#who is only three months in so at least he’s past the probationary period | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

de-profundis-ad-astra · 4 years

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Word Count || 3.5k Author’s Note || These first two excerpts I’ll be posting aren’t exactly chapters, but they’re not quite a prologue either--primarily because of their length. But it’s an introduction to the story and the world and the characters nonetheless. After these first two parts the excerpts will be much shorter; I can’t be giving you all the information about the project ;)

Anyway, enjoy!

Kerri Stevens gripped the edges of the lectern and braced herself for a fight.

“We are on record for review of disciplinary case D08-493214. Please present yourself for the panel,” said a man in a charcoal gray suit, his voice echoing through the spacious, mostly-empty chamber.

From their perch at the elevated, curved table, the four members of Kerri’s disciplinary panel had her well and truly surrounded. The looks on their faces suggested they, too, were here for a battle. Calling upon every ounce of confidence she had, Kerri straightened and faced down the panel of suits.

While it certainly was not her favorite place to be, if she was here, it meant her prison sentence was about to come to an end at last.

The high-ceilinged council chamber was all but a new environment to Kerri. At first glance, it appeared warm with expensive wood paneling tastefully integrated with the modern interior and well-lit atmosphere. She knew, though, that looks did not match the grim nature of several meetings held here. Her job had called her to Austin, Texas frequently as a representative of her region for new inductions, retirements, and the occasional, dreaded, dishonorable discharge. Today, the chamber was empty, save for Kerri, the panel, and a lone guard standing near the only entrance into the room. Whatever was said today would be for her ears, and her ears only.

Drawing a deep breath, she willed her racing heart to slow, and answered, reciting the words she’d been rehearsing over and over again to herself since that morning. “Kerri Lynn Stevens. Call number: 493087. Codename: Foxtrot. May it please the panel, I move to present a defense.”

“If we were interested in hearing a defense, Agent Foxtrot,” another voice, this one from the center of the panel, chimed in, “we would have called for a hearing less than thirty-six hours after the initial infraction.” Kerri’s handler, Director Lawrence Ward, closed one of the buttons on his immaculately tailored midnight blue suit. “Not wait three months.”

Kerri gestured towards the first speaker of the meeting. “As Director of the Southern Reach, it was Director Shaw’s decision to authorize such a severe consequence without providing me with an opportunity—”

“The motion was decided outside of your presence, Agent,” Director Shaw dismissed with a wave of his hand. “We will not be hearing a defense.”

Kerri said, “I followed every directive from the panel without requesting an audience for three months when probationary periods, historically, have been half that or less. Does that not merit an explanation? Or a chance to present my side of the story?”

Director Ward lifted a hand before Shaw could respond. “Why do you push so hard for this motion, Agent?”

Kerri leaned into the podium, the quick flex it required of her muscles stimulating the blood flow necessary to cool the burn that seeped into her muscles from inactivity. “It’s never been denied in the past.”

Bracing his forearms on the long table, Director Ward leaned forward and regarded Kerri through narrowed eyes. “So you would assume that we should continue to follow protocol down to the letter, even when you, yourself, seem to think you are above such things?”

Kerri swiftly backpedaled, “I never meant to assume—”

Director Shaw bade her to be quiet. “The panel determined that your continuing disregard for expected conduct in the field was grounds for increased severity of disciplinary action. We will cover the specifics at the designated time. Concerning your defense: your obedience to directives as a result of your ongoing behavior warrants you no such privilege.”

Kerri’s mouth opened and closed several times over, searching desperately for a response but finding none. None that would be to her benefit, at least. The cavernous room remained unvoiced for another moment, the fluttering of turning papers from the panel filling the void before they turned back to her. She sought out Director Ward for solace, but found none in the hard lines of his face.

She said directly to her handler, “Director—”

“This is a review of your disciplinary case, and nothing more,” said the woman to the right of Director Shaw. Her nameplate identified her as Adeline Kim, Director of Active Agent Relations. “We are not here to listen to your agenda.”

Kerri bristled. “If helping others sounds like an agenda to you—”

“You broke protocol to fulfill needs that were not pertinent to your direct orders, Agent, did you not?”

Kerri, desperate to get a word in edgewise, huffed, “I’d say they had some relevance.”

“Now is not the time to play Devil’s Advocate, Agent. Did you, or did you not, break protocol?”

Everyone already knew the answer to that question, which made it redundant and, most infuriatingly, unproductive. Time and time again, the panel seemed to think that making Kerri confront and acknowledge her disobedience in the field would prevent her from putting herself in this position again. And yet they always seemed to find themselves here, each side waiting for the other to relent only for nothing to change. They were better than this. She was better than this.

She had taken accountability for her actions. Just not the way they might have wanted her to.

Kerri clamped down on her tongue before she could say any of that out loud. Doing so would only put herself at greater risk for more punishment. She strangled her features into neutrality, straightening her back as she faced down the panel of directors.

It was futile to hope that she could hide her true intentions here. Everyone here knew her secrets without her having to open her mouth.

Which meant lying would be pointless.

“I did.” Kerri squared her shoulders and stood with as much authority as she could muster before the imposing panel.

Kerri had been in this position enough times to know that controlling the room was a hopeless endeavor. So she clung desperately to what she knew she could control.

Director Ward pressed, “How, precisely, did you breach protocol?”

Kerri masked her groan with a sigh. “I deviated from the mission plan.” She stuck to the facts. “It was not a misinformed decision. I did it of my own free will.”

As she said it, Kerri looked towards the remaining member of the panel. Director Rachelle Frost had supervised her training during her earliest days in Legion. If there was anyone who could vouch for her, it would be Frost. The look she gave Kerri was unreadable before she made a note on her legal pad. Kerri felt her confidence wane at the gesture.

Ward’s voice called her back to the present. “And this, deviation, was to interfere with bystanders, correct?”

“I specialize in defense,” Kerri replied. “Shouldn’t my priority be the wellbeing of the people we’ve sworn to protect?”

“We aren’t looking for your mission statement, Agent. Answer the question.”

That was it.

Kerri snapped, “If by interfere you mean assist with the evacuation of a collapsing building, then yes, the deviation involved dealing with bystanders.”

“Do you understand the risks associated with your actions, Agent?” Director Kim sounded as exasperated as Kerri felt.

Averting eye contact, Kerri drummed her fingers against the underside of the lectern. “Yes, Director,” she said through a wired jaw.

“Elaborate for us, please.”

It was as if they wanted to humiliate her.

“Because my actions have again put Legion at risk of exposure.” She resented how robotic her voice sounded as she delivered the answer.

“Again.”

Director Ward’s voice was a low force. Kerri’s stomach tightened, the sensation drowning out the otherwise distracting thought of whether she’d have been able to hear him if she’d elected to not wear her hearing aids that morning. What was worse was the way he said it as if he was embarrassed on her behalf. Embarrassment which then transferred to Kerri. Clenching everything from her jaw to her knees, Kerri began keeping count of her deep, even breaths.

Director Kim said, “This is your fifth offense of this caliber in the past five years you’ve served in this capacity. Legion cannot continue under this pattern, nor can we afford to keep erasing any documentation of you every time you wander in front of a camera.”

“This manner of conduct can be forgiven once, maybe twice,” added Director Shaw. “The only reason you are still standing here is because Alpha has determined that you are more of an asset than a liability when you do follow directives. She is concerned that the scales may be tipping out of your favor. This kind of behavior is unacceptable from someone in your position.”

“All due respect,” Kerri said, “but are those who share my rank not expected to make challenging decisions when faced with a crisis?”

“Those who share you rank, Agent Foxtrot,” Ward countered, “are expected to make those challenging decisions in order to see their missions accomplished. Not go out of their way to get caught on camera.”

“So you would stand by and watch innocent people die over something they can’t control?”

“Agent!”

The moment she said it, Kerri knew she’d crossed a line. But the blatant disregard for human life was something she refused to stand for.

Director Kim said, “People die in the name of the greater good frequently, Agent—”

“Not if they don’t know what they’re dying for!”

“And you must understand that there is nothing we can do to change that!”

Kerri went silent, absolutely stunned at the ignorance of the panel. Was there anything she could say to remind them that what she had done was good? Perhaps against instructions, perhaps dangerous. But those whom she’d saved from an untimely death or lifelong physical ailments might have told a different story.

Though three months had passed, she still remembered clearly how it’d felt to be inside that building—wood crackling and popping all around her, her eyes streaming from the onslaught of smoke, sparks and tongues of flame licking against her hands when she reached for a trapped child. Heat filling her lungs until she thought she might burn from the inside out. But most importantly, the frightened screams and cries from others. Frantic coughing and hacking from those without proper protection. The terror etched into their faces… and then relief. Relief that, because of her, not all was lost.

Yes, she understood that she could not keep everyone she came into contact with from dying. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t try. It was her duty, the duty her employer, to try.

That was the Legion she’d signed up for. The tales of daring heroism, the best of the best fighting for peace, woven for her by her father on the balmy Texas nights. Not… this political mess.

Ward’s voice cut through her thoughts. “Do you understand, Agent Foxtrot?”

Despite her efforts, she could not wrest back the memory that took her back to fire and rot and decay and the crushing guild that she could not save them all.

No. She did not understand why she faced punishment after punishment for doing the right thing.

Letting out a long breath, Kerri forced herself to nod. “I understand, Director. I will improve my conduct where it is necessary.”

“Make sure those improvements align with your code of conduct, not your personal morals,” Ward sniped.

In a perfect world, those two might have overlapped. But they hadn’t hired Kerri for her morals, apparently, just her ability to shoot straight and win in a fight. She stared straight ahead and strangled the urge to scowl at her handler.

“Commitments to improve are well and good,” said Director Shaw, “however, this panel is not in a position to turn you loose and trust you to not cause any more problems.”

“What can I do about this?”

“Ward.”

Director Ward pushed a slim, manila colored folder to the edge of the table. The motion drew her attention to where he sat. Her gaze flickered back and forth between the file and her handler’s face, which was still heavily shrouded with an emotion she could not entirely place.

She felt her heartbeat thrum over her body. Another assignment? So soon after being cleared?

His hand remained flat over the cover of the folder. “You swore an oath to support and defend our corporation. To bear allegiance to us and no others. Do you still swear it?”

Anxiety—equally powerful and equally terrible—filled Kerri’s chest. “I do.” She forced her voice to remain steady.

“You swore to serve as a living example of this organization’s philosophies and beliefs and to uphold these values at all times. You took this obligation freely and of your own accord. Do you still swear it?”

Freely. Of her own accord. “I do.”

“Do you swear to give yourself wholly to this assignment and swear to complete the request of its commissioner?”

“I do.”

Ward removed his hand from the file and said, “You may approach the table, Agent Foxtrot.”

Slowly, Kerri stepped around the podium and approached the panel with slow, stiff steps. What normally might have filled her with a sense of honor and duty was now tainted with doubt and uncertainty. She felt acutely aware of every pair of eyes on her, burning hotter and hotter with each step that took her closer to the table. Ward gave a small nod as she took the file. She quickened her pace as she walked back to the podium and settled the file against it, eager to be as far away as possible from the ones who held her fate in their hands.

Flipping open the folder, Kerri was immediately faced with the image of a smiling woman. Her skin was pale, smooth, which brought out the green of her eyes and the mane of bright red curls framing her attractive face.

She turned the page over, and found in the following pages little information outside of basic information and demographics about the stranger. The panel waited, scrutinizing every action as Kerri skimmed the folder.

“What’s the assignment?” asked Kerri after finding nothing indicating why, precisely, she was looking at this woman.

“This,” said Director Ward, “Is your newest target.”

Kerri’s stomach flipped. She knew precisely what that meant.

Almost four years had passed since her last commission for an assassination in her five year career. Overall, she’s only ever completed two. One as a part of her initiation trials to earn her Name, and a second one year later. Both had left a bad enough taste in Kerri’s mouth that she’d requested to only be assigned to them if it was a last resort. Shockingly, Legion had obliged her. It seemed it was time to break that streak.

But she imagined they’d start her out with something small, quiet. Literally anything but an assassination.

She had to tread carefully, moving forward. Everyone was on edge. “All due respect,” she said slowly, “but perhaps this is a job better suited for someone not just cleared to re-enter the field.”

“We don’t have the time to call in another Named Agent to an area already occupied by one.” A beat passed during which Ward rubbed his chin. “I expected more enthusiasm from you about being put on a job.”

“I am honored by the panel’s show of trust in giving me an assignment with such a high degree of urgency.” Kerri looked down at the photograph inside the cover of the folder. Her target’s smile was so broad, so unlike the headshots from her previous assassinations which contained scowls and frowns. She looked, shockingly, friendly. “But what has Charlotte Moore done to earn a hit from us?”

Indeed, there was nothing in the file indicating that Charlotte had done anything so abhorrent that it warranted Legion’s attention. Her criminal record included little more than a few cases of petty theft and arson. Since when did they concern themselves with such relatively minuscule matters?

“Everything you need to complete your mission is in that file,” said Director Ward. “Can you show us that you can do your job?”

Although rare, it was not unheard of for agents to turn down assassinations. Kerri was a living, breathing example of that. Her jobs, which tended to focus on protecting life rather than ending it made her more likely than the average operative to do so. It was an interesting thing to be said of someone who worked for a company willing to kill others in the name of world peace.

And she might have said no, were it not for her audience. There simply was not enough information in the file for Kerri to accept a job with such heavy ramifications in good conscience. She was already on such thin ice as it was, she wasn’t willing to take the risk of saying no when tensions already ran so high.

Kerri’s eyes snapped up to Ward’s as she bit back, “Of course I can.”

As if sensing her discomfort, Director Shaw said, “Understand that all we are asking, Agent Foxtrot, is that you complete the assignment as it has been given, and there will not be an issue.”

Kerri’s fingers clenched around the lectern so hard her knuckles hurt. “An issue with what?”

“Given your acts of impotence in the field over the past half decade, Alpha has decided that it is in Legion’s best interest to move up your re-evaluation concerning your standing as a Named Agent.”

Terror wrapped its icy claws around Kerri’s chest and clenched, driving the air from her lungs. Every five years, Named Agents were put through a series of evaluations and assessments as a means of checking their skills and overall functioning. The results were used to make a recommendation concerning whether that agent was in good enough standing to continue serving in such a demanding, high profile capacity. Really, it was just a fancy way of saying “are they fit enough and sane enough”. Kerri’s evaluation, which had been scheduled for the end of this year, had hardly crossed her mind, until now.

At her silence, Shaw added, “Consider this a test run.” His tone was not warm. “Complete your mission with no infractions, and we will consider moving forward with considering you for a renewal of your credentials. If you fail, you will be immediately discharged.”

The world stopped spinning beneath Kerri’s feet. Gripping the lectern for support, she looked at each member of the panel. Nothing in their faces, their posture, indicated that they were being facetious. She actively struggled to maintain straight, untangled breathing—her mouth and through suddenly bone-dry.

After all she had done. All she had given to these people, this organization, this was what it came to?

A new voice, this one female, spoke up, calling Kerri’s spirit back into her body, “Perhaps this is a consequence we should reconsider, Director Shaw.”

“You have something you would like to add, Director Frost?”

Director Rachelle Frost straightened, pursing her plump lips into a line. She glared at Director Shaw with eyes so dark they seemed black. “I had the privilege of overseeing Agent Foxtrot’s training in my facility. She was one of my youngest and fastest graduates. She has done more than enough to earn her title.”

“It’s no question whether she earned her title,” said Kim. “That is separate from being worthy of keeping it.”

“Losing her would be a detriment Legion. I would recommend that the panel considers a customary demotion.”

Shaw said, “The order came directly from Alpha; she did not ask for the panel’s input on the matter. Agent Foxtrot has become too much of a liability to consider keeping her around, even in a smaller capacity. Our job as a panel is simply to pass the motion.”

Kerri pushed her hands into the podium, exerting as much pent up energy as she could without physically leaning into it. Doing so would only call more attention to her. Her lungs suddenly felt too small for her chest, and her breath came out in short, patchy puffs. Charlotte Moore’s face stared back up at her, her green eyes seeming to pierce into her as if she stood there in the flesh. Kerri swallowed when she felt her breakfast crawl back up her throat.

“All in favor, say aye.”

A chorus of ayes filled the empty space, punctuated by a single nay. As the echo faded from the chamber, Kerri felt she was truly in danger of emptying her stomach onto the floor.

“The motion passes,” said Director Shaw, flat. “Do you understand your task, Agent Foxtrot?”

With trembling hands, Kerri flipped the folder shut. Though it covered Moore’s face, she still felt her eyes burning into her through the thick cardstock. She hoped the podium covered her movements well enough to conceal that small detail. Her voice felt oddly detached from her body when she said, “I understand.”

“Best work on getting the color back into your face, Agent,” said Ward without a shred of sympathy. “If you’re serious about keeping your job, you’re going to have to watch her die.”

Despite her best efforts, she could not muster the strength to look away from her handler’s face. She locked her knees, pleading with her body to stop shaking.

“We want a confirmed kill in seventy-two hours. Get it done.”

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#atlastracking #writeblr #writing community #my writing #original stuff #excerpt #legion #gonna tag this #nanowrimo #because this is my nano project and i'll be picking up where i've left off thus far #nanowrimo 2020 #i was gonna post this later this afternoon but i'm impatient and require immediate validation

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ardentmuse · 4 years

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Rogue Choices - Prologue (Kingsman x Reader)

Kingsman - Harry Hart x reader, Eggsy Unwin x Reader, Merlin (Hamish) x Reader (you decide!)

Summary: As a new agent, Arthur gives you your last big assignment before you are approved to run missions on your own, only this time you get to pick your partner. And who says you can’t mix business and pleasure.

Wordcount: 5.8k (and this is just the intro!)

Warnings: fluff, sexual tension, talk of violence

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

(Note: I started this a long time ago but had to pause because Twine was doing weird things. It’s meant as a fully interactive piece, but I think we can make it work here on tumblr and AO3 with different chapter links. So I’m putting it out into the world to see if you all like it!)

PROLOGUE

Two strong raps on the door grant you a gentle, “Come in.”

As you turn the handle and enter, the smell of old books and polished wood fills your nostrils. Arthur’s office is a proper executive space. Shelves are lined with old tombs that must have been passed down for generations. The rich, plush Persian rug is worm upon the edges from years of use, but still draws the eye with its vibrant reds and subtle blues. Two large and striking leather wingbacks rest before a sturdy walnut desk, at which sits a patient Arthur, who doesn’t even bother to lift his gaze from the files before him as he hears you enter.

“Agent Kay, please take a seat.”

You do as you are bid, leaning back into the worn leather to take in the countenance of you boss. He seems tired, the grey hair of his eyebrows coming together as he squints at the documents before him. But even with the slight bags under his eyes, he is still the image of a proper gentleman. His collar is expertly pressed and his turtle shell glasses sit low on the bridge of his nose, just as you imagine Churchill’s might have.

After a few moments, he shuffles the papers aside and levels his eyes with yours.

“It seems you received the memo that I needed to see you?”

You laugh, “Your assistant nearly tackled me as I left lunch.”

“Eager kid, that one. He’ll make a good agent someday, too,” he muses, and then with a wry smile adds, “Much like you.”

“I’m already an agent, Arthur.”

“But mayhaps a good one given time,” he says, his eyebrows rising ever so slightly in challenge.

You haven’t been a secret agent long, having earned the title only a few months prior. The selection process to join the Kingsman was grueling to say the least, but you had been Arthur’s hand picked candidate. Only upon your recruitment did you understand just how much Arthur, a second father to you in so many ways, had primed you from your youth for this very role you doesn’t even know existed.

But nothing, not even Arthur, could have prepared you for the stress of being a Kingsman agent out in the field. Taking down the world’s most harrowing criminals, dismantling sex trafficking rings and stopping terrorist attacks takes a toll on the mind and body. Death is constantly right beside you, a single word or a single misstep enough to reveal your identity and get you killed. The work of Kingsman is highly classified, incredibly dangerous, and outside the bounds of traditional justice. You are a ghost, a guardian angel just outside the realm of men, leaving only vague notions of what could have been: a newspaper headline, a five o’clock story on Radio 4, a traffic jam or a flight delay. Ignorance is bliss as they say, but you now know the dark underbelly, the secret of which is the source of bliss for so many.

You sigh and hold your hand against your thigh to stop yourself from fidgeting. The shoulders on your suit, the well-fitted tweed of our Kingsman uniform, seem to tighten as Arthur continues to stare at you, waiting for your protest.

“What are you getting at?”

Arthur laughs as he pivots in his chair and presses on the spine of a book behind his desk. Instantly, the two shelves pull forward and slide to the sides, revealing an entire wall of flat screens and holograms projecting outward. You can’t make out all the details but the lower corner contains a building schematic and the top right shows the animated, scowling face of whom you can only assume is your organization’s latest target.

“Andrej Jankovic. Former Russian operative now based in Cyprus, leading what we’ve learned is the largest money laundering ring in the world. We’ve been tracking him for months, but,” he stops talking to focus on the movement of his fingers, swiping away spreadsheets to pull up live surveillance footage of the target, “As you can see, he covers his tracks very well.”

You watch on the screen as the man sips coffee in a small café. Four different cell phones lay out before him, concealed under the newspaper through which he flips lazily as he takes in the sea just outside the window. He is younger than you expect for such high crimes, with not a wrinkle in sight upon his face. His dark hair is long and flung haphazardly to one side but his facial hair in contrast is shaven with precision, just outlining his harsh jawline. He is striking in that brooding sort of way, long Roman nose and chiseled muscles. You might consider him handsome in a different life where your mind isn’t trained to notice the harshness of his brow or how quickly his eyes narrow with disdain each time someone new enters his vision.

“He is certainly… something,”

“Killed three people just yesterday for using checks,” Arthur throws your way as if that is something to marvel.

You swallow, still not comfortable with just how common death is in your new line of work.

“He’s ruthless and calculating, incredibly thorough and uncommonly intelligent. We’re never going to catch him with paper trails alone. There won’t be any. And simply taking him out leaves the whole rest of the corrupt network up and running. We need names.” Arthur swivels in his chair so he is facing you once again, resting his elbows upon the wood of his desk with a thud. “And I think you can get them.”

“Wait, really? You’re trusting me with this?”

You feel your jaw go slack. Biggest money launderer in the world, and Arthur thinks you can handle it? These past few months have felt like a probationary period, working alongside other agents, cleaning up their messes and assisting in communications and research. Your field time has been limited to sitting in corners of crowded rooms, observing more senior agents doing the hard work.

Arthur raps his fingers against the stack of papers before him.

“I think he’ll take kindly to you. If our intelligence is correct, he’ll be most susceptible to your…”

“Charm?” you insert.

“At least more than that of any other agent,” Arthur confirms. “Now don’t misunderstand me. It is not my intention to send you out alone. You will need a partner. Consider this your last test before I set you loose, Kay.”

Arthur picks up papers before him, writes quickly on a post-it that he places on the top of the stack, and then thrusts his arms forward to you.

“You have until tomorrow night to select a partner and review this research material. The jet leaves Friday.”

He doesn’t have to dismiss you with words. The way he pivots his body back to the screens behind him is signal enough that your questions will only be addressed after you thoroughly review the case.

And so you stand and make your way back into the labyrinth of the Kingsman manor to begin to wrap your mind around your new mission.

Just as the door closes behind you, a voice calls almost directly into your ear.

“Our mighty leading givin’ you a hard time, there, newbie?”

With a shocked puff of breath, you pivot on your heels to see the broad chest and shoulders of Eggsy just inches from your face. He is reclining casually against the doorframe, his arms crossing over his chest matching the cross of his ankles, all casual and cool. The cheeky grin upon his face, showing you those pristinely white teeth, lets you know your startled response is exactly what he was hoping to see.

“You’re never as alone as you think you are, my love,” he purrs with a rub of his palm into your shoulder, stilling the jump of your body at his appearance. “Rule number one of this spy gig.”

His deft hands make calculated movement against your collarbone, each brush bringing just the tip of his fingers against your pulse point, as though trying to discreetly test how much his proximity is impacting you. Your body goes stiff at the sensation, not in fear or discomfort, but in confusion. Eggsy smiles that disarming smile of his. He leans forward, his mouth finding a place beside your ear.

“You know, I think I still have quite a bit to teach you.”

The feel of his breath combined with the gentle graze of his nails against your throat make your breath hitch, goosebumps running down your chest. You hate how clear your responses are to these sorts of flirtations and so you divert your gaze to the place where the tips of his oxfords are pressed against your shoes.

At your lack of response, Eggsy drums his fingers across your shoulder, tickling you. You laugh and pull back slightly, enough to actually take in his features: his jaw, sharp and square and his skin kissed with just a tint of sun, his blue eyes glowing with humor behind his glasses. And with that last realization, you sigh. He is right. You are never as alone as you think, especially at Kingsman, with those silly glasses recording almost every interaction for Merlin or whomever to review at their convenience.

“You know, it seems everyone thinks I still have much to learn.”

Eggsy gives you a quick slap on the back, pulling his body fully from yours.

“That’s what big boss man is on you about?” he says as he begins walking down the hall, leading you out of the offices spaces and back towards the communal agent quarters. “Ill-timed joke, then. My bad, love.”

As you turn the corner into the grand stairway, you notice the chasm between your bodies. Eggsy is two steps in front and his feet light, tossing a look back towards you as he continues his talking, as if he wasn’t just holding his body only inches for your own, running his calloused fingers across the sensitive flesh of your neck and raising your blood pressure, not just giving you dazzling smiles and teasing your earlobes with his hushed breaths. That is Eggsy, flirtation and friendship, on and off, hot and cold, and always just enough honesty in his eyes in those moments to make you question which is the act.

After a long walk through parlors and the kitchens, laughing about your dogs and the antics that came out of the latest team meeting, you find yourself standing in front of the control room with the majority of your tension about your mission lost somewhere in the depths of your brain.

“Now this is where I leave you,” Eggsy says.

You turn with a huff to your friend.

“Why didn’t you tell me Merlin sent you to find me?”

The corner of Eggsy’s mouth turned upward in that too-seductive half-smile he had perfected somewhere between you first meeting him and right now,

“You’re much more fun when you aren’t stressing about work.” His eyes scanned from your body, slow and intentional, until his gaze came to rest on your lips, now just slightly parted from his clearly heated evaluation. He smiled at your response. “Much more fun.”

You shake your head at him, always the tease.

“You really believe I would have had you laughing after Arthur had you down if your mind had also been churning on what Mr. Stoic McSeriousface wanted with you?”

You pout. Eggsy knows of your friendship with Merlin, the tech head for your organization. You know he is just trying to get a stir out of you.

But before you can answer, Eggsy moves forward. You step back and find the door pressing against your back.

“You’re going to be the death of me with that pout, you know.”

After a silent beat between you, the air growing thicker as you stare each other down, Eggsy leans forward, raising his hand the way he sometimes does to brush stray hairs from your face. But instead, his hand moves beyond your shoulder, making contact with the wood of the door. He knocks hard and heavy.

“Enjoy being bored to death, peaches,” he whispers to you before slinking down the hall.

Eggsy turns the corner just as Merlin opens the door to his workspace. You take note of his expression as he looks down the hall. It really is stoic, but when his face sets upon you, it immediately changes into something soft and inviting, encouraging even.

“Kay, glad you’re here.” He opens the door a little wider and then continues, “Come in.”

“Good afternoon, Merlin,” you say as you move into the tech space, Merlin following closely behind.

You throw yourself down on the vintage Eames lounge chair that sits in the corner of the room, placing your stack of papers on the floor as you allow yourself the joy of reclining deeply into the headrest.

Merlin pats the footrest as he passes by, inviting you to relax. He moves towards his desk, computer, and all the hundreds of gadgets that are organized upon the shelves beside.

“So, what do you have for me?” you ask as you follow through on Merlin’s request to fully recline yourself. “Details on Jankovic?”

“Yes, and no,” he says, not meeting your eyes. He takes a seat and begins typing away.

The rhythmic ping of keys give you a moment to truly observe the man before you. Merlin is a striking, almost imposing, figure in appearance. He is tall and lithe, in complete control of each moment, in a way that conveyed a refined elegance to some and a rigid intent to others. His face is a masculine stone, like a sculpture of a Roman general, piercing in its seriousness. But he brings life to the features that you love: soft hazel eyes, busy dexterous hands, and a smooth Scottish accent that makes even the sweetest words from his mouth sound husky.

After a moment, he continues on, “Jankovic has a well-trained team and multi-layered cyber systems. His security, virtual and physical, is nearly impenetrable. I do believe I have found a few exploitable flaws, almost all of which require work on the ground to hijack. If we don’t go that route, I have managed to mirror the controls for the security system at the hotel he owns in Limassol, so I will be able to be of assistance once you land.”

You stand and move beside his desk. He has months of logs, meticulously organized and color-coded and tabulated, certain sections highlighted in red, denoting times of lower security or routine system upgrades. His work, just like him, is precise and detailed.

You lean down over his shoulder to take in the schematic of the hotel, several floors of suites and an entire rooftop entertaining space. Your mind conjures images of the ocean and soft sand beaches that are visible just below, the salt air and the setting sun filling your slowly numbing senses as you sip on your second cocktail and a stunningly handsome man runs his hands down your spine to the soft of your back.

But the strong scent of cedarwood and bergamot that you know to be Merlin bring you back to the present. Or maybe it aids in the fantasy. When he reaches over to rest his hand on your back, pushing you forward slightly to watch the tiny dots he is pointing at with his other hand, you know where your mind got those ideas in the first place.

“I’ve discovered some patterns here that I think we can exploit, unless of course you decide making your presence known to the target is a better option.”

His fingers never leave your back as he speaks.

“Stealth or charisma,” you muse, “Just like a video game.”

“If so, your video games are quite limited,” he laughs. His fingers slide across your back as he rolls his chair to the other side of the room. You feel the absence most acutely.

“I’d hope there’d at least be some intelligence or combat in these skill trees of yours.”

His fingers run over the lock in the shelving. You hear a click and then the draw opens to reveal a pristine case containing three weapons you have yet to see, each encased in foam and glass like priceless works of art.

“Perhaps some lock-picking?” he turns and offered you a smile.

“I’ve definitely maxed out my luck, at least,” you say with a tilt to the draw of weapons, each more beautiful than the next.

“And enchantment, if I may be so bold,” his words are to the drawer of weapons and not your face, but your mind fills in his devastating lip bite and the thought has you melting and feeling the shyness creep over you.

The silence hangs between you two as Merlin flicks the lock on each case.

Finally with a deep breath, he says, “My latest prototypes. You’ll need all the protection you can get on this one, Kay, so take your pick.”

“Can’t I take all of them?”

Merlin turns and shots you a look so deadly, you feel the air leave your lungs.

“And risk you losing all my hard work? Never.”

His eyes are piercing yours, wearing you down, but you try your best to hold your ground.

“I’m quite trustworthy, Hamish,” you say with a gentle bit of your lip.

“First names, now? You jest, my dear,” he says with a narrowing of his eyes that let you know he likes the words more than he wants to admit. “Now pick.”

You feel the weight of the weapon in your hand, bouncing it a little to get comfortable.

“This one. I like this one,” you say finally.

Merlin shuts the drawers and turns to you. “And it likes you, too, Kay. Very fitting.”

You can’t help but smile at his praise. Eggsy is wrong, you know. Merlin isn’t so much serious as he is careful about his work. You enjoy the lightness he shares with you, even if it is intercut with professional talk.

“Thank you, Merlin,” you say as you holster the weapon and grab your papers.

“You’re welcome.” Merlin’s head already back in his computer and typing away.

As you reach for the door, he calls you once more.

“And Kay?”

You turn to offer him your full attention and are struck by how serious he looks, the hard lines of his face all completely turned to you and his chin dipped in a soft reverence that you hope is reserved for you alone. His voice takes on that husky quality as he breathes out the next words.

“I know you’re a little overwhelmed right now, but you are among us for a reason. You’re a capable agent, Kay. Please don’t forget that.”

For a man who often shrugs off sentimentality, he manages to find just the right words to build you up and make you smile. You feel a tiny wave of pleasure course through you, easing a bit of the weight from your shoulders.

You watch his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows. With a curt nod, the sweetness of the moment lost, he returns his eyes to the screens beside him.

You sit in the study, the fire roaring beside you, as you pour through each meticulous document that Arthur gave you. Just skimming these papers alone is going to take you all the way to your flight and then some, and that doesn’t include the time you need to devise a plan, select a partner, and prep for execution. But none of those other things can happen until you wrap your mind fully around your mission. And if that means sitting here well into the morning, transcribing and memorizing and organizing, then that is what you are going to do.

You hear the clink of porcelain upon the table beside you. A mug of tea is now perched among your discarded notes, the steam cloud in the lamplight.

“Thought a pick-me-up might be in order,” Harry, your mentor and fellow agent, says above you as he moves to the other side of the room, carrying his own mug and his own papers, though his take the form of the news, several morning editions stacked together, a few in languages in which you weren’t aware Harry had proficiency.

With the flick of his wrists, Harry opens the top paper, but unlike his usual routine of reading through the headlines and major political scandals, Harry turns towards the back, folds the paper in half, and pulls out a pen from his jacket pocket.

You take a long sip of the tea he provided you, and are pleased to discover it isn’t his usual nighttime blend but a proper English brew, one that will provide you enough caffeine to get your through this work. If Harry is anything, it certainly is thoughtful.

You work in silence for fifteen minutes or so, Harry’s long legs elegantly crossed as he relaxes himself against the couch. He drums the end of the pen upon the tuffs of the Chesterfield. You can’t help but think about how, in the past six months, you had already fallen into a pleasant routine with these men you called your colleagues. Lunch with Eggsy, briefings and shooting practice with Merlin, and long nights, just like tonight, sitting beside Harry and working in companionable silence. With Harry, words are rarely needed. He is a man whose company creates an aura of calm that penetrates even the most intense of moments. The few missions on which you have accompanied him were smooth, efficient endeavors; they left you feeling confident and poised even by comparison to arguably the most poised man you have ever met.

“Attractive, eight letters, third letter is most likely a ‘g’,” Harry asks into the air.

You lift your head from a giant list of innocuously named shell corporations to consider his question.

Engaging? Magnetic?

“Hmmm,” he muses, scribbling upon the paper, “Thank you, darling.”

You only get a few more minutes of silence before he is piping up again.

“Unstable, six letters, last letter ‘y’.”

Wobbly? Flimsy? Shifty?

“Perfect,” Harry whispers over his swift pen strokes. The roar of the fire by now was dying down, the pleasant crackle of embers scenting the room in hickory and smoke. You find yourself fighting the exhaustion that is coming over your body at the sheer comfort of your company and the ambiance the room provides.

Not thirty seconds pass by before Harry is calling your way once more.

“To proceed, four let-“

“Harry, are you trying to distract me from my work or is this crossword collaborative?”

Harry folds the paper shut and places it firm upon his lap. His eyes shift upward slowly, from your feet to your eyes, pausing upon the stack of papers spread out around you on all sides before he finds his way to your face. Harry’s lips curl into a soft smile, one that is made all the more precious by the way the fire’s reflection upon his face. He rubs at the bridge of his nose as he debates his words.

“I wouldn’t call it distracting as much as helping,” he finally decides, picking up the paper as he takes soft steps towards you.

Soft, that is the best word to describe Harry. Gentleness and patience and softness are what you associated with him most. Sure, you have seen his skills, watched him turn into a ruthless hit-man as the situation called for it, powerful and strong and confident. But the instant the bodies laid still before you, Harry’s steps grew light again. As he reached out his hand in serenity, kindly lifting you to your feet, brushing debris from your hair and asking in a whisper if you are safe.

“I’m not so sure how not doing my work is going to help me do my work,” you say as Harry pulls the footstool out beside you to sit. His back is perfectly straight despite the lack of support and you wonder if you body would ever be trained with the same precision as the seasoned agents you so admire.

“You’re thinking too much,” he says. He sits the newspaper down on top of your papers, covering up all your notes and drawing your focus to the absence of notes on his actual page. Nothing exists in the boxes, only in the margins and you notice how peculiar it appears.

“See, darling, this is you right now, taking each individual note and trying to assess it alone. If I went bullet by bullet through this crossword puzzle trying to figure out what it meant by every single word clue or question mark, I would have half the puzzle wrong.”

Harry is leaning over the newspaper now, his head awfully close to your own. The fluff of his brown curls are brushing lightly against your forehead. Despite the tickling, you don’t pull away.

Harry’s voice is low, requiring you to lean in. He wants this proximity. For what purpose, you don’t let you mind assume.

“Some clues like this one,” he says, pointing to 20-across ‘Author Silverstein,’ “Are easy to solve without context.” His hand moves to write the first bit within the puzzle: ‘shel.’

“But others,” he moves his pen to point at 4-down, ‘To proceed,’ and the three words he has written beside it: sail, toil, and till. Somehow his brain did the puzzling work of realizing long ago that the ‘l’ in ‘shel’ was the necessary fourth letter. “ Others require much more context.”

“And even still, some may seem to require context,” he says, pointing to the clue, ‘display of glee,’ which had nothing scribbled beside, “But actually require none at all, just experience and foresight.” And with that note, he moves quickly to the tiny space to which the clue corresponds and without checking anything else, writes ‘jig’ in large, bold, capital letters.

“Now how do you—“ you went to protest, but Harry interrupted you.

“Because it’s always jig. I know it could be ‘hah’ or ‘lol’ but it isn’t. It is always jig. There aren’t many other ways to get ‘j’s into the puzzle. Do a few crosswords and you don’t even have to finish reading the clue. That and emu. And Nave. V’s are tricky buggers, too.”

You sigh, “But I don’t have the experience to see the ‘j’ and the ‘v’ in our spy work yet. I just see the Silversteins and the capitals of France and the 2017 Best Picture winner.”

Harry’s hand reaches out to rub against your knuckles, comforting and supportive, “But, darling, you do. Every puzzle has a theme. Every target has his preferences. Find what is distinctive, what is rare. Trust your gut to see what doesn’t fit, what needs to be there because it can’t exist any other way. “

Harry lifts up the newspaper, revealing your workspace once again. He links his fingers with yours as he allows his free hand to run along the stack of papers before you.

“Scan,” he says, slow and emphatically. He lifts the stack like a book and flicks, one page each second with a satisfying click and swipe.

The first few pages go by with a blur. By the tenth, you are pulling out only a handful of words, though those words seem to make a story anyway: Ancoria, Konstantinos, $9,999, Ltd.

“Stop!” you say upon the sixtieth page or so. Harry’s hand grips yours a little tighter, sending a warm jolt down your spine. You see him smile out of the corner of your eyes at your apparent discovery.

“What do you see?” he asks, his shoulder brushing yours as he leans in. The rough wool of his jacket brushing against your bare arm is a pleasant contrast to the smooth skin of his palm that still pressed firmly into your own.

You use your free hand to point to the third transaction line.

“All the previous shell companies had Greece mythology names. Scylla, Nyx, Calliope. But this one is Roman: Decima. At least I think it is,” you bit your lip a little realizing this may be a stupid thing to call out, “But even if it isn’t, it doesn’t seem right. This also seems to be the only shell company for which we have names of the board of directors.”

Harry takes his pen and circles Decima with three big spins. He underlines each of the names listed on the board below and pulls the paper out of the stack and up to the top.

He draws his hands away from yours to close the pen and collect your stack together once more. He plops the newly assembled stack before you and makes to leave you. But as he stands with one knee against the footrest upon which he had been sitting, he hovers his body over you, his proximity doing little to help with the already intense heat of your skin from the fire. He leans forward and grazes his lips gently upon your forehead. As he pulls away, his hand finds your chin and he meets your gaze.

“That’s my girl,” he says with a smile before turning and walking swiftly out of the room, his newspaper abandoned to your pile.

With a renewed vigor, you dive deep into the papers, determined to see the odd inconsistencies that might provide context for the more common practices. As you continue to sip on your tea, you notice the cup had refilled and rewarmed itself. You never heard Harry enter the room at all.

The following morning, you wake with the sun. Little sleep had happened in the past day but you feel refreshed regardless. The long hours you had put in the night before resulted in quite a bit of relevant information and three distinct methods for tackling Jankovic, each with its merits and its challenges. But you are feeling confident for your meeting with Arthur, at least you were last night. This morning, you need to eat your breakfast and review your notes before providing your supervisor with your planned course of action.

You lift yourself from the plush comfort of your bed, the biggest benefit of spending the night at the manor, and walk towards your desk, which now is a much more organized collection of research: three distinct piles with three hand-written mission plans upon each.

You pull the blanket along with you, cocooning yourself as you sit at the desk and review your plans.

The first is a traditional approach: the honey-pot. In Andrej’s personal history, he has displayed a clear preference for your physical features. And even more, he has had no steady partners, just a series of lovers, all of whom were affiliated with other men simultaneously. In your time at Kingsman, it had already become clear that the type of people you took down got enjoyment out of breaking more than just the law.

Eggsy is the perfect partner for this plan. His flirtatious personality and social skills mean he can easily convince a group of people that you are a couple. With the gala at the hotel on Saturday, all it would take is a little skin and some well-placed winks on your end for Andrej to want to tempt you away from your handsome partner. And while you entertain Andrej’s attentions, Eggsy would be open to sneak into the depths of Andrej’s personal estate and gather what information was needed to take him down. Sure, this plan puts you right in the belly of the beast and therefore in the most direct line of danger, but it also gives you the best chance to adapt to new information and go with the flow.

The second plan is significantly less risky but requires more planning. A covert invasion of his security detail and hijacking of his automated banking systems would provide you all the information you needed to tear down the entire network. With Merlin’s mirror, you could cut down power to the hotel, sneak into the basement offices undetected, and bug and download what you needed. With Merlin, this plan could be flawless, with you using your combat background to take down the guards and his tech skills ensuring a full system overhaul without a trace. You would still need to get into the hotel, and the gala would work as a good cover, but unlike the honeypot, your goal would be to blend in as much as possible. It may not be the most glamourous plan, but it would certainly be the most efficient, and not to mention the most intimate, sneaking through darkened corridors and keeping as close as possible to avoid detection.

And finally the third plan would require approaching Jankovic directly, posing as British investors seeking to hide funds overseas, hoping to utilize Jankovic’s existing network to hide quite a bit of money quickly. And you’d be willing to pay for the services. You need credentials, as Andrej is a skeptical man, but he is also not the type of man who can pass up a quick cash opportunity. You could approach him at the gala, enquire about his services, and find out much from the horse’s mouth, supplementing what he tells you with the information would be able to mirror from his phones once you had him in the room with you. And in this, Harry could truly sign. A master of the art of blending in among the oddest of crowds, Harry could easily pose as the financial head of your organization, partners in crime in the truest sense. You wouldn’t have to steal anything in this plan. Andrej would give it freely, though it would require near perfect coordination between you and Harry.

As you add notes to the margins of your stacks, you look over at the post-it Arthur left on your files yesterday: Regroup noon, tomorrow. If you don’t leave now, you will be late. You throw on yesterday’s suit, scoop up what papers you need and rush to Arthur’s office.

The door is open when you arrive and Arthur is seated upon one of his couches, cutting into a perfectly roasted chicken breast as he beckons you forward.

“Discover anything useful?” he says after a swallow. He lifts his cloth napkin to his lips and waves out the door behind you. Pushing past you, his assistant cruises inside and grabs his plate with a nod before leaving.

Arthur waves a hand to the seat in front of him. You take your sit and go to speak, but before you can say a word, Arthur lifts a finger.

“Before you run me through the details, whom should I request be joining us for this briefing?”

“Um…”

And that’s a wrap for the prologue! Please let me know in the comments which route you’d like to me to work on first. :)

All tags: @fangirlandnerd, @aerdnandreaa, @thisisbullshytt, @cancerousjojian, @whovianayesha, @themarauderstheoutsidersandpeggy, @luna-xxxxx, @sleepylunarwolf, @starryrevelations, @potter-thinking, @all-by-myself98, @bananafosters-and-books, @cutie-bug, @igotmadskills, @hazelandcoconuts, @yallgotkik, @amberkay284, @the-new-galahad, @13ofjuly, @daft-not-punk

Kingsman tags: @allonsymexgirl, @eiensteiner, @thecaptainsgingersnap, @madamcadaver. @doct0rstrange, @ratwrites, @kaeleabres, @nellietara, @ediblemurderer, @allofthekingsmen

Harry Hart tags: @un-education, @lexicon04, @bananzaa, @consultingdoctorwholock, @sparrowharkness, @newconnorwhodis

Merlin tags: @consultingdoctorwholock, @sparrowharkness

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bellemorte180 · 4 years

Text

Wanderlust Epilogue

One Year Later

Klaus walked down the streets of London, the city still waking from a deep sleep on an early Saturday morning. He weaved in and out of the few people he passed, his umbrella in hand; knowing that the skies could open at any given moment. A small smirk played on his lips as he saw the double decker bus drive past and stopped at the cross walk. He had forgotten just how much he missed this city when he fled it nearly sixteen years earlier. He took a deep breath, feeling the slight summer chill that only an early morning in England could bring; not able to stop the smile that spread across his face.

For the past eight months, Klaus found himself living in the city and found that he held no regrets on choosing to relocate. He found a decent sized terraced house in the middle of the city and for the first time in his adult life, Klaus touched his inheritance from his mother and Mikael in order to buy it. It was close enough to his siblings that he saw them more frequently than he had before; finding that both a blessing and a curse.

He saw Rebekah and Elijah the most. Rebekah worked in London and he discovered that being near her helped him grieve the loss of his friend. When Klaus was in New Orleans, helping a grieving Celeste mourn her grandson, Rebekah showed up on her doorstep; silently doing what she could to help. She arranged the funeral when Celeste broke down; even sitting quietly on the porch in the southern heat, listening as Celeste spoke about Marcel in excruciating detail. Klaus could hear Rebekah cry herself to sleep on those nights; doing something he had not don’t since Rebekah was a small child, Klaus went into her room and held her until she fell asleep. Neither spoke on it but the siblings held a silent agreement; Marcel was someone they both loved and lost. It was in that moment he knew that he wanted to be more involved with their family than he had been in the past.

Despite the fact that Elijah, his wife Katerina and their now eighteen-month-old daughter lived just outside the city limits, he would often make the drive to see them. His life had changed completely, and he honestly could not help but think back to where he was a year previously. He was in such a complete dark place that he thought that he would never be able to dig himself out. He would be lying if he said that he was completely healed but life was better now that he stopped diving into the mind of serial killers and stopped punishing himself for Mikael’s sins.

And then there was her.

Klaus paused on a corner that stood before a small café that specialized in early morning tea. Despite being back in England, Klaus was still a coffee drinker and it was a habit that Elijah couldn’t break in him; not that he tried that hard, enjoying teasing his younger brother on his drink of choice rather than breaking it. Klaus gazed at the café and the woman who sat there with a brown dog that was waiting patiently at her feet.

Her hair was shorter than the last time he saw her; resting just above her chin. She was skinnier than he remembered but he knew that she was still having nightmares; more frequently as the one-year anniversary of Matt’s death approached. She was in a blue sundress, a white cardigan and sandals; she had never looked more beautiful to him, although he said that every time, he laid eyes on her after being apart for some time.

“Caroline!” Klaus called, not caring about the dirty looks he got by those who passed by him. He knew she hated being approached unexpectedly, with good reason, so Klaus always made sure to announce his presence when he saw her. Caroline popped her head up, a wide smile gracing her features. The dog perked his head up and started wagging his tail widely; unable to run to Klaus due to his leash.

He crossed the street and walked up to her; Caroline all but bounced out of her seat. She threw her arms around his neck and Klaus pulled her close to him. He inhaled her scent and just basked in the feeling of having her in his arms again; it had been three months since he had seen her last, a small weekend trip to Barcelona in order to celebrate being off his probationary period at his new job.

“I wondered when you would show your face.” Caroline teased him with a wide smile. Her blue eyes sparkled with happiness and mirth; something that he loved to see. While Caroline was always beautiful to him, happiness only enhanced that loveliness. “A woman does not like to be kept waiting.”

“My apologize. I had to kick my other girlfriend out of the townhouse.” Klaus teased, knowing perfectly well how empty his house typically was. Caroline rolled her eyes and stood on her tiptoes and kissed him gently, letting her lips linger against his. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.” Caroline whispered softly before pulling away and sitting down on the chair. Enzo, who was still wagging is tail and waiting to be acknowledged began to whine. Klaus smiled and bent down to pet the dog, who was now trying to lick Klaus’s face. “Enzo, down. Behave.” Enzo didn’t listen and if Klaus was honest, he didn’t mind. He would never mention it aloud, but he had grown rather fond of the mutt and whenever Caroline made the trip to London, he was just as excited to see the brown dog as he was the dog’s master. Klaus gave Enzo one last pat before taking a seat across from Caroline. “I ordered you a black coffee and got a really nasty look from the server. I think she mentioned about something being a bloody American?”

“Well, Love. She wouldn’t be wrong.” He reached across the table and gripped her hand; his eyes spying the never-ending pink suitcase that had been Caroline’s constant companion for the past year. It wasn’t that Caroline fled Mystic Falls but for the past several months, but she had taken every single work trip that was tossed her way; rarely staying in one place for a long period of time. The wanderlust that she always had resurfaced with full force. Klaus knew that she was trying to prove something, not just to herself, but to Matt as well. “It’s one of the many things I love about you.”

Caroline’s face flushed red and Klaus smiled so wide that his dimples became pronounced as the server came back with their two coffees and what looked like a muffin for Caroline. Klaus remembered the exact moment he knew for sure that he loved her. He had spent four months in New Orleans, helping Celeste and just trying to figure out where he was going in life. During that time, he spoke with Caroline almost on a daily basis. Three weeks after Marcel’s funeral, she made the trip down to see him; unable to stand Mystic Falls any longer and the chaos that was left in the wake of Matt’s death.

Celeste insisted on meeting the woman she claimed captured his heart; a fact that Rebekah had teased him mercilessly on. Although Rebekah refused to admit that she adored Caroline and the friendship that bloomed between them slightly terrified Klaus. Then one night he awoke alone in the bed, terrified that Caroline had another nightmare. She had but what he found broke his heart. In the middle of Celeste’s kitchen, he found Caroline comforting the old woman as she broke down over the loss of Marcel. Celeste spent the majority of her time in tears and its part of the reason why Klaus stayed in New Orleans for so long. Caroline was suffering and barely hanging on by a thread and yet, she spent her evening comforting someone else. Seeing her hold Celeste’s hand and just listening had an impact on Klaus that he never experienced.

The love he felt for her hit him like a tidal wave.

“I love you too.” Caroline leaned across the table and gave him another kiss. The kiss lingered for a bit longer than either one intended, but it had been three months since they last saw one another, and Klaus was unsure how long Caroline would be in London; for she did not give him an exact time frame. Caroline pulled away and went back to eating her muffin. “So, how is working treating you?”

“It’s good. Really good. The beauty about white collar crime is that it is never boring, but I’m home every day no later than six.” Caroline brightened at the news. When Klaus landed the job with Scotland Yard’s white-collar division, no one was more excited than Caroline. “And having the weekends off is nice too.”

“I agree.” They shared a small smile, knowing full well that Klaus would take a weekend and go to whatever country in Europe Caroline was in at the time; given that it was a train ride away. The memories they created, far away from Mystic Falls where some that he held dear. “Look at you, working nine to five and staying in one place. I’m proud of you.”

“Well, not all of us can jet set off around the world.” Klaus teased her back and Caroline laughed, a sound that he dearly loved to listen too. Klaus made a promise to himself that he would hear her laugh at least once every day, even when they were in different countries. After everything she had been through, Klaus thought it was only just that she had as much laughter in her life as possible. “How was the train ride in from Paris? I would have picked you up at the station.”

“I know but my train left early and plus, I like meeting you at a random café. It’s our thing.” It was their thing. Wherever she was, they would meet at a small café of her choosing and they would have coffee together in the morning before spending their weekend together; or longer depending on the trip she was on. “That and I might have told you a slight fib.”

“Oh?”

“Nothing major…well okay it is major, but I wanted to surprise you.” Caroline told him in a chipper voice that had him narrowing his eyes. “So, about a month ago my boss pulled me into her office. I was already set to do the Paris trip when she gave me an offer. The company wants to expand their London branch and she wanted to know if I would be interested in overseeing it. The job would be more nine to five than what I’m doing now and would require less travel. I mean I would still travel but-”

“What are you saying?” Klaus’s heart began to beat faster and wondered if she meant what he was thinking. He had made it no secret that he wanted to take the next step with Caroline but knew that she needed time to sort out her feelings. She had a rough year and the last thing he wanted to do was push her. “Caroline?”

“I’m moving to London-“ Klaus did not let her finish, having all but leapt across the table to kiss her with far more passion than the kiss they shared earlier had been. Caroline could not help but laugh into his lips nor the bright smile that was on his as they broke apart. “Well, if I was going to get that reaction, I might have told you sooner. You’re going to have to tell your other girlfriend that its over though.”

“There is no other woman, Caroline.” It was a small joke between the two of them and Klaus knew it was born out of the trust between them. Neither Klaus nor Caroline wanted to be with anyone else, but they acknowledged that they were not ready to be completely serious right away. Their friendship and eventual relationship blossomed out of late-night calls, video chats and frequent trips to random cities over Europe. “Are you sure this is what you want? I don’t want to push you. I don’t want you to move to England just for me.”

“I’m not Klaus.” She took his hand. “You are a big incentive for me moving here. Not only that but this job is a big opportunity for me as well. I’m pretty much going to be the boss and that’s is something we both know I’ll excel at.” Klaus full on laughed at hearing her say that. If Caroline was good at anything, it was being in control. “And I don’t like being in Mystic Falls. It’s not home anymore and I just hate being there.”

“I know.” Klaus knew how hard it was for Caroline to be in the town that was home to her own personal monster. There were times when Klaus was getting ready to head to work some mornings and he would get a call from Caroline because she was suffering from a nightmare. Matt was always the center of them, either successful in killing her, her loved ones or even Klaus being the one killed instead of Marcel. The list went on and on; living in Mystic Falls only made it worse. “I just want to know you’re ready to settle. It’s only been a year, Sweetheart.”

“I’ve traveled more this past year than I ever had before. I’ve been to Bulgaria, Russia, Italy, France more times than I can count, and all over the United States. I’m tired and I am ready to stay in one place.” Caroline gave his hand a squeeze. “And I’m ready for more. I’m ready to really be with you. I love you and I’ve known that for a while. I just needed time and you gave that to me.”

“I intend to be your last love Caroline. Take all the time you need.” Klaus told her. He knew that she was it for him. While he hated the way they had met and wished he could take the scabbed over wounds away, he would not trade her for anything. He loved her. His family loved her. He wanted to do all the things a man did with a woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with; he just needed her to be ready.

“I’m ready. I promise.” They shared a smile and Enzo let out a groan; the two of them forgetting that he was there. They looked down at the impatient dog and Klaus nodded. They paid for their small breakfast and Caroline grabbed her suitcase while Klaus rounded up Enzo; the dog overly excited to be moving along somewhere else other than being tied to a chair. Caroline grabbed Klaus’s umbrella and faceted onto her suitcase while Klaus continued to try and calm Enzo down; who now realized he was going on another walk.

Caroline reached for his free hand, linking their fingers together before they headed off down the street. The city was becoming livelier than it had been previously and the pair passed a few people along the way that clearly appeared to be having a bad day; but Klaus did not care. The woman he loved was holding his hand and everything in his life seemed to shine just a tiny bit brighter.

Caroline was coming home.

They reached the house quickly, it only being a fifteen-minute walk from the café and Klaus eagerly let her inside the front door. The first thing to be seen upon walking into the house was a thin staircase that lead up to the second floor. There was an archway that lead into the living room and a long hallway that lead to the kitchen. Klaus bent down and unhooked the leash from Enzo’s collar; letting the dog run wild into the house.

Caroline made her way down to the kitchen, her laugh bouncing off the walls as she watched Enzo run around excitedly after having been on a train for a few hours. Klaus watched as she opened the back door and let the dog run wild in his fenced in back yard; something he had in mind when he bought the house because the idea of Caroline and her dog one day moving in with him was appealing, even if it was nothing more than a day dream at the time.

Klaus watched as Caroline moved around the kitchen, pulling a glass from the cabinet and filling it with the orange juice from the refrigerator. She was speaking to him. He heard her voice, but it was hard for him to focus on the words when she was in his home doing something so mundane as pouring a glass of orange juice and had every intention of staying there for the rest of her life.

“I sold my old house, well, in the middle of it. There is some negotiation on the buyers end but it’s as good as theirs. Mom and Bonnie helped me pack up everything and Mom is going to ship it here over the next few weeks. Now that she is retired, she doesn’t have much going on. Oh, she is coming for Christmas by the way.” Caroline took a drink of her orange juice and continued to prattle on. “The big-ticket items are being given away, except my couch. Yours sucks so whenever mine gets here, we are getting rid of-what are you doing?”

“I love you.” Klaus wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned down to kiss her again. He could listen to Caroline talk a mile a minute about everything under the sun but in that moment, he wanted to kiss her for the first time in their home. The kiss turned passionate and Caroline pressed her body as closely to Klaus as she possibly could. “I really love you.”

Klaus reached down and scooped her up into his arms; slowly lowering them to the ground. Caroline’s back rested against the fluffy rug, that Rebekah helped pick out, that was in front of his sink. Her arms were wrapped around his shoulders as their lips molded together again. She spread her legs in order for Klaus to rest between them; his covered erection making contact with Caroline’s core, her dress having rode up to her waist revealing a lacy white panty set that made Klaus wonder if there was a matching bra that went along with it.

“Klaus.” Caroline muttered out as his lips trailed from her lips down her jaw line. She hissed as his teeth nipped at her earlobe. “Are we really having sex on your kitchen floor? There is a bed upstairs.”

“Our kitchen.” Klaus lightly corrected. “And the beds too far. Next round.”

“Next round?”

“Oh Sweetheart, we’re not leaving this house until at least Monday morning.” With that Klaus leaned down and kissed her again; his hands pushing the white cardigan off her shoulders; Caroline slipping her arms of the of sleeves while Klaus trailed a line of kisses down her collarbone. Caroline moaned as his teeth nipped at the skin right above the bone. Klaus slowly dragged her blue sundress over her breasts revealing a matching strapless bra. He leaned in and kissed the tops of her breasts, his tongue peaking tracing the valley between her breasts. He knew it had been a few months since he last had been with her but having her beneath him again, only confirmed how much he desperately loved her.

His hand made its way up her toned legs and slipped his fingers onto the center of the panties and pulled them down, tossing them over his shoulder. He traced a finger up and down her slit, feeling how wet she was for him. He circled her entrance before slowly pushing a finger inside her. Caroline arched against the hardwood floor; moaning Klaus’s name as she did. He added another finger and then slowly began thrusting them in and out of her. His thumb pressed against the bundle of nerves; causing her to cry out.

“Klaus. Hmm. Don’t stop.” Caroline’s eyes were shut tight and Klaus watched her face with rapid attention. He took in each and every moment of her pleasure; how she bit her lip and how her one had grasped the wooden cabinet, digging her nails into it. He could see her eye fluttering behind her closed eyelids and when the moment the cord snapped inside her, her walls pulsing around his fingers, he watched as her mouth opened; forming an ‘O’ shape. As she slowly climbed down from her eye, a smile graced her lips.

Klaus pulled his fingers from her and Caroline gave a light chuckle. Caroline’s eyes locked with his and she tossed him a coy smile; Klaus only returning it with a dimpled one of his own. He quickly pulled his Henley over his head and tossed onto the ground. He reached down and unbuckled his pants enough for him to pull them just down over his thighs. Caroline opened her arms and Klaus crawled over her, allowing her to wrap her arms around his shoulders. She buried her fingers into his hair and pulled him down for a searing kiss.

Reaching between them, Klaus aligned himself with her entrance and slowly pushed in; not stopping for a condom as he knew that Caroline had an IUD inserted several months ago and neither one of them had any other sexual partners. Caroline whimpered into his ear while Klaus’s jaw slacked at the feeling of her surrounding him again. Allowing themselves a moment to adjust, Klaus pulled out before slowly thrusting back inside. His hips created a soft rhythm that teased and tantalized them both.

“I love you.” Klaus whispered in her ear; her hips meeting him thrust for thrust. “I think I fell in love with you the moment I laid eyes on you. You are so beautiful, strong, and compassionate that I couldn’t help what I feel for you. You’ve took over my senses and brought so much light into my life.” He leaned down and kissed her on the lips again. “I want everything with you. I want to wake up next to you. I want you to be the first thing I see and the last before I go to sleep. I want to hear your laugh when I come home and for you to roll your eyes at me when I do something ridicules”.

“Klaus. Please. I love you too.” Caroline whispered, a series of happy tears pooling in her eyes. She brought his head down to hers, kissing him deeply as she wrapped her legs around his waist; changing the angle of his thrusts ever so slightly. “Don’t stop loving me. Please.”

“All I want to do is love you. I want to love you every day and every night. One day I want marry you and have children with you. I want to hold your hand and grow old with you. I want to build a life with you here or in Paris or anywhere. Pick a place and I’ll be there.” Klaus stilled over her, his orgasm coming on by surprise and spilled himself inside her. “Sorry...”

“Don’t be. I’m happy.” Caroline told him with happy tears still lingering in her eyes. Klaus leaned down and kissed her again before rolling off of her. He laid against the wood floor and pulled up his pants. Caroline propped her head up against the palm of her hand while her elbow rested on the wood flooring. Her finger reached out and traced a small line down his chest and then back up; biting her lip deep in thought. “I’ve thought long and hard about this and everything you said. I want it too. I want a home and yours is here now. Mine stopped being home a long time ago. I love you and want to build that life you described with you.”

He knew that she did. All those plans they had made over the last several months were slowly coming to fruition. Klaus just needed to know that she was ready. The last thing he wanted from her was regret that they moved too soon; but he knew that he needed to trust her. All of her wounds were not magically healed in the span of a year, but Klaus knew that he would be there to hold her when she needed it. He never wanted Caroline to face what she had during Matt’s reign in Mystic Falls again. Klaus wanted to hold her up high when she succeeds and catch her when she fell; he wanted to be her partner in all things, even in her darkest of moments. Klaus reached up to touch her face, tracing her cheekbone with his thumb. All the words he wanted to say were dying on his lips, but he knew that she understood.

But before he could say anything at all, the two of them heard a series of barking outside the back door. Klaus and Caroline tilted their heads to see Enzo going crazy outside the door, his tail wagging wildly. They shared a quick glance at one another and broke out laughing.

“I suppose we should let him in.” Klaus said in a light manner and pulled himself off the floor, holding out his hand to Caroline. Without a second thought, she gripped it and he pulled her to her feet. With a final kiss on the top of her head, he moved to the back door in order to let Enzo inside. The dog burst through the door and all but ran into the living room; assuming to find the toys that Klaus still kept around the house during their visits.

He looked over his shoulder and saw Caroline standing in the hallway with a small smile on her lips. She tilted her head; gazing at him with a hint of mischief in her eyes. Slowly, she dropped the blue sundress that she was holding up around her body and let it fall to the floor. She reached behind her and tossed the bra on the ground as well. Klaus took a step forward, but Caroline held up a finger, stalling him. A saucy smile played on her lips and before Klaus could move, Caroline took off running up the stairs; her laughter ringing the entire way. Without a second thought, Klaus took off after her. When he caught up with her on the second landing, Caroline joyful squeal could be heard echoing throughout the house.

Caroline settled into London with ease and built a life for herself, but she was never fully able to let go of the wanderlust Matt so desperately wanted to stamp out of her. Yet, no matter where her travels took her, Klaus knew he would always be there to welcome her home.

Fin.

A/N: I'm half asleep posting this and I'm just in shock honestly. I cannot believe that its done and over. A couple things:

First) I want to say thank you to everyone who read Wanderlust and fell in love with it. I've gotten so many positive comments, reviews and just support from the fandom, more than I could have ever thought of. I never imagined how this story would have turned out or the massive response I got.

Second) I'm not doing a sequel. The last chapter and epilogue are pretty final. HOWEVER that does not mean I won't do an future outtake here or there if the mood strikes. I have nothing in the works BUT it could happen. If it does, I'll do what I did with the Just Good Business outtake and tack it onto the end of this story...

Finally) I'm doing a Q&A tomorrow (feel free to send asks today if you feel like it). Basically, its all Wanderlust related and nothing is off limits with this story. You have questions, I'll answer. Again, I just want to say thank you to everyone who read this story and became invested. Thank you to @klavscaroline for creating the betting pool and to all those who participated. Thank you to @klarolineagainnaturally for making the amazing banner I used when posting on Tumblr.

Just thank you.

Erica

#klaroline #Wanderlust #the final chapter

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withthebreezesblown · 7 years

Text

Fully Qualified: A Knight Shop Fic

I blame @trulycertain for this ridiculous nonsense (and by blame her, I mean I thank her for inviting me to be part of such good fun. I also thank her, @aphreal42, @cherieofthedragons, and @celeritassagittae [and anyone I might have missed] for creating such a spectacularly fun universe that they are willing to share).

The woman at the counter is tapping her nails against the surface, the chipped nail polish flashing between pink and gold with the movement. When Cullen approaches, she tilts her chin, peaking over the top of a pair of oversized teal Jackie O sunglasses that clash magnificently with her magenta hair, before snapping it back up.

“I need a knight.”

Although he can’t place the woman, she’s familiar in a way that raises a sort of sixth sense in him. She’s going to be a difficult one. His voice is perhaps a bit more suspicious than necessary when he responds, “What services do you require?”

There’s the slightest hesitation before she says, “Animal assistance,” and suddenly he remembers precisely why she seems familiar, though her hair was not such a memorable color the last time he dealt with her.

It isn’t the most professional response he’s ever composed, but before he can help himself, the words are coming out: “Dear Maker, don’t tell me that beast of yours needs a suppository again.”

Her nails stop tapping at last. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. And Kitten is my only pet, and she is a purebred mabari princess of the highest caliber, not a beast, so you clearly have us both mistaken with someone else.”

Cullen’s expression is nonplussed. He draws a terse to compose himself. “Six months ago I administered a suppository to Kitten, after which you told her, ‘Don’t be mad at me! He’s the one that jammed that up your--’” Cullen clears his throat, replaces the word from the quotation with the noise ahem, and continues, voice flat, without any mimicry, which somehow seems to make the quotation all the more amusing to the woman. “‘You can bite him if you’re so angry.’ At which point she did. At which point you asked her, ‘Who’s a good girl?’ In a ridiculous voice.”

“Hm.” The woman adjusts her sunglasses. “Doesn’t ring a bell. But really, if a mabari bit you and you still have use of your arm, it wasn’t so bad. I mean, it could have been much worse. Paralysis. Actual limb loss. Sounds like whoever bit you wasn’t even really trying.”

“I didn’t mention that it was my arm she bit.”

“Well.” Laying the glasses on the counter, the woman flashes what she obviously thinks is a dazzling smile at Cullen. “Lucky guess. I read tarot cards sometimes, you know. It’s a bit of a gift. So, anyway. I need a knight. This afternoon.”

He considers telling her that after the last… task she hired the Knight Shop to complete for her, she is considered in breach of contract and no longer eligible to buy their services. He considers telling her that services need to be booked at least a week in advance. He considers just telling her no one is available in the afternoon, a lie to get rid of her. And then he looks down and sees who is available in the afternoon, and suddenly a polite smile crosses his face.

“Yes. Well, you’re in luck. I have just the knight for you.” It’s only a polite smile, he reassures himself. There’s certainly no smug self-satisfaction as he marks the appointment on Alistair’s availability. After all, he’s entirely over the suit of armor incident. This isn’t revenge. That wouldn’t be professional.

That is, much to Cullen’s misfortune, the moment she notices the sign at the counter that reads, “Ask how to become a knight!” It had seemed like a good recruitment idea when Josephine had printed it after a recent upsurge in popularity had left them frequently short handed, but Cullen feels himself cringe when the woman’s face lights up.

“Are you hiring?”

“No.” The answer comes rapidly enough to sound honest. He hopes.

Her eyes narrow. “I happen to be fully qualified to be a knight, I’ll have you know. Do not offend my honor, ser, or I will be forced to prove it.”

“A fully qualified knight who is incapable of administering a suppository to her own dog.” The statement is so flat and blunt that it doesn’t even qualify as a question.

If her face had lit up reading the sign, the spark that comes into her eyes now is something else entirely. For an instant it almost makes him reconsider the wisdom of responding as he did.

“A thousand dollars says I can knock you, fully armed, on your ass with nothing but a quarterstaff. You win, I give the Knight Shop a thousand dollars. I win, you hire me. Come on, now.” She plants her palms on the counter and leans in again, brows wiggling suggestively. “What have you got to lose?”

Two days later, Marian is standing in the middle of the Knight Shop’s training room floor, testing the familiar weight of her favorite quarterstaff, the smooth-worn wood comforting in her hands as she smiles to herself. The piously, stoically chivalrous type can be so easy to bait, she thinks.

As she turns to face her audience, she waves enthusiastically. “Hello, future coworkers!”

She’s met with varying levels of skepticism and curiosity.

“Oh!” She tips her head to examine the arm of the tall, tattooed bloke beside her. “You’ll have to tell me where you get those; they’re excellent.”

His only response is a slight tip of his head, which she assumes is a nod of affirmation as she turns toward Cullen.

“All right, Ser Grouch-a-lot, are you ready to have your ass handed to you?” She leans against the staff, hip propped out.

Cullen just snorts and gives a few practice sweeps with his fencing sword.

The “duel” begins very officially, presided over by a pretty woman with an Antivan accent.

“So.” Marian wastes no time launching into her shittalking. “Just how fast can a big guy like you move?”

As she expects, he assumes she’s distracted by her mouth (they always do), moving in immediately, thinking to end this before it’s begun, but she is the one who moves faster than he anticipates, spinning and darting so that she’s nearly circled him by the time he realizes she’s moved. Oh, no. Not without a show. She stays on the offensive, letting him get close enough a few times to make the point that she knows what she’s doing with the quarterstaff, blocking easily.

They’re well past the point where she expects him to start panting when she accepts that she isn’t going to wear him out that easily. High quality knights indeed. When she finally makes her move, staff swiping out to knock his knees out from under him, she underestimates his agility. He lands hard on one knee, but keeps his sword up, nearly catching her with it as she attempts to knock him the rest of the way backwards.

The next several attempts are no more successful. After her fifth attempt, there’s an instant of uncertainty, and she responds to as she always does: with belligerence. Skittering away to get some distance between them, with one fluid move she pulls her shirt off and tosses it aside, revealing the lacy bra beneath.

She’s already moving when she takes in the look on Cullen’s face. It is every bit as appalled as she expects, and doesn’t even particularly change until a moment after he lands flat on his back. There’s an immediate uproar, though Cullen is easily the loudest

“You can’t--That’s not--” He’s sputtering.

She can’t help giggling. “No one said a bit of magic was off limits.”

“That is not magic! Those are your--that’s--”

“I have most certainly been told that my tits are magical. Look at them. They definitely count as magic. Magic is a perfectly fair fighting technique.”

“No. Absolutely not.” He’s finally regained his feet, but his face is still flaming red as he adamantly refuses to look at her. “You forfeit. You did not just win.”

“No, no!” A long legged woman is laughing so hard that she has to prop herself up against the wall--a rather exquisitely legged woman, Marian can’t help noticing as she admires the armor print leggings the woman has on. “I think it counts! She won! We should hire her.”

“That’s absurd! She--for the Maker’s sake, can you put your shirt back on?!”

It comes down to a vote. Erren, the leggy one, votes yes immediately, and the tattooed one, who seems to be named Gal, follows suit quickly enough. Cullen is obviously against her employment, and a dour faced if beautiful woman beside him backs him up. The only other female knight votes no with a faintly apologetic smile.

She’s quite relieved she didn’t let Kitten bite Alistair when he votes yes, which leaves just Beardy and Josephine, the Antivan proprietor.

Beardy votes yes with a look of amusement, and though that leaves four in favor and three against, Marian doubts that if the proprietor votes no anyone will ask for a tie breaker.

She draws a breath and makes sure her smile stays casual, because she’d sooner choke on her own tongue than admit how badly she wants in on this strange get-up.

The woman contemplates her a long moment before sighing. “Technically there were no rules against--” she clears her throat sternly “magic in the contract. That will be modified immediately. And,” her expression down right steely, “there will be a probationary period.” The hard look on her face softens and warms after a pause. “But, yes. We’ll try it out. Welcome to the Knight Shop, Marian Hawke.”

#breezes drivel #dragon age fanfiction #the knight shop au #i had way too much fun writing this

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bi-apps · 4 years

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Accepted - Remus Lupin

whatwouldfrogsdo

submitted: Remus Lupin Application

OOC Information:

Name/Age/Timezone- Steph / 26 / GMT

Activity Level- A solid 7. I’m not currently self-isolating and work in a grocery store so don’t see myself out of work even as COVID-19 carries on but everything else in my life has been cancelled so I should be on most days.

Ships/Anti-Ships- None in particular, though I prefer to play Remus as a closeted gay and generally reluctant to get into a ship at all. He plays his secrets off each other, using not being ready to come out of the closet as a reason to break things off with prospective partners just before the Full Moon. In terms of keeping things canon with his future marriage to Dora, I see that as being more a case of him having lost everyone by then and probably it being a more queer platonic relationship, however Marauder era RPs rarely end up covering that, especially where Andromeda and Ted are characters in the RP.

Did you read the rules? Yes!

IC Information:

Character Name- Remus Lupin

Age/Birthdate- 19; 10th March 1960

Faceclaim- Charlie Heaton, Tom Holland, Charlie Rowe.

Occupation- Unemployed. (( Remus has already had multiple jobs since leaving Hogwarts but none last long. He was a dish washer at the Leaky Cauldron for all of two weeks before they asked him to work a Full Moon and fired him when he couldn’t give a good enough reason not to. The manager of the Magical Menagerie was suspicious of him wanting a lowly shop job despite his six NEWTs and thought she was doing Remus a favour when she gave him a pile of applications for the Ministry of Magic and let him go. Remus stopped turning up to his cleaning job in Knockturn Alley when the owner of the lot started dropping hints that they knew what he was. His longest job so far has been as a receptionist in a Muggle office but after his second period of sick leave without a doctor’s note within his two month probationary period they had no choice but to let him go. ))

Blood Status- Half-blood (Half-blood father and Muggle mother)

Positive traits: + selfless: Remus would do anything for his friends no matter the cost to him. + compassionate: Possibly an odd trait for somebody known as a prankster, Remus sees the good in those around him and empathises with them. He would take the side of an underdog over the easier but less righteous choice. His compassionate nature also helps him to forgive people when they have done wrong. + astute: While Remus generally has to work at being book smart, his sharp perception of the world comes naturally. He can think quickly and intuitively to turn a situation to his advantage, whether that is in finding loopholes for the next marauder prank, in assessing a situation that might be about to turn sour or in identifying somebody who needs a word of encouragement.

Negative traits: - people pleaser: Remus has a tendency to look the other way when the other Marauders are breaking rules. He might not participate if he doesn’t really agree with what they are doing, particularly in the past when James and Sirius would bully others at Hogwarts, but he certainly didn’t do anything to stop or stand up to his friends, because as the first people who showed him real friendship, he doesn’t want to lose that by disappointing them and spoiling their fun. - self-deprecating: Remus hates everything that reminds him of his lycanthropy, especially the parts of his personality which are shaped by his condition. Though the support of his friends has helped him come to terms with his fate, Remus is still prone to some doubt and shame over the werewolf part of him, especially when his friends aren’t around. - vengeful: While Remus will forgive somebody for one wrong if they show contrition, if somebody earns his anger then they should beware. On the wrong side of him, Remus is a force to be reckoned with.

Patronus- Wolf. He has successfully managed a corporeal patronus and is now teaching himself how to hide the form of his patronus as he hates any reminders of the wolf.

Boggart- The Full Moon. This is representative of Remus’ fear of what he becomes each month, his dread of each upcoming Full Moon and the way each that has passed leaves scars mental as well as physical.

Key Points-

CHILDHOOD: From the night he was bitten, Remus grew up in isolation units and hospital wards and the confining four walls of his bedroom. His life would forever be shaped by that monthly pattern and a fear of others finding out. His home-schooling involved not just basic numeracy and literacy but also Astronomy and muggle physics and an extensive education into what it meant to be a werewolf. His father taught him about all the magical creatures he encountered at work and his Healer taught him about home remedies and the properties of various herbs, because a side effect of his condition was a childhood riddled with illness and a struggle to make ends meet. His parents poured every last Galleon that they owned into searching for a cure or moving to another town after their latest neighbours started to suspect something was amiss with the family, only a few spare coins each month for each of their vices (Italian coffee and books; cigarettes and music records; chocolate frogs and colouring pencils). In between other lessons, Lyall Lupin did everything he could to ensure Remus would be prepared for a nomadic adulthood — a life on the streets, friendless and penniless — deaf to Hope’s pleas that they try and help him get back to some notion of a normal life.

HOGWARTS: Having been pulled out of muggle primary school when he was bitten, it never occured to Remus that Hogwarts might ever be an option for him. He was so excited when Professor Dumbledore visited the family personally to discuss the possibility that he barely noticed his parents’ worried exchanges and fears. It was only after Professor Dumbledore had left and Remus started to compare the next year’s Full Moons to his new school calendar that it dawned on him just how complicated this would be. Yes, Dumbledore had promised him special provisions, but what of his dormmates? What of that very first weekend of his first year when he would have to feign a very different illness to explain away his disappearance so early in the term? It was his mother who suggested that he could say she had a chronic illness and that he was visiting her whenever there was a Full Moon but he had not known James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew for long before he realised they would not buy that as a reason for skipping classes or being absent from the dorm every month like clockwork. Remus, glad to finally have friends and terrified he would lose them if they found out the truth, made up different and increasingly more elaborate stories but he wasn’t a good enough liar to hide from his best friends and soon they had a bond closer than Remus could have ever hope for. He had a pack.

BETRAYAL: Everything seemed to go wrong at once. A betrayal from his best of friends — his only friends — revealing the secret his life had been devoted to keeping for the purpose of a cheap and fatal prank. Remus felt convinced all three of them were in on it because they always were. He avoided and argued and was the most miserable he had been since starting Hogwarts. It was during this period of low that he had a careers meeting that highlighted how dim his prospects after Hogwarts would be and Remus was reminded of what his father had tried to impress on him all these years — that werewolves weren’t supposed to have the sort of life he had been playing at, with education and friends and happiness. The next Full Moon was during the Easter holidays and unable to bear sitting in the Shrieking Shack alone, he went home. He asked his parents why him. Unable to fob him off with any more half-truths or excuses, his father finally opened up about Greyback. Remus had to hear how his father had once held the same prejudices about werewolves as the rest of the wizarding world and make his own conclusion that maybe he still did. After all, he had almost stopped Remus from living his life after the bite, no matter how much he claimed it was for Remus’ own good. The resulting argument was brutal but soon cut short by hacking coughs and Lyall turning on his wife and snapping at her to stop smoking those damn things. Her hand was shaking as she ignored him and tried to light the cigarette anyway. Remus noticed for the first time that she looked very ill, so ill that his using her as an excuse all those months appeared to be coming back to bite him.

MARAUDERS: They had been his first ever friends and when Remus returned to school he knew he could avoid them no longer. He needed them. Life would be much too lonely without them and, besides, he had grown too used to their being by his side during transformations. He missed them so deeply that he melted when he saw them again. Barely had he stepped into the carriage on the Hogwarts Express did forgiveness fill his heart. He reminded himself of what he had always believed: that he wasn’t good enough for them. That he was nothing more than a monster and at least he should be grateful that they still wanted his friendship. He was indebted to them. How could he keep pushing them away when they equalled the happiest moments of his life so far? Even with that awful Incident, none of them were a part of the worst moments of his life. So, he let them fall back together and patch up the cracks in their friendship with jokes and pranks and throwing themselves towards war, knowing that it didn’t matter to him how they felt. They could pity him and fear him and be prepared to brush him away without a second thought again. He would die for them anyway.

THE ORDER: Despite good grades, a stellar reference from his Head of House and three years in the role of Prefect, Remus was not surprised to find it hard to find or hold down a job after school. Employers wizarding and muggle alike did not look kindly on him taking sick leave less than a month after being hired and inevitably after the second month he was circling ads in the newspaper again. Sometimes it didn’t even take that long, as Remus found himself prioritising the Order of the Phoenix more and more, slipping seamlessly into the role he now knew he had been raised for: the Order’s spy amongst the werewolves.

Changes/Extra Info- No changes, and I think I’ve included any extra info I might want to give elsewhere but as I’ve played variations on Remus’ character for years I have tons of headcanons so if there’s anything extra/different you want to know or clarify just shoot me a message!

Para Sample

(scars cw; minor body mutilation cw; non-deliberate self-harm cw)

It had been three days. Three days since the moon was full. Three days since Remus had only barely avoided becoming a murderer. Three days since Snape had found out his secret. Three days since Remus had spoken.

He had been avoiding nearly everybody, curled up in his bed in the corner of the Hospital Wing, the curtains drawn around him as Madam Pomfrey shooed any visitors away with claims of his having dragon pox. Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall had both visited to talk about The Incident and ask how he was recovering but even then Remus had stared at the ceiling and acted like he couldn’t hear them. When they had suggested he get back to lessons and try to find a normal routine, his eyes had snapped to Madam Pomfrey, who had insisted that his injuries from the particularly difficult night and the mental strain from the trauma meant she wouldn’t be discharging him from her care just yet.

That morning, however, he had lost his ally in Poppy Pomfrey. She had sighed down at him and admitted that she couldn’t let him hide there any longer. It had been three days and he was risking falling into a depression if he refused to do anything any longer. Besides, his injuries were little more than shining scars, now, that would bother him no longer except for the reminder of how terrible that night had been. Even the bruise down the right side of his body from where the wolf had thrown itself at a wall in its desperation to reach human blood had faded to yellow and no longer hurt.

“Do you want me to leave a bandage around your wrist?” Pomfrey asked, as Remus reluctantly dressed. He looked down at the scars. The skin was no longer raw but the scars didn’t look as old as they sometimes did after three days of werewolf speed healing. Remus shook his head. It looked bad and somebody would surely jump to the conclusion his extended stay in the hospital was due to something much darker than dragon pox, but as it was he could pull the cuffs of his jumper or robes over the marks. A bandage would only draw attention.

“I wish there was a way to stop you chewing on yourself. The scratches are bad enough but—“ She trailed off with a pained expression and Remus knew she was thinking again of the state of his wrist when she had found him at dawn and how much worse it could have been. She shook her head and pressed a bottle of scar reducing cream into his hands. “Run along to breakfast, now, and I expect not to see you back here at all this weekend.”

“Can’t—“ Remus’ voice came out scratchy from disuse. He swallowed painfully. “Can’t I have breakfast here and go straight to Potions?” Or just skip Potions. He didn’t need to go to Potions, surely. He couldn’t deal with Slughorn on top of Snape and Black and Potter and Pettigrew. He couldn’t deal with the smells and fumes that always threatened to overwhelm him in the dungeons. He couldn’t deal with struggling through his worst subject and unwilling, unable to ask for help.

“Don’t be silly!” Pomfrey, the traitor, said. She handed him his cloak and pushed him towards the door.

He didn’t go to the Great Hall. Instead, his steps turned to the basement. House elves were buzzing with activity in the kitchens but with breakfast open upstairs Remus was the only human there. The elves didn’t seem to mind him weaving between the tables and plating up a breakfast for himself before the platters went up to the Hall.

He wouldn’t have long to run all the way upstairs, get his school bag, and return down to the dungeons before Potions but Remus couldn’t find the motivation to eat any faster. He was dreading seeing the boys who less than a week ago he would have called his best friends.

“Mr Lupin.”

Remus tensed at Professor McGonagall’s voice. It was still too early for them to be hunting him down for being late to Potions, so what—

They changed their minds, Remus concluded. He had been too dangerous. He had nearly hurt some of his fellow classmates and Snape didn’t want to share the castle with him and he had broken Dumbledore’s trust in telling his dormmates how the passageway into the Whomping Willow worked and it had all been a huge mistake. Perhaps Padf—Black had said something, too. About how he had come to his senses and not known how else to break up a friendship with a monster.

“P-Professor?”

“Good morning, Remus. It’s good to see you out of the Hospital Wing.”

Remus glanced around the kitchens in confusion. Her tone was much too kind.

“I— I’m sorry I didn’t go to breakfast upstairs, Professor, but I—“

“As long as you aren’t making a habit of eating here, I think we can let this slide for today. Given the circumstances. In fact, I believe you will be joined by Misses Fawley and Frazer this evening if you still wish to eat away from the rest of your classmates. You won’t ask either of them what their extenuating circumstances are for choosing to eat down here and they will not ask you, either.”

“Oh— okay? So I’m not being expelled?”

“Most certainly not, Mr Lupin. You were in no way at fault for the events of the other evening. Why, even Mr Black will not be expelled.”

Remus flinched. Professor McGonagall noticed — she must have done, because her eyes narrowed and she seemed to consider her next words very carefully before she spoke.

“Remus, whether you choose to forgive Mr Black or not is your decision and yours only. I will neither judge you nor try to tell you what to do. However, I will not be allowing any changes in dormitory arrangements, nor any more hiding in the Hospital Wing instead of returning to your common room while you are healthy. Now, you missed your Careers Advice meeting yesterday and I have told Professor Slughorn that you will be missing Potions this morning to make up for it, so finish your breakfast and meet me in my office.”

Remus stared at the door that closed behind her. He had forgotten all about the careers meetings in the chaos of the week. He had no idea what he was going to say. His dreams were unachievable and his realistic plans non-existent.

She poured him a cup of tea when he arrived at her office and offered him a biscuit despite knowing he had only just had breakfast. Remus nibbled nervously around the edge of his ginger newt. Nobody else had mentioned tea and biscuits for their careers meeting but, admittedly, only a couple had gone to theirs on Monday before Remus fell ill and he hadn’t talked to anybody since.

“This meeting is supposed to be to talk about any career ideas you might have,” Professor McGonagall started and Remus tensed. She stopped in her flow and rested her hands on the table in front of her, observing him with keen eyes. “However, we might have to approach things a little differently with you.”

“You can say I’ve no chance of getting a job, Professor. I’ve made my peace with it.”

“It may be difficult for you to get a stable job, especially in the wizarding world but I believe you have done some Muggle education?”

Remus nodded. “My mam insisted on it. I will be taking my Muggle O Levels this summer, shortly after my O.W.L.s and the end of term but Muggles will still be suspicious of me missing work so regularly and I don’t want to have to use Obliviate or Confundus on my bosses.”

“That’s true,” Professor McGonagall conceded, “But whatever you choose to do, Remus, you can be sure you will have a stellar reference from me.”

Remus frowned. “Professor—”

“Remus Lupin, you are a good student and an even better person. If I had the power to appoint you as my teaching assistant I would do it today but as it is you’ll have to apply through the proper channels when you have your NEWTs.” Her mouth twisted in sadness and Remus knew it was because that wasn’t possible. Even if Professor Dumbledore had let him come to school, how could he hire a teacher who would have to miss so many classes to turn into a dangerous monster? “Any employer who would turn you away just because you’re a werewolf would be missing out.”

It occurred to Remus that Professor McGonagall was the only teacher besides Madame Pomfrey who called him a werewolf. Professor Dumbledore had this habit of talking around the issue or calling it Remus’ lycanthropy, while most of the others avoided talking about it altogether or didn’t know. He preferred it when people just called him a werewolf. His mouth twitched into a smile but it fell when he looked into his still-full cup of tea and realised the meeting was far from over.

“Professor, I know you have to do these meetings with everybody, but I don’t think I can—” He trailed off and blinked against tears.

“I do hope the world will be kinder to you one day, Remus.” She looked up at the clock, then back to him with one of those rare McGonagall smiles. “We still have time so unless you really want to get to Potions—”

“No!” Remus blushed at how quickly his objection came out. “I mean—”

“Actually, the main reason we do Careers Advice in fifth year is to help narrow down NEWT options and whether you believe you’ll be able to secure a job that requires NEWTs or not, it would still be a good idea to think about your subjects. Perhaps we can talk about that?”

She seemed to be enjoying herself far too much. Remus was sure she wouldn’t normally encourage skipping a class. He had never told anybody of his feelings that the Potions master was prejudiced against him but he now suspected McGonagall knew. “Oh. Sure. I hadn’t thought about it at all, yet.”

“Looking over your class marks, you have the choice of any subject you desire. The only subject you would have to work particularly hard at to raise your grade would be Potions. You’re currently only just scraping an Acceptable and you would need an E to be eligible for the NEWT class.”

“I don’t want to take Potions. I’d definitely like to take Transfiguration and Charms and probably Defence Against the Dark Arts.”

Professor McGonagall nodded, looking over the notes in front of her. “All of which you have Outstanding marks and I know Professor Flitwick and I would both be delighted to have you in our classes. Only probably for Defence?”

“The changeover of teachers makes it harder to know. Some years I’ve loved it and others not so much.”

“Understandable. I trust you have kept up with the news of what is happening outside the castle?”

The war. For it was very much a war by now. “Yes, Professor. Defence might be useful, mightn’t it?”

She looked at him with the same prideful glint in her eye as she did when he got a question right in class. “You also have exemplary marks in Astronomy,” she added, looking down. “However—��

“I’m not sure about Astronomy,” Remus admitted. “Sorry, Professor, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“Go on.”

“My parents taught me Astronomy before Hogwarts. I find the lessons easy but that’s because I already know a lot and it’s not useful in the same way as some subjects.”

“It’s probably for the best as the Ministry has a tendency to set the final practical exam on the night of a full moon.”

Remus sighed and nodded. He didn’t want to take Astronomy but hearing how he probably couldn’t because he wouldn’t be able to take the exam only made him feel more frustrated with the conversation about his job prospects fresh in his mind. Which led him to another subject he had been unsure about. “I like Herbology too, but wolfsbane is on the NEWT curriculum.”

“Does it affect you over a distance?”

“I honestly don’t know, Professor.”

Professor McGonagall hummed thoughtfully. “I will talk to Pomona and Poppy but I’m sure we can sort something out. You would be wearing gloves to handle it anyway.”

“I don’t have to be certain of my subjects now, do I, Professor?”

“No, I will confirm your subjects with you on the first day of your sixth year.”

Remus nodded, happy that he could have some time to think about it but not choose there and then. He slipped into silence, sipping his tea and wondering how long he could get away with staying there before he was dismissed.

Much too soon, the teacup was empty and Remus couldn’t avoid his teacher’s expectant gaze any longer.

“How about you go to your dorm before your classmates finish Potions and make sure you are ready to join them for Charms?”

Going back to lessons seemed so difficult but he had to. They had decided to keep him here even after all the risks had been highlighted and Remus was now under even more pressure to excel and show he deserved his place there.

Professor McGonagall must have sensed his reluctance because she added, “I’m sure Mr Potter and Mr Pettigrew will be happy to see you.”

“I don’t want to see them.”

She looked shocked. “Remus, they didn’t do anything. Mr Potter is the reason nobody was hurt.”

“I don’t want to see them,” Remus snapped and he knew his eyes flashed amber. Prongs— Potter was the only one Black listened to so he should have stopped it sooner. Pettigrew always went along with their plans, Remus knew, and if the teachers were convinced he didn’t know anything about it then he must have been hidden in rat form.

And if Prongs was there, you could have hurt him. You could have killed James.

The little voice in his head taunted him but anger was more natural than fear. He shouldn’t worry about Potter. Not now.

“Remus—” He wasn’t used to hearing such sadness and distress in Professor McGonagall’s voice.

“Thank you for the meeting, Professor,” he forced out before he fled the room. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, shouldn’t trust them. His father had warned him of this from such a young age. Don’t trust anybody. Even if they seem friendly, they could one day turn around and shove you into the mud. Werewolves couldn’t have friends, just as they couldn’t have jobs or lives or happiness. Remus should have been more careful.

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trippinglynet · 4 years

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Has Popularity Killed Northern Nevada's Biggest Art Festival? | D. Brian Burghart | Burning Man 1997

By D. Brian Burghart

MIKE BILBO TELLS A STORY ABOUT A CERTAIN SPRING—a watery oasis near Roswell, N.M.—that became popular with travelers who needed a stopping off place while driving across the desert. An outdoor recreation planner for the Bureau of Land Management, Bilbo says old photos show the spring to be a flourishing resource. But as time advanced, the spring was abused and overused. It shrank.

“Now there's nothing,” he says. “You can't even tell where it was, they basically loved it to death.”

Bilbo's spring may be a perfect analogy for the Burning Man.

Lack of controls, poor planning, sheer popularity and philosophical differences may have killed the event. Whether something called “Burning Man” will happen outside Reno this year on Labor Day weekend remains to be seen. But one thing is certain喫t won't be the free expression of freedom and anarchy that it has been in years gone by.

"We want to keep the door open, but for the first time, there is going to be a door. People need to understand that this is a place with boundaries. In this case boundaries that are hard to breach. We're are trying to socialize it more intensively, and the way to do that is to have them live next to one another." -- Larry Harvey

“We're going to try and keep it inviting and inclusive,” says Larry Harvey, Burning Man creative director and founder of the anti-commercial, pagan arts festival that brings thousands of people from around the world to Nevada's Black Rock Desert “We want to keep the door open, but for the first time, there is going to be a door. People need to understand that this is a place with boundaries. In this case boundaries that are hard to breach. We're are trying to socialize it more intensively, and the way to do that is to have them [participants] live next to one another.

“You can have large gatherings of people, and they don't turn into ravening animals. So, to the people who say you can't have a lot of people, or they turn into robots, I say, 'Bullshit,' that's simply not true.”

The fact is, it is the number of people that may have caused the festival to collapse under its own weight. There were 11,788 participants at Burning Man 1996, according to figures arrived at cooperatively between BLM and BM staff. Black Rock City, for those several days is undoubtedly the largest city in Pershing County. While it may be a tent city, it experiences all the problems that a city the same size experiences—infrastructure issues such as sewage, taxes environmental impacts, police, fire, ambulance, insurance, leadership—without the incremental growth that allows other cities to address problems one at a time. For Burning Man in 1997, these issues will be dealt with before the city begins building, or the city will simply not be built.

The 1996 special recreation permit had 16 stipulations that had to be met to go into 1997 with a clean record: 10 of them were violated, according to the BLM.. It is these violations that put Burning Man on a probationary status with the feds.

“If you get enough formidable organizers out there, it will happen again,” says John Law, former technical director for the project. Law retired after the 1996 event, citing philosophical differences as much as anything. “For me personally, it's just gotten too big,” he says.

Law is not the only integral participant to bow out. Reportedly up to half of the old staff of volunteers and enthusiasts, including members of the Danger Rangers and gate organizers, have found the event has gotten too far from its founding principles and won't be returning.

“But, don't count Larry Harvey out,” says Law. “If anyone can get it going, it's him. He's an impresario in the literal sense of the word.”

Flaming Hurdles

What the Burning Man Project needs is money. Financial burdens have the most potential to nix the event.

“We got killed this year, financially devastated,” says Law. “The event doubled in size, doubled in people coming in and tripled in costs. One third of the people didn't pay, they simply rolled around the gate.”

Costs are only going to rise.

Insurance required by the BLM are projected to rise from $10,000 property damage for any one occurrence to $50,000 in 1997; personal injury, bodily injury liability will go from $300,000 for any one person to $2,000,000 based on the Lara Sherbin claim of $1,000,000-plus (Sherbin was injured at last year's event); and $300,000 for any one occurrence is predicted to rise to $5,000,000 in 1997. While these numbers are yet to be chiseled in stone, they are included in the model plan. No estimates for how much these insurance hikes will cost are yet available.

The project still has to pay the lion's share of fees from last year. They were assessed fees of $23,576 (based on $2 per person). Of this $3,000, a permit performance bond, was taken, and an $8,000 payment was made on the balance. Two more payments of $6,288 are to be made, one on April 19, the next May 17. If either are missed, the permit will he revoked, and the project killed, at least on public lands, for one to three years.

Another financial obligation to be met will be a paid security force. Everyone contacted expressed concern about general safety, although solutions to the problem vary.

The BLM sanctions getting a paid security staff on the order of a Lollapalooza event. “Permittee will hire and coordinate closely with regional certified law enforcement of officers at the federal, state and county levels. An avocational security backup is appropriate when it only augments certified personnel,” says an issues and potential solutions document compiled by the BLM.

“Lollapalooza has around 100 security guards,” says Law, and emphasizes that the area covered by Burning Man participants is much larger than any comparable rock show. He suggests that organizers may be between a rock and a hard place, since paying 100 guards 24 hours a day for three to five days will be expensive and “you couldn't do it with volunteers.”

Another cost that will be required this year is for an expanded environmental assessment. Since the event annually has doubled in size since its first appearance on the Black Rock Desert in 1990 (it started on a California beach in 1986), there is larger impact on the environment than before. According to Bilbo, past assessments did not take into account all potential impacts on the playa and surrounding areas. Contrary to popular opinion, there are environmental concerns on the playa. The event is held near the Applegate Lassen Emigrant Trail, a settler shortcut that crossed the desert last century.

Hot springs, both on public and private land, had negative impacts last year. In particular, water and mud was illegally removed from Trego Hot Springs and emigrant-period artifacts (two bottles and possibly a rifle barrel) were reportedly taken.

Trash is another concern. While the BLM praises the trash removal efforts made by the project, (“A highly commendable effort—the place becomes spotless”) it wasn't the perfection exhibited in past years. “Eye-witness reports and photos indicate considerable trash blown from event to Black Rock Desert eastern edge areas. Also, debris left at springs from campers and the water 'vendor,' ” the agency said.

Law's evaluation agrees. “From the very beginning, we were concerned with not trashing the desert,” he says. “Even though people carried 95 percent of it away, we still took out eight 30-yard Dumpsters [in the weeks after the event],” he says.

While the cost of an environmental assessment is less than that of an environmental impact study, a detailed assessment of the “real and perceived impacts” could be pricey. The BLM has assisted the project by compiling a list of companies that do these sort of studies. Bilbo could not estimate within $10,000 its cost.

“Who knows,” he says. “They could get someone to do it for free.”

The cost overruns for toilets and cleanup were mentioned in the BLM's closeout as reasons for the lateness in paying fees, saying they totaled $45,000.

Expect that cost to jump even higher. Planners had anticipated around 6,000 participants last year (as mentioned, nearly 12,000 showed) and supplied 80 toilets: half the number needed. The assumption is that if the event again doubles to 24,000 people, 320 toilets will be needed, and the toilets will have to be pumped two or three times a day—potentially quadrupling last year's cost.

The final hurdle is time. Even though Labor Day weekend is six months away, the clock is ticking. According to Bilbo, the sooner the environmental assessment is begun, the sooner it can be analyzed. The payment schedule deadlines will not be adjusted, and a missed one will spell disaster for the project. Specific emergency services plans must be developed, coordinated and implemented by Harvey with BLM, state and county emergency response personnel (medical and law enforcement ). The plans must be delivered to the BLM no later than 75 days before the event in order to give the public time to respond before the BLM will issue a new permit.

“We need to hear from them, like, now,” says Bib.

Burnt Out?

One possibility that Harvey is exploring is to partially move the event off public lands, although he is keeping the potential site secret

“I'm interested in publicizing the fact when its an absolute go,” he says. “What we are essentially talking about is private land—a place where people can form community instead of just a big parking lot. What happened to us was we were in an uncontrolled environment. All these people came and they drowned us.”

Still, whether the event happens even partially on public lands, state and county governments and the BLM are going to have a say in the proceedings.

“It's our job to ensure that resource degradation does not occur, and public's safety is handled,” says Bilbo. With these two goals in mind, the BLM has created more hoops for Burning Man to jump through to pass the federal permit application process. While it is true that moral questions have been raised and letters have been received both for and against the event, “It's not necessarily the BLM's position to rule on moral issues.”

Still, the moral objections are, in effect, covered by the BLM, because one of the stipulations covered by the permit is that state and local laws will be obeyed by participants. While the BLM is more concerned with health, safety and environmental violations like public defecation, food and water vending and water rights than flagrant drug use and public sex, it is obvious that those are considerations that will affect renewal hopes for the permit.

A group called The High Rock, Black Rock, Immigrant Trail Coalition made up of mining, ranching environmental and land use groups have also expressed concerns about the event. Contrary to other reports, they are not specifically against Burning Man, but against most large-scale recreational uses of the Black Rock Desert until a management policy for the area is put into force. Burning Man is the largest event on the desert.

“There really aren't any problems with Burning Man, per se,” says Desna Young, former planner for the BLM and project and research coordinator for Public Resource Associates, a group that belongs to the Coalition. “It's just how large it has gotten out there. For every event there comes a point when the life cycle changes and the dynamics change.”

She says the Coalition is most concerned with maintaining the desert's “integrity of setting.”

Pershing County has also raised objections to the event.

“Pershing County got slammed,” said Law. “Sheriff Skinner and the deputies did a great job, but it was just too much.”

Sheriff Skinner is at the FBI academy in Washington, D.C., and was unavailable for comment. Acting Sheriff Lt. Bill Barks would not comment for the record

“We're not against Burning Mall, per se,” said William Denier, Pershing County commissioner. “We are against anything illegal that took place on the desert last year. We don't want to violate anybody's rights, free speech and the right to assemble and such. Everybody has the right to use public land. What we are against is the alcohol and drug use that was beyond anybody's ability to control.”

“It was probably fine when it was just a gathering of artists when it started in California and for the first two years or so there in the Black Rock, nobody got hurt,” he said.

Last year, there was one death and two severe injuries associated with the event.

“I was on 14 accident sites, and I didn't get to all of them,” says Law. “It's a miracle that there weren't more accidents than there were.”

Invariably, organizers of the event see automobiles as the major threat to public safety on the playa.

“If you could leave the fucking cars out of the equation, you could mitigate problems,” said Harvey.

Harvey says that his plans for the new event will take people out of their cars, thus increasing safety and minimizing impacts on the desert. He plans to lessen financial impact by raising ticket prices (preliminary planning suggests that tickets will go from $25 to $45 in advance and from $40 to $75 at the gate) and making it impossible for people to sneak in.

“If they come out and expect what they're used to, they are in for a shock,” Harvey says.

“I don't believe we're going to be on the Black Rock playa [in '97]. If today they said, 'No problem, you've got the big playa,' I think I'd just say 'No.'

“We are well into the planning process,” he said. “I think we've got what we need. I think we've got exactly what we need.”

#D. Brian Burghart #1997 #Burning Man 1997

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gocasualrunawaycollection-blog · 6 years

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Although it has been asked many times, I need the most recent answer or suggestion of my problem : I'm married and currently we are planning to have a baby. We never had health insurance before (because it's too expensive and we don't really need it so far). We know that health insurance, especially which cover maternity will be very expensive, while we never know when will I get pregnant (we've been trying for 9 months and I'm not yet get pregnant). So is it worth it to get Maternity Insurance or should I just depend on Medicaid after I get pregnant ? We both are working now but not making really good money, yet probably not too little to be eligible for Medicaid too. I've been searching for some health insurance and agents but all of them offer me a high - not affordable premium which doesn't cover everything as well .. If getting the maternity insurance before I get pregnant is the best way, can anyone suggest me the best and most affordable one and how is the best way to get it (via agent or directly to the ins company) ? Fyi, we came from another country and have been here in Florida for 1 year, so we didn't know much about all of this stuffs, so we really need you help .. Thank you""

Insurance for my baby?

I am on my dad's insurance. When my baby is born will it also be included on my dad's insurance?

Does a full license reduce insurance premiums over a provisional license(NOT learners permit)?

In my state and probably many others now as well, there are three License tiers: Learners Permit, Provisional Drivers License, and Full License. Learners permit is pretty much self explanatory, you have to drive with a parent/guardian only and must hold it for 9 months to get to the Provisional License in the middle which allows you to drive fully unsupervised after you turn 18 with many restrictions before 18 but still carries increased penalties(what they consist of I am not sure but they are nonetheless there only for Provisional Licenses) even after you turn 18, and then after you hold a Provisionals for 18 months, you can finally get a full license. Obviously not having increased penalties would be nice but I'm wondering if Full License status would also reduce insurance rates since it shows that you were able to hold a Provisionals for so long without moving violations and are therefore not quite as problematic of a driver as someone who has not yet passed the 18-month probationary period required for a Full License. Clarification on what a Provisional License is for my age(20): The Provisional License is for all intents and purposes basically the same as a full drivers license after you turn 18 with the exception of enhanced penalties for moving violations which remain possible until you get a full license. I'm just curious if there are insurance benefits that come with a full license as well or if, for some absurd reason, they still base it on the old learners-then-license system, and then they go up after you get a full license because they think you are suddenly unsupervised, which is not the case with a Provisional License moving up to a Full License.""

Why do underage drivers have to pay more insurance?

I'll be eligible for a learner's permit as of next year after I turn 16. However, my parents refuse to get me a driver's license until I'm at least 20. They tell me that when you add an account of a driver under somewhere around 20 yrs old (can't remember the exact age) the insurance rates go up. I don't want to be taking public transit forever so someone help! Why do the insurance rates go up? How can I avoid making them go up?""

How much did you pay for motorcycle insurance in Ontario just after getting your M2?

I've asked a couple of brokers for quotes and the very cheapest you can go is seemingly $800 to $900 a year for a newly licensed rider, after advanced training and a govt-approved course, which seems a little steep even for Ontario. So I am asking for personal anecdotes - when YOU, yes YOU, started tooling around Ontario on your first farty little 2 stroke scooter or whatever, how much did the insurance company shaft you for, what was the bike model and what else do you think is worth mentioning? Thank you.""

I need to sue someone who hit my car with no insurance or license?

however I live in Arizona and I need to know the statute of limitations... I couldn't find anything online unfortunatly. Can anyone help ? My accident was Feb 2009

Insurance company's that cover weight loss surgery?

Anyone know of an insurance company that covers weight loss surgery

""Car Insurance, age limit on Family Plan?""

Okay my parents have their cars plus my younger brother on their home/auto insurance policy. My car is also included but I am wondering, is this okay or a problem since I am 25 yrs old and no longer living with them? I could get auto on my own but it is way more expensive compared to my 'share' with my parents policy. Is there a law or rule? What if I was living with them? I am in CA""

Can you haggle auto insurance?

I currently have Allstate for my auto insurance and have a local office and agent. I like having a local office but I recently got a quote from Geico that was over $150 less for 6 months than what I currently pay for the same coverage from Allstate. My question is, if I walk into my local Allstate office and show my agent the lower quote I got will he be able to give me a comparable rate with the same coverage to keep me as a customer or does he not have it in his power to do that? I have never had an accident or even a ticket and always pay my bills on time. I also have excellent credit. I'm just looking to lower my insurance rates.""

Answers to life insurance test?

answers to life insurance & applications test

What's the cheapest insurance for a used 50k miles 02 Mitsubishi Eclipse?

I live in California, great driving record, getting a used 02 Eclipse 50k miles Automatic. How much is the cheapest insurance and what company do you recommend? (I currently pay $60/month for my Mitsubishi Mirage 2000 De Coupe, I would like a similar / cheaper rate).. any ideas on this?""

""Can I get a refund of life insurance premiums I paid? I set up a $100,000.00 life insurance policy?

August 2009. Monthly premiums were deducted automatically from my checking account. recently I had to change my checking account number because someone got access to my banking info. and made unauthorized deductions. This in turn caused my monthly insurance premiums from getting paid. The insurance Co. requested a substantial fee to reinstate my policy I cannot afford this fee can I get a refund of premiums paid and cancell the policy?

Why is my car insurance so high?

About me; I'm 18 years old, no past convictions / points on my license. Passed my test as well as Pass Plus a week or so back. Car I've got; 1994 1.2 Corsa LS (5 door) --- Most of my friends have similarly old / small cars and are paying between 500 - 900 insurance. I'm keeping the car on my drive, and yet the cheapest I can find any insurance is with Direct Line (1,600) Why is my insurance nearly 3 times as expensive as theirs? :(""

Car insurance! please help!!?

I am in the U.K. I need car insurance where i can send a cheque or postal order as i dont have a bank account. Can someone please help and recommend someone who will accept a cheque. I cannot pay online.......thank u

I was just wondering if anyone knows how much your car insurance goes up if you have been into an accident?

How long do I have once I cancel my auto insurance in Florida?

Okay so I just got a quote from Geico that is half of what I'm paying my current insurance company. My insurance payment is due the 23rd though. Now they told me that the whole process of signing up would take from a few days to 30. I wont be driving my car these holidays so would it be possible for me to cancel my coverage with the other company and sign up with Geico. If I cancel will my license get suspended? I just don't wanna have to send the tag back because it cost me 400 dollars to take out.

What companies provide auto insurance for adult learners?

What companies provide auto insurance for adult learners? I am an international student in Ohio. I am older than 21. I get a learner's permit recently and am now looking to buy auto insurance. I am independent and can not be added to other people's policy. I have been searching the Internet, including Yahoo! Answer, for one week to buy auto insurance for adult learners. It seems the majority say I have to be added to other people's policy. Some say I can do it by myself without giving further details. It seems that no insurance companies are willing to give me a quote considering my situation. GEICO is willing to give me a quote one month before I get my DL. Are there some companies that give adult learners' auto insurance? Thanks in advance.""

Exchange insurance/registration info...?

It's about my friend hitting a parked car again. The other party got his insurance+registration, should my friend get their's even though no one was in the car? thanks""

Why do we need car insurance anyway?

i know we need it by law, but why is it needed, and i need some estimates on insurance for my first car, honda 2002, pre owned.""

Best life insurance questions for seniors?

67 year old male whose had heart surgery,but doing well,on antidepressants and a cpap needs term life insurance. what is the most affordable in your experience ?""

What is a good low cost health insurance plan for my family?

I am 27 and my wife is 26. I am currently a full time college student and my wife is bartending until I finish school. We have no kids but also not a lot of money. I don't mind ...show more

Does being added to my parent's car insurance as a secondary driver cost money?

Health insurance for full time college student?

I realllyy need to see a doctor about some issues im having with my health, but the onlyproblem is i dont have insurance... Are there any affordable insurance plans i can get??.. im a full time student and i really need it.""

150cc Scooter Insurance in California...?

I bought a 150cc scooter for $950 brand new in California. Do I need to get it insured. I am only going to use it for 6 months till I got to school. I live abroad. I am not worried about the scooter getting damaged, I need only 3rd party insurance in case I knock someone and they decide to sue me or whatever... What are your suggestion, and the cost to register one and the cost for insurance. Im 20 years old btw. Thanks alot if you can help me out!! Thanks...""

""Want car insurance on other person policy, how much?""

I want to be a named driver on someones policy, how much extra will it cost for 24 year old with provisional licence?? Vauxhall Corsa U Reg The main holder has been driving many years. Just want a rough idea..hope you can help""

Insurance Cost For Mustang GT?

19 year old Male South Carolina 2 tickets full coverage 2003 Mustang GT 90k miles

Best site for Home Owners Insurance on California Cooperatives?

""Auto insurance just cancel, will they renew it?""

Just had auto cancelled at midnight, they arent open til monday morning. Can I pay the premium first thing that am and have it reinstated. I tried paying by phone and web but wont allow me to! Tomorrow is sunday and no one available.""

""If someone else drives my car while I'm in the car, but they're not listed on my insurance, is this legal?""

My boyfriend and I are over the age of 25 and live together. We are not listed as drivers on each other's car insurance policies, so I was wondering if it's legal for my boyfriend to drive my car while I'm in it or for me to drive his car while he's in it. If we get pulled over or get into an accident, are we covered by the other person's insurance? Will we get in trouble for not being listed on the insurance of the vehicle we're driving?""

Do you need insurance before you own a car and before you have your license?

I already have my permit, after I am done with my 6 hours do you need insurance to drive your own car?""

Why is my car insurance so outrageous?

I live in Massachusetts and it is more than 3000 per year (252 per month). I am 18 so i have only been driving for a little over two years and i understand the inexperienced driver thing, even though i have never had an accident or fender bender or anything. Anyway, when will this go down? I want to purchase a home within the next year or two, and i dont have a huge income so this takes a large chunk. I know that it varies by state so would i be better off in Connecticut? I know it is cheaper there but by how much... and what does your state have to do with it?""

Insurance for polyp biopsy?

Hi.my aunt is 41 years old. She is really concerned she might have cancer, which I hope it's not. She had no insurance but wants to find one do she could get the necessary test done. She already got one test done that showed she had an hernia in her stomach, but that's not what she is concerned, she is more concerned because they found polyps in her stomach and also neck. Idk if my facts are right,I don't even know if u can get them in your neck.anyway she needs to get them biopsy to see if there malignant or not. What is a good insurance that isn't so expensive andshe can get a quote of. We live in California.and shell just be getting insurance just for herself. Or what can she do to get this procedure done. are all polyps cancerous""

Is affordable health insurance a hand out?

I mean the way the right talks about Obamas plans you would think he is going to let the poor kick the rich out of their homes. If you work hard you should be able to have the basics in life. The rich whine that the irresponsible lazy working class is picking their pockets. I say screw the rich, nobody work for them and let them get off THEIR lazy, pampered asses. Buy from local merchants and craftsmen, close Walmart. So do you really think the working class wants hand outs and do you feel those incapable of working should starve?""

Car insurance?private car park?

In 2009 June/.July l was in a private car park and reversed into a car very little damage to either of our cars, however he wanted to not involve insurance as he had company car so exchanged details In addition, he was going to telephone me to say how much. I heard nothing until September 2009 when l received a call from his insurance company asking for my insurance details so l gave them the information. June 2010 my insurance ended and have changed companies now l find my old insurance company chasing me for details of this accident which happen 10/12 months ago. What should l do please?""

What is the most affordable health insurance in NYC?

My friend doesn't have health insurance and is planning on putting his new baby (born around Oct.) on his policy with him. He's Latin American and has his permanent residence card, but is not yet a citizen. Anyone know of any affordable plans for him to look into in the Manhattan area?""

Which is the Best Life Insurance?

Which is the Best Life Insurance? Less investment, good returns, life coverage, Accident Benifit""

Are insurance policies safe...?

I have a life insurance policy on myself that will hopefully take care of a minor. How safe is it now?

How much does it cost to insure a 17 year old before he has passed his test?

I am a 17 year old boy who is about to book his driving test. However I want to buy my car now and insure it so that my dad can get in the car with me and I can get some extra practice in. I just want to know roughly how much something like this would cost? As I cannot find any details online, only details on how much insurance is for a person who has passed their driving test. I am going to be buying a Peugeot 107 (1 litre)""

""On average, how much is motorcycle insurance?""

Let's say for instance I owned a road bike with 750 cc's, how much would insurance be? Or at least AROUND how much?""

Car insurance confusion: Honda Jazz & Ford Fiesta... help please?

Hi there guys, I am sorry if this is a boring run of the mill question with an obvious answer, but I am seriously confused! I have two prospect cars to chose between, one is a Honda Jazz, and one is a Ford Fiesta, now to my knowledge the Jazz's insurance group should be around 11-14, (new 1-50 ranking) and the Fiesta should be around 8. A number of sites have confirmed this to be true. But trying to get actual insurance quotes, the Jazz is coming out cheaper, by at least 300. (This is with my details and the rest of the policy identical) I thought insurance group was the only factor of the car that changed the insurance, or is there another factor? I am a newly passed driver if that changes anything?""

2000's Subaru WRX insurance info for a 20 year old in ct?

Hello I'm looking into purchasing either a 2002 or 2004 Subaru WRX. I live in Connecticut i am 20, have had my license for 2 years with no accidents or tickets. I would like to ...show more""

Sr-22 insurance how much does i t cost?

I got a dui in 2002 and i havent drove snice i have a car paied off and its a 92 cavilier does anyone know how much my payments would be each month and all i want to put on it is just relaible insurance

How much (on average) would private health insurance be per month for a family of three?

male 40 y.o., female 36 y.o., and child.""

Does auto insurance cost more in Las Vegas than los Angeles?

Best cheap auto insurance?

So i'm getting ready to buy my first car on a budget of $1,200, so i want to go as cheap as possible.All i want is liability insurance,basically the bare minimum of what the law will alow me to carry.I am 20 yrs old,just now getting my license,been driving with a learner's permit for the last 2 1/2 yrs. In that time i had one violation,it was a ticket for driving with a broken headlight.I am female,btw.So anyways,what'sa good cut rate insurance company?""

USAA vs Navy Fed for banking & car insurance?

i actually have a few questions. Being new in the Marine Corps, im trying to find the best deals. So far ive heard that USAA and Navy Fed are the best for both banking (loans, general banking), and also car insurance. So which one is better in your opinion? Have you dealt with both or know the ups and downs of both? Should i go to USAA/Navy Fed for both, or do a mix of the two for my needs?""

""If I open a bank account with USAA, will I pay less for USAA car insurance?""

I'm a college student who inherited USAA car insurance through my mom. I'm transferring to a 4-year Uni and looking for all the simplicities and money saving options available ie; overdraft protection, quick debit records, free atm anywhere, no monthly charge, online features........ pretty much everything USAA has standard. As of now I still bank with BOA, but it may be simpler and cheaper to bank with USAA... especially if they offer a price cut in monthly car insurance. Much thanks to those(asside from insurance salesmen or banking officials) with information. =)""

Does being added to my parent's car insurance as a secondary driver cost money?

Car insurance legal team?

Do you have to use the legal team that comes with your car insurance or can you choose an independent one? Had an accident and am not happy with the insurance company's attitude - we had a rear end collision.

Will my child automatically get added to my car insurance when he gets his license?

My 18 year old son is getting his license tomorrow. And I was wondering, when he gets his license through the DMV... Will he automatically get added to my car insurance? If so when? Is there anyway to prevent him getting placed on my insurance without me doing so. My rates would be a killer. Thanks""

Pros and Cons of a motorcycle for a teen?

Both my parents and I have gone over me getting a motorcycle instead of a car, and they're fully behind it. As far as my knowledge, insurance costs are a lot less (but more for me since I'm just starting out) monthly payments on it are lower, more MPG, more eco-friendly, less space and I personally prefer it, and use it as year-long transportation since we're moving to Orange County, Calfornia from Las Vegas (where it never snows). I'm almost of age to get my permit, and I would appreciate it if you could come up with any other possible cons or problems of having a sportbike (Kawasaki Ninja 250r, 2010-2011) instead of an older car. I know repairs, etc would be roughly the same. Thanks.""

Pregnant with no insurance?

medical/medicare did not approve me. what other healthplans are there?

Irish Female Insurance?

I have a provisional Irish drivers licence and I will be driving a year 2000 Nissan micra 1.1 litre engine. I was just wondering about how much will my insurance cost?

What's The Best Auto Insurance Company?

I'm a 16 year old male in Southern California... I'm looking at: 1993 Honda Accord 1990 BMW 525i 1991 Nissan Stanza 1992 Acura Legend Sedan 1996 Volkswagen GTI which company is trustworthy, cheap, and helpful?""

Car insurance write off?

Ok so wanting a slightly clearer answer for how exactly car insurance write offs work? I have a 92 Toyota lexcen market value on my policy is up to 2125, I have a damaged bonnet, bumper and headlight also my horn sounds really wrong now! Not sure if there's other damage, I was not at fault in the accident. Basically wondering how they decide whether to write it off or not and how much I could maybe expect to get back? Car was in decent condition low ks, although it's not the first accident it's been in""

Cheapest motor insurance in ireland!!!!?

im on a provisional licence and basically just looking for the cheapest insurers out there any help would be graetly appreciated as i am broke lol...also iv tried all the major ones like alliance 123 axa quinn :)

I need some legit cheap dental insurance..please help?

I have a upper wisdom tooth that needs to be emergency removed and I have no insurance and there is over 40 dentists in my area that will not take a payment plan and the one plan I applied for did not accept becuz I don't make enough money...heck im low income...but in major pain...anyone help? pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee

Is my credit card insurance enough for car rental?

I do not live in the US and do not have a car insurance policy in the US. I will rent a car when I visit and use my credit card to do so, but is the coverage that comes with the credit card use enough? Should I also purchase the rental company's policy?""

Can I save money on insurance?

If I get hired as a Medical Assistant, can I use that to my advantage on car insurance and get a discount? I am currently in sales and might get a job offer as a Medical Assistant here soon. I am graduated from an accredited program and have my Certification. Thanks, for your time!""

General Liability insurance?

How much will General liability insurance cost for my company? We have been incorporated for 2 years, with no claims against us. We are a parking revenue and security company. I have called dozens of brokers. i just need a ball park so I can tell if i am being ripped off. We have insurance now but feel it may be to high. Please advise""

Cheap insurance for a 17 year old?

Is there any hope of me insuring a group 14 insurance car? I don't care how crappy the insurance is as long as its legal. All the quotes I have been getting are ridiculous.

How much would it cost for a 2.5 nissan skyline to run? (Like insurance wise for a 17 year old?

Car accident and insurance procedures?

I got into a car accident yesterday. I wasn't at fault for the accident, and I know my car is totaled. I was wondering how the whole thing will go down with the insurance and what the process is going to be. I filed a claim with my insurance co. and am waiting for them to call me up. I was wondering if the other person's insurance has to pay for my car and what not. I am also wondering if there will be any consolation since the other driver was dui.""

Can a family friend put me on their car insurance?

So i live in the state of california. I have had my learners permit for more than six months now. I want to get my drivers license but due to the economic crisis my parents aren't able to pay every month to have me on their car insurance. A family friend has offered to put me on their car insurance, but what my parents want to know is if that is legal in the state of california or do I HAVE to be insured by my parents?""

Where can i find the cheapest sr22 non owner insurance in illinois?

What's a low cost yet good car insurance co in California(northern)?

I have a gas hog and I am trying to lower my bills since the economy slump and I am trying to find if my car insurance is high and if I should switch and to who I pay every six months 681.00.Thanks in advance.

Insurance expensive car?

well i was comparing insurance prices on gocompare on a 1989 205 1.0 and when i priced it at 2500 the insurance was 4k but when i put the real price at 650 the insurance went up to 6k. shouldnt it be cheaper if car is worth lesss?

How much will it cost....?

I live in Hemet , Southern California. I have a 9 month old son. He will be nursed until 24 months, However, he does eat some solid foods. I my boyfriend and I rent an appartment for $750- How much would our monthly income need to be to support our family? How much is utilities in my area? How much do you spend on gas? How much is car insurance? How much is it to get my car smoged? How much are monthly groceries? What other bills am I missing? Please help!""

Need's a ballpark guess on what our car insurace would be?

i'm 19 and my boyfriend is 18 and we want to get a car together but we're trying to figure out how much car insurance would be for the 2 of us with a dodge neon sxt 2005 any ideas?

Insurance payments on a car?

Okay so to start off i am 16 as of today. I will get my permit today and in one year I will turn 17. I will then have my license. So when I turn 17 i will be able to buy my own car with a $5000 down payment with the choice of a car. But here is where I am stuck. I do not know too much on information on car insurance. I know that I will be under my parents policy from here until I am 17. Lets say that there is 5 of us under this car insurance, no one has a separate policy, all under one umbrella. What happens when I buy a car, I get insured with a new car, my own car, and still under the policy things with my family. How much is it going to be per month? Can you average it? Here is a list of cars I will choose from, and if you can, provide estimated prices per month I will have to pay. - (2008-2010) BMW 3 Series Sedan (No mods or extra horsepower, plain performance) - (2006-2011) Mazda RX-8 Coupe (same, no mods or any fancy performance stuff) - (2008-2011) Mazda 3 or MazdaSpeed3 (sedan) - (2008-2011) Volkswagen Jetta (sedan) - (2008-2011) Subaru Impreza (hatchback) Also I am an A-B student with an above 3.5 GPA Also I will take a drivers ed course at school""

How much would the insurance cost on a 50 cc moped for an 18 year old?

I know that insurance can vary dramatically.....but it would be good if someone had a rough estimate...and are there and insurance compare sites that don't require the number plate of the bike and the liscence number and stuff ?

Life Insurance Policy?

What will happen if you have a Life Insurance and decide to stop to pay it? Will you lose all the money that you already paid? Or they will give it back to you?

Where can I find info on LOW COST Medical Insurance In Central NY? (Student Artist Musician Business Owner)?

My wife and I are moving soon from PHX, AZ to the greater Syracuse area. I am moving my multimedia business / record label (websites, print design, videography, DVD production and studio recording) and I need information on which companies can provide my family reasonable cost heath insurance. Right now my wife works fulltime so we use her benefits, but we will be starting a family and would like to keep her at home for a few years. In PHX, health insurance for non-group individuals runs about $300 a month - from what I can see in CNY it can cost closer to $1000! Can some one help me with this? Am I looking at the wrong companies or is it just that mush more expensive? Are any loop holes? In some states Students, Artist, Musicians & Small Business Owners can get highly discounted rates - is this true in CNY? Can anyone help? Thanks in advance!""

Does being added to my parent's car insurance as a secondary driver cost money?

BEST CAR INSURANCE?????????????????????...

Generally, which car insurance company has the best price for full coverage for a 19 year old female. I know many things can change the price, but I just want a general quote. note: I want to insure a 2006 traillblazer, 4-door with 18,000 miles.""

What makes car insurance car insurance?

I always wondered. Not to brag or anything, but my family is so rich that we really don't need car insurance. If something were to happen we would be able to take care of it. So basically we waste hundreds of dollars each year on car insurance. Is there a way we could have our own insurance card to issue to a police? What makes car insurance companies able to function and not me?""

Car Insurance and Tickets?

My room mate just got two tickets. One for changing lanes without using a blinker and another for not having his headlights on at 9 o'clock at night. He had just left a parking lot. He had a previous ticket for going 12 over the speed limit which was moved to a parking violation. Will these new tickets affect his insurance rates? He has State Farm and lives in Saint Louis. Should he just pay it or get it fixed?

Car buying/drive test/insurance question.?

By June 16th, the first day of my job, I will need to not only buy a car, but purchase insurance and schedule/complete/pass my drive test. Now, this could be my young naive mind talking, but I am a very alert driver, maybe a little fast, but VERY alert. When doing behind the wheel, I went on the freeway after only 1 hour and the guy said I'm only the second person he's felt comfortable with doing that. But my question is, in what order should i do this (car, test, insurance) and how much preparation/time does each take. i'm hoping for my parents to stop fighting so my dad can buy a new one and give me his truck, but there are no guarantees. By the way, I am 16, and don't think this is some worthless endeavor by a kid with no money. I have saved for over 3 years (I know have over 10000$ but I have to buy everything, but my parents will pay for half of the insurance costs. THANKS""

How old can you be until you're kicked off your parents health insurance? ?

Another question would be if my parents move to another state would I still be covered? They'd be in Michigan and I'd be in Tennessee.

Auto insurance for Toyota celica gts 2000?

I am getting my license on my 18th birthday and I am planning on getting a celica. The car will be on my dad name, and he's over 25yrs old. I want to know the rates of auto insurance for a sport car vs me getting a regular 4 doors. I just got a quote today and the guy told me that my insurance could be $116 a month for the celica with progressive please help me make my decision ty""

""Car insurance is to high for me, will riding a 50cc or 125cc reduce my insurance?""

I am 19 and have passed my car driving licence 2 months ago. The insurance for all the cars I have looked at are way to high. More than 2500. I am doing my CBT next week, I was wondering if I drive a moped or 125cc for a year or two will this reduce my car insurance, please help as I need to get on the road. Thankyou.""

Help with getting health insurance?

I'm a 22 year old college student and need health insurance. My mother doesn't work and has medicare/medicaid. I don't speak to my father. I'm a resident assistant on campus, which doesn't offer health insurance as a benefit of working. The school offers health insurance but it's around $2,000 a semester (four months) for very little coverage. There is commercials on TV about automotive insurance and life insurance but I don't know how to find health insurance. Where can I go to find more information on different real insurance companies and what's the average price (either per month or lump some) I would have to pay for health insurance? Any help would be great! Thank you!""

How much is car insurance be?

I am 15 about to be 16 NO record at all.. I have a 1999 ford escort no wrecks 80,000 miles. I would like to know how much car insurance would be and a tag would be and how much my license would be I live in florida. also are their any other fees?""

Health Insurance - Cobra?

If you quit your job can you still get Cobra? Is there a time period that you need to have insurance thru your employer before you are eligible for Cobra?

Can you file an car accident insurance claim without a police report?

this is re: a very minor accident. our car bumped into the other car after they slammed on their breaks. No damage at all to our car. The license plate and screws are bent on the other car. Other person uncooperative and after we gave our insurance info to them, refused to give info to us. Police on scene did not file report, told us to just deal with it on our own. My worry is, can they file a claim? wouldn't it be just our word against theirs? advice would be helpful thanks.""

Car Insurance?

What is the name of the car insurance I could get, that covers any one who drives my car but who is not on the policy? Thanks""

Can my car insurance company take my car without my Authorization?

MY car was stolen out of my driveway after i got home from late at night from dancing at a club. I was was very tired and accidentally left my keys in my car. I awoke up the next morning with my car gone. made a report it was stolen, a few days after police contacted me stating my car was found and it was smashed up un-driveable. they put it in a towing company. asked me several questions and went into investigation. insurance called me and did their own investigation and asked me several questions like the police did before. I got a letter in the mail a week later from my insurance stating they will not give me any monies for my car because they don't believe my story. but failed to give me proof of me lying. understand my car is paid off its a 1998 BMW. it was in great condition.I am still paying insurance on it, I found out today that my car is not at the towing place that an agent from my insurance company came and had my car towed away. I was never informed, i did not i sign any papers releasing my car. I have the title. the towing place said they needed the car for investigation. can they take my car without my consent?""

Do i need car insurance?

well basically i cracked my sideview mirror and the plastic holding it is a little lifted from normal place.. if i went to an auto shop to fix it, would i need car insurance or could i just get it done and pay with cash?""

Do all fully comp insurance policy allow you to drive other vehicles?

I have a van and car and just want to find out the cheapest option to drive them both, a friend told me most fully comprehensive insurance policys allow you to drive other vehicles, do anybody know any names?""

Best insurance lawyer in southern california?

i had my car stolen and the insurance company is trying to screw me so i need a good lawyer to help me fight back.

Paying insurance monthly?

ive never booked insurance myself before if your happy with your online quote can you ring them up tell them your saved quote ref and then arrange monthly payment/direct debit rather than having to go through all questions again on the phone? what will happen then? will they have to check stuff get your bank details and then send paperwork through? the insurance is going to be in my name but im giving my partners bank card details for direct debit would that be ok?

I am planning to buy an insurance plan. What is this long term care insurance?

I am planning to buy an insurance plan. What is this long term care insurance? Please suggest me some good options for long term care insurance in Texas.

Adding someone to your car insurance policy?

I'm a new teen driver and as you may all know insurance rates are sky high. I was wondering if a family member, who doesn't live with me, can add me to their insurance policy? If yes, does the car have to be in their name? Or do I have to have the same address in order for them to add me?""

Car Insurance Question?

I am currently a provisional driver, and to insure my car it would cost me 999. Once I past my test it will cost me about 4,000 to insure the same car. If I insure my car as a provisional driver now, will it be the same price when I pass my test, or will it be a lot more expensive like it is now? I really don't want to be paying 4,000 to insure a car :S""

What kind of car is the cheapest to insure?

What model or kind of car is cheapest to insure? Is there a way to find out?

How to get my stolen car's value back from insurance?

Hi, my car was stolen from a repair shop that I had left overnight for maintenace work. I say they are negligent for not securing the keys. I filed a claim through their insurance and through my insurance thinking mine would go after them and give me a fair price for what I payed, not the current market value. I heard about the arbitration. Any suggestions on steps I can take to recover more money? plus why should I pay the deductible? Shouldn't I receive money from both insurances? I also incurred other expenses, I had to spend money on notaries, lost time from work, gas money making all these trips for the investigators etc. Thank you very much for any advice.""

What is the average repair cost to homeowner for property damage caused by a typical earthquake in California?

We are considering buying an earthquake insurance for a resident home in California. But the earthquake policy typically covers only 85% of the house rebuild cost, homeowners first have to pay the 15% of that (the deductible). Say the house insured for $300K, then homeowners have to pay $45K first before the insurance comes in to cover the rest for $255K. If the average repair cost is more than $45K, then it may by worth buying earthquake insurance to us.""

Can a person that is temporarily non-UK tax resident to be the policy holder in her own car insurance policy?

In May this year , my wife got a job in a joint venture abroad. Her contract is for 3 years after which she will return home Due to obvious reasons , for the above period she is a non-UK tax pay resident. The insurance policy of the car she is the owner and policy holder of is about to expire very soon. Is she legally allowed to renew her policy as main policy holder or not?""

Rise in car insurance?

Im 18, female and passed my test a month ago. Last month Quinn Direct quoted me for 1400. I got my car today and went to get a car insurance quote and its went up to 2700 with the exact same details!! Any idea why this is?""

Does being added to my parent's car insurance as a secondary driver cost money?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/affordable-insurance-salisbuy-28144-josephine-watson/"

0 notes

claudekeiper-blog · 6 years

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Bowman Offshore Bank Transfers on Top Tips on Securing an Overseas Mortgage

If you are thinking of purchasing a property abroad and require a mortgage, there are a number of aspects that need to be taken into account.

There are also added advantages of utilizing the services of an independent bank – rather than one connected to the developer or selling agent - as they will check the legalities and carry out a valuation of the property, although they will not carry out a full in-depth survey unless requested.

A lender will also ensure the property is good security for the mortgage that you require and to check the property has not been overpriced.

However, when applying for a mortgage abroad there are many different underwriting obstacles you may come up against, according to Simon Conn, the UK’s leading overseas property professional and financial advisor (www.simonconn.com). Below are some common issues.

Lenders tend to calculate how much an applicant can afford by only taking into account 30-35% of their total net personal income (after tax), to cover any existing liabilities plus the cost of the new monthly mortgage repayments. Liabilities include existing mortgages, bank and car loans, school fees, maintenance and alimony payments and credit card balances, which need to be cleared, even if it is a 0% interest deal.

Net income is normally calculated from employed, pension or, possibly, investment income. In most instances, rental income on the new property will not be taken into account as part of the calculation.

If an applicant has existing rentals, lenders may not take that income into account. However, if that rental income is from multiple properties and separate audited accounts are available, the net profit from that source may be taken into account. They are then likely to request a tax return to substantiate this additional income.

A lower loan-to-value or a higher deposit will not affect the maximum amount you can borrow, as, since the world economic crisis, it is primarily down to affordability, but you may benefit with enhanced lending terms – i.e. lower interest rates, reduced setting up costs etc.

If you are employed, it is ideal if you have been employed in that current job for at least 6-12 months. If it is shorter, a potential lender will need to know of any remaining probationary period, and you are likely to be asked for your latest CV showing your job experience/history.

If there is a bonus, overtime or commission to be included, it is only likely to be included if it is guaranteed, or proof of a long-term track record is available.

If you are self-employed, you will ideally have at least three years’ trading history with a minimum of two years’ profitable accounts (confirming both gross turnover and net profit for those years). There must be a full explanation for any drop in turnover/profit and, of course, any losses incurred.

Please note, if an applicant has more than 20-25% shareholding, then they are normally deemed by a potential lender to be self-employed. If the self-employed applicant is based outside of the UK, their accounts must ideally be prepared by a recognized international firm of accountants to be accepted by a potential lender.

However, if a loan or other expense is paid for by a business, then any of these costs may not affect a personal mortgage application. In this case, you must show at least 3-6 months’ history of the business account paying these expenses, but if you have any defaults, missed payments or CCJs, you are not likely to be accepted.

The maximum age a mortgage can finish differs from country to country, and this ranges from age 65 to 75. However, the majority of lenders will ask for any proof of income to be received after the normal state retirement age.

Please note, that by applying for a mortgage, it could slow down the sales process and it could be beneficial to apply for an “Agreement in Principle (AIP)” before finding a property, should the lender offer this option. With an AIP in place, it could be advantageous when negotiating with a seller.

There may also be additional bank, local taxes and legal costs applicable to the cost of raising a mortgage.

How much can I borrow?

Overseas banks generally promote repayment mortgages rather than interest only. The information below - as at January 2018 - is a general guide to what is available in some of the current most popular countries. These are available on a case-by-case basis and are subject to a client’s overall financial profile and property valuation.

Portugal

Portugal has always been a popular country with Brits looking to buy abroad, with many recognizing its good value for money, nice weather and ambience when compared to other Mediterranean countries. It is not as stiflingly hot as some places as it is mostly on the Atlantic coast rather than the Med and there is also the Golden Visa programme and other tax benefits which are available to retired people.

Mortgages are available up to 80% loan-to-value, although better lending terms are available for loans of 70% or less. The most popular areas include the Algarve and the Silver Coast north of Lisbon, but there has been more interest for Madeira and even the odd enquiry for The Azores. Interest rates are currently available from approximately 1.75%-2.00% above 12-month EURIBOR (the interest rate at which some European banks lend funds to one another, where the loans have a maturity of 12 months).

Spain

Spain continues to be popular with its great weather, Mediterranean coast and laid-back lifestyle, whilst holiday home and investment purchases seem to be increasing. Mortgages are available up to 70% loan-to-value (better lending terms are available for loans of 60% or less). Interest rates are currently available from approximately 1.50%-2.00% above 12-month EURIBOR.

France

As usual, France remains in the list of top countries. Transport links from the UK are excellent so it is easy to get to, and it offers a more relaxed lifestyle with fewer people and better weather. Mortgages are available up to 80%-85% loan-to-value (better lending terms are available for loans of 70% or less). Interest rates are currently available from approximately 1.50%-2.00% above 12-month EURIBOR.

Italy

Certain areas are still of interest – such as Umbria & Tuscany, whilst Puglia and Sardinia are becoming more popular. Mortgages are available up to 60% loan-to-value and lender underwriting can be more onerous than other European countries. Interest rates are currently available from approximately 1.50%-2.50% above 12-month EURIBOR.

The USA

Interest in the USA has waned a bit since the Brexit vote and the exchange rate between the US dollar and the pound has led to a reduction in the number of potential purchasers. Popular areas include Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, New York and other parts of the East Coast. West Coast destinations are always of interest, including San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle. Maximum loan-to-value rates are 70% (up to 75% in Florida) and interest rates are from approximately 4.50% fixed for 3 years, or 4.875% fixed for 5 years.

Which currency?

Agents generally recommend that an overseas mortgage and the income used to service the mortgage repayments are in the same currency, thus avoiding exchange rate issues. This income received could come from rental received from the new property.

In the past buyers have come unstuck by being misadvised to take out mortgages on, for example, Cypriot properties with a Swiss franc mortgage, but then exchange rates swung disastrously against them.

Win on exchange rates

When buying property in another currency, exchange rate fluctuations will affect the purchase price and mortgage payments. Foreign currency exchange companies are usually a better option, according to Meyrick Green, an Account Manager at currency specialist Moneycorp (www.moneycorp.com).

“A specialist can provide guidance and support so that you then understand fluctuations in the market and what they mean for you. Together with rates that are often much more favorable to those offered by high street banks, this could save you a lot of money on your deposit payment,” he said.

Some currency firms also offer the opportunity to lock in exchange rates up to 18 months in advance. “The exchange rates are always changing, and that can make the cost of your foreign mortgage payments unpredictable. We have tools that can fix regular payments in a simple, cost-effective way,” Meyrick added. This suits those who like to take control of their budget as it offers protection from currency fluctuations.

Top tips

Ask questions about where a property has been built. For example, if it has been built on an area that should have been set aside for green belt or agricultural land, then the chances are there is a risk. Make sure you take advice from an independent, English speaking lawyer - preferably not from the same area as the property.

In some cases, there can be problems with properties that have been constructed with the wrong permits, granted as a result of corruption, or with no permits at all. An independent lawyer should be able to save you the heartache of seeing your newly purchased dream home demolished.

Consider planning permission and which licenses the property needs. Not having the correct licences could have an impact on what utilities you can obtain.

Poor construction is a common problem. Always obtain an independent valuation, ideally from a professional surveyor expert in that country, even if it is a new property, as this will highlight any problems. New properties can sometimes be built in poor soil and with insufficient foundations, substandard building materials, or in dubious locations such as floodplains.

One of the most important warnings when purchasing abroad is when it comes to contracts. It is common to only receive one contract in the local language, in which case, you must get a professional translation completed. If you are given two copies of a contract which include the original and a supposed translation, get the translation checked by a professional.

If you are buying a property to rent out make sure you check what licenses are needed in the area as you may not even be allowed to rent your property out. Also, consider the cost of maintaining the property. Decide if it is worth employing a managing agent to look after it for you but do not forget to factor in their costs as it will reduce your profit.

How often do you intend to visit the property yourself to ensure it is kept up to date? If it is a long-term let, think about the wear and tear on furniture and other fixed goods.

Distance away – if the property is a long way from your main home, you may need to get there to sort out any major problems.

Who is going to vet your tenants? If they damage your property, you must have suitable cover and a deposit in place.

“Re-locating overseas permanently or just buying a holiday home abroad does not need to be a headache. Go through the proper channels and take advice from an independent lawyer and surveyor and your dream could be turned into a reality,” Simon Conn said.

#bowman offshore transfer #offshore bank transfers #bowman transfer

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rebeccahpedersen · 7 years

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Define “Rental Discrimination” In Today’s Toronto Market

TorontoRealtyBlog

How about a topic like this one to start off the morning, eh?

While I’m opening myself up to criticism here, I think this is a topic that needs exploring.

Landlords want to be able to “pick” their tenants, and tenants want “fair” access to housing.

Somewhere in between there must be a happy medium, no?

I’m pretty sure I’ve written a blog like this before.

Let me search my archives…

Ah, right – “Define Discrimination,” a blog from July of 2013.

The comments are always interesting, because I believe it’s very difficult to provide an opinion that’s not somehow based on an individual’s own situation.

I don’t see a real estate investor who owns seven condos coming to the defence of tenants everywhere, and rallying against discrimination of every type.

And I also don’t see low-income earners who happen to wish rents were lower, arguing that capitalism and the free market should reign supreme.

Back in January, the CBC wrote a story called, “Couple In Early 20’s Denied Toronto Condo Rental Due To Their Age”

The problem I have with this article, is that the headline (and most of the content of the article) is misleading.

It surmises that the only reason, or at the very least – the main reason, why the landlord didn’t want to rent to these tenants, aged 22 and 23, was because of their age.

But later on in the story, we learn that it was going to be occupied by two more people.

A total of four people would be renting the condo.

Isn’t the landlord within his or her right to believe, in his opinion, that four people renting a 2-bedroom condo is not as ideal as two people renting a 2-bedroom condo?

A contrarian might argue, “Four people, with four incomes, should make the landlord feel safer, since there are more people to pay the rent.”

Right, that could be true. Or, the landlord could choose to rent to two people who have a higher income than all four, and/or who don’t “need” to share accommodations.

See what I did there – that last part? I judged.

I made an assumption, and I judged.

I surmised that two couples – four people, who want to rent a 2-bedroom condo, somehow “need” to do so, likely because of their financial situation.

I could be right. In fact, I probably am. It’s a high-percentage play here, and I don’t see any viable alternate explanations, other than, perhaps, they’re swingers.

But I don’t know I’m right – that’s my point.

I’m guessing, assuming, and as a result, judging.

And the point of today’s blog, as I become completely open and honest here, is that there’s a fine line between judgment, and discrimination.

Let me draw up a hypothetical situation for you, based on experiences with both my owner-landlords, and my tenant-clients.

There’s a condo for lease for $1,600 per month in CityPlace. It’s a 1-bed, 1-bath, 540 square feet, with a locker, and no parking space. It has a small balcony that faces west with a clear view.

It goes up for lease, and within 36 hours, there are four offers to lease the property.

How do you, the landlord, decide who to rent to?

It’s a trap.

Because it’s not possible to decide, without judging.

And judging, is extremely close, to discriminating.

We have four offers from the following:

Candidate #1: Name: Alexander Walker Age: 31 Nationality: Australian, on a work permit Occupation: Freelance tattoo artist (9 years, since he lived back home in Sydney) Salary: Makes upwards of $150/hour (2016 T1 General showed $71,520) Credit: No credit score available Last place of residence: Apartment in Parkdale, 2-bed, 1-bath, paying half of $2,000/month Reason for relocation: “Need my own place” Notes: Has been working and living in Canada for 3 years

Candidate #2: Name: Jennifer Kim & Michael Kane Age: 23 and 24 Nationality: Canadian (Both from Ottawa, new to Toronto) Occupation: She’s doing her MBA at U of T, he’s working for General Mills (4 months in, past probationary period) Salary: she makes $0, he makes $51,000 Credit score: 708 and 825 Last place of residence: Their parents’ houses in Ottawa Reason for relocation: “Moving to Toronto for school/work” Notes: They have a small dog named “Toto,” and they are offering $1,650/month for the condo as they really want it

Candidate #3: Name: Tanya Ross Age: 26 Nationality: Canadian Occupation: Buyer for Aldo Shoes (4 years) Salary: $52,000 Credit score: 755 Last place of residence: 208 Queen’s Quay (1-bed, 1-bath, $1,550/month) Reason for relocation: “Landlord selling the condo, need to vacate” Notes: Parents are co-signing, providing 3 month’s rent up front.

Candidate #4: Name: Anya Popov Age: 32 Nationality: Canadian Occupation: TD Canada Trust (eight years) Salary: $58,500 Credit score: 688 Last place of residence: Family home in Richmond Hill Reason for relocation: “Moving downtown” Notes: Providing 4 month’s rent up front, and needs to rent a parking space in the building for her 2016 Mercedes C300

–

So those are our four candidates, folks.

Who do you rent to?

How can you possibly decide without judging these people?

So let’s look at each of these candidates, perhaps as the landlords would, and with the help of Google and other social platforms, which just about every landlord, and listing agent, would do.

–

Candidate #1 is a 31-year-old Aussie, who does not have a full-time job, and no guarantee of income.

He’s a freelancer, and makes an excellent living. In fact, he makes the most money out of any of the four candidates, by a longshot.

His passport photo shows he has a massive skull tattoo on the front of his neck and throat.

He’s currently renting in Parkdale with a roommate, paying $1,000/month.

He has no credit score on file with Equifax, as he has only lived in Canada for three years.

We were not given a copy of his Canadian work permit by his agent.

He is one of those rare birds that does not have a Facebook account.

He is on LinkedIn, and has detailed every job he’s ever had since he was 14-years-old when he worked at a skateboard shop.

His GDS ratio is 26.8%.

–

Candidate(s) #2 are a young couple, just starting out.

She’s going to school, he has hist first adult-job, paying $51,000 per year.

They previously lived with their parents, and this is the first time they’ll be living together full-time.

They have a dog, and the building is very pet-friendly.

His credit is fantastic – 825 is one of the best scores you’ll see in a given year.

Both of their Facebook profiles are public. She has an inordinate amount of duck-lipped selfie’s as her feature photos, and he has hundreds of photos dating all the way back to high school – every event from St. Paddy’s Day, to Frosh Week at Carleton, to a folder of photos just called “SIZZURP” which contains many photos of young-20’s debauchery.

They are both on LinkedIn, with several hundred connections each, and he has five really impressive reviews from co-workers at Kellog’s, where he interned before 4th year university.

They really want the condo, and are offering $1,650/month, instead of the $1,600/month list price.

Their GDS ratio is 38.8%

–

Candidate #3 is a young woman who is moving out of a condominium located a stone’s throw away, because her landlord is selling the condo.

She’s four years into an entry-level job, making $52,000 per year, but her parents are co-signing the lease.

Her credit score is a reasonable 755.

Her Facebook profile is allowing us to see four profile photos – one of she and her grandfather, one of she and her dog, one of her dog wearing a silly hat, and one of the book “The Sun Also Rises,” by Ernest Hemingway.

Her LinkedIn profile has a dozen reviews from colleagues at Aldo, as well as from several summer jobs as a lifeguard at a pool and a waitress at a golf course.

She is providing 3 months’ rent up front.

Her GDS ratio is 36.9%.

–

Candidate #4 is a 32-year-old woman who has never lived on her own.

She currently resides with her parents.

She has worked a very stable job for eight years – the longest full-time employment of all the candidates.

Her credit score is not good – 688 is low, and results from her frequent credit card usage.

Her Instagram profile is littered with photos of her holding designer handbags, posing in front of Ferrari’s, and attending pool parties in South Beach.

She has a car, and this unit for lease does not come with parking, but she’s found a space for lease in the building for $175/month.

She also really wants the condo, and is offering $1,650/month in rent, plus four months’ rent up front.

Her GDS ratio is 37.4%.

–

Okay folks, I ask again: who do you rent to?

Two of the four candidates are offering ABOVE the list price.

If you’re looking for yield, you’ve found it!

But what else do you take into consideration? Their incomes, credit scores, and occupations? How does anybody in 2017 not delve further into their personal lives.

The first candidate has a skull tattoo on his neck. Does that bother you?

The second candidates seem like they love to party. Does that bother you? Are they “immature” or are they exactly where most 22-year-olds are?

The third candidate seems like the sweetest girl in the world – she reads Hemingway, and has no ducked-lip selfie’s on her Facebook profile – just a shot of her and Grand-dad! Awww!

The fourth candidate clearly has a wealthy family, and is putting a ton of money up front!

How in the world are we NOT judging these people?

It’s impossible to do.

You have four candidates, and with that comes employment letters, rental applications and personal details, and your nimble-fingers – which can check out Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and perform a Google search for both news and images.

Do we even know what “discrimination” is anymore?

Is it discrimination to not want to rent to a foreign citizen on a work permit, with no full-time job, who shares a 2-bedroom apartment in Parkdale, and has no credit score?

Or is that okay, but, it’s discrimination to not want to rent to him because of his neck tattoo?

What is discrimination?

The bottom line, folks, is that just about everything can be claimed as discrimination in today’s society.

It comes down to who wants to fight it, for how long, and why.

Even when it comes to something as basic as income, the Ontario Human Rights Commission has published content suggesting that “minimum incomes” or percentages should not apply.

Have a look at this: OHRC: Minimum Income Criteria

Not renting to two young 20-somethings because you looked them up on Facebook and determined that they party a lot is discrimination, no doubt about it. It’s age discrimination, which is one of the criteria laid out in the Human Rights Code.

Take a look:

People cannot be refused an apartment, bothered by a landlord or other tenants, or otherwise treated unfairly because of their:

race, colour or ethnic background

religious beliefs or practices

ancestry, including people of Aboriginal descent

place of origin

citizenship, including refugee status

sex (including pregnancy and gender identity)

family status

marital status, including people with a same-sex partner

disability

sexual orientation

age, including people who are 16 or 17 years old and no longer living with their parents

receipt of public assistance.

People are also protected if they face discrimination because of being a friend or relative of someone identified above.

–

If you’re a tenant, then be aware of your rights, but be realistic in this market, or you’ll be habitually disappointed.

If you’re a landlord, be very careful of how you proceed, because the example I gave you above is very common, and it’s nearly impossible to “pick” a candidate without demonstrating some form of discrimination, under the Human Rights Code, and according to literature and opinions on the OHRC website.

And don’t shoot the messenger either.

Because if you don’t think that a landlord in Toronto today, especially after the Liberal government implemented the Ontario Fair Housing Plan, isn’t going to be more vigilant and diligent than ever before, then dare I say, you’re being naive.

If you’ve had problems finding rental housing, I encourage you to share your stories below.

The post Define “Rental Discrimination” In Today’s Toronto Market appeared first on Toronto Real Estate Property Sales & Investments | Toronto Realty Blog by David Fleming.

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