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Disclaimer: I do not own touhou or any other touhou materials, The OCs are mine though, take them and I write your name on my death note
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CHAPTER 9: The Scarlet Mist...And Cirno
{30 days Earlier…..}
The clock was ticking. It was almost time. The open windows caused the velvet curtains to rise and fall as the cool summer breeze found its way into the bedroom. Illuminated by faint moonlight, a girl sat alone in the room staring at her tea with a bored expression. The rays of the moon provided little light to the dim room as they went past the semi-transparent curtains. A large four poster bed sat at the middle of the room, grand enough for a queen.
Right beside the bed was antique study table with a lone photograph standing on top along with an oil lamp. The girl had her head resting on her palm as she gazed at an oil painting hanging on her wall. It held an image of her and her sister, smiling happily without a care in the world. She remembered the time when her father had painted that portrait as a gift to them both. If only she had the power to relive the past and not see the pathetic future; she would pay anything for it.
Resting her back against her chair, the girl shifted her position so that her black wings were more comfortable. The soft white linen felt nice on the girl's hand. A ghost of a smile appeared on her lips. Today was the big day after all, she should be excited. Finally finding a way to escape the church for good, she should be happy. And yet . . . . Why did she feel something was going to go wrong? Those visions she had been seeing in her dreams have been troubling her for the past two weeks, rendering it impossible for her to get a good night's sleep.
The girl turned her gaze to the side so that she can have a better look at her bedroom. At the dim light, the walls appeared to be blue when in reality they were deep scarlet. The girl had a strange affinity for the color; so much so that she went out of her way to have the walls of her very mansion and carpet to be dyed in deep red. Even her accessories were of the same color as her eyes.
The clock tower struck twelve. The girl took it as a cue to rise from her seat and walk towards an old wardrobe in her nightdress.
Opening the wardrobe and taking out her favourite dress, the girl began to change. There was no need to call for her maid to assist her; tonight was going to be a good night, after all. Buttoning her clothes and donning her mop cap, the girl exited her bedroom with a smirk on her face.
Her wings slowly fluttering at her back, the girl was just finishing adjusting her long silk gloves before a loud ominous sound was heard. Not even bothering to investigate what caused the noise, the girl passed by a large window which showed her the scene of a large white light circling around her mansion's perimeter.
From above said mansion, a giant magic circle was being formed around it. As seen from the moon's surface, the circle appeared to be a miniature satellite, a small star shining upon the Earth's crust.
The sound became louder and louder until it was deafening, and yet the girl remained unfazed and continued her leisurely stroll around her home. Ancient paintings of her ancestry hung wall to wall and the well-lit golden chandeliers above caused a bit of pride to spark within the girl's heart. Her decorating skills were impressive, that she could state as a fact.
Then silence . . . . From the outside, nothing was left of the mansion but a large crater upon the land, the glow from the recent event disappeared as if it hadn't even been there.
Her light footsteps echoing along the hallway, the girl finished one more turn before coming across a neat line of maids, all with their heads low in respect for the mistress of the household.
"Good evening, Lady Remilia," they all said as one. Remilia raised one elegant gloved hand and all of the maids rose from the position. Smiling cruelly, the girl went to approach the door leading to her "favorite spot".
Two maids dutifully opened the door to a magnificently made throne room. The floor covered by a long red carpet, more maids stood with their head bowed politely at the sides as the mistress passed by. Remilia turned her gaze once more to her left and looked through the windows. She saw that the landscape outside had changed, meaning that the Unmoving Library had accomplished her task.
She saw of mountains in the east, while at the same time she noticed the clear reflection of water. Not a bad place to stay, as she valued her privacy greatly and was not particularly fond of intruders. Even if it was in the middle of the lake.
Smiling, Remilia came to halt before her Chief Maid, a long-time servant now in her late teens.
"Milady," greeted Sakuya with a curtsy before offering her hand to her mistress.
"Sakuya ..." Remilia replied, allowing her maid to escort her to her seat. The vampire faced the maid-filled hall once more before taking her seat on her crimson throne. She was eager to see what this new land had to offer. Glancing from her left to her right, Remilia placed her elbow on her throne's arm and proceeded to rest her head on her fist once more.
"Let this world recognize the might of this household," began Remilia, her eyes alive with cruel mirth, "Shall we show them what we are made of, Sakuya? Show them that if they dare stand in our way, they will receive a quick death?"
"Of course Milady, the mansion will stand proud and tall over the people of this land," replied the maid, her tone emotionless yet firm and strong.
"Well then," Remilia raised her head a bit while gazing at her maid with one eye. She then ordered in a loud commanding voice, "Open the Doors of Scarlet, release the mist and all shall remember and know the might of the Scarlet Devil Mansion!"
Outside the mansion, the wooden doors opened with a bang. A red ominous mist pouring from the inside, slowly spreading across the grounds and into the forest. The Gate Guard opened the gate with a kick, allowing those who dare enter the lair of the Devil. The Scarlet Devil.
The border land is now wrapped in Scarlet Magic. Do you believe that you can solve this mystery?
Year: 2005 {The Present}
4:56 Post-meridian
Mushroom Trail, on the way to the Human Village, Gensokyo
The sky was dark and the sun was nowhere in sight. The young man on the path guessed that it was hidden above the clouds. Without any heat from the sun the temperature on the ground was cool yet not that cold. The human's gray eyes rested upon a wilting snapdragon at the side of the road. Kneeling down, he carefully examined the flower before letting it go. He began to continue down the path to the human village.
The plants need sun to survive; without it they die. A simple knowledge taken from an elementary textbook, yet the result of it is worse than bad, thought the human as he passed by a field. Stopping in his tracks he turned his gaze at rice field at his side. It seemed like the harvest had gone bad and judging from the lone farmer's frustration, the entire field was dead due to the lack of nutrients. If things got worse, then there would be a food shortage within the next few months.
It was bad enough with this mist acting as a veil over at the surroundings; it just had to cause an untimely famine in the village. The human had to squint his eyes to see through the mist, which proved to be very troublesome. It had been thirty days already and it still hadn't dissipated.
The human heard footsteps pass by him and noticed that they belonged to a young boy. The boy ran past and waved his. Before the human could even say something, the boy had already gone.
Must be a villager. Then that means I'm getting close, he thought to himself before setting off once more. This mist, if one would only look at it hard enough, he or she would be able to notice the faint red color that it possessed. Whatever was happening, he could not let it get worse than it already is.
The human came to a halt once. He was at the entrance to the Human Village. Two armed guards stood at attention at the village's entrance, making sure that no youkai of any sort wandered in. It seemed like the village was on full alert because of the incident. Of course, even a fool would notice the odd weather lately and will immediately know that a youkai was responsible for it.
The human watched the boy enter the village without the guards even noticing him. He was about to follow the child when the guards suddenly entered a defensive stance at his appearance.
"State your name and purpose!" ordered the second as he drew a katana from its sheathe.
The human only stared at them with his gray eyes. It was only then after a few seconds did he take a step forward, causing the guards to flinch and tighten their guard. To their surprise, the human did not attack but merely stood there while...smiling?
"Heh, I cut my hair and disappeared for five years, and you already don't recognize me," said the human with an amused expression, causing the two guards to glance at each other for a moment, "Very well, I suppose I can re-introduce myself. My name is Rook, I'm a friend of Ms. Kamishirasawa of the school here."
The guards jumped at the sound of his name. Clearly they had not recognized the human's appearance due to his new looks. They both proceeded to lower their weapons and perform a respectful bow despite looking older than him.
"We didn't recognize you, Rook-sama. It has been too long," apologized the first guard while still dipping his head low.
Rook cracked a small smile at that and said, "No need for the –sama, just Rook is fine."
"We apologize once more; we must remain vigilant in the face of an incident. There is also no telling if you're a youkai disguised as a person who has not been seen for a long while," said the second guard with a hint of suspicion in his tone.
"I understand Hiroshi-san. There's nothing wrong with being alert especially now, though I can say that I still remember that time when you asked me about how you were going to confess to your wife. How long has it been? Twelve years?" asked Rook as he enjoyed the flustered expression the guard made.
Chuckling at his companion's reaction, the first guard then asked, "You haven't changed a bit. Still the same as my grandfather says, but if I may ask, where did you disappear off to? The villagers were all wondering where you went. And to reappear during the first incident in a long time, it certainly looks to be more than just a coincidence, aye?"
"Let's just say that I took a long vacation," said Rook, "Ah, now that the small talk is over, may I pass now? I'm afraid that I have business to attend to with Ms. Kamishirasawa."
"Very well," said the second guard drawing back his weapon to let the human pass.
Rook said his goodbyes and was just entering the village when the first guard called to him, "If you have time, stop by the Black Cat and catch a few drinks! You appear to have a few new stories for us!"
Turning one last time to the guards, Rook waved a hand in indication that he heard them. After a few seconds, he faces the foggy village and begins walking once more in search of the child he saw earlier. All he can say is that the place hasn't changed that much in his absence. The same stalls, shops, houses, and buildings stood within the village. The same familiar Japanese feudal era designs that Rook could never help but to love. This was home, his second home. The only thing that disturbed him was the lack of people, the strange absence of the bustling shoppers and loud voices of the vendors at the market. Usually at this time of day the streets would be filled with people. Did it have anything to do with this fog?
Rook could sense the presence of people within their shops, so it was highly unlikely that most of them are hiding in their cellars during an incident. Some shopkeepers were too stubborn to let a day pass without selling something. Rook lifted his head to gaze at the gray skies. It's been days and Reimu still hasn't solved this yet? The miko was always a lazy girl, but whenever an incident decides to show its ugly face, she's always raring to go. But now . . Rook could not help but feel a bit worried.
He knew the capabilities of the people within the mansion and he also had faith in Reimu's abilities. Yet all the same, why did he feel a bit worried?
A tug on the back of his coat brought him back to reality. Rook noticed the boy from earlier gesturing for him to follow before running towards what looked like an antique store. The human slowly heads towards the same place without question. A bell rings at the far end of the store as Rook enters. He finds the boy staring at a wooden horse with a big smile.
"How may I help you?" greeted the shopkeeper, an elderly woman in a green kimono. "Ah Rook-san, it's been too long!"
"Akane-san! How are you?" asked Rook, extending his hand in a formal western greeting.
The old woman cheerfully accepted the handshake and replied, "Doing fine, old friend."
"Heh, you still act the same," said Rook before releasing her hand. The old woman, however, gave no notice at the boy gawking at the toy just above the old shelf behind Akane.
"To disappear suddenly like that, you really had all of us worried," said Akane while wiping her dusty counter with an old rag, "but then again, it is you we are talking about. The Strange Human that Comes and Goes. When you interact with the people of this generation, all of the stories about you being an urban legend will disappear."
The old lady sets aside her rag below her counter before continuing, "So, if I may ask, where did you run off to this time."
"The same place I always go whenever I need a time off," replied Rook, "The Outside's really changed and this place hasn't."
"Oh? So you prefer that world over this one? I can't blame you for choosing a world without the Yakumos watching your every step," said Akane with a laugh. Wiping the counter once more with a sweep, the old woman then asks, "So what can I help you with today?"
Rook glanced to his side as he felt another tug on his right sleeve. He saw the boy pointing at the wooden horse with his free hand while smiling. Rook released a light sigh before saying, "I think I'll take that horse. How much is it?"
"Well seeing as you have your own currency, a coin will do," replied Akane as she went to get the horse. Rook paid the old woman before saying goodbye as he went out. Stopping just outside the shop, Rook knelt down and presented the horse to the boy who was eager to have it.
Brushing the boy's hair once, Rook spoke, "Here, take it . . . ."
With the toy horse in his hands, the boy gave the human a respectful bow before he began to glow. "Rest in peace. Thank you for guiding me in homecoming," finished Rook as the spirit nodded and disappeared in a slight burst of lights. Sighing once more, Rook turned to face the presence that was behind him.
"Going for a walk, Keine-sensei?" he asked.
A woman dressed in a dark blue dress with short white sleeves gave Rook a startled look before turning it into a smile. Her outfit was completely different from the last time Rook saw her. A red ribbon tied at the base of her collar and a strange building like hat atop of her head were the most obvious differences. Her dark brown eyes still had that warm twinkle within them; it was as if she hadn't aged at all. She was a half-youkai, though so that could very well be true, as her aging process was a lot slower than a normal human's. Nevertheless, this was the same Keine that Rook met years ago.
"Rook-san, I almost didn't recognize you there," said Keine before bowing, a traditional Japanese greeting, "How are you these days? You haven't sent us a letter or anything in quite some time now."
"Yeah, well I had a few things to do," replied Rook while placing his hands in his coat pockets. A loud smack echoed throughout the ghost town like village, and Rook was immediately kneeling on the floor, clutching his head. Keine was already walking away, saying, "There's a tea shop just around the corner, and you can explain yourself there."
Groaning in pain, the human could only say, "Y-yes, ma'am" before collapsing.
"So how's the school been progressing?"
"At a steady pace; those children that you helped build the plumbing with have graduated."
"So where are they now?"
"Well most of them are working in the village; the more adventurous idiots went to Kotohime's training center."
"That crazy woman is still active? Well whatever, those idiots would probably feel hell anytime soon. That cop/princess is like a bag of nuts."
"As much as I respect Kotohime, I have to agree. She is sometimes... odd."
"Village protectors of the same feather..."
"So you're telling me I'm odd!?"
"No, you're weird. Who else would turn into a rampaging horned beast that wants to head butt anyone within fifty feet?"
"Would you like me to give you a taste of that now?"
A sigh emanated from the half closed tea shop. A single humble table was taken out from within along with two wooden chairs at Keine's request. Do people really like her that much or does she have a lot of influence in the village? Either way Rook didn't care, and just sat there drinking his tea. As Keine was arranging the papers she brought, Rook let his gaze rest upon a mirror reflecting his appearance. What used to be long shaggy blonde hair was now cut short, leaving his ears exposed and the few strands hanging at the back of his neck. A single long fringe made its way across his face, which prompted him to blow it away at times when it got in his way. His eyes were the same nimbus gray.
His old metal plated brown gloves were replaced by gray ones with the same symbols of Yin and Yang at both left and right. The gloves were fingerless, leaving Rook's fingers numb at times due to the cold. His old combat boots were replaced by normal boots of an unknown hide, though they were surprisingly warm and comfortable. Around his waist, a white belt bag and a gun holster which housed the tranquilizer gun he received from the Border Youkai. The belt bag complimented his pants which hung loosely, ending near the ankle. A knife was tied to a strap within his coat, resting on his dark blue shirt.
And finally, his old travelling cloak was now replaced by a simple brown coat. Rook stared at his reflection and queried himself on how many times he has changed his appearance over the course of the years. Despite his youthful appearance, it didn't make him feel any younger.
Rook's attention was turned to the young woman who was now refilling his and Keine's teacup before leaving for the back room.
Keine arranged the last bit of her papers before setting them down aside the table with a loud thud. "It isn't like you to come here just for small talk, Rook. The only times you come here to the village you either frolic around the shops or come to see me. I sense that it has something to do with the latter because of this incident, no?"
"I couldn't say that you're wrong," said Rook with an eyebrow raised, looking bored.
This time, it was Keine's turn to release a heavy sigh, "Fine, what do you want to know? And I won't even ask about your five year excursion in the Outside World."
"Are there any casualties because of the incident yet? Anyone injured, or any strange happenings?" replied Rook, sitting up straight.
"Not that I know of. The village chief has already decided to launch patrols of six around the village, night and day," said Keine, "Ever since the mist erupted out of nowhere, the chief has already set the entire village on high alert. Because of that my classes had to be put to a stop so I can help with the security."
"And none of the youkai ever thought of raiding the village, eh?" said Rook while taking a sip of his tea.
"Yes, it seems like they're letting the mist do its job, if it has any."
"There's nothing wrong with the mist, it's just any normal kind if mist. There's nothing magical about in the first place," Rook explained, looking particularly calm about it. Keine knitted her eyebrows, skeptical of what the human had just said.
"How do you know?" asked Keine.
"I'm familiar with the culprit," said Rook, his voice lacking any color, "Anything new with Youkai activities? Did they increase any after the incident began?"
"Actually, yes," replied Keine, dismissing the question that has formed within her mind. If Rook knew the culprit, then he may know how to deal with them. He may be able to solve this incident faster than the Shrine Maiden. "Due to the lack of sunlight, the plant youkai have run amok at the heart of the Forest of Magic; though they pose no threat to the village, humans living within the area must be cautious. If possible, we told the villagers to avoid the area completely. The only times we've heard anything from the youkai these past five years was at the start of this incident. Without the sun, nocturnal youkai are now walking during the day and they also seem to grow more powerful by night. A few nights ago during the full moon, I felt the night empowering me."
"So almost none of the villagers are allowed outside without an armed escort," inferred the human, thinking hard, "If that's the case, then you guys must be having a hard time getting supplies from the neighbouring villages. I saw it for myself: because of the lack of sun, the plants are starting to wither and die."
"Not to mention that youkai are more aggressive, though not as aggressive as they were the last time you visited," said Keine. She released a deep sigh which caused Rook to glance at her. The woman must be having a lot more problems than she's letting on.
"So, how do you know the culprit?" asked Keine, seeing this as a chance to sate her curiosity, "Are you even sure that you do know?"
"Positive," replied Rook, finishing his cup of tea, "I used to babysit that person. Things must be pretty bad on their side if they finished their end of the deal."
"Deal? What deal?"
Rook turned his head to look at Keine and smiled, "Ah, nothing. Just personal matters that I have to tidy up."
"I see. I suppose that you're going now? To wherever you're going?" guessed Keine.
"I think so. I've asked around the surrounding areas for some answers and I found out that the parts where the mist is thickest will probably be where the source is located," said Rook, rising from his seat as he got ready, "I questioned various youkai that were sensible enough to hold a conversation about what they knew. So far they've all pointed to the Misty Lake. A fitting area for the source of all this fog."
Keine nodded in agreement, "I thought so. There were large amounts of power focused in that area a few weeks back. Rook, you have to be careful, remember what you said to Akyuu five years back? About how the youkai are attracted to large amounts of energy? It turned out that you were right. Though youkai do gather in some areas filled with energy, it's only one species that is most abundant in the area. As a result, you'll pretty much encounter the same type of youkai while heading there, minus the fairies."
"I see, anything else you have to tell me?"
"Yes, head towards the lake shore and start your investigation there. There's a youkai rumored to know what's going at the heart of the incident itself. You should watch out for a floating black ball if I were you," replied Keine while searching for something in her bag. Taking out several vials of what looked like water with a greenish hue, then handing them to Rook while saying, "Earth's Blood. The same healing waters that helped you and caused a lot of trouble in the village. Save them for when you're really hurt, don't rely too much on that healing magic of yours because I've already recorded that it's faulty."
Rook studied the vials for a moment before stuffing them in his belt bag. "Thanks, I appreciate the help."
"Go and good luck. Try not to die since you just got back. You may want to speak with Lady Hieda once this is all over," said Keine with a warm smile.
"Will do," replied Rook before nodding to her one last time and heading towards one of the village exits.
Keine's smile slowly transforms into a mix of worriment and irritation. It seems like she felt as if she had just sent the human to his death sentence. Hopefully Rook will manage to survive, yet she couldn't shake the feeling that bad things were to happen without him.
Year: 2005
5:15 Post-meridian
Tall Grass Path, Gensokyo
The sounds of gunshots echoed deep within an unnamed forest followed by a loud ear-splitting shriek. Rook dove to his right just as the bat youkai released its familiar, yet painful scream, enough to make the hair at the back of Rook's neck to stand. Gritting his teeth and summoning his willpower to ignore the ringing in his ears, Rook burst from the bush that he was hiding in while firing three more shots at the youkai. Green darts hit their target and the youkai falls to the ground unconscious.
Rook turns to his right to face another youkai headed his way. Aiming down the sight of the gun and pulling the trigger, the human only needed one shot to knock this threat out. A satisfying thud was heard as Rook watched the youkai fall before his boots. Realizing that he has spent all of his ammo, Rook made quick work when replacing his used magazine with a new one before pulling the slide, making the pistol utter a click.
Once he has reloaded his weapon, the human spun to his left to meet his new opponents. The pistol barked twice and the two bat youkais fell to the ground, asleep due to the sleep inducing drug the darts contained.
The human tried to catch his breath before saying, "My aim's far better than last time."
Rook closed his eyes for a second to calm his nerves before opening them again to study his fallen opponents. Most youkai in Gensokyo can attain human appearances once they've reached a certain aged. It was no surprise to the human that these goons were no different. They appeared to be human at first sight but upon further inspection, Rook identified the large bat like ears on their heads, their lack of hair causing them to look balding, ridiculously long canines, and a flat flesh-like nose. They also appeared to have thick eyebrows and peasants clothes. The clothes were cut at the back to make room for their large leathery wings, which they used for flight.
"One type of youkai for each area," muttered Rook as he stood up, covering his nose at the scent of the youkai's rotten breath, "Minus the fairies, yeah right….."
Placing his gun back in its holster, Rook figured that the darts will have the youkais asleep for about a week. It wasn't his problem if they starved, but at least they were alive. Turning his back to the sleeping beasts, Rook proceeded to enter the deeper parts of the forest, hoping to reach the other side where the lakeshore was located.
Twenty minutes passed without incident, giving Rook enough time to think. If the mansion was indeed located somewhere on the lake, then how will he get there? Flying was out of the question for he could not lift himself from the ground using magic. Just as well, he knew no spells to aid him in air travel. Turning to mist and wait for a breeze to blow in the right direction would be pointless and troublesome at the same time. There had to be some other way. Maybe he could ask someone for help, but who? Fairies? They're not smart enough or strong enough to help him anyway. The bat youkai? After what he did, he doubted that he'd get their cooperation. Besides, they were beasts; they were driven by their instincts to begin with.
A familiar humming caught Rook's attention, causing him to turn to the source of the sound. He spotted a small black orb of darkness floating peacefully among the trees, nearly hitting them. Rook stared at it for a few seconds before pointing a palm filled with blue electricity at it and releasing a lightning bolt faster than a bullet.
The bolt hit its mark which elicited a "Kyaaaaa~!" and a thud soon followed by the sounds of groaning. Rook calmly shoved aside any plant that got in his way as he walked towards the place where the black orb just crashed. In the area where the orb should have been, sat a blonde girl in a black vest and skirt.
"Rumia," said Rook in a monotone voice giving him a glare from the girl.
"Bloody hell, mate! What in the name of all the seven hells was that for?!" shouted the girl named Rumia, absolutely furious at the moment, "Goodness gracious, my mouth tastes like metal! Do you fancy greeting people with a shock and a bullet to the head?"
Rook raised an eyebrow at that one, "Do you . . still recognize me?"
"Perhaps . . . ." Rumia looked into the distance as if thinking very hard, "You do seem familiar, ah yes. YOU WERE THAT BLOKE THAT LOBBED LIGHTNING BOLTS AT ME WHENEVER I GOT SPOTTED! THAT JOLLY OLD CHAP THAT LODGED A BULLET IN MY HEAD FIVE YEARS AGO!"
"Well that's good," commented Rook as Rumia continued to stamp her feet in frustration, letting off her steam. Rook seemed to remain unfazed and was somehow mildly impressed on how colorful this little girl's language could get when irritated. Rumia of the Evening Shade, a youkai that can manipulate the darkness. She's a man-eater despite her harmless appearance; Rook caught her in the act of devouring human corpses near the Road of Reconsideration and the Road of Liminality. Before Rook could even get to a distressed outsider who was foolish enough to cross the border, Rumia had already caught them and was already eating them.
The first time he caught Rumia in the act, he threw everything he had at her, almost taking her life. But just as he was about to finish her off for good, she used her powers of darkness to escape. The second time they met was when she was chasing a poor soul through the forest of magic. Rook saved the outsider and had Rumia by her neck that time. It turned out that he was far stronger than her and she was forced to escape once more.
Their following meetings were... strange. At times when Rook was going for a stroll, Rumia would attack him out of nowhere only for her ambush to backfire on her. As time passed, Rumia proposed a kind of game. A game between Hunter and the Rescuer. She explained that she was a youkai and she needed to eat. She also explained that it was a youkai's job to hunt humans and that she wasn't doing anything wrong. By playing this game, Rook would have to give her a fighting chance against him whenever an outsider wanders across Rumia's territory. It's up to Rook to find and protect the outsider before Rumia could get to them. Once he does, Rumia has no choice but to find another meal without further struggle.
Rumia had just finished her last swear before saying, "What does a weirdo like you want with me? Do you enjoy bullying weaker youkai just because you're a strong human?"
"I need your help, and no, I just felt like hitting you for all of the people you ate," answered Rook in the same monotone voice.
"You? In need of my help? That doesn't sound convincing, old bean," said Rumia with a childish smile, though the malice in her voice was very obvious.
"It concerns this incident that has spread throughout Gensokyo. A friend told me that you knew something about the location of the source since you've been there," said Rook, his gray eyes meeting with Rumia's red ones.
The youkai smiled her sweet smile and said, "Very well, perhaps I can tell an old bloke like you after a bite," before edging closer to Rook's hand. Surprisingly, Rook allows her sharp, pearly white teeth to settle on his glove before channelling a house's worth of electricity into said hand. Rumia shook and jabbered as her teeth came in contact with the raw energy, causing a few strands of her hair to stand up.
Falling to the ground while rubbing her head, Rumia snapped at Rook, "Will you stop doing that?! It does not feel nice!"
"Your fault for biting the bait," said Rook in a cruel tone.
Rumia glared at him for a few seconds before saying, "Fine, I'll take you to my favourite spot. There you can see the place clearly. It's a long way from here and is really high up, are you sure you can handle it?"
"Of course," was Rook's only reply.
And so the two of them, human and youkai, began their journey from the forest to an elevated land west of the lake, from what Rook has judged. The scent of the trees and that of the damp ground beneath his feet felt oddly refreshing. His strength did not diminish as he and Rumia reached an area known to some as the Cliffs of the Oni. The place acted as a landmark for some great battle, but that was a story for another time. Rook surveyed the strikingly familiar mansion sitting atop of a patch of land from afar and found that there was no bridge of some sort that could help him get to it. Gazing at the mansion one last time, Rook returned to Rumia who was busy staring at nowhere in particular before noticing him.
"I assume that you found your problem, old bean?" asked Rumia while taking an odd interest in her nails.
"Yeah, do you know anyone that can help me cross? You're a youkai so basically you must have enough friends to help you with your lunch," said Rook while placing his left hand in his coat pocket, "I'm gonna need a lot more help than what I originally imagined."
Rumia flashed him her pearly white teeth in a smirk before saying, "Is that so~? I knew you'd say that, and I happen to know the perfect person for the job."
Rumia giggled like a little girl as she said in the same childish tone with poorly hidden malice, "Just follow me~"
A lone fairy was carrying a large bouquet of flowers in her arms while she seemed to be searching for something... Or someone. The fairy sighed as she watched a few of her kin play tag in the outskirts of the forest, near the lake's edge. She then found herself floating above the lake, staring at her reflection at the lake's crystal clear waters. What she saw was a girl with short forest green hair and a youthful face that had two brilliant blue eyes.
She slowly lifts her gaze towards the source of the dense fog as a light breeze blew by, causing her blue dress to flutter around. Daiyousei yelped and tried to push her dress down before anyone saw. Unfortunately, two fairies playing nearby were watching. Daiyousei's face suddenly grew warm as the fairies flew away, snickering. If her only friend were here to witness what had just happened, then it would be the end of her. The embarrassment was enough to kill her.
Unlike the other fairies she was a head taller, so every single one of them, even her friend, called her elder or senior. It didn't mean that she disliked it, in fact she somehow enjoyed being looked up to. Being a role model on how to be a proper fairy meant the others will follow her actions.
Daiyousei sighed while fluttering her golden wings.
It seemed like she was all alone on the lake now, so why did she feel an ominous feeling creeping through her skin?
"Dai-chan~" called a voice, making Daiyousei turn to the source as she heard her name. She was relieved that it was only Rumia, though it didn't last long as she saw another person with her, making the fairy cautious. From the looks of it, the person appeared to be a male in his late teens. He had a confused look on his face the moment he saw Daiyousei. She figured that he was no threat since he didn't look hostile.
"Rumia? What are you-?" started the fairy, but was cut off the moment Rumia had her arms outstretched on either side of her. Faster than the eye can see, a great sized skull formed from the smoke that was coming out of Rumia's back and swallowed Daiyousei whole, trapping her within.
Rook acted by instinct at the sight and drew his gun, pointing at Rumia's head, "What the heck are you doing?"
"Baiting her out!" answered Rumia as she manipulated the skull, making it thrash around, causing Daiyousei to tumble within it. Rook couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
"What the hell are you talking about?! Get her out of there or else I'll shoot!" warned Rook, lifting his gun menacingly.
Apparently Rumia wasn't listening, "Now all I have to do is this~." Suddenly, the skull's mouth opened giving Daiyousei the chance to scream out loud at the top of her voice.
Rook stared in shock while Rumia continued to grin. Suddenly, the Darkness Youkai spun to face Rook and gave him a wink before disappearing in the form of a liquid shadow that zipped into nowhere. Daiyousei was left trapped within the sound proofed skull while crying. That little sneak. Rook ran towards the black skull and examined it for a bit. It turned out that it had no air holes, so that sound and air cannot pass through. The fairy has no oxygen and will certainly be running out sooner or later.
Rook pounded at the skull once and found out that it was harder than a rock. Blasting it with a bolt could get the fairy caught in the blast. Shooting it would be useless. Unless he wanted to free her, he had to find Rumia and wring her neck for this. Did the air suddenly become cold?
Rook jerked to his right to avoid an icicle hitting the place where is head should have been. Drawing his gun, Rook glared at the culprit. His eyes widened at the appearance of a girl with six prisms like wings behind her. Another fairy, though it seemed like this one was different from the others. The fairy wasted no time talking and immediately performed a dive bomb. Rook had to dodge to prevent himself from getting hit.
The fairy had the same youthful face of a child like the other fairies, and the same blue dress as Daiyousei within the skull. Her short cerulean blue hair was tied by a large green ribbon at the back of her head as she glowered at the human with light blue eyes. She pointed a finger at Rook before saying, "You! Fight me and leave Dai-chan alone! I can't let you hurt her!"
Rook lowered his gun and held both of his hands up high, "Look, this isn't my fault and I'm not responsible for your friend's problem but I'll help if I can. Please there' no need for—"
"Stop your prattling!" cut off the fairy, "You will fight me because you're not going to get away with this!"
Rook bit back a curse. He can tell that she was no normal fairy. At least he hasn't heard of fairy becoming one with ice. She can be strong, she can be weak, and either way Rook didn't want to underestimate her for it would prove fatal. This one seemed to be one of the hard-headed bunches, great; there was no reasoning with this one other than beating some sense into her. Rumia probably planned this to get himself killed and eat his corpse after. Or maybe this was the person he was looking for, he couldn't really tell.
Rook's eyes widened when the fairy started drawing out a spellcard. A fairy with a spellcard? Now he knew that she wasn't an opponent to be taken lightly. Instead of retreating, a smile began to creep across his lips.
A sigh escapes him as he slumps his arms in defeat. "Fine, I'll fight you," said Rook with his gaze at the battle ready ice fairy, "Though we play by my rules."
The ice fairy tenses, an expected reaction. "Your rules? That's not fair!" cried the fairy, ready to activate her spellcard.
"Nope, it isn't fair at all. You can still use Danmaku if you want. It's not like it's different from using spellcards anyway," explained Rook as calmly as he could, "Are you interested in the Pacifist Mode?"
"The rules are simple and these also apply in spellcard battles," continued Rook, seeing the fairy's confused face, "One: is that you can use any of your spellcards without time limit. Two: is that I'm not allowed to use my spellcards during the battle. Three: is that I will remain on the ground while you can fly to your heart's content. Four: I hit you three times, it's game over. And if you are the last person standing, then it's your win."
The fairy's mind seemed to have trouble processing all of this, nevertheless she understood….. Somehow.
"So I hit with all I got and I win?" said the fairy in the simplest term she could think of.
"Mmm, close enough," replied Rook.
Within the skull, Daiyousei was yelling at Cirno to stop but her voice wouldn't reach her friend. Cirno didn't know that this was all Rumia's doing and if she somehow accidentally kills that person then she will be in deep trouble. That person also didn't look like he was weak or anything. If Cirno was going to fight, then Daiyousei had to tell her to be careful. Either way, this wasn't going to end well.
"My name is Cirno, and I'm going to kick your butt!" introduced Cirno while flying up to declare her Spellcard, "Hailsign~HailStorm!"
At the back Rook's head, a tiny voice muttered, Battle Start!
Proof that he has played too many games while on the Outside. His focus returned to reality as it suddenly began to rain ice. Icicles made of Danmaku were born from the ice fairy's wings herself in waves. It had no definite pattern and left a great deal of gaps for him to make his way through. Apparently if he were only able to fly, he wouldn't be able to get close for close combat anyway. And hitting children wasn't really his style. He continued to weave and dance on the ground while Cirno seemed to be enjoying his display.
"Yeah, that's it! Dance you mean human! That's what you get for messing with the fairies!" laughed Cirno, confident that she would win this.
It was only a matter of time before Rook got hit, he knew it was inevitable yet prepared himself anyway. Being on the ground made him easy target but he didn't care. It was all part of the plan. Rook stretched out his right arm and gathered electricity. Unlike last time since his power was greatly decreased, his electricity was now the bright color of sapphire instead of pure white. They didn't carry the same amount of power and yet… They still hurt a lot if you get hit!
Rook let loose a bolt once; followed by another in the brief time he had for the space he was in to remain open. The ice fairy noticed this and brought her hands together while leaving a space between her palms. The icicles headed for random directions all suddenly increased in numbers, causing the area to be dense with ice bullets giving the bolts no chance to hit the fairy.
"Ha! You'll have to try better than that!" taunted Cirno while increasing the amounts of icicles in the air. The gap disappeared and Rook was back to dodging in the ground. Cirno was confused, the human didn't seem tired or anything since the last five minutes of constant movement. He hasn't even stop to rest and only halted when he fired those bolts. She found him strange because he never got tired.
Behind the trees, Rumia watched. Just what is with him? Proposing rules that would put him in the wrong end of the stick, thought Rumia biting her lower lip. She wished that Rook should just hurry up dying so she can feed him to the other youkai. He's crazy! Just look at him, why does he have a hand on these rules anyway? Wasn't the shrine maiden the only one who can control it? Besides, from what I've heard from the others, the rules were applied to this big Barrier and yet why can he bend it? Gahhh, this is so confusing!
Rumia continued to observe the battle from afar and noticed a few things. Cirno's spell card as promised hasn't timed out yet and was still continuing its random barrages to nowhere, though most of the icicles were aimed towards the ground. Rook was managing quite well for a human. Giving his long years of experience in battles, it seemed like he was used to this kind of setting. Or maybe he just practiced beforehand. Rook wasn't just firing lightning bolts this time, but energy filled orbs of electricity. Slow moving yet the amount of force they create when detonated was enough for the trees around Rumia to shake.
That was where she saw it.
Can you see it..? Can you see it…? Come on look through it. He's right there. He's going to save you? Wow that's new. He's coming to save us! Really? I thought we already lost hope. He's there. He's there. We can see him. Come on closer, you can see him too, right? Hey! Look through his eye. His eye. Red….Sweet…. He's fighting the fairy. The fairy? If she hurts him, then we'll break her. Break her? That's fun! If they dare hurt him, then we'll break them too. BLOOD! Hey, you're too noisy! Come on look through it! See? See? Flan-chan look! Hey Flanny look at him he's coming to save you! His eye, his eye…. Look through it…. We'll be very angry if the fairy hurts him. Looky, looky, Rook almost died! AHAHAHAHA! Hey! Be quiet you're too noisy! Flandre…
Flandre….. Why do you insist that you're going to be saved?
"Because…..He promised me….."
Promised? Do you really think he'll be able to keep it this time?
"Shut up…"
It's no use, she's too much of a wuss to listen anyway.
AHAHAHAHAHA! She's useless! Useless, no wonder sis never liked us!
"Shut up... All of you shut up!"
…..Flandre, why do you keep on believing? I don't understand you at all.
"Go away… You're all mean. Why can't you just leave me alone?"
We can't silly! Even if we wanted to we can't.
Heeheehee, I'll play with Rook first when he comes to save us. So much fun! Candy! Candy!
Flandre… You do realize that….We're a part of you…
"He'll make you all go away. I know he will."
Where do you get all this faith….?
{Back at the battle….}
Rook had his hands clasped together before spreading them on either side of him. At that the same moment, blue power filled orbs surrounded him and homed towards Cirno who was still maintaining the same pattern she has used at the start of the battle.
Cirno can only increase the power and intensity of her attacks because of her spellcards, though Rumia wide eyed at the revelation, while that guy can freely manipulate his attacks into any kind of angle, pattern or position because he isn't using any Spellcard!
Rumia inhaled a lung full of air before shouting, "WOOHOO, I'M A GENIUS!"
A lightning bolt almost hit her in the head, causing her to duck and glare at Rook who was doing the same in the midst in the fall of ice, finding enough time to make a throat slitting gesture with his thumb. Rumia gulped and continued thinking, I knew it! I knew he won't do something crazy without planning out ahead, he knew this from the start and he wanted Cirno to underestimate him with the advantage of flying and spellcards. He's trying to get Cirno to lower her guard!
"Hey, you blue headed fool!" shouted the darkness at the ice fairy.
Cirno took the time to find the source of the call and said, "Rumia?"
"Cancel the Spellcard you mumbling blighter! You're playing at the palm of his hand!" continued Rumia, "Cancel the Spellcard with another, NOW!"
Before Cirno could even process the youkai's words, two orbs detonated on either side of her, though the power wasn't enough to land an actual hit but enough to stun and clear the area of icicles. Rook slid on the ground and came to a halt on a kneeling position to avoid an incoming icicle. How Rumia managed to figure it out impressed him. It seemed like that the Youkai of Darkness wasn't a complete man eating idiot after all. However whether they cracked the puzzle or not, he was going to win either way. Carefully taking aim with his palm, Rook shot five times making sure that at least one hit its target.
To his luck, two managed to land a direct hit, while the ice fairy grazed the last three by a hairs breadth.
"Darn, that's cheating!" complained the fairy, halting the waves of ice for a moment to speak.
Rook could only smile at that. Your mistake, he thought before imbuing his right arm with electricity. Aiming it at the fairy once more, a faster bolt was released missing Cirno by inches. Cirno finally decided to cancel her active Spellcard with another. Raising her hand in the air she declared her second card, "Happy Ice~Frozen Frogs!"
Rook expected more icicles but to his surprise there were none. Instead ice balls started to form around Cirno before she unceremoniously tosses them into the air and let gravity do its job. The human should have realized it the moment the ice balls were thrown into the air.
Carpet bombing, was his only thought before making a wild dive to his right. The patch of ground where he was standing earlier was now covered in a thick layer of ice about six feet long. Rook noticed that the ice balls that hit the lake's waters completely froze it. Apparently this was the person who he was looking for. He can make a bridge if he just used those balls of ice. But why did the fairy call the m frozen frogs?
Rook had to dodge another ice ball headed his way; the area that it could cover could prove fatal for him. For a split second he saw a silhouette of something within the ice ball. Ohhh, so that's why it's called frozen frogs….
He could just shoot the ice balls in the air before they hit the ground. It will probably save him energy on moving around. Rook began to gather energy in his hand once more and prepared himself to shoot at an ice ball headed towards him. He prepared his hand to shoot only to find that out that he didn't have any power left. Not only that but he miscalculated the distance of the speeding frozen frog, causing it to collide with his outstretched hand.
His heart skipped a beat at the sight of his right arm encased in solid ice. Rook fell backwards at the weight of his frozen arm. Rook tried to use electricity to thaw his arm out of the ice but couldn't find the power to do so. It seems like he used all of it on those orbs earlier. The coldness of the freezing ice made the blood in his arm almost stop and for his muscles to go numb. If this goes on for a few more minutes, then his entire will go dead.
He glanced at Cirno whom had a look of triumph in her face as she cancelled her Spellcard for the next one. Holding another card between her middle and index finger, Cirno shouted to the heavens, "Ice Sign~Freezer Sword!"
A medieval broad sword made of ice materialized within her tiny hands. It seemed like the fairy struggled to carry its weight, but nevertheless she was still a potential danger to Rook at the moment. For a moment, the sword gleamed in the sunless sky, casting a wicked light. Confident in her victory, Cirno dived.
"Not cool," muttered Rook as he struggled to channel power into his arm. If he could focus as much power as he can and release a bolt strong enough to break through the ice, he would be able to release his arm and dodge. However doing so would require time, which was something he didn't have right now for a rampaging fairy was on her way to cut him.
At the back of his head a tiny voice muttered once more, Crossroad time!
"What the hell is wrong with me?!" he asked while thinking, If the worst comes to worst then I'll have to use my gun and shoot her. But doing so will leave a bad taste in my mouth… Even if she is a fairy, shooting children isn't me at all. Rumia's an exception… Or… I could use my knife, but the fatigue that I'll experience after this will affect my infiltration of the mansion. Damn….
Rook rested his left hand above his chest and watched as black red electricity channel out of his coat. The dagger he had within his coat shined an ominous red and felt the warmth of power course through his right arm, giving him enough strength to lift it. Rook counted to three, and just as the fairy was ten feet away from him. He raised his frozen arm to mid chest and released the electricity contained within. Cirno didn't have enough time to react as she was consumed by the red-black glow and by the ice fragments.
Cirno was lying on the ground groaning at the pain of the explosion. She didn't die, which was surprising since every time she played Danmaku she always died at some point. Just earlier that day she died because of a Red-White shrine maiden. It was as if the human she fought didn't want her to die on purpose. It was strange because she didn't understand it. Humans never liked fairies in the first place and yet why… Ah, is that Daiyousei? She was above Cirno, calling her name. It seemed like she was okay, which was good. It meant that Cirno successfully saved her.
"Cirno! Cirno can hear me?" Daiyousei frantically asked at her fallen friend. The Greater Fairy's eyes widened as Cirno opened her own, and not a moment too soon embraced her in a bone cracking hug. "You dumb idiot, don't do something like that again!"
"The mean person, where is…he?" asked the ice fairy, though her voice was weak.
"He wasn't mean, he even helped you recover," explained Daiyousei, wiping the dirt on Cirno's cheek with her dress, "It was all Rumia's fault, she was the one who trapped me and had that person fight you. He didn't actually want to fight, but you didn't listen. Now look at you, you're all hurt."
"Rumia did? Where is she I'm gonna give her a knuckle- ouch!" Cirno tried to rise but found it too painful to do so.
"Please I need you to rest," said Daiyousei, it looked as if she was close to tears.
Now that Cirno thought of it, she was resting beneath the shade of a large tree as she lay on the soft green grass. She saw what she did on the lake shore and her eyes instantly lit up.
"I froze the lake…." She muttered in a daze. She looked at Daiyousei and shook her lightly, "I froze the lake….woohoo…." With a thud, Cirno fell on her back once more, staring at the gray sky just above the roof of leaves above her.
"That man that was with Rumia…was strange," said Daiyousei, "Even after she tricked him, he still took her with him, muttering something about using her as a guide. He also borrowed a couple of your frozen frogs to make a path to that big mansion."
"They must be strong….To go to that scary place…." The second time Cirno tried to raise herself, she found out that she was successful, "But still, I'm gonna hit Rumia in the eye for tricking you…."
Daiyousei didn't have anything to say and continued to stare at her friend. She didn't catch the human's name as he left, but she had the feeling that she'll know sooner or later. But for now, something strange was happening….And she could only hope that he could put a stop to it.
Nicolas Notes: I would like to thank Acha and Wolf for pre-reading this chapter for me. Despite the heavy hits I took, the former got me thinking on a alot of things, heh. Now seriously, this hobby of writing of mine just got a whole lot complicated. I dunno if this is a record time release, but what the heck. Just caught up to Imperfect Metamorphosis and it was like a mind screwy drug dipped in coffee and reheated five times on Mokou's flame that gave me crazy ideas of mine own.
Seriously the fic jus as I did in the first chapter. Now I'm reading the Shrine of Gensokyo by Wrathe Winsre.
Thanks again to Wolfsbane and Achariyth! Now I'm off to working on the next update! And school... expect the next one to take a long while.
See ya! Oh and reviews are highly valued more than gold, don't forget to leave one! Seriously...


text: Top Five Pirate Experiences Ahoy, me hearties! Hoist the Jolly Rodger and unleash your inner Jack Sparrow with these five pirate experiences across Australia. Sail the Whitsundays A photo posted by a leen (@alinenroute) on Sep 2, 2016 at 12:31am PDT With the wind in your hair and the salt on your skin, there's nothing quite like sailing through the Whitsundays to make you feel like a pirate. The Whitsunday Classic Overnight Sailing Adventure from Airlie Beach YHA takes you to amazing reefs and white-sand beaches – and the boats are BYO, so you can have a swig of rum on the deck like Blackbeard and his buddies used to. Swim with sharks A photo posted by Port Lincoln YHA (@port_lincoln_yha) on Aug 4, 2016 at 3:22am PDT Pirates wouldn't have peg legs without sharks, and the best place to come face-to-face with the fearsome predators is in Port Lincoln. Stare Jaws and co. in the face with YHA's great-value Shark Cage Dive Special . . . and don't worry, there's no walking the plank here! Explore a shipwreck A photo posted by Cool Dingo Tours (@cooldingotour) on Jun 8, 2016 at 9:32pm PDT Discover the iconic SS Maheno shipwreck on this escape to Queensland's iconic Fraser Island, the world's largest sand island. This three-day 4WD adventure tour from Hervey Bay YHA takes in the island's stunning lakes, rainforests and beaches, including the rusted skeleton of this WWI hospital ship that washed up on Seventy-Five Mile Beach during a cyclone in 1935. Visit a pirate's old hunting ground A photo posted by Caroline Soriano (@carolobeach) on Sep 13, 2016 at 4:37am PDT Australia's only recorded pirate, Black Jack Anderson, plundered vessels travelling through the treacherous Recherche Archipelago just off Esperance in south-west WA – and located just 20m from the sea front, Esperance YHA boasts panoramic views of the waves where old Jack wreaked havoc in the 1830s until he was killed by his mutinous crew. Argh, mateys! Discover 1770 A photo posted by Jessica Lauren (@jeslaurenpow) on Sep 10, 2016 at 1:58am PDT Yeah, we know, the First Fleet weren't exactly pirates but in keeping with the nautical theme, why not check out 1770 – the site of Captain Cook's first landing in Queensland in the year (you guessed it) 1770. The town is the last surf beach before you head north to the Great Barrier Reef and a must-see stop on popular Brisbane-to-Cairns road trip for adventure-seekers wanting to surf, snorkel and stand-up paddleboard. 1770 YHA even boasts a private boardwalk so you can roll out of bed straight to the beach.

subset: commoncrawl


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Tight band of snow drops 10 centimetres on southern Alberta early Monday
Monday, December 16, 2013, 8:17 AM -
Parts of southern Alberta woke up to heavy snow Monday morning after a tight band of snow formed over the region, dumping a quick 10 cm in some places overnight.
"The band of snow is very narrow so snowfall amounts will be very localized," said Environment Canada in a snowfall warning early Monday.
The City of Calgary was included in that warning, where close to 10 cm of snow was recorded.
Snow covered Trans Canada #Banff to #Calgary & east thru to #Strathmore. Narrow but intense band of overninght snow leaves a white gift— Chris Murphy TWN (@chris_m_twn) December 16, 2013
"This same band is producing rain in the Medicine Hat region," EC adds. "Road surfaces are at or below freezing, so the rain will freeze on contact with the cold surfaces."
Freezing rain over the weekend resulted in dangerous road conditions in the City of Edmonton on Saturday.
RCMP continued to warn drivers to use caution on Sunday especially on Highway 43 and Highway 2 as roads were still icy.
According to city police, more than 70 collisions were reported between 4 pm and midnight on Sunday.


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|Peter Doyle
|Portrayed by
|Jarrett Beal
|Houston Heights, Texas
|Cause of death
|Face blown open with firecracker by Angela Baker
|Angela Baker's motive for killing him
|Irritating her
|Sleepaway Camp III
Peter Doyle was a privileged teenager murdered by Angela Baker at Camp New Horizons. He is Angela Baker's 35th victim.
Born into a wealthy Texas family, Peter had an obsession with firecrackers. He was one of a handful of teenagers selected to attend Camp New Horizons in New York.
Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage WastelandEdit
He serves as a major villain of the film. Peter arrived with the other teenagers at Camp New Horizons and participated in Tawny Richards' news segment. He listened to Lilly Miranda's orientation, then changed into a camp shirt with the other boys. He was placed in Herman Miranda's group with Angela, Snowboy, and Jan Hernandez. After antagonizing Angela with his firecrackers, she blew his head open by sticking one in his nose. Angela puts his corpse in a cabin afterwards.
Peter has an affable nature, but he isn't very serious. Peter is also an active prankster and relaxed teenager, his constant playful pranks on Angela would earn him her ire. He is also best friends with Snowboy.
Behind the ScenesEdit
The script describes him as "a pudgy black 14 year-old."
Named after Peter Brady from The Brady Bunch.


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In February of 2010, we released a 2xLP set from the downtown NYC outfit Interference. The set compiled an released record from 1983 with an additional six track LP of remixes from this century. To celebrate this bands music for the 18th installment of our podcast series, we are offering up a rare glimpse of the band by way of a live set from CBGB's transfered from a cassette recording by the band's drummer David Linton. This is one of, maybe, two live recordings of this band in known existence so let's consider this a special occasion.
TSR Podcast Nº 18 - Interference Live At CBGBs, NYC Circa 1983 [ 0:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download


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This history of the Old Bailey is told through characters from both sides of the legal divide, the actors who trod the boards of many grim tragedies. In the beginning there was barbarity and injustice - the courts thronged with a mob eager for public executions. The book argues that we have not progressed as much as we think and are made uneasy by the continuing exposure of miscarriages of justice.;The cast of the book include: the Dracula-garbed court chaplain whose sole job was to intone ""Amen"" after pronouncement of a death sentence; the judge who chose lust for a gypsy-girl witness over fairness, and was attacked by the mob; and the hangmen such as John Ellis who never recovered from executing Edith Thompson and eventually took his own life.


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The narrator, Darwin Shaw conducted meetings and gave talks based upon Meher Baba's Discourses for seventy years. In a 1935 letter to Darwin, Meher Baba wrote, "I give you and your work all my blessings."
Short biography of Meher Baba
Meher Baba's Call
DVD 34 minutes.
Edited by Chris Riger from the original 35 mm film, this major production features "Three Incredible Weeks," the 1954 men's darshan at Meherabad. Narrated by Darwin Shaw, an attendee at the Three Incredible Weeks.


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Men's Sports
Women's Sports
Men's Sports
Women's Sports
Feb. 15, 2010
With just two weeks remaining in conference play, the West Coast Conference announced its Players of the Week with Portland's T.J. Campbell taking the men's honor and Gonzaga's Courtney Vandersloot and Saint Mary's Louella Tomlinson splitting the women's award.
Men's Player of the Week
T.J. Campbell, POR
Campbell averaged 21.0 points, 5.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game in home wins over San Diego and Saint Mary's. He scored a team-high 24 points with seven assists and three steals in a thrilling 80-75 win over Saint Mary's on Saturday. The senior point guard scored the game-tying layup with 25 seconds left in regulation to send it to overtime and then clinched the game with two free throws with eight seconds remaining in OT. He was 9-for-16 from the field, 2-for-6 from the three-point line and 4-for-4 at the foul line. Campbell scored a game-high 18 points with four assists in a 70-56 win over San Diego on Thursday. He went 5-for-10 from the three-point line in the game.
Women's Players of the Week
Courtney Vandersloot, GON
Helped Gonzaga stay undefeated in conference with two road wins. Vandersloot averaged a double-double of 18.0 points and 10.0 assists, and shot 61.9 percent from the field over the Zags two contests. Vandersloot began the week scoring 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 accuracy from the charity stripe in GU's win over second place Saint Mary's. She also dished out 11 assists to register her ninth double-double of the season and blocked a career-high four shots. In the Zags victory over fourth place San Diego, Vandersloot scored another 18 points, this time on 6-of-11 shooting from the field, hitting 2-of-4 from beyond the 3-point arc, and was again 4-of-6 at the free throw line. She added nine assists, five steals and six rebounds in the 75-61 victory. Vandersloot also became the West Coast Conference all-time career assist leader in GU's win over San Diego. Vandersloot needed six assists to take over the top spot that was held by Amanda Rego (659), of San Diego. Vandersloot finished with nine and now has dished out 663.
Louella Tomlinson, SMC
On Thursday night, Tomlinson broke the NCAA Division I career (480) and single-season (164) blocks records after recording five blocks against Gonzaga. Tomlinson added three more against Portland to put her career total at 486 and her single-season total at 169. Tomlinson averaged 14.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks over the weekend and remains the conference leader in those categories. Tomlinson was one rebound shy of a double-double against Gonzaga, finishing with 14 points and nine rebounds, but she bounced back against Portland to finish with 15 points and 14 boards for her 17th double-double of the season.
© Copyright 2017 West Coast Conference. All Rights Reserved.


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- Scratch resistant anti-fog polycarbonate lens
- 99.9% UV protection
- Do not use for ARC welding
- Single lens design with integrated side shields


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Richardson Releases New Sales 2.0 Sales Call Planning Tool with Real-time Coaching and Training
San Francisco, CA — March 4, 2009 — Richardson, a leading sales training and performance improvement firm, today announced at the Selling Power Sales 2.0 Conference the launch of the Richardson SalesCallPlanner™, an online, real-time planning and training solution that integrates with all major Client Relationship Management (CRM) platforms to help maximize every sales call.
With longer sales cycles and the importance of closing every possible opportunity, the Richardson SalesCallPlanner™ enables sales professionals to strategically envision, map out, and prepare for key customer calls. With a simple click, sales professionals gain access to a step-by-step planning process and a series of just-in-time training, videos, audio, and coaching reinforcement tools to organize and prepare dialogues that drive results.
The program also serves as a coaching tool for sales managers to review sales call plans to provide feedback and coaching before or after a meeting. Richardson has partnered with White Springs, Inc., a leading salesforce effectiveness technology company, to leverage its technology platform to structure this innovative planning and training tool.
"We are extremely excited about the launch of the SalesCallPlanner™. By using the SalesCallPlanner™, sales professionals will lead sales calls that result in closing more business," says David DiStefano, CEO of Richardson. "The tool improves utilization of CRM systems, accelerates preparation time, and provides salespeople with access to coaching and training in every aspect of their plan, from objections to need dialogue and closing. The tool has one ultimate goal, and that is to improve close ratios, and never before has this been more challenging or important to sales organizations. We've embedded Richardson's time-tested methodology into a tool that operates with a company's CRM so that sales professionals and sales managers can plan a call much more quickly, track information, and receive immediate skills development directly from the tool whenever coaching is needed. We see this product as a part of the next generation of salesforce development."
"We have been eagerly anticipating the launch of Richardson's SalesCallPlanner™, as it represents a new era in sales effectiveness," says Chris Hens, President of White Springs. "For years, customers have been looking for ways to increase the effectiveness and utilization of sales training. By integrating the SalesCallPlanner™ directly within customers' CRM/Salesforce automation applications, Richardson can significantly increase training impact because it brings learning into the context of the user's daily sales environment. Once again, Richardson has proven its commitment to delivering leading-edge solutions to its broad customer base."
About Richardson
Richardson develops customized and comprehensive sales training and performance improvement solutions for sales, sales management, and customer service professionals that integrate with an organization's business strategy, sales challenges, and overall vision to improve sales skills, increase performance, and drive results. The company's 30-year dedication to changing the behaviors of sales professionals and innovation has made Richardson one of the largest global sales training and performance improvement providers today. Clients around the world choose Richardson for their "go beyond" approach and broad platform of customizable sales training and technology solutions. We deliver a comprehensive, end-to-end training platform that includes online diagnostics, fully customized live and online training programs, continuous coaching processes, reinforcement tools and techniques, and performance support applications. Richardson continues to be on the front line of sales training innovation in the development of leading edge solutions that help clients generate revenue faster and more cost-effective than ever before.
About White Springs
Founded in 2002, White Springs connects the unique intellectual property or thinking process of leading sales training programs or methodologies with the execution and tracking power of any sales effectiveness technology. The company engages in joint ventures with the world's most prominent sales training and methodology authors and builds customized applications for these partners. The applications are then sold and implemented with customers through the respective partner's sales channels. More than 30,000 users in over 350 companies across the globe are currently using White Springs-powered sales methodologies. Based in San Mateo, Calif., White Springs is privately held and committed to driving up the sales effectiveness industry. More information is available at www.white-springs.com.
To Learn More About Richardson's Sales Training Solutions Contact Us at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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What is JotForm?
JotForm is a free online form builder which helps you create online forms without writing a single line of code. No sign-up required.
At JotForm, we want to make sure that you're getting the online form builder help that you need. Our friendly customer support team is available 24/7.
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Can a client upload a video from a JotForm?Asked by Raydonx on May 10, 2016 at 10:43 AM
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Use a short dog leash. This allows you to have more control. Attaching the leash to the very top of the neck can help you more easily communicate, guide, and correct your dog. If you need additional help, consider the Pack Leader Collar. Always keep your dog's safety in mind when giving corrections.
Doglib.com is not operated by, sponsored by, endorsed by, or affiliated in any way with any of the companies mentioned in this site. All brand names and trademarks mentioned in this site are the property of their respective owners.Copyleft © 2015 Doglib.com. All Rights Reversed.


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Give us a call to get our secret deals 1-800-468-3578
Property Location
When you stay at Hotel Le Trinquet in Pau, you'll be near the airport and close to Zenith de Pau and Chateau de Pau. This hotel is within close proximity of Palais de Sports de Pau and Zénith-Pau.
Stay in one of 32 guestrooms featuring flat-screen televisions. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming is available for your entertainment. Private bathrooms with bathtubs feature complimentary toiletries and hair dryers. Conveniences include complimentary newspapers, housekeeping is provided daily, and cribs/infant beds (complimentary) can be requested.
Enjoy recreation amenities such as an indoor tennis court or take in the view from a terrace.
You can enjoy a meal at a restaurant serving the guests of Hotel Le Trinquet, or find a snack in a coffee shop/café. Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at a bar/lounge.
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You must present a photo ID when checking in. Your credit card is charged at the time you book. Bed type and smoking preferences are not guaranteed.Your reservation is prepaid and is guaranteed for late arrival. The total charge includes all room charges and taxes, as well as fees for access and booking. Any incidental charges such as parking, phone calls, and room service will be handled directly between you and the property.


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One of our primary functions is to work with organizations to help you use service as a strategy to fulfill your mission by engaging volunteers, ultimately addressing pressing community challenges across Iowa. We do this by:
- connecting you with programming that we or our partners fund, and/or
- providing technical assistance on how to better utilize community volunteers to meet your needs
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Want to leverage volunteers and their skills across all levels of your organization? The Service Enterprise Initiative is taking hold in Iowa. Click here to find out how you can get involved.
Looking for ways to recognize and honor your volunteers? Check out our What's Your 50? nominations, Governor's Volunteer Awards, and the Volunteer Hall of Fame.
Trying to find professional development opportunities and conferences? Check out our calendar, meetings, and opportunities from other organizations.
Would you like to connect with your local volunteer center? Connect with Volunteer Centers of Iowa (VCI), a statewide network that connects, builds, promotes and mobilizes Iowa Volunteer Centers.
Stay up to date with news from Volunteer Iowa by subscribing to our mailing list!


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A comedy following two single best friends, one of whom is pregnant and rebuilding her life.
Maggie is newly single and eight months pregnant. She recently left her husband after discovering his affair and must now fight for herself to build a life and new family.
Emma is Maggie's strong-willed best friend who, despite years of climbing the ranks in the Chinese business world, drops everything to move back to the town of Pinebrook to support Maggie in her time of need.
(Page 1 of 3) Next>>
Genre: Comedy


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What is JotForm?
JotForm is a free online form builder which helps you create online forms without writing a single line of code. No sign-up required.
At JotForm, we want to make sure that you're getting the online form builder help that you need. Our friendly customer support team is available 24/7.
We believe that if one user has a question, there could be more users who may have the same question. This is why many of our support forum threads are public and available to be searched and viewed. If you'd like help immediately, feel free to search for a similar question, or submit your question or concern.
Encryption service for online referral formsAsked by Adam Street on October 09, 2013 at 09:12 AM
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JotForm Support
Hello Adam, Yes you may send them to our support email at email@example.com. We will take a look about your specifications and see if it something possible to implement or to find an existing solution for you. Thanks.


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Mark Buehrle called it the "worst five-hitter stretch" of his career.
It may have seemed like five hitters, but it was only four. With the Angels ahead by a run entering the fifth inning, Mark Trumbo and Josh Hamilton hit back-to-back homers, followed by Chris Iannetta and Kole Calhoun with consecutive doubles. Six pitches, four extra-base hits, 12 total bases.
Watch: Angels beat Blue Jays 12-6
The onslaught finished Buehrle's night and led ultimately to the silver lining in the Blue Jays 12-6 defeat to the Angels on Tuesday, the reappearance of Ricky Romero on a major-league mound. He worked the seventh and eighth innings, his first appearance as a reliever in the majors, allowing two hits and a run.
"For him to go out there, especially the way they were crushing the ball, that's a confidence-builder he can hopefully take into his next outing and continue," said Buehrle, a fellow lefty. "His velocity was up; he looked like the Ricky of old."
Romero, deemed the fifth starter going into spring training despite a horrid second half in the 2012 season, was left behind in Dunedin to work out mechanical difficulties, then lasted a total of 4-1/3 innings in two starts. He'd spent the summer at Triple-A Buffalo, going 5-8 with an eyesore of an earned run average, 5.78.
Formerly the club's ace, he's trying to get back into the club's plans for the 2014 season by demonstrating an ability to get hitters out this September. The Jays called him up on Sept. 3, and manager John Gibbons took advantage of the blowout loss to place him in a game.
"I was excited and I guess, a little nervous," said Romero, adding he felt "like myself again."
Trumbo collected four doubles and the homer, becoming the first Angels player to combine five hits and five runs in a game. Anthony Gose, a call-up who's been trying to cut down his leg kick at the plate to handle offspeed pitches, hit the first grand slam of his life in the second inning to tie the game, after Buehrle gave up four runs in the first. The Angels scored again in the third for a 5-4 lead and battered Buehrle in the fifth for three more runs.
Buehrle (11-8) had won six consecutive decisions. The loss was his first since July 20.
"One of those nights," said Buehrle. "First inning, everything was up [in the strike zone] and I was behind in the counts. … I feel like I've been pitching so good for so long, and I just hit a bump in the road."
He allowed 12 hits, three homers and eight runs in four-plus innings, his worst outing of the season, statistically. The four innings raised his total this season to 189-1/3, with three potential starts remaining. He is seeking to become the second pitcher since Cy Young in 1909 to record 13 consecutive seasons of 200 innings and fewer than 61 walks, and to extend streak of 12 seasons with 10 wins, 30 starts and 200 innings pitched.
It's a remarkable achievement in an age of specialist relievers and bullpen closers, a testament to his rubber-armed mechanics, ability to change speeds and move the ball around the strike zone, and his even professional demeanour.
"When you pitch a good game, don't get too high; when you pitch a bad game, don't get down on yourself," he said. "Come back tomorrow and get ready for your next start."
Dating from 2001, only Livan Hernandez has come close to Buehrle's string of consecutive marathons, with seven seasons of 200 innings through 2007. Roy Halladay's run of six straight seasons ended last year.
Buehrle has made 426 consecutive starts without once going on the disabled list during a hyper-sensitive era when contusions, forearm swelling, shoulder strains, ingrown nails, blisters and mental burnout routinely send pitchers to the sidelines. Only Buehrle and R.A. Dickey from Toronto's Opening Day rotation have taken the ball for each of their scheduled starts this season. Coincidentally or not, they rank 2-1 in the league, respectively, for shortest amount of time between pitches, at 18.1 and 17.9 seconds.
While critics at the outset of the season questioned whether the career-long workload had taken the ultimate toll on his arm, Buehrle rebounded in early May and put together a strong second half, with three runs or fewer allowed in nine of his prior 11 starts.
Hurt by an unusual pace of home runs early in the season with 11 in nine starts, he held opponents without a homer in eight of 10 through an outing against Boston at the end of June. He recorded 20 scoreless consecutive innings until facing the same Angels in Anaheim on Aug. 4, and in Tuesday's game he brought a 2.72 ERA at the Rogers Centre, a stadium that's coughed up the most homers in baseball.Report Typo/Error
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News By Tag
Industry News
News By Location
Industry News
Raval Restaurant's Year to Remember
Award-winning Raval Luxury Indian Restaurant - named Best Restaurant in the North East at the British Curry Awards - reflects on an amazing year in the limelight
After being named North East Restaurant of the Year at the prestigious British Curry Awards at the back end of 2013, our thriving business has gone from strength to strength.
We kicked things off in 2014 in our own inimitable way, with the region's newly crowned Curry King – restaurant manager Avi Malik – donning a kilt to promote our special Burns Night event.
Our hot and spicy haggis curry added an Asian twist to the traditional Burns' supper…and went down a treat.
We barely had time to catch our breath before we were in the news again…this time by way of celebrity endorsement.
We played host to stars from the Strictly Come Dancing touring show, which was visiting Newcastle's Metro Radio Arena.
TV favourite Brendan Cole delighted diners at the restaurant by signing autographs and posing for pictures.
The 6ft dancer, who has been in the show since series one, which he won with partner Natasha Kaplinsky, dined with fellow BBC colleagues.
Mr Malik said: "Once people started to recognise him it was crazy. Everyone wanted to meet him but he was incredibly patient and friendly.
"He was very complimentary about the food – he said he thought it was superb. And he congratulated me on our success at the British Curry Awards."
In March our reputation as the region's finest Indian restaurant was cemented further when we received a five-star review in Newcastle newspaper The Chronicle.
Reviewer Gordon Barr commented: "I absolutely adored the dish. It had a fabulous kick which gave it something extra, and the portions were just right. Full marks all the way for Raval."
If that wasn't high praise enough, more was to follow when we picked up a gold award at Newcastle's highly-regarded Salon Culinaire event, a showcase for talent in the catering industry, organised by the North East Culinary and Trade Association (NECTA).
One of our chefs won the top award in the hotly-contested Asian food category, leading Mr Malik to comment "I see this as yet another endorsement of the Raval way of cooking. We are unlike any other Indian restaurant in the North East because we dare to be different."
By June word was spreading about our many successes, with visiting business leaders and celebrities seeking us out.
We played host to One Direction support act 5 Seconds of Summer ahead of a sell-out show at Sunderland's Stadium of Light.
The boy band – huge stars in their own right in their native Australia – couldn't wait to sample our award-winning food…but they had to appease their fans first.
After posing for pictures with female admirers who recognised them instantly, they asked our chefs to add an extra touch of spice to their meals, and left very satisfied.
World Cup fever gripped the nation throughout June and July, and we made a point of getting behind the England squad.
Avi Malik once again threw himself heart and soul into the cause – even painting his face with the cross of St George to lead the call for the UK's Indian restaurants to show their support for the Three Lions.
Now, as summer draws to a close, the restaurant is getting ready to play a part in another big event…Eldon Square's hugely popular Great Taste weekend.
Our head chef Jiju will be demonstrating how to cook our famous Newcastle Brown Ale Curry – a dish we invented last year to commemorate the 85th anniversary of Newcastle's iconic TyneBridge.
You can see Jiju in action at the shopping mall at 1pm on Saturday, September 13.
For further information, visit http://intu.co.uk/
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The second time it happens, Jorah is actually prepared. He's been expecting this ever since he moved his sleeping mat outside of Danerys' tent. As he hears her terrified moans, he is instantly alert and quietly moves into her tent, already knowing what sight will greet him. Daenerys, asleep on her mat, thrashing, struggling, terrified, caught in a nightmare. This time, he isn't surprised when he hears his name from her lips. He actually allows himself to feel a quick surge of pride that even in her dreams, his queen would look to him for protection, and doesn't hesitate to kneel down next to her, gently touching her face and calling her name, trying to wake her, to free her from the horrible images in her sleep.
Whereas the last time, waking her up proved impossible, this time she awakes at once, her eyes flying open. He keeps stroking her hair, trying to calm her, giving her time to adjust and properly wake up.
"You were having another nightmare, my queen."
At this, she freezes. Their eyes locked, he silently waits for her denial and is shocked when he sees defeat and acceptance in her eyes. With a sigh she looks away and sits up.
"I know. Thank you for waking me, my valiant knight."
She looks at him once more, as if trying to gauge his reaction, looking almost amused at his shocked expression and how all he manages in response to her thanks is a brief nod. He was prepared to fight her, to get her to admit that even the mother of dragons can suffer from bad dreams, but her quiet admission and gratitude throws him, rendering him momentarily speechless. The ensuing silence is far from awkward, however. Sitting close to each other on the floor of Daenerys' tent, looking at her, trying to make out the reason for her sudden, but definitely not unwanted admission of nightmares, feels comfortable. Almost familiar.
"My own nightmares started when my lord father joined the Night Watch," he finally breaks the silence. "In my dreams, I suddenly remembered all the gruesome tales of White Walkers, giants and wildlings I'd heard as a boy. The dreams have changed over the years and grown further apart, but I don't think I'll ever be rid of them."
He can clearly see that opening up, admitting to his own nightmares, was not what she expected, as she is still silently looking at him, her expression unreadable. And now, with his own admission hanging in the air between them, the silence that was once companionable becomes oppressive. Just as he thinks it unbearable, doubting his decision to tell her one of his best kept secrets, fearing she will now think him weak, unfit to guard and protect her, her expression softens, a small smile playing at her lips.
"I thought bears didn't have nightmares."
"How I wish that were true, my queen."
The honest desperation in his tired voice startles her, wiping the teasing smile off her face, changing her expression to one of deep concentration, as if she was trying to solve a complicated puzzle. Finally, she looks up at him, a lost and insecure look on her face making her appear more like the young girl she is than the mother of dragons.
"But how …," she trails off, glancing away once more.
Gently, Jorah reaches out to touch her cheek, turning her eyes back to him, smiling at her encouragingly.
"What is it, Daenerys?"
He sees insecurity change to indecision and switch to determination, as she makes up her mind to give voice to the question that is so obviously on her mind.
"How do you live with the nightmares? How do you keep them from consuming you?" she asks in a tired voice that makes her sound far too old for someone so young.
Only when she leans into his hand, seeking warmth and comfort does Jorah notice he is still cradling her cheek, his thumb slowly stroking her. Their eyes locked, he can't help the words that are screaming inside his head from forming on his lips.
"By accepting help from the people who love you, Daenerys."
Jorah's last words resonate in her mind, as she sits there, looking at him with wide eyes. Surely he doesn't mean... No, he is her trusted advisor. Her friend. Of course, he loves her. Like any knight loves his queen. But the look in his eyes belies her reasoning. If he truly only loves her like a knight loves his queen, why is there such longing and sadness in his look? And why does he seem to be blushing, if not because he said more than he intended to?
When his look turns to resignation and he drops his gaze she realizes she has been staring at him longer than she intended, and the silence has turned awkward, which prompts her to speak the first things that comes to her mind.
"Who did you turn to for help when your nightmares came?"
He looks up at her, surprise written clearly on his face. She is not sure what kind of response he was expecting, but this clearly wasn't it.
"The only person who knew about my nightmares was my first lady wife. She would try to wake me up and sing to me, until I fell back asleep. Nothing in particular, just any song that came to her."
A small smile forms on her lips at the image of Ser Jorah Mormont of Bear Island being sung to sleep. The smile turns to a frown, when she thinks of the reason behind the singing. The thought of her bear having nightmares so bad he needed the comfort of his wife's lullabies is unbearable, yet at the same time it is comforting to know someone as strong as her knight could suffer from nightmares as well. It somehow lessens the hold of her own bad dreams, which, she realizes, is exactly why he told her these very intimate details of his life.
"What happened to your wife?"
"She died in childbed. As did the child."
She knew his first wife must have died. He had after all been married a second time. But for her to have died while giving birth to Jorah's child is oddly unsettling. She had never really thought about her knight's life before his banishment. How he once had a family, and would have been a father to the future Lord of Bear Island. How he had been sworn to someone else, belonged to someone else. As quickly as that thought surfaces in her mind, Dany banishes it. Jorah Mormont does not belong to her. Nor would she even want to own him. She is almost sure of that.
Forcing these confusing thoughts out of her mind, she thinks back to Jorah's earlier confession. If he had accepted comfort and solace from his wife, this can only mean one thing.
"You must have loved her a great deal."
"I did," he replies, a sad smile on his face. Before she has a chance to examine her feelings about this short, honest answer, he continues.
"I loved and respected her as a friend, as someone I could spend the rest of my life with. But not as a man loves and desires a woman. My feelings for her pale in comparison to what I feel..." he drifts off, and once again can't meet her eyes.
Daenerys is not sure she wants him to finish his sentence, isn't sure she feels comfortable with where this conversation might be headed. Then again, if the swarm of butterflies in her stomach is anything to go by, maybe she does want him to continue? It seems that arguing these points is useless, though, because apparently Jorah was quicker than her and, while she was arguing with herself, has made up his mind. Determination written all over his familiar features, he calmly looks at her once more.
"It is very fitting indeed that you are now the only person who knows of my nightmares, Daenerys."
Before her brain has time to process this last bit of information, Jorah, eyes never wavering from hers, determination still prominent on his face, reaches up to her face, cups her cheek and begins a slow, caressing movement with his thumb. This careful, gentle caress from her powerful knight, paired with the unmistakable look of longing, admiration, and love he is giving her, answers all her unasked questions.
His last words were meant exactly the way they sounded. As was his earlier declaration. Her knight, her bear, loves her. Not as a knight loves a queen, but as a man loves and desires a woman. He is in love with her.
Her gasp of surprise is trapped by Jorah's lips on hers. Once again Daenerys is surprised by his gentleness and restraint, and the softness of his lips. This isn't the forceful, demanding kiss she's been used to, this is something new entirely. Jorah's kiss is light, tender, unassuming. As if he is waiting for her to make up her mind, to decide if this is something she wants. If he and his love are something she wants. He put it all on the line, opened his heart, offered it to her and in doing so put himself completely at her mercy. For the first time in her life, she is the one in control of her heart. She isn't sold off to Jorah by a brother long dead, doesn't have any obligations, anything to gain by accepting him. The decision is hers and hers alone.
The realization that Ser Jorah, her brave bear, has not only given her his heart, but this miraculous gift of choice, of free will, brings tears to her eyes, and a stab to her heart, so strong, she pulls away to get hear bearings. He is looking at her crestfallen, and only as he mumbles a quick apology and is about to get up, does she realize how her pulling away from his kiss must look to him.
It is in that moment she realizes that Jorah Mormont leaving her, pulling away from her, is unacceptable. That the thought of being without her bear by her side, bereft of his company, his familiar touch, his embrace, and yes, his love, is something she does not ever want to consider.
He is already standing, about to turn and leave her tent, when she speaks up.
He turns around, a hopeful look replacing the forlorn expression as he sees her smile and reach out for him. As she grabs his hand, pulls him down next to her and fixes her lips on his in a searing kiss, she cannot help but think how right if feels to be kissing him. Not only because he is an excellent kisser, tender and forceful at the same time, his tongue unhurriedly learning and exploring her mouth, but because this kiss is shared with him. Her bear. The one person who knows her secrets, who knows her. And who doesn't judge her or think her weak, but lays open his darkness, his own secrets in return.
Here and now, protectively wrapped in Jorah's arms, still kissing him, because she really does not want to stop, loves the feeling of his tongue sliding against hers, the feeling of his stubble against her fingers and cheek, she decides to let go. To break down her walls and accept his comfort. His love. To let herself be vulnerable with him.
And she realizes that Jorah's love gives her the strength and courage to face her nightmares.


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– Marshall Ganz, Kennedy School of Government course lecture, on becoming an organizer
The resources of this website are designed to be viewed in a very specific sequence. Students, organizers and trainers should review the readings for each organizing topic, and then view the videos. The vignettes provide a summary of Ganz's key lecture points, while the longer lecture videos illustrate how students in Ganz's Harvard courses discuss these topics.
We must stress that learning in this module is cumulative. Topic 2 builds on Topic 1, and so forth. For example, Ganz's materials on strategy assume knowledge of leadership, relationships, and other topics covered earlier in the module.
Each topic is described, below.
TOPIC 1: What is organizing: leadership, community, and power
TOPIC 2: The "role" of leadership and leadership development in organizing
TOPIC 3: The "role" of relationship-building in building a foundation for organizing
TOPIC 4: "Why" we organize: values, identity, and narrative in motivating participation
TOPIC 5: "How" we organize: strategizing to transform resources into the power to achieve purpose
TOPIC 6: Action: how organizers change the world
TOPIC 7: Summing up: If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am for myself alone, what am I? If not now, when?
Before proceeding to Topic 1, please click here to read Ganz's notes on "practicing organizing." Also, we suggest several background readings on learning organizing: