#me using all my knowledge in my tiny brain to come up with this fr

[lavaflowe]

Wukong redesign! Super happy with how this turned out!!! Long expended ramble about why I made the design choices I did under the cut

I just really wanted to capture the spiritual change Wukong goes through as a physical one a well- so the furnace ash that stains his fur lightens to a much softer gray (he was blonde to start). His hair is trapped but slowly loosens and pulls out from the circlet as the need for it lessens. The lotus in his staff blooms to signify his completed 'rebirth' as a Buddhist. His robe gets cut down as it takes damage and is repaired with patches (like a Kasaya). He gains a face mask when Guan Yin healed him from Redboy and touched his face (left a palm mark)

And my initial thoughts (not all of this made it in):

[whispersafterdusk]

Lost in Time - ch 19

"I'm sorry - I'm not usually forgetful, I'm just dumb today."

About halfway through his patrol Asher had the realization that Eli's story comment DID make sense -- she'd explained her religious beliefs at the memorial service weeks ago, which seemed to revolve around the idea of everyone being born with a story to tell.  He was there, he'd heard it, and he was kicking himself for forgetting it.

Across the table Eli shrugged.  "We're both running on zero sleep and had more important things to focus on, it's not a big deal.  I can still explain it all again or more in-depth if you're curious."

The Round Table was mostly empty; they were a bit early for the lunch rush.  A headache was starting behind Asher's left eye so he was glad it was quiet in here.   "Only if you feel up to it. I'm still really sorry."

"I don't mind.  So, like I mentioned before-"

She abruptly stopped and Asher could see her eyes flick over his shoulder toward the door so he shifted enough to peer behind him.  Harrison had just come in and he had a girl following along behind him; Asher had seen her around town a lot lately. ((Continued below cut))

Eli watched the two of them for a moment then turned her attention back to him.  "Well, that's a good reminder that I need to stop by the clinic for another bottle of aspirin."

"Man, I could use one of those at the moment," Asher sighed.  "I've stayed awake way longer than this but it doesn't mean it's easy on the body."

She nodded, then abruptly stood.  "Actually, be right back."

As she headed over to where Harrison and the girl were seating themselves at a booth Asher shifted again to give himself a full view of the room; it wasn't that he expected their suspect to waltz in through the door but knowing there was someone out there lurking with bad intentions had his paranoia cranked to the max, and no matter how farfetched a scenario may seem he felt he shouldn't ignore anything his brain spat out at him.  

So he watched as Eli chatted with the two at the table briefly then came back and flopped back down in her seat; right as she returned Sonia came to the table with their food and drinks.

"What was that about?" he asked as he grabbed his fork and speared a chunk of tofu off his plate.

"Was asking Harrison to tell Dr. Xu that I won't be coming to my usual session tonight, in case I don't actually make it to the clinic today to let him know myself."

"Ah."  He stuffed the tofu in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.  "-I hope you aren't planning on pulling another all-nighter."

She shook her head and downed half the lemonade in her glass in four huge gulps.  "-I don't PLAN on it just yet but I want my schedule open in case I have to.  Once I'm off the clock for today I'm going to help Selene get whatever transmitters she has the parts for assembled and ready to go."

"Need some help?"

Again she shook her head.   "It'd take me longer to teach you how to put it together than it would for me to do it myself.  I appreciate the offer though."

"If you...you know, need anything.  At all.  You can ask me, you know?"

She drained her glass and set it aside before finally starting in on her food.  "I know."

They both ate quickly (a little TOO quickly in Asher's case - now he had a slightly queasy stomach AND the start of a headache) and paid their respective bills before heading toward the Corps building.  As they passed the graveyard Asher could see one of the construction folks - it was the tall blonde man (that was who had designed that stone in the first place, he thought) - carefully examining the burnt surface of the tombstone.  Since it was just polished rock Asher was certain the man could grind off and re-polish it without too much trouble; he was still mad that someone had defaced the grave but in a way thankful that it would be easy to restore.  And, should the vandal decide to-

"--you know, I think we ought to post a person here for a few nights," he said as he slowed to a stop and then turned to backtrack to the graveyard's gates.

"You think whoever did it will come back that quickly?"

He nodded.  "Darren's stone and the others for your squad mates all look sort of similar - if whoever this is is purposely singling you out they might deface the rest of these and might be brave or stupid enough to come back soon."

"I'd think they'd expect us to be keeping a close eye on the place."

"They might, they might not, they might not even care. But." Asher turned to point down the hill the way they'd come and then used his finger in the air to trace along the line of a stone archway they'd walked under.  It was dotted with windows and had an old, iron-banded wooden door that was heavily padlocked; the inside area was used to store the furniture needed for festivals (he'd helped put the benches and chairs used at the memorial services away inside there).  The windows were tiny and probably a little dusty but if someone took up a position at that middle window at the top of the arch they could probably see the entire cemetery from there, and it would be hard to spot them in the dark at that height from the ground.  "If we hide someone up there, they wouldn't even know we're here."

Eli followed his hand and eyed the archway, then shrugged.  "Right, so, another all-nighter then."

"You DID say you were keeping your schedule open."

"Let's check in with Arlo and see what's what before we pencil a stakeout onto the agenda."

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

Her task today had sounded easy on the surface: cut open the flaps of seed sacks, arrange them in a wagon.  They were heavy but not so much that she couldn't carry them, but the knife she'd been given to cut the sacks open seemed little better than a butter knife -- it was good enough to cut the thread sewing the sacks shut but not sharp enough to cut into the burlap itself, which was proving to be a problem because this last sack was sewn shut too tightly for her to get the knife in under the flap, and she couldn't saw a hole in the burlap either.  She could sort of get the tip of the knife wedged in under each individual stitch and snip it loose that way but that meant cutting almost every stitch, by itself, one by one.

As she picked and struggled with the thread the barn door creaked behind her and someone's shadow fell over the floor; it was too beefy to be Sophie or Emily, and not wide enough to be McDonald.  

"I don't have time to play tag right now," she called out without turning around.

"I prefer checkers."

That was one of the answers she'd been expecting so she turned around to face the man that had walked into the barn.  He was...very muscular.   Maybe all muscle, and the only hair on his head was a black mustache that was the same width as his lips.  Lily hadn't seen him before but he definitely had to have been recruited solely for strength.

"I hope you're good at hide and seek."  A phrase meant to ask 'were you noticed or followed?'

The man shook his head, pulled a folded piece of paper out of one of the multiple pockets on his shirt and dropped it onto the floor, then disappeared out of the barn as quickly as he'd appeared.

Lily grunted and with a yank that hurt her arms all the way up to her shoulder blades finally tore the loose stitches apart and the top of the seed bag was finally open; after a moment to let the tingling in her fingers fade she hauled the bag over into the wagon with the rest of them before she retrieved the paper and looked it over.

>FR, KA, WIN - STBY >PL, des pln. PK SEC. > 385. > Markest > 3t. Har wh ws arc n

Ah, good - everything was falling into place.  There were three more operatives on standby, Harrison's family had been secured, and their escape pilots would be hiding out somewhere to the east waiting for their signal to move in and get them out.

She did have an immediate surge of annoyance though at the identity of their escape pilot: 385.  Sky Sharks.  Lily hated those damn pirates... They were paid an obscene amount of money to remain loyal to Duvos, and she knew without a doubt that if someone with deeper pockets came along then the Sharks would switch sides without even blinking.  WHY did Duvos insist on relying on them?  It was baffling, and all she could console herself with was it HAD to be more than money...it wouldn't make sense otherwise to have such a glaring weakness in their field operations.

That last line of the message indicated that a meeting was set up for tonight at the stone arch that was to the west of the harbor; this was good, as they all needed to meet face to face to identify one another, discuss any last-minute questions regarding their responsibilities and expectations, AND she needed to find out which of them had defaced the grave -- rumors had raced through town and she'd already spotted someone examining it to determine how to repair it.  If it hadn't been one of the agents sent to help then it was one hell of a coincidence...and if it HAD been one of them then she was curious about how they'd learned about Summers and how much they'd learned, and what exactly they intended to do with that knowledge.  Prior to finding those counseling records Lily hadn't really heard anything about the woman that would've pointed her out as something special -- Portians were not immune to gossip but they did seem polite enough to not include a ton of personal details and at the time none of it had seemed to be important enough to look into. Lily knew that if she'd known about Summers prior to her meeting with Xan then it was likely they'd have abandoned the plan to steal the AI and would instead be more concerned with snatching the woman.  

Was that what they were hoping to accomplish? Lily hadn't received ANY orders from Xan regarding a change in their target, and it would be a lot more finicky to try and smuggle a woman out versus mechanical parts.  It was an absolute certainty that if Xan had changed his mind on their target then she, as head of this operation, would have heard about it first... Maybe it WAS a coincidence, as impossible as it seemed.  Or maybe whoever did it thought they were...helping?  Spread the security out thin?  That was more plausible than coincidence but ran a high risk of jeopardizing the mission instead since Lily already knew Portia had called on the help of the Flying Pigs and it wouldn't be hard for them to request a few more.

No... Whatever the reasoning, it had to stop. If they got a chance to grab the woman on their way out then fine, whatever.  But she wasn't about to let this mission get sidetracked away from their ordered target -- not unless Xan himself sent her word to change the plan where she had that proof in her hand or heard it from Xan directly.

Outside the barn she heard hoof beats; quickly she stuffed the paper deep into her pocket and pretended to be fussing over the seed bags in the back of the rickety wagon.  A few moments later and both barn doors opened wide as Sophie's granddaughter came into view leading a rather large horse by a rope - it wasn't proper reins but just a simple braided leather cord hooked to one of the rings on the halter and she had the loose end wrapped around her wrist with plenty of slack in the lead for the horse to look about.

"Hey there, Lily.  I'm sorry - Granny didn't tell me you were out here doing this or else I would've come to help you."

Lily scoffed and leaned against the wagon's side.  "Oh pfft, no worries!  It was a little heavy but not that bad!  Sort of.  Do you have anything to sharpen knives here?  The one Sophie lent me turned out to be dull."

Emily led the horse in further and walked it around the wagon so it's back end was close to the wagon's front; Lily came over and handed her the knife in its little leather sheath, and Emily in turn handed her the lead so she could move between the shelves and the wagon to get a few wooden shafts and a yoke into place.  Afterward she maneuvered the horse into place and hooked everything up, then just as quickly freed the animal.

"...why'd you go through all that effort?" Lily asked as Emily started to lead the horse back towards the doors.

"Usually we use a mare named Sunny to pull the wagon but she's getting on in years.  We're switching over to this fine fellow here-" Emily patted the horse's neck with a giggle "-and he's a bit bigger than Sunny.  I wanted to make sure the yoke would still fit.  Seems there's not as big a difference in size in the places where it matters so it shouldn't rub or be uncomfortable, and it also means I don't have to try and do all the measuring in the morning when there's not a lot of light either and too little time to get another yoke down from the attic."

"Aha.  That makes sense.  ...so we're starting tomorrow morning then?"

Once Emily had the horse outside the barn, but was still framed in the doorway, she slipped the halter off and the horse ambled away out of Lily's line of sight.  "Yep!  Right at sunrise, and we should be done by lunchtime."

Ugh.  A late night meeting and now work at an unreasonable hour.  "Ok!" Lily replied, struggling to keep her usual perky cheerfulness in the tone.  "I'll see you at dawn then - hopefully I don't sleep in on accident."

"It's ok if you do but that'll just mean it'll take longer to finish."

Emily waited for Lily to leave the barn then closed the doors and slid the locking bar into place; Lily offered the woman a smile and a wave as she turned to head back into Portia but inwardly she was groaning in frustration.  If she set an alarm and went to bed now she'd get at least a little bit of sleep before the meeting.  She WAS supposed to have dinner with Harrison tonight but the naive little fool could wait -- more important things needed to come first.

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

The signal transmitter buzzed softly.  It was like having a small insect flitting around his head.

But with it sitting in the storage area with him, hooked up to a temporary power source, it covered the immediate area and would let Arlo communicate with Sam, Remington, and Mali who were all hidden nearby in the commerce guild, the Happy Apartments, and the old, closed cafe down the hill.

So far there'd been no signs of life outside; Asher had come up with this idea and he and Eli both expressed doubt that they would see anyone tonight.  Still, it was a good idea made even better by Selene suggesting they take one of the transmitters with them to temporarily let them coordinate through the Hi-Defs -- Eli and the builder had then both scrambled to get one assembled and re-wired for a power stone bracket, and they'd disguised it inside a crate that they carried into the storage area.  All that was left to do then was wait until nightfall, carefully slip inside the storage area (Arlo was certain he hadn't been seen by anyone who was, themselves, visible at the time) and then plug in the transmitter's cord to the bracket and flip it on.

The moon was bright (not full, sadly) but it was intermittently cloudy; when there wasn't cloud cover Arlo was able to see clearly through the small, smudged clean spots he'd wiped in every window in the storage area.  He did have to be careful to toss his jacket over himself each time he accessed his Hi-Def (the light from the screen would stand out in the darkness, after all) but other than that he was free to silently walk from window to window to keep an eye on the graveyard as well as the surrounding areas that he could see, and he'd been pacing in this manner for the last four hours with nothing to show for it.

'It might not be tonight,' he kept telling himself.  It might not be tonight, or tomorrow night, or even any time soon.  

But, not that long ago he and Remington had gotten the chosen security door ready for transport.  Mint estimated they could have it in place and installed within a week; with the door in place they could stop worrying about someone getting into the facility, and once they reached that point they'd be free to focus the entirety of their attention on catching their spy and vandal.  With all of that in mind the fact that they wouldn't likely catch anyone tonight was easier to swallow.

"Anyone seen anything yet?"

Remington's voice came through the Hi-Def - Arlo had the volume set to just barely above a whisper, to him.

"Not ye- Wait."

Mali's response cut off and Arlo tensed; she was stationed at the apartments -- she usually stayed there when she was in Portia so she'd appointed herself to that position because it wouldn't seem strange if she was spotted at an odd hour inside the building (though the point was, of course, for her NOT to be spotted at all). Arlo gave it several breaths, then several breaths more; the silence seemed to press in so he bent down, pulled his jacket over his head and arm, and prodded his Hi-Def awake.  "Mali?  Is everything all right?"

"I'm fine. But I just spotted our first concrete lead."

"What?  Did you see someone?"

"Not exactly. But either our guest is staying here, was visiting friends here, or Happy Apartments has a ghost problem."

Arlo's eyes narrowed -- their target was INSIDE the apartments?  How?  For how long had they been there?  "So you saw our spy."

"I heard a door open and close upstairs, and shortly thereafter the front door opened and closed on its own.  I didn't see anyone, unfortunately -- the lights in the lobby here are heavily dimmed after ten o'clock.   Whoever this was knows where to walk to avoid casting even a hint of a shadow in this light so I didn't see them pass me."

"And if you'd turned the lights on it would've been a dead giveaway." Arlo shuffled awkwardly in the dark, with his jacket still pulled over him, toward the furthest window that looked toward Peach Plaza.  As expected he didn't see anyone, or anything, with the moon behind the clouds again.  

"Should we try and pursue?  Pick up their trail?" Remington asked.

"No," both Arlo and Mali said at the same time.  Arlo waited a moment, then continued.  "We already know this person will be nearly impossible to spot in the dark, even with the moon out, and we've got clouds in the sky tonight that'll make it worse. We have a starting point.  In the morning we'll see who is staying at the apartments and go from there."

"I'll stay here and see if whoever that was returns," Mali said after a moment.  "If they do, and I can see what room they go into, we'll at least know if this person has been staying here or if someone they're working with is."

"Don't try to apprehend them without help," Arlo warned.  "We still don't know if the spy and the vandal are the same person and if they aren't we don't know which one of them is armed or how many people we may be dealing with here."

"I don't intend to because I think we stand to learn more if we wait. It might be glaringly obvious who our culprit is once we examine the occupancy, or it might not be.  Either way, we make our list of suspects and monitor them.   We'll catch our spy, our vandal, both, or more."

Arlo nodded.  "As good a plan as any.  I'm going quiet again - everyone keep their eyes peeled."

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

It was a very long walk from the apartments out to the arch.  The suit was getting a bit warm by the time she spotted the tiniest hint of a flame on the beach ahead of her; as she drew closer to the flame she could make out the silhouette of the man holding it.

He was tall and almost unnaturally thin; he had a lighter in hand and the tiny flame's light caused the surprising number of knives sheathed across his chest, hips, and thighs to glint softly in the dark.  Next to him was a skinny (but not nearly as skinny as he was) woman who had long red hair worn in a pair of braids that fell forward over her shoulders.  The muscular man who had delivered the message was there standing at the back of the group next to Evangeline and Marcus -- Evangeline was a large woman, close to the size of Marcus and the two skinny folk put together, with platinum blonde hair, and Marcus was a dark-haired man who was otherwise unremarkable in the scant glow of the lighter.

They were looking her way; the suit's chameleon abilities were still engaged but it couldn't prevent her from leaving footprints in the sand as she approached.

"Were you followed?" the muscular man asked when she came close.

"No.  The entire town is asleep.  They don't post night guards in Portia; only out at the facility itself.  That might change when construction begins." She came to a stop and turned off the suit; immediately the heat she could feel began to ease.  "Were any of YOU followed?"

They all shook their heads; it was good to see they had all  been smart about this.

"Where do we stand?" Marcus asked.

Lily unfastened the clips at her neckline and gently slid the extra ventilation slits open on the suit's helmet - the wisps of cool air that immediately filtered in were a blessing.  "Construction has been delayed - I'm not sure why.  We should consider ourselves on standby and be ready to move at a moment's notice."  Before any of them had a chance to speak further she huffed out a sigh.  "Who here defaced the grave?" The muscular man crossed his arms and lifted a single finger; she turned to glare at him.  "Stop it.  I won't have you jeopardizing this."

The man snorted loudly.  "Tell that to Xan.  He's disappointed in you - how the heck did you miss something so--"

Lily jabbed a finger toward him.  "-shut up.  Stop it.  Shut up.  At the time I spoke to Xan it wasn't known what else was here. How did he hear about Summers?"

"You really think there wouldn't be rumors like wildfire in the scholar circles?  They can't shut up about the fact we have a real, live Dubeian in our midst.  Xan wants her and to hell with the AI."

Lily narrowed her eyes.  "I don't believe you.  Xan wouldn't so drastically change things without communicating with ME first."

The man rolled his eyes.  "Shut your damn mouth, brat - you aren't special.  I got my orders from Xan's mouth and I will not and DO NOT have to listen to your whining."

Lily stalked forward until she was nearly nose to nose with the man (or as close as she could get - his forearms were thick and he was taller than she was too).  "I'M in charge until told otherwise.  If there's been a change in the plans then I need to hear from Xan directly.  If you don't like that then you're on your own, and no one here should feel like they need to stick their necks out for you."

As she spoke to turned to look at the others one by one; the red head's expression was stony so Lily wasn't sure which side she was taking on this particular argument, Evangeline seemed just as annoyed with the muscled man as Lily felt, and she couldn't get a read on Marcus or knife-man's mood -- they both had really good poker faces.

"And," she went on into the pause.  "Should you think to sell US out if you get caught...  I don't think I need to remind you what Duvos does to traitors.  I might not be able to save any of you if someone squeals but you can bet I WILL get myself out and back to base to let everyone know who botched this and got us - got YOU - caught. And whoever did will pay for it, even if you get sent to prison.  You know there's no hiding if Duvos decides they really want you gone."

An uneasy silence followed; the man covered in knives flicked the lighter closed abruptly but otherwise no one even moved.

After several tense minutes Evangeline rolled her neck; the number of pops that came from the motion prickled Lily's skin.  "All right, I says we vote.  Original plan, or switch to the new one?  Original?" Lily, Evangeline, Marcus, and the red-haired woman raised their hands.   Evangeline briefly glanced around and then nodded.  "Good enough for me.  Xan wants a change he'll have to tell us the usual way."

The muscled man opened his mouth and the man with the knives held up a hand.  "Enough.  I'M willing to trust you, because you're saying it's Xan, but they do got a point: Xan always gets word to his men through specific channels, come hell or high water.  I don't see why he'd stop doing that in this case.  If we're wrong then we're wrong but at least we got a damn AI out of it.  And it's not like the woman is like to go anywhere anytime soon."

"Thank you...?" Lily said, gesturing for the man to introduce himself.

"Windsor," came the answer.  "Franklin.  Kara."  He gestured to the muscled man and the red head in turn.  "Ain't worked with Xan before now but man's got a reputation for doing it by the book and getting shit done.  I don't like the idea of getting on his bad side by not carrying out his orders but without those orders in my hot little hand or having come directly from his face to my ears I'm not sure I want to make him mad by NOT doing what I'd been told the first time 'round."

Lily nodded to him.  "I appreciate your good sense."  She looked to Kara; her expression was just as crabby as it had been when Lily last eyed her.   Whatever the woman's exact thoughts were they were hidden behind a deep frown but at the very least she wasn't objecting to Lily's orders to stay the course.

"...all right.  Now.  Just so we're all CLEAR-" Lily went on, stressing the last word and all but spitting it at Franklin, "-our next step is simply waiting for construction to begin.   When they break ground we'll meet up again four nights later to plan out the doctor switch -- it's not going to be immediate.  Anyone in regular close contact with the doctor is likely to notice even a slight change in behavior, and there's no way Harrison is going to know every little detail about the doctor's life if he gets pressed.  When the servers and the AI are set to be moved over we'll make our move so there's only a window of a few days where the idiot has to keep up the act.  When we leave, we leave him behind, we get home, Xan lets his family loose if he did everything we told him to.  A good boy gets rewarded."

"Simple 'nuff," Windsor said.  "I like a good, clean getaway."

"Any questions?  Any issues with your cover stories we need to hammer out right now?"

Windsor shook his head.  "Just a traveling performer here, miss.  Staying over in South Block since I was led to believe the growth there would bring new audiences - since it ain't, I'm walking between there and Portia to earn enough to go home."

Lily flashed him a thumb's up and looked to Kara; finally the woman's stony expression broke into something that MIGHT have passed for a smile, if one was holding in a fart.

"Just a ruins delver," was her simple explanation.  She had a voice like cracked glass so Lily was glad she wasn't a wordy person.

After a very lengthy pause Franklin grunted.  "Fishing."

Lily sighed.  "Fishing?  That's it?"

"That's it.  I'm here to fish."

She was all but certain now that if there was a weak link in the group, it was going to be this idiot.  She looked to Marcus and Evangeline.

Marcus shrugged.  "Handy man looking for work."

"Mining - already met Dana and got a position," Evangeline said.  "Ought to be able to give a good report about what natural stuff is down there.   Never know - someone might be interested."

At that Lily reached up to slide the ventilation slits shut again, then turned the suit back on.  "Stick to your stories, stay out of trouble, and keep an eye on the clinic.  We'll meet here, same time, four days after construction starts.  Remember that."

She spun on her heel and left -- they could all figure out their own ways back to wherever they were staying and she had a long walk ahead of her to get back to her room-

...the sky was already beginning to lighten.  She didn't think the meeting had taken that long but that time spent coupled with the long walk back to town...damn it. It took about two hours to properly clean and dry the suit out after she'd worn it awhile, and with how she was currently sweating it might take even longer; if she didn't show up to the farm on time people might go looking for her, and she couldn't just leave the job half-finished or leave the suit hanging in her room and risk someone finding it.  She also didn't trust anyone she was working with to properly care for or hide it.

Where could she stash it...

There was that hot springs area that was near enough to the farm...she knew from poking around that no one seemed to use the attic in that tiny dock house.  That would have to work for now - it would take even longer to clean it later but she needed to lay low anyway, and it was less likely someone would try snooping in her room if they knew she was in it.

When she got to the dock house she picked the lock to the building and climbed to the attic; thankfully she managed to find a loose floorboard that she pried up and stuck the suit under it before putting the board back -- while she really doubted anyone would suddenly decide to come up here at least now they wouldn't immediately see the suit if they did, and who would have any reason to go digging around in the rafters?  It was risky but less so than leaving it out in the open.

As she came upon the fields she could see Emily was already outside with the horse and wagon, and there were a few others that Lily didn't recognize that were standing with her; they weren't anyone she'd seen in town before so she imagined they, like her, were hired on hands to assist.  The farm girl was talking to the others but paused and gestured, with a smile, for Lily to come join them once she noticed her crossing the empty field.  

"-and David, you'll take the cornball seeds.  Lily, I'll have you helping Tracy and Bill with the wheat, if you don't mind."

"Sure!" Lily chirped in response, looking over to the two standing on the far end of the little line of farmhands -- Tracy was an average sized, average looking brunette who seemed like she was barely awake and Bill was a tall man in ratty clothing and straw hat.  "I'm Lily - I've never planted wheat before so is there anything special I should know?"

Tracy didn't make any effort to answer but Bill shook his head with a warm smile.  "Naw.  It's easy.  I'll show you."

"All right!  Let's get to planting everyone!" Emily called out then.  She led the wagon along the rows Lily had marked out and helped one of the other farmhands in setting down the sacks of seed next to their correct markers.

Bill handed Lily a little bag attached to a length of rope and showed her to how tie it to her hip so it stayed secure but also could be removed easily by tugging on a loop in a certain way; she then filled the little bag with wheat seeds and followed along with the man as he showed her what he called the easiest and most efficient want to get the seeds into the ground.  Once she'd had her crash course in wheat planting they separated and worked in a line with each of them taking the rows to their immediate left and right.

While she was rather tired she had to admit that this wasn't all that bad, and in just a handful of hours she could go get her suit and figure out a way to sneak it back into Happy Apartments, then take a shower and crawl into bed.  She might even grab something to eat at some point...or might not.  It would depend on how exhausted she was once this field was planted.

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

"Can I ask you something?"

"Is this related to how distracted you've been all afternoon?"

Arlo grimaced.  "...yeah.  It's..."

Their walk today (Eli never had them in one place for too long when she was teaching) had taken them along the river, passed the island that housed the Haunted Cave attraction, down to the ocean shore, and now they were retracing that path at a leisurely pace.  He'd thought he'd done a decent enough job to hide the fact that his mind was anywhere but in the current moment but...well, considering that Eli was trying to teach him to absorb his surroundings and pick out all the little details in an instant, it was little wonder she'd immediately clued in to even a tiny change in his behavior.

What was bothering him was a proverbial rabbit hole he'd accidentally fallen down earlier today when he was going over their known information and current plan.

They had fourteen suspects staying in the Happy Apartments.  That was a lot of people to keep an eye on, and they'd kept EVERYONE who wasn't a native Portian on that list -- since they couldn't rule out that someone had been hiding in the wilderness prior to renting a room they'd decided against eliminating anyone immediately based on date of arrival alone.   Mali was confident that they could quickly strike people off that list and pare it down to a more manageable one, and he shared that confidence, but it had got him thinking about the general situation.

Arlo had heard and read a lot about the war between the Alliance of Free Cities and Duvos, and had also heard a lot of stories from Remington regarding the recent action at Lucien's border.  Lucien had been nearly destroyed in the war and really, it hadn't known peace long enough to truly rebuild.  It almost felt like the peace accord that Duvos had signed was only a pretense - a stalling effort to let them bide their time, build back up, and try to forcibly expand their borders again later. Portia was far to the south of Duvos so there had never been much fear over being invaded or having their resources abruptly taken from them -- all things considered, Portia had probably never been high on their priority list as there were ruins and other natural resources much closer to the Empire's border; the sink hole opening up into the remarkably well preserved medical facility had undoubtedly pushed Portia square into Duvos's sights and they clearly, desperately, wanted what was within it, and history had already shown how they went about obtaining what they wanted.

It seemed odd to make the jump from a snooping spy to a sudden declaration of war but where else would their current behavior lead?  Things were getting tense in the north and just because they had no word of Duvos gearing up to march again didn't mean they hadn't found some way to keep it hidden.  And while he knew any sort of technology in Duvos's hands was bad news it was a chilling thought to consider what it would mean if they got their hands on Stewart -- they might not be able to replicate old medical technology immediately but the knowledge was invaluable and could, in the near future, drastically cut down on recovery time for Duvos's injured soldiers while the rest of the world would have to scramble to learn what they could from those medical texts they'd found just to keep up.

How to even put all of that into words though...

"...if another war breaks out, what do you think you'll do?"

For a time Eli didn't answer; ahead of them the bridge that led over to the Haunted Cave came into view, and near it was a bald, mustached man who was struggling with the reel on his fishing pole.

"Not sure," came her answer.  They walked on another few steps before she continued.   "Fight, probably. It might sound selfish but in a way I'm glad I'm not in charge of anything or anyone anymore."

He looked over to her; her head was down, her gaze fixed on the ground just ahead of them, so he couldn't get a clear look at her face.  "Why's that?  I would've thought it would be the opposite."

She let out a huff of a laugh. "Maybe, if we were three hundred years in the past.  This isn't my world anymore.  I have no business being in charge of people - how could I order them around when I know less about this world and how it all works than they do?  Like -- imagine if you were thrown into MY time period.  How do you think you'd feel?"

"Overwhelmed," Arlo answered, momentarily surprised at how quickly the word had spilled out.  "More than a little lost, as well.  I've not really been far from Portia so the thought of being in a city where a single building holds more people than I've ever seen in my life is...a little daunting."

She nodded, lifting her head a bit to flash him a smile.  "Now try to reverse that.  Everything I knew is gone, or doesn't work or work properly, or is left like that-" she pointed way off to the west where you could just barely make out the top of a ruined building on the horizon.  "If I had access to tools and tech from my time, we would have caught this spy in a matter of days.  But I don't.  And we haven't.   And I feel like I'm flailing around trying to hold on to anything I can to sort of ground myself but...it's hard, you know?  About all I'm good for is a warm body ready to throw myself on the metaphorical fire to keep it from burning others."

"Don't say that," he interrupted, shaking his head at her.  "You're much more than that - to me, and to everyone else."

"LOGICALLY I know that," she replied.  "Emotionally though... I have my good days and my bad ones; I'm just good at keeping the mask on and rolling with it."

"Well, whatever your brain wants to tell you, if it's negative it's wrong.  You're a good friend, you're intelligent, you're tougher than anyone I've ever met," Arlo went on.  "And if there's anything I can do to help, just ask."

She chuckled quietly and stuck her hands into her pockets.  "You and Asher both have said that.  It's appreciated."

He opened his mouth to keep going but paused, as he wasn't sure what to say next.  They were even closer to the bridge now and Arlo could see the rat's nest of a tangle of fishing line that was around the mustached man's reel ahead of them.  The man noticed them coming and offered a frustrated half wave, which Arlo acknowledged with a nod.

"-so, now that I've had my daily mini mental breakdown, why are you worried about war?" she asked, voice quiet.

"...the more I think about the spy, and what they're after, and where they came from, the more I feel like another war is on the horizon," he replied after a moment to sort his thoughts out.  "And thinking about that made me think about what I would do in that situation."

She nodded, then held up a hand before he could continue; lengthening her stride she adjusted her path to head toward the man with the tangled reel.  

"Everything all right there?"  They were still far enough away that she had to almost yell for the man to hear her -- at the very least, the man wasn't within range to hear them chitchatting.

"Yeah yeah," came the shouted response - the man's tone was clearly annoyed.  "Don't buy cheap reels."

She chuckled a bit; again she adjusted herself to go back to the path they had been walking along - they still had to pass by the man but there would be a healthy distance between them.

As they drew near and then finally passed the man Arlo could hear him swearing to himself as he yanked and tugged at the tangled fishing line...but he didn't really seem to be focusing on what he was doing.  It was slightly hard to tell out of the corner of the eye and with how quick they walked by him but Arlo swore the man was trying his damnedest to watch them while looking like he wasn't paying them any attention.  Arlo resisted the urge to look back, to check if the man was openly staring, and simply walked alongside Eli until the man was far behind them.

"You saw that, right?"

He nodded.  "He was watching us."

"Any idea who that was?"

"No, I've never seen him before."

Arlo made a mental note of what the man had looked like (heavily muscled, bald, mustached) and resolved to ask Gale and Antoine if the man was one of those staying at the Happy Apartments -- he was certainly striking enough to be easily remembered.

As Portia's gates loomed ahead of them he remembered they'd been mid-conversation about Duvos and a potential war...he almost felt like he needed, and should, pick up where they'd left off, as the whole thing bothered him a bit more than he'd initially realized, but there was also a part of him that didn't want to think about it at all.  It was that same part of him that hadn't wanted to consider what "shoot to kill" entailed either.

"Eli!"

Arlo looked up sharply at the shout; Toby was running toward them with Jack and the triplets huffing along trying to keep up with him.  Beside him Eli smiled and shook her head.

"There goes the afternoon I guess.  Unless you need me for something?"

He shook his head.  "Your patrol is done, our lesson is over with, and we already did our morning training.  So far as I'm concerned you're off the clock."  He paused, looking again to where the kid was rushing toward them.  "-unless you want me to invent a task so you can avoid being dragged into whatever Toby has planned."

"Nah, it's fine.  I can handle a gaggle of kids."

Toby would be right on them within a few seconds; in those last moments of peace Arlo stepped just ahead of Eli enough to stop her, fixing her with a look.  "Take tomorrow off.  I'll have Asher cover your patrols."

She frowned.  "Arlo-"

"No, I mean it.  If you're having a rough time I'd rather have you rested and ready for action.  Relax for a day - read a book, hike, visit with someone, just do something you like."

"I LIKE being active, and exactly how much relaxation do you think I'm going to get knowing-"

She cut off her words as Toby came to a stumbling halt in front of them, panting loudly.  "Eli...Eli!  Think you can...whew...think you can help me make a bow?"

"A bow?  What for?"

After a few breaths to collect himself Toby stood upright, beaming.  "I wanna learn how to shoot it!  And then I wanna learn how to hunt!  Mom told me about this stew thingy she liked that had fried sea urchin in it but you can't get near them without them shooting their needles at you - I want to surprise her with some meat but without getting turned into a pincushion!"

Eli blinked as all that came in a rush out of the boy's mouth; Arlo had to give the kid credit -- he was at least thinking ahead rather than rushing off for once.

"Well, seems you have a plan," she replied finally.  "But it's not going to be easy to just MAKE a bow - especially not one that'll take down a target like an urchin."

"But...can we try?"

Arlo smiled a bit at the boy's earnest tone, then wagged a finger at him to grab his attention.  "Just make sure you're not shooting it at anything just for fun," he warned once the boy was looking at him.  "Don't damage any buildings or trees, and DON'T shoot it at wildlife unless you're intending to eat it."    

Toby pumped a fist into the air a few times.  "I won't, I promise!"

Finally the four other children caught up and, after a moment to collectively catch their breaths, they all headed back out through the gates with Eli in their midst.  Arlo watched them go silently; he hoped that his impromptu orders for a day off hadn't upset Eli.  Thinking back to her admitting she was looking for something to cling to, to ground herself with...at the moment, one could think that work was the only thing she was using to cope.  Would his ordering her to take a day off do more harm than good?  He certainly hoped not.

...bah.  His stomach felt a bit knotted with the uneasy feeling from contemplating another war along with concern over whether he just made Eli's life a tiny bit more difficult.  He quickly crossed the plaza and headed up the hill toward the Round Table; by the fountain up ahead he could see a small gathering of folks all watching as a skinny man juggled silvery knives.  There was a battered flat cap laying on the ground in front of him with a handful of gols glinting in the sun; the man was yet another person Arlo hadn't seen before and out of curiosity he continued passed the restaurant to stand with the rest of the onlookers as the man juggled.

From here it was difficult to tell if the knives were actually real but the man was certainly treating them as though they were.  As he watched the knives flip from one hand to the other, behind the back, under legs and around elbows Arlo had to admit the man was rather skilled, and there were "oohs" and "ahhs" and gasps from the people around them as they watched the display of flying metal.  When the man reached the end of his juggling act he caught each knife in quick succession, sheathing them in identical, repeating motions, then gave an elaborate bow to a scattering of applause.  A few folks in the crowd dropped more gols into the hat, and Arlo waited patiently until they'd dispersed before approaching the man.

"Quite a talent."

The man didn't reply at first, choosing to bend and pick up the hat and carefully deposit the gols into his pocket so he could shove the hat back onto his head.   "Yep, sure is.  Drove my mum nuts growing up - couldn't leave anything within reach or I'd end up tossing it around.  You from here?"

Arlo nodded.  "I am.  Where are you from?"

"Born in Tallsky.  Came north because my audience was bored with me and I heard South Block was getting busy.  Dunno what folks's definition of busy is but I barely make enough to buy my dinner there.  Figured I'd try my luck here to sees if I can make enough to head back home."

Again he nodded.  "I see.  South Block is a growing trade post but most people you'll find there are traveling through and rarely stay for more than a day or so."

The man snorted.  "Tell me about it.  -- say, ain't a problem hanging around performing is there?"

"So long as you keep your distance and your knives to yourself there shouldn't be an issue.  Where are you staying? South Block?"

"Sure am," the man replied.  "Hopefully I make enough to move on soon.  Bus tickets might be cheap for some but not when you're picking between a bed, a meal, or a ride."

Arlo reached into his pocket and grabbed a handful of gols; without counting them he held them out.  "Here - at the very least try to get a meal for the evening.  The Round Table has reasonable prices and great food."

The man's eyes lit up and he grabbed for the money, then quickly cleared his throat and tried to look a little more dignified as he stowed the gols away with the rest.   "Thanks, stranger.  It's appreciated."

With a curt nod Arlo spun around to head back to the Round Table, and made a mental note to walk to South Block tomorrow to get a list of motel occupants from Yeye.   They hadn't noticed a lot of foot traffic from South Block lately but a singular traveler moving between the two towns could easily be missed.

It was crowded and busy inside the Round Table; there were a few empty booths but he didn't want to take up an entire one by himself so he took the only open seat at the bar which happened to be between Remington and Adam.

He gave them both a nod and then turned to look at Adam.  "How's it going out at the facility?"

"Alls quiet.  They started digging to place the door.  Mali's out there now with Sam - I'm charged with bringing them supper when I'm done with a few errands here in town."

"You should see the thing now. It sure doesn't look as huge as it did now that it's out of that building," Remington chuckled.

Arlo huffed out a sigh.  "That was a nightmare to deal with.  Little wonder the Old World had robots to do that sort of thing - it we hadn't borrowed that winch and pulley we probably wouldn't have been able to manage disconnecting that door from the wall by ourselves."

Sonia hurried by and went to hand him a menu, seemed to do a double take and realize who he was, then stowed the menu back beneath the counter.  "Hi Arlo!  Your usual?"

"Please. With a glass of orange juice please."  He waited until she left then lowered his voice.  "Keep an eye out for a heavily muscled man, bald, with a dark mustache.  He was eying Eli and I up, and I've no idea who he is."

"Will do," Remington replied.  "-er, by the way - Selene's on the prowl.  Party planning.  Just so you aren't blindsided."

Party planning... Remington's birthday was coming up soon and they STILL hadn't had the little gathering to welcome Eli and Asher to the team.   "Got it.  We don't have time for anything extravagant sadly."

Remington wrinkled his nose.  "Man, even if we did, I don't want extravagant."

Arlo chuckled and nodded to Sonia as she sat a chilled glass of orange juice on the counter in front of him; it was cold, tangy, and satisfying, and he had to will himself not to chug it down too quickly.

He would eat, pick up a few things from Total Tools, then head back to the Civil Corps building to-

"-has Eli ever mentioned to anyone when HER birthday is?" he asked then, looking between Adam and Remington.

"I...don't think so.  Maybe to Asher?"

Arlo turned to Adam.  "Has he said anything?"

Adam shook his head.  "Not a peep, and I'm pretty sure he would have if he knew."

"Huh.  We ought to ask her tomorrow morning then," Remington said into the pause that followed.

Arlo blew out a sigh.  "I gave her tomorrow off so whoever runs into her first..."

Sonia came over with their food (Arlo had no idea when the other two had ordered but all of it came out at the same time) and all conversation was set aside in favor of stuffing food in their faces as quickly as they could before they all went their separate ways: Remington to the Corps building, Adam back out to the facility, and Arlo back toward the plaza where hopefully Mars still had his shop open and had whetstones available.

Tonight Mali and Asher would be staking out the graveyard; they were both insistent that the two of them could handle things on their own and didn't need a third.  He didn't have much choice other than to trust to their confidence but as he picked up the whetstones and was heading up the stairs toward the Corps building he wondered if he should have asked Adam if he wanted another pair of eyes tonight out at the facility.

'If he wanted help I'm sure he would have asked,' Arlo found himself thinking as he pushed the door open to the Corps building and plodded across the sitting area toward his room.

That he was free to get a full night's sleep made him feel a tad guilty but, on the other hand, the better rested he was the more attentive he'd be, and that would only help them.  Probably.

[tilltheendwilliwrite]

Rise Up*

Chapter Thirty

Previous Chapter

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader  |  Word Count: 4432 Warnings: smut, swearing, NSFW, fluff 

Songs: I Choose You by Sara Bareilles,  At Last by Etta James

Steve could only stare in utter shock and awe at the vision before him and swallowed the thick lump of emotion threatening to choke him. “I… that’s… I…”

She pressed her hands to her abdomen. “Is it horrible? I never got a chance actually to see it, what with it being online. Buck said you’d shit and the girls said you’d like it, but do you hate it? Steve? Steven?”

Loki laughed. “Oh, darling. That is not the silence of a man who hates what he is seeing. It is one stunned into incoherent stuttering.” He snapped his fingers and flicked them at Steve. “There. I doubt you wish to spend the rest of the night in your armour. This is more in line with your Midgardian traditions I believe.” He turned and began to saunter away. “Do not take forever, lillesøster. There is celebrating to be had.”

“Steve?” she whispered, and he gave his head a shake.

“He’s right. Jeez, baby. This was your surprise? I can’t even…” He had no words to express how stunningly gorgeous she looked to him in that moment.

The incredible dress had ropes of tiny pearls and gems to hold it on her shoulders. A low bodice with a heart-shaped neckline lined with more tiny pearls. Lace, crystals, pearls, all graced the bodice, making pretty patterns in dips and swirls and flowers down to her knees where the dress fell away in a layer of unadorned tulle.

“Can… can you turn around?” he asked, his voice breathy and not at all sounding like him.

She smiled, evidently hearing the desire and awe in his words and turned to show him her back. The deep v went to just above her waist, more rows of draped seed pearls dripped down her shoulders, coming to a point where a satin bow sat in pride of place just above her waist.

Loki had taken her hair up, twisting it into a knot of curls and braids while leaving the moonstone crown glowing on her brow. Her gauntlet reflected silver and gleamed against the dress. Her ring shone. She just sparkled, a moon goddess granted to him by the hands of fate.

“I… I think… I may need to sit down,” he finally choked out but took the three strides he needed to reach her, step into her spine, and lay his lips on the bared nape of her neck. His fingers latched around the locket resting on her chest, and he held it in his fist, his hand against the beat of his girl’s heart. Tears burned his eyes as he held her tight to his chest.

“I take it you like it?” she laughed a little, but her voice was hoarse.

“I fucking love it,” he whispered against her skin. “It’s… I guess you’d call it a modern take on a forties era wedding dress. Buck… shit… he did good. But you make it perfect, baby.”

“Steven,” she gave a half sob and held onto the arm he had locked around her waist.

“Thank you,” he sighed and kissed her bare shoulder. “Thank you, dollface. This is… you didn’t have to, but I’m so glad you did.”

“I hated the fact I felt like you didn’t have a say. Rushed you into the wedding, forced you to follow our traditions, disregarded so many of your own. This is our wedding. You should enjoy it, too.”

“Sweetheart,” he sighed and kissed her throat before allowing her to turn around and lift her arms to his neck. “It was enough to see you walking toward me wearing this.” He gently touched the locket. “It was like having my ma here, even if I know she couldn’t be.”

“She’s here, Stevie. I believe she’s here, watching. I hope she’s happy for you.”

“She would be,” he murmured, caressing her cheek. “She’d only have to meet you once to know how right you were for me.”

A flush darkened her cheeks to go with her pleased smile. “And look at you, all cleaned up. Got to admit, you’re looking pretty snazzy yourself, Rogers. What colour is this suit?”

He looked down and gave a bark of surprised laughter, having not even noticed the missing armour. “Dark grey I think. Hard to tell in the dark.”

“Well, Captain. Whatever the colour, I’m looking forward to leading you around by that tie later tonight.”

“Oh? Kinky. You gonna save that stuff for the honeymoon?” he teased.

She stepped into him and forced him to step back, step by step until he sat down hard on a padded bench when his knees connected with it.

***

You stepped between his spread legs. “Captain, if I didn’t know damn well one of these nosy as fuck Avengers would come looking, I’d show you just how kinky I can get with that tie,” you purred.

His hands were on your knees, drawing the bottom of the dress up slowly. “Yeah? I bet we’ve got at least ten minutes before someone comes lookin’,” he snickered, his grin broad.

His hands went beneath your skirt, skimmed the backs of your thighs and drifted up to close big hands over your ass cheeks. A rather loud groan escaped him when he pulled you closer. “Why are you commando?”

“What?” you squeaked, only to have his fingertips drag over your completely bare skin. “Fucking trickster! Had to get his fun in somehow. Big jerk!”

“Bless him,” Steve groaned. “I one hundred percent forgive him for making me think I wasn't your sjelevenn with this one act of compassion.”

You laughed even as his fingers pressed hard against your flesh. “How is this compassion? Now you get to live with the knowledge I'm commando for the rest of the night?”

He froze, then his forehead dropped to your belly. “Dammit. You're right.”

“He's the God of Mischief for a reason, Steve,” you snickered while running your hands through his hair.

“I don't wike it.”

He was pouting, but the fact only made you giggle-snort. “Just think of it as a time saver later.”

“True.” His fingers skimmed your hip and over your belly before slipping between your legs and rubbing the gradually growing slick waiting there.

“Steven,” you sighed, both want and regret in his name.

“So, you never did tell me how this… mark comes about,” he said as he sought and found your bundle of nerves.

“You...expect me to talk while you do that?” you whined softly, loving how precise he was when he touched you. It took only seconds for him to have you hovering at the brink.

“Is a Valkyrie so easily distracted?” he teased. “I'm shocked!”

Your talons raked gently over his scalp, and he moaned, losing his rhythm for a split second before continuing the swift circling.

“Gods, Steven.” You couldn't stop your hips from rocking into his hand if you tried.

“Tell me about my mark, baby.”

A quiet moan saw you shifting toward him. You clenched your hand on his shoulder and continued to sift your fingers through his hair. The intense pleasure was quite thoroughly fogging your brain, but you fought past it to give him his answer. “It starts with us, together…” a small gasp escaped when his fingers sank deeper.

“Together? Together how?”

“Don’t be dense, Rogers,” you quipped and locked your knees to keep your legs from shaking.

“Ah, that way,” he chuckled and wrapped his arm beneath your buttocks, giving one a firm squeeze but helping hold you up.

“Such a gentleman,” you teased and tugged his hair. “While you are relaxing, letting me do all the work like the lazy slug you are-”

“Hey!” he huffed.

“-I’ll be working a bit of Valkyrie magic.” You tugged on his hair, pulling his head back to force his chin up. Holding him there, you lightly brushed your nails down the cords of his throat. “Right here, Steven. I’m going to work you up, drive you so wild, and when the time is right, I shall place my mark here and seal it, making you mine for all to see.”

“And what,” he breathed out on a shuddered when you scratched him with your nails, “does the mark mean?”

You closed your eyes, the flood of pleasure throbbing through your veins as he began to plunge his fingers through your walls with vigour, sending sensation slamming outward. The grip he had on your thighs tightened when your legs grew weaker. “Wings… wings of the Valkyrie…” you whimpered.

“And?” he growled, knowing precisely what he was doing to you.

“The rune… means… Rekker.” You threw your head back, so close to coming on his fingers you could barely breathe.

“And what does Rekker mean?”

“Steve…” Your hand closed spasmodically on his shoulder. “Stevie, please…”

“Tell me what Rekker means, and I’ll finish.”

“It means…” you sucked in a breath, “Warrior Man!” It was nearly a scream when the wave you’d been riding crested and poured through you, sending you sliding into bliss and profound pleasure as you fell against him. Panting softly, you rested your forehead on his and waited for your system to steady. “Oh… damn… Steve.”

He drew his hand from your core and out from beneath your dress. His fingers went into his mouth, and he sucked on them.

It was incredibly sexy and set you squeezing your thighs together.

He stroked his other hand down your leg and helped you sit on his thigh. “You’re so beautiful, baby.”

You chuckled softly and let your arms drape around his neck while he cuddled you close. “And you’re not at all biased.”

“Not at all,” he laughed, setting his chin on your hair. “So, warrior man, huh? There’s a special rune just to say soldier?”

“It doesn’t mean soldier. It means Warrior Man. Men who are warriors in the sense of their courage, bravery, deeds, and feats.” You set your hand on his cheek. “You’re a warrior, Stevie. It’s not just a job, but who you are in your soul.”

“And are all sjelevenn Rekker?” Steve asked.

“Usually,” you nodded. “They tend to join us in battle.”

“Mm,” he hummed. “I want my mark, sjelevenn.”

You laughed softly and ran your talons over his scalp with barely there pressure. “Oh, Steven. You’ll have it, but I promise you there isn’t nearly enough time to do all the things I have planned before someone comes looking for us.”

He growled and made you giggle. “Woman, don’t tease me. I’m already strainin’ these pants.”

“Are you now?” you asked, arching a mischievous brow as you let your hand trail slowly down his tie.

“Don’t start,” he huffed, grabbing your hand. “Let’s go before you get any friskier.”

“Me!” you laughed. “Who had whose hand up whose skirt but moments ago?”

He stood to his feet, taking you with him. “Yeah, well. I didn’t hear you complaining,” he smirked and kissed the end of your nose.

Snickering softly, you linked your arm through his and let him lead you toward the compound. The crunch of gravel beneath your combined feet filled the air, and you gave it enough time to reach the bridge before asking, “So, what did Sharon do?”

He stumbled and grabbed the railing to right himself. “Uh, why would you think she did anything?”

You arched a brow and threw him a sarcastic, “Really, Steven? This little interlude wasn't part of a distraction?”

“No, I, she… um… nothing?” His voice went up an octave.

“Sjelevenn…” you sighed and lifted your hands to his chest. “Just tell me. Not telling me is only making me think the worst.”

“How did you even know she’d done anything?” he asked.

“Between the way Bucky and Nat quick-marched her outta here practically at sword point, the nasty scowl she had on her face, and the way she glared at me? It was hard to miss. Now, quit stalling and just tell me.”

He sighed and linked his fingers with yours. “We figured out who the leak was.”

“Sharon!?” you gasped. “That seems… unlikely.”

“Not so much Sharon, but Eric. I guess he’s been listening in on mine and Sharon’s conversations. Tony figures he’s the one who sold us out to Ross.”

You frowned. “Okay, so he managed to piece together your generic conversation and pass along possibilities to Ross?”

“Yeah, and they’d put a transmitter on her phone.”

“Shit. No wonder she was angry. But what does that have to do with me?”

He sighed. “You know how she was engaged?”

“I’m assuming she isn’t any more or won’t be for long after this.”

“Apparently, she hasn’t been for weeks. He accused her of… well… of still having feelings for me, and they… broke up.”

“Oh,” you whispered. “And she does, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah. She was rather vocal about her… disagreement with our “rushed” wedding.”

Anger surged but quickly faded. “Well, you always want what you can’t have. If she’s jealous, that’s her problem, and there is nothing she can do about it now.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “You’re taking this better than I thought you would.”

“Getting upset over someone suddenly coming face to face with the reality that they’ll never have you is silly. Now, if you’d said she made you have second thoughts, I’d be stabbing you both,” you chuckled.

“Definitely not. After Bucky told her to plant her ass and keep her opinions to herself, all I could focus on,” he tugged you closer, “was you.”

“Good.” You patted and smoothed down his tie. “I’d hate to ruin this suit with a sword.”

“To say nothing of me?” Steve asked.

“Rogers, if you’d had a single doubt, you would have deserved it,” you grinned brightly, turned on your heel, and sauntered away.

He burst out laughing and caught up quickly. “Guess it’s a good thing the only girl for me is you then, huh?”

His arm went around your waist, and he scooped you up against him, spun in a circle, and made you laugh. “Put me down, sjelevenn!”

“I don’t think so.” He held you tight to his chest and let your feet dangle.

“You keep this up, we’ll never make our own party,” you scolded but you wrapped your arms around his neck and held on just as tightly.

“I can’t help it. I’m so happy!” he laughed and lifted you up in the air. “We’re married!”

You squealed and held onto his biceps, his incredible strength a huge turn on. “Steven! Put me down, crazy man!”

He dropped you gently to your feet and held your face between his palms. “I love you so damn much. I don’t care if people think it was rushed, or other stupid reasons, you make me happy. This makes me happy. I can’t believe how happy!”

He sealed his mouth to yours, sank in, and wallowed. The kiss stole the bones from your legs and had you leaning into him when you knees gave out.

“Oi! Lovebirds! Shake a leg!” Scott’s voice broke the two of you apart.

“Lang! Don’t make me hurt you!” Steve bellowed.

“Don’t shoot the messenger, Cap! I pulled the short straw,” Scott turned and darted back the way he’d come.

Taking Steve’s hand, you tugged at it. “Come on, Cap. You gonna dance with me tonight?” you asked coyly.

“At least once,” he teased.

“Oh, Stevie. It’s going to be more than once,” you stated, and it was a promise you intended to keep.

***

Steve walked into the lounge and stopped dead. “Wow, and I thought the ceremony space was something.” He turned to look behind him, and then back into the hall. “We did come inside, didn’t we?”

“Yeah,” you snickered. “Don’t tell him I said so, but Loki’s a bit of a romantic at heart.”

“I would never have guessed,” Steve chuckled, taking in the woodland setting.

Trees grew along the walls, and vines lifted toward the roof as living centrepieces to cover the ceiling with dripping leaves and flowers. Round glass lanterns flickered with candles. More candles and greenery decorated the tables; a ‘U’ shaped one sat at the head of the room, all your friends - your family - waited for you there.

“Is it as magical as it seems?”

“Baby… it’s stunning.” He took your hand and stepped over the threshold causing applause to erupt and wild cheering to thunder through the room.

On a stage to one side, Tony tapped a mic. “Ladies and gentlemen, Captain and Mrs. Rogers! How about that first dance, Cap?”

You laughed and pulled Steve toward the open space with the wooden floor. “I had Bucky brush me up on a dance lesson.”

“Yeah?” Steve chuckled and spun you under his arm. “You gonna show me some moves for our first dance?”

“How about I just don’t embarrass you when you lead?” you laughed and placed your hand on his shoulder.

“And what song did you pick, baby?”

The first strains of the song poured from the speakers.

“You did hit all the high points for makin’ me sentimental,” he smirked and shook his head.

“Well, it's also fitting.”

As Etta James sang, you swayed together, happy and relaxed. Steve eventually coaxed you into a few dance steps, leading you around the floor with rather suave grace before returning you to the center to sway again.

Your arms snuck up around his neck, and he dropped his to wrap around your waist. You rested your head on his chest and felt his cheek settle against your hair. It was sweet and tender, exactly what you'd come to expect from your sjelevenn, and when the last strains of the music died, he dipped you low and kissed you deeply to the clear approval of your guests.

Laughing together, you made your way toward the head table where there was a continual stream of hugs and tears.

“Hey, (Y/N)?” Tony called from the stage, causing everyone to quiet down.

“What you want, Stark?” you shouted.

The smile on his face was wide, wicked, and full of amusement. “Damn, girl!” The group as a whole burst out laughing, but he waved his hand to get everyone to quiet down a second time. “I know your Queen now, but I never expected you to be such a diva as to require a wardrobe change!” he teased. “And to drag Cap along with you? Talk about bridezilla!”

“Hey!” you barked and held out your arms. “When you’ve got it, flaunt it!” You shot him a wink and took your seat, Steve laughing at your side.

Tony chuckled into the mic. “It appears I’ve been roped into emceeing this shindig,” he shot Pepper a look, “thanks, dear.”

“You love it!” Pepper shouted. “We all know you like hearing yourself talk!”

He didn’t bother to deny it. “Be that as it may, I have something to say.”

“When don’t you?” shouted Sam.

“Bite me, Wilson!” Tony barked, and everyone chuckled. “As I was saying before I was so rudely heckled, this last year I’ve watched two people stupidly in love dance around each other like idiots.”

You scoffed, and Steve scowled.

“But then they got the nudge they needed,” he waved his hand behind him, “thanks to an even bigger idiot.”

You frowned when everyone whistled and cheered loudly until Steve leaned over and murmured, “You remember the video of you kicking Garry’s ass that night we got together?”

“Oh, shit,” you sighed and covered your eyes.

“That’s our girl!” Tony laughed, the sound of Garry connecting with the window thudding loudly through the room. Again he waited for things to quiet down before speaking. When he did, his voice was softer, still full of amusement, but also heavy with affection. “I know you two have had tough times together. There’s been pain and tears along the way, but you’ve triumphed because of the deep love and faith you have in each other. I’ve never seen two people more suited to each other than the Captain and the Valkyrie. So I invite those gathered to raise a glass in toast-”

“Wait!” Thor bellowed, surging to his feet.

“It’s kind of too late, big guy. You can’t protest the wedding now, especially as you married them,” Tony huffed.

“Not that!” Thor huffed. “Heimdall, the cask.”

The big guardian stood and hefted an oak barrel to his shoulder.

“Thor, you didn’t,” you sighed, then groaned when he nodded.

“You can’t disregard this tradition, Sváfa. I won’t allow it,” Odin said, a smirk twitching his lips.

“Baby?” Steve asked as Thor tapped the cask.

“The brought the Bridal Ale,” you sighed. “It’s… potent.”

“How potent?” he asked, slight concern in his voice.

“You’ll see,” you muttered and got to your feet, muttering about asinine and archaic rituals.

“In our culture,” Thor was explaining, “The Bridal Ale must be served and shared together for the marriage to be considered valid. The lovely bride must assume the foremost of her duties as the wife in the ceremonial serving of drink.”

“You mean, the marriage is… not accepted if (Y/N) doesn’t do this?” Vision asked, sounding intrigued. “The entire process can be voided because she did not play the servant?”

“It is a compact,” murmured Odin. “A wife’s agreement to care for the household. It is only a formality, but she is Queen. We will have no one contesting the validity of their marriage because of one missed step. By drinking together, the bride and groom are made one in the eyes of the law and the gods, symbolically affirming their new kinship.”

“Darling,” Loki said as you passed, his hand out holding the kåsa.

“Thanks, Loki.” You plucked it from his palm and rounded the end of the table to where Thor stood waiting.

He and Heimdall hoisted the cask, and you shook your head at their theatrics. “Just gotta show off all those muscles, hm?”

“My queen. Would I be so prideful?” Heimdall asked while Thor only grinned.

“Yes, I believe you would,” you chuckled and reached for the tap. You filled the wooden bowl to half full and turned off the tap. “You better not have brought enough for a month, Thor.”

“Of course not,” he huffed. “You won’t be here for a month. I’ll have it sent to the Hall once we return to Asgard.”

You groaned softly, knowing he would expect you to indulge in the ale at every opportunity. “Thanks,” you muttered sarcastically and turned toward Steven.

Walking toward him, you held the bowl outstretched and presented it to him with a short bow. “Ale I bring thee, thou oak-of-battle. With strength blended and brightest honour, mixed with magic and mighty songs, with goodly spells, and wish-speeding runes. I bid thee drink, husband, so thy health and strength are assured.”

“Shakespeare in the park,” Tony coughed into the mic.

You ignored him, focusing on Steve who reached to take the bowl from you. “Make motion with the kåsa toward Thor, then offer a toast to Odin, drink and hand it back,” you whispered so he could complete the ritual.

“Do I have to make it sound so formal?” he asked, and you shook your head.

The bowl left your hands, and you stepped out of the way. Steve lifted it to Thor and offered a tilt of his head, before looking at Odin. “A toast to the All-father. May he bless this union between the daughter of his heart and a man who vows to love and protect her with everything he is.”

Odin appeared pleased and nodded when Steve lifted the bowl to his lips. He drank, and you tried not to laugh when he wheezed after swallowing.

“Damn!” he gasped and passed back the bowl.

You smirked but lifted the bowl. “To Freyja, wherever she may be. Bless the union you've been meddling in for years. Strengthen the ties that bind us.” The ale went down smooth as silk until the tail whipped you in the tonsils and the burn of alcohol scorched your lungs. “Woo, good stuff!”

“Can I continue now?” Tony asked.

“Have at it, Iron Man!” you called, waving him on as you returned to your seat beside Steve.

“Then I ask those gathered to lift their glass in a toast to the bride and groom!”

While the rest here-here’d and cheered, you did a quick search of the room with your senses before turning to Steve and lifting your chin for the kiss you knew was coming. He tasted like the ale, and you hummed appreciatively.

“Tasty, sjelevenn,” you purred against his lips so only he could hear.

“Not bad yourself,” he chuckled.

“Alright, folks! Let’s eat so we can get this party started!” Tony called out and motioned to the caterers.

You had no idea how he’d pulled it off, or what he’d paid for the short notice, but when the servers began coming around with giant platters of food for the tables, you shook your head. Only Tony could pull off something like this.

A young girl placed a basket of bread on the table and smiled nervously. “Congratulations,” she said, hands shaking a little.

“Thank you,” you smiled, and Steve nodded.

“I can’t believe… Captain America… married.” She shook her head and moved on before you could say anything.

“News is going to break like wildfire,” Steve murmured, laying his arm over the back of your chair as he bent closer. “There’s gonna be a lot of love, hate for a while I think.”

“Guess that’s what happens when you steal Cap away from the women of the world,” you snickered softly.

“That’s okay. Tony’s got pictures of you from when you threatened to beat Ross. Once those get out,” he snickered softly, “the men of the world are going to hate my guts.”

You laughed and reached for your glass of wine. “Maybe it’s a good thing we’ll be gone for a while. Give people time to get over themselves.”

“Yeah,” he murmured, glancing toward the other tables. “Probably a plan.”

You knew exactly where his eyes had drifted having searched her out yourself. Sharon sat with a few of the tactical response boys in the back. Apparently, she hadn’t left after all.

The hand coated in metal slowly clenched in your lap.

Things were about to get interesting.

Next Chapter

[fortunefishsalad]

5/20/22

was funnier in my head ||

so it starts a little like this goes a little something like that and we’re eating sushi at some point then the stop sign starts giving directions and you laugh

smile for the picture, it’ll last longer than this conversation smile for my camera, i’ll look at it for longer than you’ll exist

and we get into the groove dance our little dance sing our silly songs and we’re playing in the park then the moms start being again and i laugh

oh shit i forgot to hit record whatever, it was funnier in my head

breaking ||

news! not for you, but for them

walking down hollywood broadway i stop at the local news stand, fireworks and billboards to get a sale, and i’m met with shooing hands and a disapproving stare

so naturally, i must get the paper and it’s full of news! such wonderful news! up and down the street, a splayed open paper in each couples arms reading and rejoicing crying and divorcing cheating and repeating rings, pretty things, and some memory of a mother in law

and you two, one whose ear’s heard stories of me one whose mind had my voice on repeat reading the paper you wrote together line by line, Breaking it down, News comes out biweekly, The updates come in with the wind, with the voices of new friends, of friends of friends

and i am the portrait in the study the gum on your shoes

i saw your eyes pass over me once and then again reading your weekly horoscope and i swear we met and i swear we spoke and i can’t remember the rest blackboard nosebleed ||

i opened up a dusty, chalk colored room i had this mosaic of maybe covering the door not to mention i’d thrown away the key not to mention i essentially had to not to mention your place in all of this

and when i walked in, the air was so young my old nose it began to bleed all over my septum ring all over the papers on the floor all over the wife beater i never got to wear

so i picked up the white, i mean, the chalk and i sniffed up the dust, i mean, the chalk and my brain began to buzz and i was holding the chalk

hours and minutes of small my body became immature my dad walked in on us in the bed years and months shaved off without all that facial hair i really looked like your boy

and as i woke up, from this dust induced coma, the blackboard was covered in language i knew had meaning and the faint smell of freshly popped popcorn and piss filled the room

tennis ||

“My friend and i say hi” ashley, i’m reminded you seemed almost offended god i hope so conscious remarks and decisions you seem sick of the games you know i don’t know how to play fair you seem sick, but you don’t seem to have outsmarted them

“did you block me on spotify” we’re bold, getting blunter with this tinge of it doesn’t matter it doesn’t matter because what is this it’s a promise coated in so many layers of: god i’m over this, can we just with the lasting knowledge that we (probably can’t)

i wish you’d call me superficial, but i know we’re talking about him

i wonder if i’m the sun, but i hope we’re talking about him

i wonder if i matter at all, but i get a text from you,

unprompted

in the little moments ||

it’s the free food at taco bell earned from the slightest it’s the tiny conversation from the most earnest: understanding

i’m a romantic, in the little moments, i’m magnanimous, in the everyday

got out of my car, leaned against the plastic, somehow this parking lot, i’ve been in two million times before became costa rica the midday sun became moonlight and the phone in my hand shattered

sitting on a table, in our favorite spot, in our spot catching the ups shooting the shits taking it all too seriously every small movement, every twitch of the mouth, i’m clinging to every single word

and i’m reminded, it’s in the little moments, that we plant the seeds for the romance of our lives

i’m a romantic in love with the monotonous and enraptured by the cyclical

DDDEEP ||

it’s a language, the way you choose your music it’s a system, but boy do you have to study it

and from the shadows, and from these little places you could never see from the crack in the staircase, i know you so deeply so deeply that the words would scare you so deeply that you’ll never know how known you are

and of course, to make it about myself again, i wonder: has anyone ever known me to such an obsessive extent

i think about movies, the ex-boyfriend who calls in the dead of night, while you’re trying to get over him and in my own way i sigh a heavy, thick, loaded sigh and i put that mirror down, for sake of finding the reflection too fitting

to ground myself, i kiss my folded fist, clenched into something you can hit with soft, delicate, and kind against my skin and i see these little doorways against the backdrop and i remember how you climbed into one and i find myself to be coraline

met with the smell of fresh and wet dried and made into a lovely tea earthy, like drinking mother nature’s third eye

psychosis ||

i took a trip to an infinite bar, and got the universe’s number she looked just like me and we’ve spoken everyday since

when i think of the little i know of your life i think of the stunning, brilliant blue it must be but when i think of the little boy who’s living it i think of a deep dark black with spots of white (note to self, don’t fall in love in divorce aftermath)

i think of the me less than half a year ago i think of his rotting corpse, half-dressed prisoner of his mind and i stare into the mirror

it scared me, when we began. the number of clowns it was intense but i get it now this cosmic joke it feels good to be laughing alongside the universe

so i turn to the universe, in her all-knowing fart jokes and i am reminded, you will open your heart at your own pace but i am reminded, i must not hope to see what i desire i must not hope to see that you are shriveled and weak i must hope nothing i must accept your opening of your heart with the love of the mother i could one day be and as one human to another accept you, with simple kindness

simple kindness ||

i wait daily, for this dick to turn inside out, bloom i wonder monthly, will these nipples protrude will fat fill the area around them got milk?

it’s this man body it’s the distance from my beard the same it that’s raining

as per usual, it wasn’t one switch it was ten million little ones, over the span of months through which i realized, this judgment is a joke the critical lens, and now i’m laughing

so to all the me out there i vow to love you a little harder i promise to treat you a little kinder

to the me inside this meat suit i love you and i know you’re doing your best just like everyone else sincerely, someone who’s learned the power of simple kindness this forgetting takes place ||

i meet you over and over and i meet myself twice as often sitting there in the strangers of the world a passing smile, an awkward request, a hope for simple kindness, i see pieces of us in it all

my shoes have never been so many sizes my eyes so many colors my body so many different shapes and i’ve begun to lose you in the sea as much as i’ve found you in the constant shifting of the tides i’ve lost track of the importance of you

i threw away the key to a room i can’t remember into a pile of keys to rooms i can’t remember ever entering

so when i text you now, you’re getting the same me as a stranger so when i spend time with my close friends, they get the me they’ve made comfortable so when i talk with my family, i am honest in a way that cannot understand the depth of

to put it simply, for you to understand more plainly, to respectfully undermine your intelligence just as i accidentally did so many times

the world keeps spinning, and i’m on this rock for as long as i am and our lines are perpendicular now and you’re on the rock for as long as you are

so, let us enjoy these moments let us leave eachother with such pure, summer, memories

and then let us forget, let us forget the details and let us forget two man bicycle ||

a rolled blunt, some mint gum, my cars engine, a ring in your mailbox, pictures of a white dog, blowing up your phone, poetry in a bag of clothes, shared interests, model UN, not a single restaurant, a trip to new york city, your semester there, living domestic, a group of five or six, something shared, lovers in a dangerous spacetime, a pen, hours of mitski, playlist conversations, a powderpuff game, cafeteria lunch table, four people in a diner, two boys in a dorm, one seven hundred dollar flight, phone calls across oceans, valentines day on the couch

and the endless reminder

a hope to take you out one last time the honor to fight with you once again goodbyes harder than dying laying in the grass pacing around your stillness a thirteen thousandth hard conversation crying over laundry watching francis ha trying on stolen sweatshirts

this sea of us, exists in the hypothetical and the existential with a side of potential

spend all the time you can with me, give me something to dream about

[cmpsbls]

STASH OF ADVICE

These are tips for future Nicole fr past Nicole who made a lot of mistakes this school year ┗(•̀へ •́ ╮ ) so I hope at least some of you can relate to this stash of tips I have kept for myself in my notes for incoming Senior High levels!

1.  WRITE NOTES ON GIVEN ACTIVITY SHEETS & keep your papers organized (please)

Write tiny notes on the given activity sheets instead of putting them in your binder notebook (ok my own preference tho!!) bc one paper = topic is better than multiple messy papers = one huge topic!

2.  Find the best kind of review style

so this year actually last school year but its been 100% proven this yr that I don’t really remember well when I read notes from a notebook (weIRD IDK WHY) so heres a list of the methods I personally use (bc Im pretty sure someone alrdy made a different kinds of studying methods here!! :> ) a) Loose leaf paper + intense color code: by intense color code I mean theres a specific color palette for every topic! b) Flashcards + color code: best when it comes to language classes (in my case I should have done this with every short story we read but I didn’t so I had a hard time n i only remembered terms fr my friends flashcards! (ᴗ˳ᴗ) ) c) Notes in book: useful when you need to remember like parts of something (like biology) you put the starting letter of every term under the major topic they’re under! like posterior pituitary: O, A : oxytocin and antidieuretic hormone! ヾ(´･ω･｀)

3. Color code your notes

I gave up like half way through the school year bc my pens started to dry out and I was too busy to go out and thrift cute gel pens that didn’t skip either ヾ(´･ ･｀｡)ノ” (also my askbox is open to fellow fil studyblrs who know cute gel pens..that aren’t mygel HUHU) and I do regret not color coding my notes bc since my attention span is so sHORT and looking at monochromatic notes doesn’t hELP THAT AT ALL u know i just ended up never opening my notebook so a) Color code your notes : use the same colors for everything b) How to color code: look at past notes and base it on that ｡ﾟ(ﾟ＾ω＾ﾟ)ﾟ｡

4. Rewrite notes (especially Math drills) (•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑

I don’t have pictures of my Math notebook at the moment since we submitted it but when I rewrite my notes I put notes on the drills I failed (ahem ..most of them) ( ꒪Д꒪)ノ so that I don’t forget like on this Algebra reviewer I had (like bc i forget to square root n shiz)

5. Buy pens you actually like

ok we’re all certified stationery addicts in this side of Tumblr but ok I regret all those D*iso ballpens I bought just bc they were cheap. I hated using them & they made my notes ugly? (・_・ヾ so @ / nic specifically pls buy gel pens only it fits ur aesthetic and u are oc with ur notes so just pls buy pens u like (also remember that planner u loved so much that u ruined it bc u used different ballpoint pens so now it looks uglie good job nice)

6. Get a TO-DO List app &  planner (ｏ・_・)ノ”(ᴗ_ ᴗ。)

I had various planners throughout the year (or more like any random notebook within my reach n copying the assignments on there) but as I got attached to This One planner I started filling it up but when I got home.. I don’t open my planner…at all. (シ_ _)シ so I found some apps that helped remind me to do my homework. Most of the time I would just put a reminder with the topic of the subject then the content would be: Check your planner so these are the few apps I downloaded a) Memorigi: ALL TIME FAV! the design is so minimalist n the icons + colors are super cute n theres enough space to put a lot of content n thats what I need for overlooking project progress SO YES MY FAV ー( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ b) Google Keep: perfect for like random brain dumps & checklists! c) Any.do: perfect for checklists or like short summary tasks! d) Wunderlist: same with for any.do if your tasks don’t need any specific details (like a grocery list for example) this app is perfect for u e) Ike: THIS IS CUTE bc like there r 4 boxes then u rename it to whatever u want (& they have cute color palettes too!!) then you assign your tasks to any box (like i had a christmas break goal, & a TO DO RN & a TO DO of the month & dreams/bucketlist) so this is super nice if u wanna see ur life goals not just acads!!

7. Shower when you get home

Literally I just started doing this at the end of the school year  (bc there was so much work to be done that One Week)(I usually shower like after dinner) & it helped so much, I, a certified coffee drinker/lover, was surprised that showering as soon as I got home helped more than having dinner with coffee (I kno..it bad) first before my shower! also wear comfy clothes while studying! (✿◠‿◠)

8. Wake up early on weekends to rewrite notes

FIRST OF ALL THIS IS THE BEST FEELING IN THE WORLD! like im not even saying this like sarcastically but i felt like a true hashtag studyblr when i started doing this, bc 9.1) u can watch a movie from like 5am - 8 am without feeling guilty bc damn gurl i still got the entire day 9.2) its like ur fooling urself bc when its commercial break u can start doing homework n by the time the movie starts playing again ur like halfway done 9.3) good breakfast will push u to actually finish ur work ?? idk if its just me but it does 9.4) no one is awake at 5am on saturdays so (maybe) u have the entire house to urself u can sit on the floor while reading or plug in ur usb to ur tv and jam to ur study mix (bc admit it…having earphones on can be like sometimes distracting idk) 9.5) NOTHING INTERESTING ON UR TIMELINE!! bc everyones sleeping or ded or hungover fr friday night so ur forced to like do something else than just chat with friends

9. Do studyblr challenges (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

I didn’t do any this school year but I feel like if I did 100daysofproductivity challenge I think I would feel guilty for skipping so much (✖╭╮✖) so this is a list of things I want to do next school yr a) 100daysofproductivity: post 100 days of productive days here on tumblr or anywhere! b) don’t break the chain: especially if it comes to math practice  (。-`ω´-) or exercise maybe! c) pomodoro timer: 25 minutes of intense studying //  i think i need to start using this method again!

so thats a wrap up for school year 2016-2017! it was a hellish school year （ﾉ´д｀） NO JOKE I WAS SO EMOTIONALLY, MENTALLY PHYSICALLY stressed this year idk why but it was for me one of the worst school years and oh btw (don’t have a crush on ur classmate ur life will be ruined..or if they’re too cute..try getting into a new show or get a hobby n keep them out of ur brain bc u only need Knowledge And Wisdom for now my bbs don’t be like stupid nice) OK THATS THAT I hope you all have a wonderful day! Take care!! ｡ﾟ(ﾟ＾ω＾ﾟ)ﾟ｡

[tandamalaika]

Our adventures began at 7:30am when a large van pulled up outside our villa, and we loaded in like socks and underware stuffed into a tiny drawer. We had signed up for a cycling tour. Our $25 would take us off the beaten path on a wonderful, intimate journey through Bali countryside, and included breakfast, lunch, lessons on coffee production, rice paddies, the Hindu beliefs and untouched villages.

Our first stop was the Luwak Coffee farm. Though I’m not a coffee drinker, I had heard of some crazy little meerkat kind of creatures that were fed coffee beans and pooped out $100 cups of coffee! Well folks, I’m here to tell you that it’s true…these little civet cats are a nocturnal tree cat in Indonesia and feast on the coffee berry. They can’t digest the hard stone inside and poop out the little ‘gold nuggets’ which are gathered, washed and roasted. Supposedly the process “lowers the bitterness…imparting a musky smoothness.”

Jude decided that she was going to start eating the coffee berries and selling her poop to make make some extra cash on the side. If anyone is interested in an order, please contact us. We can enlist all the creatures if bulk orders are needed.

A couple trays of tea, hot coco and coffee samples were placed on each table, and visitors from all over sampled to their hearts content.

Cups of steaming or iced coffee was served to those who ordered for 100,000 IDR, which is $7.50. A pretty high price for a drink in this part of the world. In New York these same sized cups of coffee are sold for $100 a cup.

Our friend, Daniel, ordered coffee that was brought to the table looking like it was straight from a science lab. We watched in great anticipation as the water heated in the lower glass ball, boiled and worked its way up into the coffee chamber above and then filtered back down into the ball as a dark brewed concoction. Daniel doctored with a little milk and sugar and loved it.

With new coffee knowledge in our brains, we continued on to Kintamani Village, where we were served banana pancakes. The best part was the view of Mt Batung, which is a semi active volcano.

The volcano spread out across the valley to the edges of Lake Batur.

After enjoying the views we continued on to our drop off point, where we were met by Adi, our cycling guide, who constantly joked and immediately memorized all our names.

It was there that we were introduced to our waiting chariots, which we mounted and made sure everything functioned well. Especially the breaks! Daniel and Aidan immediately started doing funky tricks and spraying dust clouds as they skidded across the dirt.

We rode through a wide variety of terrain, including dirt back roads,

small farm roads,

and narrow paths.

We loved seeing the way farmers use their land so efficiently, growing as much as they possibly could on the land they own. On this lot, tangerine trees tower above thick healthy cabbages, which are neighbors with hot chili pepper plants and any remaining spaces are filled in with peanut plants. All the crops work well together – providing what the other needs for healthy growth, maximizing the yield.

In some areas there were fields of these large hot peppers, and in other fields, grew small even hotter red peppers.

We cycled through several tiny villages, each with their unique temples.

Periodically we’d come across farmers and their families weighing and loading crops onto trucks heading to the city.

I could just imagine the soups, salads and entrees that would be created with these beautiful juicy cabbages.

We passed little old ladies carrying heavy bags up and down uneven ground in the jungle. I wanted to help them all, and can’t believe their strength.

We also passed sweet little old men who got big smiles on their faces when we greeted them in Indonesian.

Some of the villages were larger than others and seemed to have been there with all the same people for hundreds of years. A spell cast. I want to go back and listen to their stories, learn their ways…

Early afternoon we passed a school bus, carrying excited children who waved and smiled at the weird white people sweating on their bikes.

One of the areas we passed through was where much of the concrete is poured into molds and set for building temples. The structures which are either grey, black or orange in color, are then transported, set in place and further carvings into the concrete are done on location.

Grey structures are made from regular concrete, the black is from concrete containing sand from the black sand beaches and the orange is from concrete containing the orange/red colored sand from various places around Bali. I love the breasts on the little old lady in front of this temple!

Shortly before entering the rice paddies, we came across women in a village drying rice on the road on tarps.

The dry rice was then scooped up into bags and sent to be husked. Adi tried convincing us that at breakfast they all sit around husking one grain at a time!

Four kinds are rice are grown here in Bali: Long grain white rice, short grain white rice, sticky rice and brown rice.

My favorite part of our entire day was cycling through the rice paddies. Small paths through endless green fields, chimes ringing out across the expanse in the breeze, a coolness in the air…it’s so incredibly beautiful!

We passed an old woman who was working knee deep in mud in her field, and I asked Adi what she was doing. He said she was weeding.

I immediately asked if I could help her, and Adi spoke to her and she nodded her head. Jude and I kicked off our shoes and climbed in!

It was only after I was up to my shins in mud and water that I took a closer look at my surroundings and realized that I had entered frog heaven. I looked up at Adi and asked, ‘Adi, what lives in the rice paddies?’ He replied, ‘What lives in the rice paddies Mum?’ I said ‘yes, Adi, what lives in this mud and water?’ ‘Oh!’ He smiled, ‘what lives in the rice paddies is snakes, leeches and fr…….’ I stopped him right there with my finger held high. ‘No Adi, don’t say it! Frogs do not live in the rice paddies!’ I tried to convince him of that. ‘Yes Mum, lots of frogs, lots and lots of frogs and tadpoles!’ Just as he said that a brave little soggy froggy of disgustingness jumped onto my hand! I sent that thing flying faster than Danny can fly a jet. Jude laughed at me and just then, something large moved under her foot and she squealed. Our sweet grandma in the paddy laughed at our sissiness. Emma joined us and weeded too.

We decided to suck it up and keep helping. The process was to pull weeds, then push them deep down into the mud so they would act as fertilizer. In no time at all our backs were killing us but we continued on. Adi said these people will wake early in the morning, get to work and stay till sunset.

Day after day after day… We saw the little huts farmers live in, and outside them each family had their alter to make offerings to the Gods.

We continued on through the rice paddies, constantly in awe of the beauty there, and so grateful to be witnessing it.

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After 5 hours of cycling, we reached the end in Ubud, where we were served lunch in a beautiful Balinese home. Teresa and I love the kitchen.

We had made friends with a family from Australia, and all sat at the table together.

Lots of deliciousness was served, and we were incredibly hungry!

Yum, yum and more yum!

I wandered through the yard, enjoying the peaceful setting and admired the simplicity of it all.

Adi showed me a lovely little spider,

and traditional things around the grounds.

Many alters stood in the garden where offerings are made daily.

In the center, out in the open, is the bed that is slept in the night before some of the more sacred ceremonies.

I could not imagine spending the day in a more beautiful place!

Bali is so beautiful. The people here are wonderful. It’s an amazing place to call home.

Cycling Bali Our adventures began at 7:30am when a large van pulled up outside our villa, and we loaded in like socks and underware stuffed into a tiny drawer.