#sincere salon and lounge

[sinceresalonandlounge]

Luxe Lash Extensions: Enhance Your Beauty in Colonie, NY

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#sincere salon and lounge

[luveline]

Hello! I just want to start off by saying you're an absolutely amazing writer! I've been reading your blog for two years now, I believe, or something very close to it, and I still find myself awestruck by your talent when I check your blog, which is pretty much daily!

If you're up for the prompt and if you're not too swamped with requests, could I ask for a blurb with bombshell reader x Spencer? Maybe reader makes him something really sincere and handmade? Maybe a baked good or a knitted sweater? No special occasion needed, just because he deserves it 😋

Thank you for sharing your works with us! Be well and remember to take breaks! Love you Jade!!

Thank you my love, that is so kind! Love you♡

You feel sleek walking into the office that morning. Fitted clothes steamed and pressed, hair freshly upkept at the salon the previous weekend, nails manicured, smile primly painted, you look perfect. 

But that's not what you're excited about. 

Spencer lounges cross-legged at his desk, a book in his lap, surprisingly broad shoulders hunched as he reads at a more natural pace than usual. His desk is cluttered in organised chaos, books lining the partition that separate his desk from Derek's and Emily's, strange knickknacks scattered. There's a bunch of bright squishy things from Penelope, an upside down umbrella statue lined with hair elastics, and, cutest of all, his two photo frames. One of him holding baby Henry, and one of you. You and him, of course, but mostly you in the frame, closer, smiling like you love him as you angle the camera back in a well meaning and misaligned self portrait. 

You do love him. He hasn't caught on yet, is all. 

"Spencer," you greet, hoping he won't jump. He flinches minutely and lifts his head to yours, closing the book against his hand. "Sorry, I was trying to make it so you didn't jump." 

"My fault." He rubs his eyes. "Just been reading this book for so long it's messing with me." 

The book, of which he's told you about in detail, is about a documentary, which is in turn about a bunch of dark, ever-changing rooms, hallways and tunnels from within a house. The line between what's fiction within fiction blurs, and it's actually pretty scary if he's to be believed. "I've never seen you take so long reading one book, even if it is eight hundred pages," you say teasingly, letting the handle of your handbag slip down your shoulder. 

"The point is suspense," he says, eyes following your fingers where they dive into your bag. "Which needs time to build. What are they?" 

"These are for you, handsome." 

"You already gave me a present," he says quizzically. 

His birthday was a few days ago, and he's right. "These aren't for your birthday, Spence." 

He cracks the lid off of the tupperware on side at a time like he's scared he'll ruin the sweet treats within. You've made him fresh baked shortbread biscuits dipped in dark-chocolate and topped with sparse coconut shavings. 

"What are these?" he asks.

You both know that he knows they're cookies, so you answer the unasked question instead. "I wanted to make them for you. I think you'll like them, they're a little rich but the coconut helps even it out. You don't have to try them now or anything–" 

"Can I?" he asks, lips quirked into a gentle pout. 

"Sure." You hide your nerves as he bites into one, the cookie itself breaking softly, crumbs falling into his waiting hand. "They're messy. Should've warned you." 

He puts the uneaten half back in the tupperware and places it atop his closed book on the desk. He's nodding as he stands, arms quick over your shoulders. You can hear him swallow, his voice mildly hoarse as he says, "They're so nice," he praises, clearing his throat, "I think I swallowed too fast." His laugh warms your ear. "I can't believe you made those. How long did it take you?" 

"Not that long," you say, beaming as he pulls away. "I knew you'd like them." 

"It helps that you made them." He holds your elbow. "I don't know how to say thanks." 

You raise your cheek. "Only if you want." 

He kisses your cheek. You smile like a fool and giggle much the same, reaching around his arms to nab a cookie for yourself. They'd tasted nice last night when you tried them, but they're perfect after Spencer's praise. 

"No one's ever baked something for me before," he admits, the two of you standing much too close considering the setting. "I mean, there really wasn't a reason?" 

"No, Spence. I was watching some TV last night when I started thinking about you, and I recently got that cookbook, you remember? That was one of the dessert recipes. I had to make two batches because I put too much butter in the first try and they spread flat as a nickel." 

He smiles at your misfortune. "What?" you ask. "What's funny about that?" 

"It's not funny. You made me cookies and when they went wrong you made me more. I don't know what I–" His hand flirts with your elbow, index finger moving with a mind of its own, tickling you through your thin blouse. "You're amazing." 

"You make me really happy." You look down at his hand where it draws a line. "It makes me happy to be able to do something for you." 

Spencer can evidently see you turning shy, and he's a sweetheart, so he rescues you from your timidity with a life jacket. "Is there anything you can't do?"

"Not that I've found so far, handsome. Why, did you have something in mind?" 

He makes a big and genuine laugh, grabbing two cookies and forcing one into your hand. "You have to eat your share before Emily gets here." He nudges your hand up with his. "Go on. I'm not in the mood to share with anyone but you." 

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x fem!reader #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid oneshot #spencer reid scenario #spencer reid drabble #spencer reid fic #spencer reid fanfiction #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds #criminal minds fic #criminal minds x reader

[atzupdates]

[221210] Fancafe Update [Notice] ATEEZ Reintroduction of Fan Club and Airport Etiquette

Hello. This is KQ Entertainment. Through several previous notices, there are violations of fan club etiquette, violations of artists' privacy, and personal rights. Despite the frequent occurrence of situations that could lead to accidents, and that we have earnestly told you to correct them, cases of violation of fan club etiquette and invasion of privacy still persist. For the safety of ATEEZ and their fans, as well as an orderly and proper fan culture that can be fully enjoyed, once again, we would like to inform you about the etiquette of the fan club. We sincerely ask for your continued cooperation by being aware of these contents. 1. Visiting private spaces such as ATEEZ’s company, practice room, accommodation (dorm), and hair/makeup salon. - Please refrain from accompanying, talking to, or delivering gifts/letters to ATEEZ when they commute to/from  work or other private spaces (company, practice room, accommodation [dorm], hair/makeup salon, etc.). (This includes waiting at nearby convenience stores, cafes, etc., as well as areas in front of the company, other company buildings, parking lots of other buildings, etc.) 2. Visiting places other than official schedules - Open broadcasts and event schedules where fans can participate will be announced and listed through the schedule bulletin board on the official website. Please refrain from visiting other schedules such as live or unofficial events. 3. Accompanying the group for their commute to/from official and unofficial schedules. - Please refrain from infringing on privacy by accompanying ATEEZ on their commute to/from schedules. If caught, you will be permanently blacklisted. 4. Visiting areas where the fan club is not permitted to enter - Artist waiting rooms, parking lots, etc. located in public broadcasting stations and event venues are spaces that ATEEZ as well as other artists and broadcasting officials use. In the event that you are caught in prohibited areas, you will be permanently blacklisted. Please refrain from such actions as they reflect on both the artist and the fan club. 5. Airport etiquette - The airport is a space where filming is prohibited by law, and the following acts are strictly prohibited and  considered violations of fan club etiquette. - Any attempt or action to deliberately find out the artist’s flight information and share/board the same flight. - Any attempt or act of wandering near, approaching, talking, making physical contact etc. with/to the artist. - Any attempt or action to take photos/videos inside the airport where photography is not permitted (airport checkpoint, lounge, duty-free shop, gate, security area, baggage claim area, etc.). This includes any photos/videos inside the airplane cabin (during a flight). - Any attempt or action to take photos or videos of the artists that can hinder the movement of the artists  and/or other airport passengers. - Any attempt or action to obstruct or interfere with the duties of the artist's staff, domestic and international security teams, etc. or refusal to comply with requests. Any and all of these acts are considered violations and may result in permanent blacklisting from the fan club without prior warning. This includes restrictions on participation in all events and performances hosted/organized by KQ Entertainment. 6. Filming in prohibited areas - In locations where filming is prohibited, including public broadcasting schedules where fan club seats are  provided, if any photo/video photography, recording, and/or live streaming is found, you will be forced to leave  after your equipment has been confiscated and data deleted. We are not responsible for any damage or loss of equipment that may occur in the event it is confiscated/seized. Thereafter, you may be blacklisted as a member, and in some cases be permanently blacklisted. (Memory cards may be confiscated after data deletion.) - Actions such as filming or recording in prohibited areas like broadcasting stations, reflects negatively on both  the artist and fan club. Please make note of all of the details listed above to avoid such situations. 7. Contacting ATEEZ family members and acquaintances - There have been cases of people contacting or approaching the ATEEZ members’ families (including relatives) through social media. This is considered a violation of privacy and is subject to permanent blacklisting. 8. Invasion of ATEEZ’s privacy - Any attempt or action to enter/intrude the company office building or member accommodations (dorm), etc. - Any attempt or action to buy or sell personal information, such as the artist's resident registration number, phone number, home address, etc. - Any attempt or action to buy or sell the artists’ flight information when departing or arriving in Korea/abroad, such as the flight number, seats, etc. If any of the above acts infringing on privacy are found, it may result in permanent blacklisting and an investigation on the source of private information exposure. 9. Following ATEEZ vehicles - Following ATEEZ vehicles using taxis or personal vehicles may lead to dangerous accidents for fans, and the members. Please refrain as this may result in permanent blacklisting from the fan club. 10. Transferring tickets or opportunities to ATEEZ official activities - Transfering, selling or exchanging any tickets or bracelets for any official event is prohibited. This may result in a permanent blacklist from the fan club. (This includes fan club kits and public broadcasting items.) - note: not official concerts. ATINY’s actions reflect on ATEEZ’s image.  We are always grateful for your continuous support, but please do so in an orderly manner without any inconvenience to all parties included. Once again, we would like to thank the fans who always cherish ATEEZ and give us all this love and support, and we ask for your cooperation by familiarizing yourself with the above mentioned fan club etiquette. Thank you.

#ateez #type: information #content: fancafe #era: the fellowship : break the wall #type: announcement #notice

[staytheb]

Black Daytime

Genre: college!au, slice of life, slight fluff Word Count: 3,304 Summary: It’s now the Black Day Festival and Jasmine, Katherine, Melanie, and Serena find themselves performing for the Love Stage event here as well.

Day Festival masterlist.

Warning: semi-proofread

oh hello. just a little something, something. this will have a part two. hence this one being called Black Daytime while the other will be called Black Nighttime whenever it gets shared. i know there isn’t much development in terms of story plot and the love lines, but this is more for me to enjoy writing what i’ve been working on and not being able to coherently shared it further as a chaptered story. so hopefully y’all can just bear with this and see it as its own standalone story of sorts. but yeah, happy reading and kthxbai, Admin Lia~

"Whenever was there a performance stage part of the Black Day Festival?" Serena asked once she and the other three were inside the Student Council room to change into their performing outfits.

"I honestly don't remember having one last year or the year  before that."

"They actually added it this year." Katherine answered while putting on her black glittering wings. "Said it didn't feel right that the others had one, but none for Black Day."

Serena sighed.

"And how did I let y'all get me involved with this stuff again?"

"Free food." The other three chorused with a giggle following afterwards.

Serena scoffed although she knew it was the truth, but still complained.

"Why is everything so early though."

Melanie rolled her eyes.

"Everything is too early for you."

Serena nodded already agreeing with her sister's words.

"I'm pretty sure it was on the fence for a while though."

Jasmine mentioned as she put on her long black wig and adjusted it to her liking.

"Like they've been getting a lot of feedback about wanting a performance stage since both the Red Day Festival and White Day Festival got it over the years. Before it wasn't such an issue since the Black Day Festival is a whole day event whereas the other two were just until three or something. Anwyays, the Student Council decided to finally have one this year for the Black Day Festival."

"That makes sense." Melanie said with a nod while applying black lipstick to her lips. "I remember Gina talking about it this school year, but not really sure if she wanted to do it or not since they still had to get the approval from the administration."

"Well, yeah, whatever. Still here we are like always."

Serena sighed as she situated the black eye mask with green accents to her satisfaction.

"It's not a bad thing, but aren't there like other better singers and performers that could do this?"

"There are some better people to do this." Gina answered with a gleeful tone as she entered the room.

"So why not ask them?"

Serena scowled.

"I get a deal with Jasmine and Katherine who actually like doing this and get two more that'll always tag along to help."

"Haha, guilty." The twins answered. "We do."

Melanie laughed before looking at Gina.

"So what's our name this time around and what songs are we doing?"

The Black Day Festival had two parts which were for the day, Black Daytime and the night, Black Nighttime. Daytime events differed just a little bit from Nighttime. There was a jjajangmyeon eating contest that settled in the semi-final round at night. If not eating then you could make your own jjajangmyeon. The Student Council also had a booth selling solo merchandises at discounted prices created by the students and those in the artistic club, but then it was discounted even more later that night. There was also a salon-like area where you can get your nails and make-up done, once again by students studying cosmetology.

Another area where you can design shirts and a photo-booth where you can take pictures with various props. This year the Student Council announced two new segments to the festival which were much anticipated. They were the Solo Karaoke which was right after the Black Love Stage event the quartet had been roped in to doing as well like the other events before. The only difference was that at night they held a speed-dating event, a solo dining, and a designated lounge to chill or rant compare to the morning which didn't offer the three at all.

"Hello everyone!" Demian, a student council member that was in charge of the Black Day Festival event, announced excitedly.

Those in the quad that was present for the stage section cheered loudly as the others were about the campus participating in the other events.

"This year we're introducing the Solo Karaoke for the first time as well as the awesome Black Love Stage!" Demian announced with excitement.

"Before we allow the rest of you to sing to your heart's desire, we actually have our special guest coming out to perform for you guys."

Demian motioned to the other end of the makeshift stage where Serena, Melanie, Katherine, and Jasmine appeared in their get-up to stand alongside the male.

"This time around please give a warm welcome to Fallen Angels who will perform for us to acknowledged this new segment to the Black Day Festival." Demian said as he began clapping to lead the others to do the same before talking.

"Once these wonderful ladies are done then do we began the actual karaoke. So, please anticipate Fallen Angels' performance!"

Demian walked off while wishing the four good luck as Jasmine started the ment like always.

"Hello everyone. One, two..." She started while looking at the other three.

"We're Fallen Angels!"

They finished as a group with a bow before righting themselves as they introduced themselves with new stage names starting with Melanie, then Katherine, next by Serena, and ending with Jasmine.

"I'm Lady Gluttony."

"I'm Lady Sloth."

"I'm Lady Wrath."

"And I'm Lady Vanity."

There were some cheered before Jasmine continuing to speak.

"It's an absolute honored to be up here to acknowledged this new segment of the Black Love Stage to the Black Day Festival. So we hope you enjoy our performances and please watch over us kindly."

The crowd cheered and Jasmine waited until they quieted down before introducing the first song.

"So first off, the first song we'll be singing for you is It Hurts. This is dedicated to those that are still suffering from being hurt recently or in the past."

The group stood in their place as they waited for the song to start as Kyle cued them in with Katherine's voice starting off the song. Once that song came to an end did Serena introduce the next song after they took a few moments to catch their breaths and drink some water.

"This next song is One By One." Serena introduced. "And it's dedicated to those that wished for a love one to comeback to them or return to a time when love felt right."

The quatet rotated positions whenever another person sang their new line as Serena started singing first. One By One ended and Melanie spoke next after taking a break.

"The next song, What Do You Know, is dedicated to those that had broken up with their significant other without understanding why they ended up like that."

Jasmine started the song with the talking part before Melanie actually sang the first verse. They once again kept the lyrics the way they were as the song was sung by both female and male. When the song came to an end the quartet took another moment to catch their breaths and drink some water. After doing that did Katherine speak next.

"Alright, now we're actually gonna dance and sing for y'all." Katherine announced with a laugh. "This goes out to those that were placed second and wished to continued be by their special someone's side and can't leave. This is Black Tinkerbell."

The girls got into their poses before Serena sang first then started moving afterwards. Once the song ended, the quartet took a breather, drank some water, and Serena introduced the fourth song. For some reason they were using more energy than the last two festivals.

"The next song is for those that backed off from a relationship that wasn't going anywhere despite loving the person sincerely."

Melanie spoke.

"I hope you enjoy our performance of I'll Back Off So You Can Live Better."

When the song began it was Melanie who started the song and even though the twins loved doing this, the other pair of sisters didn't mind and were enjoying it just as much. The quartet momentarily forgot their worries and other things in life as they performed for others in their disguise. Anyways, when the song came to an end the four took another break before Katherine did the next talking ment.

"Hope all of you are enjoying everything so far for Black Daytime. The next song is I (Knew It). This goes out to those that don't want to deal with love again so that there's no pain. Enjoy!"

Fallen Angels got into formation and perform a new arrangement to fit their group of four compare to the original. The song came to an end and the girls once again took a moment for drinks and a breather. Jasmine spoke to announce their final stage.

"I hope you all have enjoyed our stages so far and the event itself if you got around to it. Unfortunately this will be our last performance before Solo Karaoke officially begins."

The crowd booed at the fact as Fallen Angels chuckled. Jasmine continued speaking.

"Anyways, thank you Haru for always making us look presentable, Kyle for timing us right, Demian for hosting Black Daytime by himself, and everyone else that made the first part of Black Day Festival a success."

The quartet clapped in appreciation as the crowd cheered. Jasmine spoke again when it calmed down.

"So yeah, this last song is us going back to a slow mood and this song is dedicated to those that wished it never ended or that it could've been different. So please enjoy, Goodnight Like Yesterday!"

The quartet once again got into formation as they enjoyed their last performance although they had to change the pitch to accommodate their vocal range compare to the original. When it ended the girls lined up to bow and bid the crowd goodbye as their final moment as Fallen Angels.

"One, two..." Jasmine began as they finished as a group, "This was Fallen Angels. Thank you!"

Demian came back on stage while clapping and speaking at the same time.

"Thank you so much, Fallen Angels! Please give these lovely ladies a warm round of applause!"

The crowd did just that as Demian took center stage while motioning towards the quartet.

"Thank you once again, Fallen Angels, for your wonderful performances! Please enjoy the rest of the festival."

Demian motioned to the side to indicate for them that they were free to go. The girls bowed to him in thanks before rushing off the makeshift stage as Demian began explaining how the Solo Karaoke was going to work for the remainder of the event. The pair of sisters returned to the student council room to change out of their outfits and back to their usual wear.

"So, what are we doing for Daytime?" Katherine asked the others as they wandered around the campus of Seoul University not really sure which of the events to participate in.

"Wait, don't we have to decorate the gymnasium later at four for the Nighttime part?" Serena inquired a moment later.

"Mmhmm." The trio hummed as Serena sighed deeply.

"Let's grab some jjajangmyeon. I'm hungry." Melanie suggested. "I heard that Lulu and Cheska are running the booth so they can hook us up."

"I'm down. We can even make shirts, too." Jasmine agreed. "Yeji promised me a shirt this year."

"She promised me one, too." Katherine mentioned with a slight chuckle. "She said she'll get a baggy purple shirt ready for me this year."

"Well, at least she knows you like your shirts baggy." Jasmine mused as Katherine chuckled in agreement.

"I wondered what kinda of items they're selling this year though." Melanie said. "I hope they have more designs this year."

"Not sure, but Gina said that the designs are a lot better this year as Dia and Yumi over saw the designs compare to last year's designers who came up with them last minute." Katherine answered.

"I would hope so. Last year's design was very basic and didn't sell that well that they had to marked them down." Serena said with a frown. "I remember one of them were trying to sell it for a lot more than it should've been."

"Okay. So what are we doing first or are we splitting up instead?" Jasmine asked once they quieted down from their chatter.

"This is too salty for me." Serena admitted and handed her small portioned cup to her sister.

The pair were walking around the campus after having split up from the twins. Melanie eyed her sister while taking Serena's cup.

"Then why did you lie to the girls?"

"I didn't want to hurt their feelings."

Melanie rolled her eyes, but continued to eat the dark noodles.

"Anyways, I need something to dri-"

Serena was interrupted when she and Melanie heard their name being shouted from behind them.

"Yo! Serena! Melanie! Over here."

"Oh, it's Mark. Let's go."

Melanie urged Serena to head towards their friend.

"Watermelon slush?"

Mark offered the pair each a cool and refreshing drink of said item.

"Of course you would have the watermelon flavor." Serena commented with a laugh as Mark chuckled.

"Yeah, well, Sungchan, YangYang, Shotaro, and I made it. So it's not just me."

Each one took the offered drinks.

"Wow, that's good." Serena complimented.

"And thankfully helpful."

"Thank you!"

Mark beamed happily.

"Thank you!"

He handed each of them a small package of a cake pie.

"What's this? Serena inquired while staring at it.

"Just some extra snacks. I can take it back if you don't want it."

"No. It's mine now. Thanks."

"Welcome."

"Anyways, I didn't know you guys were allowed to have a booth. I thought it was only just Student Council members." Melanie commented after drinking.

"Me either. Hansol and Taeyong just told us that we would be setting up a booth since yesterday."

"So it's just you four running it?" Serena asked with Mark shaking his head.

"No. Besides the four of us there's also Jaehyun, Hendery, Taeil, and Haechan."

Just then Jaehyun came by with two more drinks.

"Hello, ladies." He greeted them with a charming smile as he stood next to Mark.

Serena swore she saw Melanie swoon inside, but didn't comment.

"Y'all wanna try a peach and mango slush?" Jaehyun offered a moment later. "Had some extra left over."

"Sure!" Melanie happily responded as she took one of the darkish orange drink.

"Thanks."

Serena took the other. Both sisters were impressed by the taste.

"Wow, that's actually pretty good."

Melanie shot the two males an impressive look.

"This booth will definitely be a hit."

"Oh, we've made more than what we initially thought."

"Nice." Serena commented also impressed. "What are you guys raising the money for?"

"Besides giving half to the Student Council's funding, NCT's gonna use it for our end of the school year's event."

"And what is that?" Melanie inquired.

"Secret for now."

Mark grinned before directing the conversation.

"Anyways, will you guys be participating in Nighttime, too?"

"No."

Both replied at the same time.

"But we'll be helping in decorating for it though."

Melanie informed more.

"All that's too bad." 

Mark shot them a slight frown.

"We're gonna be a part of it."

"Why?" Serena questioned. "What for?"

Before Mark could answer the sisters were ushered away by the twins who both happened to at the same booth, but on the other side to head on over to the gymnasium to decorate early. Something about last minute changes that Gina had contacted the twins about since the other pair didn't answered their phones.

"Ah, well, gotta go. See ya when I see ya." Serena and Melanie bid the two goodbyes before walking off with the twins.

"Thank you girls for always helping us out." Christine, the Vice President of the Student Council, thanked the quartet.

"Especially for earlier today and now for the night event of it."

"You're welcome." The quartet chimed with smiles.

"I mean, it's nothing new." Jasmine commented with a laugh. "We're used to it."

"True. Well, everyone in Student Council knows, too, so thank you." Christine thanked them once more before giving them a playful look.

"Luckily it was just for this morning." Serena said with a relieved tone.

"Or so you think." Christine muttered with a secretive smile.

"What was that?"

"I wished I could've seen it."

Christine covered it up with something else with a sweet look.

"I'm sure Gina has a video of it like always." Katherine stated with Jasmine agreeing. "She always does and so you should be able to watch it."

"Oh, I will."

"Christine!"

Someone called out for the Vice President and the quintet turned their attention to see a male coming up to them.

"Oh, Seoljun. Hey. What's up?"

"Simon and Mint need help with the jjajangmyeon for the semi-finalists since it was labeled incorrectly when they moved it over. We don't know where Chunglim is. Selin and Daniel forgot what the final prices for the rest of the discounted merchandises were supposed to be."

"Alright. Thank you. Just make sure to hand these four their envelopes."

Christine handed Seoljun four black envelopes.

"Will do."

"Wait, what envelopes?" Serena asked suspiciously.

Christine chuckled with a indifferent shrug before walking off and waving goodbye. The quartet turned their attention onto Seoljun who cast them a reassuring smile.

"If anything is incorrect, then please let me know and I can let Liyin or Sorin fix it before the Nighttime event takes place."

He handed each one a small black envelope.

"What's this for?" Melanie asked while taking the envelope.

"Please don't tell me that Gina signed us up for something tonight, too? Please let it not be for real." Serena pleaded hopefully as she opened to see the contents.

"I'm just the messenger." Seoljun answered with a sheepish laugh. "So, does it all look right?"

The four read the content and realized they were participants in the speed dating event later tonight. Seoljun saw their expressions and held up his hands in defense.

"I'm just the messenger and I'm only in charge of the arts and crafts with Seolhwa."

"Do you know anything about the speed-dating event then?" Jasmine asked as Seoljun nodded.

"Okay, so who's in charge of it?" Katherine asked next.

"Sorin and Liyin."

"What can you tell us about it?" Melanie inquired as Seoljun relaxed.

"Well, the girls are the ones who's seated this year and the boys are the ones rotating."

"But I thought only those that didn't get any gifts from the Red and White festivals were able to participate." Serena reasoned. "Right? And those that actually wanted to sign up and join, yeah?"

"Yes, that's right, but those who are also single still can pariticpate for this." Seoljun explained. "So it fits the criteria or requirement."

"Of course it fits." Serena muttered loudly, but reluctantly accepting it. "Mine's all good."

"Mine, too." The other three informed with bigger smiles than Serena's.

"Do you need it back?" Jasmine asked as she was about to hand hers over.

"No. You guys keep it. It's supposed to be your name placard when the event starts or something like that. Sorin and Liyin will let you guys know for sure when it begins."

Seoljun informed them with a smile while looking at the other three.

"Other than that, is everything else good?"

"For now." Serena commented as the others chuckled.

"Yeah, we're good. We just need to finish setting up here first before heading on over to Liyin and Sorin for further inquires." Melanie answered.

"Okay, cool. I'll let those two know and thanks for helping us out."

"No problem."

"Oh wait." Seoljun said as he remembered something while turning to face the quartet. "One more thing."

The four looked at him unexpectedly as he handed them a piece of white paper before reminding them that he was just the messenger and quickly walked away. Serena groaned upon learning that they were also going to perform for the Nighttime's new segment, Dark Love Stage.

#staytheb #nct scenarios #nct u #nct 127 #nct dream #nct 2018 #wayv #nct 2020 #superm

[imagine-loki]

Giftless

TITLE: Giftless CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: 31/50

AUTHOR: nekoamamori ORIGINAL IMAGINE: 

Imagine that you are Stark’s niece and you secretly share a strong relationship with Loki since he entered the crew. One day you get hurt so bad during a mission that you are about to die.  Loki knows a spell that will save you and share his immortality with you but you and he will be linked forever sharing thoughts, pain, emotions…

RATING: T NOTES/WARNINGS:  Also on AO3 click here

You somehow managed to keep your vow to yourself that you wouldn’t go seeking Loki’s comfort. At least you did until a disturbance woke you from the light doze you had finally managed. Your bangle was on your bedside table, so your powers were wide open. You were supposed to practice being without it, especially in the quiet in the middle of the night.

You sat up, trying to figure out what you were sensing, what had woken you. You felt the distressed thoughts coming from the direction of Loki’s suite and jumped out of bed in an instant, running to go help him. Loki never lost control. Whatever it was, it had to be bad for you to feel his thoughts and emotions.  

You were grateful in the moment you burst through his door that he left it unlocked, and more grateful that his shields recognized you and let you through with no hesitation.

You found him tossing and turning in his bed, trapped in a nightmare. You knew then how he had felt all the nights he had seen you in the same state. You hated the feeling of helplessness and ran over and jumped up onto his bed, desperate to do something to help him. You grabbed him your the shoulders, holding him to the bed to keep him from thrashing. “Loki! Wake up!” you bid him, shaking him, but he was lost to the nightmare and couldn’t hear you. You took a breath and moved your hands, grabbing his bare arms instead. You knew from your own studies on super powers that physical contact increased abilities. 

You hoped that it would work now.  

Loki needed you.

A second later you were sucked into his nightmare and saw what he was seeing.

You were lying on the floor in front of him. It was strange to see yourself, but you did as if you were no more than a ghost observing the scene. You were on your back on the floor, struggling to breathe.  There was a wound in your chest, near your heart, if not through your heart. The blood was gushing through Loki’s hand that was placed there, as he was trying to stop the flow of your blood. Your blood just kept pouring through all of his efforts as he knelt beside you, his entire body glowing as he threw every drop of healing magic he had in to you, but it wasn’t enough. It wouldn’t be enough. You were fading too quickly and his power couldn’t keep up.

The nightmare let you go and Loki bolted up, clutching you to him before he even truly realized you were there.  He gripped you tight enough to bruise, as if, if he loosened his grip, he would lose you. “I’m here, Loki. I’m safe. It was just a dream,” you told him softly, letting him clutch on to you, despite the pain of his crushing grip. You stroked his hair, soothingly, knowing that it was one of Loki’s weaknesses.

“You were dying in my arms. I was there and couldn’t stop it, couldn’t save you,” he sounded so lost and scared.  You could hear the tears in his voice.

“It was a dream, Loki,” you reminded him gently. “It was just a dream.  I’m safe and right here. Not bleeding, not dying, not hurt at all.” He finally relaxed once it clicked that you really were there and really were safe. He loosened his grip on you, but seemed reluctant to let you go. “Love, I don’t mind cuddling, but can you let me move a little?” you asked him, blushing. You had straddled him to hold him down and keep him from thrashing and hurting one or both of you. He had sat up and now you was stuck straddling his lap, which you was not comfortable with given recent events. He hesitated, but did loosen his grip enough for you to move and curl up against his side. You sat like that in silence, with him petting your hair for his reassurance. “Would you like to get a cup of tea?” you asked him with a tentative smile. It’s what you did after you had nightmares, it might help him too. He looked down at your smile and gave you a tentative one of his own.

“That sounds like an excellent idea,” he replied softly. You got out of the bed first, and helped him to his feet, wrapping your arms around him. He held you to him as you walked downstairs to go find his tea. He wouldn’t leave the kitchen while you were making it, instead perching on one of the stools so he could watch you, like if he let you out of his sight for a moment, you would be lost to him forever. 

You curled up on the couch with your tea and watched news while he ran his fingers through your hair. You knew he was still upset when he started braiding your hair. You didn’t stop him though. If it made him feel better…

You ended up dozing off in his arms while he braided your hair. It wasn’t a bad way to fall asleep at all.

You both woke when you heard voices coming down the stairs. The other supers were waking. You both got up and went to get breakfast, pretending you hadn’t been sleeping together on the couch. “Thank you for last night, darling,” Loki told you as you were eating your breakfast. “You did not have to come to my rescue.” He sounded sheepish and you realized that his culture would have seen that as a vulnerability and a weakness. 

“Of course I did. I love you and you were suffering,” you reminded him gently.  You wouldn’t have let him suffer alone. He gave you a real smile at that and it was a relief to see that he was finally getting back to normal. His smile then changed to his Cheshire cat grin. 

That did not seem like a good sign.

“Eat up quickly, my love. You promised that you would play with me all day and you would not complain,” he jangled your car keys in front of you, before your mind had the opportunity to come to the wrong conclusion at his words. “We must be leaving soon to make the appointment,”

“What appointment?” you asked him, concerned by whatever he was planning. 

He just grinned wider. “You shall see.” Breakfast was over quickly and Loki summoned your bangle from your bedside table and handed it to you. You sighed, but dutifully put it on. Loki jumped to his feet like an over excited puppy and pulled you to your feet and started leading you to the door.

“Loki, we can’t go anywhere in our pajamas,” you reminded him, planting your feet. You were not letting him drag you outside in your pajamas. The green glow of his magic flew over you and he was in his black suit while you were in jeans and a t-shirt. You looked up at him confused; you were way under dressed, but he didn’t care to explain. You sighed heavily, this was going to be a long day of not being able to complain at him.

He drove you across the city to a giant fancy-looking building. It was mostly glass and looked way too fancy for you to go in there. Especially dressed like a high school student, which you were. You then saw the sign over the door: Venus Spa and Salon. “No way, Loki, no no no,” you told him. You were not a spa person.

“You promised,” he reminded you too jovially. He was enjoying this. Smug bastard.  You sighed. He was right, and since it wouldn’t actually hurt you, you couldn’t very well deny him.

“Fine…” you replied grumpily. That wasn’t a complaint. He just grinned at you in reply. He came over and opened your car door for you. He offered you his arm after he helped you out of the car and led you into the giant scary building. “How is this fun for you?” you asked him. He was going to be bored while they did who knows what to you. You just hoped that part wouldn’t take too long.

“Knowing that you are finally properly relaxing is very fun,” he replied warmly. He then held up his game system. “Besides, Mario will keep me company until they are finished with you.” You walked up to the reception desk and you was feeling more and more under dressed and out of place as you saw everyone around you.

“Mr. Odinson, Miss Stark, welcome!” the receptionist greeted you when she saw you. You weren’t surprised that you were known even though you’d never been here before. You had been on the news a couple of times recently, and you was already known as Ironman’s niece. Fame had consequences after all.  “You’re one lucky lady, Miss Stark. Your boyfriend booked you our most deluxe package,” she beamed. You tried to give her a smile, but you were dreading this.  Their deluxe package sounded awful.

“We will take excellent care of her, Mr. Odinson,” another receptionist told him. “We have a lounge right this way where you can relax.” Loki lifted your hand and kissed your knuckles.

“Enjoy, darling,” he told you with a grin. He went with the receptionist to the lounge.

You were led to hours of ‘pampering’. Some of it was actually enjoyable, though, you had to admit it. You did have to convince them at one point that the bangle could not come off under any circumstances. They shrugged at your eccentricity, but didn’t fight you on it. There was a full body massage, a manicure, pedicure, your hair was cut and styled, and your makeup was professionally done. They also fitted you for a blue sundress and summer sandals to go with it. No wonder Loki had let you come here looking so grungy. He knew you were going to be given pretty clothes to go with your day of pampering.

They finally led you to the lounge where Loki was waiting hours after you’d arrive. He stood the moment you entered the room and the expression on his face made the whole experience worth it. He came over and bowed over your hand to kiss it. “You are ravishing, my darling,” he told you with such sincerity that you couldn’t dream if disbelieving him, god of lies or no. 

“Thank you, love,” you replied while the receptionists who were watching all melted from second-hand romance. The other waiting guys in the room were looking uncomfortable, like they were being shown up. Unfortunately for them, they were being drastically shown up.  Whatever they had planned, it couldn’t top Loki in his black suit of sexiness acting like the prince he was.

After the spa, Loki took you out to a picnic lunch in the fancy park in the middle of town. It was a popular spot, and lots of pictures of the pair of you were taken, but you didn’t mind. You then went walking around downtown, doing all the touristy things that the people who live there didn’t do. It was fun to see all of the sights with Loki. He took you to dinner at a super fancy restaurant, and you ended up back in the park that evening gazing up at the stars. You didn’t know if he had planned the fireworks show, but it was the perfect end, to an admittedly perfect day.

#Loki #Lover #Submitted fic #submission #giftless #chapter 31 #Nekoamamori

[freakflagbyiana]

Why “David Bowie is god”

As my site turns one year old today, which is also David Bowie’s birthday, I thought I’d try to begin to explain the importance David Bowie has in my personal life and the effect he had, continues to have, on my career.

Childhood influence

My parents had fairly different musical tastes but the one major thing that overlapped was they were both David Bowie fans. My mom was also a Jim Henson fan so I grew up watching Labyrinth with her. I remember it was out of print for a long time and I was the only kid in the neighborhood with a copy that had been taped off of HBO. As a kid I remember being in love with Jareth’s hair itself, asking Mom if I could make my hair do that one day. She replied “Sweetie, that’s a wig, not his real hair” and it was the dream-shattering equivalent of learning that there was no Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, and Tooth Fairy all rolled up into one. As a goth teenager I really got into his freaky Ziggy era, finding the idea of being an alien heavily relatable. And when I discovered BowieNet when I was 17, to my surprise my parents agreed to pay my annual subscription... It was $70. I think most parents would be like “Your message board fanclub costs how much? HAH! No.” I won’t go into grave detail of my BowieNet life here, because I could write an entire book, but I’ll summarize it. It began in 1996, and behind the pay wall was lots of exclusive bonus content, access to concert presales and bnet-only events, exclusive chatroom Q&As, and a very active message board. This was before Twitter, before Instagram, before Myspace, definitely before Facebook. David Bowie basically created social media as the everyday form we recognize today. He didn’t post all the time but I would still consider him very active on the message board, for a busy top tier celebrity. His username was “sailor” although there were always whispers about his other secret accounts that he used for trolling. So he basically invented trolling, too. The community itself was close, there were always local meetups and many members would travel internationally to see their closest bnet friends, eventually including myself. I joined this community when I was still in high school and 17 years later I am still close to the friends I made back then. These people are my family, and they vary from all nations, all walks of life, all classes, all ages... The first time I met any of them was at my first ever Bowie concert and that itself was a bnet members-only show to launch the Reality tour, which was eventually known as his last tour. This pivotal moment in my life occurred on August 19th 2003 at the The Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie NY. It was a small general admission venue, arguably a dive compared to the arenas he would play on the rest of the Reality tour. I was 18 years old and was in the process of moving to Chicago for art school. It was surreal to be seeing my first Bowie concert in a GA venue, and yet I knew 80% of the audience. David Bowie himself knew 100% of the audience, and you can hear him speaking to specific people in the bootlegs. I knew more people in the audience than I knew in my high school of 60 kids. A bunch of us were waiting at the venue early enough to catch him coming out to say hello while they were doing soundcheck. I didn’t get anything signed because all the members he knew by name were up in the very front of the group, as it should be. But I could still observe him from afar. He was dressed simply in a crisp white tshirt and white jeans, so the bright summer sunshine gave him a literally radiant, angelic glow. I’ll never forget his slinky catlike walk, and I’ve since never witnessed a creature with more grace.

Lessons I learned from Him

Freakflag began when my last salon closed, suddenly, due to #Austinproblems. As a fantasy color specialist, what I do is so specialized that not many places are going to do it well. The most stable environment for it, on short notice, is a mini salon.  As a hairstylist, this makes sense.  As an artist, this was (still is) terrifying.  I have literally painted myself into a corner where I am my own microcosm, a terrarium of rare creatures emerging covered in sunset locks and lavender hairdust...  None of this would have been possible without David Bowie. I very sincerely celebrate him as a god of my profession. For I am a witch and my profession is transformation magic. In many ways it is the magic of one’s true form, their true Identity. For example, I have many transgender clients who visit me in the early stages of their personal transformation. Sometimes they know what they want but a lot of times they don’t. I accept this task with great reverence for the importance of what I’m being asked to do. If they are not completely comfortable with the hair I’ve given them, it’s more than “a bad haircut will grow out if you don’t like it” - it can shape their confidence and that shapes the way people treat them. David Bowie is the Patron Saint of No Labels & Don’t Tell Me What To Do. The Patron Saint of the Gender Fluid & the Non-Binary. His iconic Ziggy Stardust mullet is the perfect example as to why I don’t attribute gender to my haircuts. Tell me, is a Ziggy mullet a men’s haircut or a women’s haircut? The answer is Yes. He taught me you can walk around with no eyebrows, a pale skeletal alien, and still feel your oats. It doesn’t matter if people “get it” because you “get it.” And you are the only person that really needs to “get it.” This is the lesson of aesthetic integrity. He taught me the importance of artistic integrity. At times he was a starving artist that created beautiful, profound things that no one quite understood or appreciated. But eventually he had a period of being a sellout that pandered to the crowd; it made him so sick of China Girl that he didn’t play it live for years after. I think it’s the period after this, from the 90s onward, where he found his true creative power. He knew he could achieve either end of the spectrum and balanced on that line thereafter. Blackstar being his best achievement in this regard. He taught me you can find your truest love later in life. Many goths say they aspire to a love like Morticia & Gomez, but I aspire to a love like Iman & David. Theirs is a real life love story that endured, and it didn’t happen overnight, she made him work for it! This is the big one... He saved me from flirting with suicide. I could write a lot about this too but I won’t right now. Here are the broadest strokes: As a sensitive, emotionally neglected, eccentric teenager I listened to a lot of angry music; Punk, Goth, Industrial, etc. The summer of age 16 was a tough one, I had been kicked out of one parent’s house and the other one completely left me to my own devices... So when I began flirting with self harm, the only person that noticed and snapped me out of it was a close school friend whom I will always consider a brother. This was about the time I discovered Bowie’s glamorous Ziggy era and it was the first thing that showed me “Truth, Goodness & Beauty” in my darkest hour. He showed me that being a great artist took time to cultivate your skills and not only would suicide mean I was achieving nothing, but self harm was a weakness that would eventually fester and I had to nip it in the bud. Bowie’s brother suffered from schizophrenia and eventually committed suicide so many of his works touch on the theme of your own worst enemy coming from within. A lot of goth music discusses it too, warning against rather than encouraging, but no one can make something relatable quite like Bowie. (For the record, a lot of that angry music is still my favorite! It has its place in the world) A lot of rock stars drank and drugged their way into an early grave but David Bowie was the one that survived and still managed to stay artistically and culturally relevant in the end. This is the main reason I celebrate him as a role model and a god amongst men. If he survived the 70s, made a clear decision to sober up, and could maintain sobriety throughout the 80s, he could achieve anything.

“Just a mortal with the potential of a superman” David Bowie, Quicksand

How I celebrate Him

For the last four years, I’ve been a DJ at Elysium’s New Year’s Eve party, a Labyrinth-themed Goblin King’s ball. And for the last three, I’ve co-hosted as Jareth himself... which means I’ve achieved my childhood dream of wanting to be Jareth with that fabulous hair and bedazzled tailcoat! This prepares me perfectly for celebrating his life a week later. There are a few “Bowie Weekend” events here in town. Drinks Lounge always has a Bowie Birthday Bash and Elysium usually has an 80’s night tribute or some other event in his honor. Then on the day itself I will take the time to clean my Bowie Shrine and think about all the times he helped me get out of a bad place in my life. Here you can see Instagram highlights of my Bowie Shrine. A few months ago, I got to work on a truly special project that is still super secret. But I can say that it involved recreating a famous David Bowie image and it was a great honor to be asked to do the makeup and hairstyling for this. It took all day, longer than expected, and we got about 300 shots... This weekend we got together again to edit them and in the end only 3 shots were picked. I can only imagine the process for the original shoot! I thought I was just invited along to edit because I was a Bowie nerd that wanted to be there and was ridiculously stoked on this project. But I was grateful to witness us work together as group on this tribute in its entirety, the three of us are perfectionists and we all had high standards but we also had methods of editing our standards for the sake of being practical. Unlike the shoot itself, this time a lot of discussion was had on the different elements that composed the original image and all three of us paid great attention to those details in the recreation. None of us expect to profit from it, this was hours of work that we each volunteered out of love of the art form, and reverence for David Bowie himself. The role I played in this image is a minor one compared to the other two people involved, but I am so terribly proud of us. I think He would be, too. Since I can’t post that image, I will instead leave you with my Aladdin Sane selfie tribute from this weekend:

★

#freakflagbyiana #davidbowie #hair #beauty #happy birthday David Bowie #Bowie Birthday #religious beliefs #Bowie #autobiographical #transgender #nonbinary #genderfluid #tansformation #witchcraft

[m3mindia]

What to look out for in residential spaces in the Covid-19 era?

This pandemic taught us the true value of a home, but most of all, it has taught us the value of community life and well-planned residential space. Before lockdown, curfews, social distancing we hardly ever focused on having all amenities within the community or having a social and medical infrastructure in the vicinity, along with that we even underestimated the value of good connectivity.

Acknowledging the merit of a practical and healthy way of life has been the only silver lining in this painful situation. Fortunately, now you can  book residential flats in gurgaon that are planned and built to serve the purpose of comfortable living. But what attributes should you consider while reserving your new residential space?

Let's start with the basic and the most important i.e. Location. Ideally, your residential space should be located where it is far enough from the noise pollution of the city but close enough to provide fast and convenient housing. Taking this into account, you can  book residential flats in gurgaon situated on the Golf Course Extension Road. This is a well-planned road that is not consumed by the hustle and bustle and yet has nearly all the facilities.

The next characteristic that should be considered while adapting to the living conditions of the post-Covid-19 era is the collection of amenities. In today's life, a family usually reaches out to amenities like a gymnasium, salon, lounge, and restaurants, but due to the outbreak of the pandemic, the sudden lockdowns and curfews have made it challenging and laborious to keep up with a fulfilling lifestyle. It is essential to be living in a community that houses all the basic conveniences within the complex for a clean, supervised, and well-managed experience.

Next is the vicinity. A neighborhood that includes social infrastructure such as shopping malls, supermarkets, and schools, as well as medical facilities seems to be a perfect fit for the ongoing times. One thing that we have learned from this crisis is the importance of having medical facilities around. Hence it is of utmost importance to keep the vicinity in consideration.

A healthy future marked by persistent immunity requires a socially distant lifestyle as a whole. For that reason, it is important for us not only to consider the space within the apartment but also around it. A development that spans well is the solution to living considerably clean and distant yet connected.

Now that we have covered all the features to look out for, we must also focus on the maintenance of the residential space. Without good maintenance services, none of the features that are in the complex can remain intact for long. To ensure that we must purchase the homes from a reputable and reliable developer. A responsible developer always makes sure to team up with a sincere maintenance service provider to ensure a comfortable living experience.

In conclusion, we must occupy a residential property that is compatible with the requirements of the changing times and convenient enough to help us cope with any kind of crisis. We must ensure that our residential space comprises features such as a wide range of amenities, convenient location, an all-encompassing neighborhood, the land area, and maintenance of the complex.

#book residential flats in gurgaon

[mockwrites]

Quiet Me: I’ll write a drabble about my character trying to calm yours down [be it from crying, from lashing out, feel free to specify.] ( Jackie & Elias )

♚ drabble ask meme ( also included: zip me, blindfold me )        listen.

Imperial San Francisco’s elite are notoriously difficult to please and to deal with; they are as wild as the new land they’re carving a home into and as arrogant as new money could possibly be – by no stretch of the imagination, Elias fits right in.

They’re gracing the DeYoung’s salon with their presence – Elias says gracing where someone may instead use the word terrorizing; they’re split up amongst the flock, out with their teeth bared but never their ambitions, and as always, he knows precisely where Jacqueline is. She operates like an extension of himself, different though their chosen brands of games may be, and he keeps track of her like such.

He’s got the attention of Jason DeYoung, but Jason doesn’t have his – he’s watching Jackie over the man’s shoulder while he drones on about something dreadfully boring involving the Chronicle. He’s never been a media man, and the frivolity of newspaper politics bores him, quite frankly: all bribes and no finesse.

Jason catches on; he’s not particularly subtle about paying Jacqueline his attention, and the man turns to look at what Elias is looking at.

“That your wife?” He asks, sliding to stand next to Elias instead of in front of him. The action finally diverts his attention to him, standing by his side as if they are of equal stature and status, openly admiring his wife, and this draws a sneer to his face.

“Indeed she is,” he says calmly, taking a drink. “Exquisite, isn’t she? Surreal.”

“Pretty,” Jason responds dumbly.

“Pretty,” he scoffs. “My god, man. You’re not writing your paper, are you? You’ve got the vocabulary of a six year old.”

“Yeah, pretty,” he spits back, Elias’ insult clearly landing too close to home. “She’s got a nasty mouth on her, though,” he says, shrugging. “I don’t care for it, myself. ‘Dunno what kind of spineless man would tolerate being harped on day in and day out,” he adds slyly, smothering a laugh.

A light hum is all Elias offers up as a reaction, unfazed by the insult to him, merely raising his eyebrows, low anger simmering in the lines of the droll smirk that’s taken up residence on his mouth. Jackie takes a moment from her conversation to meet his eyes, and she cocks her head curiously, able to feel his own displeasure from across the room, even as his companion remains oblivious to it. She gives him a delicate question in the form of a raise of her eyebrows, and he blinks in turn. “Jacqueline’s sharp wit is much of what I love about her,” he says neutrally.

“I’m just saying, if my lady gave me that kind of lip, I’d have her regretting it is all. Give me one day with her – hell, even just a night – and she’ll be quiet as a mouse until proper,” Jason sneers lewdly.

He turns to face him at that, smile gone wide and feral, clapping a hand down on his shoulder and gripping tightly. “Thank you, Jason, for the generous offer, but no thank you. As I have already told you; I enjoy my wife’s wit – but I suppose it’s my bad. I forgot my audience – your family’s always been an assortment of idiocy, and I’m sure you like your women to match. Well then, you must excuse me: this has been a scintillating conversation, but I’d rather spend my time with intellectual equals… like my wife.”

Jason sputters indignantly.

“Oh,” he calls back, turning around after a couple strides. “Scintillating starts with an “s”, if you wanted to look it up in a dictionary.”

It comes as a surprise to no one that they’re not invited to the next salon party. It does come as a surprise when they’re invited into The Chronicle’s annual Christmas dinner. He regards it with delight, she, suspicion.

“I really think we should send him a dictionary as a gift,” he says, chuckling, from where he’s lounging.

“You always manage to find the worst possible person in a given room to irritate, and proceed to irritate them. It’s a talent at this point,” she says, despite her laughter.

“Hmm,” he agrees idly. “The pig was talking about you. You know I take special offense to that sort of insult. How about a kiss for your chivalrous husband?” He drawls lazily, smiling all the while.

She drops a brief kiss on the edge of his lips, and he hums contentedly.

“Besides, it’s not like we need the DeYoung’s for anything. The Chronicle’s word is worth nothing next to The Call.”

“Mm,” she agrees absently before fixing him with a look, and he sighs, sitting up straighter. “Tread lightly, husband,” she says, all humor evaporated from her warning. “The DeYoung’s shot the last man who insulted them, and I’d rather you not have a bullet hole by the end of their dinner party.”

They’ve decided to attend.

Jacqueline is reasonably wary at the prospect, but his bloodstream thrums with excitement. She gives him a look, and though she doesn’t say his name, as she’s wont to do when upset with him, he sees it for the warning it is: Elias.

They’re in front of the mirror in their bedroom, slowly dressing and readying for the event, crusade, hunt. It’s a ritualistic thing, as she slowly works her way up the buttons of his dress shirt, as he glides the straps of her dress up and over her shoulders, meticulously and gently armoring up for everything they will come to face. His bowtie lays undone, as does the back of her dress, leaving the gentle planes of her back to the mercy of his fingertips.

“Don’t worry so much, my love,” he murmurs, gliding them smooth over the blades of her shoulders, feeling the light tension in them. “There is nothing they could possibly do to harm you,” he purrs.

She arches a brow at him.

“And if they do,” he drawls, stepping closer, breathing so slow and silent that she can hear the steady beating of his heart; he takes his time because there is nothing that matters more in this world and he takes his time when it comes to her. The moment drips with sincerity. He picks up her hand, presses a kiss to the back of it gently, reverently, and places it on his heart, before cupping her face in his hands. “I will rend the very heavens and bring the pieces crashing down upon them.”

She fixes him a look, and turns her back to him; he obeys, fixes the backing of her dress along, pliable flesh disappearing inch by inch, until he seals it with a kiss at the base of her neck, securing everything with a final flourish.

She faces him then, clever fingers at his neck, deftly working the fabric into a knot, positioning it to her liking, shifting it from side to side until she’s satisfied with how it’s sat around his neck. He doesn’t fix it any further.

“And if they harm you?” She says calmly, merely glancing at him through the mirror.

“My love,” he says incredulously, holding back a sullen clap of laughter. “How could they possibly?”

It goes unsaid but not unheard: I am a god, and my only weakness is you.

Her gaze is a grounding thing, and it goes something along the lines of: if you die, I shall never forgive you for it.

There is a gun at the dinner party, not brandished at him, but displayed proudly where he gets an eyeful of it from his seat at the table. It does not faze him. Hardly anything does.

He covers his wolfish grin with a gentleman’s hand, whispering to the closest companion: “He doesn’t even possess the guts to shoot me like his grandfather would. All bark and no bite.”

Jason sidles up to him after dinner has broken for drinks and the idle curiosities of the rich and corrupt; he says, “I believe you owe me something.” The slant of his tongue says apology, and Elias willfully ignores it.

“I’ve never owed a person in my life, my dear boy,” he returns cheerfully. “Being a debtor is a poor man’s game.”

Jason sneers, and they stand side by side once again, neither willing to budge, eyes on Jacqueline yet again. “I wouldn’t be so unpleasant if I were you. There’s much I plan on collecting if you don’t cough up.” This time the slant of his tongue doesn’t go ignored, and Elias’ cheerful amusement drops quickly.

“Jason,” he begins, voice low and slow, black eyes a vacuum in the low light. “You may want to rethink that sentence. If there’s one piece of gossip you should have paid heed to, it is that I will raze anything in Jacqueline’s path.”

He laughs nastily, nasally; Elias hates the sound of it on basis.

It’s clear he’s not got the point he wants across, so he draws close, dropping his normal easy drawl to a venomous hiss. “If you believe in anything in this world, believe in the fact that I will crush you like a gnat if you even as so breathe in her general direction. Nice party,” he says genially, flipping moods and masks like shuffling cards, bending and flipping emotions at a second’s notice. “Enjoy your evening.”

He stalks to Jacqueline’s side pointedly.

“I’m going to fucking destroy everything he’s ever loved,” Elias spits, acerbic and livid. “I’m going to buy out his estate and burn it to ashes in front of his eyes. I’ll drag the fucking last name he so treasures so far into the pits of hell that he becomes a living piece of history. I will be a god damned monument to his mistakes, so help me. It’s going to be fucking biblical.”

Jackie merely looks amused at his fervor.

“There’s nothing quite worth fearing in this world but a patient man’s fury and a godless heathen’s god – he’s on the wrong side of both of those things,” he says, the flash-eyed anger gone from the pits of his eyes. “What did I promise when I wed you, Jacqueline? Remind me, won’t you?”

“You said that religion was a farce until you met me,” she repeats, coy smile curling at the edges of her lips.

“And?” He presses on.

“And that you’d convert every last person to it,” she finishes, pleased as anything.

“I stand by it,” he says lowly.

It’s a slower process than anyone would like to admit, stripping a man of everything he loves. He begins with Jason’s treasured little wife, hissing venom slicked lies into her ears, playing a serpent to her starved Eve. Jacqueline plays this game with him, red lacquered lips plush and glistening like the sweetest forbidden fruit, spilling with knowledge.

They two see her kicked out of Eden.

Knowledge is sweet enough to see the rest of life embittered.

Jackie sniffs delicately, impatiently at this game he’s taken on – he treasures length and challenge, and she, victory.

This small victory sees him pliant and content enough to give her another victory over him; he does as she bids for a whole night and thinks: only you.

The next thing is the man’s reputation, which is considerably easier: he merely takes advantage of The Chronicle’s competitors, spreads libel and slander, plays the anonymous source that reporters seek to use to their advantage. The affair and subsequent separation are all that is printed front and center for weeks – a taste of the richly debauched life the common working man of San Francisco dreams about. And as all rumors are wont to go, it spirals completely out of control; details get muddled, and the anonymous man who supposedly slept with Jason’s wife is forgotten as newspapers point fingers at the younger DeYoung brother for the source of the wife’s affair, a cycle of bigger and bigger headlines, each less grounded in reality than the last, continually inflating their own story.

He clinks his glass of whiskey against her glass. Crystalline pings echo in the vaulted ceilings of their San Francisco estate, and he deposits the paper in the trash.

“Do you trust me?” She murmurs.

He laughs. “I think you know what I would say.”

“I asked a question, darling. I expect an answer.”

His smile drops because even if there is nothing else he takes seriously in this world, this – her expectations, a call and answer to her – would always be handled with the utmost sincerity. “Unequivocally.“

It becomes her game to run then, and he washes his hands of it, merely watching the proceedings with languid amusement; Jackie rips a gaping wound in The Chronicle’s employment – how she manages it, he does not know. She has always been uncannily adept at bending people to her will, clever manipulations, crafty use of circumstance: but, oh, does he love to watch her work.

Talented writers conveniently find a new home in competition housing, editors mysteriously begin to miss simple errors. The Chronicle sinks lower and lower in public regard, and the DeYoung’s bleed money trying to patch up the holes they continue prodding.

They hold a casual salon with their usual circles but neither DeYoung brother gets an invite. 

Jason shows up anyway, feral mouth full of accusations, pushing past the butler, blowing his way into the parlor like a wicked wind, red in the face and fists swinging at him, saying, “I know you did this,” over and over again, each repetition more frantic than the last.

“Did what?” He says, smug smile in place, taking a blow solid across the face and keeping his head turned, before cracking his jaw and looking back at where Jason is being held back by the help. “Are we going to be civil about this, or will you keep swinging if we let you go?”

“You’ve been fucking with me,” he says, defeated, arms and shoulders slumping.

Elias signals for them to let him go, and he stumbles a few steps at his sudden release.

“You snake son of a bitch,” he hisses. “I’ll get you back for it. All of it.”

“I’ve not an inkling of what you’re talking about,” Elias continues, clapping both hands down on his shoulders and forcibly straightening him up, hands tugging at the lapels of his jacket, dusting them off. “Oh,” he says hugely, disingenuously. “You mean your recent rash of bad luck? Don’t be ridiculous, no one has that kind of power. And please, do see yourself out the way you came. It’s rude to show up with no invitation.”

Chatter resumes in full force, but comes to a deafening halt when he pulls a gun on him, hands shaking.

His amusement stalls and gives way to a glare as he bodily steps in front of Jacqueline, conveniently taking a step closer and shielding her from it. “Let’s not do that, Jason. That just sucks the fun out of everything, doesn’t it?”

“I should kill you,” he says, sweating.

“Don’t be daft,” he says coldly, unimpressed, stepping closer still. “In front of all these nice people? Give me the gun.”

His eyes slide to where Jacqueline stands behind him, and his arm starts to move, and this is what tips Elias over the edge from unimpressed to seething immediately, lurching forward to grab his gun and wrench it from his grip.

The momentum sends them to the floor. Elias expects it; Jason does not. He discards the gun in favor for his fist and brings it down on his face. “You know what fucking started all this?” He hisses, sure that no one can hear him over their own fright and commotion, hair falling into his eyes from the force he packs into each blow. “You disrespected her. If you thought for a moment I would let you harm her–”

Jacqueline’s hand slides over his shoulder, halting the blow midway to its bloodied destination. He looks back up at her, normally meticulous appearance in disarray: hair in his eyes, blood on his knuckles and shirt, dull black eyes frenzied. 

“I imagine not quite the outcome you were looking for, now,” she directs towards where Jason lies, disoriented and groaning. 

The gentle rest of her hand is all the message he needs, though.

He resists the urge to keep going, blows out a quick exhale and stands, straightening himself out. “Call the police,” he says dismissively, long legs striding out of the parlor. “Oh,” he says, remembering himself, already at the doorframe. “I didn’t do much. Jacqueline did most of it. Think before you underestimate your next opponent.”

Jacqueline simpers, more for the sake of doing so than real pleasure at the outcome; he knows she doesn’t particularly enjoy when he fights.

Jackie hangs back for a moment of damage control before she finds him cleaning up in their bedroom.

“And what do the people think?” He asks when the sound of her heels clicking against the floor comes to a halt.

“They’re all saying you’re brave, the vapid fools.”

“And you?”

“I wish you wouldn’t do that,” she starts, soft, stepping closer and around him to help him out of the sullied shirt, fingers picking at his buttons. “You matter too much to me to want to watch you hurt. Let the help intervene. What if he shot you during the fight?“

“Better me than you,” he murmurs back in French, not bothering with his usual bumbling pretense in her company, scooping up a delicate hand and pressing her knuckles to his lips, holding it there for a few beats. “He was aiming for you,” he says, switching back to English. 

“He wouldn’t have,” she insists, taking her hand back and continuing with his shirt.

“That’s not a risk I’m willing to take, Jackie,” he says, low and slow. “I could lose everything in the whole world so long as I don’t lose you.”

“You’re not bulletproof. Some games aren’t worth playing,” she says.

He sighs. “You’re right,” he concedes. “I’ll not gamble with my safety anymore, love, how’s that?”

She relaxes at this, and he draws her into his arms, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head, holding her there until their heartbeats sync sluggishly.

“I’m distinctly homesick for Paris,” he says offhandedly.

They pass each other.

“Husband,” she greets, sly smile slow but no less radiant; a dawning sunrise.

“Wife,” he returns. “How goes your night?”

She hums, eyes skipping over the patrons and dancers. “Fruitful.”

“Have you had your fill of fun, then, my dear?”

“Oh, not at all.”

“Shame. Well, off you go then,” he says, dropping a casual kiss on her cheek, turning to whisper. “But don’t gorge yourself sick of it. I’ve yet to have mine tonight. Come back to me tonight, won’t you?”

She’s already walking off, two blown kisses sent his way as he watches her go.

She comes back to him, as he does to her; this is the universal truth of them: they will only ever return to the other.

“I think I’ve been the cause of too much worry for you recently,” he murmurs, skimming his hand along the clean lines of her neck. “Won’t you allow me to make it up to you?”

She arches a brow, expectant.

He hums, starting the slow process of unlacing her garments, and presenting a black silk scarf. She tilts her chin upwards, and he secures it around her eyes, circling around where she’s sat in their Parisian apartment, chills running along the expanse of exposed skin from the brisk summer night’s breeze. His shoes click slowly against the wood of the apartment; she shivers, and he dips his head to her neck, fingers running light over the lines of her spine, lips soft as he ghosts them up her jaw.

“Relax,” he says, lips brushing the shell of her ear. “Do you trust me?”

She laughs at this. “Unequivocally,” she answers, echoing his own words back to him.

“Well said, love,” he praises, chuckling. “Let’s have some fun then. Shall we?”

#( ch: elias hadley ) #( jacqueline tag. ) #final word count: 3.3k i'm SO SORRY #( writings. )

[casasandovalblog]

Our Unique Mission & Principles Guide Our Service

Hayward residents may be unfamiliar with the MorningStar Senior Living Company, which recently took over the management of the Casa Sandoval senior living community so please allow us to introduce ourselves.  The MorningStar Company was founded more than 15 years ago by Ken Jaeger whose intention was to create senior housing that felt like the loving atmosphere of his grandmother’s Midwest home.  We now have senior living communities scattered throughout the Western US.  

We sincerely believe our astounding success is attributed to a mission statement of honoring God in our business practices and relationships; valuing all seniors as gifted and contributing individuals; and investing in our team's ability to serve well.  MorningStar communities are also deliberate in the type of culture we strive to create, which is why it is important for us to hire individuals that believe residents are to be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.   

MorningStar’s Casa Sandoval offers 233 bright suites for independent living and assisted living, and each of our stylish apartments is a true home designed to provide residents privacy, comfort, and security.  We also offer a whole range of resort-style amenities such as an onsite theatre/chapel, billiards lounge, ice cream parlor, fitness center, general store, a salon and more.  For residents’ convenience, Casa Sandoval has garage parking as well as scheduled transportation, and offers beautiful prepared meals served restaurant-style under the direction of our Executive Chef.

Our community is located in the East Bay region just 25 miles south of San Francisco, and under MorningStar’s management, Casa Sandoval is getting a full renovation of the property from stem to stern.  When you visit our website to inquire about pricing and availability, we encourage you to take a look at our gorgeous gallery of pictures.    

MorningStar’s Casa Sandoval unique mission statement “to honor, to serve, to invest” sets us apart from other senior living options.  Our foundation is built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and hiring staff with a felt calling to serve.  We are set in a warm, loving environment with exceptional architecture and resort-style amenities.  Please visit our website to learn more about trusted independent living and assisted living in Hayward.  

#assisted living #independent living #senior living

[athreadofscarlet]

[Fanfic] Haircut

Tenten stares glumly at the pouring rain with a distant look in her eye. It is Monday, oh so lovely Monday, with an hour left before she can go home and devour whatever fattening dessert she has left in her fridge. She tugs uncomfortably at her apron, upon which in large bold lettering reads “Windy City Hairdressers”.  She has worked at this salon for about a year now, her first day being only a week or so after she had settled into an apartment in Chicago.  It is her part-time job until she earns her degree.

During her twelve months of cutting, styling, and washing hair, she has developed a sort of infatuation for a particular customer. To her it seems as if her affection is only one-sided. After all, how could the nephew of the head of Chicago’s most prestigious company ever fall for her? He’ll probably develop eyes for his secretary before he even considers her as girlfriend material.

He won’t come.

Tenten pushes the thought aside. Neji always comes, rain or shine, on the first Monday of the month to have his locks trimmed. He has trudged through knee-deep snow before, with nothing to keep out the cold save for a sweater, to have her cut his hair.  A little bad weather will not keep him away.

Tenten’s belt of tools is slowly sliding from her waist, and with a tug, she adjusts it and pulls out her scissors to clean for the fifteenth time (she has already swept every nook and cranny of the salon at least five times before she got tired of standing and took up her current perch at the register).  He won’t come.

Tenten shakes her head, blaming her growing headache for messing with her brain. Of course he will come, he always does. And even if he doesn’t, it isn’t a big deal, right? Still Tenten cannot find the justification for her words, and she continues to stare at the door. He absolutely has to come.

To keep herself occupied (and ignore the annoying ticking of the clock), she glances around her workplace humming whatever song comes to mind. In the background, the radio drones on and on. It is a rather cozy salon, situated between a sandwich eatery and a wedding dress boutique. The interior consists of white tiled flooring, baby pink walls, and comfortable leather chairs facing mirrors and tables laden with every hair product imaginable.

Her first day on the job had been a bit of a disaster due to an unfortunate misfiring of the hairspray bottle right into her eye. But it hadn’t been all bad. It was that evening she had met Neji.

With a start, Tenten’s gaze snaps back to the clock. It is a half hour till closing time and still no sight of Neji. Tenten frowns. She had so been looking forward to hearing all his office gossip, while providing her own input on whatever disasters had taken place at the salon that month. He’s not coming.

This time she believes it and is about to get off her stool when the door chimes. “You weren’t leaving without seeing me first, were you?” a deep masculine voice asks.

Tenten nearly falls over in delight. There is Neji in all his drenched glory.

“Neji!”

“Boring day, hm?” he asks as he shrugs off his jacket and places it on the coat rack.

“You have no idea.“

Neji smirks as he settles himself in the chair at her station.

“Same trim?” Tenten asks as she spreads a smock over his body and secures it at the nape of his neck. Neji nods, observing her in the mirror. “So, how has work been treating you?”

Composing himself with a clearing of the throat, he replies, “Same old, same old. My uncle fired the head of the legal department over something about an affair with his daughter. Though I find that highly unlikely. We all know, save for him that is, that Hinata only has eyes for that idiot blonde-what was his name? -Naruto?”

Tenten lets out a chuckle. “He’s not that bad. But he’s awfully loud. He wouldn’t sit still long enough for me to cut his hair last week. I debated whether I should just shave his head off in your name.”

“Oh please do next time you see him. He’s a nuisance alongside that Inuzuka man. I’ve lost track on the number of times I’ve found his dog hiding underneath his desk. He was nearly fired too,” Neji says. “Shikamaru got engaged by the way. “

Tenten raises an eyebrow. “Pineapple head? He buys every hair gel we have in stock. He’s incredibly lazy too. When he came in last Friday, he just asked me to cut his hair in the waiting room because he was too tired to walk twenty feet. I didn’t think he had it in him to get married.”

“Same. It was quite a surprise. Though I don’t applaud his choice in partners. That Temari lady is nearly as bad as Naruto,” Neji complains, adjusting his head so Tenten won’t snip off his ear in her excitement at this news.

“Temari?” she shrieks. “She never told me she had a boyfriend! When she comes in again, I’m going to cut off one of her pigtails for good measure! Some friend she turned out to be.”

“Make that two, one for saying yes to pineapple head, one for not telling you. Shikamaru insists on bringing her in three times a week. It’s got me going gray,” the Hyuuga says, closing his eyes as Tenten mists his hair. Tenten smacks his arm teasingly.

“You have the most gorgeous hair I’ve ever seen! You’ll be ninety and not have one discolored strand.” She is mortified before the words even finish leaving her mouth. Oh God. What have I turned into? I will not fawn over him like some half-wit! Pull yourself together!

It is Neji’s turn to raise his brows at her. “The most gorgeous hair you’ve ever seen?” he quotes, lips twitching into his trademark smirk. “Really?”

If I stab his neck and hide the body in the backroom, and then high tail it to Mexico, I’ll never have to be reminded of this again. I wonder how much I’d get penalized for murder if caught. Tenten reprimandes herself for such thoughts. You’re not going to kill him no matter how mortified-

“Well I think you have gorgeous hair too,” Neji interrupts her thoughts, looking thoroughly surprised with himself. Tenten’s face shifts through a dozen shades of red.

“T-thank you,” she squeaks, staring at his head with such intensity it could have burst into flames. Neji does not respond, still going over his words.  The silence stretches out between them, both a little too embarrassed to speak.

“U-uh, so… nice weather we’re having,” Tenten finally comments some five minutes later.

“It’s… lovely,” the Hyuuga replies, carefully planning the sentence out. “Like you.” This second slip of the tongue causes Tenten to choke on her own saliva, her scissors slipping from her fingers and clattering to the floor.

“E-excuse me?” she asks, recovering from her coughing fit.

Neji grunts, “Don’t make me repeat myself.” Tenten is instantly reminded of the first time she cut his hair. He had been practically breathing down her neck, nearly causing the mirror to crack under his glare. She had thought harder than she ever had before cutting off a single piece. He had been so intimidating. But over time, she had come to really enjoy his company.

“I lo-“ Tenten clamps a hand over her mouth, dropping her scissors again. Her eyes are as wide as saucers. What has gotten into you?

Neji’s gaze is smoldering. “Pardon?” Why does his voice sound so husky all of a sudden?

“Nothing. Umm… you’re finished. Trim is on the house. Okay bye.” Tenten turns to run and lock herself in the employee lounge and never emerge when the Hyuuga catches her wrist. Slowly he stands, and presses a piece of paper into her hand.

“W-what’s this?”

Neji cracks one of his rare smiles, “Just read it. See you tomorrow at six. I’ll pick you up.”

Tenten stands gaping long after he has disappeared into the rain. Almost afraid, she looks at the scrap of paper in her hand.

Dear Tenten,

I’ve been trying to tell you this for a while, but I can’t stop thinking about you. I’ve been trying to figure out how to ask you on a date for nearly three months.

Sincerely, Neji

P.S. You probably didn’t finish cutting my hair so I’ll be back in the morning.

Tenten grins. Perhaps her affection isn’t only one-sided after all.

…

A/N: Thank you for reading!

#fanfiction #nejiten #haircut #oneshot #updated version #naruto

[sinceresalonandlounge]

Discover Top Hair Salons for Your Ultimate Glam Transformation!

Discover the epitome of style and expertise at Sincere Salon and Lounge. Our hair salon in Saratoga, NY, offers a range of services from cuts to color, ensuring you walk out looking and feeling fabulous. Our skilled stylists stay up-to-date with the latest trends and techniques, guaranteeing a fresh and modern look every time you visit. Plus, our personalized attention makes each appointment a delightful experience. Trust us with your hair transformation at Sincere Salon and Lounge.

#sincere salon and lounge

[shaexbutterx]

trent foster

Abigail poked her head into the break room, her bleach blonde locks tied up in a top knot, extending a finger and pointing at Shae. “There is some extremely handsome man at the front counter asking for you, Shae Warren.” She grinned, not bothering to move out of the door frame as the other employees in the break room ‘ooh-ed’ and ‘ahh-ed’ at the comment.

Shae rolled her eyes, unsure of who could possibly be visiting her, specifically what man. She’d been laying low ever since her release from the youth center, focusing on her work and attempting to patch up her destroyed reputation. She pushed herself up from the chair, moving towards the door and stopping in front of Abigail, “You gonna let me by, or...?”

Shae raised an eyebrow as Abigail grinned, giving her head a shake before she stepped to the side, allowing Shae to walk by her. “If only I were so lucky. We expect details, ASAP, Warren.”

As Shae stepped by her and escaped the school girl behavior of her colleagues, rolling her eyes once more as she quickly exited the back of the salon and made her way through the main floor and towards the front counter. Her dark brown hues examined the stranger from a distance. It was definitely a man she had never seen before, and she felt her heart drop to her stomach, anxiety washing over her frame. 

What does he want?

Shae swallowed down her panic as she approached the counter, offering the handsome stranger a small smile before she raised an eyebrow, “Can I help you with something, sir?” She kept her gaze glued to him as she licked over her lips, turning towards the computer monitor and waking it from its sleeping state as she started to fiddle with the schedule, “Did you have an appointment or something?”

The silence had been deafening, and the longer he waited to speak, the more convinced Shae was that this man was not a friend. She cleared her throat and was about to ask him another question, but froze as the man finally spoke, “Shae Warren. It’s a pleasure.” He extended his strong hand, past the counter top, “I’m Trent Foster, I was hoping to speak with you about something I found out, and ultimately offer my help.” He nodded before continuing, “I’m a very generous man, and I just, I couldn’t live with myself if I did nothing.”

Shae looked down at his hand, carefully pulling her own away from the keyboard and then giving him a handshake. She listened to his words, eerie in nature, her arms defensively crossing over her chest as she nodded slowly, “Well,” She started and then gestured towards the empty chairs in the lounge area, “Let’s talk then.” She nodded as she moved out from behind the counter and towards the chairs, taking a seat on the edge, her feet firmly on the ground ensuring she could make an easy escape if need be.

Once the male took the seat beside her, he crossed one leg over the other and then cleared his throat, lifting his hand and combing his fingers through his styled hair, “I, too, am a criminal.” He started, in an attempt to relate to her, but also making it very clear that he knew who she was, “And while I served my time, I was able to meet Daren.”

At the mention of his name, Shae immediately tensed up. It had been years since someone spoke directly to her about her crimes and her association with that monster. She knew people whispered and theorized behind her back, but for this stranger to barge into her place of work and be so nonchalant about her indiscretions it rubbed her the wrong way. She was about to stop him and ask him to leave, but as she opened her mouth, Trent raised his hand and lifted his finger, stopping her from interrupting, before he continued.

“Daren Andrews is a dangerous man, and he has quite the vendetta for your, Ms. Warren. He approached me upon rumor of my release and told me all about what happened. He offered me a large sum of cash to find you and kill you.” He paused, allowing the news to sink in, “From what I’ve heard, he’s been doing this any chance he can get. I was not his first, and I am certain I will not be his last. Therefore, I fear it won’t take long before one of those inmates does it for him.”

The male had her full attention know, the story he was telling was certainly plausible. She had testified against the male and essentially ruined his life and his growing cult. The fact that he hated her was no surprise, but why would this stranger be so considered about her well-being? There had to be more than what Trent was telling her. Therefore, instead of thanking the man for this information, she built up her walls and threw accusations at him, “Is this some sick, twisted way of stringing me along before you jump me at my car and get your reward?”

Trent’s brow furrowed as she became defensive, clearly not expecting that reaction. He gave his head an immediate shake, quickly protesting her words, “Absolutely not. Shae, I’m here to help. I want to provide you a safe haven, not too far from here, in Sloane, Massachusetts. I can promise you Daren and his paid off goons won’t find you there, for as long as I’m alive.” He nodded, fishing in his pocket and pulling out a business card, “I’m offering you safety Shae, a fresh start in a new town.”

Shae hesitantly reached for the card, taking it between her fingers and reading over the words, sighing softly as she looked back at the male who was now standing before her. “I understand your hesitance, Shae. I am not going to force you to come with me, I am sincere in wanting to help. So, just call me, when you are ready to start over.” He nodded his head and then added, “Hopefully you call before it’s too late.” He flashed her a grin and then lifted his shoulders in a shrug, and left the salon as quickly as he entered it.

Shae stayed stuck to the cushion of the chair, holding the card, her eyes shifting from the phone number to the door, unable to ease the paranoia that now manifested inside of her. Was Trent genuine? Or was this just one of Daren’s mind games and he was just leading her into a trap? She finally pushed herself off the chair, slipping the business card into her back pocket, unable to properly process everything that had just been unloaded on her.

I thought the nightmare was over. But it sounds like it’s just beginning.

#activity check #past

[nextstepelectric]

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[flairmagazineblog]

FLAIR’s Ultimate Bridal Guide

With bridal season coming up, the pressure is building. You have brides-to-be, their mothers, and their maid of honors working around the clock, researching the Rolls-Royce of beauty products and dresses they can find in Cairo, along with the perfect honeymoon spot. We feel you, ladies, and we’ve got you covered. Here are our top picks for fashion designers, jewellery and makeup brands, hair stylists, skincare clinics, honeymoon destinations and even wedding photographers! We doubt there’s much else you need to worry about, except a smooth wedding!

Fashion Designers

Temraza

Aside from the fact that Farida Temraza was the first Egyptian to dress a celebrity at Hollywood’s Screen Actors Guild Awards, she also represented Egypt at 2018 New York Fashion Week! Her dresses are easily the cream of the crop.

  Malak El Ezzawy

Following in her grandmother’s footsteps – esteemed designer Ne’emat Deyab – Malak proved to always bring her A-game when her designs made it to Dubai Fashion Week in 2011. Her attention to detail will definitely blow you away.

  Kojak

There’s no way you don’t want to look at what Kojak offers for this bridal season. If you want a design that will have that bold, original, one-of-a-kind voice, Kojak is your top choice.

  Norine Farah

To make a glamorous statement, you should opt for Norine Farah’s dresses. After making it to Tiffany’s New York Fashion Week in 2015, we think her designs can speak for themselves.

  Rafik Zaki

After studying pattern making in Milan, Italy, Rafik brought haute couture in Egypt to a whole new level. His designs are known for their uniqueness and high-quality, figure hugging fabrics.

  Jewellery

Cherif El Sirgany Joailliers

With diamonds and gemstones being handpicked daily by experts to guarantee the quality standards, this brand never disappoints. With a section dedicated to bridal rings and bands, we guarantee they will have a variety worth looking at.

  Beit Ghaly

For a look that represents simple, feminine elegance, you should consider Beit Ghaly. They are also willing to customize your piece of jewellery exactly according to your specifications.

  Bajocchi

Five generations of the Italian Bajocchi family have devoted their lives to offer you jewellery pieces that are not only top of the line, but also made with sentimental details.

  House of Select

You might have noticed that House of Select keeps showing up in our favorites. There’s a reason for that. We simply love their polished style.

  Bulgari 

With a boutique of the luxury Italian brand right in Cairo, Bulgari offers you high-end, contemporary jewellery that we can recommend with undoubted confidence.

  Pre-Wedding Skincare

Zo Skin Care

ZO Skin Centre in Cairo offers you cosmetic and clinical expertise with state-of-the-art technology, evident in a variety of effective products, treatments and services for skin and body health.

  Bienetre Institute

What’s unique about this place is that it’s a medical spa where both your wellness and beauty are taken care of. Using a holistic approach, they give you a personalized pampering experience with organic and chemical-free products.

  Clinica Joelle

A leading cosmetic surgical and non-surgical solutions clinic in Egypt, Joelle Clinica is something you definitely want to consider. Their edge is their first-rate choices of surgeons, dentists, dermatologists, body image experts, laser technicians and beauty consultants recruited to provide you with the best results possible.

  Mayos Clinic

Claiming to guarantee full skin restoration, Mayos Clinic provides you with treatments including Botox, Filler, Laser Hair Removal, Laser Rejuvenation, Peeling, Dermapen, Mesotherapy and PRP. Take your picks.

  Prime Clinics

Bringing you a team of well-renowned expert physicians in their respective fields, Prime Clinics has your best interest at heart. They aim to attend to your entire wellbeing as a person rather than simply providing you with a cure, which they assert “leaves the patient feeling healed, rested and respected.”

  Makeup

Abdallah El Rifai

For a face that makes a bold statement, you should go for Abdallah El Rifai. He calls himself a creative artist and that he sure is! Make sure to look at his Bridal Makeup story highlights on Instagram to see what we’re talking about.

  Aya M. Abdelhamid

Daughter of the famed make up artist Mohamed Abdelhamid, it seems Aya has inherited her father’s magical touch. For a royal look, go for Aya M. Abdel Hamid. She seems to always hit the mark on graceful elegance.

  Zeina El Naggar

For a youthful glow, you should opt for Zeina El Naggar. The two most identifiable features in her makeup styles are mists and highlighters. You can imagine how that plays out.

  Sally Rashid

Ever since her collaboration with worldwide-famous brand, Lancôme, Sally Rashid has established her name as an expert capable of highlighting your hidden beauty. You can look up her tutorials on Lancôme’s Facebook page to see if she suits your preference.

  Dina Ragheb

Quoting her motto “If you look good, you feel good”, Dina Ragheb is your choice if you’re after a subtle classy look.

  Hair

Richard El-Boustany

Lebanese hairstylist Richard El-Boustany is a favorite among Egyptian brides for his signature style and friendly charisma. He is mainly known for the wavy voluminous bridal hairstyle, which has that effortless vibe but in reality, is difficult to perfect.

  Kimi Safadi

Another Lebanese hair expert we have our eyes on is Kimi Safadi. Safadi is known for his authentic concern towards women’s beauty issues. He won’t let you off the chair until he’s sure you are a hundred percent happy with how your hair turned out.

  Kriss

Considering the motto “Good hair speaks louder than words”, Kriss Beauty Salons provide all hairdressing services you can possibly think of. This includes hairstyling, cuts, coloring, straightening, extensions, treatments and a special wedding celebration service that caters to 40-50 weddings per month.

  Hamo Mohsen 

Hamo Mohsen is considered a celebrity in the hair styling field in Egypt for his first-class skills and techniques. Make sure to take a look at his fabled wedding looks online.

  Rabie Mrad

For a simple, gorgeous look, head to Rabie Mrad Beauty Lounge. You will not be disappointed. While the

  Photographers

Remon El Markiz

Being one of the most sought-after photographers in Egypt, Remon can capture real affection and the most intimate moments you will want to look at many years after your wedding.

  Chehab Adel

Chehab is known for accommodating that comfortable atmosphere in which people can be themselves, and then capturing them in that natural context.

  Hussein Abd El-Kader

Abd El-Kader is known for being a warm, fun person to work with and he will capture your most classic, memorable moments flawlessly.

  Ahmed Rajeep

Having worked on an international level, Rajeep is easily one of your top choices. He also does couple shoots, if you’re interested – not the cliché type but rather the sweet and sincere people actually want to see.

  OJO Creative Studios

OJO Creative Studios is the team you pick for the highest quality of professional photography and cinematography. They’ve won Best Cinematography in a Foreign Language Film at the International Filmmaker Festival in London 2016 so we definitely recommend them.

  Honeymoon Destinations

Mauritius

Being an Indian Ocean island country in East Africa, Mauritius is known for its beautiful beaches, reefs and lagoons, and its gorgeous mountainous inland, which is full of rainforests, waterfalls, hiking trails and wildlife.

  Bhutan

The South Asian country, situated on the eastern edge of the Himalayas, is known for its Dzong architecture and sensational landscapes, ranging from subtropical plains to steep valleys and mountains.

  Chiang Mai

This resplendent city is located in Northern Thailand with an Old City area containing historical remnants of walls and moats and a modern area full to the brim with urbane galleries, boutiques, cafes and restaurants offering traditional khantoke dinners and khao soi (egg noodles in curry), the signature local dish.

  Maldives

Known worldwide as a hotspot for honeymooners, Maldives is a tropical country in South Asia in the Indian Ocean comprising of 26 atolls made up of more than 1000 coral islands. The islands are the ideal spots for snorkeling and diving because of their diverse marine life that includes manta rays and spotted whale sharks.

  Zanzibar

Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania composed of the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, consisting of several mini islands and two large ones, Unguja and Pemba Island. Aside from the gorgeous scenery, it’s known for its historic center at Stone Town, which is also a World Heritage Site.

By Sarah Guirguis

FLAIR’s Ultimate Bridal Guide was originally published on FLAIR MAGAZINE

#Featured

[danielwillsmedia]

ELYSEE miami - Rising directly from the shores of Biscayne Bay in the wonderful emerging neighborhood of East Egdewater, Elysee Miami will set a standard for refined luxury with its masterful confluence of design, luxury and waterfront location. At 57 stories, Elysee is tall and impressive, however, with only 100 residences. AMENITIES •White Glove Butler and Concierge Service •24- hour Door Attendants •24-hour Security and Video Surveillance •Valet Parking for Residents and Guests •Expansive 30ft wide Motor Court •Automated Parking with Onsite Valet and Service Attendant •Car Staging Area •Two Guest Suites Available •Storage Area •Bike Storage •Secure Wine Vault and Storage •Direct Package Delivery to Unit •Bayfront-Facing Sunrise Pool on Lobby Level •Resort Sized Lap Pool on 7th Floor/ Poolside Refreshment Bar •Waterfront Fitness Center •Yoga Studio/Blow Dry Bar/ Spa with Sauna. Steam, Shower and Massage Tables •Children’s Room •Owner’s Sky Lounge on 30th Floor with Grand Salon •Grand Dining Room/ Chef Grade Commercial Kitchen •Game Room/ Library that Converts to Private Theatre RESIDENCE FEATURES •3, 4, 5- Bedroom Layouts with Den Options •Duplex Options (available upon request) •Floor Plans from 2,663 to 3,891 Square Feet/ 247 to 361 Square Meters •Residences are Decorator Ready •Private Elevators and Foyers •10 to 11-Foot Ceilings •Integrated Smart System Technology •Waterworks® Faucets and Fixtures in Master Bath •ItalKraft® Cabinetry in Kitchens and Baths •Sub-Zero® and Wolf® Stainless Steel Appliances •Full Size Washer and Dryer •Service and Staff Elevator •Impact Resistant Floor-to-Ceiling Glass Windows and Sliding Glass Balcony Doors #elysee #edgewater #miami #2020 #preconstruction #development #Jean-LouisDeniot #luxurylifestyle #ultimate #tallest #condo #apartment #57stories #beautiful #baywalk #bayviews #waterfront #exclusive #investment #smart #sincere #selective #danielwills #realtor #realestate #residential (at Elysee Miami)

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[newstfionline]

In South Korea, New President Faces a Tangle of Economic Problems

By Motoko Rich, NY Times, May 12, 2017

SEOUL, South Korea--The day after South Korea elected a new president, the mood on the campus of Yonsei University in Seoul was bleak.

Many students, who might have been expected to celebrate the victory of a liberal, Moon Jae-in, to the presidency on Tuesday, instead spoke of fears about their prospects in a country plagued by corruption, household debt and other economic ills.

“Unfortunately, because we ourselves do not see the future of Korea as so rosy, I do not want to bring up children in this unpromising society,” said Bang Seong-deok, 26, a civil engineering doctoral student taking a break with a friend outside a classroom block on Wednesday. “I think that mentality is persistent among many of my peers.”

Anger at the collusive ties between government and business was at the heart of the protests that led to the impeachment of Mr. Moon’s predecessor, Park Geun-hye. During the election campaign, Mr. Moon vowed to end that corruption, but he also promised to address other factors that had fueled the revolt: skyrocketing household debt, high youth unemployment and stagnant wages, all of which are hobbling the economy.

He faces daunting obstacles as he tries to overhaul entrenched practices and deliver on ambitious campaign promises in a country that has yet to complete the tough transition from tiger economy to developed society.

Mr. Moon, whose party spent nearly a decade in opposition, “is a very sincere person, and I think he will try his best, but it’s a much bigger problem,” said Gi-wook Shin, director of the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center at Stanford. “It’s not something that you can fix by tweaking one or two issues. They are all related to each other.”

In the food court of a student lounge at Yonsei, Lee Ji-won, 23, a public administration major, said her friends often described the moribund state of their country as “Hell Chosun,” a reference to the last dynasty of Korea, which lasted for five centuries.

Ms. Lee, who aspires to be a lawyer, said she worried about eventually having to take care of her parents and grandparents. Although just over half of voters in their 20s and 30s cast their ballots for Mr. Moon, according to exit polls, Ms. Lee did not vote for him. She said she was not convinced that he would be able to pay for his economic policy prescriptions.

During the past decade, when conservatives were in power, they tried to recapture the high-growth years that characterized South Korea’s dynamic postwar rise from poverty. Much of that growth was turbocharged by chaebol, the family-controlled conglomerates like Hyundai and Samsung that dominate the economy and in which vast wealth is concentrated.

Because the chaebol tend to guarantee lifetime employment to an elite group of employees, those who do not secure these jobs have grown disaffected. And since the chaebol effectively wield monopolistic powers over their suppliers, workers at smaller businesses that depend on the large companies for their revenue often suffer from depressed wages and tough working conditions.

Those factors have exacerbated income inequality in South Korea, and young people in particular are affected as they scramble to compete for a small pool of prestigious jobs at the chaebol or accept lower-paid work at smaller companies. In many cases, they cannot find jobs at all. The youth unemployment rate here is nearly 10 percent.

In a country with one of the lowest birthrates in the world and a rapidly aging society, improving conditions for young South Koreans is vital.

“Koreans really have to think hard about how to motivate young people and meet them partway, not only with job opportunities but better working environments,” said Katharine H.S. Moon, a professor of political science at Wellesley College.

They are “the backs on which the middle-aged and elderly people are going to be eating, sleeping and surviving for the next few decades,” she added.

Some economists have also expressed skepticism about how Mr. Moon’s administration will finance his plans, which include pledges to create 810,000 public sector jobs and subsidize living expenses for young people during job searches.

Some measures could work in the short term, economists said, but would not be sustainable.

Economists say that for South Korea to create many more private sector jobs, it needs to open up the market for entrepreneurs and prevent the chaebol from taking over start-ups before they have the chance to expand.

The government needs to nurture “a business ecosystem that is more ably disposed to start-ups protecting their intellectual property rights and giving them better financial access and incubating and supporting them,” said Lim Wonhyuk, professor of economic development at the KDI School of Public Policy and Management in Sejong City.

For now, many entrepreneurs are concentrated in retail and dining. The fate of Reo Sushi Maguro, a cozy restaurant in the heart of Seoul, is a sobering illustration of the challenges facing Mr. Moon.

Around the corner from several government office buildings, Reo Sushi, which specialized in premium tuna sashimi, enjoyed a bustling business as corporate executives treated civil servants to expensive meals.

But in September, the legislature passed an anticorruption law barring public servants from accepting a meal worth more than 30,000 won, about $27, to avoid a potential conflict of interest. Reo Sushi’s business took a dive.

To cover costs as well as replace lost income, the owner, Oh Sung-min, 39, began borrowing money at high interest rates, until the debt spiraled to about $266,000.

Mr. Oh’s wife, Chung Sora, 35, a beauty salon owner who learned the extent of the debt only two weeks ago, blames the antigraft law.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” she said. “The politicians may have thought, ‘We will try to regulate people’s bad behavior,’ but so many shops closed as a result.”

Mr. Oh, who decided to close his sushi place after a government counselor agreed to help him develop a 10-year debt-repayment plan, is in a familiar situation. Economists say small-business owners have taken out a large portion of the country’s about $1.19 trillion in household debt.

Mr. Oh, the father of a toddler, will depend on Ms. Chung’s beauty salon to support the family for now. Ms. Chung, who recently took on her own debt to expand the salon, said she was determined to pay off her husband’s debt in a year.

As Mr. Oh served final customers this past week, he said he had plans to start fresh with a new restaurant, this time offering chicken ribs and cheaper tuna dishes. Still, he was not quite as optimistic as his wife.

“Of course, it is most Korean people’s wish to tell the president and the next administration to revive the economy,” he said. “But I think that is actually a very difficult task.”

#South Korea #South Korean economy #Moon Jae-in