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bffhreprise · 5 years

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Entry 255

“Son, what happened to you?” I asked after a time, having wanted to think through what my son had been telling me. I knew he wasn’t always like this. If he had been superhuman as a youth, I would have noticed. Children don’t have that much restraint.

“Well, I learned that I was capable of doing magic shortly before I graduated. Regina and I were practicing together.” replied James.

“What!? Regina knew about this?” asked Rachel, sounding alarmed.

“I found out she was capable of using magic when we attended Prom, though I suspected as much a little sooner.” replied James as if that explained everything.

“But son… how did you find out that you were a… magic user?” I pursued, at a loss for the right words for this absurd situation.

James looked over to Lady Pendreigh, who nodded slightly. He then said, “Emma tested Jarod and me after demonstrating her own abilities.”

“Emma is on this as well?” questioned Rachel.

“Everyone who works for me knows about magic, though not all of them can use it.” stated James.

Everyone knew? No. “I refuse to believe there can be that many people throwing spells around. Everyone would know about it.”

“There has always been a fear in such people that they would be persecuted if they should show their power. I assure you the fear is quite valid.” insisted Lady Pendreigh.

First glancing at her, my son said, “Even if they would be accepted by most of the world, there’s a group that actively seeks out the more dangerous types of people you’d deem to be supernatural. Draw too much attention, and they will intervene.”

“Back up a minute. You said Jarod could do magic, right?” I inquired, wanting something more tangible to grasp. I knew Jarod, had watched him grow with my son.

“No. Emma tested him, but he can’t do a thing with residual energy, much to his chagrin.” replied James.

“Residual energy?” I questioned, wanting to understand.

James nodded and said, “There are different types of magic. The type I use takes leftover energy from different types of magic and forms it into spells.”

“So you can only do magic when someone else is casting spells around you?” I asked.

“Well, no. There’s a great deal of energy in the world. A great deal more is available throughout this house now that I’m not living here. I was born a bit unusual in that my body will actually absorb the energy and create a potent spell around me.” he replied, seeming a touch embarrassed.

I frowned, not liking his claim to have always done magic. “What sort of spell?”

“James emits a type of enchantment that causes those in his vicinity to be endeared to him.” explained Lady Pendreigh. “I took notice of him primarily because of it.”

I looked at my wife to see if she was finding this as hard to believe as I was. If what they were saying was true, we had been under a spell for James’ entire life. Squeezing back as Rachel took my hand, I knew she was thinking the same thoughts. James always had a way with people…

“Trust me, the news came as a bit of a shock to me as well. I inadvertently affect everyone and don’t have a reasonable way to stop it.” he reaffirmed.

“There is a way though?” questioned my wife.

He shrugged and nodded slowly. “Well, yes, to an extent. If I want to walk around completely defenseless, I could.”

“James would be in grave danger if that were to happen, so he doesn’t really have a choice.” insisted Lady Pendreigh.

“James, dear, how did Regina… how did she... die?” inquired Rachel, staring up at him.

I squeezed her hand more, wishing to comfort her. Rachel had taken Regina’s death very hard.

Looking serious, James stated “She was killed by a werelion. Regina died saving my life.”

“A werelion!?” I asked, wondering why he would say something so ludicrous.

“Yes. You’ve surely heard myths about werewolves. Think of a similar creature related to lions instead of wolves.” explained Lady Pendreigh matter-of-factly. “There are many types of therianthropes.”

Ignoring her, I said, “Son, you can’t possibly expect me to believe this.”

James smile looked sad as he said, “You’ve seen some of what I can do. Is there really no room for werewolves and werelions? What about vampires? I know a couple. I can introduce you if you like, assuming they don’t mind. Would you like to meet a fairy? My little friend spends a great deal of time around me.”

“James… what were you doing near such a creature?” questioned Rachel, sounding worried.

“Luke, my trackmate, was one of many werelions. He killed Nathan at school in a fit of rage, and I came across them. We hadn’t known there were so many… We wouldn’t have stumbled into their trap if we had.” insisted James, sounding sincere.

“I’m sorry, son, but why would you pursue such a creature? What were you planning on doing? Kill him?” I asked, knowing my son wasn’t a killer.

“If necessary. We couldn’t exactly tell the police.” he stated with a grim solemnity.

No… Hesitating slightly, I asked “Son, did you…”

“No. I’ve never killed anyone.” he replied, cutting me off.

“Then they’re still out there?” asked Rachel, her voice rising slightly in pitch as she spoke.

James shook his head and said, “No. They’re dead. The entire group is dead.”

“What?” I questioned, trying to wrap my head around this dangerous group’s death.

“This will probably be the hardest thing for you to accept, but Death is real, scythe and all. I had nightmares for that entire month after seeing her. When Regina fell, Death appeared. She lifted her scythe, and they were gone. There weren’t even bodies left.” There was a haunted look to my son’s eyes as he spoke.

What had he really seen?

Rachel nodded and told him “I remember you being out of touch… I just thought you were taking Regina’s death hard.”

“I really was, but the nightmares were beyond the death of a friend. You don’t ever want to know how terrifying Death is.” he assured her.

“Son, people often have terrible dreams after the death of a loved one. I know you don’t want to hear this, but you probably imagined it.” I told him, looking for a rational explanation.

“He didn’t imagine anything. Even I…” Lady Pendreigh stopped, seeming to be remembering something. She was shaking. “Even I am terrified of her. Meeting her was the single worst moment of my life. There are accounts of people literally dying of fright just from seeing her. Do not take this so lightly.”

I stared at her long and hard, shuddering involuntarily. Lady Pendreigh was an incredibly competent business woman with absolutely no mercy as I had found out. Seeing her so shaken from a memory was shocking, but I still had my doubts.

“I’m sorry, son, but this is hard to accept.” I admitted. I took a little while to sort my thoughts, trying to fit the pieces together without being too critical. Things weren’t fitting properly. “With you being so fast, how could the werelions best you? Are they equally fast?”

“Oh. I wasn’t actually this fast when I faced them. I doubt they could even scratch me now.” he explained with a casual tone that surprised me.

“They couldn’t. You took fifty caliber rounds with ease.” insisted Lady Pendreigh.

“What!? You were shot?” I asked, shocked that that hadn’t been mentioned.

Nodding, he said, “Yes, actually. I can’t say that was a pleasant experience, but the injury didn’t last.”

Lady Pendreigh rolled her eyes as she smiled at him. “The bullets didn’t even pierce his skin. I’d hardly say you were injured, James.”

“Well, I did feel a little bruised at first.” he argued.

“James, dear, why would someone shoot you?” asked Rachel, still sounding worried.

“Oh… umm…” he started, looking as if he was trying to find the words to explain.

“There are people who don’t want to see James and me be wed, so they’re protesting. The abduction attempt against you was also a result of this.” stated Lady Pendreigh as if quoting common knowledge.

I knew that she was extremely wealthy and influential, but I didn’t think she was someone whose presence put others at risk.

Continuing, she said, “As you are aware, I am Lady Alma Lucy Pendreigh V of the United Kingdom, but my estates and influence stretch well beyond my country’s borders. In marrying me, your son will gain lands, titles, and influence, making him the envy of any other potential suitors. They don’t take such things lightly.”

“You’re… engaged?” questioned Rachel.

“Well, no. Her family has some unique customs, but there is a strong possibility of that happening in the near future.” replied James.

“Be sure to tell us when you are, but isn’t this rushing things a bit?” I asked him, knowing the two had only known each other for half a year.

“The laws of her family are a bit rigid, father, and you and mother should know that I will most definitely tell you when the time comes.” he assured us. Then, seeming a touch annoyed, he said, “I feel that we’re avoiding the point here. If, by some twist of fate, you happen to come across something you feel to be supernatural, don’t investigate. Your lives depend on it.”

“Investigate? Why would we do such a thing?” asked my wife, brushing the thought away as she spoke.

“Mother, you attempted to touch the first magic you saw.” stated James.

“James, dear, it was just a light.” she replied.

Letting his annoyance into his voice, he told her “I feel I’ve demonstrated that things aren’t always what they seem. Since finding out about magic, I’ve seen minotaurs and zombies right here in the city. Though the minotaurs stood out, the zombies were disguised in illusions that made them pass as living people. I’d be incredibly impressed if you’d recognize a vampire. You can’t trust things to be safe based simply on what you see.”

“What would you have us do, son? Are we supposed to be scared of everything? I’ve lived here for my entire life without encountering anything like what you’ve described.” I argued, not wanting the shut-in life I imagined.

“Before even being trained in magic, Regina could alter luck to her favor. Did you ever find it strange that she won at so many board games?” questioned James.

“You won just as many, dear.” insisted Rachel.

“Regina did a great deal for me without me knowing.” he replied, now sounding a little sad.

Approaching us on the couch, Portentia smiled and said, “You don’t have to be scared. Just be careful. Though there aren’t any other superheroes to my knowledge, many of the creatures out there aren’t so bad. Your son’s always just a call away, and I try to look out for everyone. Feel free to call me as well if you need help.”

James reached out and rested his hand on her shoulder. “Thank you.”

I trusted my son as well as my own eyes. I knew he meant well and could tell he was legitimately concerned. We were almost abducted, but I was still struggling. I couldn’t deny his speed or Portentia’s… strangeness. Believing that I had missed so very much was still a struggle. If all this was true, I… I didn’t know what to think of my life.

#Best Friend For Hire Reprise #Best #Friend #For #Hire #Reprise #Jovial Times #Jovial #Times #Fantasy #Fiction #Story

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onceuponanolicity · 7 years

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When summer rolls around again, Oliver has plans that do not include being near Felicity, only once she lands into trouble, there is no other place he wishes to be than by her side.

Oliver landed at his mother’s Alma Mater for the spring semester. There Oliver had been determined to keep on the straight and narrow for one reason alone. His peace of mind.

He shoved thoughts of Felicity aside and buckled down to actually get some school work accomplished. Not that he didn’t still party and make out with a large amount of beautiful women. The fact that he joined a fraternity pretty much guaranteed the last two.

So, it was with a changed frame of mind that Oliver landed back in Starling City for the summer. He was ready to spend some time with Tommy and just relax. Maybe go out with Laurel for their planned weekend away in Costa Rica. The one they planned after they spent the week in Ibiza for their spring break. As it was, it looked like their time this summer was limited since Laurel planned to intern with some law firm over the summer.

The first thing on Oliver’s agenda was to hook up with the model he met at the last fraternity party before the summer. She was supposed to be having a layover in Starling City tonight and Oliver planned to wine and dine her in style before Laurel came home. Maybe if he was lucky, he’d spend the night wrapped in long legs and blonde hair.

OQFSOQFSOQFS

Felicity was so ready for the summer. Starling City was beginning to rub her raw. She no longer fit into what her mom wanted and Felicity refused to conform to the norms of society just because they thought that an almost fifteen year old should be all girly and rocking out to Destiny’s Child and No Doubt. She’d much rather brood and pound out the tunes from Death Cab for Cutie and Linkin Park. That didn’t exactly make her popular and even Sara had shied away lately from who Felicity was turning out to be.

It felt wrong to be away from the girl who Felicity still considered her best friend, but they had less and less in common. Sara became really popular over the past year. All the while Felicity faded into the background in her own little technical world. It was where she was discovering who she was. Online, Felicity felt powerful. She could create code that even some adults were amazed by. It was liberating to find her niche. Hacker extraordinaire.

In that world, Felicity could be whoever she wanted to be. As strong as she wanted to be. Not the girl who was a freak or the one who people whispered about at school. Not that it made much difference what people at school thought about her. She wouldn’t be there much longer. MIT had accepted her into the summer program, allowing her to begin her college classes sooner than she ever dreamed. By the fall, Felicity would be a college student, not just a high schooler. So, all of those kids who made fun of her could go screw themselves. She was going to make something of herself. And it all started with the keyboard under her fingertips.

“You ready to do this?” Seth asked her from the darkness of the corner where he set up his own system.

Felicity cracked her knuckles and smiled at him. “You bet.”

Seth smiled over at her. “Then let the hacking commence.”

OQFSOQFSOQFS

Oliver Queen had no plans to see Felicity. After talking to Sara, Oliver wasn’t even sure if he would have an opportunity. She was supposed to head over to Massachusetts for school in a week or so for summer session. Yet, he never pictured the worst situation he could land in would also cause him to do just that.

“You peed on a reporter?” Moira sounded incredulous as she signed the paperwork that would get him released from jail. “And a cop?”

“The reporter deserved it,” Oliver said with very little remorse. The guy was an asshole and Oliver had been drunk. The guy wanted to grab a dick pic as Oliver leaned on the wall to relieve himself after a long night of drinking. As far as Oliver was concerned, the guy got just what he had coming to him. “As for the cop,” Oliver said with red staining his cheeks, “it wasn’t on purpose.”

“Oliver Jonas Queen, I’m disappointed in you.”

Glancing over at Tommy, Oliver noticed his friend was having the hardest time trying to keep a straight face as his mother dressed him down. Oliver glared at him wishing he could shoot him the finger without his mother seeing. It was Tommy’s fault he was in this situation to begin with. In fact, Tommy had been there when the whole incident went down, but he managed to get away without being nabbed by the cops. Bastard.

“You realize this is on every news station.” It was not a question. “Your father is fielding calls while meeting with our lawyers in an attempt to keep this from going to court.”

“Excuse me, Mrs. Queen,” an officer addressed her apologetically. “We have another person ready to fill out paperwork for release. We… We need the area. It involves a minor.”

“Of course.” Moira graced the young officer with a smile. She signed the last of the papers with a flourish and handed him the paperwork.

The officer accepted them, glancing at them with a critical eye to make sure everything was correct. When he looked up, he nodded at Oliver’s mother before addressing him. “Mr. Queen, you are free to go.”

Oliver jumped off the table he sat on and went to grab the door handle ready for his escape. When he did, he found Donna Smoak standing there nibbling at one of her precious fingernails. She never bit them. She never looked this frazzled before either. It made Oliver worry. Reaching out, Oliver captured her shoulders in his hands. “What happened? Where’s Felicity?”

Tommy rushed over to Oliver’s side and the two of them shared a concerned look. This could not be good. Donna was there and there was supposed to be a minor in the room. Felicity was a minor.

“Ms. Smoak,” the officer called out from behind them. “You can come in now. They were just heading out.”

“Who was that?” Moira asked as she joined the two boys and Donna swept into the room.

“Felicity’s mom,” Oliver threw over his shoulder as he tried to push his way back into the room. The officer blocked his way with a stern look on his face.

“Donna,” Tommy called out, once the officer began to close the door. “Can we help?”

She turned and nodded. “You can let them in.”

The officer did not look happy at this turn of events. “Are you sure, Ms. Smoak?”

“Yes. Please. They are practically family.”

Oliver didn’t know about that, but if that meant that he could be in that room, he would admit to being a purple elephant. Leveling a look at the officer, Oliver challenged him to not let him and Tommy back in.

The officer finally stepped back and allowed them entry. Oliver let Tommy go in first. He needed to talk to his mom so she wouldn’t worry. “Tommy will drive me home. I promise I’ll come as soon as this is finished.”

“I’ll expect you by dinner, Oliver.” She gave him a stern look that said that she refused to have him show up one minute later.

Nodding, Oliver shut the door. He found that the officer had left the room through the door they had brought him in. The one that led off to the jail section of the building. How had he not seen Felicity before now? Especially after spending the entire night in a jail cell. But that did not bother Oliver half as much as his other question. What had Felicity done that would cause her to be arrested in the first place?

“What happened?” Tommy asked the top question on their brains. “And how can we help?”

Donna swiped a tear from her cheek. “All I know is I received a call from some detective that said that Felicity and a group of kids were brought into the station earlier this morning. They refused to tell me why over the phone. I rushed right over here.” She waved down at her cocktail dress. “I didn’t even have time to dress. Not that I have any idea what one would normally wear to a police station to pick up their daughter.”

“Mom!” Felicity came into the room and threw herself into her mother’s arms.

“Baby.” Donna hugged her tight and then pulled her back to search her face. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“Sit, Miss Smoak.” A man dressed in a suit came through the door and glared at Tommy and Oliver. “Oh, look. The criminal brigade.”

Tommy seemed taken aback by the man’s attitude while Oliver stood there clenching his fists. The two of them had dealt with jealousy, intolerance, and hatred before but never with such vehemence from someone they had never met who was supposed to be an upstanding member of the city they lived in.

The black man held out his hand to Donna. “I’m Detective Franklin Pike, Ms. Smoak. I was the arresting officer.”

“Arrested?” Donna glanced down at Felicity who had taken the chair Pike had indicated. Her face was laced with concern. A much different look than the anger and disappointment that Oliver had seen on his own mother’s face. “What did you do?”

Detective Pike took a seat across the table from Felicity and laid out some papers he had gathered inside a file folder. “Miss Smoak and her friends decided to hack into the police radio frequency and create chaos. It resulted in a miscommunication with the local fire department.”

“Felicity Megan Smoak,” Donna placed her hands on her hips and waved toward the paperwork, “did you do this?” When Felicity let out the briefest of nods, Donna threw her hands up in the air and spun around on her heels. Her hands came up to her face, holding it, before going back down to her hips while she faced her daughter. “How stupid of me. Of course you did this. Were you with this new group of friends of yours?”

“Mom, I…”

“No, it’s my turn to talk, young lady.” Donna pointed at her daughter, a disappointed frown lining her features. “First, you are going to apologize. To everyone. Then you are banned from every electronic until you leave for school next week. And you are no longer allowed near this,” Donna made air quotes with her fingers, “group of friends.”

Detective Pike shuffled some papers. “I’m afraid it is a little more serious than that. But,” he glanced at Felicity and frowned, “I did speak to Judge Cross regarding her school.” Pike rose becoming more intimidating. “He was not happy. What happened could have cost lives.” At Donna’s shocked gasp, Pike’s eyes fell on Felicity’s mom. “Luckily, it did not. He also took into account her age. He agreed to thirty hours of community service without her having to come to court.”

Tommy stepped forward. “Can it be postponed until she returns this fall from school?”

Detective Pike nodded. “Yes. So long as she puts in at least ten hours of it before she leaves, the Judge was willing to wait for her to finish the rest.”

“Did you hear that, young lady?” Donna’s voice was sharp, sharper than Oliver had ever heard it. However, the smile that she graced Detective Pike with was vastly different than the tone she had just used on her daughter. “I think it might be possible for her to be able to complete most, if not all of it, before she leaves.” Once more Donna turned to her daughter and the smile dropped. “Because she is going to find herself bored out of her mind over the next week.”

Oliver walked over and placed his hand on Felicity’s shoulder, but she shook it off. “I’ll work with you.”

“While community service is an honorable occupation, Mr. Queen, I don’t think it will help with your own situation. Don’t expect that it will sway a judge with your charges,” Detective Pike said with derision.

Damn. Oliver was really beginning to hate this man. “I’m doing it for her, not a judge.”

“I’d rather you didn’t,” Felicity mumbled just loud enough for him to hear.

“Felicity, if I were you, I’d thank Oliver and begin to figure out how you are going to apologize to the entire police and fire department,” Donna said with her arms crossed and a six inch heel tapping on the hard concrete floor.

“Yes, mom.” Felicity appeared defiant more than compliant despite the words that came from her mouth.

Detective Pike held out a hand to Donna again. “I’ll have an officer come in with the papers for you to sign and then Felicity will be free to go.” He turned to Felicity and snapped his fingers to get her attention. “I advise you to be more aware of what you are doing, Miss Smoak. Hacking can get you into very serious trouble. You were lucky this time.”

Tommy jumped into the chair that Pike vacated after he left and placed his hand on Felicity’s arm that laid across the table. “Hey. Things are going to be okay.” He nodded up at Oliver. “Ollie and I are will help you get through community service. We’ve done it enough times.”

Felicity jerked her arm away and jumped up from her chair knocking it over. “I don’t want your help. I didn’t ask for it. I don’t even know why you’re here.”

“Felicity Smoak, apologize right now.”

“No.” Felicity crossed her arms and glared at the two guys.

“Uh-uh.” Donna waved a finger in Felicity’s direction. “You may have inherited your father’s smarts, but this sass? It will end right now, young lady.” Donna’s eyes flashed with anger. “Your friends are here because they wanted to help you after you got yourself into trouble.”

Felicity waved at Oliver. “Seems he gets into enough trouble all on his own. Are you sure that’s the influence you want for me?”

Donna’s eyes shot between the two of them. “You know, I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but I advise you to fix it if you don’t want to lose the friendship forever.”

Oliver walked over and placed a hand on Donna’s arm. “Do you mind if I talk to her for a minute? In private.” He pointed to the mirror in the room. “You can watch from outside.”

“No,” Felicity spoke up. “I don’t want to talk to him.”

Donna nodded. “Five minutes.” She turned to her daughter and leveled a look that spoke volumes. “I expect you to behave yourself. I will be back in when they bring in the paperwork.”

“Me?” Felicity spewed in disbelief. “He’s the one who peed on someone. Two someones.”

“It’s not nice to spread rumors, Felicity,” Donna reprimanded.

“But…”

Oliver noticed that Tommy bit his lip to smother his laughter as he came over to lead Donna from the room. “We’ll be outside.”

The door closed behind them leaving Oliver alone with the one woman he had no wish to see. The same one that he couldn’t forget no matter how much he tried. The one who looked ready to spit nails if that meant Oliver’s death.

Oliver rested back on the table and studied her. Her hair had grown down past her shoulders and her clothes had gotten darker. Not one bit of color resided on her unless you counted the dark purple lipstick. The only reason at all Oliver could tell it was purple was because of the harsh fluorescent lights overhead.

“So, I take it the computer works well,” Oliver said with just a small level of levity. “I’m assuming that is, that the computer I bought you is the same one that was confiscated when the police arrested you.”

“Yeah, so?”

“I bought that…” Oliver was going to say because he had hoped to make her happy, but decided to change tactics. “I bought that computer so that you could use it for school.”

Felicity shrugged. “It was a Computer Club thing, so technically it was for school.

” Oliver tried to hide his smile. “Am I right in assuming that Starling City High School has yet to hear about this little incident? Because I have a feeling that the club will be disbanded pretty quickly.”

“It’s summer,” Felicity said with a slight shrug as she leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms.

“I wouldn’t expect the group to still be there come fall.”

“Neither will I.” She shrugged again. “Sort of.”

Oliver jumped down from the table and approached her. “Let Tommy and I help you. It’s what friends do.”

“Friends?” Felicity’s eyes rimmed in heavy dark eyeliner hit his. “From the moment we met we have never been friends. Not really. No matter how much we tried.” Her finger came out and slammed into his chest, something that she would have never done before. Felicity usually shied away from touching him. “So, the way I see it, you’re not my father or my brother, so stay the hell out of my business. And stay away from me.”

Oliver tried not to flinch. Not from her finger which would probably be leaving a permanent bruise on his skin, but from her words. “I guess I’ll leave you alone then.”

“Good.” Felicity pulled her hand back nodding. “That’s all I ever wanted.”

Oliver stood there for a moment lost. It had finally happened. He had lost Felicity. There was a permanent fissure between them. Not only that, but she kicked the remaining piece of his heart out the window with her words. He opened his mouth to say something, but there was nothing that he could say. There was no fixing this.

Turning, Oliver went to the door and pulled it open. Walking in a straight line, Oliver made his way over to Tommy’s side as Donna scurried back inside.

“Whatever she said, I’m sure she didn’t mean it, Ollie,” Tommy told him when they reached his car.

“She meant it.” Oliver knew that for sure.

“She’s upset,” Tommy tried to qualify as if that made a difference.

Oliver pounded the roof of the car and stared over at his friend. “She’s was right, okay? Let’s just leave it at that.”

“Never stopped you before,” Tommy told him with a glance back at the precinct. “Not with her.”

“It’s probably time to start listening then.” Oliver shook his head and slid into the car. “She’s smart enough to know what she wants and that’s not me.”

“Right now,” Tommy said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Oliver turned to his friend in confusion.

“It means that I have seen the two of you together,” Tommy said as he started the car.

“And?”

“And nothing.” Tommy shrugged and pulled out of the parking lot. “You’ll both figure it out eventually. If you don’t mess it up like you do everything else.” Tommy glanced over at Oliver before made a turn. “Give yourselves some space. More like time, since you’ve already had space with you at college. When the time is right, I have no doubt that it will hit both of you hard.”

“Shut up, Tommy.” Oliver diverted his eyes out the window. Time and space were already commodities that Oliver had allowed himself. Neither seemed to help. Because the second that his back was turned, Felicity ended up back into his life.

Tommy laughed. “Got it. Shutting up now. But in case you wanted to know, I set up Felicity’s volunteer work with Donna. We are going to be at my mom’s clinic in the Glades tomorrow through Tuesday. And then Wednesday we’ll be working at the women’s shelter down the road.”

“You just told me to give ourselves space.”

Tommy smiled and winked. “There’s space and then there’s space.”

“Okay,” Oliver said still confused as to where his friend was going with this. “Let’s just assume I’m too stupid to figure out the difference.”

“If you should just happen to run into us when I suggest that we get lunch, then you might be allowed to join us.” Tommy turned down the road that lead straight to the Queen Mansion. “Or if Wednesday night after we’re finished I suggest to Felicity that she come back to the mansion with me for dinner to keep me company and my best friend just happens to show up… I can’t turn a buddy away, if you know what I’m saying.”

Oliver considered this for a moment. He shook his head. “Tomorrow Laurel and I are flying to Coast City. I promised her a beach day before she starts her internship on Monday.”

“Wednesday it is.” Tommy winked as he turned down the Queen’s driveway. “I’ll tell Ingrid to keep an extra place setting hidden until you get there.”

OQFSOQFSOQFS

“Please, Tommy,” Felicity pleaded as they entered the Merlyn Mansion on Wednesday night after a hard day of working at the women’s shelter.

“No,” Tommy told her sternly. “I am not going to let you use my phone.”

“I just want to tell the guys bye. My mom won’t even let me call them. They don’t deserve radio silence.” Felicity pulled her hands up to her lips and tried to bat her eyelashes like she had seen her mom and Sara do. “Please.”

“No.” Tommy turned to her and crossed his arms, his expression cross because she had been going off on this since they left the shelter. “Your mom doesn’t want you in communication with them and part of your punishment is no technology. You can just wait until you’re at MIT to communicate with them.”

“But, I’ll be a whole country away then.”

“Here.” Felicity turned toward the new voice in just enough time to catch the phone that was tossed to her.

No sooner was it in her hand than Tommy swiped it back out, glaring at his best friend. That apparently was not enough for him because he took the few steps that separated them and slapped the phone against his chest. “You’re not helping.”

“Funny. I thought that was exactly what I was doing,” Oliver said with a wink over Tommy’s shoulder at Felicity.

“What are you doing here besides being a pain in my ass?” Tommy asked him.

“You too?” Felicity asked because she was wondering the same thing. She thought for sure that she had seen the last of Oliver Queen. She had a trash can full of tissues to prove it.

“Hey,” Oliver said as he pointed at her. “And here I was the one who was willing to give you the phone that you asked for.”

He did have a point. Damn him.

“I decided to have dinner with my best friend,” Oliver finally said with an underlining bit of anger. “But I didn’t realize that all I was going to get was crap.”

Tommy let out a sigh and turned to Felicity. “What do you think?”

Felicity gave him a shrug. “It’s your house.” Waving at the door, Felicity began to move towards it. “You two can share dinner and I’ll just catch a cab back home.”

Tommy snagged her arm and drew her back. “Uh-uh. Your mom would kill me for putting you in a cab, which you will not get outside my house since you are a good fifteen minute walk to a main street. Plus, if you head home she’ll kill me again since she’s not there to make sure you stay on your no technology ban.”

“I hate you,” Felicity spat at him. Tommy was being a real prick about this whole thing. It was like her mom had hired him as her own personal babysitter.

“Were we this stubborn at her age?” Tommy asked Oliver with a sigh.

“Worse,” Oliver told him with a laugh. “We had the money to get away with all the crap that we set our minds on.”

“Says the man who pissed on a guy not five days ago.” Felicity crossed her arms and glared at him. Both guys’ eyes landed on her. Neither looked very happy. Yanking out of Tommy’s hold, Felicity leveled them with her own disapproving gaze. “I’m going to go find Ingrid and see if she needs help with dinner.”

Before she had gone too far, Oliver caught up to her. He towered over her and Felicity backed up and ended up smacking into the wall of the hallway. Oliver followed her and ended up blocking her. There was nowhere to go. So, Felicity went with the only mechanism she had left. Sarcasm. “What?”

Oliver continued to stand there staring down at her. It made her feel uncomfortable. Not because she was scared of him. She never had been so there was no reason to start now. It was more because of his hypercritical study of her. It caused a piece of her to react in such a way that she never felt before. For the life of her, she needed him to touch her and she didn’t know why.

Her thighs clenched together to keep herself together. When he reached out, she wanted to have it run across the puckered nipples that pushed against the fabric of her cropped off sweatshirt. Instead it touched a piece of her hair and smoothed it behind her ear.

His other hand jerked her forward and she felt something slide into the back pocket of her jean shorts. She was certain it was his hand until she was able to see both and still felt it back there.

“It’s a burner,” Oliver told her as he stepped back. “Be good or else I’ll tell Tommy about it. Got that?”

Felicity reached back and pulled the phone from her pocket, nodding. “Thanks.”

Oliver jerked his head in the direction of where they had left Tommy. “Hide it if you don’t want him to find it.”

Felicity lifted her gaze so she could study him. “Why are you doing this?”

He shrugged and shoved his hands into the back pockets of the shorts he wore. “Call it a going away present.”

She did not plan to do it, but before her mind could register that she was, Felicity leaned up on her toes and pressed her lips to his cheek. “Thank you.”

“Yeah.” Oliver blushed and backed away. His eyes drifted down from her and he shifted his feet for a moment before he fully turned to go.

Felicity did not know what to think of the whole interaction. Oliver swung hot and cold so often that she strained to keep up. And with him away at college she had gotten out of practice. This new Oliver who was willing to confront her and then turn around and help her confused her even more. She hoped to find out more about why at dinner, but it seemed after giving her the phone he had left to go home.

OQFSOQFSOQFS

Tommy came home later that night after dropping Felicity off at home to discover Oliver up in his room spread over the bed with a glass of Scotch in his hands. “How many of those have you had?”

Oliver glanced down at the amber liquid in his hand and frowned at it. “Not nearly enough.”

Tommy threw his wallet and keys on the nightstand and shoved his best friend over on the bed to make room for him. “Things seemed like they might be okay between you and Felicity. Why did you bail for dinner?” Tommy snatched the glass and threw back the remaining liquid. “More than that, what’s with the pity party?”

Oliver snagged the glass back and leaned over to grab the bottle to refill it. He took a large sip from the bottle before he returned it to its original position by the bed. “The pity party was in the shower while you were enjoying dinner.” Oliver held up the glass. “This is the follow up. I needed to forget about the pity party that I had in the shower.”

“Okay, and I can’t believe I am saying this, but what are you talking about?” Tommy scooted over so he could stared at Oliver.

“She kissed me.”

Tommy studied him. His expression grew more and more confused as he sat there. “How? When?”

“On the cheek.” Oliver drowned his drink and poured some more. “I wanted more. How sad is that?”

“Thus the pity party,” Tommy noted nodding at the drink.

“Thus the pity party,” Oliver repeated nodding toward the in-room bathroom Tommy had. Oliver handed Tommy the glass and decided to settle on what was left of the bottle. He tugged it over hugging it for a moment before taking a long drawl of the soothing liquor.

They sat there in silence, drinking. Eventually, Oliver rose from the bed and went for his phone.

Tommy stood also and asked him, “What are you doing?”

“I’m calling my driver,” Oliver told him calmly. “I’m in no state to drive.”

“Are you going home?”

Oliver shook his head and began to dial only to have Tommy push the phone down. “I need to get laid. Fast.”

“Once again, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I hope you’re heading to Laurel’s.”

Oliver knew exactly why Tommy was pushing for Laurel. Laurel would talk him down from whatever insanity had set in. Oliver shook his head again. “I don’t want Laurel when I’m thinking about Felicity.” Oliver had already been down that road. It wasn’t fair to either of them.

“Then I’m coming with you,” Tommy announced as he went to go grab his keys and wallet.

“You don’t have to,” Oliver told his friend. “I’m fine on my own.”

“It’s not up for debate,” Tommy said closing Oliver’s phone and pocketing in Oliver’s polo. “Walker can drive us.”

OQFSOQFSOQFS

Oliver woke up the next morning with his head pounding and his mouth drier than a desert in the middle of summer. Cradling his head he pushed himself up in bed only to crack one eye open enough to realize it wasn’t his.

A sidelong glance had him notice the red hair spread across an adjacent pillow. It brought a swift moment of mirth into his hellish existence. He hadn’t done a red head in years.

“Where are you going, handsome?” A naked Asian woman entered the room carrying a tray laden with a few large glasses of water and three steaming coffee mugs.

An Asian and a red head? They weren’t even his usual go to types. He must have been on a real bender the night before but Oliver couldn’t remember why. Snagging a glass of water that the woman offered, he also notice there were some aspirin. Taking one of those as well, Oliver swallowed them both back.

The woman took the empty glass from him, setting it aside. Then she handed him one of the coffee mugs, smiling at him. Oliver was not in the mood for small talk, but she seemed of the same mind because she circled the bed and nudged the other woman awake with a hand. Oliver rose quickly setting down the mug of coffee he did not want. While the women were distracted with good mornings, he grabbed his shorts from the floor. What he needed was a bathroom.

Turning to ask where he could find one, Oliver discovered the two women kissing. The red head pulled the Asian woman down on top of her. Right, Oliver thought. Now was the time to leave. Hell with the bathroom. He could find one somewhere else.

Oliver ran around the room gathering his things and almost tripped heading out the door. He stopped momentarily to dress and make sure he had his wallet and phone. He would need to call his driver to come pick him up. Swiping a hand through his hair, Olive opened the door of the apartment. The second he shut the door behind him, he stopped short wishing he hadn’t locked it behind him.

“Oliver?”

“Ms. Smoak.” Oliver nodded at her. Then he wanted to melt into the ground as Felicity stepped around her mom. “Felicity.”

“Rough night?” Ms. Smoak asked with a twinkle in her eye and a small smile at the edges of her lips. She reached out and captured Felicity’s ears in her hands before she whispered. “You’re shorts are unzipped.”

Shit. Oliver turned and fixed his pants. When he faced them again he was blushing. “Sorry.”

“You’re an adult, pumpkin,” Donna assured him.

Felicity didn’t look quite as agreeable as her mother and he was pretty damn sure it had nothing to do with the look she was trying to portray with her Gothic look. She stood there arms crossed over a black mesh crop top over a black sports bra with her usual black shorts and fish nets inside combat boots. Boots that looked ready to make their home up his ass. “Did you have fun?”

“Felicity, what a horrible thing to ask,” Donna admonished. “Sorry, Oliver.” Donna turned and glared at her daughter. “You and I should get going. We’re already running late.” Donna began to push her daughter down the stairs that they had been descending. Donna smiled over at him and waved. “Bye, Oliver.”

“Bye,” Oliver told them. The second they were gone, he grabbed a hold of the wooden pillar nearby and rammed his already aching head into it repeatedly. Fuck! What the hell were the chances?

@almondblossomme @miriam1779 @1106angel @lovethishealthylife @sunshine0977

#Olicity #olicity au #olicityfic #olicity fanfiction

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bloghappilymarriedthings-blog · 6 years

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Kidnapped?

sorry i wasn't able to email last week, it was a crazy day!

We had exchanges on Tuesday. That is when you change companions for the day and you learn a lot! I got to go out with Hermana Sorensen, she is new in our mission but not in the mission field, she came from Guatemala! We were "lucky" enough to get to be on foot and walk without a car for the day, it was dang good exercise and to be reminded how much we love A/C. Pushes you to be more pushy to get into people's houses hahaha.

We were knocking door to door looking for spanicadors when we heard something.... THE ICE CREAM TRUCK! We said if it came in our path we would get some, which we were praying for lol. and it did!! We walk up to the ice cream truck and he asked if we spoke Spanish!!!!!! IT WAS A DOMINICAN ICE CREAM MAN! We talked with him and gave him el libro de mormón! He became a person they are teaching, I am so excited to hear how his lessons go with the other hermanas hahah.

After we ate our ice cream we walked down a street where an older lady yelled out to us "hello! hello!" We walked over to talk to her. She stroked our faces and said over and over again to us "you are wonderful, you are wonderful, you are wonderful.." we could spell the smoke on her breath and her fingers were burnt and yellow. She then started stuttering "ttt-ttt-ttt-ttt-ttt-" pointing to her watch. this went on for about 30 seconds as she pulled out her empty pill container. hermana Sorensen and I looked at each other, offered her our pass along card and got out of there. Kids, stay away from drugs lol.

This week, like every week, was full of ups and downs. But we got the really sad news that Jhensi will no longer be baptized here in Virginia but we hope he will continue to progress and get baptized in the Dominican when he moves back in a couple of weeks. It is really heartbreaking to see satan working so hard on those you teach. It opened my eyes and made me think of seeing through Christ's eyes, seeing so much potential in others when they cannot see it themselves and refuse it. Knowing the happiness it can bring but to see Satan take it all away is the hardest thing.

We were able to have a FHE with a less active family, who i lovveeee. I guess my last name is hard for some Hispanics haha the mom thought my last name was Song so she said Hermana Cancion hahhahhahhhah.

I had my first dream in Spanish this week!!!! That is the coolest thing haha. I have had a couple now!

We got a call from the APs and we got a new family to teach! They are Colombian, I loveee Colombians. We got to go meet them that same night, in the hospital. The mom, Marisol, is going through chemo right now. It is so hard to see the pain of others but the peace that this gospel brings is unlike anything else. It brings so much happiness and joy to see our message touch others and bring them hope. It really is my joy!! Alma 29:9

We were tracting at an apartment around 8:30pm. There are no street lights or anything in Virginia so thank you for flashlights. We saw a door that had a special door bell, I was praying they were going to be deaf (it is my dream and my goal to find someone to sign to) so I was so excited and I rang the doorbell. The door slowly and literally creaked open, making the scariest noise and the lights were dimmed with a creepy background in the house... no one was at the door and we heard a buzzing coming.... an older woman came to the door and said "you do your job, but I am not interested." we nicely said okay and walked away. As soon as the door shut we all hugged and let our feelings out, we all thought we were about to get kidnapped HHAHAHAHAHAHAHA it literally made my heart stop.

The next door we knocked on the lady said "y'all are brave for being out here".... yeah, we decided to leave after that lol. Good thing my littlest companion knows karate.

The same family we had the FHE with took us out to brunch at waffle house, it was so good! We invited them to come to church aaaaand THEY CAME! Paulo who is 19 hadnt been to church in two years and said he really enjoyed it and actually texted one of his old church friends to go with him again next week! He asked us to come over for a lesson later that day and to have another FHE on Wednesday! It is so awesome to see the light of Christ come into others lives :) This week my Spanish has really been improving as I had my first dream in Spanish and a couple more the following days! I also have started to speak Spanglish on accident hahaha saying "Jesus Christ is el Salvador" and i sometimes answer si or instead of saying "and" i say "y" hahah it is awesome. I just keep studying and making my brain want to pop out of my head. You would love it..

I like to pump up the mood at times (sometimes my comps are negative but i say not today hahah!) hahah i have become a morning person. i don’t understand how some people just wake up angry. i am very much the opposite. I wake up "Buenos dais!" and they say uuggghhhhh HAHAHAHAHHA but they love it.

Some people may think tracting in the rain would be awful, but it is what you make it! Plus if you really get soaked like I did, you just don't need to shower that night ;)We tracted in the pouring rain and did not find any Hispanics, we started back to the car and BAM a Hispanic! Got to love the Lord's timing :)Church attendance is something we struggle with. But this week we got 4 new people plus an inactive family to come to church!!!!!!!!!

We started to teach a new and young family, Macos y Theresa, they have a little girl. We had the second lesson with them yesterday and extended the invitation to be baptized. Marcos said yes!! He was funny and asked after accepting the invitation, "so do I need to stop drinking and doing stuff so I can start now?" we laughed and told him that will be the next lesson lol. It is so awesome to knock on doors and find those that God has prepared to hear our message!!We found out there needs to be a wedding before they can be baptized but hey, I like to plan weddings!

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anthem-of-roses · 6 years

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Thank You, Mrs. Holly

My name is Holly Gainley. I’m 74 years old, and I live with my only daughter, Alice, and her husband and two children.

I have been many things in my long life: a mother, a performer, a wife, an artist. I’ve had a good life, full of adventure and romance, but with the recent passing of my husband, Roger, I’ve come to realise that I have no one left who shares so many of my stories as he did.

That’s why I’m writing this now, in the hopes that my grandchildren can read this letter and know me as more than just Grandma, Nanna, and the occasional Gigi - but as Holly, with all my long history and accomplishments.

I have much to say, and I’m sure I will write many letters in the coming years, but my mother always told me to start a story with the most exciting thing that happens in it, so I think that’s what I’ll do.

The greatest adventure of my many years was the time I spent as an animator in New York City. I was young, about twenty or so I think, and I was living in Manhattan at the time. It was nowhere near as busy as it is now, but nothing was back then, so it certainly felt the same as it does now: big city, bright lights, fast, fast, fast!

I had moved out of my parents’ house to attend college. My mother was always very concerned with maintaining my higher education, and I think we both approved of Barnard’s origins (it was formed as a response to Columbia’s refusal to admit women, an appealing act of defiance), so I studied and got a degree in History and one in English.

I was still in college, looking for a job, craving the independence I had gotten a taste of away from home. The bustle of the city inspired me and I eventually came to work for the breathtaking Capitol Theatre as an instrumentalist in their orchestra. Movies were still silent back then, of course, and the theatre was an astoundingly decadent affair. There were lounges and smoking salons and ushers to guide you around the place, and it was always busy! Plenty of work to go around, seeing as they needed instrumentalists for every movie. I had been educated in the classical manner and knew how to play a handful of instruments, so I was really quite valuable to the theatre. It was tough work, but good, and I had music in my life then.

What with the theatre’s rise in popularity, there were rumours that the management was looking into starting a radio show, and there were plenty of people vying for a spot to perform, I tell you what! I had an eye out for extra work on the side, as ever, so I was looking forward to the opportunity to play with better hours, as I mostly had to fit my work schedule around my classes.

Out of the blue, an old friend from my alma mater offered that I do music for a cartoon show - he had heard I was looking for a job - and I accepted; that was the first time I saw Roger Atwood since high school, and our reunion eventually culminated into a relationship spanning decades.

Mother never approved of cartoons, thought they were lowbrow. I believe the word she used was “scatological”, but seeing how comedy has gone nowadays I rather think she jumped the gun on that one.

Regardless, it was my first time seeing an animated cartoon, and I was absolutely entranced. I still remember the name of the cartoon at least, Bobby Bumps at School, but many of the stories run together in my head. I do vividly recall the image of Bobby’s mother washing his face with a cloth, but I believe that may be from the earlier short “Bobby Bumps Starts for School”. Bobby Bumps didn’t do much to step out of the formula.

I was doing music for the show, and the musicians have to work very closely with the animators, you know, for the visual gags to line up with the music. I was very fortunate, I think, that my introduction to cartoons included how they were made, because I had no conception of cartoons before, how easy or difficult the process of their creation.

As it happened, Bray Productions - the studio that produced Bobby Bumps - was looking for a new cel painter. I’d tried my hand at some traditional painting before, so I offered my services. The interview was very casual and irregular because I had Roger’s shoe in the door, and so they gave me a deadline and said “paint 300 of these cut cels in a week and we’ll consider that a portfolio”, and I managed it quite fine. I wasn’t the only woman painting cels there by any means, so I thought I had a pretty good shot, and turns out I did! I was hired to paint and ink the cells for their new animations.

The first cartoon I distinctly recall working on was Heeza Liar. Heeza had this sort of Roosevelt feel to him. Colonel Heeza Liar. They were rebooting the series, as it had stopped in production sometime around 1917, so I think if I’d known cartoons before then I really would have considered it an honour to work on it.

The job was really quite difficult, especially because of the financial position the studio was in at the time. It was established enough that the animators could get away with some frankly half-finished (and frequently half-started) drawings, and the cel painters were expected not only to paint each cel but to ink a lot of them too. I think that was the hardest part. Too much of that job was ad-lib.

Now I didn’t really know this at the time, but the studio was reaching the end of the rope. I only ended up working on six or seven proper cartoon shows before they started to wrap up work on that. Luckily for me I managed to get into another department early, and I started working on educational videos - PSA’s mostly - and commercial work. It was a fine thing back then, because you got a new thing to draw every week and you never had the time to get tired of a character. But it wasn’t meant to be, and work finally started drying up around 1928 or so.

My degrees from Barnard didn’t prepare me for any job I was particularly interested in, so I returned to my work as an instrumentalist for a few years, but the first few films with sound had come out and there was less and less need for the pit orchestra for each movie. I stayed with Roger and we finally got married in June of 1931 ("when’s the wedding?” had been a running joke in the studio years before we finally found each other sitting side by side).

By 1932 I had moved on to some small jobs with the radio. The Depression had hit and movies were out of the question for someone not passionate about the work, and I was lucky enough to get a job as a corner store clerk working for one of my neighbors. Roger moved in and we scraped through until the war.

He enlisted, of course; he’d always been a firm believer that we should have taken action long before we did, and so when the opportunity arose he left. I missed him terribly, and I suppose that’s part of why I started sewing clothes for the soldiers out on the front lines. I thought it must be awfully cold and damp, and I hated to think of our brave citizens freezing out there. A gift from home can warm the spirit as well as the body, and so I started a small charity to make and donate clothes for our soldiers. My little charity circle grew and I think one year we sent out as many as two thousand shirts.

When the boys came back from the war, they wanted to educate themselves, and, well, I know an opportunity when I see one. Always have. With my education I easily secured a job as the librarian of a local college, and I really felt like the queen of the castle there! Directing the building and feeding a hunger for knowledge; I couldn’t have been happier. In fact I worked there until quite recently.

I still draw occasionally and play for the family for small events like birthdays and holidays, but I finally settled down. I didn’t get the life I expected, but I found happiness in what I was given. And really, isn’t that the point? Isn’t that the entire point?

#2016

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erikanavaja · 6 years

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Update, December 2017. Year-end (part 2).

INWW was the big break I had, national workshop-wise.

I'd revert you to the April blog about when I received the big news. We were eighteen fellows. A batch from Manila, and the Visayas. I know no one from Mindanao, because they were mostly from Iligan.

Then, the Marawi siege started. Everybody I know who heard of me going to Iligan feared for me. I had prepared already my letter to the Director of the unit that I was leaving for professional and personal purposes (the workshop was in conflict with school commitments; I wanted to go so bad.) I didn't want this chance to slip by. So, I insisted. Even the organizers told us not to worry, because it was safe in Iligan. Here goes nothing.

The journey there was long, and a pain in the ears. I traveled by bus from Davao to Cagayan on May 28, 4:00 AM. Bukidnon was majestic from the bus window. I borrowed a travel pillow from a colleague that time, but I was not very keen on sleeping in transit, even when going to work or elsewhere via commute. My bag was a hand-carry. I know I should have bought a trolley, but it was so expensive. I also brought my green malong with me, and 3 sets of clothes. I had no formal outfit. The trip was a pain in the ears because of Bukidnon's changing altitude. My ears fully popped at Cagayan de Oro, probably before I'd gone to Bulua.

In Cagayan, I had to connect to the INWW staff who asked me what time I'll arrive at Iligan. I said, probably 2 PM onwards. It was an assurance that I'll come with no certainty of exact time. From the Super 5, I hailed a jeep going that should pass IIT.

IIT doesn't look big on the outside. The school was really strict in handling outsiders. I knew the hostel was inside the campus. So I told the security personnel I was expected to be inside the hostel, and will be staying for five days. They were rigorous, but yeah, I told them I'm an INWW fellow. I got in.

I got pretty anxious as I was walking from the gate and towards the Admin building. Do I have a roommate? Is she nice? Are the other people nice?

Turned out, as I checked in, I was the only one in the room. Room 6 was near the caretakers' kitchen and dining area on the ground floor. Outside, there was a clothesline. Good. I wanted to hang my towels in open air. Or my aircon exhaust. I was told that I should have had a roommate, but there were people who backed out, most of them from Luzon. Also, a panelist asked to stay upstairs. I was staying beside Ma'am Erlinda Alburo's room and Ma'am Christine Ortega's room. Oh, boy. Can't. Make. Noise. Is this the silent retreat I was looking for?

I got to meet the rest of the fellows upstairs, where we ate catered dinner. I met 10, so far. A friend said he knows Drei, because she's really from GenSan, but she is working in a firm in Cebu. She's also taking her MA English in USC. Along with her, was Niño and Hannah, both instructors and graduate students of USC. Then I met Loi, the first one from IIT, then Eric, from Silliman, then Kwesi, who just came, Reynel, a public school teacher at Leyte, the first to come, Alican, from nearby (I forget where he came from) and Kim, a graduate student of IIT. Panelists present were Vic Sugbo, and Ma'am Linda. The rest were Ma'am Christine's staff at OPI.

Next day, they introduced us to everyone. The last fellows who caught up was Doc Joti from Manila, the only one from Manila, Sir Delfin a Filipino professor at IIT, and Loi's previous teacher, and Mildred, who was second year BS BIO at IIT. (She's the same age as most senior high learners.) Our workshop was scheduled later this afternoon, in the Chancellor's conference room.

I was seated beside the immediate replacement of Rio Alma (who couldn't make it due to Martial Law), Sir Roland Tolentino, and Doc Joti. Mechanics: read the works beforehand, give preliminary comments, and then the writer can say something after "braising the work in the skillet."

And during the workshop, I was dubbed as either the first or second to comment on the works. I remembered how I was remembered at the 2010 Davao Writers Workshop. But unlike that workshop, I was more detached. The work I submitted was written 2009 or 2010, thus there was no personal attachment.

The story turned out to be a pre-write for a novel. There were a lot of material to dabble on. There were a lot more to add. I thank the panelists for their wisdom, and for not making it hard to accept. Level-headed Erika at it again. I wonder if it would be the same if I submitted poetry instead of this story. I would probably bawl my eyes out. Like some of us did.

Perhaps the reason why it was a downer because I felt I was the only one who didn't feel emotional while my work was being discussed. The rest were feeling disappointed or slightly apprehensive about their work. It was normal for any group to be like that after a stressful day.

We went out for drinks, but since it was Martial Law, Iligan implemented curfews. We would sneak in alcohol and drink outside the hostel, under security officers' watch. We were reminded to CLAYGO because it was protocol not to bring alcohol to school. Since it was a special circumstance, we were allowed to. But there were other nights that we'd go out of the campus, sneak into a bar and drink there. Yes. It's tradition, or practice, in workshops, that you drink alcohol. It was also Mildred's first time drinking alcohol, EVER. I was more of a friend than a teacher. I gunned the Empi shots to her. And she was a jolly one when drunk. Hi, Mildred. You are loved.

We couldn't go to the day-long trip that was planned on the fifth day (Darn it!), which was a trip to Maria Cristina Falls, and Macaraeg-Macapagal Ancestral House, because (Darn it!) of checkpoints, so we roamed around the sweltering heat of Iligan City. I was looking forward to buying sarong there, but there was none. I bought a purple malong with gold accents instead. Again, I wasn't excited that the Pantone Color of 2018 is Ultraviolet.

Paseo de Santiago had a terrific view of the bay that is shared by Iligan, Dipolog and neighboring towns. I also heard stories about Sendong and how Iligan was in ruins after the flood. It's nice to know everything has gone back to normal, but yeah, bummer, Martial law.

I don't think I was that affected by it, apart from the curfews. Sir Roland was even so against it, that we were almost unable to come into the hostel because it's past nine. We were still drinking beer. I refused to. I don't drink beer anymore, unless it's a Mule. We couldn't return the beer case right away, so we had it hid in his suite.

Leaving was the hardest part. We were in a cocoon. Our first impressions were all broken after one session at room 10. They thought I was maarte because Arreneyo. (They totally forgot I was a UP graduate?) But I wasn't as maarte as they thought. Thank you guys, the brave 13 are cherished.

The greatest lesson: to take courage to step into unknown territory. It is there that I would meet my thesis adviser for the first time (she was present in the opening). The workshop became an add-on to my resume. It may only be an entry, one week of braising works into the skillet, but I had fun with them. The experience was kindly given.

Thank you, 2017, for being a good one. Onwards to the next.

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