#lakehaven

[crystalsclangencorner]

IrisClan

Moon 0 (Greenleaf)

A fire has broken out through camp, the only survivors are Lakepaw (11m male) and Wisppaw (8m female).

Moon 1

Lakepaw renames himself to Lakehaven.

Wisppaw has decided to become a healer.

Lakehaven fails at hunting.

Moon 2

Lakehaven helps Wisppaw pick burrs out of her pelt.

Wisppaw and Lakehaven fail to find herbs.

Moon 3 (Leaf-fall)

Lakehaven wishes he could get his pelt to shine like Wisppaw's, while Wisppaw wishes that she could get her pelt to shine like Lakehaven's.

Moon 4

Wisppaw stayed up all night thinking of ways to impress Lakehaven. (Y'all Wisppaw is 12 moons now-)

Lakehaven is hoping that Wisppaw notices him.

Wisppaw brings back some thyme.

Moon 5

Wisppaw is now Wispriver!

Lakehaven just noticed how beautiful Wispriver's eyes are.

Moon 6 (Leaf-bare)

Wispriver confessed her feelings to Lakehaven and they have become mates.

Lakehaven has gotten yellowcough.

Moon 7

Wispriver announces that she is expecting kits, she moves into the nursery.

Wispriver and Lakehaven swap prey.

(Accidentally skipped Moon 8-)

Moon 9 (Newleaf)

Lakehaven comforts Wispriver after a nightmare.

Lakehaven catches a mouse!

Moon 10

Wispriver had a single kit with Lakehaven, the two agree to name him Cinnamonkit.

Lakehaven finds a set of paw prints, he decides not to investigate.

Moon 11

Nothing interesting happened this moon.

Moon 12 (Greenleaf)

Wispriver thinks that Lakehaven is the most beautiful cat in the clan.

Cinnamonkit has gotten fleas.

Lakehaven escapes from a ambush.

Moon 13

Wispriver has recovered from giving birth.

Wispriver has gotten fleas.

Lakehaven accidentally trespasses onto CornflowerClan territory, he runs off before he's spotted.

Moon 14

Lakehaven sees Wispriver stumble and thinks it's cute.

Cinnamonkit finds a bit of fluff that smells like Wispriver and adds it to his nest.

Lakehaven purrs for a long time at one of Wispriver's lame jokes.

Moon 15 (Leaf-fall)

Cinnamonkit and Wispriver are finally free from fleas.

Wispriver is sore from the long distances she's been running.

Lakehaven gives some advice to Cinnamonkit.

Two shadowy cats are watching the family. One whispers lies into Cinnamonkit's ear, and the other whispers into the ear of Wispriver.

Moon 16

Cinnamonpaw is now an apprentice! His mentor is Lakehaven.

Wispriver has recovered from her soreness.

Cinnamonpaw has caught greencough.

One of the shadowy cats watches Lakehaven with a sly smile.

Moon 17

Wispriver and Lakehaven ask Cinnamonpaw how he is doing.

One of the shadowy cats whispers into the ear of Lakehaven, saying that Cinnamonpaw will destroy IrisClan so he must be killed. Lakehaven hisses angrily at the cat before turning around to storm away.

Moon 18 (Leaf-bare)

Cinnamonpaw has recovered from greencough.

Lakehaven and Cinnamonpaw joke about how bad the other clans smell.

Moon 19

Cinnamonpaw decides to become a meditator.

Moon 20

Lakehaven escapes from another ambush.

Lakehaven is now Lakestar.

Moon 21 (Newleaf)

Wispriver is expecting kits yet again, she doesn't move into the nursery yet.

Wispriver gives Lakestar some bluebells.

Moon 22

Wispriver moves into the nursery.

Lakestar brings a kittypet back to camp, he is renamed to Blackpaw.

Moon 23

Wispriver has a litter of four, all toms. She decides the entire clan will help name them. Lakestar names one Shadedkit, Wispriver names another Coniferkit, Cinnamonpaw names another Dandelionkit, and Blackpaw names the last one Sparkkit.

Blackpaw and Lakestar bring a kit back to camp, Blackpaw names her Rustlekit.

Moon 24 (Greenleaf)

Blackpaw is bitten by a cat while on a border patrol with Lakestar.

Moon 25

Rustlekit is now an apprentice! She is now Rustlepaw, she has also chosen to become a healer, with Wispriver becoming her mentor.

Rustlepaw is caught breaking the warrior code.

One of the shadowy cats returns to whisper lies into Cinnamonpaw's ear.

Moon 26

Wispriver has recovered from birthing her litter.

Blackpaw has healed well from the cat bite.

Wispriver argues with Rustlepaw.

Moon 27 (Leaf-fall)

Cinnamonpaw is now Cinnamonstripe!

Blackpaw is now Blackiris!

Lakestar and Wispriver enjoy a nice long walk.

[nitinguptadfw]

Lakehaven | Farmersville, TX | Henderson Plan By Meritage Homes Video Tour | New Homes For Sale

ICYMI: http://dlvr.it/Sx7XQd

[drdehooks]

Lake Haven Church, Guest Speaker, Carlie Terradez, 2-12-2023

LakeHaven Church Live | February 12, 2023 | 5pm https://www.youtube.com/live/XqQCzP0j4ws?feature=share via @YouTube

[xianmeister]

Nag-bike kanina at dito ako napadpad… 🚲🏖 #LakeHaven (at Lake Haven Resort, Brgy. Nangkaan) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVVhWDwJV35/?utm_medium=tumblr

[ohmicaela]

💗🎬💚💜💙📽💖 . . . . . #cinema #movies #film #metrocinemas @metrocinemaslakehaven #centralcoastnsw #nsw #travel #marvel #popcorn #lights #movie #travelgram #wanderlust #lakehaven #centralcoast #australia (at Metro Cinemas Lake Haven) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwbRdRIhw_r/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=q9dprzhszgth

[rockislandadultreads]

Keeping Secret: books to read

The Kingdom by Jo Nesbø, Robert Ferguson (Translator)

Roy and Carl have spent their whole lives running from the darkness in their past, but when Carl finally returns to make peace with it, the two brothers are inexorably drawn into a reckoning with their own demons. Roy has never left the quiet mountain town he grew up in, unlike his little brother Carl who couldn’t wait to get out and escape his troubled past. Just like everyone else in town, Roy believed Carl was gone for good. But Carl has big plans for his hometown. And when he returns with a mysterious new wife and a business opportunity that seems too good to be true, simmering tensions begin to surface and unexplained deaths in the town’s past come under new scrutiny. Soon powerful players set their sights on taking the brothers down by exposing their role in the town’s sordid history. But Roy and Carl are survivors, and no strangers to violence. Roy has always protected his younger brother. As the body count rises, though, Roy’s loyalty to family is tested. And then Roy finds himself inextricably drawn to Carl’s wife, Shannon, an attraction that will have devastating consequences. Roy’s world is coming apart and soon there will be no turning back. He’ll be forced to choose between his own flesh and blood and a future he had never dared to believe possible.

The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson

A promise could betray you. It’s 2008, and the inauguration of President Barack Obama ushers in a new kind of hope. In Chicago, Ruth Tuttle, an Ivy-League educated Black engineer, is married to a kind and successful man. He’s eager to start a family, but Ruth is uncertain. She has never gotten over the baby she gave birth to—and was forced to leave behind—when she was a teenager. She had promised her family she’d never look back, but Ruth knows that to move forward, she must make peace with the past. Returning home, Ruth discovers the Indiana factory town of her youth is plagued by unemployment, racism, and despair. As she begins digging into the past, she unexpectedly befriends Midnight, a young white boy who is also adrift and looking for connection. Just as Ruth is about to uncover a burning secret her family desperately wants to keep hidden, a traumatic incident strains the town’s already searing racial tensions, sending Ruth and Midnight on a collision course that could upend both their lives. Powerful and revealing, The Kindest Lie captures the heartbreaking divide between Black and white communities and offers both an unflinching view of motherhood in contemporary America and the never-ending quest to achieve the American Dream.

Ghost Blows a Kiss by Carolyn Hart

The late - as in Dearly Departed - Bailey Ruth Raeburn is delighted when she's assigned a new mission by Heaven's Department of Good Intentions, even if she is no good at following the rules for Earthly Visitations. This time she's determined to be the perfect unseen emissary, no matter what it takes. Arriving late in the evening in her old hometown of Adelaide, Oklahoma to find a woman drowning in a pond, Bailey Ruth carries out a daring rescue with textbook invisible effort. But Bailey Ruth soon realizes there's more to Fran's accident than a late-night walk gone wrong. The young widow was running away - but what from? Soon Bailey Ruth finds herself caught up in a complex web of family secrets, loyalties and lies - and if she doesn't act fast, an innocent will be locked up for a very long time . . .

Never Ask Me by Jeff Abbott

Each of us has a question we dread. When the simple community of Lakehaven is shaken by a violent crime, doubts begin to arise among the locals about whom they can trust. In a quiet neighborhood in the wealthy Austin suburb of Lakehaven, the body of Danielle Roberts is discovered on a park bench. Danielle was a beloved member of the community, an adoption consultant who delivered the joy of parenthood to a number of local families. Her murder shocks Lakehaven. Perhaps no other family is as crushed as the Pollitts, who lived two houses down from Danielle and thought of her almost like family. Her death becomes the catalyst for a maelstrom of suspicion and intrigue. You have been told a huge lie, an anonymous email charges the son, Grant. No one can learn the truth now, thinks the father, Kyle. Never ask me what I'd do to protect my family, resolves the wife, Iris. I'll do whatever it takes to save him, vows the daughter, Julia, of Danielle's grieving teenage son. The Pollitts always thought they'd always be there for each other. When each begins to suspect the others of the unimaginable, the strength of their bonds will be tested in extraordinary new ways. The latest from New York Times bestselling author Jeff Abbott ishis most suspenseful thriller yet: a riveting tale of the dangerous secrets one family has concealed -- and what happens when the question each Pollitt hoped they'd never be asked threatens to expose their darkest truths.

[tonkirecords]

Gramps pipe tales of zestiria

Gramps pipe tales of zestiria Pc#

If you love this topic, please share it on facebook to let your friends know. You are reading: Tales of zestiria what item to hand over belongs to topic Game (English).

tales of zestiria what item to hand over.

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Tales of zestiria 5 dishes quest give alisha your thanks tales of zestiria lakehaven heights hand over item hand over hand over item hand over Tales of Zestiria item hand over item hand over hand over item hand over Tales of Zestiria over. => Read More Similar Meaning: “Tales of zestiria what item to hand over” When you get the option to either hand over gald or item later, hand over the pipe instead you will be able to get an attachment that …. => Read More Should I sell the knife? :: Tales of Zestiria Discussioni generaliĭon’t sell your knife. When you get the option to either hand over gald or item later, hand over the pipe instead you will be able to get an …. => Read More Should I sell the knife? :: Tales of Zestiria Discussions généralesĭon’t sell your knife. Tales of Zestiria … To bypass the guards without selling your keyitems. => Read More Guide :: To bypass guards to Sword Pulling Ritual without selling => Read More Should I sell the knife? – Tales of Zestiria – Steam Communityĭon’t sell your knife. => Read Now Should I sell the knife? :: Tales of Zestiria General Discussionsĭon’t sell your knife. To people who haven’t started the game keep the knife the girl leaves behind Don’t sell the royal knife, or give it to the guard, it’s useful later on in a …. => Read Now Keep the knife! – Tales of Zestiria – GameFAQs Sell the dagger (you get an extra 500, but you need to buy it back later in the game). So basically it boils down to 3 options 1. => Read Now What item to sell for 1000 gald? – Tales of Zestiria – GameFAQs Sell the Pipe (you get a hat accessory, but you can buy it back for …. Sell the dagger (you get an extra 500, but you need to buy it back later in the game) => Read Now What item to sell for 1000 gald? – Tales of Zestiria – GameFAQsġ. It’s not listed as a option up in the mission objective,but go to him,talk and you will be given the option to show him a …. Google search results: What item to sell for 1000 gald? – Tales of Zestiria – GameFAQs

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Guide :: To bypass guards to Sword Pulling Ritual without selling.

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Gramps pipe tales of zestiria Pc#

Check out the trailer for the 13 TMNT titles and their Japanese versions, coming to PC via Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on August 30, 2022.The collection includes: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (Arcade), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game (NES), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project (NES), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (NES), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (Super Nintendo), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (Super Nintendo), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist (Sega Genesis), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (Sega Genesis), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of The Foot Clan (Game Boy), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back From The Sewers (Game Boy), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue (Game Boy). Join Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection.

[randomactuallywrites-57]

The Great Elysian Bakeoff

Title: The Great Elysian Bakeoff Author: randomwriter57 Rating: G Word Count: 7,293 Event + Prompt: @sormikweek day six - Anger/Humour (Thunder) Notes: because of today's prompts, i tried to make this a comedy fic. i hope you guys enjoy it!

Summary: Sorey extends a hand to Mikleo. “Good luck.” Mikleo returns the gesture, bumping their wrists together instead of shaking hands. “May the best chef win.”

Also on: AO3

“Ahhhh!”

Leaning back on his hands, Sorey lets out a satisfied sound, revelling in the feeling of a warm summer’s evening and a full stomach. The grassy fields of Lakehaven Heights sway in the breeze, and an expanse of colour opens above them as the sky slowly turns from blue into a soft pink hue, the beginnings of sunset appearing. The leftover scent of cake batter mingles with the smell of fresh grass. It makes him want another serving.

“That was delicious,” he says.

From the other side of the small campfire they’ve set up, Lailah smiles warmly. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s been a while since I last made chiffon cake, so it’s good to see it came out well.”

“It’s really good,” Mikleo chips in. He prods his own slice of cake with his fork as he speaks. “The texture, the flavour - I don’t think I’ve tasted better chiffon cake before.”

“Seriously,” Rose adds, “we should sell these along with Mikleo’s ice cream! We’d make a fortune.”

Lailah gives a soft laugh as Mikleo narrows his eyes at her. They’ve had this conversation before, back when Mikleo first made fruit parfaits for everyone after Rose and Dezel joined their party. Sorey remembers how long that argument had lasted, with Rose trying and failing to convince Mikleo to market his parfaits, and Mikleo insisting that she shouldn’t try to sell the food he put all of his feelings into making.

Well, as long as Sorey has the chance to eat it, he doesn’t really mind. Mikleo’s ice cream and Lailah’s cakes both are a wonder to behold.

Before they can argue about it again, Sorey decides to speak up. “Putting that aside, don’t you think everyone’s really starting to improve with their cooking?”

Mikleo scoffs. “Speak for yourself. When it came to sweet treats, you could only make piles of black stuff when we first left Elysia.”

Sorey frowns. “You say that like you’ve never messed up when cooking! I don’t know how you make a fake snack, but somehow you’ve managed it a few times, now.”

“That only happened a couple of times! Besides, I hardly make mistakes in cooking, especially compared to you.”

“When it comes to cool sweets, sure, but if we let you near a fire-”

“Just because you can cook meat doesn’t mean you have the delicacy needed for baking-”

“Maybe I do, and you just haven’t seen it-”

“Oh? Then I’d like to see you try-”

Sorey stands up. “Fine! It’s a match, then! Let’s see who can make the best cake.”

Mikleo also stands, meeting him eye to eye with his shoulders squared. “You’re on.”

It’s as they stand in silence, challenging each other, that they remember their companions.

Edna is the first to break the silence, tapping her umbrella against the grass. “So are we hosting a cooking competition now?”

“That’s a great idea,” Rose says. “We should market it and sell tickets!”

“No one would be able to see Mikleo,” Dezel says, finally speaking. “It would be pointless.”

“Then we’ll only invite seraphim!”

This strikes Sorey with an idea, and he turns to the others. “Actually, could we do this in Elysia? That way we’ll have our own kitchens to prepare the food in.”

“You want everyone in the village to see your grand failure?” Mikleo teases. “Fine by me. We’ve not been home in a while, anyway.”

Lailah claps her hands together. “It’s settled, then! Let’s gather the ingredients before we head to Elysia. That way everything will be ready for the final showdown.”

Even though it strikes Sorey as a tad ridiculous that their argument has spawned a full-on cooking competition, he can’t say he’s not looking forward to it. After all, there’s nothing like wiping the smug smile off of Mikleo’s face with an undeniable victory.

Thus, their most recent competition begins.

Needless to say, when Sorey and the others arrive in Elysia with their arms filled with bags of baking ingredients, they get a few stares of curiosity from the seraphim who come to greet them. Once they explain the situation to them, though, the seraphim become far more invested in this competition than Sorey expected them to be.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen either of them make a cake in their lives,” he overhears Myrna saying to Lailah at one point. “It’ll be interesting to see how well they turn out!”

“My money’s on Mikleo,” Ed says, joining in with the conversation. “He’s always been better at cool sweets.”

When they catch Sorey listening, they only give him knowing smiles. He can’t find it in himself to really be annoyed with them, since they’re not wrong.

Despite the apparent low expectations, he is serious about this competition. Baked sweets are the one niche which neither of them have explored much in their cooking, but he’s sure he can make a delicious cake to impress even the stubborn Mikleo. Besides, there’s more of a chance of Mikleo burning it than of Sorey doing so. He already has a head start.

They take a couple of days in preparation to choose their ingredients and find the perfect recipes for their cakes, to save time on the day of their competition. In that time, Sorey and Mikleo barely see each other, less out of choice and more because the seraphim keep them busy, talking about their preparation and giving them tips and tricks. For the likes of Myrna and Medea, it makes sense, but for seraphim like Ed and Shiron, Sorey is sure they’re only getting involved because they have a bet going. He probably has Rose to thank for that.

Neither of them see each other until the night before their match. Sorey, unable to sleep, heads out into the night, making his way towards the cliff edge where he and Mikleo tended to relax at times like this, before they left Elysia. There’s already a head of white hair there, looking out onto the horizon.

Mikleo hears him coming. “You’re up late,” he says.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Sorey says, sitting down beside him. “Same with you?”

“Yeah.”

A calm breeze brushes through their hair. It’s times like this when Sorey feels most nostalgic, sitting in his pyjamas with Mikleo, without needing to worry about the state of the world below. Even if this will only last a short amount of time, he can’t say he’s not grateful for the distraction.

“Are you worried I’m gonna kick your butt tomorrow?” Sorey teases, nudging Mikleo with his elbow.

Mikleo only smirks, meeting Sorey’s nudge with one of his own.  “No way. We both know I’ll be taking the victory this time.”

They return to their relaxed positions. Though the temptation to start a tickle fight is all too real, Sorey only remembers how scared Mikleo had been that one time when they’d almost rolled off the edge of the cliff. Probably best not to relive that particular experience.

As Sorey reclines, his hand finds the edge of Mikleo's in the grass, and he leaves it there, their fingers barely brushing.

“Maybe I should start thinking of a forfeit for when you lose,” Sorey says.

“Or maybe you should start worrying about your own forfeit,” Mikleo replies. “I’ve got plenty of ideas.”

Sorey grins despite himself. It’s been too long since he and Mikleo have had this competitive banter, since they’ve been so busy purifying the malevolence and earning the spiritual powers. Even if he’s been lucky enough to have Mikleo at his side on this journey, this is something he’s missed, too.

“Don’t be too harsh, alright?” he says.

Mikleo presses his pinky finger against Sorey’s. “Don’t count on being given any mercy.”

They stay there a little longer, silent but enjoying each other’s company and the calm before the storm that is to come.

The next morning marks the day of their match.

They meet at dawn, with the wind blustering around them, wisping hair across their faces and their cloaks into the sky. A few feet apart, they stand at odds, eyes filled with determination. On each side behind them stand groups of seraphim (plus Rose), each having chosen which side to support. This way, everyone can watch whoever they’re supporting, since they’ll be using separate kitchens for the competition.

Sorey extends a hand to Mikleo. “Good luck.”

Mikleo returns the gesture, bumping their wrists together instead of shaking hands. “May the best chef win.”

Lailah, who is hosting the event, steps between them.

“Before we begin, I have an announcement to make,” she says, bringing both of their attentions to her.

“Huh? What is it?” Sorey asks.

Smiling with the air of someone who knows far more than them, she says, “We are implementing a surprise rule in your cooking challenge! As you both know, your task is to bake the perfect cake. However, last night, during dinner, we were talking to some of the residents of Elysia. They told us all about your childhood habits. It was really sweet.”

“Who would have guessed that Meebo had a rebellious streak a few years ago?” Edna’s mischievous smile makes Mikleo flinch in annoyance. “Rebelleo.”

“If this is in relation to when I ran away that one time-” Mikleo starts, but Lailah shushes him.

(Calling it a rebellion is a stretch, anyway. He’d hardly ran very far - only to spend the night in the Mt Mabinogio Ruins, after Gramps separated them into different houses. He’d gone alone, but Sorey found him an hour later, and spent the night with him until Mikleo finally caved, returning to Gramps to apologise for his behaviour. That doesn’t mean he didn’t break the rules a couple of times, but never so much as when they first met Alisha, when everything first began.)

“One of the stories they told us was about how you read a book one day about human customs,” Lailah continues. “It talked about birthdays.”

“Oh, I remember that!” Sorey says, turning to Mikleo. “You seemed down about the fact that I didn’t get to celebrate like other humans, and I felt sad because the seraphim didn’t seem to do it either.”

Mikleo nods. “Yeah. We gave everyone their own birthday, after finding out that they didn’t already have them.”

“And we always shared ours,” Sorey says. “You were so grumpy about that at first, but I thought it made sense.”

Lailah, looking pleased with their reactions, says, “Yes, that is what they told us about. And apparently, a certain seraph’s birthday is coming up.”

For a moment, Sorey and Mikleo freeze, racking their brains for the knowledge of whose birthday was coming up next. It’s difficult now that they’ve been gone for a while, since time passes by so quickly in the process of purification. Once the realisation strikes them, however, their faces move into identical expressions of mixed shock and horror.

“Gramps!”

Gramps’ birthday is always in the middle of summer, during the hottest period of the year. It’s the only time when the clouds beneath Elysia’s mountain seem to grow dark, and Gramps lights up the night sky with fascinating electric storms to clear the muggy heat. In the warmth of summer, they’d get everyone together to prepare a feast, filled with grilled meat and cool sweets and fresh fruit juice. Everyone would laugh and sing and celebrate together, and it was the one time of year where Gramps managed to be less strict towards the boys, ruffling their hair and going along with their antics, if only for a day.

A pang of guilt rushes through Sorey for having forgotten. It’s one thing to forget a friend’s birthday, but to forget the birthday of the one who raised him…

“We thought it would be good for you to try to create the perfect birthday cake for Sir Zenrus,” Lailah says. “Can you do it?”

Sorey exchanges a look with Mikleo, both apprehensive but willing to try. After all, they’d love nothing more than to make Gramps happy. If they can be here to celebrate his birthday, even after having left for the world of humans, they might as well throw in every effort to make it special.

“Of course we can,” Mikleo answers for them both.

Lailah smiles. “Alright. Your challenge is to create the perfect birthday cake for Sir Zenrus. You’ll be judged on flavour, texture, and appearance. And of course, you’ll only have so much time to do it, too.”

“We’ll be holding the birthday feast at sundown,” Kyme says from where he stands in the crowd. “That way most of us can prepare for it, whilst the others watch your competition.”

It’s nerve-wracking, to hear the stakes put so plainly. Sorey gulps.

“Now,” Lailah says, raising a hand. “Let the Great Elysian Bakeoff begin!”

The heat in the kitchen is stifling, and Sorry hasn’t even lit the fire yet.

He doesn’t know what to attribute it to: the summer sun, the pressure of competition, or the sheer amount of bodies lazing around his house, watching his process.

Okay, to be fair, there are only about ten seraphim in the house, but his house was only ever built for half that, at most. He didn’t even know his bed had the capacity to fit five people sitting in various positions. And yet, any time he glances over his shoulder at them, he’s proven wrong.

At least he doesn’t have to wait for the butter to reach room temperature.

He measures out a rough pound of butter on an old set of scales before transferring it to a bowl, along with a pound of sugar and flour. He cracks the eggs in a separate bowl, beating them before pouring some of the liquid into the batter. Then, he gets to mixing the ingredients.

Though Sorey likes baking well enough, he’s never been fond of the technicalities of it. Being bound to a recipe feels a little restrictive, so he’s always liked experimenting with his dishes. That’s probably why he ends up making black stuff all the time, though. In any case, it’s because of this that he ends up throwing in a teaspoon of lemon juice, once he’s mixed the rest of the ingredients together. He also adds some extra sugar, just to balance it out. It’s not so adventurous that it should ruin the cake for Gramps, but it gives him some freedom as well.

As he mixes the ingredients, Edna pops up at his side, watching him sceptically. “You look like you’re having fun.”

“I am,” Sorey tells her, keeping his eyes on the bowl even as he smiles in response. “Its been a while since Mikleo and I have had a competition like this. I’m enjoying it!”

“Even when it’s something as tedious as cake-making?”

Sorey shrugs. “I suggested it in the first place. Anyway, you talk as if you’re not interested in how it ends up.”

Edna turns away, tapping her umbrella on the floor. “I just need to make sure I didn’t waste my money, that’s all.”

“Wait, did you bet on me to win?!” Both the idea of Edna gambling over something like this, and the nature of who she put her money on, surprises him more than anything.

“I sure did,” she says, looking over to him again. “Meebo will probably burn everything. Faileo.”

Sorey laughs nervously. He supposes when it comes to elemental stereotypes, Mikleo has always been much better with cool sweets. Then again, there have been a couple of instances in their journey that he’s managed to make a perfect cake. He doesn’t point that out to Edna, though.

“I’ll try my best to win, then,” he says instead.

“You’d better,” Edna says, gripping the handle of her umbrella with a little more force.

He tries not to think about how painful the point of that umbrella will be between his ribs if he messes this up.

In his own house, Mikleo moves with the same cool composure with which he faces everything, save perhaps for Edna’s teasing. He sweeps ingredients into the bowl in perfect measures, mixing them with the kind of arm strength which might surprise those watching him if they hadn’t seen the force with which he uses his staff in battle. Everything comes together in a smooth, rich batter, flavoured with a touch of matcha, giving it the green tea flavour he and Gramps have always been so fond of.  Maybe it’s a dirty trick, but that's just the nature of the secret challenge they’ve been issued.

His house is smaller than Sorey's due to having been built later, and for the use of someone who rarely slept there, but it comfortably fits the group of people watching him. Then again, some of them are outside, taking in the sunshine, whilst those in his house have been instructed to stay away from the kitchen area whilst he’s baking. That’s probably why it feels spacious right now.

(He just hopes the others aren’t looking through his belongings. He’s picked up an embarrassing number of new books on this journey, some of which have nothing to do with history, and he doesn’t want to be the butt of any further jokes.)

Carefully, he pours the mixed batter into a rectangular cake pan. The slight green hue will die down during the baking process, so he tries not to worry about how unsatisfying it looks in the pan. Once that’s ready, he pops it into the wood-burning stove and relaxes.

That’s the hard part done with. Now, all he has to do is catch up with his dishes and make the glaze and decorations. It can’t be a birthday cake without looking special, after all.

As he’s washing the dishes, Rose comes over, sniffing the air with a hungry expression.

“Something smells good!” she says.

“Lets hope it tastes good too,” Mikleo replies. He uses an arte to evaporate the water dripping from the bowl in his hand, then returns it to its proper place in the cupboard.

“I’m sure it will, everything you make tastes amazing!” Rose’s expression becomes serious, and she lowers her voice. “Besides, I have a 1,000 gald bet riding on you winning this thing, so it’d better taste like the best cake on the planet.”

Mikleo gives her an exasperated expression. “I appreciate your support, but isn’t 1,000 gald a bit of a high bet?”

Rose shrugs. “That’s what Edna bet on Sorey, so I had to match her. The other seraphim here aren’t high rolling gamblers, you see.”

He doesn’t point out how all of their collective money ends up being spent on equipment fusion and food for all of them, no matter how much he wants to. She probably wouldn’t care that her bet means nothing when her money and Edna’s money are already essentially the same thing.

“Well, I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t go broke because of Edna, then.”

As he finishes the dishes and moves onto the glaze, Rose stays with him in the kitchen. For the most part, she keeps trying to convince him to sell his sweets, to which his answer is a consistent “No.” He’s beginning to tell her to leave when he smells something strange and pauses, halfway between a word.

“Do you smell that?” he asks.

Rose sniffs the air, grimacing. “It smells like after Lailah did that crucible of malevolence thingy.”

Turning around, Mikleo blanches.

“Oh no.”

Sorey pulls his cake out of the stove, using a towel to carry it over to the nearest clear surface. From what he can see, the cake looks beautiful. It’s perfectly browned, and already tested with a skewer to make sure it’s cooked through. He can’t wait to taste it.

Of course, he won’t be able to do that until after the competition. For now, he sets it aside to cool, with Edna watching beside him. She hasn’t moved since their earlier conversation, keeping Sorey amused with dry commentary and snarky remarks about Mikleo. It’s been nice, to have her company. It isn’t often that they get to hang out as just the two of them, after all.

“You left your stuff all over the counter,” Edna points out, not moving from her perch on one of the counters to help him.

“Oh, yeah.” Sorey moves over to start clearing away his used ingredients. Since he’s already made the glaze which will go over the cake, he doesn’t have much else to do. He moves to pick up the large bag of sugar, making sure to close it properly so it doesn’t go all over the place.

When he turns to face Edna, however, her face morphs into one of surprise, then quickly to amusement.

“What is it?” he asks.

“Humans sure are unobservant,” she says, a cryptic response to his question. She twirls her umbrella around idly.

Still, since she said it right after he picked up the sugar, Sorey can’t help the bad feeling which crawls up his spine.

He puts the sugar back down on the counter, surveying the bag. It’s only when he turns it around, however, that he notices the word neatly printed across the material: SALT.

Sorey freezes.

“Oh no.”

Out of the stove where Mikleo’s cake bakes comes a puff of black smoke, slowly gathering on his ceiling. He lets out a strangled cry, throwing his hands out to cast a water arte on the stove. It’s only once the fire is out that he realises his mistake.

With a pair of well-worn oven gloves, he pulls his charred, soaking cake out of the stove.

Rose watches on with an expression half pitiful, and half stifling laughter.

A couple of seraphim appear at the door, wearing concerned expressions, but they back away with good humoured smiles when they see Mikleo's agitation.

“This is because you distracted me!” Mikleo snaps when Rose's laughter becomes full blown. “What am I supposed to do now?!”

“You could always decorate it and try to make it look nice,” Rose says, her laugh lingering as she eyes the mess that was once Mikleo’s cake. “Probably won’t mask the taste, though.”

Mikleo puts the cake pan down on a nearby surface, glaring at it as though it’s the cake’s fault for burning to death. In his head, he runs through his options.

The cake is burnt through, not to mention sopping wet. Even if he extracted the water using his artes, it might remove some of the moisture from the cake, making it not only burnt but dry as a rock. It might even fall to pieces like ash as soon as he tries to remove it from the pan. There's no way he’s going to serve this to Gramps.

And yet, he only has enough ingredients left for a cake half the size of this one. He wouldn’t want to ask the other seraphim to borrow their ingredients, either – that would feel like even more of a loss.

But he doesn’t have any other options. If he wants to win this competition, he can’t give up now.

What is he supposed to do?

The front door creaks open, and Lailah pops her head through the gap, her eyes widening as she takes in the scene in front of her. “Oh dear, what happened here?”

“The competition heated up too quickly,” Rose jokes, still grinning.

Mikleo turns his gaze to the ground, listening as Lailah lets out an understanding “oh” and moves into the house, closing the door behind her. She heads over to where he stands and looks at the cake.

“It’s not too bad!” she says, wearing the falsest smile he’s ever seen from her. “It could be a new invention!”

“The cake is ruined, Lailah,” Mikleo points out, looking at her with a deadpan expression. “I don’t have enough to make another one unless it’s half the size.”

(In the background, Rose’s face falls, and she pulls out her coin purse, swearing under her breath.)

Lailah bites her lip, looking down at the ground. After a long moment, she looks up again.

“Why don’t you take a little break?” she asks. “Some fresh air might be good for your head. Maybe you’ll think of a new solution when you’re not stuck in such a hot kitchen.”

Though he very much doubts this feels too hot to Lailah - she didn’t even break a sweat during the fire trial, after all, and that was in a volcano - he has to agree. As a water seraph, his heat resistance has always been weak. Maybe the air will help.

“Alright,” he says. “I’ll take a break. But only for five minutes.”

“Of course,” Lailah says, holding the door open for him. “Let’s go, then!”

They head out of Mikleo's house. Once the mountain breeze hits his skin, he understands what Lailah meant; he takes a deep breath, and a wave of relief washes over him.

It might not be enough to really make him forget the situation, but it calms him nonetheless.

“It’s surprisingly lively, today,” Lailah says, her gaze falling on the seraphim setting up the decorations around the village. A couple of rocks make for tables which already hold the beginnings of a feast, plates of foods covered by cloths and a space especially for the main attraction – the cake.

Mikleo hopes Sorey's cake has gone better than his own.

A moment later, he scolds himself for thinking such things – he needs to stay determined, or else he’ll never have a chance of winning this competition.

Perhaps Lailah notices his frown, because she does not wait for him to respond before speaking again.

“Have your celebrations always been like this?”

Keeping his gaze on the blue skies, he hums. “At first, they were smaller, I think. We didn’t have as much experience in throwing parties. Over time, of course, this has become normal. I think everyone is putting in more effort because you guys are here, this time.”

He remembers the first birthday celebration they threw for Gramps. Incidentally, it had been the first birthday party they’d ever thrown for anyone, after their own shared birthday which had been organised as a surprise for them. All they’d had was a cake baked by Lawrence and a couple of flowers to give him as gifts. Gramps seemed to enjoy it regardless. He even let them off lightly on having picked the flowers from Cynthia’s garden without permission.

“It’s a lovely thing, to be able to celebrate the lives of those you care about.” Lailah says. “They must all truly enjoy this.”

“I think they do,” Mikleo agrees.

Walking once more, they take a quick stroll along the edge of the cliff, past the gate and back up the village summit. This way, they find themselves on track to Sorey’s house. Mikleo can only imagine the lively atmosphere inside of there.

“Would you like to visit him?” Lailah asks when she follows his gaze. “We can see how he’s doing.”

“Wouldn’t that be cheating? I’d be spying on my competitor,” Mikleo points out.

“Nonsense,” Lailah says. “It’s not spying if you’re just visiting.”

Though Mikleo isn’t sure how credible her excuse is, he goes along with her anyway.

When they open the door, a wave of heat smacks Mikleo in the face. For a moment, he wonders if Sorey forgot about his cake completely.

Only it seems that’s just the natural heat of a kitchen in the summer. Sorey’s cake sits on the counter on a plate, undecorated with a slice already cut off, though it lies unfinished beside the cake, like a broken limb. For a brief second he sees Sorey with his head in his hands, though he looks up upon hearing the door close.

“Mikleo, Lailah!” he says in greeting. He moves to stand in front of where his cake lies, blocking it from view. “What are you guys doing here?”

The wavering tone of his voice and the nervous, maybe even guilty smile on his lips are enough to tell Mikleo that something must have happened.

“Mikleo had some time to spare, so we thought we’d come to see how you’re doing!” Lailah says.

“Oh, right.” Sorey looks both taken aback and worried about her words. Almost like he doesn’t think he’ll have enough time to finish if Mikleo is already done.

Walking over to Sorey, Mikleo peers around him at the cake. Or at least, he tries to - Sorey shifts at the last second, frowning at him.

“Hey, no cheating,” Sorey says.

“I’m not cheating,” Mikleo replies. “I want to know what’s wrong.”

Sorey’s face pales. “Wrong? There’s nothing wrong-”

“Show me the cake.”

At first, Sorey stands his ground. Still, there’s nothing more corrosive than one of Mikleo’s glares, and he shifts, letting Mikleo past to look at the cake.

In all aspects, it looks innocent enough. In fact, Mikleo thinks this might be the best-looking cake he’s seen Sorey make. The outside is perfectly browned, and the cake itself looks light and fluffy. The only indication that something might be wrong, other than Sorey’s behaviour, is the lack of decoration and the broken off piece.

He turns his eyes to the counter, scanning for any evidence of something having gone wrong. All he sees is Edna on one of the other counters, twirling her umbrella and watching on with a smirk. Beside her sits a large bag of-

Oh.

Mikleo turns his gaze back to Sorey. “You used salt instead of sugar, didn’t you?”

“Maybe,” Sorey says, keeping his gaze away with a pout. A moment later he crumbles, letting his head fall. “Okay, yeah, I did. It’s an easy mistake to make though - the containers look exactly the same!”

“Yeah, except one says ‘salt’ in huge lettering.”

Lailah takes this moment to chip into the discussion. “Perhaps now wouldn’t be the best time to throw salt into a fresh wound, Mikleo.”

“It’d hurt just as much if you mistook it for sugar,” Edna adds from her perch.

Even though part of him feels victorious since he’s not the only one who messed up his cake, the rest of him feels bad for Sorey. They’d both been looking forward to this competition since it was proposed, and now everything has gone up in flames.

“Guys,” Sorey says mournfully. “I think I’ve lost this one. I don’t have enough ingredients for another cake this size - well, except for the sugar.”

“Neither do I,” Mikleo says. When Sorey gives him a questioning glance, he explains. “I accidentally left my cake in the stove too long, and when it caught fire, I doused it with my water artes.”

Sorey grimaces. “Charred and soaking cake? That sucks.”

“Oh, good,” Edna says. “I thought I’d lost my bet, but it looks like Meebo really did come through. Burntleo.”

“Knock it off,” Mikleo complains.

“This sucks,” Sorey says. “Now Gramps won’t have a birthday cake at all.”

For some reason, this hadn’t occurred to Mikleo before. Hearing it now gives him pause, and he feels his heart sink. “You’re right. What are we going to do? We don’t have enough time to get more ingredients; it would take a day just to get to the nearest human settlement, and they might not even have what we need.”

“We could make two smaller cakes, but that just seems…” Sorey trails off. His eyes light up a moment later. “Oh! I have an idea!”

“What is it?”

Sorey grins at Mikleo. “The competition is a bust - we’ve pretty much figured out how good we are at making cakes. You’re good at creativity and making the mixture, but you forget about the timing.”

“And you’re good with timing but you’re careless with the ingredients,” Mikleo adds. “But how will this solve anything?”

“Why don’t we just make a cake together?”

When the words come out of Sorey’s mouth, the answer seems obvious. They’ve both got half the ingredients they need. It would be easy enough to combine their resources and work together. And with Sorey being a Shepherd now, they even have a way of doing it so they won’t get in each other’s way.

Mikleo hates to say it, but it’s the perfect plan.

“Alright,” Mikleo says. “Let’s do it.”

“Does this mean the betting’s off?” Edna says to Lailah, her expression less annoyed than it should be for having just lost 1,000 gald. “Lame.”

“But everything has turned out in such an interesting way,” Lailah says, watching the boys with a smile. “Won’t it be fun to see where this goes?”

Edna shrugs. “I suppose.”

Bumping their wrists together, Sorey and Mikleo grin at each other before speaking in unison.

“Luzrov Rulay!”

They move around the kitchen like a river, flowing naturally between work stations. They measure out each ingredient in perfect quantities (with Mikleo making sure they definitely use sugar instead of salt, this time) and add them all into a large mixing bowl. Using their combined strength, they mix the ingredients, slowing moulding it into the perfect batter.

From the bedroom, their companions and a few of the Elysian seraphim watch on, amazed by this new method of making cake together.

“I don’t think this is what the armatus was created for,” Dezel grumps. He’s been in this kind of mood since Rose dragged him over to watch, making him stop being a loner and standing out on the cliff edge, as he’d been doing earlier.

“Maybe not, but somehow they’re actually doing it,” Rose says. “Besides, what do you expect from those two? They’re not exactly conventional folks.”

“They've always been like this,” Myrna says from where she sits nearby. “Even if they’re competing or bickering, if it means someone else will be made unhappy, they always resolve their differences and find a solution quickly. Even if their methods can be unconventional.”

Kyme laughs. “That’s right. They once argued over who should do which chores, and when I told them Gramps would be upset if they kept arguing and got nothing done, they started doing every chore together. They only ended up doing half of what needed to be done, but it stopped them from arguing.”

“In the end, their arguments made them unhappy more than anyone.”

Though the discussion is a serious one, and those watching Sorey and Mikleo can see the importance of this information pertaining to their friendship, it’s difficult to take them seriously when they’re wearing a pale blue apron over their armatus form clothing. At least it matches, in terms of colour, anyway.

With the batter mixed, the boys pour it into their baking tin. They share a sense of satisfaction when they put the cake into the stove, hopeful that this time, everything will turn out better than ever.

Despite expectations, they do not release the armatization just yet. They move on to do the dishes, using their shared artes to wash them, then evaporating the water just as easily afterward. By the time they put them away, the scent of a beautifully baked cake fills the kitchen. Putting on Sorey's oven gloves, they pull it out of the oven.

“It looks perfect,” Sorey says. “Let's test it with a skewer, though.”

The skewer comes out clean. Now, they put the cake aside to cool before getting to work on their topping. This time, the cake is a simple vanilla flavour, since they both ran out of their previous flavourings of choice. For the decoration, they whip up a vanilla buttercream icing to decorate it with, along with some summer berries they brought with them from Ladylake, where they bought their supplies.

(Actually, the strawberries came from a little farm on the way to Elysia. They’d all been surprised to see that some farmers had managed to keep their produce alive even in this Age of Chaos, and were wary that the farmer might be reluctant to part with any. On the contrary, he'd been glad to be of service to the Shepherd. Sorey made sure to pay him for the fruits, despite his insisting that he could have them for free.)

Primarily, Mikleo takes charge of the decorating. His stylistic sense has always been more composed than Sorey's, something which they used to argue over, though Sorey will now readily admit. Even if Mikleo makes cakes look beautiful, Sorey is faster at decorating them, or creating any artistic endeavour.

In the end, it’s no surprise that the cake looks amazing. They pick up the plate they transferred it onto before decorating it, then turn to their guests.

“It's done,” they say in unison.

Their small audience come closer, crowding around them to get a better look at the cake.

“It smells amazing,” Myrna says.

“The arrangement is beautiful,” Kyme says.

“You’ve done a marvellous job,” Lailah says. She looks just as proud as the Elysian seraphim, despite only having known the boys for a short time in comparison.

Edna pokes their side with her umbrella, though far more gently than she usually would. “Don’t just stand there, dummies. Take it outside.”

The front door of Sorey’s house opens, seemingly of its own accord, and they turn to see Dezel looking away, his frown softer than usual. They don’t thank him aloud, knowing that he’ll just say it wasn’t him, but they both felt the gentle breeze which passed them on the way to the door. There are no other wind seraphim in the house at the moment, besides. Instead, they shoot him a grateful expression before heading out the front door, their small entourage following them all the way.

It’s a short walk to where the feast has already been laid out, each dish covered to preserve its taste. In the centre of the table stands a cake stand, ready to hold Sorey and Mikleo’s prized creation. Very carefully, they place the cake onto the stand, the centrepiece to what looks to be a promising celebration.

“I’ll go get Gramps,” Kyme says before heading in the direction of the eldest seraph’s home.

In the meantime, Sorey and Mikleo finally release the armatization, now two separate entities once more. Sorey is the first to raise his arm for a wrist bump which Mikleo instinctively returns.

“Nice job, Mikleo,” Sorey says, grinning. “We actually made it.”

“I have to say, you did a good job on the cake itself,” Mikleo says. “The timing was perfect.”

“You’re the one who made it look amazing, though! If we’d still been competing, this would have to be your win.”

Mikleo frowns. “No, it would be yours. I still burned my own cake. Even if it looked good in the end, it wouldn’t taste good. Isn’t the point of food the quality of taste, not appearance?”

Sorey’s eyebrows furrow. “Maybe, but I’ve seen you make cake before, and they’ve turned out well enough. Even if my cakes taste good, they’re boring compared to yours.”

“I’m trying to give you your victory,” Mikleo says, his voice heating up a little in agitation. “Stop being humble!”

“I’m not going to accept a victory like that,” Sorey replies, also getting into the argument. “If we’re still having this argument, we’ll need to have another competition, with fairer conditions.”

“The conditions here were fair enough!”

“Maybe if we had less distractions-”

“We’re not having another competition over this, Sorey-”

“But how are we supposed to pick a winner if-”

A loud crack of thunder interrupts their argument.

Faces suddenly pale, they slowly turn to see Gramps a few feet away, with Kyme not far behind. His expression is unreadable, even to the boys who have learnt to search for the expression behind those thick eyebrows over their time of knowing them. They’re both inclined to think he must be angry, though.

The silence, perhaps, is the worst part. When Gramps doesn’t say anything for a long moment, they both brace themselves for the oncoming lecture they’re bound to receive. For what reason they’d be getting a lecture, neither could truly say, but they’ve probably done quite a few things that would make Gramps annoyed since they left Elysia.

Still, it’s not like this is their first time back since leaving. Gramps already knows that Sorey is the Shepherd now, and Mikleo a Sub Lord. They’ve already had the lecture for that, too.

Oh no. Did Gramps not want cake this year after all?!

“H-hi Gramps,” Sorey says, trying to smile through his teeth. “We’re back.”

When Gramps speak, his voice seems louder than the thunder he’d summoned.

“Arguing when in the presence of guests? Those aren’t the manners I raised you to have, are they?”

Sorey and Mikleo flinch. So it had been about their argument, after all. Quietly, they chorus an apology, hanging their heads.

“And what’s this I hear about misusing the Shepherd’s power for trivial matters?” Gramps says.

At this, Sorey raises his head. “It’s not trivial, Gramps!”

Mikleo also speaks up. “We just wanted to make the perfect cake, and this seemed like the easiest way of doing it.”

“Just because an idea is simple doesn’t mean it’s good,” Gramps points out. After a pause, he wears a small smile. “Besides, there’s no need to go to all that trouble for my sake.”

The boys hesitate only for a moment before rushing over to where he stands. They group together in a three-way hug, one which was far easier to manage when they were all the same height, close to ten years ago. Now Sorey and Mikleo have to almost kneel down to hug Gramps properly.

Still, it’s worth it. Gramps pats their heads in a caring nature, too used to their behaviour to truly be upset.

“Happy birthday, Gramps,” Sorey says into his shoulder, more emotional than he expected to be at this moment.

Mikleo repeats those words into his other shoulder, just as emotional.

Try as he might to be stern, Gramps still smiles as he responds. “Thank you, Sorey, Mikleo. Now, I hear you’ve made the perfect cake?”

They separate, smiles brightening even in the darkening evening, and their celebration begins.

“So who won the bet?”

Rose grimaces at Sorey’s words. “Did you have to bring that up?”

They’re all in Sorey’s house, late after the celebration has ended. Sorey and Mikleo sit on the floor near the fireplace, graciously allowing the girls to share the bed whilst Dezel lingers in a corner. It’s a cozy setting, one made warmer by their full stomachs and fond memories of the evening.

“Well, they both failed,” Edna says from where she lounges on the bed. “Shouldn’t we get our money back?”

“Actually, the bet’s still on,” a quiet voice says from the corner.

Everyone’s eyes shoot to Dezel, surprised at his contribution and even more surprised by the tiny smile on his face.

“Wait, you made a bet, Dezel?” Lailah asks. “Who did you bet on?”

“I bet that they’d both lose,” Dezel says, holding out a hand. “1,000 gald. Pay up.”

Sorey and Mikleo watch in shock and a little bit of offence as Rose and Edna give him the money they owe, both grumbling under their breaths as they do so.

Well, not every competition ends up as expected, but it’s the having fun that matters most. And Sorey can’t say he didn’t have a lot of fun, today.

He grins over at Mikleo. “Let’s make food like this together again, alright?”

Mikleo smiles with fond amusement. “Just so long as we don’t make a competition out of it again.”

They sit back together, feeling a sense of satisfaction as the day - and their cooking competition - comes to a close.

[wyongaustralia]

Absolute Waterfront – Majestic Budgewoi Lake

[fraegers]

carmen can have a little character development as a treat (part 1/2)

“Don’t think of it as a punishment, sweetie. Think of it as a fresh start.”

Carmen said nothing. She was on thin enough ice with her parents as it was, so she’d been practicing the art of “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”.

Truthfully, she didn’t see how spending her summer doing charitable work in the middle of nowhere with some middle-aged hippie qualified as anything but a punishment. But it sure beat the hell out of the alternative, which was time in a juvenile detention facility and an even bigger smudge on her permanent record. At least this way, if she survived the summer, she’d be able to start her new life at Elmore Junior High like nothing had ever happened.

Carmen hadn’t always been a bad girl; she’d just lost her way over the last few years. On the contrary, she’d been a bright and gifted child, but as she’d gotten older, the pressure of everyone’s expectations of her had finally started to get to her. When she’d started middle school, she’d begun hanging out with the wrong crowd, and she’d gotten caught up in the thrill of not having to be perfect for once in her life. It wasn’t long before she’d started cutting class, lying to her parents, getting into fights, and even committing petty acts of vandalism. Her streak of bad behavior had culminated in her breaking into school after hours, stealing from the principal’s office, and subsequently getting expelled. Which led her to where she was now: in her mom’s car, on her way to the summer camp where she’d be volunteering five days a week, along with her new school’s guidance counselor and her assigned student mentor. She had yet to meet her so-called mentor, but she wasn’t thrilled by the prospect. Carmen’s plan for Elmore Junior High was to keep her head down and focus on getting her grades back on track. She didn’t need friends; trying to hard to get other people to like her was what had gotten her into this mess in the first place. She was through trying to make friends, she was through getting into trouble, and she was through be angry. Now she was just exhausted, and she wanted her life to have some semblance of normalcy again.

Before long, the car pulled into a little dirt parking lot on the outskirts of a forest. Camp Lakehaven, according to the GPS and the sign by the side of the road.

“Well, here we are!” Mrs. Sanchez announced cheerily to a half-asleep Carmen. They stepped out of the car, and Carmen’s mom exchanged a friendly wave with a lanky, tie-dye clad figure in the distance. “And there’s Mr. Small! Do you want me to walk over there with you?”

“Sure.” Carmen’s first instinct was to say no, but she realized this was her mother’s way of trying to make an effort with her again. She was slowly beginning to understand that her parents had always been on her side, and if they’d been a little strict, it was only because they loved her and were trying to save her from herself. Together, they walked to where Mr. Small was waiting for them in the forest. The guidance counselor had his mess of curly blond hair, so pale it was almost white, pulled back in its usual ponytail, and he looked far too happy for someone who was out volunteering at a camp instead of at home enjoying his summer vacation, like Carmen wished she could be.

“Hey, glad you made it!” Mr. Small shook Mrs. Sanchez’s hand and gave Carmen a friendly nod. Carmen forced a smile in return. Mr. Small might not have been what she’d describe as “cool”, but for a teacher, she supposed he wasn’t bad. He was laid-back, at least, and he didn’t treat her like she was a lost cause. He was certainly better than the stuffy faculty she had left behind at Franklin Junior High. “Are you ready to have some fun?”

Carmen just shrugged, not feeling up to reminding Mr. Small that they were here to work, not partake in the camp’s festivities.

Mr. Small picked up on her lack of enthusiasm nonetheless. “Hey, come on. We’re going to have a good time this summer. You’ll see. Come on, your camp buddy’s waiting.”

“I’ll pick you up at 3,” Carmen’s mother told her. To Mr. Small, she said, “I hope Carmen doesn’t give you any trouble. She can be a bit of handful.”

Carmen frowned. “I’m right here.” And I’m not four, she added in her head, and Mr. Small isn’t my babysitter.

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Sanchez, I’ve been doing this for a long time,” Mr. Small assured her. “We’ll be just fine, won’t we, Carmen?”

“I guess.” As much as Carmen didn’t want to be there, she wasn’t about to make it harder for herself by getting into even more trouble. She just wanted this summer to be over as quickly as possible. “I’ll see you later, Mom.”

“Have fun, dear.” Mrs. Sanchez gave her daughter a quick peck on the cheek. “And behave yourself.”

Carmen just rolled her eyes as her mother headed back to the car.

“Ready to go?” Mr. Small asked, turning his ever-present smile to Carmen.

“I guess,” Carmen said again. She trudged behind Mr. Small as he began to lead her down a path through the forest.

“Your camp buddy is excited to meet you,” Mr. Small told her as they walked. Carmen couldn’t tell if he was telling the truth or just trying to fill the silence, but she suspected the latter. She was trying to imagine what kind of student would possibly agree to throw themselves into this situation. Probably a member of the honor society who needed community service hours—in other words, the exact type of person who would either look down on her or feel pity for her and try to fix her. Either way, she doubted that “excited” was the right word for it.

“Mmhm,” Carmen mumbled, just to show she was listening.

“His name is Alan,” Mr. Small continued. “I think you’ll like him. He’s a super nice kid.”

Carmen made another vague sound of comprehension, hoping her skepticism wasn’t too painfully apparent.

They walked in silence the rest of the way, until they reached a clearing with a large wooden building and a few scattered picnic tables. The area was empty apart from a boy around Carmen’s age who sat at the table closest to the forest. This, she could only assume, was Alan, which was confirmed when he looked up at the them with recognition on his face.

“Hey, Alan, I’m back, and I brought a friend!” Mr. Small announced. “Alan, this is Carmen. Carmen, this is Alan Keane, your camp buddy!”

“Hi, Carmen! It’s great to finally meet you!” Alan was a tall, skinny boy with light brown hair fashioned into a stupid-looking bowl cut. He was wearing a blue polo shirt and khaki shorts, which Carmen thought made him look like a Best Buy employee. Regardless, Carmen decided he wasn’t bad to look at. Although he wasn’t ruggedly handsome, his delicate, feminine features made him attractive in his own way. The term “pretty boy” came to mind, and Alan was decidedly very pretty. Most strikingly, he had stunning blue-green eyes framed by lashes long enough to make Carmen envious. He was holding out an impeccably clean hand for Carmen to shake, and she hesitantly accepted, surprised by how soft his skin was.

“Hi,” was all Carmen said in return. Although Alan looked harmless enough, and the smile he was giving her seemed genuine, Carmen wasn’t about to let her guard down. Not yet.

“Now that you two have met, why don’t we get to know each other a little better?” Mr. Small suggested. “Have a seat with me, and we’ll go around in a circle and say a little something about ourselves.” Carmen thought it was a bit of a silly game to play with only three people, but she didn’t vocalize this as she and Alan sat down across from Mr. Small at the closest picnic table.

“I’ll start,” said Mr. Small. “My name is Steve, and I’m the guidance counselor at Elmore Junior High. I’m a vegetarian, I have my own herb garden, and I know how to play guitar. Now it’s your turn, Alan.”

“My name’s Alan. I’m a student at Elmore Junior High. I have five brothers and sisters, I’m running for student council in the fall, and I like volunteering in my free time.” Alan sounded confident, but Carmen could tell he felt a little awkward about the whole ordeal as well.

“Very good!” Mr. Small praised. “Carmen?”

Carmen suddenly felt self-conscious. Alan and Mr. Small were both looking at her expectantly.

“Um. I’m Carmen,” she began hesitantly. “I just moved to Elmore, and I’ll be going to Elmore Junior High in the fall.” She bit her lip and stared down at the table, trying to think of something to say that wasn’t about how she’d recently been expelled or how she could think of about a thousand places she’d rather be right now. “I like to read…and I like plants. I mean, I used to help my mom out in her garden.”

“Excellent!” Mr. Small clapped his hands together. “So! Let’s talk a little bit about what we’ll be doing this summer. I’m sorry to say we won’t be having a lot of direct interaction with the campers, since that’s what the counselors are there for. Instead, we’ll be doing most of our work from behind the scenes. If this summer camp was a musical, think of us like the stage crew.” He made a broad, sweeping gesture with his hands, as if he was actually trying to paint a mental picture of a stage. “In other words, we’ll be mostly helping set up the events and clean up afterwards—basically whenever the counselors need an extra hand with something, we’ll be there to help. Now, camp doesn’t start until tomorrow, so we’ll be pretty busy today making sure everything is all set to go. First, we’re going to head over to the cabins to get them cleaned up. Sound good?” Mr. Small didn’t wait for a response. “Perfect! Let’s go!” He stood up from the picnic table and beckoned for Carmen and Alan to follow him.

“Doesn’t it make you feel good to know you’ll be helping put a smile on all those children’s faces?” Alan commented as they walked towards the cabins in the distance.

“I hadn’t really thought about it,” Carmen admitted. Unlike Alan, she wasn’t exactly here on her own volition. Alan nodded slowly, as if that had just occurred to him as well.

“I think you’ll find this kind of work to be quite rewarding,” Alan replied. “Most people do, once they give it a chance.” He said this without so much as a hint of sarcasm, which Carmen found surprising. Few people their age were able to think so selflessly, and yet it seemed to come naturally to Alan. It made her feel a little bad for having such an attitude about the situation. Was that his intention? To modify her behavior through feelings of shame?

“Okay, kids, here we are!” Mr. Small said suddenly, and Carmen realized they had reached their destination. They were now standing in front of the camp’s little wooden cabins, arranged into two rows of four. “Our first task is to get the cabins ready. There are fresh blankets and sheets inside to make the beds, and we’ll also need to sweep the floors.” A pair of brooms rested against the side of the nearest cabin. Mr. Small grabbed one while Alan took the other. “You kids can start up here, and I’ll start on the other end.” He pointed in the direction of the farthest cabin. “If you need me for anything, I won’t be far.”

“Yes, sir!” said Alan. Carmen had no objections.

“That’s what I like to hear!” Mr. Small cheered. “Now, get to work, and we’ll break for lunch in a few hours. Cool? Cool!”

With that, Mr. Small headed off to the other cabin, leaving Carmen alone with Alan. They stood in uncomfortable silence for a bit before Alan skipped up the cabin steps, leaving Carmen no choice but to follow him. Alan held the door open, gesturing for Carmen with a slight flourish.

“After you.”

“Thanks.” It was a cheesy gesture, Carmen thought, but she couldn’t help feel a bit flattered nonetheless. She was still trying to figure out whether Alan was genuinely the nicest person she’d met or just a huge kiss-ass.

[nitinguptadfw]

Wimbledon Plan By Trophy Signature Homes in Lakehaven Farmersville, TX | Model Home Tour

ICYMI: http://dlvr.it/SwsCyd

[drdehooks]

LakeHaven Church Service 2/5/2023 - Greg Mohr Guest Speaker

Life & Health – Greg Mohr https://youtu.be/h2tgWJFpz-M via @YouTube

[yowiesigns]

Hoarding Signage (Lakehaven Shopping Centre) Central Coast, NSW

[phoenixmiko]

An adorable fanfiction from Lailah’s point of view where she sees the budding  feelings between Sorey and Alisha. Set during the game.

[rorotoz-blog]

Lakehaven Heights - Natural Lookout Point

[snickering-kitsune]

The Outstretched Hand

@shepherdiing

Once again, the stone thrown across the surface of the lake dropped into its depths with a loud, graceless ker-plonk. 

Lunarre had lost track of how many attempts it had been now. The repetitive nature of the activity had captured his attention, and it kept at bay the creeping painful things that lurked in his brain. 

When the hellion had first spotted the kid by the lake, one of many in the aptly named Lakehaven Heights, he had been confused. It was strange to see Sorey alone, for one, but seeing him engaged in such a solitary and silent activity intrigued Lunarre. 

At first he thought the kid was just venting frustrations by throwing stones into the water, but after a while it became clear from the changes in stance and the careful manner in which Sorey chose each stone, that he was trying to skip them. Perhaps he had a lot on his mind.

You and me both, kid.

Faced with failure for the upteenth time, Sorey only sighed and began looking around for another stone. It was at this moment that Lunarre was roused from his lethargy. Rather than make a snide internal remark, Lunarre became aware of the sudden swell of an emotion as Sorey prepared to throw again.

It was subtle, but recognisable as the same feeling he experienced as he watched Sorey armatise for the first time. 

I want him to get it, Lunarre realised. 

He had watched over Sorey and his group from the shadows ever since that fateful moment in the Great Sanctuary. Each day that passed Lunarre came closer to understanding why, yet his uncertainty over what to do grew alongside it.

While his guard was down, Lunarre realised he had his legs dangled over the tree branch he was perched on, as if to get down. He stopped himself just in time.

What the hell am I doing?!

Suddenly, a memory surfaced. 

It was afternoon, and the waters surrounding the Aquapolis were calm and clear. Lunarre and his father sat by the waterside and skipped stones. Lunarre bet he could get his stone to bounce six times and beat Pa’s record of five bounces. Pa bet he couldn’t.

Pa won.

A wave of pain coursed through his body and Lunarre grabbed his head, hissing through gritted teeth. He heard the sound of crunching feet on stones, and opened his eyes to see Sorey looking at him.

Shit. 

Lunarre turned and fled into the woods, using the branches of the trees as stepping stones. He fought against the burning sensation in his chest and the throbbing in his head. His eyes stung.

Damnit, damnit!