#it's generally considered courteous to at least SAY YOU RECEIVED THE MESSAGE even if you didn't have a chance to read the whole thing yet | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

novantinuum · 5 years

Text

Crack the Paragon, Chapter 9

Fandom: Steven Universe

Rating: General Audiences

Words: 7.2K~

Summary: In another world, he doesn’t have his mother’s sword or shield to hide behind when Bismuth lands her strike. The bubble pops.

Steven falls apart.

Chapter summary: In which a diamond is a girl’s best friend.

You can find the first/previous chapter and AO3 links in the reblogs! (I have to omit them from the original post these days to ensure this will show up in the tags.) If you enjoyed this, I’d greatly appreciate your support through reblogs here, or kudos on AO3 as well.

Chapter warning: There is a fairly in-depth depiction of a dissociative flashback. Nothing I'd consider particularly extreme or deserving of a ratings bump, but I figured it'd be courteous to make a specific warning for it anyways.

Chapter 9: Symmetry

On literally any other day, folding laundry would be relaxing.

There’s something comforting about falling back into predictable rhythms, hands running on automatic through assorted piles of clothes as her thoughts take a wandering vacation. Chores are boring, sure, but compared to the non-stop drive of the rest of her life Connie can at least appreciate how mindless they are. In a world filled with things like honors algebra and violin recitals and sword training, falling into the arms of subconscious repetition every once in a while feels nice, like a much needed mental break from the rest of reality.

The only problem is exactly that: it’s mindless. It doesn’t force her to use an ounce of brainpower. It doesn’t block her thoughts from waltzing down dark alleyways, or taking sharp swerves into territory unknown. It doesn’t distract her from obsessively checking her phone every other minute to see if she’s gotten any new calls or texts.

It doesn’t stop her from worrying about Steven.

Normally steady fingers twitch as she folds a sock inside its proper pair. Her pocket nearly feels like it’s burning. Groaning, she tosses the pair into her suitcase and pulls her phone out. The lock screen illuminates, showcasing a photo of a pretty sunset she took from the hill above the temple. Her mouth tightens. Once again, nothing. Giving in to the distraction, she unlocks her phone and taps to reach his latest message. Tired eyes gloss over his photo and those words for the thousandth time.

Accidentally got separated from gem—

I’ll call later, some kinda scary stuff happened—

Please don’t worry too much.

Well, too late for that. She’s not fooled by his blasé, chipper attitude in this text, or the forced grin of the concerningly pale-faced Steven (one of two! How can he claim he’s fine when he’s literally lost a part of himself??) at the forefront of the photo he sent. No, no. She won’t be convinced until she audibly hears it or can throw her arms around him in person, which is harder said than done when he hasn’t returned her calls and Mom won’t let her take the bus over to his place for the morning because she’s supposed to be “packing.” Ugh. As far as she’s concerned, visiting extended family in India can wait its turn. Something terribly wrong must have happened in Beach City last night, and the suspense of not knowing is nearly suffocating her.

But logically, she knows worrying about it nonstop won’t be of help to her or Steven. He’ll call when he calls. She just hopes it’s before she leaves the country. Her dad's a bit of a tightwad when it comes to the idea of upgrading to international call and text, to her chagrin. If she’s honest, it’s the one part of this trip she dreads— having zero contact with her best friend for a week.

Connie hastily breathes in and out, attempting to forcefully will the stress to dissipate. Let it go. Stop thinking about it. She gently tosses her phone on her bed where she can’t reach it, and pushes herself back into the dependable rhythm of laundry folding.

Licking her chapped lips as she works through the pile of newly clean clothes, she folds the turquoise colored silk choli bodice her mom arranged for a relative to hand weave for her on her last birthday and carefully places it with its matching saree. The decorative border running the length of the saree is embroidered with little flowers and swirls in gold thread. Connie smiles faintly, reverently running her hand across the smooth fabric. She’ll be wearing her typical shorts, overalls, and blouses for most of this trip, but she’s super excited to have the perfect excuse to bring this outfit out of her closet for once. It always makes her feel beautiful, with her hair pinned back and the saree draped around her, but she still can’t help but fear she’s ridiculously overdressed whenever she wears it anywhere outside of family events. A shame. Maybe she’ll build the courage to wear it one day when she goes to Steven’s house for sword practice. She’ll change into her usual training clothes during the practice itself, of course— she can’t risk tearing silk or restricting her movement— but it’d be cool to share a piece of her own family’s culture with him like that. Her cheeks heat up as she imagines his reaction. He’ll probably think it’s pretty. Pearl, too. Her teacher definitely has a flair for artistry, after all.

...but of course, that’s assuming Steven and the Gems are okay.

Her previously giddy thoughts wane like a withering petal. Sitting with her legs criss crossed on her bedroom floor, she hunches over with a heavy sigh, propping her chin into her hands. How long is this morning going to last?

Muffled amidst the cocoon of thick blankets adorning her bed, her phone’s ringer picks that very moment to blare into existence. Her nerves electrify in an instant, though whether that’s more a symptom of surprise or anticipation is anyone’s guess. Chest pounding, she shoots to her feet and scrambles across the room to pick it up. She sighs a breath of relief as her eyes skim over the caller ID. It’s him. And he wants to video chat! Without thinking twice she jabs her thumb against the screen to answer.

A handful of seconds pass as her phone attempts to connect over her family’s spotty wi-fi, heart twisting painfully in her throat as she steels herself for whatever potentially bad update about her friend’s life she’s about to receive, but then—

The video pushes through, and her friend appears on the screen. His hair is notably mussed, (more so than usual, that is), with wild curly locks sticking up from his head at weird angles.

“Mornin’, Connie,” he says, exhaustion evident on his face but besides that, appearing physically well. There’s actually color in his cheeks for one thing, unlike in the photo he sent before dawn.

“Steven!” she exclaims, subconsciously gripping the sides of her phone tighter in the absence of an actual hug. “You’re okay!”

“More or less,” he says in confirmation, the corner of his mouth turning up for a glimmer of a second. His expression quickly becomes tinted in shades of remorse, however, his voice on the brink of cracking. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t call back earlier! My phone died on me, and then I forgot to plug it in, and then I got distracted by a bunch of crazy family stuff, and that’s probably not a good excuse, but—“

She tries to feed him a reassuring smile, pushing down the blatant depth of her worry for his sake.

“Hey, don’t fuss about it. It happens. And anyways, you’re here now, right? So all that doesn’t even matter anymore.”

Her friend deals her a noncommittal shrug in response, and slouches against the rough hewn stone she’s only now noticing in the background. If she has to guess, he’s sitting on the beach, leaning against the sheer cliff walls where they first met almost two years earlier. Interesting, she muses, her brow furrowing. Usually when they do video calls Steven makes a point to stay in his house because he gets better reception there. On top of that, there’s an undeniable melancholy brewing within his eyes that would be amiss to ignore. He’s not even trying to mask it for once, which speaks volumes in and of itself about how heavy a burden it’s become, whatever it is that’s bothering him. Geeze, what on Earth happened over there last night?

“So, your gem,” she starts, edging towards the topic carefully. “Are you still—?”

He shakes his head, seemingly already catching on to what she’s gonna ask. “Nah, we’re together again! Turns out I can still fuse even without without him.”

“Hmm, I—“ Connie pauses, mind fixating for a second on the specific way he referred to his gem half, ascribing an undeniable sense of individuality to him— “well, I’m super glad you figured that out. But I still don’t understand, how can you get separated from your gem in the first place?”

“It’s, uh- a pretty complicated story, fair warning.”

“Pshhh, that’s no problem, I’ve got all morning,” she says, and props her phone against her bedpost so she can continue packing while listening. Freed once more, her hands seek out more unpaired socks to join.

“Only if you’re good with it, then.” The boy sighs deeply as he begins to prepare his words. The infamous drama zone kicking in, he lets his head lull backwards at gravity’s command against the cliffside’s face. She can’t help but cringe at the audible smack of his skull against smooth rock. “Ow!” he whines, immediately jerking forwards again. He rubs the back of his head in clear disbelief, softly laughing at his own folly. “Well, that was a pretty dumb idea.”

“Not gonna disagree,” she says with a giggle, glancing between her clothes and the screen in intervals as she folds. “Now, tell me everything. From the beginning. I still gotta pack, but I’m listening, I promise.”

A soft smile brightens his face, sunlight glinting off his dark brown irises. It’s enough to capture her stare, to make everything else in the world freeze to a stop. Just for one magic moment. Her heart almost flip flops at the gentle way he gazes at her, his eyes filled with a shy reverence that honestly, speaks volumes to his nature as a person. Because while he’s grown undeniably strong as a half-Gem, he’s far more than that. He's kind. He’s sensitive, and caring. So, so caring. More than anything else he tries his hardest to be extra empathetic about the needs of others around him, and she adores this about him, she truly does. Her only wish is that he could be this receptive about his own needs all the time, too. With her firsthand knowledge of the stressful stuff he and the other Gems deal with on a weekly basis, she can’t help but worry sometimes.

He breathes in, chest rising and falling as he prepares to tell his story. “Okay. So it all started yesterday morning when I was playing video games with the Gems…”

______

“—and then that’s when I figured out I could still fuse, right after I texted you. So we did, and- and well, that’s pretty much it,” Steven finishes with a bit of a waver in his voice, absentmindedly twirling his finger around a short curl at the nape of his neck as he adjusts his grip on the phone with his other hand.

With his story more or less complete, barring a few recent occurrences he’s hesitant to speak of right now, he pays careful attention to the minute fluctuations of Connie’s expression as everything he’s told her sinks in.

(He intentionally left out some of the more intimate bits, of course— like softly crying himself to sleep before Dad warped back, or having a near breakdown on the beach, or his conversation with half of himself. Some moments simply aren’t for others to know.)

Her voice wavers as she finally makes to respond. “Wow, that’s… a lot.”

“Yeah. And like, I wanna believe it’s over now, but everyone’s still acting so weird.”

“Mmm, and then there’s everything about your mom, and Pink Diamond…” She balls her hand against her mouth as she mulls over this information, her sobered glance shifting from him to some unspecified point in her bedroom.

And at seeing the subtle aversion of her gaze, he frets for a second. He squirms in the seat of the cold metal chair he’s made his temporary home in, toes curling inwards much like the creeping dread that’s trying to inch its way ever further into his heart, stifling any last hope of peace or calm. Replacing it with fear. Like, what if his real talk is too real? Too honest? What if he’s freaked her out, or overloaded her with the sheer weight of everything that’s happened to him, what if she’ll wanna keep her distance from him because of all this, what if—

“I’m so sorry you have to deal with all this,” she says softly, slashing the cord that’s restraining him within his frantic thoughts.

His shoulders relax, tension fading.

“I- is there anything I can do?” his friend continues. “To help, I mean?”

“Nah, don’t think so. Not right now, at least. Honestly, just having someone to talk to about all this means a lot.” He begins to slowly swing his legs back and forth, and leans against the coffee stained table top. “Normally I’d talk to one of the Gems, but. Well, y’know.”

His friend bobs her head in the affirmative. “Mmm.”

“It’s just…” he begins, pausing with a long sigh as he tries to organize all his jumbled emotions into something remotely explainable. His eyes drift away from his phone, focusing instead on the soft, tantalizing glow of the ice cream freezer across the shop. “I think I almost died, Connie. For real. I was shivering, a-and scared, and cracked, and- and yet they couldn’t stop fighting about whatever happened in the past. I don’t know anything about Pink Diamond, or what terrible things Rose apparently did, but now it’s like… even if they don’t mean to, that’s all they can think about when they look at me?”

Steven groans in exhaustion, slumping forward so the side of his face is pressed against the table. It’s comfy, never mind how dirty the surface probably is. He shifts his phone in his hands so Connie’s image is still parallel to him. “I dunno. I should’ve never popped that bubble in the first place. If I didn’t let Bismuth out, none of this would’ve happened.”

“Steven!” a loud voice calls from across the shop. “Are you gonna buy a donut or what?”

“Whu- huh??”

Startled, he shoots upright in the chair— knowing all too well from the faint thrum dancing under his skin that he’s on the brink of summoning his bubble on sheer impulse— before realizing that no, it’s only Lars, everything’s fine, I’m fine.

The surly teen is slumped against the counter next to Sadie, (who’s counting the money in the cash register on sheer compulsion, as if rifling through it one more time might cause the cash to magically multiply), both employees marinating in the boredom of yet another low traffic mid-September day at the Big Donut. He pauses to catch his breath, in retrospect feeling super silly for his near freak-out. His two favorite donut people have been here this whole time, of course. How he managed to become so sucked in by his call that he forgot is beyond him.

“Are you okay?” he hears Connie ask softly, obvious concern in her voice.

Lars on the other hand, apparently wasn’t finished calling him out.

“You can’t just- loiter here all morning and not buy anything!” he says. Brow threading together in perplexion, he whirls towards his coworker. “Right? Isn’t there a law for that? Sadie, help me out here-!”

She rolls her eyes so far they almost disappear back into her skull. “Oh, leave him alone, he’s fine...” “Yeah, I’m not loitering, I’m having a nice conversation with my friend!” he chimes, holding up his phone screen to them as proof.

“Hi Sadie, Lars,” Connie says.

The young lady behind the register smiles warmly despite the bags under her eyes, and pauses her task to wave to the camera.

Unimpressed, Lars leans his chin against his balled up fist, elbow propped on the counter. His tired eyes narrow into thin slits, exaggerated by the squish of his cheek against his bottom eyelid. “A ‘nice conversation?’ You’ve been sitting there for half an hour rambling about the misfortunes of near death,” he says, deadpan.

“I—“ His eyes grow wide as he combs back through the— now that he thinks about it— admittedly dour mood of everything he’s recently said. “Is that really what it sounded like...?”

Is he just being a killjoy to everyone? He thought it’d be okay to be real about it with his friend for once, since he usually keeps his deeper issues to himself, but perhaps...

“No, just ignore him,” Sadie says as she diligently sorts the coins, cutting in right before his mind can continue its downward spiral.

On the screen, Connie nods in wholehearted support. “It’s just venting, I don’t mind.”

And despite everything else he manages a smile at that, small and thin but filling him with a needed burst of energy all on its own.

“Huh,” Lars mutters, scrutinizing him closely. “Well, whatever it was, dark and brooding is a surprisingly good vibe for you. We’ll make a teenager of you yet.”

Steven blinks in confusion.

“But I already am a teenager,” he says, perhaps a bit more defensively than he ought have.

“Yeah!” chimes his friend over the phone.

“Wait, really? Aren’t you like, nine or somethin’?”

He squirms in his seat upon reference to his inability to physically age, feeling the flush touch his ears. “Uh, actually…”

“Dude, he’s been a teenager,” Sadie says. She stuffs the last of the quarters in their slot and securely shuts the cash register drawer. “He turned fourteen a few weeks ago, don’t you remember?”

“N- no… I just—“ Lars lets out a scoff, shooting her a moody sneer. “Whatever, okay? I don’t have the time or the patience to remember everyone’s birthdays in this dead-end town.”

“Only twenty-nine people even live here year round.”

“So? Your point is?”

“My point is that it’s kinda common courtesy to look up and pay attention to your surroundings every once in a while?”

He turns up his nose. “Ugh, well you know what—“

Steven purses his lips as he watches the two of them devolve into yet another round of petty squabbling. (Why all of these fights lately…? What’s wrong with everyone, what’s in the air?) Suddenly feeling very much like high tailing it out of here, he shifts in his seat. He and Connie share a knowing glance, one that quickly lets him knows they’re on the same page. Originally, he came here to use the store wi-fi since he didn’t want to be at home right now, but he can probably still use it just fine sitting at the table outside. Without any overt announcement of the fact, he stands and makes his way to the door. Lars and Sadie are too caught up in their spat to notice him leave.

Only when the cool breeze greets him outside can he relax. He kicks back in one of the chairs set out front of the store, adjusting his phone in his hand. Gulls call loudly from the boardwalk in their endless search for trashed food. A handful of people he doesn’t recognize— tourists!— splash in the water or play in the sand, a pair of young men holding hands as they cross the public beach. Sunlight is finally breaking through the cloud cover, brilliant blue overtaking dreary grey. He smiles faintly. Despite everything, it truly is a beautiful morning.

“Sorry about all that!” he says to his friend on the line, glancing back at the doors of the Big Donut. “They really are cool people when you got to know ‘em, but they kinda disagree about stuff a lot.”

Connie stifles a laugh, her expression unreadable for a moment. “I know you keep saying they’re probably dating, but I honestly don’t believe you.”

His skin grows clammy all of a sudden.

Don’t… believe...

He's frozen. It’s almost like he’s with Sapphire, trapped again in that old motel room shivering amidst her frost powers. And yet simultaneously he’s not, ‘cause… because he’s burning up, hand clutching at thin air. He’s terrified. He’s completely alone, he’s—

He’s back in the forge.

Bismuth’s there, looming like a reaper above him, arm shapeshifted into some sort of curved saw blade and held aloft. Thick, viscous lava boils angrily in the pool surrounding the platform he’s on, and more than anything it’s a warning, a constant warning, and he’s stupid, he’s so unobservant and stupid, he should have paid heed to it when he came down here in the first place, why didn’t he—

Heat blasts almost violently at him as he shuffles away on hands and feet, scooting backwards on the blistering stone. He heaves for breath amidst his panic. Meanwhile, the channels of hard light running parallel with his veins buzz alongside the rush of adrenaline keeping him alive. Sweat beads on his forehead, sticky and unnaturally cool.

No matter how hard he tries, he’s too weak against her. His shield isn’t strong enough.

He knows this for a fact now, knows that Bismuth can dissipate both it and his bubble with enough force, and that’s a super scary thought but it doesn’t stop the primal instinct pulsing insistently at the back of his mind, pushing him to stand back up, to summon his weapon anyways and try to defend himself. It’s nothing but a lost cause, though.

Now, his only true shield is his words.

“Wait, I’m not my mom!” he cries in desperation, shielding himself with his arms. “I don’t know what she did, but I’m sure she didn’t want to hurt you!”

The stark shadow obscuring the rainbow haired Gem’s eyes grows darker.

“It’s too late,” she spits, preparing to swing her arm down. “I don’t believe you anymore!”

And then with a shallow gasp he’s here again, here at this dingy plastic table sitting under the bright and blue hope of morning, his phone clutched in a vice-like grip. Breath passes through his lips shakily. What the heck was that?? Was his gem feeding him old memories like what happened in his sleep, or something? Whatever it was, he’s genuinely not sure how much time has passed during the vision, a realization which unnerves him. Seemingly not too long, as Connie hasn’t moved to speak yet. Yet still her too-familiar words echo in his mind, pulsing with the thrum of inflamed blood vessels at an open wound, and without the blessing of inhibition he blurts out the first thought that reveals itself.

“That’s fair,” he says, voice cracking. “I probably wouldn’t believe me about a lot of things right now.”

Her brow creases with obvious concern. “Hey... Hey, I didn’t mean that personally. I was just messing around with ya’. You know that, right?”

“I know,” he sighs. “I’m sorry. I guess I just feel... really on edge.” Jittery fingers card through thick curls as his chest softly rumbles in the absurdity of it all. “Geeze, I’m being a real sad sack today, huh?”

“Well, you’ve been through a lot.”

“Yeah, but to be fair ‘near death scenarios’ are pretty much just an occupational hazard at this point. And I’ve handled that fine before, so…”

“Still doesn’t erase the fact that it’s impacted you hard this time,” she says softly, leveling her gaze squarely on him, her intuitive brown eyes disassembling his insecurities and then putting them back together like a puzzle.

He flushes, shrinking where he sits. He pulls his legs up onto the seat, clutching them to his chest. Intuitively he knows she’s right, he knows that all this has messed with him more than the danger of Gem stuff normally does, but he still can’t help but feel… ashamed? That he’s feeling this way in the first place? It’s bizarre. It’s completely dumb, and the more he fixates on it the more dumb it becomes. Eventually he decides he’s not in the right mental state to try and weave a halfway rational response to her and elects to swerve the topic.

“So there’s also another not-great thing that happened,” he begins, hugging his knees. “Should probably mention.”

“Yeah…?”

“Garnet unfused over all this. Maybe for good this time.”

She gasps, and in an instant her face shoots closer on his screen.

“Wait what? She- you mean that Ruby and Sapphire aren’t—“

“Yup.”

Connie covers her mouth in shock, eyes glistening. “Oh, no! Steven, I’m so sorry! And you don’t think they’ll be able to work it out?”

“No, they made it seem pretty permanent.”

“That’s… really rough,” she sighs in solidarity. “‘Cause I mean, at least since it’s fusion she’s still there in spirit, but- you grew up knowing Garnet.”

“Exactly,” he nods. “I love Ruby and Sapphire a whole bunch, but it’s still different, y’know? Like, it’s like I lost someone important to me. Maybe forever. And... it feels so awful,” he says, pushing past the lump in his throat that he wishes more than anything would go away. “All of it. It’s like everyone in my family’s falling apart. The moment she unfused, Sapphire immediately shut herself in her room, and then Ruby was so upset she ran away, and Amethyst and Pearl started yelling at each other about everything, so… I left. And called you,” he explains, gesturing at her. “And now I’m here, chillin’ at the Big Donut. And that’s pretty much it.”

“Gosh...”

“Yeah.”

“Again, I’m sorry you had to deal with all this. I mean, outright getting cleaved from half of yourself? I can’t even imagine…” She bites at her knuckles for a moment, deep in thought. “Makes me wish I had more than sympathy to offer.”

“Nah, just you listening to everything means a whole bunch. I really appreciate that,” he says. “I—“ his voice wavers a bit as he feels the heat of the blush blossoming across his cheeks— “I really appreciate you. A lot. You- you know that, don't you?”

She giggles, the sound a beautiful reassurance to his ears. “Of course I do! And anyways, you always take time to listen to me when I’m down. That’s what jam buds are for, right?”

“Right,” he says, the word reverberating in harmony in the deepest reaches of his heart.

“Steven!” a voice calls from the distance.

Connie’s brow furrows. “Is that…?”

He whips his head around, squinting in the sunlight to catch a clearer glimpse of the figure running towards the edge of the Big Donut’s patio, his long hair rippling behind him. At the sight of family, his eyes light up. He waves his free arm in greeting.

“Dad!”

“Hey, kiddo!” his dad says, crossing the last few steps to the patio chair he’s curled up in. Gasping for breath, he plops himself in the chair adjacent. “I thought I’d find you here. You doin’ better now?”

He makes a half grimace, and shakes his flattened hand in a so-so gesture.

Dad’s hopeful smile fades, quickly replaced with a compassionate sense of understanding that could only come from years of hard earned age and experience. “Yeah. Yeah, I getcha. Seeing people you love fight like that’s never fun. Do you wanna talk about it?”

He presses his mouth into a line as he contemplates. To be honest, after venting about everything to Connie, fixating on negative emotions more is the last thing he wants to do, but he doesn’t wanna be rude to his dad. Thank goodness he has a valid excuse to avoid it altogether!

“Uh, I’m kinda on the phone, here,” he says, showing him his phone screen as proof.

“Oh, by golly, so you are! Hey, Connie. How are you hangin’ in there?”

She flashes a smile. “Hi, Mr. Universe! I’m okay, thanks.”

“Heh, Mr. Universe, huh?” he chuckles softly, scratching at his beard. “Such formalities! You’ve known me for what, how long? Please, you can call me Greg.”

“Thanks, but my mom says I’m not allowed to call grown ups by their first names.”

“Dr. Maheswaran has all sorts of weird mom rules,” Steven chimes in, nodding.

“Hoo boy, do I know about those,” his dad commiserates in a flat tone. He makes a big show out of mulling this over, humming as he taps at his chin. “Well then, don’t think of me as a grown up, but more of a big kid with, erm… slightly bigger responsibilities.”

“Uh, okay!” Connie says, hesitantly glancing between him and Steven. “If it’s alright with you, then, Mr. Greg!”

Dad‘s mouth turns up in a fond smirk, and then he glances back at him. “Anyways, I wanted to let you know that the Gems have cooled down. I had… a bit of a talk with them, let’s say,” he mutters, clear exhaustion betraying his otherwise content demeanor. “Should be fine to go back when you’re ready.”

“Did Ruby return??”

“Nah, she’s still MIA. But Pearl and Amethyst are on the case.”

He sighs, disappointment flooding his heart. He’s not sure why he ever dreamed otherwise. She’ll come back eventually, of course. She’s gotta. According to Garnet, Rubies are very social Gems, which means they prefer sharing in the company of others over being alone. And even when she’s not fused with Sapphire, she’s still a part of his family. He dearly hopes she knows that.

“I hope her and Sapphire will be okay,” he mutters.

“I’m sure they’ll be fine in the end,” he says with a shrug. “They’ve come apart before, after all.”

Connie hums in agreement. “Yeah, sometimes even my parents need some quiet time away from each other. That’s totally normal!”

Dropping his legs to dangle from the chair again, Steven watches an orange spotted butterfly flutter between the beach umbrellas set up on the patio tables, meeting with its other half before both journeying away in the wind. His cheeks lift at their attempts at reassurance, and boy, does it feel so much more natural than frowning pensively.

“D’ya really think so?”

Smiling softly, his dad affectionately musses his hair. “All we can do is wait and see, bud. Wait and see.” He stands to his feet then, grunting as he uses the table’s surface to help push him up. Gaze growing somewhat weary, he peers with purpose towards the far side of the hill. “Anyways, your old man will be over at the car wash, scrubbing soap scum off the floors. Eughh, right? But hey, if you need anything… a hug, an ear, some classic fatherly advice… come and find me, okay? Take it easy this morning.” Grinning, he turns back to wave goodbye to the girl mirrored on the screen. “Nice seeing ‘ya, Connie. Take care.”

“You too!” she waves in return.

And with that farewell his dad begins his casual jaunt down the sidewalk, leaving the two of them alone once more. Except, he supposes that’s not true at all, is it? Even without Connie, even without Dad, or the Gems. Because if he can take away one good thing from this whole messed up experience, just one hopeful message, it’s that he’s never been alone a day of his life. That’s simply the nature of fusion, you see. Even in the darkest, scariest moments...

I’ve never actually been alone, he marvels. I’ve just been me.

______

Once Steven’s dad leaves to scrub down the floors at his car wash, their conversation evolves considerably from its bleak beginnings. Enough about all this Gem stuff, Steven says, what’s new with you? Besides, uh- folding underwear, of course!

Connie laughs, rolling her eyes at the visible blush on his face as she pushes the aforementioned undergarments out of frame. She eagerly shares some of the finer details of her India trip, telling him all about when she’s leaving for the airport, (late this evening, on a red-eye flight across the Atlantic), what area of the country she’s visiting, (Punjab, where some of her extended family lives), and how long she’ll be gone (just a week!). From there, the topic shifts between a variety of themes, ranging anywhere from her anxiety and excitement at starting school again when she gets back, the pride of finally figuring out a challenging song she’s wanted to perfect for a while on her violin, to this super compelling Unfamiliar Familiar fanfic she found where Lisa discovers she’s secretly heir to the throne of the corrupt society she’s always been vying to escape from underneath the authoritative thumb of.

“Wow, this is the story I never knew I always needed so badly in my entire life,” Steven says, brown irises turning starry-eyed in the sunlight. He’s sitting atop the hill now, resting content on his belly in the grass in front of the lighthouse.

“I know, right?? I’ll send you the link,” she promises, dangling her feet in the air behind her as she lays on the carpet.

He pumps his fist in the air triumphantly. “Woo, free infinite books!”

“Well, keep in mind, it’s not finished yet. Apparently it’s supposed to update bi-weekly, but I think the author got a bit boggled down by life stuff recently.”

“Aw, that’s too bad. I hope they’re doin’ okay.”

“Same… But hey,” she says with a soft laugh, “at least it’s a long fic, right?”

“Y’know,” he interjects the current topic suddenly, rising to his knees. “I wonder if I can see your house from here! D’ya think that’s possible, ‘cause I wanna see if that’s possible!”

He switches his camera’s view from front to back, the image of his face replaced by the scenic vista of the cozy beach town below, ridged by the peaceful waters of the Atlantic and Rehoboth Bay. She can see everything, from the gigantic pastry shaped facade atop the Big Donut, to the water tower clear on the other side of the peninsula. Beyond, lush green grasslands— dotted with clusters of small residences, humanity’s touch on the Earth— stretch as far into the horizon as far as a young dreamer can imagine.

Connie picks up her phone from the bedpost she leaned it against and squints at the screen, trying to map out the precise scale of the countryside between them in her mind. “Hmm, probably not. I think my town’s pretty hidden by the surrounding hills.”

“No silly, not from right here, here! I meant, from up here!”

She yelps as the view of Beach City on her phone screen jolts in a burst of sudden, rapid movement, shrinking smaller and smaller as the seconds tick by.

“Steven!! What are you—“

But internally, she finds the answer to this question before she can even finish asking it. Clearly, he jumped into the sky, so… so he’s using his floating ability. Even though she’s never seen him utilize it to leap to this extreme, it’s the only possibility that makes any ounce of sense. Her mouth falls agape at the picturesque view below, the town beginning to looking more and more like a blurred watercolor painting. Distantly, she wonders what it would feel like to be up there with him, her hands clutched tight in his, the wind dancing through her long hair.

"Consarn it! Your house is too small to pick out. Hmm..."

Or even as Stevonnie, can they float too? she wonders. Maybe one day she can ask!

“Oh my gosh, this is just like I’m on the giant slingshot they used to have at Funland,” she says, averting her eyes as her best friend continues his ascent into the shimmering blue sky. She lets slip a slight grimace, finding the stark contrast between the movement on the screen and the still permanence of her bedroom dizzying the more she watches. “And I’m starting to think there’s a reason they shut that ride down…”

“Hey, my floating powers are way better than The Comet,” he chirps playfully, having finally reached the apex of his leap. “Hah, maybe that means I should start my own attraction at Funland!”

“Doing what?” she says, unable to keep from laughing at the absurdity of the very concept. “Bubbling people on the tracks of the rollercoaster like the day we first met? I’m pretty confident that’d be a major health and safety violation.”

“Aww, but those are the best kinds of attractions!”

She hears him grunt with minor exertion, and suddenly the aerial glimpse of the countryside she’s watching on her phone drops out of sight, replaced in an instant with a sweeping panorama of the boundless sky, the line of the horizon with the sea, the ground looming ominously hundreds of feet below. Rinse and repeat, over and over. Everything is spinning, she realizes in alarm, and there’s no end in sight.

“Whoa-oH, it’s the Stevencoaster!” he cries in childish glee as he somersaults.

His lighthearted joy is so contagious she can’t stop the grin stretching wide across her face.

“Careful, you doofus, you’re gonna make me motion sick and I’m not even there,” she giggles breathlessly.

“Nooo! And the Stevencoaster makes everyone toss their cookies! Words truly cannot describe the culinary carnage left in its wake.”

She rolls her eyes in fondness at his antics, and sits up on her carpet. “No, but seriously,” she reaffirms, “that’s making me pretty dizzy.”

“Oh, sorry!”

Soon enough she watches him level out from his spin, his camera focusing for a moment on the ground a hundred feet below his sandaled feet before flipping to show his face once more, framed by wild dark curls. His irises are shimmering an unnatural pink she’s never seen before. It's enough of an unexpected shock that her smile fades, ever so slightly.

“Better?” he says, beaming at her as he continues on his slow descent to Earth.

They’re still pink. And his pupils… She’s not just imagining it, right? She blinks heavily.

“Y- yes, much.”

“Connie? What’s wrong?” he asks, landing upon the grass. His brow furrows.

Even more notably, his eyes are just as normal and brown as they ever were. Connie balls her hand against her chin as she deliberates this. Hmm. Curiouser and curiouser.

She shakes her head, silently mulling over how best to explain this. “Nothing, it’s just… I could’ve sworn your eyes were… different, for a second.”

“Different?” Steven‘s grin stretches so wide he looks like he’s about to burst at any moment. “Eye don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“Well, if you become my pupil I could explain it to you,” she giggles.

“I’m listening,” he chimes eagerly.

“Okay, so honestly it could’ve just been a trick of the light, but… it’s almost like they flashed pink for a second. And your pupils were all funny, kind of, uh- slitted! Like a cat’s.”

“Pink?”

“Yeah.”

His face goes shockingly pale. “Connie, when was this?”

“Just a second ago,” she shrugs. “You were still floating.”

“Floating,” he repeats under his breath, seeming haunted by the very thought.

“Steven?” she calls, a sudden twist in her chest at the sight of his clear distress. “Steven, what’s wrong?”

“I, I—“ he stammers, unable to even meet her glance. “I’m really sorry, but I gotta go. I’ll text you later?”

“Uh- okay. Thanks for calling—“

He hangs up.

“...back,” she finishes softly, shoulders sinking.

She sighs heavily, dropping her phone into her lap and sitting back against her bed frame. What did she say? What could be so scary about the idea of glowing pink eyes to make him react like that? Sure, it’s a bit strange, but it’s no more unusual than any of his other unique abilities. She only hopes she didn’t ruin his good mood all over again by bringing his attention to it.

Her mother knocks on the doorframe outside, signaling her presence.

“Come in,” she mutters glumly.

The door creaks open. Mom steps through, and leans against the wall with her arms crossed, glancing knowingly between her and the phone still clutched like a lifeline in her hands.

“Are you still worried about that boy?” she asks.

Connie can almost hear the capitalization inherent in her tone. 'That Boy.’ Even though she and Steven are just friends, she knows full well who her mother thinks he is to her. (Not that she’d complain if that were the case, but that’s simply not a thing with them, and really that’s fine, she’s fine, their status quo is comfortable how it is—)

“Yeah… I just got off the phone with him," she says, letting her head sink into the folds of the covers trailing off the side of her bed. "It sounds like he’s been through a lot lately.”

“Well, when a child spends all day fighting monsters instead of going to school like he’s supposed to, I can’t say I’m surprised,” her mom says under her breath.

“Mom, come on, this is serious!”

“Yes, sorry, you’re right,” she says wearily, pressing her hand to her temple. “Just because I don’t understand it doesn’t mean that it’s fair of me to say.”

She turns away, and hugs her knees to her chest. Like a storm on a late summer day, her mind brims with so many things she wishes she could admit, so many things that need to be released if she wants to find any peace about this. But how to start? How can she make her mother understand?

“I’ve really been looking forward to this trip, y’know?" Connie says, feeling oh-so vulnerable sitting on the floor just like she always would as a young child, eyes glistening as she calls upon her mother for support. "Really. And I know we gotta leave tonight, but just knowing he’s hurting and I won’t be able to text him at all makes part of me wish… that I could stay here."

Unable to dam it up anymore, a few tears spill over to roll unbridled down her cheek. Her chest quivers uncontrollably as her face screws up and she begins to cry.

"Oh, honey," she breathes, moving to kneel on the floor next to her. She rests her hand on her upper back, gently kneading the stress out of her tense muscles.

"He's always been there for me when I needed someone to talk to, o-or somethin' to feel better," she sniffles, wiping the damp from her eyes and nose. "A- and then- the moment he needs me, I can't be there for him at all, an' it's not fair!"

Upon seeing the trail of snot beginning to drip towards her upper lip, her mother grimaces. She reaches across her for the small square box perched atop her nightstand. "Tissue," she says firmly, passing her the box.

She accepts the gift, pulling one out, and blows her nose hard.

As she's dabbing away, cleaning up the evidence of her tears, Mom's fingers shift to comb through the length of her hair. She twirls through long dark strands and pulls them out of her face. "Even if I don't get all this magic stuff you're both dealing with," she begins, voice brimming with compassion, "believe me, I understand more than most what it feels like to be cut off from the people you love. So... I’ll change your phone plan to international, how’s that? That way, at the very least you’ll still be able to contact him.”

Her eyes light up. “Wow, really?? But that’s super expensive!”

“Says your father,” she scoffs with soft laughter. “We can afford it. And anyways, I’d hate to see you miserable the whole trip.”

“That’ll be perfect!” she says, throwing her arms tight around her mother. And although she can’t see her face, Connie knows from the reassuring solidness of their embrace that every bit of the love she has for her is returned in full. “Thanks, Mom,” she whispers, her anxious heart finally finding a glimmer of peace.

#su #steven universe #connie maheswaran #su fanfic #su fanfiction #crack the paragon #greg universe #lars barriga #sadie miller #priyanka maheswaran #my writing stuff

58 notes · View notes

annewithagee · 5 years

Text

Know Love When You See It (3)

“I can’t do this, Gil. I can’t open this door. What it it’s too late? What if we came all this way only to find it was all for naught, because she… she…“ A story in which Gilbert’s health remains perfectly fine, but that’s not enough to bring Anne peace. Alternate ending to AotI. Shirbert.

fanfiction.net / AO3

Chapter 3 Two Kindred Spirits and a journey of four steps

In the years to come Anne’s thoughts often wandered back to that fateful afternoon, playing with the question of who had proven to be more unrelenting on that particular time of misery and hurt, never quite able to give a certain answer to her query.

Was she the one in the lead, with her astonishment and disbelief that had naturally followed Gilbert’s sudden offer and then the protest that had derived directly from them in turn? Or had the palm of victory been his, as he had so obviously ignored both, standing resolutely by his proposition, deaf to the reasoning she had so desperately thrown at him back then?

She had always known him to be stubborn, and to a degree that could only be rivalled by herself; so how could she be surprised to see him act like this that day?

“For the last time, Anne, this isn’t about either of us being comfortable or not,” he had told her then, depriving her of her last argument. “I can easily imagine that you’d rather go back with Stella or Priss, but you know that it won’t work this time and I know that you’re not going to delay your return only because my company is less pleasant than theirs.”

She had protested to that, too, telling him frankly that this particular aspect of their journey had been the least of her concerns, but accepted his general plan eventually.

It was agreed upon that Gilbert should come to Patty’s Place shortly before eight the following morning and that they should set off to the Kingsport train station together from there. Again, Anne wanted to oppose – this time, however, she would have had to battle all four of her friends, who undoubtedly would emphasise the advantage of such solution most resolutely – and she was certain that at this point she could not successfully battle one.

She agreed and then she excused herself when only she thought it appropriate, explaining that she should pack before it got dark and that more than anything, she needed a proper rest before her trip. She found Gilbert’s eyes and, unable to think of words that could express the enormous gratitude she felt, she gave him one, lasting gaze, praying to the Heavens that he could understand the message it was supposed to carry.

He did; he answered it with the weakest of smiles and a silent promise that he would be there for her, for as long as she needed him to.

And now here she was, dressed up in her old grey travelling dress, standing by the gate of her second home, waiting. The morning was bright, the sun shining down on her, its beams warm and gentle against her pale, freckled skin. It was a fine morn, a beautiful morn; and yet, for the first time in her life, Anne could not feel appreciate it at all.

She noticed Gilbert come down the street with a small satchel and immediately felt guilty as she thought of her own suitcase, so much heavier than the little bag he was carrying with him. She knew he would take her ridiculously big luggage as soon as he arrived at the gate and that she could never find a way to talk him out of it.

She sighed with exasperation. Sometimes she wished that Gilbert Blythe hadn’t been such a consummate gentleman all the time.

As she mused over the matter, the young man in question reached his destination, having come to a stop right in front of her. He offered her a smile and pushed the gate open.

“You are up early,” he said in lieu of a greeting, his voice void of astonishment. “I am fairly sure we weren’t supposed to meet for another quarter at least.”

“Well, in that case we are equally ill-bred,” Anne retorted readily; it was disconcerting to think how easy it was to fall into this kind of banter with him, so many months apart and at the time so unfavourable as this, yet at this point, she was far too tired to worry about that, too.

Gilbert chuckled lightly. “I must ask you not to repeat this to my mother, Miss Shirley. She pales at the very thought of me behaving inappropriately, she might end up with a heart attack if she ever heard that I did.”

“As long as you don’t betray me before Marilla,” Anne answered in the same blithe tone, before realising to whose judgement she had just referred. She looked away, abashed. “I’m sorry, Gilbert. I’m afraid I’m not going to be the most amusing companion today.”

“I never expected you to be,” he assured her candidly as he stepped closer and bent to take hold of her suitcase. “This is a terribly small baggage, Anne. Are you sure you’ve got everything you need?”

Anne smiled at him sheepishly. “I was afraid I had taken too much, actually, seeing how all you’ve got is a satchel.”

“Well, seeing how I don’t need to worry about petticoats and corsets, it’s quite natural that my baggage is smaller – I should be worried if that wasn’t the case.” He finally straightened up to his full heights and looked squarely at her. “So, is that really all? Are you ready to go now?”

Anne nodded in confirmation and after giving the little cottage one last wistful glance, she finally left the dear place behind.

As they strolled up the street in silence, Anne was once again reminded that even though she herself made a terrible travelling companion, Gilbert did not. He didn’t bore her with unnecessary talk, mindful of her worries that must take precedence over whatever he might have wanted to discuss… and making sure she could still sense his supportive presence at the same time. One minute it was a glance meant solely for her to see; in another it was a word, a thought voiced for no other reason than to rouse her from her musing when he saw it was growing too morbid to do her any good.

Beside that blissful day of Diana’s wedding, it was the first time in over two years when he was not a stranger, passed on the street with nothing more than a courteous nod, nor the one that would pass her in such manner. She didn’t dare to call him her friend, even if his readiness to help her seemed to prove that her that he still considered himself one – but she realised with joy that he had remained the same Kindred Spirit she had recognised in he so many years ago.

The one to whom she had already owned so much.

Her thoughts wondered towards Phil and the conversation the two girls had had shortly after Gilbert had left their little home last night. Anne hadn’t been surprised by the impression he had made on her friends; they had always considered it their duty to bring up his many virtues, especially when Anne herself was there to listen, as if she hadn’t been aware of them for a much longer time. Yet, there was something about what Phil had said that night that had stuck in her memory particularly.

“I hope you’ll thank him properly tomorrow, Queen Anne,” she’d scolded her then. “Just because Gilbert would walk around the globe and back for you doesn’t mean he does not deserve to have his work acknowledged.”

Then, she had only smiled at her friend, too weary to say that if there was anyone for whom Gilbert might want to walk the Earth, it was Christine Stewart, not her – now, as they walked together she realised just how unfair her judgement had been.

Gilbert Blythe would have walked the globe and back for anyone who needed him to – and then he’d refuse to receive as much as a ‘thank you’ for doing it.

Anne felt a sudden pang of uneasiness when she thought he might have missed the thankfulness that seemed so obvious to her. He had appeared to understand her quiet messaged the previous eve – and yet, how could she be sure?

I suppose there is only one way to find out, she thought gravely to herself, and out loud she asked, “Gilbert?”

He responded with a hum and a curious glare in her direction but said nothing more. Anne drew in a deep breath.

“You know how grateful I am for this, don’t you?” she inquired eventually in a hushed voice.

Gilbert’s eyebrows rose as soon as she’d uttered the question.

“Anne, you have nothing to be grateful for,” he opposed gently.

“You know that’s not true!” she contradicted him in a much firmer manner, looking away and gritting her teeth. “I know you weren’t planning to go back for another week – more than that, if the rumours about the Cooper Prize winner’s obligations hold any truth to them. And still, you disregarded all that to help a girl to whom you had hardly even spoken for the previous two years and who had treated it you in the same, if not worse, way. I am thankful, Gil; you can’t even imagine how much. And it hurts me to think that I can never repay you for doing all this so please, at least let me thank you.”

“If that’s what you need,” he answered somewhat absently, after a pause so long that Anne had begun to believe that he would make no answer at all. But then he turned towards her again and with all of his usual zest, he continued, “But Anne, I really don’t want you to think of it in this way, in terms of some heroic deed I have made for your sake. I saw a person in need and I did the only thing I could think of. It wasn’t heroic; it was decent, that’s all.”

“Oh, but that only makes it worse!” Anne bristled at his response, throwing her arms in the air with despair and thus missing the smile that appeared on Gilbert’s face at the sight she gave. “Really, Gilbert – couldn’t you, just for once, put your own needs before someone else’s? Especially when it’s about someone you shouldn’t care about in the first place?”

“I can think of more than a few times when I put my need before yours, Carrots,” he answered patiently. “And it never resulted in anything good; same goes for my relations with other people. And as for those whom I choose to help – why can’t you just assume that what I’m doing right now is simply about aiding a friend, so the most natural thing in the world?”

Anne sighed a little too wistfully for her own liking. “Would you still call me that?”

Gilbert’s face grew serious in an instant, as he looked at her and responded to her enquiry in a most solemn tone. “Forgive me Anne, I thought I had made myself clear on that matter. I was obviously talking about Marilla here.”

Too such a statement Anne could not remain indifferent. At first, she was too surprised to do much more than blink in shock; a piercing, somewhat pained glare followed as she brought herself to look at her companion after another while. Her grey eyes searched his in hope of an answer as she knew she could not trust her lips to speak; but for all this time, Gilbert’s countenance remained unchanged,

And then he broke into a grin, the widest and most sincere she had seen him wear in months. Her eyes widened in astonishment – Gilbert’s smile turned into the softest of chuckles.

Once again, Anne Shirley found herself at loss for words.

And how was it that it was almost always him to make her feel so?

“I’m so sorry, Anne, but I simply couldn’t pass a chance like this,” he apologised immediately, even though his voice was rather lacking of the remorse he was supposed to feel. “And of course I still consider you my friend; I know we haven’t been on the best terms lately – I still haven’t quite forgiven you for that dance at the Convocation, mind you – but it doesn’t mean you can no longer count on me. Besides, were the roles reversed, I’m sure you would do just the same. And you wouldn’t want my gratitude, either.”

Anne blushed slightly at his statement.

“I wish I could be this sure,” she said hesitantly. “Not to mention, I can hardly imagine you needing my escort back home at any point.”

“True, but what if my mother fell ill and I for some reason could not go to her? Wouldn’t you look after her for me?”

“Of course I would! That is…” she faltered again. “I would, if you both wanted me to. I don’t believe Mrs Blythe would welcome me as her nurse.”

“My mother adores you, Anne,” Gilbert said seriously. “And she has always cared for you deeply, I know she has – I guess she just can’t help caring about her son more. And… she doesn’t know, doesn’t understand everything… no one does. But if she has ever said anything that hurt you -”

“She has said nothing that I didn’t deserve,” Anne interrupted him with the same determination ringing in her voice. “Although the truth is, she hasn’t spoken to me much lately – but again, I cannot blame her for it. And it’s not even close to what I had in mind.”

Gilbert glanced at her questioningly. “What is, then?”

“The fact that I’m not sure I would be brave enough to offer you my help. I would give it to you if you asked – but I can’t promise I’d be bold enough to suggest it myself.”

“Well, then I suppose it’s Providence work that it is you needing my assistance, seeing that I am as bold as ever,” came Gilbert’s even answer, to which Anne could not respond with anything more than a nod, before she looked away to hide the tears that had sprung to her eyes at his comment. Gilbert scolded himself quietly for his tactlessness and almost as if lead by the same Providence he had mentioned before, he reached out for Anne’s hand and squeezed it gently. “She will be alright. I know she will and more importantly, I think you know it, too.”

He let go of her hand as quickly as he had taken it and for a moment Anne wondered whether he had made the gesture at all – or whether it was a trick of her mind, another daydream summoned in order to ease her pain as it had been so many times before. She shook her head discontentedly.

Gilbert was very much real; his kindness was real, too. She had no reason to doubt either.

“I really don’t know what I’ll do if she isn’t,” she admitted at last, her voice barely a cracked whisper despite the best of her attempts. “I tried to imagine it once or twice, but Gil, I just can’t.”

“And I don’t think that you should,” he opposed again. “I mean it, Anne. It won’t change the situation in any way and it certainly will not help you get through it. If anything, it will tire you even more; and what’s the point in you coming to Green Gables in such state? If you want to nurse Marilla back to health, you’ll need every ounce of strength you can muster, so I suggest you don’t waste it on pondering over things that are not going to happen. Not to mention, Mrs Lynde will never let you anywhere near Marilla’s bed unless she’s convinced that you came back from Redmond with your own condition unscathed.”

“I know all that!” Anne cried out impatiently. “But I can’t just stop worrying, either. Oh, this is such a vicious cycle!”

“My own experience tells me that in such cases it’s usually the best idea to forget of both parts and focus on something else entirely; preferably the matter at hand. Now that would be to get you safely to Green Gables, as soon as possible. What do you say that we focus on that first and worry about the rest later on?”

Anne nodded in agreement and picked up her pace as they neared the Kingsport station. The rest of this part of their journey passed in an almost perfect silence, with neither of them feeling the need to sustain the conversation, nor bumping into friends who might try to strike up a new one; even though it did seem for a moment that they had seen Charlie Sloane’s hat flicker between the others.

“Don’t worry about this one,” was all Gilbert had to say on the matter. “There I no way in this world that Charlie would be up so early in the day.”

Their time on the train was equally, if not more, quiet, with Anne gazing through the window, restlessly awaiting the sight of the harbour from which their ferry took off – and Gilbert watching her, steadily, insistently, stubbornly even, wanting to guard her when she was too disturbed to do it for herself.

When they finally reached their destination, Anne as good as jumped from the train, leaving a slightly dazed – although by no means surprised – Gilbert to hurry after her. Almost blind with her agitation, she missed a step on her way from the platform and would have fallen flatly had Gilbert not managed to catch up with her just in time to prevent that from happening.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered with embarrassment, her eyes strangely driven to his fingers, that for some reason were still squeezing her elbow, even after so many moment’s she had taken to easy her breathing. “I probably shouldn’t have rushed like this. I’m a little too giddy for it right now.”

“You are tired, first and foremost,” Gilbert contradicted her gently. “Be honest with me: when you excused yourself yesterday, did you really go to sleep as you said you would?”

Anne flushed at his question, although she couldn’t quite point out the reason why; it must have been the morning heat finally getting to her.

“Well, I did try to,” she admitted after a moment’s hesitation. “Of course, I had to pack first, but since I only needed a few most necessary things, that didn’t take too much of my time. I still managed to get to bed at a ridiculously early hour – the problem was, getting to bed and getting to sleep can be two very different stories.”

“Don’t I know it,” Gilbert said with a small, lopsided and slightly pensive smile.

“I thought I was exhausted enough to fall asleep as soon as I touched the pillow, but apparently, it was my misery that took hold of me that night. I tried to fight it – tried to think of some trifles and nonsense… but it wouldn’t do. So I got up and dressed and went out to the orchard, hoping some exercise and fresh air would help – unfortunately, all in vain.”

“I’m sorry to know that, although I can’t pretend I don’t understand. I had my share of sleepless nights, back in Alberta… And more than a few after we came back. It can be difficult to get your own body to cooperate under this kind of stress.” He paused for a moment, thoughtful. “Still, you might like to try to talk yours into resting now. It will be a few hours before the ferry reaches Charlottetown, so unless you have some great reasons against dazing off a little under my watchful eye, you should try to do just that.”

As she had done many times during the past two days, Anne opposed to the idea presented to her, proudly announcing that she could easily manage herself after one sleepless night and that she would not risk her reputation by taking a nap in a distinctly public place. Mrs Lynde would think she had gone mad no doubt; and in all of his gallantry, Gilbert had to quite literally bite his tongue to stop himself from asking his companion when on Earth had Mrs Lynde’s preaching about propriety ever stopped her from doing anything she wanted to do. Anne’s stubbornness only lasted until she reached her seat, however; as soon as she did, she sank into it, her eyelids suddenly heavier than they seemed to have been for a really long while. She fought it for a time; but her body was too tired and her mind far too troubled for that fight to be a long one.

It was the first time in her young life when she would not watch for the shoreline from the upper deck.

All through their journey, Gilbert stayed by her side, looking after his dear friend, making sure she would not wake to the horror of having drooled in her sleep as well as that no one would disturb the precious rest she was finally getting. And if at some point Anne’s head fell lower, successfully though accidentally resting on his shoulder, it was a detail he was not going to share with anyone – including her.

They reached Charlottetown; they changed their means of transportation and reached Carmody next. The trip had gone smoothly until now… Now, when, being just a step away from home, they realised that this final stage of their adventure was to be perhaps more challenging than the other three together.

“There is no carriage,” Gilbert announced grimly after returning from the stables back to Anne. “Nothing they can lend us until morning at best. I was hoping my parents would be here – I wired last evening, but I suppose it was not enough time for the word to get to them. I’m sorry, Anne, but I’m afraid we’ll have to stay for the night.”

“I can walk,” she protested at once, not for a second considering delaying her arrival for a trifle of this unimportance. “I have walked this distance more than a few times now and not always during the day. I understand if you’re tired – we can leave my suitcase in the inn for tonight and I’ll have Davy pick it up tomorrow, or you may stay here yourself and I promise I won’t think ill of it. But I am getting to Green Gables tonight.”

“Alright, now you’re just plain ridiculous,” Gilbert answered her tirade immediately, letting out a sound that came dangerously close to snorting. Anne’s eyes widened in astonishment at his highly improper comment, and she opened her mouth to tell him plainly what she thought of it when he cut her off with a simple yet resolute, “I have not come all this way here to let you wander off alone when you’re most tired. You’re not going to Green Gables on your own; but I certainly won’t slow you down by persisting on staying here.”

Surprised as she was – and a little ashamed of her clearly incorrect assumption as well – Anne nodded with understanding and gratitude and set off towards her dear old home. Rested after her nap on the ferry and fuelled by the proximity of her final aim, she had no reason to slow down her pace. It was as feverish as her tangled, dizzying thoughts; so much that Gilbert, who had at last begun to feel the exhaustion of the previous few months – and his own lack of sleep on the preceding night, which he had so conveniently forgotten to mention – found himself struggling to keep up with her.

They were both relieved to see the contour of Green Gables homestead looming in the distance before them.

When they finally reached the porch and stopped before the door, Gilbert felt fairly certain that Anne would run straight through it, forgetting his silent presence altogether as she darted past the kitchen and upstairs to greet her weakened guardian. Anne, however, did no such thing; she froze in her place, instead, raising her hand to knock and then lowering it again in an instant.

Her skin was pale and her eyes were glistening when she turned her head towards him. “I can’t do this, Gil.”

Gilbert raised his eyebrows, but she gave him not time to answer to her words in any other way.

“I can’t do this,” she repeated at once, gazing at him expectantly, vulnerable and afraid, as if she’d been trying to search for help she did not think she could find. “I can’t open this door. What if it’s too late? What if we came all this way only yo find it was all for naught, because she… she… Gilbert, I can’t open this door and hear that Marilla is -”

“She is going to be fine,” he interrupted her fiercely. “Marilla is strong, and she is stubborn and she would never leave before seeing you, pneumonia or not. And now that you’re here, you can nurse her yourself and then she’ll truly have no choice but to recover.”

He took a step forwards and for the second time in one day – and for the third in two – he took her hand in his, caressing her fingers with all the care and gentleness he had in him, before he leaned towards her and whispered, “I’ve never believed in nursing fake hope but I can’t let you lose yours just yet, either. And Anne, I know you are scared and hurt and unsure. But whatever news awaits you behind this door, the best you can do is try and face it now. And you are not facing it alone.”

Somehow, Anne found herself believing him. She nodded in agreement and gave his hand her own little squeeze.

And then she straightened up, took a deep breath and… she knocked.

##anne of green gables#aogg#anne of the island#aoti#anne shirley#gilbert blythe#marilla cuthbert#shirbert#alternative ending#books versed#friendship#romance#family#hurt/comfort

#fanfiction #anne of green gables #aogg #anne of the island #otti #anne shirley #gilbert blythe #marilla cuthbert #shirbert #alternative ending #books versed #friendship #romance #family #hurt/comfort

8 notes · View notes

wesleybates · 4 years

Text

How to Get Online Reviews for your Small Business

Consider the power of word-of-mouth marketing:

A friend tells you about a new restaurant. They rave about the fresh ingredients, the attentive service, the great prices – and how the burgers are out of this world.

Fast forward a few days. You’re in the mood for a burger and you’re looking for a place to eat. It’s likely you’ll at least consider this new place thanks to your friend’s recommendation. And you’d probably choose it over a restaurant you know nothing about.

Now imagine they’d told you instead about the dirty plates, the rude service and the undercooked meat – would you risk eating there?

This is the power of reviews, and it applies to all businesses, not just restaurants.

Electricians, hairdressers, dog walkers, builders – whatever your profession, the conversations people have about your business play a big role in your current and future success.

And in a world of search engines, social networks and smart phones, more and more of those conversations are happening online.

The impact of online reviews

Just how important are online reviews? Findings from Search Engine Land’s Local Consumer Review Survey have shown that:

- 72% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations - People typically spend 31% more on a business with excellent reviews - 65% of users aged 18-24 look at reviews on social networks when making a purchasing decision

But what about local businesses with lots of foot traffic who are part of a smaller community? Are online reviews still relevant? Yes, yes and yes:

- 72% of consumers say that positive reviews make them trust a local business more - 76% of consumers regularly or occasionally use online reviews when choosing between local businesses - 52% of consumers reported that positive customer reviews make them more likely to use a local business

The evidence is compelling. So how do you take charge of your online reviews?

Getting your business registered with Google

While there are lots of review websites out there, start with the biggest hitter: Google. For most of us, Google is the first port of call when searching online, so it’s essential your business shows up there too.

To get your business listed in Google search results, Google Maps and other Google services, you need to add or claim your business listing on Google My Business.

Next, you’ll need to verify your business, or you won’t be able to respond to reviews. Most local businesses do this by postcard, so you’ll need a physical address.

If you don’t operate out of a bricks-and-mortar premises, but instead provide a service to people where they are (like an electrician or plumber), you should register as a service-area business.

Don’t be shy – ask for reviews

For businesses operating outside of the restaurant and hospitality industries, it’s not always easy to get reviews. While many people are eager to comment on the state of their hotel bathtub, it’s far less common for people to rave online about the efficiency of their plumber.

All the more reason to be direct and ask. Be polite, be courteous, but ask. It’s a good idea to create a shareable link that your customers can use – see Google’s short guide on how to create a link for customers to write reviews.

The best people to ask are obviously your most satisfied customers. And the best way to ask is in person, particularly if you’ve spent a lot of time with them (think of a builder who might spend weeks or months working on a project).

If you can’t ask face to face, following up by email is a good alternative. There’s no need for anything elaborate – just a straightforward request for an honest review of your service. Be sure to include the link you created in the previous step.

Join the conversation

So far, so good. You’re registered with Google My Business, potential customers can find you on Google Maps and searches, and your first reviews are starting to come in.

Now, it’s time to engage with your customers by replying to their reviews. For positive feedback, a simple and sincere thank-you note is generally enough to show your gratitude.

But what if, out of the blue, you get a negative review?

The first thing to remember is: remain calm. Never fight fire with fire – arguing publicly with a disgruntled customer is a guaranteed way to give others a bad impression of your business.

Instead, treat a negative review as an opportunity to improve. Listen to your customer’s grievances, and think about how you could address them. Then, reply.

Let them know you’re sorry, and explain any changes you plan to make based on their feedback. This is your chance to turn a displeased customer into a loyal one – research into online reviews from suggests that 84% of shoppers would use a business again if they responded to a negative review by addressing their concerns, so it’s more than worth your time.

Finally, remember the people reading your reviews are also reading your responses, so take advantage of this to demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction. A polite, considered response to a negative review will go a long way to reassuring any undecided potential customers.

Use positive reviews in your marketing

Now you’ve collected some positive customer feedback, why not get the most out of it? One way to maximize the reach of positive reviews is to use them in your marketing efforts – just make sure you ask for permission first.

Customer reviews can be used to great effect on printed materials like flyers, postcards and brochures, or even on the back of your business cards.

If you have a website (and it’s a good idea even for small, local businesses to have one), be sure to feature reviews on it – highlight some of the best ones on a dedicated testimonials page.

Social media is another area of opportunity. If you run Facebook ads, create one featuring a customer review or quote and see how it performs. You can also write a regular Facebook post or tweet to publicly thank someone for a positive review. Be sure to tag or tweet the reviewer in your message, as this shows transparency and authenticity.

Always be improving

Ultimately, reviews and feedback are about one thing: improving the service you offer your customers. To stay ahead of the pack and keep satisfying your customers, this should be a constant process.

Think of it as a regular health check, and a way of keeping a finger on the pulse of your business.

And remember, receiving the occasional negative review is par for the course. Keep a positive attitude, embrace the opportunity to learn, and you’ll see how online reviews will help your business grow from strength to strength.

As one of the best website designers in Edwards, CO there are several advantages to utilizing our services to create a website for your business.

0 notes

wikitopx · 4 years

Link

There are Simple Letter of Resignation Samples. This post will help you solve the problem. Read the following.

Updated March 13, 2020

Keeping it simple makes good sense when you’re providing notification that you’re leaving your job.

Resignation letters don't have to be complicated or offer much in the way of information about why and where you're going. You don't even necessarily have to include a line thanking your employer for the experience.

You do, however, have to be courteous and polite.

There's no sense in burning a bridge, even if you hope you never see anyone at your soon-to-be former employer again.

You never know when you might need a recommendation, or who your erstwhile co-workers know in your industry. There's no sense giving them a reason to bad-mouth you to a potential employer.

1. Why Write a Resignation Letter

Why write a resignation letter? A formal resignation letter documents the fact for your company’s human resources department that you're leaving. It also provides your employer with the date of your departure (two weeks' notice is standard) and other information they may need to finalize your termination from employment with the company.

Finally, it’s a mark of your professionalism and allows you to leave your current position knowing you’ve crossed all the “T’s” and dotted all the “I’s.”

2. Keep Your Letter Short and Simple

A resignation letter allows you to cut through any confusion that could result during a face-to-face conversation with your manager or supervisor. Your letter does not need to be lengthy. See below for a sample resignation letter that is brief and to-the-point, and review these tips for how to write a resignation letter. The main items to include in the letter are:

The fact that you're leaving the company

Your last date of work

As well, it is both appropriate and polite to include a thank you for your time at the company and an offer to assist during the transition as you exit if you will be available.

It's possible that the letter will be included in your employee file with the company, and consulted if you request a reference in the future.

Even if you are disenchanted with your job, resist the temptation to comment negatively on fellow employees, your manager, or the company.

There is no need to give the employer any more information than they need to know, which is the simple fact that you are resigning and when you are leaving.

3. Simple Resignation Letter Example

Use this resignation letter sample when you want to keep it basic and simply want to tell your employer that you are leaving, but, don't want to thank your employer or provide any details regarding why you are resigning:

Simple Letter of Resignation (No Thank You)

Your Name Your Address Your City, State Zip Code Your Phone Number Your Email

Date

Name Title Company Name Address City, State Zip Code

Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:

Please accept this letter as notification that I am leaving my position with ABCD on September 15.

If I can be of assistance during this transition, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Your Signature (hard copy letter)

Your Typed Name

4. Simple Resignation Letter Example With Thanks

On the other hand, maybe you do want to say thank you—either because you truly mean it, or because you were brought up to have good manners.

Unless you really are leaving under a cloud, it’s a smart strategy to say “thank you” for the work opportunities you have been given during your position tenure, as this helps to ensure that you remain on a good footing with the employer you are leaving. In this situation, use this resignation letter sample:

Simple Letter of Resignation (With Thank You)

Your Name Your Address Your City, State, Zip Code Your Phone Number Your Email

Date

Name Title Organization Address City, State, Zip Code

Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:

I've recently accepted a position at another company, and so I'm writing today to offer my formal notice that I'll be leaving my job. My last day will be January 15.

I've enjoyed my time with XYZ Corp, and I thank you for all your help and guidance over the past five years. Please let me know if I can be of assistance during this transition.

Sincerely,

Your Signature (hard copy letter)

Your Typed Name

5. Resignation Letter Sample With Formal Notification

Use this letter of resignation sample to formally inform your employer that you are submitting your resignation. This letter is brief and to the point.

Basic Letter of Resignation With Formal Notification

Your Name Your Address Your City, State Zip Code Your Phone Number Your Email

Date

Name Title Organization Address City, State Zip Code

Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:

Please accept this letter as formal notification that I am leaving my position with XYZ company on September 15.

Thank you for the opportunities you have provided me during my time with the company. I am more than grateful to have had the opportunity of working with the team here. If I can be of any assistance during this transition, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Your Signature (hard copy letter)

Your Typed Name

6. Email Resignation Message Example

Use this brief email message example as a starting point for writing your own message.

Email Resignation Letter Sample

Subject: Your Name - Resignation

Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:

This is to formally notify you that I am ending my employment with ABC company, effective on June 30, 20XX.

I appreciate the professional, training, social, and personal development opportunities I've had while with the company; thank you for the support you have provided me during my tenure here.

Best regards,

Your Typed Name Home Address Phone Number Personal Email Address

7. Sending an Email Resignation Message

If you’re emailing your letter, here's how to send your resignation email message, including when to send it, what to include, and how to format it.

In your subject line, use a phrase similar to “Notice of Resignation – [Your Name].” This will ensure that your resignation receives immediate attention and review.

Be sure to include your contact information in your signature. That way, the company can easily get in touch with you if they have questions after you've left.

8. More Resignation Letter and Email Examples

Review more samples of the best resignation letters and email messages for a variety of circumstances. There are templates and samples that will work for whatever reason you are moving on from a job.

9. When to Give Your Manager the Letter

You can print the letter to give to your manager during a conversation about your resignation. Or, you can email it to your manager either before or after your chat. If you're not sure when your final day of work will be, wait until after your meeting and follow up with an email message; it’s customary to provide an employer with at least two weeks’ formal notice before your ultimate departure.

10. Tips for Quitting the Right Way

When it comes to quitting your job, there's a right way and a wrong way to go about it. To make sure you leave on the best terms, do the following:

Give two weeks' notice whenever possible. You can give more time if you wish, but you're not obligated to do this. It's considered bad form to give less notice, however. By giving this notice, you allow your employer the time they need to find and, possibly, train your replacement. They’ll thank you for it.

Write a resignation letter containing all the pertinent information – e.g., the fact that you're leaving, and when your last day will be.

Clean out your computer (before you hand in your notice). Now is not the time to find out that the company considers storing your thesis on the hard drive a violation of their computer use policy. Any personal documents need to be deleted. Be sure, however, to leave a list of access codes and passwords where your replacement can find these.

Summarize current projects you will not be able to complete before your departure date. This way, both your current team (if any) and your successor will be able to easily pick up where you left off. You might also draft a general list of your daily work responsibilities for your replacement to use as a guide.

Don't bad-mouth your boss, your co-workers, or the company, and don’t draw comparisons between them and the new employer you may be joining. Be positive, professional, and polite.

I hope this post can be helpful to you. You will be solved the problem with Wikitopx.com. More ideas for you: Email Greetings That Get Read

From : https://wikitopx.com/job/simple-letter-of-resignation-samples-712987.html

#Wikitopx #Wikitopx - Feed

0 notes

cloudbattrolls · 4 years

Text

I’m Coming (Back Into Your Life)

Chimer Latrai || Civitrecce Office Building || Present Night

“Don’t forget my croissant!” You call to Amdzah as he’s about to dart out the door to Trollbucks.

The blueblood turns from down the long, rectangular room, his ponytail of white hair spinning, and gives you a two-fingered salute before he bounces through the revolving glass.

What a dork. Still, he’s better off in your employment than he was before.

Distantly you hear the door spin again as you sit and decaptchalogue your files from your sylladex. Probably Amdzah showing off; the legislacerator you’re meeting with won’t be here for a while.

You pull out some discussion minutes of the last debate you were at for droid allocation as you sit in the now otherwise empty lobby to your office building.

Ttechnically only a few floors are yours, but people act like it belongs to you. It could, if you wanted to buy it. But you’re not one of the tech moguls in Civitrecce with their constant bulge comparing contests as they jostle to see who can own the most skyscrapers.

You imagine what Sevenn would say: What are you putting on those floors, Chimer? An entire duck pond? More hot dog stands? I could probably fit two hives up there, if I wanted an elevator ride long enough to play a sonata in.

A smile crosses your face as you settle in the deep maroon plush chair, and prepare to go over the info as you wait for your appointment to show up.

“Droid allocation to lowblood areas has been cut back following the lack of personnel in the jade caverns this last quarter…that makes sense, I guess, but what about all the cutbacks before? At least some of those have to be false reports, or exaggerated ones. If I can just dig up some book cooking to prove my point…”

You like to talk to yourself as you read; it helps you remember. Even better when there’s no one around to complain or shoot you judgmental looks.

“Mm, that’s one way to go about it: searching for a suspected crime, hoping you find something in your endless trawls. Well meaning, but a tad inefficient.”

One hand yanks your trident from your sylladex as your head jerks up, teeth bared.

Three metal tines touch the throat of the short troll who seems perfectly unalarmed by the gesture and smiles at you with white fangs that contrast their dark skin.

“Cherie.” You growl. “Get out before I skewer you to the wall, you pompous asshat. You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve being alive near me.”

“Maidel spared me, as you might recall.”

You laugh and stand up, shifting the angle on your weapon as you rise to tower nearly two feet above the cobalt while wearing a sharp and unfriendly grin.

“See the lack of freckles and the extra foot of troll? I’m not pangosheep, and I don’t suffer assholes like he does. Nor would she cry if I sent you back to hell.”

“If you really wanted to kill me, you would’ve already done it.”

You glare down at their obnoxiously calm face, their dark blue eyes unblinking. Cherie looks almost the same as they did a sweep ago; short, round, and dressed in a fine vest and skirt. Only their hairstyle and earrings are different.

You shift the trident off their throat and slam it back down on the floor hard enough to crack it, grip on it still tight.

“I don’t want to kill you here. Who knows who’s watching, or if this is some sort of fucked up gambit you’re pulling. But if you so much as wink suspiciously, I’ll take whatever hit would come to my rep and consider it worth the trouble.”

“Dear, blunt Chimer. It’s no wonder you can’t make as much traction as you want in the courts and senate.”

“That must be why I have someone on the way now to talk to me about my policies.” You snark back. “Speaking of, are you done? Should I hold out in case you say something of value, low though the odds may be? Let’s say fifty trillion to one. Scoot along, Cherie-o-practor, next customer will be here in a tick.”

They look faintly puzzled for a moment.

“My name isn’t even said like - “

“Whoops! My allotted ‘tolerate douchebags when not in service of a higher cause’ five minutes for the night is up. Thanks for playing.”

You poke them in the belly with your trident.

They look down and for the first time drop their smile to a moderate pout.

“Don’t ruin my vest.”

“Why, on Condy’s gray Alternia, should I give a fraction of a duck’s behind about your vest.”

The blueblood’s pleased expression returns like they’ve just pulled a winning hand of cards, and a foreboding feeling bubbles up in your collapsing and expanding vascular system.

You return your trident to its standing position, careful not to crack the floor again. You feel a little bad about that, but paying to fix it is easy.

The revolving doors open again and a well dressed tealblood man in a ridiculously expensive suit walks in, hair coiffed to a shine as his smile that was probably practiced in the mirror on his way over beams over at you.

“Miss Latrai! And I see you’ve already met my associate, Mx. Dolcez.”

“Yes, we’ve been acquainted.” You say, polite with a hint of coolness. “Say, Yezule - why didn’t you warn me your associate was coming early?”

“I wanted it to be a surprise! Politics can be so predictable and dry, you know? And they have such good news for us!”

It’s hard to not roll your eyes at his crude tactics, obviously meant to catch you off guard and get a reaction he could use to maneuver himself into a better position. At least he didn’t catch you with your weapon to his ‘associate’’s gut. Unless Cherie’s been recording this whole time, which isn’t out of the question.

Still, you have enough castes on them that no one will really care. It’s not like you drew blood.

Not that you haven’t been thinking about that since they got here.

You sit back down and put your trident away, legs crossed as you rest both arms on those of the chair, for all the world looking at ease as a purrbeast on a pillow.

“Really? Go on. What’s the haps?”

Yezule looks slightly disappointed, but only for a moment before his blinding grin comes back.

“Mx. Dolcez will be lending their support to our cause! They know many trolls in Civitrecce, and even have lowblood connections! Isn’t that something?”

“It’s a little shy of details.” You reply, tone courteous but neutral. “What specifically are you bringing to the table for the lowblood resource recovery movement?” You address Cherie directly, casual as only the tips of your fuchsia fins twitch, betraying nothing.

“Why, I can be a direct liaison to the trolls whose rights you’re fighting for; I know you don’t have time to go meet them all yourself, or collect information from all their representatives in a region - if they even have them. I know how fragmented and careless the management of that sort of thing is. I grew up in Dimasqa, after all.”

“Naturally, you’d receive compensation for this work.” You state. “What are your own private or public goals in the city legislature?”

Cough up, Cherie. What do you really want?

“Nothing less than equal employment opportunities for all the city’s lowbloods.”

They smile brightly and only hundreds of sweeps of practice keeps your hands on the chair, your mouth from curling into a snarl, fins flared high.

Little bastard is trying to upstage you.

Yezule shacked up with them to flaunt that he’s more devoted than you are; trying for bigger, essentially impossible goals instead of your realistic ones.

“We’ll see what we can do.” You say pleasantly. “I’d love for that to work out, if you have plans to show me. Yezule and I have all our files between the two of us, we’ll make copies so you can be part of the discussion.”

A petty reminder that the blueblood is the newcomer, but it’s also a message to the teal that he doesn’t make all the decisions and that the two of you are having a chat later. Even if it weren’t Cherie in particular standing here, it’d still be an issue.

So of course they pull out a sleek looking remote and point it at the wall of the lobby, beaming out text and 3D diagrams spinning in the air.

It’s hard to miss the violet dragon’s head emblazoned on the controller’s side. Cherie obligingly parts their thick fingers, as if showing it off intentionally.

“So, what does Tetrao Coloth think about your goals? You seem like you’d be fabulous pals.”

You don’t miss that Yezule looks like he’s biting his cheek to keep from smiling at the scarcely veiled insult you just lobbed at his associate. Good.

“Oh, don’t be like that, miss Latrai; I don’t approve of Coloth, but what’s better for progress? Looking down on him from a high hoofbeast of righteousness, or trying to work with him for better conditions? Like it or not, the man produces practically a third of Civitrecce’s tech and nearly a quarter of its exports. We can’t exactly ignore him.”

A memory of the deadened faces of Coloth’s helm generator after the blueblood had stretched them to the breaking point - all to power their failed paradise - rises in your mind.

“It’s amazing -” You say, all light words as if you’re dropping feathers, but with a posture and gaze hard as steel. “ - what people will ignore despite everything begging them not to, huh.”

A fabricated world, made from stolen power needed to fuel the cobalt’s ability to alter timelines. Cherie giving Maidel the clock - your clock, the one with the power to reset time itself.

The greenblood refusing, turning away and addressing everyone else. Undoing all their work.

For a precious, fleeting moment, you see the shadow of rage on their face before it settles into cool amusement, but they do something odd; they take a deep breath, one hand to their chest. As if they’re tired or something.

You stand up and walk over to their plans, sticking your hands in the light to block the projections just for the heck of it.

Yezule looks politely baffled.

“So…about those droid allocations.” he says, with a slight cough. Probably has no idea what to make of the tension between the two of you, so he’s moving on.

With a flick of your hand, you step back and get the papers out.

Naturally, that’s when Amdzah twirls back in, paper bags full of food and drinks and singing some pop song, before he grinds to a halt at the sight of Cherie. The cerulean glares at them with hatred so naked even you want to ask him to tone it down.

You stride over and with a quick look, determine what’s yours and grab it.

“Thanks, sport. Go tell the others I’ll be up in a few hours and they can take their breaks, but I need the reports done by tomorrow night.”

Amdzah’s obvious desire to slit their throat wars with his absolute loyalty to you and the latter wins, helped along by you showing off some sharp fuchsia fangs in what’s plausibly a smile. He moves along toward the elevator without a word. Cherie waves at him as he goes.

“Yeah, I was thinking there has to be evidence of doctored reports somewhere; sure, the caverns are short on personnel now, but that wasn’t always the case. If we can work the angle of implying they’re too incompetent to even service maroons and bronzes, that should get their dander up enough to actually do their job and be honest about their supplies. The problem will be minimizing the bad press claiming we’re being insensitive about that tragedy a few perigees back.”

“I already have a plan for that.” soothes Yezule, and to be fair he probably does. He may look like a Kennen doll, but the reason you meet with him at all is that he’s surprisingly sharp, poor choice in bluebloods aside.

It’s unlikely he actually cares what happens to anyone below olive, but it doesn’t matter as long as he thinks it’ll get him more popular support in his mostly lowblood town. His desire for attention is your leverage.

It’s Cherie trying to suppress their envy of your warm and delicious-smelling almond croissant that reminds you you should eat it.

You take it out of the bag and hold it, chewing bite by slow bite as you hold eye contact with them, all the while listening to the teal and nodding or shaking your head as he discusses media.

The short troll crosses their arms and shuts off their remote, Yezule now entirely distracted.

What’s it like to not be ignored, Cherie?

I don’t think you’re ever going to find out.

#round one to chimer #but cherie is not gonna make it easy for her #cloud writes #chimer latrai #cherie dolcez #yezule doesn't get a tag he's just a throwaway NPC

0 notes

connecticut-seo-adwords · 6 years

Text

How I Conserved Practically $900 on the top SEO

How I Conserved Almost $900 on Leading SEO/SEM Tools By: Ivan Filimonov

Because complimentary trial is a typical SaaS marketing strategy, nearly all SEO/SEM/CRM tools out there can be considered a test drive. Obviously, all of us hate purchasing a pig in a poke.When the success of your email campaigns, keywords research study, material marketing, KPIs measurements, competitors analysis, and so a lot more depends upon them, your toolset ought to be comprised of only leading services for your company. And for a rate, mind you.Thing is, someplace in between last 5 years that I dedicated to the world of SEO/SEM, I have totally lost my count of tools. Tools are now all over. There's so many of them that even a skilled online marketer might discover it difficult to selected the right ones.I've compiled a list of the most popular premium solutions for marketers and SEOs and ... and at this point you begin to believe that this will end up being yet another dull list of tools, right? Well, it will not. As I personally find it tough to selected in between topmost tools, I was more keen to see how well each deal with a wandering possibility. For that I ventured to call each with a rather simple however honest pitch message: "Hey people, I 'd like to try your service. I mostly do SEO for medium-sized websites and have actually tried many tools. I was questioning if there's a chance I could get a totally free trial of your item for a month? Hoping you are well". A lot of tools use a 2 Week trial. If the tool had a month trial, I asked for 2 months.

This post is generally about exactly what types of answers I got(and exactly what ought to you anticipate from collaboration with each tool):30 days of trial based upon Medium strategy will enable you to develop up to 10 Tracked Campaigns, display 750 Keyword Rankings, and 500,000

Crawled Pages. The keyword tool will be limited to 5000 Reports and 30 Lists. And it's not bad even for a mid-size project. Although your credit card details is still required.I asked their support group to offer me a 2 months trial and they kindly refused on the pretext that I can contact them at the end of my regular trial period, and they may revise the decision "if the situations require it ". You can not really blame them as a month trial from the tool like this is not bad.One of the very best tools on the market for backlinks. The rates, nevertheless, just make good sense for huge business. The outcomes are quickly foreseeable: lots of mad comments like those and those. There's no freemium access and if you wish to attempt it prior to buy it, there's just a$7 for 7 daystrial.This was the answer

that I got when I asked their support for a 14 days trial: Then I remembered that you can constantly ask for a refund: I stumbled

upon this tool onProduct Hunt and it quickly captured my attention. The tool uses different freemiums for signed up and unregistered users. It covers Rank Tracking, Browse Analytics, Backlinks, and Search Analytics. Registered users get 30 queries per day with 10 results per report including indepth URL analysis, 10 link exploring links per days with 20 results per report, up to 10 tracked keywords, 1 domain to track in jobs, and as much as 10 rivals to track+ 100 pages to audit.The assistance team was surprisingly fast to respond and additional sweet: Considered that their fallback is adequately alloted and includes access to their API, I was more than happy.This platform helps you with prospecting and recognizing websites from which to request links. You can either assess this tool's Beginner, Group, or Expert prepare for 2 Week.

The Pro will provide you 100,000 links to keep an eye on, 100,000 contacts

, 1,000 prospecting searches, and API.I left my message through their Contact kind and send an e-mail at their assistance.

The next day I got an e-mail with a reply that they would want to extend my trial from 14 to 1 Month"so I have a bit more time to test drive the tool". This material marketing tool has 14 daystrial of either of their tariff strategy. Whether you're an only SEO with small tasks or a huge brand, you can have the taste of whichever strategy they need to provide, particularly-- Pro, Company, and Enterprise. That makes it pointless for me to explain the limitations of each strategy. Simply go there and learn. I'm uncertain whether it was my personal appeal or that the extension of a trial period for the Pro package wasn't too much to ask, but I got luck. I asked their assistance team and got my response quickly: That was too easy. Darn, I must've ask for Agency! This technical SEO audits uses a freemium rather of a trial marketing model. The complimentary variation includes some configuration alternatives locked and is restricted to 500 URLs however the rest of webcrawler

functions similarly to the full variation. Which got me believing to request for a month of a full featured tool.After due postal correspondence my cadging had actually been consulted with a counterproposal: I've managed to obtain simply a week of this tool's

complete variation. Obviously, this auditing a website need to be carried out regularly. However who knows!Feeling a little discontent from my previous experience with an audit tool (andstill having few websites to check for mistakes)I approached the Netpeak Spider.This spider for a complicated technical audit has a 14 days trial duration throughout which you can truly check out the tool. There are no restrictions whatsoever, no credit card required, no strings connected.

It appears to me that these guys are pretty confident in the quality of their tool.I reached them through the Contact kind, and within an hour they reached back and approve me with an additional 14 days of trial. How cool is that! 2 Week of trial based on Pro Plan only for this intelligence tools for

online marketing. It restricts you to 10,000 outcomes per report, 3,000 reports daily, API gain access to (200,000 units), Tracking (5 campaigns, 500 keywords). I was especially excited that

these people give me a satisfying reply. Primarily due to the fact that I hesitate to be decried for stating something negative about a recognized tool with an army of proponents.Shortly after I reached them, they have send out a courteous reply that I could have 10 complimentary days of their Guru strategy: That's not the same as 1 Month of a Pro strategy. That's less time with a more of a tool. Go figure.Hubspot covers CRM software application, Marketing Software, Sales Software and has a Thirty Days trial throughout which you will be testing everything with no limits.To put their magnanimity to the test, I requested two months'trial: Sadly, I didn't get it. Perhaps next time?This e-mail marketing platform has freemium strategy that offers an you access to many its features, however limits your total customers, along with

your everyday and weekly sends out. You can maintain to 2,000 customers throughout all lists in your account, and send out up to 12,000 emails per month. In any 24-hour duration, you can send out up to 2,000 emails.And although my demand(979184

)has actually been received and was being evaluated by MailChimp assistance staff for couple of days, I'm taking their silence as a"no". This

email marketing service uses 1 Month trial throughout which their advertising badge will be included to every message you send out from the COMPLIMENTARY trial account and default GetResponse pages may have 3rd celebration ads.When I reached their support groupI received a reply in no time permitting me to have my One Month limitless with the tool.Tool to see other site

's traffic sources gives a freemium access restricted to 5 top natural keywords, 5 top

countries sources, 5 top social media network sources, leading 5

referring and 5 destination websites, top 5 ad networds, leading 5 publishers, while computing website's month-to-month traffic for the last 6 months.After I inquired if I could try the tool, I was drawn into a discussion in the course of which I was refused.This on-page SEO crawler and log analyzer has 1 Month of trial. Which indicates you will have restricted access to information visualization, no exports, no pages categorization and no functions such as crawl comparison and traffic analysis with GA. The support group wanted to assist me. They only offered me to lift off the limitations of a trial version with

no additional time to be spend with the tool.Still, 30 days of a complete highlighted tool is not bad for assessing its abilities.This customer intelligence and website analytics platform can be taken for a test drive for 14 days. The limits are set according to the selected package.When I asked their support if I could have their

tool checked for a month, I got this answer: Instead of saying something specific, they simply redirected me to their Request a Demo page.Guys, if I desired a demonstration from you I would have requested it myself.This rivals research study tool doesn't have a trial variation. It can just be inspected through its freemium access. That leaves you with 5 SEO keywords for a queried domain; 4 top organic competitors; ranking history for 5 keywords, 5 referring domains, and the exact same amount for keyword research study and Pay Per Click research.I contacted their support team into no avail. I even tried to reach them through their live chat. No luck again.This monitoring tool to evaluate yours or rival's online presence can be evaluated for 2 Week based on their least expensive plan. That leaves you with 2 signals and 3,000 discusses per day.After I reached them, I received a bot reply assuring me that humans from Mention will call me soon.Human from Reference then contacted me and robotically addressed:

How would you rank that reply?How Much Money I Saved Now let's amount up the total expense of what my free subscriptions deserve of: Ahrefs Moz Pro Serpstat BuzzStream BuzzSumo Screaming Frog I got a week of paid variation, which is $181 each year. Provided that there's 52 work weeks, I've savedmyself$3.2 Netpeak Spider SEMRush $50(10 days of Master which is$149,94 )HubSpot MailChimp GetResponse SimilarWeb OnCrawl$ 107,8 Kissmetrics SpyFu Reference OVERALL$ 893,2 The basic

impression from my mendicancy amongst the topmost tools for SEOs and online marketers was great. I was pleasantly rejected. Overlooked even. In the majority of cases I received positive replies and now it's really up to you to draw the balance and determinemy results.Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of fantastic tools to test.

Source

https://www.setalks.com/saved-almost-900-top-seosem-tools/

0 notes

gobimetallicscrew-blog · 7 years

Text

A few email providers will even go a step further

So why would he waste his precious time browsing through your specials on blouses and bibs? It's been proven: In a recent study by DoubleClick, email users were 72% more likely to respond to a business e-mail if its content was based on the interests they had specified. All my subscribers are the same, so I should just send the same messages to all of them. However, beware of the price. When a reader clicks on a link from my email, it doesn't matter if they end up on a page that looks nothing like the actual email. The welcome message is your first opportunity to connect one-on-one with your subscribers. You wouldn't create business cards that look one way, letterhead that looks another way, and a store sign that looks completely different.One of the most frequent questions my customers ask me is "What should I do to make sure my email marketing campaign is a success?" My answer is always different, depending on the client's industry, campaign goal, and many other factors. Choose an email service provider that allows you to set up interest groups, and then allows your subscribers to choose which groups they want to belong to. John Smith is a customer, and he loves your menswear collections. But, in most cases, this personal greeting is just not enough.If you look at it that way, you're really missing half the process, and jeopardizing the success of your future campaigns. These allow you to view how many of your messages were opened, which bounced back, which links were clicked on, and, with some email providers, exaclty which recipients clicked on each link. You could even send a follow up campaign to those 200 readers with a special offer for a New York vacation upgrade. Of course, you want to make a good first impression: be courteous, friendly and very mindful of your audience.

A few email providers will even go a step further, and allow you to track which subscribers are forwarding your messages, so you can get a true glimpse at your "brand ambassadors" (and maybe offer them some extra perks). Are you taking advantage of these?. It's called viral marketing, and it basically translates to word-of-mouth through email (as long as you provide good content, an essential aspect of any email maketing campaign). So why would your email marketing campaign look nothing like your website? Chances are you already have a website, so all you really need to do is customize your email campaign to have the same look and feel. That's just Branding 101. Here's why: any reputable email marketing program will include campaign tracking and reporting.4.You could overlook these, and you'll still have an email campaign. After I send out my email campaign, there's nothing left for me to do. Addressing your subscribers by their names is a good start (and an easy thing to do, since most reputable email service providers automatically insert your subscribers' names into the greeting field). That's lead generation and a highly-targeted upsell in one shot.3. While some email service providers charge at least a few hundred for this, others offer free custom templates as part of their services.Here's the good news: According to a January 2006 report by Sharpe Partners, 89% of US adult Internet users share email content with their friends, family and associates.Well. Many email service providers will be able to create you a custom template that matches the exact look and feel of your website. It's also important to ensure the welcome message arrives shortly (if not immediately) after the recipient signs up.

This data not only converts email marketing into an incredible lead generation tool, but it also allows you to learn more about your subscribers. Some email service providers have taken this insight into consideration, so they have integrated the all-important "Forward to a Friend" feature in every email you send. Back to the clothing store, you would produce 3 separate emails (men's, women's, children's) and only send them out to the subscribers who want to read them, creating higlhy-targeted, personalized and effective email campaigns. Some of the top email programs will allow you to fully customize your welcome message, so it reads, looks and feels just like your company. But in today's e-marketing landscape, there are a few pointers that stand true for any client, a few things that can really make or break an email campaign.5. Make sure to remind them of the benefits of signing up, include links to your website and tell your readers how to get a hold of you if they need. My email recipients may enjoy my Injection Molding Machine Barrel messages, but they don't really want to share them with their friends. Say you own a clothing store, and you sell men's, women's and children's clothing. actually, no, and no.2. Think of it as your first impression, since this is the very first of, hopefully, many email messages you'll be sending them.

So your best bet here is to choose an email service provider that sends automatic welcome messages Bimetallic Screw to your subscribers on your behalf. When new subscribers sign up, I should treat them just like my old subscribers. But he's busy, and he has no women or kids to shop for. They have different preferences, different habits, different personalities. And 75% of them forward emails to up to six other recipients.. So if you operate a travel agency, and you see nobody clicked on the Mexico vacation link, but 200 readers clicked on the New York vacation link, you'll know next time to place a greater focus on New York vacations.Um, actually, it does matter. But if you're stuck wondering why your email messages are yielding little to no response, you may want to take a closer look and consider if you're commiting any of these 5 email marketing sins:1.One of the most overlooked aspects of email marketing is the welcome message, or the message your subscribers receive as soon as they sign up for your email list. It's not rocket science: subscribers are individuals, just like you and I. First-off, you want to provide a consistent image of your brand

0 notes

ambieassassin · 7 years

Text

Just a Mini Rant

I wasn’t quite sure where else to do this but I figured here would be good enough because I’ll probably be able to type out everything in one go, I hope. Let’s just see if I can get my thoughts in order.

This particular rant is in reference to the articles and whatnot that I’ve seen and read about and all and the comments on them about the Gaon Chart Music Awards.

Now, from what I’ve come across, there are articles talking about how there was a lot of screaming/cheering (because they tend to be interchangeable in the articles) and in a disrespectful way. Now, this video in particular was the first I’d heard of and read about.

youtube

Apparently, Dean went up on stage to receive his award and give his speech and, for some reason, there were people in the audience yelling out things at him telling him to die and to hurry up and whatnot. Honestly, I saw another comment about it and I agree. You do not have to even understand what they’re saying to hear the venom in their voices when they yell at him.

Now, the videos and articles themselves aren’t even the real problem. The problem comes in the comments that I’ve seen on them that really irritate me.

One thing that I’ve seen is how people are trying to say that it has to be EXO-L’s or ARMYs that are at fault for all the disrespect that happened or at least that it’s most likely them. Say what you want on the issue but I do think that’s unfair.

I used to be into EXO back in the “We are One” days when there were 12 members and a little after Tao left also but I just kind of lost interest. I support them in the sense that I hope all the current and previous members do well but I don’t hunt for whatever it is that they’re up to now. As far as Bangtan goes, I am a pretty solid fan but I don’t consider myself an ARMY really because of all the stigmas that have been attached to them, much like the ones that were apart of the EXO fandom when the fans named themselves EXOtics. I am saying this though to say that, regardless of where I stand in my feelings to the fandoms, I don’t think it’s fair to assume that it is them. It’s fine to say that it’s probably most likely them because they’re two fandoms that are notorious for showing up to these events in large numbers but that doesn’t mean you can put the blame on them. People would be surprised at how badly and boldly one fan can stand out on their own if they really try. Don’t underestimate what someone is willing and able to do. You never know. What I would like to see, like I saw someone else say, is to simply ignore who may have been at fault and to simply band together and try to rectify the issue by facing the problem and going “Oh, we should make sure that doesn’t happen again” or “It’s a shame that that even happened? Why would someone do this?” That makes much more sense to me. Go give encouraging message if the artists or actor/actress or whoever they may be has an SNS. Let them know somehow that you’re proud of them for winning an award or that they were nominated or something. Just...something to make all fandoms look better as a whole instead of trying to even take into consideration who it may have been behaving like they have no home training and common courtesy.

I’ve seen comments talking about how it’s unfair for Dean to even be treated that way because “he wrote songs for all your faves.” Regardless of what he’s done for other groups, he’s still someone that has put in hard work and worked toward his award. What he’s done for others shouldn’t even matter. The fact that his hard work is being acknowledged should be respected.

I also came across this article talking about how a certain MC made a comment along the lines of almost having a panic attack because of the noise.

http://news.nate.com/view/20170223n24226?mid=n1008

Sure, they’re MCs but that doesn’t mean that the audience can’t be respectful. It does make sense for fans to cheer when their favorites are up on the screen or are performing or accepting an award but that doesn’t give anyone the right to be disrespectful to others on stage. I don’t know if this is just something that is or has become common during Korean award shows. I mean, it may be because here in the States, it’s considerate to sit quietly and enjoy the show. If you want to cheer, you can, but you quiet down enough for the presenter or awardee to speak when they have to. Maybe it’s just me imposing my Western views on them but, from what it seems, it clearly isn’t just me that seems to see this is an issue. (*gestures to the article again as well as this next article because apparently BewhY feels the same*)

http://www.asianjunkie.com/2017/02/23/dean-harassed-off-stage-while-accepting-his-gaon-award-by-screaming-fans/

Another thing that I’ve come across is people talking about how it has to be fans of boy groups doing this for whatever reason and how it’s also disrespectful for everyone to be quiet and all during a girl group’s performance. This one is tricky because there is no real fair line here without stepping on some toes.

When you go to a concert, you cheer because you most likely paid to be there and you’re there to see who you want to see. If it’s something more like the Dream Concert or KCON, like I’ve seen mentioned, you’ve still most likely paid to be there and you’re most likely there to see your favorites still but there’s a chance you know what other celebrities are going to be there or at least their songs. Award shows, in my own personal opinion, are a bit different. Not even just award shows but things like Inkigayo’s end of the year stages. I feel like it’s just more prominent at award shows though because there tends to be more silences and whatnot and, because there are usually so many groups up for one award, things get crazy and really unnecessary and extremely childish fanwars start spewing, whether it’s because of antis or not.

Apparently, some fandoms turn off their light sticks while other groups are performing and/or some just get quiet. Now, I agree with at least giving applause for those that win awards. I don’t think anyone is obliged to scream like it’s their favorite if it’s not or anything like that but, to be courteous, I really don’t believe that it would hurt to give a small cheer or applause. Just show them some love, too.

As far as performances go, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with not necessarily singing along. I can’t really blame anyone for turning off their lightsticks either. It can’t be assumed that people are doing these things just to be rude, especially in Korea. I mean, as an international fan, it may seem extremely rude but, if you really think about it, it’s no secret fact that a lot of these fans are dedicated to one group. They pay for a lot of freaking merchandise and the CDs and I think you have to pay for a few fandoms to become a card carrying member. (Last time I was considering joining a particular fandom that was open to international fans, I remember there being a card that you could get and all as a certified member, and you also had to pay if I’m not mistaken. This is what I’m going off of.) A lot of these fans cut out their daily life to make sure they have time for their favorite groups and all. (I’m not referring to sasaengs. They’re a whole ‘nother boatload of nonsense and insanity.)

I do think it’s considerate to maybe clap along to the song or something but why would anyone be obligated to cheer for someone that isn’t a group they’re really into during a performance? When receiving an award, it’s more understandable to cheer, but it really doesn’t make sense to me to do so during a performance. Not to mention, most of these fandoms make up fanchants and only the fans of that group will really know it. In my own opinion, it doesn’t seem like it would be fun to be that one fan, that’s not even apart of the fandom, mind you, that messes up another fanchant. Just seems like a scary situation. Nothing wrong with asking what the fanchant is so you can cheer, too, but that would be up to you.

All in all, I’m just going to end this here saying that:

1) Let’s be fair and not assume any particular group’s fandom is acting ignorant. We’ve seen it done before that an anti-fan works just as well as the more...bad apples of a fandom does.

2) If you’re not going to applaud or show respect for someone that’s won an award, don’t talk or do anything then. It goes along the lines of “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

3) It’s not fair to say that boy group stans need to cheer for girl groups and vice versa. Whether it’s an award show or a music festival, you’re most likely there to see who you wanted to see. It’s not fair to give an obligation to someone that’s there to support their favorites to support yours as well. As long as they’re not actually being disrespectful to the groups, leave it alone and stop trying to cause issues.

4) Do not be that fan that gives your fandom a bad name. Take into consideration how you make others feel, especially when you’re so-called “representing” a group and/or fandom. Let’s try to break these stigmas together. Do your best to ignore the bad apples and guide the ones that are trying.

5) Let’s just work together to create a more harmonious Korean music fan family, hm? Be respectful and look out for one another. There’s no reason to bash another group or another fandom. If you don’t really support them, then don’t. No one is forcing you. Just say that you’re happy for the other group or something and whatever their endeavors may be.

Remember, we all came to K-Pop or just K-music in general for whatever our own reason is. The important thing is that it’s brought us together with people from different countries and backgrounds. The nonsense that is fought over isn’t even worth is and just reflects so badly on so many people in so many ways.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful day and thank you for reading this. ♡

#army #exo-l #girl groups #boy groups #kpop #k-pop #k-music #korean music #gaon chart awards #gaon music awards #e:gaon awards 2017 #spread the love you dumdums #hold hands #I need to stop with the hashtags now #okay #with love

0 notes