Codeine blunt dry
Two Months Later
2024.05.14 03:14 ChrisChris10-l Two Months Later
https://www.reddit.com/GriefSupport/comments/1bykm11/anaia/
https://www.reddit.com/GriefSupport/comments/1bxzqi4/siste
About a month ago, I posted two separate posts on this subreddit about my younger sister, Anaia, who passed away on March 17th, 2024. In one post I gave photos, and in the other I wrote about her addiction, but I don't think I've really talked about myself.
It has been nearly two months since my little sister passed away, and I wouldn't describe it as grueling or depressing, just unusual. On April 22nd, it was confirmed to my family that Anaia died as a result of fentanyl toxicity, which was the reason I always assumed but to have it confirmed was very depressing. Yesterday, I went to my grandmother's house and there were a few copies of Anaia's death certificate, in the onset interval to death section, I said minutes. When talking to my mother (me and my parents talk all the time, my dad sits in my room and plays games while we talk about Anaia or something random, and me and my mother will talk about random things as well as Anaia too.), she told me her perspective of that morning. Long story short, around 11:45AM, I woke up to my mother screaming my sister's name and she soon realized she was unresponsive, me and my father woke up soon after and I called 911, and that's the short version. I assumed my sister was in her covers sleeping and fentanyl overrid her system, but no, my mom told me that when she walked into Anaia's room, she was laid flat out on top of all of her covers, arms outstretched to the side. Learning that was a major shock to me, and I'll explain why.
Sure, Anaia's death was nearly instant. But hearing the details of what my mom said really drove him that once it happened, it didn't matter whether we went into there at the right time or later, there was likely nothing that could've been done. From my understanding, it was almost as if she was up one second and collapsed the next. There was dried vomit on clothes next to her bed, making me assume that after vomiting, she just collapsed instantly after and died. After calling 911, my mother demanded out of fear for me to help her perform CPR, and I didn't hesitate to do so. But, anyone in that situation could tell, with no details given, that there was nothing that could've been done. The typical signs of a deceased body were very present, and even I (doing the mouth resuscitation) knew that if I felt no air coming back onto me, and touching her neck didn't give a pulse, I quickly understood that this was it, like there was nothing me or my parents could've done. When the paramedics arrived at 12 exactly, it took them a minute or two for them to tell us that there was nothing to be done, and ultimately, Anaia had died long, long before we got to her. They said roughly 6-8 hours, meaning at the earliest 3am, and at the latest 5am. It's a disheartening fact for him, and even my father expressed to me too a few nights ago, but we wished that at least there was a chance for us to get to her beforehand. Maybe if he and I or my mom went into her room for no real reason in the middle of the night, we would've been able to save her. What really struck me when my dad was telling me that was him acknowledging that while he and my mom were watching TV, he couldn't bare to imagine that simultaneously Anaia was dying. I felt the same way, I was awake around 3-3:30AM, and if she died during that time, I was totally unaware scrolling through my phone.
I wish that there was something to be done. During her time alive, and when she started doing street dealt percocets, I warned her about fentanyl, and ultimately I wish she had heeded my warning and stayed off them when she did quit in December. I'm a sociable person, and I'm one of those people that have a wide different variety of groups and friends I hang out with, and I may not be in extracurricular activities but even those that are popular in my school know me. As a result of being so sociable, I know people that do drugs, and only a set few who do percocets, one of my closest friends used to be a heavy percocet user and I used to tell her as much as I did my sister to quit. My friend and my sister quit, but one returned and one didn't. One is still here, and one is not. It doesn't matter how many people I told not to do percocets, of course I would've wanted my sister to be the one to really listen to me. But ultimately, the person I wanted to save the most didn't make it. I've saved others, but with my sister, it almost made my words feel like nothing after she died. No matter however many times I told her to please find something less dangerous and more beneficial, to not risk her life, she kept using and lost her life. Said friend and two other friends of my sister (I know both of them) were also at some point active percocet users, and they told me that they felt it like it should've been them, seeing my mother made them see that that could've been their parents, their siblings, their friends and relatives, etc. I told them bluntly that it in fact could've been them in Anaia's position, I told them that just because Anaia's clock stopping running doesn't mean there's has to, they can avoid being in her position. Then it got me thinking, there's plenty of other people who overdose on purpose, who overdose 9 times, who overdose and suffer long term effects like paralyzation, but still remain. Anaia overdosed once, and that was the final time. I believe in God and Jesus but I'm not a preacher, I believe and keep it pushing but I'm not religiously based. I believe in the concept of everyone having a time and a date, but sometimes I find myself questioning that if that's the case, are we just here to live a predetermined fate that we have no control over? At the end of the day, was I meant to go through this? Thinking like that plagues my mind, but I settle for it being her time to go, as seeing other drug users made me wonder what they may be here to prove on earth that Anaia could not. I don't like questioning others' lives and why they get to live longer, that's not me, and I'm glad they've been granted more chances, it just sucks my sister wasn't granted that chance in the grand scheme of things. Predetermined or not, there was so much she could've lived for, but I believe there's a reason time can't be reversed, and there's many unexplained miracles that somehow eases me into thinking that I shouldn't throw myself into a hole of questioning why she didn't get a chance, and just accepting that her race ended earlier than mine. I believe things happen for a reason, it's an insensitive statement depending on the situation, but things happen for people to learn and grow from them, but no one really knows why. I've just had to come to the conclusion hat my sister is okay, she's safe, and I have no reason to continue to question her life and worry about her if she's not here with me anymore, you feel?
From a brother perspective, it sucks. It feels somewhat lonely, to live and breathe as an only child. I've become accustomed to being an older brother to a younger sister, but I turned 16 without her, and that's how it'll be for the rest of my life. At her visitation on March 30th, I didn't cry, but seeing her body just made me shake my head. She looked very nice, the funeral home did an amazing job, but it hit me that this was really her. There were distinct things I saw that she had in life that made me come to that conclusion that that was what was left my little sister, and at the funeral + burial the next day, watching her being lowered into the ground left my head empty. No thoughts, she watching as her casket covered in a white sheet was lowered into the ground, and that'd be it. I grew up with this person, and now I have to look down on this person and go through life without this amazing person. I never imagine something like this happening, especially not like this. I always wanted to die first because I was older, a thought I feared ever since I was a child. That didn't get to happen, and milestones man. She'll never get to graduate the year after me, never get to have that lovely relationship with that special one that she always wanted, she never got to be an aunt, a mom, nothing. One day, I hope to have children and I will tell them about Anaia, but do I wish they'd have been able to meet her if that time came. Everyday, I walk past her room, sometimes I go in there and sometimes I don't. Two weeks after her death, her mattress was taken out by me and my dad's friend, up until a few weeks ago, her room was left scattered the way it was when she died minus the mattress, and now, everything has been cleaned up. It's empty, and the emptiness is another reality check. I'll never see Anaia again, and in the potential next life I believe I will, but the fact I can't now is a hard concept to grasp. No more walking to the bus stop, no more barging into her room or vice versa, no more waiting forever for her to complete her makeup, no more random room hangouts, no more of her asking me to flash a light for her Instagram pictures for an excruciating ten minutes, none of them. Her physical presence is gone, I come home everyday and instantly the thought of her being gone hits me. Riding in the car with my parents, being at school, going out, it doesn't feel the same knowing in the back of my head she's gone, no matter how much fun I have. Regardless, I've returned to normal life, matter of fact, I started going to school every day instantly after the funeral, and during the two weeks of March 17th-March 31st, I showed up to school here and there. It didn't take a toll to do so, because I've accepted that though Anaia died, I'm still alive? I don't stop when she does, that'll have more of an effect. Life still goes on, time doesn't stop for no one no matter how much I may want it to. I honestly sit my current happiness at like a 6.5-7, higher than one may expect. I still have my parents, my friends, and all of my relatives, an important chunk is just missing but I still have my people. I only feel alone in the sibling aspect, but in reality, people make me happy everyday and still continue to. I joke how I've always joked, people have said I look much better than how I did initially, there's notable sadness on my face, but I look happier. If that's true, then I hope it stays that way. I still go out to these afterschool events, outside friend hangous, they bring joy. I just miss my sister 25/8, but I've learned to appreciate life just a little bit more now. If she's okay, I'm okay.
Lastly, I wanted to mention dreams. People say they have dreams of deceased loved ones all the time, I personally haven't yet, would like to, but until then that hasn't been the case. I'm not talking dreams with the person in them, I mean direct communication dreams. My mother has had two, my dad's friend has had one, and my close friend mentioned earlier has had one, but the one that sticks out the most is my little cousin's dream. My mom has a younger sister herself and in 2018, she had her first child, his nickname is JP. During 2021-2022, me and Anaia lived with my grandmother due to losing our apartment (our parents stayed separately at a grouphome my dad worked at, they work for my grandmother's company), and my aunt as well as JP stayed with my grandma. JP essentially became me and Anaia's little brother that we didn't have, and vice versa for him, he sees me and Anaia has his older siblings. Seeing him seem so heartbroken after Anaia died was very sad, as you can see written on this five-year-old's face that Anaia was someone who truly mattered to him and he was so sad about it. However, in his dream, Anaia came to him and told him she loved all of us, that she regretted not seeing him grow older, and that what happened to her was an accident. The part that got me was that Anaia told him that where she was was beautiful, he asked to see it, and she told him he couldn't see it yet. Kids just don't make things like that up in my opinion, and he worded it very detailed for a kindergartener, and JP is at the age where his words don't conflict with other things he's said, he's consistent with it and he tells me the same thing he told me the first time when I ask him here and then. He can see it one day, but he can't see it, not yet. What that tells me is that if life is so hard, death must be so beautiful afterwards, and that there is an afterlife. Even if I believed in a separate religion, or if my current religion isn't the truth, I will always believe in an afterlife. I refuse to believe that this world is it, and kids just don't pull stuff out their butt in a serious situation. I believe him. If that's the case, then I'll gladly wait. It doesn't matter how many people die during my lifetime, whatever remains of it, and how many new people I might meet in my life. If my hope of living to elder age and I meet someone and create a family, and even if said wife and or children die before me if that plan does happen, there's only one person I wish to greet me. I hear that people see a loved one before they die, and I hope Anaia is the one that comes to see me when it's all over. Forever, no matter who else passes before me, Anaia's will stay the worst, the most impactful, and that's a strong statement to make but I'm sure of that. I have plenty of goals I have for myself, but my end goal once the others are done is to get past 70, pass peacefully, and have my sister wait for me there. I hope that wouldn't be much to ask for.
That's it.
submitted by ChrisChris10-l to GriefSupport [link] [comments]
https://www.reddit.com/GriefSupport/comments/1bxzqi4/siste
It has been nearly two months since my little sister passed away, and I wouldn't describe it as grueling or depressing, just unusual. On April 22nd, it was confirmed to my family that Anaia died as a result of fentanyl toxicity, which was the reason I always assumed but to have it confirmed was very depressing. Yesterday, I went to my grandmother's house and there were a few copies of Anaia's death certificate, in the onset interval to death section, I said minutes. When talking to my mother (me and my parents talk all the time, my dad sits in my room and plays games while we talk about Anaia or something random, and me and my mother will talk about random things as well as Anaia too.), she told me her perspective of that morning. Long story short, around 11:45AM, I woke up to my mother screaming my sister's name and she soon realized she was unresponsive, me and my father woke up soon after and I called 911, and that's the short version. I assumed my sister was in her covers sleeping and fentanyl overrid her system, but no, my mom told me that when she walked into Anaia's room, she was laid flat out on top of all of her covers, arms outstretched to the side. Learning that was a major shock to me, and I'll explain why.
Sure, Anaia's death was nearly instant. But hearing the details of what my mom said really drove him that once it happened, it didn't matter whether we went into there at the right time or later, there was likely nothing that could've been done. From my understanding, it was almost as if she was up one second and collapsed the next. There was dried vomit on clothes next to her bed, making me assume that after vomiting, she just collapsed instantly after and died. After calling 911, my mother demanded out of fear for me to help her perform CPR, and I didn't hesitate to do so. But, anyone in that situation could tell, with no details given, that there was nothing that could've been done. The typical signs of a deceased body were very present, and even I (doing the mouth resuscitation) knew that if I felt no air coming back onto me, and touching her neck didn't give a pulse, I quickly understood that this was it, like there was nothing me or my parents could've done. When the paramedics arrived at 12 exactly, it took them a minute or two for them to tell us that there was nothing to be done, and ultimately, Anaia had died long, long before we got to her. They said roughly 6-8 hours, meaning at the earliest 3am, and at the latest 5am. It's a disheartening fact for him, and even my father expressed to me too a few nights ago, but we wished that at least there was a chance for us to get to her beforehand. Maybe if he and I or my mom went into her room for no real reason in the middle of the night, we would've been able to save her. What really struck me when my dad was telling me that was him acknowledging that while he and my mom were watching TV, he couldn't bare to imagine that simultaneously Anaia was dying. I felt the same way, I was awake around 3-3:30AM, and if she died during that time, I was totally unaware scrolling through my phone.
I wish that there was something to be done. During her time alive, and when she started doing street dealt percocets, I warned her about fentanyl, and ultimately I wish she had heeded my warning and stayed off them when she did quit in December. I'm a sociable person, and I'm one of those people that have a wide different variety of groups and friends I hang out with, and I may not be in extracurricular activities but even those that are popular in my school know me. As a result of being so sociable, I know people that do drugs, and only a set few who do percocets, one of my closest friends used to be a heavy percocet user and I used to tell her as much as I did my sister to quit. My friend and my sister quit, but one returned and one didn't. One is still here, and one is not. It doesn't matter how many people I told not to do percocets, of course I would've wanted my sister to be the one to really listen to me. But ultimately, the person I wanted to save the most didn't make it. I've saved others, but with my sister, it almost made my words feel like nothing after she died. No matter however many times I told her to please find something less dangerous and more beneficial, to not risk her life, she kept using and lost her life. Said friend and two other friends of my sister (I know both of them) were also at some point active percocet users, and they told me that they felt it like it should've been them, seeing my mother made them see that that could've been their parents, their siblings, their friends and relatives, etc. I told them bluntly that it in fact could've been them in Anaia's position, I told them that just because Anaia's clock stopping running doesn't mean there's has to, they can avoid being in her position. Then it got me thinking, there's plenty of other people who overdose on purpose, who overdose 9 times, who overdose and suffer long term effects like paralyzation, but still remain. Anaia overdosed once, and that was the final time. I believe in God and Jesus but I'm not a preacher, I believe and keep it pushing but I'm not religiously based. I believe in the concept of everyone having a time and a date, but sometimes I find myself questioning that if that's the case, are we just here to live a predetermined fate that we have no control over? At the end of the day, was I meant to go through this? Thinking like that plagues my mind, but I settle for it being her time to go, as seeing other drug users made me wonder what they may be here to prove on earth that Anaia could not. I don't like questioning others' lives and why they get to live longer, that's not me, and I'm glad they've been granted more chances, it just sucks my sister wasn't granted that chance in the grand scheme of things. Predetermined or not, there was so much she could've lived for, but I believe there's a reason time can't be reversed, and there's many unexplained miracles that somehow eases me into thinking that I shouldn't throw myself into a hole of questioning why she didn't get a chance, and just accepting that her race ended earlier than mine. I believe things happen for a reason, it's an insensitive statement depending on the situation, but things happen for people to learn and grow from them, but no one really knows why. I've just had to come to the conclusion hat my sister is okay, she's safe, and I have no reason to continue to question her life and worry about her if she's not here with me anymore, you feel?
From a brother perspective, it sucks. It feels somewhat lonely, to live and breathe as an only child. I've become accustomed to being an older brother to a younger sister, but I turned 16 without her, and that's how it'll be for the rest of my life. At her visitation on March 30th, I didn't cry, but seeing her body just made me shake my head. She looked very nice, the funeral home did an amazing job, but it hit me that this was really her. There were distinct things I saw that she had in life that made me come to that conclusion that that was what was left my little sister, and at the funeral + burial the next day, watching her being lowered into the ground left my head empty. No thoughts, she watching as her casket covered in a white sheet was lowered into the ground, and that'd be it. I grew up with this person, and now I have to look down on this person and go through life without this amazing person. I never imagine something like this happening, especially not like this. I always wanted to die first because I was older, a thought I feared ever since I was a child. That didn't get to happen, and milestones man. She'll never get to graduate the year after me, never get to have that lovely relationship with that special one that she always wanted, she never got to be an aunt, a mom, nothing. One day, I hope to have children and I will tell them about Anaia, but do I wish they'd have been able to meet her if that time came. Everyday, I walk past her room, sometimes I go in there and sometimes I don't. Two weeks after her death, her mattress was taken out by me and my dad's friend, up until a few weeks ago, her room was left scattered the way it was when she died minus the mattress, and now, everything has been cleaned up. It's empty, and the emptiness is another reality check. I'll never see Anaia again, and in the potential next life I believe I will, but the fact I can't now is a hard concept to grasp. No more walking to the bus stop, no more barging into her room or vice versa, no more waiting forever for her to complete her makeup, no more random room hangouts, no more of her asking me to flash a light for her Instagram pictures for an excruciating ten minutes, none of them. Her physical presence is gone, I come home everyday and instantly the thought of her being gone hits me. Riding in the car with my parents, being at school, going out, it doesn't feel the same knowing in the back of my head she's gone, no matter how much fun I have. Regardless, I've returned to normal life, matter of fact, I started going to school every day instantly after the funeral, and during the two weeks of March 17th-March 31st, I showed up to school here and there. It didn't take a toll to do so, because I've accepted that though Anaia died, I'm still alive? I don't stop when she does, that'll have more of an effect. Life still goes on, time doesn't stop for no one no matter how much I may want it to. I honestly sit my current happiness at like a 6.5-7, higher than one may expect. I still have my parents, my friends, and all of my relatives, an important chunk is just missing but I still have my people. I only feel alone in the sibling aspect, but in reality, people make me happy everyday and still continue to. I joke how I've always joked, people have said I look much better than how I did initially, there's notable sadness on my face, but I look happier. If that's true, then I hope it stays that way. I still go out to these afterschool events, outside friend hangous, they bring joy. I just miss my sister 25/8, but I've learned to appreciate life just a little bit more now. If she's okay, I'm okay.
Lastly, I wanted to mention dreams. People say they have dreams of deceased loved ones all the time, I personally haven't yet, would like to, but until then that hasn't been the case. I'm not talking dreams with the person in them, I mean direct communication dreams. My mother has had two, my dad's friend has had one, and my close friend mentioned earlier has had one, but the one that sticks out the most is my little cousin's dream. My mom has a younger sister herself and in 2018, she had her first child, his nickname is JP. During 2021-2022, me and Anaia lived with my grandmother due to losing our apartment (our parents stayed separately at a grouphome my dad worked at, they work for my grandmother's company), and my aunt as well as JP stayed with my grandma. JP essentially became me and Anaia's little brother that we didn't have, and vice versa for him, he sees me and Anaia has his older siblings. Seeing him seem so heartbroken after Anaia died was very sad, as you can see written on this five-year-old's face that Anaia was someone who truly mattered to him and he was so sad about it. However, in his dream, Anaia came to him and told him she loved all of us, that she regretted not seeing him grow older, and that what happened to her was an accident. The part that got me was that Anaia told him that where she was was beautiful, he asked to see it, and she told him he couldn't see it yet. Kids just don't make things like that up in my opinion, and he worded it very detailed for a kindergartener, and JP is at the age where his words don't conflict with other things he's said, he's consistent with it and he tells me the same thing he told me the first time when I ask him here and then. He can see it one day, but he can't see it, not yet. What that tells me is that if life is so hard, death must be so beautiful afterwards, and that there is an afterlife. Even if I believed in a separate religion, or if my current religion isn't the truth, I will always believe in an afterlife. I refuse to believe that this world is it, and kids just don't pull stuff out their butt in a serious situation. I believe him. If that's the case, then I'll gladly wait. It doesn't matter how many people die during my lifetime, whatever remains of it, and how many new people I might meet in my life. If my hope of living to elder age and I meet someone and create a family, and even if said wife and or children die before me if that plan does happen, there's only one person I wish to greet me. I hear that people see a loved one before they die, and I hope Anaia is the one that comes to see me when it's all over. Forever, no matter who else passes before me, Anaia's will stay the worst, the most impactful, and that's a strong statement to make but I'm sure of that. I have plenty of goals I have for myself, but my end goal once the others are done is to get past 70, pass peacefully, and have my sister wait for me there. I hope that wouldn't be much to ask for.
That's it.
2024.05.14 01:12 invisible-empire- What do I do? (WI USA)
I don’t know what to do anymore. I’m at my wits end with my management company. We moved into this apartment in March, and in the two months that we’ve been here, it’s been nothing but hell. My husband and I are expecting a newborn (our first) at the end of the month, and some of these issues I feel pose a health risk to myself while pregnant, and my newborn when she gets here. This is going to be quite long, and I wish I could make a bulleted list but here goes:
First thing we noticed was that the big window in the living room has a seal leak issue, where there is trapped condensation in between the two panes of glass that never dries. If this were just aesthetic, I wouldn’t care so much but it’s causing mold to grow in the window. This is a big center pane that doesn’t open, with two side panels that do open. Upon opening the side panels, those were incredibly moldy as well. I cleaned them the best I could (not before taking pictures) but it’s so caked on there it’s impossible to get off. I have opened maintenance requests for this and reached out to them myself but they are REFUSING to do anything about it. They had a tech caulk the inside seam (which obviously did nothing) and when I told them it didn’t work, they won’t even acknowledge it anymore.
Second issue, ROACHES!!!!! We noticed them immediately on move in. Informed management about it. Management got a company to treat, and the company said to wait 21 days and contact them if they were still present. This was over a month and a half ago, we still have roaches, and the only answer we get is “you’re on a treatment plan, we will let you know when we have more information”. But they continue to not give us any info about if/when they will treat again. My fear is that I’m going to be giving birth when they tell us we need to clear out all our cabinets and remove our cats from the premesis again.
Third is a little bit of everything in one. There is a heat register in our living room that’s missing a cover panel, leaving exposed wires. This is a MAJOR safety issue with not only a newborn, but cats. We’ve made so many people aware of this, and everyone says they’re going to do something about it, and then they never do. We also have two heat registers (bedroom and bathroom) that expel heat even when turned off. Now that the weather is getting warmer, I’m afraid of the unit getting too hot for my baby. It seems like these two in particular each have their own power source, independent from the ones in the living room. Again, management is aware and does absolutely nothing.
Four, we have a closet in our hallways that absolutely REAKS!!! The best way I can describe it is an intense strong musty odor. Somebody has contacted me to discuss this, and stated they would look into it, but never did. I’m afraid it’s indicative of mold in the building. The apartment itself has a general stink to it (that I can only describe as old building) but this closet gives me migraines.
We have a storage unit in the basement that nobody told us floods when it rains. We learned this, and thankfully nothing got damaged. But there are storage units of empty apartments that are chalk full of…to put it bluntly…crap that has been down there forever. If it’s getting wet consistently, and not being cleaned up, I think I figured out where the mold and roaches are coming from.
I just don’t know what to do anymore. The last communication they had with me was a month ago. They are refusing to do anything. I want to threaten further action, but I don’t know what further action would be in this situation. Someone please help.
submitted by invisible-empire- to Tenant [link] [comments]
First thing we noticed was that the big window in the living room has a seal leak issue, where there is trapped condensation in between the two panes of glass that never dries. If this were just aesthetic, I wouldn’t care so much but it’s causing mold to grow in the window. This is a big center pane that doesn’t open, with two side panels that do open. Upon opening the side panels, those were incredibly moldy as well. I cleaned them the best I could (not before taking pictures) but it’s so caked on there it’s impossible to get off. I have opened maintenance requests for this and reached out to them myself but they are REFUSING to do anything about it. They had a tech caulk the inside seam (which obviously did nothing) and when I told them it didn’t work, they won’t even acknowledge it anymore.
Second issue, ROACHES!!!!! We noticed them immediately on move in. Informed management about it. Management got a company to treat, and the company said to wait 21 days and contact them if they were still present. This was over a month and a half ago, we still have roaches, and the only answer we get is “you’re on a treatment plan, we will let you know when we have more information”. But they continue to not give us any info about if/when they will treat again. My fear is that I’m going to be giving birth when they tell us we need to clear out all our cabinets and remove our cats from the premesis again.
Third is a little bit of everything in one. There is a heat register in our living room that’s missing a cover panel, leaving exposed wires. This is a MAJOR safety issue with not only a newborn, but cats. We’ve made so many people aware of this, and everyone says they’re going to do something about it, and then they never do. We also have two heat registers (bedroom and bathroom) that expel heat even when turned off. Now that the weather is getting warmer, I’m afraid of the unit getting too hot for my baby. It seems like these two in particular each have their own power source, independent from the ones in the living room. Again, management is aware and does absolutely nothing.
Four, we have a closet in our hallways that absolutely REAKS!!! The best way I can describe it is an intense strong musty odor. Somebody has contacted me to discuss this, and stated they would look into it, but never did. I’m afraid it’s indicative of mold in the building. The apartment itself has a general stink to it (that I can only describe as old building) but this closet gives me migraines.
We have a storage unit in the basement that nobody told us floods when it rains. We learned this, and thankfully nothing got damaged. But there are storage units of empty apartments that are chalk full of…to put it bluntly…crap that has been down there forever. If it’s getting wet consistently, and not being cleaned up, I think I figured out where the mold and roaches are coming from.
I just don’t know what to do anymore. The last communication they had with me was a month ago. They are refusing to do anything. I want to threaten further action, but I don’t know what further action would be in this situation. Someone please help.
2024.05.13 22:28 Lord_Long_Rod Hunting Sasquatch for Communists, Featuring Ms. Anna Conda
During the course of my career as an alpha Sasquatch hunting, Dogman destroying, pussy crushing, luxury watch loving dude, I have run into this particular woman a few times. She is one part uber sensuality, and the other part deadly. Yes, I am speaking about the lovely, Anna Conda. I bring her up because I had another run-in with her last year.
Anna and I first joined forces, so to speak, when she acted as a go-between in my business deal with the Chinese to sell them bigfoot parts. See, I would hunt and kill the critters, cut them up, deliver the parts to Anna, who in turn gave me a suitcase containing unmarked American hundred-dollar bills, then she would transport the bigfoot parts to the Chinese. I was never really sure of what the sneaky-ass Chinese were doing with the body parts. All I knew for sure is that they are extracting certain materials from them, then synthesizing them with some other shit, creating some sort of drug. Whether it then becomes a bio-weapon or a dick stimulant, I do not know. Neither do I care. As long as they kept the hundies coming, I was good.
Now, while Anna is of Russian descent, she is a freelancer. She will work for any sick, skeevy motherfucker out there. She does not care. She has no conscience, at least not in the traditional sense as we understand it in western civilization. Today she is working for the Chinese, and tomorrow she may be working for Hamas. She is a slippery motherfucker.
So here is how it went down. At 11:32 p.m. on a Friday in September of last year I get a call on my cell phone. When the call came in I was balls deep into this hot little lass I picked up at the bus station a little earlier in the evening from an old swarthy chap named “Colorado Joe”. He wanted to sell me the girl. I was assured she was over 20 years old. I told him I needed to take her out for a test ride, which he agreed to.
So, there I was, balls deep in “Bing Bang Yun”, and my phone rings. Of course, I silence all incoming calls not in my contacts list. Thus, I knew that I must know the caller. In mid stroke I reached over to the nightstand to retrieve my cell and looked at it. It was a call from “Sergio”. I thought, “Oh shit…. I am going to have to cut the Oriental bang circus short.” When Sergio calls, I have to respond…immediately. He has the best blow on the east coast!!
“Hey, Serge! What’s up?”, I asked. All he said was, “Hooters. 2:00 a.m.”, then hung up. This was obviously the rendezvous for the transaction. Now, understand that Serge was not talking about the chicken wing restaurant. Hooters was code, in case the feds were listening in on the line. “Hooters” meant the titty bar out on Highway 69 called “The Plump Rump”. We had a communications code we used.
It was a long haul to the titty bar, so I needed to get moving. I had no time to return the girl to Colorado Joe, so I took her with me. I had her blow me on the way to the meeting with Sergio, telling her that her performance would make the difference on whether I save her from Joe or not. Of course, after she was done I tossed her out of my speeding truck and down, over the bridge, and into the Wendigo River below. I did not need any complications in my life right now.
I arrived at The Plump Rump at 2:00 a.m. on the dot. I saw the manager, Lou Skunt, sitting at the bar when I walked inside. I nodded. He walked over and said to me, “Use my office for the meeting The parties are already in there waiting for you.” I nodded and then headed to Lou’s office. Then it hit me: Lou said the “PARTIES” are already here. That is, parties, meaning more than one person. It was not just Sergio. It was 2 or more people! Lou was probably in for a cut of whatever was about to go down.
Something was bad fucked up!! I know for a fact that Sergio never brings anyone with him on a deal, at least not with me. He is too distrustful of people to do that, and too fucking mean to need protection. Something was wrong. I was just as likely to get whacked when I enter Lou’s office as anything else. I needed a moment to think things through.
I took a spot in front of one of the performance poles to watch a young, swarthy Mexican lass perform. My mind quickly strayed from the problem at hand to this brown chick’s ass and tits. She was not a great looking chick, but her body was smoking!! I quickly became aroused. I thought to myself, “Goddamn Asian bitches!! They are just like Chinese food – after 2 hours you are ready for some more!!”
When the little Mexican chick went on break I motioned her over to my table. “Hola Senior!!”, she said. I pulled out a clear plastic baggie of blow and dropped it on the table. Her eyes grew wide and slobber starting falling from her mouth. Blow is like catnip for strippers. Thus, she fell under my spell immediately.
The next thing I know, this brown girl was on my lap, dry humping me like a feral bitch dog in heat. I had to bang her. I NEEDED to see my wang penetrating her. Just then, someone taps my shoulder hard. I look up to see Lou standing over me. He bent down and said, “Did you forget about my office, asshole?!?!?!” I replied, “Damn, Lou!! You read my mind!!!” I arose, with the little Mexican bolted onto my mid-section, and hastily retreated to Lou’s office. I figured Lou would prefer me to stain this chick in private rather than out in the open.
The door to the office opened easily. The lights were on inside. In a lustful haze, I set the little Mexican chick on her back across Lou’s desk and started pumping the shit out of her, completely unaware of the others in the room with us. In a moment I heard someone call my name. I twist my neck around to see Sergio sitting on Lou’s jizz crusted couch. I think to myself, “Oh shit! I forgot about that shit!”
I figured I would just move forward with the deal as it was proposed to me. “Hey Serge! What ya got for me, dude?”, I asked. He replied, “I have a very special deal for you. I need, uh … yeah, ……Hey, Rod, you want to stop for a moment so we can talk?” I picked up the little tamale and laid her down onto Sergio’s lap as I continued to plow her. She stayed on my cock the whole time. I told Sergio, “No, man. I’m good! Lay it on me!” Slowly, Sergio lowered his face into his palm.
Then it happened. The voice cam from behind me, in the dark corner of Lou’s office. It was velvety yet hard as steel. “Rod. Went need to talk”, it said. Even though I did not stop pumping the little brown chick, a chill went down my spine when I heard those words. It was the thick timbre of the voice, I think, that alerted me.
I turned to look across the room. There, sitting in a red leather captains chair against the wall was the source of the sultry voice: Anna Conda.
I picked up the little taco yet again and turned her around so I could face Anna as I continued pumping her. At this point the Mexican girl was merely a masturbation toy I was using. I increased my pump so I could dump my load and get this over with. Then BAMM!!!, it was over. I removed the lass from my huge rod, after which her body crumpled to the floor. I did not know if she was dead or injured, or what had happened to her. But I did not care either, so I did not dwell on it.
I tried to compose myself the best I could, then walked over to stand before Anna so I could get to the bottom of all this business. “Well, well, well. Anna Conda. We meet again. Tell me, what brings you here, to my little neck of the woods?”
Anna replied, “Rod, put your dick away.” I looked down and, indeed, I had forgotten to stow my cock. Out of pure curtesy, I packed it away. Then I returned my attention to Anna. “Alright, Anna, what’s going on here?”
Anna launched into a startling tale about what brought her to me. As she spoke I became lost in her wanton beauty. She got up from her chair and walked about the room as she relayed her story, presumably to make it more dramatic and demonstrative. I got a full-on view of her body, and it was fantastic!!
She stands 5’10’’ and weighs 105 lbs. She is lithe. She was showing it off too, wearing a black, silk dress that landed just about her ankles. The top was low-cut, betraying just a bit of cleavage from her C-cup wineglass titties. She was not wearing a bra. Anna never wears a bra. Her nips were perfectly outlined through the silk. In fact, I think her nips were hard. It was probably something she did on purpose in an attempt to influence me. It was working.
Anna’s ass was perfect. It was not at all fat, but round enough not to be skinny. It was a fit figure skater’s ass. As she walked, I could see a tiny bit of jiggle emanating from her ass flesh, and then reverberated in the silky black dress she wore. My cock began growing hard again.
Her face was beautiful. Think Scarlett Johanson and Phoebe Cates rolled into one. But any sweetness this may evoke is quickly dispelled by Anna’s throaty voice with its thick Russian accent. I have known Anna for 20 years. Yet, she still does not look a day over 25. Jesus Christ!!! If ever there was a chick to die for ….. If I was one to delve into the belief of the paranormal, then I may conclude that Anna made a deal with the devil. But, I am not such a person.
And literally, Anna Conda is a chick to die for. She is deadly as fuck. She will kill you in a split second without a thought just because she does not like the shirt you are wearing. She can do it too. She is always armed and she knows how to use her weapons. Moreover, she is a total psychopath. This makes her doubly dangerous.
Anna and I have always gotten along for the most part. Like Anna, the dollar is my primary motivating factor. Such a mindset allows for understanding and predictability among people, which are elements that are sorely missing in many business dealings today that go on in the color of darkness.
Suddenly, Anna snapped me out of my thoughts. “Here’s your gun, Rod. Now let’s get started”, said Anna. She and Sergio were halfway through the door exiting Lou’s office when I said, “Hey, wait a damned minute!!! What are you talking about?!?”
They both stopped, and Anna walked back in and looked me in the eyes, saying “The plan, Rod. Let’s get on with the plan.” A little embarrassed, I sheepishly asked, “What plan?” Anna folded her arms and looked cross at me. After a moment to allow me to simmer in my shame, she asked, “You were not paying attention, were you, Rod?” I shook my head and looked down.
I heard a hammer cock. I jerked my head back up to find myself staring down the barrel of a pistol pointed at my head that Anna was holding. I protested, “Look, it is not my fucking fault!! Put that fucking gun down!!!” I continued, “You were distracting me with …. Well.. you know, how you are dressed, and that hot, sultry voice…. You know?”
“So, instead of paying attention to the plan, you chose to eye-rape me. Is that what I am to understand your position is, Rod?”, she asked. Knowing that my life was on the line, I said, “Anna, look, you know I am horny to a fault. Then you come in here, swinging them tits around, wearing that silk dress showing off the crack of your ass…. WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU EXPECT TO HAPPENED?”
Anna lowered her gun. She knew that my explanation of being a total cocksman was truth. “Let’s go”, Anna curtly said. I obeyed.
Anna explained the plan to me again on the drive from The Plump Rump. She made me wear a blindfold so that I would not get horny during her explanation. Here is how it went:
Anna Conda was now working for the Russians. It seems that Putin caught wind of the Sasquatch project that the Chinese were working on. He also knew that the American government have been fucking with sasquatch for decades. Thus, he was very concerned about the existence of a bigfoot gap. He ordered the acquisition of a Sasquatch specimen immediately.
Moreover, said specimen must be prime. It needed to be the biggest, baddest sasquatch of them all – a true alpha – so as to speed things along. Putin did not want some weird shit-creature, is-it-a-sasquatch-or-is-it-a-dogman, kind of monstrosity. He wanted purebred, badass sasquatchery, and preferably from the American Pacific northwest.
Anna got in on it because she sold the intel to Putin about China’s Sasquatch operation. She then told Putin she could produce sasquatch corpses for him. She told him she had a contact (i.e., me). Thus, with Putin’s blessing and promises of riches to come, Anna set out to America to find me.
Now, here is where things got a bit squirrely. See, I agreed to procure some more dead sasquatch. I have no problem with killing sasquatch because, in my opinion, they are an abomination on this Earth. I kind of feel like I am doing God’s work by wiping out as many of them as I can. And given all the not-so-Godly stuff I have done, I feel like killing Sasquatch kind of offsets that to some degree.
But Anna, she was stuck on Putin’s instruction that she must supply him with apex Sasquatch. So she did not want to take my advice of heading to the Pacific Northwest or Alaska. Instead, Anna claimed to have pinpointed the whereabouts of a particularly gruesome sasquatch beast that she KNEW would win her a fortune from Putin if she brought it to him.
“So, where is this beast?”, I asked. Anna replied “Martha’s Vineyard”. I paused. Then I asked her to repeat herself. It turns out that I was not mistaken about what Anna had said. I continued, “Uh, Anna, there are no sasquatch on Martha’s Vineyard, just a lot of wealth New Englander schmucks.”
Anna looked at me and told me I was wrong. Then she decided to attempt to taunt me. “Oh, Rod, mighty slayer of Bigfoot! Yet, you fail to take notice of where the biggest, most foul and rotten beast of them all makes its home. Jesus, Rod!! What kind of bigfoot hunter are you, anyway?” Anna then spit at my feet and wondered aloud whether she even needs me for this job.
I decided that I needed to straighten out the hierarchy here in order for this here deal to move forward. I said, “Well, Anna, feel free to truck on over to Old Whitey Beach and battle that beast. But, if there is a big old mangy sasquatch lurking around over there, then it is probably a fucking Nazi-Squatch. You know, those fuckers out there hate the Jews.”
The work “Nazi” visibly shook Anna. Her great grandfather died defending Leningrad. Her entire family there died of either starvation or cannibalism during Hitler’s siege during Operation Barbarossa. Anna despised Nazis. But she feared them too. After landing that punch, I decided to push my luck.
“Now, I am still willing to help you catch this here Nazi-Squatch, but you have to do something for me”, I said. Now Anna’s eyes were on me, and they were narrowing. I continued, “I want you to get bare assed naked and pleasure yourself while I stand over you and jack it.” Anna stared at me silently for a long moment. Then she replied.
“After the job is done, and you can get none of your … fluids… on me”, she said. I shook my head and countered, “Now, and I will ‘try’ to not get my spunk on you.”
However, Anna then turned the tables on me. In fact, she picked up the table and bashed my head in with it. She looked me in my eyes, then matter-of-factly said, “You get the beast, and your prize shall be a night with me, anything goes, darling.” Well, since this caused all of the blood to immediately drain from my brain, I had a lapse in judgment. “DEAL!!”, I said. Then we shook on it.
“OK, tell me more about this supposed monster sasquatch on Martha’s Vineyard”, I said. I still was not ready to believe there was a monster out there. “I show you photo”, said Anna. She took out her phone, scrolled to find the photo, then handed the phone to me. “There. Sasquatch”, she said.
I stared at the photo and remained silent. After a long moment, I turned the phone so that Anna could see the photo and asked, “Uh, Anna, is THIS what you intended to show me?” She replied. “Yes! There…Sasquatch! The biggest, grossest monster around.”
Now, I could not argue with Anna that the image on her phone is a big, gross monster. Hell, it could actually be a sasquatch, and THE UBER sasquatch. It is most certainly the grossest thing on Martha’s Vinyard. But I somehow do not think this is what Putin is expecting.
I turned to Anna and said, “Anna, this is a photo of Michelle Obama. I know it looks vile, and has a huge, hulking body with large appendages where a woman should not have them. But, sweatheart, that ain’t no sasquatch. That’s a big, hairy Chicago street negro.”
Anna did not believe me at first. She was hard in her conviction that Obama was a sasquatch. “I have seen the Sasquatch beast you deliver to me for China. This … Michelle Obama …. It is big, and hairy, and ugly like the sasquatch beast, but worse.”
When the truth finally set it, I could see that it had kind of broken down poor Anna, if only just a bit. I put my arm around Anna and told her, “Look, Michelle O fooled you. Hell, she and her Hamas Hubby fooled millions of Americans, twice! At least you saw Michelle for what she is, to wit: a big, gross sasquatch, and NOT some kind a retarded leftist messiah.”
After that, things took a rather dark turn. “What if we still take her to Putin? We can make deal; sell her to Putin!!” At this point I held up my hands and said, “I’m out”, then turned and walked away. Anna followed, trying to get me to stay. At this point, I could tell that Anna was coming undone a little.
See, she had to produce for Putin. There is no telling what kind of secret deal she actually had with him. She had to deliver a big old mangy Obama …. Er, uh, I mean … Sasquatch, to Putin.
“Ok, Rod, we do your plan. We go out west to kill bigfoot. Huge, monster bigfoot. she said. I turned and looked Anna in her eyes and said the following: First, we bang for 48 hours straight, right now, so I can get my fill of you. Second, you pay me $10,000.00 cash upfront. Third, upon delivery of the dead bigfoot, you pay me $1 million immediately.”
Anna agreed to everything, but noted that at the present time it was her “time of the month”. I grimaced, as I will absolutely not go there (and she knows that). “Fine, next week we bang”, I said. She pointed out that I would be in the woods next week hunting sasquatch. “Fine, once I come out of the woods, then we bang – 48 hours straight”, I said. “Of course, darling!”, she agreed.
Well, it took several days to set up the hunt, but it finally happened. I was in Washington state at high elevation based on intel I has acquired that indicated that there was a monstrous 15’ tall sasquatch on the mountain range that had been murdering and eating hunters and hikers. After 3 months in these mountains without a trace of the creature I began to lose hope, thinking that I probably got some bad intel, or bad coordinates.
I got my satellite phone out to call for an extraction. Winter was setting in fast, and if I did not get off this mountain soon, then I would freeze and/or starve to death. Unfortunately, my contact did not answer. I tried for 2 days. No answer. I had been fucked. I wondered what had happened back in civilization that caused me to be abandoned like this. I resolved that I would get off that mountain and get to the bottom of this shit. There would be hell to pay for this betrayal!!’
I was able to get in touch with contacts from back home. I got old Billy Ray from Ellijay and Rattler on the phone and got them to come out here to Washington State to extract me. Rattler use to fly helicopters in the Army. He has an old Huey sitting in his front yard, to the chagrin of his HOA. He fired that sucker up, and him and old Billy Ray flew out here to my coordinates and extracted me.
After landing at a convenience store to buy some beer for the flight home, we headed east. Through the skies a way, Billy Ray said, “Well, Rod, I guess you is bout ready to git back home to Georgia, eh?” In fact, I was ready to go home. But I had to take care of some business first. I told them both to take me to New York City. They were both perplexed. All I said to them was “I have an old friend there I have to see before I can go home.”
I have intel on where Anna Conda stays when she is in the United States. She stays at certain hotels depending on what month she is here, and whether her check-in date is an odd or even number. This is for undercover work. I came across the code for her stays while doing the sasquatch work for China. She an I were caught in a snowstorm one night in Buffalo, NY, and had to share a room at the Holiday Inn near the airport. We had like 10 big Igloo ice chests with iced down sasquatch body parts with us in the room.
Anna was like, “No hanky panky, Rod. I am tired and I want to go to bed. Tomorrow we finish business.”
Frankly, I did not blame her for withholding her magnificent muff from me. I was tired as hell. But, I could not settle for nothing. So, when Anna was in the bathroom taking a shower, I started going through her suit case. I wanted to find some of her panties to jack off into. Instead, I found a little black notebook. Inside it contained her lodging codes, and some other interesting things. I photographed the contents with my phone and then put it back.
When Anna got out of the shower she was already dressed in her night clothes. She saw me lying on my back, nude on the bed, and jacking it. “Rod!! GROSS!!!! Go to the restroom to do that shit!!!”, she commanded. I just did it to get a rise out of her. LOL!!
So, if Anna is still inside the U.S., then using the codes I stole from her I can locate precisely where she will be that night. I studied it for a few moments then had my answer. Tonight she would be staying at the Dogman Inn on Hwy 95 South, Room 355. I told Rattler to get me there stat!
We had to stop several times for fuel and beer. Those Hueys go just a bit over a hundred MPH, you know. But eventually, we got there. I gave the boys some money and told them to go to the Waffle House for some coffee to sober up. Then they would fly me home.
I should mention that I also had Rattler’s fully auto Russian AK-74 with spare mags. During the long flight with 2 drunks from Washington State to New York City, I had worked myself up into a towering rage over how Anna fucked me on this Putin deal. She had clearly thrown me aside. But for what, exactly? I figured I would storm the hotel room, get some answers, then shower the room with gun fire.
I busted through the door of Room 355 at exactly 3:35 a.m. There she was. My entry roused her from slumber. I was pointing my rifle at her, center mass. She was shocked at the appearance of a gunman in her room at this time of night. However, she was not as shocked as one would think (this was not the first time something like this has happened to her).
I raised my face from the receiver just enough so she could see it was me. “Rod!!!”, she exclaimed. “What happened to you?!?!? I thought you had died up in those mountains when we never hear from you!” I replied, “Shove it up that cute little ass of yours, Anna. You fucked me. And not in the good way. What the fuck was all that shit about needing a sasquatch for Putin?!?”
Anna played dumb. But it struck me that I had been deliberately put out of the loop for 3 months. Why? Who wanted me away for that long, and why? What went on in my absence?!? I was just dying to know!!! I set my rifle down and pulled out my fixed blade knife, ready to get down to some real nasty work on Anna so I could get some truth. The pure evil of what I was about to do to her caused a wide death grin to grow on my face. Anna saw it. She knew what it meant. She swallowed hard and her eyes betrayed the shear terror she felt inside. I was engorged with blood lust. She knew she had fucked up one time too many this time!!
Suddenly came the sound of the toilet in the bathroom flushing. I was momentarily shocked. I did not expect anyone else to be there with Anna. Anna saw it in my face. I glanced at her and saw that the terror in her face was replaced with pleasure, a slight smile creeping over her face.
I was going to have to face off against this person in the bathroom, who would be out in a split moment. When I do that, I will have to turn 180 degrees from Anna, thereby making me vulnerable to her. I had only once choice: Shoot Anna first.
Just as this came to me, but just before I could act on it, the bathroom door opened. I had to deal with that person before Anna now. I spun around to see that it was a completely nude, and fat, white man. He was a real oafish blob. He looked surprised to see me. He also looked sort of familiar.
I next heard the crack of something hitting my skull hard. I remember the immediate hateful pain that shot through my body and the sound of blood rushing through my ears. I remember the dizziness, then falling to the floor. Clearly, as I fixed on the man from the bathroom, Anna had cracked me over the head with a blunt object.
I came to the next morning, Billy Ray and Rattler had manage to track me down based upon coordinates I left in the chopper that said “IN CASE OF EMERGENCY”. Billy Ray filled up the hotel room ice bucket with cold water and doused my head with it to bring me conscious. I was disoriented at first. But after a bit, what happened in this room the night before came back to me.
Honestly, I am surprised that Anna did not just kill me. I presume that she thinks she can leverage her drop-dead hotness to get me to do more shit for her in the future. She is absolutely right about that too. Rattler then said, “Hey, Rod, that snake bitch left a letter fer ya.”
He handed me the letter. This is what it said:
____________________________________________
“Dear Rod:
Sorry about the boo boo on your head. Hope it heals soon. Also sorry about leaving you in the mountains. I was not running a scam on you Rod. Rather, an opportunity arose for me to acquire a sasquatch body from another person. You may know him since you are a sasquatch hunter. His name is Matt Moneymaker. Anyway, until next time…..
Yours truly,
Anna Conda”
_____________________________________________
I could not fucking believe it. That was fatfuck Moneymaker in the hotel room earlier. Anna fucked Matt Fatfuck Moneymaker for a Sasquatch! That fat son of bitch!!
Billy Ray asked, “You ready to go Rod?” I stood up and said, “Yeah, let’s go.” Then Rattler said, “Hey, ya wanna stop and git some beer fer the ride home?” I replied “Hell yeah.”
I felt like I wanted to die. Thank God for beer and buddies. I don’t blame Anna. She is a fucking snake, and I knew that before this started. Also, I cannot really blame fatfuck Moneymaker for wanting to get some of that hot poon pie Anna serves up. I guess I have to blame fate for fucking me over this time. I even started thinking that next time I will just avoid Anna. But I know I won’t, thus making me subject to this sort of shit again. I had Rattler set us down in Charlottesville so I could buy some hard liquor.
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Anna and I first joined forces, so to speak, when she acted as a go-between in my business deal with the Chinese to sell them bigfoot parts. See, I would hunt and kill the critters, cut them up, deliver the parts to Anna, who in turn gave me a suitcase containing unmarked American hundred-dollar bills, then she would transport the bigfoot parts to the Chinese. I was never really sure of what the sneaky-ass Chinese were doing with the body parts. All I knew for sure is that they are extracting certain materials from them, then synthesizing them with some other shit, creating some sort of drug. Whether it then becomes a bio-weapon or a dick stimulant, I do not know. Neither do I care. As long as they kept the hundies coming, I was good.
Now, while Anna is of Russian descent, she is a freelancer. She will work for any sick, skeevy motherfucker out there. She does not care. She has no conscience, at least not in the traditional sense as we understand it in western civilization. Today she is working for the Chinese, and tomorrow she may be working for Hamas. She is a slippery motherfucker.
So here is how it went down. At 11:32 p.m. on a Friday in September of last year I get a call on my cell phone. When the call came in I was balls deep into this hot little lass I picked up at the bus station a little earlier in the evening from an old swarthy chap named “Colorado Joe”. He wanted to sell me the girl. I was assured she was over 20 years old. I told him I needed to take her out for a test ride, which he agreed to.
So, there I was, balls deep in “Bing Bang Yun”, and my phone rings. Of course, I silence all incoming calls not in my contacts list. Thus, I knew that I must know the caller. In mid stroke I reached over to the nightstand to retrieve my cell and looked at it. It was a call from “Sergio”. I thought, “Oh shit…. I am going to have to cut the Oriental bang circus short.” When Sergio calls, I have to respond…immediately. He has the best blow on the east coast!!
“Hey, Serge! What’s up?”, I asked. All he said was, “Hooters. 2:00 a.m.”, then hung up. This was obviously the rendezvous for the transaction. Now, understand that Serge was not talking about the chicken wing restaurant. Hooters was code, in case the feds were listening in on the line. “Hooters” meant the titty bar out on Highway 69 called “The Plump Rump”. We had a communications code we used.
It was a long haul to the titty bar, so I needed to get moving. I had no time to return the girl to Colorado Joe, so I took her with me. I had her blow me on the way to the meeting with Sergio, telling her that her performance would make the difference on whether I save her from Joe or not. Of course, after she was done I tossed her out of my speeding truck and down, over the bridge, and into the Wendigo River below. I did not need any complications in my life right now.
I arrived at The Plump Rump at 2:00 a.m. on the dot. I saw the manager, Lou Skunt, sitting at the bar when I walked inside. I nodded. He walked over and said to me, “Use my office for the meeting The parties are already in there waiting for you.” I nodded and then headed to Lou’s office. Then it hit me: Lou said the “PARTIES” are already here. That is, parties, meaning more than one person. It was not just Sergio. It was 2 or more people! Lou was probably in for a cut of whatever was about to go down.
Something was bad fucked up!! I know for a fact that Sergio never brings anyone with him on a deal, at least not with me. He is too distrustful of people to do that, and too fucking mean to need protection. Something was wrong. I was just as likely to get whacked when I enter Lou’s office as anything else. I needed a moment to think things through.
I took a spot in front of one of the performance poles to watch a young, swarthy Mexican lass perform. My mind quickly strayed from the problem at hand to this brown chick’s ass and tits. She was not a great looking chick, but her body was smoking!! I quickly became aroused. I thought to myself, “Goddamn Asian bitches!! They are just like Chinese food – after 2 hours you are ready for some more!!”
When the little Mexican chick went on break I motioned her over to my table. “Hola Senior!!”, she said. I pulled out a clear plastic baggie of blow and dropped it on the table. Her eyes grew wide and slobber starting falling from her mouth. Blow is like catnip for strippers. Thus, she fell under my spell immediately.
The next thing I know, this brown girl was on my lap, dry humping me like a feral bitch dog in heat. I had to bang her. I NEEDED to see my wang penetrating her. Just then, someone taps my shoulder hard. I look up to see Lou standing over me. He bent down and said, “Did you forget about my office, asshole?!?!?!” I replied, “Damn, Lou!! You read my mind!!!” I arose, with the little Mexican bolted onto my mid-section, and hastily retreated to Lou’s office. I figured Lou would prefer me to stain this chick in private rather than out in the open.
The door to the office opened easily. The lights were on inside. In a lustful haze, I set the little Mexican chick on her back across Lou’s desk and started pumping the shit out of her, completely unaware of the others in the room with us. In a moment I heard someone call my name. I twist my neck around to see Sergio sitting on Lou’s jizz crusted couch. I think to myself, “Oh shit! I forgot about that shit!”
I figured I would just move forward with the deal as it was proposed to me. “Hey Serge! What ya got for me, dude?”, I asked. He replied, “I have a very special deal for you. I need, uh … yeah, ……Hey, Rod, you want to stop for a moment so we can talk?” I picked up the little tamale and laid her down onto Sergio’s lap as I continued to plow her. She stayed on my cock the whole time. I told Sergio, “No, man. I’m good! Lay it on me!” Slowly, Sergio lowered his face into his palm.
Then it happened. The voice cam from behind me, in the dark corner of Lou’s office. It was velvety yet hard as steel. “Rod. Went need to talk”, it said. Even though I did not stop pumping the little brown chick, a chill went down my spine when I heard those words. It was the thick timbre of the voice, I think, that alerted me.
I turned to look across the room. There, sitting in a red leather captains chair against the wall was the source of the sultry voice: Anna Conda.
I picked up the little taco yet again and turned her around so I could face Anna as I continued pumping her. At this point the Mexican girl was merely a masturbation toy I was using. I increased my pump so I could dump my load and get this over with. Then BAMM!!!, it was over. I removed the lass from my huge rod, after which her body crumpled to the floor. I did not know if she was dead or injured, or what had happened to her. But I did not care either, so I did not dwell on it.
I tried to compose myself the best I could, then walked over to stand before Anna so I could get to the bottom of all this business. “Well, well, well. Anna Conda. We meet again. Tell me, what brings you here, to my little neck of the woods?”
Anna replied, “Rod, put your dick away.” I looked down and, indeed, I had forgotten to stow my cock. Out of pure curtesy, I packed it away. Then I returned my attention to Anna. “Alright, Anna, what’s going on here?”
Anna launched into a startling tale about what brought her to me. As she spoke I became lost in her wanton beauty. She got up from her chair and walked about the room as she relayed her story, presumably to make it more dramatic and demonstrative. I got a full-on view of her body, and it was fantastic!!
She stands 5’10’’ and weighs 105 lbs. She is lithe. She was showing it off too, wearing a black, silk dress that landed just about her ankles. The top was low-cut, betraying just a bit of cleavage from her C-cup wineglass titties. She was not wearing a bra. Anna never wears a bra. Her nips were perfectly outlined through the silk. In fact, I think her nips were hard. It was probably something she did on purpose in an attempt to influence me. It was working.
Anna’s ass was perfect. It was not at all fat, but round enough not to be skinny. It was a fit figure skater’s ass. As she walked, I could see a tiny bit of jiggle emanating from her ass flesh, and then reverberated in the silky black dress she wore. My cock began growing hard again.
Her face was beautiful. Think Scarlett Johanson and Phoebe Cates rolled into one. But any sweetness this may evoke is quickly dispelled by Anna’s throaty voice with its thick Russian accent. I have known Anna for 20 years. Yet, she still does not look a day over 25. Jesus Christ!!! If ever there was a chick to die for ….. If I was one to delve into the belief of the paranormal, then I may conclude that Anna made a deal with the devil. But, I am not such a person.
And literally, Anna Conda is a chick to die for. She is deadly as fuck. She will kill you in a split second without a thought just because she does not like the shirt you are wearing. She can do it too. She is always armed and she knows how to use her weapons. Moreover, she is a total psychopath. This makes her doubly dangerous.
Anna and I have always gotten along for the most part. Like Anna, the dollar is my primary motivating factor. Such a mindset allows for understanding and predictability among people, which are elements that are sorely missing in many business dealings today that go on in the color of darkness.
Suddenly, Anna snapped me out of my thoughts. “Here’s your gun, Rod. Now let’s get started”, said Anna. She and Sergio were halfway through the door exiting Lou’s office when I said, “Hey, wait a damned minute!!! What are you talking about?!?”
They both stopped, and Anna walked back in and looked me in the eyes, saying “The plan, Rod. Let’s get on with the plan.” A little embarrassed, I sheepishly asked, “What plan?” Anna folded her arms and looked cross at me. After a moment to allow me to simmer in my shame, she asked, “You were not paying attention, were you, Rod?” I shook my head and looked down.
I heard a hammer cock. I jerked my head back up to find myself staring down the barrel of a pistol pointed at my head that Anna was holding. I protested, “Look, it is not my fucking fault!! Put that fucking gun down!!!” I continued, “You were distracting me with …. Well.. you know, how you are dressed, and that hot, sultry voice…. You know?”
“So, instead of paying attention to the plan, you chose to eye-rape me. Is that what I am to understand your position is, Rod?”, she asked. Knowing that my life was on the line, I said, “Anna, look, you know I am horny to a fault. Then you come in here, swinging them tits around, wearing that silk dress showing off the crack of your ass…. WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU EXPECT TO HAPPENED?”
Anna lowered her gun. She knew that my explanation of being a total cocksman was truth. “Let’s go”, Anna curtly said. I obeyed.
Anna explained the plan to me again on the drive from The Plump Rump. She made me wear a blindfold so that I would not get horny during her explanation. Here is how it went:
Anna Conda was now working for the Russians. It seems that Putin caught wind of the Sasquatch project that the Chinese were working on. He also knew that the American government have been fucking with sasquatch for decades. Thus, he was very concerned about the existence of a bigfoot gap. He ordered the acquisition of a Sasquatch specimen immediately.
Moreover, said specimen must be prime. It needed to be the biggest, baddest sasquatch of them all – a true alpha – so as to speed things along. Putin did not want some weird shit-creature, is-it-a-sasquatch-or-is-it-a-dogman, kind of monstrosity. He wanted purebred, badass sasquatchery, and preferably from the American Pacific northwest.
Anna got in on it because she sold the intel to Putin about China’s Sasquatch operation. She then told Putin she could produce sasquatch corpses for him. She told him she had a contact (i.e., me). Thus, with Putin’s blessing and promises of riches to come, Anna set out to America to find me.
Now, here is where things got a bit squirrely. See, I agreed to procure some more dead sasquatch. I have no problem with killing sasquatch because, in my opinion, they are an abomination on this Earth. I kind of feel like I am doing God’s work by wiping out as many of them as I can. And given all the not-so-Godly stuff I have done, I feel like killing Sasquatch kind of offsets that to some degree.
But Anna, she was stuck on Putin’s instruction that she must supply him with apex Sasquatch. So she did not want to take my advice of heading to the Pacific Northwest or Alaska. Instead, Anna claimed to have pinpointed the whereabouts of a particularly gruesome sasquatch beast that she KNEW would win her a fortune from Putin if she brought it to him.
“So, where is this beast?”, I asked. Anna replied “Martha’s Vineyard”. I paused. Then I asked her to repeat herself. It turns out that I was not mistaken about what Anna had said. I continued, “Uh, Anna, there are no sasquatch on Martha’s Vineyard, just a lot of wealth New Englander schmucks.”
Anna looked at me and told me I was wrong. Then she decided to attempt to taunt me. “Oh, Rod, mighty slayer of Bigfoot! Yet, you fail to take notice of where the biggest, most foul and rotten beast of them all makes its home. Jesus, Rod!! What kind of bigfoot hunter are you, anyway?” Anna then spit at my feet and wondered aloud whether she even needs me for this job.
I decided that I needed to straighten out the hierarchy here in order for this here deal to move forward. I said, “Well, Anna, feel free to truck on over to Old Whitey Beach and battle that beast. But, if there is a big old mangy sasquatch lurking around over there, then it is probably a fucking Nazi-Squatch. You know, those fuckers out there hate the Jews.”
The work “Nazi” visibly shook Anna. Her great grandfather died defending Leningrad. Her entire family there died of either starvation or cannibalism during Hitler’s siege during Operation Barbarossa. Anna despised Nazis. But she feared them too. After landing that punch, I decided to push my luck.
“Now, I am still willing to help you catch this here Nazi-Squatch, but you have to do something for me”, I said. Now Anna’s eyes were on me, and they were narrowing. I continued, “I want you to get bare assed naked and pleasure yourself while I stand over you and jack it.” Anna stared at me silently for a long moment. Then she replied.
“After the job is done, and you can get none of your … fluids… on me”, she said. I shook my head and countered, “Now, and I will ‘try’ to not get my spunk on you.”
However, Anna then turned the tables on me. In fact, she picked up the table and bashed my head in with it. She looked me in my eyes, then matter-of-factly said, “You get the beast, and your prize shall be a night with me, anything goes, darling.” Well, since this caused all of the blood to immediately drain from my brain, I had a lapse in judgment. “DEAL!!”, I said. Then we shook on it.
“OK, tell me more about this supposed monster sasquatch on Martha’s Vineyard”, I said. I still was not ready to believe there was a monster out there. “I show you photo”, said Anna. She took out her phone, scrolled to find the photo, then handed the phone to me. “There. Sasquatch”, she said.
I stared at the photo and remained silent. After a long moment, I turned the phone so that Anna could see the photo and asked, “Uh, Anna, is THIS what you intended to show me?” She replied. “Yes! There…Sasquatch! The biggest, grossest monster around.”
Now, I could not argue with Anna that the image on her phone is a big, gross monster. Hell, it could actually be a sasquatch, and THE UBER sasquatch. It is most certainly the grossest thing on Martha’s Vinyard. But I somehow do not think this is what Putin is expecting.
I turned to Anna and said, “Anna, this is a photo of Michelle Obama. I know it looks vile, and has a huge, hulking body with large appendages where a woman should not have them. But, sweatheart, that ain’t no sasquatch. That’s a big, hairy Chicago street negro.”
Anna did not believe me at first. She was hard in her conviction that Obama was a sasquatch. “I have seen the Sasquatch beast you deliver to me for China. This … Michelle Obama …. It is big, and hairy, and ugly like the sasquatch beast, but worse.”
When the truth finally set it, I could see that it had kind of broken down poor Anna, if only just a bit. I put my arm around Anna and told her, “Look, Michelle O fooled you. Hell, she and her Hamas Hubby fooled millions of Americans, twice! At least you saw Michelle for what she is, to wit: a big, gross sasquatch, and NOT some kind a retarded leftist messiah.”
After that, things took a rather dark turn. “What if we still take her to Putin? We can make deal; sell her to Putin!!” At this point I held up my hands and said, “I’m out”, then turned and walked away. Anna followed, trying to get me to stay. At this point, I could tell that Anna was coming undone a little.
See, she had to produce for Putin. There is no telling what kind of secret deal she actually had with him. She had to deliver a big old mangy Obama …. Er, uh, I mean … Sasquatch, to Putin.
“Ok, Rod, we do your plan. We go out west to kill bigfoot. Huge, monster bigfoot. she said. I turned and looked Anna in her eyes and said the following: First, we bang for 48 hours straight, right now, so I can get my fill of you. Second, you pay me $10,000.00 cash upfront. Third, upon delivery of the dead bigfoot, you pay me $1 million immediately.”
Anna agreed to everything, but noted that at the present time it was her “time of the month”. I grimaced, as I will absolutely not go there (and she knows that). “Fine, next week we bang”, I said. She pointed out that I would be in the woods next week hunting sasquatch. “Fine, once I come out of the woods, then we bang – 48 hours straight”, I said. “Of course, darling!”, she agreed.
Well, it took several days to set up the hunt, but it finally happened. I was in Washington state at high elevation based on intel I has acquired that indicated that there was a monstrous 15’ tall sasquatch on the mountain range that had been murdering and eating hunters and hikers. After 3 months in these mountains without a trace of the creature I began to lose hope, thinking that I probably got some bad intel, or bad coordinates.
I got my satellite phone out to call for an extraction. Winter was setting in fast, and if I did not get off this mountain soon, then I would freeze and/or starve to death. Unfortunately, my contact did not answer. I tried for 2 days. No answer. I had been fucked. I wondered what had happened back in civilization that caused me to be abandoned like this. I resolved that I would get off that mountain and get to the bottom of this shit. There would be hell to pay for this betrayal!!’
I was able to get in touch with contacts from back home. I got old Billy Ray from Ellijay and Rattler on the phone and got them to come out here to Washington State to extract me. Rattler use to fly helicopters in the Army. He has an old Huey sitting in his front yard, to the chagrin of his HOA. He fired that sucker up, and him and old Billy Ray flew out here to my coordinates and extracted me.
After landing at a convenience store to buy some beer for the flight home, we headed east. Through the skies a way, Billy Ray said, “Well, Rod, I guess you is bout ready to git back home to Georgia, eh?” In fact, I was ready to go home. But I had to take care of some business first. I told them both to take me to New York City. They were both perplexed. All I said to them was “I have an old friend there I have to see before I can go home.”
I have intel on where Anna Conda stays when she is in the United States. She stays at certain hotels depending on what month she is here, and whether her check-in date is an odd or even number. This is for undercover work. I came across the code for her stays while doing the sasquatch work for China. She an I were caught in a snowstorm one night in Buffalo, NY, and had to share a room at the Holiday Inn near the airport. We had like 10 big Igloo ice chests with iced down sasquatch body parts with us in the room.
Anna was like, “No hanky panky, Rod. I am tired and I want to go to bed. Tomorrow we finish business.”
Frankly, I did not blame her for withholding her magnificent muff from me. I was tired as hell. But, I could not settle for nothing. So, when Anna was in the bathroom taking a shower, I started going through her suit case. I wanted to find some of her panties to jack off into. Instead, I found a little black notebook. Inside it contained her lodging codes, and some other interesting things. I photographed the contents with my phone and then put it back.
When Anna got out of the shower she was already dressed in her night clothes. She saw me lying on my back, nude on the bed, and jacking it. “Rod!! GROSS!!!! Go to the restroom to do that shit!!!”, she commanded. I just did it to get a rise out of her. LOL!!
So, if Anna is still inside the U.S., then using the codes I stole from her I can locate precisely where she will be that night. I studied it for a few moments then had my answer. Tonight she would be staying at the Dogman Inn on Hwy 95 South, Room 355. I told Rattler to get me there stat!
We had to stop several times for fuel and beer. Those Hueys go just a bit over a hundred MPH, you know. But eventually, we got there. I gave the boys some money and told them to go to the Waffle House for some coffee to sober up. Then they would fly me home.
I should mention that I also had Rattler’s fully auto Russian AK-74 with spare mags. During the long flight with 2 drunks from Washington State to New York City, I had worked myself up into a towering rage over how Anna fucked me on this Putin deal. She had clearly thrown me aside. But for what, exactly? I figured I would storm the hotel room, get some answers, then shower the room with gun fire.
I busted through the door of Room 355 at exactly 3:35 a.m. There she was. My entry roused her from slumber. I was pointing my rifle at her, center mass. She was shocked at the appearance of a gunman in her room at this time of night. However, she was not as shocked as one would think (this was not the first time something like this has happened to her).
I raised my face from the receiver just enough so she could see it was me. “Rod!!!”, she exclaimed. “What happened to you?!?!? I thought you had died up in those mountains when we never hear from you!” I replied, “Shove it up that cute little ass of yours, Anna. You fucked me. And not in the good way. What the fuck was all that shit about needing a sasquatch for Putin?!?”
Anna played dumb. But it struck me that I had been deliberately put out of the loop for 3 months. Why? Who wanted me away for that long, and why? What went on in my absence?!? I was just dying to know!!! I set my rifle down and pulled out my fixed blade knife, ready to get down to some real nasty work on Anna so I could get some truth. The pure evil of what I was about to do to her caused a wide death grin to grow on my face. Anna saw it. She knew what it meant. She swallowed hard and her eyes betrayed the shear terror she felt inside. I was engorged with blood lust. She knew she had fucked up one time too many this time!!
Suddenly came the sound of the toilet in the bathroom flushing. I was momentarily shocked. I did not expect anyone else to be there with Anna. Anna saw it in my face. I glanced at her and saw that the terror in her face was replaced with pleasure, a slight smile creeping over her face.
I was going to have to face off against this person in the bathroom, who would be out in a split moment. When I do that, I will have to turn 180 degrees from Anna, thereby making me vulnerable to her. I had only once choice: Shoot Anna first.
Just as this came to me, but just before I could act on it, the bathroom door opened. I had to deal with that person before Anna now. I spun around to see that it was a completely nude, and fat, white man. He was a real oafish blob. He looked surprised to see me. He also looked sort of familiar.
I next heard the crack of something hitting my skull hard. I remember the immediate hateful pain that shot through my body and the sound of blood rushing through my ears. I remember the dizziness, then falling to the floor. Clearly, as I fixed on the man from the bathroom, Anna had cracked me over the head with a blunt object.
I came to the next morning, Billy Ray and Rattler had manage to track me down based upon coordinates I left in the chopper that said “IN CASE OF EMERGENCY”. Billy Ray filled up the hotel room ice bucket with cold water and doused my head with it to bring me conscious. I was disoriented at first. But after a bit, what happened in this room the night before came back to me.
Honestly, I am surprised that Anna did not just kill me. I presume that she thinks she can leverage her drop-dead hotness to get me to do more shit for her in the future. She is absolutely right about that too. Rattler then said, “Hey, Rod, that snake bitch left a letter fer ya.”
He handed me the letter. This is what it said:
____________________________________________
“Dear Rod:
Sorry about the boo boo on your head. Hope it heals soon. Also sorry about leaving you in the mountains. I was not running a scam on you Rod. Rather, an opportunity arose for me to acquire a sasquatch body from another person. You may know him since you are a sasquatch hunter. His name is Matt Moneymaker. Anyway, until next time…..
Yours truly,
Anna Conda”
_____________________________________________
I could not fucking believe it. That was fatfuck Moneymaker in the hotel room earlier. Anna fucked Matt Fatfuck Moneymaker for a Sasquatch! That fat son of bitch!!
Billy Ray asked, “You ready to go Rod?” I stood up and said, “Yeah, let’s go.” Then Rattler said, “Hey, ya wanna stop and git some beer fer the ride home?” I replied “Hell yeah.”
I felt like I wanted to die. Thank God for beer and buddies. I don’t blame Anna. She is a fucking snake, and I knew that before this started. Also, I cannot really blame fatfuck Moneymaker for wanting to get some of that hot poon pie Anna serves up. I guess I have to blame fate for fucking me over this time. I even started thinking that next time I will just avoid Anna. But I know I won’t, thus making me subject to this sort of shit again. I had Rattler set us down in Charlottesville so I could buy some hard liquor.
2024.05.13 22:13 Strict_Designer7608 Is it possible to not have split ends?
I haven’t been able to afford a proper haircut in over a year now… my stylist is elite and she does a beautiful job but of course it comes with a price tag. She helped me grow out a pixie cut and gave me some lovely layers a year ago. I don’t use bleach and rarely use a flat iron (and I use heat protectant always.) I’ve been diligent about caring for my hair, and I have been wearing it natural for the past year with days in between where I do a blowout on medium heat with heat protectant. The past couple months I’ve actually been washing with cold water and blow drying with cold water and my ends are surprisingly still healthy and “blunt” and curl at the ends. Is it possible to just not have split ends? I know what they look like because years ago I used to bleach my hair. I do plan to get a chop in June just in case.
submitted by Strict_Designer7608 to Haircare [link] [comments]
2024.05.13 22:04 elfruler2002 How to prevent breakage when brushing/detangling wet hair?
Hair history/details:
I have extremely fine, straight (1b/1c) hair. My hair is currently reaching my shoulder blades. I have always struggled to grow long hair - my hair has never gotten much longer than my current length. I have a blunt cut because my hair is too thin for layers. I have been routinely coloring my hair blonde every 3 to 4 months since I was twelve years old (I am 21 now). My natural hair color was blonde as a child and got darker as I got older. It is now a very dirty blonde. I generally wash my hair every other day, and I use the Amika Color Lock shampoo and conditioner. I use the Amika clarifying shampoo and hair mask once a week, though in the past five months or so, I have been very inconsistent about it due to depression. I typically blow dry my hair after a shower, but I let my hair mostly air dry first. I’ve used several different heat protectants - right now, I’m using the Amika Wizard Detangler and the Tresemme heat protectant spray.
Here is my problem: my hair is EXTREMELY prone to tangling and always has been. Even my hairdresser has remarked on how easily it tangles. I know that straight hair is most vulnerable to breakage when wet, but if I don’t brush my hair out immediately after getting out of the shower, it dries into a tangled rats’ nest. Because of this, I have always detangled/brushed out my hair wet using a Wet Brush. Recently, however, I have been experiencing significantly more breakage than usual. My best guess as to why is because of a recent depressive episode I have been in (I haven’t been taking good care of my haidoing my usual routine, and I’ve been eating like crap). I have been trying to grow my hair out, but the breakage is so bad that I am planning on cutting my hair because the ends are that messed up.
I am looking for advice on how to minimize damage when brushing my hair wet.
submitted by elfruler2002 to Hair [link] [comments]
I have extremely fine, straight (1b/1c) hair. My hair is currently reaching my shoulder blades. I have always struggled to grow long hair - my hair has never gotten much longer than my current length. I have a blunt cut because my hair is too thin for layers. I have been routinely coloring my hair blonde every 3 to 4 months since I was twelve years old (I am 21 now). My natural hair color was blonde as a child and got darker as I got older. It is now a very dirty blonde. I generally wash my hair every other day, and I use the Amika Color Lock shampoo and conditioner. I use the Amika clarifying shampoo and hair mask once a week, though in the past five months or so, I have been very inconsistent about it due to depression. I typically blow dry my hair after a shower, but I let my hair mostly air dry first. I’ve used several different heat protectants - right now, I’m using the Amika Wizard Detangler and the Tresemme heat protectant spray.
Here is my problem: my hair is EXTREMELY prone to tangling and always has been. Even my hairdresser has remarked on how easily it tangles. I know that straight hair is most vulnerable to breakage when wet, but if I don’t brush my hair out immediately after getting out of the shower, it dries into a tangled rats’ nest. Because of this, I have always detangled/brushed out my hair wet using a Wet Brush. Recently, however, I have been experiencing significantly more breakage than usual. My best guess as to why is because of a recent depressive episode I have been in (I haven’t been taking good care of my haidoing my usual routine, and I’ve been eating like crap). I have been trying to grow my hair out, but the breakage is so bad that I am planning on cutting my hair because the ends are that messed up.
I am looking for advice on how to minimize damage when brushing my hair wet.
2024.05.13 14:49 LChris24 Thoros of Myr: Underrated Fighter (Spoilers Extended)
Background
Recently, I Ranted In Support of the Skill of Ser Loras Tyrell. Here I am again to rant in support of Thoros of Myr.
I will state that I don't think Thoros is the best fighter, just underrated, while also noting that GRRM stated:
Thoros wins the Melee during the Tourney of the Hand:
and:
We find out that Thoros was the first one through the breach when Robert brought down the walls of Pyke during Balon's First Rebellion:
submitted by LChris24 to asoiaf [link] [comments]
Recently, I Ranted In Support of the Skill of Ser Loras Tyrell. Here I am again to rant in support of Thoros of Myr.
I will state that I don't think Thoros is the best fighter, just underrated, while also noting that GRRM stated:
GRRM: I get fans who ask me, "Who is the best warrior, or who would win in a sword fight between this character or this character?" My answer is always is that it depends on the day. You have to use sports as an analogy. Yes, you can say Johnny Unitas was a great quarterback but it doesn't mean he won every time. He lost some games. The greatest boxers lost occasionally. Even Man o' War was defeated once in a horse race. So we can rank these swordsman and we can rank the knights and we can say who is good or who is bad but still an upset is possible. Of course with knights, if you get upset, you may die or have a limb hacked off. They are playing a sport that is very dangerous. -SSM, SI.com Podcast: 6 Mar 2013Skill in Melees
Thoros wins the Melee during the Tourney of the Hand:
The melee went on for three hours. Near forty men took part, freeriders and hedge knights and new-made squires in search of a reputation. They fought with blunted weapons in a chaos of mud and blood, small troops fighting together and then turning on each other as alliances formed and fractured, until only one man was left standing. The victor was the red priest, Thoros of Myr, a madman who shaved his head and fought with a flaming sword. He had won melees before; the fire sword frightened the mounts of the other riders, and nothing frightened Thoros. The final tally was three broken limbs, a shattered collarbone, a dozen smashed fingers, two horses that had to be put down, and more cuts, sprains, and bruises than anyone cared to count. Ned was desperately pleased that Robert had not taken part. -AGOT, Eddard VIIIf interested: The Hand's Tourney: The "Winners'" Gold & the Brotherhood w/o Banners
and:
The shifting flames painted Sandor Clegane's burned face with orange shadows, so he looked even more terrible than he did in daylight. When he pulled at the rope that bound his wrists, flakes of dry blood fell off. The Hound's mouth twitched. "I know you," he said to Thoros.The Walls of Pyke
"You did. In mêlées, you'd curse my flaming sword, though thrice I overthrew you with it." -ASOS, Arya VI
We find out that Thoros was the first one through the breach when Robert brought down the walls of Pyke during Balon's First Rebellion:
The girls giggled over the warrior priest Thoros of Myr, with his flapping red robes and shaven head, until the septa told them that he had once scaled the walls of Pyke with a flaming sword in hand. -AGOT, Sansa IIand:
Ser Jorah nodded. "By then my father had taken the black, so I was Lord of Bear Island in my own right. I had no lack of marriage offers, but before I could reach a decision Lord Balon Greyjoy rose in rebellion against the Usurper, and Ned Stark called his banners to help his friend Robert. The final battle was on Pyke. When Robert's stonethrowers opened a breach in King Balon's wall, a priest from Myr was the first man through, but I was not far behind. For that I won my knighthood. -ACOK, Daenerys Iand:
"I was talking about Thoros." Gendry reached out with the tongs as if to pinch her face, but Arya swatted them away. "He liked feasts and tourneys, that was why King Robert was so fond of him. And this Thoros was brave. When the walls of Pyke crashed down, he was the first through the breach. He fought with one of his flaming swords, setting ironmen afire with every slash." -ASOS, Arya IVThe Battle of the Burning Septry
Thoros and Lord Beric were everywhere, their swords swirling fire. The red priest hacked at a hide shield until it flew to pieces, while his horse kicked the man in the face. A Dothraki screamed and charged the lightning lord, and the flaming sword leapt out to meet his arakh. The blades kissed and spun and kissed again. Then the Dothraki's hair was ablaze, and a moment later he was dead. She spied Ned too, fighting at the lightning lord's side. It's not fair, he's only a little older than me, they should have let me fight. -ASOS, Arya VIIIf interested: A Man Meeting His God: Thoros and R'hllor TLDR: Thoros of Myr is not be the best fighter ever. But he is extremely underrated/fearless and probably lives in the nightmares of numerous Ironborn.
2024.05.13 08:24 chupacabra-food How do I talk to my friend about her neglected cat?
I ask for non judgmental advice because that would be the most helpful to me and for the cat.
So my old friend from high school recently moved to my city and has a lot on her plate. New home, new job, two tiny kids under the age of 2. She is very overwhelmed. We are working on re kindling our friendship and getting to know her again.
But she has a cat, let’s call him Chaz whose care has been neglected. He is about 13, so getting up in the years but he’s
1- Very very obese. They free feed him huge amounts of dry food all day long
2- Matted. He’s a long haired cat who clearly struggles to clean himself. He’s full of dandruff and is clearly very itchy. They have tried to cut out a few of his large matts but he still has quite a few.
3- Has feces stuck all over his butt.
He’s a very sweet, social and loved cat. But I think my friend and her husband have a very outdated understanding on how to care for animals. Their human children clearly take up most of their time and resources so Chaz’s care has declined.
We aren’t close enough where I feel like I can be blunt with her and I don’t want her to feel judged, but I am worried for Chaz.
I don’t know if I should be the one to speak about his weight? That might come better from the vet.
But I want them to at least take him to the groomers and get his coat sorted out so he can live a better and more comfortable life. My friend is capable of paying for it herself.
Do you have any advice of how to (non judgmentally) speak to her about Chaz’s care? Any tips on how to approach this conversation or how to phrase my concerns constructively?
submitted by chupacabra-food to CatAdvice [link] [comments]
So my old friend from high school recently moved to my city and has a lot on her plate. New home, new job, two tiny kids under the age of 2. She is very overwhelmed. We are working on re kindling our friendship and getting to know her again.
But she has a cat, let’s call him Chaz whose care has been neglected. He is about 13, so getting up in the years but he’s
1- Very very obese. They free feed him huge amounts of dry food all day long
2- Matted. He’s a long haired cat who clearly struggles to clean himself. He’s full of dandruff and is clearly very itchy. They have tried to cut out a few of his large matts but he still has quite a few.
3- Has feces stuck all over his butt.
He’s a very sweet, social and loved cat. But I think my friend and her husband have a very outdated understanding on how to care for animals. Their human children clearly take up most of their time and resources so Chaz’s care has declined.
We aren’t close enough where I feel like I can be blunt with her and I don’t want her to feel judged, but I am worried for Chaz.
I don’t know if I should be the one to speak about his weight? That might come better from the vet.
But I want them to at least take him to the groomers and get his coat sorted out so he can live a better and more comfortable life. My friend is capable of paying for it herself.
Do you have any advice of how to (non judgmentally) speak to her about Chaz’s care? Any tips on how to approach this conversation or how to phrase my concerns constructively?
2024.05.13 05:02 Mountain_Address4827 MP… please read….
I am going to be very blunt… sorry not sorry if it hurts….
Get your head out of your a$$ and see how toxic this is. A relationship that is “normal” is not like this. There is no controlling, lying, cheating, hiding stuff or anything that is in your current relationship. I have been married 25 years. Never once would I put up with this. Also… remember your children are watching…. You want your son to think it’s okay to treat his future spouse like this? Want your daughter to think this is normal way to be treated?? Want to know what kind of relationship I have with my mom?? None… she put men first. I was always left alone so she could hang with her flavor of the week and go to bars. I swore I would never be that mom. My husband and I have raised 2 very successful now adults. Who I would go to the end of time for..
Let’s talk your love for mimosas or liquor in general… that mixed your medication is not healthy. It causes you to spiral and act like a fool on the internet.
Let’s talk “money”…. You constantly mention how well off daddy is… I come from money…. And have we have our businesses….. money doesn’t bring happiness. Money actually causes more issues than I think you realize… (remember that $1000 phone bill of his your paid? Or the Starbucks order?). What’s going to happen when he milks the cow dry? Going to run to daddy for more? Come on girl, do something with yourself. Make a positive name for yourself and someone your children would be proud of. Right now you are a laughing embarrassment to them and family.
Please consider working on you… learn to love yourself… learn your worth… stop allowing this to happen. It’s effecting your mental health.
submitted by Mountain_Address4827 to MissyPetersonSnark_ [link] [comments]
Get your head out of your a$$ and see how toxic this is. A relationship that is “normal” is not like this. There is no controlling, lying, cheating, hiding stuff or anything that is in your current relationship. I have been married 25 years. Never once would I put up with this. Also… remember your children are watching…. You want your son to think it’s okay to treat his future spouse like this? Want your daughter to think this is normal way to be treated?? Want to know what kind of relationship I have with my mom?? None… she put men first. I was always left alone so she could hang with her flavor of the week and go to bars. I swore I would never be that mom. My husband and I have raised 2 very successful now adults. Who I would go to the end of time for..
Let’s talk your love for mimosas or liquor in general… that mixed your medication is not healthy. It causes you to spiral and act like a fool on the internet.
Let’s talk “money”…. You constantly mention how well off daddy is… I come from money…. And have we have our businesses….. money doesn’t bring happiness. Money actually causes more issues than I think you realize… (remember that $1000 phone bill of his your paid? Or the Starbucks order?). What’s going to happen when he milks the cow dry? Going to run to daddy for more? Come on girl, do something with yourself. Make a positive name for yourself and someone your children would be proud of. Right now you are a laughing embarrassment to them and family.
Please consider working on you… learn to love yourself… learn your worth… stop allowing this to happen. It’s effecting your mental health.
2024.05.13 04:46 oddnded 27 [M4R] #North Carolina / #Online - I'm sure there's probably some genuine conversation in the void, right?
TL;DR: Just some tired, annoying, mentally ill, gamer dude trying to find a half decent connection. I'm not out to try and impress anyone, and never will be lol. Low effort introductions will be ignored, sorry! If you have a disdain for games, movies, banter, cars, or humor as a whole just pass me up. Also, if you're keen on one sided conversations or short term too
I'm attempting to find new friends or a relationship, if it happens. The people I have spoke to over the last several years of my life either became too busy or entirely different people. So, it's slowly just dwindled to null, meaning you'd get a fair bit of attention lmao. I miss having someone to talk and complain to everyday about whatever + that seemingly care, y'know? At this point I'd take having people to small talk with lmao
I will say it would probably be ideal if you could relate to the older online era. I mean, within the realm of peak CoD lobbies, Habbo, and similar. Idk, it seemed like back then people were more fun. Lol I've found they're usually less sensitive too
Honestly, I could care less if it's SFW, NSFW, or a mix when it comes to conversations. I'm relatively open minded in general, and don't take to getting offended easily either. The only things I ask are for you to be somewhat close to my age (20+), honest, and relatively blunt. I mean, bonus if you can relate to the tired feeling. Well, that or if you can tolerate it at the very least. I don't want to list an absurd amount about myself, because I feel that ruins actual back and forth to a degree, personally
About You: • Non-sensitive and can handle banter, jokes, and memes while also returning
• Somewhat available and able to reply in a decent amount of time / has some degree of conversational skill
• Has an ability to express interest or converse about hobbies that aren't your own (on average used to people just passing by half of what I say)
• You can be equally boring as myself or worse tbh, as long as there's back and forth. If you're some mass extrovert then I can live vicariously through you in contrast lmao
• It would be cool if you enjoyed sharing music. I'm always looking for new stuff for my playlist
• You enjoy movies
I will say none of these are requirements. They're extremely preferred though tbh
About Me: • I'm currently twenty-seven, and feel awful. Regardless, quarter life crisis is still persisting lol
• I have relatively awful internet. So, games take forever to update, think a day or two depending. Also, at some point I want a sim rig (not an over the top money pit one lmao)
• Tends to enjoy most forms of comedy, wether dark / offensive / dry etc + I agree with the stance of jokes being jokes
• Meme Archivarius and Aficionado
• I've officially been learning Norwegian for over a year now. Overall I just enjoy the idea of being bilingual in some capacity. Just a little bit each day, not in a rush lol
• Cold weather / temps wins over hot weather / temps every single time
• I have an absurd amount of hobbies; but, obviously frequent some more than others. So, the likelihood we at least share one in common is very high
• May as wells be a bottle of mental health issues, namely severe depression and general anxiety. So, if you struggle with mental health it's no issue. Honestly, would probably be nice if you can either relate or understand
• Sleeping is a struggle + my general sleep schedule is subpar
• Believes Elon Musk will end up creating catgirls, sooner or later
• Replies as quick as I nut
So, aside from all of that, feel free to ask me anything you'd like to know about me. I'm a relatively open book. If you actually read all of this then I apologize, homie. Hopefully this finds you well, my dudes. Feel free to send me a chat (´• `")ゝ
submitted by oddnded to r4r [link] [comments]
I'm attempting to find new friends or a relationship, if it happens. The people I have spoke to over the last several years of my life either became too busy or entirely different people. So, it's slowly just dwindled to null, meaning you'd get a fair bit of attention lmao. I miss having someone to talk and complain to everyday about whatever + that seemingly care, y'know? At this point I'd take having people to small talk with lmao
I will say it would probably be ideal if you could relate to the older online era. I mean, within the realm of peak CoD lobbies, Habbo, and similar. Idk, it seemed like back then people were more fun. Lol I've found they're usually less sensitive too
Honestly, I could care less if it's SFW, NSFW, or a mix when it comes to conversations. I'm relatively open minded in general, and don't take to getting offended easily either. The only things I ask are for you to be somewhat close to my age (20+), honest, and relatively blunt. I mean, bonus if you can relate to the tired feeling. Well, that or if you can tolerate it at the very least. I don't want to list an absurd amount about myself, because I feel that ruins actual back and forth to a degree, personally
About You: • Non-sensitive and can handle banter, jokes, and memes while also returning
• Somewhat available and able to reply in a decent amount of time / has some degree of conversational skill
• Has an ability to express interest or converse about hobbies that aren't your own (on average used to people just passing by half of what I say)
• You can be equally boring as myself or worse tbh, as long as there's back and forth. If you're some mass extrovert then I can live vicariously through you in contrast lmao
• It would be cool if you enjoyed sharing music. I'm always looking for new stuff for my playlist
• You enjoy movies
I will say none of these are requirements. They're extremely preferred though tbh
About Me: • I'm currently twenty-seven, and feel awful. Regardless, quarter life crisis is still persisting lol
• I have relatively awful internet. So, games take forever to update, think a day or two depending. Also, at some point I want a sim rig (not an over the top money pit one lmao)
• Tends to enjoy most forms of comedy, wether dark / offensive / dry etc + I agree with the stance of jokes being jokes
• Meme Archivarius and Aficionado
• I've officially been learning Norwegian for over a year now. Overall I just enjoy the idea of being bilingual in some capacity. Just a little bit each day, not in a rush lol
• Cold weather / temps wins over hot weather / temps every single time
• I have an absurd amount of hobbies; but, obviously frequent some more than others. So, the likelihood we at least share one in common is very high
• May as wells be a bottle of mental health issues, namely severe depression and general anxiety. So, if you struggle with mental health it's no issue. Honestly, would probably be nice if you can either relate or understand
• Sleeping is a struggle + my general sleep schedule is subpar
• Believes Elon Musk will end up creating catgirls, sooner or later
• Replies as quick as I nut
So, aside from all of that, feel free to ask me anything you'd like to know about me. I'm a relatively open book. If you actually read all of this then I apologize, homie. Hopefully this finds you well, my dudes. Feel free to send me a chat (´• `")ゝ
2024.05.13 04:24 2-tree How to deal with my ADHD causing problems in my relationship? (23M & 24F)
I'm a dude (M23) and i'm dating a girl (F24) and it's a long distance relationship. I live in the US, she lives in Mexico. My ADHD has been interfering with our relationship the past few months and I need help managing it. I was professionally diagnosed with it as a kid, and I used to take medication for it (Strattera) but I stopped a few years ago in college since I can mostly manage it. But in a relationship, it always creates hurdles and it has impacted my past relationships for sure (both long distance and girls who live here), and my current relationship definitely, but the girl i'm with right now is very understanding and doesn't have experience dating a guy with ADHD. I don't like it being seen as a "disability" because I don't like being lumped in with all the different conditions that word can pertain to. I have a job, I have a life, it's just that it impacts some parts of my social skills and thats what bothers me, I want to be normal and while ADHD cannot be cured, it can definitely be managed. I went to therapists and psychiatrists as a kid and it definitely helped mold me into a more "normal" (society's definition) person. I don't make it my whole personality and I am grateful that ADHD doesn't have the same stigma it has that other disorders do like BPD, schizophrenia, etc.
Some things that I realize I do and I know that upset her, as we have discussed them....
submitted by 2-tree to relationship_advice [link] [comments]
Some things that I realize I do and I know that upset her, as we have discussed them....
- I can often monopolize the conversation talking about things I like such as cars, Hot Wheels (yes im 23 and collect toy cars, fight me), history, food, which I know she does find very fascinating and enjoyable to talk about but I have also have a hard time making conversation talking about other things and theres sometimes long pauses when on call, or dry conversations on text, and she may only get a few more words in than I did, or vice versa.
- I suck at asking questions besides "How are you" and "Wyd" after i'm done answering her questions that she asks to me. This makes me come across as indifferent to her and rude as I know she expects me to mirror her questions to show interest.
- I can tell she likes and loves me but nevertheless sometimes I don't take much initiative to talk to her or make plans to meet. But when she initiates to makes the time, I right away want to spending many hours with her OTP on facetime or making plans to meet.
- I know I can be shy, soft-spoken, socially awkward, or very reserved.
- I know I can come across as quite “robotic”. I suck at showing my full face on Facetime simply because I don't like to but not because I don't want to. I know sometimes it's hard for her to read my mood or tell how I feeling, sometimes I show enthusiasm, or I text very very bluntly and dryly.
- I am very stoic and I seem to show no emotion at all, but I do get emotional when we argue or have a disagreement
- I suck at saying “thank you” to compliments, or “congratulations” to her when she does something awesome, I suck at give typical replies in response to things that would merit that.
- I am a stickler for accuracy and detail, almost pedantic. If she say something that’s factually not correct, even a little, even when it’s just in passing and i feel it doesn’t matter, I will often make a point of correcting her.
- We sent each other a package a while back filled with stuff for each other and I know I sucked at showing appreciation for it. I love what she sent for me. I love all of it. She even made a painting for me which was incredible but I for whatever reason have a hard way of saying thank you. I feel awkward saying it. It's frustrating because I know what I want to say but the words just wont come out of my mouth. Its the first time any girl has done that for me.
- We have been talking about planning to meet for a while and I still live at home with my parents (apartments are crazy fucking expensive where I live) so I still live by some of their rules, even though im over 18. They wouldn't want me to just go to another country. But, she is coming to the US in a few months for a summer camp and were making plans to meet. She will be in another state but in the US. I suck at making plans. But I want to meet her. I really do. I would love to hug her. I just suck at making plans or taking the initiative sometimes, especially with something i'm unfamiliar with. I like it when everything is with certainty and not random but at the same time I stress about stuff being planned in advance and then having something else pop up and making me feel like shit due to a conflict.
- We will often plan to Facetime but sometimes I will either fall asleep while waiting or will forget to call her. Its not that I don't want to stay up, sometimes I just forget to call her and I hate using ADHD as an excuse but it sucks.
- Sometimes I will go hours without texting her, and either just remember to text her out of the blue, or after she double texts me or sends me a message on Instagram or Facebook. Now, I do work a lot and cant be on the phone much at work. But when i'm not busy, sometimes I just suck at texting. Its not that I dont want to talk to her, I do. I really do. I love talking to her. But I will just get distracted by something else such as a Youtube video, or something in my house, scrolling Facebook, what have you. Sometimes I just forget to text her not because I am ignoring her, but because I just completely space out and get focused on something else, it's not a conscious thing I do but I know it upsets her a lot and I feel horrible often because I truly am not purposely ignoring her or avoiding her at all.
- I often don't make moves romantically or sexually but I do respond well when she does. It's not that i'm not attracted to her, I am. She is beautiful. I just am awkward about that stuff and I worry about making her uncomfortable or thinking it's all I want which is not true.
2024.05.13 04:20 liog2step I need some serious advice
 | It’s thin and fine. This is after washing with Lush Seanik, a Keratin spray and an air dry cream (I want to say Kristen something from Target). I work from home so I don’t want to have to “do” my hair every day. This is what happens when I don’t do my hair. When I do my hair I just straighten it (photo 2). The cut is a blunt bob (although not a great one- my stylist isn’t so great with the precision but that’s a whole other story). Any ideas for something I can do to embrace and take the waves? submitted by liog2step to CurlyHairCare [link] [comments] |
2024.05.13 02:40 Marvynwillames So, about Guilliman's reforms
After his return in 2017, Guilliman showed why hes the most "paperwork" primarch by setting multiple reforms during the absolute chaos that was the galaxy after the Great Rift, he unleashed the Primaris, he removed and added new High Lords and so go on, but, I sometimes see comments asking if the returning primarchs could ever "fix" the Imperium trully, taking it back to the Pre Heresy status.
So I found this comment about the reforms, including examples of how, even a primarch, is limited by just how bad the Imperium is organized.
And some of his choices were, of course, limited by the options, he removed a High Lord who was too much of a reformer, and one of his picks, Morvenn Vahl, dont really care about politics, effectively making her place in the High Lords a placeholder, since its best than a member that is actively against his will.
submitted by Marvynwillames to 40kLore [link] [comments]
So I found this comment about the reforms, including examples of how, even a primarch, is limited by just how bad the Imperium is organized.
Yeah, minor reforms. Some politically powerful conservatives were kicked out and subsequently killed, and Guilliman named their replacements. A purge of Terra was done, catching boatloads of cultists, traitors, and corrupt or lazy officials. A Munitorum-adjunct was created to manage logistics for the Indomitus Crusade. New Chapters were founded, and a new type of Space Marine is going around. Ultramar is hosting a small Legion now, with ten Chapters charged with defending it, under the command of Marneus Calgar. There's an Imperial Regent now, who in theory is effectively emperor as long as the actual emperor doesn't stand back up.The Tithe system in special, its well known for being a messy thing, Calgar's Siege, for example, got a planetary governor, who turned the mud huts of his troops into a Tokyo sized metropolis in 30 years thanks to right connections, saying it was a shame that the Administratum found about the planet, because now, they will suck it dry with tithes and dont give a damm about its attempts to advance.
There was no reform to the tithe system, which chokes out planetary development and encourages suppression of domestic consumption for the sake of maximizing exports. No reform to the Guard practice of assembling armies for a campaign and disbanding them after, which bears a large part of the responsibility for the Guard's blunt tactics. Nothing can be done about the AdMech's guild-like practices. Guilliman's handpicked reformer Ecclesiarch from Ultramar doesn't seem to be doing much to shift the organization in a new direction. And when the Imperial Regent ordered the Ultramar 500 to be pulled together, some planets stonewalled him, and when he went personally to see why it wasn't being done even planetary governors dared to argue with him.
In the second Watchers book, the Grandmaster of Assassins was originally a political ally of the conservative High Lords that Guilliman threw out. He did not support their rebellion, and collaborated with Roboute and Trajan to take all their heads. When asked about his motive afterward, he says that he still thinks his agenda is dominant. Guilliman will make some waves, more than most anyone can due to being a Primarch and Imperial Regent, but the Grandmaster thinks Guilliman will run out of momentum before long.
And some of his choices were, of course, limited by the options, he removed a High Lord who was too much of a reformer, and one of his picks, Morvenn Vahl, dont really care about politics, effectively making her place in the High Lords a placeholder, since its best than a member that is actively against his will.
2024.05.12 21:49 FancyFireDrake Yang in the Lostbelts Arc 1: How to safe a Timeline and talk to Ravens
Russian Lostbelt
Lost Jumper: Esdeath
Sin: Created the eternal blizzard
It seemed like a very twisted kind of coincidence that this would be their first target.
Even after all these years Yang remembered her first Jump. Including the first person to truly provide a challenge for her on her chain. Esdeath, the social darwinist empress of ice and fear.
This entire country had Esdeath written all over it. Without a empire to reign her in or direct her, Esdeath made battle and strenght an even bigger part of herself. The constant blizzard, lethal to all live but the Yaga, who were further kept on their toes with mutated demonic beasts and pushed to further evolve beyond what they should be capable of... all a sign of a woman trying to find an ever greater challenge.
In a way that could be beneficial. Esdeath was a true believer in the strong rule the weak. If she was beaten... maybe she could be reasoned with.
Good grief if her first Jump self could listen to her. Trying to redeem Esdeath.
But that was but one facet of what Yang was hoping to accomplish. Fortunately she had an idea.
In a small cave near Yaga Moscow, near Ivan the Terrible who no doubt needed to be pacified as well, they managed to build a base after some days of searching. The tools in the Gates of Babylon she wielded made it easy to defend and surprisingly liveable. But even more importantly the vast assortment of mankinds treasures was good building material.
She traded ideas with Taiyang, leading to... this.
Her tinkering with something that looked like a shoebox.
"Please remind me again what exactly it is you are making there." Corax asked next to her. The mysterious masked person was always looking at her it felt like. What were they a self proclaimed bodyguard?
"I got the idea from a guy called Rick Sanchez." Yang explained, not ceizing her tinkering for even a moment. "Typical supergenius. he made a universe to power his car."
"That seems... over the top."
"And somehow still inefficient and immoral. I had to strongarm him into taking advantage of the stars he made instead of gaslighting a planet into stepping on machines 24/7 to produce electricity. Rick and Morty is a weird Jump. But hey got out of it making an alcoholic asshole a little less nihilistic and shattering a multiversal prison so eh... good with the bad."
"...You are surprisingly intelligent." Corax spoke in an attempt to continue the conversation, unsure how else to reply it seems. "Well you know, I guess I always had a thing for building stuff. Ember Celica, Bumblebee. When I started to go into a place that had Mechs and became friends with an army of androids... I guess I slowly slipped into a tech/magitec build."
"I can see it has its uses, if a pocket universe can be made from it."
"Its kinda all the same at one point. Magic, technology, just a matter of what you preffer calling it at certain levels." Yang said, adjusting some more calculations.
"And how exactly do you hope a pocket universe can help us?"
"Basically by being a vacuum cleaner." Yang explained a bit too offhanded. "Once we fell the Tree the timeline needs something to maintain it. Rhongomyniad had the capacity of supporting singularities that lack even a Holy Grail. I just reverse engineered the phenomen and made it an inherent feature of this Box. Once the timeline dissapears, the Box will suck it up and locate it inside of a barren Planet, premade and waiting to have something planted on it."
"That is... a lot of effort." Corax commented to which Yang could only laugh. "I hope it gets easier with time. I still have to make six more for the other Lostbelts."
The masked individual hummed in what Yang guessed was contemplation. "What? I can HEAR you thinking."
"Do you think this really is the best solution?" Corax asked. "It takes so long and this timeline was deemed unsustainable."
"I mean what else do you think we should do."
"When we shared our most recent purchases, you said you combined Laevatein with the rings of burned history."
"Yes?" Yang already didnt like where this was going.
"Its a useful combination, especially with your potent fire abilities. And with the Rings turning everything it destroys into energy to use... and Laevatein having enough power to destroy a whole Lostbelt-"
"Corax." the blonde said with a warning tone. "You better not be implying what I THINK your implying."
"...We dont know what else is waiting for us. And you may actually be the weakest of us in a straight up fight. And the chainbreakers have it out for you specifically. Yang you need every bit of power you can get especially with Adam-"
"NO!" Yang snapped, eyes red in warning. "I am NOT going to kill this entire timeline."
Corax was quiet but through the Mask Yang thought she saw sympathy of all things. "...Its a mercy kill. Yang the Yaga of this World, all life in this world, is suffering. Patxi said it himself. They dont know joy. They know nothing but struggle. Their only good quality is strenght-"
"Which is EXACTLY why I will not stop at preserving the timeline. As soon as the world is save I will get rid of this blizzard and work my way through there." Yang insisted.
"..Why?"
"Because that is..." "What Ruby would do" "what a Jumper is SUPPOSED to be. The thing these chainbreakers cant wrap their head around. We have the opportunity to be the embodiment of playground rules, leave a place better than you found it in ways indescribable. Because of a World is in pain it doesnt mean you should destroy it. I mean what do you expect me to blow up my Remnant instead of trying to save it?"
"Of course not." Corax insisted. "But I fear that you are trying to do too much. I mean even your insistence on trying to reform the Jumpers? You are spreading yourself thin."
"If we just kill them we, again, prove the people who put us here right."
"Yang this is ESDEATH. Unanimously the worst person alive in her original world. Didnt you kill her once already?"
Yang halted, putting down the box as she closed her eyes. Corax continued speaking. "Some people are beyond saving."
"Who decides that?" the Huntress questioned. "What?" came Corax dumbfounded reply.
"WHO decides when someone is beyond redemption?"
"Look around what she has done to this world."
Yang was quiet for a moment, looking right into Corax mask, almost piercing it with her purple irises. "She is not the only one who made mistakes."
Corax could be heard sighing. "Yang you can not possibly compare your own shortcomings to Esdeaths active malice."
"Than how about we compare power."
the masked Jumper raised an eyebrow. "Power?"
"How would you power? I define it as your ability to affect the world around you, in contrast to strenght where you yourself can change how to be affected by the world. Power can come in many forms. Soft like reputation and social influence. Hard like punching a mountain to rubbles. But beyond all that... power gives you opportunites. A powerful person is not someone who kills or terrifies others. A truly powerful person they can change the world through... mercy."
Corax, taken aback by her reasoning, hesitated to speak further at first. "But if mercy is not an option?"
"It is ALWAYS an option. Just one you need to try a bit harder for."
"I dont know if Esdeath will agree."
"I will still TRY." Yang said and seemingly trying to make it the final note of this conversation went back to working on the Box.
"...Maybe you should... you know..." Quil asked in the back of Ravens mind. The masked Jumper sighed.
"Does she remind you of Raven?"
Yang dropped her wrench at the question, perplexed looking at Corax. Unknown to her just what Corax... RAVEN... had asked. "What?"
"From what I know from the RWBY Universe Raven is a social darwinist as well isnt she? bandit tribe leader? She... abandoned you."
Yangs mouth moved but no words came out, before she blinked... finally ending in a dry laugh. "Congrats you know one of the few facts the entire Multiverse seems to know about my world. Thats like a absolute point practically."
Yang didnt notice how Corax seemed to flinch. "Is this about Raven? Are you... hoping that if you redeem Esdeath it somehow... will bring her back? Or to help you work on your emotions with someone who only values strenght?"
The huntress looked bluntly at Corax before sighing. "Okay since this is what you want to talk about lets talk. Let me explain to you what Raven Branwen is to me."
Corax waite din anticipation, the few seconds in between words feeliing like an eternity. Maybe... maybe if... if what? What did Raven WANT Yang to say? That she missed her? that she hated her? Yang was always very passionate, wearing her emotions on her sleeve. Any response could-.
"Absolutely nothing."
"...What?"
"What?"
Yangs face was resembling one that tried to best desrcibe the specific shade of white a room had. So... utterly unaffected.
"Raven Branwen is someone I used to dedicate my entire life to finding. I stayed awake at night wondering what I could have done wrong."
"You didnt do anything wrong I did!"
"I desperately wanted to see her again... to the point I nearly got the person I love the most in EVERY universe killed. If Qrow had not found us... I could have gotten me and my sister killed that night. And you know what the worst of it all is? Just... how stupid I actually was? Why should I even waste any miniscule neuron in my brain to Raven? A woman who left people who loved her behind to join some bandit tribe and cause untold misery."
Yang rolled her eyes, grabbing a nearby can of hot cocoa to warm herself up.
"If you have people in your life who love you, who care for you, who want to be with you... its so stupid to want to be with someone who isnt any of these things. And honestly I HAVE those. I have them in abundance actually!" Yang said with a small laugh, as if she couldnt believe her luck. "I mean Aziza basically became my second mom. Than there is Tai... dad... well... you know. My companions. The various other Jumpers who became mentors to me or parental figures. After spending my early childhood dying of thirst I am practically drowning now." she smiled, takinga sip of the warm liquid.
"I dont need Raven. I never needed her in my life. And honestly? I have better things to worry about. Much bigger things. I am not projecting anything onto Esdeath. For Raven I just feel... nothing."
Yang looked sympathically at Corax, unaware that she was talking to her own mother. "So... sorry if you were hoping for some deep emotional conversation but that is the wrong topic for me."
Raven said nothing, grateful for the mask of anonimity. "...I see. Im... sorry."
"Dont be." Yang shrugged. "Look I get what you are trying to do. And frankly I think I know what your deal is, even if I dont know who is behind that mask." she spoke, giving a playful tap to the mask. "You did something wrong in the past. Probably see whatever you did reflected in me and dad. And if you want to talk about your issues how your probably trying to make amends by all means do... but you dont need to take any issues I have as a front for it because really... I have a lot of issues but I had enough therpaists by now. And Raven is one issue I REALLY dont have anymore."
Handing Corax the thermos can, Yang prepeared to go back to the Box and work.
"...I think i bring this to Tai. Also see if he wants to switch guard duty."
"Go ahead." Yang smiled at her, before zoning in on her work.
Not seeing the tears forming behind Ravens mask as she walked away.
XXXXXXXXXX
Across the camp Taiyang sighed, he hadn't been able to resist listening in on the conversation especially not when he knew who was behind that mask... he knew where Yang was coming from and knew there was no malice intended?
How could there be when she didn't even know she was addressing the topic of conversation? But what he did know for sure was that in a single stroke any progress Raven had made in convincing herself to tell Yang her true identity had been wiped clean.
He gave her a sad, slightly forced smile as she brought him the thermos- "Thank you Corax"
Tai pats the ground next to him "Sit with me for a minute, I could use the company"
With Yang in the Camp and undoubtedly hearing everything they said Tai couldn't offer his full sympathies- his assurances that he didn't feel the same way his daughter did... and he certainly couldn't share the comfort having her with him had brought throughout everything that had happened.
But he could be there for Yang and Raven both and that was everything he had ever wanted even back home.
"Of course...." And... in that small way, as the masked Raven simply sat down and silently grieved over what she lost... he did manage to do that.
submitted by FancyFireDrake to JumpChain [link] [comments]
Lost Jumper: Esdeath
Sin: Created the eternal blizzard
It seemed like a very twisted kind of coincidence that this would be their first target.
Even after all these years Yang remembered her first Jump. Including the first person to truly provide a challenge for her on her chain. Esdeath, the social darwinist empress of ice and fear.
This entire country had Esdeath written all over it. Without a empire to reign her in or direct her, Esdeath made battle and strenght an even bigger part of herself. The constant blizzard, lethal to all live but the Yaga, who were further kept on their toes with mutated demonic beasts and pushed to further evolve beyond what they should be capable of... all a sign of a woman trying to find an ever greater challenge.
In a way that could be beneficial. Esdeath was a true believer in the strong rule the weak. If she was beaten... maybe she could be reasoned with.
Good grief if her first Jump self could listen to her. Trying to redeem Esdeath.
But that was but one facet of what Yang was hoping to accomplish. Fortunately she had an idea.
In a small cave near Yaga Moscow, near Ivan the Terrible who no doubt needed to be pacified as well, they managed to build a base after some days of searching. The tools in the Gates of Babylon she wielded made it easy to defend and surprisingly liveable. But even more importantly the vast assortment of mankinds treasures was good building material.
She traded ideas with Taiyang, leading to... this.
Her tinkering with something that looked like a shoebox.
"Please remind me again what exactly it is you are making there." Corax asked next to her. The mysterious masked person was always looking at her it felt like. What were they a self proclaimed bodyguard?
"I got the idea from a guy called Rick Sanchez." Yang explained, not ceizing her tinkering for even a moment. "Typical supergenius. he made a universe to power his car."
"That seems... over the top."
"And somehow still inefficient and immoral. I had to strongarm him into taking advantage of the stars he made instead of gaslighting a planet into stepping on machines 24/7 to produce electricity. Rick and Morty is a weird Jump. But hey got out of it making an alcoholic asshole a little less nihilistic and shattering a multiversal prison so eh... good with the bad."
"...You are surprisingly intelligent." Corax spoke in an attempt to continue the conversation, unsure how else to reply it seems. "Well you know, I guess I always had a thing for building stuff. Ember Celica, Bumblebee. When I started to go into a place that had Mechs and became friends with an army of androids... I guess I slowly slipped into a tech/magitec build."
"I can see it has its uses, if a pocket universe can be made from it."
"Its kinda all the same at one point. Magic, technology, just a matter of what you preffer calling it at certain levels." Yang said, adjusting some more calculations.
"And how exactly do you hope a pocket universe can help us?"
"Basically by being a vacuum cleaner." Yang explained a bit too offhanded. "Once we fell the Tree the timeline needs something to maintain it. Rhongomyniad had the capacity of supporting singularities that lack even a Holy Grail. I just reverse engineered the phenomen and made it an inherent feature of this Box. Once the timeline dissapears, the Box will suck it up and locate it inside of a barren Planet, premade and waiting to have something planted on it."
"That is... a lot of effort." Corax commented to which Yang could only laugh. "I hope it gets easier with time. I still have to make six more for the other Lostbelts."
The masked individual hummed in what Yang guessed was contemplation. "What? I can HEAR you thinking."
"Do you think this really is the best solution?" Corax asked. "It takes so long and this timeline was deemed unsustainable."
"I mean what else do you think we should do."
"When we shared our most recent purchases, you said you combined Laevatein with the rings of burned history."
"Yes?" Yang already didnt like where this was going.
"Its a useful combination, especially with your potent fire abilities. And with the Rings turning everything it destroys into energy to use... and Laevatein having enough power to destroy a whole Lostbelt-"
"Corax." the blonde said with a warning tone. "You better not be implying what I THINK your implying."
"...We dont know what else is waiting for us. And you may actually be the weakest of us in a straight up fight. And the chainbreakers have it out for you specifically. Yang you need every bit of power you can get especially with Adam-"
"NO!" Yang snapped, eyes red in warning. "I am NOT going to kill this entire timeline."
Corax was quiet but through the Mask Yang thought she saw sympathy of all things. "...Its a mercy kill. Yang the Yaga of this World, all life in this world, is suffering. Patxi said it himself. They dont know joy. They know nothing but struggle. Their only good quality is strenght-"
"Which is EXACTLY why I will not stop at preserving the timeline. As soon as the world is save I will get rid of this blizzard and work my way through there." Yang insisted.
"..Why?"
"Because that is..." "What Ruby would do" "what a Jumper is SUPPOSED to be. The thing these chainbreakers cant wrap their head around. We have the opportunity to be the embodiment of playground rules, leave a place better than you found it in ways indescribable. Because of a World is in pain it doesnt mean you should destroy it. I mean what do you expect me to blow up my Remnant instead of trying to save it?"
"Of course not." Corax insisted. "But I fear that you are trying to do too much. I mean even your insistence on trying to reform the Jumpers? You are spreading yourself thin."
"If we just kill them we, again, prove the people who put us here right."
"Yang this is ESDEATH. Unanimously the worst person alive in her original world. Didnt you kill her once already?"
Yang halted, putting down the box as she closed her eyes. Corax continued speaking. "Some people are beyond saving."
"Who decides that?" the Huntress questioned. "What?" came Corax dumbfounded reply.
"WHO decides when someone is beyond redemption?"
"Look around what she has done to this world."
Yang was quiet for a moment, looking right into Corax mask, almost piercing it with her purple irises. "She is not the only one who made mistakes."
Corax could be heard sighing. "Yang you can not possibly compare your own shortcomings to Esdeaths active malice."
"Than how about we compare power."
the masked Jumper raised an eyebrow. "Power?"
"How would you power? I define it as your ability to affect the world around you, in contrast to strenght where you yourself can change how to be affected by the world. Power can come in many forms. Soft like reputation and social influence. Hard like punching a mountain to rubbles. But beyond all that... power gives you opportunites. A powerful person is not someone who kills or terrifies others. A truly powerful person they can change the world through... mercy."
Corax, taken aback by her reasoning, hesitated to speak further at first. "But if mercy is not an option?"
"It is ALWAYS an option. Just one you need to try a bit harder for."
"I dont know if Esdeath will agree."
"I will still TRY." Yang said and seemingly trying to make it the final note of this conversation went back to working on the Box.
"...Maybe you should... you know..." Quil asked in the back of Ravens mind. The masked Jumper sighed.
"Does she remind you of Raven?"
Yang dropped her wrench at the question, perplexed looking at Corax. Unknown to her just what Corax... RAVEN... had asked. "What?"
"From what I know from the RWBY Universe Raven is a social darwinist as well isnt she? bandit tribe leader? She... abandoned you."
Yangs mouth moved but no words came out, before she blinked... finally ending in a dry laugh. "Congrats you know one of the few facts the entire Multiverse seems to know about my world. Thats like a absolute point practically."
Yang didnt notice how Corax seemed to flinch. "Is this about Raven? Are you... hoping that if you redeem Esdeath it somehow... will bring her back? Or to help you work on your emotions with someone who only values strenght?"
The huntress looked bluntly at Corax before sighing. "Okay since this is what you want to talk about lets talk. Let me explain to you what Raven Branwen is to me."
Corax waite din anticipation, the few seconds in between words feeliing like an eternity. Maybe... maybe if... if what? What did Raven WANT Yang to say? That she missed her? that she hated her? Yang was always very passionate, wearing her emotions on her sleeve. Any response could-.
"Absolutely nothing."
"...What?"
"What?"
Yangs face was resembling one that tried to best desrcibe the specific shade of white a room had. So... utterly unaffected.
"Raven Branwen is someone I used to dedicate my entire life to finding. I stayed awake at night wondering what I could have done wrong."
"You didnt do anything wrong I did!"
"I desperately wanted to see her again... to the point I nearly got the person I love the most in EVERY universe killed. If Qrow had not found us... I could have gotten me and my sister killed that night. And you know what the worst of it all is? Just... how stupid I actually was? Why should I even waste any miniscule neuron in my brain to Raven? A woman who left people who loved her behind to join some bandit tribe and cause untold misery."
Yang rolled her eyes, grabbing a nearby can of hot cocoa to warm herself up.
"If you have people in your life who love you, who care for you, who want to be with you... its so stupid to want to be with someone who isnt any of these things. And honestly I HAVE those. I have them in abundance actually!" Yang said with a small laugh, as if she couldnt believe her luck. "I mean Aziza basically became my second mom. Than there is Tai... dad... well... you know. My companions. The various other Jumpers who became mentors to me or parental figures. After spending my early childhood dying of thirst I am practically drowning now." she smiled, takinga sip of the warm liquid.
"I dont need Raven. I never needed her in my life. And honestly? I have better things to worry about. Much bigger things. I am not projecting anything onto Esdeath. For Raven I just feel... nothing."
Yang looked sympathically at Corax, unaware that she was talking to her own mother. "So... sorry if you were hoping for some deep emotional conversation but that is the wrong topic for me."
Raven said nothing, grateful for the mask of anonimity. "...I see. Im... sorry."
"Dont be." Yang shrugged. "Look I get what you are trying to do. And frankly I think I know what your deal is, even if I dont know who is behind that mask." she spoke, giving a playful tap to the mask. "You did something wrong in the past. Probably see whatever you did reflected in me and dad. And if you want to talk about your issues how your probably trying to make amends by all means do... but you dont need to take any issues I have as a front for it because really... I have a lot of issues but I had enough therpaists by now. And Raven is one issue I REALLY dont have anymore."
Handing Corax the thermos can, Yang prepeared to go back to the Box and work.
"...I think i bring this to Tai. Also see if he wants to switch guard duty."
"Go ahead." Yang smiled at her, before zoning in on her work.
Not seeing the tears forming behind Ravens mask as she walked away.
XXXXXXXXXX
Across the camp Taiyang sighed, he hadn't been able to resist listening in on the conversation especially not when he knew who was behind that mask... he knew where Yang was coming from and knew there was no malice intended?
How could there be when she didn't even know she was addressing the topic of conversation? But what he did know for sure was that in a single stroke any progress Raven had made in convincing herself to tell Yang her true identity had been wiped clean.
He gave her a sad, slightly forced smile as she brought him the thermos- "Thank you Corax"
Tai pats the ground next to him "Sit with me for a minute, I could use the company"
With Yang in the Camp and undoubtedly hearing everything they said Tai couldn't offer his full sympathies- his assurances that he didn't feel the same way his daughter did... and he certainly couldn't share the comfort having her with him had brought throughout everything that had happened.
But he could be there for Yang and Raven both and that was everything he had ever wanted even back home.
"Of course...." And... in that small way, as the masked Raven simply sat down and silently grieved over what she lost... he did manage to do that.
2024.05.12 19:43 AndrewGalarneau Introducing myself: starting solo career after 35 years of steady paychecks
Left my position as food editor at The Buffalo News Dec. 1. After 25 years at my hometown paper, I started my solo career at 57.
For 23 years, I’ve taught journalism at my alma mater, University at Buffalo (ENG 213). The last session of the semester is always dedicated to exploring the question: Where can journalism go from here?
My choice was a Substack-based digital food report, bigger and better than Buffalo News bandwidth would allow. Subscribers get a restaurant review, news column, and in-depth stories focusing on the people who make the food possible, every week. News is free. $50 a year for the reviews and opinion stuff.
That’s going well enough for now.
Meanwhile, I have been trying to pitch Buffalo stories to national outlets. By pitch I mean reach contacts in the organization, ask them who’s catching what pitches, and then emailing that person directly. Not catchall email baskets.
Buffalo restaurants have two finalists for James Beard Awards - first in city history - and I can’t get a nibble.
Either I’m doing one or more things wrong, or budgets are underwater, or something. I’m disappointed but not discouraged. Before I was a food editor, I was an investigative reporter, which tends to blunt the pain of stranger rejection.
Sometimes you just have to hunker down, keep your powder dry, and save your notes. I’ve been fortunate to get a steady check to chronicle the human condition for the first part of my career. One lesson it taught me is that a good story might have to wait, but will never go to waste.
I can track a rare punk LP from its makers through 37 years and eight sets of hands to its present-day owner. This particular vinyl has passed like a talisman from owner to owner, witnessing some real shot along the way. But so what? That’s off-kilter for sure.
If you have any ideas who’s paying for weirdo narrative stuff like that in these times, please lemme know.
Also, I should mention that I can help community members with questions about journalism standards and practices. My UB class, in a university without a journalism department, is a Journalism 101 equivalent, and I started my 35-year newspaper career as a copy editor.
So stuff like how to write better headlines and decks, shape a lead, find and interview sources, do deeper-than-Google background searches, and investigative tools like FOI laws are all in my wheelhouse. Happy to tell people what I know.
submitted by AndrewGalarneau to freelanceWriters [link] [comments]
For 23 years, I’ve taught journalism at my alma mater, University at Buffalo (ENG 213). The last session of the semester is always dedicated to exploring the question: Where can journalism go from here?
My choice was a Substack-based digital food report, bigger and better than Buffalo News bandwidth would allow. Subscribers get a restaurant review, news column, and in-depth stories focusing on the people who make the food possible, every week. News is free. $50 a year for the reviews and opinion stuff.
That’s going well enough for now.
Meanwhile, I have been trying to pitch Buffalo stories to national outlets. By pitch I mean reach contacts in the organization, ask them who’s catching what pitches, and then emailing that person directly. Not catchall email baskets.
Buffalo restaurants have two finalists for James Beard Awards - first in city history - and I can’t get a nibble.
Either I’m doing one or more things wrong, or budgets are underwater, or something. I’m disappointed but not discouraged. Before I was a food editor, I was an investigative reporter, which tends to blunt the pain of stranger rejection.
Sometimes you just have to hunker down, keep your powder dry, and save your notes. I’ve been fortunate to get a steady check to chronicle the human condition for the first part of my career. One lesson it taught me is that a good story might have to wait, but will never go to waste.
I can track a rare punk LP from its makers through 37 years and eight sets of hands to its present-day owner. This particular vinyl has passed like a talisman from owner to owner, witnessing some real shot along the way. But so what? That’s off-kilter for sure.
If you have any ideas who’s paying for weirdo narrative stuff like that in these times, please lemme know.
Also, I should mention that I can help community members with questions about journalism standards and practices. My UB class, in a university without a journalism department, is a Journalism 101 equivalent, and I started my 35-year newspaper career as a copy editor.
So stuff like how to write better headlines and decks, shape a lead, find and interview sources, do deeper-than-Google background searches, and investigative tools like FOI laws are all in my wheelhouse. Happy to tell people what I know.
30
2024.05.12 16:39 CC_1994 Shipping reviews for dreametech US online store
Dreametech H12 dual wet/dry
Curious if anyone has bought the dreametech h12 dual wet/dry mop from the US website? How long did it take for your order to ship out?
I was going to order off Amazon, but they were sold out so I went to the US site and they only had the H12 dual available and it was on sale for a very good price so I bought it on May 5th. Normally I look to see the shipping information on the company sites before emailing to see where my order is because in the past with companies my orders have been missed and they no longer had the items. On their site it says once the order is placed the warehouse needs 1-3 days to process the order and it says estimated shipping time is 3-7 business days. I emailed customer service 4 days after I ordered and their reply was they are sending out orders in order from purchased, but how many orders can a company possibly have in one day? Do they only ship orders out once a week and are behind? At the time the dual was the only one available on the site. It also felt like the email response was automated very blunt and short.
I am hoping someone has had a long waiting time like I have been having so I can feel at ease.
submitted by CC_1994 to Dreame_Tech [link] [comments]
Curious if anyone has bought the dreametech h12 dual wet/dry mop from the US website? How long did it take for your order to ship out?
I was going to order off Amazon, but they were sold out so I went to the US site and they only had the H12 dual available and it was on sale for a very good price so I bought it on May 5th. Normally I look to see the shipping information on the company sites before emailing to see where my order is because in the past with companies my orders have been missed and they no longer had the items. On their site it says once the order is placed the warehouse needs 1-3 days to process the order and it says estimated shipping time is 3-7 business days. I emailed customer service 4 days after I ordered and their reply was they are sending out orders in order from purchased, but how many orders can a company possibly have in one day? Do they only ship orders out once a week and are behind? At the time the dual was the only one available on the site. It also felt like the email response was automated very blunt and short.
I am hoping someone has had a long waiting time like I have been having so I can feel at ease.
2024.05.12 14:32 AdmiralStone96230-A MURDER DRONES: Fall of Earth -Chapter XI: Truth Seeking and Corporate Divides-
"Wade! Good to see you back buddy!" Nathan said aloud as he and F approached Wade and Tina, the two breaking their embrace before looking to their friends.
Wade chuckled a bit as he responded to Nathan's greeting, Tina giving a pleasant smile as she stood behind him. "Same to you, man. How're things here?"
"Better than any words I could use for the situation!" Looking behind him, he gazed at a group of the worker drones that were rescued from the factory, having been brought aboard in order to transport them to a safer location. Their faces were of varied gratefulness and smiles as they made conversation with some of the troops onboard. "The rescue-ees are happy to be out of that place, far as I can tell!"
"They sure look like it." Wade said with a pleased smile, admiring the success of his and the Coalition's efforts as Nathan's friend Kurtis came over to the four.
Catching sight of Tina, the veteran drone gave a sly look as he correctly guessed the identity of Wade's accomplice. "Oh, and I see you found your girl you were telling me about."
The drone in question gave a blush of embarrassment as Wade held her hand, chuckling smugly as he introduced Tina. "Ah, yeah. Nathan, Kurtis, F, this is my girlfriend Tina. She's one of the best pilots I've met and known in my life, along with her sister Jasmine."
Tina's blush intensified heavily at Wade's words, a laugh breaching her mouth as she spoke to Wade's colleagues. "Well, I don't like to boast, but my sister and I DID fly for the military a while back."
Nathan and Kurtis gave impressed laughs as F chuckled at the amusing meeting, the former of the duo speaking as he shook Tina's hand. "Heh, well it's a proud pleasure to meet you, Miss Tina! You've got quite the partner with you, I'd say. He helped save F and Gerard from an accident during our time on Ceres."
Tina raised a hand to her mouth in shock as she looked to Wade, surprised by the news of his heroics at his new job before chuckling. "Well, it's not too surprising, I'd probably be dead if he didn't come in to help us." Remembering that F was involved in her rescue too, she glanced to the disassembly drone before quietly adding, "You too, darling."
F gave a thankful smile at the pilot drone as Wade spoke up on Tina's statement on her rescue. "Well, I'd also be done for if you didn't save me back there, with that disassembly drone squad." Tina nodded as Nathan looked to the drone couple in surprise at their stated feat.
"More of them? How many? Three? Fo-" The miner drone asked as Wade answered him mid-sentence.
"Three, and they put up a nasty fight. One almost got me before Tina shot at her with one of those guns these militia guys brought. A trooper must've dropped it during the fighting." Nathan gave an uncomfortable look of shock as Wade added, "One of them looked kinda like you too."
Tina pulled out her gun before holding it at attention, Nathan nodding in admiration of her efforts as she spoke up. "Think I could keep this one? We pilots usually carry sidearms like these, but I lost mine when they kidnapped me aboard the station in orbit."
Nathan and Kurtis looked to each other before nodding in agreement. "Sure, gonna need a holster though. Wouldn't want it to fall out that nice coat there, would we?" While Nathan gave his answer, Kurtis was already heading to the storage bays at the back of the ship, planning on grabbing the sizable holster wrap for Tina's weapon.
"Of course." Tina replied as Kurtis grabbed the desired gear, shutting the cargo door as he returned to the group. Taking the holster in her hand, she handed the pistol to Wade before speaking in between her efforts to attach the holster to her upper leg. "Thanks for the compliment, by the way."
"Don't mention it." Nathan replied back as F stepped up in between the group, wanting to add her own praise as the group looked to her.
"Glad to see so many together in arms here, especially when it's work colleagues like the boys here." Looking to Tina, she continued. "And Nathan's right, Miss Tina. Your partner is quite the guy, I'm a little surprised he didn't join the service. Him and his brother would've made great men if they fought in the ranks."
The positive air was quickly shattered upon the mention of Ron. Nathan, Wade, and the others all looked to F as her eyes became golden rings, the warrior drone realizing her mistake too late as she began to raise a hand to her face.
"...Yeah. Yes, we sure would have." Wade said solemnly, nodding lightly with a slight smile in his attempt to lighten the comment and, in turn, the mood. His smile faltered once again as he saw the others still frowning in sorrow, Wade joining them shortly after before remembering something. "Uh... Nathan? You did bring his body back here, right?"
Nathan nodded hesitantly as he glanced to the cargo bays at the back of the ship. "Yeah, I uh... We put him near the others we managed to recover before we left."
Tina listened with concerned eyes as she held tightly onto Wade's hand, the former worker drone tightening his own grip while speaking further to Nathan. "Good. Maybe, after this is all over, we can... Make preparations for a service. Ron deserves that at the least."
"So... h-he's in one of... those?" Tina asked dreadfully, observing the body bags lying next to each other in front of one of the cargo bay doors before looking back to Nathan, who looked down at the floor before replying.
"...Yep." Initially, Tina started to move, morbidly concerned over Ron's exact fate before stopping herself, still holding Wade's hand as she stood next to him again. Catching a glimpse of her attempt to see Ron, Nathan raised a digital eyebrow at her. "You, uh... want to see him?"
Wade looked down to Tina, who returned the gesture as they pondered over the uncomforting idea. She admittedly didn't want to see Ron, fearful of seeing what was left of him after that battle, but in a twisted way, knowing Wade wouldn't lie to her about a close relative like Ron being dead, she desperately felt the need for even the slightest sense of closure.
Looking to each other, Tina finally built her strength up, giving the faintest nod to Wade as her answer. Accepting her willingness, Wade slowly looked to Nathan, who needed no further gestures or words as he slowly walked over to the body bags, Wade, Tina, and their colleagues in tow. Upon reaching the bags, Nathan knelt down as his friends stopped behind him, Wade and Tina watching as he slowly unzipped the bag open. Despite her effort to be brave, Tina couldn't help but let out a horrified gasp upon seeing Ron's body, immediately noticing the large wound with dark, dried blood at his chest.
Nathan shook his head in dismay as he looked upon the sight of his fallen friend in the flayed bag. "It was when we made our second attempt in raiding the factory back there. We... We managed to pass through most of the halls without much trouble, but... we we're ambushed as we got close to the conversion room."
"G, the disassembly drone that helped the company abduct me, attacked us, along with several other troopers he brought with him." Wade added, him and Tina holding each other tightly as he continued. "We fought them off well enough, but G got an upper hand on me. He almost killed me, but.... Ron got in the way." Tina felt herself beginning to cry as she collapsed into Wade's chest, the former worker drone embracing her ever more tightly as she wept for their friend.
F shook her head in dismay, disappointed in herself as she spoke up. "I could've saved him, if I hadn't let myself get beat down like that. I-"
"F!" Wade said sternly, F ceasing her self-degrading as he tried to ease her guilt. "We did the best we could. If anything, it could've gone a lot worse."
Kurtis patted F on her back as he spoke up on his co-worker. "He was a good man, tried to bring out the best in people. Taught Wade that ideal well, too." He looked to Wade with a smile, the drone taking the compliment with the same gesture as he lightly patted Tina on her back too.
"*sniff* Y-Yes... He d-did try to make life brighter with his actions." Tina croaked as she slowly lifted her head up off of Wade, wiping the digital drops off her face as she added, "He... Him and Wade did well to so many with their farm they had back home, Jasmine and I helped transport their harvests all across the colonies."
The group gave looks and nods of admiration at the labor Tina described, Wade nodding in affirmation as he added, "Yeah, we held that place up for a long while. But if it weren't for the recent storms that ran through this place, we probably would still be farming." He began to chuckle slightly as he noted the events after the storm. "Heh, then again, we probably wouldn't have gone to Ceres if that was the case. So, I'm quite glad life changed our course on that endeavor."
Nathan was about to speak on the matter, but was stopped as Kelly walked out of the cockpit area, speaking to Wade specifically. "Mr. Wade? Our operative and her boss wants to see you and some of your team, says it's about the trouble you and the others went through."
Wade and Tina looked to each other with raised eyebrows before looking to their friends, F raising a hand as she spoke to the couple. "Well, you heard her. Let's get up there." Looking to Nathan, she motioned for him to follow her before glancing to Kurtis, who nodded to her before kneeling down to seal Ron's body bag.
Turning back to Wade and Tina, F smirked at them as they quickly made their way up to the small bridge of the ship, Tina speaking to Wade about the interior and where to go. "I do remember these ships a bit, now that I think about it. There should be a smaller room at the top above us. Come on."
Holding her hand, Wade and Tina made their way into the cockpit, F and Nathan close behind as the four walked up the small steps to the pilot seats. Right next to the ascending steps were another set of such steps, albeit going the other way into another room as Tina mentioned. The lover drones walked up the second set of steps as they entered the room, catching the sound of a conversation in their ears.
"Yeah Tess, they did a number on the security forces from what I've been told by Mr. Kurtis. He seems quite pro-" J stopped as she heard a startled gasp coming from the entrance near the cockpit, spotting her requested visitors as they took notice of her.
Wade, however, was immediately in shock, Tina also spooked by the familiar face as her love drew a sword before holding it out defensively. F and Nathan looked to the two in surprise as the former raised her arms slightly as to calm down Wade, knowing this J wasn't an enemy.
"Whoa there, easy now." The human hologram said with her hands raised as Wade and Tina gave a faint glare at J, who stared unamused with her hands to her hips.
Easy, Mr. Wade. I'm a friend." J stated as Wade kept his blade trained at her.
"Didn't we just kill you out there earlier?" Tina asked as she held onto Wade's arm, J smirking as she took in the amusing detail.
"Oh, yes. I believe you must've taken out one of my clones, not surprised. I killed a few myself back there." The corporate drone replied as Wade lowered his sword, surprised at J's words as she looked to him.
"Clones?" Tina said in bewilderment, confounded by the idea of multiples of the same drone running around.
"So, there's more of you?" Wade asked as he swapped his sword back for a hand.
"Indeed there are, Mr. Wade. Effective disassembly drones get cloned more often." J answered as she cringed slightly, remembering part of the reason she ended up here. "Though, admittedly I wasn't efficient enough recently. I'm a clone of one of the old units dispatched about two decades ago, before the Disassembly Division was officially instated."
Tina raised an eyebrow at J's explanation. "Recently? If you were away all that time, what could've possibly stopped you now?"
The murder drone groaned in slight annoyance as she reluctantly explained her answer. "Well, the colony we were supposedly sent to wipe out was quite persistent. During one of our raids, some brat with a ray gun blasted me in two." Regaining her composure, J flicked her hair with a smirk. "Then again, my clones should be better than they are, the Administrator seems to have a dislike towards me, as far as I can tell."
Wade and Tina glanced at each other as they took in the news, perplexed at the story they were hearing as the former spoke up. "Well, I sure hope so. Your clone didn't put up as much of a fight as I was expecting."
"Right..." J said with a look of disappointment before clearing her throat. "But besides that, we don't have time for THAT kind of backstory. We've got a lot of talk to do, Mr. Wade."
The holographic human raised a finger, drawing Wade and Tina's attention as she spoke. "Say, didn't J tell me about a human friend you had? A 'brother' guy?"
J nodded as she now also became curious over their missing acquaintant. "Ah yes, Ron, I believe. Do you know where he is, Wade?"
The two drones looked down in sorrow as Wade answered in dismay. "He uh... he didn't make it."
J allowed a concerned look to breach her shield of confident pride as her human friend spoke up, sounding sad at the news. "Oh, I uh, I'm sorry to hear that, Mr. W- er... Carter."
"It's alright," Wade replied as he held Tina's hand, looking up to J and the hologram before continuing. "at least he's not hurting anymore."
"My... condolences, Mr. Carter." J said, calling Wade by his last name now as she recovered from the tragic news. "But, it seems you've found someone else important. Who's your friend?"
Wade perked up a bit as he prepared to introduce Tina again. "Ah, yes. This is Tina Fowley, my girlfriend. She was among those captured by the company, I got her out before they could turn her, however."
"She's a pilot too." Nathan chirped from behind Wade, J and her boss stifling laughs as they took in the amusing description of Wade's partner.
"Well, she's quite the cutie, I'll say." The holo-human said in amusement, Tina blushing at the compliment as J spoke as well.
"Indeed she is, good find, Mr. Carter." Chuckling to herself, she remembered that she hadn't even formally met Wade earlier, prompting her to return the effort. "Well, now's as good a time as any to introduce ourselves." Looking to the hologram, J spoke. "Though you probably know who I am, name's J. And this is my boss, Tessa."
Looking to the human girl with a pleasant smile, he spoke to her. "Well, pleased to meet you, Mrs. Tessa."
"Good to meet ya too, Wade!" Tessa replied energetically before bringing herself back to a more serious stance, Wade and Tina feeling a bit surprised by the change of air as she spoke further. "And as much as I hate to cut the pleasantries so short, J and I have some important things to brief you on. So, take a seat and get comfy, everyone."
Noting the pair of chairs in front of the small table J and Tessa were standing on the other side of, the couple took them as Nathan and F stood behind them, simply listening in as J began to explain the matter at hand. "So, you both are probably wondering what this whole mess was all about, correct?"
The two drones nodded as Tina spoke up. "I heard it was having to do something with being recruited for the Disassembly Division, that group you spoke of a second ago. Why did they need to steal me away from my sister up there?"
"Well, the thing is, they didn't." Tessa answered, putting her hands to her hips as her companion explained further.
"Indeed, a simple memory transfer and body scan would've sufficed, but it seems the Administrator was in a bit of a rush." Crossing her arms, J continued in disgruntlement. "From what we gathered, this was done by her as per request by the company CEO, Mr. Jenson. He wanted the Administrator to recruit more drones under a new model of disassembly drone, with slight upgrades that would presumably remove most of the persistent issues each of us have." Shaking her head in disappointment, J finished with, "But, it's clear she cared little for how they were acquired, and way too far overboard with her efforts."
Wade held back his anger as he felt his certainty on the ones responsible grow with J's explanation. "So, it's true? Your people did all this? Got my brother and countless others killed for us?"
The corporate drone seemed to give a sluggish wave of her hand as she replied to Wade. "Well, you see, this whole ordeal is much more complex than it seems." Readying a holo-projector from her hand as it showed the image of a worker drone, dressed in a maid uniform. The hair was silver, two strips of it going down the sides of its head, as well as bearing a bow at the top of it all. Though the hologram made it hard to tell certain details, the drone's eyes appeared faintly as yellow through the blue hue from the hologram light.
Wade, Tina, and their companions eyed the seemingly innocent worker drone in puzzlement as J spoke again. "Now, you should count yourselves lucky, cause what I'm about to tell you is something corporate wouldn't let me spew out to anyone under certain statuses." Looking to Tessa, she continued with a sly smirk. "Then again, it'd probably be forced out of us anyway later on even if we didn't decide to tell you. So, now would be the best time to give you a run-down of the truth we have to share."
"Truth?" Wade asked with a raised hand, J nodding in affirmation before replying.
"Yes." Clearing her throat, J began. "You see, the Administrator was not a creation of JCJenson. At least, not in the way they intended. In fact, she was once a normal worker drone, just like you and I were." Wade raised an eyebrow as J's holo-projector shifted to show a building, a large, very old looking manor that went up a couple of stories high. As Wade and his cohorts observed the structure, J continued her story about her and this Administrator's origins.
"A long time ago, at this place we'll call Elliott Manor, my boss, who was still a child at the time, brought in a few worker drones left outside in a dump near the mansion, mostly composed of scrapped worker drone bodies. Upon bringing us in, Tess would fix us up so we could be her friends. I myself, along with three other drones, were her closest companions. Her family weren't so keen on having us around, but, to keep their daughter happy and to make us useful, Mr. and Mrs. Elliott put us to work keeping the place tidy." The disassembly drone's projector shifted again to show J and her three fellow workers, dressed in the same maid attire J was shown in earlier. Wade and Tina stared at two of them, as they resembled the disassembly drones they fought earlier, most notably N and V.
"Among the four of us here, THIS one would be the biggest problem." The hologram zoomed into the worker drone displayed earlier, postured in a strange, slouched over posture.
"Her name is Cyn, and, unlike J, V and N there, she was more broken than I had surmised back then. Spoke like some old artificial voice generator thing." Tessa stated, pointing at the highlighted drone before Tina decided to speak up on the backstory.
"How broken? Was there something wrong with her coding?" She said as she put a hand to her core.
J nodded lightly as she gave her answer. "Most likely. Do you remember the protocol tape for proper disposal of worker units? Seen it at all?"
Tina and Wade shivered a bit as they thought of the presumed tape J spoke of, dread creeping in from their memories of seeing it as the latter of the duo answered. "I think so, once during a little maintenance time I had years back. I think it was called... 'Zombie Drones'?"
"That's exactly the one." J said with a nod before continuing. "Well, if you saw it all the way through, the pie chart diagram points out the outcomes for OS complications should a worker core be improperly terminated. Out of those outcomes, the smallest, least likely one was 'potentially hazardous mutations'." Pointing to Cyn on the hologram, J continued further. "As for Cyn here, she befell said mutations, and they would come to not only affect her, but all of us at the manor too."
Tina's eyes went wide as she started to click the pieces together, recalling herself reading up on the incident J was hinting at years earlier during a class she took at the college she and Wade attended. "Wait... You, you don't mean SHE was the one who caused the Elliott Gala Massacre?"
J nodded in affirmation as Wade spoke up, confused at the revelation. "Wait, I remember looking into that too. Didn't the news say it was some mass murderer that did it?"
"That they did." Tessa replied as she added to the story. "However, that was a cover-up by the company to hide part of what really happened."
Pulling up what appeared to be a large room full of people inside, J explained the tragedy shown on the projector. "Tessa's parents didn't treat the drones under their service well, and Cyn seemed to despise them for it. On that day during a gala hosted by the Elliotts, Cyn, utilizing the mutations I mentioned, slaughtered the entire attending party there." Glancing to Tessa, J finished with, "Tess and I tried to stop her, but... it was too late."
Holding their hands to their mouths, Wade and Tina looked on in horror, Nathan and F sharing similar dismay as the four looked to Tessa. Knowing their desire to hear how she was spared, Tessa spoke to them. "Despite seeing her kill my parents and everyone in that room with my own eyes, Cyn spared me from the carnage. Took me away to some place so I could be kept quiet."
Raising a hand, F spoke up. "Well, wait a minute, how did Cyn join the company after all that?"
"Good question." J replied, pulling up an image of Cyn and a man, whom Wade recognized as Halloway before the corporate drone explained. "Upon the arrival of law enforcement and agents sent by the company, they found Cyn, who had already turned me and the other worker drones from the manor into the first disassembly drones. After some chatter between the two, Dr. Edgar Halloway, a simple materials recovery officer at the time, struck a deal with her. Talking with the authorities, they managed to convince them to keep the incident on the down low while they took Cyn and her drones in for study. Through said study, addition of protocols and official installation of Cyn into higher company positions, not to mention the creation of the Disassembly Drone Division, the rest is history."
The four drones looked on in stunned shock, taking in Tessa and J's story with unease as Wade spoke up. "So, this new body, the crazy shit that we just went through... it's all cause of this Cyn being? And those who are helping her?"
"That's right." J answered as Tina raised a finger, still concerned over the capabilities of the Administrator as she spoke.
"But, how did she convert you all into what you are now? What were these 'mutations' exactly?"
Tessa sighed a bit as she prepared to explain the origins of this horrible program. "Well, from what information I could gather before I got out of Cyn's clutches a while back, the researchers put to work studying Cyn and her abnormalities came to regard the latter as some kind of program, which grew stronger and more capable quite fast as it was kept under the company's leash. Eventually, they gave it a name: AbsoluteSolver." Pulling out what looked like a smartcomm, Tessa flicked her finger over it as she explained further. "Despite all logic, the AbsoluteSolver program, or, Solver, could generate various things out of thin air, as well as manipulate objects and living beings in many ways. To be blunt, it's like some kind of freaky magic powers for drones.
"Seeing that they could learn a lot from this program, as well as use Cyn's abilities to wring out all kinds of products and items for them to sell and use, the company instated the Solver Project, a research group dedicated to understanding the AS and its potential." Raising a finger, Tessa looked to Wade as she finished her explanation on the Solver. "Said program has been branched out to several other planets over the years, helping to spread this virus as far as possible for purposes we're certain aren't good, given that one of those planets got devastated by an experiment one of the teams did involving the virus."
The news that this infection brought harm to one of the colony worlds didn't sit well with the lover drones, both of them looking on in dismay as J gave more details. "And with that in mind, this recent effort has only cemented our belief that Cyn is up to something sinister. So once we reach the base here in Nevada, we have to make preparations for bringing this Solver Project to a halt... BEFORE it can harm any more people."
Smirking deviously, Tessa raised a finger as she glanced to Wade, who looked to her with concern as she spoke. "By the way Mr. Carter, that Halloway guy you ran into earlier? He leads one of the main teams working on the project."
Wade scoffed in annoyance he was reminded of that man. "Doesn't surprise me, seemed like he was really close to the Administrator from what I saw." Then, thinking on the reason for this briefing he was attending, Wade looked to J and Tessa curiously. "Why are you telling us this?"
J crossed her arms as she explained. "Because, Mr. Carter, YOU are the only disassembly drone we managed to recover from that place. And, given your exceptional performance there, your help would be much appreciated in our mission."
"Mission?" Tina said with a raised eyebrow. "So we're not done yet?"
"For us, not in the slightest. We've got some explaining to do with the government officials stationed at the base we're heading to. As for you all," J answered before looking to the four, all of them returning the glance as she continued. "...that depends on what you all have to say. Can you lend us a hand?"
Glancing to each other, Wade and Tina gazed into one another before nodding in agreement, turning back to J and Tessa before giving their decision. "Well, after what I just went through, and what happened to my brother... I'm sure as hell gonna bring those bastards to justice in one form or another."
"Yes, Wade and I have some talking to do with this 'Dr. Halloway' fellow before this is all over." Tina added, her and Wade holding each others hand as J gave a smirk at their vigorous determination.
"I'm glad to hear you two feel the same on the matter." J said as Tessa put her hands to her hips, slumped slightly as she spoke in a disappointed tone.
"Unfortunately, it may be a minute before we see some action. Once we reach the base, you all will find a place to rest for the time being. Since it's a military base, it should be safe from any major retribution attempts by those blokes at the company." Pulling out her smartcomm again, she continued once more. "As for us, we'll talk to the leaders there and see what their decision will be on the matter."
The quartet seemed to grow concerned over that last part, Nathan raising a hand before speaking his mind. "So, if they say no? Does that mean...?"
J and Tessa glanced to each other before the former answered the veteran drone. "Well, in that case, while it will be harder without official military support, the Coalition will take us wherever we need them to in order to put a stop to the Administrator. Shouldn't be much to worry about."
Taking this somewhat comforting news to heart, Tina and Wade nodded in understanding before the latter spoke to the operatives. "Well, that's good to hear. Whenever you do get an answer, give us a heads up."
"We will, Mr. Carter." J replied to Wade before shifting in her stance, Wade and his friends standing up together as their disassembly drone superior spoke once more. "With all that said, you're all dismissed. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask."
"Thanks for clearing this up, Mrs. J. You too, Tessa." Wade said gratefully before turning to the exit, Tina walking with him as F and Nathan walked over to the operatives.
"Wade? Do you mind coming down to the bay below? I... I have something to show you." Wade nodded to her before they made their way down, the four people behind them continuing the chatter as the couple went to have their long overdue privacy.
Stepping out of the cockpit behind them, Wade and Tina sighed in comfort as they saw the troops busy with their tasks, not giving a glance to the two as they walked close to the sealed door of the transport. Admiring the enormous view the large window in the door gave for a moment, the two drones looked to each other as Tina dug into her pocket. "I was hoping to do this when we got back home, but... I got this from Eridanus while I was visiting." Finding her token of love to Wade, she pulled out the small box she showed off on the call earlier, opening it to reveal her present.
Wade admired the blue gemstone with wide eyes as Tina pulled it out with great care. "Wow... It's beautiful."
Tina chuckled as she extended the gem's necklace band out. "I knew you would, I just happened to stumble upon it while exploring the forest during a tour." Putting the two necklace bands around Wade's neck, she clipped the present together before pulling her arms back, adoring Wade's new add-on as she finished her sentence. "I felt it would be something nice for you to remember me by, while we're away from each other."
Wade smiled at Tina as he expressed his appreciation for the gift. "It certainly will." Stiffling a chuckle, the former worker drone held Tina's hand holding the box as he spoke further. "But, no matter how far apart we are, nothing could fill the space you hold in my heart."
"Same in mine, dear." Tina replied as she gazed into Wade's eyes, noting the faint green in his yellowed visor as she looked on in hopeful amusement. "And yet, even after all they did, I can still see those eyes. Changed from the soft, cool grass to the warmth of a blazing sun." She said while putting the box away, then placing a hand onto Wade's face as he looked off with a blush.
"Tina, I..." Wade began, unsure of how to put his thoughts to words as he tried to find them. "I don't know what they did to me, but I won't let it ruin our relationship." Holding her shoulders, Wade spoke to Tina further. "You're the most beautiful being I've seen in the whole universe, your warmth, your flight prowess... I want to protect that. I want to protect you."
"Oh, Wade." Tina murmured as the two touched their heads to one another, holding each other close in their efforts to provide affection. Such affection intensified as the two joined their metal lips, sharing a long kiss as they enjoyed their moment of awkward romance together.
...
Location: New Nellis Staryards, Nevada
The Chameleon transports zoomed over the large military air base as they arrived at their destination, several A-20 planes flying about over the base as they either carried out flight sorties or, more likely, investigated the arriving craft coming towards the base. After about an hour of flying over the country, the Coalition-USN task force finally arrived at the designated area to begin unloading their rescued drones to an area they could be protected more efficiently.
As the transport began to descend, Wade, Tina, and their friends observed the sight outside the window, spotting several landed aircraft and even a few docked warships. They admired the many ships resting for repair and refurbishment while they prepared to land and disembark for the base outside.
In the small bridge of the dropship, one of the two pilots tapped a button on the control panel, putting a microphone to their mouth before speaking into it. "Base Control, this is Transport Chi-729-B, we've got assets from the recent op lead by Captain Preston aboard. Request permission to land."
"Permission granted, Chi-729. Welcome back." The officer on the other end replied as the transport descended further, two lightningrod jets breaking off as they permitted the craft to land on their grounds below them.
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Wade chuckled a bit as he responded to Nathan's greeting, Tina giving a pleasant smile as she stood behind him. "Same to you, man. How're things here?"
"Better than any words I could use for the situation!" Looking behind him, he gazed at a group of the worker drones that were rescued from the factory, having been brought aboard in order to transport them to a safer location. Their faces were of varied gratefulness and smiles as they made conversation with some of the troops onboard. "The rescue-ees are happy to be out of that place, far as I can tell!"
"They sure look like it." Wade said with a pleased smile, admiring the success of his and the Coalition's efforts as Nathan's friend Kurtis came over to the four.
Catching sight of Tina, the veteran drone gave a sly look as he correctly guessed the identity of Wade's accomplice. "Oh, and I see you found your girl you were telling me about."
The drone in question gave a blush of embarrassment as Wade held her hand, chuckling smugly as he introduced Tina. "Ah, yeah. Nathan, Kurtis, F, this is my girlfriend Tina. She's one of the best pilots I've met and known in my life, along with her sister Jasmine."
Tina's blush intensified heavily at Wade's words, a laugh breaching her mouth as she spoke to Wade's colleagues. "Well, I don't like to boast, but my sister and I DID fly for the military a while back."
Nathan and Kurtis gave impressed laughs as F chuckled at the amusing meeting, the former of the duo speaking as he shook Tina's hand. "Heh, well it's a proud pleasure to meet you, Miss Tina! You've got quite the partner with you, I'd say. He helped save F and Gerard from an accident during our time on Ceres."
Tina raised a hand to her mouth in shock as she looked to Wade, surprised by the news of his heroics at his new job before chuckling. "Well, it's not too surprising, I'd probably be dead if he didn't come in to help us." Remembering that F was involved in her rescue too, she glanced to the disassembly drone before quietly adding, "You too, darling."
F gave a thankful smile at the pilot drone as Wade spoke up on Tina's statement on her rescue. "Well, I'd also be done for if you didn't save me back there, with that disassembly drone squad." Tina nodded as Nathan looked to the drone couple in surprise at their stated feat.
"More of them? How many? Three? Fo-" The miner drone asked as Wade answered him mid-sentence.
"Three, and they put up a nasty fight. One almost got me before Tina shot at her with one of those guns these militia guys brought. A trooper must've dropped it during the fighting." Nathan gave an uncomfortable look of shock as Wade added, "One of them looked kinda like you too."
Tina pulled out her gun before holding it at attention, Nathan nodding in admiration of her efforts as she spoke up. "Think I could keep this one? We pilots usually carry sidearms like these, but I lost mine when they kidnapped me aboard the station in orbit."
Nathan and Kurtis looked to each other before nodding in agreement. "Sure, gonna need a holster though. Wouldn't want it to fall out that nice coat there, would we?" While Nathan gave his answer, Kurtis was already heading to the storage bays at the back of the ship, planning on grabbing the sizable holster wrap for Tina's weapon.
"Of course." Tina replied as Kurtis grabbed the desired gear, shutting the cargo door as he returned to the group. Taking the holster in her hand, she handed the pistol to Wade before speaking in between her efforts to attach the holster to her upper leg. "Thanks for the compliment, by the way."
"Don't mention it." Nathan replied back as F stepped up in between the group, wanting to add her own praise as the group looked to her.
"Glad to see so many together in arms here, especially when it's work colleagues like the boys here." Looking to Tina, she continued. "And Nathan's right, Miss Tina. Your partner is quite the guy, I'm a little surprised he didn't join the service. Him and his brother would've made great men if they fought in the ranks."
The positive air was quickly shattered upon the mention of Ron. Nathan, Wade, and the others all looked to F as her eyes became golden rings, the warrior drone realizing her mistake too late as she began to raise a hand to her face.
"...Yeah. Yes, we sure would have." Wade said solemnly, nodding lightly with a slight smile in his attempt to lighten the comment and, in turn, the mood. His smile faltered once again as he saw the others still frowning in sorrow, Wade joining them shortly after before remembering something. "Uh... Nathan? You did bring his body back here, right?"
Nathan nodded hesitantly as he glanced to the cargo bays at the back of the ship. "Yeah, I uh... We put him near the others we managed to recover before we left."
Tina listened with concerned eyes as she held tightly onto Wade's hand, the former worker drone tightening his own grip while speaking further to Nathan. "Good. Maybe, after this is all over, we can... Make preparations for a service. Ron deserves that at the least."
"So... h-he's in one of... those?" Tina asked dreadfully, observing the body bags lying next to each other in front of one of the cargo bay doors before looking back to Nathan, who looked down at the floor before replying.
"...Yep." Initially, Tina started to move, morbidly concerned over Ron's exact fate before stopping herself, still holding Wade's hand as she stood next to him again. Catching a glimpse of her attempt to see Ron, Nathan raised a digital eyebrow at her. "You, uh... want to see him?"
Wade looked down to Tina, who returned the gesture as they pondered over the uncomforting idea. She admittedly didn't want to see Ron, fearful of seeing what was left of him after that battle, but in a twisted way, knowing Wade wouldn't lie to her about a close relative like Ron being dead, she desperately felt the need for even the slightest sense of closure.
Looking to each other, Tina finally built her strength up, giving the faintest nod to Wade as her answer. Accepting her willingness, Wade slowly looked to Nathan, who needed no further gestures or words as he slowly walked over to the body bags, Wade, Tina, and their colleagues in tow. Upon reaching the bags, Nathan knelt down as his friends stopped behind him, Wade and Tina watching as he slowly unzipped the bag open. Despite her effort to be brave, Tina couldn't help but let out a horrified gasp upon seeing Ron's body, immediately noticing the large wound with dark, dried blood at his chest.
Nathan shook his head in dismay as he looked upon the sight of his fallen friend in the flayed bag. "It was when we made our second attempt in raiding the factory back there. We... We managed to pass through most of the halls without much trouble, but... we we're ambushed as we got close to the conversion room."
"G, the disassembly drone that helped the company abduct me, attacked us, along with several other troopers he brought with him." Wade added, him and Tina holding each other tightly as he continued. "We fought them off well enough, but G got an upper hand on me. He almost killed me, but.... Ron got in the way." Tina felt herself beginning to cry as she collapsed into Wade's chest, the former worker drone embracing her ever more tightly as she wept for their friend.
F shook her head in dismay, disappointed in herself as she spoke up. "I could've saved him, if I hadn't let myself get beat down like that. I-"
"F!" Wade said sternly, F ceasing her self-degrading as he tried to ease her guilt. "We did the best we could. If anything, it could've gone a lot worse."
Kurtis patted F on her back as he spoke up on his co-worker. "He was a good man, tried to bring out the best in people. Taught Wade that ideal well, too." He looked to Wade with a smile, the drone taking the compliment with the same gesture as he lightly patted Tina on her back too.
"*sniff* Y-Yes... He d-did try to make life brighter with his actions." Tina croaked as she slowly lifted her head up off of Wade, wiping the digital drops off her face as she added, "He... Him and Wade did well to so many with their farm they had back home, Jasmine and I helped transport their harvests all across the colonies."
The group gave looks and nods of admiration at the labor Tina described, Wade nodding in affirmation as he added, "Yeah, we held that place up for a long while. But if it weren't for the recent storms that ran through this place, we probably would still be farming." He began to chuckle slightly as he noted the events after the storm. "Heh, then again, we probably wouldn't have gone to Ceres if that was the case. So, I'm quite glad life changed our course on that endeavor."
Nathan was about to speak on the matter, but was stopped as Kelly walked out of the cockpit area, speaking to Wade specifically. "Mr. Wade? Our operative and her boss wants to see you and some of your team, says it's about the trouble you and the others went through."
Wade and Tina looked to each other with raised eyebrows before looking to their friends, F raising a hand as she spoke to the couple. "Well, you heard her. Let's get up there." Looking to Nathan, she motioned for him to follow her before glancing to Kurtis, who nodded to her before kneeling down to seal Ron's body bag.
Turning back to Wade and Tina, F smirked at them as they quickly made their way up to the small bridge of the ship, Tina speaking to Wade about the interior and where to go. "I do remember these ships a bit, now that I think about it. There should be a smaller room at the top above us. Come on."
Holding her hand, Wade and Tina made their way into the cockpit, F and Nathan close behind as the four walked up the small steps to the pilot seats. Right next to the ascending steps were another set of such steps, albeit going the other way into another room as Tina mentioned. The lover drones walked up the second set of steps as they entered the room, catching the sound of a conversation in their ears.
"Yeah Tess, they did a number on the security forces from what I've been told by Mr. Kurtis. He seems quite pro-" J stopped as she heard a startled gasp coming from the entrance near the cockpit, spotting her requested visitors as they took notice of her.
Wade, however, was immediately in shock, Tina also spooked by the familiar face as her love drew a sword before holding it out defensively. F and Nathan looked to the two in surprise as the former raised her arms slightly as to calm down Wade, knowing this J wasn't an enemy.
"Whoa there, easy now." The human hologram said with her hands raised as Wade and Tina gave a faint glare at J, who stared unamused with her hands to her hips.
Easy, Mr. Wade. I'm a friend." J stated as Wade kept his blade trained at her.
"Didn't we just kill you out there earlier?" Tina asked as she held onto Wade's arm, J smirking as she took in the amusing detail.
"Oh, yes. I believe you must've taken out one of my clones, not surprised. I killed a few myself back there." The corporate drone replied as Wade lowered his sword, surprised at J's words as she looked to him.
"Clones?" Tina said in bewilderment, confounded by the idea of multiples of the same drone running around.
"So, there's more of you?" Wade asked as he swapped his sword back for a hand.
"Indeed there are, Mr. Wade. Effective disassembly drones get cloned more often." J answered as she cringed slightly, remembering part of the reason she ended up here. "Though, admittedly I wasn't efficient enough recently. I'm a clone of one of the old units dispatched about two decades ago, before the Disassembly Division was officially instated."
Tina raised an eyebrow at J's explanation. "Recently? If you were away all that time, what could've possibly stopped you now?"
The murder drone groaned in slight annoyance as she reluctantly explained her answer. "Well, the colony we were supposedly sent to wipe out was quite persistent. During one of our raids, some brat with a ray gun blasted me in two." Regaining her composure, J flicked her hair with a smirk. "Then again, my clones should be better than they are, the Administrator seems to have a dislike towards me, as far as I can tell."
Wade and Tina glanced at each other as they took in the news, perplexed at the story they were hearing as the former spoke up. "Well, I sure hope so. Your clone didn't put up as much of a fight as I was expecting."
"Right..." J said with a look of disappointment before clearing her throat. "But besides that, we don't have time for THAT kind of backstory. We've got a lot of talk to do, Mr. Wade."
The holographic human raised a finger, drawing Wade and Tina's attention as she spoke. "Say, didn't J tell me about a human friend you had? A 'brother' guy?"
J nodded as she now also became curious over their missing acquaintant. "Ah yes, Ron, I believe. Do you know where he is, Wade?"
The two drones looked down in sorrow as Wade answered in dismay. "He uh... he didn't make it."
J allowed a concerned look to breach her shield of confident pride as her human friend spoke up, sounding sad at the news. "Oh, I uh, I'm sorry to hear that, Mr. W- er... Carter."
"It's alright," Wade replied as he held Tina's hand, looking up to J and the hologram before continuing. "at least he's not hurting anymore."
"My... condolences, Mr. Carter." J said, calling Wade by his last name now as she recovered from the tragic news. "But, it seems you've found someone else important. Who's your friend?"
Wade perked up a bit as he prepared to introduce Tina again. "Ah, yes. This is Tina Fowley, my girlfriend. She was among those captured by the company, I got her out before they could turn her, however."
"She's a pilot too." Nathan chirped from behind Wade, J and her boss stifling laughs as they took in the amusing description of Wade's partner.
"Well, she's quite the cutie, I'll say." The holo-human said in amusement, Tina blushing at the compliment as J spoke as well.
"Indeed she is, good find, Mr. Carter." Chuckling to herself, she remembered that she hadn't even formally met Wade earlier, prompting her to return the effort. "Well, now's as good a time as any to introduce ourselves." Looking to the hologram, J spoke. "Though you probably know who I am, name's J. And this is my boss, Tessa."
Looking to the human girl with a pleasant smile, he spoke to her. "Well, pleased to meet you, Mrs. Tessa."
"Good to meet ya too, Wade!" Tessa replied energetically before bringing herself back to a more serious stance, Wade and Tina feeling a bit surprised by the change of air as she spoke further. "And as much as I hate to cut the pleasantries so short, J and I have some important things to brief you on. So, take a seat and get comfy, everyone."
Noting the pair of chairs in front of the small table J and Tessa were standing on the other side of, the couple took them as Nathan and F stood behind them, simply listening in as J began to explain the matter at hand. "So, you both are probably wondering what this whole mess was all about, correct?"
The two drones nodded as Tina spoke up. "I heard it was having to do something with being recruited for the Disassembly Division, that group you spoke of a second ago. Why did they need to steal me away from my sister up there?"
"Well, the thing is, they didn't." Tessa answered, putting her hands to her hips as her companion explained further.
"Indeed, a simple memory transfer and body scan would've sufficed, but it seems the Administrator was in a bit of a rush." Crossing her arms, J continued in disgruntlement. "From what we gathered, this was done by her as per request by the company CEO, Mr. Jenson. He wanted the Administrator to recruit more drones under a new model of disassembly drone, with slight upgrades that would presumably remove most of the persistent issues each of us have." Shaking her head in disappointment, J finished with, "But, it's clear she cared little for how they were acquired, and way too far overboard with her efforts."
Wade held back his anger as he felt his certainty on the ones responsible grow with J's explanation. "So, it's true? Your people did all this? Got my brother and countless others killed for us?"
The corporate drone seemed to give a sluggish wave of her hand as she replied to Wade. "Well, you see, this whole ordeal is much more complex than it seems." Readying a holo-projector from her hand as it showed the image of a worker drone, dressed in a maid uniform. The hair was silver, two strips of it going down the sides of its head, as well as bearing a bow at the top of it all. Though the hologram made it hard to tell certain details, the drone's eyes appeared faintly as yellow through the blue hue from the hologram light.
Wade, Tina, and their companions eyed the seemingly innocent worker drone in puzzlement as J spoke again. "Now, you should count yourselves lucky, cause what I'm about to tell you is something corporate wouldn't let me spew out to anyone under certain statuses." Looking to Tessa, she continued with a sly smirk. "Then again, it'd probably be forced out of us anyway later on even if we didn't decide to tell you. So, now would be the best time to give you a run-down of the truth we have to share."
"Truth?" Wade asked with a raised hand, J nodding in affirmation before replying.
"Yes." Clearing her throat, J began. "You see, the Administrator was not a creation of JCJenson. At least, not in the way they intended. In fact, she was once a normal worker drone, just like you and I were." Wade raised an eyebrow as J's holo-projector shifted to show a building, a large, very old looking manor that went up a couple of stories high. As Wade and his cohorts observed the structure, J continued her story about her and this Administrator's origins.
"A long time ago, at this place we'll call Elliott Manor, my boss, who was still a child at the time, brought in a few worker drones left outside in a dump near the mansion, mostly composed of scrapped worker drone bodies. Upon bringing us in, Tess would fix us up so we could be her friends. I myself, along with three other drones, were her closest companions. Her family weren't so keen on having us around, but, to keep their daughter happy and to make us useful, Mr. and Mrs. Elliott put us to work keeping the place tidy." The disassembly drone's projector shifted again to show J and her three fellow workers, dressed in the same maid attire J was shown in earlier. Wade and Tina stared at two of them, as they resembled the disassembly drones they fought earlier, most notably N and V.
"Among the four of us here, THIS one would be the biggest problem." The hologram zoomed into the worker drone displayed earlier, postured in a strange, slouched over posture.
"Her name is Cyn, and, unlike J, V and N there, she was more broken than I had surmised back then. Spoke like some old artificial voice generator thing." Tessa stated, pointing at the highlighted drone before Tina decided to speak up on the backstory.
"How broken? Was there something wrong with her coding?" She said as she put a hand to her core.
J nodded lightly as she gave her answer. "Most likely. Do you remember the protocol tape for proper disposal of worker units? Seen it at all?"
Tina and Wade shivered a bit as they thought of the presumed tape J spoke of, dread creeping in from their memories of seeing it as the latter of the duo answered. "I think so, once during a little maintenance time I had years back. I think it was called... 'Zombie Drones'?"
"That's exactly the one." J said with a nod before continuing. "Well, if you saw it all the way through, the pie chart diagram points out the outcomes for OS complications should a worker core be improperly terminated. Out of those outcomes, the smallest, least likely one was 'potentially hazardous mutations'." Pointing to Cyn on the hologram, J continued further. "As for Cyn here, she befell said mutations, and they would come to not only affect her, but all of us at the manor too."
Tina's eyes went wide as she started to click the pieces together, recalling herself reading up on the incident J was hinting at years earlier during a class she took at the college she and Wade attended. "Wait... You, you don't mean SHE was the one who caused the Elliott Gala Massacre?"
J nodded in affirmation as Wade spoke up, confused at the revelation. "Wait, I remember looking into that too. Didn't the news say it was some mass murderer that did it?"
"That they did." Tessa replied as she added to the story. "However, that was a cover-up by the company to hide part of what really happened."
Pulling up what appeared to be a large room full of people inside, J explained the tragedy shown on the projector. "Tessa's parents didn't treat the drones under their service well, and Cyn seemed to despise them for it. On that day during a gala hosted by the Elliotts, Cyn, utilizing the mutations I mentioned, slaughtered the entire attending party there." Glancing to Tessa, J finished with, "Tess and I tried to stop her, but... it was too late."
Holding their hands to their mouths, Wade and Tina looked on in horror, Nathan and F sharing similar dismay as the four looked to Tessa. Knowing their desire to hear how she was spared, Tessa spoke to them. "Despite seeing her kill my parents and everyone in that room with my own eyes, Cyn spared me from the carnage. Took me away to some place so I could be kept quiet."
Raising a hand, F spoke up. "Well, wait a minute, how did Cyn join the company after all that?"
"Good question." J replied, pulling up an image of Cyn and a man, whom Wade recognized as Halloway before the corporate drone explained. "Upon the arrival of law enforcement and agents sent by the company, they found Cyn, who had already turned me and the other worker drones from the manor into the first disassembly drones. After some chatter between the two, Dr. Edgar Halloway, a simple materials recovery officer at the time, struck a deal with her. Talking with the authorities, they managed to convince them to keep the incident on the down low while they took Cyn and her drones in for study. Through said study, addition of protocols and official installation of Cyn into higher company positions, not to mention the creation of the Disassembly Drone Division, the rest is history."
The four drones looked on in stunned shock, taking in Tessa and J's story with unease as Wade spoke up. "So, this new body, the crazy shit that we just went through... it's all cause of this Cyn being? And those who are helping her?"
"That's right." J answered as Tina raised a finger, still concerned over the capabilities of the Administrator as she spoke.
"But, how did she convert you all into what you are now? What were these 'mutations' exactly?"
Tessa sighed a bit as she prepared to explain the origins of this horrible program. "Well, from what information I could gather before I got out of Cyn's clutches a while back, the researchers put to work studying Cyn and her abnormalities came to regard the latter as some kind of program, which grew stronger and more capable quite fast as it was kept under the company's leash. Eventually, they gave it a name: AbsoluteSolver." Pulling out what looked like a smartcomm, Tessa flicked her finger over it as she explained further. "Despite all logic, the AbsoluteSolver program, or, Solver, could generate various things out of thin air, as well as manipulate objects and living beings in many ways. To be blunt, it's like some kind of freaky magic powers for drones.
"Seeing that they could learn a lot from this program, as well as use Cyn's abilities to wring out all kinds of products and items for them to sell and use, the company instated the Solver Project, a research group dedicated to understanding the AS and its potential." Raising a finger, Tessa looked to Wade as she finished her explanation on the Solver. "Said program has been branched out to several other planets over the years, helping to spread this virus as far as possible for purposes we're certain aren't good, given that one of those planets got devastated by an experiment one of the teams did involving the virus."
The news that this infection brought harm to one of the colony worlds didn't sit well with the lover drones, both of them looking on in dismay as J gave more details. "And with that in mind, this recent effort has only cemented our belief that Cyn is up to something sinister. So once we reach the base here in Nevada, we have to make preparations for bringing this Solver Project to a halt... BEFORE it can harm any more people."
Smirking deviously, Tessa raised a finger as she glanced to Wade, who looked to her with concern as she spoke. "By the way Mr. Carter, that Halloway guy you ran into earlier? He leads one of the main teams working on the project."
Wade scoffed in annoyance he was reminded of that man. "Doesn't surprise me, seemed like he was really close to the Administrator from what I saw." Then, thinking on the reason for this briefing he was attending, Wade looked to J and Tessa curiously. "Why are you telling us this?"
J crossed her arms as she explained. "Because, Mr. Carter, YOU are the only disassembly drone we managed to recover from that place. And, given your exceptional performance there, your help would be much appreciated in our mission."
"Mission?" Tina said with a raised eyebrow. "So we're not done yet?"
"For us, not in the slightest. We've got some explaining to do with the government officials stationed at the base we're heading to. As for you all," J answered before looking to the four, all of them returning the glance as she continued. "...that depends on what you all have to say. Can you lend us a hand?"
Glancing to each other, Wade and Tina gazed into one another before nodding in agreement, turning back to J and Tessa before giving their decision. "Well, after what I just went through, and what happened to my brother... I'm sure as hell gonna bring those bastards to justice in one form or another."
"Yes, Wade and I have some talking to do with this 'Dr. Halloway' fellow before this is all over." Tina added, her and Wade holding each others hand as J gave a smirk at their vigorous determination.
"I'm glad to hear you two feel the same on the matter." J said as Tessa put her hands to her hips, slumped slightly as she spoke in a disappointed tone.
"Unfortunately, it may be a minute before we see some action. Once we reach the base, you all will find a place to rest for the time being. Since it's a military base, it should be safe from any major retribution attempts by those blokes at the company." Pulling out her smartcomm again, she continued once more. "As for us, we'll talk to the leaders there and see what their decision will be on the matter."
The quartet seemed to grow concerned over that last part, Nathan raising a hand before speaking his mind. "So, if they say no? Does that mean...?"
J and Tessa glanced to each other before the former answered the veteran drone. "Well, in that case, while it will be harder without official military support, the Coalition will take us wherever we need them to in order to put a stop to the Administrator. Shouldn't be much to worry about."
Taking this somewhat comforting news to heart, Tina and Wade nodded in understanding before the latter spoke to the operatives. "Well, that's good to hear. Whenever you do get an answer, give us a heads up."
"We will, Mr. Carter." J replied to Wade before shifting in her stance, Wade and his friends standing up together as their disassembly drone superior spoke once more. "With all that said, you're all dismissed. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask."
"Thanks for clearing this up, Mrs. J. You too, Tessa." Wade said gratefully before turning to the exit, Tina walking with him as F and Nathan walked over to the operatives.
"Wade? Do you mind coming down to the bay below? I... I have something to show you." Wade nodded to her before they made their way down, the four people behind them continuing the chatter as the couple went to have their long overdue privacy.
Stepping out of the cockpit behind them, Wade and Tina sighed in comfort as they saw the troops busy with their tasks, not giving a glance to the two as they walked close to the sealed door of the transport. Admiring the enormous view the large window in the door gave for a moment, the two drones looked to each other as Tina dug into her pocket. "I was hoping to do this when we got back home, but... I got this from Eridanus while I was visiting." Finding her token of love to Wade, she pulled out the small box she showed off on the call earlier, opening it to reveal her present.
Wade admired the blue gemstone with wide eyes as Tina pulled it out with great care. "Wow... It's beautiful."
Tina chuckled as she extended the gem's necklace band out. "I knew you would, I just happened to stumble upon it while exploring the forest during a tour." Putting the two necklace bands around Wade's neck, she clipped the present together before pulling her arms back, adoring Wade's new add-on as she finished her sentence. "I felt it would be something nice for you to remember me by, while we're away from each other."
Wade smiled at Tina as he expressed his appreciation for the gift. "It certainly will." Stiffling a chuckle, the former worker drone held Tina's hand holding the box as he spoke further. "But, no matter how far apart we are, nothing could fill the space you hold in my heart."
"Same in mine, dear." Tina replied as she gazed into Wade's eyes, noting the faint green in his yellowed visor as she looked on in hopeful amusement. "And yet, even after all they did, I can still see those eyes. Changed from the soft, cool grass to the warmth of a blazing sun." She said while putting the box away, then placing a hand onto Wade's face as he looked off with a blush.
"Tina, I..." Wade began, unsure of how to put his thoughts to words as he tried to find them. "I don't know what they did to me, but I won't let it ruin our relationship." Holding her shoulders, Wade spoke to Tina further. "You're the most beautiful being I've seen in the whole universe, your warmth, your flight prowess... I want to protect that. I want to protect you."
"Oh, Wade." Tina murmured as the two touched their heads to one another, holding each other close in their efforts to provide affection. Such affection intensified as the two joined their metal lips, sharing a long kiss as they enjoyed their moment of awkward romance together.
...
Location: New Nellis Staryards, Nevada
The Chameleon transports zoomed over the large military air base as they arrived at their destination, several A-20 planes flying about over the base as they either carried out flight sorties or, more likely, investigated the arriving craft coming towards the base. After about an hour of flying over the country, the Coalition-USN task force finally arrived at the designated area to begin unloading their rescued drones to an area they could be protected more efficiently.
As the transport began to descend, Wade, Tina, and their friends observed the sight outside the window, spotting several landed aircraft and even a few docked warships. They admired the many ships resting for repair and refurbishment while they prepared to land and disembark for the base outside.
In the small bridge of the dropship, one of the two pilots tapped a button on the control panel, putting a microphone to their mouth before speaking into it. "Base Control, this is Transport Chi-729-B, we've got assets from the recent op lead by Captain Preston aboard. Request permission to land."
"Permission granted, Chi-729. Welcome back." The officer on the other end replied as the transport descended further, two lightningrod jets breaking off as they permitted the craft to land on their grounds below them.
2024.05.12 14:28 curly-amethyst my period starts when i smoke dried rose petals
i heard that you can smoke some herbs. i usually mix dried rose petals (from egypt it says), and i mix that with cannabis.
when i got off of birth control (about a year and a half ago) i couldn’t get my period to start for months and months. i smoked a blunt cut with the rose petals and the next morning i was bleeding and my period had started heavy.
my period came every month after that on time. and then it stopped coming again. i tried the rose petal thing once more and guess what! period starts the next morning.
i can’t find anything online talking about this, so i’m asking this here. am i poisoning myself or is this a legit way to trigger my period from time to time?
i also know red petals are an abortive and can be used sometimes as a “morning after pill.” but both cases i wasn’t pregnant i don’t think?
submitted by curly-amethyst to herbalism [link] [comments]
when i got off of birth control (about a year and a half ago) i couldn’t get my period to start for months and months. i smoked a blunt cut with the rose petals and the next morning i was bleeding and my period had started heavy.
my period came every month after that on time. and then it stopped coming again. i tried the rose petal thing once more and guess what! period starts the next morning.
i can’t find anything online talking about this, so i’m asking this here. am i poisoning myself or is this a legit way to trigger my period from time to time?
i also know red petals are an abortive and can be used sometimes as a “morning after pill.” but both cases i wasn’t pregnant i don’t think?
2024.05.12 11:36 gloomsbury Low maintenance haircut recommendations for fine 1A/1B hair that ISN'T a blunt bob?
I'm not sure if my hair is 1A or 1B (it has a bit of texture when I let it air dry, but won't hold a curl for hell or high water), but either way it's very fine and very straight. I prefer shorter styles since it looks flat and straggly if I grow it out past shoulder length, but I'm so tired of searching "haircuts for fine straight hair" online and getting told the only style which would suit me is a blunt bob. I have a round baby face and bob cuts makes me look like a child, and a lot of very short/pixie cut styles take too much upkeep/regular trimming for my liking. I just feel like I'm destined to have limp, dull hair forever unless I waste a large amount of time/money on styling products...
TL;DR I'm tired of having boring hair, can someone please reassure me there are options out there other than shaving my entire head? 😭
submitted by gloomsbury to type1hair [link] [comments]
TL;DR I'm tired of having boring hair, can someone please reassure me there are options out there other than shaving my entire head? 😭
2024.05.12 11:28 sprylocket10 Overheard a discussion with the ED staff about how autistic I am
Hi, I work in the ED as a scribe intern but I am also a second year med student and well known to this ED. Earlier, the attending I’m with and I were going to see a patient but he wasn’t in the room. I asked a nurse I was unfamiliar with if the patient was in the bathroom and told him to get the patient out of the bathroom as a dry joke. I wore a mask and continued to walk as I said this and he didn’t reply. I thought nothing of it until I overheard several members of the staff talk about how autistic I am and how I am annoying.
From my perspective, I was making a joke that maybe didn’t land. I don’t understand what autism has to do with my behavior tonight or why they’re mad at me, but I don’t feel very comfortable with how they were all targeting me. I was washing my hands and they were all having a conversation… is this something I should address? Others have said I am demanding or too blunt during my work as an EMT, tutor, med student, and now scribe I guess.
submitted by sprylocket10 to medicalschool [link] [comments]
From my perspective, I was making a joke that maybe didn’t land. I don’t understand what autism has to do with my behavior tonight or why they’re mad at me, but I don’t feel very comfortable with how they were all targeting me. I was washing my hands and they were all having a conversation… is this something I should address? Others have said I am demanding or too blunt during my work as an EMT, tutor, med student, and now scribe I guess.
2024.05.11 16:12 kenUdigitt Novel Chapter 409
Disclaimer: I do not speak Korean. This is purely translated by machine with a lot of cleanup afterward. With that in mind, I am open to criticism to improve these translations. Enjoy!
Chapter 409
A visitor arrived unannounced before daybreak.
As he stepped into the tent, his gaze turned down to meet mine while I sat cross-legged.
"You're up early."
"Clearly."
I shrugged my shoulders at Mr. Choi.
"I've been having trouble sleeping lately."
More precisely, my sleep duration has diminished.
With physical endurance surpassing human limits and three gapja of Qi, one can dispel ordinary fatigue through Qi circulation exercises. [Note: just a quick reminder, since it's been a while since I defined what a gapja is. Through context and several confirmations here and there, a gapja is equivalent to 60 years worth of Qi, meaning the MC currently possesses around 180 years worth of Qi.]
"Were you practicing the mana cultivation technique, or rather, the Jin Family Cultivation Technique?"
"Yes, whichever one you want to call it."
Technically, it is the Scorching Clan’s technique, known as the Scorching Sun Divine Arts, but full disclosure isn’t always necessary.
"I should have come later."
"No, it's fine."
"Didn't you say that any disturbance during mana cultivation is forbidden? Breaking it off midway could lead to Qi deviation..."
"Ah, that's for Mr. Choi, I'm fine. It's different for me."
"......"
Such blunt truths can be unsettling.
For a moment, a cautionary message seemed to flash across Mr. Choi's face.
He shook his head with a somber expression.
"There's nothing to be said against the truth."
"Yet, Mr. Choi, your learning aptitude is remarkable. Truly, you should be more confident."
This was sincere. As befits the bloodline of Cheon Tae-Min, a hero who has accomplished indomitable feats in human history, Mr. Choi was born with exceptional martial talent.
Furthermore, for some reason, the Qi stored within his body was substantial, so his progress in martial arts was incredibly fast.
In a word, he was a prodigy.
'If he had trained in martial arts from childhood like Wu Hei-Xing... Perhaps by now, he would have secured a place as an S-rank Hunter.'
Mr. Choi’s face softened slightly, and he nodded.
"How does Mr. Jin Tae-Kyung compare?"
"Are you joking right now? Obviously, I learn faster."
"......"
What are you trying to compare?
Though Mr. Choi grew up in constant danger, always alongside the presence of Lee Jeong-Ryong, our life experiences are inherently different.
Even with the System, I've nearly lost my life on multiple occasions. In response, I was forced to learn martial arts at a much more rapid rate.
"By the way, what brings you here so early?"
"I have a concern, so I've taken the liberty of coming despite the risk of being rude."
"A concern?"
"Yes."
"Why? Did Johnson confess his feelings?"
"I don't mind that. I understand it's Mr. Johnson's own way of showing affection. It's actually guild business."
"Guild business? Did some bad news come from Korea?"
At my worried question, Mr. Choi shook his head.
"No, it's not that. It seems one of the guild members is in danger."
"Aha."
I paused, considering Mr. Choi's words before smirking slightly.
"I think I know who it is. The tall and handsome one, right? With an exceptionally good personality."
"I'm not sure about the other things, but his personality does seem exceptionally good. In many ways."
"Hmm, then it doesn't sound like the person I know."
"Mr. Jin Tae-Kyung."
Up to this point, Mr. Choi had maintained a light tone, but his voice then dropped lower.
"You know what I mean."
"I'm not sure."
"This operation is dangerous."
"Team Leader Choi. Don't you trust me?"
"Why wouldn't I? Mr. Jin Tae-Kyung, you're one of the people I trust the most in this world."
Mr. Choi regarded me with a grave, intense look.
"But you are about to undertake a dangerous operation with people I trust the least in this world."
Instinctively, two names flashed through my mind.
Lee Jeong-Ryong and Wu Hei-Xing. Bound to me by adverse destiny, soon we must become allies, entrusting our lives to one another.
I scratched my chin and responded.
"Untrustworthy bastards. There couldn't be a more fitting description."
"Mr. Jin Tae-Kyung..."
"Team Leader Choi?"
As Mr. Choi started to speak, he paused, shutting his mouth. I quietly raised my hand and gestured towards the door.
"As you know, my cultivation isn't finished yet."
"......!"
"The battle will start before today is over. Clear your mind and prepare for the upcoming fight."
Mr. Choi, unable to respond, gave me a look filled with mixed emotions, then exhaled deeply and rose.
"I'll see you shortly."
"Sure. I won't go far."
I sensed Mr. Choi’s presence diminish as he exited the tent.
Then, the Skeleton Warlord, who had been sullen since losing his freedom, suddenly spoke with a hint of hope.
-A very smart human. Is it too late to take his advice?
"I'm trying."
-If you're going, go alone. Why bring this commander with you?
"Being alone means dying alone."
-What!
"It's a joke. It's just that this is the best option."
-Going through an enormous horde of monsters to face the Arch Lich... is that really the best? Are you not a wicked human but a mad one?
Get a load of this undead bastard.
While pondering whether to reprimand him, I stretched out and lay diagonally across the bed.
"It's a dangerous operation, but there's enough potential, so don't overthink it."
-What if we go there and it doesn’t work?
"Then we fight with all our might. That's one possibility."
The Skeleton Warlord spoke with newfound understanding.
-The logic of miracles. I can't believe I'm with such a crazy human.
"And yet you don't leave."
-Leave? I can't!
"What a funny guy. Didn't you come back on your own two feet? Oh, wait. Not on foot, but by skull."
-With all these vicious humans targeting this commander, what do you expect me to do?
At the Skeleton Warlord’s indignant retort, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
'Talk about weakness.'
There's much I could say, but I choose to remain silent. He must come to the realization on his own.
-You're smiling? Why are you laughing?!
"When did I?"
I quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, the key is to defeat the Arch Lich. Without its head, the body cannot move."
-Then what about the Dullahans?
"......"
That is a valid point.
Caught off guard, I summoned the Skeleton Warlord from my inventory.
"Bastard. You have been a pain for quite some time."
-Calm down, human. I didn't say anything wrong.
"Right, Dullahans can move without a head. Let's see how the Skeleton Warlord fares."
Snap!
The Skeleton Warlord howled as I flicked him as quick as lightning.
-Ouch, a crack! There's a crack in my forehead! A real crack!
"I controlled my strength, so stop spouting bullshit... Wait, you're right. There's a crack."
Perhaps I should have been more careful. A small crack had indeed appeared on his polished black skull.
As I prodded a protruding bone fragment, the Skeleton Warlord wailed again.
-My bone! My bones!
"Okay, stop yelling, man."
-As if it weren't enough that my bones have been itching and sensitive lately, this mad human just had to... Sob.
"......"
Is he having dry skin?
At this rate, he could start a channel on YouTube and garner a million followers as an undead beauty influencer.
'Maybe this bastard isn't a monster...'
Yet, the more I observe, the less remarkable he appears.
While examining the Skeleton Warlord, I drew back one side of the tent. The slowly ascending eastern sun was visible.
It heralded the start of the day and the looming battle.
* * *
Located in the heart of the Sichuan Basin, Suining City encompasses two municipal districts, three counties, and spans an area of over 5000 square kilometers.
Historically, it has served as the cultural and economic center of central Sichuan Province, famed for its refined culture, scenic landscapes, and thriving agriculture and industry. However, those days are now in the past.
Caw, caw-caw!
Above the gloomy skies, flocks of crows swooped down on the strewn bodies below. There was no competition for the feast.
With hundreds of corpses scattered across the area, the crows tore at the decaying flesh of what were once humans, their stomachs quickly filling.
While a catastrophe for humans, it was a time of plenty for the crows.
Yet, their tranquil feasting was abruptly interrupted.
Boom, creak.
A loud noise caused the ground to shudder, and the crows, disturbed, took flight as one.
A few black feathers, caught in the breeze, floated over the expansive basin.
These feathers were soon crushed under the wheels of a tank, a small part of a vast procession of metal and marching soldiers.
Thump, thump, thump.
An army of humans spanned the horizon.
The vanguard, wielding towering shields, brushed against the ground, followed by thousands of Hunters arrayed in neat rows and columns.
Beneath tightly strapped helmets, lips were pressed firmly together.
Cloaked in the unseen fortunes of war, thousands of humans moved forward in silence.
They advanced toward a city veiled in faint mist in the distance, toward the looming battle and promised victory.
Amid this, a voice suddenly broke the silence.
"Damn, look at this fog. It looks like something out of a monster movie. Has anyone seen that movie?" [Note: I think he's referring to "The Mist" from 2007.]
In the grave atmosphere, Jin Tae-Kyung's comment sparked snickers from the surrounding Hunters.
「Tch.」
「Kekeke.」
"What, am I the only one who saw that masterpiece?"
As Jin Tae-Kyung shrugged, a response came from his right.
"I've seen it too."
"Really? That's unexpected of you, Mr. Choi."
"What do you mean?"
"You seem more the type to watch musicals or orchestral performances, not monster movies."
The Hunters glanced at Choi Min-Woo, barely holding back their laughter.
Unwittingly, their bodies loosened, and their breaths evened out, the tension gently lifting.
Meanwhile, their conversation continued.
"I watch movies sometimes too, just to change the mood. I enjoyed the movie Mr. Jin Tae-Kyung mentioned as well."
"Oh, then you must know the twist at the end."
"Of course. Personally, I found it quite sad."
"That's exactly what I thought while watching it."
Jin Tae-Kyung continued thoughtfully.
"If only they hadn't given up until the end, they could have survived. They should have fought with all their might. That's what I think."
His tone was gentle but resonated with conviction.
His voice, imbued with significant resonance, carried to everyone listening.
And the multitude of Hunters and soldiers on the western front realized.
Jin Tae-Kyung's words might just be advice meant for them.
"By now, other fronts must be surrounding Suining City like us, right?"
"It will be completely encircled."
"And soon, the battle will commence."
「We will win.」
Shao Shen responded confidently, prompting Jin Tae-Kyung to burst into laughter.
"Exactly. That's the spirit. But..."
His laughter abruptly ceased, and his previously playful eyes were replaced by a deeply intense gaze.
The vast basin was reflected in his icy stare.
"They seem to think differently."
Thud, thud-thud.
Groan...
Corpses began to stir, and the fog drifting across the basin carried the eerie moans of hidden monsters.
"And now..."
Jin Tae-Kyung took a deep breath.
"It begins."
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submitted by kenUdigitt to u/kenUdigitt [link] [comments]
Chapter 409
A visitor arrived unannounced before daybreak.
As he stepped into the tent, his gaze turned down to meet mine while I sat cross-legged.
"You're up early."
"Clearly."
I shrugged my shoulders at Mr. Choi.
"I've been having trouble sleeping lately."
More precisely, my sleep duration has diminished.
With physical endurance surpassing human limits and three gapja of Qi, one can dispel ordinary fatigue through Qi circulation exercises. [Note: just a quick reminder, since it's been a while since I defined what a gapja is. Through context and several confirmations here and there, a gapja is equivalent to 60 years worth of Qi, meaning the MC currently possesses around 180 years worth of Qi.]
"Were you practicing the mana cultivation technique, or rather, the Jin Family Cultivation Technique?"
"Yes, whichever one you want to call it."
Technically, it is the Scorching Clan’s technique, known as the Scorching Sun Divine Arts, but full disclosure isn’t always necessary.
"I should have come later."
"No, it's fine."
"Didn't you say that any disturbance during mana cultivation is forbidden? Breaking it off midway could lead to Qi deviation..."
"Ah, that's for Mr. Choi, I'm fine. It's different for me."
"......"
Such blunt truths can be unsettling.
For a moment, a cautionary message seemed to flash across Mr. Choi's face.
He shook his head with a somber expression.
"There's nothing to be said against the truth."
"Yet, Mr. Choi, your learning aptitude is remarkable. Truly, you should be more confident."
This was sincere. As befits the bloodline of Cheon Tae-Min, a hero who has accomplished indomitable feats in human history, Mr. Choi was born with exceptional martial talent.
Furthermore, for some reason, the Qi stored within his body was substantial, so his progress in martial arts was incredibly fast.
In a word, he was a prodigy.
'If he had trained in martial arts from childhood like Wu Hei-Xing... Perhaps by now, he would have secured a place as an S-rank Hunter.'
Mr. Choi’s face softened slightly, and he nodded.
"How does Mr. Jin Tae-Kyung compare?"
"Are you joking right now? Obviously, I learn faster."
"......"
What are you trying to compare?
Though Mr. Choi grew up in constant danger, always alongside the presence of Lee Jeong-Ryong, our life experiences are inherently different.
Even with the System, I've nearly lost my life on multiple occasions. In response, I was forced to learn martial arts at a much more rapid rate.
"By the way, what brings you here so early?"
"I have a concern, so I've taken the liberty of coming despite the risk of being rude."
"A concern?"
"Yes."
"Why? Did Johnson confess his feelings?"
"I don't mind that. I understand it's Mr. Johnson's own way of showing affection. It's actually guild business."
"Guild business? Did some bad news come from Korea?"
At my worried question, Mr. Choi shook his head.
"No, it's not that. It seems one of the guild members is in danger."
"Aha."
I paused, considering Mr. Choi's words before smirking slightly.
"I think I know who it is. The tall and handsome one, right? With an exceptionally good personality."
"I'm not sure about the other things, but his personality does seem exceptionally good. In many ways."
"Hmm, then it doesn't sound like the person I know."
"Mr. Jin Tae-Kyung."
Up to this point, Mr. Choi had maintained a light tone, but his voice then dropped lower.
"You know what I mean."
"I'm not sure."
"This operation is dangerous."
"Team Leader Choi. Don't you trust me?"
"Why wouldn't I? Mr. Jin Tae-Kyung, you're one of the people I trust the most in this world."
Mr. Choi regarded me with a grave, intense look.
"But you are about to undertake a dangerous operation with people I trust the least in this world."
Instinctively, two names flashed through my mind.
Lee Jeong-Ryong and Wu Hei-Xing. Bound to me by adverse destiny, soon we must become allies, entrusting our lives to one another.
I scratched my chin and responded.
"Untrustworthy bastards. There couldn't be a more fitting description."
"Mr. Jin Tae-Kyung..."
"Team Leader Choi?"
As Mr. Choi started to speak, he paused, shutting his mouth. I quietly raised my hand and gestured towards the door.
"As you know, my cultivation isn't finished yet."
"......!"
"The battle will start before today is over. Clear your mind and prepare for the upcoming fight."
Mr. Choi, unable to respond, gave me a look filled with mixed emotions, then exhaled deeply and rose.
"I'll see you shortly."
"Sure. I won't go far."
I sensed Mr. Choi’s presence diminish as he exited the tent.
Then, the Skeleton Warlord, who had been sullen since losing his freedom, suddenly spoke with a hint of hope.
-A very smart human. Is it too late to take his advice?
"I'm trying."
-If you're going, go alone. Why bring this commander with you?
"Being alone means dying alone."
-What!
"It's a joke. It's just that this is the best option."
-Going through an enormous horde of monsters to face the Arch Lich... is that really the best? Are you not a wicked human but a mad one?
Get a load of this undead bastard.
While pondering whether to reprimand him, I stretched out and lay diagonally across the bed.
"It's a dangerous operation, but there's enough potential, so don't overthink it."
-What if we go there and it doesn’t work?
"Then we fight with all our might. That's one possibility."
The Skeleton Warlord spoke with newfound understanding.
-The logic of miracles. I can't believe I'm with such a crazy human.
"And yet you don't leave."
-Leave? I can't!
"What a funny guy. Didn't you come back on your own two feet? Oh, wait. Not on foot, but by skull."
-With all these vicious humans targeting this commander, what do you expect me to do?
At the Skeleton Warlord’s indignant retort, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
'Talk about weakness.'
There's much I could say, but I choose to remain silent. He must come to the realization on his own.
-You're smiling? Why are you laughing?!
"When did I?"
I quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, the key is to defeat the Arch Lich. Without its head, the body cannot move."
-Then what about the Dullahans?
"......"
That is a valid point.
Caught off guard, I summoned the Skeleton Warlord from my inventory.
"Bastard. You have been a pain for quite some time."
-Calm down, human. I didn't say anything wrong.
"Right, Dullahans can move without a head. Let's see how the Skeleton Warlord fares."
Snap!
The Skeleton Warlord howled as I flicked him as quick as lightning.
-Ouch, a crack! There's a crack in my forehead! A real crack!
"I controlled my strength, so stop spouting bullshit... Wait, you're right. There's a crack."
Perhaps I should have been more careful. A small crack had indeed appeared on his polished black skull.
As I prodded a protruding bone fragment, the Skeleton Warlord wailed again.
-My bone! My bones!
"Okay, stop yelling, man."
-As if it weren't enough that my bones have been itching and sensitive lately, this mad human just had to... Sob.
"......"
Is he having dry skin?
At this rate, he could start a channel on YouTube and garner a million followers as an undead beauty influencer.
'Maybe this bastard isn't a monster...'
Yet, the more I observe, the less remarkable he appears.
While examining the Skeleton Warlord, I drew back one side of the tent. The slowly ascending eastern sun was visible.
It heralded the start of the day and the looming battle.
* * *
Located in the heart of the Sichuan Basin, Suining City encompasses two municipal districts, three counties, and spans an area of over 5000 square kilometers.
Historically, it has served as the cultural and economic center of central Sichuan Province, famed for its refined culture, scenic landscapes, and thriving agriculture and industry. However, those days are now in the past.
Caw, caw-caw!
Above the gloomy skies, flocks of crows swooped down on the strewn bodies below. There was no competition for the feast.
With hundreds of corpses scattered across the area, the crows tore at the decaying flesh of what were once humans, their stomachs quickly filling.
While a catastrophe for humans, it was a time of plenty for the crows.
Yet, their tranquil feasting was abruptly interrupted.
Boom, creak.
A loud noise caused the ground to shudder, and the crows, disturbed, took flight as one.
A few black feathers, caught in the breeze, floated over the expansive basin.
These feathers were soon crushed under the wheels of a tank, a small part of a vast procession of metal and marching soldiers.
Thump, thump, thump.
An army of humans spanned the horizon.
The vanguard, wielding towering shields, brushed against the ground, followed by thousands of Hunters arrayed in neat rows and columns.
Beneath tightly strapped helmets, lips were pressed firmly together.
Cloaked in the unseen fortunes of war, thousands of humans moved forward in silence.
They advanced toward a city veiled in faint mist in the distance, toward the looming battle and promised victory.
Amid this, a voice suddenly broke the silence.
"Damn, look at this fog. It looks like something out of a monster movie. Has anyone seen that movie?" [Note: I think he's referring to "The Mist" from 2007.]
In the grave atmosphere, Jin Tae-Kyung's comment sparked snickers from the surrounding Hunters.
「Tch.」
「Kekeke.」
"What, am I the only one who saw that masterpiece?"
As Jin Tae-Kyung shrugged, a response came from his right.
"I've seen it too."
"Really? That's unexpected of you, Mr. Choi."
"What do you mean?"
"You seem more the type to watch musicals or orchestral performances, not monster movies."
The Hunters glanced at Choi Min-Woo, barely holding back their laughter.
Unwittingly, their bodies loosened, and their breaths evened out, the tension gently lifting.
Meanwhile, their conversation continued.
"I watch movies sometimes too, just to change the mood. I enjoyed the movie Mr. Jin Tae-Kyung mentioned as well."
"Oh, then you must know the twist at the end."
"Of course. Personally, I found it quite sad."
"That's exactly what I thought while watching it."
Jin Tae-Kyung continued thoughtfully.
"If only they hadn't given up until the end, they could have survived. They should have fought with all their might. That's what I think."
His tone was gentle but resonated with conviction.
His voice, imbued with significant resonance, carried to everyone listening.
And the multitude of Hunters and soldiers on the western front realized.
Jin Tae-Kyung's words might just be advice meant for them.
"By now, other fronts must be surrounding Suining City like us, right?"
"It will be completely encircled."
"And soon, the battle will commence."
「We will win.」
Shao Shen responded confidently, prompting Jin Tae-Kyung to burst into laughter.
"Exactly. That's the spirit. But..."
His laughter abruptly ceased, and his previously playful eyes were replaced by a deeply intense gaze.
The vast basin was reflected in his icy stare.
"They seem to think differently."
Thud, thud-thud.
Groan...
Corpses began to stir, and the fog drifting across the basin carried the eerie moans of hidden monsters.
"And now..."
Jin Tae-Kyung took a deep breath.
"It begins."
Previous Table of Contents Next
2024.05.11 15:43 PlasmaShovel Needle in The Haystack 13
It's been hard to find time to write this past week, but I'm chugging along, however sluggish. I also want to give a huge thanks to u/icallshogun for telling me how to use new-old reddit, because it's already saved me a bunch of time posting this single chapter.
I have a bad habit of last minute editing before I post chapters. I'll usually go over once or twice and switch up a few things. I didn't this time. Why am I telling you this? No idea. Enjoy.
A little PSA: if the next chapter button is missing, it's most likely in the comments (either that, or the next chapter isn't out yet), because sometimes reddit likes to say posts are more than 40k even when they aren't, making them impossible to edit. I just had this problem adding the link to chapter 12.
Many thanks to u/SpacePaladin for making NoP!
Prev -First- Next
------------------------------
Chapter 13: A million miles away
- Memory Transcription Subject: Arlene Brandy, Human Refugee
Date [Standardized Human Time]: October 20th, 2136
The refugee center crested the horizon, with UN banners draped from the second story, and signs marking some of the nearby buildings as temporary housing. I wondered how exactly they convinced people to hand over entire buildings for use. One of them wasn’t even an apartment building, it was offices.
There were more humans around, of course, with the venlil population extremely sparse, only a few brave enough to be anywhere near the ‘den’. I grabbed the door, and opened it, revealing the main lobby, which to my utter surprise, had a venlil at the desk along with a human.
It feels so weird to point out when people are human or not, but that’s just how it is now. I ambled towards the pair, keeping my movements slow and calculated, not to scare the guy. He noticed, and let out a chuckle.
“No need to worry about me ma’am. I’m quite used to humans by now.”
I relaxed, blushing a little. “That makes sense.”
“What do you need?” The venlil asked.
“Oh, I’ve been meaning to get one of those datapads. I have family at home I need to get in touch with.”
“And you are?”
“Arlene Brandy.”
“Uh huh.” He clicked at the computer for a moment. “Well, you’re a little late to the party. We just got five hundred or so new residents, so we’re out of new pads, but I’m sure you can find someone willing to let you borrow theirs.”
“Shit.”
“I’m sorry for the inconvenience. You’re staying at Golden Ridge apartment 113, correct?”
“Yes, why?”
“I’ll have one sent to your door when we get a new shipment.”
“Thank you.” I turned to leave.
“Wait, we wont get more for a few paws yet. Why don’t you try asking to use someone else’s?”
I turned back around to the desk. “Can I use yours?”
"Sorry, mine doesn’t connect to the Earth networks.”
“Shit.”
“Please try not to swear so much, there are children around.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
The guy at the desk was so comfortable around me that it started making me uncomfortable. While the human at the desk didn’t even register me. I bet he was playing solitaire.
I entered the common room. People ambled, walked, teetered, and even ran around, from door to door and table to table. Seating was plentiful, but there weren’t any free spots, because the place was so packed. There really were a lot of them. Refugees, I mean. This was only a tiny fraction too.
How many more? Is there an end to it?
I searched for someone to approach, but found nothing. Everyone was grieving. I didn’t want to interrupt. I didn’t want to see it, I didn’t want to know it was there. My stomach turned in a horrible spiral, and I soon found myself bent over a toilet, ejecting breakfast. I was drooling over the bowl like a rabid dog, eyes watering and legs quaking. My diaphragm expelled one last gust of air, in a horrible coughing fit that lasted uncomfortably long.
I don’t know how I found the bathroom without help, it wasn’t marked very well. I’ve always been good at that sort of thing I guess, whatever ‘that sort of thing’ is.
On my way out, I washed my hands twice, not that it made a difference. The common room was still full of chatter and sobbing, quiet and boisterous both in their own right.
A man in a dress shirt sat alone at a table with his head in his hands. A mother cradled a baby in her arms, rocking him to sleep. In the corner of the room sat a group of people sitting on the ground playing monopoly. A boy ate a droopy sandwich next to a parent, munching listlessly. They all looked so tired. So tired that it could suck the breath right back out of you.
At one of the tables was a man with burns on his arms, and another bandaging him up. He winced when the bandages touched the splotches where blisters used to be, dry and scabbed. There was a good chance the burns were inflicted on purpose, by them. Monsters.
He locked eyes with me, his empty like all the rest. My head jerked away, embarrassment on my face like dye, the mask doing little to hide my frenzied posture. I power walked to another part of the room, behind a group of people conversing. I took off my coat so I wouldn’t overheat in the stuffy room… and also to blend into the crowd.
Staring at burn victims? What is wrong with you?
I looked down at myself. My boots were brown, my pants were black, and my shirt was as well, with a picture of an album cover on the front. My hands were twitchy, and my arm was still bandaged. I could’ve, should’ve lost the dressings by then, but I hadn’t got around to it. I put my coat back on
Since I wasn’t getting anywhere, I decided to take a trip down the hallways, into the dorms, where it was less crowded.
Down the halls, past a few turns, was an open door, with warm light spilling out, and cheerful discussion taking place inside. Taking a peek, I saw a group of 3 people, one of whom was a venlil, playing cards. The funny thing, is it was one of those grungy decks with pictures of naked ladies on them. Well, I don’t know if it was funny, but it stuck with me.
“Hello?” Spoke the venlil.
The other heads turned in my direction. I was discovered. A pang of cold crawled through my spine.
“O-oh, hi.” I tried and failed to act like I hadn’t been watching them for several seconds.
“Hey there, are you one of the new arrivals?” Asked the girl sitting next to the venlil.
“Uh, no, I’ve just been living in a different spot.”
“No wonder you look like shit.” Spoke a middle aged guy with scars. There was an ankle monitor on his leg, though I certainly wasn’t going to question him about it.
“Ben! Don’t be rude.” The girl replied.
“I’m not being rude. We all look like shit. Some of us are shit right now.” Ben mumbled.
“Well you don’t have to be so nihilistic about it.” She turned back to me. “Wanna join us? We could use a fourth.”
“No thanks. I’m trying to get in touch with my family.”
"Well if they’re here, I can find them. I know everyone here.” Said the girl, with a big grin.
"They’re on Earth. I just need to use someone’s datapad. The guy at the desk said we were out of new ones.”
“Did you break yours?”
A nervous laugh escaped me. It felt so weird to have a normal conversation. The last time I talked to a human was only a few days ago, but it felt much longer. Years maybe… or not. My shoulders felt tight, probably from the extra weight. I swallowed a lump that had been growing in my throat since leaving Earth, and my stomach got heavier as a result.
What did she lose?
I cleared my throat. “N-no, I never got one in the first place.”
“Well, no worries. You can use mine if you want. I’m Taylor by the way.” She smiled.
I didn’t smile back. The mask would’ve hidden it anyway. “Thanks. I’m Arlene.”
She handed me the weird alien phone, which I soon realized I didn’t know how to use.
The venlil piped up. “Want me to do it for you?” He stood up.
“Yes please.” I handed him the datapad.
He started tapping away at the device. “These things are super outdated. The interface is really clunky, especially the UN comms.”
I loomed over his shoulder, watching him type in a bunch of stuff into text boxes. “You have to login to make calls?”
“No, this is just the path the call will be taking. Where are you calling?”
“Wisconsin.”
“Where is that?”
“North America.”
*“*Okay, there we go.” He handed the datapad back to me. “Just type in the phone number and you’re good to go.”
“Thanks.” I started punching in the number.
“No problem. I’ve had to do it for Taylor a million times by now.” He chuckled.
“Hey, I know how to do it now!” She replied.
“Then why didn’t you show her how?”
Taylor snorted. “Because then you wouldn’t be useful anymore, and I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”
“Whatever you say.” He flicked his tail.
“Hey, enough with the snarky tail language.” She crossed her arms.
“What did he say?” Ben asked.
“He said I was a goober.”
I looked up from the datapad. “You have a tail sign for ‘goober’?”
“Of course we do, why wouldn’t we?” He shrugged.
Ben raised his eyebrows, and Taylor laughed. I was still wearing the mask.
"Hey, do you mind if I uh… you know.” I pointed to my face.
“Oh please, you couldn’t possibly be uglier than Taylor.”
“You better be careful Talnek. You’d get a beating if you insulted a lady where I come from.” Ben stated.
Taylor punched Ben in the shoulder. “He’s just messing!”
I removed the mask, and set it down on a table. “Is it alright if I make the call outside?”
“Sure, as long as you don’t manage to brick the thing.” Talnek said, sitting back down at his cards with a snicker.
Taylor shot him a dirty look.
“Thanks again Taylor.”
She grinned like a little kid. “No prob bob!”
I stepped into the hallway, holding the datapad up to my face, and pressed the call button.
It rang.
And rang.
And rang…
Until the display lit up with the face of my dad. My lips curled up in a smile.
“Hey dad.”
“Ope!” He flinched, then grinned. “Hey there sweetie. Havin’ fun up in space?”
“Nevermind that! Are you guys okay? Did Luke make it back alright?”
“Oh we’re doing fine yet. Luke got discharged because of injuries. He got pretty banged up in a crash, but he’s alright.”
“Is mom around?”
"Sorry kiddo, she’s out of town getting gas for the generators.”
My eyes widened. “Generators? Is the power out? Have you been able to get dialysis?”
He rolled his eyes. “Oh don’t worry yourself. We’ve got diesel running the place.”
My hands left marks of sweat on the device. “You are getting your blood cleaned, right?”
“Yes, I am. Even if I wasn’t, your pa’s still got some fight left in ‘em.” He patted his bicep.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Jesus dad, you had me worried for a second there.”
He chuckled. “Don’t be. Try to have fun up there. No use worrying about somewhere you’re not.”
A sigh escaped me. “I’ll try.”
“That’s my girl! How are the aliens treating ya?”
I frowned. “Well, if I’m being honest, most of them are assholes.”
“That so?”
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve met a few that don’t mind me, but I can count them on one hand.”
“Well that’s better than nothing, ain’t it?” He raised an eyebrow in a joking manner.
I smiled a little. “I guess so.”
“So, tell me about these nice aliens then.”
“Sure- Hold on, is Luke there?”
“He’s sleeping right now. Doctor’s got him on the good stuff.”
“Is it that bad?”
He shouldn’t have enlisted. Asshole. He’s such an idiot. He could have died! “I wanna meet aliens” my ass.
*“*The doc says he’ll be up and at em in a few days, but the pain is still kicking him.”
*“*Is he alright? Like, is he shellshocked?”
Dad frowned. “I was hoping you wouldn’t ask.” He looked past the camera. “He’s pretty bitter about the whole thing.”
My blood ran cold. I knew what it sounded like when he was downplaying something. “Dad. Is he gonna be okay?”
His expression softened. “Luke’s a strong boy. He’ll be okay.”
“He better. I’ll kill him if he’s not. You be sure to tell him that.”
Dad laughed. “Sure, sure. Back to the aliens, if you will.”
“My bad.” Warmth filled my face. “So there’s this guy who lives in my apartment building, right? I come back home after a day of trying, and failing, to get my hands on any materials, craft materials are super expensive here for some reason, by the way, and he’s coming home at the same time, so I say hi to him, and he jumps me!”
Maybe things would get better.
“Their claws are sharp! He scratched me up pretty bad, look.” I raised my arm to the camera, and my dad gasped in response.
"Whoa, that’s a lot of bandages.”
“Yeah, right? I may have put too much actually. Anyway, he charges me, and so I put him in a headlock, and I yell at him to calm down. It might have been a misplay on my part, I have to admit. What, with the venlil thinking we want to eat them and all that jazz.”
Dad nodded, eyes full of stars. This was nice.
“Well, he starts crying, and now I felt like an ass, so I try to calm him down, but he’s not having any of it. So I hand him a doll I made, but that didn’t do much either, so I ended up just having to leave him there. Would you believe it if I told you he came knocking on my door the next day? He wanted to learn felting!”
He burst into laughter, having to wiping a tear from his eye. “I have to say, you have the strangest way of making friends.”
Maybe I was worrying over nothing.
“Oh, I forgot to mention, so, I was trying to get wool, right? But there’s obviously no sheep here on venlil prime.”
“Oh, don’t tell me.”
“So I went around offering free haircuts.”
Dad started wheezing like he had sand in his lungs. He struggled to point a finger at me. “S-so…” He burst into another fit of laughter. “You went around with shears, offering haircuts to the fluffy aliens who think you want to eat them?”
“Yes, that’s exactly right. I give damn good cuts too.” I grinned, face full of mischief.
“So this friend of yours took you up on the offer? What’s his name?”
“Meba. And yes, I sheared him.”
“Okay, Meeh Baah? Are you pulling my leg?”
“Nope, that’s his real name. It means ‘little person’ in venlil, apparently.”
“You’re kidding! That is priceless! What happened then?”
“I sheared him, and then we went inside, and I taught him how to felt, and he got all flabbergasted when he saw me eat vegetables. He did this,” I held up a pointer finger, closing my eyes. “and then he said ‘You can’t eat vegetables, you’re a predator.’”
“Uh huh.”
“So after that, to skip to the good part, he has me follow him to work to *‘*protect him from humans’, and on the way back, just as we’re getting back to the apartments, he collapses in the hallway, hyperventilating and shaking.”
Maybe I could finally calm down.
“Oh no, was he okay?”
“Yeah, I brought him inside and calmed him down, but then the exterminators barged in! He stuffed me into a closet to hide me.”
Dad’s face swelled with disgust. “Ah yes, I’ve heard of them.”
“Well, they mess up the whole apartment, and they only leave because Meba is friends with their boss.”
“He’s buddy buddy with those folks?”
“Well, I don’t really know, but he used his connections to protect me, so I don’t mind. I was scared shitless the whole time. I barely kept myself still.”
“But you’re okay, right? They didn’t hurt you?”
"No, I was fine. I kind of blew up at him though. We made up though, and now he’s even comfortable around me with the mask off!”
“Mask?”
“The UN makes everyone wear masks in public so we don’t scare people.”
“I didn’t know it was that bad.”
“Yeah… it’s kinda scary sometimes.”
Home was still there.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure the rest of em will fall for your charm soon enough.”
“Yeah. After all, who could hate such an enchanting young lady?” I made a not so dignified face.
Dad shot a silly look right back, making us both laugh at our shared stupidity.
“So, since everything’s intact, when should I come home? I should be able to pretty soon.”
He smiled. “Hey, don’t worry about that. You should stay up there until the power comes back in… oh I don’t know, it should be on in a week or two. No reason to come back when the town is still out of whack.”
“What? But I can help out. Isn’t there work to be done?”
His eyes were warm. “Arlene, just have fun. We’ll be fine. Come home when it’s more comfortable.”
What?
“But I miss you guys.”
“I know, I miss you too.” He glanced off to the side for a moment. “But just wait a little longer. I want to roll the red carpet out for you. We’re not going anywhere.”
“Fine, but I expect a royal welcome.”
“Of course.” He grinned. “I better let you go, I have to make dinner.”
“Oh.. okay. I was hoping you’d be able to tell me about what’s going on in town.”
“Nothing crazy, just the usual but with flashlights instead of street lamps. Say hi to Meba for me.”
“Okay. Bye dad.”
“Bye kiddo. Try not to worry yourself so much.”
“I’ll try. I love you,”
“I love you too.”
He hung up the call, and home was gone again.
I popped back into the room to give Taylor her datapad back.
“How’d it go?” She asked.
“Good. I think.” I grabbed my mask, and handed her the device.
She smiled. “I’m glad. Want to stay for a bit? Today is pizza day.”
“I’m good. I should probably head out. Thanks though.”
“Wait a second, here.” Taylor handed me a card.
I turned it over in my fingers. It was off white with gold lettering. A business card. Very… eccentric.
“What’s this?”
“My info, so you can get in touch with me when you get a datapad. I’m kinda the self appointed caretaker of this place. If you need anything, anything at all, I’m your gal.”
I took another look at the card. “Thanks. It means a lot.”
“You’re welcome! See you later.”
“See you.”
---
I sat on the bench by the office, legs crossed, working on a mini venlil, my third one actually. Yes, I was building an army. An army of little venlil that I would use for… something. Each one measured no more than four inches tall, with floppy yarn tails, and bits of blue yarn affixed for eyes.
They say the one who folds a thousand paper cranes will be granted a wish. What do you get for one thousand woolen venlil?
“Arlene?” Meba was walking towards me. His eyes were unfocused, and his tail was motionless, like a doll’s. He dragged his feet on the ground, and his bag weighed on him like a heap of iron. To put it bluntly, he looked like shit.
“Oh hey there. Done with work?”
“Yeah. What are you making?” His voice was monotone.
“More mini venlil.”
He leaned over. “It looks like me.”
“It is made out of your wool. It would be worrying if it didn’t resemble you.”
“I guess. Does this one have a name too?”
“Not yet. Do you have any ideas?”
He thought for a moment, ears swiveling like satellite dishes. “Mulek.”
“Mulek it is. Is that a common name?”
“It was my father’s name.” He didn’t elaborate.
“Oh, speaking of which, my dad says ‘hi’.”
“He’s the… rancher, right?”
“Yeah.” I got up off the bench. “He’s not as scary as he sounds. If you met him, you’d realize his head is just full of muscles and fart jokes. Ready to go?”
He flicked an ear, and we started walking. The sheer complexity of venlil body language never failed to impress me. Not the ear flicks, those were easy, but the tail signals were insane.
“Hey, Meba?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s your job?”
“I’m a computer scientist. Why do you ask?”
“You look really tired. Six hours, sorry, I mean a claw and a half. It’s a long shift for venlil right?”
“Yes, but my job isn’t very physically demanding.”
“It isn’t taking a toll on you?”
“No.” He lied. I mean fuck, did he think I was stupid? I wasn’t, I think. If it wasn’t his job, it was something else.
“Really?”
“Yes, I just didn’t sleep well.” His eyes were drooping in real time.
Fine, be like that. If you won’t open up, I’ll just help another way.
“Do you want me to carry you?”
Meba stopped in his tracks. “C-carry me?”
“You aren’t very heavy. I could give you a piggyback ride the rest of the way.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“C’mon, I could use the exercise.” I crouched down, beckoning him over with my hands.
"Arlene, I can walk on my own.” He sounded offended.
"At least let me carry your bag.”
Meba sighed. “Fine.”
I stood up and grabbed his bag. “And away we go!”
We arrived at the station, just in time to catch the tube. Meba yanked his bag out of my arms to swipe his card through the terminal. This particular transport was packed to the brim with people, more than a few of them human. Meba visibly stiffened. He sat down, I remained standing.
“You okay?”
“Y-yeah. It’s just a-a lot.” He most definitely wasn’t, he was trembling like a leaf.
I stood between him and the crowd. “Better?”
“A l-little… thanks.”
“Hey, why don’t you work on the scarf, take your mind of things?”
“S-sure.” He grabbed the yarn ball from his bag, along with the crochet hook. Slowly, he removed the clip that was stopping it from unraveling, and stuck the hook through, starting right where he left off. He was definitely getting faster.
The tube rattled.
Outside, the city still breathed.
Kids coming home form school, people like us, coming home from work.
Same old same old.
In my mind, I pictured a fleet, swooping through star systems, making daring maneuvers, shooting down other vessels. So many lights. I imagined the metal stretching, and the hull creaking as it moved. I imagined the little people inside, scurrying around like ants, each wholly insignificant, but still, moving that massive shape.
I turned around to check on Meba.
He was still shaking, like a wet dog in the snow.
God, I miss Milo. Too bad they don’t let dogs on venlil prime.
I put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you gonna be alright?”
He looked up at me, with his funny little eyes. They were full of anger.
“Yes. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” He let out a breath, clenching his jaw. “It’s so s-stupid it makes me sick.”
“Sorry?”
“There’s no t-threat. I shouldn’t be scared.”
I gave him a gentle shake. “Hey, it’s no big deal. You’re doing well.”
“I’m doing h-horrible. I hate these stupid instincts.” He growled. “H-how is this supposed to be an evolutionary advantage? I can b-barely think straight.”
“Take a deep breath.”
“B-brahk this.” He muttered. “You k-know, we’re famous for being w-weak. The b-best in the whole brahking f-federation.”
I frowned. “Don’t say that.”
“We c-can’t run, and w-we can’t fight.”
“That’s not true and you know it.”
“I can’t even c-control myself. I h-hate it.” He let the scarf slide back into his bag.
“Meba, you’re the bravest venlil I’ve met.”
“What d-does that say about us? That I’m one of t-the ‘brave ones’? It’s brahking p-pathetic.”
“Don’t say that about yourself.”
“Brahk! What else am I supposed to say?” He hissed, head finding its way into his paws. “It’s horrible. Horrible, horrible, h-horrible.”
I sat down next to him, and put my arm around his shoulder.
“This is s-so stupid.” He muttered.
“Tell me what happened?”
“No.”
A sigh escaped me. This was exhausting. “Okay.” I pulled him close.
He removed his paws from his face to look at me. “How am I gonna t-talk to Gram’s friend like this? I can’t even h-handle being around a few random humans. How am I going to deal with him e-eating in front of me?”
“You saw me eating, didn’t you?”
“That’s… d-different.”
“We don’t have to go if it makes you uncomfortable. I’m sure they’ll understand.”
“N-no. I need to d-do this. I can’t keep b-being scared all the t-time.” He clutched at his fur.
I bent over to grab the work-in-progress scarf from his bag, and offered him the half finished garment.
Meba received the scarf, with eyes full of ash. “Thanks…” He continued weaving.
But before he could get into a groove, the brakes forced us to brace ourselves. We were home.
The ground still rumbled as we left the station, even with the rubbery pavement dampening the vibrations. The scent of rain was in the air, carrying with it a special tint from the alien soil. Wind was billowing now, whipping my hair and pushing against my thick greatcoat. Meba was somehow unbothered by this, thanks to his wool I assume. There weren’t clouds overhead, but that would change. My hands hid in their pockets.
‘Twas too cold madam!’ Said lefty.
‘Not for I! It’s simply more comfortable in here.’ Said righty.
We passed the yard, heading up to the second floor, and my apartment. I shivered.
*“*I think it’s gonna rain soon.”
*“*Huh? Why do you say that?”
*“*It smells like rain.”
He tilted his head, ears flopping along with it. “I thought human noses weren’t very strong?”
*“*Well, not for most things, but we can smell when it rains from quite a ways away.” I opened the door, and stepped inside, yanking my feet out of their shells. “Come on in.”
Meba followed with no hesitation, even when I deposited the mask on the coffee table. He plopped down on the couch, deflating for a few seconds before digging around in his bag for the scarf. I grabbed some snacks from the kitchen, and brought them to the couch. I plopped down beside him, and flipped the TV to a random channel. Hopefully lazing about would help both of us.
After a few minutes of zoning out to The Exterminators of all things, I managed to doze off somehow. Sights and sounds melded into goop, as my brain ceased exact function. Facts became obscured, no concrete understanding remaining. Static resonating with time stretching like putty, everything subjective, only in the moment.
A tower, in the desert, numbly stalking around crumbling balconies, arms like swarms, legs like chicken wire. No need to blink. Down below is something terrible, but it doesn’t matter. It is safe here. But snow falls, the sky tearing like an old t-shirt, is it? The weave becoming tighter, it stretches along the north, through to the south, a taut little line of cotton. Now I’m tearing too. The tower isn’t crumbling, but folding. ‘Here’s the sun’, I think, mind reeling back to wakefulness, a snout by my face. Milo?
“Who?”
“Huh?” I tried to sit up, bringing a hand to the kink in my neck. My mouth was dry with viscus saliva, the aftermath of a nap. When I made it about half way up, my skull collided with Meba’s freakishly solid face.
I fell back, gripping my forehead with a groan.
Meba jumped back, startled. “A-are you okay?”
"Ugh…” I curled up into a ball to further cradle the lump growing on my head. “Owwie…”
He started hyperventilating, almost jogging in place.
I grabbed him by the arm. “I’m fine. That just hurt like hell. What is it?”
The squirming stopped. “Sorry for waking you up. I just wanted to know if you think this is long enough.” He held up the scarf to my face, which was still partially covered by my other hand.
Jeez, more than enough. That thing must be at least 80 inches. How long have I been out?
“Yeah, need me to help you finish it off?”
“Yes please.”
submitted by PlasmaShovel to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]
I have a bad habit of last minute editing before I post chapters. I'll usually go over once or twice and switch up a few things. I didn't this time. Why am I telling you this? No idea. Enjoy.
A little PSA: if the next chapter button is missing, it's most likely in the comments (either that, or the next chapter isn't out yet), because sometimes reddit likes to say posts are more than 40k even when they aren't, making them impossible to edit. I just had this problem adding the link to chapter 12.
Many thanks to u/SpacePaladin for making NoP!
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Chapter 13: A million miles away
- Memory Transcription Subject: Arlene Brandy, Human Refugee
Date [Standardized Human Time]: October 20th, 2136
The refugee center crested the horizon, with UN banners draped from the second story, and signs marking some of the nearby buildings as temporary housing. I wondered how exactly they convinced people to hand over entire buildings for use. One of them wasn’t even an apartment building, it was offices.
There were more humans around, of course, with the venlil population extremely sparse, only a few brave enough to be anywhere near the ‘den’. I grabbed the door, and opened it, revealing the main lobby, which to my utter surprise, had a venlil at the desk along with a human.
It feels so weird to point out when people are human or not, but that’s just how it is now. I ambled towards the pair, keeping my movements slow and calculated, not to scare the guy. He noticed, and let out a chuckle.
“No need to worry about me ma’am. I’m quite used to humans by now.”
I relaxed, blushing a little. “That makes sense.”
“What do you need?” The venlil asked.
“Oh, I’ve been meaning to get one of those datapads. I have family at home I need to get in touch with.”
“And you are?”
“Arlene Brandy.”
“Uh huh.” He clicked at the computer for a moment. “Well, you’re a little late to the party. We just got five hundred or so new residents, so we’re out of new pads, but I’m sure you can find someone willing to let you borrow theirs.”
“Shit.”
“I’m sorry for the inconvenience. You’re staying at Golden Ridge apartment 113, correct?”
“Yes, why?”
“I’ll have one sent to your door when we get a new shipment.”
“Thank you.” I turned to leave.
“Wait, we wont get more for a few paws yet. Why don’t you try asking to use someone else’s?”
I turned back around to the desk. “Can I use yours?”
"Sorry, mine doesn’t connect to the Earth networks.”
“Shit.”
“Please try not to swear so much, there are children around.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
The guy at the desk was so comfortable around me that it started making me uncomfortable. While the human at the desk didn’t even register me. I bet he was playing solitaire.
I entered the common room. People ambled, walked, teetered, and even ran around, from door to door and table to table. Seating was plentiful, but there weren’t any free spots, because the place was so packed. There really were a lot of them. Refugees, I mean. This was only a tiny fraction too.
How many more? Is there an end to it?
I searched for someone to approach, but found nothing. Everyone was grieving. I didn’t want to interrupt. I didn’t want to see it, I didn’t want to know it was there. My stomach turned in a horrible spiral, and I soon found myself bent over a toilet, ejecting breakfast. I was drooling over the bowl like a rabid dog, eyes watering and legs quaking. My diaphragm expelled one last gust of air, in a horrible coughing fit that lasted uncomfortably long.
I don’t know how I found the bathroom without help, it wasn’t marked very well. I’ve always been good at that sort of thing I guess, whatever ‘that sort of thing’ is.
On my way out, I washed my hands twice, not that it made a difference. The common room was still full of chatter and sobbing, quiet and boisterous both in their own right.
A man in a dress shirt sat alone at a table with his head in his hands. A mother cradled a baby in her arms, rocking him to sleep. In the corner of the room sat a group of people sitting on the ground playing monopoly. A boy ate a droopy sandwich next to a parent, munching listlessly. They all looked so tired. So tired that it could suck the breath right back out of you.
At one of the tables was a man with burns on his arms, and another bandaging him up. He winced when the bandages touched the splotches where blisters used to be, dry and scabbed. There was a good chance the burns were inflicted on purpose, by them. Monsters.
He locked eyes with me, his empty like all the rest. My head jerked away, embarrassment on my face like dye, the mask doing little to hide my frenzied posture. I power walked to another part of the room, behind a group of people conversing. I took off my coat so I wouldn’t overheat in the stuffy room… and also to blend into the crowd.
Staring at burn victims? What is wrong with you?
I looked down at myself. My boots were brown, my pants were black, and my shirt was as well, with a picture of an album cover on the front. My hands were twitchy, and my arm was still bandaged. I could’ve, should’ve lost the dressings by then, but I hadn’t got around to it. I put my coat back on
Since I wasn’t getting anywhere, I decided to take a trip down the hallways, into the dorms, where it was less crowded.
Down the halls, past a few turns, was an open door, with warm light spilling out, and cheerful discussion taking place inside. Taking a peek, I saw a group of 3 people, one of whom was a venlil, playing cards. The funny thing, is it was one of those grungy decks with pictures of naked ladies on them. Well, I don’t know if it was funny, but it stuck with me.
“Hello?” Spoke the venlil.
The other heads turned in my direction. I was discovered. A pang of cold crawled through my spine.
“O-oh, hi.” I tried and failed to act like I hadn’t been watching them for several seconds.
“Hey there, are you one of the new arrivals?” Asked the girl sitting next to the venlil.
“Uh, no, I’ve just been living in a different spot.”
“No wonder you look like shit.” Spoke a middle aged guy with scars. There was an ankle monitor on his leg, though I certainly wasn’t going to question him about it.
“Ben! Don’t be rude.” The girl replied.
“I’m not being rude. We all look like shit. Some of us are shit right now.” Ben mumbled.
“Well you don’t have to be so nihilistic about it.” She turned back to me. “Wanna join us? We could use a fourth.”
“No thanks. I’m trying to get in touch with my family.”
"Well if they’re here, I can find them. I know everyone here.” Said the girl, with a big grin.
"They’re on Earth. I just need to use someone’s datapad. The guy at the desk said we were out of new ones.”
“Did you break yours?”
A nervous laugh escaped me. It felt so weird to have a normal conversation. The last time I talked to a human was only a few days ago, but it felt much longer. Years maybe… or not. My shoulders felt tight, probably from the extra weight. I swallowed a lump that had been growing in my throat since leaving Earth, and my stomach got heavier as a result.
What did she lose?
I cleared my throat. “N-no, I never got one in the first place.”
“Well, no worries. You can use mine if you want. I’m Taylor by the way.” She smiled.
I didn’t smile back. The mask would’ve hidden it anyway. “Thanks. I’m Arlene.”
She handed me the weird alien phone, which I soon realized I didn’t know how to use.
The venlil piped up. “Want me to do it for you?” He stood up.
“Yes please.” I handed him the datapad.
He started tapping away at the device. “These things are super outdated. The interface is really clunky, especially the UN comms.”
I loomed over his shoulder, watching him type in a bunch of stuff into text boxes. “You have to login to make calls?”
“No, this is just the path the call will be taking. Where are you calling?”
“Wisconsin.”
“Where is that?”
“North America.”
*“*Okay, there we go.” He handed the datapad back to me. “Just type in the phone number and you’re good to go.”
“Thanks.” I started punching in the number.
“No problem. I’ve had to do it for Taylor a million times by now.” He chuckled.
“Hey, I know how to do it now!” She replied.
“Then why didn’t you show her how?”
Taylor snorted. “Because then you wouldn’t be useful anymore, and I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”
“Whatever you say.” He flicked his tail.
“Hey, enough with the snarky tail language.” She crossed her arms.
“What did he say?” Ben asked.
“He said I was a goober.”
I looked up from the datapad. “You have a tail sign for ‘goober’?”
“Of course we do, why wouldn’t we?” He shrugged.
Ben raised his eyebrows, and Taylor laughed. I was still wearing the mask.
"Hey, do you mind if I uh… you know.” I pointed to my face.
“Oh please, you couldn’t possibly be uglier than Taylor.”
“You better be careful Talnek. You’d get a beating if you insulted a lady where I come from.” Ben stated.
Taylor punched Ben in the shoulder. “He’s just messing!”
I removed the mask, and set it down on a table. “Is it alright if I make the call outside?”
“Sure, as long as you don’t manage to brick the thing.” Talnek said, sitting back down at his cards with a snicker.
Taylor shot him a dirty look.
“Thanks again Taylor.”
She grinned like a little kid. “No prob bob!”
I stepped into the hallway, holding the datapad up to my face, and pressed the call button.
It rang.
And rang.
And rang…
Until the display lit up with the face of my dad. My lips curled up in a smile.
“Hey dad.”
“Ope!” He flinched, then grinned. “Hey there sweetie. Havin’ fun up in space?”
“Nevermind that! Are you guys okay? Did Luke make it back alright?”
“Oh we’re doing fine yet. Luke got discharged because of injuries. He got pretty banged up in a crash, but he’s alright.”
“Is mom around?”
"Sorry kiddo, she’s out of town getting gas for the generators.”
My eyes widened. “Generators? Is the power out? Have you been able to get dialysis?”
He rolled his eyes. “Oh don’t worry yourself. We’ve got diesel running the place.”
My hands left marks of sweat on the device. “You are getting your blood cleaned, right?”
“Yes, I am. Even if I wasn’t, your pa’s still got some fight left in ‘em.” He patted his bicep.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Jesus dad, you had me worried for a second there.”
He chuckled. “Don’t be. Try to have fun up there. No use worrying about somewhere you’re not.”
A sigh escaped me. “I’ll try.”
“That’s my girl! How are the aliens treating ya?”
I frowned. “Well, if I’m being honest, most of them are assholes.”
“That so?”
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve met a few that don’t mind me, but I can count them on one hand.”
“Well that’s better than nothing, ain’t it?” He raised an eyebrow in a joking manner.
I smiled a little. “I guess so.”
“So, tell me about these nice aliens then.”
“Sure- Hold on, is Luke there?”
“He’s sleeping right now. Doctor’s got him on the good stuff.”
“Is it that bad?”
He shouldn’t have enlisted. Asshole. He’s such an idiot. He could have died! “I wanna meet aliens” my ass.
*“*The doc says he’ll be up and at em in a few days, but the pain is still kicking him.”
*“*Is he alright? Like, is he shellshocked?”
Dad frowned. “I was hoping you wouldn’t ask.” He looked past the camera. “He’s pretty bitter about the whole thing.”
My blood ran cold. I knew what it sounded like when he was downplaying something. “Dad. Is he gonna be okay?”
His expression softened. “Luke’s a strong boy. He’ll be okay.”
“He better. I’ll kill him if he’s not. You be sure to tell him that.”
Dad laughed. “Sure, sure. Back to the aliens, if you will.”
“My bad.” Warmth filled my face. “So there’s this guy who lives in my apartment building, right? I come back home after a day of trying, and failing, to get my hands on any materials, craft materials are super expensive here for some reason, by the way, and he’s coming home at the same time, so I say hi to him, and he jumps me!”
Maybe things would get better.
“Their claws are sharp! He scratched me up pretty bad, look.” I raised my arm to the camera, and my dad gasped in response.
"Whoa, that’s a lot of bandages.”
“Yeah, right? I may have put too much actually. Anyway, he charges me, and so I put him in a headlock, and I yell at him to calm down. It might have been a misplay on my part, I have to admit. What, with the venlil thinking we want to eat them and all that jazz.”
Dad nodded, eyes full of stars. This was nice.
“Well, he starts crying, and now I felt like an ass, so I try to calm him down, but he’s not having any of it. So I hand him a doll I made, but that didn’t do much either, so I ended up just having to leave him there. Would you believe it if I told you he came knocking on my door the next day? He wanted to learn felting!”
He burst into laughter, having to wiping a tear from his eye. “I have to say, you have the strangest way of making friends.”
Maybe I was worrying over nothing.
“Oh, I forgot to mention, so, I was trying to get wool, right? But there’s obviously no sheep here on venlil prime.”
“Oh, don’t tell me.”
“So I went around offering free haircuts.”
Dad started wheezing like he had sand in his lungs. He struggled to point a finger at me. “S-so…” He burst into another fit of laughter. “You went around with shears, offering haircuts to the fluffy aliens who think you want to eat them?”
“Yes, that’s exactly right. I give damn good cuts too.” I grinned, face full of mischief.
“So this friend of yours took you up on the offer? What’s his name?”
“Meba. And yes, I sheared him.”
“Okay, Meeh Baah? Are you pulling my leg?”
“Nope, that’s his real name. It means ‘little person’ in venlil, apparently.”
“You’re kidding! That is priceless! What happened then?”
“I sheared him, and then we went inside, and I taught him how to felt, and he got all flabbergasted when he saw me eat vegetables. He did this,” I held up a pointer finger, closing my eyes. “and then he said ‘You can’t eat vegetables, you’re a predator.’”
“Uh huh.”
“So after that, to skip to the good part, he has me follow him to work to *‘*protect him from humans’, and on the way back, just as we’re getting back to the apartments, he collapses in the hallway, hyperventilating and shaking.”
Maybe I could finally calm down.
“Oh no, was he okay?”
“Yeah, I brought him inside and calmed him down, but then the exterminators barged in! He stuffed me into a closet to hide me.”
Dad’s face swelled with disgust. “Ah yes, I’ve heard of them.”
“Well, they mess up the whole apartment, and they only leave because Meba is friends with their boss.”
“He’s buddy buddy with those folks?”
“Well, I don’t really know, but he used his connections to protect me, so I don’t mind. I was scared shitless the whole time. I barely kept myself still.”
“But you’re okay, right? They didn’t hurt you?”
"No, I was fine. I kind of blew up at him though. We made up though, and now he’s even comfortable around me with the mask off!”
“Mask?”
“The UN makes everyone wear masks in public so we don’t scare people.”
“I didn’t know it was that bad.”
“Yeah… it’s kinda scary sometimes.”
Home was still there.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure the rest of em will fall for your charm soon enough.”
“Yeah. After all, who could hate such an enchanting young lady?” I made a not so dignified face.
Dad shot a silly look right back, making us both laugh at our shared stupidity.
“So, since everything’s intact, when should I come home? I should be able to pretty soon.”
He smiled. “Hey, don’t worry about that. You should stay up there until the power comes back in… oh I don’t know, it should be on in a week or two. No reason to come back when the town is still out of whack.”
“What? But I can help out. Isn’t there work to be done?”
His eyes were warm. “Arlene, just have fun. We’ll be fine. Come home when it’s more comfortable.”
What?
“But I miss you guys.”
“I know, I miss you too.” He glanced off to the side for a moment. “But just wait a little longer. I want to roll the red carpet out for you. We’re not going anywhere.”
“Fine, but I expect a royal welcome.”
“Of course.” He grinned. “I better let you go, I have to make dinner.”
“Oh.. okay. I was hoping you’d be able to tell me about what’s going on in town.”
“Nothing crazy, just the usual but with flashlights instead of street lamps. Say hi to Meba for me.”
“Okay. Bye dad.”
“Bye kiddo. Try not to worry yourself so much.”
“I’ll try. I love you,”
“I love you too.”
He hung up the call, and home was gone again.
I popped back into the room to give Taylor her datapad back.
“How’d it go?” She asked.
“Good. I think.” I grabbed my mask, and handed her the device.
She smiled. “I’m glad. Want to stay for a bit? Today is pizza day.”
“I’m good. I should probably head out. Thanks though.”
“Wait a second, here.” Taylor handed me a card.
I turned it over in my fingers. It was off white with gold lettering. A business card. Very… eccentric.
“What’s this?”
“My info, so you can get in touch with me when you get a datapad. I’m kinda the self appointed caretaker of this place. If you need anything, anything at all, I’m your gal.”
I took another look at the card. “Thanks. It means a lot.”
“You’re welcome! See you later.”
“See you.”
---
I sat on the bench by the office, legs crossed, working on a mini venlil, my third one actually. Yes, I was building an army. An army of little venlil that I would use for… something. Each one measured no more than four inches tall, with floppy yarn tails, and bits of blue yarn affixed for eyes.
They say the one who folds a thousand paper cranes will be granted a wish. What do you get for one thousand woolen venlil?
“Arlene?” Meba was walking towards me. His eyes were unfocused, and his tail was motionless, like a doll’s. He dragged his feet on the ground, and his bag weighed on him like a heap of iron. To put it bluntly, he looked like shit.
“Oh hey there. Done with work?”
“Yeah. What are you making?” His voice was monotone.
“More mini venlil.”
He leaned over. “It looks like me.”
“It is made out of your wool. It would be worrying if it didn’t resemble you.”
“I guess. Does this one have a name too?”
“Not yet. Do you have any ideas?”
He thought for a moment, ears swiveling like satellite dishes. “Mulek.”
“Mulek it is. Is that a common name?”
“It was my father’s name.” He didn’t elaborate.
“Oh, speaking of which, my dad says ‘hi’.”
“He’s the… rancher, right?”
“Yeah.” I got up off the bench. “He’s not as scary as he sounds. If you met him, you’d realize his head is just full of muscles and fart jokes. Ready to go?”
He flicked an ear, and we started walking. The sheer complexity of venlil body language never failed to impress me. Not the ear flicks, those were easy, but the tail signals were insane.
“Hey, Meba?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s your job?”
“I’m a computer scientist. Why do you ask?”
“You look really tired. Six hours, sorry, I mean a claw and a half. It’s a long shift for venlil right?”
“Yes, but my job isn’t very physically demanding.”
“It isn’t taking a toll on you?”
“No.” He lied. I mean fuck, did he think I was stupid? I wasn’t, I think. If it wasn’t his job, it was something else.
“Really?”
“Yes, I just didn’t sleep well.” His eyes were drooping in real time.
Fine, be like that. If you won’t open up, I’ll just help another way.
“Do you want me to carry you?”
Meba stopped in his tracks. “C-carry me?”
“You aren’t very heavy. I could give you a piggyback ride the rest of the way.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“C’mon, I could use the exercise.” I crouched down, beckoning him over with my hands.
"Arlene, I can walk on my own.” He sounded offended.
"At least let me carry your bag.”
Meba sighed. “Fine.”
I stood up and grabbed his bag. “And away we go!”
We arrived at the station, just in time to catch the tube. Meba yanked his bag out of my arms to swipe his card through the terminal. This particular transport was packed to the brim with people, more than a few of them human. Meba visibly stiffened. He sat down, I remained standing.
“You okay?”
“Y-yeah. It’s just a-a lot.” He most definitely wasn’t, he was trembling like a leaf.
I stood between him and the crowd. “Better?”
“A l-little… thanks.”
“Hey, why don’t you work on the scarf, take your mind of things?”
“S-sure.” He grabbed the yarn ball from his bag, along with the crochet hook. Slowly, he removed the clip that was stopping it from unraveling, and stuck the hook through, starting right where he left off. He was definitely getting faster.
The tube rattled.
Outside, the city still breathed.
Kids coming home form school, people like us, coming home from work.
Same old same old.
In my mind, I pictured a fleet, swooping through star systems, making daring maneuvers, shooting down other vessels. So many lights. I imagined the metal stretching, and the hull creaking as it moved. I imagined the little people inside, scurrying around like ants, each wholly insignificant, but still, moving that massive shape.
I turned around to check on Meba.
He was still shaking, like a wet dog in the snow.
God, I miss Milo. Too bad they don’t let dogs on venlil prime.
I put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you gonna be alright?”
He looked up at me, with his funny little eyes. They were full of anger.
“Yes. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” He let out a breath, clenching his jaw. “It’s so s-stupid it makes me sick.”
“Sorry?”
“There’s no t-threat. I shouldn’t be scared.”
I gave him a gentle shake. “Hey, it’s no big deal. You’re doing well.”
“I’m doing h-horrible. I hate these stupid instincts.” He growled. “H-how is this supposed to be an evolutionary advantage? I can b-barely think straight.”
“Take a deep breath.”
“B-brahk this.” He muttered. “You k-know, we’re famous for being w-weak. The b-best in the whole brahking f-federation.”
I frowned. “Don’t say that.”
“We c-can’t run, and w-we can’t fight.”
“That’s not true and you know it.”
“I can’t even c-control myself. I h-hate it.” He let the scarf slide back into his bag.
“Meba, you’re the bravest venlil I’ve met.”
“What d-does that say about us? That I’m one of t-the ‘brave ones’? It’s brahking p-pathetic.”
“Don’t say that about yourself.”
“Brahk! What else am I supposed to say?” He hissed, head finding its way into his paws. “It’s horrible. Horrible, horrible, h-horrible.”
I sat down next to him, and put my arm around his shoulder.
“This is s-so stupid.” He muttered.
“Tell me what happened?”
“No.”
A sigh escaped me. This was exhausting. “Okay.” I pulled him close.
He removed his paws from his face to look at me. “How am I gonna t-talk to Gram’s friend like this? I can’t even h-handle being around a few random humans. How am I going to deal with him e-eating in front of me?”
“You saw me eating, didn’t you?”
“That’s… d-different.”
“We don’t have to go if it makes you uncomfortable. I’m sure they’ll understand.”
“N-no. I need to d-do this. I can’t keep b-being scared all the t-time.” He clutched at his fur.
I bent over to grab the work-in-progress scarf from his bag, and offered him the half finished garment.
Meba received the scarf, with eyes full of ash. “Thanks…” He continued weaving.
But before he could get into a groove, the brakes forced us to brace ourselves. We were home.
The ground still rumbled as we left the station, even with the rubbery pavement dampening the vibrations. The scent of rain was in the air, carrying with it a special tint from the alien soil. Wind was billowing now, whipping my hair and pushing against my thick greatcoat. Meba was somehow unbothered by this, thanks to his wool I assume. There weren’t clouds overhead, but that would change. My hands hid in their pockets.
‘Twas too cold madam!’ Said lefty.
‘Not for I! It’s simply more comfortable in here.’ Said righty.
We passed the yard, heading up to the second floor, and my apartment. I shivered.
*“*I think it’s gonna rain soon.”
*“*Huh? Why do you say that?”
*“*It smells like rain.”
He tilted his head, ears flopping along with it. “I thought human noses weren’t very strong?”
*“*Well, not for most things, but we can smell when it rains from quite a ways away.” I opened the door, and stepped inside, yanking my feet out of their shells. “Come on in.”
Meba followed with no hesitation, even when I deposited the mask on the coffee table. He plopped down on the couch, deflating for a few seconds before digging around in his bag for the scarf. I grabbed some snacks from the kitchen, and brought them to the couch. I plopped down beside him, and flipped the TV to a random channel. Hopefully lazing about would help both of us.
After a few minutes of zoning out to The Exterminators of all things, I managed to doze off somehow. Sights and sounds melded into goop, as my brain ceased exact function. Facts became obscured, no concrete understanding remaining. Static resonating with time stretching like putty, everything subjective, only in the moment.
A tower, in the desert, numbly stalking around crumbling balconies, arms like swarms, legs like chicken wire. No need to blink. Down below is something terrible, but it doesn’t matter. It is safe here. But snow falls, the sky tearing like an old t-shirt, is it? The weave becoming tighter, it stretches along the north, through to the south, a taut little line of cotton. Now I’m tearing too. The tower isn’t crumbling, but folding. ‘Here’s the sun’, I think, mind reeling back to wakefulness, a snout by my face. Milo?
“Who?”
“Huh?” I tried to sit up, bringing a hand to the kink in my neck. My mouth was dry with viscus saliva, the aftermath of a nap. When I made it about half way up, my skull collided with Meba’s freakishly solid face.
I fell back, gripping my forehead with a groan.
Meba jumped back, startled. “A-are you okay?”
"Ugh…” I curled up into a ball to further cradle the lump growing on my head. “Owwie…”
He started hyperventilating, almost jogging in place.
I grabbed him by the arm. “I’m fine. That just hurt like hell. What is it?”
The squirming stopped. “Sorry for waking you up. I just wanted to know if you think this is long enough.” He held up the scarf to my face, which was still partially covered by my other hand.
Jeez, more than enough. That thing must be at least 80 inches. How long have I been out?
“Yeah, need me to help you finish it off?”
“Yes please.”
2024.05.10 17:16 JejT_Games Help with Masala chai
Hello guys, recently, I have been trying to reproduce a perfect Masala tea, that I've tried at a Baduk tournament (not important). My current procedure is: take few popped rolls of cardamom, dried cinnamon, little bit of dried and crushed ginger, few pieces of clove, 2 - 4 pieces of black pepper and nutmeg. Boil them for 10 minutes (5 were not enough) in 1 cup of water, add black tea, boil for another 3 - 4 minutes and then add milk, a little bit of chilli and one spon of sugar. However, even if I experimented with the procedure for a bit, I was unable to replicate the strong masala kick, the tea was still very blunt. Reducing the mixture on medium heat did not work. Is there any way, to make the spices more intensive? Any help appreciated.
submitted by JejT_Games to tea [link] [comments]