#fine bone china cake plate

[yourcoffeeguru]

REGENCY ENGLISH Fine Bone China ROSES Tea Set Cup Saucer Cake Plate || SWtradepost

[fentonsellsflorida]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Shelley England Rose and Red Daisy Fine Bone China Cup, Saucer, Cake Plate.

[novaauster]

Cracking Open An Old One With The Girls

“We’re really doing this,” I say. It was my idea, but still. It’s not like I’m the expert on how things work, Chrysan is the high priest here, but I have some responsibility, right? I haven’t just started an avalanche and let it bury us all?

Not that any avalanches could reach us in the canyon. It’s really more just rockslides, which the fae tend to sense in the windsound and fly over. They might leave me behind, though, and I’d end up burying myself all alone.

Chrysan spits on the dirt while she sorts out a language I can understand. I appreciate it. “Yes, we are. The Wind gave you wings, now they are gone and we must rent a truck. You can drive, yes?”

“Uh, sort of.” Technically my license is only provisional, meaning I can drive one other person and not after 9 PM, but since the fae tend to attack all humans encroaching on the canyon, including cops, we’ll be safe once we get there. Besides, traffic violations are the least of our crimes.

We’re committing insurance fraud. 

Ray, fae king and notorious skeptic, eyes me with reflective orange pupils and hisses out of the side of her mouth. Chrysan translates. “She thinks you are lying. Perhaps that is why the Wind let your wings collapse.”

“Whoa there.” I hold my sunburned hands up like I could defend myself even a little bit from two fullgrown magical bat-winged women. “You’re not supposed to theorize why the Wind does stuff, right? It’s, uh, blasphemy, if I remember correctly…” I’m a fucking idiot for accusing a high priest of blasphemy, but desperate times, “and maybe It only wanted me to have wings while in the canyon, so I could keep up. That also makes sense.”

Chrysan translates that to the king, her voice pitching down into rockslide territory as the sentence went on. I feel the accusal in my bones, and mine aren’t even hollow like hers. Not that her bones are fragile, or that any part of a fae is fragile. I’ve gone on a whole life-changing journey with these two, but that just means that I know what they’re capable of. Let’s just say that the Wind, as a god, doesn’t promise salvation or forgiveness.

I mean, it’s wind. It’s literally weather. That includes natural disasters.

I’m a natural disaster, and I can’t handle this silence. I take the shitty overpriced fake crystals out of my cargo pants pockets (desperate times call for desperate fashion choices) and set them on the ground in a little circle. Chrysan looks at me like I just broke every single piece of fine china in her grandmother’s fancy cabinet, not that I know if she has a grandmother or eats off plates in general. “So, do we actually need these or would they be, like, insulting?”

“Insulting,” Chrysan says shortly, and sweeps them back towards me with a rust-colored wing. I carefully crouch down and pick them up. 

I put a hand on the pocket that my phone, at worryingly low battery, resides, but I don’t take it out. “What do I record for the insurance evidence? Do we have to wait for the Wind’s consent to be perceived?” That would be fair.

“Wait until I give you directions.”

Ray adds something, this time a whirr that would be better suited to a grasshopper than any recognizable language. Chrysan translates “And do not attempt to perceive It yourself. You would be… damaged.”

“Oh,” I squeak. “Okay.”

Despite all my overstretched survival instincts, I’m still kind of curious. Not enough to get my brain melted, but enough to get a jitter of excitement along with my paralyzing anxiety at the thought of examining the footage Chrysan allows me to get.

And just imagine what the pyramid-scheme crystal vendor will think once he has to reimburse us for selling improperly labeled equipment. We’ll get the best truck on the market. We’ll even get a hotel room for once. A shower, maybe, so I can stop being caked in enough dust that I don’t really look all that different from the rock-camouflaged fae. It’ll be glorious.

“Hide behind that tree over there,” Chrysan gestures to a pathetic husk of a Joshua tree, “And stay back.”

[justthehiddleswrites]

I Need A Favor | Loki x Reader

A/N:  I know more surprise fics.  This one is for @the-th-horniest-book-club prompt which was one of my favorite Loki quotes, “When do we start?”  Now I chose Loki, which may seem obvious but not in your typical Loki situation. Also, this is the barest bones of editing.  

Pairing: Loki x Reader (I think I wrote it gender neutral)

Summary:  You know Loki’s secret and use it as leverage to get him to do you a favor.

Warnings: Excessive fluff.

Taglists are open!  Let me know if you want to be added!  Thank you for reading!

-

It was one of the best-kept secrets in the Avengers Tower. As far as Loki made you aware, only you and Thor knew the truth. If Tony suspected or caught something on the security footage, he never said a word. And well, you knowing Loki’s little secret had been a complete accident. You got turned around one day on the 17th floor and opened a door and there was Loki, in that a ridiculous outfit. Before you could slam the door with on the other side, Loki tugged you into the room.

“You can’t tell anyone what you have seen here today.” He growled as his grip on your wrist.

You nodded. “I promise not to say a word.” Your voice never sounded so shaky as it did in that moment.

“Good.” He released your wrist. “I would hate to have to kill you.” he chuckled as you skittered out of the room and booked it to the elevator.

For the most part, you had kept your promise. There had been a few close calls, one too many drinks with the team, and you nearly let it slip. But no one suspected a thing. Now it was time to cash in your silence for a favor.

“I need your help.” You slid into the chair next to Loki in the briefing room.

Loki smiled at you. He had grown rather fond of your face, he pondered. “What sort of help?” He feigned disinterest by picking at one of his immaculate nails. Like he would ever have a torn cuticle.

You squirmed in your seat as you heated from the inside. Steve and Sam filed into the room. “It’s personal.”

Loki narrowed his eyes at you before realization hit him. “I am afraid I can’t help you.” He returned his attention to the papers in front of him.

“Please, Loki?” you begged. “Someone close to me is celebrating a birthday and I need your expertise. Teach me your ways.”

He shushed you. “Not so loud and not here.” Loki rolled his eyes as you pleaded with wide eyes. “Fine,” He grabbed his phone and typed out a series of items. Loki glance at you for a moment and returned to type some more before finally setting his phone down. “I’ve sent you a list of what you will need. Meet me tomorrow morning at 8, you know where.”

You nodded and turned your attention to the front of the room where Tony turned on his Power point presentation. During the meeting, you sneak a glance at the list Loki sent you and you inadvertently let loose a whistle.

“Something you would care to share with the group?” Tony asked and all the eyes in the room snapped to you. The ones you felt staring at you the most were Loki’s.

“No.” You slumped into your chair.

“Keeping my eye on you.” Tony waved his fingers at you and his eyes. “If there are no further interruptions…” You shook your head. “let’s continue.”

-

The next morning, you paced waiting for Loki. At nearly a quarter past the hour, Loki strolled in.

“I thought you had stood me up.”

“Your precious Captain America caught me in the common area. I had to wait until he left. Unless, you would care for him to know what exactly you and I are doing here together?” Loki raised an eyebrow.

“No, I would not.”

Loki did his best to hide his disappointment, but you noticed anyway.

“So did you get everything I told you to?” Loki cleared his throat.

“I had to go to two different stores, but yes.”

Loki reached over and grabbed an apron and tied it on. “Okay, when do we start?”

-

Several hours later and one use of a fire extinguisher, you stared at your creation, a slightly lopsided two layer chocolate cake with a chocolate frosting.

Loki wiped his hands on his stained apron. “I did not realize flour could shoot that far into the air.”

You shrugged your shoulders. “Talent.” You leaned over and hugged Loki. “Thank you so much for helping me out.”

Loki’s arms flailed in the air while your embrace cracked his ribs. He wrapped his arms around you and squeezed tight. “It was the least I could do for you keeping my secret?”

You giggled. “I don’t understand why you would keep it a secret that you can bake delicious desserts and pastries.”

Loki removed his apron and sneered at you. “I have a reputation to maintain.” He covered your cake with a lid and pushed it towards you. “Now it’s ready to give to the Captain, your boyfriend, lover, take your pick of name.”

You smiled and removed the lid, and pushed the cake back towards him. “Happy birthday, Loki.”

His head bounced between staring at you, smirking, and the cake, which leaned even more than before. “Did you just… how did you… Thank you.” His shoulders slumped.

“You’re welcome.” You reached over and cut a large slice out for him and then yourself.

Loki took at large bite and hummed. “Clever of you to have me bake my own birthday cake.”

Your head dropped. “The plan had been for you to just give me a recipe. I didn’t expect you to help.”

Loki blushed. “I apologize for ruining the surprise.”

You dropped your fork to the plate, enjoying the satisfying clink of metal against china. “Oh, it’s fine because now I can give you the rest of your birthday present early too.”

“I enjoy presents.” Loki placed his fork on his plate.

You took a deep breath. “I hope you enjoy this one.” You leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “Can I take you out to dinner for your birthday?” you blurted out as you leaned away.

Loki smiled. “Like a date?”

“Maybe…”

“Are you paying?”

“Yes.”

“Will you kiss me again?” Loki smirked, leaning against the kitchen counter.

“If you want me to.” Your toe dragged across the floor.

“Then it’s a date.” Loki then over and kissed you again. “I think this present. It’s the gift the keeps on giving.” He leaned in and kissed you some more.

[thirsthourdemon]

Tea party headcanon

Includes: All obey me characters except solomon, and barbatos

Genre: Fluff

Tags: Fluff, Tea party theme, Pink Pastry and Pekoe Parlour! Au, general

A/N: This is a celebration cause I happen to like my new formatting. If anyone wants to be added to the taglist then just send in an ask please!

||Lucifer

-He’s actually the one that invites you and the brothers to the tea party.

-Makes sure everyone is at least properly dressed

-A mother of 7 children cause that includes you 😌

-Hates it here the moment levi said he’d wear something from some anime about a ‘demon’ butler, mammon saying that he did NOT steal the precious fine china set and beel having that look on his face that says “If I dont eat everything on the damn table, Im eating everyone else.”

-Either drink pure black coffee or chamomile

-if He drinks an ocean of chamomile but no amount of ‘calming’ tea can help save this poor stressed demon who just thought he could finally get a small break and have a lovely afternoon tea with diavolo.

-I wont be surprised if he’s even payed 200,000 grim worth of damage on the place due to his whole family

-Satan thought it was a good idea to exchange salt with sugar but he avoided this cause he...he looked into satan’s eyes while he drank his bitter black coffee with no sugar or cream.

||Mammon

-Gold laced bone china that costs about 500 grim a cup? Sold.

-He didn’t want to go but apparently he saw something that had caught his eye ❤️

-He was always invited to be the man servant at the witches’ tea parties so he kinda thought it was boring

-Did not realize how much he liked fruit teas until he came here

-Did not bother to even wear anything fancy as requested😤

-Probably tried stealing some stuff 😔

-He is on his 3rd cup of fruit tea and the orange chiffon cake but STILL denies that he liked being there.

-Chiffon cake is his thing but he will never admit that so instead he goes for regular old bread

-Defensive over paying the bill but he gives in a bit cause lucifer had to pay for the fucking stuff he stole 😤

-Was fucked with cause diavolo was actually paying and not them

||Leviathan

-Im sorry...sebastian michaelis who? I only know levi in a stuffy butler suit

-Speak like he’s talking to his masters but still trash talks mammon

-“I thumb my nose to you, unrefined scum.”

-For some reason...I cannot stress this enough...He loves...Lolita tea parties.

-Probably a Lizzie fan from Black buttler

-He strikes me as the type to drink matcha or a classic earl grey for the aesthetic but drinks bladderwack tea due to how common it is when he was at sea

-he drinks his tea in a typical lolita designed porcelain tea cup and is charmed by it so he takes 50 photos of the set for his live journalng blog.

||Satan

-A refined gentleman who wore appropriate clothing and brought a book

-He brought a little sacket or his own spice

-He usually drinks chamomile to calm down but occassionally drinks lattes but this time since it was a tea party he settled on...wait for it...

-Ethiopian spiced tea! More specifically Cardamom milk tea in the hottest temprature it can handle

-Him and asmo like their teas hot

-Satan makes me think that he goes for finger sandwiches instead of cakes or pastries.

-Has a book with him and actually his books have tea leaves in them as well because he likes the book smell with the Lapsang Souchung tea

-The ideal guest until he tried to play a prank on lucifer

||Asmodeus

-would you believe me if I told you he walked in there wearing slim dark slacks, creamy white silked dress shirt and a pastel plum ribbon tie that makes me drool?

-OF COURSE YOU WOULD IT’S ASMO 😤

-He looks gorgeous and he knows it! And every waiter/guest there is trying to get his number! 🥺

-I can see him originally drinking assam tea but he switches between that and a very specific order of butterfly pea flower tea with 1 cube of white sugar, 1 mint leaf within a minimalistic see-through tea set

-definetely a fan of berliner or a good chilled charlotte

-Indulges in conversations with simeon, solomon, barbatos and luke like the classy boys they are

-Drinking their tea like that, gossipping like mid 19th century wives in england

-probably laughs at the more energetic people

-Has the other guests at the parlour just senting him in something sweet only for their hearts to be crushed as asmo hands the sweet gifts to his sweet beloved younger brother

||Beelzebub

-You know why he’s here

-Asmo’s personal pastry trash can

-Hungry baby is eating a whole cake by himself ❤️

-Living the dream on his 4th cake btw

-Likes Cannoli sicillianis and Chou à la crème A.K.A profiterole or french cream puffs! He likes custard inside it

-He’s not very picky on his food but he does refuse to drink matcha tea without milk

-The type to be drinking something like dandelion root tea or peppermint tea

-This is the reason he can eat food faster. Please stop him. Please.

-Surprisingly even though he doesnt like matche he keeps green tea so he can gives some to belphie to help keep him awake.

-He tries to wear something nice so...Hahahaha Enjoy beel in a thick dark blue sweater

-He cant contain his cute little hair 🥺

-Uses a tea cup the same size as a mug and a dinner plate instead of a dessert plate

-Gets destracted by the pretty flowers and thinks of lilith ✨

||Belphegor

-Im sorry...Private booth with a couch please?

-He likes nuts cause they make up for his lack of serotonin and plus sleepy

-His tea is either chamomile to calm him or something like green tea to wake him up

-Only drinks green tea that beel gives cause beel knows exactly what to wake belphie up with

-He’s old fashioned he likes his tea in a some porcelain or clay though a preference is not a requirment

-Sleepy boy like private booths and resting himself on beel who’s just munching away but when he’s awake he does join the mid 19th century wives group

-Talks shit about most of the brother, except beel cause beel though a demon is still angelic.

-Has a great time there cause he’s reminded of when him and his twins were playing tea parties

-Does not dress for the occassion cause who gives a fuck

-Has told stories or at least recalled the times that lilith has made them pretend there was tea in the cup while they tried to point out that there was in fact none

||Simeon

-Polite boy that helps set up some of the servers and praises them

-ASSAM TEA YOU CANT CONVINCE ME ON THIS. He loves the taste honestly and he thinks he likes it so much more when there’s milk with it. Likes 1 cube of sugar on it and likes it bit more on the hotter side.

-Another one who enjoys sandwiches more than pastries though please dont tell luke.

-Likes the tea party so much that he wants to host one with luke so they can invite micheal and the other angels.

-Wears something nice but still a bit more appropriate.

-Probably the next host for the tea party

-does not shit talk or gossip bad stuff be he likes to join the conversations

-Adores watching luke pick flowers at the indoor garden

||Luke

-He is such a grateful person that he also brings his own sugar cookies ❤️

-He likes scones!!!! he likes em with lots of cream and blueberries

-The type to drink some sweet tea however he swears by candyleaf as the ultimate drink for him. If there’s no candy leaf though he can always go for fruit teas and something that kicks like orange blossom sponge cakes 🥺

-Dont look at me like he wouldnt play with the flowers and explore the indoor gardens while simeon calls him and he’s already back with sweet butterflies crowding him like the most adorable angel ever

-Joins the adult table cause...h-he’s...he’s old enough 🥺👉👈 (It’s really cause simeon needs to take care of him)

-He might not like devildom but he can say that the ambiance in that place wasnt absolutely breathtaking

-Wants to recreate the sweets here as well

||Diavolo

-The host of the party and is currently tending to everyone in conversation

-He thinks he should do these more often due to how successful they are in bringing everyone together

-Brought barbatos cause only barbatos can make his special tea since the ingridients are rare to fine

-His tea? Bolivia black✨his tastes are complex yes I know

-goes on board with orange food and dark chocolate. He is so exquisite, bro. An orange-scented short bread with finely tempered dark chocolate is the best thing he pairs with that black tea.

-Has a grand time trying to give luci some of his sweet shortbread but ultimately the other demon refuses 😔

-Just fucking say yes, luci. Stop being a pussy already

Taglist: @yamaguchi-stan (Special thanks to her for my knowledge in this stuff),

[undertale-rho]

Post-Underearth - Moonlit Sonata

Artemis ran desperately down the dimly lit sidewalk of southern Athens, Amelia clutched tightly in one hand as she ran along behind, with Artemis clutching her sword tightly with the other. It had been a few days since Frisk was dragged off by that older man. Artemis tightened her jaw. She hated that she'd just watched from the shadows instead of running in to help him. But she couldn't focus on that now. For now, she had to get out of Athens.

"Where are we going?" Amelia asked, her emerald-green eyes practically glistening in the tiny sliver of moonlight.

"Away from here, from the city, where it's safe." Artemis replied without looking back.

Athens was a cold, hostile place. She thought back to a time when a man had been beaten to death out in the middle of the day on a sidewalk, and those walking by just averted their eyes and walked faster, hoping to not get involved. A pang of fear ran through Artemis as she imagined Amelia in the beaten-man's place.

No. That can't... won't happen.

She looked back over her shoulder to see if anybody was following. Looking back ahead, she could see the edge of the city and the start of the southern tree line of the South Hellenes Forest.

She was almost out. The pack on her back rattled as she hastened her speed. Finally, Artemis ran past the last building and onto the road, where a light she hadn't seen before reaching the road blinded her. The light was swiftly followed by a horn and the skidding of tires on asphalt. In the few second that followed, the bumper of a car knocked lightly against Artemis's legs, and she stumbled backwards, falling to the ground and pulling Amelia with.

"Hey!" the driver yelled. "Pay attention, you bloody idiot!"

Artemis paid the driver no mind, quickly standing back up, pulling Amelia up to her feet, and running across the street into the forest beyond as the driver slung curses at them.

Within the forest, the sisters continued to run, crossing another road as they ran. After some time, Amelia collapsed to the ground, and Artemis stopped running.

"Are you okay, Amy?" Artemis asked, gasping for air.

"Y... yeah." Amelia said, gasping as well. "It's so dark out here, where are you?"

Artemis didn't understand what her sister meant, at least until she'd actually looked around and found herself blinded by the darkness of the forest.

Was it this dark while we ran? she thought.

Artemis shook her head, focusing back on more pressing matters. "I'm here, follow my voice."

Amelia stumbled through the darkness until she fell into her sister's arms. Once the two collided, they both sat down at the base of a tree, Artemis shifting the scabbard of her sword up so it wouldn't be in the way. The chilly near-autumn air bit at their skin as they sat, mildly shivering.

Resting her eyes for a few minutes, Artemis re-opened them to seeing what was around her, as though the darkness itself had vanished. A feeling of restlessness surfaced in her mind.

"Come on," Artemis said. "let's get going."

The sisters stood back up, and they both continued on their journey. After a few more minutes, they both stumbled out into a clearing by a lake, its bank looking to be entirely desolate. Looking back at her sister, Artemis could see that Amelia was caked in street-filth.

"Come here a second." Artemis said. "We're gonna take a quick bath."

Amelia groaned but let Artemis strip off her green dress and grey undershirt, though she herself removed her grey shoes. Approaching the water, Amelia suddenly leapt back.

"What is it?" Artemis asked, worried that something nasty might be lurking inside.

"It's really cold." Amelia said.

Artemis sighed. "Alright, give me a second to strip."

Immediately, Artemis placed her katana and pack on the ground and pulled off her own black shoes. With those out of the way, she then slipped off her tattered blue jeans and grey hoodie. Naked herself, she took ahold of her sister and they both entered the bone-chilling water. Scrubbing as much dirt and grime off as possible, the sisters exited the water, now a bit cleaner.

Artemis's jaw clattered like shattering china, and Amelia wasn't doing much better. Slipping their clothes back on, Artemis felt a wave of heat envelop her as she grabbed her katana.

"Here, grab this." Artemis said, handing an end of the sword to Amelia. Grabbing hold, Amelia quickly stopped shivering. "Come on, let's take a moment to warm up under that tree." She then said, guiding her sister to the base of a tree.

Reaching the trunk, they both sat down, holding the sword firmly in their hands.

What am I doing out here? Artemis soon found herself thinking. Damn it, Frisk. What were you gonna do out here?

Sitting still beneath the tree, her thoughts dwelling on her lost friend, Artemis felt here eyelids grow heavy. Before long, they closed completely, and she drifted off to sleep.

"Artemis." a silent voice called out.

Artemis groaned, cracking her eyes a bit.

"Artemis." the voice said again.

Artemis drew up her hands and rubbed her eyes. "Who is it?" she mumbled.

"Open. Your eyes."

Artemis brought her hands back down to her sides and finally opened her eyes to a bright, emerald-green sky.

Now, Artemis had seen the sky be many colors. Blue, most of the time. Red. Orange. Pink on a few occasions. Black at night. But never green. Immediately, she shot up. All around her was a near-perfectly reflected landscape of what looked like water, which reflected the green sky. Looking down at the water below her, however, she saw no reflection of herself. Only a great sea of sand, with a chain of massive islands of green stretching across its surface, breaking up the monotonous yellow sand.

Surrounding Artemis was a great many massive, curved swords, each much like her own. Each sword had its point driven into the water, making them all look like great towers jutting up from a green ocean.

Looking around further, she soon caught sight of another person, who kneeled on the water, with their hands placed on their knees. Not knowing where else to go, Artemis approached the figure.

"H... hello?" she said as she approached.

The figure didn't respond, nor did it make any sign that it had heard her.

"Are you the one who was calling me?"

Still no response.

Soon, the distance between them had fallen to six feet, and Artemis stopped approaching. From where she now stood, the fine details of the figure could be discerned. It was heavily armored, with blue plates decorating the figure's chest, shoulders, and legs in the form of a plate-skirt. Its forearms and hands were wrapped in cloth and leather, with plates covering the outer-part of its forearms. Around its neck was another plate, with its neck covered in cloth as well. The helmet the figure wore was like that of a man, though blue, with a green emerald emblazoned on its forehead. The eye-holes were cold and empty, with a golden metallic mustache between its blue nose and lips. At the top of its head was a golden crescent, with blue cloth that draped down behind the helmet. On the armored figure's lower back was a sword, sheathed within a dark wooden scabbard.

Artemis opened her mouth to speak again, but was cut off, startled by one of the giant swords in the distance erupting from the ocean and flying her way, shrinking as it approached. Quickly, the sword had shrunk to the size of Artemis's, and had plunged itself into the water between the figure and Artemis. After a few seconds, the figure stood up, and drew its sword, bringing it down in front of it, with its handle held fast in both hands.

In response, Artemis reached for where her sword would normally be, but found nothing. Without missing a beat, she drew the sword in front of her and held it out the same. Immediately, the figure shot forward, knocked Artemis's sword out of the way, and stopped just an inch from Artemis's throat, all within a single, swift motion.

"You want to protect your sister," the figure said, with the same voice that spoke before. "but you are now dead. Beheaded by one with greater experience." The figure drew away from Artemis and sheathed its sword.

Artemis, who was breathing heavily, dropped to her knees, grabbing at her chest. She could feel her pounding heart beat against her ribcage as she shook violently in fear.

"What do you mean I'm dead?" she asked through gasps.

"Figuratively. Had it been a real fight, you would be dead. This is all just a dream. To you, anyway. In reality, you are still cuddled up next to your sister below a tree near Lake Sullivan, sleeping the night away."

Artemis sighed in relief, and her speeding heart slowed a bit. Looking back at the figure, she spotted a familiar green emerald embedded in the sword it carried.

"Wait, that's my sword." she said, reaching over to grab it.

The figure stepped back. "Your sword? But you have your sword, there in your hands."

Artemis looked down at the sword she drew. It looked just the same. Looking around at the giant swords around them, all of them looked exactly the same. She looked back at the figure.

"Who are you?"

"Hah. A truly intriguing question. One that is written in my reflection." the figure gestured down to the water at its feet.

Artemis looked, seeing a heavily disformed figure. The hands and feet of the reflection—despite being where they should be—weren't connected to the torso, and the head was barely recognizable, but Artemis guessed it could possibly be a skull.

"Of course, that likely isn't the answer you're looking for." The figure then said. "Perhaps the question you meant to ask was what my name is. There, your answer lies in the hilt of that sword."

Artemis looked down at her sword again. The leather around the hilt was twisting slightly. Opening her hand, the leather straps pulled themselves away to reveal a silver hilt beneath. In the metal was written a word, though the language was written with sharp lines, dots, and circles that she couldn't read.

"What does it say?"

"Huzntadmir."

"And this is your name?"

"In a fashion. It is the name I have gone by for centuries, serving your ancestors."

"Then you're... then you must be the Guardian Spirit my mother told me about."

"Yes. The Spirit of the Sword that safeguards your family. The Hemlocks, as you're called now. I will admit, Atara's decision to come to this land was a surprise to be sure, but once she was here, it was only inevitable that she would go to Mount Ebott. But listen to me ramble. We need to safeguard you, now don't we.

"Listen carefully, Artemis." Huzntadmir brought up his hands, and the surrounding ocean began to shift. "I will teach you all you still need to learn. That boy, Frisk, taught you quite well, but the survival skills you have now are still quite novel. And at this time, you still lack some necessary items."

When Huzntadmir finished speaking, the surrounding ocean had shifted into a dark building filled with survival equipment.

"Where are we now?" Artemis asked.

"Technically still in the same place. You are only seeing an illusion I'm putting into your mind. The place you're now seeing, however, is a survival shop in Athens. Closed right now, with it being night and all, but I'm sure they won't mind us browsing. Now, what you're looking for is a waterskin, a proper backpack, a compass, and a knife."

Artemis stepped through the store, looking for the items Huzntadmir had instructed her to find. After a few minutes, all four items had been selected.

"Excellent." he said. "Now, Artemis. Within the next few minutes, I'm going to wake you up. The items you selected will be organized, and the waterskin will be filled with fresh water. Wake up your sister after you have awoken. Everything that is yours will be organized in the pack you have selected. Pull out the compass and put on the pack. Once this is done, head east."

"What's east?"

"Something. I'm not too sure myself, but it calls to us now. On this journey, no matter what happens, do not stop. Do not speak with anyone. Just go."

And with that, Huzntadmir disappeared, along with the store and everything else, leaving Artemis alone in a dark, empty void. A few minutes later, a tapping on her chest caused her to wake up. Her sword was tapping on her chest. Reaching up to grab it, the sword dropped into her hand, and she brought it down to her side. The backpack she had selected back at the store now sat at her feet. Artemis looked down at Amelia, who was holding tightly to her.

"Hey, Little Rose." Artemis whispered. "Time to wake up."

Amelia's eyes slowly slid open. "What time is it?" she asked, stretching a bit.

"Still night. Come on, it's time to go."

Standing up, Artemis approached the backpack. Everything that was in her old pack had been placed in the new, though the old was nowhere to be found. Already knowing where the compass was, she reached into the pocket and pulled it out, pulling the backpack on right after. As soon as she'd found east, Artemis began walking, closely followed by Amelia.

"Where are we going?" Amelia asked as they started walking.

Artemis sighed. "I'm not sure, but something calls us this way."

And so the pair walked, all through the night.

It had been about week since the sisters had fled Athens. The late September air was cool as the pair trudged through a mountainous forest. Shade enveloped every inch around them through the leaves of the surrounding trees, to the great continents of clouds soaring above. Though they'd managed to eat a few critters within their travels, neither sister had had much to eat whatsoever in the last couple days. It was becoming more evident that they'd have to stop soon each passing second as Amelia, who hadn't been feeling her best when they'd left in the first place, was beginning to feel worse than ever.

"We're almost there, Amy." Artemis reassured as Amelia stumbled along close behind. "At least I hope so..." she then mumbled.

Artemis was sure of where they were going and where they were. She wasn't exactly sure how, but she had a feeling Huzntadmir had something to do with it. She was close, she could feel it. Yet the sickness overtaking Amelia, greater now than before, was making her doubt whether making this journey before her sister was back up to full strength was the right decision. She thought back to the time a few days ago when Amelia had coughed up a few droplets of blood. Her mind then wandered to the what-if she feared, and she quickly ran the thought from her mind.

It won't happen. She reassured herself.

Continuing on their path for a few hours more, the sound of rushing water rang clearly through the forest. A moment more of walking saw the pair come to a small meadow with a river junction near its center, where a singular green island at the converging of two rivers into one stood proud, seemingly ignorant of the eroding effects of the rapids between it. Approaching the island, Artemis spotted small points of land, footsteps apart, leading straight to the island.

This is it. Artemis thought, which she then spoke aloud. She turned to Amelia, who was shuffling close behind, suffering another coughing fit, with the back of her hand she used to contain the cough getting flecked with blood.

Artemis quickly crossed over the small steppingstones and placed her backpack on the island. She then recrossed and picked up Amelia, crossing back to the island.

Placing Amelia down on the other side, she then looked around herself, then felt a bit silly. There she was, surrounded on all sides by water, on a small piece of land just barely able to fit the pair of them.

What am I doing here? Artemis asked herself, sitting down on a rock. Or, at least, it looked like a rock, but it was too bumpy. Looking down at its mossy face, Artemis felt around on its surface, finding many intricate grooves that covered its face. And not just grooves, but a small recess that went under the face of the rock, as if it were meant to have a hand there, or to be lifted from there. Artemis stood up and grasped the recess, lifting as hard as she could. In the following moments, the rock-face lifted, revealing a manhole beneath.

This is it! Artemis looked up at Amelia. "Come on down!" she said excitedly, grabbing a ladder just inside and climbing down into the manhole.

The stone room below—lit by a beam of light from the manhole—was rectangular, the far wall looking to be at least ten feet away from the ladder, with only four feet between the side walls and the ladder. Stepping down the rungs, Artemis suddenly found it a bit harder to breath due to the musty scent of mold that permeated every part of the air. Reaching the floor of the bunker, Artemis turned around and caught sight of something that made her jump. A skeleton, sitting in a chair as if nothing were wrong, with its head tilted one way. Little flesh remained on the mold-blackened bones, and tattered rags of cloth were strewn across its ribcage and legs. Wrapped in the arms of the skeleton was a large pot or urn. Curiosity getting the better of her, she approached the skeleton, seemingly fascinated by the bones exposed to the air.

When she'd brought her head down near the skeleton's skull, the skull moved up, facing itself straight at Artemis, which caused her to let out a scream and jump backwards.

"Do not be afraid." the skeleton said, its accent so distorted, it barely sounded like English. "As you see me now, I am dead and cannot hurt you."

Artemis calmed down a bit, but still grasped Huzntadmir.

"Through the gift given to me by the Piece of Aiōn, the one we call "Madās", I have seen your arrival, and have left you a message. Though Madās restricts what I am allowed to say, know that I am one that seeks to help you. The sword you grasp now in fear is no normal tool of Man. It was created by those sealed within, newly freed in your time. Within that blade lies the secrets of magic. Trust in the mind of the blade, and you will unlock a great power, one you can use to survive."

"Who are you?" Artemis asked.

"Now is no time for questions, young Human named after the Goddess of the Hunt—Artemis. Your sister, Amelia, is gravely ill. If nothing is done, she will soon meet with Charon, and be forever lost to you."

Artemis turned back to the manhole above. She didn't follow me down!?

"Do not go yet, or your sister will surely die." The skeleton warned. "In my state of foresight, I prepared medicine for your sister. Take it and give it to her. It will be bitter, but if she does not take it, she will die."

"Where is this medicine?"

"Here, in this vase. I have sealed it against the ravages of time, but if it is not taken immediately after the seal is destroyed, time will take it back, and it will be lost forever, as will your sister. You will have but a minute. Bring your sister down here and destroy the vase with your sword. Sword made by the hand of Aster in his hour of grief, break this seal, that those you protect may survive."

Artemis grabbed hold of the ladder and began climbing.

"One last thing, Artemis. At your time, I am dead and, as such, can no longer make use of this buried home. Make use of it as you wish. And please, if you would, bury me beneath the sun."

Artemis finished climbing the ladder back out onto the island. Amelia was lying face-down on the ground. When Artemis reached her and lifted her head, blood caked the moss where her head was, and droplets leaked from her mouth.

"Amelia!" Artemis said. "Come on, I've got medicine for you."

Amelia tried to lift an arm but failed after it was barely an inch off the ground. Artemis immediately lifted Amelia from the ground and pulled her to the manhole, carefully bringing her down into the dank room beneath.

The skeleton at the side was inactive again, the skull hanging back down to the side. Artemis placed Amelia down and drew her sword. The blade, even in the darkness, flashed orange for a fraction of a second, and Artemis swung at the vase, shattering it to pieces.

Inside the vase, a small wooden bowl lay. Pulling it from the remnants, Artemis opened the bowl. Inside was a fine powder, with a piece of cloth folded neatly on top. Opening the cloth up, inside was a simple message.

"For your sister. Feed her all of it, lest she perish."

Artemis placed the cloth to the side and ran to her sister, who was lying sprawled on the ground again.

"Amy, I need you to open your mouth. I got some medicine for you. It'll help you feel better."

Amelia didn't respond. Instantly, Artemis lifted Amelia's head and forced her mouth open. She then poured the powder in just as the wooden bowl began to rot. Within moments of it entering her mouth, Amelia started coughing. Artemis didn't stop, continuing to pour the powder in until all of it was inside Amelia.

"Come on, swallow." Artemis urged, grabbing her waterskin and giving Amelia a bit of water. After a few seconds, Artemis pulled it away and waited. Amelia coughed a few more times before going limp.

"Amy?" Artemis said. "Little Rose? Come on, don't do this. It isn't funny."

Amelia didn't move.

"Amelia, come on..." Artemis said, shaking the limp body in her arms as tears began pooling in her eyes. "Talk to me. Please."

Still no response. After a minute, Artemis placed her head against Amelia's chest and cried into it, her tears staining the front of her sister's dress. A sudden coughing drew her attention away from crying as Amelia's belly shot forwards, facilitating her coughing.

"That was awful. Never give it to me again." Amelia said, wiping a couple drops of blood from her chin.

Artemis laughed a bit before embracing her sister, tears streaming down her face. "I hope I never have to."

Artemis looked out over the pile of rocks where the burial happened. The strange skeleton who'd looked into the future had gotten his wish. Yet all Artemis could think about was magic. Magic. It was magic that allowed that skeleton to speak to her and save Amelia from however many centuries in the past, and she never even learned his name. It was magic that allowed Huzntadmir to exist, to help her learn magic of her own, and wilderness survival. Of course, there was also Frisk's book, which Artemis had found buried deep in the backpack. She wondered if Huzntadmir had taken it as well when he'd taken all the other stuff.

Artemis looked back away from the grave to where Amelia was playing nearby. It had been a few weeks since she'd nearly died, and yet Amelia now had more life in her than ever before. She had always been sickly, Artemis remembered, from the time Amelia had been born, she'd always been strangely vulnerable to illness. But out here, wherever "here" was, she seemed free of those chains. Whether it was being outside Athens, or perhaps even that powder-medicine, Artemis didn't care. She loved to watch Amelia dance around and help in ways she couldn't before.

"You're distracted again." Huzntadmir brought Artemis's focus back down to her magic training.

"Yeah, sorry." Artemis said, gripping the sword tightly once again. "Let's go again."

"Excellent. Now remember, I'm only bringing out the magical energy that dwells within you already, and helping you learn to use it on your own. The work is on you. Focus."

Artemis breathed in slowly, then exhaled slowly. Then inhaled, then exhaled. On her next inhale, Artemis swung her sword at the river with all her might, sending out a thin blade of fire that barely made it to the water's edge.

"Good, good." Huzntadmir congratulated. "You're definitely getting better."

"Doesn't help that I'm slow." Artemis said, who'd been hoping to make a column of steam with that strike.

"Everyone develops at their own pace. The fault is not yours. Relax, and keep practicing. You will make that water boil sooner than you think."

Artemis sighed, and made another attempt, this time getting a little bit of steam to rise.

"You see?"

Artemis fell forward onto her knee, sinking the sword a bit into the dirt.

"Hey, careful now. Why don't you take a break, let your AURA regenerate."

Artemis nodded and leaned back against a nearby tree, opting to watch Amelia play in the meadow.

"Hey Huzntadmir." Artemis said after a minute. "I've been wondering. If you're a sword, how do you see and hear?"

"Interesting questions. The answer to which is quite simple. Magic."

Artemis rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious. What I'm teaching you has more versatility than simply lighting things on fire. For instance, I'm speaking to you with magic right now. Telepathy, where I transfer meaning directly into your SOUL."

"Can you read minds too?"

"No. That's impossible. The mind is a prison from which only you have the key. Nobody else can see what lies inside. Magicians of mind magic can, however, see patterns and guess at what you're thinking."

"So how do you see?"

As Artemis asked the question again, a fuzzy-looking black ball floated out in front of her.

"With this. It's called an 'auten', and it collects light like your eyes do.­ I hear through a similar spell called an 'auden'. These, however, are invisible to light, since they only collect vibrations in the air, which is what sound is."

"Alright."

"'Alright' indeed. Interesting tidbit about the auten is it technically isn't supposed to be black like this. Normally it's white, but when it's white, it doesn't differentiate between colors, and only shows a black-and-white image. I like my colors, so I put in the extra energy to see them."

Artemis looked up at the orange sky above. The sun was beginning to set.

"New moon tonight." Huzntadmir said.

Artemis sighed. "I know." She didn't like it when the moon was dark. The environment around her dark, and the unknown constantly just beyond her reach.

"Hey sis!" Amelia said, suddenly next to Artemis. Artemis inhaled sharply, then breathed easy.

"Hey Little Rose." she said, ruffling her sister's hair. "It's almost dark. You ready to head on inside?"

Amelia shook her head violently. "Nope. I wanna stay out here some more."

Artemis chuckled a bit. "Alright. But not too long, you hear?" She herself then stood back up and crossed to the island. It was much easier now, as both she and Amelia had—after a few failed attempts—built a sturdy wooden bridge over where the steppingstones had been. She then opened the hatch and climbed down inside.

Weeks before, Artemis would never have even thought of letting Amelia out of her sight in such an open place. But out here, it was different. Nobody around to snatch her up or take her away. Nobody around to harm her. Plus, it helped that Huzntadmir said he'd keep an eye on her. So Artemis just stepped into the bunker without hesitation or worry. Inside, she made for a freezing barrel, where a fish the two had caught earlier that day was being stored. As she pulled the lid free, a pillar of mist appeared as the magically cooled air inside the barrel met the warmer air outside it. Artemis reached in and pulled out the fish, which fortunately wasn't too frozen. Closing the barrel and placing the fish on a nearby table, she began cutting into it, getting ready to make a pair of fillets for her and her sister.

Midway cutting through the second half of the fish, she stopped for a moment, then chuckled to herself.

"Oh, if you could just see me now, Frisk." She mumbled, a couple tears forming in her eyes as she thought about her friend. "Barely able to accept a dead rabbit on that last day. Now look at me. Gutting a fish like it were second nature."

"So what's for dinner?" Amelia asked, climbing down the ladder.

"Fish. That one we caught earlier."

"Yummy!" Amelia looked over at the empty fireplace. "Can I start the fire?"

Artemis looked over at the fireplace, then to Amelia, in consideration. After a moment, she smiled. "Sure. Do you remember how?"

"Mhm!" Amelia nodded, running off through a doorway to grab some tinder. When she returned, she immediately got underway trying to start the fire, fiddling with the flint and steel Artemis made a few days earlier to try and make a spark. After a few minutes, a fire finally started, and she placed the burning tinder into the fireplace. "All done!"

"Thanks a lot, Amy." Artemis said, stroking her sister's head before placing the fillets on a stone and putting it over the fire. The sisters then sat at the makeshift table they'd made the previous week, waiting for the fish to cook.

"Did you have fun playing today?" Artemis asked after a minute.

"Mhm." Amelia nodded. "Yeah, I pretended I was a strong warrior, fighting off a bunch of monsters." As she spoke, she waved her arms around, showing off her faux swordsmanship.

"Monsters, huh. I hope you beat them all."

Amelia nodded again. "Uh huh." She then looked up at her sister. "I also watched you for a bit. It's so cool you can make fire with your sword like that. Do you think I could try sometime?"

"Wha!? I mean... uh..."

"I wouldn't mind." Huzntadmir said. "Under correct control, magic is perfectly safe. You would have nothing to fear."

Artemis contemplated it for a minute. "Yeah, alright. Tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Now, let's eat." Artemis pulled the cooked fish from the fire and gave Amelia hers before turning to her own.

I really wish you could see us, Frisk. Artemis thought, staring down at the fish. We did it. We're doing it. We are survivors. Artemis then dug into her own fish. It was more juicy and delicious than anything she'd ever tasted in Athens.

Previous Underearth Prologue Next

[swiss-cheeze]

Eye Contact

(Walter Hartright x reader)

Stacking cards against one another in a game of her own Solitaire (Y/n) thought of whatever came to mind, one of Laura's latest paintings, Walter walking to his carriage for a quick trip to the markets on his own, Sir Percival and whatever he was reading in the study; but nothing seemed to stop her twitching and aching finger tips. Something had to preoccupy her hands or she would be going mad.

"Come on (Y/n), dinner is meant to be ready soon and you're stuck here playing with a deck of cards" Emeline said, (Y/n) sighed before reluctantly arising from her seating and walking over to the long table in the middle of the kitchen, adorned with roasted vegetables, a roast and some sides; (Y/n) starts cleaning some of the plates that had been draining on their respectable racks.

"Remind me again why we took this job" she muttered softly while looking into the reflection of the polished china.

"Because it was the only one at the time that paid well enough for us to keep our necks" Emeline said with a grin as the girl came to stand next to (Y/n) and started helping with the cutlery.

"'Paid well' my love?" (Y/n) asked looking at Emeline with a grin, "at this point with Mister Hartright here we won't get paid't all" Emeline rolled her eyes and smiled.

"If it's something my love then it's worth the rest" Emeline said, she tucked the cloth into her aprons skirts as she walked away with the cutlery stationed in her hands. (Y/n) soon followed-suit with (what she oh-so hoped) the correct amount of plates and bowls. Entering the dining room was always a wicked thing for (Y/n), there was a strict rule of not making eye contact with anyone but the other servants in the dining room. Walking around the table (Y/n) placed a plate in front of each person as Emeline added the cutlery and some other servants put down glasses and gave wine; the worst thing about being the one to give out the plates and bowls meant you had to do two rounds around the table. This just meant that the price of messing up or smashing a piece of fine china double at a rapid rate; especially with the shaking hands that could accompany with the second round. (Y/n) kept her gaze down as she placed a bowl on the right upper corner of each person's placemat for easy access. A minute passed as (Y/n) walked to the standing servants with her head held low.

"Leave us" Sir Percival said with a flick of his wrist, Walter faltered slightly as he wanted to thank the servants for plating and serving the dinner but as quick as he batted an eye, they had left.

(Y/n) let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding as her back hit the kitchen door, the cool wood calmed her down a bit and helped the tightness of the corset confiding her middle section, "come on (Y/n), we have to help with dessert" Emeline said as both girls walked off to help prepare dessert.

Walter gazed around the table as everyone made light conversation, Laura however, stayed petite and quiet, "Miss Fairlie I can't help my own mind wondering as why you're so quiet" Walter asked leaning over the dining table to keep the conversation low. Laura looked up in a little shock at being addressed before answer Walter.

"I'm just letting my mind wander is all, dangerous thing to do I guess but I can't stop myself" Laura said a little disappointed.

"Dangerous to let the mind wander? I think it would be best to let it walk its own path and stretch its legs" Walter said smartly, trying to uplift Laura's undertone state; a small quirk of the lady's lips came up and that was all Walter needed to feel a little happier.

A small bell chimed, signalling dessert.

The servants came out once again holding trays of cakes and jellies, ices and nuts and fruits; still looking down and avoiding all eye contact.

A girl bent over on Walters left side and put down a tray adorned with fluffy cakes, the girl started to reach her arm back to walk away but bumped a discarded napkin onto the floor, a small pardon came from the girl as she bent at the knees and handed back the napkin between two fingers, still avoiding eye contact Walter held the napkin but didn't let it go, as everyone was being served or having more wine or drinks he looked at the girl, "why is it you all avoid eye contact?" in a low whisper so as to not frighten the girl.

(Y/n) froze as she was asked a question by Mister Hartright, her gaze slowly and hesitantly lifted and finally connected with his. Green eyes like sapphires, piercing blades of grass, dew drops and beautiful blots of paint on a fresh canvas. Her mouth opened and closed like a suffocating fish, she had to be quick and short, "because it's a rule we all must abide by" her voice came out barely a hoarse whisper.

"Was it Sir Percival?" Walter asked but was met only with a gasp and he lost all eye contact with the girl as her gaze dropped to the floor again. A servant was behind her tugging harshly at her hand to get back into line; which she quickly obliged and fell into line just before being told to leave again, Walters eyes followed the girl as she trudged along with the servants back to the depths of the kitchens and servants quarters before getting pulled into some conversation and dessert.

Early morning adorned the next day, (Y/n)'s day off, the girl stretched happily in her bed as the sun shone through the open windows and curtains, she had ended up sleeping in a few hours extra then her normal daily wake up time. Emeline still had this working day before her retirement for the next so (Y/n) had time to herself. Making her way from bed to her cupboard the girl grabbed a beautiful maroon frilled dress that had the skirt going straight down instead of puffed like normal, the shoulders leant off of her collarbones and the sleeves ended in points in the middle of her hands; it was the dress she favoured most. Tying her hair into a side plait she slipped the dressed over her head and her curves, not bothering with her corset; it was considered in decent for most people but those who didn't know wouldn't hurt them.

Being done with her clothing (Y/n) walked happily to the kitchen, grabbed an apple and headed on her way; book in hand, boots clunking against whatever it touched only silencing as she stepped onto the green grass and kept going. Through the forest trees and across the small hills before coming to an old and beaten down bridge; her favourite spot in the grounds running over a quiet river, frozen in winter and quiet in the spring, harsh in the summer and dried in the autumn. But it was still her favourite spot no matter. Sitting down on the edge of the wall of the bridge (Y/n) chomped into her apple viciously and opened the book, letting it rest in her lap as she read the words; loosing herself in the words and her imagination for lord knows how long, that is until Walter came too.

"You should be careful when sitting on bridges miss" Walter said loudly from the end of the bridge, it was a long ascending and was actually rather small but the height was enough to break a bone had she have fallen if it wasn't for Walters arms catching her from her fright. The girl had jumped when she heard Walters voice, the half-eaten apple almost flew out of her grasp as she started to fall backwards to her demise before Walter had caught. Those green eyes had caught her again, "with that fright I suggest getting off the bridge" he said matter-of-factly. (Y/n) simply nodded with a quirk of the lips as she slid from the wall and landed softly on her feet, Walters arms where still wrapped around her waist, "you're the napkin girl from last night aren't you?" he asked with crossed eyebrows. (Y/n) curtly nodded holding her book and apple close to her chest.

"That I am Mister Hartright" she said softly. It was her day off but the servants gaze dropped to the tie around Walters's neck; not making eye contact like before.

"Please look at me, you're off duty I presume" he said as (Y/n) gulped.

"That I also am Mister Hartright" she said a little more strongly, "but I don't believe you would want to be caught with your arms wrapped around a mere servants un-corseted waist" (Y/n) said and Walter immediately left the girls waist and returned back to his sides as a meek red tint covered his neck and cheeks.

"Apologies" muttered Walter as he was the one now to not give eye contact. (Y/n) looked up to the man with smiled softly.

"Eye contact is rather improper for someone of your stature Mister Hartright" she said smartly, Walter grinned as he looked back to the girl finally catching each other's eyes.

"Yes well, it isn't serving time now so eye contact is very much appreciated" Walter said with a grin as he shuffled on his feet slightly. (Y/n) let a small smile cover her face.

"Mister Hartright what are you doing out here in the middle of the grounds' forest when you could be dining in the drawing room with a nice glass of brandy?" (Y/n) asked as she lent on the wall before quickly shutting her mouth and going to bring her hand up to cover it, "I'm sorry, I spoke out of turn" the girl muttered, again avoiding eye contact. Walter joined (Y/n) and lent his forearms on the stone cobble bridge wall with a small grin.

"Please, we're in private, the most I can ask you is to drop the formalities for a few moments on your precious day off" Walter said looking out to the river.

"I cannot promise such perfection but I will try my best" (Y/n) said with a grin. The girl finally remembered about the apple and book in her hands, "do you mind if I continue my breakfast?" she asked gesturing to the, now slightly browning, apple. Walter shook his head as he looked from the apple to the girl.

"Not at all no" he said before looking at the book, "may i?" he asked pointing to the blue hardcover book. (Y/n) shook her head as she took a bite from her apple and handed over the book. Walter turned the book and looked at the front and back before looking at the spine, "Moby-Dick?" he asked looking at the girl with a quirked eyebrow. She shrugged.

"People say it isn't good but I normally say to try it first" (Y/n) said with a slight shrug of the shoulders, "it isn't at all bad really, a man is at sea to vanquish a giant beast for taking his leg; what more could you wish for?" she asked with a chuckle, Walter chuckled in return.

"Rather thin though isn't it?" he asked flipping the book over again and going through some of the pages.

"Some of the best works of art are the smallest Mister Hartright" the girl said happily with a grin and Walter could tell she would be someone to keep around. Walter nodded.

"I told you to drop the formalities" he said with a cocky grin.

"Apologies" the girl said, "but you never really did give me your name" she said holding a hand over her mouth to cover if food came out.

"Walter" Walter said, the boy was hesitant at first but then held out his hand for (Y/n) to shake. Which she did and nodded curtly.

"Walter" she repeated. Walter felt a trickled go down his spine at the sound of his name coming from the girl in front of him. Walter quickly took his hand away (possibly a little too quickly) and turned back to the book in his hands before flipping to a random page.

"'It is the horrible texture of a fabric that should be woven of ships' cables and hawsers. A Polar wind blows through it, and birds of prey hover over it.'" Walter read aloud, "Sounds compelling?" he asked more of a question then anything else which made (Y/n) chuckle.

"It's more interesting and compelling then you would first think" (Y/n) said with a grin, the girl went to take the book back from Walters grasp but he moved to fast away, "oh come on".

"I'm rather intrigued with this book now, mind if I steal it from you for a small while?" Walter asked with a cocky grin, (Y/n) rolled her eyes.

"Walter please May I have my book back?" (Y/n) asked with her palm turned up but Walter started walking backwards away from the girl.

"I'm gonna steal it for a little while" he said with a smile, (Y/n) sighed before grinning.

"You are lucky Mister Walter" (Y/n) said as she stood still on the bridge and Walter moved back slowly.

"How so?!" Walter asked, voice raised slightly due to the little distance.

"Your eyes" (Y/n) said as she started walking in the opposite direction to Walter.

"W-wait! You got my name, in return can I have yours?" Walter asked, he had jogged to the bridge so they wouldn't have to yell but his voice was still raised a little, (Y/n) turned around and walked backwards facing Walter.

"It's (L/n). (Y/N) (L/n)" she said with a large smile before turning around and briskly walking away, throwing her apple into the grass to decompose.

Walter looked on to where (Y/n) was walking away, "(Y/n) (L/n)" he muttered under his breath with a small smile, "(Y/n)..." he paused, "(L/n)". Walter hit the book in his hand a few times with a grin before walking away and heading back to his room.

————

Thinking of making this into a small story

[yourcoffeeguru]

REGENCY ENGLISH Fine Bone China ROSES Tea Set Cup Saucer Cake Plate || SWtradepost - ebay

[bakingthedetectives]

A Chocolate Orange Timbale For Italy's Most Famous Detective

'He gobbled up a saute of clams in breadcrumbs, a heaped dish of spaghetti with white clam sauce, a roast turbot with oregano and caramelized lemon, and he topped it all off with a bitter chocolate timbale in orange sauce. When it was all over he stood up, went into the kitchen, and shook the chef's hand without saying a word, deeply moved.'  

Would you believe there are people on this good Earth that don't like the combination of chocolate and orange? Honestly, it's true. The bitter complexity of a really good dark chocolate perfectly cradled in sweet muskiness of orange oil really does nothing for them, apparently. Well look away now if you are one of these people, because it's about to get serious. It must have been chocolate orange Club biscuits that got me going. In those days I was all about milk chocolate, having not developed the full range of taste. I remember declaring in my youthful naivety that I would never like dark chocolate. Boy, was I wrong! This is in the top three most shameful declarations of my life (alongside telling everyone I could never fancy a boy - I am now getting married to one - and saying that I hate the Spice Girls, who I now think are amazing). The older I get, the nicer dark chocolate becomes, and although this recipe isn't super dark, it has a pleasing sharp quality that goes smashingly with the orange sauce.

'Deciding not to give in to the temptation, he sped past the restaurant where he'd stuffed himself at lunch, doing 120km an hour. At half a kilometre later, however, his resolution suddenly floundered and he slammed on the brakes, provoking a furious blast of the horn from the car behind him.'  

I first discovered the base of this recipe on Eat, Little Bird. I was looking around for something to use up leftover raspberries and these cakes called to me in a way that something does when an addiction is in the near future. I went through quite a bad (and by bad I mean very good but also terrible) phase of heating these up and having them for breakfast. I mean even for me, with my unwavering appetite for sugar, that was a bit too much. But still I persisted and ended up playing around with the recipe enough to end up here. I adore Montalbano and I have many regrets about putting The Snack Thief to the bottom of my TBR pile for so long. Andrea Camilleri writes in a uniquely comical way and it's difficult not to love ever member of the Vigata police department. Montalbano is very much a Sam Vimes character; a lone beacon of sanity in a sea of incompetent but lovable nitwits. I enjoyed this book immensely, and I can tell you that because I kept it by my bed for several weeks after finishing it, unwilling to let Montalbano go. So, make these cakes, and shake your own hand in celebration! 

For the cakes (makes 4)

1 large egg

50g caster sugar

25g plain flour

20g cocoa powder

45g butter, softened

a few chunks of dark chocolate

For the sauce

250ml freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tbsp butter

Grease 4 holes of a muffin pan and set aside. Preheat the oven 180C. You can set the sauce on the go first. Put the juice in a saucepan and simmer on a medium heat for 20 minutes to reduce, then turn up the heat a little and leave for 5 minutes to boil down a bit. Stir in the butter and remove from the heat. Leave to stand. It will remain hot for quite some time so don't stick your finger in it like I did!

For the cakes, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, cocoa, flour and mix everything together until smooth. Put a tablespoon of the mixture into the muffin pan, then some chopped chocolate, then top with more mixture until you've divided everything evenly between the 4 holes. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Leave to cool for a few minutes in the tin then carefully turn out and serve with the orange sauce divided between them.

Next time on Baking the Detectives...

'George had returned, carrying the tray on which he'd assembled a tea service I'd never before set eyes on. It was all fine-bone china and little pink flowers, the kind of mincing cups that are so delicate and brittle you expect them to shatter when you put them to your lips. This classy effect was slightly undermined by a teetering pile of fat jam doughnuts on a plate beside them'.

Going doughnut mad for Lockwood and Co.

[paleorecipecookbook]

How to Plate Your Food Like a Pro: A Chef Shares Her Secrets

While you can easily toss a few sautéed sweet potatoes next to your cauliflower rice, a few tricks can transform it into a restaurant-quality dish. Seriously. 

Chef Ryan Ross, winner of Food Network’s Chopped, shares her essential tips to playing your homemade dishes like a pro. Perfect for when you’re feeling particularly fancy.

Using Kitchen Tools

I’m not big on kitchen gadgets that serve only one purpose. Avocado pitters, egg slicers, and garlic presses are a waste of space in my tiny kitchen. However, there are a few plating tools that I keep on hand for making my dishes beautiful. Most of them you likely have on hand.

Toothpicks

Use toothpicks to create cool swirls and zig-zags through creams and sauces on your soups, smoothie bowls, and plates.

Spoons

You, of course, have spoons in your kitchen. But did you know you can use spoons to scoop a sauce or purée on a plate, and then drag the back of the spoon through it for an artful swipe effect?

Pastry or Biscuit Cutter

You can use your round pastry cutter as a boundary and mold to layer terrines, veggies, greens, and the like.

Squeeze Bottles

Speed-pouring bottles are great when you have lots of oils, drizzles, and sauces to dress up your dishes. They are lightweight, offer precision and keep all of your options looking uniform and tidy. Label them with a little masking tape and a sharpie.

Vegetable Peeler

Use this common household gadget to create long ribbons from your carrots and summer squash. They’re pretty in a salad to add a pop of color. You can even use them to shave chocolate into delicate curls over your cakes, cupcakes, and other pastries.

Mandolin

Mandolins are the quickest and most uniform way to get paper-thin sliced fruits and veggies. We’re talking gorgeous, paper-thin raw beets, radishes, rainbow carrots.

Spiralizer

Spiralizers let you transform raw fruits and veggies into fanciful “noodles” to pile on top of your dishes. Swap them in for a healthy twist on pasta or add spiralized beets and carrots to your salads for a colorful pop of color.

Precision Tongs/Tweezers

You can purchase long, culinary precision tongs, or designate a pair of drugstore tongs to your kitchen. These come in handy when stacking, adjusting and plating teeny items on your dish. I also use regular tweezers to remove the pin bones out of fish filets.

Choosing the Right Dishware

Natural, plain and nondescript dishware are a good place to start.

Opt for a white dish, and you’re automatically working with a high-contrast, natural background. It’s great for plating most foods; a plain white plate can make even drab-looking food pop.

When plating lighter and brighter foods, use darker hues like wood or a dark, stony gray for contrast.

If you’re feeling creative, there are plenty of unorthodox options to play with. There’s fine china, crazy patterns, earthen and stoneware, wood planks, ceramic, cast iron, and slate boards. There are hundreds of shapes, sizes, platters, plates and bowls to choose from!

The Rule of Thirds vs. Central Plating

If you look at your dish like a clock, start by imagining your dinner guest seated at the 6 o’clock when served. Now that you are oriented with your dish, you can easily decide and delegate what goes where.

When serving a dinner party, I often ask my front of house staff to serve according to the clock. I will say things like, “The radish should be at the 3 o’clock.”

Most classic plating guides will have you regard your dish in thirds. Plating your focal point, usually your protein, a touch off-center, in either outer third of your plate, is considered most attractive.

The same goes for plating in odd numbers, like seven carrot batons instead of eight, or three slices of duck instead of two, and so on.

Salads and other composed items are quite striking when piled high and central on the dish.

Use moist foods as a base and anchor for the star of your plate, usually the protein. You can then use other components of your dish to scatter and lean against the stack you have already created.

If you are plating centrally, like with a leafy tall salad, go for minimal landscape garnishing; a few straying micro greens or petals can be pleasant on the plate beyond your salad, or a simple extra swirl of infused oil on the plate.

Artful elements like dots, swirls and swipes create more of a landscape plating. Using the rule of thirds for your plate can help you decide how, when, and where your embellishments belong so your dish doesn’t get away from you.

Garnishes

Microgreens, baby arugula and fresh herbage are a great garnish on most things savory, and even those that are sweet. Mint, basil, fennel fronds, and sweeter herbs like anise and hyssop have a big place in the dessert-garnishing world.

Colorful garnishes certainly elevate your dish. Plates with beige and brown foods are drab and muted, but adding pops of bright green herbs, or edible flower petals, are an awesome way to stand out!

On the other hand, don’t be afraid to go monochromatic. Peruvian purple potatoes garnished with micro-greens, purple skinned radish, purple basil, or blue-hued cornflowers can create a stunning effect.

Texture

Top off your dishes with seeds, nuts, sprouts and palatable hearty spices, powders, herbs, and salts.

My favorites include:

Hemp seeds

Chia seeds

Poppy seeds

Sesame seeds

Pink peppercorn

Aleppo pepper

Crushed nuts

Dried lavender

Dried calendula petals

Getting Creative

Every chef will have their own idea of what looks best, so use these tips as a guideline for the plating possibilities out there. Being creative sometimes means that you need to color outside of the lines, or find your own way and style.

Think about your fresh garnishes that may otherwise be scraps or compost that you naturally discard. These can be reinvented and used as a plating element.

These include:

Herb stems, blended into a sauce or infused in an oil or salt

Carrot top greens

Fruit and vegetable skins (opt for organic)

Chips, either fried or dehydrated, made from fruit and veggie scraps

Think outside of the box when preparing your garnishes – perhaps an applied method makes all the difference.

Tie a knot in your chives

Sear or grill your lemon wedge

Fry your basil leaves

Use this guide as inspiration to start plating your food in artful ways at home. Apply these tips at your next dinner party or on a weeknight when you need to spice things up!

(Read This Next: The Expert’s Guide on How to Cook Mouth-Watering Vegetables)

The post How to Plate Your Food Like a Pro: A Chef Shares Her Secrets appeared first on PaleoPlan.

Source: https://ift.tt/10qRbxJ

[goodearths]

Best Luxury and Corporate Wedding Gifts – Goodearth

LUXURY WEDDING GIFTS

When it comes to wishing a newlywed couple well, nothing quite compares to a thoughtful wedding gift. A luxury wedding gift is even more special when there’s a link between you and what you’ve chosen for the young couple. It makes the gift personal and meaningful as it is not only something the couple will enjoy in their home, but also remind them of both you and their big day. Good Earth offers a high-end selection of home and lifestyle products, that make for wonderful luxury wedding gifts. For example, if the newlyweds are known for entertaining, you could select the Mandalay Wine Cooler or the Blue Mist Cocktail Glasses, something that you’d expect to see on a glamorous drinks trolley.

A thoughtful wedding gift for a young couple could include the Rosabagh Tea Set or an Indus Cake Stand from the luxury home store. When choosing a wedding gift, it makes sense to select something for the couple’s first marital home as they are likely to be decorating and furnishing it together. Your gift should ideally be a healthy mix of functional and decorative, ranging from dinnerware to high-quality bed linen or even the occasional champagne flutes or indulgent throws for the living room. When selecting a wedding gift for the couple’s new home, you want to ensure it is of the highest quality and craftsmanship so that they may appreciate and enjoy it for years to come. Discover an array of thoughtfully curated luxury wedding gifting ideas at the Good Earth website or stores across India.

LUXURY HOME DÉCOR

A luxuriously designed room needs to be beautiful, comfortable, timeless and elegant, as the success of any home decor lies in the details. Just like when you throw on your favourite jewellery, cufflinks or shoes when getting dressed up, adding luxury interior design accents to your home, completes a look. Accessorizing a home is an art form and successfully accessorizing takes careful and precise planning to bring out your personality and design style. Turning your home into a beautiful, welcoming, and personalized space is easy when you incorporate just the right mixture of high-quality, well-crafted interior design accents. When creating a luxurious home, the finishing touches are what will make your home extraordinary as luxury decor is not only defined by its price tag or craftsmanship, but also by how it makes you feel in a room. Shopping for luxury home decor like throws, ornaments, mirrors as well as adding colour, texture, and fine elements will help to really embellish a space and make it your own.

Layering the interiors by adding elements like lavish lighting and eye-catching quality objects to decorate will add to its tasteful appeal. Whether you prefer lighting accents like Good Earth’s Tamara Candle Base or prefer the idea of sprucing up your space with unique vases and flower arrangements, you will find endless opportunities to fuse your personal preferences with your interior style. Discover a beautiful range of luxury décor items on the Good Earth website or stores across India.  

LUXURY DINNER SET

One of the best investments you can make for your home is a luxury dinner service. Investing in a luxury dinner set as you start to build your new home or at any point in your life, is sure to bring you great joy. It is a treasure you will keep through the years and what better way to set the ambience than an eye-catching tablescape of intricately designed, hand crafted bone china. A truly worthwhile dinnerware service is usually made of fine bone china or high quality porcelain and decorated using fine metals including gold, silver and platinum plating and will often be handmade and hand-painted. Good Earth India offers an exquisite selection of dinnerwear both online and in stores across India. The lyrical Pomegranate & Roses collection evokes paradise gardens along the Bosporus and is made in fine china with 24 carat gold highlights. The Jessamine range is a collection of fine bone china dinnerware inspired by the fragrant wild growing creepers and shrubs that dot the Himalayan countryside.

The biggest indicator of whether you will truly love your luxury dinner set is if it based on your own unique style. If you plan to use your service for more formal occasions, a traditional service with all the various elements in a sophisticated style will work well. If you are a creative artist in the kitchen, something really chic and conceptual may work more perfectly. A luxury dinner set will always add an impeccable element to your table setting. Discover a beautiful range of dinner collections on the Good Earth website or stores across India.  

LUXURY CORPORATE GIFTS

Corporate gifting is a business building strategy, and luxury corporate gifts add an extra element. Gifting your clients and business associates is a great way to show appreciation and gratitude. The gesture of  gifting is an effective way to show that you value and care for them. It also helps to let them know how important they are to a business’s success. However, the kind of corporate gifts you choose would depend on how long you have been associated with the clients and the potential for long-term business relationships. While gift-giving is a long-standing tradition it is essential to ensure that you are always following proper business etiquette. The act of gift-giving brings joy to the recipient. It also helps strengthen the bond between the gift giver and the recipient With this in mind, a gift must be thoughtful and memorable, and sometimes finding the perfect gift can be challenging.  A gift should be personal, classy, and tasteful. When selecting an item, add an element of personalization to it like a handwritten note along with the gift to make the recipient feel special. Luxury corporate gifts are high-quality, curated presents that organizations choose to give to important clients, vendors, employees and industry contacts. A Corporate Gifting Guide for all occasions can be found at luxury stores such as Good Earth who specialise in unique gifting. It offers a tasteful selection of curated gifts that are crafted by hand, inspired by nature and enchanted by history. Discover a personalised guide to gifting and a beautiful range of collections on the Good Earth website or stores across India.  

DESIGNER CUSHION COVER

Vibrant designer cushions add a dramatic flair to your living spaces. Cushions can spruce up any setting by adding a touch of charm and elegance to a room. A designer cushion cover is a quality product that brings an element of sophistication. Once you have decided on colourways and know the right cover to buy to match your style, you can be bold with choosing patterns, shades and textures. Cushions serve multiple purposes for a home as throw cushions or floor cushions, sofa cushions or chair cushions. Aesthetics and functionality are the more common factors when choosing to decorate your desired space, and a tasteful set of cushions can help enhance a room. It can add personality to a space and a stylish cushion cover will bring that extra class and panache.

A designer cushion cover however is a superior product with an emphasis on quality of material, texture, colour, hand-embroidery or special printing techniques like hand printing or digital printing. An excellent selection of designer cushion covers can be found at stores like Good Earth with a variety that are immaculately crafted, wide-ranging and tastefully complement their surroundings For example the Mehtab Cushion is a beautiful example of a traditional design but reimagined for a contemporary setting, or the exquisitely embroidered Persia Garden Cushion inspired by vintage Persian  miniature paintings, carry all the hallmarks of a designer item. Discover a beautiful range of cushion covers on the Good Earth website or stores across India.  

[seesallysewpatterns]

Latest addition to my #etsy shop: Royal Albert Prairie Rose 2 Handle Cake Plate Fine Bone China Made in England Serving Plate Delicate Pink Flowers Excellent Condition #bonechina #madeinengland #collectible #cakeplate #pinkflowers #fabulouscondition #royalalbert #prairierose #servingplate https://etsy.me/36fwrpV www.etsy.com/shop/mariansmemorabilia https://www.instagram.com/p/CaNQ__OppHz/?utm_medium=tumblr

[djinmer4]

Rasputin’s Model 1/?(Lovecraft!AU)

“Storm!  Storm!  Ororo!”  Storm wakes with a gasp.  From here she can hear the winds lashing against the mansion, and then the patter of rain and hail hitting the windows.  Quickly she gets her power under control, calming the tempest outside.

Hank stops shaking her, leaning back and giving her a few minutes to calm down.  “The usual nightmare?” he asks sympathetically.

“Pretty much.  Underground, in the dark, with no way out.  Except it was worse this time.  This time someone was watching.  Watching me panic and laughing at my helplessness.”  Ororo wiped the sweat from her forehead, then looked down at the drenched bed.  “Ugh, I need to bathe.  This is horrible.”

“I’ll start stripping the sheets.”  Offered the giant blue mutant.

She smiled at her lover.  “Thanks.  Sorry for waking you up.”

“Hey, this is nothing compared to what Jean puts Scott through.”

Piotr can’t stop thinking about the last mission.  No one had expected a cake walk, but to lose two people and not even fight back!  Not that he blamed Katya, she made the right decision to run.  They were outclassed and he suspected even with the rest of the X-Men they wouldn’t have made a dent in that creature’s skin.

He grabbed some of his pink and white paint.  He needed to do something to get the mission out of his head.  The resulting painting probably wouldn’t be any good, but he could burn it in the end.  He settled in front of the canvas, then changed his mind and grabbed the black instead.  He’d try something different today, start with black for a background then layer the subject on top with heavy, opaque oils.  That felt more appropriate.

Piotr painted for hours, not really paying attention to the overall image.  Rather, he focused on the details, on getting everything just the right shade and that the black didn’t bleed through.  He wasn’t really aware what was forming until Katya came to get him for supper.

“Hey, Piotr!  I know you’re in a groove, but it’s time to eat!  I know we’re all upset, but skipping meals isn’t going to make anything better.  You already skipped lunch- Oh my God!”  Piotr turned to the younger girl, confused at the sudden horror in her voice.  “Why did you paint that!?!”

The Russian looked at the canvas, then reeled back in shock.  There, standing out from the deep black, was a picture of Morph’s head, impaled through the neck on a twisted grey spike.  The eyes were open and pleading while blood ran from the mouth and nose.  “I didn’t, I didn’t mean to-  I wasn’t thinking-”

The American came up and patted him lightly on the arm.  “It’s okay.  I understand you needed to get this out of your system.  But we need to burn this before anyone else sees.”

“Da.”

Husk stared at the black spot on her hand.  She’d never had a mole there before.  Concerned that it might be a remnant of her last transformation, she pulled her skin off again.

Nope, the mole was still there.  And did it just getting bigger?

Kitty double checked her room.  No reflective surfaces that could lead to the void.  No pictures out that could morph into hellish landscapes.  All doors closed and locked so nothing could get in without her noticing.  She even leaned down to check under her bed.  Nope, not even dust bunnies since she’d cleaned it out today.  

Despite those precautions, she still woke to the sound of chewing and screaming.  Opening her eyes she was back in that hellish landscape.  Same brimstone smell, same grass-like fur beneath her feet.  Today there were only two orbs in the sky, one yellow and one red.  As she watched, the red globed winked out and then back on, almost like it was winking at her.

“You X-Men are so amusing.”  She turned and saw the creature from the Schwartzwald sitting there.  She could see Morph’s headless body behind IT and heard Tabitha screaming.  The creature held a femur in both hands, and then with a quick twist broke it apart and began to suck on the marrow.  “I’ve been observing for a while, and still you don’t know what’s happening?”

“Why the he-” she stopped herself.  Best not to give the creature ideas.  “Why am I here again?”

IT had finished with the femur and pulled out what appeared to be Tabitha’s arm and started gnawing on it.  “Boredom.  I want some company while I eat.”

Kitty stared in horror.

“Oh, I’ll feed you too.”  A wave of a hand and a table setting appeared in front of her (white linen tablecloth, plush chair, fine bone china and all).  It almost would have been sweet, if there hadn’t been a couple of bloody hands on the plate.  She recoiled away.

“Humans,” IT intoned, bright patches moving back and forth.  “Always so picky.”  Another wave and the arms were replaced by a basket of apples.  “Is that better?”

The Jewish girl hesitated.  Stories of fairy fruit and Persephone danced in her head.  “If all you want is company, there’s no need to feed me.  I’ll be happy to talk to you.” Not.

“Suit yourself,” IT took another bite.  “But be aware, you won’t wake until you’ve eaten and drunk something.”

“What?”

“Oh, I won’t force you.  You won’t get any more hungry or thirsty than you are now.  And don’t worry about missing your alarm or anything.  No matter how long you wait, you’ll wake up the same time you usually do.  It doesn’t matter to me how stubborn you are.  I can wait forever.”

Kitty stared.  Stay here?  Forever?  She could feel her sanity unraveling already.  She looked at the apples, and the chalice full of what she was sure was blood.  “It’s only a dream.  It can’t really hurt you.”  Then she slugged the chalice, grabbed an apple and bit down-

Kitty woke to pounding on the door.  “Kitty, are you awake?”

“Just give me a second Storm.”  She quickly threw on a robe and grabbed her slippers before opening the door.  “What’s wrong?”

“Tildie woke up screaming.  Can you help?”

Kitty quickly made her way to the younger girls’ dormitory.  There she found the child in question curled up and crying.  “Tildie are you alright?”

“It hurts!  It hurts so bad!”  She curled in tighter.

“Will you let me see?  I can try to help.”  Tildie looked up with red eyes but slowly nodded and uncurled.  Kitty, grabbed the first aid kit and prayed it was just a bruise or something equally easy to treat.  Tildie still wasn’t comfortable with Dr. McCoy, and if she refused, they would have to make the trip to Dr. Reyes clinic.

As it turned out, it was just some simple scratches, easily treated with good humor, iodine, and bandages.  But Kitty froze when she realized the scratches spelled out words.

‘Only a dream, am I?’

Gambit couldn’t believe his eyes.  “Didn’t you say de only real way tah cook steak was well done, homme?”

“Yeah, well, I decided to give your way a shot.  Don’t look so surprised Gumbo.”

The Cajun watched as the Canadian grilled the steak over the hot coals, thankfully not using his claws.  When Logan took it off and started to eat, he noticed that while charred on the outside, the inside was still raw.  “Dere’s ah difference between medium-rare ahnd Pittsburgh Blue.”

The older man shrugged.  “Eh, they both bleed when you cut into them.”

[americangirlinwales]

Paragon Holyrood

Paragon Holyrood Fine bone China Tea Trios includes 15 pieces and features a majestic burgundy and gold border. The teacup is Corinth Shape. English Bone China. No chips, cracks,crazing or Repairs. It was made from 1983 as Paragon, then 1991 to 1996 as Royal Albert. Includes 5 teacups 5 saucers and 5 cake plates. This set has Never been used.  Paragon Holyrood was first introduced in 1987 and…