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doe-wiegenliedofgreen · 7 years

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Chapter 3, Section 1--The Diva’s Waltz; Scene 1

Wiegenlied of Green (VG), page 122-133

🍀 Michaela ~The Country of Elphegort, "Aceid Center District/Inn"~

Aceid was the largest city in Elphegort. Also the capital, the place was split into five districts--the east, north, south, and center. The townspeople gathered in the central district. It was popular to have business transactions in the southern district, which had a road running through it that lead to the Kingdom of Lucifenia, so there were a lot of booths and stalls lined up in it. The western and northern districts were filled with neighborhoods for relatively affluent citizens and nobles. There were a lot of poor people in the eastern district--it was such a rough place that the average citizen hardly ever went there.

Clarith and I were currently staying in a small inn in the center district. The missus was the midwife who had delivered Ayn, and was allowing us to live there out of that good will. After sending us there, Ayn then headed for Toragay, where Earl Felix's mansion was located.

"That naughty brat's really grown into a fine young man," the inn's owner said, rubbing his balding head and watching Ayn head off. Apparently Ayn's mother had died when he was quite young, so the missus had acted as a mother figure to him once.

They had taken lodging fees for business, but took us in cheerfully enough. As both of them were immigrants--that is, not Elphe people--they looked upon Clarith with no biases.

We were drinking tea one night in the foyer, around one week after we started living in the inn.

"As expected it's very hard for immigrants to do business in this country," the missus grumbled while tallying up the inn's proceeds.

"There are people like Mr. Keel who have success despite being immigrants, though. I think it's just a matter of your business savvy," the old man replied. It sounded like the inn wasn't taking in a lot of profit.

"Mr. Keel is the one living in the big mansion in the northern district, right?"

"Oh, you're well informed aren't you? Yeah, to immigrants like us that man's like a ray of hope!"

At my question the old man seemed to become pleased at being asked about a person that he respected, and told me various things about him.

Among all the people who did business in this country--nay, in the whole Evillious region--there was no one who didn't know the name Keel Freezis. The Freezis Firm that he managed was a large company that had branches in Lucifenia, Marlon, Holy Levianta, and of course Elphegort too.

Even further, due to having joint control of all beneficial information under the trade association made by his joining forces with other firms, he was a success at gaining vast profits too. His authority even reached to the royalty of several countries; due to buying a court rank he was endowed with political influence that rivaled that of the aristocracy, or even greater.

It's said that Keel was originally a Marlon citizen born in the island country of Marlon over the sea, and when he was young had his hands in considerably crooked dealings. Because of this his life ended up being targeted, and so for his own safety he fled to Elphegort with his girlfriend.

Said girlfriend was the current Madam Freezis.

"They've got three children between them, and my wife helped with the birthing of all of them. Nowadays Mr. Keel is the greatest merchant in Elphegort, and the whole Evillious region. Even his mansion is a several story building larger than most lesser nobles' houses, like a palace."

The old man proudly cooed about it as though he was talking about himself.

"With a mansion that big, he's probably got a lot of servants. …--That's it!"

"Hm? You hit upon a get-rich quick scheme, little miss?"

The words that I had inadvertently spoken aloud had led me to a brilliant idea. When I clapped my hands together, the old man poked fun a little questioningly. He had a habit of connecting everything back to business, and as one could expect I could tell he wasn't really paying attention to the words of a "little miss" like me.

The inn's management apparently wasn't so good, so I too was starting to get a little worried about money. The moderate cash that I'd gotten from Elluka had started to run out, and thanks to fleeing from the village like we did, we didn't have anything we could sell. We needed some employment, and fast.

We were persistent, but this inn didn't have the means to hire anyone on, and thanks to the influence of this year's poor crops the whole town was in a bad economic state. Me aside, of all the various places we searched there wasn't anyone who would hire a Netsuma like Clarith. We had wanted to work together if possible, but in our current situation, about to run out of the wherewithal to take care of ourselves, we might not be able to do that. The old boss was a good man, but when it came to money he was fairly strict. If we weren't able to pay our lodging fee, he'd chase us out without mercy. Worse comes to worse, I would have to go out to work on my own.

"Hey, has there been any talk of them looking for new servants at Mr. Keel's mansion?"

At any rate I needed to research Keel for my search for the "Vessels of Deadly Sin". If I was able to get in there as a servant, I'd be killing two birds with one stone.

"That's right, you'd been looking for some work like that, hadn't you? How'd it go?"

"A servant of Mr. Keel's is coming over tomorrow, so I could ask them about it for you?" came the happy proposal from the missus, listening in to the conversation while counting up the coins.

As I was told, in this inn they dealt in black Rollam bird feathers in their spare time, so every month a servant from the mansion would come to purchase them. I had no good memories of the black Rollam bird, but it seemed that in Elphegort their feathers were a precious commodity, and among other things used to make pens.

"I would like that very much! Thank you miss!"

"Ha ha, you can thank me after you've safely gotten hired."

Keel and his wife weren't Elphe people, so if things went well they might be willing to hire Clarith on with me. When I nimbly walked up to our room at seeing this ray of hope, Clarith was already sleeping in bed. She seemed to be worn out from walking around looking for work every day. Deciding that we'd talk about it when she woke up the next morning, I fell asleep.

The one who arrived at the inn the next day was not a servant, but Madam Freezis.

Not knowing her face, naturally I was filled with admiration at the thought that even a servant from the Freezis household was so elegant and refined.

"I've come to receive your goods today. Everyone else is too busy to come down here," the madam explained with a dignified voice, quietly taking a seat close to the reception desk. Very flustered at this unexpected guest, after directing me to make some tea the missus hurried to the storeroom.

Without meaning to I took a long, hard look at her face while bringing her tea. She held an extremely unapproachable air, clearly different from that of the people in the village. I had heard that the madam was a prominent noble in Marlon, and that even now that she was the wife of a merchant she had not lost that high-mindedness.

"…Are you taking an interest in my red hair?" The wife said after drinking one mouthful of tea, grinning.

"Ah--…I'm sorry for staring…"

She didn't change her smile at my wincing. She had to be used to being looked at.

"Ha ha, that's alright. I imagine it's rare to see someone who isn't green-haired in this country."

"No, that's not it. It's just, you're very lovely…I was charmed by you."

“Oh? I'm glad. Thank you. But you are far lovelier than I am. So much so that I was shocked when I first saw you. Your voice is lovely too."

"Thank y…Uhm, you have my gratitude for the compliment."

"Ho ho. You don't have to be so formal. From the look of your hair, you're a natural-born Elphe aren't you? You don't seem to be a relative of the couple running this place. And…you hold a strange air around you. It feels somewhat like you're something from beyond this transient world."

Maybe when you become the wife of a merchant, you get better at reading people. She couldn't have seen through me, that I was originally a spirit, but I was a little alarmed all the same.

"Due to some circumstances I've had I'm staying here for a bit."

"I see. It must be tough, with you so young."

She herself looked to be pretty young. She should be middle aged from what I'd heard of her personal history, but due to her youthful face I couldn't really gauge how old she was.

"I myself had it hard when I was younger. The period after I had first come to this country was especially difficult."

"Yeah, Elphegort can be a pretty harsh country for immigrants, huh? It's amazing that despite all that the Freezis Firm has been so successful that nowadays there's no one who doesn't know about it. Lord Keel's mansion is so big that even from far away I know it at a glance."

I indirectly brought up the topic of her mansion. I didn't have any confidence in my conversational skills, but it was worth a try.

"Thank you. But the mansion being big is a problem of its own…Several of my veteran servants have quit recently, and I'm short of hands one way or the other…It's a little embarrassing, but that's why I came here today."

"So that's how it was, huh…?"

Her slightly troubled smiling face looked like that of a younger girl.

Even so, them being short on servants was quite welcome news.

"Um, if it's alright by you…me and one other person are actually looking for work right now…"

The madam rested her chin on her hands with her fingers by the corner of her eye, expression turning serious--perhaps inferring the intention behind the conversation.

"I see. And…you're wondering if I would be willing to hire you on?"

"Yeah…"

The madam looked me from head to toe, as though evaluating me. I started getting nervous, my hands shaking.

"You said there was one other person. Who would that be?"

"She's out right now… Although I think she'll be back shortly."

Right before I was finished talking, the entrance door opened. It was Clarith. When I saw her discouraged expression I guessed that she hadn't found any work today either.

Before Clarith could try to say anything upon seeing the madam there, she stood and walked closer to Clarith.

"Is this girl the other person? Are you two friends?"

"Uh, erm, yes."

Overpowered by the madam's sharp gaze, Clarith began to back up. Whenever she drew closer, Clarith would simultaneously take another step back. If they kept going on like that, they'd end up going right outside the inn.

"White hair and red eyes…A Netsuma, huh? First time I've ever seen one."

At those words, Clarith's feet came to a sudden halt. The wife smiled at her reassuringly, and then turned back to once more sit in her chair.

"…Come to think of it, I haven't heard your names yet, have I?"

"M--my name is Michaela. And this is Clarith."

Clarith timidly arrived at my side, and looked to me with a questioning expression.

"That's a good name. Alright, I shall let you work at the mansion. But only Clarith."

I once again took in the breath that I'd let out.

"Uh, but that's…we had wanted work, together…"

"You want to work happily with your friend? Work isn't such an easy-going thing as that."

"But…Why not hire me too?"

"Because I hate Elphes."

An incredibly blunt, single sentence. As she spoke, for just a moment she seemed to glare at me with eyes full of anger.

"…That's just a joke. In this country there are a lot of people who can't take up employment solely because they are foreigners, more than just Netsuma. In order to help them out even just a little, I hire such people as servants in my own home. Michaela, you are an Elphe. So I think you will find some other means of employment. And--" The madam let out a breath and then looked over my once more. Clarith made an anxious face, as though finally grasping the situation. "You're just a little too beautiful. With you by his side my husband might possibly be tempted to cheat on me. And, while this is little more than my intuition…I feel as though you might bring some unnecessary trouble upon us."

Her eyes were stone serious. Something did come to my mind as well--because I had the whole issue with the "Vessels of Deadly Sin", I couldn't refute her claim.

At that point, with me silent, Clarith went in front as though trying to protect me and deeply bowed her head.

"Wait, please! Please let Michaela work with me!"

"Surely you've suffered at the hands of Elphes, haven't you? Why are you supporting her?"

The wife made a disbelieving expression. She had evaded the point earlier, but I was sure that her declaration of hating Elphes was in fact the truth.

"It's true that I've been continually oppressed by the Elphe people. But she…Michaela has treated me with kindness. I'm truly grateful for her."

"Nevertheless--and I told you this before--you do know that playing bosom buddies isn't fit for work, right?

"I know that what I'm saying is selfish! But…" Clarith continued her entreaty with a tone that was clearer than I had ever heard of her until now, her head bowed. And then finally, she murmured, as though reflecting on it, "I want to stay with Michaela for as long as I can…"

Clarith continued to keep her head down all the more, and I lowered my head to beg with her. After a heavy silence, the madam spoke as though lifting her head up.

"…I understand. I shall let the both of you come to the mansion. But I warn you, the work at the house will certainly not be a leisurely thi..."

Before the madam could finish speaking, Clarith raised her head with a smile that took up her whole face, and hugged me.

"Thank goodness! We can work together, Michaela!"

"Clarith…!"

I hugged Clarith back, each of us sharing in our joy.

And so Clarith and I decided to work at the Freezis estate. Being a servant there was a live-in position, so we packed up what few possessions we had and left the inn.

"Let's go, Michaela," Clarith said, tightly grasping my hand.

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ruthsulivan · 6 years

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Is Vaping Bad For You? Here’s The Truth

Smokers considering the switch to vaping often wonder if it’s harmful to their health

The Vaping Health Debate

Vaping has been an incredibly divisive topic ever since it first gained mainstream popularity nearly ten years ago. Plenty of critics claim that the vaping health risks are just as bad, if not worse than traditional cigarettes. At the same time, overly optimistic fans and businesses attempt to sell the idea that vaping is 100% harmless, little more than simple water vapor. Ultimately neither of these beliefs tells the whole story, with both attempting to paint their perfect picture.

To truly understand the vaping health risks you must first realize that the overwhelming majority of vapers are former smokers. That being the case, we must look at the harm of e-cigarettes through the lens of relative risk. A growing majority of peer-reviewed studies and public health experts agree that vaping is immensely safer than traditional tobacco and should be preferred if the alternative is continued smoking. That being said, vaping is not harmless. A few mild side effects have occasionally been associated with daily vaping, but to fully understand the long-term effects will require more time and research. So while we may not know everything there is to know yet, the research agrees it’s vaping is better than smoking.

The Low Down On Nicotine

We were very surprised to see just how many people don’t seem to be quite sure if you can vape without nicotine. While e-liquids are the most popular material used in vaporizers, and many do contain nicotine, most manufacturers offer nicotine free versions of their flavors. In fact, there are even brands now that only cater to nicotine free vapers. This is an excellent choice to have, given that nicotine use is associated with several adverse health effects.

Many people misunderstand what the actual risk of nicotine is, falsely believing it to be the primary cause of danger in cigarettes. The truth is that while nicotine use has several effects on the cardiovascular, nervous, and gastrointestinal systems, the majority of life-threatening conditions related to smoking are caused by the added chemicals in cigarettes, not the nicotine itself.

Due to prolonged heart stimulation, nicotine use has been associated with an increased risk for clots and stroke, raised blood pressure, and enlargement of the aorta. It’s also been connected to trouble falling and staying asleep as well as dizziness. Finally, nicotine has been known to sometimes cause nausea and vomiting, along with dry mouth and heartburn. As a result of these symptoms, many vapers choose to step down their nicotine intake over time.

This process is made much easier thanks to the fact that most manufacturers offer different nicotine strengths for each of their flavors. Your initial nicotine strength should reflect the amount of smoking you did before switching. For heavy smokers that means at least 12mg, while 6mg or slightly lower is ideal for light smokers. Regardless of where your starting point is, the idea of stepping down is to slowly reduce the amount of nicotine in your e-liquid while allowing your body time to adjust before moving on. It’s a similar process for anyone who has used nicotine patches in the past. Most vapers find that a few weeks is enough to allow their body to adjust to a new strength.

Once you get down to the lowest levels, it becomes harder to take smaller steps in-between. So what do you do if you’re not ready to go from 3mg down to 0? Well, it’s pretty easy to mix your custom strength. The two primary methods for this both work like a charm if done correctly. The first is by buying two different concentrations in the same flavor, for example, 3mg and 0mg. By mixing equal parts of each, you end up with a 1.5mg version of your favorite e-liquid. The same thing can be accomplished by using an unflavored base and diluting your preferred flavor by the same basic method. The main thing to remember when attempting this yourself is to be sure to use the same PG/VG balance. A difference in consistency may ultimately have no effect, but depending on the specific mix and device it could fail to work or even potentially damage parts.

Mounting Evidence

The once valid argument against vaping saying there simply isn’t enough evidence proving the value is slowly but surely becoming wholly false. In truth is that there is a growing mountain of evidence that demonstrates not only is vaping safe, but it’s one of the best harm reduction and smoking cessation tools we have at our disposal. Here’s just a small selection of conclusions from peer-reviewed researchers that provide a clear picture of why vape smoke is much better than cigarette smoke:

Vaping is at least 95% safer than smoking

Vape smoke contains 450 times less toxic chemicals than cigarette smoke

Smokers who switch to vaping experience significant health improvements

Vaping leads to much lower rates of tobacco-related diseases

Vaping bans will likely lead to higher teen smoking rates

Let’s explore each of these studies a bit further to understand their impact.

95% Safer Than Smoking

In the few years since this study was first published it’s become one of the most well-known pieces of evidence supporting vaping and it’s not hard to see why. The team of researchers from Public Health England, the federal health agency for England, found that not only is vaping safe, but it’s actually at least 95% safer than cigarettes. The same study concluded that nearly all of the 2.6 million vapers in Great Britain are either current or former smokers, highlighting just how few never-smokers end up vaping.

They doubled down on that belief, finding that there is no evidence vaping acts as a gateway to cigarette smoking for either teenagers or non-smoking adults. Unfortunately, they also found that almost half (44.8%) of people don’t understand how much safer vaping is than smoking. In fact, many even believe that vaping is just as, if not more dangerous than tobacco. But the results of this study are obvious; there are very few vaping health risks when compared with continued smoking.

Toxic Chemicals 450 Times Lower

This study was led by Dr. Maciej Lukasz Goniewicz of Roswell Park Cancer Institute and published in the Tobacco Control Journal. Dr. Goniewicz and his team set out to screen vape smoke for potentially carcinogenic compounds. After testing 12 different brands of e-cigarettes as well as a control prescription nicotine inhaler, the researchers concluded that the level of toxicants in vape smoke is as much as 450 times lower than in cigarette smoke. In fact, in several cases, the amounts found were similar to the concentrations found in normal air.

Significant Health Improvements

An online survey conducted by researchers at the University of Alberta wanted to assess the impact of making the switch to vaping from smoking. After collecting their data, the researchers noticed some intriguing patterns. For starters, every one of their over 300 participants was a former smoker, once again highlighting the rarity of never-smoking vapers. They indicated that a full 91% of respondents reported their general health had improved since starting vaping. That included 97% who reported an improvement in their smokers cough, and 84% saying they were now more able to exercise after making the switch.

Lower Rates Of Disease

A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health concluded that proper utilization of vaping is the best chance we have to reduce the rate of tobacco-related death and disease significantly. They reached this conclusion due to a combination of factors, such as the popularity and acceptance of vaping as a smoking cessation tool, and the lack of evidence connecting vaping with increased teenage smoking. They also referenced other pieces of data that suggest the answer to “is vaping bad” is a resounding no, including research that indicates vape smoke doesn’t have any impact on bystanders.

Bans Will Ultimately Increase Smoking

This study was published in the Journal of Health Economics and aimed to explore the effect of vaping on tobacco use. They took a look at how state vaping bans impact the rate of smoking among minors aged 12-17. According to the researchers, on average these bans not only slow the declining smoking rate, they increase the number of teenage smokers by nearly a full percentage point. These results were tested for statistical significance via several falsifications and placebo checks. Ultimately they concluded that banning vaping would counteract around 70% of the pre-existing drop in teenage smoking in only two years.

Those are just a small selection of the many peer-reviewed studies that conclude vaping health risks are minuscule compared with continued smoking. If you’re interested in reading more, you can find a longer list here. But as we’ve discussed, vaping is not 100% harmless. So let’s go over some of the common side-effects of vaping, while also debunking some false claims.

Risks with Vaping

One of the most commonly referenced long-term effects of vaping is a condition called “popcorn lung.” But the truth is that this condition has never been scientifically associated with vaping. The disease gets its name due to first being found in microwave popcorn factory workers where diacetyl was a ubiquitous ingredient. Those who have been diagnosed with the debilitating condition have almost all been people who worked in environments where diacetyl or other harmful substances such as chlorine and ammonia is regularly inhaled in high doses over decades.

It only ever became associated with vape smoke due to a small selection of e-liquid makers in the early days using diacetyl as part of their flavoring. These days, nearly no reputable makers use this substance at all. But truth be told, even in those days the amount of diacetyl being inhaled by vapers was far from comparable to industrial workers. In fact, this was backed up by the California Department of Health when the conducted a study into the air quality of vape shops across the state. The researchers indicated that even in poorly ventilated shops, very few harmful substances could be found at detectable levels. This included not detecting diacetyl or any other materials associated with popcorn lung.

That being said, there are a few side-effects sometimes associated with vaping, luckily most of them are relatively mild. The most common side-effect of vaping is probably dry mouth and dry skin, both of which can cause prolonged irritation. If you’re using a nicotine e-liquid, you should be wary of how much you’re vaping over a short period as too much nicotine intake can cause mild to severe dizziness. Those just making a switch to vaping may sometimes experience caffeine sensitivity, where they may feel anxious or experience mood swings.

While we’re at it, it’s important always to check ingredients if you’re allergic to one or more substances. The flavorings in e-liquids are often the same as, or similar to, those found in many foods, so you should always take care to avoid any allergic reactions when vaping a new e-liquid. Some vapers have experienced canker sores on their lips and mouth after making the switch to vaping. This has been associated with either e-liquid making contact with bare skin or possibly an increase in acidity of your saliva due to switching from tobacco smoke to vape smoke. Lastly, it’s important to avoid nicotine addiction, especially if you’re one of the few vapers that weren’t a smoker previously. Nicotine is a very addictive substance and shouldn’t be taken lightly if you don’t already have a dependence.

Conclusion

Vaping is not 100% safe. But that doesn’t mean it’s not the overwhelmingly better choice if the alternative is continued smoking. While some still resist the data, most researchers and public health experts are starting to agree that vaping has an incredible amount of value as a harm reduction and smoking cessation aid. The key is to monitor your nicotine intake and ensure you’re not overdoing it.

Manufacturers make it easy to step down your nicotine strength over time, and your local vape shop is full of experienced vapers willing to help you on your journey. Don’t forget to take advantage of those who have already been through everything you’re going through. In no time you’ll be the one helping new vapers on their way to a healthier life with vape smoke. The leading cause of preventable death and disease around the world continues to be smoking, so if we genuinely want to improve vaping health, we must first understand and spread the idea that vaping health risks are minuscule compared with smoking health risks.

The post Is Vaping Bad For You? Here’s The Truth appeared first on ChurnMag.

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