April 9 - April 26: Tokyo - Nanyo - Hakone - Kyoto - Osaka - Koyasan
We had two main goals for this trip to Japan: eat great food and see cherry blossoms. We had the best of both in the city of Nanyo in Yamagata prefecture. It's not a place that I've ever seen mentioned on Reddit or the western internet, so I wanted to share it with you all here.

What we learned

• Ship your luggage - The airport as well as every convenience store we walked into let us ship our luggage. This made traveling between cities significantly easier, and prices were always very reasonable. For single-night stays, we just packed what we needed for a single day and shipped our suitcases to the subsequent hotel.
• Google Maps is very helpful, but don't trust them for transfer times in public transit. We thought we were transit experts because we live in NYC, but the stations in Japan are even more complicated. Leave early if you need to catch a train.
• Almost all restaurants in Japan are good, but I'm somewhat of food snob. If you're like me, I recommend using Tabelog for reviews to find places that are a bit more special. The scoring is very different from western reviews. In general, anything above a 3.3 is very good. Scores are also significantly biased towards more expensive restaurants, so I'd recommend higher scores for fancier restaurants.
• Fruits and vegetables are relatively expensive and difficult to come by in Japan. We were able to get them at supermarkets, which can usually be found in the basement of any department store. Next time I'm in Japan, I'll consider bringing fiber supplements.
• Cherry Blossoms blooming times are very unpredictable. The Japan Meteorology Agency has a website with up to date cherry blossom predictions of over 1000 locations. Even if it doesn't have the exact cherry blossom site you want to visit, you're definitely going to see something close by. Websites of popular tourist destinations update the status of cherry blossoms as well.
• I recommend that you book hotels within 5 minutes walking distance from well-connected subway stations. A couple of our hotels were 10-15 minutes away from the station we needed to go to, so it was mildly irritating to repeat the same walk so often. In those places, there was actually a closer station, but if we took those, we'd have to transfer to a main station anyways.
• Standard hotel rooms have a double bed, which are about the same size as full sized beds in the US. If you're a move around a lot in your sleep like I do and want your partner to be well-rested, it's worth upgrading to a room that has a larger bed or two twins.
• If you're shopping, don't forget to bring your passport, so that you can get a duty free discount or refund.

Planning

• We booked our Hakone ryokan in January
• In February, we booked 3 fine dining restaurants, hotel in Kyoto, and temple lodging in Koyasan
• Saiho-ji (the moss temple in Kyoto) says that they require you to write an international postcard to request a reservation, and I saw that too late. Fortunately, there was also a Japanese website that let you make reservations, and we filled that out about a month in advanced with the help of Google translate. One of the fields required a Japanese address. We just used a friend's address, but you can probably use a hotel as well.
• Besides that, we booked all our other lodging and a week before our stay or less. A few times this wasn't best decision because our hotels were significantly more expensive this way.
• We left the first week in our trip very flexible, so that we could go somewhere that was in peak bloom during this time. We had a few places in mind, and ended up booking a ryokan in Nanyo the night before our stay there.
• Besides a few bucket list items, we figured that we'd be happy going anywhere. My wife and I made a shared Google map with all the sites that we found interesting without the intention of going to all of them and used that as a guide to choose what was convenient.

Tokyo Highlights

• I bought strawberries from a random department store, and an absurdly priced mango and orange from the Sembikiya flagship store. The strawberries were some of the best I had and worth the price of 1200 yen. The orange was tangier than any other orange we've had. However, you have to peel the thick membrane to fully appreciate it, and even then, I don't think it was worth anywhere close to 3500 yen. The mango was the most expensive at about 12000 yen, and everything about it was perfect. It was fragrant, the skin was thin, the texture was creamy, and it was as sweet as candy. It's hard to believe that this was grown from a plant.
• The real reason to go to Mori Art Museum is the stunning view of Tokyo. The main museum was closed, but we got to see an exhibit of Heatherwick Studio instead, which was more interesting than I expected.
• We loved the garden the Nezu Museum
• We went to Hotel Sara Kinshicho, a love hotel, and it was as fun as it looks on Youtube. The room was both more spacious and cheaper than most of our other hotel rooms. That said, it's a bit out of the way, so you should definitely ship your luggage to your next destination.
• We wanted to go to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant and settled on Kura Sushi. Considering that you're paying $1-$3 per plate, you shouldn't expect the highest quality of fish, but the eel was absolutely incredible. It seemed to be fresh off the grill and it was so saucy and fatty. I honestly enjoyed it more than the eel that I got from a dedicated unagi restaurant.
• The yakitori at New Torigin was amazing, especially the chicken skin. Perfectly charred and crispy.

Nanyo

As I mentioned before, Nanyo was the highlight of our trip. Despite being a small town, it had it's own distinct feeling and cuisine, and I think it deserves more love. I definitely shouldn't have been able to book a last minute ryokan reservation during peak Cherry Blossom season.

• After arriving in Nanyo, we ate some dessert near the station nearby. We then took a train known as the Flower Nagai Line. On the train, you can see cherry blossoms, snowcapped mountains, and pass sleepy villages. We stopped at Koguwa Station.
• There is a famous soba restaurant close by. It was a 30 minute walk, but I was really in the mood for some soba. Unfortunately, we arrived, we found out that the shop is temporarily closed because the owner broke his arms. It was around this time when I think I spotted an eagle catching a snake.
• Fortunately, we still had some sweets leftover and the weather was perfect for walking. We walked to a spot which has a small cherry blossom festival. One of the trees there was over 1200 years old, yet it was still blooming strong!
• We took the Flower line back to Nanyo and checked into our ryokan, Morinoyu. We didn't see any English speakers in their staff, so my wife's basic Japanese was definitely helpful. Service was excellent, despite our communication barrier.
• For dinner, we went to 食楽亭 旭屋, which specializes in beef. Despite going to several more expensive restaurants, this was by far my favorite meal in Japan and one of the top two meals of my life. We had their specialty Shabu Shabu with their local Yonezawa beef. I don't think it was graded A5, but I honestly don't think that mattered as it still had wonderful marbling and melted in your mouth. To eat it, you take a thin slice of beef and wrap it around a bunch of spring vegetables. The mild freshness and crispness of the vegetables perfectly compliments the fatty beef. It's kind of like eating a Korean ssam but in reverse, which is so much better because you primarily taste the beef instead of the vegetable.
• After dinner, we walked around Eboshiyama Park, nearby. It's a hill with hundreds of cherry trees in full blossom. It also features the largest torii made out of a single stone. It was after dark, but they light it up at night which gives the park its own sort of beauty.
• We went back to our ryokan and soaked in the public onsens. The water had a slight sulphurous smell though I think that actually enhances the authenticity of the spring water.
• The following day, we went back to Eboshiyama Park. During the daytime, the park was even more beautiful. It felt like I was walking in Shinkai film. The best part is that there were the perfect number of people. Sometimes, you feel like you have to the park to yourself, but there are still enough to make the atmosphere more lively.

Hakone

• We went up the Hakone Ropeway. Fortunately the sky was clear and we got to see Mt. Fuji on Owakudani. We didn't have time to complete the entire loop, so we turned back from there. If you're in a hurry like us, I definitely recommend taking the bus instead of the train and cable car, which were painfully slow. We barely made it to our ryokan before their last check in time.
• Our ryokan we stayed in was Yama No Chaya. Despite being highly recommended on this sub, I personally would not recommend it. Don't get me wrong. We had fun, and it met 90% of our expectations, but it's fair to expect that extra 10% after spending almost $700. Our meals were rushed, especially breakfast. Our attendant kept on reminding us that check out was at 10:00 am despite having plenty of time. I think they were short-staffed because he always had the expression of being overwhelmed. One of the public onsens had a thin layer of oil in it, which likely came from a guest who didn't shower themselves properly. Our private onsen was beautiful, but they locked the door to the outside because there was construction underneath.
• The Open Air Museum featured a lot of interesting sculptures, and we took the bus there this time.

Kyoto Highlights

• Fushimi Inari is as lovely as it appears on social media. We arrived at 9 am, which we thought was late, but there were fewer people than I expected, especially in the upper area.
• Roketsu is a fun studio where you can make your own indigo textiles. It is much easier than it looks to make something beautiful.
• Saiho-ji is a Japanese Buddhist temple that features a large garden covered in 120 types of moss. Due the limited reservations, our visit was quite peaceful.
• My favorite overall dinner in Kyoto was Soba-no-Mi Yoshimura. They have an English menu, but their Japanese menu has a lot more options, such as the 100% buckwheat soba that I ordered. My wife got the traditional nishin (herring) soba, which was also delicious. The best part was honestly the tempura.
• We had a couple of traditional Kyoto-style kaisekis, and both were excellent. Iharada was a great overall value and service was impeccable. Kiyama was more of a splurge, but also worth the price. Every other tasting menu I've experienced has aimed to present dishes with a wow factor, but each course here elegantly embodied delicacy.

Osaka Highlights

• I've never seen dolphins so active than the ones at the Osaka Aquarium.
• Hajime is a 3 Michelin star restaurant where I had the most exquisite meal I've ever had in my life. Every course was a work of art. I posted a full review on /finedining.
• We had Okonomiyaki and yakisoba at Ajikuraya. It was a tiny fraction of the price of our previous dinner, but equally as memorable.

Koyasan

• Our last stop was Koyasan, a mountain with a Buddhist temple settlement. Honestly, at this point, we were all templed-out, but it still offered a distinct experience from the other ones we've visited.
• We stayed at Ichijo-In, which is a functioning temple and lodging of pilgrims. We aren't religious, but almost all of the other guests seemed to be quite serious. The walls of the temple are quite thin, and it got quite chilly in April, so I'd be cautious if you want to book this in the winter.

For the first time, i decided to think for myself. I want to experience eating alone at a restaurant with my book to keep my busy. I already have the book picked out [No longer human by Osamu Dazai]. I searched for the menu online and have my order ready, wrote it in my notes app just incase i forget it [price included]. I checked my bank account the third time in the last hour to make sure my money has not magically disappeared, that would be embarrassing. It's a scary thought. I hope i don't mess this up. Maybe the staffs won't give me looks, i'm hoping they just see me as a task to complete than a loner who has no friends to come with. I do have friends. I'm mostly trying to complete my bucket list. Please wish me luck, i will need it.

Ahoy there!
Here's an album of the caps
We wanted to make some more beige artisan keycaps, but this time throw some fun colors at them. This is what we came up with! Our sculpts Chainsawjams and Happy Camper with ROYGBV accents in the colorway name "Unicorn, kinda". These were really fun to make and we hope you think they're fun to look at!
Sale Menu: Colorway: Unicorn, kinda
Sculpt: Chainsawjams Price each: $75
Sculpt: Happy Camper Proto Price each: $60
Rules and time

• The form is open at the time of this posting
• This sale is raffle format
• One entry per person please
• Winners will be selected at random using random.org and sent a Paypal invoice
• Invoice winner will have 12 hours to pay for the invoice
• The caps typically get shipped out to the winners within a week
• All prices are in USD
• Raffle form closes: 8:00 pm EST 6/9/2023

Raffle Form Link
Thanks for taking a look! For updates and better visibility of future raffles and other fun stuff please feel free to check out our links:

• SodieCaps Instagram
• Sodiecaps Discord
• SodieCaps Website

In the fascinating realm of PlayStation, where digital adventures abound, it can be a thorn in the side to find that one is hampered by the nuisance of region-specific content. Early access to new-fangled games and special extras are often cordoned off, like exclusive gatherings of the upper crust.
The secret to entry, as it turns out, involves tinkering with your PSN region. Now, before you rush off to adjust your existing account, I should inform you that it's about as fruitful as expecting a dog to recite Shakespeare. One needs to construct an entirely new account, a laborious process akin to erecting a garden gazebo, albeit far less physical.
Though a VPN is not absolutely necessary for changing your PSN region, employing one does impart a sense of being tucked up in one's club, safe from prying eyes and DDoS attacks. These devilish assaults have been known to banish gamers offline, a punishment akin to being sent to one's room without supper.
Regrettably, PlayStation consoles regard VPN apps with the same disdain that Jeeves has for my purple socks. You cannot simply summon a VPN onto your PlayStation in the manner of other digital gadgets. It must be manually configured on your router or shared with your PlayStation via a Wi-Fi or ethernet connection, much like one might reluctantly share one's last biscuit.
Fear not! This humble narrative shall illuminate the path towards changing your PSN region and marrying a VPN to your PlayStation. A brief perusal of the most commendable PlayStation VPNs is also in order - ExpressVPN leaps to mind. This chap boasts a user-friendly router app, a multitude of servers, and security measures as formidable as a British bulldog. To cap it off, it exhibits the kind of speed that would make a racehorse blush.
A Jaunty Journey through PSN Topography, or, How to Swop your PlayStation Locale with Whimsical Ease
Relocating your PSN region is a little like moving house, albeit with less packing of teacups and more clicking of buttons. It requires the formulation of a new user account, a process smoother than a freshly ironed trouser crease. Allow me to elucidate with a play-by-play guide suitable for either PS4 or PS5:
Commence your journey by bidding adieu to your current PSN account.
On the bridge of your PlayStation console, navigate to the realm of the Settings menu. Descend the list to 'Account Management,' and select 'Sign Out' to effectively check out of your current PSN lodgings.
Craft a fresh user profile on your console.
Make your way back to the heartland of the main screen, and select 'New User.' Press 'Create a User' to breathe life into your new digital persona, clicking 'Accept' to bow to the wisdom of the User Agreement. Subsequently, choose 'Next' to christen a sparkling new PSN account. On the PSN login page, there’s a button at the base labelled 'New to PlayStation Network? Create an Account.' Give it a hearty click!
Decree the region for the new account.
Under 'Country or Region,' take a gander at the drop-down menu and select your desired locale. Nominate your language of choice and duly enter your date of birth.
Declare your age to the digital powers that be.
For most, a mobile number affixed to your account shall suffice. Alternatively, scanning the QR code displayed on your screen or opting for an email verification are viable routes. Be aware that these are third-party methods.
Divulge your home address details.
Fill in your city, state or province, and postal code. On the following page, hand over your email address and create a password that’s more secretive than Jeeves's special pick-me-up recipe. Now select your Avatar, add your online ID and your moniker.
Finally, doff your cap to PSN's privacy policy and arrange your privacy settings to your liking.
And there you have it! As if by digital magic, you're the proud owner of a brand new PSN account, complete with an updated region. Happy gaming! Oh, dear, I do apologize. This seems to end on a 'happy' note. Let's try again:
There you have it! As if by digital magic, you're the proud owner of a brand new PSN account, complete with an updated region. May your gaming exploits be ever victorious!
The Online Odyssey: Ensuring a Bally Pleasant PlayStation Experience, VPN-Style
In the game of PlayStation, one can indeed venture without a VPN by one's side. However, just as a gentleman wouldn't dare attend a high society event without a trusty valet, the sagacious gamer understands the multitude of boons a VPN brings:
Unfurling the map to region-locked content:
Like a trusty bloodhound sniffing out the elusive truffle, a VPN can ferret out and unlock games in the PlayStation Store that your geographical locale renders inaccessible. The trick lies in the VPN assigning you an IP address twinning with the location of the server you're connected to.
Ditching the DDoS dastards:
Regrettably, the online multiplayer landscape occasionally plays host to less-than-chivalrous tactics, such as DDoS attacks. Essentially, these scoundrels overwhelm your connection with an ungodly barrage of requests, causing your server to crumble under the strain. A VPN acts like a digital cloak, concealing your IP address and thus making you an unlikely target for DDoS ne'er-do-wells.
Securing the sanctity of your online endeavors:
VPNs act as your personal invisible ink, encrypting all your digital communications into a scrambled code that would baffle even the sharpest of minds. This means any meddlesome individuals, including your ISP, are left none the wiser about your virtual ventures.
Blocking the bandwidth bailiffs:
There are ISPs out there, the absolute rotters, who might deliberately slow down your connection if they perceive you're rather too fond of data usage. Typically, this would occur if you're deep in the throes of online gaming or binging on the latest series. However, your VPN's encryption shields your activities, preventing your ISP from putting a damper on your digital delights.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN, by Jove, emerges as the unrivalled VPN partner for the PlayStation in 2023, much like a formidable butler who anticipates every need before it arises. The beauty of ExpressVPN lies in its ability to introduce you to the gaming delights from a staggering 90+ countries. Not only does it fling wide the doors to a pantheon of region-exclusive games, but it also ensures your gaming exploits are both lightning-fast and more secure than the Bank of England.
ExpressVPN, in a show of singular tech-wizardry, is one of the few VPNs to offer an application for routers. This handy feature sidesteps the minor inconvenience that PlayStation consoles hold a steadfast "no VPN apps allowed" policy. If you fancy an even simpler solution, ExpressVPN presents the Aircove, a router with the VPN features already installed and ready to serve. Should you prefer the comfort of familiar ground, ExpressVPN also offers congenial apps for your Windows or macOS device that allow you to share your VPN connection with your PlayStation.
Now, the speed at which ExpressVPN operates is reminiscent of a whippet on its morning constitutional. Its Lightway protocol, finely tuned for briskness and efficacy, ensures gaming on your PlayStation is a swift affair. When put to the test on my PlayStation 4, the difference between my usual speed and the speed with ExpressVPN was about as noticeable as a flea on an elephant. Even amidst the frenzied action of Call of Duty: Warzone matches, my ping remained as calm and unflappable as Jeeves in a crisis.
ExpressVPN takes its role as your security sentry rather seriously. Not only does it stand guard against DDoS attacks, but it also offers comprehensive protection against DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6 leaks. This effectively means your IP address remains more elusive than the Scarlet Pimpernel. To add further clout to its privacy credentials, ExpressVPN employs RAM-only servers, ensuring that all data is wiped clean at every server reset, and perfect forward secrecy, guaranteeing a fresh encryption key with each new VPN session. Also, its no-logs policy has undergone multiple independent audits and emerged squeaky clean every time.
As a cherry on top, ExpressVPN also wields a nifty smart DNS tool, MediaStreamer, that makes your console a gateway to popular streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer. Since MediaStreamer doesn't bother with encrypting your data, you're left with the swiftest speeds possible, making your streaming experience as smooth as a well-aged brandy.
Private Internet Access
Private Internet Access, or PIA if we're on friendly terms, is rather like a seasoned bouncer for your PlayStation gaming exploits. Its servers, gallantly stationed across 80+ countries, come equipped with anti-DDoS armour, ensuring any DDoS scoundrels attempting to disrupt your gaming shenanigans are turned away at the door. It also flaunts an array of other formidable security measures, including leak protection, RAM-only servers, and perfect forward secrecy.
Much like the chatty gentleman at the bar who can't help but share a story, PIA regularly delivers transparency reports detailing the numerous requests for user data it has successfully thwarted. For those intrigued by the technical side, PIA's apps are open-source, allowing anyone to peruse the code and search for potential chinks in the armour. Notably, PIA's no-logs policy has stood under the harsh light of audit and emerged with nary a blemish.
Despite lacking a dedicated router app like our good friend ExpressVPN, PIA offers router support. Of course, a touch of manual labour is needed to configure the VPN on your router (fear not, PIA provides comprehensive guides to hold your hand through the process). For those who prefer a more streamlined approach, PIA's user-friendly apps for Windows and macOS can transfigure your PC into a virtual router, making it PlayStation-friendly. And with unlimited connections on offer, every member of the household can indulge in their gaming or online pursuits without fear of overstepping their bounds.
PIA further cements its place in the gaming world by providing lightning-fast speeds and steadfast connections, suitable for even the most demanding of PlayStation adventures. A series of Call of Duty: Warzone bouts under my belt attest to this, with not a hint of lag or sluggishness in sight. It appears, dear reader, that with PIA at the helm, the battle for smooth gaming sessions is one decidedly won.
A Case of Geographic Gymnastics: The Art of Shuffling Your PSN Account Region
A touch of geographic flexibility with your PSN account can make one feel rather like a cosmopolitan globe-trotter. One minute you're casually perusing the digital shelves of one region's PSN store, the next you've hopped across the globe to a different region altogether, revealing a cornucopia of diverse games and jolly little applications that previously eluded your grasp.
Consider the tantalising prospect of time travel. Certain gaming treasures and their subsequent updates have a habit of making an earlier debut in specific regions. By cunningly adjusting your PSN region, you find yourself striding ahead of your original region's release date, a veritable gaming pioneer.
Money matters too, old bean. Not all regions approach the delicate subject of pricing in the same manner. A particular game or app, lurking at a steep price in one corner of the globe, might be available at a price as friendly as a Labrador in another. A quick switch of your PSN region and voila! You're purchasing games with a spring in your step and a much happier wallet.
Last, but by no means least, there's the matter of multiplayer matchmaking. A quick region swap and you're thrust into an entirely new gaming realm, rubbing virtual shoulders with players from your newly adopted region. Depending on your choice, this could usher in a larger player base and the thrilling prospect of competition that would make even the most seasoned player’s pulse quicken. All in all, it's a rather splendid arrangement.
Navigating the Virtual Bazaar: The Gentleman's Guide to Acquiring Region-Exclusive PlayStation Games
The path to procuring region-specific PlayStation games can be as labyrinthine as the plot of a mystery novel. And yet, with a little finesse and strategic planning, you can traverse this maze with all the grace of a seasoned explorer.
Now, consider this: only the payment methods associated with your new region will permit you to purchase games. Thus, if you've adopted Uncle Sam's land as your region, you'd need a US PayPal account to conduct any virtual commerce.
While some souls have been known to spin a yarn about a fictitious address, it's not a course I'd recommend. Such antics tend to ruffle the feathers of service providers, potentially leading to a rather permanent expulsion from their services, and that wouldn’t do, would it?
Instead, the optimal method involves the acquisition of digital gift cards tied to your region of choice, redeemable within the PlayStation Store.
A handy roadmap for this delightful escapade would look something like this:
Acquire the services of a dependable VPN and connect to a server that aligns with your chosen PSN region. ExpressVPN has always been my preferred companion on these journeys, courtesy of its vast server network and lightning-fast speeds.
Engage in the purchase of region-specific PSN gift cards. These tokens of digital currency can be sourced from a variety of online retailers or local establishments with a penchant for digital codes.
Redeem your gift card on your PlayStation console. Navigate to the PlayStation Store on your console, select 'Redeem Codes', and input your newly acquired code. Follow the prompts to add the funds to your PSN account.
Finally, take your pick from the smorgasbord of games available in your new region’s PlayStation Store.
So, there you have it: the enlightened path to region-specific gaming bliss. Good luck and goodspeed!

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Needing an Experienced Weedshop owner? My prices are best in a realistic economy but I am willing to accommodate with the City's set economy. My work is well researched and i have a passion for serving the public. My preferred Shop is Cookies due to menu but i can work in other Weedshops.

Hi, I frequent Hy-Vee, specifically the one off of sycamore and I’ve had repetitive issues over the last few months of having food go bad within a day of storage. Specific examples I have are of sausage, pasta, tortillas, and hamburger patties. Sometimes the meat smells absolutely rancid as soon as it’s opened, and today I opened the pasta tortellini I had bought Tuesday to find big spots of mold on some of them.
Yes I have checked my fridge temperature

Title sums it up to give a brief description new hire with no food work experience is being started out at 13.50 per hour which for our store is 1.50 more than other people are being paid AND 1.00 more than one of our PICs and then our “assistant” is being paid 15.50 and does not know the full menu, incorrectly slices every veggie on the day she opens, refuses to wear an apron, incorrectly charges people for extra meat and cheese on their sandwiches by clicking “side of” instead of add which is a price difference of $2 (add meat is 2.99 and side of meat is $1 or $1.50 and I would follow with this isn’t the first time a new hire has started at $13.50 either from our area manager who is the one who just hired this new hire (they’re friends and neighbors outside of work and hangout a lot same with the girl he hired previously at $13.50 an hour they’ve both been his neighbors) his excuse as I’ve had my GM call and complain to the area manager today about this was that she was hired on at our sister store (like 1.5 miles away from ours same town) and that store starts at 13.50 an hour but yet she works at our location. This is blatant nepotism and grossly unfair I am only working as a PIC and making $14 0.50 more than a new hire and I’ve worked since I started last month consistently 50+ hours a week and have saved the shifts here numerous times already. Long rant but there it is I want to report it and don’t care if I get fired for doing so I’ve worked at numerous other stores now and this blatant disregard for what people are worth and the nepotism is appalling to me I need a plan of action moving forward and advice on who to talk to and report this to

Posted on Toast's Community Hub
Toast we need to have a conversation, over the years your software has increasingly become harder to use and evermore broken. I am writing this at 21:00 EST so please excuse my poor grammar and half completed thoughts. As I do need to get up early, I will come back tomorrow and update this post with more discussion points and fix any mistakes I may have made.
Lets begin with my current 6 month long problem that keeps getting "resolved" by Toast Customer Care. I have now had three cases "resolved" without anyone contacting me or verifying that the problem was actually fixed. If anyone would like to follow along, please try the following:

1. Create a new item
2. Set the Name of the menu item to Test Item
3. Set Pricing Strategy to Size Price
4. Create a Small & Large size and set price to $1.00 and $2.00 respectively.
5. Save and Publish new menu item.
6. Navigate to Discounts
7. Click Add a Discount
8. Name the discount Test Combo
9. Set the Discount Type to Combo and set the value to $3.00
10. Add the Test Item created in step 1
11. Click Save
12. Next, try to set the size for the Test Item and realize you cannot

The video below tries to show this in action. Notice, I am able to view/edit item sizes for combos that I created before Toast stopped working. It is only when adding new items to a new or existing combo that I can no longer select the size. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6PlREQ-lOQ
As a paying customer of your product, I feel I am being strung along by your support who humor me long enough to get me off the phone, only to have my case closed so they can have one less open support ticket. I have requested to speak with someone higher up and am happy to have either a face to face conversation or even a simple phone call. I have already begun removing toast integrations and will continue to do so until either my issue is resolved or we end up replace Toast in the coming months.

Toast Loyalty & Curbside

When a customer signs up for loyalty, they are only required to enter either their phone number or email address depending on the settings set in the backend. When a customer creates a loyalty account with their email they are sent a welcome message and are allowed to view their points in their web browser; or Toast TakeOut app. If they click the browser link they are then prompted to enter their full name, birthday, and phone number.
From an analytic perspective, why does Toast not ask for this information during signup? Most of the time customers will sign up without clicking the link in the welcome email and we will miss out on that data. Often customers will ask how they get their birthday rewards and we have to explain the lengthy process of adding their birthday:

1. Go to our website and click “Rewards”
2. Enter your email, check that you are not a robot, and click “Find Now”
3. Open your email app and look for the “Reward’s Balance” email from Toast.
4. Open the email and click “View Rewards Transactions”.
5. If you are prompted with “Complete your profile” simply fill out the form and click “Save”.
   1. If you are not prompted, scroll down to “Ways to earn” and click “Complete your profile”

Now you might ask, why can’t your staff just add the information through the register? Great question, they are busy making food, taking orders, and doing tasks that make the business money. Also, have you tried searching for a customer using the POS interface? It is not the best user experience and most of my staff actually hate trying to use the loyalty accounts at the register.
There is no simple way to login to a customer loyalty account to view the profile or update the information. If a customer wishes to check points, or update their phone numbeemail the only way to currently do that is to follow the same steps above. Why do I have to “Look up rewards account”, and get an email about my reward balance, just to be able to view/modify my loyalty profile?
If the customer gets to the profile page they might notice another oddity with the software. Under “Ways to redeem” it states I can use my points to order online. “Create an online ordering account with the email or phone number linked to your loyalty account and log in to order.” Why does the customer have to create yet another account while they are using the same platform at the same restaurant? I have had multiple customers get confused and call us asking why when they try to login to our online ordering platform their email address is not recognized and are prompted to enter a phone number. I have to explain that the loyalty email address is different then the online ordering but they will both be automagically linked once they create a curbside account. If the curbside software can see the loyalty account after the curbside account is created, why can it not just search the loyalty accounts and use that customer data to start a new order? The process would be much more seamless.
The contrasting UX/UI throughout toast are most harshly felt by the customer. The loyalty interface is completely different from the online ordering interface and the customer data does not appear to be shared across the two integrations. Toast needs to have one database full of customer data that plays nicely across all the integrations and follows similar UX/UI design and principles. Maybe provide a single customer profile portal that allows the customer to view and edit their data across all of toast; possibly for all Toast equipped restaurants.
Let us continue our trek down with curbside. I opened a cased on 2/14/2023 stating the the Toast Takeout App was not properly showing items with nested modifiers. It is now 6/8/2023 and the app is still broken. Here is how their support described the issue: “he says that Modifiers are not working on the Toast Takeout App... They are working for Online Ordering though. You can test this by clicking our February 2-For-1 [BOGO], it is supposed to show two modifier groups, one called First Dog and one called Second Dog. These groups do not show up at all and when he tries to add the item to cart it says the modifiers need to be selected. Inherited Modifiers appear to be working though. If the modifier is inherited from the previous menu group it shows up just fine. This issue is happening only on the Toast Takeout App. it is not showing the First Dog and Second Dog modifier group on my "Heid's Daily Special" and "February 2-For-1 [BOGO]”
As you can imagine they “Closed” the case and all is still going well at Toast. We tell customers to delete the Toast App as it does not work correctly and simply use the online ordering link on our website. Feel free to test it out for yourself. Our restaurant, if you can see it, is Heid’s of Liverpool.
Both Order & Pay and Online Ordering integrations have the same issue. Pricing is incorrectly displayed for items with pre-selected modifiers. Basically, if you have a menu item, a burger, that costs $1.00 and it has a modifier, cheese, that costs $0.50, Toast will display the item to the customer as $1.00 but then when the customer clicks the item it will show the add to cart price of $1.50. This is extremely misleading to customers and a very simple fix. This problem has persisted since 2019 when we first started using toast.

Toast Order & Pay

Let us first start off by saying, simply duplicating Toast Online Ordering and adding a table numbering and mobile pay feature does NOT mean you should charge me MORE then the Online Ordering integration. Online Ordering is $50 and Toast Order and Pay is $69 + 0.5% per transaction! From the backend, they appear to basically do that exact same thing except one has some options for adding a vehicle and the other has options for selecting a table number. Otherwise, it would appear they copied the code for the Online Ordering module and went straight for the upcharge.
“We was able to review the information in the system under toasttab.com/ edit menu / sweet treats / Sundaes / Hot Fudge Sundae / scroll down to Default Modifiers, the sauce has a modifier select by default just like, works modifier has all modifier selected by default and working properly but sauce is not working, we try to toggle the configuration, no update, customer refer their is many bug in the system and need to bring all the issue with the system to toast attention.”
This issue was brought to Toast July of 2021… I have since removed the Order & Pay integration so I cannot verify if the issue still persists or not.

UX/UI Nightmare

Toast has an identity problem. It currently does not know if it wants to Toast 1.0 or Toast 4.0. Toast 1.0 had everything laid out in a series of nested links that mostly made sense while 4.0 has a hip new design that appears to be more touchscreen friendly. Sometimes you can complete a taste using only the new UI but often you are jarringly thrusted back into the old UI and have to take a moment to get your bearings as to where everything might be. Here is an incomplete list of daily annoyances:

1. Breadcrumb links, why do they randomly break and not actually show the trail you took to get to that page? Try this:
   1. Go to an item that has Modifiers
   2. Click on a Modifier Group
   3. On the Modifier Group Page, Click on a Modifier
   4. On the Modifier Item Page, click Edit Item
   5. Notice that the breadcrumb navigation is now wrong. This is a common occurrence on Toast.
2. Why are there 20 ways to check reports? Why do all these reports only seem to give me some of the data I want? Why do some of the reports only allow me to view the last two months worth of data? Why is it so difficult to compare two dates (month/day/yeaetc)? I could honestly write an entire book on how broken Toast Reporting is, but I believe that anyone who uses it already knows; I will leave it at that.
3. Double left side menu, who thought this was a good idea? I very frequently end up clicking the wrong link because I will accidentally slide my mouse too far left on the screen and the main menu will slide open and I will click a link on the main menu instead of the intended link on the sub menu.
4. On the POS, when a new order is pushed or someone publishes a change on the backend, why does the POS screen flash and pull you out of what you are working on. For example, Let's say I am on the payment terminal screen with an order selected partway down the list and I am about to click “Update Order”. All of a sudden someone sends an order to the kitchen, my screen flashes and now the top left order is selected on my screen. I don't realize this and proceed to the pay screen charging someone for the wrong order. This happens a not insignificant number of times a month and has led to some full refunds and apologies from our staff.
5. Why does the "Help" button in the top right of the screen randomly just not do anything? Currently, I click on it, nothing happens. I refresh the page, still nothing. Can anyone explain what I am doing wrong? I try to scroll down to the bottom of the page and the "Support & Training" link (button) does not work either.
6. We have had many instances of having employees, modifiers, or menu items that we are not able to archive. We either get an error or the website just simply does nothing. To this day no one can explain to me why this happens and we have to contact Toast each time so someone can come on and fix the item.
7. Ever since the update to "Toast Home", our team has noticed that on occasion we will lose access to features on toast. This happened to me today and I was able to include a screenshot (Toast 01 Screenshot); As you can see, I am "locked" out of "Edit Menus" and "Employees" when I should have full system privileges. A simple page refresh sometimes fixes this issue and the sections I am "Locked" out of will change sporadically. This appears to not just be a simple "Quick Actions" or shortcut issue as I have noticed error messages when trying to make updates via the website. I could get around these error messages by refreshing the page, however, I would lose any work I was trying to save.
8. I have this very common problem of Toast just not working when trying to go to the Toast "Home" (Toast 02 Screenshot); The whole page goes blank and I either need to refresh the page or click through to another page if it will let me. Sometimes the whole site hangs while loading after I pressed a menu link and I am forced to refresh the page. This issue persists across multiple computers and devices.
9. Our kitchen video monitor (KVM) will frequently have issues displaying the tickets. We have seen visual text errors such as fonts being randomly bolded or italicized. Tickets will appear with most of the order cut off and can only be viewed by clicking into the ticket for the pop-up.

Other Toast Integrations

I will keep this section short. Basically, if Toast has a first party integration simply do not use it. Every integration I have tried, from Toast, appears to have been half baked and still in beta; even though I was paying full price for the software.

The Cloud

For the most part, having our POS in The Cloud is normally not an inconvenience. However, we have had many times where either Toast or our internet would go down. This causes immediate headache with our staff as we can no longer use our Kitchen Video Monitors (KVM/KDS). Our kitchen is setup with three KVMs and one receipt printer. The expeditor has the printer while our grill and fryer each get their own KVM. If we lose connection to Toast, none of the stations can see what they need to make and our expediter now has to call out every item to each station.
If toast can print tickets to a networked printer during an outage, why can we not also send tickets to the KVMs the same way? Our registers already have a static IP and the local network is still functioning correctly, why can we not just send the ticket data locally to each KVM?

Toast Hardware

Recently, I have noticed an increase in the number of calls from my staff requesting help because one of the registers has stopped sending orders to the kitchen; won’t let the customer use the customer facing display; won’t turn on the chip reader; won’t turn on the NFC for tap to pay; toast crashes each time we try to open it; the ethernet just fully disconnects and refuses to reestablish connection; I could go on… but I won't.
95% of the time, my simple response is “turn it off, turn it back on again”. Why do we constantly have to do this? The time it takes to call me, restart the register, and get back online is all time wasted and not making the restaurant money.
Let's talk about hardware support. When we first started with toast, we had three Toast Gen1 handhelds. Within 6 months, one of the card readers stopped working. We sent it back under warranty. A few months later another handheld’s card reader stopped working and a third started power cycling. Coming up on the original 1 year warranty I realized that at the rate this hardware was breaking, I would literally need to buy a new handheld each year. I called toast and asked them to remove the handhelds from my subscription and find out how much it would cost to just get a standard terminal. The ELO terminals we had seemed fairly robust and didn’t appear to have any physical hardware problems like the handhelds. The representative I was speaking to offered to send me three new Toast 2.0 handhelds for free. Reluctantly I agreed to try them out. To their credit, they have worked well enough, minus the toast software issues, for the last two years.
It still stands, that if something were to happen to these devices, I do not actually have an easy way to get them repaired or replaced. Toast should offer either a lease program or a monthly protection plan for their hardware. I would feel more secure using Toast hardware if I knew I could send it out for repair or a replacement. If I drop my phone, I simply call my provider and they overnight a replacement the next day.
We have a combination of Toast branded ELO hardware and the newer Toast Flex hardware. The Flex hardware is full of issues. Both of our flex units in our Heid's of Liverpool kitchen had to be swapped with our older units when being used as KVMs due to how often they lose internet. For some reason, the hardware would randomly disconnect from the network and refuse to reconnect. This issue persisted whether we were connected via WiFi or Ethernet. Our current policy is to simply restart the device if this issue happens but it is wildly inconvenient when I have to perform this action during a busy lunch or dinner hour.

Final Thoughts… For now

From their hardware to their software, every aspect of Toast feels rushed and still in beta. Toast should have created the new UI and fully implemented it before pushing it as a major update. I constantly feel like I am paying $600 a month, plus ~$5000 in processing fees, for a software that is still in beta. We are currently talking with our managers about the possibility of switching to a new POS. I have already removed Toast Marketing and will be removing Online Ordering shortly. If I can simply get a response on my “Resolved” support case, we may reconsider. We have invested a lot of time and effort into this system and honestly I would like to keep it… but it needs to just work. Currently, if you are in the market for a new POS, I would NOT recommend Toast.

Job starts in about 3 weeks. Spent a little time away from industry after like 7 years and just went back to school, I’m about to finish and get my red seal, but I’m still feeling like a fish outta water.
I’ve worked similar jobs (cafeteria style) but never had all the responsibilities. Job’s 8 weeks long, making breakfast (8am) through to a late snack (8pm) with downtime in between meals. Camp runs Sunday afternoon until Friday evening and I’m cooking for 10 staff and anywhere from 30-40 kids (late elementary age)
I’m not worried about the cooking so much as the ordering and menu creation and the rest of the head chef responsibilities. I have a budget (hasn’t been finalized just yet) and I know for sure that I’ll have at least 1 sous for a couple of the busier weeks but I’m still pretty anxious. If anyone has any advice for anything, menu ideas, tips for ordering, anything at all I would appreciate it immensely!

Unsure if this belongs here or on the shrinkflation sub. Let me know if not allowed or if I should cross post.
Anyway, I used to go to Zambrero’s all the time. Their $5.90 quesadillas were great. I would get the cheese and tomato one but remove the tomato, get extra cheese, and add garlic sauce. Great snack, great value for money.
I went in for dinner last night and that’s not on the menu anymore. Now, it’s $12.40 for a “quesadilla stack”. Which sounds great when you find out that it includes extra meat, extra sauce, and now the full range of veg (tomato, corn, onion, lettuce, salsa). But less great when you find out that they don’t discount the price for removing all that and ONLY wanting cheese with garlic sauce. Not good value for money anymore. And it’s practically the same exact thing. Just, instead of using the small wraps, they now use the large ones like for the burritos and cut it into thirds.
WILL. NOT. BE. BACK. Rant over!

FirstNext
Well, it only took Canada burning and the East Coast turning into smoky rendition of a Mexico filter for this chapter to finally reach completion. Regularly-scheduled programming should hopefully resume after July 4th. Until then, drink some water, don't do gender reveals in the forest, and hang in there, guys!
Pursuant to Imperial Decree 10928, and in recognition of the reservist nature of the unit, the 1st Rocket Artillery Regiment has been found to satisfy the standards outlined in the Decree. However, in light of the significant budget and nonmaterial resource allocations that were required to bring the aforementioned unit up to levels considered satisfactory by existing standards, additional considerations beyond readiness and training levels must be taken into account.
Throughout the appeals process, you have repeatedly indicated that you believe rocket artillery to still have a place on the modern battlefield, citing recent reports from the Terran Planetary District command of the Sol System sector, as well as early after-action reports from the Intervention on Raknos, which you claim to support your argument. However, further investigation into this claim by independent analysts on behalf of Armored Warfare Command has found it to hold no merit in light of the recent restructuring outlined in detail in prior communications. Simply put, neither the Empress, nor her advisors, believe that the maintenance and garrisoning of units intended strictly for low-intensity counter-insurgency operations remains doctrinally viable.
Additionally, the excessive monetary and nonmonetary resources you requested in preparation for the evaluation, in light of the on-par, verging on substandard performance of the 1st Rocket Artillery Regiment, even accounting for the large number of fresh troops that needed to be drawn down from other posts to fill out its ranks, is highly suggestive on the part of you, the honorable Ashira Rakishal. This discrepancy is of high importance, and you may rest assured that it has already been publicly filed by the time this letter appears in your inbox.
Such a discrepancy is indicative of either incompetence or corruption on your part. Commanding officers may face demotion or a possible dishonorable discharge for the former, or, for the latter, a fine totalling no more than one-and-a-half times the estimated sum of the damages assessed, guaranteed dishonorable discharge and a potential prison term of no more than four years. Due to there being no evidence to suggest the latter, the former approach has been suggested by the Armored Warfare Command. Effective fourteen (14) days after this order is signed, your rank will be reduced and you will be relieved of commanding the Regiment. You may be restationed at this time, and your government-issued devices may be deactivated to facilitate this restationing. The 1st Rocket Artillery Division, in accordance with Decree 10928, will be dissolved and its assets relocated to other units wherever possible. Any remaining property will be auctioned under section 12.57.3(g) of the Naval and Marine Surplus Handling Act of 651 at the Val’tira Central Forwarding Depot.
Ashira finished reading the letter, but the words meant nothing to her. She hadn't slept in half a week, if not longer, in anticipation of the results from her hearing. In fact, she'd hardly gotten up from her desk; the 1st RAR was on leave until the final verdict would be announced publicly, and it was all she could do but to refresh her inbox every few minutes and watch mindless clips in the background that she hardly heard and never managed to remember a word from.
She tried reading it again, but the letters seemed to float off the screen, each one wrapped in a halo of bluish white screen glow. Nothing made sense.
'We were found to be satisfactory, but then… why does it talk about my rank? Am I getting promoted? There was something about dishonorable discharges, too, so… are some of my girls getting let go? I guess I will have to break the news to them. And it said something about budget overruns… well, mom still owes me from when she forgot to get me anything for my eighteenth last month, so I guess she can pay them back for all the equipment and training I had to authorize…'
Her thoughts were already drifting off into a vague haze when her stomach made a low noise, reminding her of the fact that she hadn't eaten in hours, mostly because her supply of food had run dry. Almost in a trance, she rose from her desk and, almost on autopilot, set about getting ready to go out and do some shopping, as she always did. The floor of her living quarters was almost entirely hidden by weeks-old discarded packaging, mountains of dirty clothes, and bottles half-filled with liquid that was either expired juice or urine. Narrow paths snaked through the mess; one to the bathroom, one to her bed, and one more still to the door, which she now slowly shambled towards.
Ashira pulled a pair of battered combat boots over her bare feet - she'd run out of socks that didn't offend her senses some weeks prior - without bothering to lace them, shoved her wallet into the front pocket of the fireproof jumpsuit she wore with absolutely nothing underneath and hadn't changed out of all week, and shoved the door open to head out. Immediately, the smell - or, perhaps, a lack thereof - of the corridor hit her. All the sleeping quarters were locked. It was quiet. Though her boots were heavy, her footsteps barely made a noise as she plodded along the thick, purple and topaz-blue carpet that lined the floor.
The door to the lobby was propped open by a cleaner's cart, and a heavy perfume of chemical detergents wafted through the opening as she approached. In the lobby was a small, older Helkam male, with his long and, in places, graying hair tied back with a beige bandana that matched his civilian contractor's coveralls, just as his green noise-canceling headphones matched the company logo on his uniform. He was dutifully mopping the already nigh-spotless polished stone floor, and there was only a narrow dry strip connecting doorway to doorway.
“‘Scuse me,” she mumbled, tapping him on the shoulder to alert him to her presence. “Coming through.”
He flinched away from her touch, and she flinched away from him, as though his own shock was contagious. “The fuck, you touch me!?” He exclaimed, whipping around to face her, mop at the ready like a Turox-prod. His face burned a pale but furious violet, contorted with fear and a readiness to fight. But, just as suddenly as he’d come to face her, his expression became one of confusion. His mop dipped down, and they stood in silence for a split second that seemed to drag on for entire minutes. Then, he made an odd face, as if of disgust or contempt, and stepped aside, motioning for her to pass by him.
Ashira would have been puzzled by this, if only she were not so frazzled and caught up in her own thoughts. She stepped outside and was immediately hit by a cool breeze; it was night out, and the wind blew in just as it always did. Not that it bothered her much; over the previous months, she had found that it didn’t seem to affect her very much. The only reason she wasn’t feeling the full brunt of the evening gales was that the buildings around the officer’s quarters were mostly two- and three-story affairs, their height and old, weathered stone cladding the last specters of the prominence and prestige the base enjoyed in the long-before times. Before the Unification Wars were but a distant memory. Before the Periphery had become the final, unconquerable frontier. Before the Empress-damned mess that was Raknos. Before Rocket Artillery had become hopelessly obsolete.
The wind blew, relentless and steadfast, as she trudged towards the only place on-base that still had its lights on. The general store. She didn’t know what she wanted to buy there, nor if there would indeed be anything on the shelves that she’d want to buy, but she felt she had to try, anyway. The only rest she could get now was chemically-assisted, either through over-the-counter sleeping pills, or copious volumes of booze, or, when the going got particularly rough, a combination of both. She was vaguely aware of the damage she was probably inflicting upon her organs, but she figured that they were a worthy sacrifice. Still, some days she couldn't fall asleep, even boozed up and medicated as much as she would dare, so she would lie in bed, staring at the ceiling, hoping that the splitting headaches she would get from that chemical cocktail would make her ears ring loud enough to drown out her intrusive thoughts.
The store wasn't particularly warm when she entered, and it reeked of cigarette smoke and mildew as always. The nearest set of shelves to the door were stocked with bags of some sort of imported breaded meat snacks labeled Pufriyah - Ancestral Recipe, Modern Taste! across the top shelf and cases of Red Grains across the bottom, as if some long-forgotten planner had seen into the future and anticipated Ashira's shopping habits exactly. Without much thought, she pulled a case of the Reds off the bottom shelf, her back, which had been sore for months by then, crying out in pain that just barely cut through her apathy. She threw a few bags of the Pufriyah snacks on top of it, entirely indifferent to their name, slogan, and brown-furred chibi mascot that spoke to their Rakiri intended consumer base.
'It's all just carbs and protein at the end of the day,' she figured. It wasn't like she could taste much of them anyway, had she really cared to learn their flavor. It was close to a month prior that she'd caught a nasty cold, and her constant sleep deprivation and stress hadn't lent themselves to it clearing itself up on its own. Her senses of taste and smell were unnecessary to her whipping her unit into shape, she'd decided, once she learned that the antivirals she needed to take to make her symptoms clear up would need her to be on bed rest for three straight days. She could always take them later, anyway.
The bottles of Red Grain clanked against each other as Ashira heaved the case onto the checkout counter. The bags on top of it slid off, and she only just caught them in time. The noise awoke the lone cashier, another civilian contractor, from her nap atop her wobbly three-legged stool. She quite inelegantly hopped off of it and came to lean against the counter with one hand, the other lazily waving the scanner of a specialized Data-Slate over the merchandise.
"ID for the Reds," the cashier groggily slurred out, patting down her many pockets in search of a cigarette box. "Standard procedure, nothing personal against you."
Ashira stared at her, dumbfounded, for a few moments too many, before it hit her that she needed to pull up her Marine Profile on her Slate. Mumbling an apology mixed with an excuse, she reached into one of the few - albeit cavernously huge - pockets of her fireproof suit and produced the grimy government-issue device in question. The lock screen was set to her ID, just to make such common interactions go by quicker.
She pushed the Slate across the counter, expecting to get it slid back to her in a few moments, and maybe a manufactured smile and a nod if the cashier noticed the Rakishal House crest in the corner and realized she was of noble blood. But this time, none of that happened. The woman across from her frowned, squinting as she analyzed something about the ID, her face no more than perhaps a few centimeters from it. She looked up at Ashira, then back down at the ID, then back at her, and then all of a sudden her confusion melted into some odd mixture of shock and disgust. She wordlessly pushed the Slate back across the counter, scanned the case of Red Grain, and then motioned to a now very baffled and somewhat offended Ashira that she was free to leave.
In her sleep-deprived state, Ashira had barely the mental capacity to remember where the door was, much less to ponder the deeper meaning behind what had transpired. Vowing to come back the next day, after getting a good night's sleep, and get the insolent cashier fired, she trudged out of the shop, back to the officers' quarters, where the Helkam man was still toiling away in the lobby, now wiping down the Turox-leather seats, and into her own suite.
She brushed the most egregious of the trash from her bed, with the arm that wasn't clutching the spoils of her trek to her chest, and allowed gravity to gracelessly guide her into its soft, fitted-sheet embrace. With a sigh of barely-felt relief, she cracked the cap off her first bottle with her tusks and took a long, well-earned swig.
The next thing she knew, it was morning.
Everything hurt. Ashira's muscles all ached like she'd run every Deathshead Commando bootcamp course, back-to-back, without stopping. Her head felt like a bloated, rotten gourd, ready to burst at the slightest touch. Even though her eyes were closed, what little light made it through them felt as though it was piercing straight through her eyeballs and into her brain. However, through it all, she noted an odd, almost pleasant sensation that she hadn't felt in so long, she'd almost forgotten the word for it.
'Empress all-powerful, this must be the first time in almost a year that I've had a full night's sleep!'
Ashira would have kept laying there, exactly where she was. The room was quiet. No one needed her. Her unit was stood down for another few days. She could just stay in bed, in peace, and wait for the pain to subside. But the very second she considered that possibility, her bladder cried in agony, and she simultaneously came to the realizations that she would not be able to hold it in for even a minute longer, and that she was wearing her only set of relatively-clean clothes.
She pushed herself up and onto her feet, and that motion sent showers of sparks cascading through her vision, even as her eyes stayed firmly shut. Her ears rang from the pain as though she'd stuck her head between the prongs of a colossal tuning fork, her limbs felt numb as she stumbled through her room, and the only way she could tell up from down was from the direction gravity kept pulling her every time she lost her balance.
She hit the door frame to the bathroom by chance, only recognizing it as the right one by the light switch her elbow painfully caught. From there, she went entirely by feel. There was the sink, the towel rack, the soap dispenser, the shower door… and finally, having run out of wrong things to blindly grope around for, her hand bumped into the tank of the toilet. Even bending down made her head fill with the pounding beat of her heart, every pulse seeming to try and push her brain out of her skull through her eyes and ears. She nearly blacked out as she sat down.
The next thing Ashira knew, she was doubled over her sink, dry-heaving, her fireproof pants pulled back up around her waist but neither zipped shut nor clipped together at the front. She knew for certain that nothing had come up, because she was newly aware of the desiccated dryness in her mouth and throat, as if all her flesh had been replaced with fine-grit sandpaper. Still lacking the resolve to open her eyes, she blindly clawed at the knobs of the sink until water began to pour, and then began scooping handfuls of it into her mouth.
After a few gulps, she began to feel a bit better. Her mouth, though it still felt dry as ever, was at least now rid of the horrible, sour, metallic taste that she hadn't registered until it was gone, and the unintentional splashing of water onto her face did wonders in helping her start to truly wake up. The very next instant, though, a numbing pain spread across her hands and face, and down her throat. The water was freezing cold.
That didn't deter Ashira, though, and she kept drinking until she knew that she would not be able to swallow a drop more without throwing up. Her hands were numb from the frigid water, as was her face. Icy rivulets streamed down her chin and throat and under her unzipped collar, leaving cool, glistening trails across her breasts and stomach.
Somehow, this numbness that spread across her fingers and cheeks seemed to have carried over to her hangover, as well, though whether it was the rapid cooling, or the much-needed hydration, or both, she neither knew nor cared. Her head now hurt with the intensity of just any old headache, her skin did not feel two sizes too small for her organs, and her muscles and joints barely ached with any more intensity than they usually did.
She opened her eyes for the first time since she'd gotten out of bed, ready and eager to take full advantage of her hangover cure while its effects still lasted, and almost fell over as she stumbled away from the mirror in shock. The reflection in the mirror was decidedly not her.
Bloodshot eyes stared out at her from dark, sunken orbits; two craters on a puffy face rendered a waxy, pale bluish lilac by months of near-total involuntary isolation from the daylight. Raven hair framed that lifeless visage, once kept neat and short, now a wild, greasy, and, above all, long Seetcha's nest. It had once had lively sun-bleached streaks where her beret and headset did not fully cover it, from when she would ride head-out in her trusty command Ishtarti-603, but they were now mere faded tips spread unevenly through the carbon-black tangle.
The rest of her was not in much better shape. Her bust, though always on the fuller size, was nonetheless noticeably larger than it had been the last time Ashira had inspected her reflection, and doubtless was the cause of her incessant back pain. In the same moment, she became aware that her breasts rested not against the top of her six-pack - which, while rarely worked out and never particularly defined, had, in its mere presence, still been a point of quiet pride for her - but at the upper limits of a beer gut, whose faint outline was visible even under the baggy suit she was wearing for the umpteenth day in a row, and which stood as a testament to the inertia she had descended into while trying to force the RAR into motion.
'Fuck, there's the evidence of my battle. Mom was right, I do eat like a Turox before the slaughter. I have no self-control. Why do I even bother with this restructuring business if I can't even keep to my own damn fitness goals?' Her gloom, though deep and all-consuming while it weighed upon her soul, dissipated just as quickly as it set in. 'But I knew it would happen, so why does it surprise me? I knew going in that I was burning myself up in the present to keep future me warm. It's just a few kilos. A dozen at most. No big deal. Just need a bit more exercise for a month or two and I'll be right back in parade shape!'
It did, however, make her think to place an order with the on-base supply depot for some new clothes. With the Unification Day festivities looming, it would simply not do for this quite temporary distortion of her Noble figure to be so brazen, she firmly decided.
The order would have to wait, however. When Ashira brought out her government-issued Data-Slate from her front pocket in a familiar motion, already compiling a list of all the workout gear, field uniforms, and parade garb she would need in a size up, the device, in an apparent bout of unruliness, first resisted her efforts to turn it on, and when it was finally made to do so, simply boot-looped endlessly on the startup screen. For all intents and purposes, it was a Slate-shaped paperweight, and Ashira didn’t even have enough physical documents in her possession to make use of this one purpose it had left.
‘First my clothes, now the one Slate mom can’t track me on. What’s next, is my ID going to expire all of a sudden? Will my physical Chit card have a bad contact?’
There was only so much she could take at one time, so she decided to do the sensible thing and get something to eat before returning to dealing with her problems. She pulled out her Slate. It was almost noon.
'No one needs to see me like this. How can I command the regiment if they see me in such a state? I'll order breakfast - well, lunch now, but who's really counting? - and I can join everyone for dinner, once I get a chance to order in some new clothes, and shower, and maybe do something with my hair.'
With a practiced motion, so automatic it was almost a reflex, she swiped through the interface until she found what she was looking for. There, between Combatters forum sites, was a saved page for the Hungry Gal's order menu. Her chit was already saved in the system. All she needed was to tap on "Large Hot Meal #5 - Drink Combo" and…
CHIT DECLINED - PAYMENT BLOCKED
"That can't be right," Ashira muttered aloud as she tapped the button again, over and over, to the same effect. "It's a government card. Unless- ah, right, it must be the new policy they were talking about! Can't believe they made food expenses count as personal expenditure only, the nerve of these credit-pinching…"
She went into the payment details section of the page, switched the number to her personal one, and selected "Large Hot Meal #5 - Drink Combo" again. This time, a new message appeared.
INVALID ACCOUNT - DEACTIVATED
The gnawing hunger in her stomach disappeared in an instant, replaced by a solid iron bar of dread. Why was her account deactivated? Who could have done it? The only other person with access privileges was her own mother, and why would she…?
Ashira knew the answer. She didn't want to know it, to acknowledge that she knew it for fear of what it meant, but she did. With shaking hands, she opened the notification screen of her Slate, and saw she had unread messages from her family group chat. She tapped that notification, expecting a deluge of fury about her weight, her spending habits, her slovenly appearance in public, or any manner of other things, but there was but one message, sent earlier that morning. It was from her mother, indeed, but it was just four words long.
I got the letter.
She wanted to protest, to scream, "What letter could you possibly mean?," but she couldn't. A memory, hazy from the fog of insomnia that had dulled her thoughts at the time, played against her volition in her mind. The words hadn't made sense to her then, but they did now. Robotically, she closed the message from her mother and searched through her inbox for one marked with a government seal. She opened it, and read it in silence. The last few lines were the hardest to read, because by then the tears had begun to well up in her eyes.
It was over. Her career, her noble status, her finances, her life as she knew it… they were all gone, and it had taken just one letter to send it all crashing down.

Hi there - I know everyone is probably sick of resort posts lol But, I'd love some feedback on this, as the pricing is near equal for both of these, and I've never been and don't have context.
We are currently booked for two partial oceanfront rooms LongBoard Club at Alohilani. I understand it was an older building that was redone, and based on what I've read: -people seem to either love it, or think it was not up to standard. -it's hip, great rooftop poolbar, rooms and elevators leave a lot to be desired -great mostly central waikiki location -service is hit or miss - definitely not super amazing from what I've gathered -club level is pretty good with a breakfast, dinner pasta bar, and a lot of wine/craft beer. https://www.alohilaniresort.com/hotel/longboard-club/longboard-club-menu/ https://www.alohilaniresort.com/hotel/longboard-club/
We are only here two nights, and have some tours so I'm not too crazy concerned but I'd love some feedback because Prince Waikiki also has Club Level rooms and with a summer promo, it's coming out to about the same price. I know there are a LOT of diehard Prince fans and I can tell from reviews it is very well loved, the staff is beyond amazing and it's a lovely place to stay. I guess what I am asking for is if anyone has experience with their Club Level specifically, and what they thought? Is the location being so far down by the marina burdensome if you're trying to be closer to stuff in Waikiki (shops, food, etc). Has anyone done Alohilani and Prince and can offer some idea of the differentials firsthand?
Because this resort choice kicks off our vacation, to some extent that service element matters. My family has never been to Hawaii and it sounds like the Prince is really amazing to arrive to and stay at! For reference, we are a family of six - 2 adults with three adult children and one 13 year old.
Thank you!

PART 3:
.--. = P
..- = U
.-. = R
. = E
What does that even mean? I feel like now I’ve got more questions than I started with… After reading through some comments on my last post, I came to the realization that those dots and dashes were indeed NOT random ink splotches. It was freaking Morse code! How I didn’t come to that realization in the first place is beyond me. But for one thing, my nerves are fried. I’ve not been thinking clearly and I’ve not been sleeping very well. Between constantly being on high alert and staying up every night until I pass out, I feel like I’m slowly losing my mind. So listen, all of you were a great help last time and maybe you can help me figure out what this new sticky note means too. It looks as if it corresponds to the blue one, and I’m starting to think that the color of them doesn’t even matter anymore. The newest one that I’ve received is purple. As promised, I’ve attached pictures of both sticky notes in hopes that all of you can be of some help.
Blue Sticky Note: https://imgur.com/a/6pL3cnv
Purple Sticky Note: https://imgur.com/a/jp73n73
But, I know you all aren’t reading this post to hear me whine about my sanity... So I’ve got an update. I’ve received another sticky note, this one has another marking on the corner and it was delivered to my workplace again…. Straight to my desk... With a dozen white roses. The second I opened the little envelope and pulled out the sticky note, a sickening wave of nausea crashed over me so hard that I vomited up everything I had for breakfast. The other ladies in the office were quick to rush to my aid. And as comforting as they were, they were all completely oblivious to the fact that this sudden sickness was brought on by the note I’d received with the roses. I hadn’t told anyone at work, and I didn’t intend to. My boss ended up sending me home and telling me to feel better soon. His words were nice, but all I could think about was the fact that I wasn’t going to be feeling better anytime soon.
In the meantime, let me walk all of you through what precautions I have taken. I had my carbon monoxide detector checked… Twice. I checked for hidden cameras and I checked every vent and cupboard in my apartment. After the first couple of weeks that I dealt with these sticky notes, I also decided to speak with the landlord and see if he could offer any help. My next step was to see if he could assist me in getting my locks changed. He's a nice enough man and is always incredibly helpful. In fact, when I came to him in search of any openings, he was one of the only apartment complexes in town to offer me something around my price range. I was living paycheck to paycheck, and he knew what that was like. I still remember our first interaction clear as day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 MONTH EARLIER
“Hi! What can I help you with today?”
Warm brown eyes met mine from across the room. He was young, probably in his early thirties, and had a head of thick chestnut colored hair. There was a medley of tattoos on one of his arms, and I couldn’t help but wonder how long it took him to gather that many. I smiled and walked up hoping that this time I wouldn’t get turned away. The moment I approached the desk, he was quick to exchange pleasantries and shake my hand. He was a tall man, towering over my small 5’6 frame with ease. A little gold name plate stared back at me from the desk: Jack.
“Um, hi Jack! I’m hoping that maybe your apartment complex has some 1 bedroom, one bath openings?”
Tapping a pen on the table, he sat back down and clacked away on the keyboard before he looked up and said, “You’re in luck! We actually just had one open up about a week ago. It’s ready to move in and it’s yours if you want it!”
“Great! That’s perfect!” I smiled up at him, elated at the fact that I’d finally found an opening. The second he went over pricing though, I felt my smile drop into a concerned frown. As he went over the amenities and everything that was included, I anxiously twisted the ring on my finger. I couldn’t afford any of this… Tugging the ring free, I continued to fidget with it until I felt it slip from within my grasp and tumble over the desk and onto the floor in front of him. I sheepishly laughed, embarrassed at my nervous habit.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” My words rushed together, tumbling out of my mouth almost as quickly as my ring tumbled out of my hands.
Reaching under his desk, he snatched it up and handed it back to me with an understanding smile. “No biggie! Really! It’s a beautiful little ring.”
Cheeks still red with embarrassment, I smiled back and said, “Thank you! It was a gift from my grandmother.”
Nodding his head, he pointed to it again. “That ring looks kind of familiar?”
“Oh, it’s just a simple little purity ring!” I tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear before slipping it back onto my finger. “Playing with it is a bit of a nervous habit.”
“Well,” he started. “If the pricing for the apartment is what you’re nervous about, I’m sure I could make an adjustment for you. You seem like a really nice person, with a good head on her shoulders and I know finding a decent place to stay around here is a hit or miss.”
A small smile tugged at my lips as I looked up at him. I could hear the genuine sincerity in his words, and I was more than appreciative. “Thank you… really.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As I sit on my couch, the purple sticky note is staring up at me menacingly from my coffee table as I twirl the little ring around and around my finger.
“Are you afraid yet?”
YES! I wanted to shout at it. I am afraid. In fact, I am terrified! The other sticky notes were scattered around it and my eyes roamed over each one, but they stayed on the blue one and the purple one. Both had triangular shaped arrows on them. What did it all mean though? What was this psycho trying to convey to me? Around the time that I was ready to pull my hair out, I heard a knock on my door. My heart raced as I heard the knock sound again. A bit of perspiration collected at my brow as I got up to cross the room. Stopping at the door, shaky breaths left my lips as I tried to force myself to look into the peephole of the door. No one that came to my door felt safe. This stalker could be anyone, and I didn’t want to take my chances. Finally peering through the hole, I noticed it was my next door neighbor. We hadn’t ever spoken and so why he wanted to speak to me now was beyond me. I didn’t even know his name.
Leaning my head up against the door, I drew in slow, steady breaths. The coolness of the door against my forehead was slightly comforting as I waited for the knocking to stop. Once I saw him walk back across the hallway to his apartment I hesitantly opened the door. There on my welcome mat was a note. My breathing quickened again and my vision blurred as I picked it up. My legs threatened to buckle as I reached out to grasp the side of the doorframe. I needed to get a grip. If I wasn’t careful, I was going to send myself into a panic attack, or worse, I was going to pass out. The moment I opened it though, the first thing I noticed was an obvious difference in handwriting. Relief flooded my body for a split second before I took the time to actually read what it said. Closing the door, I locked it and slumped down onto the floor. I couldn’t decide if this message was good or bad, but a part of me hoped that maybe he'd just happened to see something I hadn’t?
“Hey... We need to talk.”
​
If you missed PART 2: https://www.reddit.com/nosleep/comments/143h6zb/i_think_ive_got_a_stalker_and_he_sends_me_sticky/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

[Chapter One]
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Rosifo Girtwoud woke up feeling sore and exhausted. He slept well, but never as long as he’d have liked. He could hear his roommates moving around and getting ready for their days. Sitting up in bed, he stretched and took stock. His new job was physically demanding, but it was the best job he’d ever had. By a lot. He loved having his own room in a nice place, all thanks to his generous new salary! He could even afford to eat as much as he wanted, a luxury he’d not even dreamed was possible. Last night he ate three helpings of honey glazed pork at the pub! Still clumsy from sleep, Ros shrugged on a tunic and clean slacks, pausing for a second to appreciate the lordly quality of the garments. He still couldn’t believe he owned such nice things, and the Chief just gave it to him! Well, everyone got a few, but that didn’t make it any less special. Ros put on his belt as he went downstairs to the kitchen, where a few of his roommates were eating breakfast and the landlady was pulling some fresh buns out of the wood fired oven.
“Hey there’s the champ now!” called out Rikad, his housemate and co-worker.
“Heh, there are some perks to being the lightest guy on the squad!” Ros replied, referring to the agility drill he had won at work yesterday. Three days a week of training was by far the hardest part of the job, being trained by the Chief was like weathering a storm. Terrifying and dangerous, but something you could be proud of surviving. The other three days a week they worked were a holiday in comparison. Sitting on carts and standing by warehouses was easy.
Ros devoured his huge bowl of sweetened oats and then three buttered fresh buns. Pushing back from the long table with a satisfied sigh, he got up to leave for work with Rikad. The spring morning air was brisk, and they made sure to stay out of the way of loaded carts and riders that zipped by on the narrow cobblestone streets.
“What do you reckon the Chief will have us do today?” Rikad asked.
Ros snorted, “Quit embarrassing ourselves and pick up the pace?”
“Hah! That’s hardly a guess! I liked the knife throwing we did a few weeks ago, that was fun. I hope it’s not all runs and drills, I’m still aching from yesterday,” Rikad said.
“Yeah, I like combat drills. Other than when I have to spar with the Chief. He’s like a mountain that’s fast. I think the day I get a point on him, I’ll buy the whole team a beer!” Ros motioned a lunging jab as they walked.
“We’ll be too old to drink by then!” Rikad teased.
They were in for a typical training routine, a morning lecture on tactics and formations, some solo weapon drills, a short run, then a hearty lunch delivered from the nearby deli. Other days they just called a food cart into the yard with them, but Ros liked the deli lunches better. Also the novelty of someone else buying his lunches was thrilling. Ros assumed that this must be how pretty girls felt all the time. Maybe less sore and less yelled at. But maybe not.
The real highlight of the day was Ros got to see the owner of the whole company when he came out to observe their exercises. Ros hadn’t seen a real lord up close before he started at Pandemonium, and he thought it was one of the biggest perks. Mostly he looked like a tired doctor or shopkeeper, but Ros wasn’t disappointed. He had a nobility of his bearing, clarity in his eyes and an aura of authority. Even the Chief changed when he was around him! Seeing the him defer to anyone spoke volumes to their importance. Not only was he the lord of a whole company, he was also a mage! They were super rare even before the Church started purging all those heresies in their College of Magic, but now he wasn’t even sure there were any in the city!
“Agility drills are done! Imma talk to Mage Thippily, so you lot do some king of the hill sparring; Sword ‘n board! Ros and Kedril start!” boomed Chief of Security Stanisk.
Ros staggered exhaustedly to the equipment racks to get an arming jacket, leather helm, training sword and shield.
“Mage Thippliy is watching,” he whispered reverentially to himself as he geared up.
“Mind your tone or he’ll turn you into a turnip!” called Rikad.
Kedril grinned, “Hah, He’ll turn you into a turnip, Rik. He’ll just look at Ros and see his work is already done!”
Ros used to despise Kedril. He embodied everything Ros had yearned to become: handsome, confident, affluent, and sharp-witted. The team's dynamic was confrontational, rife with competition; they raced, fought, and scored against one another all day, three days a week. It had taken Ros a while to grasp that they were, in fact, a team. Kedril, infuriatingly attractive, devoted time to helping Ros in a few drills last week and offered valuable advice. So, albeit begrudgingly, Ros began to admire him. Kedril was older by a few years, substantially larger, and appeared to be one of the few who already had some training in arms. The prospect of sparring with him didn’t excite Ros.
Fresh from drills and immediately thrown into sparring, sweat trickled into Ros's eyes. The sting impaired his vision. He repeated to himself, 'Elbows in, shield up, tip forward, hips back,’ partially to fix his stance, partially to focus. Kedril was typically in better shape than him, but now appeared even more worn out. His guard was lax and messy, creating a gaping opening. Ros seized the opportunity and struck with a swift, precise jab. In the fleeting instant the jab took, Kedril's shield snapped into position, and his tip dealt a solid blow to Ros's ribs just beneath his sword arm. It was a feint - a brilliantly executed display of weakness where he was most prepared, exactly the tactic Stanisk had explained yesterday.
“Mashed Turnip!” Kedril shouted to the cheers of the others.
“Ros! You lost because your stance is awful! Keep lower! Coiled spring, lad!” the Chief shouted from across the yard.
Ros raised his hands over his head to cede the point and sat at the end of the bench. He hated losing, but he had expected to lose. He gratefully grabbed a cup of water and watched Kedril make short work of a few more challengers. It seemed like they were picking on him, but Ros was coming to understand they were also bonding with him, and these might be the closest friends he’d ever had. Not that it was a high bar, and he didn’t like all of them, but they had his back, and that meant a lot. Finally Jourgun, the biggest lad on the team, tore into Kedril with so much energy and fury that no amount of clever tactics could stop him. Even though he knew these were his friends, seeing Kedril getting bashed in the face with a shield was almost as good as seeing a real mage!
One thing Ros appreciated about training days was that they were shorter. After the sparring, Stanisk pulled aside Kedril and Jourgun for additional work, and dismissed the rest of the men. Ros trailed behind some of his newfound friends to a peculiar place where one would sit, fully naked, in a steam-filled room, all for two glucks.
“This is a sex thing, right?” Ros asked Rikad cautiously.
“What?! Light, no! It’s to relax and heal," Rikad explained. "They place herbs on hot rocks, we sit there, sweat, and breathe in the steam. It’s excellent, you’ll love it!”
“Sounds like we’re all naked and sweaty, though?” Ros remained convinced this was some intimate activity he wasn’t fully grasping. Rikad rolled his eyes and even paid Ros’s entry fee.
Inside the dim, tiled room was surprisingly comfortable. The steam smelled slightly of herbs and medicine, and it was so thick he couldn’t even see the far wall. A quick survey of the others revealed they were just as covered in bruises as he was, which gave Ros a fresh sense of camaraderie. They towelled off, dressed, drank some cold water, and left the strange business without any hint of the carnal encounter Ros had suspected. Despite his lingering confusion about the whole place, Ros liked it and wanted to come back. He appreciated his squadmates not making a single steamed turnip joke. He was hoping that didn’t stick as a nickname, he felt it didn’t remotely suit him.
After the steam, their muscles relaxed and the day's tension eased away. Ros and Rikad were starving. It had been hours since lunch, so they headed to a nearby tavern for drinks and dinner. Being able to simply enjoy food and drink without concern for the price was an intoxicatingly fresh experience. In fact, Ros enjoyed this newfound freedom even more than the meal itself.
After a huge dinner and a few beers Ros paused, and opened up a little.
"Did you know this is the pub where I talked the Chief into hiring me?"
"Really? To be honest, I've always wondered about that. No offence, but you're a lot smaller than the rest of us." Rikad pushed away his empty plate, taking a long drink of his beer.
"Yeah, I saw the Chief in here, dressed like a shining champion, buying ladies drinks and rounds for the whole bar. He was so confident and kind and relaxed. But also obviously dangerous. I’d never seen anyone like him!" Ros gestured to the tavern maid for a refill. "I must have been a sight. My clothes were more patch than original cloth, I was so skinny you could've counted my ribs through a sweater. Not that I had sweater money!" Ros reflected on the lean muscle he'd gained in recent months with inward satisfaction.
"Did the Chief take you for a beggar?"
Ros bristled at the suggestion. "Hell no! I've never begged in my life, I've always earned my keep!" his brief flare of indignation faded immediately. "No, he thought I was a refugee, from some starving backwater. Of course, I corrected him—after he bought me dinner!"
"Hah! The proper sequence," Rikad agreed, laughing.
"Anyway, he asked about my plans. I told him I was waiting till I was eighteen to join the army and serve the Emperor."
"You've certainly filled out since I met you, but I'm not sure you'd pass the army physical even now," Rikad cautiously speculated.
"The Chief was blunter about it. 'Yer so scrawny, a necromancer would find ya offputting, the army ain't gonna waste rations on ya.'" Ros imitated Stanisk’s gruff rural northerner accent.
"Hah! That sounds about right. Which makes your wearing company purple less clear than ever!" Rikad replied.
"Well, he asked if I knew my way around the city. I said I've tread every cobblestone here, so he offered me a job running letters and picking up parcels. Better work than sweeping alleys for a half-gluck and stale bread. I figured a fancy man like him would pay alright."
The waitress finally brought the next round, and Ros paused to take a long drink. Setting his mug down, he continued. "I walked into the Chief's office, and there he was behind that tiny desk with his book and quill. He looked like a cave troll trying to be a librarian. But I wasn't gonna laugh—it was still the Chief. He said, 'We don’t got a lot for now but I’ll give you a list in the morning, and see that it gets done.' I said ain’t fancy, I don’t know how to read! He didn't lose his cool. He simply nodded and said, 'Alright, just report to me in the morning, and we’ll get you started.' Oh, and he warned me never to speak to the Mage unless spoken to, which suited me fine."
Ros took another drink of his beer, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and continued. "I was hoping for five gee a day. I’d probably have done it for a lone gluck, to be honest. So imagine my shock when he apologised that he could only offer me twenty glucks a day!"
"Where were you living, that five would've been enough?" Rikad asked, curious.
Ros, slightly flushed from the beer, leaned forward. "Under a bloody hedge!" He burst into laughter at his own expense.
"That's rough man," Rikad commented, shaking his head.
Ros nodded. "It was, but it's behind me now. After a month or so of running errands, the Chief finally let me join the crew he was training. That's how I ended up a part of the elite guard of a learned lord mage."
Rikad, his face ruddy, pointed his finger at Ros’s chest. "It’s your attitude! You always train the hardest. It’s changed the whole team's tone."
Ros nodded again, serious. "I gotta! The fifteen hundred gee I make every month now is probably more than I did in the last decade. Total! I bet we make as much as a knight commander does leading a thousand soldiers!"
Rikad looked at him suspiciously. "Wait, a decade? Aren't you still a teenager?"
Ros shrugged. "It's been a long, hard time. Anyway, I know I promised to go to see that folk band with you tonight, but I'm spent. I think I might call it an early night." He finished the beer in two long gulps and stood up.
"I get it. Besides, tomorrow's Sunday. We can finally sleep in!" Rikad pointed out.
******
Ros woke to a frantic pounding on his bedroom door. It was still dark out.
“Go away! Keep it down! You’ll wake the whole house!” Ros grumbled, mostly asleep.
“Come on man! Emergency meeting at the training yard. We gotta go now!” Rikad hoarsely whispered.
“Ah, that’s not good!” Ros threw on some clothes and headed out the door with his friend.
“Think it has something to do with what Kedril and Jourgun were doing after work?” Ros asked.
“Maybe? That was hours and hours ago, and those guys are great, and they were with the Chief,” Rikad countered.
They jogged through the mostly empty streets. The moons were behind clouds, and the dew made the cobblestones slick. The faint flickering of their leviathan oil lamp cast strange shadows in the foggy night. The city felt on edge, too many people on the streets in the middle of the night, whispering. A few times Ros thought he heard something about thunder and demons, which did nothing to calm his growing panic.
“What if something happened to Mage Thippily? Are we all unemployed now?” Ros asked, knowing Rikad knew as much as he did.
“What is the business we guard? Something to do with magically formed super secret goods that no one was allowed to talk about. I think? I should have asked,” Rikad lamented.
Finally they made it to the yard, and Kedril was standing at the gate, torch held aloft.
“Good lads! Go into the workshop and take a seat. The Chief has some tea on.” Kedril’s voice was as calm and steady as ever, but his face was pale and drawn, and his eyes never focused on them, just scanned the night intently.
“Inside? Are you sure?” Ros had never gone inside; that was the single biggest rule.
Kedril just nodded. Ros and Rikad looked at each other for courage and moved forward. The big yard door to the workshop opened a crack, and warm light was spilling out. Rikad motioned Ros to go first, and he poked his head in, fully expecting to lose it.
“Oy, is that Ros? Git your scrawny ass in here,” Chief Stanisk rumbled.
The two men felt like flies exploring a web, but inside was surprisingly normal. Five other guards were already there, and the room was a lot like any other workshop. It had planked floors, shelves and tables and one corner was even converted into a kitchen. There were a few simple stools set up, and two incredibly luxurious loungers. Like everyone else, Ros and Rikad took a stool. The Chief gestured to a kettle and mugs for the tea, but no one seemed interested.
“What’s happening, is everyone okay?” Ros finally asked.
“Short answer is yes, for now.” Stanisk said calmly. “We’ll give the other lads a few minutes to get here, then I’ll explain.”
“Holy light, sir! You aren’t wearing your armour!” This unsettled Ros more than anything he’d seen all night, it was like seeing a bear shaved. Chief was just sitting there in trousers and a shirt, sipping tea. He’d never seen the Chief without armour.
“Needs cleaned,” he answered cryptically.
Follow up questions were interrupted by the rest of the men arriving, followed by Kedril and then Jourgun, who must have been watching the far gate.
“Alright, gather round, at ease.” Stanisk started. He looked relaxed which was probably a good sign.
“You lot were hired to protect the interests of our operations. There was an attempt on Mage Thippliy’s life tonight, at his meeting. Security Specialists Kedril and Jourgun did excellent work, and I have full confidence in all of your growing abilities. Our concern is there will be additional attempts."
There was a murmur of apprehension. The mage was the company. Without him there was nothing to guard. No one here wanted to lose their jobs, but they had been suspicious from the start. The pay didn’t match the work.
Stanisk paused as Mage Thipply and the elv, that had only been speculated to exist, came down the ladder from the loft. The mage was dressed like normal, in his brown pants and a white shirt, frameless glasses and a short well maintained beard streaked with grey. The elv was wearing an oversized sweater and long stockings. It had the effect of making her upper body look human, but with the long spindly legs of a shore bird. Her huge nocturnal eyes stared at them all unblinkingly, and her long narrow fingers with too many segments wrapped around a mug of tea. Ros was both intimidated and repulsed. It was like a bird or an insect pretending to be a person, but with eyes that had intelligence and cruelty.
“Ah! Um, thank you all for coming!” The mage was directly addressing them, Ros grinned despite his fears and worries. “There have been events over the last week or so that have culminated tonight, and I no longer think that our operation in Jagged Cove is viable.” The mage saw the reaction of the crowd turn sharply negative. He hastily added, “Of course I’m not closing up shop, we’re just moving to another location. A location outside of the capital region, and I’d like you all to join us.”
Ros sighed and leaned back in relief. This wasn’t bad news at all. He’d gladly move to the bottom of the sea for the Mage. He could feel his pulse returning to normal, as other people started asking questions.
“What? I can’t leave the city, I got a wife and kids!” a guard named Theros said.
“Oh, I just started dating a baker's apprentice, is there an option to stay?” Jourgun asked.
The elv stood up, and addressed the room with an icy indifference. “This is not a negotiation. There is a ship that is leaving in about six hours. If you are on it, you will remain employed. We have also made considerations for your families. They are welcome on the ship, and you can find new homes in the town we relocate to.” She subtly nodded to the Chief before continuing. “Chief Stanisk values your skills so highly that he convinced the board of directors to offer each of you a five year contract. The contract will have some additional employment conditions, but there will be a 5000 glindi signing bonus. Follow Chief Stanisk’s instructions to get on the boat, and we’ll see you there. Or not.”
She returned to the ornate chair, and the room erupted into chaos.
“Holy light! That’s so much!”
“I’d be insane not to sign!”
“Where are we even going?”
Ros grinned from ear to ear, what’s to decide? This was the best possible outcome! Free money to see the world! Packing his bags would take no time, and he could carry everything that mattered in one trip.
Stanisk took command of the room, “You with young ‘uns, we got the company wagons for you waiting, get a move on. I’ll take the mage’s personal wagon and do a loop to Kedril’s, Eowin’s and Klive’s. The rest of you, leg it! Meet back here in three hours and tell anyone what asks, that you took a job out of the city. Be vague! Come on, pick up the pace you helpless kittens!"
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Bought a Marin Gestalt that has the Promax Render R Road Mechanical Disc brakes. Wow are they hot garbage. Bedded and adjusted multiple times. Not worth dealing with and am looking for an upgrade. I'm seeking suggestions on a decent set of cable actuated hydraulics. I'm currently looking at TRP HY/RD.
Yes, I should have bought the 2.5. It was over 2x the price but would have been worth it.