#but I heard there are some restaurants in other Euro countries now so I imagine it's only a matter of time until we get them. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

Visit Blog

Explore Tumblr blogs with no restrictions, modern design and the best experience.

Fun Fact

There were a total of 171.5 billion posts on Tumblr in 2019.

#but I heard there are some restaurants in other Euro countries now so I imagine it's only a matter of time until we get them.

meghanayar · 3 years

Text

A memo from the mountains

Facebook reminded me yesterday that it’s been seven years since my family and I embarked on a two-week sojourn to the Swiss Alps.

This trip was memorable for a hundred different reasons, most of which make me laugh hysterically even today.

For instance, we were 16 people who carried 44 kilos of food with us. Yes, a full 44 kilos of food - it was weighed and checked at the airport. I will never forget the bewilderment on the face of the Emirates Airlines employee who spotted a 5-litre pressure cooker amongst our belongings.

Why so much food, you ask? Is that even a question? We are Gujjus, and we cannot imagine being deprived of our staple diet for a full fourteen days. Besides, Switzerland is the most expensive country in the most expensive continent on the planet, and when we travelled there in 2014, the Euro stood at a staggering 87 INR. Which Gujjus worth their salt would eat out in such a scenario?

So, the day before we were to leave, my mother summoned our ever-faithful cook and asked him to whip up as many theplas, bhakhris and pooris as his arms would allow. The other three mothers in the group did the same thing. Then, my brother escorted the whole haul to his friend’s shop (a neighbourhood gruh udyog), where all the theplas, bhakhris and pooris were vacuum-packed - basically, dressed to survive 13 hours in cargo.

During the two weeks that we spent in that tiny Swiss village named Val d’Illiez, we cooked every desi meal possible - from pav-bhaji to poha to chhole-puri to besan cheelas. Heck, we even repurposed leftover bhakhris, using them as pizza base on the last day!

However, food was the only department that sailed smoothly on this trip. Everything else that could go wrong, most certainly did.

Like the time we stopped to have lunch at a metro station (yes, food again) and nearly missed the train. I say “nearly” because three of us managed to get inside, while the other thirteen - including our parents - were left hanging on the platform when the doors closed. Luckily for them, the driver was a sweet soul who reopened the door, and waited patiently while all the aunties and uncles boarded. Had he been the nasty kind, we’d have ended up paying a penalty equivalent to the amount of money we saved by lugging 44 kilos of food!

Then, there was my mother - who refused to let us carry our passports even though it was mandatory (in order to use the travel pass), because she feared that we would misplace them. Every day, my father would remind her about the passports, and every day she would refuse. “Koi TC-VC maangshe nahi!” was her standard answer.

Well, on the second-last day, the TC did ask for our passports. And when we told her we didn’t have them, the TC threatened to fine us 70 Euros each. I did some quick mental callisthenics. We stood to pay 6000 rupees per head!

I swung into action - politely begging her to let us go. “My mother doesn’t listen to us, otherwise we’d be carrying the passports” I told her in my finest French. She pardoned us eventually, but not without shooting me the angriest look I’ve ever received.

The funniest part of this trip was our return flight - when an Indigo staffer simply refused to let us board with a pressure cooker. “But Emirates allowed us!” yelled the angry mothers at the counter lady. “EMIRATES DID! How can you refuse then?!”

“Because I can,” said the lady very calmly, “You will not check that cooker in. I won’t allow it.”

We eventually left for Ahmedabad without our beloved 5-litre Prestige pressure cooker - our faithful companion that had saved us thousands in restaurant bills.

While this trip was replete with moments of comedic gold, it was also, for me, a coming-of-age affair. I was newly-single then, looking to resurrect my career, and slightly embarrassed to be the oldest “kid” in the group at 26. When we trekked up hills, boated across lakes and explored villages, I often broke away from the group, to ponder on some essential questions that would help me rebuild my life.

“What would I want to spend the rest of my life doing?” was one of those questions.

Eventually, during one of those quiet long walks, I received the answer. It happened spontaneously, like a brahmagyaan moment. The thought clicked in my mind, and I knew the universe had answered my question.

It was actually quite simple. Having lost a couple of precious years to an ill-fated marriage, I wanted to own the rest of my life. I wanted to be the boss of my time, so that I could spend it working with words in every manner possible - reading, writing, teaching and learning languages.

Words aside, I wanted the liberty to live without ultimatums from the clock. I wanted to be able to tread new terrain as and when I pleased, without being held back by the biological/maternal impulse to prioritize another human's needs over mine.

I hadn’t heard the word “child-free” until that point. “Anti-natalism” was yet to become mainstream. Nobody I knew had taken this route. But I knew that this was the path for me. And that if I ever sought out a partner for myself again, it would have to be someone who’d agree with me on this.

Seven years later, my gratitude for that moment of enlightenment has only grown stronger. Where I once had only one reason to make this choice, I now have a hundred more, especially after the pandemic. I love children and cherish the time I get to spend with my friends’ kids, but I know definitively that I will never have any of my own. Because I don’t want to.

I am a happily child-free woman. I understand that this is not for everyone, but it is just right for me. It lets me be. It is the wind beneath my wings - heck, it IS my wings.

As I sit here amidst the Himalayas now, reading stories and crafting some, I am grateful for that holiday in the Alps, seven years ago, that made me this person. This post today is a little tribute to the trip that changed my life.

If there is a God, She lives in the mountains. I can feel her voice in my bones. She always knows what I need. She has all the solutions.

#holidays #travel #travelling #solotravel #mountains #nature #inspiration #workfromanywhere #family #reading #writing #amwriting #freedom #growth #healing #childfree #antinatalism #choices

13 notes · View notes

gemsofgreece · 5 years

Text

A rant (and a piece of advice for aspiring tourists)

Hehehe so I found the perfect excuse to rant about my biggest pet peeve regarding tourists in Greece. Thankfully, it’s a small minority but I’ve heard this before so I have the chance to address it this time. A youtuber called Haley Pham went to Santorini and didn’t like it. Fair enough. However, she caused uproar (fortunately from everyone, not specifically Greeks) because all her arguments were stupid and indicative of her lack of basic knowledge for the place she was travelling to.

Some say she hadn’t planned her vacation well and she also had some health issues which definitely contributed to that negative feeling but I don’t care for these, I will only discuss some misconceptions about Santorini and Greece that she and a few others have made.

This is mostly me indulging in a favourite topic for ranting but if Greece is in your bucket list, you should probably read it.

So here’s what she said and me dragging her:

1. Greece is impoverished, they have a financial crisis, don’t go

The moment this bloody debt crisis was officially announced in 2009, the foreign media defamed the country and its people, making it look worse than a third world country and all its people like thieves and beggars. Whoever hasn’t experienced this from the inside has no idea what a cruel and unprecedented attitude foreign media and governments held against Greeks. Being a Greek became an acceptable reason for mockery and stereotyping (is that how you treat someone with financial issues?!). Most media would also make comparisons between Ancient and Modern Greeks (because apparently Ancient Greeks never had financial issues according to them) and discourage people from travelling to that legendary Wasteland where everyone would obviously kill them for a euro (on the list of things that never happened). Touristic-wise, the propaganda was fortunately unsuccessful but I certainly don’t mean life in Greece was not affected. The salaries and the pensions were indeed cut, the unemployment went through the roof but these were not things a tourist could see. We don’t live in huts, people. (Actually, Greece has the largest percentage of people owning their houses instead of living in rent, in Europe). Anyway, Greece has been through a hard time (it’s doing sliiiiightly better now) but this could not affect someone not living here. Besides, it is still a developed country with very high standard of living and a well known lifestyle, so I don’t understand why she said that, especially now that things are better and especially in Santorini, which is a very expensive destination. My only assumption is that she was just parroting things she had heard before in order to support her argument more. IDK. Greece faces issues but it certainly looks way less impoverished than many other countries that attract tourists as well. Besides, this is so 2011...

2. Santorini is not like in Instagram and it has no beaches and trees and things to do.

Ok, this is really stupid and a lie. First of all, find me an Instagram picture depicting a forest in Santorini. Second, Santorini DOES have beaches but have you ever heard anybody claiming that the beaches are its main attraction? Their landscape is pretty cool but they are not what we’d call conventionally stunning beaches. What you see on Instagram about Santorini is: dark volcanic landscape, barren, with contrasting white towns perched on its cliffs.

Stock photos of Santorini. Obvi tourists see these pictures and are like “yeah this seems to be the perfect place for my tropical palm forest island dream vacation”. A lot think like that, I am not exaggerating. I don’t know if they don’t have eyes or they just learn something is popular and head there blindly without knowing shit.

Santorini may not be your cup of tea if you like lush green areas and pristine beaches but it is a unique, otherworldly and stunning place exactly because it is so different. It is dark, it is arid, it is a submerged volcano, that’s exactly why it’s so special and beautiful. Its towns are breathtaking and unique and exactly like what you see on Instagram. I could sign that and hold me to it. Greece is one of the honest destinations - you get what you see. Except for the crowds. Of course Santorini’s crowded. What did you expect from a world class destination?! They are all busy as hell.

As for not finding things to do. Honestly, what can I say. She apparently doesn’t like restaurants, bars, clubs, extreme sports, wineries, shops, volcano excursions, cruises, hikes, numerous museums and ANCIENT CITIES. I can’t imagine what she wanted.

3. THE WORST: SANTORINI does not have beaches and trees, don’t go to GREECE

Okay, there’s the problem. My big pet peeve. The ultimate “facepalm” phrase; “I’ve been to Santorini and / or Mykonos, Greece has no trees”. If you’ve been to Santorini and Mykonos only, then you can’t have an opinion on what Greece looks like. Greece is often mislabeled as “tiny” and since only a few islands are promoted, Greece is pictured as a very small place of a few gathered islands. There are many misconceptions here: Greece is not tiny. It is more like average-small. I mean, don’t compare it to Canada! Canada is the outlier, not Greece! It does not have a few gathered islands, it has 6000 islands that can be scattered at long distances from each other. All its 6000 islands make up a small percentage of overall land compared to the mainland. And last but not least, Santorini is a tiny. volcanic. island, one of the smallest inhabited Greek islands. You might be familiar with the most promoted Greek itinerary: Athens (2 days max) - Santorini - Mykonos. Let me show you how much of the country you get to know with this trip:

Why, that’s some itinerary. BTW, Santorini (the southmost one) is definitely exaggerated in this map. It’s smaller than that. I mean, it looks larger than Mykonos here but in truth it is way smaller.

So yeah, in these two neighborhoods of Athens (in 2 days), Santorini and Mykonos you got to see, there were not trees. Mykonos and Santorini belong to the same region and are both arid. Greece, like all other Mediterranean European countries, has a north and central part that is forested with a temperate climate while as you go more and more south it progressively gets more arid and hotter and dryer, maybe in Greece a little more since it is close to Egypt and the Middle East.

I’m not gonna address the “don’t go to Greece, it has no beaches” argument, I don’t think I’ve ever heard something stupider in my life. She’s the first one to ever say that, anyway.

But regarding the lush green thing, here’s my advice. Greece is a very diverse country because it is always either mountainous or broken in many islands, which creates many different microclimates and environments. Make up your mind about what it is you like in a destination and then choose a location in Greece based on these preferences of yours. And honestly stick to a few well chosen places. Don’t try to do a big tour of Greece. The map size is misleading. The mountains create surfaces, block the ways and make the roads narrower and longer. The islands can have great distances between them. It is not easy navigating Greece, neither when it’s your first time there nor at all.

In general, keep in mind; North and West = Green, South and East = (Semi) arid with exceptions in both cases. For instance, if you really want to go either to Cyclades or to Dodecanese islands that are mostly arid but you value some lush green scenery, then you could consider Andros or Kos islands that are such exceptions.

Island in the North - Center.

Island in far Southeast.

Island in West.

Don’t forget that arid doesn’t mean ugly. The arid regions of Greece are the most promoted and well known ones in the country! However, if lush scenery is important to you, then just don’t blindly go to the famous islands thinking they are tropical or something. Greece is not a tropical country. It’s a European country, half of it temperate and half of it only a sea away from Sahara! Also, exactly because it’s temperate it has very distinct seasons. Both the lush and arid regions can look VERY different in spring and summer. I’ve seen comments in my posts saying “Oh it looks so green and flowery, when I was there in August the vegetation was dead”. Well, yeah, that’s the Greek August...a Killer, only second to the Greek July.

Choose your destination carefully and you’ll be fine. Just know where and when you are going. Greece is beautiful and has pretty much everything. Except jungles. We don’t have jungles :(

#greece #europe #santorini #travel #travel guide #tourism #tourist #wanderlust #travelling #itinerary #info #greek facts #cyclades #cycladic islands

263 notes · View notes

chrysaliseuro2019 · 5 years

Text

Cliffhanger

Dimitsana has been a wonderful base to explore from and it would be so picturesque in winter when the snow season sets in up in them there hills. Mind you you’d want to have a mighty fine travel insurance policy because its worn marble steps are lethally slippery when dry let alone with snow and ice to add to their treachery.

Our accommodation was truly fabulous with the most gloriously comfy wide bed, luxurious pillows of varying structure (good for we of the dodgy neck brigade) complete with a fireplace for those colder months and a spacious and modern bathroom - don’t get to say that too often in Europe. On top of that the room had a number of books and masses of DVDs of good taste. No Rambo or Diehard here instead quality such as The Lives of Others etc. Clearly our host Dimitri was of sophisticated taste, and judging by the breakfasts his wife prepared, so was she.

Dimitri insisted the Outdoor Water Museum was a must visit before we left the area so that was our next stop. Staff almost outnumbered visitors as there were three of them and in the 1.5 hours we were there only one other couple arrived. Don’t think I’m being too harsh in saying that they could have cut the staff by 2/3rds and still have managed the ticket box (4 tickets in 1.5 hours) and turning on the switches of two machines without being over-taxed. Will be checking Seek for a job like this when I get back home.

We thought the displays were well laid out and enjoyed learning that millers made a living by milling customers grains and rather than charging a fee took a percentage of the milled grain. Too bad if you’re celiac, but I guess corn was an alternative. The tannery was definitely the worst of the jobs. The tanner’s hands must have been tough as old boots to deal with processes including salting, stripping, soaking the pelts in wood chips, and Chris’ least favourite, dunking the pelts in a blend of dog shit and water. Can only, and quite frankly, don’t want to imagine the smell. When we visited the still-alive-and-well tanneries of Fez several years ago we were told they used pigeon droppings. If I were a Greek tanner I’d have invested in a dovecote.

The final exhibit was the gunpowder exhibit. Dimitsana was one of the villages that knew how to collect saltpetre, a vital component gunpowder and they made gunpowder from the Greek War of Independence (1820’s-30’s) until early 20th century. Water was used to power the machines that mixed all the ingredients of gunpowder into a powder - OH&S was a bit of an issue because the powder if not treated correctly during processing had the tendency to to what it was intended to do....blow up.

The museum should be applauded for the effort that had gone into making it accessible for tourists. Not only did it supply a detailed brochure with map in the €4 entrance fee, there was a huge amount of written detail around the displays and, in case that wasn’t enough, 3 lengthy videos describing how water was used in milling, tanning and making gunpowder. No other Greek Museum has had so much information including the big ticket items like Olympia and the Acropolis. Well done little provincial Outdoor Water Museum of Dimitsana.

Still high amongst the mountains we made our way to our next destination around the challenging roads. Challenging not only because they were narrow and winding but the surface could switch from brand new to rutted and potholed in an instant. And to top it all off a steep drop down into the valley without barriers on one side and a sheer cliff face that occasionally shed its rocks across the road on the other. (I think we both occasionally let our minds drift to the possibility of being squashed or plummeting.) Apart from that it was a doddle! Chris did very well negotiating the hazards although a couple of times did go a little too close to the edge where I could peer over into the abyss as I gripped white-knuckled onto the door...Penny if you’re reading this you’ll get my drift.

On the winding drive down to the monastery car park we passed an isolated tower with Greek music playing and a solitary car parked beside it. We could only surmise it was the manned fire lookout. A little incongruously the lookout was a wooden construction and there appeared to be no Wifi according to our phones. We wondered what would happen if there was a bushfire. Does the warden hotfoot it from his out-of-range combustible tower to the local town to send the alarm? Meanwhile as he minds his post it would be a hot lonely job as there also appeared to be no air conditioning. Suggest Fire warden consider a career change to a much cushier position at the Water Museum.

Stopped at the car park to visit the Prodromou Monastery reportedly a 20 minute walk away. By now it was 12.40pm and we had just spotted the bane of the tourist’s life - a sign saying’ ‘Closed between 1pm -3pm’. A Dutch couple pulled up so discussed the inconvenience of this and set off at fast pace, well as fast as old knees going down rocky and shale paths and steps will allow. Fortunately the walk was only roughly 10 minutes through a verdant forest so got there in time being totally awestruck by the monastery. How this Monastery of St John the Baptist was constructed into a sheer cliff face is mind blowing. The original site dates back to 16th century and was used as a hospital during the Greek War of Independence and was rebuilt in 1976 over the remains of an old hermitage. Surrounding the monastery are large forested mountains and down below is the Lousios Gorge with the Lousios River flowing through it. It’s truly a picturesque scene.

Having donned our modesty wraps to hide our shorts we were allowed to enter the monastery. Up the stairs into a small vestibule chapel carved into the rock with the bare rock face exposed. A kitchen and a sitting room were off this vestibule and that was the complete floor. Up some steps to the chapel proper, a small dark room with paintings on the rock walls, about 10 seats lining the walls and a little altar. Then further steps up to the balcony off which were the monks’ rooms. One door was open showing just how spartan a monk’s life can be. The room contained 6 basic beds, no feathertop mattresses here, each with a bundle of basic blankets folded at the foot. Absent were bedside tables and lamps, chairs, desks, wardrobes or any form of creature comfort beyond a bed. Even more basic than some of our dodgy holiday hotels.

The verandah was an old creaky affair that ran the length of the monastery suspended out from the rocks and supported by a rustic wooden structure beneath. We felt it prudent to tread lightly! The only ornamental relief there were some church bells, a wooden gong and mallet which by the look of the gong were there for function not appearance and three further oblong metal gongs of graduated sizes.

Back down to the vestibule level where the priest made visitors (and there were only 6 of us during the time we were there) coffee and provided biscuits, water, and most incongruously, Turkish Delight.

After about half an hour, so 20 minutes into “closed time” we headed off, grateful for the priest’s kindness and leniency.

Huffed and puffed our way back up through the forest path, took some more photos of the lovely surrounds. Had also heard of a town nearby worth looking at so went in search. Followed yet more bendy roads (warning: motion sickness sufferers do not come)to a small but full carpark. Many minutes passed faffing about where to park along the road, ‘Here?’ ‘Yes that’ll do, other cars can pass.’ Then ‘No, think we’ll park there.’ ‘OK then.’ ‘No maybe not. Let me just go there’ followed by a reversal without taking the bend of the road and getting eye bulgingly close a small dip off the road that the little Micra would have trouble getting back up again (nothing to do with the navigator this time). Stopped in the nick of time which coincided with a minivan on tour studying Ancient Greek about to head off from the carpark. Chris waited for the stragglers to pile back in the bus and meanwhile the tour leader advised the town not worth a visit. We took him at his word. Instead went down to the fast flowing Lousios river where a few people were picnicking for the day. Would have been a beautiful place for rafting and swimming but getting the bathers out for a 10 minute swim for one (me) too much fuss. Instead filled my water bottle with fresh cool water and we headed off towards Mystras.

Stopped off for lunch of yet another Greek Salad -perfect lunch fare - under a terrace in a pretty stone village then 1.5 hours more of mountain roads which eventually flattened out a bit to olive tree and orange tree country

I’d had a Mystras accommodation suggestion from Teresa the lady I’d fortuitously met in Melbourne who runs Peloponnese tours. As we approached Mystras we passed it and luckily it had a vacancy. Quirky and large room with magnificent view over the valley and to the mountains beyond. Dinner was at a restaurant Chris had seen recommend in Lonely Planet. 250 metres up a steep hill and rewarded by a seat on the terrace overlooking the mountains and the ruins of Mystras not far away. Dinner was ok, not quite as fabulous as its reviews intimated. Also hindered by no vodka and tonic, rosé that was like engine oil, my first menu preference not available and lots of dishes with creamy sauce that Chris can’t handle. Still the setting was first class and we didn’t go home hungry.

As usual when time came to settle, mine host requested cash declaring his card machine wasn’t working today. I can bet my bottom Euro it wasn’t working yesterday and it won’t be working tomorrow either. This ruse was delivered in hushed tones to each table but it’s the way of things nearly everywhere in Greece. So then we played a game of bluff. I said I wasn’t sure we had enough cash so he double-bluffed me saying we could leave without paying and transfer the cash to his account later. Would like to have taken him up on this to see if he would seriously let two strangers leave on an eat-now-pay-later basis. I think the machine might have sprung into action if all diners took this stance. But I miraculously ‘found’ a €50 note and paid. After all it’s endemic through Greece and one tourist’s obstinate moral stance will change nothing.

2 notes · View notes

cryptocoinguides · 3 years

Text

Why is Nigeria Creating its Own Cryptocurrency?

I just read now that 1 dollar is now, 410 Naira officially all the way from 393 and from 485 to 495 on the black market. Almost 500 Naira to a dollar whew. The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria in an article according to Nairametrics is said to have stated that Nigeria will have its own Digital Currency. The statement reads We are committed to the CBN and I can assure everybody that Digital Currency will come to life even in Nigeria Does this mean that Nigeria will have its own coin, NGNT, Nigerian Naira Tetherhmmm I wonder where we’ve heard that one before.

But what do you think, would you use a coin issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria, drop a comment below.

I’m also going to talk about the new Dollar Limit in this video and of course, the new Naira rate as well. How’s it going guys, its Fisayo here and welcome to another Finance Friday episode, that’s coming not on a Friday this time. If you’re new, welcome if you’re returning, welcome back. Please hit that like button so more people can see the analysis were about to share here and of course, if this video is useful to you at all, just tap that like button.

Without further ado, let’s jump right into the video.

Okay, first things first, Is Nigeria going to be issuing a digital currency of its own. That is a huge deal if that goes through. One major country that is testing the waters in China. The idea of the Chinese digital currency is that it’s issued by their Central Bank. The major thing this will create is that China now has the ability to monitor the economy to a tee and, well you guessed it, monitor the people.

This is everything that Bitcoin stands against. It’s however not shocking to many analysts because of what is usually termed the Great Digital Firewall of China. Western Social Media apps like Twitter and many others don’t work there and to reroute it and use is even illegal. They have their own version of most services so it only makes sense that they went this route. Its also fascinating that China has according to unofficial statistics, about 70% of the virtual currency mining space or crypto mining.

This is also why the prices of these currencies shift drastically when something happens in China like bitcoin bans or mining crackdowns and of. Course Elon Musk. This even makes the volatility that cryptocurrencies have even more.

Nigeria famously banned bitcoin, I’ve mentioned it countless times in the series and I made a 2-part video about it which I’ll link below. Now, just slightly over 2 months later, we see that the Central Bank is saying that Nigeria should have a digital currency of its own.

I took to Twitter to ask what you guys thought and the feedback was quite interesting. The majority of the people mentioned that they wouldn’t want that especially considering they could be tracked and some people think that it would help since we can trace nearly all transactions. We can even trace government transactions but while that seems like a good thing, we don’t know for sure that this Digital overhaul is possible especially considering the statistics of people in the country that is banked or the number of active bank accounts in Nigeria being as much as 111 million.

Keep in mind that this isn’t 111 million people but 111 million bank accounts. The estimate from 2019 puts it that 73 million people had bank accounts then but of course, because of the surge in accounts being opened in 2020 due to the pandemic, it’s safe to say that its most likely close to 100 million or according to Guardian, 49% of Nigerians having bank account meaning 1 in every 2 people in Nigeria have a bank account.

The statistics even looks a little more out of place for a digital currency happening in Nigeria when you consider that again, only 40% of the Nigeria population can access the internet via a mobile phone, and let’s not even talk about proper smartphone penetration in Nigeria or how many people have access or would willingly be open up to a system like this. The implications for a digital currency in Nigeria can seriously help the Nigerian economy in a way that there’s transparency but the adverse effect or the disadvantage can come from the very top if it’s heavily centralized and people are penalized for using money.

It will be very easy for the central bank to block a person’s account that it doesn’t like. Also if the central bank is issuing digital currencies or better still if one entity is issuing it and it can go from there directly to the customer, the role of commercial banks might be affected but that’s an extreme case. Speaking of extreme cases, it could also widen the gap between rich and poor, good old inequality and at the same time it could have serious effects on the exchange rate and there would be crazier pump and dump schemes.

But I want to know what your thoughts are about the whole thing guys, let me know just leave a comment below if you think you’d love a Digital Naira and also if it even makes sense to consider.

If you’re finding this video useful so far, alike would really be appreciated as well. Speaking of the exchange rate. The Naira is now officially 410 Naira to $1, it was 393 before, and now, food prices have skyrocketed like crazy in Nigeria, restaurants have added 100 to as much as 500 Naira on almost every single food item. I bought one tiny piece of meat for 500 Naira.

A dollar pretty much. *Face Palm* Hey guys, it’s Fisayo here andOn a much lighter note. One of the leading banks in Nigeria, First Bank has launched its new website. I’m a designer and I thought it would only make sense to share. It actually looks visually appealing both on mobile and even on the web.

I’m on the go a lot, I frequently use my phone and the experience with the website is more modern and super easy on the eyes with different micro-interactions here and there.

You can, of course, log in and do your online banking, and the new website even lets you browse in your own preferred language and you can see a drop-down regardless of the platform. Whether it’s personal banking, business banking, and even private banking, all the functionality is right at your fingertips and easy to access. Do check out the new website displayed right here or with the link in the description of this video. Also, drop a comment below if you’re a first bank user.

I’d love to know what your thought are. Thank you for watching, I’ll see you at the next one. Alright back to the video. If you’ve been following my Finance Friday series, you would see that I’ve covered inflation in Nigeria and how we got to this point where now we’re almost at 500 Naira to 1 dollar. It’s a good watch and I recommend you check out that video, I also talked about some things you can do to stay on top of saving and investing considering how everything seems to be shifting.

One of the things I recommended a lot to people who were considering saving in a currency like a dollar or pounds for instance was to open a domiciliary account. A domiciliary account is basically an account of a foreign currency that exists or is domiciled in your home country. So you can walk into a bank that you have an existing account with, open a dollar, pounds, or euro account. What you’ll need are 2 references who also have current accounts in other banks or better still the same bank? There are many functions of an account like that and one thing it can help you with is if you want to pay school fees for instance, or if you travel and you want to use a card that is dollar-based and not has to worry about the currency rate.

The CBN silently has put out a policy that you cannot deposit more than $5,000 to your own domiciliary bank account in a month over the counter. Why? The main reason according to analysts for this move is that it would help the Naira currency so that people that are speculating on the dollar and putting pressure on the Naira would stop.

You see right now in Nigeria, there are 2 markets for our currency. There’s the bank rate at 410 and the parallel market aka black market rate at 495.

This means there’s a huge 80 Naira gap in between. So for instance, if someone got a dollar, let’s say 1,000 dollars at 410,000 at the bank and they want to change it to Naira at the black market, they sell at 495,000 making a total of 80,000 of course this is next to impossible because banks don’t give ordinary people at that anyway.

It’s reserved for school fees, travelers, and the likes and there’s even a limit to how much you can get for travelers I believe it’s $4,000. Although not many people use Domiciliary accounts, the few who do have complained that it’s hindering a lot and it is because to imagine if you’re a small business and you have to buy somethings abroad. The Naira cards already have little hope because the limit is $100 per month so you can’t do anything, now the limit for your dollar is $5,000 to even deposit to your account to pay and you would have to wait for a whole month before that limit expires.

It would definitely hinder someone like that however, it’s a policy, and in the long run, it’s generally for the benefit of the entire economy. But again Id loves to know your thoughts on this. Do you have a domiciliary account? Are you bothered by the $5,000 limit or do you think it’s a good thing that they’ve done? If you found this video useful so far, do hit that like button and also hit that subscribe button alongside the bell icon beside it to turn on notifications so you’ll be the first to know when we drop a new video.

Read More: Ripple XRP To $10,000 Post SEC Lawsuit!

via Why is Nigeria Creating its Own Cryptocurrency?

#bitcoin news #ethereum news #xrp news #cardano news #crypto news #best cryptocurrency to buy #best crypt

0 notes

sunkissis · 6 years

Text

Bonjour mes amis,

It has already been two months since our arrival in Paris! I cannot tell you how fast this time has flown by. We exchanged our house in LA with a sweet French couple in Nation (12th arrondissement) for the first two months so we could have time to apartment hunt. I am so happy we were able to live in Nation mostly because we were able to experience a new part of the city we have never seen before.

I feel like I have finally mastered taking Liv to school on the Metro. I used to be confused about which direction the train would go and call myself out as an obvious tourist during the ride by watching for every stop. Now, we know all the lines and have the cool, I can’t be bothered look while on the train. Although once on a crowded train I got my skirt caught in the door.

My hair is huge here. I spend hours flat ironing it and yet the second I go outside it turns into an instant pouf. Must be the humidity, there is so much moisture in the air.

Liv and I usually discuss our plans for the week and how we are adjusting to life in France during the ride. I ask her about the differences between LA and Paris. She makes statements like France is so much more cultural and historic than California. She told me, “In Paris everyone takes public transportation but hardly anyone in LA does. Most people at the grocery store are grumpy but here they care about helping you.” She also said the food here is much better than LA. She’s doing well in school. I have met some of the parents of her classmates (although very few speak English). Her curriculum is very similar to her French school in LA but they go off the campus for PE (which is called sports) and I feel terrible because I can’t help her with most of her homework (only math and English).

After I drop her off, I usually take the bus home because the Metro is very crowded and grab my luggy to pick up the day’s groceries. I still can’t get over how frequently I have to shop here. We go through groceries like crazy!

So far we absolutely love living in Paris. I still cannot believe we are here after dreaming of this for so many years. However, there are some downsides to life in France. Please don’t think I’m some entitled brat complaining about my great life, I just want to keep it real and show both sides of our life.

It is very expensive! So far we have plunked down quite a bit of euros for household items (new towels, shopping at Ikea for our new apartment, basic toiletries). It’s harder to stick to a budget because we had to stock up on basic items. Our first week here I bought Liv a scooter, new clothes and had to replace a pair of shoes she outgrew. This month Antz and I needed some new clothes because we (happily) lost weight! I spend €225 every month on our Metro/bus passes but sometimes in a pinch, we need to use Uber and depending on how far we are from home, it can be expensive. We needed to rush home from Versailles to make it to a birthday party on time and it ended up costing €65 for a 30 minute ride.

Liv really enjoyed her €9 smoothie.

Then Monoprix had to come out with this rad limited-time collab with Maison Chateau Rouge. Just take all my money!

The romper was for Liv but if they had my size I would totally rock it. I pretty much cleared out their home decor display.

However, groceries seem less expensive here than in LA. Like cheese, meat and beverages are super cheap. But let me tell you about the most magical, delicious item in all of France… la beurre!

Back home I buy insignificant Land of Lakes salted butter for like $3.99 on sale. Here, I only buy Sel de Mer de Noirmoutier and it is so delicious. I use it on everything, you could tell me it has crystal meth in it and I would still be like “Pass the butter.” I must say, America is missing out on this fucking amazing butter. It costs €2.35!

However dining out is still costing a fortune. We stopped ordering cocktails and are sticking to drinking water but we can’t seem to keep our bill under €75. Recently, while out on a stroll around the neighborhood we found the famous rue Montorgueil. The heavens parted and angels sang as we discovered the most intoxicating smells of baked bread, meats and fresh fruit. The oldest bakery in Paris is located here. It’s now my favorite place to buy fruit and we fell in love with all the restaurants.

We brought home the best BBQ ribs and a half a kilo of cherries for lunch. Liv gobbled them the whole tray in five minutes! Oh, and I am now a basket lady. I have bought three baskets since I got here. This is who I am now. Note: The fluffy hair.

We found this incredible living wall called L’oasis d’Aboukir. It rains almost once a week so I guess that is why this garden is so insanely green.

There are a few other annoyances here that I can’t seem to figure out. Like getting mail delivered. It seemed to be easier to get our mail when we were staying in Nation but that could be due to our sweet neighbors helping us out by accepting our packages. In our new apartment, we have a mailbox that we put our names on but nothing has been delivered so far. It took many attempts to find which of the local post offices our address belonged to. My French is not as great as I thought it was. I was able to pick up one package (I ordered five weeks ago!) yet three more are in mail limbo because we were told if our building has a locked gate, they can’t deliver packages. Uh, like every single building in Paris has a passcode door so why wouldn’t they at least email me or leave a note so I know where to pick up my stuff? Today I am going to Fed Ex for the third time to pick up a package that was delivered nine days ago! My Mom sent me a huge care package and it took me two weeks to figure out how to track it down.

Another thing I will never get used to is the military presence here. I mean, they all seem like nice soldiers but it’s jarring to walk down the street and then boom, there’s five or six fully uniformed army folks casually carrying guns that look like they belong in a video game. I don’t dare take photos of them but they do say bonjour without a smile as I walk by. Oh, and they wear berets. I suppose I am lucky to live in a relatively safe neighborhood because there have been random knife attacks since we have arrived and sadly, I am always cautious when we are in large crowds.

I also seemed to have a hyper-sensitive aversion to noise. I was equally annoyed by the nonsense noise caused by our hillbilly neighbors (they had the world’s lamest garage band) in LA. Here, the sounds are subtle but torturous. For example, we noticed the first night while in bed, the upstairs neighbor’s toilet must be directly above our heads. Imagine the sounds we heard. They also had some type of saloon door that swings shut. This door produced a boom, bump, bump, bump sound all day long, just about every 30 seconds. I was very close to paying them a friendly visit to offer some felt pads but we moved into a new apartment. Just as we arrived at our new home we were welcomed by the constant cooing of les pigeons. They nest outside of our kitchen window and their incessant cooing sounds make me want to murder.

My final (first-World) problem is our new apartment doesn’t have a separate dryer. They consider this country sophisticated? I was warned about the hard, scratchy towels of Paris so I’ve always traveled with my own towel. The night before we left LA, I took a shower and used my soft, brand new bath towel that I packed in my carry-on. Then as we were re-packing our stuff I realized I only had enough room for either my winter coat or my towel. I was already wearing my camel year-round coat on the plane so I had to make a Sophie’s Choice. I decided it won’t be so terrible to buy new towels in Paris once we arrived. Guess what? Soft, plush towels do not exist here! I was stuck using my face towel for the first week. Monoprix does sell towels but they have a scratchy texture and cost $32.99 each. So, lesson learned, travel with your own pillowcases and towels. I did bring my allergy-free pillowcase covers with me. So, I’m living in 1925 y’all!

I adore freshly dried linen sheets or hand-washed pajamas but putting on stiff as cardboard undies sucks! Now I understand why everyone has to iron clothes here.

In other fun news, it’s peony season! My favorite flower is in bloom and you can buy four stems for 20 euros. Well, that’s how much they were at the marche however Antz found a sweet bouquet for me for Mother’s day for just ten euros.

This is how they look three days later, swoon.

May 1st is May Day. According to Wikipedia, on 1 May 1561, King Charles IX of France received a lily of the valley as a lucky charm. He decided to offer a lily of the valley each year to the ladies of the court. At the beginning of the 20th century, it became custom to give a sprig of lily of the valley, a symbol of springtime, on 1 May. Nowadays, people may present loved ones either with bunches of lily of the valley.

Liv has been a crafting machine since most of her toys couldn’t fit in her suitcase. She has decided she needs a handmade sword and shield.

I took her to La Droguerie to buy a pom pom making kit. This colorful place is located on

9-11 Rue du Jour, 75001 Paris, France

She was able to customize her own glitter! This kid and I were in rainbow craft supplies heaven.

We try to go to visit a new arrondissement every weekend. The parks here are absolutely gorgeous. Just don’t ever step on the grass. When the sky turns blue here, you grab a picnic basket and run outside!

Jardin de Luxembourg Rue de Vaugirard, Boulevard St. Michel, Rue Auguste-Comte and Rue Guynemer 75006 Paris, France

The boat rentals are €4 for 30 minutes. Liv chose Mexico to rep her Grandma Maria.

I think the pony ride was €8. Sweetest pony but our seven year old child is a giant.

Parc Floral 4 route de la Pyramide | Bois de Vincennes, 12th, 75012 Paris, France

We also love strolling our new neighborhood to hunt for Invaders.

Liv pointed out the heart shapes in the window panes.

One evening we took a stroll and ended up on Île de la Cité just at sunset. I swear I am never going back to the US!! Life here is tres beau.

Ask me anything about living in Paris.

Life in Paris: Month Deux Bonjour mes amis, It has already been two months since our arrival in Paris! I cannot tell you how fast this time has flown by.

#Farmers market #Paris #Park

1 note · View note

eurocrypto · 4 years

Text

2000-3000 euros per week is real: how I trade on Coin Market Solution

Good morning, my name is Peter, I am 38 years old and I have a story I must share with you.

The story is my own, and if you read on, I can promise you that you will find out how to make 2000 to 3000 euros a week, no matter where you live and without working yourself to the bone. It’s simple, Coin Market Solution!

But I am getting ahead of myself. The story starts with me as a younger man, living in Latvia with only a few pennies to my name and a good sense of humour. I was from a small village, which was getting even smaller. Jobs were disappearing, the old ways were becoming obsolete as people were making their way to the cities and other countries for opportunities. When they left, we rarely heard from them again, we were left only with stories, true or false…I was intrigued.

One of my friends had gotten a job offer from a contact in Sweden. He asked if I was interested in going with him. They had huge warehouses there and needed staff to work the night shifts. There was nothing in Latvia for me anymore, my family was small to begin with and my sisters had all moved away for marriage, so I agreed to go and give it a try. Afterall, so many others had gone, there must be something good out there, right?

Wrong. I was fine at first, the buzz of Swedish cities was exciting, the bars, restaurants clubs. The cities attracted some of the most successful businessmen. People would dress up and hit the town, rubbing shoulders with the elites. I had never seen people like this in my home town, if we did, they only rolled by in blacked out cars. Their lives were elusive and distant, now it the luxury of their lifestyles was everywhere from fancy cafés to high street stores and designer outlets.

However, despite sharing the same city as these people, we did not share the same lifestyle. I arrived at the warehouse to discover that my shift was a minimum of 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. I barely had time to sleep let alone go out and socialise. The pay was almost non-existent, I’d have to work a million shifts to be able to afford a car, or a nice new suit. I had enough to cover a room in a shared house, and basic essentials to survive, and at times I’d have to make do without even those, as some weeks we didn’t even get paid at all.

I began to get depressed. I am a sociable person by nature. I love people, and was always interested in trends, personalities and habits. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a historian, a psychologist, a sociologist, or something like that. It never happened because university was well out of my reach, but it didn’t stop me studying and reading in private, cultivating my passion, dreaming that one day it would turn into something useful.

However, over time I began to feel that all I once was, was slowly disappearing. Exhausted from work I had no drive to read, or study, or even concentrate on a documentary. Socialising was out of the question, except for a few after work drinks at home with my housemates, all of whom worked at the same warehouse. The little money I had saved before moving to Sweden had gone a long time ago, so there was no way for me to return home. That is when I realised, that is why no one comes home. Not because the grass is greener on the other side, but because they get stuck. No money, no life, no travel. It all seemed hopeless, there was no escape.

Further away I slipped from my dreams, and away from those happy faces I would see going about their day, doing their shopping, lunching with friends and socialising over drinks. The life I wanted seemed impossible. I couldn’t even bring myself to date, how could I support a wife? As I grew older the more I wanted a family of my own. My parents wanted it to, and I couldn’t bring myself to tell them the real reason why I wouldn’t, because I wasn’t successful enough, I couldn’t support children, I wasn’t doing well. So, I told them it was because I was a ‘free man’ and didn’t want to be ‘tied down’ all lies, to keep them away from the truth of how desperate my situation had become.

Then one day it all changed. I received a telephone call from an old friend who came over with us from Latvia, but now lived on the other side of Sweden. He had left his low paid job years ago and was currently saving towards getting a 4 bedroomed house for his family.

‘’How did you do that?!’ I asked. ‘’Coin Market Solution!’’ He replied. Turns out he started trading in digital currency, and eventually he made enough regular income that he was able to leave his job altogether.

‘’Its Simple’’ he continued. ‘’ Just go online and check them out. They have a team of expert consultants who will advise you and give you guidance. Their advice is usually spot-on. There is always risk, its the same for everyone, but with their Risk-Free Transaction system you can negate any losses so you don’t lose out.’’

Well it sounded too good to be true to I had to see for myself, and it turns out he was right. It was so simple. All you have to do is use an asset to invest in a certain amount of digital stock and store it in a secure Coin Market Solution account. They had savings and exchange accounts so you could do all the trading in one place. I had an old motorcycle that was still worth something so I secured first my cryptocurrency against it to start out. The advisers guided me through my first few steps and by the end of the week, I upgraded my account to Gold membership! and the best thing is, its all legit! It the cryptocurrency was recognised and protected by EU regulation, and was safe, thanks to Coin Markets Solution and their determination to deliver a trustworthy service.

I’ve been with them for only a short while but now, I am the one rubbing shoulders at the bar, and taking my girlfriend out to nice dinners. I send money home to my family after I make my weekly profit withdrawal from my account. I am finally living the life I had imagined for myself outside of Latvia. Since it doesn’t take up much time, I found a better job with less hours and spend my evenings studying stock market. Looks like all that reading about society and trends did eventually pay off!

Now all I wish is to tell my story in hope that others don’t have to suffer for as long as I did. Do yourself a favour, after reading this get in touch with Coin Market Solution! You have my personal guarantee that you not regret it!

#coin market solution #history of success #review #cryptocurrency #coinmarketsolution #financial independence

0 notes

travelteatv · 4 years

Text

Brussels isn’t somewhere I had ever hugely considered, I didn’t know that much about it and to this day, I’m not quite sure how we ended up deciding to go there. Nonetheless, I’m glad that we did. It’s not a huge city centre – small but perfectly formed, with a lot of history, great biscuits and even better beers. Just right for a quick weekend away.

For us, 48 hours was the perfect amount of time there. You can definitely spend longer of course but we felt like we managed to explore everything we wanted to see within that time, without feeling rushed.

We got the Eurostar from Kings Cross first thing in the morning, which worked out really well – it only takes 2 hours (shorter than a lot of journeys around the UK!) and so we were in Brussels by mid morning. Our hotel (the Sandton Hotel Centre) was a 30 minute walk from the Eurostar station and very central, which made everything so easy.

I love getting the Eurostar, in fact, I would choose to get it over flying any day. Of course, living in London does help with that but in general, I find the ease of going through security for the train (with as large a liquid as you want – they even let us put an entire cup of tea through there in a little holder) and the speed of everything so much simpler than an airport. No running to far away terminals or fighting to get your bag in the overhead lockers. Plus, there are lovely views most of the way and if you book in advance, you can generally get a good deal price wise.

We got the train there and back – leaving on Saturday morning and coming back Monday morning. In fact, I was actually early for work because of train times, which is pretty amazing considering I came from a completely different country.

Below is what we did across 2 days, of course you are welcome to do them in any order you like – nothing on this list is too far from each other, in fact we pretty much walked everywhere, this is just how we happened to do it. There was no particular rhyme or reason for the way we went about these things; we are big fans of ‘starring’ places on Google Maps and then using that to plan our trip based on where we are and what we’re feeling. None of the below needed to be booked, so we just picked things to do based on where we were and what we were feeling.

Day 1 (Example Itinerary)

Place Royale

A public square which contains some beautiful buildings, including a few museums. We chose to go to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium, which was a lovely place to wander round for a few hours. It’s also, massive. We didn’t really realise this when we first got there – I think there must have been some building work going on because to get anywhere, we had to walk the most long winded ways. Somehow we ended up in the basement which housed some pieces that I genuinely still don’t know if they were meant to be art pieces or not, including a man doing some kind of science experiment similar to what looked like the process of making beer. Whether or not it was part of the exhibit, we watched for at least 20 minutes, fascinated by what the hell he was going to do next.

On top of that, we also got in a lift that had SEATS. Actual seats. The dream (for the 10 seconds we were actually in the lift). (Yes I was so blown away by this I took photos).

Of course, this probably isn’t what most people take away from this gallery – it contains over 20,000 art pieces, including Rubens and Jordaens.

TOP TIP: You can get a discounted ticket if you do travel by Eurostar. We didn’t know this when we went in but the woman at the front desk recognised our English accents and happened to ask how we got there. When we told her it was by Eurostar, she offered us the discounted tickets, which was super nice of her considering we didn’t even know the discount was a thing.

Musee Des Instruments De Musique

A beautiful building, also known as ‘The Old England Building’. Once a department store, it is now a musical instrument museum with an incredible facade. We didn’t actually go inside the building, instead we chose to be two of the many tourists gawping at the architecture and taking pictures. From what I’ve heard though, the museum is well worth a visit.

Parc de Bruxelles / Royal Palace of Brussels

Sadly we visited on a bit of a rainy, dreary weekend so the park and palace weren’t as grand as we had hoped but from other pictures I have seen of both places, on a good day they’re a good place to spend some time. Unfortunately I’ll admit we only spent around 15 minutes there, as it isn’t that fun to sit in a rainy park.

For all intents and purposes, the picture below is how I imagined my visit would look:

View this post on Instagram

Some photos of #Brussels from my #morningrun in the city today- #parcdebruxelles #bruxelles #running #reflections

A post shared by Veronica Hidding (@thecloudsarelowerhere) on Nov 6, 2019 at 2:39am PST

Dille and Kamille

Perhaps to anyone from The Netherlands/Belgium, this is a very odd thing to put on an itinerary but honestly, as a Scandi themed homeware obsessive, I had a blast here. It’s a homeware shop with a mix of Hema, Habitat and Zara Home vibes which is really well priced with a good atmosphere. If you can’t make it there, you can get stuff delivered around Europe/the World (at 10 euros a pop for the UK, I believe) but we decided to just pick a few bits up that we liked including a big vintage style milk bottle for about £3 and an enamel vase for about the same price, which would be about triple in London. Another one of the beauties of travelling by Eurostar, as we actually had the space!

Plein Publiek (Mont Des Arts)

We stumbled across this place by accident and I’m so glad we did. With cool music, good beers and an incredible glass ceiling, the vibes of this bar are off the charts. If I lived in Brussels, I would definitely make it my local haunt. Nonetheless, I’m pleased to say I was able to have at least one drink there.

Bia Mara (Fish and Chips)

I’m slightly ashamed to say that we actually liked this place so much that we visited not just once, but twice during our trip. It’s not usually something I would do but it’s genuinely that good; a great fish and chip restaurant with a focus on the lesser known fish and sustainability. It’s slightly pricier than your average fish and chips but it’s well worth it.

In this way, you can imagine my surprise when I found out there’s another restaurant by the same owners in London (Camden – it’s called Hook). Funnily enough, I also went to that one when I got back and can confirm, it’s also brilliant.

View this post on Instagram

Crispy Lemon & Basil Infused Tempura with Seaweed Salted Chips and Garlic Truffle Sauce! Delicious 😋 #biamara #brussels #antwerp #fishandchips #foodpics #foodiegram #fresh #fish #fresh #chips #homemade #sauces #craftbeers 😍

A post shared by Bia Mara (@biamarabelgium) on Nov 23, 2017 at 2:18am PST

Delirium Cafe

I’m not sure you can go to Brussels without visiting here – it’s a bit of a mad pub in the centre of Brussels, which famously brews it’s own beers. It’s one of those crazy places which is absolutely massive but still incredibly hard to get a table (especially on a Saturday night). I would definitely make time to stop by, if only for one drink, to experience the madness for yourself.

View this post on Instagram

Кто пьян? Я пьян! Попытаюсь улететь. / I'm drunk and trying to get to the airport.

A post shared by Nadezhda (@_brynza) on Sep 6, 2017 at 9:52am PDT

Day 2 (Example Itinerary)

Train World

It’s been a running theme of ours recently, that if we go somewhere that has any kind of train themed experience, we have to stop by. It started out as a joke, as we have both always had a bit of a thing for trains and thought it would be a laugh to stop by the museums. Turns out, train museums are great and even if you don’t think you are that fussed about them, they’re good fun. Fred was always a much bigger fan of trains than me, but he won me round to how cool they are (very easily).

It’s slightly out of the way of the city centre (around an hour’s walk/20 minutes on the Metro), we walked there first thing on the Sunday morning and it was lovely to see different parts of the city; we walked past the botanical gardens and some amazing buildings. Plus, we saw a lot of locals getting up and enjoying their mornings; walking their dogs and grabbing pastries at their nearest bakery. I always like to imagine what my life would be like if I lived in a city I’m visiting and both of those things sound like the dream to me.

The train museum itself is massive, with anything from Eurostar to Steam Engines. Some of them you can only walk around and look at, but a lot you can get on board and sit on. There’s also a cafe and lots of things for kids to experience (not that we did those things but I was aware they existed as there were lots of kids there).

Grand Place (Main Square)

This is a beautiful square, with incredible buildings – it’s nice to wander round for a bit although 100% a massive tourist trap. We didn’t spend a lot of time here but it’s very impressive and worth stopping by.

View this post on Instagram

Гранд Пляс в #Брюссель – объект всемирного наследия ЮНЕСКО! Считается одной из самых прекрасных площадей Европы..🇪🇺 На площади помимо Ратуши, расположены Дома гильдий, которые в средние века легко можно было различить по фасаду и лепнине: 1.Дом галантерейщика – дом "Лиса"; 2.Дом лодочника – "Рожок"; 3.Дом лучника – "Волчица"; 4.Дом плотника – "Мешок"; 5.Дом торговца маслом – "Тележка"; 6.Дом пекарей или "Король Испании", хотя король в этом доме не жил и никакого отношения к нему не имеет🏘 Мне нравится последний, а вам??… #brussels #belgium #Бельгия #путешествиепоевропе #veter_trip #veter_belgium

A post shared by Аня Ветрова (@annyvetrova) on Apr 16, 2017 at 2:55pm PDT

Manneken Pis

I’m really not sure why this is so famous but it’s one of those things you can’t not to go while you’re there. It literally is just a statue of a pissing boy. Well, they also put costumes on him. Genuinely absolutely no clue why it’s such a big thing but the hoards of people surrounding the fountain alone is an incredibly fascinating sight to see.

A La Mort Subite

A friend of mine from University is from Brussels, so we met up for a beer with him and he suggested this place. It’s a really cool, old bar that literally feels like a step back in time when you walk in. He ordered a cheese board, as apparently that’s the thing to do. So we spent a nice couple of hours reminiscing, eating cheese and drinking beers. I highly recommend it.

View this post on Instagram

I hope not #alcooldanger #alamortsubite #stillalivefornow #brussels

A post shared by 居蒂丝 Judith Benhamou-Huet (@judithbenhamouhuet) on Aug 1, 2016 at 10:56am PDT

Les Galeries Royales Saint Hubert

Not far from the bar, is an undercover shopping centre with some great coffee, biscuits and fancy shops for window shopping. It’s not like there are a million things to do in here but it’s pretty to look at, and a good way to stay out of the rain for a bit, if you’re as unlucky as we were with the weather.

On top of all of the above, we also wandered round a few other shops, and enjoyed having long coffees and beers without feeling like we “had” to be somewhere at every second. For such a short trip, I don’t think you can ask for much more than that.

Abi

@ travelteatv

48 Hours in Brussels, Belgium Brussels isn't somewhere I had ever hugely considered, I didn't know that much about it and to this day, I'm not quite sure how we ended up deciding to go there.

#48 hours in brussels #Belgium #brussels #europe #eurostar #weekend wandering

0 notes

kimvtae · 7 years

Text

Drag Me Down (To Hell) | 03

↬ Summary: There’s a darkness to your city, a murderous underbelly filled with crime and deceit that you’ve sworn to avoid at all costs. But the universe has funny ways of forcing your involvement in the form of a notorious mob boss and his young daughter. ↬ Pairing: Jeongguk x reader ↬ Genre: mafia!au ↬ Rating: Mature (for themes; subject to change in later chapters) ↬ Word Count: 11.534

Part 01 - Part 02 - Part 04 - Part 05

You don’t sleep that night.

After Jeongguk had pushed Surin into your arms and slammed your front door, his footsteps echoing loudly throughout the building as he left, the young girl had promptly fallen back asleep with her face nestled against your neck. You hadn’t been able to move for what might have been an hour, staring at the door in muted shock before finally regaining yourself to get Surin into your bed to sleep for the rest of the night, and then calling Jeongguk.

There was no answer, of course. You really hadn’t expected one. But there was no answer on the burner phone Jimin had given you the number to, or on Taehyung’s phone, or even Jimin’s. And Jimin had promised you he’d always answer your calls if he could.

Still, you force yourself not to overreact. Criminals always faced scares, were always encountering threats and needing to leave for covert reasons. With Surin in the picture you could imagine it had been nearly impossible for Jeongguk to up and leave, to chase down people who tested him in different countries. Maybe that was another unseen effect of holding this job- keeping a goddam child safe while her father created trouble around Asia.

When sleep proves to be futile and you’re unable to catch a wink even curled up around Surin’s tiny frame, (she’s shivering, you realize belatedly, grabbing the afghan from the hall closet to drape over her body,) you hesitantly decide to open Surin’s backpack. Maybe by seeing what Jeongguk had packed in her bag you could get an idea as to how long Jeongguk would be gone, or even what he’d left to do.

It wasn’t any help. Surin’s bag was packed as if she wouldn’t be home for weeks. You had to admit the sight was impressive, what with how many outfits Jeongguk’s managed to fit in the bag, along with a sturdy pair of sneakers. Dollars, Won, Euros, and Yen notes are tucked into the inside pockets, enough cash of each for a small family to survive for at least two months. There’s a Taser at the bottom that you quickly throw into the highest cabinet in the kitchen, but what chilled your blood the most was the envelope in the front pocket of the bag, stuffed with official passports of ten different countries, all with aliases for Surin. Only the Korean one had her real name, and even then it wasn’t Jeongguk’s surname on the documents.

“Oh, Jeon,” you whisper, irrationally afraid that Surin may overhear. You hurriedly repack the bag the way you’d found it. “What have you gotten yourself into?”

“Eonnie?”

You startle, placing the envelope back in the backpack and letting the whole thing drop to the floor. Surin stands in the doorway to your bedroom, hair messy and sticking out in every direction as she rubs her eyes. The blanket is still around her shoulders, but you get a peak at the Iron Man pajamas she’s wearing.

“Hey, kid,” you say slowly, watching Surin stumble her way over to join you on the couch. “Don’t you want to get some more sleep?”

Surin shakes her head. “Where’s daddy?”

Fuck, you really should have been expecting that question. You school your expression into something you hope is neutral enough not to alarm her. “He’s running some errands. I’m not sure when he’ll get back.”

Sighing, Surin slumps on the couch. She props her chin on her fist, staring blankly at the backpack on the floor, and you’re struck, not for the first time, at how she looks too young to be so tired. “He’s gone, isn’t he?”

“Yeah,” you breathe. “He’ll be back soon, though, right?”

“Last time daddy left, he had to leave me with the maid.”

“Is that why you’re scared of them?”

“They have guns, eonnie.”

“What-? Why do they have-?” No, fuck, you were not having this conversation with a child, but you would bring it up with Jeongguk when he got home. Instead, you say, “Never mind. There’s cereal in the pantry if you want some.”

“Marshmallow cereal?” Surin asks, a smile betraying what you can’t imagine she’s feeling inside.

“Mhm.”

“Daddy never lets me have marshmallow cereal!”

You take a quick shower after settling Surin in front of the TV with a big bowl of cereal, taking the opportunity to try to call Jeongguk again, but there was still no answer. Not even a text from Taehyung. You collect your books from your room, finding Surin writing in her notebook, focused more on writing than on the cartoon playing on screen.

“Is your school done for the year?”

“Yep!”

Finals were in two weeks. You really couldn’t afford to skip. “Do you want to come to classes with eonnie today?”

“Okay.”

Your professors, unsurprisingly, were very understanding about Surin staying during class time. You introduce Surin as your daughter, saying there was an issue with your usual daycare and figuring it would fit best with Jimin’s story if anything were to happen. So Surin sits in on your classes with her notebook in one hand and a snack you’d packed in the other. Some students coo at her at the little café you stop at for lunch, but she takes it all in stride, smiling and laughing and talking about the dog she hopes she’ll get for her birthday.

That night while brushing teeth, Surin asks whether you’ve heard anything from Jeongguk, and when you say you haven’t she grows quiet for the first time since that morning. You promise to keep trying to contact him as you tuck her into your bed, but Surin shakes her head.

“If he hasn’t called, that means he can’t talk,” Surin says sleepily. “He probably threw his phone in the river before leaving Gangnam.”

“Surin don’t speak like that,” you say sharply.

She’s quiet for a few moments, turning her head away from your fingers in her hair. “Goodnight, eonnie.”

“Goodnight.”

“Wait,” she chokes out when your hand closes around the doorknob. Her voice shakes, and you know in that moment that there will never be anything you could deny this little girl. “Stay please?”

For the next five days there is no sign of or call from Jeongguk or any of his men. Even Bogum, your tail for the week, had no updates on his whereabouts, and advised you to stop asking about it. Instead, you keep bringing Surin to your classes and taking her out to dinner each night to get out of the apartment. Her face lights up at each childish restaurant you take her to, and you file keep every menu she draws on to give to Jeongguk when he returns. If Surin notices the cash or passports in her backpack she doesn’t comment on them, and you wonder if that was regular in her life.

On the sixth day, Surin asks if there are any parks nearby and you agree to take her to one after your classes let out. It’s your early day, but you have a question about one of your recent papers, climbing the stairs to the faculty offices with Surin’s hand in yours as she speaks excitedly about the dog she had seen earlier. Seemed Jeongguk wasn’t the only one in that house she was taking after.

“Excuse me, professor?” You knock on the door after settling Surin in one of the chairs outside. A man with unnaturally blond hair is in the room with your professor, looking pissed, if his bright red face and veined forehead were anything to go by, and there was a scar from the tip of his eyebrow that extended to the lid of his eye.

“Ah, Y/N,” your professor says, a warm smile on her lips. “Pardon us, Shin, but I have work to attend to.”

“Of course,” the man, Shin, says, giving you a quick once over before leaving the room.

“What can I do for you?”

“Right, uhm. My essay…”

Your nerves are still a little on edge as you leave the room; frown deep on your lips. A stranger on campus really shouldn’t have this kind of affect on you, but you were paranoid after what had happened at Surin’s school and from Jeongguk’s disappearance. Sue you for being worried.

“Hey, kid. Ready to go to… to the park-?” But the chair you had left Surin in was empty, her backpack knocked over onto the floor and no sign of her dark hair on either side of the hallway. “Surin? Surin!”

You look in every office in the area, shouting Surin’s name with each door you open. Holding her backpack, your chest threatens to concave. You were in the office for maybe five minutes; the only other person in the immediate area was the man speaking with your professor before you. Had you misjudged him? Had you seen him around, maybe at the park or Surin’s school beforehand? Fuck, you had learned to be so careful over the last few months and now Surin was missing, Surin was missing and had been taken by the same men that wanted Jeongguk dead, the same men who had no qualms with torturing a small child to get the information they needed-

"Eonnie?"

You whirl at the sound, sweet, sweet relief flooding your limbs at the sight of Surin, standing near one of the receptionist’s desks and staring up at you in confusion. Nearly sprinting to her side you fall to your knees, grabbing her arms and checking her legs, even going so far as to check for a wire before confirming that yes, she's alright, and no, Jeongguk won't have any reason to stage your elaborate death.

"Where did you go?" You demand, still checking Surin's neck for any signs of marks.

"I was in the bathroom! Eonnie, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," you breathe. "Nothing. Let's go back to the apartment now."

Surin takes her backpack from you, still glancing at you as you lead her out of the administration building and back toward the bus stop. When she seems to recognize where it is you're headed, she tugs on your sleeve, staring up at you with wide, watery brown eyes. God damn Jeongguk's genes. "What about the park?"

"Not today," you say. "I- uh, I have a lot of homework. We'll go on Sunday." What you failed to mention was how you were still a little paranoid. Especially with Jeongguk MIA, there was no telling who may come out of the woodwork when he wasn't around to defend his turf, when there wasn’t anyone around to keep track of you and Surin.

God, you scoff, sitting on the bus with Surin on your lap. When had your life become a trashy spy movie plot?

Once home, you settle Surin at the table with a snack and a Chinese language workbook you'd picked up the other day, after recognizing that she hadn't been studying her languages since Jeongguk dropped her off. There were four others piled on your bed for Mandarin, English, and French. You realize with a start, digging through your clothes for something more comfortable to change into, that Jeongguk was preparing her in case she ever had to disappear.

You look out of your bedroom, catching sight of Surin's frame bent over the table. She was working diligently, humming to herself as she wrote. She was such a young, beautiful child, but one wrong move from Jeongguk or anyone else that lived in that house, and her entire life would be turned upside down. Whereas other children were enjoying their vacations with family and friends, Surin was studying languages for the possibility of fleeing the country. Men with guns showed up at her school. Her father disappeared with illegal business more often than not. This pretty, tiny little child with night hair rivaling the blackness of Jeongguk's, wide eyes, and a mind that knew more than she let on, should not be bred for a life of secrecy.

"Surin?"

"Yeah, eonnie?" She turns to face you, open and trusting, and your heart catches in your throat.

"I'll order in dinner tonight. Want pizza?"

"Sure!"

You'd stopped calling Jeongguk a few days ago, stopped trying to get information when there clearly wasn't any. And while you were still insanely worried, you tried not to show it for Surin's sake. Instead, you rented Surin's favorite Disney movie and the two of you ate pizza on the floor of your tiny living room, giggling and singing along to the songs. And you hope, beyond all reason that you've managed to distract the young girl.

Bedtime at your apartment is so different from that at Jeongguk's estate. There, sometimes, you have to wait for one of his men to finish in the bathroom before you can get Surin in there, and sometimes it's difficult to get Jeongguk's men to keep quiet after she's put to bed. But at your place, there's no lines or guns, just laughing and dancing, brushing teeth and making soap mustaches. Tucking Surin into bed meant several stories with the little girl sitting propped against your chest and her gaze focused intently on the book, asking questions and pointing out plot holes. In children's books. The fuck.

When Surin's finally asleep you actually look at your homework, at the two final exam projects you have due in the next two weeks. With a sigh, you rub tiredly at your eyes, deciding to get started now before Surin would wake and ask for a trip to the park again.

There's a knock at your door as the time snails towards three in the morning, the rest of the world smartly choosing to go the fuck to sleep. There's no hurry or fury to this knocking, as if this were the middle of the afternoon and a friend were waiting for you on the other side. Still, you sneak as silently as possible to the door, checking the peephole with bated breath and letting out a relieved noise when you get a look at who's on the other side and hurrying to pull the door open.

"Jeongguk.”

"Hey, Y/N. Sorry."

There's blood on Jeongguk's face, blood you hadn't been able to see through the peephole. It's dried, cracked in some places along his forehead and cheek. His gun is carelessly hung in the waistband of his slacks, black hair a mess with what you don't even bother hoping isn't blood. His clothes are a little torn and he looks absolutely exhausted, as if he hadn't slept in three days, or for the entire week he's been away.

For a second, you're floored, speechless as you stare at Jeongguk across the threshold. And then the surprise wears off. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" You hiss, yanking him into your apartment with a fist curled in the front of his jacket. "Do you have any idea how worried Surin has been? She's a smart fucking girl, Jeongguk, she isn't immune to what you do."

"I know," Jeongguk says, raising his hands in front of his body and for a minute, he looks so much younger, and the worry he must have been feeling for his daughter for the last few days shows in the cracks of blood on his cheeks, in the muted colors in his eyes. "I know. And I'm so, so sorry for asking you to watch her on such short notice. I wouldn't have done it if I had any other choice."

"I'm not going to ask for an explanation right now," you say. Jeongguk glances into your apartment, searching for something, but you stop him with a hand on his chest before he can make his way past you.

"Y/N-"

"You're not going in there covered in blood, Jeongguk." You guide him through your apartment, placing a few towels on the bathroom sink. "You'll give Surin nightmares with all that blood on your face, you damn idiot. Shower. She's okay. My room's at the end of the hall, feel free to it once you've finished."

Jeongguk sighs, bloodshot eyes trained on the floor. "Thank you, Y/N. I have no idea how I'll make this up to you."

You smile gently. "Take Surin to the park tomorrow."

As Jeongguk showers you set to work cleaning up your things, packing away your schoolwork and the salvageable parts of one of your projects. While the water's still running you dial Taehyung's number, a little pissed when it goes straight to voicemail again, but deciding not to do anything of it until you see Taehyung again. There's always an explanation.

"We ditched our phones in Ilsan," Jeongguk says, startling you into dropping your phone onto the floor of the kitchen. He chuckles, drying his hair with the towel. He'd changed back into his slacks and undershirt, and you flush when you realize you didn't have anything in the apartment to give him. "Oh, shit. If it's damaged, I'll buy you another one."

"It's fine."

"Right. Anyway, I'm sure you were calling, but we threw our phones away as soon as we realized things were going south in Ilsan. I'm sure Taehyung's trying to find an open store right now to buy a phone to call you on."

"Jeongguk." You're tired and spent, and namely still a little upset by the entire week. Taehyung will get to you. You're not worried about that. "Go to Surin, please."

Jeongguk leaves for your room, leaving the door open and you finish tidying up the apartment. Cleaning dishes that have been there for days, re-packing Surin's backpack, and straightening up the bathroom a little, but as you pass the door to your room you pause. You'd fallen into the habit of either sleeping in the same bed as Surin if she asked you to stay, or checking on her a few times during the night if you were sleeping on the couch. And it's always the same; she's curled into all of the blankets, clutching the little toy dog she loves so dearly, and if she's shivering then you throw another blanket over her slim frame.

Tonight, not to your surprise, is different. Jeongguk is a little too big for your bed, but that doesn't stop him from curling up into it, stroking his fingers through Surin's hair with a practiced touch. She startles awake, but settles right away when she realizes that it's Jeongguk that woke her. The grin that splits the little girl's cheeks is breathtaking as she shoves herself into Jeongguk's embrace, surely burying her face in his chest. You can't hear what they're saying, but you can imagine Jeongguk's whispering something to her as he settles more fully on the bed, arms around her body.

The sight knocks your breath away, a feeling of longing so severe that your chest aches and your features begin to crumble under the weight of the smile. Something like that is all you've ever wanted and yet, it's all you've never been able to have. All you'll never be able to have.

Quietly, you shut the door to your bedroom and retreat to the couch, sinking into the cushions just as your phone vibrates in your hand. You don’t recognize the number, but you’re quick to answer.

“Love?”

“Taehyung.” A sob bubbles in the back of your throat at the soothing sound of Taehyung’s voice. You never realized how desperately you could miss someone until the chance of death was so high.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t call.”

“Don’t. I know why you couldn’t.”

Taehyung’s quiet for a long moment, but just knowing he’s alive and breathing is enough not for you to prompt him to keep speaking. “Y/N, why are you still awake?”

“Jeongguk’s here,” you say, wrapping yourself in an extra blanket on the back of the couch and lying down. “He’s with Surin. I don’t think I can sleep tonight.”

“You should try. There’s going to be a lot of info being explained in the next few days.”

“Just. Tell me anything important you can. You know I don’t like details.”

“Love, I’m starting to think that’s not the best idea anymore.” Taehyung sighs, exhaustion creeping into his voice and curling along your limbs. “Our shipments are being attacked. We got an alert of an attack and went to stop it, but when we got there, they weren’t any of our suspects. None of Zhang’s men, none of Keng’s. We lost five guys.”

“Jimin-?”

“He’s alive. Nearly lost a finger but Seokjin-hyung’s almost done stitching him back together.”

Taehyung’s words are starting to trip over themselves in the way his voice gets when he’s been awake for three days straight, when his body begs him for nothing more than sleep. He’s trying to fight through it, to keep updating you about what had happened. All of the men had been wearing masks, they had no leads on who it could have been, and Jeongguk’s first order of business upon getting back to Seoul had been getting back to his daughter. The rest could wait.

“Taehyung,” you murmur, interrupting a slurred monologue about which drugs had been stolen. “Go to sleep.”

“Mm, you, too.” Taehyung yawns. “I’ll cuddle Jimin back to health all night. Tell Jeongguk to get his ass back here first thing in the morning. I miss his kid.” You laugh quietly, even as the stone in your belly continues to sink, ripples making even your toes feel heavy and uncomfortable. “Get some rest, love.”

“Goodnight, Tae.”

There are no sounds from your bedroom, and you figure it’s safe to assume that Jeongguk’s fallen asleep around Surin. Still, sleep doesn’t come immediately to you, and you reach blindly for the remote before turning on the first show you could find. It’s an infomercial for chrome curtains, the host gesturing comically with no sound on the TV. They’re ugly and unnecessary, but at least the pictures do a decent job of pushing your thoughts from your head until your eyes finally close for the night.

"What do you think about Beijing?"

You tickle Surin's toes as the swing nears you, her bubbling laugh infectious and adorable. Jeongguk stands behind her, pushing the swing each time she gets close enough. "Like. Politically or for a vacation?"

"I was thinking vacation," Jeongguk says with a smile. "But I am wholly interested in your political views."

"Oh, bite me."

Jeongguk laughs, and after a few seconds Surin joins in again. It had been almost a month since Jeongguk disappeared for a week, and though you still didn't know that whole story, things had at least settled down a little. And now that you were out of school you were spending nearly everyday at Jeongguk's estate to watch after Surin. Most days you used her coursework time to keep looking into universities for graduate school, Taehyung hovering excitedly over your shoulder until he was called back to do his job.

"I mean," Jeongguk says, after a few minutes. "I don't even know why I asked about Beijing. It's irrelevant right now."

"Tell that to the people of Beijing."

"I will if you do."

"Daddy, I want to go on the slide!" Surin kicks her feet to make her point, trying to grasp your hands to bring the swing to a stop.

He laughs again, and you instantly see Surin's smile on his own face. "Okay, princess."

Jeongguk helps her out of the swing, and she runs toward the biggest slide the second her feet touch the ground. You and Jeongguk follow at a slower pace, neither of you taking your eyes off her. Yugyeom was your tail today, standing on the other side of the playground. There was no sign of the people who'd been here the first time or the person who'd threatened you, but still your breathing was a little uneasy every time you scanned your surroundings.

"Why do you ask about not Beijing, anyway?"

"Ah, I need to ask you a favor." Jeongguk gestures to a spot underneath one of the trees to stand, the few leaves still hanging on to the branches were brown and burnt. "I need to go to Taiwan in two weeks, and I wanted to ask you to accompany me."

"Why?"

Jeongguk looks away to where Surin's waving from the top of the slide, smile wide and bright. You and Jeongguk both wave back, that achingly fond look back in Jeongguk's eyes, almost as if it had never left.

"I want you there?"

You snort. "Shouldn't I just stay here with her? I'm already at your place most days each week."

Jeongguk's expression hardens, and suddenly you remember Taehyung had mentioned Jeongguk had crafted and burnt an alias just for what happened in Ilsan. Things were getting serious, and it seemed Jeongguk was still intent to keep you in the dark. But could you complain? It was what you had asked for, after all. "I don't want to leave the country without her right now. After what happened in the last couple months, I don't want to leave her alone. You're someone she trusts wholeheartedly, and I know that you can help me keep her out of trouble out there."

"Are you expecting trouble in Taiwan?"

"No," Jeongguk says. "So, I'm telling her it's a vacation. That way she doesn't worry when we get there. What do you say, Y/N?"

You sigh, glancing back to Surin. She's moved on to the monkey bars now, hanging upside down between two of the bars and laughing a full belly laugh. You really didn't like the idea of leaving the country and watching Surin somewhere else, somewhere you don’t trust to not be full of the same danger you were facing here. Jeongguk said he didn't expect any disaster, but the nature of his work was centered in uncertainty. Things can go wrong at any moment.

"I don't have a passport," you say, conceding your consent. If he was telling Surin this was a vacation, then dammit, you'd treat it as a vacation. Maybe get Jeongguk to pay for a ferry ride or something to treat Surin to.

"Uhm," Jeongguk coughs. When you look at him again, he's grinning embarrassedly, bangs falling into his eyes in a way that de-ages him significantly. "Yes, you do?"

"Let me guess." You barely manage to hold back your groan. Even trying so hard to avoid this world, the stage had been set for so long for you to take your place. "Taehyung?"

"Will saying sorry help?

"Absolutely not."

Your passport is, you have to admit, skillfully made. The glossy cover and pristine pages inside make it look almost official. In fact, Jeongguk promises you that Taehyung insisted your passport be real. You’re not sure if it’s official, but you are sure that if Jeongguk’s fake paperwork has been working for this long, then yours can be cleared, too.

Surin adores her passport, giggling at the picture of her. Her name is Park Surin on this one, and you briefly consider asking Jeongguk if any of her documentations have her real name, but decide against it. He's been busy finalizing the plans for leaving for Taiwan, deciding which men to bring along and who to leave at home. He doesn't say it, but part of you believes he's leaving a certain number behind as a front.

"I'm not so sure about this," you say, as Taehyung approaches you in the kitchen, your suitcase in one hand and his in the other. The fridge is covered in colored and scribbled on menus.

"Me neither. But boss's orders and all that jazz." Taehyung had not been pleased to learn Jeongguk had asked you to tag along on this business trip, had even interrupted Jeongguk's meeting to confront him about it, but had finally stopped screaming when you had told him, in your own words, that you had chosen to do this for Surin.

"Do you think Surin's nervous?"

Taehyung runs a hand through his hair, tilting his chin to lead you through the house and looking more exhausted than you could remember him being in the recent months. Since the Ilsan incident, Jeongguk's entire estate had been on heightened alert, which meant more guns and more security and less time for rest. Now, standing on the driveway, you're watching as a select few of Jeongguk's men pack two cars. Jeongguk stands on the front steps, speaking with Jimin as Surin enthusiastically chases Yugyeom around the pair.

"No," Taehyung finally says. "She's a tough kid. Life sucks, but she's strong. Plus she has no fucking clue what this vacation is a front for."

"A front?"

Taehyung's eyes widen, his lips falling shut immediately. "Fuck, okay, you deserve to know. Jeongguk's got a meeting in Taiwan with an old family friend. Other than that, he expects absolutely nothing to happen over the next four days. Maybe we can trick him into a big dinner."

"We can tell the wait staff it's Surin's birthday."

"Love, you're a damn genius." Taehyung kisses your forehead before grabbing the suitcases again and taking them to the first car.

Jeongguk finishes his conversation with Jimin, both men looking a little peeved, but he schools the expression when Surin runs barreling into his arms with a squeal. Jimin was not very happy about staying behind this week, but he needed to let the stitches in his hand from the stabbing in Ilsan properly heal. Your stomach is in knots, both from watching how excited Surin is and from Taehyung's news. Jeongguk has a meeting, huh? You couldn't help but wonder why Jeongguk felt so threatened just by a meeting that he asked you to tag along to another country.

But you don't ask. You don't ask because even if you've been working for Jeongguk for months now, your only place here is to care for Surin. Anything that doesn't pertain to her isn't any of your business, and you know it would do you good to remember that.

"Are we set to go?" Jeongguk directs the question at Bogum as he approaches; Surin balanced on his hip and both arms around her body. She always looks so extra tiny against Jeongguk’s wide frame. "Flight's in a few hours."

"All set, boss," Bogum confirms. "Just give Taeyong the new security password and we'll be ready to go."

"Remind me to get a new system when we get home, Bogum. It's been a few months with this one."

"Sure thing, boss."

The flight goes off without a hitch. You'd be lying if you said you weren't nervous going through security, terrified out of your mind that one of the officers would find a flaw with your passport and you'd be detained, that Jeongguk would be recognized beneath his mask and cap and then you'd be arrested, but that didn't happen. Even as you sweated a little too much going through the metal detectors, nothing happened. And almost before you could blink, you were seated next to Taehyung on the plane.

"Why don't you take a private plane?" You blurt, just before takeoff. Jeongguk, sitting with Surin in the row next to you, laughs quietly.

"Too conspicuous, Y/N."

It's warm in Taiwan when the plane touches down, but it doesn't take long to get through customs before the entire group- consisting of you, Jeongguk, Surin, Taehyung, and ten more of Jeongguk's men- is split into separate black cars waiting by the doors. You're tired, dozing off on Taehyung's shoulder as you're driven deep into the city. You've always had trouble sleeping on flights and you're hoping this meeting doesn't happen for at least a day or two so you can sleep off the flight.

Surin lies on Jeongguk's lap, propped up in his arms and resting her head against his neck, snoring quietly. You hope Jeongguk's picked out some nice places to take her over the next few days.

The hotel is small, surprisingly. Only a few stories high and not as impressive as you had expected it to be. Then again, you realize as Jeongguk checks everyone in by speaking shaky Chinese, that this is exactly why Jeongguk had chosen it. Your room is on the second floor between Jeongguk's and Taehyungs.

When you're standing before your respective doors, Jeongguk still carrying a sleeping Surin, Jeongguk nods to you. "Meet me for breakfast in the morning. I'll explain what I need you to do for Surin then. Oh, and Y/N? Expect a raise after this."

You wave off his comment. "You know that's not necessary, Mister Jeon."

"Goodnight, miss Y/N."

Taehyung blows you a kiss before disappearing into his room, and despite your exhaustion sleep doesn't come easily to you that night. Maybe it's the unfamiliar bed, or the extreme heat inside the hotel room, or your nerves betraying the calm you'd felt throughout the day, but you find yourself tossing and turning all night, even getting up at four in the morning and ordering room service. The selection isn't expansive, but they have pretty breakfast foods and you ask the man who takes your order to charge it to Jeongguk's bill, but after eating you're not hungry in the morning.

"Eat, Y/N, we have a long day." Surin's sitting at another table between Bogum and Taehyung, coloring with a marker on the back of Taehyung's hand. Jeongguk had asked to sit with you at a smaller table in the corner to explain a few things.

"I'll eat more later," you say, nibbling on a piece of toast. "Just. Jeon, please let me know what the fuck is going on. This relates to Ilsan, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Jeongguk says. "We received footage of the Zhangs moving toward one of my bases out there, where Namjoon was located at the time. When we got there, we were ambushed. But not by Zhang's men, like we expected. We don't know who these people are, but they were smart enough to hack into our digital system and place the footage we wanted to see, while being able to monitor our movements. That's why we abandoned our phones, Y/N, so they couldn't keep an eye on us as we fought back. It took five days to neutralize all of them, but when we began interrogating the suspect we'd caught, he killed himself with a cyanide capsule he'd been keeping in his mouth. Taeyong’s overhauling our entire system while we’re away and scanning any footage we’ve got to try and get a peek at one of their faces under the masks. Bunny masks. How fucking childish."

Jeongguk sighs, leaning back in his chair and glancing over at Surin. He's got one arm balanced on his bent knee, twirling a packet of fake sugar between his fingers, a frown on his lips. You tear at the crust of your toast. "Do you think these people are connected to those who threatened Surin?" And me?

"I think it's likely," Jeongguk admits. "There are... a lot of people who want to see me dead, you know. If these aren't the same people who're willing to go after my daughter to break me, then it's someone else I've pissed off over the last few years. Someone who's amassed a lot of muscle that isn't afraid to die for his cause."

"Is that what you're trying to find out today?"

"No. Today is a meeting with a man named Jackson Wang. I've known him my entire life, and his father was a good friend with my own. I'm hoping he can give me information on a few men who've been giving me trouble. Oh," Jeongguk snaps his fingers, dropping the packet of sugar onto the floor. "And on a shipment of weapons that's been severely delayed. I should be using a new pistol, not this stupid old thing."

Thankfully, Jeongguk does not reveal his gun, only thumbs at it over his waistband. "Okay. So, what do I need to do with Surin?"

"Keep her occupied all day. I don't know how long this meeting is going to go for, but I outlined a few of Taiwan's best places to visit, a few places to give her a chance to practice her Chinese. I don't want Jackson or any of his men to know she's here. I don't want anyone to know she's here."

"Don't you trust this guy?"

"I trust him with my life, but that doesn't mean I trust the people he chooses to trust."

You rub at your temples a little petulantly. "God, I hate your job."

Jeongguk chuckles humorlessly. "Doesn't get much better, Y/N, I can promise you that."

"And what do I tell Surin when she asks why her father isn't spending time with her on the first day of vacation?"

"Tell her we have all of tomorrow to make up for lost time."

You accompany Jungkook to the building where the meeting will be taking place, a gorgeous office building in the center of the city, nestled above a beautiful restaurant that Jeongguk promises Surin they'll eat in together tomorrow evening. Bogum stays on the first floor, Taehyung on the second, the rest of Jeongguk's men disperse around the office.

The office is quiet, a few people sitting at computers throughout the rooms, but other than an annoyingly cheerful receptionist, there's very little movement on the fifth floor. It unnerves you a little, seeing so few bodies in the office on a workday. You imagine Jeongguk and Jackson had chosen a slow day to do their business, but then again, both men were insanely powerful. They could agree to meet any other day of the week. Sunlight streams through the window, illuminating dust and dirt in any given corner of the office, and your assigned tail for the day stands just inside the door.

Jeongguk places Surin's hand in yours, smiling down at his daughter. "Are you going to be good for Y/N today, sweetheart?"

"Yes, daddy!"

"Good. If I get a glowing report," Jeongguk says, holding both hands to his mouth as if to hide what he was saying from you. "I might just have to take you out for ice cream after dinner."

Surin gasps excitedly, her pigtails swinging with the motion. "Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise." Jeongguk extends his hand to Surin, and as he links his pinky finger with hers the door to the floor slams open.

"Ah, Park Jeongguk."

Jeongguk stiffens, whirling on his heel in such a way as to hide Surin from view, but it's clear his efforts aren't enough. Who you assume to be Jackson Wang steps into the room, bleached hair looking almost green in the poor fluorescent lighting. His smile is wide, his expression kind, but you have enough experience with these kinds of men to know that he's hiding something behind the smile, that he could probably kill you seven different ways just for looking at him wrong.

"Jackson," Jeongguk says, his own expression remaining neutral. You squeeze Surin's hand. "Ah, let's move quickly into the conference room."

"No need to rush, man," Jackson chuckles. His gaze falls onto Surin, who stands tall as she stares back at him. "I assume this is the kid? My godchild?"

"Yeah," Jeongguk says with a sigh. "Sorry, I would have introduced her to you sooner, but-"

"I know. You don't have to explain anything to me. How's Halla, by the way?"

Jeongguk's jaw clenches. "I wouldn't know."

For a long moment, Jackson is silent, appraising Jeongguk with a muted stare. Then, his gaze sweeps over the rest of the room, pausing on you for almost a minute before he smiles again. "Right. Let's get this show on the road, huh?"

As Jeongguk passes you, he whispers near your ear, "Get her out of this building. Now."

Jackson settles at the head of the table, Jeongguk rounding it to take the other seat. Surin tugs on your hand, and Yugyom’s giving you a look that says you need to go, Y/N, you need to go right now. Please.

Seating himself across from Jackson, Jeongguk takes a white envelope from his suit jacket and slides it across the table. You see Jackson unfold it, pulling a pen from his own jacket as he says something, lips moving to form words you can’t make out. Jeongguk remains impassive, but a smile curls his lips after a few moments, and his posture relaxes slightly.

Yugyeom moves to guard the door, jerking his head to the main door. You remember Jeongguk saying that he didn’t want anyone knowing Surin was in Taiwan, and suddenly your palms are sweaty as you squeeze Surin’s hand. The meeting seems to be going well, but you drag your eyes away from the sight of Jeongguk laughing quietly behind the flaps of a manila folder.

"Let's," you lick your dry lips, uncomfortable with watching Jeongguk in the conference room. You can't hear what they're saying, but Jeongguk does not look as angry as you had expected. Has the meeting even started? "Let's go, Surin-"

A red dot appears on Jackson's chest, standing out on the white dress shirt. Jeongguk freezes, his mouth opening to interrupt Jackson, and then a shot rings through the room.

Jackson drops facedown on the table.

The receptionist screams, every office worker scrambling to get to the front door as you crouch down, bringing Surin with you. You lose sight of Jeongguk. Glancing quickly around the room as more bullets begin to fly and glass shatters all around you, you spot a small closet at the end of a nearby hall.

"Daddy!" Surin screams, as gunshots continue to go off.

"Surin," you say desperately, grasping at the young girl's face with both hands. She's crying, tears streaking down her pretty cheeks, and the sight breaks your heart. "Surin, listen to me. We need to get to that closet, okay? Keep close to the floor and don't stop crawling."

"But, but daddy-"

"He's going to be okay. Right now we need to get you to safety."

You have no clue if there's any validity to your statement, if Jeongguk's even still alive, but he's stayed around this long, and you pray that it takes more than a few well placed gunshots to be the end of him. Pushing Surin toward the hall, she immediately crawls as quickly as she can; whimpering each time another gunshot goes off. From behind you, you can hear heavy footsteps ascending the stairs, and your heart rate kicks into overdrive, brow sweaty and mouth dry at the thought of losing Surin, of losing Jeongguk, Taehyung.

Opening the door to the closet, you urge Surin inside. Plaster is beginning to fall from the ceilings and walls and you really need to find Jeongguk. "Stay here," you tell Surin, instructing her to cover herself at the back of the closet, hidden from the view of the door. "Don't move until someone you know comes for you. Can you do that for me?"

"Eonnie..."

"I know," you whisper, flinching at a particularly close gunshot. "I'll come back soon, I promise."

You barricade the door with the nearest office chair, crouching as you run back to the mail area of the office. Jeongguk's standing by the reception desk, two guns aimed by the door, where three bodies lay motionless on the floor. There's a fourth body in the hall, your stomach twisting uncomfortably as you step over it.

"Jeongguk!"

"Y/N? What the fuck are you doing!"

A shot breaks the window behind the receptionist's desk, glass raining over yours and Jeongguk's bodies. Your arms get cut up a little as you block your face. You can't feel your heart, convinced in that moment that it absolutely jumped right out of your chest.

"Jeongguk, do you know these people?"

"That's not important! We need to get the fuck out of here! Where's Surin?"

"She's safe!" It takes a few long minutes to reach Jeongguk's side, debris and bodies making it difficult to move freely around the office. "Where-?"

Three quick gunshots ring from the floor downstairs, and Jeongguk curses again. "We need to get upstairs. There's probably some on the roof, but a fresh floor will at least give me places to attack from. Y/N." Jeongguk faces you, struggling with his thoughts for a moment before flipping one of the guns in his hand and offering it to you. "Finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot. Kickback isn't too bad. You've got four bullets left. Safety is off. Let's get the fuck out of here."

You follow Jeongguk out of the room and up the nearest flight of stairs, letting him take the lead. It's no secret that you don't like guns, that you've never liked guns ever since the first time you saw one- when you were thirteen, shaking and scared hiding beneath the kitchen table, blood spilling over the pristine white tiles of the kitchen as they left you, they left you and they've never come home, stolen away before you got a good chance to get to know them- and the unfamiliar weight of the pistol in your hand settles like a weight in a shallow pond. Still, you hold it firmly, pointed at the ground, and focus on Jeongguk's back as he leads you up the stairs. Focus on your breathing, get to safety, and get Surin back to the hotel. That's everything you need to do.

"Jeongguk! Any sign of anyone?"

"No," Jeongguk hisses, back pressed to the wall. You've gone up three flights by now, wincing each time the two of you approached a corner, unsure if there were men with guns or dead bodies waiting for you on the other side. So far there have been neither, but the gunshots keep echoing from downstairs, the sounds of men shouting and muted thumps of bodies hitting the floor with chilling frequency. Jeongguk holds his gun by his chest, peaking around the corner before beckoning you forward. "And someone's jamming my frequency, I can't get through to Taehyung or Bogum."

Your heart stops, sudden images of Taehyung, laying in a pool of his own blood flood your mind. What if he was already dead? He was the last one you had, the only one left. You couldn't lose him. You couldn't. You couldn't lose anyone else. "You don't think they're-?"

"No," Jeongguk says, an air of finality to his tone. It does nothing to settle your stomach. From somewhere below, a beeping noise begins. "No, they're smart as hell. They're gonna survive this. But we won't if we just stay here chatting, Y/N, let's go!"

"Where?"

Jeongguk contradicts himself to say, "The roof. If no one's coming down that means they're not up there. Which means they initially attacked from a nearby building before swarming this one. If I can just get to the roof I can get visuals on the perimeter, see who the fuck we're working with."

"Okay," you breathe, trying desperately to catch your breath. You really don't like the feel of the gun in your hands. "I'll watch your back."

"Don't get shot."

"You too, Jeon."

A woman comes stomping down the next staircase Jeongguk leads you up, but before she even gets a chance to lift her gun a shot's ringing through the hallway, and she's crumpling to the floor, tumbling grotesquely down a few steps before her body comes to a stop. You shudder, but force yourself to keep walking, to keep moving on without sparing the woman a glance.

"Hey! You two!"

Someone shouts from below you and Jeongguk, a quick glance over the banister shows the man, whose face was covered by a black cloth, his bright red hair an unwelcome shock against the muted tones of the stairwell. He raises his gun, fires, and you feel the wind of the shot near your face as you quickly move away.

"Jeongguk-!"

From nearly a flight above you, Jeongguk leans over the railing and fires three quick shots, two of which strike directly in the man's chest. He slumps over the banister, unmoving. "Y/N!" Jeongguk shouts, snapping your attention away from the two bodies on the floor. "Grab one of their guns and keep moving!"

The woman's gun proves to have a full magazine, and Jeongguk curses in relief when you hand it over. "I was out of ammo," he admits. "That would have been bad."

The last staircase before the roof is darker than the others, and Jeongguk whispers for you to stay closer as he walks. His steps are light and certain, a stark contrast to your own shaky breathing and uneven steps. Anyone could be waiting around one of these corners, hiding where in the shadows, where monsters run free and death stalls for no one. Reaching a hand out, you curl your fingers in the back of Jeongguk's shirt, keeping the gun pointed behind you.

Sounds are muted now, each gunshot from below sounds too far away, and again you find yourself wondering if Surin's all right. If Taehyung was still alive. Wondering whom the fuck these people were and how they managed to find Jeongguk in a different country. But Jeongguk's approaching the door slowly, there's quiet shuffling behind you, and then bright light floods the small room as Jeongguk pushes the door open.

There's no one on the roof.

Jeongguk sweeps the roof, gun held in front of him as he checks all angles, breathing a sigh of relief when there are no other bodies. You're about to lower your gun, about to suggest finding a way back to Surin, when someone laughs from behind you, and Jeongguk's pointing his gun over your shoulder.

"Don't do anything stupid, Jeon," an unfamiliar voice says. An arm snakes around your neck and in your surprise you drop the gun, sending it clattering onto the gravel of the roof. The man behind you yanks you against his chest and suddenly there's the cold press of the barrel of a gun shoved right onto your temple, cold dread settling deep in your bones. "Wouldn't want this pretty little thing getting... hurt. Now would we?"

"Let her go." Jeongguk says, voice cold and collected, gun steadily aimed at the man's head behind you. You try to turn your head to look, but the man keeps you pinned, your nails digging into his forearm doing nothing to help yourself.

"Jeongguk..."

"I don't think I will," the man says, pushing the gun harder to your temple until you were whimpering in pain. "Unless. You tell me where your cute little daughter is hiding."

Jeongguk spits "Go to hell."

"I'll see you there."

"Who the fuck are you?" Jeongguk demands, clicking the safety off of his gun.

The man chuckles quietly, the sound reverberating painfully through your skull. More shots echo downstairs. More bodies thump to the ground. Your heart threatens to beat right out of your chest or give up on you right then and there.

"You don't recognize me, Jeonggukie?" The man sneers. "Don't recognize the man who taught you how to hold a gun?"

Jeongguk narrows his eyes. "Nice try, but Sangeul died when I was seven. Tell me who you are and who sent you, and maybe I'll let you live."

The man barks out a scathing laugh. "If you do, you're even dumber than we thought. We knew old man Jeon wasn't raising you right, but to raise a little bitch? Pathetic."

Jeongguk shows no signs he even heard what the man said, glare unwavering against the man. Beside your ear, you hear the safety of the man's gun clicking off. "You have ten seconds."

"Fuck you, Jeon-"

“Duck, Y/N.”

A shot rings out just as you drop your weight.

Your eyes fall shut, body taut in terror and breath held behind your clenched teeth, but pain never comes. Instead, the hold around your neck slackens, the gun leaves the side of your head, and the man falls back onto the ground with a hard thump.

Turning around, you spot a man who can't have been much older than Jeongguk, eyes wide and smirk still caught on his lips. A dot of red is centered on his forehead, blood blooming from the wound and trickling down the sides of the man's head like a polluted river, the sight turning your stomach. You were going to be sick.

"Did you...?"

You swallow heavily, blinking back tears as you back away from the body. Jeongguk steps closer to take his gun, cursing when he sees that the gun had been empty this entire time. You grab the gun you’d dropped earlier, hesitantly clicking the safety on again. He kicks the man back through the door to the roof, throwing it shut with a loud slam and chucking the useless gun off the side of the building.

"Fucking jackasses," Jeongguk mutters. "Should have killed them all when I had the chance."

"Did you know that man?"

"No," Jeongguk says, and when he looks back at you, the cold flame of anger in his eyes extinguishes slowly. "But I knew- wait, shit... Don't tell me that was the first death-"

"It wasn't," you snap. "Did you know him?"

"No, but he obviously knew me. Or at least, he knew my father." Jeongguk groans, running hand through his hair in frustration. He slips his gun back into the waistband of his pants, holding his hand out for yours, and you sigh in relief once it's out of your fingers. "We need to get to Surin and contact Taehyung. I can have a plane chartered out of here in less than four hours."

Jeongguk inspects the ground where the man's gun had fallen, as if the disrupted gravel may give him a clue as to who's been making all of the threats. Dissatisfied, he begins scanning the perimeter, checking between the ground and the buildings across from the office.

"There," he says suddenly, on the other side of the roof from you. "I can just see the sniper set up. That must have been where they shot Ja- where they shot Wang from."

"Jeongguk, I'm sorry-"

"Attachments kill, Y/N. I'm most sorry for Jackson's wife."

He keeps scanning the area, drawing his gun again at one point and aiming it toward the ground, but he doesn't fire it. Jeongguk mouths something to himself before re-joining you by the air conditioning duct. You can't hear anything going on in the office anymore, but you can hear police sirens and shouting coming from the streets, terrified screams from those whose family or loved ones had been working in the building that day.

"Jeongguk, we should-"

The grate to the vents of the roof bursts open, blasted clean off the roof from the force of the explosion. Dust swirls around your bodies, your vision temporarily impeded as you cough, gravel and dirt lodging itself in your throat. You reach out for Jeongguk, your hand brushing his elbow briefly before you freeze, and your breath catches harshly in your throat.

Five people storm out of the vent, taking advantage of the dust and- fuck, they must have used a kind of smoke bomb- scattering around the roof. "Jeongguk!" You scream, sure he's already seen them but he has the guns, he has both of the guns.

"We warned you to stay away, Jeon!" One man yells.

A woman laughs. "You're just that greedy, aren't you?"

Shots ring out along the roof. You can hear the sirens on the ground increases, someone shouting into a megaphone for order, but there's no order when you're dancing with the devil, no organization or routine to the art of running blindly across an unfamiliar roof, dodging bullets from every direction. You couldn't tell if they were shooting at you or Jeongguk, but you realized then and there that Jeon Jeongguk possessed the deadliest accuracy, as three of their bodies fell to the ground horrifyingly quickly.

"Y/N! Where are you?"

You spot Jeongguk's figure by the door to the staircases again, and you take a deep, unsteady breath before taking off in his direction, gravel crunching beneath your boots. He notices you quickly, aiming his gun at whoever must have been behind you, his expression slowly twisting from neutrally pissed to horror, time slowing down and centering around one pull of a trigger.

Pain erupts in your left shoulder, inconceivable fire exploding throughout your body as you stumble onto your knees, not registering what had happened. Your shoulder feels hot, burning red liquid seeping through your shirt and beginning to drip down your shoulder. Tentatively, your breathing shallow and shaky and your stomach concaving on itself, you press two fingers to your shoulder. They come away covered in blood and the rest of the world comes rushing back to you- shots ringing around the roof, pain numbing your mind and lighting your entire arm on fire.

"Y/N!"

Jeongguk's screaming, absolutely frantic as he trips over his own two feet, momentarily lowering his gun before a shot flies a little close to his face and his resolve returns. He fires with terrifying precision, hitting one, two, three people square in the head and suddenly it's silent on the roof.

"Y/N! Holy shit, Y/N, please-"

Jeongguk falls to his knees beside you, tossing the gun to the ground as his hands hover over your shoulder. He applies pressure where your hand is, face falling at the noises of pain you let out, and looking even more frantic at the whimper that slips past when he lets up. "You're okay, you're going to be okay."

He reaches to his own shirt, tearing a long strip of the fabric away from the hem and wrapping it around your upper shoulder as a tourniquet. "You're going to be okay!"

"Jeongguk," you whisper. The world is spinning, everything is spinning and Jeongguk's voice is nothing more than a shallow ringing in your ears. Your body gives out, slumping against the nearest surface. Warily, you realize that it is Jeongguk's arms, and that he is supporting you from falling against the ground. The door opens with a slam, but to you it sounds like the softest, sweetest embrace. "Fifth floor. Supply closet. Get... get to Surin..."

"Jeon!" A pause, and then, "Oh my God... Y/N?"

"Taehyung!" Jeongguk cries. "Supply closet on the fifth floor, get Surin. Please. Please Taehyung!"

With incredible effort you manage to stand, a sudden surge of strength leading you to your feet. You have to get to Surin; you have to find her. You need to see Taehyung, need to know that he's alive and okay, that his voice a few minutes ago wasn't just a figment of your imagination. Your ears are ringing and your vision spins as you take a couple of unsteady steps, forcing yourself to continue moving, to wrench open the door with your good arm and make for the stairs.

Jeongguk runs at your side, a hand on your shoulder as he fires at anyone rounding the corners. Every dead body you encounter has a black mask covering the majority of their face, similar to the man who'd confronted the two of you in the stairwell. You're determined to make it back to the fifth floor, to find everyone and get the hell out of the building, but your legs give out somewhere around the seventh floor, Jeongguk catching you before you can hit the ground hard.

Jeongguk gets his arm around your back, helping you onto shaky and uncertain feet with great difficulty. Your head lolls against his chest, your good arm yanked around his shoulders for an attempt at stability, but as Jeongguk leads you to the door and your legs give out on you three times, he gives up and hooks your legs over his arm, carrying you down the remaining staircase. It's slower than he would have liked, bodies and slick blood making the journey treacherous. The rooms and hallways are dark, your head too muffled to try and discern if they're supposed to be void of color.

"Jeon... gguk..."

"Don't try to speak," Jeongguk begs, sounding breathless and terrified. He barks orders to someone you can't see. Your shoulder feels cold. Someone shouts. Jeongguk adjusts your body in his arms, and fires three bullets in a direction. "Fucking- dammit!"

Jeongguk doesn't go through the front doors, of that much you're certain. Instead, he keeps running down the stairs until he reaches the basement garage center. It's cold and damp, windy, and it's becoming more and more difficult to keep your eyes open. A sleek black car speeds up to where Jeongguk is standing, the back door opening as it comes to a screeching halt.

"Boss, let's go-!"

He helps you into the car as quickly as he can without jostling your injured shoulder, and despite your best efforts to sit up; you immediately crumple against the window. Jeongguk gently tugs so that you're resting your weight on him instead as the car tears out of the garage.

"Get us to the warehouse, Yugyeom. You know the place."

"Yes, Jeon."

"Y/N." You think that's Jeongguk's hand on your cheek. "Y/N, I know it's hard but try to stay awake. Please. Listen to my voice, okay? We're getting you to someone who can help-"

"Jeongguk... I..."

Your vision fades to black.

The first time you fade back into consciousness, you're crashing; like a ship being dragged brutally beneath the surface as you listen to two spirits decide your future. You can't open your eyes, but you can feel a hand clenched tightly around yours.

"Can you treat her or not?"

"You know I can, sir-"

"Sir was my father. Help her."

"...Jeon, it's a risk. I need to get the bullet out, and I don't have any proper equipment here-"

"I don't fucking care. Treat her. Now."

"Hold down her legs, Jeon. This isn't going to be pretty."

Newfound pain slithers through every nerve of your body, centered on your left shoulder as something small and pointed digs into your wound. You think you scream, but the noise sounds so inhuman, so foreign to you, that you can't be sure.

You can be sure you're thrashing, can be sure of something holding down your legs, screaming and begging for you to calm down. Your nails scrape against flesh, someone curses in your ear, and the pain increases in your shoulder.

You black out again.

Your body feels like a lead weight. There is uncomfortable pressure at points on each of your limbs, preventing you from moving in the slightest. Your head is heavy, a splitting headache threatening to rip your skull in half.

Someone touches your cheeks with startling gentleness, wiping fingers beneath your eyes. The pain is too much, so much that you think death would be kinder than this, than this horrible burning sting in your shoulder.

"What pain meds do you have?"

There's a long, unbearably silent pause. "Morphine, Jeon."

"Where is it?"

"There are incredible risks that come along with it-"

"That is not what I asked. Is it the money? I'll pay you triple that my father used to pay you. Make. Her pain. Go. Away."

And then, you're floating into sleep again.

"Let me in there! Let me in the fucking room! That's my fucking sister!"

At least this time you can wiggle your toes, but one of your hands is trapped within the confines of someone else's. Mm, but the pain is nothing more than an afterthought, diluted and dulled to the back of your mind.

You giggle quietly, your head lolling to the side.

"Y/N?" That's Jeongguk's voice, you think. "Y/N, I'm here-"

Sleep is too enticing to pass up.

The first time you open your eyes, it's nearly pitch black in the room. Your body feels heavy, unbearably so, and there's a dull, painful ache in your shoulder. It must be what woke you up, pins and needles poking at your skin. You whimper as you turn your head, sore and burdensome from such little use, your shoulder stinging like a bitch as you move.

Your tongue is dry, your head too heavy to try and lift. Moving your toes, you let a little sigh of relief escape when you confirm that yes, you can still move the rest of your body. But the pleasant lightness and floating feeling is gone, and you desperately miss it.

"Help-" You croak, wincing at the rough drag of your voice. You just want the pain to go away.

"Y/N?" You're just barely able to look to your right, to see Jeongguk sitting by the table you've been laid on, his hand holding tight to yours. His eyes, dry and red, nearly glow in the dim lighting, making you believe he hasn't slept in weeks. "Are you awake?"

Your tongue is dry and heavy in your mouth, and it takes you too long to form a proper sentence. "Is blistering pain my new reality?"

"Yeah, you're awake."

"Where's Taehyung?"

"In the hideout with Surin. He'll stop by again in the morning."

You whimper. "Jeongguk, it hurts."

His eyes soften imperceptibly. "I know, Y/N. I know." He turns away from you. "Doc, where are those painkillers?"

The doctor speaks from behind you, "Jeon, I really don't think that's a good idea. There's a very high chance of addiction, and we've given her some already."

"I'll consider your opinion," Jeongguk spits, "When you go to proper medical school. But until then, and for as long as it's my fucking blood money paying your bills, you do what I say. Understand?"

"Yes, Jeon."

"Jeongguk- Surin-"

"She's okay," Jeongguk promises, stroking his thumb over the back of your hand. "We'll go home soon. Think you can wake up tomorrow? Taehyung really wants to see you."

Your head is pounding; body sore and tired and you want nothing more than to sleep and never wake up. "I'll try."

"I know. Y/N, those men-"

Taehyung's voice rings into the room, "Is she awake?"

"Tae?" Jeongguk startles. "Where's Surin?"

"With Bogum. I'm going to kick your fucking ass, Jeon," Taehyung says. "And then we're going to find out who those men worked for, and kill all of them, too."

Something pricks your arm, and pleasantly warm syrup begins to flow into your veins. You sigh in blessed relief, a dopey smile on your lips as you relax against the bed.

"Well, Taehyung," Jeongguk whispers. "I might have a lead on that."

You fall asleep again with Jeongguk and Taehyung each holding one of your hands, a grounding of your body even as your mind floats far away from the pain.

Words don't come to you for the longest time. You can't tell how long you've been awake for, the pain in your shoulder not yet unbearable as you lay still, watching the sun begin to paint the sky with muted orange and yellow colors. There are hands holding both of yours. Earlier, you heard Jeongguk and Taehyung speaking, before their voices had tapered off when they figured they should let you sleep. But you had been awake for a while now.

Carefully, you squeeze your fingers, watching as the silhouettes at your bedside startle. Someone, you think it's Taehyung, eagerly squeezes your hand back.

"Love," that's Taehyung. "Love, are you with us?"

"Mm," you sigh. "I think so? Everything aches."

Jeongguk lets go of your hand. "Your body's going to be sore for a while. I'm so, so sorry Y/N. If I could go back and take that bullet-"

"You couldn't have known," you say. Are you slurring? It feels like none of your words are making sense. "Where... where are we?"

"We're still in Taiwan," Jeongguk says. "I know someone here, someone who could heal you faster than any hospital around. I've got people working my contacts around here. We'll likely be able to leave as soon as you feel like you're able."

"Tae?" You whine, tipping your head up as Taehyung stands to hover by the head of your bed, pushing the hair away from your face with his warm hand. "Are you-?"

"I'm okay," Taehyung assures you. He smiles gently, and you can't help but match the gesture. "I'm okay. And Surin's perfectly fine. You did the right thing hiding her away like that."

"Good. About what happened-"

"I don't want to discuss that here," Jeongguk interjects. "We can talk about it when you're feeling stronger, okay? I'll get Jihoon, find out when your next dosage should be. How's your shoulder?"

"Hurts." You wince slightly. "A lot."

Jeongguk frowns, not saying anything else before he leaves the room.

"You should sleep again, Y/N." Taehyung says, still stroking through your hair. It's soothing and nice, his touch always warmer than the general temperature of your skin. You find yourself melting back into the bed, catching up to the sleep that had been eluding you for the last few hours. Taehyung sounds far away when he speaks again, your eyes closing slowly. "Everything's going to be okay. I promise you. We're gonna catch the bastards that did this, and then we're going to kill each and every one of them."

#jeongguk scenarios #jungkook scenarios #jeon jungkook #bts scenarios #jeon jeongguk #my writing #i didn't think i'd edit this in time today lmao i've been distracted by basketball #this is where shit starts getting real so get ready

879 notes · View notes

miraculouspaon · 7 years

Text

More Things in Heaven and Earth

Chapter One

AO3

“Is that steak cooked enough?” Gabriel Agreste asked his wife.

Nathalie didn't look up. “It's fine, Gabriel.”

“The center looks pink.”

“You're imagining it,” she said, before taking another bite.

“No, I am not,” Gabriel said, annoyed. “Did you bully the chef into undercooking-”

“Well, now you're being paranoid.”

“I simply-”

“Gabriel. I have had a long day, and I intend to bite into something bloody. That can either be this steak, or your neck. Your choice.”

“The doctor-” Nathalie cut her husband off with a glare. Sighing, he turned to his son. “How was school?”

“Good,” Adrien said, biting back a grin. “Nino and I are almost done with our modern history project. We were gonna knock out the rest of it this weekend actually, start after school tomorrow and marathon it. Is it cool if he stays for dinner tomorrow?” His tone was just a little tight, a little controlled, as though he cared more about the answer than he was willing to let on.

“Of course,” Nathalie said. “Just tomorrow? He's welcome the whole weekend.”

“Oh. Um. Actually, I was gonna go over to Mom’s on Saturday.”

“Really?” his father asked, confused. “I thought she was out of the country for another month.”

Adrien shrugged. “I just got a text from her this afternoon, I guess some last minute business in Paris came up. She said she figured she might as well make a weekend out of it before going back to… you know, whatever it is she's doing.”

“Ah.”

“Or I could have her come over here?” Adrien suggested hesitantly.

Nathalie didn't quite succeed at biting back a groan. “Adrien, you know I’m usually happy to make an effort, but I've been exhausted lately-”

“Which is why you should reconsider your current work schedule,” Gabriel muttered.

“-and all of my energy is currently going towards not murdering your father,” Nathalie continued, glaring once again. “I don't think introducing Evelyn of all people into the mix is a good idea for anybody. Maybe when she’s back next month.”

Adrien nodded. “Of course,” he said.

“Speaking of your work schedule-”

“We weren't,” Nathalie interrupted.

“I don't see why you won't even consider at the very least a reduction in-”

“Because it took me almost a year to find this job!” Nathalie exclaimed. “For months, Gabriel, the only decent offers I got were from fashion companies that knew my reputation, and I couldn't take any of those because they were all with your competitors. I finally found a position outside the fashion industry where I'm respected and challenged, where my skills are put to good use. And I just took a month off for our honeymoon. I'm not taking any more time until I absolutely have to.”

“You don't have to work at all.”

“Yes, I do,” Nathalie said. “Not for the money, maybe, but for my own sanity.” She turned to Adrien. “I don't suppose you could get him to drop this?”

“Are you kidding?” Adrien said. “You're way better at getting him to do stuff than I am. If I knew how to get through to my father, my life would've looked completely different.”

Gabriel scowled. “Are you two quite done discussing me as though I'm not here?”

Nathalie grinned. “If you didn’t want us teaming up against you, Gabriel, you shouldn’t have made us family.”

~~~

Nathalie was almost fully asleep by the time Gabriel came to bed. She didn’t register his presence until she felt his lips pressed against her temple. Nathalie curled against him, acting more on instinct than conscious decision-making. “Too tired,” she whispered. “Tomorrow night, I promise. Sorry.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Gabriel murmured, continuing to kiss her temple, the top of her head, the streak of red in her hair. “I’m simply apologizing.”

Nathalie yawned. “Those usually start with some version of, ‘I’m sorry’,” she said.

“I’m sorry.” Gabriel slid an arm around Nathalie’s waist and pulled her close, her naked back now pressed against his chest. “I know lately I’ve been a bit…”

“Overbearing?”

“Well, yes.” He kissed her again. “I worry.”

“The doctor said everything looks perfect,” Nathalie said, her eyes still closed.

“I know.” Gabriel sighed. “Paranoia is a more difficult habit to break than I’d anticipated, I suppose.”

“Apologies don’t usually end with excuses.”

“I’ll stop.”

Nathalie snorted. “No, you won’t.”

Gabriel bent his head down a little and pressed his lips to Nathalie’s soulmark. “I’ll work on it,” he amended. “Happy?”

“Mm hmm.” Nathalie took her husband’s hand in hers and pulled his arm around herself more tightly. Within minutes, she was asleep.

~~~

“Is that your first cup?”

Nathalie raised an eyebrow and shot Gabriel a cool look over the top of her coffee mug as he entered their kitchen. “What happened to, ‘Good morning’?” she asked, taking a sip.

“I was simply-”

“For that matter, what happened to, ‘I’ll work on it’?”

“It’s just a question.”

Nathalie took another sip. “I don’t need you micromanaging my caffeine intake, Gabriel.”

Gabriel sighed. “Good morning, Nathalie,” he said. She grinned, then placed her empty mug on the countertop before crossing the room.

“I have to run,” she said, going up on her toes and kissing his cheek. “Should I come home for lunch, or will you be working?”

Gabriel put a hand on the small of Nathalie’s back and pulled her closer for a more intimate kiss. “Come home,” he said. “I’ll move some things around, I’m sure I can come up with twenty minutes or so.”

“Twenty? You spoil me,” Nathalie teased.

“That’s twice as long as my usual lunch, you know.”

“I do.” Nathalie kissed her husband again before bidding him adieu.

~~~

Nathalie’s morning wasn’t any more hectic or stressful than usual, but she still found herself eagerly counting down the minutes until her break. Finally, noon rolled around and she gathered her things up before leaving. “I’ll be back at two,” she told the junior assistant on her way out of the reception area. “Call me if anything you can’t handle comes up.”

Nathalie had almost reached her car in the employee parking lot when she heard a “Mrs. Agreste! Mrs. Agreste!” from the other side of the lot. It took her a moment to recognize it as her name. She wasn’t sure when she’d get used to it, but it hadn’t happened yet. Nathalie looked up and saw a young, friendly-looking man approach.

“Yes?” Nathalie asked as he reached her.

He took a second to catch his breath. “Sorry,” he said, grinning apologetically. “Ian Girard.” He held his hand out, but Nathalie made no move to shake it.

“What is it?” she asked impatiently. “I’m in a hurry.”

“Right. Sorry. You’re Mr. Laurent’s assistant, right?”

“That is correct,” she said. “And?”

“Well, I’m applying for the position of his personal driver-”

“Your name isn’t on the list of applicants,” Nathalie interrupted. “I was just looking at it an hour ago.”

“Right, no, it isn’t,” Ian agreed. “That’s, uh, kind of the problem, actually, I’m having a little bit of trouble with the online application form, I was hoping to just give you my information directly?”

Nathalie bit back an irritated sigh. “I don’t have time to take it now,” she said. She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. “Here. Call this number after two and I’ll see what I can do.”

“Perfect, thanks, you’re a lifesaver.” Ian reached for the card.

As Ian’s fingers brushed against Nathalie’s, everything went black.

~~~

“You haven’t started?” Marinette shouted, her voice squeaking slightly on the last word.

“I’ll get around to it,” Nino said casually. “I’ve got time.”

“Nino, university applications are due in a month, this is your future, you’re not going to have enough time for revisions, what if-”

“Girl, not everybody needs fifth drafts of everything,” Alya interrupted. She patted Marinette on the shoulder, then looked at Nino. “Nino, you know Marinette gets anxiety by proxy, you know better than to tell her something like that.”

“Sorry. Seriously, though, it’s fine, you know I work best under pressure.” Nino pulled out his wallet and threw a few bills down onto the pile at the center of their table. “That should cover my part of lunch, right? We ready to head back to school?”

“Yeah, let’s-hang on.” Adrien pulled his phone out of his pocket and read the alert. Nino leaned over, draping his arm around Adrien’s shoulders to get a better look.

“Is that from your dad?” Nino asked. “I didn’t even know he knew how to text.”

“Neither did I.” Adrien read the message aloud. “‘Have you heard from Nathalie?’. Huh.” He typed back a quick response, then got up. As the group made their way to the exit, Adrien’s phone buzzed again. He read the new message, then froze.

“What’s wrong?” Marinette asked.

“I don’t know. My father just sent a message asking where I am, insisting I stay put until the bodyguard he’s sending can pick me up.” He frowned as his phone continued to buzz. “I guess he can’t get in touch with Nathalie.”

Alya raised an eyebrow. “So, what, your stepmom’s phone died and now your dad’s freaking out?”

Adrien sighed. “Yeah, probably,” he said.

“You want us to wait with you?” Nino asked as they left the restaurant.

“No, you guys head back to school,” Adrien said quickly. “Let the teacher know I had a family emergency. It’s probably nothing though. Alya’s right, my father’s been panicking over every little thing with Nathalie lately.” His three friends hesitated in unison. “Seriously, go,” he insisted, and they finally did so, waving goodbye reluctantly as they went.

About a minute later, Adrien’s phone buzzed again. To his surprise, the message this time was not from his father, but from Marinette. Let me know if anything’s wrong, she sent. Then, a few moments later, Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. Then, just in case Adrien hadn’t gotten the underlying message, she followed it up with an emoji of a ladybug. Smiling to himself, Adrien typed a message back: I will. Thank you, added a green paw print, and pressed send.

~~~

Adrien entered his father’s office just as the man was slamming a phone down. “Adrien, how many more thousands of euros do I need to donate to the damn police department before it actually transforms into a functional organization?” he demanded. A second later he seemed to realize who he was talking to, and he narrowed his eyes in concern. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“Yeah, of course,” Adrien said. “What’s going on? Nathalie’s not answering her phone?”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “Do give me some credit, Adrien, I would not have pulled you out of school if Nathalie were simply not answering her phone. She screens half the calls I make to her nowadays anyway.”

“Oh,” Adrien said. “So-”

“She left her office for lunch,” Gabriel said. “She was going to come back here, but she never made it to her car. It’s still sitting in the parking lot.” Adrien paled. “Nobody approached you, spoke to you, nothing unusual happened to you today?”

Adrien shook his head. “No, nothing weird,” he said.

“Hmm.” Gabriel tapped his fingers against his desk for a moment. “I need you to search Paris for her. I’ll continue to make calls, pull strings, take advantage of whatever connections I can, but if something sinister has happened to her, mundane methods won’t find her quickly enough. You can cover the entire city in an hour or so, correct?”

Adrien nodded. “Yeah, but…” he frowned. “I don't know, finding people, that's not really something we’ve had to do before.”

Gabriel scowled. “I could scan the entire city for her in a matter of minutes if I had the-” he stopped himself from finishing the sentence. “Well, nevermind. I'm sure you and Ladybug will do your best.”

Adrien nodded. “We’ll find her.” Gabriel nodded, then picked up his office phone and began dialing. Adrien left the office, pulling out his phone and reading the last message he'd sent Marinette before typing a new one: Something’s wrong.

About thirty seconds later, her response came through: On my way.

~~~

Twelve hours later, none of them were any closer to finding Nathalie than when they'd begun searching.

Adrien returned to the mansion from his sixth search of the city, dropping his transformation as he landed through the open window of his bedroom before making his way back downstairs to his father’s study. Inside, he found his father sitting at the desk staring blankly at the phone, and Nino asleep on the room’s small couch, his cell phone in one hand and a list of all the city’s hospitals in the other. Nino had called once school let out, and insisted on coming over the second he'd heard what was going on. He'd been calling hospitals ever since arriving, checking for any Jane Does that even vaguely matched Nathalie’s physical description.

Adrien walked over to his father’s side. “Nothing,” Gabriel whispered as his son reached him. “Nobody knows anything. What is the point of being one of the most powerful men in Paris if this is what it gets me when someone I love is in need?”

Before Adrien could answer, the door to the study opened again and Ladybug walked through. Her face was just as grim as it had been when she’d left a couple of hours earlier, and Adrien’s heart sank. “Nothing?” he whispered.

“I’m sorry,” Ladybug said. “The Guardian wasn’t able to find her.”

“I could find her,” Gabriel said immediately. “If I had-”

“Nobody thinks it’s a good idea for you to have a Miraculous,” Ladybug snapped. Gabriel clenched his jaw.

“Nathalie returned the Butterfly Miraculous to him two years ago,” Gabriel said. “The Guardian owes it to her to use every tool at his disposal to attempt to find her. If he won’t give it back to me, someone else should wield it. Although whoever he gives it to, I must say, will not be nearly as experienced using it as I am, or as intimately familiar with Nathalie’s emotional signature.” His voice softened. “Please. Please, I would not take advantage of this, not with my wife’s well-being on the line.”

Ladybug bit her lip. “I’m sorry,” she repeated, “but the Guardian has his own methods of scanning the city, methods that are way more accurate than anything the Butterfly Miraculous can accomplish.”

“And?” Adrien asked, his voice a whisper. Ladybug looked at him and sighed.

“The Guardian,” she said slowly, “doesn’t think Nathalie is in Paris at all. He wasn’t able to detect any trace of her whatsoever. Even if she was… even if something had happened to her, he’d be able to pick up on something. Unlike the Butterfly Miraculous,” she added, looking at Gabriel pointedly, “which would be useless if she was unconscious or-well. Anyway. The Guardian will search beyond the city, but the larger the radius gets the longer it takes him to get accurate results.”

Gabriel nodded. “I see.” For a moment it looked like he might say more, but then he simply returned his gaze to the silent phone sitting on the desk before him. Adrien and Ladybug exchanged a glance, and then Adrien sighed and walked out of the study. Ladybug followed him to one of the mansion’s side entrances.

“Thanks,” he said, as he opened the door. “I really… you don’t know how much this means to me. You don’t know how much Nathalie-” his voice broke, and Ladybug immediately threw her arms around him.

“It’s okay, kitty,” she murmured. “It’s going to be okay.”

“You don’t know that,” Adrien whispered. Ladybug sighed.

“I know. I’m sorry. I wish I could do more, I wish my powers were any use here, but… I could search the city again, maybe at this hour with everyone asleep it would be easier for me to pick up on-”

“No,” Adrien interrupted. “No, you’ve done way more than enough. You should go home, get some sleep. We’ll regroup tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?” Adrien nodded. “Well… okay, but you get some sleep, too. Promise? You won’t be any good to Nathalie if you’re a zombie.”

Adrien nodded. “I promise. And I’ll call if anything comes up.”

“Good.” Ladybug gave Adrien a quick, comforting peck on the cheek, and then she was gone.

Sighing, Adrien closed the door behind her and made his way back to the study. His father hadn’t moved a muscle. “You should go upstairs, get some sleep,” Adrien said.

“No. Someone might call.”

“At this hour?”

“Adrien, I honestly don’t know what kind of hours kidnappers and ransomers keep,” Gabriel replied. “Shockingly, this is the first I’ve had to deal with any.”

“There’s a phone in your room,” Adrien pointed out. “You should-”

“Adrien.” Gabriel closed his eyes for a moment, his expression pained. “Adrien, do not ask me to go upstairs again, do not ask me to go to that bed alone.”

After a moment, Adrien sighed. “Okay,” he said softly. He crossed the room and sat down next to Nino, still asleep on the couch. Adrien pried the list of hospitals from Nino’s grasp, scanned the list for the first name not crossed off, then pulled out his phone and began dialing the number.

#more things in heaven and earth #ml fanfic #gabenath #nathalie sancoeur #gabriel agreste #well i told you i'd do it told you i'd do it #looking forward to giving more characters bigger roles in this one

22 notes · View notes

savingpartoftheworld · 7 years

Text

Saving Part of the World - Part One - Chapter Twelve

Summary: Set after G-Rev, the World Championships have come to Belfast, Northern Ireland in the hopes of spreading the interest and drawing in tourists. In between all the teen angst and the team drama, something powerful and hungry lurks on the horizon and with the help of the beybladers, it may just destroy part of the world.

Rated: T for cursing and mild violence

Ships: Hints of Mariah/Rei, Hilary/Tyson, Enrique/Julia

Previous Chapters: One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven

Chapter Twelve

“Hey, Hilary and Amber must have made up,” Tyson said to Max as the two of them sat in the arena watching the battle below them. The preliminary matches for the Singles weren’t gaining much of an audience, certainly not as much as Ming-Ming or the BBA had expected, so the two boys had decided to be the best cheer squad any new blader could need. Tyson believed that the most inspirational thing was knowing you had support and that you entertained people. “Oh? Hey, that was a nice dodge.” “He could go far,” Tyson agreed, before continuing with the pervious conversation. “They’re going to the park. At least she’s not dragging us with her, heh.” He grinned, swiping his thumb over his upper lip. It would be nice for Hilary to have a friend, especially since Mariah was still spending time with Rei – even if they were just helping Kenny improve his blade. “That Ukrainian is good,” Max mused, resting his hands on his knees as he leaned closer. “He’d definitely be on a team if the BBA had an office there.” But Boris gave the whole system such a devastating blow that many Bladers were going unnoticed unless they could move closer to a BBA registered office. However, this tournament was giving everyone a chance to get noticed and receive potential sponsorship. That was something that really inspired Tyson. He was even thinking of talking to Dickinson about being a Beyblade talent scout once he gave up blading for good, and recently that idea was becoming more and more appealing. Not that he didn’t love the sport, he just wanted a change of pace. A camera popped up to zoom in on them and both boys did their duty as world champs by smiling and waving to the audience at home – if there was one. As the camera glided off, Tyson turned his attention back to the dish, fixing the collar on his jacket emblazoned with the Bladebreaker insignia. “So are you planning to talk to Hilary about Kai?” Tyson’s lips thinned. He didn’t even need Max to expand on that question. What she and Kai did in the privacy of their rooms was their business, just as long as it didn’t impact the team. “Nope.”

“I really think you should. You do know there’s nothing going on between them, right? They’re just friends.” Tyson’s stomach flipped but he squashed down the quick swirl of hope. “Sure.”

They were friends. He and Hilary were friends, but she didn’t spend the night in his room, in fact, she barely spoke to him anymore, and when he did see her she acted awkward around him as if he was bothered her. Of course, she’d prefer Kai; all girls liked the guy who brooded.

He flinched at his malicious thoughts. Kai was his friend. Hilary was his… friend. He could accept them as a couple, just as long as he never had to see them be a couple. The blade shot out of the dish and almost wedged in the floor. Tyson’s tension eased and he grinned at his friend. “Did you see that hit? Man, I love this sport. You just never know what’s going to happen next.” Max chuckled and patted his shoulder. “Too right, buddy.” “Hello,” Enrique greeted, taking a seat beside them. Both boys greeted the Italian who looked like he’d seen better days. Tyson passed him one of the energy drinks they’d picked up on route to the arena. “You look beat, is everything okay?” Enrique made a face. “We have a token match tomorrow and one of our three-man-team refuses to blade.” Refused to blade? What kind of participant did that? Tyson frowned and twisted in his seat. “The Irish guy?” Because he knew Julia would never refuse, she thrived on the sport and the adoration of the crowd. “Si, good old Eoin,” he pronounced it ‘Own’, “doesn’t want to blade, so he’s leaving it up to me and Julia and we need him because there’s no sign of our fourth teammate.” Tyson nodded. He’d heard about Europe’s team trouble, which was to be expected. Not one year had gone by where their preliminaries hadn’t caused chaos of some sort. There were the Dark Bladers during the year of the Majestics and then the Barthez Battalion year. But it had all come good in the end. “So tell him he has to play.” Tyson shrugged, exchanging a bewildered look with Max. Neither of them could imagine not wanting to play. In fact, they had more arguments about who would sit on the bench during a battle. “Exactly,” Max agreed. “Maybe he’s shy or doesn’t feel he fits in. You and Julia have met before, perhaps you just need to make him feel more included. Talk to him, get to know him.” Just like Max had done with Rick, Tyson thought with a smile. Goosebumps rose on his tanned arms as the aircon kicked up a notch and he rolled the sleeves of his jacket down. “I would. I am very sociable, but I can’t get in contact with him and he hasn’t met with us. He doesn’t show up for practice and if it wasn’t for the fact that he lives here and the local media constantly talks about him, I wouldn’t even know that he’s on the team. It’s got to the point where I’m tempted to tell Dickinson that we have to pull out. Julia and I can’t hold the team together by ourselves.” Tyson closed his mouth audibly. “Man, that does suck.” “We won’t do it.” Enrique sulked, dropping his chin to his arms, which he’d folded over the back of the chair in front of him, his messy blonde curls turning blue in the strobe lights flashing over them as new bladers were announced. “Why aren’t the others here?” Enrique muffled a yawn and sipped at the drink. “After the situation with Barthez and how none of the top dogs could see how he’d cheated or cared to hear about it, Robert felt he couldn’t in good faith take part again. It was something about ethics and betrayal. And Johnny said he’s studying for his degree so he couldn’t just up and leave for a tournament during the middle of his exams, but that’s probably half the reason. He wasn’t too happy about Barthez either. Meanwhile, Oliver’s opening another restaurant in the South of France and can’t leave it mid-project — which is a shame; out of everyone, I miss hanging with Oliver the most. So it was just left to me to represent the Majestics, though we were never really a conventional team.” “I was hoping to see those guys again, maybe get another turn at Robert, see how we stack up now.” Enrique smiled but then it flattened and died. “This is my last tournament before I’m forced to take over the Family Business and give up my ‘Lothario’ ways. This was my only excuse to justify leaving the country.” Max snorted in disbelief. “I can’t imagine being forced into doing anything.” “Does your family own a multi-billion Euro company?” Enrique shot back; then grimaced. “I apologise. Quite frankly, I don’t know why they want me involved. My father’s deathbed will be the desk he sits at. Sorry, that was unfair. You’re lucky, Max. Your dad seems great. My family is strict and business orientated. Kind of like Robert, but without the beyblading to release some of the stress.” Tyson flinched. That could not be easy to live with, especially for free spirited and flirtatious Enrique. He had probably tried so hard to gain his father’s respect but to no avail. Rubbing the back of his neck, Tyson frowned. “I can’t really understand your dad’s attitude. My dad spends a lot of his time digging in the dirt, so I rarely see him but when he does get in contact, he always encourages me to follow my dreams.” “Same with mine,” Max murmured. Enrique made a face. “So it’s just my dad then. Wonderful.” Max and Tyson looked at each other. “No, Kai would understand.” “Well his dad is dead and his grandfather is in jail,” Max hurried to explain, “but the whole taking over a company thing, he would get that.” Enrique jerked a shoulder then slumped. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t even get economics. It’s all foreign to me. This” – he gestured to the arena – “this I understand. And girls.” Tyson breathed in deeply. “Yeah, this I understand.”

For a country known for its rain, the sun could certainly reach hot temperatures. On the rooftop where Brooklyn had sought some privacy, the concrete burned, heat radiated off it in waves that distorted the view below. With his white shirt beginning to dampen with sweat, Brooklyn inched further into the diminishing shade offered by a low wall and stretched out his leg to ease a gathering cramp in his muscles. With a soft sigh, he turned his beyblade over in his hand and studied it. Without the bitchip — which burned in his shirt pocket — it looked naked, harmless. And wrong. Pressing his lips together, he slipped his fingers between the fabrics and retrieved it. It was so innocuous, this piece of plastic that slotted so perfectly into the top of the beyblade but which contained so much power. Only the fierce depiction of the beast upon it lent any credence to the danger it could unleash. A flash of movement caught his attention and his teal eyes flicked to his silent companion, sitting crossed legged on the ledge overlooking the city of Belfast. If the height distracted Mystel, he didn’t show it. Brooklyn admired that. It made being with the younger boy soothing, easy. As Brooklyn flipped the bitchip over in his fingers, Mystel smiled faintly and turned his face to the sunlight. Brooklyn’s mouth tightened further. He didn’t want Mystel to fear him, but sometimes he wondered if his companion really understood what could happen. Brooklyn hadn’t dealt with the bitbeast since his battle with Tyson. That jaunt into madness had been more than terrifying and proved a greater deterrent than any words of warning ever could have.

Despite Tyson bashing through the madness, Brooklyn couldn’t help but fear another breakdown. It had come upon him so easily, how could it not happen again? On the surface, he told everyone that he was better; it was true, he now understood the value of friends and that he wasn’t alone. However, that didn’t mean he felt comfortable with his bitbeast. Zeus forced him to confront his inner demons. Zeus took the form of them. And now he was going to connect with his bitbeast once more. “Are you certain this will work?” Mystel hummed and popped open one eye. “Certain? No. Hopeful? Yes.” Brooklyn scowled. “That doesn’t make me feel good.” Mystel shrugged and pulled a knee to his chest. “The visions come from Zeus, right? And they’re stronger now you’re here in Ireland, but they’re not clearer. So perhaps connecting with Zeus himself and gaining some control over him will help with that. This is just practice, you won’t be in a battle Brooklyn and I’m right here to knock you out of a psychotic episode if you need it.” That wasn’t the most reassuring statement he’d ever heard. But it would do. Grimacing, Brooklyn snapped the bit chip into place and felt the pulse of power as his bitbeast began to awaken - no, he was always awake, now it was as if Zeus was stretching his limbs and getting ready to rise. There was a giddy eagerness rushing through the bond that clicked into place between them. It was like having a puppy bouncing at the door to the kennel. Brooklyn would have smiled if he wasn’t afraid the bitbeast would take complete control of him in an attempt to ‘save him’. “So I launch him, and then focus?” “Yes. It’s like basic practice for endurance. You just need to connect with Zeus again, exercise your bond with him, that psychic link we all forge with our bitbeasts in order to make our blades do what we want them to do in the dish. You need to listen to him so that he’ll learn to listen to you. He’s giving you visions for a reason; let’s find out what they are, especially if you want to save the girl.” Brooklyn ignored the last comment. He didn’t want to think about the girl just yet. “He’s not giving them,” he said. At least he hoped Zeus wasn’t because that suggested something that Brooklyn was too terrified to face. A sentient being that was constantly linked to him, beyblade or no beyblade. “He’s amplifying them.” His tone was forceful, refusing to be denied. Mystel rolled his shoulders and leaned his head back to bask in the sunshine. Brooklyn’s fingertips buzzed at the urge to pull his friend back. Not that he need worry, Mystel was so agile that he would land on his feet, even from the fifth storey. Getting to his feet, Brooklyn threaded the ragged chord through the basic launcher - another thing he hoped would remind Zeus that this was not an actual battle. Zeus’s pulse became more pronounced, greedy little growls escaped, the creature desperate to be released. Steadying his arm, even as beads of sweat rose on the nape of his neck, he concentrated on the spot he wanted to launch the blade and ripped the chord out, sending the black beyblade spinning to the ground. It landed, bounced and abruptly locked into position, swirling with an intensity that made it blur. The bitchip began to glow. “Suppress him,” Mystel ordered. Brooklyn nodded and pressed against the bitbeast’s desire to rise. He focused on the shining spot because his will alone would be the plug upon the well that was Zeus. The shining became more intense, splitting as it tried to rise, the aura flickering and spreading over the beyblade. It continued to spin until with a jerk, it veered and hit a stone. It wobbled, circled twice more before coming to a halt. Brooklyn sighed. “Like dealing with an irate child,” he murmured, picking up the now hot blade. The attack ring burned as if it had been out in the sun for hours, rather than a few seconds. “There’s no balance,” Mystel said. He rose to his feet with the grace of a panther, before dropping off the ledge onto the roof. Were it water, he wouldn’t have made a ripple. “And how do I gain balance?” “You wish to be master of Zeus, but Zeus wishes to be master of you. You never worked together; it was always a dominance issue.” “Mystel,” he growled. “Tell me how to do this.” He didn’t need the mumbo-jumbo. He needed the know-how. With a soft laugh, Mystel bent backwards and flipped over with a perfect stance. “Meditate.” “You’re kidding me.” “You and Zeus must become partners otherwise there’s no cohesion; no balance, no success.” “I don’t know how to meditate. I tried it before. I got bored.” Once he’d even fallen asleep. “You also nearly died by toothbrush. I’m guessing you really want to get this sorted.” Well, when Mystel was right, he was right. Death by toothbrush was so unfitting. Brooklyn looked at his beyblade. The sunlight caught the etching of the beast and created a refraction of light, almost as if Zeus were winking at him. Snorting, Brooklyn dropped back down to the ground. “So how do I do this?” “Lie down and close your eyes. You’ll need to clear your mind, try to sense Zeus; I’ll act as your guide.”

Some days, Mariam loved her job. Not every girl could spend the day, soaking up the sunshine under a cloudless, blue sky, while loitering on a windowsill high up on a towering building, watching boys work out in a gym across the street. It was a nice life, and she didn’t feel one bit sorry for her quarry. Poor Blitz-boys, they probably thought they were quite safe from prying eyes four storeys up from the ground, but Mariam was flexible; Mariam was very good at her job. After all, there had to be some minor perks to being a female in a male-dominated village and sport. Below her, a car jerked to a halt and blared a horn at a jay-walker who responded in kind with a desultory finger. She was pleased that the windows to the gym faced onto a rather quiet road, which meant her chances of being seen had lessened significantly. Really, gathering a crowd torn between wanting her to save herself and to see the drama of someone jumping had no appeal for her. She was just here to do a little spying on the Blitzkrieg Boys for Ozuma and if she happened to enjoy the sight of glistening muscles, then all the better.

The boys, almost men she supposed, had been working out for the past two hours. And since Kai had arrived, half an hour ago, a tension had settled over them, which intrigued her. Why would Kai play on a team that didn’t quite trust him when he could be back on his old team who adored him? That was a question she couldn’t find a satisfying answer to. Perhaps Kai was simply perverse. Sucking on her ice pop, Mariam draped an arm around her knee,and swung her other leg. She definitely had the easier gig. The B-boys were encamped for the day it seemed; all she had to do was sit with her treasure trove of sweets and other delights, and watch them sweat and flex.

That was no hardship at all.

Red was gorgeous, no doubt about it. A startlingly beautiful man with such vivid blue eyes, the kind she would find herself staring at if she saw him walking down the street, and had he the perfect personality, she’d probably lose her senses. Luckily for her, he didn’t. Kai was… well, Kai. He definitely had stoic and brooding down to an art, though his mood swings probably cost him more admirers than he actually gained. Then again, his voice could probably bring them back. She had to admit, he had a nice voice. Big Blond looked like he’d had a run-in with a bus and she wasn’t sure which came off worse. His nose had obviously been broken and was flattened out of shape, his mouth thin and wide above a square-cut jaw. His straw coloured hair was shorn into a buzz cut that was held off his face with a headband. He wasn’t ugly, but in comparison to Red and Kai, well he wasn’t winning any beauty competitions. Then there was the pale one. He was striking. Not stunning, not conventionally handsome but… striking. She couldn’t even pinpoint what it was about him that stood out because by rights his features seemed average and yet he was attractive. Short, cropped, pale hair — not quite grey, not quite purple — pale skin, pale eyes. He was stocky and muscled, but not the tallest, not the shortest, just average. But she couldn’t seem to ignore him. And God, the man had arms to die for; even the t-shirt he wore had split the seams of his sleeves. A drop of juice hit her bare leg and she scooped it up. Well, at least she wasn’t drooling quite yet, but why didn’t her village breed men like this? Ozuma was okay, but she knew too many of his bad habits and the one time they’d kissed had been disturbingly bland. Besides, she was fairly certain she could beat him in an arm wrestle. And Dunga… well yeah, that was never going to happen. Not even if she was blind drunk again. She needed to leave her village, she decided, crossing her legs at her ankles and swinging them gently. Her grandmother was making noises about her settling down and starting a family. The elders were muttering about her settling down and starting a family. Heck, even Ozuma and Dunga were doing it, though each for different reasons. And hadn’t that just put an awkward spin on the team dynamic. Dunga fancied her. Oh, the gods were laughing at her. She’d thought they’d genuinely had a dislike/hate relationship, but it turned out that that was his method of courting. How did he honestly think that his sexist comments would be a turn on for her? The whole episode had been alarming. Having a crush on Max once upon a time did not mean she was attracted to any blond within standing distance. So yes, leaving the village was her best option. Except, Mariam wasn’t sure on how to do that. She had planned to talk to Dickinson, but when Ozuma’s plan went into motion, she didn’t think the old man would be willing to help. What would she say: ‘Oh hey guys, your friends and the sport you loved is gone, but can I hang with you?’ Yeah, that was going to be a Big Fat No! Wow, now those were the kind of thighs she’d like to climb, Mariam mused, as Pale Boy squatted. They were as big as tree trunks and those arms would have no trouble holding her up. Why wasn’t he shirtless? Mariam! “Yes, oh almighty leader?” Popping a handful of jellied goodness into her mouth, she chewed slowly and wondered what it’d be like to sink her teeth into those muscles. What are the Russian team doing? “Uh…” Melting brain cells was not the answer that Ozuma wanted. “They’re just hanging around the gym.” Kai was literally hanging from a pole as he did chin-ups. Holy Spirits, she’d only ever seen that on TV during her missions. Damn sure Ozuma and Dunga never did that and they were ‘the strongest in the village’. Keep an eye on them. “Oh, I’m keeping two.” And hands off. Don’t let them catch you if you can. “Aw Zu-Zu, you ruin all my fun.” She wouldn’t mind getting her hands or her teeth on them. Particularly pale boys thighs. She bet she could leave a nice set of indents on his skin, the pallor of it would mark wonderfully. She sighed and sucked on the wooden stick. “So what is the plan? Divide and conquer?” Not at the moment, we need to see how dangerous everything is. Keep in contact. Resting her head back against the wall, she fanned her face. Gods, it was getting hot. When she looked back, she froze. Pale Boy was staring in her direction. A frown played over his face and he stepped forward to get a better look. Wonderful. Was he…? Oh yeah, he’d seen her. Time to go.

Mariam blew out a breath and grabbing her bag of sweets, she quickly tied it over her shoulder. Casting a look at him, she saluted and then threw herself off the building, catching a pole on the way down, she flipped herself around. Shifting her weight and anticipating the landing, she dropped to the ground with effortless grace. When she glanced back up, he was still standing there, a hand pressed against the glass. Grinning brightly, she blew him a kiss and trotted down an alleyway. He wouldn’t recognise her, but she couldn’t let Kai spot her, that would end all their fun and she wasn’t finished watching the B-Boys yet.

#beyblade #beyblade fanfiction #saving fanfic #saving part of the world #chapter twelve #fanfiction #season four fanfic

10 notes · View notes

cryptobully-blog · 6 years

Text

In This Italian Mountain Town, Everyone Knows About Bitcoin

https://cryptobully.com/in-this-italian-mountain-town-everyone-knows-about-bitcoin/

In This Italian Mountain Town, Everyone Knows About Bitcoin

amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "cryptobully-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "My Amazon Picks"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B018Y1Q71M,B06XHTKFH3,1973884852,B00PCMSJQS"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "4356926c226bfe54ba2aa66ea72eea8b"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true";

He’s scribbling a series of 12 words on the blue paper handed to him by one of the two women at the other side of the desk. Marco is his name. Graying hair, blue jeans, and still wearing the fat, black winter coat that protected him against the cold Alpine air outside, he just drove 80 kilometers from his hometown and is now in the process of installing the Altana Bitcoin wallet, as recommended.

“I had heard of Bitcoin but didn’t own any,” he explains, when asked why he didn’t just buy bitcoins on an online exchange. “I prefer the human contact if I’m going to purchase some.”

The other of the two women walks him to the white mailbox-sized machine in the corner. “Compro Euro,” it reads, the same words that are plastered across the wall and the window of the small shop. And “Bitcoin ATM.”

The woman explains how the machine works, pointing to the small black window that hides a camera and then to the QR code on Marco’s phone screen. Marco nods and gets out his brown leather wallet.

Buying bitcoin in Rovereto

As the woman retakes her seat at the desk in front of the bookshelf with copies of Mastering Bitcoin and Antifragile, Marco starts shoving orange 50 euro notes into the Bitcoin ATM. The machine responds with a buzzing and clicking sound for every slip inserted. This goes on for several minutes before Marco puts his wallet and phone back in his jean pockets and walks back to the desk to give a final handshake to both women.

“I’d like to get some of my money out of the bank, and bitcoin seemed like a good option,” he says, briefly explaining his investment decision before leaving the shop with a thankful smile.

Bitcoin Valley

In the same northern Italian town about four years ago, another Marco, Marco Amadori, was discussing Bitcoin with some fellow local enthusiasts. Working on tech projects for the province of Trento, Amadori pitched them a dream. Schooled as a developer, in his late thirties at the time, Amadori wanted to turn Rovereto — the name of his town — into a “Bitcoin Valley,” with Bitcoin companies, bitcoin-accepting merchants and, of course, Bitcoin users.

Marco Amadori overlooks the town of Rovereto in “Bitcoin Valley.”

Four years later, Amadori and his fellow enthusiasts own and run two Bitcoin businesses in Rovereto, with a nearby education center and a communication company coming up. Inbitcoin, Amadori’s first Bitcoin business, is a research and development company, working on various bitcoin-related software applications, including point-of-sale payment solutions for merchants and the Atlana wallet.

The second, Compro Euro (Italians will understand the pun), is a brick-and-mortar exchange, the first of its kind in Italy. Anyone can walk in to buy or sell up to 3,000 euro worth of bitcoin, on the spot. The service applies full Know-Your-Customer (KYC) identification and charges a 12 percent markup to boot. Italians in and around Rovereto don’t seem to mind.

“It has calmed down a bit now, but last December was crazy,” says Compro Euro cofounder Alessandro Olivo. “The shop was full, and we had people waiting in line to use the Bitcoin ATM.”

A bit younger than Amadori, Olivo quickly got involved with the Bitcoin Valley project when it was pitched to him. “A second Compro Euro brick-and-mortar exchange is about to open in Pordenone next month, and there are concrete plans for Bologna and Carpi as well. All together we’ve had hundreds of requests from cities across the country. Demand is huge.”

Inbitcoin and Compro Euro are now at the heart of Bitcoin Valley — very literally so, in the case of the exchange: it’s situated right in the center of town, where three streets meet. Hard to miss for anyone strolling around the old brick streets of Rovereto.

But they are also at the figurative heart of Bitcoin Valley: Inbitcoin and Compro Euro stand out as the flagship enterprises in the town that has come to be known as the Bitcoin capital of Italy. With about 30 bitcoin-accepting merchants and less than 40 thousand people, it is one of the most Bitcoin-dense cities in the world. (Arnhem, in The Netherlands, is probably still in the lead.)

Pizzeria Da Papi

Amadori, Olivo and other enthusiasts are trying to get a bitcoin economy going in Rovereto. The Inbitcoin and Compro Euro teams get paid in bitcoin and tend to visit the establishments that accept bitcoin more than most others. Their restaurant of choice is often Pizzeria Da Papi, owned by Ivan: a tall, slim man with friendly eyes.

Ivan is one of a growing number of Rovereto merchants who accept bitcoin.

Ivan started accepting bitcoin in early 2017 and has kept most of his coins, he says with a wide smile. The price has gone up significantly. But for Ivan, Bitcoin is not just a new payment method or even just a form of money. Having been introduced with the digital currency (and possibly inspired by a thieving former employee, Olivo suggests), Ivan imagines a world wherein the flow of money across supply chains can be traced and automated.

“I would like to set up a system where my suppliers — those that sell me cheese or vegetables — get paid their share automatically when I sell a pizza,” he explains. The last customers have left the restaurant, so he’s locked the doors and is lighting up a cigarette as he sits down to talk Bitcoin. “This solves a liquidity problem. I would no longer need to put investment up front, and instead, automatically forward a part of any payment I receive.”

Ivan admits he hasn’t worked out the details. He’s not yet sure how his system can prevent him from lying to his suppliers about the number of pizzas sold, or why his suppliers would want to take the risk that he might not sell any. But that’s not the point, he says. “It’s early days, Bitcoin is just starting. It’s about what will possible in the future.”

As a first step in the shorter term, the pizzeria and Inbitcoin are working on an accounting system. Even if the pizzeria accepts bitcoin for payment, Ivan needs to pay tax in euros. The Inbitcoin payment terminal — a software layer on top of BitPay — lets him convert a percentage of the bitcoins into euros automatically and keeps track of how much tax he needs to pay at the end of the day.

The Trust Factor

Ivan may be more interested in Bitcoin than most shop owners — but in Rovereto he’s no fluke. From the local extreme sports store (most bitcoin payments are for ski and snowboard gear) to the horse meat butchery, to the newspaper stand at the edge of the town square, the “Bitcoin accettatti” stickers pop up on store fronts across the intimate city center.

A cornerstone of the local scenery

And while the amount of commerce that takes place in the cryptocurrency is still relatively small, Rovereto has received lots of attention from Italian media. As such, everyone in town is aware of its status as the Bitcoin Valley — even those that don’t care about Bitcoin at all.

Merchants were open to Bitcoin in Roverato exactly because it is a relatively small town, suspects Claudio Gobber, the thirty-something chatty senior business development manager for Inbitcoin. It has proven to be such a fertile breeding ground, he thinks, because the small-town familiarity gave local merchants the confidence they needed; Amadori’s family in particular has been living there for generations.

“When people first hear about bitcoin they start asking questions — about the technology, about mining. But what they really want to know is if they can trust it. We were able to skip this step because people trust us. We have familiar faces,” Gobber explained. “This is how we grow Bitcoin: We start small and have it spread from there.”

And that’s what makes it special, he thinks.

“Bitcoin is a bottom-up revolution; that’s what gets me excited. It’s local pizza shop owners like Ivan that come up with ideas; they tell us what problem they encounter so we can solve it. Bitcoin is all about openness and permissionless innovation. The tax-accounting solution is only one example.”

Mani al Cielo

The very first establishment in Rovereto to accept bitcoin was the local bar, Mani al Cielo, back in 2015. It’s still the establishment that receives most the bitcoin payments in town today.

Mani al Cielo Bar

“I also pay my employees in bitcoin now,” Gianpaolo Rossi says, while he pours four spritzes for the girls that just walked in. He’s the owner of the bar, in his late thirties with a black crew cut. He chuckles a little when asked whether his employees are happy with that arrangement. “I’m not leaving them much choice.” He pays them through Bitwage, he says, which converts euros into bitcoin. “But if they don’t want to keep the bitcoin, I will offer to buy it back.”

Like Ivan, Gianpaolo doesn’t see bitcoin as just a payment method. He is an enthusiast, trading altcoins in his free time to try and increase his holdings. Bitcoin’s volatile nature doesn’t bother him — he enjoys it.

“If you don’t like the roller coaster, go with the Caterpillar,” he had told an Italian television crew two weeks prior, comparing the stability of the euro with a kiddy ride in a nearby theme park. “No one is forcing you.” It made him a local Bitcoin celebrity. He’s now having the sentence printed on a shirt like a catchphrase, he says.

If you don’t like the roller coaster, go with the Caterpillar.

Rovereto is probably getting closer to establishing a circular Bitcoin economy than anywhere else in the world — with Mani al Cielo at the center of the payment carousel. Not only does Gianpaolo take bitcoin from the Inbitcoin crew, who will often drop by after work, but the bar owner has also convinced a local beer producer to accept bitcoin from him.

“But I’m not paying them in bitcoin right now,” he says emphatically. “Not now — now is the time to hold!”

Gianpaolo acknowledges that, for bar owners like him, Bitcoin does have one problem: Fees can be high sometimes. “In November and December almost no one paid with bitcoin,” Gianpaolo says. “Even my mom complained about fees. If my mom starts to notice, that’s not good.”

Yet there was no way Gianpaolo would accept Bitcoin’s cheaper offshoot, Bitcoin Cash, he said.

“Nah, that’s Roger Ver’s coin, and that of a few Chinese miners. I’m not interested. And with Bitcoin — my team — it’s like a football derby. I would never switch sides.”

Bitcoin

0 notes

ellahmacdermott · 6 years

Text

“Real Users”: In This Italian Mountain Town, Everyone Knows About Bitcoin

He's scribbling a series of 12 words on the blue paper handed to him by one of the two women at the other side of the desk. Marco is his name. Graying hair, blue jeans, and still wearing the fat, black winter coat that protected him against the cold Alpine air outside, he just drove 80 kilometers from his hometown and is now in the process of installing the Atlana Bitcoin wallet, as recommended.

“I had heard of Bitcoin but didn’t own any,” he explains, when asked why he didn’t just buy bitcoins on an online exchange. “I prefer the human contact if I’m going to purchase some.”

The woman explains how the machine works, pointing to the small black window that hides a camera and then to the QR code on Marco’s phone screen. Marco nods and gets out his brown leather wallet.

Buying bitcoin in Rovereto

“I’d like to get some of my money out of the bank, and bitcoin seemed like a good option,” he says, briefly explaining his investment decision before leaving the shop with a thankful smile.

Bitcoin Valley

Marco Amadori overlooks the town of Rovereto in “Bitcoin Valley.”

“It has calmed down a bit now, but last December was crazy,” says Compro Euro cofounder Alessandro Olivo. “The shop was full, and we had people waiting in line to use the Bitcoin ATM.”

Pizzeria Da Papi

Ivan is one of a growing number of Rovereto merchants who accept bitcoin.

The Trust Factor

A cornerstone of the local scenery

And that’s what makes it special, he thinks.

Mani al Cielo

The very first establishment in Rovereto to accept bitcoin was the local bar, Mani al Cielo, back in 2015. It’s still the establishment that receives most the bitcoin payments in town today.

Mani al Cielo Bar

If you don’t like the roller coaster, go with the Caterpillar.

“But I’m not paying them in bitcoin right now,” he says emphatically. “Not now — now is the time to hold!”

Yet there was no way Gianpaolo would accept Bitcoin’s cheaper offshoot, Bitcoin Cash, he said.

“Nah, that’s Roger Ver’s coin, and that of a few Chinese miners. I’m not interested. And with Bitcoin — my team — it’s like a football derby. I would never switch sides.”

This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine.

from InvestmentOpportunityInCryptocurrencies via Ella Macdermott on Inoreader https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/real-users-italian-mountain-town-everyone-knows-about-bitcoin/

0 notes

Last Seen Blogs

dkyrsochya

D'Kyr: Sochya

leedavidsonconnor

Lee Davidson Connor

ecstasy-peter-blog

Keine Zeit für Gefühle .

paratisu

Fuck yeah sah

domeeeeee

DOMELON