#smells like EU business!

[nicoline1998enilocin]

Handsome Stranger

PAIRING | Husband!Dad!Young!Tony Stark x Wife!Mom!Fem!Reader

WORD COUNT | 5.4K

SUMMARY | You weren't sure when Tony brought up this idea the first time, but after a few more talks about it, you finally gave in, and that's how you found yourself in the middle of a busy bar, ready to be picked up by your husband. However, to everyone else around you, you look just like a couple of strangers having their first meeting.

RATING | Explicit (E)

WARNINGS/TAGS | Established relationship, a few mentions of Y/N.

REQUEST | @ccbsrmsf1 Maybe Tony and Sunshine are at a party, and they pretend that they don't know each other and seduce each other at this party and flirt a lot, resulting in very hot sex afterward

SMUT | Dirty talk, light degradation, daddy kink, breeding kink, pregnancy kink, lactation kink, drinking of breastmilk (sexual), fingering, begging, spanking, hair pulling, nipple piercings, oral (F receiving), unprotected sex, multiple orgasms, creampie, aftercare

A/N | Carol, dear, dear, DEAR Carol, I cannot even begin to thank you enough for the idea of this fic! Your brain is made of pure gold, and I was very excited and horny while writing this! Thank you for the idea, the proofreading, and the perfect GIF to match; eu te amo 3000! 🩷

EVENTS Masterlist | @fandom-free-bingo | Roleplaying

Banners: Yours truly | Divider: @firefly-graphics | GIF: @ccbsrmsf1

Main Masterlist | Tony Stark Masterlist | AU Masterlist

Tony is sitting on the couch, giving Paxton a milk bottle since you're working late tonight. Hudson and Orion play in their playroom at Howard and Maria's house. At the same time, Maria prepares dinner, and Howard watches TV, making the atmosphere in the Stark household very peaceful and relaxing.

"Dad, remember when you and Mom helped me ask Sunshine to the spring dance all these years ago?" Tony suddenly asks his Dad, his brow quirked as he looks at Howard, nodding in response.

"Well, I was hoping to surprise her with a night out together, just the two of us, and I was hoping you could give me some ideas as to what to do on said date night," he says with a sigh. He's thought of countless ideas, none good enough because he wants this night to be remarkable. The two of you don't get too much time with just you and him, so he's planning on making it a night you will remember for a long time.

"How about getting a drink at a bar or a party? I know that may sound boring, but there are countless ways of making the night more interesting," Howard says, and Tony nods as the gears in his brain start turning, trying to think of the perfect idea.

"I think I have a plan; now I just need to know what she thinks of it," Tony says with his lips curled into a smile. Not long after, Paxton is done with his bottle, and it's time to burp the little guy. That all goes smoothly, and as soon as he's getting a clean diaper, Tony can hear the door open, and your voice carries throughout the house with your announcement of your arrival.

"I'm home! Now, where are my two Munchkins?" you say as you walk into the hallway. You don't have to wait long for Hudson and Orion to run over and capture you in a much-needed hug.

"Welcome home, Mommy!" they say in unison, enveloping you with warmth and signature smells. You love your twins to pieces, and coming home to them is something you will never take for granted.

"Have you two been good to everyone today?" you ask your twins, and they nod furiously.

"Alright, you two can play some more while I find your Dad and Paxton," you tell them. With one big kiss on the cheek for each of them, they run off again, and you are surprised by Tony walking into the hallway with Paxton on his hip and a big smile on his face as he sees you.

"Hi Little One! Aren't you the absolute cutest in your Winnie The Pooh outfit? Oh my goodness, I could eat you right up!" you tell him as you take him from Tony and blow raspberries on Paxton's cheek that have him squealing and swinging his arms and legs in delight. Coming home to your bundle of joy is excellent and one of the many reasons you're looking forward to coming home each night after work.

"What about me?" Tony asks in a fake sad voice and a slight pout that you happily kiss away.

"I was cuddling my son first, but if you need my attention first, I guess I can make an exception," you tease him, and Tony perks up at your words.

"I always need your attention, Sunshine. Haven't you noticed that by now?" he says with a wink. He pulls you against his chest for a much-needed hug, and Paxton is more than happy to be included as well.

"I love you, My Love," and with one last kiss and a pat on your butt, he lets you go to the kitchen, your stomach practically rumbling as you greet Maria, who is just finishing dinner as you walk in. A large pot of your favorite soup is simmering away on the stove and filling the house with a delicious scent, and you can't wait to dive in.

"How was work today?" Maria asks as she envelops you in a hug. You let yourself melt into her touch, and her familiar scent makes you think of your own Mom. Ever since Tony introduced you to them, they have welcomed you like their daughter, and over the years, the bond you have has only grown stronger.

"It was good, but the last showing turned out to be longer than I had planned, so I'm delighted you could all wait for me to come home; I'm starving!" you tell her, and she nods before sending you off to the living room, where you let yourself plop on the couch next to Howard, Paxton now sitting on your lap.

"He's growing up so fast," Howard remarks as he looks at his youngest grandson, and you couldn't agree more. He's growing the fastest out of all your children, and his chubby features make him look adorable.

"Tell me about it! He's almost twice the height and weight the twins were at his age! It's unbelievable!" you tell Howard. However, before he can answer you, Maria lets you know it's dinner time, so you quickly rush to the dining room, finding your usual spot next to Tony and across from the twins.

"It smells amazing, Maria. Thank you all so much for waiting for me," you tell her before diving in. The soup is paired with different types of bread and has your mouth watering at the smell, so it is all gone before you can even think about it too much. Maria's cooking is impeccable and something you will never get enough of, so you're glad Tony has learned a thing or two from her.

"C'mon Sunshine, let's go take a shower together before anyone notices we're gone," Tony suddenly whispers in your ear when everyone is busy. You allow Tony to pull you away and up the stairs, leading the way to his bathroom.

"I missed you today, and I need my dessert now," he growls in your ear before shutting and locking his bedroom door, having learned his lesson years ago. His lips descend on yours in an instant, his tongue effortlessly finding its way into your mouth as you let him take the lead.

Soft moans escape your lips and are swallowed instantly by Tony, making them almost inaudible. That doesn't take away from the fact that this man affects you in a way you can't get enough of. Clothes are strewn across the floor as you enter the shower, turning it on to let the warmth slowly build.

"I missed you so much, Sunshine, I've been aching to sink into your perfect, tight pussy all fucking day," Tony whispers in your ear, and it has goosebumps erupting over your neck. His hands are placed on your hips, where they dig into the flesh as he pulls you close to him, his erection digging into your lower back.

"Please," is all you manage to breathe out before Tony steps into the shower, pulling you with him before going down on his knees and hooking your leg over his shoulder, eyeing your pussy with a hunger that has you trembling in anticipation.

"Perfect," he groans before diving forward, and you have to steady yourself against the walls of the shower as he dips his tongue into your entrance before licking a stripe to your clit, making you moan loud as your head falls back.

The man is a master with his tongue, and he can coax orgasms out of you faster than you can even think about what's happening. As he suddenly sets a leisurely pace with his tongue on your clit, you allow yourself to melt into his touch, and the pleasure is building slowly but perfectly.

"Hmm, s'good," you murmur as you look down at him, his big, dark brown eyes looking up at you as he wraps his lips around your clit, suckling softly before dipping two of his fingers inside your heat, making you moan loudly again.

"Fuck!" is all you can bring out as he sets a rapid pace with his fingers, the pads gliding over your sweet spot constantly and with the right amount of pleasure to build your orgasm quickly. Just as you feel the tension is about to snap, he adds one more finger, stretching you out for what's to come later.

"M close! Please, let me cum," you say to Tony, and he listens, giving you exactly what you want as his fingers set a brutal pace and his lips suck hard on your clit, the pleasure almost blinding as white spots start to appear around the edges of your vision. A string of broken moans follows a scream of his name as he carefully works you through it, ensuring you're not crashing when coming down.

"That's it, you're such a good girl for Daddy right now," Tony tells you between the kisses he places on your belly, through the valley of your breasts, and ending on your neck and jaw.

"Now, I want you to bend over and present your perfect pussy for me, because I'm going to fuck you so nice and hard you won't be able to think straight for the rest of the day," he tells you, and you let out a moan at the thought of Tony completely fucking you dumb.

"Yes, Daddy," you whisper before turning around and spreading your legs, giving Tony a perfect look at your sopping cunt, which he has opened up beautifully for himself to slide into. Grabbing the base of his cock, he lines up with your entrance before thrusting in with a smooth motion, making you scream right as he hits your G-spot.

"D-Daddy! That's it, fuck me hard," you tell him, and he doesn't need to be told twice. His fingers dig hard into the flesh of your hips, and he pulls you to him at a fast pace that has you moaning loudly, every thought in your head completely melting away as it's replaced by nothing but pleasure.

"S this what you wanted, huh? To be used like a human fleshlight? You do, huh, letting Daddy use this tight pussy whenever he wants for his pleasure? You're fucking perfect for me," he says through gritted teeth as you clench hard around him, and he lands a smack on your butt, shooting you forward with force as the pleasurable pain ripples through your body.

"M-more," you bring out, and he happily listens as he lands another one on the other side, too, making you clench on his cock once again. Then he grabs you by the shoulders, pulling you back against his chest while his pace stays unaltered, still pounding into you from behind.

"Is this hard enough for you, huh? 'S my beautiful slut already going fuckdumb?" he asks, and you nod.

"Y-Yes Daddy, just f-for you," you bring out between broken moans, and Tony's mouth curls into a mischievous smile as his fingers dip from your waist down to your clit, rubbing it in tight circles as the pleasure inside you builds fast, your eyes rolling back into your head.

"You close, Sunshine? Are you gonna cum for Daddy again?" he asks, and you nod, unable to even bring out any words anymore. He has truly fucked you dumb, just like he promised he would.

"C-cumming!" you managed to croak out right before the tension inside you snapped again; the pressure of Tony's fingers on your clit combined with the pounding against your G-spot have you seeing stars and trembling hard. If it weren't for Tony holding you up, you surely would have fallen over as he fucks you through both your orgasms.

You didn't notice Tony spilling his load inside you earlier as you were too wrapped up in your pleasure, and even though there's a slight disappointment rippling through you, it is quickly making a place for nothing but pure happiness as he pulls you close.

"You did so well for me, Sunshine; you're perfect for me," he whispers in your hair as his hands glide over your back, the contact you always crave after an intense session like this. Even though you both like soft, slow sex in the mornings, you tend to prefer the rough, kinky sex for the evenings as a way to destress, and Tony could feel this is exactly what you needed without you needing to say a word.

"M a good girl?" you ask with apparent tiredness.

"The best," Tony whispers as he carefully washes your hair. The smile that appears on your face has his insides heating up immensely.

"I love yoooouuuuu," you say, the last word being dragged out as you sway from side to side, the moment's pleasure still clear in your mind.

"I love you too, Sunshine, more than you'll ever know," he tells you as he washes the soapy bubbles out of your hair. After the conditioner has had plenty of time to soften it, he washes it out, making it very soft and exactly the way you like it.

"Alright, let's get you dried off and into bed because we have a big day tomorrow," he tells you, and you turn around, though it's not as graceful as you'd hoped, with your legs still feeling like jelly.

"Tomorrow? What's tomorrow?" you ask, and Tony's mouth curls at the corners at the sight before him.

"We're going to Bruce and Nat's party, remember? They're celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary in the Luxury Hotel," he tells you, and you nod in understanding.

"I forgot, 'm sorry," you tell him with a giggle, but he doesn't mind.

"S okay, Sunshine. You've got enough to think about, but tonight, you can just sleep and forget everything for a few hours. Tomorrow's a new day," he tells you, and you nod as you allow your husband to dry you off from head to toe. After that, he puts you in a pair of panties and one of his old shirts, which is about three sizes too big on you, before leading you to the bed.

You let yourself fall onto the bed with a groan, the plush mattress catching you as you let out a yawn. As you crawl under the covers, Tony pulls on a pair of boxer briefs before getting under the covers with you. He is more than happy to call it an early night with you.

"Sleep well, Sunshine; I love you," he says, pulling you against his chest.

"Sleep well, Daddy, love you too," you say sleepily, and not long after, you're falling into a dreamless sleep, which is much-needed after the long days you've been making at work lately. Now, all you have to do is sleep in your husband's arms and not worry about anything for a few hours.

You're getting ready for Bruce and Natasha's anniversary party after another day of work, but today was going a lot better after the way Tony fucked you last night. The tension you were holding onto has completely melted away, and you almost felt like you were walking on clouds the entire day.

After searching for the perfect dress, you have found a beautiful red dress with a plunging neckline that you can't wait to show Tony. You wanted to keep it a secret until now, and you're standing in front of the mirror after slipping it on, admiring how your tattoos are highlighted beautifully, and the slit on your right leg is exactly high enough to show the names of your husband and kids.

"Are you ready to-" Tony manages to say as he walks into the bedroom where you're getting ready, but his jaw is practically on the floor as you look at him through the mirror. His gaze wanders down but gets stuck on the neckline of your dress, as your breasts are shown off beautifully without being distasteful.

"I can tell you like what you see," you say as you turn around, and Tony doesn't know where to look. From your hair to your make-up and from your breasts to your legs, he wants to look at everything at once.

"Wow," he whispers as he walks over to you, a large smile spreading across your red lips. He is clad in an all-white suit with a black bow tie and black shoes, making him look elegant.

"You're not looking too bad either, My Love," you tell him as you close the distance between them, grabbing his hands before pulling him into a soft, gentle kiss. You felt like a princess already, but his reaction officially made you feel like you were on cloud nine.

"I wanted to bring up an idea, by the way. That's why I walked in here, but I got blown away by your beauty," he tells you, and your cheeks are heating in response to his words.

"What do you think of a little... roleplay during the party? Nothing extreme or weird, but I was thinking of maybe acting like we don't know each other, then flirting as we get to know each other, and one thing leads to another," he tells you with a wink, and you agree after a few short moments.

"As long as it ends up with me being fucked into the mattress one way or another, I'm okay with that," you tell him, and now it's his turn to blush at your words. He has always loved your filthy mouth, and your words go directly to his cock as he can feel it twitching in his pants.

"I wouldn't want it any other way, Sunshine," he says in a deep, lust-filled voice that has you clenching your thighs as well. Even after all these years, you are like a pair of horny teenagers together, but you wouldn't want to have it any other way.

Once you arrive at Natasha's party, your best friend immediately whisks you away. You have been very busy with work, so this is the perfect opportunity to catch up, and you'll happily let her guide you to the nearest bar.

"You look amazing tonight; it's honestly a miracle you even made it out of the house looking like this," Natasha said with a huge smile, and you nodded in agreement.

"It wasn't easy. I had to drag myself out of there before he could make his moves, but I did it," you chuckle as you shake your head because you know it's true. You never would have left the house if it were up to him.

"Bruce was the same; if it wasn't for our party, we would have never left the bedroom. He got me a Hitachi wand for our anniversary, and I can tell you it is AH-MA-ZING! Most intense orgasms I've ever had," she tells you without a single ounce of shame, and you love her for it.

"Those are amazing! And if I may suggest something, it is nice to use on him, too," you say with a wink, and Nat gives you a mischievous look.

"I might try it out later tonight," she says before turning to the bartender and ordering your usual drinks, which haven't changed since you were roommates in college. While waiting for the drinks, your eyes glide through the room, only to land on your husband.

You know what's about to happen when a smile tugs on the corners of your mouth as he shoots you a wink with a champagne glass in his hand. As Tony slowly approaches you, you lean into Natasha, telling her to go with whatever's happening here, and she doesn't even question it for a second.

"You look beautiful tonight; one might even say you're the Belle of the ball," he says in a smooth, deep, sexy voice that has you clenching your thighs already. Your facade is already crumbling at just a few words, but you keep yourself together long enough to get through your thoughts.

"Well, if you think so, you might want to get me and my friend a drink," you respond, and he quirks his brow before agreeing. Nat looks at you with a raised brow as if she's questioning, 'What are you two up to now?' but she knows better than to ask.

"Here you go, Sun-" he says before swallowing the last word. This doesn't come as naturally to him as he had hoped, but he's also having fun and hoping you are.

"So, where are you two beautiful ladies from? I am sure it must be heaven because this is the first time I'm seeing two Angels here on earth," he says, putting on a slight New York accent as well, which he knows damn well has you going crazy within no time.

"Aren't you the cutest little thing? I'm from California, but my friend, Natasha, is from Russia," you tell Tony, and he grabs Natasha's hand to place a kiss on it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Natasha," he says before moving on and grabbing yours. Bringing your hand to his lips as his eyes ghost over the tattoos he has seen countless times, worshipped more times than he can count, and fantasized about since the moment he first saw them.

"And it's a pleasure to meet you as well-" he says with a quirked brow, wanting to know your name.

"Y/N."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Y/N," he says before letting your hand go again, and you can feel the arousal pooling in your panties. The way he is doing this has you so aroused it is taking everything in you not to crumble right here and now, but it's difficult. Very difficult.

"May I have this dance?" he asks as he extends his hand out to you. You nod before placing it in his, the warmth of his hand feeling familiar and secure. The slow song playing is the perfect moment to catch up for a moment.

"How're you enjoying it so far?" you whisper in Tony's ear.

"I'm thoroughly enjoying myself, Sunshine. However, from the looks of it, I'm not the only one enjoying the way you look tonight. I've seen many eyes staring in your direction already," he says, and you can't help but chuckle. So that is the reason he asked you to dance.

"Sometimes you're too possessive for your own good, but it's okay. At the end of the day, you're the one I'm getting into bed with, and not all of them," you tell him, and he nods in agreement.

"But I believe I promised to fuck you into the mattress tonight, so how about we call it an early night and get a head start on that?" Tony whispers in your ear before softly nibbling on your earlobe, and you hum in agreement.

"Let's go," you tell him before pulling him to the room's exit and the hotel's elevators. It's a good thing you decided to get a room here to sleep because this way, you can have the most filthy, uninterrupted sex you've had in a long time.

As soon as the hotel door closes shut, Tony pushes you against it, his mouth immediately crashing onto yours as he peels the dress off your body, letting the fabric fall to the floor to reveal your bare breasts. The silver barbells adorning them are driving Tony insane.

"So fucking hot, Sunshine," is all he says before leaning down and cupping one of them, his lips closing around the other as he starts to drink from it. They're nice and swollen since you haven't breastfed your son since the morning, but Tony requested that you don't pump this time since he wanted to drink your precious milk.

As soon as the liquid hits his tongue, he groans, and your hands find their way into his hair, pulling lightly as you rut your hips back and forth to get some relief.

"Bed, Tony," you say, and he stops for a moment, but only long enough to allow you to get comfortable on the bed. As soon as you're ready, he's back with his mouth around your nipple, sucking in his cheeks as the white liquid he desires so much coats his tongue again.

"S'good," you moan out as you feel Tony's hand playing with the barbell on your other nipple, the sensitivity only heightening with every passing moment. Eventually, his free hand moves to his pants as he palms his hard cock, needing to relieve himself of the pressure that's building inside him.

As he does this, he keeps making the same rocking movements, and without warning, he cums in his pants, his eyes rolling in the back of his head as he keeps drinking your milk.

"Fuck! Did you just cum, Daddy? 'S so fucking hot when you cum when you drink my milk," you tell him, and he nods as he keeps working himself through his orgasm, his cock getting very sensitive from the stickiness of the fabric.

"Good boy," you whisper as you lace your fingers in his hair and pull hard as he keeps drinking, his hand still working over his cock as he's getting hard again despite the overstimulation.

"Taste so fucking good, Sunshine, makes me fucking cum like a teenager when I drink from you. But I'm sure you love that, don't you?" he asks, and you nod with a wide smile.

"How about I make you cum when I drink from you, huh? Would you like that?" "Yes, Daddy, please make me cum when you drink from me," you beg for him, and that's all he needs to hear before his hand moves to your clothed pussy, his fingers effortlessly finding your clit.

"That's it, ride Daddy's fingers if you want to cum," he orders before latching onto your other breasts, and the feeling alone has your body rutting up against his hand. The sensations you're feeling are positively addicting, and you keep chasing your high until you fall over the edge with a loud moan and trembling thighs.

When he's done, he tells you, "Good girl," making you blush at the praise. If there's one thing you always love, it's being praised.

"Now, get on your hands and knees, and spread these legs for me so I can see that beautiful pussy of yours," he tells you, and that's about all the warning he gives before ripping your panties off and throwing them somewhere to the side, making you gasp as the cool air hits your wet folds.

You're quickly doing as he asks, and he lets out a deep groan at the sight of your pink pussy and puckered hole. When you shake your ass a little to tease him, he's officially done for, and he gets undressed before sitting on his knees behind you.

"God, you're perfect for me like this, Sunshine. 'M gonna fuck a baby into you tonight; I fucking know it! Fill this pussy with my cum until it's dripping out, just breeding this cunt until you're round with my baby," Tony tells you as he lines up with your dripping entrance, sliding in carefully.

"Oh, fuck, yes! So tight around my cock, you like that, don't you? When my fucking monster cock is stretching out your delicious, hot, pink pussy?" Tony asks, and you nod.

"Yes, Daddy, I love it when you stretch me," you tell him as he bottoms out, a gasp leaving your lips from the force behind it.

"M not goin' easy tonight, Sunshine, will fucking ruin this cunt, because it's made to take it. 'S made for me to ruin as I use you as my fleshlight, pumping every drop of cum into it until it's dripping out and you're knocked up."

The combined moans, as well as skin slapping against skin, quickly fill the room, and Tony doesn't wait to set a ferocious pace, his balls constantly slapping against your clit as he fucks you into the mattress just like he promised.

"That's it, taking my monster cock like that! You're such a good girl for Daddy," he pants out as his orgasm creeps closer to yours since you're still sensitive from your earlier orgasm, and his balls keep slapping against your clit at the same brutal pace.

"You gonna cum for me? Yeah? Fuck, 'm close too, Sunshine, want you to fucking milk me as you cum. Want to fucking feel you squeeze every last drop of my cum-" is all he gets out when you clench, and every last bit of resolve Tony thought he had completely crumbles as he shoots his cum deep inside your pussy again, and you're milking him through both your orgasms.

"Fuck! I can't wait to see you pregnant again, Sunshine. Always so beautiful when you're carrying my child," he says when collapsing on the bed. Your body has given out, too, as you're flopped down.

"I can't wait either, Daddy," you rasp out. After Tony has cleaned up the most important parts, he carries you to the bath for a relaxing massage to soothe your sore muscles.

About three months have passed when you find out you're indeed very pregnant, and you can't wait to tell Tony, your Munchkins, and the rest of the family. Even though you're secretly hoping to have another girl, you would still be equally happy if you added a little boy to your family, too.

"Tony? Can you come here for a moment?" you say with a wavering voice as you're seated on the edge of your bed. Tony has just put Paxton down for a nap while the twins are at school.

"What's up, Buttercup?" he asks as he walks into the bedroom, but he quickly runs over when he sees the tears on your cheeks, worry instantly flooding his body.

"Hey, what's going on?" he asks as he pulls you into his lap. You show him the positive pregnancy test. As soon as Tony looks at it, he knows what's going on; he's seen enough of them in his adult life to know what a positive one looks like.

"I can't believe it; we'll have another baby. Maybe it will be a Little Princess, just like you've been dreaming of, or a Little Prince to complete the family," Tony says as he holds you close, and you both let your tears flow freely.

"What do you think about the name Easton? It's suitable for both genders, and I love how it turns the kids' initials into 'HOPE," you tell him with a watery smile. He nods before capturing your lips with his.

"It's perfect," he whispers as he takes in this moment. You're pregnant for the third time with his baby, and he feels like the luckiest man on earth. That night, you tell Hudson and Orion about adding another brother or sister, and they couldn't be happier.

"Do you already know what it is going to be?" Hudson asks you, but you shake your head.

"No, but we have decided that their name is going to be Easton," you tell them, and you let both of them sit with their hands on your belly for a while, even though they can't feel the baby kicking for a long time.

"I can't wait to meet little Easton. I hope they're just as cute as Paxton," Orion says, and Tony nods.

"So do I, Babygirl, so do I."

"Can we FaceTime all our grandparents and tell them the good news? Can we? CAN WE?!" Orion asks excitedly, and you nod. You're too tired to do it yourself now, and their excitement is the perfect way to tell them.

Not even fifteen minutes later, both Howard and Maria, as well as Virginia and Jackson, are visible on your laptop screen, and you wave to everyone while your head is leaning on Tony's shoulder. Before anyone can even say hello, Hudson is already blurting out the good news, making you smile.

"We're getting a brother or sister!" he says, and all the grandparents cheer and share tears.

"Their name will be Easton," Orion says, and everyone melts at the beautiful name.

"We will all come to visit you soon, Buttercup because we cannot wait to see our little grandbaby grow in your belly," Virginia says, and everyone agrees. With that, you've officially told your family you're pregnant, and you can't wait to share it with the rest of the world, too. But that won't be for another few months.

Now, you can live in your little bubble as little Easton grows inside you, ready to be brought into the world. Until then, they will be protected by you and everyone around you, too, and that's all you could ever wish for.

[alicedash2]

Oi, oi! 1° Your writing is very good!! 2° If it's not inconvenient, could I ask Izo and Marco to write it (separately) with a female or neutral reader who is like the Garota de Ipanema? The most beautiful and graceful thing they have ever seen pass by??

Ps: Só escrevi em inglês pro povo entender, mas eu tbm sou Brasileira :v

Izo é lindo demais, ele com uma parceira que nem a Garota de Ipanema 😩🙏🏻💕

– Mel ( @meli-mp3 )

Izo&Marco "Ipanema Girl"

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OLHA QUE COISA MAIS LINDA MAIS CHEIA DE GRAÇA

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“ Izo

Izo left the ship, unaccompanied, while the others spread out on the coast, Izo walked to the city, it was a relatively large country, near the beach, where he found people enjoying the sunny day, he walked a little more and arrived at a city, very busy and clean, with several people, of different ethnicities, characteristics and tones, which left him slightly surprised, there were even people who had characteristics very similar to his own, but who were not from Wano.

As he walked along the beach, which he thought was very beautiful, he saw a young girl, who for some reason stood out in his field of vision, she walked until she turned away from him, so as not to bump into him, he smelled her sweet, soft perfume, feeling a slight dose of serotonin in his brain, he slowly looked at her, as she walked in a slightly dancing motion, he felt a burning and slightly painful heat in his heart, he felt his cheeks heat up for a moment, the young woman disappeared from his field of vision a few seconds later. This disappearance made him long to meet her again …

“Look what a beautiful thing, full of grace It's her, little girl, coming and going In a sweet swing on her way to the sea”

During his stroll through the neighborhood, where people greeted him with a sweet smile, he even got a little tired of answering them, but he liked the reception.

He went to a nearby bar, with that girl on his mind, wondering how she could walk so sweetly, and those eyes, he got lost in those eyes, he hardly drank, he wanted and wanted to meet her again.

He went to the same place and started walking around, seeing if he could find the young girl again, and nothing, he stayed there for about 3 hours, tired, but still determined, he saw a silhouette, and it swayed in a sweet and gentle way, and he quickly went to her, who had sat down on the sand, wearing a simple white and delicate dress.

“Oh, if she only knew that when she walks by The whole world is filled with grace And becomes more beautiful because of love

Because of love Because of love”

Izo walked over to her, a little shy, and sat down next to her, with a sweet smile he introduced himself

“Hey…”

“hey…”

She looked at him as he smiled sweetly, those cheeks flushed, those eyes lit up by the sunset, her smile widening as she remembered the man she had seen earlier.

“Hey! I saw you earlier!”

She pointed at him, smiling and showing her teeth

“You looked a bit lost, those clothes, you're not from around here, are you? Like, it's not like there aren't outsiders, it's just that no one goes to the beach in those outfits, they look heavy, it's hot, aren't you hot?”

And how she talked, and he loved it, a chatty girl

“n…no, I'm not hot…what city is this?”

“It's Ipanema! ”

“Ipanema?”

She nodded positively

“Where are you from?”

“ Wano…”

“Wano?! That's so cool! ”

She smiled wider, and moved her head in a slow, dancing motion.

“There are some descendants of Wano around here”

“Oh yeah, I noticed-”

“Are you a pirate? I saw a huge ship here”

She didn't let the boy breathe, every answer was a new question, if not ten.

“You'll love it here! Just be careful, it's very hot here!”

He was a little surprised, but he smiled, he liked her smiling personality

“ah, I'm YN! ”

“I'm Izo…”

“Izo? How different…”

“Do you think so?”

“Not much, it's unusual… but it's nice…”

°Izo knew about her gentle and laughing nature, he loved it when she walked around in a natural way, everyone smiled at her, sometimes she didn't do anything, and yet everyone felt that she made everything happier

° it was a little difficult, but nothing impossible, he learned to deal with her hot kisses, the way she liked to sprinkle his face with hot, fervent kisses, sometimes they were delicate kisses

° And her hugs, he loved the strong hugs she gave, or a simple hug, but which, however gentle, managed to warm everyone's heart and especially Izo's, who, was a little surprised the first few times she hugged him tightly and smiling, with those flushed cheeks, but he learned to love it”

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

Marco:

“Marco flew to the coast, while the others got off the ship, the day was very warm, beautiful.

He flew for a while, making a mental note of the place, he arrived at a beach, almost crowded, street vendors interacting with people, some women exuding beauty wherever they went, some men playing games in the water, making bets on who would win and buy drinks, other women gossiping and complaining about their husbands.

He liked the atmosphere, he saw some children playing too, even pets running and jumping, sometimes running over other people while their owners ran behind.

Slowly he put his feet on the ground, starting to walk towards a road he saw in the distance. As he walked, a young girl ran up to him, with a worried and anxious expression, she ended up bumping into him.

“Oh, sorry!”

She apologized, gesturing quickly, before running back screaming

He stood motionless for a moment, processing the young woman who had bumped into him for some reason,

“the dog, hold the dog!”

That was enough for him to stare at her for two minutes,

“Look what a beautiful thing, full of grace It's her, little girl, coming and going In a sweet swing on her way to the sea”

In this case, she was running after that caramel-colored dog that was running over the others

“Why did you bring him?!”

“I didn't know he was going to get out of his collar!”

“Are you an idiot?!”

They fought with the poor girl, who ran and screamed, cursing at them

All this chaos ended a few minutes later, and now the girl's relatives were enjoying the day at the beach, it was the weekend, one of the relatives took the dog by the front paws and danced happily, while she walked around, feeling the sweet burn of the sun on her skin.

“Oh, if she only knew that when she walks by The whole world is filled with grace And becomes more beautiful because of love”

Marco, without thinking, went to her, flew up to her and stood next to her, he walked next to her, she looked at the man, and smiled

“…did you manage to catch the dog?”

“Yes, it was easy…”

“Easy…”

From then on, they got to know each other. Marco liked her laugh, sometimes she even laughed at the wind.

The first time Marco saw her, he knew she stood out in some way, even the way she walked was a little different.

° Her beauty was something beyond what he knew, and he had seen many women throughout his life

° he noticed that no matter where she went, everything became more colorful and cheerful, which helped a lot, she was able to contain the patients while Marco examined them, just by talking, a natural therapist

° her kisses were what almost always caught him off guard, they were always hot, passionate kisses, as if it was the last kiss he would ever receive in his life, sometimes they were delicate and soft, sometimes they hurt, but it was good

[vankaar]

Oh the joys of job hunting in italy!

I had a "recruiter" calling me for a interview for an "administrative position" that could also be part-time (are you starting to smell something rotten?). They told me time and city but when I asked for an address they said I will get an sms with the info Sunday evening (rotten smell intensifies).

The sms came, I did some quick research on the business and they are door to door salesman that sells from coffee machines to heating pillows....

I had a vivid mental image of him xDD

So yeah, 99% it's a scam.

Best case scenario: I waste car gas on a trip to tell them that - No. I don't want to be a door to door salesperson, thanks you good bye.-

Worst case scenario: they go on with a fake "administrative position" interview to legally (and I'm using this term in the loosest way possible here..) collect my data to insert in their clients database, so they can bother me at least a couple of times before I threat to report them to privacy's Garante (the institution who protect our privacy in eu).

Now I want to be polite and call the "recruiter" to ask clarifications, stay tuned xD

---------

They didn't answer the phone -expectedly- so I did some more research. Business opened like yesterday, no internet traces except their website where they declare themselves an "academy" and offer this GREAT OPPORTUNITY to JOIN THE TEAM and became a successful ENTREPRENEUR (yeah, no salary in sight only provisions).

The best page is the testimonials where clearly the people are all models from Stock photos xDDD

I told them to fuck off (politely) and cancel me from their database.

[intoeasy]

Unlimited life of clothes: “We reincarnate”

If you could choose between quality, sustainability, price tag, or style when buying clothes, what is your priority?

There is a noticeable smell upon entering the underground area of Brick Lane Vintage Market. This is a smell that is characterised by the secondhand clothes hanging all around scattered stalls. Some retro, some classics, some winter jackets and sweaters, and even season-less needs with striking visuals and various colours mixed together. Each hanger rack has a variety of models and colours. Everyone must be prepared to put their hand in to see the clothes one by one because there could be "treasures" that cannot be found with one "screening".

"We don't call it secondhand clothes anymore. It is now called pre-loved or vintage fashion, including upcycled, recycled clothes pieces.”

His grey hair shows that he may not be young anymore. Still, Andy, who has been working in one of the Brick Lane vintage stalls for five years, has a keen eye for detail and the conditions of items that are still good enough or not on display in the collection. He refuses to use the words secondhand clothes. For him, these reincarnated clothes have their own value. This value can be better reflected by calling them pre-loved or vintage. The clothes supplied to the store come in dozens of boxes and kilos. Behind the cashier's desk is a non-permanent room in a corner that was purposely made as a warehouse for unsorted clothes. That afternoon, Andy was seen busy sorting several black suits and giving them price tags. When asked where he got all the clothes from, he answered firmly, 

"That's my boss's secret. He has a good connection with people who are also pre-loved and vintage clothes suppliers. I won't let you know where it is coming from.”

Even though Andy does not openly tell where the clothes come from, it is common knowledge that pre-loved clothes are indeed sold per kilo or even per ton and are imported from other parts of the world, leaving lots of carbon footprints along the distribution process. According to the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles1, 1.4 million tons of textile waste were exported to non-EU countries in 2020. Yet, there is still no reliable overview data on these flows, whether they were pre-sorted or not, and their ultimate destinations.

Shop owners and employees like Andy sort and curate the kilograms of clothes received. He gives prices based on the cost of clothes in the market. Some of the clothes in his shop are priced at $300 and up because they are well-known brands, classic, aged, and well-maintained. Other clothes have prices below or the same as market prices. Everything is calculated based on the clothes’ condition, whether the clothes are fixed or upcycled already or in raw condition. Raw, which means it is not curated, not upcycled, and comes with unrepaired damage, the cheaper it gets.

Unlike the shop where Andy works, Shiley (known as @the_vintage_reborn_london on Instagram) is another shop owner who directly looks after her own shop. Her interest in fashion and antique collections can be seen in her knowledge of fashion history and her ability to curate items. Unlike most sellers on Brick Lane, Shirley gives prices according to her expertise in determining the value of an item. For her, the things she has made have their own soul and might be the only ones that can’t be found elsewhere. This makes many pre-loved clothes pretty fantastic because apart from being more environmentally friendly, they also have unique tastes for some customers.

How sustainable are pre-loved clothes?

As you read through this article, it means, directly or indirectly, you are one of those people who are concerned about whether or not the choice of clothes you buy are sustainable. Let's take a brief look at what impact this actually has on our fashion choices. Referring to the journal on Waste Management in the Fashion and Textile Industry, which was just released in 20222. Until now, the fashion and textile industry is the second largest polluter in the world, following the oil industry2. 

Most people and scientists nowadays refer to the term carbon footprint. This means our sins can be easily calculated. The carbon footprint calculation is also counted not only for the manufacturing process but also for the process of distributing until the waste processing these clothes. Our purchasing behaviours contribute to 39 million tons of post-consumer fashion waste created globally every year, primarily in the form of clothes. More than 57% of all apparel thrown away ends up in landfill. The textile water waste used in garment production is untreated and contains toxic substances such as, mercury, arsenic, lead, and others which are directly dumped into the water bodies risking the human race and aqua life around the globe2.

Calculating the carbon footprints of each process needs detailed data on the ingredients that are being used during the process. There are 3 types of ingredients in forming our clothes: plant-based, synthetics, and animal-based clothes. Although all three have an impact on the environment, synthetics and animal-based have the most significant percentage of impacts. For example, overgrazing of grasslands via sheep and cashmere goats raised for their wool, and each time “synthetic” garments are washed (polyester/nylon), around 1900 single microfibers are freed into the marine ecosystem, creating their way into the oceans2. Does all this data make us pessimistic about wearing clothes? Is it time we all migrated into a sect of naked sun worshipers?

Sustainability aims to derive maximum advantage from products by increasing their lifespan. Sustainability practices try to do as good as possible by trying to reduce the production process. According to Nadira Lase, "Most of us don't count the reuse carbon footprint because it's a different category as it doesn't make new clothes anymore. After all the calculations we did, what determines whether the product has a significant carbon footprint or not is in the material, not in the use of transportation. As the results of our calculation of the life cycle assessment (LCA), transportation does not produce a lot of carbon compared to the manufacturing process, that's why reuse is more favourable than the others." Nadhira Lase4 works as an Environmental Specialist at an LCA software company based in the Netherlands. She assesses and calculates the carbon footprint and LCA in fashion, including in the manufacturing process and the distribution of all until it wastes calculation.

However, carrying out sustainable fashion practices is still challenging to do thoroughly. Many considerations must be made regarding quality, price, style, and sustainability practices. Knowing that sustainable fashion can not only partially be defined as how big the carbon footprint is in certain clothes. One of the students attending the University of the Arts London, Vallerie7, who is a regular customer of clothes at thrift or vintage stores stated, “For me, fashion is a statement, I feel that thrifting helps me explore myself through it because it has a lot of choices and it is also a way for me to define myself”. But even so, she also revealed how difficult it is to always purchase pre-loved clothes, especially in London. Most of the clothes sold at curated vintage markets have fantastic prices for students and part-time workers like them. Some clothes that have a lower price are sold in a not curated condition often at times they are not very good quality.

“In the end, for my daily needs, some of it I bought at Primark again because the prices are lower. The need to save money and lower prices make it hard to be more sustainable. The existing system still forces me to return to this fast-fashion cycle.” Some of you reading this article may agree with Vallerie, or maybe not.

What can we do?

Price is still becoming a primary concern for most consumers in making decisions rather than sustainability. They know they care about the environment, but they don't act in a sustainable manner when buying products. It will take time and a small step for sustainability and zero waste lifestyle to be a pillar in the fashion industry rather than just another trend. Therefore, it is urgent to change the mindset of the ethical apparel industry. 

The fashion design industry is worth $2.4 trillion, employing about 60 million people worldwide, and the size of the business is expected to continue to grow in the coming years2. It is time for fashion designers, corporations, and the government to create joint actions for a "close loop" fashion system. Efforts in research, knowledge sharing, and strengthening synergies will lead to changes in fashion trends and help countries develop the need for ethical fashion. Many brands and companies have also started to shift to more sustainable ways of manufacturing their products. The more sustainable scheme available on the market, the more choices consumers have in buying things to be more sustainable. Step by step, it will raise behaviour change in the consumers as well as all the market stakeholders.

Although not to mention, there is a lot of debate over sustainable fashion, pros and cons around those big brands that have launched organic and sustainable collections. Their transparency, not only over the source of material but also fair labour often being questioned. The term "greenwashing" also needs attention, as customers don't want to get blinded and trapped in an unconscious fashion choice. All those significant steps from those powerful and big brands companies must still be accompanied by the efforts of consumers who have the same important role in making decisions. Being fully aware and sustainability-conscious people is something that we can do to provoke a system change. 

The most promising strategy is reduction aimed at avoiding waste generation. Textile waste management includes a 3R approach; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. In a literal sense, "reduce" is still the most preferred method to reduce textile waste effectively. According to an annual report by climate NGO WRAP3 an additional 9 months of active use to extend the life of your garment will reduce your carbon footprint, waste and water footprint by approximately 20-30%. This may require physical expertise to repair a product and our mental strength to restrain our ego rather than buying something we don't need. Both are hard, indeed. Practice is required to make this become a new habit. The second one is “reusing”. This is where thrifting or why buying pre-loved clothes could be an answer for this. As there is no emission for the production process, reusing clothes leaves less carbon footprint and is considered a wise choice in practising a sustainable lifestyle. There are a lot of start-ups and organisations that make a business model like this. For example, Nuw (www.thenuwardrobe.com) is a social network platform for sharing clothes with people in the local community. A charity shop such as Oxfam also became the first national charity to develop its own facility for recycling and reusing clothes and never sends clothes to landfills. Quoted from an interview with Forbes, Stella Tennant, a model for an Oxfam photoshoot, stated, "One dress could raise enough money to provide a woman in Bangladesh with a safe bathing cubicle, a shirt could provide safe, clean water for 10 people in an emergency, and a coat could help train two farmers in Rwanda to better cope with extreme weather conditions." Vintage markets and thrift stores are indeed the closest business model that runs the reusing practice. The last one is “recycling”. Recycling approaches are more cost-effective than waste disposal, and due to the high energy, water, and manufacturing consumption, recycling is much better than making new textiles. Economically wise, recycling also generates job openings for many small businesses. The term reworked or upcycled clothes is often found in many vintage markets. These clothes are re-produced by small and medium enterprise businesses using clothing materials that are no longer used to become value-added goods with the same quality as new clothes.

Ultimately, no matter how hard this article scientifically suggests you support preloved fashion stores, suggest you buy clothes at a charity shop, or consider organic or sustainable fashion brands, everything goes back to your decision. The best choice that we can make also depends on our circumstances. We can try at least to be environmentally conscious, which will drive us to be as sustainable as possible in every given situation.

So, if you could choose between quality, sustainability, price tag, and style when choosing your clothes, which is your priority?

References:

Boiten, V. (2022). Building a circular economy for textiles supported by common rules on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in the EU. Recommendations and open questions for the upcoming revision of the EU Waste Framework Directive (WFD), 16. https://emf.thirdlight.com/link/51d055xl9pwf-jbvkcd/@/preview/1?o

Gupta, R., Kushwaha, A., Dave, D., & Mahanta, N. R. (2022). Waste management in fashion and textile industry: Recent advances and trends, life-cycle assessment, and circular economy. Emerging Trends to Approaching Zero Waste, 215-242.

WRAP. (2012). Valuing Our Clothes: The Cost of UK Fashion, 5. https://wrap.org.uk/sites/default/files/2021-01/WRAP-valuing-our-clothes-2012-07-11.pdf

[beardedmrbean]

Numerous cuts to payments from the Social Insurance Institution (Kela) came into effect at the start of this week. Around half a million recipients of housing allowances and unemployment benefits are seeing their subsidies reduced.

Helsingin Sanomat homes in on the cuts to unemployment benefits.

Before Monday's changes, recipients could earn up to 300 euros a month without the income impacting their benefits, but as of Monday each earned euro will lower unemployment payments by 50 cents, up to a maximum reduction of 150 euros per month.

"I have been really anxious about the upcoming cuts all spring," Helsinki-based artist and musician Minna-Kaisa Kallinen-Paaso told HS.

Kallinen-Paaso told the paper she has been unemployed since her parental leave finished last December and has supplemented her income by doing music gigs.

"The 300-euro exemption has been good. It has provided a small additional income. Now, if I get a gig, essentially half of the pay will be taken away," she explained.

Nokia hopes

Kauppalehti explores how Finland fits into a changing global market economy that increasingly considers security policy. This means that certain sectors crucial for national security are protected from foreign competition.

The business daily talked to Mikael Wigell, a research director at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA), whose research has explored China's economic power.

China is investing massively in critical infrastructure on all continents and has not tied this funding to human rights or the development of the rule of law, as is customary, for example, within the EU, according to the business daily.

This shifting market paradigm isn't necessarily great for Finland which hasn't experienced economic growth for 15 years. In addition, investments in research and development have consistently fallen behind targets year after year, and as a small country, it's challenging for Finland to create large technology companies.

But it's not all doom and gloom, according to Wigell.

"Hopefully, Nokia will stay Finnish as it generates multiplier effects in the rest of the Finnish business sector," he said, adding that Finland's Nato membership also smooths entry into the US technology sector. "Our reputation there has definitely improved."

Smelly air

A strange and unpleasant smell settled over Uusimaa on Sunday and officials in Finland have yet to explain the odorous event, although the authorities said the stench did not pose a health hazard.

Martin Forsius, a researcher at the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke), said that while the source of the sulfurous odour is still uncertain, he told Hufvudstadsbladet that the cause was probably industrial.

"Most likely it's an industrial emission coming out of one of the industrial zones south of St Petersburg," he said, drawing on reports that the smell was present in the Russian city on Saturday evening.

According to Forsius, the smell could also have emanated from a landfill. Whatever the cause, getting to the bottom of what happened won't be easy, according to the environmental expert.

"In light of the political situation, it will be difficult to get information [from the Russian authorities]. The exchange of information isn't at a normal level now," he said.

One pupil dead in Vantaa school shooting

One 12-year-old sixth grade pupil died and two others were injured after being shot by a classmate at the Viertola school in Vantaa on Tuesday morning, the police said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

The two injured pupils were hospitalised with serious injuries.

Police said they had apprehended a suspect who was also a 12-year-old pupil at the school. The suspected shooter fled the school on foot and was caught by officers in the northern Helsinki neighbourhood of Siltamäki, according to police.

At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, police said that all of the children involved were Finnish and officials said they had no details to share regarding a possible motive. Police have also said they have not as yet received any indications that the shooting was planned.

The handgun used by the perpetrator was licensed to a close relative, according to the police. The incident is being investigated as murder and attempted murder.

Children under the age of 15 are not remanded into custody in Finland. As a minor, the suspect is not criminally liable.

[lake-archive]

Chapter 16 - It's Burning!

AO3 Link

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Characters (main): Eula Lawrence (mentioned), Ann von Lupus (OC)

Series: They Say I Shouldn't, But...

Pairing: Eulann (Eula/Ann)

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Apparently this was important research, or so the young author liked to claim. “You see, I would like to observe the working life of the knights… If it’s not too much trouble for you of course! It’s solely for story reference, nothing more! I promise! I will even swear on an oath to not give any crucial information away!” So her words yet there was no need. Though Eula was surprised that Ann had approached her and had not gone to the acting Grandmaster directly. But alas, eventually permission was granted. As long as she kept her distance to not get into danger and distract the other men from their intended work.

That was the plan. Watch, nothing more. Just keep watch. She agreed to those conditions no problem, not even hesitating or having to debate it. And she kept her word, surprisingly, always walking along yet keeping a distance safe from the others – May it be sparring or going out to take care of some business. Even during patrols. At most she was just busy taking notes it seemed. All the scribbling and page flipping from what Eula could spot at points. As long as she was safe though… For no special reason of course! She was accompanying the knights so someone had to make sure that this girl kept herself safe! She was too soaked up writing sometimes it wasn’t even funny! Hell, she nearly tripped a few times because she was writing at the same time! That girl, seriously…

Although things only got more interesting at lunch. Eula and her men had decided to set up a temporary camp, having been out on a mission. When looking around for the brunette however she was nowhere to be found, at least not close by. The captain gave instructions to set up preparations while looking for the young woman herself. Luckily she didn’t have to go far because Ann was quickly spotted… However, not under the most pleasant circumstances.

Because it had been accompanied by an awful smell hitting her nose. It was smoke, clearly, and it set off alarm bells within the young knight. She hurried over, quicker than one could imagine… Only to see Ann in front of a fire, trying to roast… Fruits? Vegetables? It was hard to tell, given how burned they were. In fact, she swore that she saw piles of ash close by. Were these ingredients of some kind? D… Did she burn them to ashes? Literally!?

Not just that but one could hear Ann curse under her breath. She seemed to try… Something here. Though she would always drop what was in her hands and ending up nearly touching the fire, then somewhat screaming while waving her arms around. It was a… Pathetic sight, to say the least. It only left Eula to stare rather blankly. The woman can’t take care of herself, can she? So there was no use then…

A slow approach, a few steps before yelling over: “There you are! What do you think you’re doing!?”

A quick flinch and squeal echoed from Ann’s mouth, then turning in one swift motion, somewhat red. “Ah– Eu… Eula! Uhm… I was just trying to prepare lunch! Please, don’t wo–”

“Do you really think about eating ashes like these!?” She interrupted, somewhat loudly.

“N… No. It’s just some failed attempts…” Ann admitted, her voice having gone awfully meek. She even turned her gaze slightly away. “I… I will get it right though. So there is no need to bo—”

Yet Eula didn’t want to hear it. Instead she grabbed Ann by her wrists all of a sudden, turning around her palms. Did the knight pay attention to the author’s expression? Not really, no. All she did was just glare at the palms… Seeing all sorts of burn marks. They were awful, to say the least and needed treatment. “For how long have you been doing this?” She asked, a little stern sounding.

“H… How long!? W… Well, a few minutes. Why do you—”

“You were told to not get yourself hurt while with us, weren’t you!?”

“Y… Yeah! But I thought that only applied to—”

“No use, you need treatment this instant.” Eula didn’t intend to have any of it. Instead she grabbed one of the wrists tighter when turning them back around, grabbing Ann so tightly that she could drag the other woman off. “And you’ll eat with us!”

“Eh!? Hey, don’t trouble yourselves! I’m just an observer! Please, co—”

“Did I stutter?” For a moment the tone of the knight lowered, her head turning around slightly to glare at the young woman. She could see how this one flinched finally, standing there stiff for a moment, unable to protest. Or rather she gave up pretty quickly. Ugh, how easy is it to intimidate her? 

“N… No…”

Eula did not answer however, only turning back away to not come face to face with Ann. She didn’t say anything nor had to. So instead she only dragged the young woman away with her, back to the current camp of the knights. And she refused to take no for an answer.

Though it had been odd… Was this a sense of duty? Feeling responsible for someone? No, it wasn’t exactly that for Eula. It felt… Weird, to say the least. This wasn’t just some responsibility or duty anymore, right? Was this—

Ah no! Imagination! Although… Maybe she does care more than she likes to admit… 

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[home-decor-design]

Traveling with a dog: Helpful tips and information for a stress-free vacation with your four-legged friend!

Are you going on vacation soon and would you like to take your four-legged friend with you? What should you pay attention to when traveling with a dog? What must be in your dog's luggage? What about flying with a dog? Which are the dog-friendly countries for a relaxing trip?

A dog is much more than just a pet - it is a member of the family. According to a survey, around 42% of dog owners take their four-legged friend with them on vacation and just under 20% at least just do so. No matter whether you are flying or driving with your dog, there are many important things you should plan and consider when traveling with your dog.

Traveling with a dog: This is what you should pay attention to

Vacation time is always enjoyment time. Unfortunately, traveling with a dog always means stress for our furry friends and no matter whether at home or abroad - a change of location is always associated with certain changes. The better prepared you are, the better your vacation will be. Don't forget your EU pet passport

Would you like to travel abroad with your dog? Then you must first find out more about the country's entry regulations and it is important to always have the EU pet passport with you. Just like people, dogs are only allowed to travel with a valid ID, which you can apply for from your veterinarian. In addition to detailed information about the owner and the pet, it also contains information about the rabies vaccination and the dog's microchip registration.

It is very important to note when traveling with a dog that the rabies vaccination only becomes effective after 21 days. Also keep in mind that different entry requirements apply to non-EU countries. Very important – check all transit regulations for all countries you need to pass through on your vacation. In some countries the regulations are so extensive that a spontaneous trip with your dog is hardly possible. Do a health check

In order to enjoy a stress-free and relaxing holiday with your dog, you should make sure that your four-legged friend is really fit and healthy before the trip. Therefore, it is important to have a thorough health check with your veterinarian. Does he have all the necessary vaccinations? Especially in southern European countries, many diseases such as heartworms, leishmaniasis and erlichiosis are caused by ticks and sand flies. Take dog food with you

To make the change a little easier for your four-legged friend, it is advisable to always take his usual food with you when traveling with your dog. If this is not possible for some reason and if, for example, a switch to dry food is necessary, it is best to start this at least 10 days before the holiday. It is also very important to know what dogs are not allowed to eat. Bottled water for travel

Are you driving with your dog? Then remember that the little one always has fresh water available. There are now many water bowls that are especially suitable for car journeys. Or are you not sure about the water quality at your holiday destination? Then get the dog bottled water. No matter whether at home or on a trip with your pet - if you don't drink tap water yourself, then your dog shouldn't have it either. Avoid crowds

Is your dog nice and calm and not used to too many people? Then you should avoid large crowds even on vacation. All the strange smells, loud noises and lots of people can really overwhelm your four-legged friend and trigger severe panic attacks or anxiety. So always plan your walks when things are least busy. Heat as a stress factor

We wait for our summer vacation all year round and can't wait to enjoy the sun all day long. But what is a real paradise for us can become real torture for our four-legged friends. When traveling with a dog, you need to consider not only your preferences, but also those of your pet. Especially if you go south, the climate change can be very stressful. Here too, you should be careful and avoid the midday heat.

A beach holiday in autumn or spring would be a better choice and then the beaches are no longer so crowded, so you can take your little one with you in peace and quiet. In addition, the bans on dogs on the beach in most countries only apply during high season and walks on the beach are much more fun. Or why not spend your summer vacation in the Alps and visit some of the most beautiful lakes in Switzerland? The temperatures there are still very pleasant in July and August and the holiday will be much less stressful and more pleasant.

What goes in your dog's luggage?

When traveling with a dog, your furry friend naturally also has his own luggage. The better and earlier you pack this, the less stressful your vacation will be with him. Of course, it can vary greatly from dog to dog and you know your dog best. But to make your life a little easier, we have a small checklist for you with the most important things that, in our opinion, should not be missing in your dog's luggage. - Documents –  EU pet passport, health certificate and veterinary certificate, insurance document (if the dog has health insurance) - Water bowl and dog food in sufficient quantities - Plastic bag for waste disposal - Dog blanket and his dog bed - Replacement collar with address at holiday destination - Beach towel - Muzzle so he can ride public transport Transport box -  However, if your dog spends the journey in a dog crate, it is very important that you get him used to it gradually and in a timely manner. Under no circumstances should he come into contact with it for the first time while driving.

The dog first aid kit for travel

In order to spend your vacation as stress-free as possible, a small dog first aid kit is always a must when traveling with a dog. If your little one is injured or bitten by a tick, it is important to act quickly. Here is a checklist with all the important utensils that you should always have with you. - Tick ​​tweezers - Tweezers for removing foreign bodies from wounds - clinical thermometer - Wound ointment or coconut oil ( always a must for cracked paws) - Ear and eye ointment - Bandage material  (elastic bandage, scissors, Leukoplast) - Disinfectant spray for treating injuries - Medication for diarrhea or nausea - Disposable gloves - Sufficient medication for chronically ill dogs

Flying with your dog: This is what you should pay attention to

If you plan to fly with your dog, you will have to make even more special preparations. Unfortunately, traveling by plane always means a lot of stress for our four-legged friends - after all, you don't fly every day. We would advise against traveling by plane with your dog for a short trip. Also remember that not all airlines allow dogs. And when you book your plane ticket, you should also register your dog with the airline and reserve a seat for him.

Since most airlines only allow 2 dogs per flight, do this as early as possible. Due to their shallow breathing, some dog breeds can have problems during flights and some airlines even refuse to carry dogs with blunt noses. These include Pekingese, Pug, Boxer, Bull Dog, Shih Tzu and Pit Bull. Small dogs weighing up to 8 to 10 kg including transport are generally allowed to fly in the passenger compartment, but not with you, but in a box that is stowed under the seat becomes. Also find out about the dimensions that the transport box must have.

However, things are a little different for larger dogs and they always have to travel in the hold in a special flight transport box. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to be present during loading and transport, so you should think very carefully about whether you want to subject your four-legged friend to this. All the loud noises in the hold and the unknown situation always mean a lot of stress for the dog. If you want to fly with your dog, you should stop giving him food at least 4 hours before the flight.

Car ride with the dog

Your car is of course ideal for traveling with a dog, as your little one is already familiar with it before the holiday. Another advantage of traveling by car with your four-legged friend is that you can choose your own breaks. But be careful – safety always comes first and your dog should always travel in a well-secured dog crate. If he still doesn't have any experience with it, it's best to gradually get him used to it a few weeks before the trip.

Other alternatives include a dog belt or a back seat where you strap the little one with a chest harness. But when it comes to the dog's safety, the dog crate is the safest option for a relaxed trip. Of course, you should make sure that the dog always has water available while traveling - there are special travel bowls that prevent spills. To make the car journey with your dog as stress-free as possible, avoid overly long distances and plan an overnight stop if necessary.

Traveling with a dog: Dog-friendly countries in Europe

When traveling with a dog, it is particularly important to know your dog and consider his preferences. Does he like swimming? Does he need a lot of exercise? A hiking holiday with a Pekingese or a summer holiday with a husky wouldn't be good ideas. Of course, the stress-free and easiest way is to take your vacation domestically. But if you feel like a little adventure, then discover the dog-friendly countries in Europe below. Austria When it comes to dog-friendly countries, Austria is definitely our absolute number one! The country is a real paradise for four-legged friends and they are welcome guests in almost all hotels and restaurants. Whether swimming, cycling or hiking – the choice of leisure activities with your dog is really huge in Austria. In addition, there is no leash requirement in the neighboring country and muzzles are only recommended for larger dog breeds. Belgium Belgium is also a very popular travel destination for a relaxing holiday with your dog and can usually be easily reached by car. Four-legged friends are welcome in most restaurants and dogs are also allowed in most holiday accommodations. The North Sea coast in particular with its long sandy beaches is perfect for traveling with your dog in the low season. However, dogs are unfortunately not allowed during high season. Netherlands The Netherlands comes in third place among dog-friendly countries in Europe. The Dutch are known worldwide for their openness and this also applies to our four-legged friends. There are many dog-friendly beaches in Zeeland or South and North Holland, which always provide a special bathing experience. France Cot dÀzur, Provence, southern France and Aquitaine are particularly recommended for a holiday with your dog in France. Lonely beaches where little ones can let off steam can be found in Normandy and Brittany. Dogs are also allowed in many restaurants and you will have no problem finding dog-friendly accommodation. Denmark and Sweden Among the Scandinavian countries, Denmark and Sweden are considered particularly dog-friendly. Especially on the special dog beaches you will find many great holiday homes that welcome your four-legged friends as extremely welcome guests. Please note, however, that puppies under 3 months of age are not allowed to enter the country and the animal must be declared to customs upon entry. Read the full article

[prosas-de-inverno]

DISGUISED COURAGE

I like you

I wish you had the courage

To say what you feel for me

Every day that passes I think about you more

I'm trying to pretend

That there's nothing to feel

But when I look at you

It's automatic and I start to smile

Sometimes I want to hug you

Sometimes I want to kiss you

But you don't say anything

It's so busy

who doesn't have time for me

I just wanted to talk

just 20 minutes

I try so hard

So let's just be friends

but something in me

want something more

you are simply

My biggest projection

Of the prayers you always said

now during this time

Missing you makes me yearn

I try to disguise

But I'm afraid this farce

end up hurting me

But the truth is

I like you

of your little smile

From your licked hair

Your amazing smell

From your mouth that brings me sigh

I try to hold myself

but I can't stop looking

And I think that soon I have not

But force that prevents me from kissing you

I don't want to spoil our friendship

But you woke something up in me

That brings me so much nostalgia

Missing a silly smile

Willingness to be by each other's side

I really can't take it anymore

You are a part that I try to escape

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

Eu gosto de você

Eu queria que você tivesse coragem

Pra falar o que sente por mim

A cada dia que passa eu penso mais em você

Estou tentando fingir

Que não tem nada pra sentir

Mas quando olho pra você

É automático e eu começo a sorri

As vezes eu quero te abraça

As vezes quero te beija

Mas você não diz nada

Esta tão ocupado

Que não tem um tempo pra mim

Eu só queria conversa

Apenas 20 minutinhos

Me esforço tanto

Pra que só sejamos amigos

Mas algo em mim

Quer algo além disso

Você é simplesmente

Minha maior projeção

Das orações que sempre fazia

Agora durante esse tempo

A sua falta me ânsia

Tento disfarça

Mas tenho medo que essa farsa

Acabe me prejudicando

Mas a verdade é que

Eu gosto de você

Do seu sorriso pequeno

Do seu cabelo lambido

Do seu cheiro incrível

Da sua boca que me traz suspiro

Tento me segura

mas eu não paro de olha

E penso que logo não tenha

Mas força que me impeça de te beija

Não quero estraga nossa amizade

Mas você despertou algo em mim

Que me traz tanta saudade

A saudade de um sorriso bobo

Vontade de estar um do lado do outro

Realmente não aguento mais sentir

Você é uma parte que eu tento fugir

[monicahar]

NSFW HC's

;eula, hu tao, ganyu, lisa

;female reader

This whole thing is based on how i see them having fun with their girlfriends.

Eula

-you guys would probably out in an expedition together before she decides to push you against a tree and start fingerfucking you.

-whispers stuff like ”oh you're enjoying this, you brat? We're on a mission right now you know...”

-after a few thrusts, she'd lift up one leg and start biting your inner thighs.

-your noises just brought her to the edge and just straight up ate you out from underneath.

-her tongue would enter between your walls and skillfully wiggle just to get the right spot.

-clenching around her tongue while your legs are trembling?? Yes

-”I'm sorry miss eu- ah!” you got cut off by your moan when she spanked you.

-” You were being quite naughty earlier, you know?” she spoke while her face was buried in your ass, her soothing vibrations travelling up your body.

-you'd even start grinding on her face, and when you finally cum, your knees would just drop to the ground, visibly exhausted.

-eula licked her lips, before saying, ”We're not done yet.”, as she started taking her clothes off.

HER FAVONIUS BLADEWORK VOICE LINE JUST SCREAMED DOM VIBES

Hu Tao

-would probably kidnap you for fun.

-waking up, dazed as you stared at hu tao's butt naked form while she smirks.

-” Hu Tao?!!” your face exploded in red when she sat on your legs. ”W-what the-?!”

-you couldn't move. Your legs and arms were tightly tied up to the chair.

-she'd giggle before trailing her finger up from your neck to your lips. ”Why don't you stay quiet and let me have some fun, hm?”

-she starts kissing you passionately, which you return promptly.

-her hands had now moved to your chest, unbuttoning your blouse, which exposed your perky breasts to the prankster.

-pulling away from your lips, she'd mumble ”how pretty” before she starts sucking on your already hardened nipples.

-you could already feel how wet you were in your underwear.

-she abruptly started to grind on one of your thighs, not pulling away from your breast.

-the smell of arousal in the air made the room hot, causing beads of sweat to mix in with your and hu tao's saliva all over your body.

-hu tao only pulled away from your chest when she was near her high, tightly gripped your hips and began to vigorously hump your leg.

-” I'm close-!” she exclaimed with a sheepish smirk.

-your arms' ties suddenly snapped, from when you hoisted her up away from her lap before pushing her onto the chair where you previously sat on.

-she pouted cutely when you didn't let her cum.

-” Only I'm supposed to make you release...” you muttered as your breath fanned between her open legs.

Ganyu

-”Ganyuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...!” you lazily sat on her desk as she worked.

-” Not now, (name). Sorry...” She kissed your forehead before going back to her work.

-you huffed at your busy lover. Can't she see you need her right now??

-you whistled poorly as you circled around her desk to stand behind her chair.

-as soon it was within reach, you groped her from behind, startling her.

-” H-hey! (Name)?!!” Her back arched as you rubbed your index fingers on her nubs.

-you stayed quiet as you started kissing her shoulder and neck, not removing your hands from her breasts as she mewled in pleasure.

-” N-name...i have work to do...please- ah!” you pinched her nipple, causing her to cry out in pain.

-you sighed onto her shoulder in slight irritation, before holding her underarms and lifted her from her chair, and bent her over the desk.

-casting her chair aside, your hips met her plum-shaped ass.

-you kissed her nape, feeling her shudder under you as you caress her hips.

-your mouth trailed down her back, arriving at her crotch and burying your nose into her mound which was still clothed.

-her moans got louder as you lapped her up from behind, not caring if anyone heard you at this point.

-feeling her walls clench on your tongue, you pulled away, denying her orgasm as punishment.

-hearing her whimper when you pulled away from her drenched black tights cause you to feel a little tingle between your legs.

-sitting down on her chair, you spread your legs as you ushered ganyu towards you.

-” Pleasure me, princess.”

Lisa

-trying to reach a book from a lower shelf gave your girlfriend lisa the best opportunity to grab your hips and force her knee between your legs.

-”eh- hmpph!!” your mouth was covered by her hand as soon as you let out a sound.

-”hush. Honey. You know I hate it when there's noise in the library.” she whispers as she continued rocking your hips onto her knee.

-you bit your lip, forcing yourself to conceal your moans as you felt liquid drip from between your legs.

-you were practically grinding against her on your own now, so she slipped another hand around your waist and pressed the front of your abdomen.

-your back arched as she teased your clit from the outside of your shorts, causing her to breathily giggle.

-her other hand left your mouth and made its way up beneath your shirt and massaged one of your boobs softly.

-your entire body shook as you finally orgasmed, making lisa smirk as she took of your soaked shorts and underwear.

-” well it's time to clean your mess up.” she said, her mouth now approaching your worn out pussy.

[ask-the-eu6]

WOO this looks amazing! The art's so good I can cry! As for questions, how's everyone handling the pandemic so far? And what's the situation in your countries currently?

Luxembourg: The situation seems to be finally calming down a little! Although I do not want to jinx anything.

Belgium: First of all, apologies for responding this late. However, the pandemic is still dictating our everyday lives, therefore your question still proves relevant!

Netherlands: Aside from washing hands, wearing masks and distancing ourselves from each other, most are currently receiving or have received their third vaccination shot.

Luxembourg: And with you receiving your third shot, the EU6 is now officially boostered!

France: We do not only keep track of vaccination numbers but case numbers as well, especially as they are still not stable in many countries, rising and going down as time goes on and depending on the restrictions.

Germany: It is important to inform the public about rising case numbers as soon as possible. This information proves to be particualy important to those who need to travel!

France: Travel has been restricted before after all, it was tough... many people in Schenghen (The EU’s free movement of people zone) forgot what it was like not to be able to freely move from country to country.

Germany: It was... And this was and is not only about vacations. Many people have to travel to another country for work or to see their families.

Romano: We are on mask duty again. Despite being very busy, we try to distribute them as often as possible. 

Italy: You can never have enough of them! After all, they need to be replaced often. 

Romano: And since we are interacting with people alot, we get ourselves tested on a regular basis. We may be fully vaccinated but that doesn't make us immune.

Italy: We also use sanitizers alot, especially when washing hands is not an option. The good side is that masks can look pretty stylish and can be just another way for me to express myself! :D

Romano: Hurray, everything isn’t so bleak...  🙄

Small mun note below the read more:

Mun note:

Before anyone complaints about us touching upon a serious topic. Remind yourself that I and my teammates just deal with whatever is in our inbox and that seems like a fun way to interact with you all. That’s not an invitation to send us actual taboo or fucked up serious questions dealing with actual dramatic situations (Please do not send us asks about the current situation in Ukraine.)

Antivaxers also kindly fuck off :)

Anyway back to the topic

Protip from the German mun: Do your hands dry quickly? Use curd soap (the neutral smelling ones, I once got one that smelled like wet cement it was not a fun time). They have helped my hands alot.

We are still busy with school, uni or getting into uni. Trust us when we say that we’d love to post more often. Soon though! Soon we’ll have the time. Thank you for your patience everyone!

Belgian mun: Yeahhh it was mostly my fault ahaha sorry! deadline after deadline after deadline! I’m back and I’ll make sure me and my colleagues work hard to give you all some more stuff! :D

[iranondeaira]

"J'ai eu vingt ans et bientôt trente, les quarante ont suivi et aussi les cinquante, avec quelques unités pour perturber les comptes.

J'ai lu des magazines qui parlaient de mes rides, de bouchers qui taillaient dans les bides et remontaient des seins à la file comme dans les usines pour les automobiles.

Rester jeune, peu importe le prix !

Info, intox, il paraît même que le botox...

Alors, là, moi, j'dis stop.

Remonter le temps ? Avoir encore vingt ans ?

Ça va pas, non ? Tu sais quoi ? J'ai pas le temps !

Demain, dans un mois, dans un an, j'irai me balader pas très loin sur la plage et je ramasserai des galets arrondis que je colorierai aux couleurs du bonheur.

Je lirai des légendes, écouterai des contes et puis les offrirai à qui voudra entendre.

Je me ferai des amis, au hasard sur la toile, dans la rue ou au bar; on discutera jusqu'au bout de la nuit de la vie, de l'amour et de la mort aussi.

Demain, dans un mois, dans un an, j'aurai les bras câlins de mes petits enfants à mon cou enroulés pour mieux me protéger.

Mes enfants seront là et nous nous sourirons, heureux d'avoir su traverser sans sombrer les tempêtes, les naufrages et puis quelques orages.

Il m'arrivera encore de chanter, de danser et de me régaler de gâteaux, de bonbons, de p'tits plats mijotés sans penser aux kilos ou bien à ma santé.

Demain, dans un mois, dans un an, je sortirai la nuit avec tous les hiboux et verrai le soleil sur la mer se lever.

Je marcherai longtemps en goûtant le silence

J'aimerai les odeurs de la mousse en automne et du foin en été et le chant des cigales et le soleil brûlant.

J'écouterai toujours le malheur qui se plaint.

J'éprouverai encore les bouffées de colère face à la bêtise et la haine étalées.

Jamais ni l'injustice ni l'infamie je n'accepterai et lèverai en l'air, mon poing avec rage !

Demain, dans un mois, dans un an...

Et si la mort survient, car elle survient toujours, la garce, elle me trouvera debout, occupée et ridée..."

_______________ Ali MacGraw

"I was twenty and soon thirty, the forty followed and also the fifty, with a few units to disrupt the accounts.

I read magazines that spoke of my wrinkles, of butchers who pruned guts and pulled up breasts in a row like in automobile factories.

Stay young, no matter the cost!

Info, intox, it even seems that botox ...

So, there, I say stop.

Go back in time ? To be twenty more years old?

It's not okay, right? You know what ? I do not have the time !

Tomorrow, in a month, in a year, I will go for a walk not far on the beach and I will pick up rounded pebbles that I will color in the colors of happiness.

I will read legends, listen to tales and then offer them to whoever wants to hear.

I will make friends, at random on the web, in the street or at the bar; we will discuss life, love and death until the end of the night as well.

Tomorrow, in a month, in a year, I will have the cuddly arms of my little children around my neck rolled up for better protection.

My children will be there and we will smile at each other, happy to have been able to weather storms, shipwrecks and then a few thunderstorms without sinking.

I will still sing, dance and feast on cakes, candies, little casseroles without thinking about the pounds or my health.

Tomorrow, in a month, in a year, I will go out at night with all the owls and see the sun on the sea rise.

I will walk a long time tasting the silence

I will love the smells of moss in autumn and hay in summer and the song of cicadas and the scorching sun.

I will always listen to the misfortune that complains.

I will still experience the outbursts of anger at the stupidity and hatred displayed.

I will never accept injustice or infamy and raise my fist in the air with rage!

Tomorrow, in a month, in a year ...

And if death does happen, because it always happens, the bitch, she will find me standing, busy and wrinkled ... "

_______________ Ali MacGraw

[theculturedmarxist]

Time to wake up and smell the cordite. Like shockwaves from an exploding missile, Vladimir Putin’s war on Europe’s edge is rapidly rolling westwards, blasting its way through the front doors of homes, businesses and workplaces from Berlin to Birmingham. Its fallout seeds a toxic rain of instability, hardship and fear.

The idea the Ukraine conflict could be confined to Ukraine – Nato’s politically convenient grand delusion – and that western sanctions and arms supplies would stop the Russians was always a nonsense. Now, enraged by Kyiv’s stubborn resistance and hell-bent on punishing his punishers, Putin’s aim is the immiseration of Europe.

By weaponising energy, food, refugees and information, Russia’s leader spreads the economic and political pain, creating wartime conditions for all. A long, cold, calamity-filled European winter of power shortages and turmoil looms. And like a coin-fed gas meter, the price of western leaders’ timidity and shortsightedness ticks upwards by the hour.

Russia’s destabilisation operations, social media manipulation, cyber-attacks, diplomatic double-talk, nuclear blackmail, plus its unrelenting slaughter of civilians in Ukraine, will only intensify Europe’s state of siege in the months ahead. The west’s fanciful belief it could avoid continent-wide escalation is evaporating fast.

Though not entirely due to Putin’s war [fucking lmao], Europe now faces fundamental challenges as big or bigger than the 2008 financial crash, Brexit, or the pandemic. Yet many EU and UK politicians skulk in denial. If, as predicted, the gas stops flowing and the lights dim, it will not just be a matter of closed factories, lost jobs, and depressed markets.

Freezing pensioners, hungry children, empty supermarket shelves, unaffordable cost of living increases, devalued wages, strikes and street protests point to Sri Lanka-style meltdowns. An exaggeration? Not really. Blowback, fanned by the Putin-admiring far right, is already gathering strength in Greece and Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.

In prospect, too, is a shattering of EU solidarity as national governments compete for scarce resources. Brussels is due to publish a “winter preparedness plan” this week. But its provisions are unclear and unenforceable. The broader context is lack of an agreed, implemented EU-wide energy policy.

Despite bilateral cooperation pledges, a total Russian cut-off could pit country against country, further inflate prices, and split the anti-Moscow coalition. In such a scenario Putin would demand sanctions relief in return for resumed supplies, just as he has over blockaded Black Sea grain.

Import-dependent Germany is already taking unilateral steps, seeking alternative oil and gas suppliers. A national emergency moved closer after Moscow turned off the Nord Stream I pipeline last Monday. Many in Berlin fear (and some environmentalists hope) the shutdown – and any subsequent rationing – may become permanent.

Robert Habeck, Germany’s vice-chancellor, fretted publicly about a “political nightmare”. Bruno Le Maire, France’s finance minister, sounded similarly panicky last week. He predicted an imminent gas cut-off. Waxing Napoleonic, he urged European countries to form up in “order of battle”. But as in 1812, Russia has “General Winter”.

As if the mounting misery of millions were not daunting enough, then consider, too, the war’s knock-on impact on efforts to combat the climate and biodiversity crises. In the UK and elsewhere, net zero targets appear at increasing risk of being abandoned.

Because Europe faces “very, very strong conflict and strife” this winter over energy prices, it should make a short-term return to fossil fuels, Frans Timmermans, the European commission’s vice-president, suggested. Once again, Germany is showing a lead, increasing electricity production from coal-fired power stations. Once again, the west looks to tyrannical Gulf oil sheikhs for salvation.

A European winter of chaos may also strain US ties. By comparison, America’s post-pandemic recovery is more advanced, its economy more resilient, its energy costs much lower. Yet it is US president Joe Biden’s too-cautious leadership of Nato that has led Europe into this geopolitical cul-de-sac, even as a weakening euro slides below one dollar.

For Europeans, as they are re-learning to their cost, all wars are local. For Americans, as ever, all wars are foreign.

The sanctions, economic aid, and other non-military measures preferred by Biden were never going to be enough to bring Putin to heel. Some observers suspect a stalemate that slowly bleeds Russia suits US purposes, whatever the collateral damage. Yet right now, it’s Putin who is bleeding Europe. Sanctions are backfiring or poorly enforced. His energy coffers bulge. And Ukrainians aside, the pain is disproportionately felt by less wealthy European and developing countries. As instability grows, US-Europe divergence will feed pressure to change course.

The obvious escape route is a land-for-peace deal with Putin, agreed over Ukraine’s dead bodies. This kind of shoddy sellout has influential advocates. If (and it’s a big “if”), Russia returned to business as normal, it would alleviate Europe’s suffering – though probably not Ukraine’s.

Yet such a deal would also be a precedent-setting disaster for future peace and security across the continent and globally, too. Just think Taiwan. Or Estonia. It would destroy the sovereign integrity of democratic Ukraine.

Fortunately, there is an alternative: using Nato’s overwhelming power to decisively turn the military tide.

As previously argued here, direct, targeted, forceful western action to repulse Russia’s repulsive horde is not a vote for a third world war. It’s the only feasible way to bring this escalating horror to a swift conclusion while ensuring Putin, and those who might emulate him, do not profit from lawless butchery.

Intent on inflicting maximum disruption, Putin openly menaces the heartlands of European democracy. The writing is on the wall and may no longer be ignored. Enough of the half-measures and the dithering! Nato should act now to force Putin’s marauding troops back inside Russia’s recognised borders.

It’s not only Ukraine that requires saving. It’s Europe, too.

Nato propaganda is so tiresome. It wasn't Russia that created the conditions for war in Ukraine. It wasn't Russia that started the war in Ukraine. It wasn't Russia that imposed sanctions meant to punish Russia for fighting in Ukraine.

But it's all evil bad Putin's fault and we've got to wage WW3 to put a stop to him.

It's like that comic of the boy riding the bike and putting a stick into the spokes. EU committed economic suicide to please the US and now is crying "how could Russia do this???"

[drovenna]

Fallout 4 characters and smoking part 1

Smoking habits of fallout 4 characters. This became very long, I'll upload it in two parts. (I wanted to illustrate all of them, but I’m busy :I ) 

I put a note at the end of the post! I don’t encourage anybody to start smoking. 

Ada: Obviously she can’t smoke, but she is curious about how it helps Sole (if they smoke).

Cait: She smokes regulary not more than 2-3 a day though. But if she drinks, with every beer there comes some more.

Codsworth: He doesn’t mind if Sole smokes. (Sole was probably a smoker before the war canonically) He would light their cigarette.

Colter:  I have a strong feeling that Colter was a hedonist. Enjoying life, drinking and whores, being the Overboss gone into his head. So if it comes to smoking he easily smoked a whole pack in a night beside drinking and getting high. No way he is lighting his own cigarette.

Curie:  She defintely doesn’t smoke, she takes care of her new body. She doesn’t like when Sole smokes, although she would give it a try out of experimenting. 

Danse: He despises smoking, it ruins the body and cuts back combat efficency.  He would constantly comment on Sole if they does. He would even take it out of Sole’s mouth. 

Deacon: He is the guy who smokes because it looks cool. Always changing how he holds the cigarette. He can smoke rings too. If vape existed he would be a BIG TIME VAPER ALONG WITH HANCOCK. Also Deacon would collect fancy lighters, to light Sole cigarette anytime with a charming smile.

Fahrenheit:  She always smokes when discussing business with Hancock, but on a daily basis she just sometimes light one.

Gage: His daily amount varies, and he can lit one in the most random situations, he’s injured he would ask for one, or after a big gun fight. Sometimes he doesn’t even smoke a single one. If Sole doesn’t smoke/ is bothered by the smell he wouldn’t do it in front of them. 

Glory: Heavy smoker, and every situation has its own cigarette. Morning cigarette, before mission cigarette, after mission cigarette, evening cigarette. She often smokes with Deacon. 

Hancock: He smokes a lot, and always forgets his lighter. Then he finds them later in very questionable places where he put them when he was high. Also a coffee-cigarette type person. (Or more like coffee-joint)

Longfellow: He already has problems with his lungs because of the Fog. He doesn’t mind if Sole smokes in general, but he asks them not to do it in front of him.

MacCready: He would try smoking occasionally see if it helps him calm down, but he always ends up coughing and doesn’t try it again for a month. 

Magnolia: She likes to smoke but only after performance, not to ruin her voice before singing. She does that in the most seducing way possible.

(I realised that in my country the smoking rate is HIGH, top 3 in the eu. I generally headcanoned 80% the characters to be smokers. Don’t overdo it kids, if you have a craving, after 10-15 mins it’ll pass, in that time: eat a fruit, for me grapefruit helps, make your hands busy, stretch, chew a gum. If you really want to quit, there are several useful applications you can use to keep track of your smoking habits, and analyze them)

[fleesmarket]

"Asylum Rat Logo" Canvas High Tops (Black Damask Print) | Gentlemen's https://ift.tt/GlgKed8

Vendor: The Asylum Emporium Type: Shoes Price: 76.00

Introducing the Asylum's new canvas high-top shoes, featuring the iconic Asylum Rat over an elegant printed backdrop of vintage damask wallpaper!

Destined to become an instant classic, these beauties are extremely comfortable, yet durable enough to race through the Asylum's haunted corridors, with thick EVA rubber soles to help you stand your ground when faced with even the most villainous doctor.

Please see our Creation & Shipping Times below before ordering:).

The Details

• Breathable lining, soft insole• Faux leather toe cap• Lace-up front• Padded collar• Individually printed, cut, and sewn by hand

Please note: The shoes will have a glue-like smell when opening the box. The smell will disappear a few days after the shoes are unpacked.

Care + Content

• Use warm water and dish soap to spot clean• Upper: 100% polyester canvas• Outsole: Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) rubber• Imported

Size + Fit

These shoes are true to size, so go ahead an order your usual!

  US UK EU FOOT LENGTH 5 (in) 5 4 37 ½ 9 ¼ 5.5 (in) 5 ½ 4 ½ 38 9 ¼ 6 (in) 6 5 38 ½ 9 ½ 6.5 (in) 6 ½ 5 ½ 39 9 ½ 7 (in) 7 6 40 9 ¾ 7.5 (in) 7 ½ 6 ½ 40 ½ 10 8 (in) 8 7 41 10 8.5 (in) 8 ½ 7 ½ 42 10 ¼ 9 (in) 9 8 42 ½ 10 ½ 9.5 (in) 9 ½ 8 ½ 43 10 ¾ 10 (in) 10 9 44 11 10.5 (in) 10 ½ 9 ½ 44 ½ 11 11 (in) 11 10 45 11 ¼ 11.5 (in) 11 ½ 10 ½ 46 11 ½ 12 (in) 12 11 46 ½ 11 ½ 12.5 (in) 12 ½ 11 ½ 47 11 ¾ 13 (in) 13 12 47 ½ 12

  US UK EU FOOT LENGTH 5 (cm) 5 4 37.5 23.5 5.5 (cm) 5.5 4.5 38 23.5 6 (cm) 6 5 38.5 24.1 6.5 (cm) 6.5 5.5 39 24.1 7 (cm) 7 6 40 24.8 7.5 (cm) 7.5 6.5 40.5 25.4 8 (cm) 8 7 41 25.4 8.5 (cm) 8.5 7.5 42 26 9 (cm) 9 8 42.5 26.7 9.5 (cm) 9.5 8.5 43 27.3 10 (cm) 10 9 44 28 10.5 (cm) 10.5 9.5 44.5 28 11 (cm) 11 10 45 28.6 11.5 (cm) 11.5 10.5 46 29.2 12 (cm) 12 11 46.5 29.2 12.5 (cm) 12.5 11.5 47 29.9 13 (cm) 13 12 47.5 30.5

Creation + Shipping Times

This item is individually printed, cut, and sewn by hand as you order it, so please allow 4-7 business days for the creation of this item, in addition to a shipping time of 2 to 4 weeks, depending upon your location. Thank you for your patience, and we promise it will be worth the wait!

Please Note: If other items in your order are ready sooner, they may ship to you separately so that you get each item as quickly as possible and from the location closest to you. In this case, you will receive multiple tracking numbers by email.

Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps us to be both more environmentally responsible and customer friendly in several ways, including the following that we particularly love:

• Reduce overproduction thereby eliminating waste.

• Ship from multiple locations around the world to reduce the CO₂ emissions produced when transporting orders, whilst allowing us to offer faster shipping times and lower shipping costs.

• Utilize digital printing which offers superior quality in softness and detail, all whilst using water-based inks, as well as requiring less ink and water, and using machines that produce lower emissions.

"Asylum Rat Logo" Canvas High Tops (Black Damask Print) | Gentlemen's

[mannien]

Mornings in Sheffield Park | TH - CHAPTER 1

The one with stress, takeout food around the world, late night walks, and Disney dreams.

Word count: 6.6k 

Warnings: some stress, some anxiety, mention of sex, and a lot of smiles

Masterlist

Fourth week into the morning pitch meetings at BBC, Millie felt lifeless and drained. The room was usually exploding with ideas, creative energy, and a lot of constructive feedback to the few interns who were allowed to join the conversation with editors, writers, and producers. That morning had started ugly enough for her: with an overwhelming number of e-mails about the schedule and missing content for Politics Live.

When she first landed her spot at BBC, Millie was over the moon. She was constantly calling it a dream come true, a once in a lifetime opportunity for her to begin a writing career in media. Her degree seemed to be the best choice for her future and Millie was ready to prove that graduating from humanities can actually land her a decent job. Her first days were filled with morning preparations, early commute to the city centre and exceptionally smoothed out shirts. The work environment in such a fast-paced industry felt inspiring and daunting at the same time, but Millie felt obligated to use this experience to its full potential. Each day she attempted to learn more than the day before and possibly show off a tiny bit more of her creative skills to her superiors. She spent her evenings researching topics and people, trying not to fall out of the loop. Being one step forward was hard work, one that Millie desperately wanted to ace.

The second week of her internship brought a slight shift to her agenda. After grasping the general concepts of working for a major radio and TV broadcasting company, she was aware of the production processes. She tried to happily follow up all the details about the work of a writer, a researcher, or an editor – just so she could be prepared for the follow-up of the introductory week. And as she hoped her interview was remembered and she would soon contribute to any program touching upon music or pop culture, her dreams and calls were slowly fading away. The intern manager ascribed her to the team devoted strictly to politics and daily news, having no vacancies for the popular radio programs. Even though she took whatever spot was offered, it was only to get more insight and experience.  

Having already managed to speak up a few times during the morning routines in the conference room, Millie eased herself into the work environment and was treated like a regular employee. But the first wave of success quickly passed, especially when she was hit with growing emptiness in her brain. She did not enjoy politics, so as far as she could, she attempted to sneak in a sociological aspect into the context. But her tactic had an expiration date.

A couple of heads were expectantly turned at Millie when she was unsurely stuttering her weak ideas for the upcoming programme. She knew it wasn’t going well and she was mentally cursing herself for trying to impress the producers that much so early on.

“This isn’t gonna work. We’ve covered this enough in the evening news. Let’s take five, and maybe you’ll come up with a different angle. I’ll give you another shot here.”

Hugh, the head writer took off his glasses and watched her fidget in her seat. She nodded and took a deep breath, before leaving the room for a short break. Her mind was racing in panic; she wasn’t ready to admit that she didn’t have any idea. She walked back and forth through the corridor until she cursed quietly and walked away to the main hall. She pulled her phone from the back pocket and without overthinking this anymore, she called her boyfriend. He picked up after the third ring.

“Babe, can I call you back…”

“No, Frank,” She felt determined and fierce. Her hands shook from the pure view on board members slowly coming back from the kitchen with fresh coffee mugs. They were probably waiting to hear her another take on the TV show which Millie, wholeheartedly, was beginning to hate. “My work on the programme is too basic and I’ve been roasted for the past fifteen minutes or so. Hugh has me in the spotlight in front of everyone. Help me, please?”

“It’s not your fault they’ve given you a job you’re not good at, babe. It’s just an internship, they will roast you anyway.”

Millie’s lungs were ready to stop working and suffocate her. She feared she might start hyperventilating, or at least meet up with a panic attack from the nerves. Franklin’s reaction seemed to be absolutely unfair and inconsiderate of her actual feelings, and he must have felt that through the piercing silence on the line.

“Look, I’m sorry, but you shouldn’t worry so much about it. They will probably just give you another placement where you’ll fit more, I don’t see why it’s such a bad thing.” And just like that, she started doubting herself and her right to overthink her situation. It didn’t sit well with Millie and she could feel anger slowly making its way through her veins.

“Can’t you just fucking help me? This one time?” She lost her temper, she lost her patience. At the same time Riley, one of the end writers, started waving at her from the end of the hall as to show her that her time is coming to an end. “I need a hook, or something that would spark a debate. Brexit-themed, maybe. Can you think of anything?”

Frank groaned loudly. He wasn’t exactly happy that she made him break down his ambitious wall and let her in on topics he was too invested in. Millie could hear him moving around as he left his desk of the equally large office of The Guardian, until the line went surprisingly quiet. Her anger and fear made her clutch her phone tightly to her ear, while her legs started carrying her slowly to the terrifying conference room.

“Think internationally. See what the Spanish had to say about May’s resignation from the Office. Think economics in the EU. Try to stand on the Union’s side and do some fair judgement.”

“Give me facts, not ideas. You’re the one who knows politics.”

“Spanish government says that May’s resignation is bad news. Compare it to the popular opinion that she was the worst Prime Minister since the 18th century and the American war on independence.” Millie breathed in, trying to desperately grasp all the details he just provided her with.

“That’s a… harsh and history-digging argument,” She mumbled in surprise, “where did you get that from?” She grabbed a yellow post-it note from the reception desk and quickly scribbled the key words on it. Her briefing on politics was never something like this and she could feel the embarrassment making its way into her heart. It wasn’t her way of thinking and she felt like a fraud.

“I can’t tell you that.” By the end of the single sentence Millie could feel the blood escaping her face, making her look pale and scared for dear life. She didn’t want to have heard that sentence, she was definitely happier not knowing how did he come up with a story like this. That was one of the many reasons she tried not to talk business with him.

“An opinion entry. A column for The Guardian. Shit, you just busted one of your colleagues.”

“Sometimes I hate it that you’re smart. Did I ever tell you that?”

“You just saved my internship!”

“Please don’t say that. I will pretend that we just talked about the weather.”          

“I’ll spend them the details. You’re the best, Frank.”

“Alright, go kick ass.”

And that she did. Franklin did save her internship, mainly because Millie avoided the specifics about who and why said something so harsh about the resigning Prime Minister. However, it definitely did spark interest among the production board. Afraid of not being so lucky next time, she decided to politely suggest a replacement for her permanent internship division within BBC, due to her ‘personal discomfort with discussions over issues of such importance and potential shame to their glorious country.’

Millie felt bad for using her boyfriend’s knowledge for survival at work. She wasn’t genuine and her idea didn’t come from her hard work - it was sourced in fear and anxiety-driven reactions. This situation proved to her that she wasn’t fit for the position, but it also raised her stress levels around the fact that she couldn’t get by on her own in the industry. She didn’t want others to navigate her through it all, but the conversation she had with Frank had also made her uncomfortable. Her need of support in a stressful situation was primarily turned down, so—naturally to her character—she started to worry even more.

With a heavy heart and two bags of Wagamama takeout, she walked up the stairs to his apartment. She was usually working until later hours than Frank, so all she really needed was for him to open the door for her. She leaned on the doorframe as she waited patiently for the two turns of the lock. He opened still in his work attire – tailored jeans and a light grey button up shirt. He was holding his phone next to his ear and humming approvingly to the speaker when he looked her up and down. He winked at her and let her in, as he continued to talk with someone.

Inside, Millie found the TV turned on with a football game playing. His work jacket was still hanging on the back of the tall stool in the kitchen, and the grocery bags laid unpacked on the table. She took off her shoes and made her way to the kitchen, where she made a little room for their food on the countertop. Pulling off her sweater, she peeked into the shopping bags – she wasn’t surprised to find a couple bottles of beer and food essentials, a multipack of tissues and a large box of condoms.

“What’s all this, babe?” Franklin came up to her and briefly kissed her on the lips, before looking into the boxes with deliciously smelling food.

“I just thought it might be nice to eat some goodies,” She smiled, trying to sniff out his mood first. He smiled back at her with approval and reached for the plates in the cupboard, so she continued, “also, it’s a ‘thank you for being my saviour today,’ kinda thing.”

“Ah, yeah. I bet everyone on my floor will hate BBC’s guts for that.” Frank said it so casually, with a shrug to follow up, that Millie struggled to understand the dynamic he had at The Guardian. He seemed to be a great fit for his team, because a week into his new job, he was already invited for Friday drinks and talked about his co-workers just like anyone would about their long-time friends. She couldn’t understand how was he getting so lucky at any step, but the last thing she wanted to do is doubt him. Any time worries and competitiveness clouded her brain, Millie was making extra room for compassion and support.

Frank unloaded some of the curry on his plate and started eating with a fork, and then made his way to the living room where he spread out on the sofa. He didn’t say anything else, somewhat scaring Millie that he will let her know he’s uncomfortable randomly, on a promisingly good day. Trying to figure out her brain, she followed his actions and took some extra food to the coffee table, before sitting down next to him.

“But you’re not gonna get into trouble for that, are you?” she was biting the inside of her cheek hard, definitely not used to not being judged for using someone else’s help.

“Nah, I don’t think so. They don’t know I’ve got a girl at BBC, so I should be just fine.”

Millie ate her curry in silence, suddenly at loss of words driven by his surprising statement. She didn’t want to raise an argument or seem overly sensitive. But for some reason she hoped that he would talk about her at work, especially considering his already formed strong bonds in the office, and a definitely higher success rate in his position. Ever so charming Franklin, he always glowed among people. She couldn’t really fight with this, so she just kept any comments to herself and focused on her food.

Frank switched the channel to the evening news and pulled her to his side once they were done eating. It comforted Millie to know that at the end of the day, they could both enjoy each other’s company, no matter what was happening at work. She didn’t pay much attention to the news, but rather focused on the way he reacted to it and what he enjoyed. She felt too tired to get invested in another load of politics, so she just soaked in his warmth and curled more into his side. He smelled of coffee and heavy, musky cologne that he liked to reapply frequently. Millie closed her eyes and breathed out the stress that weighed her down after a long day, finally finding peace.

“I’ll go grab a beer, you want one?” he abruptly stood up, making her slightly loose her balance and lean back towards the pillows. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips in a thin line.

“I’m good, thanks.”

“You sure? You’re awfully quiet today.” He spoke already from the kitchen, not even catching a glimpse of her pursed lips.

“I just need to wind down. It’s been stressful day.” She pushed a little smile on her cheeks as he came back with a frown. He took a few large sips of his drink and put it on the table, before lowering himself on the couch and leaning over Millie.

“I can help you relax, if you want.” He raised an eyebrow in a flirtatious manner, leaning into her and leaving a series of delicate kisses on her lips. He then moved onto her jaw and sucked on her skin, but never left a mark. Slowly massaging her waist, he slid his hand under her shirt and sprawled his fingers across her hip to pull her closer.

Millie enjoyed the warmth that started to spread through her body, but she couldn’t find any energy to give some of it back. She felt drained and exhausted, so a mere thought about participating in sexual activities was sure to make her at least slightly uncomfortable. Unless Frank was willing to change something about it.

“Okay, hold on,” her chuckle and a light push at his chest made him narrow his eyebrows in confusion, “I don’t think I’ve got enough energy today, Frankie.” Her whisper was followed by a reassuring smile. She weaved her fingers through his short hair and kissed the tip of his nose.

“What if I provide you with some energy first?”

“What, you’ll give me an energy drink?” She laughed at her poor joke and he chuckled, too, but more at her silliness than anything else. He laid her down comfortably and cautiously peppered her with kisses on her neck and the tiny bit of cleavage that was available without unbuttoning her shirt. She was slowly giving in, allowing him to get lower on her body and touch her. Frank either wanted to make her feel better, or was really horny. But whatever the case was, she didn’t want to stop him and ruin his enthusiasm. The glow in his eyes and admiration painted across his face were too intoxicating to back away. His touch was filled with sparks of emotions and a kind of drive that Millie was addicted to. She felt wanted and needed, and that’s what made her return the heated kisses despite her hooded, weary eyes.

They walked hand in hand through the chilly evening, sometime after she persuaded Frank to walk her to the nearest tube station. The wind was slightly tickling her neck, but other than that she felt at peace. She let her hair down, flowing gently with each blow of the air and lightly caressing her face like a safety blanket. They swayed their hands until they had to make room for a group of people passing by.

“Jane texted me about a little get together this Friday,” She mumbled into the night, trying not to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere around them.

“Ah, yeah. Aaron told me about it, too. I guess we’re going, right?”

“Yeah, it might be nice. The girls mentioned this new club near their apartment? I think that’s where they wanted to go.”

“Cool. I could use a little break.”

As they continued their walk, Millie mostly focused on leading the way through tight London streets. Franklin’s parents rented him an apartment in the city centre, close to everything you could dream of in London. It also meant crowded streets at any hour, so to have a nice walk around the neighbourhood usually requested it to be late at night. But it didn’t matter to him, as long as he had a short commute to the office and all other things that life requested from him, within reach. There were times when he would mention coming back to Manchester and supporting his parents at their law firm, but Millie saw how much he preferred his growing career as a journalist. Mathilda and William were a generous couple, so they shared their resources with him and tried to help him get into the business as smoothly as possible. Sometimes she wanted to ask him about his permanent position at The Guardian and whether his name had anything to do with it, but she never felt comfortable enough to do it. Some things were better left unspoken.

Reaching the staircase to the station, Franklin stopped and made her turn to him and look up at his smiling face.

“Thanks for coming over tonight. I had fun.”

“Yeah, me too.” She smiled shyly, nodding her head in reassurance.

“I wish you could finally move to the city, though. It would be so much easier if you were a few blocks away.”

“You do realize that even if I moved out, it wouldn’t be anywhere nearby?” Her chuckle resonated through her body, almost as if she wanted to humour herself at the topic that had started to come up more often in their conversations.

“I could ask around the office if anyone has a room available to rent.”

“But I don’t want to share my personal space with strangers, you know this. Don’t try to change my mind about it.” She smiled tightly.

Frank has been trying to persuade her into moving out for months. He wanted to be closer to her, within a short train journey, rather than a whole commute in and out of Kingston. He felt comfortable in the business of London, and Millie liked to call him out on being spoiled by having an apartment on his own in such a lively part of the city. But she wasn’t financially ready to leave her family home in equally comfortable Southwest London, where she had all she needed within her reach, and her social life was just a tiny bit longer train trip away. It was a source of their small disputes from time to time, because it was Millie who spent more time on going to his place and spending time there. Naturally, it made her feel more engaged in their relationship and Frank tried his best make up for the difference. But one thing that never occurred, was Millie staying over for longer than a night. Even a night’s sleepover was a rare event, somehow always blessed by excuses from either one of them.

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” he pecked her lips and brushed her cheek with his thumb. “I talk about it out of concern, okay?”

“Okay. But I like my train rides and I like Kingston. So let’s just deal with it for now, yeah?”

“’Course,” He sent her a tight smile before giving her one last kiss. “Text me when you get home.”

“Will do.”

Millie was one of those people who could be easily judged as thinkers. Years of taking trains and buses in and out of central London taught her to cherish every moment of peace she gets during her journeys. That’s how she learned to create playlists for each season – summer commutes were always different than autumn ones; they required different sounds and lyrical quality. Intense months during university semesters also showed her how to read fast between the stops and how to juggle standing on the tube and holding an open book without falling, as the train slowed and rushed every few seconds.

As she was approaching her station in Kingston, she stopped the music but kept her earphones in. A bunch of other people was hurrying to get out of the train and get home as soon as possible, but after leaving the station, she would have a lonely 15-minute walk to her neighbourhood, so she always tried to stay alert in the evenings. Getting on the sidewalk in the busiest area of Kingston, she closed her book and put it back in her backpack, pulled the jacket tighter around her middle and continued her steady walk.

The air was getting crispier with each minute outside. It was refreshing and calm, disturbed only by a few laughs from the pub across the street and two cars passing her by. She turned into one of the quieter streets, where the buildings were becoming shorter and more separated from each other. Brick fences and trimmed hedges adorned the concrete sidewalks on both sides of the street, illuminated only by a few lanterns. Most of the light was coming from the windows in a row of semi-detached houses that Millie has known for a good chunk of her life.

Right when she wanted to cross the street and take a right, she heard a subtle clicking of a dog collar and a leash. Soft padding from the back was slowly approaching her and becoming louder, as well as someone’s whistle.

“Tess, come here!” a hushed call didn’t disrupt the peace of the night, but rather added the familiarity that Millie adored. She slowed her walk and turned around, just in time to be met with lightly jogging blue Staffordshire Bull Terrier. She panted lightly with her tongue out and reached Millie’s legs, where she tucked her head and mewled timidly.

“Oh, and who do we have here?” Millie chuckled at the dog’s persistence in keeping close. She scratched her head and patted her on the back, “are you on your evening walk, Tessa? Is that right?”

“We didn’t mean to scare you, Millie,” Dominic reached them and sent Millie a kind and apologetic smile, “good evening.”

“Hi, it’s good to see you.” She beamed at the middle-aged man, whom she learned to adore like a family member.

“Likewise, yeah. Heading home?”

“I am, just got off the train.”

“We will keep you company, then. Is that alright?” He fixed his glasses and leaned down to attach the leash to Tessa’s collar. Millie’s insides warmed and her mind calmed down at the idea that she will get to spend a few minutes with a friend.

“Absolutely, thank you.”

“Ah, don’t mention it. I bet Tom would have my head, hadn’t I offered,” they chuckled at the mention of his son. Their laughter died off comfortably and escaped into the night air, while Millie reminisced about the caring nature of the Hollands. “How is it going at BBC?” he asked after a moment, letting her go first through a narrow passage.

“It’s… going,” she smiled shyly, not sure how to dress up her words. In Dominic’s company she always felt one step behind in her creative skills; his writing and comic abilities exceeded her capabilities, or so she thought. “but I feel like I’ve definitely hit an end with politics. I know it’s only been a month, but it’s just… it keeps on proving that I should be writing about something else.”

“Oh, it’s totally understandable. Rest assured, you’re not the only one stuck like this,” They turned the corner onto her street. “but I wish you luck there. They have some sensible editors, so I assume you’ll get a chance at something else as well.”

“I hope so. Today I asked them about switching departments and the intern manager told me she will think about it, so there is a tiny light.”

“Something will always work out. You’re smart, you’ll find your way there.”

Dom and Millie continued down the sidewalk, until Tessa stopped near the gate to Millie’s house. She sniffed the pavement and turned back to the girl who crouched down to pet the Staffy one last time.

“Thanks for walking with me,” her smile was genuine, coming straight from her heart. “please say hi to Nikki and the boys. Is Sam still home?”

“He is, he starts his practice at the end of June. So, we all will be here to celebrate your birthdays.”

“Oh, that’s great! It’s been a while since we’ve all been together.”

“That’s true. But you’re welcome to stop by anytime.”

“I know, thank you.” With fondness painted across her face, she scratched Tessa’s ear and stood up straight, reaching for the keys in her pocket.

“Have a good night.”

“You too. Bye, Tess!”

Whenever she got the chance to interact with someone from their family, Millie instantly felt their love and care penetrate her straight to the core. It was this kind of relationship that had been built through the years, only making it stronger and bringing it closer to the concept of family.

Nikki, Dom’s wife and Anna, Millie’s mother met shortly before Millie and Tom were born. At first only neighbours, soon they became best friends to the point of engaging their families in a kind affair. Greetings at the doorstep turned into late night family dinners and weekends away with the kids. They were used to spending most of the birthdays and holidays together, especially when Millie and Tom’s birthdays two days apart brought them all closer. She raced her best friend in Anna’s womb and came out to this world right before the brown-haired boy. Ever since the Beavers celebrated the birth of their third and youngest daughter, the Hollands began their journey with four boys. They always stayed close and treated each other like family, deeming it necessary to nourish their friendship and turn it into something everlasting. The example of their parents taught Millie and Tom to mimic the closeness and made them create their own little world.

Millie’s older sisters also treated Tom, Harry, Sam and Paddy like brothers, but not as much as Millie did. Samantha and Liz were already grown toddlers when the families got together, so they figured more as the female patrons of their youngest sister and her adventures with the boys. But Millie and Tom’s friendship turned into something so effortless and harmless that no supervision was necessary. They were each other’s partners in crime, best friends from next door. Their mothers had signed them up for the same dance classes, helped them get to the same summer carnivals, and let them have late nights in makeshift dens. Millie was one of the first people their dog, Tessa, got familiar with. She missed him dearly when he started his journey as a young actor, but Nikki made sure he always made the time to call his best friend when the time zones were somewhat cooperating. They nurtured their friendship through Millie’s education and Tom’s career, not stopping even for a moment. He was there for her always, carrying her home when she scratched her knee after falling off the slings. She would help him with homework whenever he felt too embarrassed to ask his parents. Tom escorted her home from her disaster of a prom; he was the first one to understand her anxiety and help her through it. And Millie always read the books and scripts Tom needed to prepare for auditions. Just like that, they always found home in one another.

           Their house smelled of baking and freshly watered plants. As quietly as possible, Millie took off her shoes and tip-toed into the kitchen, turning on only the least invasive, small lights. She put down her backpack and lightly stretched, letting out a tired, yet content breath. Her eyes scanned the kitchen in search for the source of the sweet scent, and there it was, on a cooling rack in the corner, covered with a tea towel – fresh lemon sponge cake, the favourite of Millie’s mother. Lightly dusted with powdered sugar, it added an extra layer of sweet comfort to the late night’s atmosphere. She left the cake untouched, but put the kettle on to quickly make herself a cup of tea for a good night’s sleep. She let out an overwhelming yawn and rested her hips on the side of the countertop, patiently waiting for the water to boil.

           She felt her phone vibrate in the back pocket of her jeans. The brightness of the screen was almost blinding, until it adjusted to the low lighting in the room. She could feel the anticipation growing in the back of her head as she noticed a new message.

           (Tom) I got you something today

           After a second or two, a picture loaded under the message. Millie gasped and smiled like mad, when he showed her a pair of Minnie Mouse sequin ears. It was an artefact that Millie has always dreamt of, not having an opportunity to go to Disneyland ever in her childhood.  She awaited the chance with high hopes and wandering mind, but she knew the trip had to be thorough, well-planned, and wholesomely happy.

           (Me) You were in Disneyland????

           (Tom) yeah we did promo for spidey today 

           (Me) I’m so jealous rn

           (Me) THANK YOU FOR THE EARS!!!!!  

           (Tom) it’s alright

           (Tom) I didn’t get any weird looks at all

           (Tom) Just casually carried around this shiny sparkling beauty

           (Me) I bet you loved this feeling

           (Me) I bet you bought yourself a pair too

           (Tom) Don’t tell anyone

           (Me) You could always pretend they’re for Tessa

           (Me) I just saw her and your Dad btw

           Whenever her and Tom texted, it always sparked a never-ending conversation about sweet nothings. They mocked each other, talked about their days, spoke about all things home. It allowed them a safe space from their daily hustles; Millie was able to breathe lightly and happily, and Tom had a chance to detach from the world he desperately tried not to drown in.

           Almost spilling the tea, she slowly made it upstairs without losing the sight of her phone screen. She struggled to turn off the lights in the corridor without making a noise but somehow, she managed not to disturb her parents too much, as she reached her bedroom. Safe within her own little space, she put down the mug and let go of her backpack and jacket. She threw herself on the softest bedspread and waited patiently for Tom’s reply.

           The text bubble stopped and a massage didn’t appear, but her phone started ringing. Millie answered the FaceTime call and waited for the camera on his phone to adjust and show his familiar face.

           “I had a meeting with Disney and they want me to participate in one of their projects for a Marvel-themed ride at Disneyland,” from a crooked angle she could see his neatly gelled hair and uneven eyebrows. Tom was walking somewhere, but then sat down and perched his phone on the mug that stood on the coffee table, so that she could see him better.

           “That’s exciting, right?”

           “Oh, yeah!” She could see him rummage in a brown paper bag and pull out a box with some takeaway food. “But I’m telling you this because we could turn it into our Disneyland trip that you’ve wanted, right?”

           “That would be nice, yeah.” She smiled back at the screen, but a terrible yawn sneaked in to her expression. Tom scrunched his forehead and took a large sip from a bottle of water.

           “I didn’t wake you up now, did I?”

           “No, I just came back home. I am tired, though.”

           “Yeah? How was work?”

           “Stressful and not nice. It wasn’t a good day.”

           “Oh, I’m sorry. Wanna talk about it?”

           Tom spent the next minutes carefully listening to her words and trying not to spill his soup on his fresh clothes. He hummed to some of the stories and asked little intrusive questions, to get the whole picture. She kept rubbing at her eyes and stifling her yawns every now and then, at last making a mess of her mascara and getting it all over her skin. Despite the seriousness in her voice, Tom smiled fondly to himself at the view of her ruined face that probably mimicked her current mental state. It wasn’t something he should laugh about, but it was rather endearing to have her so comfortably sharing her lows with him, while he casually ate his lukewarm, very late lunch.

           “Why are you laughing at me?” She returned his smile, knowing it was probably something she did.

           “You made yourself look like panda.” He chewed on a chunk of chicken from his second plate. The wrinkles by his eyes deepened with each of her chuckles and proved to them that this is the lightness they need in their daily routines. “Well, it’s good you asked for a new placement. You should be comfortable in your work environment. I’m proud of you.”

           “Thanks,” she yawned again and stopped herself mid-rubbing her eye again, earning a wholesome, groggy laugh from her friend, “your dad thinks they will give me another chance.”

           “I mean, he knows some people there, so he probably has a point.”

           “Yeah, I just don’t want to get my hopes up too high, you know?” A comfortable silence rested between them after he nodded and continued munching on his food. Millie stood up from her bed and took the phone with her, but also started to slowly get ready for the night.

           “You will know when the moment feels right and shows you something worth a shot. Trust yourself, Mills.”

           “I guess…” she trailed off, making her way to the closet to find fresh pyjamas. “I’m glad my panda face entertained your… what is it, lunch break?”

           “Sort of, yeah,” he chuckled, enjoying the playfulness of her tired self, “I should be coming back in two weeks. We could hang out then, if you’ll have the time.”

           “Oh, for sure.”

           “Alright, I’ll let you rest. Text me anytime, yeah?”

           “I will. Thanks for the Minnie ears!”

           “You got it, Minnie Mouse. Sweet dreams.”

                                                          *  *  *

After her little mishap with Politics Live, Millie tried her best to keep up the hard work, but stay low. She tried not to focus too much attention and just assist other workers in their tasks, only coming up with ideas when necessary. She strived to come back to her public voice, but she knew she needed it to have a comfortable outlet, preferably in another setting and on different topics. She was greeting the intern manager with additional caution and kindness, trying her best not to leave her case forgotten.

Segregating files for the research team seemed to be the best solution to her temporary creative break. Her attention to detail and wholesome care about the task being done to its full potential came in handy. She volunteered to help the group of meticulously scribbling and researching men in keeping their documents in order.

The soft mumble of the radio in the background was interrupted by a guy named Tim. He always wore rock band t-shirts under his jackets and Millie swore she had seen him participate in a wild dance routine during the last year’s Glastonbury Festival. He stopped typing on his keyboard and started to quietly hum a song that was definitely different to what Scott Mills was announcing on Radio 1.

“Oh my God, do you guys know this song? I can’t get it out of my head!” he groaned in frustration, making a few people in the open space office chuckle.

“Do you know any words, maestro?” Millie’s head snapped up at the sound of Kim, the intern manager’s voice. She was passing by with a bunch of files and a coffee, before she perched herself on his desk, obviously making fun of her friend.

“It’s got this very cool, mariachi-like trumpet between the lines,” he mimicked a trumpet player and hummed some more, “and the guy sings something about stopping a feeling…”

“Justin Timberlake?”

“You know he’s not my jam, Kim! It’s an old-school song.”

“You’re the old-school one here.” Kim’s comment earned a couple more laughs at poor Tim, who was genuinely struggling. “you’re the researcher, have you googled it?”

“Of course I googled it, stop mocking me! People are watching.”

Their little light-hearted exchange brought a breezy atmosphere to the office and made Millie smile some more. She kept on looking up at Tim to check if he’s found the song he was looking for, but without luck. Her fingertips started to tingle with each swipe through the pages in a file, because she felt like she knew the song. Deciding to come against her decision to lay low, she gently cleared her throat and swallowed her nerves of speaking up in a new environment.

“Hey Tim, have you tried to find it on Spotify?” they both looked at Millie with playful smiles, as anyone would to the up and coming intern fresh out of university.

“I don’t think it’s the title of the song, so I won’t find it there.”

“But you actually could,” she offered, biting her lip nervously “since the recent update, you can now type in the lyrics into the search bar and the results will show you all licensed songs with the same or similar lyrics.” Tim instantly reached for his phone and started typing away.

“Oh really? I didn’t know that, let’s see…” Kim looked into his phone and watched his progress.

“And since you’ve remembered a catchy verse, it’s very possible that others also tried to find this song through the same words. So, it will probably come up within the first few results.”

“Alright, smarty.” He shook his head in amusement. Millie watched as Kim’s face got ridden of any emotion and just stared at Tim’s work.

“But if nothing comes up, you can always try ‘Hooked on a Feeling’ by Blue Swede.”

Millie waited with racing heart at their reactions. Tim clicked on one of the results and raised the volume, filling the room with a sound so familiar to Millie’s memory. She smiled shyly and internally patted herself on the back, before coming back to her task.

           “How did you know this song?” His triumphant smile was radiating, as he did a little dance in his seat and twirled on his rolling chair. “It’s such an old tune, I didn’t think your generation would know it!”

           “Yeah Millie, how did you know?” Kim encouraged his question and watched her carefully, almost as if she was studying her intern.

           “It’s in the soundtrack to Guardians of the Galaxy. I wrote a paper on it.”

           “Hm.” Kim’s unreadable expression was giving Millie chills, but in a positive way. She liked to be asked about things that interested her and prompted her to be creative, so the way this situation evolved was close to burst her heart into passionate flames. “I’ll ask the Radio managers if they want a music and pop culture geek, how’s that sound?”

           It sounded like Millie put the trust in herself at the right time.  

****

tagged: @peeterparkr @katieraven @kozybear@sunsetholland @hey-marlie @lauras-collection@cunaeparker @constellationsv @heyhihellowhatsup0 @spideyspeaches

If it bothers you that you’re tagged, please let me know!

[snowdice]

Finding the Time to Study Fic 2 [Day 14]

Here is my starting post for today’s study break stories session. See this post for more details and feel free to send me asks to keep me going! It’s been a lot of fun so far! I will reblog this post with the story as I write them today. I’ll be constantly looking for ideas of times and places for Janus to have missions, so feel free to send in any you can think of at any point!

If you are a new follower or just don’t want all of these posts clogging your dash, please feel free to block the tag “study break stories” as all posts and voting about it will go there. You can still see the finished product of the story even if you are blocking that tag as I will not tag the edited chapters with “study break stories” but with the tag “folds in paper.” See edited chapters below. Chapters 3, 4, 5, and what I have of chapter 6 are under the cut.

My Masterpost Part 1 Part 2

I also have a playlist on youtube (because Spotify didn’t have one of the songs I wanted). It’s short, and not really for serious listening, but I had fun with it.

I have like 4-5 hours of busy work to do today. So, pls keep me entertained.

Chapter 3

Janus and Remus both appeared at the same moment a couple of feet apart in what looked like the inside of a garden shed. There was already a man waiting for them a few feet away. “Sup babes,” Remy said, just like he always did. The T-Agent looked their costumes up and down and whistled. “Now that,” he said, “almost makes me want to be one of you time jockeys.”

“They wouldn’t let me have a gun or a canister of moonshine,” Remus pouted.

Remy snorted. “Sorry, babes, but that makes my job a lot easier. If I’ve gotta fish you outta the 1920s criminal justice system, I’d rather it not be because you shot someone on accident ‘cause you don’t know how to use the safety.”

 Remus groaned dramatically. “Everyone is lame.”

Remy just shook his head. “Meet back here when you’ve got the necklace,” he said. “Don’t make a move until after 11:05pm and before 11:17. That’s your window.”

“We know,” Janus said. “See you then.”

“Have fun at the party boys,” Remy said and then lowered his shades to look at Remus, “but not too much fun.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Remus, already towing Janus out of the garden shed. The way had been specifically cleared for them, so they met no other people before they’d rounded the house the party was taking place and had gotten onto the driveway in front of the house.

 Without missing a beat, they strolled up to the front of the house, just as a car pulled into the end of the driveway. Janus rang the doorbell, and a few moments later, a man who was clearly the butler answered the door. They handed over their invitation, and the man immediately let them in.

The party had already started when they slipped into the medium sized ballroom that had been decked out in streamers and other decorations. Janus’s nose immediately wanted to scrunch as the smell of sweat from all the dancing already going on as well as the too strong perfume meant to cover that stench wafted over him. It was by far not the worst smelling time period, but he was pretty sure some people still weren’t aware deodorant had been recently invented.

 He checked his time piece which had been disguised as a fancy wristwatch for this trip. “Okay,” he said. “We have about two hours before we need to make our move. We should…”

Remus’s attention was already being dragged away by a young man who seemed to be providing guests with food. “I’m going to go ‘mingle’,” he said, winking.

“No!” Janus hissed. “Re- Richard! No!”

Yet, he was already disappearing into the horde of stinky bodies, likely to go scandalize a bunch of rich folks, and leaving Janus alone. Janus mumbled a curse under his breath that he was sure no one around him would understand even if they could make it out.

 Unsure what to do with himself, he wandered over towards where the live musicians were playing jazz music, being sure to keep out of the way of the dancers. He was edging around the makeshift dancefloor, when one of said dancers must have misstepped and knocked into another one. The second man stumbled right towards Janus, arms pinwheeling. Janus reached out on instinct to catch the man as he fell.

There was a moment where the two of them just stared at each other, surprise evident on the other man’s face. He was wearing a mask that just covered the area around his eyes and the top of his nose, revealing a smattering of freckles across his cheeks that Janus imagined extended to his nose.

 The mask was a light blue velvet with a flower stuck on the side near his right ear, and a trail of curled golden ribbon bobbed down around his chin. The party continued on around them, a blur of movement and sound.

“Are you alright?” Janus asked.

The man blinked up at him and then tilted his head slightly to the side as though confused, before a smile slowly grew on his face. “Oh, I’m fine Dove.”

“Dove?” Janus asked.

He giggled. “You have dove feathers on your mask,” he explained, reaching up a hand to touch one. His finger brushed the tip of Janus’s ear, “and I don’t know what else I am supposed to call you.”

 “My name is Lee,” he automatically lied.

“Is it?” he asked, sounding amused. “Doesn’t seem to fit you well. I like Dove better.”

“Oh?” asked Janus. “And what’s your name so I can not call you that?”

The man chuckled. “Call me Pat.”

“Hello Pat,” Janus said.

“I thought you didn’t want to call me by my name.”

“I changed my mind.”

“Hmmm,” Pat said, finger tracing idly across Janus’s forearm which was when Janus realized with a start that he was still holding the man in his arms. He quickly went to release him, which Pat allowed with clear amusement.

 Yet, instead of completely stepping away, Pat grabbed Janus’s arm. “What are you doing all the way over here by the way?” he asked. “Don’t you want to dance.”

“Oh,” Janus hesitated. “I don’t really dance.” Or at least not in the way the people around him were. He’d had basic training for this style, but it had been a while and he was a bit rusty.

“Everyone dances Dove,” Pat claimed. “At least if they know the steps and have the right partner.”

“But I don’t know the steps,” Janus said with an eyebrow raise.

He hummed. “Well, I know the dance pretty well by this point,” Pat said. “Why don’t I teach you how it goes.”

 He was agreeing with the soft beseeching tone before he even realized it. Pat pulled him into the middle of the throng of people. He seemed to think, bopping his head to the music playing for a moment, before looking back at Janus. “Heard of James Johnson?”

Janus inclined his head.

“Well, have you heard his new song? Because there’s a dance that goes with it.”

He took a few steps away from Janus and started to dance. Despite his claim to know the steps, he wasn’t particularly good, but he made up for any loss of rhythm with pure enthusiasm.

 Janus found himself smiling at the man, and after a few moments, joined in with the dance. Despite his lack of practice, he ended up having a better natural rhythm than Pat. Pat didn’t seem to mind that he was being outperformed, however. On the contrary, he giggled at himself the couple of times he stumbled.

When he fell into Janus’s arms for the second time that night, Janus decided he’d probably had enough dancing for the moment and pulled him off to the side to get something to drink and cool down a bit.

He watched the man take a snack and some punch from one of servers and thank him happily before turning back to Janus. Pat was easily able to keep Janus’s attention as they chatted. He was bubbly and soft, and Janus found himself enchanted as they talked.

 He was explaining the steps of a different dance, a couples one. “Knowing how to perform the tango will entrance any girl you want,” Pat said, something mischievous sparkling in his eyes. “Assuming you’re that type of fella.”

“As opposed to what?” Janus asked.

Pat leaned in a bit closer. Not too much, but enough that he was definitely in Janus’s space. “A different type of fella,” he said simply, before smiling and leaning back.

Janus let out a shaky exhale and took a sip of punch. He glanced over at Pat. “Tell me about yourself, Pat,” he said.

Pat hummed in contemplation. “Well, I went to France recently.”

 “You did?”

“Oui, c'était amusant, mais j'ai eu des ennuis”

“What kind of trouble?” Janus asked curiously.

“Oh, the kind with a pretty boy and crepes that were way too sweet. Anyway,” he continued. “Other than that, I mostly help out my friend. He’s an inventor.”

“And how do you help him.”

He shrugged, “Running errands mostly, and making sure he gets enough sleep, because otherwise he gets distracted and forgets. And you?”

“I’m a banker,” he said, remembering his cover, but felt compelled to add, “but I like to travel as well.”

“You do look the type?”

“And how is that?”

   Pat shrugged. “I can always tell a wandering spirt from the masses, and you are easy to spot.” Pat looked at him then with a secret smile on his face, and Janus felt suddenly known, like the man in front of him had known him for years even though they’d only just met. Looking at him then, he wanted suddenly for that to be fact and not a flight of fancy.

He was brought firmly back to reality in the next moment. “Lee,” a pointed and familiar voice said. Janus’s head snapped up to see Remus, staring at him. He tapped his wrist. Janus glanced at his own wrist: 10:58pm. He just barely managed not to curse.

 “I,” he said looking up at Pat. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”

“That’s okay,” Pat said easily. “It is getting rather late.”

“Yes,” Janus agreed. “Well… goodbye.”

Pat, titled his head, a half smile on his face. “I’ll be seeing you around.”

Janus nodded, and turned away from him towards Remus. He didn’t look back as they excited the ballroom. They snuck into a small side closet for coats that wasn’t being used as it was summer.

“So,” Remus said when the door closed behind them.

“Don’t,” warned Janus.

“I’m not one to judge,” Remus said.

“Shut up.” He glanced at his watch. It was 11:02. “We’ll go in 5.”

 “I have to give it to you. He was very cute.”

“We’re not talking about it.”

Remus just laughed joyfully, and Janus did his best to halt the blood rushing to his cheeks.

At 11:07, well into their window, they slipped back out of the closet, and towards the stairs as the party raged on.

Despite how Remus usually never shut up, he was able to be quiet when it counted. They snuck to the master bedroom of the home’s owners in silence. The door was already wide open by the time they got there, and Janus didn’t think anything of it. At least, he didn’t until they entered the bedroom, and there was someone already there.

 He turned from the dresser he’d been standing in front of to face them, sending Janus the same smile he had down in the ballroom. Janus and Remus both froze. “Sorry, sweetie,” Pat said. “Were you here for this too?” he held up the necklace they’d been sent for. He closed his fist around the charm made out of time travel tech.

“What?” Janus said.

Pat giggled and winked. “Unfortunately, I need it a bit more than you at the moment. So, I’m gonna have to go.” Janus stepped forward, not really sure what he was intending to do, but Pat just smiled. “See you some other time, my Turtle Dove.” With a snap of his fingers and loud crack, he disappeared. The mask he’d been wearing fluttered to the ground.

  Arc I: Finding Cinderella

Chapter 4

Janus was frozen in surprise for a few long moments after Pat disappeared. Which had been, admittedly, his mistake, because, while their window had technically been until 11:17pm and it was only 11:10, the loud crack that whatever Pat had been using for time travel made, garnered the attention of someone else.

“Uh oh,” Remus said, likely hearing footsteps. “Hide.”

That snapped Janus into action, but instead of hiding immediately like a sensible human being, he chose to go for the only link to the man who’d just stolen time travel tech and waltzed away, the mask.

Which was why he ended up getting arrested.

 Remy tsked the moment they were all alone in the police car having come to ‘transfer Lee to another facility.’ Remus was already waiting in the front seat, and flashed Janus a smug smile. If Janus wasn’t still handcuffed, he’d slap him.

“Well,” Remy said. “At least you didn’t shoot anybody like I asked. I was joking by the way. I didn’t really want to pick you up from a 1920s police station period.”

“It wasn’t my fault.”

“Mmm, nah, ‘cause Remus managed to not get arrested this time, so you defiantly screwed something up.”

“Oh, he defiantly wanted to screw something all right,” Remus said joyfully.

 “Remus,” Janus hissed.

“What?” he asked. “I’m not the horny one for once. Well, no, that’s a lie, but it didn’t affect the job this time.”

Janus groaned and leaned his head back against the seat.

Remy pulled into a seemingly random garage around 20 minutes later. “Alright,” he said. “Here we are.” He got out of the car and then helped Janus out before uncuffing him. “Here’s your ‘watch,’” Remy handed him the timepiece that had been confiscated when he’d been arrested.

Janus put it on and activated it. “Shit,” he said.

“What?” Remus asked.

“An appointment with cultural outreach has already been downloaded to my calendar for once we get out of decon.”

 “Oof. Going to baby jail,” Remy laughed. Remus was cackling.

“This,” Janus said, “was not a cultural faux pas. I did nothing that indicated that I was not from this time. I am not some rookie.”

“Don’t forget cell phones don’t exist in the 1920s,” Remus sang.

“The real question is whether or not my foot exists in your…” Remus disappeared before he could finish, a smirk on his face. Janus growled. “By Remy,” he gritted out. He selected the decontamination chamber from his queue, ignoring the appointment that came after it for now.

He knew exactly where Remus would be standing when he landed, which was why he stepped forward on reentry to ram into him.

 He yelped in surprise. “Sorry,” Janus said pleasantly. “I must have also forgotten landing procedures.

Remus laughed good naturally. “Aw, come on Jay,” he said, bumping Janus back, albeit much gentler than Janus had been. “It’s not a big deal. You just go talk with some crusty old college professor who is far too interested in spoons and then everything’s fine.”

“It’s the principle of the thing,” he growled. “They’re treating me like I’m an idiot who accidently invented disco in the 1920s when I was conned by some free agent time traveler.”

“‘Conned,’ Remus said. Is that what they’re calling it now?”

 “I know where and when you live Remus,” Janus said.

Remus gave him a dopey smile as the decontamination cycle finished and the door unlocked. Janus’s wrist buzzed telling him that the coordinates to the cultural outreach office were now unlocked. Instead of pulling them up, Janus walked to the door.

“Um,” Remus said, following him. “Aren’t you supposed to be going to your appointment?” Janus just kept walking towards their office. “Uh… Jan?”

“It’s absolutely ridiculous that I have to go to cultural outreach,” Janus said. “In fact, no one can make me. If they want me to go have a discussion about the definition of ‘bushwa,’ they’re going to have to have me dragged there.”

 “Mmm, I feel like The Boss won’t be too happy about that, and I have a feeling she’d be 100% down to dragging you there herself.”

“Well, then, let her,” Janus said, stalking through the door to his office. “I’m not going to…”

“Ah, Agent Picani,” the woman standing next to his desk, clearly waiting for him, said when he came through the door. “Dr. Picani was informed that there were complications with your last mission and wishes to have a conversation with you and asks that you meet him in his office at the AMO.”

“Oh, um,” Janus said, stumbling a bit before plastering on a regretful half smile. “Unfortunately, I actually have an appointment right now at Cultural Outreach. It’s mandatory and very important, and I have to go now. So, I’ll have to take a raincheck on that.”

 “But-” she started, frowning.

“Remus, work on the report!” Janus said quickly as he waved his hand to bring up his timepiece display and jammed his finger at the glowing appointment card in his queue. A few moments later, Janus was at Cultural Outreach.

Cultural Outreach was not part of the TPI, though it often worked very closely with them. It was a collaboration between the government and multiple universities to help government workers, politicians, and other citizens understand and bridge cultural gaps. It had existed before time travel was invented but had expanded to also teach people who needed to time travel how to behave in unfamiliar times and cultures.

 After it had to be expanded to provide for the TPI, it had been moved to Silver Mountains University. The building had once just been a museum, but it had been thoroughly renovated and there had been add-ons for office space and some classrooms. It was still a museum, however, its purpose had expanded greatly and there were many areas that were off limits to the general public.

One of these areas was the fourth floor, where Janus’s timepiece had dumped him. This was the floor that was almost exclusively for TPI agents and staff of Cultural Outreach who worked with them.

 He immediately turned away from the reception area, hoping that he could escape and go sit on the university’s quad or something of the like for the next hour or so in hopes the woman his brother sent to fetch him would give up and go back to the AMO. Yet, the receptionist apparently saw him.

“Janus Picani?” he asked.

Janus grimaced and turned back towards him. “Yes,” he said.

“Is something wrong?” he asked. “You’re 5 minutes late for your appointment and seem disoriented.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Is your timepiece malfunctioning?”

“No.”

“Uh… okay. Well, if you sign in here, I can take you to your appointment.”

“…Fine.”

 He begrudgingly stepped forward and touched the screen he’d gestured to sign with his fingerprint, and then let the man lead him down the hall.

The door they stopped at was propped open slightly, but he still paused and knocked. “Professor Eran? Your 2:30 is here.”

Janus had just a moment upon hearing the name to think that maybe there was actually some sort of intelligent design of the universe and whatever being of ultimate power had crafted it was a dick.

The door opened and Virgil Eran’s eyes immediately narrowed on him. “Janus.”

“Virgil.”

“I see you’re still late for everything.”

“I see you’re still a bastard.”

 Janus saw the receptionist slowly back away in the direction they’d come.

“Why don’t you come in?” Virgil said faux pleasantly.

Janus did, because he really didn’t have much of a choice at this point unless he wanted to jump out of a window… or push someone out of a window.

Virgil turned back into his office and took a seat behind his desk. Janus unhappily followed him in and sat across from him.

He took his time pulling up whatever the TPI sent him and reading it over. “So, I see you failed your recovery mission and were arrested in 1923.”

 “It wasn’t like that,” Janus said. “I shouldn’t be here.”

Virgil gave him that same suspicious look he used to give Janus whenever Janus claimed to have not eaten his hot pockets out of the freezer in the middle of the night. He’d only been lying 80% of the time. Virgil had a tendency to forget what he’d eaten in a half-conscious state at 3 o’clock in the morning.

“I shouldn’t,” Janus snapped defensively. “Nothing went wrong with anyone from the time period. An illegal time traveler screwed up the mission details.”

“Well, it is still protocol to make sure nothing slipped when agents go off script. You weren’t prepared to be in a jail cell, and it is possible that you screwed something up.”

 “I didn’t screw anything up,” Janus growled.

“Alright,” Virgil said pulling up a document on his desk. “The mission started on July 27th, 1923 at 9:58pm, correct?”

“Oh, god, we’re not really going to fill out a time sheet. I don’t have time for that today.”

“It is protocol and best that the information is documented when it is still fresh in your mind. Besides, your schedule has been cleared for the rest of the workday.” The bastard was enjoying this. He knew how much Janus hated this stuff.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Janus said, “it was the damned illicit time traveler.”

“And I will be the judge of that,” Virgil said. Janus should have just bit the bullet and had coffee with his brother. “If you truly did nothing wrong, your supervisor will see that when I send this to her.”

 Yet, despite the fact that Virgil clearly relished in his suffering, he was charitable enough to do most of the actual filling out of the forms. He’d read out the questions and write down what Janus said instead of making him do it himself. Janus really only had to do a quick quality check and sign it at the end.

He still was an asshole about the details, but really he’d been like that about stupid thing like the settings for the dish washer and how the pantry was organized during their college days before they’d had their falling out, so Janus wasn’t particularly surprised. When they were finally done, Virgil sent it off to get filed by the TPI.

 Then, they were left staring at each other with nothing between them but almost a decade of radio silence and a whole lot of awkwardness.

“I should go,” Janus finally said, standing up.

Virgil tilted his head slightly to the side and gave him a half smile. “Don’t lock the door behind you,” he said. “Not that I’d expect you too.”

Janus took it for the clear attempt at a joke it was intended to be and puffed out a breath of amusement with a head shake. “No risk of that,” he said. Then, he turned and walked out of the office.

 Chapter 5

Janus stepped back into the reception area and booted up his time piece. Instinct said to go back to the office despite the fact that it was late enough that most people had gone home, but he hesitated. Surely Emile had given up by now, but considering he’d sent someone to ambush him in his office, Janus wasn’t sure if he should trust that. He could just go home, but he already knew his mind was racing too much to sleep tonight so he’d probably just end up staring at the lake for the next 6 hours. So, he decided on the only other legitimate option he had. He pulled up Remus’s home coordinates and selected.

 The home that Remus had chosen (after his long line of rejected requests) managed to somehow make no and absolute sense simultaneously to anyone who knew him. It was a small farm in the United States just west of the Mississippi in 1842 in what would be ratified as the state of Iowa in a few years. When asked why he would choose that time and place, Remus always responded with “I thought it was funny,” whatever that meant.

Unlike most time agents who simply used the identities assigned to them by the AMO as a cover, Remus actually lived his part time.

 Janus was… fairly certain he was cheating a bit to get everything done, but he maintained his small farm all on his own, growing most of his own food. The neighbors he had lived very far away, but he still spoke with them far more than Janus did his own.

Janus appeared inside the small home, his eyes already shut. “Are you hear and dressed?” Janus called. Something bumped lightly into his legs.

“I’m in the kitchen!”

Janus peaked his eyes open and squatted to pet the cat at his feet. “That doesn’t answer my question!” he called back to Remus.

 “It’s a surprise!” Remus said.

“Remus.” Diesel Fuel the cat flopped to her side on the ground as Janus continued to pet her ears. He heard Remus’s footsteps, and saw cloth covering his legs, so risked looking up. He was currently not only dressed, but wearing an apron that Janus was fairly sure was not time appropriate judging by the fabric and cat pawprint design. He had a bit of flour on his hands, and it may have been a bit too white for the time and place, but Janus couldn’t be completely sure.

“What’re you doing here?” Remus asked.

 “My day has been an endless series of frustrations,” Janus said. “So, I have come to see the only tolerable being in the history of the universe.”

Remus snorted. “Since I know that isn’t me, I’ll assume you’re talking about the cat.”

“I still don’t understand why you tolerate this creature,” Janus addressed Diesel Fuel. She blinked slowly up at him. “To be fair, he was assigned as my partner. I didn’t have much of a choice in it. You could go always run away and become feral in the woods if you’d like.”

“So could you, technically,” Remus pointed out.

“I’m thinking about it after today.”

 “Would you like some bread?” Remus asked. “That’s all I’ve been making this afternoon. Some fresh should be coming out of the oven in a few minutes.”

“Do you have anything stronger made out of wheat?”

“Ew, no, but I do have vodka.”

“Vodka works.”

“Want me to mix it with something?”

“No.”

“One of those night then,” Remus said, easily. “Let me finish up the bread, so I don’t burn the kitchen down. You can go get the alcohol from the cellar while you wait if you want, or you can just flop down on the couch.”

He was going to just flop down on the couch.

 He did just that as Remus disappeared back into his kitchen. The cat hopped onto his stomach, proceeding to purr loudly and kneed at chest. Janus petted the cat and listened to the noise of Remus moving around in the other room, letting his mind drift. His mind drifted to Virgil for a bit and he steadfastly did not allow it to drift to his brother. Yet, the thing that most was on his mind was the strange man who had flirted and charmed Janus all night before mercilessly screwing him over. ‘Pat’ he’d said his name was, but surely that was not his real name.

 Janus sighed and scratched the cat’s ear. “He certainly wasn’t an amateur,” Janus mused to the cat. “With that amount of precision to get in before we did, he must have someone not on the ground feeding him information. Perhaps more than one.” He was part of a group of time traveling thieves perhaps or something worse. “I didn’t get a good look at his face since he was wearing a mask,” Janus said, “but I spent a lot of time with him, and I’m sure Remy swiped the mask from the police since it had been on me when I was arrested. It’s a good lead.”

 He continued to pet Diesel Fuel. Eventually, Remus came back in, noticed Janus hadn’t bothered to get the alcohol and went outside to the cellar. “I’m going to find him,” Janus told Diesel Fuel. “I’ll stop whatever it is he’s doing, and I’ll bring him in.” Diesel Fuel mewed her support, and Janus patted her on top of the head.

Remus came back in with the bottle of vodka and handed it to him without a word. He sat down on the couch near Janus’s feet and patted his lap so Diesel Fuel would come over to him and allow Janus to sit up.

 The bastard waited until he was approximately 3 shots in (he didn’t have a shot glass and was just taking drinks from the bottle) to ask the questions Janus really didn’t want to answer. “Are you mad at Emile?” Remus asked.

Janus groaned, trying to wash out the bitter taste of shame and grief with the sharp sting of vodka. It didn’t work. “No,” he said to Remus.

“Then why have you been avoiding him?”

“Shit, I’m here because I didn’t want to think about it. Can’t we just not.”

“Don’t want to think about what?

“It’s none of your business, Remus.”

 He could feel Remus frowning at him, but Janus stared resolutely ahead. At least, he did until a foot poked his face. He slapped it away, but it did the job of getting Janus to look at Remus.

“It is my business,” Remus said, foot still in the air. “I’m your partner and your friend.”

“If I’m your friend, you’ll drop it.”

“So, you’re not mad at Emile,” Remus continued, contemplatively. “Did you do something to him, then?” Janus bit his lip and looked away. “What?” Remus asked. Janus didn’t respond. “Look, I’m sure he’ll forgive you for whatever it is. He’s a good guy. Just talk to him about it.”

 “I can’t,” Janus said.

“Whatever it is, it’s probably been long enough that he forgives you. You literally just have to have a conversation, say you’re sorry, and everything will be A-OK.”

“I can’t,” Janus repeated.

“Why not?”

“He doesn’t know about it.”

Remus paused. “So, as far as he knows, you just cut contact with him all of a sudden for no reason and have been avoiding him ever since?”

Janus looked at his shoes. “Yeah.”

“That…” Remus said, “is not fucking fair Janus.”

“I know.”

“Then why the hell are you doing that to him? He’s like… soft and feeling-y. He’s probably really upset.”

 “I know, Remus.”

“Tell him. Whatever it is.”

“I can’t.”

“Look,” Remus said. “You tell him and he either forgives you or he doesn’t. If he does, everything’s fine. If he doesn’t… well, it’s not like it would be any different from you two never being in the same room the last few years. Either way, you can’t just do this to him. He’ll probably forgive you. He’s your brother. Brothers don’t… brothers would forgive each other.”

Janus laughed softly and met Remus’s eyes. “That’s the problem,” he said. “He’d definitely forgive me.” He turned away and opened the vodka bottle again. “Now, if you’ll shut up for a few minutes, I’m going to drink until I black out.”

 Chapter 6

“Really, Khalid,” Janus said, storming into his boss’s office. “A yellow?” It had been about a week since the 1920s incident, and his incident report had finally been cleared. Sure, it wasn’t a red or a black and he wasn’t facing any reprimand, but it should have been a green.

She looked up at him, clearly unconcerned. “There was an incident,” she said. “You handled it well, but there was one. Therefore, yellow.”

“It wasn’t a time travel incident! It was a rouge time traveler.”

“Janus, you helped me make these rules,” she said impatiently.

“Which is why I know this is bullshit,” he snapped.

 She rolled her eyes. “If it was anyone else, you would agree with me. While you didn’t go against protocol and had no time related incidents, the fact of the matter is, you were still distracted by this ‘rouge time traveler,’ didn’t complete your mission, and were arrested.”

“He was good,” Janus said. “You can’t fault me for that. He also could be dangerous and you’re busy handing out yellows instead of working to track him down.”

She raised an eyebrow. “We are working on tracking him down,” she said. “We have done an analysis on the mask and found fibers dating to the 2010s and some DNA. Though it isn’t exactly a high priority.”

 “We have no idea who he is or what he’s planning to do. Why is that not a high priority thing?”

“At the moment?” she asked. “Because we have reports of a time bomb being activated.”

“What?” Janus asked sitting up. “When?”

“New Years Eve going into the year 3,000 in Brazil,” she said. “Which you’d know about if you’d bothered to check your integration port this morning before storming into my office.”

“It’s my mission?” Janus asked.

“The incident investigation is over and your active again despite the dreaded yellow,” she said, clearly making fun of him a bit. “So, yes, and it’s a high priority mission, so I’ll be running it.”

 “Who all is going?” he asked.

“Other than the two of us, Remus, Lena, and Fred,” she told him. “We leave in three hours, so, you might want to run off to Rhi before Fred gets to her and ties her up for an hour on details.”

Janus nodded and got to his feet. He turned back at the door. “I still don’t deserve the yellow,” he hissed.

She waved him off. “I’ll see you in a few hours, Picani.”

He ground his teeth a bit about the dismissal of his worries, but his resentment was slightly soothed by the fact that she’d assigned him to go on such a high priority mission and with only senior agents.

 He took the advice and grabbed Remus from the office, noting Lena hadn’t been able to wrangle Fred yet as she was still at her desk, and they both headed off to see Rhi.

A few hours later, they were all in decontamination together, decked out in truly god-awful costumes. The turn of the third millennia had been a wild event, and the best way to fit in was to look like you’d grabbed something from every century in recorded human history, dyed it in neon paint, and rolled around in a vat of glitter.

Remus had opted to stick his head in a vat of glow in the dark green paint that costuming had offered them, and it wasn’t even going to be slightly disruptive to their covertness.

 In fact, costuming had frowned when Janus had insisted he not get his hair dyed and instead wore a bowler hat. They had required him to have flowers made out of glitter on it.

There were five people waiting for them when they landed 6 hours before the turn of the millennia. Three were touchdown agents, including Remy, and two were on location tech support. Usually it would be overkill to have that many people there just for support even with five agents in the field, but today the TPI needed to be cautious because they were planning on instituting a time lock.

Time bombs were dangerous things that would ripple through time if not contained. Even if it did end up going off (killing everyone in its reach), the time lock would serve to prevent most damage outside of the city and, more importantly, the year it was planted.

 Janus had only been in two time locks before, and he was one of the most senior agents in the TPI, outranked only by the founder: Lia Khalid. Time locks were designed to keep all time linear in a certain fixed time and geographical area as well as prevent any time travel in and out. Once it was engaged, all forms of time travel would not work for the duration, bar the pin device. Khalid was already switching out her regular timepiece with the slightly bigger one that was designed to support the time lock.

There was a failsafe back at the TPI that could be engaged in an emergency, which was why tech support was here, but other than that, the only thing that could break the time lock was that timepiece, and it would break the moment the time lock ended.

 As soon as it was on Khalid’s wrist, she looked up at them all. “Our information says the time bomb was planted in the costume of one of the ‘Millennium Birds’ who are the organizers of the different events,” she said. Janus had seen a photo of the identical costumes in the mission details. They were all robe like garments with giant fans of feathers coming from the neck that coalesced in a peak a foot above their head to hold a fake bird egg. At least they’d be easy to find. “There are 25 of them throughout the city. We need to find each of them. So, we don’t double count, you’ll need to subtly,” her eyes touched on Remus, “scan each one you find for the bomb and tag them with a tracker if it’s not on them. You can view the already tagged ones, as well as the rest of us on your timepiece even once the time lock is engaged. When you find the bomb, call it in.”

 They all nodded, and Khalid looked over at one of the techies. She nodded at her and then the techie flipped a couple of switches. “Three, two, one,” the techie said. There was a slight shift in the air that most people would disregard, but Janus as a seasoned time traveler could feel the change even before his wrist buzzed. He glanced at his timepiece to see it had a big red ‘X’ across its display. He tapped it and was still able to bring up the map of the city with 10 green dots on it all clustered together in their current location.

 After that, he tested the scanner on his timepiece that he would use to search for the bomb, just to make sure the time lock hadn’t messed anything up with his equipment. He glanced up to see everyone else was doing the same.

“Keep in contact,” Khalid said before everyone split up. Janus and Remus started by going North while Fredrick and Darlene were to go South. Khalid was a floater who would tag any Birds she saw but was mostly there for backup and orders.

Janus and Remus stepped into the chaos of New Years Eve before the turn of the third millennia. The streets were already swamped with people and it would only be getting worse the later it go.

“Where should we start?” Remus asked.

 “Let’s go all the way North to the games area,” Janus said. “We can work our way back here.”

“Okay!” Remus said. “I wonder if they have those fun little genetically modified goldfish as prizes. I’ve always wanted to eat one and see if I end up getting whatever design was on the fish on my body.”

Janus gave him a disgusted look.

“What?! People eat fish all the time!”

Janus shook his head. “We’re not playing the games anyway. We have work to do. Important work.”

“Boo,” Remus replied. Janus chose to ignore him as he spotted one of the Millenia Birds letting people into the gaming area.

 They walked over towards the entrance. Janus got in range first and moved to subtly scan the Millenia Bird, Remus doing the same the next moment. After a second, Janus’s timepiece buzzed and lit up red, meaning the bomb was within range. “Well, that was easy,” he said. “It was on the first one we found.”

“Uh…” Remus said. “Jan.” When Janus looked, he was holding up his wrist to show his green lit time piece.

“What?” Janus asked. He quickly moved to rescan the Millenia Bird, and his timepiece came up green as well. Which, meant the bomb was not in range, even though the Millenia Bird had not moved. “But…” He and Remus’s eyes met, and they quickly both started turning in a circle to look at the crowd around him. No one looked like they’d just stolen a time bomb off the Millennial Bird, but then Janus’s eyes caught on a man. He blended in perfectly to his surroundings. He was wearing the disgusting garb of the times, a large light blue piece that bubbled near his hips, and had most of his skin covered in rainbow neon paints. Yet, something about him, the curl of his hair or the way he moved, drew Janus’s eyes to him. He recognized the man immediately even in a completely different dressing style. Yet, what cinched it was the moment Janus’s eyes met his and they seemed to sparkle slightly in the afternoon sun. The next moment, the person Janus knew as Pat, turned to disappear into the crowd.

 Chapter 7

“Him,” was the only thing Janus said before taking off after the figure who had just disappeared into the game area.

“What?” Remus’s voice followed after him. “Janus! What?!”

Janus did not pause, just continuing to run after Pat, hopping over two barricades as a shortcut. Janus cursed when he lost sight of the man for just a moment near the prize table filled with colorful goldfish, but he was able to spot him once again walking into one of the tents. Janus blasted into the tent. It was a game where they raced rats, and when Janus entered, Pat was cooing at one of them.

 “Who’s a tiny little squishy precious baby?” he was asking one of them, wiggling his pointer finger at it.

“You,” Janus growled stepping up to him.

He turned and tilted his head at Janus with a frown. “Um, me?” he asked, pointing to his chest, all sorts of innocent, but Janus could see a spot of hidden amusement in his eyes.

“Where is it?”

His eyebrows drew together, but it was an act. It was clearly an act! “Where is what?”

“The…” he glanced around them at the people surrounding them. “Thing you just took.”

“I didn’t take anything,” Pat said with a frown.

9794

“Oh, no,” Janus said. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fooling me twice is not an option.”

“I’m sorry sir,” Pat said. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Bull. Shit.”

Just then, Remus jogged into the tent. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“It’s him,” Janus said pointing. “He took it. He has it.”

“I… don’t know what you’re talking about,” Patton said. He looked over to Remus with a confused frown.

Remus looked at Janus. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Janus said. “It’s him. It has to be him. He’s the mask guy.”

Remus squinted at Pat. “He is?”

“Whoever you think I am, I’m not. I haven’t worn a mask all night. I just did the face paint,” he pointed to his cheeks.