Tumgik
#honestly i think season 2 could be delayed for years with little complaint so long as they gave us a shang qinghua microwave pov
piosplayhouse · 2 years
Text
I know SV is referred to as the older brother of the other 2 mxtx fandoms but with how behind we are with all of our content we might as well be the grandfather... Tgcf/mdzs fandom complains about their donghua being inaccurate and sv fandom is like "shut up and eat your food. back in my day we didn't even have a donghua! We just entertained ourselves by staring at the microwave!!"
238 notes · View notes
janekfan · 3 years
Note
omg you're taking prompts?? best day EVER!!! i was thinking. season 2, where jon is complaining about some kind of illness/pain that's actually worse than he's letting on? maybe elias sends jon, tim, and martin on some kind of gay little errand and jon's either really ill or already hurt, and he keeps trying to communicate that he really wants to go back to the hotel and lie down, but they're so angry with him that they assume the worst? then, comfort :) if you don't like this i can try again!
@taylortut :D I hope you like it!
6 hours and 47 minutes.
The average amount of time it took the train to travel from the London station to Edinburgh.
And that being if they didn’t run into some sort of delay. Or hit a cow. Rupture the fuel line and be trapped on the tracks for the rest of the day.
Jon massaged his temples, shifting uncomfortably on the hard cushion that honestly might as well not exist for how much good it was doing him. Barely back from their mandatory thirty days leave after the Prentiss, Elias, the prat, sent them away to investigate the vaults beneath the city regarding the murders committed by Burke and Hare nigh 200 years ago.
And Jon really, really didn’t want to.
He’d been looking forward to sitting in the dark of his office and going through statements at a snail's pace and possibly, possibly skiving off early because he hurt and hadn’t been sleeping well because of it. The injuries left behind had been deep and damaging and he'd walked out of the hospital with a brand new cane. Leaning against the window and easing the weight off his left side, Jon tried to let the scenery slipping by lull him at least a little bit. Tim and Martin were spending the majority of their time in the dining car sampling the assortment courtesy of Elias’ generous travel budget and that was fine by him. While Martin may be better at hiding it, both of them were quite angry with him and he wasn’t exactly looking forward to the next week spent in their company.
Pain exploded in his bones, waking him from his nap and he whacked his head against the window blinking hard, breathing shallow, as he gathered his wits about him and took in Martin sitting across from him.
“Tim,” he admonished, setting a cup of tea down in front of Jon and turning the handle toward him. “Should perk you up a bit; you look tired.”
“Yeah, Boss.” Tim mocked him, prodded a particularly sore spot on his side. “Drink your tea.” Jon chose to ignore him.
“Th’thank you, Martin.” He spoke low, shrinking away, into himself, and holding the warmth close to his chest, checking his watch: two hours and change. Surely it wouldn’t be this awkward between them the whole week?
Jon was often wrong and this experience would prove no different as he pushed himself as fast as possible following Tim and Martin, the tip of his cane clacking unevenly on the cobblestones. It was dark and he had no desire to be caught alone on the streets at night, sure that whatever else had complaints with them wouldn’t hesitate.
“Tim, slow down.”
“Ah, sorry, Marto.” Jon looked away, feeling the heavy weight of Tim’s gaze press down across his shoulders and he almost stumbled beneath it, catching himself and thankful he’d chosen a backpack instead of luggage. “Tired from the train?”
“I happen to be, yes.” Authoritative, eyes cast pointedly forward. “Besides, it’s a nice night. Let me enjoy being away from the Archives for a moment, won’t you?” Tim laughed, pounding Martin on the back, and the two discussed going out for drinks at the various pubs they passed along the way. While grateful for the decreased pace, Jon was isolated and alone, throat closing up so tight it was like choking, face turning hot, but he refused to cry.
He’d dug this grave. He’d have to lie in it.
Unable to stand one moment more after climbing the stairs to their room, Jon collapsed heavily to the couch, digging his knuckles into his thigh in an attempt to stop the awful seizing in his muscles. His whole body was trembling with fatigue and when Tim suggested it was the perfect time to head into the Vaults he could have kissed Martin for insisting he was too tired tonight because he knew he was only saying it for Jon’s benefit and he didn’t understand why. How could he...after all. He hated him and he still--
“Well, I call rooming with Martin and there’s just one bed. That leaves the couch for your skinny arse, Boss.” He batted big dark eyelashes at Martin, making the other man blush furiously and sputter and despite himself Jon smiled, just a little, bidding them a quiet good night neither of them would hear through the door between them.
He could tell already he wouldn’t be getting much sleep, if any at all. The pain wasn’t anything sharp anymore, just a low level throb impossible to ignore, and no amount of adjusting or staying still or squeezing his fists so tight crescent moons were bit into his palms would change that. So he laid there, in the dark of an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar city, filled with unfamiliar sounds and listened to the deep and even synchrony of his employees’ breath. More street lights kicked on, the glow pleasant if only because he could see, transforming eerie shadows into shapes he could identify. Jon nibbled his bottom lip, shifted, pushed his feet into the cushions to exert pressure? Release pressure? He wasn’t sure exactly what he was trying to accomplish other than keeping himself quiet.
Dragging his bag over he dug blindly through it for the bottle of paracetamol settled at the bottom, fighting with the child safety cap and tipping too many pills into his hand. It didn’t matter. It wouldn’t touch it. Not really. But hoping for a placebo effect was better than writhing in agony and Jon swallowed them dry because getting up wasn’t an option. Rigid, shivering, he pulled up the blanket, trying to take comfort in its weight and the sun was coming up by the time heavy lashes fell shut over tired, burning eyes.
“Wakey, wakey, Boss!” Jon jerked violently awake, whole body thrumming in panic and pain before he had the sense to realize what was happening and by then Tim was gone.
“Sorry Jon, I tried to distract him.” Sheepish, Martin offered up a small smile and a cup of tea, setting it on the low table beside the couch. “You alright?” He’d relaxed back into the cushions, trying to gain back any of the soft, drifting nothingness he’d finally succumbed to and failing miserably. Good lord, he wasn’t well.
“Just fine, Martin.” Rubbing away the remnants of sleep, Jon struggled upright and took a sip. “Thank you.” Strong and dark and perfect, the caffeine would help. “When, what time are we investigating the Vaults?”
“Midnight or so? There will be fewer people on the streets then.” Silence broken only by Tim’s puttering in the room settled between them. “We’re hoping to sight see, be proper tourists for the day.”
“Ah.” He hid his disappointment behind the rim of his cup. Of course they would. Of course and they deserved it. “That sounds like a fine idea.” It didn’t. He wouldn’t make it, surely. Almost choking on his tea when his jacket came down over his head, Jon sputtered and coughed, catching a glimpse of Tim slipping on his trainers.
“And you’re not getting out of it.” Martin reacted to Jon's sigh with exasperation and hurt.
"Look, Jon. I know you'd rather be anywhere than with the two of us, but try to enjoy yourself?" And while that wasn't entirely true Jon was unfortunately too much a coward to refute it.
Which is how he found himself here, now. Nauseated, Jon sipped carefully on some juice, sitting stock still in his chair and watching Martin and Tim sample almost everything on the menu. He’d been dragged through the city and while he’d enjoyed some of the history and honestly their company, the pain cast a dark pall over the day. It was only on his third try asking for a break that they passed a pub and Martin suggested supper, and not a moment too soon. Even with the cane and Jon's white knuckle grip on his self control, his leg felt ready to give way.
“Come on,” Tim cajoled, tongue loose and on his third pint. “Don’t you want to waste Elias’ money with us?”
“Not that hungry I’m afraid, but go on. Looks good and you mustn't forget dessert.”
"Martin! You heard the boss-man!" After sitting in the low light, resting for a bit, Jon felt up to a drink, enjoying how it blurred everything at the edges and dulled the worst of it so quickly on an empty stomach.
When they returned to the room for a nap prior to their excursion, Jon barely remembered passing out on the couch.
It was cold, the jacket completely useless against the underground chill and his exposed fingers were numb on the handle of his cane, on the torch. Long after this happened, Jon asked for a reprieve. They’d been down here for hours already and they had all week so with no leads they could come back another night, couldn't they? It had fallen on deaf ears and when he tried to speak up again, this time because he’d fallen more than a few steps behind, it was clear he just needed to tough it out. Obviously, he was supposed to be handling this better and he was only embarrassing himself by being overly dramatic. Gritting his teeth, Jon pushed himself faster, catching back up only to lose ground seconds later.
“I’m. I’m sorry. I.” Why was this so hard? Asking for help, for a break, to go back and just please stop standing up. “Could we. Could we take a moment? Just. I mean--”
“Spit it out!” Tim’s frustration echoed painfully in the enclosed space, bouncing off walls and striking Jon from all angles like a series of blows. “We don’t have time for whatever you’re on about.”
We don’t have time.
“Leave off, Tim.” Something caught Martin’s eye and he veered away from the pair of them.
We don’t have time for you.
Stop it.
Stop being a child.
“Of course. Yes. Push on.”
Sick with exhaustion and shaking from pain, Jon was falling further and further behind, the torch losing its effectiveness as the dark closed in, heavy, tight, suffocating. He couldn’t call out. They wouldn’t. He. They’d made how they felt clear and asking again would only be shameful. But his cane wasn’t enough anymore and it dropped from his ennervated fingers, clattering to the ground while he held onto the wall with both hands. He’d be lost here, buried here, in the oppressive black, his body saved by the End for experimentation and dissected by medical students and he didn't think he cared about being forgotten but the thought of it felt far too real. He sobbed. It echoed. And he clapped his hands over his mouth and let the tears glance off them as he slid to the ground.
He’d just hide here. In the dark behind his eyelids, stifling the pathetic sounds forcing their way up his throat and between his teeth. If he was quiet he wouldn’t be found, nothing could find him if he was quiet. Not the things scuttling around in the black, not the pain doing its level best to gnaw its way through his skin, not the overwhelming weariness clawing open his chest, between his ribs.
“Jon!” He flinched. He hurt. He curled tighter despite it. He didn’t want to be found. He didn’t want anyone to see him like this. “J--Christ, Jon.” Martin’s heavy footsteps slowed to a stop on the stone in front of him, shifted nervously. “Hey, what’s. Jon? What’s wrong?”
“M’.” But it was so much more than that and he didn’t know how to explain, so he didn’t and Martin’s voice came from above him.
“Why didn’t you say anything? Why didn't you say it was this bad? ” But he had. He had tried. Hadn’t he? After being ignored he thought he was just being needy and dramatic. Annoying. Tim had similar injuries and he was fine. Jon ducked his head into folded arms, shoulders hitching with a shaky breath. He didn’t know what to say or how to justify how bad off he was.
“S’sorry.” He’d have to stand in a moment. To continue the investigation and even the thought made him want to cry. “Just need a. N’need.” But it hurt so much and when the next breath he reached for broke open he heard Martin sigh heavily, shoes scuffing the ground and this time his words were at his level.
“I’m sorry, Jon. You. You did tell us. We just didn’t listen. Thought you were cross at being sent here with us.” A warm palm enveloped his forearm. “What do you need?”
“N’nothing. Just.” Deep breath. Relax. You’re alright. “I’ll be ready in, in a m’moment.” Thick and hoarse, he didn’t want Martin to see his face. He didn’t want to see the disgust in his. “You, you go on. Tim shouldn’t be alone.”
“And you should?”
Yes.
Yes, because he’d be fine. He was always fine.
Before he had the chance to answer he heard Tim coming back, steps angry if there was such a thing, and calling through the tunnels.
“I see, just abandon me to the spooky vaults, serve me up on a platter next time, it’ll be faster!” Jon risked a look and saw Tim staring down at him. “What the hell, Martin? Jon, sure, but you too?” And that hurt, cutting to the quick of him deep enough that he almost checked for blood. Tim didn’t really think he’d abandon him, did he? “What’s with the secret meeting?”
“We need to go back to the room.”
“What?! We’ve barely started anything!”
“Jon needs a break.”
“Of course.” Scoffed, Jon could practically see him rolling his eyes
“Tim--! No, Jon’s been. He’s tried to ask a few times and I know we’ve got work to do but--”
“It’s alright, Martin. I can. Keep going.” The crease between Martin’s eyebrows deepened. “O’or stay here until you get back.”
“No,” Martin spoke sternly, “Tim, help me get him up.” Jon didn’t think he’d ever seen such a scathing look on his face before but it was enough to shift Tim. They lifted him together and as everything stiff stretched back out fire bled into his bones and he couldn’t help but cry out, trying to collapse back to the ground and into himself. “Oh, okay, Jon. Okay.”
“Ah, it’s.”
“If you say “fine” I’ll drop you right here.” Tim adjusted his grip, tried to take more of his weight and Jon was ashamed that he let him but--
"Good lord, Jon. You're so pale." When had Martin gotten so close to him? “I’m, I’m sorry.”
“S’alright.” The shaking started up again when he tried to take a step and Martin had to catch him before he collapsed all over again. This was so stupid. Why was he like this? Why did he hurt so bad?
“You can’t walk like this.”
“No! No, I can! I just…nngh.” His teeth were chattering, he was shivering. Just leave him here. This was mortifying and he all but gave up, following their soft directions until he was draped across Martin’s broad back and suffering through the strain of forcing his leg far enough forward for him to get his hand under it to lift him. Off his feet and pressed against a veritable wall of warmth, Jon lost his grip on the frayed threads holding the last of him together. They unspooled, slipped from his hands, and tears soaked the back of Martin’s collar.
"You're warm." Empty, sitting limp on the edge of the couch, Jon leaned into Martin’s hand on his forehead. “Are you sick?”
“No…” Clumsy fingers clawed open the bottle of paracetamol, irrationally angry when Martin only allowed him double the dose.
“Jon.” Tone firm, Jon looked up at him without lifting his head. Didn’t think he could if he wanted.
“S’mm.” He pulled in half a lungful of air with difficulty. “When it. When it hur’s like this.” The next breath strangled him and he thought he saw Tim and Martin exchange a look, one he couldn’t interpret and didn’t care to if it just meant they were leaving him here to go back to the vaults. He didn’t bother worrying about the new moisture dripping off his chin. He just wanted to disappear.
“Jon?” There was a packet of digestives being thrust under his nose and his stomach turned. "I haven't seen you eat at all today, or yesterday for that matter. I'm not going to let you take all those pills without at least a little something."
“Mm.” He forced one down his throat and pushed insistent hands away, swallowing the medicine with some lukewarm water Tim helped him hold, gasping when they manhandled him down to the cushions, sighing when something cold eased the fire in his hip.
“Ice, should help, okay?” And Jon concurred, new tears slipped between closed lids in relief, in weariness.
“Try and sleep, Boss.”
Quiet voices tugged him up through layers of cotton. Martin. Tim. Talking. Hushed.
“...shouldn’t have pushed so far.”
“So stupid...didn’t think…”
“Shh.” Caught eavesdropping. Jon swallowed. Everything they were saying about him was true, he wouldn't cry over it.
“Hey, Jon. How’re you feeling?” Sore. Foolish. Like he wanted the couch to open up and drag him down to wherever loose change went.
“Better.” When he made to sit up Martin stopped him. “Really, m’fine.” He stayed put.
“I need to apologize, Jon. I, I was so stupid. I didn’t even think about. Well, your injuries. Caught up in myself, I suppose.”
“No! I. Martin, it, it isn’t your fault. This,” he gestured to himself and laughed humorlessly. “This isn’t your fault.”
“We should have listened.” Now Tim was sat on the arm nearest his feet. His elevated feet and his face must have shown his confusion. “Did some googling. But we shouldn’t have let it go so far.”
“It’s--” he stopped abruptly at their combined frowns. “It’s. Um. Thank you, for taking care of me.”
“How is it?” Jon looked at his folded hands, guilty.
“I’d. If I could stay here today?” He closed his eyes, waiting for the frustration, the disappointment. “Not because I don’t want to, to, I want to. I enjoy your company! I’m.” He was botching this, just speak your mind, Sims. “I’m just. I’m very tired. Haven’t been, uh, sleeping much.” Opened them again when Martin cupped his shoulder and saw understanding reflected back.
“Sure. Of course you can.”
“We’ll make a day of it.” Tim flashed the company card. “Back soon, gents.”
The day was spent watching bad daytime television and Jon dozed on and off between being plied with sugary snacks and tea and watching Martin scold Tim for throwing wrappers at the worst of the actors.
“I’d clean it up, Marto, but,” he gestured to Jon’s feet where he’d tugged them over his lap. “I’m trapped, clearly.” It was so much like old times, away from the pressure of the Archives and Elias that Jon couldn’t help but smile. Maybe this could be fixed after all. Maybe it wasn’t all lost.
In the end, they’d discovered nothing new. No evidence to back up the statement givers that inspired this whole excursion in the first place.
6 hours. 47 minutes.
It didn’t seem such a long time on the way back.
116 notes · View notes
argylemnwrites · 4 years
Text
Fight or Flight - Chapter 9: Intel
Pairing: Drake Walker x MC (Riley Liu)
Book: The Royal Heir (canon divergent from the end of book 2)
Word Count: ~4500
Rating: R (language only)
Summary: Nearly five days since The Walker Absconding
Author’s Note: This series follows the Walkers, their friends, and Cordonia as a whole after they flee the country with their daughter during Barthelemy Beaumont’s attempted coup. To catch up on this series, check out it’s masterlist. (link can be found via my bio - sorry, Tumblr is once again not putting my posts with links in tag searches)
Tumblr media
Riley glanced around anxiously, taking in the handful of other people in the park. She didn’t like it. She felt so exposed anytime someone even made eye contact with her or glanced at Bridget. It seemed like they could tell she didn’t belong there, that she and Drake and Bridget stuck out like a sore thumb, that the fact that she was a wanted fugitive was obvious. It was hard to relax when every single person in the area was a potential threat, someone who could turn her in and make it all fall apart.
She and Drake had hemmed and hawed about making this trip out. Ever since warrants had been issued for their arrest, the risk of being spotted felt so much more threatening. It had almost felt surreal, sitting on the bed with Drake on Sunday evening, sharing a pair of headphones and staring at his phone while Bridget slept, curled up against her side, watching as Ana de Luca covered Rashad’s brief statement, discussing their family’s disappearance and the lack of evidence of foul play. It had been his first public appearance as king-regent.
Monday night had been the same, this time with an announcement of formal charges of kidnapping of the monarch and treason, resulting in the loss of their titles and lands. The social season was delayed with everything unfolding, but that barely seemed to warrant a mention by any of the reporters or pundits. Olivia was sending them links to several news stories every day - footage of their estate with intelligence agents filing out with box after box, all to be poured over for evidence of any further crimes. Rashad visibly uncomfortable in front of the palace as he requested anyone who knew their whereabouts to step forward. A “tell-all” interview with Barthelemy that was an infuriating clip they only made it part of the way through. 
There were clips about Liam and the results of the no-confidence vote as well, even though Liam’s last public sighting had been his arrival at Olivia’s keep on Sunday after the last court hearing. Other than his speech the night before Rashad was sworn in, Liam had not made any statements related to his title or their disappearance. Riley knew Drake was unsettled by that fact. Liam had always known his calm and gentle, yet confident demeanor was an asset and had never shied away from using public statements to sway hearts and minds in the past. Now, when he needed to rally support as he campaigned to regain the throne, he was silent.
Drake had spent all of his time scraping up every news segment, article, op ed, or social media post he could find related to their family, Liam, or Barthelemy. It concerned Riley that he was so hyper-focused, but with everything so fresh and constantly changing, it was hard to blame him for it. Bridget grabbing him or calling for him was about the only thing that could distract him. Riley honestly wasn’t sure if he was sleeping at all.
They hadn’t left their rented room since their arrival on Sunday morning, at least until this morning. Yesterday had been rough, with Bridget throwing fit after fit. She was bored, that much was clear. They had very few toys for her, and their bare bones hotel room was not exactly a stimulating environment. At Valtoria, she spent time exploring different rooms or parts of the grounds with them everyday. She didn’t like the change in the routine, to say the least.
When they finally were able to get Bridget asleep last night, hours after her usual bedtime as she wailed and cried, overtired and cranky beyond belief, they had decided that they needed to chance a trip outside with her. Sure, it was a risk, but so was keeping a screaming 10 month old in a hotel with thin walls. The last thing they needed was the police called for a noise complaint. They decided first thing in the morning would probably be their best option, with hopefully fewer people around. Anything to reduce the chance of getting recognized.
So, they had brought Bridget to a little park, hoping that a change of scenery might help her mood. So far, she was content, sitting happily near them, running her hands over the grass and pulling some up by the blades intermittently. The same couldn’t be said for her and Drake. He looked as wound up as she felt. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and his eyes kept darting between Bridget and random people around them. A young mother or nanny ran past them earlier, chasing a school-aged boy down, and Riley thought Drake was going to knock her to the ground. To say they were both on edge was the definition of an understatement.
The tension radiating off them was probably why Bridget was so content to just sit near them. Normally, she would be crawling everywhere, checking out every leaf, flower, and bug in her path. But she kept looking at Riley and Drake, a frown on her little face when they weren’t encouraging her to move and explore. At this rate, Riley wasn’t sure this stressful little trip was going to do her any good.
At the moment, she had found a little flowering tree that was dropping all it’s blossoms, and she was entertaining herself by picking up the pink petals on the ground. Riley was about to ask Drake how long he wanted to stay when she saw Bridget move to put a tiny fistful of the flowers in her mouth.
“Drake, can you stop her from eat-” she started, since Drake was sitting closer to Bridget, but before she could even finish her sentence, she saw Drake’s eyes widen as all the color drained from his face in a second. She turned her head in the direction he was looking and saw a woman who was maybe 50 years old running towards them, pointing at Bridget, calling something out in Greek. Her throat felt tight and her heart started racing as she twisted back towards Drake, but was startled to find him already standing over her, grabbing her arm and yanking her to her feet with one hand, Bridget already scooped up in his other arm.
“Get to the car,” he rattled off, shoving Bridget into her arms before he started fumbling through his pockets, slipping the keys into her shaking hands. 
Riley clutched Bridget close to her chest, turned around, and started running as fast as she could. Feet pounding over the grass, Bridget bouncing in her arms. Sound was distorted in her ears, hollow and thin. She ran, past a jogger, past a couple holding hands. All towards the edge of the park. Towards their car parked just around the corner.
At some point, Bridget started crying, twisting, trying to escape from her arms. Riley tried to keep a tight hold on her, but it was hard. She was slipping. She stopped, trying to readjust. She spun, looking for Drake, but he wasn’t there. Why wasn’t he right behind her?
“Drake?” she cried out as she spun around, frantically searching for him. Her voice was shaky, weak. “Drake?” He wasn’t anywhere. She couldn’t think. Where could he be? He could outrun a middle-aged woman. So why wasn’t he there?
“He’s trying to give you time to get away.” The thought shot through her, and she knew it was the truth in an instant. Stupid, self-sacrificing, noble man. On instinct, she started sprinting back into the park. She wasn’t leaving him behind. Not when they could get out of this together. It was one woman. They could outrun one woman.
She was so hellbent on getting back to drag Drake out of there, she almost didn’t see him, briskly walking toward her. He did a double take when he noticed her, but then held up his hands in front of his chest and shook his head.
“We’re fine!” he called out. “It’s all fine.”
It took her half a second to process his words, but when she did, she slowed her pace, jogging the last few steps to him and tugging one arm free from Bridget to wrap tightly around his neck.
His arms slipped around her waist, holding her close. “We’re fine,” he murmured into her hair, “She didn’t recognize us.”
“Then why was she running at-”
“The flowers. Those were oleander petals. She was worried Bridget was going to poison herself.”
Riley let out a shaky breath as she leaned back slightly, looking Drake dead in the eye. “I thought-”
“I know; me too.” And with that he pulled her and Bridget tight against him again. She tried to calm herself, feeling the rise and fall of his chest, but her heart was still racing. It had all felt too close, too real.
Bridget was still crying, so after a moment, Drake dropped his arms from Riley’s waist and moved to take Bridget, bouncing her on his hip, clearly trying to calm her down. Between her continued tears and screams and the mad dash Riley had just made through the park, they weren’t exactly keeping a low profile.
“We should probably not hang around here after the scene we just caused,” she murmured. Drake nodded briskly, tucking Bridget fully against his side and grabbing Riley’s hand with his free arm. He set a rapid pace as they walked out of the park, not saying anything more until they were all secure in the privacy of their car.
“Drake, what are we doing?” she asked, watching Drake’s shoulder’s sag as he finally seemed to catch his breath. His knuckles were tense as he clutched the steering wheel.
“The best we can, Riley.”
“We couldn’t even spend an hour in a park without making a mess. How are we going to get by?”
He shook his head and let out a sigh. “Well, we’re just going to have to figure it out, aren’t we?”
A wave of guilt washed over her. All of this was her fault. She had no right to express doubt about it now, not after her decision got Drake named a traitor to the Crown. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, running her hand over her face.
“For what?”
“This is all my fault, isn’t it?”
“Riley,” his voice was quiet and his hand slid over onto her knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Riley, look at me.”
She twisted in the passenger seat to face him the best she could. She could hear Bridget kicking against the car seat and starting to fuss, clearly expecting the car to be moving at this point, but Drake made no move to start the car.
“This is fucking Barthelemy’s fault.” He stared straight into her eyes as he said it. He looked so earnest that Riley almost believed him. But deep down, she knew that was a mad over simplification of the issue. Maybe he brought it all to a head, but she and Drake had put themselves into a position to have their parenting called into question by assholes like him in the first place.
Still, she knew what Drake was trying to do. He was trying to make her feel better about the whole mess. How he was able to worry about her when he was obviously frazzled and sleep-deprived himself was nothing short of a miracle.
When all she was able to muster was a weak little smile, Drake kept going. “Remember how shitty we both felt those first few weeks home with her?”
Shitty was an understatement. Bridget had been horribly cranky as soon as she wasn’t right in that newborn period. Colicky and loud, she’d cried constantly, often for no apparent reason. She’d fed poorly, slept in tiny little bursts, and didn’t seem to soothe unless she was held, walked around, and all the stars and planets were aligned. Riley had felt like a failure as a mother time and time again. “Yeah, that sucked ass.”
“Right. Both of us had no idea what the hell we were doing, and we were so scared we were gonna be complete garbage at it. But we figured it out, right? There was just a learning curve. This is gonna be the same way.”
“Drake Walker, are you giving me a ‘practice makes perfect’ pep talk about being a fugitive?”
He blushed, just slightly, and gave her a little shrug. “I didn’t mean it to sound so cheesy.”
“No, I think it’s sweet,” she said, grabbing his hand on her knee and threading their fingers together. “But I think we need to start thinking for the long term here. Spending days locked in hotel rooms and then freaking out when we step out in public is not going to work forever.”
He nodded at her. “I’ve been thinking about this, and I think we need some aliases and forged documents. We have no way to earn any money at this point, and if we get asked for our papers, we’re done for right now.”
Riley bit her lip. She knew he was right, and she had an idea of how to go about it. She just wasn’t sure if it was a smart move.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, watching her face carefully.
“I think we’re going to have to find a way to get in touch with Amalas.”
Drake let out a huge sigh at that, so Riley kept going. “I don’t like it either, but if someone we know is equipped to make believable forgeries, it’s her.”
“What is she going to want in exchange, though? She’s an opportunist, and right now we have nothing to offer her.”
Riley shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Drake opened his mouth to say more, but Bridget’s patience ran out at that point, a massive wail echoing through the car.
“To be continued? When she’s not trying to burst our eardrums?” Drake asked, sliding the key into the ignition and starting the car. Riley just nodded. They didn’t have to decide their next steps this moment, but soon, they were going to have to, and Riley had a feeling that no matter what they chose, it was going to feel like the wrong call.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Olivia scowled a little as she dug through her desk drawer. Her emergency ibuprofen was supposed to be in this drawer, and her head was killing her. She really should start taking meds before her meetings with Maxwell. He had left her office maybe twenty minutes ago, and just like every meeting she’d had with him since this whole mess began, she was now dealing with a migraine.
To be honest, having to listen to Maxwell’s rambling, inefficient accounts of what was going on at Ramsford was just the last irritation that put her over the edge. Having Maxwell, Liam, and now Leo living at the keep, as well as Bertrand and Hana making frequent appearances was just a lot. She was used to her privacy, and the constant activity and bustle in her home was all a bit much to handle.
Leo had arrived Monday, and she’d tasked him with providing Liam emotional support. It was the only thing she trusted him to do, really, and even that was pushing it. But she was busy, managing the press, trying to buy off employees in Portavira to get some dirt on Landon and Emmeline, and providing statements to Bastien regarding her conduct in the days between the initial vote and her reporting Drake and Riley’s disappearance.
Hana was the only one she felt like she didn’t need to keep on a short leash at this point. She was staying at Valtoria to make sure Barthelemy’s people couldn’t gain unauthorized access, and she seemed prepared for her meeting with Rashad tomorrow. Olivia and Hana weren’t exactly sure what Rashad wanted to discuss with her, but they’d reviewed their stories prior to having their official interviews with law enforcement earlier this week, so whatever questions he had, Olivia was confident Hana would have acceptable answers.
But Bertrand was in a tizzy, staying at Ramsford in an effort to prevent his father from forcing him out as head of house, Maxwell was a scatterbrained go between who alternated between forgetting key pieces of info to share and recounting conversations down to the last detail, and Liam seemed to be sinking into a deeper pit of depression every day, leaving her to believe Leo’s efforts were lackluster. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could let these men flounder along before she stepped in and took control.
On top of everything, she still had her typical duties as the Duchess of Lythikos, and reviewing some tax records was her planned task for today. She couldn’t really neglect it any longer, but her migraine was making it difficult to focus on the spreadsheets in front of her.
She finally found her pill bottle and popped three tablets, massaging her temples and hoping the relief would come soon. But before she could return to the task at hand, a knock on her office door interrupted her. She let out a massive sigh and rolled her shoulders back before calling out, “Come in.”
Leo poked his head around the door and grinned at her, striding into her office and sitting down across the desk from her. “How are you today, Liv?”
“Annoyed. What do you want?”
“What, can’t I just come in to chat with my favorite duchess in Cordonia?”
“Not when I am busy putting out seventeen different fires. What. Do. You. Want?”
“I was hoping to talk to Lady Hana.”
Olivia squinted at Leo. He was so predictable. “Absolutely not.”
“What?” His eyebrows flew up almost comically at her response. “Why not?”
“She’s far too nice for the likes of you.”
That little smirk, the one he used to get away with everything, started forming. “Hey, I like nice.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Are you saying you aren’t nice, Liv? I remember you being plenty ‘nice’ to me in the past.”
She shook her head at him. He was far too charming for his own good. “No one in their right mind would call me nice. Besides, this isn’t about a mistake from nearly a decade ago.”
He clutched his hands over his heart, like her words wounded him, but he was openly chuckling. “A mistake? You are indeed a cruel woman, Olivia Nevakris.”
“I’m actually being very kind to you here, protecting your ego from taking a beating when she inevitably rejected any… advances from you.”
“What makes you so sure I am going to seduce her if I speak to her?”
“Well, you wouldn’t be successful, but when was the last time you didn’t try to get into the pants of a pretty woman?”
“Do our conversations not count?”
“I’m not young enough to find that line anything but cheesy.”
“Can’t blame a man for trying. No, but I really was hoping to talk to Lady Hana. Where are her quarters?”
Olivia cocked her head and frowned. She didn’t know how often Hana and Leo had interacted, but it clearly wasn’t all that often if he kept using her title. What he could possibly want from her was a total mystery.
“What do you want to talk to her about?” she asked.
Leo gave a little shrug, “She lived with Drake and Riley, right? Well, I figure she might have a way of getting in touch with them.”
Olivia was careful to keep her face still. She didn’t think Leo was likely to be working for Barthelemy. It wouldn’t make any sense, and his disdain for the way Constantine had ruled had never seemed to apply to his brother. Besides, he’d thrown away his chance at being king, so it’s not like power or glory in a coup would be very tempting to him. But she couldn’t think of a reason why Leo was looking to talk to the Walkers, and after the past few days, she wasn’t taking any chances.
“Why would you think she would be able to get in touch with them?” There, a good opening question that would hopefully get him talking.
“It would make sense that the person they live with is someone they trust the most, right? And her family isn’t caught up in all of this political shit, so she seems like a safe option in that regard, too.”
“Why are you looking to talk to them?”
“Liam seems pretty torn up without Drake here. I thought maybe if I-”
Olivia couldn’t help it, a chuckle of shock and disbelief shot out of her, interrupting Leo.
“What?”
“You had one job - cheer Liam up, and your method of doing so was to attempt to convince Drake and Riley to come back? Gee, why didn’t I think to try that?” she replied, rolling her eyes at the end.
“Ah ha, so you are in touch with them!” he cried out, leaning back in his chair, a smug, shit-eating grin etched across his face.
“Bastard,” Olivia grumbled, shaking her head.
He just grinned wider at that. “It’s alright little Livvy; your secret’s safe with me.”
“Don’t call me ‘little Livvy’ ever again,” she said, leaning across her desk and staring him down, “But even if… theoretically there was a way to talk to Drake and Riley, you won’t be able to convince them to come back. You wouldn’t have been able to a couple of days ago, and you certainly won’t now that warrants have been issued.”
“I’m quite persuasive, you know.”
“You can keep telling yourself that, but I think Drake Walker might be immune to your… charms, particularly when he and his wife are going to lose custody of their kid if he gives in.”
“Fair enough. Not even worth a shot, then?”
She shook her head. “Honestly, them returning at this point will just be another fire I have to try and put out. Them on the run is easier to deal with than them in prison.”
Liam nodded, swiping his thumb along his jawline. “Alright then. Say there was a theoretical way to get in touch with them. Would someone be able to get them some money?”
Olivia blinked several times as her brain tried to follow this unexpected shift. “I’m sorry, I think I must have just had a stroke. I thought I heard you ask about getting money to them.”
“I’m serious. They can’t use their credit cards, right? All of their funds are frozen, I would assume.”
“Since when are you mister charitable?”
Leo bit his lip, not willing to answer right away apparently. “This stays between us, alright?” he eventually said, his blue eyes wide and earnest. All Olivia could do was nod.
“I know Liam is not exactly thrilled with them. And I get why, and obviously my first choice would be for them to be here.”
“Noted,” Olivia said dryly. She had no idea where this was going, but for this amount of build up, it had better be fucking fascinating.
“I like that they just kind of said… ‘fuck it,’ and left. It’s sort of admirable, isn’t it? That sort of courage and disregard for all rules of courtly conduct?”
Olivia rolled her eyes again. “You just are happy you aren’t the biggest scandal this century in Cordonia anymore.”
“Nah, I’m just thrilled that Drake Walker is suddenly a whole lot more interesting. And what can I say? I always like to take a risky gamble.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. “Unless you can give me a real reason you want to help them, I am not adding another person to this mess. Particularly one who likes to run his mouth after a few drinks at the craps table.”
Leo frowned at that. “I’m not as heartless as you make me out to be, you know. I’ve known Drake basically his entire life, and I don’t want to see him suffering, particularly since I understand the type of pressures placed on his kid. And… when my mother left my dad, she couldn’t take me. I had to stay in the palace, and you know how that turned out. But if those two found a different way to do things… good for them, I say.”
Olivia stared at Leo, trying to assess his sincerity. He seemed to mean his words, but she wasn’t ready to hand him a bunch of confidential info, not just yet. She would need to talk to Hana first, but Leo might be a nice resource. He traveled all over constantly, so it wouldn’t really seem suspicious for him to head to another country. He might be their best chance to get Riley and Drake their most essential belongings.
“Hana’s gone back to Valtoria, but we can’t have you seen there. She’ll be back Friday.”
“So, I have your permission to talk to her then. My, I am honored.”
“You can talk to her if you actually get Liam to stop wallowing in his quarters, just reviewing ancient law books.”
“Like I said, if you just let me take him to the casinos-”
“For the fifth time, Leo, he cannot be seen gambling after losing his title! Are you fucking stupid?”
Leo grinned widely. “No, but watching your face turn as red as your hair never gets old. He’ll be fine, Liv. He’s just a little weirded out by actually having some time off for the first time in years. Don’t worry, I’ll have him relaxing like me soon enough.”
“Leo!”
“Like I said, it never gets old,” he said, pointing to her face and winking at her. Before she could get a serious answer out of him, her office phone started ringing.
“Oooh, saved by the bell,” he said, popping out of his chair. “I’m getting Liam drunk, so swing by later if you get a chance.”
“Are you fucking serious, Leo?”
“You’ll have to find out later. Better answer that.” He pointed to the phone before ducking out the door with a cheeky little wave.
Taking a calming breath, Olivia picked up the phone. Only official governmental business came through on this landline.
“This is Olivia Nevrakis.”
“Duchess Olivia, it’s Queen Amalas.”
Olivia’s mind raced, trying to determine why she was calling her. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I have some information for you, and I was wondering how valuable it is or isn’t to you at this point.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know the location of the former Duchess and Duke of Valtoria and the Queen-Regent of Cordonia.”
Tumblr media
Permatag: @walkerswhiskeygirl   @riley--walker  @bebepac @ravenpuff02 @oofchoices @octobereighth @drakewalker04 @kimmiedoo5  @mfackenthal  @thequeenofcronuts  
The Royal Romance/The Royal Heir: @ao719 @mskaneko @katedrakeohd @jovialyouthmusic @marshmallowsandfire @axwalker @kingliam2019 @sirbeepsalot @texaskitten30 @princessleac1 @ladyangel70 @dcbbw @yaushie
Drake x MC: @no-one-u-know @drakeandcamilleofvaltoria  @iplaydrake @gibbles82 @drakewalkerisreal @notoriouscs  @drakesensworld @drake-colt-lover-99
Fight or Flight: @masterofbluff @burnsoslow @bobasheebaby @shz256 @iaminlovewithtrr​
56 notes · View notes
mellowfilmmaker · 7 years
Text
30 Best Mellow Frames (Part 3)
30-21
20-11
Sorry for the delay, here are the top ten Mellow Frames: 
10. Steven Universe Characters React to Edgy Theories 3:
Tumblr media
Remember the Steven Universe Edgy Theory Generator? It was an online generator that came up with absurd theories for Steven Universe. It was popular with the fandom awhile ago. I made three comics that were about if these theories were true. These comics were fun to make because I didn't have to waste time on set up or anything like that, I could get to the jokes quicker. The most popular seems to be the third one. The joke at end seems to be the popular favorite, which surprised me because I was very unsure about making the joke. However people did find it funny so I guess it did work. Raven Molisee, a writer and story boarder for Steven Universe, liked this post so I guess this is Crewniverse approved. Neat.
 9. Just a Few Questions:
Tumblr media
This is easily my most popular Mellow Frames as well as the most controversial. I do admit that I do have a few questions that could've been reworded ( "Where are my Limb Enhancers" should be " Am I ever going to get my limb enhancers back", " Did Rose have any humans before Greg" should be " Who were the humans that Rose had before Greg and what happened to them") Also there were some questions I should have asked like " Will Greg ever move on", " what did Peridot 'mean by Harvest me'", “Who owns the Big Donut”, and " where are the cops in Beach City?". 
With that said I do think some of the complaints are funny. I literally said it was a metaphor, but so many people took it literally. I've seen a few post complaining about this comic specifically saying this is how ridiculous SU Crits are. That makes me a little proud. Many believe that this comic is anti filler, but really my intention was to point out that there is a lot of possibilities for interesting stories, but season 4 wasn't taking advantage of that. Though not all the questions were like that.
Honestly most of the people did like this comic and I'm proud of it. It's just not higher because I prefer the ones where I am telling more of a story.
 8. Fuse, Marry, Kill:
Tumblr media
Here's an oldie, but a goodie. It's just about the gems playing fuse, marry, kill (though in hindsight it should have been fuse, marry, shatter or fuse, marry, bubble), but Pearl is giving eyebrow raising answers. This is pretty much the birth of the character we call Problematic Pearl. Problematic Pearl is pretty much Pearl, but is blatantly unapologetic and her flaws have been ramped up. This comic did become a slight meme as I've seen people on Tumblr and Reddit reference it. I believe this one is all right.
 7. Problematic Pearl: Pokémon Go:
Tumblr media
For those who don't know, I have a secondary account called Ask Problematic Pearl. It's an account where I have people ask questions towards Problematic Pearl, which is the Mellow Frames version of Pearl. This is easily my most popular post on that account and I understand why.  I feel like this one isn't cheating to put on here since it's done in a Mellow Frames sort of format. The ask I got for this came months before I answered. I waited so long to finally make this comic because I wanted to play the game for awhile so I can get the references right. I feel like it paid off. Also this is the only Pokémon Go meme I found that isn't either condescending to players or about team stereotypes.
 6. Are You the People I’m Suppose to Kidnap:
Tumblr media
I'm a little surprised that this one is as popular as it is, I guess people like Garnet drawing boobs. In hindsight it is pretty funny and the boobs did look better than I expected (I can't draw, but I know how to use Illustrator). Here's a fun fact about what seems to be everyone favorite line "I hope not", It was originally going to be said by Lars. I was thinking about doing a Mellow Frames on the Good Lars, where Sadie and Steven decide to get baked instead of helping Lars bake. While they're high in the basement, Aquamarine and Topaz come in and kidnap Lars. Aquamarine asked Lars " Are you my dad?" to which Lars replied with " I hope not." I ended up scrapping the idea because of time restraint ( and it not being that funny) so I gave the line to Connie. In hindsight, having Connie say it is a lot funnier.
 5. The Lust Boat:
Tumblr media
Well this one certainly has an erotic title, though it still accurately describes this comic. Not only is Jasper thirsty, but we have an added subplot about Pearl sailing out to hit on Jasper. I had quite a few people tell me that they hated this episode, but this comic made them feel a lot better. That makes feel a lot better.
 4. Aether Foundation is Suspicious as Fuck:
Tumblr media
I can't believe how right this comic was. Not only was I right, the game didn't even hide it. For a while this was actually the Mellow Frames with the most views, which is surprising because usually only the SU stuff gets notes (aside: I really need to start making Pokémon comics again since Ultra Sun/Moon are coming out). There was even a well-made dub of this comic made by Ravens Dub. They did a pretty good job on it.
 3. Miss Problematic Pearl:
Tumblr media
Mr. Greg was for me the episode that saved Pearl's character, however that's not very funny. What is funny is to put Problematic Pearl in the episode. So this comic is pretty much the episode except with Problematic Pearl and no musical numbers. This is probably one of the few Mellow Frames where I was laughing while making it.
 2. Do You Mind, I’m Full of Education:
Tumblr media
My best comics happen to be the ones on the episodes I like (people would think it would be the other way around). Mindful Education is one of my favorite episodes so Do You Mind I'm Full of Education is one of my favorite Mellow Frames. Despite the episode being so good, I still have a lot material especially with bitter misused Garnet. It seems people's favorite part is when Garnet asked Stevonnie the uncomfortable question. I was very worried about that moment since Garnet used an arguably offensive (some people told me the word wasn't as much offensive as it was archaic. With that said, I never use the word unless in relation to a famous trope), but nobody got offended. Fun fact: that scene has also inspired an original film that I'm currently writing. This one is just one I love reading and I hope you do too.
 1.     Peridot’s Hidden Escape Pods:
Tumblr media
And here’s #1, it was #1 the last list and it’s #1 her too. This one asks an important question, what if Peridot planted escape pods throughout the ship. It really doesn’t work out. People love seeing villains fail, and it’s usually funny to see it done by their own volition. What makes this comic the best one is that it works even if you haven’t seen what it’s parodying. I showed this comic to my little sister who hasn’t even seen Steven Universe, and she laughed hard. I also liked the interactions between Japer and Peridot, which wasn’t really that different from the show. Until “Aether Foundation is Suspicious as Fuck” and “Just a Few Questions” this was the Mellow Frames with the most notes, and it really deserves it. Like the Aether Foundation comic this too has a dub that you should check out (I’m linking to my reblog because the dubber deactivated their account). Honestly this one is still the funniest in my opinion.
And that was my top 30 Mellow Frames. I would like to thank you all for following my Mellow Frames and supporting them too. Making these have been a lot of fun despite the lack of financial returns. Now I’m going to tell you all a little secret. So many people have asked me to do an abridged series of these frames, and I’ve usually said no. Now I’m going to tell you that I actually really want to, and I probably will eventually. Right now I’m trying to get financially independent, but after I accomplish that I’m thinking about making the SU comics into videos. I just need to learn how to edit an abridge series (though it’s not exactly an abridge series) and get voice actors since I can’t voice act (though I know a few people would be perfect voices). So it probably won’t happen this year, but eventually I would like these Mellow Frames to not just be comics anymore. 
132 notes · View notes
deladane · 6 years
Text
Whirlwind Weekend in the Windy City ~ 05.25.18
Friday, May 25, 2018
When my alarm clock buzzed at 4am, it took all of my willpower not to hit the snooze button.  Luckily, the thoughts of deep dish pizza were strong enough to pull me out of bed.  We quickly got ready and ate breakfast, and then requested an Uber at 4:30. It took the Uber 15 minutes to arrive, which didn’t really surprise me considering how early it was, but there was no traffic and we arrive at SJC around 5am.  The line at security was much longer than I expected given the early hour, and it took even longer to get through because they stopped the line to reposition the ropes for each security line.  Isn’t that the kind of thing they should take care of at 3am when there aren’t any passengers waiting??  On the bright side, we didn’t need to remove our liquids, shoes, or tablets because they let us all just go through the metal detectors instead of the thorough screening process.
One big advantage of a flight leaving at 6:30am is that it is unlikely to be delayed.  Our plane was already sitting at the gate when we arrived, and they began boarding at 6am for an on-time departure.  Southwest has some new planes in the fleet that are bigger with about 30 extra seats.  It was nice that they used a brand new big plane for our flight because it is one of the longest routes they fly.  Since the flight was twice as long as most of their flights, they had a little surprise for us when they came around with the basket of snacks.  They served plane-shaped cinnamon cookies that tasted like Teddy Grahams, and coconut biscuit cookies, in addition to the standard peanuts and pretzels.
Tumblr media
As we flew over the Sierras, we had beautiful views of snow-capped mountains through light puffy clouds.  
Tumblr media Tumblr media
As we made our way further east, the views changed to endless farms and crop fields as far as the eye could see.  I passed the time by watching the new season of 13 Reasons Why on my iPad, and before I knew it, we could see the Chicago skyline in the distance.  We sat on the right side of the plane (when facing the front), and had beautiful views of the city and Lake Michigan as we made our final descent into Midway Airport.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
We landed a few minutes early at 12:30pm local time, but we had to wait about 10 minutes for our gate to open up.  Midway is a nice, small, convenient airport, and we easily found our way down to the L train station.  It did take a few minutes to walk down all of the corridors, but once we found our way, it was clearly labeled.  We bought one Ventra card to share because they cost $5 each but you can scan on up to 6 people at a time.  L train rides cost $2.50, and bus rides cost $2.25, so we loaded $20 onto the card, knowing we planned to ride round trip to the airport and to Wrigley Field. If we needed to add more money later in the weekend, we could easily do that at any vending machine in the L train stations.  The orange line ends at Midway so it only goes in one direction and you can’t get lost when boarding the train.  I appreciated that even though there were 2 trains waiting, they had a sign indicating which train was next to leave so we knew which one to board.
The ride to our stop took about 25 minutes, and we exited at the Quincy stop in the Central Loop.  From there, we only had to walk 2 blocks to reach our hotel. We arrived a few minutes before 2pm and our room was ready even though check in wasn’t officially until 3pm. They explained that there is complimentary coffee and snacks in the lounge downstairs (in addition to the Keurig machine in our room), and they have a complimentary wine and cheese happy hour from 5-6pm each night. We went up to our room to drop off our bags and change into shorts, and then we set off to explore the city. Just one block away, we found this huge sculpture (use the women standing below it to show the scale of its height!).  We didn’t know it at the time, but later learned that this sculpture was 53 feet tall and designed to look like a flamingo.
Tumblr media
Our hotel was on Adams Street, and as we walked a few blocks east, we found a sign marking the start of Historic Route 66.  I’m not sure of the exact path it travels, but I have been to the sign at the end of the route at the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles, so it was neat to see the starting point and know that our hotel is on the same road.
Tumblr media
Proof that I also saw the end of the route in 2011…
Tumblr media
From there, we walked south on Michigan  Avenue, passed the Art Institute of Chicago to Grant Park.  There were lots of pretty fountains, sculptures, and gardens along the way.  Being a warm, sunny day on Friday of Memorial Day Weekend, the sidewalks were buzzing with lots of people out and about, enjoying the day, and it was such a great way to start our weekend here.
Dan Kiley Plaza at the Art Institute
Tumblr media Tumblr media
I love how the clouds reflect off the skyscrapers
Tumblr media
This Abraham Lincoln statue was meant to be placed in Lincoln  Park, and there should have been a statue of Ulysses S. Grant in this location.  Somehow things got mixed up, but it was decided to just leave this Lincoln statue here in Grant Park.
Tumblr media
North President’s Court
Tumblr media
Buckingham Fountain
Tumblr media Tumblr media
As we were admiring the fountain and taking photos, this happened…!
Tumblr media
Every hour, the fountain shoots this impressive stream of water up into the sky for about 10 minutes. We could actually see the fountain going off from several other places around the city during our visit, so it was fun to see it now up close and personal.
Tumblr media
Walking around to the opposite side of the fountain, you can see the city skyline in the background of the photo.
Tumblr media
Next, we continued back north, walking from Grant Park to Millennium Park.  On our way, we saw this beautiful garden.  The Lurie Garden spans 5 acres within Millennium Park, and is dedicated to eco-friendly botanical landscaping.
Tumblr media
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion is used for music festivals throughout the year
Tumblr media
Just a short walk further and we found The Bean!!  Officially called Cloud Gate, this silver bean-shaped sculpture was something I really looked forward to seeing.  The sun was shining bright and the skyline looked so pretty in the reflection of the metal. 
Tumblr media
Unfortunately, we weren’t the only ones who wanted to see The Bean today, so it was super crowded and impossible to get a photo of just the statue without any other people in the photo.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Our reflection in The Bean
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Once we had our fill of The Bean, we walked further north along Michigan Avenue until we reached the Chicago River.  We’d be spending lots of time here later tonight on our walking tour, so we took a quick photo and continued on our way.
Tumblr media
Looks like these people are having a fun Friday evening on their boats!
Tumblr media
We were getting hungry since we hadn’t eaten since the sandwich we ate on the plane, so we weaved our way through the River North section to find something for dinner. One of our goals for this weekend was to eat as much deep dish pizza as possible, so why not start right away?! I tried to research the “best” restaurants for deep dish pizza in Chicago but it was nearly impossible to get a straight answer because it is so subjective.  DH heard about this place called “Illuminati” that was said to have good pizza, but I couldn’t find that restaurant anywhere online.  I did notice a handful of places that appeared on more than one top 10 list, including Lou Malnati’s.  We both laughed when we realized he had misheard the name of that restaurant and thought it was called “Illuminati” instead!  With that straightened out, we decided to eat there on our first night in town.  According to reviews, this place is very popular and can have very long waits to get a table.  We were scheduled to take a walking tour tonight which met at 6:45pm so we knew we had to eat an early dinner, but between the risk of a long line, and the fact that it takes 45 minutes to cook deep dish pizza, we knew we had to get to the restaurant very early.  We arrived at 4:15pm and were shocked to be seated immediately!  There were lots of people at the restaurant but luckily there was no wait for a table for 2.  
Lou Malntai’s menu
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
We were going to order a plain pizza, but “The Lou” caught our eye.  It included a spinach mix with garlic, basil, onions, mushrooms, and sliced roma tomatoes, covered with 3 cheeses.  It was nice that our waiter warned us it would take 45 to 60 minutes to cook the pizza, even though we already knew that.  I can imagine if they don’t warn everyone, they must get lots of complaints from impatient people.  We ordered the small, which is said to serve 2 people, and asked for the tomatoes on only one side because I don’t really like tomatoes.  We passed the time catching up on social media and missed emails, and just enjoying the cool air conditioning after spending several hours walking around in the heat outside.
The pizza arrived just about an hour after we ordered.  It was served in the baking pan and the waiter helped serve our first slices.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
While I have never been to Chicago and therefore have never had official Chicago deep dish pizza, we do have a Chicago-style restaurant we enjoy eating at at home called Patxi, so I only had that in mind for comparison.  Honestly, neither of us was blown away by this pizza.  The crust had a grainy cornmeal-like consistency, and the pizza was too salty.  We both thought it was just okay, as in we didn’t hate it, but we definitely didn’t love it.  Maybe our standards were off and this was what Chicago pizza was supposed to taste like?  We ordered the small size because the menu said that was good for 2 people.  It was cut into 4 slices, and we had no trouble finishing the whole pie.  We didn’t really want any leftovers considering we were not going back to the hotel anytime soon, but had there been a little more pizza or had it been a little bigger, I think we both would have eaten more. We were both satiated, but neither of us was really full.  
We finished dinner by 5:45pm and had about an hour before our tour, so we started to walk back towards the Riverwalk.  One thing we were not quite prepared for this weekend was the heat and humidity.  It was over 90 degrees and very humid every day this weekend and ended up being Chicago’s hottest Memorial Day Weekend on record!! Instead of walking around to kill time before our tour, we went into the lobby of one of the hotels to relax and enjoy the air conditioning.  While we were there, I was looking at Google maps for directions and noticed a parade route along State Street showing up on the map.  I have never seen that before and I thought it was a little weird, but I clicked on it and noticed that the Memorial Day parade was on Saturday.  Uh oh!  We were planning to ride the Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) bus on Saturday at the same time as the parade and State Street is on the HOHO bus route.  Not only that, but we were going to board at stop #3 at the Willis Tower, located just a few blocks from our hotel, and stop #2 is the Chicago Theater on State Street, so the bus wouldn’t be able to get to our stop if State Street is closed for the parade.  This is so not good!  I immediately went onto the website for the HOHO company Big Bus Tours, but they did not mention anything about changes or cancellations for this weekend.  I tried to call their office, but it was now 6:30pm and they closed at 6pm.  Too bad I didn’t catch this problem earlier in the day, but why would I know to think about that when Memorial Day isn’t until Monday?  Who has a Memorial Day Parade on a Saturday?!?  There is no contact email address on their website and the ‘contact us’ online form would not load on my phone, so I did not know what to do.  I didn’t want to risk showing up at our HOHO stop #3 and waiting for hours but the bus never showed up because of the parade.  I went onto Trip Advisor and searched their reviews for the word ‘parade’ to see how they handled this situation in the past, and luckily there was one very helpful post about the 2017 Columbus Day Parade and how the HOHO bus was a total fiasco.  He said he was stuck on the bus in traffic for a long time and it was a terrible experience, and that no one should ride the bus on the day of a parade.  Big Bus Tours wrote a long reply, and included an email address at the end of their post.  I knew it was after hours and unlikely that I would get a reply tonight, but just in case, I sent them an email to ask about the plan for tomorrow. Our original plan was to get on the first bus which would pick us up at 9:15am. We would need to leave our hotel a few minutes after 9am at the latest to catch that bus, and their office as not due to open until 9am tomorrow.  I did not expect a reply by then, but it was worth a shot.  By the way, for those of you thinking “Why not just swap your Sunday plans for tomorrow?,”  we panned to ride the HOHO bus on Saturday morning and get off after one full loop when we got back to the Planetarium to spend the rest of the day there. The Planetarium is 2 miles south of our hotel, so it was a little too far to walk to in this heat and it worked well to use the HOHO as free transit to the Planetarium.  On Sunday, we had tickets to the Cubs game and we planned to spend some time at Wrigleyville beforehand, so it would be too rushed to do all of that on Sunday.  Anyway, all of this happened at the same time as we were meeting up with our evening tour so it was really stressful.  I just told myself to forget about it for the time being and to try to enjoy the tour, and I would figure out tomorrow’s plans later.
Last night, I got an email from Aram, the guide from Free Tours By Foot.  He sent instructions on where and when to meet him and included his photo so we knew who he was.  Right at 6:50pm, Aram arrived wearing a company logo on his shirt and holding a clip board to check us in.  There were about 25 people on the tour with us.  This walking tour was to point out key sites along the Riverwalk and to learn about some of Chicago’s history.  Aram explained that this is a “pay what you want” tour and that we could do so at the end if we felt so inclined.  The tour lasted exactly 2 hours and covered 1.5 miles, with lots of stops and photo opportunities along the way.  Aram was a fantastic guide.  Instead of simply rattling off facts, he told stories and explained the history and significance of the sites in a way that made it both interesting and memorable.  We were very impressed with this tour and thought he was one of the best guides we have had on any tour we have ever taken!  He even incorporated a bathroom break in the middle of the tour at Ghiradelli, with a chance to sample some chocolate.  This is just a small sampling of the photos I took on the tour…
The Vietnam Memorial is decorated with wreaths for Memorial Day
Tumblr media
Trump Tower Chicago is the 7th tallest building in the world.  While the building itself is quite sleek, with 5 distinct levels symbolizing parts of Chicago’s history, and a nearly all glass exterior to reflect the surrounding riverfront skyline, the 2,800 square foot TRUMP sign creates a controversial eyesore.  The sign was granted permits through proper proceedings, but the city council was so upset by the final product that they revamped the rules for signs on buildings in the city.  Since the current Trump sign is grandfathered in, they effectively guaranteed that this eyesore will always be by far the biggest sign on a building in Chicago.  Maybe they should have just left the laws as they were originally!
Tumblr media
The Wrigley Building was built as the headquarters for the chewing gum company, and is famous for being the first major office building built north of the Chicago River.  After this building opened, many other companies followed suit and it was the start of a new downtown area in Chicago.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
The Wrigley Building’s white glazed terra cotta façade glows beautifully in the evening light… with Trump Tower looming over in the background.
Tumblr media
I loved how beautiful the riverwalk looked as all the lights came on at night.
Tumblr media
The NBC Tower was built to resemble the art deco buildings of Rockefeller Center in New  York.
Tumblr media
The views grew even more beautiful as the sky darkened and the lights reflected off the water.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Aram timed the tour to end at exactly 9pm at the Centennial Fountain on the river so we could see the fountain go off.  This happens every hour to commemorate when Chicago reversed the flow of the river’s current because the trash and sewage they had been dumping in the river was polluting Lake Michigan and their drinking water.  They engineered a way to force the river to flow south and connect with the Mississippi River to send the pollution south and clean up the lake water.  This was a huge turning point in Chicago’s history (even if it did annoy the people who lived down stream in St. Louis!), so they created this fountain to honor it.
Tumblr media
The problem is that it creates a waterfall over the river so boats need to wait for it to end before proceeding if they don’t want to get soaked haha
Tumblr media
The Centennial Fountain
Tumblr media Tumblr media
After the tour, we walked over to Navy Pier to check out what all the fuss is about.  Navy Pier is listed on all of the lists of top attractions in Chicago, and all the tour guides say it’s a must-see for tourists, so since our tour ended a half mile away, we decided to walk over and check it out. When we arrived, there were lots of people leaving and hardly anyone was there.  We thought this was a popular tourist attraction and expected it to be really hopping at 9:15 on a Friday night, but it was nearly deserted.  We walked around to see the gardens, the carnival rides, and the nice views of the nighttime skyline, but didn’t stay long because it was dead.  Maybe it is more exciting here during the day, but we did not understand the hype.
A few people were playing in the fountain, likely trying to cool off after this extremely hot and humid day!
Tumblr media
This indoor garden is sometimes used as an event space.
Tumblr media
 We could have redeemed our City Pass to go on these rides, but decided against it.
Tumblr media
There are great views of the Chicago skyline from out on the pier.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
After about 15 minutes of exploring, we decided to walk back to the river walk to grab a drink at one of the outdoor bars.  Navy Pier is 2 miles from our hotel, so we considered just taking an Uber to the hotel and calling it a night, but it was only 9:30 and we thought we could tough it out for 1 drink.  The Riverwalk was a mile away so that would break up the long walk.  Unfortunately, life does not always go according to plan. We arrived at the riverwalk around 10pm, just as the skies opened up and it started to rain.  All of the bars on the Riverwalk are outdoors with no inside seating, so we had to think of a plan B.  We decided to duck into the Renaissance Hotel where we had been hanging out earlier before the tour, and ordered a round of drinks at the lobby bar.  This was the first chance I had to look at my phone in a few hours, and I was shocked to see an email reply from Big Bus Tours.  This is what it said…
Thank you for your inquiry.  As far as we know right now we will not be impacted too much during the parade. However, sometimes the city does shut down certain streets that prevents us from stopping at certain locations. If this does happen, we will adjust accordingly and signs will be posted amongst the buses as you board.  We do still expect to pick up at the stop number 3 and majority of the locations along the tour.
Ummm, how can you tell me you don’t expect any problems?  Surely the city will shut down State Street to vehicular traffic during the parade.  This sounded like a big fiasco, so we started thinking of alternate plans.  While it may be possible to take the Architectural River Tour in the morning, then take an Uber down Michigan Avenue to the Planetarium, that didn’t sound like a good idea because we wouldn’t get to the Planetarium until 12:30pm, then we’d need to eat lunch, leaving us not much time at the museum before they closed at 4pm.  Instead, we decided to take a public bus from near our hotel to get to the Planetarium when they opened at 9:3am.  We would spend a few hours there and eat lunch in their cafeteria, then catch the HOHO bus in the mid-afternoon.  Hopefully by then, the parade would be over and traffic would be back to normal.  It meant spending a little more money out of pocket to get to the museum (which should have been free with the HOHO bus), but that wasn’t a huge deal.  It also meant we would be sitting outside upstairs on the HOHO bus during the peak heat of the day, instead of in the earlier morning hours as planned, and on a day with a predicated high temperature in the 90’s, we were not thrilled about that, but with the parade, this seemed like the best option.  
After finishing up our beers, we made the one mile walk back to our hotel, passing the famous Chicago Theater on State Street on our way.
Tumblr media
When we got back to the hotel, all we wanted to do was crash on our bed and get some sleep after an extremely long first day in Chicago. Unfortunately, that was not to be.  When we checked into our room this afternoon, we were very impressed with how clean and modern it was.  We were up on the 9th floor so we couldn’t hear any noise from the street, the room was very large and fairly recently renovated, and they even had a fill-your-own filtered water bottle station on each floor.
Tumblr media
What we didn’t notice or bother to check was the pillows.  OMG, these pillows were terrible!!  They were very firm and way too thick, and we had no idea how anyone would find them comfortable for sleeping.  After waking up at 4am, and then walking all over Chicago all day, you’d think we could sleep on a concrete slab, but after 30 minutes of laying in bed, we were both still awake. We were completely exhausted and it was nearly midnight, but neither of us could sleep.  DH called down to the front desk to ask if they had softer, thinner pillows.  He said he didn’t know and would ask housekeeping and they would send some up if they had it.  Well that didn’t work at all because we had our ‘privacy’ door tag out for the night which said they staff would not knock on the door if displayed. We explained that and asked him to call us back after he spoke to housekeeping.  Ten minutes later, he didn’t call back yet so DH called again and the guy said they don’t have any other pillows.  How is that possible?  Most hotels have either a small variety of pillows or a standard, generic pillow that is likely to appeal to a lot of people.  This pillow was very thick and hard and likely uncomfortable for many of their guests.  With no other options, I tried to get comfortable, but ultimately I was awake much more than I slept that night.  DH and I planned to purchase a travel pillow tomorrow if we could find one because there was no way we would survive two more sleepless nights like this!  
Step Tracker Daily Total: 23,358 steps; 9.4 miles
0 notes