Good night quotes to a boyfriend

I hired a well company to install a new well. His communication and planning were not good. He subcontracted the drilling to another well company without telling me (huge surprise when company X showed up top drill when I hired company Y), showed up to finish the install and realized he had forgotten to hire an excavator crew so there was another delay. Also, there were issues on site the day he ran the water lines. Let's just say he was a little offensive (and I don't mean salty language, I was a 20 year Army vet, salty language makes me feel at home) and leave it at that.
Well was finally installed, check written to the guy and county health guy came by today to inspect the well and take samples to test and sign off.
Nobody plugged the old well. County won't sign off until that's done and when I called the well guy, he tells me his subcontracted company has to do that and hangs up. The subcontractor's receptionist had no idea about it and the owner hasn't returned my calls. And here's no mention of plugging the old well in the quote or receipt.
I appreciate that contractors shouldn't have to do extra work outside the quote for free, but I hired a licensed well driller, and I don't think it's unreasonable to presume that a quote would include all work required to install a well that meets county and state health requirements. This isn't like he had to drill deeper than expected. It's work that he had to have known was required. And I can't help but feel like he's trying to push this off as company Xs fault when it probably isn't.
If it comes to it, am I out of line for demanding the well plugging be included in the original quoted price?

I own a 2014 Mazda 3 hatchback, it’s got 116,000kms (72,000 miles).
The check engine light turned on about 6 weeks ago. It stayed on for a week, then turned off for a month, then turned back on for 2 weeks.
I borrowed a friend’s code reader and got a P0304 code, 4th cylinder misfire.
Took it in to the dealer and they said I need a new fuel injector, which they quoted me $1200 CAD for. They also “highly recommended” an intake valve cleaning for another $700. Apparently they took the valve out and it was soaked in fuel. I’ve been warned to drive as little as possible because “raw fuel is getting into the engine and it could affect my cataclytic converter”.
I called another shop for a quote to compare, and they said they could replace all four fuel injectors (the mechanic said once one goes, it’s generally good to replace all four) and do the cleaning for $1200.
Am I being taken to the cleaners? Has anyone else had to deal with this on a 2014 model or around that mileage?

I purchased an Enphase system almost exactly two years ago and decided to expand it by adding more panels. I currently have six 3.36kWh batteries (2 x 10T batteries) but due to Enphase’s microinverter to battery ratio I’m only able to add two more panels at which point I will have to add an additional battery to increase my ability to add the more panels. The problem is that I’m being told that the 3T and 10T batteries that are compatible with my IQ7+ microinverters and system controller are end of life and there is a new “5P” battery but it is not compatible with my current system. To use it I would basically have to scrap what I have. This system was a large investment, particularly the 10T batteries banks which were $10k each!
Anyone other Enphase customers running into this? It boggles my mind that a company like this would not have made a way for their customers to use newer batteries (the most expensive part of the system) with their pre-existing systems, which are not very old as it is in my case. They have left their existing customers with IQ7+ and the previous generation of batteries in a tough spot. From the fly by night installers to the manufacturers, they’re not giving this industry a very good name! To all those thinking about getting an Enphase system with 5P batteries now, you might think long and hard about it before you commit. You might get told your system is too old to expand in a short 1-2 years from now when whatever the new thing is comes out!!

hi this is my first reddit post ever so i’ll try not to write a book. boyfriend and i introduced new kitty Asiago (Iago) 7.5M to resident kitty Jarlsberg (Jarly) 9M after a week of door sniffing, door crack meetings, and Iago howling through the night to come in and explore.
for context, i’ve had Jarly for almost 5 years now. he can be very skittish around new people/animals, usually isn’t interested much in play, and much prefers to spend his time in my or my boyfriend’s lap as soon as we sit down. he has always been agreeable to other cats, but not always super friendly or welcoming. again, 85% of the time not interested in play, and sometimes will opt to ignore the other kitty. we live with our roommate’s cat, Charlie 1M, and he and Jarly love to chase each other.
Iago has been more curious than anything, and when we first let him in, he sought Jarly out under the bed trying to make friends (i think. he was chirping/trilling nonstop). but Jarly seemed distressed so we shut Iago out and waited under Jarly came onto the bed with us before trying again. It went MUCH better when Jarly was more relaxed, but he still seemed generally disinterested.
since it was going well, bf and i fell asleep for about 4 hours (oops) and when i woke up, Jarly was out COLD and Iago was absolutely snogging him. grooming his face, mouth, inside the ears, shoulder blades. for minutes at a time. Jarly woke up and again, was disinterested but tolerated the grooming. they’ve been asleep about 2 feet apart on the bed since.
i’m assuming this was a great first meeting. i know that grooming usually signals bonding/friendship, so does this mean they’re destined for best friendship? or was it just really fucking adorable? never heard of this happening upon initial meeting so just curious if anyone has more insight (-: TIA!!

I own a 2014 Mazda 3 hatchback, it’s got 116,000kms (72,000 miles).
The check engine light turned on about 6 weeks ago. It stayed on for a week, then turned off for a month, then turned back on for 2 weeks.
I borrowed a friend’s code reader and got a P0304 code, 4th cylinder misfire.
Took it in to the dealer and they said I need a new fuel injector, which they quoted me $1200 CAD for. They also “highly recommended” an intake valve cleaning for another $700. Apparently they took the valve out and it was soaked in fuel. I’ve been warned to drive as little as possible because “raw fuel is getting into the engine and it could affect my cataclytic converter”.
I called another shop for a quote to compare, and they said they could replace all four fuel injectors (the mechanic said once one goes, it’s generally good to replace all four) and do the cleaning for $1200.
Am I being taken to the cleaners? Has anyone else had to deal with this on a 2014 model or around that mileage?

Dilemma with Airbnb host treatment - no long showers allowed and dog peed on my suitcase and clothes - how should I respond? [Spain]
Hey folks just wanted to get your thoughts on this situation I had recently.
I booked a last minute Airbnb for 3 nights recently in a big Spanish city (Airbnb was outside city center for €40 per night). It was shared with the host (a boomer Spanish lady and her puppy dog). Nowadays, I filter with Guest Favorites and only look at listings where the host is rated over 4.80. This host had 50 reviews, was a super host and the listing was a guest favorite and had a rating of 4.92
I arrived midnight (prearranged well in advance with the host as check in is only until 23h according to the listing). I immediately go to bed without showering as I had one in the previous stay and was going to exercise the next day anyway. I spend all of next day outside and return at night and take a long shower (20-30 mins) before going to bed. I sleep in the next day and the host requests that I don’t shower so long (we communicate in basic French as she doesn’t know English and I don’t know Spanish)… I say all good, I’ll keep it shorter next time. I go inside and I’m in the bathroom for about 20 mins, brushing my teeth, taking a dump etc. and am careful to only take a shower between 5-10 max minutes. I get a message from the host later that evening (translated):
Host:
Hi Appliance7717, I wanted to let you know that tomorrow the departure is at 11 o'clock also because I have to leave, I also wanted to let you know that if you would take another shower I would ask you to keep it shorter, thank you Appliance7717.
Guest:
I showered for 5 minutes today. You want it to be shorter than that?
I did spend more time in the bathroom using the toilet, brushing my teeth etc.
Or I just can’t use the bathroom for long?
Host:
No please, if that's the case it's all right.
It's just that it's a huge expense for me.
I’m in the metro when I read this message and get all flustered and take the wrong train etc. and am a bit frustrated but whatever, I’ll check out sharp 11am tomorrow and get it over with. I’d booked a hostel for the next day anyway. I also missed out on seeing the meteorite (!) whilst all this was happening 😆 but I really think I shouldn’t be sweating about this shit on vacation and walking on eggshells over something so petty…
Anyway, next day rolls up and I scramble to get things packed up and ready so I don’t upset her by checking in after 11am. I’m basically on track to check out by 10:30. Now she has a dog, 🐕 which I didn’t mention - doesn’t seem to be well trained, barked quite a lot and woke me from my sleep earlier in the day but I didn’t make a fuss at all. I’m the 5 mins where I happened to be in the kitchen without closing my room’s door, it went and peed over my suitcase and clothes. It also took a sock, chewed it up and took it somewhere else. Mind you, the host didn’t mention anything about the possibility that the dog would be doing this. I’ve lived with dogs in airbnbs before and never had this issue. Nothing in the listing or house rules about taking long showers or what to do regarding the dog like keeping the door closed etc. She dabbed the pee with paper towels, and said that I should have closed the door but did say “Désole (sorry in French). I had to ask for disinfectant spray. I was upset and was banging my hand on the forehead and expressing regret but nothing more. She saw a pair of any shorts I’m soaked in urine but absolutely no offer to clean it, extend checkout etc. It seemed perfectly acceptable that this happened. It really rubbed me the wrong way. Super hosts are meant to go above and beyond in my view, and here she was struggling to be somewhat décent. We didn’t argue or anything there, if anything I was just a bit terse and we said au revoir and I left to go do the cleaning in my next place (took about 3 hours to get vinegar, bleach, hydrogen peroxide etc.)
Thinking of the Golden Rule, I’d never do this to somebody else if I were her. I’d offer compensation or something….
Anyway, my dilemma is that I wouldn’t have any hesitation going after a hefty compensation were it some young dude or couple as host. This lady doesn’t seem financially well off, seeing as taking a long shower has an impact on her profits. And I just feel kinda bad posturing me screwing over this old lady and her puppy dog for some cash. But I absolutely do not appreciate how I was treated and goes fundamentally against my sense of decency and fairness… I also hate how Airbnb has devolved to classify such hosts as superhosts.
What would you do if you were in my shoes? What do you think I should pursue? Should I ask for compensation? Leave a poor review? I see that she already left me a review on the afternoon that I checkout out. I have a feeling that she left a negative review - I noticed this from a previous guests review as well as what the host wrote about that guest.
Host’s review of Guest plus Guest’s response:
Guest, she is a polite and clean girl, but a great consumption of hot water and electricity, I am personally, these guests are not interested since for €134 I believe that as a host I am not interested , as a host I have not had any problems now, now I have only to wait for my electricity , water and gas bills, I am a person with very few resources, and from now on I do not accept promotions, because for it it is not profitable.
Dear Host, during my stay you didn't tell me anything. Other than that, I've never had any issues with other hosts. I was almost not at the house because I was visiting the city. I was just taking regular showers and was charging my phone and laptop when I needed it. What you wrote about me, I don't think it's true or fair and I'm really sorry to read that because I thought we had a great time the whole time.
Guest’s review of Host:
I had a nice stay at Host's place. It's good for 1-3 days since the room is very small and really suitable only for sleeping (no chair, table, ..). The location is okay, a bit far from the centre, but you can get everywhere by bus or by metro.

So im a 18 year old male and every since almost the beginning of April I've been having a dilemma every since I saw this beautiful trans girl on tiktok who looked nothing like a guy and look like a real girl and ever since I have been going through a crisis staying up every other day all night and staying locked in my room.
I still live with my mom and grandma since I've never had contact with my father and to be honest I've never had a male figure in my life only females even family that visits are mostly females.
And lately I've been questioning my gender because I realized I don't like myself or love myself I hate how I look and I hate seeing myself in mirrors or photos and I realized this has been a long standing issue ever since I was a kid of not liking myself in photos and when I saw that trans girl on tiktok I felt envious idk why I just did I've tried so many things like hairstyles clothes skin care routine for men but I didn't like it nothing changed.
I was a bit jealous of girl because of how they can change there appearance alot with what they have available like makeup, clothes, jewelry and how they look I like how slim they can be and how soft there clothes are and how cute they are I mean I even own alot of soft men's clothes but there limited.
I'm also envious of how they can show emotion without worries I'm very emotional because of my adhd and autism that I have and I like that not saying men can't be emotional outside but it's not as supported.
And when I told my mom this she didn't think I showed signs or she also doesn't see me as a potential girl and she didn't think I would look good with long hair so I got discouraged and I have a therapist for my adhd and autism that I've talked to this with but she said it's my decision.
So im asking whether or not this is dysphoria leading to trans or just trans or im just insecure and this isn't anything at all I'd like help pls

Hello and apologies for being the person that comes to Reddit for relationship advice but I’m at abit of a loss. I (25F) met my boyfriend (28M) almost a year ago. We’ve been getting on quiet well and overcome some major changes already (both have since moved home to our respective parents houses are live nearly 1.5 hours apart). My dilemma is that I feel he’s unhappy in life in general - he recently moved jobs and it feels like he’s gone from complaining about one job to just complaining about the other. I feel bad for getting frustrated by it but I also would consider myself a very positive person and having this negativity as a constant in my life is starting to affect my behaviour- I’ve noticed a big increase in my own complaining.
He doesn’t have many hobbies - he is interested in sports but just watches doesn’t play, he has a good group of friends but they don’t see each other often as with most adult friends. I try to encourage him to get out for a walk or a run after work to clear his head but he doesn’t do it.
I just want to shake him, I feel like I’m wasting my time and energy on someone who will never be happy with what he has. I need to remind myself about how well he treats me and how good he is to me but sometimes the sadness and frustration overtakes - like now.
Is there anything I can do?

We're about to move in to a new build in Surprise and need to find a landscaping company to do our front yard. We're going to need some plants, rock, pavers, and turf. Does anyone have suggestions on a good landscaper to get a quote from?

Metacritics
Hey everyone,
My boyfriend recently got involved in a task job scheme where he's supposed to rate movies on Metacritic and get paid in USDT. It sounds a bit too good to be true, and I'm worried it might be a scam. Has anyone had experience with this type of job? Is it legit or should he be cautious?
Thanks for your help!

Hey all, I am totally new to the tractor game and was hoping for some pointers.
Background:

• I am in Canada
• 5 gently sloping acres, with some small uneven areas and deeper ruts, largely pretty hard packed from years as an equestrian facility.
• Tasks:
  • light grading to fix the above mentioned issues, and to spread gravel to widen a driveway
  • drill some holes for posts, and for tree planting
  • move mulch and dirt around the property
  • break up hard packed areas in order to re-seed (lawn in some areas, probably some taller pollinator mixes elsewhere as I raise bees)
  • cut lawn, and cut some rougher areas

I've been thinking about the B series. The BX seems too small with poor clearance. The L series seems maybe like overkill.
I was thinking about the LA435 loader, BH70 backhoe, and RCK54 mix-mount mower. Not sure about what to use for breaking up soil, or for flail mower, or auger.
The problem(s) I am facing:

• I can't tell if I am looking at the right equipment and will regret the lower HP in the future. It seems like John Deere equivalent tractors have a lot more HP, but I am having trouble knowing if I am doing an apples to apples comparison. What are your thoughts?
• I can't tell if the pricing I am getting is good - I find it insane that I cannot find MSRP for any of the equipment or attachments! Because I have no information, I have no idea how to negotiate the price. Any pointers would be helpful - I'd like to reduce the information asymmetry so I can make better decisions and negotiate from a better position.
• Because there are no published MSRPs anywhere, I have no idea what the pricing difference is between the different models. I am asking the local dealer, and they are nice enough, but I always feel like I am getting answers to only the exact information I am asking for and no real context to help make the decision. i.e. I ask about pricing, and they send a quote that contains everything rather than broken up, and only for one model. So short of asking for every single model and every single implement individually, I feel like after 4 inquiries I am as in the dark as when I started.

Miscellaneous questions:

• Is a mid-mount mower going to do an equivalent job to a dedicated lawn tractor? The pricing I am getting indicates (though I am not 100% sure) that the price of a mid-mount mower is the same as buying a dedicated lawn tractor. Does that sound right? I would think the MMM would be a lot cheaper given how much less complicated it is than a standalone system.
• How can I determine if the backhoe is going to meet my needs or if I should eschew the backhoe altogether and just rent equipment when needed?
• What would you use for breaking up hard packed areas? The soil pulverizer? Moldboard plow? Scarifier? Anyways, thanks for paying attention to this point and any advice you have is greatly appreciated.

I am talking full, sleepy vibes talk downs from BLeeM and the Intrepid Heroes, as various characters from their campaigns. I have been listening to Headspace and the sound effect-laden talk downs or narrations have been good, but just thinking of Fabian giving a tour of Seacaster Manor, or a lil late night dinner with Riz at Krom's sound so good to me. Even just a meditation series with Jawbone, I think it really fits an overall vibe that Brennan could deliver.
An audio-only version of dropout would be, uh, incredible.
What location/character would you want to fall asleep to?

I made a post a few weeks ago about Eddie. Three years ago, I befriended “Eddie” on vacation. I liked him, and he liked me. He confided in the wrong people about his crush on me, and I found out. However, Eddie actually had a girlfriend, and cut contact with me. He was friends with mostly everyone else on social media except me. I never really got any closure or resolution around this situation. Eddie and I never spoke after the trip. So for years, I’ve always wondered about how he really felt about me.
Eddie and his girlfriend broke up two months later, but he never tried contacting me. I kind of suspected that he looked at my TikTok videos, but I also know that for months after, he wasn’t over his ex. This situation happened during the height of the pandemic, so while I knew it would be best to move on, I couldn’t. If this situation happened at any other time, I likely would’ve forgotten Eddie within a couple of weeks or months. But classes were online. I couldn’t meet anyone. For a good year, I had feelings for Eddie, but again, nothing ever came of it.
This past summer, I was heartbroken over another failed crush. I was just going through a lot in general, and I spent most of my days high on drugs. I posted TikTok videos about heartbreak and depression. Sometimes I’d post five TikToks in a night. Sometimes, I’d reupload these videos. I don’t know why. I guess I was bored. And while I still wondered about Eddie, I didn’t think he ever looked my social media.
Little did I know, Eddie saw me posting these videos online, and contacted our friends. He asked them to see if I was posting anything else on my Instagram, which is private. Nothing’s happened since then, but I’m wondering why Eddie cares. I don’t think Eddie is this evil sociopath or anything, but it’s not like he showed me any care or consideration back then when he actually hurt me. So why? Is this some misguided way of absolving himself of guilt?

I love reddit from a distance, but damn it's like a peoples exclusive. So many users are stiff to the bone, and suspicious of everyone. What's up with that? This isn't an airport.
I think maybe reddit use to be cool, and on the outside it still looks wack. But damn it's really a mess in here. This karma stuff is something else too. I get the idea, it's crowd control. Most people will want that dopamine hit from getting good karma, some will chase that for cash. But it just gives people judgy ideas about other peoples posts, comments and overall profile. I don't really understand what exactly gives you karma. When I joined I lost a bunch to comments, not offensive, unrelated or bad comments. I guess it just didn't match reddits vibe?
I feel like I've walked into a night club with it's own honour system. Lots of noses in the air, content on the ground and nobody is wearing pants. Put your pants on.
I really like reddit. The interface is clean and the colour scheme is nice. It has character and finesse. A little confusing to mod with, but I'm sure I'll find my way around. If we just stopped being so sensitive and up ourselves, I think we'd be alright. I know we all get like that sometimes, I literally got offended yesterday cause I took something literally. But it's the consistency for me.
That's my diss on reddit.
Peace ✌️

Well I found out last night that I am shadow banned! I joined a lobby and my random teammates actually had mics. They said to me “hey do you know you’re in a shadow banned lobby right now?” I had no clue. They informed they were in the shadow ban lobby because some hackers gained access to their Activision accounts and were cheating on their accounts. And that seems to be the case why I was shadow banned. I’m not even very good at the game, very casual gamer. My KD is like .97. I also noticed my clan tag got changed sometime between Saturday night and last night (Monday night), and I didn’t change it.
I’m not a diehard gamer so it’s not really a big deal but definitely a bummer people can hack other accounts. I played 2 games last night, both of which took like 20 minutes to find a lobby, and both games the lobbies were full of crazy hackecheaters. Anyone know how long a shadow ban lasts? I think it’s my first shadow ban

Basically the title. I played through the whole OG trilogy LE and thought why not keep this thing going and hit up MEA.
I modded the heck out of it. Larger Enemy groups, harder Insanity, bunch of QOL stuff. After playing through every single game, I didnt want to waste time mining or watchin long take off sequences. But the gameplay and story untouched by my mods. Its been so good. I love Andromeda. I remember thinking how fucking cool it would be to look up at your night sky and just see a massive black hole out there. And replaying it I thought the same thing. Exploring is fun. Each world is unique. And the best part is, no fuckin reapers or cerberus.
Over the years ive largely forgotten how the story goes. I remember events as I encounter them. But its really nice having the premise be just go explore and make shit possible for the colonists. Playing this right after ME3 (legit within a couple hours) I just feel like I can breath.
Yeah the stakes are pretty high. But they aren't entire galaxy extinction level event high. Again i forgot how the story goes so maybe im wrong,
Anyways. Its been a treat. When I first got to control my character I legit just ran around in circles in awe of how much better the models ran and moved. Love love love ME games and Shep, but god damn do they run funny.
Dissapointed we didn't get more. DLC would have been awesome. But for some reason people really hated this. Was it perfect? No. Did it deserve the hate it go? I don't think so. I hope the next ME game revists Andromeda. Or at least another one at some point.

First / Previous / Royal Road / Patreon (Read 12 Chapters Ahead)

Together, Pale and Kayla dragged the mage back to the cave they'd been using for shelter, barely managing to get him inside before the snowfall began again. Pale tied his hands behind his back and his legs together using some paracord she had in her pack, and the two of them stood over the man, staring down at him.
"What now?" Kayla asked. "Do we wait for him to-"
Pale cut her off by bringing the stock of her shotgun across the berserker's face. He reeled from the strike, suddenly catapulting awake, his eyes wide as several of his teeth came spilling out across the stone cave floor. He coughed, spitting out a glob of blood before fixing her with a harsh glare. Smoke began to rise from his palms, but Pale stopped him by putting the barrel of her gun flush with his crotch.
"Unless you want to lose something, I'd suggest keeping your magic under control," she threatened. "Because if I pull this trigger, there isn't a healer alive who'll be able to give back what you'll lose."
The man snarled at her, but the smoke curling up from his hands stopped all the same. He spat out more blood. "The fuck am I still alive for?"
"I think you know exactly what you're alive for. Now, are you going to play nice and tell us what we want to know, or am I going to have to force it out of you piece by piece?"
The mage grinned at her, showing off a mouth full of missing teeth and liquid crimson. "You really think I'd betray my brothers like that?"
"Last I checked, your brothers are all dead," Pale said absentmindedly. "But still, I was hoping you'd pick the hard way; I needed to relieve some stress."
She let her shotgun hang from its sling, then drew her knife. With her free hand, she grabbed one of his fingers, then positioned the blade at the tip.
"Last chance to offer up what you know," she threatened.
The mage barked out a laugh. "Fuck off. You really think I'd ever-"
His bravado suddenly gave way to an agonized scream as Pale forced the blade of her knife underneath his fingernail. He thrashed in agony as she twisted the knife before roughly yanking it free, taking the fingernail with it. She held the disembodied nail up to him, then flicked it away.
"Have I made my point?" she said evenly. "Because last I checked, you've still got nine fingers and ten toes, not to mention a variety of other things I could poke at and prod at and cut off. And when you run out of those, I can just start skinning you bit by bit."
"Fuck you…" he breathed through gritted teeth. "I'll never-"
She took another fingernail for his troubles. Idly, Pale was aware of Kayla flinching with every scream that erupted out of the man's throat, but that didn't bother her.
Kayla had specified no death, but that didn't mean she couldn't make this hurt like hell.
She again positioned the knife at one of his fingertips, only for him to give a weak, shuddering, pain-filled cough.
"W-wait…" he croaked.
"I see your tongue has been thoroughly loosened," she surmised, though she didn't dare to move the blade even a millimeter away from his next finger.
"What do you have for me?"
"I can give you our leader's name."
"And?"
"What do you mean, and? He doesn't tell us anything, he just pays us and feeds us, like any good leader should."
Pale's expression narrowed. "You had better give me something more substantial to go on, otherwise I have no reason to keep you around."
"Pale-" Kayla began, only to fall silent when she held up a hand. Reluctantly, Kayla backed down, though she continued to look on with concern as Pale's grip around her blade turned white-knuckled.
"Tell me something useful," Pale demanded. "Unless you want to see exactly how much pain I can commit to before I get bored."
"Okay, okay!" the bandit growled. "Fine… our leader's name is Sven Greymane, the warrior-king of the northern isles. He's the one who ordered us to attack certain towns on this continent."
"Is that why you sacked some and completely bypassed others?"
He nodded. "Yes. That was all part of the plan – he'd give us locations to attack, pay us in gold and food to attack them, and then let us keep whatever valuables we wanted afterwards."
"And did he tell you why he only wanted specific locations attacked, while others were to be spared?"
The mage shook his head. "No, and we knew better than to ask questions given how good of a deal it was."
Kayla suddenly stepped forwards. "One of those towns was my village," she growled. "Your friends captured several people, including my father, and took them back to the northern isles."
The mage leaned in, squinting to get a better look at her, before finally shrugging. "I don't know anything about that."
"Liar," Pale hissed.
"It's the truth. I wasn't involved with the attack on any Beastkin town."
"Of course, you'd say that," Kayla said through gritted teeth. "You're worried about what will happen to you if you admit to us here and now that you had something to do with it."
"Don't know what else to tell you. I had nothing to do with the attack on you and yours, and I didn't take any Beastkin slaves."
"Enough of this," Pale snapped. "How long do we have to find her father?"
The bandit cracked a wide grin at her. "You're probably already too late. If the girl's father is anything like her, then he's already been deemed to be useless as a slave – too mouthy for his own good, and mouthy slaves don't last very long among my people."
A vein pulsed in Kayla's forehead as she clenched and unclenched her fists. "Answer the question," she demanded. "Assuming he isn't murdered before we can get there, how long do slaves typically last while with your people?"
"Depends on the slave. Men tend to last longer, provided they're young enough and in good health. Of course, he was taken in the first place, so I assume that someone saw some value in him, at least enough to want him for themselves. Now, that only accounts for a berserker warrior having a bad day and killing someone as a result. If he's unlucky, he'll succumb to the elements before long." The mage shrugged. "It wouldn't make any sense for us to spend all that time capturing and enslaving someone only to let them die so soon, unless they just so happened to be a massive pain in the ass."
"So you claim," Pale said dismissively. "What else do you have for us?"
"I've told you enough," the man grunted. "Now hurry up and let me go."
"And why would I do that?" Pale demanded. "So you can go back to robbing and killing the innocent? Is your life really worth the lives of the people you'd kill if we let you go?"
"It is to her." He motioned towards Kayla, who was staring at him and trembling as she bit her lip, deep in thought.
Pale's eyes narrowed. "Kayla."
Kayla jumped slightly at the sound of her name being called. She hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh. "...You should let him go."
"You know I can't do that, Kayla. If we let him go, he'll just go right back to doing what brought him here. Either we end this here and now and prevent him from taking more innocent lives, or he goes on for however long it takes for someone else to put him down."
"I know!" Kayla spat. "It's just… I don't know what to do… I don't want to be responsible for someone's death like this…"
"I understand that, but this is war," Pale insisted. "Death is an unavoidable part of that."
"What do you mean, war?" Kayla asked, horrified at the prospects of what Pale had just suggested. "You… you really are a soldier, aren't you? That's why you're doing this – it's a chance to do what you were made to do…"
"War is in my nature," Pale insisted. "It is why I was created. You are correct that this is a chance to fulfill my prime directive, but not in the way that you think." She turned her gaze back towards the bandit. "I need to get off this planet and back into the war I left behind before it's too late to save my creators. If killing this man will get me there faster, then I will not hesitate to do that."
"But… you can't know that killing him will help with that," Kayla pointed out. "He's just one man…"
"Every second spent debating his existence is one not spent working towards my ultimate goal. I ask for your input on what to do with him because I value your opinion as my ally, and do not wish to alienate you by leaving you out of major decisions such as that, but that does not mean I will not try to make you see reason when I think you are about to make a terrible decision." Pale sheathed her knife and hefted her shotgun. "You are concerned with the loss of innocent life, yes? Well, letting me kill this man will save an untold number of them. Is his life really worth all of theirs?"
"You can't think of it that way! He's still a person, too!"
"He is," Pale agreed. "But as far as I am concerned, his right to life is now forfeit, as he used it to torture and murder other people."
The bandit suddenly burst out laughing. "Listen to you two! You're honestly debating whether or not to take a life. How quaint, not to mention innocent. Consider me entertained."
Pale bashed him with the stock of her gun once more, knocking a few more of his teeth out in the process. As he coughed on blood and bone shards, she turned back to Kayla.
"See reason in this," she implored. "Letting him live means-"
"I know!" Kayla interrupted. Her wolf ears flattened against her skull, and in a quieter voice, she repeated, "...I know."
Her tail lashed behind her, and finally, she shook her head. "...I was willing to fight for you," she said softly. "I tried to convince you that you weren't just a killing machine – that you had a sjel, and that it was worth something. And maybe I was right. But even if I was… even if you're not just a killing machine… you seem dead-set on trying to be one. And if that's what you want, then who am I to stop you? Do what you want with him, Pale; after all, it's what you were programmed to do."
Kayla turned and marched out of the cave. Pale watched her go, waiting until she was completely gone before acting.
A single gunshot split the night.

Special thanks to my good friend and co-writer, Ickbard for the help with writing this story.

I recently started talking to a guy on Snapchat who I’ve known for a while. We communicated everyday all from the time we woke up until we went to sleep w/ good morning and goodnight included for a little over a week and a half. He sent me his work schedule and communicated with me prior to him going to visit family out of town. We hung out the night before he left and he shared his location with me indefinitely and we had deep conversations about personal feelings/past experiences. The next day I asked him if his friend knew about us talking as they went out that night and his friend was asleep on the couch when I came over. He replied with “we’re talking?” And so I said what else would you call it? And he replied “I’m not sure 🤔”. So I left him on read. He is the first to watch my Snapchat story/Instagram story posts and is still sharing his location with me. What does this mean/ what should I do?

So read the book once about a year ago (picked it up again the other night) and had a good first date with a smoking hot girl! Had good fun, had some drinks, Kissed and went our separate ways. Neither of us could have anyone over at the time.
So basically gents! Just asking (because I can’t remember) what Corey says after first date etc. we kissed (after I walked her home) seemed to have a great time, a lot of laughing and never really got a message this morning or last night, not hung up on it more so just looking for advice on what to do if and when she does or if I should, (is it really that bad to be like ‘hey. Had a great time last night’? not gonna lie haven’t had much success with Corey’s texting strategies in the past however I usually have great success when I’m actually on dates, the girl’s interest usually goes up.

Hot tip from a mechatronic engineer regarding mains electrical substitute.
Ever heard of a UPS? Uninteruptable power supply. Plugs in to wall power and charges up, supplies mains grade power when wall power drops out.
All well and good. Now the fun part. The one I use uses a small 12v battery. Turns out it's just a regular lead acid. I had a spare car battery that I hooked up (professionally, it's my job) to the terminals for the small battery and it works! Massively increased capacity. At only $100 + car battery.
Now it can't run much, I use mine for my network equipment, but in a pinch I've used it to do soldering work and run a wall AC unit.
You can get much bigger (as in, more output capacity) versions. And they're good in situations where combustion engines aren't viable.
It's basically an integrated charging/step up-ac oscillation system geared for 12v in a box.
Besides that you can just hot swap car batteries to keep it running. Might be handy info.
I'm not necessarily recommending this, but it works. Your mileage will vary.
Not sure if this has been posted before, only realized the car battery thing works when I tried it last night, no problems so far.