#checkers menu and prices

[themenuland1]

Checkers Menu – Crazy Good Food & Seasoned Fries

Checkers restaurant is a double drive-thru eatery in the United States. Checkers has restaurants in 28 other states

[lostbookmark]

MDNI 🔞

Main Masterlist here

Finding Masterlist here

Summary: After a failed engagement, you move back home and reconnect with your friends. Maybe, just maybe you can find love with someone you never expected.

Pairing: Yoongi x F. Reader

Warnings: Explicit Sex, Swearing, Cheating (Not Yoongi), Fighting, Protected/Unprotected Sex, Toxic Past Relationship,

Genre: Enemies(?) to Lovers, Neighbors to Lovers, Small Town romance. Hurt-Comfort, Slight Angst, Romance

A/N: I have no self-control. Hope you all enjoy chapter 4 a week early.

Jin's cafe, also known as Mainstreet Cafe, sat smack dab in the middle of town and was actually owned by his parents. In college, while you were starting to throw your life away for a worthless man, he was excelling in Culinary Arts. You always remembered him talking about wanting to own his own restaurant, earning Michelin Stars, and wanting to build his own culinary empire that would rival Gordon Ramsey. You honestly believed that he probably could have achieved it. Well, maybe not the Gordon Ramsey part but everything else.   Unfortunately, being the good son that he was, he lived by his parents' demands. They wanted to retire but refused to give up the little restaurant or let him make any changes to the outdated building. The floor was still checkered in black and red tiles that have since started to fade some time ago. The booths still lined the windows, and tables stood in the exact same place. Other than the soaring prices, even the menu was still the same. Everything was still the same. Well, except for one that is. The horrible uniforms that you used to wear. 

You and Jin had both worked at Mainstreet in high school, getting hired by his parents as soon as you turned 15.  Looking back, the pay sucked pretty bad, but at the time, you felt rich when you went home with 60 bucks in tips. You finally had a little of your own money to do whatever you wanted. Which wasn't much, but it was a small taste of freedom. You had felt so grown up back then.

The uniforms, however, were just awful. Today, the servers were able to wear jeans and black Mainstreet Cafe t-shirts. Back in the day, you had to wear a 50's style pink poodle skirt with that damn black poodle pictured at the bottom, a white sweater with matching white ruffled socks.  The skirt had hit about knee length, and the white sweater was just a tad too tight. It was embarrassing. It looked more like a Halloween costume than an actual work uniform. 

You distinctly remember Yoongi and three of his basketball buddies coming in to eat all the time after school, after basketball games, and random times on the weekend. You also seem to remember that they sat in your section, taking the booth in the very back corner. It’s strange now that you think back on it. You think they even sat at the counter when you were behind there for the night running the cash register and shake machine. Weird. 

 You remember how you could always feel the way your face would heat up when you had to approach their table to take their order. You always prayed that it wasn't noticeably red or that your voice wouldn't be shaking and quivering with nervousness as you interacted with them. They always ordered the same thing, every time. Four baskets of fries and four milkshakes totaling 34 dollars and 40 cents. It's funny how you remember that, 34 dollars and 40 cents, but you do, just like it was yesterday. 

The jingling of the bell above the door breaks you out of your nostalgic thoughts. You look up from your phone as you sit in a small booth that sits against the window near the front and see Yoongi walk into the cafe. Instead of turning and going to the back booth like you were always used to, he heads straight for the counter. As he is walking, he turns his head to look at you, giving you a slight nod in greeting before sitting down on a stool.  You turn back to your phone, mindlessly scrolling through your social media, waiting patiently for your food that Jin was excited to surprise you with. He called it The Jin Special. In other words, since one of his friends was in the restaurant, he could finally cook what he wanted, and it wouldn't get back to his parents. It made you feel sad for him. He was talented. You wish that he was able to show off those talents. He would have been great in the city that ate you up and spat you out. He would have fit in perfectly with the so-called fancy friends and their fancy food. Luckily, he was better than all that. He was better than you. 

“Y/N, sweetheart, sunshine, my love,” Jin sang out to you, drawing your attention to him as he stood on the other side of the counter, opposite Yoongi. “Come, come,” he beckons and pats the counter next to Yoongi. 

“What?” You ask as you pocket your phone and get up to walk over to where he wants you. 

“We have important business to discuss with you,” Jin informs you as you sit down on an unoccupied stool next to Yoongi. 

“It's not that important,” Yoongi said, shaking his head while looking at you. 

“It's very important, and you are the key to this important business,” Jin continues.”It's top secret….”

“Everyone liked your bread, and we want to discuss maybe having you sell it at our stand at the market,” Yoongi says, cutting Jin off earning himself a glare from your dramatic friend for spoiling the news. 

“Wait, sell it?” You ask, looking between the two handsome men.

“Yeah, it would be the perfect addition,” Yoongi says. “Obviously, we do well, but this can bring in a whole new consumer group.”

“How many am I supposed to make? I can only make like four at a time,” you tell them. “Ingredients can get expensive.”

“You would use the business card to buy the ingredients,” Yoongi tells you quickly. “You wouldn't have to worry about the cost. Plus, we would pay you for your time.” 

You hesitate and drum your fingers along the counter. This sounded pretty serious, and you were not sure if you wanted to take on the responsibility. Sure, you love to bake as a hobby, but this sounded like a  business deal, and that scared you. It wasn't just a normal business deal. It was one with your friends,  their business, and that put a lot on the line.  Plus, you're not even sure if you have enough time to make what they would need. You did work full time, and your little free time was special to you because you didn't have much of it. 

“How many would you need?” You ask timidly, giving in to the request, too afraid to look up at them. 

“About 100,” Jin said with a big smile that you didn't return when your head snapped up at his words. In fact, you think your eyes widened to the point they bulged out of your head . 

“No,” Yoongi cut in again, quickly shaking his head after he clocked your response. “How about we do a trial run. You make what you can, and then we sell to certain trusted customers for feedback. If all goes well, then…..we will discuss this further then.”

“It will go well,” Jin said, nodding his head assuringly. “Especially when paired with my special jam. This will be the first in my Jin's Jolly Jams line.”   

Jin reaches somewhere behind the counter and produces a small white ramekin that is covered with a matching white plastic lid. Peeling the lid off, you see a purply red concoction with seeds that appeared to be a little too runny to actually be jam. Jam should definitely be thicker and not look like liquid. You and Yoongi exchange glances as you both hesitantly take a spoon from Jin, who was handing them out to you with a big excited smile on his face. 

“Go on, try it.” Jin urges, pushing the ramekin closer to you. “It's raspberry. It took me forever to perfect it.”

You look at Yoongi again, and he is staring right into your soul. A look that is almost daring you to go first. Did you want to go first? No. Will you? Yes. You didn't want to hurt Jin's feelings, but you were positive that this was not going to end well. Taking a breath, you dip your spoon into the liquid, scoop some out and bring it to your mouth, and sample the liquefied fruit. You wince at the acrid taste that hits your taste buds. It makes you want to spit it out on a napkin, but instead, you swallow quickly.  Yoongi raises an eyebrow at your expression and hesitantly follows your lead in tasting the jam.

“It's,” you start but don't know what to say to him. Your tongue sneaks out of your mouth and licks your lips. You swallow thickly again and look everywhere except him. The taste it left in your mouth was lingering and ungodly awful. “It's ummm….”  

“Bitter,” Yoongi cuts in and supplies you with your missing word. You watch as Yoongi scrunches his face at the unpleasant taste.“It's really bitter.”  

You continue to watch as Yoongi goes around the counter and gets himself a glass of water, taking a drink before filling up another one and handing it to you. You grab it from him and pretty much chug it down. 

“I thought this one was going to be it,” Jin said, deflating at the reaction you two produced. He crosses his arms across his chest as he glares at his creation.  “Do you happen to know any jam recipes, Y/N?”

“No,” you say softly and then drift off in thought. That's a lie. You think you do know where you can get some recipes. “Wait, I do. I do!”

You jump off your stool and run out of the cafe in a hurry as the bell above the door jingles violently behind you. You leave behind one confused man staring at you in bewilderment and the other yelling at you about your food as you jump into your car and pull out of the parking lot. Looks like you have a lot of work to do. 

The attic at your parents' house was covered in dust, spiderwebs, and who knows what else. You don't think anyone has actually been up there in years by the amount of dust particles  that floated in the air when you pulled down the creaky hatch.  After your outburst, you drove to their house in search of your grandmother's recipes. She had recipes for everything, and if you remember correctly, there were a bunch for jams and jellies. You have a distinct memory of her house, always smelling like grapes as they bubbled away on the stove and when you were little. You're almost positive that she would have written it down at some point.

“Have you talked to Changkyun?” Your mom asked as she stood under the opening to the attic. “It's been months now. I think it's best that you try to call him.”

“No,” you answer, wiping your dusty hands on your pants as you finally climb into the attic. “Why would I?”

“Sometimes you need to forgive men for their indiscretions,” she explains. “Don't you miss the life that he provided for you?” 

“It wasn't all that great,” you say, looking down at her from the hole going to the attic. “I'm happy now anyway. Do you know where grandma's recipes are?”

“I hear you are running around with the boys again. How are you supposed to find a good man if they think you are dating one of them?” she asks, ignoring your question. “Mrs. Kang said you and that Min boy were rude to her a few weeks ago.” 

“Yeah, thanks for telling her about my relationship troubles, mother,” you say, moving away from the attic opening, looking around the dark room the best you can. You reach up to pull the chain to the hanging light, but nothing happens.  “I'm sure the whole town just loved talking about me. Do you have a flashlight?” 

“No. Are you dating him?” Her voice drifts up to where you were standing in the darkness. 

“Who?” you ask, leaning over the opening again and looking back down at her.

“Min Yoongi?” She asks, sounding frustrated. 

“Mom, where are the recipes?” You ask, going back to the original reason why you showed up in the first place.

“If you won't answer my questions, then I won't answer yours. Good luck up there,” she calls up, and you can hear her footsteps walk away. 

Great. Perfect.

Once your eyes adjusted to the room, it took you a little bit but finally found a beautifully decorated box after rummaging through multiple plastic bins and several bags that were all collecting dust about an inch thick. You found it inside a cardboard box that was soggy and taped shut. It sat  in the very back corner of the attic where there was very little light from the small dirty window, so you had to use your phone to see into the box. You smile as you look at the recipes written in your grandmother's elegant handwriting. Thankfully, they were still in good condition and not damaged from whatever caused the main box to be wet. You trace your fingers along the surface. This has to work. This is how you hope that you can repay them for helping you out so much.

“Did you find it?” Your mother asks as you climb down the ladder. 

“Yeah, thanks for the help,” you say sarcastically and wipe your hands on your pants once more.

“You should give Changkyun a call,” she says. “Do you really want to be stuck in this small town, dating a farmer? That's a hard life.”

“I'm not dating anyone,” you finally tell her. “If I were dating Yoongi, Hobi, or any of the guys, I'm sure they would treat me better than Changkyun ever did. Also, I do have a career, you know. It's not like I'm suffering.” 

“You are better than this small town,” she says softly. “I don't want you to regret coming back home.”

“I don't regret it. I'm going to be fine….everything is going to be fine,” you tell her.  For the first time since you came home, you truly believe it. 

When you got home, you immediately jumped in the shower. You were sweaty, dirty, and hopefully not covered in mold after climbing out of the attic. You were in such a desperate need to feel clean that you didn't pay attention to your surroundings. You didn't take the time to bask in the warm water, letting it relax your muscles  like you normally did. You didn’t take the time to sing along to your favorite songs that would normally drift from your phone speakers. Nope, you didn't have time for that. Your mission was just to get cleaned and get cleaned fast. Goodbye, dust bunnies. 

It's only when you turn in an attempt to shut off the water that you see it. A grasshopper, a huge green grasshopper in your shower. Startled, you feel frozen in the spot you were standing in, getting pelted in the face by the hot water. Slowly, you reach your hand out again, attempting to reach the handle of the shower once again when the large bug moves ever so slightly. You scream and scream loudly. In a hurry to get as far away from it as possible, you slip and fall into the bathtub, taking the shower curtain and rod with you as you go with them landing on top of you.  This only made you scream more since you now lost sight of the nasty green insect.  You throw the shower curtain off you, and your hands start to slap around your naked skin, hoping that it didn't hop on you. You shake your head and muss your hair with your hair just in case.  The shower above you was still going, spraying hot water everywhere.

“What happened?” Yoongi said, rushing into the bathroom. He looked out of breath as his eyes scanned the area on high alert.  

You look up at him, alarmed and quickly wonder how the hell he got into your home. Before you can open your mouth and question him, you see the monstrous bug again as it moves just off to your side. Screaming, you scramble out of the tub, slipping and sliding as you attempt to hide behind him, clinging to his back for dear life. Your wet naked body completely presses up against his fully clothed back. The back of his shirt is surely soaked now.  

“What!” He exclaims again,  looking around the steamy room. 

You don't say anything and just point your finger at the mess that is your bathtub. While you still clung to him, hands wrapped around his body, holding onto his chest. Yoongi quickly shuts the water off and moves the shower curtain carefully. The grasshopper jumps past him, making you gasp and cling even tighter. Even he jumped back, startled by the little creature making its way out into the hallway. 

“Get it, Yoongi!” You cry out and finally let go of him as he rushes out of the bathroom in search of the deadly bug. 

You place your hands on your hips, and your eyes widen as you feel your naked skin. Looking down at yourself, you realize that you're still completely naked. Tits out, ass out, bare ass naked. Grabbing your towel, you wrap it quickly around yourself securely and cover your mouth with your hands. Your heart is beating so fast that you're afraid that it's going to pound out of your chest. Your hands were slightly shaking as you gripped your towel tighter. Maybe he didn't look. He's a gentleman, right? No, you don't think he saw anything. Suddenly, you hear his footsteps run down the stairs. 

“It's gone….bye,” Yoongi yells up the stairs, followed by the slamming of your door. You're so embarrassed that you have probably traumatized him with your jiggly nakedness. He definitely looked. 

Getting dressed, you rush downstairs. You think about going over to his place to apologize, but you don't want to make the situation worse. Just when you thought that maybe you two were heading in the right direction, this had to happen. 

Heading into the kitchen, you see a bag of food with a note and a key on your kitchen table.  You need to eat - Jin. You sigh, Yoongi probably came by to drop off the food that you left behind at the cafe when he heard you scream. He must have knocked and then used a spare key to leave the food for you when you didn't answer. You'll give it time and just avoid him for now. You'll apologize for flashing him and thank him next Saturday when you go to the market. Until then, you will focus on making this jam and hoping the earth will open up and swallow you whole. 

《Chapter Five》

Tagged Readers:

@mar-lo-pap, @bontensbabygirl , @daisies-and-dandelionpuffs , @redragdoll, @svnbangtansworld , @wobblewobble822 , @busanbby-jjk , @pitchblack0309

[koifishstick]

GRANNYs DINER

ABOUT GRANNYs DINER. granny’s diner is the heart of storybrooke, a classic small-town eatery with wide vinyl booths, a long counter lined with chrome stools, and the warm glow of neon signs reflecting off checkered tile floors. the scent of sizzling bacon, fresh coffee, and homemade pies fills the air, making it the perfect place to grab a meal or overhear the latest town gossip. the walls are decorated with old photographs, a mounted crossbow (a reminder that granny isn’t to be messed with), and a well-worn chalkboard menu featuring comfort food staples like burgers, waffles, and her famous lasagna. ruby works the floor with effortless charm, taking orders and keeping the coffee cups full, while granny rules the kitchen with a sharp eye and even sharper wit. open early and serving late, the diner is more than just a restaurant—it’s a safe haven, a meeting place, and sometimes, the backdrop for magic and mayhem.

BREAKFAST (served daily from 6am - 11am)

classic plates:

granny’s big breakfast – two eggs any style, bacon or sausage, toast, and hash browns – $9.50 (town favorite!)

ruby’s waffle stack – golden waffles topped with whipped cream, fresh berries, and maple syrup – $8.75

granny’s famous biscuits & gravy – homemade buttermilk biscuits smothered in sausage gravy – $7.50 (only available on sundays!)

lumberjack omelet – three eggs, ham, mushrooms, peppers, and cheddar cheese, served with toast – $9.25

apple cinnamon pancakes – three fluffy pancakes infused with cinnamon and apple chunks, topped with warm syrup – $8.25

lighter options:

yogurt & granola parfait – layers of vanilla yogurt, granola, and fresh fruit – $6.50

avocado toast – thick-cut sourdough topped with smashed avocado, cherry tomatoes, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze – $7.00

LUNCH (served from 11am - 3pm)

soups & salads:

granny’s homemade tomato soup – served with grilled cheese on sourdough – $7.50

hearty beef stew – slow-cooked with tender beef, carrots, and potatoes – $8.50 (only available on tuesdays!)

ruby’s southwest chicken salad – grilled chicken, black beans, corn, avocado, and chipotle ranch dressing – $9.00

classic caesar salad – romaine, parmesan, croutons, and house-made dressing – $7.50 (add grilled chicken for +$2.00)

sandwiches & burgers:

the storybrooke burger – juicy beef patty, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and special sauce on a brioche bun, served with fries – $10.50 (town favorite!)

granny’s meatloaf sandwich – thick-sliced meatloaf on toasted sourdough with tangy house sauce – $9.00 (only available on fridays!)

ruby’s blt – crispy bacon, lettuce, and tomato on toasted bread with mayo – $8.50

grilled chicken club – grilled chicken breast, bacon, swiss cheese, and honey mustard on a ciabatta roll – $9.50

DINNER (served from 5pm - 9pm)

hearty entrées:

granny’s famous lasagna – layers of pasta, ricotta, mozzarella, and homemade meat sauce, served with garlic bread – $12.00 (town favorite! only available on wednesdays!)

slow-roasted pot roast – fork-tender beef with mashed potatoes, gravy, and roasted veggies – $13.50

chicken fried steak – crispy breaded steak smothered in country gravy, served with mashed potatoes – $11.50

pan-seared salmon – fresh salmon with lemon butter sauce, served with wild rice and steamed vegetables – $14.00

granny’s sunday special – changes weekly! ask ruby what’s cooking – market price

BEVERAGES

freshly brewed coffee – $2.50 (bottomless cup!)

hot tea – $2.00

hot chocolate – $3.00 (with whipped cream)

fresh-squeezed orange juice – $3.50

classic milkshakes (chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry) – $5.00

sweet tea or iced tea – $2.75

soda (coke, sprite, root beer, dr. pepper, pepsi) – $2.50

DESSERTs

granny’s homemade apple pie – served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream – $5.50 (town favorite!)

ruby’s red velvet cake – rich and moist with cream cheese frosting – $6.00

chocolate lava cake – warm molten chocolate center, topped with whipped cream – $6.50

blueberry cobbler – sweet, tart, and topped with a buttery crumble – $5.75 (only available on mondays!)

banana pudding – layers of vanilla pudding, fresh bananas, and vanilla wafers – $5.00

whether you��re here for a quick bite or settling in for a full meal, granny’s diner has something for everyone—just remember to stay on granny’s good side, or you might find your portion a little smaller than usual.

divider - paint swatch dividers - dash gif divider - purple fade

[elkian]

There's something so burningly infuriating about living to see fast food - touted as cheap, fast, and decently tasty if not 'healthy' (and that is like 8 other posts I'm not gonna get into here) - go from something teenagers could afford with change scraped out of their pockets, couch cushions, car seats, off the street, etc. could afford, to this. Most places don't have a dollar menu anymore. Wendy's is experimenting with demand-based pricing and there was that thing about a nonrefillable McDonald's RFID cup. And the food has sometimes gotten better, but that's not a guarantee.

Also, since COVID hit (and since minimum wage is so pathetic lbr), fast food places are understaffed. Hell, they were understaffed before that, because management realized they could make 3 people do the work of 12 for the wage of 2 rather than paying 12 people to actually, you know, keep a business staffed. Fast food isn't the only place this has happened, but it's pretty obvious there. Another example was the local grocery store, which has over 20 stations for human checkers... only half of which were filled... the day before Thanksgiving, one of if not THE biggest food-related holiday in the USA. When the FUCK are you filling those stations if not then? Why do you even HAVE those stations if not to fill them? Why does every drive through have 2 windows but less than 25% of them actually make use of the first one? It's constant cost-cutting that comes at the expense of both customer and employee.

Fast Food isn't the only place price inflation hits, but it's one of the more obvious ones. And it's one that has a lot of impact on other people. If I give the panhandler at the light the change in my purse, in a world with a dollar menu, that's an actual boon. When a full meal costs $20 minimum no matter where you go, it's a different matter entirely. When you have a 15 minute break to eat and Taco Bell is the closest drivethru, it makes a difference whether they can get your food out in 5 minutes or 10.

Enshittification is coming for absolutely everything, indeed.

This problem is nothing new, but this specific example with these numbers puts it into a fucking brutal perspective.

To put these numbers a different way: A Taco Bell burrito that used to cost ~7 minutes and 20 seconds of minimum wage work now costs ~30 minutes and 30 seconds of minimum wage work.

You used to be able to work at Taco Bell anywhere in the country and make enough money in one hour to buy at least 8 burritos (maybe 9 if you're a manager or something) and feed, like, 3-4 people a decently-filling meal. But now, the same amount of work at the same job will get you one meal for one person. And this change has happened over a mere 15 years.

Remember this whenever you see rich people demonize younger generations for our financial situations, when they call us irresponsible for not investing a ton of money in savings accounts.

[majalatsalsabil]

Why Do You Need a Windows Key?

If you want to fully operate your operating system and take advantage of all its features, a Windows key is essential. Whether you need a Windows 10 key or a Windows 11 key, it grants you access to security updates and ongoing support from Microsoft.

Options for Purchasing a Windows Key via Vipi Card Saudi Arabia

Through **Vipi Card Saudi Arabia**, you can get a Windows key at competitive and reliable prices. Whether you're looking for a مفتاح ويندوز **Windows 10 Pro key** or a **Windows 11 Pro key**, Vipi Card Saudi Arabia offers a wide range of original keys.

How to Use and Activate a Windows Pro or Standard Key

To activate the Windows 10 or Windows 11 key you obtained from Vipi Card Saudi Arabia, follow these steps:

1. Open "Settings" from the "Start" menu.

2. Go to "Update & Security."

3. Select "Activation."

4. Enter your Windows key and press "Next" to activate the system.

Tools to Find Your Windows Key

If you have lost your Windows key, don’t worry. You can use tools like **Windows Key Finder** or **Windows Key Viewer** to retrieve the key from your current system.

Solutions for Windows Key Issues

If you are facing issues such as **Windows key not working** or **Windows key not working on Windows 11**, you may need to check the activation status or update the system. Sometimes, the solution could be to use a **Windows Key Checker** tool to verify the validity of the key.

Free Windows Key

If you are looking for a **free original Windows 10 Pro key** or a **free original Windows 11 Pro key**, make sure to obtain it from trusted sources like Vipi Card Saudi Arabia. Be cautious of websites that promise free keys illegally.

Additional Features of Windows 11

If you want to use Windows 11, you can choose between versions like **Windows 11 Pro**, **Windows 11 Home**, or **Windows 11 Enterprise**. There are also specialized versions like **Windows 11 Lite** and **Windows 11 LTSC**, which you can easily obtain.

[techahead-software-blog]

ChatGPT Alternatives Must Try In 2024

ChatGPT is a leading large language model known for its broad applications and customizability, allowing innovative solutions. If you find ChatGPT too broad or complex, or if you want to explore different data sets, consider alternative large language models. While ChatGPT dominates the AI text generation market with over 100 million weekly users, other options offer unique features and user experiences not covered by ChatGPT. TechAhead can help you explore these alternatives.

Now, let’s explore these alternatives to uncover their unique features. Outlined below are seven ChatGPT alternatives for anyone who is looking for a leg up on their projects.

1. Google Gemini (Formerly Bard)

Google Gemini (Bard) is Google’s answer to ChatGPT. It is an experimental AI conversational service powered by Google’s Gemini Pro 1.0.

Google Gemini is a free AI tool that allows unlimited questions and is powered by Google's advanced Gemini Pro model. It offers features like editing prompts, exporting answers to Google Docs and Gmail, listening to responses, and performing double-checks via Google search. It also includes image generation and works faster than ChatGPT for web searches.

Google Gemini Advanced, priced at $19.99 per month, is described as Google's most capable Pro 1.5 model. It excels in handling complex tasks such as coding and logical reasoning. Users can upload spreadsheets, Google Docs, and PDFs, and benefit from integration with Google’s apps. Additionally, it provides 2 TB of Google One storage and includes a 1-month free trial.

2. Microsoft Copilot (Formerly Bing Chat)

Microsoft Copilot integrates well with Microsoft products, especially Edge, and is accessible directly from the app menu. It facilitates on-the-go interactions, enabling users to ask questions about web content.

Copilot is a free, ad-supported AI tool with three chat modes for different interaction settings. It features image generation and integrates with Microsoft products like the Edge Browser and Skype. The Microsoft Edge app menu also allows users to ask questions about web content.

Copilot Pro, priced at $20/month, offers priority GPT-4 and GPT-4 Turbo access and integrates with Microsoft 365 apps like Word and Excel. Available from January 2024 in select countries including the U.S. and U.K., Copilot for Microsoft 365 costs $30/user/month for commercial clients, featuring privacy protections, organizational resource access, and company document queries.

3. Jasper.ai

Jasper.ai is a conversational AI engine that uses large language models developed by OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and others, including their own customized model.

Jasper.ai starts at $49 per month with a 7-day free trial available. The Pro version costs $69 per month, and custom pricing is available for Business plans. Key features include a Brand voice tool, an instant marketing campaign generator, and a long-form editor. It also offers over 50 pre-built templates, a plagiarism checker through Copyscape integration, and support for 30 languages. Jasper.ai includes a Chrome extension and AI image generation capabilities.

4. Claude

Claude (by Anthropic) is an AI assistant capable of performing a wide range of conversational and text-processing tasks.

Claude offers several pricing options. Claude Pro costs $20 per person per month, while Claude Team is priced at $25 per person per month. For token-based pricing, Claude 3.5 Sonnet is $3 per million tokens, Claude 3 Opus is $15 per million tokens, and Claude 3 Haiku is $0.25 per million tokens. Claude is noted for its stronger accuracy and superior creativity compared to other models.

5. Perplexity

Perplexity.AI is designed to understand user queries through follow-up questions, summarize relevant findings, and pull information from diverse sources to provide a comprehensive view.

Perplexity offers two pricing plans. The Standard Plan provides limited usage with Copilot and GPT-3 as the default model. The Professional Plan costs $20 per month or $200 per year, offering nearly unlimited usage, GPT-4 as the default model, and Pro support. API pricing ranges from $0.2 to $1 per million tokens, depending on the model. Perplexity is known for its versatility and comprehensive capabilities, allowing users to ask follow-up questions and source information in real-time with links to all sources. It also features advanced data analysis and predictive analytics.

6. Elicit

Elicit is a platform that calls itself an AI research assistant, claiming it can help with research and other tasks.

Elicit offers a Free Plan that includes unlimited searches across 125 million papers, the ability to summarize and chat with up to four papers at once, extract data from 10 PDFs monthly, and view sources for answers. The Plus Plan costs $10 per month, while the Pro Plan is $42 per month, billed annually. Elicit is well-suited for automating data extraction tasks and allows exporting to CSV, RIS, and BIB formats. The Pro Plan provides the ability to extract information from 1,200 PDFs annually (100 monthly) and includes unlimited high-accuracy mode columns.

7. Learnt.ai

Learnt.ai has been specifically created for the needs of education professionals.

Learnt.ai offers a freemium model with basic features available for free. Paid plans start at $9 per month and go up to $99 per month. It is tailored for educational professionals, helping with creating lesson plans, learning objectives, assessment questions, and other educational resources. The tool is designed to augment rather than replace the user's creativity, saving time and effort in content creation.

[wooassist]

How to Fix Your Website Structure

Have you ever considered looking at your WooCommerce store’s site structure? Probably not. After all, it doesn’t look like an urgent issue that warrants a lot of immediate attention. However, if your WooCommerce site suffers from poor structure, you could actually be hurting your SEO rankings. Odds are you are also making it difficult for your customers to navigate your site. In fact, depending on how bad your site structure is, it could be causing your customers a lot of frustration. You should make it a top priority to learn how to fix your website structure.

Why Should You Fix Your Site Structure?

If you know your site structure has problems, then do not delay. Address it right away so you can reap the benefits of following best SEO practices. If you are serious about getting on page of Google’s search results page, then you should not skimp on fixing your site structure. Not to mention, a good site structure will make it easier for your customers to navigate your site. This leads to good user experience which can increase your sales by as much as 30%.

What Does Good Site Structure Look Like?

Good site structure should look like a proper flow chart. The home page should have a link to all stand-alone pages this includes the about page, contact page, privacy policy page, pricing page, portfolio page, my account page, blog page, shop page and any other important pages.

Blog posts should make full use of blog categories and blog tags, if necessary. The same goes for products. Make full use of product categories and blog tags. Your blog categories and product categories should never have the same name as they will cannibalize each other. They will compete with each other for SEO rankings. Also, categories and tags should not be the same.

What You Should Do to Fix Site Structure?

Do a Content Audit

Before you go about fixing your WooCommerce store’s structure, it is important to understand your content. You can do a content audit to better understand your content assets and determine how to optimize your website’s structure. After doing a content audit and getting a clear picture of your content assets, the next step is to identify site structure problems.

Identify Site Structure Problems

Check and Fix Your Navigation Menu

Check all your navigation menus. From a user perspective, do they make sense? Do you use dropdown menus? More important menu items should go to your main navigation menu. Less important links to pages like Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Terms and Conditions should go to your secondary or footer menu. Having a privacy policy and cookie policy page is essential if you want to comply with GDPR regulations which you should.

You can even have people try using your site and ask them feedback about your site’s navigation.

What Should Be on Your Main Navigation

Your main navigation should contain your most important pages or all pages you want your visitors to have easy access to. We recommend your Shop Page, Blog Page, About Page, Contact Page, or depending on your business, a portfolio or pricing page.

Find 404 Errors

Isn’t annoying when you go a certain website, you click a link and then land at a 404 error page?

Google has been putting more attention on good user experience and having 404 errors on your website is not good user experience. Fixing 404 errors should be included in your website maintenance tasks. You can find 404 errors by using this Broken Link Checker tool. Once you determine which links lead to a 404 error, remove that link or point it to the appropriate page.

Redirect 404 Errors

In some cases, your broken links could be because of a change in your website’s URL structure. In this case, you might want to redirect all your all URLs to the new URLs. Make sure you use a 301 redirect. You can use the Redirection plugin to set up your redirects. For SEO purposes, it is important to set up a 301 redirect to tell search engines that the old page has been permanently moved to a new address.

Update or Remove Outdated Content

It is important for SEO to have fresh content so you should be updating your content regularly. In some cases, you might find that some of your old content may no longer be relevant so you can either update or delete that page. If you have updated content, you should redirect the deleted page to the updated content.

Make the Most of Your Internal Links

Proper internal linking creates a smooth flow between all your site’s pages. When you’re writing a blog post and you mention another blog post that is related to your current post, link to it. When you mention a specific page on your site, link to it. When you mention a specific product, link to it. Google appreciates good internal links.

Learn How to Properly Use Posts and Pages

Think of categories as a file cabinet where you place files that belong together so everything remains organized. So if a user is interested in a specific kind of product or blog post, the user can find them all in one place. Tags, on the other hand, are used differently. You can think of tags as the index section of a book. Properly tagging your posts and products makes it easier for users to find posts or products that mention a specific keyword or topic.

Should You Revise Your Categories?

If you found out that you’ve been using your categories all wrong and want to revise it to make it clearer, you should do it sooner rather than later. Making sure your category structure is optimum will go a long way in helping your SEO. Just make sure you properly redirect everything to the new URL.

Changing the Permalink Structure

By default, WordPress sets your permalink structure to something that is not optimal. It is ideal to have a custom structure or a post name structure. It should be one of the first things you should change when you create a new WordPress site. So if you didn’t do it before and now have hundreds of posts and pages, then changing your site structure could become a major issue.

When you change your site structure, you will lose many external links pointing to your site and that’s a big SEO disaster. You have to make sure you make proper 301 redirects to the new URLs.

It might be a lot of work but you will soon reap better SEO rankings. If you already have good content, the benefits of optimizing your permalink structure could be significant. This means you should not skip doing this.

Resubmit Your Site Map

When you finish all your site structure optimizations, you should resubmit your sitemap to major search engines. That would be Bing and Google. Resubmitting your sitemaps ensure that search engines index the changes in your site structure.

Have you checked your site structure lately? What problems did you find?

[drahdoutcosmeticdentistry]

Savor Classic Comfort at Bobby’s Coffee Shop in Woodland Hills, CA

Bobby’s Coffee Shop, nestled in the heart of Woodland Hills, California, is more than just a place to grab a cup of coffee—it's a beloved local institution that offers a comforting atmosphere and delicious fare that keeps patrons coming back for more. With its timeless charm, friendly service, and hearty menu offerings, Bobby’s Coffee Shop invites guests to savor classic comfort and enjoy a taste of nostalgia with every visit.

A Cozy Retreat Step inside Bobby’s Coffee Shop, and you'll be greeted by the warm aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the inviting ambiance of a cozy diner. The restaurant's retro decor, complete with vinyl booths, checkered floors, and vintage signage, evokes a sense of nostalgia that harkens back to a simpler time. Whether you're stopping in for a quick cup of coffee or settling in for a leisurely meal, Bobby’s Coffee Shop provides the perfect backdrop for relaxation and camaraderie.

Hearty Breakfast Favorites At Bobby’s Coffee Shop, breakfast is served all day, ensuring that patrons can enjoy their favorite morning dishes whenever the mood strikes. From fluffy pancakes and golden waffles to hearty omelettes and crispy bacon, the breakfast menu at Bobby’s Coffee Shop features an array of classic favorites that are sure to satisfy any appetite. Whether you're craving a traditional eggs benedict or a stack of decadent French toast, you'll find it all at Bobby’s Coffee Shop.

Comforting Lunch and Dinner Options In addition to its breakfast offerings, Bobby’s Coffee Shop also serves up a variety of comforting lunch and dinner options that are sure to please. Sink your teeth into a juicy burger, indulge in a plate of crispy fish and chips, or enjoy a hearty sandwich piled high with your favorite toppings. With its generous portions and affordable prices, Bobby’s Coffee Shop is the perfect spot for a satisfying meal any time of day.

Specialty Coffee and Beverages Of course, no visit to Bobby’s Coffee Shop would be complete without sampling their signature coffee and specialty beverages. From rich and robust espresso drinks to creamy milkshakes and refreshing iced teas, Bobby’s Coffee Shop offers a variety of options to quench your thirst and satisfy your caffeine cravings. Pair your beverage of choice with a freshly baked pastry or slice of homemade pie for the perfect midday treat.

Community Connection Bobby’s Coffee Shop is more than just a restaurant; it's a gathering place where friends and neighbors come together to share good food and good company. The restaurant's friendly staff and welcoming atmosphere foster a sense of community that keeps patrons coming back time and time again. Whether you're a regular or a first-time visitor, you'll always be greeted with a smile at Bobby’s Coffee Shop.

Bobby’s Coffee Shop in Woodland Hills, CA, offers a timeless dining experience that celebrates classic comfort and hospitality. With its cozy atmosphere, delicious menu offerings, and friendly service, Bobby’s Coffee Shop is the perfect destination for a satisfying meal or a leisurely cup of coffee. Whether you're stopping in for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, you're sure to feel right at home at Bobby’s Coffee Shop.

[funkatello]

Why Darlinghurst Should Be Your Next Restaurant Hop in Sydney

Sydney has a lively dining scene. It always has new restaurants and concepts. They keep our taste buds interested and satisfied. Darlinghurst has the est best Italian food in Sydney. It is underrated but worth visiting. The food is great and it is a nice change of scenery. This area has special old buildings, small shops, and a mix of different cultures.

It's a great place to go out at night because it combines old-fashioned charm with delicious food from both well-known places and new ones that are changing the way we think about hospitality. Join us as we explore Darlinghurst's restaurants. Discover Sydney's new iconic eat street.

1. Savour Classic Trattoria Ambience

Checkered tablecloths, straw-wrapped wine bottles, operatic soundtrack, and effusive waitstaff instantly transport diners into festive Italian moods. Your post-work stress evaporates instantly when you are seated. The Apollo is a restaurant in Sydney. This Darlinghurst restaurant serves traditional regional pastas and wood-fired pizzas. The food is full of incredible flavors. They also have Italian red wines. The prices are reasonable. Try our signature sporting boards. They have cured meats, marinated veggies, and piquant cheeses. They are delicious and rustic.

2. Sample Inventive Modern Eclectic Plates

Sydney is a dynamic city with diverse cultures. It has bold culinary marriages that showcase fusion results on sharing plates. Nomad is a restaurant that serves a unique menu. Stanley street restaurants have interesting dishes like miso-marinated chicken tacos, green curry arancini balls, za'atar manoushe flatbreads, and maple bacon glazed Brussels sprouts. These dishes combine different flavors in a surprising way. Their kitchen is trendsetting. It deserves applause. They push boundaries. They advance Australian food identities. They do it progressively and respectfully.

3. Experience Dinner and Show Dazzle

Do you want to have a great time going out at night, enjoying cocktails, canapes, and entertainment in a stylish way? The Dragon Phoenix is a sparkling place. It has lanterns and turntables. Singers and dancers perform there. It is very exciting! Executive Chef Victor Lee creates delicious yum-cha banquets. The menu includes crispy duck pancakes, caramelized Berkshire pork bellies, XO prawn dumplings, and silky handmade egg noodles. The food is visually stunning.

4. Catch Legendary Hospitality Class

A Sydney food safari is incomplete without paying respect to institutions that have defined world-famous hospitality for decades. Bar Coluzzi was launched in 1953. It serves as a spiritual home for espresso coffee culture. They are known for their trademark velvety brews and Milkshake thick hot chocolates.

People enjoy these drinks in cozy Victorian surroundings. Bar Coluzzi became popular before Starbucks arrived. Their legacy is in Australian coffee history books. Visit the Darlinghurst restaurant to see the iconic living heritage. They still serve steamy cups with character every day. It brings joy to generations and creates lasting memories. Classics are priceless.

The conclusion.

Darlinghurst has a special village-style hospitality. It combines classic trattorias, artistic avant-garde eateries, and legendary pioneering cafes. This makes restaurant hopping in Darlinghurst irresistible. It is a unique and inventive experience that is very Sydney. Visit Funkatello. Experience these winsome gems personally. I recommend them wonderfully!

[latestmenuprice-blog]

Checkers Rallys Menu Prices

Do your friends or relatives appeared at your place unexpectedly and you need to arrange food at the very least cost and even tasty, at that point you can check most recent Checkers Menu Price rundown and request the food likewise. You can even access on Checkers Secret Menu Price here.

So here are the details of all the food things from starter to pastries you needed to visit here and think about the simple and scrumptious food by your own at wherever.

Here in this post, we are furnishing all café most recent menu cost with refreshes like you can check below Checkers Menu Price List 2020.

About Checkers Rallys

The company operates Checkers and Rally’s restaurants in 28 states, and the District of Columbia. They specialize in hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, and milkshakes.

For more information please visit here, Checkers Rally wikipedia

Checkers Rallys Official Site : checkers.com

Checkers Rallys Famous Seasoned Fries Menu Price June 2020

Food Name                                     Size                                          Price

Baconzilla! Fries                                —                                            $3.29

Baconzilla! Fries                                —                                            $3.29

Cheese Chili Cheese Fries               —                                             $3.29

Cheese Chili Cheese Fries               —                                             $3.29

Fries                                                Small                                         $1.99

Fries                                                Medium                                     $2.49

Fries                                                Large                                         $2.79

Fries                                                Fry Lover’s XL                           $4.29

Fries                                                Small                                         $1.99

Fries                                                Medium                                     $2.49

Fries                                                Large                                         $2.79

Fries                                                Fry Lover’s XL                           $4.29

Fully Loaded Fries                           —                                             $3.29

Fully Loaded Fries                           —                                             $3.29

Garlic Parm Fries & Stix                  —                                             $2.99

Garlic Parm Fries & Stix                  —                                             $2.99

Monsterrella Stix                            4 Pc.                                          $1.99

Monsterrella Stix                            6 Pc.                                          $2.99

Monsterrella Stix                            4 Pc.                                          $1.99

Monsterrella Stix                            6 Pc.                                          $2.99

Checkers Rallys Kids Meals Menu Price June 2020

Food Name                                     Size                                           Price

Cheeseburger                                   —                                             $3.49

Cheeseburger                                   —                                             $3.49

Chicken Bites                                    —                                             $3.49

Chicken Bites                                    —                                             $3.49

Hamburger                                        —                                             $3.19

Hamburger                                        —                                             $3.19

Hot Dog                                             —                                             $3.19

Hot Dog                                             —                                             $3.19

Checkers Rallys Desserts Menu Price June 2020

Food Name                                      Size                                         Price

Cinnamon Apple Pie                           —                                           $1.00

Cinnamon Apple Pie                           —                                           $1.00

Classic Funnel Cake                           —                                           $1.49

Classic Funnel Cake                           —                                           $1.49

Loaded Strawberry Funnel Cake        —                                           $2.29

Loaded Strawberry Funnel Cake        —                                           $2.29

Checkers Rallys Ice Cold Drinks Menu Price June 2020

Food Name                                        Size                                        Price

Drink                                                   Small                                      $1.79

Drink                                                   Medium                                  $1.99

Drink                                                   Large                                     $2.19

Drink                                                   Small                                     $1.79

Drink                                                   Medium                                  $1.99

Drink                                                   Large                                      $2.19

The details of the Checkers Rallys Menu Price list is a general overview of the menu that is available at the restaurant. you may share this with your friends and families too, even you may suggest to others about the specialties of the restaurant.You can visit here our site .

[johannstutt413]

(requested by mathmaticalknight)

“Ladies and gentlemen, tonight, the Medical Department is proud to present: the Quest for Nian’s Vital Statistics!” Gavial announced to a cheering crowd of Medics and medically-skilled personnel. “Today’s competition is one of my personal favorites - Arm Wrestling! As you can see already, sitting at the table waiting is the lady of the hour, Nian!”

The Nian herself waved to the crowd, eliciting several whistles amidst a chorus with a general sentiment of, “Just tell us already!”

“And representing the Rhodes Island Medical Community today - not me, unfortunately, because I broke my arm in the rock climbing competition - is the woman more rigid than diamond, the Bone Dragon herself, Saaaaaaariaaaaaa!”

“Wooooo!” The crowd went absolutely ballistic at this announcement; Ifrit chose this moment to unfurl a banner reading “Go Mom!” in the Sarkaz’s handwriting, which was promptly confiscated by Silence.

As the competitors sat across from one another, the Vouivre extended her hand for a shake. “Good luck today, Miss Nian.”

“Luck? There’s nothing lucky about arm-wrestling. Tell you what, though - let’s have a little bet for ourselves, hmm?”

“A bet?” Normally, Saria wouldn’t take a bet at a time like this...but something about her opponent made her curious. “What sort of bet?”

Nian grinned. “If I win, I’ll buy you dinner, but if you win, you have to buy me dinner. That sound good to you?”

“You’re either confident you can win a free meal, or you want to ask me out without asking me out...I’ll take you up on that.”

“Warriors, remember, this is a first to 3 wins competition! We’ll alternate right and left arms until the 3 win minimum is met.” Gavial walked over to the table. “I want a clean match, with no hijinks - that means you, Nian. May the stronger woman win!”

The Nian flicked her tongue at the Vouivre as they locked hands for the first bout. “You heard her, Saria. Win me over.”

“I’m not fighting for myself, Nian. Today, I wrestle in the name of Rhodes Island, and in the name of science.”

“What lofty ideals you hold to.” She chuckled. “It will only make my victory meal that much sweeter~”

The Archosaurian held up a checkered flag and waved it between them. “3!...2!...1!...Begin!”

-----------

“Thanks for not asking me to take you anywhere too fancy.” Nian and Saria were in a shuttle on their way into Lungmen, sharing a seat and watching neon lights flicker by. “I only have enough cash to cover a nice food truck right now.”

“A meal is a meal; I’m not terribly picky about price points and whatnot. The real prize was mine either way.” The Vouivre had won handily, in a rather jaw-dropping display of strength that had even Olivia on her side for once, but now she had more important things on her mind.

Her date nudged her shoulder. “Hey, I think this is our stop.”

“Ah, yes.” She stood up and followed the Nian out...only to notice it definitely hadn’t been. “Did you misread the directions?”

“No, I know where we’re going. For someone so strict, you’ve been pretty lax about paying attention to me tonight.”

Saria had to admit, she had a point. “Sorry. It’s been awhile since I’ve gone out like this.”

“Same here - no matter how many times I drag the Doctor out of his office, he just spends the whole time psychoanalyzing me. It gets pretty stale after a few times.” She gestured to a shack that looked ready to fall apart at any second. “That’s the place! And you thought I forgot where I was going!”

“It looks much more run-down than in the web advert,” the Vouivre noted as they approached it.

Nian nodded. “That’s how you know the food’s amazing. Do you know what you’re getting?”

“I need to see the menu to decide.” She stretched her arms behind her back. “Have you been in Lungmen long? You seem to know the area rather well.”

“Hmm...Depends on your perspective. Time has lost a lot of meaning to me over the...years? Decades? Which one uses the solar calendar, again?”

The medic blinked. “I’m sure you mean years. Decades are sets of ten years, after all.”

“Oh, so it was decades, then.” The Nian nodded to herself. “Good to know! Good evening, Qin Sun. Table for two, please?”

“You know the owner of the restaurant?” Saria was impressed; she must really know Lungmen-

Wait, no, her date was shaking her head. “He started here a couple of weeks ago, really nice guy. Would be a good pick for the Doctor, I think, if he ever comes out.”

“...Interesting.” That wasn’t anywhere near relevant to anything, but also, how often did Nian go out? “If I ask you something, Nian, will you give me a straight answer?”

“Maybe.” She smirked, tail casually wagging behind her and tongue ever-so-slightly sticking out.

Damn, that was actually kind of hot...hmm. “Why are you so adamant about the Medics not testing you?”

“...I don’t think we should start there.” The Nian frowned. “This is the first time we’ve spoken to each other outside of work, after all.”

“Alright, then a different question: why do you stay on Rhodes Island, and deploy on missions with us, without becoming an Operator proper? Surely you could use the extra income?”

Nian sighed. “You’re asking all the hard questions now? After the workout you put me through?”

“You asked me out on a date for a reason, did you not?” That earned her a blush. “If you don’t want to tell me anything about yourself, why commit so much to share a meal with me?”

“...You’re right. I didn’t think it through enough; most people love to talk about themselves, so I thought I could get you to do that and we could go from there, but you’re just like the rest of the Medics, I suppose. What do you want to know?” The mischief that’d been in her eyes most of the evening leading up to this was gone now.

That didn’t mean much in the grand scheme, though, so Saria decided to take it more slowly. “Why me?”

“You’re an absolute unit for one; the other day, during that group exercise, you went head-to-head with Hoshiguma for nearly an hour and gave her hell the entire time. I’ve never seen someone that strong before.” She licked her lips, seemingly unintentionally. “I love your horns, and the spines on your tail, and your hair, but more than anything, it’s that stare of yours.”

“What do you mean? I don’t stare often.” The Vouivre, of course, hadn’t taken her eye off Nian since they’d arrived at the restaurant.

The Nian chuckled at that. “I’ve seen it, either way. You’re a beautiful woman stronger and smarter than almost every man in the same room as you at a given moment, so that’s why I wanted to go on a date. Makes sense, right?”

“When you put it so plainly, at least.” That sounded honest enough. Alright, next question. “What was the confusion earlier with measuring time?”

“Ah, yes, that. Before I answer that...I’ve got another proposal.”

Oh boy. “I’ll hear you out. The last one went well for me, after all.”

“Great!” Nian tapped an item on the menu. “If you can eat this whole thing without a single drink, I’ll let you, and only you, give me the physical you Medics want of me.”

“...What’s the catch?”

She shrugged. “I just don’t think you’ll be able to. It’s really spicy.”

“Spicy, you say?” Saria picked up the chopsticks, spun them out of their paper wrapping, and brandished them with a confident smile. “If that’s the only challenge, it’s no issue at all.”

“Alright, then! Excuse me, Qin? We’re ready to order!”

The Vouivre cracked her neck. “Anything I should know ahead of your examination?”

“That’s a lot of confidence!” The Nian smiled back. “Well, if you do manage it, I hope you have something harder than diamond on your syringes.”

“A few things, in fact, but that won’t be too important. Most of the physical will be strength and endurance testing.”

Nian blinked. “Endurance testing, huh? More boring than I thought.”

“It won’t be, I promise.” She leaned forward. “You’ll forget about the testing part by the time it’s over.”

“Oh-ho-ho...Chef, hurry with that order, please!”

[ancientechos]

Shopping Trip!

For @whitherliliesbloom, based on their headcanons on an Illyanaud/Laurchefant double date!

Alphinaud/Illya + Haurchefant/Laurelis ♡ 2109 words ♡ some kinda modern au

This is supposed to be a so-called “double date”, but as far as Alphinaud is concerned, it is merely a regular one. Between Laurelis and Illya.

Haurchefant and Alphinaud simply happen to be there at the same time. Or at the very least in their general vicinity.

The taller elezen doesn’t appear especially bothered by this; he bears his burden of an already concerning amount of bags with unprecedented grace and decorum.

“They look like they’re having fun,” he says with an easy smile once he notices the white-haired elezen glancing toward him. Alphinaud clears his throat.

“I -- yes, I...suppose that is one of the words...that could describe them.”

Laurelis stands in the middle of one of the clothing stores, a veritable pile of dresses thrown over the nearest rack, clearly selected for the lalafellin girl fidgeting demurely in front of her. She holds her most recent pick -- a pale turquoise ruffled dress -- in both hands, holding it out near the shorter girl’s shoulders.

Whilst Illya looks only somewhat uncomfortable with her predicament, the miqo’te has a somewhat pinched, pensive expression as she stares at younger girl and garment with narrowed eyes. Then, abruptly and apparently satisfied, she gives a tiny nod and gently folds the dress before placing it on the ground beside her.

“Don’t I need to try that on first...?”

“Nope! I know you’ll look adorable without even putting it on!” Laurelis’ smile is bright and infectious; even Illya can’t help but let her lips upturn despite her misgivings. “But this...” The pink-haired woman’s voice trails off as she pulls yet another dress from the small pile she’s amassed. “I’m afraid you will have to try this one on.”

She holds it up to Illya briefly, before allowing the lalafell to take the dress from her. It’s a light, checkered thing; Alphinaud can’t make it out clearly from this distance, but it seems to have something frilly or lacy at the front.

After a mild “argument” (”Are you sure this isn’t too much?” “Nonsense! There’s never too many cute clothes!”), the lalafell retreats to the dressing room, defeated, dress in hand.

Perhaps it’s understandable that she should feel anxious. The vast majority of the bags Haurchefant holds contain clothes and shoes...for Illya, after all.

This scene had been repeated numerous times in other stores, with but one exception that had occurred exactly once and then never again, though the memory still causes the hair at the back of Alphinaud’s neck to spike in unease.

Illya had hesitantly peered out of the dressing room, violet eyes glimmering with discontent; she only finally pulled herself out with effusive and exuberant encouragement from her best friend. The sight that greeted the pale-haired elezen had nearly stolen his breath away: the dress Laurelis had chosen for her was the perfect colour and cut, brilliantly highlighting her features and, at the same time, making her look somehow even more lovely than she had mere minutes ago.

His silence had not gone unnoticed. Whilst Haurchefant had quickly offered his own praise, Alphinaud had merely been struck speechless and tongue-tied, as if somehow turned to stone. And the miqo’te had wheeled toward him, eyes narrowed, fluffy tail twitching only once.

“What do you think, Alphinaud? Doesn’t she look beautiful?”

Alphinaud had thought he could catch a hint of an uncharacteristic sharpness in her gaze -- a subtle glare that looked utterly unnerving on the miqo’te. He had cleared his throat, finding the words he needed to curtail his execution rapidly surfacing despite his initial floundering.

“O-of course. She looks beautiful -- absolutely stunning.” He most certainly did not stutter.

The pink-haired woman’s expression had transformed into a beam that could very well rival the sun. “Fantastic! I knew you’d like it.” Giving a tiny, gleeful clap, she had levied Illya with yet another dress, and the bone-chilling moment had passed as if nothing untoward had ever happened.

Alphinaud still occasionally feels somewhat cold, for no discernible reason.

As Laurelis fawns over the assortment of clothes she’s uncovered for Illya to wear and try on, Alphinaud finds his mind wandering. If this is a shopping trip -- and so it appears, as opposed to an actual date -- he may as well do some shopping on his own.

It appears Illya is well and covered in the clothing department, so he supposes there’s room for him to buy something else...

Like, he thinks, as his gaze roves over a nearby store, jewelry.

Illya, being quite modest, doesn’t often afford herself the luxury of pretty trinkets. Almost never, really, and certainly really nothing expensive.

Well, expensive for her. To him, and to apparently the pink-haired miqo’te, it may as well be a drop in the ocean.

The black, lacquered sign gleams at him under the skylights as he approaches. Genuine crystal bouquets. Perhaps not quite jewelry, as he’d initially assumed, but some sort of trinket nonetheless. And certainly nothing Illya would look even twice at.

She does love flowers, however. What ever would be better than an undying, beautifully cut, and vibrant bouquet? Far more than a simple collection of fake flowers...

Or so that’s what he thinks as he peers into the small shop. Behind locked cabinets and displays of glass are numerous attentively arranged crystalline flowers. Some are simply made of nondescript crystal; others, more ostentatiously priced, are labelled to be carved of gemstone.

He’s drawn almost immediately toward a composition of lilies, sparkling in the light. The price on the card beside them would undoubtedly make his girlfriend faint.

“Looking to buy, sir?” The elderly gentleman behind the counter hones in on him almost immediately, attracted by the crispness of his shirt and the stitching of his tailored coat. Evidently the man can smell the bottomless cards stowed away in his pockets. 

“Yes, I -- I was wondering, might I have a look at that lily bouquet up there?” Alphinaud gives a nod toward the glass shelves behind the counter. The shopkeep pulls out an assortment of keys from his pocket and begins fiddling with the locks.

“I feel like I shouldn’t even be here.” The light, airy comment nearly startles the long-haired young man out of his skin; he turns slightly to see his other companion, Haurchefant, joining him, bags in either hand. “Are you getting that for Illya?” He leans forward slightly as the older man brings the delicate bouquet down before them, allowing them both to look at it.

“Yes. I think it’s very beautiful. It suits her, don’t you think?” Alphinaud gently brushes a finger along one crystalline petal. It would look quite pretty on her nightstand -- perhaps away from any windows, lest anyone less savoury see it.

“It is very pretty -- ” Haurchefant breaks himself off as the shopkeep reminds his friend of the price. “But are you sure she’ll like it? It is rather expensive, after all...wouldn’t she be worried?”

Though Alphinaud does not think it to be that much of a money sink...he can attest that his love would probably be rather critical of the cost involved. Pursing his lips slightly, he looks away from the diamond lilies. “I suppose you are correct...”

He looks instead toward a series of delicately cut roses, pale and translucent. The price for these is substantially less.

“What about these ones...?”

When he walks out of the store a few minutes later, box neatly wrapped and tied and deposited into a white nondescript bag, he feels quite pleased with himself. Haurchefant had kept up his attempts to dissuade him, though to no avail; this bouquet was, after all, far less expensive than the other alternative. And roses are very romantic. Not to mention these particular flowers are eternal.

Illya might gripe about it, but she shouldn’t be displeased, he thinks.

The girls -- or Laurelis, rather -- have already finished making their new purchases by the time they return to the clothing store, the miqo’te excitedly chattering to her friend about the fine points of matching colours and accents.

________

The restaurant is filled with the sound of soft music and the laughter of children and the other patrons. Their shopping has been deposited in the trunk of Haurchefant’s car -- box of crystal roses included, which Illya miraculously did not notice.

Or perhaps chose not to bring up in front of their friends.

“What are you getting, Illya?” Laurelis asks with a mild quirk of her lips as she flips through her menu. Her expression is furrowed slightly in characteristic indecision, before it lightens. “I think I’m getting one of the burgers...”

“Um...” Illya trails off a moment as she finishes coming to her own decision. “The piping hot chicken wings, I think...”

“Ah -- I-I see...what about you, Haurchefant, Alphinaud?”

Alphinaud shuts his menu before he responds. “I’ll probably just get a coffee and a salad.” He’s typically not too hungry by lunchtime -- even with the walking they’d been doing earlier.

“I’ll likely be getting one of the burgers myself,” comes Haurchefant’s reply, closing his own menu.

It doesn’t take too long for their orders to finally arrive, or perhaps it only feels that way with the light, jovial chatter. Laurelis’ fashion classes are going well, as are Haurchefant’s English courses, and Illya’s shop is of course proceeding swimmingly. The conversation ceases for only a moment as the pink-haired woman fishes out her cellphone.

“I have to take pictures!” she announces. “If -- well, if that’s okay with everyone, at least.” Somehow, she always manages to make the food look even more appetising than it already is in her snapshots.

The wings on Illya’s plate are steaming, the scent of spice nearly overpowering the smell of Laurelis and Haurchefant’s burgers across the table. Alphinaud eyes the lalafell’s meal warily, keeping to his plain and boring salad.

“Oh, may I try one, Illya? They look quite good.” Haurchefant asks. Laurelis’ head nearly whips clean off her shoulders as she looks up to stare at him in what can only be described as abject pity, mouth agape.

“O-of course,” Illya murmurs, gently pushing her plate forward. The silver-haired man reaches to pluck one of the wings off her plate, lifting it to his mouth. He’s hardly even licked it when his eyebrows furrow slightly in consternation.

The brave man does, in fact, manage to take a bite -- and perhaps, it seems, even swallow it, though Alphinaud feels rather too terrified to actually get a good look at his facial expression.

“Well -- that was -- very good...I, ah -- excuse me...”

Laurelis politely slides out of the booth to allow the taller elezen to shift past her, and Alphinaud continues to wonder how he simply doesn’t sprint to the nearest washroom.

“I-is Haurchefant all right...?” Illya asks with wide, violet eyes. Her best friend gives a faint laugh, waving a hand gently.

“Oh, he’ll be fine! I-I think I felt his phone vibrating in his pocket, he m-must have gotten a call or something!”

“I hope it wasn’t anything serious...”

Their final group member returns a few minutes later, though he does not ask to partake in Illya’s dish again, and assures them that everything had gone well with his call.

________

Alphinaud feels a little bad for Haurchefant driving him home, but the older elezen had insisted.

“There’s nothing wrong with friends dropping friends off, is there? You don’t need to take your fancy driver everywhere.”

And Laurelis doesn’t even use a driver despite it well being within her means to. For some ungodly reason, she prefers to walk.

“I can take you home, Illya, if you don’t mind,” Alphinaud says before he steps out of the car. “I have something I’d like to talk to you about, too.”

The lalafellin girl looks a little confused as she blinks up at him. “Talk...?”

“Yes! So -- we can take your shopping to my apartment, right?”

“Oh, sure!” Laurelis wheedles her way into the conversation. “I can help you carry everything up!  There’s...a lot, ahah...”

“I’ll help, too.” Haurchefant’s smile is easy and light. “I think you’ll need it.”

Alphinaud staunchly pretends he has not an inkling of what the older man could possibly be talking about, the crystal bouquet weighing heavier than any mountain of shoes possibly could. He only hopes she’ll like them.

[stretchjournalemerson]

We Are, We Aren't

By Connor Gibson

02:51 PM

Dirty piles of slush litter the ground of the Public Garden. The ice on the pond is melting in the sun. Kids scoop up the last traces of snow, melted and hardened and melted into chunks of ice, to throw at each other. The Garden is full of people, tourists and natives alike taking advantage of the 42-degree weather— which, for a Boston February, is “warm”. I’m bundled in my wool coat and hat; others’ Patriots tees show under unzipped hoodies. The blindingly white neck of my Tatte shirt peeks out above my scarf. As always, I’m running early, but I speed-walk anyway.

Google tells me that Back Bay, the neighborhood home to the Tatte where I work, is one of the wealthiest places in the Boston area. It tells me that the bay on which the neighborhood sits was drained in the 1800s, uncovering foul-smelling fens and swamps. Developers poured cement on top of it and chopped it up into rectangles. There’s something there, some cute metaphor comparing designer stores atop a concrete-covered swamp to glossing over the issue of gentrification in favor of a new Sweetgreen.

I’ll write about that later, I think. I exit the Garden at Newbury and Arlington and cross the street. A high-cheekboned model, face blown up to the size of my entire body, peers down at me from the Burberry store window. Her eyelashes are lowered seductively under her huge sunglasses. Excuse me, I hear in my head. A posh British accent. Excuse me, why are you looking at me? I look away.

Letters barrage me as I turn onto Boylston. MK MK MK MK on clutches and purses. Chanel on a storefront. HOMELESS VETERAN PLEASE HELP GOD BLESS, scrawled on torn cardboard with a marker.

I walk into Tatte and take off my coat. VIBE CHECKER blares at me from the temperature gun, neon pink Sharpie on white.

Sarah, the mid manager, points the VIBE CHECKER at my forehead.

How’s my vibe? I ask.

She chuckles. Fine. Symptoms?

All of ‘em, at once.

Go grab an apron and we can talk about the new dinner menu. Her sweatshirt says BREAKFAST SANDWICH. I know that our BREAKFAST SANDWICH sweatshirts retail for $35. I wonder which Michael Kors clutch goes best with a BREAKFAST SANDWICH sweatshirt.

I step into Tatte Connor with his pristine white shirt and bandana and sickly sweet voice— a voice both Connor and not Connor, a voice that is mine and isn’t. Tatte Connor doesn’t create witty metaphors about systemic problems, he fires off meaningless platitudes: I like your outfit, cold out there, isn’t it? I know, I don’t know how I don’t eat them all. He grabs an apron, clocks in, and listens intently as Sarah explains chraimeh sauce.

03:14 PM

I’m at the register today, standing in one place for over five hours. It means hi, welcome in! to everyone who enters. It means my voice will stay in its customer service pitch for long after I leave, and when I walk around a person at Target while picking up yogurt that night, I will automatically announce BEHIND! and scare the shit out of them.

A woman walks in, several shopping bags swinging from her arms. Hi, welcome in! She nods acknowledgement. She wants a medium latte, almond milk and vanilla. We only have a small and a large. She asks to see the large. She’s fine with a large.

I take her phone number. All right! Will that be all for you? And would you like to leave a tip today?

She would not. She announces this so happily that I’m forced to match her tone. All right! I hope it sounds authentic. She takes her card.

I do NOT need a receipt, she proclaims, and walks out the door, bags bumping against the doorframe. The bags are massive, stiff, and glossy. They look expensive, down to the heavy serif font. My stained apron feels incredibly out of place. I wonder if it would be stupid to go get a new apron.

Caleb, the barista, waves his hand. He’s made my drink— it’s on the bar. I nod and ring up three more people before I get enough of a break to go grab it. He’s written my name on the cup and drawn little hearts for the O’s. My heart swells. I take half a sip, and then someone else walks in the door. Hi, welcome in!

03:32 PM

It’s a full-on late-lunch rush. The morning shift has just left, and the crowd hits us in the middle of a change. I’ve been moved off register and over to expo, where I’m doing three people’s jobs at once. Picking up? Todd? Would you mind waiting outside for a few minutes? Hi, Doordash? Do you need a menu? Take care! Thank you so much. Hi, welcome in!

A couple enters. They wear matching black puffy jackets with faux fur hoods and matching black sunglasses, similar in size and shape to the glasses on the Burberry model. They don’t remove their hoods or their sunglasses when they step inside. Picking up? Favio? I hand them their drinks. They are not happy.

You should be more thoughtful of your customers, I am told. It’s cold outside, and you shouldn’t keep people waiting. You need to be thinking about that.

I’m so sorry, sir.

I am reprimanded.

You need to move faster,

I’m sorry, sir. We’re doing our best.

I am told that maybe, that is not good enough, eh? And Favio and his girlfriend leave.

Have a good one! Take care! I imagine labels on their backs, as bold and shiny as the ones on their jackets and sunglasses: ASSHOLES.

03:42 PM

I am back on the register. The late-lunch rush has died down. In eighteen minutes, dinner will open up, and we’ll get slammed again— but for now I get to rest. I stack pistachio croissants in a delicate, buttery pyramid, coating my gloves with green dust and oil. Once I’m pretty sure they won’t fall, I head back to the register to count my tips.

Most people tip, but off-handedly, trying not to sound eager or generous. Sure, throw a dollar on there— “there” being a $12 sandwich. I wonder what kind of life they lead where dollars are something they throw. I notice that those thrown dollars never fall into the HOMELESS VETERAN’s plastic cup.

05:08 PM

An older woman enters and beelines for the Grab-and-Go case. She wears a brightly patterned scarf over her hair and carries an enormous H&M bag, full to bursting. She swings the bag onto one shoulder and holds up a small container of chicken salad. How much is it?, she asks. Maybe six or seven dollars, I reply.

She is surprised that I don’t know the exact price. She asks, don’t you work here? She asks, again, how much it is.

Give me one minute to check. It is seven dollars.

She complains that nobody here ever knows anything. She explains to me that it’s just one item, and you should know how much it costs. She tells me, I asked a girl a similar question, just the other day, and she didn’t know either.

I’m sorry about that. Will that be all?

She doesn’t want anything else, and pays with cash. She counts what I give back to her. She drops the chicken salad in her H&M bag, and then she leaves.

Have a great day! In my mind, I replace the H&M on her bag with BOOMER.

I remind myself that I am not an idiot, and that I deal with a lot, all day, and that I am good at my job. I remind myself that I am a human who makes mistakes. I remind myself to smile.

Another woman walks into the store. Hi, welcome in!

06:26 PM

I’m back from break, during which I inhaled a breakfast sandwich and submitted two

discussion posts on my phone. Apparently we have only made $96 so far from the dinner menu. The store is dark. Half of the patio is empty, and the people walking by, bundled up in winter coats, lean against the wind.

I’m sent over to the pass to bag food while my coworker Ayad takes his break. The dinner items come with a side salad and a little bag of pistachio cranberry cookies. Between orders, I stuff napkins into sandwich bags and draw hearts with a Sharpie on the cookie bags. I think of the people receiving them, in brownstones around Boston, living alone, living with girlfriends, living with husbands, living with tiny yappy dogs.

A woman comes in. I walk over to the register. Her hair is dark, curly, and pulled back in a tight ponytail. She carries a WHOLE FOODS canvas bag. She reminds me of my mother. She’s been thinking about getting a challah all day, but now she’s not so sure about the challah versus the pain de mie, and do I have a suggestion for her?

I bake challah at home, I say, but our challah is delicious.

She asks excitedly what recipe I use— I use Smitten Kitchen’s fig and sea salt challah, without the figs. I can’t find another good recipe for just one challah. She uses the New York Times recipe, makes two and freezes one. Smart, I say.

She decides on the pain de mie. She asks how long I’ve been making challah.

When I was at home, I made it every Friday since the start of the pandemic. I wanted to do that here, but I live alone and I can’t eat that much bread.

She’s sure my friends would be glad to eat it, and I agree. I ring up the pain de mie and an orange juice, and she tucks them into her WHOLE FOODS bag. Happy baking, she tells me, and leaves, pulling her hood up to block the wind.

08:32 PM

The close went quickly. Caleb, Ayad, and I walk out the door. Our manager stays behind, counting money, shutting everything down for the night. Lights flick off one by one. The wind bites my skin and whips my hair off my forehead. I button up my coat. Caleb and Ayad walk down the steps of the Arlington stop, waving goodbye, and I start the cold walk home.

Google tells me that the drought of the summer of 2016 brought many Back Bay buildings dangerously close to rotting and crumbling. Their foundations sit on man-made land, supported by wooden pilings. The drought brought the water table close to the pilings, putting them at risk for decay.

There’s something there, something about how the tiniest bit of stress can expose the problems lurking below a neighborhood so put-together and pristine on the surface. I’ll write about that later, I think.

It’s hard to put how I feel right now into words. I feel homesick. I feel happy. I feel tired. I want to collapse onto my sofa and pass out. I want to eat way too much cheesecake. I want to feel, just for a few minutes, like the people I welcome into Tatte.

I want to roll out dough on the dining room table, showing my mother how much it’s risen when she walks through the door with a WHOLE FOODS canvas bag full of groceries. I want to keep talking about bread. I want to work at a job where everyone who comes in asks me about recipes; where nobody plops their Chanel bags on the counter, knocking dinner menus left and right while digging in their MK MK MK clutch for their platinum VISA; where Favio and his girlfriend realize that the people bringing them their soy macchiatos are people; where older women understand that I have to remember three thousand things a day and sometimes none of those things are the price of chicken salad. I want to thank the New York Times Challah Lady for making my day a little less shit and reminding me why I even.

I could work at Starbucks, or Caffe Nero, or JAHO Coffee Roaster & Wine Bar. Sometimes, when people take their masks off inside to snap pictures of them biting into donuts for their Instagrams, I think about working at Target.

Then I bring home a whole cake, or I get handed a free iced latte with my name written on the top and little hearts drawn around it, or I talk about Boston winters with a customer excited to learn I’ve also moved from the Bay Area. I strike up a conversation with a man waiting for the restroom— he wants to know about the history of Tatte in Boston, and I tell him what I can.

I pet a very small dog. I hand the last almond croissant to a woman who tells me she is overjoyed that we have one left. She tells me that she stops by after work every day to try and buy an almond croissant. More often than not, we’re sold out.

I’m happy I could get you one today, I say, and I mean it.

I want to think that Back Bay is this woman— Almond Croissant Woman— or the New York Times Challah Lady. At times I think Back Bay is Favio and his girlfriend, MK MK MK clutches, $7 chicken salads, the Burberry model’s poster-sized glare. I want to think these things, but I know that Back Bay is none of them.

I know that Tatte Back Bay is just a coffee shop. I want to call it a microcosm of humanity, a shiny white petri dish for me to peer into. I want to claim that I know these people, that Favio and his girlfriend are selfish assholes, that the boomer really does value chicken salad over basic kindness and gratitude. I want to slap labels on them, thick-serif RICH KID, glossy embossed DADDY’S MONEY, CHALLAH LADY (GOOD PERSON?) in cursive scrawl. The truth is that I don’t know them, and I will never know them. Maybe Favio and his girlfriend were fighting that day. Maybe the boomer’s husband had just died. Maybe Challah Lady ran over a cat with her Subaru on the way home. Maybe maybe maybe.

Google tells me that Back Bay has a population of 16,427. The median age of those people is 35.3 years. Over nine thousand of them are white-collar workers. Their average household income is over $127k. Most of them are women. Most of them walk to work.

Google doesn’t tell me what challah recipe they use. It doesn’t tell me whether they feed the cookies that come with their cod in chraimeh sauce to their small, yappy dogs. It doesn’t tell me whether they notice the hearts I drew on their bags, or whether they smile before throwing those bags away.

We are what we say to customer service workers, and we aren’t. We are our jobs, our genders, our hobbies, our incomes, and we aren’t. We are the hi, welcome in and the thanks, take care and all the other facades we present to people, and we aren’t.

I walk up the steps of my apartment building, unlock and open the door, then close it behind me. Tatte Connor— the Connor I am and am not— stays out in the cold, perched on a wooden patio chair, shivering in his perfectly white work shirt: ready for me to step into him tomorrow.

Acknowledgements:

My inspiration for this essay came from working at Tatte and getting to know, through the lens of customer service, the people of Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. As anybody who has ever worked in customer service will know, working with people is the best and worst part of the job. I’ve had some truly frustrating interactions, and I’ve also met some people that brightened up the rest of my day. When I’ve been on my feet for five hours, maintaining a customer service persona, and dealing with everything else that customer service entails, it’s easy to assign labels to people and make snap judgements about them based on a one-minute interaction.

My goal for this essay was to go deeper than that. The assignment that prompted this essay was to compose a profile, creating— in the words of my WR 121 E47 professor Stephen Shane— a “dominant impression that captures the complexity of your subject”. While I wanted to profile the people of Back Bay, I’m aware that I will never be able to understand their complexity through these tiny snapshots, and I tried to convey that struggle in this essay. I’d like to thank Prof. Shane for assigning this essay, and I’d like to thank the customers of Tatte Back Bay for their inspiration.

[queenofnohr]

Twisted Wonderland Event: Scary Monsters - Episode 1-8

Dreamwidth link here.

-

Episode 1-8 “The Richest”

-Alchemy Workshop - Chemical Storage-

Floyd: Welcome in—. What d’ya think? About Octavinelle’s Halloween. Kalim: What is all this…… it’s super creepy! Jack: It looks like something that’ll make a small kid cry…… Floyd: Riiiiiight? But hold the applause until after you see Azul and Jade’s costumes. Azul: Fufufu…… Our costumes’ theme is......

*camera pans over Azul and Jade*

Azul: Mummies. Jade: But perhaps it would be easier to understand if we introduced ourselves as preserved corpses.* This year, Azul and I became members of the Halloween Organization Committee…… We decided that our costume theme would be a dried out mummy, the complete opposite of merfolk. Floyd: I was totally for it. You can’t do a mummy costume in the sea, ya’know.

Azul: However, simply wrapping bandages around yourself isn’t interesting. Therefore, we aimed to make a stylish coordination that overturns the old-fashioned image of a mummy. Jade: The theme for our decorations is…… “A mad scientist’s laboratory!” The image we had in mind for the aquarium in the back was a “culture tank.” It will light up at night. I thought putting a terrifying mannequin inside would add to the atmosphere. Kalim: Uwah~. You guys made this a full-scale production. Azul: That’s exactly what we were going for. As expected of Kalim, the son of a millionaire. The costumes and aquarium were all finished up by a top tier manufacturer. After all we also had to think about the Halloween menu at the Mostro Lounge…... Unlike you all, we’re very busy people. Idia: So smug…… Kalim: ……Huh? But didn’t each dorm get the same budget constraints for setting up the venue and making the costumes? Crowley: Indeed. One of the pleasures of school life is to make ends meet with a limited budget. You can’t use pocket money, or be over budget, and no shady transfers of money…… Treasurer Jade Leech reliably makes sure of that! Kalim: Right. But was it really okay to use an outside contractor? Jade: Oya. Could it be I’m being suspected of foul play? Kalim: Ah. No, no. That’s not what I meant at all. I was told that I shouldn’t use my own money to pay for a bunch of flashy stuff. So I was wondering how you guys did it. Jade: Fufufu, so you’re curious about that? None of the dormitories, Octavinelle included, exceeded the budget. After all, Octavinelle’s Halloween fixation was…… Thorough cost optimization. Kalim: Cost optimization……? Azul: The costumes are limited in palette and fabric type, and by purchasing in bulk, the unit price per person was kept low. Additionally, the man-hours needed for sewing were significantly cut down by significant use of uncut processing. As for the contractor for the special-order aquarium, we were able to get a deal by having a long-term contract for the future maintenance of Mostro Lounge. We recycled the old lights from the dorm to use in the aquarium. Jade: Does it count as “pocket money” to reuse equipment no longer needed? It was clear where we should and shouldn’t put our money. Azul: Our dormitory used up all the budget allotted for setup and costumes, down to the last madol. The remaining budget for every dorm will all be pooled together to be used as money for the party on the final day. Isn’t it a waste not to use up everything? Cater: To attach the aquarium order while also getting a discount on the long-term maintenance fees of the lounge, totally unrelated to Halloween— ya’ll are playing chess while we’re playing checkers. Deuce: We were only thinking of how to keep it within budget. Vil: I don’t make it a habit to calculate for the exact budget. Azul: Simply put, Octavinelle’s Halloween is “the richest.” Kalim: As expected of Octavinelle. Always so dependable—! Crowley: To prepare the lounge at the same time as this full-scale set and cool costumes…… It’s the skill and ingenuity Octavinelle excels at! Impressive! Now then, let’s go see Scarabia’s set. It was at the school’s store if I’m not mistaken.

-

Episode 1-7 ← → Episode 1-9

*I haven't mentioned it so far because I've (hopefully) been able to make it natural, but there's been a segment in each of these chapters where the costume theme will be introduced, usually just using the English word, then another character will use the Japanese word of whatever was said. I.e. in the last chapter, Cater introduced them as skeletons and Malleus basically said "in other words, you're skeletons (but in Japanese)." It worked out okay for that because it easily went into the "but why aren't there bones" part of that, but here it's literally just "we're mummies" "or perhaps it would be easier to call us mummies." So I changed what he actually says a bit to make a less awkward read.

[spellnbone]

Restaurants, Bars and Pubs in Wizarding London

Les Jeux D’Or

Bar Owner: Laurent Jardinais Founded: 1869 Prince range: High A grand pub on the second floor of a more inconspicuous restaurant in Wizarding London, Les Jeux D’Or specialises on games. The kind typical for having been played at Versailles: Chess, checkers, dart, pool, poker, and all of it magical, of course. You drink, you play, it’s self-explanatory, really. [x]

The Velveteen Mask

Lounge Bar OWNER: Louise Seymour (vampire) FOUNDED: 1976 PRINCE RANGE: High

Rumours say this is where Vampires, Dhampires and any wix who does not fear the dark gather for a glass of fine wine. The red velvet, rich mahogany, classical music, dim lights and faint metallic scent in the air sure give off the right Gothic aesthetic,

The Hollow Tree Pub

Pub OWNER:  Rowan Blishswick (pure-blood, squib) FOUNDED: Date unknown, post-Hogwarts foundation PRICE RANGE: Low a wandering pub with a particularly dark clientele.

The Green Lion

Pub Owner: Buckley Family Founded: 1812 Price range: Low owned by Jim Buckley and his father, a Muggle, this pub is divided into two sections: the front is located right on Strand, accessible by Muggles and Wix alike, the back gives out to Surrey St, and is accessible only for Wix. If Muggles do pass the back entrance, they’ll only read the words ‘Roman Bath’ and will -- if having paid for a ticket and Jim open the gates for them -- indeed just find just that: the old ruins of a Roman Bath. While the location is a little outside Wizarding London, it is right next to one of the biggest Cross Doors to the Ministry of Magic (the old Picadilly Rly Undergroundstation) and therefore usually well-frequented. The clientele of the back section of the Green Lion is mainly artists and those who like to discuss art. The pub also has some rooms upstairs.

The Lady’s Mantle

Coffee shop Owner: Camelia Oxley Founded: 1982 Price range: Mid Atmosphere: A beautiful light blue facade adorned with flowers greets people before they’ve even stepped inside The Lady’s Mantle. Dusty millers hang down from the window sills on the second floor, almost frost-like, while two small pots of white petunias sit on each side of the main door. The building itself isn’t big, but upon walking in, one would find The Lady’s Mantle makes good use of its space. There aren’t many tables, perhaps seven or eight altogether spread across the two floors, but each one has its own space and offers a certain degree of privacy while maintaining a feeling of cosiness. The walls are painted in calm, muted colours while the pots of flowers hanging around add splashes of colour in a complete inversion of the outside of the café.

What they offer: A wide array of sandwiches, salads and desserts, along with a decent selection of coffees and teas. There is also a lunch menu which includes a small variety of soups and main courses.

Disner Dia Tribein

Restaurant Owner: The Eastaughffe family Founded: 1700s Price range: High

Atmosphere: There’s a rumour on the street that the shops in close proximity to Disner Dia Tribein shut down because of how inadequate they appeared in comparison; that’s not the entire truth, of course, but the fact that many still believe it is, despite common sense, should go to say how imposing the restaurant looks. Nothing speaks of old money quite like old marble and nothing shines like gold quite like gold. Unsurprisingly, there is also a certain level of refinement and sophistication expected from patrons who intend to dine there, but even the most well-dressed of wix might find themselves feeling underdressed upon walking in. Less of a restaurant and more of a grand hall, the high ceilings and sparkling chandeliers have a way of creating a very striking atmosphere.

What they offer: The highest quality of ingredients and the best of cooks ensure the utmost quality of every meal, and while the menu remains more on the side of traditional rather than adventurous, two centuries to improve upon and perfect known recipes are tangible in every bite. As far as drinks go, Disner Dia Tribes offers the finest selection of wines and spirits from all around the world.

The Chipped Cup

Tearoom OWNER: David Akinwande (muggle-born) FOUNDED: 1740 PRICE RANGE: Middle Pastel colours, chipped paint. Piles and piles of teacups and teapots,  all different, not one matches the other. Jars upon jars of tea. Do not  eat the cucumber sandwiches. There’s a  theatre in the basement.

[credits&contributions: ilya, christie]