#in exchange for monie

[acelessthan3]

Guess it was a good night bartending this is why I buy her energy drinks all the time.

#sometimes mousewife and i exchange important documents and/or cash monies via the BBG-Courier Service #marital bliss #Baby Ginger #acelessthan3

[juniperspolyphony]

L̸̛̠̏́̑̑͒̀͒̈́͛̒́̏̅͊̒̃̎̔̐̿̋̾̒͊̏͆͂̊͒̃͊̃̾̃̀̾̎̈́͂͌́͘͘͘͝Ḁ̷̡̛̳̳̝̥̟̺̗̦͈̫̤͔͕͎̙̙̬̜͈̜͙͔̣̭̫̯̀̏͗̎̾͐̏̌̃̈̄͊̔̽͊̏̉̆͗̈̇̄̌͗̔̈́̓̑̚̚̚͝͝V̵̡̨̧̙̺̹̬̘͖̞̭̹̗̥̼̻̞̝͉̮̖͈̘̯̪͍͉̘̫̙̇͌̔͑̇͌̒̽͒̇̽͛͑͋͗̓̌͘̕Ȧ̶̢̡̧̙̺̰̲̜͍͔̭̯̂̓͒̿͋̎̑́̉̀̇̏̀̔̿͛̈́̽̔͠ ̷̨̢̨̛͕̜̜̙̯̬̪̖̼̭͓̄͋̒̅̅̉́͗̀̇̾̀̒͌́͗̀̌̀̎̒̄̊̆̚͘͘̚͝͠ͅL̴̡̛͙͔̝͔͎̜̰̏̾́̑͋̿̈́͌́̿̏̑̈́̏͑̐̏̐̀̓̐̌̈́̋͌̈̽̍̽̈́̍̓̚̕̚͠Á̴̡̛̺̝̟̥͎̣͚͉̜̱̩͈̮͙̺͙̳̝͓̰̜̤̀̒̈͆́̄͗̄̌̊̓̈́̾͂́͐̊̅̇̊̂̂̏̒̿̏͊͘͘͜͝͝͝M̷̢̛͙̺̺̰̩̯͉̘͛͂̇̃͂̅͌͛̾̽̂̔̉̈́̿͑̃͂̏͌́̋̋̆̆̑́̂͑̓͊̀̃̉̅͘̕͝͠P̷̧̢̨̞̞̤̼̗͍̲̘͓͙͍̘̹͙̦͒̂̓̀͛́̈́̀̈̉͌̃̔̏̃̇͂̇͆͗͑̽ ̷̧̢̡̛̻͎͙̺̣͍̪͔͇͙̫͍̠̻̙̥̣̲͓̺̝̖͖̉̊̍̂̔̒͊̐̾̒̆͛̽̏̿̉̃̓̕̕̕͜͝͝͠Ţ̶̡̛͇̙̣͇͔͍͍̭̬͇̼̻͚̠̰̓͐̀̒̉̑́͛̒͒̃̌̓̅̋̉̎͑͐̚͝͝ͅỊ̶̢̛̲̜̦͙͖̮͖̝̦̳̪͍͚̥̃̅͌͒̍́͘̕͠M̶̡̗͔̮̪̺̞͉͔̲̞̤̙̰̟̰̙̌̏̊̃͗̿̉̇͋̒̓̃̀̒̆̾͒̍̈́̈̍̿̅̌͆́̈́̉͒͋͊̑͗̓̇̕͝ͅE̵̡̨̗͓̖͚̮͔̲̫̳͓̣͈̹̦̤̣͙̫̱͔̱̦̹͕̲̭͖͔̣͗̃̀̊͑́͑̈́̐̒͑́̌͗̊͒̓̔̑̀̋͌̉́̾͑̃͐̽̑́̾̚̕͘͜͜͝͝͠͝ͅ

#I AM SO EXCITED #haggling with some guy on Facebook market for a vintage lava lamp #and we’ve agreed a place to meet on Sunday to exchange monies and LAMP

[basilships]

is anyone open for art trades?

#self ship #self ship art #mutuals i am looking at you #wanted to commission someone but i got no monies #i do however have some artistic skill and skill can be exchanged for goods and services

[fxrtunas]

@macrocosmic-star​ asked:  "I'm here for my fortune. Can you read it for me?"

     interactions with the Warrior of Light were not ones Allan would have guessed to have often, considering how low-proilfe he wishes to be, and so he’s somewhat wary to have been found again by Meteor. The man is certainly turning out delightful to talk to, but Allan is ever so cognizant of the reputation Meteor carries. It would be foolish to continue talking to him on so many an occasion, and yet... 

     “It will cost you, of course,” he says. A small smile curves his lips. “Seven thousand gil for a simple reading, if you are amenable to the transaction.”

#aklajsfkj allan still wants da monies LMFAOO #macrocosmic star #v; a fateful exchange. #;ask response #ty for da ask!!

[ariful4782]

#Bangladesh bank #Islamic city bank #Mony exchange

[caelesjjk]

make me your villain - collab

If you’ve ever wondered how the story might have ended differently if the villain got the girl, you’ve come to the right place.

Everyone loves a bit of a morally grey villain who is only good for that one particular person. The kind that would watch the world burn for you and never think twice about it. The kind that are deadly but also deadly hot.

In this collab you’ll find an array of retold stories with that villainous twist. Please look forward to them in the coming months, as there’s no particular posting time.

TBA

Title: The Price Written by: @daechwitatamic Genre: Snow White and the Huntsman!au, angst, smut, unhappy ending Pairing: Snow White!Yoongi x Hunts(wo)man!reader Summary: The Queen is responsible for everything you can claim: your home, your job, your freedom. You live without laying claim to anything else, lest the Queen leverage more pieces of you in exchange for her grace. But freedom isn’t free, and the Queen has just named her price: the young blacksmith, Min Yoongi.

Title: The Surface Written by: @moni-logues Pairing: prince merman!Hoseok x sea witch!reader Genre: fairytale AU/The Little Mermaid AU, angst, smut Summary: Prince Hoseok has only ever wanted one thing: to experience life on the Surface. You have only ever wanted Prince Hoseok. When he comes to you, desperate, claiming you are the only one who can help him, you decide to play along. You'll help him achieve his dream and maybe you'll satisfy your own dream, too.

Title: Red Written by: @sailoryooons Pairing: Werewolf!Namjoon x f. reader Genre: Supernatural, thriller, smut Summary: For as long as you can remember, your village has been relatively normal. But when people begin to turn up dead right after a group of newcomers arrive, pieces of your past start to fall into place, and something feels familiar - particularly the quiet man who can't take his eyes off of you.

Title: A Good Day To Die Written by: @here4kpopfics Pairing: Jimin x reader Genre: Robin Hood!au, enemies to lovers, smut, violence, royal shenanigans. Summary: With a royal wedding looming around the corner, everyone is running around in circles to make sure everything goes according to plan. Three days before the wedding, however, the princess is kidnapped by the infamous outlaw, Park Jimin. Or was she?

Title: Serpent & Nightingale Written by: @caelesjjk Pairing: Captain Hook!Taehyung x f. reader (grown version of Wendy) Genre: Peter Pan AU, Fairytale AU, Villain gets the girl, angst, smut Summary: You needed to escape him. You needed to get as far away as you could so he could never bring you back. So you make a deal with the pirate you’ve been told to loathe most of your life. The pirate that you read stories to when you were a child when had no other way to save him. The pirate who insists you seal your deal with a kiss in order to board the Jolly Roger and join him in Evernight, the island he calls home.

Title: Golden Shackles Written by: @gimmethatagustd Pairing: sorcerer!jungkook x genie!(f)reader Genre: Aladdin AU, fantasy, royalty, angst, smut Summary: For thousands of years, you’ve been forced to grant the wishes of greedy men who want nothing but power. When you fall into the hands of a royal imposter, it’s his rival for the throne who becomes your only hope for freedom.

#bts #bts fic #bts smut #bts collab #jin fic #yoongi fic #jhope fic #namjoon fic #Jimin fic #taehyung fic #jungkook fic #bts fanfic #bts oneshot #bts x reader

[lunaticli8rarian]

hey so, i need/want money, clothes are important in a snowy mountain. and i'm gonna do something fancy and special. 8ut i also figured, i could 8e paid early to not do work. so i'm announcing the "vriska doesn't have to try special sale"

if you wanna skip all that fancy sh8t, and just throw money at me no questions asked then send me a dm or ask or smoke signal or just reply and we'll make some f8cking magic.

what makes this a sale you may ask? i'm glad you asked. your gift in exchange for me not giving a sh8t, is half off my prices. that's right. full 8ody no shade normally goes for 40 8ucks, slash that sh8t down to 20. hell, full 8ody shaded textured with a 8ackground? that'd normally make you go for 90 8ucks, i'm a 8usy girl, my art is wonderful. SLASHED! 45 8ucks! you're practically stealing from me at this point! just a 8ody with no colors or anything fancy, line art only? ten 8ig ones. want just a silly low effort sketch of a lil' guy you like, i'll do you one good, one singular dollar.

that's the vriska doesn't have to try sale, offer ends when i finally make an actual proper commissioning sheet, act fast and i won't have to. here's some old art hapazardly added if the previous stuff didn't catch your attentionpleas mony

[freakkyvikktoria]

Monies in exchange for my sluttiness sounds real appetizing right now !!! ✨💕

#freakkybbygirl

[thestupidhelmet]

Hello, I love this game it’s so fun!

Would you be willing to do 18 + JOY? ☺️☺️☺️

Thank you! 😊

Jealousies: Jackie/Hyde

Jackie feels nervous/jealous/insecure whenever Hyde talks to a young woman she thinks is pretty and Hyde might consider hot.

Jackie sometimes gets jealous of the long history of friendship Hyde has with Eric and Donna (but once she vocalizes this to Hyde, he reassures her they'll have a longer future together).

Once Hyde gets past his insecurity about Jackie's possible feelings for Kelso, he very rarely gets jealous when she talks to someone he thinks she might consider handsome but, most importantly, comes from money or is monied one way or another (legitimately).

Hyde sometimes feels jealous of Jackie's ease with talking to people (strangers, acquaintances). Mostly, though, he admires her ability to schmooze.

Other TV Show They Could Fit Into and What Role They Would Play: Jackie/Hyde

Parks and Recreation.

Hyde would be in April's role as Ron's assistant, helping Ron avoid doing as little governmental work as possible by messing with people's heads.

Jackie, meanwhile, would be Leslie Knope's Type A (personality) assistant. Totally ambitious while helping Leslie navigate the nastier side of politics. Jackie grew up with a father immersed in that world.

Hyde and Jackie seemingly would hate each other, having opposing views to government work. But ultimately would grow close like Ron and Leslie do except as a romance, not a friendship.

Tom Haverford would be after Jackie all the time. She would find him obnoxious and unwise in his businesses (although respect his aspirations). She would, however be part of his and Donna's Treat Yourself days.

Hyde can't stand Tom at all and would help Jackie by distracting him with pranks (a Jim/Dwight dynamic from The Office).

Younger Adventure or Experience They Had, Pre-T7S: Jackie/Hyde

When Jackie's in ninth grade and on the cheer squad for the junior varsity teams, she and a bunch of teammates graffiti up the girls' bathroom with Sharpies. They write insults about girls they don't like and rate the hotness of boys (e.g., 6/10).

Rating Hyde generates debate among the girls. One was to rate him s low as -1/10 while another finds some appeal to him and argues for a 4/10. "He's cute enough to make out with as long as no one finds out about it."

"Ew! I bet he doesn't even brush his teeth."

"I bet he doesn't even own a toothbrush."

And so on. Jackie, though, stays quiet during this discussion. She remembers how Hyde protected her in middle school and would rate him a 7/10, but she doesn't dare say a word in present company.

Later, when she's alone in the bathroom, she washes Hyde's name and rating from the wall.

Some time soon after that, the rating graffiti becomes known to Hyde, Eric, and Kelso through Donna. She sneaks them into the bathroom so they can see. Curious, Hyde checks for his name. All he finds is a faded Ste Hy e.

He recognizes someone erased him, albeit incompletely, from the bathroom wall. He asks Donna if she did it. She says no.

This moment doesn't leave him, and he wonders what his rating was and why someone would erase it. It rises in his memory when he fools around with Kat Peterson in eleventh grade. He decides, based on her treatment of (and admission to him) at Jackie's party that his rating must have been low -- but someone clearly disagreed and got rid of it.

Only when he and Jackie are over a year into their relationship and I-love-yous have been exchanged does Hyde tell Jackie about the incident.

Jackie says she knows exactly what he's talking about because she was there. He wants to know more. She recounts a version of the truth, that the J.V. cheer squad debated over his rating. A girl wrote one down that not everyone agreed with, so another girl washed it off.

"Was it low or high?" Hyde says.

"That's the wrong question."

"Then what is?"

"Who washed it off," Jackie says.

Hyde looks at her a moment. "You. ... Why?"

"Because you're a 9.5/10, but those idiots didn't understand the decimal system."

He's suspicious of her explanation, but he cares more about what he knows is her current rating of him. "Why'd you dock me half a point."

She smiles at him playfully. "There's no such thing as perfection. You taught me that. There should always be room for improvement, or we become S-something."

"Stagnant."

"Right. Stagnant.'

Hyde cups her shoulder and strokes her cheek with his thumb. "You could've at least gone with 9.9, huh?"

"Oh, sweetie -- "

"Sweetie?"

"--when you reach 9.9," she continues, "I'll write that on the wall of the basement bathroom, okay?"

"Sure." He kisses her then says, "Want to hear my rating for you?"

"Do you want to get into a fight?"

Hyde, understanding that teasing her will only upset her, drops it. He kisses her again instead.

Jukebox Ask Game

#that 70s show #that '70s show #jackie x hyde #jackie burkhart #steven hyde #ask game #jukebox ask game #ficlet

[dbssh]

let me draw stuff for you in exchange for your monies !! in all serious though ive been having a rough time as my financial aid has been royally screwed over by my school, and i really dont have time for a job during the semester and i just want to hold out for the next few months so we can get this stuff sorted out. thank you so much for your help! payment can be done through paypal or kofi, and if youre just feeling generous here's the link to my kofi page. thank you again

#do you like my not-the-mario-party font. i thought it was a nice touch #red.txt #red.png #<- look in there for more art though #artists on tumblr #commissions

[heathersdesk]

Holy Week: The Cleansing of the Temple

I have seen multiple people on Instagram talking about Jesus cleansing the temple in the final week of his ministry and misinterpreting the motive Jesus had for doing it. So let's talk about the details we can glean from Scripture to better understanding this story.

The temple complex had merchants who would sell animals to people they could use for sacrifices. The law of Moses in Leviticus 5 (see also Leviticus 14-15) talks about how the sin offering involves sacrificing a lamb or a kid goat. In the case of extreme poverty, two doves were the acceptable alternatives. These offerings would be bled on the Temple altar and burned.

And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves. —Matt 21:13

The act of selling these animals was not the problem. It was a necessary part of the temple functioning, especially as people traveled from far distances to participate in temple worship.

The problem that caused Jesus to walk through the stalls turning over tables brandishing a whip was price gouging. Theft, of both money and access to God.

Everything that happened in the temple complex was under the direction of the high priest, the most important figure in Judaism at the time. The animals provided would've been inspected and assured that they would meet the requirements of the law. In a world where various monies were in use, weighed with scales to meet the established exchange rates, nothing would've prevented the high priest from requiring bribes from the privilege of operating in the temple market. Nothing would've prevented the scales from being turned against those who price gouged the public to provide for those bribes, as well as to line their own pockets. All of this happened at the expense of the people who were required by divine law to make these sacrifices to achieve forgiveness of their sins.

Throughout the New Testament, Jesus repeatedly demonstrates his disdain for the senior-most leadership of Judaism in his day. He had condemned the love of money and status over people so many times. He had disrupted ceremonies and insulted the priests to their faces. He had criticized their poor understanding of the law and their duties to others in their community. He had called them hypocrites, a den of vipers, vessels that were clean on the outside but filthy within, whited sepulchres full of dead men's bones, predators akin to wolves in sheep's clothing, and unprofitable servants. And here, he engages in his most pointed and unapologetic criticism yet for those in power:

And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. —Matt 21:13

The agitation of Jesus Christ culminated in this exact moment, where he struck back against the Establishment not only in thought, but in their pocketbooks. In the destruction of the temple market, he restored access to the ordinances for all by front the animals to those who were present. He liberated the money to the oppressed in society by flinging it outside the reach of those who had taken it from them. He upturned the power structure and social order which placed the high priest as a wealthy superior over, rather than a humble servant to, the Jewish community.

Make no mistake: Jesus was a Jew. He loved his community and his faith. He loved God. He respected the law, which called his people to be the best versions of themselves to serve God. But this love didn't stop him from publicly criticizing and condemning moral failure in the leadership around him. Love does not enable abuse. And it was abuse that allowed Jewish leadership at the time to limit access to the most important, the most sacred ordinances in Judaism only to those who were willing and able to pay enough money.

What do we learn from Jesus from the destruction of the temple market?

That some evil forces in society cannot be reformed. Reasoning with abusers in ways they don't have to acknowledge, that doesn't cost them anything, isn't a solution for the powerless. That people are more important than money and the economy. That there is restorative justice waiting for the oppressed, in the form of destruction for their oppressors. And when this happens, a greater increase of faith, healing, and power from heaven will follow.

And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. Matt. 21:14

This Easter season, this is the hope and prayer for many: that God will remember those who have been shut out of their communities because of the exorbitant prices set by their leadership for their participation. That God will restore access to the holiness and forgiveness that has been stolen from them. That there is still a Savior, a Deliverer from the greed and pride that drives this world. And most of all, that there is healing and rest for those who have been exploited against their will, that all that has been stolen will be restored to them one day.

#mormon #lds #mormonism #tumblrstake #the church of jesus christ of latter day saints #religion #faith #queerstake #christianity #scripture study #easter #holy week #jesus christ #bible study #new testament

[chrisadew]

chrisadew’s astrology thoughts & observations pt. 1

🖤 Virgo is the sign of critique and skill, so naturally whatever house in your chart has Virgo on it is gonna be the area of life where you use those ever evolving skills to help others, but also where you can nitpick at things, at yourself (stop that pls 👀) and rearrange or attempt to perfect your process. It’s also the area of life that can draw criticism from others.

🖤 When you’re looking at transiting planets, don’t think that because it’s not in the sign your natal planet is in it doesn’t matter! I am a Scorpio rising, so Mars is my natal chart ruler. Every time Mars transits a new sign, it’s gonna be especially significant to me as well as Aries risings. Same goes for Cancer risings with the Moon (changes sign every 2.5 days) etc etc.

🖤 The house with Pluto in it tends to amplify the themes of that house and consistently destroys/renews them. An example of this is people with Pluto in the 11H - your friend groups/communities/associations can drastically evolve over time.

🖤 To give someone credit is a 10H matter, but to leave someone a review is a 9H matter. Business thrives on reviews that build on your reputation - the reviews of the people reflect the business ideals and customer expectations, Jupiter type tings.

🖤 Tbh, you really can see sex in every single house in your chart - not just the 5H and 8H. Same goes for any other signification ever.

🖤 12H Mars people absolutely need an incidental/unstructured physical outlet for pent up energy, aggression and anger. In the 12H, Mars can feel a little bit confused and misdirected sometimes. An outlet can help to ground it and teach you to cut through the fog of Neptune’s domain; it can make your actions more intentional and less erratic.

🖤 The 6H and it’s ruler in your chart speaks to how you deal with and solve problems that arise. Example = if you have the 6H ruler in the 12H and there’s those little itty bitty issues you never seem to notice everyday or just brush off to “do later”? They could for sure bite you in the ass when you least expect it 🫣 the flip side is = you do those things as and when they pop up, and there’s an unexpected payoff down the line.

🖤 Leo risings could potentially do veryyyy well living abroad or away from their birthplace/hometown (their whole sign 12H ruled by the Moon, 5H + 8H ruled by Jupiter, 4H + 9H ruled by Mars, 2H + 11H ruled by Mercury).

🖤 When you satisfy Venus, all the Venusian related things in your life have the potential to change; for example: that's why I see some 8H Venusians come up when they're in genuine, reciprocal relationships (with people that mean something to them, not necessarily romantic) 🥺, the minute that healthy balanced exchange appears, here comes the sense of power, the ability to embrace change and deal with upheaval much better, monies, all the thingsssss 🤩 Same goes for 9H Venusians when they’re on an adventure or studying a subject they really love, or 6H Venusians when they truly enjoy their routine and/or job, they thrive.

🖤 Wherever Neptune is in your chart requires a lil bit of conscious imagination and glamour to charm the themes of that house. Someone with Neptune in the 6H for example could do with a dose of fantasy, magic or spirituality (whatever that looks like for them) in their everyday/work life to make whatever they do feel a bit more worthwhile to them.

🖤 The sign on your 2H (and it’s ruler) can also be representative of how you measure your own self worth and values; it’s your currency and eventually what you will use in trade at the meeting of the 8H (shared resources).

🖤 One thing an Aries 6H is gonna do is figure out a way to cut time on a task. 6H Aries is productivity, but make it ⚡quick ⚡💎

© 2022 chrisadew. All rights reserved

#chrisadew #black astrologer #astrology #astrology observations #my posts

[aflamethatneverdies]

i can't access any tumblr messages at all. but anon, when i say i want to abolish universities, i'm not proposing anti-intellectualism.

I was talking about how most universities keep their reading lists, access to good libraries and in the case of science, high-end equipment only for use of the students enrolled in that particular university or in rare cases for exchange programs.

When the type of structures I want to envision are ones that would allow access to those to anyone who wanted to really learn, irrespective of whether they joined that university or whether they could afford that. When I say I want to abolish university, I mean university as an institution as it exists right now. I don't want to abolish knowledge, how would that even work? and it seems facetious to imply that that was what I meant.

Why does it have to be a slippery slope when we point out that universities are a high end club which really mainly serve for entry into the professional classes, and serve to gatekeep knowledge otherwise, to assuming I'm proposing I don't want any knowledge centres or learning to exist or anti-intellectualism? Intellectualism shouldn't be limited to universities anyway.

I do want centers of learning and knowledge, but university as it exists right now is not serving the purpose of disseminating knowledge. Academics regularly complain how students use chatgpt for assignments and are only interested in passing courses and getting a university degree and not learning for learning's sake but that's because the structures are set up to incentivise that.

A lot of people here see universities as a requirement to get a white collar job. Universities still mainly serve as a way to make connections with other people in the industry more than for any other thing. What I'm suggesting is de-linking that.

Also there are other criticisms about university, such as how they prioritise certain ways of examining texts and critiquing them over others and certain ways of writing essays, which are rooted in western colonial knowledge production models. Universities also take concepts like decolonisation and de-fang them till they lose all meaning and edge. It irks me when universities do land acknowledgements while continuing to take large grants and monies from wealthy billionaires and the military industrial complex. So many western universities have deals with weapons manufacturers and many engineering students go on to work for them. Universities are bearing down on their own students for pro-Palestine protests right now. Universities as they exist uphold the status quo, they do not abolish it.

Modern universities as they exist are also deeply extractivist and colonial in nature. They use the knowledge of local communities and then publish papers on it. I do have lots of examples from my own political work infact. We get lots of requests from universities for doing research on the grassroots communities, for giving access to those communities, but in the end, the researchers carry out their research, publish it in big name journals, get fame, and do nothing material for the community. We turn them down almost immediately now.

And yet we also need the legitimacy of universities to ensure that the work we're doing gets better reach. If we don't quote western philosophers in our research, we also don't get legitimacy anywhere. I do find that deeply deeply unfair. Our work with grassroots communities is producing knowledge and even if i may be so bold, new knowledge theories applicable to our society. It is just not something that can be made palatable for universities as they exist. And people from grassroots communities have a lot of knowledge and could probably write many papers, but since they cannot be part of universities they cannot publish that work and get recognised for it as having created that knowledge, as having contributed to research.

Also this is a small point, but, even when it comes to universities, there's a hierarchy. universities in the west carry more prestige and legitimacy compared to universities in third world. It doesn't matter whether the learning is the same, research from third world universities is never taken as seriously by anyone. This is why many students from here want to enroll in foreign universities all the time. But the barriers to entry for foreign students, especially from third world countries are immensely high. Western universities select for the elite class from here to educate in their own universities, these people are already indoctrinated in western ideals and ideas. It is an exception when a working class student from here gets accepted to a western university on scholarships, not the rule.

Not to mention how university requires years of schooling, which itself relies on you being able to conform to the capitalist system as it exists since schooling also serves to produce complacent workers. If you're disabled, if you otherwise cannot conform, then barriers to entry make it almost impossible to enter university even though you might be interested in learning, even though you might have a lot to contribute. Not to mention exorbitant fees involved especially if you're an international student, but for local students too, people go into debt to be able to afford universities in US. But there are many issues with universities even beyond fees.

So no, I am not advocating for mass anti-intellectualism, I never did. I still stand by abolishing universities as they exist now.

#do people really believe that when something calls for abolishing [oppressive structure] #it's like going and blowing up physical structures and then doing what exactly after that?? #i don't want the universities to have the kind of prestige and power and authority they have when they function to keep power and knowledge #in the hands of a few people in the west #and esp when they uphold colonialism imperialism and capitalism #anon adventures

[mumu-thestan]

LINKIN PARK SOLDIERS FOR CEASEFIRE

“Turn my mic up louder, I got to say something” - Linkin Park - Hands Held High

As the band remains silent on the ongoing violence happening in Gaza and parts of the West Bank, we, the fans of Linkin Park, will not stand in silence as Palestinians face what humanitarian organizations such as the UN have categorized as genocide.

Hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, bakeries, fishing boats, solar panels, and water tanks have all been targets of bombing by the IDF, funded in large part by American tax dollars. Over 15,000 people have been killed, 6000+ of which are children. Electricity and water supplies have been cut off, affecting millions.

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233화

Hyung’s Here (2)

For a split second, I nearly lunged for the Guard’s collar. Hands clenched into fists, I forced down my emotions. All I’d done was make a conjecture based on the Skill attributes, and there was a chance that Alpha wasn’t my dongsaeng. And even if it happened to be Yoohyunie, it might not necessarily be that the situation was that serious. It might’ve just been the disorientation of suddenly landing in an unfamiliar place, that made him cause a bit of a ruckus. 

After all, they’d said safely subdued, and securely moni… Goddammit. In any case, it meant that he was at least secure. To begin with, Yoohyunie hadn’t done anything wrong here. It would be alright.

…even as I repeated that mantra over and over, my mind was already preoccupied with tallying up all the Items and points I had left, and the list of items the Point Shop had in its catalog. No, I couldn’t act rashly. First, I needed to verify whether Alpha really was Yoohyunie or not. I needed to calm down.

“Thank you very much, for escorting me. If it’s alright, could I ask for an additional favor? I’d like to sell an A-rank Item, but seeing as how it’s my first time in Achates City, I’m a bit worried that I might end up getting scammed, you see. In exchange for a brokerage fee, I was wondering if you could make the sale in my place.”

Hearing since you’re a Guard, won’t you know the ins-and-outs, and that I would even offer them 5% of the sale, the B-rank Guard brightened. Once I passed over several of the A-rank shortswords I’d packed, they placed a call somewhere, and in a flash, everything had been seen to. When I mentioned that I didn’t have a card, they also set up a new cash card for me. Minus the fee, it came out to 3 million L. So, the currency used was the same. The B-rank Guard, who had gained 150,000L–close to 200,000 won–beamed, and let me know where a decent hotel, restaurants, and et cetera could be found. 

“Coincidentally–I happen to possess specialized support-type Skills, would it be possible for me to find work at the Defense Association?”

“A supporter Guard from Medsang would certainly be welcomed anywhere. If you submit an immigration request at the Defense Administration, they will arrange a time for the mana seal modification procedure.”

Telling me that I could contact them at any time if I needed to sell any more items, or if I needed any other help, the B-rank Guard went so far as to give me their contact information before they left.

Though I was within the inner city, and not a far distance from the Defense Association, Achates felt smaller when compared with Solemnis. Even so, as befitting a main street, buildings towered high above, and there were many people around. Riding my scooter, I followed the road. I was exhausted, sleep-deprived, and hungry, but I headed to the Achates City Defense Association first. On the way, I re-fueled the scooter as well.

Arriving at the Defense Administration’s Civil Services Office, I took a queue number. Before long, it was already my turn.

“Hello, I am a specialized support Guard, from Medsang.”

As I presented my ID along with my introduction, the worker showed a slightly surprised expression.

“I was thinking of requesting a transfer over to the Achates City Defense Association.”

“Ah, certainly. We will connect you with the higher-ups shortly. Please wait for just a moment.”

So far, things were progressing smoothly. Before long, a man dressed in a suit appeared. He was a D-rank Awakened, with an ordinary sized mana pool. Was it that his support Skill was outstanding, or had it been that his mana seal engravement had failed.

“How do you do, Han Yoojin-ssi. I am the one in charge of the Achates City Defense Association’s support Guards, Dasple.”

“Pleased to meet you.”

“Let us head inside.”

Dasple, who had introduced himself as the coordinator over the support Guards, led me deeper into the civil services department. Once we were seated on the reception room sofas, tea was served. Dasple, who was sitting across from me, showed an amiable smile.

“That Achates City has a reputation for its less than favorable treatment towards Guards, is something we are well aware of.”

…what? It felt like I’d taken a blow to the back of my head. To elicit that kind of confessional ‘self-deprecation’, how damning did those rumors actually run. The strain it took to force a smile on my face, as my expression automatically began to distort, caused the area around my mouth to tremble faintly. 

“Rumors always do tend to exaggerate.”

“Well said. Furthermore, support-type Guards are different from combat-type Guards, no. Truth be told, there are many dangerous elements that exist amongst combat-type Guards. And most recently, as a result of Alpha Overloading, one of the business districts went up entirely in flames.”

“I imagine the damages must have been quite significant. I’ve heard the gist of it, as well.”

“Thankfully, there were no casualties, but the property damage sustained was a staggering amount. As a result of that, it appears the length of time Alpha spends under confinement will be lengthened as recompense.”

Confinement, was it. This time, the smile I drew forth came naturally. Even though we’d only spoken briefly, I could more or less grasp the general shape of the way they went about shackling the combat-type Guards. 

‘Is all the blame for the damages sustained in battle, shifted solely on the Guard.’

Not only when it was an Overload situation, but even under normal circumstances, like when dealing with a monster. Coercing Guards–Hunters–through debts, that kind of thing was commonplace. I’d experienced it myself, too. A rental fee for equipment, repair expenses, potion costs, Dungeon fees, et cetera. Inflating the amount owed was ludicrously easy.

They probably employed the same sort of tactics here. And there might yet be other means being used to control them, besides. Like family. Or, perhaps, by the way of a seal.

“It’s a relief, that I shouldn’t encounter that kind of thing as a support-type.”

I gave an exuberant smile. Dasple smiled as well. 

“Of course. The restrictions placed are also far lighter. The combat-types, well, those lot are a ticking time bomb, even with both hands and feet tied. With great strength, they must take proportional responsibility. A matter of ‘basic human decency,’ you could say.” 

For someone who was dependent on that strength for protection, he sure was talking a lot of shit.

Being afraid of high-rank Awakened, was understandable. Honestly, that would be the typical reaction. When it was already so that, even a bigger and well-built ordinary human could intimidate others by just adopting a hard expression, it was only to be expected that an Awakened with the ability to demolish a building with only their bare hands would naturally command fear. That was why, over on our side, we’d endeavored to improve the public’s perception of Hunters from the onset. 

But irrespective of that–if you wanted to receive the protection and safety provided by the Awakened, then it only followed that you should also be willing to provide them with the corresponding reception. Wasn’t that what ‘basic human decency’ actually entailed. To people who hadn’t even asked to be born like that, to tell them that, because they were stronger than others, they needed to ‘take responsibility’ and work in servitude, this piece of shit.

“Our Achates City considers the citizens’ safety to be of the utmost priority. In times like these, the most important thing is safety, wouldn’t you agree. As a result, we may have a touch more constraints in place than the other cities, but one must consider how freedom is a luxury that requires one to be alive to pursue, foremost.”

Apparently under the impression I already had a grasp on the general situation, he didn’t hesitate to go on. 

“In truth, it may very well be that the combat-type Guards have cause to feel discontent. However, we’re confident that the satisfaction felt by our support and healer-type Guards will not fall behind that of any other cities. I presume Han Yoojin-ssi came to this place already aware of this.”

“I’d certainly heard as much. That’s why, upon arriving in the city, I made coming by the Defense Association my first priority, like so.”

“Ha ha, of course. Additionally, Han Yoojin-ssi hails from Medsang City. As Medsang’s Mu-nim’s affection for her affiliate Guards is well-known, no one will dare to act rashly against you.”

The more I heard it mentioned, the more curious I became about Medsang, too. It seemed like a place where support, healing-oriented Guards were particularly valued. …that Newcomer, couldn’t he have just dropped all of the kids in Medsang instead. It wouldn’t be that Yerimie and Noah had ended up somewhere with a hostile reception as well. And I really couldn’t even begin to imagine how Peace might be doing. The adults, Sung Hyunjae and Moon Hyuna, I wasn’t too concerned about. 

Particularly Sung Hyunjae; that prick was the type to live and eat well no matter where he ended up.

*

In contrast to my inner turmoil, the atmosphere  was light and cheerful. We held a brief exchange over the terms of the contract as well.

“I will impart detailed information regarding my Skill after a final decision has been made. For now, I’ll at least disclose that it’s a Skill of a caliber that allowed me to travel to Achates City on my lonesome, despite C-rank stats.”

“I must admit, I’m eager to hear what rank it might be. Though perhaps they didn’t range as high as SS-rank, but I imagine you would have come across at least S-rank monsters on multiple occasions.”

“I did, several times.”

Dasple pulled a supremely shocked expression. Saying things like how he would expect no less from a Medsang City native, he didn’t hesitate to shower me in commendations.

“We will hasten the preparations for the mana seal alteration procedure as well, as much as possible.”

“Ah, before that.”

I swallowed once, my mouth dry. Struggling to calm my emotions as much as I could, I continued speaking.

“Would it be possible for me to check in on Alpha’s condition? Truth be told, hearing about the Overloading incident made me feel quite troubled. It made me consider changing courses to another city, even. Though I’d heard on my way here that he was being securely monitored, I would still like to verify it with my own eyes.”

“I can empathize completely. I feel apprehensive every so often, as well.”

The bastard nodded emphatically.

“Permission must be granted by the higher-ups, first, but I imagine that it should be quite possible. If we were to know Han Yoojin-ssi’s Skill’s rank, at least, it may become easier to secure clearance as well.”

“In that case, I’ll disclose one of the lower-ranked Skills I possess. Dasple-ssi is D-rank, with an ordinary-sized mana pool. Isn’t that so?”

Dasple’s eyes grew wide. 

“Is it a specialized Skill that allows you to learn the other’s rank and mana capacity?”

“Yes. I’m able to see the mana and health pool of those up to S-rank, and up to SS-ranks for verification of rank. It’s an immensely useful Skill, in many ways. During battle, as well as in day-to-day operations.”

“If that’s one of the lower-ranked Skills… Understood. I fully expect that there will be no issues with permission being granted.”

“When would the verification be possible, approximately?”

“As Han Yoojin-ssi is still technically an outsider, entry into the building proper should be granted once the sun has set.”

*

Having been asked to return around sunset, I left the reception room. I felt faintly nauseated. The exhaustion I’d already been experiencing weighed even heavier, like it’d been waterlogged. Even as I thought to myself that it might not be my dongsaeng, I had a negative feeling.

There was still plenty of time left before the sun would set. In an attempt to soothe my heart, I went looking for more information regarding Alpha. Unlike Sigma, most of his profile information was publicly available.

‘Twenty-six years old, Awakened four years ago after receiving the Baptism. Barring his father, the rest of his family is deceased.’

Upon hearing that the father was still alive, I felt a bit peculiar. There was a photograph included among the reference materials. The black hair was the same as Yoohyunie, but both eyes were red. Not as a result of Irin’s influence, but rather an attribute he’d possessed from the onset. 

‘...on that note, I wonder what’s happened to Rinie.’

Did they have elementals here, in this world. Though I didn’t know if he’d even made it in, to begin with. 

Alpha was an immensely good-looking young man as well, but still looked markedly different from Yoohyunie. It was definitely a different person, without any room for confusion. Seeing that, I felt a touch relieved. 

‘In the first place, since it’s supposed to be a different person from a different world, someone like Sigma who looks the same, would’ve been an outlier.’

And that Sigma hadn’t been Sung Hyunjae, either. Yeah, it could be someone other than Yoohyunie.

*

Leaving the Defense Association building, I headed to a nearby hotel. Entering the hotel restaurant, I ordered some food, but couldn’t dredge up any semblance of an appetite. Unable to entertain the thought of eating, despite feeling hungry, I was pushing my salad around with a fork, when. 반짝, a sub-quest twinkled into view.

[ Square Meals Are Important

To be healthy, one must eat well & heartily instead of starving! Please enjoy at least half of the prepared food on the table.

Rewards: Chocolate-flavored high-rank mana potion x2 ]

What’s with this quest. A huff of laughter escaped, unbidden. When mana potions were so expensive, to be giving away two high-rank ones, the reward far outstripped the quest’s difficulty. I had no choice but to comply, then, it seemed. 

‘Though, why chocolate-flavored.’

It brought that prat to mind. The taste had been nice, at least. Once I began eating, the rest went down easier. Consequently, I was able to clean my plate and receive the potions as a reward. Filling my stomach had made me drowsy in turn, and I didn’t have anything else to do until sundown. Heading up to my hotel room, I showered and laid down. Before long, sleep overtook me.

*

“Sir, sir! Get up, please!”

It wasn’t enough to call out to me–I opened my eyes as I was additionally shaken awake. A hotel employee was standing beside my bed. Were they allowed to just barge in like this without permission.

“The sun will be setting soon. Please move to the hotel shelter area.”

Hotel shelter? Was there a separate shelter within the hotel. Then again, if a hotel lacked that feature, it did seem unlikely that they’d be able to stay in business. I figured that a hotel shelter should probably be wider and better furnished than a publicly accessible shelter, too. The lodging fee that I’d thought had been more expensive than it should’ve been, it might’ve been an additional shelter fee.

Telling them that I needed to go by the Defense Association, I departed from the hotel. The streets, blanketed in a thick layer of darkness, were desolate. There were hardly any people still walking around, and the buses all had their signs flashing displays indicating that they were on their last lap. 

Riding the scooter, I headed towards the Defense Association. The Civil Services office had already closed its doors. Once I was escorted inside by a security guard, a familiar face appeared, accompanied by another Awakened. 

“Welcome back, Han Yoojin-ssi. This is Alpha’s lead handler, Mindiva.”

Dasple provided introductions for the man standing next to him. Solemnis too–the people here seemed to have three-character(1) names, without a separate surname. Extending a pleasantry, Mindiva led the way. 

“Even for SS-rank Awakened, a depletion of mana will result in the loss of consciousness. Currently, Alpha has been placed within a mana absorbing rune that is connected to the Mana Hole. So long as the mana absorbing rune remains active, there is no chance that he will wake, as it were.”

Most assuredly secure. Saying so, he stepped into the elevator and, pressing the button for the lowest floor, held up a card key. So, was it that you couldn’t even get to the floor with the Mana Hole without a card key. It would likely be located in the basement, and there was a high chance that there wouldn’t be any stairs altogether. 

I could always purchase another Universal Key, but for the time being, I took note of the key. 

“He may be immensely docile for the time being, but keeping our valuable Alpha sedated like this isn’t a viable course of action, either. Subsequently, a mana seal modification procedure was performed.”

“...modification?”

“Yes. It was a procedure intended to link his mana seal with a select few others, which would enable them to forcibly drain Alpha’s mana. So they might be able to subdue him as necessary at any point, if Alpha were to lose control again. Only, because the efficacy of the protection seal is sharply decreased in the process, there is a high likelihood of him becoming endangered when confronting a monster with a mana-absorbing Skill–but I’m afraid we were left with no choice.”

He mentioned that, once Alpha had calmed down completely, it would be reverted back to normal. 

“Of course, as a precaution against another Overload, the procedure would take place after enough high-rank mana absorbing Items had been prepared in advance. We cannot let our guard down, of course.”

…in other words, in his current condition, Alpha was capable of being easily taken down at any moment. If, perhaps, it really did happen to be that Alpha was Yoohyunie, the situation wouldn’t be resolved with just a simple rescue. Since even going up against a monster would become a liability.

*

The elevator came to a stop, and the doors opened. Like in Solemnis, a few similar security checks were conducted in succession. 

“The biggest issue we’ve been dealing with at present has been the cognitive dissonance Alpha seems to be displaying. There was no hyung in Alpha’s family, you see.”

“...a hyung, you said?”

“Yes. Of course, we cannot say for certain that it was in reference to a chin-hyung; but neither is there anyone who fits the bill of a ‘hyung’ that he would seek so desperately, among his relationships(2). While there is a possibility that he might have hidden him away, in order to avoid him being used as a weakness, taking the abrupt Overload into account, the chances of cognitive dysregulation has been judged to be more likely.”

…it was a struggle to repress the surge of anger that threatened to burst out. A hyung. He’d been looking for hyung. I couldn’t tell myself that it might not actually be him anymore. My insides had gone cold, to the point that it ached. It felt like my stomach was turning. The force with which I unconsciously clenched my teeth, caused pain to radiate down my jaw. 

Calm down. If I caused a scene at this point, it would just make things worse. When even just a simple rescue would be difficult, it was further complicated by the issue of the seal. Instead of pointlessly rousing their guard, I needed to pretend to cooperate as much as I could for now, and assess the situation.

“He’s this way. Following the seal modification surgery, he was placed into a sturdier containment chamber, and the mana absorbing array’s strength was also reinforced through the increased proximity to the Mana Hole. As the walls here receive the Mana Hole’s Blessing, even an SS-rank Awakened will find it difficult to break through. As proximity to the Mana Hole directly correlates with the strength of the augmentation, at current, even if Alpha were to wake completely, he would be unable to escape from this containment chamber.”

…how disgustingly thorough. If it was to that extent, then it seemed like even the Dragon’s Breath bombs would prove to be useless. The containment chamber was divided into two separate areas. To step inside, there was an additional door you needed to get through. In order to open that inner door, the card key was a mandatory requirement, as well as facial recognition using a biometric scanner, and another input besides.

*

Finally, the door opened, and we stepped inside. In the middle of the room, a sprawling expanse of runes stretched out in my sight. At the center of that faintly glowing absorbing array, laid an unconscious young male.

His arms were forced behind his back, of course, and his legs were firmly secured as well. There was a gag inserted in his mouth, and his eyes were covered, too. A line from the IV drip set up next to his position led down to his neck, where it pierced through the skin. Unceasingly, the unidentifiable drug was continually injected into Alpha. 

As I unconsciously began to move towards him, Mindiva stopped me. 

“You should not approach the mana absorbing array. It will drain all of your mana in an instant, causing you to faint. The Items you have equipped may also fail.”

…so Awakened couldn’t even approach it at all, nor could you use Items, was it. Moreover, it was impossible to break open the room itself, too. 

Beset by anxiety, I carefully examined the fallen Alpha. His eyes were hidden out of sight, but even then. 

‘...Yoohyun-ah.’

He was different from the Alpha I’d seen in the photos. It wasn’t that he was identical to my dongsaeng, but he resembled him more. More than Alpha, he definitely resembled Yoohyunie. We’d been together all our lives, perpetually, from the moment my dongsaeng had been born. There was no way I would be mistaken. 

“...Alpha’s appearance, seems a bit different from the photographs.”

“Is that so? Since it was a photo, that may certainly feel like the case. To myself, he looks to be the same.”

In what way did they appear the same. Even the physique was different. It seemed that, to the people here, Yoohyunie… took on the original Alpha’s appearance. I exhaled deeply. The inside of my throat felt like it was turning to ash. I wanted to run to him immediately. 

Fuck, what the hell did they think they were doing. Even though, I’d brought him up with such care. Even if it might not be his actual body. To be treating, like that.

“...you mentioned that Alpha was experiencing cognitive dysfunction?”

“Yes. It’s for that reason that the liquid medication is presently being administered. We are also in the process of negotiating with another city for access to a Guard with a high-rank cognition-manipulating Skill.”

“One of the Skills I possess is of a cognitive type.”

“Ah?”

“It only amounts to being able to calm the target, but it is effective up to SS-rank. It was thanks to that, that I was able to easily evade the monsters on my journey here.”

I looked back at Mindiva. I wanted to smash a fist into his surprised expression. It would only be all too easy for me to sink a knife into his neck, right now, this very moment; it was difficult to hold myself back. 

“As I wonder whether I might be able to be of assistance, if it’s alright, might I conduct a test with Alpha as the subject?”

“Ah, right now, did you mean?”

“Yes. If it proves to be successful, then I imagine that the terms of the contract will also change significantly.”

I smiled. The bastard mirrored my smile.

“At present, he shouldn’t be able to resist overmuch with the drugs in his system, but there is still the chance that the situation may become dangerous.”

“If I were that incapable, I would hardly have been able to make it here on my lonesome.”

Saying that my words did have merit, the bastard told me that the preparations would be completed in short order. Before long, more people filed into the room. There were even two S-rank Guards mixed in among their ranks.

“We will be deactivating the mana absorbing array. Please stand by.”

Following a complicated series of inputs, the light went out in the array engraved on the floor. As I immediately made to move towards Alpha, the body that had been motionlessly slumped on the ground began to struggle. Unmistakably violently, his entire body wrenched. 

“It’s alright!”

I quickly shouted. Simultaneously, Alpha’s–Yoohyunie’s–movements ceased. It really does work, I heard someone exclaim from somewhere. Frantically approaching Yoohyunie, I fell to my knees on the floor, curling my body down. 

“...it’s alright.”

A body, trembling minutely, and the sound of uneven breathing, as though it’d grown rough in excitement(3). In order to keep him from startling at the sudden touch, carefully, I loosened his blindfold. An eye that had been closed drifted open. The crimson eye focused on me. His eye–clouded over, from what was possibly the drug’s influence–grew wet at once. 

I extended my arms. I pulled my dongsaeng into my embrace.

* * *

(1) hangul syllables

(2) why the other possibility mentioned by the achates personnel was that the ‘hyung’ alpha is looking for might not be a blood relative, but a different ‘close older male’ instead, re:significance of 친형(chin-hyung) vs 형(hyung)

^just sub 오빠/누나 w/ 형

(3) one of the fun things in the text is geunseo’s intentional phrasing, like the specific words chosen to describe the scene here:

흥분 → “excitement” → to be (emotionally) aroused → ‘grown rough from arousal’

directory post has been updated with a link to interest check doc at the top, since there’s a lull between ch234~238 where i might replace a ch or two.

how to increase your chances of survival in a crowd crush. stay safe everyone

#233화 #the s classes that i raised #tsctir #sctir

[urgonnaneedabiggership]

NAMOR (MCU) X MEXICAN!OC

MASTERLIST

A/N: Remember you can find this fanfic on AO3 right here. Any feedback and/or comments are greatly appreciated <3 If you want to be added to the taglist, just say so!

My friends, this is the end of this journey. At least for now. I will post an epilogue in the next days that, hopefully, will leave you as excited for the second book of this fic as I am. If you've gotten this far, thank you so much for reading. See you soon!

Warnings: Violence, weapons, death and un-aliving people. Language.

Word count: 5,679



The tense silence that covered the room and its inhabitants like a heavy, smothering blanket was only interrupted by the clink of spoons against dinnerware. Three women of different ages sat at the table, the eldest and youngest occasionally looking at the third one. She pretended not to notice, but their gazes felt like the scorching sun against her skin. Still, she continued to eat, never taking her eyes off the bottom of the bowl. She wasn’t really hungry, thanks to the queasy feeling in her stomach that’d been plaguing her for the last week or so. After exchanging another glance with the eldest, one of the women cleared her throat before speaking.

“So, what’s your plan, Mercedes?” She asked, receiving a stern look from her mother, who hissed her name angrily. Mercedes carefully placed the spoon next to the empty bowl as she replied without looking up.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“You know, now that you’re back. Where will you go?” Antonia clarified, always glaring at the other girl. Mercedes looked noticeably confused, furrowing her eyebrows as she finally dared to look up at her cousin.

“Where…?” She asked, “I’m sorry, I thought it would be okay if…”

“Merceditas, lo que Toña quiere decir es si tienes pensado ir a algún lado, o qué piensas hacer ahora. Cinco años es mucho tiempo y…” Merceditas, what Toña means is whether you plan to go somewhere, or what you plan to do now. Five years is a long time and...

“No Ma, that’s not what I meant,” Toña promptly interrupted her, “I’m asking Mercedes where she’s going to go and when she’s planning to leave,”

“Are you being serious?” Mercedes asked, clenching her jaw as she desperately attempted to conceal the fluctuating mix of pain and anger in her voice, “I was gone for five fucking years, Antonia. I just came back two weeks ago, I…”

“No, Mercedes, are you being serious?” Antonia started raising her voice, “You don’t really expect us to let you stay here after what you did to my dad. You didn’t think that just because you and a million others vanished for a while we’d just forget about it? ”

Again at a loss for words, Mercedes turned to look at a silent Moni, whose eyes remained fixed on her intertwined hands on her lap.

“Tía Moni,” She asked, “¿Tú también piensas eso?” Auntie Moni, do you think that too?

Much to her horror, the woman didn’t reply and didn’t even dare to face her. She just pressed her lips together tightly and shut her eyes.

“Tía,” Mercedes insisted, “Tía, tú sabes que yo no tuve la culpa de lo que le pasó a mi tío. Tú sabes que yo jamás quise que eso pasara, yo siempre traté de cuidarlo, nos cuidábamos la espalda siempre pero…” Auntie, you know what happened to my uncle was not my fault. You know I never wanted that to happen, I always tried to look out for him, we watched each other's backs but...

The girl didn’t really know how to continue. Especially because, deep inside of her, a tiny voice wondered whether she was right to refuse to house the woman responsible, albeit indirectly, for the death of her husband.

“Merceditas…mijita, yo lo sé. Tu tío…” She tried to reply until Antonia promptly interrupted her. Merceditas, my child, I know. Your uncle...

“No mamá, no, ya habíamos hablado de esto,” She protested, which in turn silenced the woman once again before her daughter turned to look at Mercedes, “Don’t make this any harder on my mom than it already is,” No, mom, no. We had already talked about this.

Mercedes didn’t say a word, her eyes shifting from the girl she’d grown up with and the woman she thought of as a mother figure.

“Tía Moni,” she croaked, her voice hoarse as the knot in her throat tightened and tears threatened to roll down her cheeks, “Pídemelo y voy a volver a Bawir nomás a visitar a mi abuela, ni siquiera voy a acercarme a esta casa…” Auntie Moni, ask me to and I will only return to Bawir to visit my grandmother, I won't even go nowhere near this house.

“Mercedes, ya te dijo que…” Antonia attempted to chime in just to be immediately shut down by the other woman. Mercedes, she already told you that...

“No te estoy hablando a ti,” She crudely snapped at her before staring at her aunt with pleading eyes. I'm not talking to you Moni returned that same glance, entirely focused on Mercedes despite the insistent glares her daughter shot her way. Moni opened her mouth once, hesitantly, just to close it again before anything could come out. When Moni’s gaze suddenly dropped to her feet, Mercedes felt as if an invisible fist had taken both her lungs and scrunched them into a tiny ball.

“Merceditas, creo que es mejor que por un tiempo…” Merceditas, I think it's best that for a while...

Mercedes didn’t even want to hear the rest. She didn’t even go upstairs to take what she could with her. The woman hastily circled the table, picked up a backpack that hung next to the door, and walked out before slamming the door after her.







Namor had been waiting outside of the house for over half an hour after Mercedes asked him to do so, claiming she had some things to sort out with Moni. Their argument could be heard from where he was sitting, on the spot next to the river. So, when the door swung open and he heard hurried steps coming his way, Namor turned his head immediately. The budding grin on the corner of his lips faded instantly when the person that took a seat on a rock next to him wasn’t Mercedes.

“You’re a loyal one, I’ll give you that,” Antonia huffed, resting her elbows against her knees as she turned to look at him clearly expecting an answer. Namor didn’t make a sound and remained unfazed, staring at the running water before them.

“Alright, then,” She continued, “Mercedes wants us to take a look around the house. Make sure no one followed us while they pack a few things to take her grandmother to the capital tonight.”

With no other gesture to acknowledge her words, Namor stood up and started making his way to the tree line. “Wait! Don’t you want a gun or something?” After receiving nothing but silence for an answer, Antonia sighed annoyed before following suit.

“You look anxious,” She commented after ten blissful minutes of complete silence, seeing Namor open and close his fists repeatedly as they walked, “You should’ve come armed. Last time I went to investigate a noise unarmed somebody beat me unconscious and when I opened my eyes I was tied up in the middle of the jungle,”

“I can look after myself just fine,” He dryly replied, still refusing to look at her. Noticing the edge in his voice, Antonia scoffed and shook her head.

“She must’ve already made a great job at telling you about me, hasn’t she?” The woman spoke scornfully, “The evil bitch who just won’t forgive her for killing her dad,”

Namor stopped himself before attempting to argue with her, clenching his jaw and taking a deep breath before continuing to walk.

“Let me tell you a few things about her, then,”

“You told me enough back there,”

“Oh, trust me, it’s not nearly enough,”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“Shit, she’s got you good, doesn’t she?” Antonia sneered as he walked faster to move away from her.

“You know she’s married, right?”

“Sí Javier, ya sé,” Mercedes whispered into the phone, tapping her fingertips against her knee “No me importan los años, cabrón. Me sigues debiendo un favor.” After a few seconds, she cursed under her breath and angrily hung up the phone, impulsively kicking the wooden stool she’d been using as a seat.



A set of footsteps rushed down the stairs and Moni stumbled into the kitchen, worriedly asking what was wrong as she scanned the room. “Nada, tía,” Mercedes replied with a forced, breathless laugh, attempting to sound as calm as she could, “Nada, esta gente que me hace enojar,” Nothing, auntie. Just these people that make me so angry. “¿Qué dijo tu amigo?” Moni asked hopefully. Her niece couldn’t lie to her. She could see on her face that things had definitely not gone her way. Confirming her suspicions, Mercedes shook her head negatively. What did your friend say? “Ambas están más seguras aquí de todos modos,” Mercedes assured her, “No saben cómo llegar a Bawir y ya nos encargamos de los que sí. Pensaremos en algo.” Both of you are safer here anyway. They don't know how to get to Bawir and we took care of those who did. We'll figure it out.

Before her aunt could say anything else, Mercedes shut her eyes tightly as she unsteadily leaned against the wall.

“¿Mercedes? ¿Qué te pasa, chula?” Moni asked, gently placing her hand on the woman’s forehead only for Mercedes to softly remove it. Mercedes? What's wrong, sweetheart?

“Nada, tía. Nomás traigo migraña, no te preocupes.”   Nothing, auntie. Just some migraine, don't worry.

Not looking entirely convinced, Moni nodded and sighed, looking impossibly tired. Mercedes pulled her into a hug and rested her chin on top of her head, her eyes slowly drifting from the dirty dishes in the sink to the green bushes that could be seen through the window.

Namor felt as if he’d stepped on a high-voltage cable and found himself unable to move after hearing the words that left Antonia’s mouth.

You know she’s married, right?

Somehow, that concept and the person it was linked to didn’t seem to make sense together. In his mind, there was no way she could be married. She’d never mentioned it. In all fairness, he had never asked in the first place. She didn’t act like a married woman either. At least not in the last twenty-four hours, or during any of those moments he was sure he’d seen something in her eyes that could barely be considered friendship and not…something else.

Then again, wishful thinking was real. A very real, terrifying possibility.

“Where is…?” He asked once he’d somewhat regained his ability to speak. Shit. He didn’t even know what word…

“He has been away for a while.” Antonia continued, “They met when she was overseeing some business for a drug cartel. But I’m guessing you already knew about that too.”

He didn’t want to turn around. He knew that, if he did, he would have to listen to everything she had to say. He could just go back to the house, convince her to go back to Talokan before nightfall, get soldiers to guard the house day and night despite the risk, and forget all about what he’d just heard, he didn’t need to know. Except he did.

“I can tell you why her name was different in that picture…”

Namor stopped right before turning his neck and furrowed his eyebrows.

“You said you were in the middle of the jungle when you woke up,” He reminded her, “That picture was inside one of the tents,”

When he was met with nothing but a sudden silence, Namor turned around just in time to see a sharp blade about to descend upon his face. Before he could fully process his actions, his self-preservation reflexes kicked in and urged him to counterattack, gripping the attacker’s hand and twisting the arm around with enough strength to redirect the knife’s trajectory right into an astonished Antonia’s stomach.

The woman immediately fell to the floor with a loud thud. Nothing was visible but the handle of the knife and a seemingly endless surge of bright red blood oozed from the injury. As he watched, his earlier words to Mercedes resonated in his mind.

“Whoever did this knew there was going to be a celebration that day and the exact same time at which the noise would be loud enough to camouflage the shooting…

Either that or somebody else told them,”

He cursed under his breath as the realization hit him. In a way, it made some sense. However, even if they weren’t related by blood, Antonia and Mercedes’ chiich had to have been close given how attached both girls had been growing up. But everybody had a breaking point, he knew that. She had reached hers after Mercedes was involved in what happened to Cruz. Everything she’d said was nothing but hateful lies in an attempt to destroy his loyalty to Xmeech. It had to be.

As if he had invoked her with his, her voice calling his name reached his ears, stilling the chaotic tide that drowned his thoughts. However, the effect was short-lived as he realized it was getting closer. Snapping out of his thoughts, the man quickly placed his thumb on the fallen woman’s neck and detected a faint, but existing pulse. Immediately removing the flimsy cotton shirt he’d borrowed, he tore it to shreds and pressed it against her wound.

Namor had to tell the truth. Antonia tried to kill him unaware of his identity. She had harbored so much hatred towards Mercedes that it ultimately led her to sell them out to the enemy, going as far as giving something as priceless as the location of Bawir, their secret haven. Antonia was the person working with them from the inside. There were no further signs of any remaining members of the group that was after them. She didn’t need to stay there any longer. Maybe then she would want to return to Talokan. If only he hadn’t just confessed to almost killing the woman she’d once thought of as a sister.

With a defeated sigh, Namor raised his head to call Mercedes’ name, but the woman emerged from the bushes before he could do so. He felt his heart sink at the sight of Mercedes’ face contorting into a horrified expression, her mouth agape as she ran towards them and knelt next to Antonia

 “What happened? I thought you were supposed to be standing guard together,”

“Hold this,” He instructed her, “Don’t let go. I’ll try to lift her,” 

“Who did this to her?” She insisted. Still, she obeyed as Namor promptly lifted Antonia’s limp body and followed Mercedes, who led them across the jungle and back into town to reach the small clinic.





“What happened?” Mercedes sputtered once they were sitting in the waiting room, staring into Namor’s eyes despondently. She’d managed to call Moni but wanted to get her facts straight before she arrived, not wanting to discuss them in her presence.

“She suggested we split up and watch a side of the house each, and they got to her before I did,” Namor explained, holding her gaze. Silently scrutinizing his face, Mercedes shook her face and clenched her jaw.

“Bullshit,” She spat out, “They got to her before you? I want to know what really happened.”

Namor opened his mouth to speak again, but before he could make up something else to delay telling her the news that would completely shatter the image she had of her childhood friend, Mercedes chimed in again.

“U jaajile’, kän-än,” She hissed, “I want the truth. You promised.”

She was right. That was what they had agreed. To always be honest with each other, even if they knew the truth wouldn’t be well-received. Namor suddenly noticed the large dark circles under her almond-shaped eyes. His gaze drifted down to her exposed shoulders, covered in goosebumps despite the warm atmosphere around them.

“Are you cold?” He asked. Mercedes looked taken aback by the question and once she noticed his eyes were fixed on her skin, she absent-mindedly ran her hands up and down her arms.

“What does that…?”

“Answer me, please,” Namor sternly insisted.

“A little. I haven’t been feeling well since this morning,” Mercedes admitted, “It’s just the sudden climate change.”

While she perceived a glint of intense worry in his eyes, Namor did not press the matter further and simply acknowledged her answer with a nod.

“Do you trust me?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Nearly with no hesitation, Mercedes nodded and scooted slightly closer to him.

“You have to stay here,” He quietly acknowledged, “Take your chiich somewhere safe. I will do my best to find anything on Wexler’s computer that will help us get to them, and then I will find you.”

 “You’re leaving?” She asked, scrutinizing his face in disbelief as she backed away from him, “Now?”

“I just need to let Attuma and Namora know why I’ve been absent for so long,” He explained, “I was supposed to be back nearly a day ago,”

“Does that mean you don’t want me to go back? Can I stay?” She asked in such a hopeful tone that it tore his heart to pieces.

“No, Xmeech. I don’t expect you to return.”

“Can you find out if there has been any progress in decoding the laptop?” She asked tentatively, to which Namor looked away almost ashamedly.

“I don’t think there was, but I will ask.”

“Do you think that will change soon?” The woman insisted. She refused to look into his eyes as if he could somehow peek into her mind and see the conversation between her and that mysterious person that had taken place inside one of those tents back in the jungle. As if he could see she was very much considering it…

His silence did not help his cause at all.

“Let them know you’re okay, but please come back after,” Mercedes pleaded, her mouth pressed in a hard line as she waited for an answer. “If there has been no progress, I will…take my chiich somewhere safe and go back to Talokan with you. To help.”

“Are you sure?” Namor asked no sooner than she had finished her sentence. He could see a glint of hesitation in her eyes and the most selfish side of him beamed when he realized she was struggling to decide even after he had openly granted her freedom. He wondered what kind of cruel person could revel so much in knowing that parting from him, from Talokan, caused her so much pain, “If you’re sure and that’s what you want, you are welcome,”

“Alright. You know where to find us,” Mercedes replied with a soft smile, “As soon as Antonia is out of here…”

“No,” Namor interrupted her so bluntly that she looked at him in slight confusion, “Take your chiich somewhere nobody but you can find her. Do not tell anybody else, not even Moni. Do not trust anybody.”

Before Mercedes could ask anything else and force him to confess whatever he knew, a doctor luckily showed up and asked Mercedes to go with him. As she stood up to leave, the woman turned to look at Namor one more time.

“Wait for me at the house,” She asked, “Don’t leave without letting me know, please?”

“I will see you later, Xmeech,” Namor nodded with a wistful grin as he turned to leave the hospital.





The doctors said Antonia had been very lucky. Despite having lost a fair amount of blood, they had managed to stabilize her and expected her to make a slow but full recovery since the stab had barely touched any important organs. Moni let Mercedes know she would stay with her daughter for the night and sent her back to the house. Deep inside, Mercedes couldn’t help but wonder whether this had re-opened an old injury regarding having a member of her family hurt or nearly killed because of Mercedes. However, she didn’t want to probe further into that and quietly obeyed and walked back to the house. The woman allowed herself to freely enjoy the unbridled relief that washed over her at knowing that Namor was waiting for her there. For once, she even actively tried to avoid fighting the smile that crept up her face as she reached the small cottage.

Mercedes quietly opened the door and walked inside, surprised to find the house in utter darkness. After giving it some thought, she remembered he was probably used to inhabiting poorly lit grottos and might’ve felt more comfortable in the dark. She promptly ran upstairs and peeked through the door of her bedroom, finding nobody but a sleeping chiich inside. Tiptoeing next to the bed, she smiled at the asleep woman and, as she leaned down to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, noticed a shiny object resting on the nightstand.

It was a round, smooth, metallic bead. Mercedes carefully picked it up and admired it under the dim moonlight.  

“Te dejó un pedacito de Sol,” He left you a tiny piece of the Sun

Chiich’s sleepy voice startled Mercedes so much that she almost dropped the shiny pearl. Baffled, the woman lifted an eyebrow and stared down at her grandmother inquisitively.

“Tet decía que K’uk’ulkan servía al Sol,” She continued, resting her head against the soft pillow, “Y que me durmiera o me elegiría para acompañarlo en su viaje de regreso al mundo de abajo,” Tet used to say that K'uk'ulkan served the Sun, and that I had to go to sleep or he would pick me to accompany him on his journey back to the underworld.

“El mundo de abajo es precioso, chiich,” Mercedes replied, sitting on the bed next to her, “Pero ahora tengo que asegurarme de que no les pase nada,” The underworld is beautiful, chiich. But now I have to make sure nothing happens to you.

“Se fue sin ti al mundo de abajo, Na’,” Chiich stated, but instead of seeming relieved or happy the elderly woman looked utterly sad, “Tenía que cuidar a mi Xmeech,” He left for the underworld without you, Na'. He had to look after my Xmeech.

“¿Y quién te va a cuidar a ti?” Mercedes laughed softly, “Va a volver pronto.” And who's going to look after you? He's coming back soon anyway.

“No va a volver,” Chiich shook her head negatively, “K’uk’ulkan se fue con el sol,” He's not coming back. K'uk'ulkan left with the Sun.

“Sí. Y va a volver mañana con el sol también,” Yes. And he will return tomorrow with the Sun, too.

“No,” The elderly woman insisted, “Le pedí que se no se fuera. Le dije que lo necesitabas, Na’.” No. I asked him not to go. I told him you needed him.

“¡Chiich!” Mercedes angrily whispered as she stood up, a line appearing between her eyebrows as she folded her arms apprehensively, “¿Y como por qué le dijiste algo así?” Chiich! Why would you tell him something like that?

Barely perceiving she had done something to upset her, Chiich didn’t answer and simply studied the other woman’s face with an innocent smile.

“Bueno, ¿y qué dijo?” Mercedes asked impatiently, which immediately turned the elderly woman’s grin upside down. Well, and what did he say?

“Sólo se rió. Dijo que desde el inicio, de algún modo, él siempre te había necesitado más a ti. Y que tenía que irse a cuidar a mi Xmeech. Se despidió de mí. Me dijo que te dijera adiós.” He just laughed. He said that from the beginning, in some way, he always needed you more. And that he had to leave to look after my Xmeech. He told me to tell you goodbye.

Mercedes’ mouth fell open as her eyes left her grandmother’s face to look at the still-open door leading to the hall. Hurriedly assuring her she’d be back, the woman left her seat and rushed into every room inside the house, searching for her kän-än. Her guardian. Her guardian that had left without saying goodbye, without giving her some certainty on when she’d see him again.

If. If she saw him again.

Mercedes rejected that thought as soon as it entered her mind. He wouldn’t leave and leave them to their fate like that. She was certain he would come back.

But that could take months. Mercedes had gone into hiding for extended periods before. Hell, half of her life she’d been hiding along with her family, why did it upset her so much now?

Because you won’t see him, a tiny voice in her head said scornfully. If he had told you he’d be back in six months, would you be freaking out this much?

No. Because there would be a deadline. A day to look forward to, not this uncertainty. She wouldn’t spend days wondering if it would take years to see him again. All this time she had felt they were doing this together, that she counted on his support and, no matter how disgustingly soft it sounded, his protection. Now she was on her own again. And she hated it.

Mercedes looked out of the window, her gaze fixed on the thick canopy and the darkness underneath it. It was a perfect hideout. A perfect place to spy on somebody, or talk without being seen. Not even five minutes later, she was running out of the house. Mercedes stood in front of the trees as an ominous gust of wind caressed its leaves, making them whisper. Convinced she was being watched, she looked around before undauntingly making her way into the jungle.





Namor could’ve flown. He could’ve made the journey in such a short time, but he decided against it after accepting there were many things he wanted to think about before reaching his destination. It had been one hell of an eventful day. The many things he had been hiding from Mercedes were eating him alive. The fact that her cousin was confined to a hospital bed with a stab wound because of him, and also that she was the one that had betrayed her in the first place or the knowledge that their attempts to recover the information from the thrashed laptop were not going well at all. What would she think of him if she knew how badly he hoped there had been no progress since they left so she would have to go back? As he numbered all the secrets he kept from her, Namor briefly looked at something he was holding in his hand before releasing one long sigh. He was protecting her. In his mind, he always tried to convince himself that all of that he was doing to protect her. Namor knew that if there was some way to just whisk her away, leave everything that pained her behind, and make everything better…he would do it in a heartbeat, but the title invested in him by his people was the only godly thing about him. Even with all his power, some things were beyond him. He couldn’t take a look inside her mind, see if she was as desperate as he was to see all the things inside his mind that had her name tattooed on them.

She had to know. Nobody kisses somebody else like that unless they knew something, or hoped the other one did. The Talokanil pressed his lips together as the memory of her lips on his haunted him for the millionth time in a frustratingly short time.

He would tell her everything. He swore to himself that he would ease her into everything he’d kept from her once they were back in Talokan, even if that meant…

Namor’s inner dialogue stopped the minute the possibility of her leaving his side came into play. He tried finishing the sentence again. He would tell her absolutely everything even if it meant… The man stopped walking and angrily ran a hand across his face when a noise interrupted his third attempt.

It was his name. One of his many names and now perhaps his favorite, called by a voice that made him terrified of what would happen the day he stopped putting up so much resistance to the effects it had on him.  Like right then, when he turned around as alert as if he was bracing for the impact of an assailant just to release every bit of air in his lungs the second she entered his range of vision. Even if she looked as if she was about to tear his face off.

Mercedes practically ran into Namor, pushing him away with all her strength. He took a step backwards despite not having felt anything.

“What the fuck are you doing?” She yelled at him, “Were you going to leave? I told you not to leave without letting me know! Do you think that telling my senile grandmother ‘hey say goodbye to her for me’ would be enough?”

“What?” Was all that left his lips as he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

“Yeah, she told me, and here’s your stupid farewell gift,” She took the vibranium bead out of her pocket and shoved it against his chest, “I don’t give a shit if you’re used to doing things in your own time, we had a deal, and that was that you’d let me know before you left, then tell me when you’d come back,”

“Mercedes, I’m…” He tried to explain himself just to be immediately shut down.

“No, no, I don’t care how you’re going to justify it. I…you’re very helpful. You’re too helpful. And I hate that you always seem to lift a weight off my shoulders and I shouldn’t be okay with that, but I’d rather hate myself for needing your help than not having it.”

“So is that all you want from me? Help?” He asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“Wait, no, I didn’t mean it like that…” She immediately tried to apologize.

“Was it help all you were seeking on the tree?” Namor asked in such a blunt, straightforward way that now it was she who nearly stumbled backwards.

“A lot has happened since then,” He continued, not moving from where he stood, “And we haven’t had the chance to properly talk about it.”

Mercedes shifted her weight from one foot to the other awkwardly. Not lowering her gaze despite the violent shift of color on her face was a feat of sheer strong will. Fearing an uncomfortable silence more than whatever that conversation could have in store for her, she cleared her throat and gave a step forward.

“Okay. What about it?”

“Why did you do it?” Namor asked, unfazed,

Just the first question and it already appeared to be the hardest to answer, judging by the shift in the woman’s demeanor and how her eyes drifted to the side for the first time in the conversation.

“I don’t know,” was the disappointing answer. The Talokanil man scoffed and this time lifted both his eyebrows as he got even closer, carefully scrutinizing Mercedes’ face.

“Xmeech, you once told me that you thought I looked into people’s eyes to see if they were lying, remember?” Once she nodded, he continued speaking, “The truth is, I only did it with you. And not because I want to catch you in a lie.”

Noticing how she avoided looking at him as if she’d been caught in the act and to further prove his point, Namor gently grabbed her chin and turned her face to look at him, going as far as cupping her face with his hand to keep her from moving it away again.

“I already know two things about you. You are either a very smart person who calculates her every movement or you’re a reckless madwoman who completely disregards her own safety, there’s no in between with you. And your eyes tell me who you are right then. I can see if you’ve completely planned out everything that’s going on, or if you’re just taking a leap of faith.”

“So…you knew I intended to get you drunk that night so I could escape?” She asked in an attempt to ease the tension with a joke that accomplished nothing but quirking up the corner of his mouth for a moment.

“I didn’t then. Now I realize you knew perfectly well what you were doing, just like I know that that night on top of the tree was a mere impulse.”

“If you know it was just an impulse,” Mercedes quietly replied, “What do you want from me?”

His hand left her face to slide behind her neck, pulling her forward and leaning down to end with his forehead pressed against hers and his eyes closed shut.

“I want to know where it came from and if you would do it again.”

What followed was an impossible silence. Even the insects and other noises of the jungle went quiet around them, or so it seemed to Namor as the only sound that reached his ears was his own heart as it echoed inside his chest when he stopped feeling her skin against his.

He didn’t really know what to expect. Maybe a soft and hesitant brush of lips, which was more than enough. Perhaps she would just breathe on his lips and then back down. Even the possibility of being harshly slapped crossed his mind and would’ve made perfect sense. Being roughly pulled forward not for a kiss but for a hug as sobs flooded his ears was far beyond anything he’d imagined. It wasn’t until he opened his eyes in confusion that he witnessed how frantically she was pulling herself closer to him, burying her nose in his neck and clasping her arms behind his neck as she stood on her tiptoes. Almost on instinct, he snaked his arms around her waist and held her just as tightly against his chest, feeling her irregular breaths as she struggled to keep more sobs from coming out. Mercedes peeled herself off him and, letting out a relieved, breathless laugh, leaned forward to kiss him again. This time she didn’t give a shit about whether he could feel her shaking like a leaf. Willingly letting every emotion rush through her, she pressed her lips against his over and over and over, not even aiming for his mouth anymore and not caring if they landed on his cheek or his eyes a couple of times. When she ran out of breath, Mercedes once again found solace resting her chin on his shoulder as he gently placed a hand soothingly on her hair.  

“I’m not ready to be away from you,” She admitted, his flush skin against her mouth muffling her words causing her to move away from him to speak properly, “That’s all I can give to you right now.”

“Does that mean you’re coming with me?” He cautiously asked, holding her face in his hands as he looked at her expectantly.

“We’re not done yet. That shitty computer is our best shot at finding those assholes and I will even if it’s the last thing I do. Even if you had left me behind, I know where to find you.”

 “I did mean to go back,” Namor quickly explained in a more serious tone, “Your grandmother must have misunderstood me when I told her I was going back to you because…well, she thinks you already are in the underworld, so I thought it was best to act accordingly. I only went back to explain my absence.”

As he spoke, Namor closed his fist tightly around a tiny, elongated object inside his hand and concealed it by folding his arms.

“I already placed my family somewhere safe,” Mercedes spoke, briefly glancing to the side, “If we hurry, we should be reaching the ocean before sunrise.”

With a nod, Namor gave her a lopsided grin, which she returned before he turned around to walk in the opposite direction. The minute his gaze was off her, Mercedes pressed her lips into a thin line and diverted her eyes to a small cut on her forearm that, fortunately, he hadn’t noticed. While it was covered by cauterized tissue, she could still feel the awkward metallic bump under it and, if one looked very carefully and knew what to look for, the faint light of the tracker was barely visible.

The Translations:

Tet: Lacandon Mayan. Father



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