Elizabethton tn time zone

Hi yall, My name is Rain. I am a 33 year old female and I'm looking for a patient individual or individuals willing to show me the ropes of Minecraft. I've only tinkered with it a bit in the past, but I'm looking to go from noob creator to something a little bit more advanced. I understand I can utilize Youtube and such but I need some more lgbtq+ friends hence this post :)
I'm pretty chill with a good sense of humor, easy to talk to, and easy to get along with. I have an Xbox and a PS4 and a mic 😃🤙🏽
If I don't respond right away I apologize I do have 2 jobs that keep me busy. Most of my free time is on weekends.
Also, I am on the Central United States time zone.
I am also open to other games. I have Gamepass on xbox and am open to buying games for the ps4. I prefer cooperative play though and I'm not really a fan of battle royale style games. Thanks for reading.

Player visits are not 100% indicative of who a team is going to draft obviously but it means the organization at least has interest in them. I used a combination of need, draft stock, and the fact that we have hosted them on a visit to make these picks. Thought it would be fun to have a mock draft in a slightly different way and arguably more realistic. I used MDD’s big board to decide if these players would be available at our picks. Boards will vary greatly and change with time so this likely won’t be accurate on draft day. With those caveats and explanations out of the way let’s get into it!
1.11 Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee
Wright has experience at LT and RT but primarily RT. It is worth stating he didn’t change spots on the line due to skill issues, but team need. He is the only player I have seen give Will Anderson fits and make him switch sides. Will Anderson is also said that Wright was “the best tackle he faced” as well as “the toughest player he faced”
He also played flawlessly against former #1 overall pick and now divisional rival edge rusher Travon Walker. He could easily fit in at LT or RT for us. Wright met with the Titans at the NFL Combine.
2.41 Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina
Josh Downs is an interesting prospect as he plays way bigger in his size. This is apparent in his contested catch rate and RAS score. He can be an immediate help in the slot and a sneaky outside receiver potentially. With the uncertainty of Kyle Phillips, he could prove to be a hot commodity for the Titans. He was met with at his Pro Day.
3.72 Tyler Scott, WR, Cincinnati
Scott is all the buzz for the Titans as of late. Teams are allowed 3 private virtual visits with players and the Titans just used one on Scott and his WR coach. Scott has met with the Titans extensively and said that it went well. The scouting department sees something in him and for good reason, despite being undersized he is incredibly speedy. His explosiveness shows on film and he is great at getting separation. He like downs are incredibly fast and that is just what our offense needs to modernize, speed. Vrabel has also said that’s something he wants to focus on, adding speed to the offense.
Scott is also a threat in the end zone, ranking 19th in the nation for receiving touchdowns. Further to add to his speed traits, he is a former track star. Despite only running a 4.44 forty time, he has an unofficial time of 4.32.
5.147 Braeden Daniels
Daniels is one of the offensive lineman that the Titans met with “Daniels brings some versatility with him to the NFL, as the Utah product has experience playing at both guard and tackle.” -Justin Mello. Another lineman that can move to multiple spots on the line and sporting a 9.65 RAS score Doubling up at the position will greatly aid the line.
6.186 Payne Durham
With the loss of Austin Hooper and the hopeful incoming renaissance of Konk, an addition at TE is needed. Payne Durham fits this need and has been met with by the Titans. With 525 snaps in-line and 612 snaps in the slot, he is a versatile player that can help in blocking and as well as receiving. Coming in at 6’6” and 253 lbs he has the size to be a matchup nightmare as well as a heavy blocker. He also ranks T-9th in contested catches with 8. With sticky hands he ranks in the top percentiles of drops with a slight drop rate of only 3.4%.
7.228 Steven Gilmore
The only player that does not have a visit on this list is Gilmore. He is the brother of Stephon Gilmore and has flied very under the radar. Coming in at 6’0” and 170 lbs he would need to put on significant muscle he “opted to play at Marshall despite offers from Duke, Georgia, Kansas State, Louisville, Maryland, South Carolina, and others”. He shows great technique and IQ, as TheDraftNetwork says “he has a glass ceiling” eluding to the fact that if he can put on some weight he could really shine. He was used as an outside corner at Marshall as well as inside corner at a fair split. With extensive experience in special teams with covering kicks and fine tuning his tackling he could come in as an immediate help on special teams. With bringing Chris Harris onto the staff, a potential defensive coordinator candidate, it would be a travesty to not give him a project.

what the fuck

Hello, so, I'm coming back to teh game after 2 or so years and I am noticng I have hard time doing DLC story missions and its zones. I realize it's my gear as I have not upgraded them after beating the initial story mission but I don't know how to progress from there. where and how do I get better gear for revenant? my specliaziation is Vindicator.
for the record, I did max out my skills and specliaziation with alliance and assassin stancde using greatsword.

The final! What a ride has been this senbatsu 95. Yamanashi defeated Koryo in an impressive rally at the last inning of the game, after many innings tied 1-1. In the other end, Hōtoku Gakuen defeated Osaka Toin 5-7, a koshien upset, no matter what year it happens.
Will Hōtoku bring the flag back home, the first one since 2002, or will Yamanashi Gakuin finally be able to win their first High School championship? Tune in at 12:30 JST! As always, check your local time in No Time Zone. This timeslot is confusing after all!
⚾ DAY 12: FINAL BROADCAST: ▶SPORTSBULL / ▶YAHOO JP

TIME	EVENT	FINAL SCORE/ HIGHLIGHTS
12:30 JST	(Yamanashi) Yamanashi Gakuin vs Hōtoku Gakuen (Hyogo)

➥GO TO THE TOURNAMENT HUB

So I went into Aria of Sorrow with some positive expectations. I had read a lot about this game and how it was one of the high points in the franchise (besides SoTN)
Some context - I was late to the Metroidvania genre with Ori and Hollow Knight being my first metroidvanias with HK being my favorite MV till date. Since then I have played many of the modern classics - Dust: An Elysian Tale, Axiom Verge, Salt & Sanctuary, Guacamelee, Death’s Gambit etc. I had tried both Metroid and CV years ago, but never really got into the pioneers of the genre. So Aria of Sorrow was pretty much my first CV game.
TLDR - Aria of Sorrow is one of the most well designed metroidvanias I have ever played. Despite it being about 20 years old, it feels very much modern with how it controls and how well its paced. It is what I would consider an evergreen game due to how precise every design motive in the game.
It was so good that I never had to use any “Easy-mode tools” (eg rewind) that my friend recommended I use. IT WAS JUST SO MUCH FUN!!
Aged like fine wine…
I have to say - this is the most engrossing Metroidvania I have experienced since Hollow Knight. I have played many modern metroidvanias since 2013 and yet this 2003 GameBoy game ended up being the most immersive with how well it is designed and more importantly - how WELL PACED it is.
It is so compact, so densely packed with content. Every inch of the map rewards you for exploration. It is only helped by the fact that controlling Soma (the protagonist) feels fluid. The controls are snappy and levels are designed to fit those controls very well.
Player Progression goes BRRRRRR
AoS stands out with how it constantly feeds you with player progression. Whether it be experience, items, or skills, you won’t go more than 15 minutes without finding something that can change the way you play the game. To top it off, this aspect of the game was maintained throughout the 9 hours or so that I played it - which is a REALLY FUCKING HARD THING TO DO.
AoS does this through really good level design. I was often rewarded for committing to a path. I won’t spoil much, but in typical Metroidvania fashion, I had hit an ability gate and upon finding it, I had two options - backtrack to the ability gate or push forward to explore more. And often times, I would be rewarded regardless of which path I chose.
The skills and weapons that you obtain are really fun to use and the fact that you can immediately switch builds in a moment by simply going into the pause menu makes it so much fun to experiment with everything.
Enemy Variety is TOP TIER!!
All of this is complimented with the enemy variety that the game keeps throwing at you. Starting off with plain old zombies to maids who can do martial arts to giant chickens that can turn you into stone and then ending with skeletons that attack you with flying kicks - it just keeps going right up until the end. Individually, these enemies aren’t very hard to deal with. But since their attack patterns are so varied, dealing with many of them in a single room can be quite a challenge. You don’t want to get turned to stone in a room full of flying valkyries and hard hitting golems.
This creativity with enemy design is also carried over to the bosses.
Bosses are definitely a highlight of this game. Every boss had me going “Damn…. This is fun to figure out” with all of them being memorable either visually or gameplay wise. For example - Headhunter was one of the most fun bosses I have seen in recent times. It acts as the first true boss of the game and is designed with the intent to teach the players about how the game functions. One of the key things that I learnt from it was that the hitboxes aren’t pixel perfect and that a lot of attacks can be dodged by ducking below them even if their pixels come in contact with the character.
You can tell how and why games like this are inspiring modern Metroidvanias (including Dark Souls). Their design pillars are foundationally so strong that even 20+ years later, they hold up and dont feel aged at all.

My attitude got me battered and bruised in the booth Lost my latitude, now it takes longer to see the truth It don't matter dude, I shatter dudes that want beef You want faster food? I'm eating rappers that want defeat/de feet Bitch the pot is real, I pop the steel with my magic crew David Copperfield make you disappear, ain't gonna stop to heal It's not a game, so call a doctor if you're in pain Bloody Mary comes for you, it's improper to say my name Spitting a sixteen, most of you rappers won't get this mean After the pistol clean, I'm gonna cap you to get this cream If you mention me, better be friendly cuz if not Then you're my enemy, and now it's time that you get popped (Gunshot)
Here I go again, oh, I'm all up in my zone Not a people person, but I keep persons all in my home If you talking business then you started working from home Only way you talking money is when you working the phone Keeping presidents, it's evident, ha, I set the precedents Reach the peak while keeping it street, I get the precipice Who you know hotter than this spitting these messages In the club popping some Cris, this shit is heaven-sent Now I'm in the game ho, shape you like some Play Dough Lay low and only stand up after I say so Smoking weed got me feeling high as a kite So if you openly poking me you're dying on sight

Hello, so, I'm coming back to teh game after 2 or so years and I am noticng I have hard time doing DLC story missions and its zones. I realize it's my gear as I have not upgraded them after beating the initial story mission but I don't know how to progress from there. where and how do I get better gear for revenant? my specliaziation is Vindicator.
for the record, I did max out my skills and specliaziation with alliance and assassin stancde using greatsword.

I'm set to start a new job in the us in April but received a better job opportunity after I had accepted the first one. Both are doing the TN package for me to apply at the POE. With the current job market and companies rescinding offers, I'm inclined to start at one company and switch to the other rather than rejecting one.
So my question is would there be any issues with CBP officers if I get my first TN with the first company, quit after a short time, and get a new TN with the new company?

Pretty self explanatory title. Let’s jump in. Mario Maker is a level builder and is not on here. Console only, so no Super Mario Run

1. Super Mario Bros. 2 (Japan) I’ve come around to this one a little bit. I don’t think it’s level design is as bad as people make it out to be, and it can be creative at times. But it also has some objectively bad design. Backward warps zones, although few exist, just encourage me not to explore, a shame since it can be used to get coins, and in turn lives. When I get hit with a BWZ, I get punished for exploring, which feels so backwards. The extra content seems interesting, but I don’t care how good your main campaign is, I’m not playing it 8 fucking times to play some serviceable stages. Even as a sequel, it doesn’t really do what a sequel should. That being, expanding on the mechanics that made the original game work, while also avoiding the pitfalls of its predecessor. Lost levels does neither. While there are unlimited continues this time around, restarting potentially 3 levels back over and over again still gets annoying fast. Combine this with clunky physics, no backwards scrolling, and no password system, and it feels like, as many put it, an expansion rather than a sequel. The music is the same (except the ending theme, that’s good stuff), the bosses are all bowser on the bridge again, the theming has barely changed, etc. In a world where another SMB2 exists, one that actually had a large impact on the series via characters, health system, and certain character attributes, there’s little reason to go back to this one, outside of curiosity or if you like games with the odds against you. Not bad, but it has the least to say out of any other mainline game.
   
2. New Super Mario Bros. 2 A lot of the same things I said earlier apply here. It does have its own unique gimmick, coin collecting, but outside of that there really isn’t much more to say on this one. I think the other three NSMB game are better and that about it really. The DLC was cool, though.
   
3. Super Mario Land This game is just so charming with how wildly different in theming it is to other main games that I can’t help but love it. It has a decent amount of variety in the levels with the vehicle segments, the levels are well designed, it’s just a pretty damn good time. Yeah, the physics are clunky and hard to get used to at first but because the game is as short as it is, it’s hard to complain when the issues don’t really nag at you for very long. But on the other hand, it’s also been, well, outdone by all the other main 2D’s after this one. Pretty fun time, but there are games with simply higher highs than this effort.
   

Entires 8-6 will be posted later on, as to not make this a college essay paper.
TL:DR 11. SMB2J, 10. NSMB2, 9. SML

The voting period for the final episode of "The NEXT" is ONLY 3 HOURS from 9pm-12am KST or 8am-11am EST. We don't have a week to acquire votes this time, so please use an online time zone converter to see what hours you can vote for PIXY!
The girls will be performing the unreleased song "Butterfly" from Rinji's performance video on YouTube, so please vote for PIXY to show our support to the girls!
Log into your Twitter account and go to the official PICO XR Korea page during the voting period to vote for PIXY!

My childhood best friend is due with her first baby at the end of May. She has always been a fan of the peonies or roses that look similar to peonies, and mentioned that she wanted to commemorate the birth of her child by planting something in her garden. I thought it would be a really nice surprise if I were to buy her a rosebush and help her plant it when she gives birth. I’m looking for a rose that would have the following traits. We’re in zone 8

• roses with a lot of petals or that looks similar to peonies

-A rose that is easier to care for (she’s new to gardening, and with the baby will probably be pretty busy)
-Bonus points if it has a nice, strong smell and or blooms for a long time
I know May is late when it comes to planting roses so I will most likely keep it in a large pot for her to have over the summer, and then will help her transplant it into the ground and fall

1- Starts with 10 lifes at the start of any zone, return to 10 when finishing one. 2- The player is killed once the foe hit with its attack. 3- No cloud checkpoint, only organs/buttons ones. 4- Whole world in one run. Can't ask hub NPC to start at a specific zone. 5- 100% hand arrows are rockets. 6- 100% portals are disabled, new path is made/modified. 7- W1-2 W2-2 shortcuts are of course disabled. 8- When 0 life, no Moto, you are sent back to hub. 9- Negative baubles: Environmental baubles remove baubles from your wallet, sometimes enemies drop nothing, sometimes yellow baubles: those are safe to collect. Food never drop. 10- Continue coin and Infinite coin are both useless. 11- There are firecamps hidden in each zone, each, once claimed give you 2 lifes. There are 3 per zone. 12- Organ/buttons checkpoint are trapped, each time it blinks, 4 buttons are red and will insta kill you, the last one, blue, is safe, you have to synchronize. 13- Rewards are double compared to tribulation, finishing a world award 6 baubles bubbles. 14- Small angry clouds throwing bolts are removed. There are now electric force fields making harder some paths. Those change places over time following a pattern. 15- Bee dogs and Racoons are now evil and will chase you if spotted while they are gathering baubles or around. 16- Water doesn't knock back but now insta kill. 17- Drops of weapon skins boxes are increased, this mode guarantee 3 Crimson Assassin token weekly for each zone completed.

So I'm in Maldives map. Target is in the trespass zone on the far island. GRRRR. Cameras disabled for a reason but I got caught; the concealed brush was just low enough and I'm "found trespassing'. Fine. I'm not otherwise suspicious I usually let the guard escort me.
I'm being escorted and I follow the guy since two other guards are close. The game bugged out. The guard escorting me collided with his two buddies and was walking in place. While stuck he keeps saying to follow him. Then he suddenly decided I was not following him even though I'm right behind and it's "fake surrender" prompt or be shot. But by then it's 1 vs 5 guards. DAMNIT! I did not want a firefight in that spot. no cover and too many itchy fingers.
This is not the first time I've experienced such things where the NPC actions for trespass does not fit the reality of what's going on. This happens a lot actually. And I've seen delayed reactions where you go past a guard he doesn't react at all then he turns and suddenly it's a firefight.
I've complained about 'dumb as a bag of rocks AI' and this is such an example.

Article Link: https://thestreetreports.com/7-stocks-in-the-news-this-week-halb-axxa-cnna-bllb-toc-cn-puma-v-rda
Over the course of the month there have been a number of stocks that have garnered the attention of investors and hence, ended up with hefty gains in the process. As the month comes to a close, it may be a good idea for investors to consider taking a quick look at some of the stocks which managed to make those moves. This article is going to provide you with a look into seven stocks that may be worth looking into at this point in time.
Halberd Corporation (OTCMKTS:HALB) – Halberd Corporation announced yesterday that it had signed an agreement with Mississippi State University (MSU) to begin pre-clinical models beginning April 10, 2023, to measure the effects its nasal spray will have on mitigating Traumatic Brain Injury. HALB’s stock hit a low in March of $0.012, has rebounded, and is up 29.16% since then.
Exxe Group Inc (OTCMKTS:AXXA) – Yesterday, Exxe Group Inc saw its stock go on a strong run and end the day with gains of as much as 17.65%. On Wednesday, the company announced that it signed a letter of intent with a United Kingdom-based technology company to build a fully automated algorithmic trading system at scale. The transaction is expected to be closed in April this year.
Cann American Corp (OTCMKTS:CNNA) – Cann American Corp was another company that was on the radars of investors yesterday and its stock ended up with gains of 17.65%. Last week it had been announced by the company that it had roped in Adam Scherr to be the brand ambassador of Cann American and also of Prodigy Stem Cell, a company that it acquired recently.
Bell Buckle Holdings Inc (OTCMKTS:BLLB) – Throughout March, Bell Buckle Holdings Inc saw its stock clock gains of as much as 50% and yesterday the company made another major announcement. It announced that its fully owned subsidiary unit Jump Start Sports had completed the sale of the 4th and 5th franchise territories. The latest deal will help the company in expanding further in the state of Ohio.
Tocvan Ventures Corp (OTCMKTS:TCVNF) (TOC.CN) – Tocvan Ventures Corp has been in focus this month and its stock has recorded gains of 60% so far this month. Back on Wednesday, the company had come up with an update for its first bulk sample from the Pilar Gold-Silver Project in Sonora, Mexico. The company announced that more than 1200 tons of materials had been stockpiled.
Puma Exploration Inc (OTCMKTS:PUMXF) (PUMA.V) – Puma Exploration Inc reported yesterday that there was 12.03 g/t gold over 1.50 m at the short HQ holes that had been drilled at Lynx Gold Zone last fall. It should be noted that the drilling of the holes had been done as part of an expanded metallurgical test that had been announced back on November 15, 2022.
RAADR Inc (OTCMKTS:RDAR) – RAADR Inc, which provides a free app for controlling cyber-bullying and cyber-harassment got a major boost this week. Last week the governor of Utah signed two bills designed to protect children from the harmful effects of social media. It was a boost for the company and RAADR lauded the move.

For three months, the near-constant streaming of ethereal woo woo woo oooooohs and the rapidly spinning arm choreography, and the many littles, riddles, miros, and dittos have caught the attention of a certain amorphous Pokémon.
A Ditto sent us the following message through Modmail:

Ditto ditto ditto… dittttoooooooo… ditto DITTO DITTO ditto. Ditto ditto ditto. Ditto DITTO dittoooooo ditto ditto. Ditto dit-to ditto ditto DITTO ditto ditto ditto. DITTO dittttttttttto ditto ditto ditto. Di-di-di-tto ditto dittoooo ditto ditto. Ditto-o-o-o. Ditto ditTO. Ditto.

Translation:

Greetings!
I was having a tough time from not getting along with my fellow Dittos late last year, but then in the distance I heard dozens and then hundreds and then thousands of Trainers calling out to me, singing my name. Curious, I followed your voices. I discovered a fun new K-Pop girl group had created a theme song for Dittos. Hearing all you Trainers enthusiastically singing the song of my people so much this year has brought comfort and transformation to me. I always knew we could be a chart-topping and record-breaking species. “Ditto” is in fact, the platonic ideal of a K-Pop song, the magnum opus of all K-Pop, if you will. Thanks to your enthusiasm I have unlocked the special ability to ‘All-Kill’, which should prove useful to any future Trainers!
Reflecting my belief that ‘Ditto’ is the best, most-catchy, and most-evolved K-Pop song, I’ve taken Snoo’s place as the overseer of this subreddit for a day of celebration and I've given Snoo and the human Moderators a break. It’s going to be a Ditto paradise all day! For the next 24 hours, come party with me here in ‘Redditto’! I want to see how powerful your Meme Attacks are! Let’s go, Trainers! So say it Ditto!

This Ditto has recombined its own cellular structure to fully duplicate the human Mod Team, so we’re off to get some sleep. Before we go, here’s everything you need to know:

Redditto Rules for 24 Hours

• Users may post funny images, artwork, stories, etc.
• All posts must be related to K-Pop.
• Posts related to the Pokémon Ditto or the NewJeans song are highly encouraged!
• Use the [Meme] flair for all such posts. Continue to use the normal content flairs for anything not part of the Ditto celebration.
• Don’t post anything gross or mean! Ditto does not approve!

Suspended kpop Rules:

• #6. Only In-Depth Discussions
• #8. No Memes or Joke Posts
• #9. No Fan-Made Content

Check the Timezone Converter to know when the festivities begin and end!
Our Ditto friend said it will reward its favorite K-Pop memes and favorite Ditto-themed memes after the celebration ends! Try to catch ‘em all!

How’s life HeroWarsApp?
We’ve all been there. Coming to Dominion for the first time, surrounded by so many Guardians… Anyone would be a bit confused! No worries, guys, this megathread is a safe place for all kinds of team composition questions: just ask, and the veterans of Dominion will help you out!
Other Weekly Megathreads (available from here, if you use a browser version)

• Surprise!%22title%3A%22SURPRISE%22%20&restrict_sr=1sort=new)
• Recruitment zone!%22title%3A%22RECRUITMENT%20ZONE%22%20&restrict_sr=1sort=new)

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Chapter 17 - In a Small Clearing There Lived a Mouse
Last Time: Having left Eightside, Laran, Leor, and Aiden began to make their way towards Tripit. Aiden took the opportunity to learn more about his companions, at least partially to distract himself from the less desirable aspects of traveling long distances by foot. Eventually, the three of them come across a strange sight - a chimeric creature drinking in the middle of the road. The creature seemed to desire the group to follow it, so they did. That is how they found Oriwyn, a hunter of spirits who had been paralyzed by her quarry for an entire night and who had sent her companion - the creature Brams, who she referred to as a winged badat - to go find help. Leor was able to remove the paralysis from Oriwyn, who then promptly requested to be added to the group. Seeing no reason to deny her request, Aiden accepted. Before she could completely join them on their travels though, Oriwyn asked to go back home to her mother.
Oriwyn was true to her word. Unless asked a direct question, she stayed quiet for a full twenty minutes. By the end of the time I think Leor felt kind of bad for being so snippy with her, as she immediately tried to strike up a conversation with the eccentric goblin with the oddly-shaped ears.
“So, Oriwyn, why did you just ask to join us without really hearing anything about us? We could be brigands or some other unsavory sort.”
Oriwyn grinned at the dwarf broadly.
“Call me Ori if you want! It’s easier to say! And I joined you because you seemed like good people - are you brigands?”
I watched the interaction with interest. If I was going to be the Commander of this particular outfit, I figured I should take an active interest in how people’s personalities worked together or clashed. Leor could be crabby and sarcastic, and so far Oriwyn seemed like sunshine personified in all ways except her occasionally grim turns of phrase. It was definitely a mix that felt like it could create problems. For the moment though, Leor just gave off a snorting laugh at Ori’s question.
“No, we aren’t brigands. But we could have been!”
Ori smiled sweetly. “Oh, I doubt it. Brams is an excellent judge of character!” Leor’s eyes squinted and I figured she was looking for any hint of sarcasm in our new companion’s answer. To be fair, I was too. For his part, Brams just walked ahead of all of us. He had a bald tail - it reminded me of a rat’s - which he swung around jauntily. At the sound of his name being mentioned he turned back over his shoulder and gave a small grunt. Regardless, both Leor and I came to the conclusion that Oriwyn implicitly trusted Brams’ judgment. I wondered if he was some form of animal companion, which would make Ori some form of Ranger if Earth class tropes still held. I felt like it was a safe bet she was the Wheel of the Shaded Forest at least, given her location and generally nature themed powers. My contemplation reminded me we actually didn’t know much about Oriwyn’s abilities, so I decided to ask about that. I waited for Leor and Ori to finish up whatever they had been discussing while I zoned out.
“Hey Ori, I was wondering what sort of things you could do in a fight. We have a lot of time to talk in fights, but I feel like it’ll be helpful to know before we get into one.”
Oriwyn nearly vibrated in excitement. “Yes! Dad always said that knowing who was at your back was ninety percent of surviving. Let’s see now… Is there any sort of stuff you particularly want to know?”
I thought for a moment. So far, it seemed like Roles were the best indicator of abilities, so I thought I’d start there. Distractedly, I also figured I should scry her to see what that could tell me.
Oriwyn Hawthorne, Level Seven (Shaded Forest)
I sighed - heaven forbid it be too easy for me to get any information in this world. Out of curiosity, I also scried Leor. I hadn’t done so during the fight with Stabby and Shooty, and had been too distracted with preparations to do so since.
Leor Whisper, Level Five (Great Secret)
That was somewhat confusing. Leor had said she was an Augur. Laran had told me he was a geomancer, and when he’d been in my party I could see him marked as such, but despite the same information from Leor she was unmarked. I decided to check to make sure I could still see his Role.
Laran Agana, Level Four (Geomancer)
I reflected that things were weird again, though in the end they probably weren’t any weirder than what I normally dealt with. I debated a few ways to go about trying to figure out what was going on with Leor and Oriwyn and eventually just settled on honesty. My head snapped back to the present moment - Oriwyn had asked me what sort of information I wanted, and I figured I should actually answer.
“If you know it, I’d love to know your role. I’m a Commander - I’ll explain what that is as we walk - and Laran here is a Geomancer. Leor’s an Augur, though I’m admittedly having trouble identifying her at the moment - I’ve got a thing that lets me see information about people, but it just says she is in the Wheel of the Great Secret. For what it’s worth, it seems like you’re in the Wheel of the Shaded Forest.”
Oriwyn looked like she was trying to sponge the knowledge up. She must have held her father’s advice in high esteem, as she seemed to be trying to follow it enthusiastically. As she spoke, she sounded proud.
“Oh, my role? I’m a Ranger like my dad was - or, kind of like he was. He had a hawk named Red, while I’ve got Brams here. Also he was a lot better of a fighter than I was.” Internally, I noted the use of the past tense. Whoever her father had been, it seemed like he was unlikely to be around anymore. I tried not to think about what had gotten him killed - Ori had said her father was an adventurer. Regardless of what had happened to him - or, I wondered, because of what had happened to him - she had sounded very sincerely interested in joining us. Ori continued talking.
“I’ve not really fought a lot of things before, so you’ll need to give me some pointers.” This surprised me. She was level seven - a full two levels ahead of Leor, who was the next highest leveled. As I’d walked around Eightside, I had gotten the sense that most people were between levels one and five. I wondered if Oriwyn was holding something back. After all, we had found her trying to hunt down a spirit. Maybe her father had gotten her started and her own interests had pushed her further? Come to think of it, I didn’t understand how leveling up worked exactly - it would likely be a good idea to try and get us all to roughly the same level range before we got into the thick of things too badly. Oriwyn still had more to say too.
“I’m also a herbalist - Mom taught me. You’ll get to meet her soon! Her name’s Aspen, and she’s not going to like what I have to say. She’ll be grateful you came to get me though, so you’ve got that going for you. Also, I’m not sure I ever said thank you. If I didn’t, thank you! Everything was starting to hurt pretty badly and I’m sure the fact I got soaked in rainwater would have caused problems eventually.”
The speed at which Oriwyn talked had slowed a little. Her words definitely always felt like they were fighting each other to escape from her mouth, but there was more control now than there seemed to have been when she was first awakened. I wondered if she had just been really happy to be rescued? It was definitely possible. Leor seemed to be slightly warming to her, or at least she wasn’t actively trying to hide from Oriwyn anymore. I wondered about that too - had Leor just been overwhelmed? Was she actually annoyed, or was it more like it was just too much for her to deal with? I had noticed she moved quickly to help Oriwyn once the cause of her condition had been made clearer - I figured that could either be because she wanted to trade for Oriwyn’s silence, or because she had felt pity for the goblin with the strange ears. I shook my head - when one’s team was living, breathing people as opposed to digital ones and zeros, handling emotions suddenly became more important. I resolved to bring that up with Laran at some point - I didn’t think he would know much more than me about handling different personalities, but it would feel good to have someone else to rely on instead of trying to take it all on myself.
Conversation continued for a bit as we walked, but eventually we all got too tired to keep talking. I could tell that Oriwyn was very fatigued, as I could see her ears drooping and she would have absent-mindedly collided with a tree had Brams not interposed himself between her and the obstacle and gently redirected her. Laran was mostly fine, as was I - I really must have gotten a stamina upgrade coming to Tal, since the me from Earth would be feeling horrible with how much hiking I’d done in the past few days - but Leor looked rather tired. She had taken a lightning bolt to the gut and burped it out over the trees, so I guess that made sense.
Uncle Iroh made it look so easy though. Maybe the others would find it funny that my thoroughly non-magical world had stories like that.
Finally, we found a game trail. It wasn’t broad, and I didn’t think a cart could make it down the path, but it was clear ground and that meant we didn’t need to plow through low-lying branches and dense foliage to make forward progress. As we moved forward, Oriwyn began to walk a little taller. I could hear her taking deep breaths and wondered what was going through her mind.
“Mom’s house is about ten minutes away. I’ll announce our presence. She’ll probably yell at me a bit for being beat up, but it’s fine. Also, we’ll probably duck away from the rest of you to discuss… things. It’ll be fine, I’ll convince her that it’s a good idea to go with you all!”
This time, I could hear through Oriwyn’s positivity. There was an undercurrent of unease and worry which permeated her words. I spoke up, trying to give her an out.
“You know, Oriwyn, I’m flattered you want to join us, but if it’s going to be a problem you don’t have to. I don’t want to cause trouble with your mother…” As I trailed off, Oriwyn turned back to me and smiled. This smile was tinged with something I couldn’t quite recognize, but which I could partially describe as wistful.
“It’s okay, really. Mom will be sad, and she’ll try and talk me out of it, but this is what I want. She’s not been happy that I’ve kept training like Dad taught me to when I was young, but she hasn’t stopped me. I’m doing this for Dad’s memory, for us as a family, and for myself. I just need to tell her that.”
Oriwyn smiled again, a little sad and a little determined but still very excited to go, and I believed her. She was putting a lot of faith in us - and, though she probably didn’t know it, a lot of faith in me in particular - and I would see that her faith was well-founded.
As we rounded a corner in the road, we came into sight of a clearing. Oriwyn’s face immediately brightened up. The clearing was large and absolutely overgrown with low-lying plants. Small purple flowers grew on clustered stems, reminding me of lavender. Vines wound over and around lattices of wood. Bees buzzed everywhere in the warm spring air, and instantly I felt a sense of calm come over me.
In this ocean of flowers and herbs and life, it felt like nothing could touch us. Time itself seemed to flow around this place, as if it could never be anything other than what it was right now. Overhead, a hawk circled and craned its head down at the clearing - it must be hunting where there was no tree cover. Oriwyn looked up at the hawk and waved to it before taking a deep breath, setting her face, and walking on towards the house.
“Mom, I’m back! I have some companions!”
From behind a wooden door in the stone cabin, a beastkin emerged. She wasn’t very tall and had broad, near-circular ears coming prominently out of her head. I suddenly understood the descriptor of someone having “mousey brown hair” for the first time - something about the color of the hair that flowed around her ears indicated her mouse-like nature. She wore clothes dyed in bright, solid colors with a green belt. All in all, she looked almost exactly what I would have expected a herbalist to look like. It was nearly dark from the time it had taken us to find Ori and walk to her house, so she waited until we were quite close to greet us.
As we stepped into the light that was thrown from the interior of the house, I saw the mouse beastkin - Aspen - tense. I took a look at Oriwyn and was surprised to see how rough she looked. Maybe she had simply looked better earlier because we were comparing her to when she had been paralyzed, but now the large cuts seemed very obvious, as well as the various stains from rain and tree-sap and blood which colored her clothing. Still, Aspen didn’t say anything and nodded to us all cordially.
“Welcome to our house travelers, and unless I am much mistaken, thank you for saving my daughter from her… enthusiasm getting the better of her.”
There was a look passed between Oriwyn and Aspen which lasted a few seconds. I could see the opening salvos of an argument begin, could almost hear the worried protests of the mother and the confident, placating reassurances from the daughter. Eventually, with a sigh, Aspen broke the eye contact and turned to the rest of us.
“How about you come in and rest your weary legs? I know we are far from the road, and I would not have you stand and tire yourselves further if you’ve already come a long way.”
I thanked Aspen, as did Leor and Laran. I was surprised how comfortable it felt to sit down, how much my feet hurt as soon as I thought about it. Oriwyn had instantly scurried off to fetch a few chairs, which we all sank down into gratefully. With that done, Aspen simply motioned for her to sit at the table next to her. With a sigh, she did. Aspen pulled out a large mortar and pestle and began to collect herbs from the walls. Bundles were hung up everywhere, presumably to dry, and they infused the air with a floral, heavy smell which weighed on my eyelids heavily. Satisfied with what she had gathered, Aspen poured a small amount of oil into the mortar, added several of the gathered herbs, and began to mix them. Her posture radiated tension and concern and a slightly uneasy silence fell across the room. She cleared her throat.
“So, Ori, what happened to you?”
I could see Ori wince. I got the impression it wasn’t because of whatever her mother was putting on her wounds.
“So don’t get mad, but there was a lightning spirit, and-”
“Ori!” her mother nearly shouted. There was a look in her eyes and she let her hand drop. “You know better than that! Spirits are dangerous things! If your father was around, he would have-”
“He would have hunted the spirit just like I did, before it got into a town and hurt someone.”
There was silence. I feared to make any noise, and I figured Laran and Leor felt the same. Voices weren’t raised to the point of yelling, but it was clear that the emotions going on between mother and daughter were strong. After a second, Aspen raised her hands back to Oriwyn’s wounds and continued to work on them.
“Your father would have gotten a group together to help him.” There was sadness in Aspen’s voice. Oriwyn nodded along, agreeing with her mother.
“Yes, he would have, but there wasn’t a group of people to gather. That’s why I want to go with Aiden, Laran, and Leor here. They’re a party of adventurers, and they’re looking for more people to join them.”
Aspen’s face went through several emotions in rapid manner. Oriwyn simply held her hands out towards her mother, who took both of them. She leaned forward and rested her head on her mother’s shoulder.
“Please, Mom. I can feel this is right.”
Aspen looked extremely conflicted. She looked over at us, and I could feel the evaluating weight of her gaze. I wanted more than anything to avoid the intensity coming from her eyes, but I steeled myself and met it instead. Aspen slowly shook her head. Looking at her daughter, she spoke in a strained tone of voice.
“Oriwyn, you can’t just… Fine, we’ll talk about it.” She looked back over at the rest of us.
“Could you give us some time to speak? We don’t have lodging in the house for this many, but feel free to set up tents in the clearing. I didn’t see any of the rain-teller plants folded up, so it should be a dry night. Should you need food, please let me know, but for the moment I beg you pardon my breach of hospitality and give me some privacy to speak with my daughter.”
I instantly agreed and got to my feet despite my protesting legs. Leor and Laran swiftly followed - I don’t think any of us could have imagined ignoring her request. As we left, Leor caught Oriwyn’s eye. She nodded once, sharply, and Oriwyn nodded back. We closed the door behind us, and left the family to discuss whatever it was they needed to.
We set up camp quickly and made our own food. None of us felt like intruding in whatever was going on to ask for a meal. The night was pleasant with a slight wind which washed away the remaining mugginess from the previous night’s rain. We sat out and looked at the stars for a bit, occasionally conversing quietly.
“I wonder what happened to her father,” I mused out loud. Laran and Leor just nodded, but none of us speculated past that. It wouldn’t have felt right. Silence stretched out, and I glanced towards the house. There was still light visible from the windows, but we couldn’t hear anything nor see either Oriwyn or her mother. With a sigh, Leor spoke up.
“Well, I think she’s brave.”
I was surprised and raised an eyebrow questioningly at Leor. She just shrugged and went back to staring in the fire while Laran looked thoughtful. I didn’t press, and she didn’t offer any explanation, so the topic died. Shortly thereafter, Leor was the first to go to her tent. When she was gone, I sat next to Laran.
“So, what are you thinking?”
Laran was silent for a bit longer. He had taken his shoes off and had buried his toes into the ground. I had noticed him doing some of the techniques he used when he meditated. When he had found his answer, he looked at me and smiled.
“I had never thought that we would be dealing with so many… emotions. For the whole adventuring party thing that is. I thought it’d be only adventure an’ fighting an’ the like. Not this.”
I nodded silently and leaned against him. He leaned back, and thus we sat supporting each other under the moonlight. Soon I was nearly nodding off, and I excused myself to go back to my tent. Laran nodded and squeezed my hand as I left.
I don’t remember falling asleep, but I do remember waking up the next morning. The day had dawned a little chilly, though it felt bracing instead of cold. The scents of pollen and flowers hung in the air, and I could almost swear that the sun shone in rays through the golden dust that the plants produced.
There was not much fanfare when Oriwyn came out of the house. She had a pack on and a huge grin on her face. Brams was with her, of course, and he also seemed eager to go. Aspen followed her out and came to talk to me.
“Aiden, from what Oriwyn said yesterday you’re the leader of this group. It isn’t my position to restrict my daughter from going anywhere or doing what she pleases but…” Aspen’s voice dropped to a croak and she fell silent, blinking violently and clearing her throat. Her eyes were puffy, likely the result of having cried the night before. “...but please keep her safe. She’s the only family I have left.” Tears ran down Aspen’s face silently as she looked up at me.
“I’ll try, I promise you I will try with all my might.” A thrill of panic shot through me as I was speaking - I was putting us all in possible danger just by adopting the lifestyle of an adventuring party, and I feared the day that I would need to deal with the consequences of that - but my resolve was firm. I was the Commander. I would keep everyone safe.
Aspen’s smile was watery but seemed genuine.
“That’s all you can ask of anyone. Drenza would have loved to have met you - I’m sure he could have told you a story or two about what it’s like to be an adventurer!”
I looked at the rest of my party. Laran was finishing up packing a tent while Leor had nearly instantly gone to talk with Oriwyn. We would be fine. We would work as a team. We would win when we needed to fight.
It was this thought that hardened my resolve. I needed to find a way for all of us to train. Laran, Leor, and I said our goodbyes to Aspen, and Oriwyn hugged her tight for a full thirty seconds. They exchanged words, but none of us listened to them. After that, Oriwyn turned to us, wiper a tear from her eyes, re-affixed her grin to her face, and began to confidently stride away from her home.
Elsewhere: Daisy was wearing a yellow dress which was scandalously low cut. Despite the formal clothes that everyone else wore, she still wore her large, chunky boots. They looked horrid in combination with the dress, and made a lot of noise besides. The boots clomped on the dancefloor like the falling blows of a hammer, and with every footfall her dance partner flinched. He was a very tall human with salt and pepper gray hair and a thin mustache that moved nervously on his lip. As they spun in a stately waltz, Daisy spoke. “Dahling, you look so nahvous - why don’t you relax an’ just ahnjoy the musahc?” Daisy’s partner blanched. He hated it when she did that stupid accent - it meant she was feeling mischievous. As mayor of the city, he should be carting Daisy off to the stockades for all she had done, but here she was at the Duke’s birthday party. Her own goons were serving drinks, and the worst part of it all was that this was normal. This was the twelfth time he had ended up as Daisy’s dance partner, and he had no illusion that she was doing it by accident. Everything from her fake accent to her ridiculous dress to her impeccable dancing conveyed one thing to the beleaguered mayor: “You may be the mayor of the city, but this is my town.”
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