurt you, but I still like you,” Will promised Nico firmly. “Trust me, I know it better than anyone. I’ve been agonizing over that for a while now, but I’m ready for whatever happens, because I like you. Do you like me?”

“I…I do,” Nico answered.

“Then do you want to go out with me?” Will asked him curiously.  

“If you go out with me, I’m going to need a little bit of time…before we tell everyone. Just so I can get used to it,” Nico warned him.

“I can wait,” Will promised, grasping Nico’s hand. Nico squeezed his hand in return.

[itmakesyoulooklikealoser]

Going in Blind

Pynch Week 2017 Day 4: Fake Dating...more like accidental dating

This was meant to be a one shot but it was getting longer than I expected and I wanted to be able to post on time. So here is part one of two! 

*********

Ronan was laying in bed trying not to think about his date tomorrow night. He didn’t even want to go on the date, he was considering not even going, but Gansey had promised that if he went on this one date he wouldn't say anything about his street racing anymore. Ronan guessed he could endure one terrible date in order to get Gansey to shut up. All he had to do was show up and be himself and surely the other person would want to end the date early.

Ronan rolled over onto his stomach and buried his face in his pillow, letting out a groan. Why was he even giving this any of his attention. He kept trying to imagine the person Gansey would think was his type. He was relieved that he had come out to Gansey not long ago and wouldn’t have to sit through a date with a girl at least, but what kind of guy did Richard Campbell Gansey III see as compatible with Ronan Niall Lynch? Ronan groaned again and rolled out of bed. He shoved his feet into his boots and grabbed his jacket and keys off the floor. Halfway through the common room on his way to the front door he heard Gansey call after him.

“Where are you going this late?” Gansey asked with slight disapproval in his voice.

Ronan turned to Gansey with a wicked smile, hand on the doorknob. “Figured I’d give you some practice on not lecturing me about my street racing a day early”

Gansey sighed heavily but didn’t say anything else to Ronan. He gestured for Ronan to go and Ronan didn’t argue.

——————

Ronan’s alarm was going off next to his face. He didn’t remember setting an alarm. Gansey must have set it last night while he was out. Wishful thinking on Gansey’s part. Ronan rolled over and slammed the sleep button on the alarm clock. He was not going to school today. He knew if he went he would spend all his time wondering if the boy next to him or in front of him was his date tonight.

Ronan laid staring at his ceiling for a long while, trying to make shapes out of the cracks and dings like constellations. His phone buzzed on his night stand a few times and he didn’t bother to check it. He knew it was one of two people texting him. It was either Gansey lecturing him for skipping school or it was Declan lecturing him for being a general disappointment. He didn’t care to read those text so early in the day. Eventually Ronan sighed and got up from bed and walked to let Chainsaw out for her morning flight.

After letting Chainsaw out, Ronan grabbed a bowl of Noah’s extra sugary cereal and ate it on the couch. He turned on the tv and left it on whatever Gansey had been watching last, which of course, was the history channel. Ronan rolled his eyes as if Gansey was there and could see him. He spent the rest of the day alternating between actively not thinking about his date that night and planning all the ways he is going to flaunt his street racing to Gansey after the date.

Around 3:00 Gansey strode through the front door, looking as regal as ever.

“Oh, good. You aren’t dead in a ditch. I was worried I’d have to cancel on your date. That wouldn’t make a good impression now would it?” Gansey said as he shouldered off his messenger bag and headed to his desk.

Ronan flipped Gansey off behind his back. He really needed to do better about making sure Gansey could see and appreciate his gestures.

“Fucking comedian, Dick.” Ronan scowled from his spot on the couch.

“You know when someone sets your alarm, it usually means that they want you to be somewhere shortly after it goes off” Gansey responded, ignoring Ronan.

“Oh gee, Gansey. Is that what an alarm clock is for? I had no idea.” Ronan deadpanned to Gansey.

Gansey gave him a withering look as he shifted through some papers on his desk.

“I brought you notes. Because unlike you, even if I think someone might be dead in a ditch, I still get them notes in case they aren’t actually dead in a ditch.” He held out the notes to Ronan.

Ronan ignored the notes being held out to him and stood up from the couch. He started to make his way to his room just so he didn't have to continue this conversation.

“Please make sure you are ready by 5:00 for your date tonight. And please try to wear something nicer than your normal attire.” Gansey called after him.

Ronan flopped onto his bed and put his headphones on, playing the loudest music he could find.

Two hours later, Ronan was jolted from sleep by banging on his door. He must have fallen asleep and his headphones had slid down around his neck.

“Ronan! I hope you are awake and dressed! I’m coming in!”

Gansey cracked the door, inching his way in with his eyes covered. Ronan pulled his pillow out from under him and threw it at Gansey. The pillow hit Gansey square in the face and he stumbled back slightly and opened his eyes, glaring at Ronan.

“Very nice, Ronan.” He took in Ronan’s state of dress. He was dressed in his usual dark designer jeans and a black tank top. Gansey frowned at him.

“Is this what you are wearing on your date?” Gansey asked worriedly.

“Do I not look pretty enough?” Ronan replied, feigning hurt in his voice.

“Seriously, Ronan. Can you maybe put a little bit of effort into this? I know you will like the guy if you just give him a chance. He’s really looking forward to meeting you.”

Ronan knew Gansey was just trying to get him out of the house and meeting new people, but Ronan was perfectly fine with his two friends. Noah and Gansey had been his friends for as long as he could remember. He didn’t have to try too hard with them and the understood him. Why did he need anyone else? Gansey seemed to think that Ronan needed to be socialized. Ronan thought that was a load of shit, but he would do it to get Gansey off his back.

“Fine. I’ll change. Now get the fuck out of my room.”

Once Gansey had gone, Ronan rolled out of bed and walked over to his closet. He peered inside. Ninety percent of his clothes were duplicates of what he currently was wearing. He rifled through the few remaining items and pulled out a charcoal grey dress shirt that Declan had given him for Christmas a few years back and hoped it still fit.

Once dressed he made his way out to the common room. Gansey was sitting at his desk looking through his journal. Ronan cleared his throat and Gansey looked up, eyes widening as he took Ronan in. Ronan spread his arms out to the side and spun in a complete circle slowly so Gansey could examine him fully.

“You sure do clean up nice. I wish you would dress like this more often you know.” Gansey smirked, eyes still roaming Ronan’s body.

Ronan felt his ears and cheeks flush. Sometimes he wondered about Gansey’s sexuality. He often made comments that weren’t exactly things a straight guy would say to his friend. He pushed the comment to the back of his mind.

“I’m glad you approve, dad. Now where the fuck and I supposed to meet….what’s his name?”

“Oh right! I guess that is important information isn’t it!” Gansey replied excitedly. “His name is Trae and he is going to meet you…hey what’s that face for?”

Ronan had made a gagging gesture when Gansey mentioned the guys name.

“Trae? His fucking name is Trae, Gansey. He already sounds like a douche.” Ronan whined.

“Trae is not a douche!” Gansey responded defensively, “He is smart and charming. He is kind. He volunteers at the pet shelter on the weekends!”

“Okay, okay Gansey. If you like his so much why don’t you go on the date.”

Gansey rolled his eyes and sighed. “Please, just…be nice. You need to be at the coffee shop on 2nd by 6:30…and it’s already almost 6:00.”

————

Ronan, of course, arrived early to the coffee shop. The shop was only 15 minutes from Monmouth, which meant 7 minutes with Ronan driving, but he couldn’t stand to stay and listen to Gansey talk up Trae any longer. He sat in his car and blared his electronica until 6:40 just because he could.

When Ronan walked into the shop his eyes immediately caught on a boy sitting at a corner table. He was dressed too nice for the coffee shop, same as Ronan. He was in a cornflower blue button down shirt and khakis. Ronan could only see his profile from where he was but he was stunning. The boy turned and made eye contact with Ronan and smiled. Ronan felt his breath catch. The light was pouring in from the window and gave the boy an ethereal look. Okay, so maybe Trae was a douche name, but he could deal with that.

Ronan walked over to the table where Trae had resumed looking out the window.

“Uh, hi Trae?” Ronan shifted nervously, waiting for Trae to acknowledge him.

After several moments Ronan was starting to think that maybe this wasn’t Trae after all. But then the boy turned to him and his eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh! Hi! Sorry. Sometimes I get stuck in my head.” Trae flashed Ronan an apologetic smile.

“No problem, I’m Ronan. Do you mind if I sit?” Ronan motioned to the other chair.

Trae looked at the other chair and then back at Ronan seeming to seriously consider his answer. Ronan was starting to get irritated when Trae finally answered.

“Yeah, no. Go ahead. I wouldn't mind the company.”

Ronan was a little confused by this answer, but took the seat anyways. They both sat there awkwardly staring at each other for a few minutes. Ronan took in Trae’s appearance from up close. He had tired, blue eyes that matched his shirt and tanned skin scattered in freckles. He was elegant looking with fine bones and dirt colored, tasseled hair. This close Ronan could see the bags under his eyes and the callouses on his hands. He watched as Trae subconsciously picked at a fraying sleeve. This boy clearly wasn’t from Gansey’s normal circle. Where had Gansey found this guy?

“So, where do you go to school? I haven’t seen you around Mountain View.” Trae asked, interrupting Ronan’s observations and the awkward silence.

“Aglionby Academy” Ronan mumbled, chewing on his leather bracelets.

Trae’s eyebrows shot up.

“Really? You don’t look like any of the other boys I’ve seen who go to Aglinoby.”

“Well I do. Can we talk about something else? I fucking hate school.”

After that, conversation moved to more enjoyable topics. Trae mentioned that he worked part time as a mechanic so they talked about cars for a while. They laughed and joked with each other. Ronan soon realized that Trae was extremely smart and clever. He met Ronan’s sarcastic remarks with witty comebacks without hesitation. He didn’t let Ronan push him into talking about things he didn’t want to and he didn’t push Ronan when uncomfortable topics came up. Ronan had forgotten all about the fact that this had been a blind date set up by Gansey and he had intended to put very little effort into it.

In the middle of Trae telling Ronan a ridiculously story about his friend Blue, who apparently was a psychic, and this guy who had unintentionally called her a prostitute, someone approached their table.

“Uh, hi. I’m sorry to interrupt. But did I hear that one of you is Ronan?”

Ronan glared up at the guy. Who did he think he was interrupting them? They were clearly in the middle of something. Trae just looked at Ronan, waiting.

“I’m Ronan. Who the fuck wants to know?” Ronan spat at the man.

“I’ve been waiting for you for…” the guy glanced at his watched, “almost an hour now. I thought you had stood me up. I was about to leave when I overheard him say your name.” He motioned towards Trae.

Ronan was seriously confused. Ronan didn’t even know who this guy was. Why had he been waiting for him for almost an hour? Realization hit him. He looked to Trae and the guy standing at their table and back to Trae.

“Fuck. You’re not Trae, are you?”

“Who’s Trae?” Not Trae asked with a confused look on his face. “I’m Trae.” The guy standing at the end of the table said, pointing to himself. “And you are?”

“Why the fuck did you let me sit here this whole time and believe that you were Trae?!” Ronan growled angrily at not Trae.

“I never said I was Trae. My name’s Adam.” Adam answered quickly, “When did I tell you my name was Trae?”

Ronan shoved up from his seat and his chair clattered to the floor.

“When I fucking walked up to your table and said Hi Trae and you didn’t correct me! That usually means that your fucking name, when you responded to it!”

The other customers and baristas had stopped what they were doing and were watching the scene unfold. Adam was looking around anxiously and looked like he wanted to escape this situation as quickly as possible. Trae was still just standing at the end of the fucking table looking like the douche he was. Ronan did not like to be lied to and didn’t want to have anything more to do with these two boys.

Ronan glared at both boys and stomped out of the coffee shop and to his BMW before either had a chance to say anything else. He sped back to Monmouth and blasted through the front door. Gansey was sitting on the couch, waiting like a mother for their child to come home from their first date. Ronan flipped Gansey off and stormed into his room, slamming the door behind him.

[archivesdiveronarpg]

Congratulations, FERB! You’ve been accepted for the role of BEATRICE. Admin Bree: I was worried we wouldn’t find someone to bring our beloved Brielle back to us, but Ferb, you did such a lovely job bringing her to life that I couldn’t imagine not giving you the role! She’s a unique character, especially in a setting like this, but you handled her characterization with grace and made her so genuine. Your interview captured her perfectly, and other little things sprinkled throughout your app—like promising herself she’ll put the money she spent on headphones back into her savings—made her feel so real. Well done! Welcome to DiVerona! Your request to change her faceclaim to Aisha Dee has also been accepted. Please read over the checklist and send in your blog within 24 hours. 

                                                                                 WELCOME TO THE MOB.

Out of Character

Alias | Hi, I’m Ferb!

Age | I’m Nineteen!

Preferred Pronouns | She/Her

Activity Level | I’m as active as I can be, depending on the dashboard (and from what I hear, this RP is super active, so no problem there!) and depending on how my classes are going. It depends on how often I’m in exams and such (finals week will be hell, and I’ll definitely ask for a hiatus). But, I should be online often when there’s not too much going on!

Timezone | MST until June, then I’ll be in the CST again!

Permission | Of course, yes!

In Character

Character | I’m hoping I can get face claim change, to Aisha Dee!

BEATRICE. aka BRIELLE ALEXANDRA KING

What drew you to this character?

Beatrice is my absolute favorite Shakespeare character. I adore her, and when Brielle was originally released, I began an application that was never finished. Portions of this are that app, but much of it has been edited now that she’s been revealed as a member of the Spades. I think Brielle’s fierce individuality and independence are what originally led me to fall for, to think of her as the combative woman who Beatrice was in the play isn’t completely accurate, but also isn’t anything near inaccurate. I think of Brielle as a complement to Beatrice almost, a girl who’s fiercely independent nature and kind words can exist in a harmony that leaves her almost unpredictable. Basically, I love the idea of a character who feels a bit like a blank slate, a new page ready to be filled with a lot of the future and much less of the past, and that’s why I was drawn fiercely to Brielle.

What is a future plot idea you have in mind for the character?

SPADES - “Why’d you join, anyways? It just doesn’t seem like your kind of thing. How much better did it make your life, how much easier were your sorrows? Or was it simply a matter of money, like the horses when you were young?”

The Spades are vital to the growth of Brielle, though Brielle is not so vital to the growth of the Spades, now that they’ve entered Verona. Beginning as a sleeper agent and feeling like one of the most powerful people in the world was intoxicating. Even though she doesn’t need the group to live her life, even though she could simply go back to racing horses and running the wire, she liked that feeling of being on top. So, the plan for her now is to try and climb ranks in the Spades, to prove her worth to the group and to make sure they truly appreciate her. She’s not meant to stay a soldier forever, especially after all she’s sacrificed for the Spades themselves. She wants what she’s due, and that’s a higher rank than simply “soldier”.

CHASING THE WIRE - “You’re run a billion scams and you’ll run a billion more, but the Wire is your most common. This scam’s one of the oldest in the book, so why do you adore it so much, what makes that your go-to moneymaking opportunity?”  

Horse racing has been Brielle’s occupation since she began barrel racing at nine years old, and now that she’s in Verona, caring for the horses is the cover that she’s adopted. She continues her old ways, never stopping to think about what that may get her. She’s a soldier, but that spark of independence that will never die holds onto Brielle, pushing her to be the best. The richest, namely. She pulls the Wire as often as possible, although it often takes several weeks to pull off a successful one, Brielle has practically perfected the wire. It’s simple, she grooms and cares for horses, trains them, and that gives her the edge to make the most off of clueless race tracks. This is a big deal for her, as her involvement with the Spades will bring down some of her income from races and the Wire. She’ll have to give something up, and this is probably the first thing to go. And for a girl as independent as Brielle, she’s not going to like having to give up something that she’s good at, for the benefit of the team.

In Depth

What is your favorite place in Verona?

”The stables.” Brielle states, the words almost automatic. Of course, the answer is easy, and the question less of a real one and more of an obvious kind of joke.

“My horses are what got me this far, and they’re such gentle creatures. It’s nice to get out of my head and into my work. I don’t have to second guess myself there.” Brielle states, and she frowns a little bit, her mind wandering as she thinks of the animals she’s lost.

She thinks back to the time she first met Faron Vasilev, his offer of being her benefactor if in exchange she moved to Verona to help scope out the competition. It had seemed like the very best deal then, and still seemed like the perfect situation now. The Spades had been, in some ways, good to her. They’d gotten her the job in the stable of champion racehorses and they’d gotten her a residence in Verona.

She knew she should be more grateful for their kindness, but she also knew that she’d done most of the heavy lifting herself. In her heart, Brielle knew that she could have done it on her own, and maybe it would have taken far longer, but one day she would have climbed the ladder and arrived in the same place, perhaps even in the same set of stables.  

“It’s more about being on my own, doing what I love and what I’m good at, than where I am. If the stable were across town, it would still be my favorite place. It’s almost as if it’s a symbol of what I’ve accomplished, and maybe that’s what makes me so sure about it.”

What does your typical day look like?

“A typical day?” Brielle turns towards the stable hand that her employer had hired. “Here, at least, things are easy. Feeding Benny here,” she pauses here, patting the side of her favorite horse with a blinding smile, “plus making sure he’s ready to race.We go for a few practice laps, just to see if he’s doing any better than before or what we need to do to improve.”

She thinks of her days spent in the monotony of the stables, and knows that perhaps as a child she would never have considered her father’s profession. That would have been a grave mistake, of course. Her days are filled with no amount of mistakes, now, Brielle has grown too careful for childish things such as that.

“Then, I go home and get to real work.” She’d never reveal it to the stable hand, for she had no idea his alignment, but her work at home is a bit more devious than her work here. “I’m like a fly on the wall,” she jokes, “that applies here, too. Especially if you choose not to do the job correctly.”

The stable hand laughs awkwardly, but Brielle’s laugh is a little more genuine in comparison. “It’s a joke, don’t worry too much about it. You should be fine, especially since they’re very picky with who they hire.”

She goes back to brushing the mane of Benny with a smile, and when she’s finished, turns back, “Bring me that water bucket, please?” She asks, and watches as the nervous kid scrambles to bring it to her, and lets her mind wander to faraway places.

What are your thoughts on the war between the Capulets and the Montagues?

Beatrice laughs outright at the question, “It’s a challenge, a battle that neither side will ever win.” She turns towards the woman who’d asked the question and faced them outright.

“It’s a war. Am I really expected to enjoy it? I think mainly, it gets in the way of my life, now. St. Petersburg was much easier to run all over.” Brielle smiles, knowing fully well that she didn’t know all too much about St. Petersburg in the way everyone else  

Brielle’s on a different side, neither Montague or Capulet, she’s an agent of her own design (and Faron Vasilev’s, but that’s not the point). “Anyways, I don’t believe in taking sides for the losing teams. If you’re going to win in life, you’ve got to choose the winning ticket correctly to get anywhere. It’s just like gambling. Except, I don’t play with the odds, I only bet on what I know will win.” Brielle lets out a laugh, her eyes glittering with pride in the Spades.

“That’s why I didn’t choose either of those groups, because they’re both going down if they’re not careful. They’ll destroy each other before a peace can be met, or they’ll be destroyed by some mysterious newcomers from the north. It’s a shame, honestly, so much talent and hard work, all for nothing.”

In-Character Para Sample:

Fingertips move along the panes of glass in car windows, cutting into the raindrops resting on them and leaving a long, thin line from the beginning of Brielle’s walk to the end. Music turned up far too loud screams inside an apartment building, but Brielle pays it absolutely no mind, instead focusing on the softer music whispering into her ears through an old set of headphones she’d bought at the St. Petersburg airport. She’d sworn that as soon as she set foot in Verona, that whenever her very first paycheck arrived, she’d put the twenty dollars back into her savings account, and wouldn’t spend money on things that were completely unneeded.

It was a stayover from her childhood, never quite having enough money to get by, that taught her the principles of her thriftiness. Her clothes were a good example, too. Her shirt once belonged to her mother, and the heavy jacket had sat on her father’s shoulders for many years. Her shoes were ones she’d stolen from her little sister, boot styled high heels that she’d grown out of in junior high that still fit the petite feet of Brielle with only a small amount of discomfort.

She was going to go to the Tempest Lounge, to perhaps find someone who had pertinent information about the goings of either mob, something she could feed to Faron. Hopefully, the Spades would join her in Verona soon. Hopefully, she wouldn’t feel so alone in a sea of faces that passed by, only a few catching her attention.

She felt so young, yet so old at the same time, like a child who’d already seen far too much. And maybe that’s exactly what she was, a child who’d forever been tormented by poverty, who never truly grew up but never truly was young. She was caught in a limbo, an outsider in a city full of those who carried native accents.

The diner looked as inviting as any place in Verona, and reminded her of home in a way nothing in the city had. It had a retro, almost American theme. Brielle walked in slowly, looking around for a familiar face, and she could have sworn she’d seen her baby sister there, laughing with a milkshake straw in her mouth and enchanting whatever boy had settled on being in love with her that week. For a second, Brielle was home.

But then she noticed Catherine Daly, a member of Capulet clan and a girl who’d caught Brielle’s eyes multiple times within the course of collecting information. She’d met the girl in person, had shaken her hand a few times even, and so the decision was nearly automatic. Brielle needed a companion, and there was Catherine, just like fate.

“Mind if I sit here?” Brielle asks, a soft smile playing on her features. Catherine’s mirrors her own, maybe a promise of a friendship if all goes well. Catherine nods, and Brielle takes the seat across from her as quickly as she can.

“So, what brings you here?” Catherine asks, and Brielle reads the uncertainty in her voice easily. They’d always say she could read people without even having to try, and maybe her friends back in St. Petersburg were right.

“Well, I was going to go to the Tempest Lounge, but… It seemed pointless? I don’t even know why, it just… Didn’t seem like what I wanted to do tonight. And, so I took off on a walk and stumbled upon this place. It reminded me of my home even before I walked in. It’s a little weird, how an American restaurant ended up in both Italy and Russia.” Catherine laughs at Brielle’s little joke, and suddenly they’re like kindergarten friends.

Trading stories is easy, from  their childhoods and from their time in Verona. “When I turned sixteen, my sister was convinced I was going to leave them for good, because I could finally get honest work. So, she held me hostage. I wish I was kidding, but she locked me in our bathroom and wouldn’t let me leave until I completely promised to not leave without saying goodbye. My aunt had up and left in the night months before, and she was absolutely distraught at the thought that I’d do the same thing.” Catherine was laughing at the lively story told, and Brielle could feel her eyes glittering with wonder at the fact that she’d found a kindred soul in such a mad city.

They talk for hours, eating chicken fingers and drinking milkshakes. (“Comfort food.” Brielle assures Catherine. “It’s good for the soul.”)

“You know, you’re really easy to talk to, like… I’ve never met anyone I was able to just throw my life at like that.” Brielle states, as the diner seems like it’s beginning to close up, and Brielle realizes they’re one of the three tables still taken.

“I should get going, but… We should do this again sometime? I can give you my phone number, and we can, like, hang out or something.” Brielle smiles at Catherine, and maybe in a way she’s fallen a bit in love but in another way she’s just made her first real friend in Verona.

Catherine’s the first person she won’t call Faron about, and Brielle’s happiness at that fact is overwhelming.

Extras: This app ended up being super last minute, but I wanted to thank you guys for the reserve!

[mrcoreymonroe]

Comparing British Airways’ World Traveller Plus: 787-9 vs A380

Later this year, British Airways will celebrate a huge milestone: a full 100 years of passenger flights (if you count their predecessors all the way back to the Aircraft Transport and Travel company). As one of the many ways it’s commemorating the occasion, BA is making some updates to World Traveller Plus, their premium economy cabin. The current version of the seat was unveiled back in 2010, and earlier this year we got to fly it on two long-haul flights, one on a Boeing 787 and another on an Airbus A380.

We found a lot to like, from basics like more space and recline, to better amenities, and — at least on the A380– the chance to sit on the upper deck without breaking the bank! It ain’t business class for sure, but it was definitely enough to make 20 hours in the sky fly right by.

Read on for a chronicle of our trip in World Traveller Plus from Chennai to San Francisco via London Heathrow. And at the end, we’ll discuss BA’s big upcoming updates to its premium economy service.

Flight #1: Chennai to London Heathrow on a Boeing 787

What better way to start a trip than going face-to-face with your plane?

I love the trend of airports moving to glass-sided jetways. British Airways’ 787-8s don’t have a first class cabin, but the 787-9s do, which is why some of the forward windows are covered up on the -9.

Meet the Seat

On BA’s 787-9s, the World Traveller Plus cabin is located over the wing. It has six rows (five in the center section) in a 2-3-2 configuration.

There’s a partition separating the cabin from Club World in front, and a lavatory and curtains to the aft. So the World Traveller Plus cabin is pretty secluded.

BONUS: Club World At Last! On A Majestic British Airways Airbus A380

The seat itself has a similar design to the basic World Traveller seats, with a few key differences. It’s noticeably wider, reclines much further, has a fold-down leg rest, a fixed armrest between seats, and offers a small cocktail table at the end of that armrest.

The seat-back storage pockets are roomy but there aren’t any larger storage areas other than the overhead bins. Depending on where you sit, the seat support pylons and IFE boxes may get in the way of your legroom.

BONUS: Seattle to Frankfurt Via Condor Premium Economy

I found a brochure orienting me to World Traveller Plus’ features.

One of the touches that sets World Traveller Plus apart is a pre-departure beverage service. For this morning departure I had a glass of orange juice. When you’re flying during flu season, you can never have too much vitamin C.

Our taxi to the active runway was speedy, and before I knew it we were rolling. One of the many things I love about the 787 is the amazing view you get even if you aren’t seated next to the window. I was one seat over and managed to get a nice look at our Dreamliner’s wing flex as we took off.

https://www.airlinereporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_1983.TRIM_.m4v

Service Begins

After we hit cruise altitude the cabin curtains closed and our section’s flight attendant started the breakfast service. In World Traveller Plus, the first meal service is served on real dish ware. It’s both heartier and more attractively presented than meals in regular economy are. I really enjoyed this full English breakfast — a great way to start my very BA day!

Are You Not Entertained?

World Traveller Plus guests get over-the-ear headphones. I couldn’t tell if they were noise-cancelling or just effectively noise-blocking, but either way they’re a big win to get in premium economy.

The inflight entertainment (IFE) remote control is tucked into the side of the between-seat console.

I was trying to stay awake for the full flight and I found plenty of content on the IFE system to keep me busy.

Even though it was a daytime flight the flight crew dimmed the cabin windows shortly after the meal service. I appreciate that the Dreamliner lets me slightly un-dim my window to help me stay awake. The alternative on a plane with conventional windows is to be the annoying guy who floods the cabin with full-force light (Editor’s note: it’s totally fine to be that guy!).

BONUS: Flying Norwegian’s Long-Haul Premium Product On the 787

Midway through the flight, everyone got a box with some chips, salted caramel popcorn, and a Twix bar.

Before I knew it, nine hours had flown by since takeoff and it was time for the pre-arrival meal. As opposed to the hearty first meal, the second meal in World Traveller Plus is the same as in regular economy. It does start off with a generous bar service though. The flight attendant asked me for my pre-meal and mealtime order all at once and (unprompted) gave me a double dose of the former.

The meal itself was tasty but I did notice how much the portion size had shrunk from breakfast to lunch.

After a smooth touchdown at busy Heathrow Airport, I made my way to my connecting flight. On the way, I couldn’t help but take advantage of Heathrow’s amazing runway and ramp views.

BA’s 747s have World Traveller Plus sections on the main deck, arranged 2-4-2 across.

BONUS: SAS Plus – Taking the Edge Off Economy Class Travel

Flight #2: London Heathrow to San Francisco on an Airbus A380

I got a great view of plenty of A380s like the one that would take me to San Francisco.

One bonus about flying World Traveller Plus on the A380 is that the cabin is on the upper deck. It’s not every day that you get to board a plane directly onto the upper deck and not have to spend business class bucks to do it.

Compared to the other planes in BA’s fleet, the A380 has a relatively big premium economy cabin. With a 2-3-2 configuration like the Dreamliner, there’s only one middle seat per row.

The seats themselves were identical to the ones I had on my first flight. If you score a window seat, you’ll have access to a seat-side storage bin though, given the curvature of the fuselage on the upper deck.

This time I opted for a glass of champagne for my pre-departure drink.

I was seated in the center section and didn’t get much of a takeoff view. So I just took the time to relax and appreciate how incredibly quiet and smooth the A380 is, even during takeoff.

Starting Service On Our Second Flight

As opposed to my first flight, on this flight passengers were offered a tiny menu card. My choices for lunch were braised British beef with sweet potato dauphinoise, broccoli, and chasseur sauce, or Chettinad chicken with coriander rice and tadka dal. I went with the chicken, which (in keeping with World Traveller Plus style) was served in dishware along with a beetroot slaw starter and milk chocolate cream pot for dessert.

On some flights departing London, World Traveller Plus flyers can pre-order their main course through the Manage Bookings part of the website.

Getting Some Rest

On this flight I was mostly looking to get some sleep, and that’s where this seat really shines. I was really impressed with the amount of recline. Along with the adjustable headrest and soft pillow and blanket, I slept soundly for about half the flight.

If you’re looking to stay awake you may appreciate the recline less, since it can encroach on your personal space big time if your neighbor in front reclines all the way. But personally I think it’s worth it, especially for people who have trouble sleeping while sitting fully upright.

I received a small amenity kit with some basics like socks, a sleep mask, a dental kit, earplugs, and a pen, all packaged in a disposable thin plastic baggie. It’s a good kit for premium economy, especially considering that even business class amenity kits are often lackluster on some airlines’ transatlantic routes.

I woke up to a modest pre-landing second meal. The pizza twist looked messy but tasted fine, even after the full day of flying had wrecked my sense of taste.

BONUS: Transatlantic Teatime – Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy on a 787-9

As we descended into the Bay Area, I had fun with the multiple views on the moving map, one of which simulated a cockpit view.

BA flies into both SFO and San Jose airports. It used to fly to Oakland too — for the full Bay Area trifecta — though it has since canceled that route.

The Verdict

Between the two flights I’d spent almost 24 hours in the World Traveller Plus seat. Even for an AvGeek like me, that was more than enough flying for one day.

Overall, World Traveller Plus solidly met my expectations for premium economy. It made good on the promise of more personal space and comfort. It really shone in delivering a better sleep experience than I’d have gotten in regular economy. The first meal service on each flight felt more like business-class-light than economy-plus. A solid amenity kit and decent headphones made for nice bonuses. And the pre-departure drink service set a positive tone early, especially for people more used to regular economy.

I wouldn’t say the experience totally blew me away. Although World Traveller Plus seat design still looks pretty fresh ten years after its unveiling, certain elements like the smallish TV screens speak to its age. And after the first meal, the service felt like regular economy class service.

Looking to the Future

As luck would have it, soon after my flights BA announced some big upcoming changes to World Traveller Plus. The changes look like they effectively target the biggest areas for improvement in the current product. Time will tell, but I think the program of changes could elevate an already-solid product to a very strong one. The highlights are:

Updated menus with a third option for the main meal, which started February 1st

A more substantial hot meal later in the flight

New amenity kits, quilts, and pillows, starting in the spring

BA’s A350s, which will be delivered later this year, will get a new World Traveller Plus seat with a larger entertainment screen and a legrest instead of just a footrest. This new seat is already flying on a few Gatwick-based 777s.

Photo: Jason Rabinowitz

Now it’s time for us to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Note: We purchased our own ticket in standard economy for this flight and the airline moved us to World Traveller Plus for the purposes of this story. All opinions in this story are our own.

The post Comparing British Airways’ World Traveller Plus: 787-9 vs A380 appeared first on AirlineReporter.

from AirlineReporter http://bit.ly/2GnNbx4

[marketerarena-blog]

Walking Safaris, Mountain Bike Tours, and Sustainable Lodges: The Modern Adventurer’s Guide to Africa

When you travel throughout Africa, there’s an unmistakable sensation—a realization that, even though you’re seemingly in the middle of nowhere, you’re at the pulse of everything wild and free. That’s true whether you’re marching through Rwanda’s refulgent jungles in pursuit of a mountain gorilla, on a desert dune safari on Namibia’s sun-baked sand, or watching a lioness stalk a baby elephant in Zimbabwe’s grasslands.

    You can’t really go wrong when you plan your journey. But when it comes to the camp or provider, you’ll have a better trip when you do the research to find camps in choice areas with reputable, knowledgeable guides, strong connections to the local people, and a foundation rooted in sustainability.

How to Book a Safari

Consider this your blueprint for planning a modern-day trip to Africa: We’re covering how to get there, where to go and stay, and what to do. If you want to rest your head in a luxury tent with the rumbling of elephants nearby, a watering hole just outside a wine-stocked fire pit, and a week’s itinerary that includes soaring above Victoria Falls via chopper, a walking rhino safari, and a cross-country mountain bike tour, you came to the right place.

Brittany Smith

How to Get There

South African Airways is the flagship airline of South Africa. It has the most frequent daily flights to Cape Town, as well as direct flights from New York and London to Johannesburg. You’ll appreciate the in-flight features: two hot meals (breakfast and dinner), plenty of snacks and drinks, headphones, ear plugs, toothbrush/toothpaste, and a blanket and pillow. Depending on where you are in the world, you can expect at least one stop.

Brittany Smith

Planning and Booking

Planning the logistics of your stay, travel, and activities in Africa can be painstaking. Pro tip: Don’t do it alone. Get a travel agent who can spotlight the right country for your wish list, cherry pick activities and camps that align with your expectations (minimalist vs. luxury), find the best deals to save you money, and plan all the transportation—because Africa’s big, like larger than the contiguous U.S., China, India, and most of Europe combined, big.

Luxury travel agency Karell Travel creates personalized trips with bespoke tours all across the continent, from Mozambique to Seychelles. Wilro Tours,  based in Johannesburg, is an excellent resource for transfers. You can get a driver to bring you to the airport, as well as make short- and long-distance trips. If you end up booking a camp with Wilderness Safaris, which is what I did, you can hop from one country to the next with the partnering Wilderness Air. Its fleet of Cessna aircrafts operate in Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. While small, these five- and 12-passenger planes are workhorses.

Want to Protect the World’s Wildest Places? Go On Safari

Where to Go

If this is your first time to Africa, try to cover countries with some contrasting landscape. Fancy Eastern Africa? You can witness the massive migration of wildebeest between Kenya and Tanzania in June or July, as the animals stampede in tandem with seasonal rain patterns; or interact with local Massai tribes, which also reside in these countries. Take a hot air balloon over the seemingly endless, flat-as-a-board Mara-Serengeti while a menagerie of wildlife mosey below (the concentration of animals here is greater than anywhere else in Africa). And if you’re an adventure buff, you’ll find Mount Kilimanjaro towering over the horizon of Tanzania. 

Southern Africa is home to diverse topography and a wider set of activities. You get the wetland habitat of the Okavango Delta and Zambezi River, bone-dry Skeleton Coast and Kalahari Desert, and Pixar-perfect coastline beaches and vineyards native to Cape Town. Peak times to visit vary vastly. Southern Africa’s winter (read: dry season) is May to October, and game drives are generally more eventful since the dry weather draws the animals to waterholes. Your risk for malaria also drops as there aren’t as many bugs. If you want to see cubs and calves, a surge in bush babies being born happens in spring.

This guide takes you to southern Africa: We’re hitting Johannesburg, Zambia, and Zimbabwe (plus Botswana and South Africa—if you’re up for a challenge).

Brittany Smith

Day 1

The Fairlawns Boutique Hotel and Spa is a 25-minute drive from O.R. Tambo International Airport, and just the respite you need after 14+ hours of traveling. Book a Grand Chateau Suite—these palatial 50-square-meter rooms are in a secluded wing with the option to add adjoining family suites. What you’ll find: plush linens, an immaculate rain shower and tub, and heated floors. The property is a complete juxtaposition to Joburg’s bustle. The overall aesthetic imbues a pastoral European château, with canopied beds and heady rose bushes. But the common area off the Chateau Suites pays homage to local African culture, with artifacts from local tribes strewn across the walls. Spend the day acclimating to the time difference—preferably at Fairlawns’ Balinese spa.

Courtesy Image

Day 2-7

If you’ve got a daring spirit, legs like a horse, and a proclivity for mountain biking, participate in the Nedbank Tour de Tuli. The mileage and route change every year, but, essentially, you set out on a tour of Africa’s wilderness, riding to a new camp each night, where you’ll sleep in tents under a canopy of stars.

This year’s journey was a four-day, 155-mile tour through Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. The first leg saw riders navigating the Tuli block, a fringe of land that connects the three aforementioned countries. We weaved through mopane thickets that peppered the savannas, getting snagged along thorn bushes; powered over koppies (hills) that dropped us into sandy drainage lines requiring furious low-gear pedaling; and relished in ancient, hard-packed elephant trails and flat-top mesa that gave way to some fast, scenic riding. If you participate, you’ll stumble across elephant herds, catch giraffes loping across the plains, and stop to give backpacks to a local children’s school, taking moments to reflect (and catch your breath) under baobab trees.

Courtesy Image

At camp, dusty, bruised, and probably a little bloody, you’ll crack open ice-cold local brews (Pro tip: hydrate first with a Zambezi lager, then enjoy a stout or Indian Pale Ale from Big Sip Co., Botswana’s first craft beer); get a free, 20-minute massage, courtesy of Balancing Touch; and wolf down a gourmet meal the likes you never thought possible in the middle of the bush. Velvety cappuccinos from Bean There Coffee Company and Biogen’s recovery and hydration supplements will give you the necessary sustenance to conquer each new day (and squash any hangovers).

The terrain is technical and your fitness needs to be on-point, so check out how to train for a multi-stage tour (this guide is specific to the Nedbank Tour de Tuli). Best of all? Proceeds go toward Children in the Wilderness, a nonprofit educational program that benefits rural children across Africa.

9 Amazing (and Sustainable) African Safaris

Take the coach bus back to Joburg and spend the night in InterContinental Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport. Order room service; take a proper shower or soak in the tub; and assess your bruises. Quills restaurant, right on the ground floor, serves a killer breakfast, after which you can walk over to the airport and fly to Livingstone, Zambia, where you’ll head to Wilderness Safaris Toka Leya camp.

Day 8-9

Schedule a road transfer from the airport to Toka Leya camp via Wilro Tours; the driver will bring you to a camp staff member who will complete the journey by boat. Toka Leya sits atop stilts (for safety as much as the view) overlooking the Zambezi river.

Brittany Smith

Canvas stretches overhead and teak decks run along the entirety of the property. You’ll amble pass a fire pit, up a ramp that spills open to the sundeck—where you’ll enjoy lunch and cocktails—then continue along the walkway to the veranda and bar, haloed by barstools. It’s fully stocked with local wine and a cappuccino machine. Further along is an infinity pool, framed by sun loungers and umbrellas, as well as the main dining and lounge area. Closer to the water’s edge you’ll find the camp’s spa and air-conditioned gym.

The South African Lodge That Brings the Safari to Your Front Porch

Follow the walkway to reach the 12 tented rooms. Each has its own deck with sunken seating and an outdoor tub. At night, a staff member will escort you to your tent in case there are elephants or other wildlife poking about. For your safety, you’re not permitted to leave your room and walk the grounds after dark.

If you arrive in the evening, go on a sunset river cruise. Float by grunting hippos, sun-baking crocs, and spot native birds as you sip a gin and tonic. The staff will welcome you “home” with waves and a beverage (sherry, most likely), as well as perform traditional song and dance. You’re encouraged to join—and you should. Eat dinner with your travel companion(s) or join another group.

Brittany Smith

Toka Leya’s rates (starting at $645 USD per day, based on the time/month of travel) include all meals, local drinks, and two activities per day. In the morning, head out to Victoria Falls Helicopter Flight. As the name suggests, you’ll tour Victoria Falls (a.k.a. “Mosi oa-Tunya”—or, the Smoke That Thunders). It’s the largest waterfall in the world, towering about 355′ tall and 5,604′ wide. You have two options: a short 13-minute flight (Flight of Angels; $150) or a long 25-minute flight (Zambezi Spectacular; $284). The latter will fly you through Batoka Gorge, hover up above the falls on the Zambia and Zimbabwe side, and over Zambezi National Park.

I highly suggest having high-quality camera equipment with you (your smartphone isn’t gonna cut it). Bring a GoPro Hero 6 or 7 Black. Because it’s waterproof, you can capture stills and videos when you do the walking tour of the falls post-helicopter ride without destroying your DSLR in the spray, which turns into a deluge. Opt for Canon’s EOS D Mark II; it’s powerful, compact, and a breeze to use whether you’re snapping scenery or wildlife.

10 Trips Every Man Must Take Before 50

And I’m not kidding about getting soaked during the walking tour of Vic Falls. My guide cloaked our group in garbage bags and ponchos, and advised we put our cameras away once we edged closer to the belly of the beast. This is a stellar way to see the falls from a mere mortal’s perspective. When you’re done, there are plenty of opportunities to buy trinkets and handmade souvenirs at the entrance. You can also go bungee jumping, white water rafting, and bridge swinging (exactly how it sounds).

Brittany Smith

After lunch, some downtime, and afternoon tea (you’ll regret not ordering an iced coffee and baked treat), head out on Toka Leya’s guided walking rhino tour. Wildlife scouts monitor and protect the nearly extinct white rhinos around the clock. The population has dwindled because of poaching. Even though rhino horns are made of keratin (like our finger nails) and can be dehorned without slaying, poachers still kill them, and the population has dwindled as a result. People believe the horn has special medicinal properties, like helping cancer and serving as an aphrodisiac.

How to See the Last Great Herds of Elephants in Africa

We watched the alpha male, Louis, a young (six- or seven-year-old) tank snoozing in the grass, as well as a cow (female) with her calves. The specialists explained how they’ll swap out the males to prevent inbreeding and help regrow the population in the area, which hovers around 13 rhinos at the moment. All of Wilderness Safaris’ camps have a sustainability element with a purpose tied to rehabilitation of local species and plants, as well as cultural visits and donations.

Spot game in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park on your way back to camp, then settle down for a night cap and dinner. In the morning, you’ll have a road transfer to Victoria Falls International Airport and take light aircraft to Davison’s Camp in Zimbabwe.

Brittany Smith

Day 10-11

Once you de-plane, you’ll embark on a very different kind of road transfer to camp—a game drive. I was lucky enough to go solo on my evening tour, bumping along the Jeep tracks of the Linkwasha Concession—one of the most prolific wildlife areas in Hwange National Park.

“What do you want to see?” my guide asked.

My answer wasn’t surprising: lions, of course.

The Best Gear for Climbing Kilimanjaro

We stopped to gawk at ostrich, Guineafowl, Cape buffalo, baboons, and a massive congregation of elephants. Dozens of herds meandered about, some digging into the earth to dislodge salt and minerals to supplement their diets (this was in August, so wintertime), others splashing about in waterholes, glistening in the sinking sun.

An excited voice crackled through the walkie-talkie. A smile spread across my guide’s face. He turned the engine on, then gunned it. In minutes we pulled up alongside two other Wilderness Safari vehicles, three lionesses, and a lion.

Brittany Smith

We watched as the big cats, unbothered by our presence, lolled about in the grass. Aside from the frenzy of shutter clicks, everyone fell into contented silence. The females nuzzled one another, then got up to stalk an elephant in the near distance. We stayed with the male as he sauntered from the undergrowth of a bush up onto a mound of dirt framed by branches in what comically resembled a throne. After a few beats, he strode down, coming close to one of the game drive vehicles before plopping in the grass.

‘What do you want to see?’ my guide asked. My answer wasn’t surprising: lions, of course.

We watched, transfixed, as he got up again and started off in the direction of his females, the sun slipping beneath the horizon. My guide started the engine and we reluctantly started back. The evening, which was just ablaze, quickly turned dark and cold, like the closing scene of a play. I climbed over the seat to sit shotgun and pulled a blanket around myself for the journey to Davison’s Camp. We stopped once in the darkness to let elephants, towering over us, clear the road and again to catch a glimpse at a leopard’s tail retreating into the brush.

How Geographic Ignorance Is Killing Africa’s Tourism Industry

I was welcomed by the staff with waves and a warm towel to clean my face and hands before a quick tour of the grounds. The lounge, dining area, and nine tents are all huddled under false mopane trees overlooking a waterhole available for giraffes, zebra, and cheetah to enjoy 24/7—and they do. Then, enjoy a communal dinner and a night cap around the grounds’ fire pit.

Brittany Smith

The next morning you’ll have a game drive, followed by tea in the middle of the park, and lunch back at camp. You’re free to help yourself to wine and refreshments as you set up by the pool or sit around the fire pit. If you’re lucky, an elephant and her calves might wander to the manmade waterhole just a stone’s throw away from the chairs, allowing you to watch as they play and drink.

If you like, take a quick nap, then gear up for the evening game drive. You’ll have a sundowner, then come back to camp for dinner and stargazing. Davison’s Camp rates start at $405 USD per day, based on the time/month of travel, and include food, drinks, and game drives.

Brittany Smith

Day 12

You’ll have one final game drive before you make the long journey home. Bask in it. And don’t fret if you don’t cross an animal off your must-see list. You’ve already answered the call of the wild.

https://askfitness.today/walking-safaris-mountain-bike-tours-and-sustainable-lodges-the-modern-adventurers-guide-to-africa/

[touristguidebuzz]

Holiday gift ideas for the traveling family (or you!)

17 Holiday Gift Ideas for 2017

If you’ve been struggling to find that perfect gift for your travel companion or significant other, hopefully one of these holiday gift ideas will do the trick.

Our boys are now 6 and 4 years old, so our packing list has evolved over the past few years. We’ve created this list with the traveling family in mind, but most of these are perfect for any traveler (including you!).

Read this post for recommended baby travel items.

HP Sprocket Mobile Printer

The HP Sprocket is the newest device to join our little tribe. We just got ours last week and are excited to test it out during the holiday season, especially with Christmas cards. This device allows you to print 2×3 inch stickable snapshots from virtually anywhere.

You can also connect your social media accounts to the HP Sprocket App and turn your online photos into color prints. The app has filters, borders, emojis and drawings so you can get creative with your prints. It’s about the same size as your smart phone, so it’s lightweight and easy to transport. 

This model retails for $129.99 on Amazon. Learn more here.

Grab-and-Go Car Booster Seat

This compact booster seat is more than 10x smaller than a regular booster seats and it’s just as safe. You can use this innovative booster seat for every day use, but it’s really meant for travel or for those moments when you need a spare booster seat (like visiting the grandparents for the holidays!).

Instead of bringing a clunky booster seat with you on the plane, you can pack this in your checked luggage or even your carry-on. It’s designed for kids aged 4 and up, 40 to 100 lbs, and 40 to 57 inches tall.

This booster seat retails for $39.99 on Amazon. Learn more here

  TSA Approved Luggage Locks

You can never have too many of these luggage locks! For some reason, EVERY time I travel to the USA my luggage is searched by US Customs.

These locks are TSA approved so border agents can easily access our luggage without breaking the lock. Before we purchased these TSA approved locks, we had several cheaper locks broken by agents (not cool!). It’s worth spending the extra couple dollars to get the durable option.

You can get a 4 pack of these locks for $18.95 on Amazon.

Rosetta Stone Language Course

Have you always wanted to learn a new language? Are you traveling to a foreign destination for the first time and you want to nail down the basics, like where is the bathroom or how much for this sandwich?

Why not share the gift of language this season? You can download Rosetta Stone and learn to speak French on your terms. There are different programs and options available, including individual courses, live online tutoring sessions with natives and online learning games.

Learn more about this product and get your online subscription here.

Kids Travel Tray

This is the perfect item for long family road trips. The kids travel tray creates a sturdy and flat surface for eating, playing games, reading and watching shows on a tablet (this is the tablet we use).

This item has removable and accessible side pockets for toys, crayons, books, games and snacks. The dimensions are 15 x 12 inches. These trays can be used by children of all ages, starting around 2 years old. 

You can get a kids travel tray for $24.97 on Amazon.

Luggage Packing Organizers

If you aren’t using packing organizers for your luggage or backpack, you should. These organizers are great for all types of travel, but especially for family travel.

We often pack our boys clothes in the same luggage, so things can get quite disorganized. Our boys wear different sizes so it’s not fun when their clothes are grouped together. These packing cubes make things super easy and efficient.

You can get these packing organizers for $20 on Amazon.

Bose Headphones

Last year I upgraded my ear buds to these full sized headphones. It was a great move. These particular headphones are not noise-canceling, but they do block out most sounds while on the plane.

My ear buds are noise-cancelling (read our product review here), but I prefer to use these Bose headphones because they’re so much more comfortable, especially when using them for long periods of time.

You can get these Bose headphones for $99 on Amazon. 

GoPro Hero 6

Okay, so this camera is actually on my holiday wish list. We’re still using the GoPro Hero 4, which is pretty good, but I’m not a fan of its image stabilization for video. The new GoPro Hero 6 is one of the hottest cameras on the market right now, so this would be a homerun gift for that special someone.

If you’re in the market for a lightweight, compact camera, this is the one. Even if you don’t plan to use it for snorkeling or snowboarding, it’s a high performance camera that is great for family travel.

The GoPro Hero 6 is currently retailing for $499 USD on Amazon.

GoPro Dome / Underwater

Sticking with the GoPro theme, this is one of the coolest accessories for the GoPro camera.

Have you seen those photos where half the image is above water and the other is below water? Like this one. Have you asked yourself, ‘”how the heck did they get that shot?!” Well, the answer is a GoPro Dome.

You can get a GoPro dome for $49.99 on Amazon.

Flex Safe AquaVault

We won this Flex Safe AquaVault early this year (thanks Hopscotch the Globe!) but have not had the chance to put it to use, yet. We spend a lot of time at the beach so this will come in handy on future trips.

Basically, it’s a secure bag that you can attach to anything. You put your phone and special items in it when you go for a swim or walk on the beach. We could have used this a few years ago when our stuff was stolen while swimming in Costa Rica.

You can purchase this bag for $59.95 on Amazon.

Lonely Planet Books

Lonely Planet travel guides make a great gift, especially if you know the destination that your gift recipient will be visiting. If you don’t have a specific destination in mind, there are several compilation books that will surely spark wanderlust. This one is always a big hit.

We have The Travel Book: A journey through every country in the world, which is a kids book that takes covers over 200 countries. Our boys love it. It opens their eyes to the world and gives them an opportunity to help with the travel planning process.

Portable Charger

If the traveler in your life also works while on the road, this is a practical gift idea that he/she will appreciate. It’s one of those travel items you wish you had, but might not buy for yourself – which makes it a great gift.

The model you see pictured above is an AC Outlet Portable Charger. It has a 3-prong AC output with a power supply on/off switch indicator for any device up to 70W. You can power up to 3 devices at the same time. It recharges itself fully in 5.2 hours and can charge your phone 5-7 times with one charge, depending on the phone/device. 

You can get this product for $145 on Amazon.

LeapPad for kids

This durable learning tablet for kids is an affordable alternative to the ipad or other expensive tablets. It has a shatter-safe touch screen and it’s thoroughly drop tested, so you don’t have to worry about it getting damaged. Our boys have put it to the test and it’s still in the same condition as when we first bought it. 

The LeapFrog learning library has 1,000+ educational games, eBooks, videos and more. Games automatically adapt to your child’s learning level and draw from 2,600 skills across reading, math, and writing. We like that it has strong parent controls that limit the type of internet access they have. It also has a built-in camera, so our boys have fun taking selfies and photos from their travels.

You can get the LeapPad on Amazon for $127.00.

Portable travel games

We always bring a few portable games when we travel. Our boys are hooked on their LeapPad and tablets, so we try to include some time playing board games like Connect 4 (or 4 in a row), Snakes and Ladders, Checkers, Battleship and Trouble.

We bring the compact, lightweight models and stick them in our boy’s carry-on bag when we fly. We highly recommend these small travel games.

You can purchase portable travel games on Amazon for less than $10.

Extending Selfie Stick (Monopod w/Remote)

Before you selfie haters roll your eyes, this inexpensive monopod is much more than a selfie stick. We use it primarily for our Go Pro Hero 4 camera because the camera is so small that we need something to attach it to. BUT, it also makes selfies super easy, which is important when taking photos with kids.

This particular item comes with additional accessories for Bluetooth capabilities and it has a mount that works with most mobile phone devices (we use it for our LG G4 and iPhone 7).

You can get a selfie stick for as low as $12.99 on Amazon.

Waterproof Smart Phone/Camera Pouch

This protective waterproof pouch fits virtually all smart phones and pocket digital cameras. It’s perfect for the beach or water activities like kayaking or snorkeling.

It also holds personal items like credit cards and cash, so you don’t need to bring a big dry sack with you. It came in handy on our bioluminescent kayak tour in Puerto Rico earlier this year.

You can get this travel pouch for $10 on Amazon.

Also – the Life Proof waterproof hard case is another great gift idea.

Gift cards for iTunes, Amazon or AirBnB

For the creatively challenged gift giver, you can’t go wrong with gift cards. We purchase music and apps from iTunes all the time, mostly kids songs, games and shows. Gift cards are easy and cheap to mail (or email) to friends and family in far away places. It may not seem like the most thoughtful holiday gift idea, but everyone appreciates a gift card.

Did you know you can buy gift cards for AirBnb? I thought that was an interesting option.

You can purchase gift cards directly on Amazon.

~~~~~~~~

What did we miss? Do you have a gift idea you’d recommend?

Share your picks in the comments section below, links to specific gifts are welcome!

  Holiday gift ideas for the traveling family (or you!) is a post from: Traveling Canucks

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[infotainmentplus-blog]

HTC U11 Life (Android One) review If you want a Google Pixel 2 but don’t want to drop so much money on a phone, the HTC U11 Life with Android One is the next best thing. It’s one of the “mid-range Pixels” made under the auspices of the Android One program, only it’s made by the actual manufacturer of the regular-sized Pixel 2. For all its highlights, the HTC U11 Life Android One still suffers from some of the same issues as the Pixel 2 and HTC U11, chief among them being an arguably inflated price tag for what you get. There’s a lot to like about the U11 Life, but a few things to be wary of. Find out more in our HTC U11 Life Android One review. About this review: I’ve been using the HTC U11 Life Android One for eight days, on the Blau network in Germany. The device is running Android 8.0 Oreo with build number 1.06.401.8 and was provided on loan from HTC’s German PR agency. Show More At half the price of the HTC U11 or Pixel 2 but with a lot of similar perks, the U11 Life Android One looks great on paper. It runs a stock+ version of Android Oreo, augmented by a full-fledged version of HTC Edge Sense and HTC USonic audio tuning. It comes with guaranteed OS updates for two years and security patches for three via Google’s Android One program. At half the price of the HTC U11 or Pixel 2 but with a lot of similar perks, the U11 Life Android One looks great on paper It has an IP67 water-resistant rating, a relative rarity at this price point, some of the best bundled earbuds I’ve ever tried, and a really competitive camera for this tier. It borrows the flagship design language of the HTC U11, has an excellent LCD display and fairly decent mid-range specs. But once you scratch the surface, there’s a little more to it that needs discussing. Design It all starts with the design. While I applaud HTC for so faithfully emulating their flagship styling in a mid-tier offering, the U11 Life necessarily makes some concessions to its price point. Rather than Gorilla Glass wrapped around an aluminum frame like the U11, the U11 Life puts a Gorilla Glass front on top of a polycarbonate frame with an acrylic back panel. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the U11 Life feels cheap, but it is clearly plastic. It sounds hollow, is very light and scratches much easier than a glass-backed phone. Considering how terribly this phone picks up fingerprints, I’d recommend using a case, even if its plastic construction makes it less likely to break than glass. Changes in material choice are pretty standard in a mid-range phone. The same can usually be said of bigger bezels, but considering HTC only just managed to reduce its bezel size in the upcoming U11 Plus, the HTC U11 Life has basically the same bezel situation as the flagship U11. Unfortunately, the U11 Life doesn’t inherit the BoomSound Hi-Fi Edition speakers found on the larger U11 models. Hardware The U11 Life uses its large bottom bezel to house capacitive navigation buttons and a solid-state fingerprint scanner. The navigation buttons work fine and can be constantly illuminated or switched off entirely. It’s a bit of a shame HTC didn’t offer on-screen navigation buttons as an option. The fingerprint scanner is reliable but not as fast as you’d find on a more expensive phone. Editor's Pick The history of Android OS: its name, origin and more Sometimes, it seems like we have had Android smartphones, tablets and other devices with Google's mobile OS installed forever. However, it's actually been less than 10 years since the first official Android phone made its … The USB Type-C port is offset to the right of the mono bottom-firing speaker, something my lizard brain just couldn’t get used to no matter how many times I jabbed at the speaker with the USB Type-C charging cable or headphones. There’s a microSD card slot in the nano-SIM tray on the top edge of the phone, which lets you expand the 32 or 64 GB of built-in storage. Those versions come with 3 and 4 GB of RAM respectively, with the 4 GB/64 GB version being an online exclusive available only via HTC.com. Considering the very minimal price difference between the two, the 4 GB/64 GB version is the natural choice (I reviewed the 3 GB/32 GB version). The mid-range Snapdragon 630 chipset lies at the heart of the U11 Life. While it might have been nicer to see a 660, the 630 is still used to good effect. With its IP67 rating, the U11 Life can withstand submersion in a meter of fresh water for up to a half hour, which is a nice addition for a mid-range phone. Like other U11 models before it, the Life doesn’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack, though HTC tries to make up for it in other ways, which we’ll cover further later. An IP67 rating is a nice addition for a mid-range phone, but the Life doesn't have a 3.5mm headphone jack The U11 Life supports Bluetooth 5 so you can enjoy higher throughput or longer range on compatible accessories – for more on how Bluetooth 5 works check out Gary’s excellent primer. The U11 Life also supports always-listening hotword detection, NFC, VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling, and Cat. 11 download speeds of up to 600 Mbits/s and uploads of up to 75 Mbits/s. Display The 5.2-inch Full HD LCD display on the HTC U11 Life was a very nice surprise The 5.2-inch Full HD display on the HTC U11 Life was a very nice surprise. The Super LCD panel offers rich colors, good dynamic range, stable viewing angles, decent if not exceptional outdoor visibility (in excess of 500 nits), and was generally a lot better than I was expecting. It wasn’t always very responsive to touch input, requiring some pretty forceful jabbing at times to register presses. This is a concession one has to make at lower price points, but it is more than made up for in the overall quality of the display. Software HTC’s Edge Sense is a particularly nice addition to the U11 Life. Despite the Android One software experience, HTC managed to get a fully functional version of its squeezable frame technology on board, something even the Pixel 2 hasn’t got right now. Some may see a pressure sensitive frame as a useless gimmick, but I found it very intuitive and used it a lot. The default options are pretty much the most useful, with a short squeeze taking you to the camera app whether the phone is unlocked or not. While in the camera, a long squeeze switches between front and rear lenses and a short squeeze takes a photo. Obviously this is a handy feature while in the water, wearing gloves or when you’re otherwise unable to use the camera as normal. Outside the camera app, a long-squeeze typically launches Google Assistant (you can, of course, modify any or all of the default Edge Sense actions to your liking). Assistant can also be activated via voice or by long-pressing the home button. Unlike the US-bound Sense version of the U11 Life, HTC Sense Companion and Amazon Alexa are not included in the software out of the box. HTC Edge Sense also lets you enable various in-app squeeze actions that you can customize at will. It takes a little memory to remember what everything does but once you’ve got the hang of it it’s really quite useful. You can also adjust the pressure sensitivity of the squeeze gesture or disable it entirely if it’s not your thing. The HTC U11 Life runs Android Oreo out of the box, with a guaranteed update to Android P and Android Q thanks to Android One The HTC U11 Life runs Android Oreo out of the box, with a guaranteed update to Android P and Android Q thanks to Android One. Android One devices are also assured security patches for three years, putting a very healthy shelf life on a mid-range phone. As sad as it sounds, this was a pretty unusual situation until Google re-pitched Android One for the mid-range market. The near stock version of Android Oreo on the U11 Life runs just as smoothly and reliably as you’d expect. HTC has never had any real issues with software performance even with its Sense skin, so this should come as no surprise. Various Oreo-specific benefits are present here too, like background execution and cached data limits to better utilize the phone’s available resources and prolong battery life. Audio HTC also has its USonic audio tuning baked into the Settings menu. The U11 Life comes bundled with a pair of excellent USB Type-C USonic earbuds too. They can be used with the USonic software to tune the U11 Life’s audio to your particular hearing profile. If you’re unfamiliar, HTC USonic essentially uses sonar to map your ear canal. There’s really nothing to it, simply insert the super-comfortable buds, tap a button to emit a short audio signal and it’s done. Your USonic active noise cancelling earbuds are now tuned specifically to your ears. Of course, the tuning can be disabled at any time. I’m far from an audiophile, but even my ears can appreciate the richer bass and punchier highs USonic enables. Disabling the feature flattens everything out a little, and while this adds more to the mid-range I prefer the crispy highs and solid low end the USonic buds produce. They’re also admirably spatial for included headphones and have active noise cancellation to boot, another rare bonus at this price point. Editor's Pick How Oreo is better than Nougat: Audio Android 8.0 Oreo brings with it a host of new features, improvements, and overhauls to the core Android feature set. Personally, I thought that the introduction of more Bluetooth audio options was one of the more interesting … Audio on the HTC U 11 Life is also fine if you want to use Android Oreo’s high-end Bluetooth codecs like Sony LDAC or Qualcomm aptX and aptX-HD with compatible wireless headphones. The absence of a 3.5mm headphone jack will be make or break for many, and there isn’t even a USB Type-C to 3.5mm adapter in the box. HTC sells a digital adapter on its website though, which includes a built-in DAC. Despite the excellence of the USonic earbuds, your alternative audio options are limited. Besides the bundled USonic buds, there’s not many USB Type-C headphones on the market that we’d actually recommend. You can buy the dongle from HTC for your wired cans (because a regular “dumb” adapter won’t work with the U11 Life) or you can switch to Bluetooth headphones. It’s also worth noting that the USonic buds won’t work with the majority of other phones either. Plug them into the USB Type-C port of the Galaxy Note 8, LG V30 or Pixel 2 and audio will continue coming out of the external speakers rather than switching to the buds. This is because HTC uses a digital protocol not supported by many other companies. The USonic buds worked just fine with the Huawei Mate 10 Pro though. The USonic earbuds are really your best option, with no BoomSound stereo speakers Even without the wired headphone issue, there’s no stereo BoomSound Hi-Fi Edition speakers on the U11 Life, just the single mono speaker on the bottom edge. Although the U11 Life’s speaker is apparently “built to be heard from the front”, don’t expect it to be anywhere near up to par with other U11 devices. I’ll grant that it’s relatively loud, it just doesn’t sound great. As far as audio on the U11 Life goes, the USonic buds are really your best option. Performance At this price range you have to expect less than flagship performance, but the U11 Life still performs admirably. Despite its mediocre specs sheet, which it shares to a large degree with the Moto X4, the U11 Life performs decently in benchmarking apps, the results of which you can peruse below. More importantly than numbers, in everyday usage the software runs as smooth and stable as most smartphones that cost twice as much. It’s just not as snappy. Oreo runs as smooth and stable as most smartphones that cost twice as much. It's just not as snappy The U11 Life is naturally not up to the serious processor-hungry tasks a power user might demand, and apps are slower to launch than a flagship owner would be used to. Over the course of a week I never encountered any circumstances where the U11 Life simply couldn’t handle a task or took too long to launch an app or menu. It’s simply a matter of adjusting your expectations and moving on. If you’re at all concerned about performance (and even if you’re not), you might want to pop the extra cash to get the version with more storage and RAM, just to be on the safe side. The Snapdragon 630 is a slightly disappointing chipset choice, because considering the Google Pixel 2 also ships with 64 GB of storage and 4 GB of RAM, a U11 Life with a slightly beefier chipset could have been very competitive. Battery The upshot of the Snapdragon 630 is that the U11 Life does a lot with the minimal battery capacity it has. A 2,600 mAh cell won’t get anyone excited, but combined with Android Oreo and the small, low resolution display, the U11 Life regularly got me between 4.5-5.5 hours of screen-on time. I was never worried about it dying before the end of the day, but it did occasionally get close later at night. With the included 5V/2A brick, the HTC U11 Life Android One takes a little over an hour and a half to fully charge a depleted battery. Half an hour or so of charging will get you just under 50 percent battery. As with most choices in the mid-range, it’s a game of trade-offs. I might lament the absence of a beefier chipset that would’ve nudged the U11 Life a little closer to the Pixel 2 in terms of performance, but the Snapdragon 630 does a good job of keeping the lights on as long as it does. But battery life is far from a strong point of the U11 Life, and might even be its weakest point barring audio options beyond the bundled earbuds. Camera On the other hand, the camera is a surprising strength. The phone’s 16 MP f/2.0 cameras on the front and back produce very good photos for a phone in this price range. There’s no dual-camera bokeh trickery or zoom lenses, but the basics have been nailed. Editor's Pick Best Android smartphone cameras (October 2017) In recent years, smartphones have effectively replaced point-and-shoot cameras, and many have even outperformed them. For many of us, these portable computers have even become our main camera, making photo quality a priority when picking a … As with practically any phone these days, the true measure of a camera comes in low light conditions. An f/2.0 aperture isn’t super wide, but it’s perfectly sufficient for most low-light scenes. You’ll need a decently steady hand though, as the U11 Life doesn’t feature OIS. Its phase detection auto-focus (rear camera only) is reliable though. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the low light photos captured by the U11 Life. Having just gotten used to the Mate 10 Pro’s tendency to crush blacks while obliterating all noise, the U11 Life was a nice reprieve. Noise only just creeps into shots taken in very dark environments, the kind that would defeat almost all phones, no matter the cost. Generally speaking, the U11 Life minimized noise to a admirable degree while maintaining good colors and range. I found that the U11 Life tended to slightly underexpose shots, but you can easily tap to focus and then adjust the exposure compensation slider to get it right for each scene. If you prefer to tap the screen to auto-expose, that’s available as an option in the camera settings. The U11 Life struggled a bit with blown out highlights in dark settings, but that’s true of practically any phone. Colors are accurate and even, without over-saturation, though they’re unlikely to be punchy enough for some. The U11 Life captures a good amount of detail in good lighting, but things get a little muddy in the dark. Sooner or later noise is unavoidable. The U11 Life’s lowlight shooting was better than I expected and you can see just how well it performs against the Pixel 2 in the images below. HTC U11 Life Android One Google Pixel 2 Daytime shots produce very balanced photos and like almost all smartphone cameras nowadays, you’d be hard pressed to mess up a photo on a sunny day. Having the same camera on the front and back of the phone is nice too, especially for the selfie inclined, but a 16 MP selfie shooter seems a little like overkill. I would’ve much preferred a more sedate front-facing camera and the addition of OIS on the main camera instead. The phone's 16 MP f/2.0 cameras on the front and back produce very good photos for a phone in this price range Both cameras have HDR Boost which handles dynamic range quite well, even if it does slow things down a little. The camera app isn’t the fastest thing about the U11 Life and had noticeable shutter lag. I’d love to convince myself it was intentional on HTC’s part to avoid camera shake when hitting the shutter button or using Edge Sense, but it’s ultimately down to the chipset used. Nevertheless, it is something you get used to. The HTC U11 Life shoots 4K video at 30 fps with a six-minute time limit and supports Hi-Res Audio recording in video (which defaults to off every time you change the video quality settings). The HTC camera app has a variety of other modes including a pro mode with RAW, alongside hyperlapse, slow-motion (720p at 120fps), and the usuals like panorama and selfie beauty mode. All things considered, I expected the software experience on the HTC U11 Life Android One to be as good as it is, but the camera performance was a very nice surprise. With a little patience and steady hands, you can get very good photos out of the U11 Life far beyond what you might have expected from a phone in this price range. Gallery Specs HTC U11 Life Android One Display 5.2-inch Super LCD 1,920 x 1,080 resolution 424 ppi Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 Mobile Platform Octa-core RAM 3/4 GB Storage 32/64 GB MicroSD Yes, up to 2 TB Cameras Main camera: 16 MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, slow-motion video, 4K video recording Front camera: 16 MP fixed focus sensor with f/2.0 aperture, 1080p video recording Battery 2,600 mAh Non-removable Sensors Edge Sensor Ambient light sensor Proximity sensor Motion G-sensor Compass sensor Gyro sensor Magnetic sensor Fingerprint sensor Connectivity USB Type-C (2.0) Bluetooth 5.0 Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5 GHz) NFC Network 2G/2.5G GSM/GPRS/EDGE - 850/900/1800/1900 MHz 3G UMTS - 850/900/AWS/1900/2100 MHz - HSDPA 42, HSUPA 5.76 4G LTE - FDD: Bands 1,2,3,4,5,7,12,13,17,20,28, 66 with 2CA, 3CA - Support Cat 9 LTE: downloads up to 450Mbps, uploads up to 50Mbps - VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling (where supported) SIM Nano Sound Mono speaker HTC USonic earbuds with Active Noise Cancellation High resolution audio recording IP rating IP67 Software Android 8.0 Oreo Google Assistant Edge Sense Dimensions and weight 149.09 x 72.9 x 8.1 mm 142 g Pricing and final thoughts Should you spend €350 on the HTC U11 Life? I can’t give you a definitive “yes”. There’s simply too many other competitive devices in that price range right now that now you’d need to check out first, some of which offer dual cameras and other things that might be make or break for you like the presence of a 3.5 mm headphone port. What I can say though is that if you do buy it, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. If the issues raised above aren’t the kinds of things that would immediately put you off a phone, the U11 Life Android One offers a whole lot of good stuff, from software and design to display and camera. My biggest gripe with the U11 Life is the feeling that it’s slightly overpriced. That’s ultimately due to its chipset and battery size. If and when this phone goes on sale, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it— assuming you can make peace with its slower performance and a smaller battery. If you do spend €350 on the HTC U11 Life I don't think you'll be at all disappointed. The HTC U11 Life Android One is now on sale in Europe for €349/€379. The Sense version went on sale in the US on November 3 unlocked for $349 and via T-Mobile for $300. As much as I know the U11 Life is far from the perfect mid-range phone for everyone, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with it and will be sad to see it go. I opened this review with a reference to the Pixel 2, and I’ll end it with a reference to a device I also came to love, warts and all: the Nexus 5. In some ways the U11 Life feels like the Nexus 5: it has its flaws, but if you’re willing to accept them, you’re in for a real treat. , via Android Authority http://ift.tt/2hyhin6

[vulturesgalaxy]

Malcolm’s Last Week: Day 5

I kinda went overboard with this one. that longest part, the next one will be the last part of this little series.

One more day and then he would be gone overseas for who knows who long. It wouldn’t even be a full day they would be leaving around noon. He had come out for his meditation but he couldn’t seem to focus on clearing his mind. It was just so empty. He hadn’t noticed it at first but it was there slowly growing, consuming him.

The fear of losing everything he’s know. He had put on a brave face when his friends, it didn’t bother him then or maybe it did and he never acknowledged it. He would be in a place entirely new, no amount of his mother’s teaching could prepare him for what awaited him. He would just be another face in the crowd. And what about his quirk. It wasn’t one he could show off, it was more hindering than helpful really.

Taking a deep breath, he shook his head, flexing his fingers. His hands had begun to shake the tell-tale sign that his quirk was starting to activate. Not good. Odin was most likely still asleep and he wasn’t sure how it would act it there was no one around.

Taking a seat in the shallow water he let the water wash over him, not caring if his clothing were wet. The sun was still rising casting a glare over the water. Crossing his arms and resting them on his raised knees he huffs. He would know no one in Japan besides his mom and dad, but no one else, no friends to spend his days with. He’s know Odin all his life, there dad’s are friends, so they’ve been playing together before they could even walk.

Lyric came along next, dancing his way into their hearts. They were no more than four, Lyric didn’t wear his blindfolds back then, his quirk wasn’t as troublesome as it is now. He was so defencive of Odin back then, no one approached her with good intentions, but Lyric approached them dancing, it was more like wiggling really, asking it they wanted to dance with him, and he’s been with them ever since.

Titan and Cyrill came next when they were a bit older. Odin had actually ran into Titan while they were playing and had practically crushed him. She grew fast and was much larger than any six-year-old. He had been volunteering to be puppeted by Cyrill. After hearing that they all volunteered and the rest is history.

Would it be that easy to make friends again. He was no longer a kid, he was 13 going on 14 and it was harder to make friends when you're older. People aren’t aren’t as open and curious. The friends he had he only got because of Odin. Well she was his friend due to his dad’s connection but, Lyric, Cyrill and Titan was all from her. Be it a good thing or a bad thing she stood out and that gain attention, attention he couldn’t gain himself.

She was huge, much bigger than even his dad, she was blue, has a tail and rarely wore shirts, mainly because they didn’t fit her, but she had a look that wasn’t something you saw everyday, well nighter did he but next to her, he was forgetful in the crowed. That and he was tiny. He was always the smallest of his friends even Mason and Jude were now taller than he was and they were only ten!

“You alright, Mal?”

He jumped at the voice behind him, he hadn’t heard anyone approach. Turning around, Titan stood at the edge of the water.

“Y-yeah I’m good just… thinking.” His voice cracked

“Are you sure? Your crying.”

He wasn’t aware that he was but know he could feel the cool trails against his cheeks. He turned back to the water.

“I don’t know how I’m going to do it?”

He could hear the sloshing of water as Titan made his way to his side, sitting in the water next to him.

“Do what?”

“How am I going to be all of you guys. When I’m gone you guys will only be missing a single piece of the puzzle but me on the other hand is missing the puzzle entirely. I’m not like Odin who stands out, I’m not like Lyric who can make friends who can make friends in a heartbeat, I’m not like Cyrill who is standoffish so no one approches her, and I’m not like you, who can jump up to help anyone. I’m just me! A tiny kid who’s quirk is useless.”

“Hey I thought you were a tiny god and no one else can be that. Not Odin, Lyric, Cy, or me.” He wrapped his arm around his shoulders pulling him into his side. “We’re going to struggle without you here too. I mean who are we supposed to protect, when you’re gone. You’ll make friends, I’m sure of it. You're like a tiny version of Odin, you two share the same ideals and there needs to be more people like you in the world.”

They fell into silence watching the waves before Titan spoke up again “I’m kinda glad Odin doesn’t have wings.”

“Why is that?”

“If she did have then she would be flying over to Japan as soon as you said someone was bad mouthing you.”

They laughed

“I’m sure she still would.”

“Of course she would, your her precious piece of pietersite… minus the blue. The first little gem in her hord.”

“Pietersite is actually a stone, not a gem.”

“I don’t claim to be an expert Malcolm. Take a compliment, geeze.”

“Ok, sorry it was going to bother me if I didn’t say anything, but thanks.”

Titan stood, the water dripping from his shorts and shirt splashing him lightly as he reached down to ruffle his hair.

“Anyway don’t get to down on yourself. Odin has something planned for later today, so look forward to that.”

He was sure if his ears were like Odin’s they would have shot up at the prospect of something planned for him, but alas they didn’t move… much.

“What do you mean?”

Titan only chuckled as he made his way back towards the house. “You’ll find out later. I’ve already said too much Odin will have my head if I spilled any more beans than I already have.”

He watched him leave, entering the house before turning back to face the open waves. That seemed to life a bit of the weight off his shoulders. This was his last week with his friends of course she would plan something, she planned this whole trip after all. A smile spread across his face.

As much as he wanted to bring up the spilled beans he didn’t want to throw Titan under the bus, Odin wasn’t one for having things spoiled. He learned that the hard way after her tail made him meet the floor. So he waited patiently playing naive.

His mind was taken off of what Odin was planning due to an innocent game of sandball the went from being to a fight to a war real fast. The parents even got involved, and kids got involved. It was taken up a notch when their quirks got involved.

In the end they all ended up covered in sand, well everyone but Cyrill’s dad, Mr. Fuller, solid air kept his sand free, that was until they were all too tired to continue on when Odin’s dad flapped his massive wings kicking up sand and covering them all in it. Plenty of them had eaten sand which wasn’t fun by itself.

Laying in the sand he slowly covered himself in the warm sand, the sun was going down and the cooling sweat on his skin wasn’t comfortable. He could have taken a dip in the water but then he wouldn’t want to get out for fear of getting cold again.

“Malcolm come here, I want to show you something.”

Picking himself up from the ground he made his way over to her sitting on the porch. Titan was and Cyrill sitting at her saids and Lyric laid across her lap resting on his back was box. He knocked as much sand off of his form as possible before sitting across from them. The smile of Titan’s face grew wider as he eyed the box from the corner of his eye.

“What’s up?”

“Since you’re leaving we put together a gift box sort of thing you to remember us by.” She handed of the box to him.

“You didn’t have to it’s not like, I could forget you guys.” He said opening the box, the First than than sitting right on the top was a shirt fangs made of fire around the words ‘Fire Fang’ printed on the front in bright red lettering. It was what Odin wanted her hero name to be, they had talked about hero names when they were young and the name Fire Fang stuck with her.

“There’s more.”

He looked back down into the box finding more shirts with names and symbols on them. All of the hero names they picked out for themselves, Starry Eye was Lyric, Puppeteer was Cyrill, Heavy hand was Titan, and Hellion was himself. There were more shirts those with their parents hero names. It was strange, when they had first thought of that hero name it felt kinda insulting, to be called Hellion felt wrong to be a hero but they assure him it sounded cool and he rolled with it, now older with hopes of maybe one day being able to fully control his quirk he could raise hell for some villains.

“You guys just bought me a new shirt wardrobe.”

“Ah there’s a bit more.”

“And mom had all of those custom made for us.”

He waved to Odin’s mom thanking her for the shirts before continuing to sift through the box. There was a pair of headphones, the same brand Lyric always wore, as well as a bundle of brightly colored and patterned blindfolds with a simple note telling him that they can be used as headbands. He planned on growing his hair out much like his dad’s but he mane of hair was nowhere near as magnifica or majestic as his dad’s yet.

There was a journal from Cyrill so he could jot down his thoughts, he wasn’t one for diaries but she said it will help him get out his feelings without, hopefully, irritating his quirk, so it was possible he would use it.

At the bottom of the box was another piece of clothing, but much larger than the shirts that came before. The fabric smooth and stretchy but thick. Pulling it out of the box revealed it to be a hoodie. A very large hoodie, one of Odin’s hoodies exactly. Well one of her old ones. It was large to him but much to small for her to wear anymore. Attached to the hood was a little fabric crown.

“Now everyone will know you’re a tiny king.”

“It’s a tiny god, and you best remember that.”

“How can we forget, we are your person guards.”

Giddily he stood and pulled the cool fabric over his head. Unexpectedly the sleeves were much too long and the hoodie itself ended near his knees. He pushed the sleeves up to his elbows and pulled the hood up, it swallowed his head entirely blocking his view of anything.

“I love it!”

“Now everyone will know you're a king, I’m sorry a god.”

Pulling the hood back so that he could see once again he looked at his friends with a bright smile. None of the gift were what kids normally wanted, like who wanted clothes as a going away gift? But they all had meanings to them simple meanings that no one else besides them would understand but that didn’t matter.

“Thanks guys. I hope you know that anytime I wear these shirts I’m going to wear them all in succession of each other.”

“I mean you kinda have to.”

They laughed as he put the shirts and jurnal back into the box, leaving the hoodie on, it was too good to take off.

“This could be my hero costume.” He ran hands down the fabric of the hoodie. Odin’ had to get her clothes specially made, just like her mom, for the reason of her large size and that she can cover herself in flames. So this hoodie was going to last.

“A hero running around in a hoodie doesn’t sound good.”

“But it does sound interesting, I’d give’em a watch.”

“I mean this thing can take so much. I remember all the crazy things we got into when you wore this.”

The hoodie had been through hell and back multiple times taking all the brunt that they could throw at it. It had only been torn once on it’s trip through the mud but it was an easy fix for Odin’s dad. It still amazes him to think back when he sat watching his large hands handle the tiny needle with such skill.

“This is really amazing thanks guys.”

They all beam at him, Odin picking him up and placing him in her lap atop of Lyric.

“Your welcome, It’s not much be we figured you’ll love it.”

“I do, really.”

When night fell he had packed the shirts into his luggage, he reluctantly took the hoodie off placing it over the case promising to wear it when he left tomorrow. They all slept in a pile much like they did the previous day. It wouldn’t end well. It wasn’t cold like last time and Odin tended to make things even hotter with her body temperature. He didn’t mind it. He and Odin practically lived together when they were little and it was just the two of them, he had grown use to the heat she radiated. Titan on the other hand couldn’t really take the heat while sleeping and would wake then up at some ungodly hour in the morning with shouting for whoever is on him to get off, most of the time it was Lyric.

When he entered the room they were all already asleep. Taking a seat at Odin’s back he surveyed them. Trying to imagine more bodies in the pile. If he did make friends in Japan would they even accept the friends he already has in America? If they meet would they get along? They were questions he couldn't answer not himself, but he could only hope for the best. He layed down curing into a tight ball against Odin’s back, clearing his head of what was to come the following day and the coming years.

[mrcoreymonroe]

Comparing British Airways’ World Traveller Plus: 787-9 vs A380

Later this year, British Airways will celebrate a huge milestone: a full 100 years of passenger flights (if you count their predecessors all the way back to the Aircraft Transport and Travel company). As one of the many ways it’s commemorating the occasion, BA is making some updates to World Traveller Plus, their premium economy cabin. The current version of the seat was unveiled back in 2010, and earlier this year we got to fly it on two long-haul flights, one on a Boeing 787 and another on an Airbus A380.

We found a lot to like, from basics like more space and recline, to better amenities, and — at least on the A380– the chance to sit on the upper deck without breaking the bank! It ain’t business class for sure, but it was definitely enough to make 20 hours in the sky fly right by.

Read on for a chronicle of our trip in World Traveller Plus from Chennai to San Francisco via London Heathrow. And at the end, we’ll discuss BA’s big upcoming updates to its premium economy service.

Flight #1: Chennai to London Heathrow on a Boeing 787

What better way to start a trip than going face-to-face with your plane?

I love the trend of airports moving to glass-sided jetways. British Airways’ 787-8s don’t have a first class cabin, but the 787-9s do, which is why some of the forward windows are covered up on the -9.

Meet the Seat

On BA’s 787-9s, the World Traveller Plus cabin is located over the wing. It has six rows (five in the center section) in a 2-3-2 configuration.

There’s a partition separating the cabin from Club World in front, and a lavatory and curtains to the aft. So the World Traveller Plus cabin is pretty secluded.

BONUS: Club World At Last! On A Majestic British Airways Airbus A380

The seat itself has a similar design to the basic World Traveller seats, with a few key differences. It’s noticeably wider, reclines much further, has a fold-down leg rest, a fixed armrest between seats, and offers a small cocktail table at the end of that armrest.

The seat-back storage pockets are roomy but there aren’t any larger storage areas other than the overhead bins. Depending on where you sit, the seat support pylons and IFE boxes may get in the way of your legroom.

BONUS: Seattle to Frankfurt Via Condor Premium Economy

I found a brochure orienting me to World Traveller Plus’ features.

One of the touches that sets World Traveller Plus apart is a pre-departure beverage service. For this morning departure I had a glass of orange juice. When you’re flying during flu season, you can never have too much vitamin C.

Our taxi to the active runway was speedy, and before I knew it we were rolling. One of the many things I love about the 787 is the amazing view you get even if you aren’t seated next to the window. I was one seat over and managed to get a nice look at our Dreamliner’s wing flex as we took off.

https://www.airlinereporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_1983.TRIM_.m4v

Service Begins

After we hit cruise altitude the cabin curtains closed and our section’s flight attendant started the breakfast service. In World Traveller Plus, the first meal service is served on real dish ware. It’s both heartier and more attractively presented than meals in regular economy are. I really enjoyed this full English breakfast — a great way to start my very BA day!

Are You Not Entertained?

World Traveller Plus guests get over-the-ear headphones. I couldn’t tell if they were noise-cancelling or just effectively noise-blocking, but either way they’re a big win to get in premium economy.

The inflight entertainment (IFE) remote control is tucked into the side of the between-seat console.

I was trying to stay awake for the full flight and I found plenty of content on the IFE system to keep me busy.

Even though it was a daytime flight the flight crew dimmed the cabin windows shortly after the meal service. I appreciate that the Dreamliner lets me slightly un-dim my window to help me stay awake. The alternative on a plane with conventional windows is to be the annoying guy who floods the cabin with full-force light (Editor’s note: it’s totally fine to be that guy!).

BONUS: Flying Norwegian’s Long-Haul Premium Product On the 787

Midway through the flight, everyone got a box with some chips, salted caramel popcorn, and a Twix bar.

Before I knew it, nine hours had flown by since takeoff and it was time for the pre-arrival meal. As opposed to the hearty first meal, the second meal in World Traveller Plus is the same as in regular economy. It does start off with a generous bar service though. The flight attendant asked me for my pre-meal and mealtime order all at once and (unprompted) gave me a double dose of the former.

The meal itself was tasty but I did notice how much the portion size had shrunk from breakfast to lunch.

After a smooth touchdown at busy Heathrow Airport, I made my way to my connecting flight. On the way, I couldn’t help but take advantage of Heathrow’s amazing runway and ramp views.

BA’s 747s have World Traveller Plus sections on the main deck, arranged 2-4-2 across.

BONUS: SAS Plus – Taking the Edge Off Economy Class Travel

Flight #2: London Heathrow to San Francisco on an Airbus A380

I got a great view of plenty of A380s like the one that would take me to San Francisco.

One bonus about flying World Traveller Plus on the A380 is that the cabin is on the upper deck. It’s not every day that you get to board a plane directly onto the upper deck and not have to spend business class bucks to do it.

Compared to the other planes in BA’s fleet, the A380 has a relatively big premium economy cabin. With a 2-3-2 configuration like the Dreamliner, there’s only one middle seat per row.

The seats themselves were identical to the ones I had on my first flight. If you score a window seat, you’ll have access to a seat-side storage bin though, given the curvature of the fuselage on the upper deck.

This time I opted for a glass of champagne for my pre-departure drink.

I was seated in the center section and didn’t get much of a takeoff view. So I just took the time to relax and appreciate how incredibly quiet and smooth the A380 is, even during takeoff.

Starting Service On Our Second Flight

As opposed to my first flight, on this flight passengers were offered a tiny menu card. My choices for lunch were braised British beef with sweet potato dauphinoise, broccoli, and chasseur sauce, or Chettinad chicken with coriander rice and tadka dal. I went with the chicken, which (in keeping with World Traveller Plus style) was served in dishware along with a beetroot slaw starter and milk chocolate cream pot for dessert.

On some flights departing London, World Traveller Plus flyers can pre-order their main course through the Manage Bookings part of the website.

Getting Some Rest

On this flight I was mostly looking to get some sleep, and that’s where this seat really shines. I was really impressed with the amount of recline. Along with the adjustable headrest and soft pillow and blanket, I slept soundly for about half the flight.

If you’re looking to stay awake you may appreciate the recline less, since it can encroach on your personal space big time if your neighbor in front reclines all the way. But personally I think it’s worth it, especially for people who have trouble sleeping while sitting fully upright.

I received a small amenity kit with some basics like socks, a sleep mask, a dental kit, earplugs, and a pen, all packaged in a disposable thin plastic baggie. It’s a good kit for premium economy, especially considering that even business class amenity kits are often lackluster on some airlines’ transatlantic routes.

I woke up to a modest pre-landing second meal. The pizza twist looked messy but tasted fine, even after the full day of flying had wrecked my sense of taste.

BONUS: Transatlantic Teatime – Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy on a 787-9

As we descended into the Bay Area, I had fun with the multiple views on the moving map, one of which simulated a cockpit view.

BA flies into both SFO and San Jose airports. It used to fly to Oakland too — for the full Bay Area trifecta — though it has since canceled that route.

The Verdict

Between the two flights I’d spent almost 24 hours in the World Traveller Plus seat. Even for an AvGeek like me, that was more than enough flying for one day.

Overall, World Traveller Plus solidly met my expectations for premium economy. It made good on the promise of more personal space and comfort. It really shone in delivering a better sleep experience than I’d have gotten in regular economy. The first meal service on each flight felt more like business-class-light than economy-plus. A solid amenity kit and decent headphones made for nice bonuses. And the pre-departure drink service set a positive tone early, especially for people more used to regular economy.

I wouldn’t say the experience totally blew me away. Although World Traveller Plus seat design still looks pretty fresh ten years after its unveiling, certain elements like the smallish TV screens speak to its age. And after the first meal, the service felt like regular economy class service.

Looking to the Future

As luck would have it, soon after my flights BA announced some big upcoming changes to World Traveller Plus. The changes look like they effectively target the biggest areas for improvement in the current product. Time will tell, but I think the program of changes could elevate an already-solid product to a very strong one. The highlights are:

Updated menus with a third option for the main meal, which started February 1st

A more substantial hot meal later in the flight

New amenity kits, quilts, and pillows, starting in the spring

BA’s A350s, which will be delivered later this year, will get a new World Traveller Plus seat with a larger entertainment screen and a legrest instead of just a footrest. This new seat is already flying on a few Gatwick-based 777s.

Photo: Jason Rabinowitz

Now it’s time for us to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Note: We purchased our own ticket in standard economy for this flight and the airline moved us to World Traveller Plus for the purposes of this story. All opinions in this story are our own.

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