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sassanoe · 4 years ago

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His Present, Her Future Part 2-Thomas Sharpe

Masterlist Part 1

!Warning! : SMUT at the end

Aurora Banks had finished a time machine/teleporter. She was ecstatic, but the person she wanted to show it to, she couldn't. Love was something she had. It was hard to get over. It's been five months since she saw Thomas. She missed him dearly, so it shocked her when her brother came in ranting about it.

"I bought the house. Well, you bought the house you will sign when you get there." Daniel said, wait, was she hearing him correctly. "You bought Allerdale Hall? With my money?" She asked, "Yes, as well, it's been undergoing renovations for the past month. So it should be all fixed up and to its former glory. They fixed the issue with the clay leaking from the basement. The house now is up to 2021 standards. I also took the call for some modern adjustments to the bathrooms and kitchen." He said, watching his sister's reaction, so far her jaw just kept dropping.

"Daniel, by God, do I love you." She smiled, running up and hugging him. "Oh, I have to go. I need to pack, take the jet. I'm gone." She went to leave, "Aurora, the man is dead! It's not like he would be waiting for you." She turned back, "I know but, I just want to know if he left me a note as I did for him." She ran out of the lab. "Aurora!"

Running to her car and speeding all the way home. Everything was perfect. She packed her bags, called her pilot, and she was off to the airport.

Allerdale Hall stood tall and proud. Thomas stood staring out the window. After Aurora left, everything went to hell. Lucille, his sister, had killed him. Edith had managed to escape and kill Lucille. Now he and his sister sat watching people come and go. Children and young teens came to the house to see if there was a ghost. The past month had been strange as men and women had come in renovating the house.

Thomas could only think about her and worry for whoever bought the home. Lucille surely wouldn't be happy. He stayed seated, listening quietly, as Lucille played her piano.

The next day, Thomas was still sitting at the window watching when another strange vehicle appeared. He furrowed his brow watching, who was here now. Getting up, he stood closer to the window as a familiar figure stepped out. His eyes widened slightly. It couldn't be. He quickly made his way down to the main doors. The doors opened slowly, and his eyes widened. It was her she had come back to him. "Aurora." He said softly.

Taking off her jacket and hanging it on the coat rack. She snapped her head to the left, thinking she heard her name. Shaking it off, she looked around, eyes wide in wonderment. "God, this place looks beautiful." She hummed. She then smiled brightly and quickly made her way upstairs to his room.

Thomas smiled softly, following after her. When he got to his room, he saw her looking through the drawers. She found the letter taking it gently. "Oh, sweet Thomas, I hope you're happy." She kissed the letter softly, shivering as the room got colder. "Fuck, it is freezing." She looked around the room then smiled, seeing that her brother had a thermostat put in the room. The bedding looked the same when she was here last, and it just made her all the happier. She turned the heat up before kicking her shoes off crawling into the bed.

Thomas watched quietly and knew when Lucille was close. "Who is in our home Thomas?" Lucille asked, heading to his room. When she saw Aurora, everything snapped. "This whore is back in our home!" She growled, the lights started to flicker. "You will not hurt her, Lucille!" He yelled back, "Why? So you can try and fuck her in our bed again! Only for her to leave you!" She screamed, then disappeared.

The room all of a sudden became warmer the lights stopped flickering. Aurora looked around, confused. "Thomas?" She asked quietly. He bit his lip, watching her. Should he reveal himself? She sighed and frowned. "I must be going insane." Her phone started to ring, and she put it on speaker.

"Find anything from your darling Thomas?" Daniel asked with a bit of snark. That piqued Thomas's interest. She came back to see if he left her something. Rolling her eyes, she smiled. "Haha, very funny. You're just upset I found love." Her brother got quiet and puffed out a no. "Mhm, that's why you're silent. All work and no play makes Daniel a dull boy." She sassed back.

Thomas sat on the bed listening to the two, looking up when it got quiet. "T-Thomas?" She was staring dead at him. Surely she couldn't see him, could she? Dropping her phone, she crawled over to him. "Aurora!" Her brother yelled from the other end. "Is it truly you?" He smiled slightly, "Yes, darling." She reached her hand forward. She could touch him, shocking both. "Aurora Banks!" Her brother yelled again. She ignored her brother, immediately getting into Thomas's lap and kissing him.

"Oh, I missed you." She kissed all over his face holding him. She was smiling until she pulled back and took in his face. "Oh, Thomas. What happened to you?" She said softly, as his cheek had red floating from it. He smiled sadly, "Things went downhill after you left, darling. Lucille got out of the ropes. Killed me, then Edith killed her and escaped." He held her to him. "Oh, Thomas." She cradled him, the two just staying there, her brother forgotten.

Over the next few days, they learned everything about each other all over again. Lucille had been quiet, and that scared Thomas. He didn't tell Aurora that Lucille was haunting the house. The past few days were magical for them both. The only disappointing thing being, she could only physically feel Thomas from dawn till noon.

Aurora woke up, Thomas sitting next to her. "Thomas?" "Good morning, my love." He leaned down and kissed her softly. Day by day, he had begun to look like his original self. "What if we could make you human again?" She said softly. "That is impossible, darling." She huffed and sat up. "Nothing is impossible, Thomas. Just think, if we make you human again, we can live out a life together."

He sighed, "Darling, leave it alone." He got off the bed. She had been talking about this non-stop the past few days. "Thomas, come on! You and I could make a machine to do it!" She said, excitedly "Aurora." He said sternly. "Come on! It would be amazing, you and I. We could travel the world. We could-" She started before he snapped. "What! What will we have, Aurora! A chance to get married, kids, a happy family, each other! It is impossible! Stop acting like a child!" He yelled at her.

She stopped altogether, her eyes watering. Frowning, Thomas immediately regretted yelling at her. He didn't want to get her hopes up. "Darling I-" "I think I need to run into town." She got up, throwing on her hoodie and slipping into shoes. "Darling!" He followed after her and frowned when he got to the doorway, not able to leave, "Aurora! I'm sorry!" She had done sped off down the road in her car.

Lucille came out of the shadows, "Look at that, you, drove her away yourself. I didn't even have to do anything." She smirked, "Lucille, leave me be!" "I'll leave you with a warning, Thomas. You make her leave, or I will." She disappeared again.

Aurora drove to the closest grocery store. She went in sniffling when she got a call from her brother. "Hey, princess." "H-Hey." She sniffled, "Aurora, what's wrong." "Thomas and I got in a bit of a tiff." She frowned, getting a buggy and throwing in ice cream, chips, and stuff for her for dinner. "What happened?" Daniel asked softly. "He got mad because I keep bringing up wanting to make a machine to make him human." She whispered, making Daniel sigh. "But, you already started." "I know, but he doesn't know, and he thinks it is impossible." "Aurora, my darling sister. You have to communicate and tell him. He probably doesn't want you to get your hopes up and get hurt."

When she was quiet, Daniel furrowed his brows. "Aurora?" "Daniel, I had a brilliant idea. I have to go. I love you, bye." She hung up on her brother and quickly checked out of the store heading back to her new home.

Thomas had been pacing in front of the door, worried. Aurora came rushing in carrying bags. "Aurora," "Not, now Thomas." She put the stuff up in the kitchen, then went to his workspace in the attic. She started back working on her teleporter. Thomas furrowed his brows. How long had she been working up here without him knowing? "Darling, how long have you been working up here?" "Every night, when you go to the library to read when you think I'm asleep." She responded, not looking at him.

She was moving out so quickly in front of him. "What is that?" He asked, pointing at a jar. "A butterfly your sister had killed when I went back in the past. So it's as old as you in terms of being dead." She huffed and turned on the small device before putting the butterfly through. They watched, it came back to life. "Thomas, I did it." She said quietly.

Thomas was shocked. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you. As well, I'm sorry about this morning." She looked at the floor, "No, Thomas, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept pushing you. I also shouldn't have hidden this from you. Forgive me?" He smiled softly, tilting her chin up, "Only if you forgive me for yelling at you." "Always," She leaned forward and kissed him.

Over the next week, the two worked on building the machine. Everything was going to plan. Today was the day. Aurora awoke, rolling over, looking at him. "This is it." She said softly. He brushed her hair out of her face smiling. "It is. Are you ready, darling?" She smiled up at him, "I should be asking you that."

It wasn't until around three in the afternoon when they finished the contraption, flipping the switch, everything came on. "You will have to step into the tube, and I'll close the door, okay." He came over and went to touch her face before pulling away, making her frown. "I'll be able to hold you whenever I please once this is over." He said softly.

She smiled as he stepped in, "I love you." "I love you too, Thomas." She closed the tube, and it took fifteen minutes. The longest fifteen minutes of her life. "Please have worked." She whispered. When the doors started to open, she gasped as he came out. He picked her up and kissed her. He looked at the clock and smiled after pulling away. "It's three-twenty-five in the afternoon, and I'm kissing you." He smiled brightly up at her.

She kissed him again, "I can take you to my home in the states, you can meet my brother, we can travel, I can show you the modern world. The possibilities are endless." She smiled, the two running to their shared bedroom packing their bags. When they got into the bedroom, he smiled, not being able to let go of her. "May I have you?" He asked softly, smiling down at her. She laughed and smiled, "Yes."

Unbeknownst to them, Lucille went into the machine. She was furious when she came out. She had no intent to hurt Thomas, just Aurora.

The bedroom door slammed open to reveal a furious Lucille. Thomas and Aurora snapped their heads to the door, shocked. "L-Lucille..." Thomas gasped. He didn't know what to do. He was currently laid back on the bed naked, the love of his life on top having been riding him. Aurora was quick to get off of him and reach for her dress as Thomas pulled on pants.

"Lucille, what did you do?" Thomas asked, "I wanted us to be together again. You obviously, missed me if you are fucking the whore." Lucille said. Thomas went to his sister and held her arms. "Lucille, I love her." He said softly, trying to get her out the door away from Aurora. "Thomas, she isn't good enough for you. We had a baby together. We could have another and be happy." "Lucille, no. The baby was born wrong, and it died. It wasn't right for us to be together in that way."

Lucille glared at him and was quick to turn it around. She tried to shove him, the two struggling for a second. Lucille stabbed him in the stomach and forced him out of the room, locking the door. "Aurora!" he screamed, banging on the door. Looking down, he grabbed the knife and pulled it out.

Inside the bedroom, Lucille had cornered Aurora. Lucille tackled Aurora hitting and clawing. Aurora squirmed, trying to get away. She pushed Lucille away and quickly tried to crawl across the bed to the door. Lucille grabbed her leg, pulling her back before Aurora kicked her in the face. Lucille screamed. Scrambling to the door, Aurora quickly unlocked it before grabbing Thomas by the hand and running. Lucille was hot on their trail. Aurora pulled Thomas into the modern elevator and pushed down before hitting the emergency stop button. Lucille ran down the stairs. Aurora clung to Thomas, "Thomas, what do we do?" She cried as the two held each other before a gunshot went off.

"Aurora!" She snapped her head up and smiled, finding her brother had shot Lucille. "Who is that?" Thomas asked, brows furrowed. She hit the button for the elevator. Once they got to the main floor, she ran out and to her brother. "Daniel!" She yelled running, and jumping in his arms still crying, but smiling now. "Shh, I got you. I got you." He held her tight as Thomas walked over to them.

Aurora pulled away from her brother and went to Thomas's side. "Thomas, meet my older brother Daniel. Daniel, meet the love of my life Thomas." She smiled. Something grabbed her ankle, and she screamed. Aurora jumped into Thomas's arms. Daniel shot Lucille in the head twice.

Daniel and Thomas burned Lucille's body and destroyed the machine. Aurora got their bags packed and brought them to the car.

While on the plane, Thomas was fascinated by everything, asking questions. Aurora smiled as Daniel was happy to answer him, the smile never leaving her face until her brother spoke to her. "So I'll stay at yours tonight for us to catch up on everything." Daniel said, "No." Aurora answered at the same time, Thomas said, "Okay, I have so many more things to ask." "NO! No to Daniel staying." She said.

Both men looked to her, "Why?" they said in sync. "Because," Aurora responded. "Sis, that isn't a real answer." "Darling, your brother is right." Her eye twitched. "Come on Aurora, please?" "No." "Please?" Thomas joined in, both giving her puppy dog eyes. "You want the truth?" "Yes." both men said in sync. "Are you sure?" She asked. "Yes!" They said in sync yet again.

"You two are not hanging out tonight or tomorrow. Why? Because I have been cock blocked these past two months. When I finally got some, your sister came in." She looked to Thomas, "I am going to go home and have sex with my boyfriend. I could be joining the mile high club if my brother wasn't here. So, I plan on getting railed once home, Daniel, so no. You are not staying over." She stated, glaring at both before getting up, and going to bed in the back of the jet.

"What did she mean by getting railed and the mile high club?" Thomas asked, confused. Daniel chuckled, "When she says getting railed, she wants you to fuck her till her eyes roll back and she can't remember her name, only yours." Thomas's eyes widened, "Wouldn't it hurt her?" He asked softly, making Daniel bust out laughing. "God, no! She'll like it, oh, and the mile-high club is when you have sex on the plane." Thomas was fascinated, she wanted these things?

"Also, here is a little advice when it comes to my sister." He pulled Thomas close and whispered in his ear.

Hours later, Thomas and Aurora stepped into her home. "Welcome to my home, or I guess our home now." Thomas set down their bags before shutting and locking the door. He was quick to pick her up and throw her over his shoulder. "Thomas!" She squealed as Thomas started making his way to her bedroom off what her brother told him. "Thomas! Put me down!" She squirmed on his shoulder, resulting in him popping her behind.

Once they were in her bedroom, he threw her down onto the bed before climbing on top of her. He made quick work of undressing her, smiling and seeing her naked below him. "Beautiful," He said softly before kissing her.

She smiled in the kiss pulling him closer. "I don't think it's fair, I'm the only one undressed." She sat up, switching their positions. She kissed him softly, unbuttoning his shirt, sliding it off him, and throwing it to the floor. She started to grind against Thomas as he ran his hands down her waist gripping her ass and pulling her closer. "Thomas. Off. Please." She panted between kisses pulling on his pants. She lifted off him, and he made quick work to pull his pants off, kicking them to the floor as well. She lowered herself back into his lap, shocked slightly at him not having underwear. Shrugging it off and grinding up against him, he started kissing on her neck and pawing at her ass.

He was quick to turn her around on his lap. Thomas had an arm wrapped around her waist. The other slowly running down her stomach, to her mound, then to her clit. "Thomas!" "Stay still for me, darling." Her hips jerked, and he just gently tapped her clit again before rolling his finger in small circles, making her pant and whine. She rolled her hips into his hand, and he stopped his movements. "No, Thomas, please." She begged. "I'm sorry." She whined

"Shh, darling." He slowly started to play with her clit again, then running his finger through her petals and sinking a finger in. "You're so wet for me, darling." He smiled and kissed her shoulder. "If you're a good girl, I'll let you ride me." He pushed another finger in, slowly, he started to thrust his fingers. "Did you understand me, darling?" He picked up the pace, his thumb playing with her clit. She gripped his wrist, closing her thighs around his hand. "Mhm." Aurora moaned, "Words, darling." He stopped, right as she was on the edge, "Yes, sir! I understand! Please don't stop!" Thomas didn't know what came over him when she called him sir in such a needy tone.

He made quick work of fucking her with his fingers. "I-I need!" "You need what, darling?" He purred in her ear, and she squeezed his wrist tighter and moaned, "What is it? I won't know unless you tell me, darling." He started to slow his movements until she moaned out, "Please make me cum, sir!" He smiled, "Anything for my darling." He sped up his fingers again until she pushed further against him and came hard, gripping his wrist and thigh, digging her nails into the skin, "Thomas!" She moaned out. He chuckled, slowly rubbing her clit as she came down from her high. "What a good girl you've been for me. Are you ready for your reward?" She nodded eagerly, "Yes, sir."

He picked her up, adjusting them on the bed. He laid back, pulling her on top of him. She whined and started grinding against his manhood panting and moaning when his tip would brush against her clit. "Lift up some darling, so you can ride my cock." She quickly did as told, and when he positioned himself at her entrance, she slowly went down on his manhood. "T-Thomas..." She loved how he filled her, "God, you're so tight, darling." She leaned forward and kissed him as he held her ass. She started slowly rolling her hips. They broke this kiss, as she sat up and started to ride him. She kept her hands on his chest, whimpering when he would hit a soft spot in her. He held her hips, helping to steady her as she rode him. "Such a good girl." he purred. "T-There, please..." She moaned out.

He chuckled, flipping the two of them, so he was on top. He kissed her before he started to pound into her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, digging her nails into his back. "R-Right there! Thomas!" "Yes, darling." He growled out, going faster. "Thomas, I'm close!" She moaned, "Look at me, darling." He huffed, as she tried to keep her eyes open. She kept her eyes on him, dragging her nails down his back. He started pounding into her g-spot as hard as he could, as she clawed up his back. He sat up slightly and took her and entwined their fingers. He leaned down and kissed her next, "Cum." He whispered in her ear. He leaned back just in time to see her eyes roll back and her back arch into him. As she came, her walls clamped down on his manhood, making him cum. "Thomas!" "Aurora!"

Holding her hands, he slowed his pace and kissed her. Staying in her, he rolled to the side, pulling her into his chest. She curled into him, making him smile. "I love you, Aurora." She smiled up at him sleepily, "I love you, Thomas."

The next morning, she awoke to see him fast asleep at her side. It was perfect. Over the rest of the year, Thomas had started to work with her at her company. Many of the women were excited over a new man in the building, only to be disappointed when finding out he was with their boss. Aurora had started leaving more of the engineering to Thomas and exploring other hobbies. Such as where can she fuck him throughout their work building and how to show he was her’s to other women. Thomas and Daniel had become thick as thieves. Thomas proposed, and everyone thought nothing could get better. Well, except Aurora, she had one or two more tricks, up her sleeve for her man of the past.

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dragontag420 · 7 years ago

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Morning Light

a story featuring [Cassius].

A day in the life of Cassius, the clan’s secret keeper and resident sweetheart.

It’s... a bit long. You can read it under the cut or if it’s easier for you I have it posted on Ao3 here: [Link]

(Thank you @frxemriss for beta’ing!)

His name hadn’t always been Cassius. His aja used to whisper his first name in his ear as a baby, and in the back of his dreams he still hears it. He was given a new name when he was traded. The names of his people belonged with his people, and would stay there. It would always be his, but never again would it be spoken as his own.

It was the first secret he was ever given to keep.

He heard it now, as golden light swam in his vision, and a pair of arms reached down to cradle him. “Y’tvani ae, toom y’tvani ae.” a voice whispered in his ear. I love you, I love you baby.

Cassius groaned quietly, eyes fluttering, the gold light of his dream turning into the faint white-gold light of an early morning. Closing his eyes to the sun, he tried to run his tongue over his lips, but found it too thick to really move. Sighing a bit, he began his daily mental inventory.

Left leg, up, and down. Right leg, up, and down. Hmm, slight pull on the way up, he’d better watch that, don’t want to end up unexpectedly bed-bound.

Both feet, up, down. That was always a good sign. Nothing worse than a day on fused in place ankles, although he supposed he could always fly more to compensate.

He lifted both arms above his body and winced in pain. Yup, his left shoulder was still stuck alright. The Doc said that the muscle was fusing to the back shoulder blade, and it could be a while before it shifted back. He might even lose use of the arm entirely for a while; no one could ever really say what would happen until it did.

Cassius sat up slowly, letting out a tiny squeak and trying to keep weight off of the offending shoulder. Yawning and rubbing at his eyes, he felt for the glass of water next to the nest. It was empty, typical. Hopefully the bucket wasn’t. He really needed something to drink.

He rubbed his eyes again, and then stopped, blinking with his brow furrowed at his slender purple hands. What in the... He sighed, lips tightening as he inspected the rather severe angle his pinkie finger was sticking out at.

Well, he was going to have to be careful about that, no point in accidentally breaking a finger on top of everything else. Humming a little in resignment, he swung his legs out of bed, and began checking everything else.

Tapping his feet together a bit, Cassius looked down at his legs. The same dusky purple that covered his hands and wrapped his arms completely covered his feet as well, winding its way up his legs in what was once perfect symmetry. He lifted the thin nightie away from his chest, and checked the marks there too.

The large sweeping band of purple curled around his chest as well, all the way up his back, around his neck, and in one final strip across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. One of the last remaining marks of his original home. Not really a secret, not like his name was.

He ran a finger up the markings on his legs fondly. Bug worried sometimes that he was hurt by the fact he didn’t remember much about his people and was just refusing to admit it. He knew enough, though.

He’d been marked as a baby. They’d waited long enough to let him grow, to see if he smiled when held or if he cried through the night. Spirits had to be consulted, stars had to be taken into account, and careful thought had to be given to make sure they were the right marks.

Markings were a gift. Never to be a burden. Hence the careful consideration and reverence that went into the tradition.

His own were to show devotion. Devotion to Hea-ieana and patience before all else. They’d seen him as kind, even before he could walk, and had chosen to mark him for a path of gentle wisdom and fierce loyalty.

No, his markings were a gift. He loved them dearly. He wasn’t particularly religious anymore, but... he still harbored great respect for the figure who’s path of worship he had been sent down. Enough to follow basic teachings as best he could and to mumble what few prayers he could remember when appropriate.

After struggling with the nightie for a bit, Cassius gave up, and began to dress himself over it. Socks, easy. Undershorts, easy. Pants, easy. Sleeves? Hm, now that might be a problem. Stretching a little bit and listening to the small pops that resulted, he looked around, choosing to scoop up a discarded pair from the floor instead of rummaging through the drawers.

He padded awkwardly to the door, joints still stiff, and pulled it open a crack, squinting out into the dawning light. Was the sun almost to the second rib already? Damn, he was running late.

Sighing a little, Cassius pursed his lips and turned to softly walk back over to the bed. Running late meant no time for trying to dress himself... Help dressing meant waking Bug... Waking Bug meant, well.. She’d been so out of it last night that maybe he’d be able to escape quickly, without getting dragged back to bed more than once or twice.

He began shaking the large mound underneath the blankets on the bed until it began to move on it’s own, something underneath roused by the gentle rocking. A small rounded snout poked out from the blanket pile, blinked its rather large blue eyes at him blearily, and blew out a tiny puff of air through the nose in annoyance.

Cassius smiled a little, “Good morning to you too, Buggers.”

Bug yawned, tongue curling out over sharp pointy teeth, and flopped her head back down onto the pillow. “S’early..”

“I know, I’m sorry. It’s just...” He twisted the sleeves in his hand a little, pausing with displeasure at the nature of the request.

Bug lifted her head again, easily picking up on the odd pause and slightly distressed tone. “Need s’m help?”

Cassius nodded and offered the twisted fabric to her. Yawning again, she took it and started to unravel it. “M’kay... Turn ‘round.”

She slid the first sleeve over his half-fused arm first, trying not to jar it much, and then bringing the second sleeve up over his currently “good” arm. She nuzzled the back of Cassius’ neck slightly, bringing the back ties together to fasten them.

“Your arm still fused?” When Cassius nodded she continued, making small thoughtful squeaking noises, “Maybe sleeves aren’t th’ best idea then. Time to switch to some more bundled clothes?”

Cassius shook his head and turned around to let her tie the front strands of the sleeves. “No, it’s too warm out. Besides, the Doc says it’s shifting pretty quick, so it’ll change again soon.” He smiled at her and held up another fabric lump, “Shirt too?”

Bug blew a raspberry at him and took the shirt, shoving it over his head with mock-annoyance. “Why am I dressing you. I should be undressing you.”

Cassius’ head popped up from the neckhole, and he laughed softly at her pouting face. “I’m laaaaate. And you’re probably hungover.”

She threw up her arms, “All the more reason to strip down and stay in bed! Come on already!” She pulled at his arm insistently.

Cassius let himself be led back into the mass of warm blankets on the bed, giggling a little despite the desperate platitudes of time nagging at his head. Letting himself sink into the warmth of the mattress and soft kisses, his thoughts returned once more to his original home. Finally, head hazy and against the better judgement of every fiber of his being, he pulled himself from the strangling grip of his girlfriend.

Crawling out of the bed he quickly turned and began stacking as many pillows as he could reach on top of where he knew Bug was laying. The weight would distract her, causing her to stay put and fall back asleep almost immediately instead of re-surfacing to pull him back under.

“Bye, Buggie. I’ll see you later, okay?”

He reached to the hooks on the wall by the door, pulling his hood over his head and fastening the cord. Next he grabbed his bags, strapping the strand of pouches around his waist with practiced ease. The scroll case... would he need that? He didn’t think anything really was going on today but... perhaps it would be better to take it anyway, so he didn’t have to make the trip back if it turned out that he did need it.

Finally, he pulled the final piece from its place. His mask, special enough to be on its own hook, in the position closest to the door. Slipping it over his head quickly, he turned to look in the small hazy mirror nearby. He smiled at his reflection, watched the bone mask twitch a few times and then finally copy his smile. A perfect replica.

Sighing again he made a mental note to add “Visit DP” to his list of things to do today. It always took a moment to sync to his face when he put it on in the morning but... that was much longer than usual. It probably needed some sort of tune up.

Packed and ready, he headed out, being sure to close the door completely behind him so it didn’t blow open at any point. The sun had risen some and was now casting a warmer glow on the mostly sleeping village.

There were faint stirrings coming from different places as Cassius walked slowly towards Krin’mor. There was the backlit form of a mirror leaving the nearby watchtower at the end of the nightwatch shift, the sound of chickens rustling from beneath a nearby porch and beginning to scratch at the ground of Wolfmother’s garden, and what seemed to be the older Usbrod sisters (one waking up and one heading to bed, apparently).

Cassius sped up slightly, head back as he took in scent of morning air. If he was lucky he’d be there before Rah was, giving him some leeway in terms of how late he was. He thumbed his forehead out of habit, Iiten laney wa’y. Luck before all else.

Rah’s mate had come to visit recently, if Cassius remembered correctly, so hopefully he was still in the clan, and the snotty scribe would be somewhat occupied this morning.

Sometimes, when things lined up right, it would cause Chrysi to come into town as well, in order to visit with her two adopted dads. Cassius sighed wistfully. That would be nice... He hadn’t seen her in a while, although Bug had gone to visit fairly recently, and he missed the extra companionship and affection in his life.

Well, patience and understanding. He knew she was busy and really if he couldn’t make the time to visit her then he couldn’t complain if she wasn’t able to visit him. He loved his job dearly, but it did have its toll sometimes.

Skirting around the outside of the building at True Center, Cassius stopped in front of the clan leader’s house. Surtr kept her pets inside the house some nights, often letting them out to roam in the mornings so as to avoid mess in her lair. This meant that if he wasn’t careful, Cassius might run into one of the rather large bonepriests or corpse cleaners. They were familiar with him, many of them having been raised in his presence, but some of the newer ones were more unpredictable having not had the same amount of time as their elders to recognize what was and wasn’t some form of potential food.

Cassius gave a rather large yelp as hard, jutting horns suddenly rammed into his back; but just as quickly as fear seized him, it subsided. Turning, he found himself face to face with the largest Corpse Cleaner a dragon would ever see.

“Ichtor! You brat!” He grabbed the piece of horn nearest him and yanked down on it playfully. The giant bug shook its head a little and rammed him again. Cassius laughed a little, and turned to continue walking. “No treats for you, yet! I haven’t had breakfast, silly.”

Ichtor was the largest and oldest of Surtr’s collection, having been the very first she found and decided to raise. Taken in as a tiny grub, he and Cassius grew up under her care at the same time. The little wiggling creature had been left many times with the small frail toddler, and had learned not to bite him, instead deciding that this small and fluffy dragon was not enemy nor prey, but rather, a fellow insect that had never left the larval stage or grown horns.

(Cassius was a strange and squishy perma-grub in Ichtor’s eyes, but he was still his brother, and Ichtor would not allow any harm to come to him.)

Chuckling quietly, Cassius let himself into Surtr’s home, stopping in the foyer to ensure the door was closed (with a quick prayer, as always) and to remove his boots before heading further into the home.

The morning tasks were easy, and had never been something that was ever given to him as part of his duties, but instead were things he had done out of respect that later grew into habit. Surtr believed very strongly in routine as a necessity for a number of dragons in the clan; encouraging it silently for people like Cassius who had rather stressful situations. Routine was a comfort, and no one had to tell him twice.

Setting his scroll case down very gently on the table in first room on the right, he began pulling out the necessary supplies for tea, pausing to greet Fire as he quickly slithered into the room.

“Good morning, Fire. Would you like to stay for tea?”

The spiral looked up at Cassius, slithered onto the low flames in the fire pit, and slithered off as soon as it was once again comfortably roaring.

“I guess that’s a no, then.” He probably has a lot of other fires to tend. Cassius shook his head and smiled to himself slightly, placing the water over the freshly roused fire to heat. He grabbed a stiff broom from its hiding place behind a hanging cloth and gently swept the trail of soot Fire had left behind into the hearth. Reaching into a nearby container he pulled out a jar that was filled with some sort of dense paste and scrapped a healthy portion into one of the clan’s glass bowls. Adding a bit of water, he mixed it until it started to smell more like food, and once satisfied, he placed it on the table right next to four upturned cups.

Humming a song to himself softly, Cassius pulled the water from the fire and set the tea to steep. He lit a small lantern and quietly padded across the house to the far left side of the crescent shaped building. Parting thick curtains, he walked into a dark lair, hung ceiling to floor with heavy fabrics and various mysterious plants and strange objects in bottles. Placing the lantern on a low shelf, he crept towards the bed which contained what could only be described as a mass of hair connected to a forehead. Next to the nest was a relatively small structure made of bone, wood, and stone which was covered at the top with blankets and pillows. It was from this that a small arm poked out and waved, a tiny voice cooing softly, already awake despite no hint of sunlight in the room.

“Well, hi there...” Cassius smiled and touched the hand, giving it a small shake when it latched around his own. “It’s breakfast time, little missy,” he whispered, reaching in and grunting some as he attempted to retrieve the massive baby from its crib.

Sostviin was almost as large as his entire torso, and was definitely heavy enough to match. Balancing her mostly on his right arm to avoid straining his already tortured shoulder, Cassius quietly left the room, brushing down soft fluffy feathers and fur, rearranging the thin leathery wings that had been ruffled during the night.

Cassius sat back down at the table with the large pink infant placed firmly in his lap. He kissed her snout gently and reached for the bowl he had prepared earlier. Placing it on the table and taking a spoon out of his apron pocket, he held up a small dollop of the goo to Sostviin’s mouth, making small and encouraging yummy noises.

A padded paw reached out to rest on his wrist, tiny tongue licking the spoon clean and snout bumping clumsily against his hand looking for more. Cassius scooped up some more and continued to feed her, cooing and looking up only briefly when Rah entered the room.

Rah plopped a stack of papers on the table with a quiet grunt, causing the entire structure to move some with the low “phwump”. He began rummaging through a bag of scrolls and Cassius paused to look at him. Rah’s hair was slightly frazzled, flyaway hairs shooting off in almost every direction. His brow was furrowed slightly, and his collar seemed to be turned some, it had clearly been put on in a haste. If Cassius didn’t know any better, he might think that Rah had managed to put his skirt on backwards as well.

A desperate paw scraped at him and he resumed feeding, smiling down at Surtr’s daughter again. It seemed he was right, and that Rah had indeed had a visitor. These were all the hallmark signs of Rah oversleeping and rushing to gather himself in time. Personally Cassius thought it was a good thing, the scribe worked harder than most of them and could always use more rest.

Not that there necessarily had been resting, he thought to himself with a small audible giggle.

Rah looked up, one hand tucking stray hair behind his ear, squinting at Cassius slightly, “What?”

Cassius shook his head, “Just the baby.” Rah grunted and turned back to his bag, pausing before pulling out a scroll with a small triumphant ‘ah-ha!’.

“It’s a bit early for business, isn’t it Rah?”

“You say that every morning.” He pulled the scroll open and flopped into the nearest chair lightly.

“I don’t...” Cassius shifted Sostviin in his lap and placed the spoon gently next to the half-empty bowl. “Do I?”

“Something to that effect and immediately after I’ve begun pulling out work, yes.” Rah shook his head a bit, “Not that it’s my place to comment, of course. I’d never mean anything negative by it.”

Cassius rolled his eyes a bit and turned over one of the tea cups on the table. Rah’s eyes flicked to it, though his head did not turn, and he made an effort to straighten himself without it being too obvious.

With almost exact timing, Surtr silently appeared on the threshold, draped in an unusual sort of robe. She nodded to them both and crossed to the third side of the room where she began rummaging through a strange chest. It was detailed and ornate but by no means flashy, and like most of the shelves and containers in the room it rested atop another like it.

“Good morning, oni’kin.” Cassius piped cheerfully, “Did you sleep well?”

She nodded, her back to the other dragons in the room. “Yes.”

“Did you dream?”

She looked back at him over her shoulder with a smile, “All in due time, young one.”

Cassius smiled bashfully and went back to wiping at Sostviin’s face. “Oni’kin, would you like breakfast today?”

Surtr closed the chest and carried what she had pulled from it over to the table, pausing to place a hand on Cassius’s cheek. “No need to be so formal, gedein.” She pulled away and sat down next at the table, Rah shuffling papers to ensure they weren’t in front of her. Cassius blushed at the name, she had met his formality with her own, a gentle attempt at humor from the otherwise imposing leader.

Placing a small box on the table and preparing her own morning rituals, Surtr reached over to give her daughter a small pet on the snout.

Impatient to begin, Rah shuffled through his pile of scrolls and pulled one out. “Kiin, it seems that overnight our-”

Surtr cut Rah off with a gentle shushing sound. “All in time. It is not yet time.”

Rah huffed and pulled a slim pencil out of his waistband, bending to make some marks on a scroll while he waited.

They sat, the only sounds were that of the softly crackling fire, the occasional scritch of Rah’s pencil, an irritated ‘tsk’ here and there, and sort wheezy snorts from the baby who had accepted that she was not going to be fed any further and was beginning to settle down for her first morning nap. Cassius shifted her, then reaching across the table with his free arm, he picked up the pot and poured the now-set tea into the three cups. The first he offered to Surtr, leaving room for additions although he knew she did not use any, as it was deemed polite. The second he held up for Rah, clearing his throat to catch the scribe's attention. Overly enthralled in his own work, Rah reached over to take it without looking. He bumped the cup slightly but none spilled. The second cup was always filled only halfway, leaving room for a small bit of milk and to compensate for almost always being bumped into.

He slid the third cup gently towards himself, taking a spoonful of something from a small jar and stirring it in quietly. Once satisfied it had dissolved, he raised his mask, then lifted the cup and slurped at it. Finally, after she’d made some progress on her own tea and did what Cassius assumed was some sort of thought organization, Surtr placed her cup on the table and held her arms out for the tiny imp in his lap.

“Ah diislen, y’ling voth kuul nok?” The baby looked almost normal in size in her arms, large and pink, but still prominently dark, as she was. They certainly looked related, and it was for this reason that the question still remained as to where the child had come from, as it seemed too short a time for Surtr to have laid her herself, and too strange to thing that somewhere in the world a father existed for the child. It was speculated that she had simply found the young imp lying in the desert, but... that resemblance.. It raised doubts.

Surtr turned her attention back to Cassius, “I dreamt.” He lowered his cup slightly, eyes quizzical and full of anticipation.

“I dreamt last night. Of a strange place, new not to me but to us. I did not get to visit it, but chose instead to follow the butterfly that flew through my dreams.” She nodded, more to herself than anything. “It led me far and I feel... we might soon have a visitor. One who is... kin’bok of his own.”

She saw the look on Cassius and Rah’s faces, and tilted her head. “You worry.”

Rah blinked rapidly and lowered his paper and pencil to his lap. “I... I am concerned.” His face twisted a bit, “Does that not mean more change for us? Or potentially something dangerous?”

Surtr did not answer the question but instead turned her gaze to Cassius, as if asking him to respond for her. What the response she wanted was, he did not know, but as usual it caused him to give pause and consider a second angle. “We don’t know that he’s not alone. We don’t know anything.” He swirled the tea in his cup absently, “But... visitors are welcome now.” Cassius shrugged, “So what can you do.”

Surtr nodded and pet the wing of the now sleeping Sostviin fondly. “There are more important things. I believe you were mentioning one, nil’rot?”

Rah jumped slightly and scrambled for his papers as if suddenly struck by the memory that he did have things to say and they were important thank you very much! He grabbed his scroll and held it out for her with a quiet triumph.

Cassius reached for the teapot as Rah began to outline all the important things that had happened overnight. Some would prove to be important, but generally they were all of little to no consequence, or were things that could simply be put aside and dealt with at a later time. He topped off all of the cups and returned to sitting quietly, sipping at his own. His thoughts returned briefly to Bug, still snug as, well, a bug in a rug, in his bed. He almost snickered at the thought but caught himself, he was supposed to be paying attention. Oops.

So far it hadn’t been a particularly eventful morning. The things he had done were more of less in line with his usual routine, and none of the news sounded very exciting. The day would continue, then the three of them would go to eat breakfast, after which Surtr would meet with the other, more important dragons. First, those ziist, and then those siid. Rah would stop by his lair to see his boyfriend and then would likely continue on to his office, where he would work until midday, at which point he would begin his daily duties around the clan.

Cassius would eat. He would begin his own duties, and be sure to check in on the encampment to the east as well as the two people who had chosen to stay near the highland overnight on their way through the desert. If Surtr’s dream was prophetic, he would have to be sure he was available to meet this person as they arrived. And if not, well... It never hurts to be ready for visitors.

He shook his head slightly and lifted his mask up again, she was right. She was always right.

“All in time.”

#writing tag #I WROTE #FINALLY #lore

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ebrainy · 6 years ago

Text

Bugs, rodent hair and poop: How much is legally allowed in the food you eat every day?

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN

Brace yourselves, America: Many of your favorite foods may contain bits and pieces of creatures that you probably didn’t know were there.

How about some rodent dung in your coffee? Maggots in your pizza sauce? Mold in the jelly on your toast?

Oh, and so sorry, chocolate lovers. That dark, delicious bar you devoured might contain 30 or more insect parts and a sprinkling of rodent hair.

Called “food defects,” these dismembered creatures and their excrement are the unfortunate byproduct of growing and harvesting food.

“It is economically impractical to grow, harvest, or process raw products that are totally free of non-hazardous, naturally occurring, unavoidable defects,” says the US Food and Drug Administration.

So while there’s no way to get rid of all the creatures that might hitch a ride along the food processing chain, the FDA has established standards to keep food defects to a minimum.

Let’s go through a typical day of meals to see what else you’re not aware that you’re eating.

Breakfast

The coffee beans you grind for breakfast are allowed by the FDA to have an average of 10 milligrams or more animal poop per pound. As much as 4% to 6% of beans by count are also allowed to be insect-infested or moldy.

As you sprinkle black pepper on your morning eggs, try not to think about the fact you may be eating more than 40 insect fragments with every teaspoon, along with a smidgen of rodent hair.

Did you have fruit for breakfast? Common fruit flies can catch a ride anywhere from field to harvest to grocery store, getting trapped by processors or freezing in refrigerated delivery trucks and ending up in your home.

Lunch

Let’s say you packed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for everyone’s lunch. Good choice! Peanut butter is one of the most controlled foods in the FDA list; an average of one or more rodent hairs and 30 (or so) insect fragments are allowed for every 100 grams, which is 3.5 ounces.

The typical serving size for peanut butter is 2 tablespoons (unless you slather). That means each 2 tablespoon-peanut butter sandwich would only have about eight insect fragments and a teensy tiny bit of rodent filth. (“Filth” is what the FDA calls these insect and rodent food defects.)

Unfortunately, jelly and jam are not as controlled. Apple butter can contain an average of four or more rodent hairs for every 3.5 ounces (100 grams) and about five whole insects. Oh, and that isn’t counting the unknown numbers of teensy mites, aphids, and thrips.

Apple butter can also contain up to 12% mold, which is better than cherry jam, which can be 30% moldy, or black currant jam, which can be 75% moldy.

Snacks

Did you pack some of the kid-sized boxes of raisins for your child’s mid-afternoon snack? Golden raisins are allowed to contain 35 fruit fly eggs as well as 10 or more whole insects (or their equivalent heads and legs) for every 8 ounces. Kid-sized containers of raisins are an ounce each. That’s more than 4 eggs and a whole insect in each box.

After work drink

Any Bloody Mary fans? The tomato juice in that 14 oz. Bloody Mary could contain up to four maggots and 20 or more fruit fly eggs.

And if you’re having a fruity cocktail, just be aware that the canned citrus juices that many bars use can legally have five or more fruit fly eggs or other fly eggs per cup (250 ml). Or that cup of juice could contain one or more maggots. Apricot, peach and pear nectars are allowed to contain up to 12% moldy fruit.

Dinner

Oh, gosh, the possibilities are endless! Did you know there can be 450 insect parts and nine rodent hairs in every 16 oz. box of spaghetti?

Canned tomatoes, tomato paste and sauces like pizza sauce are a bit less contaminated than the tomato juice in your cocktail. The FDA only allows about two maggots in a 16 oz. can.

Adding mushrooms to your spaghetti sauce or pizza? For every 4 oz. can of mushrooms there can be an average of 20 or more maggots of any size.

The canned sweet corn we love is allowed to have two or more larvae of the corn ear worm, along with larvae fragments and the skins the worms discard as they grow.

For every ¼ cup of cornmeal, the FDA allows an average of one or more whole insects, two or more rodent hairs and 50 or more insect fragments, or one or more fragments of rodent dung.

Asparagus can contain 40 or more scary-looking but teensy thrips for every ¼ pound. If those aren’t around, FDA inspectors look for beetle eggs, entire insects or heads and body parts.

Frozen or canned spinach is allowed to have an average of 50 aphids, thrips and mites. If those are missing, the FDA allows larvae of spinach worms or eight whole leaf miner bugs.

Don’t forget the spices!

Dismembered insects can be found in many of our favorite spices as well. Crushed oregano, for example, can contain 300 or more insect bits and about two rodent hairs for every 10 grams. To put that in context, a family-size bottle of oregano is about 18 oz. or 510 grams.

Paprika can have up to 20% mold, about 75 insect parts and 11 rodent hairs for every 25 grams (just under an ounce). A typical spice jar holds about 2 to 3 oz.

Food safety process

By now you must be asking: Just how do they count those tiny insect heads and pieces of rodent dung? “Food manufacturers have quality assurance employees who are constantly taking samples of their packaged, finished product to be sure they’re not putting anything out that is against the rules,” said food safety specialist Ben Chapman, a professor in agricultural and human sciences at North Carolina State University.

Sometimes they do it by hand, Chapman said. “They take 10 bags out of a week-long production and try to shake out what might be in here,” he said. “Do we have particularly high insect parts or was it a particularly buggy time of year when the food was harvested? And they make sure they are below those FDA thresholds.”

What happens if it was a very buggy week and lots of insects decided to sacrifice themselves? Can they get all those eggs, legs and larvae out?

“They really can’t,” Chapman said. But they can take the food and send it to a process called “rework.” “Say I’ve got a whole bunch of buggy fresh cranberries that I can’t put in a bag and sell,” Chapman explained. “I might send those to a cranberry canning operation where they can boil them and then skim those insect parts off the top and put them into a can.”

That’s gross. Will I ever eat any of these foods again?

“Look, this is all a very, very, very low-risk situation,” Chapman said. “I look at it as a yuck factor versus a risk factor. Insect parts are gross, but they don’t lead to foodborne illnesses.”

Much more dangerous, Chapman points out, is the potential for stone, metal, plastic or glass parts to come along with harvested food as it enters the processing system. All foods are subjected to X-rays and metal detectors, Chapman said, because when those slip through, people can actually be hurt.

Also much more dangerous are foodborne illnesses such as salmonella, listeria, and E. coli, which can severely sicken and even kill.

“Cross-contamination from raw food, undercooking food, hand-washing and spreading germs from raw food, those are the things that contribute to the more than 48 million cases of foodborne illness we have every year in the US,” Chapman said.

Well, put that way, I guess my disgust over that rodent poop in my coffee seems overblown.

Maybe.

source: https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/04/health/insect-rodent-filth-in-food-wellness/index.html

from US Food Safety https://ift.tt/2pOnnDe Bugs, rodent hair and poop: How much is legally allowed in the food you eat every day? US Food Safety via 1best recipe https://ift.tt/335lSyS

#US Food Safety

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kansascityhappenings · 6 years ago

Text

Bugs, rodent hair and poop: How much is legally allowed in the food you eat every day?

Brace yourselves, America: Many of your favorite foods may contain bits and pieces of creatures that you probably didn’t know were there.

How about some rodent dung in your coffee? Maggots in your pizza sauce? Mold in the jelly on your toast?

Oh, and so sorry, chocolate lovers. That dark, delicious bar you devoured might contain 30 or more insect parts and a sprinkling of rodent hair.

Called “food defects,” these dismembered creatures and their excrement are the unfortunate byproduct of growing and harvesting food.

So while there’s no way to get rid of all the creatures that might hitch a ride along the food processing chain, the FDA has established standards to keep food defects to a minimum.

Let’s go through a typical day of meals to see what else you’re not aware that you’re eating.

Breakfast

As you sprinkle black pepper on your morning eggs, try not to think about the fact you may be eating more than 40 insect fragments with every teaspoon, along with a smidgen of rodent hair.

Lunch

Let’s say you packed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for everyone’s lunch. Good choice!

Peanut butter is one of the most controlled foods in the FDA list; an average of one or more rodent hairs and 30 (or so) insect fragments are allowed for every 100 grams, which is 3.5 ounces.

Apple butter can also contain up to 12% mold, which is better than cherry jam, which can be 30% moldy, or black currant jam, which can be 75% moldy.

Snacks

Did you pack some of the kid-sized boxes of raisins for your child’s mid-afternoon snack?

Golden raisins are allowed to contain 35 fruit fly eggs as well as 10 or more whole insects (or their equivalent heads and legs) for every 8 ounces. Kid-sized containers of raisins are an ounce each. That’s more than 4 eggs and a whole insect in each box.

After work drink

Any Bloody Mary fans? The tomato juice in that 14 oz. Bloody Mary could contain up to four maggots and 20 or more fruit fly eggs.

Dinner

Oh, gosh, the possibilities are endless! Did you know there can be 450 insect parts and nine rodent hairs in every 16 oz. box of spaghetti?

Canned tomatoes, tomato paste and sauces like pizza sauce are a bit less contaminated than the tomato juice in your cocktail. The FDA only allows about two maggots in a 16 oz. can.

Adding mushrooms to your spaghetti sauce or pizza? For every 4 oz. can of mushrooms there can be an average of 20 or more maggots of any size.

The canned sweet corn we love is allowed to have two or more larvae of the corn ear worm, along with larvae fragments and the skins the worms discard as they grow.

For every ¼ cup of cornmeal, the FDA allows an average of one or more whole insects, two or more rodent hairs and 50 or more insect fragments, or one or more fragments of rodent dung.

Asparagus can contain 40 or more scary-looking but teensy thrips for every ¼ pound. If those aren’t around, FDA inspectors look for beetle eggs, entire insects or heads and body parts.

Frozen or canned spinach is allowed to have an average of 50 aphids, thrips and mites. If those are missing, the FDA allows larvae of spinach worms or eight whole leaf miner bugs.

Don’t forget the spices!

Paprika can have up to 20% mold, about 75 insect parts and 11 rodent hairs for every 25 grams (just under an ounce). A typical spice jar holds about 2 to 3 oz.

Food safety process

By now you must be asking: Just how do they count those tiny insect heads and pieces of rodent dung?

“Food manufacturers have quality assurance employees who are constantly taking samples of their packaged, finished product to be sure they’re not putting anything out that is against the rules,” said food safety specialist Ben Chapman, a professor in agricultural and human sciences at North Carolina State University.

What happens if it was a very buggy week and lots of insects decided to sacrifice themselves? Can they get all those eggs, legs and larvae out?

“They really can’t,” Chapman said. But they can take the food and send it to a process called “rework.”

“Say I’ve got a whole bunch of buggy fresh cranberries that I can’t put in a bag and sell,” Chapman explained. “I might send those to a cranberry canning operation where they can boil them and then skim those insect parts off the top and put them into a can.”

That’s gross. Will I ever eat any of these foods again?

Also much more dangerous are foodborne illnesses such as salmonella, listeria, and E. coli, which can severely sicken and even kill.

Well, put that way, I guess my disgust over that rodent poop in my coffee seems overblown.

Maybe.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2019/10/04/bugs-rodent-hair-and-poop-how-much-is-legally-allowed-in-the-food-you-eat-every-day/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2019/10/04/bugs-rodent-hair-and-poop-how-much-is-legally-allowed-in-the-food-you-eat-every-day/

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envirotravel · 8 years ago

Text

Out On the Dunes: ATV Adventures in Jericoacoara

You’ve already read how in just one week, I fell deep under Jericoacoara’s spell. While the tiny, remote Brazilian beach town had charm in spades, most people were drawn to what lay beyond its borders — miles upon miles of endless, untamed sand dunes, their shapes changing with the whims of the wind.

To explore them, you’ll need a set of wheels. From what I discovered, the tourism industry in Jeri is still quite underdeveloped and most “tours” are arranged on a whim. If you’re traveling solo like I was, you’ll need to form a group of your own before approaching a tour operator or they are likely to shrug you off.

Thankfully, I was adopted by a group of a dozen Israelis who arranged two separate days exploring on ATVs for us. The first day we had a slightly smaller group than the second, and each paid 140R ($40US), while for our second outing we each paid 115R ($33). My newfound travel tribe were excellent negotiators, I should note — I have no doubt we would have paid more had I been the one in charge of setting a rate.

In general, it appears there are two general routes the guides will lead you on — one to the east, and one to the west. You could also tackle either of these routes in a buggy with your guide behind the wheel, if you didn’t feel like self-driving. In our case, the guides zoomed ahead on monster-sized dirt bikes, leading the way for our caravan of ATVs.

On our first day, we went west. I have to admit that I’m not the most comfortable behind the wheels of an ATV — I’ve had a few friends get in serious accidents in the last few years and well, I just feel vulnerable bouncing around on this big ‘ol hunk of metal that could flip over and crush me any second.

So I was more than happy to be a passenger on this little excursion, though within moments I could tell that at the speeds my crew was driving, I was going to spend a lot of the day screaming with my eyes clenched shut.

Our first stop was in the hamlet of Mangue Seco. It’s not every day you get to use the word hamlet, but in this case it seems the only descriptor appropriate for the blip on the map that Mangue Seco was.

Water levels were high in the area at the time, and so we eventually reached a standstill where our ATVs had to be loaded onto precarious rafts and pushed across the water onward. On the other side, our guide asked us if we wanted to take a short boat trip for another 10R to see the “Cavalo Marinho.”

We puzzled over what this could possibly be, my Israeli friends turning to me and asking if my Spanish knowledge might reveal any clues. “Well… caballo means horse in Spanish,” I said with a shrug. “Could they be talking about… sea horses?”

I said it with incredibly trepidation. After all, we were crossing a freshwater lake, right? But shortly after we loaded into the boat, the new guide leaned over the hull and scooped into a mason jar, yup, three tiny little seahorses. It was my greatest moment of communication victory in all of Brazil. Six weeks, and I finally was able to accurately predict what sea creature I was about to see.

After exiting through a surreal, jumbo-sized mangrove forest that we unfortunately didn’t stop to photograph, we were back to the dunes.

We soon spotted a crowd in the distance, and paused as we pulled up next to them to see what all the commotion was about, out here in the sand-filled middle of nowhere. We found an enterprising group of locals selling rides down into a rainwater lake for a mere 5R. After watching a few groups face-plant in the sand, I grabbed a board and took my own turn publicly humiliating myself. It was wonderful.

Finally, a chance to relax after the super stressful day we’d been having (ha!) Looking back at a map, I can’t say for sure if we were at Lago Grande or Laguinho da Torta Tatajuba, but I can confirm that it doesn’t really matter. The dunes surrounding Jericoacoara are surrounded by scenic lagoons dotted with in-water hammocks and fringed by palm trees. I wouldn’t get too picky about which one you end up in.

This was the best part of the day. It was incredibly windy, but we didn’t mind. Hours melted away as we lounged in the sun, watched kite-surfers work their magic, and marveled at the paradise we stumbled upon in what felt like the end of the earth. Seafood and beer were offered every time we so much as looked at a hammock; and my travel companions were all too happy to take one for the team with a few orders.

All good things must come to an end, and eventually we packed up and prepared ourselves for the long drive back to Jericoacoara. Now, all day, I’d been lightly teased for my clear discomfort with our driving speeds. As our guides geared up, one of the boys, Eliko, approached me and asked what was making me so nervous. “These things flip over all the time,” I pointed out. “No, no,” he assured me. “You are very safe. We all drove in much more difficult circumstances in the army. You are safe.” Who can argue with a man who just dedicated three years of his life to compulsory military service?

I hopped on the back of another ATV and braced myself when the adrenaline-loving driver started taking it in tight circles. Maybe now would be a great time to ask him to stop doing this, I thought to myself, and in that exact moment I felt the left two wheels of ATV lift off from the ground as we both were launched into the air. Somehow, time really did go into slow motion, enough for me to push off with my feet to get as far away from the vehicle as possible, and enough for me to lock eyes with Eliko, who was looking on in horror. If I didn’t know better, I might even recall that I had time to shake my head with disapproval mid-air. When we hit the ground, time resumed at a normal pace, and I was quickly surrounded by a dozen faces of concern.

We slowed down a bit after that. Eventually, the girls teamed up and I hopped on the back of Maude’s ATV for a bit, where we happily enjoyed the view from the back of the caravan. Never a dull moment, as they say!

A few days later, when my bruises and memories of the crash had faded, I was talked into doing it all over again (sorry mom.) This time, we went east.

Our first stop was the famous arch called Pedra Furada. It was quite the scramble to get there after we parked our wheels, but it was worth it for the gorgeous geological formation that awaited us. Here, I wowed everyone with my remote shooting capabilities to capture a group photo with my dSLR balanced on a rock and triggered from an app on my iPhone. Stick with the travel blogger, I assured them. They always have the best selfie tricks.

Next up was Arvore da Preguica, a truly amazing tree shaped by years of wind and harsh desert conditions. We didn’t have it to ourselves for long though before the next group rolled up next to us — this route was far busier and far less remote and wild than the one we’d taken the previous day, when I wondered how the guides knew which way to go into the endless dunes ahead of us.

This was a much more subdued journey, a balance I was more than a-ok with.

Again came my favorite portion of the day, the one in which we lounged in Instagram-ready water hammocks. This time, we ditched the local beer shacks in favor of the upscale beach club (or should I say lake club?) Alchymist at Lagoa Paraiso. As the fanciest of its kind in the area, stepping into Alchymist felt a bit like stepping into a portal to a European beach club — and I didn’t hate it.

That said, we didn’t spring for beach chairs or expensive cocktails. After splurging on a late lunch, we happily spent the rest of our time splashing around in the lagoon and enjoying our last day in Jericoacoara together.

Simply put, you’d be crazy to come to Jericoacoara and not spend at least one day out on the dunes exploring the wild west of the desert. These were some of my greatest adventures in all of Brazil — I loved them almost as much as the town we went home to.

Are you an ATV wimp like me or an adrenaline-loving daredevil like the rest of my crew?

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Out On the Dunes: ATV Adventures in Jericoacoara posted first on http://ift.tt/2k2mjrD

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