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Interior Painters Burlington

Of all of the contractors we’ve handled through the years, Carlo and his team have been easily one of the best.We highly suggest Carlo, Kevin, Peter and Alyssa at Peintres Prestige. Our interior painting services consists of the painting of baseboards, partitions, ceilings, frames, doors, banisters, spindles, risers, treads, and floors. The common price to color a three-bedroom house interior is $3,500 to $5,000. The average time to color a three-bedroom house interior is approximately 16 hours. There are a quantity of methods to method painting a house. The most economical way is to hire a professional painter that has a body of workers and assistants which might help you complete the project quickly. Unfortunately we're not out there for normal house cleansing. If we see something needing consideration similar to doors, shelves and thresholds that may want refinishing, we will include these in our estimate upon request. I know you will find we are ready to meet and exceed your expectations, please contact me to book a free estimate in your project. Say goodbye to unreliable contractors and welcome a group that’s able to elevate your house from top to backside. We will solely give feedback on color choices if requested. We are always joyful to offer you our feedback and thoughts about which color is more popular on the time or might work higher for a particular room. Ultimately we go away the choice as much as you as it is your home and understand that everyone has their own tastes and preferences in relation to paint colors. You have decisions to make and ultimately need to get the job carried out. You can relaxation straightforward understanding that our native painters serving Squamish are handpicked primarily based on experience and accreditation and have the skills to execute any painting project. Interior paint doesn’t need time selection while deciding for exterior paint time selection is very important. The finest time forexterior painting in Calgaryis early summer season because there may be minimal probability for rain and storms. We give nice care to every single spot, scratch, hole, or nail on your wall and will take the time to right every single one. Most other painters will just paint over these small imperfections. When we quote on a project, it contains all of the fantastic little particulars that we add in to make the finished product a factor of beauty. We don’t measure each room and overstay our estimating go to. Most residential painting for houses could be quoted on in 5-10 minutes. Besides, we consider your time is valuable and also you don’t wish to give up any extra time than essential to have your home priced out for painting. We provide at least two coats of paint to make sure that you may have even colours in your walls. Reach out to us to schedule a phone session to speak about your painting project. We’ll discuss the colors, textures, finishes and we’ll plan an on-site session to provide you a price and time estimate. There are completely different painting companies, small medium and large. They price a paint job based on numbers that their company must be profitable, or at least we hope they do. One thing to bear in mind is that a small company has larger overhead bills per project than a bigger one. If you are pondering of using the most expensive paint out there, you can spent over $120 per gallon from producers like Farrow & Ball. Whatever you resolve, understand that since labour is your largest expense, why not use the most effective paint your budget will permit. Upgrading the paint, utilizing many colours and highlight partitions may also enhance the fee. Once you have contacted us you may be assured all quotes are free no pressure consults. We aim to complete each space that we begin with in the same day. We understand that it's hard to lose area in your home so we make it a precedence to get it again to you as quickly as we will. Give some thought as to whether or not you need to embody the ceilings, walls, trim, doorways and closets in every area. It would also be helpful to have a tough thought of the colour that you would like to transition to, so that we are in a position to get you the most accurate sense for cost. Your house and your workspace are the 2 places you spend the most time. Having rooms that mirror who you may be, that create a way of consolation or objective, and enhance your way of life are essential. We’re a Halifax primarily based company however we travel across Halifax Regional Municipality. Only Top Quality Paints and Materials will be used on your home. All of our merchandise have a proven popularity within the home-improvement trade. You might be given a Fair Price for the top quality workmanship that you'll obtain. Pro Painters Toronto A fresh coat of paint is enough to give your own home a modern makeover, and the best half is you could hold updating it as in if you wish to. Interior painting is amongst the most cost-effective and quick methods of enhancing your whole house’s situation. It can rework the means in which your rooms look with just the help of paint. The service could be a easy or an elaborate one based on your preference, however it's most undoubtedly a nice way of adjusting the present condition of the inside of your personal home. We are enthused by the thought of working on an revolutionary and challenging interior or exterior project. We have labored with all kinds of colors and patterns. When new cabinetry isn’t an possibility, ColourWorks Painting contractors have the expertise and artistic vision you should paint or refinish the cupboards of your Toronto space home. Here at Barton Springs Painting, we wish to up your home’s curb appeal. We will work intently along with you to discover out what your objectives are in order that our dedicated professionals can transform the outside of your personal home. We understand that exterior materials that make up a building are sure to be struck by outside elements. Sheen refers to the mild reflectivity of the painted or varnished surface. Using the best primer, paint, or stain, and upgrading to a product with a producers guarantee will assist make your home's home windows and trim final previous five years. We assure our work for three years, so we ensure to prep it proper, the first time Read extra about window & trim painting. We guarantee your personal home interior has a professionally painted look. Our Calgary house painters are insured and covered by WCB, and our project managers make painting your house's interior a breeze. The painting process begins earlier than we even contact paint to your house. It starts with filling and sanding holes, eradicating light-switch and outlet plates, defending your non-painted surfaces, and ultimate prep work. In addition, exterior and interior paints are of different high quality. The info above suggests that you just rent a trusted painter who is properly versed in all elements of painting. Our exterior and interior painters from Oakville are licensed people who are consultants in the field. It takes plenty of time and effort to sell your property. The painting firm Montreal prefers – Mon Peintre – has been delighting prospects in Montreal, the North Shore, Laval and the South Shore since 2002. Mon Peintre is your go-to painter in Montreal for your home, workplace, or commerical space. We are equally skilled at executing main tasks as well as touch-ups, and provide specialised services for painting wrought iron balconies and aluminium siding. Mon Peintre will breathe new life into your interior spaces and refresh the exterior look of your residence or business constructing. If you’re changing your room color drastically, attempt first priming the world with a tinted primer. The paint retailer can tint the primer in a colour just like your last colour choice which is ready to scale back the quantity of coats you will want to apply. Click the “Book An Estimate” button above to request your free painting quote & inform us extra about your project. I’m amazed on the workmanship and a focus to particulars. We provide prime quality, reasonably priced painting services to our prospects everywhere in the British Columbia. Hemlock Painting’s expert team of professional painters in Vancouver prides itself on offering house painting services that are high-quality, skilled, and stress-free. When your house wants a contemporary look, call on us for a detail-oriented, efficient method to the task at hand. Watch the video beneath to see our course of in motion, and book your free estimate today. Looking for a reliable Painting Contractor with an eye for design in addition to painting prowess? Do you need your house to stand out amongst others or do you just wish to simply have your personal home look good and contemporary within the eye? It is tough to estimate how lengthy it will take to strip wood, so we wouldn’t be succesful of offer you a set and precise quote forward of time which doesn’t coincide with our promise to you. Like all living things, natural surfaces should breathe a lot and by applying a coating over it, this respiration room might be reduced. Well, if we paint over an existing coat of paint, the aggressive nature of our coatings to maximise adhesion may truly pull away on the less-resistant latex paint. I had used a selection of painters through the years however since I began working with Michael a selection of years ago, I would not consider using another person. Michael has an excellent eye for color and has helped me choose beautful paint colors. They have a style of painting that makes each room look stunning. I am always so pleased every time Court-Hampton has remodeled one of my rooms. Level 5 Painting Ltd. provides distinctive exterior painting services to restore the skin of your home. Our skilled crew have the tools and data to enhance the appearance and... Interior Residential Painting Services In Surrey & White Rock These rooms in your house are relatively smaller in dimension than open areas like hallways. Therefore, the typical price of painting these rooms is about $400-$600. If you could have a larger lounge, kitchen or dining room area, count on to pay about $800-$900, on common. On common, however the cost can differ relying on a quantity of elements. Save Money – Undertaking even a small painting job by your self means assembling all the right tools and equipment. Obviously, this will all cost you cash, and infrequently for objects that you’ll only use as quickly as. Franchise and subcontract means paying extra for lower quality and extra headache. When you make the primary contact with us , you will be speaking to the same individual from start to beginning. We know our optimum dimension and we don’t commit greater than we can handle with our own painters with out sacrificing the quality. Sit back and loosen up understanding that our Calgary painters arrive at your home with all materials and equipment able to conduct an distinctive interioror or exterior house painting job. We offer comprehensive residential and business painting services to all Edmonton and the house counties. We have an excellent understanding of our commerce and are always happy to share our knowledge and ship nice results. Wallpapers are considered one of interior decorations that makes a tremendous transformation to your house or workplace, it also enhances the personality of your own home or office. Our staff are professional in applying wall coverings of various types and designs, starting from historic wallpaper to silk paper, pulp, grass material, bamboo and conventional cloth. We are always obtainable to assist you remodel your boring wanting partitions into an enthralling.We additionally work across most sectors, with particular expertise in commercial and residential environments. Painters Ottawa has over 10 years of expertise serving to residents, businesses, and communities paint interior areas. We deal with small to large tasks and we will supply our recommendations for your particular wants. Contact us at present to study more about our pricing for exterior and interior painting in Ottawa. The very first thing you’ll notice after a model new paint job is how clear your home appears. edmonton house painters This is very useful for drastic color modifications and can help to supply a easy, uniform look. Before you get started, there are some things you’ll need to contemplate. Here is a misplaced of the tops 10 things we suggest wanting into earlier than starting interior house painting. At Johns painting we perceive the importance of colour. A fresh exterior paint job improves the curb attraction of your home or enterprise. An interior paint brings beauty and elegance into your on a regular basis ... It helps offer you a tenet to paint a straight line with the paint brush as properly as avoiding paint spilling or dropping on to areas you don’t want the paint to be on. This is the a half of the painting that often takes essentially the most time, especially if the trim has lots of element. We want to attend for drying in between coats after which when the ultimate coat is dry we can start to paint the partitions. Elite Trade Painting contractors present professional painting services to happy shoppers across Canada and the United States. The distinction in the price of painting largely is dependent upon how a lot paint and labor it requires and how much preparation there must be. See when you can complete some or all the pre-painting work before the painter arrives. It’s not a shock to end up with a grainy texture. This happens when you don’t sand the floor of one coat earlier than applying the following coat of paint. You should dust off the trim after each sanding to remove dust. Additionally, in case of accentuating a trim, use a shade darker and shade lighter colours than partitions. Interior house painting is a brilliant way you'll find a way to remodel your living house rapidly. Since 2015, householders across Saskatoon and surrounding areas have given optimistic evaluations on our work. Prime Painting Services If you wish to get the job carried out proper, then you should just ensure you enlist the services of our group right now. Our professional group has all of the knowledge and expertise to get the job carried out. If you are in search of a novel paint job, we have you covered. Currently we're partnered with several home builders andcontractors. From exhausting to succeed in partitions to business centers, Best Choice Painters Ltd. is able to deal with all of your painting needs. Click through the service areas on the best to study extra. • I will provide skilled painting ends in a well timed method with minimum disruption to your household. For public occasions our facepainting group can paint many more faces with smaller paintings. An interior decorator is not going to be concerned in the design facet. Simply put, a painting and decorating specialist shall be finishing up the legwork but not essentially doing any of the planning and consulting. Studentworks Painting is a full service painting company working in Edmonton. Call and we will complete your painting project for you. I used Royal Painting's service 3 times, Armando and his staff did an excellent job on painting inside my house. I had a very powerful time getting my house ready for sale and wanted a painting service that might be actually responsive, on-time, and dependable. They confirmed up on time, did the work shortly and professionally, at a really competitive value. I advocate them to anyone in search of a painting service. If you reside in an area or regularly go to spots identified to have a history of auto theft, you might need to veer away from eye-catching paints. At Eastwood Auto Body Ltd, we always use the correct of paint. We will find a paint that best meets your vehicle's wants and can accomplish that in a professional fashion. With so many painting options to choose from, we will make certain that you get the right one for you. Paintsmith Decor crews work hard to make certain you not only get a excessive quality job, however one that's carried out quickly and efficiently. Our color consultants may help with this troublesome task. They have plenty of expertise and may recommend suitable colours for each room in your home. Bring your automobile into our facility, or send us photographs of your paint harm, and we'll assess the scope of the job with no strings hooked up. We'll conduct a computerized colour-capture to help choose the proper paint match and help you in choosing the right sort of paint on your needs and finances. From there, we'll outline all our labour prices in addition to our predicted service timeline. If you are getting sick of your current paint job or have began to collect a few scratches, our paint store has the answer you are looking for. We are certain that our painting and protection will reside up to your expectations and help you drive with confidence, so give us a name to get issues rolling. The second portion of our coaching is to do with customer service. Whether you’re repainting a child’s bed room at residence or looking for a stroke of genius to brighten the setting in your workspace, we’ve received the painters to assist get the job carried out shortly. We provide a variety of painting services catered to each residential and industrial clients. We’re right here that can assist you make your property looks its best. We can get the job done on time and on finances, making it simple to provide your property a fresh, new look. With Good-Jones, he’s quietly establishing himself as one of the CFL’s elite right-tackles. The Canadian receiver positions have a lot of depth, so it’s not assured, but he’s getting close … Elie Bouka and Cody Grace are each listed as questionable on the damage report, too. With a bye-week arising, it won’t come as a shock if they’re each out of the lineup. It's a multimedia manufacturing, one that takes familiar pictures of Van Gogh's paintings and blows them up into light projections. We will hire him once more, without question for future work. There’s no strain to rent, so you possibly can examine profiles, read previous critiques and ask for more data before you make your decision. If you are in search of a job, search on Job Bank to search out all the opportunities at present available close to you. Commercial Painting Contractors In Surrey, South Surrey, And White Rock Since its founding, FinDécor’s staff of painting contractors have delivered over 1,500 commercial, industrial and residential projects. Our dedication to our clients and our work speaks for itself. Additionally, all floors are covered with drop sheets and paper earlier than beginning to paint. At the tip of every day, we ensure that the project space is clear and dirt free. Once our professionally educated crew has completed the job, we then do a ultimate inspection to ensure that nothing is missed and all minor fixes are completed. Then, we will schedule a time to do complete walkthrough with you to go over any particulars or requests you could have earlier than we depart. This pressure deal with deck stain was completed in early summer 2017. It has been proven that a well-lit, attractively decorated workspace encourages productivity. Whether your workplace employs one or many, White Knight Painting might help you turn a drained office space into a beacon of efficiency. At Court Hampton Painting, we offer you updates throughout our entire process. Changing up the colour on your vinyl siding is an innovative approach to freshen up your house. Pro Painters did an excellent job with painting the exterior of my home. Their consideration to element and skilled service made for a premium experience at an reasonably priced price. The next time I have a paint job to be carried out, I will definitely be hiring them again. Our Winnipeg painting firm presents stucco painting services that may take away years of damage and tear whereas bringing the shine again to your stucco. It is great for including longevity to your stucco and defending it for many years to come. Their staff had been very straightforward to communicate with and everything was carried out with care. Brandon, Dan, Kaycee helped me through a previous botched paint job. The quality of labor is excellent and absolutely no mess left behind. This firm will be the solely firm I use going ahead. He was all the time on time, finished the job expediently and in the time it was promised. We have been specializing in interior painting, and have the expertise and the experience to do the job proper. Having knowledgeable paint your house will save you plenty of time and hassle. A group of painters will be in a position to full the project lots sooner than you can by yourself. You get your house back to a liveable state in subsequent to no time. Using an expert painting contractor takes the stress out of painting your own home. But discovering the best one is an important determination that requires careful consideration. Perry Wellington works relentlessly to provide customers essentially the most compelling painting expertise attainable. The one fixed is our company’s philosophy to offer the shopper the finest possible service, choice, high quality, and worth. Refreshing to see a company that takes delight of their work. The proper set of paint colours will instantly match the furniture, environment and provides an upmarket and lavish really feel. I get calls on a daily basis from prospects that need a value for the painting of their rental, over the phone. I assume many individuals assume that each one painting is similar and there's a flat square foot rate for painting. Whether you’re painting a modern condominium or a private residence, we’re absolutely equipped to complete your job at a competitive value. There is nothing extra necessary to us than buyer happiness and satisfaction. That’s why our group goes above and beyond to ensure each residential paint job is exactly to the customer’s liking. In addition to a thorough inspection following our painting service, we enable prospects a 24-hour window to report any imperfections or blemishes. We supply each customer a free color consultation from our professionals to help them select the right colour for their house. We supply interior painting services for each properties and offices. We additionally offer a written 3 Year Guarantee on the workmanship and materials. Adding color to your house will allow you to change the feel and appear at an inexpensive cost. Let our interior painters deal with every little thing from ceilings and partitions to trim and doors. Interior House Painting Toronto We will consult with you that will assist you find the best colors and format, then full the job round your schedule to ensure that we don’t interrupt your priceless working hours. Our qualified Journeymen Painters can full your office painting whereas your small business is closed but if this is not potential, we are going to full the work promptly and professionally. After you resolve what colors to use on interior space, who would do the painting? High-grade paint is also simpler to apply, thanks to better pigments/binders, making a smoother and extra polished look. It can even scale back the price of your overall project because it offers higher coverage, reducing the quantity of paint wanted. On prime of that, you can wash and even scrub high grade paint without ruining the finish. Make positive that you just restore and fix any damages that might be there. Most of the time, the professionals take care of this earlier than applying paint on the floor. We offer free consultations so get in touch with the best Vancouver painting contractors and we can help you improve your property experience. EB painting with their friendly, professional and timely crew painted the exterior of our house. Special because of Jose and his crew for a job good well carried out. Ready to see how Earl’s Paintworks can rework your house or business? Your residence or business deserves some of the greatest painting services Calgary has to supply, you’ll discover that service with Earl’s Paintworks. Our business is locally owned and has been working for 14 years! EB Painting strives to all the time take the “pain” out of painting! From the beginning until the very finish of the job, we pay shut consideration to element and get your project completed on time. We pride ourselves on being efficient and creating a pleasant expertise for our clients. We work to complete rooms by the end of every day to avoid the disruption interior painting can cause on day to day life. Though our interior painters clear as they go, we do clean ups daily as nicely together with sweeping, vacuuming and wipe downs of the area. Upon completion we are going to do a full clear up to verify each room we touched is clean. The work was completed on a well timed basis by a really nice staff of professional painters. The job was very properly done and the world painted was left neat and tidy on their departure. As professional interior painters, we take charge of the preparation, protection, and transformation of your personal home interior by making use of the best possible quality finishes. It all begins with shade session, we assist you to choose the color or colors you need. If needed, we can match any materials or supplies that are already in your house or business. Next we comply with up by utilizing top quality paints from one of the best producers to give you superior results. Paint City is a full-service professional residential, industrial and business painting contractor. We provide prime quality, moderately priced painting services to our prospects all round the British Columbia. Whether it’s your kitchen, office, or nursery that wants painting, we’ll comply with your vision. Edmonton Alberta House Painters At Royal Painting, we will respect your particular needs and design ideas, working with you hands-on to make certain that your goals turn out to be reality. We offer complete solutions for the interior and exterior painting services. Making your house look clear and fashionable we are in a position to present the services you want multi functional place, saving you money and time. Our mission is to offer our shoppers with professional high quality painters, high of the line painting products, and to depart them with peace of mind about their painting expertise. We’re exterior painting specialists with years of experience painting stucco, wooden siding, vinyl siding, cedar shingles, wooden trim, doors and extra. Our various paint and coating options are a cost-effective way to restore pale siding, get a brand new look, add curb appeal and improve the value of your property. In Edmonton, it could value you about $2,633 to color the interior and round $3,471 to paint the outside of your personal home. To paint a full house it might cost you as a lot as $32,500. Our friendly and knowledgeable workers will work with you to ensure you are getting exactly what you want for your project. We delight ourselves on delivering prime quality Kitchen Cabinet Refinishing, we take the additional time and care to take away your current cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Our skilled Interior Painting Professionals staff may help you, name us at present. If you are pissed off with how your interior painting project in Edmonton is popping out, it is time you modified painters. Our experienced painters are at hand to meet all your painting needs and at an reasonably priced worth. We perceive all of the love and investments that have gone to creating the proper residence. We can be found for interior painting jobs in both residential and commercial settings. Whether you’re repainting a child’s bed room at house or looking for a stroke of genius to brighten the surroundings in your workspace, we’ve got the painters to assist get the job accomplished quickly. When you are on the lookout for reasonably priced interior painters in Edmonton, AB that will get the best results on the right price, you want to call Edmonton Painters. We have been offering a better high quality of home interior painting at honest pricing, and extra owners turn to us for their jobs. Having repeat customers and referrals also inform us that we’re doing something proper. Finding an exterior painting contractors in Edmonton has one other caveat that other areas could not have; extreme cold temperatures. I'm reliable have all my very own instruments and van for transportation. Choosing one of the best house exterior color combinations may be confusing more often than not. It could be easy when you are keeping the unique exterior paint colours. We only rent skilled painters who have painted full-time for minimal of 5 years or more in Canada. • I will present skilled painting results in a well timed manner with minimum disruption to your household. We know there’s plenty of competitors on the market, particularly for painting services. You can even click on here to get a custom value estimate by a local painter primarily based on your necessities. Our expert group has turn out to be one of many leading residential painting corporations with our capacity to deliver top-quality results in brief time frames at a aggressive price. We know the time and effort it takes to complete a beautiful residence paint job so we are dedicated to making our services properly well worth the expense. They truly care about enhancing the outside picture of your residence. Colour Envy Painting is still led by Dean, who has learned firsthand what it takes to build a successful business in a turbulent Alberta economy. This native painting firm now takes aim at following in the footsteps of Five Star Holiday Decor, franchising their model throughout the nation. More than just painters, Colour Envy Painting’s staff serves as a marketing consultant and information during every part of your project. Our interior and exterior house painters will take care of you. We can help you restore your industrial house to become a trendy place for patrons searching for the most effective in your small business. We are proud to provide high quality industrial painting services to clients all through Edmonton. Since we recognize that your business’s day-to-day actions are important, we offer versatile scheduling when enterprise your painting works to hours that suit your ongoing operations. See what our shoppers need to say, read our evaluations. Customer satisfaction and high quality workmanship is our first aim. Please contact us to get extra detailed details about us. Professionals will solely be given your details once they've despatched you a quote. The common ranking for Bark Painters & Decorators in Edmonton is 4.86, based mostly on 128 critiques. Classical - Classical is one other design style that may usually have a minimal color scheme, in addition to plenty of refined options like columns and architectural features. A Look At Interior Painting From Begin To Finish The ceilings on this eating area and kitchen had been accomplished with a brush and roller. The flooring is protected with drop sheets and the cupboards and another needed objects are coated in plastic to protect from any minor spatter which may be created by the paint roller. The partitions are being painted afterwards so they don't need safety. Any minor paint spatter that will land on the partitions shall be sanded off prior to painting. If any ceilings are being painted they are carried out first. Go where homes are being built and find the painters. Then ask all associates, household or staff in the event that they'd like to paint for that amount minus some quantity. If attainable, have painting start at any time and can be completed within 12 months. Prep surfaces for painting corresponding to vacuuming, cleansing, scraping, sanding, hole filling or wall paper elimination. Use a bold, brilliant interior paint color to enliven a room or as accent walls, or use mild paint colours to make a small room appears larger. A recent coat of paint can improve not only the condition of your walls but additionally your mood. Have you ever painted a room and confronted the horror of getting a bit of darkish paint on your popcorn ceiling? EB Painting strives to always take the “pain” out of painting! From the start till the very end of the job, we pay shut attention to detail and get your project accomplished on time. We pride ourselves on being efficient and creating a pleasing expertise for our shoppers. The first thing you’ll discover after a new paint job is how clean your home appears. We provide a spread of custom interior painting services, allowing for a easy, seamless experience and exceptional leads to every residence. Whether you’re having your two-story lobby up to date or refreshing the paint in your home’s bedrooms, the CertaPro Painters® team approaches every painting project with a watch for element. At White Knight Painting, we know that a good paint job is about more than the paint. We are available to work outside of business hours and on weekends in order that we are ready to accommodate your needs! We have experience painting large industrial initiatives, warehouse interiors, retail shops as properly as company workplaces. I am a handyman who's providing interior painting, display screen repair, small drywall patches, and caulking, deck/ fence restore, and marking. If you want to a quote please ship me photos and ... We specialize in interior and exterior painting Residential and business And are totally insured, With 15 years experience we might help you with any ... This requires heavier sanding to make the partitions clean again. We sand the patches as soon as they've dried and an overall sanding is done to the whole wall floor. This removes small bumps and anomalies which could be within the earlier coatings and ensures the paint end is going to look its greatest. If the partitions are typically in good condition this can be all of the sanding that is required. A staff of professionals know the ins and outs of interior painting, so you can have peace of thoughts understanding you’re getting quality work. Painting the interior of your house can be stressful if you don’t have the best experience and tools. That’s why many householders select to hire skilled interior painters in Toronto. These services can truly be extra budget-friendly than painting on your own, as a end result of they are a packaged deal and also you won’t need to pay for paint or instruments or should miss time from work. The painting process could be messy and difficult, which is why it’s an excellent concept to ask the professionals for assist. Here are 10 explanation why you want to rent an interior painter. He is also dedicated to giving again to Zajac's Ranch for kids. His team will get things taken care of in a high notch means. I am a common development contractor who uses EB Painting regularly. They are clean cut, skilled and a pleasure to deal with. I've known Eric for four years now and he operates a enterprise that I mannequin my enterprise from. By submitting a remark, you accept that CBC has the best to breed and publish that remark in whole or partially, in any method CBC chooses. Please notice that CBC doesn't endorse the opinions expressed in feedback. Comments on this story are moderated in accordance with our Submission Guidelines. We reserve the right to close feedback at any time. Sara has labored with CBC News in P.E.I. since 1988, beginning with television and radio earlier than transferring to the digital information group. She grew up on the Island and has a journalism degree from the University of King's College in Halifax. Calgary Interior Painting For your comfort, we have prepared a desk of prices we cost for different room sizes that you could have a short calculation and discover out about your interior house painting value in Toronto. There are cases the place we worked lengthy hours and a pair of shifts in a day to complete a complete house painting project in the identical day with walls, ceilings , doorways and all trims. To provide you with an thought, get a bungalow house interior painted which has one thousand sq. toes area. If it’s time to update your bed room with inspiring colors or a textured paint job, we’re right here to assist. We make fast work of bedrooms, since they’re often one of the simpler rooms to color (they often don’t have many detailed parts and fixtures, and obstructions to deal with). For the partitions, we use weather-resistant paint for all types of climate conditions. While, we make sure that all paints used by our interior painters are protected, minimizing health dangers, and improving the air quality of the home. It is essential to determine on the best painting services for your house. With us, you'll get licensed painters with expertise in a variety of various kinds of painting. Updating a kitchen or rest room area may be so simple as improving the aesthetic enchantment of the cabinets. At Dreamscape Painting, we offer a choice of interior painting services for refinishing the cabinets all through your house. But like all surface exposed to a harsh and risky setting, maintenance treatments are an absolute should to keep it trying contemporary and functioning properly. 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I think many individuals assume that every one painting is similar and there's a flat square foot price for painting. I spend a lot of time explaining to callers that while I may give them a ballpark determine, we have to actually see the job to offer them an correct estimate. Whether your project is straightforward or elaborate or for one room or many, our painters pride themselves on completing your job on time and to your satisfaction. Paints are available in 4 different finishes – glossy, matte, satin and egg shell. Glossy paints add a reflective high quality to the surface. Satin feels silky and fewer shiny than glossy finishes. I couldn’t expect my paint job to be carried out any better than joe did. He’s humble, experienced and beneficiant enough to scrub all the mess with out me even asking for it. At any moment, you presumably can request an assessment on your painting of your personal home, condo, or commercial constructing. 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genshinboys · 2 years

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🌊 — yep okay yes, zhongli with a size kink really does do stuff to me. and i'm glad you liked it! the whole 'i will steal your clothes your shirt no this is my shirt now' cliché is one of my guilty pleasures for both fluff and smut. AND YES zhongli would be very '????? oh yes i like this very much but i am unsure on how to react hmmm maybe it won't hurt if i touch them a little.

BUT on the pretext of me secretly being an asshole gremlin and me also getting a shit ton of brainrot on your answer ( which was just ugh, perfection- );

i tend to be a bit of a grouch when i'm sleepy so the poor man is going to get a faceful of my hand pushing him away and whining about how annoying he is. oh sorry, you horny old man? well i'm sleepy so no <3. sleep is very sacred to me since college is just a bitch and our teachers pile assignment upon assignment with a three day deadline and i will not bow to this man even if he's the literal god of geo no way.

i'm a very early riser, sure and i survive off of coffee more often than not but when i'm asleep please don't wake me up because my sleep etiquette is atrocious and i will smack with a pillow. but the thought of zhongli just staring at you 'like ????? hello???? i am very turned on right now aren't you going to help me????' just makes me bust a gut like

sir...did you just get cockblocked by your own partner???

( i'm sorry i'm also a sucker for funny little instances like this because i love my fluff just as much )

so zhongli just consistently getting riled up by his partner because they're WEARING HIS SHIRT and sleeping RIGHT there and they look so cute and vulnerable and he wants to de-stress but they're unconsciously acting like such a brat? now that is just cruel love surely you don't expect him to just lie down and forget about it? he does believe in equivalent exchange ; those are the who shtich with contracts after all.

so his retaliation?

he does start touching you in his sleep, slowly guiding you to lucidity and by the time your're fully awake and hopelessly needy at the verge of your high, he pulls away before you can cum, turns the lights off and is like "good night love :D" like he didn't just finger fuck you.

the tables have turned ( also me. quietly reminiscing the table from your teacher zhongli headcanons rip ) you're left in a position similar to his, wide awake, very horny and wanting and frustrated with his supposed indifference. so you berate him, pester him, practically beg for some form of relief and he's on you again.

he would be happy to, of course. he is a good partner after all...

but it DOES come with a price~

( also me, who looks over whatever i wrote : yes, i need the dendro and hydro archon because no amount of grass and holy water can save me- )

-🌊

U just gave me masturbation material for my valentines day I am so grateful

No, wait a minute.

You didn't see anything.

Hey, i have a deal. Hear me out!

How about I request you to write that story for me?

Hmm. How about that?????

You've already done better than I could ever even try 😱😱😱

#🌊

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underthewingsofthblackeagle · 4 years

Photo

Foto: Panorama Helsinki / Finland - Dom und Parlamentsplatz (by tap5a)

“We only do this for Fergus!” is a short Outlander Fan Fiction story and my contribution to the Outlander Prompt Exchange (Prompt 3: Fake Relationship AU: Jamie Fraser wants to formally adopt his foster son Fergus, but his application will probably not be approved… unless he is married and/or in a committed relationship. Enter one Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp (Randall?) to this story) @outlanderpromptexchange

Chapter 4: A Good Father

The next morning, Fraser and Fergus looked up in amazement and delight as Claire joined them for breakfast. Normally, "the men" had breakfast alone on Saturday and Sunday mornings because they were early risers and Claire liked to sleep in on her days off. After breakfast, Claire asked Fraser if he had ten minutes for a private conversation. She had just made her request when Fergus looked up in horror. Then he looked at his father angrily:

"Papa, what happened last night?"

Fraser and Claire looked at each other in surprise, then replied, as if from one mouth:

"Nothing!"

Fergus, who had slipped from his chair in the meantime, ran to Claire, who was sitting on the other side of the table, and held his arms out to her. Claire lifted him onto her lap.

"Claire, you're not going to leave us, are you? You're not, how do you say, quiddeling?"

"Quit, Fergus, that's quitting. No, I'm not quitting."

"Then why do you want to talk to Papa? On a Sunday morning?"

Claire pulled the boy's head to her chest. Without realizing it, she slowly began to move her body back and forth as if to lull him to sleep.

"Fergus, your Papa hasn't done anything wrong and I'm not going to quit. I have to discuss something with your Papa, business stuff, boring stuff. Meanwhile, you can go upstairs, wash your face, brush your teeth and put your clothes on."

"Breakfast" by marijana1

The little curly head nodded.

"I am so looking forward to spring and summer, Claire."

"So, can you tell me why?"

"Because when it gets warm again, I'll play soccer with you again."

Claire laughed, then stroked Fergus over the head again and let him slide slowly to the ground. The boy immediately wanted to run out of the room, but Claire called him back again:

"Fergus!"

Astonished, the boy turned around. Claire pointed her head in the direction of Fraser:

"Fergus, your Papa loves you very much and he would never do anything to hurt or harm you.”

Fergus understood. Slowly, he walked over to Fraser, who stretched out his arms and lifted him onto his lap.

"Excuse me, Papa."

Jamie pressed the boy to his chest.

"Apology accepted."

They remained like that for a moment. Then Fraser went on:

"I would never do anything or want Claire to leave us. I'm happy that you're so good with her, that you get along so well. You have nothing to worry about. I do want you to be well, Fergus."

"Thanks, Papa."

Instead of an answer, Fraser kissed the child on the forehead and pressed him to his chest again. Then he put Fergus on the floor and said:

"Go now. Wash up and get dressed. Let's go to the museum village at Düppel."

"Museum Village Düppel" by Lienhard Schulz, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=305226

Fergus beamed and he could not help but ask:

"Claire, would you like to join us..."

"No, today is your day with your Papa. And for me today is my day off. I'll see you for tea or later for dinner."

Fergus nodded and surrendered to his fate. As he closed the door behind him, Fraser asked:

"Claire, what's on your mind? Have you seen the Sunday papers?"

"No, but I can imagine what they're writing."

Fraser reached for the chair next to him, where one of the Berlin Sunday newspapers was lying, and handed it to Claire.

"Berlin's new glamorous couple publicly declared their love"

was to be read there. And of course the corresponding pictures were also to be seen. One of these pictures had been moved into the center of the page and was framed by a kitschy big red heart.

Claire shook her head, closed the pages and returned the newspaper to Fraser.

"No, that's not why I want to talk to you. It’s about David Gehrmann and his girlfriend, Geillis Duncan."

Fraser looked at her in amazement.

"I've known Geillis for several years, and I've known David since they've been together, about four years."

Fraser didn't say a word, and kept looking at her questioningly.

"You will certainly wonder why I didn't tell you this last night. Or the moment we met them. I was so surprised and needed some time to process this. I didn't want to hide it from you."

"Okay, but what's the problem?"

"Geillis was the one who showed me your ad in the “Wirtschaftswoche” and urged me to apply for the job."

"Did she also work in the ...”

"No, she was an independent fashion consultant for many years ... in the higher-priced segment. But since she has been together with the 'rich Dave' ... she only does that now and then. She loves to have breakfast with a croissant, a strong coffee and a cigarette and to read some gossip magazines on the side. But she ran out of them and was ‘forced’ to look into the 'Wirtschaftswoche' that Dave had left on the breakfast table. She came to me very excited and showed me the job offer. Geillis knew that I had inherited some debts from my late husband and ... she said that with the three times my nurse's salary it would be able to pay them back faster. That same evening we put together my letter of application.

"But this is a good story. I must be very grateful to her friend for drawing your attention to the job offer. What's the problem?"

"The problem is that Geillis and I have been close for many years. She knows me better than perhaps anyone else. She sees through me when I try to lie to her and I expect she'll call me in the next few days with questions."

Fraser nodded.

"I see."

For a moment they were silent.

"What could we do to convince her friend? Do you have an idea?" Fraser then asked.

"I don't know. All I know is I don't want to face her questions... alone right now."

Fraser nodded again.

"What do you say we invite Geillis and Dave for dinner and give them the home story the tabloids want us to do?

"That would certainly be one way..."

Claire didn't seem to be sure and suddenly there were some soft knocks at the door. They both knew that this would be Fergus and that this was the end of the time when they could talk in private.

"Come in!"

Fergus stepped through the door and smiled. After closing the door behind him, he ran to meet his father, who picked him up and put him on his lap. Fraser looked at him with a slightly probing look, then he said:

"You did good!"

"What?" the boy asked, turning his face up to Frasers.

"Well, you washed and dressed properly, and most of all you knocked!”

Fergus sighed.

"That's what I've been training with Claire... for the last week. She said it was rude not to knock and that you don't do that.”

"Claire's right. Now go get your jacket. Then we can go."

As Fergus stormed off, Fraser turned to Claire again:

"Thank you. I spent many weeks trying to teach him. At some point, I gave up. He was always so enthusiastic and forgot about it."

"He will and can continue to be enthusiastic. There is no way I'm going to talk him out of it. But now that he's in school..."

Fraser smiled and nodded.

Suddenly a call came from the hallway:

"Papa, are you coming? I'm ready."

"Duty calls. I've got to go," said Fraser and stood up, "we'll talk again tonight about what we can do about Geillis and Dave.”

"Thanks. Have a good time. See you for tea?"

"Yes, sure," returned Fraser. He almost leaned over to her, hugged her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. But he could jut hold himself back

"Window" by OlgaofDG

When "the two men" had left, Claire cleared the table and brought the dishes into the kitchen. She knew that this was not one of her duties. But why should the dishes be left there until Mrs. Curtius came and prepared the table for tea? In the kitchen, Claire made herself a big sandwich that she wanted to eat for lunch. Then she took the elevator to her apartment. After making herself a cup of tea, she sat down at her desk and began to write a diary. There were so many thoughts going through her mind and journaling had been Claire's way of organizing her thoughts and giving them direction for many years. Two hours later, she made herself a fresh can of tea and started eating her sandwich. Afterwards she picked up a book, lay down on her couch and started reading. When she noticed that she was getting tired, she set the alarm clock on her smartphone and some minutes after that she fell asleep.

Shortly after four pm, Claire's smartphone rang. She stretched herself. Then she got up, folded the blanket and went into the bathroom. Ten minutes later she entered the dining room, where she was greeted by "the two men" and a large pot of fresh tea. The intense aroma of the tea enveloped her, and for a moment Claire thought that there was no way she wanted to be anywhere else right now. Mrs. Curtius had already set the table and around the teapot trays with small sandwiches, scones and tea cakes were waiting for them to enjoy. Claire had to smile as she watched Fergus, who was still talking to her excitedly, with his eyes was all over the tasty delicacies. Fraser, too, had not escaped Claire's gaze and he grinned.

"Museumsdorf Düppel" by Andreas Paul - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21251947

During the meal that followed, Jamie had to warn his foster son several times not to speak with his mouth full, otherwise he would have to call him a rowdy buffoon. Fergus laughed, knowing full well that Fraser never meant any harm when he had to rebuke him. But then his hunger was satisfied and he began to tell Claire about what he had experienced that afternoon ‘with Papa’. He described in detail the trip to the museum village of Düppel. It was one of the ten most visited museums for children in and around Berlin. At 11:00 a.m. they had taken part in a guided tour of the medieval village and visited various craft houses. Afterwards they went to the stables where they could observe shaggy historical animal species such as Skudden sheep and grazing pigs.

"Skuddenschaf im Museumsdorf Düppel" by Lotse - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24947309

Finally, they visited the Center for Experimental Medieval Archaeology. Here father and son experienced how weaving and braiding was done and what traditional handicraft looked like in the Middle Ages. They listened to a short lecture about how tar is made from wood and what the Neanderthal man had to do with it. There were medieval games for children in the afternoon, but by now "the Frasers" were really hungry and Jamie asked the driver to take them to the Island Café on Potsdam's Friendship Island. There "the Frasers" and the driver had lunch, watched the pedal boats pass by and enjoyed the beautiful landscape. Afterwards, they took a walk through the lovingly laid out garden and visited the extensive water playground, which, however, was no longer in full operation due to the season. When they returned to the parking lot, they were happy but also a little exhausted. Together they were looking forward to being soon in their warm home and with Claire. However, none of the "Fraser men" mentioned this. They both just said how much they were looking forward "to have tea".

"View from the Friendship Island Potsdam to the Museum Barberini" by Bärwinkel, Klaus - Own Work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59439592

After tea they went over to the conservatory where Fraser had built up the electrical railway a few days earlier. While "the two men" devoted themselves to their hobby, sending all kinds of trains over the tracks, Claire placed one of the armchairs in front of the fireplace so that she could feel the warmth of the fireplace in her back. It also allowed her to observe "the two men" and to look through the Panoramic window into the slightly lit garden every now and then.

At 6:00 p.m. Claire left to set the table for dinner. The food prepared by Mrs. Curtius was in a special refrigerator, so Claire only had to set the plates, glasses and cutlery. She could then take out the plates with cheese and sausage, as well as salads and bread, and put them on the table. Had she ever felt so much joy doing chores like this before? Claire could not remember. Suddenly, she remembered a phrase that Uncle Lamb had whispered softly in her ear whenever she thanked him for anything: "What you do for love is always done good."

"Dinner" by JillWellington

After they had eaten, Fraser took Fergus to shower and Claire cleared the table. Then she joined "the two men" who were already sitting on the pirate bed in Fergus' room. To Claire's surprise, there was a big book on Fergus' knees that she had never seen before. He held it out to her and she read the title: "A year in the Middle Ages: Eating and celebrating, traveling and fighting, ruling and punishing, believing and loving.”

"Fergus proudly announced, "Papa gave me this today," and immediately added, "Will you read it to me, Claire?

"No," she replied, adding, "Today is my day off. Your Papa is reading to you today. But I like to listen and you can snuggle up to me while listening. Okay?"

Fergus beamed and handed Fraser the book.

When the child had fallen asleep, they quietly left the room. Fraser pointed to the door to his living room.

"Let's just have a quick chat about what we're going to do about Geillis and Dave."

Claire nodded.

Fraser asked if she wanted a drink, but Claire refused. As they sat in the armchairs in front of the fireplace she wasted no time:

"I thought about what you said this morning. I think it's the only way to convince Geillis."

"All right. I'll call Dave. But may I remind you that I am leaving on Wednesday for a ten-day business trip to Scandinavia and Asia. I will not return until Saturday of the following week."

Fraser had pulled his smartphone out of his pocket and started wading through his calendar.

"I kept the days after that, Sunday through Wednesday inclusive, to spend time with Fergus and give you time off. The earliest we could meet Geillis and Dave would be at the weekend after. Do you think you can get Gilis at distance by then?”

"Yes," agreed Claire, who knew what he was getting at. "After all, I'll be responsible for Fergus 24/7. I can't meet with her or make long phone calls."

Fraser nodded. Then he added:

"And you don't have to tell your friend about your days off either."

"Exactly. There's no law, even in Germany, that requires me to do that."

Fraser stood up and Claire thought he wanted to end the conversation, but he slowly walked over to the glass door leading out onto the balcony and looked out. He began to speak softly:

"Claire, I don't know how you feel about all this. I ... don't know what you think of me. Our company ... we ... move millions, sometimes hundreds of millions across the globe every day. I often wonder how it could have come to this. We started a small business many generations ago and now it has become a multinational corporation.”

"Fireplace" by ianetmoreno

He paused for a moment.

"I try to do everything I can to make sure it's not just about profit. We support charitable organizations and NGO's all over the world. And wherever we employ people, we not only pay the legally required minimum wage. Here the minimum wage is a little over 8 euros. We have been paying over 13 euros for years. I want employees who do not need two or three jobs to feed their families. And yet ..."

Again he paused for a moment.

"I don't know, Claire, what you're thinking, Maybe you think I'm a person who uses money to get what I want. No matter what it costs. But, you know, I don't care about any of that. The company, this house, it all means nothing to me. I could sell it all tomorrow and I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Fraser turned and looked at Claire.

"The only thing that means anything to me, Claire, is that little human sleeping in his pirate bed over there."

He took a deep breath in and out. Then he went on:

"When I found him at that bridge in Paris ... at first I thought that there was only a bundle of dirty clothes lying there ... but then this bundle moved .... That evening, he first met me dismissively, even aggressively ... I sat down on the blank stones at some distance from him and began to talk to him ... and sometime that evening he gave me the greatest gift that you can give a person. He gave me his trust."

Fraser swallowed. But only seconds passed, and then he was in control again.

"I presume you know the Greek Stoics?"

Claire smiled.

"You couldn't be my uncle's niece and not know them," she replied.

"I thought so. One of the Greek Stoics, Seneca, writes in one of his letters to Lucillus: 'Nothing good that we possess can really please us if we cannot share it with friends.’ I cannot give the child back the five years of his childhood that have already passed. But I can do everything to make the next years of his life better. I want to offer him all the possibilities ... he is a bright intelligent child. I want him to have the opportunity to go to the best schools, the best universities ... if he wants to. I want him to discover and develop his abilities and talents. Everything else here is not really of lasting value, you can't grasp it or hold on to it. What people call success, all the things that newspapers turn into headlines, is only a fleeting phenomenon. These things only acquire value because people attach value to them. When I die, do you really think I would miss having made a hundred million more profit? Certainly not. But I know that I will regret every opportunity I didn't take to do good to this cheeky dwarf. Do you understand that?"

"Father and Son" by Olichel

Claire had stood up and joined him.

"Yes, I understand that."

"Then you understand that we're doing this all for Fergus."

She could have answered "yes" quickly, but when she saw what feelings were reflected on his face, Claire not only understood him, she felt what he felt.

Gently, she put her right hand on his shoulder.

"Jamie, you are a good father. You really are."

Fraser looked at her and swallowed.

"Do you really believe that or..."

"No, no 'or'. I'm convinced of that because I've seen it with my own eyes every day I've spent here with you and Fergus so far.”

"Thank you, Claire. It means a lot to me when you make that judgment."

He was silent for a moment, but Claire sensed that deep inside there was something still moving him.

"Claire, tell me honestly, did you take this job for the money?"

Now she had to laugh.

"It would be a lie if I told you that the generous salary hadn't played a role in my application. About the other money ... I didn't know anything yet. As I said, my husband left me a mountain of debt and Geillis quite rightly said that with the money I earn from you I could reduce that debt. But in the end, it wasn't the money that tipped the scales in favor of taking the job. You know, I lost my parents when I was five years old as well and ... somehow there was something that connected me to Fergus right away. No, it wasn't the money that tipped the scales."

A slight smile came over Fraser's face.

"Thank you, Claire. For everything you're doing for Fergus and me. Sleep well."

Claire wanted to tell him so many things, but she knew it was better to keep quiet now.

"Good night, Jamie."

As Fraser turned his gaze back to the dimly lit garden, she walked to the door. But before she touched the handle, she turned around briefly.

"Jamie?"

"Yes?" Fraser asked in surprise.

"You're a good father. You're a good father, don't you forget that."

#Outlander #Outlander Fan Fiction #Outlander Prompt Exchange #Jamie Fraser #Claire Beauchamp #Fergus Fraser #Geillis Duncan #Berlin #Germany #modern au

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dndeed · 3 years

Text

Crit Role Miniature Rollout: C2E137

With Andrew Harshman

An archive and review of the minis used on CR.

Is anyone else worried about how incredibly dangerous a blood cleric could be when the fight takes place in a city made of flesh and blood? I'm very eager to see what terrain (if any) is used to represent the organic nature of the building they’re in. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Before we can discuss next episode, we need to first discuss this episode.

But before that, lemme say a few good words about the good ol’, grand ol’, mighty fine ol’ folks at Mats by Mars. They make great mats, such as the cobblestone Bustling City Tabletop Wargaming Play Mat. Whether you’re looking to purchase this cityscape design or any other terrainscape, I encourage you to proceed directly to matsbymars.com and use my code DNDEED0621 for 10% off your entire MBM order.

The city is alive, the city is expanding, living in the city can be demanding, it’s time for Crit Role Miniature Rollout Campaign 2 Episode 137!

The List

Mats by Mars Bustling City Tabletop Wargaming Play Mat

Monster Fight Club Verdent Forest Double-sided Neoprene Area Template

Dwarven Forge City Builder System

Dwarven Forge Wicked City Smuggler’s Wagon

Dwarven Forge Wicked City Pheasant Fountain

Dwarven Forge Wicked City Stalls

Dwarven Forge Wicked City Crate & Barrel

Dwarven Forge Dungeons of Doom Large Curved Daises

Dwarven Forge Caverns Deep Dreadhollow Forest Tree

EnderToys Greek Ruined Buildings Bundle 3D Printed Terrain

Mantic Games Terrain Crate Dungeon Debris Crates

Mantic Games Terrain Crate Orrery

Miniature Building Authority Witt House

Miniature Building Authority Corner House with Turret

Hirst Arts Stone Arch Wall Mold #88

Mage Knight Artifacts Set 2

Steamforged Mighty Nein Miniatures

Resin Printed Veth Model (not publicly available)

Eldritch Foundry Essek Painted by Iron Tusk Painting

Axe N Shield Single Flyer Risers - Clear Mithril

LITKO Flying Figure Stands

Monster Menagerie 3 #024 Gibbering Mouther

Waterdeep Dragon Heist #010 Mirt

Waterdeep Dragon Heist #006a Merchant

Deathknell #25 Voice of Battle

Pathfinder Battles Iconic Heroes Set 8 Rivani Human Psychic

Reaper Miniatures Barkeep

Ruins of Lastwall #020 Razmir Priest

Unknown Archway

The Terrain

Handsome looking Mats by Mars mat right here! The Bustling City mat, like all MBM mats, does an absolutely brilliant job of tying this whole layout together. A tidy, uniform design with virtually no perceivable tiling repetition.

A lot of returning elements, including modular Dwarven Forge City Builder structures and Miniature Building Authority buildings (the likes of which we’ve not seen since the Xhorhas arc some ~80 episodes or so ago). The tower is a newcomer, a 3D printed, modular tower by EnderToys. Looks very nice indeed.

This next topic would fit into the category of Mini-Based Conspiracy Theory. I haven’t worked out all the details of this crackpot theory. But here’s the general gist: this very specific Mage Knight Artifact statue piece showed up this episode in the streets of Cognouza and also appeared under the Cathedral of the Dawnfather in Episode 86 as well as inside the Icozrin Steelworks in Episodes 59/60. Generally, when I see a terrain model reused, I try not to make a habit of overanalyzing it. But this particular model is just so specific. Like why use this mini instead of a generic statue? It has a very alien, eldritch sort of design, I wonder if there is some significance to its presence in three separate Campaign 2 locations.

EDIT: Nevermind, I rewatched Episode 86 and the Mage Knight Artifact statue is expressly described as being a statue of the Dawnfather. Yeesh, the cathedral sculptors really phoned this one in.

The Monsters

Resident of Cognouza Waterdeep Dragon Heist #010 Mirt Mini photo sourced from minisgallery.com

So this is Mirt the moneylender. Maybe he shoulda invested some of that cash in a better paint job. Not great. But the the model is very colorful, so that’s fun. And the pose is to my liking. As far as generic background pedestrian NPC minis go, this one is decent.

Resident of Cognouza Waterdeep Dragon Heist #006a Merchant Mini photo sourced from minisgallery.com

Another decent NPC model. This Merchant has a cool costume design. He has some nice accessories, a couple coin purses and a scroll. What kind of a merchant do you reckon he is, a scroll seller? A paper proprietor? A sheet slinger? A papyrus peddler? Lots of truly riveting backstory possibilities for this mini merchant.

Cognouza Flesh Horrors Monster Menagerie 3 #024 Gibbering Mouther Mini photo sourced from minisgallery.com

John Carpenter eat your heart out! On second thought, scratch that. This miniature suffers from subpar sculpt detail and rather unexciting paint. Looks good enough at a distance though. Though not especially relevant to the visual quality of the figure, I feel compelled to mention how wildly overpriced this Thing is (approximately $10 at the time of posting). Forget body horror, it’s this pricing that’s horrifying! I can’t imagine what sinister free market forces are responsible for this. Yikes.

Closing Thoughts and Predictions

I am predicting some blood creature summonings and/or the animation of the terrain itself. Will I be right? Will I be wrong? One thing’s for sure, this Cree battle is gonna get bloody! See ya next sesh!

#critroleminiaturerollout

#criticalroleminiaturerollout #critroleminiaturerollout #critrole #criticalrole #cr #matsbymars #3dprinting #dnd #d20 #mighynein #critical role #crit role #flightoftheconcords #crspoilers

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dammitadolfnomorecake · 3 years

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Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt 166

166

Waking up in the stupidly early hours of the morning, Lance crept around his house as secretly as he could. The shock of not waking up to Keith was shoved aside by the dire need to pee, then throw up. Hearing far too much, when he was far too sleepy, Lance knew he should have tried not to listen to Shiro and Keith as they bickered while painting the nursery. He couldn’t deny part of it was to distract himself from how much he hated throwing up and wanted to concentrate on something much more happier than the wet hacking noises he was making. Painting the nursery was supposed to be his and Keith’s job, yet Shiro sorely needed Keith time and Keith most definitely needed time with his brother, so he could forgive the pair of idiots for painting in the middle of the night.

Creeping along the hallway, he muffled a curse as he tripped on one of the boxes from the nursery, still his movements until he was sure neither brother had noticed. For someone who knew he really should leave the pair alone, he also totally wanted to spy on them and make sure they were doing a good job... Inch by inch the vampire made his way to the open door. Judging by the music playing, Shiro had gotten his way as the songs were all from his youth, not Keith’s.

Peaking around the corner, Lance smiled at the sight of the pair of idiots. Keith was up on Shiro’s shoulders, trying to cover up the mess they’d made of the top moulding. Shiro directed by Keith as he painted. Lance half wished they had surveillance in the nursery because the pair of them were being too damn cute. They’d painted the three walls, leaving the space Lance would have to cut out free enough that it wouldn’t look awkward when the spot was painted to hide the repair. They made such a good team. Shiro had painted down his face again, but he was smiling happily as he teased Keith over dribbling, asking if he needed a bib.

Laughing hard at his brother, Keith nearly fell off Shiro’s shoulders, Lance moving instinctively to catch him, stopping himself a couple of steps into the nursery. Fuck. He’d messed up. He was supposed to be spying, not interrupting

“Lance?”

Preoccupied with not sticking the paintbrush in Shiro’s hair, Keith dropped it as his head snapped up. His boyfriend looked very much like a deer in the headlights as he swallowed hard, before almost nervously starting

“I can explain...”

Lance held his hands up. He wasn’t trying to ruin the moment, not anymore than he had done

“Sorry, I heard the music and saw the light on”

“Oh... Me and Shiro were...”

“Painting the nursery. I noticed. Don’t stop on my account”

Keith slid himself down Shiro’s back, Lance kicking himself for acting without thinking

“I’m not... I mean...”

His boyfriend was attempting to apologise. Lance wasn’t having it

“Babe, seriously, it’s fine. I’m going to head back to bed, you two don’t let me stop you”

“I mean... are you sure?”

“You’re the one who said I was in charge of the back wall, I totally trust you guys. Plus, you haven’t done a bad job”

Shiro cleared his throat

“I didn’t mean to upset you. If you’d really rather...”

Oh Lordy, not Shiro too

“Guys, not mad at all. I was up anyway, and now I’m going to be down again. Gotta try fit in some sleep before I have to pee again. Take your time, just don’t go falling off Shiro’s shoulders. I don’t have workers comp for improvised ladders made from older brothers. Hell, I don’t have workers comp at all”

Both brothers relaxed, Lance waving them goodbye as he headed back to his room. He could hear them discussing whether to continue or not, hoping they would and that Keith would drag him off to see the job they’d done in the morning. When he’d lived alone it wasn’t unusual for him to paint or remodel in the middle of the night when the whim took him. Keith was working hard to be a good dad, but to Lance, his boyfriend already was. The vampire hoped that his boyfriend knew he appreciated everything he did for the three of them, though maybe he’d make extra sure between the sheets come morning.

Keith and Shiro didn’t sleep. Lance woke to find Keith’s side of their bed empty, more than once as he got up to pee then go back to bed. When it rolled around to being a semi decent time to climb up, he’d found both brothers conked out in the nursery. Keith asleep with his head on Shiro’s shoulder, paint rollers laying next to them. Carefully he lifted Shiro first, finding him much heavier than he thought he be as he carried him to his and Keith’s bed, because he knew his boyfriend would freak about him trying to carry Shiro downstairs. Coming back for Keith, he tucked both brothers in next to each other, then set the alarm on his phone for lunch time. Keith had roused a little in his arms, Lance stealing a kiss before assuring him he loved him and he needed a few hours of proper sleep.

Being the earliest riser came with one severe disadvantage. No body was awake to tell him not to go where he’d find something he really didn’t want to see. His kitchen looked as if a bomb had gone off. Blood smeared across the table and counters, his medication bottles smashed in the sink. Glasses randomly placed around the space, the window open, plates broke on the counter. The smell of so much blood sent his ego into overdrive as Lance held his stomach, gutted at the sight before him. Blue was shut in a cupboard, meowing mournfully until Lance gathered her out and into his arms. He’d checked on his way past the living room. Curtis seemed asleep, totally dead to the world and like there was no way he could have possibly been responsible for the mess. Lance couldn’t even try to blame it on raccoons, there weren’t any in the area, and Curtis’s scent hung so strongly in the air.

How was he supposed to tell Curtis? Curtis was one of his best friends. He wanted everything to appear as normal as possibly, but what he’d woken up to left him crying as Blue to tried to escape his tears. He couldn’t deal with everything and have everything appearing normal by the time the others woke. Rieva and Matt would both be mad. Rieva probably madder than he’d ever seen her before. She’d taken on her own role as his protector. Her seeing the destruction caused would send her ego into a fit of rage he honestly feared. His best boy Kosmo hadn’t come to greet him, leaving him with a terrible fear something had been done to him.

Creeping into Matt and Rieva’s room, relief flooded him when he found Kosmo sleeping on the end of the bed. His fur son thudding his tail as he whined at him. Yeah. He got it. Curtis had accidentally scared their fur babies. For now it was safer to leave Kosmo there and Blue with him, despite not wanting to let his precious princess go. Placing Blue down, she let out a “rowr” as she raced across the floor then leapt light on the bed, immediately bunting into Kosmo’s boof head, happy to be reunited with her doggo. Closing the door almost silently, Lance kept his steps light, feeling like an intruder in his own home as he headed to his office.

Krolia had left the door unlocked, making access easy. Slipping into the room, Lance didn’t want to disturb her, but right now he needed someone vaguely more adult than him. His Mami had covered up plenty of times he’d lost his temper thanks to his ego, or thrown up in fear, or had torn through his room to make sure nothing bad was hiding in the shadows. Curtis wasn’t his child, yet he knew how broken hearted he’d be. Maybe acting like nothing was wrong was the wrong move? All he wanted to do was be a good friend.

Shaking Krolia’s shoulder, Krolia roused easily. Lance jumping back as the woman clutched at her chest

“Holy fuck! Jesus, Lance... you scared the shit out of me”

“I’m sorry... Krolia, I need your help... I think I fucked up”

For a woman who’d just been shaken away and given a miniature heart attack as she was, Krolia was a zillion times better at waking up than Keith was. Instantly alert, she pushed back the blankets

“Lance, are you okay?”

There didn’t seem to be the right word to describe how unokay he felt. Her asking served to make him cry harder. The majority of his medication was ruined. He only had what was upstairs now, or what he’d left in his office.

Moving from the single bed, Krolia wrapped her arm around him

“Whoa. You need to calm down... Whatever happened to make you so upset? Here, sit down and tell me”

Lance shook his head. If he sat he’d only risk the chance of Curtis getting up for a glass of water and seeing the carnage

“Can you come with me?”

“Ive got to be honest, I’d rather you sit. You’re kind of scaring me”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know who to ask and I need help right now”

“Is it the twins? Are you in pain?”

“It’s not... it’s easier to show you”

“Okay, lead the way”

Returning to the kitchen, Krolia stalled in the doorway as Lance walked back into his messed up kitchen. Having been in there before, he didn’t think to check the floor, discovering the hard way that there were shattered bottles on the floor too. Whimpering at the unexpected pain, Krolia was by his side in a moment, pulling out the closest chair to force him to sit. Dropping a kiss on the top of his head, for a moment it felt like his Mami was the one there coming to his rescue

“Stay here and don’t move. I’ll get my boots. Here, put this against your foot to stem the bleeding. Can you feel if there’s any glass still in there?”

“I think it is”

Taking the tea towel from Krolia, Lance was thankful that he remained pretty flexible despite the lack of yoga he’d done of late. Pulling out the base of a broken vial from his foot, he threw it into the sink to join the rest before holding the tea towel over the wound. He’d have to tell Shiro about this. Shiro would be devastated too. Matt and Rieva must have had their noise cancelling headphones on and missed the sounds. He had no excuse. There’d been a time when the smallest sound would have woken him. Sleeping in a bed filled with Keith’s scent calmed his ego too much, now this was the price of it. To tell Shiro felt likes betrayal. He felt like that kid running to a teacher to dob in another kid over something that had happened some time ago.

When Krolia came back, she draped one of the blankets from his bed over his shaking shoulders. The tears wouldn’t stop. His foot seemed a far cry pain wise when it came to the emotional pain he felt. His house was his haven. His safe place. A place he filled with love. Three times in the last 24 hours had that been disturbed, all by Curtis who couldn’t even help it. Things well and truly sucked. He needed to get up and help Krolia, but all he wanted to do was cry over the unfairness of the situation

“I’ll start by sweeping the floor. Can I get you anything?”

“I should help”

“I’m not letting you help when you’re in no condition. I know you’ve had complications. For now you should work on settling your emotions”

Krolia was right. He knew his fangs were poking out and his nails clawed. She was right in all the ways he needed right now

“Can... would you maybe please make me a cup of tea?”

Krolia’s skills in the kitchen didn’t exist. He knew that, yet it wasn’t like she could go wrong. Mami always settled him down with a cup of tea. The liquid itself coming second to its scent, a scent he’d always associate with Coran and his mother

“I can do that. You’ll have to tell me how you like it”

“White, one sugar, please”

“Okay”

There was more to that reply that went unsaid. Krolia would call Coran once the evidence was dealt with. He’d need to ask for more medication. Lance knew he was leaking pheromones all over the place, that the stress was bad for the pregnancy, yet Krolia didn’t seem to scent him. Keith would have been able to tell in an instant something was wrong from his scent alone. His body felt slightly flushed, but the deep heavy depressed feeling of the situation seemed the be currently squashing down those particular needs for now. Maybe he should be the one to call Coran? To explain things from his point of view so Coran wouldn’t be too harsh on Curtis. No. Coran wouldn’t be too hard on Curtis. Coran had probably seen so much worse in his long, long, life. His life and the life’s of their friends was probably just a drop in the ocean compared to everything Coran had done in his time.

“Here’s your tea. I’m starting to feel like a real mum. First Keith, and now you”

Krolia seemed pleased as she passed Lance his tea, he’d been so in his head he’d barely noticed her make it

“You talked to Keith?”

“A bit. He was angsting over how to wake Shiro to talk to him”

Lance stared down at his tea. Krolia had put the milk straight in so the colour was a sad off white. Still, he appreciated it as he breathed in deeply trying to focus on the scent of the tea instead of the blood

“Oh. Yeah. He does that. He still says he’s bad with words... he’s really not. He’s just carrying the trauma still of when people dismissed him without listening. Sometimes he doesn’t know just how much he says with the things he doesn’t say”

“He told me I wasn’t making sense”

Lance could imagine. By default Krolia was quite brash, though she did have her secretive ways about her

“I’m sorry for waking you up. I didn’t... I mean, I could have cleaned this place up, but... Did I do the right thing? Not making a fuss? Or did I hurt Curtis more by downplaying it”

Krolia hummed as she looked around at the mess

“You were trying to help a friend”

“I know. He did so much for me. He’s done so much for me. He tried to stand up protect me... I hate that he... that he probably hates himself so much right now. I know what it’s like to lose control of your body, but my pain isn’t his and I can’t understand his pain. It’s funny. I spent years alone. In the past this wouldn’t have bothered me. I would have cleaned it up and not said anything to anyone. I don’t know how to explain to Keith that I’m nearly out of medication again”

“He’ll understand. He’s very understanding when it comes to you”

“I know. I know I burden him by being like this”

“Keith would be sad to hear that”

“I know that too. I mean, I know being a carer is hard. Watching the person you care for change more and more each day”

“Things well get better. I remember how hormonal I felt when pregnant with Keith. The worries of bring him into this world. The worries over my limitation of what I could do to protect him. His father was a mess. The slightest pain or discomfort and he panicked”

Lance snorted with a shake of his head. Like father like son. He loved Keith beyond measurable amounts and words. A single touch could settle his thoughts. A single smile left him all goopy inside. Absolutely anything Keith wanted, Lance wanted to be the one to give it to him. He wanted to continue to grow beside Keith. To nurture their relationship and grow with him. To face all the good and bad times together. He was now hiding one of those bad times from him. Keith needed rest, obviously. Falling asleep with Shiro beside him, the two must have had a good talk. If he told Keith later, he’d be upset he didn’t come to him right away, like how he hadn’t called when his sisters came to see him. The movies never showed how hard being with someone and planning to be with them forever was. Keith would get all moody when Lance pointed out that he needed the rest.

“Krolia, I’ll be back in a minute”

He couldn’t hide this from Keith. Keith needed to know that Lance knew he could turn to him, no matter the situation. Shiro really needed Keith’s support right now, and it’d be better for Keith to know the truth before they told Shiro

“Okay, but before you go, where’s the broom?”

“In the laundry. The dust pan is there too”

“Alrighty. You leave this to me. Wow, I even sound like a proper mother”

Krolia was a proper mother in her own way. She was certainly filling in the gaps of longing for maternal comfort after Mami passed in her own special Krolia way

“You are a proper mother. I won’t be too long”

Trudging up the stairs, Lance cursed them mentally. Today there seemed to be twice as many as there actually were, his back complaining as he straightened up, before promptly half slouching, trying to find that sweet spot where his muscles didn’t want to spasm. Yeah, he was round for his weekage. He felt he seemed rounder than Google showed he should be, but as long as that wasn’t hurting the twins he’d have to bare with it. Shuffling to his room, he found Keith and Shiro where he’d left them. Anxiety over what to say bubbled up, but now he’d made his mind up to tell Keith, he couldn’t turn and head back down those damn stairs empty handed.

Opting to sit on the bed next to his boyfriend, Lance stole a kiss. Keith looked so peaceful, adding to the guilt he already felt about waking him. Opting against shaking him awake and making him panic, Lance nuzzled into Keith’s cheek, pressing kisses to the soft skin brushing against his lips

“Babe, babe, I need you to wake up for me”

Keith was horrible at waking up, unless he either woke up naturally or he woke up with Lance straddling his lap for morning kisses and something more if they were in the mood

“Babe, please. I need you to wake up now”

Nosing a little harder, his boyfriend groaned at him sleepily

“Keith, I need you to wake up for me”

“Sleeeping”

“I know. I know but I need you to get up like right now”

The next groan Keith gave had no English translation

“I know. I need your help”

That seemed to work. Confused purple eyes squinting at him as Lance pulled back enough that Keith could see his face

“Babe?”

“Something happened. I need you to come with me”

“Wha... babies?”

Right. Keith had no clue why his precious sleep was being disturbed

“No. No, I’m okay. I just... I really need you to come with me right now”

“Whaaa... Shiro?”

Lance had the unfair advantage of knowing about the shit storm in his kitchen, that and being more awake than asleep

“He’s right here in bed, but... he can’t see this”

“Your scent... somethings...”

Yeah. His scent was doing its own thing, his eyes were filled with tears and the position hurt his back. Lance already knew he was far from fighting form

“I’ll explain, but... it’s easier to show you... I... I need you to come with me”

Getting Keith moving, his boyfriend was more of a hazard than the damn stairs. His boyfriend tripping on his own feet, leading Lance to catch him as he half leapt down, whimpering as his feet his the floor. With the shock shooting straight up his back, and his healing foot that he’d kind of half forgotten from his back pain, the landing was about as rad as the mess waiting. Yeah. Have a baby they said. It’ll all work out, they said. They didn’t warn him about all the hard work in the middle of it all

“Babe?”

Lance was holding Keith to hold himself up far more than Keith was holding him for the same reason

“I’m okay... my back’s sore, but I need to show you”

“You’re making me worried”

For Keith to have such a grasp on the English language his boyfriend must be internally freaking. Lance hadn’t exactly eased any of his worries

“I’m okay... physically, I’m okay. It’s Krolia... something happened. Not to her, but she’s helping and I... I need you right now”

Straightening himself, Keith moved from his side to standing in front of him. Moving to cup Lance’s cheek, it was more like a light slap as Keith sleepily tried to coordinate himself

“Babe, you’re worrying me. Just... tell me what happened”

“Curtis... he... well, it’s easier if I show you. It’s in the kitchen. Everyone’s alright, but... I’m... kind of... right now I need you to help me out because I’m out of my depth”

Keith’s “galaxy eyes” softened, nodding immediately

“Okay. Whatever it is, it’ll be okay”

“I really hope so... try not to freak out too much. The others are sleeping”

Keith went in front of him, Lance bumping into him when his boyfriend suddenly stopped

“What the fuck?!”

Lance flinched. Yeah. This wasn’t good. Not only was Keith blinded by the kitchen lights, he was forced to see pretty much the same things Lance had... other than the floor. Krolia hadn’t done a bad job of sweeping up the worst of it. Taking a deep breath, all his words came out like word vomit, seeking reassurance that he’d done the right thing by waking Keith and Krolia for help

“I woke up and the kitchen was like this. I didn’t want to wake you up but I didn’t want to hide this from you and I didn’t want you to feel like I was hiding things. I know you barely slept, and I know I woke mum up first, but I... This is my fault and I... I kind of really need you to help because I’m too freaked to adult right now”

“Keith! We meet again. Make yourself useful and get Lance sitting down again. Then you can start on the table while I start on sink”

Right. Blood on his table... Krolia seemed happy to have a helper that wasn’t him. It seemed his boyfriend had bonded more with Krolia during whatever talk they’d had. Lance had his own questions for Krolia, namely did she know about the ring box Keith kept in his drawer and what the fuck it meant for their relationship. Lance thought they’d agreed to wait, now had this additional little voice in his head telling him he should snoop and find out more. Having his boyfriend in the same space calmed his ego, letting him refocus on what needed to happen next

“You need to be careful getting blood out of wood. It would have already stained. Grab some paper towels to mop it up, then we’ll need to clean up what’s left as carefully as possible. We can cover the stain with a table cloth”

“Oh, great thinking! You really did snag a great man. Lance, I want you to sit back down again and finish that cup of tea. You’re still in shock”

He had to admit that he most certainly was still in shock. Keith sighing heavily as he looked to the floor

“Am I going to get glass in my feet?”

“Like Lance did? He really should be off his feet right now”

As Keith turned to him, Lance raised his hands in surrender

“I know. I’ll sit. I got the glass out and tossed it in the sink...”

“Why was there glass on the floor to begin with?”

Moving his left hand to the back of his head, he scratched his hair nervously

“Uh, well, you know...”

“Curtis smashed his medication”

“He did what?!”

Dobbed in by Krolia, Keith was instantly furious at the news. Lance had been trying to figure the right way to ease into the conversation, this was not it

“I have a few vials... you should probably leave the ones in the sink. My blood’s in there and we can’t risk infection”

“Right now I don’t give a fuck. Go back to bed, babe. We’ll fucking deal with this”

“But you’ve been up all night painting”

“And we’ll deal with this right now. Go lay down”

Lance was kind of unimpressed

“I can help”

“Babe, seriously, I’m about to lose my temper. You need that medication and he fucking knows if”

Bursting into tears again, Lance wept for his friend

“He can’t help it. You’ve seen what happens when I act out of ego. Hating him for this is as good as hating me”

Keith sighed, Lance drawn against him as his boyfriend kissed his hair, before relying

“I don’t hate him. I’m mad at the situation. This isn’t what I wanted to wake up to, but I’m glad you came and got me”

“I wanted you to know I rely on you. That I know I can rely on you”

“I know, babe. Can you please let me and mum handle this?”

“I can help. This is my house”

“I know it is, but this isn’t our first time cleaning up blood. You resting right now, is going to help me concentrate on getting this cleaned up”

“I don’t want to be a burden”

“Babe, you’re not a burden. I don’t want to lash out and I don’t want to say something to hurt you. Why don’t you wait in the office until we’re done? I promise I’ll come get you when this is cleaned up”

“But...”

“Babe, please?”

Lance couldn’t say no to Keith asking. He felt completely useless. He wanted Curtis to be happy. He wanted Keith to understand. He knew how Keith got when he was cranky, that meant he wanted to be there for him to help him through those feelings. But, if he was in the way...

“Okay. I trust you”

“And I love you”

“I love you, too. I’ll be in the office. I’m not up for the stairs right now”

In the office he could listen to what was happening. He’d have to content himself with that

“Okay. This shouldn’t take long. Then I’ll come cuddle the fuck out of you”

“You do give the best cuddles”

“I thought Hunk did?”

“Mmm... but you’re cuddles are different. I feel bad I woke you”

“You did the right thing. Now go rest, and don’t think I haven’t forgotten about your foot. I want to take a look at that too”

“Okay... Thank you”

“You’re welcome”

Closing the door to the office, Lance locked it behind him. Should Curtis wake up and attempt something, he didn’t know how he’d handle the idea of having to fight his friend. His instincts were such a mess that instead of standing up for himself, his body was telling him to put as much space between him and his friend as he could do nothing could happen to the twins. Sitting on the bed seemed to have an immediate effect. Lance moving to curl up under the covers. He missed his bed with all the blankets and the sense of security they brought, for now though, this was all he could do to feel safe.

#once bitten twice stupid #oncebittentwicestupid #I’m sorry Curtis #I just need more Krolia with our boys #and a reason to have that demon out faster

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indianstories · 3 years

Text

SHARDA and ABDUL

SHARDA AND ABDUL

Sharda and her family lived in old Mysore area of kopal, a locality of mixed Hindu and Muslim population as the occupants were all poor people, below poverty line, who were allotted government built housing through a lottery draw. Obviously the neighbors were not by choice but by lottery. This proved to be one of the most successful ways to promote mixed community living and cultural tolerance besides building understanding and amity. People of Kopal lived in harmony for decades, the call from Mosque and slokas from the loudspeakers of Temple and Bells from the Church were all revered by all. Sharda’s mother Madhu was a school teacher. Madhu was married to Raju a street hawker who sold cut spicy masala smeared cucumbers in front of the government school. Raju had neither influence nor money to bribe, to get a job in the government. He felt that there no harm in selling cucumber and earn the same money. Madhu married Raju against her parents’ wishes as she was from an upper caste orthodox Brahmin family and Raju ,a handsome man, an unemployed graduate of History, was from the backword tribes community. Sharda was the only child to them and was an extremely pretty girl, brownish color, dark long hair drooping down to below her hips. They were so thick that her mother would tie two braids and fold them still to see them hanging up to her back. Her beautiful eyes white like that of a gazelle, her smile would compel to stop a passer-by for a glance of her perfect set of white teeth and a killing smile with dimple on her cheeks. Raju and Madhu wanted Sharda to become a doctor and they would spend most evenings after dinner at home talking for hours in the imaginary future of Sharda as a doctor and Raju would not have to sell cucumber any more . They would dream of comfortable old age, would imagine themselves in a bungalow, a car servants and rich guests visiting them. Madhu’s neighbor was a Muslim, Rahman,who was a cart puller in the rice mandi. He was married to Fatima, who use to make papad and pickles at home and sell them through local shops. They had a son Abdul. Abdul was a handsome boy too. Both Raju’ s and Rahman’ s family sunk very well. They knew that Raju was from a lower caste and Sharda was a Brahmin and theirs was a love marriage. The friendship between Raju and Rahman as well as Madhu and Rahman s wife Fathima was so intimate that Madhu and Fathima would exchange whatever they cooked for dinner. Madhu remained a vegetarian but Raju and Sharda ate non-vegetarian food. In the Evening Madhu and Fathima sit on the their door steps and talk for hours until Raju or Rahman return. Sharda was an early riser and so was Abdul. Sharda and Abdul would both step out and stay at their doors, talk and often play cricket in front of the door. Their wickets were three bricks, their ball was stitched from old cloth and their bat was a plank they picked up on the road. In less than a year, Rahman's wife met with an accident and had an instant death. This tragedy in Rahman's family brought them closer to the Sharda’s family. Abdul was very sad and Madhu would console him. Abdul was a sober boy and a studious student; He too had a dream to become a doctor. He would always console his father with a promise of comfortable life when he settled down in life. Abdul and Sharda were good friends as kids but as Sharda grew up and Abdul grew into a young man,they slowly withdrew themselves. They did not meet often and stopped playing together. Madhu would always take Sharda along with her to school. Sharda studied in the same primary school as her mother. Sharda was a math teacher and that made sharda interested in Maths which helped her to score high marks in aggregate. Abdul was in High School and was always topping in the class. So was Sharda .She always stood first in the class. Sharda was a good debater and had tremendous leadership qualities.

. Madhu taught maths for lower classes and also drawing as that was her passion. Both Madhu and Raju earning, they were financially far better than Rahman and Abdul.

Many a times Sharda would ask Rahman if he needed any help for the education of Abdul. Rahman would avoid help from Sharda and often lie to her that he has enough money to pay for the fees and books. One day Sharda and Madhu spotted Abdul in a second hand book shop where he would pick books of his class but drop them back after knowing the price. Madhu stepped behind him with cat steps and hiding behind him watched all the books he looked for. Both mother and daughter disappeared from the scene and came back after Abdul left. Madhu bought all the books for Abdul and dropped them at his house before he could return. Abdul though felt embarrassed at this kindness, accepted the books with folded hands. Rahman went to thank Madhu. Raju just entered when he saw Rahman and Abdul in tears,tears of gratitude. When Sharda was eight years, Abdul was twelve. As Sharda grew up into her teens, Madhu would cautiously watch her and constantly escort her when she went out of the house.. So was Abdul conscious of the limitations of talking and playing with Sharda. Time passed, both studied well. Sharda grew into a beautiful young woman a heartthrob that would stun even the elderly men and even women crossing her way. Abdul would sometimes have her glance when she steps out for a moment. Abdul was so fond of her that he would miss her if not seen her for a few days. Madhu was conscious of the feelings of both Sharda and Abdul, but she was cautioned by her colleagues in school. Her close friend, Radhika use to caution Madhu that Sharda is not only beautiful but an intelligent girl entering college and soon a rich Hindu boy would ask for her hand .she should not be seen with Abdul or ever seen talking to him. Madhu did not really welcome this caution, but she shared it with Raju. Raju agreed with her colleagues and so the distance between Sharda and Abdul increased. But to get a glimpse of Sharda,Abdul would stay out of home, walk up and down the lane for hours hoping for a glimpse of Sharda at least from the window. Sharda also realized the Abduls restless walk across the lane,and would peep out of the window around late evening, wave at him and disappear.

When Sharda passed her 9th exam, Abdul passed his 12th with a first class and distinction.. Abdul,s father wanted him to go for a job, but Madhu and Raju wanted him to become a Doctor. Rahman was so poor that he would not afford to pay the fee nor even buy medical books. Madhu suggested that Abdul should raise bank loan, but no Bank agreed to loan money to rickshaw pullers son.

Madhu took Abdul to the State Bank of India branch where Madhu had an account and met the manager, Anil Sharma. Anil Sharma offered Sharda a seat as he knew her as teacher of his own daughter. He directly asked her if she wanted any loan for her daughter Sharda? She replied” No Sir, she has not entered a college yet and she dreams to be a doctor.” Sharma said, ‘Madhu ji ,why not, she is intelligent and beautiful. Do not hesitate to take loan from us when she needs”. Madhu, pointed to Abdul and said, "Sir I have come for this boy who lives in the neighbor and we have lived like family members. He is an honest, hardworking and promising citizen. He has scored 95% and would easily walk through to a Government Medical College.” Sharma asked "Good, what is his name? He is Abdul and his father is a rickshaw puller and has no mother". Sharma:” all that is good but who will stand guarantee to him and does he have any things to pledge?” Madhu said "Sir, he has a one bedroom home like mine allotted to his father under Asha home and he may have some small payments left to be paid to have it in his name, Sharma" there are hassles and I would advise you to keep out of this as we cannot predict the turns it would take”. Madhu insisted, "Sir I am very keen that Abdul should study medicine and if he leaves it, it will go to another boy. Sharma said" that may not be another Abdul, so you should not indulge so much. Madhu finally said "Sir, what if I offer myself as guarantor?"

Sharma said "what will you do when your daughter needs loan after three years? Madhu ji please, you are going beyond which you may regret. How much do you trust his father a rickshaw puller and this Abdul? Madhu, says "Sir, I may regret more of he loses this seat in medicine. Sharma, Madhu ji, give me time to think and you too take your time to consult your colleagues and your husband. Madhu & Abdul return home and Madhu takes a promise from Abdul not to reveal and discuss their bank visit with any one. Abdul nods his head. Madhu discussed this with Raju who confessed his ignorance in all these matters and left it to Madhu’s wisdom. Madhu discusses her intention to get Abdul a loan with her friend Radhika working with her in school, who also had a son Narayan seeking admission in medicine. Radhika started shouting at Madhu “are you a insane woman falling into the trap of a Muslim family”. Radhika had in her mind a long term plan for her son. She instantly came out with her mind. "Look Madhu" she said "your daughter can also be a doctor and my son will also get into medicine. I also need to get a loan and if you guarantee for my loan, my son could be your Son-in-law and both your doctor daughter and my son could bring happiness to both our families".

That instant proposal stunned and confused her. Madhu silently return home in a dilemma. She could not talk to Raju about it as Raju was too simple to understand and take a decision. Raju’s only skill was in making spicy cucumber slices that sold like anything in front of the school. She was restless and awake till late nights. It was a Saturday and she waited till Monday to go the bank again. She met the manager again in the morning and Mr.Sharma did not welcome her with the same enthusiasm. She made her wait for one hour before he looked at her. He said "tell me Madhu ji" Madhu, with her eyes down said "Sir I have decided to sign guarantee for Abdul’s education loan”. Sharma "Do you realize the consequence of his defaulting?" "Yes Sir" said Madhu.” I will have to pay his loan or my house will be attached”. "Yes" said Sharma. "And still would you risk with your own daughter needing your help? And the expenses of her studies and her marriage? Sharma's tone was harsh. Sharma threw a bunch of papers to be filled up in front of Madhu and asked her to get them filled with all supporting documents after admission letter is issued for Abdul by the medical admission boards. After returning home, she walked into Rahman's home and told him "Rahman bhai, Abdul will be studying medicine and I have taken loan from the Bank. When he starts earning, he will pay back to the bank with interest. Tears flowed through Rahman’s eyes and he bowed down to touch her feet Madhu resisted with her hands firmly on his shoulders.

Abdul joined the Medical College, and wore the new shirt and trousers that Madhu bought for him as her gift. On the first day, Abdul came to Madhu’s home, touches her feet, takes her blessings and his eyes start searching for a glimpse of Sharda ,before leaving to the college.. Sharda was hiding behind the curtain and Abdul could only see her feet, her nails coloured and mehandi on feet. Abdul imagined her in a bridal dress but had no courage to call her or move the cloth curtain to see her. He walked out wishing Sharda, whom he started calling Amma.

Time passed, Abdul has been passing with very high marks that qualified him for full fee exemptions and a handsome scholarship from the government of India. This gave a great relief Abdul and to Madhu. Madhu approached the Bank to inform that Abdul would not avail further loan for rest of the his studies. Besides, Abdul would pay back the first installment of loan in two years from the scholarship he would receive.

Three years passed by, Sharda too passes twelveth with 90% marks and got admission in the same medical college that Abdul was studying in his fourth year. Though Abdul and Sharda were leaving for college the same time, they would avoid walking together on the road. They would walk on the opposite footpath of the road, as Abdul was conscious of the mind of the neighborhood and he did not want any remark on Sharda by the people of the locality. Even in the college ,Sharda, was one of the most attractive young woman. She would always prefer remain in the girls crowd avoiding any encounter with the boys. Abdul and Sharda would confront in the cafe, smile at each other and part to sit at different tables.

The college library was kept open on Sundays and on days close to the exams. The reading hall use to be packed with students. Often boys and girls were seen on benches outside the library under the large shady trees. It was not uncommon to see a boy and girl engage in combined study. Sharda wanted to sit with Abdul for some time on the bench, on the pretex of seeking clarification on some doubts in physiology. She was too shy to ask him to sit with her on the bench. Abdul too was very conscious of the fall back if they were spotted by passers on the main road just outside the college. For two years of the overlapping stay of both Shardha and Abdul at the medical college, the feelings of attraction, fondness of each other remained subdued, consciously so by both. Abdul always felt the burden of the obligation of Madhu. Sharda's mother. He very well realized that without sharda’s mother, he would not have entered the medical colleges. He would not imagine even to hear a word from anyone that would be against Sharda or her mother’s honour. This indebtedness kept all his feelings for Sharda buried with himself. For two years in the same college, the two who spend hours playing in childhood, did not dare to speak to each other. But Sharda would miss Abdul, if she did not cross her on the corridor or library or cafeteria at least once a day. It was the same with Abdul, but Abdul was matured and highly mellowed personality.

Abdul bought a bicycle when he was in third year from out of the scholarships money, and commuted to college on the bicycle. One day Sharda was a bit late to leave home and was rushing out and her mother at the door waving her hand. Abdul came out at the same time, and seeing Sharda rushing on road, asked Sharda, “Amma should I take Sharda on the pillion on of my bicycle?” Sharda’s mother smiled and said, Abdul, "you should avoid such gesture", this was a loud and clear message to Abdul. The same evening while returning home, Sharda saw Abdul on his bicycle. She waved at Abdul and asked "Abdul, can I be on the pillion for some distance? Abdul said with a sad face and tears in his eyes busting out, Sharda, "Perhaps not". He then said "you know why"?

Abdul completes his medical course with distinction. He received his last installment of scholarship. He decides to go to sweet shop before returning home, and buy some sweets. While returning home, he thought of gifting some things to Madhu, Raju and his father. He got into a cloth store, picked up two shirts for his father and Raju and sky blue cotton sari for Madhu. He was in an afix, if he should buy something for Sharda. He knew that Sharda would be excited with anything from him but he was unsure of her mother’s reaction. After a prolonged thinking, he decided to buy Parker pen set for her. Abdul reached home a bit late it was 7 p.m and it was time for the evening prayers. Abdul hurried to finish his prayer, and waited for his father Rahman to return home. Rahman comes a little late and Abdul hugs his father and shows him the course completion certificate with tears. Rahman with controlled emotions said " your mother is not with us to see this day". Yes baba, but Sharda Amma will be as happy as my mother would have been. Rahman " what is it in the bag?" he open the bag and showed the gifts and asked his father to choose the shirt he liked. Rahman smile and said, I will wear what is left after Raju picks his choices. Abdul asks his father "Baba, will you accompany me to Sharda and Amma to give them the gifts? He readily agreed and they both went out to knock the next door. The door opened, and it was Sharda who was wiping her long hair after the bath with a thin Sari of her mother. She blushed, smiled and ran inside to her room giving a shout "Amma look, there is someone at the door". Madhu comes, obviously from the kitchen with a wooden spoon in her right hand. She asked both father and son to come in and sit down. Abdul proceeds to Madhu before seating himself, bows to touch her feet and shows her the result sheet and hesitantly gives the gift he brought, "Amma, please accept these little things, token of my love and respect for you, Raju Uncle and Sharda.” She takes the bag gracefully with a smile and puts it on the chair. She goes into the kitchen to bring the fresh besan ladoo she made. Raju enters just then and gives a hug to Rahman. Sharda was again behind the curtain and her Pretty feet with bright red coloured nails were visible. She knew that Abdul would easily spot them and Abdul had his eyes fixed on that motion less feet behind the curtain.Raju ask Rahman "what are your plans now?"Rahman said "Abdul wants to study further, which he only can explain." Raju said " I am as ignorant as you are Rahman", but Sharda will understand and of course, Madhu will.Abdul said " Amma, I have written the all India entrance for a post-graduation in Nephrology and I have secured a seat in All India Institute of Medical Science in Delhi with a scholarship. I need your blessings. “He bows and touches her feet again and Madhu lifts him catching his arms firmly.

The following week, Abdul leaves for Delhi and before leaving he sees Madhu to take her blessings. Sharda could no longer hide behind the curtain and she comes face to face with Abdul. Abdul extends his hand hesitantly to shakehand and said” take care Sharda, I will see you after two years, Insha Allah”. First time Sharda said ‘Insha Allah” and hastened to explain to her mother, Amma it means “If only God is willing”.

Rahman stayed back alone for about a month. Abdul choose to stay in a small rented accommodation instead of the hostel, he wanted to bring his father along to stay at Delhi. Rahman joined his son and before leaving, hands over house keys to Madhu to keep them safe. Sharda used to open the house and use Abduls table for her studies. Abdul had left all his books for Sharda. Time flies, two years passed, Sharda also completes her MBBS with distinction.

Madhu and Raju thought of getting her married, to her colleague Radhika’s son who also passed out along with Sharda. Radhika reminded Madhu of her proposal which she had made five years ago,to raise a loan for her son and would get them married. Bur Madhu, now my son has proposals from very rich and well to do families. Madhu felt belittled at that response. When she came home she saw Sharda trying to convice her father that, she would like to specialize in Pediatrics at the All India Institute at Delhi,and would write all India exams. Madhu and Raju yields to her adamancies. Incidentally she gets admission at the same Institute at Delhi, but Abdul had completed his Masters and had secured a scholarship to specialize further in Edinburgh. He took his father along to Edinburgh. Rahman and Abdul moved into a studio to live in an downtown of Edinburgh. Rahman was wondering about the change of events in life. When his son is away he would lie down to get the flash back of his life at his old house, his life pulling rickshaw and eating idli on roadside for lunch and so on.

Sharda passes her Masters, but she was keen to take American board exams and to go to US for further internship in pediatrics. She works hard and clears all the American board exams. She gets an offer at children's hospital at San Francisco, prestigious center of child care. She had to go alone, as Madhu was still in service and in any case, it was not easy to get a Visa for mother until Sharda settled down. It was the first ever flying experience of Sharda, and she was nervous. She flew by Cathay Pacific which flies from Bangalore with a change over at Hong Kong. From Bangalore to Hong Kong she got a middle seat of the four seat central row. The other three were occupied by Tamil speaking elite couple who from their talk seemed rich professionals settled in US. They were with two kids, one of whom was in the lap. They hardly looked at Sharda though she was longing to draw their attention and talk to the lady. She thought she would pick up a conversation but in vain. The transit in Hong Kong was 4 hours where she had to change the flight and get into the flight to San Francisco. She got the window seat of two seat row and the person next to her was another lady in her forties with a scarf on her head. She wished Sharda with smile and Sharda felt so much relieved with one intimate smile of the lady. Once they settled it was a nearing dawn with rays of rising sun piercing through the window. Sharda wanted to initiate some conversation, but the lady next to her said "Give me two minutes I will finish my morning prayer". Sitting on the seat she does all her postures of a Namaz, which Sharda was familiar with as she had always observed Abdul and Rahman doing it next door at home. She waited for her to finish her prayers and lost no time to introduce herself. Mam "I am Sharda, I am from Mysore" “oh, so nice I am from Mysore too, my name is Salma" said the lady. "Oh, we can talk in Kannada then" said Sharda. “Yes”, said Salma.” Tell me more Sharda”, said Salma. “Can I call you Didi”, Sharda asked. "In fact, I wanted to tell you, don't call me mam", said Salma. “Didi, I am a doctor, and I am going to San Francisco on my first assignment after passing my American exams”. "How, nice congrats Sharda, you are a blessed child to your parents" said Salma. I work in a software company and husband is also a software engineer. We have two daughters we live in San Jose. My parents live in Mysore and visit us every year" said Salma. “Didi, my mother is a teacher, teaches Maths and my father is a street vendor. He is popular as Raju, masala cucumber man".Salma was stunned at the honest and simplicity of Sharda, her beauty and accomplishments. Salma was silent for some time, till the sign to fasten seat belt went off. Salma, asked her "what are your plans Sharda?" “Didi” she said" I have five days to join, when they would allot me a hostel and till then I must find an affordable accommodation" Salma said " Sharda have you booked a hotel?" “No” said Sharda. " how much does it cost" she asked. On any count not less than $100 per day" said Salma. "Oh, I have $ 500, and I should be able to manage" said Sharda. Salma said " I suggest you come with me to San Jose, my husband is coming to pick me with children. You stay with us for five days, settle down and then I will drop you to your Hospital at San Francisco" said Salma. Sharda controlled her tears, but could not. Wiped her eyes and said “Didi, why are you so kind?” Salma said, " I am not doing a favour to you, on the contrary you are the one doing a favour to me, you know. You are helping me to earn the praise of Allah who likes humans who are kind to others and help others.” Sharda said “Didi, I am so fortunate, I will get an opportunity to know from you more about your faith" “sure “said Salma with a smile. They had the 12 hours of flight, with snacks and two meals served. Sharda had opted for non-vegetarian but was surprised that Salma had opted for vegetarian Indian meal. 12 hours passed and they arrived at San-Francesco. Salma's husband was there, and Salma told, “ Akheel, I have

brought a friend from Mysore Sharda, a doctor, who will stay for 4-5 days before she joins he work at Sanfrancisco. Akheel who is a very calm person said “Hello” and drew back to San Jose. Sharda was excited with the traffic, the freeways and the buildings and the cold weather. Salma showed on the way the huge building of the company she worked. They reached home in forty five minutes. The two girls who were seated in the rear seat of their Benz SUV were busy all the time with their smart phones and as soon as they got out of the car, went to their rooms upstairs. Sharda was shown the guest room at the ground floor. After settling down, Sharda hesitantly entered the kitchen and saw Salma making lunch. She asked “Didi, can I help you, anything that I can do. I will lay the table and she quickly spotted the plates and glasses and laid them on table. Before the lunch, she heard Azan from the clock, and Salma called the girls to come for namaz and then the Lunch. Akheel also came down, spread the prayer mat and stood to lead the namaz. Salma and two girls stood behind Akheel and started the prayer. Sharda sat in a corner chair and just watched them with curiously and a desire storming into her to know more about Islam. The next day was a Friday and Salma told sharda, that the family is going to Masjid and she could comfortably stay at home and also go round the back yard garden with a swimming pool. Sharda asked “ Didi are other communities allowed to come to Mosques?” Salma said “yes, if you like to come, listen to sermons and sit and watch, you are welcome”. Sharda, quickly changed and tied the scarf imitating Mariam and her girls and decided to accompany them. She was given a chair to sit inside behind the congregation and she heard the Egyptian, Imam speaking that day on the five tenets of Islam, prophets teachings on obligations of Muslims to humanity and the punishment for violence and killing of innocents. Sharda was just stunned at the different world of Islamic culture, she wanted to know more and more from Salma about Islam. Salma said “it is simple” Islam says that there is one God who cannot be associated with any other being and he created the universe and has empowered humans to penetrate and discover universe. He sent messengers to Human kind and Mohammed was the last messenger.” The second command is thanking Allah through prayers, the third is to fast in his name in the month of Ramadan. Fasting has medical benefits and at the same time brings equality on every one including the rich and poor. The rich feel the pain of hunger. The fourth is Zakath, a prescribed parting of 2½% of accumulated wealth, in cash or gold with poor, each year and the last one is only optional, which is Haj, A prayer at Mecca around a stone laid by prophet Abraham. This is only for those who can afford. Sharda said,” amazing Didi but people often spread that Islam propagates for force conversion, Is it true?". Salma said,” absolutely not, Islam advocates respecting other faiths and accepting Islam is optional. The historical political expansions of kings, the acts o of some aggressive Muslim kings has damaged the image of this religion. Sharda “why do the world associated terrorism with Islam?” Salma said, ” did you hear of the word terrorism fifty years ago? No. this is the result of geopolitical expansion of the powerful countries for mineral and oil from poorer countries. They used every opportunity to invade other countries, cornered the natives, nurtured terrorist organizations like Tailban, Hamas, the Islamic state etc. Violence against humanity is the least that Islam per se supports, but political developments all over the world in the name of supporting and bringing democracies shattered the peace and harmony in western Asia, parts of middle east and in Afghanistan” with pause Salma said , “but Sharda, these are complex things and I am not a historian or so much informed. You enjoy your stay here till Monday, and we shall take you to San-Francisco on Monday”. This unexpected help and love sharda received from this

family in a new country left a deep and lasting impression on her and her outlook. Sharda called her mother soon after reaching and briefly talked her about her experience of making a stranger lady her Didi. On the last evening of her stay she sat till midnight to write a mail to her mother. Madhu felt so much relieved reading her mail.

Sharda was dropped to her hospital of work and after completing her formalities was shown her hostel. Salma stayed until she fully settled in her hostel and left, assuring of any assistance, when she needs. In the evening, she calls her mother again and speaks for a long time and narrated all about her four days with a stranger Muslim family. Madhu said, “Sharda, that is what humanity is all about and the basic tenets of Vedic Hinduism are all about, before the caste system corrupted the tolerant Hinduism. Power hungry politicians found division and polarization and religious hate as the easiest tool to achieve their goals and we have been the victims of this. Love, humanism and tolerance is basic to all faiths. Take care and keep calling me whenever you are free” said Madhu.

Madhu retired the next month and she was feeling lonely. Abdul and his father had also locked the Home. She would wait for sharda’s phone every evening. Sometimes her colleagues would visit her and often remind her that sharda should not be left alone in foreign country and called back and got married. Number of proposals were dropped into her ears, some of businessmen and some of government servants, but no one was a doctor. " Sharda was not very comfortable with the hostel food and wanted to be a paying guest. There were a number of Indian families in an around the hospital letting out rooms to doctors as paying guest. She moved to a home of an elite Andhra family highly sophisticated and apparently stylish and rich. They had a son Rohan studying in University. The agreement of Tenancy included self-breakfast and dinner served by landlord.

On the very first day, when she returned home, she had to wait till the family finished dinner and she was called in to eat on table. She was shocked, but did not realize that the caste system did not fade however much some looked advanced and sophisticated and live in advanced countries. Rohan was born and educated in US. He asked her mother "Mom, why don't we ask Sharda to join the table for dinner"? Mother said, " Rohan, we have certain practices and rituals which she may not be familiar. "Like what" Roshan asked, Like the slokas we say she may not know. "Why, she may learn "said Roshan .Mother remains silent but continued to serve her dinner separately. Roshan one day revolted and said “I am going to eat with Sharda she is like my sister and I want to break your caste divisions. If we don't change in the 21st century then these divisions of humanity will continue for centuries. Mom, the youth have to break all barriers and the time is now" he said and walked out. He again came back and told his parents, that divisions in society on the basis of religion, caste and strata is very convenient to those who seek seats of power, as they would become irrelevant if there is no hatred and division in society. His father, agreed and nodded his head and said “you are right and you should live the life the way you like". Sharda could hear all the conversation staying in her room and for the first time she realized that she was a Dalit and she cannot sink with an upper caste Hindu family. Sharda when she called her mother in the evening she said "Amma, I am learning a lot of things in life. I am seeing contrasts between people and beliefs . I am becoming more and more strong and matured in my understanding the world". Madhu listened silently and said, "I have faith in you and your decisions my Chanda. You know, I married your father in spite of all opposition from the family because I was a Brahmin and he was tribal Dalit. My family disowned me for rest of my life.But I stood with my decision".

Sharda's mother develops some pain in the back and her husband takes her to the hospital. Incidentally Abdul called up to enquire about her and hearing about her hospitalization, Abdul called up the doctor of the hospital and gets all the details. He asks for this scans by mail and he discusses that with his seniors. He realized that the disease was silently progressing to a stage of total renal failure. He called up Sharda to US and explained to her the seriousness. They discuss between themselves and they both decided to return as they knew that Madhu may not live long. Sharda took an emergency leave and Abdul too, both left to Mysore both with Cathay Pacific. They had a transit at Hong Kong, to board the flight to Bangalore. Abdul's father spotted Sharda in the waiting lounge and rushed to her and hugged her. She touched his feet and Rahman blessed her with his right hand on her head. Abdul, came rushing to Sharda, but he could not even shake hands in front of his father. They just stared at each other with mixed feelings and after a few minutes unstoppable tears rolled down their cheeks. Rahman just disappears from the scene and Sharda grabs Abdul's hand and cries like a child. They both reached Mysore and then rushed to hospital together and Rahman.

Madhu was drowsy with sleeping drugs. Rahman asked his son " Abdul please ask if the kidney can be transplanted". Abdul " yes, but we must find a compatible donor who have a healthy organ. Rahman immediately said " Abdul check for my compatibility, do not loose time". It was amazing that the blood groups were compatible, both with O+ blood group and Rahman said I will donate my one kidney. Sharda was silent, but Abdul consulted the Hospital, that he could also be in the operation.

Next day was the surgery fixed. Rahman was prepared for removal of kidney and Madhu was to be taken to operation theatre. Suddenly the blood pressure of Madhu was unstable and they postponed the surgery. Madhu wanted to see both Sharda and Abdul on the both sides of the bed. They both stood on two sides of the cot. Rahman silently stood on the other side near her feet. Ward Nurse was silently watching. Madhu holds Sharda's right hand and Abdul's right hand. She slowly pulls together and drops Sharda’s hand into Abduls. Sharda shouted " Amma, what are you doing". “My child you are both made for each other". “But Amma I have to get your permission for" "for what" wispered Madhu.”That I accept the faith of Abdul, about which I learnt a lot about it in my travel. Madhu, smiles and nods her head holds their hands together and closes her eyes. It was catastrophic tragedy to both families. The last rites were performed by Abdul for Madhu as he always called her Amma. Sharda stayed in her home alone and visited Abduls house for food. They wanted to stay in India till some rituals a per Hindu traditions were completed. In the meantime, the nurse who was a witness to the death of Madhu, leaked the information in the neighborhood that Abdul and Sharda are marrying as Madhu is not alive to stop it. This news gave enough fodder to the vigilante groups actively propagating interfaith marriages .They mobilized enough crowd to attack Rahman and Abdul on the morning of 12th day of Madhus death. But were very disappointed to see both houses locked, as they all had left by the early morning flight after the 11th day ceremony. This time Sharda decided to go to UK with Abdul and get married there. She gets solemnized in London mosque, and travel to San francisco for honeymoon. They get invited to San Jose by Salma for a stay. Sharda, hugs Salma and and says, Didi,I have come with my Husband Abdul who is also a doctor. I have accepted him along with his faith ,with conscious blessings of my mother before she closed her eyes.

Then on they lived happily and Sharda retained her name on advise of Abdul, who believed that faith is not in name and what you wear, but in what you believe in and practice as good human beings.

[email protected]

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norbaum · 3 years

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but when you 𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘵 the light i 𝑅𝐸𝒜𝐿𝐼𝒵𝐸...

𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆:

✧ ( jack gilinsky + 21 + cis male + he/him ) — did you see 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐖𝐀𝐘 ‘𝐍𝐎𝐑’ 𝐁𝐀𝐔𝐌 walking down 3rd ? rumor has it they are a 𝐁𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐑 @ 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐄 & 𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓 and have lived in 𝟐𝟐𝟑 e 66th st 𝐀𝐏𝐓 𝟒𝟎𝟏 for 𝐀 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐅. i’d describe them as ( 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙-𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙙 ) but ( 𝙜𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 ), and when they pass by i’m always reminded of 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐍 𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐊, 𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐌 𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐍, & 𝐀 𝐅𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝟏𝟎 𝐃𝐄𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑. ( ollie, 22, they/them, est )

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒:

one half ( the younger ) of the baum twins — the self-proclaimed christmas tree twins but really, it’s their parents’ fault ; works the first shift at the sunrise baking the bulk of goods for the day && has a love for baking in general ; a senior at NYU studying an individualized track of architecture ; a kind soul who genuinely means well even if he misses the point a bit ( read : a himbo ).

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘:

— norway baum was born in a buffalo, new york hospital two minutes and forty-three seconds after his sister fir baum, and unlike his sister, did not scream upon his arrival into the world. it snowed on that december night, CHRISTMAS EVE, an irrelevant fact considering the baums, jewish in heritage, did not celebrate. their parents knew quite in advance that their family would be increasing by two, so it’s anyone’s guess why instead of picking nice normal names for their children they settled on ( as the twins would realize as they got older ) two versions of what amounted to christmas tree.

— nor supposes he ought to be thankful they didn’t name him spruce, because at least norway ( despite also being a country ) could be shortened to a mildly acceptable nickname. instead they graciously made that his middle name leaving every time he gets carded to be an adventure in dubious looks as someone read “norway spruce baum” across the shiny plastic.

— the twins’ entrance into the world would remain a blueprint for most of their lives, fir — the feral child, nor — the calmer but dumber one ; though unlike predicted, they did not balance each other out ( at least in the sense that their parents hoped ). instead it was excruciatingly obvious from the moment they were capable of semi-complex thought that they would be absolute hellions together.

— they grew as thick as thieves as they got older, outgrowing the hellion age soon enough, but only to enter the scheming menaces phase that some may argue they still haven’t left. there were times they had their differences, sure, but in the end they never amounted more to a ripple in the ocean, quickly forgiven and on to the next grand thing.

— they were raised very comfortably in a large house some might consider a mansion ( a modest one at that ), having been privileged enough to be born into the lower upper class. the baums were a rather practical family all the same, in spite of the big house and healthy number of zeros in their bank account, raising their children to be humble, polite, and hardworking : for the most part succeeding ( hardworking might be a matter of perspective ).

— for high school, they attended the local prestigious private co-ed school, nichols ; nor apparently not quite as dumb as everyone seemed to think considering his passing of the entrance exams and decent grades to back that up. nor graduated from nichols ranked surprisingly well, thanks to apparent natural abilities in math and physics.

— college was a toss up, but the choice quickly become a no-brainer when fir was also accepted into NYU. move-in day was a flurry of excitement, most notably the first time the twins would be living ( somewhat ) apart in different dorms thanks to random housing placement and a no co-ed room policy. that excitement lasted about six days for nor, when he became frustrated with the fact that his new roommate, though by almost all accounts PLEASANT, could not seemingly read his mind.

— several other factors, one of which was definitely not separation anxiety, lead them to room together with a few of their mutual friends their sophomore year, and then seek an apartment together the summer before their junior year.

— the 66th st hadn’t really been somewhere nor had frequented, though the neighborhood was known to be affordable and good for students seeking reasonably priced apartments. besides, the apartments were nice, not such a bad commute from school, and they both needed jobs if they wanted to continue to continue to have fun : for though their parents’ generosity extended to both their tuition and rent, it did not extend to spending money.

— in spite of their chaotic energy, they somehow landed one of the apartments on the block and moved in the beginning of august before their junior year ( august 2019 ).

𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐂:

— nor is one of the bakers at sunrise on weekdays and saturdays, likely with the 4 am shift that makes the bulk of the baked goods for the morning rush. he also helps with the counter if needed when the shop opens. he’s kicking down the door of 401 a little after 9 am on weekdays just in time to bring fir breakfast and go to class, and noon on weekends. he’d always been a bit of an early riser ( though 4 am isn’t really an acceptable time for anyone, it’s something he’s grown accustomed to ), and luckily functions well on just five hours of sleep or so. he is prone to taking about an hour and a half nap in the afternoons, though. he does enjoy his work, especially walking through the near abandoned corner at the wee hours of morning.

— at NYU nor studies an individualized track in architecture through the gallatin school of individualized study ; his track combines studies in architecture with structural classes in the tandon school of engineering so he can better understand practicality and the importance of structural-based architecture.

— has played hockey since he was quite young and the baums were looking for some way to burn off his energy. a sports town like buffalo it was a pretty obvious choice. he played up through high school, until an injury and two surgeries near the end of his junior year pretty much put an end to any serious athletic scholarships to a hockey school. he still played his senior year, but was advised against the rigors of college hockey. it was also in this time that he discovered his love of baking. he has played for fun nearby on one of the beer league teams the past couple years.

— as mentioned above, he really started to get into baking end of his junior year and senior year when he was either in recovery or benched a lot and wanted to contribute something. he bonded with one of his grandmothers over this time and he definitely loves making her recipes even now !! he’s also definitely the type to make baked goods for the neighbors. he started out beginning of last season at sunrise just doing regular cashier stuff but in a pinch when they were running low on something popular and they didn’t have any bakers on hand he was able to whip up a batch and saved the day and after that his manager asked him if he wanted to be one of the bakers.

— of the two of them, nor is the one more likely to cook, but they probably still rely a bit too heavily on ordering take out ( they are trying their best ).

— nor is quite neat, but more due to the fact he doesn’t own very much for things to get messy.

— has plants in his room and absolutely talks to them

— probably falls asleep while rewatching episodes of the great british bakeoff every night.

— sings in the shower and hums or sings quietly under his breath when he bakes. he’s really not that bad but he definitely lacks the creativity to do songwriting or talent to play an instrument so don’t ask.

— fir and nor have successfully gone to each other’s classes before despite being fraternal, most notably the longest gambit they ran sophomore year of high school where nor went to fir’s math class and she went to his history class and they kept it up until parent-teacher conferences in october ( something they had forgotten to take into consideration ) and their scheme was then exposed and they were subsequently grounded.

— he’s not straight and very much just loves who he loves. that being said, his tendency to look past people’s flaws and hand out second chances has gotten his heart broken a few times and has resulted in fir taking to examining anyone he shows the vaguest interest in under a microscope ( and possibly taken to interrogation ).

— fir and nor co-run the most chaotic tik tok @xmastreez. it has no real purpose or direction and mostly consists of capturing random shenanigans of each other, themselves, or random people. they have a modest following.

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘:

— put bluntly, nor is a rather kind and gentle soul ; he tends to want to see the best in people and that leads to him coming across rather naive. that may be true in a sense, but it’s less due to ignorance and more that he hasn’t let any hardship or heartbreak get in the way of his worldview. the exception to this is of course anyone who has hurt fir ; you will then learn that he’s very good at holding grudges too.

— nor isn’t someone to worry about the future very much. there was a point early in high school when he did, but after the injury his junior year, he took on a very one week, one day at a time sort of mentality. he is quite happy to live in the moment for now.

— he’s a hard worker, but only when it comes to things that he likes or wants to learn. he’ll put 100% into anything he deems worthy : his baking, hockey, certain classes of study, but try to get him to read something he doesn’t want to or learn something he dislikes and he will become the biggest slacker you have ever seen.

— he and fir bounce well off each other and though nor may be the more responsible one, it’s clear that fir is more of the leader of the two and that his resolve when it comes to his sister’s absurd ideas is not very strong. that being said he can be very protective of fir ( though not overbearingly so ), in a way that can be seen as quite endearing.

— nor is smart, but only in the context of his classwork. outside the classroom or the bakery, and especially in day-to-day interactions, nor just seems to be lacking a certain brand of common sense.

— honestly he’s a fucking himbo. need i say more.

𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄:

— 5′11″ ( one inch taller than fir, a fact hotly contested between them and many times a moot point considering she likes to wear heels ), rather fit thanks to keeping up hockey as a hobby.

— brown eyes, skin that tends to always look a little sunkissed even in the middle of winter, dark brown hair that fluctuates in length, sometimes a bit short, usually a bit longer so that it starts to curl slightly.

— style : he likes black skinny jeans or semi-fitted army green pants that probably get covered in flour too quickly but he wears them to work anyway, and fitted t-shirts in any color. he’s a fan of hoodies, cycling through an old nichols hockey one, an adidas branded one, and a newer nyu sweatshirt he got when he committed to the university. he considers hoodies adequate enough for most of the winter, and hey he’s never really gotten sick from walking to class in just that so why change ?? though he may on occasion throw on a denim jacket over a hoodie. he wears practical boots when it isn’t too hot ( unlike his sister ). — ref: yes, yes, and yes

— jewelry : nor’s not one for accessories, limited to a couple simple silver necklaces and an analogue watch with a brown leather band that probably takes him a little too long to read.

— scars, tattoos, etc : no tattoos ; a small well-healed scar over his left cheekbone from a hockey accident ( near invisible and most people don’t know it’s there unless they’re close or looking ), several other small scars on his legs and hands that he can’t recall what they’re from ; small birthmark on the outside of his right thigh.

𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒:

🎵i wanna ~𝘷𝘪𝘣𝘦~ with somebody🎵 🎵feel the ᶜʰᵉᵐ with someboᵈʸʸʸʸʸʸ🎵

𝐎𝐎𝐂:

hello everyone !! i’m ollie ( 22, est, they/them pronouns ) one of your admins. i am pretty much always on discord so hmu there pls, thank you so much for joining 66th, and i can’t wait to vibe w you all !!!!

#66th.intro

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followthebluebell · 5 years

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“Manx Syndrome”

So we’ve talked about Scottish folds and Persians (and other brachy breeds), but I haven’t seen a lot of talk about manx cats.

oh my gosh, isn’t she cute? :D Just look at that little tuft of fur on her butt! She doesn’t have a tail! Who else wants to go out and get like a million little bunny cats?

Stop. It’s time to talk about Manx Syndrome. The name itself is a bit of a misnomer, since it doesn’t just affect manx cats (or even EVERY manx kitty; Nala exhibited only very mild symptoms). Cymrics are also affected. For simplicity’s sake, it’s often just called Manx Syndrome. What it IS, is a form of spina bifida.

Tail development is highly linked to spine and spinal cord development. When a cat is bred to lack a tail, they're being bred for abnormal development of coccygeal (tail) and sacral vertebrae (the spinal cord just in front of the tail). It can also affect vertebrae further up the spine in particularly severe cases.

This can cause some pretty serious issues including urinary incontinence, chronic diarrhea, constipation, and their hind limbs may not function properly. We also see megacolon or rectal prolapse in these cats---- the fact that they lack the tail muscle also means they lack certain colon muscles, resulting in a failure to push poop out. The more serious symptoms are generally present by the time a kitten is 6 months old. They’re usually euthanized at that stage. If they aren’t, they will usually end up wearing diapers their whole lives (or require manual manipulation to poop, if they’re constantly constipated; this is, needless to say, extremely unpleasant for everyone involved) and require very frequent bathing.

In manx cats, there are varying tail lengths:

Rumpy - no tail at all

Rumpy riser - either just a few vertebrae, or even just cartilage

Stumpy - a few centimeters of tail

Stubby - a tail that’s about half the length of a typical cat’s tail

As you get shorter and shorter, the likelihood of spina bifida increases. I still see cats with tails affected by manx syndrome. A study done in 1979 (warning: study includes pictures of internal organs and dissections) produced nine rumpy cats, three rumpy risers, fourteen stumpies and eighteen longy Manxes. All of the rumpies had MS, two of the rumpy risers did, and only one of the stumpies had it. The longies were almost unaffected--- they still presented with more arthritis in their tail than typical cats, though. So having just a few vertebrae protected these cats from the worst effects of MS.

Taillessness is caused by the M gene. It’s an autosomal dominant gene, so a cat needs only one to present with tail-abnormalities; this means a cat with Mm will not have a tail, while a cat with mm will HAVE a tail. A cat who develops with MM dies in utero. They simply don’t develop. Honestly, the fact that it’s a lethal combo is pretty telling, so let’s get into detail EXACTLY WHY IT’S LETHAL.

And this is because the M gene punches holes in some pretty important codes. So think of a vertebrae like a pizza pocket: you got the bone on the outside, then there’s a membrane (meninges), and finally there’s bundles of nerves on the inside. But the M gene can cause holes in the bone, exposing the meninges. The meninges can be squeezed through the holes (called “Meningoceles”), which puts a lot of pressure on the nerves inside. You know, kinda like when you squeeze a stress toy.

So a cat with MM would develop with LOTS of these holes, exposing the meninges, while a cat with Mm only develops SOME holes exposing the meninges. That’s... that’s still pretty bad. The ideal number of holes is zero. Now, these meningoceles CAN naturally heal over time, but the cats often still exhibit urinary incontinence and other issues associated with Manx Syndrome (see the 1979 study linked above).

“Ok, but could we just... breed Manx cats to have longer tails?”

Unfortunately, we can’t. The M gene is highly penetrating and inconsistent. Even if it’s not causing a visible abnormality (ie, lack of tail), it’s still frequently present. This means that even a long-tailed manx still presents issues such as tail kinks. Stumpy cats also tend to develop arthritis at a higher rate than typical cats--- you can even feel it in their tails sometimes. They’re so stiff, it’s like grasping a stick. Vets may even opt for amputation to reduce the pain. Considering phantom limb syndrome, even this may not help.

Now, the good news is that there are short-tailed cats WITHOUT Manx Syndrome. The Japanese and American bobtail breeds both get their little cute tails from a completely separate mutation and, as far as I can tell, it’s harmless. I’m not certain about the Kurilian bobtail.

If you have your heart set on a manx kitty, please, PLEASE go to a rescue and be aware of what to ask. Be sure to ask if the cat has any symptoms and be prepared to handle them if they develop later in life. Even if your breeder-produced kitten turns out just fine, there could be many more that didn’t make it. One healthy kitten isn’t worth the price of suffering. Breeding should be done to improve a breed, including their health, not merely to stick to the standard perfectly. If the breed includes an inherent amount of suffering, it should not be reproduced further.

#ethics of breeding #cat #manx syndrome

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capmackie · 4 years

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no sleep for the wicked

Bucky,

I pray this letter finds you well — it’s been so long, so very damn long.

I know you’re wondering how I possibly could’ve gotten your address — I’m surprised myself, to be honest, you really did not want to be found lol. I must say, you’ve done a helluva job of keeping yourself off of the grid but I can’t say I’m surprised; if James Buchanan Barnes made his mind up to do something, it was good as done. I’ve always admired that about you. But if you taught me, anything brother, it’s to take life in my own hands, craft my own destiny and after 10 years, 86 days, 14 hours, and 56 minutes of searching, I’m finally sending this letter off. I don’t know what I’m expecting out of this but I’m here to ask you to come back home Bucky. I hope that you know that you are missed — shit man. We never expected you to leave and never once thought you’d stay away for so long after that. Nothing could ever take your place here, not even me. If only for a weekend, please come back. P.S. — can I still call you Bucky?

Love, Steve ——————— The smell of coffee is the only thing in the world that can possibly rouse Sam Wilson out of his fitful sleep. Even then, it takes James Rhodes placing the mug directly in Sam’s face for the sheriff to even stir. Long nights at the Handonsville’s Sheriff Department will do that to you. It’s a deep roast, made by some kind of hipster brand that Sam can’t even pronounce and is *too damn expensive* if you ask him, but it gets the job done. And the job needs to be done, unfortunately. What went from an absolutely rarity of Sam staying overnight to work on a case has become a constant in his life. And Sam’s loves constants. He loves a routine, loves order and predictability; loves waking up every morning at 5:45am, going on his morning jogs and greeting the early risers of the town — Mrs. Carter down at the library, Mr. Barnes who own the local meat shop, loves making it back at his cramped apartment at 6:15, not a minute later. And as much as Sam loves the constants in his life, he will never get comfortable with the sudden constant-ness of the disappearances in his town. No matter how many times it happens, no matter how each disappearance closely mirrors the one before it, no matter the same sad looks on each one of the missing person’s families' faces, the collective dread they all seem to share when they come into the office to report that their son, daughter, sister, cousins hasn’t been home in over 24 hours. No, he’ll never get used to that, no matter how constant. Sam stretches, feels his body protest fervently against the position he slept in, hears his bones cracks as he stretches. At only 30 years old, Sam already knows he’s getting too old for this shit. His body continues to groan in protest as he wearily stands, stretching his arms and back once more before grabbing his coffee to take a look at the ‘Missing Persons’ board. He’s been in the station since last night, pouring hours into a case file — which doubled as his pillow, to make some sense of the mysterious disappearance of one Casey Johnson. So deep into the file, Sam didn’t even bother to make the ten-minute trek back to his place, eventually just giving in and sleeping at the office. Casey Johnson was the latest victim in what seemed to be a never-ending cycle of disappearances in the small town. Nothing about Johnson was similar to the case before him; he was young, two weeks removed from graduating from high school. He was a good kid, a little on the dopey side but kind-hearted nonetheless. Anyone who knew Johnson knew he wouldn’t hurt a fly and that made the question of *who would hurt him* that much more pressing. He had no run-ins with the law, on the contrary, he spent most of his free time down at the office with Sam, with dreams of eventually becoming a sheriff himself. So no, there was no pattern between Johnson the last case, Steve Rogers, the soldier notorious for his frequent visits to the station, who disappeared just a few days before Johnson. The only thing they had in common was leaving their respective places with an unspoken promise to be back — Rogers was off to the post office to mail a letter while Johnson was taking the garbage out for Mr. Barnes at the meat shop, never to return again. It made no sense. --- The first instance of someone going missing, it was Pixie Thomas, who was quite as eccentric as her name would suggest. With no reason to suspect foul play and with one of Pixie’s favorite bands on tour one town over, it was safe to say that she left to become one of their roadies. The second, third, fourth and fifth time it happened, well those cases weren’t so easy to write off. The victims ranged in ages, marital status, wealth, race. It was almost like whoever was behind this was choosing them at random which spelled trouble for the small force. With nothing to link the missing together, it was nearly impossible to know when and where the perpetrator would strike next. “Earth to Sam, hello?” Rhodey’s voice and wave of hand brought Sam back to the present. This kind of thing has happened before, Sam becoming so hyper-fixated on a particular case that he forgets to eat, drink, *blink*, but nowhere near this magnitude. Now, more often than not, Sam finds himself lost in his work and the other officers just find him lost. “I know you like to think if you stare at this wall long enough, the answers will appear like you’re in some kind of Sherlock episode but I’m sorry buddy, it ain’t happening.” Sam *might as well* be in a Sherlock episode the way this case is turning out. Actually there’s nothing more in the world he would love more than to ask Benadryl Cumberbatch for help with solving this shitshow but alas. “Go home Wilson”, Rhodey continues, “you need some rest.” “Can’t”, Sam replies. And it’s true; he can’t. He can’t just separate himself from this case, it’s not that easy. He can’t leave it unsolved, can’t chance the townspeople catching word of the seven disappearances within county lines and how their very own sheriff department has no clue what the fuck is going on. Can’t go home to *rest* when people like Casey Johnson or Steve Rogers may never make it back home ever again. Blowing on his coffee, letting the steam of the hot beverage envelop him for a moment, he turns to Rhodey and then back to the corkboard. ———— Growing up in Handonsville, Sam wanted nothing more than to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a sheriff in the town that loved him and he loved back. Handonsville, with all of its small-town charm — small, quaint, stereotypical — is the only home Sam has ever known. It’s one of those places where no one is a stranger, for better or worse. Here, secrets are hard to hide and even harder to keep. Little to no anonymity is a small price to pay considering how fiercely the small town protects each other and itself. Growing up and until Sam’s third year on the job, there was no crime, no violence, no ... anything to be honest. The sheriff’s department was mostly for show, something to make out of towners reconsider their ideas of fucking with the people of Handonsville. And it worked. But now something had changed in the sleepy town. There were no threats from outsiders; no drifters unaware of the unspoken rules that govern Handonsville causing trouble. No, it was a different malevolent presence blanketing the town, sinking onto the residents, heavy and restricting. Now, the danger came from inside of the town. You could practically feel it in the air. The feeling of dread, of waiting for the first fall of rain to come after the dark clouds move in. The anxiousness of seeing lighting flit across the sky, preparing yourself for the roar of thunder that’s sure to follow. In the three decades Sam has lived in Handonsville, he never had any reason to ever doubt his own safety or the safety of the other 800 residents that called this place home too. Until today. Until Derek Anderson, the town’s resident mechanic, came barging into the office, yelling that he needed to speak to Sam and he needed to do it *right away*. Frantic and upset, Anderson ignores Rhodey’s suggestions to quiet down, the officer throwing an apologetic look over his shoulder at Sam who’s come from the back to see what the disturbance is all about. Before he even reaches the man, Sam knows immediately what all of the commotion pertains to, he can feel it in his gut. The eighth disappearance in less than two months in Handonsville. ———————— Taking the crumpled piece of parchment paper out of the garbage can for the sixth time today, Bucky finds himself staring down at the words of someone he hoped to never speak to again. At the mere mention of coming back home, of *Handonsville*, Bucky felt the floodgates open; nostalgia pouring down on him, pulling him under until he has no choice but to float with the current; had no choice but to let the memories he tried so hard to repress wash over him, engulf him completely. It’s nothing against Steve; no, Steve was a light in Bucky’s life, a light in so many others lives as well. Steve was smart, funny, had a penchant for danger the same way Bucky did. They were brothers in every sense of the word; playing together, fighting together, even crying together once when Sir Snaps a Lot, Steve’s turtle died. They didn’t know it then but it was a reason why they got along so well, like they were actual brothers. Because while Steve was a light in Bucky’s life, smart, funny and a risk-taker, he also was the byproduct of an affair that ruined the Barnes’ home completely. How their father thought a secret of that magnitude would ever remain hidden in a town like Handsonville was beyond Bucky and the ensuing drama drove him and his Ma out of town. It took years for Bucky to even acknowledge his father again, much less his father’s son. And *Steve* — the same Steve who was his age and his height and classmate and his best friend was no longer just that. Steve was his brother and no matter how many times they often referred to each other as brothers before the truth came out, how natural their relationship, the unmistakable bond the two shared, it wasn’t right to refer to Steve as what he actually was. But that was years ago, a lifetime even, and Bucky had made his peace, putting time and eight thousand miles of distance between himself and the sins of his father, only for one measly letter to draw him back, like a moth to an open flame. A small part of Bucky knew nothing good would ever come from him going back home. Knew there, he was more likely to meet his demise than his dawning; but under the incessant need to separate himself from the town that shunned him, turned him away was the egregious *want* to prove that he made it without them. That there was a great big world outside of the small town and that world accepted him even when they wouldn't. With his jaw set and his bags packed, Bucky set off to Handonsville. ————- It’s all starting to run together at this point. And not that Sam isn’t emphatic to the plight of Mr. Anderson — his heart yearns for the other man, the very idea of having to file this kind of report for your child is *traumatizing*, it’s just that he’s seen this scene play out before. He’s seen the frightened look on Anderson’s face before, he’s seen in at least seven times in the past two months. He’s heard the script before, sure the names and dates and last seen places are different, but in the end, it’s all the *same*.

#this is a mess but it's my mess

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