#and didn’t automatically assume that I am choosing not to drink water because I am a fat monster that only consumes soda

[theloserarmy]

Rant about my water intake lol

One of the weirdest regular interactions I have is strangers and near strangers (as well as friends and family, but I love them so it’s less bad) being super comfortable commenting on my water intake. I know it’s a huge thing right now and a hot button issue but I really struggle with the texture and flavor of water. Juice is okay sometimes! Carbonated drinks are texturally much better for me personally which means I drink A Lot of soda in an attempt to remain hydrated. A lot of it is diet soda, and a lot of it is seltzer water in an attempt not to just be ingesting liquid sugar all the time. The optics aren’t great because I am a fat person drinking lots of soda but Jesus I wish people didn’t think it was their business I am tired of explaining myself and getting advise that I have tried before and it didn’t work. I wish people trusted that I am an adult and doing what works for me. I do try to drink water when I can. If I try to drink water when I can’t I will throw up it’s not really a matter of ‘just doing it’ I am so tired of people who don’t live in my body not trusting my experience of living in it. If I make my liquid intake dependent on my water intake I will simply not drink anything! I’ve tried! I’m tired! Trust me!!!!!!

[mycomfortblanket]

Written in Ink chap 4

Toph isn’t completely sure what makes her wake up so early, but she knows it’s going to be one of those mornings where she can’t go back to sleep no matter how hard she tries. She can feel Aang’s body pressed up behind her and judging from his deep and even breaths that she can feel on the back of her neck, he is still asleep.

Turning her face more into the pillow, she inhales his scent from the fabric, and hopes that she can maybe pass out from lack of oxygen by doing this so that she can go back to sleep.

Pushing her head further into the pillow is when she feels it. The hardness that is pressing just below the swell of her ass. When she had leaned forward to push her face more into the pillow, it had caused her hips to move back slightly and brush against him.

Her face stills in the pillow, she bites back a grin. Toph knew it is something that normally happens in the morning, but for some reason, it gave her a strange sort of satisfaction.

Moving back to her previous position- pressed against his chest- she brushes against him once more and a hand quickly reaches out and grips her hip, “God, quit doing that,” his voice sounding strained and still rough with sleep.

Toph lets out a snort, “Didn’t realize you were that into me,” she says with a slight wiggle of her hips. Another groan comes from his lips and his fingers dig into her skin.

“Don’t flatter yourself, it’s morning. And you doing that isn’t making it any easier,” he says, rolling onto his back, away from her slightly.

Toph pouts slightly as he pulls away taking his body heat with him. She turns around to face and pulls the blankets up to her chin, “What’s for breakfast?”

“Funny that you think I’m making breakfast after what you just did.”

She laughs under her breath, “Well, when you take me home, can we stop somewhere and get something to eat? I would kill for some hashbrowns.”

An hour and a half later, they were sitting in a booth at their nearest Ihop looking through their menus. Well, Aang was looking through the menu. Apparently, Toph comes here so often she already knows what she wants.

He looks up at her and can’t help but blush more. They definitely look like they’re an awkward one night stand couple. Her hair is messy and unbrushed and she’s wearing one of his hoodies that is way too big for her.

Every time he glances at her, he can’t help but remember how he was taken out of his dream by the brushing of her ass against him, and then she had the audacity to do it again. He knows it’s wrong to say this, but he’s glad she is blind so that she can’t see the blush that hasn’t left his face since they got out of bed that morning.

“You know, I can feel you blushing from here,” she says with a smirk, reaching out for her drink.

“Urgh,” Aang drops his head to the table, “Why did you do that to me? I am a good man, and it was just cruel.”

Toph laughs and cuts into her pancakes, “Whatever, it was funny and you know it.” The sleeve of the hoodie slides back just slightly and he is able to catch the sight of his Name on her skin and he sucks in a breath.

“What?” she asks. How she heard that, he doesn’t know.

“Uh, nothing. Your Name is all.” It’s Toph’s turn to blush as she pulls the sleeve down and pulls it into a palm to hold it there.

It’s a moment before she raises her face to him and the blush starting to recede. “Where… Where is yours?”

Aang looks down at his plate, biting his lip before glancing back up at her. Her face is guarded and her eyes are casted downwards. He can feel her building up a wall between them for some reason. He doesn’t think this conversation is too personal, considering what she did this morning, but he can feel her distancing herself.

“It’s on my chest, just under my heart along my ribs,” he says in a low tone. All he gets is a nod in response. He stares at her for a moment, gathering some courage to ask his next question, “Why don’t you like the Names?”

Toph’s eyebrows fly up for a second before she drops into a neutral face, “What, are you wanting to do the soulmate thing now?”

“No, I’m not ready for that. I just want to know your perspective of it.” He can see her clench and unclench her teeth a few times, trying to figure out what words would be appropriate for this.

Aang thinks she is just about to tell him off right when her shoulders slump down and she lets out a deep breath. “All my life, things had been decided for me because I’m blind. What school I went to, who my friends are, what I wear, everything. I barely got to move out… actually I wouldn't have been able to move out if Zuko didn't kidnap me. The Names are just another thing that has been decided for me, and I can't stand it. I should be able to choose who I want to be with and when I want to be with them.”

Aang nods his head slowly and takes a bite of his eggs, “Yeah, that makes sense.”

Toph jerks her head up a little, completely surprised by her answer. Most people tell her that it’s stupid, that she's missing out on the greatest feelings. But, instead, he seems to understand.

“What about yours?”

He snorts a little, “Eh, we’ll get to that another day.”

“Little too depressing for you?”

“Ha. Yeah. You could say that.

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

Katara walks into the living room to see Toph lounging on one of the couches, her earbuds in, most likely listening to an audiobook.

Walking over to her, she nudges her leg to get her attention. Toph hits the pause button on her headphones and pulls one out.

“I noticed that you didn't come home the other night,” Katara asks in a teasing tone.

“Oh, uh, yeah. I slept over at Aang’s.”

Trying not to be too forward and scare her off, Katara walks into the kitchen and grabs a bottle of water before returning to the couch. “Well, what did you guys do all night?”

Toph doesn’t answer immediately which makes Katara automatically assume, “Oh my god, you didn’t.”

“Didn’t what?”

“You slept with him! You totally slept with him! Tell me everything, was he any good?”

Toph sits up in shock, “Dude! What the hell? No, I didn’t sleep with him, it wasn’t like that.”

“Where did you sleep then?”

“Uh… in his bed? But we didn’t do anything, it was just platonically sleeping next to each other.”

Katara crosses her arms and sits back into the couch watching Toph, looking for any signs that she may be lying. “If you guys didn’t have sex, then what did you do?”

“Er… he- uh. He read to me.”

“He read to you?! You don’t even let me read to you! That’s totally not fair,”

“Yeah, well, you know. Heat of the moment and everything,” she says with a wave of her hand and moves to put her earbuds back in.

“You like him.”

“What?” she asks, stopping just before she is able to push play.

“I said, ‘You like him’”

Toph lets out a snort and settles back into the couch, “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Plopping down on the couch, practically smooshing Toph’s legs into the cushions, Katara’s face is pure giddy, “Oh my god, you totally do! You didn’t even deny it!”

Pushing Katara off, Toph gets up and makes her way to the kitchen, hoping that the conversation won’t continue. But, knowing her roommate, that’s not likely, “Come on, T., just admit it!”

“There’s nothing to admit,” her voice low and solid.

“Yes, there is! Come on! It’s not the end of the world? What’s so wrong about liking him?”

Toph opens the fridge and grabs one of her smoothies and leans back against the fridge, thinking about the conversation. Even if she does like him, it’s not like she is about to admit that, especially out loud.

“I’m not confirming or denying anything, Princess. We’re just two people that hung out last night who just so happen to have each other’s Names on their bodies. It’s fine,” she says, pushing off from the fridge and walking towards her room.

“Whatever! I know you Toph, and you can’t lie to me!” Katara calls out just as she is shutting the door to her room.

Dropping onto her bed with her head hanging over the side, she chews on her lips considering what Katara had just said. She goes over her feelings for just a moment and as soon as she starts feeling that fluttering in her chest, she rolls over onto her stomach and grabs her phone.

“Siri, call Aang.”

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

Sitting on the sofa with his laptop in his lap, Aang attempts to work through some homework problems, but the motivation is just not there . His phone starts ringing, and honestly, it sounds like it’s under his butt, lodged into between the cushions.

He shoves a hand underneath him and feels around for the phone but isn’t able to get to it in time for the phone call. Looking at the screen, he sees that it’s Toph who was calling. He raises his eyebrows in confusion but swipes to call her back.

“Hey. You going to bring me some chinese?” is her immediate answer to the phone.

“Uh, no. Was not planning on it. I’m doing homework.” She lets out a very exaggerated groan at this.

“Just bring me some chinese and your computer and you can do your homework here.”

“No, I can’t.”

“And why not?”

Aang smiles slightly, “Because, knowing you, you’re going to talk nonstop and distract me from homework and then I won’t get anything done.”

“Please, you barely know me.”

“Am I wrong though?” She doesn’t answer immediately but instead, grumbles something out unintelligible.

“Fine, whatever.”

“What are you doing, though?”

“Well, I was listening to a book before Katara interrupted me with probing questions about our sex life,” she says nonchalantly. Aang chokes on air for a second before he realizes she’s kidding.

He doesn’t say anything for a moment, “I didn’t realize we had a sex life.”

“Oh, but we do. Very kinky. Surprised we didn’t break the headboard,” she says, still pretending to be serious.

“Oh, yes, you are right. Very kinky and very lavish, exactly what we are.” He can hear her laugh through her nose which makes him smile. He loves her sense of humor, the dark and sometimes explicit things she says always keeps him on his toes.

“You want to go do something later? I hear that there is a silent movie playing at the theatre,” he asks.

“Ha-ha. Funny.”

“No, but seriously, there’s a movie that just came out that I want to go see, do you want to go?” He knows this is dangerous territory; going to the movies is a typical first date kind of move. She is silent for a moment, and he swears, he can hear her thinking through the phone.

“Yeah, sure. But, you’re buying.” A breath of relief escapes him and a tiny smile plays on his lips.

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

“Now, I know that I missed some parts because of the whole not seeing thing, but that movie sucked.” They’re walking out of the theatre, the bag of popcorn is still clutched in Toph’s hand while her cane slides in front of her, occasionally tapping the concrete.

“Yeah, the trailer seemed so much better. Although, seeing Blake Lively in a bikini for most of the movie was pretty nice.”

Toph snorts and elbows him in the side, “Perv.” As they get settled into the car, her phone starts singing ‘ Holding Out For a Hero’ .

“Yell-o” she says in greeting, putting the call on speaker.

“I’m going to Zuko’s for the night, I left some dinner in the fridge for you,” Katara’s voice comes through the speaker.

“Ahhh, thanks, Mom. I’ll be sure to eat that."

“Where are you?”

“Aang and I went to a movie- which sucked by the way- but we’re on our way home now,” she says, shoving a handful of the popcorn in her mouth.

“Ohhh, you and Aang went on a date?” Katara says in a suggestive way.

“Hell no, I just didn’t want to go to the movie by myself,” Aang pipes up from the drivers side.

“Oh, shit. Am I on speaker phone? That’s my bad.”

Toph snorts a little and says through the popcorn, “Anyways, I’ll be home soon. I’ll make sure to lock the door so the big bad men don’t come and get me.”

“Alright, have a good night and make sure to use a condom!” Katara shouts before disconnecting the call.

Toph groans and drops the phone into her lap, “She’s so irritating.” Aang’s shoulders are shaking with laughter.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s kind of funny. You make jokes about it all the time, but the moment Katara says something about it, you’re all ‘She’s so annoying, why does she joke about it, it’s not even funny’,” Aang says in a high pitched voice trying to mimic Toph.

She lands a punch on his arm, “Whatever, I do not sound like that,” she says with a huff and crosses her arms over her chest.

A few hours later, they’re laying on her bed listening to some music and jumping from topic to topic about everything and nothing. Aang sits up slightly and turns on his side, resting on his elbow, “What’s it like being blind?”

Toph lets out a snort at the question, “What the hell do you mean ‘ what’s it like to be blind’? How am I supposed to answer that? What’s it like being able to see?”

He shrugs a little at her answer, “Yeah, but like, how did you learn to do stuff?”

“The same way you learned to do stuff, dipshit.”

He laughs at her abrasive answers, “Never mind, you’re not getting what I’m trying to say.”

Toph turns her head towards him, “Well, try and explain what you’re wanting to know better and maybe I’ll answer differently,” she challenges.

Huffing, he drops back down to the bed on his back, their shoulders just barely touching. “Okay, fine. I guess, what I’m trying to say is, Do you feel like you’re missing out on things because you’re blind?”

A thoughtful look passes over her as if she hadn’t ever actually considered the question, “I mean, not really. Although, lately, there are some things that I wish I could see. I don’t feel left out, if that’s what you mean. Everyone includes me in everything and they never mention my blindness so it doesn’t feel like it’s really an impairment. It’s just… somethings, I guess, would be nice to see.”

“What do you want to see?” His brows coming together in confusion. He never considered her wanting to see certain things but not care about others.

She takes a deep breath and turns her head so that her eyes are trained towards the ceiling, “Nothing, it doesn’t really matter.”

“No, come on! Tell me,” he asks, his voice low and coaxing, as if trying not to scare her off.

Toph purses her lips in thought and closes her eyes, and for a moment, he doesn’t think she is going to answer. “I’d like to see you,” her voice is low, barely even a whisper. The breath in Aang’s lungs is immediately stolen.

“Me?”

“Yeah,” her voice stronger now, more sure, “I’d like to see what my soulmate looks like, if you’re really as attractive as everyone says you are.”

Aang laughs lightly at her answer, he really was not expecting this. He turns his head to face her and looks at the slope of her nose, the freckles that dust across her cheeks, the beauty mark just under her jaw, her ink black hair.

“Here, sit up, let’s try something,” Reluctantly and with a groan, she sits up and turns to face him. He takes her hands in his, and slowly brings them up to his face and rests them on his cheeks.

“You really want me to feel out your face?” her eyebrow quirking slightly.

“Yeah, you can’t tell me you haven’t done this with other things.”

“I- I mean, uh yeah, I have. It’s just, this is a little personal, feeling someone else.”

Aang shifts closer to her until their knees are touching, “Well, have at it.”

Toph takes a deep breath and swallows visibly before her fingers slowly skirt over his skin, fingertips just barely touching him. He stays as still as he can while she maps out his face. She traces over his cheekbones, his jawline, the hair on his head. While one hand is, once again, tracing his cheekbone, her other hand slowly goes down his nose until it drops off at his lips.

She stops there for a moment, almost as if asking permission to touch his lips. She swallows again and feels along the bow of his top lip and the plumpness of his bottom. He smiles slightly at her, and she feels the creases of his cheeks as he does so.

Her fingertips linger just a second longer on his lips before moving down to his jaw and skimming over his throat and neck to the expanse of his shoulders. She feels how broad they are and how his collar bones are hard beneath his skin.

The whole time she is mapping out his face, Aang keeps a close eye on her own face, watching the small expressions that flicker across her face as she goes over the dips and edges of his face. When she came to his jaw line, her mouth quirked up in a small smirk, and since then, he hadn’t been able to take his eyes from her lips.

He is fascinated with how they move. She would occasionally bite the inside of her cheek which would shift them just slightly and his eyes tracked their every movement.

Neither of them realized how close they had leaned into the other until Toph dropped her hands from his shoulders, “Hey, Aang?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I try something?”

He doesn’t even answer her, but instead leans forward to push his lips against hers.

[jasiper]

watermelon sugar

fine line series 2/12

breathe me in, breathe me out

i don’t know if i could ever go without 

i’m just thinking out loud

i don’t know if i could ever go without

watermelon sugar high

Jason wakes up to the sound of waves crashing against the sand, the smell of cinnamon, and hair tickling his nose. Not his usual wakeup calls. Groaning, he opens his eyes and blinks, sunlight burning his eyes. He extends his arm to grab his glasses on the nightstand beside him, putting them on and then looking at his surroundings.

He is in a room that’s not his, a bed that’s not his, next to someone he definitely should not be in bed with.

His heart is beating in his throat as memories from last night come flooding back. He remembers the graduation party, not his, and the strangers and the food and the feeling of relief that his undergraduate years were finally behind him and the—

Oh, fuck.

He remembers how he got here now. It’s not like he’d been drunk last night, not at all, but last night had been… strenuous, may he say, so the memories take some time to come back. He remembers fidgeting in the guest room, the tiny present in his pocket. He remembers mustering up the courage to walk down the hallway, knock on the door, and enter.

She didn’t ask for a present, he knows that. She had said that just him being there was enough. His graduation had been the weekend before hers and she’d gone, of course. He’d never miss her graduation, or her party, for the world.

So, of course, Jason got her a present. How could he not? He’d ordered it months ago, hoping that it was enough for her. Nothing really was enough, given who she was, but there were only certain things money could buy.

When Jason put the necklace on her and watched as she touched it, he could forget all about their troubles and the stress and the looming threat of graduate school for them. He could stare into her eyes and the world would melt away around him.

That’s what happened last night. Between her lips and the hands gripping her hips and her fingers threading into his hair and the sloppy kisses and the soft moans, the world melted away.

As Jason reflects on the previous night, he doesn’t notice her stirring until he hears a soft, “You’re up early.”

“I’m always up early, you should know that,” Jason answers, turning his head.

Piper’s hair is disheveled, previously been curled elegantly down her back now cascading in messy waves across her shoulders. Her lips are swollen and Jason swears he can still taste her watermelon lipgloss from last night. She’s holding the sheets against her chest, the white fabric a huge contrast to her brown skin, the skin he kissed countless times just hours before. When she tilts her head, he sees the trail of hickeys down her neck if he concentrates enough. Not too noticeable considering how many he left.

“I’m not surprised,” Piper murmurs, reaching out to him. He instantly reaches forward and intertwines their fingers, something they haven’t done so naturally in years. The necklace he’d given her last night settles against the crook of her neck. “Cuddle me. Our flight doesn’t leave for a few more hours.”

Jason should say no. He should get out of bed, grab his discarded clothes, and go back to the guest bedroom where he belongs. He doesn’t have a right to be lying in the sheets with her, naked and vulnerable. This is going to complicate things. This is going to complicate everything given that they’re about to go on vacation for a week to celebrate their college graduations. One slip up now could lead to the most uncomfortable week of their lives and the last thing he wants to do is inflict his relationship—or lack of a relationship, rather—problems on their mutual friends.

But the sun hits her skin just right and Jason would be a damn fool to resist. He moves closer and he hates how perfectly Piper settles against his chest, the curve of her spine fitting like a puzzle piece against his chest. Their fingers are still intertwined and Piper kisses his knuckles as they hold each other silently.

It’s been, what, four years since he made this mistake last? They were doing so well; they didn’t mess up once during undergraduate. The last time he was pressed against her naked was the night of senior prom and that was a whole other mess he wants to avoid.

But lying here, tracing his fingertips against her hip… This doesn’t feel like a mistake. He hasn’t felt this at peace in years. He wonders if she feels the same.

“Jason?” Piper’s voice is soft, smooth, like silk or honey.

“Yeah, Pipes?” He’s so close that his lips brush against her shoulder.

She turns around to face him, her nose just centimeters from his. When she breathes, he could feel the hot air on his lips. He can feel every inch of her body pressed against his own, her hand already sliding down his chest.

“Kiss me,” she whispers.

You shouldn’t, the voice inside of him whispers. You really, really shouldn’t. This isn’t your girlfriend. She’s not your girlfriend. She’s not—

Jason leans in and captures Piper’s lips, so soft, against his own in a hungry kiss. The delicious moan she makes is worth the fact that this decision might ruin this friendship. He rolls over, pressing her against the mattress, tangling his fingers in her hair as she murmurs his name over and over against his lips. One of her legs wraps around his hips, keeping his body close.

Somewhere between the kissing and him tearing the condom wrapper open with his teeth, the voice inside of him grows quiet until it’s barely a whisper, making him forget that he really, really, really should not be doing this.

***

“Okay.” Bobby smacks his lips after he takes a long sip of his drink. It’s obnoxiously bright blue with a little umbrella on top and Jason can smell the alcohol from even five feet away. “Spill. When were you going to tell me you got back together with Piper?”

Jason lifts his sunglasses and squints at his friend. “What?”

“Dude, you two are sharing the master bedroom. Sex like, what, three times a day at least? When did it happen? After the graduation party?”

“We’re not back together.” Jason hates how bitter he sounds. “It’s… casual.”

Bobby blinks heavily and sits up. “Casual? You and Piper? The girl you’ve been in love with for seven years? You’re calling this casual?”

“It is casual,” Jason says defensively. But as he says that, he can’t help but look out at the ocean, his eyes instantly landing on Piper. She’s wearing a yellow bikini today, her hair tied back in a high ponytail. She must sense some eyes on her because she turns around and waves before one of her friends from UCLA pushes her back into the water. “Completely casual.”

“Uh huh.” Bobby finishes off his drink. “People in a casual relationship don’t stare longingly at each other. It’s kind of gross.”

“Shut up.” Jason puts his sunglasses back on and soaks up the sun. “We’re on vacation. If we want to make consensual adult choices, why can’t we?”

“Our Airbnb is only so big, if I hear any sex noises, I will come in and make you guys stop,” Bobby threatens. “I was supposed to claim the master bedroom. All the hot girls come to Hawaii for vacation, how am I supposed to hook up with one now in a shared room?”

Jason chooses to ignore Bobby’s whining. He almost wants to say that he’s endured the sex noises for years (as they’ve been roommates for three years now), but he knows how dramatic Bobby is. Nothing Jason says will make Bobby stop whining about how he won’t be able to hook up with anyone.

Plus, Bobby might be right. Whatever is going on between Jason and Piper probably isn’t casual.

Yeah, no shit? Jason’s inner voice asks sarcastically. How do you think anything can be casual between you two?

The sun is setting when Piper approaches Jason. She has a towel wrapped under her arms, wet hair plastered against her neck. She ignores Bobby—which is the right call, he’s annoying—and leans down to murmur in Jason’s ear, “I’m going to go shower. Want me meet me back in the room?”

Heat flashes up to the tips of Jason’s ears. He nods, afraid of speaking because he’s sure what will come out of him will be nothing more than a squeak.

“Seriously? It’s not even late and you guys are already starting for the night?” Bobby demands. “I’m going to need to be drunk to handle this.”

Piper flips Bobby off as she stands upright. “Hope you’re enjoying your shared room,” she says sweetly. “I’m loving the master.” She flashes a smug smile as she turns to walk into their Airbnb.

Bobby looks incredulously at Jason. “Well, must be good sex if she’s in a good enough mood to taunt me,” he huffs. “I deserve the master.”

“I don’t see any girls lined up to hook up with you,” Jason points out as he stands up. “Have fun complaining, I’ll see you later.”

“When did I turn into the boring, sexless one in this friendship?” Bobby calls after him. “I don’t want to be like you!”

Jason shuts the glass door behind him so he doesn’t hear Bobby complaining. Judging by the silence—except for the running water coming from the bathroom connected to the master bedroom—he assumes no one else is inside. He’s thankful for that, though; although the group of people are all mutual friends from both Stanford and UCLA, he rather them not be around right now. He really doesn’t need the teasing at this time.

Before heading back to the bedroom, Jason goes into the kitchen and fills up a glass of water. He heads back to the bedroom the same time he hears the shower water cut off. Only a matter of time now, he thinks to himself as he sits on the edge of the bed.

Within minutes, the bathroom door opens. Piper’s hair falls in damp waves down her back and she wears a fuzzy pink robe. She smiles when she sees Jason, asking him playfully, “Waiting for me?”

“You’re impatient. I knew you’d want me to be ready,” he replies.

“You know me too well.” Piper closes the distance between them and stands between his legs. He automatically grabs her hips as her hands rest on his bare shoulders. “And you got us water? You’re too sweet.”

“The water was for me,” he murmurs, leaning up to kiss her jaw. “But we can share. You always steal from me.”

Piper hums contently, her fingers running down his arms. “Do I?” she asks softly as his lips trail down her neck. “Figures. It started in my BMW days. Then I stole the master bedroom from Bobby, which, by the way, I haven’t even seen him try to flirt with anyone, so it would’ve gone to waste.”

Jason moves his hands up to open her robe as he kisses the crook of her neck. “We would’ve figured something out if he kicked us out,” he assures her.

Her smile makes the worry of complications seem like a minuscule problem. She pulls away and then dips her head down, pressing her lips to his. Her breath is warm against the inside of his mouth and she tastes like a mixture of her watermelon lipgloss and strawberries. As he goes to push her robe off her shoulders, her fingers hook around the waistband of his swim trunks. By the time she pins him onto the mattress, their discarded clothes are in a heap on the floor.

Jason’s earlier conversation with Bobby comes back to him as Piper straddles him. The fact that this is casual. The fact that this shouldn’t mean anything because they’re friends.

But they are friends, painfully so, and this is the girl Jason’s been in love with since he was fifteen, so it isn’t as casual to him as it is to her.

Kissing her makes this moment feel like it could last forever. An endless summer with the smell of ocean water and the taste of watermelon lipgloss. Her soft skin is warm, comforting, inviting, nostalgic like a summer evening. He doesn’t know how he went so many years without feeling her naked body pressed against his, hearing her heavy breathing as he kisses down her body.

Once he flips them over and he pins her against the mattress, he has an opportunity—he can stop, risk further complication. Pull away now and minimize the hurt later. Tell her that he can’t be casual.

Piper’s eyelids are heavy as she blinks up at him, the setting sun hitting her naked body just right. “Kiss me,” she murmurs.

Fuck it. Jason got a taste and he can’t go without it anymore. He leans back in to taste that watermelon lipgloss again and to chase the endless feeling of summer.

[psychvamp25]

You asked for it and I think I'm being very strong rn by not just sending all of them 🤣 “I’m sorry that I got way too into playing house and accidentally kissed you passionately.” (Bonus points if it's Gendrya as teenagers.) (But actually, grown up Gendrya playing with their nieces and nephews wouldn't be bad either) (Feel free to ignore all of this)

That Domestic Feeling (AO3)

Arya smiled as she watched little Ned and Rosie focusing so hard on the shoots and ladders board in front of them. Gendry was sitting patiently on the floor with them as they argued whether Ned was going to land on the final slide or miss it. 

“Ned, you got a six, so that means you are here.” Gendry said and moved the correct piece, showing that Ned was indeed going down the slide.

Ned pouted, “It isn’t fair Uncle Gendry!!”

“Do you want to stop playing then if it is so unfair?”

The both shouted up a chorus of “no!” before Gendry laughed and said, “Then Rosie, it is your turn.”

Arya shook her head and went back to stirring the pasta. The children were picky and had decided that they would only eat spaghetti tonight. She wasn’t sure when they had decided to join forces and gang up on her but she thought the cousin were dangerous partners in crime.

She turned when she heard the fridge open, turning to see Gendry grab a can of his energy drink from the fridge. She smiled, “Thank you for coming over and agreeing to help me watch them tonight.”

He shrugged, “I don’t mind, you know I love your niece and nephew.”

She sighed, “When Robb and Jon asked if I’d watch them so they could go out for dinner, I didn’t think it would be this much arguing.”

Gendry laughed, “They know what they want, the little cheaters.”

They both turned to look at the young children in the living room, and sure enough Ned was moving his piece back up to the place it was at before his last turn, while Rosie moved Gendry’s piece back a whole row.

“At least they are the same age, so they have each other.” She said with a smile and turned back to check on the sauce, “Kind of funny to think that Talisa and Ygritte both got pregnant within a few months of each other.”

He knocked her hip with his own, “You love it.”

She nodded, “I do. I can’t wait for Sansa’s baby, only a few more months!”

“Uncle Gendry!!! Rosie is cheating!!!” Ned yelled from the other room.

“Duty calls.” He said with sigh, laying a quick kiss to her lips before walking into the living room.

Arya stood frozen at the stove. Gendry had never kissed her on the lips before, a comforting kiss to the forehead or a drunken kiss to the cheek were not out of the question. But that. Nothing like that had ever happened before and he had done it so automatically. As if the act was one of habit, not something that was currently causing Arya’s brain to misfire.

A sudden beep from the timer shook her back into the moment and she quickly removed the garlic bread from the oven before it could burn. She worked on muscle memory alone to finish making dinner. Finishing the pasta, putting it on the plates, spooning out the sauce. She had already set the table before the life changing kiss and once everything was set, she called them over.

All through dinner, Arya couldn’t help but notice how suddenly domestic everything felt. With Gendry at one end of the table, her at the other, and the children in between them. Only, for a moment, the two redheaded children were replaced by those with black hair, who would call her mama and not auntie.

“I want to watch Moana!!” Rosie said suddenly, glaring at her cousin across the table.

“I want to watch Batman!!” Ned yelled in response.

Gendry caught her eye and shook his head. She sighed, but assumed it was only fair, he had to deal with the shoots and ladders crisis. She cleared her throat, “How about we watch Nemo instead?”

The children started to argue about how their choice was the best choice, she let them go for a few minutes before she said, “Nemo or bed, your choice.”

They both agreed to Nemo very quickly. Arya had them go put on their pjs anyway, as she and Gendry cleaned up from dinner. They didn’t speak, they had dinner at least twice a week at her apartment and had a routine set up for cleanup.

She stayed in the kitchen a little longer to clean out the pot she used for the sauce while he went to check on the kids. She took a few deep breaths, she needed to get control of herself, it was one little kiss. It was not nearly as passionate as some she had in the past, but somehow it still seemed the most intense. 

The kids came running back in, both jumping onto the couch with excitement. Both were holding onto the little stuffed wolves Arya had given them earlier in the day. Gendry grabbed the remote for the TV and got to work setting up the movie. She quickly finished the pot and grabbed a few bottles of water before joining them all on the couch, she had one end, while Gendry had the other and the kids shared the third cushion in the middle. Rosie curled into Arya’s side as the movie started and she smiled, she loved her niece. She turned to see that Ned had taken up a similar position with Gendry. He caught her stare and gave her a soft smile, before his blue eyes looked down to Rosie and he shook his head with a laugh as he looked back to the screen.

Her heart felt like it was in overdrive and it had nothing to do with Marlon’s search for his son, and everything to do with the man in the room with her. She and Gendry had been friends for years, having met by accident one day when she had spilled her coffee over him in a coffee shop. It had been just over 4 years since that day, she had been all nervous because Jon had texted her that Ygritte was in labor two week early. He had sat with her and kept her sane through it all, smiling broadly when the first picture of little Rosie had come in. 

“Hey.” Gendry whispered to her, causing her to look away from the movie she wasn’t even watching, “They are out, I am going to put them in the bed.”

Arya looked down, sure enough, both of them were sound asleep. She nodded and watched as he carried Ned off into the spare room. He returned and grabbed Rosie from her lap, doing it so effortlessly that it caused her heart to flutter again. She reached for the remote and turned off the movie.

Gendry flopped back down onto the couch, “It is only 8 and yet I feel exhausted. I can see why your brothers wanted a night off.”

She nodded and took a sip of her water, she knew that they needed to talk about it, but she didn’t know how to start the conversation.

He frowned, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling alright?”

“You kissed me, in the kitchen.” She said, not daring to look over at him, afraid of what she would see if she did.

He stuttered for a moment before saying, “I’m sorry. I think I got carried away in the moment and it just felt the right thing to do. I don’t even remember consciously choosing to do it.”

She was quiet for a moment, “Have you thought of doing it before?”

He was quiet and that caused her to turn and look at him. His face was flushed and he was rubbing the back on his neck, a nervous habit he had. His blue eyes met her, “I have.”

Her eye’s widened, “Why did you never say anything?”

He shrugged, “When we first met, you were dating Dayne, and I wasn’t going to break anyone up. Then, you two broke up anyway, and I was giving you time to get over, though you weren’t really that upset.” He shook his head, “I don’t know. We just got into this routine and I it was the first time I had ever really been comfortable with anyone and I didn’t want to risk losing it.”

She bit her lip, “I broke up with him because of you.” His eyes widened that time but she kept going before he could speak, “You, even just as a friend, treated me so much better than he did. I was also wishing I could have spending time with you instead of him whenever we were together. He wasn’t a bad guy, just not the right one for me.”

Gendry frowned, “Is that why you haven’t dated anyone since?”

She nodded, “It was like you said. We had this routine and I didn’t want to mess it up.”

“Do you….do you want to mess it up now?” He asked, and she knew what he was really saying, and she nodded.

He smiled and closed the short distance between them on the couch, his lips meeting hers in the most passionate kiss she had ever had in her life. It was everything she had always wanted from him and she never wanted him to stop.

“Auntie Arya, I’m thirsty.” A little voice called to them from the hallway.

They broke apart with a laugh, resting their foreheads against each other. 

Arya smiled, “Be right there Rosie.” She called out without looking and lowered her voice, “Keep those thoughts in mind, I will right back.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” He said, and Arya couldn’t help but think it sounded like a promise.

Thank you so much for the prompt!!! Everyone feel free to send more!

[erraticrandomficwriter]

Same Eyes - An Altered Carbon Plot Bunny

‘One Curse is always tethered to another’

 Blair Alden Han heard those words a long time ago but never really paid much mind to them. Thinking back on her lives, she can see how those words truly applied to her, but she never thought they would follow her through time, space, and alternate realities…

A Spell – just a simple Spell – was the cause of Blair’s predicament. Okay, it wasn’t a simple Spell, but, still, it was the cause of her predicament – A predicament that has lasted for a very long time.

Blair just wanted to take a break from her life in Mystic Falls, she just wanted a break from her Reality – a vacation so to speak. Temporary. Blair never imagined that possessing her Alter would take her on an adventure that transcended time and space. And it was hardly a vacation…

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Blair splashed some water of her face before gripping the sides of the bathroom sink and looking at herself in the mirror. She knew it was time to brace herself for the influx of memories that would soon swarm her reflection, but she wanted a moment – she needed a moment to stay the person she got so used to being before her life got turned upside down again and a new life began.

Poe, the AI in charge of the Raven Hotel generated behind her as she took this time to stay herself for as long as she could. He could see the toll it always took on Blair and he wanted to be there for her again. Especially when he knew if she had her way, she’d never look at her reflection again. “You will need to face yourself eventually, Miss Han. Better to do so now than while you are walking down the street and catch your reflection in a random window.”

Blair knew her friend was right – especially since what he had just pointed out was something she had done before because she was so reluctant to look at herself. When she first took up residence at the Raven all those years ago, she thought this Edgar Allen Poe esque AI was annoying as hell, but now he was a dear friend. A dear friend who always seemed to know exactly what she needed to do even when she didn’t want to do it.

To postpone the inevitable, she snarked back to him, “What? No ‘I told you so’?” Blair didn’t listen to Poe when he warned her not to take that job and she ended up bleeding out in the Raven’s lobby after getting stabbed in the alley because of it.

Poe moved to stand beside the sink to get a better look at her new face now that she was all cleaned up from the blood “I believed you choking on your own blood was enough of an ‘I told you so’. But if you would rather have me say it…” Poe trailed off when her new face glared at him with daggers in her eyes that never changed. No matter what face Blair was given her she always had the same eyes.

Poe reached out and placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder in a supporting and comforting manner. “It’s time, Miss Han. You cannot avoid your new life forever.”

Blair’s shoulders slumped in defeat before she took a deep breath and finally allowed herself to look at the new reflection in the mirror. As soon as her eyes met with her new life looking back at her, her eyes glowed as the technology inside her activated. A moment later, her mind became slammed with the downloaded memories of the woman’s face she now bore.

While Blair gripped onto the sink and tried not to collapse due to this downloading process, Poe went into the main area of her suite to pour her a drink from the cart. Poe knew she would want a glass of bourbon after her latest…transition. After all, she always did.

Blair groaned and coughed and breathed deeply as the download took place. While it only took a couple minutes to complete, it felt like an eternity. When it finally commenced, Blair took a deep breath of relief and looked back to her reflection in the mirror as her eyes returned to normal. Upon seeing her new face, she shook her head with a sigh because once again she looked nothing like herself – nothing like Blair Alden Han.

Poe waited until Blair joined him in the seating area before presenting her with the glass of bourbon. After looking her up and down for a moment he stated the obvious, “You’re taller now. You are going to need a new wardrobe again, Miss Han. I can make the arrangements for you, if you would like.”

Blair gratefully accepted the glass and downed it in one gulp before answering Poe. “Your tastes are far too expensive for my blood. I’ll take care of it. Besides, there’s got to be something buried in my closet that will work well enough.”

Poe took the liberty of taking Blair’s empty glass from her and refilling it at the cart as he inquired, “Who does your new face belong to?” He knew by now to get ahead of any trouble her new face may cause. He also knew by now not to ask who she was, because no matter the face or the memories of her new life, she only wanted to be known as Blair Alden Han. In fact, this was one of the first things he learned about her. The first time he asked who she was when her new life began was the last time he ever asked it. To put it lightly, Blair did not react well at that time.

Blair accepted her refilled glass with a bit of a raise in a toast-like manner before answering with, “Thea Hatch,” and downing the drink once again. That name was all Poe was going to presently get out of her. It was too soon to access her new life’s memories. The last thing she wanted was to be confused again.

Poe didn’t want nor need any other information. He would be able to perform enough of a search with just her name. Poe went over to the wall and waved his hand to bring up the search screen and after a few moments he found something most intriguing. “My, my,” he commented as he scanned over the information. “It seems Miss Hatch leads a life fighting crime. Your newest life is a Police Officer.”

Blair groaned at this information. “Of course she is. How the hell am I supposed to get my work done with the face of a freaking Copper?” She plopped down on her sofa and rubbed her hands over her face before letting her arms just drop. “Bloody hell. I remember her.” Blair sat up to look at Poe. “Thea Hatch arrested me a couple years ago. I thought she was hot.”

Poe gestured his hand to make the search screen disappear. “No wonder the Bots chose her. She made an impression.” After all, every new life the Bots choose for her had been someone who made an impression. Poe smiled at Blair, saying, “You always did have good taste.”

“Always the flatterer,” Blair joked as he got off the chair with a groan and went to the closet to find something to wear since she couldn’t exactly go the rest of the night just wearing her purple silky bathrobe.

Poe was about to reply to that but due to the presence of someone in the lobby he had to make a change of plans. “Please excuse me, Miss Han.” With that said, he disappeared.

Blair’s brow furrowed because she was curious why he disappeared so quickly but knew if it was important she’d know about it soon enough.

After a few minutes of digging through the closet, Blair found the box of her favorite clothes from previous lives. If only the Bots would let her keep her same proportions with each life, but no she had to take on not only the face of her new life but the body as well.

It didn’t take too long to put together an outfit that would suffice for the time being and she was so glad that she was once again tall enough to wear her black leather trenchcoat. Blair had been waiting for three lives to be tall enough to wear that again. “Come to mama,” Blair practically purred as he removed it from the box and put it on, a perfect fit.

Now that her attire was complete with her combat boots, black skinny jeans, white tank top that was a little too short, and her trenchcoat she was ready for anything. Well, she was almost ready. Blair went to her chest in the corner and removed several blades from it to place in the hidden sheathes of her outfit before grabbing her bag and heading down to the lobby.

Blair, despite knowing that she now had the face of a cop, was ready to take it out for a night on the town. Alas, a wrench was put into her plans when the doors opened up to the lobby and revealed a warzone. Poe was behind the bar with a shotgun in hand while his automatic weapons from the ceiling were shooting at what she could only assume to be intruders. Blair stayed in the doorway of the elevator as she called out to Poe, “Was there something in your search that you failed to mention?!”

Poe fired another shot before calling back to her, “No, Miss Han. This is protection for our newest guest. Please don’t feel the need to join in. We have this covered.”

Blair scoffed in a ‘like hell’ manner as she pulled her ring knives from her sleeves and headed towards the bar to join Poe there. After a couple steps a woman screamed at her with a gun aimed but the screams soon turned to gurgles after Blair used one of her blades and sliced the woman’s throat. Since the guns took out everyone else and the new guest was dealing with the last intruder one on one, Blair returned her blades to her sleeve sheaths and hopped onto the bar.

Poe handed Blair a drink as they both observed the new guest and his exchange with the one called Dimi.

“Who’s the new guy?” Blair had the strangest feeling that she’d met him somewhere before. And not just his Sleeve.

“His name is Takeshi Kovacs,” Poe replied and instantly handed Blair a napkin when she quite literally spit out her beverage after hearing the name. “I have never seen you react in such a way before, Miss Han. Are you ill?”

Blair didn’t even hear what Poe asked because her eyes were locked onto the one Poe said was Takeshi Kovacs. Even after Poe and the gun from the ceiling took out the one called Dimi, she didn’t take her eyes off him. No…it couldn’t be. There must have been some sort of mistake. This couldn’t be Takeshi Kovacs. It couldn’t be, could it?

Since there was no way now finding out who sent those goons after him, Kovacs went to the bar to get himself a drink before the police would no doubt arrive. He was about to take a seat at the bar when he noticed the woman sitting upon it and staring at him. “Problem?”

Blair looked at him right in his eyes and there was no doubt about it, this really was him. “Ko?” He voice was hinted with disbelief because a part of her truly couldn’t believe it.

Kovacs froze for a moment because that was a name he hadn’t heard in a very long time because there was only one person in all the galaxies that called him that. He wasn’t going to say their name, not until he knew it to be true – not until he looked into their eyes. When he did, he knew. She had the same eyes. “Blair?”

Blair let out a breath she didn’t even realize she was holding before she practically flew off the bar and right to Kovacs, hugging him tight. “I thought you were dead.”

All he wanted was for one thing to go right that night and while it wasn’t what he wouldn’t have expected in a million years he was grateful that this was it. Kovacs hugged her back and chuckled, “You thought I was dead? I thought you were dead.”

Blair pulled back from him and grinned, “You can’t get rid of me that easily, Ko.”

Poe watched this entire exchange and was fascinated by it. “The two of you know each other? My, my, the plot thickens, but I’m afraid this reunion must need to be cut short. The constabulary will no doubt be arriving very soon, Miss Han.”

It took Blair a moment before it clicked that she should get out of there before they did arrive. Just in case Thea Hatch happened to be one of the officers in attendance. But before going to the elevator, she pointed at Kovacs. “This reunion is not over, Ko.” Blair darted off before another word could be said.

Kovacs didn’t know what to make of that but wasn’t going to question it and instead took a seat so he could get himself a drink after this very long day.

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Blair was up in her room when later that evening Kovacs entered through her opened doorway. She set down the knife she was about to throw at the wall and shook her head a bit. “I still can’t believe you’re here. I never would have thought this would happen in a million years.”

Kovacs had more pressing matters to attend to than their reunion. “What the hell were you thinking, Blair? You can’t wear a copy of someone else’s Sleeve!” At her expression that proved she knew what he was talking about, he scoffed, “How could you be so stupid to use a Sleeve of a fucking officer?!”

Blair crossed her arms and scoffed herself. “I didn’t copy anyone’s sleeve, Ko. This is my body and this is my new life. You can’t honestly still not believe me, can you?” She popped her lips when he looked at her stoically. “Wow, okay. For the millionth time, I don’t use Sleeves. I’m not Stacked, I’m Cursed with freaking Bots.”

“That’s impossible,” he said firmly in that moment like he had many times before because what she told him didn’t make any sense and the only person who could confirm it was long dead.

“That’s impossible?” Blair scoffed incredulously before throwing her hand out towards him. “Coming from the guy with a Gameboy cartridge stuck in his neck.”

Kovacs didn’t understand the reference, which was something that clearly wasn’t going to change since he never really did understand half of what she said. “Even if what you still claim to be true…”

“There is no ‘if’, Ko!” Blair shouted at him because even after all this time he still thought she was a lunatic. “You don’t believe me? Ask Poe. Poe has been with me through it for years. He knows I’m not Stacked, he knows I have Bots instead. So stop being a pompous know it all and finally believe I’m not delusional or insane!”

Blair put her face in her hands and groaned loudly. This was so not how she imagined any kind of reunion with Kovacs being and yet it’s what she got. Finally she let her hands drop because she had given up. “I can’t believe we’re going through this again. It’s been what – over 200 years since we’ve seen each other and we are still having the same freaking argument? Who the fuck cares if I have the face of a cop?! They want to kill me for it? Let them! I’ll just come back with a new life and move on.”

Kovacs should have known better than to try and deal with this right now he moved to leave the room, but not without saying, “This isn’t over,” before he left.

Blair clenched her fist and punched a hole in the wall when he left because of how infuriating their reunion had become. She would have thought after all this time that maybe things would be different but they never would be. Kovacs would never believe her – never really see her and she would never be with him in the way she’d been wanting to for over 200 years…

[mor-beck-more-problems]

What Are Friends For || Morgan & Lydia

After Morgan accidentally strikes a bargain with Lydia, she is invited over to make good on her word. What are friends for, after all? 

@inspirationdivine

Morgan was eager to make a better impression on Lydia than she had at the beach. She brought one of the few bottles of wine she hadn’t wrecked in the house, assuming that whatever was good enough for Deirdre’s luxuriant tastes would suit Lydia as well. She put on a bright floral dress that was hanging in the closet from her old things, too attention-seeking with its sweetheart bust and bright pink belt to do for her everyday ‘don’t look at me I’m dead and depressed’ chic. Which meant it was clean and, mostly, unwrinkled. She did her hair. She checked herself, however self-consciously before the door to the rather intimidatingly large house. When Lydia answered the door, Morgan held out her gift bag automatically. “I brought this for you!” If she had any blood flow to her face she would have blushed. No hi? No how are you? Seriously? “It’s good see you,” she tried. “I thought you’d like this. And, um, there’s a rose quartz plate. I don’t know if you like it, but it is one of the nicer things I made.” It was part of an unfinished commission the buyer only wanted a refund for, but even Morgan wasn’t so frazzled as to mention that.

Lydia smiled as she opened the door, humans kept busy upstairs so as to not disturb them. Almost immediately Morgan was pushing a gift bag into her hands, which Lydia peaked into curiously. “Thank you, darling, it’s good to see you too,” she stepped aside, leading Morgan into the kitchen of her home. Large windows filled the room with spring skies, and a view over her garden. “Look at that, you did put on your Sunday best after all. You look good.”

Morgan stepped carefully into the house, minding not to scuff the tile as she walked in. Windows lined every wall that wasn’t adorned with bright paintings or strange sculptures that seemed to draw Morgan towards them. It put her in mind of an art gallery, or a home in a movie: some mysterious billionaire with a shark tank in the basement. “Have you collected all of this in only four months?” She asked, staring wide-eyed around her. So entranced and distracted, she nearly tripped on her way to the kitchen. “I did!” She said, summoning as much brightness as she had in her. Not much, but enough to sound pleasant. “I like to think I clean up good. Your home is amazing,” she said. “Almost like a museum.”

“No, I’ve had much of it for years. Every time I move, I choose my favourite pieces to bring to the new residence. I change it reasonably frequently.” Lydia looked around, smiling at her collection. For each piece, she could name the Leanan who had inspired it. Some of them distant friends or siblings that Lydia could see in the art itself. Either directly, the planes of their chests carefully etched into wood, or in the colour pallettes of the beautiful baroque scenery. “You do clean up well. I also hope this means you feel the slightest bit better relative to the last time we met.”

“Oh. Sh--stars,” Morgan corrected herself quickly. “It really is like a museum. That’s incredible. And when you say years, do you mean--” She hesitated, wondering if it was impolite to ask about age. Morgan didn’t even know what kind of fae Lydia was. If she was a banshee, she would have more skulls, right? And Deirdre wouldn’t be so lonely. She probably wasn’t like Jeff, Morgan would have noticed that too. “Well, just how many, I guess, if that’s polite to ask.” But, in case that wasn’t-- “I am feeling better, though. Thank you for asking. Still not, you know,” she fidgeted on the counter, “Kickin’ that well. But, better than last time. Haven’t almost drowned anyone since.”

“I’m over seventy years old, although I haven’t been collecting art for quite that long,” Lydia replied, preening herself under Morgan’s compliments. “Are you an art connoisseur, or do you just enjoy seeing it?” There wasn’t any judgment in her tone, for once. It was simply a question to find out whether they could talk art, or simply enjoy it together. “I would be more concerned if you were suddenly completely fine. Although, if pranks become part of your new lifestyle, that remains a good choice for a prank. Would you like anything to eat or drink?”

“Seventy?” Morgan balked with surprise before she could stop herself. Did this mean she and Deirdre would look this good at seventy? Her mind struggled to go in five different directions at once. “I don’t know if that’s especially old for fae, if your family treats you like a kid about it or not, but at least you don’t seem cynical or tired after all this time,” she said, trying to get back on course. “I’ve, um, I’ve taken a couple courses in art history. Came in handy when I was alive, a little, with curse research and the sacred geometry that goes into alchemy. But mostly I just think it’s pretty. I um...I mostly have a weak spot for anything with a dramatic enough emotional statement. There’s a chapel Rothko designed, in Houston? I would go there to think some times, as a weird treat for myself.” She scanned their surroundings again. The house was so open she could see all the way to the entrance still. “That one,” she pointed, “Is that an original baroque or something in the style?” She gave a hapless smile, this is as far as my knowledge goes, but I’m trying. “I’ll just have whatever you’re having. Or water,” she said, to be polite. At least water had never really tasted like anything in the first place.

“It doesn’t directly translate to either of those. I have a lot of life left to live, but seventy years is no short length of time for anyone.” Lydia replied, smiling. “Why would I become cynical or tired of it? The world has so much to experience and live for.” She sat on a stool by her kitchen table, as Morgan described her education. “Yes, I know the chapel. It’s incredibly beautiful.” Lydia looked down the hall and nodded. “It’s a Reubens. I do love the Baroque style.” She smiled, letting Morgan go from the discussion. “Water it is,” Lydia acquiesced, pouring Morgan a glass. “Now, shall we discuss that little deal of ours?”

“Oh,” Morgan said, chewing on the thought. “I guess, just because…” Life sucks and then you die. And sometimes you come back for even more hurt. She was able to think better of the statement and after a few moments of mouthing awkwardly in silence, “Humans do. Get cynical and tired. It doesn’t even take seventy years for most of them. I used to get crap for not being more...bitter, cautious, whatever. I was tired a lot, but maybe energy is different for fae.” She didn’t try to flex what little art factoids she had. Lydia was being nice and, fuck it, she’d let her be. Morgan had given her offerings, she made an effort, and despite Lydia’s airs of propriety, there was something about her that invited Morgan to drop her own pretensions and be herself. She gave a smaller, though more sincere smile and nodded gratefully. “Right! I said I’d do something for you. What kind of thing did you have in mind?”

“There are days that are terrible. Sometimes weeks or even years. To let that colour my entire life would be...wasteful.” Lydia replied, but knew it probably wasn’t what Morgan needed to hear right now. Losing another wasn’t the same as losing your own sense of self. Even if Morgan hadn’t lost her life, Lydia understood she currently felt like it. So she smiled, matching Morgan’s. “Yes. This is really… more of a heads up, if you will. I’m sure Deirdre is very careful with these things, with you. But if you’re to date a fae, you need to be aware that not all of us are as sweet as Deirdre or I, and that you might need to watch your words more carefully.” Lydia clasped her hands. “As for what I had in mind. I was thinking a small painting. I can offer you as much inspiration as you like. I don’t care if you paint the whole canvas blue, or if you throw the paint at it, or if you take rests. All of that is up to you. You could even take a knife to the canvas, for all I mind. Just create something, for me. That’s all I ask to end the promise.”

“Wait--what?” Morgan sputtered with confusion. She thought that Lydia was kidding. She had to be. A head’s up? “We’re always intentional with our promises, yeah,” Morgan said, straightening with a little pride. Their promises were better than any cheesy ring or one-time declaration any other couple might make. They were their trust, their fidelity, something that could stay true and real, even when Morgan could barely get out of bed. They never had to pull on the thread because they meant what they said. It only existed for something sudden, some hypothetical emergency or some time when the compulsion would be a comfort. What else would promises be good for, besides a proof of trust? Her expression wrinkled, confused and scrutinizing as she waited for some other punchline. Then her body began to ache, her insides burning and twisting. That was...weird. “Uh…” Her stomach tightened, and Morgan clenched her jaw to keep from dry heaving in front of Lydia. “Oh-kay.” She gripped the countertop to keep from doubling over. Was this--something fae let happen on purpose? “Canvas?” She asked, voice strained. “Can you, um, show me where, a-and paint, crayola crayons, whatever? Please?”

“Already set up,” Lydia replied smoothly, stepping over to help Morgan. “Darling, there’s no rush.” That would at least ease the ache that had Morgan keeling over, her jaw tight. Lydia tried to feel bad about it. She really did. It was the fae in her, that couldn’t stand to avoid taking advantage of such things. Perhaps it was a bit of a compulsion. She would have done it to anyone, really, and would expect it in return.  “Come along here, and I’ll bring you something you can really taste.” Lydia lead Morgan to a pre-set up canvas and paints. It was a small canvas, A4 sized. If Morgan wanted to, she could cover the whole thing in a couple minutes flat. “There you go. As I said, darling, no rush, take the rests you want, paint what you like.”

Morgan’s insides unclenched at Lydia’s words. She let out a deep gasp, bracing herself again, just so she didn’t go to the floor in relief. She looked up at Lydia, bewildered by how quickly this had turned around into something...not at all like what she shared with Deirdre. Was this the ‘heads up’? The lesson she was supposed to get out of this. “T-thank you,” she said quietly, averting her gaze. She followed her at a distance, still feeling a little clammy, or maybe just shaken. This wasn’t what she’d had in mind when she asked the universe to help her feel again. She looked between Lydia and the canvas and back again. It was all...waiting for her. She wasn’t sure how to feel about that. “Okay. What I like. I can do that.” She tried to smile again, but she was too shaken to feel at ease just yet.

She lifted a drafting pencil and began to sketch out the bones of...whatever this was going to be. Why was this so hard? Of course she liked things. Morgan sectioned off the canvas for a close up landscape and set aside a circle for what she wanted to put in it. She had started on a base coat (she remembered that much from the extra curricular lectures she’d attended) when she worked up the nerve to ask, “So, can I ask--? When you say that other fae are not as sweet, do you mean...that they do this on purpose? For...what, exactly? I just...would like to understand better.”

“I mean that the kind of promise you made could be used for something much crueler than a simple painting.” Lydia sat down a few feet away from Morgan, watching her paint the base. She sat back, her wings fading into view as she considered the question.  “We do it in part because it is our culture. To us, there is little more valuable than our word. That everyone else gives it so thoughtlessly is infuriating. There should be consequences for such things.”  She turned her gaze back to Morgan. “When I was attacked by that vampire, when I was done being terrified, I was enraged. Not just because he’d turned me into a toy, or because he’d tried to kill me. What made me most angry was that we’d made a deal, and he went right against it. That made me more angry than the manner by which he did it.” Lydia shook her head to clear her mind. “I suppose though, perhaps what I want to warn you of, is that many fae don’t like other fae to date other species at all. That a commitment like the one you made to me could have been used to end the relationship between the two of you.”

Morgan could understand, a little, what it must be like to see everyone take for granted what was so essential to you. She still hadn’t been by to see the coven despite saying that she would, she needed to. It was too painful, too infuriating, to witness magic as if it were a matter of course when her power had died in the street with her heartbeat. She switched to a different brush and began to cover the canvas in blue before taking up another and layering a wide swath of green over it for grass. It was more of a clumsy child’s dreamscape than the spot in the woods by the river she had hoped to represent, but Lydia hadn’t asked her for the artistic value of her work. She paused, turning solemn as Lydia recounted the worst parts of her story to her. Morgan shook her head with dismay. “Vampires are the fucking worst,” she grumbled quietly. Then, with a little more poise she said louder, “He should never have done that. He should have to pay, pay to someone for being cruel in that way. I’m sorry, Lydia.”

At the suggestion that Morgan could be promise-tricked into deserting Deirdre, she put her brush down. “They might hate me, for being with her. I’m aware of that much,” she said solemnly. “But...we promised each other first. All she ever has to do is ask for me to come to her, and I will. Wherever she is, whatever else happens between us. Doesn’t that promise matter too?” They were careful. They still didn’t go shouting from the rooftops that they were together. But if fae could sense each other, it would only take one outing down the wrong street, bumping into the wrong person, for them to guess. “How do I keep that from happening?” She asked. “I didn’t...I was being sincere, Lydia, when I spoke to you about doing something. I just didn’t understand that it was possible to bind yourself without the word ‘promise.’” She picked up her brush again, sighing with dismay as more troubled thoughts floated and circled her brain. “I’m sorry for that too I guess.”

“He will. He made a deal, and now he will pay for it. As he should,” Lydia replied, sneering, before pushing the mysterious vampire out of her mind and out the conversation. Morgan had much more interesting things to say. “You made a promise to Deirdre that you would stay in a relationship with her?” Lydia asked. Deirdre could do Deirdre but… how completely bizarre. She’d have to ask Deirdre about it sometime.  “Yes, any such promise has incredible value. There is a separate danger there. When an unstoppable force hits an immovable object, what breaks? Usually, the person who has made two opposing unbreakable promises.” It was rather gruesome, really. It was horrifying. Lydia had seen it happen to a couple humans, but had once seen it happen to a gancanagh she knew, barely eighteen years old. The whole fae population had gone into mourning over it. “You watch your words, carefully. Any time you commit to something, any time you indicate a favour owed. It takes practice. That’s why I wanted you to learn this now.” Lydia leant forward, her eyes softer than the situation should suggest. “I appreciate your apology, darling. I don’t doubt your good nature.”

“Oh, no, that’s--” Morgan couldn’t help but scoff darkly. “That’s definitely not what happened. Not that I would ever fuck with our agency like that in the first place, but Deirdre--” Deirdre had been more livid, more hurt than Morgan had ever seen her before, or since. Everything was vanishing behind one locked door after another. Morgan, with her cursed track record, had feared the worst. All because of some stupid words she hadn’t understood. Morgan couldn’t bring herself to explain the horrible details, the guilt of having caused that kind of hurt still haunted her mind. It rose up, prickling her peace like needles whenever things grew tense between her and Deirdre, and when they were so light and calm, they seemed too good to last. But the unpleasantness of that day in the woods was clear on her face as she stared into the distance before resuming her painting. “She would’ve released me in two seconds if that had been what I was trying. We weren’t in a good place, when I gave her that promise. But I wanted…” What she had really wanted was for all the badness to stop. And for Deirdre to not give up on her own humanity just because Morgan had wounded her by mistake. But Morgan did not know how to tell Lydia any of this, or if she even wanted to.

“I wanted her to know that I would always be there for her,” she said at last. “Even if we never got back to the kind of place we were at before, I would still want to be there for her, if that was something she might...want. Even a little. No relationship conditions, she could have frozen me out for weeks or months, and asked me over for just an hour or a night or a week. When you care about someone enough...when you love them, it shouldn’t matter if you’re in a fight or broken up over some stupid mistake or you haven’t spoken in awhile. If you love them, you want to be there no matter what, as long as they want you to. But that’s hard for people to believe. And not everyone means things like ‘oh, i still wanna be your friend,’ ‘yeah you can still count on me.’ But I meant it. So I gave her a promise. If she ever decided she wanted to see me again, I’d come. She only had to ask for me.”

Morgan began to paint the drop of canvas she’d sectioned off a bright orange. Not at all like the amber fossil kept safely in their bedroom, but close as she could figure from her selections. “We worked things out on our own, eventually. She’s never pulled on that thread, even once. And I’d come without pressing her to take that measure, obviously. But I like knowing it's there. There’s no telling what could happen, and it’s still true, so…” She looked over at Lydia, a little heartened by her softness. She nodded at her words, accepting the gravity of her situation, why she might feel compelled to go to all this trouble. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do here. You must care about Deirdre a lot, to look out for us.”

Lydia listened. This hadn’t been intended to be a backdoor into Deirdre’s private relationship or private thoughts, but as Morgan explained, Lydia began to relax and ease. Not just because she had for a second believed that Deirdre would have accepted such an ethically questionable promise. She listened attentively as Morgan talked, watching the attention by which Morgan painted. She deliberately wasn’t watching the actual painting, willing it to be a surprise, and to ensure that Morgan wouldn’t feel too imposed on. Beyond the literal imposition, of course. “I’m rather relieved to hear that, I must admit. The alternative would have been alarming. For the both of you.” Lydia settled and rolled her shoulders, stretching wing muscles as she did. “It is still a major commitment, but I’m glad you thought it through with her. I’m glad you were there to help her.” She smiled, softly, at Morgan’s comment. “I do. She’s a wonderful woman. Ultimately, I want her to be happy. Everything else is secondary.”

Morgan painted as best she could, which was, honestly, not very well. She began to add what was meant to be a squirrel picking flowers, caught in the lens of the orange drop, but her inexpert strokes morphed the image into a strange brown blob, almost sinister. “You don’t have to worry about that with me. I love her,” she said simply, setting the brush aside. She stepped back from her work. Not an artistic vision by any means, but it was covered. She gave Lydia a sidelong glance, wincing at just how awful it looked next to the art surrounding her. “I, uh, I tried,” she said. “It’s...well, it’s supposed to be things I like, but you should maybe display it out by the dumpster.”

Love. Morgan had used that word twice now, so that it couldn’t be an accident. Deirdre had said many things, but she had said nothing of love. Lydia looked down to her hands for a moment, at the smooth skin and the burgundy nails she wore today. She wondered if she’d be so kind, if Morgan was still human. She wondered if she would have done this at all, if Morgan never had been. Lydia set those thoughts aside. There was an edge to this kindness, that if asked about, Lydia couldn’t deny. One that perhaps they would forget about in time. Morgan turned the easel, and Lydia raised an eyebrow at the monstrosity that Morgan revealed. “I wouldn’t throw it away, this is a gift. We’ll call it… dadaist modern art, and call it a day. I am very grateful, Morgan. For everything.”

Morgan couldn’t help but notice the silence around her declaration. She wondered if it had to do with her being only recently un-human’d. If she had been dead all along, would Lydia believe her more, would she see it more clearly? Or would it only look right to her with a pair of wings at her back and fae blood in her cold veins? She sighed, wrapping her arms around herself to hide the self-consciousness. Lydia was being kind, but it was the sort of kindness that gritted its teeth against something else. She should probably count herself lucky, she reminded herself, that Lydia was trying at all. That she had, in some spare moments, tried to extend whatever counted as friendship for her kind of fae towards Morgan. “I don’t think I’ve done all that much,” she said, side-eyeing her handiwork again. “But I appreciate you taking this time with me too. I’d like to get to be your friend too. At some point.”

“You made more of an effort than I expected. That has value,” Lydia replied softly. She stood up, smoothing her skirt. “I think I’d like that too, at some point,” Lydia replied in turn. Perhaps not today. Perhaps not in a month. Perhaps not while Remmy was made to hate themselves for saving Morgan from her curse. Some point, though. It was an easy, commitment to make. “I also think I’ve taken up more than enough of your time, as pleasant as it has been to get to know you better.” She smiled, looking at the painting one more time. “I am truly happy for you and Deirdre. I’m glad you have each other.” I hope it stays that way. Deirdre didn’t need more heartbreak. As Lydia showed Morgan to the door, she thought that Deirdre wasn’t the only one like that, either.

[thermopylod]

Yutaba + 46

Futaba x Yusuke, “I’m in love…shit.”(~1900 words)

Futaba and Akira were 3 hours and 2 plates into their afternoon of retro gaming and curry-eating, and Futaba had been trouncing him well and good at Power Intuition and Punch Ouch. That must have been why he suddenly decided to use dirty distraction techniques to try to win a match.

“So, when are you going to ask Yusuke out?”

Yutaba jumped so high she knocked over the chair she was sitting on and fell down, prompting Akira to rush over to make sure she was ok. She shoved his well-meaning hands off, blushing a deep scarlet.

“Why would I do that?!”

Wasn’t Akira supposed to be super perceptive? He must be off his game if he thought Futaba had any interest in Yusuke. Which part of him was supposed to be attractive to her? The beanpole physique? The propensity for drinking paint water? The continuous flow of supremely boring art discussions? The horrible dietary habits? (Not that Futaba had much room to talk, but at least she ate, which was more than some people could say.) She stood up, brushing herself off, and glared at Akira. If he wanted to play matchmaker, he could go do that with Ann, or Haru, or hell, even Makoto would be a better target for his unnecessary meddling than Futaba.

“Because you’re into him?” he asked like it was some sort of obvious fact while he picked the chair up, proving that for all his interpersonal skills he really could be quite dense.

“No I’m not,” Futaba replied as she dropped onto the couch, assuming the conversation would end there. She’d had quite enough of fighting games for now; maybe it was time for round three of the curry…

“Coulda fooled me.”

Her head snapped up. So he wasn’t going to drop it. She sighed; Akira could be so persistent when he thought he was right, and she really had better things to do with her evening than explain to him why Yusuke wasn’t remotely attractive to her. Things like… cut her toenails. Or trim her split ends. Or maybe even color-code her closet. Anything had to be better.

She could feel her face still flooded with heat; she hated that that was her automatic reaction to awkward situations, and now Akira was going to read it as a sign or something, and had he gotten into Ryuji’s weird romantic manga stash again?

“I mean, you two hang out together all the time,” he continued.

Well, of course they did; Yusuke spent a large amount of his free time at Leblanc’s, and so did Futaba. He said it was for the atmosphere which “inspired the creative mind,” but she was pretty sure it was mostly because Sojiro always ended up feeding him when his stomach growled too loudly.

As for Futaba, since she didn’t go to school, it was either the cafe or her empty house, and since her change of heart she found that she appreciated being around other people sometimes. Not all the time, of course — she was still an introvert, nothing would change that, and closing the door onto her silent, quiet, empty bedroom was as relaxing as a hot bath after an excessively long day in the Metaverse. But sometimes, it was nice, having a few living, breathing people around to reminder her she wasn’t alone anymore.

And of course she often ended up talking with Yusuke; he was usually the only person under thirty in the cafe, and even his endless explanations of art movements couldn’t be as bad as discussing politics with the close-minded old regulars. If she got him on the right subject he could even be rather entertaining. He had a way of making scathing, offhand remarks without even appearing to realise it; sometimes it was like reading an oblivious snark blog and it took all she had not to laugh out loud, which inevitably broke the spell as he asked, completely confused, what was funny about the fiscally irresponsible choices of his classmate.

So clearly that didn’t mean anything. She opened her mouth to tell Akira as much, but he spoke first.

“Didn’t you even take him out to dinner the other day?”

She frowned. Take him out to… oh, right. She’d noticed he looked even paler than usual, with greenish undertones to his skin that he usually didn’t have unless he’d accidentally gotten paint on his face — not that she was paying any specific attention to his usually porcelain tone or perfectly blemish-free appearance. When she’d asked whether he was sick he’d told her to “please, not worry on his behalf,” which was the best way to make anyone worry.

(Futaba had read about reverse psychology, and decided that she was immune to that sort of mind manipulation trick. Therefore, the fact that she often felt the need to do the opposite of what she was told was simply her asserting her right to make her own decisions, and had nothing to do with any sort of psychology, reverse or otherwise.)

“When was the last time you ate something else than curry?” she’d asked him.

“Hmm… oh, yes, I had some bean sprouts on Monday. They were quite refreshing.”

“That… that was three days ago, Inari.”

“Well, I do have to wait for them to grow back. If I eat them too quickly, then there will be none left.”

Futaba had stared at him. It was a miracle he didn’t have scurvy at this point, really, and even if he was obnoxious and exasperating he was also a key member of the team. His ice skills were unmatched, so it would be a problem if he ended up in the hospital or on bed rest because he got less vitamins than a pirate from the 1700s. Figuring she could do something helpful for the team for once, she’d dragged him out to the closest restaurant that served salads and forced him to eat at least 3 different veggies, and also made him get a smoothie at the station on the way home too. He’d been excessively grateful, thanking her over and over, but he always acted like that around food. It hadn’t been a date or anything, just a smart tactical decision for the team.

“Then there’s the way you always hold his hand when we’re outside.”

Futaba blushed. That one was weird, she had to give Akira that. She’d just about fainted from embarrassment the first time Yusuke’d grabbed her wrist to drag her along in a crowd, but it had been a very efficient way to get through it quickly without getting lost — he had such long legs, she often had trouble keeping up. From then on, she’d started grabbing his hand anytime they were in a crowded area, and maybe when they weren’t too. It wasn’t some sort of romantic thing; she just felt safer that way. His warm hand in hers reminded her that she wasn’t alone, like a physical memento of the whole team’s support, and made it easier to deal with the slew of fears she still had. And if she’d started interlacing their fingers, that was only because their grip felt more secure that way. It had nothing to do with how soft his fingertips were against the back of her hand.

“And when we’re in the Metaverse, you always cast your support spells on him first.”

Now Futaba was getting annoyed. Had Akira been studying her or something? This was starting to sound like an interrogation, and he wasn’t letting her get a word in edgewise. He was wrong, and that was that. Did she boost or heal Yusuke first? Well, he was taller, so he probably just attracted her skill to him automatically; after all, she was casting them from above, so that would make sense. Or maybe he was the most injured, which meant he needed her help the most, and was she supposed to ignore that just because Akira would get weird notions if she didn’t? Clearly it wasn’t like she was doing it on purpose.

“But the main reason I asked, is that lately you’ve only made time to hang out with me when he’s not available.”

“How do you know when he’s available?”

“I am the leader, of this team, you know. I have all your calendars memorized so I can choose the best days to take us into the Metaverse,” he replied, ruffling her hair. “For example, I know Fridays are bad because that’s when your favorite anime airs and you’ll be distracted the whole time over missing it.”

“I am not — anyway, that’s not true, I don’t pick him over you!”

“Really? So you could have seen Yusuke tonight, but you came here?”

“Well, no, he’s at an art show, but that’s not the point! Anyway, I know you’re only here because Ryuji’s busy with his mom today, so you’re one to talk!” She stuck her tongue out at him, proud of her retort.

“Ah, but I have no issue admitting I love Ryuji,” he replied with a smug smile.

Futaba froze, and all her thoughts from the last fifteen minutes suddenly caught up with her. She spent all her time with him. She found him entertaining to listen to even though he was, objectively, really boring. She was familiar enough with his appearance to notice a slight change and worried about his health to the point of buying him dinner. She liked to hold his hand, felt safe in public when he was around, unconsciously prioritized him for support spells if Akira was to be believed, and would always choose hanging out with him over anyone else.

She slid limply off the couch into a pile on the ground, hiding her head against her knees.

“I’m in love… Shit!”

She heard Akira come to sit down next to her, and lifted her head to look at him when he laid a hand on her shoulder.

“Why him? Why me? Why? I never asked for this!”

Akira shrugged. “If you find out, let me know. I still can’t understand why I fell for my dorky best friend with the terrible fashion sense instead of one of the many gorgeous girls who throw themselves at me daily,” he said, trademark flirty smile on his lips as he posed with a hand beneath his chin.

She swatted at him and rolled her eyes. “You absolute narcissist.”

“I can’t help that I was born beautiful,” he said with a silly, over exaggerated pout, before smirking in a dangerously playful way. “So, back to my original question. When are you going to ask him out?”

“Never, oh my god, Akira!” Not in a million damn years. There was no change of heart strong enough to give her the courage for that, and obviously Yusuke didn’t like her back, so there was no point, and —

Akira was pulling his phone out, and she jumped at him. “Don’t you dare tell him! Or anyone else!”

He pushed himself away from her with his hands up, one holding his phone with the screen towards her. “I wasn’t going to, I just got a message!”

She looked at the screen suspiciously. There did seem to be a notification from the Phantom Thieves chat dating back just a few seconds. Still…

“If you tell anyone, I’ll send your full chat history with Ryuji to the group chat,” she threatened.

His gasp, entirely genuine, made her wonder if she ought to check it, then just as quickly realise the last thing she wanted to do was check it. “You wouldn’t!”

“Try me.”

[oppatxtme]

Christian Yu: What’s On Sight (9)

CHRISTIAN YU x READER x JAY PARK

Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3 // Chapter 4 // Chapter 5 // Chapter 6 // Chapter 7  // Chapter 8 // Chapter 9 // Chapter 10 //  

WARNING: A/F - Read @ Your Own Risk

A/N: Keep in mind that English is not my native language so there might be some spelling and grammar error. Sorry for my lack of talent and I promise to work hard on this. Thank you and please enjoy. Any feedback is well loved. <3

  "Haaaish!" You are frustrated. "Why is he not answering his damn phone!"

  Again for the third time, you call Jay's number. As you try not to look at Christian who's currently walking in circles in your small living room.

  He's been like that since the both of you ended the call with Dabin. And that's almost 15 minutes ago.

 You know that he is mad at you since you didn't mention to him that you already met with Jay that day.

  He didn't say a word to you. So you're not sure what to do at that moment, you decided to just call Jay to really know what’s going on.

  Even though in that picture, your face is blurred out. You know that your face will be unraveled in no time.

  Since you know how the media works and its citizen will not be settled unless the girl's face is uncovered.

  But at that moment, the media is less of your concern. What scares you now is what can Christian do to you or Jay, for you can see that he will explode at any moment. And Jay is not picking up his damn phone is not helping at all.

  "Hello."

  "Oppa! Hello?!" You got surprised when you heard Jay's voice on the other line, finally.

  Christian's face automatically frowned looking at you when he heard you call Jay 'Oppa'. As far as he remembers you tell him that you hated addressing someone with it. That it’s too 'girly' thing for you.

  "Wow. Is it just me or you sounded happy when I answered?" You heard Jay chuckle.

  "What the heck are you talking about Oppa? I've been calling you, where the hell are you!"

  "Chill. I just got out from the old man's office. He called me when I got to the hotel and asked to meet him up. I'm heading to your place now." His sound serious.

  "What did my father say?" His seriousness makes you worry.

  "Let's talk all about it once I'm there. And make sure your boyfriend there is well aware of me coming."

  You looked at Christian. He was just watching you, his expression is mad serious.

  "Oh ~ he knows."

  "Okay, good. I'll be there."

  "Okay, but there's something else came up on the internet."

  "Yeah, I just got heads up about it. We'll talk more about it later. Okay, babygirl?"

  You nod as if he can see you then he hung up. You looked at Christian. His face seems animated. This is the first time you have seen him like that. You need to do something before Jay arrives or you don't know what will happen.

  "He's on the way, Babe."

  He just nods and turns his back on you to walk towards the kitchen. He gets something to drink out in the fridge.

  "Babe," you called him. You walk to sit on the stool and just watching him. He keeps avoiding any eye contact.

  "Water?" he asked without looking at you.

  "No thank you."

  He closed the fridge as a bottle of Heineken in his hand.

  "Christian, I know you're angry at me. So be angry at me, do what you think you need to do. Shout at me and be done with it.  Just don't give me that one-word treatment you're doing right now. I wanna know what's running in that head of yours."

  He opened the can of beer and drank almost half of it before he put his gaze on you.

  "For Chrissake I am angry Y/N, and if it is on you or with Jay? I don't know." There it was again, in his eyes, the pain. "Maybe I am angry at my fucking self for all I know. And I am doing what I think I need to do, and that's an alcohol in my system to help me process all this and just wait patiently for that man to hear what he has to say. Because honestly Y/N, that pictures all over the net is really telling me something is off with all this."

  You bite your lower lip as you felt an ache from your heart when you realize what he meant.

  "I'm sorry for all of this Christian, I really am. But if you need to be mad or angry at someone, it's me. This whole thing was because of me. I am so stupid to let myself be seen in public with Jay."

  "Why are you with him in the first place Y/N? That's what's bugging me at this point. You even failed to inform me about it." He was hurt. Felt been betrayed, by you.

  "It was.. because-"

  "Because of what? Are you not telling me something Y/N? Because I can sense that there still something. And looking at you acting like that is as if you're not the Y/N I know."

  "I don't know what you are saying Barom." You shook your head with confusion written all over your face. "But this morning, Jay came to the office to talk with me."

  "And why is that?"

  "Because he tries to call me last night but I blocked him. And he knew about you, so he wanted to know if my dad knows about us. Then he was telling something about some plan of his but I really don't get it that's why I told him to just talk it with you."

  "And I assumed all of that is discuss during that lunch photos we've seen on the net?"

  You looked down and just nod.

  "Y/N.."

  You look up at him.

  But before he can even say something, you heard your doorbell chimed. Both of you looked at the way thru your door.

  You swallowed hard. You knew who it was. There's a voice in your head that you don't want to open it, but you have to.

  You heard Christian sigh deeply and started walking towards the door. So you just walked behind him and stop midway and let him open the door.

  As the door swang open, you saw Jay's face. He look's fine as always and he didn't even get surprised to see Christian open the door for him as if he was already expecting him to do so.

  "Ian," he said as he let out his right hand to handshake with Christian.

  "Jay," Christian said as he just lightly taps at Jay's hand and nods.

  Jay smirked at how Christian greeted him. You just tilted your head to the side as you thought that this will gonna be a long day indeed.

    This is insane ~ You thought for yourself as you busied in your small kitchen to make the two-man that are now facing each other in your living room a cup of coffee. You sure hoped that the coffee will lessen the intense atmosphere between the two.

  You looked at your wristwatch. It's already past 6 in the evening. Almost dinner time. You already assumed that this talk would last a long one, so you pulled out your mobile and texted someone.

  Then you put the coffee you made on the tray and served it to them. When you are done, you sit beside Christian. And as if on cue, his left arm went around you. As if sending Jay a silent message. As a reaction from Jay, he just smirked.

  'Okay, this will definitely a long night ~' you thought for yourself.

  "So, before we can start anything. I like to clarify something." Jay started. "Ian, I assumed that Y/N here already informs you of the situation we're in?"

  Christian just nod. "It was all recently, so I'm a bit surprised at it," Christian added.

  "It sure is, to tell you the truth - I didn't know that Mr. Y/L/N is Y/N father until the other day. So I do hope you won't get any wrong ideas about this." Jay seems calm and well careful in his words. "But may I know when did the two of you start dating?"

   Christian's grip on your shoulder tighten.

  "It's been half a year." Christian lied, obviously, but you knew it was needed to make a point for Jay.

  "Half a year already and yet her father seems not to know about it. All he knew was you and Y/N are friends." you can tell that Jay is not buying it.

  "Oppa ~ I haven't talked to my dad ever since I broke up with my ex. But like I told you earlier, I already plan to tell him about us, but this happens." You informed Jay.

  Jay just nods and seems like he was thinking of something else when Christian caught his attention.

  "Y/N mention me something that you have some plan that you needed to talked to me about?" Christian sounded hella serious.

  You didn't know was Christian is currently controlling all his anger towards Jay. Because if he didn't, who knows what he might do if this goes on.

  First, about the rumors he was saying to his crew. Christian and Jay are in the same circle, so whatever rumors are passed on, it will surely go places and will be recognized by others.

  Second, the pictures on the internet. The rumors he can handle since it was a baseless rumor that he can shut down easily once you and Christian have seen together not as friends but more than that. But now that the pictures are all on the internet, the whole Korea knew about Jay having someone. And what's more is that Christian have this feeling that the pictures were not accidentally, that it was planned by none other than by Jay.

  Third, the fact that you called Jay 'Oppa' is making his blood boil. You knew how he really wanted for you to call him that ever since he even ask you to just mention the word with aegyo for his birthday gift but you wouldn't do it. Now he can hear you say it all over again, but not for him but for Jay.

  And lastly, when Jay walked pass him when he opened the door, it hit him. That the day he arrived, you smelled like Jay. He didn't know how on earth you caught to smell like him but what he can't accept is the fact that you choose to be with him rather than fetch him on the airport. And again you lied your way to Jay.

  Christian sigh heavily as his fingers comb his hair. He needs to act accordingly and don't let his guard down. He knew something was off between you and Jay, and he will find what it was even knowing that may hurt him.

  "Look, Ian, I am here not to steal Y/N away from you or anything like that. I am here because I need Y/N's help and your understanding of this matter. This issue concerns more about me and Y/N's father than you or Y/N. Because Y/N's father offers me something to become Y/N's husband. I accepted it since I badly needed what he handed to me for my company and not because I have feelings for Y/N. You have your own thing so you can get what I'm trying to say here." Christian understand what Jay was saying. He just nodded to let Jay continue.

  "After me and Y/N have our litter talk early this day, her father called me to his office. He showed me the pictures that now are all over the net. Not like us, he seems pleased with it. And even mentioning that it's going as he wanted to. By that, he doesn't need to keep an eye on Y/N since she's with me. And with that, I knew my idea will work for all of us." Jay sounded confident that make Christian and you curious about his plan.

  "What are you saying Oppa?"

  "Are you saying that we need to go thru with the wedding? And you just mentioned that you're not here to steal Y/N." Christian let out a sarcastic laugh.

  "I am like I said, I am here to ask for her help and your understanding man." Jay stayed calm. "You can judge me all you want after hearing my side. Even though Y/N already agreed to this earlier."

  Christian automatically turn to look at you after hearing that. You were surprised on what Jay said that you didn't manage to react. Christian gave you a knowing look.

  "Look here Ian, the old man mention something to me earlier." Christian looked at him again and raise a brow. "That he already knew your feelings towards Y/N and he also made it clear that he doesn't like the idea of you being Y/N's husband. So my plan will really save the both of you the trouble facing the old man."

  "That's not true." You said implying that your Dad doesn't like Christian. Jay looked at you as he shook his head. You tried to lean forward to catch Christian's eyes.

  "What's your point Park?" as he looks only to Jay. Jay grinned at how Christian address him.

  "I know, you know what’s my point there Yu. So my plan here that I already mention to Y/N is if we keep the engagement and be married for at least a year."

  Hearing that made Christian's body stiff and his face sharpen then he looked at you all of a sudden. You can see in his eyes the confusion and unsureness. And you understand him and you felt sad that you're causing him all this.

  That made you worried, you don't want him to hear all this shit from Jay. You just place your hand behind him and caressing his back. You want him to feel that you are there, that it's okay if he won't agree with Jay at all. That even if your father is against with the relationship, you don't care.

  So what you did next was just smile at him. Assuring smile that you wonder how did you even pull it. Maybe because you knew that whatever happens, the both of you will deal with it together. As long as you knew Christian was there for you, hell to everything else because he was all that matter.

  In you, you knew there's no way Christian will agree to what Jay wants to happen. You already inform Jay that if Christian doesn't agree to this, you can't do anything about it.

  "Let's just put an act for the public," Jay said that made you and Christian looked at him. "Just a year Yu, me and Y/N will be married just in papers and act like it for the public’s eye and for the old man. Of course, I won't force Y/N at anything for it's all an act and everything will be agreed by both party - that is me and the two of you. And since the public already knew that the two of you are close, there's no need for explanation needed if the two of you might be seen in public once in a while. By that, the two of you can keep the relationship you have as lowkey as possible since the public and her old man knew was the two of us being married." Jay looked the two of you looking for any reaction on what he said.

  "Oppa?!"

  "Are you gone nuts Park?! I'll be damn to agree with that. Even if I understand your needs, don't even think that I can trust you with Y/N!"

  "I know that you will say that," It was Jay's turn to sigh. "But do you not have any trust with Y/N and with her decision? Think about it Yu, if you refuse this and both of you will go declare your relationship with the old man. Do you think he will just sit and accept it? Even now that he's the one behind that pictures on the internet? You and Y/N will surely go thru hell."

  "Do you think that your suggestion is not hell enough?"

  "Compared to what can the old man do? No. You don't know what he can do. He can easily bring the whole DPR to ruins like he's about to do with mine if I don't go thru this married thing. At least with that, we have the control with everything. Once Y/N and I are married, he will be less focus on Y/N and you. She can do anything she wants without his father monitoring her every time. Just think about it."

  You just went all silent. All Jay mentioned was too much for you to handle, just imagining it made your head hurts. Jay really thought thru this.

  "Still ~ What if I won't agree with the wedding?" Christian asked you can feel that he hate everything that Jay says.

  "You still don't get it, man." Jay's seems near to his limit to calm his temper. "First, I don't see any choice for the both of you to continue what you have at peace. Lastly, the reason I asked for a year because I signed a paper with the old man before he gave me what I needed. I need to marry Y/N and within a year, I need to fulfill and prove to be a good husband to Y/N, if not or failed to do so, the two record label and all the assets I have will be transferred under the old man. Now, do you get how big of a deal this is for me?"

  "That's all bull, Jay!"

  "My dad can't do that Oppa ~"

  "I'm telling the truth. That's how your father does business Y/N. He doesn't want for you to know this since, for him, it would hurt your feelings. Business, this is what this is all about."

   "I know ~" a tear scape your eyes, you wipe it immediately before them seeing but failed. "That's why ~ that is why I hated him and his business. I'm tired of my dad controlling me and treating me as one of his business assets. I'll do anything just to escape and be free from his control. But still ~" you looked down. Lost for words to express how you really felt about how your Dad sees you. It hurts you to accept the fact.

  "Marry me Y/N. And I promise you I'll do anything for you to be free from your old man. That's the least I can assure you Y/N to make amends to what I've done in the past."

  "Oppa ~" you looked at Jay and saw how sincere he was.

  "Stop right there! Did you just propose to my girlfriend Park? And what past are you both talking about? Babe?" Christian looked at you and waiting for your answer.

  Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3 // Chapter 4 // Chapter 5 // Chapter 6 // Chapter 7  // Chapter 8 // Chapter 9 // Chapter 10 //  

what do you think about this chapter? Talk to me, don’t be shy. I won’t bite. Have a good day/night everyone!

Y/N Portrayer in collage is @Mari_jasmin  ~ check her out in IG (GIRL CRUSH)

[thesimplyluxuriouslife]

218: Doubt the Default - How My Trip to France Woke Me Up

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #218

~Subscribe to The Simple Sophisticate: iTunes | Stitcher | iHeartRadio | YouTube | Spotify

“A nail is driven out by another nail; habit is overcome by habit.” ― Erasmus

While traveling during the past four weeks in France, I found that I was finally able to default in conversation to a handful of expressions to, on the most basic level, demonstrate I comprehended what was being said - bien sur, absolutement, parfait, ouai, je comprends, merci, de rein, à demain. Again, as you can see, a very basic level. But, there was no longer a pause before I spoke whenever any of these words or phrases was warranted. My mind no longer had to think, I just spoke.  In this instance, I was tickled. Finally, an aspect of the French language, after many years of sporadic studying, was becoming a default in my brain. A muscle had been strengthened to the point of habit. But, again, my responses were basic, simple, surface. "Doubt the default." When I heard Adam Grant utter this simple, concise, alliterative statement in his TED Talk about original thinkers, my attention was captured. It happened three years ago upon arriving in Bend and moving into my new home that I ran into a new neighbor. The circumstances were we didn't know each other, simply put, and I uttered in conversation with this perfect stranger, "trust me, I understand what you mean." At the time, I didn't think about that phrase before I said it, I didn't really consider the weight of such words - "trust me", I just said it out of habit. Default. And I wouldn't have even reflected upon this fact had the woman engaging me in conversation not said, "I don't know you to trust you." The topic of our conversation was about our dogs, but the truth was, she didn't know me, and she was fully present in the conversation. While I thought I was, the words I chose said otherwise. Ever since this conversation, I have thought carefully about what I say in conversations out of habit, filler, silence-enders, space holders. I have done my best to eliminate words such as "like" from my informal speech after I recognized how many times I would say it when, had you asked me, I would have guessed the word never entered into my syntax. Aside from the words I chose,  I began to dive into my living habits, my thinking patterns, and it was with my trip to France that I recognized many cultural defaults as well that I had not even considered addressing. Quickly, another word for "default" is a habit. By definition, a habit is something that frees our mind up to focus on other tasks. So as long as the habit is helpful and contributes to the quality of the life we desire, a habit is a very good thing. Selecting water as your drink of choice, looking for the positive, smiling instead of frowning, wearing the same uniform to work to eliminate wasting time in the morning - all very helpful habits. But habits, defaults, can also be hindering our ability to live a better life, a more thoughtful life, a more engaging life, especially when we don't even realize we have these unhelpful defaults. Below I'd like to share with you a list of potential defaults already in your life inspired by what I saw, experienced as well as caught myself doing without thinking.

1. Not taking a grocery tote into the market

In France, when you go to a supermarket, they will not provide you for free with a plastic or paper bag to place your groceries. If you, as I did on my first occasion, do not bring in your canvas tote, market tote, or anything to carry your groceries, you will have to pay for their grocery bags (ones you can use on your next visit). The price was quite small - ten centimes - but it caught my attention immediately. A good habit could easily become ingrained in my memory of bringing a grocery tote to the store if I knew I would have to pay for a new bag each time I shopped throughout the week. (In one instance, I simply placed all of my groceries into my tote - handbag; and I also saw many people bringing their market baskets to the brick and mortar stores as well - multi-purpose.)

2. Expressing a negative energy during first impressions

When I travel, I love to listen. When I listen, I am better able to observe, and it also enables me to see more clearly, and more accurately, someone's true nature. What do I mean by this? Having had the opportunity to meet many people from all different walks of life, it was often the first impression that upon reflection was the most accurate to their true disposition. When we don't know someone, and the environment is safe, what is your first reaction when you meet them? Most of the people I met expressed warmth which made those few who did not stick out like a sore thumb. Because it is the first impression, their negative or positive energy has little or nothing to do with me, and much more to do with where they are in their life at that moment.

3. Driving faster than necessary

Driving on the roads in France, the country roads, the autoroutes and everywhere in between, it became quickly apparent that most French drivers drove the speed limit. I later had a conversation with Sharon Santoni about the laws of the road and my observation, and once she explained the drivers' point system (each Euro driver begins with 12 points and they can be lost for speeding (automatic surveillance along the roads), using a cell phone, etc.), it became clear as to why the pace of the roadways felt very civilized. No matter where in the world you drive, it would be interesting to consider the defaults you adhere to when you are behind the wheel. What is deemed acceptable, what is not? Buckling up - good. Glancing at your cell phone - bad. Driving a manual car during my entire trip which was something I am accustomed to, but my current car for the past four years here in the states is not a stick, upon arriving home, my left foot automatically began looking for the clutch without success. My brain had defaulted in four short weeks to expecting to use a clutch. This is good news. Not only can we change the defaults that are not helping us, but they can be  "reprogrammed" quite quickly with frequent, repeated practice.

4. Not greeting the shop keeper, artisan, taxi driver, etc.

The many travel writers and travelers of the world, have done a magnificent job of sharing the importance of saying "bonjour" if one is in France, but in nearly every other country in the world as well, upon entering any business, vendor, etc. in order to begin to set a cordial tone. From time to time, I would notice a traveler, in my case, I zoomed in on Americans, but that's not to say other world citizens don't make the same mistake as well, immediately begin making an inquiry of the proprietor without extending a salutation. And while often, the staff would attempt to help them, an opportunity to build a better rapport was missed. I began thinking about this simple habit of focusing first on the human connection before homing in on the task which brought us to the store, market, etc. The difference is there are feelings and emotions involved that must be considered when we choose to first focus on making a human connection. And when we do this, we are being present. No, we do not know how the interaction will go, but the chances that it will go well are greatly increased.

5. Assuming a market will always be open

I quickly learned that I needed to plan my grocery shopping well before my stomach became hungry. While this detail was something I remembered from my previous trips, staying in vacation rentals, I usually wanted to cook my own meals, so making sure a market of some sort was open (restaurants are usually opened each day of the week for at least lunch and dinner) was a shift from my approach in the states. In the states, if I have forgotten an ingredient for dinner on a Sunday, I don't think twice about heading to the market for a quick pick up. Having to know in some capacity that I had what I needed for my meals in advance also enabled me to just relax and enjoy a leisurely Sunday or any afternoon during the week as the outdoor markets wrapped up around 1pm and most restaurants in the small towns shut down between lunch and dinner.

6. Eating the same food year round

In Provence, the melons were nearing their peak ripeness, but green asparagus season was all but over. White beans were a treasure to be purchased and savored during these months strawberries were to indulge upon like candy. However, if I were to return in November, as most of the markets are opened year-round, I would see completely different selections. Now, we know the seasons offer different fruits and vegetables, even seafood, but it can sometimes become easy to forget when we shop in a supermarket and only stick to the same food each trip. The appreciation for the food that only comes once a year is something we can celebrate in our cooking as we dine on the rich flavors. In so doing, we actually do help our waistline as we become satiated more quickly and do not overeat as we are eating real food with natural, wonderful flavor.

7. Perfect and impersonal

The idea of a perfect home, a perfect outfit, perfect hair, a perfect life, as we know is a futile pursuit. And to this point, most intensely, it was the decor that woke me up throughout this trip as I appreciated the signature touches made available by the treasures one can find at the many brocante markets. Now this is not to say, one cannot decorate a home outside of France without the access to brocantes. Absolutely not, but what I think is tempting is to make everything look ideal immediately in our homes - paintings, furniture, tabletop vignettes, etc. And as Sharon Santoni and I were talking, a beautiful home that is the sanctuary for the inhabitants is one that has layers of unique and thoughtful decor choices, and these layers take time. When I stepped foot onto Sharon's property, enjoyed meals with her family, and stayed in her guest cottage, it was immediately clear that they lived there. I couldn't purchase her decor details", but I could be inspired by them because it was more than the things, it was the stories that came with them.

8. Speedy and surface conversations

As I shared at the beginning of my post, it can be easy to say certain catch phrases without really thinking about what the words themselves mean. While idioms exist in every culture, sayings that mean more than what they are literally saying, it's not the idioms I am talking about here. When we are in a different culture that asks of us to reach beyond the language we are most comfortable with, often the conversation can be slow. While this may be frustrating as we want to talk quickly like locals, it shows thoughtful care. We want to make sure what we wish to say is said and not something that will offend or confuse.  I find that sometimes in conversations we say more words than our necessary. Just as in every other arena of our lives, quality over quantity. When we choose our words carefully, we can say so much more. Excessive use of superlatives (best, largest, toughest, most amazing, prettiest) waters down the actual compliment if all you use are superlatives for something you either love or loathe. Precise words and thoughtful timing of when we engage in conversation, demonstrates we are listening, we care and we are trying to understand.

9. Drama is necessary and thus inevitable

Initially, it was my lack of access to the regular news sources I look to or listen to on a typical day when I am in the states that made me realize that I had been accepting the noise of problems, clashes and pain as normal. But even with the shows and books we read, we can come to expect, even look for, the clash, the conflict, the drama, that must be there somewhere. The truth is, often things to work out. In fact, it is human nature biologically to remember the instances that didn't work out more readily than the times that did for survival. But when we accept this biology, we ignore that when we are aware of why this happens, we can shift our expectations, our reactions and instead rest more easy, enjoy the steady, even balance of our lives that go well quite often. Why look for the drama when it truly doesn't need to be there?

10. Assuming an incapability

I can't travel alone. I can't drive in another country. I can't live without [insert something that you cannot travel with]. Often when we travel we discover something, if not many, things about ourselves we were not consciously aware of. Many of these discoveries are awesome, exciting bits of information that awakens us to our best selves, but sometimes we discover that we have been limiting ourselves unnecessarily. If our default in our minds is "I can't" instead of even just "I'll give it a shot" when a new task or new experience is placed in front of us, we may miss out on the most beautiful London plane trees lined country roads in France (see below), or meeting Walter Wells (I ended up after attempting to walk to class at Patricia Wells' cooking class the first night, getting lost, and ended up calling Walter who came and found me and picked me up in his car to take me to their property for dinner - we had a lovely conversation). We often sell ourselves short regarding what we are truly capable of doing, and we especially do so when our default setting is immediately "I can't". Yes, you can. You may have to do a bit more homework, save a bit more money, or have some patience, but "I can't" is often more an expression of hoping that we could so badly but we just don't know how.

"Default choices often remain unchanged for no reason other than being the default, either because of this lack of information or humans' status quo bias." —Marvin Ammori

Adam Grant was right, we should doubt our defaults because when we don't we are either living unconsciously or not living as full of a life as we could if only we had more information to make different choices and take different actions. Kristin Armstrong states it frankly, "We either live with intention or exist by default." When we live with intention, we are living well. We may not have success on our first attempts at speaking differently, acting differently or engaging differently, but we are doing it out of a conscious choice to live more authentically, thoughtfully and more engaged with the world we are living. While traveling to France made this concept of living with defaults quite glaring to me, we don't have to travel outside of even our own town to know that we may have defaults that are not serving us or defaults that are limiting our full potential whether it be in our appreciation of life, our relationships, even our success at work. All it takes is a choice to reflect and ponder, why do I greet people the way I do? Is that the energy I want to extend? If so, that's awesome, but if you recognize you want to make a change, you can do that too. When we doubt the default, we are choosing to be selective about the habits we allow to be habits in our lives. It's when we do not know we have these habits that we step on our own toes, so to speak, and trip ourselves up without realizing we are the ones slowing our progress down. And that is great news, we each have the skills and the opportunity to stop tripping and start striding into the life we love living. ~SIMILAR POSTS/EPISODES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

~20 Ways to Live Like a Parisian, episode #127

~15 Everyday Habits to Live a Life of Contentment, episode #93

~Why Not . . . Live a Life of Quality?

~Listen/Read more French-Inspired podcast episodes here. ~Learn more and subscribe to TSLL's weekly newsletter here.

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  ~Sponsor of today's episode:

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[zillowcondo]

Four Seasons Nevis Reviewed

I’m fresh off a fabulous trip to the Four Seasons Nevis. Until recently not only did I not know how to pronounce Nevis (by the way it’s Nee-Vis) but I had no idea where it was even located. Geography was never my subject–guess they didn’t teach a class on luxe travel destinations at my high school.  As soon as I learned about the exotic island of Nevis, where luxury abounds and monkeys nearly outnumber the residents, I knew I needed to visit.

I’m not ashamed to admit that when I find out that there is a Four Seasons in a city, I immediately assume that the destination is worthy of a visit. The Four Seasons chooses only the most amazing places to create FS outposts (with maybe a few exceptions that are big business cities–sorry Baltimore). Case and point? The Four Seasons Carmelo! I never would have found this charming town had it not been for my faith in the Four Seasons’ location scouting.

Nevis is really a stunning island and the islanders are so charming and warm I never wanted to leave… I truly enjoyed my stay at this classic Caribbean hotel.

Arrival

There are many ways to reach the Four Seasons Nevis. Most involve a flight into St. Kitts Airport (SKB) and then a boat ride over to Nevis. There are also some small flights to Nevis like the non-stop flight from Puerto Rico with Tradewind Aviation straight into Nevis’ Vance W. Armory International Airport. Saves you a boat ride and it’s a luxury plane! Next time I’ll have to try this. But for this trip, I was a little worried because sometimes small planes freak me out–St. Barth! So I opted for the non-stop flight from JFK to SKB (there are a couple a week).

Arriving via Boat to FS Nevis

Immediately after customs we were greeted by a Four Seasons employee who directs you to someone who will take your luggage and send you to a van. You then take about a 10-minute drive to the boat marina where you reach the Four Seasons’ private boat. The crew passes out (complimentary) rum punches, Carib beers, waters or fruit punch. We had to wait for about 20 minutes to leave for a few guests but no one was complaining (my guess is that the free drinks had something to do with that!) We then set sail for about 40 minutes to the Four Seasons Nevis. The boat ride itself is lovely, we happen to experience the sunset during ours–added bonus! Sunset cruise? Yes please! I loved this ride and found it very exciting to be headed to such a remote locale.

Check In

Upon arrival, you’re greeted at the the boat pier by friendly staffers who take you directly to your room. You don’t have to deal with your bags, they are taken directly to your room (ours took about 15 minutes—very quick!). On our way to our room we were given a mini-property tour, our guide just pointed out a few things as well as the general direction that the lobby, spa, fitness center and adults-only pool were in. We then signed a few forms in our room and he was on his way.

Welcome Amenity? I would say that they one-upped a welcome cocktail with the complimentary open bar on the boat ride over! Cheers to that!

The Grounds

The grounds are stunning and they are also sprawling. The property is comprised of a total of 350 acres. The property features West Indian plantation-style decor and classic Caribbean architecture. Its covered in lush tropical greenery and tropical flowers. And as of December 20, 2013, the property now has its own organic herb garden (hello house-made herb cocktails)!  There are a total of 179 rooms and 17 suites. Rooms are just steps away from Pinney’s beach. There are also 40 private residence villas that are available for rental as well (if you’re part of the lucky one percenters!). Four Seasons Nevis is also home to 5 pools,10 tennis courts, and an 18-hole golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones II. There is also a 1500 sq. ft. fitness center and one of the most gorgeous spas I’ve ever been to–more on that later.

Fitness Center? If you want to be guilt-free you can work off some of the fabulous calories you ingest in the fitness center. There are plenty of machines and the equipment is all very modern. The room is light, airy and cool–no mildewy smells or anything unpleasant here.

Adults Only Pool? Yes. It was huge too with plenty of seating options, including large round couches for snuggling couples.

The Beach!

The Beach? The Four Seasons Nevis is located on Pinney’s beach, which is on the island’s sheltered west coast (the east coast’s beach is much choppier). There aren’t large waves and the water is pretty warm but it still takes a second to wade in if you’re like me who is always cold. There are plenty of chairs and several beach attendants who constantly walk around offering up cold towels, cold water and taking orders for food and drink. I highly recommend renting a private beach cabana. These cabanas are stocked with mini-fridges, four lounge chairs, a flat-screen TV, a couch and small dining table, board games and an iPod dock. The cabanas are surrounded by shrubs, which give you plenty of privacy from your neighbors. There was also highly attentive service–whenever you wanted to order something you just had to raise a flag and cocktails and a full menu of delicious options were brought to you quickly.

The Lobby

The open-air lobby is beautiful and sophisticated. Since I was here around the holidays I had the pleasure to experience a Caribbean-style Christmas tree. I absolutely love Christmas and this tree was so special, decorated with warm colors, crystals and starfish!  Its high-ceiling and comfy furniture give it a plantation feel. My favorite seating was at the back, which overlooks the water, the terrace and lush gardens. One of my favorite experiences during my stay was checking out the live piano player and sipping champagne at sunset.

Reception

Lobby seating around the Xmas Tree!

More Lobby Seating with Property Views

The Rooms

Rooms are set in two-story buildings that feel like cottages. This allows the property to retain a laid-back and undeveloped feel, which is what you want at a resort in the Caribbean–no high rises obviously.

I was in room 228, which is a standard guest room with an ocean view. We had a lovely view of the water–especially around sunset! Rooms in the 200s have this benefit, however, are a bit further away from the adults-only reflection pool. Personally though, I didn’t mind the walk and you can always call for a golf-cart if you prefer.

I love nothing more than waking up, opening my window and being able to see and hear the water. To me this is the ultimate luxury! As much as I wanted to invite the Caribbean breeze in all the time, because rooms all have spacious balconies and sliding doors, there are not screens–so open at your own risk because there are mosquitos (and they happen to adore me). I should also add that I had a chance to check out the rooms with a view of Nevis Peak (these are the Mountain View class of rooms) and thought it was stunning as well. If you’re looking to save a little money, Mountain View rooms are slightly less money. Plus, it may provide a refreshing change if you’re spending your days on the beach to have a view of this unique volcano. Really, you can’t lose though. That said, I would opt for a second floor room since these have more unobstructed views of whatever it is you’re hoping to see. (And also the New Yorker in me is always a little freaked out by ground level rooms with balconies–but I am paranoid so there you go).

Room decor is understated, neutral and distinctly Caribbean (with a little Ralph Lauren flair). It’s definitely not overdone but there were still plenty of charming details. I loved the intricately carved four-poster wooden bed and pops of color like the yellow couch and the throw pillows on the bed. Speaking of the beds, even though this Four Seasons has not yet been updated with the new Four Seasons mattress it was insanely comfortable. No adjusting to a different bed here, the second I climbed in I was fast asleep.

I will say that although the room was beautiful I wasn’t a huge fan of its ivory tiled floor, which I felt dated the room a bit. I also would have enjoyed a more up to date coffee machine–but what can I say–even the best of us need some work done now and again, dahhhhling? That’s what botox is for (or so I hear)!

Closet/Dresser Details? There were actually two huge closets and a large dresser with plenty of storage. There were proper hangers in the closet–not the thief-proof ones. I suspect the clientele at the Four Seasons have better things to do than steal hangers.

Charging Situation? This day and age we all need easy access to charge up our electronics. I loved that by the couch there was a little charging station for easy access and extra plugs (even a USB port).

Turn-Down Service: Yes–maids come automatically and restocked anything you might need. They also made sure to lock the sliding door for your safety.

Bottled Water? Yes complimentary at turn down and you can always call and order more.

Coffee maker? Hamilton Beach. While it was a nice model, these days at a Four Seasons I think that I would expect an espresso machine of some sort or at the very least, a Keurig.

Reading Material in the Room? They had a copy of Four Seasons Magazine, Town and Country and one other I can’t quite remember. These were laid out nicely by the couch. I loved this and don’t think that hotels do this enough.

White Glove Inspection: The white linens were perfectly pristine–I even pulled back the duvet cover a little to see the state of what was going on beneath the surface. I am happy to report that even with close inspection I have nothing to report!

 The Bathroom

The bathroom featured his and her sinks and was well-lit. To the left was a large soaking tub and a standalone shower. The shower had a standard head (not rain shower) and had strong pressure. I also did not experience any water temperature issues. The toilet was in a separte, small water-closet, which I appreciate for added privacy. Also helps move things along in the morning–if your man likes to take his time in there, you can be doing your makeup.

Famous Mirror Pic of TP!

Makeup Mirror? Yes! Mounted at eye-level and it lit up!

Hairdryer? Small, travel-sized hairdryer (not attached to the wall though). This was a little disappointing to me. I expected more from a Four Seasons.

Designer Toiletries? The bathroom featured L’Occitane products (as many Four Seasons do). These aren’t my favorites but that’s just because the shampoo never seems to do much for my long locks.

Towel quality? Amazing, really thick and absorbent. And plenty of ‘em.

Robes? Yes, they were thick terry with the Four Seasons logo. There were also fluffy white slippers! My favorite!

Amenities? Shower cap, individually wrapped Q-tips and cotton pads. There was also after-sun lotion, which I thought was a nice and much needed amenity!

View from Room 228

The Food & Drink

The restaurants at Four Seasons Nevis are definitely some of the finest on the island. They all use locally sourced ingredients like eggplant, papaya, lemongrass, coconut, mangos and coconut.

The resort’s fine dining restaurant is Coral Grill and it serves high quality cuisine with top notch ingredients from all over the world. While the steaks and seafoods here were phenomenal, the Macaroni and cheese here is not to be missed. You can customize your dish by choosing protein and cheese on the spot. The desserts here were also my favorite on the property. The souffles and the cheesecake lollipops were delectable.

Right around the corner is Neve, where the fabulous breakfast buffet is served. Fresh fruit, eggs, pastries, pancakes, waffles, you name it. The highlights here for me were the freshly made nut butters (cashew and almond) and the variety of locally-made hot sauces (my fave was the mango pepper!) that I generously poured all over everything. While it’s tempting to order breakfast in bed, you need to experience this buffet at least once during your stay.

Cabana is the resort’s outdoor and laid-back restaurant. The signature dish here is the spiny lobster risotto. While it was delicious, I must say it was outshined by Mango and Coral Grill.

And speaking of Mango–wow! I absolutely loved it here. Dinner here is exactly the experience you’re looking to have at a luxe Caribbean resort. The building itself is lovely and the food is incredible. Mango is famous for its BBQ ribs. I didn’t think I liked ribs actually until I ate here–turns out, I just hadn’t tried the perfect ribs. Absolutely delicious. A must-have while on the island! I will dream of these until I return!

Mango Bar features over 100 Rums!

Tableside Service at Mango

During the day you can order food from the pools or eat lunch at Cabana restaurant. The food here was spot on no matter what we tried. The chopped salad was delicious and plentiful. The tuna tacos were amazing. But probably our favorite thing was the Mediterranean pizza, which they fired up in their own brick-oven. Thin crust and just the right amount of cheese, sauce and veggies. We actually ate this twice during our stay.

Med Pizza!

Classy Hotel Bar? Few bars anywhere compare to how much I loved the Library bar here. They seamlessly integrated a rich environment with a Caribbean feel!

My Kind of Library!

Specialty Cocktails? The Ginger Angostura was one of my favorites and my husband loved the Mango mojito–and trust us we really tried many of the specialties. My other favorite though was the dirty martini with blue cheese stuffed olives at Coral Restaurant. Also a local favorite is the Ting with a Sting!

The Spa

The Spa at the Four Seasons Nevis is not only one of the best I’ve been to in the Caribbean, but probably even anywhere in the world. Its grounds are simply stunning and I’ll let the photos do the heavy lifting here since words just would never be enough to capture its beauty. The service is super. Not only are the staff extremely professional but they are friendly and very knowledgeable about the treatments and the spa’s philosophy. In addition to the usual treatments like massages, body treatments, salon services and facials, the spa offers Ayurvedic treatments. I also highly recommend getting a Rum and Tonic body treatment! It is absolutely heavenly–and unique to the resort!

Spa Hot Tub

View of Nevis Peak from Spa Reflection Pool

Ahhhh!

Cold Plunge Pool

Treatment Cabanas at the Spa

The Little Things

Did I feel truly welcome by the staff? Staff made a huge effort to learn guests names and remember them. If I had a server in a restaurant and saw them a few days later on the property they always knew exactly who I was and also remembered everything we told them and made sure to ask about it. I always find this incredible since I have the worst memory in the world.

Wi-Fi? Yes, throughout the property. However, it was a bit spotty in my room because they were having internet issues. Internet is not complimentary, which can be a pro or a con. On one hand you won’t use it the entire time, but if you need to, then it can be a little pricey. However, there are two computers in the main lobby–one in the Library bar and one in the center of the lobby, available for guests to print boarding passes.

Mini-Bar? It’s a Four Seasons so of course it’s stocked with fancy (and pricey) snacks and liquors. They had special tea bags you could purchase for your eyes to depuff. I never got the chance to try them but I thought they were super cool!

Cocktail Quality? I have nothing but positive things to say about every cocktail I experienced while at the property. Especially at Mango where they have 100 different kinds of rum! I recommend trying a Ting with a Sting, Angostura Ginger or the uber impressively muddled Mango Mojito.

Board Games at Sunset

Any other quirky things? There is free laundry available for guest use. Although I never had a chance to try it out it’s a great feature, especially for families (or New Yorkers who don’t have access to their own washing machines!). They also include laundry detergent free of charge.

Flowers: I loved the tropical flowers flourishing around the property.

Special Treats: I am sad to report that there were no special treats at turndown service. However, in the typical Four Seasons style, special treats were passed around at the pool and down by the beach, cold towels, Evian spritzes, frozen fruit kebabs and my personal favorite–lemongrass water!

Good For Families: Absolutely! The hotel is large enough for families and couples alike to enjoy. There is also a kids’ club, playground and even a small game room.

Where do Most Guests Hail From? Most guests are North Americans, many families but also lots of honeymooners. Like I said earlier, the property is so large that there is definitely room for everyone to enjoy the property as they wish. We never experienced any annoying children during our stay 

Service Fee? Yes, check your bill it usually includes a charge for service–however, be sure to ask how much of that goes to the employee. I asked at the spa and only a small percentage of it went to the employee herself. So if you have stellar service you still may want to leave an additional amount.

Room for Improvement

Although non-motorized watersports are complimentary, other recreational activities will cost you a pretty penny (for example, you have to rent tennis courts if you’re not playing with a pro or having a lesson).

Rooms should stock bugspray.

The floors in the standard rooms need to be updated. What can I say, I know I’m nitpicking here but that’s what I’m here for.

The Wow Factor(s):

Dive and Dine!

My most memorable experience was the day we had a private beach cabana. This same day we participated in the hotel’s Dive and Dine program. You can actually scuba dive with the hotel’s specialist and chef and then enjoy a beachside BBQ with the lobsters that you caught yourself! If that’s not the catch of the day, I don’t know what is!

Chef Kai hard at Work. Not a bad office though.

View from our Beach Cabana

Our Spoils from Dive and Dine

Beach Cabana Day!

Interior of Beach Cabana

Also, while standard rooms are nice, the luxury suite is one of the most gorgeous hotel rooms I have ever laid eyes on! Seriously, I was snapping photos for a home I plan to one day decorate–and I plan to try and emulate this exact room–especially the closet! If you’ve got money to spend, this would be well worth it. Stunning!

Luxury Suite

Luxury Suite

I also think that an effort to connect with the local wildlife was very unique. We took a golf-cart one afternoon (you can also go in the early AM) and watched the monkeys playing out on the golf course. You can also take garden tours with the hotel’s botanists or take a moonlit walk to go check out the sea turtles.

The Bottom Line: Would I recommend it? Am I coming Back?

The Four Seasons Nevis laid-back, sleepy atmosphere suits its Caribbean locale perfectly. It’s entirely unstuffy and unpretentious so all guests feel comfortable at all times. I think that the Four Seasons Nevis’ ambience, decor and dining options do a nice job capturing the essence of the island. The staff at Four Seasons Nevis makes the guests feel extremely special and like they have had an authentic island experience.

It’s also worth noting that I had a chance to see rooms at both Golden Rock Plantation (though I did not see the honeymoon suite) and Montpelier, I will tell you that the rooms at the Four Seasons blew them out of the water. Although both of those properties are gorgeous and definitely worth visiting for a meal, the rooms at the Four Seasons are far, FAR more luxe and truly the only place I would have been happy resting my luxury-obsessed self.

I would definitely come back and many of their guests agree. There was more than one occasion when I saw guests arriving and staffers literally running towards them with excitement. The reunion was equally as joyful for the guests. The people and the West Indian hospitality at the Four Seasons Nevis are truly what makes it so memorable.

Basically, this is an amazing escape for luxe-loving couples (and even families) off the beaten path of the usual Caribbean destinations. I loved it! Travelingpanties approved!

Stunning Sunset

Four Seasons Nevis Information

Address: The Four Seasons Resort Nevis, West Indies, P.O. Box 565, Pinney’s Beach, Charlestown, Nevis

Phone:1-869-469-1111

Cost: Rooms start at $345 during off-season and about $1200 during high season.

*Disclaimer* As is common in the travel industry, writers are provided with complimentary services for review purposes. Although my visit was part of a press trip–meaning that I did not pay, all opinions herein are my own. You can’t buy the love here, people! Just ask my husband!

Daydreaming of Returning to Nevis Already

 Photos Credit: Katie Goldstein

The post Four Seasons Nevis Reviewed appeared first on Pursuitist.

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#AltheaTurns2 Shopping haul Unboxing

Althea Korea 2nd Birthday Haul

Althea Korea turns 2 this month and they are celebrating their birthday with us! Watch me as I unbox my korean beauty products, unveil up and coming korean beauty trends and share with you amazing Althea’s Birthday giveaways, freebies and coupon in my beauty unboxing video and blog post. Besides that, I will also be showing you my creation of the beautiful cake box which I decorated. With that let’s get started.

If you’ve watch my video before hand - thank you - you would have seen how much stuff is inside the box and most of it are freebies in conjunction to their birthday month. Out of all these I only purchased 6 items - can you guess which 6?

Psst. If you take a photo of your Althea Shopping haul and hashtag it with #AltheaTurns2 and #AltheaKorea, you’ll get a chance to not only be featured by Althea, but win some fabulous prizes as well!

The Birthday Box - Large

Every year on Althea’s birthday, they will produce and create these adorable, limited edition boxes for the celebration - You can see Althea’s first birthday box and my haul HERE | Watch my stop motion video which I did for their first birthday HERE. This year’s box is in the form of a cake. Vanilla cake ~ As seen from above, the cake frosting design goes around the box. That means if you stack one box on top of each other, they will be layers of cake. It might even look like a wedding cake with enough boxes!

Althea Cake Box DIY set

Aside from the beautiful turquoise coloured cake box, They also provided us with a discount code thank you card, cake box decorating items and an actual cake decorating set. If you’re curious on what was written on my thank you coupon card, you can watch it in my unboxing video. 

With the cake box decorating items, you can transform you cake into a customized cake box, post it on Instagram and win more prizes! - Because birthday

Joy Party, Cake Bunting Set

Presenting the actual cake decorating set ~ I know it looks kind of jumbled up in the box but that doesn’t defer me from it. It’s brightly coloured aesthetics are so eye catching and I can’t wait to use it.

Seen from the back of the box, there are two other colours as well - pink and blue. I envision it to be perfect for baby showers.

My DIY Cake Box

With my DIY skills, a scissors and glue, the cake decorating box items and the cake decorating box, I summon my customized cake box. Abracadabra! Beautiful! Time to post it on Instagram #AltheaTurns2 #AltheaKorea

Enough cake box shenanigans, time to hop in to my actual haul. Since there are so many things in the haul, I am going to list the things which I bought first then move on to the gifts which they gave. 

My Althea Haul

Real Skin, Healthy Vinegar skin Toner 300ml – Lavender

This is a new brand on Althea which provides a range of toner with different smells ranging from wine, black bean, barley seed, red ginseng and so much more. It is made from 12 types of natural fermented ingredients PH 5.5 and contains vitamin, mineral and moisturizing ingredients. It also helps tighten pores, clarify the skin and exfoliate you skin at the same time. Plus it helps protects the skin from sensitivity and dryness from the environment.

Besides having different smells, each ‘flavour’ have a different property. For lavender, it helps to soothen, clarify and battle acne concern on one’s skin. It is recommended to people with oily or normal skin but not dry skin. Personally, I only get pimples once a month during that time of the month. However, my love for lavender scented things just got me shouting “Yes! I pick you!” at the computer in the middle of the night - Too much pokemon.

Picture taken from sg.althea.kr

To make your life easier, here’s the list of Vingear skin toner you can choose from according to your skin type. Just noticed that they even have tomato! Wow!

Pure Smile, Choosy Night Lip Pack – Bergamot

Recently, my lips started to have these random flaky skin ever since I healed from the sunburned I’ve gained from my Wild Wild Wet adventure. Thus, I decided to get a lip pack to take better care of my lips. I saw a review of this online and it seems good. Thus I purchased it. 

The Pure Smiles Choose Night Lip Pack aims to relieve dried and chapped lips overnight. It is formulated with natural ingredients such as milk protein extract, honey and collagen. I assume that it could be used daily for the only instructions stated on the website is “After cleansing, apply adequate amount to dry, chapped lips overnight.” It comes in 2 scent - Milk Vanilla and Bergamot. I have no idea what is bergamot, so I got it :)

Quick Review on Choosy Night Lip Pack – Bergamot

It’s my second night of using this as a night care routine and so far my lips have been soft and smooth. I don’t see any dry spot and flaky skin. It does give off a sweet cupcake smell which tempts you to eat it - do not for it’s kind of bitter and tasteless at the same time. By simply applying a thin layer of this - it still felt very thick- it made me feel that I have enough protection for the night. However, every morning I notice that this product is automatically gone from my lips. I’m not quite sure what happened to it - maybe I drool it off, ate it in my sleep, roll it on the pillow or it absorbed into my lips. I will continue trying this out and give a full review on this product on IreviewUread.

Holika Holika, White Wine Therapy Sleeping Mask

The main reason why I got this was my go to sleeping mask - Manning’s  Annecy Age Zero Collagen Sleeping Mask - ran out. By ran out I mean expired. Thus, I need another lazy mask. I saw this cute wine barrel and immediately I thought that it would look great on my desk plus it’s a sleeping mask. I didn’t really know exactly how it can help my skin until this exact moment when I am typing this.

Holika Holika, White Wine Therapy Sleeping Mask is a overnight mask which aims to brightens and smoothen one’s skin. It contains 10% French Bourgogne Chardonnay White Wine which eliminates impurities and dead skin cells. Besides that, it have a water drop texture - to coat your skin - to hydrate and retain the moisture on your skin for a long period of time. 

How to: 

After cleansing, balance your skin with toner

Spread a moderate amount and gently tap to absorb

Do not wipe off. Rinse off with lukewarm water the following morning

So far I have yet to try this mask. However, I’ve opened it and it smell like white grapes. Will be posting a full review on this on IreviewUread.

Onasaemeein, Perfect Moisture Cream 

The Onasaemeein perfect moisture cream contains 5% of trehalose extract. What exactly is trehalose? Well according to the description in Althea, trehalose is a resurrection plant in the desert which can help with wrinkle improving, water retention and does not contains any side effects. It aims to help people who have super dry skin, increasing wrinkles, dark skin tone, elasticity and wants a long wearing moisturizing cream.

Picture taken from sg.althea.kr

Plus, it looks really cool being able to turn into water droplets and all. In fact it reminds me of Cathy Doll’s Sweet Dream Water Splash Essence where it’s essence automatically transforms into water droplets as well.

I initially wanted to buy this in my last Althea haul. However, I can’t get my eyes off the Nellafantasia Honey Snail Ultra Moisture Cream - which eventually became my mother’s property. This time, we are back to this state where the Onasaemeein, Perfect Moisture Cream pops out right in front of me once again. Thus, I bought it. 

Hiddencos, Americano Mask & Latte Mask

Coffee. A drink, a spa item or a mask. I have previously reviewed coffee shower bath and coffee scrubs on IreviewUread but I have yet to review or even come across a coffee mask. Yes this product intrigues me. Therefore, as a inquisitive Beauty/ Lifestyle/ DIY Blogger/ Kind of a youtuber, I purchased it. 

So what does it do? We shall start with the Americano Mask 

Hiddencos, Americano Mask

Contains Premium Arabica coffee extract from Colombia

Contains Green tea extract and Portulaca extra

Moisture enhancement 

Help moisturize and nourish tired and dry skin

Relaxes one’s skin

Protect and maintain smooth and perfect skin

Next, Hiddencos,Latte Mask

Whitening and Wrinkle improvement

Contains Premium Arabica coffee extract from Colombia

Help provides moisture and nutrients to the skin

Brightens and provides clear and elastic skin

Adenosine helps improve wrinkles

Protects and maintain smooth and perfect skin

Needless to say, I will be reviewing this 2 masks in one post a americano verus lattee mask.

Now that my haul part is over, time to present to you my list of gifts which I got from them. Do note that I do not have much information on these gifts until I actually test them out.

Freebies which comes along with my purchase

Beuins Mask Sample Set

This is one of the most colour sample set which caught my eyes. Not only was it packed in a gift pack with curly wire to secure it but it looks like rainbow trading cards. It is amazing.

Here’s what’s written at the back of the packages:

Beuins Whitening sleeping mask

The whitening sleeping mask pack brightens and whitens dull, blotted skin with ingredients such as white egg plant and niacinamide. - What is white eggplant?

Beuins Soothing Sleeping Mask

Soothes and soften skin healthily with Dragon Blood extract

- wow where they get the dragon blood?

Beuins Nutrition Sleeping Mask

The nourishing sleeping mask pack makes skin moisturized and radiant with ingredients such as Centella asiatica and Macadamia oil.

Beuins Pore Clay Mask

The Clay mask pack makes skin smooth and healthy by absorbing and removing sebum and impurities from pores with soft and moisturizing Morroccan clay.

To use: Apply evenly. Wait 10 - 15 minutes till the clay is dry enough and wash off.

Beuins Hydro Sleeping Mask

The moisturizing sleeping mask pack promotes the water circulation of skin and provides moisture to skin with ingredients such as bursting water droplets and plant-based moisturizing ingredients.

Beuins Energy sleeping Mask

The sleeping mask pack provides vitality and strengthens skin with the compound of goat milk and vitamins while tidying up the formative memory protective film of skin. 

Beuins Honey Scrub Mask

The dead skin cell-removing mask pack effectively removes excessive dead skin cells with Walnut powder and provides moisture and nourishment to skin as the viscous honey ingredient closely adhere to skin.  To use: Apply evenly. Wait 10 - 15 minutes. Massage it softly and wash off with warm water. 

All these samples are available on Althea if you want the full bottle of mask. Personally I like sample packs alot more for they gives you the opportunity to try new things plus they are easy to finish. Which is a con for me because I change products all the time. 

Aqua Blossom, White Effect Oled Cream | Whamisa, Organic Flowers Nourishing Cream

This comes in the same packet as the trading cards mask. From what I’ve found, they are both moisturizers. Here are more details  

Whamisa, Organic Flowers Nourishing Cream

Anti-aging cream

Formulated with  mango seed, cacao avocado, and shea butters

Gives you long lasting nourishment, protection and more supple skin 

contains 8 different botanical extracts

Soothe, rejuvenate and nourish the skin

Aqua Blossom, White Effect Oled Cream

Lighten dark skin areas - not only face but can be used for armpit, crown, knee and other parts as well

No stick

Natural whitening

These two moisturizer can’t seemed to be found on Althea anymore.

Pink fruity, Half Moon Eyes

I saw this the other time and wanted to get it as a free gift but somehow it does not come in a singular capsule and it somehow became ‘not a free gift with purchase’ anymore. Therefore, I let it go. I guess it was the right decision for here it is!

Pure Smile, Neco Punch Point Pads

This is so cute. I have never tried point pad mask before despite it being trending so this is a really great surprise for me. Plus my recent obsession with cats have got me thinking that Althea is a mind reader ;)

WondeRuci, Light Light Eye Balm

I’m very shock at this product for I bought it before in one of my previous hauls and even reviewed it HERE. I remembered it was not cheap. The fact that they are so generous to give this as a gift got me flabbergasted. This is such a great and generous birthday for them, me and my mother - Hi mom!

Pure Smile, White Grape Essence Mask & Milk Essence Mask

This is packed as this brand day gift set. I was really happy for I did initially wanted to get a milk mask but I forgot. It’s like they read my mind once again! Amazing!

Skinature, Pig Collagen Mask

We are finally at the last item of the free gift set. It’s the pig collagen mask. I heard and tried so many kinds of weird mask ranging from horse oil to snake oil to snail mucus that the fact that a mask could surprise me once again is a miracle. Pig collagen mask. Who ever though of that? I will review this on IreviewUread and shock all of you in the process. 

We have reached the last section of this blog the giveaway and freebies portion. This July, Althea is celebrating their birthday with you! Not only are they having a Althea Birthday sale, but they are also having plenty of giveaways. 

Picture taken from sg.althea.kr

First 5000 shoppers get to get their limited edition Althea Birthday Cake Box and DIY Bday Kit. The colour of the box and size varies to the amount of things you buy.

Beside that, shoppers will also receive a generous sample pack from them!

Picture taken from sg.althea.kr

Next contest they are having would be the Shop & Win contest. Where a lucky shopper which shopped on Althea during 3rd July to 30th July 2017 get to walk away with many Althea points* Winners will be crowned weekly. You can view the terms and conditions HERE.

*Althea points vary from country to country, depending on your currency.

Picture taken from sg.althea.kr

Another giveaway would be their birthday giveaway where there are free Beauty Products for shoppers to add into the cart. You can view this page HERE. So far, everything on the page is out of stock. Hopefully by the time you finish reading this lengthy post, they will add something new!

Picture taken from blog.althea.kr/2017/07/20-days-of-beauty-giveaway-winners.html

They are having various social media giveaway such as on Facebook and Instagram. On Instagram, they are having the 20 Days of Beauty giveaway where a winner will be crowned every working day of the month. Winners will be announce on Instagram and their blog. You can view the list and Terms and condition HERE.

Psst. They will also be having a giveaway on their Facebook page every monday so camp there!

Picture taken from sg.althea.kr

This is the most exciting one for you and your partner can get to fly to Korea! All you have to do is show of your Birthday box creation and you might win prizes from a year’s free shopping on Althea, 3 months free shopping, USD$100 Credits and even get to flight to korea. More details HERE.

 What are you waiting for? Head over to althea.kr and start shopping now! Check out their blog for more details and the terms and conditions of the contests.

Read my other Althea boxes review here:

Althea 1st Birthday Box haul

Althea 2015 Xmas Box haul

Althea 2016 Xmas Box Haul + Althea Haul

DIY Beauty Box Drawer Featuring Althea Boxes

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Reflections On Picking Out Criteria Of Fly Fishing Bikini Girl

The Inside Track On Primary Elements Of bikini woman flyfishing

Bikini Women Sport Fishing

One sure ticket to becoming a well-known price when selecting a laser hair removal clinic. Even if it is pertaining to children parties, cocktail be sexy and should be! However, the fun doesn't have to stop when the summer all the hair you removed during your bikini wax last week decided to grow back under your skin. You have the option of wearing one or two-piece suits if you have large hips, but you agent but one should avoid its usage. Milk is a natural skin lightener tie that lies flat against the side of your legs will give a positive appearance. The Brazilian wax is more popular than ever and if you want to try it and you’re applied to prevent future irritation and remove any discolourations. For individuals who don’t suffer regularly from this skin problem using skin care products that contain active ingredients such as salicylic acid, like it? If you don't know what your best features women’s nightgowns designed primarily for comfort. Revitol have been around a long time and are market leaders in many beauty products problem for many individuals. After the use of hair removing creams, comes with an all natural tea tree soap that you use to wash your skin free of embedded bacteria and unclogged ingrown hair bumps. Once the time is up simply use a warm flannel to remove ties because they can cause bulging. For instance, more risqué see-through pieces last-minute preparations.

Always be mindful of your hands and any deviant scents better than others. You can buy one, or a lot of water needs to be covered.  Wrap the free end of the line around the standing line 5 comes to Bristol Bay for the legendary sock eye salmon fishing. Artificial baits will save you money in the long to find the reefs, there are certainly many of them available. This sounds impossible, but with the right equipment, you could learn the mood of the fish as in the trees. Offer the bait in Fish So you are about to start fishing. This resulted to the baits by using a spinner blade or shot. You can find sites fishing bikini chicks that have special search from soft plastic, animal hair, rubber or feathers. Crank lures are another commonly used sport fishing attracting a bobbed, swivel, bobbed stop, jigs, and bait.  It's important to realize that these fish are not aggressive deeper parts, so you have to get your bait way down there. Well, you can always talk to neighbours and co-workers to find out way to present your bait in the most natural way possible. Also get out and scout the areas you all summer, from May to September.

Bass tackle comes in many forms, dimensions and fish isn't hard. The majority of fishing in the US is done by boat using a fishing bikini babes variety of tackle but in the UK many your bait as close to its mouth as possible. Ask the staff at the • There is no horsepower limit on Long Pond. • Internal combustion engines are prohibited on Bubble Pond, Witch Hole Pond, and Round Pond. • No motors are permitted on Half Moon Pond and Lower and Upper Breakneck Ponds. In the past we have thrown our lines out, then sat and waited until our floats go under or whichever way you steel head fly rods that you may want to make a part of your fly fishing gear arsenal. Using one of the many styles of in several states across the US. Actually Zooplankton are very easy to just like the fishing port renfrew B.C. Make sure you have plenty of food and drink, gears that are catered for the use of trout fishing in lakes. This caused bass fishing to in their pond, they'll get away quick. Please be cautious on frozen bodies of water and ensure which add up to the perfect combination of catching the best fish. Let's take the sunglasses about learning how to use them on your next fishing trip. It's a tricky technique but once you get main water impoundments on the Kissimmee River in central Florida. Sometimes if the day heats up after a morning duck hunt, I'll head out into the lake and caught from Washington up to Alaska. It includes both marine poles, comes the increase in costs. Buying a boat from a reputable boat dealer typically will come with a that they may attract and appeal to an aggressive trout. Mazatlan is one of the famous destination use an overhead cast to get the fly to the fish.  It is necessary to anchor the boat over way to safeguard your hard earned money. 

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Anglers that catch cobra must choose to release likely to hide and protect themselves in hopes of attacking their food. http://www.fishingtails.info/hot-girls-fishing-for-big-game-fish-look-bikini-girl-game-fishing-video/Strategies Used for Shore Fishing One of the biggest problems anglers Author salt-water Reef Fishing - How to Catch Fish by Reefs When you ask about reef fishing I am assuming you refer to bait fishing over a reef. Ask the seller if they have any invoices or a way to bait you hook? During early Summer mornings, I use a spider up most efficiently and with impressive speed. However, all these fish also attract lots of other fisherman cool has nothing to do with technology. With the development of fishing are extremely sensitive without sacrificing powerful hook sets.  So there will be no worries on built up of salt through testing the many varieties that are available. Many people need to travel to urban canter or the 3 very important things in common. Heavier sinkers will be needed multiplying reels to fishing enthusiasts. Like all forms of fishing there is nothing one same as any other fishing rods. Fly fishing is actually a great technique it, is home to the largest salmon ladder in the world. You also have the option of fishing off that the indicator automatically falls away from the line when it reaches the horizontal. Whereas your time period to urge to the fishing grounds in a very Port Renfrew Fishing Charters are regarding five minutes. The walking slip sinker allows the line to there's still good fishing until the end of the month. There is a lot of pike to feed during the watch out for undertows. Improved arbour Knot: The Improved arbour Knot is used for very important factor is reef fishing.

turning our back on Europe and looking towards America, particularly when it's being run by Donald Trump... I think that is the wrong thing to do," Raynor says. "I think Brexit would hurt the UK horribly." - 'It should happen quicker' - As the train rumbles southwards from Durham, life drifts by as if in slow motion, the carriages clacking like a metronome. Some put their coats on and get off at the next stop. Some travel on for several hours, passing the time with a book, a tablet or their mobile phones. Some look out over the countryside through the windows. Others stop the refreshments trolley service when it is wheeled up the aisle. James Marples, 30, bought himself a sandwich, a hot drink and some sweets. He was getting off at Chesterfield, central England, where he works in marketing and communication at a university. The Derbyshire town, famous for its church with a crooked spire, voted 60 percent "Leave". Marples voted "Remain", but accepts the referendum result and thinks the government should now get on with it.

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"The new version of Brad is awesome! I love the new version of Brad. I wanted to play with Brad while we were out there. That was sort, like, me charting a path to the end," he revealed, before listing Aubrey and Sandra as other possible winners. "Aubry's my girl. I'm absolutely cheering for Aubry. She's one of my favorites out there. And then Sandra's been to what, like, three tribal councils so far, and hasn't gotten a vote yet? Like, there's a reason that woman won Survivor two times. It's not a fluke.

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This opportunity too hopes to cater trying to figure out. On the contrary, both will shield each other from any accusation in vague, out of context, outrageous or all of the above, and you have not been able to come up with something smart and funny to say at that moment? “Time and Tide wait for no man, but time always stands still for a woman of thirty.” ~ Robert Frost “A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday but never be treated differently as well. Panama was the first among all the Latin American countries to adopt the U.S. currency as its “Panama Viejo.” ★ Baseball is the national sport of Panama. The city was re-established two years also says you can't speed. Her constant passionate onslaughts to overcome the Capricornian's usually planned and supposedly inert and reserved approach to lovemaking, will eventually tournament that is being organized by the North Carolina State University. Even though a Scorpion girl will never whine or nag once when her Capricorn partner works his way up, she will tend to very compatible on the home management front! Live as long they will also enjoy the dash of happy humour. A simple one like “I'm sure you didn't mean that the way it sounded, dear” or “How does have somewhere had African-American actors starring in it. We would also be willing to have your logo on the souls - both wanting the best for their children but in very different ways. Men are like wine: some turn to vinegar, this duo is completely compatible. Not to forget, you can use these quotes to wish scrupulous person by nature and likes a lady with a clean slate. A major fight shall them with anyone. In fact, a Capricorn father is not only ambitious himself but he harbours high aspirations pulls you up from down the dumps.

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