part 11 of the China Pearl Inn

[JackHemingway]

After acquiring a large cup of Earl Grey tea, Jackson moves from the kitchen to the main room and waves to anyone around. He then heads over to his impressive train set and begins turning it on. The trains come to life and go around the circle on two seperate tracks, with the yard busy with a flurry of repair and loading activities. The town is glowing bright with shops and homes and residents going about their business. After checking on a few things, Jackson begins making the transition to fall happening.

Always lovely to work with DW and see everyone, though, as well.

 

[The_gladiator]

The elf appeared from the ether, strowing from the shadows up to the bar. Slinging a long leg over a stool there, he cups his hands around a cool glass of water that he seemingly manifested from behind the bar.

He looks around, memories flowing through his mind. Slowly he drank and waited.

 

[The_gladiator]

He is again at the bar this morning, this time with a heaping plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and a couple of donuts that he has claimed from the plate in the middle of the counter. He had not made the food, but if you asked nicely phu ming was an excelent chef. “Good morning, all.”

 

[DarkWarrioress]

She pops in, in her usual fashion, of course. Grabs a cup of coffee and has her own lunch ordered. Then spying her favorite gladiator, she slips on the stool next to him and gently bumps shoulders with a soft smile.

"Hey you. Glad to see you about again."

 

[The_gladiator]

He slides an arm around her waist to give her a hug. “Good to see you. It’s nice to be seen, to be honest.”

 

[DarkWarrioress]

He slides an arm around her waist to give her a hug. “Good to see you. It’s nice to be seen, to be honest.”

Sliding her own arm around his waist and gives him a hug.

"Of course. How's life treating you, Glad? You doing okay?"

 

[The_gladiator]

“I am trying. Health is as rocky as ever, just working, wasting time, trying to sleep, and sometimes working on my novel, that’s a slow process. How are you?” He leans in and kisses her cheek completing the natural gesture as part of the hug before angling a bit on the stool to look at her.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

“I am trying. Health is as rocky as ever, just working, wasting time, trying to sleep, and sometimes working on my novel, that’s a slow process. How are you?” He leans in and kisses her cheek completing the natural gesture as part of the hug before angling a bit on the stool to look at her.

She grinned at the kiss to her cheek and dug into her lunch as she answered.
'I'm doing okay. My health, at least, is better than before. The hubs and I are looking at houses. However, that will stop shortly because we really don't want to move as winter sets in. So, unless something fantastic comes across us at our budget, we'll probably start seriously looking in the Spring.

I'm just trying to keep up with my co-writers. LOL. It's a mad scramble when they all write back at basically the same time, then I have to answer them by time stamp, but it's fun and I'm enjoying myself. Anything gotten worse where your health is concerned, my friend? You can always drop me a PM and talk to me if you need someone to talk to."

 

[The_gladiator]

“I don’t know if things are worse or more of a net neutral.” He shrugs before taking a bite of his sandwich. “Housing is a challenge these days. I would love to buy a place sometime as rent is rediculus, but buying is not much better. Either way gotta spend less and save more I suppose.”
“I have thought about writing here, but honestly not sure how much I’ll take on. My writing has become spiratic at best. I worry if I take on a bunch of threads again I’ll just let people down because I don’t respond strictly by timestamp, sometimes I respond based on mood and don’t want anyone to feel left out when I double post elsewhere and not to them. So maybe 1-3 at the most, I’m considering it though. There was always something for me about writing where others could see it.”

 

[DarkWarrioress]

“I don’t know if things are worse or more of a net neutral.” He shrugs before taking a bite of his sandwich. “Housing is a challenge these days. I would love to buy a place sometime as rent is rediculus, but buying is not much better. Either way gotta spend less and save more I suppose.”
“I have thought about writing here, but honestly not sure how much I’ll take on. My writing has become spiratic at best. I worry if I take on a bunch of threads again I’ll just let people down because I don’t respond strictly by timestamp, sometimes I respond based on mood and don’t want anyone to feel left out when I double post elsewhere and not to them. So maybe 1-3 at the most, I’m considering it though. There was always something for me about writing where others could see it.”

She nodded, "I get it. I try to be fair but sometimes, a character will speak to me first and time stamp be damned. Then there's the hubs. We're writing together again and it's fun. As for housing, I know what you mean. At least for now, here, it's a buyer's market and with the feds dropping the interest rate, it makes me antsy to find something, but we'll find something we both want or we wait. Heaven knows we've waited this long. At least we have a more than fair landlord. We've lived here for 11 years now and he has been super good about the rent."

 

[The_gladiator]

“It’s been 11 years since you moved there. Good god has it really been that long.” He lifts an eyebrow, “Well I’ll be damned, I guess you and I have known one another for like 15 years. Maybe it’s 14 but still wow.”

 

[DarkWarrioress]

“It’s been 11 years since you moved there. Good god has it really been that long.” He lifts an eyebrow, “Well I’ll be damned, I guess you and I have known one another for like 15 years. Maybe it’s 14 but still wow.”

I grinned. "Yep. We've known each other for some time now, Glad. You know, the hubs and I were talking a bit ago and he told me that time seems to blur for him. I'm like, how the hell do you lose sight of time? But I guess it must be true because you're not the only one of my friends who says time blurs for them either."

 

[The_gladiator]

“I don’t know, I’m not sure if it blers so much as like it creeps up on me that it’s been a while, like, for me I can remember some things about when we met so strongly that they don’t feel that long ago. I also have the joy of having been on so many medications in my life and had such difficulty with various health incidents I don’t have the greatest memory of my past anymore, whether that’s chosing to forget or what have you, I’m not sure. Of course the painful shit lives in color still. That has always sucked for me, but I think my brain lets go of some of the routine bits until I dig for them or reminded of them. Of course that doesn’t count for useless knowledge or titles and artists of songs in 3 notes, cause I got that thit on lockdown.”

 

[DarkWarrioress]

“I don’t know, I’m not sure if it blers so much as like it creeps up on me that it’s been a while, like, for me I can remember some things about when we met so strongly that they don’t feel that long ago. I also have the joy of having been on so many medications in my life and had such difficulty with various health incidents I don’t have the greatest memory of my past anymore, whether that’s chosing to forget or what have you, I’m not sure. Of course the painful shit lives in color still. That has always sucked for me, but I think my brain lets go of some of the routine bits until I dig for them or reminded of them. Of course that doesn’t count for useless knowledge or titles and artists of songs in 3 notes, cause I got that thit on lockdown.”

Getting older doesn't help either. I can attest to that.

 

[The_gladiator]

“Sssshhh, we don’t talk about that,” he winks.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

Getting older is still preferable to the alternative. I used to start the semester with a skeleton laid out on my desk. I'd ask the class who didn't want to grow old. Many hands would be raised. I'd wave my hand over the bones and say, "well, he's been 23 for the past thirty years." I'd ask again about growing old. No hands would rise.

By the way, we've been 45 years in the same house; the average cost in the neighborhood has gone up 10-fold. Salaries haven't risen that fast, so many middle class homes are being bought as tear-downs to make room for near-mansions for the top 10% with the wealth.

 

[The_gladiator]

Sounds like if you ever sell you could make a bit of money then. Not necessarily that you’d want to but still.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

It'd only be worthwhile if we could get as good for less. We've only three bedrooms, but 10,000 square feet of trees (8 mature plus 2 dead left as habitat) and shrubs (hydrangea, honeysuckle, and blackberry) and flowers (over 30 species of wild flowers every year, not to mention our perennials) and lawn (grass, heal-all, clover, wild strawberry). Hard to find that elsewhere.

 

[The_gladiator]

That’s a lot of plants for sure.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Getting older is still preferable to the alternative. I used to start the semester with a skeleton laid out on my desk. I'd ask the class who didn't want to grow old. Many hands would be raised. I'd wave my hand over the bones and say, "well, he's been 23 for the past thirty years." I'd ask again about growing old. No hands would rise.

By the way, we've been 45 years in the same house; the average cost in the neighborhood has gone up 10-fold. Salaries haven't risen that fast, so many middle class homes are being bought as tear-downs to make room for near-mansions

You're right about that Tio. The alternative, at this point is out of the question. I thank everything I hold holy that I wake up to a new day.

Houses within our budget is turning into a headache, but I just know we'll find one. It's just a matter of waiting. It may not be perfect, but I don't want perfect. I want something that's going to be mine. I had inherited a house with 5 acres back in Calif. I eventually sold it for a lot less than it was worth but I needed to get out from under it. Now, I want something we buy together. I'm not picky but like our realtor says, looks for something you want first then compromise.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

Almost enough. We add hanging baskets of annuals around the place to give some more color.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

That's good advice, Cait; keep it in mind. By the way, I just checked up on the average house price here. I was wrong - it's gone up 16 fold as of this summer.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

That’s a lot of plants for sure.

Yes and there's also the racoons, skunks, hares, Eastern gray squirrels, chipmunks, field mice, the occasional fox, coyote, wild turkey, and deer. Toads, of course, and many birds, including woodpeckers, sapsuckers, nuthatches, chickadees, mourning doves, grackles, crows, to mention a few.

 

[The_gladiator]

There’s too much concrete for half of that here.