#cheap woven baskets

[rugschouhan]

Best Jute Rugs in Rajasthan Design and Manufacture by Chouhan Rugs.

When it comes to decorating our homes, we all strive for a perfect balance of beauty, comfort, and sustainability. Jute rugs, with their natural and eco-friendly qualities, have become a popular choice among homeowners and interior designers alike. In this blog, we will explore the design and manufacturing of jute rugs made by Chouhan Rugs, a well-known name in the rug industry.

Printed Carpets In Jaipur  | Cheap Jute Baskets | jute rugs india | jute handmade rugs | Pillow Cover woven | round rugs online | Jute rugs in india | Handmade rugs India 

Jute, a natural fiber obtained from the stem of the jute plant, is highly durable, biodegradable, and sustainable. It is a perfect material for making rugs, as it can withstand heavy foot traffic and does not require any harmful chemicals during the manufacturing process. Jute rugs are available in a variety of colors, textures, and designs, making them a versatile choice for any home decor.

Chouhan Rugs, a family-owned business with over three decades of experience in the rug industry, specializes in the manufacturing of high-quality jute rugs. Their skilled artisans use traditional weaving techniques to create intricate patterns and designs on each rug. The company sources jute fibers from the finest jute farms in India and Bangladesh, ensuring that their rugs are of the highest quality.

Office rugs in jaipur | Best Rugs seller in Jaipur  | Top rugs seller in jaipur | Carpet wholesale Market in Jaipur | printed and block printed cushion covers  | jute handmade rugs 

One of the unique features of Chouhan Rugs' jute rugs is their natural sheen and luster. This is achieved by using a special process that involves washing the fibers in cold water, allowing them to retain their natural oils and shine. The rugs are then hand-loomed, giving them a distinctive and authentic look that is hard to replicate.

Chouhan Rugs offers a wide range of jute rug designs, from simple and minimalist to intricate and ornate. Their collection includes hand-woven solid color rugs, chevron and herringbone patterns, and Moroccan-inspired designs. The rugs are available in various sizes, from small accent rugs to large area rugs, making it easy to find the perfect fit for any room.

Apart from their natural and sustainable qualities, jute rugs have several benefits that make them an excellent choice for home decor. They are highly durable, resistant to stains and spills, and require minimal maintenance. Jute rugs are also non-toxic and hypoallergenic, making them a safe and healthy choice for families with children and pets.

Jute Cushion cover | Jute Rugs for office | Jute Rugs for Living room | Jute Cushion | Rugs seller | designer jute rugs seller | Top rugs seller in jaipur | jute round rugs 

In conclusion, jute rugs are an excellent choice for anyone looking for a sustainable, stylish, and practical addition to their home decor. Chouhan Rugs' jute rugs, with their unique designs and high-quality craftsmanship, are a great investment that will last for years to come. Whether you are looking for a simple accent rug or a statement piece for your living room, there is a jute rug out there that is perfect for you.

Read Our Previous Blog:(Top 3 Natural Rugs designed by chouhan Rugs | Jaipur)

For more information and new updates Visit to our website:-chouhanrugs.com

Visit Our Social Links:

Facebook :https://www.facebook.com/HomeFurnisinghRugsCarpets/

Instagram :https://www.instagram.com/chouhanrugs/

Printrest : https://in.pinterest.com/chouhanrugs/

Youtube :https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU7s9m_2gtvqar9Ob5FD8zA

[captain-hawks]

hellooo

wanderer (genshin) & deep purple

thank you 💖

scaramouche x reader

c: flirting, stubborn scara

“What?”

Scaramouche stares down at you, mouth curved downward in his usual frown as he watches you carefully run your fingers over the soft, silky material of the scarf he tossed into your lap moments ago.

It’s a deep, rich shade of purple with subtle gold accents of thread woven throughout—the adornments giving the piece the appearance of a dark night sky dotted with stars. 

“I thought you went into town for supplies,” you tell him, gesturing toward the basket held at his side, an assortment of goods he obtained from the streets of Sumeru City poking out from the open flap. 

He sighs, like even the mere thought of explaining himself is too troublesome in and of itself, placing the basket on the ground near the embers of your campfire if only to allow himself the freedom to cross his arms in disdain.

“I did,” he replies tersely, briefly glancing back down at the scarf in your hands, but as you go to look at his face, he whips his head up and stares off into the distance instead. 

“So then what’s this?” you pry, biting your lower lip at the dusting of crimson you swear has begun to creep over the planes of his cheeks. 

Tossing his hat aside, he roughly drags a hand through his hair, huffing in frustration as he plops down onto the ground beside you, his knee bumping into yours. He shifts away from you slightly, just enough so that you’re no longer touching.

“You never shut up about how much you like looking at the stars at night,” he grumbles, unceremoniously blowing aside a rogue lock of hair that flops over his eyes. 

Warmth curls in your chest as you rub your thumb across the beautiful silk, well aware that material like this certainly wouldn’t have come cheap amongst the vendors that you know to frequent those streets, particularly in the Grand Bazaar.

“I wasn’t aware you were listening,” you tease, purposely nudging his knee with yours, and he makes no effort to move away this time when you pointedly hold the contact. 

"I can still return it," he counters, reaching out as if to grab the purple material from your hands, but you catch his wrist between your fingers.

"Mm, no take backs."

Slowly, you lower both of your hands down atop your knees, and he pinches the bridge of his nose, exhaling loudly before glancing back down at the fabric.

He reaches out, slower this time, a runs a finger over the golden thread.

"It reminded me of you," he mutters, picking up the material as he goes to put it on you.

(One day, this will become a ritual—his gentle hands carefully tying a knot in the scarf after it wraps it around your neck.

The warm, lingering kiss he'll tuck beneath the purple silk, pressed softly to your skin before he adjusts it back into place.

The easy, upward curve of his lips as his eyes meet yours.)

[thus-spoke-lo]

He’s a Real Picnic // linecook!Sanji x reader // SFW

Written for @bastardblvd’s Wet Hot Slimeball Collab CW: gn!reader, some gendered pet name (ex. ma chérie), crack-ish. Sanji-typical shenanigans. WC: ~800

“Did you know that this wine takes seven summers to create, my sweet?”

You glance at the green bottle that Sanji holds in his hands. “No, I can’t say that I did.”

“Here, darling.” Sanji pours you a glass and hands it to you. “You see, what I’ve learned is that the best things in life take time and persistence, and this wine is no exception.”

“Huh.” You raise an eyebrow and take a swig from the glass; it tastes like wine, alright. “How interesting.”

“Isn’t it?” He brushes his blonde hair out of his eye, smooths out the picnic blanket that covers the patchy grass of the park. He takes multiple small containers out of the grand, hand-woven basket that sits in the middle, and begins to arrange their contents neatly on the plates in front of you—real plates, not the cheap paper kind that you’re used to hauling along for afternoon picnics, with intricate designs painted along the edges. “Do you know where I got these plates, my dear?”

You sigh. “Let me guess. When you were working under Chef Zeff in Fr—”

“When I worked under Chef Zeff in France that one summer,” he drones, not even hearing your response. “Now here, why don’t you try this? I special-ordered this baguette from a bakery out of town, just for today.”

You sputter as he shoves a piece of bread in your mouth. “Sanji—”

“I know, ma chérie, I spoil you too much.” He sighs and grasps your chin between his thumb and forefinger, directing your gaze to him. “But you deserve it. I see how hard you work every day, how you put up with the disgusting flirtations of our customers with a smile. It’s vile what they put you through, truly awful.”

“Sanji, listen—”

“Darling, we don’t need words,” he says, pressing his long finger to your lips to silence you. “Our love is one that only needs lingering glances over glasses of wine, a shared laugh over the gentle grazing of our hands as we both reach for the last piece of Brie—”

“Sanji! For the last goddamned time, I am on a date!”

“Of course you are, lovely,” he laughs, sitting back on his heels. “You’re on a date with me, just like I’ve always dreamed of.”

“Not with you.” You point to the sad-eyed man sitting next to you. “With him.”

Yuuta quietly waves at Sanji and smiles, leaning down to take a cracker from the plate on front of you; Sanji smacks Yuuta’s hand and shakes his head slowly. “Those are not for you, sac à merde, and you have no business interrupting my afternoon with my delicate flower.”

“Oh, should I go?” Yuuta asks, looking at you with an expression that made him look utterly and irresistibly soggy.

“What? Jesus, Yuuta, no, you don’t need to go, he’s just”—you pause and breathe deeply, grumbling as you exhale. “Let me handle this.”

Yuuta shrugs in response and pulls out his phone, popping in earbuds as if to give you privacy for whatever was about to happen.

“Sanji,” you start, taking both his his remarkably soft hands in yours, “you need to go, my guy. You crashed my date.”

“But my sweet, summer blossom, I put so much of my love for you into this experience! I brought all your favorite foods, and I got up early just to make sure everything looked perfect!” Sanji places his hands on each side of your face, his expression becoming more panicked as he spoke. “Do you know how hard it is to find someone to work the overnight shift? I owe Dabi so much money now!”

You carefully pry Sanji’s hands from your cheeks and close your eyes. A groan escapes your lips, and you know you’ll probably regret the next words you say. “Look. Maybe another time, okay? Just…not now.”

“You—you mean it?” His pupils practically turn heart-shaped at the suggestion.

“Yeah. Sure. Why not.” You could do worse.

“Well, then my apologies, let me clean this up and I’ll be out of your way.” He winks at you, like you now share a secret you’d rather not have between you, and he begins to pack up the picnic basket.

“Hey, Sanji,” you coo, tugging at the hem of his shirt as he starts to put away the bunny-shaped apple slices.

“Yes, my darling?” he grins, practically salivating at the sound of your voice.

“Can you, uh… can you leave the food at least?”

“…fine. But he can’t have any.” He leans over, until he’s mere inches from Yuuta’s face. “And I’ll know if you do.”

Sanji lights a cigarette and takes a long drag from it while he glares at the two of you, blowing the smoke in Yuuta’s face, then stands and shoves his hands in his pockets as he wanders off. You sigh and turn to Yuuta, who is quietly watching Power and Denji’s latest video, chuckling to himself while he shoves a slice of apple in his mouth.

Somehow, this is still the best summer you’ve had so far.

[shyvioletcat]

A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! It’s my birthday today and my gift to you is this chapter that took me far too long to finish. I really hope you like it and I’m not going to delay any longer. 

~ Made of Ashes Masterlist ~

~~~~~

Rowan’s day started like any other, he got up, checked his emails, got ready for work and ate his breakfast. It wasn’t until he was half way through his cereal that he realised anything out of the ordinary. A notification lit up his phone and he assumed that it was just an email but a quick glance told him it was a text from his mother. He wasn’t one to have a preview on his lock screen, so he unlocked his phone to read it.

Happy Birthday, son. Hope you have a nice and relaxing day. Love, Mum. 

He blinked once, and then remembered that today was, in fact, his birthday. Rowan had forgotten, and he didn’t care. There were other things that needed to be done today instead of acknowledging another year on the earth. Without any effort Rowan sent a simple thank you text back. Today was just another day, there was nothing special about it, nothing to celebrate.

When he got into work Rowan barely looked up from his phone. Partly due to the copious amount of emails in his inbox and partly because he didn’t want to interact with anyone. No one should know about his birthday, he wasn’t exactly the most social being in this office. Essar might, but that came with the inside knowledge of being the head of HR. And they were friendly, but not friends. A casual birthday wish was all Rowan expected of her if he couldn't avoid it. 

So when he walked into his office and there was an obscenely large gift basket sitting on his desk Rowan was taken aback. 

Slipping his phone into the inside pocket of his jacket he approached the desk, circled it while inspecting the gift basket. From the items he could see he could tell this thing wasn’t cheap. The bottle of whiskey in there would have well over a hundred dollars on its own. Rowan stopped by his chair, peering over the layers of clear cellophane for a card. It was tucked under one of the corners of the physical woven basket and he didn’t bother to wait with his suspicions any longer and slid it out from underneath the substantial weight. He tore at the envelope and flipped open the small card. 

For the third time today, his birthday had presented him with yet another surprise. 

Inside the card was an elegant and simple message of birthday well wishes—from his boss. The text was printed so Maeve hadn’t signed it off herself, and Rowan doubted that she had even come up with the words herself they were so generic. Still, she had gone through this much effort to give him a gift. Regardless of whatever thought and effort was put into the obscene jumble of items, Rowan picked up the basket and moved it off his desk to one of the couches in his office. He had work to do, so he would be returning that later. 

Later turned out to be just before close of business. It would be the worst time to carry the thing through the office when everyone was cramming to finish what they could before they were allowed to go home. Instead Rowan waited, using the quiet moment to see to more personal affairs. He pulled out his phone, checking his messages. There was another one from his mother asking about his day, and a text along with a missed call from his father. A few texts from friends, which he took a glance over. He was about to reply when a ding from his computer drew his attention away. Rowan had expected it to be a client or co-worker sending in an email desperately before he became unavailable. But it wasn’t, it was from someone completely unexpected. 

It must have been morbid curiosity that made him click on it. What he should have done was checked in on the small empty box beside it and deleted it. But instead, his mouse found its way onto the subject heading and it opened on his screen. It was just an e-card, outdated and cheesy. But ever since they had started dating she had sent one to him. What had started out as a joke had become a tradition and now Rowan stared at something that had been waiting a full year to be delivered to him. 

The photo was of him and Aelin, taken on his last birthday and he was sure if he looked for some kind of date stamp he’d find that the entire email was created just hours after it was taken. She did it that way so she wouldn’t forget, so that he wouldn’t be forgotten. The irony of it was that she had forgotten, after everything this had slipped her mind and hadn’t been cancelled. 

Rowan couldn’t help it, he stared at the joy on their faces, the way they so easily stood with their bodies so close together. The hand Aelin had on the collar of his jacket was tight and he remembered how she had pulled him in for a kiss with that grip. The joke of the e-card had been how badly it was done, Aelin annually tried her hand at his job, presenting him with a horribly designed card. He worked in advertising, anything he presented to the public was flawless. But with its garish and clashing colours and comic sans font, this was awful. It was the text that drew in his focus now. 

Happiest of Birthdays to you, Buzzard,

Can’t wait to celebrate with you later ;)

I love you, forever and always.

Aelin.

For the first time in a while he felt the weight on his chest that he had worked so hard to remove. He had to tell himself that all this was a reminder of what he’d had, a part of his past and nothing that was part of his future. Not after what Aelin had forced him into. That familiar anger settled on him, something that was so natural to him after these months of silence. With an easy click on the trashcan icon the email was gone. There wouldn’t be another. 

Rowan was officially done with the day and he knew Maeve would be in her office, rarely one to leave early despite her position. So he once again picked up the gift basket, and walked it through the mostly empty office space. No one paid him any attention except Maeve’s secretary when he stopped outside the door. She was new, Rowan hadn’t learnt her name yet. 

“Mr Whitethorn, you can go in,” she said with a trained and pleasant smile. Rowan didn’t return it, he just nodded. 

Maeve was sitting at her desk, glasses on as she annotated whatever she was going over. She didn’t look up until she was ready, always holding the upper hand. When she did glance up she did a double take before she lent back in her chair to see him better. 

“Ah, I see you got my gift,” she said smoothly.

“I did, but I can’t accept it,” Rowan told her, not wanting to draw this out. “It’s too much and I don’t care for my birthday anyway. It’s just another day.” 

“That’s unfortunate.” Maeve didn’t push the matter of the gift, just gestured for him to put it down. Although he didn’t miss what he thought was annoyance flash across her face. “If you won’t accept the gift, can I interest you in dinner instead?” 

Rowan put the ridiculous hamper on one of the chairs by her desk. “Not tonight.” 

“Are you sure? I could get us into Spring Rose, I know the chef,” Maeve persisted.

The name of the restaurant brought him up short. Rowan knew the place, he had taken Aelin there when he’d brought her to visit her parents. She had met him after work, dressed to the nines and beautiful. 

“No,” Rowan said flatly. “Thank you for the offer but I can’t.” 

Maeve laughed humourlessly. “You’ve just told me that you don’t care for your birthday and you’re returning my gift. It’s not likely that you have plans for the evening.” 

She was weaving a web to catch him and right now it was pissing Rowan off. He just wanted to go home and be done with today. “I understand, it’s a generous offer. But not tonight.”

“I might hold you to that,” Maeve said casually. “It's unfortunate that you don’t want the hamper, but I understand. I’ll just have to enjoy it myself.”

Rowan was relieved that she relented, arguing about his boss about his birthday was not something he wished to do. “Goodnight, I’ll see you Monday.”

“Goodbye, Rowan,” was all Maeve said and then she went back to her screens.

He grabbed his things from his office and then he headed for his car, thoughts invading his mind. The email stung in a way Rowan hadn’t expected. It was a reminder to him that he and Aelin had always thought they were in it for the long haul. How wrong they had been. A few messages popped up on his dash, most likely birthday well wishes. Rowan planned to ignore all of those, and just reply to his mother. She didn’t deserve his foul mood. He replied to her on the ride up in the elevator and then threw the phone into his laptop bag with the full intent of not looking at it until tomorrow. 

His apartment seemed quieter than usual, something about his solitude more oppressive. The email had provoked something in him. Rowan began to wonder if Aelin ever thought about him, or if she had to fight so hard to banish him from her thoughts like he had done. Work was his remedy for that, what was Aelin doing to distract herself?

Rowan sighed, going to his fridge and got himself a beer. There was nothing to be done about this, and just like everything else he had done regarding Aelin, he shoved the thoughts over the email out and away. They served no purpose, he didn’t need them. He sat on the couch and reached for the remote, taking a long sip of his beer while the TV booted up. Something mysterious and crime filled would be good to distract him, to give him a good puzzle to solve.

He chose a series he’d heard cursory good reviews about. While the opening credits played he went to the fridge, grabbed out a cold container of pasta and another beer. Rowan made good time, sitting down just and the director’s name faded from the screen. He set his next beer on the low coffee table in front of him and yanked the lid off the container of pasta. It would be better heated up but he just couldn’t be bothered. Reaching for his beer, clinking it against the unopened one, the glass making a sharp ting over the sound of the TV.  

Rowan sighed and took a long swig of his beer before saying, “Happy birthday to me.”  

~~~~~

Leaving the house with a little baby was still such a strange thing. Aelin had done it a few times now, not once by herself, until today. Childbirth had wrecked her more than she had expected and it had taken her longer to recover than she would realise. Elide had tried to warn her—Aelin had been too cocky. She had pretty much spent the first 6 weeks of Elsie’s life in her apartment unless someone came to pick her up or visit, and there had been plenty of visitors to keep her sane. Today at least she had driven by herself, albeit a little slower and a hell of a lot more cautious than she usually would. 

She was meeting Elide, Lorcan and Korbin at the local shopping centre. They had plans to get some lunch and then do some casual shopping. Aelin was running late, but chances were so were they as well. Children tended to cause that. Popping the boot Aelin pulled out the pram and unfolded it with practised ease. Because Aelin had been practising ever since she bought the thing, she had no plans to be fumbling around trying to fold or unfold it in a desperate situation. Flicking on the break, Aelin went to the back door and got Elsie out of her car seat. She was dozing, her brow furrowed like she couldn’t decide if she wanted to be awake or not. 

“Oh, come on little Elsie,” Aelin cooed, scooping the infant out of the car. She went to put Elsie into the pram but as soon as Aelin started to ease the baby onto the padded bassinet she loudly proclaimed her displeasure. “Ok, not doing that then.”

Aelin dropped the nappy bag into the pram instead and rested Elsie on her shoulder, pressing a kiss to her beanied head. The pram was easy enough to manoeuvre with one hand—another feature Aelin had tested out. A short walk and an elevator ride later they were in the large courtyard that was surrounded by a variety of restaurants. Aelin’s eyes landed on the Italian place selected for luch, because Korbin’s current favourite food was pasta at the moment. It was across the courtyard through the autumn sunshine. It was a very rare sunny day in late November, by now winter usually had the city in its thrall, but today was very nice. 

When Aelin reached the door of the restaurant a waiter rushed to open the door for her. She nodded her thanks and then looked around for her lunch companions. Korbin gave them away, Aelin heard his loud laugh and then saw his dark head of hair pop up over the booth then quickly disappear again. Whatever game Korbin was playing made Aelin smile and she navigated the pram through the tables. 

“Hey guys,” Aelin said as she got closer. Korbin waved an enthusiastic hello, hyped up on all the activity. 

“You right?” Lorcan asked, starting to rise out of the booth to help as Korbin peered over the seat again. 

Aelin shook her head and flicked on the pram brake. “No, I’m good.”

She slid onto the seat next to Elide, sighing like she’d just been through a whole ordeal instead of walking from the car to the restaurant. 

“Gimme,” Elide held out her hands for the baby.

“Oh, it’s nice to see you too,” Aelin joked but handed the baby over anyway.

Elide grinned, air kissing at Aelin. “You know I love you even more.” With the next sentence her voice changed into baby talk. “This one is just so squishy.” 

Aelin rolled her eyes playfully, because she totally understood where Elide was coming from. Then she turned to the little boy who was trying to climb on his dad's shoulder. “Hey, Korby, look who Mum has.”

Korbin turned, eyes landing on Elide and they all watched as his face morphed into something that could be described as disgust. Lorcan chuckled and Aelin grinned. It was common knowledge that Korbin was not a fan of the new baby, and if the toddler had the capability to hate anything, he hated when Elide held her. 

“You two are not helping,” Elide scolded, rubbing Elsie’s back. “We’re supposed to be encouraging him to like the baby.”

“Ells, he’s nearly two,” Lorcan said. “He’s going to do what he’s going to do.”

“Still,” Elide pressed.

Aelin laughed. “He’ll come around, he doesn’t have a choice. I’m sure they’ll be friends… eventually.”

With the teasing done with, Aelin turned her attention to the menu. By the time they had ordered Elide had gotten Elsie to sleep and was happily holding her until the food arrived. Korbin immediately started eating his nuggets and chips, losing interest in games and the baby. But Elide would need two hands to eat her steak sandwich. Aelin was about to offer to move Elsie to the pram but Lorcan got there first. He leaned over and easily eased the infant over the table, holding her close as he stood up. Very gently he put Elsie down in the pram, taking the time to tuck her in and make sure she was comfortable. It was still odd to see Lorcan be so… soft. Especially when it was somehow related to Aelin. The truce between them that had started on the way to the hospital was still holding strong it seemed. 

The lunch was nice and Elsie blessedly stayed asleep the whole time. With a few interruptions from Korbin, Aelin was able to hold nice and casual adult conversations that didn’t always revolve around the baby. It was nice, it felt like things were getting back to normal. They finished, paid and then headed to the main shopping complex to browse the stores. Women’s clothes didn’t particularly hold Lorcan’s attention so he wandered off, leaving the mothers and children for a bit. 

“This would look fantastic on you,” Elide said, holding up a simple but elegant red dress.

Aelin shrugged. “I’d have nowhere to wear it.”

“Yet,” Elide said pointedly.

“Elide, Elsie is six weeks old. No one is going to be interested in this mess,” Aelin gestured to herself.

The brunette scoffed. “One, you are not a mess.”

“I am,” Aelin countered.

“A hot mess then. And two, I never said anything about a date, you could wear the dress anytime. Sometimes it’s just nice to put clothes on that don’t have stains on them,” Elide explained. “It’s just nice to do something just for you. That’s all.”

Aelin looked at the dress and considered, she even completed trying it on, but then Korbin ran into Elide’s legs a distinct smell following him. 

“Oh, that’s not good,” Elide muttered, taking Korbin’s hand. “Come on, let's get you changed then. Meet you back here?”

“No, I’ll just wait on the seats outside,” Aelin said.

They moved out of the store together, but then Elide hurried away towards the bathrooms. Aelin went to the couches that took up some of the in between spaces in the middle of the different stores. She had just sat down when she heard her own child fussing and pulled the pram close so that she could get Elsie out. Pushing back the visor Aelin saw Elisie’s fists waving around, the rest of her body still tucked securely in the blanket from Lorcan’s efforts. 

“I bet you’re hungry,” Aelin said, and reached down into the nappy bag under the bassinet of the pram. She’d packed a bottle to prepare for this, the thought of feeding in public was a little daunting and Aelin wasn’t sure if she was brave enough to attempt it. Public nudity wasn’t on her list of things to do today. 

Aelin kept sifting blindly through the nappy bag, waiting to feel the smooth lid of the bottle. But she didn’t. As Elsie started to cry louder Aelin pulled the bag into her lap, visibly searching. 

“No,” Aelin hissed. “No, I didn’t…” 

Now she was pulling things out of the bag because she couldn’t believe how she'd forgotten something so essential. While she stared at the wet wipes and extra onesie in her hand and the half empty bag, Elsie decided to start screaming her lungs out with desperate and hungry cries. If that went on any longer Aelin might end up with a boob problem and soak through her shirt triggered by her baby’s needs. Aelin probably had about thirty seconds before this went into a full blown crisis and she might be scared off coming out by herself again. 

The parents' room was all the way at the other end of the shopping mall. It would take her at least 5 minutes to get there, longer if she couldn’t get an elevator. The panic was setting in and if only made Elsie fuss more. Aelin only had one choice. Going on instinct and what was now muscle memory, Aelin cradled Elsie while she unbuttoned the top few buttons on her shirt. There was no time to grab a wrap to drape over herself and she wore a maternity singlet under her blouse so realistically she would barely be exposed. But still her cheeks burned with embarrassment as Elsie sought out her meal. Maybe once she was settled Aelin would be able to grab something. 

As Elsie started to feed Aelin felt her anxiety start to ebb and she sunk into the couch a little more. It was fine, everything was fine, and now Aelin could start to think. Making sure not to disturb her now content daughter, Aelin leaned towards the pram to get the muslin wrap that sat in the bottom basket. It wasn’t easy and leaving Elsie to her task was the main priority. And the little baby did not like the disturbance.

Cheeks burning, Aelin sat back up at the request of the impatient whimpering. It was fine, this was fine. She was just doing what women had been doing for millions of years. There was no reason to be embarrassed. That didn’t stop her shoulders from tightening when she caught an older woman looking at her, disapproval written all over her face and that just transferred to the friend next to her.

Aelin glanced down, feeling so self conscious. She was barely showing any skin, what she wore hid most of it. It wasn’t like she was parading around topless. Her stomach dropped as one of the irritated women started walking over. Mummy blogs were full of horror stories of women breastfeeding in public. Aelin was about to live one.

“Excuse me, sorry,” the woman said, stopping right in front of Aelin. 

Aelin’s voice caught in his throat. “Yes?”

“I would really appreciate it if you covered up.”

And there it was. Aelin tried not to flush, but her cheeks were burning red. “I’m just feeding my baby.”

“I can see that,” the woman’s blue eyes narrowed. “I just don’t think—“

“Is there a problem?”

Aelin hadn’t noticed Lorcan approaching, she had been too focused on the woman intent on embarrassing her. But there he stood, looming over the both of them with his arms crossed, a challenge on his face. Aelin tried not to smile as the unsolicited advice giver blanched a little. 

“I meant no disrespect,” the woman said. “But—”

“Then you’ll have no problem leaving,” Lorcan cut in. 

The woman weighed her options for half a moment and then thankfully left. Aelin let out a nervous laugh mixed with a sigh, and realised there might be tears of relief gathering in her eyes. Lorcan definitely pretended not to notice as he landed on the couch next to her. He kept his arms crossed and the do not approach expression on his face, glaring at anyone who even glanced at Aelin wrong. It was almost comical, and Aelin might had laughed—if her throat would stop feeling so tight. 

“Thank you, Lorcan,” Aelin said eventually. She hated the way her voice shook just a fraction. 

Lorcan shrugged one of his massive shoulders. “Kid’s gotta eat.” 

Then something very weird happened. Lorcan offered his fist for a fist bump. Without hesitation Aelin knocked his knuckles with hers, a new feeling of camaraderie bloomed between them. Lorcan had her back, and it was a strangely comforting feeling. 

It wasn’t long before Elide found them too, by then Elsie was sitting on Aelin’s knee with assistance. Aelin patted the infant’s back, hoping the burp would be more air than vomit. 

“What’s going on here?” Elide asked while Korby ran circles around her knees. 

“Oh, Lorcan’s just defending my honour,” Aelin said.

Elide turned a questioning glance at her husband, he gave her the slightest hint of a smile. “Some people need to pull their heads out of their arses.”

“Ohhh-kay,” Elide said, with no idea of what was happening.

Aelin would have explained further, but Elsie chose just then to burp up half her lunch. Lorcan was there a second later, whipping out a burp cloth from the pram to catch it. 

“Truly my knight in shining armour,” Aelin added, as lightly as she could. This was heading into a new and slightly weird aspect of their relationship.

Aelin knew that Lorcan had taken Rowan’s side in things, he had chosen to tolerate her for so long she really had to commend his dedication to it. When Korbin was born things had gotten better, but she always felt that wall there because he was Rowan’s friend and not her’s. But now, it was almost like they were fringing into the realm of friends. If their general banter was any indication they might already be there.

“Here, let me take her,” Lorcan offered, reaching out for the infant. “Go do your lady stuff or whatever. I’ll take these two to the park.”

With a few extra thank yous Aelin and Elide resumed their shopping expedition. They were in a homewares store when Aelin felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She looked at the notification taking a moment to figure out what it was. It was an email, telling her her e-card had been sent. For a moment Aelin just blinked at it as she remembered exactly what it was. It was Rowan’s birthday and her annual half-assed card she had curated for this year had been sent. 

Aelin hadn’t even realised what the date was, on one hand she had trouble keeping track these days and on the other she really didn’t care anymore. She just hit delete and didn’t bother to give it another thought. Without her making a new for next year the tradition would die. That didn’t matter, she had better things to focus on now. And yet some simmering bitter part of her hoped that Rowan got it. It would be early evening in Doranelle now, maybe it would catch him just before he left for home. Aelin hoped that it would make him think of her and he would regret what he’d so readily thrown away. 

~~~~~

Iris and Evander had told Aelin they would be in Orynth a little over a week. They already had a few things they’d planned to do before the unexpected revelation of an unknown grandchild had disrupted that, and asked if they could fit in seeing Elsie in between. After that first outing in the park and considering how well that went, Aelin agreed. Guilt might have been the main motivator but it was easy enough to see that they were quickly falling in love with their granddaughter. 

The easiest way to sort it all out was for Iris and Evander to drop by the bakery in between galleries and sightseeing. They had done that at least once a day over the past few days, they had even managed it twice yesterday. Iris would send a text and Aelin would bring Elsie out from her office. The little girl was excited to see her new friends and would happily go along with them, leading them to a table, and Aelin would go back to work. That’s where they were now, tucked into one of the tables in the corner out of the way. Today the grandparents had bought Elsie a colouring in pack and she stood on a chair with Evander sitting close by to make sure she didn’t fall as she created whatever her heart desired.  

Aelin watched as she waited for Emrys to finish making her coffee, needing a little buzz as afternoon rolled around. When it was done he pushed it over the counter and nodded to the commotion in the corner. 

“You never did tell me who they were.” 

Aelin cringed. She hadn’t and that may have been a little purposeful.  “Do you remember that guy who came in a while ago and things were a little weird?”  

Emrys hummed as a way of saying yes. 

“He’s Elsie’s father and those two are his parents,” Aelin gestured with a hand to the occupied table. 

Emrys tightened his grip on the dishcloth he held. “I thought you called him an unfeeling and pathetic bastard.”

“I did say that, yes.” That was one of the more tamer things she had called him. 

“And that he was long gone,” Emrys added.

Aelin shrugged at that. “Not as much as I was expecting.” 

“Well, that explains some things,” Emrys said. 

Cringing again, Aelin turned back to where Elsie was holding court. She hadn’t been the best employee over the last few months while she dealt with this situation. She’d been distracted and late or worked from home without much notice. Emrys had never said a thing, probably assuming Elsie was the cause. And she was, just in a roundabout way. 

Untying and dropping his apron on the counter Emrys said, “I should go introduce myself.”

Before Aelin could even think of protesting, Emrys had Iris and Evander’s drinks in hand and took them over to the table. She watched as he approached and once Elsie saw her face lit up in a bright smile and she started showing him all the things she had created. Emrys smiled, fixing one of Elsie’s clips that had come loose, smiling and nodding along. He very much had been something of a surrogate grandfather to the girl, and very protective of the two of them. It was touching that he would be so concerned for them. It just reminded Aelin that Emrys was a good and kind man. 

Emrys introduced himself to the grandparents, shaking hands with both of them. Everyone was all smiles, not that Aelin expected anything less. It was just strange to have the life she had left behind meet up with the one she had forged for herself. Aelin tore her eyes away and ducked behind the counter, picking out a small chocolate tart for herself. Eating behind the counter wasn’t exactly sanitary so she put it on a plate and went to sit down and have a chat with the elder Whitethorns. 

She passed Emrys on the way and he stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. “They seem nice. They adore little Elsie.” 

Aelin nodded. “They’re good people. And they really do.”

The admission made unexpected emotions surge to the surface. She couldn’t help but feel like she had stolen time from them. They were Elsie’s grandparents, and if these past days were any indication they would have been fantastic grandparents. Iris and Evander had never done anything wrong by Aelin in the time she and Rowan had dated, so had it been wrong to keep Elsie from them?

That was a question that kept hounding her and that she continually ignored. It felt like one that might send her tower toppling. So, once again she did ignore it and worked a conscious smile onto her face. When Aelin sat down at the table it took her daughter a moment to notice that she had, and in fact she noticed the tart first. Elsie’s eyes landed on the chocolatey goodness, then followed the hand up the arm to the face that owned it. 

“Mama!” Elsie said, her face delighted. “I some?”

Aelin’s smile turned genuine and she nodded, scooping up a spoonful of tart to offer it to her daughter. 

“We’re not pulling you away from work, are we?” Iris asked. 

“No, I don’t have anything urgent to get to,” Aelin answered. “I had something to ask you anyway. On Saturday there’s a get together at a park, it’ll be us and the Salvaterres, and my cousin will come too. We get the kids together to play every so often and the weather will start getting too cold soon to take them outside. Anyway… would you like to come?”

Aelin had rambled a little but her thoughts were all a bit jumbled today and she just needed to get the offer out. She had already cleared it with the others, Aedion hadn’t met her maybe would have been in-laws and the perpetual busybody he was, he'd insisted out of curiosity alone. 

“Oh, Saturday?” Evander hedged. 

“Yeah, Saturday,” Aelin confirmed. 

It was Iris who picked up the conversation after that. “We had plans with Rowan on Saturday.”

Aelin was going to drown in the amount of awkwardness that swept over her. “Ah.”

Iris looked at Elsie like she was contemplating something, her lips tight. Aelin just waited, she didn’t want to butt into this situation. She would leave it up to them to make the choice between their granddaughter and their son. That was a choice Aelin had no business interfering with, regardless of what she thought the better decision was.

“Might I suggest something, and I want you to feel no obligation to agree,” Iris said. 

“Of course,” Aelin tried not to let the hesitation she felt into her voice. 

“Would you consider inviting Rowan? I know things are awkward between you, and there’s some tension when you inevitably run into each other,” Iris stated, obviously having been filled in on his side of things. “Might it be good to meet on neutral ground. Have an official introduction of sorts, let Elspeth explore her curiosity with him in an environment that doesn’t encroach on your sanctuary.”

Aelin sat for a moment, just processing Iris’ idea. She had made some valid points. Elsie had a very obvious interest in Rowan, and Aelin had noticed it multiple times. The moment in the bakery most noticeably, it was like she couldn’t keep away when they ended up in the same vicinity. And that was something Aelin didn’t want to look at too closely at—the why of Elsie’s behaviour. If Rowan came there wouldn’t be the pressure of just him and them. There would be other people to buffer interactions and create distance. Iris and Evander would be there, Rowan could be their situation to deal with. And with how gracious they had been over the whole secret grandchild thing… maybe Aelin could allow them this.

“Yeah, okay,” Aelin said at last. “That sounds like a good idea.”

Aelin knew it would be awkward and she would need to do some damage control with Aedion, but this could be the icebreaker that she needed. Probably how the baby shower should have gone if they had been more prepared. In the truth of it, Aelin was losing her fight. The vigilance and the anger was exhausting, and on more than one occasion it was evident that Elsie had been affected by the strain. Maybe a move toward neutrality wasn’t such a bad idea. 

~~~~~

His mother was a saint, or maybe she was just gods blessed. Either way Rowan didn’t know how she’d accomplished it or how he was going to thank her for doing what he couldn’t. As grateful as he was, it didn’t banish the nerves over what was happening today or the situations he’d find himself in. In his mind the whole thing seemed uncomfortable and awkward. What was he supposed to do at a playdate at a children’s playground when he had no children himself? Well, he did. At least biologically.

Aelin would be there, so would the Salvaterres and the Ashryvers apparently. Iris hadn’t mentioned if Aelin’s parents would be coming, but Rowan hoped they weren’t. That would be the one inconvenience that might send him running. His last interaction with Rhoe Galathynius had been tense to say the least and Rowan was not looking to test the limits of that man’s patience again any time soon. 

Rowan had driven his parents to the local playground, the cool early autumn air invading his lungs as he tried to keep his anxiety from showing.  Getting out of the car hadn’t been as ebay as it should have been. 

“Calm down, son,” Iris said to him, squeezing his arm once as they started walking away from the parked car. “Your nerves will do you no good.” 

The playground was fairly busy, but Elspeth was easy to spot. Her curls and bright laughter drew Rowan’s attention immediately. She was being chased by Fenrys who had Korbin on his shoulders. Ruben ran interference to keep Fenrys back so that Elspeth could win whatever game they were playing. It was a sight to see, but it just left Rowan feeling conflicted. Another reminder that he was very much on the outside of this. With a quick glance around it was a relief to see that the elder Galathyniuses were not in attendance, but there was still Aedion to contend with.

“Let’s go and say hello,” Evander said, leading the charge to one of the shaded picnic tables that the group was gathering at. 

“What’s Fenrys doing here?” Iris mused and Rowan stopped short. He was one part of the tale that had been left out. “Aelin never mentioned him coming along, does he have a kid too?”

“Um,” Rowan stammered out. “No, he doesn’t.”

“Then why…” This time his mother stopped, her words trailing off as she watched the scene unfold, looking to where Fenrys had stopped playing with the children and was now wrapping his arms around Aelin. She beamed up and he dropped a kiss onto her cheek. “They’re together.”

The three of them were halted now, still far enough away that they hadn’t been noticed and the hushed circle that was forming wouldn’t seem rude. Iris’ eyes narrowed, suspicion and confusion shining there. Rowan had been there, and imagined he would have looked much the same when he had first spotted the couple in the grocery store. 

“Yeah, they are,” Rowan offered lamely.

Iris gestured in their direction. “You’re okay with this? He was your friend?”

Rowan didn’t think this was the time or place to recount how not okay he was with it, he’d have time to admit his sins later. “I’ve had to accept it.”

Iris shook her head. “What a dick move.”

Any other time Rowan would have laughed at hearing a term like that come from his mother’s mouth, but right now he was too tense.

“Now, we don’t know the circumstances or the reasons,” Evander came in, ever the measured calmness to the tempers of his other family members. “It’s not our business and not why we’re here. So, shall we?”

With a final shake of her head, Iris took the lead this time, Rowan following stiffly behind. It was time to face his fate. 

~~~~~

Aelin tensed as she saw the Whitethorns walking over. It was the moment of truth. Her boyfriend’s arms were still around so he felt the shift in her body language. He peered over her shoulder, obviously having seen who was coming as well, and tilted her head up with his fingers.

“You say the word and I’ll very politely ask them to leave, or just one of them anyway,” Fenrys offered. 

He hadn’t been enthusiastic about the idea of Rowan coming, and it had Aelin explaining it twice for him to come around. Fenrys still wasn’t thrilled, but he trusted her judgement on this. 

“No, it’s fine,” Aelin assured him. “It’s something that needs to be done.”

“Is it?” That comment came from Lysandra who was currently rocking the youngest member of their party. Eamon Salvaterre was very much contentedly asleep.

For all of Fenrys’ understanding Aedion and Lysandra had been doubly opposed. They thought the best course of action was to ignore Rowan completely, even when that was clearly not working. 

“Please try and be at least polite, and Iris and Evander don’t deserve any ill feelings,” Aelin told them. “Just… be nice.”

“You chose to do this in public so we couldn’t cause a scene didn’t you? Smart.” Elide said and Aelin hushed her viciously as the others came into earshot.

“Hello, hello,” Iris said pleasantly. 

Aelin disentangled herself from Fenrys and stepped over to where Iris was standing so that she could introduce everyone. “Hi, Iris. This is my cousin, Aedion, and his wife Lysandra. And this is Elide who married our dear Lorcan, but we have no idea why. Had two of his children too, which is another mystery entirely. Fenrys you know, of course.”

There were waves and hellos exchange, and Aelin noticed Fenrys’ features fall a little when Iris wouldn’t quite meet his eye. Rowan lingered at the back looking so awkward and out of place Aelin almost pitied him. Almost, there was the whole abandonment thing holding back her compassion. 

“Elsie is playing with the other kids, but I’m sure once she sees you she’ll come and say hello,” Aelin said, not sure of what else to do now. 

“Right,” Evander nodded. “Rowan, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

Bless Evander and his tact for leading Rowan away, most likely to talk about nothing. It relieved some of the tension but not all of it. Aelin was sure that she wouldn’t relax until she was safe at home again. She looked at the play equipment and saw Korby and Rue helping Elsie across the ropes arranged as a spider’s web. It was quite sweet how those boys doted on her. 

“So, you married Lorcan, did you?” Iris said, starting up a conversation with Elide. 

Aelin felt a tug on her hand, and was being drawn off to the side. It wasn’t a child though. 

“I don’t think Iris is very happy with me,” Fensys whispered. 

“I’m sure you’re imagining it.” Aelin did not sound convincing. 

Her boyfriend sighed. “I’m not sure what I was expecting. I guess Rowan left out the little tidbit about us.”

“Mama!” This time it was a child that took Aelin’s hand. “Mama, not watching.”

“No, sorry, I wasn’t,” Aelin dropped into a crouch, wiping off a smudge of dirt on Elsie’s face. “Did you see that Iris and Evan are here?”

The pigtails on top of her head whipped around as Elsie turned in search of her newest friends. She grinned when she spotted Iris talking to Elide. 

“Wanna go say hi?” Aelin asked.

“Yes, ‘peas,” Elsie said, not waiting for her mother before running for Iris’ legs. Luckily she didn’t collide too hard and Iris just placed a comforting hand on the little girl’s head. 

“You want to do this now?” Fenrys asked as Aelin stood. 

“Might as well.”

There had been extensive conversation about how The Introduction, as they had dubbed it, would go. Aelin wasn’t exactly comfortable sending off Elsie by herself, and on the flip side she also didn’t feel comfortable being the fifth wheel in the situation. Fenrys offered to do it instead, despite the history between him and Rowan. That had mellowed out anyway and the boys would have to be on their best behaviour with Rowan’s parent’s around. It wasn’t a question of trust, Aelin knew Elsie was entirely safe. She just wanted someone who would be wholly on Elsie’s side and be a way out if she needed it. So it was decided Fenrys would do it, keeping his distance and not interfering, but just to keep an eye on things.

Fenrys went over and charmingly sorted out the situation himself, following as Iris took Elsie’s hand and walked towards where Rowan and his father had been waiting. He kept his distance, like he said he would, hands in his pockets as he spoke to both his companions. They reached their destination and Aelin watched it all happen as Rowan crouched down to talk to Elsie. She couldn’t see Elsie’s face, but Rowan’s lit up. He smiled, it looked slightly stunned, but it was there. They talked for a few moments before Korbin darted over, full speed as he used the momentum of coming off the slide to propel himself. He spoke to Elsie, completely ignoring the adults. The little girl at least gave her audience a wave before she ran off as well. 

“I don’t know why you agreed to this.”

Aelin threw a glance over her shoulder and saw Aedion scowling in Rowan’s direction. Out of everyone Aedion had been the most vocal and oppositional to Rowan attending today. Even though Aelin had explained the reasoning for it multiple times and with her cousin being as stubborn as she was, refused to alter his opinion. 

“It’s my business, not yours,” Aelin snapped. 

“Sure, whatever,” Aedion dropped Ruben’s lunchbox on the table and then started walking away. 

“Wait, where are you going?” Aelin had her suspicions. 

Aedion turned still, stepping backward, a devilish smile on his face. “I’m just going to have a little chat.”

~~~~~

One thing Rowan didn’t want to do was force the interaction, so his father kept him company while he kept his distance from the rest of the party. He was wishing Lorcan had come, but it was only Elide with their two boys. It would just make the whole situation a whole less awkward with someone who was willing to talk to him. Rowan was definitely the outsider and he wasn’t going to push his luck. He also didn’t miss the baleful glares that Aedion was sending his way. 

“He’s her cousin, right?” His father asked and Rowan nodded. “Big brother is more like.”

“They’ve been close since they were kids,” Rowan explained.

Evander hummed something, then sat down on a nearby bench. “Looks like your mother is working her magic.”

Rowan turned, his breath catching at the sight of his mother leading his daughter by the hand—coming right for them. Elspeth was nearly bouncing with uncontained energy. Her grandmother was saying something and the toddler listened with rapt attention. Rowan was so focused on Elspeth that she didn’t notice at first that Fenrys was with them, keeping his distance but looking very much the protective Uncle. It seemed Aelin had sent a bodyguard along, Rowan wasn’t sure if he should be insulted or impressed. They all stopped a healthy distance away 

“Elsie, I want to meet someone,” Iris said. “This is my son Rowan, I think you’ve seen him around.”

Elspeth looked in between the two adults, before she settled on him and gave Rowan a wide smile. “Hi, hi, Ro-yen.”

His heart flipped in his chest to hear her try and pronounce his name in her sweet little voice. Rowan couched down so that he could see her better. “Hi, Elsie. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Officially.” 

Elspeth laughed, hugging Iris’ leg. Rowan couldn’t help his own smile at the toddler’s vivaciousness. 

She babbled something too fast for Rowan to follow along, so he just nodded instead. The moment they were having was broken by Korbin running over. “Elsie come play. Rue will catch you on the slide.”

“Yeah!” Elspeth took the hand Korbin offered, but she turned back to wave, “Bye! Bye!”

Iris gave Elspeth a little wave as Rowan stood, she said to anyone that would listen, “She’s such a darling.”

Fenrys politely excused himself. “I’ll head back.”

With nothing else to do, Rowan sat down on a bench to give his parents a break from babysitting him, telling them he’d be fine and to go chat. He started going through some emails for work when the unexpected happened. A shadow fell over him, and looking up Rowan saw Aedion standing in front of him. They hadn’t interacted since the day Rowan had arrived in Orynth and he didn’t expect this conversation to go any better than that one. The look on Aedion’s face had Rowan standing, just even the playing field.

“I don’t know why she's doing what she’s doing or what your game plan is here, but you have no idea what  Aelin has been through these past three years without you.” Aedion crossed his arms just to look more imposing. “So don’t get comfortable.”

“Your opinion is duly noted,” Rowan said, reminding himself he wasn’t here to start a fight, especially not with Aedion. Not when this whole charade was his first chance at real connection. He wanted to comment on how it actually hadn’t been his fault that he was excluded from Elspeth’s life, but that was an inflammatory comment. Luckily Rowan was saved by his phone ringing. “I have to take this.”

Aedion just nodded and let him be. The call turned out to be from a telemarketer but it still gave Rowan the out he needed. He sat on the bench again, seeing that his mother was with Elsie, the two of them searching in the grass for something. From where he sat, Rowan could hear her squeal of excitement and he couldn’t help but smile. He began wishing she’d come over to him again, or maybe he could go over to her, a few sentences wasn’t how he imagined this day going.

“Do you mind if I sit?” Elide asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. 

“Of course not,” Rowan replied, moving down the wooden bench to make room for her. She had her youngest with her, sleeping despite the sunlight and the noise. 

“Single guy at the park,” she clicked her tongue. “Not a good look.”

“Hey, I could be some single dad with no friends and one of those kids could be mine,” Rowan said wryly. “Hold on a second.”

Elide laughed but quickly stopped herself when it disturbed the baby in her arms. 

“I come in peace, I swear,” she said as she sat down. “I never thanked you properly for what you did for Lorcan after Eamon was born. It really helped us out. Life with a newborn isn’t easy and you throw a toddler into that…” she made an exasperated sound. “You made my life a lot easier.” 

“Don’t mention it,” Rowan said, and he meant it. He didn’t know what to do with that line of conversation. 

“Rowan, I also wanted to apologise. I was not nice to you when you arrived,” Elide said. 

Rowan shrugged. “You had a perfectly good reason not to.”

“Still… I don’t know.” Elide sighed. “This whole thing is a mess.”

With nothing to say, Rowan just nodded along. A silence stretched out, it wasn’t particularly awkward and he was grateful for whatever solidarity Elide was showing him right now. 

Out of nowhere she said, “Do you want to hold him?”

Rowan’s gaze snapped over to where Elide was gently gesturing to her son. A bubble of nervousness rose in him, he hadn’t really ever held a baby before, not since he was younger and his little cousins had been placed on his lap. But regardless of all that, Rowan found himself wanting to.

“Yeah, if that's okay,” he said lamely. 

Elide in all her wisdom read every bit of nervousness he had and smiled. “I’ll help you.”

She stood so that she could rest the baby in Rowan’s arms easier. Once he had a firm grip on Eamon, Elide gently prompted his arms to where they needed to be for a more comfortable hold. The infant was cradled in his arms, looking so small and peaceful.

“Breathe, Rowan,” Elide chided. “That won’t wake him up.”

Rowan hadn't even noticed how shallow his breathing had gotten until Elide pointed it out. He did what he was told, letting out a large exhale. And she had been right, the baby didn’t wake up. Eamon wasn’t heavy, but it was a comforting sort of weight in Rowan’s arms. There was some clarity and peace that came from holding a baby that he had been totally ignorant of. 

“Ro-yen!” 

That little voice almost startled him, and Rowan might have jumped if not for his determination not to wake Eamon. Elspeth was running for him cutting across the grass and the concrete path. 

“Hey there,” Rowan said. “What are you doing Elspeth?”

Behind her, his mothering was following, just a bit slower than a rambunctious toddler. 

“I have a thing,” Elspeth declared. Then she noticed the baby in Rowan’s arms. “Oh, baby.”

So gently, she patted Eamon’s dark hair.

“Here, I’ll leave you to it,” Elide said, taking the baby back and leaving him and Elspeth alone. 

Elspeth looked up at him, green eyes shining as she smiled. “I have a thing.”

She climbed up onto the bench next to him, and even though Rowan was compelled to help her he didn’t. In the end she managed absolutely fine on her own. Now, Rowan could only watch as she reached out, picking up his hand from where it had rested on his knee. He let her pry his fingers open and put a small white flower in the middle of his palm. Elspeth’s tiny hand rested on his wrist, her finger contracting to hold him better. Rowan was still as anything, like the smallest movement might scare her away. 

“For you,” Elspeth declared. 

“Thank you,” Rowan said, still not moving a muscle. “It’s beautiful.”

“Like you!” she said, sitting back on her knees. “Mama say that everyone is beautiful.”

“Yeah,” was the only reply Rowan could come up with. 

“Just so you know,” his mother said, having finally caught up. “I in no way shape or form encouraged this.”

That stunned Rowan even further. 

“Iris is my friend,” Elspeth said. “You can be my friend too, Ro-yen.”

With that simple and heartfelt declaration Elspeth was off, back to chasing Korbin around the playground. Rowan looked down at the flower in his hand, not wanting to lose it he pulled out his wallet and slipped it inside. 

“That went well,” Iris said, smiling after her granddaughter. Rowan didn’t have the words to reply, he just nodded. Noticing his pensive state, his mother offered, “Time to go?”

Rowan gave an awkward general goodbye to the overall group, not noticing who returned it. Elspeth gave him an enthusiastic wave however from the top of the slide and he returned it. On the drive back to the hotel his parents were staying in, Rowan managed to keep up small talk all the way up to saying goodbye. He blacked all feeling until he was back in his apartment, thankfully not running into anyone else that might live in the building. 

Once inside, a myriad of feelings hit him. He could still feel the phantom touch of Elspeth touching him, like his brain was determined to remember it, to hold onto that feeling as long as he could. Rowan could also the remember the feeling of Eamon in his arms, and he began to wonder if she had felt like that. He would never know, he never got the chance to know her when he was that small.

Rowan braced his hands on the kitchen counter, barely remembering how he got there, as it felt like his chest was caving in. Today had been a tiny glimpse of what he had missed, of a little life he hadn’t had the privilege to be a part of. Something inside him longed for it, and he wasn’t afraid to admit how much that terrified him. 

Questions flooded him, close to overwhelming him. Why hadn’t Aelin told him? Why hadn’t she reached out and let him be a part of this? Why couldn’t he shake the rage that was welling inside him?

A fist slammed on the counter and Rowan hissed at the pain. It offered him some clarity enough to realise it had been him. He had been an absolute bastard, and the fallout may not have been entirely his fault but he shared the majority of it. Enough was enough, some twisted lines of fate had given Rowan this opportunity and he wasn’t about to waste his second chance.

It was time that he proved himself.

~~~~~

Tags: @fucking-winchester-trash​ // @literary-licorice​ // @galyxsy // @tangledraysofsunshine​ // @highqueenofelfhame​ // @3am-reading​ // @soup-that-is-too-hawt​ // @aelinfire-bringer // @nalgenewhore​ // @highladyofthesith // @http-itsrebecca​ // @sleep-and-books​ // @alifletcher2012​ // @westofmoon​ // @sleeping-and-books​ // @ttakeitbacknoww​ // @armixers-unite // @mariamuses​ // @chocolate-eating-bitch-queen​ // @velarian-trash​ // @queenofxhearts​ // @heroesofterrasen​ // @highladyofstoriesandmusic​ // @empire-of-wildfire​ // @camerooonchiu​ // @crackedship​ // @lowhangingtreebranches // @over300books​ // @yourwhisperingshadows​ // @thesirenwashere​ // @tswaney17​ // @impossiblescissorspeachpaper​ // @cat5313​ // @judelovescardan​ // @flowerspringsea​ // @chaoticskyy​ // @the-regal-warrior​ // @fanfictrash3000​ // @blueeyes425​ // @starseternalnighttriumphant​ // @bamchickawowow​ // @thehuntressofmoon // @giorgia-the-trashpanda​ // @flora-and-fae​ // @thereaderandfangirl​ // @illyrian-bookworm​ // @chemicha​ // @meltalgel // @gay-book-nerd​ // @that-odd-puzzle-piece​ // @i-love-all-books // @in-love-with-caramel-macchiato​ // @girl-who-reads-the-books // @hizqueen4life​ // @the-third-me​ // @1islessthan3books​ // @bestmelle​ // @cursebreaker29​ // @b00kworm​ // @superspiritfestival​ // @aesthetics-11​ // @maastrash​ // @mynewdreamwasyou​ // @the-last-apprentice​ // @charincharge​ // @firestarsandseneschals​   // @scarznstars​ // @absolute-dissapointment // @thesurielships​ // @df3ndyr​ // @trinitybailey2003 //   @gwynethhberdara   // @booknerdproblems​ // @empress-ofbloodshed​ // @queenophelia​ // @petrichara​ // @grandma-noob-lord​ // @silentquartz​ // @curlyredqueen06 // @littleboxofthunder​ // @sjmships​ // @sanakapoor​ // @keshavomit​ // @magicalunicorngypsy​ // @wanderingjpg​ // @wordsafterhours​ // @but-she-was-aelin-galathynius // @yesdreamblog​ // @motherofdragons155​ // @elriel4life​ // @aelin-is-my-heart​ // @ireallyshouldsleeprn​ // @crystalfireandblazingice // @court-of-glass​ // @larisssss​ // @sevenfreckles-for-sevenloves // @rolltide7​ // @scandinavianromantic // @tillyrubes10​ // @starwarsslytherin // @minaidss // @mu-si-ca-l​ // @hsilberfarb​ // @aelin-queen-of-terrasen​ // @alyx801​ // @amandaswallowtail​ // @louiseleblancdiggory​ // @abookishfreak // @paytin77​ // @jesstargaryenqueen​ // @anntheintrovert​ // @starbornvalkyrie​   // @loudphantomdragon​ // @woollycat22 // @claralady // @perseusannabeth​ // @fangirlprincess09​ // @maddymelv // @sierrareads​ // @emilyoftheshadows​ // @heirofthrnightcourt004 // @azymondias05​ // @booksbqueen // @rowanwhitethornisbae​ // @rabodocardan // @acciowests​ // @danibutterr​ // wanderingjpg // @more-espresso-less-depresso-xx // @jlinez // @lysandra-ghost-leopard​ // @mis-lil-red​ // @midnightdreamersthings // @swankii-art-teacher​ //  @rowaelinismyotp​ // @pullnpeeltwizzlers​ // @anne-reads // @jadeaffliction​ // @gracie-rosee​ // @elriel4life​ // @rowaelinrambling​ // @tothestarswholistentodreamers // @thenerdandfandoms // @castielspelvis​ // @vanzetanze​ // @thegreyj​ // @lizzyfirebringer // @endlessdaydream​ // @anidealiveson​ // @magnifique1807​ // @charlizeed​ // @highlady-brittney​ // @story-scribbler​ // @linguine-panini // @pastasiren​ // @ghostlyrose2 // @themoonthestarsthesuriel // @endlessdaydream​ //   @feysand-loml​  // @backtobl4ck​  // @live-the-fangirl-life​ // @whimsicallyreading​ // @goddess-aelin​ // @khildreth​ // @s-uppertime​

[self-shipping-doll13]

#2 - Warmth | Claws

Spooktober prompt: Warmth | Claws

Wc: 1433

My cloak fastened securely around my neck, I pushed open the great wooden doors, and the Springtime sun’s warmth fell upon my face, gentle as a kiss.

The air I breathed in was fragrant with the scent of loamy soil, freshly tilled and ready for new growth. Winter’s snow had melted away in the change of the season, and tufts of grass bordered the mud I trod on. After last night’s rains, it had moistened into a damp, sucking slush that gave way under my boot.

As I passed by the central hub of the town, I saw the Spring wagons had rolled in and set up shop, drawing in crowds of haggling people. Stalls that sold cheap foraged greens were in abundance: garlic, leeks, radishes, sorrel, dandelion leaves, nettles, and other assorted herbs were in store. Old women traded spools of wool and woven baskets, hardy men showed off leatherworking tools, and young children held out bouquets of colourful wildflowers, tugging shyly at my skirts before fleeing to beg to other strangers. Sheep bleated in pens in the markets, leaning over their rickety fence enclosures in search of pats.

Still, It was calving and lambing season, and most kept their livestock near and dear, to usher in the babies that would grow up into fully formed repayments.

These were not the only newborns causing a ruckus. Near the outskirts of the city, a farmer’s mouser had recently given birth to a litter of a dozen squalling kittens. But there were too many for him to keep himself, he’d reasoned, so it was more profitable to trade or sell them off. Cats were kept to cull the rodents that plagued the crops and the grain stores. But more than that, I thought they made for excellent companions. More than once, I’d felt my ankles rubbed by slinky feline bodies, stooped low, and found those clever yellow eyes pleading for treats.

And so when I invited myself into the light-dappled stable, the recovered mother cat - a pretty striped girl by the name of some foreign fruit - was perched on a wooden fence, bathing herself leisurely. The time for her motherhood had almost ended, and she was ready to go back to her life as an independent woman. I tickled her under her soft white chin as I walked past.

Her kittens were all playing or sleeping together in a cosy little nook filled with hay. Their small, fuzzy bodies were a blur of motion, all batting paws and pointed, twitching tails. For a while I just stopped to take joy in their clumsy tumblings, until I was confronted by a ruddy-faced man with a wooden pitchfork in his hand.

After a brief negotiation, they were placed in my arms.

Both were a cool, silvery grey. One was almost blue. Four honey-coloured eyes stared wide up at me, and stirrings of protection, nurturing, rose up within.

They were still bundled up the folds in my cloak when I swept past the leather divider that separated our chambers from the Great Hall. My cheeks stung from the nipping cold, and must’ve been ruby-red. Ivar was drinking from a horn of mead on a chair by the pit when he raised his brows at my hurried entry. “So these are the cats I’ve been hearing so much about,” he sighed in a long-suffering, affectionate sort of way.

“Yes, here they are.” I lifted them out and put them each standing upright on their paws. They found themselves in the swaddle of an old blanket.

“Huh. They’re… Small.” Ivar said, and leaned forward, squinting, as if he didn’t quite expect them to be.

“They’re supposed to grow up quickly,” I replied, tossing off my cloak. “So they’ll be big soon.”

The kittens were looking around themselves at this huge new world and timidly shivering. The bluer one was silent, and had stopped crying to his mother for milk long ago. The other, a silvery little cloud, was more boisterous and hardy, shouting out in a tiny voice.

We’d made an agreement months prior, when the babies were very recently born. I had been lucky enough to witness it, to observe this blessing from the gods, this miracle of life. The number was too many for the tired mother cat to cope with, and one other patchy female had been introduced so the stragglers might latch on and suckle. Charmed, I had argued my case to take in some of the kittens late one Wintry evening, when the sun had sunken far below the horizon, as slow and ponderous as liquid amber.

“And what are you going to do with a dozen cats?”

“Not all of them,” I clarified, twirling a double-pronged wooden fork in my hand. I was stuffed from Yol, trying to figure out if I could manage another mouthful.

Ivar snorted. “I’m not sure I believe you.”

“Maybe… Two?” I suggested, a bit slyly, and then explained my reasoning: “So they can keep each other company, and keep me company when you’re away.”

For a moment he thought. He shifted, and the table, suspended by chains from the rafters, shifted with him. Carving up a portion of meat, he suddenly acquiesced. “Two, hm? Two it is, then.”

I trailed off a little, having expected more resistance. “That’s it? Like that?”

“Just keep them off the bed,” Ivar said, chewing his pork leisurely. “I’m not sharing it with a bunch of cats.”

I was unable to keep the grin off my face. With a sudden, girlish burst of delight - one I rarely had the chance to convey until recently - I shot up from my seat and rounded the meal table to shower him in kisses. The iron links shuddered, the whole table wobbling. Ivar was enticed by my unguarded cheerfulness, reserved for his eyes only, and pulled me tightly against him as I settled smugly into his lap.

“Huh,” he accepted the morsel of cheese, listening to my impassioned rant; pushing my luck, mayhaps. “Like Bygul and Trjegul. who pull the chariot of Freyja.”

“Yes, like them,” I said happily.

He’d liked the idea quite well after that.

Presently I watched over the kittens. The quiet one was easy to pacify, his sweet eyes drooping as I rubbed his blue head with the pad of my finger. While he fell soundly asleep in his makeshift nursery, the other rebelled. Soon he broke away from me and was flouncing bravely over to Ivar, who held his mead in his mouth in confusion for a moment before swallowing.

“Are you,” Ivar started. “Coming to me?”

With a kind of uncertain amusement, he stretched out an unusually peace-making hand. In an instant, the kitten backed away warily. Ivar looked almost insulted.

I chuckled at the exchange. “He’s thinking you’re a giant, but he doesn’t want to fight you just yet.”

“Nonsense. He’s going to, whether he wants it or not.”

Ivar discarded the horn, pushing himself off his chair, and stopped at a fair distance to rest on his forearms. He watched curiously, which made me glad. I’d hoped that Ivar would grow to enjoy them, at least passingly, and not find them to be nuisances. But he seemed to be more receptive to the idea than I’d thought.

The kitten was slinking his furry body into the drape of our bedsheets, his tail quivering into a brush. “Where’s he going?” I asked, but received no answer. Ivar was smirking in that mischievous way. Shuffling over, I saw the kitten had dug his claws into the furs like he was climbing a mountain with icepicks, looking unsure, and I began to fret. “Careful, he’s going to fall—“

“Let him, let him,” Ivar waved me off, and brought himself closer to observe him. I held out a hand below the kitten’s rump anyway. Cats in the stories all landed on the pads of their paws, but this baby seemed so tiny and fragile. The ground underneath was hard wood, not laden with soft pelts like the main area was.

But to my relief, the kitten clambered up the fabric quite confidently once he found his courage. I blushed in at how much I’d fretted, just seconds ago. He was sniffing at our bedding, pressing his small paws into the plush furs as if kneading dough. Not in danger at all.

We both sat together in equally as awkward positions, and then, the unspoken words between us: this is not doing a very good job of keeping him off the bed.

Ivar quickly lifted him off by the scruff of his neck.

Dividers by @/thecutestgrotto

[avegetariancannibal]

The Despondent Penguin Happy Again

Hannibal Hannipenguin Lecter the 8th missed his daughter. Abigail had left for college, off to study classical metallurgy and to eat a few classmates, following in the murderous avian flipper steps of both her biological father and adopted father, to varying degrees.

Hannibal was feeling utterly lost and began to exhibit subtle signs of his despondency around his townhouse in the Cannimal Sanctuary.

He waddled up to Will Mongoose, who was getting dressed for work at the FBI (Fannibal Bureau of Investigation) which involved putting on a lot more corduroy than mongooses usually wear.

Hannibal tugged on Will’s tail. “I am informing you that my period of despondency for the day is about to begin. I shall be sighing and sitting despondently at the harpsichord.”

Will gave him a little smooch on his head. “Have a good day, dear.”

And just like that, Will left.

Hannibal was in the midst of rearranging a piece by Bach when he noticed Will had left his lunch behind! He packed it into a beautifully crafted reed basket and headed out the door, happy to have something to do beyond missing Abigail and plucking at the harpsichord.

****

Hannibal padded down the halls of the FBI with the perfectly adorable basket containing Will’s lunch clutched in the tips of his even more adorable flippers.

“What brings you by?” Jack the Bear asked, following at his side.

Hannibal continued padding in the direction of Will’s office. “My darling mongoose left his lunch at home so I’m bringing it to him.”

Jack looked suspicious as he eyed the basket. “It’s not made of people again, is it?”

“There’s a little bit of people in it,” Hannibal said. Jack frowned at him, so he hurried to explain. “But it’s from leftovers that were in the freezer! You know as well as I do that food waste at the Sanctuary is at criminally high levels.”

Jack sighed. “That is true,” he said. “But that’s at least in part because you keep throwing away all the M&Ms and Doritos from the FBI break room.”

Hannibal shuddered. “My husband was coming home with cheesy orange paws every other night and little rainbow poops on the nights in between! What’s a fastidious penguin to do?”

“You could just mind your own business,” Jack suggested.

Hannibal gasped with indignation. “How could you think my mongoose’s dietary habits aren’t my business?”

They reached Will’s office. Hannibal’s attention was immediately drawn to the trash bin full of woven reed baskets. By the smell of them, they were still filled with the lunches Hannibal had made for him for at least the past week! Why hadn’t his mongoose been eating them??

Jack clapped his paws together. “Ooh, trash!” He began rifling through the lunches like a delirious Yogi Bear. A tarte Tatin made with heirloom apples disappeared into his ursine maw.

Will was nowhere to be seen, but there were empty coffee cups all over his desk. And they smelled like the remnants of cheap, store-brand coffee. Horrible! Was nobody at the FBI bothering to make siphon coffee for Will? Or at least some pour-over coffee. Dear God, what were their taxes at the Sanctuary even going for?!

Hannibal burst into tears. “Who made this terrible coffee?”

“I believe Brian makes it,” Jack said. A dish of people-sausage cassoulet joined the apple tarte. “I remember Will saying he likes how strong Brian makes the coffee.”

“I knew it,” Hannibal said. “That little mouse has been after my mongoose for years!”

Hannibal stomped down the hall toward the breakroom. Well, he stomped as well as he could with his penguin physique, which meant it was more of a speedy waddle with the occasional hop and stumble with annoyed honks. Frankly, it was extremely cute and didn’t convey quite the sense of jealous rage that Hannibal was aiming for. Jack followed him with a basket clutched in each paw.

Upon finally arriving at the breakroom, Hannibal saw two-thirds of Team Sassy Science slowly filling the coffee pot by carrying thimbles of water from the sink to the machine’s reservoir. But where was that utter fiend, Brian?

Ah! There he was! His whole body was inside a giant can of coffee, using his back feet to kick the grounds into the filter.

“I know what you’re up to!” Hannibal shouted. “You conniving rodent!”

Brian peered over the edge of the can. He shook grounds off his whiskers. “I’m making coffee,” he said. “What’s so conniving about that?”

“We’re making coffee,” Beverly corrected him.

“Yeah, all of us,” Jimmy chimed in. “We’re kind of a team.”

Beverly and Jimmy high-fived each other with their minuscule paws.

“You’re trying to woo my mongoose,” Hannibal said. He tried to hop up onto the counter, but flopped onto the floor. He really needed to get back into his exercise routine. He’d really been ignoring his fitness amid all his despondency since Abigail flew the nest. He pulled out the drawers and used them to climb up onto the counter. He pointed at Brian. “You’ve been seducing him with your special coffee.”

Brian blushed. “Everyone usually hates my coffee. I mean, it’s full of mouse poop.”

Jack, who had been in the middle of taking a sip to wash down his apple tarte, spit coffee everywhere like a decorative fountain.

Hannibal pulled Brian out of the can of coffee. “What?!”

“I wasn’t doing it on purpose!” Brian protested. “It’s just that mice poop a lot! It just ends up everywhere. In fact, I’m pooping in your flipper right now.” 

Hannibal dropped him. “Ewwwwwwwww! Ewwwwww hew hew hew!”

Brian dusted himself off and rolled his eyes. “Oh, don’t act all superior, you little cannibal!”

“You know,” Beverly said. “I do recall hearing Will say that going to see the new warthogs who just moved into the sanctuary.”

“What’s he doing there?” Jack wondered. “The warthogs are in quarantine because they’re infested with ticks.”

Beverly shrugged. “He said they reminded him of home. Warthogs practically raised him, you know.”

“They have warthogs in New Orleans?” Hannibal asked. He shakes himself out. “Never mind that! I must get to the warthog quarantine!”

Much to Hannibal’s dismay, everyone followed him across the Cannimal Sanctuary to the quarantine zone. Much to Hannibal’s even greater dismay, the red fox Freddie Lounds was already there. She was skulking around outside the gate with a camera that had a long-range lens as long as her tail. She was photographing a small group of warthogs who were all snoozing on a patch of scrubby grass, basking in the sun. A sign on the entrance read: WARNING! TICK INFESTATION! PROCEED WITH CAUTION. There was no sign of Will.

Hannibal marched-waddled up to Freddie. “And just what interest does a sleazy reporter have in warthogs?”

“What are warthogs even doing at the Cannimal Sanctuary?” Jimmy wondered.

“We’re holding onto them for the zoo,” Jack said. “We had the room after we turned Hannibal’s old prison into a quarantine facility.”

Hannibal gasped. “What if you need to arrest me again before the warthogs leave?”

“We’ll just toss you in there with them,” Jack said.

Hannibal gasped five more times, each gasp more indignant than the last.

“Anyway,” Freddie said. “I’m here to get the scoop on Will Graham’s latest crimes.” She took some pictures of the sleeping warthogs. “Oh, I've got him red-handed this time!”

Hannibal was shocked. “Infidelity is a crime?”

Freddie frowned. “What on earth are you talking about?”

“Will has been ignoring my lunches,” Hannibal said, showing her the full basket still clutched in his flippers. “What other excuse could there be?”

Now the red fox rolled her eyes. “He’s not cheating on you, you little water bird! Look!”

She handed him her camera, gesturing at him to look through the lens to get a telescopic view of the warthogs.

Hannibal squinted and focused. At first he saw only the dusty brown hogs with their twisted tusks. But as he watched, he began to make out the lithe form of his beloved mongoose as he scampered over their snoozing bodies. His fur was remarkably well-disguised. He was barely visible even as Hannibal focused on him.

“See?” Freddie whispered. “He’s a remorseless killer!”

“Everybody already knows he’s a killer,” Hannibal said, pushing the camera back into Freddie’s dainty paws. “He’s a mongoose! It’s not news anymore!”

“Keep watching,” Freddie said, shoving the camera back at him.

Hannibal peered through the lens once more.

Will was perched on a sleeping warthog’s back. He used his paws to scoop up shiny, round little blobs from the creature’s back. He popped them into his mouth and closed his eyes in bliss as he crunched up whatever they were.

“Are those M&Ms?” Hannibal asked. He raised his voice and squawked. “Are you eating M&Ms again? You know they’re full of artificial dyes and subpar chocolate!”

Will opened his eyes at the sound of Hannibal’s squawks. He hurried to swallow his mouthful like a dog trying to conceal evidence of its garbage diving.

“They’re not M&Ms,” Will shouted back. “I… I’m just volunteering to clean the warthogs.”

“Cleaning the warthogs?” Hannibal wondered. “How on earth is he cleaning the warthogs? There isn’t even a tub there, like the one he uses for the dogs.”

“That’s my news,” Freddie said. “He’s been murdering dozens, if not hundreds, of ticks every day!”

Hannibal blinked a few times. He looked through the lens and realized that Will was indeed not eating M&Ms. He was gorging himself on…

“Ticks,” Hannibal mumbled. His tummy roiled. Team Sassy Science climbed up onto his wings to look through the lens. “Eww!” 

“He’s remorseless,” Freddie said, eyes gleaming with triumph. “And now the whole Sanctuary is gonna know about it!”

“Eating ticks isn’t a crime,” Jack said. “Ticks are generally considered nuisances, Lounds. In fact, everyone’s gonna be glad Will ate all those ticks.”

“Not everyone,” Hannibal corrected him.

He brushed off the mice and squeezed himself through the bars of the gate. He hop-flopped over to Will on his throne of infested warthogs.

Will scampered off the warthogs. “Babe, I know you try to get me to eat healthier, or at least more deliciously, but—Wait, why am I apologizing? I did nothing wrong! I mean, I guess it was gross, but not wrong.”

“But is something wrong with my cooking?” Hannibal asked with a sniffle. “I saw all the lunch baskets in your office. Discarded! Without a thought!”

“I was craving something crunchy,” Will said. “And the break room has been out of snacks for days!”

Hannibal held up the basket in his little wing and gave it an indignant shake. “I made finger sandwiches for your lunch! They’re full of crunchy, crunchy finger bones!”  

Will took a sandwich from the basket and bit into it. “It's delicious, babe. Very crunchy.”

Hannibal sighed. “Would it help if I made you some food from your home? I know quite a few New Orleans recipes, actually!”

“I was born in Mauritania,” Will said. “Just like my warthog parents. When they got shipped to a zoo in New Orleans, I ended up getting shipped with them. I don’t suppose you know any Mauritanian dishes?”

“I don’t,” Hannibal said. “But I’m happy to learn! Oh, this went much better than I feared. I mean, it was considerably grosser because of the ticks, but I was afraid you were having an affair.”

“Never,” Will said. They rubbed their cheeks together to reaffirm their bond.

“Ugh.” Hannibal was overcome by a powerful shudder. “I feel like I’m covered with ticks.”

“Don’t worry,” Will said. He took the lunch basket in one paw and held onto Hannibal’s flipper in the other. They headed for the gate together. “If you do get infested, I promise I’ll eat them off of you.”

Hannibal tittered with excitement—not only at the prospect of Will personally grooming him in the tradition of his homeland, but at the thought of learning lots and lots of new recipes! He’d never cooked Mauritanian food before. It certainly sounded more fun than sighing despondently over his harpsichord all day.

He wondered if any of the people meat left in the freezer would be good in the new recipes…

The end.

(thank you to @byk23 for creating such adorable characters and letting me borrow them on occasion)

Inspired by this:

[subiysu-chan]

High elf achitecture ideas

Now, let's say "High" means "Highland" suggesting maybe a climate and geography similar to Northern Sweden or Norway, or maybe even some Cfc climates, that sounds good.

Because of their hatred of waste, and respect of nature, many elves would build many of their items out of pine needles and some kind of thread. It'll be relatively abundant, light weight, and thus would be used to weave baskets and maybe even serve as a base for beds (camping in areas that have a lot of pines is actually a lot more pleasant, since the fallen needles take a longer time to decompose, and thus offer more cushioning). Medieval bed bases were often made of woven material. But pine needle wants to be more round, and thus, if there is no bed frame, the bed base on top of which a matress would go could very well be round. However, it is not as spacially efficiant, but since my elves have wings that do take up space, they might find such sleeping arrangements more comfortable. When space must really be efficient, the bed frame could be made out of spruce or pinewood treated with brine and pinenut oil, and the bed matt over which the matress would go could be made out of some more convencional materials, at least to the human eye: straw or rushes. However, if my elves are fungivore, they would probably not cultivate it, and thus, it might in their eyes be a fancy material they would have to trade for. Such a bed would be made out in a trapeze shape. In any case, these structures would keep the matress and the body away from the cold stone floor. Also, since pine and spruce wood are softer woods, it would allow for some very intricate carvings in places that don't hold a lot of weight.

The houses themselves could be made out of: stones picked up as is, and stuck together into a round, hexagonal or octogonal shape forming a base for the building, with some mortar, clay or even bark-based glue. The bare, hard rocks of such places would be quite condusive to such techniques. However, colder climates have the left overs of glaciers, which can lead to the formation of a lot of clay, which means some houses might be made out of bricks, although it'll be a more expansive material, would probably be popular with anyone who can afford it. It would probably also be used to level out the floor, creating a sturdy base. Only a minority of buildings would be made out of carved stones, and they would be the most by far prestigious. It would be carved into beautiful, intricate shapes, often with stylized blueberry blossom motifs. Square buildings would also be a thing, mostly out outgrowths of larger buildings with an hexagonal or octogonal shape. In terms of more temporary buildings, the abondance of pine and spruce trees, providing a flexible and rather light-weight and flexible wood, would allow the making of tents a rather practical option, in places were long-term buildings would be out of reach. It would also provide the idea material to hold up the canopy of their beds (which would often be round), sometimes carved quite elegantly.

In spots were a more solid structure is needed, but still light weight, birch wood would be the material of choice.

With circular beds being the cheapest in terms of materials, it would also provoque an interesting development of their textiles: prefering crochet, either as lace or plainer, denser more practical patterns, would be the favored method for cloth making. However, it doesn't mean they would completely ignore woven fabrics, just, it'll have different uses. For matrasses, cloths would be tightly crochet'ed, sewn together, and stuffed with whatever cushioning is available to them. The downward side, meant to face dirty, would be made out of the coarsest, most study and cheap fabrics available while the top layer might be finer to maximize comfort. Pillows would only be simple stuffed stuff for kids, adults, because of their wings, would fine more comfortable to sleep on their belly, and thus, it'll be a small stool with some cushioning, allowing one to sleep comfortably on their belly, or alternatively, their elevated beds would have specialized holes for their wings to fit through, perhaps lined with a kind of sleeve. These sleeves, in an elevated bed, would be visible from the outside, and thus, be in the case of the wealthy, extremely decorated and ornate, using only the softest fabrics.

[lemonbombsfjl]

📣𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐁

AKA: garb, garb-adjacent, I have no time to sew

Pennsic 50 is nearing, and you are frantic trying to get everything together in time, including a wardrobe.

Don’t drive yourself nuts. Cheat.

War garb tends to be very forgiving, considering that groups other than the SCA attend, the weather is notoriously fickle, and you need to stretch what you pack to potentially over two weeks. We *all* cheat. We all include clothing that is not period, but doesn’t scream mundane.

• stick to woven fabrics.

• for your own comfort and sanity, stick to natural fibers. Linen, linen-cotton, thin wool perform best. Cotton works pretty well. Silk, it first has to be real silk, and the type of weight and weave will make a difference how it performs. Ramie, viscose, and rayon will soak up sweat and humidity like a sponge and bring it along with you for the day. Synthetics will look wrong, trap sweat against your body, retain odors; they might be cheap but they really aren’t worth it. Leather looks cool, but it is heavy; save it for accessories and, y’know, armor. Performance fabrics: reserved for your jog around the lake at 6am.

• Stick to simple shapes. Shift dresses, caftans, draw-string waist pants, solid peasant blouses, full skirts all can be tucked in with your garb. Choose colors that compliment your garb for optimal flexibility.

• Look for garments without obvious closures (buttons, zippers), visible pockets, ruffles, modern trim. Lace is difficult, as are prints. Avoid highlighter/neon colors. Sequins and glitter should be avoided; although there were period versions of such bling, modern decoration is made of plastic and looks it. Glass shisha mirrors may be an option if you must sparkle.

• Ethnic clothing, such as tribal dance wear, is usually accepted. You can usually get away with modern ethnic garments, such as kimono and sarees at larger Wars like Pennsic, but wear a real natural fiber one (thrift one?). Real embroidery is good; printed decoration is not.

• Don’t wear Halloween costumes. It will look like a Halloween costume. Most are horrible quality.

• Basic leather belts, plain linen or cotton hankies, nice basic veils, a good straw hat, a period bag, a simple basket, plain shoes/boots/sandals all uplift your outfit.

Some examples of cheater garb below:

Shop: amzn.to/3CvVHp3 I’d order a size up for a roomier fit.

As a shift, or bath house babe!darker colors can be worn over a longer dress.

Shop amzn.to/3CcLQ7f

Wear over or under a skirt. Comes in a few colors, mix & match. Side seam pockets are okay. Buy: amzn.to/3NcViO6

Change out the button for something more period, or a Norse brooch. Wear over skirts or a long dress. amzn.to/3NcMGqL

As an amazon affiliate I may potentially earn commission from items purchased through these links.

[seofloraldecorwholesale]

China Pottery

If you need planters that you could transfer around simply, it could be worth contemplating a lighter option corresponding to plastic as an alternative. The glazed end of ceramic may additionally be compromised over prolonged use outdoors, with cracks and chips appearing as temperatures change. With a crackle finish, this ceramic planter is the perfect approach to spruce up your house workplace desk. With a deep reservoir tray, these cheap plant pots make certain you won’t have to fret about needy crops wilting without frequent watering. A perfect planter for your container backyard, this woven basket impact planter is lightweight but durable, and with the proper vegetation, is perfect for zoning areas in your backyard - pottery for sale in China.

Whether you’re an avid gardener, or just trying to liven up your outside area, these are the best outside pot vegetation you need now. From ornate busts to half-face planters, these plant pots will turn out to be ornamental features of your home. Quirky and unusual, some plant pots with faces are extra abstract, whereas others are intricate sculptures with beautiful levels of detail. They are often impartial in color, making them excellent for housing a bloom of vibrantly colored flowers - Indoor China Pottery.

Decorative pots in shades of gray, it perfectly suits with its delicacy and will adorn your workplace, your room or another room. You can observe this hyperlink to see a few of my finished handmade mugs. Ceramic pans have ergonomic, non-slip handles that not only look elegant but in addition make your cooking expertise comfortable and convenient.

Our variety of indoor plant pots ensures you’ll please your crops and fit your style. The task of the designer is to assist the interior that’s supplied by the inside designer. The eating area will be superbly decorated with two identical massive pots with a green crown of plants placed within the corners along one wall. Part planter, half decoration, these pots turn out to be a talking level of a room. Whether you would possibly be ordering from our gorgeous online catalog or commissioning our manufactured-to-order ceramics items, ordering ceramics online implies that styling your own home or office has by no means been easier. We offer on our whole ceramics range, and worldwide delivery options are additionally obtainable. For more information, please visit our site https://floraldecorimports.com/

[dmcheatsheet]

Albert Purpure. this aarakokra lived among the Emernians and learned their Claymore fighting style. he wasnt taught to fly young, still bad, so uses wings to dash/ charge, and wears heavy armour.

Emernian bar tender. hes a descendant of the brother Eber Finn. he likes to buy rare and cheap stuff, like half a walkie talkie item, or rare monster part no one knows a use for. he has a collection of dwarven keys to unknown, likely lost, ruins. he has a talent from every civ on the wall behind him (little telescopes on the bar 2 look) he has a story for each. he also has a vintage collection of alchohol, none full, if u talk X culture with him and tell him some fun facts, hell share X cultures signature brew.

shes a halfing who left the city of scrolls, hates 'lore' and learning and all that brain stuff. she is here to 'return to monkey' and hates the people who seek her out for her random yet hyper-specific knowlege. she has each petioner promise not to tell others. but shes given blueprints for a dam which finaly worked, told the tribe how to make potion vs petrify, and origionally warned them about a profecised draught before even the rain knights knew. she wants to live like an animal, in beast form, with her Bataroo pets, but people keep coming for her. when party meets her, she saves them or they interupt her while she eats worms in badger form.

wyla, weaver who wants some silk to work with. She can craft scarecrows so well they some to life someohow (pc can figure, elementals) shes woven wattle into fences, baskets, waaay to much wool. shes rich by Emernian standerds but wants the real good stuff like artists of her calibure in other cultures. can make Sameite if u enough silk, and pay in the silver used. Shes so bored she may get accept the next marriage offer purly to have something to do. shes aromatic.

[qianainteriordesign]

Boho Bohemian Home Decor Ideas

The free-spirited Bohemian aesthetic is all about embracing cultural mixing and artistic flair. It's an eclectic style that can feel chaotic, but it's easy to create a well-curated aesthetic with boho decor.

Tips for Choosing Old Furniture

Try layering shaggy Moroccan rugs with salvaged furniture or hanging a gallery of framed photographs and art projects on the wall. You can also add a pop of color by adding dyed textiles like ikat or suzani from central Asia to your space.

Bohemian style draws inspiration from cultures all over the world. It is ideal for anyone who wants a home that feels like an extension of themselves. It is also the perfect choice for those who enjoy a mix of tastefully curated artworks and decorations with mid-century modern themes.

Boho fashion has roots that extend back centuries. It was popularized by nineteenth-century artists who modeled their lives after itinerant gypsies. This type of lifestyle was the precursor to women’s emancipation, allowing them to live freely and pursue their own passions.

Bohemian Home Luxury Features

Bohemian clothing features flowing fabrics and bright colors that help you stand out. It is also less restrictive than other fashion styles, letting you move comfortably while expressing your unique personality. Embrace a boho look by adding dangly earrings and oversized sunglasses to your outfit. Then, complete your outfit with a fun hat or a statement bag. You can find plenty of vintage, secondhand, and unconventional items at your local flea market to add to your bohemian wardrobe.

The boho look is all about self-expression, so feel free to mix and match styles that don’t normally go together. For example, oversized jersey tunics paired with skinny jeans or leggings cinched with a large tan leather belt give off the perfect bohemian vibe. Printed skirts with spirited details like embroidery, crochet, fringe and waterfall hemlines are another easy way to dress up casual outfits with a unique bohemian flair.

Natural fibers, like cotton, wool and linen are essential for a Bohemian style that prioritizes comfort. Look for fabrics that have been dyed using earthy colors like rust red, burnt orange and forest green for an aesthetic that’s authentic to the bohemian spirit.

Bohemian Living Room Texture

Long, flowing bohemian dresses with floral or paisley prints pair well with a floppy fedora or a silk head wrap that’s tied in a bow. And when it comes to shoes, boots and sandals, choose woven styles that have rustic textures and materials, such as jute, rattan and suede. Infuse the Space with Plants

Plants are a must-have for bohemian spaces. They infuse life and air into a room while also serving as beautiful decor accessories. Cacti, succulents, and other exotic houseplants are popular choices for this design style. Some favorites include the Golden Pothos, Maidenhair fern, and Yucca.

Incorporating a variety of textures is another key component to creating a Boho bohemian space. This can be done via wall paint, colorful soft furnishings, macrame wall hangings, utility baskets, and area rugs.

This style embraces the individual and encourages free-spirited living. You can showcase this personality with a bohemian home decor that features family heirlooms, handmade accessories and objects from world travel. In addition, boho style values exotic pattern and natural texture in your decor. Visit property.thegardengranny to find cheap home.

[rugschouhan]

Best Jute Rugs Design By Chouhan Rugs

Jute rugs are a popular choice for adding warmth, texture, and style to a home.

 They are eco-friendly, durable, and versatile. Among the many brands that offer jute rugs, Chouhan Rugs is a well-known name in the industry, known for their exceptional designs and quality craftsmanship. Chouhan Rugs have known for Jute Cushion Covers , Office rugs in Jaipur, jute baskets, jute rugs india, jute round rugs 

1. Chevron Jute Rug:

The Chevron jute rug by Chouhan Rugs is a beautiful addition to any room. The design features a classic chevron pattern in a natural jute color, which creates a timeless look. The rug is available in a variety of sizes, making it perfect for any space.

2. Moroccan Jute Rug:

The Moroccan jute rugs by Chouhan Rugs is a stunning piece that adds texture and style to any room. The design features a traditional Moroccan pattern in a neutral jute color. The rug is available in various sizes, making it perfect for both large and small spaces.

3. Herringbone Jute Rug:

The Herringbone jute rug by Chouhan Rugs is a classic piece that never goes out of style. The design features a herringbone pattern in a natural jute color, which adds warmth and texture to any space. The rug is available in multiple sizes, making it a versatile addition to any room.

4. Braided Jute Rugs:

The Braided jute rug by Chouhan Rugs is a beautiful piece that adds a touch of rustic charm to any space. The design features a braided pattern in a natural jute color, which creates a cozy and welcoming atmosphere. The rug is available in various sizes, making it suitable for any room.

5. Diamond Jute Rug:

The Diamond jute rug by Chouhan Rugs is a unique and eye-catching piece that adds a pop of pattern to any room. The design features a diamond pattern in a natural jute color, which creates a modern and sophisticated look. The rug is available in multiple sizes, making it suitable for any space.

In conclusion, Chouhan Rugs offers a wide range of jute rug designs, each with its unique style and charm. From classic herringbone patterns to trendy chevron and Moroccan designs, there is a jute rugs for every taste and preference. With their quality craftsmanship and attention to detail, Chouhan Rugs is a brand that you can trust to add warmth, texture, and style to your home.

Read Our Previous Blog:(Main Characteristic of Chouhan Rugs which Differs us from others in the market)

For more information and new updates Visit to our website:-chouhanrugs.com

Visit Our Social Links:

Facebook :https://www.facebook.com/HomeFurnisinghRugsCarpets/

Instagram :https://www.instagram.com/chouhanrugs/

Printrest : https://in.pinterest.com/chouhanrugs/

[lantianbasket]

willow basket for baby #lantianbasket 100%#handwoven #natural #environmentally #friendly #willow baby basket;

white cheap wicker baskets,willow basket with liner,rattan /cane basket #wicker woven dining set,hanging wicker hearts,white #cheap wicker baskets,wicker furniture@everyone

[floraldecorimports22]

Plant Pots & Outside Planters

For indoor crops, we provide ornamental pot covers, together pots, and convenient plastic seedling pots. The porous nature of terracotta makes it unsuitable for vegetation that requires a lot of water. You may find yourself watering excessively when a pot that gives less drainage like glazed ceramic or plastic might be much better suited. Like ceramic, terracotta planters will shatter if dropped and won't face up to cold and frosty circumstances over time. Consider bringing them indoors over the winter months to lengthen their lifespan - pottery manufacturers near me.

Use this beautiful Auricula stand to add some appeal to patio corners, or as an announcement tablescaping centerpiece for garden parties. Our useful buying information will provide some green-thumbed ideas and take you through no matter questions you might have regarding outside plant pots. A little further down the web page you’ll discover our round-up of mini-reviews, where we assess the materials, aesthetic attraction and suitability of our favorite outside plant pots - ceramic flower pots manufacturers.

If you need planters that you could transfer around simply, it could be worth contemplating a lighter option corresponding to plastic as an alternative. The glazed end of ceramic may additionally be compromised over prolonged use outdoors, with cracks and chips appearing as temperatures change. With a crackle finish, this ceramic planter is the perfect approach to spruce up your house workplace desk. With a deep reservoir tray, these cheap plant pots make certain you won't have to fret about needy crops wilting without frequent watering. A perfect planter for your container backyard, this woven basket impact planter is lightweight but durable, and with the proper vegetation, is perfect for zoning areas in your backyard. Terracotta plant pots are characterized by their heat, reddish-brown color. Yes, drainage holes are essential to forestall waterlogged soil and root rot. Whether you’re an avid gardener, or just trying to liven up your outside area, these are the best outside pot vegetation you need now. From ornate busts to half-face planters, these plant pots will turn out to be ornamental features of your home. Quirky and unusual, some plant pots with faces are extra abstract, whereas others are intricate sculptures with beautiful levels of detail. They are often impartial in color, making them excellent for housing a bloom of vibrantly colored flowers. Place in windowsills in a kitchen, dining or utility space to add curiosity. For more information, please visit our site https://floraldecorimports.com

[trendilyyours]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Set of 10 Hand Woven Wall & Home Decor Multi-Size Baskets.

[qocsuing]

THE STORY OF THE PLASTIC BAG

THE STORY OF THE PLASTIC BAG

We have examined the process of plastic bags in detail, from production to the end user, subsequently to the nature at the end. Plastic bags play an important role in our lives, with a good or bad grace. But these bags aren't as innocent as they look! In good old times we used to use paper bags, cloth bags or nets instead of plastic bags. Thus, people could stay healthier with what they ate and drank, so incidence of cancer cases was very low. But today, this has changed dramatically. Plastics, used in all areas of our lives, has entered our life by means of packaging and nylon bags. While plastic bags begin the production process at the factory, they first pass through the plastic raw material mixing machine. The raw material mixed in this machine is processed in a plastic film machine and becomes a film roll. Therefore, it is necessary to have a good film machine. However, many factories do not prefer the best quality film machine because they care about low costs. A printing press is required to print on the bag from the machine. The next step for the plastic bag coming out of the printing press is the cutting machine. Since a recycling machine is not used during these production stages, unnecessary and harmful substances may be added to the production process making the product both hard to dissolve in the nature and harmful for the individuals who use it in the long term.Get more news about oem laminated non woven bag,you can vist our website!

Perhaps it is not taken seriously, but plastic bags cause irreversible damage on the human body. Plastic bags, which can be manufactured very cheaply and can cause damage directly to the environment and nutrients compared to the price-quality balance, are exactly as harmful as what we think. In addition, a nylon plastic bag dissolves in 400 years in the sea and in 800 years on the land. Nylon bags are in use all over the world since the 80s, whereas it has become widespread in Turkey at the end of the 80s. Back then, it was preferred because it was so cheap, moreover it was considered as an indicator of civilization. On the other hand, some countries that put emphasis on nature and human health impose bans or apply taxes to minimize the use of plastic bags. For instance, in Mexico, India, Delhi, Mumbai and Vasco, the use of plastic bags is prohibited. On the other hand, some environmentalist municipalities in Bangladesh, Rwanda and Australia have banned the use of plastic bags in cities. In developed countries such as Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands, they are sold in cash. The nylon bags thrown into the sea are eaten by sea creatures, and this causes the death of their digestive system immediately. At the same time, nylon bags that are transparent absorb heat like a greenhouse and cause fires in forests. Black plastic bags do not only damage the soil but also give harm to people directly through vegetables and fruits. Nylon bags leave harmful chemicals in the environment when they start to become deformed in nature after years, and these substances contaminate the soil, water and our food chain. For this reason, plastic bags should not be used unless it is obliged to do so. It will be healthy for your health to use cloth bags, wheeled market bags, nets or baskets instead of plastic bags. By re-using the bowls used in shopping, you also save money. Apartment managers can also put recycling bins into apartment buildings and separate plastic wastes from other materials, thus preventing them from mixing with nature; they can even generate a small amount of financial income.