hmm... time flies...
Jun. 10th, 2006 07:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lavandarlizard2must remember to hamstring it next time. >.<
My kid graduates from his program next week. This is not as dramatic as high school or college, but he's pretty pleased. So am I, because this should put an end to the regular "I need money for..." that occurs three days before payday.
The RM has disappeared for the weekend - yay! I may get some sewing in tomorrow, but today I am finishing a scarf that I started knitting a couple of weeks ago. Had to go buy a new circular needle to get it done; the plastic needles are fine for cotton or synthetic worsted yarn, but they really suck for the novelty yarn. Literally. The dang yarn seems to just suck right onto the needle and refuse to move. So, i finally gave up and bought a Skacell. They're my favorites, but they cost a freaking fortune. The things I do for yarn. *sigh*
You can skip this; I just feel the need to mention it... My conscience, and all that crap.
I work in the alternative health industry. My company makes a lot of the stuff that people swallow in the belief that it will make them healthier, more energetic and maybe even cure every disease known to mankind. Uh... 90% of the time, it's crap and it won't do anything but lighten your wallet. Yeah, there are things being studied and tested and poked and prodded, and maybe one day, those thing will become mainstream, but in the meantime, naive people are being fleeced right down to their shorts by quacks, charletans and out-and-out crooks.
I get to see what goes into these products. I'm the one who locates and orders the raw materials for these products. I'm the one who reads the available science and the warnings attached to those materials. I'm the one who knows how much that $60 bottle of pills cost to make. I'm the one who buys by price, not by quality, because the customer doesn't want to pay for quality; that cuts into his bottom line. I'm the one who gets sick-to-my-stomach horrified at the things people want to sell to a gullible public.
Just... if you want to take this stuff, for whatever reason, do some research, because Sturgeon's Law says 90% of everything is crap. And that's especially true in alternative medicine.
Okay, I feel better now... >.< Sometimes... yeah...
At the opening to the smaller room, she peeked around the side, suddenly hesitant to just burst in on them. She could see Duo lying on a camp bed – good lord! He was nearly naked! And Heero was sitting behind him... his arms around Duo and his chin resting on Duo’s shoulder...
Quatre had his hands on Duo’s leg; the one he said he’d injured. It was... swollen, badly swollen. Relena swallowed; she’d thought... But he really was hurt. Quatre’s hands moved suddenly and Duo convulsed with a sharp noise that devolved into pained panting.
“It’s all right, babe,” Heero murmured as he stroked Duo’s filthy hair. “All done; it’s all back in place.” He rubbed his cheek against Duo’s and pressed his lips to that ashen skin and Duo turned towards him with a sigh.
“I’ll wrap your leg, Duo,” said Quatre softly. “Then I want you to take some pain pills so you can sleep. I’ll shift Deathscythe for you; don’t worry about him.” He smiled as if at a private joke. “I’ll park him right next to Wing, okay?”
“Thanks, man,” Duo breathed and Relena was surprised at how weak he sounded.
“My pleasure, Duo. You went through a lot of trouble to get Relena back here safely.”
“She’s a little girl... not leaving a little girl to OZ...”
“I know, love,” murmured Heero softly. “You did very well.” He kissed Duo’s hair this time and eased away from him. Relena brightened with the idea that he would soon be checking on her.
But as soon as Duo’s leg was wrapped and he was comfortably situated, Heero crawled back onto the cot next to him and wrapped his arms around the drowsy and fading pilot. Quatre shook out a couple of blankets and settled them over the pair.
“I’ll move ‘Scythe and then take the watch. Trowa and Wufei should be back by dusk with the Maguanacs on their heels,” he smiled.
Heero nodded. “I’ll relieve you at noon.” He looked down at the auburn head next to him. “He’ll sleep the better part of the day unless we have an emergency.”
Quatre brushed his fingers lightly over Duo’s hair. “Sleep well, both of you,” he murmured, and turned off the lamp.
Relena scurried guiltily back to her own ‘room’. What was going on here? Had she fallen down a rabbit hole or stepped through a looking glass? Why was *her* star prince hugging, kissing and *sleeping with* another man?!
She curled up on the cot there and pulled the blanket up over her head, trying not to sniffle. This wasn’t the way it’s supposed to be! Heero was supposed to love her! She was a princess; a real royal princess. And even before she knew about her real heritage, she was the daughter of a very well-known and important man; that was being a kind of princess right there. Princesses lived happily ever after with their handsome prince; all the tales said so.
All the stories, all the tales her mother and father told her about princesses and dragons and heroes and noble knights... There had to be some truth in those stories, else why would people tell them? Why would people tell their children lies...?
She wasn’t a stupid little girl; she was helping them! She was helping Heero, even if what he was doing was wrong, even if he was a soldier. She was showing him that she would stand by him even if he was wrong... And he would see the error of his ways and join her, as her prince...
Wars never solved anything; people should know that! But even in the stories there were wars and fights and crusades... and everyone thought their way, their belief was the right one... How did you sort that out? How could you get people to stop fighting and start talking if everyone was too angry to be reasonable...?
Some things should be basic... Everyone should want certain simple basic things in life; how could it be that hard to agree on those things and live together peacefully...
Relena turned that thought over in her mind for a while. Everyone wants the same things. But... but some people want more... and then they take from other people to get more...
Maybe... maybe that was the problem? Maybe all people needed to do was listen to each other. Or was it deeper? Was there more than that? For the first time, she realized that she didn’t know very much about people or life at all.
Heero threatened to kill her, but didn’t... Maybe it wasn’t because he loved her... She sniffed and dragged her arm across her nose. Oh hell... Maybe he didn’t kill her just because he didn’t want to kill her. Maybe he didn’t really love her; maybe he didn’t even care much at all.
He called Duo “babe”; she couldn’t imagine Heero calling anyone by a pet name, but he called Duo Maxwell “babe” and “love”, and held him in his arms and even kissed his hair, filthy and stinking as he was.
There were boys at school... People snickered behind their backs and whispered... but Heero wasn’t like those boys! He was *nothing* at all like those boys...
But he called Duo “babe”....
Heero *did* save her... from other people who tried to kill her; people who claimed to have her best interests in mind, she realized. From people who knew who she was and still tried to hurt her.
Tonight... Tonight Duo had saved her. That soldier had shot at her, and Duo had saved her. Duo... God... Duo had saved her life several times; once even from Heero!
Wheels turned slowly, reluctantly; gears began haltingly to grind. Facts crawled into alignment and feeble, flickering lights came on, one by one....
Oh. Oh... *crap*!
God, he’s right! I am a silly, stupid little girl! I haven’t been helping Heero; I’ve been in his way... All this time... I’ve just been in the way....
She buried her face in the pillow and wept.
My kid graduates from his program next week. This is not as dramatic as high school or college, but he's pretty pleased. So am I, because this should put an end to the regular "I need money for..." that occurs three days before payday.
The RM has disappeared for the weekend - yay! I may get some sewing in tomorrow, but today I am finishing a scarf that I started knitting a couple of weeks ago. Had to go buy a new circular needle to get it done; the plastic needles are fine for cotton or synthetic worsted yarn, but they really suck for the novelty yarn. Literally. The dang yarn seems to just suck right onto the needle and refuse to move. So, i finally gave up and bought a Skacell. They're my favorites, but they cost a freaking fortune. The things I do for yarn. *sigh*
You can skip this; I just feel the need to mention it... My conscience, and all that crap.
I work in the alternative health industry. My company makes a lot of the stuff that people swallow in the belief that it will make them healthier, more energetic and maybe even cure every disease known to mankind. Uh... 90% of the time, it's crap and it won't do anything but lighten your wallet. Yeah, there are things being studied and tested and poked and prodded, and maybe one day, those thing will become mainstream, but in the meantime, naive people are being fleeced right down to their shorts by quacks, charletans and out-and-out crooks.
I get to see what goes into these products. I'm the one who locates and orders the raw materials for these products. I'm the one who reads the available science and the warnings attached to those materials. I'm the one who knows how much that $60 bottle of pills cost to make. I'm the one who buys by price, not by quality, because the customer doesn't want to pay for quality; that cuts into his bottom line. I'm the one who gets sick-to-my-stomach horrified at the things people want to sell to a gullible public.
Just... if you want to take this stuff, for whatever reason, do some research, because Sturgeon's Law says 90% of everything is crap. And that's especially true in alternative medicine.
Okay, I feel better now... >.< Sometimes... yeah...
At the opening to the smaller room, she peeked around the side, suddenly hesitant to just burst in on them. She could see Duo lying on a camp bed – good lord! He was nearly naked! And Heero was sitting behind him... his arms around Duo and his chin resting on Duo’s shoulder...
Quatre had his hands on Duo’s leg; the one he said he’d injured. It was... swollen, badly swollen. Relena swallowed; she’d thought... But he really was hurt. Quatre’s hands moved suddenly and Duo convulsed with a sharp noise that devolved into pained panting.
“It’s all right, babe,” Heero murmured as he stroked Duo’s filthy hair. “All done; it’s all back in place.” He rubbed his cheek against Duo’s and pressed his lips to that ashen skin and Duo turned towards him with a sigh.
“I’ll wrap your leg, Duo,” said Quatre softly. “Then I want you to take some pain pills so you can sleep. I’ll shift Deathscythe for you; don’t worry about him.” He smiled as if at a private joke. “I’ll park him right next to Wing, okay?”
“Thanks, man,” Duo breathed and Relena was surprised at how weak he sounded.
“My pleasure, Duo. You went through a lot of trouble to get Relena back here safely.”
“She’s a little girl... not leaving a little girl to OZ...”
“I know, love,” murmured Heero softly. “You did very well.” He kissed Duo’s hair this time and eased away from him. Relena brightened with the idea that he would soon be checking on her.
But as soon as Duo’s leg was wrapped and he was comfortably situated, Heero crawled back onto the cot next to him and wrapped his arms around the drowsy and fading pilot. Quatre shook out a couple of blankets and settled them over the pair.
“I’ll move ‘Scythe and then take the watch. Trowa and Wufei should be back by dusk with the Maguanacs on their heels,” he smiled.
Heero nodded. “I’ll relieve you at noon.” He looked down at the auburn head next to him. “He’ll sleep the better part of the day unless we have an emergency.”
Quatre brushed his fingers lightly over Duo’s hair. “Sleep well, both of you,” he murmured, and turned off the lamp.
Relena scurried guiltily back to her own ‘room’. What was going on here? Had she fallen down a rabbit hole or stepped through a looking glass? Why was *her* star prince hugging, kissing and *sleeping with* another man?!
She curled up on the cot there and pulled the blanket up over her head, trying not to sniffle. This wasn’t the way it’s supposed to be! Heero was supposed to love her! She was a princess; a real royal princess. And even before she knew about her real heritage, she was the daughter of a very well-known and important man; that was being a kind of princess right there. Princesses lived happily ever after with their handsome prince; all the tales said so.
All the stories, all the tales her mother and father told her about princesses and dragons and heroes and noble knights... There had to be some truth in those stories, else why would people tell them? Why would people tell their children lies...?
She wasn’t a stupid little girl; she was helping them! She was helping Heero, even if what he was doing was wrong, even if he was a soldier. She was showing him that she would stand by him even if he was wrong... And he would see the error of his ways and join her, as her prince...
Wars never solved anything; people should know that! But even in the stories there were wars and fights and crusades... and everyone thought their way, their belief was the right one... How did you sort that out? How could you get people to stop fighting and start talking if everyone was too angry to be reasonable...?
Some things should be basic... Everyone should want certain simple basic things in life; how could it be that hard to agree on those things and live together peacefully...
Relena turned that thought over in her mind for a while. Everyone wants the same things. But... but some people want more... and then they take from other people to get more...
Maybe... maybe that was the problem? Maybe all people needed to do was listen to each other. Or was it deeper? Was there more than that? For the first time, she realized that she didn’t know very much about people or life at all.
Heero threatened to kill her, but didn’t... Maybe it wasn’t because he loved her... She sniffed and dragged her arm across her nose. Oh hell... Maybe he didn’t kill her just because he didn’t want to kill her. Maybe he didn’t really love her; maybe he didn’t even care much at all.
He called Duo “babe”; she couldn’t imagine Heero calling anyone by a pet name, but he called Duo Maxwell “babe” and “love”, and held him in his arms and even kissed his hair, filthy and stinking as he was.
There were boys at school... People snickered behind their backs and whispered... but Heero wasn’t like those boys! He was *nothing* at all like those boys...
But he called Duo “babe”....
Heero *did* save her... from other people who tried to kill her; people who claimed to have her best interests in mind, she realized. From people who knew who she was and still tried to hurt her.
Tonight... Tonight Duo had saved her. That soldier had shot at her, and Duo had saved her. Duo... God... Duo had saved her life several times; once even from Heero!
Wheels turned slowly, reluctantly; gears began haltingly to grind. Facts crawled into alignment and feeble, flickering lights came on, one by one....
Oh. Oh... *crap*!
God, he’s right! I am a silly, stupid little girl! I haven’t been helping Heero; I’ve been in his way... All this time... I’ve just been in the way....
She buried her face in the pillow and wept.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-06-11 03:19 am (UTC)I love this RFO! I prefer Relena as a slightly silly girl, spoiled and clueless but basically a good person. And of course, I love your Heero and Duo. Thanks!
no subject
Date: 2006-06-11 04:04 pm (UTC)I've always thought of Relena as being very spoiled and very willful and just running roughshod over her poor mother. Mrs Darlian needs a backbone transplant. >.< *grumble*
no subject
Date: 2006-06-11 03:26 am (UTC)And
sometimes...yeah...
The herbal medicine thing. Things is, it's what people want, and I suppose the placebo effect counts for a lot. Maybe even more so on the terminally idiotic. Although it's definitely one of my pet peeves, those people who dose themselves up on herbal medicine, in the mistaken idea that powdered willow bark doesn't have any of those nasty chemicals in it, like salycilic acid. It must be good for you...it's natural! Just like oleander, and deadly nightshade, or even just too many carrots... X_X
no subject
Date: 2006-06-11 04:17 pm (UTC)The thing is, most illnesses/conditions that people get are self-limiting and will go away, whether you take something for it or not. But they spend their money for magic potions and then the self-limiting thing self-limits and they bless the magic potion, and spread The Word to their equally credulous friends. Some of the people in the industry are trying to be scientific and do quite a bit of research (repeatable research) and only claim what they can actually prove, but those people are in the minority. What pisses me off most are the quack cancer cures that prey on the hope and desperation of frightened people, the Indian (as in India, the country) medicines that are loaded with dangerous heavy metals and the stuff that comes in from other countries that you just don't know what's in it. We do testing on materials, but not complete testing unless a customer wants to pay for it. And any botanical material is subject to all manner of nasty crap clinging to it that can make you sick or even kill you.
Yeah. Natural. Rhubarb leaves will kill you. Potatos can kill you. Castor beans will really kill you. Plenty of 'natural' stuff out there will kill you. Where do people think the original poisons came from? ^.O
gears
Date: 2006-06-11 03:46 am (UTC)'click. click. click. click. *LIGHT*' 'oooohh, now I get it.'
Re: gears
Date: 2006-06-11 04:20 pm (UTC)Like smacking a Missouri mule with a fence post; sometimes you just have to get their attention....
I swear, that girl's stairs just do not go all the way to the attic.... ^__^
no subject
Date: 2006-06-11 12:45 pm (UTC)And I love this part... Relena got hit up the side of the head with a brick, it seems. *snicker* 'Love'? 'Babe'? O.O Poor kid...
The camaraderie between the guys is great, and it was fun seeing it through Relena's eyes.
no subject
Date: 2006-06-11 04:25 pm (UTC)More like backhanded by a Gundam... ^__^ You just want the girl to get a clue, and stop being a jerk... It makes all women look bad. *for THIS I burned my bra?!*
no subject
Date: 2006-06-11 06:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-11 08:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-11 10:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-11 10:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-12 12:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-12 12:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-12 01:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-12 02:02 pm (UTC)I *hope* it's wardrobe tips... *shudder*
no subject
Date: 2006-06-12 05:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-13 12:00 am (UTC)*stop it, you two! quit, I say. don't make me get the fire hose!!!*
Arrrrgghhhhhh!!!
no subject
Date: 2006-06-13 01:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-13 02:45 am (UTC)Where is that incense, dammit?!
no subject
Date: 2006-06-11 11:56 pm (UTC)Finally, Relena is getting a clue. Whoo-hoo. Poor thing. Heero and Quatre nursing Duo was just so good. Thank you.
no subject
Date: 2006-06-12 01:50 am (UTC)Duo's better just being with someone who can watch his back. ^__^ Even the best needs to stand down sometime.
no subject
Date: 2006-06-12 02:01 am (UTC)Ah yes!! *is delighted* The light has finally gone on! And poor Duo... at least now he's in good hands!
no subject
Date: 2006-06-12 04:04 am (UTC)Now, it's just a matter of whether it's a 5 watt bulb or a 150 watt... O.o