#The only thing I don't do is wiring and plumbing

[undeadhousewife]

Sometimes I feel I'm skill-less but then I look at my bedroom wall where a second door used to be, where we removed it and I realize how absolutely seamless it is. My fucking reno work is amazing. I can sling dry wall and plaster, I can paint entire rooms with out tape or drop cloth.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Well, only the 1st fl. of this grand 1855 Italianate Victorian mansion in Staten Island, NY was renovated. I don't really like what they did- they left only some original stuff and the rest of the 9bd, 2ba home is up to the new owner to finish. Now, they want to sell it for $1.85M. There's a lot of restoration work to do. Take a look, it's fascinating.

Firstly, they didn't do the exterior. So, the whole home has to be painted.

They made this room modern, open, and light. They've got a huge open space here w/2 different fireplaces, so this may have been 2 rooms.

This home has lots of murals. I don't know how they restored this one. The railings are intact.

Gally style kitchens were kind of standard for mansions, b/c the staff did the cooking. It appears that they just painted the existing cabinetry white, along w/the walls and ceiling.

They did this room, sanded the original wood floors, left the fireplace, but the bed is up against the pocket doors. I guess they use it as a bedroom b/c the upper floors aren't done.

Sun porch with plastic on the windows. Guess they need to be sealed.

Another bedroom. This a mansion, I'm sure that these aren't bedrooms on the main floor.

Kitchenette.

And, now we're in the unfinished part. See the murals? They have to be restored. if someone paints over them, I'll scream. The original floors need to be sanded.

Looks like they took the ceiling down for wiring.

It will be stunning when it's done, if the right buyer comes along.

Looks like they started some work on the upper floors, but ran out patience and money.

This home will be glamorous. Look at the little balcony cut into the ceiling.

This looks like the uppermost floor. Every room in this home is light and bright.

I wonder if they would leave some of these things like the big steamer trunk.

The attic is cool. But, there are only 2 baths and 9 bds, so 1 of the baths is up in the attic? I would have to find a way to make more baths.

Looks like they put in some plumbing. Why is it so big and exposed?

Oh, those stairs go up to the belvedere. Sooo beautiful. I wish this house was mine. It deserves to be beautiful.

This looks like a rear entrance on the main fl. that's been done.

Check out the huge workshop in the basement, and it has a fireplace.

It's so cool down here. Look at the old stove. OMG, it's got all new heat, etc., but look at the ancient furnace - it's still there.

The belvedere.

.52 acre lot.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2475-Richmond-Rd-Staten-Island-NY-10306/2104614350_zpid/

[netherworldpost]

Oh god this hurts.

Before the internet, living in an Area Unkind to Closeted (choose your word choice, it doesn’t matter)

So deeply closeted and so deeply in an area unkind that asking questions, exploring, even thinking about Things felt like a capital crime, felt like “if I’m lucky I will get beat up, more likely I will be punished or destroyed.”

No internet yet. Not even message boards. Long time ago.

You are very young and horribly confused and absolutely alone and you don’t know the words and you don’t know how to find the words.

You have Danger, Shame, Guilt, Self Loathing.

If you are lucky you only have a few on these list.

One of the turns to fate that changes your life, literally saving it… many times…

Richard. Goddamn. Simmons.

I repeat the above.

You're young

You're so deep in the closet you are critiquing the wiring and plumbing

(stares into space a moment on that last one)

that was unintentional

You have no one to talk to about this

You don't even know the words

You think you're a goddamn abomination, that Something is Wrong with You

The horror is so deep you think that even thinking about this is a goddamn crime

I may be off base but it feels like the term "thought crime" has fallen out of usage and considering the flows of social media it should be brought back, some of you (+ me, so, us) are swimming in waters with contamination. Some of you are the fucking propaganda sewer pipes dumping it in.

Back to the point

He was large in personality, loud, he pressed against what was expected, and at least in the public arenas he so often showed up in -- often unexpectedly -- he existed.

He existed.

He created space.

If you (again, this is all the singular "you, the reader / me, the writer") pulled half the antics he did you would be beaten up or worse.

:)

The Knowing Smiley Icon of Knowing.

He existed.

He did antics.

He proved it was possible to exist and do antics.

It was enough to keep going.

Damn it. I'm so sad for myself and so deeply hopeful he is resting peacefully.

[vxxxb]

Not A Cook - [Miguel O'Hara]

More fluff! Takes place before he becomes Spider-Man -- You can't cook and Miguel decides to help Tags: Roommates, colleagues, fluff, lighthearted story, implied they work at Alchemax

“You never learned to cook?”

Miguel's judgy tone speaks from behind you as he reaches for his mug.

His condescending tone makes you bristle, your body instinctively moving slightly to the side to not bump into him as you huff quietly.

You keep your grip on the pan's handle as you attempt to flip over the set of empanadas you had made for yourself. It was supposed to be something easy, especially with the long tongs you bought. But as you try to flip them without burning yourself, tiny bits of oil start to splash, causing you to swiftly lower the flame and step back from the stove.

You narrow your eyes at the pan, crossing your arms with tongs still in hand.

Alright, so cooking wasn’t your strong suit, especially when it came to frying. You got stuck on the fear of potentially getting burned, rather than simply focusing on making the damn food.

It was all too frustrating.

Miguel’s comment certainly didn’t help, and his standing by the table counter only a few feet away, casually sipping his coffee with a smug smirk, only irritated you more.

You knew staying with him was a bad idea. But when word got out that you were initially planning to stay over at a 'friend' as your apartment got fixed, he had personally extended an invitation to his living arrangements.

And now, a month and a half has passed, and your apartment is still far from ready. What started as a simple plumbing issue soon turned into an expired gas meter, faulty wiring, and eventually an upright renovation process.

You found the new arising problems for your apartment strange, but you brushed them off. After all, it was Nueva York, and a standard living space was bound to have its fair share of issues.

Swallowing your pride, you glance at Miguel, meeting his amused gaze.

“If you’re not going to help, I don’t want to hear it,” you roll your eyes, frowning as you stare at the empanadas simmering in oil.

You take a deep breath as you approach the stove again, adjusting the flame and carefully sliding the tongs beneath a crispy empanada, successfully flipping it over without oil splattering this time.

You smile proudly, turning up the stove again before yelping once the oil splatters again.

At this, Miguel erupts in laughter, his hand clutching his stomach as he tries to avoid your prominent glare.

You grit your teeth, throwing your hands up in annoyance before sliding the tongs over to him. "I give up, you do it," you grumble, beginning to head out of the kitchen only to be pulled back abruptly.

"Hey-!"

Miguel raises an eyebrow, wearing that same infuriating smirk once more. "Cooking's all about practice," he quips, dragging you back to the stove. "You just need a few pointers."

"What I need is to avoid it all together."

He rolls his eyes, grabbing the tongs from the counter and handing them to you. He then leans against the counter, arms folding across his chest. "First things first, control the heat," he advises, pointing at the stove. "Medium-low is usually a safe bet for frying. And don't overcrowd the pan; you want each empanada to have space."

You huff quietly, shooting him a side look. Miguel only gives you a deadpan stare, directing his gaze to the pan.

"Fine," you concede, rolling your eyes.

Begrudgingly, you follow his advice, adjusting the heat as he suggested and carefully spacing the empanadas in the pan. They start sizzling gently without any oil splatters.

Miguel nods approvingly. "See? Now keep an eye on them, flip them when they're ready, and you'll be fine." He hums, turning to leave.

You glance at him, surprised by how quickly you stop him. "Wait!"

He raises an eyebrow, clearly amused by your sudden change of tone. "Yes?"

You hesitate for a moment. "Would you… care to join me for breakfast?" You gesture to the pan.

Miguel chuckles softly, shoulders shrugging. "Why not," He pulls out another cup and two plates, placing them on the counter for the two of you.

You find yourself smiling, turning the remaining food over before, finally, turning off the stove. Bringing the pan over, you carefully slide three empanadas onto each plate.

You take a seat, taking a sip from your mug and sighing content when you realize it was hot chocolate and not coffee he had served you.

Setting your cup down, you look at him expectantly. "Well?" You nod your head to the empanadas.

He rolls his eyes, picking up one of the empanadas and taking a careful bite. His expression changes from one of amusement to genuine surprise as he chews.

"You didn't manage to burn them or drown them in oil after all," he chuckles as you also try one.

You grin happily once you see he's telling the truth; They do taste good.

"Just so you know, I'm not doing this again," you shake your head as you chew hungrily. "Not unless there's a kitchen appliance."

"I think you'll change your mind once you get the hang of it," Miguel teases, taking another bite. "Cooking can be quite satisfying, you know."

You roll your eyes playfully. "We'll see about that."

You then look at the clock, gasping and rushing to your room. "I'm running late! I'll see you at the lab!"

With you out of sight, Miguel smiles, a warmth in his eyes that he never allowed you to see.

The next morning, when you wake up to prepare yourself something, you see a light blue appliance on the counter with a note on it.

Here's an air fryer. Can't screw this up. -- Miguel.

You can't help the laugh you let out as you read Miguel's note. You can't help but feel that staying at Miguel's place might not have been such a bad idea after all.

[sreegs]

i can't stress enough how much money you can save once you live in your own place by learning simple repair and DIY. since I live in the city, it's probably more common for me to encounter people who are actually fearful of picking up a drill and mounting something on their wall. however, it's so damn easy to do the absolute basics of home maintenance and DIY/hardware installation/just gotta mount something on the wall/whatever. do not think you can keep sticking things to the wall with blu-tack or tape, that shit does NOT last and you will ruin your walls with it

There's a MOUNTAIN of youtube videos that will literally save your life out there. Literally just search "this old house" and the subject you need, and you'll find the information you need. Does the video use words you don't understand? Google that and I guarantee you'll get videos that explain it. in detail. by very nice people.

even if you end up renting your whole life, you will eventually run into the need of fixing your toilet, replacing a light switch, mounting a TV on the wall, etc.

I don't want to turn this into a "home maintenance megapost" because it's hard to decide where to start and where to end. However, I have a few general tips and advice for you:

Safety first

should go without saying, but your most important tools are safety goggles, work gloves, ear plugs for loud things, and any other protective equipment that saves your eyes, fingers, etc. Even if a job is quick and simple, you have no idea when you might slip up and fling something into your eye, so just be safe every time and wear your gear.

Electrical stuff is not as scary as it looks

This is usually the most mortifying ordeal I hear from people. They're terrified of replacing a light switch. However, it's 100% foolproof to prevent yourself from being electrocuted. Apartments and houses have breaker boxes that completely shut off electricity to a circuit. All you have to do is turn on the switch/something in the outlet you want to mess with, switch off the circuit at the breaker, confirm the thing you need to repair/modify no longer functions because electricity is not flowing to it (the circuit breaker will have shut off the flow of electricity), then start your repair. Do not flip that circuit breaker back on until the job is done. That's it. Now, the details of the job are a whole other story, but wiring an outlet or a switch or a lamp is pretty darn simple. Again, youtube has endless tutorials.

You will be sloppy when you get started, just take your time

if you don't do this stuff for a living, it takes years of infrequent practice to finally get good at it. have drilled through interior walls to the other side a few times before I learned my lesson. the old adage "measure twice, cut once" is true. do it three times if you need to. and if you botch your wall drilling into it (you will botch your wall at some point) it's so easy to spot fix things like that. on the other hand, fragile stuff like plumbing need a gentle touch (i.e. some stuff you should only hand-tighten, because over-tightening can cause leaks). so it's best to take your time, check and re-check your work, and don't do something until you're confident you can do it. watch tutorials or ask a friend to help!

Use the right tool for the job

Good tools are pricey, but last way way longer and will not break on you in the middle of a job. Furthermore, it's a bad idea to force the use of a certain tool that doesn't do the job right. For example, you're trying to take something apart and you don't have the right type of screwdriver, but if you just, kinda like, wedge the bit in there... stop. Don't do it. You might end up stripping the screw, then you have two problems. Don't ever force something that's not the right fit. If it's not an emergency, it's better to wait till you have the right tool to fix it than to cut corners. Lastly, tools wear out, specifically tools that cut and drill, so you do actually need to replace those periodically

Stud finders don't work

except for that joke where you point it at yourself and it beeps and you say "yep, found a stud". that's the only time they work. If you need to find a stud, you might be lucky enough to be able to use a magnet to find the nails, but most of the time you're going to have to measure the distance from a corner (studs should be placed at a standard distance apart... however that has changed based on how old your house is). tbh this is a nitty gritty topic, and again, google some tutorial videos to help, but i just wanted to say don't waste your money on those studfinders

The type of material you're working with changes the tools you work with

There are specific tools and materials made to be used with other specific tools and materials. For example, with drills, you're going to run into different terms like "hammer drill" and "impact drill" or just a plain old "drill". Materials like concrete and brick need specific drill bits and high-powered drills like hammer drills in order to drill into them. However, a hammer drill will damage drywall and wood. Find out what your apartment or house is made of, and then figure out what tools you need to work with it.

I know this is kind of a scattershot post, and I will admit I'm definitely not an expert, but feel free to shoot me an ask about any of this and I'll try to answer

[turbofanatic]

Had a weird dream which inspired another storyline (which is honestly the last thing I need right now) and most importantly it has an ending rather than being an overstuffed epic that goes on forever. So we'll see where this goes.

There's echoes in places humans frequent. Places you can slip between if you're unlucky. Whatever you do, don't eat the food. Solution spaces just close enough to look normal at first glance. The backrooms, fairy lands, dungeon crawls, you know the drill. This is an old idea, who cares. The important thing is that these places echo human spaces the same way ML image generators echo human art, purely statistically, with no context. In 2020 an event occurred drastically increasing the rate of occurrence and driving people away from offices in the same way covid did. And people figured out how to open these spaces and did what they always do, take advantage of it! It's a statistically representative sample of real spaces! Go to your competitor's echo space, grab as much data as you can, collate it and generate a statistics based idea of what they're actually doing for profit! Of course you have to deal with the echoes of the people in there, and the fact that it confuses plumbing with intestines and wires with nerves. Good luck!

Meet Luke, a techbro loser who was laid off after getting stuck in one of these places and eating the food. He's a very rare survivor but his biology is scrambled, making him eat aluminum, ooze gallium, and be 5x denser than a normal human. His new job involves acting as muscle for an office-dungeon delving team. He is not happy with this. He deserves it. He's a reasonably good coder but also the sort of idiot that bought those ape NFTs and probably got scammed out of them all.

He's now forced to work with four other assholes on a job that only the craziest of people would take. But he's still got his health insurance at least.

[asidian]

N and P!

N: Is there a fic you wish someone else would write (or finish) for you?

Hmm. Nothing specific, I don't think? But in general, I'm always on the lookout for well-written hurt/comfort or whump to my taste that involves my favorite character in a fandom.

P: Are you what George R. R. Martin would call an “architect” or a “gardener”? (How much do you plan in advance, versus letting the story unfold as you go?)

I actually wasn't familiar with this quote, so I had to go and dig it up before I could answer. For anyone who isn't familiar, here it is in its entirety:

"I think there are two types of writers, the architects and the gardeners. The architects plan everything ahead of time, like an architect building a house. They know how many rooms are going to be in the house, what kind of roof they're going to have, where the wires are going to run, what kind of plumbing there's going to be. They have the whole thing designed and blueprinted out before they even nail the first board up. The gardeners dig a hole, drop in a seed and water it. They kind of know what seed it is, they know if planted a fantasy seed or mystery seed or whatever. But as the plant comes up and they water it, they don't know how many branches it's going to have, they find out as it grows. And I'm much more a gardener than an architect.” ― George R.R. Martin

I'm 100% a gardener.

I'll go into a piece of writing with often only a theme, a mood, or an idea, and I'll see where it takes me.

When I write I really enjoy sort of – it's hard to describe it. I enjoy circling around and around the idea or the theme or the mood that I'm trying to get at, getting closer and closer but never quite putting my finger on it. I want to explore the area around it. I want to paint the broad strokes, so that when the reader glances into the middle, in the blank spot where there's no paint, they see that the only thing that hasn't been said outright is the thing that everything else has been pointing to all along.

Sometimes I don't get there entirely, but I almost always end up with something, even if it's not necessarily always what I started out to write.

[talopeiros]

Learning to Smelt - 1

I've been wanting to talk about this for a while. Last year, I wanted to pick up smelting. It seemed fun, and felt right up my field in the realm of making things. I did all the research, got the equipment and earlier this year I finally managed to start! My goal is, once I'm comfortable enough to do it solo (since I had help from my insane uncle during my training adventure) to have it livestreamed and smelt things on request! Honestly at this point I reckon my skills have advanced to the point of almost competence (huzzah!) Nonetheless I want to post some stuff showing the process, just in case anyone's curious!

First off, I made an AGGREGIOUS error when it came to choosing the smelter brand. The one I bought didn't have a connector that worked with Australian Gas tanks, only US ones. I was very luck my uncle had a bunch of spare fittings/hoses lying around otherwise it would've been impossible to do anything from the start. Funnily enough too, despite it eventually getting to +1000 C temperatures, it didn't need that much fuel overall! Only had to slightly open the valves with one full rotation on the gas tank. I guess that's by design, since the whole idea is keep heat in (this just in, local hoplite PNGTuber discovers how heat works!) Also, fun fact! Don't buy a shitty $50 temperature gun that says it can get to 1000+ C and expect it to do so! So many infrared sensors are so pricey and there was no way in tartarus that I would use that kinda money on a glorified nerf gun but then it turns out the cheap one I got was incapable of reading anything beyond 400 C. Fortunately you can just eyeball it when it comes to smelting using this simple rule! If metal = solid: Wait If metal = liquid: Congratulations, you've done it!

Have to make sure it's done in a well-ventilated area too. Doubly so if you're melting brass since that garbage can burn and make zinc oxide which is NOT GOOD. First time I melted stuff was just done to make sure I knew what I was doing, not to cast anything. All I did was melt down brass and copper separately to make small ingots.

(btw if you ever plan to make casted finery, don't bother with a specific ingot mold, those things are pricey. Just get a cast iron muffin tray w/o the teflon on it or something similar. You can make a lot more that way and they're more likely to fit in the crucible if you want to re-melt). Also another piece of advice: DON'T OVERLOAD THE CRUCIBLE. My uncle wanted us to melt down all the copper we had (which was a lot, I had been going to town on the neighbourhoods wiring/plumbing in preparation for this) since "it was more energy efficient to smelt more instead of letting it cool down!" While technically true, a crucible full of copper is VERY HEAVY and picking that thing up with crucible tongs is gonna be a legendary struggle. We did end up spilling a bit, fortunately it didn't go anywhere. The vid attached to this post shows it: A crucible full of copper and regret for our lack of forethought. Following day I did try to cast one thing: My channel emblem as a medallion. I poured molten copper into an open sand mold and well, you be the judge:

Still, twas a good first go! Thanks to the ingot molder we used the cast metal in it's default form comes out in a style akin to that of a paperweight.

I'll be posting details on the second and third smelt soon, so stay tuned!

[stumblngrumbl]

If you had been around to explain electrical current to me in high school I might have taken more interest in it! My teacher just read out of this dirty yellow book in monotone but you made it understandable.

thanks! me too tbh i supposedly learned electronics at university but i got fuckall about it other than P=IE=I²R = V²/R because those were actually useful in my experience, everything else was *but why* i've never been a learner of things unless i had a good *why*

while i was able to do the work in school by brute-force memorizing the equations, i didn't *get* it and as you said it takes a good teacher to help the actual knowledge sink in

i'm embarrassed to say that it was only recently that i got a proper understanding of integration by parts when someone sent in their homework problem as an ask and it had that on it and i'm like ok time to learn for real this since i obviously didn't learn it last century when i fucking passed the class how did i pass that class i took it i didn't go to class i passed just how no wonder i stopped doing physics but i digress

i've been very tempted to revisit my physics of electricity and actually learn the stuff for real as right now i can read a circuit diagram but i have very little idea of what is really going on unless it's a really simple diagram (like house wiring, that's really easy like plumbing, electricity comes in here and my get interrupted there but generally flows to the outlets wherever they are, it's basically a lawn sprinkler setup - show me the circuit diagram for the washing machine and i'm like idk what's going on here)

unfortunately i don't have an analogy for a capacitor but a transistor is basically a diaphragm valve

[traumasurvivorshelpingsurvivors]

TW: maybe unsafe environments?

I've talked to a few people briefly about growing up with my parents and like how we moved houses a lot and their reactions are a lot different than I expect?

Like my parents ran a bit of a construction business so we would move into older unkempt homes and renovate it. During these times sometimes we'd have no water in the kitchen or no electricity in half the house or would have to wash ourselves with a cloth and wash our hair in the sink.

General stuff like that, you know? I mentioned how when we moved more rural we had to split a bunch of wood and stock up because if there were bigger storms the power would go out and sometimes it'd be out for days at a time. And because our electricity controlled water and heating, we'd have to burn wood to cook and stay warm and stock up on water so we wouldn't get toooo dehydrated.

There'd be some weeks where we'd have holes in our walls, even in winter. Sometimes we'd be replacing an outer wall and one of my jobs was to check the area when I got back from school and brush away any snow and whatnot that got in. There was a week or so when my window was being replaced and all I had over it was a thin half-rotting drape that the house had come with covering the large hole of where the window used to be. It snowed on me in my sleep lol.

Most of my life I've lived in active construction zones, there's multiple years where there was no kitchen or where there'd be only floor joints instead of an actual floor, and stuff that I guess other people would call dangerous and/or uncomfortable? We were even technically homeless for a few weeks between houses because they got the dates wrong and we were kicked out lol, but eh. We survived and honestly wasn't that bad?

But to me it's really normal. And I've always been expected to help out with the renovations too. Like by the time I was 5 I was helping with building fences and when I was around 8 or 9 I was grouting floor tiles and back splashes. Growing up I helped tear down walls and build walls and wire electricity and help with re-plumbing and building additions to the house or roofing or all sorts of things.

Obviously I haven't included everything, but the thing that I found weird is that when I mention a few things people say that it sounds like it would be rough? And like, I guess I get it but it is so normal to me to not live in finished/developed environments that I'm actually uncomfortable when there's a house that is fully complete? It's odd to me, like where are the things you are expected to do?

Would this be considered like, idk the right words but is it weird or odd in some way? My parents had plenty of opportunities to stay in completed houses or perhaps not work me so hard (I've had a few heat strokes but my mom doesn't like doctors too much so I don't really get things checked out lol). T

hey just focused on other things. I also wasn't allowed to get a job because working on the houses was my job and I didn't really get paid and they also didn't save up for my future education so I'm kinda fully dependent while other kids my age get to actually experience school and stuff. Is any of it really all that weird or concerning?

Hey anon,

I'm pretty sure that doing all that construction work as a child is considered child labor. It's easy for it to feel normal when you are simply used to doing all that and living the ways that you have, but in a broader context, it's actually quite unusual. If I'm not mistaken, it may also be considered child endangerment regarding the rotting drape covering the hole and getting snowed on in your sleep. You were quite literally being exposed to the elements and I think you should've been protected more.

I hope you're doing okay now. Please let us know if you need anything.

-Bun

[raspberryconverse]

Being an adult means being real with yourself about your finances.

A huge pain point in my marriage has been money (which is totally common in relationships). We bought an old house and have had to replace literally everything except the dishwasher, dryer and most of the plumbing. We had to have half the house rewired before we moved in because it only had 1 owner and had cloth wiring. The plumbing is galvanized steel and some of it was connected to copper (big no no: there's a chemical reaction that happens and causes leaks). We recently had to have our entire kitchen drain replaced for this and the plumber wouldn't reinstall the dishwasher until we had it checked for mold, another $600 on top of the $4000+ we already paid for the drain. We had mold behind some wood paneling that obviously couldn't be seen on inspection. New roof, furnace, AC. Our drain tile system was put in backwards and had to be replaced. There was a huge flood last summer and we had 8" of water in our basement.

Needless to say, it's been stressful and we haven't even been here 2 years. And expensive.

I have always been terrible with money. I never saw good spending habits growing up, so I've always had the mindset of "I can buy it now with my credit card. It's fine." I know, that's not fine. But that's what I've always done. Some of it was definitely out of survival during my post graduating during a recession life, but I never really stopped when I started making decent money.

Anyway, during the pandemic, I found this bank called Simple that has the envelope budgeting system built right in. It was fantastic! I paid down my debts, I brought up my credit score. I was able to refinance my car loan to nearly a 10% lower rate. It was fantastic. Then, it shut down.

There was another bank that was similar to it called Envel. Basically the same concept. And it continued to work for me, but like Simple, they shut down.

I finally moved to Ally because they have these new "spending buckets." They sounded exactly like what I had with Simple and Envel. Except they weren't. Simple and Envel would distribute your money every time you got paid and put the right amount in each "envelope." Ally just puts the money in like a day or 2 before the due date you put on the bucket. This is not helpful. Yes, I could go through and distribute my money, but I don't always remember to do it. So... I didn't really do it.

Things got out of control again. I'm not saving anything. I buying shit that I don't need to be buying. We have things that are coming due with the house (the AC is the big one). It's not good. And my spouse is really stressed about it. And I'm just really embarrassed.

So I'm filling out a chart with my credit cards and their balances, interest rates and minimum payments in addition to a personal budget worksheet and meeting with my financial advisor soon. Yes, I have one of those. A friend sung his praises on Facebook, so I thought it might be helpful. And it was. I mean, he did get me to buy a bunch of life insurance, but I can meet with him whenever to look over things. I also love that he's about my age and while he's a straight cis white guy, he works with people and couples of all types (the friend who mentioned on FB him is a lesbian and married). We met with him before we decided to buy the house to see if we could swing it.

I did find a budgeting app made by a former Simple user which is basically the same as the bank, so I think that's going to work, but I really need to just sit down with someone who's not going to judge me and take a look at everything so I can get things back on track. It's really hard to admit defeat. It's really embarrassing to not be able to tell your spouse that your personal finances are in trouble and you don't know what to do. But I'm gonna talk to Brett and he's going to help me figure it out. And it's gonna be ok.

[littlewalken]

mar 12

And?...

Got out the sewing machine for a good hour or so but I still have several hours ahead of me for the purple and black quilt just to get the top strips together.

Have to decide if I sew then rest my back or not sew and do something else around here.

Reached the part in the moving in where things have to be rearranged because they're working but not working and could and need to be better.

Still haven't gotten to unpacking the books because now I don't know if I want to keep them where they are or move them to another part of the room entirely. I'd put them where the bed is but the other place I want to put the bed is right on the plumbing wall and that won't do. But if the books are on the plumbing wall they might dampen some of the sound.

Writing wise it's time to tidy up the notes for the Hollywood story in preparation to rewrite it.

Have to remind myself that for some reason sprawl mart composition books are $1 or less, their house brand 3 ring binder paper is just slightly more, and any notebook with a spiral wire is at least $5.

For the zero/messy/throwing everything at the story to see what sticks draft I think I'm okay with using a composition book. I have one now that just says 'I Write' on the cover and it's already seen a jumbled here and there of ideas working out in it. I'd only buy a separate one for the Hollywood story because it's so long, we're talking 35+ pages of notes, and I'm nearly half way thru the other compo book.

If you're on a roll carefully cut the cover off and fold the pages back. It helped in writing the current draft of the boy band story. That still needs another go thru.

Right now writing or some other way to lose myself in Imagination Land seems like a comforting idea.

*For a personal note I turned the ustahold money in to charm bracelets, Trek, Spidey x2, and Disney attractions because it has fucking Space Mountain.

Throw in a few I just recently bought and it looks like something is going to be getting an overhaul.

And friends.

[reddogf13]

Outlast 2: Deliverance CH 8

Also on A03

Status: Incomplete

Rated: M - Dead Dove Do Not Eat This takes place in the Outlast 2 universe after all.

Previous chap: CH: 7 Badlands

Next chap: CH: 9 Uhtceare

________________

~Ch: 8 Kings men~

After hours of hard searching he was satisfied that everyone was taken care of. Leaving the quarantine he was greeted by Marta waiting alongside a small group. Those looking for family in the hopes they survived long enough alongside volunteers to care for the ill. Joyed to see a team willing since he wasn't going to force people to do it. Forcing would only fester contempt to those taken care of. A fleck of gold on the forest edge let Blake know that Val was still there waiting for him as the rest were. Moving the ill along he eventually saw her leave.

Marta spoke up about her on their way to the new quarantine. “He's been standing out there since you went in. I worry he aims to have your head if given the chance. Should we pick them off before they become trouble?”

“I'm not going to hunt people down because of fear for what they may do.” Can't say much for that when I'm too afraid to go after them. “I don't even know what Val wants. If she wanted to take over Temple Gate I would think she'd have tried earlier. You're more of a block to that then I am.”

“I trust that even he would fear the Angel of Death. Yet, to be the one to strike down such an angel would earn a mighty title. Should we really wait 'till the day they strike? Everyday they settle themselves deeper into those mountains. Festering up there like ticks feasting on our blood. It'll be harder to pry them out when we finally do act.”

Calming himself from getting too sick by the conversation he took some deep breaths. “How about we train the guard to be better prepared for that day? What have you started them on so far?”

“Basics they've learned, tracking trails for the capture. Aggravatingly slow to handle the threat by the time they do catch up. they keep goin' in circles on how to restrain them. Different from the usual process of making them unconscious entirely first.”

“What tools do they have?”

“Rope, but not much. Weapons by way of various blades. Flashlights.”

“Any zip ties?”

“Haven't seen those in years.”

“Could make catchers loops. They're easy to make off what we got. A piece of hollowed pole and some dull wire.”

“Mm, another matter is where to place them after. Should we use one of the old spaces?”

“No, those shouldn't be used. We need one large single space that we can add onto. Put in some more plumbing to make better cells.”

“We used to have a basement for storage before it collapsed years ago. Fix the structure and you'll have a convertible space.” Gesturing her staff toward a short square building out in the distance.

“That could work, can you show me?” Following Marta to the double doors of the building. Opening them to a large set of stone stairs downward to the start of a large area. Blocked as Marta said with a caved in roof and many rotten beams threatening to collapse if they haven't already. Seems like the best we got. Separate the place with cells and a front area to act as a buffer in case things go wrong. “Is there another entrance or is this the only one?”

“Only one.”

“Good, we won't have to block another. One way in for the jail is best. I'll ask Liam to work on it. Capture loops I'll make myself after everything else is handled.”

“And Val? If he's caught within the walls of Temple Gate, planning your execution. Then what?”

“If she's caught, send her to jail. I'll either interrogate her or decide right then and there what's to be done.” Correcting something he noticed everyone did in Temple Gate at the mention of Val's gender.

“She? But Val's not-”

“No, but yes.” Trying to keep this as easy an explanation to someone not used to being open. “Maybe not in body, but that's who she is in soul. I won't fight what her soul says is true. Long as it doesn't hurt anyone, then there's no reason to deny what she knows is her true self.” He wasn't sure if he liked using souls as a part of it, but it was a simple start to open the door.

Marta did a sort of eye roll, but didn't argue. “As the angel says. If we capture her we'll bring her to jail and send you news of such then. What about any other Voltaire?”

“Hold them until I get there for interrogation. Unless it's a large group, then bring them to jail.”

All those Blake could save were safely migrated to the new quarantine. Mathew having done well with the tasks given to him. Passing out a bottle to everyone with only a couple of handfuls left over. Using a whole heap of other medical supplies him and Blake cleaned everyone before carefully re-wrapping them. Covered in fresh clean gauze surrounded by the sterile smell of cleaner or alcohol. Each given a simple mat bed, not as fancy as a hospital bed, but would have to do. Blake overlooked their grand handy work while Mathew spent time talking with his mother. The medicine wouldn't fix the damage done to her, but it would buy some time. There were groups of similar on the edge of death, but Blake saw they had enough life to help them out of the pit as much as he could. Their likelihood of fully rejoining Temple Gate wouldn't be possible. They'd be released from quarantine, but they would need full time care and couldn't work. Another thing atop his plate of planning. When everyone was settled he called their attention for the dreaded assembly of awkward sex ED. Explaining what they had, how it was passed and all the basics they should have gotten in an average middle school. Doing his best to answer the strange questions at the end. Hating that he'd have to repeat this for the rest of Temple Gate. He scrubbed himself down all over in a strict cleaning regime. Strong soap smelling heavily of citrus fruits. Then with alcohol before leaving quarantine. Instructing everyone else to scrub with soaps often as possible. Any leaving of quarantine could only be done by the medics, who had to do a thorough scrub down like him.

Pulling his chain mail off he looked over the damage done. Sections disconnected from the many arrows embedded into it. Having gotten the bolts free and the rest from the shooter he took the whole crossbow kit to John. Hiking up the mountain trail naturally developed from foot traffic.

Handing it off to be used for long range hunting. John highly praised Blake for it. “This will be perfect for deer if we come across any.”

“Glad you like it. Know how to use it?”

“Oh yeah, used to be a few in circulation. You can guess what happened to them. Laird and Nick were the last to have one. They even knew how to make 'em.”

“Guess that's why he never ran out of bolts, heh. I plan to have that meeting I meant to give earlier. Gather people at the grand hall on your way there.”

“Of course… Sir, I want to thank you for what you've done. For my family, my wife especially. Didn't think I'd ever see her after she was sent away. Or if I did, I'd be leaving my son behind.”

He smiled. “It's fine. Be happy and don't worry about it.” Waving goodbye back down the mountain trail.

Blake headed to Liam next about converting the basement after the houses were all fixed. Given permission to gather whatever wood he needed. As for the jail cells, metal bars were to be recycled from the cages Knoth used. Walls created from layering concrete and brick. Walls doubled up with doors if any escape attempts were made. A whole working set for plumbing to be installed. The whole power supply was independent from civilization. Their pipes connected to a massive underground well that naturally refilled come warm spring.

I really need to get on giving out those lord titles. Dragging his feet to the grand hall for the second sex ED class. It felt incredibly long and agonizing telling a bunch of adults this. Fleeing at the first chance he got when the older members filled in for answering the questions. At least not everyone was clueless about the sex life. Inside his room he carved out a few round disks from a white branch he had on the side. Sorting through who was dubbed a lord over what. Aiming this to be more official in some way he carved out a set of badges for each main category. Farming had the silhouette of a recessed bulls head with a carved stalk of wheat over it. Hunting had a bucks head with a berry branch similar to the farmers layered carving. town needs had a hammer surrounded by a carved ring of rope at its edge. health was the classic cross surrounded by a ring of carved olive branches. And guard he based off the classic sheriff star from old western movies he used to watch. Decorated with carved on fake stitch embroidery to simulate threaded leather. Taking time to loop a little wire over to thread each badge onto a chain. Inspecting the two inch disks for anything else to be added.

In hand he gathered up the people to be dubbed. Easy to gather everyone again after they stuck around since the last meeting. Ducking away from more sex questions being asked. Motioning everyone to sit back down while a select few stood on stage. At the podium he awkwardly started his announcement. After so many he still wasn't used to doing them. “Okay, I'm happy to see how far we've gotten. Places rebuilt, farms up and working again and people happy. Since things are growing so large to manage I decided to name a few lords under me. They will manage each sector I put them over and I trust them to make decisions without running to me every time. They will update me when there are large decisions needed. They will help with any issues they have and pass them up to me if serious enough. They'll be wearing one of these, so you know who each one is. They won't get any special treatment. They'll eat and live the same as everyone else.” Lifting up the dangling badges. “First is Marta, in charge of the guard to protect the town from inside and outer threats. James, in charge of farming to managing food stock and storage. John, in charge of hunting and foraging the surrounding land. Liam, for town needs. He will be building what we need or fixing what we have. Along with delivering major supplies from one end of town to the other. And finally Mathew, for health. He will run the hospital, care for the sick, distribute any future meds and keep track of any illness spreading.” Mathew wanted to be a lord and Blake felt he fit it best. He knew the young man wouldn't leave his mothers side needing permanent care. May as well make him in charge of the job to be nearby round the clock. Seeing him beam over the badge warmed Blake's heart that he made the right decision. Dismissing everyone except for the lords to give a meet up schedule. Every few days they'd meet to discuss things that were noteworthy, but could come to him anytime if they wanted.

For the next few weeks nothing much noteworthy happened. Houses were rebuilt from the rot to create nice fresh rows. The basement structure had its framing redone to make a safe inner space. Cells would be constructed later. Mathew was taking his position seriously by constantly giving updates from quarantine. Notifying Blake when they needed more medical supplies or cleaner to keep things sterilized. Updates that the ill were gaining weight after being put on a proper diet. Their sores were leaving alongside the rashes covering them. Major scarring was left over and most likely wouldn't leave for years. Taking up to covering themselves to hide the noticeable marks.

Marta's guard had been improving since being given the capture loops. Hunting down practice volunteers took less time each round. After seeing Blake's chainmail had survived multiple crossbow bolts they asked for a set themselves. To save time making six sets he taught them how to make it themselves on the side. Improved upon by braces of spare wood they collected from Liam and tanned hides John had set. Their new layered suits could protect from anything sharp for the most part. A cross bolt or two if that ever happened. Farms were flourishing through multiple crops Blake aimed to have harvested before the approaching winter. A huge chunk of the harvest would be picked for long time preservation. A selection of meat smoked and dried into batches of jerky. Stored away in jars in a fixed up barn. Numbers were recorded for Blake to copy down into a notebook. A breakdown of medical supplies used, food eaten, and how much money was flowing out of Temple Gate to get its footing. Worrying over the major amounts of cash they were bleeding. All necessary, but the money would run out eventually. And then what? The question haunted him in his dreams. Always delivered by Lynn, who was mutilated differently each time. Asking what he was still doing in Temple Gate. No matter the answer he yelled she refused to accept them. Stabbing him with insults of wanting her death. Keeping all the killers alive after all that they did. Gifting mercy on those who deserved an equally tortuous death that would come back to bite him.

These recurring dreams had soured what mood he had. Hiding it all behind false smiles to keep everyone else up. Neglecting his sleep to stay up late doing anything else but that. He still had a few weeks until the ill would get a health check. Those cleared would be integrated soon as possible. Splitting the head count across various areas, but that could change on the day. Blake rubbed his tired face checking over the copied food numbers. He wanted to be sure everything was copied over correctly or else he could end up panicking from messed up totals. Almost accidentally marking the page from urgent banging on his door.

One of the guard shouting through the door. “Sir, we caught a Voltaire!”

Blake jumped from his chair to the door. “Show me.” Racing out behind the other. Chest tightening at the thought of who it could be. “Is it Val?” She was to be taken to the jail when caught, but that wasn't set up yet. What will I do if it is?

His guard's answer calmed him. “No, a random.” They ran up to the guards surrounding the one snagged. Looking around he wondered what they were doing here. Nothing but a bunch of rotten buildings overtaken by nature.

Marta oversaw everything until Blake arrived. “Snagged him, skulking like a fox. No weapons on him, or anything else.” She approached Blake away from the captured. Whispering the next bit. “You can’t see Val, but he's watching from the hills nearby.”

“She and thank you.”

Marta sighed. “She.” Watching him pass to part the ring of guards.

He looked over the one caught, they were thin and small. Covered in various scar marks, eyes glaring right at Blake as he was kept pinned down. Loops tight around his neck and some at his legs. Blake set his hands on his hips. “What were you doing?” Starting his interrogation. Seeing already that this wasn't going anywhere.

One guard spoke up. “Let's use him for information. He's quiet now, but we can get answers out of him by morning. When we're done we can-”

“No, we're not doing that.” Blake wasn't willing to torture answers out of him and by the others stare he wasn't giving any answers willingly. He thought of skipping them and directly asking Val. That would be a gamble in itself. If this grunt had no worth she wouldn't answer, yet he must have some. She was hiding to see what would happen. A test of Blake's spine when handling threats? A wait and see, to see what would happen and nothing more?

“We should make an example of him.”

The hard glare of the looped one immediately dropped. Their tense shoulders slumped to what was being proposed.

“What has he done?”

“Nothing, yet.”

“Could say trespassing.” Another answered.

“I'd hardly call that something. Let him go.” He waved off.

“What?! We can't let him go. We caught him skulking around to do something.”

“To do what? There's nothing on him and he's hardly anywhere he could cause trouble.” Gesturing around to the old area left untouched still. Made up mainly of dirt with a few rotten abandoned shacks in between. Far from any space being used or lived by. “Why not go directly somewhere else?”

“He could have been sent in to spy.”

“All the Voltaire used to live here. They already know where everything is. What new information could he gain?”

“Find out where you sleep. Next one will be a sent in killer.”

“I'm sure they could figure that out from a distance. I go into the grand hall and never leave like everyone else. If sending in an assassin was so easy I'm sure Knoth would have been dead ages ago.”

“We should string him up as a warning to the others.” The first guard spoke. “We let this one go and they'll push us further next time.”

Agreed by the second guard. “Set on a pyre would be seeable for miles. Even from the mountains they could-”

“No! We're not doing any of that!” Blake roared to shut the conversation down. “He's done nothing but step into an abandoned area. If someone else comes and does something then that'd be worthy of a punishment.” When they passed looks to each other Blake knew they disagreed. Marta passed him a look in asking if she should settle the dispute for him. It would have been easy, but not good for the long run. “Alright, choose what you want to do with him. I'll use that as the base for what each of your punishments will be. I know a few of you here did a lot more than trespassing. Some of you remember well what Knoth decided when he imprisoned you. How did it feel all the way until I freed you? What were your crimes that he decided were so heinous? That ceremony to free you of your sins only stays so long as you change. Do you want to decorate the town with new bodies? You still think trespassing is worth killing over?” They glanced at each other, shifting themselves to downward looks. Avoiding Blake's judging stare aimed at each of them. “Let him go.” This time the order wasn't argued. Loops slipped off before the released was shooed away. Stepped after by Marta up to the border to make sure they were chased out. Blake caught a glimpse of Val reuniting with the other before they ran off.

He had the guard spread out again while he went to sleep for the night. His actions strange consequences becoming known within a matter of days. Val had been spotted repeatedly watching Temple Gate far off in the distance. Reports from Marta kept him aware of each time and place she was spotted. Never seen at night or with any other Voltaire at any time. Marta's paranoia about it still too high; she enforced her guard shifting their routes constantly. In case Val was attempting to study that for a time to attack. Creating a bland map off guesswork Blake pinned the spots she appeared. Not finding out much from it.

While in the dining hall he spotted her from a window. Standing in one of her common spots on the horizon. They were the best spots to get a view of Temple Gate without getting too close to its edge. While avoiding being too far and high on the mountain to see people as specks. He questioned what she wanted. She should know where everything is, at least by now if not before. Does she want something? Turned toward the idea of maybe she wanted to speak with him. No, what would I say to her and what would she ask of me? Speak some crass words or drone on about joining her side? Stomach dropping as if he ate a boulder at the idea of meeting her face to face. Either stabbed by her knife or grabbed by her hands. Feeling him up again while pinned beneath her. Blocking out the idea she'd want to join him instead. No, she wouldn't want that. Shoving away any concept of how to integrate them. He'd prefer focusing on integrating the healed as that day grew closer. Only nine more days. Nervous about how well things would go. He explained everything, but people were still fearful of those recovering. Would he need to separate the groups to prevent fights? Would separating the two help or make things worse? What if everyone refused to work unless the healed were sent away. He had a duty to be their protector, to ensure they were treated fairly in Temple Gate after so long.

He rubbed away a migraine forming at the front of his skull. Hand dropping when he was approached by a group of men. One stepping forward to make a request Blake hadn't experienced before. “Sir, can you official a marriage?”

“Uh ...” I'm not a priest, but it's not like Knoth was. Guess anything goes. “Sure? When's the wedding? What do I do?”

“Don't have much weddings around here. Knoth made 'em official between the families attending in a church. Says a few words from his gospel. Nothin' else than that.”

At least it sounds easy. “I can do that. Won’t be from his book and I'll have to do it in the grand hall instead.”

“Close enough. We'll fetch the bride and groom.”

“I'll be here.” What do priests say at the altar? He pondered as the group left him. Do you take each other in sickness, health and blah blah. I now pronounce you, is that it? God, I remember it being so much longer than that. I was all over the place at my wedding though. Making sure Lynn wasn't stressed. Heh, she was doing the same. Maybe more, I was the nervous wreck through all that. Feel bad for the photographer. How many times did I ask to see the photos? Making adjustments to have Lynn look perfect. That's what happens when you're your wife's camera man. She had to lure me away from that poor guy using a tray of appetizers. Coming out of his thoughts by the group returning. Introductions passed back and forth between the families and Blake.

His pleasantry cut when he met the bride. “Claire.” Introducing herself. A girl looking far too young.

With a groom far too old. “Don.”

Blake stood frozen at what was going on. “Uh, … How old are you?”

“Sixteen.” She kept her head low, eyes scouring the floor for nothing in particular. Avoiding all the older men surrounding her. Shooting her warning looks now and again.

Refusing to support this he stated without hesitation “I'm not marrying you.”

“Why not?” Don asked. “Is it 'cause you didn't oversee the sale? We can go over the trade right now.”

“She's too young.”

“she's sixteen, old 'nough to marry.

Her own father stepped up in agreement. “She's not lookin' at anyone else, thought his offer was fair. So he should get her. Before she gets too old to have kids. 'less you actually want her, but you gotta offer more than Don.”

Blake had to grit his teeth together. “I don't support child marriages.” Holding his temper coming to a roaring boil. “Not in my book.”

“What's the problem? She has to settle down soon and I want 'er.”

“What aren't you getting?! First of all, you can't buy anyone to be your wife! Second, You can't marry until both sides are at least eighteen.”

Marta's appearance briefly paused the argument. The men waited for her to do anything. Glancing from her to Blake when nothing happened.

“Tsk, fine. We'll make our wedding set in bed. Doubt you could officialize it anyways.” Regretting his words under Marta's stare.

Blake yanked the girl away. “Like hell I'm letting that happen.” Feeling bad about needing to do it roughly, but they were ready to yank her back. Letting go after Marta stepped forward to intimidate them back.

“You gonna let her die alone? She needs a husband.”

“No she doesn't.” Growling out his frustration. “You're lucky the jails not finished yet or I'd throw you in there!”

“Jail for what?!”

The fact that Marta also seemed a little confused worried him. Reasons clicking into place. I'm not in the outside. He sighed before giving a break down. “No one has to marry anyone they don't want. If they want to be alone their whole life, that's fine. Men and women can freely make that choice on their own. You can't claim someone for any reason.”

“How else are we expected to start families? If we let them choose then nobody will get married. Worse, we'll have whores running amok with every man they seduce. Destroying households until there won't be any left.”

“Doubtful.” Blake wasn't going to let this conversation go on. “I'm telling you right now. No-ones allowed to claim anybody. You want to get married so bad? Find a girl that'd actually like you.” An impossible task for him. That I'm sure of. “What you did won't be allowed anymore while I'm in charge. I won't be letting you walk off after this either. You can help James on the field for the next few months. Rise early and leave late, removing all the rocks and weeds.”

“Why should I?! I did nothing wrong! This is how it's always been done! You can't take away-”

“Bite that tongue of yours.” Marta quieted him immediately. “You heard him. Get going before he chooses somethin' worse.”

The man glared between her and him, taking her advice to skitter off alongside the others. Blake turned to the girl, who flinched at his movement. He spoke softly to her. “You don't have to marry him. Or anyone else your father says you should. He can't sell you, I won't allow that.” She thanked him quietly, saying nothing more. He grit his teeth in anger over what happened. Switching to Marta to focus some of it. “Why didn't you say anything?”

Her brows furrowed, tapping the cane on her shoulder then giving a half shrug. “That's the way?” Her statement hinting at her confusion.

“... Well, it shouldn't. It's not allowed anymore… Knoth allowed a lot of things that I don't condone. Fathers marrying daughters was one I remember reading.”

“That was only allowed if their wife's passed first. Polygamy wasn't allowed even in marriage.”

“That's not the point… Do you support it?”

Marta's face crinkled, mumbling in whispers. “That's … how it's been. Knoth wanted the congregation to grow. A holy army ready for war when the end came. Even more so after the ranches fall with so many taken away from us. Outside law was dropped for his holy law to take full effect once Temple Gate was settled.” Sounding tired as she droned on a teaching hammered into her. “It's just always been the way, even for me back on the ranch. I owed Knoth for what he gave me.”

“Nobody can own you.”

“My body and my soul always belong to Knoth. Knoth's eye, Knoth's hound, his best beloved to name a few of my titles. Everything but the wedding ring to finalize it between me and him. He didn't want us to be, nor any other women of the flock for him. Due to his higher callin', but he finalized a few suitors he chose for me. None of 'em lasted after some great struggles.”

“… I want to make it clear you can't belong to someone because they did something for you. You don't belong to me, never will. Knoth's gone, you're free, you can say what you want.”

She froze, statue-like, breath held while watching him over the long moment. Blake thought he'd have to repeat the question. Is she looking for an answer from me first? Agree with me no matter what she really thought. Hmm, that's how it's been. Tempted to nudge her in the right direction, but it was better said straight by her.

Minutes stretched on, then she answered. “No, I'd rather see it gone.”

He lightly smiled and nodded. Turning to the girl standing quietly by. Can't let her go home. Asking Marta for suggestions. “Are there any abandoned houses nearby? Ones that aren't falling apart?”

“Few in the forest not far.”

“Good.” Addressing them both. “I'm not letting you stay near those creeps or with your dad, who showed support for that. You're moving into a new place. If you want anything from your old home, Marta will escort you there to grab what you want and escort you to your new home. They try to stop you, Marta gets to break their legs. They can't harass you either, tell me or Marta if they try.”

Her voice was quiet. “You don't have to do that. I'm expected to marry by my age.”

“I am and you shouldn't. Marry who you want when you're old enough… Ah, eighteen years old, minimum.” I'll have to do a major announcement for law changes. Back to speaking solely to Marta. “What other stuff did Knoth support? There's a lot I want to see gone. Anything you didn't like that stands out immediately?”

Her eyes widened in a short flash. gaze darting around in a rush to search for something deep in memory. Appearing to have a lot to say, but crushed under the weight of it all in a short instance.

“A lot of stuff then? We can sit down and list them.”

“If you have the time for it all.”

“I do. Help her get settled first then let's go talk at the hall.”

By afternoon, Blake ended up finding out just how much there was to toss or change. His few pieces of paper to take notes turned into its own little book with categories he marked. Many disgusting laws he outright crossed off with others, being not so bad. Needed minor twerking. Marta was a lexicon of everything Knoth ever put into place down to the very day. His laws started out reasonable such as those trained to drive could only move the heavy tractors. Turning more deluded and sickening in the more recent years. Many more were obviously “rules for thee, but not for me.” Like Knoth having many “visitors” in the bedroom without restrictions to women or men. Yet, a common villager had to find a wife to have as many children as possible. No other relationships were allowed.

He went through them all, showing the old vs the renewed to best see his changes. Marta seemed satisfied with a lot of them while others she liked a little less so. Being apprehensive about the concept of parole instead of strictly jail time. “It's always been like that on the outside.”

“Sounds like baby sitting to me. Waste our time watchin' them before they've truly paid for what They've done. Keep 'em in jail 'till they've really learned.”

“As opposed to babysitting them in a cell?”

“Least they're in one place.”

“If they're out, you won't have to feed them all the time.”

“Mm.” She hummed out a light agreement. “When you putting this up?”

“Immediately.”

“All of it? That's a lot to chew in a day.”

“Yes. I don't want people thinking any of this is okay for a day more.” Copying things to a fresh page. “I'll make a few copies to pass out. Can't make one for everybody, 'least not right now.”

“We better make sure you ain't in grabbing distance when you talk. Lot of folks won't take the changes sitting down.”

He nodded between copying. “If things do go south...” He started. Hands turned cold for no reason he stopped writing.

“I'll be with the guard.”

“But should you?”

“You don't want me to be?”

“I don't want anyone dying. Especially not to you. If it gets bad enough-”

“I can do a lot more than kill.” Interrupting him. “I did it because those were my orders. Without those shackles holdin' me back. people will realize they got more to fear now then before.”

“I don't want people to be scared either.” Tapping the book with his pen.

“Fear keeps them in line, but that was Knoth's way. You've managed to find your own to work with. I pray you'll find a way with this too.”

“Thanks. Guess I'll pray too.” Continuing to copy he joked. “Maybe God will save my ass for the twelfth time.”

“Wouldn't hurt.”

“I might be doing this for a while. Can you tell the lords there will be another assembly today. Have them spread the word.”

“What time?”

“Let's say after dinner. I should have at least a few copy's done by then.”

She dipped her head, leaving him to his copying alone. It took him a few hours to make twelve copies of the law book before dinner. One he'd keep personally, one for Marta to keep, one for the guard to study together. As for the rest, some would be left in the hall for people to reference and others kept in case the others disappeared for any reason. Coming up was the harder part, another assembly that had Marta stand beside her guards. The other lords John, Mathew, Liam and James sat toward the front. Blake stood at the podium flicking his hand and stretching it open and closed into a fist. Copying a thick book for hours had strained it. Its sore movement provided a small distraction from his rattled nerves. Repeatedly flexing the strain away in waiting for everyone to sit before starting.

“Today I had to get involved with an issue,” He started. “One about marriage and how it's conducted around here along with the general treatment of women. A toxic black spot left over from Knoth that I need to fix right away. Along with many other laws and views he supported and left behind after his death. Many of those I will not tolerate. I should have fixed this sooner, but I'm doing it now.” He went on through the long assembly. Bringing up the new rule book and many of the big changes it stated. He expected the backlash developing further with each new law, but not the equal defense against the naysayers.

It shot off after some aggressive shouting between a few men. Some on both sides of the room stood up to face one another. “We're supposed to let women run around without husbands. Letting them be a bunch of whores?”

“What do you think they're going to do without a husband? They're women, not succubi! Let them out of the homes and work with us. We could use more hands in the fields. No point forcing a woman to cook at home when you can't bring food to it.”

“I'm not working next to some dumb bitch who can't tell a weed from a growing crop.”

James stood up and scoffed. “Boy, you couldn't tell a carrot from a tree root. Let the women decide if they wanna. If they decide not to then nothings changed now has it?”

“Why change anything at all? This is how things have always been.”

John stood up next.“And how's that been working for us? How high is our body count? Take a look around, how many women we got left? We're lucky Knoth didn't force us to kill the last of them.”

James added on. “We'd have no future at all if they all went. What Knoth created had Temple Gate dying a slow death. We got a chance to change things that I thought would never come. Weather hell comes or not, I'm not missin' this.”

Liam stood on the other side. “Sure, let's change things to help Temple Gate grow. Should make the chains tighter and keep 'em on a curfew. Escorts out of the house by their fathers or husbands only.”

Blake shot that down immediately. “Never.”

Another snapped back. “And what if the girls refuse every hand offered to them? We shrug our shoulders -oh well- and watch our town die out after forty years?”

“I rather see that then this town turn toward sex slavery!” James shouted. “You don't want it for that family angle you keep flashing.”

“Of course we want family's.” Liam stated. “It's the only way this town can keep going.”

“Keep going how exactly, through marrying kids, through birthing more babies?” Room going hush at the word. One side far calmer than the other shifting on their feet. “Look at all of you. You're terrified at the mention of them. Eventually, one's gonna arrive and you'll have to take Knoth's false words or accept them for Temple Gates' future. You dumbass's forget what kids were?”

“We ain't forget.” One spoke. “We got a plan together around that.”

Another joined. “If we lock up the girls, get 'em all pregnant, we would know which one bares the Antichrist. Then we-”

“NO!” Blake roared everyone quiet. “NEVER EVER! If I hear one more suggestion like that from someone I will kill them personally myself!”

“You won't do anything. making up all these useless rules, wastin' our time. I ain't following a one. Anyone who ain't married needs to pick a wife. When the Antichrist is found, it'll be killed, then we'll raise the rest. Get the girls married quick, start them young to keep our-”

“SHUT UP!” Kids being targeted next had him snap. Vision filled by a blur of red he attacked the man. Punching into him, clawing and thrashing across the floor. Bashing into many others between their fighting. Whole hall exploding into a riot had Marta lose him in the outbreak. Forced to start grabbing and separating everyone as her guards did the same. One pulled out a knife on James, who got a few slashes to his arms. Forced back he fell over a table, flinching in expectation of a stab to the gut. Instead he heard a shriek of pain. He opened his eyes to see Marta had snapped the attackers leg backwards at the knee. Shoving them against the wall. “Sit and don't move.” Turning to face the crowd again in yanking people away. Any attackers that challenged her wrath were dealt with aggressively. Broken limbs, jaws, physically thrown over her head into the furniture. James and John took to moving the unconscious and broken out of the way.

Even as she was clearing a chunk of the crowd, she still had no sight of Blake. Who was still beating down the man on the floor. Rage dying to exhaustion, hand numb by the strain, his death threat earlier wasn't coming as easy as he wanted it to. When he slowed the other took his chance of a bottle falling off the bar top counter. Smashing it over Blake's head who flinched from the sharp glass. A liquid fell from his head that he expected to be beer. Its red color let him know what it really was. A large pain burned across his head that he couldn't figure out before being punched off the one under him. He slammed into a roll that didn't go far. A knee slammed into his side knocking him over further. Covering his head that spun after receiving some heavy punches. Arms grabbed to be forced away for the punches to connect with his skull. Teeth clacking together he was sure he tasted blood off his bit lip. Struggling to get up with the one above straddled over his back.

Between every other person fighting he wasn't sure what he heard over him. Some strange breath then a gurgle. A warm liquid water falling onto the back of his neck. The weight of the other slumped off him onto the floor next to him. Blake sat up at the sight of the other gripping their stabbed throat. In a moment they stopped twitching to bleed out the last few drops. Blake felt across the back of his neck and saw the blood that wasn't his own. Wiping it away using his own sleeve he was disgusted by how much there was on him. Head whipping around to see who could have done it; nobody stood out to him. Standing up from the floor his appearance stunned everyone still. Being the only one soaked in blood he stood out like a glowing beacon. Dead body bled out laid by his feet as proof it wasn't his own blood spilt.

Without anyone else covered in red he couldn't pinpoint the possible killer. Everyone equally a suspect unless they gave themselves up. Zoning back from his fixation of a killer in the room he noticed everyone staring at him. Locked on in fearful awe that he did exactly as he said he would. Swallowing the taste of copper he spoke to the stilled room. “Anyone else got something to say?” Scanning the room carefully for hints of the killer rather than another debater. “No? Then get the fuck out!” Pointing toward the door.

Main parts of the crowd shuffled out straight home. Marta turned to the guard members standing nearby. “Take all those idiots to the hospital.” Pointing to the line up of those she personally injured. She stood by Blake alongside John, James, and Liam. When it was only them she looked from the corpse to Blake. “You didn't kill him.” the others squinted between Blake and her.

“How are you sure?” John asked.

“He couldn't kill anyone to save his life.”

“No, I didn't. I didn't see who did it either. Did one of you-” Each shook their heads.

“James and John were by me. Liam stayed on the stage after I threatened to break his legs.”

He glanced around, asking next. “Where's Mathew?”

“He ran out soon after the fight started.”

“Shit.” He knelt down to look closer at the body.

“Does it matter?” Liam asked. “You wanted him dead.”

“Yes, but If I'd killed him then I'd only have to worry about my own sanity. Now I have to worry about what kind of killers out there.” Ignoring all the old murders. On closer inspection of the man's neck, he saw a yellowed white piece sticking out. Plucking it out he gave the sharp hard sliver a careful wipe down. “This a porcupine quill?” Standing to show everyone the item in his palm.

Marta picked it up for a careful glance. “It's bone.”

“Bone?” Glancing at the body. “Can't have come from him.”

“No. This is a bit old based on the whitening.” Passing it back to Blake.

Snapping open a pocket he carefully placed it away. “We should find Mathew. Maybe he saw something.”

John leading the way. “I bet he ran home. I always tell him to go there if there's trouble.”

A short walk had them approaching John's house. A small white house with a short covered porch. Its outer paneling hadn't aged gracefully with rot and peeling paint making its appearance. John stepped inside, followed by everyone else to find Mathew stressed out at the dining table. “You okay?”

“I guess.”

“You should drink something.” Fetching a glass of water.

“I don't need- !” Shot up from his chair when he saw Blake still coated in blood. “What happened?!”

“Was in a fight, but someone killed the guy. You see anything?”

“N-no. I ran out soon everyone stared fightin'. Came r-right home.”

“You sure?”

Mathew nodded, taking the glass of water from his dad.

“Okay, if you remember anything. Come tell me or Marta.” Looking to the tall woman, her eyes locked into glaring down the boy. “Come on Marta.” Lightly waving her to leave. Even when she turned away her eyes stayed locked on Mathew. Broken past the doorway out of each other's sights. Blake rubbed his face then gagged at the blood smearing further. “I'm going to get cleaned. James, can you handle the body? Marta, you should patrol. In case anything else happens.” Giving out orders through his worsening exhaustion. Tired brain struggling to grasp the answers his lords gave while walking off.

Next morning he felt fresher after last night's deep scrub. Sleep however had slipped away from his grasp. Nightmares of being stalked just before being killed were the recent ones. Better than seeing that fleshy creep at the school. Trying to stay optimistic in his zoned out brain. Zoning back he took in that he was looking out the front window of the grand hall. What was I doing before?… Oh yeah. Seeing that fleck of gold on the horizon. Val, in her usual spot in the mornings.

“Sir, you doing alright?” John approached Blake, who didn't look too well.

“Yeah, brains just been buzzing with all the stuff I have to do. worrying about what's going on in here… what's out there.” Tipping his head up.

John followed his gaze, giving a hum of understanding when spotting Val. “You dealt with them before, right? What do you plan to do with them?”

He sighed. “I don't know.”

“Going to kill them?”

Dull and tired, he was open to suggestions. “Should I?” Swallowing in regret of his question. “ I… I didn't mean that.”

“Hm, most people would. Why don't you?”

“... I don't know. Willing to look away from a lot of things already? I've read a lot of notes left by people. Some from … I wasn't there, but I read what happened. The children cull, the suicides, the guilt everyone admitted too but had no one to turn too. Knoth swept it under the rug as sins or else marked them traitors for death. How much of it was them or how much of it was Knoth's crushing choke hold? Would this town have gone so crazy if someone else stepped up?”

“Like you are?”

“Maybe… I guess. I'm not a leader, I couldn't even save one person.”

“You helped all those in quarantine.”

“That's different.” Looking down at the ring on his finger.

“Ah… I can't speak for everyone, but a lot of us didn't want this to happen. We tried to make things better, help each other, while some- I can't say what they wanted. Nightmares gripped us in every waking moment. Knoth always told us it was our sins finding us and maybe it was? Could say it was us feeling guilt for all that we've done. I like to think of it as showing we still have a conscience left in us, despite everything. Some of us who committed the cruelest things wished we really hadn't… Marta was one of those and I'm sure there are others. For all those who show regret, will you forgive them?”

“Hard to say. Some of the things Knoth supported I can't ignore. I'll have to deal with those too if they start showing up again.” He sighed. “If they really do regret what they've done and change for the better. Then I have nothing to go after them for.”

“I'm willing to help and I'm sure many others are too.”

“Thanks John.”

[elitehomewarranty]

Deny The Myths And Embrace The Facts Of The Home Warranty System

There are tons of myths related to home warranty systems and you need to find the facts behind them. This way, you can understand the reality behind the myths and use it for your own advantage.

When you are home owner of a responsible household you will have to take care of a lot of different things. It is very important for you to look for the responsibilities that would help me to keep the house safe and maintained. Therefore the best way to maintain your household is to pay the mortgage properly and look for constant repairs should there be any needed for your home. Therefore it is important for you to take the help of a home warranty service that will protect your house from minor or major repairs. But there are many myths associated with warranty services which is the reason many customers do not want to take the service immediately after getting a home. The aim of the article is to remove all the myths that surround the home warranty system. When you understand the reality of the facts of home warranty then it will be easier for you to take advantage of it.

Myth 1: home warranty and home insurance are the same

One of the biggest myths about home warranty is that many people think that it is similar to Home insurance. Home insurance will cover the cost of the house that is related to the structure and external damages. If your house encounters any fire or theft or is ruined by natural disasters then it will be covered by Home insurance. But it is not similar to a warranty for your house. Warranty will take care of the internal damage of any of the household items of your house that need to be repaired or replaced by a skilled technician. Therefore if your plumbing system electric facility or any other electronic devices of the house gets broken then it will be covered by the home warranty services. Most of the time our houses can face internal damage due to a lack of a proper electric wiring system and it will not come under the coverage of Home insurance. In these cases, you will be required to have a warranty for your internal household items that will be fixed immediately.

Myth 2: home warranties cover everything

Although home warranties will cover most of your internal household items it has its limitations and exclusions. It will not cover each and every item of your household but only the typical items like plumbing electric or HVAC systems. Some of the home warranty coverage can also include the washer, oven, refrigerator, dryer, etc. But it will not take care of any pre-existing condition before you have taken the warranty for the house. If there is any damage already existing of any of the household items then the home warranty will not take care of it and you will have to fix it on your own. At the same time depending on the coverage limit and annual payment that you are making the warranty plan will differ from one to another. Also depending on the company the I don't service will be limited. Therefore you cannot expect a home warranty to fix everything at your house.

Myth 3: home warranty is beneficial for sellers

The truth is that the home warranty will benefit both the seller and the buyer of the house. Be it the buyer or the sailor in the home warranty services will fix the repairs of internal items of the house that will be used by the buyer and seller. The people who are purchasing the house will get customized coverage for the entire house and its internal systems. At the same time having a home warranty plan for your entire house will be a very lucrative point for the prospective buyers. This way the point proves that the home warranty services can be equally beneficial for the buyers and sellers because both can enjoy the benefits out of it.

Myth 4: home warranty increases expenses

Many people believe that a home warranty system can be quite expensive along with the other charges that they have to bear for the house. On the other hand, if you have to fix any small repair of any of the internal items of the house you will have to go to a great length of expenses that can ruin your budget. Every individual has a proper budget settled for their annual expenditure and any broken items or emergency fixture can disrupt it. But when you have a home warranty plan for your house, you're paying annual fees for it. This way any shortcomings or emergency damages will be under the warranty coverage and the company will send you a technician to fix it. This way you will not have to spend extra money from your annual budget.

Myth 5: claims are often denied

The providers of home warranty services will abide by their contractual obligation where only the selected items will be eligible for repair or replacement. Therefore if a consumer claims for any item that is not in the list of the warranty plans then the company cannot fix it. You will have to keep in mind that only items included in your warranty coverage will be checked by the policy. Therefore you need to be more understanding about the coverage and maintenance of your house for a smooth process.

Therefore you need to understand the policy more minutely for a better understanding of the overall policy. This will help you to be more considerate about your home warranty plans and you will be able to understand the benefits of it. When you understand the facts it is much better for you to claim the proper requirement or replacement of your household items and you will not be fooled by it. Hence, you need to see beyond the common myths and look at the bigger picture it presents in the long run.

[progressivemother]

Renovating our home on a budget and with kids

Renovating can be expensive! From the cost of materials, labour, the condition of the existing space and any unforeseen issues, the cost can add up and exceed what was originally budgeted for.

Right now we are working on our bathroom. We have many areas we need to work on. This includes the upstairs bathroom, the back yard, the siding, etc. Most areas mainly need to be painted and maybe have the baseboards replaced. The playroom downstairs and the hallway need to have hardwood flooring, so we need to replace the carpet. Otherwise, the largest project indoors is that bathroom.

The last owner did the entire bathroom as cheaply as possible and it completely destroyed the floor and the piping was done incorrectly. We had the house inspected but I don't think they do into that much detail, so there wasn't much we could do and we didn't notice anything wrong for around two years.

The important first distinction to know is whether we were undergoing a structural or cosmetic upgrade, or both. Structural renos involve changing the floorplan, adding rooms, changing wiring/plumbing and significant upgrades or repairs to the bones of the home. Cosmetic renovations include changes such as furnishing, paint, fixtures, flooring, basic hardware and décor. Many renovations will combine elements of both so detailed and itemised quotes is our friend and we can balance or change the purpose of our renovation to suit how much we can afford.

I do the budgeting. I have looked at many details for this bathroom. We found a fairly priced tile we love and that will match the plan for the decoration. We also decided on a shower instead of a bathtub. It is actually much cheaper than a tub, especially with just a pan. Grand total for that is around $450. The same tile is being used for the floor. The toilet and vanity are both just fine, so they do not need to be replaced. I can repaint them the color I want. I already have all of the decorations as well. Decorations do not need to be expensive. Check out yard sells and thrift stores. They do have amazing items.

I did the livingroom and kitchen on a budget. I took on furniture we already owned, such as the television stand and coffee table, and repainted them to the color I wanted. I got picture frames from the family dollar and decorations on the cheap side. I painted the walls on a budget. They are all grey with an accent blue wall. The kitchen was painted green. The cupboards were already replaced by the last owner and after checking them, we realized he actually put those in correctly. The only thing we have to worry about it a large rug and appliences. Those can be found for great prices. There are placed that get used items and refurbish them. You can get something for much less than needed.

Now for budgeting advice. Keep the dollars to a manageable level is to budget properly. Yes, this takes time, but if you need to be strict on cash, it’s well worth it. Consider the cost of labour, appliances, cabinetry and hardware and balance these costs. Get a range of quotes from people who will be doing the work such as cabinet makers, plumbers, tilers and electricians or do it yourself. There’s little point in spending all your cash on gadgets and having to neglect another area like cupboards. If you have your whole design costed and it’s still too expensive, you will have to make some compromises. It doesn’t mean you’ll never have your dream bathroom or kitchen, but maybe plan it in stages. My husband, family, and friends are all pitching in and we are doing it ourselves.

Once you have your design and products selected, you can opt to bargain hunt. Another time-dependant exercise, but discount outlets, end of year sales and even second hand options can help you save big dollars on great quality materials, fixtures and hardware that will reduce your cost. With a little research and commitment to your project, you can save on costs without sacrificing quality.

For Kids. Planning the timing of your renovations will be a saving grace. While renovating during the summer months is more attractive, try to schedule it outside of vacation time. If you plan your renovation while the kids are in school, you’ll have more room for dust and noise to get in the way.

Yet, after-school activities and dinners at the grandparents’ place can help create a safe environment when the kids are away. Plus, your children will have much time to unwind, especially when extra work needs finishing.

When we don't have these options, we usually have them hang out somewhere else out of the way. For example, we are renovating the upstairs bathroom. They stay downstairs in the playroom and if they need something, I will bring it down.

Expect a lot of dust and debris during your home renovation. Keep it contained. The bathroom door stays closed at all times while we are renovating. We clean as we go. Everything is cleaned up before we move on. Therefore, it’s crucial to invest in storage bins and covers for your furniture. This way, you won’t have to do extra work for yourself when cleaning.

There’s no doubt about the fact that home renovations are notably stressful. But if you budget, keep a routine, keep the kids out of the way but be there when they need you, incorporate some family time, prep meals, and keep things as clean as you can; it will be easier to deal with.

[400legends]

"Dauntari - Where Adventure Begins" (Day 175)

"That's the guy?" Requiem studied the image on my handheld.

"Garty O'Brien in the flesh," I said.

"That's a lot of flesh," added Cosmic Peanut from over my shoulder.

The captain was not wrong. The man on the screen, the manager of Dauntari's casino, was clad only in a pair of puffy pantaloons. His muscled chest, shoulders, and arms were bare and glistening.

"What are we seeing here? If I can ask that." Merrin stood beside the captain, and I turned to answer her. "I hacked into the casino's security system. Their security is sub-optimal."

"May I?" Merrin held out her hand, and I passed the device to her. After a minute's study she said, "You're being a little modest, my friend. Some of these caches.... Blueprints, wiring, cameras. You even have the plumbing schematics."

"I doubt we'll need those." I shrugged.

"I hope we don't need those," said Requiem.

"You're expecting trouble?" Esmae turned off her screen and joined the group. "I'm in."

Merrin returned my device, saying, ""Dauntari: where adventure begins.'" She made air quotes with her fingers.

"Is that their thing? Huh." The captain grinned. "It's been too long since I.... adventured."

"Captain, we are approaching Dauntari controlled airspace."

"Steady as she goes," replied Cosmic Peanut. To us she said, "We're gonna relax, eat. Requiem will sing. We'll buy some VR gear, and you know, relax."

"I have never played a game of chance though I have, oddly enough, been to two casinos in my short time alive."

Merrin grinned at me. "Blackjack. That's the game to play. It's a balance of luck and skill."

"Roulette," said Cosmic Peanut. "All luck, no skill."

EDI interrupted whatever Merrin was going to say with, “Captain, do we have reservations?” 

"Open the channel. Ah, Dauntari, this is Captain Cosmic Peanut. I'm transporting intergalactic pop star and singing sensation Requiem (she wiggled her eyebrows at Requiem) to her gig at your casino. Uh, Garry--"

"Garty," I interjected. "O'Brien."

"Garty O'Brien is expecting us."

"Roger that. I see that we have your VIN. You are cleared to land at The Spire."

As I stowed my handheld, I saw that O'Brien's previously empty office was now crowded with half a dozen people of various races. I didn't have sound, but I could see people laughing uproariously at something O'Brien had said. I was looking forward to meeting the man.

As we left Malaka, Esmae said, "Anyone else hungry?"

"I could--" Before the captain could finish her sentence a small blue light sparked to life in front of her. A holograph of a Piranthi woman swayed in front of Cosmic Peanut. "Delight in D/Lish!" the holograph whispered. "Dauntari's newest restaurant - the creation of the galaxy's most creative chef - awaits you." She waved her hand and images of food danced around her. "Only the mind of Chef Silua, Lucia's most famous castaway, could create the meals that await you." An image of a ruggedly handsome Maeshari man replaced the food. "Come, come to..... D/Lish!" With that, the holograph shimmered into nothingness.

"What the hell was that?"

Before anyone could answer Cosmic Peanut, Requiem groaned. "I just got a text from my boyfriend asking me to get tickets for Requiem's concert tomorrow. She - I - am the, quote, 'Voice of the fallen angels of Hanadaria.'"

"Is that a joke?" asked Esmae.

"Nah, it's e-ads," said Merrin. "Enhanced advertisement? I worked on some campaigns way back. Texts, holograms, you name it."

"Captain, I believe that Chef Silua is one and the same our savior Silua from Lucia. He found me in the sleet storm after our pods crashed to the planet."

"The cutie I went sea diving with? He's done well for himself." She glanced around, seeming to take in the polished marble walls with golden accents.

"Yes and in only 6 weeks' time," I said. "I would enjoy going to the restaurant, if only to renew our acquaintance."

The captain's eyes twinkled, and I knew she was about to make some suggestive comment about the man who had returned us to space after our battle with the Veeruxian scout ships. But before she could, two white robed Luonn Tua approached Requiem and bowed. "Mistress, your accommodations await."

They led us to an elevator and shepherded us inside. One bowed to the other, who then produced a black card from his sleeve. He punched in a code and swiped the card. Immediately the elevator began to move sideways before moving up at a rapid pace. The walls and floor turned translucent, and I saw that we were about 200 feet above the casino roof.

The elevator slowed, the doors opened, and a shirtless man wearing green pantaloons stepped forward. He lifted the glass he had in one hand. "Darling. Welcome. Welcome, one and all. To Requiem, our budding superstar!" He took a sip and laughed. "Come in, come in. I won't bite.... Unless you ask." He bowed. "I am your humble host, Garty O'Brien. You," he pointed at Cosmic Peanut, "can call me Gar." He winked and grinned.

Chickpea bruschetta with sun dried tomatoes

1 can (14oz/400 grams) chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1 baguette or rustic bread 2 Tbsp chopped parsley leaves, plus extra to serve 6 sun dried tomatoes, drained and chopped 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or olive oil, plus extra to serve 1 Tbsp lemon juice 2 garlic cloves, peeled 1/4 tsp fine salt, or according to taste black pepper, to taste