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#a lena for a bon....
orions-bolt · 1 year
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My top albums from 2022 (#1 - 16)
i tried to keep this to my top 10 but it was just too good of a year for music
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genevieveetguy · 2 years
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Falcon Lake, Charlotte Le Bon (2022)
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misterrobobote · 1 year
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In a previous post you said that R.Fredbear was good at cooking. What does R.Fredbear cook best and how does he cook.
Yes R.Fredbear is a good cook in general (ps: prepare yourself for a long list of cuisine) and knows a variety of recipes like risotto, lentil soup and feijoada. But also Moqueca, Pão de queijo, Beef Stroganov, Caipirinha, Chimichurri, Empadão, Acarajé, Empada, Escondidinho, Requeijão, Salpicão, Bacalhau com natas, Brigadeiro and Pave (yes, the best dishes are the ones that have the most unpronounceable name) And there are many dishes that he knows (if I make the list, it will take an hour). If there is a dish that he is good at, it is the bolinhos de chuva (a fried doughnut covered with sugar). It is a dish that is preferably eaten on rainy days. When the young Fredbear was sad on a rainy day he would cook some doughnuts to comfort himself. It was the dessert that did the best (and the one that Lena found the best). He learned from Henry and William who taught him how to cook (yes, Henry wanted to know if the bear could learn by himself and what better way than by cooking), but also by himself via cookbooks. The bear likes to read.
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lady-foxy · 2 years
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TR en pause une semaine c'est pour me tuer? j'étais grv investie et on me coupe dans mon élan je vais pleurer
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totowlff · 2 years
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bet
➝ request: could you write a one-shot where the reader rewards our daddy wolff for the mercedes double podium?
➝ word count: 5,6k
➝ warnings: smut, mentions of ferrari (it can be a trigger, i know)
➝ author’s note: this was a week where i needed to take time off from miss lauda and all her narrative. after writing over 10k words in three days, i felt completely mentally drained. furthermore, i found myself completely doubting my ability to continue writing things that really make sense to me and that are good enough for you. so i decided to dedicate myself to this request on my askbox, especially considering the summer break. i leave here my thanks to raya and babi, who always read everything and give me the strength to keep posting, even though i think my content doesn't deserve it.
It was already dark outside the hospitality when you finished wiping the last light-wooden table with the alcohol-dampened cloth. The fatigue of a whole day's work was accumulating in your body and you couldn't wait to go to your hotel, take a hot shower and curl up on the comfortable bed in your room at the Grand Prix Hôtel in Le Castellet.
However, you had lost the bet with Lena over who would take pole position that Saturday. And, as a consequence, you should stay until the last employee leaves the Paul Ricard team structure. And, if that year's trend was followed, the men who were holed up in the meeting room on the upper floors wouldn't leave that space until several hours later, when the paddock was completely deserted.
To say that the season was being difficult was to understate the true impact of the W13 on the lives of all the employees who traveled around the world to race. As much as you only participated in the catering team, far from the real action that took place on the track, you could see in the expressions of the employees you served that this was one of the most difficult years they had ever faced.
They were tired looks. Stress. Frustration.
“And we've just reached the halfway point”, you thought, settling yourself at one of the tables in the space, right in front of a television. On Canal+, the device was replaying a program called En Pole, in which Julien Fébreau discussed the results of the qualifying session with reporters in the paddock. However, you were little interested in hearing more about the far-from-satisfactory performance of your team's car.
Pushing back a strand of your hair, you pulled your cell phone out of your pocket, unlocking the device and clicking on one of the many notifications that had accumulated throughout the day. While you were replying to one of your friends' messages, inviting you to spend a few days with her in Nice, you heard something that caught your attention.
— Voyons maintenant l'interview réalisée par notre reporter Pauline Sanzey avec Toto Wolff, team principal de Mercedes, juste après la séance de qualification.
You looked up at the television almost immediately, dropping your cell phone on the table in front of you. The image of your boss filled the screen, his expression frozen in a serious, impassive mask, his fingers running through his dark hair, quickly arranging the strands.
— Salut Toto, quelles sont tes impressions sur la séance de qualification? — the reporter asked in French — Avez-vous remarqué des progrès sur la voiture?
— Nous avons donc expérimenté les niveaux d'aileron arrière et les températures des pneus — he said, in heavily accented French — Une fois que nous avons mis les nouveaux pneus en Q3, nous savions que nous allions être les troisièmes plus rapides, comme nous l'avons été toute la saison et ce n'est tout simplement pas assez bon pour nous.
You hadn't understood a word he had just said. However, you didn't even need to have any knowledge of that language to know what he had said. The speech was the same for all reporters, no matter which of the six languages he spoke.
“We're the third fastest team on the grid”, you thought, drumming your fingers on the pale wood in front of you.
— L'équipe aura-t-elle beaucoup de travail? — the woman asked.
— Oui, nous allons travailler dur dans la nuit et essayer d'être en meilleure position demain en course — he replied with a smile on his face.
Before you could hear another question from the French reporter, you heard an accented voice behind you ask a question.
— Lost another bet?
In one leap, you turned your face back to find Toto leaning against one of the tables, a playful smile on his lips.
— Yes — you replied, the corner of your mouth curving.
He walked over to the table you were sitting at and pulled out the black chair next to you. Watching him settle down beside you, your chest filled with the familiar yet mysterious heat that had accompanied you since the day he'd first noticed you.
It was a rainy Saturday morning at Spa-Francorchamps when Bradley, the Mercedes communications director, asked that an espresso be taken upstairs to Toto's office.
— And try not to kill him this time, Y/N — he grinned, before turning his back on you and disappearing through the automatic door, tucking the hood of his raincoat over his head.
You and Cathy looked at each other, your face turning red. The first time you took that order, you ended up using regular milk when making the drink. After Abel, also from the catering team, returned with the drink untouched, you discovered that the team principal was lactose intolerant. “A big mistake”, you thought, as you searched the cupboard for a cup and placed it on the counter.
— Let me do it — Cathy said, smiling — Get the milk for me.
You went to the fridge and grabbed a carton of lactose-free milk. Putting it next to your colleague, you were about to go get the cocoa to decorate the drink when Cathy called you again.
— Can you get me the almond milk?
— Why?
— It's what he prefers.
You blinked.
— Are you sure?
— Absolutely.
— Abel told me he liked his espresso with lactose-free milk.
Cathy looked at you with a mischievous smile on her face.
— Want to bet?
If there was one thing that fueled your race weekends, it was the small bets you made casually. It could be about the number of bottles of champagne you would serve that Sunday, which driver would take pole position, or simply the color of clothing Lewis would wear that day. It was all reason for you to come up with some bet whose prizes ranged from beer cans to even a night off.
— What?
— Cleaning of all hospitality tables in the next race week.
You thought for a few seconds. There were many tables.
— Deal — you extended your hand in a friendly shake with Cathy.
— I'll finish here, you take it and ask him, ok?
— Fine — you replied, going to get the cocoa from the hospitality kitchen.
With the coffee ready — and made with lactose-free milk after much insistence on your part — you walked upstairs to Toto's office, nervousness taking over your body. You had never stopped to realize that, aside from requests and occasional words of gratitude, you had never actually talked to your boss. "And now I'm going to ask him his favorite kind of milk", you thought, your pulse roaring in your ears.
Stopping in front of the door, you took a deep breath before giving two soft knocks and placing your hand on the knob. After a murmur that you interpreted as an invitation for you to enter, you opened the door, revealing the team principal sitting at his desk, eyes glued to his iPad. With his rectangular-framed glasses on the end of his nose and his team shirt with two buttons undone, he was the full picture of concentration.
Approaching slowly, you placed the saucer with the cup on the pale wood desk.
— Your coffee, Mr. Wolff — you said softly.
— Thanks — he muttered in response.
You hesitated for a few seconds, standing in front of Toto, who took the cup and brought it to his lips. “If you don't ask, you won't know”, you thought to yourself, swallowing hard. Then he raised an inquiring look at you, an eyebrow dramatically raised. Suddenly, your chest filled with something warm, cozy and at the same time frightening.
— Any problem? — he asked.
— No, no, no problem — you was quick to say.
— Then why are you standing there?
— Well, it's just that — you started to stutter, your hands getting cold — I…Actually, we…Yeah, I'd like to ask you a question.
He set the drink back on the table.
— So do it.
— Do you prefer lactose-free milk or almond milk?
Toto stared at you for long seconds.
— Why do you want to know?
You blinked.
— Do you want the serious explanation or the real one?
The corner of his lips curled up.
— Both.
— The serious explanation is that we, caterers, don't want to commit assassination attempts anymore — you said, bringing a smile to Toto's face.
— And the real one?
— Me and Cathy bet which milk you prefer in your coffee.
The team principal smiled, taking his glasses off his face.
— What is the prize?
— The loser cleans all hospitality tables in the next race week.
The smile got even wider.
— And you chose what?
— Normal, lactose-free.
— Then let Cathy know she's going to have a lot of work next week — Toto replied with a wink.
The bet you won ended up being the first step in getting you closer to the team principal. Between coffee orders and conversations in empty hospitality about your latest triumphs over your catering colleagues, the two of you started to have a relationship that went beyond the respect that the hierarchy imposed on you.
You were friends.
Not as close as you'd like, but friends.
Good friends.
— What was the bet this time, Y/N?
— The pole position.
— You bet on Max? — he smiled, taking the phone with its fluorescent yellow case from his pocket.
— Yes — you muttered.
— A pity —  he replied, leaning back in the chair beside you.
— I thought you'd support me, Wolff — you said, with indignation — Not that you'd be happy about my misfortune.
— It's just that your disgrace means you can stay here longer with me — Toto replied with a sly smile on his face, making your cheeks flush.
One thing you'd discovered about your boss in those months of conviviality was that, in addition to being a handsome, intelligent, impulsive man, he was charming. “Extremely charming”, you thought, running your tongue discreetly over the lower lips.
The flirtation game between you had started with harmless compliments, which you responded to without any effort, after all, you were talking to Toto Wolff. However, as the words became bolder and your heart began to race each time he approached you to speak to you, your head lit up with a warning signal. "Get down, Y/N, you're just another employee", you kept repeating to yourself whenever you caught yourself daydreaming.
— Do you like my company that much, boss? — you asked, smiling.
— Yes, Y/N. I like you very much — he spoke softly, his chocolate eyes fixed on yours relentlessly — More even than I should.
— Just because I know how to make your coffee the way you like it? — you broke the conversation, trying to ignore the tingling sensation that ran through your legs towards your core.
Toto just smiled.
— As well. By the way, would you mind making me a cup?
You got up almost immediately, smiling.
— Of course not, boss.
Heading behind the counter where you spent most of your day, you quickly pulled out the ingredients to make the espresso. While the coffee machine was heating up, you went after the cup and cocoa to decorate. In just under ten minutes, you've set the finished drink in front of Toto with a smile on your face.
— Star and all — he commented, noting the company's star etched in the coffee foam.
— Of course — you replied, sitting down next to him again — As the boss deserves.
The corner of his mouth curled into a smile before he raised the cup to his lips. As he sipped his drink, you looked back at the television, where the presenter was showing the order of the starting grid. Seeing the names of Lewis fourth and George sixth, you let out a sigh of resignation.
— What's it?
— Not a good position on the grid, right? — you returned the question.
— Do you think it's bad?
— If we pinch a podium with that shitbox you call a car, we're in profit.
Toto looked at you somewhat shocked by your words.
— Don't talk about W13 like that.
— I'm just repeating what you said yourself.
He took another sip of coffee.
— I still think you're being rude to the car.
— I prefer the word sincere.
— Besides, I'm sure we'll get a podium this weekend.
— If Ferrari destroys Charles and Carlos' race, maybe we have a chance. That's if their engine doesn't abandon them like it did in Austria.
Dropping his cup on the table, Toto turned to you, his face serious.
— I'm not talking about relying on luck, Y/N. We found the ideal configuration today. I'm sure we'll be on the podium tomorrow.
— I admire your optimism, Toto, but sometimes it's better to put your feet on the ground.
He gave a mischievous smile.
— Do you want to bet?
Your lips curved.
— What?
— That we'll be on the podium tomorrow. 
You shook your head in the negative.
— You're crazy, completely crazy.
— I'll bet you, Y/N — he said, in a firm tone — We're taking home a trophy tomorrow.
— What happens if you lose, which is the case tomorrow? — you provoked.
Toto brought his face closer to yours.
— I'll do whatever you want — he said softly.
— What if I lose?
— You will do what I want.
— Bet — you gave a smile, getting up and reaching for him to shake his hand, in order to seal that informal contract between the two of you — I hope you're ready to lose.
Rising in front of you, you lifted your eyes to face Toto, your expression carrying a certain arrogance. That bet was in your bag.
— We'll see, Y/N — he replied, giving your hand a gentle squeeze.
The next day, you barely had time to think about the conversation with Toto the night before, such was the movement in hospitality. Running around, serving guests, cleaning tables and helping the staff in the kitchen, you didn't even see the moment the race started, a few feet from where you were.
The reactions of people gathered in the space in front of the screens installed on the walls of the structure were your only point of reference for what was happening on the track.
— Nice start from George! — someone cheered.
— What the hell is Ocon doing? — a man complained.
— My God, Leclerc crashed! — a female voice exclaimed.
— Ferrari fucked up Sainz’s race — a woman snarled.
You only managed to stop to look at the screen when you finished pouring a few glasses of champagne at one of the tables in front of a screen. Tucking the tray under your arm, you noticed that Lewis was firmly in second position, while George was just over half a second behind Sergio with the virtual safety car almost gone.
And there were less than three laps to go.
— Y/N — you heard Cathy's voice call out to you, but you waved your hand for her to wait. It was clear that George was preparing to catch the Mexican from Red Bull Racing. And you didn't want to miss that for nothing.
— George is trying to get as close as he can to Sérgio Perez before the end of the virtual safety car — the narrator announced, causing all conversations to cease within the hospitality.
— Looks like someone was caught sleeping — the commentator said, as the silver car darted around the corner, passing Sergio's car with ease. The maneuver caused the environment to fill with applause, screams and whistles. Watching the Brit increase his lead into third place, you smiled briefly.
Until the image left George and focused on Toto.
Watching the race from inside the garage, the team principal was dressed in his usual dress, with the sleeves of his white shirt pulled up to his elbows and rectangular-framed glasses balanced on his nose. Toto was talking to someone on his left side when he realized he was being filmed. Looking boldly into the lens, the impression was that he was staring at you deep in your eyes.
And then he winked.
— Son of a bitch — you muttered, heading toward the bench where Cathy was standing without taking your eyes off the screen, the lap counter indicating that the race leader had just opened the penultimate lap.
— Did you say something, Y/N?
— No, Cathy — you forced a smile, placing more glasses of champagne on your tray.
— Are you sure? — you heard your colleague ask you, as you looked back at the television, which showed George rounding turn six with the Mexican driver on his heels. “Maybe he can hold the position”, you thought, carrying the tray with more glasses of champagne to the guests.
— And Max Verstappen opens the last lap here at Paul Ricard! — the narrator announced, causing the conversation to escalate even more, as if their words could make Lewis and George move faster.
The silver car with the number 63 on it took off along the main straight, towards the first chicane, while Sérgio continued to look for a space to overtake the Englishman, without success.
— Come on, George! — a man shouted at the screen.
Dropping the tray onto one of the tables, you couldn't concentrate on anything other than the race. Biting the inside of your cheek, you watched the dramatic dispute between the two cars with the chill building up in your belly.
— Hold him, Russell! — another boy exclaimed.
George was brilliantly defending himself against the onslaught of the number 11 veteran, not looking the least bit nervous about the pressure the Mexican was putting on him. If on the straights the W13 lost the advantage, on the corner exits the Englishman shot up, increasing the hundredths between them.
— Almost there, almost there — a woman said beside you, nudging the corner of her thumb with her teeth.
— While Pérez tries to make one last attack on George Russell, Max Verstappen, after starting in the front row, sees the checkered flag and, for the second year in a row, wins the French Grand Prix! — the narrator's voice echoed through the speakers scattered around the hospitality.
However, the agony was not over.
As Lewis crossed the finish line, taking second place, everyone was apprehensive about the half second difference between Sergio and George.
Another attack on the last corner.
— Go, go, go — you muttered.
— And it's a double podium for Mercedes, with George Russell holding on to Sérgio Perez for third place!
Hospitality erupted in screams and whistles, even louder than before. The guests were simply in an uproar. You applauded with a smile on your face, almost in disbelief at what had just happened. After a terrible six months for the team, that double podium tasted even sweeter.
— Y/N — Lena yelled at you in the midst of the commotion — I need you here!
Taking one last look at the screen, which showed the two silver cars parking in front of the number 2 and 3 signs, you returned to the bench, where Lena asked you to go upstairs and organize the meeting room where the debrief would take place after all the ceremonies were done, interviews were given and photos taken.
With a bale of water bottles in hand, you climbed to the second floor of the structure, walking down the short hallway to the frosted glass door that gave access to the space where Lewis, George, their race engineers, as well as the performance and Toto would reunite after all the celebrations
You had just set the bottles down on the table when you remembered the bet. You had definitely lost and by a good margin for him. However, what bothered you was not the defeat, but the reward that you had agreed upon. You had committed to doing whatever he wanted.
“What the hell can he ask of me?”, you thought, positioning the bottles in front of the chairs, along with the scratch pads and black pens emblazoned with the silver star. Possibilities began to pop into your mind, one stranger than the other.
Spend an entire weekend serving him coffee.
Clean the hospitality toilets.
Staying late the rest of the weekends, taking care of the structure.
Being forced to wear that hideous graffiti-style shirt for the rest of the season.
“I bet he's going to be creative”, you thought as you finished opening the blinds and windows of the meeting room. With the space prepared, you were walking towards the stairs when you ran into him.
Toto.
— There you are, Y/N — he flashed a wide smile that made your chest fill with heat — I was looking for you.
— You were? — you asked, a little awkwardly.
— Yes, I wanted to talk to you about our bet.
— But don't you have a debrief to do?
— I have some time left, Lewis and George are still talking to the press and the engineers are exporting the data.
You stared at Toto, not sure what you should do. Then he stretched out his arm.
— Could you accompany me to my office?
— Yes — you replied, walking past him and heading towards his office inside the hospitality. Entering the cubicle, Toto closed the frosted glass door behind you before walking over to his pale wood desk and leaning against it, eyes glued to yours. Anxiety built in your belly with every second the team principal spent studying you.
— Well, what do you want me to do? — you finally asked, pressing one cold hand against the other.
At your frankness, Toto laughed.
— You're direct — he noted.
— Someone has to be.
— I like that about you — Toto added, making your cheeks heat up.
— Thanks? — you said, not sure if that was the right answer.
— You're welcome.
You looked at each other again in silence, Toto's chocolate eyes roving over your face, as if he was considering what to say.
— Back to the point, I accept my defeat — you finally said.
— That's good.
— But considering our agreement, I need to know what you want me to do.
An almost devilish smile appeared on Toto's lips.
— Do you have any idea?
You blinked.
— Don't you know what you want me to do?
— I know, I just want to know what you thought.
— Well, among the possibilities considered are spending the entire weekend serving you coffee…
— It's what you already do.
— Cleaning the hospitality toilets…
— Definitely not.
— Staying late at hospitality for the rest of the season…
— That's a good idea, actually.
— And being forced to wear that graffiti-style shirt for the rest of the season.
— You don't like that shirt?
— It's hideous, Toto.
— I think it's cool for a more casual event.
— Still ugly.
— It's a matter of perspective, Y/N.
— Ask Lewis if he'd wear it and you'll know if it's a good shirt or not.
— Lewis showed up shirtless in Miami, he's not any parameter.
— Okay, it could be for George.
— He only wears striped shirts.
You laughed.
— Have you noticed too?
— It's impossible not to notice — Toto replied, crossing his arms in front of his chest. The movement of the veins under the white skin made you swallow hard. “Control yourself, Y/N”, you thought, looking up back at his face.
— Well, did I get close?
— No — he said, slowly getting up from the table.
— Not even a little? — you asked, feeling your heart beat faster inside your chest.
— Not at all — Toto stopped next to you, his face hovering over yours.
— So tell me…
— What?
— What do you want from me, Mr Wolff? — you asked in a low voice.
Instead of answering you, you felt Toto's fingers brush your arm, slowly moving up your skin. The touch made you feel a shiver run through your body, but you didn't dare move, your eyes glued to his chocolate irises. His hand crept up your shoulder toward your face, his thumb brushing your cheek.
— A kiss — Toto replied, in a whisper — I want a kiss from you.
A blue screen appeared in place of any coherent thoughts in your head.
He wanted to kiss you.
Your boss wanted to kiss you.
Toto Wolff wanted to kiss you.
— Of course, if you want to — he added — If not, I can choose something else.
You blinked.
— No — you stammered, the butterflies in your stomach growing — You don't have to choose anything else, Toto.
— Are you sure? — he questioned you, touching the tip of his nose at yours.
— Why?
— Because if I kiss you, I don't know if I'll be able to stop — Toto said, his other hand sliding around your waist, stopping flat against your lower back. The feeling you had was that you could melt at that very moment.
— Then I'm absolutely sure — you replied, inching the last few centimeters toward his lips. Expecting a fierce kiss, prompted by the long months of teasing, you found yourself surprised by the delicacy with which his mouth touched yours. Timidly, his tongue asked for passage and your taste buds were flooded with the taste of the champagne Toto had probably drunk in the garage along with the team.
Sweet.
Acid.
Addictive.
The deliciously slow exploration you made of the team principal's mouth was reciprocated through his hands, which roamed from your lower back to your butt. Pulling your body against his, his fingers played with the fabric of your team dress, which you'd made a point of wearing often since Toto had said you looked good in it. “Always for him”, you thought, your fingers squeezing his shoulders until the knots turned white.
Pulling your face away from his, you felt him press his forehead to yours, the panting of the two of you being the only sound in the cubicle.
— Y/N — Toto whispered.
You opened your eyes slightly and smiled.
— Yes?
— I just realized I lost the bet too.
— What do you mean? — you asked, chuckling.
— I told you we'd have a car on the podium. And we had two.
— And?
— You can claim your reward as well. What do you want me to do?
— Can I ask for anything? — you looked up innocently at Toto.
— Anything, Perle — he whispered, the thumb that had been on your cheek sliding toward your lips, contouring the reddened skin from the friction. Then you parted your mouth, reaching far enough for his finger to enter your mouth, without taking your eyes off Toto.
Tracing the digit slowly with your tongue, you let your hand slide down his chest. Feeling him move his thumb inside your mouth, you brushed your teeth lightly over his skin as your hand continued down until your fingers felt the leather of the belt he wore. All it took was your fingernails to lightly scratch the edge of his pants for Toto to get the message.
— Y/N — he said through gritted teeth, taking his finger from your mouth slowly.
— What?
— Use words. I want to listen.
You bit your lip lightly, the butterflies in your belly long ago replaced by a scorching heat.
— I want to taste you. For real.
A mischievous smile appeared on his face.
— Do you want to taste me? — Toto carefully repeated the words.
— Yes — you replied, your fingers playing with his belt buckle — I want to.
— You know I don't have much time, don't you?
— You said yourself that Lewis and George are with the press and the engineers are exporting the data in the garage. I think we've got enough time for you to fulfill your end of our bargain — your hand lowered a little further, feeling for the first time his stiffness through the fabric, a wave of arousal coursing through your body — And I don't think it would be nice for you to show up hard at the debrief, would it?
Toto bit his lower lip hard.
— What do you want me to do, Perle?
You looked at a point behind him and smiled.
— Sit in your chair — you said, bringing your face close to his.
Almost immediately, Toto took your hand and pulled you toward the black office chair, slouching into it. Looking up at you, he seemed to be waiting for your next move. Or your next order.
— Unbuckle your belt — you said, the tone in your voice oddly firm. His fingers quickly moved to the black leather belt buckle, undoing it with ease. With an obstacle out of the way, he looked at you again. Approaching him, you splayed your hands over Toto's thighs, your fingers lightly squeezing the muscles through the fabric.
— Unzip your pants — you said, kneeling between his legs. He obeyed immediately, his fingers undoing the buttons and unzipping his pants quickly, revealing his boxers underneath. At the sight of his cock outlined by the white fabric, you bit your bottom lip.
— And now? — Toto asked.
In silence, your hands slid down his legs towards the point that interested you. Scratching your fingernails lightly against the skin just above the elastic band of his underwear, you looked up at him again, finding Toto staring at you intently, waiting for your next move or your next command to him.
— You will be silent — you took the fabric and pulled, revealing his completely rigid cock — While I taste you. Can you do it for me, boss?
You wrapped your fingers along his length, moving your hand along it a few times, testing the waters. Searching his face, you noticed a small roll of his eyes as your thumb circled his tip, smearing the pre-cum that was already oozing out of him. At that reaction, a smug smile appeared on your face.
— Winning turns you on, boss?
— Yes — he said softly — It turns me on a lot.
— I noticed — you muttered, your thumb tracing the path of a vein that pulsed along his shaft.
— But that's not the case today — Toto said through gritted teeth.
— No? — you asked, moving your hand again along his length.
— Today it's you, Y/N — he gasped, squinting to keep from making a sound, as you'd ordered.
— Are you turned on for me just today? — you raised an eyebrow before taking the tip of your tongue to the vein you had previously run your finger through, lightly feeling Toto's salty taste. “This man is a delight”, you thought, watching his face twist into an expression halfway between satisfaction and agony.
— Y/N, I'm always horny for you. Every time you wear that dress, every time you —  he started to answer you, in an attempt to explain himself. However, you shut him up with one quick movement, placing him completely in your mouth.
You heard a deep sigh of satisfaction fill the cubicle as you began to suck him more vigorously, moving your head along his cock, the tip of it brushing your throat with each thrust. Concentrating on that moment, you didn't even notice when his hand landed on your head. However, all it took was for his fingers to pull the strands of your hair, in an attempt to control the rhythm with which you sucked him to you to take him out of your mouth and lift your face to Toto.
— No hands, boss — you said — It's my reward, remember?
Toto stared at you, completely dumbfounded. Realizing he just didn't say anything, you took another vigorous lick down his length, eyes glued to his.
— Use words — you repeated what he had told you earlier — I want to hear from you.
— As you wish, Perle… As you wish — Toto gasped before you took him between your lips again, your tongue dancing along his cock as your cheeks dipped around his shaft. Looking up at him, you noticed he was still looking at you, lids fluttering as he resisted the urge to close them to enjoy the pleasure you were offering him.
The feeling you had was that you were the most powerful woman in that place.
And all you needed was to kneel.
— My God… Perle… You… Your mouth — the team principal babbled as the office filled with the sounds of your mouth against him. Toto was definitely not being silent like you had asked him to, however, you couldn't care less about that. Hearing his growls, accompanied by his looks, begging you to keep going, made you want to satisfy him even more.
Accelerating the movement, you brought your hand to his member, in order to help your mouth in the task of bringing him to orgasm. And it was at that moment that you saw whatever resistance he had mounted crumble.
— Fuck… I… Oh my God — Toto gasped, his eyes lost, his mind stumbling over the words as he tried to form some coherent sentence — Perle… I'll…
You continued to move at a relentless pace, the tip of it hitting the back of your throat with each thrust. Your saliva dripped from the corner of your mouth as your eyes filled with tears. But Toto was so close. And so were you.
Then he came, a strangled growl leaving his throat as yours was filled with his semen, hot and thick. Swallowing it down diligently, you finally took him out of your mouth, running your thumb along the corner of your mouth to wipe away the saliva that had collected there.
Realizing that Toto was still catching his breath, you decided to put him back together again. First, you put his cock back in his underwear and zipped up his black pants, taking the opportunity to check that not a single drop of his cum had landed on the black fabric. Finally, you carefully rebuckled his belt. Then you looked up again at Toto, who was watching you intently,
— Y/N — he said quietly.
— Yes, Toto?
— Can we make another bet?
— What do you want to bet? — you asked, lifting yourself off the floor, your knees reddened.
— That I'll put both cars on the podium again.
— And what do you want if you win?
— I want to taste you. For real.
You leaned on the arms of the chair Toto was sitting on, bringing your face to his.
— Bet — you replied, kissing him again.
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scottpetersen · 9 days
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Honestly, I think that Haley Long from the American Dragon Jake Long TV series, Janna from the Star VS The Forces Of Evil TV series, Luz Noceda and Amity Blight from The Owl House TV series and Cedric The Sensational from the Sofia The First TV series would interact quite well with one of @boingodigitalart’s dream teams which consists of Webby Vanderquack, Lena Sabrewing and Violet Sabrewing from the DuckTales (2017) TV series and Morgana Macawber from the Darkwing Duck (1991) TV series who all are enthusiastic about magic.
After all, as shown in the episode ‘Switcheroo’, Haley is a shapeshifting dragon who is quite the rule follower and does quite well in school and, as shown in the episode ‘Family Business’, she did pretty good in her dragon training. So, I think that Haley would help Webby, Lena, Violet and Morgana study every written record they could about how magic works and would also get along quite well with Webby in particular considering that Webby also loved learning and also did pretty good in her own training as a fighter as shown in the episode ‘From The Confidential Casefiles Of Agent 22!’, where Webby learned quite well from records about Scrooge McDuck’s adventures and was quite a big help to Scrooge when it came to helping him fight his way through all the obstacles in their path and fending off Black Heron. So, I think that Haley and Webby would like to spar with each other and help improve each other’s fighting skills. And, given that, as shown in the episode ‘The Doppelganger Gang’, the dragons from the American Dragon Jake Long universe have the ability to make copies of themselves as well as, as shown throughout the American Dragon Jake Long TV series, the ability to fly and breath fire, I also think that Webby would like to help Haley use those dragon abilities to the utmost efficiency in a fight. Also, given that, as shown in the episode ‘Escape From The ImpossiBin!’, Webby was able to use German paper cutting to trick Huey and Dewey by making a paper cut out of her silhouette look like her shadow and that, as I pointed out earlier, Haley did pretty well in school, I think that Webby can teach Haley to use skills like German paper cutting to confuse her opponents. And given that, as I pointed out earlier, Haley was quite a rule follower who prefers following school rules and that, as shown in the episode ‘Escape To/From Atlantas!’ Webby was also, at least usually, quite a rule follower who wasn’t quite used to going against her grandma Beakley’s wishes, I think that’s another reason Haley and Webby would get along quite well since they both usually prefer following the rules.
As shown in the episode ‘Bon Bon The Birthday Clown’, Janna is quite an enthusiast when it comes to the concept of magic. So, I think that Janna would really like to learn a thing or 2 from Morgana since, as shown in the episode ‘Fungus Amongus’, Morgana is a skilled sorceress. Also, given that, as shown in the episode ‘Rest In Pudding’, Janna also seems to have a collection of magic-related trinkets, I think that she would really want to see any real magical artifacts that Webby, Lena, Violet and Morgana find. As a side note, I think that Webby, Lena, Violet and Morgana would be quite fascinated if they were to see that when the version of Janna from the Janna VS The Forces Of Darkness fanfic had Marco Diaz use a book scanner on the Butterfly family’s Magic Book Of Spells to get its contents on phone, its contents were somehow transferred to her phone instead of copied to it. And given that Violet, as shown in the episode ‘Friendship Hates Magic!’, is quite book smart and is also smart when it comes to magic, I think that she might be able to figure out why that happened. And I think that Violet would take into account the fact that, as shown in the @therussohousehold’s Janna VS The Forces Of Darkness fanfic which was inspired by @skleero’s Janna Vs. The Forces Of Evil AU, the Magic Book Of Spells apparently counted being scanned by an overhead book scanner as being read thus temporarily bringing its spells to life and that would probably make sense to Violet since, given how book smart she is, she would probably know that an overhead book scanner’s camera (and cameras in general too for that matter) operates similarly to a person’s eyesight since both involve taking light that bounces off of the objects they’re viewing and converting it into something electrical. And I think that Violet would theorize and take into account that the Magic Book Of Spells probably creates some sort of magical link between itself and its owner given that, as shown in the episode ‘Book Be Gone’, the Magic Book Of Spells seems to recognize the person who reads it as its owner and prevents anyone who doesn’t own it from writing in it. And Violet would also realize that a book scanner would technically fit neither category since it’s just a device and thus doesn’t count as a person at all and that the book scanner would be taking light that’s bouncing off the Magic Book Of Spells. So, based on all this, I think that one theory Violet might come up with is that, if some of the book’s magic had piggybacked on the light bouncing off the book, then that probably created a magical link between the book and the light bouncing off it. And, based on that, Violet might conclude that when the book scanner’s camera took that light and converted it into electrical data, it converted the Magic Book Of Spells’ contents along with it and that it didn’t also happen with a person’s eyesight because it adapted to their consciousness since the book recognizes its owner but a book scanner has no consciousness to adapt to. Violet might also come up with another theory by picturing the Magic Book Of Spells as a dot labeled Point A and anyone (or anything) who reads it as a dot labeled Point B with the magical link that the Magic Book Of Spells makes with its owner being the line between the 2 dots. In the case of the Magic Book Of Spells and the person who owns it, Point A and Point B are indeed connected together by the line. In the case of the Magic Book Of Spells and the person who doesn’t own it, there’s no line between Point A and Point B to connect them. And in the case of the Magic Book Of Spells and a book scanner that doesn’t count as a person at all, the book’s magic got confused and thus did something in between by making a line that was connected to Point A but, instead of also being connected to Point B, the line pointed at it and led Point A towards it like an arrow just like how the Magic Book Of Spells’ contents were led into the book scanner and then into Janna’s phone.
As for Luz Noceda and Amity Blight, I think that Luz and Amity would get along quite well with Webby and Lena respectively in particular. In the case of Luz and Webby, I think that they would get along quite well because, as I pointed out in my Compare/Contrast of Webby Vanderquack and Lena Sabrewing And Luz Noceda and Amity Blight post, both of them are quite optimistic as shown in the episode ‘Witches Before Wizards’ where she was quite optimistic when it came to being a witch’s apprentice and learning magic and, as shown in the episode ‘Daytrip Of Doom!’ where Webby was quite about going on an outing with Huey, Dewey and Louie. And, in the case of Lena and Amity, I think that they would get along quite along quite well because, as I also pointed out in my Compare/Contrast of Webby Vanderquack and Lena Sabrewing And Luz Noceda and Amity Blight post, they’re practically kindred spirits since they both had abusive parental figures who tried to kill their loved ones as shown in the episode ‘The Shadow War Part 2: The Day Of The Ducks!’ where Lena’s aunt Magica used Lena and tried to kill Webby who Lena formed a very close bond with and as shown in the episode ‘Escaping Expulsion’ where Amity’s mother tried to stop Amity from forming attachments with Luz, Willow and Gus and also almost got Luz killed in an Abomination demonstration. And I think that Luz and Amity would be very enthusiastic about helping Webby, Lena, Violet and Morgana learn more about magic. And speaking of learning more about magic, I think that Webby, Lena, Violet and Morgana would be quite fascinated by Luz’s Glyph magic which, as shown in the episode ‘The Intruder’, is about drawing magical symbols that symbolize certain elements and bringing those elements to life when the symbol is tapped and also quite fascinated by Amity’s witch magic which, as stated in the episode ‘The Intruder’ works because of the witches’ somewhat unique anatomy. And I think that Lena might get creative and see if there’s a way to combine Glyph magic with witch magic since, as shown in the episode ‘The Beagle Boy Breakout!’, Lena tends to think outside the box. And they would probably also be fascinated by how the Glyphs, as shown in the episode ‘Escaping Expulsion’, can be combined to create certain spells.
As for Cedric The Sensational, I think that he would get along surprisingly well with Morgana since, as shown in the episode ‘Cedric’s Apprentice’, Cedric formed a bond with Princess Sofia despite wanting to steal her magic amulet at first and, as shown in the episode ‘Fungus Amongus’, Morgana formed a romantic attachment to Darkwing Duck. So, both Cedric and Morgana grew attached to their enemy in some way. And I think that Cedric might also help boost Lena’s morale with her magic when she’s having trouble with it since, as shown in the episode ‘Substitute Cedric’, Cedric was able to boost an entire class’s morale with their magic training during his Never Forget The Sorcerer’s Secret musical number by telling them to never give up. Lena would probably take Cedric’s advice since, as shown in the episode ‘Nightmare On Killmotor Hill!’, she was able to stand up against Magica De Spell by persevering through her nightmares with the help of her loved ones and not giving up. But Lena would probably also find it strange that Cedric would use a musical number to convey the lesson. Also, I think that Webby, Lena, Violet and Morgana would like to theorize about the Amulet Of Avalor given what Cedric found out about it in the episode ‘Hexley Hall’ which was that the Amulet Of Avalor’s powers change depending on who is trapped inside it.
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misschanadlerbong · 6 months
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When Stef Met 'Lena
PART 1 | <next>
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Elena was laid off from her last job due to her boss unable to pay her any longer. Elena had been searching for a job ever since, and then she discovered The Salvatore Industries. They were hiring or looking for a receptionist. Just the job for her. They had been her savior, she desperately needed this job. Rent money doesn’t come from out of thin air.
Elena Gilbert is described by many as stubborn, hard working, kind, and gentle. From a young age she strived to at least try when attempting at something which she carried with her into adulthood. And according to Caroline Forbes that was exactly what Salvatore Industries needed. Heart, kindness, and the strive to work hard. And that was exactly the receptionist they needed. Not what most people expect right? A receptionist needed those qualities? Yes, at The Salvatore industries they wanted and needed good people, people who carried about what they were doing. And Elena Gilbert was the perfect candidate.
There was this musical ringing, the phone rang several times before Elena reached it. She picked the phone up and answered with “Hello?” 
“Elena hi! I have wonderful news you got the job! Your first day is tomorrow please meet me at The Salvatore Industries near the front lobby. The address once again is 523 Mystic City Avenue. Can’t wait to see you then!” Caroline beamed and hung up the phone. 
Elena felt relief wash over her and then dread. Elena rubbed her temples in exasperation “She didn’t tell me who my boss is? Oh well this is gonna be fun,” Elena tried calling Caroline back again to get some answers to her questions but to no avail she did not answer. She tried again and all she heard was that loud and weird beeping sound when you call someone and they’re on the phone with someone else. Elena was irritated but instead of focusing on the negative she goes and calls Bonnie. 
Elena dialed Bonnie’s phone number 876-435-778. All you could hear was the ringing and how it paused and started to ring and pause once again until Bonnie picked up. 
“Bonnie guess what!” Elena exclaims enthusiastically. 
“You got the job!” 
“Yes I did! I got the job!” 
“That’s amazing Elena! I’m so proud of you!”
“Aw, thank you Bonbon.”
“You're welcome! Tell you what, how about I drop you off and it’ll save you the trouble of using more gas.” 
“That sounds like a plan Bon, also apparently I start tomorrow.” 
“That’s quick, but I can still drop you off, don't worry.” 
“I should have known it wouldn’t be able to get rid of you that easily.” Elena teased. 
“Hey!” 
“Kidding.” Elena giggled and Bonnie laughed alongside her.
-
Bonnie and Elena finally arrived at The Salvatore Industries. Bonnie parked in the parking lot, “Here we are.” Elena looked at the building nervously. “Don’t worry, You’ll do fine!” Bonnie gushed. Elena grinned at Bonnie feeling confidence wash over her. 
“Take a deep breath and keep your chin up.” Elena smiles softly and replies with “I will, don’t worry.” Bonnie smiles and says her goodbyes as she rides off leaving Elena by herself. Elena takes a few deep breaths, even though she already had been in the building it didn’t ease her nerves. But she tried to do what Bonnie wanted her to do. Keep her chin held high. She walked towards the building. Was it larger than the first time she saw it? No, but it felt larger. 
‘It’s just my first day, what could possibly go wrong?’ “Ugh who am I kidding?” Elena lets out a sigh and walks in the building. The moment she steps in the building a man greets her. He’s tall, he has black hair, pale blue eyes alongside a pale complexion as well. He gives her a cold and hard look. She wonders ‘Is this my boss?’ ‘If he is, this is gonna be interesting to say the least…’ 
“l know what you're thinking, I’m not your boss.” Elena nods slowly but then looks even more confused,“Then who are? If you don’t mind me asking of course.” “I do mind actually!” Elena looks down in embarrassment. “I’m sorry sir, the women who interviewed me didn’t tell me who he was or anything like that. She said she would meet me here.” “Leave the poor girl alone, she didn’t know there’s no shame in that.” The woman she interviewed me a few days ago says, I believe her name was Caroline if I’m remembering correctly. She leans her head to look at Elena and replies with “Come with me, it’s time to meet Mr.Salvatore. And don’t worry it’s not your fault for not knowing it’s mine entirely for not telling you.” 
Once they had moved to the elevator away from the man. Elena whispers “Thank You.” “For what?” Caroline asks, confused. “For saving me from him, he does not like me very much.” Caroline leans closer and says “He doesn’t like anyone.” Elena giggles and replies with “That makes sense.” Caroline smiles back at her. Just as Caroline pressed the button for floor 102 a man stopped the elevator before it closed. The man walked in and walked towards Caroline smiling gently at her. ‘He seems sweet and cute. Wait what if this is my boss? I can't think like that!’ Elena mentally scolded herself for thinking in that way’ ‘He had dark blonde hair, forest green eyes that had a romantic glint that shined brightly, and he had a soft smile that lit up the room. Oh my god, Elena! Stop thinking that he could be your boss once again!’ Elena thought to herself.  He stood by Caroline and conversed in small talk with her “Good morning Caroline! I never did get the chance to ask you but how has the interviewing been going?” 
“Well, Mr.Salvatore it's especially great since she’s standing right behind you.” Stefan whipped his head around to get a better look at Elena. His gaze softened when his eyes met her. He smiled at her, charmly. He reached his hand out, motioning for her to shake his hand. She gladly took his hand and shook it with just the right amount of firmness. When Stefan touched Elena’s hand he must have felt how gentle it was while when Elena touched him she must have felt how soft it was. They’re eyes never left one another, they were like in this haze of admiration. They both thought to themselves ‘You can’t think like that she’s/he your co-worker!’ 
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss…?”
“Miss. Gilbert, Elena Gilbert. And it’s a pleasure to meet you too Mr.Salvatore.” She smiled kindly at him and he smiled back with just as much warmth. 
Caroline intervened and asked “So are you ready for the tour, Elena?”
Before Elena could respond Stefan answered “Why don’t I show her around, you already have done so much,” He grinned at her, “Well, Thank You Mr.Salvatore you're very considerate.” She smiled back at him. 
The elevator dinged and Elena and Stefan moved out of the elevator. “Elena?” Caroline called, “Yes?” 
“If you need anything, don't be afraid to let me know.” Caroline gushed sincerely, grinning brightly at Elena. 
“I will Caroline Thank You,” She smiled back at Caroline with just as much sincerity. You could see it now, the start of a new and wonderfully blossomed friendship. 
“Anytime.” Caroline pressed the first floor button and the elevator, leaving the pair alone. 
Elena turned to Stefan “Where do we start?”
Stefan turned to look at her as he said “My office, your area, and a few other places as well.”
“Where’s my area?” Elena asked. 
“In the lobby area, where you came in there’s the front desk and that’s where you’ll be working.” Elena nodded in understanding.  
Stefan led her to his office area, “This is my area or my office area.” In the background of his office you could see his book shelves full of so many different types of books.  And his desk was in the middle, it had this glossy look and it was a shade of dark brown. “Wow, it's beautiful.”
“Why Thank You. That’s very kind of you.” Elena smiled at the complement.
“Now, let me show you to the lobby area,” He smiled softly at her as he led her back to the elevator. They both stepped in and he pressed floor one. 
“You know Elena-” Stefan started, turning to look over at Elena. “You don’t strike me as someone who would be a receptionist.” 
Elena smiled softly to herself, she must have felt her cheeks blushing as she looked down, “Life got in the way and it was expensive, and I felt like I could do good becoming a receptionist even if it’s in a different way than I wanted to originally,” 
“What did you want to be when you grew up, Mr.Salvatore?” 
“Ironically enough at first I wanted to be a Doctor as well.” 
Elena lifted her eyes from the elevator door back to his eyes,“Why didn’t you?” She inquired.  
“This company needed me especially after my father died and I couldn’t look away. I had to help.” Elena smiled with genuine compassion as she praised “Mr. Salvatore you are truly a kind man and a compassionate one too. That was quite noble of you most wouldn’t do that.” Elena voiced gently, Stefan looked at her with his vibrant smile and gleaming green eyes and thoughtfully replied with “Thank You, Ms.Gilbert you truly have a kind soul and I am lucky to have someone like you here.” 
“No, it's quite the opposite. I'm honored to be working here because I was laid off from my last job and I was worried I wouldn’t find one this time for rent, but luckily I did. In the way you all were my savior I couldn’t Thank You all enough.” 
“I’m glad you will be working here especially since we need someone like you, someone who cares.” Stefan praised, passionately. 
Elena smiles at the compliment,“Well, Thank You Mr.Salvatore you’ve been so welcoming and caring I can’t help but feel excited to start.” 
“I’m pleased to hear that.” He said with humility. Stefan was quite grateful she was going to be working here, ‘I wish we could find more people like her kind and caring, I’m just thankful she is here,’ ‘I’m very grateful I got this job, I have a good feeling about this job,’ They both simultaneously smile to themselves wrapped up in their own thoughts that was until the elevator dinged and they were back at the first floor. Elena jerked a little, Stefan looked over at her worry spread across his face. “Are you alright?" He asked, with panic in his voice. He placed his hand on her shoulder.
 “Sorry, I was too wrapped up in my thoughts.” Elena placed her hand on her chest, trying to regain her composure. He smiled at her researingly and she smiled back feeling a sense of warmth fill her chest.  
He turned to look back at her as he led her to her desk. “Here we are Ms.Gilbert.” 
“Thank You Mr.Salvatore for your help,” She replied politely. 
“Anytime Ms.Gilbert let me know if you need anything at all.”
“I will, Thank You Mr.Salvatore.” Elena said, and Stefan walked away heading toward the elevator, planning to go back to his office. Elena watched as Stefan a sigh escaped her lips, she must have felt a tinge of blush come across her face as she turned away and started to focus on settling in her new desk area. 
Just as she sat down someone came up to her, It was a woman. Elena asked, “How can I help you?” 
The woman was timid but still spoke up “I-I was wondering if I could schedule a meeting with M-mr.Salvatore I’m one of his clients.” She said, shakily. 
“Of course,” Elena looked at the calendar behind her and noticed July 7th was open for meetings. She grabbed a pen and wrote ‘Meeting with-’
“What’s your name ma’am?”
“My n-name is Alexia Branson.” Elena wrote her name on the calendar, “You're all set Ms.Branson, give us a call if you need anything.” She smiled warmly at the women and she thought to herself ‘I have a great feeling about this.’ She smiled to herself as she watched the lady leave and she went back to work. 
@queenofstelena / @wiidestdrearms
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yoda-bor · 4 months
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This is my IG Top 9 and i want to post it also here because this year is so much important for me.
And i'm sorry but i will write in french because this is so much easy for me 😅.
J'ai eu une merveilleuse année 2023 et j'ai envie de la garder précieusement dans ma mémoire. Il y a eu des hauts et des bas bien sûr mais j'ai l'impression que ma vie a changé et ça fait du bien de se sentir vivre pour quelque chose.
1 La Garde de Nuit et Ouest Hurlant.
J'aime mon association, j'aime notre communauté, j'aime nos retrouvailles parfois un peu trop éloignées mais on est toujours là au fil des ans. Les salons de livres sont toujours de bons moments et Ouest Hurlant a été un très bon moment.
2 Joker Out et son fandom
Dire que Joker Out a changé ma vie est un euphémisme. Et si le groupe est merveilleux, j'aime surtout la communauté qui existe et qui s'est formée autour d'eux. Je suis plus active sur Twitter qu'ici du coup j'ai parfois du mal à retrouver qui est qui et j'en suis désolée mais mon voyage solo aux Pays Bas m'a permis de rencontrer de merveilleuses personnes et de rentrer les bras plein de cadeaux. Merci à vous, merci à @zadig-of-fate pour les lives instagram, merci à Lena, Anya et @luluxa , merci à tous les fanartistes, merci à tous les auteurs de fan fictions. Notre fandom est parfois compliqué à vivre, mais je l'aime.
3 Londres
Je suis fan de l'eurovision depuis de nombreuses années mais c'est 25 ans après en être tombée amoureuse que j'ai enfin assisté à mon premier concert ayant un rapport avec ça.
Je suis allée à Londres, j'ai pris l'avion et je suis allee voir Joker Out, quelques jours de vacances et des souvenirs plein la tête.
4 Amsterdam
Puisque j'étais bien partie pour casser toutes mes habitudes, j'ai passé 4 jours à Amsterdam pour Het Grote Songfestivalfeest. Un super concert, une ville merveilleuse, je suis morte de froid mais c'était génial.
5 Joker Out La Haye et Amsterdam
C'était fabuleux. Bien mieux qu'à Londres puisque cette fois il y avait toute la discographie, mais surtout j'y suis allée seule, j'ai passé des journées entières dans les files d'attente, je me suis encore plus gelée et vous savez quoi ? Ça valait absolument le coup. Chaque seconde était merveilleuse, j'ai rencontré Jan et Nace après le concert, j'ai des photos superbes (pas celles où je suis dessus bien sûr) et j'ai déjà hâte de recommencer.
6 Jean-Laurent del Socorro
Mon auteur préféré réussit à se faire une petite place avec cette photo où je montrais tous les livres que j'avais de lui. C'est à dire tous et même certains en double.
Et pour l'année prochaine ? Et bien on va continuer comme ça. J'ai besoin de reprendre un peu la lecture et faire quelques salons de livres.
J'espère retourner à Londres, pour voir Sudden Lights cette fois. Et puis il y aura Utrecht, Anvers et Glasgow (si je ne rajoute pas d'autres dates de concert au milieu) pour revoir Joker Out.
Continuer à bouger, chanter et vivre.
Bonne continuation à vous aussi, et que le monde soit meilleur pour tous 💜
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queenofstelena · 6 months
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When Stef met 'Lena
| Part One | <next>
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Elena was laid off from her last job due to her boss unable to pay her any longer. Elena had been searching for a job ever since, and then she discovered The Salvatore Industries. They were hiring or looking for a receptionist. Just the job for her. They had been her savior, she desperately needed this job. Rent money doesn’t come from out of thin air.
Elena Gilbert is described by many as stubborn, hard working, kind, and gentle. From a young age she strived to at least try when attempting at something which she carried with her into adulthood. And according to Caroline Forbes that was exactly what Salvatore Industries needed. Heart, kindness, and the strive to work hard. And that was exactly the receptionist they needed. Not what most people expect right? A receptionist needed those qualities? Yes, at The Salvatore industries they wanted and needed good people, people who carried about what they were doing. And Elena Gilbert was the perfect candidate.
There was this musical ringing, the phone rang several times before Elena reached it. She picked the phone up and answered with “Hello?”
“Elena hi! I have wonderful news you got the job! Your first day is tomorrow please meet me at The Salvatore Industries near the front lobby. The address once again is 523 Mystic City Avenue. Can’t wait to see you then!” Caroline beamed and hung up the phone.
Elena felt relief wash over her and then dread. Elena rubbed her temples in exasperation “She didn’t tell me who my boss is? Oh well this is gonna be fun,” Elena tried calling Caroline back again to get some answers to her questions but to no avail she did not answer. She tried again and all she heard was that loud and weird beeping sound when you call someone and they’re on the phone with someone else. Elena was irritated but instead of focusing on the negative she goes and calls Bonnie.
Elena dialed Bonnie’s phone number 876-435-778. All you could hear was the ringing and how it paused and started to ring and pause once again until Bonnie picked up.
“Bonnie guess what!” Elena exclaims enthusiastically.
“You got the job!”
“Yes I did! I got the job!”
“That’s amazing Elena! I’m so proud of you!”
“Aw, thank you Bonbon.”
“You're welcome! Tell you what, how about I drop you off and it’ll save you the trouble of using more gas.”
“That sounds like a plan Bon, also apparently I start tomorrow.”
“That’s quick, but I can still drop you off, don't worry.”
“I should have known it wouldn’t be able to get rid of you that easily.” Elena teased.
“Hey!”
“Kidding.” Elena giggled and Bonnie laughed alongside her.
-
Bonnie and Elena finally arrived at The Salvatore Industries. Bonnie parked in the parking lot, “Here we are.” Elena looked at the building nervously. “Don’t worry, You’ll do fine!” Bonnie gushed. Elena grinned at Bonnie feeling confidence wash over her.
“Take a deep breath and keep your chin up.” Elena smiles softly and replies with “I will, don’t worry.” Bonnie smiles and says her goodbyes as she rides off leaving Elena by herself. Elena takes a few deep breaths, even though she already had been in the building it didn’t ease her nerves. But she tried to do what Bonnie wanted her to do. Keep her chin held high. She walked towards the building. Was it larger than the first time she saw it? No, but it felt larger.
‘It’s just my first day, what could possibly go wrong?’ “Ugh who am I kidding?” Elena lets out a sigh and walks in the building. The moment she steps in the building a man greets her. He’s tall, he has black hair, pale blue eyes alongside a pale complexion as well. He gives her a cold and hard look. She wonders ‘Is this my boss?’ ‘If he is, this is gonna be interesting to say the least…’
“l know what you're thinking, I’m not your boss.” Elena nods slowly but then looks even more confused,“Then who are? If you don’t mind me asking of course.” “I do mind actually!” Elena looks down in embarrassment. “I’m sorry sir, the women who interviewed me didn’t tell me who he was or anything like that. She said she would meet me here.” “Leave the poor girl alone, she didn’t know there’s no shame in that.” The woman she interviewed me a few days ago says, I believe her name was Caroline if I’m remembering correctly. She leans her head to look at Elena and replies with “Come with me, it’s time to meet Mr.Salvatore. And don’t worry it’s not your fault for not knowing it’s mine entirely for not telling you.”
Once they had moved to the elevator away from the man. Elena whispers “Thank You.” “For what?” Caroline asks, confused. “For saving me from him, he does not like me very much.” Caroline leans closer and says “He doesn’t like anyone.” Elena giggles and replies with “That makes sense.” Caroline smiles back at her. Just as Caroline pressed the button for floor 102 a man stopped the elevator before it closed. The man walked in and walked towards Caroline smiling gently at her. ‘He seems sweet and cute. Wait what if this is my boss? I can't think like that!’ Elena mentally scolded herself for thinking in that way’ ‘He had dark blonde hair, forest green eyes that had a romantic glint that shined brightly, and he had a soft smile that lit up the room. Oh my god, Elena! Stop thinking that he could be your boss once again!’ Elena thought to herself. He stood by Caroline and conversed in small talk with her “Good morning Caroline! I never did get the chance to ask you but how has the interviewing been going?”
“Well, Mr.Salvatore it's especially great since she’s standing right behind you.” Stefan whipped his head around to get a better look at Elena. His gaze softened when his eyes met her. He smiled at her, charmly. He reached his hand out, motioning for her to shake his hand. She gladly took his hand and shook it with just the right amount of firmness. When Stefan touched Elena’s hand he must have felt how gentle it was while when Elena touched him she must have felt how soft it was. They’re eyes never left one another, they were like in this haze of admiration. They both thought to themselves ‘You can’t think like that she’s/he your co-worker!’
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss…?”
“Miss. Gilbert, Elena Gilbert. And it’s a pleasure to meet you too Mr.Salvatore.” She smiled kindly at him and he smiled back with just as much warmth.
Caroline intervened and asked “So are you ready for the tour, Elena?”
Before Elena could respond Stefan answered “Why don’t I show her around, you already have done so much,” He grinned at her, “Well, Thank You Mr.Salvatore you're very considerate.” She smiled back at him.
The elevator dinged and Elena and Stefan moved out of the elevator. “Elena?” Caroline called, “Yes?”
“If you need anything, don't be afraid to let me know.” Caroline gushed sincerely, grinning brightly at Elena.
“I will Caroline Thank You,” She smiled back at Caroline with just as much sincerity. You could see it now, the start of a new and wonderfully blossomed friendship.
“Anytime.” Caroline pressed the first floor button and the elevator, leaving the pair alone.
Elena turned to Stefan “Where do we start?”
Stefan turned to look at her as he said “My office, your area, and a few other places as well.”
“Where’s my area?” Elena asked.
“In the lobby area, where you came in there’s the front desk and that’s where you’ll be working.” Elena nodded in understanding.
Stefan led her to his office area, “This is my area or my office area.” In the background of his office you could see his book shelves full of so many different types of books. And his desk was in the middle, it had this glossy look and it was a shade of dark brown. “Wow, it's beautiful.”
“Why Thank You. That’s very kind of you.” Elena smiled at the complement.
“Now, let me show you to the lobby area,” He smiled softly at her as he led her back to the elevator. They both stepped in and he pressed floor one.
“You know Elena-” Stefan started, turning to look over at Elena. “You don’t strike me as someone who would be a receptionist.”
Elena smiled softly to herself, she must have felt her cheeks blushing as she looked down, “Life got in the way and it was expensive, and I felt like I could do good becoming a receptionist even if it’s in a different way than I wanted to originally,”
“What did you want to be when you grew up, Mr.Salvatore?”
“Ironically enough at first I wanted to be a Doctor as well.”
Elena lifted her eyes from the elevator door back to his eyes,“Why didn’t you?” She inquired.
“This company needed me especially after my father died and I couldn’t look away. I had to help.” Elena smiled with genuine compassion as she praised “Mr. Salvatore you are truly a kind man and a compassionate one too. That was quite noble of you most wouldn’t do that.” Elena voiced gently, Stefan looked at her with his vibrant smile and gleaming green eyes and thoughtfully replied with “Thank You, Ms.Gilbert you truly have a kind soul and I am lucky to have someone like you here.”
“No, it's quite the opposite. I'm honored to be working here because I was laid off from my last job and I was worried I wouldn’t find one this time for rent, but luckily I did. In the way you all were my savior I couldn’t Thank You all enough.”
“I’m glad you will be working here especially since we need someone like you, someone who cares.” Stefan praised, passionately.
Elena smiles at the compliment,“Well, Thank You Mr.Salvatore you’ve been so welcoming and caring I can’t help but feel excited to start.”
“I’m pleased to hear that.” He said with humility. Stefan was quite grateful she was going to be working here, ‘I wish we could find more people like her kind and caring, I’m just thankful she is here,’ ‘I’m very grateful I got this job, I have a good feeling about this job,’ They both simultaneously smile to themselves wrapped up in their own thoughts that was until the elevator dinged and they were back at the first floor. Elena jerked a little, Stefan looked over at her worry spread across his face. “Are you alright?" He asked, with panic in his voice. He placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Sorry, I was too wrapped up in my thoughts.” Elena placed her hand on her chest, trying to regain her composure. He smiled at her researingly and she smiled back feeling a sense of warmth fill her chest.
He turned to look back at her as he led her to her desk. “Here we are Ms.Gilbert.”
“Thank You Mr.Salvatore for your help,” She replied politely.
“Anytime Ms.Gilbert let me know if you need anything at all.”
“I will, Thank You Mr.Salvatore.” Elena said, and Stefan walked away heading toward the elevator, planning to go back to his office. Elena watched as Stefan a sigh escaped her lips, she must have felt a tinge of blush come across her face as she turned away and started to focus on settling in her new desk area.
Just as she sat down someone came up to her, It was a woman. Elena asked, “How can I help you?”
The woman was timid but still spoke up “I-I was wondering if I could schedule a meeting with M-mr.Salvatore I’m one of his clients.” She said, shakily.
“Of course,” Elena looked at the calendar behind her and noticed July 7th was open for meetings. She grabbed a pen and wrote ‘Meeting with-’
“What’s your name ma’am?”
“My n-name is Alexia Branson.” Elena wrote her name on the calendar, “You're all set Ms.Branson, give us a call if you need anything.” She smiled warmly at the women and she thought to herself ‘I have a great feeling about this.’ She smiled to herself as she watched the lady leave and she went back to work.
-
Tagging: @misschanadlerbong
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stars-and-darkness · 5 months
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WIP WEDNESDAY!!!
week #13
here's some more faerie!au, because the girlies warm my heart.
And then there’s a knock at the door.
Caroline groans.
“I can tell them you’ve gone to bed,” April offers.
“Do that.”
April leaves to do as she was bid, and Caroline pulls the earrings from her ears and the fur from her shoulders.
When the maid returns, however, she’s not alone.
“Lena? Bonnie?”
“Their ladyships would not be turned away,” April says, though a small glint in her eye tells Caroline that she knows she wouldn’t have wanted the two of them turned away, anyway.
“You can go, April,” she tells her, and rises to greet her friends.
“Sit back down,” Bon orders her immediately. She and Elena both are out of their finery, wrapped in sleep robes. “We tried to find you before, but your mother said you were still at the dance.” She continues April’s work with the pearls in her hair, clever fingers untangling them.
“I was accosted by the princes,” she says.
Bonnie and Elena exchange worried glances.
“Did … did Prince Tyler …”
“What? No! Goddess, no.” She shakes her head violently, causing Bonnie to pull on a curl. “No, no, it was Niklaus—well, he insists it’s Klaus, so Klaus it is, I suppose. Nothing really interesting happened. I think he enjoys riling me, and I intend to keep an eye on him.”
“Whatever for?” Elena’s brows are up to her hairline.
“For you, of course. He’s Lord Stefan’s close friend. I don’t trust Stefan either, yet, and I trust the literal royalty he associates with even less. You ought to be wary, too—oh, Elena, get that lovesick look off your face! You’ve only met the man today!”
“I can’t help it!” she protests, wringing her hand together. “Stefan’s kind, and he’s thoughtful, and just a little shy. But he understands me so well. I …” Her cheeks go very, very red.
Caroline stares at her. “Lena … I mean …”
“He’s amazing, Caroline.”
“He may seem that way,” Bonnie soothes them both. “But I think that what Caroline is trying to say is that we don’t know him very well yet, and that this is just the first impression.”
Caroline nods, causing Bon to pull at her hair again, but she doesn’t care.
“And,” Bonnie goes on, “correct me if I’m wrong here but I do not think that I am—what she is also trying to say is that Lord Stefan having friends in high places can be an advantageous thing to you both when you’re married, but it can also be dangerous if it turns out that he’s not all that he seems at first. Right?”
“Right,” Caroline breathes out. “I’m just trying to look after you, Lena.”
“I understand that,” Elena says slowly, fiddling with the end of her braid. I just think that you’re wrong.”
“And we’d like to be wrong as well,” Bonnie jumps in again. “Right, Care?”
“Of course. We will have to leave you here in this place. We just want you to be safe. Happy, too, but first things first.”
Elena’s lips curve slightly. “I think I might be. Happy, that is. Or at least I think I will be.”
“That’s good,” Bonnie says quietly. She’s finished with taking the last of the pearls out of Caroline’s hair, and Caroline reaches for a brush to untangle it and then pull it in a braid for the night. “What do we think about Lord Salvatore? He’s Stefan’s only close relation.”
Caroline shrugs. “He talks a lot when he ought to be quiet. But I think he’s harmless.”
“I don’t,” Bonnie says immediately. “I think he can be very, very dangerous, and that we ought to keep an eye on him, just as much as you want to keep an eye on your prince, though not necessarily for the same reasons.”
Both Caroline and Elena stare at her mutely.
She shifts uncomfortably.
“I guess … I mean, it’s just something my great-great aunt said.” She rolls her eyes then. “I wanted to meet her, but she wouldn’t let me go all night. But … anyway, I managed to get her to talk about the Salvatores, and well …” She breathes in. “She wouldn’t say much. But it seems that there is some friction between them. I don’t know exactly what’s the matter, but …” She shrugs. “But if Lord Salvatore decides to start making trouble for Stefan, then he’ll make trouble for you also.”
Elena seems to ponder that for a while. “If you’re right,” she says at last, “and Caroline is right … then shouldn’t I be able to count on Prince Niklaus to protect both Stefan and I from him?”
“Maybe,” Bonnie says quietly. “But we don’t know anything for sure, Elena. We’ve only just arrived.”
“Did the High Priestess mention anything more about them?” Elena asks, looking rather unhappy with Bonnie’s conclusion.
Bon just shrugs. “I don’t … I’m not sure. She seems to thrive on being cryptic. I’ll have to think about it, but I’ll let you know, alright?”
“Alright,” Elena says quietly. “It has to be good enough, right?”
“Right.”
“Alright!” Caroline claps her hands together. “We are now all going to get our beauty sleep, because tomorrow we have a wedding to attend. You can’t be a bride with bags under your eyes, Lena. I’d never forgive myself.”
“Goddess forbid,” Elena huffs out.
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salvatoraes-moved · 9 months
Text
thinking about how in canon the only nicknames i’ve ever heard stefan say to someone were care, nik, val and ric, perhaps bon once or twice, but i can’t remember. anyway , i’m here to say that if your muse has a nickname he’ll def call them it, especially if they’re in a relationship. he doesn’t use babe or baby too often but he does like nicknames. like lena for elena? or bex for rebekah? even d for damon and ty for tyler. it would be so cute if he’d use those in canon but julie hates him so i’ll be having my stefan use all the nicknames for your muses, thank you.
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misterrobobote · 1 year
Note
So if R.Fredbear results from the fusion of the souls of Andrew, Jack and Golden. It means that R.Fredbear has a different way of thinking than his past self. And I imagine the same thing with Bon-Bon and Melody.
Yes, exactly. R.Fredbear has a soul that is different from Fredbear (which we will name Golden to avoid confusion). Somehow R.Fredbear knows that he is different from the one "he was". But, he wants to change. He has feelings and memories of Jack and Andrew, but he wants to move on. Now, he wants to leave his sad past to enjoy a new life that he wants to cherish with people he loves. It was the same with R.Bon-Bon.
In the universe of mobox87, the animatronic host shares its body with the soul that shelters it. So Baby and Elisabeth have a different soul and a different way of thinking but it shares the same body. It is the same with SpringTrap/William, Charlie/Puppet/Lefty. When you talk with Baby, his eyes are blue. When they turn green you are talking to Elisabeth. However, no matter how long you talk to R. Fredbear or Bon-Bon, you are always talking to him. The reason is that Fredbear is the fusion of Golden/Jack/Andrew. At no time do you talk with Jack, because now Jack is a part of R. Fredbear's soul. It is the same with Meldoy Afton and R.Bon-Bon.
I hope I have helped you. Have a good day/evening and see you soon.
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thepaintedlady00 · 1 year
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Nightshade
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Chapter 2: Jack & Ozzy's
Chapter 1 | Chapter 3
This chapter has been the bane of my existence all day. Last night I finished all my editing and add-ons and this morning I woke up and it was all gone. I spent two hours trying to troubleshoot and save what I'd written and nothing worked. So I spent all day today re-editing and rewriting scenes. So if a few sections have mistakes or feel a bit off I apologize! But, as always, enjoy and please if you enjoy this chapter show it me lots of love! 😅😂
TW: language, some flirty tension, some drinking & smoking, minor mentions of drugs, I don't know shit about fancy wine or food 💁‍♀️, lots of new characters and little peeks into Lena's past (which we will be diving into the next few chapters), cliffhanger (yes, they're back bitches 😈)
"Bullshit!" Santos hollered beside me.
I held a wet hand up with a fit of laughter. "Swear to God!"
He shook his head, moving the bin of freshly washed dishes onto the drying rack as the other cooks joined in on the laughter. "Ain't no way a prim and proper girl like you did something like that!"
As I dried my hands I turned to the now-clean kitchen and smiled widely. "A prim and proper? Absolutely not!"
Isaac stuffed the last bite of his leftovers into his mouth and nodded. "It's true, Lena is a menace to society."
"You were there?"
"Oh yeah," he laughed, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "When she climbed onto the table I thought I'd seen it all, then-" he replicated the sound of tearing and laughed, "Off went the shirt and she started belting the worst rendition of Santa Baby I've ever heard! Best Christmas ever!"
I whacked his arm off and playfully shoved him. "Oh, like you weren't climbing on top of tables and singing Bon Jovi like a dumbass ten minutes after me!"
Isaac huffed, stumbling back into the counter with an exaggerated groan. "How could you Lena?! You know insults about my karaoke are my one weakness!"
Scott rolled his eyes, quietly laughing. "Keep it up, maybe he'll finally die and we can all have some peace."
"Ah-ha!" Isaac cheered, bouncing back up. "Hope, the source of my power!"
I clicked my tongue and shook my head at Scott. "Rookie move, Chef."
“How long have you two known each other?” Santos asked after his laughter had died down. 
My friend took his bandana off his head, waving the sweaty fabric in my face. “Years.”
“Too long,” I groaned, shoving his hand away.
“Come on, there has to be an interesting story there,” one of the other cooks demanded.
I smirked at Isaac and wiggled my eyebrows. “You wanna tell em or should I?”
“I’ll tell them. No one needs to hear your exaggerated tall tales.” He shrugged his shoulders and continued, “Her older brother and I are well acquainted.”
Scott scoffed and pointed to me. “Your version.”
Isaac protested, but everyone else shushed him and settled around me to listen. “So, there I was minding my own business watching tv on MY couch eating some shitty cereal or something when all of a sudden the front door gets slammed open and my brother practically drags this disheveled man into my apartment. I was shocked and slightly mortified, seeing my brother getting hot and heavy with some guy wasn’t exactly what I was expecting to see.”
“It was not that bad!” Isaac insisted.
“How long before they noticed you?” Santos asked with a wide grin.
“Oh once the shirts came off I was pretty quick to announce myself.” I laughed, bumping Isaacs's shoulder. “We bonded the following morning over a very awkward breakfast.”
He smirked at the memory. "You are very good at holding awkward conversations."
Howard entered the kitchen and looked around, his expression always masked with a polite curve of his lips but judgmental eyes. He looked at each of us, raising one brow and smiling just a little bit more. "Good service everyone."
It was an unspoken ritual of the night's end, Howard coming in and scanning the kitchen, one that never ceased making Scott's eye twitch. Having spent a month, among two among the kitchen crew It was abundantly clear that Scott felt stifled here and I couldn't exactly blame him. Howard ran a tight ship, ever the loyal and good quartermaster keeping things afloat for the absent captain and she ran an even tighter ship.
Scott was good for the place. He was modern and creative, a butterfly freshly freed of its cocoon only to be caught in a web. The web is old, beautiful, and luxurious but one storm away from being destroyed, and the two spiders that share it never seem to fully be on the same page. The first spider, older and wise, only weaves from old threads insisting that it is the best way to create something of worth. The second spider listens for a while but notices the storm clouds and how the web gets easily caught in the wind so he mixes new silks in with the old trying to keep the web tethered. All the other insects caught in the web remain unaware of the spiders and the storm, but the butterfly sees it all and dreams of what it would be like to fly.
Part of me sympathized with him, after all, I'd been the butterfly once. That was different though. I'd been born into the web, had known the web all my life, and had to destroy the wings to tear myself free. As I looked at Scott I only hoped he wouldn't have to make such a sacrifice. A butterfly without wings was just another insect.
"Let's drink!" Scott said with a deep sigh as he and the majority of the cooks headed out the doors to the lobby. 
I looked at Santos as he finished up the remaining dishes. "Need a hand?"
"No," he shook his head with a beaming smile. "There's only a few left. You go ahead, I’ll be right there."
"What's your drink? I'll make it for you when you finish."
He hummed for a minute, thinking intently about his answer. "Surprise me."
I smirked. “You like sweets or savories better?”
“Savories.”
“I’ve got the perfect drink for you to try then.”
The bar was crowded with bodies, everyone telling Nicky and Jake what they wanted to drink, some, Sasha, even reaching over to grab an entire bottle for himself. Howard walked around the lobby, quietly inspecting the tables and listening to his rowdy “changelings” as he liked to call us. Simone sat at one of the closer tables, swirling a glass of wine and looking around with the judgmental stare I’d grown used to in my time here. When her eyes settled on me, she offered up a smile, one that never reached her cold eyes. I returned the polite gesture, but never stopped to give her an opening. I’d be civil, and polite, but I knew her type… knew exactly what her goal was when it came to fresh faces and unpredictable people. In her mind, there could only be one of us.
I slid past Nicky, tapping his shoulder as I passed to grab a glass beside him. “Nick, we got shit for a Michelada?”
The older man slid his newly made drink over the bar to Will and pushed up his glasses, looking around for a minute before he nodded to the far end of the bar. “All the spices you need should be back there, bottom drawer. I’ll grab the beer and tomato juice for ya.”
“Thanks,” I replied turning to follow his directions. 
Jake stood in the middle of the space, shaking a drink with hints of an amused smirk on his lips as he looked over at me and said, “Sorry, I need room when I’m shaking.”
What an idiot. I smiled, gently grabbing his shoulder and brushing my body along his back to slide past him. “That’s alright, I don’t mind getting up close and personal.”
“Obviously not,” he hummed as his eyes followed my movements.
Both of us were used to the playful back and forths by now. After the night I schooled him behind the bar he’d been persistent in flirting with me, not that I minded. It was fun and innocent enough given the fact I knew Jake had no notions of grandeur or misconceptions about what was happening between us. I truly hadn’t spent a lot of time with him, but from the small moments, we did share I knew my beginning assessment of him had been pretty close. He was extremely guarded and hid his emotions behind a charming cloud of disinterest and humor, but it was obvious he paid attention to those around him. He was a classic case of a man shit load of unresolved trauma and behavioral issues, your classic bad boy type.
Bad boys didn’t really surprise me anymore. After spending literal years around them at the bar and the slightly different variations of them in culinary school it was all basically the same now. So, I let Jake stare at my boobs and ogle my ass. I flirted back at him, something I hadn’t initially planned on doing, but turned out to be kind of fun. My sex life wasn’t nonexistent, I had a few flings here and there with people I knew and trusted enough not to make the night awkward after, but all that had slowed down after Peter’s diagnosis. At first, it was because I was so busy trying to help take care of him, but now it was… I wanted something real. I wanted to be loved. Jake most likely couldn’t offer me that, but the fun back and forths filled the gaps enough to make me at least feel better for a bit.
When I turned, supplies in hand Jake turned around to face me as I once again slid past him. Ever cocky and smug as he raised his brow at my ability to initiate the intimate closeness that the others he’d pursued likely blushed at or hesitated with in confidence. I set the supplies down and thanked Nicky for getting the rest of it set up for me before jumping into making Santos’ cocktail. He finished up just as I’d begun adding the final touches and stood in front of me with a smile. “Looks delicious.” He complimented in Spanish.
“A delicious drink for a delicious dish boy,” I teased setting it in front of him. “Enjoy Santos.”
“Thank you, Lena.”
I stayed behind the bar that night, helping out with drinks and cleaning up after every one as the night dragged on and they all began to prepare for a long night of partying at Home Bar. Howard and Simone left together, something I’d learned was a regular occurrence, and shortly after they left I too began subtly gathering my things. When someone inevitably made some kind of commotion I quietly slipped through the kitchen and out the back door, as I did often, only this time I didn't get away with it. An arm wrapped around my shoulder and Sasha huffed. "It's so very rude of you to sneak out every night like a little thief, Tiger Bitch."
"Sasha," I whined. "I'm just trying to go home."
"So am I," he said, tugging me slightly. "Home Bar!"
I planted my feet. "Absolutely not! I don't need a hangover."
He frowned. "Oh please! I want to see the Tiger loosen up for once!"
"Sorry to disappoint, but I've got places to be."
His eyebrows wiggled. "A secret boyfriend? No! A child!"
I shook my head and kept walking. "No to both."
Sasha practically collapsed as he threw his head back and groaned. "Tiger Bitch enough with your mysteries!"
Looking back at the puppy-eyed Russian I sighed. "Fine. You can come with me, but this stays between you and me. Got it?"
He locked his lips and threw away the invisible key. "I will tell no one!"
"Come on then, we can't keep him waiting."
"I knew it was a man!"
"Just shut up and walk!"
*
Jake watched the door for a few minutes after Lena quietly slipped out. She rarely stayed later than Simone and Howard, something his coworkers were absolutely annoyed with. He too was a bit annoyed. After a month of flirting and trying to get this new girl locked in and he had absolutely nothing to show for it. Lena Harrow was still just as much of an enigma as the first day she walked in. The cooks raved every night about how funny and talented she was. The dishwashers gushed over her sticking around to help lighten the dish load with no expectations of payment or thanks. Sasha, Will, Ari, and Heather enjoyed the new girl's bite. Hell, even Scott liked her. 
No one, not even Tess, had been this popular at 22West. Jake shook his head, an instinctual attempt to try and refocus himself as the thoughts of Tess still stung. She wasn’t someone too important to him, not like Simone was, but her betrayal still hurt. He moved past it quickly, refusing to cling to that ugly ball of unresolved shit that had slowly been building mass inside his chest, and returned his thoughts to Lena.
They all gossiped as they always did but no one had anything real to add. Even Simone was at a loss, something that unsettled her far more than she let him see. Howard seemed to be the only one that could enlighten him on this frustrating woman, but he would never stoop so low. Jake huffed, turning his head to pour himself another drink just as the last cook exited the kitchen. He stared at Isaac for a moment. He knew her and maybe he'd be willing to share a few details in exchange for a bit of Jake's charm.
"Hey, Isaac," Jake called offering up a drink.
The man smiled, accepting it with a nod. "Thanks."
"So, you and the redhead?" Jake said with a suggestive smirk. "How long has that been a thing?"
Isaac made a face. "Lena and I aren't a couple. She's like a sister."
He nodded. "Sorry I just see you two together a lot, figured it was cause you were an item."
"It's alright," Isaac assured him. "An honest mistake."
"So, she's single then?"
This time Isaac laughed and shook his head. "Lena isn't gonna fuck you, Jake."
He scoffed. "Taken then?"
"Look, I won't pretend like you're not her type." He gestured to Jake, "Dark-haired, damaged bad boy is definitely her thing. But Lena doesn't have the time or interest in adding a very complicated fling or potentially rocky short relationship to her life. She's got enough on her plate as is."
Jake shrugged. "Maybe a fling is exactly what she needs."
Isaac shook his head. "Well, you’re not getting anything outta me. These lips are sealed, my friend.”
It was odd to him, the unwavering loyalty to whatever secrets Lena had entrusted Isaac with. Jake knew little about the cook personally, but from what he’d observed and gained in passing or from Simone the man was hardly a good person. He had his own shortcomings and demons, but no matter what anyone offered him he refused to give up anything that the girl hadn’t shared herself. There was more to her than met the eyes, this much he knew, but at this point, Jake was truly damn curious to learn just how deep this well went.
*
"Not that I don't trust you, little red-headed girl, but what the hell are we doing in a hospital?" Sasha hissed in a hushed whisper. "This isn't some sort of fucked up organ theft thing is it?"
I looked at him with scrunched eyes. "Ew, no!"
"Thank god," he sighed. "I would not have been ready for that!"
Rolling my eyes I waved to Lisa and the other nurses. “How’s today been?”
“Another good day,” she said with a wide smile. “If he keeps this up he might just get to go home.”
A sigh of relief slid past my lips as I smiled even wider. “Thank fuck. I love you guys but it’s really inconvenient having to schmooze the nurses for all-night passes.”
They all laughed and waved me off. “Shut up and get in there.”
Sasha watched me closely as we entered Peter's room, probably still a bit convinced I’d brought him here to steal his organs or something fucked up like that. I knocked on the wall and leaned around the corner a bit. “You up?”
Peter looked over at me looking surprisingly well. “I gotta wait for you, so obviously.”
“I brought someone with me. Is that okay?”
His eyes lit up as he sat up straighter in the bed. “A boy?!”
“Not like that, pervert!” Pulling Sasha into the room I gestured to Peter. “Sasha, this is Peter. My brother.” The man’s eyes went slightly wider with understanding as he took in the surrounding medical room. I gestured to Sasha and smiled at Peter. “Pete, this is Sasha. My work friend.”
Peter held his hand out and Sasha shook it with a slightly nervous look on his face. “It’s nice to meet you, Sasha. Thanks for putting up with her.”
Sasha snorted. “She’s quite a handful.”
There was a minute of silence between us, one that made Sasha's slight discomfort obvious. Peter relaxed back into his bed and gave my friend a reassuring look. “Don’t worry, I’m not contagious.”
“That’s good,” he replied, matching Peter's sarcasm. “I’d hate to have to wear that hideous hat.”
“I made him that hat!” I protested with an offended groan.
“It’s shit, so obviously you made it,” Sasha teased.
I laughed at him, slapping his arm. “So abusive! You should be nicer to me!”
Peter laughed from his bed, leaning over and pulling the slightly faded box out from the bag off to the side. “So, Sasha, do you like scrabble?”
“No.” He pulled up a chair and sat down beside the bed. “Let’s play it.”
“You in?” Peter asked me. He looked happy, glad that I’d followed his advice and opened up to at least one person from work. “Or you gonna chicken out again?”
I scoffed and hopped up on the bed, settling in across from him. “You’re going down, baldy.”
“Baldy?!” He hollered. “That’s insensitive.”
“I’m insensitive,” I answered.
“She is a real cunt,” Sasha agreed from the side, setting up his things.
Peter laughed, the sight of him so happy made me smile a bit wider. “As her older brother, I have to agree.”
I shook my head. “I expected better of you, Peter. Now I’m gonna have to kick your ass at Scrabble.”
Peter, Sasha, and I played a few rounds before chaos consumed the room. I was laughing on the bed, clutching my stomach as the muscles grew tense. Peter sat, smugly victorious yet again, with his arms behind his head while Sasha stood from his chair and pulled at the covers around my brother shouting in Russian a bit before insistently stating, “You cheat little sick boy!”
Peter only smiled wider. “I hardly think that’s necessary against two of the weakest opponents I've ever played Scrabble against.”
“I know a cheater when I see one! Where are you hiding them?”
“God I can’t breathe!” I giggled, nearly falling off the bed in a fit of laughter.
Peter shrugged his shoulders and looked at me. “You’ve got terrible taste in friends.”
I nodded, giving Sasha a loving look. “I know, at least he’s cute though.”
“Exotic too.”
“You two are monsters,” Sasha said flopping back into his chair and pointing at each of us. “Monsters and cheaters!”
“Oh don’t pretend you weren’t stuffing your jacket full of letters too, Russian boy!” Peter said, reaching over to tug on his sleeves. Letter tiles spilled, clacking to the floor. “We’re all cheaters here.”
I huffed and tossed my hair over my shoulder. “Speak for yourselves. I’d never stoop so low.”
“Shut the fuck up!” They both hollered.
After politely getting kicked out for disturbing the peace Sasha and I walked side by side down the dimly lit streets. He lit a cigarette and happily smoked as we moved. The night had gone better than I expected, though I should have known Sasha would be relaxed about things. He was dramatic, of course, but when it mattered he had your back. “So, did that answer your question?”
“One of them,” he answered with a smile. “Don’t worry, you’re still very mysterious.”
“Oh good, I’d hate to lose my fun appeal.”
“Why keep it a secret?” He asked blowing out a puff of smoke.
“I don’t want their pity.” I sighed. “Everyone that knows about Pete is close… like family. Every time I’ve told anyone outside of that they give me this look. Like I’m some poor child that they feel the need to protect. I don’t need that, especially not at work.”
Sasha nodded. “I understand. Like I said, your secrets are safe with me Tiger Bitch.”
I smiled and shoved him lightly. “Thanks, Russian Boy.”
He groaned. “You’re not calling me that.”
*
Sasha didn’t tell anyone of our night, not even when they pried and pleaded for the details of my mysterious life. He gave everyone a different answer each time they asked, steadily getting more ridiculous with it until people just stopped asking. It was this that ultimately led me to settle within the group. I interacted with everyone freely, staying around most nights to at least share after-shift drinks with them. They weren’t my closest friends, but maybe one day they would be.
When I arrived at work two weeks later Howard was waiting for me. “Good morning Howard.”
“Good morning Lena,” he answered stiffly. “Forgive me for springing this on you last minute, but I need you to work the front tonight.”
“You need another server?” I asked. “Planning on having a bad night?”
He sighed. “I’m not sure yet. We’re somehow overbooked, which never bodes well.”
“It’s a good thing you’ve got an extra pair of hands then. Don’t worry, Howard I’ll do my best to keep things from going to shit.”
Back in the locker room I put my cook's jacket back in my locker and straightened up the striped shirt underneath. I wasn’t a stranger to playing the field, as Howard called it during my interview, but I didn’t look forward to the night of service ahead of me. I knew exactly how to speak, stand and serve, knew the ins and outs of the position, but that wasn’t the issue… what was went a lot deeper than a few plates and fancy words. I took a deep breath and looked at myself in the mirror, tightening my ponytail slightly as I desperately tried to keep from dwelling on the past. You’re here for the future, none of that shit matters now. I told myself as I turned away from the mirror and headed downstairs.
Scott looked about as displeased about the sudden change as I did. He regarded my outfit with a shake of his head. “Bullshit that Howard’s just gonna pull you from the line last minute.”
“Yeah, sorry Chef,” I offered up standing and waiting for him to finish plating. “But that was kind of the position I got hired on for.”
“Still,” he huffed, not bothering to finish his train of thought. “These go to table 5.”
“Have a good service Chef,” I said as I easily loaded my arms up with the plates and moved out the kitchen door and toward the table.
It wasn’t complicated, but damn did the fake smiles and overly polite tones of voice really just fucking suck. When I approached my twentieth table of the night, my cheeks were sore and I was getting fed up with pretending to care about these rich idiots' food preferences. Table 14 was full of three people, all Asian and all looked unimpressed. I set the menus in front of them and smiled. “Sorry about the wait, we’re a bit overbooked tonight.”
The man furthest from me bowed his head a bit before he opened up his menu. “It is fine.”
“Is there a particular bottle of wine that you’re interested in drinking tonight? Warre’s 2000 Port Vintage has been especially popular tonight.”
He made a face but nodded. “That will suffice.” 
I made a mental note of it and turned to go get the wine when he stopped me. “I believed we are ready to order as well.”
“Oh, okay what can I get started for you?”
The two closest to me ordered the same dish, but the older man hummed in thought. “What would you recommend?”
“The chicken wellington with a side of braised vegetables and garlic roasted potatoes is, in my opinion, truly exceptional.”
“That will suffice, thank you.” As he bowed his head and lifted the menu up toward me his pin caught the light, and my eyes nearly widened at the sight of the rainbow koi fish pinned to his tie. The memory burned bright in my mind as I accepted the menu with a smile and politely excused myself.
I sat at the bar, swinging my legs back and forth as I colored in the crude Koi drawing. The man sitting beside me leaned over and chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a rainbow Koi fish before.”
With a slight frown, I leaned closer to him and held my hand in front of my mouth to keep the bartender from hearing. “They’re not real.”
The old man gasped softly. “What? This is truly upsetting news.”
“I know,” I replied, admiring the bright colors of my drawing. “I cried for a whole day when my mommy told me.”
“Well,” he tapped the drawing. “At least you’ll always have this one.”
Smiling up at the old man my eyes glued to the brightly colored Koi pin he wore. “You have one too!”
With a chuckle, he touched the small trinket. “I suppose I do. Though it’s hardly as colorful as yours.”
I hummed softly. “Yeah, but it’s still pretty.”
“You seem familiar,” the man admitted.
“I wait here a lot,” I explained as I finished the final touches. “My mommy is very busy.”
He nodded with an understanding smile. “Yes, that may very well be why. Or perhaps you and I knew one another in another life.”
My brows furrowed as I looked up at him. “There’s more than one?”
“Some people think so,” he explained. “It’s believed that we live and die to begin anew based on our deeds in past lives.”
“Maybe we were fish in our past life,” I giggled.
“I think I would make quite a good fish.”
The bartender bowed his head to us and looked at me with a smile. “Your mother’s ready for you, Ms. Harrow.”
Hopping off my seat I held the drawing out to the older man. “You keep it.”
“Are you sure?” He asked. “It’s a lovely piece.”
I nodded. “I can make more.”
That had been my first run-in with the businessman and restaurant connoisseur Mr. Hiragana. He and I spoke often after that when I’d wait at the same bar for my mother. In the short years, I spoke with him, he told me everything he loved about food and wine, told me about how he planned to build a beautiful restaurant and share his family's recipes with the whole of Japan. I drew him pictures of koi fish while we sat and he took every last one of them.
“Howard,” I said softly, discarding my menus on the counter and joining him where he stood off to the side with Simone. She watched me closely, but I ignored her cold glare and continue speaking. “The man at table 14 is Katashi Hiragana. He’s a very prestigious Japanese entrepreneur. Dozens of restaurants and other businesses, food blogs, the works.”
Howard and Simone both looked over at the table before he waved over to the hostess. She brought him the scheduling book and he leafed through the pages for a moment. “I don’t see his name here.”
“You won’t. He uses a false name when he goes to new restaurants in the states. He’s known for being a picky eater, so he goes to the highly-rated restaurants in the area he’s in and tries them anonymously. If he doesn’t like the food or the service he never comes back, sometimes he leaves a bad review, but if he does like the food he makes the restaurant one of his routine visits when he visits.”
Howard looked at the table again, thoughtful and cunning. “What do you suggest then?”
I straightened up. “I want to give him wine from our Japanese selection, with compliments. The bottle I have in mind isn’t too expensive, but it’s one I think he’d enjoy. I also have a few ideas for Scott on how to make the meal more suited to his tastes.”
“How do you know what his tastes are?” Simone questioned, bitter doubt dripping in her voice. “How do you know any of this?”
All I offered her was a glance her way before looking back at Howard, who nodded to me with a smile. “Go ahead and make the changes. Providing the best experience for our guests is the priority.”
“Thank you.”
I hurried past them and into the kitchen. “Scott, I need something a bit off menu.”
The chef's eyes lit up as everything stopped. “Off menu? You serious?”
“Not off off menu, but definitely different from what we usually do.”
He tossed a rag over his shoulder and moved toward me. “I can fuck with that.”
“Good.” I grabbed a pen and notepad, jotting down the subtle changes that I knew would make this meal stand out, and looked up at him. “Think you can do it?”
His eyes scanned the paper and he smiled. “Hell yeah.”
As Scott shouted at the kitchen staff to fire the order up I went downstairs and leafed through the wine shelves until I found the dark bottle of 2000 Sainte Neige Muscat Bailey A. I squeezed it happily and returned upstairs, moving through the crowded and bustling lobby until I reached the table with a smile. I bowed and said, in Japanese, “Forgive me for the wait, Mr. Hiragana.”
The man seemed to be surprised by my swift change in language, as well as the knowledge that I knew who he was. Calmly, he responded. “You know me?”
“I know of you,” I corrected. “It is an honor to have you dine with us tonight.” Holding the bottle out for him to see I smiled. “A bottle of 2000 Sainte Neige Muscat Bailey A. Compliments of the staff.”
He smiled fondly at it, nodding to the glasses. "A fine vintage."
Pouring the rich liquid I offered him a kind smile. "The region is beautiful, truly one of the staples of your homeland."
"Have you been before?"
"Yes."
"Is that where you learned Japanese?" He asked in English as he swirled his glass, sniffing with a gleeful delight plain on his face. "You sound as though you were born speaking it."
I laughed, shaking my head and thanking him for his generous compliment. "I learned the language young. My family traveled a lot. Japan was one of our more frequent locations, one I loved. The hotels were always beautiful and the landscape even more so, but it was the people I met that made it worthwhile."
Mr. Hiragana took a sip of the wine and nodded happily, urging the others at his table to drink theirs as well. He looked up at me and narrowed his eyes. "You look familiar."
"Perhaps we've met in another lifetime," I offered up with a fond smile.
"Perhaps one not too long ago." He answered, recognition shining in his eyes.
I bowed again. "I'll go check on your food."
He returned the gesture. "Thank you."
Nicky waved me down quickly before I passed the bar. “Hey, I never do this, but my daughter's recital is tonight. Would you mind sticking around to help close everything up after drinks?”
“Absolutely,” I replied.
“You’re a lifesaver kid.”
“Don’t sweat it, Nicky,” I assured him as I moved back into the kitchen quickly. “Table 14 ready yet?”
Scott concentrated on a plate of food, adding the final garnishes to the dish. “Got it right here.”
I smiled down at the gorgeous plates of food and gathered them up into my arms. “Absolute art, Chef.”
“Fuck yeah it is.”
The plates tapped against the table lightly as I set each dish down in front of the people at the table. I stepped back and bowed deeply. “It has been an honor to host you this evening. Please, enjoy your meals.”
That night service flew by quickly, and despite the disadvantage, we all had from being overbooked every server came out well-tipped and happy. All of us clamored into the locker room and stripped ourselves of the confines of our uniforms. Sasha groaned as he tore his shoes off. “I never want to see that many people ever again in my life!”
“Agreed,” Heather huffed fluffing her hair and shaking her head. “That was absolutely ridiculous!”
“At least we came out with a shitload of tips,” Ari sighed, rolling her neck.
They all dressed quickly and hurried downstairs. “Let’s get fucking wasted!” Sasha yelled in the stairwell.
I rolled my eyes and continued to slowly reapply my regular attire. My arm got caught in my sleeve and a fair-skinned hand settled against my shoulder stopping me from the rough movements I had been making trying to fix it. Simone smiled at me. “May I?”
“Sure,” I said, cautiously.
Her eyes latched onto the long scar that marred the skin of my shoulder and part of me wanted to flinch… to hide from her scrutinizing and cold stare. She straightened out the fabric, loosening the twist or knot that had kept me from pushing my arm through. “There you go.”
“Thanks.” I slid my arm through and turned away from her, loose hair falling out of my loose ponytail as I leaned over to grab my jacket.
Her fingers gathered the loose hair, startling me with the soft and unexpected touch. “Let me.” She pulled the band from my hair and silently rebound it, securing the loose hairs back into place. “You did well today,” Simone said softly, her fingers tugging my ponytail tighter, an action that sent a quick jolt of pain and panic through my scalp and chest.
I moved away from her, breathing out a quiet, “Thank you.”
Still, she didn’t look pleased as her stiff-lipped smile made her eyes only look colder. “I still don’t know how you did it, but I hear Table 14 raved about their experience.”
“That’s good.”
“Yes,” she said. “The guests come first, after all.”
That same chill of anticipation that I felt on my second day rushed up my spine as she watched me. “Was there something you needed, Simone?”
"I found this in your hire file," Simone said, holding the photo. It was a simple thing, taken ages ago of Howard and I standing side by side smiling. I had a stupid apron on that said "future chef" and was covered in flour.
"That's a good picture of me," I said sarcastically. "We should frame it."
Simone simply smiled. "I just found it interesting to learn you knew Howard so closely."
Humming, I looked back up at her. "Oh, I see. You're trying to imply I slept with Howard to be here."
"You aren't exactly denying it."
"I don't have to." I shrugged. "If you want to believe that I did it, that's your right. I'm not going to break my back trying to convince you otherwise."
She blinked and that bright smile curved downward slightly. "I’m just concerned for you. People around here like to talk."
"And?"
“I wouldn’t want them to think less of you if they somehow found this."
"That’s very kind of you, but I don't care what anyone else thinks." I met her cold gaze with a smile. "Is there anything else you need to discuss with me?"
"No."
I passed her. "Thank you for the conversation."
Howard stood in the now-empty kitchen, thanking Santos for his work before he turned and offered me a kind smile. "You did exceptional as a server tonight. Mr. Hiragana has already confirmed his next visit and requested you see to his table personally."
"A high honor."
"One you deserve." He pointed to the photo. "What's this?"
Laughing I held it out to him. "Just the best picture ever."
He joined me in laughing. "Yes, not one of either of our finest fashion moments."
"That suit?" I joked. "Howard, what were you thinking?!"
With a quirked brow, he pointed to me. "The apron?"
"Touche,” I admitted as I moved past him toward the lobby.
"Not sneaking out tonight?"
Of course, Howard knew my habits. I simply shrugged. "I offered to give Nicky a break tonight."
"I'm sure he's grateful. Goodnight, Lena."
"Have a safe walk home, Howard."
22West had begun to feel more comfortable, something I hadn't expected when I asked for the job. Though I guess I had the people to thank for it. From behind the bar I watched them joke and laugh and let the struggles of the night wash away. It was a beautiful thing, watching life return to their eyes a little bit each minute. I laughed alongside everyone as I made them drinks and joined them in conversations. I was part of the group and it felt nice, even if there were some people I wouldn’t get along very well with.
Jake had been especially flirty, passing me ingredients and glasses with long lingering touches and whispered compliments. Though it felt nice, that feeling of desire and want when the crowd eventually thinned out and he and I remained to clean up the last of the glassware I felt the need to clearly state my intentions or lack thereof. “The flirting has been fun and all, but I feel the need to make sure you know that this isn’t going to happen.”
He looked at me with an amused smile. “What?”
“This,” I waved a hand between the two of us. “You can flirt with me all you want, but that’s as far as you’re gonna get.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.” I set the newly polished glass aside and confidently held his gaze.
Jake shrugged, doing the same. “Could be fun.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt it. You clearly know what you’re doing and I clearly know what I am, but I’ve done this song and dance before. A lot.”
His laugh was warm and light as he took a step towards me, cocky and clearly interested in pushing to see how set I was on the position. “A lot?”
I smirked. “Of course, the only way to know what you’re doing regarding sex is to practice.”
“We could swap stories,” he offered up. “Maybe practice some new moves.”
“Cute,” I said brushing past him to get another glass to polish. “Look, it’s nothing personal Jake. I’ve just been you before. So focused on anything to distract me from the shit I was dealing with that I forgot how it felt to… actually care.” I looked back at him. The humor had faded from his face and his eyes watched me, narrowed and set in hurt and frustration. “I don’t need to be distracted anymore.”
After a vulnerable moment of silence, he scoffed and pushed himself off the bar, walking until he stood right in front of me, crowding my space in an attempt to make me feel small. “You don’t know shit about me.”
I shrugged. “Maybe I don’t, but maybe I do and that scares you.”
“Didn’t expect you to be so full of yourself.”
“No?” I smiled. “I figured it was obvious. Guess I’ll have to dial it up.”
Though he didn’t show it outwardly, I could tell my calm phased him. He’d likely done this move before and gotten the big doe eyes and the timid step back, but he wouldn’t get that from me. Jake was the one to withdraw first, nodding me dismissively toward the door. “Go home.”
I set the glass I’d just finished on the shelf. “Don’t want help finishing up?”
“Nope.”
“Suit yourself.” I turned on my heel, grabbed my things, and tapped the bar. “Have a safe walk home.”
*
The sunlight warmed my cheeks as I stood looking up through the trees with a smile on my face. God, it felt good to have a day off, especially on a day like today. Sunny and warm and completely free to do whatever I wanted with. Anyone that knew me would already know exactly what my plans were for a day like this, my unpredictable days of adventure and poor decisions likely long behind me, but I didn’t care. I practically skipped down the steps and through the green door of the bar. “Good morning boys!”
The three large security men turned toward me with wide smiles as I deposited the bag of fresh pastries into their hands and watched them all fight over who got to pick first. “Hey, Lena!”
“The big man in yet?”
“In the office!” One of them groaned as they wrestled the others for the bag.
“Thank you!” I drew in a deep breath of the smoke-scented space. Jack and Ozzy’s was an old establishment, rich with history and all kinds of funky smells and sights. It was the place I’d learned to bartend, the place I first performed in front of a crowd, and the place threw my first drink in someone's face. I’d thrown up in every booth and bathroom stall, made friends at the bar, and cried the narrow hallways. It was a part of home for me, every scuff and torn seat.
The house lights were always dim, casting the large space of empty chairs and tables and booths in a haze of pale light. The bar was on the right, with the office tucked behind it and the stage, where the band that always played here was prepping their equipment, was on the opposite side. I tapped dads initials on the corner of the bar as I slid past and into the office where Ozzy sat with a phone in one hand and a cigar in the other. His shoulder-length silver hair contrasted against the black leather he wore. Leathery skin was now marred with dots and scuffs that matched the bar he lived and breathed so naturally.
His pale blue eyes lit up as he saw me enter and he held up a finger to let me know he was almost finished with his call. I set his bag of donuts on the desk next to him and started leafing through the week's shipment inventory list. When he finally hung up the phone I spoke, “You ordered more Whiskey? I thought we were drowning in that shit.”
“Eh, one of the new kids knocked a whole case over the other day.” His voice was light, definitely not what you’d expect him to sound like by looking at him. “It wasn’t too bad. We had enough to finish the week out, but I made sure to get more.”
“The good stuff too,” I observed as I reached over and stole a donut. “How’d the alternate band auditions go?”
“Horrible,” he groaned and moved the bag out of my reach. “Maybe it’s just me, but every one of these new gigs sounded like garbage.”
I laughed and sat down in the empty office chair beside him. “I doubt it’s you. The great Ozzy never misses real talent.”
He nodded. “Well, either way, we didn’t find anyone to fill in on Saturday nights.”
“Relax,” I soothed. “You always find the perfect fit right when you need them.”
“Here’s hoping.” Ozzy looked at me for a second and tilted his head. “Wait, isn’t today you’re day off?”
“Yep.”
“What the hell are you doing here then?” He questioned, snatching up the papers from my hands. “Shouldn’t you be out there living it up in the big city?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ve lived it up quite a lot Oz. Besides, I like helping out around here. It’s fun.”
He shook his head. “Fun? Kids these days are hopeless.”
“Shut up old geezer and let me help.”
“Well, if you’re gonna insist,” he said with a chuckle. “You can help train the new guy.”
“Ugh!”
“How's that for fun.”
I swiveled my chair, an idea suddenly filling my mind. “How about instead I find you a musician?”
Ozzy looked up at me over his papers. “Think you know someone?”
“I might.”
“Bring em in tonight, we can have a trial run in between sets.”
Standing I offered him a salute and a bright smile, “On it old man.”
I rushed up the road toward the restaurant. Ari was going to love me after tonight. Slipping in through the back door I said quick hellos to all the cooks and hurried out toward the long dining table where everyone had gathered for Family Meal. Sasha had his arm curled around Heather and the two of them laughed and joked beside Ari and Will as they ate their food. Will saw me first, giving me a confused look. “Isn’t it your day off?”
“Yeah,” I said sitting down beside him and leaning over to get Ari’s attention. “Hey, how would your band feel about playing tonight?”
“Are you joking?” She asked practically jumping up out of her seat. “When? Where?”
“A place down the road like four blocks. Jack and Ozzy’s. They had their backup band fall out and need a new one. Audition’s tonight if you want it.”
Ari smiled widely and reached over to grab my hands. “Absolutely! You’re the fucking best!”
I pulled her off to the side and gave her the details. “Here’s the address, and time. Ozzy’s great, you’ll love him.”
“Is this a secret audition or can I invite people?” She asked looking at the piece of paper in her hand.
“You can invite anyone you want,” I replied. “Just don’t be late. Ozzy hates it.”
“You got it, boss!” She joked before squeezing my hand. “Thanks, Lena.”
“I’ll see you there!”
*
Jake didn’t usually let people get under his skin, well, at least not so openly, but from the start of the day to the bitter end of it he was in a foul mood and it seemed the whole crew knew why. Nicky slid him a drink and spared him a sympathetic, if not slightly amused, look. “Told you she’d rip you up.”
“She didn’t do shit,” he insisted.
“Sure.” His partner said quietly.
Ari rushed out of the kitchen with her usual group in toe. Jake leaned over and sighed, “What can I get ya?”
“Nothing tonight sweet Jakey,” Sasha said pulling his jacket on. “We’re going to Ari’s show!”
“Ari has a show?” He asked looking over at the clearly nervous girl. “Since when?”
“Since our lovely Tiger Bitch got one set up for her!” Heather said happily. “You’re welcome to come.”
Ari scoffed and glared at him. “Not like you will, you ditch every one of my shows.”
Jake smiled and made his way around the bar. “I’ll come.”
She tilted her head to the side. “What?”
Sasha squeezed her shoulder. “Oh, he’s only coming to try and get back into the Tiger's pants.”
They, of course, made fun of him, it was something they often did with everyone. Jake didn’t care much, they were easy enough to ignore as they piled into cabs and rode down to the older part of the city. As soon as they pulled up to the brightly lit bar they met up with each other and Ari’s band members at the entrance and approached the bouncer. “We should be on the list.”
“Name?”
“Ari.”
He nodded and counted heads. “They all with you?”
“Yeah.”
Stepping aside he let them pass through the green door and into the packed bar. The band was just finishing up their last set when they split away from Ari and found a booth near the bar. Jake liked the place, the lights, and the atmosphere, there were even a few attractive women. But, he really didn’t notice them much, not when his eyes shifted to the dancing crowd or more specifically the arm with a tiger tattoo illuminated by the lights. He shifted in his seat to get a better view of her familiar red hair and newfound exposed skin.
Lena was dancing with two other women, wearing a simple black top adorned with lace at the top and a short leather skirt that made her legs impossible to miss. She moved along with the beat, free and fun just like he’d imagined she would be outside of work. Her head snapped to the side where a larger man waved her over and pointed toward the bar. Without argument, she pulled her hair up and hopped behind the bar leaning over to take someone's order and flashing more of her cleavage. Jake was mesmerized by her. The way she moved as she made drinks behind the bar, the way her hair lit up in the lights, the way her green eyes shinned. Fucking hell she was something else.
*
It felt good to let loose after a long few weeks of nothing but work and hospital stays, but as I served the last drink and rejoined Prue and Quinn on the dancefloor I felt fucking amazing. Quinn, a gorgeous blonde-haired woman with blue eyes and a resting bitch face that could kill a man smiled at me. “Back from your second job already?”
Prue, a curly-haired tanned skinned knockout of a woman turned and smiled too. She brought her hands up so I could see them and signed an equally sarcastic reply, “Holy shit, and I thought we’d have to drag you out from behind the bar!”
“You’re both so funny,” I said and signed.
A heavy hand settled on my shoulder and Sasha's familiar Russian accent graced my ears. “Tiger Bitch!” He looked down the length of me and gasped. “Is this how hot you always are when you aren’t being a sneaky cunt?!
I rolled my eyes. “I’m especially hot when I’m being a sneaky cunt.”
“Work was so boring without your snarky ass there.”
“Aww, poor Sasha, having to survive one day bored.” I teased pulling him into my side and turning back to my friends. “This is Sasha. He’s a work friend.”
Quinn waved, “He seems like a real diva.”
“I am.” Sasha admitted with a devilish smile.
“This is Quinn, she’s also a diva. And this is Prue,” I signed a quick explanation to her. “She’s deaf, but she can read lips so behave.”
“It’s nice to finally meet Lee’s famous work friends!” Prue exclaimed, her arms wrapping around Sasha in an instant.
I laughed at Sasha's face of absolute horror. “She’s a hugger.”
He peeled her off of him and fixed his clothes. “Alright, well tell her to hug someone else.”
“Were you and Heather the only ones that came?”
“Jakey’s here as well. Will said he’d try to stop by and the kitchen was all nos aside from Scott.” Sasha pointed to the back booth. “They’re all over there, securing our seats until our dear Ari takes the stage.”
I followed his finger and locked eyes with Jake, who smirked and raised his glass to me. On any other occasion, I’d not feel anything about his presence here, but as Quinn and Prue looked over my shoulder I mentally cursed him for coming. “Is that him?”
Sasha turned with wide eyes and an open mouth “Has our little Lena been talking about Jakey outside of work?”
“No -”
“Don’t fucking lie!” Quinn scolded with an evil laugh. She looked back over at the booth and nodded. “He is absolutely your type by the way. Like my god, the hair, the beanie, the jacket.”
“And of course the broody attitude and shit personality.” Prue wiggled her eyebrows. “When are you planning on climbing into his lap? You know just so we can give you enough privacy and whatnot.”
“Yes! Climb into his lap! I would love to see the two of you make sweet, filthy love!” Sasha giggled.
I groaned. “I’m not climbing into anyone's lap!”
Quinn grabbed Prue’s hand and started off toward their table. “Let’s go say hi at least. We don’t wanna be rude to your work friends.”
I flipped her off. “Bitch.”
The only reason I followed them to the booth was to make sure they didn’t embarrass me with the loads of information they had gained from our years of friendship. Prue talked a lot of shit, but ultimately she’d keep the more embarrassing stories to herself. Quinn was the wildcard. She’d talk until you forced her to stop, and even then she’d find a way to keep going. I introduced them to the group and let them get settled. “What do you guys want to drink?”
“You working here?” Heather questioned.
I shrugged. “I help out sometimes when they get busy.”
“And they just let you behind the bar?” Jake pressed with a knowing look.
“My dad owned part of this place. It’s where I learned to bartend so yeah, they let me behind the bar.”
He nodded, very clearly pleased with the tidbit of information. “I’ll just take a beer.”
“Just get us all beers, and two more for Scott and Will, they should be here soon,” Heather said keeping her eyes on the door.
Jake stood and smirked at me. “I’ll help out.”
“You don’t have to.”
He just waved me off. Behind him Prue made a crude sign, essentially telling me to bone him. Rolling my eyes at her I turned my back to lead Jake toward the bar and flipped her off. I tapped my dads carving again and slid behind the bar digging for the drinks and instructing the new guy on where to find a knife. Jake looked around. “This is a nice place.”
“Yeah, been around for fucking ever.” I agreed setting things in front of him.
“Lena,” Ozzy called from the office doorway as he moved out with a paper. “Did you add that gin to our shipment?”
I turned and looked over the list, pointing to the gin. “Yeah, you wanted the Nords right?”
He nodded. “Perfect!” Ozzy looked up at Jake and then down at me with raised brow. “Sorry, did I interrupt something?”
“God not you too.”
“I’m just helping her with the drinks.”
Ozzy stepped closer toward Jake, extending a hand. “I’m Ozzy. You must be that Jake.”
Fuck. I slapped a hand over my face as Jake’s smugness became palpable in the air around him. “I am indeed that Jake.”
“The girls have been talking bout you nonstop,” Ozzy added.
Jake looked over at me, hardly able to contain his laughter. “Have they?”
I patted Ozzy’s arms. “Move big fella, I gotta get out from behind here so I can go shove my head through a wall.”
Ozzy slid back to let me pass. “What? Was I not supposed to say anything?”
“Goodnight Oz,” I grumbled grabbing as many of the bottles as I could manage before turning and leaving the rest for Jake. I set them down on the table and glared at Prue and Quinn. “You two are so fucking dead.”
They both laughed when Jake came into view. “Oz is the worst with discretion.”
“You’re no better!”
“There’s an easy fix to this,” Quinn signed. “Fuck. Him.”
Prue giggled. “Fuck him! You know you want to.”
I looked away from them as Scott and Will arrived. Prue waved her hand in my face trying to get my attention. Without turning I signed, “I’m ignoring you.”
Her hand returned with a middle finger in my face as Jake just leaned back and smirked. “So, you mentioned me to your friends?”
“I talked about you twice,” I admitted. “And before you ask, no it wasn’t to gush about how badly I wanted you. I just told them you flirted with me and I flirted back. And that you'd make a decent friend if you weren't so grumpy. That’s it.”
Quinn made a noise. “I mean that wasn’t it…”
I reached over and put a hand over her mouth. “Ignore her.”
He nodded. “Whatever you say.”
God he’s going to be unbearable now. Heather came back to the table. “Ari’s on, come on!”
All of us headed to the dance floor, where Ari took the stage and began preforming. She was good, just the right amouth of loud and talented, Ozzy would definitely be telling her to come back as a regular. We danced together, everyone but Jake who’d taken up a spot at the bar, clearly too good to dance with his coworkers. After a few songs, I looked up, expecting to see his flirty eyes watching me, as they had been almost all night, but instead, I saw an empty stool.
“Where’d Jake go?” I asked scanning the bar again.
Sasha gestured toward the back door. “He went for a smoke.”
“Out that door?” I pressed.
“I think so.”
“Fuck,” I cursed as I wove through the crowd toward the door.
Hurrying up the steep steps I opened the door to the chilled night air just in time to catch Dom, my old drug dealer and the resident dealer for the block, shoving Jake. God damn it. “Come on pretty boy, take a swing.”
“Leave him be, Dom.” I walked up the stairs shaking my head and stepped beside Jake.
Dom smiled at me and tilted his head. “Why should I?”
“Because I asked so nicely,” I said, batting my eyes.
Jake scoffed. “If he wants a fight I’ll -”
Dom took a step forward just as I stepped between the two men and met Dom’s gaze. “He’s an idiot, but not one that needs an ass-kicking from you.”
“He seems to want one.”
“He’s weird like that,” I said leaning back into Jake’s chest to keep him from moving. “Come on D. Just walk away. I’d hate to have to bust up that pretty face.”
He laughed, and his boys followed. “Never change Leanin Lena.”
“You too,” I replied watching as they made their way out of the alley, and back toward the bikes that were parked along the exit.
Jake let out an angry breath. “I had that handled.”
I nodded, turning to look at him. “If a beating was the goal then yeah you did.”
“I could’ve taken that guy.”
“Dom? Absolutely. The forty bikers he’s got attached to his hip, I don’t think so.” Jake looked away from me, still angry. I shook my head. “Come on tough guy. If you’re looking for a place to smoke you gotta go over an alley.”
I hopped up the stairs opposite the bar that led to the old boxing place next door and looked over at him. For a minute I didn’t think he’d follow, but he did. I bumped the sticky door open with my hip and stepped inside the small back room as Jake followed behind me. The air in here always smelt like copper and leather, most likely from the beatings that some of the people took while they were in the ring. The sound of chains creaking and bags taking heavy hits echoed as I led us toward the main space where three well-built men covered in sweat grunted and groaned as they practiced their hits and swings.
The Ring was older than me by a lot, a place that held a lot of my family's history. The walls were plain with spots of old paint and peeling wallpaper, but they were one of my favorite parts of the place because they were filled with old posters and pictures, and mementos of those trained and boxed here. It felt like being in one giant time capsule. Off to the left of the door Jake and I walked out of was the giant padded ring, and there in the center were two of the training boxers facing off. The coach stood on the sidelines, directing each of their movements and walking them through the basics, not unlike what my dad had done for me.
“Lena?” the Irish voice questioned from the front of the building.
“Hey Patrick,” I called out, moving around the small tables and lockers toward him.
“Come to give these boys a real challenge?” He laughed loudly, enveloping me in a hug the second I was close enough for him to grab. Patrick was the new owner of this place and a friend. He and I grew up together and he’d been there for me through a lot of my darker years.
His copper hair tickled my nose as he set me down. “Not tonight. I’m just showing him,” I pointed a thumb back at Jake. “To the smoking alley.”
“He run into Dom?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Mans been in a shit mood this week,” Patrick observed returning to cleaning the floor. “Watch your back out there, Lena.”
“Thanks for the tip!” I continued walking toward the locker room, giving one of the boys practicing on a punching bag a pat on the way. “Keep your wraps tight, Jer.”
He cursed and moved back to rewrap the loosening fabric. “Thanks, Lena!”
Hanging above the locker room door was the brightly painted name Jack “The Hammer” Harrow with his old gloves hanging below. I lifted my hand and ran it over the smooth leather of them as I passed through the doorway and looked back to make sure Jake was still behind me. He looked up at the gloves and paused for a moment before I tugged on his sleeve. “This way, tough guy.”
We were met immediately with steam and the bare asses of one of the groups that always came late to practice. I moved through the misty room unphased, joking around with a few of the guys I knew as I passed them until we finally reached the back door. Swinging it open with an exaggerated flare I grinned, waving a hand toward the dingy couch and chairs that adorned the closed-off back alley. “Ta-da. I believe this will suit your smoking needs.”
He looked around for a bit, picking up a few magazines left over by whoever used it last, and nodded. “Wow.”
“It’s pretty fancy, I know.” He sat in one of the chairs, pulled the pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, and lit one. The smoke billowed out of his mouth as he looked at me with a curious gaze. “Well, you seem comfortable so I’m gonna head out now.”
“You grew up around here?” He asked before I could even turn to leave.
I shook my head. “My dad and my brother did. I moved in with them when I was sixteen.”
“Why?” He asked.
All he got in return was silence and a short stare as I turned to leave. “Try not to piss off any more drug dealers.”
I heard his heavy footsteps following after me before his lean figure settled in next to me. Jake quickly regained his breath and continued smoking as he looked over at me. “Least I could do is walk you home.”
“Oh, how generous of you.”
“What can I say, I’m a real stand-up guy.”
“I’m not gonna play twenty questions with you.”
He shrugged. “Alright, how bout ten?”
“No.”
“Five?”
“No.”
“Three?”
“Jake,” I laughed. “We aren’t friends.”
He nodded. “Maybe not, but you did say I would make a good one.”
I cocked my head to the side and gave him a look. “You want to be friends with me?”
“Yeah,” he answered. “That so unbelievable?”
“Considering you’ve been trying to get me out of my clothes since we met, kinda.”
Jake smirked. “I never said I’d stop trying to get you out of your clothes, I just said we could be friends.”
“Ahh,” I looked forward at the bright lights and crowds of people. “Okay. You get two questions.”
“This mean we’re friends?”
“This means I’ll consider it.”
“Fair enough.” He took a long drag of his cigarette breathing it out before he spoke again, “Alright, first question. What the fuck is Leanin Lena?”
I laughed. “It’s a boxing title. I got mine after my first official match, for leaning, obviously.”
He nodded along. “You box?”
“Is that your second question?”
“Oh, so you’re gonna be a bitch about it?”
“Of course I am,” I said with a smug smirk.
Jake shook his head and laughed. “Fine, second question. You don’t smoke, do drugs or drink nearly enough, or fuck around so what do you do for fun?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You don’t really need any of that to have fun, you know that right?”
He shrugged. “That’s how I’ve always had fun.”
“Even when you were younger?”
For a minute he looked a little sad, but it was over too quickly to tell as he recovered with a smile. “Yeah, pretty much.”
“That’s sad.” I knew the type of pain that came with being robbed a childhood, and it seemed Jake did too. Lucky for me I had my dad and Ozzy and  Peter and all my friends to help give me somewhat of that normalcy. I reached out and tapped his arm before jumping away from him with a laugh. “You’re it.”
“I’m it?”
“Yeah, you know tag the game?”
He quirked his brows. “You’re trying to play tag with me? That’s a bit childish isn’t it?”
“Some of the best ways to have fun are,” I replied with a nod. “You gonna play or do I win already?”
Jake took a while to consider his options for a minute before he took a long step toward me, clearly expecting me to let him reach out and tag me. I moved out of the way and smiled even wider. He took an even greater step toward me, but I moved again. “Seriously?”
I scoffed. “Did you think I was just gonna stand around and let you tag me?”
“Come on, I’m not gonna chase you around like some schoolboy.”
“Then I guess you’ll be it forever.”
When Jake burst into a full sprint forward I turned on my heel and started running down the mostly empty sidewalk. The two of us laughed as we wove through people and around cars until Jake finally caught up with me. His arms wrapped around my middle and he lifted me up off my feet as he slowed to a stop, huffing from the exercise. “You’re it.”
Once he set me down I turned and grinned at him. “That answer your question?”
“You’re insane.”
“It was fun though, wasn’t it?”
For the first time since I’d met him, Jake’s smile seemed happy, the gleam in his eyes even more so. “Maybe a little.”
Nodding toward the building we were a few steps away from I said, “This is me.”
“Alright. So, do I pass your weird little consideration test?”
I nodded. “I guess.”
“So friends?”
“Ah-ah, you gotta ask me properly.”
He groaned, shaking his head and looking around. “Lena, will you be my friend?”
“Hmm…” I pretended to think about it as I walked up my stairs. I turned at the top and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be your friend Jake.” He turned and started walking back down the sidewalk, grumbling about how weird I was. “Hey!” I hollered, making him turn around to look up at me. "Night, Jerk." 
He shook his head but smiled anyway. "Night Lana."
*
The next morning was absolute chaos. I walked through the back door, dodging as people ran around to get the trash taken out and the shelves organized. “Holy fuck.” I mumbled moving toward Scott. “What the hell is going on?”
He looked just as stressed as the others as he looked over the produce. “The owner decided to make a surprise visit.”
“Fuck.” My heart beat quicker in my chest as I looked out the kitchen windows to find Maddie and Howard moving toward the kitchen. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I practically sprinted over to the table and set my hands on top of it loudly, gathering the attention of the back room, where everyone even the servers and bartenders seemed to be hiding out. “You’re all about to find out something about me. If you save your questions and comments til the shift ends I’ll buy all of you drinks.”
Everyone mumbled some form of agreement before the doors swung open and a chill ran up my spine. “So, the prodigal student has returned after all.”
I turned and offered her a smile, taking in the slight changes to her face and the new length of her hair as she beamed at me. “Looks that way, doesn’t it.”
She opened her arms up. "Get in here and give your aunt a hug."
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lady-foxy · 2 years
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Ma playlist triste elle fait trop bien son travail : elle me met dans un mood bien triste c'est pas ouf :/ mais je l'aime trop pour arrêter de l'écouter
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jeux-raconte · 2 months
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Festival Internationnal des Jeux de Cannes, 2024 : premiers avis
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Fin Février, c'est la tradition : c'est le FIJ ! L'occasion pour moi de tester un sacré paquet de jeux sur quelques jours (et de faire quelques emplettes). Voici un petit résumé de ceux qui m'ont marqué, en plusieurs fois pour éviter les posts à rallonge, et par ordre chronologique du week-end !
Altered, de Régis Bonnessée
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Pas vraiment de prise de risques sur cette première partie de jeux, puisque je suis le projet depuis longtemps, j'ai imprimé des decks en PnP et j'y joue de temps en temps ! Mais surtout l'occasion de rencontrer l'équipe, de profiter du beau stand, et de récupérer des cartes promotionnelles ! Le jeu est incroyable, mais il mérite un article à lui tout seul, et ça viendra...
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Punaise la DA du jeu !
Spark Riders 3000, Arkada Studio
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Premier vrai test du week-end donc. Spark Riders est un jeu coopératif dans l'espace. On y joue l'équipage d'un vaisseau, qui doit livrer des cargaisons ou des personnages d'un point A à un point B. On se déplace dans le vaisseau, on répare les réacteurs, les canons, on construit des améliorations, et on pose des boucliers pour éviter les dégâts (on répare ceux qu'on a pas pu éviter). Jusque là, j'étais assez sceptique, parce que j'avais l'impression de jouer à une version alourdie de Space Alert, que je porte haut dans mon estime.
Mais ce qui est mis en avant lors des démonstrations, c'est l'application avec laquelle le jeu est livré. Elle donne l'installation du plateau, l'apparition des ennemis, leurs actions... Une "companion app" comme il y en a tant parmi les jeux à la Demeure de l'Epouvante donc. Ce qui est sensé faire la différence, c'est l'intrusivité de l'app. Selon les animateurs, celle-ci est beaucoup plus discrète et on passe plus de temps à s'occuper du plateau que du téléphone. Mais malheureusement, ça ne s'est pas beaucoup vérifié, surtout qu'on peut intéragir avec l'app vocalement, en appuyant sur un bouton pour dire "Vaisseau rouge neutralisé, terminé". Rigolo au début, vite répétitif... On peut aussi faire les actions via des menus, mais l'interface semble peu pratique, et exit le fait de ne pas passer trop de temps sur l'écran.
Même si le jeu tourne bien, est agréable et les figurines de l'édition deluxe claquent, au final j'ai trouvé que le jeu n'apportait rien de nouveau au genre, à part des vidéos entrecoupant les tours pour que les personnages de l'univers nous hurlent des lignes de dialogue mal jouées au visage... Bonne expérience, mais vraiment pas fan de l'app.
Café Del Gatto, Lena Burkhardt & Julia Wagner
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Changement d'univers, de style et de durée de jeu ! Ici, on incarne un chat barrista. Le but ? Marquer le plus de points de victoire en préparant des boissons chaudes. Pour cela, à chaque tour, on va récupérer une tuile soit café, soit lait, sur un petit présentoir. Les tuiles vont dans les tasses, de bas en haut comme on rempli une boisson, et en respectant la couleur de la case, café ou lait donc. Mais il faut payer la tuile, et son prix est la valeur de l'autre tuile sur la même ligne !
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Ici, pour acheter l'avant-dernière tuile café en partant du bas, cela coûte donc 1 pièce, ce qui est un très bon deal puisqu'une tuile café 3 rapportera donc 3 points de victoire ! Cette mécanique de prise de tuile fait tout le sel (pas terrible dans un café) du jeu. Ajoutez à cela un petit effet course sur le scoring des points, puisque pour scorer une boisson, il faut que la tuile correspondant à la somme de ses ingrédients soit encore disponible au milieu, ce qui veut dire que personne ne l'a prise avant ! Et sinon, on prend une tuile inférieure, et on compense avec des pièces... C'est rapide, malin, on se prend au jeu, et j'ai trouvé la mécanique très sympa ! Seul bémol pour moi : l'illustration de la boîte me rebute. Mais je pense que c'est une spécialité chez l'éditeur, et pourtant, on a aimé tous les jeux qu'on a testé chez eux...
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Cette boîte est terrifiante...
Bon on a fait une 2e partie d'Altered au chaud le soir, et on s'est couchés tôt pour attaquer une grosse journée le lendemain. Et je vais faire pareil, parce qu'il faut bien récupérer après ce week-end de folie. La suite au prochain épisode !
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aforcedelire · 5 months
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Les Aiguilles d’or, Michael McDowell
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Entre opulence et misère, à New York, l’an de grâce 1881 laisse place à 1882, année de tous les projets. Et le juge Stallworth est bien décidé à mener le sien à bien : il veut éradiquer le mal et le vice du Triangle Noir, quartier mal famé où l’opium, la corruption et la violence font loi. Pour cela, il s’attaque à une famille redoutable (et matriarcale) qui y règne en maîtres : les Shanks.
Après le succès et mon coup de cœur pour la saga Blackwater, j’attendais ce nouveau roman de Michael McDowell avec hâte et crainte. Eh bah j’ai vraiment passé un bon moment ! C’est très différent (forcément) de Blackwater, mais j’ai retrouvé des thèmes similaires : pour ne citer qu’eux, la matriarche qui dirige sa famille d’une main de fer, la guerre ouverte entre deux familles, ou encore le côté sombre de l’humain. J’ai eu un gros coup de cœur pour la famille Shanks et pour Helen Stallworth.
L’ambiance se met en place progressivement, et le tout m’a vraiment fait penser à la série Peaky Blinders ! On est du côté des « méchants », des criminels, des voleurs, de la corruption, et c’était une lecture intense ! La violence monte peu à peu, jusqu’à l’impitoyable réponse de Lena Shanks… Je n’ai pas autant aimé que Blackwater, mais ça se joue au coude à coude, et c’était vraiment bien. J’attends le reste des romans de McDowell avec impatience ! Encore un travail ultra qualitatif de la part des éditions Monsieur Toussaint Louverture !
14/11/2023 - 22/11/2023
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