At one point I was thinking about the timeline of FNaF, and decided to write out every concrete date we have. The dates we know for certain are:

• Game & Novel Events
  • 1983 - Freddy's Opens and the Bite of '83 (Confirmed in the Steel Wool games and the presence of Freddy's characters in the FNaF 4 minigames)
  • Monday, October 31st, 1983 - Charlie's death (Confirmed in the novels)
  • Wednesday, June 26th, 1985 - MCI (Confirmed in the FNaF 1 newspapers, novels and Fazbear Frights)
  • Sunday, November 8th, 1987, through Friday, November 13th, 1987 - FNaF 2 Nights and Phone Calls (Confirmed in the FNaF 2 Paychecks)
  • November 8th through November 14th - FNaF 1 Nights and Custom Night (Confirmed in the FNaF 1 Paychecks)
• Novel Only Events
  • July of 1985 - Henry Commits Die
  • June of 1995 - The Silver Eyes
  • October of 1996 - The Twisted Ones
  • Post-Easter Sunday of 1997 - The Fourth Closet

And doing this made me realize something. With the number of dates we have, a lot of people are just guessing instead of working around them. Most notably, the reuse of certain weekdays/months can help us understand dates that aren't confirmed. For example:

• Due to the Spring Bonnie costume being moved in the FNaF 3 Night 5 Phone Call (AKA Phone Guy's 4th call) and Spring Bonnie being used for at least the MCI, we can safely place Phone Guy's FNaF 3 calls from Sunday, June 23rd, 1985, through Thursday, June 27th, 1985. Since Phone Guy brings up the Springlock Failure on Tuesday, this means the Bite of '83 can't have been the springlock failure he mentions on Call 3.
• Since the newspaper clippings in FNaF 1 are after the MCI and appear to be the same front page, this means that not all of them happen on the same day. The "Kids vanish at local pizzeria – bodies not found." page is likely on Thursday, June 27th, 1985, after at least the first two MCI victims have been killed. The "Five children now reported missing. Suspect convicted." page is likely on Friday, June 28th, 1985, after the incident has been more thoroughly investigated. The "Local pizzeria threatened with shutdown over sanitation." page is likely on Saturday, June 29th, 1985, after the bodies have begun to decompose. Notably, the "Local pizzeria said to close by years end." page seems to be well after June of 1985 since the MCI is referred to as "many years ago", so it's unlikely it takes place at the same time as the other three.
• Since both FNaF 1 and FNaF 2 have inconsistencies with it being a "summer" job (FNaF 1 on the Steam Page and FNaF 2 in the Night 1 Phone Call), it's implied that the job listing hasn't been updated since the MCI.
• Phone Guy repeatedly mentions a "previous employee" who took the night shift before we did, who was likely William Afton using a fake name, which means that he had worked from Sunday, October 25th, 1987, through Friday, October 30th, 1987. After this he moves to the dayshift and begins tampering with the animatronics. Since the MCI in the 1985 location happened on a Wednesday, this implies that the DCI also happens on a Wednesday. This, combined with the investigation into Freddy's happening on Night 4 of FNaF 2, implies that the DCI happened on Wednesday, November 11th, 1987.
• Due to the "Freddy Fazbear's is Closing" page seen after Night 6 of FNaF 2 and the Night 7 Guard being a different person, it's likely the Bite of '87 happened on Saturday, November 14th, 1987.
• Since FNaF 2 shows Fazbear Entertainment pays its employees on Thursdays, this means FNaF 1 has to take place in a year where November 12th is a Thursday. As such, the possible dates it could be are 1992, 1998, 2009, and 2015. Since 2009 and 2015 are well after most depictions of the FNaF 1 location and 1998 is after the Security Guard Faz-Fact date of 1988-1993, we can conclude that FNaF 1 has to take place in 1992. To add onto this, a code in the Survival Logbook involving coupons further implies the year 1992 due to calculations involving pricing and inflation. Related to this, Phone Guy is stated to be finishing his last week during the FNaF 1 Phone Calls, and since Mike arrives to take his place immediately after, it's safe to say that the Phone Calls take place from Sunday, November 1st, 1992, through Thursday, November 5th, 1992.
• Due to Phone Guy's Night 1 Phone Call from FNaF 1 playing in the background during FNaF 4 and a number of other similarities, it's safe to say that FNaF 4 takes place during FNaF 1, with Nightmare Night being before just before FNaF 1 Custom Night. The reason for this is that, if Mike is working the Night Shift, he would need to be asleep during the day to make up for it and be ready for his workday.
• Sister Location is stated to take place after a Freddy's location has closed its doors, placing either post-MCI, post-FNaF 2, or post-FNaF 1. However, since HandUnit says the Freddy's that closed was a successful one, it can't be post-FNaF 2 as the location was only open for a few weeks. It also can't be before FNaF 3 because Mike would have no reason to go to Fazbear Frights. Lastly, Elizabeth in the novels dies after Charlie, so her death would have to be before 1987. This implies that the events of the game take place post-FNaF 1, while Elizabeth's death takes place post-MCI and pre-FNaF 2. Notice that earlier when talking about FNaF 2 that I said William didn't work on October 31st, 1987. That is because, given the previous evidence, he was implied to be at the opening of Circus Baby's Pizza World witnessing Elizabeth's death. This event is what leads him to perform the DCI to gain Remnant now that Circus Baby's is out of commission.
• The Immortal and the Restless cutscenes are pretty self-explanatory, taking place after each night of Sister Location. Similarly, the Sister Location cutscenes take place the week after Sister Location. Lastly, the Elizabeth voice lines after each night take place in the week leading up to her death.
• This is where things get a bit controversial. The Silver Eyes takes place over Five Nights (as in the title), and since Charlie is in town for the 10th anniversary of the MCI, this means the book takes place from Monday, June 26th, 1995, through Friday, June 30th, 1995. In the book, we see Charlie springlock William as revenge for his crimes while the other animatronics drag him to the Safe Room. While it isn't 1-1, a similar thing happens in the Follow Me minigames, where on Night 5 all the spirits lead William into the Safe Room and springlock him as revenge for his crimes. Phone Guy also states that "If I were forced to sing those same stupid songs for twenty years and I never got a bath, I’d probably be a bit irritable at night too", which could relate to the predicament William Afton found himself in after Follow Me. This implies that the events of The Silver Eyes happen at the same time as Follow Me in the game continuity, which is why they had to be separated in the first place.
• Relating to the above point, both The Silver Eyes and Sister Location take place over the course of 5 nights and both involve the older brother of one of the dead children being trapped in a Springlock Suit on Night 4. Similarly, both Follow Me and Sister Location end with a man identified by a purple sprite being killed by the victims of the MCI (or maybe DCI for Sister Location). This implies that Sister Location and Follow Me also happen at the same time, and the reason Mike couldn't find his father was because he was springlocked in the back room at Freddy's.
• Since FNaF 3 is stated to be 30 years after a Freddy's location closed its doors, this means that it is in either 2015, 2017, or 2022. Since the game is released in 2015 and the Survival Logbook's previous coupon code matches that date if adjusted for inflation, FNaF 3 takes place in 2015. Due to the date of the MCI already being mentioned and work weeks in the games usually starting on Sunday, this means FNaF 3 takes place from June 21st, 2015, through June 26th, 2015 (after which it burns down). On a related note, the last night of Pizzeria Simulator is stated to be a Saturday, and since the game has a lot of relation to the Afton and Emily families, it's likely that it takes place on the day Charlie and Elizabeth died (October 31st). This implies that the game takes place from Monday, October 25th, 2015, through Saturday, October 31st, 2015.
• You may have noticed that Sister Location is the only game that doesn't start its work week on Sunday, instead beginning on Monday. That is because FNaF World takes place during this day, as implied by the lack of Funtime and Scrap animatronics. After this, the minigames from FNaF 3 are set up and Mike goes to the Sister Location bunker at the behest of his father. Ultimate Custom Night, however, has no set date because it is seemingly a time loop, an endless cycle of suffering endured by whoever you believe the player to be. Happiest Day only occurs after Ultimate Custom Night ends, but just as the Vengeful Spirit says, they will never happen.
• Now that we've covered the major events, let's get to the main course: The minigames. Considering the above evidence, Take Cake to the Children and Security Puppet take place on Monday, October 31st, 1983, Fruity Maze takes place on Wednesday, June 26th, 1985, and Circus Baby's Minigame takes place on Saturday, October 31st, 1987. Foxy Go!Go!Go! and Give Gifts, Give Life likely take place either on the same day as Fruity Maze or the day after on Thursday, June 27th, 1985, though the more likely option is the latter due to cluttering the number of events. The main FNaF 3 minigames besides Happiest Day take place during the events of FNaF 3, since Mike is the one setting them up. That only leaves the FNaF 4 minigames and Midnight Motorist. Due to Midnight Motorist being labeled "later that night" in the code, the rain texture being the same as Security Puppet, and the player driving a purple car, it's likely the minigame takes place the night of Charlie's murder. Since Elizabeth's death, the Bite of '87, and Pizzeria Simulator put a lot of emphasis on "parties on Saturday", it's likely they are calling back to the Bite of '83. Since William "should" have a motive to kill Charlie, this places the FNaF 4 minigames from Monday, October 24th, 1983, through Sunday, October 30th, 1983. This places the Bite of '83 on a Saturday, just like the Bite of '87.
• One last thing of note: Though the year she describes is inconsistent due to Book Charlie being a replica and not the real Charlie, she is born on Tuesday, May 13th, 1980, and dies at the age of 4. Similarly, the date of Fredbear's opening has also been inconsistent, ranging from 1979 to 1982 depending on the media. This seems to imply (to me at least) that Charlie's birthday is the same day Fredbear's opens. Also, since Elizabeth dies four years later on the same day as Charlie, it's likely the same is true for Elizabeth's birthday and the founding of Freddy's. Lastly, to me at least, Michael's birthday being the same day as Bite Victim would give him a motive to bully him and cause the Bite. Considering both Charlie and Elizabeth were four when they died, it's likely that Bite Victim's birthday is Wednesday, October 29th, 1980, with Michael being born on the same day in 1970 to allow him to be old enough to work at the FNaF 2 location as Fritz Smith. gives an exact date for almost any remaining dates missing.

Now that we've covered every possible point from the Clickteam games, let's take this information and form a timeline. Please note that not all of the specifics will be agreed upon, but I believe the general dates are correct.

• Thursday, October 29th, 1970 - Michael Afton (Mike) is born, William Afton and Henry Emily found Fazbear Entertainment.
• Tuesday, May 13th, 1980 - Charlotte Emily (Charlie) is born. Henry and William open Fredbear's Family Diner. In the diner are two animatronics, Fredbear and Spring Bonnie, who can be used as animatronics or worn as suits through the use of springlocks.
• Wednesday, October 29th, 1980 - Bite Victim (CC) is born, and Fredbear's is a massive success. Fazbear Entertainment is large enough to have plushies, action figures, build-your-own-robot toys, a Spring Bonnie finger trap, and even a TV Show called Fredbear & Friends.
• Friday, May 13th, 1983 - Elizabeth Afton (Abby) is born, Henry opens Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. In the Pizzeria are four animatronics (Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy), who originated from Fredbear & Friends and don't feature the springlocks found in Fredbear and Spring Bonnie.
• Monday, October 24th, 1983, through Sunday, October 30th, 1983 - Mike torments his younger brother in the week leading up to their birthday while their father watches from afar using cameras and a Fredbear plush with a walkie talkie. The day of the party, Mike and his friends accidentally cause the Bite of '83 through a prank gone wrong, and he dies the following day with both Mike and William speaking to him on his deathbed. The Bite Victim possesses the Fredbear plush, but Mike locks it in a toy chest along with all his other toys so they don't have to think about him. While Mike and William are talking to CC, Fredbear's closes down, the suits are moved to Freddy's, and Fredbear is rebranded to Golden Freddy and given black accessories to replace the original purple accessories.
• Monday, October 31st, 1983 - William gets Henry to watch Mike so he can go to a nearby bar to drink his problems away. After being kicked out for getting too drunk, William drives to Freddy's in a drunken rage. William sees Charlie locked outside by a bunch of bullies and kills her, leaving her body outside by the dumpsters. The Security Puppet animatronic, designed to keep children safe after the accident at Fredbear's caused it to shut down, follows Charlie outside and deactivates while clutching her in its arms. This causes Charlie to possess the Security Puppet. When William gets home, Henry tells him to leave Mike be, but he refuses. He knocks on the locked door before checking the window outside. He remarks that he's run off to "that place", meaning where Mike buried the toy chest in the woods, and vows that Mike will be sorry when he returns.
• Sunday, June 23rd, 1985, through Saturday, June 29th, 1985 - Fazbear Entertainment hires Phone Guy to record safety tapes for the springlock suits used at Freddy's. On Tuesday, an incident involving multiple simultaneous springlock failures (the origins of Shadow Freddy and Shadow Bonnie) causes wearing the suits to be banned. On Wednesday, William dons Spring Bonnie out of spite and lures two children, Susie and Jeremy, to the back room of Freddy's where the springlock suits were being stored and kills them. On Thursday, William kidnaps three more children (Gabriel, Fritz, and Cassidy) and brings them to Freddy's to kill them. He kills the first two the same way as before but has a "special gift" for the third one. He stuffs them into the Golden Freddy suit, then allows their crying and screaming to trigger the springlocks, causing yet another springlock failure. Once he leaves, the Puppet (AKA Charlie), takes action and stuffs the bodies of the other four children into the suits in hopes of bringing them to life the same way she was. This leads to Susie possessing Chica, Jeremy possessing Bonnie, Gabriel possessing Freddy, and Fritz possessing Foxy. Cassidy, however, had already been strong enough to possess Golden Freddy herself due to the agony of the springlock failure. On Friday, the police investigate Freddy's and find the Golden Freddy suit laying in a pile of blood, leading Fazbear Entertainment to seal the room the suits were being kept in. William frames Henry for the incident, causing him to go to prison for a crime he didn't commit and giving sole ownership of Fazbear Entertainment to Afton Robotics. However, the dead bodies being kept inside the other four suits began to leak blood and emit a foul odor, eventually leading the restaurant to be shut down due to sanitation violations.
• Sunday, October 25th, 1987, through Saturday, October 31st, 1987 - Now with total control, William opens a new Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. The new restaurant used new models called the Toy animatronics, due to being based on various toys manufactured by Fazbear Entertainment. The initial plan was to reuse the original suits, but due to the bodies inside, William instead re-uses their parts for the new line of animatronics. This transfers the Remnant of the original animatronics to the new animatronics. While this was occurring, he also began work on opening a new location, Circus Baby's Pizza World, with more humanoid animatronics in the form of Baby & the Bidybabs, Ballora & the Minireenas, BB, and JJ. The location also had two additional animatronics, Funtime Freddy with his hand-puppet Bon Bon, and Funtime Foxy. The animatronics at Circus Baby's were built for the purpose of gaining more Remnant and were programmed to lure, capture, and kill children. Abby, however, developed an obsession with wanting to see Circus Baby. Starting on Tuesday, she begins begging her dad every day to play with Circus Baby. William, obviously not wanting one of his own kids to die again, refuses. On Saturday, however, Abby manages to escape William's view and see Circus Baby, leading to the animatronic doing as it was programmed: killing Abby and extracting her Remnant. William, distraught by the loss of yet another child, cancels the opening of Circus Baby's due to "gas leaks" and retires the animatronics to a storage facility underneath his house. However, BB, JJ, and Funtime Foxy were moved to Freddy's instead.
• Sunday, November 1st, 1987, through Saturday, November 14th, 1987 - William, now robbed of the location he had planned to use for testing, gets a job as a night guard at Freddy's under the fake name "Dave Miller" to obverse the location. At first things seem to be going smoothly, but the animatronics quickly recognize him and attempt to kill him repeatedly throughout his work week. By Saturday, November 7th, he contacts the restaurant as "Dave Miller" and reports the behavior of the animatronics, which leads to him being moved to the day shift and a new employee named Jeremy Fitzgerald (one of Mike's childhood friends) taking his place. During Jeremy's work week, Phone Guy calls him each night to update him on current events and guide him through his shift. William, still needing Remnant, uses his position as a day guard to kill five more unnamed children. This causes the animatronics to become even more aggressive and leads to "Dave Miller" being fired by the company. However, since William still owned the building, he closes the location publicly. However, he allows one family to have a birthday party on Saturday and sets up Jeremy as the day guard. The animatronics (likely Toy Chica), believing him to be William, cause the Bite of '87 and leave Jeremy without a frontal lobe. Following this, the location shuts down for good and William sends Mike under the fake name "Fritz Smith" to dismantle the animatronics and return them to him. He uses the parts he has to repair the original animatronics and re-open the original Freddy's location to very limited success. He also injects the Remnant from the Toy animatronics into the Funtimes and repairs Funtime Foxy (who had been torn apart by toddlers while he was there and become Mangle), making them more hostile than before.
• Sunday, November 1st, 1992, through Saturday, November 14th, 1992 - While the Phone Guy had managed to work as a night guard at the FNaF 1 location for a very long time, he eventually got old enough to retire on his last work week in November. As such, he begins to record a set of training tapes for the next in line for the job after him. Things go smoothly the first three nights, but on Wednesday the animatronics finally get the better of him. They kill him and stuff him in a Freddy suit in the back room. This gives William an idea. From November 7th to November 14th, he performs experiments on Mike by poisoning his room with fear gas during the day, leading him to have horrific nightmares of the Freddy's animatronics. During the night, he sends Mike to work at Freddy's again as a night guard under the last name "Schmidt". On Saturday, however, Mike listens to the tapes Phone Guy left and checks inside the animatronics, leading him to discover what his father had done. This leads to William "firing" Mike and to the experiments worsening over the next few years. After a while, Mike's fear of the experiments leads to him becoming completely subservient to William and wanting nothing more than to please him.
• Sunday, June 25th, 1995 - FNaF World...happens. It's hard to explain exactly WHAT happens since the game is built on metaphors and double meanings, but its events are important because they set up the events of FNaF 3, Pizzeria Simulator, and Ultimate Custom Night. All that we know for certain is that Mike opens the box (as seen in the game's files), he remembers everything that happened, and he is tasked with putting the pieces in place to help his younger brother. Could it be a dream, altered by the spirit of CC, the fear gas, or something else? Could it be an in-universe game he played that was kept in the box with the other toys, explaining the repeated use of Atari imagery in cutscenes and minigames? Or could it just be something silly Scott wanted to make used to represent Mike and CC's memories of the past? I have no clue, and I don't think anyone else truly does either, so I'll just say it happened and leave it at that. Although, something important to know for later is that Old Man Consequences in FNaF World is used to represent Henry, given their similar speech patterns and his cutscene in UCN.
• Monday, June 26th, 1995, through Friday, June 30th, 1995 - William, running low on Remnant after experimenting on the Funtimes, returns to Freddy's to extract more Remnant from the original animatronics now that the location has closed. He lures them into the same back room he killed the children in and dismantles them one-by-one. While he's there, he sends Mike to the underground storage facility, now named Circus Baby's Entertainment and Rentals, to "put his sister back together". On Thursday, the animatronics kidnap Mike and place him in a springlock suit, forcing him to watch Ballora be injected with the Remnant of the original animatronics before allowing him to leave. On Friday, however, both Mike and William run out of luck. The animatronics at Circus Baby's tear themselves apart and join together to form Ennard, who tricks Mike into following them into the Scooping Room. The Scooper tears out his insides and allows Ennard to use him as a skin suit. While this is occurring, the ghosts of the children from the MCI take form before William and frighten him. In response, he remembers how wearing an animatronic mask confused them, so he wears the Spring Bonnie suit in hopes it'll make them leave. However, the general lack of maintenance and the wet surroundings lead to him experiencing a springlock failure first-hand. He dies a karmic death, but the agony of the springlock failure leads to him possessing the suit and becoming Springtrap.
• Saturday, July 1st, 1995, through Saturday, July 8th, 1995 - In the week following Mike's death, Ennard uses his body for a while to attempt to fit in with the other people in town. However, they didn't account for Mike's body decomposing due to exposure to air and sunlight. By Friday, they decide to abandon ship and vomit themselves out of Mike's corpse, leading him to collapse. However, the Scooper also injected Mike with Remnant, allowing him to reanimate himself and regain consciousness. This leads to Saturday, July 8th, where Mike laments his life and vows to find his father and get revenge for all the damage he's caused. While this is happening, Ennard is beginning to fall apart. The majority (Funtime Freddy, Funtime Foxy, and Ballora) eject Circus Baby's parts from their body, leading to Circus Baby having to put herself back together in more ways than one and becoming Scrap Baby. However, this causes their Remnant to destabilize and become molten hot, leading to their form melting into an amorphous pile of Remnant and animatronic parts called Molten Freddy.
• Sunday, June 21st, 2015, through Friday, June 26th, 2015 - 30 years after the MCI at Fredy's and 20 years after the events at Circus Baby's Entertainment and Rental, a horror attraction called Fazbear's Fright opens. Mike, seeing this as an opportunity to find his father, again applies for a job as a night guard and works there for 6 days. On Sunday, he has no luck and just sits in an empty office. He writes in the Logbook given to him by Phone Dude, the owner of the attraction, and notices two spirits communicating in the book. He remembers the events of FNaF World and uses this opportunity to pick up the pieces left for him and free the souls of the children. On Monday, however, Phone Dude has "great" news for him. He found Springtrap (AKA his father) in the backroom of Freddy's and is using him for the attraction. He also found the first set of training tapes Phone Guy recorded and plays them for the rest of Mike's work week. Over the course of the week, he communicates with the spirits in the Logbook, sets up their "Happiest Day", and defends against his father's attempts to kill him all while dealing with faulty equipment and Remnant-based hallucinations. On Friday, after he's certain the pieces are in place and has learned who the people communicating in the Logbook are (CC for certain, but the other could be either Cassidy or Charlie depending on how you look at it), he burns the attraction to the ground with both of them inside. However, William escapes, leading Mike to return once again and give chase. The Puppet, who had been at the location alongside Mike since it opened, also follows suit.
• Sunday, October 25th, 2015, through Saturday, October 31st, 2015 - Henry is released from prison on Sunday after the police in town investigate the animatronics roaming the streets and discover Circus Baby's, proving he was innocent all along. After leaving, he comes up with a plan. He reuses a bunch of older animatronics from before Fredbear's opened and repurposes one named Carnie into LEFTE, who he uses to capture the Puppet. He also builds a fake pizzeria above ground, with an elaborate labyrinth of vents with a large empty room in the middle below ground. He hires a new manager for the location, and tasks them with salvaging any animatronics found in the underground room. After the manager leaves, they will seal the room behind them. Afterwards, once all the animatronic menaces lurking around are inside, he will burn the location to the ground with no chance of escape for anyone but the manager (including himself). However, something unexpected happens. Instead of some rando getting the job, William's son Mike takes the position instead. He follows Henry's instructions perfectly until Saturday, when Henry's plan has come to fruition and the location begins to catch fire. However, Henry knew that Mike was exactly where he wanted to be, and that he wouldn't use the escape Henry left for him. He gives one final speech as they all burn together.
• Post-October 31st, 2015 - This one will also be a bit controversial. After the smoke clears, all the souls still present are freed from their animatronic prisons and allowed to move on. That is, all except for two. William was still undeterred and was attempting to possess another vessel, and Mike still wanted to make his father suffer how he had suffered. So, using the Remnant of the other spirits, he drags William into a coma. A dream he will never awaken from where he experiences what Mike went through and is taunted by the children he killed over, and over, and over. Henry (through Old Man Consequences) tries to reason with him, urging him to let William burn in Hell and allow Happiest Day to come to fruition. But Mike won't let that happen. He will hold him there. He will keep him there. No matter how many times they're burned.

And that's it. This post took me all day writing out and double-checking to make sure I didn't get anything incorrect, but I'm sure there are a few typos or inconsistencies and that there are pieces of information I've missed. After all, no one knows all the answers about FNaF except Scott himself, and even Scott makes mistakes. But I feel confident in this and hope that it leaves some sort of impact.

I went to south Florida to Blue Lagoon Farm and they’re complete assholes for a place that looks so good in pictures but in real life is so trashy. The reason why I’m upset and low key hurt is because I planned a date with my gf to go here 2 days ago and I was hyped to take her there because in the pictures the water looked super nice and natural but when we got there it was the following:

1. The water was murky as hell
2. It was over crowded and it wasn’t safe at all for people there given that bottles were in the water
3. The owners were mad rude
4. I left my shoes there and they returned them to me all torn up.

So for point 4, TL:DR; I know it’s my fault that I forgot my shoes there but I called immediately and guided them to where they were at and they confirmed that they had them for me and would hold them. I got them back dirty and torn up.
For those that want to know the details: if you see their reviews, the owners are lashing out the negative comments by calling them liars and dumb. That’s messed up because your consumers are who make the business. They’re making money off of people who are unaware that the images aren’t like the place they advertise. Which again I think it’s okay to an extent because conditions aren’t always the same but damn was it freaking bad.
The other thing was point 4. I had left my shoes there which were nice shoes and honestly my favorite pair. Since they were suede shoes Nike brand, I took them off at a place far from the water (which was were my table was at) and left them there to try out the water in my bathing suit. These shoes are 1 month old with minimal use. When I left I noticed that I left them there and I live somewhat far, so I asked if they could hold them until the next day morning (since they were closing already). The person on the call was saying that they were going to leave them outside side of the house because they were closing but they’d hold them if I come early the next day. Anyways, the next day they get picked up. The shoes are MUDDY, torn up, like they were dragged through a field. These $300 shoes! So essentially they won’t hold responsibility because I left them there and they “found them like this”. Even though I left at the closing time and had to guide the owner via phone call as to where to find them.
I get that it’s my fault I left them there, but Jesus I wouldn’t expect someone to trash them because of that and then act like they don’t know what happened when they said they would hold on to them. The dirty shoes is fine but tearing them?! It wasn’t until that happened that I started seeing their reviews and apparently they’re nasty like that to other customers.
Thank you. Sorry just had to vent this out, idk where else to

INSTRUCTIONS ARE IN THE FOLDERS
*CLICK "SKIP ADS" IN TOP RIGHT\*
WIN - v3.0.6 (733.7 MB)
MAC - v3.0.6 (164.1 MB)
*BELOW ONLY APPLIES FOR MAC\*

• If you are experiencing "File is damaged and cannot be opened", this is NOT an app issue. This is a GATEKEEPER issue. To disable Gatekeeper for the application, open Terminal and enter “sudo xattr -c ”. You can get the path by dragging the application into the Terminal window.

*Use VirusTotal or Malwarebytes if you feel at risk\*
**Please use ModMail if you are having troubles*\*
^{Support RandomCracks RC2024}

CMDRS, after playing around in EDSY, I have come up with some FDL-Killer builds (all of them are Python Mk2's), that I would like to slap together and mess around with, when I finally return to Elite Dangerous (I haven't been around since EDO's beta-testing phase). Now you will notice that one of these versions has 2 pack hounds each with rapid fire drags (that was intentional because with that build I plan to set up a pair of fire groups with my frags as the primary fire and one pack hound on secondary for both fire groups (this was so I could continually hobble the target ship (FDL as an example) and rip their shields and hull to shreds in so little time)). As for another version of this build I plan to use my long range high capacity railgun with feedback cascade (for enemy ships (player and NPC) that have one or more Shield Cell Banks), that I got a long time ago. I think I also might have some double engineered Scanners (kill warrant and wake), so those will be going on the ship too.
Now y'all are probably wondering, "CMDR, why do you have a D grade life support and FSD [SCO]?" Well, I am so glad you asked! I found out that if the Python Mk2 when fully kitted out with A Grade gear doesn't pitch as fast as the FDL, along with the FDL having slightly better shields, too. With those two pieces of D Grade gear, I am able to fully outmaneuver an FDL in Pitch, Roll, and Yaw, all while still maintaining a higher jump range. I also wanted to give my builds the ability to conduct in-flight repairs for modules, in case y'all ask why I have an AMFU (the canopy in particular).
Feel free to offer some critique and rate my hypothetical Python Mk2 builds. I have left an FDL build in here as an example, as well, so y'all can compare specs between it and the Python Mk2 builds.
Fer-De-Lance Phaser
Python Mk2 Lead Wall
Python Mk2 Lead Wall v2
Python Mk2 Lead Wall v3
Edit: Sorry about that. It's late at night from where I am typing.

Previous chapter
A soft chuckle filled the cave, carrying with it so much weight that not a single echo chased after it. It was as if, instead of making a sound, her laugh transmitted directly into his head and filled his body.
“It is alright child,” She petted his head. “Unlike the immortals from the stories you may have heard, I do not care for customs and formalities such as these. Raise your head.”
The way that she spoke reminded Mareus of Elder Guo in the almost ancient way that he would form his sentences while speaking in commands. Though it didn’t feel as if she was being overbearing.
Mareus struggled to his knees while looking everywhere except for her face. His eyes darted around her outline, looking into the darkness behind her, at the way her hair moved in the still air. Doing everything they could to avoid recognizing the disdain present in her gaze. Instead, when he finally met her eyes, he only saw softness accompanied by lines only formed with a gentle smile. Similar to the face a mother would make when consoling a crying child.
“Tell me your name, child.”
“M-my name… my name is Maris. I-I don't have a family name, but I was raised by a grandmother with the name Hua.” Starting to feel more comfortable, he asked. “May I know the name of the person who saved me?”
“Hmm, Mare-us.” She mulled over his name for a moment, as if she were determining what characters it used and their meaning. “Yes, it's a good name. The person who picked it chose wisely.”
He wasn't quite sure what to say. He never actually asked where his name came from. So he wasn't sure if it was his parents who chose, or his grandmother. He did ask her what it meant when he was younger, she could never give him a full answer though. Instead, she told him how the first character meant ‘endless’. “Like the boundless and infinite sea,” she would explain.
Having never seen the sea Mareus wasn't sure exactly how true that was, but he did ask a villager who had traveled outside the valley once, and they compared it to the sky. Because of that, he would often stare at the blue sky during the day, tracing the heaven’s scar as it ran into the horizon.
The woman continued to run her fingers through his hair like she would with a beloved pet. “I do have no family name. As such, I have many names over my life. The one I am currently fond of is Fu Kong.”
As if she had gotten what she came for, she gracefully rose to her feet and retreated back to the edge of the darkness. The shadows that fled when she revealed herself now returning, bathing the cave in total darkness.
“Do make sure to eat your meals, I will return with a change clothes for you. Unless, that is, you prefer those rags clinging to your bandages?”
Mareus lowered him so back into kowtow. “Mistress Fu Kong, you bless me with your kindness.”
His words were met with silence, and after a few heartbeats he raised his head to find only darkness awaiting him.
After breaking free from the awe, he finally examined his body for the first time. He had become noticeably thinner from skipping so many meals while his body was healing. It wasn't quite at the level that could be considered unhealthy, but he was already smaller than most children his age, and now he even skinnier.
His thick black hair was crusted and knotted, with some of it knitted into his robes. It's oil seeping into what was left of his clothes and his bandages. That wasn't the worst of it, though. The thing that shocked him the most was the stench.
While retching, he thought. How did I noticed this before?
Mareus reeked with the pungent odor of rot and filth. He was reminded of after the wedding and the parts of the Shou that were left in the field to decompose before being turned into fertilizer.
Breaking free from his regrettable fantasy, he felt a kind of enlightenment that was quickly replaced with embarrassment. I can't believe I was in front of someone like her while like this. He agonized and rolled in his makeshift bed while covering his face.
He frantically looked around for anything to help him hide the stench and, hopefully, his shame. When he noticed a few things that weren't there before. The darkness of the cave faded again, as if the shadows were imitating the clouds on an overcast day.
Without the distraction of a heavenly fairy or his eyes blurred from his tears, he could finally clearly make out his surroundings. And it was no wonder he could find the exit before, instead of a wide area, naturally carved out inside a cave. The room was more like a misshapen bowl with a high ledge that led to several more dark passages.
In the bowl, the closest wall had a small table and stool with a used candle and some parchment. The adjacent one revealed a pile of furs he couldn’t recognize. On the far end of the cave were some plants he'd never seen before. As Mareus got closer he noticed: a small bucket of water, a piece of pumice soap, and a cloth.
He absentmindedly spoke. “I guess she really thought of everything.”
Mareus realized that either the stool was far heavier than it looked, or he had gotten that much weaker as he struggled to drag it between two bigger plants. He tore off his tattered clothes and sat down before fighting with his bandages.
“I'm glad you're taking the initiative to explore on your own.”
He connected the sudden voice into a lot of his feet while trying to cover anything he could. Although the remains of his robe didn't cover much more than the wraps already were.
Unbothered, Fu Kong continued. “I worried that you'd fall back into your depression after I'd left. But seeing you up and about is a testament to the strength of your soul.”
He slowly climbed back onto his seat as the strange woman spoke. Making sure to have most of his body turned away from her. When she suddenly stopped speaking, he looked back to see if he had disappeared again. Instead, she was gracefully sitting on a inky black ledge he didn't notice before.
“Mistress, I don't want to seem disrespectful, but do you need something from me?”
Her face didn't change as she thought for a moment. “There's no rush, I can wait until you're ready.”
Accepting that she had no intention of giving him any privacy, he started scrubbing the areas that weren't covered by his bandages. He quickly noticed that when he accidentally scrubbed over the edges of the bandage, it drank the soapy water. What was even more surprising was that the characters wriggled like they were alive before the bandages secreted some sort of brown substance.
The stink was even more horrendous than before, he immediately slapped it away and watched as it splashed in the bucket. The gunk sizzled away in a matter of seconds until the water was clear again.
Experimentally, he cupped his hand and scooped some of the water onto his leg. Mareus immediately regretted that because the smell was so overwhelming he released what little there was left in his stomach into the bucket.
While covering his nose, he hurriedly cleaned up the remainder of the gunk and made sure to only wash small sections before scraping away what came out into the bucket.
Train to distract himself, he started up a conversation with the woman watching over him. “You said you'd wait until I was ready. What am I supposed to be ready for?”
“Before anything else, we'll have to get you something substantial in your stomach, or you'll waste away completely. You’ll also be needing new robes that are preferably more durable. Your old ones are beyond anything that could be called clothes now, and there's no point of getting you ones that will only fall apart right away.”
Mareus stared at the tattered cloth that was no different than the rag he was using to wash his own body. Wondering just what exactly she had in store for him.
Next chapter

Sionia
Chapter 14
Map First Previous
“Lord Wyatt, you are needed” Called Lars that shook me out of my fascinating reading about dragon neuts.
“Yes.” I said as I pulled back the curtain.
“The city guard requests to speak with you. They are restricting entrance to Avalon given the latest attack by Mardor at Black Gate of Rowan.” Lars explained with a salute and chest bump
With a sigh, I handed my book to Gus and exited the carriage and was very impressed with the massive three story gatehouse and huge stone block readouts connected on each side. I was met by a forty something looking man of average build with black hair and dark eyes flanked by six fully fitted out soldiers.
“I am Rhys Redith captain of the guard here in Avalon. You must be Count Ryan Wyatt.” Rhys introduced himself with the question.
“Yes, I am Ryan Wyatt.” I responded with a frown and knotted brow.
“We have been expecting your arrival. The king has ordered us to assist you and provide hospitality. I am to escort you to the fortress and the rest of your party to Duggan's inn.” Said Rhys with a salute and formal bow.
“That will not do! I have several wards under my care which several are nobility.” I objected to the plan given.
“I was not aware. I will of course take you to the fortress where Lady Ludmilla will address your concerns.” Replied Rhys with a salute and bow then motioned for me to follow.
“Follow him, Jace .” I said to my new driver and climbed into the carriage.
The bridge over the north side of the Paradise River to the island of Avalon was very long at around a quarter mile or so. The readouts of the gatehouse extended a good ways into the river which had several firing positions. I suspected that the river rose and fell with a possible rainy and dry season which was why the readouts could prevent an army from getting behind the gatehouse or access to the bridge from land. The island side gatehouse was flush with the city walls and protruded into the river was equally as impressive with a descent sized recessed portico and draw bridge porch extension.
Thinking back to my travels through Europe, I decided Avalon looked like the city of East Looe, Cornwall in England but not as topographically elevated and with more renaissance style architecture than back on earth. The Roman style arched bridge was very much what we just rode across. The fortress of Avalon itself was at the highest point which was off to the left on the far east side of the island and most up stream point on the islands.
The Fortress keep was decent but still half the size of Duke Boasag's Buanna. I realized that the reason for putting my servants at an inn was because of the lack of space. However, I was determined to stay with my wards no matter the violation of etiquette it might cause. As my carriage pulled up to the entrance with the fortress that had both iron gates and metal reinforced wooden doors that were a good six feet wide and twelve feet tall each. These doors were set into no less than a three foot thick wall.
Passing through the gate was a small bricked paved courtyard that was about forty to fifty feet wide in a more or less oval shape. I saw a host of servants and two well dressed ladies waiting at the main doors to the fortress's central keep.
“Lord Wyatt, welcome to Avalon. I am Viscountess Ludmilla Skafhoggr and this is my mother Baroness Grogda Wode.” Stated a quiet plump pretty faced brown haired woman in a gaudy yellow with purple accented dress with unicorns all over it and a matching unicorn hat whose horn protruded a good foot from her forehead.
“Yes, it is a very deep pleasure to meet you as well.” Stated Lady Grogda a good looking woman who seemed to be in her mid to late thirties with black hair and unusual olive colored eyes. Her lite brown dress was quiet plain compared to her daughter's which was kind of comical in their contrast.
“The pleasure is mine for sure in meeting you ladies.” I said pouring it on a bit thick with a formal bow and sweep of my arm.
“I do not understand. Why are all your people with you?” Lady Ludmilla asked looking toward Captain Rhys but speaking to me.
“I have many wards under my protection. Thus, it is impossible to leave them alone without my presence as there are many who would try and take advantage of helpless young girls.” I stated but that failed miserably when Freya and the other three Asgardians approached fully armed with their swords.
“I would hardly call them helpless!” Spat Lady Grogda with a bit of contempt as the Asgardians were better looking than her.
“Despite appearances, they need my protection. After all, I am their guardian as I freed them from captivity.” I responded with a bit of admonishment in my voice.
“Yes, we have heard the tale. You are quiet the knight in shinning armor.” Lady Ludmilla said with obvious sarcasm.
“It is what it is. The wards will be with me wherever I am. If that is at an inn or camping on the side of the road, so bit it.” I stated with irritation.
“Do not be silly. We can host your wards and personal attendant. However, we must insist that the rest stay in the inn over there.” Lady Ludmilla said pointing to a three story building that was about fifty yards away.
“That is closer than expected. However, I accept. My people can stay at the inn while you host me and my wards.” I stated with another formal bow.
“Good, now come and we will see to your comfort.” Lady Ludmilla said with a bit of a laugh with Lady Grogda giving a small laugh and a wicked grin.
I immediately turned to Lars, Razor and Meowth and ordered that they maintain a watch on the carts and carriage around the clock as I did not want any lapse where someone would try to take advantage. I called to the wolf kin brothers to continue to protect the girls inside the fortress. Pointing to Lars, I told him to take our prisoner Andros to the adventure's guild office and turn him over and letting them know he was caught trying to steal from me. Tell them I will see them on morrow to see if Andros was telling the truth or just lying. Turning with a smile and motioned to Freya and the girls to follow me with Gus right behind me.
The inside of the fortress was decently furnished though it had more of the appearance of a military outpost than a holding of wealth as it looked quiet spartan. I was led to an upper chamber where Lady Grogda had already ordered a bath filled by the time we had arrived.
“I will see to you personally” Lady Grogda stated with that same wicked grin again.
I suddenly felt as though I was a piece of meat put on display before a hungry wolf. I steeled myself to not recoil as I just felt off with this lady.
“See to your master's baggage.” Lady Grogda ordered Gus who was surprised by the command.
Gus gave me a slight shaking of his head and left the chamber. Lady Grogda then proceeded to strip me with efficiency. Once I was naked, she suddenly took her time looking at my nakedness. She even traced my scars on my back with a click of her tongue. Walking over to the tub, I climbed in and sat down.
“Spoil sport” Said Lady Grogda as she grabbed a wash cloth.
“Do not get my wounds wet.” I said warning Lady Groda of what the doctor had told me.
“Why? Your wound is almost well healed. The stitches can be pulled out except here” Stated Grogda and tapped me on my left shoulder blade.
“I have been using a special salve from the high elves. I did not realize it was healing that fast. However, I was warned that getting my wound wet would effect my healing.” I repeated what Doctor Zalzwarth told me.
“Very well.” Groda conceded.
Lady Grogda began washing me where she was absolutely taking her time. It was obvious that she was deliberately feeling me up for her own pleasure. When she grasped my manhood. I stood up and said, “The water is cold and I am tired and hungry!”
“Humph” Pouted Lady Grogda her displeasure but began to rinse me.
Just as I was stepping out of the tub, Gus entered slightly out of breath as he had run to get my clothes with Lukas my footman helping. I sighed with relief as Gus helped me don my dressing gown.
“Old Maude will be here momentarily to apply your salve.” Gus said with a salute.
“Very good.” I replied to Gus then turned to Lady Grogda and said, “I was told you are a Dowager Baroness. Is that not so?” I blatantly asked appearing as innocent as I could.
“I will see you at the dinner bell hour.” Lady Groda said with a sort of half wave salute and stormed out of the chamber in a huff.
“Thank you, Gus. I actually thought I would have to literally fight to save my personal honor.” I remarked with a laugh.
“It was my pleasure, Lord Wyatt.” Gus responded and joined me in laughing.
Old Maude came about twenty minutes later and applied my salve and chatted about how excited she was to be in Avalon and wanting to visit one of the apothecary shops. I gave her permission but have one of the guards accompany her.
About an hour later and I was fully shaven and dressed, I heard a large bell ringing from a bell tower not far away from my chamber. With that, I headed down to the great hall that was just off the main entrance way. I was met by Lady Ludmilla who escorted me to Viscount Skafhoggr chair where she seated herself to my left. Lady Grogda appeared wearing a new pink dress and seated herself to my right. The one missing was the Viscount.
“Where is Lord Skafhoggr?” I asked Lady Ludmilla with a raised eyebrow.
“He is meeting with one of the military commanders. I believe they are deciding on how large a levy they must raise to battle the bastards of Mardor.” Replied Lady Ludmilla as she clapped her hands for servants to begin serving the evening meal.
Four exhausting hours later, I was back in my chamber with my nerves completely shot. The constant fawning and mindless chatter from Lady Ludmilla as well as the constant groping from Lady Grogda under the table had stained me to the max. I was ready for bed and was glad to sink into the lavender scented sheets. Gus grabbed a thin pallet and two blankets. Blowing out the candles he stepped into the hallway closing the door behind him. He would sleep outside my door as custom demands while traveling.
A little over a half an hour later after Gus left, the door opened and closed quickly. I could not see in the darkness but relaxed when Freya spoke softly and slipped into bed with me. Freya did her magic on me as she mounted me taking me to new heights of pleasure. I quickly forgot all about the overly eager pursuit of the Dowager Baroness as I shared the pleasures of being with Freya. After we had sated ourselves completely, we slept peacefully in a loving embrace.
The morning came with a knock on my door that woke both Freya and I. I moaned but Freya nudged me on the chin.
“Time to wake you lazy bones.” Freya said with a laugh.
“I am not a morning person.” I said with a groan.
“Don't I know it! You were quiet the beast were you not?” Freya teased then laughed at me.
The knock on the door was more instant as I rose and put on my dressing gown. Opening the door slightly was Gus and the Dowager Baroness.
“It is early, what is it?” I asked.
“We have prepared a very special meal for you this morning.” Said Lady Grogda with a frown while she tried to look around me into the chamber.
“I see. Well, give me some time to properly dress and I will be down shortly.” I stated and continued to Gus “Have Lukas bring my shaving kit.”
“Right away, Lord Wyatt.” Gus said as he motioned down the hall where I assumed Lukas was.
About forty five minutes later and having snuck Freya out of my chamber, I was fully shaved and dressed in my dark red outfit and black beret hat that actually looked really good on me. Upon entering the great hall, I saw Lady Ludmilla seated. Lady Grogda taking me by the arm led me again to the Viscount's chair where she seated herself next to me.
“Where is Lord Skafhoggr, Lady Ludmilla?” I asked her directly.
Lady Ludmilla was quiet for a moment then said, “I guess he is sleeping. The meetings with the military commanders drag on for hours and hours. I hardly ever see him these days.” Lady Ludmilla said with a shrug of her shoulders.
“Is that so. Very well as it can not be helped. Please send my regards to Lord Skafhoggr for his hospitality. I was informed that the king would have a messages for me that Lord Skafhoggr was to give me. Could you ask Lord Skafhoggr for them?” I asked as I suspected something was just not right.
“Oh. Ah. I will of course ask my Lord Vincent for the king's message once morning meal is finished.” Lady Ludmilla said and looked discombobulated.
“I see. Please do so. The king ordered me to arrive in Camelot immediately. I can not dally and spend extra time as I normally would do. I hope you understand.” I said making extra emphasis on the king's order part.
“Yes. What the king commands we all must obey.” Lady Ludmilla said sourly but not looking at me.
Lady Ludmilla then clapped her hands and the servants brought in the morning meal. What surprised me was my meal was different from everyone else. Looking at both Lady Ludmilla and Lady Grogda something in the back on my head screamed warning warning.
The silver plate before me was a type of stew with a strong overpowering spice scent. I frowned and began to think hard and fast.
“This is a specialty from the High Valley region. I hope you like it.” Lady Grogda said with no expression at all.
My alarm bells went off even stronger this time. A footman came over to fill my cup which I deliberately knocked over and profusely apologized for my clumsiness.
“You know, I am from the High Valley region too. I have never been a fan of overly spiced foods. Lets see how spicy it is.” I stated and took a scoop with a spoon and handed it to the footman to taste.
The footman was surprised but more than happy to taste the food as it was obvious that food for the staff was very plain and simple.
“You should not do that! It is not right!” Lady Grogda said as she stood up showing more alarm than outrage.
The footman had already consumed the sample where he at first looked like he liked it. However, he suddenly started to choke as his face turned bright red and falling to his knees. Lady Ludmilla stood up in horror as the footman was gagging begging for water. I handed him my silver chalice with what I assumed was apple cider where he chugged it down then begged for more.
Finally, after three more cups of water given by another footman, first footman just lay on his back almost in a stupor. It was as if his mind was blank.
“What is this?” I asked as I pointed to my meal looking at both Lady Ludmilla and Lady Grogda.
“I do not know!” Said Lady Ludmilla looking at her mother with a strange look.
“Do not give me that! What did you do?” I demanded with a my voiced raised and now pointing my finger at them.
“It was a love potion. It was to make you like me.” Said Lady Grogda meekly and looking sheepishly at the ground.
“Seriously! That was more than a simple love potion!” I yelled my outrage.
“I swear that is all it was. I had to hide its not so pleasant taste with spice.” Lady Grogda stated her defense but still not able to look me in the eye.
“Lady Ludmilla, I must now ask that you bring me the king's message as I am now leaving Avalon.” I commanded with rage in my countenance.
Lady Ludmilla fled the great hall without replying. Lady Grogda just sat down with her head down looking at the floor saying nothing.
With exasperation, I called out to my people. “House of Wyatt, Ladies and girls we are leaving! Quickly gather your things and be out front within a little span!”
With that, I stormed out of the great hall to the shock of all present. Up in the guest chamber, I changed clothes into my bluejeans, a blue shirt and a tan leather vest. Pulling on my boots and strapping on my weapons belt, I looked over seeing Gus and Lukas already packed up my discarded clothing and was ready to leave as they were staying clear of my angry outbursts.
Down at the carts, I ordered my guards to ready themselves to leave. I sent Lukas to call all the servants in the inn to be ready to leave immediately. Razor and Meowth jumped down from their perch on the first two carriages with questioning looks.
“They tried to poison me! Can you believe it?” I said angrily as I swept my arm to point at the fortress.
“Meow Lord Wyatt, that is clawful. Do you want meow to use them like a scratching post?” Asked Meowth as her tail went straight in what I assumed was either surprise or anger.
Razor just gave a low grumbling growl with teeth bared as he looked at the fortress.
Forty minutes later as my people were loading up, Lady Ludmilla approached with her head down.
“I am sorry Lord Wyatt. It seems you do not have any messages from the king.” Lady Ludmilla said never once looking me in the eye.
“I see. Send a message to the king that I left Avalon today and as commanded traveling as quickly as I can. The king is expecting my update so make sure it is properly sent!” I said with a warning.
I ordered a florse saddled for I needed fresh air as I was still furious. I actually led our people out and toward the main north south road which Nick panicked a bit and settled with riding next to me. As we approached the main crossroads of the city, I saw a large dinning hall and ordered a halt for all of our people to have breakfast. The meal consisted of roasted mutton, eggs, apple pancakes and apple jam. They also had fresh chilled milk and apple cider which really went well with the sweet dishes. Our group apparently cleaned them out and they had to turn away a few customers until mid day.
After breakfast, I went to the adventurer's guild that was a few buildings to the south. It was a four story building of decent size. I allowed Old Maude with a one of the house guards to go to the apothecary shop across the road along with the two Alphardian servants Aura and Sylvia. Inside the adventurer's guild, I asked for Marine as instructed. It was then I learned that Marine was Zack Talley's girl where they were to marry soon as she proudly let me know her good news.
“Zack said to tell you this is a level one escort. Whatever that means.” I repeated what Zack had told me to say.
“Thank you. It simply means Zack thinks there would be no problems and just being present is enough to discourage any potential thieves. The total is two hundred fifty denari for basic escort with an A ranked adventurer.” Marine said with a smile
After paying the fee for the job request, I asked Marine to speak to someone about Andros that was brought in by man guard Lars.
“I am Supervisor Etan Borg and assistant to Guild Master Henry Stewart. It is a pleasure to be at your service Count Wyatt.” Stated Etan with a salute and bow.
“Pleasure is mine.” I replied with a salute and nod of my head.
“We have investigated Andros. His party the Finders of Avalon specialize in retrieving lost items or stolen goods from thieves. It appears his party was specifically requested to recover a lost ventu volpis. We do not have any more details for the job other than this.” Etan stated as he read from a page in his hand.
“Who hired them to steal from me? Make no mistake, they were hired to steal from me!” I said as I was showing my anger and frustration.
“Normally, we would not disclose who posted job requests to those not apart of the contract. However, given the circumstances, I was instructed to tell you it was Viscountess Lady Ludmilla. It seems she contracted and paid a merchant from Xanadu for a ventu volpis. It is our understanding that merchant was placed on a Quenya trade ship where he will go on trial for his many crimes in Svarta. The Finders of Avalon should not have tried to take your ventu volpis. Nor should they have taken on the job given the crimes of the merchant without more information.” Etan explained what the guild knew.
“What will happen to Andros?” I asked frankly.
“The Guild Master will hold a hearing with S and an A ranked members who will advise on the issues. I expect he will be found guilty but will escape the ten year punishment. More like one to two years of labor for the guild doing low ranked jobs that no one wants while being supervised by myself or a C ranked or higher adventurer. His pay will be one third of normal with the rest going to repay the guild and costs associated with his lapse in judgment.” Etan replied with a shrug of his shoulders.
“I see. The thing that irks me is they attacked my people and wounded one of my guards with a slinger's stone.” I explained my outrage.
“I was not aware of this fact. Master Stewart will compensate you as the law requires. Unfortunately, Master Stewart left for Camelot for meetings with the war counsel on Astria's response to the Empire's latest invasion. I will send a filoxis to let Master Stewart know that there was injury, offense and honor requirements. I understand you will be traveling to Camelot and am certain Master Stewart will seek you out to give you a formal apology and see you are properly compensated.” Etan stated with a salute and bow.
“Good enough. Let me know the outcome of the hearing for Andros. I do not like loose ends and a potential enemy looking for revenge.” I said mater of factually.
“Understood. I will relay your concerns to Master Stewart. Etan replied with another salute and bow.
Leaving the adventure's guild, I decided to visit the tradesman's guild and merchant's storefront while Old Maude was still busy across the street. The girls came with me as they had been requesting things like combs, brushes and scented oils plus a few other special feminine items they needed.
Once all the girls got what they were needing and getting those items stowed with their baggage, Old Maude came back with a small crate filled with items to make medicines. While the baggage was being loaded and sorted, I went to see the information broker's desk and inquired about Chamberlain Robert Duffy. I paid the requested fee of one erythro given his status in the city. I was shown a file which listed the qualities, character and known habits of Robert. There was a section about vices and food preferences. The only vice was seeing a woman who was a widow listed as a paid mistress. Basically, Robert was a straight as an arrow honorable man. I smiled as the report made me feel better about who I was helping.
Finally, with everyone loaded up, we headed out of the city of Avalon over the southern main bridge and gate that was just like the north one but slightly longer with a guard tower protected draw bridge section to let ships pass. After about two hours, I had calmed down enough that I rode in the carriage as was expected of a person of rank. I just looked out seeing nothing but the vast wheat fields of the Capital Region realizing how lucky I had been to escape the evils of the ladies of Fortress Avalon.

So I'm currently the assistant editor and the lead editor on a feature length documentary and I have some questions. My previous projects I shot/ the documentary I edited before was literally a single camera with archival footage, so.....
What I've done so far is organize the footage by shooting day, then create the master sequence seperating each seperate scene/location and then use labels to color broll, and create bins for scenes and interviews and create sequences of those.
But the thing I'm finding difficult is when there is a noncut shot of footage where the camera was kept rolling and it goes from an interview into b-roll, back into the scene. So if i put it into the interview sequence I just keep it as is and use markers to mark it, and when i put it into the b-roll folder, I edit it or just put the whole thing with markers in there too. So I end up creating like multiple versions from the same clip.
I also added a custom meta data for tags and started tagging based on the people in the scene. I saw in a yt video that you can create a folder based off of the tag that you created but i have no idea how to do that. So any suggestions there would be great.
The way I've done my labels is:
yellow - technical difficulty
rose - no sound / no video
cerulean - content (like an important scene, something usable)
violet - broll
So I've been going through the footage and changing the label color and creating sequences and putting into bins, but really this is my first time breaking down over 15 hours of footage into sequences and the parts where the camera kept rolling are really throwing me off. Because when I tag in the project i'm tagging the source fil. and when i drag into a bin, then its another version of the source file so...
All in all, i'm looking for suggestions on how to simplify this. do I just keep using markers to annotate camera movement and broll, or do I keep cutting footage and dragging into bins as well and just have separate versions of everything?
Also another thing, sometimes there are like 4 or 6 people in an extended non cut rolling camera footage. So the footage could be cut in different ways for different plot lines depending on the lead editors decisions. So should I cut it multiple ways into different sequences, use one sequence and use markers. Atm I have one sequence with markers with comments, but hte problem is that when there is a marker over a marker it's hidden and i can't see or read it if I write a comment in there so idk how to navigate an overlapping narrative within a single sequence
Any help is appreciated, thanks!
-Widdlediddleriddle32

So I have played until blacklist 8 so far and I don't get why Most Wanted (2005) is hyped so much, especially in comparison to Carbon.
Everything feels extremely samey. Every race and every blacklist member is just the same. Every car feels the same.
Cars have different stats but by the time I slap upgrades onto them, they are basically the same.
For every beaten blacklist member I just get their car or buy the best available at the store, upgrade it to the max, and repeat. I could not tell you what cars I owned and used because it is extremely irrelevant.
The races are borderline boring and useless because I feel like rubberbanding is what makes 80% of the whole race. Even if I fuck up the bots will slow down and allow me to catch up resulting in a high time to beat the race and I still win. If I drive near perfect then the bots are faster too and they are always on my ass resulting in a low time to beat the race. So the bots just drive 30 seconds faster or slower in the same races.
And then the whole balancing is very weird. There are races that I can basically not lose no matter how hard I try and then there are some few races that are just incredibly hard for no reason. Those mostly are speed traps.
Every blacklist member is easier than the races before them. Most of the time the normal bots have cars that are in higher tiers than the blacklist member (I think it was around 11 or 12 when I saw a Porsche which only gets unlocked after 10).
I appreciate the story that is set up at the beginning. It is cheesy but enjoyable but a bit frontloaded. There are a ton of cutscenes at the beginning and after that nothing. So far literally nothing has happened in the story after the beginning.
The cops are incredibly bad to the point where I hate doing anything related to them. It is just a slog to finish some milestones when they are killing themselves or just outright get lost. I have to drive around slowly on purpose to not lose them so I can finish the milestones and it takes ages to get a few police cars stacked up. On the other hand cop cars often just spawn out of nowhere even in the player's field of view. Roadblocks are so incredibly bad I have to go out of my way to take stupid turns to drive into one to finish the milestones.
I know that heat increases the difficulty of cops but the core design of changing the car every blacklist member resets it to zero.
and if you have high heat it is extremely frustrating to get to a car dealer or parts job. Constant police makes it impossible to drive anywhere resulting in the best option just being to jump to the event directly via the blacklist menu.
The car modification is ok. I'm wondering why there are so many rims and no body parts or body part customization. Also, the vinyls are awful. Even for a game back then the resolution of those is ass. I never feel like any car is mine like I tuned or modified it. They just feel so cookie-cutter to be discarded in the next 30-40 minutes anyway.
The driving itself is good but on its own not interesting or varied enough. For an arcade racer, there are very few elements to the racing. Just drive and nitro. All the different types of races are the same. The only different one is drag racing which feels like a tutorial for how to shift.
I have played through the first 2 blacklist members and was like "That is it? that is the whole game?"
By blacklist member 8 now it just feels grindy. I have gotten through less than half of the game and there is nothing new or evolving while the gameplay itself just becomes boring. I bet that the last guy is just the same as every other blacklist challenge before him.

Going through the relationship as all go the first year is fantastic. Love everywhere, happy to be around each other, can't wait to reunite again. Then year two comes along and couldn't be more opposite.
We began having arguments everyday if not every other day. Due to any variety of reasons. She specifically wants attention all the time and no one else to exist in my life. Wanting me to show everyone outside that she is the only one in my life and will be the only one.
If outside she will make comments like " why aren't you holding my hand? What am I not your GF?"
"You're walking too fast why not walk beside me like I'm your GF" - happens the same if I walk too slow.
" You talk more to other women than me" -only happens when I'm checking out from a restaurant or purchasing products from the grocery store.
Going through my phone every day making sure I'm not talking to women and if I am like my therapist or a co worker which is all only professional she will block them out text them back something mean then confront me on it.
Believe me this woman was the only person I talk to on a regular basis. I am very quiet and rather be kept alone. So she received all the attention I could possibly give.
Then came the rainbow of sunshine of physical and mental violence. Just last weekend she flipped her lid on me for being drunk trying to escape my reality. (Not the first time) Grabbing my hair and spitting in my face, slapping me multiple times, screaming in my face relentlessly to rattle your ear drums, drag me out of my bed by the ankles, throwing me against the wall, blocking the door so I can't leave the room, smashing all glasses and plates against the wal, ripped 3 shirts off of me clawing my skin on my chest to bleed and more that I cannot recall now. Almost lost my left eyeball twice.
Now this didn't just happen out of no where. The arguments which usually is her angry and ranting at me while I'll be quiet and stare at the wall. Have built up to this shit spearhead. An escalation of force. Seeing that I'm tired of getting my ass kicked the final straw was that I had to bring her to work since her car is broke. She was angry that I was not interested in conversing in the a.m. before work she decided to throw coffee on my face then proceeded to slap the shit out of me.
I played it cool brought her to work then she angrily left for work. Then I went home to pack my things and leave to get a new place. I paid the next months rent in full so she has time to put money away to find a new place. The last thing I told her is that I paid next months rent and am only willing to fix her car for her so she can be functional. Other than that the relationship is over.
She refuses to let me go spamming me relentlessly and calling my work to pretend as a customer who randomly met me trying to get in contact with me. My co workers know the scenario and are hiding me from her. And this is an entire 15-20 people trying to hide me as much as possible.
Now this scenario didn't just happen from only one person, I've said some mean things too as well but no where near the things she will do/say to me. It's a huge difference in comparison. I do love the memories we had and sometimes think about answering her calls to talk. But this is the second time I've left her. The third time WON'T make things better. I want to help her as she does not make much money and can't afford the apartment we lived in. Nor can she put money away to get a new one. She spends allot of her money on marijuana.
Just want to find a way to make sure that she can prosper as she is in a pickle financially. Though she does have her mother in this town as I have no one. Which is why I want to fix her car so she can be functional but I cannot go any where near that house without her trying to make us a relationship again.

[ First / Previous ]
Memory Transcription Subject: Hileen, Krakotl Fugitive Recovery Agent
Date [standardized human time]: November 28th, 2136
It'd been a while since I sat in Marlig's office for a talk face-to-face. Given the agency's secluded location at the edge of the downtown region, it was a chore to drop by when it wasn't for business, but I'd deemed the matter at hand to be worth my time.
I passed by Nampi at her desk on my way to the door and she gave me a coy glare as I carried on. Trying to ignore her risible ear waggle, I turned the corner to the door with my boss’s name painted on the glass panel where I could hear the frantic crumpling of paper.
Quietly, I entered Marlig's office without prompt as I knew he hated to be spooked by knocking. My mentor was surprisingly spry for a bird at his age, sorting through papers with one wing and an eye while using his talons with the other to set away the papers he had splayed out.
“Hileen!” he chirped. “Glad you could make it in today. I was just finishing up my paperwork. Take a seat.”
It was always nice to hear him drop the professional motif for a more grandfatherly attitude when speaking in person. I did as he suggested and took a seat while he grumbled to himself over the sorting. My eye caught a few of the old contracts he was rifling through and saw that some dated back to his days as an agent.
Eventually, he left some sitting out as he sequestered the rest back into their files, sorted by a dichotomy that only he and Nampi could comprehend fully. He motioned with a wing for me to peruse and I turned the first one to face me to find it was my first contract, signed by me in a sloppy fashion. “This takes me back a couple of years.”
“Slick bastard thought he could get away on a forklift but you showed him! Certainly more exciting than my first day!”
“Mm-hmm. And it was when I nearly got impaled that you had the idea to commission all of us utility vests.”
He chuckled, “I really should’ve done so sooner. Cuts and scratches were already a risk, but a forklift was a new one!”
I flipped through the pages of each report, finding that Marlig's notes were filled with praises of my work. There were highs and lows, but I was flattered to find that the grizzled krakotl held my performance in such high regard.
“Flawless interception!” read one footnote about me catching a runner. “Couldn't have done it better myself!”
Marlig waited patiently as I browsed quickly through each page, realizing more and more how the notes also marked improvements in my work. How I found it easier to talk down a rowdy client, or apprehend them in the case that they were beyond helping on my part. Flowery language plastered most pages with him fawning over my work as a doting father would to his prodigal child.
The trend took a sharp turn as the notes became fewer and more critical the closer the dates reached to the present. I brushed the others aside with a wing to peruse the final paper. “And this…”
“Is Tac. Your latest contract. The most recent in a line of declining performance since the interview. This has become a pattern, Hileen, and its consequences are beginning to reach beyond yourself. Paji and Vesek resigned recently for personal reasons, which leaves us even less hands on deck than before. That's four people to cover the entire municipal region, and maybe even beyond, should needs arise. Three, if we include this little probation I have you on.”
“What was I supposed to do? Marlig, these ‘jobs’ you've got us working on overstep the contracts we were signed on with. Our job is to make sure people obey their court-mandated duties, not drag them off to the facilities ourselves!”
“... So the trip we took to the facilities did bother you.”
A sigh clicked in my throat as he reminded me. “Is that what happens to the people we take in, Marlig? Is that what would've happened to your wife?”
His feathers ruffled.
“That's what happens to those who are too dangerous to the general public to be left roaming free. Not everyone we deal with winds up there, but everyone can be subject to it. Miskela sued for her exoneration and proved in court that she was not diseased. I brought you there to show you how it helps the people, but I see now that it was a mistake. I understand why you were so perturbed, really, but it's how things have been for centuries. It's how we've protected ourselves from the dangers out there.”
“You were willing to let Barsul be interned there, too.”
Marlig flinched and sighed as he swept the papers towards himself once I'd signaled I was done. He turned one eye to me while he sorted them.
“There's no room for favoritism, girl. I negotiated for him to be allowed to walk free, and look where that got me. That boy - your neighbor - suffered the consequences of my nepotism. So too would the girl, had nobody intervened.”
“Like Richard.”
“The human, yes. Or you. Or the police. Where does this sudden obsession with humans come from, anyway? I get notifications of you talking about the acceptance of them all the time on forums.”
“Does it even need explaining?”
“Well, I guess not, no, but it's certainly an about-face from the way you used to talk about them with me beforehand.”
“People can change, for better or worse. Which one I fall under remains to be seen.”
Marlig stroked at the plumage on his neck as he finished his sorting. “I hope it's the former, for your sake. Was there any reason you came to talk, or were you just checking that I hadn't gone senile?”
“Well, I was hoping to borrow your secretary for the evening.”
He perked up while his eyes narrowed and he laced his fingers together with curiosity. “You… want to spend an evening with Nampi?”
“It's not what you're insinuating, but yes.”
“I was insinuating nothing,” he warbled coyly. “Go ahead and take her, and make sure to split the bill at dinner.”
“Pain-in-the-ass geezer. I'll keep in touch if your friend causes any more trouble.”
“Keep in touch regardless. Miskela and I get lonely in our old age,” he called back. “Take care.”
I stepped out into the hallway and turned toward the desk where I could hear the secretary's claws tapping furtively at her keyboard. Nampi sat silently with her ears and tail in a relaxed position that implied a bored demeanor. There was barely any response as I stood before her, waiting politely for her acknowledgment that never came.
Hesitantly, I cleared my throat.
An ear raised in acknowledgement, but her focus remained on the screen of her computer. “Mhm?”
“Do you…?”
Her ear rotated toward me, though she still maintained a passive attitude as she continued to glare mindlessly at the monitor.
“Are you free this evening?”
“Well, I'm quite booked, I believe. Why do you ask?”
I was surprised at her curt, dry tone. She hadn't spoken with me like this since we first got to know one another.
“Well,” I started. “I realized something. Every time we went out, whether it was clubbing, or dinner, or even walking around the parks, you always footed the bill. And so…”
Slowly, her other ear perked up and I saw her keystrokes slow down as she listened in.
“I wanted to return the favor?”
Her lips smacked as she opened her mouth, though paused before she spoke. “How could you possibly do that?”
“With a little gesture of friendship.”
Nampi's horizontal pupil turned up toward me and her tail twitched.
I continued, “So that belt you're wearing? It's the same belt you've worn since we first met. And I know you're the pragmatic type who'd never spend a credit more than she needs to, except for all the times you do"- her ears twitched in indignance -"I wanted to see about getting you a little something… extra?”
Her paws raised from the keyboard and she leaned in, resting her snout on her palms. “Go on.”
The bubbly venlil's tail sold out her collected facade as it twitched with anticipation. She was cornered and she didn't even know it yet.
“Well, I found just the place on the other side of town where we can start. It's a place almost as rich and indulgent as yourself.”
“The Platinum Paw? I mean3”
Her ears folded back in embarrassment as she cracked. She wasn't cut out for acting anyway.
“So that's what it's called! Jeez, I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was called. Now what do you say? We go over there and find you something nice—”
I hadn’t even finished my thought before Nampi had grabbed her bag and was out the door, giving me a playful tail flick that said come and get me.

The place I suggested was in a shopping center on the opposite side of town, though easily accessible because of its proximity to the transport rails. Nampi had insisted on grabbing something to eat beforehand and so now gleefully bit into a bundle of stalks that had been “grilled” as explained from the food truck we'd stopped at.
Her tail flicked back and forth with her usual enthusiasm as we entered the massive complex of stores. The roofless plan allowed the natural, orange sun to flood the upper levels while artificial lighting illuminated the ground level wherever the light couldn't reach.
The place was built in the last decade by the previous City Magister in a bid for popularity, though ultimately for naught as he would lose the vote following a scandal involving an iftali priestess and a carved bar of soap. I had to say that despite being sick in the head, he sure had a great sense of decor.
Nampi snacked away, joining me in admiring the scenery as we continued to the place I’d planned out for us. Aimless chatter all melded together into a single, thrumming murmur as pedestrians navigated the many levels and stores offered in the place.
A troupe of children passed by us, held in a chain of tails and arms as they were escorted by a pair of venlil who I assumed were students and teachers on a school trip. I caught a whiff of a sweet, aromatic breeze and found it to come from a perfume shop on the same level as us; naturally, venlil were not to be found inside.
We passed a fountain where a couple sat on the edge, their tails twined together as they giggled and flirted. I turned and caught Nampi watching them as well, though she awkwardly returned to sucking the remains of her meal from her claws when we made eye contact. Her ears lifted when I raised a wing to signal to the store we were going to stop at first.
“Platinum Paw, The Greatest Fashion Emporium For Everyone!”
The title alone was painfully cliche, taken to the tenth power by the brightly lit store taking up three department slots. Despite the flashy exterior, though, it was the best place to shop for belts, brooches, and bracelets alike. Customers who looked like they earned my yearly salary in a week browsed the higher end brands while I brought my friend to the section I wanted to show her.
Her ears were held up as we stood together next to a shelf chock full of fashionable bags and bandoliers of every variety.
“Pick one,” I told her.
Nampi's ears shot to a straight pose in surprise, “Any?”
“Within reason. I've got a few extra credits to blow and I know nobody better to spend it on.”
With an inviting headtilt, I let Nampi peruse the shelves at her leisure. Her lips pursed together and her tail flicked with glee as she fingered at every piece that caught her eye. I chuckled at her outburst of enthusiasm while turning to find my own items to gloss over.
A breeze from outside nipped at my beak while I considered what I’d like to purchase. The place dripped with an atmosphere of faux hospitality, from the bright blue-stained floorboards to the radio prattling off advertisements in a sickeningly sweet tone to the faint, fruity aroma of scented cleaner. It was oppressive as only a fissan-owned company could be to the senses.
What I wouldn’t pay to see how a human would fare in such an environment.
I knew they were social creatures at least, but I had no doubt that the predatory senses of a human, so honed to hunting, would get overstimulated in this center of gaudy indulgence. Knowing I was something of a predator myself made me sympathize provided that even I had to squint to keep the pale lights inside from searing my eyes. I could only imagine how the arboreal eyes of a Terran would fare. I was so lost in thought imagining how lost the Terrans would be that I could almost ignore the obnoxious giggling and metallic rattling coming from behind me.
Risking a peek at the source, into my sight came a pair of venlil, one a male carrying a pair of bags as well as a couple more strapped to his belt. The bored expression in his eyes was not one of a man who was in high spirits. The other venlil was a woman who was the source of the noise.
Her mottled gray pelt was accented by a tasteful belt design, free of almost any practical functions but not flashy or excessive in garnishment either. At least, that’s what I would say, were it not for the braid of beads that dangled on the belt, jingling with each bounce of the lively woman’s stride. It was clear that such a gaudy accessory was intended to draw attention to her, though why was a mystery. Certainly, the shiny braids seemed designed as decoration first and practical second.
She turned about and I faced back to my browsing before she could catch me staring. Nampi was nowhere in sight, though I figured she was somewhere behind the shelf, sifting through every accessory on the section I'd suggested.
Clink.
Something pelted to my immediate right. I tilted my head to spot a tree nut shell clattering to the floor. Without being able to guess where it came from, I had to wonder what could've launched it over this way. Even with my keen eyesight, nobody in the crowd seemed to be a suspect.
Clink.
Another shell pelted my vicinity, ricocheting off of the floor and hitting the shelf I was standing next to. I ruffled my feathers in frustration - clearly, someone was trying to get my attention, though I couldn't make out who it was. Out of the corner of my vision, the woman from before eyed me curiously as I looked about, though I wasn't interested in engaging with her.
Thwack.
One more shell came flying and, unfortunately, the aim on this one was true, nailing me on the beak. Irritated, I stormed out of the store to find the source of the instigator. I scanned over the bodies to find anyone who could've been responsible for this indignity, eventually concluding that it came from the dining area across the walkway.
Whoever was responsible was in for an earful and I was already structuring which of the offender's family members would be acceptable as fodder for stray words. As I approached, I found the tables were mostly empty save for one, which made my heart begin to drop as I met eyes with the only occupant. Suddenly, I was much less inclined to hurl insults.
“Oh, hi there!” Qitel called out in a sickly sweet tone. “Come, take a seat! We have much to discuss!”
The Exterminator clutched a bag of tree nuts in his claws, a pile of discarded shells already gathered on the table next to him. He grabbed another as I approached, effortlessly prying the shell in half between two claws and tossed the contents into his mouth. “Good protein, these,” he commented as I sat down.
“Must be for that good arm you've got there,” I mumbled. I caught sight of a couple of bags beneath his chair, seemingly from one of the tech stores contained within the center.
“Bah, it's guesswork. So how are you? I haven't heard from you since we worked together!”
“I was just spending time with a friend, shopping and enjoying my time off.”
“Your time off? Oh, am I interrupting something?”
His snide tone irked me, though now wasn’t the time for interjections. “You are, Qitel,” I replied with no shortage of vitriol in my tone. “But I see no harm in chatting for a bit.”
“Good, because I have some merchandise”- he reached into his belt pocket and deposited a couple of items onto the table -“and you’re just the person to look into it, human sympathizer.”
I drew a terse breath in shock, but my worries were quelled when I considered that if Qitel had the power to do anything about it, he would’ve done so instead of approaching me so discreetly. A glance down at the item on the table showed that he was presenting what looked to be a tracker as well as a personal drive. “Found in the garbage,” he told me.
“The guild resorts to dumpster diving when they already have such a bloated budget now?”
“No, featherbrain, I have decided to keep this for myself. These items were found together, sealed in a plastic pouch, and placed in a garbage bin. The city has bans against electronics being placed into public bins, and so I was curious why this wound up in there. Managed to get my coworker, a techie, to crack it open and…”
Qitel reached into his belt again, glowering at me with the same condescending gaze he’d given me when I first saw his face. He seemed to revel in digging for the item as slowly as possible to waste my time. Finally, he found whatever he was looking for and revealed it as a printed piece of paper, folded into eighths. The snobby yotul threw the unfurled paper on the table and rolled it toward me.
I craned my neck to look at the parchment, though I was immediately perplexed by the text on it; it appeared to be some sort of form, going by the boxes with words on the inside, followed by blank lines. “Found on the drive, here,” Qitel told me, jabbing a claw to the storage. “Translator shows it as Terran writing.”
Drawing my holopad from my satchel, I held it over the paper with the translator to get an understanding. Surely enough, the language on it came up positive as a variant of Terran writing and I was affirmed in it being a form of some sort based on the wording of the text. The boxes seemed like an odd sort of job application, asking for the typical name, contacts, and prior work experiences, but quickly took a strange turn as it began asking for where their home on Earth was prior to arrival, what family they had on Venlil Prime if any, and where they worked, implying that they were seeking individuals who were already employed.
I knew little about human employment methods, but I didn’t imagine that sourcing individuals from other jobs was the most efficient way to gain a workforce. Terran service industries already dotted the planet while many humans also found work in local environments. So what was the angle that the creator of this application was going for?
Most concerningly was that the paper had no insignia, identifying marks, or noted address to return the form to. “And where did you find it again?”
“In the garbage, alongside this intact tracker that was activated at the time of recovery. Y’know, when I was dumpster diving. Text on the document showed it was addressed to one ‘Choctaw Nexus’.”
“A pseudonym of some sort?”
“Clearly. Short sorting through the archives shows the first name traces back to the group out east - perhaps you've heard about them. How the name and the items we have here are connected is beyond my understanding, but-”
“Well, this has been an absolutely riveting discussion about your collection of trash, Qitel,” I told him as I stood up to leave. “But this really sounds like an issue to be resolved by your fellow guildsmen.”
The sound of another shell splitting rang out as I turned away.
“I'm not through talking with you, predator.”
The sting as a piece nailed me in the back of the head prompted me to whirl back around, sticking my beak in the insolent yotul's snout. “Perhaps you've forgotten, little man,” I cooed in an equally bittersweet tone to the one he gave me before. “The krakotl never had a problem with settling issues the old-fashioned way before the interview. Try me and find out why I'm in the line of work I am.”
“Oh, we wouldn't want that in such a"- he waved his paw to a group of passersby who had stopped to gawk at my display -”public forum. Please, contain yourself.”
I had to force the feathers on my back to settle and I raised my head away from him. “What else is it you wanted, then?”
“Well, I'd appreciate if you took this merchandise off my paws,” he told me as he brushed the electronics and printout toward me.
“Why would I do that?”
“Because you're closer to the humans than I'd ever care to be, and may be able to find out who this Choctaw Nexus is. Something about the package just feels… off. And I know when to trust my feelings. Besides, we both know that you know where Tac is, don't we?”
“I don't-”
“We have videographic evidence that you conspired with a human - of the aforementioned squatters, no less - and let the kid escape. You're not as sneaky as you think, and if we find this ‘Choctaw Nexus’ turns out to be a bad actor that can be traced back to them - and by extension, you - well, there’d be no talking down my boss from having you dealt with. By helping me find out who this is, you may yet be able to clear your name of any wrongdoing.”
I clenched my beak tightly to maintain a straight face. Qitel stood up with a flourish and discarded the bag he was carrying in a bin.
“See, the krakotl were never special for using threats and bullying to get results. It's because you were good at killing predators,” he jeered. “Now, if you don't mind, this primitive has appointments to attend to… old lady who got trampled courtesy of the humans and all. You stay out of trouble, Hileen, and stay in touch.”
The self-assured marsupial melded into the crowd in a matter of seconds, leaving me with a table containing dumpster trophies and a pile of shells. Reluctantly, I swept the shells into my wing and dumped them into the bin before gathering the other two items he'd left me and stuffing them into my bag. I'd been gone from Nampi long enough and she would notice my absence before long.
Crossing the walkway again, I could spot from where I stood that Nampi was indeed still in the Platinum Paw. I approached, and soon I found that while she didn't seem to have noticed me stepping away, she was definitely in a soured mood based on the sagging of her ears and tail. With my talons clacking on the floorboards, I hustled to her side and her mood chippered up ever so slightly as she heard me approach.
I chimed in, “Find anything?”
“Everything. I want everything, Red, and I can't decide on what I want. They all just look so great!”
From behind, a voice called out, “Nampi!”
We both jumped at the exclamation and turned about to spot the venlil lady I'd seen before spring from behind the shelf. The man poked his head from behind the shelf too, though less enthusiastically and with yet another bag in his clutches. My friend's eyes widened in surprise with her tail and ears perking up in kind. With a light in her eyes, she exclaimed, “Nalek!”
The two embraced with shrill squeals and laughter as Nalek's accompaniment and I traded awkward glances.
“It's been too long!”
“You never stayed in contact!”
The women exchanged giddy greetings and the pompous stranger turned to me, leering over me as though she was sizing me up.
“Who's your friend here?”
“Oh she's actually my-...”
Nampi paused for a moment, looking back to me.
“Yeah, she's a friend.”
“A friend,” Nalek repeated while her eyes flicked between Nampi and I. “Right.”
Somehow, I get the impression that that was judgemental.
“I'm Hileen, by the way,” I chirped, “if names are to be exchanged.”
“Hileen, that's a lovely name! And such plumage to match, it's a wonder you aren't swarmed by suitors!”
Internally, I groaned at the notion. The idea of being approached by someone to state their interest in me made me queasy, to say the least. Thankfully, I never had that issue growing up as most of the other drakes in school were too busy chasing girls who didn't have a lousy pigmentation mutation such as myself.
“I'm flattered,” I told Nalek before turning to the man whose name had yet to be introduced. “May we get your name?”
“Sask.”
His response was succinct and tonally flat, though there was a brief silence as I expected him to elaborate. Nalek's beads jingled as she lashed him on the calf with her tail.
“I'm Sask, Nalek's fiancée,” he added, throwing her a look to see if she was satisfied.
Nampi gasped with her paws over her snout. “Fiancée! Nalek, you're getting married and you never even told me!”
“Well, I felt a little guilty since it technically broke our pact we made when we were pups. You remember that?”
“Of course! Why wouldn’t I? ‘Let she who bonds through betrothal first be cast out unto the world for all to admonish her!’”
Sask and I both gave inquisitive expressions. “You two spoke like that as pups?” Sask asked.
“Well, I'm paraphrasing,” Nampi admitted with a playful ear waggle. “But you get the gist.”
“Indeed, they do, sweet Nampi. Now, may I ask what you're doing bringing your avian friend here into this store on this fine claw?”
“Oh, no no, she's the one treating me! Isn't that right, Red?”
I saw her tail twitch and was sure it took restraint not to tickle my neck with it as we stood before her old friend.
“She's been a good friend,” I explained. “So I wanted to reverse the roles for once and treat her to something myself.”
Nampi skipped over to me and wrapped her arm around me, glancing back to her old friend. “See? We'd all be so lucky to have a… friend like her.”
“So I've witnessed. But perhaps you're a bit stuck, as I've seen you prancing up and down these aisles for a while, no? Maybe you don't know what you want?”
“Nalek, you know I've never been good about making my mind up.”
“Some things never change, you ditz. Tell you what: you and Sask go find us a seat and we can catch up all we'd like when we're not taking up aisle space, yes? So shoo! I'll help Hileen here pick one out for you!”
With a bored grunt, Sask made off with the goods he had strapped to himself, followed by Nampi who gave me one more playful tail flick before dashing off into the crowd. I looked back to the mottled snout of Nalek who watched her friend wander off with a wistful glance.
“She was my first, you know.”
“Your what now.”
“Love. Way back when we were growing from pups into young adults back in private education, we explored much together. We saw each other through a lot, including the less savory parts of finding a mate. When Nampi realized it wasn't the boys she was into, she turned to me, and I offered my hand as her stalwart companion… to a point.”
“You weren't interested in her the same way?”
“I'd grown up seeing her as a sister of sorts, so ultimately, when we split it off, we stayed close as friends and she never seemed to be bothered by it. She struggled to find others in school who had the same interests as herself, but she never fussed about it.”
Nalek's claws browsed over a set of pouched bandoliers made with intricate embroidering. “Have you two… spent the night together? Alone?”
Spiritually, I reeled from the inquiry. The whiplash from that question was equitable to being smacked by a human. “Wha- why? How's that pertinent to the subject at hand?”
“That sounds like a ‘yes’ to me,” she purred with a smug glance my way.
I didn't need to begin to list the different ways such a question was violating to our privacy, and yet this woman was treating it like a game.
“Not really your concern, ma'am.”
Nalek chuckled as she picked out one of the bandoliers and inspected it with her claws. “I'd like to think that she and I still have that old connection, despite everything. And to that end, I know that she's no slag and doesn't trust easy. To see her be so vulnerable around you and to talk so highly of someone who's clearly below her income level as a predator…”
She stretched the bandolier out to appreciate the design in its entirety.
“Well, that's something special. Here"- she foisted the accessory into my wings as I stood gobsmacked -"this just screams her name.”
“This is, like, double my budget.”
“Love don't come cheap, darling. You wanna see good things happen, sometimes you've gotta step out of your comfort zone and grasp for it!”
“I'm being lectured by a rich woman on finances.”
“It's a philosophy that goes beyond money, ‘Red.’ The humans have a saying, in their horrendously predatory nomenclature, that contains a kernel of truth: ‘you miss every shot you don't take’.”
Yep, that's definitely a human phrase.
Nalek's steely braid rattled with every flick of the tail as we proceeded through the checkout.
“You want things to change between you and her?” she continued. “Don't just wait for it to happen.”
She let the conversation rest there as we finished the purchase, possibly to let me recuperate mentally from the damage done to my account. Outside, we found our respective partners sitting at a table with Sask looking up in boredom as Nampi chatted away, though she immediately shut up and turned to me with excited flicks of her tail as she saw what I was carrying.
I held it toward her and she happily shot to her feet, effortlessly removing the tags with her claws and clipping it to her belt. Nalek clapped and waggled her tail as the giddy lady did a whirl about to let us admire the accessory. While I'd have preferred one with pockets to give it a more practical use, I decided to let Nalek have the victory as our mutual friend clearly enjoyed it.
The rest of the paw was a blur as the two friends chatted without end until Sask eventually reminded his betrothed that they had a schedule to attend to. Though Nalek offered to call us a taxi home as a gesture of kindness, I saw through her ruse to determine that she was trying to pull a fast one on me - the clever ear flick she gave as we boarded the automated vehicle sold it for me.
We sat in the seats as the vehicle took the express ride home.
Nampi cleared her throat before she spoke, “Thank you for taking some time to spend with me, I know you've had a lot less free time as of late.”
“It's a prison of my own design, if I must be honest. A feedback loop of working a job that doesn't guarantee a paycheck to pay for rent that keeps going up, and thus needing to work more.”
The venlil giggled and chided me, “You really should've stayed in university.”
“There's a lotta 'should haves’ that've led me to this point. No use wondering what could have been.”
“There's always a use for wondering what could have been, Hileen.”
She wrapped an arm around my shoulder.
“Every decision I make, I always wonder what I could've done differently that it'd have turned out better,” she explained as she waved her free paw to the sky. “It's how you grow as a person, Red.”
Her silky pelt felt heavenly in contrast to the chilly air from outside, making it hard to let her words sink in.
“You rich types seem chock full of philosophy. I wonder if I'll become a brooding orator when I get some cash to my name.”
The cab filled with laughter as we veered around the final corner to my neighborhood, as it was the closest stop. The door popped open accompanied by a chime from the drone, signaling for me to depart.
But before my talons could even hit the pavement, I felt Nampi's scrawny arms wrap around my waist and she let out a pitiful mewl again.
“You don't need to get off here,” she told me with a pouty expression. “We can spend the rest of the paw at my place.”
“I'd love it, but I need to water my plants and get the month's bills sorted before they're due. Again.”
One claw at a time, I plucked her paws from around my waist and the childish venlil conceded, giving me another ear waggle as I departed. “I'll see you tomorrow?” I asked her.
“If you still have eyes by then, then you can bet your ass!”
“I still don't gamble.”
“You'll come around to it eventually.”
I shut the door to the taxi and watched as it carted away the one venlil who I ever truly felt on the same wavelength as. Fiddling with the lock felt like more of a chore than usual at this time as I felt a little voice tugging at the back of my head.
“You miss every shot you don't take.”
The lock felt jammed as I began to jiggle it more vigorously with the electric key. Either the RFID or NFC readers were messed up, as the lock refused to accept my key. I looked up and down the street, though Nampi was now long gone for me to rescind my earlier rejection.
“Every decision I make, I wonder what I could've done differently.”
The door rattled as I grew more and more infuriated with the lock. Qitel's smug expression as he threatened me so boldly in public played back in my head, and I wondered what would've happened had I decided to go through with insulting his mother. Better yet, I wondered what could've been had I not backed down in the face of his unflinching confidence.
Bzzt. The lock rejected my key again.
“Raagh! You fucking useless hunk of junk!”
I squawked in anger and kicked against the door, careless of the consequences of having Markol back down here to admonish another of his tenants for causing a ruckus. The walls were surprisingly sturdy for how ineffective the venlil architecture looked on the surface and I reeled back in pain as my leg throbbed.
Click.
I looked to my left to see that it wasn't my door that came open, but that of the twins. The door cracked open ever so slightly, no doubt nudged by the force of my tirade and I sighed. Nobody was expected to be home at this time, with Vili being away and Luka leaving early to get a head start.
Luka had been given a stern talking-to by the landlord for allowing one of those cats into his apartment through neglect, and I was disappointed that he seemed to have not learned his lesson this time. In fact, it seemed he hadn't even thought to lock the door this time.
I took it upon myself to shut the door for him before turning back to my own apartment door. Grasping the key with one talon, I turned it ever so gently, though the lock still refused to give in.
With a bit more force, the torsion applied to the key felt as though it should've snapped it by now. Markol sure didn't waste any expense for the security for this place, doubtlessly as a result of his history in electronic security, but I wished now that he had provided a way in that didn't rely on privately sourced locks.
Considering my options as I stood trapped outside, I realized that I had never gotten around to paying for a new lock for Tadi. I'd considered contacting her to inform her that Tac had made it out of town safely, but that'd involve also telling her that her son was now in the care of humans, as if that was a better outcome to her.
Stepping out front, I realized that there was one more option I hadn't considered: my window. I usually forgot to lock it after I was through letting air circulate and I was silently grateful to myself for this absentmindedness now more than ever. Sticking a foot on the threshold, I lifted myself in a way that'd allow me to have leverage to force the window open.
The window made me fight for every inch, but I felt a strange satisfaction as it slowly opened up into an entrance that I could squeeze my way through. I let out a sigh as my talons clicked against the cool floor and slid the window shut.
I laid my satchel on the couch and turned back to the door, ready to unleash my fury on the disobedient object. But as I reached for the lock to manually open the door, I noted that the lights on the RFID interface both flashed at once, blinking erratically. Red and green flickered without rhyme or reason, indicating that it was both active and inactive.
As pretty as the colors were, I now knew that Markol's locks were not as reliable as he had touted them about: typically, such would not occur unless the device was damaged deliberately, and yet nothing indicated that I'd had uninvited guests. One could pray that those cats didn't secretly know how to cobble together an ECM jammer, but my personal wager was on faulty equipment.
Settling in, I browsed my favorite soaps on the television. For what was intended to be a day of relaxation and show of affection for a friend, I found myself rather wound up over all the things that added up. Couples threw around flowery words and swooned over one another on screen as I felt the tension diffuse. My holopad rang and I turned it over to spot that Nampi was informing me that she'd arrived home safely.
>>> Feels empty here, all alone.
She made sure to drive the point home with a sticker of a venlil making a pouty expression.
Next time, I thought to myself, I'll get it right for you, Nampi.
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