#Drawer system for storage

[raajrajasharma]

Drawer System - Shop Premium Quality Drawer System Online at Low Prices In India | Frikly

Upgrade your home or office with a premium quality Drawer System at unbeatable prices. Shop online at Frikly and explore a wide selection of durable tools, reliable fixtures, and stylish accessories. Discover the perfect Drawer System solutions to enhance your space and complete your projects. Enjoy the convenience of online shopping and benefit from low prices without compromising on quality. Shop now at Frikly for all your Drawer System needs in India.

[singhmanvi510]

Eco-Friendly Modular Kitchen Accessories for a Greener Home

Discover eco-friendly modular kitchen accessories that promote sustainability. Transform your kitchen into an efficient, greener space.

[hawkesoutdoor]

Save time and effort with the new #deckedusa pullout system for #trucks & #jeeps at Hawkes Outdoors in Texas. 210-251-2882

[queerstudiesnatural]

sometimes watching tv is good :) i've been watching home decor and home organising shows for the past couple of weeks, and today is my very first day of summer holiday (perks of being a teacher) and i immediately started reorganising and cleaning up my home

[sentaco]

Modern Kids - Teen Ideas for a small, contemporary kids' room renovation with gray walls and carpet that is gender-neutral

[geraldmariaivo]

I don’t want to be rich so I can have five yachts I want to be rich so I can tip 200% at restaurants, and get furniture that helps me work around my squirrel brain that isn’t WHITE, BLACK, OR GRAY FLAT ASS CUBE-LOOKING MINIMALIST BULLSHIT.

[david-watts]

oh yeah. this was the same person who would take me to buy coathangers for my clothes since I needed to hang some of my clothes up and this was the expressed purpose of the trip. and then the second we got home she'd steal all of them and I would get the busted ones that half my clothes wouldn't stay on or were too heavy for

[bdhfan]

Closet Raised-Panel in New York Large traditional women's walk-in closet design with a dark wood floor, raised-panel cabinets, and white cabinets.

[syncroau]

How can we estimate Van Storage costs?

Estimating van storage costs involves considering several factors related to the type of storage system you need, the size of your van, and any customization or accessories you require.

Here's a step-by-step guide to help you estimate van storage costs:

Define Your Needs:

Determine the purpose of your van storage. Is it for work tools and equipment, recreational gear, or general cargo?

Make a list of items you need to store, their sizes, and their weight. This will help you calculate the required storage space and weight capacity.

Choose Storage Solutions:

Research and select the type of van storage solutions you need. Common options include shelving units, drawers, cabinets, bins, roof racks, and specialized racks for specific items like ladders or bikes.

Consider whether you want a pre-made, modular storage system or a custom-built solution. Customization may cost more but can better suit your specific needs.

Determine Size and Quantity:

Measure the interior dimensions of your van, including height, width, and depth. This will help you choose storage units that fit well.

Determine how many storage units or accessories you need based on your item list and layout plan.

Research Costs:

Research suppliers and brands of van storage solutions. Prices can vary widely depending on the manufacturer, materials, and features.

Request price quotes or browse online marketplaces to get an idea of the cost of the storage components you want.

Factor in Installation:

Consider whether you'll install the storage system yourself or hire a professional. Installation costs can vary depending on complexity and your DIY skills.

Account for Accessories:

If you require accessories like locks, dividers, or additional mounting hardware, include their costs in your estimate.

Consider Customization:

Customization often involves additional costs. If you have unique storage requirements, be prepared for higher expenses.

Include Taxes and Shipping:

Don't forget to account for sales tax and shipping costs when estimating the total expenses.

Budget for Extras:

Plan for unexpected expenses or extra features you might want, such as lighting, electrical outlets, or insulation.

Compare Quotes:

If you're working with multiple suppliers or considering different storage options, compare quotes and features to find the best value for your needs.

Calculate the Total Cost:

Sum up the costs of all storage units, accessories, installation (if applicable), taxes, and shipping to arrive at the total estimated cost.

Contingency: Add a contingency budget of about 10% of your total estimated cost to account for unexpected expenses or changes in your requirements.

Remember that van storage costs can vary significantly based on factors like the size and make of your van, the quality of the storage units, and the complexity of the installation. It's essential to balance your budget with your storage needs to create an efficient and cost-effective solution.

[fourbyfitouts]

Why Choose A 4WD Fridge Slide for Off-Road Escapades?

There's something undeniably exhilarating about hitting the open road and venturing into the great outdoors. Whether you're embarking on a weekend camping trip or tackling an extended off-road expedition, one thing is for sure: you'll need to keep your food and beverages fresh and accessible.

This is where a 4WD Fridge Slide becomes your ultimate travel companion. Let's dive into why this essential piece of equipment should be at the top of your packing list.

The Freedom of Mobility

Picture this: you're deep in the wilderness, surrounded by breathtaking landscapes, and you find the perfect spot to set up camp. With a traditional cooler, you'd have to unpack and repack it every time you need something.

But with a 4WD Fridge Slide, the process is remarkably convenient. It's like having a portable fridge at your fingertips, ready to slide out at a moment's notice. This means less time digging through ice and more time enjoying the beauty around you.

Efficiency and Organisation

An organised camper is a happy camper. Instead of rummaging through a jumble of items to find what you need, a 4WD Fridge Slide offers a neatly organised solution. You can categorise your supplies, making it easy to access your chilled beverages, fresh produce, and snacks without any hassle.

Plus, the slide is designed to secure your fridge in place, preventing any spills or accidents while you navigate those rugged terrains.

Preserving Your Supplies

Traditional coolers have their limitations. They rely on ice to keep your items cold, which eventually melts and leaves you with soggy food and a waterlogged mess. A 4WD Fridge Slide, on the other hand, operates on a different level.

These innovative slides are designed to accommodate portable fridges and freezers that are specifically engineered to maintain a consistent and adjustable temperature. This means you can enjoy crisp veggies, chilled drinks, and even frozen treats throughout your journey.

Adaptability to Your Needs

One of the best features of a 4WD Fridge Slide is its adaptability. These slides come in various sizes to fit different fridges, and they can be installed in a variety of vehicles. Whether you're driving a rugged 4x4, a camper van, or even a pickup truck, there's likely a 4WD Fridge Slide that's compatible with your setup.

This adaptability ensures that no matter where your off-road adventures take you, your food and drinks will stay securely in place.

Durability for the Long Haul

Off-road escapades can be bumpy rides, quite literally. But worry not, as 4WD Fridge Slides are built to withstand the rigors of the road. Constructed from robust materials like steel or aluminium, these slides are engineered to handle the vibrations, jolts, and bumps that come with off-road terrain.

This means your investment in a quality fridge slide will pay off in the long run, ensuring your supplies stay safe trip after trip.

Easy Installation and Convenience

You might be thinking, "Sounds great, but won't it be a hassle to set up?" Not at all! Many 4WD Fridge Slides are designed with user-friendly installation in mind. With basic tools and a little know-how, you can have your slide up and ready in no time.

Once installed, accessing your fridge becomes a breeze, and you'll wonder how you ever managed without it.

Conclusion

In the world of off-road adventures, preparation is key. A 4WD Fridge Slide is a game-changer that enhances your journey's convenience, organisation, and overall experience. Say goodbye to soggy sandwiches and lukewarm drinks – with a fridge slide, your provisions stay cool, fresh, and within arm's reach.

So, whether you're traversing desert dunes or conquering rocky mountain trails, make sure a 4WD Fridge Slide is an essential part of your off-road arsenal. Your taste buds will thank you!

Remember, a well-equipped adventurer is a happy adventurer, and a 4WD Fridge Slide is your ticket to a cooler, tastier, and more enjoyable journey.

Source - https://fourbyfitoutdrawersystem.blogspot.com/2023/09/why-choose-4wd-fridge-slide-for-off.html

[dontbesoweirdkira]

Warnings: Yandere/obsession, power dynamics, creep! Dick Grayson, creep!Barbra Gordon, mentions of implied harassment, dark themes.

A/N: Just thinking about how fucked up it'd be living in the Manor with those hunger crazed lions..(aka horny and obsessed young adults) I need to get this drabble off of my chest. I wrote this open enough so that whatever relation you choose to have to the Batfam is your choice.

Bruce's current lover? Poor uni student who was offered to stay at the manor by one of the many batbrats? Adult bat-sis who's at their wits end? That's your business..

and it doesn't matter because the stalking, the constant harassment masked as "affection", the insane power dynamics and fear tactics...it's all enough to drive anyone mad,,and it's made worse by the fact they are constantly treating you like the family's very own Barbie doll. You're pushed and grabbed and expected to go along with any and every fucked up role-play scenario that they've conjured up.

The mansion feels like a dollhouse, you know the kind that's cut in half so all rooms are on display so you can monitor all your dollies at the same time? Yeah, just like that. You feel stripped of any ounce of privacy or security, even in your bedroom (which you've checked hundreds of times for listening devices and cameras...or a very lost Wayne adoptee hiding under your bed) felt invaded.

You could be locked in a tight storage closet and despite being certain that you were completely alone and away from everyone, you still wouldn't be able to shake the eerie feeling that you were still exposed and vulnerable. Somehow you still felt like you were on display for them to monitor like a doll.

The last straw had to be while you were taking a shower. Despite the family's usual degenerative behaviors, there seemed to be a silent rule to not go into your room unless you were away. Probably for plausible deniability that your missed placed items and gut feeling that someone's been tampering around your room is all in your head...since you've never caught anyone in the act.

Regardless you would lock your bedroom doors, windows and the door leading into your bathroom (even at times barricading them) just to prevent any unwanted visitors...

Admittedly though, you did get startled because just a few minutes after stepping into the running water, you started to hear faint noises from outside your door before going silent only moments later.

The sound was muted and ambiguous enough for you not to fully panic. There were many possible and reasonable explanations for what you just heard. The manor was excellently well constructed, yes, but it was still an old building nonetheless. There were times where you could hear things from far away or rattling in the ventilation system that sounded like it was closer to you than it actually was. Not to mention, no home was exempt from an occasional "ghostly haunting".

You continued scrubbing the deliciously scented shampoo into your scalp and blocked out any worries that tried to anxiously crawl its way into your mind.

As it was time to rise, water ran through out your hair down your body taking all the leftover suds with it.

Suddenly your ears perked up to another sound.

You held your breath for a second to hone in on it to make sure it was just the same one from earlier.

It wasn't.

...there was almost like a sliding sound, close to what a desk drawer would make when you pull it...then what sounded like rustling of clothes, papers, and things on your vanity.

Your heart dropped and your entire body went into a catatonic like state. There's no way someone was actually in your room right now. There seriously couldn't be, your doors were securely locked. You knew it, your constant paranoia caused you to triple check them and then once more for good measure. And out of all the times, why did they choose the one you were completely nude and defenseless? Was this planned? Some sick kind of power play? Did they know you'd be far too petrified to storm out of that bathroom with only a skimpy towel wrapped loosely around your chest and half-empty shampoo bottle to confront them with?

If you didn't think that the feeling of being vulnerably exposed could become all the more suffocating, you were greatly mistaken. Whoever it was that's rummaging through your room and taking full advantage of your helplessness , hit a new all time low.

Fortunately they stayed relatively distant from the bathroom for a while. It didn't appear that they had any interest in whatever you were doing in the bathroom, only to find whatever they were searching for..then leave out before you were done.

The identity of the perpetrator was still unbeknownst to you before they started inaudibly whispering. Well,,more like low talking than whispering, they didn't care enough to fully prevent their voice from being heard by you,,, The voice was feminine yet had a sense of authority...? irritation....? It wasn't exactly clear but the tone was reminiscent of a teacher demanding a student to do,,,or rather not to do something..

It had to be Babs..or..maybe it was Cass?..You weren't positive as when they were both upset, their voice was kind of similar.

The movement of things presumably being displaced or stolen stopped and another voice spoke back to the other. This one sounded masculine with a hint of immaturity in their voice.

Each minute that passed, their voices became louder and louder, clearly an aggravated disagreement had broken out.

The intensity of the atmosphere from your bedroom, seeped through the cracks of the door and flooded the bathroom.. You listened intently trying to get any ounce of clarity as to what they could've possibly been upset over.. If the circumstances had been different, you might've laughed at the absurdity of them fighting over one of your socks or a used tissue..

Even with their voices becoming increasingly louder, and all the more heated...it stayed mostly inaudible, no thanks to the running water and your unstable state that made it a bit harder to process what was really going on..

The only thing you could make out were a few words but nothing that made sense when you tried piecing them together.

The room eventually fell silent again..only for a beat. You thought maybe they'd come to terms with whatever it was that riled them until the masculine voice spoke up again..

This time you could understand him clearly as his voice was all of a sudden alarmingly close to the bathroom door..

"...It's fine..a little peak is fine..."

I don't even need to explain the amount of sheer horror that swept through your body and caused your heart to pound. The two voices were bickering about whether they should open the door to your bathroom or not.. You knew the people that you lived with well enough to know that they were notorious for pushing boundaries and then some just to see what they could extort out of you..but this??

Being only seconds away from being violated,,,possibly traumatized as well for a cherry on top was more than enough to sink a pit in your stomach.. You recognized the voice to be Dick's, and even though all the people you lived with were all just as creepy, he was a different level of disgusting. The only one who says weird things, while doing even wilder things, all with the most beautiful smile you've ever seen. The patterned shower curtain wasn't enough to protect you from him them.. getting a peak would mean pushing past the curtain..and pushing past the curtain would turn into...

fuck. You needed to do something, anything to try and protect yourself but your body couldn't move..

The door knob started being fiddled with. Turning and pulling, Dick was trying to see if the door might've been unlocked.

"Shit. Where did you put that lock pick at?"

The irony.

"Come on, maybe this is going a bit far.." Barbra spoke with

Scoffing would be an under-reaction to that statement.

You didn't need to see him to know the desperation Dick exuded when he finally found the lock pick. The sound of it being shoved into the door pierced through your chest and struck your spine. The hairs on your body stood pin straight, and goosebumps cascaded down your entire body tightening your skin..

"Didn't you say you wanted to do this before? This is our chance."

"Yeah...."

"But...? Aren't you just a little bit curious...? We're just looking. Nothing more..we're not going to touch her.." It was unnerving the way he said those last lines..almost as if he was trying to convince himself more than Barbra.

Tears started to swell your eyes as they both got closer to opening the door and laying their eyes on the lewd sight in front of them..eagerly you kept trying to snap yourself out of it's shocked state. Even the water's warmth had turned into a chilling temperature.. in only something you could describe as the house's cynical way at confirming your impending doom... but the only movement you managed to accomplish was to violently shake..

come, on..move..

your towel is right there, just grab it.

please,,,just fucking move.

Dick had finished cracking the lock and his hand grabbed onto the door handle and twisted it slightly...

"....we just..we need to plan this out better. It's too risky, with Bruce being home. We can't manipulate our way out of this one, not after what was found on Tim's computer..."

There was a long pause before an exasperated sigh was let out.

"..."

"..fine...we'll wait until B takes his trip.." His words gritted out like venom behind his teeth, he meant what he said.

No words were exchanged after that but you could still sense their presence. Dick kept his hand tightly wrapped around the door knob, doing everything in his power not to go through with his desires at the moment. And as much as Babs played the devil's advocate, for a moment, she wanted him to open that door too..

You weren't sure how long they were still standing there in silence, debating their actions before they finally left, you were long disassociated by then.

They were gone but not the damage that they caused. You've never felt so disgusted and dehumanized in your entire life. You weren't a human being to them only a doll. They're far more concerned with Bruce's judgment than your dignity. They couldn't care less that you know that they are going to try to violate you again, and exactly when...Bruce doesn't believe hearsay..and the thought of having to see their faces after this made your blood boil.

[valtsv]

Your blog just reminded me of the fact that when I was in 5th grade, I went to a catholic school. When we were cleaning out one of the storage rooms to set up a video game system for after-hours student care, we found a mummified finger in a drawer in a fancy little velvet lined box.

Was a bit of a freaky way to learn that some catholic schools keep the supposed ‘body parts of saints’ on premises, next to dried out whiteboard markers. We thought one of the teachers was a serial killer until our caretaker explained it to us.

god that's so quintessentially catholic school. just keeping a mummified finger in a box in a drawer because it belonged to one of god's very special dead guys.

[singhmanvi510]

Maximize Storage with Kitchen Accessories in Jaipur

Discover the best kitchen accessories in Jaipur to maximize storage and enhance your kitchen's organization and functionality.

[hawkesoutdoor]

Need a little more #storage in your #truck #jeep or #SUV ? Let us help you #install a new #decked drawer system. Get a free #quote today at Hawkes Outdoors in #SanAntonio #Texas 210-251-2882

[headisacheing]

Things to do instead of eating

Paint your nails

Go on a walk

Diamond art

Workout

Do homework

Study

Journal

Read

Brush your teeth

Listen through a new album in full

Do a puzzle

Clean your room

Go through your closet

Look online for cute clothes for when you’re skinny

Draw/paint

Sculpt smth out of clay

Go to the library

Take a bath

Organize a junk drawer

Take a nap

Find arts and crafts inspo on Pinterest

Wrote a letter to yourself from the pov of 4n4 about how proud she is of you, read it when you reach your gw

Call someone

Plan out your next meal

Read old 4n4 forums

Scroll on Reddit or timber

Research a random topic deeply

Watch a video essay

Dance

Search for health/nutrition info on the net

Find out about finances and investing

Find out enough about a national issue to form a strong opinion

Do that that you were meaning to do for so long

Make a to-do list and don’t eat until you do each thing

Rent and follow a yoga or pilates video (check your local library!)

Express yourself creatively

Read about the toxins and food that build up in the digestive system

Make your own, original, unique website

Have a movie fest

Volunteer somewhere

Get a job

Master your self description

Make a vision board

Play with your pet, they’ll love you!

Call your grandparents

Go to howstuffworks.com and find out!

Exfoliate your entire body

Think about your life goals and how you’ll reach them

Make someone a bracelet or neckless

Read the newspaper, every word of it!

Stop procrastinating

Do some extra credit

Reach out to some old friends

Change your sheets

Revisit your goals and set some new ones, make a plan for how you’ll reach them

Start a bullet journal

Learn to sew

Declutter your room

Go through your backpack/purse

Clear up some storage on your phone

[papasbaseball]

The Wizard x Reader (Wonderful Wonderful Girl) | Chapter 4

Pairing: Wizard x F!Reader

Rating: Teen (Rating to Increase)

Warnings: Power Imbalance, Boss/Employee Relationship

Summary: Being a maid in the Royal Palace of Oz is not half so bad. Despite the meager wages, everything else is provided for you for an honest day's work. It can be unnerving working for the most powerful man in Oz, but you are able to avoid him most of the time. This changes during Lurlinemas, your paths soon becoming inextricably intertwined.

Word Count: 2,559 of 9,949

Start | Prev | Next

AO3 Link

Making myself useful after Emily locks me into the Wizard's apartment proves to be useless. Everything has already been done for the day, all the sheets changed, the floors mopped, and even the baseboards dusted. I look to see if I can possibly organize anything else. All of his drawers and closets are meticulously kept, shirts stiffly starched and socks folded into soft green squares. The comb and brush set are still on the dresser, so I straighten them to be perpendicular to the edge of it. I sigh as I look around the room, finding nothing else to even be fussed over.

I have only ever been in a select few rooms of the apartments – mostly his bedroom and the dining room – and always to complete the same chores every day. There were other people above me in rank who had more access to the full apartment, but I was always so busy every day and so eager to get all of my scrubbing and folding done that I never bothered to seek out what had been off-limits to me. It already unnerved me touching the sheets he slept on, so why would I want to go snooping around? He doesn’t quite frighten me as much as he used to, I think.

The wizard's bedroom has other doors besides the one that Emily had brought me through. To the north, there is the hallway that leads to the servants' stairs and the dining room. Directly attached to the bedroom is a bathroom and another door that I have never opened. I always assumed that it was extra storage space for out-of-season clothes.

When I test the handle for this strange door, I can't help but let out a quiet gasp. It’s a study that is about as big as the bedroom I had originally been locked in, but with a ceiling that is pulled so far up into a spire that I cannot see where the chain starts for the sharp gold geometric chandelier. What the chandelier does illuminate are high walls lined with books. A mahogany desk stands to my right, piled high with papers and more books. I shut the door behind me to get a good look at this new and wonderous place, not wanting the Wizard to sneak up on me.

I roll my eyes thinking about how slinking about like a snake and scaring maids on his staff seemed to be his preferred method of arrival. “Maid”. There is a sadness that I feel as if a chip is carved out of me, the splinter of wood that could be labeled as "maid". I hadn't done anything today to help earn my keep here, and the memory of Emily dirty and sore from a day's work had only deepened this feeling of being lost. The best I could offer up in equal was that my legs and everywhere else still stung slightly from the wax strips that they had ripped off of me. I go to the disorganized papers and books on the desk, glad to have found at least some distraction.

There are red leather-bound account books and papers that have been folded in thirds. Looking around the room, I find no home for them, no filing system readily apparent. I open the drawers and find nowhere to put them in the desk either, just cold and sharp green pens, an inkpot, sealing wax, and paper. What I don't expect to find is a golden locket. I hold the small trinket in the palm of my hand, letting my skin warm the cold metal. Inside, there are incredibly realistic paintings of a woman and a man, washed of any colors. I stare at it trying to place why they look familiar when I hear a door opening.

"They are not due for payment for another 50 days," the Wizard says.

I quickly shut the locket, dropping it back in the drawer and shutting it closed, just in time for him to come through the door. Esmet and a man in a sharp suit that was too short in the waistcoat with his satin top hat in hand are close behind. I flatten myself against the wall of books behind the desk but realize I stick out like a sore thumb with my overexposed skin in the provocative dress. Despite this, none of them seem to pay me any attention, the Wizard sitting down at the desk, shuffling through papers, the two other men taking seats in emerald leather chairs that are dimpled with golden buttons.

"Sir," the man in the suit says, "you have to understand, the Emerald City has been late on their payments for lumber for the past three quarters."

"This… this is not part of the agreement," he says. There is a tone of irritation in his voice that makes me want to run for the door and back into the safety of the boring and already kempt rooms. "Matter of fact, there was no agreement. What more do they need besides money? It gets there when it gets there. I can't help it if the damned country is covered in mountains."

"Undoubtedly, the city would pay them, sir," the strange man says, tugging down his waistcoat, "but as ambassador, I am telling you that the chieftain has ordered no shipments to enter the Emerald City unless payment is made upon arrival."

"This shouldn't be a problem," Esmet says, shifting in his chair. "The Emerald City has more than enough money. We could pay for the shipment fifty times over if they wanted it."

"Oh, we have more than enough money," the Wizard says, waving off the notion. "It just seems to me that I am being strong-armed at my own front door. I don't like being strong-armed at my own front door, do you Mr. Ambassador?"

The man's words tumble out as if they had tied themselves into knots in his mouth. His hands are busy mangling the brim of his hat: flattening it, curling it back up, outright folding it in toward the lining.

The Wizard rises, hands gripping the edge of his desk as he stares the ambassador in the eye. He laughs, and it’s the unnerving one that is a warning before the pounce from the grass. "If I didn't know any better, this distrust... it's like... like the warning sign of a rebellion. It would be an overture to war."

"The chieftain has no want for war, sir," the man laughs nervously. Perhaps he was always sweating, but the chandelier hanging directly over him has illuminated the top of his head that only offers a barren combover in protection. He bears a striking resemblance to an ice sculpture in the market square under the hot sun.

"Oh... Oh no, of course not," the Wizard says. "No, that would be foolish, wouldn't it?" There is that smile on his face, the same one from last night that he had aimed at me. I feel suddenly naked again and look down to see my hands gripping fistfuls of my tulle skirt so tight that I could see the bones of my knuckles. Quickly, I drop the fabric, worrying about damaging it, only to find that my hands have been using it to steady a shake that coursed through them.

"Maybe it would be best if I could go back to the chieftain and explain how things look?" the man said. "We have no want for war."

The Wizard let go of the desk, stalking over to where I stood against the wall. I know the others must hear how my heart pounds against my bare breast out of the fear that somehow he will involve me in this awful conflict. My brain concocts a horrible image of me bound and gagged in exchange for the lumber for the city, shipped off on the back of some dirty horse, never to see my sister again. Instead of seizing me, he winds a finger through a tendril of hair that had come loose from my braids. I force myself to look up at him, hoping that if he can see my eyes he might remember that I am human and spare me.

"I think that would be best," he says, not taking his eyes off of me. Here in the intimacy of our own shadows, his eyes have become so dark and deep that they are almost black. Any fear that had existed moments ago has now vanished as I let myself surrender whatever truths he might supernaturally find in my soul through my own eyes. "But we don't need to do that when we can send a letter by flight." He slowly unwinds his finger from the strand until it kisses the skin of my temple. When he turns from me to address the two men, I feel the blood rushing to my cheeks. There is such a storm of emotions within me that I couldn't merely pick one, no more than one could stand outside and pick a singular raindrop in a hurricane. All I know is that I want his eyes back on me.

"You'll be our special guest, Mr. Ambassador," he says. "Please, please, take advantage of our wonderful city. There's so much to do that you could never see all of it." He pulls a golden cord that I hadn't noticed in the corner of the room. The door the Wizard had come through opens and the man I had met last night, the head officer, walks in. "Glafly, would you please take care of our dear ambassador here? He'll be needing a room and help getting around the city. It's been so long since he's visited us and we wouldn't want him getting lost." The way he says "lost" is aimed with precision at Glafly.

Glafly nods, stepping closer to the ambassador's chair. The ambassador rises, the brim of his top hat now fully mangled out of shape. He never takes his nervous eyes off the Wizard but follows after Glafly. The Wizard repays him in kind, watching them leave until the door closes. When it does, he opens the top drawer of his desk and withdraws a gilded green pen, inkpot, and piece of paper. He scrawls something quickly on it and doesn't wait for the ink to dry before creasing it in half. Holding the paper between his middle and index fingers, he says "Esmet, get this to the secretaries, quickly. I want this delivered as soon as possible."

Esmet takes the paper with a quick bow. "Yes, Your Wonderfulness." He leaves through the door that they came in.

Standing alone in the room with him, the silence is unbearable. I ask him, "Is he a prisoner?"

He turns to look at me. "Do you think he is?" he asks.

I pull myself off of the bookshelf, approaching the desk. "He can't leave the city, can he?"

The Wizard offers me the crook of his elbow, and I take it. My heart is leaping trying not to think too much about the similarities between the ambassador's situation and mine. He walks with me to the door that leads back to his bedroom. "I want you to attend dinner tonight with the ambassador. I really think you could… liven up his depressed presence."

"I," I stutter, "I have chores to do." It's a poor excuse given the spotless state of the apartment.

He doesn't say anything, rather humming some strange tune. I think that maybe it sounds like some Lurlinemas carol that I may have sung a long time ago, off-key in the voice of a child, but the lyrics never click. I look up at him – sweet Oz is he tall, I barely come up to his shoulders, my eyes level with his golden eye tie tack – and he seems lost in some pleasant thought as he guides me into the bedroom.

"Your Wonderfulness?" I ask.

He opens the jeweled box on the dresser, the one with the beetles on it, and produces a golden hair comb decorated with pointed emeralds fashioned into delicate flowers. "There is more to be done than just scrubbing floors and washing windows," he says leaning against the dresser. With how tall he is, it's more like sitting. He holds the comb in his lap, a gentle smirk on his face. "Do you know your place?"

My place could be anywhere, but I wish it was next to my sister. It's been more than a week since I last saw her, and I worry that she thinks that I have forgotten her. My place had been sharing a bed with Emily only yesterday. And yet today, in the study... When he stood over me, looking me fully in the eyes... Didn't I want that to be my place too? I pick at the fine tulle of my skirt because the safest thing that I can think to say is what I answer. "No."

He pushes off the dresser, watching me with those dark eyes as he approaches. I watch as the shadows on his face flicker in the light of the fireplace. Holding the golden comb, he removes the pins from my braids and I can hear them carelessly dropping to the floor with soft pings. He unwinds the locks of hair from the ribbon and drops the piece of satin as well, too focused on smoothing out the now loose strands. The comb is cold as he drags the fine metal tines against the side of my scalp, gathering up just enough hair before turning the comb back over, and fastening the hair away from my face.

"Do you know my place?" he asks lowly, admiring his handiwork. He grabs the mirror off the dresser, holding it up to me.

"Why was the ambassador allowed to see you?" I ask, casting my eyes to the floor. I can’t tell if it’s my own promiscuous image or his eyes that I’m avoiding.

He lowers the mirror, tracing the raised golden design on the back of it. "I don't tell everyone who I am. He thinks I'm just some statesman deputized for the Great and Mighty Oz."

"Most people don't know who you are," I say. He stops his tracing of the design, raising his eyes to me.

"The most well-known man in Oz, unknown? You really think so?" he asks.

I take the mirror from his hands, trying to get a good look at myself in the dying sunlight. Dinner would probably be served soon, and one shouldn't refuse an invitation from the master of the house. My reflection is dim, but I can see how my brows have been reshaped at the hands of the stylists, the way my skin seems to glow as if they had dusted off the top layer like an old bookshelf. All thanks to him. "Is this dress suitable for dinner?" I ask.

"Do you want to change?" he asks, cocking his head to the side.

"Not unless you want me to," I say.

He takes the mirror from me, sets it back down, and offers me his arm again. "Maybe later," he says. I hook my arm in his and his deep hum picks up the familiar tune from earlier as we walk down to the dining hall.