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yukiwrites · 3 years

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Khalid, Nervous

Thank you so much for the support and patience as always, @xpegasusuniverse !! This was a blast to write, so I hope you like it!

Summary: Khalid walked towards the path of being crowned King of Almyra, though he still had some time to go. Before he could begin the plan to open the borders to Fódlan, he planned to receive a diplomatic envoy to foster better understanding between the nations. However, he found suspicious that Balthus was so quiet lately...

Commission info HERE and HERE!

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Although Almyra, the state itself, never played an actual part in the civil war in Fódlan due to both countries’ constant animosity, some people at the castle named the upcoming diplomatic meeting as ‘Seeing old allies again’.

Honestly, from where Khalid was coming from, that was a great step. The few Almyran that helped deal with Nemesis and all that he entailed went back home filled with pride, talking about the fast friends they had made there during all of that fighting.

Even though it had been a few months since the end of the war, the lock at Fódlan’s Throat was still tightly closed, which was a given, honestly. Fódlan still needed to put itself back on its feet with its internal affairs before considering its neighbors -- this diplomatic mission was to be the first step into opening the borders from both sides to allow for a friendly relationship between them.

Since many of the people ‘from the top’, as some of the Almyran soldiers called, from both sides already knew each other, this first meeting was more of a formality than one to hold any true political meaning. After all, Khalid was still to be crowned as King, and the first bullet point in his agenda after the coronation was to start the peace talks for good.

As he was still a prince; and as Fódlan was still restructuring itself under Byleth and the reformed Church of Seiros, they were simply setting up the common ground for the people to start getting used to the news of both nations being on friendly terms.

Still, that did not mean that the meeting was of any less importance, especially considering those who would be coming as representatives: Lorenz as the head apparent of House Gloucester, accompanied by his fiancée, Leonie, as the political ambassadors; while Hilda would come as a ‘cultural ambassador’ as she called herself in her last letter.

It would be a breath of fresh air to meet with his old classmates, especially with those who weren’t a constant thorn at his side… and those who weren’t blatantly hitting on his parents…

“Hahh… I was doing such a good job not thinking about it for one hour.” Claude slumped on the pile of papers he needed to go over to prepare everything for the ambassadors’ arrival. Since this was an initiative of his own as the Crown Prince, Claude was the one responsible for everything.

Of course, Tiana and Arash would meet them as the heads of state, but since Khalidwas already at the end of his studies to be the head of government, their role was more of open support rather than a decision-making one. Claude wouldn’t become King in a year or two; but since diplomatic relations between countries was a sensitive matter, it would be better to put it to motion while he was still a prince.

Such a trail of thought brought him back to his own position as a prince and how his parents, the King and Queen, had a permanent pest going after them… all by Claude’s doing.

Khalid scratched the back of his neck, then ran his hands through his head in an attempt to bring back the peace of mind he had worked hard to attain for the past hour.

Balthus had basically decided that he would be living off of the castle for the rest of his life -- or at least that was what he seemed to have planned, at least. He had memorized the rulers’ schedules to the point that he knew when and where to ambush them to demand for a spar or to simply be beaten up by Tiana for flirting with Arash.

It seemed as though he liked to be beat up by her, to which Khalid decided that was the most thought he would put in that specific matter. He couldn’t say it was all bad, however. Of course, it was still 90% bad; but the not-so-bad 10%, the one that Balthus actually pulled his own weight, made it hard for Khalid to always be mad at him. He usually either helped with the townsguard training, patrolling, or even ran errands for them here and there, though that last one was so eventual it might be non-existent.

Still, Claude was more than embarrassed to meet again with Lorenz, Leonie and Hilda while Balthus was making himself so at home he might start walking around in his undergarments at any time…

The thought brought a shiver down Claude’s spine, making him sit up straight. After being tense for a few moments, the prince exhaled and shook his head. “This isn’t like me,” he sighed, “whether I like it or not, I know the guy too well by now, so I can prepare for any… scene he might cause. Anyway,” he cracked his neck and knuckles, focusing his attention on the papers, “let’s get these over with right away. The ambassadors are set to arrive soon…”

Preparations for the diplomatic delegation weren’t all that hard, nor were they extense. The Crown couldn’t be seen spending much on a visit that was more of a formality towards the first step to the peace talks -- as most almyrans still held prejudices against the fodlanese, the process had to be gradual.

In the near future, they would allow for tourists to travel between countries, as a way to let the people mingle and let the preconceived notions melt away naturally. For now, however, the task at hand was to welcome Khalid’s former classmates.

They were to be brought over to the castle grounds by the palace guard, where they would greet Khalid first. Then, they would be shown to their quarters to freshen up just enough for them to get ready for the modest welcome banquet prepared for them -- where they would meet the king and queen. It was scheduled that they would only meet Balthus then, though it was anyone’s guess if he would comply or not.

In Balthus’ mind, he wasn’t unreasonable -- well, he knew he could act on impulse sometimes, but he was one to follow the orders of those he chose to bow his head to. Wasn’t he a model student back at the Officer’s Academy? He, too, could sit back and wait for his turn.

Such a mindset was what Khalid counted on, honestly; though it wouldn’t be nearly as much trouble for Balthus to meet the fodlanese envoys earlier than him sneaking closer to the king and queen…

“Ahem!” Claude cleared his throat as he stood in wait for the escorts to bring the ambassadors to the main hall. It would do him no good to dread something that was beyond his control -- he had to better himself to BE able to control the matter in the future.

As if on cue, the court marshal prepared to announce the foreign guests. “Lady Hilda Valentine Goneril of the Goneril Duchy has arrived! Count Lorenz Hellman Gloucester and Lady Leonie Pinelli from the Gloucester County have arrived!” He shouted as the large doors were pushed open to reveal them. Once they stepped in, he continued, “guests from Fódlan, you stand in the presence of our kingdom’s light, prince Khalid inb Arash!”

Hilda was the first to enter due to her higher status as the daughter of a duke, though she wore her usual carefree smile. She made sure to bow politely, showcasing proper respect towards the prince in front of her. “Whoa, KHALID, huh? It’s gonna take a while to get used to that, even if I’ve been reading your signature on your letters lately!” She giggled, running to his side to allow for Lorenz and Leonie’s greeting.

“Lorenz Hellman Gloucester greets the light of Almyra, prince Khalid ibn Arash,” he bowed respectfully, his well-trimmed and slick hair falling down on his shoulders.

On the other hand, Leonie looked from Hilda to Lorenz then back at Claude, shrugging at the end. “Uh, hi there, Claude, long time no see.” She greeted with half a bow, wearing her usual smile.

“Haha! Yes, yes, welcome!” He opened both arms as if to hug them all at once, though he only patted their shoulders. “It’s great to meet all of you again, now without needing any secrets.”

“... Any secrets, your highness?” Lorenz raised one eyebrow in doubt, raising himself back to his height after Claude’s pat.

“You know me, Lorenz,” Khalid winked, then turned around. “Now, you all must be exhausted from the long trip! You’ll be escorted to your rooms, so enjoy our hospitality until the banquet later tonight.”

“Sending me away so soon?” Hilda complained, stretching as she walked beside Claude. “Well, not that I’m against it. I’m beat! I wanna rest! My back hurts!”

“Hahaha, that’s the Hilda I know and love!” Khalid threw his head back in laughter. “I’m sure you’ll feel comfortable with the service here, so go on have a soak at Almyra’s special hot tub bath…” He lowered his voice as if speaking a secret, though it was more for suspense rather than secrecy. He knew how much Hilda loved scented baths and being pampered.

That made the young woman’s eyes sparkle. “Woohoo! No need to tell me twice!” She sped up in front, following the servants that were guiding them.

“Whoa, Claude, I mean, Khalid-” Leonie approached, “even though we exchanged letters, it’s still hard to believe that you were a prince all along! I never would’ve guessed.”

“You can call me Claude if you want, I know some people will never get used to it…” Khalid trailed off, then cleared his throat. “Anyway, you gotta tell me how the mercenary's life's been treating you at dinner. I heard you were rounding up Jeralt’s men…”

“Yeah, it’s been a blast! It’s hard work, sure, but finishing up a job to help folks is always worth it in the end.” Leonie crossed her arms behind her head. “Besides, we’re mostly taking requests from Lorenz here to help stabilize the Alliance.”

“Rather, the territory that used to be the Alliance, Leonie.” Lorenz pinched in, coughing as though to announce that he was there as well.

“Yeah, that’s what I meant! Fódlan’s united and all, but us folks are still getting used to the new names and stuff.” Leonie bobbed her head to the side. “It won’t matter much for the commoners at the bottom of the food chain, but we’re doing what we can to help them.”

Khalid watched the couple with a smile, remembering how close they had gotten with each other during the war. It was to the point that the news of their engagement didn’t come as a surprise to him -- or to any of their classmates, for that matter -- since it was obvious that their hearts were with each other.

Now, they worked together as the noble that looked at the big picture and the commoner that helped pick out the details that would affect the common people the most, which was a great combination, honestly.

At the banquet, when Tiana commented on being cautious over the ‘Gloucester heir’ as she bitterly referred to Lorenz, Khalid made his point.

“To be honest, Mother, he was kind of like what you’re imagining when we were students. He still had his own kind of honor and felt much better than his father, but there was some stuck-upness to him that was unbearable at the time. But he got more agreeable after the war. Heck, even during it, too.”

“That’s high praise coming from you, Son.” Arash laughed under his wine cup.

Tiana narrowed her eyes at the Lorenz and Leonie duo, already seated at their appointed seat by the table closest to the royal family’s. “I’d struggle to believe it if I hadn't seen the two of them coming together. That family is… ah, was, I suppose, poisonous. It’s good that the past seems to have been forgotten.”

“Yeah,” Khalid met Lorenz’s eyes from a distance and smiled after receiving a respectful nod in response. “Don’t tell him I said that, but I’m glad to have him on our side.”

“Pfft!” Tiana threw her head back in laughter, accompanied by Arash’s stiff chuckles. “Don’t worry, Son, I wouldn’t disgrace you by telling your friend how much you treasure him!”

Khalid laughed awkwardly in response, scratching the back of his neck.

He heard familiar stomps coming from behind him, which made his heart fall before he even turned around to check. The voice that greeted him wasn’t a deep one, though.

“Claude, listen to this!” Hilda pouted behind the prince, nodding at the king and queen in acknowledgement for randomly approaching their table. “Balthie won’t listen to me!” She pulled the large man’s arm with both of her own.

Somehow, Balthus seemed to be behaving TOO well since the announcement of the ambassadors. Even at that moment, although his face was flushed from drinking, he still had his lips tightly closed and looked away to the ceiling. What was going on?

Without waiting for Khalid’s reply, Hilda continued.

“You know I was originally gonna come with Caspar, right?” She grumbled as Khalid got up and nodded in confusion.

“Yeah…?” He left the royal table to guide Hilda back at the guest table.

“Well, that was in the beginning… We were just back home after a trip and Holst told us about this mission so I was really excited for us to come together! I wanted to bring him to the market and have a lot of fun… We’re just about married…”

“...” Balthus scratched his temple awkwardly, stealing glances at Hilda before looking back up to the ceiling. Watching that, Khalid crossed his arms, urging Hilda to continue.

“But my brother said that he was too busy to deal with a lot of stuff and he needed extra muscle, so Caspar had to stay back! That was so unfair.” She yanked Balthus’ arm so he would come down to her height. “Holst said that if I wanted to avoid leaving my hubby back home when I travel, I had to bring the ‘extra muscle’ back home with me! But Balthie just keeps avoiding me when I mention it!”

“Oh? Oho?!” Claude’s eyes sparkled for the first time that evening. “You mean Holst is calling in one of the favors Balthus owns… and wants him back in Goneril, is that it?” He asked Hilda, but looked straight at Balthus’ direction.

Now the big man was avoiding two pairs of gazes.

“Balthieee!” Hilda shook him, making his head dangle one side to the other.

“Hahh…” Balthus sighed deeply, deflating so much he reached to the nearby table and yanked a wine jug to down it all in one go. “I’m not saying I’m not going, little miss. I owe Holst a lot more than just my life.”

Claude’s chest beat with excitment. Balthus was leaving?!

“... But I want to make Almyra my home.” The moment those words were out in the open, Khalid’s heart fell. His home? His… home?! Unaware of Claude’s whiplash, Balthus continued. “Since Goneril is just there at the border, I can go whenever, right?” He laughed, well hydrated from the now empty jug.

“No!! You have to go back before I do! I want Caspar to come here, too!” Hilda protested heavily, which was the reason for their argument in the first place.

“I can’t leave so suddenly like that, little miss!” Balthus raised his free hand in defense, but Hilda wanted her point to go through. That was a side of herself that she cultivated with her daily life alongside Caspar, and if Claude were in his right mind, he might’ve praised her for putting up a fight for something she wanted.

But Balthus’ words still rang in Khalid’s ears.

Make Almyra his home… Almyra… his home… Gods, please, no!

He thought that he would eventually be rid of the lummox, but if he planned on staying, there was not much Khalid could do to prevent it. Was he to suffer forever, was that it? Would he always have to watch his own back at his own home?

No, no… Nooo!

#claude fire emblem #balthus fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #fe3h #my writings #yuki's commissions

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wizardwisenmore · 5 years

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First Aid Gives Rodimus Hell

@alyonian a fic based on those posts about thunderclash asking first aid to write fanfiction for him

i put the final touches on this at like 4am so it might be a bit wonky, will look at it with a more awake mind later

The purple datapad that goes with First Aid everywhere is, supposedly, a personal journal for keeping track of schedules and random ideas to look at later. Which, in fact, isn’t completely incorrect but those schedules happen to be for in-person or online meetings with his clients and those little ideas he writes are for said clients. Well, now, “client” sounds a bit risque but what he’s doing is perfectly legitimate in First Aid’s opinion. He ignores the several helpful reminders from Ambulon that he writes literal porn sometimes, some of it far raunchier than one would initially think the medibot capable of. Hey, all that built up tension daydreaming about the Wreckers had to go somewhere right? So, whenever Ambulon does feel like reminding him, First Aid just in turn reminds of that nice, new, adjustable, and expensive berth he was able to buy him because of his “smutty money” which tends to shut him up pretty fast. First Aid is a bit loathe to admit how bad his far more, ahem, specialized stories are even to Ambulon. He supposes his willingness to write these kinds of stories is what got him his four regulars as well as his latest request from an anonymous individual that- Okay, no, First Aid knows exactly who it is. It’s so painfully obvious but he just doesn’t have the heart to tell Thunderclash that he knows it’s him. That big, soft-hearted lug is just so hopeless when it comes to hiding his identity, just, Primus, First Aid is having a field day with this one. The names of the main characters alone are enough to practically shout that his latest client is none other than the Greatest Autobot of All Time.

The content that’s been requested is more of a surprise than the fact that Thunderclash of all bots is commissioning a personalized story (fantasy) from him. He’s requested a story with two bots the heroic Lightningclash and the charming, beautiful, charismatic, kind, (the list goes on) Radius who find themselves (gasp) stuck on a planet alone together with no immediate way of contacting their ship. Lightningclash and Radius are then put through several perilous situations in which they save each other thus becoming closer and better people through their shared experiences (First Aid had rolled his optics at the cheesiness of it all but this is Thunderclash after all and he’s paying very well so, who cares?). While these initial interactions started out innocent enough, Thunderclash had become a bit bolder and requested a particularly saucy scene that takes place in a cave full of bioluminescent plants. First Aid doesn’t know if he should be ashamed or proud that he only hesitated for a split second before agreeing to write self-insert smut for Thunderclash with Rodimus or “Radius” as he’s being called in this specific rendition. He only hopes he can manage to write it without making it too obvious he knows and still be able to look Rodimus in the eye.

Ambulon shakes his head as First Aid taps the send button that makes a characteristic “woosh” sound as Thunderclash’ smut gets sent away to be consumed by the poor pining bot. He tries not to let it weigh too heavily on his mind as he goes about his work and even almost forgets about it entirely until Ambulon speaks up.

“Hey, First Aid?” Ambulon says over his shoulder while studying a datapad.

“Yeah?” First Aid looks over to him, medkit in hand.

“It’s a good thing that account of yours is anonymous,” Ambulon pulls a pained smirk and flips his datapad over to reveal the screen to First Aid, “because you just sent your smut to the entirety of the Lost Light.”

First Aid is definitely proud to say he didn’t faint then and there.

Thunderclash is just relaxing in his habsuite when a message pings in on his hud and he see that the story he requested from “NotaPrime” has been completed and opens it with no small amount of excitement. Another glance at the message has him frowning though. It seems that for some reason the message was sent to all of the Lost Light for whatever reason. Thunderclash worries for a moment that something might be up but puts it off for the time being in favor of his commissioned piece. A part of him cringes as he begins to read, the part of him that tells him that indulging in his fantasies this way is unhealthy and even creepy. If he was honest with himself he knows that this is just because he knows he could never be with someone like Rodimus, especially not when it seems as though he’s done something to upset the mech. All of that is forgotten, however, when he lands upon the scene where Lightningclash and Radius take shelter in a cave and things heat up.

His immediate reaction is damage control. He’s automatically sending Thunderclash an apology while rushing to call in a favor with Perceptor to delete the story from everyone’s accounts. The questions that surely will come with it he can handle, exposing himself to Perceptor is a small price to pay to maintain some semblance of dignity in the eyes of the rest of the crew. Anyone who reads it will know just who the smut is about. At this point it’s just a matter of beating the clock, a thought that urges him on, running through the halls ignoring anyone who tries to wave him down. Thankfully most people just get out of his way. Ah, the perks of being a medical officer. As he turns one corner just before the labs he spots Nautica looking over a datapad, giggling. He’s just about to put it off as paranoia until-

“Pfft, Lightningclash? Really?” Nautica chuckles as she consumes the little surprise gift that popped up in her messages.

First Aid doesn’t think he’s run this fast since before the war was over. Ragged and panicky, he makes it to the lab door just as a message pings in from Thunderclash’s anonymous account. It’s enough to make First Aid freeze in confusion and complete astonishment. The message reads:

“Oh! Yes, I saw that! But no worries! I was a little confused and concerned at first but you’re explanation clears that right up. I don’t mind other people seeing my commission. I’m sure nothing bad will come of it. Thank you for clearing that up and for the story. What I’ve read so far is wonderful!

-sent from Thorguy”

First Aid feels a crawling beneath his plates as if his circuits were doing a low-level defrag as he just stares at the door panel to the lab. Did he think he’d feel regret? Did he really think that flamboyant , energetic Thunderclash would feel shame? Apparently First Aid didn’t know him at all. Well, he did commission blatant and explicit porn so, perhaps First Aid underestimated the durability of his pride. These thoughts flicker through his processor until one very key factor filters through the calming thoughts. Thunderclash doesn’t know First Aid knows it’s him or how he knows it’s him. Thunderclash thinks he’s secure. Thunderclash thinks no one will know who the story is about.

“That idiot,” First Aid rests his helm against the lab door.

The door panel slides open to reveal a very confused Brainstorm with various pieces of tech bundled in his arms making First Aid jump back, startling him out of his dark reverie. Tension bounces between the two mechs both trying to decide what to say.

“Uh, I was picking up some spare parts from Percy,” Brainstorm jostles the odd bits and ends as an indication of what he’s referring to.

“Right, yeah, sure,” First Aid backs up to let him pass, “I just, uh, was hoping to ask Perceptor for a favor.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure something’s wrong with my spam filter. I’ve tried everything but I just can’t set it up properly.”

“Oh, right, mundane stuff. Yeah, more his thing.”

They fumble a little as Brainstorm makes his leave and First Aid walks into Perceptor’s lab, exventing heavily after all the stress begins to ebb away. When he takes a look around the lab the dimness and slight mess strikes First Aid as a little unusual for the normally tidy scientist. When he spots Perceptor he can’t help but feel a little concerned at how tired he looks with his shoulders sagging as he leans back up against a counter and his fully exposed optics shuttering lazily every so often. First Aid makes his way to Perceptor’s side startling the bedraggled microscope and begins to do an impromptu preliminary check up.

“Ah, First Aid, wh- what can I help you with?” Perceptor manages to say after getting over his initial shock.

“First, you can tell me what you were doing that taxed your systems this much,” First Aid remarks, shaking his head at the results of his scan.

“Brainstorm and I pulled an all-nighter and I neglected to refuel,” Perceptor looks away in shame.

“You know that’s not good for you but even if you did that that still wouldn’t have been enough to make you this tired.”

“Yes, well, it was a long night.”

“It certainly must have been.”

Perceptor doesn’t say anything while keeping his optics anywhere but towards First Aid only succeeding in making the beginnings of serious worry bubble up in the medibot.

“Perceptor, be honest with me,” First Aid levels himself so that he’s face-to-face with Perceptor, “What’s going on with you and Brainstorm?”

The effect of that statement is instant and Perceptor struggles to find his voice in an awkward cluster of broken syllables. Eventually he gives up and exvents.

“I probably should have gone to see you about it earlier. I noticed that it wore me out quite a bit before but didn’t feel it was anything to worry about. This particular bout was especially tiring though. I try to reassure Brainstorm but it’s gotten to a point where I think I can’t just blow it off as nothing anymore,” Perceptor seems to have gathered himself more, managing to explain himself more thoroughly and honestly.

“Wait, so you mean…”

“Brainstorm and I have initiated an intimate and sexual relationship. Our sessions together leave me lethargic and I often have to recharge for a longer period in order to make up for it.”

“Oh!” First Aid brightens and begins a more thorough check of his systems, paying close attention to the power systems linked up with his interfacing array.

“Is everything alright?”

“Everything seems to check out. I don’t understand why you would be experiencing such heavy energy withdrawal.”

“Then why…?”

“Uh, this may seem a bit intrusive…”

“No, it’s alright.”

“How are your sessions normally? Is there anything you can think of that may relate to this?”

“Well,” Perceptor retracts into himself again, “Brainstorm is rather energetic. He never seems to get tired.”

“So you try to keep up with him,” First Aid sighs and shakes his head, “You shouldn’t push yourself like that. That or you should allow yourself more breaks. If you don’t tell him you’re wearing down he won’t be able to take that into consideration.”

Perceptor holds his face in his hands and nods.

“If you want Rung-”

“No,” Perceptor looks up, “I can take care of this. Thank you, I had wondered after all and you provided an answer. I should have realized…”

“Well, I can understand with a good partner it can be easy to get carried away,” First Aid relishes the bashful side of Perceptor he’s seeing now, “You should get some rest now to make up for you latest ‘session’ though.”

After a brief episode of mortification, Perceptor returns the light levels of his lab to normal and buts is monocle back on. He looks for all the world that he hadn’t just been absolutely ravished by his lab partner just minutes ago. The weight of his exhaustion still lingers but he looks more like his professional self.

“So,” Perceptor clears his intake, “did you need something.”

Everything he’d meant to talk to Perceptor about suddenly rushes back to First Aid making him feel a bit dizzy. All that had transpired just pours out of First Aid and Perceptor patiently listens to him then pulls out a datapad before First Aid is finished. At the end of the panicked explanation, First Aid watches Perceptor as he hums thoughtfully over the screen revealing the activity history of the accounts of the Lost Light Crew. First Aid begins to fidget as more and more time passes with Perceptor just analyzing the datapad.

“I have good news and I have bad news,” Perceptor finally tears his attention from the pad.

“Bad news first.”

“It seems as though that not only have many of the crew members opened the email but have actually taken the time to read it.”

First Aid slumps at this new information, “And the good news?”

“It seems as though Rodimus has yet to open the message.”

“Thank goodness for his lack of work ethic but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t found out about it.”

“Doesn’t mean he has either.”

In another part of the ship Drift sees a strange message appear on his hud and he opens it to find fanfiction that is very thinly disguised Thunderclash and Rodimus slash fic. As he reads it he has to take several breaks to laugh for a good minute and when he reaches the scene with the cave he chokes on air which causes Ratchet to find him in the middle of a coughing fit.

“Drift, are you alright?” Ratchet comes over, concern written on his face.

Drift nods and when his coughing finally dies down he says, “Yeah, just got to point in this story that really caught me off guard.”

“What story?” Ratchet looks at the datapad Drift is holding.

“It looks like someone has written a piece with our captain and Thunderclash having an adventure together,” Drift turns the datapad so Ratchet can see it better.

“Who would want to read something like that?” Ratchet looks over the story some more, “Rodimus doesn’t even like the guy.”

“I don’t know,” Drift shakes his helm, “but whoever wrote this is one kinky bastard.”

First Aid rests his helm against a desk, slumped over in a chair thinking about how he can handle this situation. His break down of it essentially comes down to Thunderclash not knowing he’s the author, the story is obviously about him and Rodimus but it can’t be immediately traced back to Thunderclash, and so long as Rodimus remains oblivious things shouldn’t get out of hand.

“First Aid,” Perceptor leans against the desk he’s sulking on, “I take it that it would be an issue for Rodimus to find out and not Thunderclash is because Thunderclash is your commissioner.”

“Yup.”

“I would have never suspected him having feelings for Rodimus if it weren’t for this slip up. However, with this realization and further reflection I can recall several occasions that are now painfully obvious as acts of endearment on Thunderclash’s part.”

“Right? If you have the time you should actually read the story. All his little requests and the details he leans on make it all the more obvious just how hopeless he is,” First Aid leans back to stare blankly at the ceiling.

“Then perhaps this is a blessing in disguise,” Perceptor puts his chin in his hand and First Aid looks at him as though he installed a second head, “I know that sounds a little ridiculous but think about it. Thunderclash clearly wants to express his feelings to Rodimus but Rodimus has put up not-so-subtle barriers that prevent that from happening. If manipulated in the right way it could ease the situation and make it possible for Thunderclash to overcome those barriers and/or encourage Rodimus to tear them down all together.”

“You want me to hook up Thunderclash and Rodimus with smutty fanfiction.”

“Don’t you?” Perceptor leaves First Aid alone to contemplate that after stating that he feels the need to have that conversation with Brainstorm sooner rather than later.

First Aid winds up going back to the medbay to an annoyed Ratchet and inquisitive Ambulon who are both very interested in what he was up to. He waves them off claiming he’s had a very long morning and will tell them about it later. Ratchet huffs, clearly agitated but lets it drop, however, Ambulon doesn’t let go so easily and is only satisfied when First Aid pulls him aside to explain it had been too late by the time he and Perceptor got to assessing the damage.

“The entire crew has read it?!” Ambulon stumbles a bit in his surprise and nearly drops his tools.

“Most of the crew has read it,” First Aid clarifies, exasperated, “Rodimus, thankfully isn’t really in the habit of checking his messages.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“I am very grateful for it. Can you imagine what he’d do if he found out?”

“When he finds out.”

“Right… yeah…”

They continue working like they aren’t waiting for the inevitable shitstorm that’s brewing on the horizon. First AId rests in a state of emotional lapse now having his panic forcibly ripped from him in the wake of Thunderclash’s response and Perceptor’s view on the matter at hand. He mulls in the space between screaming endlessly into the void and the vast hollowness that can only come from making a mistake as bad as the sheer hell that First Aid has unleashed. Humming along to the panicked rhythm that begins to rise within him almost has Ratchet coming over to ask him if he’s alright. Through his new bout of nerves the start of a plan forms which eases some of his distress and what Perceptor said inspires him to take advantage of this disaster. He could get Rodimus to at least acknowledge his unfair distaste for Thunderclash, maybe even convince him it is unfair. Then a devious thought crosses his mind that brings him out of his self-sentenced personal hell by realizing how much chaos he could actually cause. Forget pride and reputation for that has been all but lost, while he has a stylus in his hand he can write the world into a frenzy and make all good-hearted souls wheep. He will bring about a reckoning that will lead the crew into madness and he will delight in the absurdity of it all instead of letting it sweep him away. This is probably not what Perceptor had in mind but any semblance of a calm and rational take on this has already been thrown out of the airlock. He has the power, he shall see that big goofball get his mech even if it gets him kicked off this ship.

“Aid?” Ambulon turns to him, a sudden thought striking him, “Did Megatron read it?”

“...slag.”

Megatron had just gone through his normal morning routine when the surprise message popped up, the contents of which surprised and appalled him. Anyone willing to go into that much detail on Rodimus’s spike or “Radius’s”rather is a depraved individual the likes of which he has only known during the war among certain circles of the Decepticons. He had powered through mostly due to immense boredom and sheer morbid curiosity. The reasoning for sending it to the entire crew puzzled him for if it was meant to be a prank it wasn’t very well executed for anyone who knew Rodimus for even a day would know he doesn’t check his messages. So, that means it had to have been a mistake and this thing about a “commission” detailed at the beginning would mean that not only was it a mistake but a very severe one. Megatron finds himself pitying whoever the writer was. In his opinion the story is solid if a little off in the dialogue and the plot is engaging making it one of the better things he’s read on this ship in the past few years. He just can’t fathom why anyone would want such a story enough to pay for it unless…

“Oh dear.”

“What is it?” Ultra Magnus who had been going over the daily reports turns to Megatron.

“I think that Thunderclash might be enamored with our captain,” Megatron muses.

“What? What makes you say that?” Ultra Magnus lowers his his servos from his work putting his full attention on Megatron.

“Have you received that strange message with a story attached to it? I think it was probably commissioned by Thunderclash.”

“It… that would make sense,” Ultra Magnus looks off in thought, “That poor mech.”

“Indeed.”

It doesn’t take too long for the entire ship to become all abuzz with the fanfiction which means everyone in Swerve’s is talking about it. Tailgate is chatting excitedly with Swerve and Rewind who nod along to his rapid-fire analysis of the story. Nautica seems to be just as enthused by the epic of Lightningclash and Radius while also having recruited Brainstorm to hold Nightbeat back from telling Rodimus what’s going on and explaining the entire mishap. First Aid is pretty sure he also knows that he wrote it but has been kind enough not to tell anyone. It also seems as though everyone has silently agreed not to tell Thunderclash that they know the story is about him and those few that suspect him as the mysterious commissioner have neglected to say anything as well. First Aid couldn’t have dreamed of a better reaction than this. He mentally gives himself a pat on the back as he looks around the bar and Ambulon rolls his optics, undoubtedly noticing his fellow medibot’s smugness. First Aid ignores him in favor of watching a happy Thunderclash excitedly going over a particularly dramatic scene where Lightningclash is being tended to by a distraught Radius with a particularly patient Perceptor who looks equally endeared and distressed.

“This line here ‘With Thunderclash’s helm in his servos and those dimly glowing red optics looking softly and lovingly up at him, Radius knew that no one else would go further or fight harder for him than his Lightningclash.’ Don’t you think that it just so wonderfully expresses the building undefined something between Lightningclash and Radius?” Thunderclash reads from a datapad and emits a dreamy sigh.

Perceptor takes a moment to steady himself before calmly turning to Thunderclash, “It is a solidly written line that clearly portrays Radius’s revelation. I think it’s the definite turning point in their relationship.”

First Aid stifles maniacal laughter as he watches Perceptor flub through a very detailed in-depth reading of the story and swears he can see Perceptor’s life force slowly leave his body. Ambulon gives him a look that lets him know that he’s enjoying this far too much but he can’t find it within himself to care. He’s sure that sooner rather than later he’ll have to face the consequences for his actions so he’s deciding to enjoy what he can while he can. The clincher to his ever-elevating mood is a little ping that notifies him of a very enthusiastic message from Thorguy A.K.A Thunderclash A.K.A Lightningclash. He excuses himself and heads back to his habsuite because, right now, he has a story to write and this time he has explicit permission to share it with the crew so all the better really.

Okay, so, Ratchet knows now but that’s something that’s been coming for a while now because of the glimpses he’s caught on Aid’s infamous purple datapad. First Aid thinks he takes it rather well seeing as how he faces minimum yelling but, unfortunately, Ratchet does wind up outing him to the others. This only succeeds in causing a hoard of the unexpected fans to pester him about the next story and for Thunderclash to confess that he had been the one to commission the first two stories. The lack of surprise from his peers is palpable making him retreat to a table in Perceptor’s lab to contemplate his apparent lack of subtlety. First Aid notes how Ratchet isn’t disappointed by the lack of backlash and notes how he didn’t include Rodimus in this suedo-intervention, not to mention the yelling devolved into critique of his latest story, the sequel to the first one everyone’s started calling “Cave Escapades.” This exposure has brought on a new problem, though. Everyone seems to have gotten very invested in the story of Lightningclash and Radius so they’ve all really started to get on his case about the update. First Aid had hoped to make this a more gradual thing but that clearly wasn’t going to happen now. Poor Thunderclash is too mortified to ask and pay for a third story which is Aid’s only defense in the face of his crew’s inquiries so, Nautica, Nightbeat, surprisingly Whirl, and a few others all pitch in for the next one.

Ambulon is rather unsympathetic when he retells what happened and all but straight up tells him he deserves the sudden pressure.First Aid stares at a blank datapad for a solid three hours before eventually giving up and heading to Swerve’s in hopes that giving his mind a break will clear his sudden and severe writer’s block. In his latest story, Lightningclash and Radius managed to get back in contact with their ship allowing them to reunite with their crew to then go to the next galaxy over to a good planet for refueling and resupplying. They were also checking a lead that might help them find the missing ally ship that had gone dark just months ago. Now he just didn’t know where to take the story. Lightningclash’s and Radius’s interactions had all been filled with the new question “what are we?” creating a lot of tension between them that is just fit to burst but how should it be done? First Aid just doesn’t know what he should do. Thankfully, before he can get too deep into his funk a very happy Drift plops down in the booth right across from him pulling him away from his thoughts.

“So, you’re the one that wrote the best thing I’ve read in the past thousand years,” Drift chuckles as he doctors his drink slowly.

“I’m glad you like it,” First Aid huffs, “It may be awhile before you get the next part though. I just can’t seem to get myself to write.”

“Well then,” Drift gives him a smirk that can only mean he has something mischievous in mind, “would you take a request then?”

First Aid mulls over it for a moment then remembering how many people are waiting for his story decides to throw caution to the wind yet again, “Sure, what do you have in mind?”

“Well, you know, I think it’s about time that rodimus found out about these stories. So, I was thinking that it would be great that if when he reads them he got to a point where Rodimus reveals that he’s the next in line to declare the Primacy. I mean you haven’t built up a lot of lore for your stories but it’s clear it isn’t the same as our culture exactly. So, my idea is because he has to take on the Primacy he has all these responsibilities including not being able to take on anyone as his conjunx without like a ton of pomp and circumstance.”

“You mean like a really over-the-top mushy scene where Radius essentially goes ‘I love you Lightningclash but we can’t be together because I’m meant to take on the Primacy’ in the most sappy way possible,” First Aid mimics his parody Rodimus and begins to feel like he could work with this.

“Yes, that and Lightningclash as the respectable bot he is goes ‘I understand, Radius, your responsibilities come first but, I beg of you, let me be by your side always.’ just hamming it up all the way.”

“This,” First Aid leans against his interwoven servos with a wicked glint in his optics, “could work very well.”

When the message pings in Drift quickly gets up from meditating and rushes to Rodimus’s habsuite, datapad in hand looking all the world like the cybercat that got the energon. Rodimus is still in recharge after the indulgent night he had at Swerve’s and isn’t very happy when Drift roughly wakes him up to show him the datapad. Rodimus blinks slowly a few times at the datapad, not really seeing what’s on it.

“Drift, I know you’re trying to show me something but my processor hasn’t caught up with my body yet,” Rodimus lets out a yawn, “wanna just tell me what’s so important?”

“Somebody wrote a story about you!” Drift exclaims all to pleased with the situation.

Rodimus wakes up much more at that and begins to read over the stories while Drift watches in delighted anticipation. The faces the captain makes are extremely varied and rapid in their transitions. Drift bursts out laughing at a particularly disgusted expression Rodimus makes when he probably reaches the cave scene that he admirably pushes through to read the rest of it. Then he gets to the third chapter and groans once he gets to the big confession.

“What the hell is this?” Rodimus asks, his words muffled by the servos covering his face.

“It’s clearly other you with other Thunderclash having the time of your lives,” Drift teases and Rodimus gives him a look.

“This is the worst thing I’ve read, ever,” Rodimus grumbles, “You really woke me up for this? It’s not even worth the data storage.”

“Well I think it’s fun,” Drift says earning another look of disgust from his amica.

“This can’t continue like this.”

“Well what do you want to do about it then?”

“I don’t know!” Rodimus throws his servos in the air exasperated, “I wish this story just didn’t exist! That would be much better.”

“If you’re really so upset with it, why not just change it?” Drift offers calming Rodimus down somewhat.

“What do you mean?”

“This story was commissioned right? Well what if you commissioned this author to write the story how you want it to go?”

“It’s not worth the shanix,” Rodimus waves off the idea easily and slides off his berth to get ready for the day.

“I’ll pay for it then,” Drift shrugs when Rodimus shoots him a surprised look, “I think it would be fun.”

“How many people have read this again?”

The result is almost instant when First Aid sends off the next part of what is slowly becoming a series. Messages filter back with praise and statements of varying degrees of incredulousness. Now, as much as he’s enjoying all of this, he would have backed off had Thunderclash asked him to and even hesitated somewhat but the short message from the bot that started it all clears away his worry. Thunderclash sent him a very short but clear show of approval of his latest and most melodramatic installment. Ambulon groans once he gets to the big confession as Ratchet bends over steadying himself on a medical berth, immobilized by laughter. Seeing as how not much more work was going to get done he decides to go see how everyone is reacting to the story in person. He’s rewarded with a Nautica who’s absolutely glued to her datapad, an attentive Perceptor who gives a few good suggestions, and Tailgate along with Rewind listening to Chromedome give an excellent dramatic reading that Rewind is undoubtedly recording. The icing on the cake is when he stumbles on to the bridge to find a distraught Rodimus.

“Who the hell wrote this?!” Rodimus gestures widely to the datapad in his servo as though it just insulted him.

“I don’t know, Rodimus,” Megatron sighs, “but clearly it’s just in good fun. They don’t seem like they mean to slander you.”

“What do you mean? It’s clearly slander! They’ve paired me up with Thunderclash!” Rodimus shouts, fuming at the lack of sympathy.

“An excellent member of Autobot society,” Ultra Magnus adds helpfully without looking up from his work.

“They make me the damsel in distress!”

“Sometimes they make Thunderclash the damsel,” Megatron points out making Rodimus scoff.

“They make us frag in a cave!”

“I admit that might have been a bit much but they do an excellent job of portraying proper consent and communication between partners,” Ultra Magnus concedes.

Rodimus growls in frustration before storming off of the bridge undoubtedly to take it out on First Aid if unknowingly so. Sure enough, a little while later a message appears on his hud to his not-so-anonymous-anymore account from Rodimus describing just how much he hates the story. However, Aid is surprised to find that Rodimus, instead of demanding an end to the series, is paying for his own continuation of the story “to set the record straight” and First Aid obliges him. Of course, he doesn’t it’ll have the effect Rodimus desires but that’s mostly just because he knows he’s gonna spin it in another direction. Ah, the beauty of interpretation. Rodimus want him to write a continuation where Lightningclash messes up terribly so that Radius becomes enraged with him, so much so that he stops talking to Lightningclash with no hint of possibly letting up. First Aid decides he’ll humor Rodimus for now and leave Lightningclash and Radius’s issue unsolved at the end which just so happens to create a cliffhanger. First Aid leans back in his chair and looks at his handy work, satisfied with it, and sends it off before heading off to his berth to recharge. His intention is to feed Rodimus’s need for there to be conflict between the two characters to then have said characters to resolve it in the next chapter which will undoubtedly frustrate his captain but maybe also give him a hint. Besides, how was Lightningclash supposed to know that one of the reasons Radius left Cybertron to explore the stars was to escape the heavy weight of responsibility that the Primacy put on him? With a sigh and aching servos, First Aid drifts into recharge.

When First Aid heads to the medbay he can’t help but feel as though something’s off. He doesn’t have too much time to ponder it since Ambulon all but drags him into the medbay and locks the door behind them. Okay, that wasn’t a good sign. Ratchet’s giving him a look that tells him he’s definitely messed up.

“What did you do?!” Ambulon hisses regaining Aid’s attention.

“What? I don’t know. What’s happened?” First Aid is definitely starting to panic now.

“Your fans are in an uproar over the latest chapter of that terrible fanfiction of yours,” Ratchet informs him busying himself with prepping the medbay as though he was expecting a lot of injured bots to come flooding in at any moment.

“What? How bad?”

“Bad enough that Whirl started a bar fight with Cyclonus of all people over whether or not Lightningclash and Radius are going to ever get together. They’ve both been put into the brig and thankfully didn’t injure each other too badly but this is getting ridiculous.”

“I’ll say,” First Aid nods weakly, “That old romantic really let it get away from him. I bet he was defending Lightningclash’s and Radius’s durability all the way.”

“Yes, it’s all very sweet,” Ratchet gralfs, “What you need to do now is sit down and write so we can fix this mess before it gets any worse. I’ll even pay for it if I have to.”

“That won’t be necessary. This one’s on the house,” First Aid snags a datapad and begins writing like faster than he ever has before.

Apparently the impending doom via complete crew meltdown is a very good motivator seeing as he’s able to pump out a complete chapter in a record time of three hours. First Aid collapses on a berth completely drained from the frantic writing and hopes that it will clear everything up. Within those three hours, Nautica and Perceptor (for some reason) were brought in beaten up and ragged. Ratchet is still patching up the last of Perceptor’s abrasions when First Aid sends out the chapter making both patients leap for their datapads. Blissful calm settles over the medbay as the mechs devour the the story. Watching Ratchet read the story just as avidly as the rest of them, First Aid feels a little cheated for being guilted into making the latest chapter for free but he’ll get that old bastard back for it. He might even add in a weary old medic called “Hatchet” that’s hopelessly helm over pedes for a certain swordsmech called… He’ll think of a good name later.

“Yes!” Nautica cries out in glee and falls back on to the berth she’s taken residency on startling First Aid out of his half-awake state.

“I’m guessing that means you find the latest chapter acceptable?” First Aid says while still lying down.

“Very! Oh, just how Lightningclash takes Radius into his arms and pushes away any doubts that he sees him as a capable and beautiful mech. Radius struggling with himself as to whether to give in and abandon his responsibilities or remain the next prime but the Lightningclash insists he should be true to himself and not abandon his destiny! It’s perfect!”

“I quite agree,” Perceptor gives him a weary but emphatic nod.

“Good maybe this’ll settle things.”

“Don’t bet on it,” Ratchet scoffs, “You’ve just given them all another taste and still no resolution. At this rate you’ll be at this for a while.”

“That’s true,” Ambulon puts a servo on First Aid’s shoulder, “If you want this to end you have to conclude the story.”

“I can’t just yet,” First Aid puts a servo over Ambulon’s, “This is supposed to mediate Thunderclash’s inevitable confession to Rodimus.”

“That’s what all of this is about?!” Ratchet gapes at his downed colleague.

“I think that’s wonderful! Do you need any help?” Nautica leaps up energy fully restored.

“Perceptor, tell me you at least don’t approve of this,” Ratchet turns to the person that has become his only hope.

“Do you really want First Aid to stop?” Perceptor retorts making Ratchet fumble searching for the right words to defend himself but comes up empty.

First Aid turns to Nautica, “You know, a co-writer would actually help a lot. I don’t think I can write as fast as I need to on my own.”

“This is going to be great!” Nautica hops up and bounces with excitement.

Rodimus is fuming on the bridge now, very upset that his piece of the story had been subverted by the next chapter and has made his displeasure very well known to everyone in earshot. Thunderclash looks at him sadly, guilt weighing heavily in his spark as he looks at the damage his personal indulgence has caused. If the story has managed to do anything so far, it’s made Rodimus dislike him even more even without knowing he’s the one that commissioned the story. He makes a decision then and there that he’s going to do something to fix this mess that he’s made and hopefully get Rodimus to dislike him less.

Later on after workshopping the rest of the story, Nautica and First Aid decide having the outline all flushed out at least deserves a drink. First Aid is greeted at Swerve’s with praise and distress at how he almost severed such a beautiful, blossoming relationship. It’s clear now more than ever that he’s in it for the long haul. At the very least it seems this has alleviated some of the prevalent boredom that had been plaguing the ship. For a moment First Aid worries about what’s to come after all of this. This is, in all honesty, fun. Everyone is following the story with an intensity he didn’t know they possessed and that feeling is is so addictive that he almost doesn’t want it to end but he knows it has to. A blatant reminder of it all needing to come to a close is Thunderclash looking very sullen heading his way. He can feel Nautica tense up beside him when she spots their source material. First Aid tries and fails to steady himself knowing he can’t avoid this interaction while fearing what is to come of it. The large bot settles carefully in the seat across from them and folds his servos on the table. Nobody moves. Nobody speaks.

“Hey Thunderclash!” Swerve breaks the tension, “Can I get you anything?”

“Uh, just mid-grade please,” whatever cool Thunderclash had is broken and the nervousness he’d been concealing earlier breaks through.

“You got it!”

After Swerve leaves to get Thunderclash’s drink he can’t seem to meet First Aid’s or Nautica’s optics.

“What do you need, ‘Clash?” First Aid tries to ease the situation.

“I, uh,” Thunderclash clears his intake, “I’d to um… Okay, so, Rodimus is clearly unhappy about this story. He seemed especially unhappy when the next piece after that fiasco was released. He seemed happier when our parodies were fighting. I had no idea that he disliked me that much.”

First Aid feels his spark ache a little at that last statement knowing all too well what Rodimus might have had to say about it.

“So, what do you need me to do?”

“I feel that this may not be the last issue that he forces our other selves to face. I think -indirectly- Rodimus showed something he’s very self-conscious of. It’s likely he will do so again.”

“You mean you think Rodimus was projecting his insecurities of technically never being a true prime on to Radius and he might do more requests that reveal things like that,” Nautica jumps in excitedly.

“Uh, that’s a bit harsher than I would put it but yes.”

“So,” First Aid puts a hand on Nautica’s shoulder to get her to sit back down again, “What do you want to do about that?”

“I’d like all of Lightningclash’s words to be my own from now on. I want to reassure Rodimus myself.”

First Aid’s spark grows warm at that. He just cannot handle how in love this poor mech is with “flaming ego,” Rodimus Prime out of everyone he could have given his spark to. Boy, if that didn’t just make him want to redouble his efforts.

“Radius!” the faint murmurs of conversation suddenly die down as Riptide shouts out in the middle of the bar while clasping Drift’s servo with a datapad in his other servo, “Please don’t misunderstand my formality as being a joke or in spite. I could never see you as anything other than a mech that deserves the world, the universe!”

“Just because you know I’m supposed to be prime now doesn’t mean you should treat me like some bauble on display,” Drift gives his best Rodimus impression but First Aid silently admits that his word choice probably wasn’t the most Rodimus-like, “I’m still Radius! I’m still the bot you called a friend! I’m still the bot that got overcharged and lost his credits to you on Hedonia! I’m still me!”

“I know you are!”

“Then why are you putting up this air of formality? Why are you treating me like a thing and not a person?”

“I can’t be with you, Radius,” Riptide recites in a hushed voice that has the audience of their impromptu performance gasping, “No matter how much I long to be with you, your position is too high for me to reach. I must steel my spark in the face of it. I must respect our traditions but I wish to remain useful to you. In order to do so I’ve had to put a barrier between myself and you. I am sorry. Please, don’t push me away.”

Drift A.K.A “Radius” looks down at Riptide A.K.A “Lightningclash” with a surprisingly convincing sad look in his optics.

“Then be my friend, Lightningclash,” “Radius” says, “because my spark won’t survive losing you.”

With the close, Riptide and Drift bow to the roaring crowd among which is even an amused Megatron. Rodimus sits in stunned silence as Drift wanders back to their booth where Ratchet is also dying of laughter. Rodimus looks at his amica in complete and utter betrayal but doesn’t even manage to dent Drift’s smugness. Out of everything First Aid had thought would come of his writing, miniature theater was not one of them. Across from him, Thunderclash looks over at Rodimus with longing, love, and hurt shining in perfect crimson. A message pings on First Aid’s hud and he knows he has work to do.

“I can’t believe you actually did that!” Rodimus shouts as he walks down the hall with Drift and Ratchet who are both laughing at his distress.

“What? Of course I did,” Drift nudges him gently, “I knew your reaction would be priceless.”

“I think he did a terrific job imitating you,” Ratchet adds making Rodimus scoff.

“See,” Drift loops his arm with Ratchet’s, “It’s all in good fun.”

“For everyone except me,” Rodimus grumbles.

“Details,” Ratchet shrugs.

“Well hopefully this time what I do will stick.”

“Hopefully,” Drift says wistfully obvious in his insincerity.

Nautica turns out to be First Aid’s saving grace as they continue writing the Epic of Lightningclash and Radius. They take turns typing what the other one says making the process much faster and before the day is out they have a chapter ready for editing. Thunderclash sits in and helps with word choice but for the most part just politely listens in quietly. First Aid is grateful to have him there as well because he really does help with dialogue, even making Radius sound more, well, Rodimus-y. God, this mech. The way he talks about Rodimus’s little quirks and the phrases he likes to use alone almost makes First Aid feel like he’s the one falling in love with Rodimus.

“You know, I always forget about his tendency to use Earth slang,” First Aid admits after sending off the chapter to Perceptor who had volunteered to edit the thing.

“His love for Earth and its people is incredibly endearing,” Thunderclash admits and looks into the distance, a sweet smile plastered on his face, “I’d never seen him so devoted to studying a culture before. He really has become a kind of expert on it.”

“How long have you had your eye on Rodimus?” Nautica bumps her elbow gently against Thunderclash.

“I-uh,” Thunderclash stutters and looks away, flustered.

“Don’t worry,” First Aid puts a servo on Thunderclash’s, “we’ll get him for you.”

Thunderclash smiles brightly but it quickly dims with sadness, “At this point, my hope is that I can at least salvage whatever happened for him to… detest me.”

“That’s not your fault!” Nautica slams her servos on the table startling both of them, “That’s just Rodimus being a jerk.”

“I don’t think that’s necessarily true, Nautica,” Thunderclash puts up a consoling servo.

“I’m starting to think you’re right, Thunderclash. Something else is going on with him. Something he hasn’t let anyone see before,” First Aid hums and puts his helm in his servo contemplating their latest piece.

This new figure that Rodimus himself introduced into the story has been especially telling. This figure that can be none other than Optimus Prime’s doppelganger. So, Pinnamus Prime (so subtle) comes aboard the ship and pretty much takes control of everything to which the crew complies with completely because who would argue with a Prime? Lightningclash makes the mistake of agreeing with some of the current Prime’s criticisms causing tension to build yet again. When the pressure comes to a head, Radius gives a very deep confession that are the actual words of Rodimus. First Aid thinks that Rodimus didn’t realize how intense his offered bit of dialogue is, a confession of all the faults and missteps he knows are there that he feels are all people see when they look at him. He also talks about the sacrifices he’s made and the good he’s done but Pinnamus (Optimus) is just a walking reminder of what he’ll never be, Lightningclash (Thunderclash) is an example of what he could have become. It all struck First Aid a bit hard, making him realize that, perhaps, they have been a bit harsh on their captain. While childish at times and certainly impulsive, he cares about his crew and he is working on being better. Looking back on all they’ve been through, First Aid has to admit that Rodimus has actually been a rather good captain making quick decisions and being as fair as he can be. He hasn’t been a captain that would fit in during wartime but they’re not at war anymore. Oh, Primus, Rodimus had given up just as much as everyone else and then some to keep people safe, to keep the Autobots from falling. The fact that he can still smile, have fun, and then remind people they can still smile, that they still have hope is absolutely remarkable. Thunderclash is definitely starting to get to him.

The open ending they leave goes over about as well as First Aid expected which is to say not very well at all. They couldn’t think of any other way they could have done it. Thunderclash responded to Rodimus’s confession in his own words through Lightningclash then the chapter ends with him waiting for his response. The cliffhanger has everyone theorizing and arguing how it’s all going to end, the anticipation thick in the air. First Aid wades through the chaos dodging questions or giving ambiguous answers until he literally bumps into Rodimus. Before he can get too deep into his flurry of apologies a datapad is shoved into his servos. When he looks up at Rodimus he’s stunned to see his captain so serious, not angry, just serious. Without a single word, Rodimus leaves. After a moment of ogling the empty space Rodimus left behind, First Aid looks down at the proffered datapad and what he sees makes his optics flash in excitement. This would be the perfect end.

“I think this has gone on long enough,” Megatron says startling Drift who had been sharpening his swords.

“I’m sorry?”

“This entire back and forth with Rodimus and Thunderclash,” Megatron clarifies, “It needs to end.”

“I suppose we can’t tolerate too many more bar fights over something so trivial,” Drift concedes, “What do you have in mind.”

“I think Rodimus and Thunderclash need to confront each other on this matter.”

Drift looks up at ex-warlord skeptically and returns to sharpening his swords for a minute considering if what Megatron is suggesting is really a good idea. After dithering on it he turns back to the larger mech.

“Confront how?”

“I was quite inspired by your little performance the other day,” Megatron can’t hide his amusement when Drift coughs awkwardly, “I think they should read it together.”

“Oh yeah? How do you expect to get them to do that?” Drift raises an eye ridge.

“Everyone knows First Aid is the one that’s been writing this story and from what I can tell he seems quite eager to see this through. I’m sure I could convince him to help out.”

“Okay, what does that have to do with me?” Drift leans back looking up at Megatron.

“Your his amica, he spends time with you normally,” Megatron gestures nonchalantly, “Just make it so he’s in Swerve’s tomorrow evening.”

Drift looks him over for a moment but seemingly having made a decision just gives him a nod and goes back to his swords. Satisfied by this, Megatron leaves him be.

A very confused Thunderclash speeds along as he’s dragged down the hall to greet an equally baffled Nautica who gets the datapad First Aid had been given shoved into her servos. He then deposits Thunderclash into a chair, actually lifting the mech and seating him, surprising the poor mech with his hidden strength before sitting down to start writing. Nautica scans the datapad in record time and joins First Aid, newly invigorated. Thunderclash looks on with concern as they whisper over their datapad.

“Is everything alright?” Thunderclash breaks through the ominus haze.

First Aid and Nautica look back at him, smiling with wicked glints in theri optics.

“Perfect,” Nautica answers, her voice heavy with incredible, almost sadistic joy.

“How would you respond to something like, ‘Do I matter to you?’ from Rodimus?” First Aid asks, avoiding Thunderclash’s question.

“I’d tell him he means everything to me,” Thunderclash answers bashfully, “that… I’ll always be here for him.”

“Excellent, thank you,” with that First Aid goes back to writing with Nautica.

They continue like that for the remainder of the day, only asking Thunderclash seemingly random questions while not letting him read anything they’re writing. The pattern is eventually broken when the door panel slides open to reveal Megatron. For a moment they all just openly stare at each other until Megatron let’s himself in.

“I have a request,” Megatron breaks the silence and Nautica unabashedly gapes at him.

“Yeah?” First Aid’s voice breaks a little as he addresses the ex-warlord.

“This time when you release the story, only release it to Rodimus and Thunderclash at first,” Megatron says and sits down.

“Why?” Nautica crosses her arms, skeptical of Megatron’s plan.

“I think another reading of your story in Swerve’s is just what the crew needs,” Megatron says offhandedly, “except this time I think it should be done by your muses.”

“What?!” Thunderclash leaps up, “No, I can’t… Rodimus would surely… How would you even convince him to do that?”

“I don’t need to,” Megatron shrugs, “Drift will have him there tomorrow in the afternoon. The rest would have to be up to you.”

“Still-”

“I like that idea,” First Aid interrupts Thunderclash before he can go on a tirade.

“So do I,” Nautica smirks and pats Thunderclash on the shoulder, “It’s okay. You’re going to be great.”

Thunderclash looks helplessly around at the bots that seem very menacing now that plans for his grand performance were made.

Time flashes by and before he knew it, Thunderclash is being dragged once again by First Aid into Swerve’s where Rodimus sits drinking with Drift looking rather glum. Thunderclash’s spark aches as he sees his- as he sees Rodimus look so out of sorts because of him. In his moment of distraction he hadn’t First Aid bring him to the center of the bar and put a datpad in his servo. Looking back up from the datapad his tank drops as he sees Nautica quietly talking to Rodimus who nods at whatever she says to him and comes over to Thunderclash, arms crossed and body tensed while not meeting Thunderclash’s optics. Thunderclash’s intake goes dry and he can’t seem to just say something, anything. Then First Aid swoops in and gives Rodimus a datapad that he takes and scowls at it after reading the first few lines.

“Really?” Rodimus sighs, “This is what we’re doing?”

“So it would seem,” Thunderclash nods weakly.

“Might as well get this over with,” Rodimus rolls his optics, “I know Drift won’t let me back down from this.”

“You really don’t have to-”

“Save it,” Rodimus bites out, then turns his attention to the datapad, “Lightningclash, I don’t believe you, I can’t believe you. What you’re saying… I don’t believe you.”

Thunderclash looks down for his lines and with more feeling than Rodimus’s deadpan recites, “How can I show you that I’m telling the truth? That I mean every word I say.”

“Nothing.”

“Why? Why are you so determined to believe that no one thinks you’re worthy? You’re going to make an excellent prime. You’re already a wonderful captain.”

“You keep saying that but you know it isn’t true!”

“It is true, all of it.”

“Then why does everyone else think I’m a failure? Why did Pinnamus Prime take command? Why did he shove his greatest enemy on me to watch like some glorified patrol officer? And I can’t even do that right! I made friends with him, hey, maybe even proved he’s not completely evil! That was a surprise for me too.”

“Prime sees too much of himself in you. So much so that he forgets that you are your own person and not a perfect reflection. Whatever he perceives as failure in you is nothing more than him projecting his own fears on you. I think he feels as though he has failed as a prime and doesn’t want you to be the same.”

Rodimus hesitates for a long moment, the quiet palpable as all the attendees looks on in awe at their performance.

“Even if that was true,” Rodimus takes a deep intake, “I’m still not as good as you.”

Thunderclash looks at Rodimus, his spark aching, wanting nothing more than to take him into his arms and push the rest of the universe away, the universe that let Rodimus believe this about himself.

“No,” Thunderclash decides to ditch the script, “You’re better. I could never do what you’ve done here on the Lost Light. You’ve given people that didn’t quite fit a home, a place where they can be themselves. I was able to lead people in the war, I’m a good soldier, a law-abiding citizen. When the war was over, that was it. I didn’t know what to do so I just did whatever came my way. I didn’t fit anymore. You know exactly what to do. Your amica found you a ship, you found the next big adventure. Along the way you’ve done so much good, helped so many people and shown them they don’t have to be soldiers anymore. That’s why I’m here, because of you. On this ship, piece by piece, I’ve been able to figure out who I am again.”

“You… really mean that,” Rodimus looks up at Thunderclash with wide optics.

“Of course I do, I love you,” Thunderclash drop the datapad and takes Rodimus’s servos in his own the other datapad having been already forgotten during Thunderclash’s speech, “I’ll follow you so long as you’ll lead me. I’ll go anywhere so long as you’ll have me. I’ll do anything to show you I really mean it when I say ‘I love you.’ Please, at least believe me when I say I don’t think you’re a failure.”

Rodimus doesn’t say anything, he just looks up at Thundeclash in complete disbelief, unable to process what just happened. Just when Thunderclash thinks he’s messed everything up and begins to pull away, he’s suddenly pulled down. He exclaims in surprise then Rodimus is kissing him and nothing else matters. He holds Rodimus close and sighs at the feeling of soft lip plates against his own, feeling dizzy from his surprise and amazement. He didn’t think it would happen but here Rodimus is: kissing him with servos on his helm and humming with content. A rumble erupts from his engines suddenly and embarrassingly making him pull away to look down at Rodimus apologetically due to his involuntary show of excitement. Rodimus just laughs and Thunderclash finally registers the deafening cheers that surround them. First Aid is giving him a thumbs up and Nautica looks on with a dreamy look in her optics.

“Thunderclash,” Rodimus pulls his focus from the crowd, “same.”

Now it’s Thunderclash’s turn to laugh as he pulls Rodimus in for hug, his Rodimus, his captain, his love.

First Aid looks on as Rodimus whispers something to Thunderclash that makes his optics go wide before pulling him along out of Swerve’s followed by whoops and wolf whistles. He shakes his helm and laughs, pleased by how much better it all went down than he was hoping. Ambulon bumps into his side affectionately catching his attention.

“Shame your big finally wasn’t actually read,” Ambulon teases.

“That was way better than anything I could have written and it was from the spark so all the better,” First Aid shrugs and sips his drink that he finally got from Swerve.

“Seems like they aren’t wasting anymore time.”

“No,” First Aid laughs, “They certainly aren’t. I don’t think we’ll see our captain anytime soon.”

Ambulon turns First Aid’s helm to look at him and leans up to press a chaste kiss to his lip plates before moving away only slightly.

“You know,” Ambulon says quietly, “I think you deserve a reward for getting those two idiots together.”

“Oh yeah?” First Aid plays along, “And what do you have in mind for my reward?”

“That new berth you bought for me still hasn’t been properly broken-in yet,” Ambulon says in a low tone and rubs a thumb along First Aid’s faceplate.

“We better take care of that,” First Aid leans in for another kiss.

“We better,” Ambulon agrees once they break apart.

#rodiclash #thunderrod #first aid #fanfiction #maccadam #tf #alyonian #rodimus #thunderclash

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enchantedseastudio · 7 years

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I don’t wanna scare anybody or even scare myself, but 2017 might be the last year of Enchanted Sea. I’ll still honor everyone’s commissions I promised even if they overlap into 2018. But I just can’t earn a living on it being a person with a single income. I charge too little for stuff (most of the time), because if I charge what I deserve, no one buys from me. I was hoping I’d gain a little bit more popularity after doing this for 2-3 years and could charge what I really should charge and have people competing for a spot in my schedule. And it really sucks because this is one of my dreams. It’s difficult to do it side-by-side with a 2nd job; I’ve tried that before and a business really needs full time attention. Maybe things could change. But right now things are not good. After paying off expenses, I haven’t had a single paycheck in 2017. I was supposed to have a big chunk of income coming in from two different sources but both went out the window. So I’m a little down about it. And I don’t need pity or anything! I just wanted to post in case anyone out there really wants me to make something for them -- this may be your last chance. (Who knows). I have some commissions here and there scattered throughout 2017 that will float me through the year on a very tight budget but it’ll be ok. I still have a few last tricks up my sleeve I’m gonna try, but I’ve currently lost all my fire, which is really strange for a Capricorn. Our fires just don’t burn out. But not everything’s able to be controlled.

In lieu of flowers please send a rich husband.

#personal #and #business #tbh i might cry but im gonna stay strong.

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jobsearchtips02 · 4 years

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Expense Stepien, Jason Miller attempt impossible mission to control Trump

Donald Trump’s 2016 project included Jason Miller (second from left) as a senior communications assistant. He’s back in a senior role in2020

Andrew Harnik/AP Picture.

This story is offered solely to Company Insider subscribers. Become an Expert and start checking out now.

Bill Stepien, the brand-new Trump campaign manager, and Jason Miller, a senior advisor, have taken firm control of the 2020 effort, trying to salvage an operation with under 90 days left up until the election.

Stepien and Miller have actually been rundown President Donald Trump several times a day and assisting him to stay concentrated on the coronavirus pandemic and a particular attack on Joe Biden.

” I would love to pretend that I had some special impact,” Miller told Expert, including, “My task is simply to say that ‘I concur with you.'”

Republicans close to the Trump project state that Stepien and Miller have brought the discipline and focus lacking under the former project manager Brad Parscale.

Visit Service Expert’s homepage for more stories

A tight-knit duo of long time Republican operatives has taken the reins of Donald Trump’s reelection bid in an attempt to restore one of the most filled projects in current history and achieve the almost impossible task of getting the president to concentrate on a single line of attack against Joe Biden.

Trump is getting briefings numerous times a day with Costs Stepien, his recently installed campaign manager, and Jason Miller, the senior 2016 campaign adviser now back for a 2020 encore, where they talk about method and how to target their Democratic competitor for the White House, according to Republicans near to the campaign who detailed the efforts for Insider.

Stepien and Miller have actually likewise overhauled Trump’s campaign operation, evaluating hundreds of millions of dollars in spending and redrawing the project’s on-air marketing strategy, the Republicans stated.

The new strategy shift follows months when the president and his campaign went to pieces through the federal reaction to the coronavirus pandemic, crippling unemployment numbers, and historical across the country protests over the death of George Floyd. Trump’s summertime of discontent reached a peak with his dreadful return to the campaign path in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June– a sparsely gone to event right before a serious coronavirus break out in the Sooner State.

Not long after the Oklahoma rally, Trump benched his project manager Brad Parscale and elevated Stepien and Miller. Trump likewise brought back his regular press instructions, but this time he kept closer to the script by reading carefully from his notes and limiting his sparring with reporters. Previous exchanges had actually led to fumbles that threw the president’s team method off message, like his idea that people might be able to inject bleach to stop the infection.

” It was the president’s idea to reboot journalism conferences. He wanted them to be much shorter, much tighter,” Miller told Insider. “I would like to pretend that I had some special influence. It was the president’s idea. My job is just to say that ‘I agree with you.'”

Journalists and political operatives tend to “overemphasize” the significance of political personnel in setting the Trump campaign’s course, he added.

” Ultimately, it’s top-down,” Miller said. “He says, ‘I wish to get this done,’ and we get it done.”

‘ He’s a lot smarter than all the other chimps’

Republicans in routine contact with the campaign have actually observed Trump staying with his notes more and attempting to prevent the wild asides that got him in difficulty before Parscale’s demotion unlocked for Stepien and Miller.

” The president seems to have more message discipline considering that Stepien took over the campaign,” one Republican near to the project said. “He is more focused on what matters to voters who are still on the fence, and that’s just doing a much better task on COVID.”

Republicans in the White House and on the campaign griped for months that Parscale and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and a senior advisor, were too inexperienced at running the reelection effort. It ‘d be much better, these sources stated, if Trump engaged a new group of senior strategists to help guide something as sizable as a presidential reelection project.

Those exact same Republicans invited the news, initially reported by Expert, that Karl Rove, the previous George W. Bush master, had been informally recommending the project, though Rove minimized his efforts.

With Stepien and Miller, Trump has two seasoned Republican project experts running the program. Stepien was Trump’s White Home political director prior to transferring to the project. He has a long history in Republican politics, stressed by his work for previous New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie that resulted in a sharp falling-out over the “Bridgegate” scandal

Stepien has managed a complete evaluation of the project and its costs considering that taking control of. (Minutes before Insider broke the news that Trump’s project was performing an audit of all costs under Parscale, Parscale accused press reporters of working in a “criminal network.”)

Miller signed up with the Trump campaign in 2016 after dealing with Sen. Ted Cruz’s governmental run. He was set, upon Trump’s inauguration, to be the White House interactions director, however that was derailed after discoveries that he had actually been having an extramarital affair with another project staffer.

Now that he’s officially back on Trump’s project team, Miller has tightened its press and messaging operation. He sends one-page lists of talking points every early morning to senior project aides and top surrogates for Trump, like Mercedes Schlapp and Katrina Pierson. And he has actually helped the president focus more on reacting to the coronavirus break out and trying to tie Biden to “severe leftists.”

“He’s one of the very first men that Trump talks to in the morning … I’m not amazed it’s gotten more disciplined.

That strategy plays well to the strengths of Stepien and Miller, whose relationship goes back to their work together for Rudy Giuliani throughout the former New York mayor’s not successful 2008 governmental campaign. Republicans close to the brand-new group in charge of Trump’s project stated Stepien’s and Miller’s functions were a reflection of Giuliani’s renewed influence on Trump some 7 months after the Senate impeachment trial that ended in the president’s acquittal.

Trump had a hard time in his recent interview with Axios’ Jonathan Swan that aired on HBO.

Screenshot via Axios on HBO.

Nobody manages The Donald

Tightening up Trump and his operation and really getting the president to focus on a singular line of attack are still, in truth, miles apart.

Trump in current weeks has actually struggled to deal with hardball interviews with Fox News’ Chris Wallace and Axios’ Jonathan Swan Even a softball interview with the Fox News contributor Marc Siegel went viral when Trump flaunted his capability to pass a test suggested to evaluate for dementia.

One former Trump adviser stated he ‘d never ever seen anybody genuinely control Trump. The person noted that a string of project managers and chiefs of staff had actually stopped working at the task, from the previous White Home senior strategist Steve Bannon to the current chief of personnel, Mark Meadows. The only people to have come close are Kushner and Trump’s oldest child, Ivanka Trump, the previous advisor said.

” Nobody can tell that man what to do,” the previous advisor stated.

Still, present and previous Trump consultants applauded the work Stepien and Miller are doing to check the president wherever and whenever it’s possible.

” Stepien and Miller are having an effect,” a 3rd Republican close to the campaign said, discussing Trump’s recent schedule of talking with local TELEVISION reporters that had assisted the project get extended favorable coverage in battlefield states.

Optimistic Republican politicians have firmly insisted that the swing-state ballot gaps in between Trump and Biden will begin closing around Labor Day when more voters begin paying closer attention to the election and Biden’s frequent verbal missteps. In a letter to the Commission on Presidential Disputes on Thursday, Giuliani asked for a guarantee that Biden would reveal up to dispute Trump in individual– a dig to reinforce the Trump project’s characterization of its Democratic opponent as hiding in his Delaware basement throughout the race because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/expense-stepien-jason-miller-attempt-impossible-mission-to-control-trump/

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topicprinter · 4 years

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Everyone hates talking on the phone with customers.... right?! Why is that? I love talking on the phone!But since I'm the weirdo, we sat down with seasoned storyteller and telephonic sales superstar Matthew Smith to go over the seven steps you should take to have more productive conversations with customers on the phone.Step 1) Ask better questions.“If you don’t know how to have more productive conversations,” Matthew began, “it may be that you’re asking questions that end them and lead to uncomfortable silences rather than those that begin conversations.”“Author David Sedaris says one of the challenges most people have when it comes to talking is they don’t ask good questions. Good questions lead to good conversations. So, practice!“The questions you ask should be interesting enough to get people to open up, but pointed enough to lead somewhere.“‘How many plumbers do you know off the top of your head?’ (that can lead to conversations about home or flood insurance), ‘What’s the biggest vehicle you’ve driven?’ (an auto insurance chat) or ‘What are common misconceptions about your job?’ (this one helps build the relationship).“These kinds of questions go places. And ideally, you’d like to stay on a path that you’ve marked out. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t be afraid to saunter off into uncharted territories if that’s where the client leads you.“That may seem to contradict a little of what I’ve said, but I’m only following Dale Carnegie‘s sage advice here. He taught us that the two ways to get your clients to like your agency more are:Become genuinely interested in them.Be a good listener while encouraging clients to talk about themselves.“Following these two tips alone is a sure way for you to have more productive conversations.”Step 2) Know the objective of the call long before you dial.Matthew suggests that you have a very strong sense of where a call should go before you even pick up the phone—even if you don’t control where it ultimately ends up.“Write a list of objectives, even if it’s just one. Is the reason for the call just to try to catch up with the person… to get to know them? Or is it about reestablishing the relationship for referral purposes? Are you looking to get a defined result from the call… to save the account or something like that?“Get it very clear in your head what you want the call to achieve so you can take care of it before it’s over.”Step 3) Have your warmup ready to go.You should have a couple of go-to items you can hit immediately. It’s a good idea to pull up the client’s account details and read through them so they’re fresh in your mind. Then draw from the practice questions you’ve been asking to see which yield the best results.Matthew says “A good warmup can include good fact-finding questions like ‘How’s your son Roger? He’s got to be 15 by now. Have you taken him out driving yet? Does he have a learner’s permit?’“You might just get a ton of great info out of a line of questioning like this. You know there’s an additional driver that’s not on their policy. A good warmup can help you both strengthen the relationship and re-underwrite that account.“Plus, the more you incorporate those kinds of talking points into a conversation, the more the client feels you’re part of their circle of trust. You’ve taken the time to remember their kids… their names. It’s a topic they care about a lot, of course. Something relevant.”Step 4) Listen carefully. Be empathetic.More productive conversations shouldn’t come across as sales calls. No, they’ve got to be about relationship-building.Matthew’s advice? “The client should feel like you’re their advocate… that you’re here to make sure their risks and needs are fully accounted for rather than going after a commission for yourself.“So, let them talk through what’s going on. No interrupting. The more comfortable they feel with you, the more open they’ll be. Repeat back what was said so they know you’re really listening.”Step 5) Identify the client's needs and offer a solution.With good fact-finding and warmup questions, you’ll be able to identify needs and then offer the right solutions. That might even mean scheduling a follow-up call. That kind of conversation should go something like this:Hey John, the reason I’m calling is I really appreciated you taking the time to give us feedback in the survey. We’re looking for ways to improve, and I wanted to get more details about your comment.Also, if you have [NUMBER] minutes, I’d love to go over [ITEM 1], [ITEM2] and [ITEM 3].IF NO:No problem. Let’s schedule a follow-up call so I can make sure you’re taken care of. What works for you?Something else to consider: Say your call is in response to negative survey feedback, like the example above. This is a time to learn.Start by thanking the client as a way of defusing any anxiety on their part (and maybe on your side too). Then ask them to explain what they’d like to see changed. Let them be the teacher. People are generally happy to help when asked.Step 6) Don't forget to summarize the call back to the client.“It’s a pretty simple formula,” says Matthew, “warmup, fact-finding, identify needs, confirm the need has been heard correctly and solve the problem.”But before you end the call, you’ve got to warm it down. Repeat back the important points you covered and thank them for being a customer or taking the time to chat. That way, it reinforces that the conversation was truly relational and not just a sales call. You’re not rushing them off the phone, you’re taking the time to confirm you heard them exactly right.Then, if you want to do something for them after the call, use Rocket Referrals to send out a thank you note.Step 7) Always be ready to leave a voicemail or send a text or email.If you don’t get through to the client, it’s a good idea to leave a message. To avoid getting caught out in the moment and fumbling, remember this formula:Say hi and tell them who’s calling.Give them the reason why you’re making the call.Build interest and/or add time-sensitivity.Include an action for them to take.With these in mind, here’s an example of how a voicemail could go:Hey Jane, it’s John Smith here at ABC Insurance. I was looking at your auto policy and noticed a gap in coverage. We need to get that fixed so you and your family aren’t at risk.Since it’s pretty time-sensitive, please get back to me today or tomorrow by 5. My number’s 555-123-4567. It should only take 10 minutes.Thank you!Above all else, make sure the call to action is clearly defined. And more productive conversations don’t always have to be via phone.“I follow the belt-and-suspenders approach,” says Matthew.” That means I leave a voice message and send an email or text. This is also to be more empathetic. I don’t know how they prefer to communicate, so I’m giving them a few options.“With the follow-up email, write a quick subject line. Grab their attention so they open it. Make sure the internal message is consistent with the voicemail you left. Maybe even give them something to click on like a link to your schedule, etc.B-b-b-b-bonus materialIf you don’t get through to the client, how long should you wait to follow up?“If it’s time-sensitive, 24 hours is enough,” says Matthew. “Otherwise, it’s okay to wait 2+ days.”If the call goes off the rails, how do you get it back?“Think of a potentially challenging client call like a bout of aikido,” suggests Matthew. “When a client comes at you with what feels like a personal attack, don’t do what they expect and counterpunch. Remember: you’re being empathetic.“Oftentimes, the best way to defuse a potentially heated call is to simply redirect their energy by agreeing with them and then leading them to a mutually beneficial solution.“Just go with the flow. If things do breakdown during the conversation, make sure the client understands you hear them.”Example: You’re right, Bill. That is a big problem, and I’d be frustrated, too. Would you be interested in hearing how we can get that fixed for you and make sure it doesn’t happen again?“There’s this phenomenon called switchtracking: ‘when someone gives you feedback, and your reaction to that feedback changes the subject. Often, neither person even realizes that they are talking about two different subjects.’ This can be a big reason conversations flounder.“When in doubt—and like I’ve already said—repeat back what you heard the client say, and if you’re not getting the gist of it, they should set you straight. Really, it’s their conversation, not yours.”Where’s a good place to look for interesting questions to ask?This article on Conversation Starters World pretty useful. Have a look through these ice-breaker questions and see if there are any you could adapt for your client calls.Shameless self promotion to the original blog post: https://www.rocketreferrals.com/blog/how-to-have-more-productive-conversations-with-customers-on-the-phone/

#/r/entrepreneur #reddit

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nageshchandramishra · 6 years

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Comments & Views on “Comical Bureau Of Intrigue “ ( By N.C. Mishra ) Dated 25/10/2018

🇮🇳👇Good Article 👏❗️

My Comments & Views 👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

The Timing Of All These Happenings In Central Bureau Of Investigation ...Should Be Observed Dispassionately in view of the following Developments :-

(1) #Rafale Matter To Be Heard by Hon. Chief Justice Bench In Supreme Court On 31/10/2018 ;

(2) Prior to that ...Best Legal Brains Of the Entire Opposition Parties & Anti- Modi Forces led by Prashant Bhushan , Arun Shourie & Yashwant Sinha ...Had Tried Their Level Best To #IGNITE & #Initiate #Formal_Inquiries #Rafale_Criminal_Complaint Through Meeting & Influencing #Alok_Verma , the erstwhile CBI Director ; Perhaps , Alok Verma had made up his mind to Order an Preliminary Inquires this week only before SC Hearing Scheduled On 31/10/2018 ❓If so Would have happened..then The Present Govt.’s Affidavits with regard to #Procurement_Process_Of_Rafales_Deals which has to be filed by 29/10/2018 in the Apex Court ...Would #Potentially Might Have Been #Questionable & #Damaging for the Present Govt. .

Perhaps...in order to Obviate such Ugly Situation & for #Diffusing the #Rafale_TIME_Bomb fitted by #Rahul_Gandhi & Anti_Modi Forces ...the Present Govt. Pushed the Panic Button to Remove Alok Verma ❓❓

(3) Now...when Alok Verma has filed Case Against his unceremonious Removal in the Bench Of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi who is known for his impeccable & Independent Judicial Brilliance ....it would be very interesting to Watch whether he #Reinstates Alok Verma as CBI Director Till his fixed Tenure ie 31st January, 2019 ❓❓❓

The matter would be heard on 26/10/2018 by Justice Ranjan Gogoi ie on Tomorrow...&..my Common Sense says...that ....ALOK VERMA Would Be Reinstated By Hon. Supreme Court ❗️The #Arun_Jetaily_Logic_Of Central Vigilance Commission’s #Power_Of_Superintendency Over CBI Director ( In the matter of CBI Director ‘s Removal ) Won’t Pass the Test Of Judicial Scrutiny In the Apex Court ‼️

( I am testing my own Common Sense as an ordinary citizen having very limited knowledge of these Legal Matters 🤞😀 ❓)

(4) My Sixth Sense ..also tells me that ...Hon. Chief Justice Court ...wouldn’t Unnecessarily Rake up #Rafale_Matter at the moment when they hear it on 31/10/2018 & Modi Govt’s Affidavits Would Be Accepted .

This Action Of SC would automatically #PUT_A_BRAKE On #The_Sinister_Design Of #Anti_Modi_Forces to Pin Him Down On #Rafales & It would simultaneously Provide #Guidance to CBI Director For #Keeping_Cool_And_Restraint & for #Avoiding_Unnecessary_Haste In #Initiating_Any_Action to #Inquire_Rafale_Probe At this stage keeping in view of #The_National_Security_on_TOP_PRIORITY 🇮🇳🤞‼️

(5) As Regards ..Rakesh Asthana ...perhaps, he Would have to go from CBI & would be facing Inquiry in Bribery Charges Matter relating to Sandesara’s Obligations during his daughter’s marriage ( though ..the charges are not that Grave . Moin Qureshi’ Angle Of Accepting Crores ...seems to be concocted & fabricated & wont pass Judicial Scrutiny ) ❓

(6) Like Subramanyan Swami ...I am inclined to believe in Alok Verma’s Integrity - it’s another matter that he might have been over enthusiastic in Rafale matters while speaking to Opposition Leaders ❓❓

I also hold the view like Dr. Swamy ...that ...Ravishankar Prasad , Arun Jetaily & many of Modi’s Blue Eyed Bureaucrats Have Common #Conduits With High & Mighty #UPA Stalwarts like P. Chidambaram, SG , RG etc. who are weakening the various High Powered Probes Against Political Rivals ❓❓❓❓

(7) Finally , I would be praying that Hon. Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi Would Catalyse , Motivate & Enforce Govt. In Reforming the Central Bureau Of Investigation As #STATUTORY_CONSTITUTIONAL_BODY so that this #Caged_Parrot May be Freed from #Political_Vulture_ism going on since Independence .

TIME HAS COME FOR AN INDEPENDENT CENTRAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION 🇮🇳Jai Hind 🇮🇳👏‼️

( The Views expressed by me ...May or May Not Prove Going in Such anticipated directions - so ..let me cross my fingers 🤞🤞🤞🤞At this stage : NC Mishra )

Comical Bureau of Intrigue: CBI looks like a joke. Will GoI finally make it a statutory body?

October 25, 2018, 2:00 AM IST Saubhik Chakrabarti in Open patent | Edit Page, India | TOI

What is the world’s most unenviable top cop job now? Interim chief, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Nageshwar Rao, picked by the Prime Minister-led Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, has the toughest remit in any public service – to stop people from laughing at the institution he leads.

The agency can now fairly be called the Comical Bureau of Intrigue, with its two erstwhile senior most officers, director Alok Verma and special director Rakesh Asthana, sent on leave, while different courts deal with disturbingly dramatic plaints made by both.

These are golden days for reporters on the CBI beat, as all sides will inevitably provide more strategic leaks. Those details will have a bearing on the specific controversies framing the CBI mess. But as people outside the government-media complex consume news reports on a Doon and St Stephens educated meat exporter alleged to be close to those in the opposition and a sent-on-leave CBI bigshot who is alleged to be close to those in power, to name only two characters in a multi-starrer burlesque, the general and justified response will be to laugh at the utter absurdity of it all.

Illustration: Arindam

The government is also squarely responsible because all of this has happened under its watch. Its decision to send away both warring CBI officers and ask a special investigation team (SIT) to probe allegations and counter-allegations, while entirely sensible, doesn’t even begin to address the question why the Verma vs Asthana dramedy was allowed to play out for as long as it did.

BJP has made a consistent claim since 2014, when it stormed into power, that one of the defining differences between its government and the one run by Congress is that the latter was prone to dysfunction while the former is always in charge. At least on the CBI question, that claim is in tatters.

The really troubling perceptional question for BJP here is not so much whether it was using CBI as a political tool. That charge has been made against Congress for far longer. What is hurting and will likely hurt BJP is popular perception that its government appeared helpless as the CBI story moved from chaos to farce.

Therefore, countering the Congress charge that Verma was “targeted” because he was apparently “thinking” of a Rafale probe may be politically necessary right now for BJP. It may also be relatively easy to do so – how does Congress know what Verma was thinking, is the obvious retort. But the bigger political job for BJP is to convince people that on the CBI issue, it is back in control. Because for the first time since 2014, and weeks away from the beginning of a long election cycle, the opposition has the chance, if it is minimally clever, to build a narrative that this government, too, is prone to dysfunction.

So, BJP will hope that the SIT will keep Verma and Asthana busy, that courts won’t upend its interim arrangement for CBI, that Rao will step up to the plate and appear as an officer in charge, and that CBI investigations into non-CBI corruption cases will make news.

Note, however, that there are many things here that the government does not control or may not be able to control. For example, one known unknown right now is how the Supreme Court will respond to the ex-CBI chief being sent on leave. The other problem can be whether the accused in various CBI high profile cases supervised by Asthana will benefit from corruption charges against him.

So, the perception of chaos may not necessarily go away. Therefore, BJP needs a politically solid and institutionally impeccable talking and action point, a real solution that will help restore CBI’s institutional credibility and prove that the government is back in charge.

That solution, as many ex-top cops and commentators with domain knowledge of law enforcement affairs have said multiple times, is to make CBI a statutory body through a fresh law. CBI functions under clauses that draw institutional validity from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act. Many Supreme Court efforts to institute operational independence for CBI have essentially failed because the agency, as its status is now, is neither de jure nor de facto immune from political interference.

The Election Commission, the Securities and Exchange Board of India, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, the Comptroller and Auditor General are all constitutional or statutory bodies. That basically means political interference is difficult in these institutions. So should be the case for CBI.

CBI also draws its senior officers from the Indian Police Service (IPS) and many IPS officers who man CBI – let’s put it politely – have close encounters with politics. Therefore, CBI as a statutory body should also be mandated to draw its cadre from a wide pool of talent and given its own budget. That’s the best way to secure its future, make it a law-backed autonomous investigative agency that attracts quality candidates because the job offers enormous prestige, good pay and real professional independence.

Were the government to announce it is starting the process of writing such a law to create a new, improved CBI, and that its decision is directly related to the current mess at the agency, no matter how Verma vs Asthana plays out, BJP will always have a winning talking point. Every critic will applaud the decision. Congress will find it pretty much impossible to oppose the decision on principle.

But will it happen? Will this government, or any government run by other parties, want to make CBI a statutory body? Let’s put it this way. It would be great for India if it happens. It would also be greatly surprising if it does.

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SANTA FE, Texas | The Latest: Affidavit: Gunman didn't shoot students he liked

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/ozCUQv

SANTA FE, Texas | The Latest: Affidavit: Gunman didn't shoot students he liked

SANTA FE, Texas — The Latest on a shooting at a high school in Santa Fe, Texas (all times local):

11:05 p.m.

Investigators say a 17-year-old admitted to authorities that he went on a shooting rampage at a Southeast Texas high school that left 10 dead, most of them students.

According to a probable cause affidavit, however, Dimitrios Pagourtzis told investigators that when he opened fire at Santa Fe High School on Friday morning, “he did not shoot students he did like so he could have his story told.”

Pagourtzis is being held without bond at the Galveston County Jail. He is charged with capital murder of multiple persons and aggravated assault against a public servant.

___

10:05 p.m.

A sophomore at Santa Fe High School says he was in his art class when he suddenly heard three louds booms.

Zachary Muehe tells The New York Times he then “saw the kid who’s in my football class �� and I saw him with a shotgun.”

Muehe says that classmate, 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis, was wearing a trench coat and a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan “Born to Kill.” The sophomore says Pagourtzis started shooting as soon as he entered the classroom.

Muehe says “it was crazy watching him shoot and then pump.” He was able to flee to another classroom through a shared ceramics closet.

Pagourtzis has been charged with capital murder.

___

9:20 p.m.

A student at a Houston-area high school where 10 people were killed says it was a “perfectly normal day” before shots rang out in her art classroom.

Breanna Quintanilla, a 17-year-old junior at Santa Fe High School, says that when Dimitrios Pagourtzis walked into the room, he pointed at one person and said, “I’m going to kill you.” She did not identify the student who was shot.

Quintanilla also says the suspect fired in her direction as she tried to run out of the room. She says the bullet ricocheted and hit her right leg. She was still wearing a hospital bracelet on her wrist as she spoke after a Friday night vigil.

Pagourtzis has been charged with capital murder in the school shooting. He was denied bond at a hearing earlier Friday.

___

8:20 p.m.

A leader at a program for foreign exchange students and the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, D.C., say a Pakistani girl is among those killed in the Texas high school shooting.

Megan Lysaght, manager of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange & Study Abroad program, sent a letter to other students in the program confirming that Sabika Sheikh was killed in the shooting at Santa Fe High School.

The letter says the program is devastated by Sabika’s loss and would be holding a moment of silence for her.

Lysaght declined further comment when contacted by The Associated Press and referred calls to a State Department spokesman.

The Pakistan Embassy in Washington identified Sabika as a victim of the shooting on Twitter and wrote that “our thoughts and prayers are with Sabika’s family and friends.”

___

8:10 p.m.

The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee says he expects the Justice Department to pursue additional charges against the suspected gunman at a Texas high school.

Texas Rep. Michael McCaul told The Associated Press on Friday that federal prosecutors are looking into possible weapons of mass destruction charges against 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis.

The Santa Fe High School student was in custody on murder charges and made his initial court appearance Friday evening by video link from the Galveston County Jail. He’s accused of killing 10 people, most of them fellow students. Authorities say he also had explosive devices that were found in the school and nearby.

McCaul is a former federal prosecutor. He thinks the Justice Department “wants to ramp this up as much as they can to send a message of deterrence.”

___

7:20 p.m.

Family members say a substitute teacher whose passion was her children and grandchildren is among the victims of the shooting at a Texas high school.

Leia Olinde says authorities confirmed to her family that her aunt, Cynthia Tisdale, was killed in Friday morning’s shooting at Santa Fe High School.

She says Tisdale, who was in her 60s, was like a mother to her and helped her shop for wedding dresses last year.

Olinde says Tisdale was married to her husband for close to 40 years and had three children and eight grandchildren. She says she “never met a woman who loved her family so much.”

Olinde’s fiance, Eric Sanders, says “words don’t explain her lust for life and the joy she got from helping people.”

___

6:55 p.m.

Officials have canceled classes at schools in the Santa Fe Independent School District through at least Tuesday in the wake of a shooting at Santa Fe High School that left 10 dead, most of them students.

In a statement posted on the district website, officials indicated that no plan has been made for resuming classes.

Seventeen-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis is charged with capital murder in the shooting rampage. A judge denied him bond at a court hearing Friday evening.

___

6:30 p.m.

A judge has denied bond for the 17-year-old accused of killing 10 people and wounding 10 others at a Texas high school.

Dimitrios Pagourtzis made his initial court appearance Friday evening via closed circuit video from the Galveston County Jail. The judge also took Pagourtzis’ application for a court-appointed attorney.

Pagourtzis has been charged with capital murder in the Friday morning shooting at Santa Fe High School. He did not enter a plea at the hearing.

___

6:25 p.m.

Students at a Houston-area high school where a shooting left 10 people dead and 10 wounded are divided on the issue on gun control.

Seventeen-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis has been identified as the suspect in Friday’s shooting at Santa Fe High School.

Branden Auzston, also 17, is a junior at the school. He says he doesn’t like the idea of arming teachers or allowing open carry on school campuses.

Auzston says “that might help, but at the same time it would just leave room for more deaths.” He thinks security at his school could be improved if more police officers are stationed there “but in a smart manner.”

However, 17-year-old senior Daisy Sullivan, Auzston’s girlfriend, says she doesn’t think more gun control measures are needed.

She says “it’s not, like, the gun’s fault” whenever a school shooting happens. Sullivan adds, “No, it’s the kid who had the idea. Something is wrong with his head. He had the weird idea to shoot up a school.”

___

5:15 p.m.

President Donald Trump has “activated” his gun safety commission and is expected to meet with members next week in the wake of the deadly school shooting in Texas.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the commission the president convened after the Parkland, Florida, shooting in February “has been activated today to start that conversation up again.” She says she believes it will be meeting again in “first part of next week.”

She declined to say whether Trump will revisit some gun control measures after another school shooting, but adds, “Certainly conversation’s ongoing about the best ways to protect kids across the country.”

Authorities say Friday’s shooting at Santa Fe High School left 10 dead and 10 wounded.

___

4:45 p.m.

Netflix has canceled the premiere of its second season of the teen drama “13 Reasons Why” because of a school shooting near Houston.

The streaming service announced the cancellation hours before the scheduled premiere and red carpet event, citing the Friday morning shooting at Santa Fe High School that left 10 people dead.

Despite the cancelled premiere, the entire Season 2 is available on Netflix.

The first season of “13 Reasons Why” drew criticism for its graphic depiction of a teenager’s suicide. The second season focuses on the aftermath of the girl’s death, and includes a storyline about a thwarted school shooting.

The show’s launch party was expected to feature appearances by show stars Katherine Langford, Dylan Minnette, Kate Walsh and others, and producer Selena Gomez.

___

4:40 p.m.

U.S. Senator John Cornyn says the 17-year-old student accused in a fatal shooting at a Texas high school used a semi-automatic pistol and a sawed-off shotgun to kill 10 people.

The Republican from Texas says investigators are still determining whether the shotgun’s shortened barrel is legal.

Dimitrios Pagourtzis has been charged with capital murder in the Friday shooting that also wounded 10 people at Santa Fe High School near Houston.

Cornyn says the suspect had a variety of homemade explosives in his car and at the school, including pipe bombs and “pressure-cooker-like bombs” similar to those used in the Boston Marathon attack.

Cornyn says the suspect “planned on doing this for some time, he advertised his intentions but somehow slipped through the cracks.”

___

4:15 p.m.

Vice President Mike Pence says President Donald Trump “has been taking action to make our schools and our communities safe,” hours after a mass shooting at a high school in Texas.

Pence on Friday called it a “heartbreaking day” after at least 10 people were killed at a high school in Santa Fe, Texas.

Speaking at political event in his home state of Indiana, Pence is highlighting the administration’s efforts on school safety, including signing legislation authorizing $2 billion for state and local governments to use to protect schools and a bill to strengthen the nation’s firearm background check system.

Pence says the administration is still calling on states “to follow the example of Indiana and allow qualified school personnel to carry concealed weapons.” A school police officer was among the 10 people who were shot and injured Friday in Santa Fe.

___

4:05 p.m.

Texas’ governor says the 17-year-old student believed to be behind a high school shooting that killed 10 people wrote in his journal of wanting to carry out such an attack.

Republican Greg Abbott said Friday that the suspect “has information contained in journals on his computer, in his cellphone that … said … not only did he want to commit the shooting but he wanted to commit suicide after the shooting.”

Abbott added that the suspect gave himself up to authorities, saying he “didn’t have the courage” to take his own life.

Dimitrios Pagourtzis (Puh-GORE-cheese) has been charged with capital murder in the Friday morning shooting that killed 10 people and wounded 10 others in Santa Fe, near Houston and Galveston.

___

3:45 p.m.

A hospital spokesman says a school resource officer who was shot in the arm when he engaged a gunman during a shooting at a Houston-area school is undergoing surgery.

David Marshall, the University of Texas Medical Branch’s chief nursing officer, says Santa Fe school resource officer John Barnes is in stable condition Friday afternoon.

Marshall says a bullet hit Barnes’ arm, damaging the bone and a major blood vessel around his elbow. He says the blood vessel has been repaired, and that Barnes is expected to emerge from surgery within a few hours.

Marshall says Barnes was the first person to engage a student armed with two guns who opened fire at Santa Fe High School Friday morning. The shooter killed at least 10 people and injured 10 more.

___

3:30 p.m.

President Donald Trump has ordered that U.S. flags fly at half-staff as a mark of “solemn respect” for those affected by the school shooting in Texas.

Flags are to be flown at half-staff until sunset on May 22. The order applies to the White House and all public buildings and grounds, military posts and naval stations and vessels, as well as at U.S. embassies, consular offices and other facilities abroad. The flag atop the White House was immediately lowered on Friday.

Texas authorities say 10 people, mostly students, were killed Friday when a 17-year-old student carrying a shotgun and a revolver opened fire at a Houston-area high school.

Ten other people were wounded at the school in Santa Fe.

___

3:15 p.m.

A sophomore baseball player was one of at least 10 people injured in a shooting at a Houston-area high school.

Rome Shubert tells the Houston Chronicle that he was hit in the back of his head with what he says was a bullet, but that it “missed everything vital.”

Shubert posted on Twitter that he was “completely okay (sic) and stable.”

Authorities say 17-year-old student Dimitrios Pagourtzis fatally shot 10 people and wounded 10 others at Santa Fe High School on Friday. He is being held on a capital murder charge.

Shubert says the gunman walked into the classroom and tossed something. He said there were “three loud pops” before the attacker fled into the hall.

Shubert says he realized he’d been struck and injured as he was running out the back door.

___

2:55 p.m.

Gov. Greg Abbott says there were few prior warnings about the suspected gunman who opened fire inside a Texas high school, unlike in other recent mass shootings.

Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset says 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis has been charged with capital murder in the Friday morning shooting that killed 10 people and wounded 10 others in the community of Santa Fe.

Abbott said that “unlike Parkland, unlike Sutherland Springs, there were not those types of warning signs.” He was referring to the Feb. 14 school shooting in Florida and one in November inside a church in a town near San Antonio.

Abbott says “the red-flag warnings were either non-existent, or very imperceptible” in the case of the suspected Santa Fe shooter.

___

2:40 p.m.

A sheriff says the 17-year-old suspect in the fatal shooting of at least 10 people at his Houston-area high school is being held on a capital murder charge.

Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset says in a statement that the student, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, is being held without bond in the Galveston County jail.

At least 10 other people were wounded in the shooting Friday morning at the Santa Fe High School.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says investigators also found explosive devices, including a Molotov cocktail, in the school and nearby.

Abbott says the suspect told authorities after his arrest that he had intended to kill himself too, but that he lacked the courage.

___

2:30 p.m.

At least one student isn’t at all surprised that a deadly shooting happened at her high school in Texas.

Paige Curry, who is 17, says “it’s been happening everywhere” and that she “always … felt like that eventually it was going to happen here too.”

Gov. Greg Abbott says 10 people were killed and 10 more were injured Friday morning when a gunman opened fire at Santa Fe High School.

Curry says she was sitting in a classroom when she “heard the loud booms.” It took a second for her to realize what was going on. She and her classmates ran onto the stage and hid together backstage, trying to keep each other calm until SWAT officers found them.

___

2:20 p.m.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says the school shooting suspect used a shotgun and .38-revolver he obtained from his father.

At a news conference on Friday, Abbott said both weapons were owned legally by the suspect’s father. But it’s not clear whether the father knew his son had taken them.

Abbott says 10 people were killed and 10 more wounded in the shooting Friday morning at Santa Fe High School.

Abbott said “we look to God to give the first responders, as well as the victims and the families, the guidance they need in the coming days and weeks.”

Abbott says he will organize roundtables around the state to discuss preventing further shootings.

___

2:10 p.m.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says 10 people are dead and 10 more wounded after a shooting at a high school in the town of Santa Fe.

Abbott called Friday’s shooting “one of the most heinous attacks that we’ve ever seen in the history of Texas schools.”

He says explosive devices including a molotov cocktail that had been found in the suspected shooter’s home and a vehicle as well as around the school and nearby.

The governor says the suspect said he originally intended to commit suicide but gave himself up and told authorities that he didn’t have the courage to take his own life.

Abbott said there are “one or two” other people of interest being interviewed about the shooting.

___

1:45 p.m.

A 16-year-old boy who says he considers Dimitrios Pagourtzis a friend says the Texas high school shooting suspect is interested in guns and war simulation video games, but that he has never about talked about killing people.

Tristen Patterson is a junior at Sante Fe high School, where at least eight people were killed in the shooting Friday morning.

Patterson says Pagourtzis didn’t show signs of being bullied, but that he rarely talked about himself.

He says Pagourtzis would sometimes enter the classroom “acting a little bit down or sad. A little bit sluggish. … But he never talked about why.”

___

1:25 p.m.

A sophomore says it was “chaos” when the fire alarm sounded at Santa Fe High School and people realized it was an active shooter situation.

Sixteen-year-old John Robinson says he was in first period English class when the fire alarm went off.

Robinson says: “Everybody was just trying to get away from the school. They kept saying there was a shooter, people were shot.”

He says he felt scared and simply wanted to get as far away from the school as possible. He and other students ran to a nearby Shell station.

Robinson says he thinks two of his friends might have been injured in the shooting but that he hasn’t been able to speak with them.

___

1:05 p.m.

A law enforcement official has identified a person in custody in the Houston-area school shooting as 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis.

The official was not authorized to discuss the shooting by name and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press.

Authorities say eight to 10 people, mostly students, were killed in the nation’s deadliest such attack since the massacre in Florida that gave rise to a campaign by teens for gun control.

A woman who answered the phone at a number associated with the Pagourtzis family declined to speak with the AP.

She said: “Give us our time right now, thank you.”

Pagourtzis plays on the Santa Fe High School junior varsity football team, and is a member of a dance squad with a local Greek Orthodox church.

___

Eric Tucker in Washington D.C. contributed to this report.

___

1 p.m.

The emergency room medical director at a Texas hospital says the facility has treated eight patients injured in a shooting at a Houston-area school.

Dr. Safi Madain at Clear Lake Regional Medical Center says six of the eight patients have been treated and released. Madain says one patient remains in critical condition and the other is in fair condition.

Madain says all appeared to be high school students with gunshot wounds.

Other victims have been treated at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Dr. David Marshall, chief nursing officer, says one adult male is in critical condition at the hospital. He says that man was shot in the upper arm and is undergoing surgery.

Officials have said eight to 10 people were killed in the Friday morning shooting at Santa Fe High School.

___

12:50 p.m.

A student inside the Houston-area high school where several people were fatally shot says he was near the art classroom where the shooting took place.

Eighteen-year-old Logan Roberds says he heard a fire alarm at Santa Fe High School and went outside. He says he then heard two loud bangs, which he didn’t initially think were gunshots. He says he thought someone loudly hit a trash can.

But he later heard three loud bangs. He says, “that’s when the teachers told us to run.” He says he ran with other students to a nearby gas station. His mother says she quickly drove to meet her son.

The local sheriff says eight to 10 people were killed after a gunman opened fire inside the school Friday morning. Two people are in custody.

___

12:30 p.m.

The police chief at a Houston-area school district says a police officer was shot and wounded during a shooting that killed multiple people at a local high school.

Walter Braun is the police chief of Santa Fe Independent School District. He says the fatal shooting Friday morning at Santa Fe High School also left at least six people wounded, including a police officer.

Dr. David Marshall is the chief nursing officer at the University of Texas Medical Branch in nearby Galveston. He says one man is in critical condition and undergoing surgery at the hospital after suffering a gunshot wound to the upper arm. It wasn’t immediately clear if the man is the wounded officer.

Two other victims are being treated for gunshot wounds to their legs. Hospital spokesman Raul Reyes says one of those is believed to be a student. The other is a middle-aged woman.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez says eight to 10 people were killed after a gunman opened fire inside the school. Two people are in custody.

___

12 p.m.

Survivors of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, took to social media to express outrage and heartbreak after the latest school shooting in Texas where authorities say a gunman opened fire killing eight to 10 people.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas students Jaclyn Corin said in a tweet Friday that her “heart is so heavy” for the students at Santa Fe High School, telling them Parkland will stand with them.

She also directed her frustration at President Donald Trump, urging him to “DO SOMETHING” because children are being killed.

Classmate David Hogg warned the city that politicians would soon descend on the school acting like they care but are only looking to boost approval ratings.

Corin and Hogg were part of a grassroots movement that rallied hundreds of thousands for gun reform.

___

11:50 a.m.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is headed to the scene of a school shooting outside Houston where officials say as many as 10 people were killed.

Abbott tweeted Friday that he was on his way to Santa Fe High School, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Houston. The Republican said an afternoon press conference was planned.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez says most of the victims were students. He says authorities have also detained two people believed to be students.

Gonzalez says authorities didn’t yet have information on the weapon or weapons used.

The White House says President Donald Trump spoke with Abbott to offer his condolences and pledged to work with the governor to provide all appropriate federal assistance

___

11:35 a.m.

Authorities say possible explosive devices have been found at and adjacent to the Texas high school where a shooting left as many as 10 people dead.

The Santa Fe Independent School District said in a statement Friday that authorities are in the process of rendering the devices safe.

There’s no indication how many devices have been found. Police asked the public to “remain vigilant” and to call 911 if they see any suspicious items in the area.

The school outside Houston went on lockdown around 8 a.m. after an active shooting was reported.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez says there “could be 8 to 10 fatalities” from the shooting. Gonzalez says the majority of the dead are students.

The sheriff says one person is in custody and a second person has been detained.

Santa Fe is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Houston.

___

11:15 a.m.

President Donald Trump is sending condolences for the “absolutely horrific attack” at a Texas high school.

Trump is telling those affected that “we’re with you in this tragic hour and we will be with you forever.”

He says his administration is working to protect students, secure schools and keep weapons out of the hands of those who want to do harm.

He called this a “very very sad day.” Trump says “everyone must work together” to keep children safe.

The local sheriff says the shooting Friday morning at Santa Fe High school left as many as 10 people dead, most of them students. The school is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Houston.

___

10:50 a.m.

The local sheriff says as many as 10 people may have been killed during a shooting at a high school near Houston, most of them students.

Harris County Sherriff Ed Gonzalez Harris County said there “could be 8 to 10 fatalities” from the shooting Friday morning at Santa Fe High School, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Houston.

Gonzalez says the majority of the dead are students.

The sheriff says one person is in custody and a second person has been detained.

Gonzalez says a police officer is among the injured but the extent of the officer’s injuries is unknown.

___

10:45 a.m.

Vice President Mike Pence says he and President Donald Trump have been briefed on the school shooting at Santa Fe High School near Houston.

Pence said the students, families, teachers and all those affected should know: “‘We’re with you. You’re in our prayers and I know you are in the prayers of the American people.”

Trump adds in a tweet that, “Early reports not looking good. God bless all!”

First lady Melania Trump is also weighing on Twitter. She says, “My heart goes out to Santa Fe and all of Texas today.”

Houston-area media citing unnamed law enforcement officials are reporting that there are fatalities following the Friday morning shooting. The Associated Press has not been able to confirm the reports.

___

10:30 a.m.

Officials say at least three people are being treated for gunshot wounds and two people have been detained following a shooting at a high school near Houston.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted Friday that one person is in custody and a second person has been detained following the Friday morning shooting at Santa Fe High School.

Gonzalez says a police officer was injured but the extent of the officer’s injuries is unknown.

Gonzalez says there are “multiple casualties” but didn’t elaborate. Houston-area media have cited unnamed law enforcement officials saying there were fatalities. The Associated Press has not been able to confirm the reports.

Dr. David Marshall is chief nursing officer at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He says one man was undergoing surgery at the hospital Friday morning following the shooting. He says a juvenile has been admitted and a second adult is being treated in the emergency room.

___

9:45 a.m.

Houston-area media citing unnamed law enforcement officials are reporting that there are fatalities following a shooting at a high school.

Television station KHOU and the Houston Chronicle are citing unnamed federal, county and police officials following the shooting early Friday at Santa Fe High School, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Houston.

The Associated Press has not been able to confirm the reports.

The school district has confirmed an unspecified number of injuries but is not immediately releasing further details. Assistant Principal Cris Richardson says a suspect “has been arrested and secured.”

___

9:30 a.m.

School officials say people have been injured in a shooting at a Houston-area high school and the suspected shooter is in custody.

Assistant Principal Cris Richardson says the suspect in the shooting Friday at Santa Fe High School “has been arrested and secured.”

The school district also confirmed an unspecified number of people are injured but provided no other details.

School officials say law enforcement officers are working to secure the building “and initiate all emergency management protocols to release and move students to another location.”

Students are being transported to another location to reunite with their parents.

One student told Houston television station KTRK that a gunman came into her first-period class and started shooting. The student says she saw one girl with a bloody leg as the class evacuated.

___

8:37 a.m.

Law enforcement officers are responding to a high school near Houston after an active shooter was reported on campus.

The Santa Fe school district issued an alert Friday morning saying Santa Fe High School has been placed on lockdown.

Galveston County sheriff’s Maj. Douglas Hudson says units are responding to reports of shots fired. He had no immediate details on whether anyone has been hurt.

Santa Fe is a city of about 13,000 residents, located 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Houston.

One student told Houston television station KTRK in a telephone interview that a gunman came into her first-period art class and started shooting. The student says she saw one girl with blood on her leg as the class evacuated the room.

Authorities have not yet confirmed that report.

By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (A.S)

___

#Affidavit #gunman #Investigators #Santa Fe #shoot students #TodayNews

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