#i am rotating myself like a microwaved meal

[mirroredmasquerader]

Feral hours lmaooooo

[autumnalwalker]

Find the Word Tag

Thank you for the tag, @dontjudgemeimawriter.

My words to find were rain, cabinet, chocolate, & view.

Passing the tag to @aether-wasteland-s, @imbrisvastatio, @wrenofthewords, @writernopal, and and open tag for whomever else wants to participate.

Your words shall be pelt, curiosity, hot, & unobstructed.

Rain: Empty Names - 1 - Hello World

As they cross the parking lot, Lacuna notices a change in the pattern of the rain pelting her and realizes Road’s held the umbrella out to cover her.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.  By the way, is there something else you’d prefer I call you?”

“What?  No, no, Lacuna’s fine.”  Better than fine, really.  Better than expected even.

Back up the stairs and at the door, Lacuna pauses with the key half turned in the lock.  “Oh, before we go in, I apologize ahead of time for the mess.  It’s been a rough few weeks and I wasn’t expecting company.”

The disclaimer is met with a reassuring smile and a soft shake of the head.  “Trust me, I’ve seen worse.” 

“Right.  Right.  Of course.”  The key completes its turn along with the knob and the door cracks open.  “And heads up, this thing can be a bit -”

“AND THE FLESHY MORSEL COMES CRAWLING BACK TO ME, RESIGNED TO HIS PITIFUL FATE IN HOPES FOR A QUICK DEATH BEFORE MY MEAL AS A REWARD FOR HIS COMPLIANCE!”

“Loud…”

Cabinet: Empty Names - 11 - Afterparty

As he lets go to drop into the plushly upholstered chair now beneath him a buzzing electric chandelier flickers to life, revealing the recreation of a nineteenth century occultist’s séance parlor around him.  Dark red velvet curtains (expensive) lining the walls, crystal ball (mundane) nestled in a pillow on the table (mahogany) in front of him, ouija board (fake) on one side, tarot deck (fake but good for introspection) on the other, human skull (real) on a nearby pedestal, cabinet of curiosities (fraudulent) behind him, and eldritch communion incense (distressingly real) resting cold and unburnt in a tentacle-shaped holder.

It had been another one of Carnette’s little jokes, setting up this hackneyed facade on top of the actual necromantic summoning chamber of her own design.  There was always one of those to go through anytime Sullivan wanted to get into the tools and mechanisms she’d left behind.  Daily reminders of her just as constant as the blue metal wedding band on his finger.

Chocolate: The Archivist's Journal, Day 2

For that matter, I couldn’t (and still can’t) remember a great number of things, who I am or where I was before this chief among them.  Or rather, I know things about myself, but not my history.  I know what a cat is but not if I’ve ever had one as a pet.  I know I like hot chocolate but can’t bring to mind the context of a time I ever drank it.  I know what microwaves, electronics, the internet, gerrymandering, atomic structures, feudal governing systems, and crop rotation all are and have varying degrees of understanding on how they work and have opinions on some of them, but I can’t remember learning those things or where (or if) I ever directly encountered any of them.  And from what I’ve seen I don’t think this place has any of those.

Even my own body felt unfamiliar once I finally got up and tried moving.  Like all my limbs were slightly different proportions than my reflexes were used to and my center of gravity displaced.

Looking back, it’s probably a good thing I was so out of it at the time.  I probably would have panicked pretty bad.

View: The Archivist's Journal, Day 3

The tower! How did I forget to mention that yesterday?  If there’s one thing I’ve seen in my brief time here that convinces me that this place is somehow fundamentally removed from the world I have vague memories of it’s that.  Look to the north and so long as your view of the sky is unobstructed you’ll see it.  A structure, maybe stone, maybe metal; difficult to gauge its distance due to the sheer impossible scale of it.  From my house… the thought feels strange to put to paper but I suppose it is my house, at least for now… it appears to be a cylinder rising straight into the clouds and beyond until it vanishes beyond the capacity of the naked eye to make out.  There are so many reasons it simply shouldn’t be able to exist, and yet it does.  

[ecbenvolio]

Antique (Affectionate)

“This is all junk,” says the man I presume to be Lev of Lev’s Pawnshop and Antiques, a man who buys junk for a living.

My heart drops.

I’d rounded up my most prized possessions in hope of collecting enough money to make the month’s rent. This was my last resort.

....

GiGi was a bitter old soul, but I loved her I guess. A trained concert pianist, she lost a good deal of her hearing in the war. I was never sure which war. Or how she ended up in a torn-down rural town like this one, produced my mother and uncle before becoming a thrice-divorced widow.

When I was young, she took care of me while Mother worked the night shift. We watched game shows on a fuzzy screened television and she fed me microwave meals. I would complain that they were cold in the middle and she would throw her hands up in frustration.

“These are not the hands of a cook,” she would tell me and I would silently agree.

GiGi tried her best to teach me piano, but with her hearing the way it was it was a difficult task. And she was not Beethoven. After several frustrating attempts, she would push me off the bench and begin to play her old favorites from memory: Mozart, Debussy, Elton John.

At this point, it would be late at night and the neighbors in the apartment would bang on the walls in protest.

“GiGi,” I’d yell “Quiet!”

But I think she took that as a challenge because she would play louder and louder. I learned to fall asleep with my head in her lap and Clair de Lune ringing in my ears.

Then one day, GiGi fell and everything I knew started to crumble. Mother and Uncle decided they didn’t have time to take care of GiGi and put her in a senior home. Senior homes are expensive, I guess because they sold the piano to make it cover the cost.

That was the first time, I’d seen GiGi cry—after she tried to strangle my uncle.

....

“So here’s the deal,” Lev says, “I’ll give you 10 for the TV and 15 for the microwave. Everything else is worthless. But I can take it off your hands for a disposal fee of 25.”

I decided I did not like Lev of Lev’s Pawnshop.

“I’m not a fool,” I say “That leaves me with nothing”

“It’s the best I can offer you” he leans on the counter.

My hands tighten around my bag, and I feel the shape of my tur last resort beneath the fabric. I look at Lev, if that even is his real name, and wonder if he really robs people for a living or if I just look that vulnerable, that lost.

I sigh. “You’re sign says you also buy antiques. Well, I have an antique.”

I pull the item from my bag and Lev’s eyebrows rise.

A music box.

It’s an intricately designed piece of art, not a box in form but more of a stout cylinder. On the outer layer are carved stars and moons encased in their own frames. The top is designed with a golden model of the summer starscape. The inside is layered with the mold of an angel. In the bottom piece, another metal figure of an angel stands straight in the center, its head tilted toward the heavens.

I wind up the lever on the back of the music box and let go. There’s a slight pause, then the notes of Clair de Lune fill the shop.

The shopowner’s dull eyes light up and he snatches the music box from my hands. He pulls the pair of glasses that were sitting on the top of his head down to set on the end of his nose. Unlike the previous items, he handles the music box with care.

“Now this,” he says, “This is beautiful. Don’t tell me—you found it at an estate sale? Another pawnshop?”

“It’s none of your business where I got this from” I cross my arms and tilt my head, “You seem pretty interested.”

“What can I say? It’s a decent piece of junk,” says the man that sells junk for a living. “Pre-war, ya’know?”

I want to ask which war but that question would really steer things out of my favor. Don’t want to sound young and unknowledgeable.

“It belonged to a concert pianist.” I explain “She played in grand performance halls in the city. Until one day, during a concert, they were bombed.”

Lev scoffs, “Who plays a concert in the middle of a war?”

“Who attacks civilians in the middle of a peaceful gathering?”

“Ah. So it was that war.”

...

“It was absolute chaos,” GiGi tells me as I sit at the foot of her bed in the senior home. I’ve heard her account of the bombing of the Grand Hall dozens of times. I could recite it by heart. It doesn’t get less distressing. Yet it’s the only story she tells these days.

“I barely made it out alive. But I did. And you the song I was in the middle of playing was—”

The nurse aide knocks on the door, interrupting to bring GiGi’s lunch. Which means I’m about to get lunch. It’s a silent arrangement between GiGi and me. The home staff thinks that she only eats when I visit. But truthfully, I choke down the bland sandwich and mushy vegetables and leave her to drink her tea and eat cake in peace.

“I lived on less during the war,” GiGi would complain loudly.

(“If she doesn’t start eating better, we’ll have to set up a feeding tube,” They told the family. Mother shrugged “Do what you have to do.”)

When the nurse aide returns, GiGi is nibbling on her cake and receives exaggerated praises for how well she’s eating.

We share a look.

She’s frail. That’s a fact. Somedays, I wonder if I’m no better than my mother and uncle in how I treat her. But every time, before I leave, GiGi takes my arm, looks into my eyes, and says “You are my heart. Don’t forget that.”

And that’s how I know I’m doing something right.

...

“Great story,” Lev says, “Your execution could use some work, but I’ll tell you what: forget the microwave and the tv. I’ll give you 75 for the music box. Cash.”

Oh. Well. Seventy-five is exactly what I needed to make rent. It was just what I needed except—

“That’s a pre-war family heirloom. Two hundred.”

Lev laughs. We don’t do negotiations here, but I’ll humor you: 85.”

“One hundred seventy-five.”

“Ninety.”

“One sixty.”

“Eighty-five.”

“You’re going in the wrong direction!”

“Tell me who you stole this music box from and I’ll give you 150. Cash. Best offer.”

“I didn’t steal this,” I huff, “It’s mine.”

Lev isn’t convinced. “Take the offer and I’ll tell you where music boxes like this come from.”

“I don’t need you to tell me. It’s from my GiGi.”

“Your...GiGi…?”

I throw my hands up, “My grandmother!”

Lev’s face morphs into a sneer, “Now I know you’ve been lying. Take the offer or get out of my shop. We’re closing soon.”

He sets the music box in the middle of the counter with a resolute thud.

There’s a moment where I think about it. I consider taking the offer. But I shake my head. No. No.

I snatch up the music box, shove it in my bag and go, leaving the rest of the items that I’d brought to sell.

“Goodbye, Lev, if that’s even your real name.”

....

“Are you happy?” GiGi asks me.

She’s staring out the window of her room at the senior home, absently stirring her tea. At first, I wasn’t sure I’d heard her. It’s odd. Normally, GiGi is very loud. It was as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer to my question.

I fidget from my spot at the foot of her bed. “I’m...ok,” I answer. Because why would I burden her with my problems? I’m not the one whose children forced them into a home and sold away my most prized possession.

“Ok?” she spits back. “I don’t know what that means. OK. I asked: are. you. Happy?”

I look away. “Are you happy, GiGi?”

She laughs. It’s a deep sound, full of sarcasm.

“Your GiGi is as happy as she’ll ever be these days.”

“Well, then so am I,” I answer finally.

“That’s no good!” She sets down her tea, then grabs her walker and moves to stand. I tell her to sit down. I’ll get whatever she wants but she swats me away. GiGi slowly makes her way to the dresser on the other side of the room and pulls open the top drawer. From the drawer, she retrieves a bundle of cloth. She takes it and hobbles back to her chair.

“Here.” She thrusts the bundle at me. For a moment, I stare in disbelief, thinking that she had just thrown her laundry at me. But there was some weight to the bundle. Something is inside.

I carefully unwrap it to find a finely detailed sort of container. The outside is enveloped in the raised designs of suns and moons and stars. I slowly turn it around in my hands and run the tips of my fingers over the beautiful lines and curves. Then, gently I open the container to find a just as colorful and detailed inside. There’s a figure of an angel at the center of it all rotating as music starts to play.

It takes no more than a second for me to recognize the song as Clair de Lune. It’s a much softer and sweeter melody that I remember from my childhood.

I look at GiGi expectantly, but her eyes are closed, hands stretched in front of her and fingers playing along with the notes of the song.

I’m happy as I’ll ever be, she had said.

The music box slowed to a stop, but she kept going. Humming the notes along and playing her own personal concert.

....

I found myself humming the notes of Clair de Lune on as I made my way home. The music in my mind did nothing to keep out the anxious thoughts that bombarded my mind. What was I going to do about rent?

Asking Mother was out of the question. Uncle barely had a dollar to his name and he wasn’t going to share it with me anytime soon. If only life was simpler. If only it was like it had been in the past when I was young. All I had to worry about was going to GiGi’s for the night and picking through cold microwave meals.

As soon as I got home, I went to bed. I grabbed the music box and settled under the covers on my futon. I wound up the music box as far as it would go and set it by my head. The familiar notes of moonlight pull me into a deep sleep.

GiGi was a bitter old soul, but she loved me, I guess.

A former concert pianist, a war refugee, a mother, a grandmother. GiGi was many things. She lived to instill in others a love of music and survived each time someone tried to take music away from her.

She always said she’d leave everything to me when she passed. When she did, I inherited a music box.

I inherited the music box.

...

In hindsight, I should have known. Or maybe I just wasn’t listening closely.

In the middle of the night, I get out of bed only to hear a loud thud followed by a few unmelodious music notes. In a panic, I turn the light. At the sight before me, I close my eyes and sigh.

The music box is laying broken at my feet. I gather the pieces in my hands. The hinge popped off leaving the lid detached and the angel figure is bent at 90 degrees.

“No, no, no” I mutter. My sleep-clumsy fingers attempt to force the contraption back together. Slow disjointed notes of Clair de Lune curl into the air.

It was hopeless.

Even the bottom was falling out of the thing. A sort of morbid curiosity makes me pull at the loose piece until the bottom of the music box is completely removed. As one would expect there are the guts on the music box. But shoved in next to the playing mechanism looked like folded paper?

I pick at it with my fingertips. Could it be a note? A letter?

No.

I drop the music box again. This time though, it lands on the futon along with the paper I pulled out.

It’s...money. Bills. Cash. I counted it up, hands shaking. There was enough to cover rent and more.

Your GiGi is as happy as she’ll ever be these days.

And maybe it’s time for me to be happy, too.

[floralguccistyles]

Hello all! While I am very happy to share this chapter with you, I am also aware that a lot of my social media feeds and timelines have stopped highlighting the BLM movement, which is so much more important. This fight is not over. It will not be over until there is justice for every single black mother, father, sister, brother, cousin, aunt, uncle, friend that has been killed by police brutality and violence. Please don’t allow the people we follow to sweep this under the rug. If you do not have the means to protest, there are several other ways you can donate and raise awareness to this issue. Here is a Twitter thread of donations that still haven’t reached their goals. Here is a compiled list of petitions you can sign, numbers you can text, and causes you can donate to. Here is a Twitter thread of Youtube videos you can watch that gain ad revenue and donate all money made to the BLM movement. Please do what you can, especially my fellow non-POC users, to help with this issue. It is so, so incredibly important.

wildflower :: chapter two

...and stays up with you all night

There was a tradition between the Horan-Fairbrough clan that once a month, we would all try and get together and have dinner. It usually ended up with Greg’s son Theo falling asleep while I held him and Violet spewing on about something she learned in college before we all settled down to watch a movie. We had an ongoing rotation on who picked the movie, and this month it happened to be Niall’s turn.

Which was why I was so shocked that it was a horror film.

I didn’t like scary movies. And neither did Niall. But when he sat between Lily and I (on the floor since our parents took the couch while Greg and Theo took the loveseat), I realized his intention. Lily hated horror films even more than I did. And when the first jump scare came around, Lily hid her face in Niall’s side and squealed a little.

Smart boy, that Niall.

“You’re an asshole for picking this film,” I told Niall as I held the popcorn bowl between us. Niall and I hadn’t spoken since last Monday, when he’d dropped off his stuff at my house. Everything had been in a nice neat pile except for my necklace. When I had inquired about it, he had told me that he hadn’t seen it, but he would look again. I think the look of panic on my face told him how serious I was about that particular piece of jewelry.

“Why would I give up a chance to hold both my Fairbrough girls while they scream bloody murder?”

He wasn’t wrong. I found myself jumping right alongside with Lily whenever something frightening happened, so Niall just grinned at me, called me a baby, and then offered his hand for me to hold. 

I gripped it like it was my lifeline. 

The day had started off normally, waking up in Lily’s bed to her arm strewn across my neck, quite close to choking me. Though I may have snored in my sleep (according to she and Niall, I was still doubtful), Lily tried to kill me in hers. Her alarm went off approximately three minutes after I untangled myself from her comforter and I went to work on making us coffee and breakfast while she took a shower. I was expecting Niall to show up at around seven-thirty, since that was normally the time Lily was done taking a shower and I was expected to keep him entertained. When the door opened and I saw him in a salmon-colored dress shirt, I smiled.

“Morning,” I said, blinking against the bright smile he gave me. “Want a cup?”

“God, you’d be an angel.”

“I’m always an angel, what are you talking about?” I stuck my tongue out at him, but started to work on his coffee. The eggs were frying in the pan, so I quickly added some garlic salt to them (because I knew Niall liked it) before I poured his drink into a to-go cup. I watched him sit at the barstool, tossing his sunglasses on the counter as he watched me make breakfast. “So, it’s your pick for movie night tonight. Any contenders?”

He shrugged. “Hadn’t thought about it much, to be honest. I’ve been dealing with some stuff at work.”

Rummaging through some drawers, I found a Sharpie and uncapped it. “What’s up?”

He sighed. I didn’t like this look on Niall, the defeated kind of look that made him look at least three years older. He looked like he was carrying the weight of something heavy on his shoulders. “Hey,” I said quietly, reaching across the counter to grab his forearm in what I hoped was a comfort. “What’s wrong? Tell me.”

His other hand reached to grab my fingers, moving my touch on his arm to hold my hand. His fingers interlaced through mine, examining them for a moment. “One of my boys...a girl came forward and made a sexual assault claim yesterday.”

I tried not to freeze. I wasn’t sure if he noticed when my hand suddenly went limp, but his eyes were still locked onto our hands as if he were contemplating much more than just how large his were compared to mine. “Oh. Shit, I’m sorry, Ni. What...what’s happening?”

His nose wrinkled. “They’re getting him off the team, that’s what. I’m not going to have someone like that representing our team. He’ll go to the dean next week to talk about expulsion.”

“And the girl?” I asked softly.

“I don’t know, Rose. She’ll have to...Christ, she’ll carry this around for the rest of her life. I’ve assured her that his place on the team is nonexistent, but she didn’t look like she believed me.”

“So you didn’t think...she was pathetic or anything?”

“Pathetic? Jesus, Rose, no. I just feel like shit that she was even put in that position at all.”

I squeezed his hand tightly. He didn’t know why my fingers turned from a caress to a grip, but he squeezed my fingers back even so. 

The truth was, his words meant more to me than he’d ever know. But it also made me sad. For the girl, for me, and for anyone else who ever had to deal with something like that. I knew I didn’t deserve to place myself on the same caliber as the girl Niall was talking about. She’d been assaulted, and all Kent ever did was corner me in his office to exchange a promotion for sex. Still, knowing how Niall felt about it made things a little easier. There was no question on whether the player would still be on the team. He would just be...gone. No questions asked.

“You’re a good guy, Niall,” I whispered softly.

“It’s not a matter of being a good guy or not. It’s a matter of being a decent human being.”

Lily appeared in the kitchen before either of us could continue with our conversation, which was probably for the best. “Morning. Smells good, Rose,” Lily commented, coming over to stand by Niall. She wrapped her arms around the back of his shoulders and gave him a squeeze, kissing his cheek. “You smell good,” she mentioned to him.

He didn’t blush, which was weird because Niall always blushed when someone complimented him. He just grinned and let out a little chuckle. “Thanks, Lil. You’re dripping all over me.”

Lily usually let her hair air dry while she ate breakfast and then ran the dryer over it. It locked in enough of her curls to make it stylishly wavy, but not dry it enough so that they straightened out. She had it down to a science. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly, pulling away and lovingly wiping off a bit of water droplets from Niall’s shirt. The salmon color darkened to a burnt coral with the water, but it would be dry in a matter of minutes, so Niall didn’t look like he minded terribly. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Eggs, coffee, and I was going to cut up some of that fruit,” I announced, grabbing said fruit from the fridge. Lily usually kept her fridge pretty stocked with fruit, so she had several berries and a couple of assorted melon slices. 

“Where’s the bacon?” Niall groaned.

“We have some microwaveable bacon, but I doubt you want that.”

He wrinkled his nose. If there was one thing Niall hated, it was the shitty pre-cooked bacon Lily bought. I didn’t mind the taste of it, personally, and appreciated its convenience. Niall was a firm believer that bacon should take time and love. “I’m fine with eggs and fruit.”

“That’s what I thought.” Cutting the fruit and not cutting my finger proved to be a task, but I accomplished it and put all the berries and melons on a plate. The eggs, which had been taken off heat during my fruit-cutting, were still warm, so I put them onto individual plates and handed them off to Lily and Niall. “Bon appetit.”

“A meal fit for a king,” Niall exclaimed. He was always too generous when describing my cooking. I wasn’t terrible and my food was almost always edible, but I wasn’t going to become a chef anytime soon. “Thanks, Rosebud.”

The morning continued on as usual, with Lily leaving Niall and I to keep each other company while she went about her morning routine. There was no more discussion on the girl that had come forward about Niall’s student athlete, but I could tell by the duller color of his eyes that it was still weighing heavy on his mind. Which was why when he was looking away and getting things situated for his day at work, I took the Sharpie and scribbled out “you’re a great role model for the students” with about a thousand x’s and o’s underneath it. He grinned and pressed a kiss to my hair when he saw it, and claimed “he’d keep the cup until the end of time, Rosebud.”

But Niall couldn’t hide his disappointment and sorrow. Which, in retrospect, might have been the reason that he had chosen a horror movie. It was probably a last minute decision.

I wasn’t sure what the title of the movie was, but it was some gory and bloody thing with demonic possession. Our families had varying reactions to the film. Greg was falling in and out of sleep, while his parents on the other side of him were cringing at the film. My parents, who had grown up with horror films, seemed to be genuinely enjoying it, letting out little ohs and ahs when something interesting happened. Violet just stared at the screen with the indifference of a Gen Z child, typing away at her phone whenever the plot got too boring for her to handle.

It was only about forty minutes into the movie when Violet nudged my foot with hers and gestured towards the kitchen with her chin. Things had been back to normal between the two of us, the vulnerable night of sleeping by her side long forgotten. I was honestly thankful for the usual attitude. If she started treating me like some frail thing, I might have burst into tears. I had always prided myself on being a strong person, and I was obsessed with Violet and Lily seeing me in the same light. So when we had woken up the next morning, Violet with drool down her chin and my hair in a wild disarray, I wished she would say something normal.

I believe her exact words had been “Jesus, you have bad morning breath,” before she had promptly rolled over to face away from me.

Still, I followed her to the kitchen, Niall’s eyes on me questioningly when Violet and I walked away from the family. I shrugged my shoulders, unaware as to what Violet wanted as much as he was. Unlike Lily and Niall’s apartments, my childhood home had a kitchen separated by a thick wall, so maybe Violet wanted some advice on Selma and Eric and needed privacy. 

When we arrived to the kitchen, however, I did not expect the turn our conversation took.

Without saying anything, she walked to her purse and pulled out a slip of paper, handing it to me. 

“Am I supposed to know what this is?”

“It’s the health specialist at my university. She has a practice outside of the school, so I asked for her office number.”

I stared at it, a little more than confused. “Alright. Cool. What am I supposed to do with it?”

“She’s a psychologist.”

The paper suddenly felt like a weight in my hand. I gaped at her, mouth open like a fish as she stared at me, almost daring me to give it back to her. Which I tried to do almost instantaneously. “I don’t need this, Violet. Save it for someone who actually does.”

“Seeing a therapist isn’t a bad thing, Rose. She can help with the whole Kent thing. She’s been helping me a lot and I really like her, so I think you will too.”

“I’m sure she’s a wonderful lady, but I don’t need to see her.” I crossed my arm over my chest, only after setting the unwanted phone number on the countertop. “This was a little invasive of you.”

“It wasn’t invasive. It’s me trying to help. You’ve got some shit you need to deal with, as do I, and she can help. I mean, she’s no miracle worker, but it would be nice to talk to someone about what happened.”

My mouth went dry. “Violet, nothing happened. People have had it much worse than I have.” I thought about this morning, about Niall’s defeated face when he told me about the girl at the college. “He didn’t...he didn’t assault me or anything. He just made some lewd comments. It isn’t enough to see someone over, trust me.”

“Rose, you’re nearly twenty-five and you have to sleep with someone else in the room.”

I knew deep down that Violet was coming from a place of love, just like all her other jabs and pokes did. But this felt too personal for me to brush off. I had opened up to her that night at Lily’s, and she was throwing it back in my face. “You didn’t have to come into my room that night,” I said defensively, and I wondered if she could tell my voice was ten times icier than it had been before.

“I’m not trying to attack you or anything—”

“That’s what it feels like.”

Lily must have sensed that Violet and I in a kitchen alone would stir some trouble. She came in only seconds later, raising an eyebrow at the two of us. “Having a party in here without me?”

“I gave Rose the therapist’s number and she’s refusing to take it,” Violet commented. 

“Keep your voice down,” I hissed.

“You gave it to her in the middle of the Horan-Fairbrough family night?” Lily asked incredulously. I was happy that she seemed to be as confused as I was, but then her words actually caught up to me.

“You knew?” I asked, turning to face my big sister. “Did you tell her what a bad idea it was?” Lily looked at me, her lips pressed together in a thin line. When she didn’t speak for a few moments, I knew. Maybe it was stupid to feel the stab of betrayal, but I did. “You told her to do it.”

“She was mentioning how much her therapist has helped her with college and I thought it might be beneficial to you. I didn’t know she was going to give it to you during family night.”

Lily never went behind my back. About anything. She and I were always open books with one another. So hearing that she had gone out of her way to ask Violet do this made me feel like shit. “I thought you were fine with me staying at your place?” I couldn’t keep the childlike whine out of my voice. I had never thought that Lily disliked having me in her apartment, but maybe she did. Maybe she had asked Violet about this because she wanted to get rid of me.

“Of course I am, Rose! That’s not the point of this,” Lily was quick to assure me. “I just think talking about it might help.”

I felt like someone had just pulled the rug out from under me. They were asking me to see someone, like I was a giant burden. I would have expected this from Violet, who was always blunt and truthful, but I would have never expected it from Lily. Lily would have sat me down, brought it up, asked my opinions, and then let it go when it seemed like it was something I didn’t want. “Right. Well, I don’t think it will, so let’s drop it and go watch the rest of the movie.”

“Okay,” Lily said, reaching out to rub my shoulder comfortingly. “Yeah, we’ll go back out.”

“No,” Violet mentioned, her posture hard and defiant. “I’m not letting you walk back out there until you take the phone number. Lily may baby you about this, but I’m not going to.”

“Violet,” Lily chastised.

“You let her get away with so much shit, Lil. And then the one time we dare request she do something to help herself, you act like her word is final. You’ve got some serious shit going on, Rose. You need to let it out before it eats you alive.”

“Right now, all I need is to exit this conversation. A conversation, might I remind you, that our parents and Niall don’t know about,” I snapped angrily.

“What don’t I know about?”

Perfect. When I turned, Niall was standing in the kitchen, hip leaning against the counter with the empty bowl of popcorn in his hands. His hair was tousled, most likely from Theo running his fingers through it playfully earlier on in the dinner portion of the night, and he was wearing a flannel that looked soft to the touch. He also looked adorably confused at our conversation.

“Nothing, Ni,” Lily commented, sending a quiet look towards Violet to remind her to keep her mouth shut. Violet huffed impatiently, but luckily shut her mouth. “Need me to get more popcorn?”

“Yeah, Greg’s fat arse ate most of it.” Lily took the bowl from him and got another bag from the pantry, placing it in the microwave. “What are my favorite girls discussing?”

“Rose’s job,” Lily deflected, sending a blinding smile towards Niall, as if that was going to stop him from asking questions. “The hotel’s offering her a couple of free rooms and she was going to use them for our parents’ anniversary. She wanted it to be a surprise, so you can’t tell them, got it?”

“That’s sweet of you, Rosebud. I won’t tell them, promise.” 

“Thanks, Ni,” I breathed out. Violet rolled her eyes.

I knew this conversation was far from over. Violet was glaring at me and Lily was looking at me like she was apologetically about to burst into tears, but all I wanted to do was curl back up on the floor and finish the stupid movie. I knew there would be no more getting scared tonight, due to the fact that I wouldn’t be paying attention to the rest of the film, so I was safe from any nightmares I might have had about a possessed demon child. But the tension hung from the three of us like albatrosses, and it continued as we slowly made our way back to the living room.

“Need me to hold your hand again, Rosebud?” Niall joked. I mustered up a small smile, putting the popcorn bowl between us again. I ignored my sister as they sat back down, Lily for once not cuddling up to Niall’s side. He stared back and forth between the two of us. “Something wrong?” he whispered towards me.

“Nope.”

“That wasn’t very convincing.”

“Drop it, Niall.”

He seemed taken aback by my shortness. His jaw ticked, a sure sign that I knew he was either embarrassed or annoyed, and nodded at me, leaning back against the couch. He didn’t look in my direction for the rest of the film, and while I felt shitty about being so snappish, I couldn’t bring myself to stop. My sisters had somehow ruined my night in one fell swoop.

There was a reason I didn’t talk about what happened at Barkley’s. On top of me being completely done with the situation emotionally, I was also incredibly embarrassed. How had I not noticed that Kent seemed to favor me simply because he thought I was cute? All of the times he had complimented my work ethic, made me feel like I was one of the best employees, and the consecutive months of being employee of the month (which wasn’t a feat because there were only three of us and the other three hardly made their goal sales), he had just been doing it because he wanted to have sex with me.

It made me feel useless.

And if there was one thing I hated most in the world, it was feeling useless.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered to Niall, trying to keep my voice soft so my parents wouldn’t overhear. “You caught me in a bad mood, and I shouldn’t take it out on you.”

“No,” he agreed, “you shouldn’t.” But he held up his palm, an invitation. I relaxed immediately, threading my fingers through his and cuddling up against his side. 

He didn’t let go the entirety of family night, his little reassurance that we were okay.

~

I was willing myself not to leave my bed. 

Like usual, I had woken up about three hours after falling asleep. The apartment was quiet and a little chilly, so cuddling up next to Lily’s side would have solved all my problems. But my head continued to revolve around the conversation with Violet and Lily, and now I felt like I was just going to be a burden if I went into her room and bothered her.

The ride back to the apartment from the Horan-Fairbrough family night had been quiet. Lily had kept the volume low so I could talk to her if I wanted to, but there hadn’t been anything to say. Knowing Lily as well as I did, I knew she was feeling guilty. But I couldn’t bring myself to talk about the night’s events with her.

Now, sitting alone in my bed, I wished I would have. 

I shifted my weight, moving so I was laying on my side and facing the door to my room. In the year that I’d been here, I’d made it my own. I had pictures and plants on my shelves, I had brought in a bookcase, and there was art hung on my walls with command strips so I wouldn’t have to put a nail through the wall. This room was my safe space, like nothing bad from the outside world could ever get me when I was in here.

Violet’s words rang in my head.

My hands were on my phone before I could really process what was happening. I scrolled through the Facetime app until I came across Niall’s information, clicking on the silly little photo I’d set as his contact photo. On bated breath, I waited for Niall to answer the phone call. I should have known better than to feel nervous. Niall was the type of guy to always answer, no matter what time of night it was.

Which was why I was staring into a grainy version of his bright blue eyes only seconds later.

“Rosebud,” he grumbled, groggy from sleep. His hair was mussed, his eyes half closed, and he was shirtless. I couldn’t see much because the blanket covered most of his chest, but I still grew a little warm. “What time is it?”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, shaking my head, feeling incredibly foolish. “I shouldn’t have woken you up.”

There was something in the tone of my voice that had him sitting up, eyes opening a little wider. A cute yawn escaped his mouth, but he looked more awake than he had when he had initially picked up the phone. “Don’t be stupid,” he said softly, “what’s up?”

“Has...has Lily ever talked to you about not being happy I’m at her place?”

Niall’s eyebrows furrowed. “No. She loves having you there.”

“You don’t think I’m a...a burden?”

“Rosebud,” he said, and his voice was so soft and sweet that it made me want to cry. “You could never be a burden. Where is all of this coming from?”

The tears came faster than I thought they would. I hated crying in front of people. I could probably count on the fingers of one hand the amount of times I’d done it and all of them had been in front of Lily. Lily, who I knew wouldn’t judge me for it. Niall wouldn’t judge me either, of that I was sure, but I still felt like a stupid little kid when the first tear spilled over.

“God, Rose, please don’t cry. I can’t handle it when you cry.” At the look on my face, he let out a small laugh. “Not because you’re a burden, Rose. Just because seeing you cry honestly breaks my heart.”

“I’m sorry,” I managed to stutter out.

“Don’t be sorry, Rose. Just dry those big brown eyes and talk to me. What’s going on?” I couldn’t answer for a few moments, still trying to stifle my cries so I wouldn’t wake Lily up. I saw Niall start to move on his bed, before I heard his voice. “I’m coming over there.”

“No,” I said immediately, shaking my head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t call to bother you.”

“When are you going to get it through that thick head of yours that you aren’t a burden to me?” he asked, rolling his eyes. “I won’t come if you don’t want me to. But I’ve got to know what’s going on, Rosebud. You’re worrying me a little.”

Once I calmed my tears a little, I sniffled so I wouldn’t look like a complete fool with snot dripping down my nose. “In the kitchen earlier, Violet made a subtle dig that Lily might not like having me here. Like I’m a burden to have. I just...I know you know her better than anyone, and maybe she felt like she couldn’t share her real feelings with me. So I wanted to ask you and see if she’d said anything. You know Lily. she wouldn’t tell me to my face if that’s how she felt because she’s too nice.”

“She is too nice. But she wouldn’t lie to you about something like this, Rosebud. I know for a fact that she doesn’t hate having you there, though. You’ve got to know that.”

I nodded hopelessly, rolling my eyes at myself. “And I just feel so stupid because I can’t sleep unless I’m with someone. That’s why I asked you to stay at your apartment. The idea of sleeping alone terrifies me. But Violet has me paranoid that Lily doesn’t want me here, so I don’t want to wake her up and bother her.”

“Lily won’t mind,” Niall said softly. He was leaning back against his pillows. Sometime during my crying, he had turned on his lamp and basked in the soft yellow light. No one looked good in that awful yellow light, but somehow Niall managed. “But I could stay on the phone with you until you fall asleep, if you want,” he continued. 

“I don’t want you to pity me or think I’m pathetic, either.”

“Rose, I don’t think I’ve met anyone stronger. You take everything in stride and still have a smile on your face. It’s more likely that I’m going to be in complete awe of you.”

My breath caught in my throat, stuck in the center like I needed to swallow it down. His words filled me with the kind of reassurance and comfort I needed at this exact moment, and I sighed when the warmth of his words hit me. “You always know what to say, Niall.”

He laughed. “Not true. I feel like I’m a bumbling mess around you most of the time.”

Frowning, I shook my head. “You’re one of the most eloquent and well-spoken people I’ve ever met. I always value your opinions and advice.” I moved myself back against my pillows, laying on my side and propping my phone up on my nightstand so I didn’t have to hold it up while I conversed with Niall. “You’ll make someone a very happy girl someday.”

I saw the way his eyes softened, like he was lost in a memory. They were the color of the sky in the morning, right when the sun was rising and it was cast in a warm yellow glow. “I don’t know,” he said, raising a hand to the back of his neck. His cheeks, like they normally were when someone complimented him, were an endearing pink. “There’s...there’s really only one girl’s opinion I care about.”

I wanted to sit up straight and demand he tell me more, but I refrained. I knew that acting suddenly might spook him into not telling me. “I didn’t know you liked someone.”

“Like…” he trailed off, shaking his head and letting out a little laugh. It sounded like the word wasn’t sufficient enough for what he was feeling. “Yeah. Yeah, I like her.”

“Tell me about her,” I encouraged, my voice as soft as I could make it.

“You don’t want to hear about this, Rose.”

“I always want to hear about what’s going on in your life.”

He groaned, running his hand through his hair. “I shouldn’t have even said anything.”

“Don’t make me pull the Fairbrough puppy dog eyes.”

“Not the Fairbrough eyes,” he gasped dramatically, clutching his hand to his chest as the both of us let out small laughs. Then, he sobered up, his smile turning a little more soft and caring. “She’s great. Driven, strong, stubborn. She’s got this crazy loyalty to her family, like no other. And she’s probably the most gorgeous fucking girl I’ve ever seen in my life.”

He was describing Lily almost perfectly. I felt the smile growing on my face. As Lily’s sister who wanted the absolute best for her, I knew that Niall was it. He was kind, almost to a fault. He would never hurt her intentionally. The way he revered her...it was how I’d always wanted someone to look at me. “She sounds incredibly special.”

“She is.”

The question was burning on the tip of my tongue, begging to be asked. But these things took time. I didn’t want to scare him away from his feelings for Lily by discussing them, so I let the subject drop. “She’d better get ready to be a babysitter for Horan-Fairbrough family nights. I think Greg passed Theo onto me the second I walked through the door. How that man became a father, I’ll never know.”

He laughed, but there was something off about it, like he was disappointed in the subject change. “Must be because you’re so good with kids.”

“I’m shit with kids. Greg’s just fucking lazy.”

That seemed to bring the smile back to his face and he let out a chuckle that sounded like melted chocolate and sunshine and everything else good in the world. Lily would never be lacking in the husband department when she and Niall got married (because let’s be honest, it was an inevitability). He was the entire package, gifted in every area. He would be the kindest, the handsomest, the funniest. 

I didn’t expect the pang that went through me.

I’d always wanted what Niall and Lily had. The easy friendship and the fiery passion (I imagined there was fiery passion, I’d never personally seen it) and the desperate longing. I wanted someone to look at me the way they looked at each other and talk about me the way Niall talked about Lily now. It was how Patrick and Niamh looked at each other. It was how my mother and father looked at each other.

It felt so impossible, so far away for me, that it made my heart curl in my chest. 

“Tell me what’s going on in that head,” he whispered, and he must have thought I had fallen asleep by the look on my face. I blinked, giving him a soft smile.

“Just thinking.” I heard another voice, something grainy and staticy and narrowed my eyes. “Are you watching TV? I didn’t know my company bored you so much.”

Niall shrugged. “It’s Dawson’s Creek, Rosebud. You’d do the same thing.”

I laughed, snuggling up further against my pillows. “What episode?”

“The one where Joey and Pacey kiss for the first time.”

“Okay, but the car kiss or the fireside kiss?”

“The fireside, obviously.”

“That’s not technically their first kiss,” I pointed out.

“It’s the one that matters,” he countered. “Can you believe there are some idiots who would prefer Joey with Dawson?”

“The horror,” I agreed, rolling my eyes. “Say some of the lines for me so I know what’s going on.”

“I’m not going to talk over one of the best scenes in television history.” He took one glance at my pleading face and groaned. “I hate you, you know that?” 

“No you don’t. If it’s the fireside scene, I have this one memorized. You be Pacey and I’ll be Joey.”

He rolled his eyes, but turned back to the television. His voice came through just seconds after Pacey’s did. “The only reason that you don’t have the answers is because you’ve been too scared to ask yourself the right questions.” I recognized the line right away. 

“What are you talking about?” I replied, grinning when he gave me a look, as if asking do I really have to do this?

“Look!” he suddenly exclaimed, making me laugh and stifle it into my pillow so I didn’t wake up Lily. “I know how I feel. You know how I feel. That much is obvious by now. But during this whole process, we’ve managed to miss the point. Because the point is not how I feel, it’s how you feel. So how do you feel?”

“It’s so obvious she loves him back.”

“Oi! If I have to do the lines, you have to do the lines too.”

“Awful!” I copied his exaggeration and heard him chuckle. “That’s how I feel Niall—”

“We’re supposed to be Pacey and Joey!”

“I’m adding flair! That’s how I feel Niall, I feel awful.”

“So do I. When I was kissing you tonight, I don’t think I’ve ever felt better and worse in my entire life. I mean, the very idea that...who should be Dawson and Andy?”

“Patrick and Niamh.”

He raised a brow. “Hopefully Niamh and Patrick aren’t cheating on each other with the two of us.”

“Just finish it!”

“The very idea that Niamh or Patrick could find out about us is killing me. It is tearing me up on the inside to have these feelings for you, but I can’t get rid of them. I can’t keep on kissing you, Rose.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean just that. I can’t keep on kissing you. Alright, I’ve done it twice now! I can’t be the one who’s always initiating this. I can’t be the one who’s always giving you all the answers. Look at me, Rose.”

“Shit I forgot the next line.”

“What a shit Dawson’s Creek fan you are. I thought you knew all the lines.”

“Shut up,” I laughed, pausing the Facetime so I could look up the exact scene lines. “I can’t,” I said dramatically, finding the lines easily and returning to the Facetime so I could see Niall giving me a deadpan look. 

“Please,” he recited. I went to go find the script again but he protested. “You’re supposed to be looking at me! You’re not a very good Joey.”

“It’s your line anyway.”

“If you felt even one shred of what I feel for you...then we wouldn’t be standing here having this conversation.”

There wasn’t another line for me to reply with, as Pacey and Joey had finally kissed, so I looked at Niall with a grin on my face. He was staring at me, something unreadable in his eyes. I knew that our game of reciting lines was over in the way that his eyes burned and his mouth turned downwards at the corners. I wished more than anything that he was here so I could reach out and embrace him, reassure him that there was no possible way that Lily didn’t love him back. He didn’t have to be heartbroken anymore.

“Unrequited love is a bitch,” I said in a whisper.

“I thought you said it was obvious that Joey loved him,” he replied.

“It is. I just meant...in general. It’s a bitch. But we should still tell the people we love that we love them. Life’s too short.”

He swallowed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

It was silent between us. I didn’t ask Niall to recite any more lines and he didn’t ask me to join in. He just sat and watched his TV and I just sat and watched him. Eventually, my eyes slowly closed and I drifted off into sleep.

I heard him whisper a “goodnight, Rosebud,” before I completely fell.

~

I woke up, for the first time in the past year, alone in my bed. 

When my eyes opened, I blearily glanced at my clock. If waking up by myself hadn’t surprised me enough for one morning, then I would have been surprised at how late I had slept in. Most days I was up around the same time as Lily, since I could never go back to sleep if she started making lots of noise. Looking at my clock now, my eyes widened a little bit when I saw it was just four minutes past nine, which meant Lily and Niall had already been at work for an hour. 

I allowed myself only five minutes to stay cuddled in my blankets before I stood, rubbing my eyes and making my way to the kitchen. The coffee was still out, though it was probably cold. Since I usually didn’t eat much for breakfast, I just popped bread in the toaster and poured myself a cup, shoving it in the microwave to heat it up.

Since Lily and I hadn’t really gotten a chance to talk about what had happened, I regarded the little pink Post-It note with hesitance. I knew that she was apologizing. But I still felt a little sad. The betrayal and anger had left me last night, as I was falling asleep with Niall humming something in the background. I was still furious with Violet and probably would be for the foreseeable future, but it was hard to be mad at Lily when she meant so much to me.

Dinner on me tonight. We’ll hang out and talk. Stopping by the bundt cake place after work and getting white chocolate raspberry. Your fave!! Love you.

I set the note back on the counter and retrieved my cup of coffee. I didn’t have much to do today since it was one of my days off, but I felt too antsy to stay in the house. Deciding to get ready for the day and see where it took me, I headed back towards my room with my plate and coffee cup in my hand.

I wondered how Niall was doing. Today was the day that they were meeting with the dean to discuss the expulsion status of the sexual assaulter. Knowing him, he would be incredibly stressed and worried about the whole ordeal. 

Which was why I found myself standing in the donut shop thirty minutes later.

“Rose!” The owner, Matilda, said. She was a larger woman with pretty dark skin and incredibly white teeth. “Nice to see you. Day off?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“You here for Lily and Niall’s favorites?” 

“Just Niall today. I’ll get four of his favorites. He’s meeting with the dean at his job about a student and I thought he could use the pick me up.”

Matilda grinned at me. “You are too sweet. Niall’s lucky to have you.”

“I’m the lucky one,” I responded. And it was true. I was so incredibly lucky to have Niall in my life.

She walked back towards the display cases, grabbing a vanilla cake with chocolate frosting donut, sprinkled with coconut shavings. Niall could devour three of them in a minute. As she loaded up the to-go box with the donuts, she added in a maple bar for me. “How long have y’all been together?”

It took me a moment to process her question. I blinked at her, giving her a confused smile. “Oh, Niall and I aren’t together. He’s in love with my sister, Lily.”

Matilda’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. “No shit? I could have sworn he was all moon-eyed over you. When you used to come in here with him back when you in school, he would stare at you with the most adorable look on his face.”

I laughed. “Knowing him, he was looking longingly at the donut I was holding. He and Lily are soulmates. Our whole family has a bet on when they’re going to get together.”

She handed me the box, accepting the tenner I passed over the counter. “You know, my David just got married. Nice girl. They moved to New York, so they’re too far away, but I just found out she’s pregnant.”

“Grandma Matilda. It’s got a ring to it,” I joked. 

“I could have sworn he was going to end up with his childhood friend, Zoe. They did everything together when they were younger. They’re still super close. In fact, she and Clarissa, the new wife, hit it off. Zoe was the maid of honor.” I didn’t really realize the point of her story, but I didn’t care. I could listen to Matilda talk for ages. She was just someone you wanted to listen to. “If I had made bets on Zoe and David, I would have lost.”

“I might lose because of the timing,” I countered, shuffling with the change she handed me, “but they’re definitely getting together.”

Matilda shooed me out of the shop with a wave of her hand and a threat that if I didn’t come visit her soon, she’d drag me out of the apartment by herself. I just grinned and got another Uber to take me to the college. 

Niall’s coworkers knew Lily like the back of their hands. They were always wondering who it was that Niall was taking out to lunch. However, they didn’t know me. Which was why when I walked into the athletics building of the college and asked to see Niall, the secretary looked at me a little strangely. 

“Sure,” she said hesitantly, like she didn’t think Niall knew anyone else besides Lily. “Just fill out this sign-in sheet and let me print you out a visitor sticker.” I filled out the sheet and handed it back to her. The second she saw my last name, she understood. “Oh. Fairbrough. You Lily’s sister?”

“Guilty.”

“He might still be in the meeting with the dean, but feel free to wait in his office. If he is still in the meeting, it won’t be long. Ten minutes tops.”

Offering my thanks, I made my way through the building. It was decorated with sports jerseys from the college, as well as professional jerseys. I realized I had never been in Niall’s office before, so when I walked in, I was a little surprised to see how open and spacious it was. Obviously I didn’t think he worked in a tiny little cramped space, but there were large windows on one wall and his desk only took up a quarter of the room, meaning he still had a good amount of space for filing cabinets and things of the like. I sat in one of the chairs on the opposite side of the desk, admiring the pictures and little knick knacks that littered his space. Just like in his room, the frame he had next to his computer had pictures of he and his family and my sisters and I. 

The door opened and slammed shut. Niall hadn’t noticed me yet, but he was pinching the bridge of his nose and looked like he had the headache of the century. I heard him let out a tiny curse before he opened his eyes and all anger melted away from his face, leaving only confusion.

“Rose?” he asked softly, like I was a figment of the imagination.

“Hi Niall!” I greeted cheerily, ignoring how wrong it felt when he didn’t call me Rosebud. “I brought donuts.”

He ignored the proffered white box, instead marching forward with purpose and wrapping his arms around me. A surprised grunt left my mouth, but he clutched me like I was a lifeline and I immediately wrapped my arms around his back. I let him cling to me, sensing it was something he needed. Honestly, I probably needed it too. It was nice to be held and know that Niall wanted to keep me safe from any harm.

“That bad?” I whispered into his shoulder.

“They had us talk to the girl afterwards. She had a meltdown. It was horrifying to watch.” His grip on my waist tightened.

“I figured it would be bad. I brought donuts,” I said again, weakly. 

“Don’t need donuts,” he stated, “just need you.”

“I’m here.”

I couldn’t begin to fathom the moments we stood there, just gripping onto one another. Occasionally, his hand would move from my waist to my hair, tangling there and drawing me even closer, like he couldn’t believe I was there. My forehead pressed into his shirt, a pretty lilac color. One of the many things I loved about Niall was that he wasn’t afraid to wear color. The purple soothed me a little bit, even though I hadn’t come into his work wanting to be soothed.

Eventually, he pulled away. His eyes were red and he looked on the verge of tears. “What’re you doing here?” he asked gruffly, his voice low from emotion.

I reached out and grabbed his hand, not wanting the contact between us to end. He laced our fingers together immediately. “I knew today would be tough. And you were so supportive and...there for me last night that I wanted to do the same for you.”

“You don’t have to pay me back for last night, Rose. I wanted to.”

“And I wanted to help today,” I argued, shoving the box of donuts at him once more. He smiled and took them. “Matilda has threatened to come hunt us down if we don’t come in more often.”

“I don’t need to be seeing Matilda on a daily basis unless she wants to roll me out of the building.” He sat at his desk, across from me, and dug into his donuts. I wondered if he had been too nervous to eat anything that morning, despite the fact that Lily made them breakfast. 

“I realized I’ve never been in your office,” I commented as he ate. “I love it. It’s bigger than I expected.”

“Yeah, it’s a pretty decent setup. I can give you a tour of the campus later, if you’d like.”

 I nodded enthusiastically. Though I’d known Niall nearly all my life, I’d never really been around the campus he worked at. I’d been once or twice for a class that they offered when spots at my own college were limited, but that was it. 

He reached into the  box and handed me my maple bar, along with a couple of napkins so I wouldn’t get his desk sticky. We ate in comfortable silence, him looking over some documents and me just enjoying being in his presence. Once I had taken my last bite and he had shuffled his papers around, he cleared his throat and gestured towards the door.

“C’mon, we’ve got a pretty decent coffee place and I know the pot was probably cold when you woke up. Microwaved coffee is shit.”

“It was fine.” I shrugged. I hadn’t minded it that morning, more focused on my plan to comfort Niall. 

“Bullshit,” he said, giving me a grin that for some reason did weird things to my heart. Holding out his hand, I laced our fingers together as he led us out of his office. The secretary’s eyes nearly popped out when she saw us together, leaning over to whisper something quickly to a coworker that was sitting at the front desk. It made me a little uncomfortable, but Niall pulled me along quickly so I didn’t have time to dwell.

The college was gorgeous. I could admit that. It was even prettier than the own college I attended. When Violet had been applying for colleges, this had been one of her main contenders because of how gorgeous it was. Ultimately, it didn’t have a veterinarian program like the college I attended. Therefore, she was at my alma mater. Still, as Niall pointed things out with the hand that wasn’t holding mine, I made sure to comment on how pretty the layout of it was.

“Hey, Mr. H!” I heard someone shout when we started walking towards the little coffee stand outside of one of the buildings. Niall blushed a little at being called “mister” in front of me; it was as endearing as every other time he blushed when he was complimented. The kid walking towards us waved his hand enthusiastically.

“What’s up, Jordan?” Niall asked, grasping Jordan’s hand and pulling him into that guy hug I’d seen him do many times before to his brother. “Aren’t you supposed to be in Styles’ class right now?”

Jordan was a muscular kid with shoulder-length brown hair and pretty dark brown eyes. “Nah, he cancelled today. My girlfriend and I were going to get some coffee and then see a movie. She’s technically got Payne in twenty minutes, but they’re just doing an optional extra credit quiz.” I saw his eyes wander over to me, wondering who the girl with Mr. H was.

“Jordan, this is my friend, Rose. Rose, this is Jordan. He’s probably one of the best baseball players this college has seen in a while.”

I didn’t know shit about baseball, but I smiled. “Nice to meet you, Jordan.” His hand engulfed mine comically when he shook it. “I’ll give you a tenner if you call him Mr. H again. He got so red.”

Jordan laughed. “We call him Mr. H until he tells our coaches to push us harder. Then we call him names behind his back.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Niall said, waving off Jordan’s comments. “What are you and Poppy getting? I’ll buy.”

“Mr. H, you don’t have to!”

“It’s pointless arguing with him,” I told Jordan, shrugging. “I usually just relish in the free stuff.”

Jordan laughed. “In that case, just a vanilla latte and a caramel macchiato.”

Niall didn’t bother asking me for my order, since he knew how I took my coffee. He stepped forward to the cart to order, leaving Jordan and I a little ways back. “So, what’re you studying?” I asked Jordan.

“Kinesiology,” he responded. I was impressed. I could never get into the big sciences. “You?”

“Graduated a couple years back with a business major and marketing minor.”

“Cool. You’re lucky to be such good friends with Mr. H. He’s one of the nicest guys I’ve met. Told me he’d give me a letter of recommendation for my masters program in the fall.”

“Sounds like him,” I agreed. And it did. Niall wouldn’t hesitate to help his athletes. Plus, I imagined for Jordan’s sake that a letter of recommendation from the athletics director of the school was nothing to scoff at. 

Niall returned with our coffee, handing Jordan his two drinks. “We’ve got to take off, but come visit me sometime, yeah? Have fun with Poppy.”

“Thanks, Mr. H. I’ll see you later.”

Jordan walked off, leaving the two of us to enjoy our coffee as we made our way through the courtyard of the school. “You really make an impact in these students’ lives.”

He shrugged. “A lot of directors are removed from the teams. They let the coaches do all the work. I want to be involved in the careers of the athletes. Feel like I helped them in some way.”

I grinned, taking his hand and wrapping his arm around my shoulders. He squeezed me into his side. “You help everyone in every way. It’s pretty much impossible to meet you and not be affected in the best of ways.”

That blush came again and I smiled at the sight of it. “You’ve got to stop complimenting me. It’ll all go to my head.”

He wasn’t expecting the shove, but after he finished being dramatic about how I could have killed him, he wrapped his arm around me again and I caught him smiling.

I realized I hadn’t thought of the situation with Kent, my lackluster job, or my sisters once.

[nokomiss]

deadtedkord replied to your post “taking prompts!”

more excellent jaysteph bonding please you're stuff for them is amazing!!

Even in Gotham, it’s hard to get takeout at 4am.  

So after a particularly grueling night fighting crime -- not Arkham-escape bad, but involving the Condiment King teaming up with Mad Hatter for easily one of the grossest in every imaginable way nights Steph could remember -- the troops all ended up at the Cave, fighting over who got into the showers first. The troops in question being Bruce, Damian, Tim, Jason and herself. Steph saw the writing on the wall immediately and booked it up stairs to shower in luxury before Bruce could complain about ketchup in his fancypants rich people showers.

After convincing herself that she couldn’t, actually, just live in the bathroom at Wayne Manor for the rest of her life, Steph reluctantly got out, wondering if she could convince Bruce that installing the same shower at her decidedly less luxurious home was actually a necessary crime fighting expense. The water pressure alone had relieved a few lingering muscle aches she’d been nursing a few days.  

She ransacked various rooms for a new, mustard-free outfit -- she had clothes stashed away somewhere, but everyone knew other people’s clothes are far superior, especially when they were Selina’s yoga pants, which she was never returning because damn they were amazing, Cass’ fuzzy socks and Tim’s softest hoodie.

By the time she returned to the cave, smelling like coconut and feeling like a champ, the boys had managed to clean themselves up and were bickering about food.

“I got Stromboli’s to deliver at 3 last week,” Damian was insisting, even though the Batcomputer clearly showed that they were closed.

“Maybe we could bribe someone at Batburger? They’re open all night,” Tim suggested, sounding doubtful about the prospect.

“There’s food here,” Steph suggested, because she, too, was starving.

Silence for a moment, then Bruce said, in a voice that almost sounded sheepish, “Alfred isn’t here.”

Steph felt a little bad about the smears of ketchup she’d undoubtedly left in the bathroom. “Did he… did he take the kitchen with him?”

“Pennyworth is the only one permitted to use the kitchen,” Damian said loftily while also not looking at anyone directly.

“Yeah, but… we’re hungry,” Steph pointed out.

“They don’t know how to cook,” Tim said, gesturing towards Bruce and Damian. “They’re really bad at it.”

“Like you’re any better,” Damian snapped. “Remember when you set the microwave on fire?”

“I didn’t realize there was still a spoon in the bowl!” The tops of Tim’s ears were turning bright red.

Steph looked at the only person in the room not howling about their own ineptitude in the kitchen. “Please tell me you’re not as useless as they are.”

“I’m insulted that you would think I am,” Jason replied. “I certainly didn’t grow up with a butler.”

Steph sighed, and said, “Wanna go make some food?”

Jason looked at the other three, who were suddenly very focused on writing the night’s mission report. “If it means we’re done with the paperwork, yeah.”

So she climbed the steps to up to the manor for the second time that night, and when she entered the kitchen she suddenly understood the silence and sheepish looks.

“I have seen active crime scenes less disastrous than this kitchen,” Jason said with an awed tone.

“How long has Alfred been gone? A year?” Steph said, staring. “And the question is, is he ever gonna return if he knows this is waiting on him?”

 “Probably he will, but he’ll finally snap and murder them all in a dishes-fueled rage,” Jason said, poking at the mountain of dirty china piled haphazardly in and around the sink.  He poked at a dish. “I’m pretty sure someone ate Spaghetti-Os out of fine china. Is this a real silver spoon?”

The spoon in question had curdled milk clinging to it.

“Okay so ten minutes ago, I would have told you there was no way anything could be grosser than Mad Hatter flopping around in a pool of mayonnaise,” Steph said, “but oh, how I have been proven wrong.”

“How do they even function as human beings?” Jason wondered. “Was it always this bad? I mean, I lived here. I know Bruce is an absolute moron in the kitchen. But…”  He looked around. “Wow.”

“Do you suddenly feel so much better about yourself as a person?” Steph said. “Because I gotta say. Really feeling good about myself right now.”

Jason offered a hand to high five, and Steph did, happily. They rummaged through the pantry side-by-side and found that the staples were still intact, though anything ready-made had been ransacked.  The fridge offered up similar bounty -- takeout leftovers of questionable providence, some wilting produce, and basics.  

“Pancakes?” Steph suggested once she saw the state of the waffle iron -- had someone tried to make a grilled cheese on it? -- and pulled out the dry ingredients. “I’m not willing to eat anything that requires a condiment right now.”  Thankfully maple syrup had not been one of Condiment King’s weapons of choice.

“I’ll make eggs,” Jason said, pulling out a carton. “And there’s some fake bacon of Damian’s.”

“We are a breakfast-making machine,” Steph said. It was true, too -- away from the chaos of crime fighting, she found that working alongside Jason in the kitchen was surprisingly easy. Steph stared at the sink again, and said, “I think that it’s time that certain vigilantes learned the domestic arts.”

“Yeah, we can’t let Alfred come back to this,” Jason said. “He’s too valuable. If he quit--”

“We’d never have his cookies ever again,” Steph said in horror. 

“Maybe we could steal Alfred,” Jason said after a pause. “Like, let nature take its course, then swoop in and take Alfred for our own.”

“Share custody of him,” Steph said, nodding. “We could put him on a rotating schedule, and give him days off, and… I don’t know. Let him join a book club, instead of spending all his time with these disasters.”

They spent a few moments in quiet contemplation of a life where Alfred showed up and made creme brulee at any hour of the day.  Then Steph sighed, giving the pancake batter one last stir before letting it sit and moving to the stove, clearing off several crystal goblets with what looked like coffee dregs in them before finding a griddle.  “There’s only one flaw with our plan.”

“The thing where Alfred loves Bruce like a son and would never abandon him to die alone and hungry in his filthy mansion?” Jason flipped the fake bacon.

“That’s the one,” Steph said, deciding the griddle was hot enough and spooning pancake batter onto it in cute little shapes. She thought that Damian’s should be hearts, and she experimented with bat-shapes for Bruce. 

Jason peered over and saw what she was doing. “I want stars.”

“Of course you do,” Steph said, though she tried to make one as soon as Damian’s hearts were done. It turned out a little wonky, but still recognizable. She was awesome. “Gotta be difficult, right?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jason replied, cracking eggs into a bowl.  He glanced at the kitchen door. “Are they hiding in the cave in shame?”

“Like, it’s wrong, but the fact that I think they are makes me really happy,” Steph said. “Like, kind of makes up for all those times they acted like I was a moron for not knowing something.”

“Right?” Jason said. 

“I mean, how do you master dozens of different kinds of kung fu, but never once master the grilled cheese? I was making my own grilled cheese in kindergarten!”

“There are only three ingredients,” Jason agreed. “It’s a true embarrassment.”

“We should nominate him for Worst Cooks In America,” Steph said. “I really want to see Bruce on reality television, and that would be comedy gold.”

“Just seeing him get an invitation to be one of the worst of anything would be fucking amazing,” Jason said. “Like, congratulations, sir, you suck at this.”

“You suck so hard we want to feature you on television,” Steph snickered.  She flipped the last of Bruce’s pancakes onto a plate before they burned, and began making Tim’s. She tried to make a coffee mug shape, but it turned out looking like a blob, so she made teddy bears instead.  

“I mean, I kind of get why they’re so terrible at it,” Steph said, “given their upbringings. But I would have literally starved if I hadn’t figured out how to cook early on. Takeout was not an option.”

“Right? Only for special occasions,” Jason said. “The rest of the time, you had to make shit yourself.”

“Exactly,” Steph nodded. They didn’t really talk much about how they were the ones in the family who’d grown up poor, who’d spent a lot of time raising themselves because their parents hadn’t been capable of it. She knew it was why Bruce had compared them so much -- there was a startling amount of similarities between their childhoods, from their mothers’ drug problems to their fathers’ criminal inclinations -- and for once, it felt nice to be the ones with the necessary skills while everyone else floundered. 

They grinned at each other, then put the last of the food onto the plates.  Steph grabbed the maple syrup, and stopped short, staring at the calendar on the fridge. “Four days!”

“What?” Jason said through a mouthful of fake bacon.

“Alfred has only been gone four days,” Steph said, pointing to the note on the fridge, “and he left prepared meals.”  

They gazed in wonder at the chaos around them. 

“He’s going to be back tomorrow,” Jason said suddenly, pointing.  

“Okay, so we feed the troops, then we start Mission: Learn to Do the Damn Dishes,” Steph said. Sleep was for the weak. 

“Yes, ma’am,” Jason said, and followed her to the breakfast nook, setting down Tim and Damian’s plates and going back for the rest. “Wanna tell them now?”

“Let them have a final meal first,” Steph said. “Then we’ll light a fire under them.”

Jason grinned. By the time Bruce, Tim and Damian came out of the Cave, she and Jason had polished off half of their meal, and Steph had to admit that delivering a lecture to Batman about chores was one of the highlights of her week.  Possibly the entire month.

It took until dawn, but Alfred came home to a kitchen that no longer looked like it had witnessed the collapse of civilization.

[hellolifestyles]

The Importance of Living a Healthy Lifestyle As a Family

The importance of living a healthy lifestyle for maintaining general good health and preventing chronic diseases has been well established. A healthy lifestyle is quite simple to achieve - one does not need to do anything "crazy" to adopt a healthy lifestyle. I will say that a certain amount of independent thinking is required to separate truth from fiction in most modern health advice currently being delivered.

The most important thing you can do is eat well. Avoid toxins in your food as much as possible and consume plenty of fresh fruit, veggies and whole grains; exercise moderately a few times per week; avoid smoking, including secondhand smoke; and avoid gaining too much weight (which should come naturally if you eat right and exercise). While it is not always possible to eat all Organic food - the EWG recommends 12 fruits and vegetables that should be organic because of their higher levels of pesticide residue. Avoiding environmental toxins as much as you can is an important part of achieving a healthy lifestyle.

Our modern lifestyle is very convenient - but it can also be extremely unhealthy. Most of us eat too many processed foods and too few fruit and veggies; we rarely exercise; and when we develop chronic conditions such as diabetes, we rely on conventional medications to make us feel better - but these medications often have devastating side effects. Instead of accepting the importance of living a healthy lifestyle for us and for future generations, we continue with our bad habits - then take potent, toxic medication to treat our inevitable symptoms.

Of course, not all aspects of living a healthy lifestyle are in our control. We are going to be exposed to certain environmental toxins whether we like it or not. But many of these factors are absolutely in our control. Whenever we can, we should be responsible and make the right choices.

This is why it is so important to be sure you eat well as the key factor in achieving a healthy LIFESTYLE.

I say "lifestyle" because what I know is that "eating well" can sometimes be something a person does with resentment because they feel "sacrifice" is required to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

I remember when people who ate poor foods used to joke with me and say I was not really living because I chose not to eat pizza and drink beer - and I always replied "how much LIVING can you do when your body is recovering from what you put in it?

Shifting from an Unhealthy to a Healthy Lifestyle

The reason I discuss the healthy lifestyle tip of simply EATING WELL on my blog is because it has been so effective for my health.

It was not always like this though. I remember when I was addicted to a chocolate bar each day and I always had headaches or an infection or illness of some kind.

In addition to excessive sugar cravings (eating a chocolate bar each day) I also suffered from many unhealthy symptoms that were challenging to resolve through traditional medicine: Frequent headaches, Skin problems (ie. eczema, acne, hives, Bloating, Gas, Bad Breath, Weak or brittle hair and nails, Fatigue and lethargy, Excessive stress, Candida overgrowth, Yeast infections, Food or Environmental Allergies, Anxiety or depression, Diarrhea, Constipation, Memory loss, Mood swings, Frequent colds or infections, PMS or bad menstrual cramps, Bladder infection, Loss of sex drive...etc

Ughhh! No fun at all!

Years later, I LOVE good food and I am rarely sick. Eating well is the perfect way to get in tune with your body and really get back to basics of what your body needs. It challenges you to give up the vices that you take for granted, break your addictive eating habits and start again from the beginning. Eating well is a healthy lifestyle choice that gives you clarity on what your body really needs, not craves and becomes the foundation for all other healthy lifestyle choices.

An important thing to remember with eating well is to really examine your root philosophy for adapting more healthy foods into your lifestyle.

This is SO IMPORTANT!

If it's simply to loose a few pounds - I personally feel that this is not enough of a motivator and you will set yourself up for "failure" however, if you choose to eat well to enjoy a better quality of life, to do things you have not done in years and to not get sick anymore, then this is a wonderful motivator that will likely last!

So, getting really practical, eating well obviously involves making a few changes to the foods you prepare and enjoy.

I always listen to my body when I eat. I do not calorie count, measure my fist, use ratio's or anything that causes me to separate myself form the food I eat.

The main reason I enjoy excellent health is because I am critical of what I eat - I choose to eat REAL food.

Because of this, I do not need expensive supplements or challenging programs to maintain my weight.

Delicious menus of real, whole foods allow me to enjoy the things so many diet plans warn against.

This sounds simple enough, but what I have learned is that many people simply do not know what a healthy lifestyle consists of, especially when it comes to food!

I try to keep things as simple as possible. I shop from the perimeter of the grocery store, eat mostly wild and free range chicken, very little meat and mostly raw organic fruits and vegetables, with beans and rice. It's not practical to list everything I eat here, but feel free to visit my blog and download your FREE Healthy Grocery List while you are here!

The Future Depends on our Health Living a healthy lifestyle, free as much as possible of toxins (in our environment and in our food) and of stress, is important to us - but it's also important for future generations. Scientists are also now discovering the impact nutrition has on our DNA! Healthy trees bear healthy fruit. A continued lifestyle of sickness will have a lasting effect on future generations and on our planet.

The results of years of living an unhealthy lifestyle are obvious. We are currently faced with a sharp increase in chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, with an obesity rate so high it's considered an epidemic, and with growing rates of infertility. The number of children diagnosed with autism, Asperger's syndrome or ADHD is alarmingly high.

We should also remember that our children carefully watch us and emulate us. If they see us act responsibly now, they will likely adopt a similar approach of taking care of themselves and of the planet when they become adults.

We must each ask ourselves if we are modeling the importance of a healthy lifestyle to our children. If we do not show them how to care for themselves, they will likely turn to the food corporations instead. How will they know the difference between real food, "food like" substances?

I keep about 6 - 8 fantastic cookbooks on hand. From these books, I create simple meal plans that I rotate each month based on about 15 simple meal ideas.

In addition to eating Delicious Food (that is real and healthy!) I suggest the following ways to help model a positive approach to food in our children:

Young children especially learn about the world through imitation. How do you feel each day as you prepare your family's meals? Are you hurried, frustrated, and disconnected? We can show our children that eating healthy is important by the way we approach our meal times. If we are happy and engaged in making a meal, and then take pleasure in eating together we affirm that food is more than something to fill the hole but is a necessary part of a happy and healthy family life. In short, your children will imitate what they see so make sure you are placing a positive value around the activities involving healthy living.

Involve your children in meal preparation, even once or twice a week. By discussing how good certain foods taste and by letting them help you cook you will show that it's important to take the time to prepare a healthy meal instead of throwing something in the microwave. You never know, you may inspire a future chef!

Make a plan to eat together as a family as often as possible. By each decision you make to eat together, you are casting a value judgment on the importance of healthy living and that it involves more than just eating a few more vegetables.

We can and should make an effort to change our habits and accept the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. If society won't make changes, then we as individuals need to make them. After all, if we leave our health to someone else guess what they have planned for you? Not much.

I have absolute confidence that you can make the switch to living a healthy lifestyle and eliminating the nuisance symptoms that result from a body that is overloaded with toxins from our North American lifestyle. I was able to do this by following simple strategies, cooking from informative books that helped me switch my lifestyle over and enjoying life!

[marissabdbdp-blog]

#RhavageStartsToCrawl

Marissa:  I woke up looking at the clock knowing the shutters were due to go up soon. I was feeling hot as Butch’s body was behind me and his arms were around me. I could hear Rhavage in his cot at the side of the bed, he was still asleep you could hear him dreaming in his sleep, he was making the sweetest of noises. Our little warrior was so cute, I lifted my head and he had his arms around the teddy that aunty Bitty had got him, he never let it go always had it with him. I didn’t want to get up yet I wanted to stay laying here in the arms of my male. I knew though that Rhavage would need feeding as soon as he woke up.

Butch:

The night before had been a long night on patrol, trolling the streets with V and Hollywood. We had encountered several lessers who were quickly immobilised and I had got to work by sucking up the very essence from them, they were all turned to ash. My price for doing this was that I smelt and felt like road kill, I had to get V use his magic hand on me.

Returning to the pit V had done his thing with his hand, I felt a lot better, more like myself than smelling of an old biddy. Walking back into the lounge of the pit I grabbed a bottle of Lag and a glass. Marissa arrived with Rhavage in her arms “Hey you two” Giving them both a kiss, I poured some of the scotch into the glass and gulps it down in one “Rough night baby?” “Yeah but nothing I couldn't handle” Rhavage had his pyjamas on and was falling asleep in Marissa's arms “You wanna put him to bed baby and I'll follow you so we can have some fun” Marissa had given me that look and went into the bedroom, like the sap I was I followed her.

The shutters were rolling up signalling it was another night, I was on rotation again tonight. Marissa was in my arms and Rhavage was in his crib sleeping with his teddy from Bitty, all was peaceful not even a mouse stirred, but knowing Rhavage he be screaming soon to be fed soon, this would be a good time for me to shower. Untangling myself from Marissa I got up and headed towards the bathroom.

Marissa: I heard Butch roll out of bed as he headed to the shower room, I leaned over the bed and it looked like Rhavage was stirring I knew it was then, it was time to get up. I put on my dressing gown and walked over to the cot, watching our little warrior wake up was so cute, he was making a noise again. My heart just melted, a little smile was on his face when he finally opened up his eyes. I picked him up and was saying good morning to him, when Butch came out of the shower.

Butch:

Turning on the shower waiting for the water to heat up. Once it was warm enough I stepped under the spray, getting my hair wet, I grabbed the shampoo bottle, squeezing some onto my hand and lathers my hair. Putting the bottle back I rinsed my hair and grabbed the soap washing my body. Putting the soap back I rinsed all the soap off my body.

Stepping out of the shower I turned the shower off and grabbed a towel, drying myself off. Wrapping the towel around my waist I headed back into the bedroom where Marissa had Rhavage in her arms “I see the our son is awake” Going over to them I kiss Rhavage on the head and then kisses Marissa on the lips. Going to the closet I pull on a pair of leathers, a muscle shirt and puts on my shitkickers. “We going up to the manse for first meal baby?”

Walking into the lounge of the pit I head straight for the fridge, Marissa had some bottles of milk all ready made of for Rhavage. Grabbing a bottle I unscrewed the top and put the bottle into the microwave. Setting the time for one minute and thirty seconds I hot the on button. Once the microwave pinged I took the bottle and screwed the top back on shaking it up.

Marissa: “Sure baby, shall we feed him first or shall we go to the manse we could feed him as we go baby? I don’t mind, I am hungry.” Laughing softly “I think we should feed him first.” I hand him over to you as I grab his thing’s to take up the manse. Baby mat, his toys and his changing bag. Watching you from the bedroom as you feed our little warrior.

Butch:

Sitting down on the couch with Rhavage in my arms, I put his bib on that said 'lil warrior’ getting him comfortable in my arms I bring his bottle up “Bottoms up son” placing the year of the bottle into Rhavage's mouth he began to suck hard “hungry there little man?” Rhavage sucked the bottle dry in not time. Taking the bottle from him I placed it onto the table.

Placing Rhavage over my shoulder I gently pat his back till he burps “where did that come from? Your big toe?” I smelt Rhavage's diaper, fuck it brought tears to my eyes “Think someone needs their bum changing, true?” Grabbing the changing bag I got everything ready to change Rhavage.

Once Rhavage was changed and I had got rid of his dirty diaper, I got Rhavage changed into his clothes of a t-shirt and jeans. Marissa emerges from the bedroom, she was dressed in a black suit and a white blouse “Mommy looks sexy doesn't she son” Rhavage was leaning against the table peering over the top looking at Marissa “Hey baby think Rhavage wants to come over to you”

Marissa:

Marissa: I was in the bedroom watching Butch feed our son, popping my head out, “looks like someone is hungry baby. He is sucking on that bottle as he hasn’t been feed.” Laughing softly. After he drank the whole bottle Butch put him over his shoulder and started patting his back. I was just walking into the lounge when Rhavage did a massive big burp. “That was big my little man” as I put my hand softly over his back.  Oh no, me and Butch both looked at each other, “he needs a diaper change.” Butch offered and changed him, he was talking to Rhavage how sexy momma was looking, I smiled back at Butch “you don’t look to bad either in those leathers baby” smirking lots. I went over and I got everything ready to take up to the manse.

Butch:

Rhavage slowly lowers himself to the floor, sticking his bum up in the air. I give him a gentle nudge on his bum with my foot. Rhavage went forward on his little hands and then his little knees followed “Holy shit baby he's crawling” Getting up I get everything out of Rhavage's way, V's gold lighter, his ashtray and his tobacco and puts them all on the table by the four computers.

Closely walking around behind Rhavage as he discovers his world around him. Watching closely to see he doesn't put anything in his mouth that he shouldn't but so far so good. V's computers were fine at the moment as Rhavage didn't know how to climb on chairs yet. I'd have to get V to put a lick on his computers so Rhavage couldn't mess up with the security or the shutters to the mansion.

I spied V's rolling papers on the coffee table, Rhavage must've seen what I was looking at as he crawled over to them. I couldn't get there quick enough, Rhavage had got them and started chewing on them, drool all over the papers. Yuck. V wasn't going to like this, he's going to get all pissy about this and it be my ass he be kicking.

Marissa: Watching as Rhavage crawled down from Butch to the floor, giving his little bum a push. He shouts over “Baby, he is crawling “ I leave everything and rush over to them both watching him, Butch running around and getting everything out the way. He looked up at his dad as he was looking at the coffee table, he crawled over and V’s papers were on the table, he reached up and he was chewing on them “Oh no, uncle V is not going to be happy about this. Maybe we should make sure everything is not in reach of him, baby. Can you imagine the manse baby. We will have to tell them. I am sure Fritz will make sure it is safe for him.”

Butch:

Taking the soggy papers from Rhavage and ditches them into the trash can “Least it was the papers and nothing else, but yeah we're going to have to make safe for him around here. If V asks act all innocent about his papers and think of me and you together so he can't read your thoughts baby” Picking up Rhavage wiping his mouth with his bib, trying to get rid of any of the rolling papers from his mouth “You ready for first meal baby? And Rhavage here can go in the high chair so he isn't getting up to mischief”

Tucking Marissa under my arm, Rhavage in my other arm we walk out of the pit heading up to the manse for first meal.

#RhavageStartsToCrawl

#DarkParables

[captainvictoryboat]

Behind The Scenes 4 (9/9)

Author’s note: ... As you can see front he title, I am going to finish things here. This is not at all a proper ending. I am only posting the last scene that i wrote... I am sorry that i am ending it all now. I know i said i was going to have another scenes, but i can’t get myself to wrtie it. Please read what i have to say at the end.

Genre: Angst

Word count: 2443

Summary: Jimin is starting to notice y/n and Jungkook are acting weird.

ALL PARTS

After weeks of slow healing, you were finally on your feet and back to your duties. Honestly after the weeks of being forced to stay in your room, on your potato sack of a bed, you enjoyed getting to clean. You were almost completely free of pain and you were able to move around on your own.

Right now you were washing dishes, playing with the soap bubbles. Why? Because finally no one else was around to annoy you. Technically V was in the living room, “keeping on eye on you”, but he never suffocated you like everyone else. He was on the couch watching tv. He put on your favorite drama and made sure to put the volume extra loud so that you could hear it from the kitchen.  Actually now that you looked over at the tv. You could see him asleep where he sat. You didn’t blame him for knocking out, After the hours of practice everyone else went to their rooms and went to sleep once they had food in their bellies. Jungkook was the only one that didn’t pass out. You only saw him for a second because he only came to change and then “left for the gym”. That was something you didn’t completely believe. You doubted he had enough energy after practice to go work out. But then again you didn’t really care where he went, you were busy enjoying your limited freedom.

You were on the third load of dishes when the door opened. No surprised, it was the maknae. Bit of damp hair poked out from under his beanie and he unload the heavy gym bag that was rested no his shoulder.

A tired smile grew on his face when he saw you by the sink. You pretended not to notice.

“Hey.” His voice was soft as he went around the breakfast bar and placed himself just a few feet away from you.

“Hi” you mumbled. From the corner of you eye you could see him leaned against the counter.

“So Tae’s knocked out? Where is everyone else?”

You were relieved that he asked you something that didn’t related to your health or emotional state.

“Sleeping. They knocked out after dinner.”

“Is there any food left?”

“In the fridge.”

Jungkook ran over to the other end of the kitchen and dug himself into the fridge. “Spaghetti!” he cheered as he pulled out the large bowl of food, enough for three people. “Awesome!”

He shoved the plate into the microwave ad stared at it as it rotated for the three minutes he set it for.

You took a peek at him. noticing how intensely he was staring at the food. “He must be hungry.” you thought. Looking back at the whole day, the last time he ate was at breakfast and even then he only ate half his plate because he woke up late. A part of you felt a tiny bit bad that he was taking his diet to this extreme.

“Hot hot hot hot hot” he winced as he carried the steaming plate back to his spot near you. He pulled out a fork from the drawer and began his feast.

He scooped up a whole load of noodles an shoved it into his mouth.  He chopped down as if he hadn’t eaten in a week.

“Ah! Hot! This is so good!” he moaned as he shoved another scoop into his mouth..

“Thanks.” You said with slight disgust from witnessing him attacking the plate. He was like a wild animal, practically eating off the plate. Bits of noodles were flying, sauce dripping from this mouth, red residue collecting on his cheeks.

“you made it?” he asked with a mouth full or full. “ I forgot how good your cooking was.” He said as he continued to devour the food “So how were things after I left?”

“Normal.” You avoided looking at him. Seeing him eat was one thing, but know the sounds he was making was getting to you.

The heavy breathing, slurping, chewing, moaning in satisfaction, all signs of him enjoying his meal, but it was all disgusting to you. You felt like you were going to throw up.

“That’s good.” He mumbled.

You weren’t too sure if the disgust was manifesting from the fact that you over ate and that food in general was too much, or that the way he was eating was genuinely unruling “Has he always eaten this way?”

“The cold is so annoying.” He said between chews.

“Hm.”

“But the heater in the car is good. Sometimes I take the long way home to stay warmer longer.”

“Oh”

You had a few plates left in the sink. You decided it was just best to focus on finishing those that to interest with him more than you had to.

“Ah! That was sooooooo good!” he huffed, dropping the fork on the plate

You took another peek and saw the plate was practically wiped clean. “How did he eat all that?!?”

“Don’t worry about this plate. I’ll clean it and put everything else away.” He said as he walked past you.

He grabbed a napkin and wiped everything off his face. Then he grabbed another one, creeping up behind you and quickly soaking it as you rinsed the last of the dishes.

He was successful in cleaning in face. It was as if he wasn’t covered in a face full of sauce a second ago. Again, he leaned on the counter, this time casually looking at you with a small smile. “You seem happy being out of the room.”

“Yeah?” you asked the the most life less tone you could

“Yeah! You have been locked away for weeks, honestly I don’t know how you did it.”

“Niether did i.”

He continued to observe you. His content mona lisa smile remained on his face. You hoped that he was either going to bring up something else to talk about (to make things less awkward) or leave. Of course begin the unpredictable person he was, he did neither of those. What did he do? Something that only mad your soul leave your body.

The boy who was technically still your boyfriend, the one who promised he wouldn’t do this exact thing for a multitude of reasons, the one who knows better than to do this, suddenly came up behind you. He slithered his arms around your waist. He held you tight as he nestled his face into your neck. You could feel his skin on your skin. “I missed you.” he cooed as he gave you a light kiss on your collar bone.

Immediately you pushed his hands off. You whipped around and shoved him away.

“What the-“

“How fucking stupid are you!” you hissed at him

“Y/n-“

“Tae is right fucking there!” you pointed to the sleeping boy just ten feet away. “Everyone else is here! Don’t you ever think?!? What came into your head that you even thought you could do that?”

He remained quiet. His face went limp and his arms fell to the side.

“Don’t you ever-“

The sound of a door opening and closing put a pause in our words. Your heartbeat grew faster as you heard a pair of footsteps getting closer. All you could do was glare at Jungkook.

The sloppy steps soon revealed a bushy haired Jimin. “Hey Jungkook! You’re back!” he said with a lazy smile

Jungkook didn’t reply to him, he only kept his head down. Jimin was about to open his mouth again, when he just headed back to the door. Both you and Jimin watched him slip his shoes on, grab his keys, and storm out.

The slam was loud enough to wake V up. “What happened?!?” he snorted

“Nothing!” you grumbled as you threw Jungkook’s dirty plate into the sink

V slowly sat up from the couch and did a quick stretch. “What’s going on?” he asked with his eyes still closed.

“I said nothing!” you said with frustration. You could feel Jimin’s eyes on you. You knew he was going to try to interrogate you.

“Are you sure it’s nothing?” Jimin looked so worried as he watched you agressivly wash the plate.

“Yes!” Once washed, you practically threw the plate on the drying rack, wiped your hands so hard that you practically rubbed your skin off and slam dunked the hand towel back in the sink. “Tae, if I am done early I can watch tv with you right?” You needed to unwind.

“Yeah.” He answered from the living room. Unlike Jimin, he didn’t poke at you.

You avoided Jimin’s eyes as you walked past him, but then he stopped you by last minuted grabbing your arm. Just like with Jjungkook, you quickly reacted. You pulled your arm back and face him just t get the moment over with.

“Y/n, are you ok? Do you want to talk about it?”

You couldn't help but roll your eyes. You were so tired of him asking you that. “No I don’t want to talk about it! So are you going to keep questioning me all night or are you going to watch tv with us?” you snapped. Yes, you low key invited him to hang out with you and tae despite your harsh tone. Jimin was still Jimin, and although you didn’t want him getting in your messed up business, you also didn’t want to keep pushing him away.

He just frowned at you, but to your surprise he joined you and V on the couch. V read the mood and only offered movie suggestions when you sat down next to him.

JIMIN POV

“You’re not gonna stay?” Y/n yawned as he led her to her bed.

“Nah, I’m not sleepy. I napped too long. I’m gonna go finish the movie with Tae.”

“Ok. Tell me how it ends.” She mumbled as he snuggled under her blanket.

“Haha ok. I’m gonna lock the door alright?”

“ok.”

After locking their door, he went back to the living room and threw his body on the couch. He placed his head down on V’s lap. “Play the movie!” he said in the most elegant voice he could make.

“Yes master.” V laughed.

He played the movie, but then paused it. “Do we really have to finish it? I only put it on cuz Y/n wanted to see it.”

“Yes, she expects a two page essay on the ending.”

“Fine!” he said playing the movie again

It wasn’t too much longer that the movie ended It was a boring ending, just like every cliche rom-com ending.

“That was a waste of time.” V concluded

“Yup.”

“Well let’s go to sleep cuz it’s late and I got to lock you in.”

“Nah, I’m not sleep. You go. I can knock out on the couch.”

V stared as him with a suspicious squint. “Are you really not sleepy or are you just worried that Jungkook isn’t back yet?”

V knew him too well. “… He’s been gone for hours!”

The other just threw his bed back, letting out an annoyed grunt. “He’s fine!”

“Is he? He was mad when he left!”

“Well he been pretty damn moody lately so does that really surprise you?”

“Haven’t you been wondering why that is?!?”

“What? Why he has a stick up his ass?”

“We both know he is only like this when there is something wrong. He’s all sad lately and he barely eats and he is always out of the dorm.”

“I don’t know. I don’t see any of that. All I get from him are death stares and him grunting under his breath after I tell him what to do.” V said in a huff. “And like, I don’t even get why he is mad! He got a fucking car from Namjoon! I’m the one who should be glaring him down! He doesn’t do deal for months cuz of y/n but the second we the back he is rewarded with a car! How is that fair? I should have gotten the car!” he vented. “And he doesn’t even do good on the deals anymore either! Oh my-“

“Don’t you notice that is weird too.” This was the best part for Jimin to cut him off of his rant and bring the topic back to Jungkook being weird. “Jungkook isn’t the type to slack off. And he is only ever at the gym. He is at the gym more than me!”

“…All I gotta say is that we are seeing two different people cuz I have no idea what you are talking about. Aside from being a little brat with me, he is the same as usual. I could care less at this point. I got too much other shit to bust my head over.”

“There is something going on with him. I know it.” Jimin said to himself.

“…But if you are so worreid about him. I guess we can wait and watch another movie.” V sighed.

“Really?”

“Yeah. But get your stupid head off my lap, your making my leg numb.”

They went about 45 minutes into the next movie when Jungkook got home.

“Finally you are back!” Jimin said as he jumped off the couch. “Where were you?”

“Out.” Jungkook said in a grunt. He head was still hung low and he dragged his feet as he moved toward the hall.

“Why were you gone so long?”

“Because”

“Why did you leave? What is going on?”

“Nothing!” Jungkook wouldn’t even look at him

“Hey!” V called out angrily “Don’t be so harsh at Jimin! He was just worried! He stayed up to make you you got back okay.” V said from the couch.

That was when Jungkook glared at V with firey eyes. “Well no one asked him!” he almost shouted.

V ignored his tone, but stared back at Jungkook with a warning look. One out of line comment and he wasn’t going to hold his frustration on anymore. “So where were you? Do we have to make a cover if Namjoon comes asking us stuff?”

Jimin could feel the tension V decribed earlier. He hung back to see how things were going to play out.

“What I do is my business.” Jungkook answered

To V that wasn’t a good answer and he stood up from the couch with fists ready to go. “What the fuck is with you huh?!?”

Jungkook only stood up straighter, sticking his chest out. Before they could taking steps towards each other, Jimin threw himself between them. “Guys, chill.” He said calmly.  He turned over to Jungkook. “We are just trying to look out for you, dude. What’s with you? DO you need to talk about it or what?”

“What are you, my mom? Fuck off!” Jungkook shouted as he went off to his room.

2 Years, 7 composition books of rough draft, 353 typed out pages, 227,123 words. That is how long and how much time it took to write this series... I have to be honest, i don’t know what to say right now. For sure i want to say thank you. Thank you so much all of you who even looked at my series. I know there aren’t many of you that keep up anymore, but to those that have suck around, i love you. 

This story was bigger than i EVER imagined. I have put my literally blood (i had that one crazy paper cut) and tears into this and this story is so much to me. I want to that you all for supporting me I don’t know where i would be if it wasn’t for you all. The likes, the reblogs, the replies and comments, the asks, the messages. All of it have motivated me and pushed me to keep writing. I fell in love with writing and nurtured a skill in writing and i would have never been able to do this if it wasn’t for you all. You have no idea how much your guys’ feedback and support and love of the story means to me. 

I have gotten so much love from you all, i jokingly got proposed to because of this series, people have reacted to me as if i am a celebrity becuase of this series, people have come to me for advise, i have made so many friend becuase of this series and i have inspired many others to start writing. This series has brought so much to me. Not only with you guys but with myself. I have a passion for something and it has been a new way of coping with my issues that i didn’t know i had.  

Sorry if i am rambling and i am all over, but i just don’t know how else to express how much this story means to me and what you all mean to me. I am sorry that for personal reasons i can not get myself to write this anymore. I know alot of you don’t really care for my story anymore but  I am still sorry that i an ending this the way i am. I hate it when stories are incomplete,

For those of you who want to know what happens, feel free to message me or send an ask. I will answer any questions you have about the plot and what would have happened if i kept writng.

If you all want to read any of my other stuff and what i am working on now,  I started a writing blog @nothing-but-kpop-dreams > On this blog I have reactions, drabbles, moodboards, and scenarios for BTS, GOT7, EXO and Monsta X. 

[elliotthezubat]

DEATH CITY DAYS CHAPTER 85

from new sturm members, to etta’s past, to the agency’s sympathies

also Fyodor continues to be a dick

[cont from part 84]

-the next day- kyouko: *making breakfast* Rin: =______= *yawn* "Gouda mornin'..." kyouko: mornin' Rin: "How's breakfast goin'?" *looks around* kyouko: just started. Rin: "Hmm..." *opens the fridge, pours orange juice* "Where's everyone?" kyouko: yukio's at the school already. Rin: O________O; *looks at the clock* "AM I LATE?!" kyouko: yeah. Rin: "OH, FUDGE!" *grabs his school jackets, and runs--in pajama bottoms and slippers* kyouko:....*grin* -elsewhere- Mephisto: *pours tea* "Here you are, lovelies~" *he's wearing...glasses* felisia: thank you. (niiiice) -elsewhere- Damon: "...Is he still asleep?" becky: yeah. but the room looks cool. Damon: "Yeah!" *opens the toy chest* becky: wooah. *shiny eyes* Damon: "..." *takes out a doll* "..." *smiles* "Cool!" -elsewhere- Lucy: "??? You look exhausted." *sets down a cola and some chips* atsushi: busy running errands the other day. *The restaurant is pretty much empty* Lucy: *sits down* "Secret hush-hush stuff?" atsushi: more or less, i guess. *nom* Lucy: "Ah...Atsushi? You like this?" atsushi: ?? Lucy: "The work you do?" atsushi:...yeah. Lucy: "It's still dangerous...With the news..." atsushi: .....*holds her hand* of course it's scary, but someone has to do it, right? Lucy: "..." *small squeeze, nods* "I still worry. After what I've seen in the Guild, there's a lot out there." atsushi:...yeah... Lucy: "...Be careful. And if you need help...would you ask?" atsushi:...i will. Lucy: *smiles, nods* -elsewhere- shiori: *walking and drinking from her sippy cup* Kid: *following* shiori: *looks up at the cookie jar* Kid: "Oh? See something you like, Shiori?" shiori: that. *points to the jar* can i? Kid: "How about I bring it down for you? Sound good?" shiori: yes peas! Kid: "That's the magic word!" *brings down the cookie jar, sets it on the floor, opens the top* "Take one." shiori: *takes one and eats it* ^u^ Kid: ^^ *takes one as well* "Good, right?" *nom* "Chocolate!" shiori: hehehe! ^u^ Kid: "Maybe we can make some tomorrow--like oatmeal--" shiori: >Xp Kid: ._. "...I mean, it's healthy? What would you want?" -elsewhere- Chuuya: "How did class go?" sonia: it was nice. im glad Q's here now... Chuuya: "You are?" sonia: *nod* maybe we can help him not be as broken. Chuuya: "...I...suppose we can." ("...Rain...Just listen to her...") sonia:....is the demon broken too? Chuuya: "...I don't know what he is..." sonia:...oh..... Chuuya: "He...may not recover." sonia:.....i cant forgive him for what he did to mama......but at the same time, i pity him...the young boy i mean.... Chuuya: " 'Young boy'?" sonia: i see him in my dreams too sometimes. he always seems so sad, and he's trapped inside the demon... Chuuya: "..." *hug* sonia: ..... Chuuya: "You're very kind-hearted." sonia:.....*hug* Chuuya: "I just don't want you to...ignore all of a person...what they are capable of." *as he talks, he sees himself in a mirror* corruption?: *smiles at him* Chuuya: "..." *shudders* sonia:......*pap pap* Chuuya: "I-I'm sorry..." sonia: its ok.... Chuuya: "I-I want to be a good father to you..." sonia: .... Chuuya: "...Sorry. I don't mean to put that pressure on you." sonia: its alright.... Chuuya: "...Let me...see if someone can talk to...him." sonia:....*nod* -elsewhere- Magaki: *sits on the couch, reading* "..." tsubaki: how was school? Magaki: "...Fine. A lot of reading..." *looks away* -elsewhere- Kuro: "...They make us...do work from home. ...Monsters." mahiru: well get used to it. Kuro: >_< "I don't wanna...Can't I copy yours?" -elsewhere- Joker: *passed out at the bar* scarlet: of course. -_-; Joker: "Fluffernutters..." -elsewhere- Anya: "...'Trust exercises'?" EF: *she nods* you'll fall back and the person behind you will catch you. Anya: "I feel like we did this before--and it didn't turn out well. Why do we need this?" EF: ao and tsugumi said they'd be willing. Anya: "..." *sighs* "Okay...Who's catching me?" ao: *wave* Anya: -____- "...Don't drop me." ao: i wont.. Anya: "..." *turns...closes her eyes* "Say when to fall back..." ao: now. Anya: … *falls back* -nice catch- ao: see? no ulterior motives here. Anya: "..." *nods* "F-Fine...Thanks." tsugumi:...*smile* Meme: "Tsugumi, how about you next?" tsugumi: ok! -elsewhere- Emine: "--and that's pretty much what happened when we were kids." mana: wow... Shotaro: *nods* "...Rough." mana: ..... Emine: "..." *sniff* lin-kimpur: *hug* Emine: "..." *hug* Shotaro: TwT -elsewhere- Konro: *humming as he puts together flowers* kabuki: ^^~ Konro: "There! Good practice for the big day." -elsewhere- Walter: "Yo, G.E.! How you fitting in?" george: alright i guess. still trying to find out what the heck my ability is. also i have this weird tattoo on my stomach? Walter; "Yep! Part of the contract. Goethe didn't mention that, huh?" george: no. no he did not. Walter: "I mean, it'll make swimsuit season a little bad, but you can work it...You see everyone else's abilities?" george: not really. Walter: "Well, I can make an illusion of myself, Etta can control people's movements..." george: i see.... Walter: "The twins show you theirs?" george: no. Walter: "Wilhelm can make animals appear--" george: huh. *two children pop up beside George* george: GWEH! wilhelm: that sure startled him, eh bro? Jakob: "Indeed, bro." Hansel: *griiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin* gretel: hehehe~ george:....yeeeah totally not creepy in the slightest... -elsewhere- Rin: *sitting in an empty classroom* *tick tick tick* Rin: "...Son of a gun!" shura: hn? rin? the heck're you doing? Rin: "I thought it was a school day!" >_< shura: well as you can see, it isnt. but on the bright side, no one has to see you in your pjs and slippers. Rin: "..." .\\\\~\\\\. "Ah, nut-butter." -elsewhere- Justin: *opens the window, looks outside* -seems like a nice day out- Justin: "..." *smiles* "Time for a walk." oriko: *nod* -elsewhere- Kunikida: "You know I want you to be safe, yes?" aya: of course i know, dad. Kunikida: "... ... ..." aya:..... *realizing what she just said* t-that was a slip of the tongue, really! Kunikida: "..." *nods* "...Although..." aya: ? Kunikida: "...I may not be your father, but I am concerned for you." aya:...t-thanks. Kunikida: "..." *pat pat* "Let's make sure you stay protected out there." -elsewhere- Patty: *spies over the back of the couch* OwO kirika: .... *staring at homework* uuugh, how am i still in school yet? Patty: "Need help?!" kirika: HIUFIUIHSJBHIFLHJBKBJ Patty: OwO "...So, yes?" kirika:... -elsewhere- Allison: "Hey, welcome back!" erina: hey... Allison: "Settling into work?" erina: i think so. Allison: "Well, you got tonight off, right? Any plans?" erina: not sure... Allison: "I got some leftover pasta..." erina: cool.... Allison: *smiles* "Any interesting things happen?" *places meal in the microwave* erina: usual work stuff. Allison: "...That sounds like an improvement." *small smile* erina:...yeah... Allison: "I'm happy you got away from the prison..." erina:.......*stares at the floor* Allison: "..." *shoulder pat* erina: t-thanks... Allison: *smiles* "Any time, buddy." erina: .........*looks at her phone* *A phone number is on the screen* Allison: "??? Missed call?" erina:......*dials a number* -elsewhere- Jordan: *shifting the joystick on his 3DS* "Just a bit more..." *LOUD RING* Jordan: "!!!" *The Golden Stag is lost* Jordan: Q___Q *looks at the phone* "...!!!" *answers* "H-H-Hello?" erina: hey jordan...is this a bad time to call? Jordan: "Erina! N-Nah, not at all! What up?" erina: did you...want to come over at all? Jordan: OWO "Yeah. Sure. Wh-Where at?" Allison: *shiny eyes* -she tells him where the apartment is- Jordan: "That'll be about 20 minutes. C U then!" erina: see ya....*hangs up* .... Allison: :3 erina:....did i...do the right thing? Allison: "Depends--just looking for some company?" erina:....i guess.... n-not that i dont like you here or anything like that, thats not what im saying- Allison: "But wanting to have something a little more intimate?" erina: *blush* a-alli! Allison: "I meant just one-on-one relationshipping--wherever that goes." ^w^ erina: 7////7;;; Allison: "So, what you going to wear? Casual? Spruced up?" erina:....too tired to change into clothes. Allison: "Well, it's an informal visit--I'm sure your attire suits it." *opens the fridge* "I'll get another plate." -elsewhere- Yumi: *sets Shiori into bed* "All tuckered out?" shiori: *yaaaawn* Yumi: *tucks her in* "We'll see you in the morning, sweetie." -morning- Takehisa: *rotate his shoulder* "Sore..." komori: [lots of training today?] Takehisa: "Yes. Continuing from yesterday. The Commander expects something big will happen..." komori: [i see.] Takehisa: "Sorry to ask, but can you keep an eye for any injuries today?" komori: [that is my job, isnt it?] Takehisa: *nods* "Thank you." -elswhere- sayaka: it's been like, forever since we saw you last, hitomi! hitomi: it sure has, hasnt it? sayaka: so what brings you to the DWMA hitomi: i've heard a lot about your's and madoka's adventures, and i felt...a bit lonely, for lack of a better comparison. madoka: aw, hitomi... sayaka: well we have lots to tell you. and lots of cool people to introduce you to! madoka: that reminds me, how's kyousuke doing? hitomi: oh, that... sayaka: something wrong? hitomi: not to bring the mood down but, kyousuke and i actually broke up. sayaka:.... madoka:.... sayaka + madoka: *feeling awkward* madoka: well, there's a nice cafe not far from school. maybe we can go there? hitomi: ^^; sound nice. -elsewhere- erina: *looking around* *panting and running is heard* erina: ?? Jordan: "I-I'm here! I'm here! I'm--" *trips--and falls on his face* "..." erina: oh, hey jordan. come to visit me at work? Jordan: *lifts up his head--his nose is bleeding* "I wanted to return the container from the leftovers your roommate gave me!" *holds it up* erina: oh, thanks. Jordan: "How's work going?" erina: alright. Jordan: ^w^ "...Well, while I'm here, I'm gonna use my lunch break for a pretzel and an amiibo." erina: well, you do that, ok? Jordan: .w. "...You had lunch?" erina: in a few minutes. Jordan: "Ah..." *scratches his cheek* erina:....sooooo..... Jordan: "...Well, um, I'll...leave you to it!" erina: you too. *small wave* Jordan: ^w^; *wave* -elsewhere- etta: *brushing her hair* {???: "Perfection."} etta: ?! *turns.....nothing*... {etta: *whimper*} {???: "Now, now...You know pretty girls don't cry like that. Look at your eyes..."} {etta: *sniff* my feet hurt, papa...} {Mr. Hoffman: "That is to be expected. After all, you cannot reach beauty without pain."} {etta: .....} -my life, is a cruel one- {etta: *looking out the window*} {*There are children playing in the snow*} {etta:....*goes to get her coat*} {*Mr. Hoffman is sitting at the fireplace, his chair facing it...There's no way he can see behind him where she walks, and there's no way he can see the door leading outside...He is so still he sounds like he's asleep*} {etta:....*slowly creeping, trying to keep silent*} {*Mr. Hoffman reminds silent*} {etta:...*reaches for the doorknob*} {*heat hits her ankle, like a flaming coal*} {etta: AH!} {*There are tiny embers on the floor, having just left a quick touch on her ankle*} {Mr. Hoffman: *stands, turns...he holds a hot poker from the fireplace...* "Can't have that perfect skin blemished..."} {etta: *trembling, trying to reach for the door*} {Mr. Hoffman: "Etta, really?" *marches forward* "You cannot. Unclean urchins outside. Failure to keep to a schedule. This is not the perfection I imagined for you..." *holds the poker more tightly* "Do you need...to be punished?"} {etta: *trembling, crying*} {Mr. Hoffman: "...No tears. They will ruin those eyes..."} -i was a prisoner of my own home- {etta: can i do to school?} {Mr. Hoffman: "...Why would you need school?"} {etta: maybe i could....make friends?} {Mr. Hoffman: "Etta...You have friends. What about Mr. and Mrs. Coppelius? Or Mr. Gaiman?"} {etta: but they're grown ups. i want friends my age...} {Mr. Hoffman: "And children are fools. You do better without them."} {etta:....} -im not your doll- {etta: *collapses from exhaustion*} {Mr. Hoffman: "Imperfect. Again."} {etta: *pant* p-please...may i stop now?} {Mr. Hoffman: "Other dancers practice nine hours daily. Again."} -i want to get out- {etta: *heads back into the dressing room and sits down, weeping* i dont want to go home....*looks at a nutcracker doll on the desk....hugs it*} {*it sounds like someone is pacing outside*} {etta:......*shaking*} {???: "...Zzzzz..."} {*is that...snoring?*} {etta: ?? *looks out the door*} {*Down the hall is...a vagrant? Collapsed asleep?*} {etta:....*pokes him with her foot*} {???: *grunts* "Quit it...Let me sleep."} {etta: the hallway isnt a place to sleep, sir.} {???: "..." *opens his eyes* "I'm tired. _Anywhere_ is a place to sleep if you do it right."} {etta: ....} {???: *yawns* "Man...When does that darn play start, anyway?"} {etta: it just finished.} {???: "..." <Dammit.>} {etta: ......} {???: "...Wait...You were in the play?"} {etta:...yes, i was.} {???: "How you think it went?"} {etta:....alright i guess....*rubs her eyes*} {???: "...And it looks like it took a lot out of you."} {etta:....whats it to you?} {???: *shrugs* "Passes the time. My ride isn't here."} {etta: .....right...} {???: "How about you? Someone waiting to pick you up?"} {etta:....just my f-...my father...} {???: "...He didn't attend your performance?"} {etta: i'm rather happy he didnt...not that it would satisfy him...} {???: "...What, you're not good at this?"} {etta: i-its not that im not good, but even if i do 100%, he'd _still_ want me to do better and look pretty doing it. *tears up* im only a human being, im not some doll...} {???: "...That's a lot of pressure to put onto a kid."} {etta: ...it's not fair! i wasnt allowed to have a normal childhood like the other kids. i wasnt allowed to go to school or have a pet, all he wanted was a perfect doll for a daughter. i hate him!} {???: "...I'm sorry."} {etta:....*sniff* s-sorry....i was just....i guess i lost it there, huh? and do someone i dont even know....} {???: "Goethe."} {etta: ??} {Goethe: "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe."} {etta: i see. well, i assume you know who i am then, given the posters.} {Goethe: "Etta Hoffman, right? The sugar plum fairy of the stage?"} {etta: yes. that would be correct} {Goethe: "...You have another performance tomorrow or next week?"} {etta:...most likely....} {Goethe: "...Then I'll have to stay awake that time."} {etta:......right...} -I was given that chance- {etta: ......} {*knock knock*} {etta: its open...} {Goethe: *opens the door* "Hey." *he's holding flowers*} {etta: oh... thank you....} {Goethe: "You're welcome. It was deserved--you've gotten better."} {etta: ....} {Goethe: "I mean it. That was a tremendous performance."} {etta: ...... *she seems drained*} {Goethe: "...Need some water?"} {etta:....it's getting worse and worse....am i going to be trapped this way forever?} {Goethe: "Nothing is forever--it has to end, one way or another."} {etta: maybe if i just drank this ink and poisoned myself...} {Goethe: "Stop."} {etta: *looks at him*} {Goethe: *deadly serious* "Don't do that."} {etta: then what should i do then, huh? im tired of being controlled by him!} {Goethe: "...That dancing has made you stronger than you think..."} {etta: what do you mean?} {Goethe: "Stamina. Flexibility. Speed. Strength. You have enough in you to accomplish anything--but your greatest skill is your willpower."} {etta: .....} {Goethe: "And all you need...is the opportunity to take that willpower to the next level...to exert control over _others_ for a change."} {etta: ?? what do you mean?} {Goethe: "Well...I haven't been entirely honest. How do I put it...I have an ability."} {etta: an ability?} {Goethe: *nods* "I have this power to give people powers..."} {etta: ...are you offering me an ability then?} {Goethe: *nods*} {etta:...whats the catch?} {Goethe: "Well, you'd be under my employ..."} {etta: so then i'll have to retire early then, huh?} {Goethe: "I know it's a lot to juggle multiple jobs--but nothing would stop you from performing on stage. I'd make sure of that."} {etta:...and if i do so, i'll be freed from my father?} {Goethe: "Yes."} {etta:...alright, i'll do it.} {Goethe: "Then let's get the contract done." *holds out his hand*} -and I took it without hesitation- {etta: ......} {*a crash is heard downstairs*} {etta: ?? *heads downstairs* ??} {Mr. Hoffman: "That lying tramp!"} {etta: f-father?} {Mr. Hoffman: *turns, holding the card attached to Goethe's flowers* "How dare you!"} {etta: f-father, i can explain-} {*SLAP*} {etta: AH! *stumbles*} {Mr. Hoffman: "No wonder your dancing has been off! You have made yourself impure!"} {etta: b-but i havent-} {Mr. Hoffman: "These silly notions! They infest your head! Just fantasies of men doing...doing..." *shudders* "It's awful! Who would ever put those notions into--" *spots the Nutcracker* "..." *looks at the poker by the fireplace*} {etta: you're wrong! t-they were from a fan! i havent been with anyone!} {Mr. Hoffman: "...I knew it was a mistake to let you have this...Men...They are all that's on your mind." *picks up the poker, raises it over the Nutcracker*} {etta: !!! STOP IT! *holds hand out*} {Mr. Hoffman: *brings the poker down at the Nutcracker--before his hand stops in mid-motion* ??!!} {etta: !!!....(so this is........) *cold glare at her father*} {Mr. Hoffman: "...Etta--"} {etta: *moves her hand*} {Mr. Hoffman: *his hand moves on its own* "!!!"} {etta:..... *glances at the fire*} {Mr. Hoffman: "Etta! For the love of God--"} {etta: shut up. you dont have the right to beg for mercy! after all the misery and pain you put me through, IM SICK! AND TIRED! OF BEING YOUR PUPPET!} {Mr. Hoffman: "I'm begging you! Don't--"} {etta: i will give you one last thing.......an early preview of hell.} {Mr. Hoffman: "No--"} {-she makes him get onto his knees at the fireplace and then....-} {Mr. Hoffman: "No! I--"} {etta: *she ignores him......and makes him stick his head in*} {Mr. Hoffman: *screams, unable to move*} {etta: *just stares*} etta:....(right...im not his to control...) *smiles* (if i am to dance, then i dance for myself.) *Music can be heard...* etta:....*dancing along* Walter: *in the living room, turns it up a bit louder* etta: *smiles* Kafka: "..." *taps his foot* -elsewhere- Damon: "Wow...We can see the whole city!" becky: woah... soul: awesome view, right? Damon: *nods* "It's the biggest city ever!" soul: *smiles* Damon: *points to a ferris wheel* "What's that?" soul: that's a ferris wheel. you can see from really high up. becky: cool. Damon: "It's a ride? Like a park?" soul: sort of. there's lots of parks in the city. Damon: "...Are they scary?" soul: not all of them. Damon: "...Some of this city is." soul: sure, some of the things people say here can be a bit scary, but its normal for the locals. the people who lived their whole lives here are often called 'death children', but dont let that scare you, they're pretty nice most of the time. becky: ... Damon: "Like that 'Kid' guy?" soul: *nods* yep. Damon: "...Why does everyone here talk about 'death'?" soul: well this is 'death city'... Damon: *pouts, crosses his arms* soul: owo;;; becky: *raises a brow at him* Damon: "I don't like hearing about it..." soul:...i know, its scary, but you two are going to be safe....this is a city of second chances... Damon: "??? What do you mean?" soul: in death, there comes new life. becky: like in nature? soul: like that. *nod* Damon: "??? I don't understand..." soul: take flowers for example. they bloom, and then they wilt and leave seeds, which then become new flowers....sometimes its bulbs instead of seeds, but thats beside the point. Damon: "...And then the seeds...?" soul: they become new flowers...new life, and the cycle starts over again. Damon: "..." *reaches for Soul's hand* soul:...*small squeeze of both their hands* Damon: *small smile* -elsewhere- Vulcan: "Hold up--you're a nun, too?" tamaki: *step step step* *faceplant* ow...frick. Vulcan: "...You're a _clumsy_ nun?" tamaki: where do i get this thing hemmed? -_-; Relan: "..." *takes out a sewing kit* tamaki: thank you. TTATT -elsewhere- Akutagawa: "..." *looks up* "Need to run an errand." higuchi: it'll be risky... Akutagawa: "..." *takes his coat, and--* *FWOOP* *The coat is now more of a hoodie, hiding his face...He slumps forward* Akutagawa: "I'll disguise myself well enough..." higuchi:....be careful... Akutagawa: *nods* "Thank you." *steps into the tunnels...* -elsewhere- Spirit: *lying on the couch* "Ug..." sachiko: *puts washcloth on his forehead* Spirit: "Th-Thanks...This migraine..." sachiko: *pats his head* Spirit: "Mmmm..." *smiles* -elsewhere- Kunikida: "Anything interesting you saw?" atsushi: well......*remembers the mysterious person on the train*....just the usual stuff... Kunikida: "...Have you been practicing?" atsushi: yes sir. Kunikida: "...Let's see about that--" *opens the desk drawer, reaches for something--* atsushi:....*DODGE* Kunikida: "..." -_-; *he's holding a deck of cards* atsushi:...*takes a seat* .w.;;; Kunikida: *cuts the deck, shuffles* "Keep an eye on the cards...Memorize them..." *spread out five cards* "Let me know when you have them memorized." *The cards even match different members of the Agency...with Dazai as the Joker* atsushi: are these custom? Kunikida: "I assume so. And it answers the odd item on the budget Dazai charged..." atsushi: ah.. Kunikida: "Got them memorized?" atsushi: i think so... Kunikida: "Then keep your eye on the cards..." *with one flip, the cards are face-down, and he slides them along the table, slowly at first--then faster and faster at blinding speed* atsushi: ._.;;; yosano: oh, poker night already? Kunikida: *finishes passing the cards around, looks at Yosano* "No, that'll be tomorrow. Now we're trying to see whether Atsushi can find the Jack." atsushi: ._.;;; hmmmm..........is it.. this one? Kunikida: *flips, revealing the Jack* atsushi: (success!) Kunikida: "And how did you do that?" atsushi:...by the smell? Kunikida: "...Interesting. You trusted your smell more than your sight?" atsushi: in that case, yeah. Kunikida: "...Doctor, could you get a blindfold and the leftover curry?" atsushi: ._.;; -elsewhere- Akutagawa: *scrounging in a dumpster* lucy: *walking back to the agency apartments* Akutagawa: *pulls out a loaf of bread, wrapped, just one day past the "best buy" date--and tosses it behind him into a basket below* lucy:....*sympathetic glance* Akutagawa: *pops up again--turns* "..." lucy:.... !!! Akutagawa: "...Oh. You." lucy: *whispers* what are you doing? Akutagawa: "We're low on supplies. And this food is still good." lucy:....is it...has it really gotten that bad? Akutagawa: *shrugs* "Just a daily routine." lucy:..... Akutagawa: "...If you want what's in this trash receptacle, forget it--I've already claimed it." lucy:....*sigh* i'll see if i can talk to the others to arrange something... Akutagawa: "...You would do so?" lucy: yeah...it's just pitiful looking at you like this. Akutagawa: -____-; "...Thanks." -elsewhere- twain: so who's next on our list of former guild members to search for? Steinbeck: "Irving, in Terrytown." emily: according to rumors, his residence has a lot of traps in it, so be careful... Hemingway: "??? Like 'Home Alone'? Or 'Home Alone 2'?" emily: more or less. Hemingway: "...I hate those movies." *grabs a harpoon* emily: ._.;;; Steinbeck: "Let's save the threats until after we determine how cooperative Mr. Irving will be..." -elsewhere- Poe: *shivers, looking around the room* lenore: *watches from her perch* something bothering you? Poe: "Th-The room feels cold, and just trying to find a book I misplaced..." lenore: i see. Poe: "It was a book on cosmology, for a poem I had wanted to finish..." -elsewhere- Damon: *asleep on the couch* "Zzz..." soul:....*picks him up and carries him to the kid's room* Damon: "Zzz..." *sleep-hug* soul:.... *smiles and tucks him in* Becky: "???" *walks in* soul:...hey kiddo. Becky: "..." *whispers* "He's really tired." soul: yeah...you doing alright? Becky: "...I don't know." soul:...you want something to eat? Becky: "...Okay. What can I have?" soul: lets see, we got ourselvesss....cereal, chips, etc....what do you like? Becky: "..." -___-; "Cereal, then." soul: sounds good. Becky: "...Do you have a girlfriend?" soul:...........*he seems sad* Becky: "...Oh. Sorry." soul: ....guess i'll take it from the top. -he tells her the whole story- Becky: "...So Mr. Spirit's daughter?" soul:...yeah...*wipes his eyes* Becky: "Is-Is that why y-you took us?" soul:...*hug* sort of...but i knew you and your brother needed a home, someone to care for you. so i decided to do it. Becky: "..." *cries, hugs him* soul: i want to be a good dad for you guys... Becky: "..." *shakes her head* soul: ..... Becky: "Can you...just take care of us?" soul: ok. i will. Becky: "...Thank you..." -elsewhere- Akutagawa: "All this?" atsushi: *nod* *hands him two bags of groceries* Akutagawa: "...You didn't have to." atsushi: well, lucy told us about your situation and we felt kind of bad for you. Akutagawa: "I don't need your pity." *small pout* atsushi: ^^; Akutagawa: "...Tell the ill-tempered girl I appreciate it. I'll make sure the Mafia don't break her leg." atsushi: sure thing, akutagawa. Akutagawa: "..." *nods* "And thank you...Atsushi." atsushi:...*awkward smile* Akutagawa: "..." .\\\\. atsushi:....see ya then? Akutagawa: "...Right." -\\\\- *takes the bags, turns, walks* -elsewhere- Jordan: *crying into his glass of Mountain Dew at the bar* louisa: did...something happen? Jordan: *blubbers* "I don't know how to flirt..." louisa: ? Jordan: "She seems so nice--but I can't get with her! Look at me!" louisa: um... *pat pat* m-maybe we could speak with her? Jordan: "L-Like a group activity?" louisa: sure! Jordan: QwQ *whimper whimper* "Thank you!" *snot comes out his nose* louisa: ._.; Jordan: "Wh-What should it be? Smash tournament? Or hit up the manga shop? Or ramen?" -elsewhere- Yumi: "..." *smiles* lord death: *napping on the couch* Yumi: *keeps his head on her lap, strokes his head* lord death: =w= *purr* Yumi: ^\\\^ ("Kitten...") -elsewhere- Yukio: *packs his books into his satchel, opens the door out of the school* ???: good to see you, mr yukio~ Yukio: "...It's been a long time." *holds his bag close* pazuzu: whatcha got there, cutie~? Yukio: "My readings, of course. What are you doing here?" pazuzu: im here to make an offer of course....we've taken quite an interest in you~ Yukio: "...The Illuminati?" pazuzu: indeed. your flames has mr lulu quite intrigued~ Yukio: "!!! What?" pazuzu: dont you want a family reunion~? Yukio: "...I have enough of that as it is." pazuzu: pweeease~? Yukio: "Why? I have no interest in him, or his organization...And you can tell him..." *his glasses reflect light...or is it a reflection?* pazuzu: tell him what~? Yukio: "...Tell him I don't want anything..." pazuzu: *pout* the offer still stands~ *flies off* Yukio: "..." *takes off his glasses...his hand shakes...he rubs his eyes* shiemi: yuki? i heard a noise...is everything ok? Yukio: "..." *puts on his glasses, smiles* "It was just a squirrel." shiemi:...oh...*worried* Yukio: "...You were here at school as well?" shiemi: *nods* miss seiya asked me and izumo to help out with some things. Yukio: "How did it go?" -elsewhere- Kafka: *in the kitchen, pours himself some milk...and grabs a plate of cookies* =\\\\= wilhelm: *peeeek* OvO Kafka: *turns, walks* wilhelm: *stomach grumble* Kafka: "???" *turns* wilhelm: can i have one? OvO Kafka: "..." *sigh* "Just one." wilhelm: for real? *shiny eyes* Kafka: "I said yes, didn't I?" -_-# wilhelm: yay! can jakob have one too? Kafka: "Yes, yes..." wilhelm: thanks~! *takes the two cookies and walks off* jakob, i got you one too! Jakob: "Yay! What kind?" Kafka: "..." *sighs* hans:...*small smile* Kafka: *walks to his room* -elsewhere- Akutagawa: *walks inside* higuchi: woah! where did you get all this? Akutagawa: "...I'm not sure you would believe me, but the Agency." higuchi:...ah. Akutagawa: "It took me by surprise as well: that ill-tempered waitress helped." higuchi: *smiles* Akutagawa: "..." *clears his throat* "...I'll go shelve these and get dinner going." -elsewhere- Steinbeck: *packing* baum: isnt this exciting, dorothy? dorothy: yaaaaay =A= Steinbeck: "??? You never been to New York?" baum: once i think when i was younger, but dorothy hasnt. Steinbeck: *smiles* "It'll be quite an encounter. May need a guide there..." emily: *nod* Steinbeck: "How about you, Emily?" emily: m-me? Steinbeck: "Ever been to New York?" emily: a few times to visit family. Steinbeck: "Great! Then I hope you can help us." -elsewhere- stocking: TT~TT Kid: *holds the hot pad* stocking: thank you...*whine* Kid: *nods* "You're welcome..." *rests the pad onto her* "Like this?" stocking: *nod* Kid: *holds it there...lies with her* stocking: *smile* Kid: *strokes her back* -elsewhere- Motojiro: *looking in one room* "..." katya: ? Motojiro: "...Think this would be a good spot for the nursery?" katya:...i guess? Motojiro: "...I'll have to put something together to decontaminate this room before putting the baby here..." katya: i guess.... Motojiro: "..." *starts shaking, over-ventilating* katya: *pulls him down by the shirt and slaps him* GET A DAMN GRIP, MAN! Motojiro: Q____Q "What was that for?!" katya: you need to just breathe and focus right now. i know, im not the kind of person to be going on about being calm when i fly off the handle so easy, but you seem to have a better handle on things, especially given that lev and your kid are counting on you. Motojiro: "..." *nods* *inhales more calmly* leo: motojiro? Motojiro: *smiles at her...his eyes still look a little red* "Yes~?" leo: are you alright? *worried and strokes his cheek* Motojiro: "..." *holds her hand* "With you, yes." leo:...*smiles* Motojiro: "Katya and I were just looking at rooms for the nursery!" leo: ah. Motojiro: "And we can start prepping it!" -elsewhere- Tanizaki: "Here's dinner, all!" kenji: yay! Kyoka: *sniffs* "Smells good..." Tanizaki: "We got some quiche, some roasted vegetables--" sylvia: ... Tanizaki: "...Sylvia? Anything you wanted?" sylvia: um.... Kyoka: "Ever had quiche?" sylvia: *shakes head* not that i remember Kyoka: "Well, do you like cake?" sylvia: mr ted never let me- Kyoka: "...Well...It's like that. Only with spinach and cheese and maybe meat." Tanizaki: "..." *walks back to the kitchen, checking in the fridge for dessert* sylvia: um... Kyoka: "Well...What did you like to eat?" sylvia: i usually was given egg toast... Kyoka: "Oh. Quiche has egg and bread, so it's like egg toast." sylvia: oh... Kyoka: "Try it. For us?" sylvia: hmm....*nom*.. Kyoka: "...How is it?" sylvia:..it's alright. i-i didnt die at least... Kyoka: "...Yay." naomi: ^^ -elsewhere- Lucy: "...Think it was the right thing to do?" atsushi: i think so. Lucy: "...He just looked so...pathetic. Like feeding a stray." atsushi:...like a stray dog, i guess... Lucy: *nods* "Scrawny..." *looks at Atsushi's arm...and pokes* atsushi:... .-.; Lucy: "Have you been keeping to a diet to stay toned and fit?" atsushi: yes ma'am. *pulls up his shirt slightly to examine himself* .... Lucy: "..." .\\\\\\\\\. atsushi:.... .////. Lucy: >\\\\\< "Put it down--we're trying to have a meal!" atsushi: right! ^-^;;;; Lucy: -\\\\\- *picks up her water--and drinks* -elsewhere- Fitzgerald: "??? What's all this?" mary: jordan needed help asking a mall cop on a date. Fitzgerald: "I see...Well, fashion choices will be one improvement needed..." louisa: his hair could use some work too... ^-^; Jordan: Q____Q "I'm right here." Daisy: "We know." bram: ... -elsewhere- elizaveta: *humming* Gogol: <How's it going?> elizaveta: <ok. kinda bored though.> =3= Gogol: <Yeah, without Child 1 and Child 2.> elizaveta:.... <got anything cool in your cape?> Gogol: "..." *shiny eyes* <What did you have in mind?> lydia: <most likely anything a young child would have interest in.> elizaveta: =3= <he knooows thaaat.> Gogol: *nods* <I'm no fool.> *takes out a bottle marked with a skull on it* elizaveta: ...? lydia: ............. Gogol: "...Oh! Sorry. The poison was for someone else..." *puts it back, and takes out a pair of Nerf guns* elizaveta: YAY! ^o^ Gogol: "Search and destroy!" elizaveta: who's the target, sir? Gogol: "Hmm...Ivan?" elizaveta: yessir! Ivan: *walking down the hall with a cup of tea* -pew- Ivan: *suction cup dart at his forehead* O_o elizaveta: hehehe *runs* Ivan: "..." =_= "What even is--" -pew pew pew- Ivan: *darts on his head, chest, and butt* "..." elizaveta *giggle* Ivan: "CEASE THIS ABSURDITY--" Gogol: *leaps, slow motion, twin guns--and fires* Ivan: Q_____Q zoey:...*giggle* Gogol: ^_^ Ivan: "THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" *rips the darts off* lydia: now now, let him be. Gogol: -3- "Fine..." lydia: <you alright, vanya?> Ivan: <I have sore spots on my head, chest, and bottom...> lydia: <want me to patch you up?> Ivan: *nod nod* lydia: <ok> Gogol: "No one lets us have any fun..." yana: you will soon. Gogol: *shiny eyes* "Like a mission?" yana: *nod nod* time for number 3. Gogol: "..." *wide smile* -elsewhere- Yohei: "Okay, Akaderu has dishwashing tonight--" akaderu: *groooooan* Kepuri: ^^; "I'll help with that." *pat pat* akaderu: thanks babe... Yohei: "And that leaves Emine to take out the trash." Emine: "..." *looks at Mono* mono: boi you better not. Emine: "I said noth--" ((Mana, help her.)) mana: *gives emine the 'im watching you look'* Emine: "...Fine." *picks up the trash can* "I'm putting half of this into the recyclable can as my bad deed." Tool: "THE HELL YOU ARE!" -elsewhere- Tachihara: *arms crossed* Gin: *shakes her head* higuchi: what did mori do this time? Chuuya: "???" Gin: "Just...noises." Tachihara: -_______- higuchi: ....*listens*........eugh... WHY did i do that?! Gin: "We warned you." higuchi: TT___TT; Gin: *pat pat* Chuuya: "...In any case, don't let the noise distract you from the task." higuchi: right. Tachihara: "What, should we have someone sitting in there now?" Chuuya: "..." *looks at Higuchi* -elsewhere- minoura: alright, im only going to ask you this again, dostoevsky. *shows him a photo of zoey when she was still a nurse* do you know of her location? Fyodor: "Yes." minoura: where is she? Fyodor: "She is where Rats go." minoura: is that some kind of damn riddle or not? with you, we cant be certain... Fyodor: "Think about it. Rats scurry for whatever dark location they can find with sustenance and away from predators, yes?" minoura: ..... Fyodor: "...What, do I need to draw maps for you now?" -some noise is in the hallway- minoura: ??? officer: mr lewis, please calm down, this area is for authorized perso- Mr. Lewis: "Let me go! Let me go!" Fyodor: "???" officer: sir, please- *The door is kicked open, as Mr. Lewis tries to get inside the room* Mr. Lewis: "You bastard!" Fyodor: "..." officer: *holding him back* sir, please! calm down! Mr. Lewis: "Give her back! Give me back my daughter!" Fyodor: "Oh. I should have recognized you." *smiles* minoura: we're trying to find her now, we're _trying_ to get a location from him... Mr. Lewis: "He knows! Make him talk, damn it!" officer: sir, you arent allowed to be in here! Mr. Lewis: "Why?! You bastards can't even get a word out of him! Let me at him--I'LL KILL HIM!" Fyodor: *smiles* "Best be careful, sir. It would be horrible for you to not live long enough to meet your grandchild." officer: !!! minoura:....son of a- *A chair is tossed* officer: !!! *The chair slams into Fyodor's head* Mr. Lewis: *panting* "You son of a bitch!" *leaps* officer: *trying to hold mr lewis back* Mr. Lewis: *sobbing* "How dare you! How fucking dare you!" Officer #2: "Shit! He's bleeding!" minoura: i knew you were a sick fuck, but to r-...do _that_ to- Fyodor: *smiles, despite bleeding* "And she was quite good at it." Mr. Lewis: *not even struggling to move...just sobbing* minoura: that's going on the list of charges... Fyodor: "??? What? She seemed enthusiastic about it." officer: *trying to move mr lewis out of the room* Mr. Lewis: *sobbing, as he's practically carried away, his body limp* Fyodor: *smiles* "So long, 'Dad.'" minoura: i have half the mind to have you thrown in the chair right now... Fyodor: "Yet that would defy the very laws you hold yourself to. And the idea of such hypocrisy...Well, it makes my skin crawl." minoura: ......*hard glare* Fyodor: "But at least you provided something I've lacked for some time." *smiles* "Entertainment." minoura: ........... -elsewhere- Poe: "Lana? Are you okay?" lana: y-yeah. just old memories...*wipes her eyes* Poe: "..." *offers his handkerchief* lana: thanks edgar... Poe: *nods* "You're welcome..." *offers his hand* lana: *hug* Poe: "!!! ..." *pats, strokes her back* lana: ...... Poe: *hums lightly* -elsewhere- Rin: "Jeez...He's still locked up in there." momo sakura: is he sick? D8> Rin: "Nah, I don't think so--just really grouchy." momo sakura: ..... Rin: "...Want to help me make something to help him feel better?" momo sakura: ok! Rin: ^^ "I think this calls for cupcakes." momo sakura: yay! Rin: *walks with her to the kitchen* "And we can make some frosting..." -elsewhere- Magaki: *lying in bed, looking up at the ceiling* "..." -silence- Magaki: "..." *gets out of bed, walks downstairs* -...naho's door is open- Magaki: "???" *looks inside* -naho is asleep in her bed, with sakuya asleep next to her- Magaki: "..." *looks away* -one book is on the table- Magaki: "..." ("I am out of reading...Maybe Naho wouldn't mind...") *tip-toes inside* naho: zzzzz Sakuya: "Zzz..." Magaki: *looks at the cover* -it seems to be two guys- Magaki: "???" *flips it open* -too lewd to show- Magaki: "... ... ..." *closes the book carefully...sets it back exactly where they saw it* "......" *turns, carefully steps towards the exit...* naho: TuT *smug grin* Magaki: *gets outside into the hallway...* @_@ -morning- Kid: *making waffles* "..." stocking: *yaaaawn* Kid: *sets out a plate* "And I'll get the fruit..." -elsewhere- Panda: *poke poke* "Wakey-wakey..." inka: *snooooore* Panda: "..." *presses cold bag of frozen strawberries to her face* sasori: *asleep on the windowsill* inka: *SCREEEEEE* *PAWNCH* Panda: *K.O.* *collapses* XwX inka: =_= ...... ?? oh, she's asleep? Sancho: *runs into the room* "What happened?!" inka: cold strawberries. Sancho: "...He didn't put them on your feet this time, did he?" inka: -__- Sancho: " 'Cause I'm not having foot-tasting cereal again." *opens the fridge* *looks at Sasori* "...She's out like a light..." inka: yeah... Sancho: "...Huh. Well, I'll get the rest of breakfast going--then we can plan the day." -elsewhere- Motojiro: *rings a tiny set of bells* "Time for class~!" sonia: come on Q. Q: "..." *follows* -elsewhere- Damon: *asleep next to his bowl of cereal* "Zzz..." soul:...hey kiddo, sleep enough? Damon: "Hmph..." *looks up* "..." *shakes his head* "Bad dreams..." soul: *pats his back* Damon: "..." *hug* soul: *hug* -elsewhere- kirika: *nommin on pancakes* lord death: *hair ruffle* mornin, sport! kirika: *grunt of response* Yumi: "Shiori, sit still--" *splat* -_-; shiori: uups. lord death: *hands her a paper towel* Yumi: *wipes her face* "Thank you..." *sigh* "She'll need some more solids to try." shiori: sowy mama... Yumi: "..." *smiles* "It's okay, sweetie. Just watch where the food goes..." shiori: okaaay Yumi: *wipes Shiori's face* "Kirika, what's on your agenda today?" kirika: *shrug* is it the weekend yet? Yumi: "Yes, it is. Are you going out?" kirika: yep. Yumi: "With your boyfriend?" kirika: *noms on pancakes* Yumi: "..." *smiles* "And you will see your sister?" kirika:...yeah. Yumi: *nods* "Let us know if you need anything." kirika: kay... Yumi: "And make sure your phone is charged." kirika: yes mom. lord death: make sure it's on. kirika: i hear ya. -elsewhere- Tool: "And let's get your sweater on, kiddo." io: okay! ^o^ Tool: *slips it over Io's head and arms* "There you go...Ready to head to the park?" io: ya! saki: ^^ Tool: *opens the door for Io and Saki* "Then we're off!" io: ^o^ -elsewhere- Rin: *looking in a shop window* *shiny eyes* "LOOK AT THEM ALL!" kyouko: woooah. madoka: ^^; sayaka: neatooooo.... hitomi: oh wow. Rin: "That shirt with those jeans, then that badass necklace--I'd look choice!" madoka: ^///^ kyouko: lets remember why were here, ok? Rin: "..." *nods* "I mean, maybe he needs a new book..." -elsewhere- baum: so john, what was it like at home for you? Steinbeck: "Quite crowded, really." baum: *listening* oh? Steinbeck: "My younger brother and I had a room." baum: ah, i see. emily: was it nice? Steinbeck: "...You never felt alone." emily:..*smile* Steinbeck: "It's been a bit since I've heard from them...I did mail a bit of money after the treasure hunt." emily: that's nice. Steinbeck: "...How 'bout you, Em? How were things growing up?" emily: it was rather quiet. Steinbeck: "Peaceful kind of quiet?" emily: i suppose...a bit lonely though. Steinbeck: "...How about parents?" emily: it was decent enough, even if they did forget i existed sometimes. they're busy a lot. Steinbeck: "...You talk with them?" emily: sometimes. baum: what about you, ernest? Hemingway: "...Not much." dorothy:.... Steinbeck: "..." ^^; "At least Baum and Dorothy are here..." -elsewhere- goethe: ....... Kafka: "...Yes? What?" goethe: contact the agency, they live here, dont they? Kafka: "Yes, they do..." *sigh* *pulls up their number* "Am I supposed to speak with them?" goethe: tell them to bring their leader and the blonde guy with them. also tell that dazai guy to fuck off. Kafka: "..." *dials* *waiting for someone to pick up* naomi: armed detective agency. may i help you? Kafka: "Hello. I am calling to set up a meeting with your supervisor and the one named Kunikida." naomi: ah, yes. *writing this down* and may i ask who is calling? Kafka: "Kafka, with Sturm und drang." naomi: O_O y-you're calling all the way from germany?! Kafka: "No. And even if I was, we could afford it." naomi: wait, where are you calling from then?! Kafka: "Death City." naomi: ._____. kunikida? phone for you. Kunikida: "???" *takes it* "Who is it?" naomi: sturm. Kunikida: "..." ._. *answers* "Hello?" Kafka: "We need to talk." Kunikida: "..." Kafka: "Also, my boss wants the one named Dazai to be aware he should pleasure himself in an unfavorable manner." goethe: no, i didnt say it like that. i want him to simply 'fuck off', off he will fuck. atsushi:...? Kunikida: "...Understood. Who should be present?" Kafka: "You and your supervisor. Meet us at--One moment." *hand over the receiver* "First, I am not saying that. Second, where should they meet us?" goethe: kafka, you go pick them up and bring them here. Kafka: "Very well." *back on the phone* "I'll pick you up in-- ... ..." *turns, glares at Goethe* "NOT WALTER'S VAN--" atsushi: ?? -elsewhere- etta: *looking at a map* Leroux: "Which way?" etta: should be... ah! there it is! -the manhasset building is just ahead- Jordan: *seated on a bench outside* "And she's so pretty..." Assi: *nod nod* "I know, fam..." -the doors open- bram: hm? Daisy: *looks up* "...Are those...theater nerds?" etta: hello, we have an appointment with mr fitzgerald? ^^ Leroux: ^w^ Daisy: "...Name?" etta: hoffman and leroux. Daisy: "Hmm...I see...You're a bit early. Fitz's office is on the top floor." *gets up, takes out key card* "I'll let you in..." etta: ^u^ mary: who do you think they are? bram: not sure... Leroux: "???" *sees the children* "..." *actor persona* "Oh, joy! For we may meet with the glorious majesty of the occupant of this find edifice!" bram:....um....a pleasure to meet you as well, sir. mary:.....huh? Leroux: *sparkling eyes* "Lead us, young maiden!" Daisy: -____-# "Okay. Shut him up, or I'm tossing him out the 42nd story window." etta: ^^; bram: oh this should be just a thrill... *sigh* mary: yay! new friends! *drags bram along* Leroux: *follows Daisy* "What is the gentleman like~?" Daisy: "He spends his days counting money and clipping coupons. We all love him." -_- bram: have you heard the term 'upper class twit'? Leroux: "Ah...I know the role well!" Daisy: -_______- "He's still talking..." bram: thats mr fitzgerald in a nutshe-*COUGHING UP BLOOD* grk-... etta: O-O;;;;;; Leroux: D: Daisy: *sighs* *offers a tissue* bram:...im fine, just a side effect of my ability. *COUGH* dont mind me.... Leroux: "..." *looks at Etta* *practically squeeing* "Another ability user!" etta: that's why we're here. but lets save that for the meeting, ok? Leroux: ^w^ bram: ?? (ability users, huh? just what are they here for?) Daisy: *presses the top button, slides the key-card* -and so- Fitzgerald: *clipping coupons, humming* -knock- Fitzgerald: "??? Someone answer that..." *returns to clipping* louisa: yes? etta: hello~ Leroux: ^w^ Fitzgerald: "..." *looks at Louisa* "You hired circus performers?" etta: >3< Leroux: Q_Q "...We are the-at-er..." etta: easy roro. easy. we're here from sturm und drang to discuss business with you. you are ability users here. right? Fitzgerald: "...Among the remnants of former Guild associates, yes..." etta: in that case, we would like to make an offer. are you familiar with the rats in the house of the dead? Fitzgerald: "...They forced my giant whale ship to crash." etta: well as it would seem, the rats are an enemy of sturm, amongst other organizations. which brings us to why we are here. we would like to form an alliance. Fitzgerald: "Hmm...What does your organization have in terms of exterminating those Rats?" etta: while we have resources, we're small in numbers. our leader, goethe, wishes to bring together the ability user groups of this city as a task force to deal with the rats, as well as anyone who would be considered a threat to ability users as a whole. Fitzgerald: "I see what is it in for us ability users...but I also am a businessman. I need to know I am not footing the bill on my own." etta: as we said, we do have resources. Fitzgerald: "For example?" etta: we may be small in numbers, but we have ways of recruiting easily. Fitzgerald: "...Hm...Who's your recruiter? You?" etta: *looks at leroux* Leroux: ^^; "Our benefactor, actually. He's quite persuasive. And benevolent." Fitzgerald: "..." etta: soooo....please? OuO Fitzgerald: "I will have a contract for your supervisor's review--after I can meet with him." etta: of course. -elsewhere- Kuro: *in a baby bjorn* =\\\\= mahiru: *shopping* ???: "Oh, so cute!" mahiru: ?? Meme: "What a cute kitty!" >w< mahiru: thanks. ^^ Meme: *pet pet stroke* "Hee hee..." Kuro: =\\\\\= *purr* tsugumi: hehe. ^^ mahiru: you're sure popular, huh kuro? Kuro: -\\\\-; Anya: "You're the new student, aren't you? Mahiru?" mahiru: yeah. Meme: "How are you and your friend fitting in?" mahiru: pretty good. ^^; Anya: "Where is your friend? You seemed joined at the hip in classes." mahiru: oh, he's closer than you think. ^^;;;;; Anya: "...Oh, shopping elsewhere." mahiru: yeeeeah.... ^^;;;;;;;;; ao: say anya, i think your friend hyde works here~ mahiru: oh? *INTERNAL SCREAMING* Anya: "!!!" .\\\. "Oh...I wonder whether Licht is around, too..." Hyde: "MA-HI-RU! Yo! Over here!" *waves* mahiru: o_O;;;;;;;;;; licht: keep it down, shit rat. -_-; oh. hello princess. Hyde: ^^ "Hey, buddy! I see you enough at school, now you're here too--" *spots Licht and Anya* "..." Anya: "!!!!" .\\\\\. "It-It's Anast--Anya. Um...Hello." ao: 7u7 mahiru: um..hey hyde, licht. good to see you. ^^;;; (is something going on here?) Kuro: -_- *yawn* ("Too loud...") Hyde: *staring at Anya* "Yeah, hey, buddy. Cute bjorn." licht: .....? Hyde: "...New hair, Anya?" Anya: *voice cracks* "...Same hair..." mio: he means the ponytail. Anya: >\\\< "I know what he meant..." mahiru:....*looks at licht* am i missing something here? Licht: "I have no idea. That's because, when standing before my majesty, everyone gets nervous--" *dramatic pose* "--because I am an angel." Anya: "..." .\\\\\\. *steam comes off her head, as she falls back* tsugumi: *sweatdrop* *Anya lands in Tsugumi's arms* Hyde: -\\\\\-;;; ochako: *casually putting products on the shelves, blissfully unaware of what's going on* Meme: ^^; "So, Licht, what brings you here?" licht: due to a long boring story, im stuck with him. Meme: "Like a partner?" licht: to an extent. Meme: "Neat!" Death the Kid: Hyde: >\\\\> Anya: @\\\\@ mahiru: yeeeeah... ^^;;;;; Kuro: *yawns--and slight paw at Mahiru* ("Get a move on...") Hyde: "Oh, you brought Kuro out!" Kuro: O____O mahiru: yep. i sure did. licht: we meet again, mr kitty. *shiny eyes and paw hold* Kuro: >_> Meme: "...Isn't your classmate named 'Kuro'?" mahiru: what a coincidence. ^^;;;; Kuro: "..." *his paw grips him--with claws* mahiru: Qw<;;; Anya: *snaps back to attention* "Maybe declaw him?" Kuro: -_-# -elsewhere- Kunikida: "...You actually paid to have the van imported--" Kafka: "I SAID NOT TO BRING IT UP." >_<# goethe: *laying on the couch* greetings. masuji: hello ^u^ Fukuzawa: "Ah, Ibuse--this is a surprise." *looks at Goethe* "And you are our host?" goethe: that would be correct. thank you for your time gentlemen. masuji: of course. hoho! Kunikida: "This is surprising to see you now in this city. May I ask what prompted this move?" goethe: consider it instinct that the rats are planning something big. so we've decided to form an alliance with the ability user organizations in this city as a contingency plan. Fukuzawa: "...Which ones?" goethe: anyone who is an enemy of that prick dostoevsky, pretty much. masuji: that's be just about everybody, lad. Fukuzawa: "I had heard from my subordinates your offer to assist us, your promise to help. However, how do you imagine this alliance?" hans: *glances at kafka* goethe: we all share a common enemy, do we not? Kafka: *arms crossed* Fukuzawa: "We do..." goethe: then is that not reason enough? Fukuzawa: "Depends on methods...and additional goals you have in mind. Is that all you want, to stop Dostoyevsky?" goethe: well, do you know what he wants? Fukuzawa: "...It's rather oblique, a madness to destroy ability users." goethe: my goal over all is to make the world a better place for ability users, and to share those abilities with those who are less fortunate. all of the members of sturm had rather difficult situations that they were in, many on the verge of despair, i simply granted them their abilities and saved them from their suffering. im not trying some cliche 'take over the world' scheme, im just trying to be a good Samaritan. Fukuzawa: "And where did Ted Hughes fit into that?" goethe:..... 7_7 im only human, i can make mistakes sometimes. Fukuzawa: "...It takes an adult to admit to that. And our Agency hardly has perfect people in it." *looks to Masuji* "What do you think?" masuji: it's normal to make mistakes. it's a part of life, lad. such things do happen. goethe:...i appreciate that, i think. Fukuzawa: "Yet these can't be the only ability organizations you have contacted." hans: we're making contact with Manhasset, the guild remnants and the port mafia. as well as the special abilities department. masuji: hmm, all the major players, eh? Fukuzawa: "...Thorough." Kafka: ^^ *beaming with arrogance* hans: the mafia is a bit hard to track, however... Fukuzawa: "...We can present this proposal to them." -elsewhere- Poe: "Oh, you're having a meeting?" ranpo: yeah. fukuzawa is meeting with those guys the others met in europe. Poe: "Interesting...Even the roach man?" ranpo: yep. Poe: "Should be exciting--getting to see new abilities..." ranpo: yeah... sylvia: .~.;;; Poe: "Miss Sylvia, you were part of the group, yes?" sylvia: s-sort of...i just worked for m-mr ted, though.... Poe: "How was that?" sylvia:....*she looks down and begins to tear up, shaking* Poe: "!!! I-I'm sorry..." ranpo:...*pap pap* Poe: Q_Q -elsewhere- Justin: *opens the door* kirika: yo. oriko: *smiles* Justin: "Hello! Please, come in." kirika:...*takes a seat* oriko: shall i prepare some tea? Justin: "I would like some." *smiles* oriko: *smiles and goes to do so* kirika:...she's a lot more talkative now... Justin: *nods* "We've been talking about many topics during walks...and it seems a few memories are returning..." kirika:...*smiles* Justin: "I think you can ask her a few more questions...so she starts associating you less as just someone she knew...and as her sister." kirika:...right....*pulls something out of her bag, a rabbit doll* hey oriko? you remember this, right? oriko:...how cute. ^^ kirika: you gave this to me when i was taken in. oriko: i did?.... kirika: *nod* oriko: ......it feels....familiar.... Justin: "..." *nods* oriko:....ah..*she has tears falling down her cheeks* Justin: "!!!" kirika: y-you remember a little girl, right? {???: here, this is for you k#r##a.} oriko:....f-faintly... kirika: *HUG* a-at least that's something, right? Justin: "..." *goes to the kitchen* -elsewhere- Mr. Lewis: "..." *staring at the floor* mrs lewis: .....*hug*.... Mr. Lewis: "..." *shivering* mrs lewis: ...... *she doesnt know what to say* Mr. Lewis: "..." *voice cracking* "Z-Zoey...What did we do..." mrs lewis: ..... Mr. Lewis: "Where did we go wrong..." -elsewhere- stocking: *smile* Kid: *holds her hand* "Weather is warming up a bit." stocking: yeah. Kid: "Care to take a vacation trip soon?" stocking: sounds lovely~ Kid: "Great...Maybe somewhere scenic?" stocking: *nod* Kid: "Were you thinking the woods, or maybe the beach when it warms up more?" stocking: how about camping? Kid: *nods* "That would be good." -elsewhere- Tool: *pushing Io on the swing* io: *laugh* saki: *smiles* ^^ Tool: "Careful how high you go..." *smaller push* -elsewhere- Leroux: ^w^ hans: so how did it go? etta: i think it was more or less successful! Leroux: "They were enthralled by our performance." hans: i see. Leroux: "How did things go here?" hans: it went fairly well, i think. Kafka: "I thought they asked too many questions..." etta: ^^; hans: well, no one said it'd be easy.... the agency's leader said he would consider it, but he didnt seem to trust goethe... Leroux: "Maybe we can convince him?" hans: that man, kunikida said he and the other agency members would discuss it. Leroux: "Even that bandaged man?" hans: -_-; yes, even him. -elsewhere- Dazai: *walking past shops* *hums* atsushi:...hey, dazai? Dazai: "Hmm?" atsushi: are you sure you're alright? Dazai: "As good as I can be..." *false smile* atsushi:...things havent been going well for you recently, have they? Dazai: "...I suppose there have been setbacks..." atsushi:....is it still the incident with the rats that's bothering you? Dazai: "...Ever play Risk?" atsushi: *shakes head* Dazai: "Well, it's like chess or checkers, only you're trying to take over entire countries." atsushi: .....oh... Dazai: "And it requires a lot of careful attention to how you want to win. Which nations do you take over? Which alliances do you form? But if you want a strategy to bring the game to the end, there is one thing you can do..." atsushi: what's that? Dazai: "Blow it all up." atsushi: ...... Dazai: "There's an idea that, if you can't win, make sure no one else does. It's suicidal..." atsushi:....what does this have to do with the rats? Dazai: "Because when I think about what Dostoyevsky is capable of, if he is really losing, he wouldn't be locked up in a jail cell: he would be destroying everything right now." atsushi:....... Dazai: "And that's why I'm bothered." atsushi: ....*phone buzzes* ??....oh, we're being called back for a meeting. Dazai: "...Right." *looks around* "Walk it or cab it?" -elsewhere- Fitzgerald: "Miss Alcott." louisa: yes sir? Fitzgerald: "Have Eckleburg examine the security footage of those two guests through the facial recognition software." louisa: yes sir. Fitzgerald: *smiles* -elsewhere- Fukuzawa: "..." *walks forward* -inside- naoya:...we got someone coming... Chuuya: "...Well, would you look at that...Who wants to greet them?" hirotsu: i'll speak with them. higuchi: same. Chuuya: "And we'll monitor from here...And I want someone around the corner, in case we need protection." higuchi: *nod* Fukuzawa: "..." hirotsu: fukuzawa, what brings you here? Fukuzawa: "We wanted to check on you..." hirotsu: well we're doing alright, as you can see. higuchi: and we did appreciate the donation.. Fukuzawa: *nods* "Thank Miss Montgomery as well...We also had an offer from a third party to your benefit." higuchi: ?? hirotsu: oh? Kunikida: "Your colleagues remember their trip to Germany, and any encounters with a group called Sturm und drang?" higuchi: i.....think i've heard the name in passing? it's been a long time… Kunikida: "While we were in Germany, we had encountered a few of them: the dancer who can control people's movements, the swordsman, a giant cockroach-man--" hirotsu: hmm... Kunikida: "--and they are all ability users. And they want our assistance against a common threat." hirotsu: the rats? Kunikida: *nods* hirotsu: hmmm... higuchi: katya would be more than willing if it means going up against dostoevsky. Fukuzawa: "I can not ascertain the trustworthiness of their organization, yet having additional resources against the Rats cannot be a bad thing." hirotsu: that is a good point... Fukuzawa: "What should I say is your response?" hirotsu: we'd have to speak with them in person. Fukuzawa: "We will go about setting up a time and place." -elsewhere- Fyodor: "..." *smiles* -silence- Fyodor: "Guard?" guard: ..... Fyodor: "Have I any new visitors?" guard:.....*not answering* Fyodor: "No? What a shame. It gets so lonely here." guard: .... Fyodor: "...How is the nursing home treating your mother, Brian?" brian: *biting his lip* Fyodor: "Alzheimer's is awful. And her lungs...I hope she can get some good deep breaths." brian: shut up... Fyodor: "??? I'm just saying that to see your parent so elderly is a terrible situation for a young person--" brian: just stop, ok?! Fyodor: "Oh, I can stop at any time, Brian. But I like conversing...and you are not as good a conversationalist as the earlier guard, Erina." brian: .... Fyodor: "You know what I want to know." brian: *shakes his head* Fyodor: "Tell me where she is." brian: like you can do anything from inside your cell! Fyodor: *smiles* "Sure." brian: ..... Fyodor: *hums a song* -elsewhere- Kepuri: *looking through an old hard drive* nea: looking through some old stuff? Kepuri: *nods* "Wanted to see if there were any contacts I missed..." nea: oh? Kepuri: "You never know who is tracking and harassing old friends, and I haven't heard from some in a while." nea: ah, gotcha... Kepuri: "Ever see this one?" *pulls up a photo* nea: nah... Kepuri: "Damn it...More of us keep disappearing." -elsewhere- Gopher: "Oh! That looks really good!" kotone: *shiny eyes* Gopher: "Want one?" kotone: *nod nod* Gopher: *holds up two fingers* "Two cupcakes, please!" -elsewhere- Walter: ^^; "Kiddos...Um...Maybe you need to calm down a bit?" wilhelm: IM GONNA DIIIIIE!! DX> *he pinched his finger* george: ._.; Jakob: "GET ALL THE ICE!" *pushes George to the kitchen* george: -_-; Jakob: "Get a cold cloth! It's at the sink! Wet it!" *dragging a chair to the fridge* george: ok! ok! *turns on the sink and sticks a hand in....it vanishes into the water* ._. um... Jakob: *shoves frozen meat aside, then ice cream--* "...HOLD UP!" *takes the ice cream out* "For later~!" *goes back to pulling out ice cube trays* "Got the cloth, George?" george: *pulls out hand* um. yeah! Jakob: *grabs the ice cubes and ice cream carton* "Then let's go!" *heads back to Wilhelm* george:... (just now...what was....) -elsewhere- Yumi: "Any new black blood locations?" nygus: thankfully not. Yumi: "What about the earlier site?" nygus: it seems to have lessened... Yumi: "What caused it in the first place? Any potential kishins discovered?" nygus: it's still under investigation. Yumi: "I'll review the files, see if I can spot something..." -elsewhere- Magaki: "--so I want books. Other books." tsubaki: ok. what kind? Magaki: "Hmm...History?" tsubaki: ok. ^^ -elsewhere- Kyoka: "Feel better?" sylvia: *sniff* y-yeah.. Kyoka: *pats her back* "Did you...want to see any of them?" sylvia: i-i guess so...n-none of them were p-particularly cruel to me.... Kyoka: "..." ("But why would they let her be hurt so long...") "Even those kids?" sylvia: i-im s-s-sure they...meant no real harm... Kyoka: "Did you get to play with them?" sylvia: s-s-sometimes... Kyoka: "...That's good. It's important to get to play with people around your age...And Walter seemed nice." sylvia: y-yeah... Kyoka: "But that Kafka man seemed irritable. And Naomi was grossed out from the encounter." sylvia: .... Kyoka: "...Can this man, Goethe, be trusted?" sylvia: i-i think so... Kyoka: "...Then that's good enough for now." *smiles* sylvia:...*faint smile* r-right... Kyoka: "Want to play?" sylvia: w-what did you h-have in mind? Kyoka: "Whatever you want. We could play basketball." sylvia: i-i dont know how to play... Kyoka: "I can show you. You just have to toss a ball into the air to get it into a hole high up above." sylvia: o-ok.... Kyoka: "I'll get the ball from the closet--" *opens it...and it's a mess* "..." sylvia: ._. -elsewhere- sonia: *drawing* Q: *glances at her drawing* "Got any red crayon?" *drawing as well* sonia: *hands him one* here. -she's drawing several people in the mafia, including herself, Q, chuuya, gin, higuchi, motojiro, leo, and rain- Q: "Thanks." *he's drawing Zoey and Aya* "..." sonia:....she was the nurse, back underground, right? Q: *nods* "My new mommy." sonia: ....when i came out of the tube, she told me she was my mother....but i knew she was lying....*points to rain in the picture* this is my mommy. i see her in my dreams sometimes... Q: "The lady secretary?" sonia: *she nods* she died...the demon hurt her a lot. Q: "..." *nods* "I saw the damage..." sonia: ..... Q: "...Does Chuuya miss her?" sonia: *she nods* sometimes i can hear him crying at night because he misses her so much. Q: "...That's really sad." sonia:...*nod* Q: "Do you think he'll stay alone?" sonia:.... Q: "Like, date anyone else?" sonia:...i dont think so... Q: "..." *sad sigh* sonia:..... Q: "Love sucks." sonia:...*pap pap* Q: T~T "I haven't seen Aya, and I've been here for a whole, like, four days..." sonia:....do you like this person? Q: "With all my heart!" sonia: why do you like her? Q: =\\\w\\\= "She's pretty and feisty..." sonia: ....she kind of looks like grandma's photos of papa...he had the same kinda hair... Q: "...Huh...Really?" sonia: i can ask grandma to show us. Q: "Okay!" -elsewhere- Yukio: *wearing a party hat, seated in front of a tray of cupcakes and a wrapped gift* "..." Rin: *shiny eyes* kyouko: ta-dah! shiemi: ^^ Yukio: "...What's the occasion? It's not our birthday." kyouko: you've been working really hard, and we wanted to show our appreciation. Yukio: "..." *nods* "That is very kind..." -elsewhere- Black Star: "Hey, kids!" becky: hey uncle star. Black Star: "..." *looks at Soul, whispers* " 'Uncle'!" soul: *small smile* Damon: "..." Black Star: "What you two up to today?" becky: homework mostly. Black Star: "Oh, you started class?" Damon: "..." *looks down* becky: yeah. Black Star: "How's the teacher?" becky: she's nice. Damon: "..." soul:.... *pap pap* Damon: *shudders* "I-I don't know..." becky: *pap pap* Damon: "It-It's fine...I don't know..." -elsewhere- Kafka: *walking up the street, holing a stack of papers* ango: *also walking* Kafka: "...Hello." ango: *nod* Kafka: "You are Ango Sakaguchi, correct?" ango: who's asking? Kafka: "An ability user." ango: .... -elsewhere- Katai: *outside the door to the Agency* Q____Q naomi: oh, katai. come on in. Katai: "Is-Is it alright? We don't mean to impose..." *he's holding his futon* naomi: its fine. ^^ Katai: *enters* "Where is everyone?" naomi: doing work and stuff. -elsewhere- Rin: *pats his belly* "So good." =w= Yukio: *dabs his mouth with a napkin* "...Thank you." shiemi: ^^ kyouko: oh, and happy birthday, shiemi. Yukio: "..." ._. Rin: "..." .__. shiemi: thanks, kyouko. ^^; Yukio: "... ..." ("...Keep calm...You can still get a gift...") Rin: (*loud internal panic noises*) -elsewhere- Ivan: *whistling* lydia: <who has lunch duty?> Gogol: <What shall I prepare? Caviar? Pizza bagels? Flan?> lydia: <whatever we have on hand> Gogol: *opens the cupboard* "...Sardines and peanut butter." lydia: ..... *sigh* elizaveta: *raises hand* Gogol: ^w^ "Yes, Elizaveta?" elizaveta: can i go get some? Gogol: "Okay, but bring a weapon." -elsewhere- Kyoka: *holding ice to a basketball-shaped bruise* sylvia: Q____Q Kyoka: "It's okay. Games sometimes have injuries..." sylvia: i-im sorryyyy... Kyoka: "..." *pat pat* "Apology accepted." sylvia: *sniff* Kyoka: "..." *hands her a tissue* "It's okay..." -elsewhere- elizaveta: *returning with groceries and crashes out on the floor asleep* Gogol: "???" *looks at Lydia, quietly* <Put the groceries away...> *picks up Elizaveta carefully* elizaveta: zzzzz lydia: *nods* Gogol: *carries her to her bed* elizaveta: =w= Gogol: *tucks her in* elizaveta: ..... Gogol: *looks at the nightstand--and spots a doll* "..." *picks it up, tucks it with Elizaveta* elizaveta: *hugging leila* =w= Gogol: *smooths her hair away from her forehead* elizaveta: zzzz Gogol: *forehead kiss* <Good night...> -elsewhere- Kepuri: *staring at her screen* "..." {Kepuri: "What's on the agenda?"} {akaderu: *shrug* i dunno...} {Kepuri: *groans* "So boring...Hardly the best use of a genius mind like mine..."} {akaderu: *grunt of reply*} {Kepuri: "..." -3- "Anything going on with you?"} {akaderu: other than a general lack of motivation, not much} {Kepuri: "..." *pat pat* "Hang in there. It has to get better..."} {akaderu:....*tiny blush*} {Kepuri: "..." *looks away* "If you need motivation, I got a task for you." *shoves a file to him* "It-It's another Dokeshi Hunt thug to monitor..."} {akaderu: .....} Kepuri: *staring at the file...It's Yohei's* chie: whats up? Kepuri: "Not much." *switches windows, smiles at Chie* "Just looking through old stuff." chie: ah. -elsewhere- Steinbeck: *pulls over* "..." emily: zzzz twain: zzzzz -baum siblings are asleep as well- Steinbeck: *parks* "..." Heminigway: *sipping coffee* *whispers* "We staying here?" Steinbeck: *nods* Hemingway: *nudges Baum* baum: nghugh? Hemingway: "We're here. Help me get the others inside." -elsewhere- Jakob: "IS MY BROTHER GOING TO LIVE?!" Walter: ^^; "Of course." wilhelm: all better now. ^^ Jakob: *sad ugly tears as he hugs Wilhelm* T~T george: ^^;..... ....... Walter: "How you holding up, G?" george: f-fine...*looks at their hand* Walter: "...Oh! You stare at your hand, too?" george: i-im fine. just thinking.. ^^; Walter: "...About why we have ten fingers instead of 12?" george: um... Jakob: " 'Cause your hands would look bigger!" *playfully pats a hand on Wilhelm's cheek* wilhelm: =n=; bro please. george: ^^; -elsewhere- Kafka: "And that's what we can provide, for now." ango: hmm.. what do you think, mr taneda? Taneda: "..." *slides a paper to Ango* "Fukuzawa already had a similar discussion." ango: hmm... Taneda: "From all feedback, this sounds like an alliance worth considering. I will issue a recommendation above me." Kafka: *nods* ango: ? Taneda: "Ango, please see Mr. Kafka out." *holds out his hand to Kafka* "We'll speak soon." Kafka: *shakes his hand* Taneda: *turns, leaves* Kafka: "..." *whips out antibacterial wipes, wipes thoroughly* >_< ango: -_.-; Kafka: *finishes...sighs* "Aaah..." *looks at Ango* "...What? I like to be neat and tidy." ango: i get you there. *adjusts glasses* Kafka: "... ... ...Tell me. Did you encounter someone named Dazai?" ango: *tenses* yes. he's-....an old friend. why do you ask? Kafka: "Hmm. He does not seemed well liked. Even among his allies." ango: .... Kafka: "Why do people work with him?" ango: despite his many shortcomings, he has proven himself a skilled tactician. Kafka: "Ah. So, crafty." ango: precisely. Kafka: "Still, his behavior is erratic. He even approached one of our members for a suicide pact." ango: that sound like classic him. Kafka: "As for the other Agency members...they seem reliable. They are tending to one of our former members." ango: is that right? Kafka: "Yes...You have an ability?" ango: yes. Kafka: "Then you can imagine what it feels like to be under threat for who we are." ango:.... Kafka: "...There are those who would hurt us, even those who are ability users." ango: so i've heard... Kafka: "And what do you plan to do about it?" ango:....still figuring that out... -elsewhere- Kid: "We're home!" lord death: welcome back. ^^ kirika: yo. Kid: "How was your visit?" kirika:..it went well. *wipes eyes* Kid: "..." *pat pat* kirika: =//,//= Yumi: "..." *group hug* lord death: ^////^ Kid: ^\\\^; shiori: bubu! ^o^ Yumi: *picks up Shiori* "Hug your sister?" kirika *tiny awkward hug* shiori: yay! Yumi: ^w^ -morning- Sakuya: *yawns* *stretches* naho: zzzzz Sakuya: "..." *brushes a hand over her forehead* naho: =w= Sakuya: *forehead smooch* -at school- Kuro: *flipping mindlessly through the book* "..." mahiru: *taking notes* Stein: "As your guest lecturer, I'm here to introduce you to the challenges that await you at this academy." hitomi: *listening* Stein: "We begin with a serious one..." *takes out a cage, which has an aye-aye bat inside* Aye-Aye: OwO;;;; Stein: *sneers* "With vivisection..." Kuro: "!!!" mahiru: im sorry what? hitomi: O-O;;; -chop- nygus: no. Stein: >_< "Hmph. Fine, we'll save that for an extracurricular..." *puts the Aye-Aye away* Aye-Aye: =w=;;;;; mahiru: ._.; Kuro: "So annoying...What are we learning anyway?" Stein: "We can move onto a demonstration of battle..." hitomi: ... Stein: "Come in." *The door is kicked open* madoka: ^-^; Kuro: "??? A sailor scout?" hitomi *waves to madoka, smiling* madoka: *smiles back* Arthur: *holding his hilt* "Is this where warriors demonstrate their mettle in combat?" nygus: yes, this is battle demonstration, yes Arthur: *charges up Excalibur* "Then I will hold nothing back, mage [Madoka]." madoka: *nods and takes her bow out* -she also put a barrier up to keep the students from being harmed- Arthur: *swings his blade along the floor towards Madoka* madoka: *jumps up and fires 3 shots* Arthur: *dodges* "Impressive..." *runs past them, leaps up--and swings* madoka: *dodges to the left* Arthur: *swings his leg under her* madoka: *jump and kick to the face* Arthur: "UMPH!" *falls back, swinging his sword--slicing into the floor* hitomi: *watching, nervous* Arthur: "KNIGHTLY LIGHTNING STRIKE!" -elsewhere- Yohei: "Mono, you busy?" mono: *doing homework* Yohei: "??? Okay...Guess you're busy..." mono:..whats up? Yohei: "I wanted to check how things were going." mono:...alright i guess. Yohei: *nods* "Keeping up on homework even while working at the cafe?" mono: yeah. Yohei: "...Need any help with the homework?" mono: just this one. *points to a problem* Yohei: *reads it* "Oh. It's cosine's? I can help with that..." mono: *nod* Yohei: "So it's a right triangle...and the smaller angle is 60 degrees. That means you write the equation 'adjacent side divided by hypothenuse'..." mono: right... Yohei: "We know the adjacent side is 'x,' and the hypotenuse is 20, so we are solving for x...You got your scientific calculator?" mono: hold on... -elsewhere- Rin: ^^; "All forgiven?" shiemi: i wasnt exactly mad at you guys. but i do appreciate it. ^^ izumo: 7-7 Rin: "And you get to go with Stocking, Seiya, Shura--" *spots Izumo* "Polka Brows--" izumo: =_=# shiemi: and what are you guys gonna do? Rin: "Camping! Male bonding! Reaffirm the chains of friendship!" konekomaru: ^^; Bon: =^= "Who said I was going?" konekomaru: ? Bon: "Some of us have studying to do--" konekomaru: im sure it wouldnt hurt. izumo: yeah, letting loose wouldnt kill you, you know. Bon: -___- "You too, Kamiki? Don't you have work to catch up on?" izumo: i already did it. Bon: "D-Don't try to show me up!" >_< izumo: *smirk* Bon: "..." >\\\\> "I'm not getting roped up into any dumb during this camping--" Rin: "Super!" *arm around his shoulder* "We're doing so much stupid stuff!" Bon: -_____-# -elsewhere- Leroux: *hanging up paper lanterns* hans: *dusting shelves* Kafka: *re-enters--carrying a plastic shopping bag* "I have returned." hans: welcome back. Kafka: "Hello. I met with the governmental agency." hans: and how did it go? Kafka: "They seemed amenable. I expect we will receive confirmation within days." hans: ah... Kafka: *takes out a jar of jelly beans* *nods* *opens it* "..." *starts munching* *nom nom nom--* etta: hi guys~ Leroux: "Hello~!" Kafka: O\\\\O "GRK--" *swallows hard* hans: *gives him the Heimlich* Kafka: *coughs up a mess of jelly beans* "Th-Thanks..." etta: you ok, franzy? Kafka: "I AM NORMAL!" O\\\\O etta: ovo~? Leroux: ^w^; "Franz brought us candy!" Kafka: "?!!!" wilhelm: OuO Jakob: "Really?!" Kafka: *growling low at Leroux* "Who told you this was okay...?" Leroux: *smirks* "You'll thank me~" etta: aww, how sweet. ^u^ Kafka: "..." .\\\\\. "I was nothing..._IT_ was nothing..." >\\\< etta: *giggle* Leroux: ^w^ Jakob: *munching on a chocolate bar* "George, grab them!" Kafka: "..." *offers Etta chocolate* etta: *nom* george: um....thanks? Kafka: "..." *nods* "Of course..." goethe: ....at least share some with me. -elsewhere- Toby: *pawing at papers about Etta and Leroux* eckleburg: *picks him up and puts him in his little bed* *pet pet* Toby: -_-; *soft fox purr, before shifting under blanket* -elsewhere- tatsuya: *writing things down* Damon: "..." teacher:....mr evans? Damon: "...Wh-What?" teacher: is everything alright? Damon: "..." *nods* "I'm sorry." teacher: well, try to pay attention, alright? Damon: "..." *stares at a blank sheet of paper--moves his hand to grab his pencil--and accidentally knocks it to the floor* "..." boy: shhh. -elsewhere- Steinbeck: *sits up in bed...* twain: *halfway off his bed asleep* Steinbeck: "..." *sighs* *gets out, goes to Twain, tries to nudge him back into his bed* twain: *snore* thank you mr davis, you saved my life. again. Zzzzz Steinbeck: "??? ..." *tucks him in* dorothy: morning... Steinbeck: "???" *turns* "Hey..." dorothy: couldnt sleep. Steinbeck: "Sorry...Want to get some water?" dorothy:...*nods* Steinbeck: *opens the cooler they brought with them, takes out two bottles of water* "Cheers." dorothy: *siiiip* thanks mr steinbeck. Steinbeck: *smiles* "You're welcome. Were you hungry at all?" dorothy: i'll eat later. Steinbeck: "...Anything on your mind?" dorothy: *shrug* big bro's probably gonna want pancakes. Steinbeck: "Do you like pancakes?" dorothy: i guess. Steinbeck: "...What kind of foods do you like?" dorothy: ..... Steinbeck: "..." *sips water* "...I like a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich.” dorothy:.....sure. Steinbeck: *smiles* "I'm going to make one. I think we still have some bread left over..." dorothy: ok. Steinbeck: *gets to work* "..." ("Wonder why she's this quiet...") "Wish the rest of us could sleep as soundly as that guy..." *thumbs at Twain* twain: *leg twitch and dopey grin* dorothy: .... Steinbeck: *finishes, cuts it in half, holds up a half to her* dorothy:... *nom* Steinbeck: ^^ "I remember we used to make jelly...And preserves." dorothy: was it nice? Steinbeck: *nods* "Until one of the kids flung a spoonful of grape jelly at my face..." ^^; dorothy: yikes. Steinbeck: "It's all in fun--you know how kids are." dorothy: yeah, seeing as i still am one, sorta... Steinbeck: "...And a kid deserves to have fun, with whatever time they have." dorothy:....are they nice? Steinbeck: "Most part, yeah!" *takes out his wallet, holds up a photo* dorothy: *examines the photos* ... *The photographs show Steinbeck tending to the kids since babies...They look happy* dorothy:...you seem to be a good brother. Steinbeck: "...Thanks. That means a lot..." *studies her face* -she seems to be thinking about something- Steinbeck: "Still thinking?" dorothy: yeah... Steinbeck: "What about?" dorothy: my brother. our family. Steinbeck: "...How is he doing?" dorothy: right now he's still asleep. -elsewhere- Kid: *walking through the DWMA halls* kirika: *sneaking up* Kid: *comes to a stop* kirika: *ducks behind locker* Kid: *looks left to right...then keeps walking* kirika: *runs up and blows an airhorn at his ear* Kid: O_________O *leaps up--and doesn't descend* kirika: 8\ *looks up* *There is a Kid-shaped hole in the ceiling...and the floor above...and the floor above...all the way to the roof* kirika:.... *snaps a pic* Kid: *in the sky, clinging to Beelzebub like a cat to a ceiling fan* Q~Q -elsewhere- Justin: "I have to run an errand...Did you want to stay?" oriko: *nod* Justin: "Okay. Don't let anyone you don't know in..." oriko: ok. Justin: "And I can bring back something from the grocery if you want. Any requests?" oriko: im alright. Justin: *nods, grabs his tote bag and keys, opens the door* oriko: be safe. Justin: *smiles, nods* "Thank you." *closes and locks the door* -elsewhere- Steinbeck: "Zzz..." emily: *driving* Hemingway: "He seems really worn out." twain: he was up pretty early. Hemingway: "??? Must've been a good reason, I hope." -elsewhere- Kepuri: "Remember this?" akaderu: ?? Kepuri: One of the files we had while investigating..." *it's Yohei* akaderu: oh yeah... Kepuri: "...A lot has changed." akaderu: yeah...*hug* Kepuri: "!!! ..." *hug* =\\\\= akaderu: love you, babe. Kepuri: "Love you, too..." *squeeze* -elsewhere- Chuuya: *tapping the walls* naoya: ?? Chuuya: "...Which other surveillance devices did the Agency keep here?" naoya: hmm, my ability doesnt work on any cameras, just living beings. Chuuya: "After the last infiltration, I want to go through the building more carefully...May need some tech help." naoya: no dice with keek. she's pretty much cut ties with the mafia after...y'know. Chuuya: "..." *nods* "Kajii and his assistant?" naoya: *shrug* bleeeegh it sucks we cant go out hiring people right now. Chuuya: "Yeah... ..." *kicks the wall* naoya: 0-0 Chuuya: "This is awful...Just..." naoya:....*pap pap* Chuuya: "..." *sniff* naoya:.... Chuuya: "This shouldn't be like this..." naoya: yeah...damn those rats... Chuuya: "...When we find Fyodor...We're stopping this." naoya:...well we know he's in prison, but are we really about to break _in_ to prison? Chuuya: "If you think he's staying in there...No. He won't. So we need to find him as soon as he makes his escape." naoya:...right. -elsewhere- soul: have fun today? Becky: "It was alright. Kind of dull." Damon: "..." soul: i see....so, i made a call to the therapist today. Damon: "?!" Becky: "...Why?" soul: ...to help you feel better. *smile* Becky: *small frown* Damon: "...How? What would they want?" soul: they'd talk to you about how you're feeling, and maybe find a way to make you feel better. Damon: "Really?" Becky: "...That's all?" soul: yep. that's all. dont worry, i'll go with you. Damon: "...Okay." Becky: "..." *nods* -elsewhere- Walter: *reading emails* "Mom's doing well!" hans: glad to know. *smiles* Walter: ^w^ Kafka: *putting files away* "..." hans: ...so how about you, leroux? any news from your sister? Leroux: *sighs* "Little good, I'm afraid." etta: oh no! D:> Leroux: "..." *nods* "He keeps himself locked away..." etta: ... Leroux: "...He's incredibly morose." hans: i could imagine... Leroux: "...I don't know what help is available." hans: he is in psychiatric, isnt he? Leroux: *nods* "But is that enough?" hans: .... etta: *hug* TT^TT Leroux: *hug* T~T Kafka: "..." >_> *awkward pat on Leroux's shoulder* -elsewhere- Lily: "How are things?" mahiru: they've been well. Kuro: *nom nom nom* Lily: "Excellent! We'll have to celebrate your admittance before your have midterms~" mahiru: aww, thanks. misono: it's the least we can do. -elsewhere- Rin: "All packed!" kyouko: you guys be safe, you hear? Yukio: "...Right." Rin: "Not a problem! Even got bug repellent!" kyouko: *nod* Yukio: "What about the tent?" Rin: "...I'll be right back." *goes back to his room* kyouko: ...^^; Yukio: "You'll hold down the fort while we're out?" kyouko: you bet. Yukio: "And keep up with homework." kyouko: i know. Yukio: "And keep an eye on Father. And bring in the trash, water the plants, patrol the perimet--" kyouko: got it all in here. *points to her head* i've been doing this for years now. Yukio: "...Right. Sorry." Rin: "I got it!" *holds up his 3DS* Yukio: "...Rin. Tent." Rin: "...Oh!" *runs back* kyouko: *sweatdrop* Yukio: "Maybe I should put Post It Notes on him..." kyouko: *chuckles* -elsewhere- yana: *doing some browsing* Ivan: "???" yana: <just looking up some stuff.> Ivan: <Anything interesting?> yana: <i did find this one website. death city rumor file> Ivan: <Any juicy material?> yana: <well, i found a bit of info regarding that shibusawa person.> Ivan: <Best keep it away from Gogol, then...> ^^; yana: <well it wouldnt be much, because this only gives me like, three facts about them. number 1, do you recall the 'dragon's head rush' incident?> Ivan: *nods* yana: <apparently this shibusawa person was the mastermind behind that, at least according to this.> *shrugs* <number 2, they're called 'the collector'. not sure why that is. and number 3, and this is speculation mind you, they are theorized to have connection to the rumor of the white eyed princess of the mysterious tower.> Ivan: <That old tale?> yana: *nods* <wasnt that one of the rumors pushkin's sister and uncle were investigating? then again, they research a lot of urban legends and stuff like that, so...> Ivan: <...It was probably just a tall tale.> yana: <maybe> .... *updating the file* <but i at least have all the profiles up to date.> Ivan: <Master will be so pleased~> yana: *nod* ...... Ivan: <Any additional information?> yana: <at the moment, nothing...> *sigh* <actually, i did find something. info on one of the boss's subgroups, 'the angels of decay'. we know the boss and kolya are part of it, but the info on the other 3 members is password protected.> Ivan: <...Try 'Ivan'?> yana: <tried that, didnt work. i've asked the boss, and he told me to figure it out myself.> *grooooan* <dont get me wrong, i do respect him as our leader, but does he have to be so damn cryptic all the damn time?> Ivan: <Adds to the mystique~> yana: ... Gogol: <What you talkin' about?> yana: 0-0 *clicks out of the angels of decay file....which returns to the rumor file page on shibusawa* (SHIT) Gogol: O\\\\\\\O "..." *faints* yana:.... -_-; <unprofessional.> -elsewhere-

[dnodes18]

Kitchen Makeover with LG Appliances https://ift.tt/2oBxMl8

Home trends change, and over time new upgrades are needed to make a home feel new again. See how Corey Decker of Sawdust 2 Stitches was able to take advantage of a few Home Depot products and upgrade her ‘90s style kitchen.

Our Kitchen Before

When we first moved into our current home it needed some serious lovin’.  The kitchen had some oddly placed walls, early 90’s golden oak cabinetry, band-aid colored walls, and a lackluster tile that pulled all the…interesting…color choices together.  I am not saying it was a horrible kitchen. I am just saying I personally was going to develop an eye twitch if left unaltered. In order to spare my eye spasms, and ultimately save my sanity, the kitchen makeover commenced immediately.

If you have followed along on my site, you have seen the initial process. The walls have since been taken down, the band-aid color abolished and the 90’s oak painted. As a DIY’er I pride myself on doing as much work as I possibly can for as cheap as I can possibly do it.  I was able to get a really good handle on the kitchen using a minimal budget and a lot of elbow grease.

However, there was still tweaking to be done. Ultimately, the pricier purchases (i.e.: appliances) would have to wait. I was at a beautiful holding point.

So what if all my appliances were mismatched and had been swapped out with Craigslist replacements?  I did not want to rush a decision or go and buy whatever happened to be on sale. I wanted to do my homework and have some time to ruminate on all the options.

Well, I have been ruminating for over two years now, and I am happy to announce that after 2.5 years, countless hours of online research and plenty of in-store, hands-on inspections, my kitchen is complete!  I have found the appliances that this kitchen was missing, and I even dialed in the design style I was trying to find with these LG appliances. I knew that I wanted to add some strategic pops of black and add a few select pieces of natural wood tones to warm up the space.

So here was my thought process to executing those ideas.

Fridge:  LG Electronics, 23 cu. ft. 4-Door French Door Smart Refrigerator with InstaView Door-in-Door in Stainless Steel, Counter Depth

I think we can all agree that a fridge has the potential to make or break a space.   They are physically LARGE and whether we like it or not, they do play into the design aspect of a kitchen.  When I was shopping for a fridge, aesthetics was definitely a part of the search criteria. I have been loving the look of the new dark appliances, but I am planning on being in this home for a very long time and wanted to make a logical, safe decision when it came to expensive purchases.  When I add trendy or bold pieces I always opt for inexpensive, easily changeable pieces.  It is a lot easier to switch out hand towels than it is to repaint kitchen walls, get what I am saying?

As I started looking for my dream appliances I made a list of all the features I wanted:

Brushed Stainless

French Doors

Drawer Freezer Compartment

Exterior Ice and Water Dispenser

Counter-Depth

I know that “Counter-Depth” may seem like an odd requirement but it is one of those random things that makes me happy. It makes my eye a little twitchy when the fridge protrudes out into the kitchen. While I realize you do loose some cubic ft., I have noticed that when there is food tucked away in the back corners of a standard depth fridge it tends to get forgotten!   With the counter depth fridge everything is visible and easy to locate.

While there were a handful of brands that met these requirements, I ultimately fell in love with the LG Electronics 4-Door French Door, French Door, with InstaView Door-in-Door, Wi-Fi Enabled Refrigerator,

This was a thing of beauty! It has all of the above mention requirements, but it also has an “InstaView Door-in-Door”. It is awesome! This allows you to view the inside of the door compartment by simply knocking twice on the panel. We use this handy little compartment to keep all our commonly used items like milk.  It allows us access to them but does not let all the cold air out of the larger unit. And, it acts as an energy-saving barrier.

It was love at first site.  I had found my fridge and was in love with the sleek design of the LG line so finding accompanying appliances was a breeze.

Range: LG Electronics, 6.3 cu. ft. Slide-In Electric Range with ProBake Convection Oven in Stainless Steel

Remember how the “counter depth fridge” was an important requirement when selecting a fridge? Well, I had one non-traditional requests in regard to my range, I really wanted something that did not have a large control panel that visually broke up my backsplash.  Yes, it might seem like a petty request, but when you compare it to traditional style with the large upright control panel, it is a huge difference.

It was definitely the look that hooked me, but it was the amazing features that sold me. Well let’s be honest, sold my husband. (He is definitely the chef in the family.)

The new LG convection design is inspired by professional-style ranges, instead of heating unevenly from the bottom of the oven, it heats evenly from the back of the oven.  This ensures “optimal heat distribution”.

The cooktop also has really impressed me, they have flexible heating elements!  What does this mean?  Most standard cooktops include two large burners and two small burners. Well on this fancy cooktop with the twist of a dial you can turn the large elements into smaller ones.

Another thing I love is in addition to the standard four burners it has a fifth cooktop heating element that is specifically used as a “warming” unit.

One last thing that I LOVE… I am not much of a cook, but I am an obsessive cleaner.  This bad boy has a ten minute quick clean setting!  That’s right, no more harsh cleaners or smoking out your kitchen for a few hours.  After cooking a big meal, just put on the quick cleaner and you are good to go before you have finished eating your entrée. Boo-yah.

Dishwasher: LG Electronics, Top Control Tall Tub Smart Dishwasher with 3rd Rack and WiFi Enabled in Stainless Steel with Stainless Steel Tub

When it comes to streamlining appliances, LG pulled out all the stops.  Their dishwasher is no exception.  Look at how sleek it is.

No buttons for little fingers to absent mindedly press, leaving you wondering why the dishwasher is all the sudden set to a delicate cycle when YOU KNOW you set that bad boy to “hard baked-on lasagna setting”. (No it’s not a technical term, but you know the setting I am talking about.)

All the buttons are displayed across the top ledge of the machine.  Simply select your desired setting before closing. Done.  Once it is closed little fingers can’t come and magically delay start your cycle when you are expecting company for dinner.

Microwave: LG Electronics, 2.0 cu. ft. Over the Range Microwave in Stainless Steel with Sensor Cook

Last but certainly not least,  the kitchen appliance that I sadly rely on the heaviest.  The microwave.

It is a bit horrifying how much I depend on my microwave. And I definitely have full faith in this beauty. Not only does it come equipped with the fancy industry-standard features, but it also goes above and beyond with its capabilities.

Naturally, it has the rotating glass turntable, various cooking options, and 10 power levels. But it has raised the bar on industry standards, my friends!  The LG Sensor Microwave has built-in sensor cooking that can determine when food is thoroughly cooked and will automatically turn off! What?!

But wait there is more! Not only can it cook your food unsupervised, but it can also do this with multiple items simultaneously. Thanks to its bi-level cooking rack. Game changer.

All-in-all these new LG Appliances have simplified our lives and taken our kitchen to the next level. But wait there is more, did you know they are “smart” too?   LG has an app that will allow you to access all sorts of goodies on your appliances. The app truly is a huge selling point, it can do anything from monitor your fridge temp to let you know when the dishwasher cycle is complete!  It can even run diagnostics on your appliances.  How cool!?

With all the smart features and it’s sleek appearance, it enhances the look of this kitchen and makes it a pleasure to work in.

The post Kitchen Makeover with LG Appliances appeared first on The Home Depot Blog.

Corey Decker

[mixtrade99-blog]

The Importance of Living a Healthy Lifestyle As a Family

The importance of living a wholesome lifestyle for maintaining general good health and preventing chronic diseases was well recognized. A healthy lifestyle is rather straightforward to achieve - one does not need to do anything"crazy" to embrace a healthy lifestyle. I will say a certain amount of individual thinking is required to separate truth from fiction in most modern wellness advice now being delivered.

The most important thing that you can do is eat well. Avoid toxins in your food as far as possible and eat lots of fresh fruit, veggies and whole grains; exercise moderately several times a week; avoid smoking, including secondhand smoke; and avoid gaining too much weight (which should come naturally in the event that you eat right and exercise). While it isn't always possible to consume all Organic food - the EWG recommends 12 vegetables and fruits which should be organic for their high levels of pesticide residue. Avoiding environmental toxins as much as you can is an important part of achieving a healthy lifestyle.

Our modern lifestyle is quite convenient - but it can also be extremely unhealthy. The majority of us eat a lot of processed foods and too few veggies and fruit; we seldom exercise; and once we develop chronic conditions such as diabetes, we rely on traditional medications to make us feel better - however these medicines frequently have devastating side effects. Rather than accepting the importance of living a healthy lifestyle for us and for future generations, we continue with our bad habits - then take powerful, toxic medication to take care of our inevitable symptoms.

Obviously, not all aspects of living a healthy lifestyle have been in our control. We will be exposed to certain environmental toxins whether we like it or not. But a number of these variables are absolutely in our hands. Whenever we can, we should be accountable and make the right choices.

This is why it's essential to be sure you eat well as the vital element in attaining a wholesome LIFESTYLE.

I say"lifestyle" because what I know is that"eating well" can occasionally be something someone does with bitterness because they sense"sacrifice" is required to adopt a healthy way of life.

I recall when people who ate bad meals used to joke with me and say I was not really living because I chose not to eat pizza and drink beer - and I always responded"how much LIVING can you do when your body is recovering from what you put in it?

Shifting from an Unhealthy to a Healthy Lifestyle

The reason I discuss the healthy lifestyle tip of simply EATING WELL on my blog is because it has been so effective for my health.

It was not always like this though. I remember when I was addicted to a chocolate bar each day and I always had headaches or an infection or illness of some kind.

In addition to excessive sugar cravings (eating a chocolate bar each day) I also suffered from many unhealthy symptoms that were challenging to resolve through traditional medicine: Frequent headaches, Skin problems (ie. eczema, acne, hives, Bloating, Gas, Bad Breath, Weak or brittle hair and nails, Fatigue and lethargy, Excessive stress, Candida overgrowth, Yeast infections, Food or Environmental Allergies, Anxiety or depression, Diarrhea, Constipation, Memory loss, Mood swings, Frequent colds or infections, PMS or bad menstrual cramps, Bladder infection, Loss of sex drive. . .etc

Ughhh! No fun at all!

Years later, I LOVE good food and I am rarely sick. Eating well is the perfect way to get in tune with your body and really get back to basics of what your body needs. It challenges you to give up the vices that you take for granted, break your addictive eating habits and start again from the beginning. Eating well is a healthy lifestyle choice that gives you clarity on what your body really needs, not craves and becomes the foundation for all other healthy lifestyle choices.

An important thing to remember with eating well is to really examine your root philosophy for adapting more healthy foods into your lifestyle.

This is SO IMPORTANT!

If it's simply to loose a few pounds - I personally feel that this is not enough of a motivator and you will set yourself up for "failure" however, if you choose to eat well to enjoy a better quality of life, to do things you have not done in years and to not get sick anymore, then this is a wonderful motivator that will likely last!

So, getting really practical, eating well obviously involves making a few changes to the foods you prepare and enjoy.

I always listen to my body when I eat. I do not calorie count, measure my fist, use ratio's or anything that causes me to separate myself form the food I eat.

The main reason I enjoy excellent health is because I am critical of what I eat - I choose to eat REAL food.

Because of this, I do not need expensive supplements or challenging programs to maintain my weight.

Delicious menus of real, whole foods allow me to enjoy the things so many diet plans warn against.

This sounds simple enough, but what I have learned is that many people simply do not know what a healthy lifestyle consists of, especially when it comes to food!

I try to keep things as simple as possible. I shop from the perimeter of the grocery store, eat mostly wild and free range chicken, very little meat and mostly raw organic fruits and vegetables, with beans and rice. It's not practical to list everything I eat here, but feel free to visit my blog and download your FREE Healthy Grocery List while you are here!

The Future Depends on our Health Living a healthy lifestyle, free as much as possible of toxins (in our environment and in our food) and of stress, is important to us - but it's also important for future generations. Scientists are also now discovering the impact nutrition has on our DNA! Healthy trees bear healthy fruit. A continued lifestyle of sickness will have a lasting effect on future generations and on our planet.

The results of years of living an unhealthy lifestyle are obvious. We are currently faced with a sharp increase in chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, with an obesity rate so high it's considered an epidemic, and with growing rates of infertility. The number of children diagnosed with autism, Asperger's syndrome or ADHD is alarmingly high.

We should also remember that our children carefully watch us and emulate us. If they see us act responsibly now, they will likely adopt a similar approach of taking care of themselves and of the planet when they become adults.

We must each ask ourselves if we are modeling the importance of a healthy lifestyle to our children. If we do not show them how to care for themselves, they will likely turn to the food corporations instead. How will they know the difference between real food,"food like" substances?

I maintain about 6 - 8 fantastic cookbooks available. From these books, I produce simple meal plans that I rotate each month based on about 15 easy meal ideas.

In addition to ingesting Delicious Food (that is real and healthy!) I suggest the following approaches to help simulate a positive way of food in our children:

Young kids especially learn about the planet through fake . How do you feel each day as you prepare your family's meals? Are you hurried, frustrated, and disconnected? We can show our children that eating healthy is important from how we approach our meal times. If we're happy and engaged in making a meal, then take pleasure in eating collectively we affirm that food is much more than something to fill the gap but is an essential part of a happy and healthy family life. In a nutshell, your kids will imitate what they see so be sure you are placing a positive value round the activities involving healthy living. Involve your children in meal prep , even once or twice per week. By discussing how great certain foods taste and by allowing them help you cook you will demonstrate that it is important to spend some time to prepare a wholesome meal instead of throwing something in the microwave. You will never know, you might inspire a future chef! Make a plan to eat together as a family as often as possible. By each decision you make to consume together, you're casting a value judgment about the significance of healthful living and that it involves more than simply eating a few more veggies. We can and should make an effort to change our habits and accept the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. If society won't make changes, then we as people need to make them. After all, if we depart our health to someone else guess what they have planned for you? Not much.

I have complete confidence which you are able to make the switch to living a wholesome way of life and eliminating the nuisance symptoms which result from a body that is overloaded with toxins out of our North American way of life. I was able to do that by following simple approaches, cooking out of educational books which enabled me to change my lifestyle over and enjoying life! For more info click https://mixtrade.co.il

[huckurns]

bean salad date: Wed, Apr 10, 2019 at 10:14 AM

yeah ill be the first to fucking scream it i aint a hand washer okay yeah its gross whatever, but yeah i wish i had stronger backing to why i dont wash my hadns its it could allign with the whole not washing fruits and veg is good, bc bacteria is healthy and thats all fine, but i never liked washing my apples bc i didnt feel like drying them off and a wet apple doesnt compare to a nice dry waxy apple. btu i do wash my hadns when i work somewhere that has a sign that says employees must wash hands, yeah they guilt the hell out of me and i have to take some pride in being called an employee where ever i can so i tend to follow those signs to a tee. most sinks i encounter are like well below standing heigh so i have to like arch my entire body to get my hand s unders the faucet, its insane im arching my back and bending over to get my hands washed, kitchen sinks are the right hieght why the hell are bathroom sinks below waist line, even hand blowers are way too low you have to bend ur knees sometimes to have ur hands get under there comfortably, ITS VCALLED ERGONOMICS and i think the paper towel dispence may be the only public bathroom feature that is at a propper height, you reach up to about head level and crank down on a lever thing and then boom paper towel at chest level you extend your arm fully straight out and then boom the paper towel is in your hand then you bend the elbow and it will rip off a nice slab of paper towel. so there i was morning before work waiting for my oatmeal, with sweetened vanilla almond milk and cranberries cool offl, 2 minutes in the nuke and its way too hot to eat for at least 2 minutes, maybe thats a formulla for microwave cooling that i should try an get out there, try and get it out there to the nukers to those hot pocket liovers who,m cant wait for their hot snack to cool off, mayeb its jus thte cooking time, maybe the cool off time is equal to the cooking time, well huh maybe i guess but actually FUCK MICROWAVES, some lady at the garden center place i used to work told me that she helped her kid with a school project where they tried to grow beeans using normal water and another setup using microwaved water, and guess, what, the hell, happened, her kid got an A on the project her star child hre favorite daughter got an A on the paper and recieved praise from the entire faculty of the private school that gets funded by parents whom want to see good grades on their childrens tests. So microwaved oatmeal was still cooling off and then i was thinking about lunch, i hadnt even had the oat meal yet and i was wondering if the massive tub of bean salad that had been sitting out in the kitchen since sunday was still good, i mean what the heck would go bad im not really sure and the more you think about it the more i am sure you can find reasons not to eat the salad, but this is a massive tub and the guilt, similar to the empployees must wash hands sign... i made that bean salad i paid for that thing to feed a whole crew, so i filled up a tub to bring to work, a test almost to see if the bean sald had gone off or to test the quality, since aparently i made way too much for a 15 person crew for 2 days. I had also realized after the weekend i ahd forgotten to add corn to the whole salad so this time, this time it had corn so maybe thats what everyone wanted corn. at work i told myself i was going to order a half of a sandwich, a melted cauliflower melt, and have it with the beans. i choked, well not a choike at all i just really wanted a fully sammy so i preteneded like i forgot my order when the lady at the register asked what i wanted and i said after a long pause " oh i forgot what i wanted," then looked up at the menu, then i thought to myself that nearly every week at least once i place an order with this lady and out of those times during the week most of the time i indulge in a rotation of a few bangers a few god damn slappers of sammys, so me looking up at the menu was funny to me since i had only started looking at that thing recently to see the summer specials they have , WHICH ARE ALL ABSOLUTE TRASH, so then i look back down to her and say "a full cauliflower melt please" the fast that i said full threw her off, but it made sense to me since i was havin the internal debate over the half  and beans or what have you. i eat the sammy fast as hell, usually i like to pick up the little fallen pieces of cauliflower and eat them with my fingers, but today i was less picky if they were too tiny i dindt even bother, after the sammy i was full, but i carried this bean salad down here so i cracked it open and went to town, wolfing that shit down... I couldnt really make a dent I WAS REAEALLY FUll, but i told myself hey now you wont be hungry for so long itll be worth it itll be worth it, i pounded back some more bean salad made with 4 pounds total of 4 different beans, the fava beans soaked with the black beans so their color looked like a smokers lunch and they didnt soak long enough so there was some bite to all varieties of beans, heck yeah it isnt my best arrangement of this salad i have done it better before. I couldnt finish the whole salad which is fine i was walking like a door back to the office, like a door being pivotted from one corner to another, like the card guys in alice in wonderland. i get back to the office and go to the bathroom and yeah, and YEAH i washed my hand WITH SOAP i soaped em up and then when i lean in to wash my hands i throw up in the sink, nothing major but mainly alarming. the salad is fine, ill stand by that, what the heck can go wrong with room temp beans, the salad is fine the sink height is the issue, the sink heigh i nearly the same height as a urinal, i just checked. ReplyForward

[geraldinemorey]

Kitchen Makeover with LG Appliances

Home trends change, and over time new upgrades are needed to make a home feel new again. See how Corey Decker of Sawdust 2 Stitches was able to take advantage of a few Home Depot products and upgrade her ‘90s style kitchen.

Our Kitchen Before

When we first moved into our current home it needed some serious lovin’.  The kitchen had some oddly placed walls, early 90’s golden oak cabinetry, band-aid colored walls, and a lackluster tile that pulled all the…interesting…color choices together.  I am not saying it was a horrible kitchen. I am just saying I personally was going to develop an eye twitch if left unaltered. In order to spare my eye spasms, and ultimately save my sanity, the kitchen makeover commenced immediately.

If you have followed along on my site, you have seen the initial process. The walls have since been taken down, the band-aid color abolished and the 90’s oak painted. As a DIY’er I pride myself on doing as much work as I possibly can for as cheap as I can possibly do it.  I was able to get a really good handle on the kitchen using a minimal budget and a lot of elbow grease.

However, there was still tweaking to be done. Ultimately, the pricier purchases (i.e.: appliances) would have to wait. I was at a beautiful holding point.

So what if all my appliances were mismatched and had been swapped out with Craigslist replacements?  I did not want to rush a decision or go and buy whatever happened to be on sale. I wanted to do my homework and have some time to ruminate on all the options.

Well, I have been ruminating for over two years now, and I am happy to announce that after 2.5 years, countless hours of online research and plenty of in-store, hands-on inspections, my kitchen is complete!  I have found the appliances that this kitchen was missing, and I even dialed in the design style I was trying to find with these LG appliances. I knew that I wanted to add some strategic pops of black and add a few select pieces of natural wood tones to warm up the space.

So here was my thought process to executing those ideas.

Fridge:  LG Electronics, 23 cu. ft. 4-Door French Door Smart Refrigerator with InstaView Door-in-Door in Stainless Steel, Counter Depth

I think we can all agree that a fridge has the potential to make or break a space.   They are physically LARGE and whether we like it or not, they do play into the design aspect of a kitchen.  When I was shopping for a fridge, aesthetics was definitely a part of the search criteria. I have been loving the look of the new dark appliances, but I am planning on being in this home for a very long time and wanted to make a logical, safe decision when it came to expensive purchases.  When I add trendy or bold pieces I always opt for inexpensive, easily changeable pieces.  It is a lot easier to switch out hand towels than it is to repaint kitchen walls, get what I am saying?

As I started looking for my dream appliances I made a list of all the features I wanted:

Brushed Stainless

French Doors

Drawer Freezer Compartment

Exterior Ice and Water Dispenser

Counter-Depth

I know that “Counter-Depth” may seem like an odd requirement but it is one of those random things that makes me happy. It makes my eye a little twitchy when the fridge protrudes out into the kitchen. While I realize you do loose some cubic ft., I have noticed that when there is food tucked away in the back corners of a standard depth fridge it tends to get forgotten!   With the counter depth fridge everything is visible and easy to locate.

While there were a handful of brands that met these requirements, I ultimately fell in love with the LG Electronics 4-Door French Door, French Door, with InstaView Door-in-Door, Wi-Fi Enabled Refrigerator,

This was a thing of beauty! It has all of the above mention requirements, but it also has an “InstaView Door-in-Door”. It is awesome! This allows you to view the inside of the door compartment by simply knocking twice on the panel. We use this handy little compartment to keep all our commonly used items like milk.  It allows us access to them but does not let all the cold air out of the larger unit. And, it acts as an energy-saving barrier.

It was love at first site.  I had found my fridge and was in love with the sleek design of the LG line so finding accompanying appliances was a breeze.

Range: LG Electronics, 6.3 cu. ft. Slide-In Electric Range with ProBake Convection Oven in Stainless Steel

Remember how the “counter depth fridge” was an important requirement when selecting a fridge? Well, I had one non-traditional requests in regard to my range, I really wanted something that did not have a large control panel that visually broke up my backsplash.  Yes, it might seem like a petty request, but when you compare it to traditional style with the large upright control panel, it is a huge difference.

It was definitely the look that hooked me, but it was the amazing features that sold me. Well let’s be honest, sold my husband. (He is definitely the chef in the family.)

The new LG convection design is inspired by professional-style ranges, instead of heating unevenly from the bottom of the oven, it heats evenly from the back of the oven.  This ensures “optimal heat distribution”.

The cooktop also has really impressed me, they have flexible heating elements!  What does this mean?  Most standard cooktops include two large burners and two small burners. Well on this fancy cooktop with the twist of a dial you can turn the large elements into smaller ones.

Another thing I love is in addition to the standard four burners it has a fifth cooktop heating element that is specifically used as a “warming” unit.

One last thing that I LOVE… I am not much of a cook, but I am an obsessive cleaner.  This bad boy has a ten minute quick clean setting!  That’s right, no more harsh cleaners or smoking out your kitchen for a few hours.  After cooking a big meal, just put on the quick cleaner and you are good to go before you have finished eating your entrée. Boo-yah.

Dishwasher: LG Electronics, Top Control Tall Tub Smart Dishwasher with 3rd Rack and WiFi Enabled in Stainless Steel with Stainless Steel Tub

When it comes to streamlining appliances, LG pulled out all the stops.  Their dishwasher is no exception.  Look at how sleek it is.

No buttons for little fingers to absent mindedly press, leaving you wondering why the dishwasher is all the sudden set to a delicate cycle when YOU KNOW you set that bad boy to “hard baked-on lasagna setting”. (No it’s not a technical term, but you know the setting I am talking about.)

All the buttons are displayed across the top ledge of the machine.  Simply select your desired setting before closing. Done.  Once it is closed little fingers can’t come and magically delay start your cycle when you are expecting company for dinner.

Microwave: LG Electronics, 2.0 cu. ft. Over the Range Microwave in Stainless Steel with Sensor Cook

Last but certainly not least,  the kitchen appliance that I sadly rely on the heaviest.  The microwave.

It is a bit horrifying how much I depend on my microwave. And I definitely have full faith in this beauty. Not only does it come equipped with the fancy industry-standard features, but it also goes above and beyond with its capabilities.

Naturally, it has the rotating glass turntable, various cooking options, and 10 power levels. But it has raised the bar on industry standards, my friends!  The LG Sensor Microwave has built-in sensor cooking that can determine when food is thoroughly cooked and will automatically turn off! What?!

But wait there is more! Not only can it cook your food unsupervised, but it can also do this with multiple items simultaneously. Thanks to its bi-level cooking rack. Game changer.

All-in-all these new LG Appliances have simplified our lives and taken our kitchen to the next level. But wait there is more, did you know they are “smart” too?   LG has an app that will allow you to access all sorts of goodies on your appliances. The app truly is a huge selling point, it can do anything from monitor your fridge temp to let you know when the dishwasher cycle is complete!  It can even run diagnostics on your appliances.  How cool!?

With all the smart features and it’s sleek appearance, it enhances the look of this kitchen and makes it a pleasure to work in.

The post Kitchen Makeover with LG Appliances appeared first on The Home Depot Blog.

The post Kitchen Makeover with LG Appliances appeared first on ZE Links AMZN.

Kitchen Makeover with LG Appliances posted first on https://zelinksamzn.com

[jonasjjackson]

Kitchen Makeover with LG Appliances

Home trends change, and over time new upgrades are needed to make a home feel new again. See how Corey Decker of Sawdust 2 Stitches was able to take advantage of a few Home Depot products and upgrade her ‘90s style kitchen.

Our Kitchen Before

When we first moved into our current home it needed some serious lovin’.  The kitchen had some oddly placed walls, early 90’s golden oak cabinetry, band-aid colored walls, and a lackluster tile that pulled all the…interesting…color choices together.  I am not saying it was a horrible kitchen. I am just saying I personally was going to develop an eye twitch if left unaltered. In order to spare my eye spasms, and ultimately save my sanity, the kitchen makeover commenced immediately.

If you have followed along on my site, you have seen the initial process. The walls have since been taken down, the band-aid color abolished and the 90’s oak painted. As a DIY’er I pride myself on doing as much work as I possibly can for as cheap as I can possibly do it.  I was able to get a really good handle on the kitchen using a minimal budget and a lot of elbow grease.

However, there was still tweaking to be done. Ultimately, the pricier purchases (i.e.: appliances) would have to wait. I was at a beautiful holding point.

So what if all my appliances were mismatched and had been swapped out with Craigslist replacements?  I did not want to rush a decision or go and buy whatever happened to be on sale. I wanted to do my homework and have some time to ruminate on all the options.

Well, I have been ruminating for over two years now, and I am happy to announce that after 2.5 years, countless hours of online research and plenty of in-store, hands-on inspections, my kitchen is complete!  I have found the appliances that this kitchen was missing, and I even dialed in the design style I was trying to find with these LG appliances. I knew that I wanted to add some strategic pops of black and add a few select pieces of natural wood tones to warm up the space.

So here was my thought process to executing those ideas.

Fridge:  LG Electronics, 23 cu. ft. 4-Door French Door Smart Refrigerator with InstaView Door-in-Door in Stainless Steel, Counter Depth

I think we can all agree that a fridge has the potential to make or break a space.   They are physically LARGE and whether we like it or not, they do play into the design aspect of a kitchen.  When I was shopping for a fridge, aesthetics was definitely a part of the search criteria. I have been loving the look of the new dark appliances, but I am planning on being in this home for a very long time and wanted to make a logical, safe decision when it came to expensive purchases.  When I add trendy or bold pieces I always opt for inexpensive, easily changeable pieces.  It is a lot easier to switch out hand towels than it is to repaint kitchen walls, get what I am saying?

As I started looking for my dream appliances I made a list of all the features I wanted:

Brushed Stainless

French Doors

Drawer Freezer Compartment

Exterior Ice and Water Dispenser

Counter-Depth

I know that “Counter-Depth” may seem like an odd requirement but it is one of those random things that makes me happy. It makes my eye a little twitchy when the fridge protrudes out into the kitchen. While I realize you do loose some cubic ft., I have noticed that when there is food tucked away in the back corners of a standard depth fridge it tends to get forgotten!   With the counter depth fridge everything is visible and easy to locate.

While there were a handful of brands that met these requirements, I ultimately fell in love with the LG Electronics 4-Door French Door, French Door, with InstaView Door-in-Door, Wi-Fi Enabled Refrigerator,

This was a thing of beauty! It has all of the above mention requirements, but it also has an “InstaView Door-in-Door”. It is awesome! This allows you to view the inside of the door compartment by simply knocking twice on the panel. We use this handy little compartment to keep all our commonly used items like milk.  It allows us access to them but does not let all the cold air out of the larger unit. And, it acts as an energy-saving barrier.

It was love at first site.  I had found my fridge and was in love with the sleek design of the LG line so finding accompanying appliances was a breeze.

Range: LG Electronics, 6.3 cu. ft. Slide-In Electric Range with ProBake Convection Oven in Stainless Steel

Remember how the “counter depth fridge” was an important requirement when selecting a fridge? Well, I had one non-traditional requests in regard to my range, I really wanted something that did not have a large control panel that visually broke up my backsplash.  Yes, it might seem like a petty request, but when you compare it to traditional style with the large upright control panel, it is a huge difference.

It was definitely the look that hooked me, but it was the amazing features that sold me. Well let’s be honest, sold my husband. (He is definitely the chef in the family.)

The new LG convection design is inspired by professional-style ranges, instead of heating unevenly from the bottom of the oven, it heats evenly from the back of the oven.  This ensures “optimal heat distribution”.

The cooktop also has really impressed me, they have flexible heating elements!  What does this mean?  Most standard cooktops include two large burners and two small burners. Well on this fancy cooktop with the twist of a dial you can turn the large elements into smaller ones.

Another thing I love is in addition to the standard four burners it has a fifth cooktop heating element that is specifically used as a “warming” unit.

One last thing that I LOVE… I am not much of a cook, but I am an obsessive cleaner.  This bad boy has a ten minute quick clean setting!  That’s right, no more harsh cleaners or smoking out your kitchen for a few hours.  After cooking a big meal, just put on the quick cleaner and you are good to go before you have finished eating your entrée. Boo-yah.

Dishwasher: LG Electronics, Top Control Tall Tub Smart Dishwasher with 3rd Rack and WiFi Enabled in Stainless Steel with Stainless Steel Tub

When it comes to streamlining appliances, LG pulled out all the stops.  Their dishwasher is no exception.  Look at how sleek it is.

No buttons for little fingers to absent mindedly press, leaving you wondering why the dishwasher is all the sudden set to a delicate cycle when YOU KNOW you set that bad boy to “hard baked-on lasagna setting”. (No it’s not a technical term, but you know the setting I am talking about.)

All the buttons are displayed across the top ledge of the machine.  Simply select your desired setting before closing. Done.  Once it is closed little fingers can’t come and magically delay start your cycle when you are expecting company for dinner.

Microwave: LG Electronics, 2.0 cu. ft. Over the Range Microwave in Stainless Steel with Sensor Cook

Last but certainly not least,  the kitchen appliance that I sadly rely on the heaviest.  The microwave.

It is a bit horrifying how much I depend on my microwave. And I definitely have full faith in this beauty. Not only does it come equipped with the fancy industry-standard features, but it also goes above and beyond with its capabilities.

Naturally, it has the rotating glass turntable, various cooking options, and 10 power levels. But it has raised the bar on industry standards, my friends!  The LG Sensor Microwave has built-in sensor cooking that can determine when food is thoroughly cooked and will automatically turn off! What?!

But wait there is more! Not only can it cook your food unsupervised, but it can also do this with multiple items simultaneously. Thanks to its bi-level cooking rack. Game changer.

All-in-all these new LG Appliances have simplified our lives and taken our kitchen to the next level. But wait there is more, did you know they are “smart” too?   LG has an app that will allow you to access all sorts of goodies on your appliances. The app truly is a huge selling point, it can do anything from monitor your fridge temp to let you know when the dishwasher cycle is complete!  It can even run diagnostics on your appliances.  How cool!?

With all the smart features and it’s sleek appearance, it enhances the look of this kitchen and makes it a pleasure to work in.

The post Kitchen Makeover with LG Appliances appeared first on The Home Depot Blog.

from Home https://blog.homedepot.com/kitchen-makeover-with-lg-appliances/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[bienready2122]

A Review of the Panasonic NN-SD377S 0.8 Cubic Ft 800 Watt Stainless Steel Microwave Oven

I recently tried the Panasonic NN-SD377S 0.8 cubic foot, 800 watt stainless steel microwave oven for a period of four weeks. I did this so that I could provide a detailed review to anyone considering buying this model. I normally put away my usual microwave oven during a test period, but this Panasonic is a compact model and not meant to take the place of a full-sized unit. Instead, I put this microwave oven into an upstairs room to supplement our family's normal microwave, not replace it. Here is my review  microondas

This model is an inexpensive, compact unit that will cost you just under $100. Expectations should be formed accordingly. I unpacked my new Panasonic NN-Sd377S microwave oven from the box and examined it. It has a heavy, well-constructed overall feel to it. It looks very sleek and modern, with the main finish being stainless steel accented with black. There is a control dial rather than a number keypad. I would have expected that to lend an old-fashioned feel to the overall appearance, but it does not. It is a bit on the small side, not nearly as large as I am accustomed to having in my kitchen. There is a rotating turntable, something very useful that is not always found on compact models. Overall, this microwave oven is very stylish and esthetically pleasing; I think it would look great in any kitchen or office.

I plugged in my new Panasonic microwave oven and noticed something strange. The cord does not come out of the back, unlike most appliances I have used. Instead the cord is located on the right side of the unit, about 2 inches from the front. This would mean running the cord across the countertop in most situations. I had an open space in the corner of my office, with an outlet on the wall to the right. This is where I decided to put the Panasonic microwave oven, as it didn't make the cord placement awkward for me. But this is something to keep in mind if you have a specific place in mind for your new microwave oven.

We make a lot of popcorn in our home; that is probably what we used this Panasonic microwave for most often. We were very pleased with the results, for the most part. The popcorn was usually popped well, with very few unpopped kernels and no burnt ones. The only complaint is that sometimes larger popcorn bags tend to get stuck and not rotate too well. This problem seems to be remedied by making sure the bag is absolutely centered on the turntable, but if you don't do that you are likely to get some burnt kernels.

This unit works very well for small, one person frozen meals. I also loved using it to steam vegetables while a main meal was in my full-sized microwave oven. I was surprised by how much my entire family, including myself, loved the control dial instead of the normal keypad. Sometimes something old-fashioned and simple is just better.

Overall, this is a good compact microwave oven. It is ideal for an office or a single person's home, where large family sized meals are never prepared. I also found it worked quite well as a secondary microwave oven, and I plan to continue to keep it in my home. I would not, however, recommend this as the sole microwave in a home where large meals for two or more people are often prepared. Visit Microwave Oven Reviews for more information on this model and many more. You will find thousands of reviews as well as a handy buying guide to help you along the way.

[robertkgrove]

The Importance of Living a Healthy Lifestyle As a Family

The importance of living a healthy lifestyle for maintaining general good health and preventing chronic diseases has been well established. A healthy lifestyle is quite simple to achieve - one does not need to do anything "crazy" to adopt a healthy lifestyle. I will say that a certain amount of independent thinking is required to separate truth from fiction in most modern health advice currently being delivered.

The most important thing you can do is eat well. Avoid toxins in your food as much as possible and consume plenty of fresh fruit, veggies and whole grains; exercise moderately a few times per week; avoid smoking, including secondhand smoke; and avoid gaining too much weight (which should come naturally if you eat right and exercise). While it is not always possible to eat all Organic food - the EWG recommends 12 fruits and vegetables that should be organic because of their higher levels of pesticide residue. Avoiding environmental toxins as much as you can is an important part of achieving a healthy lifestyle.

Our modern lifestyle is very convenient - but it can also be extremely unhealthy. Most of us eat too many processed foods and too few fruit and veggies; we rarely exercise; and when we develop chronic conditions such as diabetes, we rely on conventional medications to make us feel better - but these medications often have devastating side effects. Instead of accepting the importance of living a healthy lifestyle for us and for future generations, we continue with our bad habits - then take potent, toxic medication to treat our inevitable symptoms.

Of course, not all aspects of living a healthy lifestyle are in our control. We are going to be exposed to certain environmental toxins whether we like it or not. But many of these factors are absolutely in our control. Whenever we can, we should be responsible and make the right choices.

This is why it is so important to be sure you eat well as the key factor in achieving a healthy LIFESTYLE.

I say "lifestyle" because what I know is that "eating well" can sometimes be something a person does with resentment because they feel "sacrifice" is required to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

I remember when people who ate poor foods used to joke with me and say I was not really living because I chose not to eat pizza and drink beer - and I always replied "how much LIVING can you do when your body is recovering from what you put in it?

Shifting from an Unhealthy to a Healthy Lifestyle

The reason I discuss the healthy lifestyle tip of simply EATING WELL on my blog is because it has been so effective for my health.

It was not always like this though. I remember when I was addicted to a chocolate bar each day and I always had headaches or an infection or illness of some kind.

In addition to excessive sugar cravings (eating a chocolate bar each day) I also suffered from many unhealthy symptoms that were challenging to resolve through traditional medicine: Frequent headaches, Skin problems (ie. eczema, acne, hives, Bloating, Gas, Bad Breath, Weak or brittle hair and nails, Fatigue and lethargy, Excessive stress, Candida overgrowth, Yeast infections, Food or Environmental Allergies, Anxiety or depression, Diarrhea, Constipation, Memory loss, Mood swings, Frequent colds or infections, PMS or bad menstrual cramps, Bladder infection, Loss of sex drive...etc

Ughhh! No fun at all!

Years later, I LOVE good food and I am rarely sick. Eating well is the perfect way to get in tune with your body and really get back to basics of what your body needs. It challenges you to give up the vices that you take for granted, break your addictive eating habits and start again from the beginning. Eating well is a healthy lifestyle choice that gives you clarity on what your body really needs, not craves and becomes the foundation for all other healthy lifestyle choices.

An important thing to remember with eating well is to really examine your root philosophy for adapting more healthy foods into your lifestyle.

This is SO IMPORTANT!

If it's simply to loose a few pounds - I personally feel that this is not enough of a motivator and you will set yourself up for "failure" however, if you choose to eat well to enjoy a better quality of life, to do things you have not done in years and to not get sick anymore, then this is a wonderful motivator that will likely last!

So, getting really practical, eating well obviously involves making a few changes to the foods you prepare and enjoy.

I always listen to my body when I eat. I do not calorie count, measure my fist, use ratio's or anything that causes me to separate myself form the food I eat.

The main reason I enjoy excellent health is because I am critical of what I eat - I choose to eat REAL food.

Because of this, I do not need expensive supplements or challenging programs to maintain my weight.

Delicious menus of real, whole foods allow me to enjoy the things so many diet plans warn against.

This sounds simple enough, but what I have learned is that many people simply do not know what a healthy lifestyle consists of, especially when it comes to food!

I try to keep things as simple as possible. I shop from the perimeter of the grocery store, eat mostly wild and free range chicken, very little meat and mostly raw organic fruits and vegetables, with beans and rice. It's not practical to list everything I eat here, but feel free to visit my blog and download your FREE Healthy Grocery List while you are here!

The Future Depends on our Health Living a healthy lifestyle, free as much as possible of toxins (in our environment and in our food) and of stress, is important to us - but it's also important for future generations. Scientists are also now discovering the impact nutrition has on our DNA! Healthy trees bear healthy fruit. A continued lifestyle of sickness will have a lasting effect on future generations and on our planet.

The results of years of www.dailybusinessstudy.com living an unhealthy lifestyle are obvious. We are currently faced with a sharp increase in chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, with an obesity rate so high it's considered an epidemic, and with growing rates of infertility. The number of children diagnosed with autism, Asperger's syndrome or ADHD is alarmingly high.

We should also remember that our children carefully watch us and emulate us. If they see us act responsibly now, they will likely adopt a similar approach of taking care of themselves and of the planet when they become adults.

We must each ask ourselves if we are modeling the importance of a healthy lifestyle to our children. If we do not show them how to care for themselves, they will likely turn to the food corporations instead. How will they know the difference between real food, "food like" substances?

I keep about 6 - 8 fantastic cookbooks on hand. From these books, I create simple meal plans that I rotate each month based on about 15 simple meal ideas.

In addition to eating Delicious Food (that is real and healthy!) I suggest the following ways to help model a positive approach to food in our children:

Young children especially learn about the world through imitation. How do you feel each day as you prepare your family's meals? Are you hurried, frustrated, and disconnected? We can show our children that eating healthy is important by the way we approach our meal times. If we are happy and engaged in making a meal, and then take pleasure in eating together we affirm that food is more than something to fill the hole but is a necessary part of a happy and healthy family life. In short, your children will imitate what they see so make sure you are placing a positive value around the activities involving healthy living.

Involve your children in meal preparation, even once or twice a week. By discussing how good certain foods taste and by letting them help you cook you will show that it's important to take the time to prepare a healthy meal instead of throwing something in the microwave. You never know, you may inspire a future chef!

Make a plan to eat together as a family as often as possible. By each decision you make to eat together, you are casting a value judgment on the importance of healthy living and that it involves more than just eating a few more vegetables.

We can and should make an effort to change our habits and accept the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. If society won't make changes, then we as individuals need to make them. After all, if we leave our health to someone else guess what they have planned for you? Not much.

I have absolute confidence that you can make the switch to living a healthy lifestyle and eliminating the nuisance symptoms that result from a body that is overloaded with toxins from our North American lifestyle. I was able to do this by following simple strategies, cooking from informative books that helped me switch my lifestyle over and enjoying life!

In all this talk about living a healthy lifestyle - we cannot overlook simply choosing to ENJOY LIFE!

Please visit my blog to view specific recommendations and download your FREE healthy grocery list!