I think the obvious answer would be Cam Archer but im actually most excited about either Tim Iroegbunam or Jaden Philogene-Bidace . Both haven't been at the best teams this season finishing 20th and 21st each and yet have still been able to look really impressive and the fans speak highly about them. They could really play a part in the first team next year with all the extra game good squad depth is going to be important. What about you, who are you most excited about?

I recently flew international business round-trip for the first time from Newark-Warsaw. Unfortunately it just goes to show that there are plenty of gross rich folk at the front of the plane too. On the way there I went in to the bathroom right after this woman who was the first to go in after the flight attendant, so I know it was her, and there was urine all over the seat. I just want to shame people like this. So disgusting! On the way back another woman was BAREFOOT. Taking your shoes off is perfectly fine if you have SOCKS on. It is most definitely not acceptable to have your bare feet out.
And not so much gross, but I was excited that I thought I'd have no seatmate, but then they put someone next to me on the flight back. How do they even decide who to move up? I think this was a huge waste of a space. Give it to someone who will really enjoy all the amenities of being up in business. They put a hasid next to me. All he did for virtually the entire flight was sleep and occasionally read the Torah, and eat the same boxed kosher meals they would serve back in economy... never used the TV..... I'm Jewish too, but I realize being a good Jew doesn't mean I wear heavy black wool clothes every single day of my life, but anyway, if you were going to rain on my parade of not having someone next to me, give it to a person who will really appreciate it. Idk why they picked that guy. There was one other seat open that they didn't put anyone in though.
I am positive that wasn't his seat because the plane had finished boarding at least 10 or 15 minutes before, then suddenly he shows up.

In 2013 my friend had a specific kind of stress ball I've struggled to find since. It contained some kind of gel or clay which was very thick and moldable, almost like those iso sand balls but not sand. It held its shape very well and I have no idea what to google now that TikTok has ruined search results. It was not totally solid all the way through as gel stress balls tend to be and it was not liquidy as a maltose ball.
This is a hard one because she got it from her dad who got it at work or something. It could be that I am remembering it wrong but it was a nice firm but malleable material.
I doubt this helps but it was blue covering on the outside and bright orange rubber pouch of said material on the inside

Wordscapes Playerboard located on Discord offers a Monthly League Competition ... Check to see how your team places on the scoreboard each week compared to other teams in your range!
Is your team on our list? You are automatically included if you report your scores each week, but can "opt out" ... and "opt back in" for the next session. Just make sure to report your score to Wordscapes Team Leader Facebook page in the weekly Tournament Results Post after each tourney.
There are 6 Divisions, 6 teams each. Divisions will be posted tomorrow! Of note: All teams are welcome to participate at their level. For those teams who have not participated in League Play or Divisions before, we ask that you consider joining our new offering of league play! Playing and reporting each week builds a team's confidence and camaraderie among its players. Reporting scores lets you see where you fall among others in your ranking. Wordscapes Playerboard Discord site offers hints, tips and solutions for game play. Please join; let us know if you have questions! Just a friendly game ... you play each week anyway ... why not see how far your team can go? Division placement may change month-to-month based on your team's scores. You may move up a division or down. Let's make it interesting! Challenge your team (rumble weekend score is dropped). See you in the lineup! What is "WS Playerboard" you may ask? The WS Playerboard is a brand new community on Discord that is a user-friendly resource offering transparency, fair play and a forum that works by membership consensus. There is a range of topics covered in the channels including dealing with WS glitches. Any Wordscaper is eligible to become a member. We welcome questions. JOIN US!
WS PLAYERBOARD RULES: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16STuxPcmFiGOxl1RFoxsZw7xFflPujtCfRJAecN9zGM/edit?usp=sharing WS PLAYERBOARD INVITE LINK: https://discord.gg/eWwB4v3RFt (edited)

I've been working front desk for almost two years not at a generic American hotel. And what I want to tell people is we don't just check people in, authorize cards, and out and hand them towels. We also stock the hotel shop, clean lobby bathrooms, the pool pathrooms and pool area, vacuum and mop the lobby, we take out trash all around the inside and outside of the hotel, we clean up biohazards from nasty people, we deal with guests who scream at us, threaten us, get drunk, get high, and destroy property. We get sexually harassed by asshole gueats. We also have to deal with kicking out some of these unruly guests and calling the cops. We also go up and fix PTAC issues, internet issues, TV issues. I have responded to vomit spills, shit explosions, pets making messes everywhere, DV issues, flooding issues, toilets backing up and clogging, you name it. I also change lightbulbs in rooms, and have worked on garbage disposal issues. We also deal with billing issues, complaints, you name it. I also have to act as sales at times as well. Even at front desk, they work you to the bone. You name it, we have also dealt with it. I have dealt with all of it. And all for less than $15 per hour. So, if we are away from the desk for a little bit9, please don't be angry with us. We can't help it that we are given all these other responsibilities outside of being at the desk that we have to do. I am only one person, and I'm worn out and wanting to quit. I have no choice but to do what my managers tell me to do. Please be patient with us. We are not robots.

I feel this will be a difficult period for the Rust language, given the recent controversies, and I want to communicate how much I love the Rust language. Although there are some difficulties with the Rust Project's leadership, the work the Rust Project has done so far improving the programming language has been very impactful, at least for me.
I have been observing the current events from an outside perspective, as someone who doesn't have much knowledge about the structure of the Rust Project, so I won't comment on any details. I just hope the Rust language can get past this and continue to develop steadily.
I guess I should mention something specific I really like about Rust. I really enjoy how the pattern matching with match statements works, especially with features such as the ! type. I also like how this works in conjunction with the expression syntax.
I'll end this post by asking what features others really like about Rust, or why they think the Rust language is important.

In the past few episodes, Liko has started to have an interest in battling. At first glance, this might be a normal character development for her, but imo there are problems .
First, her developments feel a little too rush. In the beginning, she is shown to be a shy and introverted girl who has little experience in battles. Only to become a different person in a span of 7 episodes. Her character arc is on the right path, but instead of waking steady along the path, she is rushing through it. I would like to see more of she struggling to adapt to battles before finally taking interest in it, like how they do with Goh. ( They literally skip her training with Sprigatito in the first episode and offscreen her first victory )
Seccond, I fear the writer might make her too op by the end of the series, which people will start comparing her to Ash. I am not saying that she shouldn't be strong, but I don't want her stealing the title from him as it would just cause more arguments between the two fandoms. Maybe she should be as strong as Iris or at least Lilie.
These are just my concerns about how the writers are approaching with Liko. Everyone has their own opinions.

Who else has to deal with their pwBPD constantly calling them lazy and telling you that you do absolutely nothing around the house?
This has been an ongoing issue since a few months into our relationship. We've been together for a little over 3 years. We currently live in a house she owns. There's two small children (5 & 2) in the house. We both work full-time jobs.
I consistently help out around the house, every single day. I cook 95% of the time. I do probably 90% of the laundry for all 4 of us. I do 90% of the dishes. I vacuum. I clean the floors. I take out garbage and recycling. I help with yard work. And so on.
The past month or so I've been dealing with some health issues related to my sinuses and allergies. I've been on multiple antibiotics, steroids, MRI, CT scan, still not feeling well. So being outside working in the yard is incredibly difficult for me. And working and doing house chores in general. But yet, I've been doing all of it anyways because we know how they are. They don't care. Your illness is an inconvenience to them.
I was outside last night helping pick up sticks in the yard with her. She didn't ask me. I went out there on my own and helped. I also did a bunch of laundry last night. I made dinner. I got the 2 year old a bath and ready for bed. This morning I got up with the 2 year old, got him ready for daycare, dropped him off at daycare, and came back home to work.
She left at 7:40 this morning with the 5 year old to take him to daycare. From 8 am until 9:30 am she was gone wandering around Target, doing whatever she felt like. During that time, I was working. She came home at 9:30 and immediately came upstairs and started yelling at me. I've been up for hours and have done absolutely nothing. I'm such a lazy piece of shit. There's dishes everywhere. The house is a mess. I haven't done anything outside. She's so sick of how lazy I am and how I do absolutely nothing unless she yells at me to do stuff. Then I magically do stuff. She's never met anyone in her entire life as lazy as me. She's so sick of it. I'm such a lazy piece of shit. I don't care about her house or respect her or her house. I need to just move out because I don't help.
Funny, considering:

• I've been working since 8 am. While you spent 90 minutes wandering around Target, doing absolutely nothing.
• The dishes she's referencing? From her and her 5 year old son (from a previous relationship) this morning.
• Nope, you're right, I didn't go outside this morning and work in the yard. I've been working at you know, my job. That pays me. And I was outside working in the yard last night.
• Never mind the fact that I do all kinds of shit around here on a daily basis.

I knew this was coming. It's a routine, repeating thing. It happens every 2-3 weeks. Or more. Usually more during the summer months because of the yard and it needing to be taken care of. For the last several days she's been making consistent comments about how there's so much to do in the yard. How she could use help. How she'd like my help. So I knew the blow up was coming. Was just a matter of when.

Hello I'm Kate 👋 I'm seeking a friend who would like to be 🌶️ sometimes.
I'm a little chubby, hwp, and i try to stay active despite my frequent indulgences. I'm Asian and white, 5'5", short dark brown hair that's bleached halo-style. My eyes are about as brown as my hair. I'm pretty confident with myself.
I really love hiking but also very lazy with driving so i end up taking more nature walks than challenging hikes. I'm currently looking for a kick boxing gym - bonus points if you know a good one! I laugh a lot and easily, and i make several successful attempts at being funny. I have a critical eye so i really like talking about media even tho i watch very little. I took a long hiatus from reading and writing but now getting back into it. To be honest i spend too much time on TikTok so I'm trying to cut that back.
Other important things are that I'm married. We've been together for ten years so he's very important to me but there's no need for him to be important to you. This is NOT a unicorn situation, you'll never even have to meet him. I have two dogs, both are rescued hound mixes.
Otherwise I just want to say I'm very easy going and non judgmental. I can't drink alcohol so i smoke cannabis instead. I like meeting new people and sometimes i get quiet bc my adhd brain is so stimulated i have nothing to add.
Um i think that's it! I've never had to convince someone about a thing in my life, let alone myself, so I'm crossing my fingers here. Hope to hear from you soon!
Here's me: https://imgur.com/a/pSQAyBy

Why is it that most drivers with CY number plates seem to indicate right whenever they are entering a traffic circle and then indicate left when they exit, regardless of whether taking the 1st, 2nd or 3rd exit. Should indications at circles not work the same as at 4 way stops i.e. if going straight over the circle, no indicator needed, if turning left indicate left and indicate right when turning right? This makes it much easier for drivers around to predict where the cars are going and in turn, when it is safe to enter the circle.. I can't be the only one who thinks like this, as most drivers seem to take the '4 way stop' approach when indicating at traffic circles, but CY drivers are something else, and I can't see why

I have been thinking about this for a while now. For someone who’s just a stay at home woman, no kids, just myself and my dogs. How do you expand your network? I rarely hangout with friends right now because I am trying to save money kasi magastos din lumabas ngayon talaga. Pero once that I achieve my goal savings, I will try to hang out and be with people. But how do you do that? I wanted to learn from people’s experiences that would benefit me in the future and it’s really an advantage na may good connections ka. Hehe

Gotham City is a brand new guild built by friends who love to have fun, joke around & help each other out. We're small but active & just want more great people to hang out with & enjoy the game. New players are welcome & so are old/returning players!
We play a little bit of everything, but are currently looking to build a raid group as well as a pvp group for rated arenas & bgs.
Our raiding schedule is so far 1 day/week until we get more on our roster. We raid Tuesday's from 9-11pm serveEST time.
We are in need of 2-3 healers & 3-6 dps, any specs.
Contact me on bnet @ PoisonIvy#1855 or discord PoisonIvy#1662 with any questions or if you would like to join! <3
Our guild's discord: https://discord.gg/t53Zxeq
We run rated bgs Friday nights at around 8:30pm serveEST time. We also have a PvP community for those who don't want to leave their faction &/or realm. Feel free to join & kill shit with us! (be sure to mention what spec you are to make it easier to put comps together): https://www.worldofwarcraft.com/invite/YezAMzdIRMO?region=US&faction=Alliance

so, most of us writers have had the on-the-ground exterminators (ones that go out as opposed to the dispatchers) grouped up into small teams (I call them "pods"), and it goes to infer that each team likely has a designation of some sort that they are known by and which signifies their purpose. currently the model that I have been using is a LL-## system, although it could also go LLL-###, LLL-####, or similar things for different intended duties of a pod. so, this is to look into the ways that Exterminator teams are designated
​
firstly, we deal with the ones that prove to be the exception of the rule I laid out: smaller units and offices with no formal pod structures.
with the first example, such as what we see in the fanfic "Blackriver Cases," they are likely simply designated by response teams, as each group likely pulls multiple duties.
with the second, like what is probably in the human exterminators patreon exclusive (I haven't read it, but some stuff has been implied and explained here on the subreddit), they likely have a "senior member" who is given a designation in communications with the office, and like with an old-fashioned call center where a person would be slotting in the phone lines for different communications, the pod at any moment is defined by the leader of the group, who does the reporting back to command
​
now with that done, we can look into possible designations, pods that exist, and what pods existing groups might fit into:

• designation LC: the first type of pod that appears in my story, these guys are pest control customs officials. basically, they are assigned to landing fields and supplement existing security staff.
• designation CR: the acronym is flipped around, but these ones are road containment, as they contain stampedes that take place on the broad thoroughfares that cut across Federation cities. they are equipped with deployable barriers, and are noted to not carry flamers. due to this they are labelled as the most risky division but have slim to no casualties and tend to attract more cheery individuals.
• designation SM: stampede management. they are the first on the scene after stampedes (not counting CR-## pods), and they are tasked with taking care of any predators that might appear and occasionally providing medical attention.
• designation SG: this pod hasn't appeared, but they are the result of a very small discussion between myself and u/Thirsha_42 about different types of pods, where I theorized that the shelter exterminators mentioned in the nature of a giant (the ones assigned to public housing, as homeless venlil are thought as being "pre-disease" in terms of predator disease potential), and they basically keep a watch over the venlil who sleep in the public shelters.
• designation PT: these likely make up the bulk of exterminators, teams that have some more variety in roles and are given an area to manage within cities
• designation WR: wilderness response, these exterminators are the ones sent in if there's a predator sighted in the wilderness. they are probably either trained to be more careful with their flamers or travel alongside CC-designated pods.
• designation NI: nest incinerators. if a hive of predators are found, these are the people who have to destroy it. they probably have the most indoctrination of all the branches, and probably attract the more psychotic individuals (kalsim is an example of the former situation, renak is likely the latter).
• designation TS: a training squad, this group would be seasoned exterminators who display an aptitude for conveying information. exterminators that are still training would likely be grouped alongside one of these pods, or a person from them. when there aren't exterminators to train, they are given a different designation.
• designation PE: prestige exterminators, these are the best of each office. they compose skilled exterminators from different pods, and the bulk of the ones who could fit the TS designation. they are sent to high-stress situations and can fill a variety of roles.
• designation CC: collateral control, these guys are quite literally just the cleanup after operations that pull in multiple pods. they can serve as firefighters, medics, basically anything that doesn't actually involve exterminating predators, but since they are so closely tied to the exterminators they were absorbed into the organization.
• designation RHR: this type of pod does not currently exist. what with all of the violent attacks on humans and the exterminators guild being a bunch of bigots, it made sense that eventually there would be a crackdown and the capitol would definitely already have a few of these, whose designation means "rapid human response." basically, they are pulled from the ranks of the more moderate exterminators, the ones who have been able to deescalate situations and resolve them without violence. they are tasked to situations involving humans because the venlil republic doesn't want to have an international incident. sadly, they would only really appear in larger cities.

​
and that's all that I have for the moment. it should be noted that I didn't create a group for responding to predator disease accusations, and that's because as it is, we have been shown such incompetence from them in handling such things that I expect they've just sent their regular units. blackriver cases is detailing the start of such a group, but for now that is likely few and far between and is probably seen as experimental. they wouldn't be given a designation.

22 Blue in 2022: 'THE LIST'

Build Supermajorities of Democrats in the US House and US Senate

Here’s “22 Blue in 2022: ‘A Quick List’”:

1. Florida 2. Ohio 3. Kansas 4. North Carolina 5. Kentucky 6. Arizona7. South Carolina 8. Georgia 9. Texas 10. Michigan 11. Nevada 12. Pennsylvania13. Missouri 14. Wisconsin 15. Iowa 16. Arkansas 17. Oklahoma 18. Indiana19. Colorado 20. Alabama 21. South Dakota 22. North Dakota

The 2022 Midterm Election is the most important midterm of our lifetime.Democrats must behave as if our lives depend on this midterm, because our future depends on the outcome.
”We the people” must deny the Republican party political power at every level of government for decades to come “in order to create a more perfect union.” With 48 States having some statewide contest(s), November 8th, 2022 is our best chance the Democrats will get to do that for the rest of this decade, at least.
”The List” encourages the election of a Democratic Supermajority in the US Senate in 2022. This is the best chance we will have to create a Democratic Supermajority in both Chambers of Congress for the remainder of this decade. This midterm could be a devastating loss for the democrats if good patriots ignore this election. If Americans of good conscience band together instead, we could could begin the exile of the Republican party from power, not for years, but for decades to come.
“The List” is a set of suggestions about where to focus collective activism today.
The election of Democratic Supermajorities to both chambers of the US Congress is the best outcome we can strive towards in the 2022 Midterm Election for many reasons. Among them: breaking the decade of gridlock in Congress, supporting President Biden’s agenda, and his re-election in 2024. My personal favorite is that this could commence the decades-long political banishment of the GOP from power, which the Republican Party so richly deserves.
The Republican party has proved itself treasonous on many levels. They are traitors to Humanity by supporting Trump. Traitors to the Nation for supporting Putin. Traitors to the government and betrayers of the constitution through their apologies for the 1/6/21 insurrection. To safeguard our country and the world, we must block the Republicans from power at the ballot box, at all levels of government, for at least a generation.
Political game playing may be inevitable among humans. Change the numbers, and then change the rules, if not the game. Cynical refusal to play at this time in history cedes power to NAZIs manipulated by Active Measures. That is a surrender to crypto fascism, not radical thinking, mere cynicism, or hipsterism.
In 2022, Patriots must unify to crush the Republican Party at the ballot box. We can defeat them in every State, at every level. We need the biggest turnout at the voting booth of any Midterm ever. We need to raise more money for candidates and organizations than we did during the entire 2020 campaign season if we are to accomplish this. We need to do this in the next six months.
This is what a “Blue Tsunami” REALLY looks like.
Electing a Democratic Supermajority in Congress is our hope for the future and retribution for America’s enemies. “22 Blue in 2022” is a roadmap to the beginning of that journey. “22 Blue in 2022” is our war plan. ”22 Blue in 2022” is our electoral battle cry. “22 Blue in 2022” is a way forward out of gridlock, a way to non-violently thwart those who would poison the body politic with their hate.
If we don’t try this hard in 2022, Trump will go unpunished and metastasize by 2024.
Resist In Power, my sisters, my brothers, and my others.
Resist Together, and elect a Congressional Supermajority in 2022!
See The “FULL 22 Bue in 2022 List”, With Dozens more links to the organizations and candidates that you can support to help Create a Democratic Congressional Supermajority in 2022!
National Democratic Organizations
Democratic National Committee (DNC): https://democrats.org/Donate Directly to the DNC: DNC DIRECT DONATIONS
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC): https://www.dscc.org/Donate Directly to the DSCC: DSCC DIRECT DONATIONS
2022 Senate Republican Target Races: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/2022senatetargets
​
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I had sigmoid colon srs just over 4 months now and everything has been fine, dilation is a breeze and now I’m back excercising a little more, until yesterday I was out doing my usual walking (nothing too strenuous) when I got a very sharp and constant pain in my urethra area I quickly got home and investigated and it seems I have granulation tissue inside the urethral opening itself there is also a small string? Of flesh just sticking out of the urethra you wouldn’t even notice it unless you were looking for it. Ever since then I’m getting random burts of pain from the same area and it’s worrying me. I contacted my surgeon who confirmed it looks like granulation tissue and gave no further advice than to not worry because there is no blood. I guess I’m looking to hear if anyone else had similar issues at this stage of recovery?

I was at Target in Chantilly last night with my kids and witnessed 2 dogs fighting in the middle of the store, apparently someone brought their pitbull, yes, an actual full sized pitbull into the store and from where I was standing, I could see coming was a small dog, not sure what breed, but as soon as the owners crossed paths, the pitbull immediately bit/grabbed the small dog by its neck and started thrashing it about. I grabbed my kids, threw them inside our shopping cart and ran away, but I could see that the pitbull owner, who was a skinny woman, could not possibly hope to control her dog.
I left before I saw any of the aftermath, I imagine that small dog got serious injuries, I don't know why people keep bringing their dogs into stores, what happened to just leaving them in your car while you shop? Why do I have to worry that a small woman might bring her large potentially dangerous dog to a public shopping space by simply claiming its an emotional support animal, what even IS an emotional support animal? When did that become a thing? I'm still shaken by what I had to witness and my kids were traumatized by what they saw briefly.

"Shit!" Chris shouted, causing Gary to spin. Boss held a spotting scope up to his eye.
"No way they didn't see us," he said. Gary marked the two running figures in the distance. He didn't think about it. He didn't register that they seemed small. He only knew that if the Taliban got wind of them moving through this pass they'd start mortaring the area and send out spotters. It would just be a matter of time before they were all dead.
He put his eye against the magnified optics. He placed the crosshairs at the top of one figure's neck and fired. It stumbled and fell. The other one angled off, getting some lateral motion, which would have been a smart move if Gary weren't such a good shot. He got the left arm of the crosshairs lined up on the same spot, the vertical bars just in front of the figure and fired again. The second one dropped.
"Checking," he said as he rose from the crouch he'd shot from and ran towards the closest. It took a minute or two to reach him, and when Gary flipped him over, his breath caught in his throat.
Blood soaked the front of his tunic and the lower half of his face. He was gasping for breath, his windpipe and probably one of his lungs destroyed by the intense cavitation of the 5.56mm round.
"I was..." the boy gasped. Because that's what he was, just a boy. A boy with thin, delicate features. A bow-tie, soaked in blood and clinging to his neck was below the tunic and Gary could just make out the top of a familiar Star Wars patterned vest below it.
"I was going to save the world," the boy gasped.
"You were," Gary agreed. "You were gon' marry a goddess and have the sweetest kids. And you were going to save the world, more'n once."
"Found the second!" Rog called. Gary turned away from the boy who would now never grow into the man he'd meet in a safehouse in Kabul after getting discharged and taking up work for the Company.
He walked over, ignoring the uneasy feeling in his stomach.
This one was a girl. Earth-brown skin and tightly braided cornrows greeted him. Gary collapsed when he saw her.
"Why'd you shoot me, daddy?" she asked.
"I had to, baby," Gary sobbed. "You was gonna call the Taliban."
"No I... No I wasn't... I was gonna tell... Dad," She reached up as Chris jogged up. Rog looked at them, scowling.
"Dad and Daddy? What are you, a couple of fags?"
Gary ignored him. He cradled his daughter in his arms as she bled out into the dust and dirt of a fallow field.
----
He awoke with a start, the old familiar panic already fading. Chris sat up smoothly, awoken by his movements and wrapped his arms around Gary. His smooth skin pressed against Gary's back and helped ground him in the moment.
He was in bed, naked, with his husband. Natalia was asleep in her room, peaceful and calm and happy and loved. Gary reminded himself that he didn't need to check on her. That she was a light sleeper, and she'd wake up and then all three of them would be up until four in the morning, and they'd all be bleary-eyed and exhausted all day tomorrow.
"Same dream?" Chris asked. He nuzzled Gary's neck, then kissed his shoulder. Gary reached up to stroke his arm.
"Yeah," he said, his voice raw. "A little different, this time."
"In what way?"
"The first one was Jerry. But as a kid, you know? Like, ten, twelve years old. He was wearing one of his little bow-ties and his Star Wars vest under the tunic. The second one..." Gary took a deep breath to steady himself. "It was Nat."
"Ouch," Chris said with a wince. Gary nodded.
"I won't lecture you about how we had no choice again. I think you know. I think your brain has made your peace with it, and this is just your conscience, refusing to let go."
"Ayup," Gary said.
"Hey," Chris grabbed his chin and turned his head to kiss him tenderly on the lips. "That conscience is a part of what makes you so beautiful."
Gary smiled into the kiss.
"Come on now," he said when they pulled apart. "We both know you only want me for my body."
Chris slipped a hand down Gary's stomach and let it drift lower and lower.
"Well, how about that," he said when he found something interesting. "I think we both know that it's my body that somebody wants right now." Gary reached back.
"I'd say the feeling's mutual," he said. Chris moved around as Gary stretched his legs out to let the beautiful man straddle his lap. Their lips met as they intertwined the fingers of their hands. All thoughts of the nightmare fled Gary's mind as the blood rushed out to do other things.
----
As was usually the case when they woke up in the middle of the night for some hanky panky, Gary awoke with a sore neck and back. He stretched out, toes seeking the sheets and finding nothing but Chris' body, pressed to his side.
He opened his eyes to see that Chris was already looking at him. "You slept in," Chris said. "You're getting lazy in your dotage, old man." Gary turned to glance at the clock. 0527 hours.
"Seventeen minutes," he grumbled, sitting up and pushing his feet off the bed. There were the sheets, crumbled on the floor. Gary rolled his neck to work the stiffness out, then stretched his back.
He felt the bed jerk as Chris hopped out.
"Who's on KP this morning?" Chis asked, opening the underwear drawer and digging through. Both men were about the same size and shape, close enough to wear the same size clothes, so they'd long since combined their wardrobes into one. Chris found two pairs and tossed one to Gary, who caught it and stood to pull them on.
"It's your turn." Gary said, "But I think I'd like to get breakfast if you're okay with that."
"Grandma's?" Chris asked, referring to Gary's favorite greasy spoon.
"We can do something else if ya don't want that," Gary said. He opened the closet and found jeans for both of them, spinning suddenly and whipping one pair at Chris' head. Chris got a hand up, but not quite in time, and the legs wrapped around his head. Gary grinned at him as he got untangled.
"Well," Chris said primly as he extricated himself. "If that's how you're going to thank me for last night, I guess I can go back to pretending I still have a gag reflex."
"Let's not be too hasty now..." Gary said, but before he could go on, Chris whipped the jeans at him like a wet towel. The hem of one leg smacked into his back, just above his ass with a stinging crack, making Gary yelp and Chris grin.
"Truce!" Gary declared before his husband could fire again. Chris lowered the jeans and began to pull them on. Gary did the same with his pair, and then went digging into the closet again.
"Wanna coordinate today?"
"Get the long-sleeves. The two identical gray ones," Chris said. "Our pants already match, might as well match the tops, too."
"I take it you wanna wear the black boots, then?" Gary asked as he took the two gray shirts off the hangers and handed one to Chris.
"They're the only pairs we have that match."
Gary chuckled as he pulled his shirt on and tucked it into his pants. Chris tossed him socks and they sat down and pulled on their boots. When they were done, they admired each other for a moment.
"Twinsies," Chris said in an artificially cheerful, artificially high-pitched voice. Gary chuckled.
"Let's take Nat to IHOP," he said as he opened the door to get their daughter. "We ain't been in a bit."
"Works for me," Chris replied.
----
They hadn't quite finished their pancakes when Gary's phone rang. He looked at the number, then sighed and showed it to Chris.
"That's probably your first case," Chris said. Gary nodded. "Ayup. So I should take it." He pressed the accept button and held the phone up to his ear.
"Johnson," he said.
"Hey Gary," Inanna's voice said. "Hey, Anna," he responded.
"How's Chris and Nat doing?"
"They're good. We're just eating breakfast now, at IHOP."
"I'm jealous. Jerry's with the little ones today and I'm stuck in the office, running on coffee and a blueberry muffin from the break room."
"Figured you'd take the day off," Gary said. "What with it being the first day of summer break."
The waitress approached their table then. "Anyone need a refill? Anything to go? Or just the check?"
Gary held up a hand. "Am I gonna need to come into the office soon?"
"Uh... Probably. I've got a case for you, and you'll need to be briefed. And I think I might come with you. Mind magic might be useful here, and I know that's not really your thing."
"Want me to bring you breakfast?"
"Fuck yes," Inanna said with gusto. Gary chuckled and pressed the phone to his chest. "Can I get a menu? I'm gonna get a meal to go."
The waitress smiled and promised to be right back.
"What you want? Pancakes? French toast? Crepes? A big, hearty plate of eggs and potatoes and bacon?"
"Yes," Inanna said with a chuckle. "I'm famished."
"I'll do you one of the samplers and add some french toast, then," Gary said.
"Thank you, Gary."
"No problem. So give me the bird's-eye view."
Inanna sighed. "It's kids, Gary. I wouldn't have put something this heavy on you, except we don't have anyone else. Jack and Glenda are working another case up in the Rockies, John's up in New Jersey helping out with a kidnapping and both Clarence and Regina are on those killings up in Oregon."
She sighed again. "We've got three dead in a group foster home in the Baltimore suburbs, Franklin Green, to be specific. All three died in the middle of the night, one each night for the past three nights. The police reports said that each one woke up in a sweat, screamed the air out of their lungs and collapsed, dead. Preliminary autopsy results on the first showed tearing in the heart tissue, significant internal bleeding. The cops said the beds were soaked in blood."
Gary sighed. The waitress returned with the menu, and Gary used it to order Inanna's food. When he was done, she took off, promising to have it out shortly.
"Ayup. That sounds mighty weird."
"Cops called us when they got the third this morning. They're freaked out. The rest of the kids in that home and the caretakers are beside themselves."
"I'll tell ya what. I can be in Franklin Green in twenty minutes if I leave here. Why don't ya send me the address and we'll meet there. You can pass on the details to me as ya eat, I think I got enough to start with."
"Okay," Inanna said. "I'll leave the office in, say, fifteen minutes. How much for the food?"
"Don't worry about it," Gary said. Chris put a hand on Gary's arm. "I got it," he mouthed. Gary smiled at him.
"Okay, I'll see you there."
"Twenty minutes," Gary said and hung up.
"We'll take an Uber up to Gunpowder and have a nice hike," Chris said. "Maybe we'll stop by the safeway and pick up some supplies for a picnic." He looked at Nat. "Would you like that?"
"Hell yeah!" Nat said, kicking her legs happily and wiggling her butt back and forth as she shoved the last piece of pancake in her mouth." She grinned as she chewed.
Gary chuckled. The waitress returned with a pair of boxes and the check. Chris took it and muttered. "Military discount?"
"My dad was in the Army," the waitress explained. "You two wear it like a neon sign, no need to check IDs."
"Thank you, darlin'," Chris said, handing her the check back, along with his card. She took it to ring them up and Chris told Nat, "Say goodbye to Daddy. He's gotta go work."
"Bye Daddy!" Nat said, hopping up to come wrap her skinny arms around Gary's neck. He kissed her on the cheek and squeezed her back gently.
"Now, you heed your Dad, y'hear?"
"Yes, sir," Nat said. Gary smiled at her and booped her nose, eliciting a giggle. "That's my girl," he said.
----
"That ain't a lot to go on," Gary said as he and Inanna sat in Old Bess outside the group home. Inanna stuffed the last of her french toast into her mouth, dripping syrup on her lap.
"Shit," she muttered, grabbing a napkin and soaking up the condensation on the bottle of iced coffee she'd brought with her. She dabbed at the stain.
"I know," she said as soon as she swallowed. "But it's all we got."
Gary sighed. "Well, if you're done, let's go check the site. I'll interview, you scan for magic."
Inanna nodded and opened the door. "Mind if I leave this here for now?" she asked, gesturing at the empty food containers. "S'fine," Gary said. He climbed out and they both walked to the front door. He noticed that Inanna had a small handgun on her belt. He approved. It matched his G2C, which reminded him...
He produced his troll doll and clicked it to a belt loop using the small metal carabiner he'd had to replace the original plastic clip with. It was his good luck charm, his favorite of the collection that occupied a display cabinet in his living room. It had been with him through thick and thin, and it would make a good conversation starter with the kids, he thought.
Inanna knocked on the door, which was answered by a stressed-looking black man with a neat, short beard and a bald head. Gary felt the man magically. Patronly love, grief and stress came off of him.
Inanna and the man exchanged a few words and then she gestured to him.
"This is my partner, Gary Johnson. He's an Army vet as well." Gary stepped forward and offered the man a hand.
"Percy Washington," the man said in a deep, resonant voice. "Wrench monkey, oh-three to twenty-three."
"Pleasure to meet ya, Percy. I was a shooter, ninety-two to oh-twelve."
Percy chuffed a short laugh. "Couple of pensioners, then. Infantry?"
"Something like that," Gary said. Percy nodded, understanding what he was getting at.
"So Percy, can ya take me to one of the kids what saw what happened?"
"Yeah. Suzanne's still here. I had the others sent away, you know, for their protection, but Suzanne wouldn't stand for it. She flat refused to leave me and Beth."
Gary nodded. "Family's family, even if you had to find it."
Percy led him inside the large house, down a hall and to a small den with a TV on one wall and a thickly-upholstered couch on the other. A girl, about the same age as Nat sat there. She had bright red curls and a smattering of freckles across her face. The TV was playing a re-run of The Legend of Jimmy, from the first season. Suzanne was staring at it with haunted eyes. Gary blinked as he recognized the scene.
"Mighty strange coincidence," he said as he sat down next to the girl. She slowly turned her head to regard him.
"That's me," he said, as his counterpart on the screen tossed a grenade through a dilapidated factory door, waited for it to go off, then rushed in.
"Glenn Jackson?" the girl whispered.
"Gary Johnson, actually. They changed all our names for the show. The creator, my friend, Sookie, she wanted to give us the option of avoiding a lot of media attention."
She turned back to the television and watched as Glenn gunned down six men with ruthless efficiency.
"Is that how it really happened?" Suzanne asked.
"Sort of," Gary said. "Gunfire in a small space makes more smoke than you're seeing there. It's louder than the TV makes it sound, too. And I don't think there were any fellers in that particular room."
"But you rescued the girl?"
"Ayup. Found her hiding behind a couch, just like in the show. She was hurt, real scared, too. I got her out of there and back to our group."
"This is my favorite part," she said. Gary glanced over at Percy who nodded, then shook his head. Gary understood. Someone had hurt Suzanne before she came here. He sneered unconsciously and hoped his beard hid the expression. People who hurt kids... He called them and a few other types 'orcs'. Because they filled a role in his life that orcs did in fantasy books. People that the hero could kill in spades without ever having to feel guilty about it.
Gary and Suzanne sat in silence for a bit and watched the dramatic moment that Glenn found the naked Karen behind the couch. He watched as his counterpart put a large gun in her hands and she turned it on the greaser, bleeding out on the floor. He'd been dead in real life, but in the show, his eyes widened as he realized the girl he'd hurt would have her revenge.
The camera cut to a close-up on Karen's face as the flash of the shot lit it up. Three more flashes came in rapid succession, and then she gave the gun back and vomited on the floor.
Glenn held her hair back and rubbed her back as she convulsed, then pulled a large t-shirt from his pack and handed it to her. He stripped the shoes off the dead greaser and got Karen dressed.
The scene faded to black, and then expanded upon the meeting with Ishtar.
"You know, Inanna's here with me," he said.
"Ishtar?" Suzanne asked, not taking her eyes off the television. "Ayup. She's walking around, feeling out the magic in the house, right now. We can say hi, if you want. Maybe get some autographs before we go."
The people on screen chatted for a moment, then Ishtar ripped the head off the greaser she'd been holding hostage. Gary winced. Now that he thought about it, this was a little bit too violent for a child her age. He hadn't let Nat watch the show, yet. But Percy seemed like a good guy, and he clearly cared about his kids. Gary wouldn't second-guess his parenting.
Gary watched the characters vanish in the smokey heat-illusion visual effect that Sookie had picked to represent teleportation in the series, and then the credits rolled.
"Did you guys come here just to meet me?" Suzanne asked.
"Sort of," Gary said. "I need to talk to you, ask you some questions about what happened."
Suzanne nodded.
"Can you tell me? Just tell me the whole story of what happened to the others."
"I only saw Jerry die," Suzanne said in a small voice. A flash of the dream that had woken Gary up last night went through his head, but he dismissed the mental image. Jerry was a common enough name.
"I had a nightmare that night. A dark man came. He chased me through the house, but I hid in the attic and he couldn't find me for a while. I woke up when he opened the attic door.
"I was sitting in bed when Jerry woke up. He looked at me and said 'the dark man', then he started screaming. It woke everybody up. He screamed so loud his voice broke, and then he started bleeding out of his mouth and he fell over in bed."
Her voice had cracked worse with each word, and she sobbed the last few. Gary tried to gauge the girl, feeling her emotional state. She was afraid and sad of course. But she felt alone, too. She'd been an only child for a while, living with parents, real or foster, who didn't care about her. Until she'd come here, Gary guessed. He could feel where the wounds had started to heal, here in the group home with Percy and Beth and the other children. But then this happened, tearing the old wounds open.
Gary went for it. He wrapped the girl in his arms and pulled her into his torso, letting his shirt soak up her tears.
"I know, darlin'," he said gently. His own voice cracked with remembered pain. "I seen my friends die, too. I know what you're feeling."
She clung to him and cried for a long moment. Percy still stood in the doorway, his face a mask of sympathetic pain, blended with his own pain.
After a good while, Suzanne began to calm down.
"I wanna go lay down," she said.
"That's fine, honey," Percy told her. "You can go lay in me and Missus Beth's bed, if you want."
She stood and turned to walk through the door, but stopped.
"Are you here to kill the dark man?" she asked Gary.
"I think I might be, darlin'," he told her.
"When you do... Will you give me the gun? Like in the show?" Gary winced. This girl was too young for that, he was sure.
"We'll see," he told her. She nodded, accepting that, then turned and left.
"Jesus," Gary breathed.
"She's been through a lot," Percy said. "Her mother was one of those cultists from the show. So was her father, most likely, but nobody knows who that is. CFA found her when she was four, living in a roach-infested trailer with her mom, who was strung out on meth at the time. She had scars from cigarette burns on her arms."
Percy sighed. "The first foster family that took her turned out to be... A bad fit. They couldn't deal with a child who had trauma like that. They ended up locking her in her room and going out together a few times before the case worker found out and brought her to us instead."
"I hope them two ain't fostering any more kids," Gary said.
"They won't tell us what happened, but I heard through the grapevine they've been blacklisted," Percy confirmed. Gary nodded in satisfaction.
"She tell you what happened?" he asked. Percy shrugged.
"Same thing she told you."
"You notice the two parts about the 'dark man'?" Gary asked. Percy nodded. "I did, but I don't know anything about this stuff. I told the detective about it. I think it was her that called you guys."
"That sounds about right," Gary said. "Which was was Jerry? I mean, what order did the three pass in?"
Percy sighed again. "First, it was Candy. Then Jerry, then Martin."
"Did Candy say anything about a dark man? Or was there something else that could have inspired Suzanne's nightmare?"
"You think it was a coincidence?" Percy asked with a frown. Gary shrugged. "Maybe. I'm trying to rule that out."
Percy raised his hands in a helpless gesture. "Okay," he said. "Candy, right before she died..." He sniffed and angrily rubbed his eyes. "I made it into her room, because she was sleeping with Lacy, and woke her up when she sat up in bed. Lacy called us, probably tattling on Candy, she's like that, you know? Anyways, I went to see what was the matter, and I caught what Candy said. She said 'he's coming', right before she started screaming."
"Hmm. What about the last one, Martin?"
"I don't know. Martin had his own room. He might have said something, we didn't hear him until he started screaming."
Gary nodded.
"Thank you," he said. He walked up and put a hand on Percy's shoulder and spoke in a quiet voice. "I got a little girl of my own. I can't imagine what you're going through, right now."
Percy nodded and scowled at the floor. When he turned his face up to meet Gary's eyes, his were steely and angry.
"I just want this to stop," he said. "And if there's someone or something behind it, I want that person or thing or whatever... I want it dead."
Gary nodded. He patted Percy's shoulder. "Let me go check on my partner," he said. Percy turned with him. "Beth should be showing her the rooms where it happened. Come on. This place is a maze."
Percy led him through three halls to a stairwell, then up it and through two more halls until Gary could hear Inanna's voice.
"...not sure. I'm just gathering information right now. But it does look like that."
Gary stepped into the room the voices were coming from to find Inanna and a middle-aged, redheaded woman with long, straight hair, wearing a heavy metal T-shirt. The redhead turned to him as soon as she spotted him and held out a hand.
"Beth Washington," she said, her voice choked and raw.
"Gary Johnson," he said, shaking her hand. Beth nodded and let his hand go to stare at a bloodstained bed that had been stripped of sheets. Two more beds filled the room.
Gary turned to Inanna. "What'cha got?" he asked.
"There's something here," Inanna said. "A spirit or a deva, maybe. Not an asura, I don't think. It doesn't feel powerful enough for that. This is a tricky creature."
Gary nodded. "What can ya tell about it?"
Inanna shrugged. "Not much. I caught a glimpse of it, though. It looked like a tall man, perpetually cloaked in shadows."
"The dark man," Gary muttered. He felt the air as best he could. Even though he was nowhere near as proficient as Inanna, he could feel it. A dark, sinister presence, waiting to strike again.

Ok, so a few days ago I was at my local Starbucks to get my daily frappe. I’ve been to this location countless times so I’ve gotten to know all the workers pretty well. However on this occasion, I noticed a new worker who was my just my type. I just had the feeling that she wanted my sexy bod. So I decided to walk up to her and have her take my order. “One frappe with extra love” I exclaimed and then I winked at her. To my shock, the woman looked confused but inputted my order regardless. She was playing hard to get. A common woman tactic. So to keep up the flirtatious mood, I said, “Thanks mommy”. She once again didn’t seem to bite and looked at me in disgust and called over her manager. I mean what did I do, kill someone? Long story short, I was banned from this specific Starbucks location indefinitely for no apparent reason. I mean am I not allowed to flirt? She was clearly into me. Just felt like I had to get this off my chest.